by Doug Farren
The base commander walked into the operations center and found the watch officer. “What is the situation?”
“Eleven ships of unknown type are approaching the base. No answer to repeated hails. Drive wake signature indicates the ships are Human. All fighters have been launched and the base is at battle stations. The cruisers have all reported ready for battle.”
“They know about the Sawari,” the commander muttered to nobody in particular. “Our security has been compromised.”
The base was as ready as it could be for the anticipated attack. The base commander took some time to arrange his defenses then sat back and waited. The incoming attack force dropped into normal space almost as one and continued their approach. When they were within one hundred thousand kilometers of their target, each ship launched a salvo of high-speed missiles followed by a second and then a third. The base’s sensors detected this and prepared to intercept them. One minute after being launched, the missiles main engines shutdown and their sophisticated onboard anti-detection systems powered up causing them to disappear from the base’s scopes.
Moments after the missile launch, three fighters detached themselves from each of the attacking ships. The fighters arranged themselves around the larger ships providing an extra layer of defense. The swords had been unsheathed and the opening salvo launched. The Chinese forces waited, not willing to commit to any kind of defense plan too early.
Four minutes after being launched, the missiles suddenly appeared on the Chinese short-range screens. The more powerful beams of the short-range sensors were able to burn through the electronic interference generated by the missiles. Within seconds a dozen high-powered lasers began the task of intercepting them. The missiles proved to have one more trick up their sleeves. As soon as the laser fire was detected, each missile burst apart and released sixty small objects. Three of these were actual warheads. The rest were decoys.
The warheads ignored the Chinese ships and flashed by them at blinding speed. Despite the tremendous amount of anti-missile fire from both lasers and projectile weapons many of the warheads reached their target. The warheads contained small steering jets which allowed them to zero in on their victim. They were also smart, being able to communicate among themselves. Half of the survivors targeted the base’s defense shield while the other half chose to detonate on the ground just outside the shield. All of the warheads, due to their small size, were low yield nuclear.
A glowing ball of nuclear fire appeared above the base, followed by another, and another. The shield resisted, sending the destructive energies back into space. A warhead impacted the ground four meters outside the base’s defense shield. It penetrated to a depth of two meters before detonating. The ball of nuclear destruction carved out a spherical crater and sent powerful shock waves through the rock into the base itself. The entire base shook with the power of each detonation.
The first wave of missiles ended. The shield still firmly in place. The base had survived. Inside, the damage was considerable but had not affected any of the critical systems. Ceiling tiles and lights had been knocked loose and had come crashing down. Unsecured computer terminals and other objects had been thrown from their desks by the earthquake-like tremors set up by the subterranean detonations. Several walls had collapsed allowing the air to escape from limited sections of the base. Airtight doors had limited the loss of air. There was a brief pause lasting only a couple seconds before the second wave of missiles hit.
The second wave descended following the same pattern of attack. This time, however, the results were dramatically different. The violent tremors caused a small bolt inside a large fusion reactor to break. This weakened the support of the reactor’s magnetic confinement field coil allowing it to shift position slightly. This caused the confinement field to change its shape. The reactor’s control system attempted to compensate for this by altering the coil’s current profile but the coil had shifted too much. The confinement field failed, the plasma escaped, and the reactor ceased to produce power.
The base’s main defense shield suddenly found itself without a quarter of its available power. The shield’s control system attempted to draw the needed power from the three remaining reactors but found itself short. Four warheads chose that instant to simultaneously detonate at the shield perimeter. Overloaded and under-powered the shield started to leak. A portion of the horrific energy released by the fissioning of plutonium made it past the shield and into the base.
A blast of lethal radiation instantly sickened all the Chinese nearest the fireball. Gamma radiation tore through sensitive electronics causing computers and control systems to malfunction. A third of the point defense network ceased working. Thermal radiation heated the walls of a section of the base causing the paint to blister, joints to crack, and people to run away screaming in pain. Inside, alarms were calling for attention in a futile attempt to stave off the inevitable.
The third wave of missiles arrived on the heals of the second. They found a much weakened defense system and a shield on the brink of collapse. Chinese engineers struggled to restart the failed reactor but the internal damage was too great and their efforts failed. The base commander ordered all available power to be rerouted to the shield but that was a manual operation requiring several seconds to perform. The Chinese had run out of time–the third wave struck.
The first few detonations were deflected but, as more and more warheads struck, the shield started to fail. The overloaded shield allowed a single warhead to pass through prior to detonation. The cold electronic brain of the warhead realized what had happened and instantly switched to ground penetration mode. It smashed through the wall of a building, through a bed, and buried itself half a meter through the floor and into the surface below. The ensuing fireball vaporized the barracks and most of the base’s surface buildings. The EMP destroyed every surviving piece of electronic equipment shutting down all sources of power and throwing the base into darkness.
