by S. H. Jucha
Alex sent.
“You have it,” Suntred replied, with a slight intake of breath and the resulting whistle.
“How will we play this role of decoy, Alex?” Sargut asked.
Alex laid out his plan in detail. When he finished, silence ruled the comm connection. He waited patiently for Sargut to absorb the gambit. When the grand commander replied, it was with a long whistle.
“You’re a devious leader, Alex,” Sargut said. “This message will take time to relay.”
Sargut and Suntred entered into a discussion with the bridge officers. When it finished, Suntred replied, “Some believe three cycles, some four, Alex.”
“What will be the signal for us?” Sargut asked.
The question had Alex considering his plan, and he decided a slight adjustment was in order. He pulled up the wireframe model on the holo-vid and studied it. Three of the advanced fleets were near enough to probes that their detonations might result in ship damage.
“Artifice is a practitioner of totality, Alex, as you might have noticed,” Sargut replied. “The elder races have the more capable ships. They afford Artifice a measure of greater protection. However, we’ve suffered longest under its rule, which means Artifice has less reason to trust us. When we commit the first act of treachery, Artifice will want to test the commitment of the other elders. They will be sent against us. Two fleets will have an opportunity to intercept us before we reach Toral. Artifice will calculate that they can slow us, if not defeat us. It will send the other fleets to ensure that we’re decimated and to ensure their loyalty.”
Z had received the latest scout ships’ telemetry via Miriamtess. He activated the portable holo-vid and calculated the fleet’s positioning from the probe that Alex indicated.
-25-
Five Cycles Remain
The conference room holo-vids were active. One displayed the wireframe model of the Talus system, and the other was occupied with the desired close ups.
Alex and his senior staff sat around the table, and Cordelia had linked the Trident admirals to a holo-vid. A moment of sadness swept through the group, as the admirals came online. They were one short. Svetlana was missing.
“Let’s take the targets one at a time, assign responsibilities, and detail the tactics and requirements,” Alex announced forcefully to override the emotion gripping the Omnians. “This meeting will focus on everything up to the surface action. That will be dealt with later. Julien, the probes.”
“Thirty of them are stationed twelve degrees apart,” Julien said, stating what was already known, “but that, in and of itself, is telling. The probes have been in place for millennia. The SADEs, who have interstellar transport experience, say the symmetrical separation is impossible to maintain without maneuvering capability. It might be subtle, but they assure us that it’s definitely there.”
“Then this will be like Sol,” Reiko said. “We can expect the probes to hide from the banishers.”
“Cordelia, how many banishers are available throughout the fleet?” Alex asked.
“Eighty-six, Alex,” Cordelia replied.
“We can’t successfully launch a banisher that is meant to make contact via a probe signal, when the target intends to move,” Mickey commented.
“True,” Alex replied. “You and your team will have to get to work on that.”
Alex allowed some time for Mickey and Miriam to communicate, knowing that the assignment was being handed off, while the group waited.
“How many of the banishers should we convert?” Mickey asked.
“Turn them into missiles, Mickey,” Alex said. “Add targeting capabilities and detonation of the energy cells on demand.”
“And, if I might suggest, Alex,” Miriamal’s voice was heard over one of the holo-vid speakers, “there should be the ability to disconnect the controller’s comm at launch.”
“Good point, Miriamal,” Alex replied. “Artifice will surely try to overtake the banishers and use them against our ships if it can.”
“The question remains,” Reiko said. “How many banishers will be assigned to the Tridents that are to take out the probes?”
Alex regarded Julien, who said, “One per Trident is too few to guarantee successful elimination of all the probes, and two reduces the supply of available banishers by nearly seventy percent.”
There was some uncomfortable shifting in seats by humans, and the SADEs ran probability statistics based on the positioning of the probes and the distances to areas of concealment.
“Could we apportion one-and-a-half banishers to each Trident?” Franz quipped, which eased the tension in the room. “Seriously, there is another option,” he added.
Alex eyed Franz, who turned to Julien and Mickey. “Julien, suppose Mickey can develop the banisher’s visual targeting and interpretive intelligence, if the probe hides, and suppose the explosion of its power cells can set off a probe within a reasonable distance, what’s the probability of eliminating a probe with one banisher?”
“Franz, because I know you well,” Julien replied, “I believe your question requires serious consideration, but there’s insufficient data to calculate that probability.”
“Which means that if we gave the Tridents two banishers, the probability would remain incalculable,” Franz said, tapping a fist on the table to emphasize his point.
