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The Terpla’ns - Chapter 1 For all of its tonnage Orbit 1 didn’t even begin to compare to the smallest known asteroid in the Terpla system. It was, however, the largest artificial structure built by the Terpla’n race, and soon to be even larger. Orbit 1 started with just two shipyard complexes and a handful of cargo extensions. Over the course of 32 years it gained 30 shipyards and activity to use them all. Four more yards were in the process of being constructed, and Orbit 2’s first section stood ready to be commissioned in a week. All and all a busy time for the Republic, especially now. From
the start the Republic had been very fortunate in its
dealings with the races it encountered. The Tuphon,
Valhallan, E’san, Hazen, Bulan, Sertucon, Crajen and
Scaldart were all alike in that they inherently
peaceful. It was also due in part to the cosmopolitan
attitude of the Terpla’ns that made first contact
situations successful. The brief war between the Hazen
and Bulan came to an end by the direct intervention of
a Republic squadron, though it lost several ships in
the process. After this string of good fortune the
sure money was that of conflict occurring with the
next encountered race. The bookies that inhabited the
sports dens of The 4th Survey Squadron, composed of six Calan survey frigates, entered a previously unexplored system and immediately detected a freighter class vessel. Communications attempts met with no success, and the freighter moved away at top speed. Three other ships were in the immediate area, so the survey commander attempted to contact them in turn. What he got were missiles instead. All six frigates were destroyed in the following pursuit, but the crews did escape in the pinnaces and rendezvoused with the supply freighter. As for the aliens, they now knew about the warp point and in fact went through it to pursue the ships. The fate of the survey ship that was gutted by energy beams and failed to self-destruct was unknown, but the likelihood of the aliens capturing it was high. Reinforcements, comprised of elements from the First and Second Field Fleets, have been dispatched to system immediately. The aliens had in the meantime moved into the now titled Tinderbox system. Two probing assaults have shown a substantial belt of laser buoys and mines backed up by ships now surrounded Tinderbox’s entry warp point. It was now time to send in the big guns. Twelve battleships and six battleship-sized minesweepers of the 1st FF, along with twelve Hazen battlecruisers were going to Tinderbox. With an assembly of cruisers and destroyers already on station a successful assault with moderate losses was predicted. For making the odds ever more favorable the first six dreadnoughts built, the Terpla class, were going as well. The
commander of one of those dreadnoughts was admiring
her command from the observation level of Orbit 1’s
officer’s lounge. Tulcus Jki, having attained the rank
of captain after 16 years of service, was watching as
yard crews pulled power hookups and service gantries
from the hull of the Captain Avma. In
two hours the huge ship will be traveling with the
rest of Task Force 11 to Tinderbox, a three month
journey at cruising speed. Already fully clothed in
her shipsuit, Jki pivoted on her left center and rear
legs only to find her father Sal, the mayor of “You still look like a pre-treated dinner in that suit,” said the father jokingly. He wore just his mayoral sash and velcro leg pouches. Terpla’ns don’t wear clothes just for the sake of wearing them. They wear what the job requires or the situation calls for. Races such as the Valhallan and E’sani go through the trouble of buying clothes only to get out of them when alone with the opposite sex. “I hoped to see you before your departure.” “I suppose this is keeping with your management style, dad. Holding off on the big decisions until the last second.” With her large Terpla’n eyes Jki looked around the lounge. “No reporters or publicity managers? Unusual for you. You had the perfect opportunity earlier this morning back at the spaceport when I made my goodbyes with my hubby and children.” The father’s nictating membranes over his eyes closed in a Terpla’n’s form of a wince. “You wound me, offspring. Not everything I do is for selfish political reasons. I waited until now to give you something I’ve been holding onto for some time.” Tulcus looked perturbed. “It better not be a signed ‘98 election poster. Remember when you sent a whole bunch of them instead of a birthday gift during my second year in the academy? Because of that stunt I’m stuck with the nickname ‘political officer’.” “At least you weren’t nicknamed ‘stinky’. Remember when you ate eggs when you were little? Oh, the odor would’ve offended the gods.” The father raised a forestalling hand. “Let me finish this before there is further embarrassment for both of us.” From one of his pouches Sal produced an old compass. It was indeed old and had seen much use for its points were dull and the grip smooth from where fingers grasped it countless times. “Is that what I think it is?” Tulcus said reverently. “Why of course, my dear. This little treasure belonged to your great ancestor five hundred years ago. Vendent Jki used this very compass to plot his course of adventure, exploration, and profit on Terpla’s oceans. I wanted to give it to you when you graduated, but your aunt refused to release it from her collection. It was in her will, you see, that specified that it be handed to you when you achieved the rank of captain.” “Which was two years ago,” pointedly added by Tulcus. “Why wait now?” “Because
I truly forgotten about it until last week. I had it
stowed with my personal belongings, and in the process
of moving to the new mayoral mansion I remembered.”
