Empires gambit, p.13
Empire's Gambit, page 13
And they may even try to come here, Tanaka-lan thought as a shiver of fear ran up his spine. He had eight hundred ships in the Jaranna system. Not enough to stop the Allied Fleet from ravaging the fleet base in the system. But by the time they get here, that’s not all I’ll have, he reminded himself as his rage at Rigula’s actions began to fade. If the Human fleet took two or three weeks to arrive, he would have another thousand ships from the interior of the Empire. And we can gather more, he was certain. Finally, he opened his eyes. Every officer was still staring at him. “Send a fleet wide alert. We are to prepare to break orbit within the hour. A Human fleet has attacked Varanthon. We are going to meet them. I also want orders drawn up immediately. Send them to Under Admiral’s Usam, Ihijal, and Denus. They are to split their fleets and send half their forces back here to Jaranna. Their ships are to wait here along with the additional squadrons we’re expecting from the interior for my return.” His officer stared at him for a couple of seconds, clearly trying to take in what they were being told. Another growl from Tanaka-lan sent them spinning round back to their consoles. Launch your attack if you wish, Tanaka-lan thought towards whoever was commanding the enemy fleet. He had a pretty good guess it was the Human Emperor Somerville. But whoever it was, it didn’t matter. Rigula was a fool, you won’t find me so easy and opponent.
*
IS Drake, Harman System, 13th May 2485 AD, (ten days later).
James watched with a blank face as Drake’s plasma cannons fired salvo after salvo into the Karacknid-built orbital stations around Harman. The thirty Karacknid warships that had been orbiting the Mindus colony had fled at the first sign of his fleet. Whether they had evacuated all of the orbital stations’ crew, he didn’t know. It made little difference. Since taking the X-14 system, this was the third former Mindus colony his fleet had raided. In each, they had forced the few Karacknid ships in the system to retreat and then destroyed everything the Karacknids had built up over the last several years. Beyond that, there was nothing more he could do for the millions of Mindus civilians on the planets themselves. That was the reason for his expression. Even though he suspected the rest of Drake’s bridge crew felt the same, he had no desire to display it publicly.
With Drake’s Kulrean sensors, if he wanted to, he could zoom right in and look at individual Mindus walking around on Harman’s surface. Doing so would only worsen his mood. In the space of just a handful of years, the Karacknid were well on their way to reducing Harman’s populace to a Stone Age lifestyle. Most of the colony’s major cities looked abandoned and for sure, all of its technological industries were closed. It seemed the Karacknids had decided that Harman would become an agricultural world. Anything that did not further the production of crops had been abandoned by the Mindus civilians, though not willingly, James was sure. There is nothing you can do for them, he told himself again. Anger coursed through his veins. Anger at what the Karacknid had done to the Mindus civilization, and at what he knew they wanted to do to Earth and the rest of Humanity’s colonies. It was pushing him to launch orbital strikes at the Karacknid facilities on Harman’s surface. Even to order marines landed to hunt down the Karacknids responsible for destroying the colony. Yet, doing so would only bring reprisals when he had to retreat. It will be different someday, he told himself. Someday, the Karacknids would be forced to retreat from the systems he had visited for good. Then he could return and truly bring help to the Mindus people.
“All targets destroyed Admiral,” Commander Ivanov reported as soon as Drake’s guns fell silent.
“We’re still not getting any COM messages from the surface,” Lieutenant Petrov added.
“Nor are we likely to get any,” Captain Alvarez replied. “The Karacknids will have hunted down anything with a power signature years ago.”
“There’s nothing more we can do for them now,” James said loud enough for all of Drake’s bridge officers to hear. “We have done what we came to do. Signal the fleet to prepare to break orbit. Plot us a course to the next system and get us underway.” As his ships carried out his orders, James felt the mood around him change. The further they got away from Harman, the more his people’s thoughts turned to what they had achieved rather than what they couldn’t. With the fleet base at X-14 destroyed, and three other systems raided, they would certainly be drawing the Karacknids attention.
