First Strike

by Christopher Nuttall

  The display altered rapidly as the fleet slid back into normal space. Irritatingly, they’d emerged some distance from the Hegemony starships, which gave the enemy some time to react to the new threat. Tobias wouldn't have been too surprised if the Hegemony cruisers simply opened up gates of their own and jumped out; even without the advanced weapons, his ships overmatched their squadron. Instead, they seemed to be playing a cagey game, watching and stalking his ships outside weapons range.

  “At least they won’t be trying to support the orbital weapons platforms,” he said. The recorded message was already going out over the system, warning the Galactics that they were in the midst of a war zone – and that humanity intended to take the planet. Tobias had already planned the occupation, ensuring that the Galactic shipping lines would still be able to use the planet – and reducing transit fees by more than half. “The fleet will advance to clear the gate.”

  Galactic OWPs weren't that heavily armed, individually. Each of them mounted antimatter torpedo launchers and phase cannon, but they were almost defenceless compared to orbital fortresses and superdreadnoughts. Few Galactics would consider striking an inhabited planet deliberately – it would have alienated the entire galaxy – leaving the platforms more intended to deal with pirates and rogue starships rather than attacking fleets. Other Hegemony worlds were more heavily defended, but Garston had always been something of an oddity. Besides, the gunboats had already obliterated the system’s main defence.

  “Enemy platforms opening fire,” Sooraya reported. “They are combining their fire against Perry and Jellicoe. Their commanders are deploying countermeasures now…”

  “The remainder of the squadron is to move to cover them,” Tobias ordered. Concentrating fire against his ships was a smart move, another reminder that the Hegemony’s commanders weren't stupid. Unlike a standard ship, his ships could lose one aspect of their shields without losing them all, but the enemy could shoot through the holes and burn into their hulls. “All ships are to continue firing.”

  Jellicoe flipped over and evaded a spread of antimatter torpedoes, which flamed out before they could lock onto a second target. Moments later, the torpedoes detonated as their confinement chambers lost power, seconds before their launcher was obliterated by a phase cannon burst from Cunningham. The remaining OWPs started to fire wildly as their command and control systems broke down, before they were swiftly wiped out by the human ships. Tobias smiled in relief as the fleet spun around and headed away from the quantum gate. No ships lost; only one mildly damaged.

  “The Hegemony ships are starting to draw away from us,” Sooraya reported. “They must be redlining their engines just to pull that kind of speed.”

  “Looks that way,” Tobias agreed. Human engineers were sure there was a way to reduce the time necessary for a superdreadnought-massed ship to reach cruising speed, but so far none of their experiments had produced anything workable. Ironically, without heavy ships of their own in the system, the Hegemony would be able to pull a faster rate of acceleration than their enemies. “Are they just trying to make a good show for their superiors...or are they stalling?”

  “Stalling?” Sooraya asked. “What for?”

  “I don’t want to wait around and find out,” Tobias said. Without a gunboat element of their own, the First Strike Fleet would only be able to overrun the Hegemony ships after a long chase – assuming, of course, that the Hegemony cruisers didn't jump into quantum space and escape after forcing Tobias to waste time chasing them down. Chasing them was pointless at best and, if they were trying to lure Tobias into a trap, deadly. “Order the fleet to reverse course and take us back to the planet. I want Marines ready to deploy to the orbital installations and the surface if necessary.”

  Intelligence had sworn blind that the five superdreadnoughts at Terra Nova had been the only heavy combat element available to the Hegemony for a hundred light years – but they’d missed the ships at Heavenly Gate and they might well have missed others. Tobias knew better than to take anything Intelligence said for granted, no matter how closely it agreed with what he wanted to see. It was quite possible that something nastier than a trio of light cruisers was waiting in quantum space or even normal space for their chance to take his ships by surprise. Or perhaps they were just stalling before they had to return home. The Hegemony wouldn't be kind to anyone who returned reporting defeat, no matter how badly outmatched they’d been.