Sal turned the old compass over and over, the metal
glinting in the light. “With this very compass Vendent
opened trading routes for the The
Captain wanted to be skeptical, but Sal was sincere.
Perhaps it was superstition to believe in lucky
charms. If so then Sal certainly did, for while the
compass was in his possession he won the mayoral
election of
It was the sixth month after the first probing assault against the Tinderbox system. There were a total of three such assaults, each one a bit stronger than the last. Enemy defenses were stronger each time as well. Given the provisional label of Tinder, the enemy had yet to deploy bases. Laser buoys, on the other hand, were considerable and the number of observable Tinder cruisers jumped from nine to fifteen in the last assault. The Republic Space Fleet lost three cruisers from laser buoy fire and sustained damage to multiple units. That was about to change. Emerging into the Tinderbox system was the first component of the RSF assault. Five Cram class battleship minesweepers, a Hazen battlecruiser and a destroyer appeared on the screens of the Tinder units. Of the 21 Tinder heavy cruisers, all situated in one spot at maximum energy beam range from the warp point, only three were currently at action stations. Those three units closed the range and fired on one of the battleships. Eight energy beams, fourteen sprint mode missiles and two externally launched missiles managed to hit the Tumbler, scouring 40% of its armor and causing one of its overload dampeners to burn out after absorbing half of the energy beam damage that got past the shields. Even with targeting systems addled by the warp transit the seven allied ships managed to gut a cruiser with beams and close assault missiles. On the heels of the first assault wave came the second, composed of five Hazen battlecruisers and two more destroyers. Six more Tinder cruisers reached action stations and moved in while the current ones remained just outside the minefield, targeting scanners still fixed on the battleships. Meanwhile the five minesweepers, having recovered from the warp transit effects, launched their pinnaces and moved as one into a section of the minefield. Despite knowing there were at least fifty patterns along their path the sweepers were intent on clearing a lane for the follow up waves. This was also the first ‘live’ mine clearance ever conducted by the RSF and it showed. All five ships were obliterated, but not before reducing their section of the minefield by 50 percent. The one active Tinder buoy control ship ordered 50 laser buoys to fire into the fresh battlecruisers, shredding armor and reaching into their vitals. In return the five big ships and the two new destroyers crippled the closest Tinder cruisers, their systems burnt out by massed energy beam fire. As the third assault wave came in, three battleships and battecruisers plus a destroyer, six more Tinder cruisers reached actions stations and closed in. Also the other two buoy ships became active, and with them 100 more laser buoys flared to life. Of the five Hazen BCs from the second wave all were crippled and two destroyed by the advancing pair of Tinder CA datagroups. Lasers also ravaged the armor of the new battleships and two of the battlecruisers. During this time the ten pinnaces had destroyed a like number of buoys. So far the RSF lost five minesweepers and two battlecruisers with several more ships either heavily damaged or crippled. The Tinder had one cruiser utterly destroyed and five more either immobile hulks or severely damaged. Over half of the buoys were gone, but the minefield prevented the RSF from advancing. That didn’t dissuade them from sending even more ships into the fray. The fourth assault wave was identical to the third, and the Tinder managed to get their last two CA datagroups activated and moving. Seeking to damage and destroy as many ships as possible, the Tinder fired their remaining buoys into the invaders. The third wave BBs were lacerated with more lasers as were the fourth wave BBs. What was left of the second wave BCs, save one, were destroyed by the last group of buoys. To the growing concern of the Tinder commander yet another wave, the fifth, appeared. Again it had three BBs, three BCs and a destroyer. With all ships now in effective range the Tinder had their last three intact groups open up on the new BBs, smashing shields and evaporating armor. The two less-than-intact groups finished off two crippled battleships from the third wave. For their trouble the Tinder had six more cruisers rendered useless, leaving them just nine intact ships against an intruder that was still sending in more assault waves. In the sixth wave the dreadnoughts appeared. Five of them emerged from the warp point along with two Hazen destroyers. It was here that the Tinder truly realized they were doomed. Running now would be suicide in the face of obvious firepower superiority. Still at a range of half a light second the nine cruisers crippled a fifth wave BB and destroyed another BB and a BC. Three Tinder cruisers were wrecked thanks in part to the only three datalinked Jajer BCs in the battle. Even the transit-addled Terpla DNs broke down the shields and armor of the six remaining cruisers with the help of the destroyers. By the time the seventh wave entered it