The Landfall Campaign (The Nameless War) (34 page)

“
We believe economics is the answer to that question, sir,
”
Tsukioka replied.
“
While our calculations are based on estimates, we can make certain extrapolations. Our jump drives are expensive capital items. Even on the largest bulk transport ships they represent approximately a quarter of the cost of the entire vessel. We speculate that the Nameless
’
s drives are similarly expensive. Therefore these space gates would offer a lower cost alternative to putting a drive in every ship.
”

“
Can
’
t they do as we do,
”
Callahan asked.
“
Have a ship in front and another behind one or more vessels lacking their own jump drive holding the portal open long enough for them to enter?
”

“
We have never seen them do that, Mister Secretary
”
Tsukioka replied.
“
Our drives create a hole in the fabric of space through which the ship passes. Their ships seem to phase out of our plane of reality, meaning each one seems to be effectively on its own. Since July the enemy transports we
’
ve observed have principally been small vessels that appear to rely on the gates. Jump-capable Nameless transport ships seem to be a rarity.
”

“
That loses them a hell of a lot of flexibility,
”
Lewis observed,
“
if the bulk of their fleet train can only come in and out of their jump space in certain locations.
”

“
But they only need flexibility in the immediate combat zone,
”
Tsukioka said.
“
These gates allow them to use relatively inexpensive and technologically basic transports to haul supplies the great distance from their presumed core worlds up to the forward supply dumps. The expensive jump capable transports only have to move supplies a short distance from these dumps to the combat zones.
”

“
There is a positive side to this,
”
Wingate said.
“
It makes the Junction Line a more viable defence than we originally anticipated. The Nameless can
’
t simply run warships through the line because their support elements won
‘
t be able to follow. So they also have to maintain a frontline. That is where we do have the advantage that we can strike through their lines at their supply lines and dumps.
”

“
Which is why Junction Line is coming under so much pressure,
”
Lewis repeated.
“
I have no wish to be the voice of gloom but the Nameless are trying to break through. This month we
’
ve lost one cruiser and two destroyers while another two cruisers and a destroyer are badly damaged and en route back to Earth. Right now we are holding the line but only just.
”

“
There are a number of new constructions coming on stream in the next six months,
”
Callahan said.

“
The new constructions aren
’
t going to keep pace with our losses in the same timeframe, never mind make good the ships we lost in the first weeks of the war,
”
Lewis said grimly.

“
The Nameless aren
’
t our only problem,
”
Wingate added.
“
There
’
s also Dryad.
”

“
Dryad?
”
Clifton asked.

“
Yes, Dryad,
”
Lewis said flatly.
“
We
’
re about to lose it.
”

“
What?
”
Callahan looked sharply toward Wingate, who gave no visible sign of disagreeing with his subordinate.

“
We
’
re getting reports from Admiral Shibanova, the commander on Dryad Station, that vessels from the Tample star nation of Rizr are starting to sniff around the system,
”
Wingate said with a sigh.
“
His last report indicates that they are currently testing his ability to respond.
”

“
And
…
does he have that ability?
”

“
No
, he doesn
’
t,
”
Lewis cut in.

“
The forces at Dryad are far too weak. We are sending one of our new constructions out there but if we could redeploy some of the ships on the Aèllr bord
…”
Wingate added.

“
No,
”
Clifton cut him off sharply.
“
The Council is not willing to reduce the strength of the force patrolling the Aèllr border. Yes we appreciate that the Confederacy has given an undertaking not to cross the border but we have spoken publicly on this matter and we will not allow the border force to be further depleted.
”

“
Then Ma
’
am, the Council will have to make a decision. We either further compromise what is left of the frontier station or we have Dryad taken from us by force within the next few months,
”
Wingate replied, his tone just as uncompromising as the President
’
s.

“
Can
’
t we take one or two ships off the Nameless front?
”
she asked.

“
No we can
’
t!
”
Lewis snapped back.

“
That isn
’
t even the faintest possibility,
”
Wingate agreed in a more restrained tone.

