Chapter Four: Changes (1588-1589)[ 14 July 1588, Admiralty Building, City of Landing, Manticore ]
“Admiral Summervale.” Lady Suzanne Descroix, Countess New Dijon, freshly appointed Defense Minister for the Star Kingdom of Manticore flashed a politician’s smile as the First Space Lord entered her office. “Please sit down.”
Sir Michael Summervale sat stiffly and eyed her across the vast expanse of polished Sphinxian crown oak. The desk could have made a passable conference table. No knickknacks or family photos cluttered its surface, not even the ever present piles of hardcopy that seemed to materialize on flat surfaces throughout the Admiralty Building. He had a vague memory of his father telling him once never to trust anyone with an empty workspace.
“I want to hear your thoughts on the Wayfarer Incident.”
Summervale shrugged. “Internal disciplinary affairs aren’t really my department. I understand that Vice Admiral Sorbanne dropped the court martial and settled for beaching the commanders with half pay.” He’d also heard that decision came from this very office, on account of Lt. Commander Chandler’s family being large donors to the Liberal Party. He didn’t disagree with it though. He might even have intervened himself before it went much farther.
“I meant your thoughts regarding the military’s readiness to defend this star system. I believe that *is* your department?”
“Ah, that. You’ve read ONI’s reports?” At her brisk nod he mentally adjusted his summary. “They identified at least a hundred unique gravitic signatures in Wayfarer’s sensor data, but we only got active readings on a couple dozen Light Attack Craft. They also detected a pulse from in system three times more powerful than any of our active sensors. ONI is calling that a battlecruiser, but it’s just as likely to be a fancy scout frigate. What I am certain of is that we can stop them if necessary. Our Home Fleet out masses ONI’s worst case estimate of their total strength.”
The Countess considered him for a moment. “That’s reassuring. Do you believe an invasion is imminent?”
“No ma’am. Not imminent.” Summervale produced a tablet from his briefcase, opened the local wormhole map and activated the device’s holo projector. “This is Aral.” He pointed at one of the glowing spheres. “That’s what we’re calling the system where the aliens attacked Wayfarer. The wormhole there is only about six billion kilometers from the Manticore-Hennesy terminus. If they are native to that system, and know about wormholes, then they probably already know where we are. That means either they don’t have that technology, they don’t intend to attack us, or what we stumbled into is a large exploration fleet. I favor the latter explanation myself. In that case, we don’t know where they’re from, how quickly they can receive reinforcements, or how long it’ll take them to track us down. Or if they’ll even bother.”
“So you don’t share ONI’s concern our frigates were followed?”
Summervale shook his head. “After they saw what happened to Wayfarer’s crew, the survey commanders gave the alien fleet a very wide berth on their way back to rendezvous at the wormhole terminus. Given how aggressively they went after Wayfarer, I believe the aliens would attack any ship they detected, rather than following it. They’re almost twice as fast as our ships so they could have overtaken and destroyed the frigates easily. It’s my opinion that they don’t know where we are and will need to grav survey both Aral and Hennesy, then investigate several wormholes to find us. Six months at least. That’s my conservative estimate. It could take years.”
New Dijon frowned. “So what’s your plan? We sit and wait for them to attack?”
“My preference would be to send a large fleet to secure Wayfarer and retrieve her crew for burials. Show these aliens that we will respond to aggression with overwhelming force. Unfortunately, our options are limited because the survey cruisers can only transit ships under 12000 tons. 50% of our total combat strength is stuck in Manticore.”
“You’re saying our most expensive ships are completely useless?”
“The RMN is a system defense force. It isn’t meant to go on ‘imperialist expeditionary adventures.’”
Her lips quirked ever so slightly. “So we defend.”
“We defend,” Summervale agreed. “Again, my preference would be to defend the Hennesy terminus, where we could see enemies approaching and make good use of our missiles, but our present capabilities make that impractical. Vice Admiral Sorbanne is vehemently opposed to detaching another survey cruiser for military duty and I agree with his reasoning. That means we’ll have to defend the terminus on this side.”
