Triumph & Defeat (Shaitan Wars Book 4)

by Sudipto Majumdar

  “Surely Warmaster, you are not rescinding on your own discourse, which you had given to me earlier?! You had said at that time that the strategy for a large fleet battle like ours is different from a smaller fleet, even if the defense fleet is of a matching size in both cases. You had said, that a sixteen vessel assault fleet, facing a sixteen vessel defense fleet would face different dynamics, compared to an eighty two fleet assault fleet facing an eighty two vessel defense fleet.

  “You had said that with a larger fleet, a lot more possibilities open up for the assault fleet. It is impossible for a defense fleet, even if it is equal in numbers, to be able to stop each and every vessel of an assault fleet from reaching its target. Some vessels of the assault fleet would always have the opportunity to slip past the defense fleet blocking it, even if it means that some other vessels of the assault fleet have to sacrifice themselves to purchase that passage for the other vessels of the fleet. Are you retreating from that position Warmaster?” It was the turn of Seer Taste of Logic to mock Resolve.

  “I am not retreating from that position seer. As the overall size of the opposing fleets grow larger, the advantage keeps tilting towards the assaulting fleet. That is a very basic rule of Warcraft, which you have imbibed, but Seer Logic, as they say half knowledge is more dangerous than no knowledge. What you don’t seem to have imbibed is the implicit assumption in that basic rule, which is that the rule holds if the capabilities of the individual vessels of the two opposing fleet are equal or match closely. That isn’t the case, so the calculations on who has the advantage with higher overall numbers of both the fleet is a lot more complex and far from certain.” Seer Taste of Resolve replied.

  “What asymmetry of capability between the war vessels of the two species would prevent a few of our vessels from slipping past while other of our vessels keep the defense fleet engaged? My impression was that the war vessels of the two species are broadly evenly matched.” Logic asked, this time genuinely rather than mockingly.

  “Oh, it is definitely possible for a few of our vessels to slip past the Ka-Baal defense fleet, even if they have superior numbers. That is not the issue. How effective those vessels would be in fulfilling their objective after slipping past, is another question altogether. That is because, while the subjective assessment that both the war vessels are evenly matched may be broadly true, but the capabilities of the war vessels of the two species vary on many parameters, some are superior in our war vessels, while others are superior in those of Ka-Baal. The one thing that makes a critical difference for the success of a squadron to slip by the defense fleet to make a run for the target, is acceleration.

  “Unfortunately this is one area where the Ka-Baal war vessel is vastly superior to our war vessels. So even if a squadron of a few war vessels of ours were to give the Ka-Baal defense fleet the slip and make a run for their home world, the Ka-Baal are more than likely to be able to catch up to that squadron before they can reach their objective, which would make the situation worse for our fleet overall. While our assault fleet would have split into two, the defense fleet would be under no compulsion to do the same.

  “The whole defense fleet can give chase to the breakaway squadron of ours, and when they catch up with that squadron, can destroy it far more easily because that squadron would consist of just a few warships, pitted against the whole defense force. The defense force would be able to destroy that squadron, without taking any significant losses, and then turn back to face the main assault fleet again. All we would have achieved would be to lose a significant fraction of our assault fleet with nothing to show for it.

  “We have to draw a strategy that plays to our strength Seer Taste of Logic, not to our weakness. There are many other parameters, where our war vessels fare better than those of the Ka-Baal. The armor of our war vessels is far superior to those of the Ka-Baal. Our missiles are far more powerful than those of the Ka-Baal. On the other hand, the Ka-Baal offset the relative lack of power of their individual missiles by numbers. Their missiles are lighter and thus many more of those can be stocked in their war vessels. In any missile duel between our fleets, the Ka-Baal missiles outnumber ours many times over, which has its own advantages, and taxes our point defense system to the hilt.

  “Our missiles, like our war vessels are more robust and can take many more hits before they are stopped. Even when our missiles are stopped, they explode and sometimes cause damage to the enemy. The missiles of the Ka-Baal are fragile and simply get destroyed with a single antimissile strike, so the advantage of larger numbers is not that huge, as it seems at first. There are many such differences in the capabilities of the two war vessels of the two species, which makes the calculation far more complex than the simplistic assumptions you make Seer Taste of Logic.” Resolve explained.

  “Al right, the calculations are complex, I admit to that. I never insinuated that your calculations or considerations were simplistic. But it still doesn’t explain why we have chosen to bleed off all our velocity and engage in a low speed battle, when we have the option of choosing the speed at which the battle would take place and use that speed to our advantage. I am not suggesting that we enter the Kalshuk system at such a high speed, that the speed itself becomes our enemy, where the Ka-Baal can simply throw sand at us and we would be reduced to molten metal, like we did to their assault vessels on World #12. There are however, many other options. For example we could reduce our speed to a great extent and yet keep enough velocity that once any of our vessels is past the waiting defense fleet, the Ka-Baal defense fleet would have no chance of catching up with those vessels even with the superior acceleration of the Ka-Baal war vessel.” Taste of Logic asked.

