Retreat and Adapt

by Thomas DePrima

  "Light-487 actually. The original SD's were limited to Light-450 with a single envelope. The newest ones can travel at Light-487 with a single envelope, just like all of the recently modified warships in Space Command. Eventually, all of the ships will have that as their top single-envelope speed. The oldest ships in the fleet still can't be upgraded because their drive systems are too different from what we use now, but they'll probably be phased out in another decade."

  "So our speed is even greater than the freighter we're following?"

  "As far as I know. If they suddenly speed up beyond Light-487, we'll have to turn around, but I don't expect that to happen."

  "That's great," Nelligen said, "but I'm still bored."

  "Try reading a book," Brenda suggested. "That's what we do and the time seems to pass at FTL speed."

  "Come on, nobody here believes that all you two do is read all day," Byers said.

  "It is all we do all day," Vyx countered, "but it's certainly not what we do all night." He grunted as Brenda poked him in the ribs.

  "I feel like a fifth wheel," Kathryn said. "I wish I had someone to read with all day and do other things with all night."

  "You have your puppy as a companion," Brenda said.

  "It's not a puppy. It's a Lyoxma wimlot."

  "It looks like a puppy."

  "It's cute, but it's not as cuddly and lovable. It's kind of finicky and aloof, like a cat, and jumps around like a monkey. I should have shelled out for a real puppy, or even a kitten, from Earth, but they were so expensive and lots of people were buying these."

  "They probably would have been buying Earth puppies if they had been familiar with the species the way we are," Brenda said.

  "That makes me feel better," Kathryn said sardonically.

  Brenda giggled. "I'm sorry. I meant that they were buying what they were familiar with while you were buying because you thought they were knowledgeable pet owners and had a preference for the— Lyoxma wimlot over the Earth puppies."

  "Okay. Point taken. I was too hasty."

  "Nooo, that's not what I meant."

  "Look," Vyx said. "If you haven't developed an attachment for the wimlot by the time we get back, sell it and buy an Earth puppy. I prefer Golden retrievers myself, but everyone's different."

  "I like Beagles," Brenda said.

  "I like Labs," Nelligen chimed in.

  "I'm partial to Boxers," Byers said.

  "Well, I like German shepherds," Kathryn said.

  "Yeah," Byers said, "but what kind of dog do you like?"

  Kathryn looked at him strangely for a second, then grinned and threw a dinner roll at him, hitting him in the forehead.

  "No need to get violent," Byers said with a grin. "I was only curious."

  "I think we're getting cabin fever," Vyx said. "I wonder what it's going to be like after we've been trailing this freighter for a year. Maybe we should have stayed in a hotel while we were on Uthlarigasset."

  "And leave our love nest?" Brenda said. "No way."

  "What makes you think we'll still be following this freighter a year from now?" Nelligen asked.

  "Just an unshakable feeling."

  * * *

  "Good morning, Jen," Admiral Augustus Poole said as he entered Jenetta's office in the Region Two HQ Admiralty building."

  "Good morning, Gus. What's up?"

  "I just got a message from Steve Powers at Flordarya. The situation with the Tsgardi is resolved— at least for now. Steve put on his war face and threatened to blast the Tsgardi ships out of the sky if they didn't immediately release all the Flordaryn workers they were holding hostage aboard the five destroyers. The Tsgardi admiral blustered a bit, but in the end he had no choice. The Flordaryns were wise to offload their torpedoes and disable their laser arrays before they started repair efforts on the Tsgardi warships. It left the Tsgardi without a decent card in their hands when it came time to put up or shut up."

  "Are the Flordaryn workers all okay?"

  "Yep. The Tsgardis simply assigned them quarters and forbade them to move about the ship. They didn't even know they were being used as a bargaining chip to get the torpedoes back."

  "The question is, why? Why did the Tsgardi pull this harebrained stunt? I don’t imagine the Flordaryns are going to do any more work for them."