was all over. A forth-wave BB was singled out and destroyed, but the Terplas reduced the Tinder survivors to crawling wrecks. Two CAs were energy beam gutted hulks while sixteen more turned and attempted to flee at reduced speed. Still unwilling to enter the reduced patch of minefield the RSF fleet fired what energy beams it had left at the fleeing enemy. Four more Tinder ships were brought to a halt. When the RSF heavy cruisers entered the scene they sent their assault shuttles to conduct boarding actions. Only two ships were captured, however the crews erased their computers. All other Tinder CA crews set scuttling charges and abandoned ship. As for the three buoy tenders they speed away once the buoys were expended. The pinnaces didn’t follow them, for the long-range scanners on the undamaged Jajers were watching their movements. Fleet
Admiral Gavsa, commanding from the crippled fourth
wave BB Riptide, was unwilling to
risk further damage to his heavy units. He had fifty
of the Damage Sink class
explorer-sized ships brought into Tinderbox. As the
named implied, a Damage Sink‘s sole
purpose was to absorb as many mines as possible before
being destroyed. The first ships to enter the targeted
patch of space were a scarcely mobile Search and rescue operations were underway even as the Damage Sinks did their necessary but unglamorous job. A fair number of Tinder personnel were picked up in addition to those captured on their ships. For the destruction of all 21 Tinder cruisers the RSF had during and after the battle lost five Cram BBs, one Nikazu BB, five Hazen First Colonel BCs, two Jajer BCs and fifty Damage Sink ESXs. Eight BBs, and four BCs had damage ranging to moderate to severe. Excluding the ESXs, there was a near-parity in tonnage lost. While still having a considerable force at his command, Gavsa realized that the Tinder home system would undoubtedly have more substantial defenses. The admiral and his staff pondered on this while the repair ships brought the least damage vessels back to fighting trim.
Over the next month the Republic finally got some concrete data on their inadvertent enemy. In what amounted to a mix of first contact protocols and interrogations the actual name of the Tinder aliens was learned. Called the Humarsh, this particular race apparently had a representative democratic government encompassing their home system. Culturally and socially the race shared many traits with the Terpla’ns, including a high level of determination (some would say outright stubbornness). Any thought of establishing communications and relations with the Humarsh proper had to wait. The one probe of the home system warp point showed that it was defended by 27 cruiser-sized bases, hundreds of buoys and mine patterns and a dozen ships. It was felt that a decisive victory over the defenders would make the Humarsh government much more receptive to talks. Getting the victory without prohibitive losses was the problem. News agencies back at home and from other allied worlds labeled the Tinderbox battle as the ‘massacre of the minesweepers.’ Dueling editorialists where either defending or condemning the RSF, with both sides focusing on the mines and buoys as the millstones that kept the fleet from maneuvering. Being inexpensive and thus built in large numbers, Admiral Gavsa easily imagined that the Humarsh would absolutely surround the area around the warp point with mines and buoys. He toyed with the idea of sending in all of his cruisers first, having them soak up the laser buoys and then plunge into the minefield followed by the remaining one hundred Damage Sinks. That would clear a path for sure since Gavsa had far more cruisers than capital ships. With that approach, however, there would be considerable personnel casualties. Gavsa fielded the problem to his captains, hoping that a fresh take would produce a viable solution. He was pleasantly surprised by the response from Captain Jki, commander of the Captain Avma. Seeing how the pinnaces were able to knock out some buoys before they fired, she proposed a radical plan. Instead of sending cruisers the fleet’s complement of Hazen class troop transports would go in first with the Damage Sinks arriving in a simultaneous transit. A total of 100 assault shuttles and 4 pinnaces would be launched; their mission was to destroy all the laser buoys around the warp point. The Damage Sinks would plunge into a section of the minefield; those that survived would then ram the nearest bases. Once the buoys were 90% destroyed a pinnace would transit back into Tinderbox to inform the fleet. What remained of the assault shuttles and pinnaces would head away from the warp point and orbit it at a pre-selected distance. The fleet would then enter and smash the inner shell of bases and whatever mobile units the enemy cared to send forward. With the Tamaya minesweeper conversions in hand a path would then be blasted through the previously depleted section of minefield. With the destruction of the outer shell of bases the victory would be complete. On the command bridge of the Captain Avma the atmosphere was mixed with apprehension and excitement. At her console Captain Jki had the tactical schematic of the Humarsh warp point on her primary flat panel display. She adjusted the scale, showing all the known contacts from the previous