“New contacts!” Lieutenant Anderson reported. From his tone, James knew not to get too concerned. “Thirteen hundred new warships have just lit off their drives. They’re coming from the X-15 shift passage. Initial signature profiles indicate it is Admiral Lightfoot’s fleet.”
“And Admiral Becket has joined him,” Alvarez guessed from the number of contacts.
James smiled. He left Becket orders for her to join them if possible, yet there would be no way to know what the Karacknid fleet that had attacked Delta-fort would do. No doubt he would find out soon enough when he spoke to her, but it seemed she had dealt with them one way or another. And they’ve taken very little losses, James concluded as he too studied the number of ships that had just appeared on the bridge’s holo display. “Slow our approach to the next shift passage. Let them rendezvous with us before we proceed.”
Three hours later, Vengeance and Viper slotted into formation with Drake. When they did James retired to his quarters to have a holo conference with Ya’sia and his two Admirals. “Congratulations on your successful attack on X-15,” James said as soon as their faces appeared in front of him. “It will take the Karacknids many months to rebuild what they have lost at X-14 and X-15. Phase One of our operation is going as smoothly as I could have hoped. Both of you fought well.”
“Thank you Admiral,” Lightfoot replied for himself and Becket. “Vice Admiral Becket’s arrival was very fortuitous. Without her, my fleet would have suffered a lot more casualties.”
James smiled and then winked at Becket. “She does have a knack for arriving right on time. None of us would have escaped New Shanghai but for her.”
“Which is why I hope she is accompanying us when we make our push on the Karacknid home world,” Ya’sia said.
“I most certainly am,” Becket said as she raised her chin.
James glanced from Lightfoot to Becket. He knew both of them, and every other senior naval commander wanted to participate in Phase Two of Hail Mary. Yet he needed to leave good commanders behind to defend Humanity’s colonies as well. Whilst the final decision hadn’t been made yet, both Lightfoot and Becket had been making it clear to him they wanted to go. Yet in James’ mind, they were the best two candidates to trust with defending Earth and the frontline. “How are your supply situations?” he asked to change the topic.
“My ships have enough supplies for another six weeks of campaigning. After that, we will have to fall back to one of our border forts,” Becket answered first.
“My fleet can last seven, maybe eight, if we are careful with fuel,” Lightfoot said. “Unless we get a supply convoy, that’s the best we can do. And even then, staying out here that long will be quite the risk.”
James nodded. He knew Ya’sia’s ships had even less supplies, and coming from Earth, Drake and the rest of his fleet weren’t much better off. “Phase One has always been meant to be a short thrust into Karacknid space. Despite our success so far, I don’t think that should change. We don’t have the supplies we would need, anyway. They are all being stockpiled at Earth for Phase Two.”
“What is our next step then?” Becket asked.
“We will proceed to the Faralam system,” James answered as he tapped his office’s holo display to bring up a star map of local space. “We know the Karacknids have another supply depot there. Our latest scouts indicate that about a hundred and fifty warships are stationed there. No doubt word has reached of our advance. They may have gathered in ships from other nearby systems. In any event, it is a good target to knock out. Taking it will limit the Karacknid supply route to five of their border worlds. If we can take it, it will reduce the chances they can launch an invasion into our space any time soon. And from there, we can threaten Jaranna. Depending on our fuel situation after the battle, we will decide whether or not to move to the Mindus home world. There’s no way we will be able to fight a running battle there, but even threatening the system for a day or two will cause alarm. If we can achieve that, I’d like to attempt it.”
“I’m in agreement,” Ya’sia said as she gave James a small bow. “Even with our destruction of two and a half thousand Karacknid warships, their fleet build-up over the last several months has everyone at Alliance High command concerned. Operation Hail Mary will leave all of our borders vulnerable. The more we can put the Karacknids on the back foot before Phase Two, the better.”
