Earth Interstellar_Proxy War

by Scott Olen Reid

  Connecting to his ship’s communications network via neural link, Ambassador Dek silently conferred with the Human representative, Admiral Nelson, “Admiral, it is my belief we will not come to an agreement with the Rheas using the current parameters approved by your government and the Vrene. We must be more coercive or provide more incentive. The alternative is to wait until circumstances have changed.”

  “Do you have a recommendation?” asked Nelson, not knowing the best course and wanting advice.

  “No. Not one that is within our mandate. I believe it is time to report our progress and request further instructions to gain more flexibility in negotiations. That is unless you wish me to finish the negotiations on my terms?” If the Vrene had not signed off on the limited options the UE Government demanded in the negotiations, the Rool would have discarded their instructions and forced the Rheas to submit. That was not an option as disregarding orders from the Vrene could be problematic. The ambassador needed some small, tiny even, indication from the admiral he was given authority to complete the negotiations.

  “Do you think the Vrene will allow coercion?” asked Nelson.

  “They would allow coercion, yes. But, with the limitations we are currently operating under, I will need additional permission before proceeding. There is also a possibility the Chzek-kin will change the circumstances if they respond quickly to our presence. If we are attacked I will have increased authority to take action without consulting the Vrene or UEG. As the client representative, you also have the authority to remove the limitations.”

  “What about incentives? You don’t want to offer them technology?” asked Nelson, ignoring the suggestion he can exceed the same orders the Rool was unwilling to ignore without a scapegoat.

  “It would be unwise to offer the Rheas technology,” said the ambassador. “Offering them the technology they could use to defend themselves now would give them a great deal of incentive but could be problematic to Earth’s relationship with them in the long-term.”

  Admiral Nelson’s voice dropped into a near growl, “Good. Let them earn it like we had to.”

  “Do not worry, Admiral. The Vrene would never agree to give away advanced technologies to a Level 0 civilization. ‘Unearned technology is unlearned wisdom’ is one of their core beliefs.”

  “Then we have our answer on how to proceed. Ambassador, please inform the Rheas Prime Minister that the Chzek-kin are aware of our presence in the system and we are concerned for their wellbeing. Let them know we will be remaining in the system as long as we are able, but cannot guaranty their safety without an agreement if the Chzek-kin decide to retaliate against the Rheas due to our presence.”

  “Very well, Admiral. I concur.” It was easy for Ambassador Dek to tell, even with limited exposure to the subtleties of Rheas communication and body language, the Rheas Prime Minister was not happy with the idea of a possible confrontation between two space-faring races in their system where the Rheas would be the prize. To the Prime Minister’s credit, he refrained from expressing his displeasure.

  “Consider the Human’s offer, Prime Minister. I assure you it is far better than the enslavement the Chzek will force upon you.” With that, Ambassador Dek departed. There was nothing to do now but wait for the Chzek-kin to return. The Rheas refused to accept another race would enslave them; instead believing it would be a choice of similar relationships of subservience to either the humans or Chzek. To them, there would not be a difference.

  “Sir, we have a backscatter analysis contact. Quantum sensor analysis reports a sequence of backscatter points indicative of a small ship making an unpowered high speed run through the system.”

  “Put it on the main screen,” ordered Commander Kree. Frame progression analysis was only possible using quantum computers as it required massive computing power and millions of snapshots of starfield backgrounds to be overlaid. Wherever a star momentarily reduced luminosity or disappeared in a frame, that star was kept blacked out on new frames that appeared. This created a stack of images where stars, over a period of time, became blacked out in a sequence. If the “missing” stars start to form a track line, it can only be because something is moving across the field in the foreground. The quantum computer made the analysis by stacking millions of images of billions of stars taken less than a microsecond apart. The simple track line that displayed on the main screen gave no indication to the brute force computing power required to create it.

  Seeing the bearing and velocity of the track line, it was clear to the captain a scout ship or large drone was coasting through the system at sub-light speed to take a quick look in the system. “Communications. Transmit the data to the Atlanta and Singularity. Let them know we have a visitor.”

  “Aye, aye, Captain.”

  Admiral Nelson, for his part, decided it was better to ignore the Chzek-kin scout ship and let them think they passed through the system unnoticed rather than give them an excuse to say Humans were the aggressors. The admiral sent narrow beam messages to all ships and ordered the support vessels to remain in their hiding positions among an asteroid field. The remainder of the fleet was to minimize their presence and not react to the scout unless threatened. Once the scout ship passed through the system the fleet would redeploy and take up alternate positions in the system.

  “Admiral Nelson, the Cousteau is reporting multiple contacts entering the system along the same vector their scout passed through,” reported the communications watchstander. “Cousteau is sending a direct feed from the picket drone we sent out there.”

  “Put it on holovid and share the feed with the ambassador,” Admiral Nelson replied, stepping forward with his avatar like it was necessary to get a better look at the large screen on the virtual bridge of the Atlanta. Data streams started to display on the right adjacent screen with contact identifiers and details as a large hologram of the star system came into view in the center of the ship’s bridge. The new contacts in the system were marked yellow, while the fleet’s ship markers, spread throughout the system, were marked green. Track lines were beginning to form along the path of the incoming ships. “Zoom in on the new contacts,” ordered Nelson.

