Posted by: Zume
« on: November 28, 2008, 06:26:07 PM »The Terpla'ns - Chapter 6.75
General Jingu-wa looked impassive as he read the report handed to him by the interrogator. Questioning of Comensal prisoners has so far proven of little value other than affirming the fanaticism they displayed in the field. Captured messages, equipment and other battlefield clues provided far more intelligence on what the enemy was doing. Live prisoners were only being taken for the express purpose of intelligence gathering. Only those Comensal so wounded that they couldn’t put up resistance or otherwise incapacitated were chosen. Attempts to hold prisoners in large groups have proven futile insofar as they became the source for insanely-led rescue attempts.
The colonists had melted into the countryside, drawing troops of the Expeditionary Corps away from the cities and towns. Casualties were now going back up, mainly due to ambushes. With the firepower the troops could call upon any colonists that stood and fought were eliminated with dispatch. This meant whole families were slain, and it didn’t ease Jingu-wa’s mind one bit that the children involved were armed and fighting, killing his men as readily as any adult.
He faced the interrogator, one of the few Tzelans assigned to mostly E’sani 1st EC. Peth Wenns was a junior professor of xeno-anthropology and sociology back on his homeworld. He was among a team of Comensal specialists that studied and interrogated the first set of prisoners taken earlier in the war. As Tzelans went Wenns gave the impression of a reflective wise man that members of his race like to do for the benefit of others. He did, however, have his unconventional side, and it was this that made Jingu-wa sit up and take notice. “You’ll probably get some bad press back home for what happened, Wenns,” the general simply stated. “For the record I’ll assert that the prisoner, already injured, succumbed to an undetected wound.”
“I’ll appreciate that, General,” Wenn said with a flick of his ears, looking up to meet Jingu-wa’s eyes. “My seniority back the university maybe affected if the facts aren’t presented correctly for the record.”
Jingu-wa nodded, holding a pen in preparation to write notes in the margin of the electronic paper pad. “For the sake of the record just what kind of candy did you offer the prisoner when you started the interrogation?”
“It was a jellybaby, General,” Wenn said in a manner one would answer a question posed by an aunt from across the dinner table. “It was the way he knocked it out of my hand that told me he didn’t like sweets. As for his demise I don’t believe it was an undetected wound. Have a surgeon on a transport conduct an autopsy. The prisoner may have self-induced a brain aneurism.”
“Self-induced?” Jingu-wa said incredulously.
“Yes. I noticed after fifteen minutes into my attempt to engage the prisoner in conversation that his eyes glazed over and blood ran out from his ears,” Wenn replied in the same manner as before. “He may have ‘checked out’ from the beginning and simply resigned himself to death. I’m beginning to believe that it may have been better had he tried to assault me. I don’t want to be known as the professor that literally bored a man to death. That would make me the butt of bad jokes from students.”
Jingu-wa placed an affirming hand on Wenn’s shoulder. “Professor, the way this war is going I doubt anyone will give this incident a second thought.”
********
The command station on the Engineer minesweeper Clarion Call was quite. Junior Executive Admiral Tang was standing over the master holographic table, viewing a projection of Task Force 21 and his assault element. Four of his six hands manipulated controls to focus on one part of the projection. Twelve ships, two of them Engineers and ten Luttfomis, were poised right above the Borehole/Circuit Run warp point. Unlike Clarion Call, the Engineers and seven Luttfomis had been extensively refitted by the mobile yards over Citadel.
The Allies still lacked grav surge data on Circuit Run side of the warp point. Despite boarding 38 e-hulked ships from an Axis probe four days earlier no intact database had been found. It was the same story on Borehole as the enemy had destroyed municipal information systems and records to prevent their capture. It was suicide to use survey ships, and while Magnets refitted with science instruments would work the political climate in the Commonwealth wouldn’t permit a mass transit at the present time.
The Quagaar CDF, still smarting over its tardiness in preventing the loss of the Uan homeworld nine months earlier, came up with a solution. While assembling in Citadel for the next offensive the CDF had refitted nine minesweepers into massively shielded and armored units equipped with science instruments. It was calculated that at least one out of six ships so modified would return from a probe of an enemy-held, unsurveyed point.
After his ships were literally dragged by tugs across the system Tang had a meeting with Admiral Jki. About to ask if he could use the armed pinnace wings to cover the sweepers Tang was relieved when Jki told him up front to do so. It was out of concern that the Axis might have developed antimatter warheads, and if the defending fighters in Circuit Run had them even the modified Engineers could be brought down. Since they would stay on the warp point the Whales would initially only take interpenetration loss, losing roughly 24 out of 162 right off the bat. While in Circuit Run the Whales could also knock out weapon buoys and fighters, ensuring the follow-up assault would face fewer of them.
Tang adjusted the projection back up to one light-second scale, making the ship icons look like they were surrounded by a cloud of gnats instead of pinnaces. “Send the following order to the probe wave,” Tang said to an attending junior officer. “All units will proceed with the operations plan.”
********
Circuit Run was a red dwarf/white dwarf binary system that normally wouldn’t even rate an outpost. In fact there was a colony, 17,000 strong, on the rockball world orbiting the red dwarf. The Axis placed it there to exploit the mineral riches that were literally strewn across the planet’s surface. Complete with a small space station the colonists of Circuit Run would’ve continued in their mining efforts for the greater glory of the Comensal had reality not intruded.
When war came the ore refineries on Circuit Run were upgraded with additional facilities, increasing output significantly. In turn, when Borehole fell, this colony became the front line against the Allied invasion. Deployed at the Circuit Run/Borehole warp point was Star Force 1 of the Second Advanced Fleet. 27 capital ships, 54 cruisers, 36 destroyers and frigates kept watch along with 900 patterns of mines and 720 weapon buoys. Two squadrons each of fleet and light carriers, plus attending escorts, were on hand to keep a 96 fighter-strong CAP on the warp point.
After pondering the data brought back by the pinnaces System Admiral Farnon, commanding SF 1, had decided that enough time had pass by to commence the assault to reclaim Borehole. In two hours eight assault carriers, four minesweepers, and 60 Grenadiers will move together in the first wave, followed by dreadnoughts and battleships. Once the Allied ships were disposed of SF 1 will move onto Borehole Prime and land 50,000 troops with 20,000 more earmarked for Harvest. Everyone was to participate in the great victory of the people.
A thoughtful commander, Farnon was about to issue a force-wide order for crews to have a meal before the assault when the transit alarm blared in his flagship’s CIC. He watched as six ships emerging from the warp point with only two on the same initial heading. Accompanying the last ship were 162 of those damnable pinnaces of which 22 exploded via interpenetrations. Instead of moving away from the warp point the pinnaces stayed, a departure from regular tactics. While the CAP moved in to attack the regular warships, orbiting the warp point at 1.5 LS, rushed to battle stations.
Firing transit-addled weapons, the two huge Allied ships picked on a Hailfire, nearly breaking its armor and shorting out a shuttle bay, engine room and missile launcher. The four dreadnought-sized ships destroyed a Sprinter with CAMs. Farnon flexed his boney forehead in consternation. Despite the firepower brought to bear the two huge ships and one DN, thought to be assault carriers, didn’t begin to belch air until they took enough damage that would’ve destroyed them outright. In fact enough hurt was dished out to destroy five dreadnought-sized assault carriers. Even the firing of 120 IDEW-Ls failed to take down one ship, though the two SDs and a DN were badly off. What made Farnon’s gorge rise was that the armed pinnaces had fixated on the fighters. If one missed with a proximity-fused missile then it used its transit-addled internal gun and two more on its external racks. Of the 96 Hatchets, 48 of which had fired, 95 were shot down.
Farnon wished he had his assault carriers, sitting 10 LS from the warp point, positioned with his regular carriers so that their flight groups could participate that much sooner. The complete destruction of the CAP meant facing a boatload of anti-matter armed fighters. He was relieved and curious why the Allied ships weren’t carrying fighters. While he pondered on this another wave of ships entered, all of them the size of DNs. Expending CAMs as they became active the Axis ships destroyed the first wave ships and only seriously wrecked another in the second. Grimacing as the Whales went through the IDEW-Ls like so much krill, taking down all 240 of them, Farnon allowed the use of 240 IDEW-Es so as to cripple and immobilize the six ships that were now on the warp point. He succeeded in that two ships lost all motive power, but the other four burned out their overload dampeners and still had engines.
With no third wave and knowing they wouldn’t make it out in time the four ships played their trump card when the 20 Hatchet squadrons crash-launched a minute earlier arrived. Jammers played their one-note song of discord, throwing the Axis fighter squadrons into disarray. After three of the sweepers were destroyed and another silenced the Hatchets were able to attack as (in) complete squadrons instead of singletons. Even so 69 out of 120 were shot down for the loss of just 71 Whales. Having fired their short-ranged attack missiles the 69 remaining Whales followed the two regular pinnaces in one wave, leaving behind not just a gutted force of Hatchets but also chalked up 55 more buoys.
A moment passed when Farnon received a call from System Admiral Hovwen, commander of SF 1’s carrier group. “Normally congratulations are in order, Farnon,” she said in a snide manner. “It appears this was just a major probe by the abominations to determine our strength. While they launched no drones they did managed to get 71 pinnaces back into Borehole. For the record, Farnon, we lost 27% of our total fighter force. That number would’ve been lower had your active ships, especially your Hailfires, been at the warp point and swatted those armed pinnaces like so many pestilent rodents.”
