Earth II - Emergence

by Ray Jay Perreault

  “SIMPOC, just because I asked a question doesn’t mean that I want an answer,” retorted the captain.

  SIMPOC paused for a second.

  “It should be noted that the Chevesky is the center of the EDF line and we’ll be the point on the spear?” pointed out SIMPOC.

  “Yup,” was her simple response.

  “Captain, there is an incoming message from Admiral Monson,” Beta-5 announced.

  “Captain Herl. I just looked at SIMPOC’s suggestion, and I like it. Let’s wait for a little though. I want the Mars Laser to be with us. They should arrive in about 8 minutes. When they’re here, go ahead, I’m directing the fleet to change our positions and when you and SIMPOC like the configuration, follow through. Good luck.”

  “Roger,” was Captain Herl’s eager response.

  Joan stood watching the 3D display with her arms crossed. SIMPOC was standing opposite her with his typical unemotional face.

  The red dots that represented the Terest forces formed one line with five distinct groups made up of spaceships with associated attack ships. Five fleets of Terest.

  Opposite them were the EDF green dots. The EDF had about the same density, but the line wasn’t as broad as the alien’s line. The difference between the two lines was changing rapidly as the green dots for the EDF were quickly grouping closer together behind the Chevesky. The one outlier was the Mars Laser Platform which was in a full deceleration mode, settling into the center of the formation.

  Attack

  “SIMPOC, I think we’re getting close,” said Captain Herl.

  “I agree, Captain.

  “Beta-5, tell Captain Hollister not to slowdown fully and to match our speed as we accelerate.”

  “Roger Captain,” responded Beta-5.

  “I see the Terest haven’t tightened their formation. They must think that we’re closing ranks to defend ourselves better,” pointed out the captain.

  “That would be a reasonable assumption,” responded SIMPOC. “I suspect they will be surprised in just a few moments.”

  “Captain we have worked out a deceleration profile for the Mars Laser, so it will join us at the right point,” announced Beta-3.

  “Let’s do it, accelerate to max sub-light speed and head towards the space station in the middle. We fire everything we have to take out the middle section of their line. Let’s hope it works or else we’re done,” said Captain Herl with a mix of excitement and dread.”

  “Captain we are receiving a fleet-wide transmission from Captain Hollister of the Mars Laser.

  “EDF fleet be advised. Our laser is functional. We have fired it twice. We sustained damage on the first test because of the Newtonian recoil. We’ve repaired it and successfully fired it the second time. We aren’t sure what the effect on the Terest will be. Also note, that when we fire it, there is a Newtonian effect which costs us 3-5% of our velocity. During the attack, we’ll be forced to yaw the ship to aim the laser, which will result in a shift of position within the formation. We haven’t fired the laser orthogonal to our vector yet. We are calculating the amount of displacement but be advised that firing the laser to port will displace our vector to the starboard and vice versa.”

  “Beta Prime, transmit to the fleet to back off our max velocity by 10% to give Hollister some maneuvering velocity.”

  “SIMPOC how long before we see their reaction?” Captain Herl asked.

  “I’m beginning to see minor changes in their position. They are apparently reacting in a predictable manner. They are assuming that the initial tightening of our formation was a defensive maneuver and they began moving to flank us. Because of the breadth of their formation and the relative compactness of ours, they have no other choice but to continue the maneuver. The Terest battle groups on our right and left will continue along their current path to fall in behind us. I don’t think they fully understand our maneuver yet.”

  “What do you think they’ll do when they figure out that we’re attacking station C and not digging in for a battle?” asked Captain Herl.

  “I can only assume, but with their five-space station configuration with one in the middle and two on either side, if the two on our flank continue to move behind us, attempting to encircle us, then I would expect the two nearest the middle station to close upon its location when they figure out that we’re attacking.”

  “Shit, if they move fast enough and can help out the middle station, then we might be fighting three of them.”

  “That would be better than fighting all five,” SIMPOC pointed out.

  “How long before we’re within range to engage?” asked Captain Herl.

  “Based on our order of battle, the outer ships should engage in 3-4 minutes.”

  “Beta-Prime, can we up the resolution on the 3D display. I want to focus on the front line of engagement but see all of our forces and the Terest?”

  “I will make the adjustment,” the Beta unite responded.

  The display blurred than expanded the picture. Joan could see all the ships in the engagement. The Terest space stations were red, and their support ships were pink. The EDF capital ships were green, the frigates were white, and the battleships were blue. The formation was finally in the configuration that she expected. The Chevesky and Antarctica were in the lead, with the Europe, Mars Laser and Burlington in the second row. They were followed by the North American, African and South American. The next row was the Australian and Asia. The last one was the EDF Flagship with Admiral Monson. The full arrangement wasn’t a 2D alignment. Alternate ships were above and below the attack plane, so the full alignment of the EDF fleet was closer to a football shape.

  “Can we make any assumptions about what weapons the space stations have?” Captain Herl asked.

