by Jay Allan
“Yes, but that’s not what I asked you.” Garret knew his comrade had to play devil’s advocate, but he was annoyed anyway.
“Yes, it occurred to me.” Compton’s admission was grudging. He was aggressive by nature, but he was still more cautious than Garret. He wanted more evidence, while Garret was ready to follow his hunch all the way. “But I’m not convinced.”
“Well I am.” Garret’s conviction was growing as he spoke. But what should he do? How could the remnants of Third Squadron derail a major CAC invasion force? “So, assuming we’re right, what do we do?”
Compton sighed. His head didn’t like the leap Garret was making, though his own gut agreed with his friend and commander. “Well, first we need to figure out what they’re planning.” He paused a few seconds, thinking. “They would need to set up some kind of logistics pipeline running through this system.” Another pause. “If you want to risk the energy output, I’ll launch a probe. We can confirm if the warp gate scanners were knocked out…or it it’s just a com failure. Then we’ll know.”
Garret hesitated. A probe could reach the warp gate with minimal thrust, but it would still increase their own chance of detection, especially if the enemy had seeded the area with their own scanner buoys. Whatever Garret and Compton were going to do, they would have to remain undetected as long as possible.
When Garret didn’t respond, Compton added, “I know it’s a risk, but I think it’s worthwhile. It’s doubtful they’d picked up a low-power probe at long range, and if they have buoys deployed, they’ve probably picked us up already anyway.”
Garret was still silent, but he realized Compton was right. If there was any kind of enemy detection grid here, it would probably have found Scorpion and Wasp when they passed through. He couldn’t be sure, but it was time to take a gamble. “Alright, Terrance. Do it.” A slight pause, then: “As little power as possible.”
“Will do.” Garret could hear Compton speaking to someone on his own bridge. “We’ll launch in two minutes, Augustus. Computing minimal thrust required to offset out current velocity and complete a level two scanning run.”
“Very well.” Garret was nodding, though Compton couldn’t see.
“Computations complete. In six hours we’ll know for sure.” Compton’s voice was slightly distracted – he was managing the probe preparations on his end.
“Good luck, Terrance. Talk to you in six hours.”
Chapter 7
Control Center
AS Wasp
Lacaille 8760 System
Approaching Asteroid Belt
Garret was watching his screen closely. The probe had left no doubt – the enemy had been there. The warp gate detection grid had been completely obliterated. There was no sign of enemy scanner buoys, however, and Garret had refused Compton’s request to have the probe execute another burn to revector for a closer inspection. He was betting the enemy didn’t bother with seeding a temporary net around their entry warp gate. From their perspective, it only led to friendly territory, and the last thing they could have expected was for two Alliance ships to transit from there. Garret could be wrong, but he felt comfortable enough with his guess that he didn’t want to increase the risk of detection. Every time they fired thrusters – on the ships or a probe – they increased the chance that anyone else in the system could pick them up on a scan.
Wasp and Scorpion were coming in slowly, heading toward the densest section of the system’s asteroid belt. The shattered remains of the system’s third planet, the belt was an ideal place to hide…or to find anyone who was trying to stay hidden. They’d had to exert significant thrust to change their own vectors, but Garret had kept it to an absolute minimum…which meant no additional burns to build velocity. They had no idea what was going on in Lacaille, or in any of the systems down the line, but stealth was the one thing they had working for them. Garret was going to hang on to it as long as possible.
“Captain, I have Captain Compton on direct laser com.” Forsten turned to face Garret as he spoke.
“Connect to my com.” Garret knew Compton wouldn’t be calling without a good reason. “Yes, Terrance. What is it?”
“We’ve had two intermittent scanner contacts.” Compton paused. “They may be nothing. With the density and makeup of this asteroid belt, it very well could be a phantom reading.”
“But you don’t think it is.” Garret knew Compton well enough to understand that Scorpion’s captain was convinced he’d found an enemy ship hiding among the asteroids.
