Tipping Point in the Alliance War (4 page)

The
Captain is thinking aloud: “That could be a problem.  We know that the
Confederation ships have faster warp drives.  I wonder if they can catch
us in warp-space.  That would certainly change space warfare.  ……… ……
…….  Ask
Engineering
how long we can continue at
the current duty cycle, without damage to the warp drive.” he orders.

“Aye
sir,” Logistics, responds.

“Warp
exit in 15 seconds,” announces the Helm. 

***

Empty Space 4

“Real-space,
sir.
  At the programmed location,” reports the Helm.

“I see
fire at the first two locations but nothing at the third,” announces the First
Officer.  “There may be a fire there, but we may have warped so far that
the light hasn’t reached us yet.”

“If
they try to surround us again, I might want to charge the closest ship at full
speed.  Tactical and Helm, be prepared for an assault like that,” the
Captain declares.

 “If
one of them emerges close enough to us, we can destroy the ship as it
emerges.  Then we can keep on accelerating away from the others, until we
can warp out.  They won’t have time for rail guns or missiles.  They
will only have time to hit us with laser cannons, and I believe that our
shields will hold against that – even from a number of ships,” the Captain shared. 

(He is
thinking out loud, but he is also hoping for some correction from the Bridge
Crew, in case there is some glaring oversight in his logic.)

“Four
emerging vessels.
  Closer in this time,” announces
Tactical.

“Good,”
says the Captain. 
“Helm, full-flank speed past the one
emerging off our bow.
  Pass about 10 klicks off of our starboard
side.   Engage when ready.”

“Full-Flank
Speed
engaged,
sir.” responds the Helm.

“This
may do some damage to their vessel, if we can jerk them out of warp, and it
will certainly give us plenty of ‘up-close and personal’ target time.  We
should be able to slice it in two.” shares the Captain.

Courageous
doesn’t quite get to the enemy vessel in time to jerk it out of warp, but the
weapons have continuously drilled into one point on the unshielded engineering
section.  By the time Courageous sweeps past, the breach in the
Confederation ship’s hull is sizable. Explosions have begun and continue, until
the ship looks like a small nova in Courageous’ rear view monitor.

“Three
down and three to go,” announces the Captain, as cheers go up from the Bridge
Crew. 

“We
can keep this up all day,” the Captain observes.  “I would expect them to
change tactics, again.  Anyone have a guess at their next move?”

“………
Helm, engage the warp drive when we are out of their gravity-well.”

……………..
“Warp drive engaged,” announces the Helm Officer.

Lieutenant
Basisht
, the Chief Scientist, ventures a comment:
“They can’t give up and retreat.  Retreat is not an option in the
Confederation Navy.  All of the ship’s crewmembers would be charged with
treason and executed.”

“True,”
says the Captain.  “This is a battle to the death for them.  They
can’t even let us escape.  They have to chase us, no matter what. 
That knowledge should give us some tactical advantage.   …… …… …..…..
I wonder if they have the same ‘overheating warp drive’ problem that we
have.  That might explain why they are taking longer to follow us.”

“We
have no information on that subject, sir.” answers the Science Officer. 
“We know their warp drives are faster and
that
they
can engage warp closer to a gravity-well, but we don’t know if they have an
overheating problem.”

“Engineering
responded to your question about how long we can continue these warp cycles,
without damage to the warp drive, sir,” interjects the Logistics
Officer.   “Chief Gnu said,
“We’re overheated, already.  We
need to let the warp drive cool.”
   

 “Navigation,”
the Captain says.  “Plot us a course that will keep us in warp for 20
minutes and pass the coordinates to the Helm.  Helm, use the 20 minute
flight for our next warp trip.  That should give our warp drive time to
cool off.”

“Aye,
sir,” respond Navigation and Helm.

“Warp
exit in 25 seconds,” announces the Helm.

***

Empty
Space 5

“’Real-space,
sir.
 
At the programmed location,” Helm
reports.
    

There
is quiet on the Bridge, as all eyes are on the sensors and view screens.

“Ship
exploding out of warp, sir!”
Tactical declares. 
“Apparently, they have the same overheating problem. 
Two
enemy ships emerging on our port side, sir.
  Range 70,000
klicks.  
Weapons firing.”

“Engage
warp, Helm,” the Captain orders.

………
……….. “Warp drive is off-line, sir,” says the Helm Officer.  “Engineering
is responding to the problem.”

“Then
turn the starboard side to the enemy, Helm.”

“Aye
sir.”

“18
missiles launched – 9 at each vessel.” reports Tactical.  “Target #1
locked. 
Beginning continuous firing of plasma, laser
canons and rail guns - targeting the engineering section.”

“Helm,
move Courageous so that the #1 target is between us and the second ship,”
commands the Captain.  “That will shield us from the #2 vessel.”

“Aye
sir.
  Moving.” responds the Helm

“Incoming!”
declares the First Officer. 
“15 missiles en-route.
 
………….4 remaining.
……………… 1
remaining.
………..… 
Impact!”

Courageous
rocks and tumbles, from the impact of the missile and the subsequent nuclear
explosion.  Lieutenant
Ung
had been diligent to
turn the ship so that the missile hit the starboard side, where the shields
were at 100%, rather than the damaged port side.  Even so, the power of
the explosion is enough to rip open a 100-foot-long jagged tear, along
Courageous’ pristine skin.  The view screen shows the release of
atmosphere, debris and people, into the void of space.  Crew members are
wearing their protective space skins and some may be alive, as they are sucked
out of the ship.  But even if those people are recovered, they will soon
die from the radiation exposure.  It’s another awful and painful picture
etched into the Captain’s memory, and the horrific scene causes a rush of
nausea, in the Captain’s stomach - such is the horror of war. 