  “It would be a logical assumption to extrapolate the type of weapon that we encountered in their initial attack, but larger and more powerful. Analysis of their initial attach shows that their weapon takes a lot of power and is likely tied to their propulsion system. It was also center axis aligned. Any projection of that system would imply that the space stations have a larger weapon with increased range, and it might not be center axis aligned.”

  “I wish that we had more information about them. We might be setting ourselves up for one last battle,” Captain Herl said, mostly to herself in a low voice.

  “Captain I share your hesitation, but they were assuming an aggressive position. If they attacked our entire fleet, we would be in a very difficult position and likely lose the battle. We had no choice but to concentrate our forces on a portion of their formation. Facing, one or at worst three of them is better than all five at once. If we can’t defeat them at that point, then any other maneuver will be less effective.”

  “Gee, SIMPOC thanks for the encouragement.”

  “Captain, the engagement is beginning. They are uncertain of our tactics and weaponry, so they are spread out to defend the stations and minimize losses until they see what our plan is. The first of our frigates are avoiding the central axis and attacking from the top, sides, and bottom. The battleships are forming a barrier around our target. They appear to have no defense from the close in rail guns.”

  The first little pink blip on the screen disintegrated with a noticeable red cloud then it disappeared. Within quick succession, another six ended in the same small red cloud on the display.

  “Captain, they have seen our tactic and are changing their alignment. They’re moving into clusters, so they can provide mutual support.”

  “When will the two stations nearest us get close enough to provide support?” the captain asked.

  “They are maneuvering as a unit. The close-in support ships are staying aligned with their respective stations. That could imply that the stations have a vulnerability and they don’t want to leave them unprotected. Staying together means they’re moving slower and won’t reach a position to support the central station for 12-15 minutes.”

  “That sounds good. We’ve got 12-15 minutes to deal w
ith the central station before they get help.”

  “Captain, that appears to be an accurate assessment.”

  In quick succession, another ten of the Terest ships were destroyed before they were able to form defensive balls between the Chevesky and Antarctica, and the space station.

  “Okay let’s go to the second phase of our plan,” announced the captain. “Fire up our big rail gun and our lasers.”

  Within seconds the rail guns on the Chevesky began pelting the nearest Terest cluster with 25 lb projectiles moving at 25,000 mph. Every two seconds the massive slugs were released towards the Terest ships. The ship nearest the Chevesky took the first couple of slugs and disappeared from the screen. When the other ships realized the threat, they moved to avoid the incoming slugs. At that point, tracking systems on the Chevesky could predict their path, and the EDF capital ship let loose the huge laser.”

  “It appears that our burn time to cause damage is 2-3 seconds,” announced SIMPOC.

  After a couple more Terest ships were lost to the laser, the others in the defensive ball broke formation, and the small, maneuverable frigates in the area were able to pounce and take out four more of the attacking ships.

  “Captain, please notice they are changing alignment again. They are forming into larger defensive balls. This configuration will give them more maneuvering space and additional time to react to our rail guns and laser strategy,” pronounced SIMPOC.

  “I guess we have to stick to our plan and focus on the weakest point in their defenses. Tell the Antarctica that we’re going to focus our resources on the ball in front of them and let’s try to punch through and get to the station. Also, tell the Mars Laser to come up behind us.

  It took a few moments for the Chevesky and her support ships to focus on the defensive ball in front of the Antarctica. During the time of the maneuver, Herl left a couple of frigates in the vicinity of the ball they were moving away from and also, they continued to lob rail gun projectiles towards it to keep the ball away from the one they were attacking.

  “As the frigates make the high-speed passes at their defensive configurations, make sure the battleships stay further away to pick off stranglers,” directed the captain.

  “Aye, aye, Captain,” responded Beta-Prime.

  The maneuver worked, and the ball stayed far enough way, avoiding conflict with the huge capital ship, long enough for the Chevesky and Antarctica to focus most of their resources on the ball between Antarctica and the station. The plan proved very effective, and within 90 seconds the ball disintegrated, and the remnants moved away to join up with other forces. The battleships were able to take out another chunk of the formation as it broke up. That left nothing between the pair of EDF capital ships and the huge space station.

  “SIMPOC what’s our current fleet status?” Captain Herl shouted.

  “We have lost 8% of our frigates, 4% of our battleships and the Terest have lost 22% of their attack ships. Our fleet configuration is holding up, but most of our losses have been within the area defended by South America.”

  “Not good,” Captain Herl said aloud. “Keep an eye on it. Okay, let’s focus on this station. Boy, it’s big,” Captain Herl exclaimed with mixed emotions.

  “The C space station is approximately 2.2 times our mass,” pointed out SIMPOC.

  “Thanks,” replied Captain Herl. “Okay let’s focus everything we’ve got on it and see what happens.”

  With that command, the Chevesky’s rail guns and laser began to pelt the huge station.”

  “The station is taking damage from the rail gun slugs and laser strikes. But its mass is large enough to absorb them without significant damage,” observed SIMPOC.

  “Okay, we’ve got only a short time before our velocity takes us past it. I don’t want to lose this opportunity.”

  “Open a transmission to the Mars Laser,” directed the captain.

  “June, it’s up to you. Yaw to your left and take your best shot,” Joan said to her partner captain.

