Righteous Reign The Series: E-version Boxed Set Edition

by Thomas J. MacDonald

  We made small talk, at first. Atina was a major topic that took up a good ten minutes. George was truly a proud father; and, it sounded like his daughter gave him lots to be delighted with. I filed that away in the "personal" folder within my brain.

  "Correct me if I'm wrong; but, is it true that the CauDo cannot detect our covert vessels?" I asked.

  "Yes, that's true," George said as lights were already going on in his eyes.

  "Can I ask if you have any intelligence regarding the next attack?" I inquired.

  "As a matter of fact,' George offered, 'I believe it will happen on July 8, 2261."

  "How so?" Bill asked inquisitively.

  "For a long time, I suspected there was a pattern to the attacks; but, I just couldn't put my finger on it. But, what if the Instructables are from a planetary system that orbits its star on a different frequency than Earth circles Sol? We think like humans. But what if you lived on a different world?' George said. This time lights were going on behind our eyes.

  'So you live on this planet that's closer to its star - say a red dwarf. And, your orbital period is three hundred and four days. And you have one very special holiday every year. And you are a leader of a sizeable battle formation that wants to pay homage to this important day." He paused as Bill interjected.

  "Then, you might conduct all your battles three hundred and four days apart, on this holiday, every year." He blurted.

  "Exactly!' George snapped as he pointed a finger towards Bill. 'Each of the Inscrutables' attacks has been at precisely six hundred thirty hours on every three hundred and fourth day. So, I believe these beings live on a planet in a red dwarf system that has a three-hundred-and-four-day period. If that's true, the next test will come on July 8, 2261; and, the real war will start on May 8, 2262." George finished.

  "Okay, I have a couple of interesting things you should know before I outline the strategy.' I started and continued.' First, IGB employs its subs differently than any other Command. Since a big chunk of our business is investigation and intelligence, we have learned to put a sub on the hull of a ship undetected.' Again, I paused, looking for a reaction. 'And, we have spent tons of time with Wide Angle Reflective Radar (WARR) to learn how to scan the interior of a vessel and interpret the images. Second, we employ some of our SF Marines differently. Some are trained to perform EVAs from the subs to attach various equipment to the exterior of a target craft. The third item is that IGB expends considerable effort drilling our Fleets without their subs; so, covert vessels can be conducting special missions; while the warships are executing a tactical action. We also deploy SF Marines from the subs to planetary bodies undetected for reconnaissance and black ops missions.' I eyed them carefully as I hesitated again to ensure their understanding. 'So, here's the plan.

  Item one - IGB and Fifth Mobile join forces for a special mission under George's overall command.

  Item two - all IGB and Fifth Mobile subs are detached from their Commands to form a new special operations command of their own; under one of my senior officers; since mine are trained for the special operations. We would use only the covert ships on hand, right now. Any new arrivals would remain with Fleets to gain experience in the field. That will provide one hundred ninety-two subs to this unique contingent.

  Item three- we train all Fifth Mobile to employ their subs like IGB does

  Item four - we teach Fifth Mobile Special Forces Marines about Special Ops EVAs

  Item five - we tutor Fifth Mobile SF Marines in covert planetary Black Ops.

  Item six - we divide the combined clandestine force into three. The primary contingent monitors enemy vessels and plants mines on as many as possible within the timeframe allotted. A second unit forms a picket line to prevent reinforcement and resupply when the fighting begins. A third lies in wait at the rear of the enemy line to determine the origin of these beings; then, goes to the enemy planet, drops covert forces and bombards manufacturing centers; as we begin our main attack.

  Item seven - Mobile Fifth and IGB practices according to Fleet Admiral Bryants plans and wishes; but, without covert vessels.

  Item eight - George determines battle day deployments and tactics of the two forces and develops a more refined plan.

  Item nine - On "D" day, the large stealthy group detonates mines as our Fleets jump across the border

  Item ten - As more mines are detonated, our ships engage in all-out battle.

