Assault: The Globur Incursion Book 6, page 39
“Zhui, you slimy bastard!” exclaimed Sanderson happily. “Managed to come out the other side, I see!” Zhui’s suit was still shedding some sparks near the remains of the left arm.
The antimatter detonations in the upper atmosphere had pushed most of the cloud cover away from over the plain, and the sun finally penetrated. It lit up the grassy field, and the falling embers looked like glitter in the brighter light. Contrails from the drop in progress could clearly be seen.
The group continued to walk. James, along with Engers, drifted into the group, greeted by the usual insults. The rest of the Marines gave the group some distance as the usual Marine banter took hold. The old veterans walked together.
“Antonetti didn’t make it,” Zhui announced somberly. “Died protecting a Marine that was down back on the position.”
“I saw,” confirmed Sanderson.
They continued to walk in silence, lost in their thoughts and the loss of one of the few original veterans of the conflict.
After a few minutes, Sante broke the silence. “The Fleet has declared the Mongolia system secure,” Sante said. “They are leaving a task force on overwatch and settling into orbit. To support the planetary assault. We can mourn our losses later. Now we have work to do.”
“You know,” said Sanderson, “These Globurs didn’t give us a very nice reception. I think we may finally have an opportunity to teach them a lesson.” The resulting barrage of insults almost pushed Sanderson into silence - almost.
***
Jones watched one of his battleships take out two Globur beam pods that opened up on Rapier. Her shields held. She did not receive any further damage to add to the substantial damage she already had.
The Marine drop was underway, and so far, there was no movement from Ulaan toward the Marines and no movement of Globur anywhere that they could detect. TF17 ships were firing on obvious surface batteries.
Where kinetic strikes were overkill, attack missiles were sent in with smaller warheads. The atmosphere heavily attenuated lasers, so only the battleships could put enough energy on target to take out hardened positions.
Jones was almost surprised that there were not more surface batteries. They had come prepared for that. What we did not come prepared for was the pods, stealthed in orbit, Jones thought sourly.
The ships had gone back to a watch rotation, and the crew was getting some much-needed rest. Jones thought about the Marines on the ground. They had been fighting for days without a break.
Rear Admiral Brown was limping TF16 to Khan's orbit. His ships were the most badly damaged, and it was agreed that they would be better off in orbit, since TF14 had overwatch on the system. His flagship Wallachia was barely underway. Some of his fighters were now crammed into Pang’s carrier Ryoshi since Wallachia had no place to land them.
Jones’s comm pinged. It was the flag channel—Rear Admiral Brown. The message said he should take it in his conference room. Jones stood up, suddenly feeling like he had been on the bridge a very long time. He turned and left the flag bridge. He picked up a coffee in the conference room and sat down before accepting the transmission, routing it to the holodisplay. Both Brown and Pang appeared. He noticed Pang was in real time. Obviously, she had placed more relay probes to allow real-time comms.
“Congratulations on securing Khan, Admiral,” Brown started warmly. “We have secured—liberated—the Mongolia system.”
Jones nodded. He knew they could not read his expression; his armor was still active. “Thank you, Admiral. We may have a few Globur pods around yet, and the Marines still have much to do. I’m glad that the division was able to survive. Colonel Shaka said that Governor Jamagiiyn was leading over 12,000 soldiers attacking the Globur in the high grass. They rode on these armored beasts and used swords. Swords!”
“Jamyangiin?” Pang burst out. “I never would have figured him for that. He did strike me as someone with resolve when we were in the system, but leading a bunch of sword-wielding soldiers? Seems very anachronistic.”
Jones laughed. “Colonel Shaka tells me they are very effective. Very difficult to detect, and the swords are state of the art. They can carve through Globur armor effectively. The governor and his people have been harassing the Globur anytime they venture away from Ulaan.”
“That sounds remarkable,” commented Brown. “And something I would like to see. It seems our plan was a success, although I know how it feels to have a task force virtually shot out from under me, now.”
