In FL Virginis, Oceanus was seventy-five million kilometres from the jump point when she was struck by four missiles with strength-6 warheads. The sensor emissions from the two Secundus ships were still one hundred and twenty million kilometres astern. A fifth missile hit thirty seconds later and took out her single engine, leaving the survey ship dead in space. Desperate repair efforts got underway immediately. Ninety minutes later the repair crews lost the race when a new salvo of missiles obliterated the fragile vessel.
Meanwhile in Sol, the surviving Russian warships left Earth orbit as the Chinese closed in. The Kirovs charged the Chinese and both were destroyed at point blank range. As far as Jovian Intelligence could determine, the Kirovs did not fire so why they made the charge was unknown. The other three Russian warships, an Azov class destroyer and two Kalinin class escort cruisers also moved toward the Chinese. When the two sides were seven million kilometres apart Jovian sensors detected a strength-1 detonation and three energy weapon impacts in the same location as the four Chinese ships. The next three Russian salvos, all consisting of four missiles, were easily dispatched by the Chinese defences. The following two salvos, which were significantly larger, scored six strength-1 hits between them but the remaining salvos reverted to just four missiles. No further hits were detected. JNI believed this attack was mounted using the recent ordnance construction of the Russian factories.
The two Kalinins headed back toward Earth but the Azov charged straight at the approaching Chinese ships. Like the Kirovs before it, the Azov was blown to pieces at point blank range. Analysts at Jovian Naval Intelligence began to speculate that the apparently suicidal Russian warships might be trying to ram the Chinese ships. After destroying the Azov the four Chinese warships chased the Kalinins toward Earth, catching them just four million kilometres from their destination. With no missiles remaining the Kalinins were helpless and joined the growing array of Russian wrecks. The Zhenjiang and the three Jinans headed for the Russian lunar orbital bases.
The entire night sky on the Moon was lit up with energy flashes as the Chinese closed to point blank range and both sides engaged with short-ranged fast-firing lasers, unleashing their full firepower. One of the Russian bases exploded but the Zhenjiang was torn apart in return. As the Jinans began to open the range slightly, one them exploded spectacularly. The other two suddenly retreated as if stunned by the loss of their sister ships and pulled out of weapon range. Why they failed to press the attack was unknown as the Russians had only two laser-armed bases remaining and this was the best chance for the Chinese to strike a decisive blow. As far as Jovian Naval Intelligence could determine, the Russian Federation had no warships remaining except for three captured Chinese FACs, currently located a billion kilometres from Earth out beyond the trailing Jupiter Trojans. However, they still had their shipyards and could rebuild their fleet. The People’s Republic of China had ten warships but most of them appeared to be missile warships with no ordnance and no way to re-arm.
Quiet discussions began in Jovian Naval Headquarters about whether the Federation Navy should deal with the remaining Chinese ships, using the unprovoked attack on Hera as the casus belli. Now the remnants of the Chinese Navy seemed to have lost their last faint chance at liberating the Chinese population on Earth, they would be become little more than homeless raiders and a potential menace. Another option was to capture the ships, which would not involve too much danger given that most of them were unarmed. However the technology that would allow for boarding actions was not yet available. For the moment the decision was made to wait.
The two Jinans rendezvoused with a Jiangwei and a Zunyi within the orbit of Mercury and all four ships set a course in the general direction of Earth. Perhaps the Chinese had not given up after all. The Chinese task group picked up the survivors from those Russian ships destroyed as the Zhanjiang approached Earth. After rescuing the survivors from the Kalinins, the four Chinese ships headed directly for the Moon with the Zunyi leading the others by 40,000 kilometres. The Zunyi started taking hits from the bases at 45,000 kilometres and was blown apart by the second volley at 25,000 km. The Jinans reached 26,000 before they were hit. Ten strength-3 energy weapon impacts were recorded in lunar orbit so the Jinans were returning fire. The Jiangwei came in slightly to port and astern of the Jinans, rescuing the survivors from the Jinan lost in the previous battle. The Jinans were hit hard by the next Russian volley and one of them exploded. Eleven hits on the Russian bases were detected by Jovian sensors, although which base was hit was unknown. The Jiangwei made it to 17,000 kilometres from the Moon before it too was destroyed by massed laser fire. The last Jinan reversed course and tried to run but it was already severely damaged and its maximum speed was 975 km/s. It did not get far.