  “I have considered that option and many of its variations with higher and lower speeds. Here is the fundamental problem with that approach Seer Logic. It is nary impossible to approach the Kalshuk system without the Ka-Baal being aware of us approaching. If we were to turn off our engines and approach at high speed, then the Ka-Baal would only become aware of us just as we are entering the outer edges of their system. They would become aware of us by using their innovative laser beacon system. How short a warning they get will depend on how high a velocity we enter the Kalshuk system.

  “If we enter the system with high velocity, we would be able to cut the amount of warning time that the Ka-Baal have, but the same high velocity would turn into our nemesis as it would be used against us for sure, and we would meet the same fate as our Ka-ma-khya vessels have. Even if some of our vessels were to survive, they would not be able to carry out our objective effectively. We would be moving too fast to slow down and hit the orbital infrastructure of the Ka-Baal with missiles, and the Ka-Baal would simply move the orbit of all their infrastructure behind their planet and moon, just like we did on World #11, which would make them immune to any kinetic attack as well.

  “We could reduce our speed significantly and then turn off our engines to approach with a velocity not high enough for sand missiles to be able to kill us, yet high enough for us to dodge the defense fleet. Such a velocity falls within a certain range. At the higher end of that range, we would still be travelling too fast to be able to slow down enough before we reach the Ka-Baal home world, so that we may be able to launch missiles and destroy their infrastructure.

  “At the lower end of that range we might just be able to squeeze a single round of missile barrage at the Ka-Baal infrastructure as we pass their home world, but that would be about it. Our chances of comprehensively destroying the Ka-Baal void infrastructure with a single round of missile attack is very low. The Ka-Baal fleet and any planetary defense system would be able to counter a single round of missile barrage without suffering too much damage. Their defense fleet would not have to worry about defending themselves, and would be able to bring their entire point defense system to protect their infrastructure from that single round of missile attack.

  “All in all, going in with a high velocity to be able to dodge the defense fleet does not yield the de
sired objective for our fleet. We may get out safe from the attack run, but our mission would be a failure. If you keep in mind what I had mentioned earlier about the criticality of this mission for our species, just as well as it is for the Ka-Baal, then you realize that going in at high speed is not a good option.

  “All this does not even take into account the Ka-Baal defense fleet would know the exact speed at which our fleet would enter their system long before we actually do enter their system. They would be able to calculate from the timing of our engine shut down, the exact velocity at which our fleet could be expected to enter their system. Once we reach closer, their laser detection system would be able to give accurate data on our approach speed as well. With that advance information, the Ka-Baal defense fleet could take its own countermeasures.

  “The defense fleet could advance towards us in the direction of our approach initially. Come to a halt, and then start accelerating back towards their home world, building up speed in the same direction as we are travelling. The defense fleet wouldn’t be able to build up as much speed as our vessels by the time we cross their home world, but that wouldn’t matter. The lower speed of the defense fleet would let us catch up with the enemy defense fleet before we cross their home world.

  “Since both the fleet would be travelling in the same direction when our fleet crosses the defense fleet, we would cross the defense fleet at a relatively lower speed than we had intended, and putting paid to our original intention of a high speed bypass. The worst part would be that the enemy defense fleet, knowing that our assault fleet cannot engage in any significant attack on their home world due to our high velocity, would be free to fight recklessly, and hence would be far more dangerous. The defense fleet would know that even if all their vessels were to be destroyed in the encounter between the two fleet, it would pose no danger to their home world, because we would not be able to stop after the defeat of the defense fleet at their home world and destroy their infrastructure.

  “By the time we turn back and make another pass at their home world, it would be at least five to six hundred cycles, or about five to six of the Ka-Baal cycles that they call a Year. Not only would the Ka-Baal be able to build some more warships for their defense by then, but they would also be able to call in reinforcements from Word #12 and even the core worlds if the speed of their war vessels is as high as we suspect.

  “Our assault fleet on the other hand would have been severely depleted due to a savage and suicidal attack on our first run by the Ka-Baal defense fleet. We would have had no reinforcements, and would be critically low on hydrogen fuel, having had to accelerate back to the Kalshuk system without being able to refuel. Our chances on the second run would be sharply lower than what we have right now with a full fleet.” Warmaster Taste of Resolve was glad that he could finally tell his line of thinking to someone intelligent like Taste of Logic, and get a validation.

  “I withdraw my contention about your strategy Warmaster. It seems you have given this aspect a lot of thought and your logic is undeniable. Now I understand why you have stuck to the conventional assault doctrine. So what are the specifics of this low speed assault plan Warmaster?” Seer Taste of Logic was now asking about the nuts and bolts specifics of the strategy, having been convinced by the Warmaster, that his strategy was the most logically sound one.

  “It all depends on the strategy of the defense fleet Seer Logic. A warrior does not have the luxury to know the exact plans of the enemy most of the times, but a warrior does have the option to get inside the thought process of the enemy and work out scenarios. For each of those scenarios, we work out contingency plan and hope that we are able to adapt our plans to any evolving situation to our best advantage. Therein lies the skill of the warrior. You can be sure Seer Logic, that our skills will be tested in this upcoming campaign.” The Warmaster replied with a sense of foreboding.

