The first simulation began with Theseus in a simulated Jump Corridor, preparing to exit into the system. For this first attempt, Colin decided they should use a relatively standard attack profile. The intent of using this pattern was to test factors such as ship handling, Shield Strength, Sensor performance and to get a feel for the opposition’s capabilities. Still, he had no intention of letting them off easily, he’d do everything he could think of within his chosen attack profile to beat them. They exited Jump carrying the maximum allowable Jump entry velocity, and he immediately ordered the ship to maximum acceleration. There were two Patrol Boats near the Jump-Point, but they were traveling relatively slowly, and in the wrong direction, so Theseus was past them, and out of weapons range before they could react. This left them with a dilemma. Should they engage in a stern chase, which would leave them out of position if he headed back out to this Jump-Point? Or should they wait, letting the Patrol Boat guarding the yard do its job without their help, then attack him on his way back out to exit the system if Theseus survived that long? In the end, the defenders opted to send one Boat on a course that would intercept Theseus on the way back to the Jump-Point while the second embarked on the stern chase, hoping Theseus could be delayed near the yard.
Meanwhile, Colin began preparing an attack on the shipyard. He ordered engineering to modify a spread of missiles so they could be silently deployed when ready. Colin intended to carry out a variation of the tactics he’d suggested to Captain Carlon when FNS Destiny was approaching the third Pirate ship nearly a year ago, now. Colin’s plan for this run was a simple hit and run. At worst, he expected to achieve serious theoretical destruction to parts of the shipyard, but be too badly damaged to be able to escape, at best Theseus would achieve her mission objectives and then fly away Scot-free.
Sensors, showed the ship his opponents had stationed near the yard, moving to a position where it should be able to come in and match speed with Theseus, giving them a viable firing solution for a longer time. Colin smiled, knowing the defenders were good, but he had a few tricks up his sleeve yet. He decided to launch the modified missiles in preparation for keeping the third ship busy while Theseus made her attack run on the shipyard. Colin asked his tactical Officer to calculate the best firing solution, based on where they expected the third ship to be when they came into range. They launched the eight modified missiles to coast ahead of Theseus, ready to be activated only when the time was right. Then, they fired thirty Rail-Gun rounds to intercept the expected course of the third ship. Colin wanted to keep the defenders busy, guessing what he was going to do next. Soon the Rail-Gun rounds began to impact on the other ship’s Shields, forcing them to take evasive action, taking them out of position. When the time was right, he ordered tactical to activate the missiles. They flew off, pursuing the other ship. Again, it was forced to evade, pushing it further out of position, while Theseus continued to barrel down on the shipyard. Finally, a couple of hours later, Colin unloaded everything he could towards the shipyard, then started a maneuver intended to loop Theseus around the system star and head her back toward the Jump-Point. The ordnance Theseus fired, impacted the shipyard, causing massive damage, at least theoretically.
Meanwhile, the commanders of the two pursuing ships plus the third one that had already started a move to intercept, finally worked out what Colin was doing and moved to intercept him before he could reach the Jump-Point. About three hours later, the four ships all converged till they were within weapons firing range. All four ships fired everything they could at their respective targets. Colin tried evading the incoming ordnance but with only limited success, he tried using Electronic Countermeasures, with a little more success and his Point-Defense kept them safe for a while longer, but in the end, Theseus was incapacitated. The simulation came to an end, and everyone on the bridges of the four ships involved breathed a sigh of relief. The Exercise had been a particularly intense one, and they were all exhausted.
Commodore Nicholson stood everyone down, ordering the four Captains to the briefing room to discuss the outcome. Tiredly, Colin rose from his Command Station and made his way towards the airlock, noticing the pleasure on the faces of his crew members as he passed them. The members of Theseus’ crew were all proud. They’d achieved their mission objectives, though if this had been a real-life scenario, they would’ve been in a lot of trouble. Colin cycled through the airlock and onto the station to attend the debriefing. When he walked into the briefing room, everyone there rose to applaud him. They were impressed with what he’d managed to achieve and worried about how they could counter tactics like the ones he’d used. When the debriefing was underway, they dissected every single decision, both good and bad that each of the Captains had made. Colin explained the mistakes he thought the other Captains made, suggested ways they could counter his tactics and laid out his reasons for following his course of action. He pointed out that the mistakes the others made, were only mistakes because of the unusual tactics he’d used. Colin then pointed out that the Pirates were becoming a little unconventional themselves lately. The others all did the same for him, dissecting his decisions and offering constructive criticism. On more than one occasion, Colin found himself explaining why he took a specific course of action. His attack profile didn’t fit any model they’d come across before.
The next day, they repeated the entire Exercise. As the Captain of the attacking ship, Colin could select his own attack profile. This time, he exited Jump space traveling slightly faster than the accepted maximum allowable speed for entering Jump. The result was that Theseus dropped into real space nearly halfway to the target. Once again, he evaded his pursuers long enough to destroy the yard. This time, he tried a similar but not identical escape profile. By the time the other ships closed on him, the Jump-Drives on Theseus were ready, and Colin performed a Micro-Jump to a location near the Jump-Point. After arrival, he had enough time to let the Jump-Drive recharge and make his escape from the system.
