The Thunder of War (Thunder in the Heavens)

by Dietmar Wehr

  “Fleet Master to all ships. We will stay in formation and proceed to the enemy home world at one tenth light speed. Clear.”

  “You heard, HM?” asked Torq.

  “That is correct, Ship Master. I’m adjusting our vector and speed now.”

  Torq didn’t bother replying to the acknowledgement. No response meant he was satisfied with the Helm Master’s actions. Torq unbuckled himself from his Command Chair and stepped over to the Helm Station. The look of surprise on HM’s face was amusing. With the possibility of battle starting literally at any moment, leaving his Command Chair was risky, but Torq needed to confer with someone privately, and this was the only way to do it.

  After making sure his helmet mic was muted, Torq spoke in a low voice, “I don’t believe these Hallerie have decided to give up without a battle. They’re getting ready to attack, but from where? Any ideas, HM?”

  “If they’re too far away to be detected by our sensors, then we’re too far away to be detected by their ship sensors, unless…” The expression on his face took on a faraway look as if he was attempting to look into infinity. “Their home world will have detected us by now even if just visually. If they had one of their Ships-of-Battle hiding behind the planet, they could upload their visual data to that ship, and it could transmit that data to their other ships instantly.”

  “Interesting concept,” said Torq. “How would they know from which direction we’d drop out of hyperspace?”

  The HM shrugged. “A calculated risk on their part. I looked up the initial contact mission files before this duty shift. That contact ship approached their planet from the same general direction that we’re approaching it from.”

  “Ha. Yes, of course. There’s no need for us to be subtle when we clearly have the superior force, but basing their KE fire solely on visual data is bound to be inaccurate, correct?” asked Torq.

  The NM nodded. “Absolutely, Ship Master, but if we can’t fire back because we don’t have any targets, then they can continue to fire KE shells on us, and eventually some of them will hit. If the planet can detect those hits, it can pass on that data, and that will improve the accuracy of their fire. They might be firing at us right now and missing.”

  “I hope that’s what they’re doing. It would nice to have a serious challenge for a change,” said Torq as he began to move back to his Command Chair. As he buckled himself in, the ship lurched suddenly. Torq heard a ragged but spirited cheer from his Control Room crew as it became obvious that the Hallerie were indeed going to fight. Torq activated his helmet mic.

  “Ship Master Torq to Fleet Master. We’ve been hit. I conjecture that KE fire is coming from beyond detection range using targeting data transmitted by an enemy warship hiding on the opposite side of their home world. Request permission to leave formation and scan the far side.” As he waited for a reply, he could already tell that his perception of time was becoming a bit distorted. The speed at which the cyclets passed was now noticeably slower. It was the natural outcome of the surge of noctain that his body was now pumping into his arteries. When the Fleet Master responded, Torq knew it had only taken a handful of cyclets but it seemed longer.

  “Fleet Master to Torq. Permission granted. Good Hunting. All other ships increase speed to point three.”

  Torq wasted no time. “Helm Master, increase speed to maximum!” Without waiting for a reply, he turned to the Engineering Station. “Damage report, EM.”

  “The Gods of War are smiling on us, Ship Master. The shell hit at a shallow angle and was deflected away. No armor penetration.”

  Torq suppressed the urge to laugh. He was just superstitious enough not to risk jinxing his good luck by taking it too cavalierly. Cannon firing hyper-fast kinetic energy rounds was the weapon of choice for the Tyrell when it came to battles between warships. He had heard at the training facility that when his people had discovered the ruins of the long dead alien race and the drifting Ships-of-Battle still orbiting that race’s home world, the Tyrell engineers had ascertained that other types of weapons were possible. But the sheer primitiveness of firing massive rods of the hardest metal alloys that could rip through a ship if fired accurately and from the best angle had appealed to the Tyrell leadership. And with the Seed Drone programmed only to build KE cannon for weapons and nothing else, target races didn’t have enough time to examine the technology behind the ships that the drone-controlled robots were assembling, in order to create other types of weapons. The Tyrell had learned that lesson the hard way. Give target races just enough time to build a defensive force worthy of the name, yes, but not enough time to really understand the technology they’d been given.

  Torq relaxed a bit as his ship reached the maximum speed of six tenths of light. The odds of long range KE cannon fire hitting a ship travelling that fast were not good. Being able to fire accurately at an enemy ship while travelling that fast was also problematic, but Torq didn’t mind slowing down if he found a target. It was silly to expect the Gods of War to make it too easy. What he did like about the advanced maneuvering technology that was also discovered from the alien ruins was the ability to jump from a standstill to over half the speed of light in a matter of seconds. The Engineering Master had tried to explain how that was possible, but Torq wasn’t sure he grasped it correctly. All he knew was that the technology could dump or pull inertia to or from the fabric of space as needed.