probing assault. From her shipsuit pocket she brought out the ancient compass and moved its adjustable leg. Placing the center of the compass on the warp point, Jki turned it to form a circle. At a range of 0.75 light seconds were nine bases; three each located at 0, 120, and 240° around the warp point. Adjusting the leg again, she made another circle at a range of 3.5 light seconds. At that distance there were eighteen bases, six each at 60, 180, and 300°. There were at least 480 buoys surrounding the warp point, just a quarter of a light second away, accompanied by 240 patterns of mines. What looked like twelve cruisers sat 3.5 LS from the warp point amid the bases at the 60° location, but their power levels were practically the same as the bases so it was very difficult to tell. Jki was surprised that the compass did manage to leave ever so faint scratches on the display, despite having practically smooth tips. Then she found that she had been pressing down on the compass with enough force to make those scratches. It was sign of the nervous energy inside her finding a release. The 104 small craft and the Damage Sinks had a total personnel count just over 2950, almost twice the complement of the Avma. Destruction of the buoys would at least save three times that number in the following assault. Minimizing one’s losses while maximizing those of the enemy was a basic tenet of any military organization. But now the reality of her idea was coming to the forefront. To be able to command a ship the size of the Avma and be responsible for her crew was well within Jki’s abilities. It was the fact that her plan would send other crews into danger that she found difficult, especially since she presented her plan to Gavsa with such enthusiasm. A good number of those shuttles and none of those little ships would never make it back, and she hoped her overt eagerness would turn into tempered expectation. A subtle alarm broke Jki from here woolgathering. Two minutes before the transports entered the warp point. The ship went to general quarters and waited with its brethren.
Commander (first rank) Shal looked pensively at the holoimager on MBS-04’s command deck, one of eighteen such missile-armed bases surrounding the warp point. Along with nine EBS class bases and twelve cruisers the United World Military (UWM) practically had all of its remaining strength waiting for the inevitable alien counter attack. There were six bases guarding the warp point leading to the Tzel system, though Shal thought it unlikely the peaceful yet obstinate Tzel would try anything. Alone the minefields and buoys, as strong as the ones present here, could handle anything that race could send through. The defeat of the Frontier defenses weighed uneasily on Shal, for not a day has gone by without a reminder on how the whole mess started. Almost eight months earlier, in response to a distress call from a freighter, the squadron that he commanded encountered ‘pirates’ and open fired. One of the pirates was destroyed before the other five ships and an unusual small craft seemingly disappeared. Shal had his squadron head for the pirates’ last known location, unintentionally making the first warp point transit for his race in the process. In short order the remaining pirates were tracked down and destroyed, again making their escape in a previously unknown small craft type. One ship, gutted by energy beams, failed to self-destruct and was boarded by UWM teams. Only then did Shal realize that the pirates were actually aliens and that he had in all likelihood destroyed an inoffensive survey squadron. While the League Congress passed emergency military bills and the UWM was gearing up for war Shal was the focus of a firestorm. Some wanted him sacked for attacking the aliens; other wanted him imprisoned. What support he did get was from his immediate superiors, stating that his past record on pirate attacks made him err on the side of caution. While not charged, Shal was given what UWM personnel called a sideways reprimand. He made the commander of the newly created home warp point defenses but was made junior to the commander of the mobile defense forces. What made it worse was that Shal’s position would normally call for a full captain, and it was made clear by BuPers that time spent commanding the defenses wouldn’t be considered in the promotion cycles. For all the work he had to do and the uncertainty of the war Shal expected to be the oldest commander in the UWM before all was said and done. The bases around the warp point, both fresh construction and assemblies from storage, were still green around the edges. All the crews were eager and had come directly from accelerated training schools. Quite the opposite of the twelve cruisers commanded by Admiral (fifth rank) Bals. In three months Bals removed the green from his crews and held frequent drills. For all his efforts Shal couldn’t get his senior to participate in simulated warp assaults with his bases. It was a sign of the resentment and hostility that certain superiors still had for him. “Alert, Alert,” barked 04’s sensor tech. “Alien transit in progress. Three large cruisers have emerged so far.” Shal sprinted to his command console. “All bases to battle stations. Buoy controllers to await my order for targeting priorities.” The commander