“Well, our ships are ready,” Lightfoot said as he glanced at Becket.
“Ready and eager,” Becket echoed. “It’s good to be proactive again.”
“It is,” James agreed as he smiled. “Let us get to it then.”
*
IS Drake, Faralam System, 17th May 2485 AD, (five days later).
As soon as Drake exited shift space into the Faralam system, it was clear the scout reports were out of date. Rather than one hundred warships orbiting the fleet base built above the Mindus colony, there were eight hundred and fifty. One ship caught James’ attention almost immediately. It was the largest Karacknid dreadnought in the enemy fleet. “Tanaka-lan’s command Dreadnought,” James said out loud as he locked his eyes onto the enemy High Admiral’s flagship.
“He must have been in their Jaranna system when news of our attack reached them,” Alvarez guessed. “He is here to stop us threatening Jaranna.”
“Which means it could be a trap,” Ivanov added. “There could be hundreds more ships hidden nearby.”
James found his teeth had clamped together. Tanaka-lan was indeed a slippery customer. One sight of his flagship, and Alvarez and Ivanov were on edge. Admittedly, he was too. More than one of his close friends had died because of the Karacknid Admiral’s battle prowess. Yet, caution wasn’t the main emotion running through him. Tanaka-lan was within his grasp. It was not an opportunity he wanted to pass up. “It could be,” he said as he admitted Ivanov had a point. “But unless Tanaka-lan has some very good intel, he can’t know about Drake’s sensors. As far as he is aware, the Kulreans won’t advance into their space. That gives us an advantage. If there are hidden squadrons out there, we should detect them long before they can spring a trap. Plot us a course straight for Faralam. Maximum military power. I want us to have the momentum advantage if he tries to cut and run. And keep launching waves of recon drones. Let’s make sure we are being cautious even if we are charging full steam towards him.”
“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov replied. “We’ll transmit your orders to our fleet commanders.”
As his fleet started moving, James watched the Karacknid fleet orbiting Faralam. It was easy for him to picture Tanaka-lan in his mind. What are you going to do now? He asked his opponent. If Tanaka-lan was here, there was no doubt he knew just how powerful James’ fleet was. Which meant he knew he didn’t have the strength to win a battle. Not unless there really were ships hidden within the system. Yet, Drake’s sensors weren’t detecting anything. Recon drones were also on their way to the many asteroid fields, planetary bodies, and moons ships could be hiding behind. If you are planning something, we’re going to know about it. So, are you going to run? It was almost unheard of for Karacknid commanders to retreat when they had anything close to equal numbers with their opponent. Yet, Tanaka-lan had. Even though he had more than seven thousand warships in the Sol system about to conquer Earth, he had retreated in the face of the Kulrean worldships. James didn’t know for certain, but such an action had to have been difficult for the Karacknid Admiral. Shameful, even. Will you retreat again? James asked, hoping that the answer was no. Taking the Karacknid Admiral out would put a serious dampener on whatever offensive operations the Karacknids were planning. Not to mention the personal satisfaction it would bring James. So focused was he on watching the Karacknid fleet to see what it was up to that even when several Karacknid scout ships that had been watching the shift passage revealed themselves, James didn’t glance at them. He trusted Ivanov to send ships to deal with them. Within fifteen minutes, they were dispatched. Twenty minutes later and none of the drones had detected anything yet. James made up his mind. “The fleet will alter course, put us on a heading for the Jaranna shift passage. Let’s call Tanaka-lan’s bluff, shall we?”
His words seemed to break the spell that had come over the bridge. Rather than fearing Tanaka-lan, most of James’ officers were caught up in his confidence. Ivanov cracked a grin. “Aye Admiral. That sounds like a plan.”
