Ep.#15 - "That Which Other Men Cannot Do" (The Frontiers Saga) (30 page)

“In the dutch,” Josh laughed. “You’re definitely Corinairan.”

“If it was Josh offering, then yes, I’d be suspicious,” Loki admitted. “I can take you to the CAG, if you’d prefer?”

Gannon looked Josh up and down, then looked at Loki. “I see your point. He does look a might untrustworthy.”

“What? Me?” Josh said innocently.

“You, on the other hand, have a face like a choir boy,” Gannon joked. “I suppose I can trust you.” He turned to Dorrel. “Whattaya think, Lasan?”

Dorrel nodded his approval. “Lead the way, gentlemen.”

* * *

Admiral Dumar entered the mission briefing room on Karuzara and headed straight for the podium.

“Admiral on deck!” the guard at the door barked.

Everyone in the room rose to their feet and came to attention.

“As you were,” the admiral instructed as he stepped up to the podium. The large view screen on the wall behind him came to life, displaying the chart of a star system. “Tomorrow’s mission will be Mu Cassiopeiae, both A and B elements.”

Nathan quickly glanced at Jessica, checking to see if she was as shocked as well. A turn of his head to the left revealed that Cameron had the same reaction.

“With the success of the attack on Beta Hydri, and the way the Jar-Benakh was able to handle the damaged battle platform, we expect this mission to be one of our easiest to date. First, there are no local inhabitants in either system, other than the Jung.”

“Why are the Jung even there?” Commander Kovacic asked.

“Mu Cassiopeiae is a stepping stone of sorts. It serves as a communication hub for that area of the Sol sector, as well as a convenient refueling point for ships traveling between Eta Cassiopeiae and the fringe worlds of Iota and Theta Persei, as well as Iota Pegasi, HR 51, and Capella.”

“Then it has a propellant depot?” Cameron surmised.

“Yes, but that’s not why we’re taking it out. In fact, we don’t plan on trying to capture the processing facilities intact, as they are fairly well protected against landing parties. If we are able to capture the system with the propellant storage fields intact, so be it, but I do not intend to put anyone at undue risk to that end.”

“So, we’re just hitting it because of the Jung ships that are stationed there?” Commander Willard commented skeptically.

“Partly, yes,” Admiral Dumar admitted. “At twenty-four point seven light years from Sol, the presence of those ships is a significant threat to Earth. More importantly, however, is the fact that it is a centrally located, major distribution hub. Intelligence indicates numerous visits from supply and troop ships, with more ships arriving full than departing.”

“Then it’s a logistics staging point,” Commander Kovacic realized.

“That is our conclusion as well,” the admiral concurred. “One that is very well situated, with at least three worlds less than fifteen light years away, and five more less than twenty-five…including Earth. From Mu Cassiopeiae, the Jung can bring a sizable force to any of those worlds in less than, or a little over one year.”

The admiral paused for a moment, letting the strategic value of the next day’s target sink into the minds of his officers. “We will initiate the attack as usual, taking out the platform and battleship first with jump KKVs. However, this time, we will not be jumping in to verify their destruction before pressing the attack to other ships. Experience has shown us that with our current spread of twelve to sixteen jump KKVs, the odds of completely missing either target is extremely slim. So, at the very least, the targets will be damaged, and therefore will be unlikely to interfere with our attack on the remaining assets in the system. We will press the attack, with the Jar-Benakh taking out the two cruisers, and the Cobra gunships taking out the frigates. Meanwhile, the Aurora will target the supply base on Pallendale, and the Celestia will take care of the troop base on Darmath.”

“What about the fuel plant?” Nathan asked.

“Super Falcons should be able to handle both the processing plant and the propellant depot defenses.”

“You indicated that there would be an attack on both systems,” Nathan reminded the admiral.

“Indeed,” the admiral replied. “Mu Cassiopeiae B has no planets, but it does have a rather large asteroid field. One of them, an asteroid about twice the size of this base, is believed to have a spaceport inside of it. On one of Scout One’s flybys, long-range passive sensors detected several ships that appeared to approach the asteroid, but did not depart. We sent a Super Falcon with an advanced sensor package on it, and were able to verify entrances into the asteroid, as well as detect several ships arriving and departing.”

“What size ships?” Nathan wondered.

“So far, we’ve seen nothing bigger than a frigate enter the base, but considering the asteroid’s size, I suspect it could accommodate larger ships as well.”