“No.” Compton paused and sighed softly. “But it’s mostly a hunch I’m going on. That’s not a lot to justify abandoning silent running to go chasing what is probably a figment of my imagination.”
“I’m willing to go with your gut.” Garret trusted Compton’s intuition, and besides, it made sense. If the enemy had come through this system and moved on to the next, the asteroid belt is precisely where they would have hidden a scout. “Transmit the coordinates over here, and I’ll take a look and get back to you.”
“On the way. Compton out.”
Garret looked down at his display. The coordinates of Compton’s scanner contact were already there. He stared down at the figures. Intercepting the projected vessel wouldn’t require a huge vector change. If Garret buttoned his people in the shells and executed a full burn, it would take about 30 minutes to put Wasp and Scorpion on a direct trajectory for the suspected scanner sighting. It would make his tiny squadron easier to detect…blasting at full thrust was like lighting a signal flare. But if the target was sitting stationary, the rapid thrust was the likeliest way to catch them before they could accelerate and flee. Besides, if it was a scout sitting there, Garret’s ships would pass by pretty closely on their current heading – they might be detected even in silent running.
“Nelson, calculate an optimum thrust angle and duration to intercept the projected target.” Garret was still considering what to do, but in his gut he’d already decided. “Lieutenant Forsten, I want a full diagnostic on all weapons systems.” He paused then added, “And instruct Scorpion to execute the same.” He smiled. He knew Compton would think of that himself, but he couldn’t resist giving Scorpion’s CO a little jab by reminding him.
“Thrust plan ready, captain.” Nelson waited until Garret had finished speaking. “Shall I enter into the nav computer?”
“Yes…and transmit to Scorpion as well.” Garret looked around the bridge. His people had performed well, not just in the attack on the troop transports, but also in the extended flight afterwards. He was proud of them. Now maybe they’d score another kill in this campaign. “We will execute in 15 minutes.”
“Weapons diagnostic complete, captain.” Forsten had run the test quickly; Garret was impressed. He’d trained his crew hard since taking command, and now he could see the payoff. “All systems 100% operational and ready.”
Garret flipped on the shipwide com. “All personnel, I want everybody in the shells in five minutes. We will be executing a 30-minute full thrust burn. The ship’s AI will make an announcement one minute before we cut thrust. I want everyone out of the shells and back at their posts in two minutes. All personnel will take a grade two dose of stims as soon as we cut thrust. The shells have been programmed for automatic injections.” Garret paused and took a breath. “When we emerge from the shells we will be under combat conditions, approaching our target. I know I can count on each and every one of you to be at your 100% best. You have my complete confidence and my unreserved pride.”
Good, he thought…that should pump them up. He stood up and stretched slowly. Thirty minutes wasn’t a long time in the shells, but after the flight from Tau Ceti there wasn’t a spot on him that wasn’t sore already. “Ok, people, let’s go. Into the tombs.”
Chapter 8
Control Center
AS Wasp
Lacaille 8760 System
Entering Asteroid Belt
Garret could feel the excitement building inside him, the same electric f
eeling he’d had at Tau Ceti when Wasp was bearing down on the troop transport. We really caught them with their pants down there, he thought…time to do it again. Wasp and Scorpion had burst into the asteroid belt and confirmed Compton’s scanner contact was real. There they were, two CAC freighters tucked in neatly behind one of the larger asteroids, sitting at a dead stop.
“Battlestations.” Garret spoke softly, his voice betraying none of the excitement he felt. Wasp’s klaxon sounded, calling her crew to their positions. Garret sounded the red alert early. He couldn’t see it on the bridge, but he knew his people were rushing to their stations, and he wanted to give them extra time to get in position. Wasp was back on silent running, and with no acceleration and no unnecessary energy use, the ship was a zero gravity environment. His people were well-trained, but zero gee still slowed response times, no matter how much practice the crew had.