“Well-reasoned,” Julien said, tipping his head to Franz.
“Franz, you’ve convinced us that whether we load the Tridents with one or two banishers, there’s no means of calculating our success. Are you offering an alternative?” Alex inquired.
“Yes, but not with banishers,” Franz replied, “I suggest we use fighters.
Mickey was horrified. “Franz, if the travelers get within beam distance of the probes, they’ll be annihilated.”
“I know that,” Franz said with determination. “Keep in mind that we have nine battleship fleets out there. We’re counting on six to be on our side. What if some of them are planning treachery? Furthermore, what if we have to block the three smaller fleets if they run for it carrying Artifice’s destruct codes?”
“Your point?” Reiko asked her partner.
“It’s this,” Franz said. “The Tridents and the banishers are our greatest weapons against the battleships. We can’t waste either of them, prosecuting the probes. The fighters have to play a role in this fight to keep the odds in our favor.”
Alex searched for a way to argue the point with Franz, but he couldn’t find one. “What do you suggest, Franz?”
“Use one banisher per Trident against the probes,” Franz replied. “If we’re fortunate, we’ll eliminate all or most of them. Then we use fighters to destroy the rest. You said it yourself, Alex, we have to curtail Artifice’s ability to signal the fleets
from the comm platforms to the probes within the time restriction of the planned masquerade.”
Alex regarded Franz evenly. The two men held each other’s gaze, while one waited and the other deliberated.
“One probe it is,” Alex said, settling the discussion.
“Prosecution strategy?” Reiko asked.
“This will be part of the master timing,” Alex replied. He accessed the holo-vid with the wireframe model and populated it with Tridents stationed in the dark and on the ecliptic plane.
“On cycle four, twenty-nine Tridents will transit up and around the system and align their ships with the ecliptic plane to target the probes,” Alex continued. “On cue, which is when Sargut’s ship detonates the first probe, they accelerate to add velocity to the banisher and the single traveler that they’ll launch.”
Alex eyed Franz to underscore his directive to launch only a single fighter. “If the banisher is successful, the fighter rejoins the Trident. If not, it prosecutes the probe.”
“Then what?” Reiko asked.
“Then they wait,” Alex said quietly.
“Wait? Wait for what?” Reiko pressed.
Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Franz phrased it well,” he said. “Who knows what the fleets will do after Sargut begins the fight? We have to wait and see. There’s no use moving those twenty-nine Tridents around without any idea of where to send them.”
Reiko grudgingly agreed with Alex’s assessment of the problem. “Moving on,” she said. “The comm platforms will be dangerous for any Trident that gets near them.”
“And you have volunteers,” Ellie said, “and, yes, it’s Senior Captain Descartes requesting permission for his squadron to destroy the comm platforms.”
As a SADE, Descartes understood the challenges. The number of platforms that had to be destroyed was one challenge. Artifice was another. The longer the Tridents stayed in proximity to Artifice’s comm platforms, the more likely they would succumb to the entity’s attack.
“Add the captain to the conference, Cordelia,” Alex requested.
“Greetings, Alex,” Descartes said, when he was linked, his voice emanating from the holo-vid.
“How do you see your squadron eliminating the platforms, Captain?” Alex asked.
“I approach from above the ecliptic, Alex. The de Long captains approach from below. The scout ships’ telemetry shows the platforms are arrayed around the planet on the ecliptic. This is the federacy’s great weakness. We launch banishers, the tweaked ones Mickey will supply.”
Alex reviewed the details of the planet. “Twelve platforms,” he said. “If your squadron’s Tridents are meant to maintain their acceleration as they approach and pass the planet, you’ll only have time to launch six banishers. If you attempt twelve, you’ll have to greatly reduce the velocity of your approach. That’s an unacceptable risk.”
“Admiral Reiko,” Alex said. “If you accept the captain’s squadron as volunteers, you’ll need a second squadron. Each Trident will be equipped with two banishers. Captain Descartes can coordinate the approach.”
When Reiko agreed, Cordelia dropped Descartes out of the comm loop.
“And the timing, Alex?” Reiko asked.
“Yes, the timing,” Alex echoed quietly. No matter what they did, Artifice would have the time, as a formidable digital entity, to recognize the Toralians’ actions and take steps to avenge their treachery.
Alex closed his eyes and created a new link with Julien.
Alex requested. When the fleet’s SADEs were connected, Alex sent,
The permutations expounding on the answers to Alex’s questions were best solved by the SADEs with their varying backgrounds. Certainly, Alex would be the first to admit that the amassing of the relevant data, the conjectures, and the calculations were far beyond his skills.