Now we will see, James thought towards Tanaka-lan as his ships altered course. Rather than moving to attack the fleet base, he was now cutting off the Karacknid fleet’s line of retreat. If Tanaka-lan had a significant number of ships hidden somewhere, he wouldn’t be worried. But if he didn’t, then he’d have to react quickly. Unless he thinks we are bluffing, James reminded himself. Yet, it would be taking one hell of a risk for Tanaka-lan to stay in place to try and convince his opponent he had more ships than he had. As the minutes ticked by, James found himself inching forward more and more in his seat. Drake’s Kulrean-built sensors were still not detecting any additional ships, and yet Tanaka-lan didn’t move.
“Energy spikes!” Anderson announced excitedly. He spun around in his command chair. “They’re preparing to break orbit. They’re running!” He finished with a grin.
James nodded. He hoped that was the case, but he wasn’t ready to jump to such a conclusion yet. It could still be part of an elaborate ruse. Five minutes later though, and Tanaka-lan had all eight hundred and fifty of his ships accelerating towards the Jaranna shift passage. “Will we catch them?” He asked as he turned to his navigation officer.
In response, Lieutenant Salamanca projected the course of both fleets. “It looks like we’ll be able to catch them with a couple of missile salvos before they jump out.”
James brought his hands together as he contemplated the scenario. He had a total of eighteen fighter squadrons in his fleet. That was nearly two hundred fighters. Between them and a full missile salvo from his fleet, there was a great chance they could take out Tanaka-lan’s flagship. Especially if all the fighters were tasked with targeting it. No doubt some of the fighters would be lost, but would the loss of thirty or forty or even fifty fighters to kill Tanaka-lan be worth it? James thought so. “Order Wing Commander Hawthorn to prepare all her fighters for launch. We’re going to take out Tanaka-lan’s flagship with our first salvo.”
“Understood Admiral,” Ivanov acknowledged.
For half an hour, as the Karacknids continued to flee, James peered at Tanaka-lan’s flagship intently. Ivanov, Anderson, and Hawthorn ran a number of simulated attack strategies, sharing several with him. Trusting their abilities, he approved three to be shared with Lightfoot, Ya’sia, and Becket. As the other Admirals decided what was the best approach, James kept his focus on the largest Dreadnought at the center of the enemy formation. He desperately wanted to take Tanaka-lan out of the battle. With his ships slowly getting closer and closer, unease crept into James’ mind. At first, he tried to ignore it. Eventually, it grew into questions that began to assail him. Why had Tanaka-lan brought his fleet into the Faralam system? Had he just come to run away from James’ fleet? He would have known how many ships James had, and yet he had still come. Second-guessing himself, James began to wonder if the Karacknid Admiral was baiting him. It wouldn’t be hard to guess that James hated Tanaka-lan. In fact, whatever Allied Admiral was commanding James’ fleet would feel exactly the same. Charging after the Karacknid Admiral with the promise of being able to kill him was predictable. Even launching a fighter strike is predictable, James told himself. Suddenly more interested in the specifics of Hawthorn’s attack plan, he pulled up the different scenarios. Each one involved the fighters striking the Karacknid fleet somewhere between thirty and ten minutes before they reached the system’s mass shadow. We know he has no additional ships in the system. But we don’t know whether there is a fleet ready to jump out of shift space. That is just the sort of thing Tanaka-lan would do, James realized. As soon as the Karacknid Admiral saw Hawthorn’s fighters move in for the attack, Tanaka-lan could call in his reinforcements. But what good would it do? We just call off the attack. James had no answers. Yet, his sense that Tanaka-lan had something planned was growing by the minute.
“We’ve got movement!” Anderson reported loudly. James was immediately pulled out of his thoughts. “The Karacknid fleet is altering course,” Anderson added, as he turned around in his command chair. His eyes grew wider with each word. “They’re heading away from the shift passage. They are heading towards the system’s eighth planet.”
“Show me the planet,” James snapped at once. Whatever Tanaka-lan had planned, he feared he was about to find out. Yet, when the planet filled Drake’s holo display, James frowned. It was a cold rocky planet covered in large glaciers. It had a couple of small moons and a thick planetary ring, but there was nothing overly special about it.