  Item Eleven - Our overt warships leave CauDo space after two days fighting.

  Of course, the plan needs a lot of refinement. We need exit strategies, diversionary plans, reserve forces, resupply plans, fundamental goals and objectives and rules of engagement; but, I am thinking; we should prepare for a few months, or so, with training and mining. Then, we blow a thousand or so of the bastards out of space while attacking their homeworld. And the CauDo only see us in their space for two days." I summed up and stopped.

  "Son of a bitch!' George yelped; then continued; as, he looked around the room - embarrassed at his outburst. 'This is exactly what I mean, Bill. A simple enough idea; but, from a fresh mind."

  "Okay, you two refine it and finish up. We'll need to get the SOD involved - but, only him. He can get State, the King and the legislature involved when your actual attack begins. But, you two get it together and present it with a little more substance, tomorrow. I've got to go." Bill said with a wide grin.

  "Yeah, I better go, too. Can we have breakfast together, in the morning Kurt? I'll have some additions to run by you by then." Bryant said.

  "Sure. That'll be fine." I said; as we all rose to head out from the pub.

  "And why don't you and Helena come over to the Valdar, for dinner and an evening with the three of us?" George invited. I accepted, immediately.

  ……………………………………………………………………

  George's personal craft, the Valdar, is different than any Admiral's vessel I have seen, to date. It is two-thirds Frigate size and complete with all the accouterments of the category, including a full weapons array and near-earth gravity. It is escorted by a four frigate flotilla. The Bryants' sumptuous quarters are on deck seven, just behind the bridge; and, comfortably house them and a full-time staff of eight, including a nanny. The apartment is divided into two distinct sections. The Bryant Family quarters are to the left of the foyer; while, all staff quarters are to the right. The entire residence is twenty-five rooms occupying nearly six thousand square feet of floor space. Though they sometimes eat in the mess hall, when rushed, they usually dine on home-cooked meals, in their quarters, with Atina.

  His personal chef prepared a fresh garden salad; followed by, a choice of braised ribs or Ossobuco accompanied by pasta Florentine; garnished by a medley of roasted potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. A selection of dessert pastries, with freshly made vanilla ice cream, topped off the elegant dinner. The whole thing was preceded by a variety of cocktails and dry wines as aperitifs; which were followed by Remi Martin as a refined digestif. A lightweight Beaujolais was served with the entree and rich dark roasted Arabica coffee graced the table throughout the entire affair.

  We retired to what had been designated as a salon, in the original ship schematics; but, had been adapted into an entertainment room by George and Marie. The forty-eight square meter space was complete with all modes of entertainment; including floor to ceiling cabinets along one short wall that housed all of Atina's toys, except those designed for riding.

  At four years of age, Atina had a lot of her mother's features. The big blue sparkling eyes' delicate features and luxurious dark hair added to her natural beauty. She seemed tall, for her age; and was in excellent physical condition - lean, lithe and wiry. But, it was her personality- devilishly impish, like her mother.

  But, it was easy to see, she was her daddy's girl. George played tirelessly with her, on the floor, throughout the remainder of our visit. And, he made her a great deal of the conversation. He could talk around her body to us; while she contort
ed into all manner of shapes in his arms; without seeming the least bit distracted. She could already read fairly complex sentences; and, could count indefinitely and add and subtract simple problems. She knew how to swim; was taking both dancing and piano lessons; and, was a star in Valhalla's tyke soccer league.

  I overheard Helena whispering; "We've got to get us one of those"; to Marie with a little chuckle; as she pointed to Atina. I filed that in my mind's personal folder, too. We left a short while later.

