The Unincorporated War (45 page)

Bridge of the UHFS Starblazer

“Admiral, it’s a call from Captain Gupta of the
Staten Island.
”

Diep sighed and put on a privacy bubble so her crew wouldn’t have to hear the former fleet commander get dressed down by his former subordinate. Diep had been ambivalent about using the demoted officer, especially when he’d had a court-martial pending, but the truth was, she was desperately short of officers for her ever-growing fleet. By putting Gupta in command of the four troop transports she was at least able to free up a captain who was actually good at combat. Diep was afraid that Gupta would be resentful of his much-diminished rank and prestige, but he’d been more than courteous and helpful. In fact, one of his first acts when he was restored to temporary duty was to publicly thank her for
saving Mars and preserving her squadron. She didn’t notice that he’d left out that that was precisely what he’d ordered her to do, as that part had become fuzzy in her mind. Diep had even enjoyed the buzz she’d received about how gracious and effective she was in helping out an old and disgraced friend.

But now she was coming to regret her kindness. The first nit was the quiet but not hidden alterations he’d been making to his four ships. He’d increased the hull plating on the left side of the ships, claiming that it was to provide better protection as the transports neared hostile targets. He’d proffered evidence to show how many lives had been lost in Eros because the soldier transports hadn’t been properly fortified against the Alliance battery fire. He explained that he was going to shore up all the sides when the current campaign was over and that at least the transports in their current state could approach from one side safely. There was nothing wrong with his logic, but Diep had been highly suspicious and felt she wasn’t getting the real reason. But as it was only an oddity and a captain had discretion as long as it didn’t impair fleet operations, she’d let it go.

What she had found unacceptable, however, was Gupta’s constant need to advise her about the impending battle. He so reminded her of the fleet’s other persona non grata, Samuel Trang, who’d had the temerity to message her from the 180 during the Battle of the Martian Gates. That nutcase had actually told her to attack the Alliance fleet while it was preparing a trap for her. Now she was starting to get the same nonsense from Gupta.

“What is it, Captain?” she asked, not bothering to make eye contact as she reviewed info on her DijAssist.

“Admiral,” he answered, respecting her choice of using rank over name, “we should avoid this fleet.”

“So,” she answered through her stiffened jowl, “you’re saying we should just go home without a battle?”

“Yes, Admiral, that’s
exactly
what I’m saying.”

“The President and the press would junk us,” she said, using the term for being relegated to junk bond status, “faster than—” She bit her tongue, though they both knew what she’d almost said—“faster than you were.” Instead she’d managed to blurt, “than Trang’s guilty verdict.”

“He’s not guilty yet, Admiral,” answered Gupta, remaining calm despite her incivility. “However,” he continued, “be that as it may, this impending assault is classic J. D. Black. She wants us to attack.”

Diep sighed. “Captain, they have a larger Alliance fleet on the way. If they combine with Black’s fleet we’ll really be in trouble. Black wants us to
delay,
not attack. She’s counting on fear to dissuade us. Well, she’ll soon learn that we don’t scare so easy.”

“But—”

“No buts, Captain,” interrupted Diep. “Black’s in the same bind you were in when you got nailed at the Martian Gates—she’s completely cut off from her fleet. Only hers is too far out to save her and I intend to make her suffer the same way we did.” She saw Gupta about to speak and cut him off once again. “Abhay,” she said, her inflection now more personable, “I know she’s good. She’s the best they have, and when the war’s over, if she’s not dead, I’ll want her working for what ever corporation I hope to become chairman of, but let’s face it, we caught her by surprise, plain and simple. She hopes to make up for that mistake by digging in and waiting. But a few rocks can’t withstand the power of our new warships. I’ll take advantage of that before her cavalry can come to the rescue. When we’ve finished with her we’ll take out the rest of her leaderless fleet and then nothing will stand between us and Ceres. And then, my friend, this war ends … Diep out.” What went unheard had been Gupta’s final plea.

