First Command

by Rodney Smith

  “Kelly I need for you to monitor the enemy for me. Stick to them like glue. I need to know where they are at all times. If they split up, I need to know that. Don’t let them get lost. If we are to survive this, much less win, we need to know what the enemy is up to at all times. If you have a clear opportunity to take out a K’Rang ship, especially their supply ships, do so. This is going to be a campaign over a week or more. They will need to resupply. I want that to be a difficult proposition for them.”

  Kelly returned to the Vigilant and started planning his hide spots, overwatch positions, and firing points.

  * * * * *

  Connie spent two watches plotting out all the potential positions Kelly designated. She correlated them to avenues of approach, choke points, and other criteria the Captain determined. When she was done, she had a plan for bringing the Vigilant into a firing position, firing, and moving under cover to the next position along the avenue of approach. She also had locations where sensor pods would be placed to observe K’Rang movements at forks in their path. When she had it all entered into the navigation computer, she called it a day.

  She retired to her quarters to find Alistair lying in his upper bunk. He was wide-awake. She had a question that had been in her head since she found out he was from Archimedes.

  “Alistair, could you tell me about what life was like on Archimedes?”

  Alistair rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He asked, “Do you really want to know?”

  “Yes, I do. Please.”

  “How much do you know about the Great Migration?”

  She replied, “No more than I read about in history class.”

  “The Great Migration was mankind’s first foray into moving beyond Earth and settling ten relatively nearby systems. It was the start of the Galactic Republic. Earth formed ten syndicates that built ten settlement ships each, recruited 100,000 people, and sent them out to the stars with all supplies they would need to create a settlement on these new worlds. One million people were sent out to establish new Earths.”

  “The ships were massive, larger than the largest ships today. They were built to carry 10,000 people, their personal belongings, livestock, supplies, and fabricators that could form anything they needed out of raw minerals and scrap. Each ship was filled with suspended animation compartments for all the living things on board. Everyone was supposed to sleep for the year and a few months the voyage was supposed to take.”

  “I don’t know how much you already know about my world, but the Archimedes settlement was supposed to be the eighth settlement ship to go to Epsilon Eridani 4. It never got there because the senior astrogator went crazy, put the whole crew into suspended animation, and took the ship off course. He left the Captain a long wandering confession and explanation of why he did it, then spaced himself. The ship powered through space for 30 more years, pilotless, before it sensed a class M planet circling a yellow dwarf very similar to Sol and woke the crew. They were horrified to learn they were 30 light years beyond their intended destination and 41 light years from Earth.”

  “The 10,000 settlers considered all options, but in the end had only one available to them. They couldn’t go back. They couldn’t send a rescue message. They were forced to settle the planet and devolve their civilization before their modern capabilities ceased to work.”

  “Not everyone was happy with this outcome. There was the Revolt of Desperation early on, by those not willing to stay and wanting to load back on the ship and return to Epsilon Eridani 4. The ship had neither the energy nor life support to sustain the ship for a return voyage. Nonetheless, they overpowered the settlement ship watch and loaded 367 settlers back onto the ship. They were in the process of powering the ship back up when the ship’s captain led an Ascetic commando raid to disable the ship and subdue the rebels. If they had gone it would have doomed the settlement, because most of the livestock were still onboard in suspended animation.”

  “That led to the establishment of an autocratic form of government. The appointed settlement chief executive, a former Earth State representative, realized he was not qualified to lead a lone settlement through this new desperate and precarious situation. He selected the ship’s captain as the new leader of the settlement and the captain proclaimed himself Duke Carl I. He hand picked nine village leaders and made them all barons, declaring summary judgment in all matters for himself and his barons.”

  “This got the people working toward the common goal of making the settlement a viable community, instead of pining for what would never be. It was a period of innovation, as people tried to devolve the civilization to a sustainable level before the power supplies on their modern equipment died.”

  “They built steel mills, coking plants, mining equipment, and foundries. They built basic infrastructure for a 19th century society, even though they didn’t have the population yet to operate them all. All the basic building blocks of an early industrial age society were built, piece by piece, using the molecular fabricators that came with the ship. Cotton gins, rolling mills, flourmills, sawmills, and other light and heavy industry were pieced together from fabricated parts. They concentrated on building things that allowed for further capabilities. Boilermaker fabrication equipment was a priority, as the society’s primary power source would be wood fired steam engines.”

  “They had a maximum of 30 years left in the power cells and had to make optimum use of the fabricators before that power ran out. They used the limited sensor capability of the settlement ship to find raw minerals, resources, and the best location for the settlement. They did a pretty good job. The settlement organized itself with the main township, in essence the county seat, in the center of a vast plain with a large river flowing through it. The nine villages were arrayed around it like spokes on a wheel about 200 km away from the county seat. The livestock and seed were distributed to the villages best able to utilize them. Villages along the river valley became farming centers. Villages with fertile grasslands became cattle and horse breeding centers. Villages in the highlands built mills along the creeks and became milling centers. Pigs were distributed equally amongst the villages as they could flourish anywhere. Goats were apportioned to the highland villages where other livestock couldn’t survive. Poultry were apportioned through out the settlement, some even allowed to roam free.

