As before, the Alliance warships took the lead, with the brand new Liberty Destroyers taking up the vanguard. Out on the right of the formation, and inside a cordon of Crusader class warships, moved the newly arrived Endeavour class science ship, ANS Endurance. The vessel was easily twice the size of the largest ship in the fleet, yet apart from her experimental Rift generators, she was completely unarmed. The small number of surviving drones from the failed Operation Needle circled the ship as a final buffer against a potential attack.
"It's true, then? We've lost contact with Spascia?" Admiral Lewis said.
His bitterness was easy to ascertain, as was his anger.
"Those Helions are a bunch of amateurs. They let the Biomechs get close enough to hit the station. That was their most vulnerable point."
He was angry, but more at himself for stationing Captain Perry and the others too far from the Rift to adequately protect it. He'd been thinking only of what was coming through, that small trickle of enemy ships. Instead, he should have considered what he would lose if it were to be lost.
No point wasting time on a lost cause. Perry will have to deal with C34 for now. Right now, I have this bastard to finish off, or all of this will be irrelevant.
He looked back at the information on the screen and tried to shake the images of the shattered Rift station from his mind.
“These numbers are not what I was expecting,” he said.
The secondary display showed the projected damage to the comet, based upon the information provided by Commander Erdeniz. According to the simulation, the Rift bubble would be open a short distance from the ship. He’d been hoping the entry would be wider than the projected five hundred meter diameter, though.
“I know, Sir,” replied Captain Marcus, “Even if that ship can continue using its primary emitters, it will take many more of these Rift openings to cause enough damage. Erdeniz’s calculations were much too optimistic.”
“True. But you saw the damage assessments. A comet of that size will cripple much of Helios Prime. At least this will remove a large part of the threat for us. In lieu of a plan that will destroy it, this is the next best thing.”
Captain Marcus rubbed his forehead, but he could think of nothing that would be better, not in the timeframe remaining to them.”
Idiot! Admiral Lewis thought.
He looked back at Captain Marcus and nodded with a look of self-satisfaction on his face. It was a simple idea, but the more he considered it, the better it appeared.
“Why didn’t I think of this earlier?”
He pointed at the display, specifically at the comet. He then rotated the three-dimensional model and stopped to point at its center.
“The report from Terra Nova said the comet’s core could be split apart, didn’t they?”
Captain Marcus nodded slowly.
“Yes, but this would only be possible by inserting enough atomic weapons inside the core itself. There is no way to get them inside, not to get close enough to burn, blast, and mine the thing. We don’t have time for that. Don’t forget the thing is heavily guarded as well.”
Admiral Lewis grinned.
“We use the ship to create a temporary Rift inside the comet. It will need to be done twice. The first will create a hole, the second we’ll use to send over every nuke we can spare.”
The ship’s science officer had been quiet for now. Instead of speaking, he’d been pacing, scratching his head, and doing a million other things as he calculated the data in his head. He stopped and noticed the two officers watching him.
“We don’t have long to do this. If it’s done right, it has a chance. The core is the real problem. If we can split it apart correctly, we can force the major elements apart. You do understand that at this distance there is no way to stop them hitting Helios Prime, though? Even if we break this comet into a hundred chunks, it will still devastate the planet.”
Admiral Lewis shook his head bitterly. He'd forgotten the umpteen reports he'd already worked through extolling the virtues of deflection over destruction. He considered it more a short while, and then brought up several files to show the comet and its surrounding chunks of debris.
“In that case, we will fall back on the solution suggested by Anderson’s team on the Admiral Jarvis Naval Station. We have neither the time nor the ability to do anything else."
The model enlarged to show just the comet. Even though it was substantially smaller than the original comet, it was still massive. Several chunks broke off, and were then shattered into fragments no larger than a human. It was an idealized model, and even Admiral Lewis found it hard to believe it would work quite as described.
"We will use all of the assets at our disposal. ANS Endurance will cut chunks of the comet way, much like a scalpel. These sections will still be large, but small enough so that the fleet can deal with them. Using a mixture of particle beams and atomics, we should be able to reduce the mass heading for Helios Prime by..."
He looked about for the figure.
"Forty-two percent, Admiral," said the soft voice of Commander Erdeniz.
He walked out of the shadows of the doorway and closer to Admiral Lewis. He stopped and saluted.
"Sir, it is good to meet you at last."
They shook hands, and the Commander moved to his flank to point at the model.
"My team is assisting the science crew on ANS Endurance for this operation. With a few tweaks, I can guarantee you at least four discharges before the coolant becomes an issue. That is more than enough to reduce the mass of this object. I’ve also managed to modify the expansion algorithm to increase the total surface area for the Rift. It reduces the time window, but it will allow us to eliminate up to thirty percent more per use.”
He looked at the model and moved a number of sliders. The remaining comet reduced in size by a small amount. It wasn’t much, but Admiral Lewis knew only too well how much even a few percent would make to those on the ground.
