by Jay Allan
“As you can see, the combat frigate is much wider and looks like an arrowhead that has had its point chopped off. However, unlike the FE class, the combat frigate will be highly streamlined and will have the capability to skim gas giants to refuel itself without the need to refuel from tankers. It will be armed with three double laser turrets! That’s six laser cannon! All three turrets can be retracted during gas giant skimming. It will also be able to carry up to 20 drones internally.”
The picture changed again to show a much smaller vehicle beside the two frigates.
“This is the new AFP. The first AFP prototype is nearing completion and is scheduled to begin its test phase within the next two weeks. It will be a modular design that can be configured several ways, including a standoff strike version that will carry four VERY fast attack drones … like this.”
The picture changed again to show the wedge-shaped vehicle with a detachable middle section, which contained four cone-shaped objects.
“Now when I say that these attack drones are fast, I mean REALLY fast. The FE class frigate can accelerate at a maximum of one point three kilometers per second squared which is equivalent to about 133 gravities. Our standard drones can just about double that rate of acceleration, as will the new combat frigate. The AFPs will be able to triple that rate to about 400 gravities. These new attack drones will be designed to accelerate at almost 800 gravities and the techies are sure they can eventually double that again! But the problem is that these attack drones won’t be able to maintain that acceleration for very long, which is why the AFPs will be carrying them instead of the frigates themselves. The AFPs will have to carry them in close enough that the velocity of the AFP, combined with the acceleration of the attack drone, can reach the target before the attack drone runs out of power and can’t conduct terminal maneuvers to guarantee a hit. The effective range of these attack drones will depend on how fast the AFPs are going when the drones are launched. I should point out here that standoff strike AFPs carried by combat frigates will only be able to attack once. This is because externally mounted AFPs can’t be reloaded until the frigate reaches a base where the AFPs can transfer, too. The long range answer to that problem will be the AFP Carrier, and as soon as we get the bugs worked out of the AFP prototypes and accumulate some operational experience with them, we’ll start designing the carriers for them. We estimate it will take at least a year just to build a carrier, so don’t hold your breath waiting for them.”
That brought forth more laughter. Howard nodded to his aide and the view screen went dark.
“That’s just a peek at what’s coming down the pike. I’m showing you this so that you’re aware we ARE making progress. Unfortunately it also means that the lowly exploration frigate will have to carry the burden of our defense for a while longer. So, here’s what’s going to happen now. The 102nd and 98th will each contribute two frigates towards filling the gaps in the 51st, 144th and 153rd. Those three squadrons, along with the 77th, will be redeployed after their crews stand down for a one week rest period. What ultimately will become of the 102nd and 98th has not been decided yet. We may disband those squadrons altogether, or rebuild them with new ships coming off the shipyards, but that’s yet to be determined. Now, before I dismiss you so that you can get your crews on the ground, it’s important that we have all After-Action reports before you go on R&R. If you haven’t already filed your AA report, you had better do so within the next 24 hours.”
Shiloh heard a few groans and wondered if Admiral Howard heard them too. If he did, he gave no sign of it.
“Okay, that’s it! You’re dismissed!”
Shiloh turned to Chenko and said, “XO, I’ll leave it to you to arrange the details for our crew to be brought down. When you decide where you’re going to spend your R&R, make sure I know how to reach you if I need to. I have a feeling that Admiral Howard isn’t finished with me just yet.”
Chenko nodded and said, “Yes, Sir.”
Shiloh looked back at the Admiral and saw that he was whispering something to his aide, who nodded and looked around the room at the departing officers, saw Shiloh, and quickly walked over to him.
“Commander Shiloh, the Admiral would like a word with you in his office.”
“Certainly, Lieutenant.”
Before following the aide, Shiloh looked at Chenko and said, “See what I mean?”
By this time, Howard had already left the auditorium. Even though he knew the way, Shiloh let the aide lead him to the Admiral’s office.
When they arrived, Howard waved him in and said, “Have a seat, Commander.”