“But what if the other fleet is a mirage?”

The battle began with over half the Federation fleet opening fire on the Alliance’s asteroid defense field. The Alliance ships made skillful use of the cover to fire through the bored-out holes. But even though their rail guns propelled projectiles at fantastic speeds, they were fired from such an extreme range that the UHF had been able to make quick work of them with concentrated smaller interceptor fire. The Alliance ordnance never even got close to the Federation fleet. After a brief period of time the Alliance fleet stopped firing altogether, leading some in the UHF command to hope that their enemy might actually have been short of the easy-to-construct but specialized missiles that the rail guns needed. With no need to worry about incoming fire, it only took the UHF an hour to reduce the Alliance defensive asteroids to dust.

Bridge of the AWS War Prize

“Lieutenant Nitelowsen,” said J.D., leaning back in her command chair, legs crossed, “order the fleet to fire main batteries, a single shot, please, and prepare Mr. Isozaki’s surprise.” J.D. saw the effect her last command had on the crew. Kenji’s genius for all manner of military apparatus was widely known, but apparently, by the expressions on everyone’s faces, none knew they’d been carry ing one on their ship. “Prepare the sensor net,” continued J.D., “and if the results are favorable get ready to send the order updates to all captains. Sensor Officer, you should be receiving a message shortly from one of Mr. Isozaki’s team. Please stand by.”

A moment later, the officer looked up at the admiral and, seeing her give an imperceptible nod, reconfigured his sensor array, mining for a specific electromagnetic signature.

J.D. looked over to the comm officer. “Prepare the fleet for atomic acceleration.” “Standard fifty-kilo warhead?”

J.D. thought for a moment. Speed would be of the essence.

“Better drop two out the back. The concussion blast will be murder, but it’ll get us up to combat acceleration that much sooner.”

Diep sat in her command chair, content to watch the battle play out. The Alliance had just fired a fleet volley at extreme range.
So they had a few rounds left after all
, she thought bemusedly.
No matter, they’re done.
They’d been forced into the scatter shot, she knew, because the very last of their asteroids had been pulverized. The Alliance now had no choice but to start using defensive fire to destroy her superior fleet’s oncoming rounds. This was turning into the battle she’d prepared for: fleet-to-fleet maneuvering in open space that was to her maximum advantage.

“Admiral,” said the sensor officer, “the Alliance is firing small-arms missiles.” Diep almost laughed but felt it undignified. Small-arms missiles were slow moving and easily intercepted at long range no matter what their payload. “They’ve probably spent their last rail-gun battery,” she said, “and are throwing what ever they have left at us. All defensive batteries to concentrate on primary threat.” Her orders were instantly communicated to the fleet. “Target missiles as soon as the opportunity presents itself.”

“Admiral,” said the sensor officer, “the enemy missiles, sir …”

“Yes?”

“Well, sir, they appear to be malfunctioning; they’re … they’re exploding prematurely.”

Junk,
she thought, and was about to give the order to advance and engage when the weapons officer practically leapt out of his seat.

“Admiral!” he screamed. “Main battery failure … I repeat: rail gun inoperative!”

Diep jumped to her feet. “Get me Weapons Control, now! Find out what the hell’s going on, Comm Officer!”

“Sir!”

“Inform the fleet that flagship rail guns are inoperative—”

“Admiral,” the comm officer managed to shout above the alarms, “the
Xerxes, Potomac,
and
Runstar
all report main battery failure … also—”

Before Diep could respond, the sensor officer interrupted, “Enemy fleet firing main rail guns, Admiral!”

Diep looked up at the holo-tank and saw the high-velocity projectiles gaining quickly on her now-defenseless fleet.

“Weapons Officer, do we have interceptor fire?”

“Yes, sir. Fully functional.”

“Comm Officer,” Diep barked, “have every ship lay down an umbrella of sustained interceptor fire with what ever ordnance is available, I don’t care if they have to shove flak vests out the goddamned port!”

