by D. J. Holmes
-Excerpt from Empire Rising, 3002 AD.
IS Earth, Jaranna, 11th May 2482 AD.
“All right everyone, thanks for coming to meet in person. I know the last two days have been hectic,” Gupta said to the gathered Admirals and Captains. “We have accomplished much in these last two days. And Lightfoot, once again your tricks live up to your reputation.” Gupta said with a nod of respect. Lightfoot was only present because he had led his ships back into the system the previous day and slipped past what was left of the Karacknid garrison. “Now, an important decision looms before us. One I feel we all must play a part in deciding. We have hurt the Karacknids by taking the system, yes. We have disrupted their supply line. But have we done enough? An opportunity has presented itself to us that we must seriously consider. I’ve asked Captain Scott to give us a rundown of where we are at.”
“Thank you Admiral,” Scott said as she stood. “In short, we’ve made quite a haul. The orbital supply depots are overflowing with war materials. With Admiral Gupta’s permission I’ve already started transferring some of the more interesting items onto our own supply freighters. By my estimation, we’ve captured enough supplies to keep a Karacknid fleet of a thousand ships in operation for a year, if not more. Given the numbers we know are operating against the Alliance, destroying the materials will throw a spanner into the Karacknids’ supply lines. Plus, taking out the depots themselves will cause their own problems. One of our greatest finds however wasn’t a piece of Karacknid technology, but a work order. It was a routine memo sent from one supply officer to another so it wasn’t encrypted. We’ve been able to translate it. It seems the Karacknid supply officers were working to free up large amount of space in several depots. I believe they were expecting a supply convoy within the week. Given the amount of space that was expected to be needed, it could be carrying upwards of a month’s worth of supplies for the entire Karacknid fleet in Alliance space.”
Gupta couldn’t help interrupting. “Which makes the fact that we haven’t detected any Karacknid ships heading back towards their home territory interesting. It’s possible none of the commanders who survived the battle with us know about the coming convoy. And in turn, that it has no idea we are here.”
“Or,” Jil’lal suggested, “what’s left of the garrison here may not be the ones who wish to pass on bad news. It’s understandable they want to send word to their commander in Alliance space. They may want to let him be the one who sends news back to their own territory and, ultimately, their Emperor.”
“Perhaps, perhaps, Or…” Lightfoot mused as he paused to draw everyone’s attention, “the ships here know this convoy is coming with a large escort. Perhaps even a full fleet of Karacknid reinforcements. They may be waiting for its arrival so they can join with the convoy in attacking us.”
“All are possibilities,” Gupta agreed. “But we cannot make decisions based on wishful thinking. We do have this unexpected knowledge. The question is, what are we to do with it? Before we go further, can each of you update us on the state of your ships? I know not all of you are up to speed with each element of our fleet.” Gupta looked to Commodore Flew first as she asked her question.
“I have eighteen ships still fully battle worthy. Two others will need to be dispatched back to Earth, however. They’re too damaged to risk another battle,” the Varanni answered.
“I have twenty-two and three to send home,” Jil’lal answered.
“We have forty-seven including our carrier with just one badly damaged ship,” Gupta replied. “That gives us a force of eighty-seven warships. So, have we done enough damage, or do we try and hold the system for longer? What do you think Commodore? it has been more than forty days since we left Earth. It will take at least a month for news of our efforts here to reach the Karacknid fleet in your own territory. How do you foresee the fighting going there?”
Flew bowed her head slightly. “It may be that your guess is as good as mine. You all know the situation was dire. However, from the battle report that my High Command transmitted to us, we know the initial Karacknid fleet took a significant battering in the battle of Kalesh. It’s likely they have been repairing their ships and gathering more forces. They may be in a position to continue their offensive now, or it may have already begun. But my people will have been gathering their fleets to face the Karacknid thrust as well. Even if one more of our systems has fallen, there is still hope. The further the Karacknid fleet advances into Alliance territory and the more losses they take, the more significant cutting off their supply line is. It is my intention to remain here for as long as possible. I recognize the sacrifice your fleets have already made. You have sent all the warships your species has on this mission. If you feel you need to fall back to defend your own borders, I understand that. I would not ask you to do more than what you have done.”
“Thank you for your respect Commodore,” Gupta responded. “But we do not intend to leave you alone so quickly. At least, not without a serious discussion.”
“If we all stay, or even if Flew is on her own, how much more damage could we do?” Lightfoot asked. “From what Scott has shared, it sounds like we have already put a serious dent in their supplies. Holding the system for a week or even two or three, will it accomplish much more?”
“It will force the Karacknids to send more ships against us,” Flew insisted. “Every ship that is sent here is one not sent against my homeworld.”
“Yes, I understand that emotionally,” Lightfoot replied. “But all the Karacknids have to do is send seventy ships here and we would have to flee or be destroyed. We need to consider the wider strategic situation. Right now, Earth and all our colonies, including our entire industrial infrastructure, are unprotected. If we try and stay here for a month or more, it could all be lost.”
“If we pull back too soon and the Karacknid offensive continues, Earth and our industrial infrastructure will fall to the Karacknids eventually,” Gupta responded.
