First Strike (35 page)

“No, sir,” Markus said. He had no real problem with Spinner, although the young man had come up through a tactical career path rather than as a gunboat pilot. That would probably change when there were enough gunboats and carriers to allow officers to be selected with the ideal mix of experience. “You mentioned an operation for us?”

Sampson nodded and tapped a key. “This remains in confidence,” he said. “You’ll be given sealed orders before you depart, but you are not to discuss this with anyone – including your wife – until you are safely in quantum space. If we can free up a handful of other ships to serve as an escort, I’ll brief their commanders personally.” He lifted one hand and pointed at a single red star floating in the midst of the star chart. “Your target: Hegemony Prime.”

“Their homeworld?” Markus asked. “But they must have it heavily defended.”

“They do,” Sampson said. “Most of our data comes from before we hit Terra Nova, so it is quite possible that some of it will be outdated, but they have at least forty orbital fortresses and a sizable fleet stationed in the system. Intelligence thinks that they will have scraped up every assault shuttle within fifty light years to give them some counter-gunboat capabilities. They could also have pulled in starships from their inner worlds…”

He shrugged. “You’ll have to carry out reconnaissance before you launch the attack,” he added. “We’ll give you the latest recon drones we’ve produce, including some that haven’t been risked in action before now. Your overall objective is to destroy their primary industrial complex here” – an icon on the display started blinking – “and embarrass the Empress. It’s always difficult to untangle their politics, but we have good reason to believe that several clans would be financially destroyed if the complex went up in smoke. Added to the chaos caused by the Trader Alliance placing an embargo on the Hegemony and it’s quite possible that their entire economy would collapse and a civil war break out.

“I won’t lie to you, Captain. It’s also quite possible that this is a suicide mission. Even if they haven’t reinforced the defences since the war began, you’ll still be facing their most complex network of sensor stations, backed up by their most formidable fleet. That’s one of the other reasons for hitting their homeworld; if they decide they can free up some of their defending starships and send them against us, it would tip the odds in their favour. The entire navy is counting on you.”

“I understand,” Markus said, feeling a little dazed. Command of a starship was one thing, but a suicide mission right into the heart of enemy territory…? “I won’t let you down.”

“I’m going to give you complete freedom in planning your operation,” Sampson said. “You will have access to the latest intelligence we possess, although they’ve been very good at sealing off their system since the war began. Don’t take anything for granted. What happened in the recent battle should remind us all that our enemy isn't stupid.”

“Yes, sir,” Markus agreed. A thought had already crossed his mind. “With your permission, sir, I’d like to request a company of Marines. I’ve had an idea.”

“I’ll cut them orders at once,” Sampson assured him. He smiled, as if he’d thought of something more pleasant than suicide missions. “And as for the matter of Grumble Squadron...”

Markus hesitated. “Sir?”

“I feel that the name has earned a chance to live on,” Sampson said. He smiled as Markus relaxed in obvious relief. “Some of the reporters have been telling tales about your heroism and kids back home are pretending to fly gunboats in mock battles. New pilots and gunboats are already on their way, but you’ll have to draw pilots from the other squadrons to replenish your losses. I need you on your way as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir,” Markus said. He'd have to check up on
 
Formidable
, but the ships had been designed for easy repair. It was possible that the carrier was already ready to return to active service. Any longer than a week and the Admiral would probably have assigned another carrier to the mission. “I’ll make sure we leave quickly.”

He left the office, shaking his head. How was he going to explain it to Carola?

Nimitz
 
exploded out of quantum space in a blaze of light, heading right towards Hammerfall and the remaining Hegemony starships near the planet.  Her consorts followed, not even trying to hide, as they spread out and slipped into formation.  Behind the main body of the fleet, three carriers and a dozen freighters emerged through the quantum gate, which faded away after the final ships returned to normal space.  Every Funk outpost in the system would have picked up their arrival and know that the Federation Navy had returned to Hammerfall.

“Report,” Tobias ordered, as the fleet shook down.  He'd considered coming out of quantum space closer to the planet, but the strange disruptions in quantum space near the system had dissuaded him.  They’d just have to rely on their technology and skill to defeat their enemies.  “What do we have?”

“Two of the enemy squadrons appear to be missing,” Commander Sooraya Qadir reported.  “The remainder are coming to life now.”

Tobias nodded, unsurprised.  They’d given the enemy plenty of warning before the two fleets entered engagement range.  Even a half-crewed ship would have time to get ready to repel attack.  Curiously, the sole remaining enemy superdreadnought in the system looked to have been completely powered down, even though she was on the front lines.  Maybe the enemy had believed that she was beyond repair, or perhaps they intended to tow her through quantum space to a repair yard.  Tobias’s last visit to the system had wrecked all of the shipyards and industrial nodes that would have normally supported the fleet.  Judging from the state of the fixed defences, the mines he’d left behind had taken their toll on enemy installations.

“They’re sweeping drones through low orbit,” Sooraya added.  “I’m not entirely sure why.”