“
We have the frontline, we have the defence of the Dryad system, and we have the patrolling and monitoring of the Aèllr border. Right now, from where I am sitting the Aèllr frontier is the only place we can spare ships. As the Aèllr themselves have pointed out, what we have out there would not stop them.
”

“
I understand what you are saying Admiral, but politically, abandoning the Aèllr frontier is unacceptable.
”

“
Then we are going to suffer the same kind of smash and grab that was inflicted on the Mhar,
”
Lewis said bluntly.

“
There is a possible compromise deployment,
”
Wingate said after a few moments.
“
We could change the base of operations for the frontier force. Rather than supplying out of Earth, they could be supplied out of Hawkings Base at Dryad.
”

“
Really?
”
Callahan said as he looked askance at Wingate.

“
Yes, our space docks here at Earth are overworked. There are large amounts of supplies at Hawkings, which would allow the frontier force to operate from there.
”

“
I see,
”
said Callahan slowly.
“
Then why haven
’
t we been doing that before now?
”

“
Working from Earth based them in the middle their operational area. Coming from Dryad means based much closer to one edge, which means that the opposite far edge won
’
t be as well patrolled as it is now.
”

“
Alright, that
’
s the weakness. What
’
s the advantage?
”

“
If they are supplied out of Dryad, there is a better chance that at least one or two modern ships will be available should the Rizr try something.
”

“
I see.
”

“
It
’
s a compromise deployment,
”
said Lewis dourly,
“
in the worst possible sense of the word. It reduces the border patrolling to the point of impotence without reliably strengthening Dryad. There is still going to be a lot of opportunities for the Rizr to make a move at the risk of only facing a handful of clapped-out ships.
”

“
Maybe so Admiral Lewis, but it is something we can sell politically,
”
Clifton replied.

“
There is one last thing in relation to Dryad. We need to find a replacement for Admiral Shibanova,
”
Wingate said.

“
Why I thought he was
…”
Callahan looked confused.

“
Health reasons,
”
Wingate replied simply.

“
I
’
m sorry to be callous but there is very little point in sending a replacement for a sick man, to a posting that is likely to prove fatal,
”
Lewis said quietly.

“
Christ
’
s sake Paul!
”
Wingate objected.

“
Shibanova
’
s good,
”
Lewis replied with a shrug.
“
If it hadn
’
t been for that cancer, it
’
s likely he would have been one of the people sat at this table today.
”
He looked directly at Wingate.
“
Sir, we need anyone competent enough to run Dryad on the Nameless Front.
”

“
I
’
ll send instructions for him to clearly nominate a successor out of the officers he has available,
”
Wingate said eventually.
“
As soon as we can, we
’
ll send out a relief. Although that might be awhile.
”

Chapter Eleven

Come the Deceiver

20
th
March 2067

“
How long are we talking here?
”
Commander Willis asked as she looked down the length of
Hood’s
port side engine room. With the ship docked and the reactors operating at minimum output, the engine noise was little more than a background hum, barely audible over the noise of the engineering crew hard at work. They
’
d only docked thirty minutes earlier but already all the access panels along the port side were open and a number of major components were being run out from their housings.

“
We should have the Number One Engine running again by end of third watch Skipper. Then barring any other problems, we
’
ll move onto that flaring problem with Number Three,
”
replied Chief Engineer Guinness as he wiped his hands on a grubby rag.

“
It looks like you
’
ve got things well in hand,
”
Willis commented.
“
You and your team are getting faster with the coils.
”

“
Well no excuse at this stage,
”
Guinness grunted.
“
If you can
’
t get the hang of replacing ignition coils after having to do it three times, you
’
re never gonna get it. I just hope this set holds for a while. There
’
s a hell of a lot of other bits that need attention. The black water system springs most immediately to mind. Then there
’
s that wobble in the centrifuge and the environmental control on Deck Two
…”

Despite herself Willis sighed. While she found the Chief to be an easy person to get along with, not to mention a fine engineer, actually talking business with him was depressing.
Hood’s
engineering problems were continuing with monotonous regularity. For every three days the ship was capable of operations, another day was spent doing repairs and adjustments. The pattern was much the same for the rest of the squadron. By her own rough count, in the six and a half months they
’
d spent on Dryad station, they
’
d only clocked up about twenty days where all four ships had been simultaneously fully operational.