In Wolf 359, Selene arrived at the unexplored innermost jump point, still unaware of the events in FL Virginis. She found what appeared to be a construction ship of the Martian Union on the jump point. Selene transited and emerged seven hundred million kilometres from the red dwarf star known as LHS-292. The star had four unremarkable planets and a large asteroid belt. She held position until the geological survey ship Perses arrived then returned to Wolf 359 and headed for FL Virginis to check on Oceanus. Because of the new system’s non-mnemonic name, it was renamed Persephone. Two days later Hyperion investigated the outermost jump point of Wolf 359 and discovered DX Cancri, a red dwarf star with six planets, none of which were terraforming candidates, and more than a hundred asteroids. Hyperion transited back into Wolf 359 and set course for the Sol jump point
Selene transited into FL Virginis on January 9th 2201 and detected the wreck of Oceanus seventy million kilometres from the jump point. She remained for a few minutes to check the area around the jump point with her active sensor then transited back into Wolf 359 where she contacted Naval Headquarters by sending a message through the jump gate on the Sol jump point. Admiral Cassandra Charleston ordered Selene to return to Persephone and escort Perses back into Wolf 359. Both ships would then return to Sol. Nothing of great value had been found in Wolf 359 or the four systems beyond it so Admiral Charleston saw no point in risking both ships and lives to hunt down whatever had killed Oceanus. The Sol – Wolf 359 jump point was within the orbit of Venus so if a new alien race threatened Sol by way of that jump point, it would be a problem for the inner system powers rather than the Jovian Federation.
In late January, Helios and Asteria completed the gravitational survey of Bernard’s Star, which lay beyond Sol’s third jump point, the closest to the Jovian home worlds. A single new jump point was discovered and a gate was already in place. Jovian Naval Intelligence did not believe the gate was of Solarian origin as there was no gate on the Barnard’s Star – Sol jump point. The geological survey ship Tethys transited the gate and emerged a billion kilometres from Altair, a blinding white sub-giant star with three times the mass of Sol and thirty-six times its luminosity. The second of ten planets, orbiting at one point two billion kilometres, was a super-Earth 28,000 kilometres in diameter with a gravity of 1.24G. The surface temperature at -17C was not far below the minimum human tolerance but most importantly the atmosphere of 1.55 atm was breathable. The overall colony cost was 0.30, making it an almost ideal site for a Jovian colony. Tethys could maintain contact via the jump gate so she headed for the near-habitable world to carry out a survey.
After leaving Wolf 359, Selene, Hyperion and Perses entered Proxima. Selene and Hyperion began a gravitational survey and quickly discovered a jump point to Ross 154, which was renamed Minos. The red dwarf primary was orbited by six planets, none of which was of particular interest. Hyperion escorted Perses into the system to begin a geological survey then returned to her own survey of Proxima.
On February 9th the Poseidon Shipyard in orbit of Europa launched three Mercury class Jump Freighters. The Mercurys were intended to allow the Jovian Federation to establish extra-solar colonies without the need for jump gates. Two target sites for colonies had already been identified; the recently discovered near-habitable world in the Altair system and the site of the deserted alien city on Alpha Centauri-B III. The latter was more controversial as the Skye Enclave would no doubt consider the system their own and were probably not in a diplomatic mood following the attack on their construction ship by the Chinese. Two Minerva class freighters loaded with infrastructure and a single Aeternitas class colony ship were dispatched to each colony site. Mercury class jump freighters were sent to hold station on the Sol – Alpha Centauri and Sol – Bernard’s Star jump points. Jump gates were already present on the Bernard’s Star – Altair jump point. The destroyer Cerberus and the escort Volantis were already close to the Alpha Centauri jump point and would remain there while the colony expedition ventured into the Alpha Centauri system. Unfortunately, there was no jump gate on the Sol side so the warships were unable to transit. The Federation had a long-term plan for a large, jump-capable warship or command ship but in the short-term the hope was that the Indian construction ship on the Sol – Alpha Centauri jump point would soon complete its task.