“I never thought we’d be able to take back a system, never mind keep it. Those new torpedoes are remarkable. I can’t wait to get my hands on some.”
“We’re out of them, the quantum torpedoes. And capital missiles. Again,” Pang pointed out. “We definitely could use some resupply. I know some freighters are supposed to arrive in a few days with the first full shipment of quantum torpedoes. Doctor Umgabe promised Stukov that. However, they are not scheduled to bring capital missiles.”
“We are days overdue for check-in with headquarters,” Jones pointed out. “Perhaps TF16 will take the honor of carrying news of this victory to Fleet headquarters. There’s probably a lot of nail biting happening there.”
“We must include the data on the use of the new quantum torpedoes. Doctor Umgabe has certainly shown his genius once again!” Pang added. “I certainly hope that cupboard is not bare when it comes to advances in weapons technology.”
Thank you, Admiral Jones,” Brown replied, through a broad smile. “It would be my honor. I’ll also ask for an emergency resupply of capital missiles. And a Fleet FTL relay station for the system. And some defensive platforms for Khan. I’ll make sure I check with the Marines to include their requirements.” Brown paused, making notes. “I’ll dispatch a destroyer to the Chard system as soon as possible. Nothing like a victory to make the oversight committee loosen the purse strings a little more. I do imagine that the general staff is losing sleep waiting to hear from us. It seems we are safe. For the moment.”
“Indeed!” chimed Jones. “For the first time in years, we’ve been able to mount an offensive operation to take a system and successfully hold it! Once we get some repairs done and get some spares in the resupply, we’ll be able to initiate the defensive looping patrol between the two systems like we had before.”
Pang nodded. “For now, your task forces have to support the Marines as they take back the cities. It will be our first look at what actually happens when the Globur take over a system.”
“For the moment,” replied Jones, the only one with his armor active, “I suppose this is what it must feel like to have the upper hand.”
A word from the author
I hope you enjoyed Assault, the largest installment yet in the saga.
As I new writer, it is very difficult to be discovered. I am glad to say more people are finding my books. They do that through reviews written by readers like you.
No one expects a work of literature. Simply leave a star rating or a few words about your favorite character, what you liked, or if you have read the other book in the series. Was it entertaining, a good adventure? Was it realistic? Good worldbuilding? A good addition to the series? Would you read the next one?
Why write a review? Well, I do sneak the names of real people who have reviewed my books into the story from time to time. Also, you may help an unknown author be discovered by other readers. That sounds like a good proposition.
You can follow on Amazon for future releases or on Facebook.
Now, what about the next book – coming in 2022. Look for the marines to get even dirtier and things with the Globur to get more interesting, and we find out what has happened to the people of Khan.
New threats to the Fleet rise, and new challenges face the marines. Things are looking up, though. The humans have a pretty even chance of prevailing, and other plans begin to take shape.
Obviously, we have not heard the last of John Forest or the PFP. The Fleet needs political allies to take the initiative on the rim, but that may be difficult since some of the politicians believe the Fleet is up to no good and even started the conflict.
Read these other books on the Globur Incursion.
Fulcrum: The Globur Incursion book 1. Published 2015
Contact: The Globur Incursion book 2. Published 2017
Onslaught: The Globur Incursion book 3. Published 2018
Redoubt: The Globur Incursion book 4. Published 2019
Sword: The Globur Incursion book 5. Published 2020
Assault: The Globur Incursion book 6. Published 2021
The Globur Incursion Book 7 – Coming June 2022
GLOSSARY
Acarya – Doctor, head of staff, medical services, Outpost 24
Adams – Captain. IFB Hammer TF13.
Alamo - Freighter holding scanning gear for detecting ships in quantum drive.
Albion system – Location of one of the main fleet bases with yards for building and fitting out Fleet warships. Location of Fleet headquarters.
Alexander – Senator PFP sympathizer.