Shiloh sat down in the indicated chair, with Howard facing him from the other side of the desk.
“I wanted to speak with you in private because Commander Mbutu’s After-Action report has raised some questions about your conduct, and I wanted to hear your side.”
Shiloh’s surprise was clearly evident to Howard.
“I see that you didn’t know about Mbutu’s criticisms. Well let me enlighten you. In your report, you say that you advised Commander Rolen to jump his tankers away, without waiting to get orders from Mbutu, the Acting TF Leader. Mbutu claims that you acted as the defacto Task Force Leader knowing full well that he, Mbutu, was senior to you, and that he was in command of the Task Force. Furthermore, you encouraged Rolen to ignore the proper chain of command. I assume that you’d like to respond to that?”
“Absolutely, Sir. Rolen’s tankers were clearly being targeted by the alien force, and with that concentration of fire, his tankers wouldn’t have lasted very long. He himself told me that his instinct was to order his squadron to jump away immediately, but he was hesitating to do so because of lack of orders from Commander Mbutu. My advice to Rolen was from the point of view of one Squadron Leader to another, to protect not only his command, but also the whole Task Force as best he could under the circumstances. At no time did I say or imply that Rolen should ignore orders from Mbutu, Sir.”
“I see.”
Howard said nothing while he trimmed and lit a cigar. After taking a puff, he said, “I presume that the audio recordings made at the time will verify your explanation?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Well, that being the case, I’m inclined to accept you weren’t trying to usurp Mbutu’s authority. Although I have to say, Commander Shiloh, that you came pretty close to crossing that line. Now that I’ve heard your side of the story, I’ll have another chat with Mbutu. I think I’ll be able to convince him to let this issue go, but if he insists on pursuing it, that’s his right, and there will have to be a formal Board of Inquiry at which point your audio recordings will be presented as evidence. It’s unfortunate this issue has raised its ugly head because that it tarnishes the credit you earned by convincing Yakamura to refuel the Task Force before commencing the attack. It’s clear to me that if you hadn’t done that, the command ship and tanker squadron would have been caught without any support from the frigate squadrons. They would have been too far away by then, and it’s highly likely that all the tankers would have been destroyed, thereby stranding the rest of the Task Force without the ability to return to friendly territory.”
He took another puff of the cigar and continued, “By the way, congratulate Commander Chenko for me for having that flash of insight into the aliens’ ability to detect ships leaving Jumpspace. The two of you make a good team. You both seem to have some kind of sixth sense when it comes to critical combat situations, and that’s something that should be recognized and encouraged.”
Shiloh was very tempted to admit to his own visions but decided not to. Having an inspired thought was one thing, having a full-blown vision was quite another.
“Very well, Commander. Unless there’s something you wish to ask or discuss with me, you’re free to go.”
“No, Sir. I have nothing more to add.”
Shiloh got up, came to attention, saluted—which Howard returned—and left the office. After assuring himself that arrangements for his crew�
��s R&R leave were under way, and having received a short message from Chenko letting him know where to reach her during her leave, Shiloh accepted an invitation to join several other officers from his squadron at a resort on the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt. The leave went far too quickly, and 170 hours later Shiloh and his squadron were on their way back to Bradley Base for system patrol and quick reaction duties in case enemy forces showed up in, or within striking distance of, the star system containing SFB Bradley.
CHAPTER 10: Give As Good As We Get
The next four months were boringly uneventful. Single frigates were on picket duty in the star systems forming a buffer zone in front of the system containing the Bradley Base, each in contact with a dozen or more recon drones strategically deployed throughout those systems. Shiloh and the other squadron leaders and frigate COs were confident that the enemy could not sneak up on Bradley Base without being detected. So it was, with only three more days to go before SFE144 was due to be rotated back to Sol for a longer stand down, that the period of boredom ended.
Shiloh was asleep in his cabin when the call from the Bridge came.
“Shiloh here.”