consulted the activation status of his bases on a secondary screen. Only his datagroup achieved battle stations so far. It was the same for Bals’ datagroup. Shal involuntarily grinned; for all the bluster and bravado Bals made about his ships one would be forgiven for thinking his crews were at eternal action stations. “Comm, any word from Admiral Bals?” “Yes, Sir,” said the comm tech sheepishly. “He said that he’ll move out when he’s ‘damn good and ready’.” A pre-emptive biting retort, thought Shal. That’s keeping in character. “Sensors, report.” “A total of six big cruisers and a destroyer have made transit.” The tech blinked his triangularly-arranged eyes in surprise. “The enemy just made a mass transit with small ships, Commander. At least eighty-eight are registering.” Shal thought furiously. Only one reason the enemy would send in so many ships. They’re going to swamp the mines in an effort to clear a lane through them! He activated a dedicated comm circuit. “Buoy controllers four, five and six! Activate buoy parks one through three. Target eighty of the small ships and fire.” Next was his fire control officer. “Target one of the big cruisers and flush the external racks.” “Yes, Commander.” “Bals’ datagroup has just fired their missiles and external ordnance,” said the sensor tech. “He targeted the destroyer.” In the space of a few seconds the result of the weapons fire was determined. Even with transit-addled sensors the six big alien cruisers damaged two of the beam bases, stripping them of shields and half of their armor. Shal’s own datagroup, green as it was, did manage to destroy the shields and some armor on its big cruiser target. Bals’ datagroup crippled the alien destroyer; undoubtedly it was the two EDMs the ship deployed that saved it from outright destruction. She much for the instant kill Bals desired. Great disappointment was felt on 04’s bridge. Despite being hit by three laser buoys each at optimum range the eighty targeted small ships survived. For their size, had the ships mounted any sort of weapon then they would’ve been destroyed. Clearly they were little more than engines with armor. As one the eighty ships and their eight undamaged brethren moved into a patch of minefield that was in front of the first datagroup of beam bases. While that was happening an unexpected thing occurred. No new alien ships emerged from the warp point; instead the big cruisers launched a swarm of shuttles and transited out. Only the crippled destroyer remained, unable to keep up due to engine damage. Eighty-eight ships entered the minefield. Only sixteen emerged on the far side. Before EBS-1, 2 and 3 had a chance to fire their weapons they were rammed and destroyed by fourteen of the ships. The last two, undamaged and at full speed, were now making a beeline for MBS-06. Shal’s datagroup eliminated them in one salvo. With temerity the alien destroyer fired its energy beams at EBS-04, scoring damage before succumbing to Bals’ missiles. Shal was satisfied that all but one of his datagroups was now active. Bals gained only one more group. A total of 100 alien shuttles had moved into Buoy Park 4. They were definitely assault shuttles, for they fired their point defense systems at the buoys, destroying 42 in their first firing pass. Four shuttles remained in the vicinity of the warp point and fired into Buoy Park 5, knocking out two of them. Had Shal but known those four shuttles were actually pinnaces. With power levels dropped they appeared to be assault shuttles. That came at the cost of turning off internal life support, making the pinnace crews wear bulky spacesuits. In combination with reduced power the targeting accuracy of their point defense systems was affected, but since they were shooting at buoys it didn’t make much of a difference. About to message Bals to move forward and destroy the shuttles before all the buoys were gone Shal saw that Bals had the same idea. All of his cruisers were now active and launched their assault shuttles. Meanwhile the beam bases finally shot down three shuttles, but Buoy Park 4 was gone and a further buoy was knocked out of 5. Around the warp point the aliens made a complete circle, engaging engine modulation as they reached their next set of buoys. When the UWM assault shuttles were 1.75 LS from their targets Buoy Park 5 lost 43 more buoys from the shuttle swarm. Four shuttles fell victim to the base’s point defense systems. The cruisers closed to within 2.25 light seconds, still out of range, but now the twelve shuttles had reached their targets. Even with the bases’ help only three were shot down and the rest of Buoy Park 5 was destroyed. At a range of 0.5 LS the cruisers were finally in range, using their point defense systems against the plague of shuttles. In combination with the six beam bases’ point defense and the twelve assault shuttles a total of ten aliens were shot down. For their trouble the intruders bagged 32 buoys. Completing another circle, and losing some of their engine modulation in the process, the shuttle swarm took their lumps from the defenders. This time the cruisers were at point-blank range. Twenty-seven shuttles were felled at the cost of another thirty buoys. Then something unusual happened. One of the four shuttles that stayed near the warp point, which was taking shots at the UWM