  "Not true. All repairs had already been paid for in advance, but the Tsgardi action voided the previous contract. The Flordaryns will continue the work, but only for double the amount of the previous contract, which was already double what they would have charged anyone else. And it must be paid in advance."

  "And?"

  "And the Tsgardi say that it will take time to have the precious metals and gemstones sent from their home world by freighter."

  Jenetta chuckled. "I can imagine the look on Admiral Kelakmius' face when he had to agree to the new price."

  "Yes. Their irrational kidnapping of Flordaryn workers got them nowhere."

  Turning serious, Jenetta said, "But was it irrational?"

  "What do you mean? Of course it was irrational. They had no weapons to back up their bluster."

  "That's what I mean. They were defenseless, so most people would know that we wouldn't fire on them until all other avenues had been explored. What if some puppet master is pulling their strings and ordered them to do this?"

  "Who?"

  "I don't know. It could be the Raiders, or perhaps the Denubbewa."

  "What possible motive could they have?"

  "I don't know. Perhaps I'm grasping at straws. Perhaps the Tsgardis acted alone using their traditional absurd rationale." Jenetta sighed loudly. "Oh, don't mind me, Gus. I'm just sick of not knowing what's going on. Who is attacking us and why? Are there multiple nations involved in this war? And most of all, where are the Denubbewa hiding?"

  * * *

  Chapter Fourteen

  ~ October 29th, 2286 ~

  "Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Jenetta said. "This emergency session of the R2HQ Admiralty Board is now in session. As you all know by now, one hour ago we received a message from the DS scout-destroyer Rio Grande. The Rio Grande was part of the fifty-one-ship task force that originally searched for the Salado. After finding him, the task force was given new orders to search for any sign of the aliens that attacked our ships.

  "You know how frustrated we've all been, not being able to identify the attackers. Although we had a lead to their possible identity, we were unsure if we were on the right track. It now appears that we were. We still don't know if other parties or nations are involved, but we're confident that we know who attacked our ships. Computer, project Rio Grande 01."

  The three large monitors on the walls surrounding the horseshoe-shaped table showed the image first seen by the bridge crew of the Rio Grande. It had the same impact on most of the room's occupants. Admirals Carver, Holt, Poole, and Kanes had all seen it soon after it came in. Of the five permanent members of the Board, only Admiral Buckner hadn't seen it, and his eyes opened wide as he realized the enormity of the ship he was seeing.

  "At the Battle for Higgins," Jenetta said, "we were startled when we saw a Raider battleship that was three kilometers in length. Our newest battleships, the Ares class, are just a little over two kilometers."

  "How big is this enemy ship?" Buckner asked.

  "The Rio Grande estimates it's about one hundred twenty-six kilometers."

  "Sixty-three times the size of the Ares?"

  "Sixty-three times the length. In total mass, it's probably a thousand times larger. It makes the Ares look like a lifepod, as it does all of the Denubbewa warships alongside it in the next image. Computer, project Rio Grande 02."

  "Good God," Admiral Buckner said. "Are those tiny warships the same size as the ones that attacked the Gambia, Yukon, and Vistula while they were trying to salvage the Salado?"

  "We believe so."

  Shaking his head slightly, Buckner said, "As you said, they look like lifepods when compared to that monster s
hip."

  "On the one hand I'm a little relieved that we at last have an enemy we can see. On the other hand, I'm as much in awe of their ship capabilities and the size of this mother ship as everyone else. This is a close-up of the mother ship, and if you look closely you can see a dozen warships on its perimeter. You can also see what appears to be a major entranceway into the ship, so it might have a hollow interior like the Dixon and Stewart Space Command bases. There's no way of knowing how many ships are inside or the speed capability of that ship. I'm assuming it wouldn't even be here if it didn't have FTL speeds, but how fast is it? It seems that I have more questions now than before. All we really know for sure is that the mother ship is four times the size of Stewart SCB."

  "But is this ship from the Denubbew Dominancy?" Admiral Buckner asked.

