Blood War 1: Last Stand of the Legion: Rift (21 page)

When the encrypted message went out as a Threat Class Alpha
, it would override all other messages in the Fleet no matter what level of importance. Juan had not been paying attention to his countermeasures warning lights during his message. Missiles had already been launched at his fighter, by several ships. 

Juan jinked and released chaff and flipped his ships countermeasures on while evading the missiles. No sooner
had he done that than his countermeasure warning went off again, and this time the bearing and distance indicator was having a hard time tracking all of the incoming missiles. It would not be long now, he thought. He put his target approach indexer on the Hanger Bay that was closest to him. He kicked the ship into near light, fast enough he hoped to give him a chance to fire his missiles.

"On you
r starboard side." Takuda said.

"I
’m firing all torpedoes at once.'

"Roger that. Might as well do as much damage as we can before...."

"It's been a privilege serving with you, Takuda."

"Fuck you
, Juan. Save it for the awards ceremony.
"

"
You always wanted to Taduda, but you’re not my type."

"As I said before
, fuck you Juan."

"
Guerre à mort
" Juan said.

"
Guerre à mort"
Takuda said.

Juan took a heading for one of the Hanger Bays and set his angle of attack. Takuda followed suit. Juan's approach velocity indicator was spinning around like a top and it
s warning light was flashing red.

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Juan
said and turned it off.

His situation display was showing more and more red triangles converging on their two tiny ships. Some were firing but they were too far away and his counter measures were strong enough to break their signals. He brought the pip of his
heads-up weapons system aiming computer onto the Hanger Bay and touched his target designator. Now all his torpedoes would strike the same target. Combined, they might be enough to do some damage to the monstrous vessel. Juan watched his bearing and distance indicator; he wanted to fire at the best possible distance so the huge alien ships defenses would not take out all of his missiles.

The two tiny ships sped toward
the enemy fleet as the first of the alien missiles from the huge troop ship flashed by, confused by Juan and Takuda's ships countermeasures. The space around the Legionnaires was filled with explosions. They reached their optimum launch point, and Juan and Takuda both fired their torpedoes at the same time. As soon as Takuda's torpedoes had cleared their tubes her ship suddenly disappeared in an explosion. Juan was able to see his and Takuda's torpedoes hit their target. Dozens of the small troop ships disappeared. One torpedo exploded inside the Hanger Bay. Huge secondary explosions followed. Juan saw on his situation display that more and more small green triangles had turned and were headed for the invasion base. He knew the message had gotten out. Those were his last thoughts before a missile found his ship.

LYTEN SYSTEM

RIFT

FLEET HEADQUARTERS

EMERGENCY COMBAT INFORMATION CENTER

Admiral Usiche Raurk was watching as her Fleet
was being decimated in the anchorage. It was difficult to watch, but she forced herself. Red triangles swarmed through the anchorage and after each pass, more and more of the ships still moored were increasing their damage numbers. They would all be at Readiness Level Delta; unable to perform their assigned duties soon if something did not change. Some of the ships were putting up a fight even from their moorings. She was proud of the men and women of her command but she would not let all of them be slaughtered in a fight they could not win. Tamara and some of her Task Force were sortieing into the teeth of the Xotolis.

The anchorage was too confined to even be considered a Battle Space.
The range of your weapons defined Battle Space; the range of the weapons on the ships was several orders of magnitude larger than the anchorage. The most powerful weapons on the fleet could not be used. They could only use their close- in defensive weapons.

Usiche paced slowly
, arms crossed, amid the organized chaos around her as personnel at their consoles communicated with each other and the ships. She had to separate the emotions of seeing so many of her command killed from thinking through the tactical problem. What were her Essential Elements of Information? What were her assets? What was the enemy's Order of Battle? The majority of her fleet was trapped in the anchorage. Task Force 7 was several days out and would take an equal amount of time to return when they finally received the communication even at near light speed. Tamara Lule was sortieing with at least eight of her Task Force with more ships trying to spin up. The Xotoli's Order of Battle was a complete mystery, other than it was possibly as big as her whole Pleiades Fleet, counting all the ships she had at her disposal spread over her entire Area of Operations.