  Acknowledging the order, the sensors tech drilled the system map down to show the new contacts. The presumably Chzek-kin ships were broken into six flights of three each and were spreading out as they pressed deeper into the system at a low-relativistic, combat velocity of point-one light speed. The distance was too great to make out any detail.

  “Is there any sign they’re using spatial compression?” Asked Captain Simms, gaining him a nod of approval from the admiral for asking the question.

  “No sir, there does not appear to be any rippling of the space around the contacts to indicate the use of a spatial compression field,” answered the sensors tech on watch.

  “Captain Simms, would you consider their profile to be indicative of hostile intent?” asked Admiral Nelson, seeking consensus.

  “Yes, sir. They should be decelerating by now if they were planning on entering orbit. With the combat deployment of their ships, you can only assume they are hostile.”

  “Very well. Comms, get me the ambassador.” While Nelson waited for communications to connect, he added, “And get a feed going to the rest of the fleet. Show them what’s coming and let them know to assume hostile intent unless otherwise notified.”

  “Admiral, I have Ambassador Dek on comms,” called out the communications officer.

  “Thank you,” he replied before turning his attention to the Vrene representative, “Ambassador, we are tracking approximately twenty-four ships making a high sub-light approach coming from the direction of the Chzek-kin’s prior approach vector.”

  “Yes, Admiral. We are receiving the Cousteau’s feed as well. You should assume there are more ships that are not yet detected coming in at different vectors and others trailing the main body.”

  “Thank you, Ambassador. We will.” Admiral Nelson asked the ambassador, “Ambassador Dek, is it your
judgment the approaching ships are hostile?”

  “Yes, Admiral. It would be prudent to operate under that assumption.”

  “Ambassador Dek, is it your judgment the only way for the fleet to survive is by taking preemptive action against this threat?”

  “Yes, Admiral. Any action you take at this point is unlikely to be ‘preemptive.’ They have almost certainly fired an initial wave of anti-ship missiles at the ships in orbit around Rheas,” Ambassador Dek said once again, this time showing appreciation in his response for the admiral’s consultation as it became clear the admiral was looking for political cover for any action he ordered taken by his fleet to start an interstellar war. He was covering humanity from responsibility and transferring it to the Vrene representative. These humans are shrewd in sharing the blame, thought the ambassador, it could be beneficial when the Chzek file their complaint.

  “Ambassador Dek, it is my opinion your ship is in imminent danger and must take action to ensure its safety,” said Admiral Nelson. “I recommend you either withdraw from the system without delay or join the fleet to ensure its defense.”

  Replying to Admiral Nelson, the ambassador set the limits of his involvement, “Admiral, as the official representative of the Vrene, it is my duty to aid in your defense should a superior race attack the fleet. But if I participate in this battle and attack a Chzek-kin ship, it will provide an excuse for the Chzek to do the same. I must remain neutral for the moment. If I detect a Chzek ship, I will identify it for you. You are not under any circumstances to attack an identified Chzek ship. It will destroy your fleet. Limit yourself to your peers, their Chzek-kin vassals, and you will have a chance for victory.”

  “That’s good to know, Ambassador. We were concerned about that possibility,” replied Nelson, not happy to hear the Rool would not aid in the fleet’s defense without showing it. “I will leave this channel open. If you have any recommendations, they will be appreciated.”

  Turning to the communications officer, the admiral gave humanity’s first ever command to attack an alien race, “Order all ships to commence firing on the main body of ships. Mk VIIs with mixed payload. Weapons, calculate the best time on target for all ships and distribute the plan to the fleet.” The Mk VII missiles were long-range heavy missiles capable of transiting half the width of a Sol System sized solar system. Each missile was equipped with a small Epson Drive and high-acceleration propulsion system to allow the missile to cover massive distances and rapidly close on their targets. The missiles carried multiple warheads with mixed payloads; delivering hundreds of unguided depleted uranium slugs, larger, guided kinetic darts, and a nuclear warhead.

  “Weapons launch in nine minutes, thirteen seconds,” announced the weapons officer.

  “Very well,” replied Admiral Nelson. “Captain, I want us to move behind the moon as soon as weapons are launched.” Pausing to look at the captain, he continued, “We have to assume enemy missiles are already inbound.”

  With raised eyebrows, the ship’s captain acknowledged the order, “Yes, Admiral. Helm, set a course to tuck in behind the moon. Find us a crater to hide in. Comms, notify Oklahoma and the ambassador’s ship of our intentions and execute as soon as we launch missiles.”

  The admiral added one additional order as the captain finished, “Once we are tucked in behind the moon, I want a veil put over us. They may have looped in something on us.”

  “Aye, Admiral.”

  Several minutes later the sound of missiles ejecting from the ship’s tubes could be felt. The missiles activated their engines and began their acceleration towards the enemy fleet. At twenty miles out they engaged their small Epson Drives and their velocity instantly increased hundreds of times. “Missiles away! Estimated time of impact: twelve hours, thirteen minutes,” reported the weapons officer.