The debriefing after this Exercise saw three very subdued Captains, all trying to design tactics they could use successfully against someone with Colin’s creative tactical instincts. Try as they might, they quickly came to the realization Colin could beat them in most scenarios, even when he was outnumbered three to one. This left them feeling vulnerable, so Colin explained how to counter the tactics he’d developed so far. This allowed them to calculate precisely how many ships, specifically Taipans, were required to defend the system. The numbers were too high for them to be able to ever receive approval for so many, the cost of building, manning and maintaining so many ships would’ve been excessive. Colin then showed them how they could counter his tactics with Cobras in the mix. They’d need slightly more than a third of the hulls to adequately defend the system than would be the case with Taipans alone. This news made the bean counters sit up and take notice. A Cobra was much more expensive than a Taipan, but not three times more, they didn’t even cost twice as much. Having the smaller number of hulls was something the System Government could afford. Colin explained they should plan on a mix of the two, using the Taipans to cruise around the system, looking for smugglers, Pirates and such who’d arrived in the system covertly. These same Taipans could also be tasked with close in protection near the shipyard and orbital station. The Cobras would be used for dealing with attackers who evaded the Taipans and patrolling the surrounding Systems.
Over the following months, this same pattern of Exercises and planning continued. Sometimes, often, Colin won the engagement, but the participants always ran lessons learned sessions before the next simulation run. Over time, he noticed his opponents were making things harder for him as they began to understand his thinking. He suggested the Navy consider a ship capable of making perhaps two or three Micro-Jumps in rapid succession. They could Jump in, fire off their ordnance, then Jump out again before the enemy artillery could reach them. This last suggestion was very quickly classified to the highest level of secrecy available in the Federation, and a team of
scientists and engineers were tasked with giving the possibility an appropriate standard of consideration. Colin heard nothing more of this suggestion for several years after he made it. He also discussed possible ship designs and improvements to existing ones, his engineering knowledge, and recent tactical experiences informing each other.
On several occasions, Colin spent time with Sonya, discussing tactics, sometimes to defend Cambridge, other times with broader goals, even helping to plan theoretical operations to rid the Federation, and surrounding territories of Pirates once and for all. On many occasions, Sonya would come to visit him at the Fraser household, and the five of them would discuss ways of dealing with the problems facing the Federation, well into the night. None of this work was ever wasted. Sonya and Colin both recorded everything they discussed, ordering their ideas over time, building viable strategies to achieve their long-term goals of securing the Federation and making it stronger.
Throughout this time, Colin slept at either the Fraser home or the Clinic when on the planet and on Theseus when he was working on the Exercises. On several occasions, he found Carl and Siobhan sitting stoically in chairs in their sitting room while Anne rolled around on the floor, tears in her eyes, laughing. When Colin asked what was wrong, he was informed that Carl and Siobhan had just told Anne about the most recent whipping they’d been given at his hands during an Exercise. He’d sit down, trying to calm Anne down, telling her she wasn't fair to her parents. Anne would eventually gain enough control of herself to explain to Colin that she knew they were splendid ship handlers, but their self-confidence was being severely dented. A lot of time was consumed helping the others develop tactics, not just to defeat him but also to adequately protect the System should the need ever arise. Colin believed that helping them was only right and fair. He learned as much from them as they did from him and they’d been so kind to him during his stay in Cambridge. Colin realized he felt a genuine connection with these people.
As the weeks rolled by, Colin began to look, and feel, noticeably younger. The lines on his face gradually smoothed out, his skin became more elastic, his vision improved and his stamina increased. In general, Colin was becoming healthier as the rejuvenation treatments worked on his body, rebuilding it from the inside out. He’d been quick witted and intelligent before, now he felt he was thinking more clearly and acquiring knowledge more quickly than ever before. Colin knew his implant was helping with this, but he seemed to absorb and retain new knowledge more quickly, even when he wasn’t actively using the implant. The rejuvenation technicians were also enhancing his body in other ways. Over time Colin became stronger, developed much faster reaction times, and even gained an ability to process information much more quickly as they optimized the integration of his implant with his brain.
The people Colin had contact with during his stay in Cambridge were all very carefully vetted. All of them were well known to the Fraser family and classified as loyal Federation Citizens, all were either military or ex-military. Colin used his cover identity more and more as time passed, so it became natural to him. He needed to be so used to it by the time he went to the Academy so he couldn’t be easily tripped up by an inadvertent slip of the tongue.