It did not remain dark for long. A total of 21 fifty-three kiloton nuclear warheads provided plenty of illumination. The Chinese did not even have time to shield their eyes as their bodies were incinerated along with the entire base.
Having achieved their first goal, the attackers turned their attention to the orbiting cruisers. Needless to say, four heavy cruisers and 23 sub-light fighters were no match against 33 fighters and eleven superior heavy cruisers. The battle lasted less than five minutes. Several Chinese ships attempted to surrender but the UAN fleet had been given strict orders to blast everything into oblivion. Despite the desperate pleas to spare their lives the last remaining Chinese ship was blown to scrap.
The UAN fleet commander put the finishing touches on the operation by dropping a one hundred megaton fusion bomb on top of the already decimated base. The image of the glowing crater was transmitted directly to Earth along with a message which said, “The lives of our fallen countrymen have been avenged.”
* * * * *
Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman were enjoying a relaxing evening at home in their indoor pool when CAIN’s emergency call arrived. Both of their cell phones started ringing simultaneously with the distinctive emergency ring-tone. Jay had just launched himself from the diving board and thus had no choice but to allow himself to finish the dive. The moment he hit the water, he returned to the surface and headed for the nearest edge. Anita beat him to the phones.
She was closing her phone as Jay approached – she had a worried look on her face. “We have to get to a TV,” she said as she turned and headed for their bedroom which was adjacent to the pool room.
Jay quickened his pace. “What’s going on?”
Anita turned her head slightly and said a single word, “War.” Jay’s stomach knotted up.
Anita walked through the open French doors and said, “House, turn on the TV. Commence playback of the delayed emergency broadcast.”
The house’s central computer heard and obeyed. Minutes earlier, CAIN had instructed the computer to begin the record
ing of a world-wide broadcast. The picture in front of the bed vanished and was replaced by the face of a nervous newscaster. “We interrupt our regularly schedule programming to bring you a special news bulletin. What you are about to see is a news release from the United Arab Nations. It is being broadcast at this moment from a State-owned station located in the UAN capital of Riyadh.”
A house robot appeared and handed Jay and Anita each a towel. The house computer had apparently noticed that they were both dripping on the expensive carpeting of the master bedroom. The scene on the television shifted to that of an Arab government official standing at a podium. “People of the World. Several days ago a UAN spaceship discovered the wreckage of one of our cruisers – the UAS Sawari. The cruiser had been engaged in planetary exploration and mapping. Unknown to the attackers, all of our cruisers are equipped with a sophisticated mission recorder which is designed to survive the destruction of the ship. The data from this recorder was retrieved. Here are some excerpts of what was recorded.”
A screen next to the speaker came to life. The image showed a large ship approaching and then suddenly opening fire. The image shifted to a view of the cruiser’s bridge showing the crew as they frantically tried to raise their defenses. The image shook as the ship lurched with explosions. Suddenly, the bridge was thrown into momentary darkness. When the emergency lights came on it was obvious that the ship’s artificial gravity had failed.
The scene shifted again to show the same bridge but this time the crew members were all dressed in spacesuits. There was a blinding flash as the entrance to the bridge was breached by an explosive charge. Several heavily armed men in spacesuits quickly swarmed through the opening. The bridge crew offered no resistance, holding their unarmed hands out in front of them. For a moment it seemed as if the invaders were going to take the crew hostage but then, as if they had been given a command from a higher authority, they opened fire with their recoilless rifles killing the entire bridge crew.
“The ship’s logs,” the official continued. “Clearly indicate that this unprovoked attack was carried out by three Chinese cruisers for the purpose of obtaining access to the advanced technology of our cruisers. The Chinese ships which carried out this attack were traced back to their base. A few hours ago, a fleet of UAN starships destroyed not only all of the responsible Chinese ships, but their base as well. Observe.”
The screen once more came to life. The destruction of four large Chinese ships was shown in rapid sequence as well as scenes of Chinese fighters being torn apart by UAN weapons. The image then shifted to a long distance view of what remained of the base. A moment later, the actinic flash of a thermonuclear explosion briefly overloaded the camera’s electronics. The flash slowly faded until only a glowing crater filled the screen.
The camera panned from the frozen image of the crater back to the official. “The United Arab Nations have responded to this attack against our people by destroying those who carried out this act. The ultimate responsibility, however, resides with the government of China. In the interests of preserving peace, the United Arab Nations has and will continue to refrain from engaging in further retaliatory military action against the Chinese government. However, an act of war has been committed against the people of the United Arab Nations and we will not allow such an action to go unpunished.
“The UAN governing council has deliberated for many hours concerning any additional response to this act of unwarranted aggression. This press conference is our first action and its purpose is to inform the world of what has transpired and who is responsible. A copy of the relevant records from the UAS Sawari will be made available to the world within the next few days. As further punishment for this act of war towards us, the United Arab Nations is suspending all trade relations with China and its allies effective immediately. This includes the cessation of all oil deliveries.
