Merkiaari Wars Series: Books 1-3

by Mark E. Cooper

  Combining simulations and programs based upon chaos theory with unmatched information gathering over centuries, and then allowing them to run without pause for all that time, had allowed him to guide events in the Alliance, but the complexity of the simulations was outstripping his ability to monitor and control. Billions of calculations per second, trillions? No matter the actual figure, it was too high for any normal computer to perform and maintain accuracy.

  He had begun by running the early incarnations of his chaos simulations internally while he slept. During those hours, his personal computing power was mostly idle. He had just wanted to see what would happen, and compare his predictions with actual events. The result had been startling. Not only had his predictions come true, the follow up events leading from them were also close to those predicted. Those predictions had allowed him to steer the Alliance away from a few disasters, and were how he had managed to do it with only a hundred vipers when the Council of the day betrayed him by mothballing the regiment.

  The introduction of the Shan into the Alliance would throw his calculations off, maybe way off, because they were literally alien. How could he possibly predict what they would do when everything they thought or did was so alien? It was something very much on his mind since arriving in the Shan system. He had to find a way to slot them into his calculations.

  He had drafted some ideas, but hadn’t yet tried to test them. A simulation on such a scale would take time and resources only found on Snakeholme under the mountain. The regiment’s archive was more than a data depository. Its hugely powerful computers were constantly running his Alliance simulation. It had long since outgrown his ageing viper brain and processor. He feared the day when it outgrew its current home because the hardware was cutting edge and further upgrades were impossible. There was nothing better anywhere in the Alliance, except perhaps for the handful of surviving A.Is quarantined and protected. No one but their caretakers and the Council ever had access to those immensely powerful minds.

  Burgton frowned as the familiar frustration swamped his brain. An A.I would solve his problem; they were orders of magnitude more powerful than any current computer despite being built centuries ago. Modern computers were designed with built in limitations to prevent a recurrence of the Hacker Rebellion. Neural interfaces were banned for the same reason. Burgton always suspected that was one of the reasons the Council betrayed him back then. Vipers had neural interfaces, and the old A.Is predated the ban.

  “General?” Admiral Kuzov said and Burgton made his frown disappear. “You disagree?”

  Burgton quickly scanned his log. Kuzov was asking if he disagreed with Colonel Jung’s proposal regarding Cragg’s troop ship. The presentation was over.

  “No, Admiral. I was considering my men’s part in Colonel Jung’s ops plan. Unless you decide to go against all custom and standing orders to bombard the troop ship from orbit—something I doubt but would applaud you for, sir—you will need my men to recon ahead of the advance.”

  Admiral Kuzov nodded. “That is the usual procedure against Merki I believe.”

  Burgton smiled. Kuzov was a spacer through and through. Give him a ship and a battle in space—even against Merkiaari—and he was in his element. Here though, he was out of his comfort zone and drawing upon historical ground battles against the Merki for his inspiration. His personal experience of fighting Merkiaari extended only to the battles he had observed on Harmony these last months. Admiral Meyers had commanded the only action in space here in Shan space.

  Colonel Jung stirred. “If I may, Admiral?”

  Kuzov nodded.

  “I think General Burgton’s men should be held in reserve this time around. His force is much diminished, and to be blunt, I feel they’ve bled enough.”

  Burgton allowed a small smile onto his lips. What Jung said was true. He had brought six hundred and forty units with him, and less than two hundred remained operational. Two hundred vipers could take out most Merki targets, but he wasn’t averse to resting his men. It was good that the other forces gained experience against the Merkiaari. This incursion wouldn’t be the last and he couldn’t be everywhere. Jung wasn’t thinking of his men though, Burgton was sure. She was worried that her chance at a resounding victory and the promotion attached to it was slipping from her grasp. If vipers went in, even as an advance force, people wouldn’t remember that Jung had commanded or that the 2nd Faragut Strike Force had provided the firepower to win the battle. As soon as vipers were mentioned, all attention would be on them. Burgton understood Jung’s position and sympathised to a degree, but he didn’t like what it said about her that she was willing to put her men at greater risk. Then again, this was war and risk was endemic.