“The pinnaces could have well been armed with antimatter,” the SF 1 commander replied like a belligerent shopkeep. “Had I ordered the ships to move in then they would’ve been directly threatened as well as being more vulnerable to the suspected assault carriers.”
Hovwen matched Farnon’s attitude. “But they weren’t assault carriers. With their smashed shields you saw them for what they were – minesweepers. Instead of orbiting the warp point like a skittish child around the pool your ships should’ve been on top of the Aboms to dispatch them that much quicker. I’ve lost 27% of my total fighter strength and you lost 47% of our buoys.”
A portion of Hovwen’s boney forehead throbbed. “True enough, but with fighters from the assault carriers your CAP can now be 18 squadrons instead of 16. As for the buoys they won’t be missed. We’ll be advancing soon enough.”
“Of course,” Hovwen replied. “The fighter reorganization will be done shortly, and I’ll send the resultant empty carriers to Circuit Run A-1 so that the fleet auxiliaries can stock them with prepped fighters from storage.” She then took the tone of a governess expecting her due. “What will you do with the four immobilized ships on the warp point? My pilots could use some live fire practice.”
Farnon was older than Hovwen by five years and had been a system admiral longer than her. In his opinion the officers of the graduating class that Hovwen came from were lacking in proper respect of higher leadership and seniority. It was as if they read from the same book of impudence in the library of effrontery. It would serve her right if she had her ship blown out from under her. Such a thing happened to Farnon in the Eloto War and it did wonders for his own sense of uncalled-for flippancy to senior commanders. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “They will be towed from the warp point and boarded. The ships in this probe were not observed on the Borehole side of the warp point. If the enemy has been reinforced we will need to know. Hopefully the databases on the four hulks will be in a recoverable state. For now have the Soars, Falcon Crests and Grenadiers keep station with the Eagle Crests. If no data is found in the next 24 hours the assault will proceed.”
“As you order, System Admiral Farnon,” Hovwen acknowledged, turning off the link. Farnon gave the now-dark screen a harsh look before moving on to revising the order of transit now that his fleet was down one Hailfire and three Sprinters. With another mass transit, approved by Galaxy Admiral Danmor, he felt that he was going to win. This optimism about his fleet’s prospects of success would soon turn out to be misplaced.
********
“We’ve hurt them, Admiral,” Captain Yos said, his one good eye blinking. “27 Hatchet squadrons have been eliminated as well as almost half of their buoy strength. They also expended CAMs from 70% of their ships.”
Jki moved her gaze from the hologram displaying the task force placement around the warp point to Yos. “You believe that the Axis commander will follow the manual in this instance?”
“I stake my rank on it,” Yos stated firmly. “In all captured Axis databases the procedure for occasions like this is for one-third of ships at a time with expended CAMs to pull out to 12 LS range and rearm, with priority given to capital units first.”
Jki acknowledged the intelligence officer with a blink that used both sets of eyelids. She had hoped that at least one ship would’ve returned with grav surge data. While it would’ve helped in the orientation of subsequent wave of ships it wasn’t critical to the overall plan. Regardless, Admiral Tang had shown foresight in proposing and backing refits of minesweepers for this eventuality. The refitted Engineers and Luttfomis had at least accomplished their secondary task. Being so massively armored had made the Axis captains obsessive in destroying them, forcing the expenditure of external ordnance. As for the Whales their role as a CAP killer was affirmed, forcing the Axis to use their assault carrier strike wings if they cared to maintain a strong presence on the warp point.
“Admiral,” Yos continued, “our window of opportunity is narrow. They believe we’ve been given pause and as a result will stand down. As they didn’t risk sending their ships in closer to kill our pinnances faster tells me they intend to assault us in the very near future. In less than two hours their heavy units will have rearmed with CAMs. In less than four hours all of their ships will be back at full combat capability.”
Jki looked at the hologram again, arms crossed behind her. “There is that, Yos, and they have four ships with which to conduct boarding actions. If I was their commander I would do that in the hope of getting sensor records, especially current ones.” She then fixed her gaze at the officer on the other side of the projection. It was Rear Admiral Barsus, her chief of staff. “We will proceed with Ops Plan Black Tuesday. The first wave will transit in two minutes.”
“Aye-Aye, Sir,” said Barsus.
********
Farnon moved his command temporarily to the Heart of the Hero class BC Righteous Grasp. He could’ve stayed with his original ship, the DN Basher, but decided to remain with the bulk of his fleet. It showed the crews that he had faith in their ability to repulse any abomination threat that should appear while the capital ships rearm their external racks. A laborious process, it took a little over 25 minutes for the work on a DN to be complete but for a BC it was only 16. So far 8 DNs, all 9 BBs and the first 7 BCs involved had loaded two CAMs each.
To pass the time Farnon ordered the broadcast of boarding party combat on the four e-hulked abomination ships be transmitted to all units in the fleet. He was thoroughly disgusted by the sight of the aliens with their six arms and two large eyes. At least they had two legs, and altogether it reminded Farnon of a particular model of robot used by the Nu’Chut AIs for shipboard maintenance. These aliens were fighting every bit as hard and fatalistic as any AI-controlled soldier-bot. Only here these Aboms gushed blood instead of hydraulic fluid.
Just as Farnon made the order for some aliens to be captured for interrogation and dissection purposes the transit alarm sounded again. Farnon looked intently at the holograph tank and witness the arrival of three large ships followed by a dreadnought. What came after them was a mass arrival of ships: one DN, six BBs, twelve CLs, twenty-one DDs, thirty-two CTs and sixteen ESs. Of that number twenty-four interpenetrated and exploded. To finish the surprise 166 armed pinnaces came along as well with 26 experiencing the law of probability regarding two objects trying to share the same location in space at the same time. Farnon only found solace that the enemy lacked data on the grave eddies of the warp point. Multiple units still ended up facing a different vector.
The regular warships of SF 1 were still 1.5 LS from the warp point, cruising at 0.017c and located arbitrarily south, moving counter-clockwise. Carriers, escorts, minesweepers and Grenadiers were 4 LS southeast, moving counter-clockwise and the rearming warships were 12 LS north, safe from missile fire but with drivefields down at the moment. It would take another minute before they could begin moving as suited ordnancemen made for the nearest airlocks. Also located north were four small control bases for the automated weapons guarding the warp point. For the capital missile armed National Reaches and Firebows they cruised clockwise very slowly 4.5 LS distant, located due west of the encroaching Allied horde. Farnon didn’t curse himself for letting the crews stand down from action stations as he truly believed the enemy wasn’t about to try another incursion so soon. Even if it meant the recovery of Borehole was delayed by months as long as he held onto Circuit Run then it could still be counted as a victory for the Axis.
This first wave, composed entirely of Quagaar ships, was set on victory as well. While driven by profit and lucrative sales the Quagaar were often the target of bad jokes and derision for the way they went about their business. It is often said that it would take a major deity to get out of a contract early with the Quagaar. In all fairness one does get quality service for the money involved. Moreover once the contract is signed the Quagaar ensure the conditions, and obligations, are fulfilled entirely. As a whole, the CDF had seen the destruction of the Uan home system as a breach of contract on their part. While they may have not stated it publicly the CDF saw their participation for the rest of the war as a massive penalty fee that must be paid to settle that contract.
While the Commonwealth Senate was still brooding on allowing the CSF to conduct mass transits with ships the Quagaar CDF was under no such restrictions. While his large ships were towed across the Borehole system Admiral Tang sent Jki a warp assault plan that would involve all of his assault elements as well as supporting escorts. With some modification Jki sent it back, only informing the other task force commanders just hours before the sending in the probe wave. Confidence in success rose markedly, and opinions of the CDF in general and the Quagaar in particular were changed as a result. But first there was a battle to be won.
The first ship in was Tang’s Clarion Call, and armed with antimatter CAMs it stood the risk of facing active Axis ships as the probe wave only went in twenty minutes earlier. With none attacking at first sight the Clarion Call selected a Hailfire and let loose with all weapons. Shields on the Axis ship went down and half of the armor was compromised. Naturally, being the first one in and one of three biggest ships the Clarion Call was the focus of the initial Axis fire. Farnon, seeing that the remaining IDEW-e buoys were still recharging elected to make the most of the 240 one-shot laser buoys. He ordered as many corvettes and escorts as possible to be destroyed so that buoy fire would be less diluted.
Just 26 Hatchets where shot down by the Whale’s internal guns while twelve of the eighteen CAP squadrons were able to fire their attack missiles. True to their training they went after the suspected assault carriers, collapsing shields and crushing armor with nuclear fireballs. Farnon, while happy that three of the four control bases went active, was disappointed in the performance of his fleet. 53 Allied ships were still on the warp point. Tactics dictate that more of the ships had to be destroyed so that the buoys would have fewer targets and be more effective, yet to wait would allow the enemy to use ECM and reduce the number of overall hits. With the intentions of the pinnaces unknown Farnon erred on the side of caution and gave the order for all 240 laser buoys to be used at once.
