Into the Battle

by Rosone, James

  “Hello, Admiral Chester Bailey, and military officers of Earth,” the lone figure said. “My name is Trigdolly. I am an Altairian shipbuilder and engineer. I have been instructed to present you with several possible ship designs for you to ask questions and approve before I assist your shipbuilders in constructing them. May we begin?” The Altairians were all businesslike—no sense of humor and always direct and to the point.

  One of the officers asked a question before Admiral Bailey could screen it. “Excuse me, Trigdolly, I have a question. Have you studied our existing capabilities to know if we can produce these ships, and if we can, would you be able to tell us how long it’ll take to retrain our crews to operate this new equipment?”

  A lot of the officers at the table nodded—it was a good question, though Admiral Bailey probably would have found a more diplomatic way of asking it.

  The Altairian didn’t seem fazed at all. “I have spent the last three months examining every known resource in the three systems you control. I have examined your rudimentary shipyards and your production capabilities. For a less-developed species, you have done remarkably well in leveraging humanoid synthetics and 3-D printing.”

  This was about as close to a compliment as they were going to get from an Altairian. It wasn’t that they looked on humans with contempt—it was more like how a parent looks at a five- or six-year-old as they try to teach them how to ride a bike. Of course a parent wants their child to be successful, but they might also get annoyed when the child doesn’t seem to understand the basic concept of pedaling and using the front wheel of the bike to help balance and steer. Try as a parent might to explain this to their five-year-old daughter, she may still not grasp the concept and fall several times. This was the kind of relationship the Altairians and the humans had at the moment.

  “Sorry for the interruption, Trigdolly,” Admiral Bailey said as he shot the rest of the room a dirty look that said they should hold any further questions. “Please continue.”

  The Altairian placed a small device on the table and turned it on. A moment later, an image of a ship appeared in the center of the table. It turned slowly, allowing everyone to see its detail from different vantage points.

  “The ships I am going to show you will be built at the new Republic Navy shipyard you constructed near your moon. This facility, after some modifications by our engineers, is now your most advanced shipyard, able to build the type of ships we are proposing. To get the human fleets built up promptly and allow you to contribute effectively with our own fleets, we propose several classes of ships. Each of these ships has a specific purpose. They have strengths and weaknesses, but when integrated with a combined fleet, they form a powerful force.

  “The first ship I am going to show you is a smaller ship your facilities will be able to mass-produce quickly. We call this ship the frigate class 001. What we have done is infuse the best parts of your technology with ours to create a vessel your people will be able to operate, maintain, and construct on your own once we have given you some proper training.

  “It is roughly two hundred and twenty meters in length with a crew of fifty-two human operators. As you have made good use of synthetic humanoids, we recommend integrating them into many aspects of the ship’s operations. In addition to the fifty-two human crew members, it will be augmented with one hundred and eighty synthetic workers.”

  Trigdolly then zoomed in on a couple sections of the ship. “Its armament consists of two forward phaser banks and one rear bank. We are impressed with what you have done with your magrail systems, and, frankly, we are surprised at how vulnerable both the Zodark and Orbot ships are against them. For Altairians, this is very old technology—something we have not used in thousands of years. However, it appears to be effective, because most starfaring races have moved on to phasers, masers, plasma, and particle beam weapons, which require a completely different type of armor and defensive measures to defeat. We believe the magrails are a very rudimentary weapon. That said, we are going to exploit this vulnerability while it is still present until they adjust their ship designs.”

  The Altairian then brought up some detailed schematics of the magrail system for them to look at as he continued to talk. “With this in mind, we have modified your magrail weapons to make them more efficient, but also more potent. Your integration of a small rudder and guidable propulsion system on the projectiles was something we had never seen or even thought of. We have obviously kept that in this new design. We believe this new magrail system is going to make your ships even more potent in battle.”

  Trigdolly hit a button and an image of Frigate 001 reappeared on the floating holographic image in the center of the table. “This is a frigate 001. It is the smallest fleet vessel we are proposing you build. However, it plays a critical role in overall fleet operations. It is going to be an exceptional fast-attack ship—what you call a picket ship—to operate on the edges of your territory or fleets. As you can see, the ship has only a single twin-barrel turret that will fire a twelve-inch projectile. The muzzle velocity on this improved weapon is one hundred thousand kilometers per second, roughly five times the speed of your current systems.”

  This elicited a few whistles of excitement from the officers. Bailey was sure many of them would have loved to have had that weapon in their previous battles against the Zodarks.

  “The frigates will also be equipped with twenty anti-ship missiles. The new missiles we are helping you build will have several booster phases. Like your magrail systems, we have greatly increased their potency and their speed. The missiles can now reach speeds of one hundred eighty thousand kilometers per second, so they will play a greater role in fleet battles. Aside from direct energy weapons, we have found missiles to be an effective weapon in battle, especially as we improve their stealth and electronic spoofing capabilities. I would also like to point out that in the past, your forces had not made use of atomic weapons. We are changing that. Your missile warheads will now either have conventional high-explosive warheads like what you have been using, or they will be equipped with variable-yield nuclear warheads. However, the atomic weapons we are showing you how to create are weapons designed to be used in space battles—”

  One of the admirals interrupted. “Excuse me, Trigdolly—what do you mean by that? We’ve refrained from using atomic weapons in the past because we didn’t want the Zodarks to decide they wanted to use them against our own forces or against Earth.”