Finally, four months after arriving in Cambridge, the time drew close for Anne and Colin to leave for the Academy. Anne’s parents decided they should have a small gathering of their closest friends and relatives to mark the occasion. Colin didn’t have much clothing, just his uniforms, one formal outfit that was originally bought for his trial and a couple of things he could wear while off-duty and lounging at home. Anne decided Colin needed something to wear for the party, so she dragooned him into ‘Internet’ shopping with her for a ‘party frock’ as he termed it. Of course, there were funds available to buy what was needed so when they’d chosen, Colin paid, and the clothes were delivered the next day, just in time for the gathering. All the friends Colin had made since arriving in Cambridge came, and Jack Lanning turned up as well. Until he walked in the door, Colin didn’t even know Jack was even in Cambridge. They chatted for a while, with Jack chuckling at the way Colin had been teaching the Navy here how to use their own ships. The evening was an enjoyable experience though Colin began to, think that perhaps Sonya was flirting with him. While he was flattered by this attention from a very attractive woman, he knew this could be awkward, Colin was still committed to his wife, Katherine. He hoped to be able to go to her when he returned to Earth and honestly tell her he’d never cheated. Eventually, Anne came and rescued him, guiding Sonya away to another part of the room where the two women had a long conversation. Not long after, Sonya came over to say goodbye as she needed to be up early the next morning. The party wound down soon after as everyone drifted off home.
Next morning, Colin and Anne packed then Siobhan drove them to Cambridge Navy Headquarters. They were to be taken to the Shuttle from there. They arrived and were shown into Commodore Nicholson’s office. When Colin entered, he could see Sonya was looking a little uncomfortable. The door closed behind him, and she asked them both to sit.
As soon as they were comfortable, Sonya said, “Colin, I’d like to apologize to you for last night. I’d had a little too much to drink and my behaviour, … was unacceptable. I was flirting with you like a shameless hussy, I shouldn’t have done that, I’m truly sorry.”
She really did look embarrassed, and Colin’s heart went out to her. He realized he needed to be very careful how he replied to her. He could crush her, or give her hope when there was none and he didn’t want to do either of those, he wanted her as a friend and an ally.
Colin considered his options for a few seconds, then decided on an approach, “Sonya, you don’t need to apologize to me. What happened last night was flattering and fun. Please, I don’t hold anything against you for that. If I wasn’t already committed, I might have even been interested. I would very much like to maintain a friendship with you, is that a possibility?”
She just replied, “Thank you, I’d like that.”
Then, almost as if he’d flicked a switch, Sonya was all business as she continued, “You know what you have to do. Watch out for each other, I want both of you back here safely when you’re finished at the Academy. Colin, you two need to do this, there is someone, perhaps several someones at the Academy who are working to undermine the Federation Navy. You were right when you hinted that Headquarters were investigating the Academy Colin. You’ll be taken to the Shuttle from here and taken to a DNI owned undercover ship. That ship will transport you to the Academy. You two have your cover names, you have support in place. Now, go do what I know you’re both so good at.”
Colin and Anne rose, saluted, then turned and left for the Shuttle Station.
Chapter 3
When their Shuttle docked to the Station, John and Anne were escorted directly to their ship. It was a Navy-owned Freighter, or more accurately, it was a DNI owned ship, intended to allow materiel and personnel to be covertly transported around the Federation when necessary. The operation the two Officers were to complete, had been in planning for the last two years. Commodore Nicholson wasn’t the first to notice and report the inconsistencies at the Academy. Her report, though, was the one that’d started DNI investigating. Their initial analysis of the graduates coming from the Academy only confirmed the reports, so, they began inserting operatives into the staff roster, looking for evidence. Unfortunately, whoever was corrupting the system was excellent, very careful, or both, and the DNI investigation seemed to stall. Then FNS Destiny arrived back in the Federation, battered but not defeated, with an unknown human in command. This same person, helped DNI finally crack a spy ring they’d been unsuccessfully trying to identify for nearly three years on Cotoni Station. When asked, this same human agreed to help them willingly, without conditions.
While John didn’t know it, DNI recognized an opportunity when they saw one. After consulting with Admiral Dalkasan, DNI assigned a case Officer to monitor John and Anne and arrange for support to be avai
lable for when it was needed. They stepped up their efforts to insert people in and around the Academy and to provide backup when the time came. John and Anne had already proven their abilities and were considered too valuable to waste needlessly. DNI expected at least one attempt to make sure they failed their training and sideline them into a dead-end stream. If those attempts were unsuccessful, there might even be an attempt to arrange a fatal accident, only time would tell. If these two cracked this case, DNI needed to capture all the enemy agents when they made their move.
For his training assignment, John took on the rank of Lieutenant as part of his secret identity, to make his transfer to the Academy for command track training more believable. While there was a level of urgency to deliver John and Anne to Boontang where the Academy is located, no mere Lieutenant would be able to force the early departure of a Freighter. The ship didn’t leave as soon as they boarded, it was loading cargo and wasn’t scheduled to depart for several hours. While his crew completed loading freight, the Captain filed his flight plan, a plan he’d be sticking to. The Freighter would visit two colonies on the way to Boontang to drop off the most important cargo, its two passengers. The Captain only knew their undercover names, and their destination, and not their mission, he didn’t have a need to know any of that, nor did he even want to know. This was only one of several Freighters run by DNI, each with a freight circuit and a schedule they would vary just enough to make them look convincing to any observers. DNI’s Freighters were even profitable, one of the few facets of the Federation military that were.
Star Man 2: Star Rise Page 5