Retreat And Adapt (A Galaxy Unknown) Page 9

  "Augustus Poole, Rear Admiral, Upper Half, Base Commander, Quesann SCB, message complete."

  Jenetta immediately cancelled her participation in all further meetings and scheduled the Ares to depart the following day. The delegation would remain on the planet to conclude their business, then request that a ship pick them up.

  The Ares left on schedule the following morning. Jenetta was actually glad to have a reason to go, but not for the reason she was leaving. DS warships were considered almost indestructible. That an unknown enemy was so able to riddle a ship with holes that it resembled Swiss cheese was the worst of all possible news. Until now it had been hoped that the GA was entering a period of peace where a little smuggling would be the worst they would have to face. The appearance of an enemy more dangerous than any Space Command had faced would create many sleepless nights among senior military personnel for some time to come.

  * * *

  Chapter Eight

  ~ May 10th, 2286 ~

  "Any word yet, Jen?" Admiral Holt asked as he entered her office off the admiral's bridge and joined her in the informal seating area. He selected a comfortable chair that could recline almost horizontally if the occupant wished, but he didn't use the control to move it from its regular format. The padded, soft brown leather and gentle recline was enough.

  "Nothing yet, Brian. I'm just as anxious to receive the Thames' report. I keep going over and over the basic report we received from Augustus. When the archeological scientists on Dakistee discovered that first underground bunker, they used every cutting tool available to them and yet couldn't even mar the surface. They even used a plasma torch without effect. So how could someone have riddled the Yenisei's hull with holes?"

  "But the material we call Dakinium isn't the same as that material you found on Dakistee. As I recall, it's as close as they could come to reproducing it at the time."

  "True. And the new material does allow us to create the resonance that builds the double-envelope, where the original material doesn't, so the designers went with the newer material for shipbuilding. I don't know if the scientists ever continued their research, but I've never heard of them finding a weapon that could damage the Dakinium sheathing in the manner described by Augustus. Dakinium absorbs energy like a sponge absorbs water, and that energy only serves to make it stronger. When a torpedo from a Tsgardi ship flew into one of our sub-light engines on the Colorado, it destroyed the internal workings but never harmed the Dakinium nacelle cover. I can't image what sort of weapon could cause the damage the Yenisei suffered. And just as important at this point is finding out who is responsible."

  "It has to be either the Ruwalchu or the Uthlaro."

  "It seems logical that it would be one or the other, but I just don't know. We seriously crippled the Uthlaro government, and I wouldn't expect them to try something this overt so soon after suffering the loss of their entire military force, not to mention their territory. If they are behind it, it's not an act of war; it's an act of sedition. I warned them that the penalties are far more severe for sedition than for a nation that declares war on another. Region Three is now part of the GA, and I'll come down hard on the Uthlaro if I find they're responsible."

  "What about the Ruwalchu?"

  "I just don't know. From all accounts, they're a peaceful race who only want to be left alone, and we've never bothered them. We've never entered their space and never even had diplomatic contact. It wouldn't make sense that they would attack us."

  "Perhaps they're looking to expand their territory?"

  "My Hudeerac contact once said that the Ruwalchu were more powerful than the Milori, which was why Maxxiloth never antagonized them. If they craved more territory, they should have been able to take over the Milori Empire decades ago."

  "Perhaps they weren't looking back then but are now. Have you maintained your contact with the Hudeerac?"

  "I haven't corresponded with him recently, but there hasn't been a falling out. Are you suggesting I send a message and ask?"

  "Are you on the kind of terms where he would answer honestly?"

  "I believe so— at least as honestly as any government would ever be with another. We managed to reestablish our intelligence arrangement after the Hudeerac Order withdrew from the THUG pact."

  "Well, it can't hurt to ask. Maybe they'll be able to provide some answers to this problem, or at least clear one of the suspect nations."

  "Okay, I'll send a query to my contact. As you say, it can't hurt to ask. At worst, we'll be indebted if we learn something."