“Probably trying to trigger the mines,” Tobias commented.  It wasn't a bad idea, if someone on the other side had figured out that some of the mines were triggered by active sensor pulses at very close range.  Losing a drone, no matter how expensive, had to be a bargain compared to losing an entire ship.  But not
 
all
 
of the drones were programmed to expend themselves on enemy sensors.  It was quite possible that the Hegemony would declare victory, only to discover that they’d only accounted for a third of the mines.  “Mark the drones down for attention once we’ve dealt with the rest of the ships.”

He studied the display as the two fleets converged.  The Hegemony ships, some badly damaged after the Battle of Hammerfall or Third Garston, were forming into a simple defensive formation, linking their point defences together into a single coherent unit.  Tobias had half-expected them to retreat into quantum space after taking stock of the fleet bearing down on them, but they probably had orders to fight to the death.  After giving the Federation Navy a bloody nose at Third Garston, the Hegemony was pumping the victory for all it was worth.  The last thing they wanted was another defeat, particularly of a seemingly superior force by an inferior.

Tobias smiled.  He was determined to deny them another victory, even if it meant occupying Hammerfall for a short period.  The world was still largely useless to the Federation Navy and that wouldn't change, not when the Funks would destroy anything left in the system before pulling out or surrendering.  Perhaps they would simply surrender, rather than trying to force him to bleed his fleet white.  There was nothing left on Hammerfall worth the loss of so many personnel in a futile defence.

“Time to engagement, seven minutes,” Sooraya reported.  “Enemy ships are turning and attempting to close on attack vector.”

Tobias frowned.  That was odd, odd enough to puzzle and worry him after Third Garston.  The smartest thing the Funks could do was cut their losses and retreat from the system, leaving the remaining defenders to blow the installations and surrender.  Some Funk propaganda claimed that humans had slaughtered prisoners out of hand, but the Galactic reporters had countered it by running extensive interviews with POWs who reported good treatment.  It was certainly better treatment than they’d received from their own leaders; ONI had picked up on reports that several Funks had been shot for losing battles.  How long would it be, Tobias asked himself, until the Funk commanders became more terrified of their own Empress than of the human invaders?

“Maybe they don’t dare retreat without trying to bleed us,” he said, slowly.  “Or maybe they have a trick up their sleeve.”

He shrugged.  There was no need to worry about defending a planet this time.  If the odds grew too unfavourable, he’d pull the fleet out and leave the Funks in possession of a ruined system.  But those missing ships worried him.  There weren't enough of them to pull off another surprise like Third Garston – unless the Funks had additional reinforcements the recon ships had missed – yet they could cause havoc if they slashed into humanity’s lines.  Earth itself should be able to stand them off, but no other colony world had serious defences.  They only had a handful of ships from various Galactics working up before they were added to the battle line.

The thought made him scowl.  They'd been able to purchase hundreds of ships from the Galactics – mainly using revenue from Garston, or taking out loans from the bigger powers – but none of the second-hand ships had been armed with the latest weaponry.  The Funks would face them on even terms until they were refitted, giving them a decisive advantage if they managed to get back on their feet and come blazing for Earth.  It didn't help that some of the Galactic used-starship dealers had played down the age or condition of their ships until it was too late to refuse to pay.  One day, he promised himself, there would be a reckoning. 

“Alert all ships,” he ordered, calmly.  “They are to open fire the moment they enter weapons range.”

“Aye, sir,” Sooraya said.  “Weapons range in two minutes.”

The Funks were still picking up speed, the healthier ships setting their speed to match their damaged consorts.  It was surprising behaviour from the Funks, even though Tobias had witnessed some of them sacrificing themselves to save others in the past.  Just another reminder, he told himself, that some of the Funks were capable of more than humanity would prefer to admit.  They weren't completely alien, not like some of the weirder beings in the Association.  Some of them were so alien that it was impossible to hold a rational conversation with them about anything.  Even the Cats had problems talking to them.

“Weapons locked on target,” the Captain said.  “Firing...now.”

Tobias watched in disbelief.  The human phase cannon were still rotating through the various modulations, but it seemed as if the Funks had
 
no
 
vulnerable frequency any longer.  They still weren't firing themselves, even when the human ships closed into their range and started launching antimatter torpedoes at them.  And yet their shield seemed to be almost impenetrable.  It was impossible...

“Sir, I have a report from battle analysis,” Sooraya said.  “They confirm that the Funks have established inner and outer shield layers.  The best guess is that they’ve cannibalized the shield generators from wrecked craft to produce a second deflector bubble around their ships.”

Tobias cursed.  A simple counter, provided one didn't mind not being able to fire back at the targets.  Each starship configured its shield generators to provide a path for the phase cannon to shoot through without hammering their own shields, but two different shields on two different frequencies made it impossible to open fire.  Getting two shield generators to work together was tricky – the human researchers hadn't even tried, having found their own way to generate improved shields – yet the Funks had apparently solved the problem.