  "We can't state categorically that it is, but we're close to certain that the mother ship isn't a Raider, Uthlaro, or Ruwalchu vessel, so unless we were wrong when we identified the Denubbewa as possible aggressors, it stands to reason that this ship belongs to them. At this point it doesn't really matter who the ship belongs to. We've got to find a way to destroy it."

  "How?" Buckner asked. "We can't even get within firing range of their warships unless we perform a suicide run, and if that thing is filled with their warships, we'll never get close to that either. They'll come flying out of there and send a hundred thousand of those small missiles at our ships."

  "Well, we're working on a project that might allow us to take on that mother ship, but I can't discuss it here."

  "You're talking about Project Gazebo?"

  Jenetta looked at Buckner in silence for a second. "Yes, but never again repeat that name aloud or in writing until the project is completed." Raising her voice, Jenetta said, "No one in this room will repeat that name under any circumstances, and they will report anyone who does. That project, and even the goals of that project, are not to be discussed. Period."

  "Now that we know where the ship is, how long will it be before we're ready to take some sort of action against it?" Poole asked.

  "That's still unknown."

  "Then finding it was a useless effort since it might move light-years from its present position by the time we're ready to do something about it."

  "It wasn't a useless effort because it provides valuable information regarding their resources. I've ordered most of the search forces to continue their efforts. We want to know if there are any more of these things out there.

  "We also want keep an eye on any movements of the ships we've found. As far as we know, the warships of the race that attacked us are limited to about Light-450. Scout-destroyers have been assigned to watch the enemy in the same way that we kept tabs on the Uthlaro armada just before we attacked them at their RP. Our ships, operating at Light-9790, will perform flybys at near maximum DeTect range to watch for movement. If any of the warships move, we'll attempt to monitor their travel in the same way. There will always be at least one scout-destroyer devoted to keeping tabs on the mother ship. We'll know if it goes anywhere and where it's gone when we're ready to take them on."

  "Do we have any idea when that will be?" Admiral Poole asked.

  "All I can say is that we have a plan, and we're working towards a definite goal. When there's something else to report, you'll be among the very first to hear."

  * * *

  "Good morning," Admiral Moore said. "Welcome to this emergency session of the Board. Only Board members and their chief aides have been invited to this session. We'll suspend all normal formalities and jump immediately to the issue at hand."

  Moore nodded to his aide, who activated the monitors around the room. When the image of the enemy ship first appeared, everyone's eyes opened wider, but no one commented. A head-and-shoulders image of Admiral Carver appeared and proceeded to reiterate the key facts about the alien ship as presented in the R2HQ Board session.

  "That's the situation," Admiral Moore said when the message ended. "Comments?"

  "Have we confirmed the size estimate of the mother ship as provided by the Rio Grande?" Admiral Platt asked.

  "No, we received this message just an hour ago. I'm sure Admiral Carver confirmed the information to the greatest extent possible, but our analysts here will also be reviewing the images and reporting their findings. I see no reason to doubt it at this time."

  "So we now know we're facing a mother ship that would seem to be at least sixty times the size of any of our warships," Admiral Bradlee said, "and which might be filled with hundreds or even thousands of the same class of warships that destroyed the Yenisei and Salado. Further, each of these warships is capable of simultaneously firing tens of thousands of small, deadly missiles that overwhelm our Phalanx systems and which therefore make it impossible for us to survive an attack. Are we considering admitting defeat? Because if we are, my recommendation is to attack regardless of the consequences in an attempt to destroy as many of the warships as we can, and possibly the mother ship. If we can't stop them, let's sting them so bad they leave to find easier targets."

  "I don't believe anyone is considering giving up at this point, Roger. Kamikaze tactics didn't work for the Japanese in World War II, so that's definitely an option reserved for a time when you admit that you cannot hope to beat an enemy without it. For decades we've enjoyed a definite edge over our enemies because of our superior ships and weapons. Now we're faced with an enemy who appears to have the edge in both areas. However, we have one weapon left in our arsenal."

