by Saxon Andrew
“We discovered that the Brax made them so thick because they used a penetrating device; we call them tridents. But the hull only needed to be foot thick to withstand a nuclear missile. The twenty-feet thick hulls of the Brax Vessels are not needed. This new Battleship is half the size of the ship it replaces and is less than half the weight. The Brax Warships you brought back has provided enough metal to armor far more ships than we can build in a century.”
“Thanks, Tommy. I appreciate you working with my crew in getting us up to speed on the new modifications.”
“I would recommend you go and launch a few dart-clouds and fire your disruptors through them. You’ll be surprised that the new darts can match the closing speeds of the battleships and keep their integrity while doing it.”
“I think I’d rather fire a disruptor into a dart cloud and see how well it works.”
Tommy smiled, “That’s why I suggested several clouds, Sir.”
Rory laughed, “Thanks, again.” Tommy nodded and left the bridge. Rory looked at Sol Jones, “Let me know when he leaves the ship.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Paul, I want you to take the ship into orbit and run her through her paces and see how she responds.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Sir, he’s left the ship in a shuttle.”
“Paul, take us out.”
The New York rose through the atmosphere slowly and Rory pressed the red-button on his chair’s arm. The klaxons began wailing and the PA announced loudly, “ALL HANDS TO BATTLESTATIONS! ALL HANDS TO BATTLESTATIONS!” Rory waited a minute and turned off the PA and stared at his console. All stations reported in ready in less than two-minutes. Having a smaller ship was an advantage in getting ready for a fight. He punched his intraship button and said, “All hands buckle in and prepare for high-G maneuvers.” Rory counted to ten and nodded to Paul.
The New York took off like a thoroughbred out of the starting gate. Suddenly, it veered hard right and then dove at a ninety-degree angle. It whipped around and went vertical in an instant. Rory shook his head in amazement. This ship was incredible!” He allowed Paul to play for another thirty-minutes and said, “Stop the ship!” Rory was pushed hard into his harness as the Battleship came to a very abrupt stop. Paul yelled, “I love this ship!!”
Rory and everyone else on the bridge fell back into their chairs as the ship stopped and Rory said, “Pilot, next time I order the ship stopped, unless we’re in combat, do it a bit slower.”
Paul looked at him sheepishly and said, “Yes, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir.”
“It’s ok, I didn’t give you clear instructions.” Rory looked up at Sol, “I want a dart-cloud launched and Paul, follow it maintaining a quarter-mile distance, on my command.
Rory waited a moment and said, “Launch the cloud.” A solid wall of the new darts erupted out of the New York’s bow and the vessel accelerated at high speed behind them. “Sol, fire all forward disrupters at the cloud!”
Twenty-giant beams lept out from the bow and blew through the dart-cloud. Tommy was right, the beans didn’t appear to suffer any loss of power as they blew through the cloud. “Fire another Cloud, Sol, and Paul accelerate out in front of it and turn the ship to fire at it as it approaches.”
“How far out from the cloud do you want to be, Admiral?”
“At least two-miles and get out of the way of the cloud before it hits the ship.” Rory thought a moment and said, “Belay that. Stay in front of it and allow the cloud to hit.”
Paul nodded and looked at Sol, who could only shrug. Rory smiled and said, “Launch the cloud.”
The huge silver colored cloud erupted from the bow and the New York dove under it and went to full speed. Four-miles out, the ship stopped and flipped around. Sol fired the entire battery of forward disruptors and Rory saw them being reflected in different directions. A moment later, the darts began hitting the New York and deflecting away. They were unable to penetrate the hull.
Rory smiled, “Contact Meredith and tell her to arm our ships with training power-spikes and to announce a wargame three-days from now. Paul, you have the ship again and I want you to focus on avoiding a power-spike launch.”
“Do you have any suggestions, Sir?”
“The power-spikes are pretty much a straight on weapon. As soon as you see them on your scanner, get out from in front of them and maneuver the ship to fire on the vessel that launched them.”
