Machine Planet (Conquest of Stars Book 4)

by Sid Kar

  “Barryett, where is Commodore Raptor?” Starfleet Commander Jaryett Vyt asked him. It was not that long ago that Barryett and Jaryett were both Starship Commodores, and were on first name basis in private, but while Jaryett’s star had risen high, Barryett’s had been exceptionally unlucky, a demotion back to Vice-Commodore was like a shooting star falling to the ground. Jaryett never liked to remind Barryett of this fact and thus never used his title.

  “Commodore Raptor is injured,” Barryett said. He did not give out the full detail because he did not want Jaryett to start issuing orders to their starship and curtail his autonomy. A Commander usually wouldn’t go around a Starship Commodore’s back and give orders to his subordinates, as all commanders were former commodores, they believed in certain level of professional courtesy, even though it was their prerogative to do otherwise.

  Better to let Jaryett stay his hand till he could speak with Raptor, Barryett thought.

  “What is Conquistador’s health?” Jaryett asked, “I am getting reports that you were struck with a chemical weapon that you can’t neutralize.”

  “Yet…” Barryett said.

  “43% of our hull could be used for stew just about now,” Avyk said wryly looking at Tollvyk as if daring him to make a comment and Tollvyk didn’t disappoint.

  “You make that stew Capitan Avyk, Me and Stardjacker Capitan Norvyk will forcefully feed it to that Mercurian spaceship’s commander,” Tollvyk said, “He will eat it.”

  Avyk shook his head, Barryett was getting slightly irritated by Tollvyk’s comments now. He had to tolerate them when his friend Raptor was in command, not now. But suddenly, the Starfleet Commander chuckled and Barryett held his tongue.

  “I would be up for it,” Capitan Norvyk spoke for the first time, walking out in the center of the command room, “I can take that Mystery class spyship I just flew here to infiltrate the Mercurian spaceship.”

  “You cannot be serious,” Barryett said.

  “That is not a bad idea,” Commander Jaryett said, “But he is your Stardjacker, I will leave that decision upto you.”

  “I will consider it,” Barryett replied absentmindedly. He was happy that the Commander was letting him run the starship, but he wasn’t even aware that they had a new Stardjacker now. Perhaps, Raptor had already approved of Norvyk, but that matter had to wait.

  “Barryett, you are lucky, you aren’t stuck with that corrosive agent somewhere out in deep space,” Jaryett said, “You go to Rainmar and get it cleaned and scraped off and a new hull section put in that spot. Meanwhile, me and my fleet are going to deliver a bloody punch or two to these sod bastards.”

  “You are going out there to face them in open space?” Barryett’s eyes widened. He had thought that they had come forward to support him and to taunt and bait the Mercurian Fleet, but not to engage them head on. “I have sent you data on their numbers. You are heavily outnumbered.”

  “Just a little tactic to reduce those numbers,” Jaryett smirked, “I can’t say more now, but we will be doing a folding arrow and rollup retreat back to Rainmar. Then we will fight defensively with the help of Rainmar’s considerable planetary defenses. Wait for us there.”

  “Will do, alright then,” Barryett said.

  “Alright,” Jaryett replied and they saluted each other and the connection terminated.

  “Vice-Commodore, 50% of the hull is gone now,” Avyk said with a tone of desperation rising in his voice.

  “Vice-Commodore, we have a preliminary understanding of enemy’s corrosive agent,” Col. Aurvyk said over Barryett’s terminal, “It is forcing electrons into the molecules that compose our starship’s hull. This is causing the atomic nucleus to become unstable and radioactive and furthermore the Agent is acting as a super-catalyst and immensely accelerating the radioactive decay.”

  “Can you stop this process?” Barryett asked.

  “We don’t even understand this process. We are using laser analysis from robots that did not touch the chemical, but we have nothing to safely capture it for lab analysis,” Aurvyk said glumly, “One of my chemist informs me that he had heard theoretical speculations about this ‘Electron Infiltration’ technique back when he was in the university, but certainly no chemical company or university in Starfire Empire can actually produce it. And definitely nothing on this starship can counter it?”