Not one ship was destroyed as a result but many of the corvettes and escorts were crippled. It was worse for the three of the six escort carriers that survived the mass transit. 20 out of 36 Sharks remained in their launch bays and all the pilots lost were veterans of the Battle of Ua. That didn’t deter the survivors from their primary job of engaging CAP squadrons that had yet to fire. As they launched those ships without weapons or point defense transited back to Borehole followed by two of the escort carriers. Coming the other way were three Nikazu-Vs and three Cram minesweepers. These ships were refitted some months earlier so as to enhance their passive defenses and performance. Especially the Crams now equipped with engine tuners and a datalink jammers.
Farnon kept his active ships away from the warp point due to the jamming coming from three of the Allied ships, all of them large and well-armored. While this reduced overall damage it did allow for those ships in datalink to fire together instead of singletons. The remaining Hatchets on the CAP were another matter, but they had expected this to happen. Besides, it wasn’t going to matter anyway. 140 Whales, after braving the minefield and losing 26 of their number, went for the warships along with 27 Shark squadrons flung from the two Avami and the Salyf.
The Hailfires blitzed the Whales, taking out 33 like one would with dynamite in a lake of fish. It was a desperate bid to challenge fate in the face of antimatter and the Axis formations paid for it. One minute into the battle two Heroes, eleven Hailfires, eight Stalwarts, ten National Wills, five Sprinters, and six Punches were destroyed, crippled or heavily damaged. The diversion provided by the corvettes and escorts proved decisive. Had the Axis made more of a concerted effort to take out the Avami and Salyf then there wouldn’t have been as many FRAM-armed Sharks. A Quagaar CL was made weaponless and a few more corvettes were wiped out, including the third CVE. One Nikazu-V in the second wave was nearly gone but the flight groups in its bays as well as its two sisters just carried normal close-attack missiles, gun and laser packs. Only two more CAP squadrons went active and did some damage before they were cut down by the 20 Quagaar fighters and point defense on the Luttfomi and Provem escort destroyers.
Admiral Hovwen was relieved to see 31 carrier-based squadrons crash launch from their bays one minute into the battle. While the 27 Shark squadrons moved away from the warships and towards the capital missile units, indicating that they fired just partial loads, there were just ten squadrons launched by the two intact Nikazu-Vs. It was certain that few fighters from this 31 squadron strike would survive. What was important is that they inflict as much damage as possible. The enemy had to be beaten down until the northern warships had moved in to deliver coordinated salvos just outside the range of the jammers.
Both Avamis and the two remaining Nikazu-Vs transited back to Borehole. Three escorts down to just one engine apiece went through at the same time with two of them interpenetrating on the far side. Replacing them were three Cqux and three Hazen BCs. Seeing Hovwen’s squadrons making for the Allied ships Farnon gave the order for the jamming coming from Allied ships to be eliminated. Tang’s Clarion Call needed only to be breathed on to fall apart while the Salyf was gone. As for the Luttfomi the jammer was so well protected that it was destroyed only after one squadron of Hatchets was savaged by Sharks. Witnessing this onslaught of Hatchets was the fourth wave made of three Nikazus and three Valhallan Paramount battlecruisers.
The Hazen Second Colonels were targeted first and in their defense the Cqux fired half of their missile batteries at the Axis scourge, knocking out fifteen fighters. For the most part the Allied ships focused on their counterparts. Only the minesweepers engaged the fighters with massed batteries of point defense. The 81 Whales, each still lugging a pair of laser packs, kept after the Axis hulls with great intensity. A light cruiser, four destroyers and a frigate were stabbed like a bull by a matador, only stopping when ECM was no longer being generated.
As for the National Reaches and the new Firebows they fired on the fourth wave Nikazus. With point defense still affected by transit the three battleships were wracked by full salvos of internal and externally-launched missiles. Two of the Nikazus had breached armor with one losing nearly half its internal systems. Farnon was glad to see this damage as well as having the six energy-beam armed ships completely destroyed. The distant capital ships had finally begun to move and were now 11 LS from the warp point. He ordered the 60 Grenadiers, nearly all of which were now active, to move on the warp point. As for Hovwen she still had 23 squadrons at her disposal, only waiting for the remaining carriers to reach action stations. Remnants of the first strike landed on heavily armored Falcon Crests and Soars. It was up to the regular combat ships to take out active jamming from Allied ships to ensure those fresh squadrons make the biggest impact.
Wave five was composed of three Terpla DNs, including Jki’s Captain Dessis, and three Derakag BCs. Their addled weapons contributed little to the ultimate demise of the Axis beam-armed ships. Just two Heroes remained after what the Spectrums and Cqux had done, the rest were polished off by the Whales and the HET lasers of the DDs and minesweepers. As for the Sharks, each still carrying one FRAM, they had caught up to the National Reaches and Firebows. Three and two of the respective classes were targeted and crippled.
Now commanding the forces in Circuit Run Jki ordered Tang to transit back to Borehole. The Clarion Call, down to just an engine room, was spared from destruction because the Axis didn’t want to waste fire on it while more killable units were around. Four Quagaar CL and two DDs, lacerated by laser buoys earlier, were put down by capital missile volleys. When the Clarion Call left it was replaced by three Oknibs and three Hazen Trumpeters. Upon seeing the arrival of the first Oknib Admiral Hovwen had her carrier group alter course and began moving away, though the range only increased by 0.25 LS initially. Earlier primary hits from the CLs and from the stabilized Terplas had disabled engine rooms on three Eagle Crests and an Interception.
Farnon survived the near destruction of the Righteous Grasp. Trapped in the wrecked CIC he only had access to tactical scanners and communications. He witnessed the three Trumpeters launch 39 shuttles, each one heading for a limping, weaponless ship that trailed behind Righteous Grasp like obedient dogs. The other Allied ships launched cutters and shuttles, no doubt also filled with marines to conduct boarding actions. Sprint mode missiles were fired to knock down shields to assist the shuttles. Farnon checked his service sidearm after contacting Hovwen and placing her in command of SF 1. Combined with 23 Hatchet squadrons the 8 DNs, 9 BBs and 7 BCs still had chance to blunt the enemy offensive. The Grenadiers would serve their purpose and divert fire away from the advancing capital ships and retreating carriers.
The intact National Reaches and Firebows moved one light-second further away from the warp point. While accuracy for their missile launchers was reduced this did place them out of range of capital force and primary beams and standard missiles. A Terpla DN, having expended its EDMs half a minute earlier to fend off a previous volley was hit again, losing its shields. Moving relentlessly the Grenadiers had closed to 2.75 LS, sacrificing 20 of their number from the concentrated efforts of the Allies. 18 Whales were harpooned by plasma bolts but five managed to shoot down those bolts meant to kill them.
Three more Oknibs and three Disams made transit in time to witness Hovwen’s carriers and minesweepers detune their engines. Her intent was to place as much distance between herself and the Allied ships before they broke through the minefield or brought in fresh squadrons armed with antimatter short-attack missiles. Joined by the ten squadrons of Sharks from the second wave Nikazu-Vs the Whales and the warships destroyed 39 more Grenadiers, leaving one that was riddled by the Terplas’ primary beams. Axis capital missiles continue to rain on the Captain Feyhs and resulted in an armor breach. The last Quagaar DD in the battle was destroyed by the Firebows. Return fire from the fifth-wave Oknibs succeeded in breeching the shields of a National Reach. Eventually they’ll learn of the density of the ship’s armor.
With the entry of the ninth wave the Axis capital units were at 6.25 LS range. The Prestige DNs let fly with their light capital missile batteries, fixing on finishing off the Feyhs after the hurt it received from the National Reaches and the Firebows. Still retaining an engine, the Feyhs was able to transit back to Borehole. Now with two datagroups of Oknibs and one of Disams the Allies were finally able to breach the armor of one National Reach. It wouldn’t be long before it was reduced to mobile slag courtesy of antimatter fireballs.
Six Crajen CAs, including Admiral Dowel’s flagship, filed in on random vectors just like the previous nine waves. Now in capital force beam range, the Axis capital ships were joined by the missile units and opened up on a Cqux DN, demolishing 80% of its shields. A Prestige lost 62% of armor in addition to all its shields from the concentrated attention of the Allied ships while the harmed National Reach was removed as a threat. The sole Grenadier was hit by primaries again but was still mobile. Closer still at 3.75 LS the lasers on the Axis ships came into play. Splitting their fire the Axis so damaged a Cqux it was force to retire along with the last Quagaar CL, passing the inbound twelfth wave. Another Cqux DN, having already received some hits, became the new headliner in the hit parade.
The Quagaar BBs now had the range on the enemy. The Spectrums, with their massive batteries of standard lasers and after preparatory work done by the rest of the fleet, rendered one DN, BB and BC useless. One Cqux was destroyed in the exchange with another losing half its weapons, leaving just three intact ones in Circuit Run. It transited out before it could be finished off. After burning the figurative oil the Axis ships slowed dramatically and generated the maximum ECM possible while still advancing, closing to 2.25 LS when the thirteenth wave appeared.
As the Cqux DNs continued to be pounded secondary fire (the second volley of the Axis BBs’ advanced missile launchers) fell on the Dessis. Rightly assuming the ship was of the command variant for only firing one primary beam the Axis captains were going to destroy it as soon as all the Cqux were gone. When that was done, however, primary fire was shifted to the Derakags. With the volume of fire offered by sprint-mode missiles it made the BCs attractive targets.