“Indeed,” Lightfoot agreed. “Whatever we choose, it is not an easy decision.”
“Perhaps we should attempt to take the bull by the horns, that is one of your expressions, isn’t it?” Jil’lal asked. She continued when Gupta nodded. “This supply convoy that we suspect is coming. If it is as large as Captain Scott believes and we destroy it, would that not cause enough of a distraction to satisfy you Commodore?”
Flew considered it for several moments. “If it is as large as we believe, then perhaps. Though I will never leave this system willingly. I am here to defend my people to the last if that is what is necessary. Taking it on has its own risks. As Lightfoot said, the convoy’s escort would destroy us. If we simply remained in the system, but let it pass we may end up doing more disruption in the long term. Though my preference is to attack.”
“If we pulled back to let it pass for fear of its escorts, the convoy’s escorts may simply break away from the convoy and pursue us all the way back to Earth,” Gupta responded. “No,” she shook her head. “If we’re not going to pull out, we have to go all in.” When she finished speaking, she turned to Lightfoot.
“If the convoy has an escort we can take on and destroy, then of course attacking it makes sense. But we do not know what we are up against,” Lightfoot responded. “Though perhaps there is a way to reduce that risk. We do have IS Blackhole with us after all.”
“Yes,” Gupta agreed as she saw where Lightfoot’s mind was going. Blackhole was the interdictor cruiser Lightfoot had brought back into service to hunt down Admiral Somerville when he had been a fugitive. The cruiser’s engines and reactors had been upgraded to allow her to join the fleet in the push towards Jaranna. “We could use her to pull the convoy fleet out of shift space early. Then, if they are too much for us, we could jump out to safety.”
“That sounds acceptable to me,” Jil’lal said.
“And I,” Flew added when everyone looked to her.
“Then it is settled,” Gupta said, surprised at how quickly they had come to a decisi
on. “We will run some simulations to make sure we can do this without taking on too much risk before fully committing to this plan. We’ll also dispatch our damaged ships and what freighters we do not need back to Earth with news of our success to date. Let’s get to work people,” Gupta added as she stood. “This convoy could arrive at any hour now. We need to get ready.”
*
Twelve hours later Gupta gave the order for her forces to break orbit. As the ships left, charges went off on all the Karacknid supply depots and orbital stations that hadn’t been destroyed in the battle for the planet. Most of them were empty, however. There were still hundreds of thousands of Mindus survivors on Jaranna’s surface who were struggling to survive amidst the high levels of radiation throughout the planet. Gupta had authorized evacuating as many as they could take. The supply freighters of her fleet were fully laden with Mindus refugees. Even so, they were only able to save six thousand of them. Most were children. The rest at least would have all the Karacknid food supplies they could get their hands on. Gupta had ordered it all transported to the planet’s surface before destroying their depots.
After watching the destruction of the orbital facilities, Gupta turned her attention to what was left of the Karacknid garrison. Thirty-four Karacknid ships were in orbit around the gas giant with the two gas mining stations. It was the most important piece of real estate left in the system. Gupta intended to destroy the mining stations to further cripple the flow of fuel to the main Karacknid fleet. She didn’t want the Karacknid warships hanging around when they came to fight the expected convoy.
As her fleet approached the gas giant, the Karacknid forces did not move. Gupta couldn’t understand their actions. If the warships broke orbit and forced her to chase them, they would cause her a real headache. Sure the gas mining stations were important. Probably vitally so. But they would be lost anyway. She had been fully prepared to launch her remaining forty-seven fighters at the Karacknid ships if they started to run away. Her dwindling fighter numbers were her most precious resources, but she did not want to fight the convoy with another Karacknid force at her back. For the hour it took to close into missile range with the mining stations, Gupta pondered the Karacknids’ actions. She reviewed the fights at New Berlin and Holstein as well. Their senior commanders were formidable. At the battles of Jaranna, Earth and, from the accounts of the Karacknid push into Alliance territory, it seemed they had commanders who were the equals of the best Humanity had to offer. But perhaps not when those lower down the ranks are thrust into command positions, Gupta mused. There were lots of explanations for such a situation. Certainly, in Earth’s history different armies and navies had been plagued with similar problems. Either because a senior commander didn’t want any competition from his subordinates, or because a political leadership distrusted competent commanders or for a handful of other reasons, Human armies and navies had often found themselves being led by incompetent men and women. Well, if this is the first chink in your armor, then we will use it! Gupta thought as she stared at the unmoving Karacknid ships. “Inform Wing Commander Forest we will not be needing his fighters if everything goes to plan. Order Avalon to hold back out of missile range,” Gupta ordered. “The fleet will assume formation shield alpha.”
With no multistage missiles left, the Karacknids got off the first missile salvo. For twenty minutes both fleets exchanged salvos. With far more ships and therefore missiles and point defense weapons, Gupta’s fleet took minimal losses. Only four ships were destroyed and six badly damaged. The Karacknids were wiped out along with the two gas mining stations. Gupta spent an hour in orbit around the gas giant overseeing the assessment of the ships in the fleet that had been hit. When it was deemed they were all capable of heading back to Earth, she transferred them to the squadron that was waiting to depart. Then she sent the order for the freighters with Mindus refugees and captured war materials to head for the shift passage to Earth. With the Karacknid ships destroyed, there was nothing to hinder them. “Take us to the shift passage to Karacknid space,” she ordered after spending a few minutes watching the supply freighters begin their journey. It was time to get into position for the main engagement.