  Trigdolly paused. “Admiral, there is much you will learn about the galactic rules of warfare. Basically, we have a set of rules that state that atomic weapons cannot be used on habitable planets. They are too rare in the galaxy to wantonly destroy them. However, that does not mean they are not used in space warfare. As Admiral Hunt will be able to attest, Orbot ships use a shielding technology in addition to their thick armored shells. The atomic weapons are incredibly effective at degrading and, eventually, defeating their shield technology. The electromagnetic pulse produced by the explosion disrupts the energy frequencies used in the shielding technology. It also absorbs large amounts of the shields’ energy, which means the shields become weaker.”

  Another officer broke in. “If that’s the case, then how are we going to effectively defend against these types of weapons?” he pressed. “We haven’t encountered the Zodarks using them against us yet, but if they do, how will our ships hold out against them?”

  The officers all nodded—this was something they were all concerned about. Frankly, none of them liked the idea of using nukes. They’d rather just focus on the weapon systems they knew and had already been using.

  Trigdolly plowed ahead. “What I need you all to understand is that the way you have been fighting space battles is about to change dramatically. While you have not seen the use of atomic weapons by the Zodarks, that does not mean the Orbots or other allied races of theirs do not use them. We are not saying that humans need to use them extensively in your future battles or campaigns, but you need to know how they
are used and how to defend against them. Is that understood?”

  There was a moment of silence as everyone absorbed what had just been said. When no one objected or asked any further questions, Trigdolly brought up another image of the frigate and continued his explanation.

  “We found your primitive use of what you called close-in weapon systems or CIWS to be very effective at intercepting enemy missiles and smaller starfighters. Like your other weapon systems, we have improved this as well. The frigates will now have eight of these systems on board. In addition to their deep space reconnaissance mission capability, when the frigates are placed in a carefully designed screening position, they will be able to protect the larger warships and troop transports exceptionally well.”

  When Trigdolly had finished going over some of the main features of the new frigates, he told them about the food replicators. Food replicators were an incredible new technology the Altairians had given the humans. In one swoop, this technology had ended hunger and solved an inordinate number of deep space problems for humans.

  Previous human ships had either had to stock or grow their own food or bring along replenishment ships that did this for them. It was a huge drain on resources and created a critical vulnerability to any human-operated fleet. By eliminating this need with food replicators, the ships could now be packed with more weapons or given additional armor.

  The next twenty minutes went by with Trigdolly showing them two more versions of the proposed frigate. Each version varied slightly in its aesthetics but had essentially the same armaments and number of crew, except for the 003 version. The 003 ship had room for up to sixty additional passengers. One of the officers mentioned that it could come in handy if they wanted to use the frigates to deploy Special Forces or conduct more clandestine missions with a smaller ship.

  Eventually, the officers making the decision on the type of frigate the humans would produce settled on the first version, frigate 001. They also decided to produce at least twenty of the 003 version so they could use them for Special Forces missions or to transport high-value individuals. The Altairians agreed but stressed the importance of creating uniformity in their ship production for both simplicity and speed, as well as training the crew to operate them.

  Next came the cruisers. Trigdolly explained that these ships would be the workhorses of the fleet and the most prolific ships to be built, next to the frigates.

  “The cruisers come in only one choice,” Trigdolly announced to the chagrin of everyone in the room. “I believe your Henry Ford once said, ‘You can have a Model T in any color you want, so long as it’s black.’”

  That drew a few chuckles from the officers, and it was the first time they’d seen an Altairian try to be funny or crack a joke.

  “The cruiser is your tank. It is heavily armored and packs a punch. The ship is one thousand, four hundred meters long with a crew of eleven hundred and twenty-two people. The ship has four reactors that produce more power than a dozen of the Arkanorian reactors you recently incorporated into your ships. These reactors power the six phaser banks and the twelve thirty-six-inch magrail turrets. We have also included two plasma cannons, which give the ship some serious hitting power.”

  One of the officers asked, “What kind of armor belt does this cruiser have?”

  The Altairian didn’t seem fazed by another interruption. He actually seemed to enjoy the fact that the humans asked a lot of questions. “The ship has a twelve-meter-thick armor belt, similar to what you currently use on your existing warships. We have taken the liberty of improving the armor density and its heat dissipation ability. This will allow the ship to absorb direct hits from Orbot ships without exploding in the first few seconds. The ship can also carry up to one hundred and thirty soldiers and a limited number of assault ships to support their operations on the ground. This gives each cruiser the ability to carry out specific missions on the surface of a planet or support Special Forces missions.”