He hastily thought back to the briefings when they’d discussed Funk countermeasures to new and advanced human weapons.  There were other problems than simply making it impossible to fire back when two shield generators were paired.  If he recalled correctly, there would be weak spots where the two shields actually interfered with each other, although a starship with enough power to generate two different shields might be able to compensate for such weaknesses.  Or maybe not.  Some of the ships hit by antimatter torpedoes were already showing power fluctuations, suggesting that they were running their shield generators over the limits.  It was a dangerous risk; if the generators overloaded, the shields might vanish without having to be battered down.

“Continue firing with antimatter torpedoes,” he ordered.  “Scan for weak points and attempt to target them with phase cannon.”

The human fleet passed through the Funk formation, just as several Funk ships dropped their inner shields and opened fire.  Their phase cannon lashed out at human cruisers, forcing them to slip into evasive patterns even as their own phase cannon dug deep into enemy hulls.  Warning lights flared up on the display as the Funks unloaded hundreds of antimatter torpedoes towards the human ships, driving them away from their targets.  Their targeting had improved too, Tobias noted absently, although it was rare to risk using torpedoes at such close range.  Human torpedoes had already smashed a number of Funk ships.

One of the cruisers,
 
Sydney
, twisted in an attempt to avoid a spread of torpedoes, but it was too late.  Nearly thirty torpedoes slammed into her shields, battering them down through sheer weight of numbers and destroying the entire ship in a blinding flash.  There was no hope of survivors.  Tobias snapped orders and the fleet reformed, firing a spread of antimatter torpedoes back to distract the enemy as they prepared for another run.  Some of the Funk ships had lost their dual shield generators, either through overloads or direct hits, leaving them vulnerable.  Human tactical officers started marking them down for engagement as the fleets started to close again, even though the Funks were heading away from the planet.  Tactically, they’d already won the battle, Sampson had to admit.  The Funks inflicted another loss on the already overstretched Federation Navy.

“Take us back towards them and engage as soon as we enter weapons range,” he ordered.  Human starships still had a high tactical speed advantage, enough to let him pick and choose the best attack vector.  The Funks couldn't outrun them unless they retreated into quantum space and abandoned the planet.  “Order the freighters to advance on attack vector” – he designated a course on his console – “and attempt to bluff them.”

He hesitated.  “And transmit a demand for surrender,” he added.  “Maybe they’ll decide to surrender instead of continuing the fight.”

There was a pause as the Hegemony ships altered course again.  “No response, sir,” Sooraya reported.  “They’re still under tight control.”

The Hegemony ships opened fire as soon as the human fleet came into range, forsaking their reinforced shields for firepower.  Tobias braced himself as an antimatter torpedo struck
 
Nimitz’s
 
forward shields, only to be deflected away as the starship lashed out at the nearest Hegemony battlecruiser.  The enemy ship staggered out of line and fell astern of the fleet, spinning helplessly in space.  Tobias designated a pair of Marine assault shuttles to be dispatched to receive surrender, if the enemy was interested in doing so.  It was possible that the crew would wait until the shuttles were close to the hull and blow their fusion plants, taking the shuttles with them to a fiery grave.

“Enemy ships altering course and attempting to evade,” Sooraya said.  “I think...correction; enemy ships attempting to open a quantum gate.”

“Take us away from their formation,” Tobias snapped.  It was theoretically possible to overload a quantum gate and create an explosion with the force of a small supernova.  No one had actually done it in recorded Galactic history – unless the Cats had done it during their first explorations and covered it up from their clients – but if the Hegemony intended to try, they would wipe out First Strike Fleet in the blast.  “Prepare to make an emergency jump into quantum space.”

The two fleets separated at terrifying speed as the quantum gate blossomed open in front of the enemy ships.  One by one they retreated into quantum space and vanished, leaving humanity in possession of the system.  The quantum gate closed behind them and vanished.  Tobias let out a sigh of relief.  They weren't going to die today.  There was a theoretical proposal for disrupting quantum space, making it impossible for a fleet to escape an enemy trap, but it had never been tested.  He’d ordered it held in reserve, just in case Earth herself was threatened by the enemy.

“Broadcast a signal to the planet,” he ordered.  “Assure them that we will treat them well if they surrender – and if they refuse, we will simply leave them here to die on the vine.”

The recon ships had deduced that the Funks had attempted to evacuate most of the remaining fortresses, an exercise fraught with peril in a mined orbit.  There would be a skeleton crew left onboard to ensure that the Funks maintained their claim to Hammerfall, although under the circumstances Tobias wasn't sure why they’d bothered.  The installations around Hammerfall had already been destroyed, leaving only the cloudscoops and a handful of asteroid miners.  Destroying them might have irritated the other Galactics, though Hammerfall rarely supplied fuel to anyone else.  It was nowhere near as connected to the galactic trade lanes as Garston.

“I’m picking up a response,” Sooraya said.  “The current commander of the fortresses is prepared to surrender if his personnel are repatriated to the Hegemony.”

Tobias blinked.  “
His
?”