The range had dropped to the point where both capital force beam and HET laser delivered four times the destructive power than at maximum range. For what came next Jki described in her memoirs years later as a ‘dick move’ on the part of the Axis. The 23 Hatchet squadrons, having kept station over the every-diminishing number of capital ships on their trek of immolation, dropped their external ordnance and turned away at full speed. Having waited for the Hatchets to come in close where jamming would’ve rendered their datalinks useless Jki kept the remaining 63 Whales and 60 armed Sharks right next to the warp point, ready to pounce. Being what they are the Allied pilots only regretted in not getting more fighter kills that day.
Mindful of plasma guns the eleven remaining combat capable Axis capital ships turned 60°, intent on orbiting the warp point at a distance of 1.5 LS for as long as possible. The four intact Firebows and three National Reaches detuned their engines and proceeded to leave the battle. Regardless, the BCs would still be in firing range of CM and SBMs for another minute while the DNs would face an additional 30 seconds of fire. Without engine-augmented ECM a Firebow was selected and fired upon by the Oknibs and Disams. Antimatter fireballs broke shields, shredded armor and disemboweled two-thirds of the engine spaces.
While their ships were being felled like trees the Axis focused on the Dessis and Haya, both Terpla class DNs, and by pure chance Dowel’s CA. Being so heavily damaged protocols were activated on the Dessis. The two E’sani marines in the wrecked CIC bodily moved the officers and ratings into the chutes that directly lead to escape pods. Jki would’ve been the last to leave but a marine did his job and unceremoniously pushed her down the chute like a bag of laundry and followed. He also secured the pod’s hatch and hit the launch button, respectively shoving aside whoever was in his way.
All waves since the fourth had been carrying capital mine-clearance rounds on their external racks as well as firing them from internal launchers moments after making transit. The target mine patch had now been reduced to a mere two patterns. Generating maximum ECM those ships facing this depleted patch moved into it, lead by the Captain Avma. Both patterns expended themselves on the veteran ship. Of the 43 mines that achieved a lock only 26 got past the point defense and detonated, failing to knock down the shields. Finally in plasma gun range three Bulani Hunter Party BCs let loose on an Axis BC. After being slapped by four capital force beams a total of nine plasma bolts impacted on the armor-denuded ship, making it explode like a balloon.
Before dying the last pair of Axis battleships finished the Dessis and Haya and almost claiming Dowel’s ship. A Firebow was lacerated by laser-tipped SBMs but got out of range before losing engines while the previous one was put down by a two full salvos of SBMs armed with antimatter. That just left the three National Reaches. Considering the shielding involved Dowel had all capital missile units fire laser-tip SBMs. Half the armor on one was burned off before it and its companions were out of range.
In ten minutes the fight for Circuit Run was over. With Jki indisposed Dowel, designated to assumed command of the task force, sent the Whales and laser-armed Sharks against the National Reaches. He had considered sending the Sharks based on the fleet and light carriers and the fast destroyers against the Soars, Grim Reapers, and the engine-damaged carriers and escort but decided against it. The enemy still had over 260 Hatchets, and combined with the displayed improvement in their armor the projected loss to TF 21 inherent strength of 480 Sharks would be crippling. As for the boarding actions on the multitude of Axis hulls marine boarding parties were reporting success. First securing engine rooms and magazines the marines ventilated entire sections of contested ships with multiple hull breaches and, when possible, accessing life support stations and venting atmosphere into space. Of those Axis ships yet to be boarded a new display of defiance was shown. In pairs while one ship slowed to a stop another kept moving and rammed, immolating both in a sought-for suicide pact. With personnel transports on hand to conduct SAR operations TF 21 followed the retreating Axis carriers at cruising speed, taking its losses to enter the system in stride as the price for its victory.
********
General Jingu-wa was standing on the third-floor balcony of his command post, looking out towards the city of Stone Hearth several kilometers away. Next to him was the Tzelan Wenns, also looking but with a pair of field glasses. It was late afternoon, and with the cloud cover it appeared that rain was about to fall. “Not much to see out there, General,” Wenns commented. “There has been almost no activity in the city as practically everyone has left.”
“Aside from the occasional sniper, professor,” Jingu-wa replied, “and whatever family decided that they’ve waited long enough to leave their reinforced basements. There is one person in Stone Hearth that has stayed from the beginning. I am convinced Governor Genpan is still here. Not a cave or forest redoubt but right under one of those buildings in the city.”
Wenns stroked his chin in a gesture of contemplation. “I do believe you are right, General. In Comensal history texts, both ancient and modern, I’ve read the leader always stays in the place that will be the site of ultimate victory. For that to happen, the colonists will have to return to Stone Hearth. All they’re waiting for is the word.”
Jingu-wa scowled. “Not if I can help it, professor.” He pointed at the fields at the city’s outskirts. “We’re going to make a ten-kilometer wide clear zone around the city. All vegetation will be burned away and random minefields scattered about. As for the city I will have it dismantled.”
Wenns was perplexed. “Dismantled? That will leave piles of rubble for the colonists to use as cover, Sir. It’ll make fighting in the city that much more difficult.”
“Dismantled, Wenn, not destroyed,” Jingu-wa emphasized. “Every building, save this one, was constructed in such a way that they could be put together in a minimal amount of time. I image it was done to facilitate rapid replacement of sections damaged in earthquakes. We will use that fact to our advantage. Each structure in the city will be taken apart, wall to wall, loaded into shuttles and then dumped into an ocean or atop a polar ice cap. There will only be holes in the ground where homes and business once stood and we’ll fill in the holes too.”
“Pardon me for saying, Sir, but part from the long term advantage of denying the Comensal cover this will be a labor-intensive project. Are you hoping to provoke Governor Genpan to react?”
His scowl replaced with grim smile Jingu-wa looked over to Wenns. “I would like nothing better than to force her hand and show herself, professor. In the process of returning the city to nature I hope to find her bunker and capture her alive. Just one sentence from her, telling the colonists to surrender, will end the fighting here at once. All it boils down to is how long she can keep her composure as we remove Stone Hearth from the face of Citadel.”
********
Allied scouts fanned across the Circuit Run system and in short order found the colony on the innermost planet of the red dwarf component. Orbiting it was a DN-sized space station, unarmed except for a single squadron of Hatchets, and a small spaceport located right night to the primary population center, a domed city of 8,000. The station was dispatched by the armed pinnace tenders Curtys and Bayyar and their pod of Whales for no loss.
News of King Russen’s victory in Output reached TF 21 just as Circuit Run A-1 was secured by Quagaar marines. Communications along the Citadel Chain had been restored when TG 123 defeated the Axis guard force watching the Metalstorm/Silvershoe warp point. Even the ships of 2nd Survey Force in Output took care of the retreating ships that were once part of the force covering the Metalstorm/Abyssal-019 warp point. Parties to celebrate this series of victories as well as commemorate the fallen took place on TF 21. Jki, Tang, Dowel and the rest of the senior task force officers were in the rec center on the Captain Avma. Other than some inadvertent bruising Jki was none the worse for wear in escaping Dessis’ destruction.
“Looks like we’re part of an exclusive club,” Dowel said, holding a saucer of spirits in one hand while the other had a plate of shredded cheese. “We three have survived the near-destruction of our flagships or have escaped in the nick of time. It’s the stuff that legends are made of.”
Tang finished the drink he had been nursing since the start of the party. “I’m certain the contribution made by my personnel will reduce, however so slightly, the red mark against the name of my nation. Now that we’ve truly shaken the AFC out of whatever complacency it had our future assaults will really depend on luck and divine blessing.”
“Ah, it’s far too early in the evening to get philosophical my good Tang. Well, not until you get three or four more drinks into you. So before that happens I have something to give to you.” Dowel had one of his attending junior officers bring over a cloth covered object. “This is to express my thanks as well as everyone else in the task force for your contribution to our victory.” With his two claw arms he held up the object right in front of Tang like a schoolchild showing a parent a drawing.
Intrigued, Tang lifted the cloth. He found a wonderfully detailed scale model of an ancient Quagaar sailing ship in a clear glass bottle. Dowel was radiating pride. “I’ve worked on that for the last five months. As usual the rigging was the most difficult but most satisfying.”
“Thank you, Dowel.” Tang turned so that the other officers could get a good look of the model.
Dowel’s stalked eyes turned to Jki. “I’m sorry to say Jki that your bottled ship was destroyed when my quarters was wrecked. It will be some months before I can present you with it. However I can extend my congratulations to another matter.”
“What may that be?” Jki asked.
With his claw arms folded under him Dowel gave the visual cue that he was quite smug about something. “While you were indisposed and I was still in temporary command of the task force I received the high-level messages from the fleet message network. One of them was from Senator Sal Jki, addressed for the task force commander – eyes only. Since it wasn’t addressed to you specifically I took it upon myself to read it.”
Jki noticed the teeth-bearing grins on Rear Admirals Reas and Barsus’ faces, knowing only one reason why they were doing it. “Though the use of priority communications for private messages is frowned upon I believe in this case it’s justified that such news will be of benefit to the recipient. Let me be the first one to congratulate you on becoming a grandmother, Admiral Jki.”
“That’s very good news,” Reas said before Jki could reply. “Now when we refer to our leader as ‘the old lady’ it’ll be completely accurate.” He raised the cup of wine he was holding. “Here’s to the health of the Admiral’s family and her first grandchild.”
Amid the cheers and congratulatory words she got that night Jki was above all happy about the news. A very close second was that no photos were taken. Had there been they would’ve shown an admiral with a shade of red usually found on daughters playfully embarrassed by their parents in front of company.
