“Everyone but Burns and Rhodes, and I see you’ve got him with you.”
“Burns is dead. Roy and Tucker as well.” Corporal Hunt limped in, looking around at the devastation, and Cooper said, “Take the call, Corporal. Find out who we’ve got.”
“Genetic scavengers,” Morton said. “They’ve got a lot of equipment up there.”
“Surprisingly well armed, Sergeant, if that was their plan.”
“I was thinking that myself,” he replied. “There might be more going on down here than we thought.”
Hunt looked back at Cooper, and reported, “We just lost Roy, right at the start of the battle. Vaughan, Barnard, Goodwin and myself have light injuries.”
“How is the Corporal?”
“Unconscious. Jackson thinks there’s a chance of concussion. The rest of us can travel, at least after a fashion. I’ve got Hopkins and McCarthy putting together a stretcher.”
Nodding, Cooper looked around at his men, and said, “We’re moving out in five minutes. Everyone check weapons, and if you see anything lying around here we might need, grab it. Rations, weapons, medical kits.”
“What about the bodies?” Barnard asked. “Roy…”
“Take her with us. We’ll bury her when we make camp. Probably in about an hour. Leave the rest. My guess is that their friends will be here soon. Get moving.”
“Risky to travel too far in the day, sir,” Morton said.
“I know, Sergeant, but we don’t have a choice.” He gestured in the direction the Sergeant’s party had come, and said, “Head back that way, and break off your trail towards the cliff-face. Keep traveling for ninety minutes, then pick a good spot.”
Frowning, he replied, “Thinking to yourself, sir?”
“Giving you orders, Sergeant,” he replied. “You said it yourself. There’s something else going on here. This group must have set off days before we arrived in the system. Meaning that there is something else down here that requires serious protection.” Gesturing at the bodies, he said, “This isn’t just a couple of guards, Sergeant. Everyone here was armed.”
“I know what you are thinking, sir, but it could just be the native wildlife.”
“Had any insect bites yet, Sergeant? There’s enough of them around.”
Shaking his head, he said, “No, sir.”
“The biochemistry of everything on this planet won’t be compatible with ours. They’ve got no reason to hunt us down, not unless we provoke them. My guess is that there is someone else on this planet that they are after.”
Placing a hand on Cooper’s shoulder, Morton said, “This isn’t your job, sir.”
“Oh?”
“You’re going to hang back and see who investigates the camp site, aren’t you? On the assumption that if there are any other forces wandering around down here, they’ll be interested as well.”
“Something like that, Sergeant.”
“You’re our officer, sir. And too important to be spared.”
“I have no intention of throwing my life away, Sergeant. I’ll lie low here during the day, and if nothing happens, I’ll catch up with you before you move off at dusk. Worst case, we’re both heading in the same direction, and I can link back up before the attack.”
“At least take someone with you, sir.”
Shaking his head, he replied, “Not a good idea. One man can blend into the undergrowth and hide. More than that would be too easy to spot.”
Frowning, Morton said, “You’re putting me in command of the column?”
“That’s the idea, Sergeant. See what you can do for the wounded, but remember that we’ve got to get everyone to the landing zone at the very least.”
“I understand that.” He paused, then said, “If you haven’t arrived by dusk, then I will send someone to come and look for you. That’s non-negotiable.”
“Even if I give you a direct order?” Cooper replied with a smile.
“You can court-martial me when we get home.”
“Very well, Sergeant. You send someone back to have a look if the tactical situation permits, but just one man, and he doesn’t linger. If I’m not around, no daring heroic rescues. I don’t want anyone medal-hungry. Understood?”
Snapping a salute, Morton said, “Understood, sir. I’ll get the men moved out, and I’ll see you at dawn.” Turning to the men, he continued, “Right, you’ve all had enough time to loiter around. Single column, Hamilton takes point, McCarthy at the rear. Move out.”
Cooper watched the men snake away into the undergrowth, waiting for the last one to disappear from view, then headed in the opposite direction. He had to dig himself in, and quickly. Morning was coming, and he didn’t want to be out in the open when it did. After pausing to take one last look around the battlefield, he turned away, hefting his shovel in is hand, and began his vigil.
Chapter 19
Quinn tapped the console, a grin spreading across his face, and Marshall watched as blueprints snapped into position over the desk. Caine nodded from her seat in the briefing room, and Grant looked impassively on.
“There it is. One MIRV-inspired missile, and one that we can build with the equipment we have right here. Four warheads in one missile, but it looks like one of our normal loadouts, so it’ll be a nice surprise to the enemy.”
Grant shook his head, and said, “I was afraid of this. Sir, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t there a reason we don’t normally deploy missiles of this type?”
“You’re talking about reload time, aren’t you,” Quinn said.
“How long?” Marshall asked.
Shrugging, Quinn said, “Ten minutes.”
Caine’s eyes widened, and she said, “Damn it, Jack, I thought you were on to something here. We normally manage an assembly and reload in thirty-five seconds.”
