Luke watched as the Gallant, Furious, Valorous and Courageous slid into formation with the Indomitable.
“That is inspiring,” Leonessa said, watching Luke’s feed.
“Very,” Luke said.
“But a pale shadow of what the Tal and sector fleets could muster,” Suresh said.
“Stinking killjoy,” Leonessa said and then realized who she was talking to. Luke saw her glance at Suresh in concern, but the Topa was smiling.
“It is an impressive fleet though,” Suresh said. “It is in good hands.”
Leonessa looked back at her board and Luke winked at her.
Luke moved his fleet comprising Brita’s Amazon, Bruce’s Knight, and the Crusader commanded by Erica into the formation.
“This is a new sensation,” Musashi said looking over Luke’s shoulder. Luke glanced back at him.
“Acting as part of a larger fleet,” Musashi said. “You have never taken part in such a large fleet operation. A cog in the machine. No room for independent action.”
Luke shrugged. Now that Musashi mentioned it, this was weird. A massive hammer to be thrown at a target, but lately everything had seemed new and he missed the Ultio more than ever. Life had been much simpler.
“Admiral Day has probably never commanded such a large fleet,” Luke said, glad it wasn’t him.
Leonessa nodded and Luke saw she had tagged several of the destroyers filling in gaps in the wall. They have ‘AS’ designations. Athena Starship, on loan perhaps from New Alamo but crewed by crews from Athena.
“And yet he does better than most Conglomerate races with decades more experience,” Suresh said, earning a glance from Luke. Why was Suresh full of compliments?
“Why do you think that is?” Morals asked Suresh.
Suresh was silent and Luke wondered if he was still ignoring Morals when Suresh spoke.
“Politics,” Suresh finally said. “The races of the Conglomerate are enslaved to political correctness, feelings and a desire to not offend. The mission is secondary because success is assured. Humans and Bronkaw know success is not assured and are thus more focused on results rather than pandering. Not that they are immune to politics though.”
Luke nodded but noticed Morals had a smug look on his face. Trying not to scowl at the intelligence officer Luke turned his attention back to his displays. His InnerBuddy was feeding raw information to his subconscious.
“Could Eighth Fleet have been hacked?” Leonessa asked.
“Impossible,” Morals said, too quickly for Luke to be sure he wasn’t lying.
“I think the crews would have been able to take over manual control of the ships by now had that been the case,” Luke said, hacking was not new and it was a major concern for modern forces.
“Could the Battle Singers have given the Caliphate the ability to hack the human mind? Or maybe control the implants of the crews somehow?” Leonessa asked.
“Could you have been controlled by your Jupiter designed implants?” Luke asked, calling up specifications on what he could of Jupiter military implants.
“I do not think so,” Suresh said. “Jupiter implants are basic and display at least a modicum of security. Implants provide information, not control. People would not get them if they did. Are Jupiter Alliance implants different friend Morals?”
Luke noticed Suresh was staring at Morals. Did Suresh know or suspect something?
“No,” Morals said quickly, but he didn’t sound as sure as Luke would have liked.
“Are we in danger of being hacked?” Leonessa asked.
“No,” Shum said. “Conglomerate implants are designed first with security in mind. They cannot be used to control someone, that is against our moral code and one of the few moral codes we enforce on others. Besides it should be noted that Eighth Fleet as a whole turned on Fifth Fleet. The Eighth Fleet must have some new technology and a vulnerability. There were no Fifth Fleet traitors.”
“Or survivors,” Luke noted.
The Tigress took place in formation as the Armada accelerated toward Ceres. At current speed, it would be almost a day before they arrived.
“Orders from the flag,” Halsey reported and sent them to the crew.
Luke nodded. No surprises or changes. The allied fleet would advance to contact.
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
Admiral Day wants an attack
Luke and Leonessa sat beside each other, with Halsey, Brita and Bruce nearby. There were too many faces and if Luke concentrated their name rank and position appeared but Luke was too uncomfortable with so many people present to focus on anyone specific. All the Captains and task force leaders were present. Luke looked around him. There were several Bronkaw present as well, but they appeared human sized in this human briefing room, and the Caleet were a little larger than normal.