Alsace system – Heavily populated system with main world of Colmar. Population approximately 600 million.
Ammunsen – Doctor. Chief medical officer aboard Cruiser Spear.
Attack missile - By far the most numerous kind of missile, these missiles are much smaller than capital missiles and can mount a variety of warheads. The standard warheads include a contact fusion warhead and kinetic kill vehicles. Most ships mount some standard attack missiles, but they are the primary weapon of frigates that carry them in great numbers. Automatic launchers and programmable missiles mean they can quickly be fitted with a warhead and programed to arrive at the specific target at the same time while choosing their speed and course. This allows for highly coordinated attacks.
Aufderbach – Senator for Shiuping.
Batjargal – Senator for Khan and the Mongolia system.
Battalion – A standard marine formation usually consisting of four companies of marines. The fourth company would often be tasked with the heavy weapons and support infrastructure such as transporting supplies and other logistical requirements. As part of the “Marine first” doctrine, all marines are fighting marines first and foremost.
Battlegroup - A generic term for a Globur formation that includes a carrier and other capital ships. Globur formations lack consistency and vary widely. Battle groups tend to have more than twelve ships and can have many more. Globur reconnaissance missions or probes tend to be comprised of smaller faster ships and so only include destroyers, frigates, or long range attack ships.
Bestow – Captain of the battleship Dingyuan TF15.
Blucher – Lieutenant Colonel. Commander of the imperial marine garrison on Khan in the Mongolia system.
Bomb pumped energy beam warhead - Mounted on the standard attack missile, this is a proximity fused warhead that channels the energy of the fusion explosion into a simple beam projector producing a very powerful energy beam for a fraction of a second. These beams can punch through the shields of lighter ships and cause significant damage.
Brahma system – Vacation world and mining consortium. Population 200,000.
Brigade – A standard marine formation that consists of four battalions.
Brown, Marvin – Rear Admiral commanding TF2. Flagship IFC Wallachia. Commanding TF16 flagship. Flagship is the upgraded IFC Wallachia.
Capital Missile - Capital missiles are very large and mounted only by large ships. They have powerful gravity drives and are as fast as the standard attack missiles. They carry and antimatter warhead and a simple AI. They can avoid jamming in some cases and have both contact and proximity fuses. If the AI decided that it cannot actually hit a target it may select a secondary target or get as close as possible before detonating. They employ a kicker drive to accelerate them in their terminal guidance phase in order to make it more difficult to intercept them.
Castellan System – Located near the rim. Two inhabited planets, Aragon, and Galicia. System has 3 billion inhabitants and is known for producing quality manufactured goods and as a commercial shipping hub.
Changsu – Doctor specialising neuroscience and psychology in at the secret research facility where John Forest and Doctor Umgabe work together.
Contact fusion warhead - As suggested the warhead is mounted on an attack missile and detonated on near contact with the shields or ship hull. Contact warhead simply refers to the warhead detonating very close to the hull or shield as actual contact would result in the destruction of the warhead. These warheads will also proximity detonate if they cannot hit their target.
Carrier – Carriers lie at the heart of task forces and carry six squadrons of fighters. Three light squadrons and three heavy squadrons. They have other offensive weaponry, most notably capital missile launchers. As a capital ship it bears the “Imperial” designation Imperial Fleet Carrier (IFC). Newer carriers are larger and can carry nine squadrons.
Chard system – Rim system primarily focused on heavy element extraction. Sole habitable planet is Taht. 1 billion inhabitants.
Colmar – The main inhabited planet in the Alsace system.
Corvette – Small patrol vessels normally used for reconnaissance and light combat operations. Main defense lies in speed. No official fleet designation as these ships are often not a formal part of a task force.
Dingyuan – Battleship TF15 captain Bestow.
Division – A standard marine formation that consists of four marine brigades.