  As the time passed, he listened with one ear to the calm chatter between ships of the Fleet, now that their increased speed was complicating the enemy attempt at long range sniping, and with the other ear to the equally calm chatter of his Control Room crew. His ship was approaching the Hallerie home world, and he noticed that the HM had put the ship on a curving approach from off to one side without having been given orders to do so. Torq understood why and approved of the officer’s initiative. By approaching in that way, their sensors could get a better look at any enemy ship that might be using the planet as cover, while still keeping the range to something tolerable. If they had swung around the planet only a few thousands stents distant and discovered a Hallerie Ship-of-Battle that close, the outcome of the encounter would be little more than a flip of a coin. The best range to exploit the superior tactical skills of Tyrell warriors was at least half a million stents, and this curving approach would keep that minimum distance until the last possible moment.

  As the ship’s sensors began to see more and more of the back side of the planet, it gradually became clear that there was no enemy ship hiding behind it. Torq could not figure out how the Hallerie were transmitting targeting data to their warships without using the faster-than-light communication system built into every Ship-of-Battle. Could they have figured out how to duplicate that system just from observing its manufacture and installation into ships by the robot assemblers? That should not have been possible, but there was no other way to explain the fast target data transmission. Tyrell sensors could see out far enough that sending that data by normal electro-magnetic frequencies or com lasers to ships that were beyond detection range would take much too long.

  “Are our sensors not detecting anything at all?” asked Torq.

  “We are detecting large concentrations of metal, but they are on the planet’s surface, Ship Master,” answered the WM.

  “Can a Ship-of-Battle be landed on the planet intact, Helm Master?”

  The HM turned to look at Torq before replying. “It has never been done, because there was never any need to try it; however, I have seen simulations where a Ship-of-Battle was brought to the surface successfully, Ship Master. If the Hallerie have done that, they could still use the FTL com system as long as they had a direct line-of-sight with their other ships.”

  Torq considered the implications of that tactic for a few cyclets. “Let’s assume they’ve landed one of their warships. If they leave it out in the open, we’d be able to see it visually at some point. How close would we have to get in order to detect a Ship-of-Battle on open ground, WM?”

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p; The officer hesitated before replying. “Difficult to give a precise answer, Ship Master, due to lack of operational data; however, I would estimate that we would have to close to within a hundred thousand stents or less.”

  Torq shook his head in dismay. That was too damned close. “If these Hallerie have any brains at all, they won’t leave their Ship-of-Battle out in the open. They’d try to hide it. That’s what I would do in their place, and that means we’d have to get even closer to see it.” He took a deep breath and shrugged. He had asked the Gods of War for a challenge, and it seemed they had heard him. “Okay, HM, bring us in close, and slow us down if you don’t mind. I would prefer not to run into the planet at point six light.” He heard the Helm Master give a barely audible chuckle.

  A quick check of the tactical display data section showed the ship slowing down quickly even as the distance to the planet was also still dropping fast. Torq saw that the HM had adjusted the ship’s vector so that it would fly past the planet at a range of just 55,000 stents. If the Hallerie did have one of their ships on the planet’s surface, and if it could aim its KE cannon at them, one barrage would be enough to cripple his ship. The range was now less than 100,000 stents. Speed was a nerve-wrackingly slow 1,000 stents per cyclet.

  “I hope we are scanning optically,” said Torq sarcastically.

  “We are, Ship Master. The largest concentration of metal seems to be a harbour filled with ships.”

  Torq frowned. “Let me see the image,” he ordered quickly. The computer-enhanced image appeared on the main display of his Command Station. There were a lot of ships in the harbor, and some of them were moored in a very haphazard way to his thinking. “That gap between ships in the middle of the harbor, superimpose the outline of a Ship-of-Battle with the correct scale in that gap.”

  Torq heard some of the crew gasp with surprise when the outline fitted almost perfectly into the gap.

  “So that’s why they’re not firing at us at this close range. They’ve put their ship under water,” exclaimed the Helm Master.

  Torq nodded. “And they’re not directing long-range sniper fire at us, probably because a near miss might hit their planet. And now that I think of it, that’s an excellent idea. WM, I want that gap between the ships targeted with a barrage of KE. Fire when ready.”

  When the Weapons Master spoke, her voice was clearly showing her excitement. “Target lock established! FIRING!” As the missiles containing the dense tungsten rods used their miniature inertia-dump engines to accelerate to high speed, it took a fraction of a cyclet to reach the planet and plunge through the atmosphere. The impact on the open water generated huge geysers of super-heated steam with secondary explosions of water that were clearly caused by the tremendous energy released from the impact of tungsten rods on thick armor.

  “Second barrage ready!” said the weapons officer. Torq looked at her and noticed her wide eyes and flushed complexion. He gave her a quick nod. “FIRING!” she yelled. As he turned back to the main display he almost missed seeing the impacts from the second barrage. The water in the harbor was now so agitated that he could almost see part of the Hallerie warship hull for a fraction of a second as huge waves sloshed back and forth.