“Sir, the ship has a lot more maneuverability than I used earlier. It could be a rough ride.”
Rory shook his head and pressed the PA button, “Prepare for high-G maneuvers and I do mean high-G. The last time was a walk in the park so buckle in tight and make sure your armor is pulled tight as well.”
Rory could hear the groans over the PA before he shut it off. This was the only way to get ready. If Paul could do it, then the others would have to learn how to deal with it A few moments later, Rory pulled his harness as tight as he could make it and nodded to Paul. Ah hour later, he managed to get his spleen to go back to its original position. Two-days later, the crew was able to operate their systems during the high-G runs.
• • •
Ginger sat on the Asia and heard Dean say, “This should be interesting.”
“Just make sure the computer is scoring it correctly and get the ships that are hit out of the competition.”
“We’ve got it handled.”
• • •
After two hours, Dean shook his head, “It looks like the New York is taking everyone to school.” He turned to Meredith, “Is he going to share what he’s doing with the other ships in the fleet?”
“I’m sure he will, Dean. I think I just figured out why he didn’t allow me on the ship when he was practicing?”
Ginger smiled, “How much longer?”
Meredith shrugged, “About another four months, if the doctors are right. I hope you can keep him straight when you move on board, Ginger.”
“I’ll do what I can. The Admiral can get hard-headed on some things.”
Meredith sighed, “I know…but he will listen if you present your argument clearly. I don’t know anyone better than you at doing that.”
“Honestly, I think with the way his ship is preforming, I don’t see any reason for me to take Ben’s place.”
“He needs someone to keep him focused. Ben is good but he gives in too quickly. Ben should have his own ship to command.”
“One is due off the assembly line in four-days,” Dean responded.
Meredith nodded, “I’ll discuss it with him tonight.”
“All right, that’s it. The New York has just dispatched the last competitor. Let’s issue the announcements and give Rory the opportunity to discuss with the fleet what he did.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Haley rushed to the Throne Room and found the Emperor with an angry disposition, “Duke Haley, will you tell me why we have not attacked the Colonies?”
“Your Majesty, I came here three-times to ask for authority to order Earl Bowen to launch his attack. You told me not to get involved that the Earl was going to be given time to train his crews.”
Thorpe sighed, “I suppose I have been distracted of late.”
Haley hesitated and said, “I trust you’ve been successful.”
Thorpe smiled, “I have been. There are three on the way. However, now that I’m involved in what’s going on, I’m aggravated that nothing has been done about the Colonies. I am placing you in command of the Fleet and you will get the Earl moving or I’ll find another to take command.”
“If you would so notify Earl Bowen, I will handle the issue, Your Majesty.”
Thorpe lifted a microphone from his throne and began speaking. Fifteen minutes later, Haley ordered Bowen to report to his office in the Castle. Bowen didn’t need to be a genius to know he was in trouble. He arrived and found an angry Duke reading him the riot act. Bowen left the meeting at a trot. The Fleet was leaving within forty-eight-hours. The faster he could get a
way from the Earth, the greater his chances of not being executed.
• • •
Alarms were going off in the New York as Rory arrived on the bridge, “WHAT’S GOING ON?!”
“Sir, the Scouts have reported that Earth’s Fleet will be launching to attack the Colonies in forty-five-hours from now.”
“Thank you, Lisa. Notify all the Squadrons to form up and prepare to launch in five-hours. Make sure everyone is fully armed and fueled.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Ginger came rushing on the bridge and Rory said, “We’re launching in five-hours. Earth is sending its fleet our way the day after tomorrow.”
Ginger nodded and lifted her communicator, “All departments, we will be launching in five-hours to move out to meet the Earth Fleet. You will be on standby Battlestations and prepared for combat. Report in when your unit is ready.”
“Sir, Admiral Kuchen wants to know if we’re going to launch the Attack Sleds early.”