“With Eighth Fleet protecting them, their missile screen is very impressive,” Admiral Day said looking out over his officers, his head rotating to look around him like a turret seeking a target. “Fighters are hard pressed as well, and we have lost over thirty percent of them with no significant results to the tight integration between Eighth fleet and the juggernauts.”
“We close into knife range,” Captain Kakawa said, Captain of the NAS Gallant.
“Looks like it,” Admiral Day said. “We have better weapons and we can withstand their mass drivers for a lot longer than they can withstand our plasma lances.”
Luke stared at the display. It made sense. Finish off the Caliphate quickly and then prepare for the Battle Singers. If the fleet moved aggressively enough, they could overwhelm the Caliphate and their Eighth Fleet allies, the Armada should have a distinct advantage in closer range combat where they also had better maneuverability.
“Then we advance and crush them,” Fleet Marshal Chorak of the Bronkaw said. “These asteroid ships cannot withstand our combined might. They do not have real armor.”
Admiral Day nodded but Luke felt uneasy. Everyone wanted to move forward and attack. It felt like the right thing to do. Even Suresh was nodding in agreement, but there would be casualties. Luke glanced at Leonessa. Now she was an integral part of his life he did not want to lose her. Fleeing the battle was not an option, but neither was rushing into the teeth of unknown vessels. It seemed too simple.
“If the fight is brutal, it will leave us heavily damaged so when the Battle Singers arrive they will find us crippled,” Luke said. There had to be a way without endangering the fleet and Leonessa.
The Admiral looked at Luke with disapproval.
“What do you propose?” Admiral Day said. “Stand back and pummel them at long range? What happens if the Battle Singers arrive in the middle of this? We will have two battles to fight and our chance of victory will drop. We can’t crush them quickly at long range and the Battle Singer can use the Caliphate fleet to crush us between a rock and a hammer.”
“And if we close in and suffer heavy casualties Admiral?” Luke asked. “The Battle Singers will roll over us.”
Taking a deep breath Day calmed himself.
“All of our simulations, based on current intelligence, and evaluations of enemy capabilities, show our best chance of defeating the enemy is to move into close range,” Day said. “They do not have plasma canon, or heavy magnetic shields. Their mass drivers and rail guns do not have a high rate of fire either.”
“What if they have plasma canon and plasma lances?” Luke said and Day shook his head.
“We have seen no sign they do,” Day said. “Even the Tonkan, Vress and others that attacked the Bronkaw did not use plasma weaponry. The Battle Singers are not arming their slaves with such weapons. It appears to be the one advantage we have. Our plasma weapons have superior penetration and damage. The Bronkaw mass drivers are also significantly more powerful and have a much higher rate of fire.”
“But the Battle Singers used plasma weapons in the Vress home system,” Luke said. “They used weapons we still haven’t classified.”
“We have not
seen Caliphate forces use anything like that,” Day said and Luke could tell he was trying the Admiral’s patience but Luke felt something was wrong.
“Why would the Caliphate be different?” Day asked.
“I would recommend standing off and hitting with long range strikes,” Luke said. “There is something here I don’t trust. Something isn’t right.”
Day stared at Luke. Everyone could tell the Admiral was holding back an angry tirade, but Luke was the hero of Josaka and Naantali. Nobody should be questioning his bravery.
Luke looked around the faces locked on his and Luke noticed Day’s eyes flicker to Leonessa.
Did they see past him? Did they see he wanted to protect Leonessa? Had he lost his edge?
Finally, Day nodded.
“I am in command,” the Admiral said more patiently. “The juggernauts have demonstrated enough maneuverability to reduce the effectiveness of a long-range plasma lance bombardment so, if we want to finish this quickly, we must move into close range and engage them. That is what we will do, it will be a tough fight but we can win it.”
Luke nodded but he couldn’t help feeling this was the wrong decision and he might lose Leonessa.