  * * *

  Since completion of the palace shuttle pad, Jenetta had been able to leave and return without using the base's spaceport. This meant that the welcoming ceremonies for her returns to the base were mostly a thing of the past. They still greeted visiting planetary officials that way, but that was de rigueur throughout the GA.

  "Welcome back, Jen," Augustus Poole said as he greeted the two admirals at the palace shuttle pad. "I can't tell you how delighted we all were to hear that your sister recovered from her wounds and has returned to active duty."

  "Thank you, Augustus. And I'm glad to be back."

  "And welcome, Brian," he said to Admiral Holt. "Congratulations on your promotion and your new posting here at Quesann."

  "Thank you, Augustus. I've envied all of you for some time so I'm happy to be out here at last."

  "Let's go inside," Jen said, "and you can brief us on the situation here."

  "The Region Two Headquarters Staff is assembling in the HQ Building. I thought it better that we make it an official briefing session. I have two vehicles waiting."

  "Okay, let's head over there."

  Ten minutes later, in her capacity as Military Governor of Region Two, Jenetta called the Region Two HQ Board to order in emergency session. Also in attendance were Admirals Brian Holt, the new Deputy Military Governor of Regions Two and Three, Keith Kanes, Intelligence Director for Regions Two and Three, Augustus Poole, the commanding officer of Quesann Space Command Base, and Benjamin Buckner, Director of Supply & Logistics for Regions Two and Three. A plethora of aides sat dutifully behind their Admirals, but clerks were limited to those with the highest security ratings.

  "It's nice to be back at Quesann," Jenetta said, "but I wish our business here today wasn't so distressing. As I'm sure you all know by now, one of our missing ships has been found. All hands are deceased. When I first learned that the Yenisei was missing, I hoped against hope that it was merely a technical problem such as the one I experienced with the first Dakinium-sheathed ship, the Colorado. But the lockout system developed at the Mars shipyard that prevents a Light-9790 ship from engaging double-envelope travel while a single-envelope is in place has to date been completely effective, so there have been no more catastrophic energy failures aboard any DS ship. The condition of the Yenisei's hull makes it almost a certainty that we are facing a new enemy threat— one that is unlike any we've faced before, because this enemy appears to have a weapon capable of destroying what we believed was almost indestructible. This news doesn’t bode well for the fate of the Salado, which is still missing. I've read the report sent by Commander Nydia Romonova, captain of the Thames, until I know it by heart, but I still don't have a clue to the identity of the attackers. I've transmitted a request for information to my contact in the Hudeerac Order asking if they have any knowledge of a new enemy or an old enemy who might be making a fresh assault. But owing to the distance, I haven't yet received a reply.

  "Keith, have you received the Yenisei's log information yet?"

  "No, not yet, Jen, but we're expecting it at any time. I'll notify your office as soon as we receive it."

  "Thank you. So then here's all we have so far," Jen said as she nodded to Lt. Commander Ashraf.

  An image of the Yenisei's hull, sent by Commander Romonova, appeared on large monitors mounted on the walls around the room.

  "As you can see, the ship looks like a piece of space junk. No wonder it was so difficult to locate.
Before this, I wouldn't have believed that a DS ship could suffer this kind of damage. And the damage is not limited to the outer skin. It extends for up to thirty meters into the ship, which means that most of the atmo was evacuated in minutes. What hasn't been explained is why the entire crew died. A weapon that penetrates thirty meters into a ship would be able to breach most areas of a scout-destroyer, but there should have been at least a few small areas that remained airtight. We probably won't have more insight into the deaths until the Thames' doctor completes his report, or info about air-tight areas until we receive the Yenisei's logs.

  "That's all I have. Any thoughts?"

  "If this enemy's weapons can penetrate thirty meters beyond the Dakinium hull," Admiral Kanes said, "our cruisers and battleships will have to spearhead any actions. Personnel aboard lesser-sized ships must wear Marine body armor or EVA suits during any engagements."

