___________________________
26th July 2066
The buzzer over the bunk trilled angrily.
Lewis fumbled for it, before slurring "Yes."
"Sorry to wake you, Admiral. A signal has been received from the FTL relay station Alpha four. A force consisting of at least forty vessels has been detected by a sensor satellite transiting through system A287-280."
Lewis rubbed his eyes while he tried to get his brain into gear.
"I am right in thinking that system is nearly half way between Baden and Earth?" He asked eventually.
"That is correct Admiral." The voice at the other end of the intercom confirmed unhappily.
"Wake my staff please. I’ll be up directly."
"Our original projections were based on the assumption that the earliest the Nameless could reach Earth would be the morning of the first of August. Perhaps as little as two hours ahead of the leading elements of the Second Fleet" Said Admiral Wingate to the Council. "The new information shows that the assumption was wrong."
"What does this mean in practical terms, Admiral?" President Clifton asked with a worried frown on her face.
"There are two plausible explanations. The first is that a second Nameless Fleet got in behind Baden before the attack. The second is they are moving faster than we anticipated. If it is the former then we can expect them at least one day ahead of the Second Fleet, if the later, at least two days. I stress the words at least."
"So what are you saying? Their jump technology is better than ours?"
"We know so little about the Nameless, so we’re basically guessing." Lewis said. His form shimmered for a moment as the signal from Warspite shifted from one satellite to another. "We have no idea what their design philosophy is. A speed advantage could be attributed to more internal volume being dedicated to the propulsion system. However the most likely scenario at this point is that a second Nameless force did get in behind Baden before the attack."
"How can there be this uncertainty? Do we not have means of tracking their progress?" The German Chancellor demanded.
"With respect, sir, space is very big. In every system the Nameless have so far passed through the only human presence has been observation satellites. Those satellites have no FTL, they only have EMDs. It takes time for those message drones to reach an FTL relay station. The fact that we aren’t receiving follow up messages from those observation satellites probably means they are being taken out or forced to self destruct."
"How could they even have found out so much about us? Enough to launch an attack, how is that even possible?" Asked the Chinese Premier.
"If they found our Homeworld, then if they listened long enough and sifted hard enough, there is very little radio intercepts couldn’t tell them." Wingate replied.
"Does this change things?" Clifton asked.
Lewis and Wingate exchanged unhappy looks.
"Yes madam President, it changes things. It changes things a great deal. The situation has just become far more serious. Paul can you run the Council through it?"
"Yes, sir. Our core problem is that it now appears likely that the Home Fleet will have to hold out for an extended period, at the very least twenty four hours. That forces us to change our tactical plans drastically. Our original plan was to wait until the enemy made real space re-entry, then move to engage them as far away from Earth as possible. If we could force a fleet engagement it would have hurt, a lot. But even if they destroyed the Home Fleet in detail the enemy would have been forced to pause to refuel and rearm. That would have bought the time for our detached forces to arrive. However, while this approach would have bought us hours there is no possibility of it buying days."
"Then what is the alternative Admiral?"
"I need all Council member to understand the situation I am facing. I have at my disposal one new battleship, one old battleship, twelve cruisers and eighteen destroyers. I may be able to add some older decommissioned ships to that, but to all intense and purposes those ships will be meat-shields at best. It is my intention to shift the orbits of our major orbital construction facilities to bring them closer together." Lewis replied. "Once that is done, it is my intention to form up with the orbital fortresses of Planetary Defence over the top of them, until the rest of the fleet arrives.”
"Erm… Perhaps I’m missing something, but don’t see how that protects the planet Admiral." Prime Minister Michael Layland asked hesitatingly.
Lewis turned slightly to look the Prime Minister directly in the eye.
"It doesn’t, sir." He replied emotionlessly.
There was silence. The eyes of the Council member darted between the two admirals. Several Council members openly looked as if they were wondering whether the commanders of the fleet had gone mad. Even the military personnel at the table looked shocked.
"Council members, you must be entirely clear, we are facing potential disaster. The Nameless are essentially mounting a Blitzkrieg style attack, in effect, an attempt to land a single knockout blow. I do not have the numbers to defend the surface. That fact would not change if I had twice the ships I have. I could spread forces out in upper orbit, but if I do so the Home Fleet will be destroyed a piece at a time." Lewis’s voice remained calm and even.
"Admiral how–" Clifton started
"Council Members, more importantly there is the construction platforms themselves. They are the product of over thirty years of investment. They could not be replaced in less than two decades. I cannot overstate the importance of those platforms. Without them we cannot build ships, we cannot repair ships, even re-supplying them becomes more difficult. In effect if they are destroyed, this war will be lost at a stroke."
"But Admiral that will leave most of the planet exposed."
"That is true madam President, but we must be cold blooded and accept we, we as the human race, can survive without a number of our major cities. But if we lose our orbital facilities we lose… everything."
The shocked silence returned to the room. Even a number of fleet officers looked shaken by the pronouncement.
"Surely admiral– " The German Chancellor started.
