Stokes nodded and said, “Will there be any degradation to the point to point drive system?”
“We don’t think so, but it will use a lot of the fuel we’d normally keep in reserve for FTL maneuvers.”
“What kind of hang time are we looking at in range of the Woduur weapon?”
“Our simulations are showing something around three shots before we’ll have to withdraw, sir,” Bendel said. He ran his hand through his hair. “Most of the stuff we need is already on board all the ships. We would just need to install a pair of good high capacity power conduits and the field generators to counter the Woduur weapon.”
Woodard nodded and said, “If we can find a way to increase the efficiency of the field generator, we can get the same effect with lower power requirements.” Her eyes flashed as she glanced between the display and Stokes’ face.
“At this point, I’ll take any defense we can get,” Stokes said. “Between this and the standoff range of the railgun, I think we may stand a fighting chance.
Halford Kri stared at the fuel status display on his bridge. “Bring up the chart of the local area,” he ordered Taylor.
“Aye, sir,” she said. Her voice was subdued.
“Overlay fuel range using standard parameters.” A green ring appeared around Damocles’ position. “Now, highlight all systems that have gas giants where we can refuel.” A speckle of points appeared. None of them were inside the green ring. Kri studied the display. “I think if we override the safety interlock, we can get back to this system,” Kri pointed to a system directly away from the direction Simons had gone.
Taylor looked intently at the display. “I agree, sir.” She tapped out some calculations on the arm of her chair. “We’re only about four percent outside the safety range.”
“Good. Plot us a course. Stop after each hop and run a full system calibration to make sure we use as little fuel as possible.”
“Aye, sir,” Taylor said.
Careful balancing of the point to point drive got Damocles to the gas giant with almost five percent of its fuel remaining. Refueling and maintenance took less than six hours once they’d arrived. Kri called for a meeting with his department heads to decide what to do next.
The conference room was on the same level as the bridge, just aft of Kri’s office. He sat at the head of the table and looked over his officers. Taylor, his exec looked tired. His tactical officer, Hultz was already seated, waiting for the meeting to begin, and Dowd, the operations officer came in last.
“Sorry, sir,” Dowd said. “I just got my relief on the bridge.”
Kri nodded. “Be seated.” As Dowd got into one of the empty chairs, Kri taped a button on the table, bringing the presentation screen to life. “We’re here.” A point was highlighted on the chart displayed. “The last place we saw Simmons was here, and her tracked destination was here.” Two more points appeared on the chart. “The system we almost caught her in is here.” A fourth point appeared.
“I propose we return to the base she was in and take a look at the data she downloaded. That, combined with her probable destination based on the direction she went, should give us an idea of her planned movement. The briefing Admiral Stokes forwarded to us before we left comm range indicates she was looking for advanced medical research facilities from the old Terran Empire. Does anyone have any thoughts?”
Taylor spoke first. “It seems to me that we’ve been out of range of Naval Command for a long time. I suggest we return to comm range and update them on our status.”
“It’s too far in the wrong direction,” Hultz said. “If we keep moving away from her, we’ll never get caught up.” Hultz paused for a couple of seconds before adding, “And I have to say I really want to get her for treating the captain that way.” There was genuine venom in his voice.
Kri couldn’t help but appreciate the rancor Hultz held for Simmons. Kri’s thoughts were conflicted. His duty to capture her was somewhat at odds with his personal feelings about her. Still, Hultz had a point. She’d absolutely enraged him with her taunting the last time he’d seen her. “I think we need to stay as close to her trail as possible. Let’s head back to the base she stopped at and download the same data she took. We should be able to use it to figure out where she plans to go.”
Taylor tapped at the control for a moment before saying, “Look at this, sir.” A band of routes appeared on the displayed area. “This is where we think Loki can go with its enhanced point to point drive.” Because Loki was capable of making two hundred lightyear jumps, it could reach areas far outside where Damocles could go.
“While we’re here, we need to enhance our fuel storage capacity. If she uses the same amount of fuel to make a single two hundred lightyear jump as we do to make a twenty-five lightyear jump, then we need to store at least eight, and better ten, times as much fuel as we currently do.”
“That may be a problem, sir,” Taylor said. “The isotope storage system is already space and power intensive.”
Kri nodded “I was thinking about that. What if we remove the mid-ships drop ships and their docking cradles. We can add an exterior armor plating and the space freed up should be enough to add extended fuel storage pods, conduits and a third fusion plant to maintain the system.”
Hultz said, “I think that could work. We’ll want to make sure there is plenty of armor covering the pods. If a hit got through there, it could cause a pretty serious explosion. I think we should do both interior and exterior armor plates. That way if there is a breach of the external armor, the internal plating should keep any explosion away from critical areas. It should be safe enough even under battle conditions.”
Kri turned to his operations officer and said, “What are your thoughts, Mister Dowd?”
The young lieutenant rubbed his head for a few seconds while he considered his response. “I don’t see an operational problem with it, sir. There will be some clearance issues with the ring. Unfortunately, the balance of the ship’s superstructure would be affected if we tried to do it at either for forward or aft drop ship cradles, so we can only do it at the middle cradle. My only other concern is that we’re proposing giving up a third of our drop ship capability. Have you discussed this with Colonel Santi?”