What were their intentions? Was this a strike to
destroy or cripple the Fleet or were they going to invade, as Sand insisted? If the Xotoli were to invade and hold Rift they would control the wormholes with the fastest transit time to Sol and would control the other five wormholes that had the heaviest trade traffic in the Confederation. In other words they would cut the Confederation off from most of its resources and choke off trade. They could break the Confederation in half in a single stroke. At that moment a Flash report came across all screens. Usiche stopped her slow pacing and looked up at the screen.

"This is a Fleet wide notification of a Threat Class Alpha target. This is a Threat Class Alpha target notification. Be advised these coordinates are the base for an invasion fleet. I repeat this is the base for an invasion fleet. They are going to invade. I repeat they are going to invade. Threat Class Alpha. All available ships respond. I repeat all available ships respond."

"Who is that, Lieutenant?" Usiche snapped.

"It is a Legionnaire from the Phoenix
, Ma'am."

"Put the location
of that Legionnaire on the screen."

T
he display changed to a larger view of Rift. The location was on the opposite side of the planet of the Fleet Anchorage. They were directly over Fleet Headquarters. Usiche almost glanced up as if she could see them above her.

"Do we have any of our picket sensors or satellites still in service?"

"Negative and every time I launch a new one it is destroyed before it is able to get into orbit."

"They are working hard at us not being able to see them."

"Ma'am you need to see this," Lieutenant Lu said.

The master situation display changed again to an alien Fleet scan taken by the Legion
naire. It showed that there were fourteen vessels with offensive target designation systems active; in other words ships of war and over sixty vessels with only defensive counter measures active. It was an invasion fleet! Not a fleet sent to simply destroy the fleet anchorage. Usiche stood silently for a moment as she absorbed what this new information meant. 

"Lieutenant
, who is in command of that Legion unit. I want to make sure they are commended in the log," Usiche said.

"It was only two Legionnaire's ma'am. They attacked alone."

"Send them a well done."

"Ma'am. They are no longer on the scopes. They disappeared right after transmitting the message."

"Very well. Note in the Battle Log the names, ranks, and ship. I will see that they are properly recognized for their sacrifice."

"Ma'am."

Usiche wondered how many more good men and women she would lose this day.

"Admiral
, I just received the last scan by the Legionnaries. You need to see this."

Once again the display changed and the view of the Legion
naries last situational display appeared on the screen. That is when she saw the huge vessel Juan and Takuda had attacked. It was biggest vessel Admiral Raurk had ever seen.

"Admiral, I have no idea what this is
, but the alien Fleet seems to be taking up defensive stations around it."

"I think that is
why our Legionnaires were correct. Designate it a Threat Class Alpha. Transmit its coordinates to fleet wide."

Usiche
stared at the image. These kaks are good. Attack the anchorage first doing as much damage as you can with your screening vessels until you can get the base established and the invasion begun. Keep the pressure on the Navy to keep them off your ass while you dump your troops on the ground.

She now had a good idea of the alien Order of Battle and their intensions beyond destruction of the fleet. The Essential Elements of Information had dramatically changed for the battle and with them what it would take to win this battle. She had to begin to test that bases capabilities to learn more
; she would be trading lives for information but that was war.

             
"Lieutenant Netis, get me Admiral Lule."

"Ma'am."

Usiche began to slowly pace again. It would all depend on Sand's new Armored Infantry; they would have to live up to all that Sand claimed and more. They would have to stand up to the invasion long enough for Task Force 7 to return or for her to use the assets she had left to destroy or cripple their invasion fleet enough to force them to retire. She could not loose the planet and win the space battle. She had to win both - losing the planet while winning the space battle was useless. She could not blast the aliens off the planet without civilian casualties and the destruction of all of the Fleets supplies and command and control capabilities. Sand had been right about the need for feet on the ground troops. This war was going to be a ground war as much as a space war.

             
"Admiral, I have Admiral Lule for you."

             
Admiral Lule’s face floated in front of Usiche's in a 3D display.

             
"Tamara how is your ship?"

             
"She is fine Admiral, we are underway with most of my Task Force."

             
"Tamara, I am sending you targeting information."

             
She could see Tamara look down at a display.

