A second infantry brigade arrived on Alpha Centauri-B IV in late November and Brigadier Shima Masuko resumed the ground offensive. The Jovians now outnumbered their opponents and on December 14th they broke through Enclave lines, inflicting serious losses on one of the defending battalions. The advance continued over the next two weeks, gradually pushing the defending forces back toward the heart of their colony. Meanwhile on Sparta a construction brigade attempted to excavate a partially buried building in the alien city and found it contained hundreds of armed robots. The robots sprang to life, attacking the Jovian workers and then headed for the Jovian colony. Only four reserve battalions were at the colony as the Third Infantry Brigade had been moved to attack the Enclave colony on Alpha Centauri-B IV. Four additional reserve battalions had been deployed on Alpha Centauri-B IV to provide an occupation force once the Enclave surrendered. An Ares class troop transport was dispatched to embark those battalions and moved them to Sparta. For the moment the offensive on Alpha Centauri-B IV would continue while Jovian forces stood on the defensive on Sparta.
In Sol, fifteen strength-4 missile detonations were detected just twenty million kilometres from Earth. The wreck of a 2850 Velsharoon class survey ship of the Zoltan Empire appeared in the same location. While the Zoltan Empire was at war with three different Solarian powers, relations with the Jovian Federation were improving. Trade access was granted to commercial Jovian vessels visiting the Zoltan home world.
On January 6th 2203 a defending infantry battalion of the Skye Enclave was cut-off and destroyed by advancing Jovian forces on Alpha Centauri-B IV. Unfortunately the situation was far less favourable on Sparta. The combat robots had breached the colony defences, killing as many as fifty thousand civilians and destroying a recently recovered factory complex. They were taking casualties from the Jovian defenders but the reserve forces were not equipped or trained for offensive operations. Over the next four days though the attacks faltered and then ceased. Whether the crisis had passed or the robots were simply regrouping for a new attack was unknown.
Meanwhile, the Jovian Second and Third Infantry brigades began their final push on Alpha Centauri-B IV, crushing one of the defending battalions. Five days later the last resistance crumbled and the colony governor surrendered to Brigadier Masuko. The Enclave population was two point five million. There was sufficient infrastructure for the population but no other types of installations. The Second and Third Infantry Brigades were transferred to Sparta to seek out and destroy any remaining robotic forces while four reserve battalions were transferred to Alpha Centauri-B IV to serve as an occupation force. Despite a thorough search, no robots were discovered, leading to the conclusion that must have expended themselves in their last attack.
In late January the Federation Navy was boosted by the completion of the missile cruisers Infinitus and Incorruptus and the Minotaur class destroyers Chimera, Scylla and Charybdis. The additional ships allowed the creation of the Fourth Battle Squadron. The default order of battle for each battle squadron comprised two cruisers, two destroyers and two Aquila class escorts. However the First included three destroyers and three escorts and the Third had three destroyers. For the moment new warship construction was on hold due to economic problems within the Federation so no new missile cruisers or destroyers were laid down. The recent Federation build up had been very expensive and the Jovian economy was running on deficit spending. Until that could be rectified, the priority for new production had to be ships and installations with direct economic benefits.
On February 16th 2203 an Enclave Lynx class destroyer was detected a billion kilometres from Sparta. Due to their relative orbital positions, Alpha Centauri-B IV, site of the recently conquered Enclave colony, was two hundred million kilometres closer to the Lynx. As the Second Battle Squadron was already in Alpha Centauri and approaching Sparta, the Third Battle Squadron left Sparta orbit and moved out to intercept. Although evidence of gauss cannon technology had been found in the wreckage of a Lynx destroyed during a battle between the Enclave and the Secundus, which suggested it was an escort vessel, the ship had also been observed in a task group that was launching missiles during the same engagement. Therefore Commodore Benitez decided to opt for the safer option of a missile engagement. A single salvo of twenty Javelins was launched. Four missiles were shot down by point-blank point defence fire. Twelve Javelins struck the target, three of which penetrated the armour. There was no evidence of engine damage so a second salvo was launched and proved sufficient to destroy the target.
With two Jovian Battle Squadrons in Alpha Centauri it was now possible to guard Sparta while simultaneously sending a force to the Alpha Centauri-A solar system. The Second Battle Squadron departed Sparta orbit in early March. As the six Jovian ships moved within active sensor range of the Enclave colony on Alpha Centauri-A II they detected three 31,200 ton Enclave ships of a new type, designated as Bulldog class. Given their size and their speed of 960 km/s, they were likely to be freighters or colony ships. If they were commercial vessels the Second Battle Squadron could easily destroy them but they were no military threat and Admiral Cassandra Charleston had given clear standing orders against attacking civilian targets. Her intention was that when the Jovian Federation had sufficient strength to defeat the Skye Enclave, any commercial traffic would be captured rather than destroyed. The colony itself appeared to be wide open to attack but the Federation had a self-imposed ban on planetary bombardment.