She wasn’t going to like his next point and he could hardly blame her. “While I endorsed King Edward’s doctrinal reforms, and still agree missiles are the weapon of the future, it has left our modern construction woefully ill suited for the present situation. Any close defense, or assault, of a wormhole terminus will be a back alley knife fight. We’re going to be stretched very thin on older ships.”
New Dijon scowled fiercely, leaned back and crossed her arms. “I seem to recall six battlecruisers eating up an unreasonable percentage of our maintenance supplies. I’m no tactician, but I expect their large laser batteries and heavy armor would excel in that environment.”
“Tactically, yes, you’re right. Strategically, it’s a nonstarter. Over the years we’ve hobbled the battlecruisers. In their present configuration, they only carry stores for three months. That’s enough time to intercept an enemy fleet threatening our planets, but inadequate for any kind of forward deployment.”
New Dijon grunted, stood up and crossed to the window, gazing out at Landing’s skyline. Her voice was icy when she finally spoke. “You’ve already admitted that 50% of our warship tonnage is useless for offensive operations and now you’re telling me 25% are nothing more than glorified defense platforms?”
“Yes, I suppose that’s one way to put it.”
She turned back to face him. “You understand this situation is unacceptable? The government expects me to reign in the Navy’s excesses. Those battlecruisers are nothing but excess. They’re expensive props for you and your fellow Admirals to strut around and feel important. I want them dealt with. Reimagined or replaced with units that can actually do their jobs.”
Summervale nodded. “I anticipated that, so I asked BuShips to develop several options, including a quick refit plan to extend the battlecruisers’ deployment time for wormhole defense. However, the… more conservative… elements of the Navy are justifiably reluctant to tear them open when aliens might arrive tomorrow.”
New Dijon sighed and slumped back down in her chair. “At least they’ll reassure our planetary population when word of an imminent alien invasion leaks out.”
“It’s now all bad news. In fact, I have a plan to deal with several of these problems.” Summervale flicked the screen of his tablet and the map vanished, replaced by a wireframe schematic of a large warship. “The Weapons Development Board has its best propulsion people working on those new missile boosters, but as soon as they’re done, I’d like to redirect them to develop a larger wormhole transit device. It’s critical for the fleet to have an independent transit capability usable by all of our ships. Unfortunately, with current technology, we expect it to be the size of a destroyer. It’ll take years to research, retool a shipyard and actually build a ship big enough to carry it. Frankly, I don’t think we can wait. A friend in BuShips mocked this up. I think you’ll like it.”
Swiftsure class Jump Battlecruiser 28,000 tons 834 Crew 4,832.1 BP TCS 560 TH 2,520 EM 0
4500 km/s JR 3-50 Armour 8-82 Shields 0-0 HTK 138 Sensors 6/0/0/0 DCR 24 PPV 48
Maint Life 1.90 Years MSP 5,088 AFR 261% IFR 3.6% 1YR 1,812 5YR 27,177 Max Repair 1823.8 MSP
Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 6 months Morale Check Required
M28000(3-50) Wormhole Transit Device Max Ship Size 28000 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 3
NG60-840 Warship Impeller Drive (3) Power 2520 Fuel Use 75.74% Signature 840 Explosion 14%
Fuel Capacity 1,910,000 Litres Range 16.2 billion km (41 days at full power)
100mm Point Defense Autocannon Mk 2 (16x4) Range 30,000km TS: 4,500 km/s Power 3-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 5
AN/CDT-3a Point Defense Fire Control System (2) Max Range: 96,000 km TS: 4,500 km/s 90 79 69 58 48 38 27 17 6 0
Rukes GFR-48 Gaseous Fission Reactor (1) Total Power Output 48.1 Exp 5%
AN/SML-3a Missile Tracking Array (1) GPS 12 Range 4.8m km MCR 430.9k km Resolution 1
AN/SPG-3a Gravitic Detection Array (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
“Basically, we carve the guts out of a battlecruiser, then stuff the wormhole transit device inside. They had to take out a couple reactors, the boat bay, and all offensive weaponry to make it fit, but her armor, engines and point defense suite are intact, so the new class can accompany our heavy warships, even in combat situations.”