  “General, your opinion?” Kuzov said.

  Burgton glanced at the Shan representatives. The two males watched everything and let nothing slip. He thought they were here not to discuss the coming fight but rather to study the Humans in a non-combat setting. He had caught other Shan doing it in various places and situations. It was a wise thing they were doing, and was something he needed to emulate if he was going to successfully predict how the Shan would impact the Alliance. He had to wonder if these two males were even warriors. They looked and acted the part, but the way they observed everything reminded him of the way Marion Hymas worked. She was a shrink. Shan didn’t have recognisable psychologists, but they did have mind healers as part of the greater healer caste. They specialised in what the Shan called the harmonies of the mind. Burgton had no proof, but his instincts were telling him that one or both was healer caste not warrior. He liked sneaky thinking like that, and he was glad the Shan were already taking necessary steps. They needed to learn that not every Human they met had their best interests at heart or altruistic motivations for what they did.

  “I and my men are ready to do our part as always,” Burgton began and Jung scowled. “But a respite would be much appreciated. To be blunt, I have less than two hundred effectives left at my command. If I can preserve that force without compromising the mission, I am prepared to retire from the field early.”

  Kuzov nodded thoughtfully. “I would prefer it if your men remained on planet, General, but by all means pull back and consolidate as our reserve.”

  Burgton indicated agreement with a crisp nod. Kuzov was no fool, he knew what Jung wanted and was willing to oblige, but he obviously wasn’t willing to risk the mission. Cold blooded it might be, but Kuzov knew that if Jung screwed up, two hundred vipers in reserve should rectify the situation in short order. Burgton didn’t expect Jung would need his men though. She wanted that star very badly, and would most likely flood the battlefield with men to make sure there were no screw-ups. There was no such thing as overkill when fighting Merkiaari. Vipers were based upon the idea of victory through superior firepower after all. Jung would simply apply that truism with her own manpower.

  Colonel Jung looked pleased. She nodded to Burgton in thanks and started detailing her plan of attack.

  Burgton caught Admiral Meyers’ eye, and she cocked her head in question. He flicked a look at the Shan and signalled with a gesture that he would like a word after the meeting. Meyers had been watching the Shan just as he had through the presentation, and he wanted her take. He was wondering if she had gotten the same vibe from the aliens as he had.

  “...useful to capture the ship.” Colonel Jung was saying and Burgton brought his attention back to business. “The Merki have managed to surprise us a number of times on this campaign. The jamming and their ability to track our transmissions needs investigation. Of course, they’ve always been adept at the second, and that spawned a raft of new tech from our side to offset the disadvantage last time around. I have a feeling our R&D people will need to pull the proverbial rabbit out of their hats again. We need to strip that ship of every molecule of intelligence it contains.”

  Burgton nodded along with the others. A new war always caused advances in tech. The trick was staying ahead of the opposition. It was an arm
s race with survival as the prize. At least this time they knew the Merkiaari had advanced in three key areas before being attacked by them. The jamming was more pervasive and far reaching than the Alliance could do, and no one had yet figured out how they were tracking and decrypting transmissions, but it was the Merki troopers themselves that worried Burgton the most. Professor Wilder had first brought it to his attention that the Merki had evolved the ability to regenerate serious wounds. They were tougher to kill than ever before, and they had always been tough bastards. Worse to his way of thinking was the way they had modified their war fighting techniques and doctrine to emulate Human small group tactics. Killing their officers no longer reaped the same rewards as it had in the last war. The Merkiaari had modified their breeding programs to increase intelligence in their line troops while keeping them as physically strong as ever.

  At least the Shan incursion had given the Alliance advanced warning. That could not be underestimated. He had already taken some basic steps to lessen the threat by ordering samples of Merkiaari tech, weapons, armour, and even dead troopers brought up to Grafton for examination. A more thorough analysis would be undertaken on Snakeholme. He was sure Shan scientists and engineers were already hard at work, and Admiral Kuzov would secure examples of everything for the navy, but Burgton had learned his lesson about relying on others when the Council betrayed his men two hundred years ago. He had striven since then to make his regiment as self-sufficient as possible, and keeping that status secret.