As the Second Battle Squadron passed through the centre of the Alpha Centauri-A solar system en route to the Enclave home world on the far side, it encountered a further twelve Bulldogs, all moving between the home world and the colony. No Enclave warships appeared to challenge the Jovian task group and it eventually reached active sensor of Alpha Centauri-A III. Seven Komodo Dragon and three Barracuda class ships were in orbit, all of which were likely to be orbital defence bases. The former were 18,000 tons while the latter were 17,900 tons. With only two missile cruisers in the Second Battle Squadron it was unlikely they would be able to inflict any damage on such formidable defences so the squadron was recalled to Sparta. However the Federation did now have intelligence on the Enclave defences and it appeared there were no warships, at least for the moment. The shipyard complex in orbit of Alpha Centauri-A III was almost two point seven million tons so new warships would almost certainly be under construction.
On April 21st a single Enclave vessel of a new class, designated as Black Widow, was detected a billion kilometres from Sparta by the Athena class sensor platform in Sparta orbit. The Black Widow was 9000 tons and headed for the conquered Enclave colony on Alpha Centauri-B IV. The Third Battle Squadron broke orbit and set an intercept course. Twenty-four hours later, before any combat took place near Sparta, a new 60,000 Intruder Dominator was detected, via its shields and sensor emissions, on course from the Lalande jump point to the home world of the Skye Enclave. The Third Battle Squadron launched a single salvo at the Black Widow, scoring sixteen strength-9 hits. Two powerful secondary explosions blew the Enclave destroyer to pieces. While the Third Battle Squadron returned to Sparta, the Second Battle Squadron, with full magazines, headed for the Alpha Centauri-A system in case the incursion of the Dominator created an opportunity to degrade the Skye defences.
The Second Battle Squadron halted its approach on several occasions when the Dominator made unexpected course changes to either side of its base course, just in case the Jovian task group was attracting the attention of the Intruder behemoth. Once the Dominator moved back to its original course, the battle squadron resumed its approach. Meanwhile, the Hercules tug brought an Orpheus class base from Io Skywatch and deployed it in orbit of Alpha Centauri-B IV, providing last-ditch missile defence in case it was attacked by Enclave forces when the Jovian mobile forces were out of position for some reason. The Jovian Senate also authorised the naming of the captured colony. It would henceforth be known as Plataea, site of the Spartan-led victory over the Persians. The Enclave population was beginning to accept its situation and the status of Plataea could be more accurately described as occupied rather than conquered.
The Dominator continued its erratic approach toward the Enclave home world. There was no sign of any challenge to that approach from Enclave warships. On May 13th, with the Dominator twenty-three million kilometres from Alpha Centauri-A III, combat finally broke out. Two hundred and eighty-two strength-1 detonations and thirty-three strength-1 energy weapon impacts were detected in the same location as the Dominator. Five more similar sized salvos arrived every ten seconds, until the Dominator had been stuck by almost sixteen hundred anti-missile missiles. Its shield was down but there was no reduction in its speed.
Thirteen minutes later, a further one hundred and fifteen strength-1 detonations were detected fifteen million kilometres from the Enclave home world, seven million kilometres closer than the Dominator. Based on these events and the battle the Enclave fought against the previous Dominator, Jovian Naval Intelligence believed that either the huge warship was escorted by smaller vessels that were not visible on Jovian sensors or it was transporting smaller craft in an internal hangar bay and these had been released after the initial attack. A further seventy-eight detonations were detected in the same location ten seconds later, accompanied by a single strength-13 secondary power explosion. After a pause of six minutes, the Dominator came under attack once more, although this time from a much smaller salvo. Thirty-four energy weapon impacts and eleven strength-1 detonations were recorded.
Over the next fifteen minutes, the signs of battle became spread out between the Dominator and the planet with detonations in several different locations, including a significant number less than seven million kilometres from the Enclave home world. The Dominator was struck by a series of powerful salvos once again, suffering a further twelve hundred hits before its active emissions ceased and it vanished from Jovian sensors. More than five hundred other missile explosions were recorded in other locations before combat finally ended. There was no sign that the Intruders had inflicted any damage on the Enclave defences. Once again the formidable orbital defences of the Enclave home world had resisted an assault, although at the cost of perhaps four thousand anti-missiles. There had been several months of relative calm in the Alpha Centauri-A system during which the Enclave no doubt increased its ordnance supplies. Even so, it could not continue to expend ordnance at that rate.