End Chapter 6
--Zume
General Jingu-wa looked impassive as he read the report handed to him by the interrogator. Questioning of Comensal prisoners has so far proven of little value other than affirming the fanaticism they displayed in the field. Captured messages, equipment and other battlefield clues provided far more intelligence on what the enemy was doing. Live prisoners were only being taken for the express purpose of intelligence gathering. Only those Comensal so wounded that they couldn’t put up resistance or otherwise incapacitated were chosen. Attempts to hold prisoners in large groups have proven futile insofar as they became the source for insanely-led rescue attempts.
The colonists had melted into the countryside, drawing troops of the Expeditionary Corps away from the cities and towns. Casualties were now going back up, mainly due to ambushes. With the firepower the troops could call upon any colonists that stood and fought were eliminated with dispatch. This meant whole families were slain, and it didn’t ease Jingu-wa’s mind one bit that the children involved were armed and fighting, killing his men as readily as any adult.
He faced the interrogator, one of the few Tzelans assigned to mostly E’sani 1st EC. Peth Wenns was a junior professor of xeno-anthropology and sociology back on his homeworld. He was among a team of Comensal specialists that studied and interrogated the first set of prisoners taken earlier in the war. As Tzelans went Wenns gave the impression of a reflective wise man that members of his race like to do for the benefit of others. He did, however, have his unconventional side, and it was this that made Jingu-wa sit up and take notice. “You’ll probably get some bad press back home for what happened, Wenns,” the general simply stated. “For the record I’ll assert that the prisoner, already injured, succumbed to an undetected wound.”
“I’ll appreciate that, General,” Wenn said with a flick of his ears, looking up to meet Jingu-wa’s eyes. “My seniority back the university maybe affected if the facts aren’t presented correctly for the record.”
Jingu-wa nodded, holding a pen in preparation to write notes in the margin of the electronic paper pad. “For the sake of the record just what kind of candy did you offer the prisoner when you started the interrogation?”
“It was a jellybaby, General,” Wenn said in a manner one would answer a question posed by an aunt from across the dinner table. “It was the way he knocked it out of my hand that told me he didn’t like sweets. As for his demise I don’t believe it was an undetected wound. Have a surgeon on a transport conduct an autopsy. The prisoner may have self-induced a brain aneurism.”
“Self-induced?” Jingu-wa said incredulously.
“Yes. I noticed after fifteen minutes into my attempt to engage the prisoner in conversation that his eyes glazed over and blood ran out from his ears,” Wenn replied in the same manner as before. “He may have ‘checked out’ from the beginning and simply resigned himself to death. I’m beginning to believe that it may have been better had he tried to assault me. I don’t want to be known as the professor that literally bored a man to death. That would make me the butt of bad jokes from students.”
Jingu-wa placed an affirming hand on Wenn’s shoulder. “Professor, the way this war is going I doubt anyone will give this incident a second thought.”
********
The command station on the Engineer minesweeper Clarion Call was quite. Junior Executive Admiral Tang was standing over the master holographic table, viewing a projection of Task Force 21 and his assault element. Four of his six hands manipulated controls to focus on one part of the projection. Twelve ships, two of them Engineers and ten Luttfomis, were poised right above the Borehole/Circuit Run warp point. Unlike Clarion Call, the Engineers and seven Luttfomis had been extensively refitted by the mobile yards over Citadel.
The Allies still lacked grav surge data on Circuit Run side of the warp point. Despite boarding 38 e-hulked ships from an Axis probe four days earlier no intact database had been found. It was the same story on Borehole as the enemy had destroyed municipal information systems and records to prevent their capture. It was suicide to use survey ships, and while Magnets refitted with science instruments would work the political climate in the Commonwealth wouldn’t permit a mass transit at the present time.
The Quagaar CDF, still smarting over its tardiness in preventing the loss of the Uan homeworld nine months earlier, came up with a solution. While assembling in Citadel for the next offensive the CDF had refitted nine minesweepers into massively shielded and armored units equipped with science instruments. It was calculated that at least one out of six ships so modified would return from a probe of an enemy-held, unsurveyed point.
After his ships were literally dragged by tugs across the system Tang had a meeting with Admiral Jki. About to ask if he could use the armed pinnace wings to cover the sweepers Tang was relieved when Jki told him up front to do so. It was out of concern that the Axis might have developed antimatter warheads, and if the defending fighters in Circuit Run had them even the modified Engineers could be brought down. Since they would stay on the warp point the Whales would initially only take interpenetration loss, losing roughly 24 out of 162 right off the bat. While in Circuit Run the Whales could also knock out weapon buoys and fighters, ensuring the follow-up assault would face fewer of them.
Tang adjusted the projection back up to one light-second scale, making the ship icons look like they were surrounded by a cloud of gnats instead of pinnaces. “Send the following order to the probe wave,” Tang said to an attending junior officer. “All units will proceed with the operations plan.”
********
Circuit Run was a red dwarf/white dwarf binary system that normally wouldn’t even rate an outpost. In fact there was a colony, 17,000 strong, on the rockball world orbiting the red dwarf. The Axis placed it there to exploit the mineral riches that were literally strewn across the planet’s surface. Complete with a small space station the colonists of Circuit Run would’ve continued in their mining efforts for the greater glory of the Comensal had reality not intruded.
When war came the ore refineries on Circuit Run were upgraded with additional facilities, increasing output significantly. In turn, when Borehole fell, this colony became the front line against the Allied invasion. Deployed at the Circuit Run/Borehole warp point was Star Force 1 of the Second Advanced Fleet. 27 capital ships, 54 cruisers, 36 destroyers and frigates kept watch along with 900 patterns of mines and 720 weapon buoys. Two squadrons each of fleet and light carriers, plus attending escorts, were on hand to keep a 96 fighter-strong CAP on the warp point.
After pondering the data brought back by the pinnaces System Admiral Farnon, commanding SF 1, had decided that enough time had pass by to commence the assault to reclaim Borehole. In two hours eight assault carriers, four minesweepers, and 60 Grenadiers will move together in the first wave, followed by dreadnoughts and battleships. Once the Allied ships were disposed of SF 1 will move onto Borehole Prime and land 50,000 troops with 20,000 more earmarked for Harvest. Everyone was to participate in the great victory of the people.
A thoughtful commander, Farnon was about to issue a force-wide order for crews to have a meal before the assault when the transit alarm blared in his flagship’s CIC. He watched as six ships emerging from the warp point with only two on the same initial heading. Accompanying the last ship were 162 of those damnable pinnaces of which 22 exploded via interpenetrations. Instead of moving away from the warp point the pinnaces stayed, a departure from regular tactics. While the CAP moved in to attack the regular warships, orbiting the warp point at 1.5 LS, rushed to battle stations.
Firing transit-addled weapons, the two huge Allied ships picked on a Hailfire, nearly breaking its armor and shorting out a shuttle bay, engine room and missile launcher. The four dreadnought-sized ships destroyed a Sprinter with CAMs. Farnon flexed his boney forehead in consternation. Despite the firepower brought to bear the two huge ships and one DN, thought to be assault carriers, didn’t begin to belch air until they took enough damage that would’ve destroyed them outright. In fact enough hurt was dished out to destroy five dreadnought-sized assault carriers. Even the firing of 120 IDEW-Ls failed to take down one ship, though the two SDs and a DN were badly off. What made Farnon’s gorge rise was that the armed pinnaces had fixated on the fighters. If one missed with a proximity-fused missile then it used its transit-addled internal gun and two more on its external racks. Of the 96 Hatchets, 48 of which had fired, 95 were shot down.
Farnon wished he had his assault carriers, sitting 10 LS from the warp point, positioned with his regular carriers so that their flight groups could participate that much sooner. The complete destruction of the CAP meant facing a boatload of anti-matter armed fighters. He was relieved and curious why the Allied ships weren’t carrying fighters. While he pondered on this another wave of ships entered, all of them the size of DNs. Expending CAMs as they became active the Axis ships destroyed the first wave ships and only seriously wrecked another in the second. Grimacing as the Whales went through the IDEW-Ls like so much krill, taking down all 240 of them, Farnon allowed the use of 240 IDEW-Es so as to cripple and immobilize the six ships that were now on the warp point. He succeeded in that two ships lost all motive power, but the other four burned out their overload dampeners and still had engines.
With no third wave and knowing they wouldn’t make it out in time the four ships played their trump card when the 20 Hatchet squadrons crash-launched a minute earlier arrived. Jammers played their one-note song of discord, throwing the Axis fighter squadrons into disarray. After three of the sweepers were destroyed and another silenced the Hatchets were able to attack as (in) complete squadrons instead of singletons. Even so 69 out of 120 were shot down for the loss of just 71 Whales. Having fired their short-ranged attack missiles the 69 remaining Whales followed the two regular pinnaces in one wave, leaving behind not just a gutted force of Hatchets but also chalked up 55 more buoys.
A moment passed when Farnon received a call from System Admiral Hovwen, commander of SF 1’s carrier group. “Normally congratulations are in order, Farnon,” she said in a snide manner. “It appears this was just a major probe by the abominations to determine our strength. While they launched no drones they did managed to get 71 pinnaces back into Borehole. For the record, Farnon, we lost 27% of our total fighter force. That number would’ve been lower had your active ships, especially your Hailfires, been at the warp point and swatted those armed pinnaces like so many pestilent rodents.”