  “Is there some way to incorporate a shield into these warships?” asked another officer.

  Trigdolly turned to look at the officer before replying. “When your child first learns how to drive, do you give them an expensive sports car to learn with, or do you give them a less expensive vehicle they can effectively handle and gain some experience with first?”

  No one said anything for a moment as they looked at each other, unsure if this was a rhetorical question.

  “When your species has the technological know-how to understand the physics involved in creating, building, and maintaining such technology, then we will share it with you. Until then, let us see if you can handle what we are sharing with you now,” Trigdolly replied.

  The Altairian brought up the third class of warship. “This is a battleship. This will be the largest warship we will have you create for the time being. The battlegroups that humans will be fielding will be anchored around your battleships. We are not asking you to build many of them, but in time, you will want to build more of them as you expand your territory and hold it.

  “Unlike the dreadnought ship you have, the George Washington, this ship is smaller but far more capable. It is approximately two thousand, six hundred meters in length. It has an armor belt of forty meters. We have incorporated eight phaser banks and twenty of your magrail turrets, ten on either side. We have also added thirty smaller magrail turrets, fifteen on either side, to give it added punching power. This is in addition to the fifty anti-ship missile tubes. It has a crew of two thousand, two hundred personnel. It can also transport up to two hundred and sixty soldiers.”

  Hunt leaned forward in his chair. “Trigdolly, how long will it take our shipbuilders to start cranking these warships out?”

  All eyes then turned back to the Altairian. Hunt had asked the question a lot of them had been itching to ask.

  “These ships are a lot more complicated than the ships you are currently building. Even with our advanced shipbuilding techniques, the frigates will take eight months to complete. The cruisers will take fifteen months, and the battleships will take two years. We have a fourth ship, but I am not sure if your people are ready for that one yet. It may be too soon to introduce this to you,” Trigdolly said. His last sentence caused them all to perk up. A new ship they hadn’t been told about piqued everyone’s attention.

  Hunt cleared his throat. “Perhaps you can tell us about this new fourth ship, and we can give you an honest answer about whether we can handle it or not.”

  Trigdolly briefly looked at Admiral Bailey to see if he had any objections. He nodded, and Trigdolly went on to explain. “The fourth ship is a star carrier. It is a brute of a ship, and frankly, you need to build up your other naval ships before you take on a ship like this. We also would need to spend some time training a fighter wing. You presently have no fighter pilots. No, drone pilots do not count. Nothing replaces a live operator inside a fighter.”

  One of the officers asked, “How large is this ship? How many fighters can it carry, and how long would it take to build?”

  “So many questions about a ship you are not ready for,” Trigdolly countered. “In due time, when you are prepared, we will help you build these star carriers. For the moment, we need you focused on building a suitable navy to protect your tiny area of space and become an ally the rest of the alliance can depend on.”

  The meeting broke up a few hours later for lunch. Many of the officers wanted to grill Admiral Hunt on how the battle had gone. They had all seen the reports and the classified videos, but they wanted to ask questions the videos didn’t answer.

  The discovery of so many new alien races over the last few years had turned their worlds upside down. The knowledge that humans had been transplanted from Earth to a smattering of other planets around the galaxy had come as a big shock. When they’d learned how the Zodarks were essentially farming humans to use as disposable soldiers in their galactic war, it had only further infuriated the humans on Earth.

  *******

  “Admiral Hun
t, why did we lose so many of our ships during this last battle?” asked one of the captains. The others at the table stopped talking amongst themselves as they waited to hear his response.

  Hunt felt everyone’s eyes on him. He knew they wanted to know why so many of their friends had died, and yet, he’d lived. His own ship, the GW, had sustained near-catastrophic damage. This was the part of command he really hated, ordering the deaths of so many of his fellow Earthers in a battle that wouldn’t ultimately change the outcome of the war. It was one thing to go into a battle of survival where there wouldn’t be any second chances. But while this last battle might have ultimately saved Earth, it didn’t even register as monumental in this enormous galactic war.

  Hunt placed his fork down on the table as he looked at the officer who’d asked the question. “When the battle started, the Orbots jumped a battleship and three cruisers through the stargate. The Altairians moved their cruisers to engage them, and two Altairian battleships joined the fray. At that point, the Altairians ordered our human fleet in to assist them, and our ships engaged the Orbot ships. Just like the Zodark ships, Orbot ships proved to be vulnerable to our magrails. We didn’t score the same level of damage against them like we have against the Zodark vessels, but we were getting through their armor and causing some considerable damage.”

  Hunt paused for a second as he shook his head. “One of the Orbot ships fired its particle beam and hit the Yorktown. It…it sliced the ship in half with a single shot. The Orbot then hit it a couple more times, blowing up the remaining pieces—they didn’t even have time to eject their life pods. At that point, I ordered our fleet to reposition behind the Altairian ships so we could use them as shields if needed. At the same time, we continued to snipe at the Orbot ships with our magrails.”