Mercury class Jump Freighter 65,000 tons 332 Crew 1239 BP TCS 1300 TH 2700 EM 0
2076 km/s JR 2-25(C) Armour 1-144 Shields 0-0 Sensors 1/11/0/0 Damage Control Rating 1 PPV 0
MSP 12 Max Repair 107 MSP
Intended Deployment Time: 3 months Spare Berths 0
Cargo 25000 Cargo Handling Multiplier 15
Vesta Interstellar VJ-65C Commercial Jump Drive Max Ship Size 65000 tons Distance 25k km Squadron Size 2
Prometheus Stardrives PS-300C Commercial Ion Drive (9) Power 300 Fuel Use 6.19% Signature 300 Exp 5%
Fuel Capacity 1,100,000 Litres Range 49.2 billion km (274 days at full power)
FN/SPN-1 Navigation Sensor (1) GPS 2080 Range 20.1m km Resolution 130
FN/SLR-2 Passive EM Sensor (1) Sensitivity 11 Detect Sig Strength 1000: 11m kmThe freighters and colony ship entered Alpha Centauri on February 19th. There was a gate on the Alpha Centauri side of the jump point but no sign of any Enclave ships. All three ships set course for the planet two point five billion kilometres away. Three days later, with the ships in Alpha Centauri still en route, the first extra-solar colony of the Jovian Federation was established on Altair II.
On February 25th 2201, Jovian planetary sensors detected four strength-4 nuclear detonations on the Sol – Typhon jump point. The only ship visible on sensors in that location was Loki 001, a 73,000 ton vessel of the Zoltan Empire that was almost certainly a construction ship. Jovian sensors could also detect active sensor emissions from a pair of Indian Rajput class fast attack craft within twenty million kilometres of the incident. An Indian Nishank class destroyer was seventy million kilometres from the jump point with a Veer class destroyer at twice that distance. Since the withdrawal of Minotaur from the Sol – Typhon jump point at the start of the Sino-Russian war there had been no Jovian presence in this area so all information was via passive sensors. Cerberus and Volantis were the nearest Jovian ships but they were picketing the Sol – Alpha Centauri jump point. With two freighters and a colony ship in Alpha Centauri, Admiral Charleston did not want to redeploy them. Instead she formed a task group led by the missile cruiser Impavidus that also included the destroyer Minotaur and the escorts Aquila and Cygnus. The four ships broke orbit of Europa and headed for the Typhon jump point with instructions to determine exactly what was happening.
Nine minutes after the initial explosions, twelve more detonations were detected in the same location. The thermal signature of the Loki dropped from 2400 to 2100, confirming it was the target. The only reasonable explanation that Jovian Intelligence could find was that the Republic of India had just declared war on the Zoltan Empire. Only a few weeks after it appeared the Sino-Russian war was finally over, the Sol system bore witness to a new conflict. Given the massive environmental problems on Earth, Jovian Intelligence was surprised to say the least that the Indians would launch a war. However, it was possible it would give the Indian population something to concentrate on other than blizzards and background radiation. There was no further action for eighty minutes, then twenty-five strength-4 detonations were detected. It was almost as if the Indians were ramping up the pressure to persuade the Loki to leave rather than destroying it outright. However, if it was a construction ship it had nowhere to go until it built a gate. After another break of ninety minutes two more salvos arrived five minutes apart and blew the Zoltan construction ship to pieces. All the Indian ships in the vicinity of the jump point headed for the inner system.
Meanwhile in Alpha Centauri, as the Jovian colony ship approached Alpha Centauri-B III it detected sensor emissions from an Indian Nilgiri class destroyer heading in the opposite direction, apparently on a course from Alpha Centauri-B IV. The destroyer passed by without incident and a colony of 70,000 settlers was established close to the alien city on March 1st 2201. As the freighters headed back to the jump point they diverted to Alpha Centauri-B IV to confirm the presence of the colony of the Skye Enclave that was detected on that world several months earlier. The colony was still there and larger than before.
In Proxima, Hyperion paused her survey operations to investigate a newly discovered jump point. She discovered Kapteyn’s Star, a red dwarf orbited by six planets and a large asteroid belt. The inner planet was the only one of even remote interest and with a colony cost of 3.06 it would have to host considerable mineral deposits to warrant any further action. A few days later she approached another new jump point and found a Russian Han class construction ship at work. The ship was once of those surrendered by the Chinese government on Earth. Since the apparent end of the war the six remaining Chinese warships had remained in the general area of the leading Jupiter Trojans. Hyperion transited the jump point and arrived in Luyten 726-8, which was immediately renamed Acheron. The system was a binary of two red dwarves orbiting 825 million kilometres apart with a total of ten planets between them. The second of seven planets orbiting the primary was a terrestrial world with a thin Nitrogen – Ammonia atmosphere and a temperature of -77C; a low priority terraforming candidate. Between the orbits of the fifth and sixth planets were a pair of 8300 ton wrecks of unknown origin. Hyperion returned to Proxima to resume the survey and notified Naval headquarters of the discovery.