“Precisely,” Grant said. “Whilst these would be tactically valuable, I don’t see the advantage if Alamo can fire ten, twelve missiles in the time it would take to launch one of these new designs.”
“That would be true if we were going to build them as we needed them,” Quinn said. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I think we’re making a big mistake going with just-in-time weapon manufacture.”
“Jack, we went to a lot of trouble to get combat fabricators…,” Marshall began, but the engineer shook his head with such vehemence that he was worried he might injure himself.
“We’ve refined them, but we only started using them because we had to build them anyway, and about the only thing we had in decent numbers at the start of the Interplanetary War was light fabricators. The UN used them because of the supply chain problem.”
“As does the Cabal,” Caine said.
“Sure, but I’d be willing to bet my next month’s pay that they copied the idea from us.”
Nodding, Marshall said, “I’m scared to ask what your answer is.”
“We build them in advance. Enough to fire four salvos in quick succession.”
“Why four?”
“That’s all we can fit in Storage Two. That’s the one with the shuttle access, and we’re going to need the large airlock. I’m drawing up plans to fit new ones in Storage One and Three, but…”
Leaping to his feet, Grant said, “You want to put high-explosive munitions in a storage bay? One that is close to most of our critical stations? One good hit would take down the ship.”
Quinn shrugged, and said, “Best we don’t get hit, then. I thought that was usually a good thing in any battle.”
“Is there any way we could reinforce the compartment?” Marshall asked.
“Reinforce…,” Grant said. “How big a yield for each warhead?”
“Eight thousand pounds.”
“Multiply that by twenty-four, and it isn’t good news for the entire ship. There’s a reason we do things the way we do them. There’
s more than just supply here.” Turning to Marshall, he continued, “Sir, this isn’t a bad idea, but we don’t have the means to implement it. What about a compromise? Have one set ready in the launch tubes, and then switch to conventional yields.”
Nodding, Marshall said, “I agree, Jack. Follow Mr. Grant’s suggestion.”
“Aye, sir,” Quinn replied with a frown.
“Wait a minute,” Caine said. “That means we can’t fire any missiles until we get a good shot. We’ll want these for the capital ships, or possibly the fighters.”
“Dealing with the laser-missiles is going to have to be Mr. Salazar’s job,” Marshall said, noting Grant’s scowl. “Our job will be to get into position to take that shot, knock down their fighters, and reduce this to a simple fight. Those laser-missiles are powerful, but they are essentially one-shot weapons. We can deal with them.”
“I’m still concerned about our lack of countermeasure support,” Grant said. “I’ve spoken to Lieutenant Nelyubov, but he seemed to think nothing was possible.”
“Not until we’ve got a handle on whatever the not-men are using as an operating system,” Caine said. “I’ve given orders already that we simply focus our attention on the carrier and the fighters. We’ll just have to shoot down anything from the enemy cruiser the old-fashioned way.”
Pausing for a moment, Marshall said, “I have taken precautions to ensure that this room is secure.”
“Glad to hear it, Danny, but why make a point of it?” Caine asked.
“Because I have reason to believe that there are reinforcements on the way.”
Shaking his head, Grant replied, “I’ve looked over the Strategic Plot, sir. We don’t have any ships in position to assist, unless you left orders that the Scout Squadron back at Yeager was to come and help. I’m not sure what sort of a role they could fill in any case.”
“Did you look at the presumed disposition of Republic forces, Lieutenant?”
“You called for help from the Lunar Republic?” Quinn asked. “Isn’t that a bit of a violation of regulations and standing orders?”
“I didn’t actually ask for help, but I have reason to believe that help is on the way.”
“The agent,” Caine said. “She sent a signal.”
“Sir, I’ve looked into it,” Grant began, before Marshall stopped him.
“People with considerably more expertise have gone into this, Lieutenant, and I assure you that a message was sent. Hell, I’ve read it.”
“I see,” Grant replied. “What are we expecting, and when?”
“One Republic battlecruiser, any time now. My presumption is that they will arrive in time to join us for the attack. They’ve got a stake in this as well.”
Nodding, Caine said, “I’ve never been the sort of person who would turn down help when it is offered, Danny. I’m not sure how it’s going to work…”
“Which is exactly the reason I’m telling you about this now, and this information is not to leave the room. I need you to study the specifications we have, and to work out where they are going to fit in the tactical plan.”
Shaking his head, Grant replied, “That’s assuming that the Republic commander will be willing to listen to us.”
“The Republic doesn’t put fools in commands of its capital ships, Lieutenant. I very much doubt that they won’t at least hear us out regarding a battle plan.”
“I hope you’re right, sir, but I also hope that you’ll forgive me for being skeptical. Last I heard, Party membership was a lot more important than strategic acumen in securing flag officer rank.”
“We’ve got our share of political creatures in the upper ranks as well, Lieutenant,” Quinn said. “No matter what we do, we can't seem to get rid of them.”
“How can we decide what we are going to do, if we have no idea when the ships going to arrive, who is in command, or what their tactical objectives are?”