Rory looked at Lisa, “No. We’ll arrive at our attack position in twenty-four hours and we’ll launch them then. There’s no need to waste their fuel at this point, Lisa.”
Rory punched his console, “Admiral Donovan, are your new Battleships ready to move to their assigned coordinates?”
“Yes, Sir. I’ll be sending them once we determine the Earth Fleet’s course.”
Rory pressed another button, “Admiral, are your Attack sleds ready and armed?”
“Da, Admiral. They have been loaded for ship-to-ship attacks.”
“Send the squatters tomorrow when we arrive. Get the Speed scouts out to find their course; I don’t believe they are going to attack all the Colonies at once.”
“They launched ten-minutes ago, Admiral.”
Rory smiled, “Keep up the good work.”
“Da.”
• • •
Sherry left the Babylon at high speed and turned for Earth. The Colonies were spread out in the Orion Spur and the scouts at Earth wouldn’t be able to determine where Earth’s Fleet was headed without leaving their stations and there weren’t enough to cover all the approaches. Sherry had the route to New Georgia to cover and she had to get there quickly. New Georgia was the first and closest Colony to Earth and it had to be a prime target. The bets were that Earth would go after Asia first, since it was the most industrialized Colony, but the bet was even between it and New Earth. The Fleet needed to quickly know where to go. The Earth Fleet would be on the way before she could arrive at her coordinates. She leaned back in her command chair, tightened her harness, and went to full power on all four-engines. The race was on.
• • •
Harry held position in space waiting for the course to take his three-wings of new Attack Sleds. The pilots were getting anxious and he spoke over his communicator, “RELAX!! We’ll know where to go in plenty of time. Just make sure all your systems are operational and at full power. You’ve trained for this and I know you’re going to do great.”
Harry sat back and waited thinking about what was coming. The new Earth Carriers were huge but the pilots on them had never fought in real combat. He noticed an Attack Sled move over next to his left wing and make contact. “What’s up, Jenny?”
“Are we going in on the first wave or are we holding back, Sir.”
“I’m assigning targets and then we’ll join in the fun. We won’t be behind much. Are you worried?”
“Not really. Being your wingman makes it a lot easier. I am concerned that the numbers we’ll be facing might cause us to lose formation cohesion.”
“That’s a real possibility, Lieutenant. Just stay safe and if we have to separate, then avoid taking a risk and do it.”
“Sir.”
“Yes.”
“Are you still planning to go in with the Zombies if we’re able to stop their fleet?”
“I am; why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. I think I’ll miss you a lot if you do.”
“What are you saying, Jenny?”
“I wish you wouldn’t do it!” Jenny’s ship broke contact and moved back into her slot in the formation. Harry watched her move away and shook his head. He saw her expressions around him and knew she was getting too close. He thought a moment and wondered what too close was. He shook his head and forced the thoughts out of his mind.
• • •
Ginger looked up from her console and said, “Sir, the Scouts have sent a communication Probe saying that Earth’s Fleet is moving out from Earth and are remaining in one formation. They’re not scattering in different directions.”
“That means they have one target. Let me know when we find out which Colony they’re chosen.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Rory looked at his small monitor and saw Admiral Donovan and Logan’s Fleets moving away from the construction planet. He saw his former flagship, which was renamed the Atlanta moving with them. It had completed its modifications two-months earlier and he faced a difficult choice. It was a powerful battleship but it couldn’t be shrunk to the size of the new ones. He had become accustomed to the enhanced abilities of the new ship and he just couldn’t bring himself to move into a ship with less capability. “Stay safe,” he thought as he looked up at the tactical monitor. The new Battleships were moving out in formation along with the Babylon and Troy. The Alexandria and Sparta were moving into formation with the older model ships and they would be pivotal in the coming plan. They were going to have to keep Earth’s Attack Sleds off the old battleships long enough for the plan to come to fruition. He looked over his shoulder, “Any word yet, Captain?”
“Sir, there’s another four hours before out Speed Scouts arrive at their coordinates.”