  Burgton listened as Jung detailed her plans, and evaluated her subordinates as they added suggestions. Although the navy was represented at the table, they had nothing to add. Admiral Kuzov had probably invited them out of courtesy. Their true mission had yet to begin really. Once the Merki were finished off, it was Fifth Fleet’s mission to secure the system against further incursions, and at the same time set the Shan firmly back on the road to recovery. A big part of that were the factory ships he had brought along as part of Fifth Fleet’s auxiliary. When those monsters got started munching on the asteroids, the Shan would have the genesis of its new orbital infrastructure. They needed to rebuild their industrial capacity quickly, and replace their high orbitals. Without stations, they couldn’t move personnel efficiently. So there was a step by step procedure to follow. Machines replicating themselves at first, and then turning toward building factories and smelters in orbit and in the asteroid fields. Those factories would then produce the stations and ship yards. And finally, a year or two down the road, the Shan fleet would be reborn better than ever.

  How long that would take depended entirely upon how much the Shan were willing to sink into it. The planets needed massive reconstruction. The cities and everything needed to support them had to be replaced, and that meant diverting capacity away from war making material. Burgton had a feeling the Shan would surprise them though. They were very focused upon the military aspects of their treaty with the Alliance. When they became members, Burgton had the feeling they planned to be in the forefront of any action against the Merkiaari. Hard to blame them considering what had happened to them here, but it was very ambitious for any single system government to think they could take a leading role amongst over two hundred member worlds. Most of them had been members a long time, and were already politically and economically well connected.

  “Very well, gentlemen,” Kuzov said. “I think that’s everything.”

  Everyone murmured agreement and the meeting broke up. A few people took a last sip of their coffee before standing. Burgton thought that a good plan, and drained his cup. He ignored the warning flashing on his display. Caffeine wouldn’t kill him.

  He moved to join Admiral Meyers. “Can I have a word?”

  She nodded and walked with him out of the conference room and into the corridor. “About the Shan?”

  He nodded. “Do you know those two?” Indicating the Shan males whispering together as they headed for the boat bay with the others.

  “No, they’re new. Kuzov mentioned them though. Apparently the elders finally decided to assign him a full time liaison, rather than leaving it to random chance. I think one will stay up here with Kuzov full time eventually.”

  Made sense. Until now there hadn’t been an official liaison with the fleet. Contact with the Shan had been between commanders on the ground and with the Shan elders through them. This liaison business was further proof that the Shan were taking steps, getting their ducks in a row so to speak. Burgton approved. He hoped it would make his life easier when trying to predict events. He was already starting to think the only way to guess what Shan would do in a given situation was ask one. Unfortunately, unlike Kuzov he didn’t have any Shan of his own.

  “What do you think?” Burgton said as they waited for the elevator. They had let the others go first for privacy.

  “About the liaison idea? I’m surprised they waited so long. Tei’Varyk and Wilder went down world months ago.”

  Burgton frowned. “True, true... I was thinking of your opinion of them as individuals rather than their official designation.”

  “How so? I can hardly boast of my extensive knowledge of them as people, and I only met these two today at the presentation. One thing I did notice.”

  “Oh?”

  “They’re not warrior caste,” Meyers said. “But they are Tei. No Shan would claim the title if they were not; I’ve learned that much about their culture.”

  So, she saw it the same as he, maybe. “I agree, but why do you think so?”

  “Nothing too complicated,” Meyers said as the elevator doors opened. They entered the car alone and selected the boat bay as their destination. “It’s silly really, but did you notice their harnesses?”

  Burgton hadn’t and he said so.

  “They weren’t new, yet both of them kept fiddling with the things as if unused to them. They were uncomfortable all through the presentation as if used to wearing the civilian kind.”

  Burgton chuckled. “So simple I didn’t pick up on it. I’m impressed, Admiral.”