New Dijon leaned forward to study the text floating in the air beside the design. After a moment, a genuine smile lit her face. “I’m impressed. This is exactly the sort of outside the box thinking we need, Admiral.”
“Good, because there’s more.” Summervale flicked his tablet again and another much smaller ship appeared. “While I was discussing our needs with my friend, she showed me this. Some junior officers at BuShips were playing around with it. This is a pinnace equipped with a miniature wormhole transit device. You know we have a serious communication problem with the new colonies. Especially Chimera, since it doesn’t get as much traffic as Medusa. That’ll become a nightmare if we deploy warships several hops down the chain. They call this a dispatch boat. It’s fast, cheap, small enough to be carried on our cruisers and has enough supplies to sit on a wormhole to relay messages.”
Marathon class Dispatch Boat (P) 500 tons 12 Crew 52.4 BP TCS 10 TH 40 EM 0
4007 km/s JR 1-50 Armour 1-5 Shields 0-0 HTK 5 Sensors 0/0/0/0 DCR 0 PPV 0
Maint Life 15.63 Years MSP 42 AFR 4% IFR 0.1% 1YR 0 5YR 5 Max Repair 20 MSP
Lieutenant (SG) Control Rating 1
Intended Deployment Time: 24 months Morale Check Required
M500.0(1-50) Wormhole Transit Device Max Ship Size 500 tons Distance 50k km Squadron Size 1
NG4-40 Pinnace Impeller Drive (1) Power 40 Fuel Use 126.49% Signature 40 Explosion 10%
Fuel Capacity 78,000 Litres Range 22.2 billion km (64 days at full power)
“Your research team might be a bit put out after they spend years developing a giant wormhole transit device and you immediately tell them to miniaturize it.” New Dijon chuckled. “But the military and civilian implications are huge.”
“I agree.” He still had one other item on his agenda. Now was the time. “I understand your frustration with the current state of our military, but in light of a possible existential threat to the Kingdom’s existence, I’d like to ask Parliament for an exception to the warship construction ban.”
New Dijon’s expression hardened. “Why?”
“We have a desperate need for energy armed light picket ships to guard wormhole termini. I’ve sent CruDiv 5 for now, uh, that’s the Casey-class light cruisers, but nothing else in our fleet has the right combination of size, armament and endurance for the task. I asked BuShips to develop a beam heavy destroyer based on the hull of our Salamander-class, so that we can switch them with refits if necessary, but I would advise against converting our dedicated point defense units until we’re certain the aliens don’t use missiles.”
“Believe it or not, my goal has never been to destroy the Navy. I just want our limited resources well allocated, to ensure we have the right tools for our job. It’s clear from your report that we don’t have them. I want to remedy that efficiently, but not at the expense of useful capabilities. Otherwise we’ll always be chasing our tails after the latest crisis.”
Summervale smiled. “Good. I hoped you’d say that.” He swiped the schematic again and a new ship appeared. “BuShips calls this the Mercury-class destroyer. It has the same energy armament as one of our Kodiak-class heavy cruisers for one third of the price. Being based on existing hulls will minimize retooling time, but I suggest we have Hephaestus start the first flight as soon as possible.”