  Or maybe they’re gathering intelligence, he thought sourly. The distance between the two squadrons was widening now that the human ships had reversed course. Absently, he wondered if the Hegemony ships would dance closer now that they could do so safely. He considered using the new ECM drones and cloaking devices to ambush the enemy ships if they risked coming closer, but it wasn't worth it for three minor cruisers. Giving the other Galactics warning of what the Federation had developed over the last fifteen years would give them a chance to pass the information on to the Hegemony. Even with a bloody nose, the Hegemony was still intimidating – and really, all they’d need was a considerable bribe. A few million credits would be a small price to pay for accurate sensor data.

  “A number of freighters are spinning up their drives,” Sooraya reported, flatly. “Some of them are signalling and requesting permission to leave through the gate; several others have started to head out into the outer system.”

  Tobias shrugged. There might be nowhere for the freighters to go without a quantum drive, but their commanders would probably be glad merely to get away from the fighting. Freighters had no business in the line of battle, even the few but increasing number that carried weapons to deter pirates. In theory, the ships were supposed to remain in orbit until his Marines had had a chance to intercept them, but few freighter commanders would want to take the risk of having their ships confiscated. Besides, it wasn't as if they could do any harm.

  “Let them go,” he ordered. “The gate is unlocked?”

  “Not yet,” Sooraya said. “The Marines would have to board the station and capture the control system.”

  “Detail a Marine unit to capture the station intact,” Tobias ordered. “Broadcast a general message to the fleeing freighters; inform them that they have permission to leave and that we will unlock the quantum gate as soon as it is in our hands.”

  “Yes, sir,” Sooraya said. “The Marines are on their way now.”

  Garston had been settled for hundreds of years. Even though it was a minor system even to the Hegemony, the system had hundreds of mining and processing nodes scattered throughout the asteroid belt, with dozens of industrial production satellites orbiting the planet itself. The Funks weren't the only power to have invested in the system, even though they owned it formally; they couldn't afford to simply destroy other investments without risking serious repercussions. Earth would make use of the Funk industry if it were captured intact – the supply base on the moon had already been targeted by a couple of Marine companies – but the remaining industry would have to be rented, or left alone. Besides, even if Earth lowered the fees and taxes, the system would be a nice source of Galactic currency for Earth’s war effort.

  The Hegemony cruisers continued to hold position, watching from well outside weapons range. Tobias kept glancing at the three red icons, unsure what – if anything – they had in mind. Intelligence had already noted tachyon-burst transmissions from the massive arrays in orbit around Garston, no doubt sending updates to the Hegemony’s Empress. By now, it was certain that she knew what had happened, even by the most pessimistic modal of galactic communications. And then the Hegemony would start plotting its counterstroke.

  “The Marines report that they have secured the weapons dump,” Sooraya said. “They haven't been able to draw more than a handful of files from their computers yet, but what they have found suggests that the Funks pulled the antimatter torpedo launchers and weapons from the dump and transported them out-system. The antimatter generators have been destroyed.”

  “Smart thinking,
” Tobias noted. The Hegemony could have destroyed the entire dump, but instead they’d chosen to pull out the most important weapons and abandon the rest. Maybe it was a trap… but the Marines would have known to search the base carefully. Even so… “Tell the Marines to check again for unpleasant surprises and then find us a manifest. If there’s anything we can use, I want to use it.”

  The Hegemony could trade space for time indefinitely. Tobias knew that Earth couldn't afford the same luxury. The further the fleet advanced into Hegemony space, the harder it would be to keep maintaining and operating the fleet’s systems, even if the Hegemony didn't start slipping raiders in behind their lines to take out the fleet train. If they could capture and use Hegemony supplies, advancing further would be easier, at least until they ran into something so hard they had to stop. The Hegemony had to know that too. A human commander, left to his own devices, might accept the loss of unimportant systems, knowing that they could be recovered once the counteroffensive began. But his political masters might have different ideas.