“The pinnaces could have well been armed with antimatter,” the SF 1 commander replied like a belligerent shopkeep. “Had I ordered the ships to move in then they would’ve been directly threatened as well as being more vulnerable to the suspected assault carriers.”
Hovwen matched Farnon’s attitude. “But they weren’t assault carriers. With their smashed shields you saw them for what they were – minesweepers. Instead of orbiting the warp point like a skittish child around the pool your ships should’ve been on top of the Aboms to dispatch them that much quicker. I’ve lost 27% of my total fighter strength and you lost 47% of our buoys.”
A portion of Hovwen’s boney forehead throbbed. “True enough, but with fighters from the assault carriers your CAP can now be 18 squadrons instead of 16. As for the buoys they won’t be missed. We’ll be advancing soon enough.”
“Of course,” Hovwen replied. “The fighter reorganization will be done shortly, and I’ll send the resultant empty carriers to Circuit Run A-1 so that the fleet auxiliaries can stock them with prepped fighters from storage.” She then took the tone of a governess expecting her due. “What will you do with the four immobilized ships on the warp point? My pilots could use some live fire practice.”
Farnon was older than Hovwen by five years and had been a system admiral longer than her. In his opinion the officers of the graduating class that Hovwen came from were lacking in proper respect of higher leadership and seniority. It was as if they read from the same book of impudence in the library of effrontery. It would serve her right if she had her ship blown out from under her. Such a thing happened to Farnon in the Eloto War and it did wonders for his own sense of uncalled-for flippancy to senior commanders. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “They will be towed from the warp point and boarded. The ships in this probe were not observed on the Borehole side of the warp point. If the enemy has been reinforced we will need to know. Hopefully the databases on the four hulks will be in a recoverable state. For now have the Soars, Falcon Crests and Grenadiers keep station with the Eagle Crests. If no data is found in the next 24 hours the assault will proceed.”
“As you order, System Admiral Farnon,” Hovwen acknowledged, turning off the link. Farnon gave the now-dark screen a harsh look before moving on to revising the order of transit now that his fleet was down one Hailfire and three Sprinters. With another mass transit, approved by Galaxy Admiral Danmor, he felt that he was going to win. This optimism about his fleet’s prospects of success would soon turn out to be misplaced.
********
“We’ve hurt them, Admiral,” Captain Yos said, his one good eye blinking. “27 Hatchet squadrons have been eliminated as well as almost half of their buoy strength. They also expended CAMs from 70% of their ships.”
Jki moved her gaze from the hologram displaying the task force placement around the warp point to Yos. “You believe that the Axis commander will follow the manual in this instance?”
“I stake my rank on it,” Yos stated firmly. “In all captured Axis databases the procedure for occasions like this is for one-third of ships at a time with expended CAMs to pull out to 12 LS range and rearm, with priority given to capital units first.”
Jki acknowledged the intelligence officer with a blink that used both sets of eyelids. She had hoped that at least one ship would’ve returned with grav surge data. While it would’ve helped in the orientation of subsequent wave of ships it wasn’t critical to the overall plan. Regardless, Admiral Tang had shown foresight in proposing and backing refits of minesweepers for this eventuality. The refitted Engineers and Luttfomis had at least accomplished their secondary task. Being so massively armored had made the Axis captains obsessive in destroying them, forcing the expenditure of external ordnance. As for the Whales their role as a CAP killer was affirmed, forcing the Axis to use their assault carrier strike wings if they cared to maintain a strong presence on the warp point.
“Admiral,” Yos continued, “our window of opportunity is narrow. They believe we’ve been given pause and as a result will stand down. As they didn’t risk sending their ships in closer to kill our pinnances faster tells me they intend to assault us in the very near future. In less than two hours their heavy units will have rearmed with CAMs. In less than four hours all of their ships will be back at full combat capability.”
Jki looked at the hologram again, arms crossed behind her. “There is that, Yos, and they have four ships with which to conduct boarding actions. If I was their commander I would do that in the hope of getting sensor records, especially current ones.” She then fixed her gaze at the officer on the other side of the projection. It was Rear Admiral Barsus, her chief of staff. “We will proceed with Ops Plan Black Tuesday. The first wave will transit in two minutes.”
“Aye-Aye, Sir,” said Barsus.
********
Farnon moved his command temporarily to the Heart of the Hero class BC Righteous Grasp. He could’ve stayed with his original ship, the DN Basher, but decided to remain with the bulk of his fleet. It showed the crews that he had faith in their ability to repulse any abomination threat that should appear while the capital ships rearm their external racks. A laborious process, it took a little over 25 minutes for the work on a DN to be complete but for a BC it was only 16. So far 8 DNs, all 9 BBs and the first 7 BCs involved had loaded two CAMs each.
To pass the time Farnon ordered the broadcast of boarding party combat on the four e-hulked abomination ships be transmitted to all units in the fleet. He was thoroughly disgusted by the sight of the aliens with their six arms and two large eyes. At least they had two legs, and altogether it reminded Farnon of a particular model of robot used by the Nu’Chut AIs for shipboard maintenance. These aliens were fighting every bit as hard and fatalistic as any AI-controlled soldier-bot. Only here these Aboms gushed blood instead of hydraulic fluid.
Just as Farnon made the order for some aliens to be captured for interrogation and dissection purposes the transit alarm sounded again. Farnon looked intently at the holograph tank and witness the arrival of three large ships followed by a dreadnought. What came after them was a mass arrival of ships: one DN, six BBs, twelve CLs, twenty-one DDs, thirty-two CTs and sixteen ESs. Of that number twenty-four interpenetrated and exploded. To finish the surprise 166 armed pinnaces came along as well with 26 experiencing the law of probability regarding two objects trying to share the same location in space at the same time. Farnon only found solace that the enemy lacked data on the grave eddies of the warp point. Multiple units still ended up facing a different vector.
The regular warships of SF 1 were still 1.5 LS from the warp point, cruising at 0.017c and located arbitrarily south, moving counter-clockwise. Carriers, escorts, minesweepers and Grenadiers were 4 LS southeast, moving counter-clockwise and the rearming warships were 12 LS north, safe from missile fire but with drivefields down at the moment. It would take another minute before they could begin moving as suited ordnancemen made for the nearest airlocks. Also located north were four small control bases for the automated weapons guarding the warp point. For the capital missile armed National Reaches and Firebows they cruised clockwise very slowly 4.5 LS distant, located due west of the encroaching Allied horde. Farnon didn’t curse himself for letting the crews stand down from action stations as he truly believed the enemy wasn’t about to try another incursion so soon. Even if it meant the recovery of Borehole was delayed by months as long as he held onto Circuit Run then it could still be counted as a victory for the Axis.
This first wave, composed entirely of Quagaar ships, was set on victory as well. While driven by profit and lucrative sales the Quagaar were often the target of bad jokes and derision for the way they went about their business. It is often said that it would take a major deity to get out of a contract early with the Quagaar. In all fairness one does get quality service for the money involved. Moreover once the contract is signed the Quagaar ensure the conditions, and obligations, are fulfilled entirely. As a whole, the CDF had seen the destruction of the Uan home system as a breach of contract on their part. While they may have not stated it publicly the CDF saw their participation for the rest of the war as a massive penalty fee that must be paid to settle that contract.
While the Commonwealth Senate was still brooding on allowing the CSF to conduct mass transits with ships the Quagaar CDF was under no such restrictions. While his large ships were towed across the Borehole system Admiral Tang sent Jki a warp assault plan that would involve all of his assault elements as well as supporting escorts. With some modification Jki sent it back, only informing the other task force commanders just hours before the sending in the probe wave. Confidence in success rose markedly, and opinions of the CDF in general and the Quagaar in particular were changed as a result. But first there was a battle to be won.
The first ship in was Tang’s Clarion Call, and armed with antimatter CAMs it stood the risk of facing active Axis ships as the probe wave only went in twenty minutes earlier. With none attacking at first sight the Clarion Call selected a Hailfire and let loose with all weapons. Shields on the Axis ship went down and half of the armor was compromised. Naturally, being the first one in and one of three biggest ships the Clarion Call was the focus of the initial Axis fire. Farnon, seeing that the remaining IDEW-e buoys were still recharging elected to make the most of the 240 one-shot laser buoys. He ordered as many corvettes and escorts as possible to be destroyed so that buoy fire would be less diluted.
Just 26 Hatchets where shot down by the Whale’s internal guns while twelve of the eighteen CAP squadrons were able to fire their attack missiles. True to their training they went after the suspected assault carriers, collapsing shields and crushing armor with nuclear fireballs. Farnon, while happy that three of the four control bases went active, was disappointed in the performance of his fleet. 53 Allied ships were still on the warp point. Tactics dictate that more of the ships had to be destroyed so that the buoys would have fewer targets and be more effective, yet to wait would allow the enemy to use ECM and reduce the number of overall hits. With the intentions of the pinnaces unknown Farnon erred on the side of caution and gave the order for all 240 laser buoys to be used at once.
Not one ship was destroyed as a result but many of the corvettes and escorts were crippled. It was worse for the three of the six escort carriers that survived the mass transit. 20 out of 36 Sharks remained in their launch bays and all the pilots lost were veterans of the Battle of Ua. That didn’t deter the survivors from their primary job of engaging CAP squadrons that had yet to fire. As they launched those ships without weapons or point defense transited back to Borehole followed by two of the escort carriers. Coming the other way were three Nikazu-Vs and three Cram minesweepers. These ships were refitted some months earlier so as to enhance their passive defenses and performance. Especially the Crams now equipped with engine tuners and a datalink jammers.
