by D. J. Holmes
“Do not underestimate them,” Johnston warned. “Nor Holstein’s topography. The entire continent is filled with a maze of caves and caverns. Many have been mapped out by the locals, though my forces found several that were not. No doubt there are others. Major Jeffers did us a great favor by capturing General Hul’lixar. If he was still in command we could be facing months of skirmishes and attacks and counter-attacks. I do not know the skill of whoever has replaced him, but if enough Karacknid soldiers can go to ground, they will seek to cause as much disruption as possible. I’m sure they have supreme confidence in their fleet’s ability to retake the planet.”
“Don’t worry my friend, we will not underestimate our enemy. Your brief report has already made clear how dangerous they are,” Jackson assured him.
“Which brings us to our main point of discussion very nicely,” Gupta said. “I’m sure you Generals have a lot to discuss. That can wait for now, however. At the moment, we need to decide our next steps. Liberating Holstein was the main goal of our mission. We were not even sure we could accomplish it. Now we have. However, everything we have done so far will not be enough to relieve the Alliance forces. We must press forward, yet Holstein cannot be left undefended, nor can General Jackson’s forces. If the planet is retaken by another Karacknid invasion force, Jackson could find himself reliving what Johnston and his marines have gone through over the last eleven months. So, how do we proceed?”
“My marines should not come into your consideration,” Jackson insisted. “We knew when we left Earth that this mission was bigger than us. It is bigger than Holstein. Your fleet must press on regardless of the situation here.”
“We will not leave you defenseless man!” Lightfoot said. “If we press on and even a small Karacknid supply convoy comes to the system. They could bombard you into the dark age.”
“Not all of us need to press on towards Jaranna,” Gupta said as she looked to Jil’lal. “We should leave a small detachment of ships here to guard Holstein and bring warning back to Earth if more Karacknid ships appear.”
“I agree,” Jil’lal said as she clasped her four hands together. “Your forces have the lightest ships. You could detach a small squadron to guard the planet. They could aid General Jackson’s attempts to remove what is left of the Karacknid ground forces. I, however, intend to press on with my ships. Our allies need us.”
Gupta gave Jil’lal a slight nod. She had thought to try to talk the Vestarian Admiral out of continuing with the fleet. James had impressed upon her the importance Jil’lal played in the Vestarian Navy. But it was clear from the Vestarian’s tone that she was not in the mood to be talked out of anything. “Attaching a small force would not make much difference to the outcome of our push towards Jaranna. And it would mean we are not leaving General Jackson without some support,” she added as she turned to the American marine. “Plus, if a Karacknid fleet does slip behind us, they can fall back and bring warning to Earth.” Gupta paused and took a breath as she turned to Johnston “I do also intend to dispatch our damaged ships and empty freighters back to Earth. They are no use to anyone out here. I was hoping, General Johnston, that you would take command of the squadron. We can load your marines and soldiers onto the freighters to return them to Earth. They have all gone above and beyond the call of duty here at Holstein. General Jackson assures me he does not need what’s left of your command to serve in any combat roles. You can delay your departure for a week or so to debrief Jackson and if some of your marines wish to volunteer to remain behind to act as advisers, that would be fine. But I would like to see the bulk of your force brought back to Earth.”
“I would like to stay and see this through,” Johnston insisted.
“I understand,” Gupta said quickly to cut off whatever argument he was about to make. “But I fear your people will refuse to leave here if you do not lead them. If you stay, they will stay and insist on fighting. Enough have already been lost. Besides, it was your special forces marines who captured General Hul’lixar. He is the only high-ranking Karacknid prisoner we have taken since this war began. It is only fitting that you be the one to present him to our Empress. And, I suspect, be involved in his interrogation. You have fought him for these last months, he may respond better to you than anyone else.”
“To our Empress?” Johnston asked as he looked around at the others’ faces.
Lightfoot was the first to speak. “We have a lot to catch you up on General,” he said with a smile. “Don’t worry, I know how it feels. I was in your shoes just a few weeks ago.”
“And catch you up we shall,” Gupta promised Johnston. “But we have to make preparations to depart Holstein as quickly as possible. If you are prepared to take charge of the squadron we will be sending back to Earth, then we can turn to our more pressing concerns?”
“I… All right, I will do it. For the sake of getting my marines to leave this hell hole,” Johnston agreed.
“Thank you General,” Gupta said with genuine warmth. “I know you want to see this through. But as you said, it may take months to run down all the Karacknids. Now,” she said as she raised her voice and turned to the other Admirals. “How quickly can your forces proceed?”
*
IS Earth, Jaranna shift passage, 9th May 2482 AD (thirty-six days later).
With a nervousness she had never known before, Gupta hit a button to pull up the sensor data Firefly had just brought back. She had sent the small frigate just close enough to the system’s mass shadow to get a glimpse into the former Mindus home system. As the holo projector powered up and showed her just what she was facing, she did her best to keep her face impassive. She knew every bridge officer on Earth would be glancing from the projection to her. It had been more than a month since she had left Holstein and more than two since leaving Earth. By now, the Karacknid force that had invaded Alliance space could have conquered another system or another ten for all she knew. Yet it didn’t matter. She had come here to wreak havoc, and that was what she intended to do.