On May 18th emissions from two new Zoltan ships, designated as Vhaeraun and Mammon class, were detected on a course from the Sol - Typhon jump point toward the inner Sol system, with the Vhaeraun leading by one hundred million kilometres. A group of Indian Rajput class FACs moved out to intercept and launched an attack just outside the orbit of Jupiter and only two hundred million kilometres from the home worlds of the Jovian Federation. The Vhaeraun suffered sixty-five strength-4 hits and three secondary power explosions. A single energy weapon impact was detected, indicating minimal point defence. The Zoltan vessel was left almost dead in space with a speed of 231 km/s. Only three Rajputs were on Jovian sensors, based on their active emissions, and it seemed highly unlikely that they could launch such a strong attack. Therefore the destroyer Phoenix was dispatched to intercept them and determine their number. The Vhaeraun was destroyed by a follow-up salvo thirty minutes later. Phoenix intercepted the FACs on their return course to Earth and detected thirteen Rajputs. The Zoltan Mammon class reversed course and headed for the Typhon jump point.
On June 1st, a research facility was recovered from the alien ruins on Sparta, along with detailed technical information on the construction of orbital habitats. This was the first research facility to be recovered and the most important installation so far. A number of construction factories, mines and automated mines had been recovered, along with a terraforming installation, approximately ten million litres of fuel and a Genetic Modification Centre. Five or the original terraforming installations that transformed the Galilean Moons into the home worlds of the Jovian Federation had also been transported to Sparta.
Two months later, a total of fourteen strength-13 ground-burst detonations were detected on an asteroid in the Alpha Centauri-A solar system, split between two salvos of seven missiles one minute apart. The only ship in the vicinity that could be detected by Jovian sensors was a Martian Rubis class destroyer. The asteroid in question had been surveyed by a Jovian survey ship which found 16,000 tons of accessibility 1.0 duranium and deposits of two other minerals. It appeared the Martian warship had been striking an Enclave mining colony. Twenty-four hours later, a trio of Bulldog class ships came under attack. These were believed to be either freighters or colony ships. All three were destroyed by multiple strength-13 detonations. The Martian Union Navy had changed tactics and was raiding Enclave economic targets. The destroyer completed the raid by launching more than sixty missiles at the Skye home world before heading back to Sol. All were shot down by the defences.
In mid-August, a new, improved version of the Athena class sensor platform was launched from the Hesperos Shipyard. The Athena II was capable of keeping pace with a battle squadron and could be used to support reconnaissance or offensive operations. The ship was dispatched to Alpha Centauri to operate with the Second and Third Battle Squadrons.
Athena II class Sensor Platform 6,000 tons 182 Crew 1312.6 BP TCS 120 TH 480 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 1-29 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/11/0/0 Damage Control Rating 7 PPV 0
Maint Life 3.01 Years MSP 957 AFR 41% IFR 0.6% 1YR 158 5YR 2373 Max Repair 800 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 29 months Spare Berths 0
Prometheus Stardrives PS-240 Ion Drive (2) Power 240 Fuel Use 56% Signature 240 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 300,000 Litres Range 16.1 billion km (46 days at full power)
FN/SPY-4 System Surveillance Array (1) GPS 104000 Range 1,003.4m km Resolution 130
FN/SLR-2 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 11m kmThe naval forces of the Martian Union returned to Alpha Centauri on September 8th 2203. Three Rubis class destroyers launched in excess of three hundred and sixty missiles at the Enclave home world. All were destroyed by defensive missiles. A Normandie class destroyer followed several hours later and attempted to reach the planet. The Enclave demonstrated its stocks of anti-missiles had not yet been exhausted as the Normandie was obliterated by two hundred and seventy strength-1 hits. Two weeks later a single vessel of the Star Vikings visited the Enclave home world and met with a much friendlier reception. On October 10th, a geological survey ship of the Zoltan Empire was destroyed in Venus orbit by Indian Rajput class FACs.
In mid-October Achilles and Agamemnon, the first two ships of a new Jovian class, were launched. The Achilles class destroyer escort was designed as a result of the effectiveness of Russian laser-based orbital defences during the Sino-Russian conflict. Equipped with six twin 10cm laser turrets and utilising a custom-designed engine from Prometheus Stardrives, the Achilles was intended to provide close-range point defence for Jovian battle squadrons. Achilles and Agamemnon were assigned to the Second and Third Battle Squadrons respectively as they were the most likely to see combat in the foreseeable future.