  “Don’t tell me,” Avyk said overhearing the conversation, “Hull decay has reached 57%.”

  “Nothing?” Barryett raised a brow, “we do have the final option.”

  “That’s Commodore’s…your prerogative,” Aurvyk said, “StarHeat could definitely vaporize it but its heat will weaken the shield considerably in all directions.”

  “Vice-Commodore, that is very dangerous,” Avyk said, “We would be replacing a small point of vulnerability with a much larger area.”

  “Would you rather have a hole in your hull or a weakened but intact shield?” Barryett asked and then he looked around the command room.

  “We are not far from Rainmar,” flight officer Flyptar said, “They can replace our shield.”

  “The Chemical Section can’t do anything more,” Aurvyk spoke over the terminal, “But I would not want that dangerous chemical inside our starship.”

  “Alright, that does it,” Barryett said, “Better a risk we know the results of than one we don’t. I can’t have the Mercurian corrosive agent floating around the entrails of our starship, eating our structure. Capitan Moltar Karan, prepare to use StarHeat on the location that Capitan Avyk will send you.”

  “Yes sir, already activated the option, and waiting for your confirmation,” Capitan Moltar replied. He was the plasma officer of the command room and this defensive weapon was operated by the plasma section.

  “Vice-Commodore Barryett, in temporary command, in lieu of Commodore Raptor’s critical injury, I officially confirm the order to use StarHeat Weapon,” Barryett spoke.

  “StarHeat activated, temperature rising,” Capitan Moltar replied, “Prepare for Min-Max temperature range from the surface temperature of stars of category red giants to supergiants.”

  “Goodness,” Avyk shook his head, “this weapon is experimental.”

  “Relax, Capitan Avyk, it will work,” Capitan Moltar replied with a smile. It was not often that plasma section got to get in the action. There was a long running tussle between the Shields Department and the Plasma Department of the Starfire Army over the use of super heat weapons to neutralize chemical agents. The shields officers had managed to keep it out of the standard operating procedures but plasma officers had pushed it through to give the right for its use to starship commodores.

  The starship’s hull had many small threadlike microtubes built into it and they started heating up, first slowly then rapidly, and then suddenly the temperature spiked as high as the surface of a star for less than a microsecond and a large portion of the outer hull instantly disappeared in thin space and so did the super corrosive chemical.

  Chapter 4: Fleet Tactics

  “Whoa!” Capitan Rols exclaimed as he jumped back from his monitor, “What was that glow on that starship?” He was Megaship Maverick’s flight officer and was tracking Starship Conquistador for pursuit.

  “As bright as a star’s flare for less than an instant,” Admiral Valorun said. He had caught a glimpse of it but was now replaying the recording a few times on his own terminal, “In the exact section where we had hit them with SuperCorrosive Sphere.”

  “They have vaporized the chemical,” Vice-Admiral Lewyn said.

  “Vaporized hell, they have turned it into plasma,” Mylan, the chemical weapons officer, snorted.

  “I don’t like it, why I am glad I decided on a decisive first strike,” Valorun said, “Their metallurgy is significantly better than Nestorians and their hull was still holding till the glow.”

  “But we were defeating them,” Mylan said, “the photon analysis indicated ongoing reactions corroding their hull rapidly. They must have used it as a la
st, desperate measure.”

  “Be that as may,” Valorun rubbed his chin, “a desperate tactic that works is still a successful tactic.”

  “Grand Admiral, the entire assembled Starfirian fleet has started to cruise towards us,” Capitan Tolan chimed in. He was Maverick’s gravitron scanner officer.

  “How many capital ships do you scan?” Valorun asked.

  “Too far and crowded together for an accurate number, but 400 – 500 starships with 90% probability,” Tolan answered.

  Lewyn burst into laughter.

  “Is Tolan telling jokes here?” Valorun asked irritated.

  “Forgive me, grand admiral,” Lewyn said with a slightly sarcastic emphasis on the ‘grand’ that was lost on no one in the command room. He had never liked how everyone was so deferential towards the old man and used his former title from his bygone glory days. Lewyn continued speaking, “but for a nation whom you consider dangerous, they seem to be tactical idiots to come out and fight against 4 to 1 odds.”

