“That’s great for killing their ships, but it won’t help against their missiles,” the DSO said.
“It will if you spray it onto their missile tubes,” Night replied with a smile. “I have a feeling it would help a whole lot. Besides, it doesn’t matter if they destroy the missile just short of their ship. It will still spray all over it and eat through anything it touches.”
“Anyone else got any ideas?” the CO asked. “Okay, those are some great ideas; let’s see what we can do to put ‘em to use.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Alkalurops System, January 8, 2022
“I am estimating 5 minutes to the GD 165 stargate if the Jotunn maintain this speed,” the helmsman noted.
“Set General Quarters and put all remaining active sensors to standby,” Captain Sheppard said. Most of the Gulf’s active sensors had been silenced when the ship tied up to the larger Falcon. Over a mile and a half in length, the Falcon dwarfed the 1,300-foot Vella Gulf. It had taken two days to recover the stealth modules, provision the Gulf and attach it to the Falcon, then another 10 days to travel to the stargate into the Dark Star system, but they were almost to their objective.
Although the Terrans hoped the bulk of the Jotunn vessel would get them into the next system without being seen, most of the crew disliked being in such proximity to the giants; Calvin had noticed Lieutenant O’Leary in particular kept looking at the overhead as if he expected the giants to tunnel through at any moment.
“They’re on our side,” Calvin said after about the 100th time he saw O’Leary look up. “The Jotunn aren’t going to attack us. At least not here and not now.”
“How do we know they aren’t playing us, though?” Lieutenant O’Leary asked. “From what we know, the Shaitan ruler doesn’t like us much. Maybe the damned giants are hoping to turn us in to him to get a reward.”
“What kind of reward would be worth turning us in for when we’re the only ones who can help them fight the Shaitans?”
“How about jump modules? If the Jotunn thought they could trade us to the Shaitans for jump modules, I’ll bet they’d turn on us in a heartbeat.”
“They might, at that,” Calvin acknowledged; “I guess it’s a good thing the Shaitans have absolutely no desire to give the jump modules to the Jotunn, and the giants know it. The Shaitans are very happy to have the Jotunn stuck in their own universe. The Shaitans’ life expectancies are much higher that way…and even they have to know that.”
“I’m sure they do,” Lieutenant O’Leary said; “however, that doesn’t stop the giants from obsessing about having jump modules and entertaining some thoughts about how they might be able to get them.”
“Nah, I don’t think so.”
“But what if they could also use it to clear their CO’s name? What’s to stop him from saying he left the front lines because he was trying to lure us away so he could capture us?”
“Those are both good points, but I don’t think they’re going to turn us in. The Jotunn were betrayed by the Shaitans; they aren’t going to go back to working with them again.”
“We’ll find out in a second, sirs,” the helmsman said. “Here we go!”
The ship jumped, leaving a sweet taste in their mouths.
“System entry into the GD 165 system,” Steropes said.
“Passive sensors only,” Captain Sheppard ordered. “Let’s get a quick survey of the local area before we activate stealth.”
“I’ve got numerous energy sources in the vicinity,” Steropes said. “Two cruisers and at least three destroyers off the bow.”
“Holy shit!” the DSO exclaimed. “I’ve got another one behind us on the starboard side, ready to flank anyone coming through the stargate. It’s the biggest Shaitan vessel I’ve seen! It’s battleship-sized, for sure, if not bigger. Not only that, it’s got shields!”
“Got it,” the CO replied. “Relax. As long as the Falcon is with us, we’ve got a ship that big too.”
“But sir, it’s got shields! We’ve never seen the Shaitans with them before.”
“Understood. As quickly as they rolled up the Ssselipsssiss, they were bound to get some of their technology. As far as we know, the Jotunn may have given them that technology too. Track them and get a good firing solution in case it’s needed.”
“Yes sir,” the DSO replied.