Farnon kept his active ships away from the warp point due to the jamming coming from three of the Allied ships, all of them large and well-armored. While this reduced overall damage it did allow for those ships in datalink to fire together instead of singletons. The remaining Hatchets on the CAP were another matter, but they had expected this to happen. Besides, it wasn’t going to matter anyway. 140 Whales, after braving the minefield and losing 26 of their number, went for the warships along with 27 Shark squadrons flung from the two Avami and the Salyf.
The Hailfires blitzed the Whales, taking out 33 like one would with dynamite in a lake of fish. It was a desperate bid to challenge fate in the face of antimatter and the Axis formations paid for it. One minute into the battle two Heroes, eleven Hailfires, eight Stalwarts, ten National Wills, five Sprinters, and six Punches were destroyed, crippled or heavily damaged. The diversion provided by the corvettes and escorts proved decisive. Had the Axis made more of a concerted effort to take out the Avami and Salyf then there wouldn’t have been as many FRAM-armed Sharks. A Quagaar CL was made weaponless and a few more corvettes were wiped out, including the third CVE. One Nikazu-V in the second wave was nearly gone but the flight groups in its bays as well as its two sisters just carried normal close-attack missiles, gun and laser packs. Only two more CAP squadrons went active and did some damage before they were cut down by the 20 Quagaar fighters and point defense on the Luttfomi and Provem escort destroyers.
Admiral Hovwen was relieved to see 31 carrier-based squadrons crash launch from their bays one minute into the battle. While the 27 Shark squadrons moved away from the warships and towards the capital missile units, indicating that they fired just partial loads, there were just ten squadrons launched by the two intact Nikazu-Vs. It was certain that few fighters from this 31 squadron strike would survive. What was important is that they inflict as much damage as possible. The enemy had to be beaten down until the northern warships had moved in to deliver coordinated salvos just outside the range of the jammers.
Both Avamis and the two remaining Nikazu-Vs transited back to Borehole. Three escorts down to just one engine apiece went through at the same time with two of them interpenetrating on the far side. Replacing them were three Cqux and three Hazen BCs. Seeing Hovwen’s squadrons making for the Allied ships Farnon gave the order for the jamming coming from Allied ships to be eliminated. Tang’s Clarion Call needed only to be breathed on to fall apart while the Salyf was gone. As for the Luttfomi the jammer was so well protected that it was destroyed only after one squadron of Hatchets was savaged by Sharks. Witnessing this onslaught of Hatchets was the fourth wave made of three Nikazus and three Valhallan Paramount battlecruisers.
The Hazen Second Colonels were targeted first and in their defense the Cqux fired half of their missile batteries at the Axis scourge, knocking out fifteen fighters. For the most part the Allied ships focused on their counterparts. Only the minesweepers engaged the fighters with massed batteries of point defense. The 81 Whales, each still lugging a pair of laser packs, kept after the Axis hulls with great intensity. A light cruiser, four destroyers and a frigate were stabbed like a bull by a matador, only stopping when ECM was no longer being generated.
As for the National Reaches and the new Firebows they fired on the fourth wave Nikazus. With point defense still affected by transit the three battleships were wracked by full salvos of internal and externally-launched missiles. Two of the Nikazus had breached armor with one losing nearly half its internal systems. Farnon was glad to see this damage as well as having the six energy-beam armed ships completely destroyed. The distant capital ships had finally begun to move and were now 11 LS from the warp point. He ordered the 60 Grenadiers, nearly all of which were now active, to move on the warp point. As for Hovwen she still had 23 squadrons at her disposal, only waiting for the remaining carriers to reach action stations. Remnants of the first strike landed on heavily armored Falcon Crests and Soars. It was up to the regular combat ships to take out active jamming from Allied ships to ensure those fresh squadrons make the biggest impact.
Wave five was composed of three Terpla DNs, including Jki’s Captain Dessis, and three Derakag BCs. Their addled weapons contributed little to the ultimate demise of the Axis beam-armed ships. Just two Heroes remained after what the Spectrums and Cqux had done, the rest were polished off by the Whales and the HET lasers of the DDs and minesweepers. As for the Sharks, each still carrying one FRAM, they had caught up to the National Reaches and Firebows. Three and two of the respective classes were targeted and crippled.
Now commanding the forces in Circuit Run Jki ordered Tang to transit back to Borehole. The Clarion Call, down to just an engine room, was spared from destruction because the Axis didn’t want to waste fire on it while more killable units were around. Four Quagaar CL and two DDs, lacerated by laser buoys earlier, were put down by capital missile volleys. When the Clarion Call left it was replaced by three Oknibs and three Hazen Trumpeters. Upon seeing the arrival of the first Oknib Admiral Hovwen had her carrier group alter course and began moving away, though the range only increased by 0.25 LS initially. Earlier primary hits from the CLs and from the stabilized Terplas had disabled engine rooms on three Eagle Crests and an Interception.
Farnon survived the near destruction of the Righteous Grasp. Trapped in the wrecked CIC he only had access to tactical scanners and communications. He witnessed the three Trumpeters launch 39 shuttles, each one heading for a limping, weaponless ship that trailed behind Righteous Grasp like obedient dogs. The other Allied ships launched cutters and shuttles, no doubt also filled with marines to conduct boarding actions. Sprint mode missiles were fired to knock down shields to assist the shuttles. Farnon checked his service sidearm after contacting Hovwen and placing her in command of SF 1. Combined with 23 Hatchet squadrons the 8 DNs, 9 BBs and 7 BCs still had chance to blunt the enemy offensive. The Grenadiers would serve their purpose and divert fire away from the advancing capital ships and retreating carriers.
The intact National Reaches and Firebows moved one light-second further away from the warp point. While accuracy for their missile launchers was reduced this did place them out of range of capital force and primary beams and standard missiles. A Terpla DN, having expended its EDMs half a minute earlier to fend off a previous volley was hit again, losing its shields. Moving relentlessly the Grenadiers had closed to 2.75 LS, sacrificing 20 of their number from the concentrated efforts of the Allies. 18 Whales were harpooned by plasma bolts but five managed to shoot down those bolts meant to kill them.
Three more Oknibs and three Disams made transit in time to witness Hovwen’s carriers and minesweepers detune their engines. Her intent was to place as much distance between herself and the Allied ships before they broke through the minefield or brought in fresh squadrons armed with antimatter short-attack missiles. Joined by the ten squadrons of Sharks from the second wave Nikazu-Vs the Whales and the warships destroyed 39 more Grenadiers, leaving one that was riddled by the Terplas’ primary beams. Axis capital missiles continue to rain on the Captain Feyhs and resulted in an armor breach. The last Quagaar DD in the battle was destroyed by the Firebows. Return fire from the fifth-wave Oknibs succeeded in breeching the shields of a National Reach. Eventually they’ll learn of the density of the ship’s armor.
With the entry of the ninth wave the Axis capital units were at 6.25 LS range. The Prestige DNs let fly with their light capital missile batteries, fixing on finishing off the Feyhs after the hurt it received from the National Reaches and the Firebows. Still retaining an engine, the Feyhs was able to transit back to Borehole. Now with two datagroups of Oknibs and one of Disams the Allies were finally able to breach the armor of one National Reach. It wouldn’t be long before it was reduced to mobile slag courtesy of antimatter fireballs.
Six Crajen CAs, including Admiral Dowel’s flagship, filed in on random vectors just like the previous nine waves. Now in capital force beam range, the Axis capital ships were joined by the missile units and opened up on a Cqux DN, demolishing 80% of its shields. A Prestige lost 62% of armor in addition to all its shields from the concentrated attention of the Allied ships while the harmed National Reach was removed as a threat. The sole Grenadier was hit by primaries again but was still mobile. Closer still at 3.75 LS the lasers on the Axis ships came into play. Splitting their fire the Axis so damaged a Cqux it was force to retire along with the last Quagaar CL, passing the inbound twelfth wave. Another Cqux DN, having already received some hits, became the new headliner in the hit parade.
The Quagaar BBs now had the range on the enemy. The Spectrums, with their massive batteries of standard lasers and after preparatory work done by the rest of the fleet, rendered one DN, BB and BC useless. One Cqux was destroyed in the exchange with another losing half its weapons, leaving just three intact ones in Circuit Run. It transited out before it could be finished off. After burning the figurative oil the Axis ships slowed dramatically and generated the maximum ECM possible while still advancing, closing to 2.25 LS when the thirteenth wave appeared.
As the Cqux DNs continued to be pounded secondary fire (the second volley of the Axis BBs’ advanced missile launchers) fell on the Dessis. Rightly assuming the ship was of the command variant for only firing one primary beam the Axis captains were going to destroy it as soon as all the Cqux were gone. When that was done, however, primary fire was shifted to the Derakags. With the volume of fire offered by sprint-mode missiles it made the BCs attractive targets.