Achilles class Destroyer Escort 8,100 tons 227 Crew 1264 BP TCS 162 TH 648 EM 0
4000 km/s Armour 4-35 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/1/0/0 Damage Control Rating 4 PPV 49.68
Maint Life 2.27 Years MSP 390 AFR 131% IFR 1.8% 1YR 102 5YR 1532 Max Repair 162 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Spare Berths 0
Prometheus Stardrives PS-324 Ion Drive (2) Power 324 Fuel Use 51.1% Signature 324 Exp 10%
Fuel Capacity 390,000 Litres Range 17.0 billion km (49 days at full power)
Twin 10cm Laser Turret (6x2) Range 48,000km TS: 16000 km/s Power 6-6 RM 3 ROF 5 3 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
FN/SPG-7 Beam PD Fire Control (3) Max Range: 48,000 km TS: 16000 km/s 79 58 38 17 0 0 0 0 0 0
Gas-Cooled Fast Reactor (8) Total Power Output 36 Armour 0 Exp 5%
FN/SPN-1 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2080 Range 20.1m km Resolution 130
FN/SPD-10 Missile Detection Sensor (1) GPS 32 Range 3.5m km MCR 383k km Resolution 1The Martian Union continued to launch attacks against the Enclave home world. On October 30th, a Rubis class destroyer and a Colbert class destroyer launched more than one hundred and sixty missiles, all of which were destroyed by anti-missiles. Ten days later three more Rubis class DDs approached on the same course. The first launched a total of one hundred and sixty-three missiles against the home world and three nearby freighters. All three freighters were destroyed but the orbital defences prevented any damage to the planet. The other two destroyers continued closing. Considering they were the same class as the first ship to fire it seemed unlikely they would reduce the range if they were similarly armed, so Jovian Naval Intelligence theorised the Union was running low on ordnance and the destroyers were loaded with shorter-ranged missiles. That theory could not be proven either way as the two Rubis class destroyers ran into a hail of anti-missiles before they could launch. One was struck one hundred and thirty-five times and died amid four huge magazine explosions. The second was hit by over two hundred missiles and left dead in space. A follow-up salvo destroyed it. The Enclave’s orbital defences seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of missiles.
On December 21st on Sol, a Zoltan survey ship was destroyed between the jump points to Alpha Centauri and Typhon by a Latin Alliance destroyer. Twenty-four hours later, a 2350 ton ship of an unknown type was obliterated by particle beam fire approximately one billion kilometres from Sparta. The attacking ship was an Indian Vibhuti class destroyer. A similar 2350 ton ship was destroyed was destroyed a month later as it tried to enter Sol from Alpha Centauri. A small Latin Alliance task group was picketing the Sol side of the jump point and opened fire as soon as the ship transited. Jovian Naval Intelligence believed the small ships were most likely a previously unknown type of Enclave survey ship.
By late January 2204, Jovian salvage ships had cleared all wrecks from Sol and all wrecks from the vicinity of the Alpha Centauri-B system, with the exception of the recently destroyed Enclave survey ship. Four salvage ships were now in service. A substantial amount of minerals had been recovered, along with sufficient technical data to improve active sensor and thermal sensor technology and to advance knowledge in a number of other areas. A substantial number of wrecks remained within a billion kilometres of the Alpha Centauri-B system. However the last attempt to salvage those wrecks resulted in the destruction of an Aquila class escort, a salvage ship and two freighters. Therefore Admiral Cassandra Charleston authorised a mission that was informally described as a ‘Salvage in Force’. The Third Battle Squadron, accompanied by the new Athena II class sensor platform, would escort all four salvage ships and nine Minerva class freighters to the Alpha Centauri-A system to begin recovery of those wrecks. All ships were expressly forbidden from approaching within fifty million kilometres of the Skye Enclave home world.
Meanwhile, the Martian Union launched the latest in its recent series of attacks on the Enclave home world. This fared no better than the rest. A Colbert class destroyer and two Rubis class destroyers launched approximately one hundred and twenty missiles from long range, none of which reached their target, then all three ships continued closing. The three warships were blown apart by strength-1 detonations once they moved within range of the defences. They apparently launched at least some missiles before being destroyed as sixteen defensive detonations were detected within two million kilometres of Alpha Centauri-A III. This latest suicidal attack reinforced the belief of JNI that the Union had exhausted most of its ordnance supplies. However, the Union and the other Solarian powers obviously believed that they could run the Enclave out of defensive missiles and finally force its surrender. Based on its thermal and EM emissions, Alpha Centauri-A III had greater industry and population than any of the Solarian home worlds and its capture would change the balance of power in Sol.
The chance of the Enclave home world’s eventual fall increased slightly in February, when it’s orbital defences destroyed a Skadi class survey ship of the Star Vikings. Until now there had been peace between the Skye Enclave and the Star Vikings and Star Viking ships had visited Alpha Centauri-A III on several occasions. Obviously there had been a significant breakdown in relations when the Vikings tried to survey the Enclave home world.
On February 6th 2204, the Third Battle Squadron arrived on station amid the first group of wrecks, approximately six hundred million kilometres from the Enclave home world. The huge sensor range of the Athena II allowed the squadron to detect ships from two new Enclave classes; six members of the 28,750 ton Shark class and eight members of the 18,600 ton Doberman class. The Sharks were moving between Alpha Centauri-A III and the Enclave colony on Alpha Centauri-A II. The Dobermans were holding station on the far side of the system, apparently staying well out of range of the Jovian task group.
Another group of robotic combat troops from the alien city attacked the Sparta colony on February 10th. This time the Jovian ground forces were far more prepared than on the first occasion. The initial attack was halted before it could cause significant damage then the Second and Third Infantry Brigades counter-attacked, destroying every last robot within a few days.