  "It appears that way," Admiral Buckner said. "Unfortunately we have neither sufficient Marine armor supplies to outfit all Space Command personnel nor enough of the bulky EVA suits."

  "How many ships do we have looking for the Salado, Augustus?" Admiral Holt asked.

  "Every ship we could spare. As of today, fifty-one ships are involved in the search, in groups of three. I'll send you a roster later. For now, all I can say is that most are scout-destroyers and that they all have orders to be acutely cautious when approaching unidentified ships. Each group leader has been ordered to transmit location information every sixty seconds when investigating anything unusual."

  "So we have seventeen groups sweeping that area of space," Jenetta said. "It's not nearly enough."

  "It's the best we can do."

  "I know. It's just that a complete search by seventeen teams in an area a thousand light-years by a thousand light-years, covering a thousand light-years ante-median and a thousand light-years post-median, could take thousands of years if we don't have to stop to investigate every anomaly."

  "That's only if we don't locate them reasonably close to their last reported position," Admiral Kanes said.

  "How close was the Yenisei to its last reported position?"

  "Roughly eight light-years."

  "And it took months to find it."

  "It wasn't emitting a power signature," Kanes said as he shrugged his shoulders.

  "Exactly. And I'll bet that neither will the Salado, if the same fate befell him. So we'll have to stop to investigate every anomaly."

  "I'm open to a better solution," Admiral Poole said, "if you have one."

  "I don't have one," Jenetta replied. "I know of no way to speed up a search like this. It's even possible that we could miss spotting the Salado since our search vessels will be traveling at Light-9790. If we don't find the Salado within twelve light-years of their last reported position, I suggest we search the same area again. Twelve light-years represents almost half a day of travel for a Light- 9790 vessel. I really doubt they would have traveled further than that without reporting their position."

  "I have to agree," Admiral Poole said. "In fact, we should even consider three passes of the primary area before moving further afield. A worst-case scenario would have the Salado being taken by surprise and not having a chance to report in, but the captain would have filed her daily report at ten hundred hours if he was able."

  "Discounting the time required to investigate all anomalies," Jenetta said, "the seventeen groups can cover the primary area in just under five days at maximum speed. That's a lot more workable."

  "Have the search groups reported seeing anything unusual?" Admiral Holt asked of Admiral Poole.

  "Unusual in what way?"

  "Anything out of the ordinary that might point to who is behind these attacks."

  "No other ships were spotted by the original searchers. But you have to remember that most of the searching for the Yenisei was done by just two ships that happened to be within two hundred light-years when the ship went missing. It's taken time for the others to reach the search area. Region Two is enormous, and we're really spread out here. I don't have to tell this board that we have less than ten percent of the ships we need to patrol properly."

  "We're still getting most of the new ships coming out of the Mars facility," Jenetta said, "but it will take time for the Second Fleet to reach approved ship strength. One of the items we have to discuss today is the creation of a shipbuilding facility here in Region Two. And that's just one of the many issues. There's little more we can do on the subject of the Yenisei and Salado until we have more information, so let's move on to regular business. Augustus, after you brief us on what's happened since I left, I'll brief the HQ Board on important matters being discussed at the Admiralty Board."

  * * *

  "What the devil…" the image of Commander Kevin Bemming said in the bridge log being viewed by the Region Two HQ Board in their meeting hall several days later. Bemming moved forward in his command chair and stared at the image on the front monitor before asking no one in particular, "Are those ships?"

  Another monitor in the HQ Board hall was showing the image that Bemming was staring at.

  "Freeze image," Jenetta said. "Look at those objects."

  "They appear more like the froth on a glass of ale than spaceships," Admiral Poole said.

  The HQ Board had been viewing the logs from the Yenisei for more than an hour before reaching this point. The small ship had pursued a cluster of three ships for over seven hours, attempting to close the distance without using Light-9790, but was unable to overtake the vessels using its maximum single-envelope speed. In the end, Commander Bemming had given the order to jump ahead of the unidentified ships and wait for them.