Rory sighed and sat back. It was the waiting that still got to him. He could never just relax and patiently wait. Oh well. It is what it is.
• • •
Baron Nichols sat in his chair and tried not to fume over the ship he was assigned to command. His ranking in the Royalty should have guaranteed him one of the new Battleships but here he was in the Boston; it was the oldest ship in the fleet. He was being set up and there was nothing he could do about it. He lost the Emperor’s ear and it was all Duke Haley’s fault. Earl Bowen didn’t help matters. He was supposed to be all wily and smart about fleet formations but all he had done was prove to him that he wasn’t all that. He didn’t scatter the fleet on their exit and then bring them back together out in open space. The Colonies should easily figure out their destination and be waiting fully prepared to meet them. He was in the hands of idiots!
He joined the Knights believing in the Emperor and how great he was. Now, after being around him, he knew he had been stupid. The Emperor was little more than a paranoid egomaniac. But his crew still believed in him, along with the crews on all the other ships in the Fleet. He knew his ship would be in the front-line when the attack began. How could he have been so blind? He glanced at his second-in-command, “Is the Attack Sled powered up and ready to go?”
“Yes, Your Highness. I still don’t understand why you want to use it.”
“I need a good idea of the Enemy positions before we attack.”
“But the Scouts…”
Jeffery interrupted him, “Have failed miserably every time we’ve used them! I will not depend on them for accurate information. Are you not qualified to command the ship?”
“I’m very well qualified, Your Highness.”
“Then there is no risk in finding out what’s going on.” Jeffery stared at the Knight and he slowly nodded.
Jeffery thought about when the proper moment to go would be. It couldn’t be too close to the target; that would cause issues. But where would the Colonies choose to meet the Fleet? Ummm…it wouldn’t be close to the target; they had to know the risk of ships suiciding and hitting their cities. Let’s see. First, they’ll have to determine the Fleet’s course. That will take another twenty-four hours at least. Then, they’ll have to move their forces out into position. Four-days out
should be about right. He’d leave then and watch what happened. He should be ok at not being caught.
That fool Bowen never spoke directly to his ship’s commanders. He issued orders to groups of ships most of the time. By the time the attack began, he wouldn’t be missed. The real danger was in avoiding any Colony Attack Sled. At least this was a better chance of surviving than going in against them in this ancient Battleship. He was fortunate the Boston was near the two-Carriers and they were constantly launching Attack Sleds to defend them. The Attack Sled’s transponder should allow him to go unnoticed. He made sure the Attack Sled came from one of the Carriers. Their systems would ignore it.
• • •
Bowen watched the Fleet move out from the Defense Satellites and move into formation. He had all the old ships in a front line leading the fleet with the newest Battleships formed up behind them. He glanced at the tactical monitor and saw the Boston was almost directly in front of the Carriers. They would be a primary target and he’d be rid of that Baron Knight. The Emperor had promoted him too quickly and Duke Haley was right, that one had to go.
The Fleet finally formed up and he looked at his Communications Officer, “Order all ships to full-speed toward our target.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Nine-days to glory. This would be a thrilling victory and he’d be promoted to a Duke’s Station in the Royalty. Then, he’d take care of Haley.
• • •
Sherry arrived at her coordinates and activated the advanced Paben Scanner. Had she arrived too late? She whipped the Scout around and scanned behind her. Nothing. Maybe they were headed toward Asia. They should be on her scanner if they were moving this way. She blew out a hard breath and was almost thankful they were not moving her way. She seemed to always be in the hottest spots and it was nice to not be for a change. Four-hours later, her scanner started pinging loudly. She sighed and saw hundreds of blips appearing at the edge of her scanning range. She turned as the number grew to more than a thousand and she launched the message probe. She was amazed that the small probes were faster than her Speed scout but mass and acceleration were the gods of the universe. The Probe shot away inside its drive-field as she turned the scout and stayed in front of the blips. New Georgia was their target and she shook her head. At least her luck was consistent.