In mid-February the Star Vikings attempted to take revenge for the recent destruction of their survey ship. Unfortunately, they did not heed the failures of the Martian Union and the other co-belligerent Solarian powers. Two Ragnarok class destroyers and a Garm class destroyer approached the Enclave home world. All three ships were destroyed by over four hundred strength-1 missile hits before they could use their own weapons.
A task group of six Star Viking ships arrived a few days later, split into two sections. In the lead was a Saga class battleship accompanied by a Grendel class cruiser with four other ships two hundred and fifty million kilometres astern. The Saga halted seventy million kilometres from the planet, presumably to launch missiles, which the Grendel continued closing. Forty-five minutes later Jovian sensors detected several strength-1 detonations near the Enclave home world, then unexpectedly energy weapon impacts in planetary orbit. It appeared the Viking missiles were penetrating the Enclave anti-missile screen, a feat that none of the other Solarian powers had accomplished. No actual hits were detected but the fact that Enclave energy-armed bases were being called into action was extremely significant. Whether this indicated the Enclave had finally run low on ordnance or that the Viking missiles were difficult to hit was not yet known.
As more strength-1 detonations were detected, ranging from close to the planet to as far out as three million kilometres, it became apparent the Enclave was not running out of missiles. Yet still more strength-3 energy weapon impacts were detected in orbit of their home world. Given the range at which the Saga class battleship halted and the time it took for the first missiles to reach Alpha Centauri-A III, the speed of the Star Viking missiles was estimated to be 25,000 km/s, similar to the speed of the Federation Navy’s own Javelin anti-ship missiles. The anti-ship missiles of other Solarian powers had required more time to reach the planet, which meant that they were significantly slower. The analysts at Jovian Naval Intelligence theorised that while the Enclave had demonstrated vast stocks of anti-missiles, they might not be particularly fast. Consequently, a fast anti-ship missile would be difficult to hit, or might even evade the interception altogether, by-passing and then out-running any pursuing anti-missile missiles. When the signs of combat finally ceased, ninety-five strength-1 detonations had been recorded, along with thirty-six energy weapon impacts. More than a quarter of the attacking missiles had reached the Enclave home world.
The significance of this was not lost on Jovian analysts, who concluded that the Javelin anti-ship missile might be able to repeat the performance of its Star Viking counterpart, especially if used in significant numbers. Alternatively, a faster version with a smaller warhead could be produced that would be ever harder to intercept. Eventually this was taken one step further to create a proposal for the Trident Anti-ship Missile, which comprised a slow-moving missile bus that would release four Gladius anti-missile missiles when it reached five million kilometres from the target. The idea was to run the Enclave out of defensive missiles by producing massed salvos of anti-missiles. This missile, which could be fired by the existing AMS-5A launchers on the Invictus class cruisers, would be ineffective against a hostile warship that could outrun the bus vehicle but would be ideal when used against a fixed target. Development of the new missile began immediately and it was hoped production could begin within a month.
Trident Anti-ship Missile
Missile Size: 5 MSP (0.25 HS) Warhead: 0 Armour: 0 Manoeuvre Rating: 10
Speed: 4200 km/s Engine Endurance: 6.1 hours Range: 92.4m km
Cost Per Missile: 3.1729
Second Stage: Gladius Anti-missile Missile x4
Second Stage Separation Range: 5,000,000 km
Overall Endurance: 6 hours Overall Range: 96.7m km
Chance to Hit: 1k km/s 42% 3k km/s 10% 5k km/s 8.4% 10k km/s 4.2%
Materials Required: 1x Tritanium 2.1729x Gallicite Fuel x850
Development Cost for Project: 317RPMeanwhile, the action was not over in Alpha Centauri. The Grendel class cruiser came to a halt forty-six million kilometres from the Skye Enclave home world, presumably to launch its own missiles. Based on the timing of the first defensive missile detonation, these missiles were slower, approximately 21,000 km/s. Even so, seventeen missiles penetrated the anti-missile screen and were destroyed by energy weapons when they reached orbit of Alpha Centauri-A III. One hundred and ten more inbounds were destroyed by anti-missiles. The Grendel and the Saga both headed for the Sol jump point while the other four Star Viking ships in the task group, still more than two hundred million kilometres away, continued toward the planet. Once the four trailing ships reached the Saga and Grendel they reversed course and fell into formation, on course for Sol. Based on this behaviour JNI classed them as escort vessels.
On February 26th Feb the Athena II class sensor platform accompanying the Third Battle Squadron detected four Cobra class ships of the ships of Skye enclave at the edge of sensor range on the far side of the Alpha Centauri-A system. Contact was lost after a few minutes. Their size and speed suggested they were warships.