  When the three ships discovered the Yenisei sitting in front of them, they slowed to sub-light speeds and slowly closed the distance between the vessels. Jenetta had ordered the replay to be fast-forwarded until the unknown ships slowed to sub-light speeds after Admiral Kanes informed the board that nothing noteworthy had happened after the Yenisei had begun pursuit until it confronted the three ships.

  "The design is certainly unique," Admiral Holt said. "I've never seen anything even remotely like it before. I have to wonder about the hull construction. It looks so fragile."

  "Continue playing the log," Jenetta said.

  As the vid started again, the unidentified ships moved slowly closer to the Yenisei.

  "Com, attempt to contact those ships again," Commander Bemming said.

  "Aye, Captain," the com chief said, then could be heard saying, "Unidentified ships, this is the GSC ship Yenisei. You have entered Galactic Alliance Space. You must identify yourselves immediately." The com chief repeated the message two more times when the ships failed to respond.

  The ships continued to move closer without any response. Suddenly, the tac officer aboard the Yenisei shouted, "Multiple weapons launched. Ninety-two seconds to first contact."

  "All laser gunners fire at will," Commander Bemming announced over the ship-wide system. "Knock those birds down and target the alien ships." Looking toward the helmsman he said, "Helm, evade."

  "Aye, Captain," the helmsman said and the ship began to move. "We canceled our envelope so we're limited to sub-light speeds."

  "Should I target the alien ships with torpedoes, sir?" the tac officer asked.

  "Not yet. They can't hurt us with their weapons and I want a chance to talk to them before we use torpedoes. Com, try to contact them again. Tell them to stop firing on us or we'll be forced to destroy them."

  "There are too many torpedoes coming in, Captain," the tac officer said. "I'm seeing over ten thousand."

  "What? Over ten thousand torpedoes? From three ships? That's not possible."

  "They're small, sir. Tiny. Nothing like ours."

  "That's a relief. Tiny torpedoes can't harm our Dakinium hull. But let's shoot down as many as possible just to be sure."

  Laser pulses stretched out from the Yenisei, searching for targets, and small explosions dotted space between the two shi
ps.

  "The Phalanx system is taking control of all guns but the torpedoes are small and moving fast," the tac officer said. "It's having trouble tracking them."

  "It's still better than a human gunner. Don't override the control."

  The admirals and their aides watched the log in safety but, knowing the outcome, felt anxiety for the Yenisei crew, coupled with sadness and regret that they couldn't warn them.

  Expectedly, torpedoes began to penetrate the umbrella of fire from the overwhelmed Phalanx system and impacted against the hull. On the bridge, no buffeting was felt, but alarms soon began to sound at the tac station.

  "Tac, what's going on?" Bemming barked over the alarms.

  "I don’t know, Captain. The missiles are tiny and causing no apparent damage, yet we're getting warnings that the hull has been breached in multiple locations. Large areas of the ship are opening to space. We're losing atmo at a far faster rate than should be possible."

  "How can their tiny missiles be responsible for that?"

  "I don't know, sir. They seem more like annoying stings than powerful weapons."

  "So what's causing the hull damage?"

  "Unknown, sir. Perhaps Engineering can investigate."

  In response to new explosions that suddenly began rocking the ship, alarms suddenly began shrieking on the bridge.

  "Multiple bulkheads have been breached in this frame section," the tac officer yelled. "Evacuate the bridge."

  Crew people on the bridge began jumping from their chairs. Most ran towards the corridor doors, while a few headed for emergency air supplies. None were able to save themselves. The evacuation of atmosphere suddenly turned into a tsunami of wind as a new explosion ripped away a huge section of a bridge bulkhead. The surge of air towards the hole was enough that most crewmembers lost their footing. By then, the corridor was also breached, so no safety would be found there. The ones who tried to reach the emergency supplies were already in the grip of hypoxia and just didn't have enough time or strength left to open the emergency cabinets, pull out the equipment, and activate the tanks. They collapsed to the deck and never moved again.