For the four hours it took her fleet to cross through the Jaranna system towards the shift passage the convoy was expected to take, Gupta reviewed the short battle her fleet had just fought. She was looking for weaknesses or patterns in the enemy’s missile fire that could be capitalized on. As a result, she was caught off guard when several alarms went off around her. Physically she had trained her body to remain still, but mentally she jumped at the sounds. “Multiple new contacts,” a sensor officer shouted before she could ask what was going on. “Ships have just come out of the Alliance shift passage.”
Gupta held her breath as the contacts accelerated into the system, giving away their numbers. The shift passage that led to Alliance space was where the Karacknid main fleet was. A tightness in her stomach suddenly started to grow when it was clear there were eighty new Karacknid warships. They were all accelerating towards her position. Quickly, she did the mental calculation. There was no way she could turn her ships around and flee back towards Human space. Her ships were completely out of position. Gupta dismissed any thoughts of attacking the Karacknid convoy. Her priority now was to get her fleet to safety. If they fought the Karacknid ships they would have almost nothing left. Certainly, she wouldn’t have a force capable of holding the system any longer. On her command chair’s miniature holo projector she brought up a star map of local space. There was a route through the shift passage in front of her that would eventually lead back to Earth. It would take more than a month longer. Probably closer to two, but she could get her ships to safety. Though we’ll be heading into enemy territory, she thought. And we will be hunted all the way. Yet what choice do I have?
Just as she opened her mouth to start to give orders more alarms cut her off. “More contacts,” the same sensor officer reported. “They are dead ahead. Repeat new contacts dead ahead.”
The new ships were so close that Earth’s optical sensors easily identified them. Within seconds Gupta knew she was looking at the supply convoy. There were more than a hundred large bulky freighters. To her amazement, there were no more than twenty warships. As soon as they saw her ships, the Karacknid convoy decelerated and turned back towards the shift passage. They would escape to shift space as soon as their shift drives could recharge. Blackhole, Gupta thought at once. If the interdictor cruiser could get close enough to the Karacknid fleet and power up its gravity well generators, they wouldn’t be able to jump out. Yet Karacknid ships were faster than hers. But they are freighters aren’t they! she said to herself. “All ships, full acceleration after that convoy. Work out how long it will take Blackhole to get into range of those freighters with her gravity well. Can we catch them before they jump out?”
Gupta held her breath as her officers gave the calculations. “It’s possible Admiral,” the reply came back just seconds later. “Blackhole can get them within range in just fifteen minutes. It will take us another two, maybe three hours to close to missile range if they keep fleeing. But we can get them within Blackhole’s gravity well and keep them there.”
We can take them, Gupta thought. Yet… Her attention returned to the first Karacknid fleet. It was already charging after her ships. In two hours they would catch up to Earth. We’ll be caught between the convoy’s escorts and the Karacknid battle fleet, she realized. Her ships would be slaughtered. They wouldn’t get a chance to hit any of the freighters. For a moment she contemplated just letting the convoy jump out. But the Karacknid escorts would probably remain behind. And even if they didn’t, if she tried to flee along the same passage the convoy was taking, sooner or later the escorts and the Karacknid battle fleet would trap her. There’s no other way, she realized. And there’s no other ship. Earth and her sister ship Zeus were the two most powerful ships in her fleet. Their point defenses were second to none. For a moment Gupta looked around at her st
aff officers and bridge officers. She had to blink back a tear. “Get me Captain Rogers on a COM channel,” she said in a clear voice that betrayed none of her emotions.
“Admiral?” Rogers said when his face appeared on her command chair’s holo projector.
“Captain, we cannot engage the supply convoy and that Karacknid battle fleet at the same time. We must delay the battle fleet. It’s the only way our ships have a chance of getting home. I need Zeus to join Earth in one last mission.”
Rogers stared at her for a couple of seconds as his mind thought through what she was saying. Then his face tightened, and he gave her a sharp nod. “Aye Aye, Admiral. I understand.”
“Follow us in then Captain,” Gupta said and cut the COM channel. “Earth and her escorts will turn to engage the Karacknid battle fleet,” she ordered. “Carry out the maneuver immediately. Get me Admiral Lightfoot now.”
“Admiral, what are you doing?” Lightfoot demanded moments later.
“You know full well,” Gupta replied. “The only thing I can do to get you all home safely. I’m putting you in command. Engage the convoy’s escorts and take out as many freighters as you can. If you flee up this shift passage you can eventually make it home. We’ll delay the Karacknid battle fleet. You can use Blackhole to delay them further.” Lightfoot opened his mouth to complain further, but Gupta cut him off. “That’s an order Admiral! We are not all going to die here today. I am doing what must be done. I expect you to do the same. Understood?”