“Yes, sir!”

Diep gripped the rail, held on tight, and prayed for a miracle she knew in her heart would never arrive.

The Federation spent the next few minutes expending all their energy and available firepower intercepting and destroying what ever incoming volleys they could, but in the end the combination of Alliance rail projectiles and small-arms missiles proved overwhelming. While the Federation fleet had been forced to concentrate their interceptor fire on the incoming battery, enough small-arms missiles had gotten through to accomplish the Alliance Fleet’s main task of taking out the Federation ships’ main thrusters. A short time later the effects of the Alliance’s magnetic phase shift weaponry had worn off and the Federation’s rail guns all came back online, but by then it was too late. Without thruster power sixty-three Federation ships lay dead in the water, unable to point their now-working guns at anything other than open space. With the rest of the Federation fleet in abject disarray or destroyed outright, the Alliance ships pounced.

UHFS Staten Island

Captain Gupta watched, horrified.

“Brian,” he asked his communications officer, “can you establish contact with the
Starblazer
?”

The young man punched his console frantically. “Sir, no contact with the
Starblazer.
Sir, I have lost contact with over two-thirds of the fleet.”

“Captain,” interrupted the sensor officer, “multiple atomic detonations to the rear of the Alliance fleet. They’re concussion-blasting to combat speed.”

Gupta looked at the ships that were still transmitting. He was happy that the man he needed to call was at least someone he knew. “Get me the captain of the
Damsahian Way.
” When the connection was made Gupta saw the look of shock on his former subordinate’s face. “George,” he said calmly, “you’re in command.”

Gupta was afraid his words would shatter the young man, but in an odd way they seemed to calm him.

“What about the admiral?”

“She may be alive, but we have no communications with her and we don’t have time to wait. You’re next in line, so until further notice you’re it.”

“In that case, Abhay, get the hell out of here. I’m ordering a general retreat.”

“George, our ships don’t have time for a full turn, much less to get up to full acceleration in time. We’ll all get caught by Black’s ships and give her a chance to shoot up our asses all the way back to Mars.”

It didn’t take long for George to realize the logic. “Suggestions?”

“Order the ships that can to accelerate on their current headings,” said Gupta, “then blast past the Alliance fleet and re-form on the other side.”

George smiled, knowing full well who was truly in command. “Anything else … sir?”

“Yes,” answered Gupta. “As soon as you get past Black’s fleet head straight for Ceres.”

“Don’t you mean ‘if,’ Captain?”

“No, George. You’re not what she’s interested in. My ships are. I have every confidence you’ll make it.”

“But we can’t take Ceres, sir, so what’s the point?”

“With any luck, it’ll make the Alliance chase you out of their space instead of having another go at Mars.”

George looked quizzically at his old commander. “Why do you keep saying ‘you,’ Abhay? If I didn’t know any better I’d say you weren’t planning on joining us.”

Gupta nodded his head. “They need these marines back at Mars if we’re going to hold the outer defenses from the Alliance assault miners. Good luck, George.”

“Whatever you’re planning, I hope it works, Abhay,” George said through a crackling holotransmission, “and for what it’s worth, sir …”

“Yes?”

“I thought you got a bum rap.”

Gupta smiled and bowed his head slightly. “Just get your ships through, George. Gupta out.” Abhay then looked over to his comm officer. “Brian, order all transports to follow my next commands
exactly.
”

J. D. Black watched the confusion in the remaining ships that still had use of their thrusters and allowed a momentary expression of satisfaction. It was her
plan that they’d give into panic, try to turn around and flee. Then she’d be able to bag the entire fleet and go on to Mars before the Federation had time to prepare. Indeed, that’s what seemed to be happening, but then J.D. could sense that someone on the other side had taken command of what was left of the enemy’s now-small flotilla. She watched the few ships left begin combat acceleration
in her direction.
They’d pass by each other and maybe get a few shots in, but that smart maneuver would put the kibosh on the grand capture she’d been hoping for.