  “Very well,” acknowledged Captain Simms, “Move us behind the moon. Stand by to deploy a Veil.”

  The Atlanta, Oklahoma, and the Singularity moved behind the moon. As they did, the Atlanta and Oklahoma each launched a spread of Veil Missiles before grounding their ships in the valley of a mountain range and a large crater. Veil Missiles, aptly named, accelerated above the surface of the moon and spread out until they were each one hundred miles apart and two hundred miles distant from the ships. The missiles slowed and deployed a thin sheet of luminous material in all directions that spread out like a sheet. The “veil” each missile deployed was made of an interwoven, wide spectrum reflective material designed to reflect or absorb sensor signals and light.

  Admiral Nelson deployed the Veil believing the Chzek-kin were aware of the three ships in close proximity to the Rheas Homeworld and its moon; he was not concerned the veils would give away their location. What mattered to the admiral was preventing accurate targeting of his ships by missiles when they go to active scanning on their final approach. The coverage of the veils grew to a four hundred by eight hundred mile area above the moon’s surface; obstructing the view of the ships hiding on the surface from both passive and active sensor scans.

  “All sensors are blind,” reported the sensors officer, “Switching to relays. Relays are working. We’re receiving the feed from the Cousteau through the relays on the Veils. The signal is strong.”

  Forty minutes later, the Chzek-kin responded to the three ships ducking behind the moon by splitting up further and angling away from the planet. The admiral assumed it was to gain a better vantage point from multiple angles.

  “Cousteau is reporting new contacts. Forty-five degrees above the ecliptic at bearing 030. Six ships at extreme range!” The bridge remained silent as each of the officers and technicians focused on their respective duties. Ten minutes later, “More contacts! Another six ships detected at the same elevation and bearing – 063.” The crew was showing a heightened sense of excitement while the captain remained silent as he realized it was to be expected from a crew that had never been in combat.

  Watching the monitors, Nelson could see the green track lines of the twenty ships in his fleet deployed in the middle and outer system as they accelerated to come around and close on the Chzek-kin fleet without decreasing their orbital distance from the local sun. The seventeen remaining ships of the main body of the fleet accelerated toward the nearest gas giant in hopes of using it for cover and taking advantage of the numerous moons and bright reflection off the blue and white ammonia of the gas giant’s atmosphere. It was another hour before they reached the planet and there were no doubts the ships, under maximum acceleration and with Epson Drives active, were detected by the enemy. Giving a quick prayer to their success, the admiral turned his attention back to the red hostile icons on the holovid. The count of Chzek-kin ships reached forty-two as another two groups of six ships each were detected. The newest group was below the ecliptic and coming in at roughly the same bearings of 030 and 063 as the other Chzek-kin ships. The lack of creativity on the part of the Chzek-kin commander gave the admiral hope. Their deployment was symmetrical, implying a rigid thought process or inexperience; just like most human fleet commanders do in wargames, he thought.

  “Task the closest four ships to each of the Chzek-kin ship groups to make intercepts. I want a minimum of four missiles per ship when they fire.” Mk IV Missiles, called “Snappers,” had a much shorter range than the Mk VII Missiles, but were smaller and faster than their larger cousins. Each missile was armed with the same three warheads used by the Mk VIIs. The first warhead was a shotgun warhead of depleted uranium slugs. The DU slugs were designed to overwhelm the targeting sensors and defensive capabilities of an enemy ship by dumping hundreds of ten pound depleted uranium slugs into the path of the targets. Paired with the slugs were a warhead that deployed much heavier, guided kinetic darts, also made of depleted uranium; the last warhead was a guided tactical nuke. The nuclear warheads followed the rest of the missile’s payload to their targets, hiding among the hundreds of kinetic penetrators deployed by the first two warheads.

  “Weapons, how long until impact
?” asked the admiral.

  “Due to the course change of the Chzek-kin main body and it splitting up, we’ve had to make course corrections. The arrival times now vary from three to ten hours,”

  “Ten hours? How many missiles are expected to arrive more than five hours from now?”

  “Forty of the one hundred fifty missiles fired have anticipated intercept times of more than five hours, Sir.”

  “Ambassador Dek. Are you still monitoring?” asked the admiral, turning his attention to the Rool representative.

  “Yes, Admiral. I am aware of the tactical situation.”

  Considering the new circumstances of the Chzek-kin’s altered course, the admiral asked, “You mentioned a trailing force behind the Chzek-kin main body, Ambassador. Do you still believe that to be the case?” No trailing force had yet been detected.

  “Yes, Admiral. I would expect them to be detected within the next few hours.”

  Quickly turning to the weapons officer, the admiral issued a new order, “Weapons, I want those forty missiles kept on their original course.” Stepping up to the Weapons Console the admiral continued, “Put them in passive mode and let them coast for now. If that trailing force shows up I want them available.” Looking back at the main screen the admiral once again studied the opposing fleets; searching for another opportunity to take an action while wondering if the deployment of his ships and missiles would end in success or failure. Outside of a simulator, there were no humans with space combat experience. The admiral was well aware of his own inexperience and that of his crews.