"I’m afraid not Mister Chancellor." This time it was Wingate interrupting. "We’ve run this through every simulator and used every tactical officer we have. Admiral Lewis’s resources are simply not equal to the tasks he faces; if we try to defend orbit we’ll be weak everywhere and strong nowhere. This proposal is in effect the best of a bad set of options. We’ve deployed a number of couriers across their presumed route to Earth in an attempt to open a dialogue. But I am not hopeful. Nothing we have seen so far indicates that they lack resolve. I believe a direct attack on Earth isn’t just possible but now probable. Planetary Defence’s ground based missile batteries and fighter squadrons should be able to soften the blow but we still must brace ourselves, for we are going to be hit hard."
___________________________
The courier ship L12 made realspace re-entry right at the edge of Earth’s mass shadow. The little ship didn’t respond to radio challenges and a squadron of fighters were ordered to intercept. Three quarters of an hour later Admiral Lewis walked into the sickbay of the cruiser Io.
"Well?"
"His name is Petty Officer Van Chuong; the other two were already dead, radiation poisoning." The cruiser’s captain told him. "Going by the state of the engines they must have run red hot with barely any cool down time."
"What about the computer core?"
"The data storage units have been corrupted by radiation, sir. Given time we should be able to recover the data."
"Time, captain, is now at too high a premium for us spend it carelessly." Lewis replied in voice so emotionless it caused the captain to wince. "What is the condition of the survivor?"
Io’s doctor stepped forward.
"He isn’t a survivor admiral, he simply hasn’t died yet." The ship’s doctor replied quietly. "He is in the final stages of radiation sickness. I can keep the pain down, but that�
�s all I can do for him."
"Can he talk?"
"No, sir, he’s heavily sedated."
"Wake him up."
"Sir. That is quite impossible." The doctor replied flatly.
"That wasn’t a request doctor." Lewis replied in a low and dangerous voice.
"Admiral, medical matters are not subject to usual–"
"Doctor you will obey orders or I will have you arrested. And then I will find someone who can do as they’re told!" Lewis snarled. "Now do it!"
The doctor visibly flinched he looked appealingly to his captain but found no support there.
"This is against my advice." He said nervously.
"Noted." Lewis snapped. "Get on with it."
The doctor trotted over to the patient and turned off a medication dispenser before filling a syringe.
"This will quite likely kill him." He warned again as he brought the syringe to the patients arm.
"You’ve already said he’s dying anyway." Lewis replied flatly. With an unhappy expression the doctor pushed the syringe in.
"I’ve given him a stimulant; if he’s going to come round at all, it will be in the next few minutes."
"Very well, leave me with him. Both of you."
As the doctor and captain left Lewis pulled up a chair next to the dying man. For nearly ten minutes there was no change, then his breath started to quicken. His crusted eyes began to open and after a few moments focused on Lewis.
"Petty Officer Chuong do you understand me?" Lewis asked.
Chuong opened his mouth, his lips cracked and bled and his voice came out as a weak croak. Lewis poured a glass of water and helped Chuong to lean forward to drink.
"Where am I?" Chuong whispered as Lewis helped him back."
"On board the Io, Earth orbit."
"Thank god." Chuong replied painfully. "My crew?"
Lewis shook his head.
"What happened at Baden PO, tell me what happened." Lewis asked his voice low.
Chuong’s breathing quickened and his hand clamped painfully around Lewis’s arm as he half levered himself up.
"The Nameless, their ships." He gasped. "They made jump-in inside the mass shadow! They took the fleet totally by surprise."
Lewis went white as a sheet.
"Are you certain! Are you sure?" He demanded.
"Yes." Chuong breathed as he sank back, his brief energy exhausted. "With my own eyes. One dropped in less than a hundred clicks from us. We were thousands of kilometres inside the Red Line."
Lewis jumped to his feet and paced back and forth across the sick bay with nervous energy.
"Did any of our ships get clear?"
"Few." Chuong replied his voice fading.
Lewis started towards the hatch then paused and returned to the cot.
"Can I do anything for you PO?"
Chuong’s eyes flickered towards the pain killer dispenser. Lewis flicked the switch and the medication started to pump into the dying man’s veins. As Lewis turned away Chuong whispered.
"My crew’s families, tell them I’m sorry."
___________________________
Admiral Lewis felt old. For over thirty years he had done everything in his power to be ready for another war, and now the starters pistol had been fired and suddenly all the rules had been changed. He was standing on the Flag Bridge of the Warspite, humanities newest and most powerful starship, and yet she could already be as obsolete as the nautical battleships of the twentieth century.
Every one of the past few days had brought new information. With each new revelation he had adjusted his plans to compensate but this final one he could not see away past. He had simply never considered the possibility of the Nameless willingly seeking combat inside plasma cannon range. The encounter by Mississippi had shown that once in range, plasma cannons could quickly take the ships of the Nameless apart. But you couldn’t keep ships at red alert indefinitely; neither the crews nor even the ships would be able to take it. The Nameless would be able to choose their moment and simply drop in around his fleet like they had Baden, guaranteeing that they would get the first shot, half the Home Fleet would be gone before they realized they were fighting.