  And any show of weakness from the Empress would encourage the lesser clans to start thinking about overthrowing her…

  “Admiral,” Sooraya said, “the Marines have secured most of the orbital stations. There was no resistance, even from the males. They’re ready to start unlocking the quantum gate now.”

  “Tell them to proceed,” Tobias said, grimly. He would have preferred the enemy to attack, even if they had brought two superdreadnought squadrons to the party. Instead, the enemy seemed to be waiting. But waiting for what? If intelligence was right, there was nothing to wait for...

  The hour passed slowly until the quantum gate was finally unlocked and opened to traffic. He watched a long line of freighters slowly making their way out of the system, some of them no doubt carrying important Funks who had paid heavily for passage away from the human ships. Some of the transmissions they’d intercepted from the planet below spoke of civil unrest, even of frantic males turning on females. The Funks were far from the only inhabitants of the system. Some of their client races would turn on their masters as soon as they realised that there was a chance at freedom. Or maybe the Funks would start lashing out at the others as soon as they realised they were about to lose their grip on the planet.

  “Admiral,” Sooraya said, sharply, “two of the Funk starships just jumped out. The third apparently cloaked and vanished. We can't track it at this range.”

  Tobias frowned, although in truth he’d expected it for some time. Leaving a picket in the system to watch the human ships was sound tactical doctrine, one of the aspects of Galactic thought that humanity agreed with wholeheartedly. The Hegemony ship would probably be able to evade capture or destruction as long as she was careful, transmitting burst messages back to her high command. No doubt the other ships would serve as pickets elsewhere, heading back towards their next major system.

  “Understood,” he said. “Remind all ships to be on their guard. We have to assume that the Funks will attempt to attack our ships if they feel that they have an advantage.”

  He hesitated, and then keyed his console, opening up a link to Brigadier Jones. “I want to try to prevent the rioting from destroying too many lives and properties,” he said, shortly. “Can your Marines go down there and protect the population?”

  “We can protect some of the larger cities, but not easily,” Jones said, after a moment. “We don’t have the manpower to cover the entire planet and… Admiral, there will be civilian casualties. Stunners designed to work on humans won’t work so well on other races.”

  Tobias winced. The Marines had never been intended to serve as a peacekeeping force; rather, they’d been designed to serve as the tip of Earth’s spear. Once national forces moved into in place, they’d have some reinforcements, but the latest from Earth warned that the national populations were reacting strongly against deploying such units away from their homelands. Everyone wanted Earth defended first.

  And a single… incident… could provide the Funks with a political windfall. They’d already picked up transmissions from Galactic reporters, who’d suddenly found themselves watching the greatest story for the last thousand years. Trying to save the planet’s population could be disastrous; not trying to save the planet’s population could be worse. At least they could try…

  “Prepare your men for deployment,” he finally ordered. Half of the Marines had been scattered out over the orbital platforms. They’d have to be recalled once they transferred the prisoners to a harmless freighter. Even the Funks wouldn't try to argue with a man in powered combat armor. “And warn them to be careful.”

  It was an unnecessary order and he knew it. The Hegemony had been keen to keep its clients and outside visitors disarmed, but it didn't take more than a little ingenuity to come up with makeshift weapons. Funk troops stationed on the planet itself might be going a little crazy if they felt they’d been abandoned by the Empress and her navy. He could be sending the outnumbered Marines into a death trap.

  But there was little choice.

  “And send some of the reporters down with them,” he added. “We might at least try to get good press out of the incident.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  The Hegemony’s cities were strange to human eyes, even though they had been constructed from modern materials. They reassembled giant anthills constructed from mud, joined by roads that looked out of place compared to the buildings. Behind them, on the outskirts of the city, were buildings that had clearly been built to a different set of aesthetics. Towering spires rose up to greet the sunlight, outlined by pillars of smoke rising up towards the sky. The live feed from the advance drones left no room for doubt; the remainder of the population was rising up against the Funks.

