TFS Theseus: The Terran Fleet Command Saga – Book 2 (12 page)

“The answer to ‘Why now?’ is that, at this very moment, Terra lies under threat of an imminent attack from the Sajeth Collective — an attack that I do not believe I am capable of stopping without your help. I am fully aware that my appearing before you today for the first time bearing such dire news might give you the impression that I am some sort of an alarmist. You might even assume that my goal is to use fear to persuade you into joining the Pelaran Alliance. My friends, if that were my goal, I could have easily done so long ago. Indeed, I wish the situation were truly that simple. Ironically, I believe the Sajeth Collective has chosen to target you because it is
they
who are afraid. For one thing, they fear the dissolution of their fragile alliance for lack of resources — resources most easily acquired by taking them by force from neighboring star systems. They have cast a greedy eye towards your beautiful, blue world, believing that they now have the capability to eliminate me, then easily enslave or exterminate all of you before claiming Terra for themselves. Their
greatest
fear, however, is of what you may soon become. They have some knowledge of the Pelaran Alliance and understand that your membership will ensure that they will never again have the opportunity to simply take your world, or to threaten other less powerful, neighboring civilizations with the same.

“The answer to “Why now?’ is that they, and indeed most of you, do not yet know what you have
already
become,” he said, increasing the power and confidence of his delivery with every word. “It has been nearly fifty years since your scientists first began detecting signals from space. I think most of you will agree that the data I have provided on behalf of the Pelaran Alliance has literally transformed life on your world. Now, don’t misunderstand me here. Your civilization had already reached levels of technology that very few manage to achieve on their own, well before you received the first streams of data from the sky. Once they begin receiving our data streams, many of the worlds offered membership in the Alliance make tremendous progress within a short period of time. Your achievements, however, have reached a level that is, in many ways, unparalleled in the history of the Regional Partnership program.”

Once again, the video stream changed to display images skillfully selected to support the ongoing narrative. Short clips recalling various Pelaran-derived technologies with which most Humans were now familiar filled the screen. These ranged from the prosaic — day-to-day images of advanced food production techniques and medical diagnostics equipment — to the truly mind-boggling — automated spacecraft providing virtually limitless raw materials from the asteroid belt and gigantic transports hovering effortlessly before whisking several thousand people at a time to the opposite side of the globe in a fraction of the time previously required. As the video progressed, the images changed more and more rapidly to further emphasize the staggering pace of technological progress Earth had experienced over the last five decades.

“The answer to ‘Why now?’ my friends …” the Guardian said, pausing dramatically as the video feed returned to a view of TFS
Ingenuity’s
port side. The camera started at the level of the wharf, rising steadily above the top of her hull and expanding to include a view of TFS
Theseus’
imposing side profile in the adjoining berth. “The
answer
is that your friends in the Pelaran Alliance have seen to it that you no longer have anything to fear from the Sajeth Collective, nor anyone else, for that matter.” The camera again increased in altitude, the image now expanding to reveal the five additional
Theseus
-class destroyers preparing for launch along with the massive scale of the shipyard facility itself. The on-screen image faded briefly to black, only to be replaced by the awe-inspiring perspective of a location just above TFS
Navajo’s
hull as her nearly kilometer-long bulk passed below, revealing the carrier
Jutland
in the background. Seconds later, twelve
Hunter
RPSV’s launched simultaneously from six of her eight massive flight elevators. The camera remained fixed for several additional seconds until all twelve
Hunters
transitioned to hyperspace in unison.

“No, my friends. If we can continue to work together as trusted allies, it is
they
who have something to fear.”

Chapter 9

Hunter Formation “Nail 42,” Near the Neptunian Orbital Path

(4.2 light hours from Earth)

Had there been any Humans aboard either vessel in the two-ship RPSV formation, the tedium of C-Jumping from one target location to the next, then sitting motionless for over ten hours’ worth of sensor scans, would long since have exceeded their attention spans. The two spacecraft — collectively known as “Nail 42” flight — each had their own, individual call signs of “Nail 42” and “Nail 43.” Since the formation functioned as a single entity, however, it was referred to by the designation of the lead spacecraft.

Twenty-four identical formations of
Hunters,
launched from the carrier
Jutland,
were now well into the fifth full day of their reconnaissance missions. Thus far, there had been no sign of the Resistance task force — just a few false alarms caused by anomalous sensor readings that had turned out to be nothing more than naturally occurring phenomena.

With NRD-equipped surveillance drones and comm beacons now being deployed in ever-increasing numbers throughout the solar system, communications and reconnaissance coverage was steadily improving. At this point, practically any location inside the Kuiper belt, beginning just over four light hours from Sol, enjoyed something approaching real-time communications. Unfortunately, anything farther out was still plagued by the ever-present limitation imposed by the speed of light. The Oort Cloud, for example, stretched from 139 light hours out to approximately 1.6 light years from Sol — well over a third of the distance to Proxima Centauri. Even though still very much in the local stellar neighborhood, there was currently no practical way to communicate with vessels at such distances … short of deploying more beacons or sending another ship out to act as a relay. So it was that the mission profiles of each
Hunter
formation called for a C-Jump back to the nearest NRD network node after visiting each reconnaissance location. This resulted in a progress report being sent back to the
Jutland
roughly once every ten and a half hours.