Certainly the plan to hold station above the orbital construction facilities was now out. He could pull the fleet out of Earth orbit and keep them moving. That would give them space and headway to take evasive manoeuvres, but leave Earth uncovered and there was no point in saving the fleet if Earth didn’t survive.
No, the best possibility for buying Earth the time and space they needed would be to bring the Nameless to action in a time and place of his own choosing. His lips twisted in a bitter smile, time and place of his choosing? Merely the desire of every military leader ever. The Nameless Fleet was making re-entry in every system between Baden and Earth. The point of entry was roughly in the same place relative to the local star. Three couriers that had been on route to or from Landfall had been ordered into those locations in an attempt to make diplomatic contact. But Lewis had no more faith in anything coming of that than his boss did.
He had considered taking the Home Fleet to one of these locations to intercept. And rejected it. There was enough variation in the Nameless’s re-entries to make a guarantee of interception impossible. If they failed to force contact they would have left Earth exposed.
Lewis pushed himself over to the bridge view port and pressed himself down. Once they came into contact with the deck plating the small magnets in his boots held him down. Below him was Earth; even after thirty years in space it was a view he found breathtakingly beautiful. But in his mind’s eye he could see Earth burn beneath nuclear fire.
He turned abruptly back to the bridge display holo, there had to be a solution if only he could…. An icon blinked at the edge of the display. The Dauntless, plus tender, plus two escort destroyers, all about to arrive in Alpha Centauri. The Nameless force would pass through Alpha Centauri within the next fifty hours. There was an FTL transmitter on Alpha Centauri Three, an old one dating from when they were being developed. It wasn’t manned but it was still serviceable. Transmission lag time would be short, less than thirty minutes over such a distance.
"Tim, what is the shortest transit the Home Fleet can make to Alpha Centauri?"
Sheehan was the only other person on the Flag Bridge, well used to his admiral’s moods he had been waiting quietly at the rear of the bridge, now he started to type instructions into his pad.
"Least time transit, two and half hours, sir. That will require the cruisers Hood, Hurricane, Tempest, and Whirlwind to be towed, assuming they get any of them going in the first place. Without them we can shave off fifteen minutes."
Lewis nodded slowly as he considered the possibilities.
Each time the Nameless dropped into realspace it was outside any planetary mass shadow, probably to save on wear and tear to their drives. In theory that made them vulnerable to an enemy jumping directly into contact, just as they had done to Baden. But without knowledge of position, the chance of actually forcing contact would be damn near negligible.
On the other hand, if the Nameless could be held in place for three hours, that would give the fleet time to make the passage. The fleet could then drop into realspace inside energy range. If Dauntless failed to make contact or land a strike, the fleet would still be close enough to Earth to offer battle in the planets defence.
"Tim, contact Admiral Wingate, I’m going to need to speak to both him and the Council."
___________________________
"Thank you Admiral Lewis." Wingate said.
The Council chamber was silent, apart from the tap of Lewis’s shoes as he returned to his seat. The atmosphere in the chamber had been tense when the meeting started, now, there was an edge of real panic in the air.
Wingate studied the faces of the council members. A week ago their biggest worries had been the state of the economy, their position in the opinion polls and other assorted political concerns. Now they were facing a threat on a
global scale, and a pair of fleet officers, who were offering no real solutions.
"Admiral, this plan… it seems to have weaknesses." Clifton said eventually.
Farooqui slammed his fist down.
"Weak? Weak! This isn’t weak, this is madness!" He pointed an accusing finger at Wingate. "You told us that the fleet would hold and protect us. Now you want to run away, to run away and to leave us!" A restraining hand appeared on the Indian Prime Ministers shoulder, a ghostly form appeared as an adviser stepped into the pick up for the hologram system. The figure whispered urgently in Farooqui’s ear, and the Prime Minister visibly controlled himself.
The room went utterly silent.
"Admiral Wingate, this seems like a very drastic course, based on the reports of a dying man." Layland said.
"That is true. We cannot discount the chance that the man was raving-"
"No."
All eyes shifted to Lewis.
"Those men knew the consequences of their actions. They could have chosen to make for Landfall, they could have chosen to take the time to re-rig the ship, to fly it from the engine room." Lewis’s voice was flat, without any inflection at all. "Instead they chose to make for Earth without the protection of a radiation screen. They chose, Council members, to subject themselves to a lethal dose of radiation. They chose to die in a particularly lingering and painful manner, to bring us that information. That, Council members, is why I am treating the information provided by the courier crew, as gospel unless or until information that directly contradicts it turns up."
"I’d still like independent debriefing of the survivor Cody." said Clifton. "I can have specialists there in about an hour."
"I’m afraid that isn’t possible, I received word just before the start of this meeting, that the last survivor of the courier has died." Wingate replied grimly.
"The Pentagon has made a number of-"
"Yes Madam President, I’ve read the document, while we welcome the contribution the United States Military, plus of course the various national militaries. However there are sufficient problems, with all proposals, to make them impractical." Wingate said diplomatically.
The Nameless War Page 16