“How are we going to capture that thing?” Captain Roselle wondered. “They’ve got to have an awful lot of defenses, and maybe even a few cruisers in there… Or worse.”

“Which is why we aren’t going to bother trying to capture it,” Admiral Dumar said, surprising everyone in the room.

“Admiral,” Nathan started to question.

“The plan is to hit it with jump KKVs at the same time. The asteroid’s orbit is quite predictable, so it should be easy to hit. We calculate that at least four JKKVs should do the trick. The Aurora will launch the B group first, then the A group. A jump shuttle will initiate launch of the B group, at zero hour like all the rest.”

“If that is a shipyard, it’s a hell of an asset to just throw away,” Captain Roselle objected.

“Perhaps,” Admiral Dumar replied, “but the potential cost of capturing that asset is too great. It would require significant human resources in the form of boarding parties. Furthermore, we have no data on her internal defenses. The only option would be the use of the Ghatazhak, and Commander Telles agrees that without further intelligence about their internal defenses, we cannot even guess at a probability of success. It is just too risky.”

“Could we wait?” Cameron wondered. “Pass it by for now, and come back later in the hopes of having additional manpower?”

“Not an option,” the admiral said, shaking his head. “We don’t know how long we can continue to expand our Jung-free zone around Sol. Because of that, we must work outward, evenly, all the way around us. Leaving a logistical strong point like Mu Cassiopeiae untouched is too much of a risk. It must be destroyed.”

“Then that’s what we’re going to do,” Captain Roselle agreed confidently.

* * *

Captain Poc entered the admiral’s office, pausing at the doorway. “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Captain, yes,” Admiral Dumar greeted him, gesturing to an empty chair. “Please, come in. Have a seat.”

Captain Poc entered the admiral’s office and sat down.

“When did you get in?” the admiral asked, more out of courtesy than genuine interest.

“About half an hour ago,” the captain replied.

“It must be nice to get out and stretch your legs a bit. I know we’ve been keeping you and your ship pretty busy these past few months.”

“Completely understandable, Admiral.”

“Well, the intelligence that your ship has provided has been invaluable. You and your men should be proud of that fact.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ll pass that on to my crew.” Captain Poc cocked his head to one side. “Sir, if I might ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“Usually, when we come into port for turn around, we already have an idea of what our next mission will be. However, this time, we were simply instructed to make port, and for me to report to your office.”

“More of a statement than a question,” the admiral observed. “I speak with most of my ship captains on a regular basis. However, due to the constant demands on your ship, I rarely get to speak with you.”

Captain Poc looked confused, his brows knit together. “What would you like to speak about?”

“How do you think things are going?”

“Things are going fine for us.”

“No, I meant overall, for the Alliance, for Earth…that sort of thing.”

Captain Poc thought for a moment. “Well, from a campaign perspective, I guess things are going fairly well. The liberations of Mu Cassiopeiae, Chi Draconis, and Lamda Serpentis, were all executed flawlessly, with very few casualties, and almost no damage to our ships. Even the collateral damage to those systems was minimal.”

“Yes, we have been quite fortunate as of late.”

“For the Alliance as a whole, or at least for the forces in the Sol sector, we seem to be picking up quite a bit of support from our new member worlds. At least in manpower, that is.”

“Yes, that is true.”

“I am concerned about the popularity of Admiral Galiardi and his Strength Now party,” Captain Poc admitted. “If they gain influence on the new Coalition Congress, our ability to conduct operations could become problematic.”

“Which is exactly why we have been so aggressive with our timetable,” the admiral replied.

“Understandable.”

Admiral Dumar paused to take a breath, letting it out in a long sigh. “How do you feel about your ship?”

“It’s a good ship. A little old, perhaps, but still in good working order. She could use better sensors, though. I’ve heard of the stuff they’re putting into the recon module for the new Super Falcons. I wouldn’t mind getting a few of them installed in my ship.”

“You will, sort of.”

“Sort of?” Captain Poc echoed in confusion.

“We’re taking your ship down for a month or so,” the admiral explained. “Putting her in dry dock. She’ll get new defensive weapons, new shields, and a completely new sensor package. We’re even going to increase her crew by four specialists in order to monitor those new sensors. We’re turning her into a dedicated recon ship.”

“Interesting,” Captain Poc replied thoughtfully. “Where are you going to put the extra crew, Admiral? We barely have enough room for eight as it is, let alone twelve.”