With its latest survey completed, “Nail 42” flight transitioned into normal space with two simultaneous flashes of light. Right on schedule, the two spacecraft established an NRD net connection using a nearby hyperspace comm beacon and immediately set about transmitting their latest reconnaissance data. It took the pair less than a minute to complete their data upload and then make the necessary preparations for the C-Jump to their next destination.

Although a remarkable feat of engineering, the current version of the
Hunter’s
miniaturized C-Drive was based on the model used in Fleet’s newest generation of anti-ship missiles. Intended to deliver a missile’s deadly payload to the immediate vicinity of its target in a single, instantaneous bound, the capability to execute multiple, consecutive hyperspace transitions was not envisioned as a part of the drive’s original design requirements. As was the case with the much larger version of the C-Drive recently tested aboard TFS
Ingenuity
, the challenge was primarily one of power generation and handling. Accordingly, the
Hunter’s
onboard reactor had been upgraded and a small capacitor bank added to allow for relatively short C-Jumps of up to twenty-five light years. Unfortunately, even for shorter range jumps, the miniaturized version of the drive still required a brief “dwell time” before executing its next transition … meaning that an instantaneous “emergency C-Jump” was simply not possible. The delay was primarily a function of how much power was consumed during the previous and subsequent jumps. In a worst case scenario, for example, when two, twenty-five-light-year jumps were executed one after the other, a delay of approximately thirty minutes was required between transitions.

Fortunately, the current reconnaissance mission in the immediate vicinity of the Sol system called for relatively short-range C-Jumps, each requiring only minimal dwell time before the
Hunters
were ready for their next transition. Now, with the data describing their thus far fruitless search transmitted back to the
Jutland
, the RPSVs banked gracefully in the direction of their next destination, accelerating rapidly before engaging their C-Drives and disappearing from normal space in two brief flashes of light.

SCS Gunov, Pelaran Resistance Rally Point

(3.3 light years from Earth)

The ships of the Pelaran Resistance task force were not expecting an engagement with hostile forces at the location of their rally point. In fact, Sajeth Collective scouting vessels had been visiting the general area for several years without interference from the Guardian spacecraft. It was these missions that had ultimately produced a model of the Pelaran vessel’s data transmission activities, finally resolving its movements into something approaching a predictable pattern. So far at least, it did not appear that the Guardian considered the presence of vessels beyond the Sol system’s outermost planets to be much of a threat, if indeed it was even capable of detecting them at all. Based on the recent destruction of Admiral Naftur’s task force, however, it did now seem probable that the Pelarans had at least some capability of both detecting and tracking ships traveling extended distances in hyperspace.

Expectations aside, Commodore Sarafi had not survived nearly two hundred years of military service by ignoring the tenets of force protection. His squadron was now comprised of twenty-eight warships, and the recent addition of four
Keturah
-class battlespace defense (BD) cruisers had been welcome indeed. The cruisers’ primary role was to rapidly detect and engage enemy ships, preferably before they had the opportunity to mount an effective attack. Accordingly, all four had begun the process of deploying the latest in perimeter surveillance drones immediately after their arrival.

Sarafi smiled at the irony implicit in this, the first operational deployment of a Sajeth Collective weapon system based in part on Pelaran technology. With other cultivated species engaged in open warfare across neighboring regions of the galaxy, Pelaran-derived technologies were beginning to make their appearance within the military forces of other civilizations. Even though cultivated species did tend to enjoy overwhelming military superiority over their rivals, their ships were still captured or destroyed on occasion … resulting in a slow but steady “leak” of Pelaran technology. In addition, cultivated civilizations were always prime targets for espionage, regardless of whether your particular world considered them friend or foe. Once obtained by another species, the tech was quickly reverse-engineered and then either sold or integrated into new weapon systems within a surprisingly short period of time.

“Defensive perimeter established, Commodore,” Sarafi’s communications officer reported. “We’re still showing a few gaps, but should have full coverage within the hour.”

“And we have established real-time detection capabilities within the perimeter?”

“Yes, sir. The detection zone extends just over one light hour in every direction. Once the screen is fully established, we can expect to receive a warning of any enemy activity inside the zone.”

“With this configuration, how much warning will it provide?” Sarafi asked, arching his bushy eyebrows at the young comm officer.

“Worst case, we should get an alert in just under ten minutes. That number improves if the activity occurs closer to one of the drones, of course.”

“Very good, thank you.” It was certainly true that the new system provided a significant improvement over traditional defensive measures, such as the deployment of picket ships or RPSVs to create a defensive perimeter. The best a picket ship could do was transmit a warning back to the squadron at the speed of light, leaving a commander with the difficult choice of either a long comm delay or a small defensive perimeter. Instead, after arriving at their assigned surveillance location, the new drones deployed their own hyperspace communications beacon, enabling instantaneous, real-time data transfer with the distant BD cruisers.