  “Ship Master?” asked the weapons officer in a suddenly much calmer voice.

  Torq understand exactly what she was asking. “Continue firing until ordered to stop,” he said.

  After a couple of cyclets, he heard her speak in a much calmer voice. “Firing.” He understood that change of tone and sudden calm too. This was no longer a battle to stir the blood and give voice to a battle cry. This was now an execution. The Hallerie in that ship were unable to fire back and would either die from concussion shock or drown from the water pouring into the breached hull. He and his crew took no pleasure in what they were doing now, but prudence demanded that they make certain that Ship-of-Battle was destroyed. With that communication platform now silent, the other nine Hallerie ships would have to come within mutual detection range, and the real battle could then begin.

  Torq allowed one more barrage and then said, “Cease fire. Helm Master, get us a line-of-sight to the Fleet quickly!”

  It only took a few cyclets before his ship had moved around the planet enough to re-establish contact with the Fleet. “Torq to Fleet Master. Enemy Ship-of-Battle has been destroyed!”

  “Very good, Ship Master Torq. Rejoin the formation. Their ships are starting to come within detection range. Targets are being allocated to all ships! You may commence firing at your discretion!” The rising tone and volume from the Fleet Master was beginning to stir Torq’s blood again too.

  “I have a new target!” shouted the WM.

  Torq wanted to yell now too. This was the kind of battle that all Tyrell warriors dreamed of. A tiny part of his consciousness reminded him that Ship Masters are supposed to project calm at all times. It was ignored. Torq decided to give the traditional command for situations like this.

  “GIVE THEM A TASTE OF OUR STEEL!”

  “FIRING!” shrieked the weapons officer.

  No sooner had she finished saying that word then Torq felt his ship heave with the impact of an incoming KE round. Even as he snarled his defiance and checked the damage status display, he acknowledged the skill that the enemy had just shown by firing so accurately so quickly. The Hallerie had already proven themselves to be a worthy foe as far as he was concerned. When the war with the Hallerie was finally over, he hoped that their dead warriors would be honored by their people to show their gratitude for the lenient treatment that their clever and well-executed defense would have earned from the Tyrell Empire. When his ship was hit again, he said a silent prayer of thanks to the Gods of War that this Tyrell Fleet had six ships instead of five or four.

  The battle, and the war, was all over in less than 1,000 cyclets. As exhilarating as the battle was, Torq was very disappointed that it was over so quickly. The standard Tyrell combat tactic of concentrating fire from all warships on one target at a time had proved successful once again. A single barrage from all six Ships-of-Battle was enough to cripple a Hallerie warship, and while the individual barrages from the Hallerie side had inflicted some damage to all Tyrell ships, and in fact had crippled three of them by the time the battle was over, the fact that the Hallerie were firing at multiple targets at the same time meant that each individual barrage had only a small incremental impact on Tyrell offensive strength.

  As Torq reviewed the damage and crew casualties his ship had taken, he reflected on the tactical mistake the Hallerie had made. If they had concentrated their fire on only one target at a time too, they would have won the battle. But at least they had demonstrated that they were a worthy foe, and the new Fleet Master, who had taken over after the death of the first one, was in agreement with Torq’s assessment. The Hallerie would be treated well by Tyrell standards. Torq had also been credited with 2.5 enemy ships destroyed or crippled, and as one of only three Ship Masters to survive the battle, he would move up the list of officers that would be considered for a future Fleet Master’s slot.

  But with the battle now over, he started to feel the usual mental and physical fatigue that always followed the hormone-induced elation of battle. It was times like this when he wondered if the price his body and mind paid was really worth the transitory highs. What would it be like, he wondered, if the Tyrell found themselves an adversary that could pose a challenge lasting longer than one battle? Any further thoughts along that line were interrupted by the inevitable heaving of his stomach. At least his Command Station had a ready receptacle handy for moments like this.

  Chapter Two:

  Three and a half years later:

  Eagleton reported to the Bridge early for his duty shift. He wasn’t the only one to do so, and the Bridge was now bordering on crowded. The atmosphere was tense, and words were spoken in hushed tones. Pathfinder was about to drop out of hyperspace into the star system belonging to the Odina, a race the Sheepul had discovered. When the EAF had learned a
bout the Odina, there was considerable excitement among the senior officers at HQ. Not only were the Odina very close to having their own confrontation with the Tyrell, they were also, according to the Sheepul, at a technological level at least as high, if not higher, than the Tyrell themselves. Rumor had it that the Odina engineers had sneered at the Tyrell technology embedded in the automated drone the First Contact ship had dropped off. There were skeptics among the EAF staff who cautioned everyone to take Sheepul rumors with a huge dose of salt. With the Alliance Project now gaining political momentum among the civilian leadership, the EAF was told to send a ship to the Odina star system and ask the Odina for permission to observe the battle and at the same time evaluate the effectiveness of the Odina technology.