Crimson Worlds Collection I

by Jay Allan

The old man sighed again. "I'm just worried that Li An's got something else up her sleeve. Something we're missing. She's a tough adversary. Don't underestimate her, Gavin."

  Stark leaned forward. "I know." He continued with a touch of uncertainty. "But we don't have any intel on anything else. If she's got something coming, she's done a hell of a job keeping it under wraps."

  The two were silent for a minute. Finally Stark spoke. "So what do you say? What's your final opinion?"

  Dutton put the newly filled glass to his lips and drained it in one gulp. "Do it."

  Chapter 9

  AS Cromwell

  Flagship, Task Force Tecumseh

  AD Leonis System, en Route to TZ Arietis Warp Gate

  "What the hell are they doing here?" Garret scolded himself for the surprised outburst. Normally he was very circumspect in front of his crews. "I want full data as soon as possible, Lieutenant Simon."

  "Yes, sir." Simon's voice was strained. They hadn't expected to encounter any enemy presence here, two transits deep in Alliance space. They are definitely CAC scanner buoys, sir. We've picked up two of them so far. Already transmitting." A brief pause. "I may have a third....and a fourth. They seem to be deployed in their standard pattern"

  "Very well." Garret's mind was racing - why are there CAC forces in this system? "Let's get the computer working on projected fleet locations based on buoy patterns. They know where we are; we need to know where they are."

  "Admiral, we have located eight total scanners. The buoy distribution strongly suggests they were expecting a transit from our entry warp gate." Lieutenant Commander Barton was one of Garret's tactical analysts. Barton was the best at what she did; she breathed, ate, and drank spatial patterns. "Computer analysis confirms. Heaviest concentration appears to be along vectors consistent with an anticipated target transiting from AB Doradus on course for the TZ Arietis warp gate." She looked up from the screens her eyes had been fixed on and over to Garret. "They knew we were coming. I'm sure of it, sir."

  "Nelson, compute a course change for the fleet." Garret paused for a few seconds, considering where to go. We can't keep our original course, he thought, but what to do? "I want a vector change toward the primary. Calculate a slingshot course around AD Leonis to bring us back to the TZ Arietis gate at high velocity." Instead of moving straight toward the exit warp gate, Garret was going to head for the star, using its gravity to help his ships make an abrupt vector change back toward their destination. Hopefully the enemy, who was probably waiting along the direct route to the TZ Arietis warp gate, would think he was heading for another exit and try to pursue. At the very least, it would take his ships away from the course most likely seeded with enemy detection devices. They knew he was here, and they knew what he had, but he was damned if they were going to watch his every step.

  Garret sat in his command chair, his face grim. He hated running from a fight, but his ships had almost no missiles - they'd be at a huge disadvantage in a battle until they could resupply. He also knew he was unlikely to get out of the system without a battle. In the end he had to get through the TZ Arietis warp gate, and the enemy knew that too. Hopefully they'd deployed well in-system, but if they were near the warp gate, none of his maneuvering would matter.

  " Commander Barton, all ships are to launch probes. You are to assign search sectors to all vessels. I want to know where the enemy is, and I want to know now."

  "Yes, sir." Barton leaned over her station, working out plotting solutions. The probes were small drones, equipped with massive thrust capability and sophisticated scanners. A solar system is a massive volume, and a spaceship, even a kilometer-long battleship, is infinitesimally small in that great empty vastness. Shipboard scanners had limited effective tracking range, depending on the power output of the vessels to be detected. If they were blasting at full thrust they could be located from a considerable distance, but if they were on low power, laying in wait, it was a different matter.

  A defender typically utilizes a matrix of scanners pre-deployed around each warp gate, providing information on the composition of incoming forces. The attacker, lacking an equivalent data feed, relies on his intel on the system and the knowledge that a fixed target, such as an inhabited world, tends to compel the defensive forces to remain within a predictable range of locations. However in a situation like this, an ambush or a meeting engagement, knowledge of the enemy's whereabouts and force composition is a massive advantage. Garret had to assume his adversary knew where he was and what ships he had, while he had no idea what was waiting in the system.