“Chenko here, Sir. A message drone has just arrived and is signaling that picket ship 257 in Tango Delta 11 has detected a minimum of three unknown ships moving towards one of that system’s gas giants.”
Shiloh sat up quickly and said, “Any word from Base Command yet?”
“No, Sir, but I expect we’ll hear something any minute now.”
“I agree, XO. Put the ship and the squadron on alert. I’ll be on the Bridge shortly. Shiloh out.”
He quickly put on a clean uniform and then ran out of the cabin and down the short corridor to the Bridge. When he got there, he heard the voice of the Base Commander over the loudspeakers.
“—signs of enemy activity in Tango Delta 11. Therefore I’m activating Plan Alpha III. The 55th will immediately jump to Tango Delta 9, the 77th to Tango Delta 8 and the 144th to Tango Delta 6. Truman out.”
As Chenko got up from the Command Station, Shiloh waved her back down and said, “I’m not taking the Con just yet, XO. Let’s acknowledge our orders to the Base Commander and get the Squadron onto the right heading for TD 6.”
“Yes, Sir. Specialist Fletcher, acknowledge the144th orders. Lt. Millar, plot a course change to Tango Delta 6.”
Shiloh walked over to the Communications Station, waited until the Com Tech had sent the acknowledgement, and then said, “Open an audio channel to the Squadron.”
“Channel open, Sir.”
“This is Shiloh. Plan Alpha III has just been put into effect. The 144th has been ordered to Tango Delta 6 asap. You’ll be receiving the necessary course change data shortly. Because of the short distance to TD6 and back, we won’t have to worry about fuel consumption, and therefore we’ll be making a high-speed jump. If the enemy chose that star system as their next destination, it’s imperative that the 144th get there before they do. Once we arrive at TD 6, I’ll contact our picket ship already stationed there, and then I’ll determine how we’ll proceed based on the situation at that time. Shiloh out.”
He turned back to look at Chenko who said, “Course and speed for Tango Delta 6 has been plotted and uploaded, and all ships report ready to execute, Sir.”
“Very well, XO. Helm, execute the course change!”
“Executing course change now, Sir.”
As all eight frigates began to both accelerate and change their headings via autopilot, Shiloh looked at the Tactical display and saw that the other two squadrons were also coming around to the new headings for their own high speed jumps. Two more frigate squadrons remained as they were. They would continue to defend this star system in case the enemy jumped past Tango Delta 6, 8 and 9 altogether. That was highly unlikely, but nevertheless had to be guarded against because the base itself had minimal defenses.
The optimum combination of normal acceleration and Jumpspace speed enabled the 144th to arrive at the outer edges of the Tango Delta 6 system in just over 12 hours. Even as the squadron decelerated, Shiloh sent a tight beam transmission to the point in the system where the frigate on picket duty was supposed to be. With the distance between them measured in light hours, it was almost seven hours later when Shiloh received a reply from the picket ship. No sign of enemy activity so far. Shiloh happened to be on the Bridge when the 339’s message arrived. When Chenko arrived to take her regular duty shift, Shiloh shared the message with her and asked for her comments.
“Well, Sir. I don’t think we can jump to any conclusions just yet, even though TD 11 is just over four light years away, and it wouldn’t take those ships long to get here. They may still be in TD 11, or they might have turned around and gone back home OR they could easily have jumped to TD 8 or 9 instead. How long we wait here is a good question.”
Shiloh nodded. “I agree with your assessment. The question I’m now trying to grapple with is how close we take the squadron to the picket ship. I don’t want to give away her position if those alien ships do show up, but then again, waiting for hours for a transmission to reach us eliminates a lot of tactical options. What do you suggest?”
Chenko pondered that for a few seconds while Shiloh waited. Finally she said, “My recommendation would be that the Squadron not be any further away than five light minutes. It’s unlikely that the tactical situation would change drastically in that period of time, but further than that could be problematic.”