“We’re gutting her interior spaces and redesigning. Her missions will be limited to eighteen hours, maximum, and she’ll be on constant duty cycles, standing down a few days for refit every few weeks. She’ll have rotating crews, so each crew will be flying a mission every other day, on average, with a few days off every ten days.”

“That will take some getting used to,” Captain Poc observed. “We’ve been living in that ship for several years now.”

“Actually, you’ll have a lot more to get used to than you think,” Admiral Dumar told him. “You’re all getting reassigned.”

“To where?”

“Congratulations, Captain,” Admiral Dumar said, standing and offering his hand. “You’re taking command of the Kent.”

Captain Poc stared at the admiral, so shocked that he forgot to shake his hand. “The
Kent
, sir?”

“The Jung frigates in the Tau Ceti shipyards. The first one will be ready to begin service in three weeks’ time.”

“I thought it was bad luck to rename a ship?”

“It seems the Jung don’t assign a name to a ship until the day it is launched,” Admiral Dumar explained. “Therefore, we decided to name her the Kent.”

“A good choice,” Captain Poc agreed.

“Then you’ll take her?”

“Of course, sir, thank you,” Captain Poc replied, finally standing and shaking the admiral’s hand. “But, what about a crew?”

“Like I said, you’ll be taking your crew with you.”

“But surely they are not enough to run a frigate?”

“No, they’re not,” the admiral agreed. “It actually takes one hundred and twenty to crew a frigate. I just figured you’d like to take your crew with you. You can assign them roles as you see fit, Captain.”

“And the rest of her crew?”

“You’ll start with one full shift of forty,” the admiral explained, “and you’ll have three weeks to get them trained and ready. Captain Roselle has agreed to give you his third shifters to use as your first shift, as many of the systems are similar between both ships. So you should be able to get your first shift ready for action in short order.”

Captain Poc felt a smile forming on his face. “Thank you, sir. We won’t let you down.”

“Of that I am certain,” Admiral Dumar replied.

* * *

Commander Telles stood on the observation platform, watching the newest batch of recruits going through advanced hand-to-hand combat training. “Which class is this?” he asked Master Sergeant Jahal.

“Class eight. They have reached the halfway point of their training.”

The commander continued to watch, paying particular attention to a rather aggressive, dark haired young man. “That one,” he said, pointing to the man. “I believe he has yet to be beaten.” He watched as the recruit used the methods taught to him by his instructors, and brought down a much larger man by using his opponent’s momentum against him. “He uses motion and energy well.” The commander turned to the master sergeant. “Are we teaching them combat kinetics?”

“Just basic leverage and momentum,” the master sergeant replied. “No time to get into physics and kinesiology with them.”

“This one has natural instincts,” Commander Telles commented as he continued to watch. “They will serve him well. How did he score on the range?”

Master Sergeant Jahal leaned against the rail. “Sergeant!” he yelled toward the Ghatazhak sergeant below on the training line. The sergeant turned to look at his superior, who signaled him to join them.

“Yes, Master Sergeant,” the sergeant said as he stepped onto the observation deck, saluting both the master sergeant and the commander.

“The young man with the black hair,” Master Sergeant Jahal said. “He seems to have a knack for hand-to-hand.”

Sergeant Lazo turned to look at the men below, spotting the one the master sergeant was referring to. “Recruit Daymon. Yes, he has been doing well.”

“Are his scores on the range equally impressive?” Commander Telles inquired.

“He scored ninety-eight on static targets, both sidearms and auto-rifles. However, his scores on the course were lower. Ninety-two, I believe.”

“Why the lower score on the combat course?” the commander wondered.

“He’s a bit too aggressive,” Sergeant Lazo explained. “He took out a lot of civilians by accident.”

“And how many enemies escaped him?” Master Sergeant Jahal asked.

“None, sir.”

“How is he at improvising?” Commander Telles asked.

“Better than most,” Sergeant Lazo admitted.

“Are you thinking of bumping him to advanced training?” Master Sergeant Jahal asked the commander.

“He hasn’t finished basic yet, sirs,” Sergeant Lazo warned.

“He can fight, he can shoot, and he can improvise.”

“He hasn’t even seen a tactical display system yet,” the sergeant told them.

“When does the next advanced class begin?” Commander Telles inquired.

“Day after tomorrow,” Master Sergeant Jahal replied.

“Assign one of your men to teach him to use the tactical gear, then transfer him to the advanced class,” Commander Telles instructed.