The range had dropped to the point where both capital force beam and HET laser delivered four times the destructive power than at maximum range. For what came next Jki described in her memoirs years later as a ‘dick move’ on the part of the Axis. The 23 Hatchet squadrons, having kept station over the every-diminishing number of capital ships on their trek of immolation, dropped their external ordnance and turned away at full speed. Having waited for the Hatchets to come in close where jamming would’ve rendered their datalinks useless Jki kept the remaining 63 Whales and 60 armed Sharks right next to the warp point, ready to pounce. Being what they are the Allied pilots only regretted in not getting more fighter kills that day.
Mindful of plasma guns the eleven remaining combat capable Axis capital ships turned 60°, intent on orbiting the warp point at a distance of 1.5 LS for as long as possible. The four intact Firebows and three National Reaches detuned their engines and proceeded to leave the battle. Regardless, the BCs would still be in firing range of CM and SBMs for another minute while the DNs would face an additional 30 seconds of fire. Without engine-augmented ECM a Firebow was selected and fired upon by the Oknibs and Disams. Antimatter fireballs broke shields, shredded armor and disemboweled two-thirds of the engine spaces.
While their ships were being felled like trees the Axis focused on the Dessis and Haya, both Terpla class DNs, and by pure chance Dowel’s CA. Being so heavily damaged protocols were activated on the Dessis. The two E’sani marines in the wrecked CIC bodily moved the officers and ratings into the chutes that directly lead to escape pods. Jki would’ve been the last to leave but a marine did his job and unceremoniously pushed her down the chute like a bag of laundry and followed. He also secured the pod’s hatch and hit the launch button, respectively shoving aside whoever was in his way.
All waves since the fourth had been carrying capital mine-clearance rounds on their external racks as well as firing them from internal launchers moments after making transit. The target mine patch had now been reduced to a mere two patterns. Generating maximum ECM those ships facing this depleted patch moved into it, lead by the Captain Avma. Both patterns expended themselves on the veteran ship. Of the 43 mines that achieved a lock only 26 got past the point defense and detonated, failing to knock down the shields. Finally in plasma gun range three Bulani Hunter Party BCs let loose on an Axis BC. After being slapped by four capital force beams a total of nine plasma bolts impacted on the armor-denuded ship, making it explode like a balloon.
Before dying the last pair of Axis battleships finished the Dessis and Haya and almost claiming Dowel’s ship. A Firebow was lacerated by laser-tipped SBMs but got out of range before losing engines while the previous one was put down by a two full salvos of SBMs armed with antimatter. That just left the three National Reaches. Considering the shielding involved Dowel had all capital missile units fire laser-tip SBMs. Half the armor on one was burned off before it and its companions were out of range.
In ten minutes the fight for Circuit Run was over. With Jki indisposed Dowel, designated to assumed command of the task force, sent the Whales and laser-armed Sharks against the National Reaches. He had considered sending the Sharks based on the fleet and light carriers and the fast destroyers against the Soars, Grim Reapers, and the engine-damaged carriers and escort but decided against it. The enemy still had over 260 Hatchets, and combined with the displayed improvement in their armor the projected loss to TF 21 inherent strength of 480 Sharks would be crippling. As for the boarding actions on the multitude of Axis hulls marine boarding parties were reporting success. First securing engine rooms and magazines the marines ventilated entire sections of contested ships with multiple hull breaches and, when possible, accessing life support stations and venting atmosphere into space. Of those Axis ships yet to be boarded a new display of defiance was shown. In pairs while one ship slowed to a stop another kept moving and rammed, immolating both in a sought-for suicide pact. With personnel transports on hand to conduct SAR operations TF 21 followed the retreating Axis carriers at cruising speed, taking its losses to enter the system in stride as the price for its victory.
********
General Jingu-wa was standing on the third-floor balcony of his command post, looking out towards the city of Stone Hearth several kilometers away. Next to him was the Tzelan Wenns, also looking but with a pair of field glasses. It was late afternoon, and with the cloud cover it appeared that rain was about to fall. “Not much to see out there, General,” Wenns commented. “There has been almost no activity in the city as practically everyone has left.”
“Aside from the occasional sniper, professor,” Jingu-wa replied, “and whatever family decided that they’ve waited long enough to leave their reinforced basements. There is one person in Stone Hearth that has stayed from the beginning. I am convinced Governor Genpan is still here. Not a cave or forest redoubt but right under one of those buildings in the city.”
Wenns stroked his chin in a gesture of contemplation. “I do believe you are right, General. In Comensal history texts, both ancient and modern, I’ve read the leader always stays in the place that will be the site of ultimate victory. For that to happen, the colonists will have to return to Stone Hearth. All they’re waiting for is the word.”
Jingu-wa scowled. “Not if I can help it, professor.” He pointed at the fields at the city’s outskirts. “We’re going to make a ten-kilometer wide clear zone around the city. All vegetation will be burned away and random minefields scattered about. As for the city I will have it dismantled.”
Wenns was perplexed. “Dismantled? That will leave piles of rubble for the colonists to use as cover, Sir. It’ll make fighting in the city that much more difficult.”
“Dismantled, Wenn, not destroyed,” Jingu-wa emphasized. “Every building, save this one, was constructed in such a way that they could be put together in a minimal amount of time. I image it was done to facilitate rapid replacement of sections damaged in earthquakes. We will use that fact to our advantage. Each structure in the city will be taken apart, wall to wall, loaded into shuttles and then dumped into an ocean or atop a polar ice cap. There will only be holes in the ground where homes and business once stood and we’ll fill in the holes too.”
“Pardon me for saying, Sir, but part from the long term advantage of denying the Comensal cover this will be a labor-intensive project. Are you hoping to provoke Governor Genpan to react?”
His scowl replaced with grim smile Jingu-wa looked over to Wenns. “I would like nothing better than to force her hand and show herself, professor. In the process of returning the city to nature I hope to find her bunker and capture her alive. Just one sentence from her, telling the colonists to surrender, will end the fighting here at once. All it boils down to is how long she can keep her composure as we remove Stone Hearth from the face of Citadel.”
********
Allied scouts fanned across the Circuit Run system and in short order found the colony on the innermost planet of the red dwarf component. Orbiting it was a DN-sized space station, unarmed except for a single squadron of Hatchets, and a small spaceport located right night to the primary population center, a domed city of 8,000. The station was dispatched by the armed pinnace tenders Curtys and Bayyar and their pod of Whales for no loss.
News of King Russen’s victory in Output reached TF 21 just as Circuit Run A-1 was secured by Quagaar marines. Communications along the Citadel Chain had been restored when TG 123 defeated the Axis guard force watching the Metalstorm/Silvershoe warp point. Even the ships of 2nd Survey Force in Output took care of the retreating ships that were once part of the force covering the Metalstorm/Abyssal-019 warp point. Parties to celebrate this series of victories as well as commemorate the fallen took place on TF 21. Jki, Tang, Dowel and the rest of the senior task force officers were in the rec center on the Captain Avma. Other than some inadvertent bruising Jki was none the worse for wear in escaping Dessis’ destruction.
“Looks like we’re part of an exclusive club,” Dowel said, holding a saucer of spirits in one hand while the other had a plate of shredded cheese. “We three have survived the near-destruction of our flagships or have escaped in the nick of time. It’s the stuff that legends are made of.”
Tang finished the drink he had been nursing since the start of the party. “I’m certain the contribution made by my personnel will reduce, however so slightly, the red mark against the name of my nation. Now that we’ve truly shaken the AFC out of whatever complacency it had our future assaults will really depend on luck and divine blessing.”
“Ah, it’s far too early in the evening to get philosophical my good Tang. Well, not until you get three or four more drinks into you. So before that happens I have something to give to you.” Dowel had one of his attending junior officers bring over a cloth covered object. “This is to express my thanks as well as everyone else in the task force for your contribution to our victory.” With his two claw arms he held up the object right in front of Tang like a schoolchild showing a parent a drawing.
Intrigued, Tang lifted the cloth. He found a wonderfully detailed scale model of an ancient Quagaar sailing ship in a clear glass bottle. Dowel was radiating pride. “I’ve worked on that for the last five months. As usual the rigging was the most difficult but most satisfying.”
“Thank you, Dowel.” Tang turned so that the other officers could get a good look of the model.
Dowel’s stalked eyes turned to Jki. “I’m sorry to say Jki that your bottled ship was destroyed when my quarters was wrecked. It will be some months before I can present you with it. However I can extend my congratulations to another matter.”
“What may that be?” Jki asked.
With his claw arms folded under him Dowel gave the visual cue that he was quite smug about something. “While you were indisposed and I was still in temporary command of the task force I received the high-level messages from the fleet message network. One of them was from Senator Sal Jki, addressed for the task force commander – eyes only. Since it wasn’t addressed to you specifically I took it upon myself to read it.”
Jki noticed the teeth-bearing grins on Rear Admirals Reas and Barsus’ faces, knowing only one reason why they were doing it. “Though the use of priority communications for private messages is frowned upon I believe in this case it’s justified that such news will be of benefit to the recipient. Let me be the first one to congratulate you on becoming a grandmother, Admiral Jki.”
“That’s very good news,” Reas said before Jki could reply. “Now when we refer to our leader as ‘the old lady’ it’ll be completely accurate.” He raised the cup of wine he was holding. “Here’s to the health of the Admiral’s family and her first grandchild.”
Amid the cheers and congratulatory words she got that night Jki was above all happy about the news. A very close second was that no photos were taken. Had there been they would’ve shown an admiral with a shade of red usually found on daughters playfully embarrassed by their parents in front of company.
End Chapter 6
--Zume