On March 14th, two new Hyperion class survey ships, Epimetheus and Phoebe, were launched from the Zephyrus Shipyard. Their initial mission would be a gravitational survey of the Alpha Centauri system, carried out with caution to avoid any incidents with the Skye Enclave. On March 27th, with both ships heading for survey locations close to the jump point, combat broke out in Alpha Centauri. Thirty-six strength-1 energy weapon impacts were detected one point three billion kilometres from Alpha Centauri-A, which was two point eight billion kilometres from the Jovian colony on Alpha Centauri-B III. Immediately after the impacts a 950 ton wreck of an unknown type was detected in the same location.
A few seconds later a further thirty-five energy weapon impacts were detected, along with a second 950 ton wreck of similar size. The energy weapon fire was constant and more wrecks appeared at ten second intervals. As the fourth wreck was detected, Jovian sensors also recorded twenty-six strength-10 nuclear detonations. Who was fighting who was unknown as no ships could be detected. A deep space tracking station was already en route to Alpha Centauri-B III on board a Minerva class freighter. Once that arrived more information might became available but for the moment JNI could only make educated guesses as to the identity of the combatants. The Skye Enclave was the obvious choice for one. Either the Secundus or one of the Solarian powers seemed most likely for the other, although it was possibly the Zoltan Empire. However, the combat was taking place away from a direct line from the Sol jump point so it was possible a previously unknown race was approaching from an as-yet-undiscovered jump point. When combat finally ceased, there were fourteen 950 ton wrecks. After the single, large missile salvo there was no further sign of missile attack. All the damage had been done by strength-1 energy weapon impacts.
Three hours later thirty-three strength-10 detonations were detected twelve million kilometres from the site of the initial battle. There was no sign of wreckage. A minute later eleven strength-1 energy weapon impacts were detected in the same general area. After another break for forty-five minutes, a pair of strength-15 detonations were detected. They were accompanied by twenty strength-1 energy weapon impacts, presumably point defence. Similar numbers of energy weapon impacts followed at intervals of roughly a minute over the next ten minutes but there were no further detonations. Once again, energy-armed point defence was proving capable of holding off sustained missile attacks.
After another hour-long break, a series of strength-10 and strength-15 detonations began about two hundred million kilometres away from the other combat sites. The detonations appeared in one and twos, some separated by thirty seconds, other by up to three minutes. They moved steadily in the direction of the inner system. After about twenty minutes of these occasional explosions, more intense combat resumed. Every ten seconds brought a volley of strength-1 energy fire, inflicting between six and twelve hits, interspersed with small numbers of less frequent strength-10 detonations. Two minutes after combat began, the wreck of a 27,000 ton Skye Enclave Jaguar class battleship appeared in the same area. A Jaguar class ship was involved in the attack on the Secundus class bases orbiting Alpha Centauri-B III so this was definitely an Enclave warship. Unless the ship was already seriously damaged, it seemed unlikely that that number of strength-1 energy weapon impacts recorded within the previous two minutes would be sufficient to destroy it. In any event, one of the combatants was now identified. Combat continued, although with gradually decreasing numbers of energy weapon impacts. Eventually, after another three minutes they stopped. Somehow the Enclave must have beaten off the attack, although there was no sign of any wrecked ships other than the single Jaguar class.
On April 2nd, the gravitational survey ship Epimetheus encountered an Indian Ranvijay class vessel in Alpha Centauri surveying in the same general area. This was the second encounter with the Indian Navy in Alpha Centauri and indicated the Earth-based power could be taking a strong interest in the system. The following day, now five days since the last sign of combat, energy weapon impacts were detected once again in Alpha Centauri. This time they were only six hundred million kilometres from Alpha Centauri-A III, the Skye Enclave home world. A series of strength-1 energy weapon impacts were detected approximately ninety seconds apart with between eleven and twenty-two in each volley. Nineteen volleys were recorded in total. Whether these were an attack or defensive weapons used against incoming missiles was unknown. No missile detonations were detected and no wrecks appeared.
On April 5th an Indian Ranvir class appeared in orbit above the Jovian colony on Alpha Centauri-B III. Given its small thermal signature it was probably a geological survey ship. A day later, six strength-15 detonations were detected three hundred million kilometres from Alpha Centauri-A III. Whatever race was fighting the Enclave, they were getting closer to the Skye Enclave home world.