“I’ve got another Shaitan battleship off the port quarter,” the OSO reported. “It was also behind the stargate ready to pounce…and it’s also got shields. Man, it sure looks like they don’t want you coming in here.” His finger tapped the console next to the launch button.
“Okay everyone, just stay frosty,” Captain Sheppard said. “We’ve got the Jotunn with us, and we can go into stealth any time we want…right?”
“Yes sir,” the duty engineer replied; “just say the word, and you’ve got stealth.”
“Steropes, let me know when we’re shielded from the Shaitans so we can engage stealth.”
“We are shielded from them right now. The Jotunn ship is between the battleships and us, and the smaller ships are all above the Falcon.”
“Got it; thanks.”
“Captain Sheppard, the Shaitans are calling the Jotunn.”
“Put it on speaker.”
“Jotunn vessel, this is Gatekeeper. State your purpose in this system.”
“Gatekeeper, this is the Jotunn ship Falcon, Captain Magnusson commanding. We have the replacement ambassador for your home world and supplies for our embassy.”
“You are early to bring a new ambassador.”
“Well, the last two died before they could be relieved; we thought it prudent to come a little earlier this time.”
“That is wise. I believe High Lord Sarpedon is also interested in speaking to you about why you left your duties in the fight against the lizards. Proceed to the Dark Planet in this system; you can await transportation there.”
“We are proceeding to the Dark Planet; Falcon out.”
“Sounds like someone just got called to the principal’s office,” the helmsman said.
“Skipper, Captain Magnusson would like to talk with you,” the communications officer announced.
“He’s calling on the radio?”
“No sir, we ran a line to their ship; the comms are secure.”
“Very well; on screen.”
Captain Magnusson’s face appeared on the front view screen. “Did you hear our communications?”
“Yes, we did,” the CO replied.
“You had better hurry and decide what you’re going to do because I am not going to let them take me to the Dark Planet so Sarpedon can kill me. You have until they come for me; at that time, we will fight our way back out of this system, regardless of what you decide to do.”
“Understood,” Captain Sheppard replied. “We will detach momentarily. Vella Gulf out.”
The communications officer terminated the link, and the screen went dead.
“Well, you heard the captain,” the CO said. “Our timer is running. Give me stealth and stand by to detach.”
“Stealth coming…now!” the duty engineer replied. “Standing by to detach.”
“Detach.”
Bridge, TSS Vella Gulf, Proceeding to the Dark Planet, GD 165 System, January 8, 2022
“What do we know about this system?” Captain Sheppard asked.
“We are in the GD 165 system, which is in the constellation Bootes about 103 light-years from Terra,” Steropes explained. “This system is interesting in that it has two stars—a white dwarf and a brown dwarf located about 120 astronomical units from each other. Both stars have planets that orbit them. According to the information provided by the Ssselipsssiss, and confirmed by the Jotunn, the brown dwarf is the star known as the Dark Star.”
“I don’t get it,” the helmsman said. “How can there be life around a dead star?”
“Although the star is not big enough to sustain hydrogen fusion like a main sequence star,”
Steropes replied, “it has a mass of over 70 Jupiters, or about 5% of your Sun, and it is big enough to fuse both deuterium and lithium. It has a surface temperature of over 2,100 degrees, which is hot enough to provide warmth and a little light to a planet in close proximity. The Dark Planet is larger than Terra, and its composition is unlike Terra’s; its core provides more heat. Between the heat provided by the star and the extra energy from the planet, there is obviously enough warmth to support life on the planet, although there are no signs of life from the Dark Planet in this universe.”
“Sounds like there’s nothing else worth seeing here,” the CO replied. “Helmsman, make the jump to the other universe.”
“Aye sir. Jumping…now.”
Everything flashed as the ship jumped to the Jinn universe.
“Wow, there’s a lot more going on here,” the OSO noted.
“I’m going to need a little more information than that, OSO,” Captain Sheppard said.