  All in all, the early leaders did a pretty good job. They accomplished all their goals before the power ran out. After 30 years the population had quadrupled, and schools up to a university were built and staffed. Guilds were formed to train people to operate the factories, mills, and other specialized functions. Livestock population grew to where they no longer needed to be isolated to just one settlement. Trade flourished between the town and villages, aided by a unified railway system servicing the town and all villages.”

  She interrupted him to ask, “Which village were you born in and how were you raised?”

  “I was born in Copernicus. We were primarily an agricultural community, which I’m told was a hardscrabble existence initially. There were no horses to use as plow animals because they were all being used as breeding stock. It wasn’t until several years later that geldings became available for sale in the village markets. Of course, by the time I was born, they had developed steam tractors and harvesters to increase farm size and yield.”

  “I was the youngest of six children and not very good at farming. My father saw to it that I was accepted by a guild. None of the regular guilds were right for me, but he was determined I would learn a useful trade. He eventually got me accepted into the Assassins Guild.”

  Connie sat up and said, “The Assassins Guild? That sounds rather ominous.”

  “I guess it does sound rather ominous, but it was more of a military academy than a bunch of cutthroats. We trained on all types of weapons and martial arts. We advanced through the guild levels from novice to apprentice to master. I had just achieved my Master status when we were discovered.”

  “85 years after
we landed, a survey ship looking for mineral-rich asteroids and new habitable worlds stumbled on us quite by accident. We had no electronic signature and they assumed Archimedes was an uninhabited world. When they first saw our villages, they thought they had discovered a new sentient species. They were a bit disappointed when we answered them back in our heavily accented Galactic Standard. We were quickly assimilated into the 22nd century, which caused any number of problems. Duke Carl IV filed our application to join the Galactic Republic and it caused quite a stir. We were the first second tier world.”

  “Our world grew quickly and only a little of the old settlement is still there. It was a large shift from the 19th century to the 22nd and some couldn’t or wouldn’t make the transition. They set aside some of the villages as an enclave of the 19th century for those unable to make the transition. Some people eventually left, but some people moved back in. I guess that in about 50 years the enclave will be empty. It will probably be made into a museum.”

  “That’s the college notes version of my planet’s story. Was it what you expected?”

  She rolled over in her bunk and said, “How difficult was it for you to make the transition?”

  “It wasn’t too difficult for me. The Guild training made me able to quickly adapt to new situations. I always knew the Galactic Republic was out there and that some day we would be discovered. When Fleet Intel found out about the Assassins Guild, they heavily recruited us. They taught us new modern skills and helped us to refine our old skills. The transition was made quite easy for me. I like being a reporting officer, although it does get lonely at times. Fortunately, I have Rojo, my cat, to keep me company.”

  He rolled over onto his side and said, “Now if there is nothing more, I’m going to sleep now.”

  Connie stood up and stripped out of her coveralls and undergarments before crawling into her lower bunk. Alistair rolled over onto his other side. He lay there alone and did not go to sleep quite as quickly as he thought he would.

  * * * * *

  Fleet Commander J’Kalt called one last commander’s call before he moved into the star cluster. He looked all of his captains in the eye and told them to remember what they had just practiced. He told them to execute all orders with total commitment. If they hesitated in an ambush situation, they would surely be destroyed. It would be better to go down fighting than to suffer a hollow defeat.

  He reminded them what was at stake if the Humans broke out into K’Rang space here between these two main worlds. It could mean splitting the empire and its eventual destruction. He could see in their eyes that they understood the seriousness of their situation, and knew they would all do their duty. He ordered them back to their ships and gave them four hours to prepare their ships and crews for combat. They would enter the star cluster in six hours.

  He had requested reinforcements and had been promised at least a cruiser squadron to backstop him here at the entrance to the star cluster. If he was met by a superior force and annihilated, they would have to hold the entrance against a possible Human attack.

  He brought the captains to attention and said, ”Long live the Empire!”

  They answered in unison, “Long live the Empire!”

  * * * * *

  Chief Johnson brought Kelly the news that the K’Rang Fleet was moving toward the star cluster from their exercise position behind the nearest main world. Kelly passed that information to the Fleet. Admiral Minacci ordered the Vigilant to move to a position to directly monitor the K’Rangs’ actions and report them to the Fleet. Kelly acknowledged the order and moved out. He gave orders to Chief Johnson to launch sensor pods to all pre-designated positions. Seven sensors left the Vigilant, speeding to overwatch, chokepoints, and decision points in the star cluster.

  The Vigilant moved out to the fringe of the star cluster and hid behind a larger than normal brown dwarf. He monitored the K’Rang fleet movement into formation as it approached the entrance to the star cluster. They held off the entrance for an hour then, with the two Shadow Force destroyers in the lead, moved ahead and into the star cluster. Kelly passed this information to the reinforced 3rd ALG. Everyone was in position and as ready as they could be.

