by Dietmar Wehr
“I have the results now, Admiral. Shall I put the data on the main display or send it to one of your station screens?”
“Main display, Lieutenant.”
“Yes, sir. If the opposing force has normal battlecruiser acceleration and is attempting to ambush us from a prepared position, so to speak, then they have to take into account that Third Fleet could be coming at their Base planet from anywhere within a wide arc. In order to have that entire arc within missile range, the furthest away from the planet that meets that criteria is six hundred and ten light seconds, just over ten light minutes. Here’s what that would look like.”
The display zoomed in on the Hokkaido Base planet with a green cone narrowing down to the planet itself. The cone represented all the possible angles of approach by Third Fleet. A red circle within the cone represented the 610 light second mark.
“Now if their battlecruisers wanted to take up a more or less stationary position just outside of that approach arc and still have all approach angles within missile range, they wouldn’t be able to get as far out as six hundred ten light seconds in the twenty-one hour warning time. The furthest out they could do is this.”
A red line curved out from the planet to come back to a point just outside the cone, approximately two-thirds of the distance from the planet to the 610 light-second mark.
“That would put them roughly three hundred seventy-seven light seconds from the planet.”
Saville looked at the display for a few seconds before turning to his FTO. “What’s your assessment of this scenario, Lieutenant?”
“I can’t argue with the FAO’s calculations, Admiral, but I do have a question.”
“Let’s hear it,” said Saville.
“This scenario is doable, but I don’t think it’s the only one. Suppose their ships accelerated along a trajectory that came out in the middle of that approach arc. If they were willing to accept a high speed and more or less head-on engage window, they could be coasting much further out than the three hundred seventy-seven mark—or even the six hundred ten light second point—and still have the entire approach angle arc within missile range. So, my question is why wouldn’t they do that instead of the, for lack of a better name, gauntlet scenario?”
Saville smiled. He understood what the FTO was driving at but wanted to see if the FAO had an equally good grasp of tactics. To Saville’s surprise the FAO didn’t need any time to ponder his answer.
“I considered that approach, which is why my calculations took so long. I decided to go with the so-called gauntlet scenario because it minimizes the danger to the enemy force. They can fire multiple missile volleys and ensure that those missiles will intercept us because our gravity wakes will make it easy for them to track us. They, on the other hand, will be invisible to us until we’re close enough to detect them by radar, but that means our interception window will be short. We’ll be lucky if we can fire on them at all, depending on the velocity we still have by then. If we’re going too fast, our missiles won’t have time to curve around sufficiently to hit them. If, on the other hand, they went for what I’m going to call the ‘jousting duel’ of a head-on approach, our missiles would have a much easier time hitting them.”
Saville said nothing, waiting to see if the FAO had more to add. When it was obvious that he didn’t, Saville turned to the FTO. “Do you have a critique of the FAO’s analysis, Lieutenant?”
The officer smiled. “Actually, I do, Admiral. The FAO’s analysis is correct as far as it goes, but he’s forgetting something. If the enemy force is coasting up the center of that approach arc, our missiles will have to use their radars for terminal guidance, and that will make it easier for the enemy’s anti-missile lasers and counter-missiles to neutralize them.”
The FAO didn’t even wait for Saville to invite him to respond. “That works both ways. When their birds use their terminal guidance radars, we’ll be able to target them just as easily.”
Saville nodded his agreement. The FAO had a better grasp of tactics than Saville had expected, and it was now up to him to decide which scenario the fleet would assume.
“You both raised valid points. If I were the opposing admiral, I’d be reluctant to take up a stationary position because of the lack of maneuvering flexibility. Having said that, I recognize that the head-on approach makes it easier for both sides to accurately aim their missiles at the other. FAO, please show me our trajectory within that approach arc if the center of the arc is aimed precisely at the Sheffield system.”
“Yes, sir.” The arc shifted slightly, and Third Fleet’s position and trajectory appeared within the cone but off center.
“Just as I thought,” said Saville. “We’re closer to one side of the arc than the other. If the enemy admiral is going for the gauntlet strategy, that could be good or bad for us depending on which side of the arc they took up position.” He paused just long enough for the FTO to jump.
“Then let’s find out where they are, Admiral. I recommend we continue to decelerate at max, but we launch at least one recon drone that will coast at a higher velocity and therefore pull out ahead of us. When it gets to a range from the planet where the enemy fleet could be, it’ll turn on its radar and transmit the results back to us.”
“An excellent suggestion, Lieutenant. Signal the fleet that we’ll be boosting decel to max and launch a recon drone the moment we execute that maneuver. And when we’ve done that, I’d like a second recon drone launched, programmed to decelerate but half a fast as Third Fleet, and I want it to radar scan continuously from the moment it launches. At this range, its radar won’t be detectable by the enemy fleet—if they’re where we think they are—but I want to make sure there’s nothing anywhere close to us as we move in-system. Carry on.”