  "Which weapon, Richard?" Admiral Platt asked with furrowed brow.

  "Our people, Evelyn. If we do ask for kamikaze volunteers, I have no doubt that we'd have more than we need. And while we've believed for some time that Dakinium was virtually indestructible, the material discovered on Dakistee was even more so. We've continued to use our composite material because of its unique ability to establish a second temporal envelope around the first. But if the enemy is using the original material, or something even stronger, our ships might collapse against their hulls like eggs thrown at a bulkhead."

  "But we don't know that," Admiral Woo said. "Their hull material might be simple tritanium. Or even titanium. They might rely on their weapons to ensure that no enemy gets close enough to damage them."

  "Yes, Lon, that's true. And I hope we never have to find out how the strength of our hulls will compare to theirs."

  "What choice do we have?" Admiral Bradlee asked.

  "We have another vid to view that might answer that question to some degree. The second message is also from Admiral Carver. It was sent using the most secret and secure encryption code we have, which indicates how sensitive this data is. The people in this room are the only people who will see and hear this message for the foreseeable future. It will not even be shared with the GA Council, as allowed under the GA laws regarding military preparedness. Everyone in this room is bound by that same law. Anyone even repeating the code name for the project you're about to learn about could be subject to prosecution."

  Looking towards his aide, Admiral Moore nodded. An image of Admiral Carver again filled the screens around the room. Her presentation explained Project Gazebo in full detail. She wrapped up the message by requesting the immediate support she required of the Jupiter foundry."

  "Admiral Carver's brilliant battle strategies have always impressed me," Admiral Plimley said, "but as the Director of Weapons Research and Development for Space Command, I have to say— she's totally missed the mark here. Which is something that will happen if we buy into this idea and try to plant bombs inside enemy ships."

  "I think it sounds ingenious, Loretta." Admiral Hillaire said. "We pass right through the enemy ships using Transverse Wave technology and leave a little present behind each time. The missiles and lasers of the enemy can’t hurt us, and we risk no injury to our personnel because our ship is out of phase with the enemy ships. It's brilliant."

  "Arnold, at Light-9793.48, the ship is traveling at almost three billion kilometers per seco
nd. At that speed, it's impossible to drop a bomb within a million kilometers of a target, much less inside a ship. If it happens, it'll be pure— dumb— luck."

  "Does anyone have any better suggestions?" Admiral Moore asked.

  When no one answered after a minute, Moore said, "Then since no else has any idea how to fight this enemy, I propose we give Admiral Carver everything she's requested for this project. Once it reaches the testing phase, we'll know whether or not it has a chance of succeeding. All in favor?"

  The vote was unanimous.

  "Now that everyone understands the situation, I'm sure you'll give serious thought to alternative tactics for fighting this new enemy, but in the meantime, the Jupiter foundry will begin work on the Project Gazebo components."

  "Richard," Admiral Platt said, "I support the proposal fully, but if Loretta is right, a lot more passes may be necessary than Admiral Carver seems to be considering. I'd like to propose that we alter the Dakinium cradle quantity from one hundred twenty to one thousand twenty. That will allow us to arm ten ships with this weapon if testing is effective. Also, I propose that we alter the requested bomb quantities. I would eliminate the low-yield devices completely because I don't think we need to get their attention. I would increase the number of requested bombs with a standard nuclear payload to ten thousand devices and increase the number of bombs with a WOLaR payload to five thousand devices. Once we take on this enemy, we can't stop and wait six months to get additional devices prepared if the first batch is insufficient."

  "That sounds sensible to me, Evelyn. All in favor?"

  Again, the vote was unanimous.

  "I guess that covers the matter for now," Moore said. "I remind everyone not to mention this project outside this hall."

  * * *

  "Come," the commanding officer of the Jupiter foundry said. The doors opened, permitting his chief engineer to enter the office. "What's up, Sal?"

  "Sir, I was just reviewing this new parts requisition from SHQ. What is this thing?"

  "The specs just call it a cap."