  * * * * *

  Friedrich Debran was being briefed on third quarter profits, something he normally took high interest in, but not today. Something was nagging at the back of his mind. Irritated at not being able to focus on the subject, he threw the briefer out of his office.

  Roger Delphant came in as the sacrificial lamb to find out what or who was putting the boss in a sour mood. As he walked in, Debran was staring at a holographic display of the Pleiades. Roger thought he understood.

  “Are you worried about your investment, sir?”

  Debran looked up, about to throw Delphant out too, when he softened and motioned for him to sit down.

  “Damn right I’m worried. I’m into them for 300 million credits and stand to lose it all if the K’Rang get in there and close off the star cluster. I want my own eyes in there, Roger. Get in touch with your Hooligans and have them assist in the defense of the planet. Put them under the control of that admiral if we have to.”

  “Yes, Mr. Debran.”

  * * * * *

  Kelly saw an opportunity to draw first blood. He watched the K’Rang fleet move further into the cluster. As the last of the trailing frigates moved into the cluster, the missile corvette moved up to the entrance. Kelly concluded he must be their communications relay back to the main worlds. Kelly couldn’t let that continue. He gave the K’Rang fleet an hour to get into the first kill box, cut off from retreat, and then he would take this guy out.

  Kelly called up the specs on this corvette and realized he had taken on a later model of this type before. In fact, it was an engagement with three of these that got him kicked out of Fighter Force and allowed him to be where he was now.

  Connie, sensing Kelly was lost in thought, asked him if something was wrong.

  Kelly slipped out of his reverie and said, “See that guy out there? I took three of them out once when I was still in fighters. It saved my carrier, but got me booted out of Fighter Force.”

  “How did that happen, sir? I mean we’ve all heard rumors, but none of us know what really happened.”

  Kelly checked his sensor feed to see where the lead destroyers were in the cluster, realized he still had about an hour before the first trap sprang, and started his tale.

  “We had a general in the Fighter Force that thought she was a modern day Marshall Ney, Napoleon’s cavalry chief. She kept looking up historical battles and drawing all the wrong conclusions. She thought she was being innovative and classical at the same time. No matter what she saw in these old battles, she always set up our operations in the most restrictive manner possible. It was as if she didn’t trust us to think on our own. She had a tendency to trust the technology more than the mind operating it. Have you ever heard of the wall of fire tactic?”

  “Yes, sir, we covered it in tactics training in the Academy, but that was obsolete over a decade ago.”

  “Well General Bugarov thought of it as her master stroke.”

  “Oh, Bugger Off! Everyone on Antares Base has heard of her.”

  Kelly frowned, then continued, “She called for a fleet-wide fighter defense exercise and set it up to run near the K’Rang frontier, to demonstrate our capabilities. My carrier and two others were to play the blue force and two carriers were to play the red force. I was a 2nd LT and had the temerity to ask if the wall of fire didn’t make us vulnerable to an enemy that would stack forces against one sector until they overpowered the defense and punched through. I had my head handed to me. She had my squadron commander personally remind me to keep in formation in our mission briefing.”

  “Well, that was not to be my lucky day. As we moved out to our squadron defensive position on the backside of the fleet, my damage simulator went offline as if I’d been shot down. I drifted in space with my nav lights blinking and limited maneuver control. I
was told to wait for the recovery team to come out and get me. That would have been an hour wait until the combat phase was competed.”

  “I tried everything I could think of to get the damage sim to recycle, but nothing worked. I even had Wanda reason with it. That didn’t work, either. That’s when I saw the K’Rang. There were three missile corvettes like our friend over there. All I saw was a star blink on and off as one moved in front of it.”

  “Wanda was able to resolve what they were and how far off. We convinced the damage sim to release the ship back to me if they crossed the border, which they did. I took out the three corvettes, and my reward when I got back on board the Bolivar was to be read court martial charges by the General. The Fleet Commander put a stop to that and awarded me the Space Medal for saving his flagship.”

  “General Bugarov expelled me from Fighter Force and sent me to Antares in exile. I ran into Captain Hasslerode, and he convinced me that Scout Force might be the place for me. The rest is history.”

  “Thank you, sir, that answers a lot of questions.”

  * * * * *

  The K’Rang fleet moved beyond the distance where they could turn back and support the corvette. Kelly had the navigator make some calculations on what it would take to make an FTL run at the corvette and stop just amidships. The navigator made some quick calculations and announced it could be done at FTL power 1. Kelly instructed him to pass the course, speed and braking point to the helm. The helm acknowledged. Kelly told the gunner to get ready with all guns. The gunner locked all guns forward and said he was ready.

  “Helm, execute.”

  The K’Rang corvette sensor operators had no warning. One moment their sensors were clear, the next there was a Human Scout ship off their starboard side. Nine guns opened fire at once and blasted a hole clean through the corvette. Kelly could see stars through the gaping hole. They were doomed. No airtight doors could save them. Explosive decompression boiled the blood of the K’Rang crew and killed them almost instantaneously, if not painlessly. As the K’Rang ship was wracked with secondary explosions, Kelly ordered the helm to their next hide position.