  “Will do,” was the curt reply.

  Just as Hollister’s reply ended the area of the space station flashed red, but the station remained.

  “What happened,” Captain Herl yelled.

  “They fired their weapon,” SIMPOC replied.

  Joan stared at the display wondering what she’d see. Then about ten of her small frigates blinked red and disappeared along with four of her battleships.

  Come on June; we can’t take too many more hits like that. Captain Herl thought to herself.

  Just as Joan finished her remark, the area around the Mars Laser turned red.

  “Did it blow up,” Captain Herl yelled to her robotic staff.

  Within a second her question was answered. The 3D display refreshed, and there was a smaller red cloud near a portion of the space station. A second later the same flash occurred around the Mars Laser then another small red cloud around the station. Joan was transfixed on the display in front of her; then she saw the Mars Laser’s displacement. Due to the Newtonian force of the ship firing the huge laser obliquely to its vector the ship’s trajectory had moved to the right about 20 degrees.

  Just before Captain Herl spoke to point out the movement, the Mars Laser fired again.

  “Captain, space station C is powering down. It appears that it had numerous hull breaches and has lost its main power source.

  Captain Herl had to think quickly. The EDF suddenly had the advantage, and it was up to her to use it.

  “Beta-Prime, tell the fleet that we’re turning hard to starboard. Let’s hit station D that is closest to us. Tell the Mars Laser to maintain course and the fleet will match it.”

  Captain Herl was just following her instincts. She didn’t realize that she was following a typical military maneuver of splitting the enemy force then turning to outflank the remnants. If the maneuver worked, it could soon be 11 capital ships against only three of the huge Terest space stations.

  One typical outcome of that type maneuver which Captain Herl wasn’t immediately aware of, was by turning to one side, it would allow the enemy to concentrate their defenses better which would likely increase the losses to the EDF fleet.

  45 seconds into the turn, SIMPOC announced, “Captain, the South America has powered down.”

  Captain Herl wasn’t sure what to do. The fleet was committed to the flanking maneuver. They had to go after the second station, but one of her ships was in trouble.

  “Captain, Admiral Monson, and the Asia are moving to provide cover. Their frigates are spread out and won’t be within effective range for 90 seconds. The battleships are engaged with the attackers that are further away. The rear of our formation has been facing the two stations that have made the turn and are trying to attack us from the rear. As we turn, those two stations will be able to close the distance and put more force on our rear guard,” pointed out SIMPOC.

  Joan didn’t say anything. She knew that she was doing the right thing and there might be losses. But they had to go after the second station.

  Suddenly there was a huge flash of red where the South America used to be. Joan suddenly became aware of the loss that her maneuver caused. The hand had been dealt, and there was no other choice. Bet they could take out the second station or pull off and be forced to face four of them.

  It was true, turning to one side allowed the enemy to concentrate its forces, but it also allowed the EDF to concentrate the attack. The frigates and battleships from the Antarctica and Asian were the leads in attacking the station. They were followed by the resources from the others as the stations from their left hadn’t caught the battle. The result occurred faster than the first encounter. Frigate’s rail guns and lasers along with weapons fire from 5 capital ships were able to tear apart the defensive balls that were between them and the station. Once the balls were broken up, it was time for the Mars Laser to do its thing. This time June had more time, and she was able to back off on the power of the laser discharge. The shots took longer to have an eff
ect. But the Newtonian effects on her vessel were less, and she was able to compensate.

  “Captain, station D has powered down. It appears that the laser shots were more precise, and there appears to be less damage. The vehicle has been taken out of the battle,” SIMPOC announced.

  Joan sat back, thinking they had just won the battle when she realized what was happening. It was true they had made the turn and taken out the second station, but now, because of the turn, they had lost their momentum. The three remaining stations were at her fleet’s rear and gaining on them. She knew that the EDF would lose a battle of attrition.

  “Captain, there is a message coming in from the fleet commander,” announced Beta-5.

  “Nice maneuver Joan. Taking out station D has saved us for the near term but, as you can see, we have a vulnerable position to deal with. From my perspective we have three options, number one we can turn around on our axis, apply Max breaking and engage them. If we do that, they have two options either slow down and engage us or fly through our formation taking what opportunity shots they can. If I were their commander, I would fly through and try to get a couple of our capital ships as I pass through. In my opinion, one is not an acceptable option. Option two, we split forces and turn back on their flanks and engage them from both sides, which is also a bad option because they could do to us what we did to them. Attack the weaker side and then come back for the stronger one. Our only acceptable option is to reverse our heading, begin slowing and engage them when we are ready. I’m selecting the third option, begin slowing,” announced the Admiral

  “SIMPOC, do you have any other suggestions?” Asked Captain Herl,

  “No, that is the best tactical option. We should slow enough to engage them but not slow too much and allow them the momentum to pass through our formation. We must engage them at the rate we deem best for us,” responded SIMPOC.

  The huge EDF formation reversed their headings and began slowing with the Chevesky at the rear of the formation. All she could do was look at the 3D display in front of her and watch as the two fleets prepared to battle.