Mercury class Destroyer 7,200 tons 205 Crew 969.3 BP TCS 144 TH 648 EM 0
4500 km/s Armour 4-33 Shields 0-0 HTK 50 Sensors 6/0/0/0 DCR 5 PPV 29.6
Maint Life 3.52 Years MSP 520 AFR 83% IFR 1.2% 1YR 64 5YR 964 Max Repair 162 MSP
Magazine 147
Lieutenant Commander Control Rating 2 BRG AUX
Intended Deployment Time: 12 months Morale Check Required
NG27-324 Light Warship Impeller Drive (2) Power 648 Fuel Use 76.80% Signature 324 Explosion 12%
Fuel Capacity 522,000 Litres Range 17 billion km (43 days at full power)
15cm Near Ultraviolet Laser Mk1 (4) Range 180,000km TS: 4,500 km/s Power 6-3 RM 30,000 km ROF 10
AN/CAT-3a Beam Fire Control System (1) Max Range: 192,000 km TS: 4,500 km/s 95 90 84 79 74 69 64 58 53 48
Rukes GFR-24 Gaseous Fission Reactor (1) Total Power Output 24.5 Exp 5%
Mod 4a Missile Launcher (6) Missile Size: 4 Rate of Fire 600
AN/CAT-3a Missile Fire Control System (1) Range 13m km Resolution 10
Mark 4A Light Warship Missile (36) Speed: 18,200 km/s End: 9.3m Range: 10.2m km WH: 6 Size: 4 TH: 91/54/27
AN/SLL-4b Small Craft Tracking Array (1) GPS 160 Range 11.9m km Resolution 10
AN/SPG-3a Gravitic Detection Array (1) Sensitivity 6 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 19.4m km
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The 1st Survey Squadron returned home after a long arduous retreat to find a Kingdom already in turmoil, and not from anything so straightforward as an alien invasion. Instead, the Queen had thrown a metaphorical hand grenade into the House of Lords with her annual Landing Day Address. Unlike King Edward’s fiery patriotic speeches, Queen Sophie’s was full of drivel about the responsibilities of the nobility. She spoke eloquently on the need for increased social spending to ensure every citizen of the Kingdom, from the noblest to the poorest, enjoyed a decent standard of living, excellent education and equal access to opportunities.
The Crown Loyalist party imploded. Although they liked to portray themselves as moderates beside the reactionary Conservative Association, the only real difference in most of their beliefs was whether the monarch should hold absolute power or share it with them. Now their absolute certainty in the monarch’s superiority shattered, and many defected outright. Other, more principled individuals, held their noses and caucused with the Liberal Opposition in favor of the Queen’s agenda. Both outcomes heralded doom for the Centrist coalition.
In June, the Queen called upon the Duke of Winter Mount to form a new government. The Liberals and Progressives, with their Crown Loyalist allies, had a clear majority in the Commons, although the situation in the Lords was murkier since many Lords professed to remain independent of political parties. This led to a reshuffling of the Royal Council with many long serving allies of King Edward and New Texas being ousted in favor of fresh blood.
Everyone, Sir Michael Summervale most of all, was surprised when Countess New Dijon asked the First Space Lord to remain in his post, to provide “stability and continuity” for the Navy. That she said it with a straight face while taking an ax to the other appointed leadership did not improve their frosty working relationship.
The discovery of hostile aliens and loss of a survey cruiser hardly amounted to a ripple in the chaos. The new government exercised firmer control of the media narrative. Their spokespeople promised to do everything necessary to ensure the Kingdom’s safety, while daytime talk programs debated whether the incident resulted from a misunderstanding and experts argued over the best way to establish peaceful communications with the new species.
Meanwhile, the RMN prepared for war. The First Space Lord dispatched the Casey-class light cruisers to picket the Hennesy wormhole and replaced the frigates in the Junction Fleet with heavy cruisers. BuShips started construction on four new Mercury-class destroyers and the Royal Marines deployed another planetary defense battery to each inhabited planet in the system.
It soon became clear to even the most paranoid staffers at ONI that an attack wasn’t imminent. Admiral Summervale’s conservative six months ticked by without incident. Then four more. Most people breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps the aliens didn’t have wormhole technology after all. Or, perhaps they just had better things to do.
The civilian shipbuilding cartels continued to churn out freighters as quickly as possible, producing a Vega and three Clydesdales during this year. The Ship-to-Ship Tractor Beam technology finally matured and the Royal Auxilia ordered an experimental tug ship called Sisyphus. BuShip’s Weapon Development Board also made several exciting developments into Sidewall Generators, 20cm Laser Focal Size, and Active Sensor Strength 16.
On the morning of May 23rd 1589, the Defense Minister was alone in her office when the First Space Lord barged in without an appointment. His gruff warhorse face held a grim expression as he spoke the words that had haunted both of their nightmares for so long. “They’re here.”
Next - Chapter Five: Kingdom Under Siege (1589-1590)