  "Probes launching now, sir." Barton's voice was a little harried; she had rushed to prepare the plotting solutions as quickly as possible. The tactical AIs prepared a starting point, and could mathematically calculate the most effective plan in a purely spatial sense. But there was intuition to this as well, and a skilled tactical officer could almost divine the location to search for an enemy in a way a computer could not. "All drones set for maximum thrust."

  Garret glanced toward Barton. "Thank you, commander. You prepared that plot with commendable speed." Garret wasn't one who particularly craved praise, and he had to keep reminding himself that his staff, like most people, did. His team was a finely honed blade, and he wanted to keep them that way. "Report any contacts immediately." He leaned back, quietly staring at the main screen, currently displaying the schematic of this normally uninteresting system. Who the hell are you, he thought, and where are you lurking out there? And how did you know we would be here?

  Liang sat in his own command chair considering his next moves. The data on Garret's forces matched the information Li An had provided him. He wondered how she had gotten such precise intel; her order of battle and timing had both been almost exact. Everything was perfect. Except Augustus Garret.

  Liang had expected Garret to proceed on a straight line course to the TZ Arietis warp gate, but instead his forces had made an abrupt course change. "Garret is a sorcerer. How can he always know what is coming?" Liang spoke under his breath, for no one's ears but his own. He could feel the sweaty clamminess on the back of his neck. If Garret escaped, Liang knew he was finished. He wouldn't even be able to kill himself, because Li An would target her retribution on his family. God, that woman is evil, he thought. I must not fail.

  He watched the final update on Garret's force as it moved out of range of his last scanner buoy. "I want the enemy's course adjustment analyzed immediately. Have the computer generate likely courses based on the observed data." Liang was a competent commander, but he completely lacked the intuition and gut instincts that made an admiral like Garret so formidable.

  "Admiral Liang, sir." Commander Deng was Liang's operations officer. "Is it possible they are changing course for the 111 Tauri warp gate?"

  Liang considered the idea. He could only assume that Garret had detected his scanner buoys and was reacting accordingly. Still, even if he knew there was a threat, he couldn't know what or where yet. Liang's forces were dark, sitting motionless 30 light minutes from Garret's presumed exit warp gate. There was no way he could have picked them up.

  "111 Tauri is a dead end." Liang was skeptical. "If he is heading there he is planning to go dark and hide in the system." That doesn't sound like Garret, he thought. If he goes in there we can blockade him at the warp gate, and he's got no way to resupply. "I do not believe Admiral Garret will flee like that. He would be cut off with no means of resupply."

  "He knows we cannot stay here indefinitely, sir." Deng's voice wavered slightly. He wasn't disagreeing with the admiral exactly, but he was pressing his point more aggressively than CAC officers usually did with such highly ranked officers. "He may feel he can outwait us."

  Deng was a good officer, and Liang tended to take his advice seriously. But he just couldn't believe Garret was going to turn tail go dark in a dead end system. And it wasn't Deng who would end up being dissected by Li An's inquisitors. "No, Admiral Garret is not going to run and hide. One way or another, he is planning
to go through the TZ Arietis gate. This is an evasive maneuver, and nothing more." He stood up and stared at the large viewscreen, which displayed the plot of Garret's ships as they left the range of the scanner buoys. "All ships are to power up immediately." He turned to face Deng. "Plot a course back to the TZ Arietis warp gate. I want the fleet to assume an intercept position directly in front of the gate. Prepare a spread of probes positioned out from the gate extending our detection range." I'm not taking your bait, Liang thought. You are still planning to go to TZ Arietis, and I'm going to be right here waiting for you.

  "Dammit, they are getting smarter." Garret had intended to speak quietly to himself, though his words came out louder than he'd expected. The task force had used the gravity of the AD Leonis primary to slingshot around and change its vector, allowing it to approach the exit warp gate with far greater velocity than would otherwise have been possible. It was a complex maneuver for an entire fleet, and only Garret's crack team could have managed it. But in the end it was just a fancy way of rushing toward the warp gate right through anything that stood in the way.