Even
as the Courageous struggles to right herself, Tactical Officer
Mutreno
continues to assault the closest enemy vessel, with
every weapon available.  The enemy ship had received some damage while it
was emerging from warp.  Now the concentrated firepower to the engineering
section is taking an increasing toll.  The shields in that section are
weakening.  The Confederation Captain begins to rotate his vessel, so that
the energy isn’t all in one spot, but it is too late.  The enemy ship
begins to belch fire from the engineering section, and explosions are spreading
to other parts of the ship.  The enemy vessel continues to fire its
weapons, as it burns and explodes, but most of the fight has gone out of it.

For
the Alliance vessel, the option of ‘warping out’ is gone, and the last
Confederation ship is moving closer, as it senses a ‘kill’.

“
Logistics,
get me damage reports.  Start with
Engineering, Weapons and Life Support.  ………….. Major Dawkins!” the Captain
exclaims, as he presses the Marine commander’s comm Button.

“Yes
sir,” is the immediate response. 

“Are
your Marines able to launch your landing craft and board the enemy vessel the
way you did in the simulations?”

“Yes
sir,” is the immediate response.  “Can you roll the ship around, to hide
our exit and are you able to give a ‘cover fire’?”

The
conversation was audible to the entire Bridge Crew.  The Helm and Tactical
officers both signal “Aye”.

“That is
affirmative, Major,” the Captain reports.  “The ship is rotating, as we
speak, and we will try to keep the burning ship between us and the remaining
enemy vessel, so that your approach will be hidden.  Load up and call me
when you are ready to launch. 
God speed, to you and
your men.”

“And
to the Courageous, sir.
 
Dawkins out.”

“Damage
reports, sir.” announces the Logistics Officer: 

-
  
“Engineering reports warp drive offline and under repair.  Main thruster
on the starboard side is down and needs to be replaced.  Starboard
docking-thrusters are still functional.  Significant damage to the
Engineering section - a fire is under control.  Three seriously injured in
the attack, including Chief Engineer Gnu.

-
   
Weapons reports 2 rail gun positions, 1 plasma canon and 3 laser canons damaged
or destroyed on the starboard side. 
One rail gun and
one laser canon out on the port side.
 
2 plasma
canons out above and 1 rail position out below.
  Missile launchers
5 thru 17 are offline, with extensive damage to three of them.  Repair
under way on the others.

-
   
Life Support is online, and all hull breaches have been sealed.  Emergency
crews are fighting fires on all decks.  None of the fires is a threat to
the ship, at this time.

-
  
Over 70 crewmembers dead, or missing in action. 
Extensive
damage to living quarters, and to the Medical Section.
  Auxiliary
Medical teams have been dispatched to render assistance.”

“Chief
Scientist
Basisht
, report to Engineering and provide
support, as needed,” orders the Captain.  “Helm, tell me when the ship has
rotated enough to hide the Marines as they disembark.  Tactical, tell me
when your ‘cover fire’ is ready.”

All
respond with “Aye sir.”

Captain
Niles’s begins to feel another ‘nausea surge’ at the news of the damage to the Medical
Section.  Every crewmember matters to the Captain, but the thought of
losing Mei Kei is affecting him on a visceral level.  It feels like
someone has grabbed his heart with their hand, and they are squeezing. 
The Captain manages to push that problem to a separate mental compartment - for
future consideration - and returns to the fight for the ship’s existence.

“Rotation
complete for Marine disembark,” reports Helm.

“’Cover
fire’ programmed and ready, sir,” declares the First Officer.

“Ready
to go on your ‘mark’, Major.” says Captain Niles, through the ship’s
comm.  “Exit the ship when ready, and get your launches in position for a
straight shot at the burning enemy ship.  Tell me when you are
ready.  At that time, we will begin the ‘cover fire’ distraction. 
After you reach the burning vessel, you may be able to approach the target
vessel by pretending to be lifeboats from the burning ship.”

“On
our way.” says the Major, as she pilots her launch through the hangar
door. 

***

Boarding
Party

There
are a total of 7 Marine launches with 10 Marines in each launch.  Each
Marine is in Space Armor and carries heavy weapons, including explosives. 

This
plan calls for each launch to reach the enemy vessel unnoticed, under a ‘cover
fire’.  It is also hoped that the shields on the Confederation ship will
not identify the launches as a threat - they are approaching at normal ‘life
boat’ speed, rather than at weapons speed.

According
to plan, each launch will attach itself to the enemy vessel’s hull, or if they are
lucky the enemy vessel may have the hangar doors open, while they receive
lifeboats from their burning comrade.  After they attach, the launches
will burn access holes through the lightly armored Confederation hull, using
tritium fusion technology.

Once
the hull has been breached, or entry through the hangar door is accomplished,
the vessel will be boarded by the Alliance Marines.  There are 7
teams.  Even if just one team boards the enemy vessel, the entire ship
will be in danger of being destroyed or captured.  10 heavily armed
Marines in Space Armor will be formidable.  70 Marines in Space Armor will
overwhelm the enemy vessel within minutes.

The
first operational goal is to disable the Confederation ship, and thereby
eliminate the threat to the Courageous.  The second goal is to capture the
enemy vessel, with surviving crew members, and return it to Alliance space so
that the advanced technologies can be reverse engineered.  

If the
first two goals cannot be accomplished, the third goal is to self-destruct some
of the Marine launches, in order to destroy the enemy ship.  According to
plan, most Marines will be extracted before the detonations, but survival is
still possible for any Marines who remain on the Confederation vessel, when the
launches self-destruct.  Their Space Armor will protect them - to some
degree - from the explosions, and they carry enough ‘epitomized oxygen’ to last
for 24 hours.  The survivors will float in space and wait for the
Courageous to pick them up.