“Yes, I agree. When you take the con for your duty shift, that’s what I want you to arrange. Let’s put the squadron within five light minutes of the picket ship, on a heading that’s in the general direction of the nearest gas giant, at a speed of … 1500 kps. At some point, I’ll want the squadron to loop back around, but we don’t have to worry about that now. Let’s keep our link to the picket ship active at all times so that they know our position and vector. Also keep a message drone ready to deploy in case something develops that Base Commander Korolev needs to know about.”
“Yes, Sir. Even though I’m early for my duty shift, I can relieve you now if you wish.”
“Thank you, XO. I’ll take you up on your kind offer.” In a louder voice Shiloh said, “The XO has the Con!”
As Chenko took his place at the Command Station, Shiloh took one last look around and then left the Bridge for a bite to eat in the Wardroom, followed by a short power nap in his cabin.
When no sign of the enemy ships appeared during the first 12 hours, Shiloh felt more relaxed. He ordered the crew, which had been on alert status, to stand down to normal routine. When another 24 hours went by without news, the all too familiar sense of boredom that he and the crew had suffered through while on defensive patrol at Bradley base, seemed to resurface. Over the last several months, he and Chenko had established a routine whereby they would meet in the wardroom during their overlapping off-duty hours for a game or two of chess. Shiloh was getting better at it, and he would actually win the occasional game. This time he was losing badly and Chenko seemed to notice.
“You seem distracted, Commander. Your game isn’t up to the standard that you’ve been displaying lately.”
Shiloh nodded. “You’re right. I’m having difficulty concentrating on the game. This waiting is getting to me more than usual. When we were on defensive patrol at Bradley, we weren’t expecting trouble, and we had the occasional simulated battles with the other squadrons to look forward to. Here, it’s just us, and we could be in the fight of our lives literally at any minute. What worries me more than anything else is the thought that there may be more than the three ships that 257 detected. I’m confident this squadron can hold its own against more or less even odds, but if we’re outnumbered, things could get really nasty. Unfortunately the Powers That Be, in their infinite wisdom, did not give any guidance in the Alpha III plans as to when, and under what circumstances, I’m allowed or required to withdraw the squadron from combat.”
Chenko did not respond right away but then said, “Let
’s hope that situation won’t arise, Sir.”
“Amen to that, XO.”
Chenko made a move. “Checkmate.”
Shiloh nodded and tipped over his King.
Chenko said, “Another game?”
“Nope. My mind’s not into the game at the moment. Let’s hope my strategic skills are sharper when the enemy finally does show up.”
Shiloh got up from the table, nodded to Chenko and walked away.
Six hours later, as Shiloh was getting ready to assume the Con for his Bridge shift, Chenko called him.
“Bridge to Commander Shiloh!”
“Shiloh here, go ahead.”
“339 has just received a contact report from one of the recon drones. Six unknown ships tentatively identified as hostiles have been detected approaching the furthest gas giant. With the transmission lag from the drone, that news is over ten hours old, but we’re just getting it now.”
“Okay. Put the Squadron on alert. I’ll be on the Bridge directly. Shiloh out.”
As Shiloh was about to leave his cabin, he felt a wave of dizziness that was strong enough to force him to sit down. The view of the cabin faded out and was replaced by a vision of a wounded Chenko asking him how he came up with the idea of luring the ships into an ambush by ordering the picket ship to micro-jump closer. The vision faded before he heard his own reply. When the cabin came back into view, the dizziness went away and Shiloh was able to stand again. He ran to the Bridge where Chenko had already vacated the Command Station.
As Shiloh sat down he asked, “What’s our status, XO?”
“The Squadron’s on alert. No further reports from 339, Sir.”
“Very well. XO, you’ll con the ship while I handle the Squadron as we did last time. I’m going to send a message to 339 which I want the rest of the Squadron COs to hear as well.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Chenko snapped her fingers at the Com Tech to make sure he was paying attention. He nodded and began manipulating his controls. Chenko then walked over to the Helm station and tapped Lt. Verlander on the shoulder. He immediately got up and let her take the Helm Station.