Assault: The Globur Incursion Book 6, page 6
If the Globur followed their standard attack pattern, TF13H would be late to the party. That was not in doubt. The Globur were progressing past the Markus Nebula and already much closer to the Mongolia system than TF13H. The AI estimated they would be attacking the Mongolia system in 25 hours, and TF13H was 35 hours away. She cursed inwardly for not seeing that right away. The last time this had happened, their position had been better, and they were able to intercept quickly.
“Navigation,” barked Pang, breaking the silence on the flag bridge. “Get us on a least-time trajectory to the Mongolia system. Best possible speed and shave this course as much as you can.”
Pang left for her conference room, just off the flag bridge. The hatch closed behind her, and she used her command codes to access the Fleet relay and get a priority channel to the Mongolia system Fleet relay.
A fresh-faced Lieutenant Hambly appeared immediately. She was obviously on her duty shift. A look of surprise was quickly suppressed to a more businesslike demeanor. “Rear Admiral Pang, Lieutenant Hambly, ma’am. Commanding Fleet relay, Mongolia system.”
“Lieutenant,” began Pang as she wrestled with what to say. She knew that the Mongolia system was on its own, and she did not like their chances. “Lieutenant, after I speak with you, I need you to put me through to Lieutenant Colonel Blucher on Khan. We have detected a hostile force on a trajectory for the Mongolia system. Our current time to intercept is 35 hours.”
The information did not sink in at first, and Hambly looked only a bit worried. Then a great weight seemed to settle on her shoulders as her eyes grew colder to match Pang’s. “You will not be able to make the intercept,” she stated flatly.
“That is correct, Lieutenant,” replied Pang in a hard voice. “We are making all efforts to cut our intercept time, but we definitely will not be able to intercept the Globur battlegroup. We may lose the system. You should be ready to evacuate. The Globur obviously know what the Fleet relay is for, and it is a priority target for them. They missed last time, but they will not make the same mistake twice.”
Hambly’s demeanor became deadly serious. “I understand, Rear Admiral Pang. I will ensure we are prepped for evac.”
“If you believe that your command is in danger, Lieutenant,” Pang said pointedly, “get the hell out of there. That is an order.”
“Understood, ma’am,” replied Hambly mechanically. “I will save my crew.”
“Alright, Lieutenant,” Pang nodded her approval. “Now get me Lieutenant Colonel Blucher.”
The holodisplay flashed to the Fleet insignia, and she waited for the Marine commander to get on the line. I have to let Fleet HQ know what is going, as well. The planetary governor on Khan is not going to be happy.
Lieutenant Colonel Blucher appeared. She had not seen him since they had secured Dixmude after the last battle in the Mongolia system. He had spent his Marines’ lives to save her ships, and he had been wounded in the final fight on board Dixmude. She owed Blucher a lot, but right now, all she could do was warn him.
“Blucher, I do not have much time, and you need to listen carefully,” Pang started. The Marine simply gave a curt nod, and she continued. “We have detected a hostile force on a trajectory to the Mongolia system. We are not in a position to intercept before they launch their assault forces. My best estimate put us there almost 10 hours after they start their attack.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” Blucher said evenly. “Can I assume this call is a heads-up for you declaring a system emergency?”
Pang nodded. “That is my next call. I wanted to give you some notice before I contacted the governor. Things are about to get a lot more tense on Khan. The government will likely call on you for assistance.”
“Understood, Admiral,” Blucher said as he motioned to someone. “I will initiate recall for the garrison, and we will prepare to aid the government.”
“I’m sorry, Blucher,” Pang said softly. “I’m sorry I can’t come to your aid in time.”
Blucher let out a cynical chuckle. “You’re on your way, Admiral. That is all we can ask. It will take more than a little kinetic bombardment to dislodge imperial Marines. Thank you for your help getting us the new suits. They are much superior to the ones we had before.”
Pang nodded. “The ones that got wrecked saving my ships.” She cocked her head. “It was the least I could do. This is a second force sent to take the Mongolia system, and you can bet the Globur won’t make any of the same mistakes they made last time. You should expect that the Fleet relay will be destroyed this time out. I’ve already ordered the commander there to evacuate if the relay appears to be in danger.”
“If the Globur make it to Khan, there won’t be much to tell, anyway. Admiral, I will see you after.”
“We are 35 hours out. We’ll make contact when we transition out of Qdrive. Pang out.” Pang killed the link and sat back in the chair. No one knew what happened when the systems were lost. She did not envy Blucher in his job. There would be panic, and riots would likely break out on Khan.
She sighed as she composed a short communique to Fleet HQ.
Hostile force detected on a trajectory to Mongolia system. Makeup unknown. TF13H currently transiting Chard system. Interception in Mongolia system not possible until at least 10 hours after estimated assault on the system. Am declaring a system-wide emergency and moving to intercept at best speed.