  “What would you have them do?” Valorun asked.

  “What would I have them…why I would have them surrender,” Lewyn chuckled then stopped halfway when he saw Valorun staring at him intensely, “I can’t believe that planet would have no defenses. Admiral Molan reports presence of considerable rocket and laser batteries on the other planet that is on the outskirts of their space. A fringe planet of fringe value. And here is a major military base. I would have kept my fleet back. Combined the firepower of planetary, orbital and space forces and created a force multiplier. Standard military tactics.”

  “Alright,” Valorun said, “Perhaps they have an idiot for commander. Now how would you have us respond?”

  “Take advantage of their stupidity, charge them and smash them,” Lewyn said, “Our numbers mean we can stretch out across space, engulf them on either side like wings of a bird,” Lewyn joined his two palms together with fingers facing outward and bottom of palms touching each other and then clamped them together with a sudden clap, “flank them and stamp them.”

  Valorun said nothing immediately. He looked around the command room and saw his officers get slightly excited. After a few moments of quiet, he exhaled deeply and said, “Perhaps that is the tactic that Admiral Flannan will decide upon.”

  Lewyn was flummoxed and the rest of the officers were confused as well.

  “I don’t understand…” Lewyn began to speak but was cut short by Valorun.

  “I am putting Flannan in charge of the combat operations of our forward fleet,” Valorun said, “We will stay back with a reserve fleet.”

  “But why?” Lewyn asked exasperatedly. He had not clawed his way up the ranks to Vice-Admiral only to sit back and watch the battle and have others take all the credit for victory.

  “Why? My dear Vice-Admiral Lewyn, this is not the academy and I am not teaching a course in space tactics here. These are my battle decisions and these are my orders,” Valorun said.

  “Yes Admiral,” Lewyn replied. He saluted Valorun and walked over to his own section. He could not understand the grand admiral, especially now. He had always believed Valorun to be full of himself and his past victories, proud and overbearing. But had the old man lost his nerve and his courage of youthful days, Lewyn wondered.

  “Capitan Rols, turn us around and put us back on the route to our fleet,” Valorun said.

  “Yes sir,” Rols replied.

  “And Capitan Tynol, open a direct line for me to Admiral Flannan,” Valorun ordered his communications officer.

  “Yes, Grand Admiral,” Tynol replied.

  Valorun sat back in his chair and watched as his spaceship turned around. He wondered what his officers and sailors thought of an old legend like him preferring to stay out of the battle and instead to supervise it from afar, like some crusty, conservative commander.

  Starfire’s commander Jaryett Vyt had 450 starships under him and Mercurian admiral Flannan came at him with 1,500 starships of his own, over 3 to 1 odds in the later’s favor and with Grand Admiral Valorun following behind the forward fleet with the remaining ships under his direct command.

  Commander Jaryett arrayed his spaceships in a ‘boomerang’ formation with a cluster of spaceships including his own in the middle and the remaining spread out in two wings. Admiral Flannan responded by adopting the same ‘boomerang’ formation but in reverse. He had a lot more spaceships and thus he spread them out farther in each wing. Flannan was confident that he would be able to flank the Starfirians from both sides and that would ensure his victory.

  This was a standard space fleet battle tactic practiced by greater and lesser spacefaring powers alike. A fleet that was able to flank or even enclose another fleet could empty its rockets and lasers like no tomorrow. But the starships of the fleet that was flanked or surrounded could not fire or maneuver in all directions for fear of striking their own or running into each other. Their firepower and maneuverability was reduced. Given about equal numbers of roughly equally capable spaceships, the fleet doing the flanking was bound to win.

  The Starfirian and Mercurian fleets accelerated towards each other. They held their rockets till the last possible moments. Then suddenly the Starfirian fleet launched a barrage of rockets towards the left flank of the Mercurian fleet. Admiral Flannan was flummoxed that they would choose to attack only one wing of the Mercurians but soon found out the reason for it: these were actually Micro-Black Hole weapons and with hundreds of them launched simultaneously the artificial gravity exerted great pull on the Mercurian spaceships on the left flank and started slowing them down and pulling them further apart from the rest of the fleet.