  ---XXX---

  “There has been no change in the disposition of the enemy fleet, since the last report twenty four hours ago, admiral. The enemy fleet is reducing their velocity along the same vector, at a constant rate. As of now their estimated time of arrival at point alpha remains the same,” the ensign glanced sideways at the countdown clock to recheck the time remaining, “exactly ninety three hours, forty seven minutes, and a few seconds. I don’t think the enemy fleet has spotted us yet, admiral.” Ensign Enrique Costello reported to the admiral, as she walked into Flag Bridge.

  “I would have be surprised if the Shaitans spotted us in here Ensign. Thanks for the report, although I am a bit surprised that you need to glance at your screen to give me information. Aren’t display screens a bit old fashioned, meant for old people like us, Ensign Costello? I thought your generation did everything inside their head!” Admiral Josephine Duvall asked her flag staff in a teasing tone.

  “Even we get headaches from long use of the neural interface ma’am. Human physiology hasn’t changed for us ma’am. It is just that most of our generation have had our implants at a very early age, and get used to it a lot more than the older generation, who got those implants in their twenties.” Ensign Costello replied defensively.

  Adm. Duvall gave her flag staff a knowing smile, and then shifted her attention to the tactical report on her screen. The shoe was on the other foot for her now. It was Adm. Duvall’s turn to be dissatisfied with the information density she was able to achieve via her display screen. So she touched the screen and let it stream high bandwidth data through her body to her neural interface. Neural interfaces had come a long way since their initial use by humanity well over eighty years ago.

  Unlike the older generation of neural interfaces, which could only take low bandwidth information, not exceeding a few megabits per second, and translate it into neuro chemical signals understandable by human brains, the modern generation of neural interfaces were massively faster, able to take many gigabits of information per second and translate it into information for the brain. While the older generation could only manage to show information in wireframe format, owing to the limitation of the bandwidth, the newer generation of interfaces could generate photo realistic three dimensional models inside the head.

  The net effect of projecting such a three dimensional model inside one’s head was that the person felt their disembodied self, moving around in a virtual environment. It was possible for the simulation to add sense of smell, sound and even haptic feedback, such that the person could feel the environment on theirs skins and their limbs. But the virtual body of ones’ own self, added by the computer, was never very accurate for the brain, which was used to a very accurate picture of every part of its own body at every instant. So the simulation of the virtual self, felt weird. It was rarely used professionally, but entertainment and porn industry used it to the hilt.

  Such high speed data streams could not be streamed wirelessly. To get a high speed data stream needed a wired connection. There were two ways to feed the neural interface with such high speed data stream. One was to touch and hold an adapter at the base of one’s skull, where the adapter pumped the data through electromagnetic induction to the silicon part of the neural interface, penetrating the few millimeters of skin and flesh to the base of the skull. All new USC combat suit helmet came with such an adapter already installed on it.

  The other method to feed high speed data, which many opted to include during the implant of the neural interface, due to its convenience, was grafting a bio-compatible high speed data bus under one’s skin, just below the epidermis. Usually such a data bus ran from the neural interface over the shoulders down to the palm or the fingertip. Instead of holding the adapter to on ones’ neck, one could simply touch the adapter and be fed the information. It was a fairly simple and noninvasive procedure, which most opted for. It did leave a hairline mark across the hand where the data bus ran through, but unless someone was aiming to be a supermodel, whose hands would be photographed in close-up, it was not noticeable.

  Adm. Duvall saw her disembodied self being immer
sed into a model of space, where she could simply think of an object, and labels would appear against it with distances and other attributes of the object displayed as per her wish. She zoomed herself towards eighty two pinpricks of light. The eighty two pinpricks of light almost instantly resolved into eighty two Shaitan warships flying in a formation.

  There was nothing remarkable about the formation. It was basically a nine by nine square formation, with the extra ship accommodated within that formation edge. The interesting fact about the formation was that it was two dimensional. Humans usually made their fleet formations three dimensional. There would be depth in human fleet formations, with at least a layer of ships following behind another layer. The Shaitans as far as the humans had observed, eschewed these types of three dimensional formations.

  Truth be told, in a generalized situation, there was no inherent advantage of one formation over another, so there was nothing wrong with the Shaitan formation. In very specific circumstances however, a particular fleet formation made a lot of difference versus another. This was especially true when the battle was fought with a large fleet that had many ships within it. This battle was being fought with the largest fleet that humans had ever mustered in space, and possibly the largest fleet that the Shaitans had fought with too. Formations would definitely make a difference in this battle, and Adm. Josephine Duvall, aka Josie intended to take full advantage of it.

  Josie zoomed in to an individual Shaitan warship, and started inspecting it as if she was floating just a hundred meters away from the ship. This was not an actual image of the approaching fleet, but a computer simulation based on the parameters that had been observed, so Josie could get as close as she wanted and inspect every detail of the ships, because these ships were being rendered from the library information about Shaitan warships. Many human admirals and captains had done this routine of minutely inspecting the Shaitan warship in the hope of uncovering some fatal flaw in their design. None had succeed, and Josie was not about to waste her time on such an endeavor.