On April 9th, two Aquila class escorts were launched from the Odysseus Shipyard, the first new warships to join the Federation Navy in over a year. In Alpha Centauri a Minerva class freighter unloaded a deep space tracking station on Alpha Centauri-B III, which finally provided some information on events in the Alpha Centauri-A system. An alien ship, designated as Dominator 001, from a previously unknown race was thirty-two million kilometres from the home world of the Skye Enclave. It was being detected due to its active sensor emissions but also due to the EM signature of its formidable shields, which were strength-600. This ship was probably the target of the numerous missile attacks recorded by Jovian sensors as it moved toward Alpha Centauri-A III. Emissions from two Enclave Jaguar class battleships were also detected but these were over six hundred million kilometres away on the opposite side of the Alpha Centauri-A solar system. In addition, active sensor emissions were detected from an Indian Nilgiri class destroyer a billion kilometres from the Jovian colony in the general direction of the Enclave wrecks from the earlier battle.
The alien ship closed on the Skye home world slowly, moving at only 1000 km/s. Five hours after being detected by Jovian sensors it came under missile attack once again. Thirty-six strength-1 energy weapon impacts were followed by two hundred and seventy-nine strength-1 nuclear detonations. The point defence of the alien warship was impressive but still completely overwhelmed by the tsunami of incoming missiles, presumably from the orbital defences of the Enclave home world. A second missile salvo, just as large as the first, followed five seconds later. The alien shields were almost wiped out by the two missile waves. Four more huge salvos followed, scoring more than a thousand additional hits. Even after that battering, the alien ship had only slowed to 866 km/s and its active sensor was still operational. It’s shields quickly regenerated to strength-588, only slightly less than before.
Fifteen minutes later the Skye Enclave launched a new onslaught against the intruder. More than twelve hundred detonations were recorded and when they finally cleared there was no further contact with the alien ship, nor was there any wreckage. It was possible the alien was badly damaged, with no shields and no active sensors, but as time passed without further incident it became increasingly the threat to the Enclave home world was ended, at least for the moment. Why the destroyed alien ship left no wreckage was unknown. With the disappearance of the intruder, the two Jaguars headed back to their home world.
Five days after the battle in Alpha Centauri, a task group from the Latin Alliance entered the system through the Sol jump point. The task group comprised a 16,900 ton Paraiba class cruiser, three 8450 ton Jara class destroyers and an Erebus class destroyer, which were preceded by a single Netzahualcoyotl class destroyer sixteen million kilometres ahead of the main group. Two days later a single Colbert class destroyer of the Martian Union also entered Alpha Centauri. The system was becoming very busy. With ships of several different Solarian nations in Alpha Centauri plus the Skye Enclave home world and the recent visit of a mysterious alien intruder, the chances of further incidents were high.
On April 14th, the Republic of India constructed a jump gate on the Sol – Alpha Centauri jump point, opening up the system to all ships of all nations. As there had been no sign of activity at the Sol – Typhon jump point, Admiral Charleston ordered Commodore Monica Valasek, commander of the task group close to that jump point, to rendezvous with Cerberus and Volantis at the Sol – Alpha Centauri jump point and take the combined force into Alpha Centauri to protect the colony on Alpha Centauri-B III and any Jovian commercial traffic in the system. In Alpha Centauri itself, the sensor emissions from the Indian Nilgiri destroyer that had been in the system for some time were closing rapidly on the Skye Enclave home world. Whether the destroyer was alone was unknown but there was no sign of any other active emissions from the same location. The Nilgiri entered orbit of Alpha Centauri-A III on April 19th. There was no sign of hostilities so this was presumably a diplomatic mission. It departed after less than an hour.
The Jovian task group entered Alpha Centauri through the recently constructed jump point and set course for the Jovian colony, two point five billion kilometres away. On April 24th, four strength-15 nuclear detonations and a strength-5 secondary explosion were detected two point four billion kilometres from the colony and one point three billion from the Enclave home world. The only sensor contact in the general area was an Enclave Jaguar class battleship two hundred and forty million kilometres from the explosions. The Indian Nilgiri was probably in the general area as well although it had disengaged its active sensors since leaving the Enclave home world and was no longer on Jovian sensors. Seventy-five seconds later another five strength-15 detonations were detected and the wreck of the Nilgiri appeared. Given the proximity of the Jaguar and the signature warhead size of the Enclave, it seemed almost certain the Skye Enclave had just obliterated an Indian destroyer. The Republic of India was now at war with both the Zoltan Empire and the Skye Enclave and the latter power was also at war with an as-yet-unknown alien race that Jovian Naval Intelligence was referring to as the Intruders. The Jaguar that presumably had launched the missiles set course for its home world.