“Yes sir,” the OSO replied. “There are numerous power sources in the vicinity of the planet; I am trying to classify them.”
“I’ve got one…no, two cruisers in orbit around the planet,” the DSO said. “Both appear to be older Shaitan ships; I don’t see any signs of shields.”
“I believe what the OSO is observing is the energy field the Jotunn told us about,” Steropes noted, “but it is much more in depth than we were led to believe. There is also a smaller energy field from a slightly different azimuth that is…unlike the field surrounding the planet.”
“What do you mean?” Captain Sheppard asked.
“I’m not sure,” Steropes replied. “It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen before. I will need some time to analyze it.”
“We don’t have a lot of extra time; you’ll need to hurry.”
“I know sir. I’m working on it. I do recognize the field surrounding the Dark Planet, however; it is standard alliance shield technology although somewhat dated.”
“Alliance technology? How would the Shaitans have alliance technology?”
“I don’t know how they have it sir, but the shield projectors are definitely old alliance planetary defense technology. The Jotunn said the Shaitans had three asteroids they were using as combination projectors and bases, but that information is out of date; they actually have eight bases, providing an extremely thorough defense in depth. There are also two more stations present but not online yet.”
“How many would we have to destroy if we wanted to attack the planet?”
“We would need to destroy a minimum of three in order to open a hole, but that would only let us attack a very localized area. You would have to eliminate at least six to conduct general bombing of the planet.”
“How well defended are the bases?” Calvin asked. “Could we strike them with our fighters?”
“They are very well defended,” the DSO replied. “Looks like a variety of missile systems and energy weapons. Once again, it’s older alliance stuff. Individually, we could defeat most of what I’m seeing pretty easily; the problem we have is that they have an enormous amount of shit they can shoot at us. We would be overwhelmed with numbers.”
“I concur,” Steropes said. “Even a relatively small fleet could neutralize the planet’s defenses, which is one of the reasons why the alliance nations stopped using this technology and began building bigger bases around the stargates to defend their systems.”
“A small fleet…but not a lone cruiser?” Captain Sheppard asked.
“I believe the DSO is correct,” Steropes replied. “We would be overwhelmed if we attacked the planet, regardless of whether we used the fighters or not. It is likely both the ship and all of our fighters would be destroyed in the attempt.”
“Continue your analysis,” the CO directed. “We’ll meet in an hour in my conference room to decide what we’re going to do.”
CO’s Conference Room, TSS Vella Gulf, Anti-GD 165 System, January 8, 2022
Captain Sheppard cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “All right, Steropes, why don’t you start with what you found.”
“Yes sir. As we already discussed, the planet is defended by eight asteroids, which function as shield projectors and weapons systems’ platforms. They are comprehensive and present a defense that would be extremely difficult for us to defeat.”
“What about the planet?”
“As the Jotunn indicated, all of the Shaitan civilization is underground, with very little to indicate where their main cities are. We have identified a number of large power sources underground but cannot determine whether the power is being used locally or being transported elsewhere for consumption. Targeting specific industries or critical nodes will be difficult, if not impossible. Although we found features which appear to be doorways leading belowground, it is impossible to tell their purpose without seeing them in use. The Shaitans may have additional defenses we are currently unaware of.”
“Got it,” the CO said; “the planet will be a tough nut to crack without additional forces.”
“Not if we hit them with a black hole,” Lieutenant O’Leary noted. “We could just toss a few of those into the planet and call it a day without losing anyone else.”
“While I am not totally against using a black hole on the Shaitans, intentional genocide is not in my operational orders. For the record, those orders don’t even include being here to fight the Shaitans, so I tend to look negatively at completely destroying their civilization without at least giving them a chance to surrender. As that’s something we can’t safely do, I do not intend to use the black hole weapon on them. At least not now.”
“Well—”
“No,” Captain Sheppard said with a note of finality. “That discussion is closed for now. Steropes, what about the other energy field? Have you been able to find out anything else on it?”