  ……………………………………………………………………

  George and I had a delightful breakfast as he laid out the revised plan with the inclusions of a reserve, an exit strategy and all the other goodies; including the major attack plan. It would be five-pronged - a wedge from the front; while two pincers arms attacked from above and below; and another two assaulted the flanks. Mines would be detonated in four hundred batch blocks to create on-going confusion. He was projecting destruction of twelve hundred warships; with friendly losses at less than ten percent; because the element of surprise was so compelling. He had schedules and deployments all figured out, and charted. I would supply a sub force Rear Admiral to Command covert forces. His contingent would be commanded by a Commodore working under that commander. My regular forces would handle the top and bottom pincers; under my direction. It would be my job to present him with a detailed battle plan that fell within his overall strategy, policy and objectives. Theatre Nine would do the frontal wedge; while Ten and half of Twelve managed the Flanks; with, the other half of Theatre Twelve in reserve, just in case. The Quadrant, Theatre, and Fleet Command vessels would be fully restocked before the battle; giving us constant replenishment for up to two weeks, if needed. He had even readied all the requisitions for Limpets and other special devices that would be required.

  Chapter 11 The Maestro

  Monday, October 29, 2260

  “Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter.” ― Winston S. Churchill

  The following afternoon, we all sat in on a meeting, in Fleet Admiral Stephenson's office, that illuminated the workings of Admiral Bryant's intellect, to the rest of us. He outlined the plan in its entirety; and, with even greater detail than we discussed, at the breakfast meeting. It was evident that his mind was always in gear; crunching all the variables; adding to any plan moment by moment. But, the real insight came from a specific exchange that arose, as he was summing up.

  "So, I expect the next attack to be a test of how we handle diversions. And, I expect it at six hundred thirty hours on Monday, July 8, 2261. I believe, the biggest and final one will come at six hundred thirty hours on Thursday, May 8, 2262; and it will be the one calculated to actually take the space the Inscrutables want to keep." George said.

  "Now, you're telling us your clairvoyant?" Grace queried. She and several others had not been at the pub meeting; after, we'd adjourned yesterday's gathering.

  "Yeah, I have always thought that you’re the best tactical mind in the Federation; but, do you have some kind of special intelligence operation feeding you this information? Nichols added.

  "No, I'm not clairvoyant; and it's not from secret information. And, thanks for the compliment; though I think you give me too much credit.' George was chuckling. 'It's elementary my dear Nichols. It's just deductive reasoning based on observations.

  It was something watching the two men talking together in such close proximity. Steven Nichols could easily pass for George Bryant's younger brother. He is just a little taller and slightly fairer in skin tone; but, most of the features are a match.

  'I have sensed a pattern in the maneuvers and attacks over the three years of action; but, couldn't put my finger on it. All the maneuvers are not just chess moves. They are designed to test our responses and end up with vessels in positions for the stagings and attacks.

  And, the attacks are not just arbitrary. They are experiments intended to measure our reaction to a particular strategy. And they come at precise intervals. I am assuming that; these attacks are all executed on the anniversary of some special event on their home world. I guess that the Inscrutables planet is in a red dwarf system; and has an orbital period of three hundred four days. It is most likely beyond CauDo space between twelve hours and seventeen hours at around fifty degrees declination." George stopped for responses.

  "How the hell did you come up with all that?" Blackman asked.

  "It isn't that strange. The system position makes sense based on the attack pattern. And, those assaults have all come three hundred and four days apart; and, each required a unique response.' George studied Admiral Blackman's face. He understood, but was amazed. 'The only thing they haven't tested is how we handle a feint or diversion.

  So, I intend to watch the deployments intently as July 8 approaches. If I am correct, they will stage for two attacks. One will be recognizable and easily detected. The other will be much bigger and harder to see coming. The plan is to appear not to respond to the diversion, at all. And to respond massively to the main attack. Our sensor advantage makes that possible." George was interrupted.

  "What do you mean you want it to appear you're not responding to the feint?" Grace asked.