As the holo-projector identified various groups of ships and structures, Gupta could only marvel at what she was seeing. Three years ago she had been with Admiral Somerville when they had tried to save the system from Karacknid invasion. The Karacknids had destroyed pretty much every Mindus orbital station and then nuked the planet. What they had built in its place almost took her breath away. What had taken the Mindus centuries to build, the Karacknids had almost replaced already. In orbit around Jaranna there were at least twenty large stations. A couple looked like battlestations, but the rest were clearly construction yards, repair yards and supply depots. Further out there looked to be a number of mining facilities both in orbit and on the surface of a number of the planets. There was also a sizeable asteroid mining operation going on in the outer edges of the system. They’ve turned it into a supply and industrial hub, she thought. One capable of sustaining a massive invasion. Of course, that was exactly what it was being used for. It just amazed Gupta that the Karacknids had been able to put it all together so soon. They’ve devoted a great deal of their economic strength to conquering us… That was a scary thought. The industrial might of the Karacknid Empire was believed to be on a scale Gupta couldn’t really grasp. Focus, she told herself as she forced herself to ignore most of the data and identify warships. They were her biggest concern right now.
In orbit around Jaranna there were sixty warships. It looked like there were another twenty or so patrolling the inner system and the same number patrolling ends of the three shift passages that led into the system. Gupta allowed a predatory smile to spread across her face. If the Karacknids combined their ships it would probably cost her half a fleet to defeat them. But they were spread out, and they had many targets to try and defend. Plus, it didn’t look like they were expecting an attack from Human space at all. No ships had escaped the slaughter at Holstein so no warning had reached the Jaranna garrison yet. “All right,” she said to her staff officers as a plan formed in her mind, “Here is wha
t I want to do.”
Two hours later Gupta had to put a hand on her knee to stop it from bouncing. She never liked sending others into combat while she waited. Here we go, she thought as eighteen new blips appeared on the gravimetric plot, right on the edge of the system’s mass shadow, accelerating into the system. The six Karacknid patrol ships were suddenly joined by four more. Gupta nodded, she had expected the Karacknids to have some ships in stealth. Lightfoot could handle four more. As the action was happening twelve light minutes away from Earth, all Gupta could do was watch the gravimetric plot. Over the next five minutes two of Lightfoot’s ships stopped accelerating while five Karacknids disappeared. The rest of the Karacknid ships veered off out of missile range. As soon as they did, Lightfoot’s ships altered course. Instead of heading further into the Jaranna system, they turned towards the nearest Karacknid asteroid mining operation.
The destruction of the mining facilities would likely cause the Karacknids little more than a passing headache. Yet Gupta was betting it would hurt the system commander’s pride more. Sure enough, sixteen of the smaller Karacknid ships that had been patrolling the inner system turned onto an intercept trajectory. It would take them up to a couple of hours to reach Lightfoot. By then he would have had free reign to attack what mining facilities he wanted. But if the Karacknids wanted to stop him, they would have to chase him down. And if they manage to bring him to battle he'll be in trouble. Of course, that was why Gupta had chosen Lightfoot for that part of the mission. She knew he wouldn’t be outfoxed by the Karacknids.
Turning her attention back to the end of the shift passage where Lightfoot’s ships had first appeared, she watched the timer count down. As it came close to zero she held her breath. If the Karacknids had more ships in stealth in the area, they might detect her next move. When the timer reached zero, and began to count up again Gupta started to breathe, though her nerves didn’t go away. Only when twenty minutes passed did she allow herself to relax, at least somewhat. She waited another ten before turning to her Chief of Staff. “Begin phase two,” she ordered.
The rest of her fleet jumped to within half a light minute of Jaranna’s mass shadow. Then they split into two groups and, slowly, at an acceleration rate the Karacknid gravimetric sensors wouldn’t detect, moved into the system. Forty minutes later, the smaller group, under the command of Commodore Flew increased their acceleration rates. Her twenty-four Varanni warships settled onto a course heading straight for the system’s second gas giant. Two Karacknid gas mining stations were in orbit. Presumably, they provided most of the fuel that was shipped on to the main Karacknid invasion fleet in Alliance space. They were a juicy target, one that needed to be protected at all costs.
The Karacknid response was immediate. The ships that had been sent to pursue Lightfoot were too far out of position. The nearest ships were therefore those in orbit around Jaranna. Twenty broke orbit and accelerated hard towards the gas giant. The rest of the ships patrolling the inner system turned onto the same trajectory. For an hour Gupta watched the various fleets pursue one another. The only fighting that took place was the quick work Lightfoot made of the first mining operation he reached. Just a handful of missiles destroyed everything the Karacknids had built. Then Flew’s forces came into range of the gas mining stations. Rather than slow to bring them under a heavy hail of missiles. Her ships fired one salvo and then turned to avoid contact with the quickly approaching Karacknid ships. The Karacknids had put a number of smaller defense satellites in orbit around their mining facilities. Most of Flew’s missiles were destroyed by them, but three appeared to get hits and do at least some damage. Gupta wasn’t too concerned when she saw the outcome. The gas mining stations would receive the attention they deserved in due time.