shuttles with the other three, had an increase in power. Looking at the readouts, Shal recognized the signature. It was the same as the unusual small craft he witness eight months earlier. About to issue new orders to his beam bases (since Bals wasn’t about to listen to him) the small craft entered the warp point and disappeared. A sour feeling was forming in the pit of Shal’s stomach. A mere eighteen buoys were left, and there was no doubt that the 56 remaining alien small craft would finish them off. More point-blank fire brought down 25 shuttles and 13 of the 18 buoys went with them. Like startled rabbits the 28 remaining alien assault shuttles moved away from the warp point. The three small craft near the warp point joined them as well, rendezvousing at a point 1.5 LS away, in the direction of the destroyed beam bases. Obligated to destroy them, the UWM shuttles followed, but found that the aliens had deviated into two groups of ten and one of eleven. While the twelve shuttles could fire into the blind spots of one group of 10, it would in turn face the fire of the other 21. Five aliens were brought down at the cost of six UWM assault shuttles. The chase continued for only thirty more seconds. For the loss of its six remaining shuttles four more of the enemy went with them. Eighty-one out of a hundred assault shuttles had been destroyed, but the aliens left Shal with only five laser buoys. The remains of the shuttle swarm moved further and further away from the warp point at top speed, making a clear getaway from any possible pursuit. The alien small craft that transited out would undoubtedly inform his fleet that the buoys were mostly gone. Knowing that fact Shal was concerned that Bals had his ships right on top of the warp point. If anything he should take station where the first three energy bases use to be located. A few seconds after the last assault shuttle was destroyed a fresh alert blared in 04’s control room. “A new assault wave is emerging,” the sensor tech announced. “Six cruisers and a destroyer. They’re facing opposite the mine section that was targeted previously.” “So I see. They can fire on anyone now and not worry about their blinds spots.” And Bals is at point blank range. Shal silently cursed his superior. If he stays and trades point-blank blows then there will be no units to take advantage of any blind spot the enemy cares to show us. The exchange of fire was brutal and swift. All six cruisers were severely damaged; only two had an operable weapon. For their part the UWM suffered damaged to five of their cruisers and all of those at least lost their shields and datalinks. Another wave arrived and was identical to the first. Only two alien cruisers from the first wave transited in the opposite direction. Bals apparently decided to stay where he was and dish out the hurt as best he could. The results were the same. All six cruisers were either destroyed or severely damaged. Shal used the last five laser buoys to take out three practically dead cruisers and further hurt one of the survivors. Three more UWM cruisers had their shield and datalinks shredded by energy beam fire. From what little intelligence was gathered in the Frontier Battle the enemy had some sort of energy collector system that negated a hefty percentage of energy beam fire. All the aliens so far should’ve been junked with the firepower available. Then it got worse. This time three cruisers transited out while six of the big type cruisers and yet another destroyer emerged to offer battle. Only two of big cruisers and a destroyer were trashed while a third cruiser was moderately damaged. A few more of the crippled cruisers were polished off. In return five of Bals’ cruisers were immobile hulks. With the fourth wave’s emergence the aliens now had an intact datagroup of his big cruisers. Their firepower at such close quarters was immense. The last two intact UWM cruisers were burnt out by energy beams, and in response the six energy bases gutted two previously damaged big cruisers. For their part the six new arrivals and their DD mascot fired on the energy bases with beams and their externally-mounted heavy sprint missiles. Shal blinked his trio of eyes. Just two more big cruisers and another destroyer were burnt out. A third cruiser took internal damage only due to the concentrated fire of the eighteen missile bases. All the beam bases had shields down or were heavily damaged. Only Bals’ ship remained in the fight with just one missile launcher and an energy mount. When the fifth wave entered the normally reserve commander gaped in astonishment. Three massive alien ships lead the way; each was at least twice the mass of a cruiser. He didn’t even care to guess what it carried in the way of weapons. In no way did Shal consider surrender. He doubted that his crews would listen to such an order. They firmly believed in that each ship destroyed here would somehow improve the chances of the homeworld orbital defenses. Should Shal die then it would be known hereafter that it happened in the course of duty. By far it was better to be known this way than for starting an inadvertent war. “Fire control,” he finally said. “All bases will keep targeting the energy armed cruisers and the destroyers. Fire until they are destroyed before switching targets.” “As you order, Commander.”