“At this time, it is unclear how long these sanctions will remain in place. The UAN governing council will be presenting the terms under which the sanctions will be lifted in the near future.”
The official turned from the camera and stepped down from the podium. There was a flurry of questions shouted after him as he vanished through a side door surrounded by security.
“House, television off,” Anita commanded in a quiet voice. She took a step backwards and collapsed on the bed.
Jay remained standing, staring at the television which had once again become a picture of an old barn covered with snow. Jay turned and laid down next to his wife. They cuddled together for a few moments before Anita said, “I should have seen this coming. Somehow, I feel as if I’m partially responsible. I should have…”
“Hey!” Jay interrupted pushing himself up on one shoulder. “It does us no good to dwell on past decisions. Besides, you didn’t make the policies we’ve been following—the government did.”
“The world is on the brink of war,” Anita said as if talking to nobody in particular. “The UAN distrusts the American Alliance and are in an arms race with us; the Chinese trust no one and are resorting to desperate measures to obtain the same level of military hardware possessed by AmAl and the UAN; and now the UAN and China have practically declared war with each other. It’s only a matter of time before some insignificant event triggers a global conflict.”
“We are at a crossroads for sure,” Jay tried to sooth his upset wife. His free hand gently caressed her arm and leg. “But war is not inevitable. I’m sure the World Council will find a way to end this before it blows up in our face.”
“The World Council has no official power over individual nations,” Anita pointed out rolling over on her back. “We don't really have a World government. This could be a real problem Jay. I wonder how the Consortium is taking this news?”
“I can find out pretty quick,” Jay replied rolling over. “House, activate link to CAIN.”
A second later a familiar voice filled the air, “How can I help you Jay?”
“Has the Consortium reacted to the UAN / Chinese aggression?”
“Yes they have. Moments ago the Consortium ambassador issued a recommendation for all non-Humans to leave Earth due to the imminent possibility of global war.”
Jay had not anticipated this sort of reaction and he sat in stunned silence. Seeing her husband’s reaction to this news Anita sat up and said, “Thank you CAIN. House, end link to CAIN.”
Jay felt cold and empty inside. “This can’t be happening,” he managed to say.
* * * * *
Within hours of the ambassador’s announcement many non-Humans, especially those who were on Earth purely for pleasure, headed for the nearest spaceport. Hundreds of thousands of Humans also had the same idea. The interplanetary carriers found themselves overwhelmed with people trying to leave. The non-Human carriers understandably gave their own citizens priority and Humans found themselves being bumped off flights they had already paid for.
Tempers started to rise and fights began breaking out. The local police and then the military became involved. Consortium ships normally not used for personnel transport were pressed into service to evacuate the non-Humans as quickly as possible. As the evacuation of non-Humans began, the nations of Earth seemed to be moving ever closer to war. Land, sea, and space-based military forces were put on alert. UAN and Chinese cruisers faced each other in orbit with weapons at the ready and shields up.
The World Council tried to diffuse the situation by moving its ships into positions where they could engage the ships of both sides should either try to start a fight. The EDM issued a stern warning stating that any military unit that initiated hostile action would be immediately neutralized. For the moment, this seemed to be keeping the two forces in check; at least in space.
The situation on the surface, however, was not quite so calm. In Beijing, an angry mob gathered outside the UAN embassy. It didn’t take long before the crowd became violent. The police stood by and took no action as the crowd stormed the gate and overran the compound. The UAN personnel worki
ng inside the embassy were beaten until the police intervened and took them into protective custody. The embassy was burnt to the ground. Of course, all of this was captured live on the world's news networks.
The reaction within the nations making up the UAN was even more violent. Crowds of gun-totting civilians and private militia attacked several Chinese embassies dragging the workers into the streets and either shooting them, beheading them, or setting them on fire. People of Chinese descent cowered in their homes only to have their front doors smashed in. They were dragged kicking and screaming into the street where the mob literally tore them to pieces. Private businesses owned by Chinese nationals were attacked and set on fire.
At sea, three freighters bound for UAN ports were sunk by Chinese submarines. The Chinese announced that until hostilities between the UAN and China ended they were imposing a total blockade against all UAN ports. The UAN responded in kind, sinking two freighters and turning back four others.
Three weeks after the UAN press conference had aired, a Chinese star-freighter was destroyed by a UAN cruiser as it attempted to deliver supplies to an outpost. A day later a second freighter was attacked. The Chinese quickly assigned escorts to all unarmed ships. The UAN did the same.
Throughout this escalating violence the Consortium maintained an air of indifference. As long as the Humans kept the fighting between themselves they saw no reason to become involved. Human warships were banned from all Consortium space. Unarmed civilian ships were allowed passage after being subjected to a detailed scan and with a military escort. Consortium ships no longer entered Human space except those designated as ambassadorial ships. They were heavily escorted.
34
Unsheathing of Nuclear Swords