Which made little sense. These risks had not stopped him before. What was happening? Why was he suddenly the voice of caution? His eyes returned to Leonessa.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Aboard the Juggernaut
Two ghostlike shuttles slid into the hangar and spun around as their ramps dropped revealing a very un-ghost like interior. The first figure out was wearing Jupiter Marine armor. The Marine net identified her as SSG BERRY. Warbots poured out of the shuttle, moving with a purpose.
Around her Jupiter Marines nervously watched the newcomers but nobody fired. Moving across the bay Berry approached Sarah. Behind her came two other figures in battle dress that differed greatly from Jupiter Marine armor. The Marine net identified the first one as ‘MJR PORTER(Allied)’ and the second one as ‘LT-D GLADIUS1(Allied)’.
Berry came up to Sarah, and they hugged as Major Porter looked around. He was seeing the hanger in person now and it differed from viewing it through someone else’s view.
“You are in command,” the Major said after a deep breath. “I am here to help.”
Sarah nodded as Gladius1 and someone else named Gladius2 moved out with numerous warbots toward Staff Sergeant Walter’s position. Walter was Silva’s platoon sergeant and in command of the 788th Commando since Silva had died about an hour ago leading a counterattack to rescue a cut off squad. She saw several other figures in the New Alamo Marine armor among the warbots, but there were far too many warbots per Marine.
“Scans show some very large chambers full of supplies,” Porter said. “I would recommend we try to push through to them. If we can do that, we will have more room to maneuver. I suspect there are only so many drones aboard this vessel or they would have committed them to battle before now.”
“Why haven’t the Caliphate forces committed their Janissaries?” Sarah asked feeling better. Standing before her was the person responsible for the voice that had kept her Marines alive for the last many hours.
“I’m guessing because this ship has none,” Porter said. “It is a large vessel and right now our Intelligence sources suspect it is just a supply ship, not a warship.
“None?” Sarah asked, and the Major shrugged.
“Our fighters have stopped about three waves of shuttles that tried to approach this juggernaut. We’ve lost a lot of drones, but shuttles are easy prey,” Porter said.
Sarah nodded.
“Then we punch our way to those large rooms and spread out,” Sarah said.
“We will,” the Major said and Sarah could hear a smile in his voice. “You have the firepower now. If you can get your casualties to the shuttles I will see about getting a window opened so we can evacuate them. No promises but we have better medical facilities on our shuttles.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said, wishing she could find a quiet space and get a few hours of sleep. Instead she triggered another stimulant. She wouldn’t be able to rest for many hours yet. With the Major’s help, the Alliance Marines had pushed back the damned drones and make headway but all her Marines were exhausted. Reinforcements would make all the difference for the Marines that had been fighting almost non-stop for nearly a day.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
Preparing to Attack Juggernauts
“You need to see this Admiral,” Captain Walt said over a link. Leonessa was nearby in the conference room and linked in.
A display appeared, a video that was not playing yet. The preview screen was a Battle Singer droid. Luke had seen enough of them on Suresh’s ship.
“Topa Suresh?” Luke sent, inviting the Topa into the conference.
“Yes Shoka?” the Topa said.
“Play,” Luke said. It was a short clip of Jupiter Alliance Marines in combat against the Battle Singer droids.
“Does anybody besides the Battle Singers use such combat drones?” Luke asked.
“No,” the Topa said. “The drones use a technology we have not allowed in the Conglomerate since the war against the Battle Singers.”
“The Battle Singers are backing the Caliphate,” Luke said.
“There is no longer any doubt,” Suresh said.
“Did the Vress or Tonkan ever reveal they have Battle Singer drones?” Luke asked Captain Walt.
“No sir,” the intelligence droid said. “The only instances I have seen in all my archives of Battle Singer drones are aboard the Topa’s vessel and now, aboard juggernaut four.”
“What else have the Battle Singers given the Caliphate?” Luke asked.
“That is most likely all,” Suresh said. “Suraf is not trusting. I am surprised he has given the Caliphate such drones. It must be dire need on his part.”