The fifth wave was composed of the dreadnoughts Terpla, Captain Avma and Captain Dessis, three Disam BCs and an Okado DD. Admiral Gavsa, commanding from Terpla, had his ship fire its force beams into a Humarsh beam base. It was a crushed wreck, and it was soon joined by another thanks to Avma’s gunnery crew. Even the effects of transit didn’t dampen their aim, each beam hitting its target dead on. “Datalink is back on-line. Fire control now fully functional,” said the Avma’s chief gunnery officer. “The last enemy cruiser has been destroyed. Flagship is sending targeting priorities.” “Engage targets as instructed by Flagship, Guns,” replied Jki. “Yes, Sir,” came the officer’s clipped reply. “First minesweeping group making transit.” The sensor officer also updated the main holoimager, located in the center of the massive warship’s bridge. Six cruiser-sized vessels, just like the ones used last month in the Tinderbox system, were lining up in squadron order. They were waiting for their remainder before going into the depleted section of minefield. Also displayed in the imager was the result of the dreadnought datagroup’s fire. Two more beam bases were wrecked, and a missile base further out was smashed by externally mounted capital missiles. Likewise the Disams scored as well, rendering their target useless. The
last A grand total of one BB and fourteen CA minesweepers were now in attendance. On cue they turned 180°, facing the minefield patch where the Damage Sinks went. Three more Terplas entered the scene; tagging along were three Gymen class BCs, making their combat debut. Another missile base fell silent from the beams and missiles of the fifth wave ships. The Humarsh kept to their futile bombardment of the Hazen BCs, inflicting only two more hits with their missiles. Jki look at a repeater screen next to her seat. Just one intact missile base at the 180° location remained out of the initial group of six. Good thing those bases were as small as they were, she thought. Otherwise it would’ve cost us at least two more waves to get a foothold. Along with the recovered newcomers, the regular warships that could fire at the designated base did, totally destroying it. Then the minesweepers, with EDMs deployed and at maximum engine modulation while still being able to move, entered the minefield. Earlier, one of the beam bases used its minefield control system and set the patterns in the depleted area to maximum expenditure. While it result in the total elimination of the mines in the targeted area eight of the sweepers suffered heavy armor damage. Shal had his remaining bases concentrate one of those sweepers. A lord of war must’ve taken pity with the Humarsh for the point defense on the sweeper experienced sub-par performance. The ship sustained heavy damage. But the path was clear. Both groups performed 180° turns; the warships now free to advance and the sweepers bent on leaving. The new group of DNs and BCs flushed their external racks, taking two bases out of the fight. Avma’s group and the Disams took care of a third, but the minesweeper Dredge, point defense depleted after every volley, succumbed to its wounds and exploded. As the sweepers exited one by one the warships moved to within 2.75 light seconds of the bases. The Hazen BCs went for one group of bases while the RSF ships went for the other. Humarsh missile fire still proved to be ineffective against datalink point defense, scoring only five hits total on two targets as the warships worked themselves into position. Force beams, primaries, standard and capital missiles worked over the base group that included Shal’s command. Looking at his ever decreasing list of combat capable units, Shal was startled when a primary beam lanced through the bridge, taking out the holoimager in the process. His damage control officer was quick to report. “Commander, we lost our datalink, half of our armament, magazines, and point defense installations. The long range scanners and buoy control are non-functional as well.” The tactical officer spoke up as well. “We no longer have any units in datalink. Enemy ships have advanced to within 2.5 LS of our position.” Shal stood up and looked at the ruined holoimager. After a moment he focused on the communications technician. “Send this command to all bases. All personnel except for gunnery crews are to evacuate via lifepods and shuttles. Once the bases have no operable weaponry the gunnery crews are to set demolition charges and evacuate as well.” “Yes, Commander.” At least Bals won’t be around to criticize me. There’s no way in the twin hells that our remaining missiles could do anything. Destroying that minesweeper was our last hurrah. Shal regarded an active repeater display with awe and loathing. With the firepower the enemy has they can destroy the orbital defenses easily. The big brass can’t very well punish me for doing my job without demoralizing what’s left of our navy. Shal waited until his bridge crew secured their stations and left for the shuttle bay. He took one last regretful look at his command station before leaving. Before he could get to the shuttle bay a primary beam passed through the corridor, bisecting his body at chest level. The beam literally passed through his heart. He died in moments, and minutes later the base self-destructed. The explosion served as his grave maker for his crew as they made their way back home in a shuttle.