On April 1st an Enclave Jaguar class battleship was detected close to the Enclave home world, presumably just after leaving the shipyards. In recent months the Enclave had been unable to project power away from Alpha Centauri-A III. Now, with one of the powerful Jaguar class battleships in service, the Alpha Centauri-A solar system would become a very dangerous place. The Jaguar set a direct course for the Third Battle Squadron, which charged forward to meet it, trying to protect the vulnerable salvage ships and freighters. Four Martian scouts and four Indian scouts that were monitoring traffic near the Enclave home world all raced for the Sol jump point.
Forty million kilometres from the Enclave home world the Jaguar changed course, heading away from the Jovian task group at 3200 km/s. The Third Battle Squadron pursued and the Martian and Indian scouts reversed course to shadow the battleship. Suddenly, two of the Martian Requin class scouts, the furthest Solarian vessels from the Third Battle Squadron, were blown to pieces by a total of sixteen strength-15 warhead detonations, followed by two secondary explosions from each ship. A few minutes later a second pair of Requins were attacked. One was destroyed and the other reduced to half speed. An hour after the initial attacks, the Indian scouts came under fire. Despite their attempts to change course and run, three were wrecked and the fourth crippled. Finally, the Third Battle Squadron was targeted. Only twenty-four inbound missiles were detected, split between two salvos of eleven and a salvo of two. All were destroyed by Gladius AAMs from Orca and Volantis. The Enclave missiles were size-7 and travelling at 11,500 km/s, much slower than the Javelin ASM of the Jovian missile cruisers. Its ordnance apparently exhausted, the Jaguar headed back to its home world.
Before long, the Enclave battleship departed orbit and set course for the Third Battle Squadron, which continued on its intercept course ensuring it was positioned between the Jaguar and the Jovian freighters and salvage ships. The two surviving scouts, one Martian and one Indian, came under attack first. Both were destroyed, leaving the Jovian task group as the only Solarian force near the Alpha Centauri-A system. This time the Enclave assault was far more serious, comprising seventeen waves, each with eleven missiles, Because the incoming ASMs were relatively slow Commodore Armand Benitez ordered his two missile-armed escorts to launch against the inbounds on a one to one basis, relying on Achilles, the new laser-armed destroyer escort, to shoot down any leakers. Every missile was destroyed but by the time the onslaught ceased, Orca was out of anti-missiles and Volantis was at 50% capacity.
The Jaguar maintained its position relative to the Third Battle Squadron during the attack so by the time the last inbound was hit, the Enclave battleship was on the far side of its home world from the Jovian task group. As before it headed back to Alpha Centauri-A III once the attack was complete, presumably to reload. The Third Battle Squadron continued closing but was still out of missile range. After a few minutes in orbit of its home world the Jaguar headed for the Third Battle Squadron once again. The Enclave had obviously been building up its stockpiles of anti-ship missiles in anticipation of the launch of the new battleship. Only a few million kilometres from the planet, the Jaguar began pacing the Jovian task group, presumably because it was launching a new wave of missiles. This time the Third Battle Squadron would have to rely on the lasers of Achilles and the three Minotaur class destroyers for its primary defence.
Even as he waited for the next attack, Commodore Benitez realised that even if his force survived to get into range of its own anti-ship missiles, the Jaguar would probably be on the far side of Alpha Centauri-A III, which meant the planetary defences would intercept the Jovian attack. Therefore, he ordered the Third Battle Squadron sixty degrees to starboard, trying to create a clear lane of fire. For the moment he ordered Volantis to hold fire and conserve its remaining missiles until the effectiveness of the laser-armed ships could be determined. The incoming missiles comprised twenty-two waves of eleven plus a final wave of two. Fortunately, the slow speed of the Enclave missiles made them easy target. Achilles was hitting with close to eighty percent accuracy and Centaur, Cerberus and Scylla were hitting with one third of their shots from their 15cm lasers. Even the destroyers’ 19cm spinal lasers were scoring occasional hits. Every single inbound missile was destroyed by laser fire.
The Jaguar returned to Alpha Centauri-A III and reloaded for a third time. By this point the Third Battle Squadron was only sixty million kilometres from the planet but still unable to target the Jaguar because of the proximity of the formidable orbital defences. The Enclave battleship was leaving orbit, firing and then moving to a position that placed the planet between itself and the Third Battle Squadron. Commodore Benitez was manoeuvring his force to try to create an opening but he was starting to believe he would have to absorb every missile the planet had produced before he could finally chase down the battleship. He didn’t consider that a serious problem though based on how well his ships had performed against the last attack.