  She shrugged. “Call me Alli, General. We’ve known each other long enough to be over the rank thing.”

  “Then call me George,” Burgton replied. “I felt they weren’t what they seemed, but I didn’t notice the harness thing. Mind if I lay out a theory?”

  “Sure.”

  “I think you’re right about them. They are Tei but healer caste not warrior. I think the elders want eyes on us, but they went a step further. You know of their mind healers?”

  Meyers nodded but speculation was in her eyes. “You’re guessing of course, but it would be a smooth move on their part. I would have to applaud it if true.”

  Burgton grinned. “We really shouldn’t. It’s tantamount to spying.”

  Meyers chuckled. “If they did it to me I would call them on it, but they’re doing it to Kuzov. The Shan are allies, George. They won’t learn anything they won’t soon have a right to know anyway. If this gives them a leg up on understanding us, more power to them.”

  “You admire them very much.”

  “Hard not to, there’s a lot that’s admirable. If it was me and not Kuzov, I would invite them to come out into the open about what they’re doing. It wouldn’t offend me to host a mind healer as liaison, might be interesting, but doing it behind Kuzov’s back risks his anger. I’m not sure how he would react to learn of this.”

  “Hmmm. I won’t out them to Kuzov, but I agree. I think we should suggest they explain this to the elders. They should find a warrior caste replacement for Kuzov before he does figure it out. He’s no fool.”

  “Let’s catch up to them,” Meyers said and they increased their pace.

  They caught up with the two Shan in the boat bay waiting for a shuttle to come free. Burgton had seen busy boat bays before, but to the Shan, the taxiing spacecraft and bustle of crewmen waving their batons to shepherd them into parking areas was still a novelty. Burgton took a moment, trying to see things through alien eyes.

  The s
nub-nosed shuttles were white above and black below the point where their swing-wings attached to the fuselage, a result of the nanocoat used to protect them against the fires of re-entry. Nanocoat did darken with heat, but that wasn’t why the shuttles were painted two-tone. It was to differentiate them from civilian models. Civilian shuttles were white all over. The absolute zero of space had returned these shuttles to their default colour. Had they been in atmosphere soon after re-entry they would have been coal black all over reacting to heat.

  A shepherding crewman crossed his glowing batons and the shuttle in his charge halted. The pilot raised a hand with up thrust thumb and went through his shutdown procedures. More crewmen ran forward, some connecting refuelling lines, while others went for the hatch to open it for boarding. Similar things were happening all over the bay.

  ASN Lincoln was an ageing but still very powerful Excalibur class heavy cruiser. Its place as Fifth Fleet’s flagship was secure for years yet. Its replacement would probably be one of the newer more powerful Washington class ships like ASN Victorious, Admiral Meyers’ current flagship. Unlike Home Fleet, First Fleet, and Second Fleet, Kuzov’s Fifth Fleet was created for offensive punch not defensive holding actions. It contained no dreadnoughts. It should have been surprising that it was tasked with holding the Shan system, but Burgton understood why it was chosen. Its ships were fast and powerful, its units picked to complement one another, and its mission was to move out quickly and hit its target lightning fast. That meant it was always ready to move station, its fleet train ready and able to support it no matter the mission. Fifth Fleet was one of three like it that was constantly on the move in Alliance space. They were the hammer, the other three the anvil.

  Burgton recalled the fuss the announcement to create a Fifth Fleet without dreadnoughts had caused. Back then the idea of handicapping Fourth Fleet that way was still being debated hotly. The screams of outrage when Fifth Fleet was announced with a similar configuration had resounded throughout the Alliance. Calls for an investigation into the pros and cons had been voiced in the Council. The fact of the matter was that the Navy could build ten light cruisers or five heavy cruisers for every dreadnought it manufactured. It preferred numbers and manoeuvrability over slower tougher ships with huge crews. Besides, they were still building dreadnoughts albeit at a much slower rate. They were simply replacing older designs with the new ones and putting the old ships into a mothballed reserve, not sending them to the breakers like they did with smaller units.