  The first spread of probes had found the enemy positioned along the straight line course Garret's force would have taken had they not stumbled on the enemy scanner buoys. They'd been sitting motionless on minimal power, so the probes missed them at first, but then they powered up and began to exert thrust. Suddenly, five of Garret's drones were transmitting a steady flow of information - location, force composition, thrust direction.

  Garret now knew he faced a substantial CAC task force. The enemy outnumbered him, but not by so much that he'd run from the fight. If he had missiles and bombers that is, which he didn't. There was no way he could take on a superior force with almost no missiles. His ships would be ravaged by unanswered volleys before they were in energy weapon range. The only option was to race them to the warp gate. His slingshot maneuver had him coming in at a much greater velocity than the enemy, but he also had farther to go. It was going to be a close race, but he was going to lose it. He'd hoped the enemy commander would chase him in-system, but his adversary didn't take the bait.

  Now he was going to have to go right through the CAC force at high velocity and take whatever they dished out. The inevitable missile barrage was going to hurt, even more so because his ships were packed tightly together. At this velocity they were going to have a limited ability to quickly change vectors, and his formation was constrained by the need to insure that all his ships would pass through the transit horizon of the warp gate. Any ships that missed the gate would be left alone in the system and, presumably, hunted down and destroyed by the enemy fleet.

  He was still troubled at the enemy presence in the system. There was no strategic reason for them to be here. He couldn't imagine how they could have known that his force was coming this way - his departure had been a closely guarded secret. All communications and travel to and from Gliese had been suspended to insure that his fleet would be well away before any leaks could occur.

  "Sir, the enemy forces have reached their position. They have decelerated to nearly a dead stop, directly across our path to the warp gate." Simon's voice was tense and labored. They were all on edge, he knew...and it wasn't easy to speak at all with the g forces they were currently experiencing.

  Garret was frustrated. He was accustomed to having the initiative in a combat situation, and his crews were used to it too. But this time he was most definitely reacting, choosing the least-bad strategy since there really weren't any good options.

  "Understood, lieutenant." He took a deep breath and exhaled...not an easy thing to do at this level of acceleration. "All ships are to continue in accordance with the thrust plan." Garret had ordered the fleet AI to generate a plan to allow for maximum thrust until transit. All ships directly on a line for the warp gate would thrust full the entire time. Vessels further on the flanks of the formation would alter their thrust angles to reposition their vectors for warp gate insertion. They'd have a lot of ships going through very close to each other, but Garret didn't see any other options. As usual, none of this was by the "book," but he thought it was the best way to save his people.

  "I want all ships on full defensive alert. All crews are to focus on anti-missile defense." Even his heavy batteries would be targeted on incoming missiles. They weren't terribly effective for that kind of fire, but Garret wanted anything he could get. "Full damage control procedures." For the most part these orders were designed to make his people feel engaged. The fleet was accelerating at 10g, and the crews were pretty much stuck in their couches, uncomfortable and sluggish. But it helped if they felt they were accomplishing something. Their course was highly predictable, but there was no way around that...not if they were going to get through the warp gate.

  "Entering missile launch range now, Admiral." Simon paused, struggling to lift her head to look at her boards. "Sir, it does not appear that the enemy fleet is launching."

  Garret wasn't sure why the enemy was holding fire. Unless they were also low on ordnance, they could launch multiple unanswered volleys before his ships zipped past them and entered the warp gate. Not that it mattered. He'd done everything he could. His ships were blasting hard and heading for the warp gate. The AIs were ready for missile defense, and his crews were suited up and strapped into their couches. It was time to run the gauntlet.

  "We are well within launch range, sir." Commander Deng's voice was urgent. The enemy fleet was approaching them at high velocity; they were only going to have a brief window for missile barrages before their targets raced past them and through the warp gate. Yet Admiral Liang had held back the launch order.