Shogunate flagship (Kirishima):
Admiral Hashimoto stood watching the tactical display with his hands behind this back for almost five minutes before responding to the arrival of the Atlantian fleet.
“How does their trajectory fit in with our deployment, Lieutenant?” he asked in a soft voice.
“If they maintain their present trajectory, they’ll pass us approximately one point one million kilometers closer than anticipated, Admiral. That will enable us to launch two missile volleys with certainty, with a sixty-two percent probability of reaching them with a third volley,” said the tactical officer.
“Very good. Since they won’t get within missile range for another eighty-nine minutes or so, I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity to have a bite to eat. If the situation changes, do not hesitate to notify me.”
As he left the Flag Bridge, Hashimoto was pleased with himself. He had used the scout’s incoming trajectory as a proxy for King Trevor’s Third Fleet and positioned his own forces accordingly. Being closer to the enemy fleet meant his own missile volleys could intercept their fleet further away, thereby giving him more time to launch a second and maybe even a third volley if necessary, although the Type 7 warheads in the first volley should, in theory, be enough to finish off those ships. After all, he had nine battlecruisers. Shogunate Intelligence knew quite a lot about King Trevor’s navy and the capabilities of its ships. Those heavy cruisers could fire a dozen missiles at a time. His battlecruisers could each fire six counter-missiles every 15 seconds, and each one had 12 anti-missile lasers. And even if one Atlantian missile somehow got through those defenses, his ships had enough armor that a hit would not destroy or cripple them. No, the outcome of this battle was not in doubt at all. It would be a glorious victory for his Shogun and for him. That his liege lord would reward him was also not in doubt. Only the type of reward was unknown, and Hashimoto smiled on his way to the Flag Officers’ Lounge as he contemplated what that reward might be.
Chapter Eight
Atlantian Third Fleet flagship:
Saville was visiting with his Flag Captain, Mortimore Blair, on the Main Bridge when the tactical display signaled a status change. One of his ships was pulling out ahead of the rest of th
e fleet.
“I need to speak to my staff,” said Saville.
The Com officer quickly established a link and nodded to the admiral.
“Who is breaking formation and why?” asked Saville.
“It’s Intransigent, Admiral. We’re just getting her update now. One of her L-drive coils has failed, and that has decreased her maximum rate of deceleration by thirteen percent.”
Saville wanted to curse out loud but was aware that he needed to project an image of calm confidence in order to keep morale high. Intransigent couldn’t be allowed to continue on her present trajectory. By moving ahead of the rest of the fleet, she was making herself vulnerable to a massive missile attack that could overwhelm her if she got far enough ahead to be beyond the fleet’s defensive capability. That left the admiral with only two choices: either reduce the deceleration of the rest of Third Fleet in order to keep up with her or order her to veer off and get out of the line of fire. He was loath to let the fleet catch up with her. That would mean having a much higher residual velocity when the enemy fleet got within missile range, and that would result in less time to evaluate the situation and make tactical changes. Losing roughly 6% of his heavy cruiser strength if she veered off did not seem an insurmountable setback. Standard doctrine said to keep the fleet intact and give up maneuvering flexibility, but his intuition told him to cut her lose.
“Set up an audio channel between me and Intransigent’s Captain.”
“Yes, sir. Please stand by, Admiral, while we make that connection.”
A few seconds later, Saville heard Captain Ortega’s voice. “Ortega here, Admiral.”
“Any chance of repairing your L-drive, Captain?”
“It may be possible to repair it but certainly not before we expect to engage the enemy, Admiral.”
“Then you are to veer off from your present trajectory. Stay beyond the enemy’s missile range. Once the battle is over, you can rejoin the formation. Any questions, Captain Ortega?”
“No, Admiral. Your orders are clear. We’re to get out of the line of fire until the battle’s over.”
“Precisely. Carry on, Captain. Out.”
Saville waited until it was obvious that Intransigent had re-oriented herself to a new bearing and was now decelerating at an angle that would push her out of the trajectory the rest of the fleet was on. She would continue pulling ahead but would gradually curve off to one side and away from the Hokkaido Base planet. As Saville left the Main Bridge, he couldn’t help wondering if he’d done the right thing.
Shogunate flagship (Kirishima):
Hashimoto frowned as he watched one enemy ship first pull ahead of the rest of the fleet and then begin to veer off to one side. He had been in the middle of eating a very satisfying snack when the call from the Flag Bridge had interrupted his meal and necessitated his return. “Any thoughts on what that ship is up to?” he asked of no one in particular.