Kri sighed. “Not yet. I’m sure I can convince him of the merits of the decision.”
Taylor said, “The two drop ships we’ll delete are the backups. We can still land the entire Marine detachment in a single drop.”
Dowd said, “I propose we allocate two of the Pinnaces to Marine duty Let them refit them to suit their needs. That will allow them to have almost as much drop capability as another drop ship, but also some added flexibility.”
Taylor gave Dowd a sharp nod of approval. “That’s a great idea, Lieutenant. What do you think, Captain?”
“Sounds like the best idea I’ve heard so far today. I think I can convince the colonel to accept it. What kind of time are we looking at for the refit?”
“Most of the materials needed are already on the drop ships. We can reclaim them with the manufacturing ring and repurpose the materials for the new fuel pods. We’ll have to eat into some of our on-board materials storage, but we should be able to resupply when we get to the old Terran base. We can make almost all of the parts during transit. Because of that, I don’t think it will delay us much more than two or three days.”
“Get a schedule drawn up for my final approval, Exec,” Kri said. “I’m off to speak to Colonel Santi. Dismissed, everyone.”
Chapter 27
Valencia hefted the transmitter in his hand. The emergency unit was self-contained and designed for field use. He slid the device into one of the many cargo pockets in his pants. He turned his attention to everyone in the conference room. “Sergeant Skorn, you’ll be in command until I get back. I think we have a solid plan, and unless McCandless has something new to report, I think it’s the one we’ll use. Any questions?”
Skorn shook his head. “No. Stay safe out there.”
Cooper blushed and jammed his helmet on before saying, “I’ll try, Sarge. No promises.”
The walk to the Karn cultural center was relatively short, less than two kilometers. They moved from cover to cover, observing their passive sensors to avoid any contact with the Woduur patrols. Many of the buildings in the center of town area were dedicated to culture and art. The Museum of Antiquities also resided in the center of town, just across the street from their destination. The museum had been built in the former Karn Capital as an olive branch to the Karn people after the war. The exhibits were of both Karn and Ebrim historical items.
Valencia moved down the once meticulously manicured walkway just behind the cultural center. He motioned to Cooper and jabbed his thumb at the building to make sure the younger man recognized it as their destination. Cooper nodded, and the Marines headed to the front of the building. The outer façade was covered in a huge mural depicting the heroes of the Karn military from the war. It stood out proudly with bold colors against the drab building materials of the rest of the downtown structures.
Valencia took one last look at his passive sensors and then headed inside. Cooper followed at his heels. The interior of the building was dark, the windows were covered and barricaded. Just as they moved into the lobby, their suit passives started to read life signs in one of the lower levels. Valencia pulled his rifle around and flicked the safety off. Cooper did the same.
A few minutes of moving quietly through the building led them to a set of stairs going up and down. Valencia led the way down two flights to the bottom. The life signs were less than twenty meters away and now displayed as at least six distinct human readings.
Valencia pushed open the door to one of the meeting rooms. A sign next to it indicated it was the room where everyone was to meet. McCandless, one of his snipers and several other uniformed Lashmere Marines were in the room along with two civilians. McCandless nodded to Valencia when he entered. “Glad you made it, son,” he said. “This is Corporal Ingram,” he indicated one of the Marines and then pointed at one of the civilians. “This is Officer Hughes. She has the access codes for the inner vault at the enforcement division office.”
Valencia nodded to the officer and said, “What kind of materials are stored in the vault, Miss Hughes?”
Hughes’ Karn accent filled the room as she replied. “Pretty much everything we need to make a limited offensive. Floyd, here, tells me we need to make a two-pronged attack against the ring.” She paused and narrowed her eyes at Valencia. “Can you really get a signal through to the Lashmere Military Command?”
“Yes, but probably only once. I’m betting the Woduur will jam the signal once they realize we’ve used it. We have to make this one message count. I plan to use it to alert command of the time and coordinates of our planned attack. Anything more complicated and we risk having some kind of logistical problem. I’ll send the signal the day before the attack.”
McCandless nodded. “Good thinking. Keep it simple. Just a date, time and coordinates. Does your transmitter give you a confirmation the signal’s been received?”
“Yes. Hopefully, the channel will remain open long enough to get it.”
“So, all that remains at this point it to decide when to make our run to the enforcement division and then when to hit the ring itself,” Hughes said.
Valencia pondered the situation for a few seconds. “What kind of personnel are we going to need to clear out the inner vault at the enforcement division building?”
“A small cargo truck would do it. Twenty or twenty-five people should be able to carry it all out as well. There is one item that will need a truck of some kind, though.”
That perked Valencia’s interest. “What is it?”
“It’s a vintage artillery piece from the war. One hundred thirty millimeter launcher with sixty or seventy rounds. It’s too big to be moved by hand.”
Valencia was surprised. “The enforcement division has an artillery piece?”
Hughes nodded. “Yes. It was in the building during the war and it just stayed there.”