That confidence was shaken when the first wave of the fourth attack appeared on sensors. The eleven missiles were size-5 rather than size-7 and moving at 14,800 km/s rather than 11,500 km/s, making them significantly harder targets. He ordered Volantis to open fire with half of her launchers, using her anti-missiles on a one to one basis, in the hope of reducing the number of incoming missiles to the point where the lasers could still destroy them all. The first three waves were reduced to five missiles or less, all of which were easily handled by the laser-armed warships. Until this point the waves were arriving approximately seventy seconds apart. That changed as the fourth wave was followed by a fifth wave only forty seconds behind and that fifth wave consisted of the size-7 anti-ship missile moving at 11,500 km/s. Thirty seconds later a sixth wave appeared on sensors, which contained the faster size-5 missiles. The squadron’s tactical officers quickly realised that the Jaguar must have fired several waves of the larger missiles and then switched to the smaller, faster type. The faster missiles had caught up with the slower, earlier waves and now both were coming in together, making the defence much harder.
Volantis continued firing, reducing the number of missiles that had to be dealt with the point-blank defences. Her contribution enabled the Third Battle Squadron to survive the double waves without taking any hits. As her magazines ran dry, the inbound waves of the faster size-5 missiles ceased, leaving only waves of the larger 11,500 km/s missiles that were much easier for the energy-armed combatants to handle. As soon as the last incoming missiles were destroyed, the Jaguar returned to its home world once again.
Commodore Armand Benitez was becoming increasingly frustrated. The Jaguar was launching a constant series of attacks, which so far had not penetrated his task group’s defences, but he could not get into a position to retaliate. His ships had to avoid moving within fifty million kilometres of the Enclave home world to avoid a barrage of anti-missiles but that meant he could not directly approach the enemy battleship. The Jaguar continued to use its home world defences as a shield. Benitez contacted Admiral Charleston and requested the assistance of the Second Battle Squadron, still in Sparta orbit. With two task groups, at least one should be able to get into position for an attack. While the request posed a risk to Sparta, the Jovian colony was now protected by two Orpheus bases so it would be able to stand off a lone missile-armed raider. Charleston gave her permission and the Second Battle Squadron departed Sparta orbit.
Meanwhile, the Jaguar moved seven million kilometres from its home world then reversed course directly away from the Third Battle Squadron. The new course would bypass Alpha Centauri-A III by four million kilometres so Commodore Benitez decided to launch two salvos to guage their effectiveness. The problem was that he assumed Enclave missiles were inbound and that the Jaguar would move to the planet once its own attack was concluded, so the Javelins might still be shot down. Even so, just for the sake of morale among his crews he believed he had to try something. A few minutes after the launch of the Javelins, Jovian sensors detected the first inbound missiles – the first wave comprised eleven of the faster size-5 missiles. In all, thirty-two waves of missiles were launched against the Third Battle Squadron. The laser-armed warships performed extremely well and every single inbound missile was hit and destroyed.
Midway through the missile attack on the Jovian task group, the Javelins reached their target. A total of twenty-three strength-9 hits were scored on the Jaguar from the forty anti-ship missiles, one of which penetrated the armour resulting in atmosphere streaming from the battleship’s hull. Commodore Benitez ordered the launch of three more salvos. While the Jovian missiles were in flight the Jaguar moved back to its home world, which meant the Javelins would have to penetrate the formidable planetary defences. However, before they arrived the battleship departed orbit once again. Jovian tactical officers watched the range fall, hoping the battleship would move far enough from the planet to lose the protection of the orbital bases before the missiles arrived. It would be very close.
The Jaguar was 1,350,000 kilometres from the Enclave home world when the first salvo of twenty Javelins arrived. Eleven were hit by point-blank point defence fire and two more missed. The other seven all struck their target, with one penetrating the armour. Forty seconds later the second wave arrived. Half of them hit the battleship and penetrated the armour in three places. It’s speed fell to 2844 km/s. There was still no sign of anti-missiles from Alpha Centauri-A III. Commodore Benitez theorised that the Javelins might simply be moving too fast at 25,000 km/s for the Enclave anti-missiles to hit them. The recent Star Viking attack on the Enclave home world had caused the defences problems and the Star Viking missiles were of similar speed to the Javelins. Based on the assumption that Enclave missiles were slower than the Javelins the anti-missiles would struggle to intercept faster missiles, especially when those faster missiles were not moving directly toward them. The Jaguar’s own point defence was unaffected by the damage suffered so far as it destroyed thirteen missiles from the third Jovian salvo. The other seven all hit, with three causing internal damage, The battleship’s speed dropped again, this time to 2488 km/s. Buoyed by the apparent inability of the planetary defence to defend the nearby warship, Commodore Benitez ordered the launch of three more salvos, believing he could finish off the enemy vessel without waiting for the Second Battle Squadron.