“With this revised data, the comet should break down to approximately forty-two percent of its original size. That is assuming we can focus the fleet on the target for long enough.”
"Forty-two percent, are you sure?"
Commander Erdeniz almost looked offended at the question.
“Sir. The only unknown to me right now is how much firepower you will be able to maintain. Once they launch warships, you will have to make a choice. Will you continue breaking down the comet, or will you be forced to shoot the ships? Thereby reducing the available committed energy to its destruction.”
Admiral Lewis was well aware of this. Even as he’d been looking at the numbers, it had been quite clear to him the scientists had made one mistake, a mistake that reminded him of the age old joke he’d heard back in the academy about spherical chickens. He almost laughed, but the gravity of the situation negated any possibility of that happening.
"Admiral, if we start the attack in the next fifteen minutes, then yes, we can do this. Any longer though and..."
“Uh…what’s that?” said one of the officers toward the rear of the CIC.
Admiral Lewis looked back and watched the outer shape of the comet appearing to be vibrating in the middle of the tactical display, or at the very least emitting something. The shape vanished from the display and was replaced by nothing but noise.
“What the hell is going on?”
Admiral Lewis stepped back and turned his attention to the mainscreen. For some reason, the primary cameras were all pointing to the Spascia Rift. The heavily armed station was blasting away as the squadron of Biomech cruisers tried to force their way through. It was important, but nothing compared to the threat of the comet.
“Show me Object Thunar, right now!”
Lieutenant Vitelli, the tactical officer made two motions with his hands and turned the focus of the primary screen to that of the comet. The sensors were having trouble isolating the changes, but it was clear something was happening. Commander Erdeniz watched closely, his eyes widening
with fascination.
"This is...incredible."
Admiral Lewis looked at him, having no idea as to what he was talking about.
"Uh, Admiral. Warn the fleet something is about to happen. Something very bad."
Captain Marcus looked at the two, nodded, and then proceeded to issue orders throughout the ship. Admiral Lewis pointed to his tactical display and connected to all the squadron commanders.
"This is the Admiral. Something is happening inside the comet. Prepare your weapons and launch fighters. I repeat, launch all fighters."
"Admiral, an urgent alert from Captain Perry at Helios Prime. He says the remaining Biomechs have been destroyed. His scouts have checked the area, and there is no chance of reactivating the Rift anytime soon. The station is completely destroyed. Spascia is alone. We can no longer reach them, Sir."
That was the news he'd been dreading. With the Rift out of action, it would be impossible to move ships between worlds, but even worse, it would take hours to contact Commodore Hampel.
"Understood. As you were."
He then looked to Commander Erdeniz.
"What's happening then? What is this thing up to?"
The man tilted his head a little as he considered his words.
"Those readings are colossal. I'd suggest either it is..."
The screen showing the view of the comet flash white and they stuck on the single color. All eyes shifted to the schematic produced by the ship's computer that showed the comet. Instead of the orb and its long tail, they now faced a massive cloud of rock, metal, and ice blasting toward them at an even greater velocity than before. Even Captain Marcus appeared stunned at the sight. Lieutenant Vitelli, however, remained completely calm and ran a quick assessment of the situation.
“Admiral, the Object Thunar has simply disintegrated. Something powerful built up in the rear of its structure and it shattered. The bulk of the energy has split the object into multiple targets, as well as massive levels of debris. All of this is traveling on the same course, but it is now moving slightly faster. The computer is counting over five thousand fragments plus six, no seven sections over a kilometer in diameter.”
He looked back at the Admiral and shook his head.
“There’s nothing we can do against that. Not in the time we have.”
All of them watched the vast target as it moved at speed toward its meeting with Helios Prime.
“How long do we have?”
Lieutenant Vitelli was already busy checking the paths and velocity of the key fragments. The computer system concentrated on the largest parts and then expanded out, but the entire process took time.
“Three hours until they hit. Then it’s all over. The smaller sections will be bad enough, but the larger ones will devastate massive areas of the surface.”
Admiral Lewis ran his hand over his chin and then looked back to the small image of Commander Erdeniz.
“I think it might be an idea to find a way of bringing a few of those down to size, don’t you think?”
“It won’t stop the coming bombardment, Sir, but you’re correct. It could mean the survival of the planet. I suggest you follow the backup strategy and work on the smaller sections. I will arrange to bring the Rift generators online shortly and see what we can do to the larger sections.”
More alarms called out their song, but at this stage they were barely noticeable.
“Contact, multiple targets. The rear of the object has been protecting a large number of ships. They've just activated and are launching, Admiral!” said the XO.
All eyes turned to the tactical display, as one ship after another appeared. The XO wiped his brow as he added up the number of vessels. He began to shake his head.
“I…I don’t understand. Somehow they have hidden this number of ships inside its core.”
Admiral Lewis closed his eyes for a second. He had a strong fleet, but victory against the ships was no longer his primary goal. A few days earlier he might have relished the chance to take on the enemy in a fair fight, but not today.
“Get us back. I want the fleet moving away from that thing, now!”