  "Of course we will respond. Doing nothing would be perilous. We will deploy to positions a half light-year from their projected landing; and, just observe. The force will only move; if, the Inscrutables do something aggressive. I believe they will just shrug and leave; when they meet no defenders. But, we will meet the main body with twice the force needed in an attempt to annihilate them very quickly.

  I believe, this response will create a lot of uncertainty in our antagonists. It will give the illusion we are somewhat psychic. They will never be certain of how we will respond to all the components of their larger attack on May 8, 2262. And of course, we would not react that way during a major confrontation; because a diversion of that size would be large enough to turn into a front; if, we just ignored it.

  The plan for our attack on the Inscrutables is to be timed for late May or early June of 2262; after, we repel their big one. That, will be when they least expect it; and, gives us lots of time to conduct the preparatory covert operations. In the nineteen months, we will also have completed both expansions, by then our defense of their incursion will include only those subs that are incorporated into fleets, from now on. All existing covert vessels will be attached to the special operations; and, will be busy conducting covert actions in CauDo space, after the July 2261 battle. We are using their own attack as a distraction to our actions behind their lines. And, we are going to do a lot of drills involving detecting and responding to growing jump-exit thresholds. I expect that major strike to include a diversion of around two hundred units. The main thrust will come as either a pincer or a wedge involving around six hundred ships. Our object will be to destroy as many of the vessels, in that assault, as we can without actually engaging too many warships head-on. That way, we protect the majority of our own forces; which, we'll need to be healthy for our counter-strike. We will use around a hundred warships to meet the feint and eight hundred to repel the main body. Our goal would be to destroy half their combined force before they even exit jump vortices." George finished.

  "Well George, you've proven it again. As Kurt says; you are the Maestro of tactical planning." Bill chuckled.

  "Don't forget the help I had. If it weren't for Kurt, we wouldn't be sitting here discussing this subject." George interjected.

  "Yes - Yes, I know we have other exceptionally brilliant tactical planners like Grace, Pal, Kurt and Steven Nichols,' Bill begins tongue-in-cheek with a sly grin. 'But, you are exceptional. Kurt's idea was definitely the seed; but, you have planted it and taken care - watering and feeding it. Now it isn't just a big healthy tree. It's a forest!" Bill countered.

  "Bill,' George snorted, 'your analogy is a bit overdone,' He was having difficulty responding because of the urgent impulse
to erupt into hysterical laughter. 'and, maybe not even relevant. I think Kurt had the real brainstorm here. I just dressed it up a little bit.' George managed to finish.

  'And, there is one more thing I'd like from Kurt; if, we can all agree on it."

  "What's that, George?" I chimed in.

  "Well, between now and the final counter-assault, I'd like IGB to stay relatively close; conducting widely targeted investigative audits within twenty-five light-years of the front; so, your people are always crisscrossing the region. I will do the same with our thirty-four autonomous frigates." He offered.

  "May I ask why?" Nichols questioned.

  "Yes, of course, you may.' He paused. 'It occurred to me that, the positions the Inscrutables have chosen for each attack have all had great value to the Federation. As I said, these are tests; but, I'm sure the objective was to destroy our observation posts, if possible. How did they know they were even at those locations?" George finished.

  "Ah yes; I see. You think they are running reconnaissance inside our border." I chimed in.

  "Exactly. And, the more vessels we have negotiating that region; the more likely we are to catch them in the act. So, I'd like it as busy as possible." George responded.

  "What about local Theatre Commands? Can they help?" Nichols inquired.

  "If Quadrants Two and Three want to create additional traffic in that territory, I wouldn't mind, at all. But, the extra movement by IGB and our Frigates would make it hard to miss them. It might scare them off. That works too. But, I'd rather catch them in the act; because I'm sure it will point to a future attack position." George explained.

  And so, it was determined that IGB would move its command center to a position five light-years back of Fifth Mobile RAC. It would conduct examinations of only Theatres Three and Five, their combined sixteen fleets, and the planetary governments in the region; until, it was time to unite for the main offensive in CauDo space.