  Mercurians responded by firing concentrated lasers to try to destroy the machines that created artificial gravity and were knocking them out at regular intervals, but there were too many of them and time was short and critical in the battle.

  Mercurian Admiral Flannan responded by shifting hundreds of his starships to the left flank from his center. So the Starfirians were trying to isolate a particular wing and hit it hard. He would reinforce them and prevent that from happening, Flannan thought.

  Now with the distance between the fleets rapidly closing, Commander Jaryett pulled his move and issued new orders to his starships. His starships that were spread out in both directions rapidly closed distance to the center and started falling in line behind the lead starships. They folded into an arrow like formation.

  Then they fired 200 rockets each straight ahead at Admiral Flannan’s center position. It was too late and the distance was too narrow for Flannan to bring in any starships from his either flanks to reinforce the center. The left flank was already too far to the left due to the combined gravitational effect of hundreds of Micro-Black Hole weapons. Flannan had 300 solid capital ships with him at the center and ordered all of them to fire a large part of their arsenal in return. They launched an average of 300 rockets per starship and a total of almost 200,000 rockets zoomed out in space rapidly converging at Starfirian and Mercurian fleets that were themselves converging into each other.

  Then the rockets started slamming into the starships by the thousands, destroying many of them on the spot, blasting them to smithereens and sending millions and millions of starship fragments flying out in space in all directions. Every spaceship fired with its own lasers and with its own counter-rockets as necessary to intercept the incoming rockets with varying degrees of success.

  The toll was massive on both sides. The number of starships destroyed, left dead in space or damaged beyond any use was over 120 on Starfirian side and almost 200 for the Mercurians. Starfirians arrow formation had provided a significant forward protection to their starships flying in the rear while the Mercurians had been spread out farther making them easier targets for the incoming rockets. Admiral Flannan’s own spaceship was shattered full of holes and left disabled in space but he and most of his crew had at least survived.

  Then the two fleets crossed across each other in space. For those few moments that they
were within sights of one another, both sides unleashed a torrent of lasers upon each other. A dozen more starships were destroyed on each side but then they had flown past each other.

  Admiral Flannan was left to desperately scramble to arrange another starship for himself that could serve as his flagship. But the Starfirian Commander Jaryett’s starship was still in a flying and fighting condition despite receiving a moderate pounding from the Mercurian rockets. Now he issued another urgent order to his fleet, the second and the most crucial part of his battle plan.

  Starfirian Fleet was now in the rear of the Forward Mercurian Fleet and after Commander Jaryett’s new orders it decisively turned right, turned around and again fired 200 rockets each, this time at the right flank of the Mercurian Fleet. Admiral Flannan had earlier moved 200 starships from his right flank, just like from his center, to support his left flank, which he had erroneously believed to be the target of the attack. The remaining 300 Mercurian spaceships at the right flank were bunched together, while Starfirians were now starting to spread out in a wide arc, flank the Mercurian right flank itself from the rear and return to Rainmar by way of a roundabout route.

  The Mercurian spaceships fired back their own rockets at the Starfirian spaceships in their rear, but their rockets were less effective and less likely to hit their targets because the Starfirians were rapidly accelerating outward to the right, creating large gaps in between their spaceships to allow for maneuvering and to provide a larger search area for the incoming rockets. But the Mercurian right flank could not spread itself farther concomitantly otherwise it would have created a hole in Mercurian ranks allowing Starfirians to escape right back through it.

  The tens of thousands of rockets fired from both sides once again took a devastating toll on either fleet, but far more on the Mercurian Fleet as its spaceships were amassed together providing a target rich environment for the incoming rockets. They lost almost 110 starships compared to a smaller loss on the Starfirian side of 65 ships. The remaining 250 or so Starfirian spaceships now gunned it for space wide of the Mercurian Fleet.