He then looked to the tactical officer.
“Give me the numbers.”
Lieutenant Vitelli was already ahead of them both.
“When Object Thunar shattered, it moved away from the rear of the debris. This large force of ships has been interconnected for some time, presumably part of the core, and also hidden inside this part of the tail. They continue to split apart, but already we have more than fifty capital ships, with perhaps as many still hidden inside the rest of the debris trail. My sensors can’t get much of a picture inside there.”
He stopped and then glanced at the nearest screen.
“Wait, we’ve got bigger problems. The fleet will take the full brunt of the debris field in seventy seconds. We’re too close to avoid it. We have time to pursue but not to evade.”
Admiral Lewis swallowed quickly. He’d completely forgotten that one simple fact. His orders were already being carried out, yet the shattered remnants of the comet would hit them while they were trying to maneuver. He moved to face Captain Marcus, but the XO was already there.
“Ready the ship, Sir?”
He nodded in agreement and then tapped the tactical display. It immediately connected him through to all the squadron commanders.
“This is Admiral Anderson. Coordinate with my tactical team here for a zoned box defense. The debris field is moving in close. Get your guns online and preserve your ships. Match your speed and heading with the debris.”
He looked to Lieutenant Vitelli.
“If we travel with the field to Helios Prime, we can maximize our time inflicting damage.”
“Yes, Sir. But what about their ships?”
Admiral Lewis looked at the growing number of ships moving through the rear of the comet’s debris field and toward them.
“We’ll make this as hard as we can for them, Lieutenant. The future of Helios will be decided inside this cluster of broken rock, ice, and metal. Our fleet will stay here until our work is done. Captain Perry will deal with whatever comes from the rest.”
“Here is comes, Sir.”
The passing of the layer of shattered comet was perhaps the greatest anti-climax in Admiral Lewis’ career. Chunks of rock and ice rushed past at great distances from his ship. Even the smaller chunks managed to avoid contact so that apart from the sensors, there was no discernible feeling that they’d just traveled through something dangerous. All of them watched, many holding their breath as the wave of material passed by the ship. Incredibly, only a single Helion cruiser was struck. The guns from a dozen nearby ships helped cut down the offending chunk of rock so that the final impact was made by sections no larger than a meter across. Finally, the front cloud had passed, and the fleet found itself inside the heart of the massive field of debris.
“Admiral, we have finally matched speed. We’re effectively in the middle of the remains of the comet fragment with a diameter of more than a hundred kilometers.”
“And the rest of the fleet?”
Both of them looked to the tactical display. The XO spoke first.
“They all made it, Sir. Looks like a few took a few scrapes before they could match the speed.”
“ I see.”
He knew what had to be done, but giving this order would guarantee deaths. It didn’t dissuade him, but it did make him think one last time before he made contact via the ship’s communications array. At least they had a few minutes before the Biomech ships could get close enough to engage them.
Yes, this field will make the job more difficult for them. Let’s do what we can before they arrive. It is time.
“All ships initiate the closed-box protocol. Let’s break this field down to size. All squadrons are free to engage.”
The battle for Object Thunar was unlike anything seen before in the history of the Alliance. Over two hundred ships from the greatest civilizations yet encountere
d maneuvered inside a massive cloud of dust, rocket, and fragments larger than starships. Alliance Battlecruisers exploded chunks of ice with particle beams, while the Liberty Destroyers pulverized smaller chunks with their arrays of defensive flak guns. In just over two minutes, the entire area was filled with streaks of gunfire and missiles arcing back and forth. The cloud of debris was massive, and compared to the chunks of the ruined comet, the ships paled to insignificance. Still the one-side fight raged and minute-by-minute they moved closer to Helios Prime.
It was into this terrifying maelstrom that the opening wave of Biomech ships emerged to face the Alliance ships. First came five Biomantas vessels that must have already been ready for battle. Even as they moved past chunks of rock, they were pummeled by the heavy gunfire of scores of preprogrammed Avengers. The robotic fighters showed no concern for their safety, and three smashed against ice as they moved in and out of the newly arrived Biomechs. The badly mauled ships then came into the range of the capital ships that were already busy. Admiral Lewis watched all of this unfold from the comparative safety of ANS Conqueror. He looked at the mainscreen and the swirling dustbowl. It made the battle look more like a fight in a storm than in space. With his right hand, he pointed at the shapes of the Biomantas.
“Here they come. Get me Captain Garcia. It's time to send in the next wave.”
It was a risky strategy. There were few that would disagree. The capital ships continued their bombardment and left the fight with the Biomech warships to those ships unable to add much to the thinning of the comet. In reality, this meant the ships from the alien contingents would now be expected to pull their weight. Only the Klithi warships actually proved more than useful by using their powerful mines. Their defensive technologies were perfect for obliterating many of the smaller pieces of the comet. Even the Helion warships were mainly equipped with advanced missiles and modest particle beam weapons. They would best serve by attacking the cloud of debris.
Star Crusades Nexus: The Third Trilogy Page 20