By the time the first of the new salvos intercepted the Jaguar it was more than six million kilometres from the planet, so there was little concern about anti-missiles. Only five Javelins were hit by point defence fire, indicating that the battleship’s close-in point defence had been weakened by the previous attack. All fifteen remaining missiles struck the Jaguar and a third of them inflicted internal damage. The battleship’s speed fell to less than 2000 km/s. The next wave of Javelins scored thirteen hits. Suddenly, two large secondary power explosions blasted great holes in the stern of the Jaguar and a few seconds later the entire 27,000 ton ship disintegrated in a colossal fireball. Cheers broke out on the bridges on several Jovian warships but Commodore Benitez silenced them on the Immortalis with an angry glance, reminding the crew that there could still be a considerable number of hostile missiles inbound. The Third Battle Squadron was on a heading perpendicular to the likely course of any inbound missiles. Benitez ordered a course reversal so that any missiles with on-board sensors that were heading for the last known position of their targets would be unlikely to intercept his ships. After an hour with no missile contacts, he ordered the Third Battle Squadron to pull back from the planet and resume its original mission of protecting the Jovian salvage forces. Immortalis and Imperator were down to fifty anti-ship missiles each so once the Second Battle Squadron arrived Commodore Benitez intended to return to Sparta, leaving the other task group to guard the salvage operation.
Nine days after the destruction of the Jaguar, the Skye Enclave launched a 27,000 ton battleship of a new design, designated as the Piranha. The new warship set a direct course for the Third Battle Squadron, which was holding position one hundred and fifty-five million kilometres from the Enclave home world. The Second Battle Squadron was one hundred million kilometres further out and approaching at 4000 km/s. Commodore Benitez ordered the most forwarded deployed salvage ship and its accompanying freighters to abandon their current operation and move to a wreck further out from Alpha Centauri-A. His own Third Battle Squadron pulled back to rendezvous with the Second. The capabilities of the new ship were unknown and the Commodore saw no point in taking unnecessary risks with reinforcements so close at hand.
Once the two battle squadrons had combined, Commodore Benitez took overall command and headed toward the approaching Enclave battleship. When the range fell to seventy million kilometres, all four Jovian missile cruisers fired two salvos – a total of eighty Javelin anti-ship missiles. Given the extreme range at which the Jaguar could launch missiles and the relatively short range to the Piranha, the assumption among Jovian tactical officers was that the battleship must be armed with energy-weapons. Flight-time for the first salvo was forty-three minutes, without any sign of defensive missiles. Nine Javelins were hit by close-in point defence and three missed. The remaining twenty-eight scored strength-9 hits on the Piranha, including two that resulted in a loss of atmosphere. Forty seconds later the second salvo arrived and inflicted thirty-four hits, many of which caused internal damage. A strength-13 secondary power explosion was detected. The battleship’s active emissions ceased and its speed fell to just 533 km/s. Immortalis launched a single salvo of ten Javelins in a bid to finish the crippled warship as cheaply as possible. The Piranha refused to go down easily, killing four of the inbound missiles. The other six caused two further secondary explosions but still the battleship limped onwards. Imperator launched a single salvo, which proved sufficient to finally destroy the Piranha. While the battleship no doubt had a formidable energy armament, it was far less of a threat than the Jaguar, at least while the Federation Navy had sufficient missile stocks to destroy it at long range.
Immortalis and Imperator transferred the last of their Javelins to Impavidus and Inceptris then the Third Battle Squadron broke away and headed back to Sparta to refuel. The Athena II class sensor platform remained with the Second Battle Squadron, now with full magazines, which took up the duty of guarding the salvage ships. The Federation Navy still had no ammunition transports, although one was under construction, so Immortalis and Imperator would return to the Jovian home worlds to re-arm while the rest of the squadron held position at Sparta.
On May 10th 2504, the Saga class battleship and Grendel class cruiser of the Star Vikings, that had caused problems for the defences of the Enclave home world in February 2504, returned to mount another attack. They both passed within ten million kilometres of the Second Battle Squadron as they approached the planet. The Grendel halted at forty-six million kilometres from Alpha Centauri-A III while the Saga continued closing. While this was exactly the same behaviour as in the past for the Grendel, the Saga had previously launched missiles from seventy million kilometres, which suggested it was now armed with short-ranged missiles. The timing of the first defensive missile explosions indicated the Grendel was using the same 21,000 km/s missiles as during the previous attack. In all, one hundred and thirty strength-1 detonations were detected, along with a pair of energy weapon impacts in planetary orbit. Once again the Viking missiles penetrated the Enclave anti-missile umbrella, albeit in very small numbers. The Saga made it to within thirty million kilometres of the planet before it was struck by two hundred and sixty-five strength-1 impacts. The battleship was blasted to smithereens by two colossal strength-52 magazine explosions.
On June 21st, a new Jaguar class battleship was detected leaving orbit of the Enclave home world. One Jovian salvage ship and two freighters were already heading for the Sol system but three more salvage groups were still operating in the vicinity of Alpha Centauri-A III. The Second Battle Squadron, under the command of Commodore Cleveland Perine, immediately set an intercept course in an attempt to get within missile range before the Jaguar could launch against any of the Jovian commercial traffic. The Third Battle Squadron, enjoying a well-earned rest in Sparta orbit, was ordered to head for the solar system of the primary and assist the Second.
to be continued...