“It’s not veering off in our direction, so it doesn’t seem likely that they’ve somehow detected us,” said the tactical officer.
“I would hazard a guess that it’s some kind of malfunction in their L-drive,” offered the astrogation officer. “Their rate of deceleration dropped suddenly. A deliberate change in deceleration would have happened more slowly to minimize wear and tear on the equipment.”
“Hm,” said Hashimoto. That actually made sense, but he was reluctant to accept it whole-heartedly. If the enemy commander wanted him to think it was a malfunction in order to deceive him, he would not have cared about wear and tear on the equipment. There was still plenty of time left before any enemy ships came within missile range. He briefly considered going back to the Flag Officers’ Lounge to finish his meal but rejected the idea. Going back now would make him look selfish and arrogant. He would stay until the battle was joined and won, and only then reward himself with another delicacy.
It was at the point when the enemy fleet was still over half an hour away from missile range when the radar detection sensors signaled a new radar source. The range to the source was impossible to determine precisely, but the direction was confirmed. It was coming from somewhere along the same trajectory.
“Could that be coming from their fleet?” asked Hashimoto.
“Highly unlikely, Admiral,” replied the tactical officer. “For the signal strength to be detectable at this range, the amount of power they would have to use would exceed the capability of standard radar technology by two orders of magnitude.”
That was reassuring. If a second-class power like Atlantia had somehow developed that kind of radar breakthrough, Hashimoto was certain that Shogunate Intelligence would have learned of it and stolen its secrets by now. But if the signal wasn’t coming from the enemy fleet, then clearly there was something else transmitting a weaker signal that was much closer.
“A drone perhaps?” he asked the officer.
“Yes, Admiral, that would make far more sense. If the enemy fleet allowed a drone to coast at higher speeds while they continued to decelerate, it would get within radar range much sooner.”
“Yes, of course,” said Hashimoto. Now it made perfect sense. If he were commanding a fleet that was attacking another star system, he’d use the very same tactic. Now the question was what, if anything, he should do about the drone. At the moment, its radar signal was barely strong enough to be detected by his ships and not yet strong enough for the radar energy bouncing off his ships to be detected by the drone. It would have to get closer still before that happened. That meant he had only a short window of opportunity to try to destroy the drone before it detected his fleet and reported back to the enemy admiral.
“How long before that drone can detect us?” he asked.
The tactical officer got busy manipulating his console and came back with an answer half a minute later. “Using our own radar equipment’s sensitivity as a guide, I calculate that we’ll show up on its radar system in just under six minutes, Admiral.”
“Can we intercept it before then,” said Hashimoto quickly.
“Possible, but it will be close, sir.”
“Then fire a missile right now,” commanded Hashimoto. As the tactical officer rushed to obey, the FAO got the admiral’s attention.
“The enemy fleet will detect the missile’s gravity wake, sir.”
Hashimoto nodded. “Yes, but they’ll only detect one wake, and if we can knock out that drone before it can detect us and report back, they still won’t know how many ships we have until after we fire our first missile volley at them.”
“Ah, yes. I understand, Admiral.” The FAO grinned as he turned back to his console.
Atlantian Third Fleet flagship:
Saville was lost in thought when his FAO turned to him and said, “We can eliminate the head-on scenario, Admiral. If the enemy fleet had done that, our recon drone would have detected them by now. That means they have to have chosen the gauntlet scenario.”
Saville saw the officer smile at the FTO and smiled himself. Some things hadn’t changed. Junior officers still delighted in one-upmanship. But at least this confirmation of the FAO’s prediction simplified the situation. The second recon drone had confirmed that there were no surprises in the immediate vicinity, and the first drone should be detecting the Shogunate fleet’s ambush position soon. And when that happened—.
“Gravity wake detected!” said the FTO. “A single source. Velocity is… eight thousand Gees plus.”
“Another scout?” asked Saville.
“No, sir. TacComp classifies the source as a missile, Admiral, but it can’t possibly be aimed at us. It’s still twenty-one light seconds away.”
Before Saville could think of a response, the FAO spoke. “We’re too far away, but the recon drone isn’t. They’ve fired at the drone.”
“But the drone hasn’t detected them yet,” said Saville. He realized his mistake as soon as he finished uttering the sentence. He could tell that the FTO was about to very politely explain why the Admiral’s statement didn�
��t matter and stopped him with a raised hand. “I just realized why they could detect the drone before it detected them. They’ve given their position away now, but unless we get lucky and the drone detects them before it’s destroyed, we still won’t know how many ships we’re up against.”
“Admiral, the second drone still has plenty of stored power. We can tell it to use its EG-drive to accelerate on a modified heading and resume radar scanning when it gets close enough to their estimated position.”