“What’s the effective range?” Valencia asked.
“Oh, something like twenty kilometers,” Hughes replied.
“We don’t have to shoot that far. The ring is only five kilometers across.”
McCandless let out a slow whistle between his teeth. “Yeah, we can just drag it to where we want it.”
Valencia reached into his pocket and pulled out a copy of his command center map. He spread it out on the table in the middle of the room. The rest of the people there gathered around. “Here is the enforcement division office.” He indicated a circled spot on the map. “Here is where we plan to attack the ring.” He pointed to another location. “There’s a clear line of sight from this access hatch inside the ring. If we can get shells through the hatch, it should delay any reinforcements for some time.”
Ingram was grinning. “More than enough time to get our explosives in place.” His tone was fierce. “My team will handle the surface attack. I have a demolitions expert who can set up charges to knock over that small office building onto the ship.”
Valencia looked at McCandless and said, “What do you think?”
“It’s a workable plan. Hitting the ship through the hatch should cause a fair bit of damage and disarray inside. The only problem is that the crew on the artillery piece will be completely exposed once the Woduur locate them. It’s almost a suicide mission.”
“I’ll be on that, Sarge,” Cooper said. “With your permission, of course.”
“You have it, Corporal. You’ll need one other person. I can sweep my base for volunteers.”
“No need,” Hughes said. “I’m betting the corporal here, isn’t trained on old Karn artillery. I am. I’ll act as gunner, and he can run the shell feed system.” Hughes gave Cooper a hard stare.
“Floyd, can one of your teams provide overwatch for the artillery crew? Try to help them get out safely once their position is compromised?”
McCandless stood silently for a moment before saying, “Yeah, son. I’ll get them home safe.” He turned to address Ingram. “Blue flare for Woduur approaching. Red flare for get out now, got it?”
Ingram gave the sniper a grim smile. “Thanks, Floyd. We’ll move on your signal.”
“The only things left to decide is when to hit the vault and when to launch the attack,” Valencia said.
“Let’s hit the vault tomorrow. The longer we wait, the better the chances it’ll be gone,” Hughes said.
“Attack the ring day after tomorrow?” Valencia floated.
“As long as you do it in the afternoon,” McCandless said. “Sun will be in our eyes of we hit it in the morning.”
“Good. Sixteen hundred, then?”
There was no argument. The meeting broke up, and everyone headed back to their respective bases. McCandless accompanied Valencia back to his base, where he stayed until they went to the enforcement division building ‘just to keep him out of trouble.’
The next morning, Valencia led ten volunteers to the vault and met up with twenty who’d come with Ingram. Most of them were in powered armor. Hughes arrived with Ingram and led them into the outer storage area under the station. It was completely ransacked.
“It looks worse than the last time I was here,” Hughes said.
“So long as what we need is still here,” Valencia replied.
A few minutes later, the group stood in front of a heavily built door set into concrete that looked to be at least a meter thick. The door was made out of the same material as armored space warships. Hughes walked up to the door and tapped out a sixteen digit code. A soft chime sounded and the door started to groan open. Inside were rifles, ammunition, grenades, explosives and, of course, the huge cannon.
“It’s going to take some time to get this up to street level.” Coope
r said.
“There’s a ramp just around the corner. With all this power armor, you guys should be able to muscle it up and out,” Hughes said.
“Let’s get everything else out and staged first,” Valencia said. He turned and glanced at McCandless, who was standing, watching impassively.
The men and women quickly brought out all of the materials they would need, including all of the high explosive that they were going to use to explode the side of the ring. Valencia looked at the cartons. He wasn’t sure it would be enough, but it would have to do.
Almost before he knew it, Valencia was helping the rest of the power armored Marines pull the large artillery piece out of the storage vault. Less than an hour later, the first glimmer of sunlight could be seen glinting off of the end of the long barrel. They dragged the massive weapon half a block until it had a clear shot at the personnel hatch they’d identified in their planning session.
Valencia slapped the side of the gun and said, “Now all we have to hope for is that the Woduur don’t notice a new feature on this street. Let’s cover it up with some rubble to disguise it. Bring the barrel all the way to the ground. Maybe it will just look like some damaged machinery.”
Half an hour later, they had roughly half the cannon covered in broken bricks and other debris from several collapsed buildings nearby. The men and women moved back to their bases to make final preparations for their attack.
Valencia surveyed the area. All preparations were complete. He pulled the transmitter from the cargo pocket on his armored leg. He flipped up the protective cover and depressed the transmit button. His preprogrammed message with the information about their planned attack was sent, and a few seconds later, the automated signal came back indicating his message had been received.
The next day, Valencia got his teams together. Three full platoons of Marines, along with several civilian volunteers were arrayed in front of him. All of them carried nothing but weapons, armor, and ammunition, aside from a day’s supply of water. Plus, they had a small cart that carried the cartons of high explosive. Five high explosive artillery rounds had been added to enhance the explosion. Travelling light and fast was a key part of their strategy. He was leaving behind only civilians, all of whom were now armed, to guard the radio and electronics suite taken from the APC.
The Battle for Lashmere Page 22