  Conrad winced as the shuttles screamed down towards the center of the city. It had an unpronounceable name – hiss, squeak, hiss, as far as he could tell – and so the Marines had nicknamed it the Mud Palace, but there was no mistaking its role. Nor was there any mistaking the crowds laying siege to the building and threatening to break inside and lynch the remaining Funks. The aristocrats who had ruled the planet for so long had fled, but the junior bureaucrats had remained. And if they didn't save them from their own victims…

  Some of the Marines had wondered out loud why they were bothering to risk their lives saving Funks. Conrad had reprimanded them, pointing out that even if some Funks were evil little shits, the remainder of the species was hardly indictable for their crimes. Besides, there was the question of perception. If humanity acted to save its enemies, it should make for some good press among the Galactics. Maybe the Funks would see humanity as an honourable enemy, rather than a race they could pick on whenever they felt evil. Privately, Conrad doubted it, but it wasn't his choice. The Admiral had made his orders quite clear.

  “Prepare for drop,” he ordered. Coming in so close to the city was a deadly risk – all it would take was a single HVM and the shuttle and its Marines would be scattered in pieces over several miles – but there had been no other choice. Intelligence had provided maps of the city, yet getting from the outskirts to the Mud Palace would have taken too long even if no one put any obstacles in their way. The drone feed showed barricades being constructed by rebels within the city itself, while large columns of farmers and settlers from the countryside were advancing towards the home of their tormentors. “On my mark…”

  He’d found himself effectively promoted in the wake of the battle on Terra Nova, as a result of so many officers being killed in the fighting. Typically, the actual rank and increased pay hadn't caught up with him, although it wasn't as if he had anything to spend it on while serving with the fleet. There had been little time for shore leave on Terra Nova, but they had managed a few hours in the city before departing – and no one had expected them to pay for anything. Some of the younger Marines had enjoyed themselves so thoroughly that Conrad had had to chew them out for straggling back to the spaceport late. If they’d had to leave ahead of time, he�
��d warned them, they would have been left behind and declared AWOL.

  “Now,” he ordered. The shunt caught him and propelled him through the hatch, falling down towards the planet below. His datanet came active as the remainder of his unit spilled out behind him, already falling into formation. The alien city was far larger to his naked eyes than it had seemed on the drone feed, a fairly common problem. Military maps were very detailed, but they were never quite the same as the terrain. He’d seen plenty of senior officers throwing fits because the map said that their subordinates should be advancing far quicker than they actually were, if only because the map hadn't mentioned that the terrain was covered in mud.

  The antigravity field slowed his fall as the Marines fell around the Mud Palace. It was surrounded by a great teeming mass of intelligent life, some humanoid and others so alien that it was surprising to see them in person. One was nothing more than a mass of tentacles mated to a shell and a pair of large, almost cartoonish eyes. He’d seen one of those aliens before, but it took him a moment to remember that it had been in a post-First Contact remake of Star Trek. The movie had bombed, if he recalled correctly. Spock looked much less impressive when compared to genuine aliens.

  He touched down and raised his rifle, ready for anything. The last report they’d had from the ground was that the Hegemony soldiers had been ordered to return to barracks, but not all of them had obeyed orders. They were supposed to be utterly faithful to their queens, the females who ran their lives, yet when passions ran high the females tended to lose control of their men. His lips twitched into a smile as they advanced towards the gates, despite the danger. The Funks were closer to human than they would have liked to admit.

  The gateway was barred by a glittering force field, sparking and crackling as the mass of aliens pressed against it. Some of them would have been injured as the pressure on the field slowly increased, but that didn't seem to stop them. Judging from the brief reports flickering across the datanet, any Funk outside their own districts would be lucky to live through the day without being murdered by the rest of the population. Indeed, two of the Funk districts appeared to be having their own civil war. The lesser clans would have been outraged at how quickly the planet had been lost, along with their vast investments. It wouldn't be long before their outrage manifested in plots against the Empress.