Do you see it yet? she thought as she imagined the Karacknid commander trying to make sense of everything that was going on. Lightfoot’s fleet had just destroyed the second asteroid mining operation. Instead of turning towards a third, his ships were turning out of the system towards the mass shadow. They would easily be able to jump out before the Karacknid ships pursuing them could catch up. Similarly, it would require a very long stern chase straight across the system for Flew’s ships to have a chance of being caught. Both attacks had done minimal damage. Almost, they seemed a waste. Whether the Karacknid commander saw what was really happening or not, it was too late. The timer on the main holo projector counted up to the point Gupta had been waiting for. Suddenly, just thirty light seconds out from Jaranna itself, sixty Spitfire fighters revealed their location. For the past two hours they had been cruising into the system on a ballistic trajectory. Now their engines and reactors went to maximum power as they charged the two orbital battlestations. The twenty remaining Karacknid ships in orbit moved to intercept them. Eight spitfires were destroyed by their point defense fire, the rest got through to release their plasma missiles. In the space of just five minutes, both battlestations were vaporized.
“Time to let them know we’re here,” Gupta ordered. In response, Earth and the rest of the ships with her powered up their own reactors and engines. They were still an hour away from Jaranna, but none of the Karacknid ships in the system could get there in time. The garrison that was in orbit had a clear choice. Either they could fall back and allow all the supplies and orbital stations to be wiped out. Or they could stand and fight and try and save something. Ten minutes later they still hadn’t moved, Gupta nodded. “So be it,” she said. “Work out firing solutions for those ships. We’ll fire our last two salvos of multi-stage missiles at maximum range.” A part of her wanted to keep at least one salvo in case of an emergency. But even though she outnumbered the Karacknid ships in orbit three to one, she would take losses if she didn’t soften them up first.
When the first two salvos raced out in anger, Gupta’s respect for the Karacknid commander grew. He had sent their light ships forward to engage her missiles. If she didn’t re-target the missiles, the light ships would get a free pass at them with their point defenses. “Destroy the Karacknid screening ships,” she ordered. None of the fourteen Karacknid ships survived the two salvos. “Keep closing the range,” she said when the last of them blew up after getting hit by four laser beams.
As the ships charged forward, the Karacknid defenders of Jaranna opened fire. They had two salvos of four hundred missiles on the way towards Earth before Gupta’s ships could return fire with their own standard anti-ship missiles. Three of her ships were lost to the first Karacknid salvo. Then five to the second. By then, her first salvo had struck home. Point defenses built into the Karacknid supply stations and construction yards helped the Karacknid ships. Nevertheless, five were taken out, leaving just fifteen. It took three more missile salvos to finish them off for the price of eight more of Gupta’s fleet. Gupta felt the losses pierce her heart. But the cold calculating side of her mind told her it was worth it. “Get those fighters landed and refueled ASAP,” she ordered when the battle was finished. Bring us into orbit. Destroy all the shipyards and repair yards. Hold off on the supply depots for now. I want marines landed on them. Let’s see just what the Karacknids have been storing.” Scott would love to get her hands on some intact Karacknid tech. Thinking of her friend, Gupta pulled up Misfit’s battle report. The new cruiser hadn’t suffered any damage and from the sensor readings’ best estimate, her missiles had destroyed two Karacknid ships. A good start, Gupta thought towards her friend. “Contact Misfit, inform Captain Scott I want her to take charge of surveying what Karacknid supplies we have captured. Make contact with the planet’s surface as well, I want to know if there are survivors down there.”
As her subordinates busied themselves with her orders, Gupta turned her attention to the system at large. Lightfoot’s ships were nowhere to be seen. Presumably, they had already jumped out to safety. Commodore Flew’s ships were heading towards the system’s fifth planet. She would use the planet’s gravity to slingshot her ships towards Jaranna. She would make it back to the Mindus homeworld before
any other Karacknid ships could come to harass Gupta’s forces. If what was left of the Karacknid ships in the system combined, they would have about sixty ships. However, most of them were frigates and destroyers. In terms of missiles, she reckoned she outnumbered them three to one. If you want to retake the planet, you’re welcome to try, she thought as she stared at the nearest group of Karacknid ships. The question is, what do we do with the next Karacknid fleet that arrives? Retaking the Mindus homeworld was all well and good in itself. It was more than she had thought likely when they had left Earth. But if they were forced to retreat within the next day or two or even a week, their attack would probably cause little damage to the Karacknid invasion of Alliance space. They needed to starve the main Karacknid fleet of supplies for as long as possible. We have come this far, now we need to figure out how to hold what we’ve gained.
Chapter 42
Many parts go into making a combat worthy fleet; technology, training, experience, strategy, tactics, good commanders, and a crew with a high fighting spirit. If any one of these falters it can spell disaster.