If nothing else, Admiral Naftur’s foolhardy incursion into the Sol system had at least provided some insight regarding the Guardian’s preferred offensive tactics. Sarafi suspected that a reconnaissance probe had been used to obtain a passive “snapshot” of Naftur’s forces shortly after they had arrived in system. With the squadron not expecting an immediate attack after an extended voyage in hyperspace, they would have all been following a predictable course with a predictable speed. This had, of course, made things incredibly easy for the Guardian, which was then able to anticipate each vessel’s exact position in space and open fire before there was any possibility of detection. While not a pessimistic man by nature, Commodore Sarafi still doubted that his new perimeter surveillance drones would fare much better against the Guardian’s tactics. He was also painfully aware that he had little defense against the Pelaran’s vastly superior weapons. Based on all of the data gathered to date, however, he did believe that he could count on the Guardian spacecraft to behave in a manner at least somewhat consistent with their computer model. He, therefore, pinned his hopes on avoiding detection, if possible, and making things as difficult as possible for his adversary. Even the simple act of keeping his ships in continuous, random motion might be sufficient to delay their destruction long enough to allow most of them to escape — hopefully in sufficient numbers to execute a successful attack on Terra.

“Contact!” a young Wek Lieutenant called from the
Gunov’s
Tactical station. “Two small ships — they’re right on top of us, sir — only about ten light seconds out.”

“Origin?” Sarafi snapped impatiently.

“I’m not sure where it came up with the data to make its identification, but the fire control AI has classified them as Terran scout vessels … stand by … the
Hadeon
is firing!”

At the time the Terran vessels transitioned from hyperspace,
Hadeon
was the closest of the four battlespace defense cruisers. Fortunately, protecting Sajeth Collective forces from a surprise attack was precisely the role for which she had been designed. Well before Commodore Sarafi had even been made aware of their presence,
Hadeon’s
AI had already determined the enemy ships’ origin and type. This led to their immediately being designated as hostile targets, which authorized the BD system to open fire without further authorization per the task force’s standing rules of engagement. Although it would take the cruiser’s active sensors over twenty seconds to begin processing detailed performance estimates for the two targets — an eternity in such an engagement — real-time remote surveillance drone data provided the AI with more than enough information to begin its attack. Shortly after the cruiser’s first salvos began streaming downrange towards the two
Hunters
, drone data was supplemented with that provided by the “new light” gathered by the cruiser’s passive sensors. The AI also had access to performance data obtained from a highly classified source. All of these data points were quickly consolidated to produce a probability-based model describing the targets as if their designers had handed over a set of detailed specifications.
Hadeon’s
fire control AI now had everything it needed to begin placing its energy weapons fire at the most likely locations to intersect the flight paths of the Terran vessels.

“She’s adjusting her fire, sir,” the lieutenant reported, now using a much more disciplined tone.

Hadeon’s
position on the periphery of the assembled Resistance ships had provided the cruiser with a clear field of fire in the direction of her prey. Within seconds, the entire side of the ship was once again lit with energy weapons fire as she worked methodically to destroy the Terran intruders.

Hunter Formation “Nail 42,” Near the Pelaran Resistance Rally Point

(3.3 light years from Earth)

The two
Hunter
RPSVs’ onboard AIs concluded that they were in serious trouble immediately after completing their transition back into normal space at their latest reconnaissance location. In one of those chance occurrences that sometimes determined the fate of nations, or even entire worlds, the formation had arrived at a point so close to their quarry that they would most likely not be able to avoid detection and attack. The
Hunters’
passive sensors detected the presence of twenty-eight enemy ships, several of which were of a configuration similar to other Sajeth Collective vessels already contained in their onboard database. At an estimated range of just under three million kilometers, it would take only ten seconds for their light to reach the Resistance task force, thus alerting them to the RPSVs’ presence. It was a virtual certainty that, perhaps as little as ten seconds later, enemy weapons fire would begin arriving at their current location. What the two
Hunters’
onboard AI did not yet know was that they had transitioned in the immediate vicinity of an enemy surveillance drone, which dutifully began relaying information regarding their configuration and exact position back to the Resistance task force in real-time.

The
Hunters
gave brief consideration to mounting an attack on the Resistance task force. Although two HB-7c missiles had been removed from the “Nail 43” spacecraft prior to launch, fourteen of the C-Drive-equipped missiles hung ready to fire beneath their fuselages and stubby wings. The chief difficulty in going on the offensive at this point was the distance to their targets. The enemy formation, as seen from the RPSVs’ current position, appeared as they had been ten seconds earlier. The Resistance ships were already in motion when the two
Hunters
transitioned into the area, and looked as if they had been in the process of taking some sort of evasive action even before their arrival. This made for a poor firing solution for the RPSVs’ missiles, which required precise targeting information in order to make their C-Jump and then emerge from hyperspace immediately before impact. Even in the unlikely event that all fourteen missiles managed to find their targets, the probability of inflicting any sort of meaningful damage was calculated to be less than ten percent. Based on the mission objectives they had been assigned before launch, the AIs from both ships concluded that their best option was to flee the area in hopes of delivering their critical reconnaissance information back to Terran Fleet Command.