  "I am aware of that, Commander Deng." Liang's tone was abrupt. He didn't like having his orders questioned under any circumstances, but there was more at stake here than Deng could know. This was no normal battle; in a sense, it wasn't a battle at all. Liang didn't care what damage he did to the Alliance fleet or even how badly his own ships were hit. All he cared about was killing one man...Augustus Johnson Garret. "I want Cromwell targeted as soon as the enemy is close enough for scanners to ID her."

  The Powers had extensive records of each others' naval rosters, particularly capital ships. When the range was close enough, the computers could easily ID individual vessels...and Liang intended to throw everything he had at one enemy ship. Normally, he wouldn't have the luxury of holding fire this long; in a normal engagement the enemy's first volleys would have reached him already, forcing him to jettison his external racks if he hadn't launched them. But Liang was facing an adversary with little or no capacity to launch a missile attack, so he could afford to wait for his target.

  "We have Cromwell identified, sir." Deng paused briefly as he scanned his readouts. "94% probability."

  Liang smiled. Good enough. "All ships are to activate external missile launchers. Fire plan codename silver dragon." Liang had programmed his own fire control directive into the computer, overriding standard target selection protocols.

  Deng's hands raced over his boards, control the flow of information to the various ships of the fleet and instructing their fire control computers to download the specified targeting directives. "Fire plan silver dragon locked into the fleet AI." He glanced at his screen. "All ships ready to launch. Awaiting fleet command order."

  Liang stared up at the main screen, where a partial schematic of the Alliance fleet was displayed, ships being added as they were scanned and identified. He took a deep breath, something he'd hardly been able to do since that day he stood before the Committee. Now he was on the verge of success. Without turning his head, he uttered a single word. "Launch."

  "Enemy launches detected! Multiple platforms." Lieutenant Simon's tone was excited, but she spoke slowly, deliberately. At 10g, that is the best she could manage.

  Nelson was telling Garret the same thing through his earpiece, but he let his crew go through the motions. He wasn't planning to reduce the acceleration rate, which meant his crew was basically out of the battle, stuck in
their couches with little to do. But it would relieve the stress and fear somewhat to feel like they were busy, so he indulged it while the AIs did the real work. "Very well, Lieutenant. Keep me advised."

  "Admiral, I am detecting an unconventional pattern on the incoming missile strike." Nelson's voice was calm and unemotional as always, untroubled by the crushing g forces. "Analyzing now."

  Simon was a few seconds behind Nelson. "Sir, we are detecting a stran..."

  "Hold that, lieutenant." Garret was waiting for Nelson's follow up. He didn't know why they'd waited so long to launch, and now he was trying to determine what they were up to.

  Nelson continued after a few seconds. "Incoming missile spread is abnormally focused." Another short pause. "Analysis of thrust patterns indicates continuing shrinkage of target area." Garret was just coming to a conclusion when Nelson confirmed his developing thought. "Admiral, it appears that the entire incoming volley is targeted at Cromwell."

  Again, Lieutenant Simon was a few seconds behind Nelson. "Admiral, the entire strike is targeting us...I mean Cromwell." Simon had tremendous poise for so young an officer, but he could hear the stress in her voice now.

  Garret forced another deep breath. Is that it, he thought...is this just a glorified assassination attempt? There was definitely an intelligence leak somewhere.

  "Admiral Garret..." Flag Captain Charles' voice followed Nelson's in Garret's earpiece. He closed the visor on his helmet so they could speak privately.

  "Yes, Byron?" Garret knew what was coming.

  "We have to get you off the ship, sir." There was extreme urgency in Charles' voice. He knew his ship was unlikely to survive the coming fight.

  "That's out of the question, Byron."

  Garret's tone had left no room for argument, but Charles wasn't dissuaded. "Sir, you know there's a good chance we won't get through this. You are giving the enemy what they want." He paused to take a labored breath. "There is still time to get you off the Cromwell before the barrage hits."