Electro - Magnetic Plasma Grenade – A weapon used by the Globur based on their electron beam weapons. These are launched from their suits or deployed by hand. The grenade uses plasma to create a very strong electromagnetic field which produces devastating arcs of electrical energy in a variable radius. The effect is damaging to any surfaces or tissue and can destroy, or render inoperable, any electrical of electronic equipment in range. Updated versions also create an intensely hot plasma fireball.
Epping – Grand Marshall of the Colmar planetary defense forces.
Fermi – Rear admiral commanding TF6.
FC – Official ship designation Fleet Cruiser.
FD– Official ship designation Fleet Destroyer.
FF– Official ship designation Fleet Frigate.
Fillins – Senator. Velas system.
Fleet Relay – The relays are part of an interstellar faster than light communication network manned by fleet personnel. Relays are usually large but vary in size depending on the system. Core systems have more than one Fleet relay. While they have a small crew and minimal armament, the large size is due to the apparatus and number of fusion generators required for long range communication.
Fliess – Commander. In charge of freighter Alamo.
Flint – Lieutenant. Zenke’s XO on various ships. Former captain of corvette Harmony.
Galong – Vice Admiral. In charge of logistics.
Golovko – Lieutenant colonel. Commander of the 15th MEF headquartered aboard IFC Valkyrie.
Hambly – Lieutenant. Senior officer and watch officer on the Fleet relay in the Mongolia system.
Honshu, Charlie – Lieutenant. XO Arbalest.
Halverson – Admiral – Grand admiral of the Fleet. Retired.
Harlow system – One habitable world Essex. Trading hub and agriculture. Population 1.5 Million.
Indio system – Three habitable planets total population 60 million.
Interceptor missile - These missiles are single purpose missiles designed to intercept missiles and torpedoes. They have either contact or proximity warheads. Contact warheads detonate a small fusion weapon in close proximity to the target. Proximity warheads detonate while closing in on intercept creating a cloud of flechettes that damage or destroy the missile using kinetic energy instead of an explosion. Interceptor missiles are can also be effective against enemy attack ships at close range.
Inkermann, Klaus – Scientist working on developing a detector to detect ships in quantum drive and improvement to defenses at Gateway.
IFC – Capital ship designation Imperial Fleet Carrier.
IFB - Capital ship designation Imperial Fleet Battleship.
James, Deborah – Lieutenant, Imperial Marines. Commander of the third platoon aboard IFB Ozu. Commander alpha company, first marine planetary assault division.
Jamal, Nane – Captain IFC Valkyrie. She is the most experienced officer assigned to the carrier and the most experienced captain in the task force.
Jamyangiin – Governor Mongolia system
Jones – Captain of Imperial Fleet Battleship Ozu, TF3H. Promoted rear admiral commanding TF15. Flying flag from IFC Valkyrie. Commander of TF17
Jyun - Captain –Flag captain to Rear Admiral Pang. Captain of IFB Trident TF13.
Kang – Captain IFB Resolute TF3H.
Kallow – Captain IFC Wallachia TF2.
Kendri – Lieutenant. Tactical officer aboard FC Spear.
Kharum – Captain FD Cyclops TF2.
Kheshig – A Mongolian or Khanian word meaning bodyguard or chosen soldiers.
Kim – Captain IFB Kulak TF13
Kinetic Kill Vehicle - This is a proximity detonation warhead that aligns itself with a target and a fusion detonation accelerates a small high density penetrator to very high speed. These are very effective against ships that have lost their shields. Ships with intact shields will see most of the velocity of the vehicle bled of by the time it hits the hull.
Kotor – Battleship TF15 commanded by captain Posy.
Lavoie – Doctor Fleet destroyer Phoenix.
Luis – Lieutenant commander. Tactical officer on board Ozu.
Medici – Formerly Vice Admiral – commander third fleet. Grand Admiral of the Fleet.
Miku – Lieutenant Commander. Fleet public affairs.
Ming system – Heavily populated principality. Approximately 400 million people.