Three hours later, Jovian sensors detected sensor emissions from a second Nilgiri in the same area, which was now attempting to intercept the Jaguar. There had obviously been more than one Indian ship in the force that visited the Enclave home world. Why the Jaguar had only attacked one ship was unknown, although it was possible the Enclave had expended most of its long-range ordnance fending off the Intruder. When the Nilgiri had closed the range to one hundred and fifty million kilometres, the Jaguar came under missile attack, or at least that appeared to be the case. Every fifteen or twenty seconds, five strength-1 energy weapon impacts were detected in the Jaguar’s location. Sixteen salvos were intercepted. No hits were scored. The Nilgiri reversed course and headed in the general direction of the Sol jump point. The Jaguar continued heading for home.
Eleven hours later the Jaguar came under attack again. The Nilgiri was at three hundred million kilometres and still moving away so it didn’t seem likely that it was the instigator of the attack. A more plausible explanation was additional Indian ships in the area that were not on Jovian sensors. As before strength-1 energy weapon impacts were detected every fifteen to twenty seconds, this time in groups of six. Eleven salvos were shot down without any detonations. Three days later, with the Jaguar having reached and passed the Enclave home world, four strength-15 detonations were detected sixty-five million kilometres from the planet. There was no Jovian sensor contact in that area but it seemed likely a vessel of the Indian Navy was the target. Two more detonations followed sixty seconds later. After a pause of two hours, a new salvo arrived resulting in eleven strength-15 hits. The wreck of an Indian Pondicherry class destroyer appeared in the same location. Meanwhile, the Federation Navy task group of six ships had arrived in orbit of Alpha Centauri-B III and the task group from the Latin Alliance was more than half way to the Alpha Centauri-A solar system.
Jovian Naval intelligence was puzzled by the apparent lack of Enclave warships. During the conflict with the Secundus, the Enclave had deployed a significant force and now only the Jaguar class battleships were appearing on sensors. However there were no wrecks either so the Enclave warships had not been destroyed, at least not in Alpha Centauri anyway. Epimetheus and Phoebe were ordered to cautiously probe any jump points they found during their survey of the system and look for any signs of the Enclave fleet.
Five days after the destruction of the Indian ship near the Skye Enclave home world, the Enclave went on the offensive once again, this time against the Martian Union. A Martian Colbert class destroyer, detected via its sensor emissions, was one point two billion kilometres from Alpha Centauri-A and two point three billion kilometres from the Jovian colony. An Enclave Jaguar was one hundred and forty million kilometres from the Colbert when five strength-15 detonations were detected in the same location as the latter. It appeared the Skye Enclave was determined to defend Alpha Centauri against intrusions from all alien races, which raised serious concerns about the safety of the Jovian colony on Alpha Centauri-B III. Seventy seconds later Jovian sensors detected six further strength-15 detonation plus a strength-14 secondary power explosion and a colossal strength-41 magazine explosion. The wreck of a Martian La Fantasque class destroyer appeared. The Colbert was apparently not alone. The Jaguar headed for home without launching any further attacks. The working theory of JNI was that the Enclave was very short on missiles and the Jaguar was being sent out on its attack missions with only a few recently constructed missiles on board, which was fortunate for the Solarian powers.
The Colbert, plus whatever Martian ships were accompanying it, attempted to pursue the Jaguar but with a speed disadvantage of almost 400 km/s they were ultimately in a losing race. The range fell for a while however as the Jaguar had launched its missiles from a point to the side of a direct line from the Martian ships to the Sol jump point. The Martians were able to cut the corner until the Jaguar moved ahead of them which brought them within one hundred and ten million kilometres before the range began to open again. With the two sides one hundred and twenty million kilometres apart, six energy weapon impacts were detected at the location of the Jaguar. It appeared the Martians had launched at the closest point. Point defence fire flared seventeen more times defending against salvos arriving forty seconds apart. No detonations were detected. The Jaguar class was plainly well protected against small salvos. The Colbert reversed course and headed for the jump point. If any other Martian ships were pursuing the Jaguar, they could not be detected by Jovian sensors.
On May 8th, the task group of the Latin Alliance that entered Alpha Centauri a month earlier arrived in orbit of the Enclave home world. Given recent events it seemed unlikely that this visit would end well.
to be continued...