While time passed, Alex connected with Renée. Knowing how deeply Alex was involved in his meeting, Renée was mystified by the contact.
“Oh,” Renée muttered, which her implant transmitted.
Alex was stunned.
Alex opened his eyes. “On the subject of timing, the SADEs don’t have an answer,” he said.
The eyes of amazed faces darted toward the SADEs in the room. Their digital partners had been able to calculate probable solutions to enormous problems before now, and the fleet had never needed the SADEs’ help more than this time.
“So, we’ll depend on fortune,” Alex said into the stillness. “I like the chances of the Trident squadrons taking out the comm platforms. After Sargut destroys the first probe, the Toralian fleet will attack. That will cue the Tridents to prosecute the comm platforms. When those Tridents launch their banishers, the Tridents on the system’s periphery will start their runs at the twenty-nine remaining probes.”
“What’s your idea, Alex?” Tatia asked. The strategic planning of the attack should have been her domain, but she admitted that she was out of her depth. If things worked out, they might not have to fight anyone. If they didn’t, fighting up to eight battleships fleets wasn’t an option. The best thing to do in that circumstance would be to run.
“The ruse has to succeed,” Alex said. “We’ve got to give Artifice time to receive the data on Sargut’s destruction of the first probe and his fleet’s inward course. From that point, it’ll make its moves. We hope it’ll order the five superior fleets to intercept the Toralians. Once the directives have gone out to those five fleets, we’ll eliminate Artifice’s comm platforms. We stand a better chance of taking out those structures in a single strike than we do of eliminating all the probes at once.”
“We’ll handle the assignment of Tridents for the attacks on the probes and comm platforms, Alex,” Tatia said, and Alex nodded.
“You didn’t ask the SADEs about the three lesser fleets, Alex,” Julien said.
“I’d hear their conjectures,” Alex said.
“In this case, there’s consensus,” Julien said. He was pleased to see the transformation in demeanor of the humans who sat around the table.
“The data collected since contacting the first Nua’ll sphere indicates that Artifice will send the lesser fleets, not to engage the Toralians but to end their colonies,” Julien said. “Recall the fate of Faustus. In Artifice’s logic paths, control must be absolute, and any and all errors must be prosecuted. You can bet on those three fleets being dispatched for the purposes of repaying the Toralians for the error in judgment.”
Julien sent Alex an image of himself wearing his visor with the green shield. It was a reminder that the SADEs, despite agreeing on this one point, were gambling on Artifice’s actions.
“That answers the question of what to do with the Tridents that prosecute the probes,” Reiko said.
Miranda accessed the wireframe model, highlighted the positions of the three fleets, which were above
and below the ecliptic and guarded Toral. “Any Trident that successfully prosecutes its probe can transit up or down from the ecliptic and across to Toral. They might be of value if there is sufficient time before the lesser fleets get underway.”
“If we play this right, I think we’ll have more time than we imagine,” Alex commented.
“Alex, we simply don’t have enough forces,” Tatia said. Frustration showed in her face. Saving the Chistorlan home world had cost the fleet the reserves they needed to manage all aspects of this fight. She didn’t regret saving the little green aliens, but she did save a few special thoughts for the failure of the other human worlds to better supply the fleet with warships and crews.
“With these scenarios, we have four unassigned Tridents to stop three battleships fleets,” Reiko lamented. “The only other forces in the vicinity are the two squadrons assigned to the comm platforms, and they will be executing high velocity passes against the planet.”
Alex, the admirals, and the SADEs busily searched for a means of proportioning their forces differently to cover their needs. The suggestions became inventive and wildly outside the box.
Cordelia ran through the Freedom’s inventory databases, seeking inspiration. Three items stood out to her.
“Alex, we’ve prepared travelers with advanced controllers,” Cordelia said. “We’ve not had an occasion to use them because we were always engaged in ship-to-ship battles, which required the inventive skills of pilots.”
“Yes,” Franz cried excitedly. “If there’s anything we have, it’s an excess of fighters.”
“And the probes are essentially stationary targets with only minor maneuverability,” Reiko added.
“But do we use the fighters against the lesser fleets or the probes?” Darius asked.
“If we try to stop those battleships fleets from running, we’ll lose those forces, and we won’t stop them,” Tatia stated firmly. “And how many ships do you think it’ll take to destroy multiple systems?”
Everyone knew the answer to that. A single ship could visit system after system, broadcasting its destructive signals.