“You were right, Terry.” Garret was speaking privately with Compton – both ships were at battlestations, and the captains’ helmets were on and sealed. Suicide boat crews took survival suit protocols seriously. A battleship was a lot of dense heavy metal alloy wrapped around you, but it didn’t take much of a hit to tear open the thin hull of a fast attack ship. You didn’t want to die in agony because you were too careless to button up your suit.
“Looks like.” Compton was trying to hide his self-satisfaction. He and Garret had been trying to one-up each other since their first year at the Academy, and spotting these ships first was a definite point for him. “What do you think? Supply for an invasion force?”
“Probably.” Garret had been thinking the same thing. “We’re too far out for positive ship-class IDs, but it looks like these are a couple of big tubs.” He took a deep breath. “They could carry reloads for a serious task force. We could be sneaking up behind a major op…”
Nelson interrupted. “Captain Garret, we are detecting energy output from the enemy vessels.” There was a pause while additional readings came in. “Energy profile consistent with impending engine burn.”
“Looks like they’re going to run for it.” Garret was still listening to Nelson while he was talking to Compton.
“Yep…we’re getting that too.” Compton sounded slightly distracted…he was also getting reports while he spoke with Garret. “Should we kick things up?”
Garret was silent, thinking. Most freighters had low maximum thrust capacities, but the CAC had a few combat transports that could accelerate fairly quickly. They still weren’t close enough for positive IDs, and he wasn’t about to let these guys escape. “Prepare for 3g thrust in three minutes. That should be enough to close before they can get out of our attack arc, and at 3g we won’t need to button up in the shells.” Three gees of thrust wasn’t pleasant to sit through, but the crew could take it without any special protection.
“Got it. Three gee burn to commence in three minutes.” Compton repeated the order to his own tactical officer. Then to Garret: “Happy hunting, Augustus.”
“And to you. Let’s take these bastards down. Garret out.”
“Torpedo solution locked into firing computer, captain.” Forsten’s voice was firm and confident. Garret had really come to appreciate the skill and poise of his tactical officer. “Ready to fire on your command.”
“Very well, lieutenant.” Garret flipped his com to his AIs circuit. “Nelson, I want a 3g burn, commencing in two minutes. Synchronize with Scorpion. Thrust vector directly toward enemy vessels. Adjust to match any movement by the target.” Wasp was going after one of the freighters and Scorpion the other.
“Yes, Captain Garret. Thrust solution calculated and ready to execute.”
Garret leaned back in his chair, counting down roughly in his head. His hands tightly gripped the end of the armrest, and his legs tingled with nervous excitement. Back into battle, he thought…his second attack as commander. He’d imagined this all his life, and now he was there, leading his ship, about to attack the enemy. It was just like he’d always expected…and nothing like it too. He was tense, but he felt strangely at home, as if this was where he’d always been meant to be. He was energized by thrill of command, the exhilaration of battle, but the pressure was there too, worse than he’d imagined it. He was keenly aware that the lives of his crew hung on every decision, every word that came out of his mouth, and it bore down heavily on him.
“Prepare for engine burn in six zero seconds.” Wasp’s central AI made the announcement, acting on Nelson’s instructions.
Garret shuffled in his chair, trying vainly to position himself comfortably before the engines fired. The rest of the bridge crew was doing the same. Three gees wasn’t really dangerous, but no one was going to enjoy it either.
“Three zero seconds to burn.” The main AI’s voice was generic, not exactly mechanical, but not as natural as the individual units either.
“Captain, the enemy vessels are firing their engines. Preliminary estimates indicate thrust of 4g.” Nelson’s voice this time, in Garret’s headset. “Compensating thrust angle to match.”
Four gees…that’s about right for a freighter, Garret thought. If that’s the best they can do, we’ve got them.
“Executing thrust in 5 seconds...4, 3, 2, 1.”
The ship lurched as the engines fired, and the near-zero grav of the bridge was replaced with the crushing feeling of 3 Earth gravities. Garret breathed deeply, struggling slightly to manage it.