             
"As you can see the aliens have created a base and pulled their fleet into protective stations so they can proceed with an invasion. I do not expect them to stop attacking the Anchorage but I expect it to lessen, given their need to protect the Base."

             
"That would make sense Admiral."

             
"Admiral Lule, you will pull together all available ships that escape the anchorage. You will organize them into a Task Force and begin sorties against the alien Fleet. Use the vessels you have at your disposal to accomplish your mission. Do not expect the aliens to sit and wait for your sorties. From everything I have seen they have not missed a trick yet. Your mission is to destroy or drive off the alien fleet as soon as possible. Understood?"

"Yes, Admiral."

"Any questions?"

"No, your orders are clear."

"Next I need you send the fastest ship available to you after Task Force 7. They are to get within communication range and order them to return immediately."

"Clear
?" Usiche asked.

"Clear
, Admiral."

"Tamara
, we have got to either fight these guys off of Rift or hold out until Task Force 7 can return."

"Understood
, Admiral."

"Get it done
, Tamara," Usiche said.

"Aye, aye ma'am."

They had been friends for twenty years. Usiche knew she was ordering them into an almost suicidal mission but she had not choice.

"Good luck
, Usiche."

"Thank you
, Tamara. Now get to work; you have a lot to do."

"Yes Admiral
, this is the Pereus out."

Admiral Raurk stood silently
for some time before she said,

"General Buchman
, you heard my orders. Is Sand up to this?"

Buchman stood up from his console and faced the admiral.

"If anybody is, it would be Sand. I have a hodge podge of units with fighters still capable of flying; I'm getting them into the fight now. I also have a partial company of Sand's light infantry training for their next deployment. I have ordered them here to the Fleet Headquarters as our security."

"Good. Make them last
. We are going to need them."

"Aye, aye, ma'am."

Buchman turned back to his console and began barking orders. Admiral Raurk sat down. Captain Kitmura came to stand beside Usiche.

"Looks like I've got you into quite a mess
, Captain."

"Admiral, I would not want to be any other place except here."

Usiche glanced up at him. He meant what he said.

"Any thoughts yet
? It's been a bit busy around here. I haven't had a chance to ask for your opinion."

"The only thing that comes to mind is that if they planted  someone here then that explains why we did not receive any warnings from our outposts. I suspect when all is said and done
, we will find out those were taken out from the inside."

"Oh, course. I should have put that together."

Neither noticed as Captain Knott's face went white as he overheard their conversation. He had fed Carroll and Von Fleet that information. He could not fathom how it might have got to the Xotoli but he knew it had. This meant treason if he were found out. He had to sit down. He had to think his way out of this somehow.

"I also think that they will have more people in Fleet Headquarters and at the Space Port
, the other two largest and most important military targets on the planet. I suggest we warn them, if it is not too late," Kitmura said.

Usiche turned to Lieutenant Netis at her console.

"Lieutenant, I want to you contact the Emergency Management Office for Fleet Headquarters and the Security Office at the Port and warn them about infiltrators."

"Admiral
, I was just about to tell you I have just lost communication with both of those offices. In fact I have not had contact with anyone in Fleet Headquarters or the Space Port for half an hour."

"That is exactly when our alien friend tried to kill me
," Usiche said.

Istas returned from Sick Bay. She walked up to stand behind Usiche where she could see the entire room in front of her. Her wounds had been sealed and medicated for pain. In fact her back felt normal again. She had been refreshed with an infusion of blood and drugs. The doctors had done wonders in a very short amount of time. It helped that her enhancements were also program
med to repair injuries and had magnified the work done by the doctors. They could not do what the doctors did but they were able to speed up the temporary fixes the doctors had done.

"They will come for you
, Admiral."

Usiche looked up at Istas.

"I did not see you there. How are you?"

"I am fine. I must go.
This was too well planned and executed. It took years to put that thing in place for its mission. They would not have that one assigned alone for such an important mission. There are others in the complex."

"What?"

"They are here. They are above us in Fleet Headquarters."

"Be that as it may, General Buchman is ordering a company of light infantry as security for us. In addition, Colonel Sand units are almost here so I think that should be enough security. Besides I want you with me in case I need to contact your Mother."

Istas nodded formally accepting the Admirals instructions.

"Beside you are in no shape for another fight."