“Yes sir, I have. I believe the energy field is a defensive shield for their shipyard.”
Captain Sheppard’s eyebrows rose. “Their shipyard?”
“Yes sir. The yards are in the asteroid field between the second and third planets, and they were extensive, even before the Shaitans added the three Ssselipsssiss replicators that are now part of the facility. I suspect the replicators are the source of the alliance technology we’ve seen in this system.”
“Wait, they’ve got three Ssselipsssiss replicators?”
“Yes, they must have been captured during the war and brought back here. The designs we’ve seen the Shaitans using are all a couple hundred years out of date; whether that is because the Ssselipsssiss tried to delete the replicators’ memory banks before they were captured or because the Shaitans didn’t have access to some of the materials required to build the current models, I do not know. I suspect, however, that having access to the materials was the issue.”
“But we’re sure they’re Ssselipsssiss?”
“Absolutely. The energy field around the shipyard went down so a Shaitan cruiser could transit through the yards, and we were able to collect enough imagery of the replicators during that time to positively identify them.”
“And you think access to materials has been holding them back?” Captain Sheppard asked.
“Yes sir,” Steropes replied. “Just as we need materials that don’t exist in our universe to build the Shaitan tech, they need our metals to build our ships. Until recently, the Shaitans probably didn’t have access to the materials required to build state-of-the-art capital ships, but there is a battleship in one of the Ssselipsssiss replicators that is nearly finished, and it is a current model. Although they may not have had the ability to do so for long, it appears they are using one of their three replicators to make components for the other two. This will speed up the construction process significantly, especially if their legacy yards continue to build naval auxiliaries.”
“So, if we go back to Terra, by the time we’d be able to come back...”
“There would probably be a large, modern Shaitan fleet waiting for us on o
ur arrival—unless it met us somewhere on the way back.”
“What is their production capacity compared to ours?”
“I haven’t studied their logistics capability yet, so I don’t know how well they are able to supply their shipyard, but if everything were operating at full capacity, they would be able to build ships faster. Look at it this way. Venice dominated the Mediterranean from the Middle Ages until the time of Columbus, in large part because its Arsenale shipyard could out-produce all its competitors. If this shipyard is allowed to reach full capacity, the Shaitans will be nearly unstoppable.”
The CO nodded. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “our mission is clear. We have to destroy that shipyard.”
Bridge, Jotunn Ship Falcon, GD 165 System, January 8, 2022
“Captain, I have a new target. A Shaitan cruiser just appeared near the Dark Planet.”
“And the Shaitan battleship?” Captain Magnusson asked.
“It is still shadowing us,” the sensor operator said. “All of the Shaitan vessels have left the vicinity of the stargate and are following us.”
“Yes,” Captain Magnusson said, “I’m sure they are. They want to make sure we are good little boys and do what we’re told. But we’re not, are we? Not this time!” He laughed and was joined by all of the bridge crew.
“This time, we get even!” the navigator yelled.
“Even?” Captain Magnusson roared. “This time we get ahead!” Another round of laughter rocked the bridge as the crew prepared for combat. They had put up with so much from the Shaitans…now it was their turn.
CO’s Conference Room, TSS Vella Gulf, Anti-GD 165 System, January 8, 2022
“While I agree that destroying the shipyard is a priority,” Steropes said, “I’m not sure you fully appreciate the enormity of the task involved. Two of the Ssselipsssiss replicators are the equivalent of alliance Class 6 replicators and are well over a mile long. The other is a Class 5, which is nearly as large. And then there’s the Shaitan shipyard, which is immense all by itself; the organic shipyard is probably twice as big as the Ssselipsssiss replicators. Even if we had time to fire off all of our missiles without worrying about being attacked by the ships in this system, I do not believe we have enough explosives to destroy a target of this magnitude. We can put a crimp in their operations, but destroy the shipyard? Impossible.”
The Dark Star War (Codex Regius Book 3) Page 27