“Or something else,” Luke said. Suresh shrugged.
“Do all the juggernauts have Battle Singer drones?” Luke asked staring at the display. “Why aren’t they among the Caliphate troops on Ceres?”
“I do not have an answer,” Suresh said and Walt shook his head.
“Why on that one juggernaut?” Luke asked. “What can you tell me about it?”
Captain Walt nodded and brought up a diagram of two juggernauts.
“Juggernaut four does not appear to have the kilometer-long mass drivers,” Walt said. “Or heavy weapons. The drive does not appear to be as powerful as the others and it is lagging. If I had to guess I would say it is a supply ship and may have several manufactories and such aboard to replenish missiles and drones.”
“Each juggernaut is large enough to have manufactories,” Luke said. “Why allocate that to one juggernaut?”
“Perhaps they do not have the resources to equip each juggernaut?” Walt said. “Time constraints, resource and personnel constraints keep them from equipping each juggernaut.”
“Could your brother be on that juggernaut?” Luke asked.
“He will not leave his ship,” Suresh said.
“Do you think he is far away?” Luke asked.
“No,” Suresh said. “I suspect he is here in this system, waiting for something.”
“For the fleet to attack the Caliphate,” Luke said.
“They are his slaves,” Suresh said. “He is unlikely to abandon them or let their strength be depleted so badly.”
“Unless he has a lot more,” Halsey said.
“Earth?” Luke asked but Halsey shook his head.
“There is a New Alamo battle cruiser near Earth,” Halsey said. “The Octavius is not reporting any other juggernauts, although there appear to be a few still under construction they are obviously not near done.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Luke said. “I’ll bet their weapons are the first thing operational, and anyone attacking Earth will get a nasty surprise.”
Halsey nodded.
“I have to agree with Admiral Day though,” Suresh said. “We need to attack those juggernauts whil
e Suraf is absent.”
“Agreed,” Shum said.
Luke looked between the spacial display and the video showing the Jupiter Marines fighting the Battle Singer drones. Why were the drones aboard that juggernaut? Some secret weapon? Were other, more valuable, vassals of Suraf aboard?
“Do you feel it also?” Leonessa sent on a private channel.
“Yes,” Luke sent. “Something isn’t right. It looks like our only option is to attack the Caliphate now.”
“Everyone seems to think it is the only way,” Leonessa sent.
“You feel it is wrong too, don’t you?” Luke sent.
“Yes,” Leonessa sent. “It scares me.”
“Tell me more about those Jupiter Marines on juggernaut four,” Luke said.
“They are being supported by the NAS Cincinnatus,” Walt said. “They are from the Fifth Fleet and assaulted the last juggernaut at the same time the Eight Fleet turned on the Fifth Fleet.”
“Why is it they have not been overrun by Janissaries?” Luke asked.
“It does not look like they have fought any. They have only been attacked by the drones,” Walt said. “Perhaps all Janissaries were launched toward Ceres and they have none remaining?”
“You think?” Luke asked.
“No,” Walt said. “In fact, juggernaut four did not launch any shuttles toward Ceres. I suspect it must have a Battle Singer manufactory or resources on it that Suraf wants to protect and does not want the Caliphate near.”
“It is most likely a supply and support ship and may be incomplete,” Shum said. “One reason it is trailing the others. It would explain why the Jupiter Marines managed to board it as well and why resistance is so light. There may even be factories and such aboard. A mobile base with facilities and stores for a long-term campaign. It is not heavily armed because it is not expected to enter battle.”
Luke brought up a display of the juggernaut, then he brought up a display of one of the other three. At first, the differences were minimal. Each of the juggernauts was over ten kilometers long and over four kilometers in diameter weighing in at over five hundred thousand gravons, they were massive. In many places, there was a black solar panel type cloth that had been wrapped around the hull making them seem more alien and mysterious, but beneath the scorched remains of the cloth was the pitted hull of the original nickel core asteroid layered with foamcrete.
New Empires: Conglomerate Series Book 3 Page 29