“I'm afraid we're just going to have to deal with the situation as it evolves,” Marshall replied. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but that’s the hand that we’ve been dealt.”
Frowning, Caine said, “Another laser battlecruiser? That’s going to be a serious advantage when it comes to the laser-missiles. They only fire them in small salvos, three at a time, so we can shoot them out of the sky before they can get close. With our MIRV round to deal with the fighters, and the rest of our missiles to knock down the carrier and the cruiser. Our drones to run interference.”
Shaking his head, Quinn replied, “This actually sounds like a viable plan. Why am I nervous?”
“We’re dependent on the Espatiers getting into position in the time,” Grant said. “I’d be happier if we had better updates from the assault team.”
“Can’t risk it,” Caine said. “Not without giving away their position. We’ve covered that.”
“Doesn’t stop me making a wish, does it?” Grant replied. “I’d like the next couple of combat drills to be against simulated Republic opposition.”
“Worried there might be a double-cross coming, Lieutenant?” Caine asked.
“There’s always a danger, but no. It struck me as a good way of getting our people up to speed on current Republic doctrine and equipment without having to give them classified information.”
“Good idea,” Marshall replied. “Make it happen, Deadeye. Jack, if you can think of a better way to deploy the MIRV warheads, let me know. I suppose there’s no chance we can fit them to the fighters?”
“Hard-points are too small. Even if we did, the fighters don’t have the processing power to handle that many missiles. They’re struggling with the load-out they’ve got. I’ll see if I can do something about that, but we don’t have the design people here.”
“Do the best you can, Jack,” Marshall said. “Dismissed.”
Nodding, Quinn rose, followed by Grant. Caine remained in her seat, watching the two of them go. Long experience taught her that as a rule, she was an exception to an order indicating the conclusion of a meeting.
“It’s too easy,” she said. “That’s what’s bothering you.”
He smiled, then replied, “It didn’t feel easy when Salazar snagged those shuttles, but I can’t quite escape the feeling that we’re dancing to someone’s tune here. We’ve got a good plan, but things are going a little too well for me to feel comfortable.”
“There are still a lot of things that could go wrong,” she said. “We don’t know how things are going on the surface. Hell, we don’t even know that Cooper and his team made it down there in one piece. I’d bet on him pulling off the mission every time, just like you, but for once I agree with Grant. I’d be a lot happier if we had some sort of word from the surface.”
“We won’t get that until the attack is beginning,” Marshall said. “Unless something goes wrong.”
“In which case we abort the mission and go home. Either right to hendecaspace or running for the nearest point, with enough of a head-start that we can show them a clean pair of heels.” She shook her head, then added, “Damn it, you’re right, this is too easy. What are we missing?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. We’re not fighting humans this time, and that bugs me. For all they share the same evolutionary path, they don’t necessarily think the way we do. Evidently they’ve had plenty of opportunity to get to know us, though.” He sighed, then said, “Have you seen Duquesne’s preliminary report?”
“No indications that any cure is possible for what they’ve been through. Intensive psychological conditioning with a drug regimen,” she said. “And since I read that this morning, I’ve had a sidearm with me at all times, loaded and ready. I’m not going to let them do that to me.”
He nodded, and said, “I’m going to issue a general order on that later today. Lance-Sergeant Francis is checking out the sidearms for me right now. What worries me is that there migh
t be something we’re missing.”
“We’ve got a good idea about the capability of the carrier, and the cruiser.” She paused, then said, “You think they know Alamo is in the system.”
“I’m working on that assumption.”
“We sent some pretty damn convincing messages…”
“They wouldn’t have convinced me. Not totally. And there are a hundred ways they could have checked them. We...I...assumed that they would launch an immediate attack if they found out we were here, but there’s another possibility.”
“And that is?”
“They captured the Q-Carrier in one piece, somehow. Presumably by deception. That’s one of the more advanced ships in the Republic Fleet. What would we do if we’d captured a ship like that? What did Logan do when he got the specifications?”
“The ship would go right back home for analysis. After our engineers took a long look at it. We wouldn’t use it in the field.”
“Then we have to assume that they’ve had access to that ship for long enough that they would have done it. That they have already sent back the fighters for study. What if we’ve got this wrong?”
“You don’t think this is a false flag operation.”
“I think it is a trap, and the Q-Carrier is the bait. They want to capture Alamo. To get a good long look at a Triplanetary battlecruiser, study every detail, and incorporate it into their own designs.”
She frowned, and said, “You’re forgetting something, aren’t you? That ship has weapons a damn sight more powerful than anything we’ve got in our arsenal. Those laser-missiles…”
“I know,” he replied. “Look, just drawing Alamo off-station isn’t enough. There are other ships that can take our place, and Yeager isn’t that important. A false flag operation is enough of a risk to bring us out here, but I’m not sure. Why telegraph it by launching the attack with the Caledonia? Why not use that as well?”
“You’re saying that they’ve got something planned.”
“I would in their place. So would you.”
“Reinforcements?”
Battlecruiser Alamo: Not In My Name Page 16