The enemy ships were thrusting at an angle roughly perpendicular to Wasp’s approach vector, trying to maneuver their way out of the vessel’s firing arc. Nelson had recalculated the thrust angle to compensate, but Wasp’s initial velocity was considerable and, at 3g, it would take much longer to significantly alter the ship’s composite vector. Still, unless the freighters could do better than 4g, they weren’t going to get away…at least not before Wasp and Scorpion got off a shot.
“Approaching maximum firing range, captain.” Forsten had a variety of duties, but this was his primary one. The ship’s tactical officer, he was the captain’s direct conduit to Ensign Jinks and his crew manning the weapons systems.
“Hold fire, lieutenant.” Garret’s eyes were focused like lasers on his screen. The display projected a 3-D image, showing the relative positions in space of Third Squadron and the fleeing enemy transports. “I want to get a good shot. We can get a lot closer in than this.” He glanced up, over at Forsten. “Advise Captain Compton to wait until optimum firing range as well.” Garret knew he didn’t need to tell Scorpion’s CO to hold for his best shot. If anything, Compton was cooler and more patient than he was. But there was no reason to be careless. Garret the junior officer wouldn’t have considered that; as a captain, he was steadily becoming aware that everything that happened under his command was his responsibility. If one of his people screwed up, it was their fault – and his for letting it happen.
“Nelson, confirm optimum firing range based on current acceleration and vectors.” Garret had done his own calculation; now he wanted to see how close he’d come.
“Recommended firing range is 2,435,000 kilometers.” Nelson’s response was immediate. Garret smiled – it had taken him several minutes to do his own rough estimate. “We will reach firing position in 4 minutes, 35 seconds.”
“Very well, Nelson, transfer firing instructions to Lieutenant Forsten’s station. Nelson could have handled the entire firing process, but Garret wanted to keep his tactical officer involved. He relied on Forsten for insight and input into strategy, and he felt bypassing him could only lessen his focus and attention.
“Lieutenant Forsten, Nelson is sending the firing plan to your display.” Garret looked over at the tactical station. “It’s your shot, lieutenant. Give Ensign Jinks the go-ahead when you are ready.”
“Yes, sir.” Garret could hear the enthusiasm in Forsten’s voice. Helping his junior officers develop was important to Garret, and he took it seriously. When he’d served as tactical officer on the cruiser Chicago, Captain Lissen, the CO, had been v
ery hands on. He’d micromanaged his officers and constantly second-guessed them. He was a capable officer, but toxic to his staff’s confidence and growth. Garret promised himself he would be different when he rose to command rank, and he’d never forgotten his pledge…though now he realized how difficult it could be to sit back and trust someone else with important operations.
“Approaching optimum firing point.” Forsten was calling off the attack sequence. “Tubes one and two, loaded and ready. Firing system fully charged.” The plasma torpedoes were enormously powerful weapons for a vessel as small as a fast attack ship, and firing them took almost all the power Wasp could generate.
“Ensign Jinks confirms targeting solution.” Forsten was staring down at his screen. Nelson and the attack computer had both plotted and verified the solution, but the tactical officer and chief gunner checked it anyway. Missing with a plasma torpedo was a huge waste of ordnance. Wasp carried only 8 of the weapons, and she’d expended two of those attacking the troop transport in Tau Ceti. Once all 8 were gone, the ship would have very little striking power. She had secondary weapons - two dual laser turrets and a spread of light cruise missiles, but nothing with much chance of hurting a larger ship.
“Firing solution confirmed. Torpedo launch in 20 seconds…” Wasp would have to repower its systems after firing the torpedoes. She’d be virtually non-functional for almost a minute after launch.
“Ten seconds…” And if she missed, it would be at least fifteen minutes before she could recharge the plasma system for another shot. A quarter of an hour was an eternity at close fire range; any ship moving at substantial velocity would likely pass out of fire arc and range before the system was ready to go again.