The battle was thirteen minutes from start to finish. Admiral Gavsa allowed the Humarsh shuttles to flee and had his fleet start SAR operations. Including the Damage Sinks, the tonnage loss was practically equal. Fleet losses were one hundred Damage Sinks, five destroyers, twelve heavy cruisers, six battle cruisers and one minesweeper. The Humarsh lost 12 heavy cruisers and 27 type-2 bases. Nearly 7,600 personnel were rescued from their life pods while almost 8,900 Humarsh personnel were picked up. Adding those that were picked up after last month’s battle, Humarsh prisoners numbered 11,040. Thankfully there was enough space for everyone due to the four empty Traveler transports, included in the fleet train expressly for taking survivors. Gavsa commed Jki to express congratulations. “A successful plan, Captain,” said the Admiral sincerely. “If those buoys stayed in place, and we hadn’t sent in the Sinks when we did, then our losses would’ve been three times as great. Using those assault shuttles as buoy killers saved our breakfast meat.” “Thank
you, Admiral. Had the enemy just ignored the Sinks then we would’ve lost Gavsa blinked both his eyelids and nictating membranes in a sign of agreement. “Yes, they really made a difference, for which I pledge my eternal gratitude to BuRede (bureau of research and development).” The admiral looked off-screen for a moment, probably at one of his flat panel displays. “One of the bases apparently failed to self-destruct. I want your cutters to send over a boarding party to investigate. Perhaps this time we’ll find an unscrambled computer to probe.” “Yes, Admiral. Some data that we can check against what our prisoners said would be helpful.” Two
days later, after all lifepods were picked up and
survivors transferred to the transports the fleet,
composed of units from the 1st and 2nd
Field Fleets, moved towards the Humarsh homeworld. In
total the fleet had six dreadnoughts, twelve
battleships, eighteen battlecruisers, twelve heavy and
twenty-four light cruisers, forty-six destroyers and
six frigates. The six Hazen First Colonel
battlecruisers, along with one Cram
class and thirteen Tamaya minesweeper
conversions stayed at the warp point. In less than an
hour they swept the remaining mines around the warp
point for very little armor damage in return. All they
could do afterwards was wait for the fleet to come
back. The fleet stood six light seconds away from Humarsh’s orbital works – nine missile armed bases and a modestly-sized space station. The UWL Congress knew that the enemy wasn’t keeping out of range due to fear, but as an expression of its obvious superiority. Unfortunately this colored the following official first contact and negotiations. While a peace treaty was signed and an exchange of personnel was performed (though for the Terpla’ns it was the remains of the four crewmen recovered from the burnt-out Calan survey frigate) the Humarsh were angry and resentful. A non-aggression pact was signed and the process of UWM rearmament began in earnest. While the Terpla’ns were disappointed with the outcome they were quite satisfied to wait for relations to improve. Once the Humarsh overcame their emotional reaction to the war they would be more rational and pragmatic. On the UWL front the post-war fallout was political. Congressional members that had a record voting against funding for military R&D were voted out of office in the next election cycle. In finding a scapegoat for its defeat the UWM Command had Admiral Bals’ immediate superior sacked for selecting an ‘uncooperative, intransigent officer’ to command the mobile forces. Shal was posthumously promoted to captain and awarded a medal for bravery in the face of the enemy. Renewed efforts to enlist the aid of the Tzel failed but trade improved as the Tzelan economy grew in strength. As for the RSF they learned a great deal. The use of the Damage Sinks, while useful, was clearly no longer desirable because of the casualties involved. Research in finding ways to reduce minefields to manageable sizes was begun in earnest. Seeing how well the assault shuttles shot down buoys made for an interesting project. Recalling the age of wet navy carrier aircraft in Terpla’s past, there were those in BuRede that believe small armed craft could be practical. To head this project Captain Tulcus Jki was selected, mainly due to her insight and a hearty recommendation by Admiral Gavsa. It
would be two years before the first prototype
strikefighter was flight tested, just before the
Terpla'ns and UWL patched up their differences in a
trade and military pact. For her work and perseverance
the growing core of strikefighter pilots gave Jki a
new nickname. She was no longer referred to as
Political Officer but as Alpha, mother of all fighter
jocks. During the Axis War that nickname was well
deserved as Jki became the top carrier admiral in the
CSF, but that’s another story.
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