Pang, Rear Admiral, Commanding TF13H.
She accessed the Fleet relay, Fleet priority channel and sent the contact report. They will be able to watch the early part of the attack. We will be in Qdrive. No choice. God knows what will await us.
She accessed the priority channel to contact Governor Jamyangiin. She knew it would take a while to get him on the line. He always expected her to answer immediately but, being much more important—at least in his mind, he made her wait.
A functionary answered. “I must speak with the governor,” Pang started harshly. “It is urgent, and time is of the essence.”
The man’s smooth Asiatic features remained serene, and he paused to take a deep breath. “The governor is presently indisposed. He will contact you when he is available, Rear Admiral Pang. He is—”
“Shut up,” spat Pang. She had frequent dealings with the governor since the fight in the Mongolia system and knew he was as frustrated with the bureaucrats as she was. She also knew they respected strength and felt power was only power when it was used. “Shut up, and listen to me,” continued Pang with real venom in her voice. “If you do not get me the governor right now, and I do mean right now, he will have you flayed and dragged. Do you understand?”
Pang knew she was laying it on a bit thick. Flaying someone and dragging them behind a horse was deemed to be the greatest dishonor and punishment on Khan.
The screen went blank, and Pang waited. It was only a few minutes when Governor Jamyangiin appeared wearing a small smile. “Rear Admiral Pang!” he exclaimed. The governor seemed to have regained some of his youthful vigor, and Pang’s assistance in helping him procure the latest equipment for his Marines had left him in her debt. “You certainly gave my aide a scare, so I know this must be urgent. What is it that you need?” asked the governor.
“Governor, your system is going to be attacked in less than 24 hours. My task force will not be able to arrive in time to intercept. I am declaring a system emergency and ordering you to evacuate as many people as you can. I believe we are in danger of losing the Mongolia system.”
The governor’s tan could not hide the sudden pallor of his face. His mouth dropped open for a moment. He snapped his mouth shut, and his dark eyes narrowed, “You cannot intercept?”
Pang shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Governor. We are in a poor position. The timing of the attack makes interception impossible. You need to evacuate.”
The governor’s face flushed in anger. “We will stay, like the last time. We will defend our planet and fight on the plains if that is what must be done. We have ample time to plan our defense. Are you still planning to come to our aid, Pang?”
Pang was taken aback that he’d question her. “Of course, Governor! We are on a least-time trajectory, but I believe that we will arrive about 10 hours after the Globur attack the system.”
“Perhaps, Admiral,” said Jamyangiin, nodding thoughtfully. “Perhaps you will arrive to deal with the remaining Globur survivors. We are not a meek people. We will fight. But now we must make arrangements to get our families to safety. I have much to do. Thank you, Pang. We’ll speak soon.” The governor ended the transmission.
Pang was surprised. She knew that Jamyangiin had been a hard man and a warrior in his youth, but before the Globur attack, he had been a fat complacent ruler, aloof and uncaring. He was much changed since Jones had arrived with TF15. Jamyangiin had a harder edge and seemed to radiate decisiveness.
She needed to get her task force ready for battle. Much like the last time, but this time felt so much different. I wonder what Jones would make of this? she thought as she saw the new course plot take shape.
***
John Forest watched as the initial scans of the Olduvai system came in. It really was a desolate looking system.
A small smile crossed his face thinking back to his last few days. Amaya Miku had been a completely different person when she was away from her duties, and they had managed to find some time to do fun things. Other than sex, that was. They had enjoyed some intimate dinners, and it had all made John feel normal again. It was plain she actually did like him and was not blinded by his sudden fame—such as it was.
His main regret was that he had never had the opportunity to meet Captain Zenke, the captain of the ship that had picked him up in the Markus Nebula. He had tried, but Amaya had explained that he was also on the same sort of tour, all while dealing with having his ship scrapped and new with crew assignments.
The exciting news was that TF16 and TF17 were nearing commissioning. Both new task forces had the new sword-class destroyers and benefited from the hard-won lessons of combat with the Globur.
The rumor mill was hard at work as always, and the rumor was that Rear Admiral Jones was going to be tapped for command of TF17, which would give him a full-strength task force, with a full squadron of four battleships, for the first time. The lack of battleships had almost cost him dearly in the Markus Nebula. The commander of TF16 was something of a mystery, but whispers said it might be the Butcher of Castellan, Rear Admiral Brown, as he had been spotted around Fleet headquarters.
Butcher of Castellan, John thought. Wow, and I bristle about the whole “Hero of the Markus Nebula” moniker. I suppose being called brave and gallant sure beats butcher.
John felt like he left Albion at the wrong time. For the first time, two brand-new task forces were to leave for the rim at very nearly the same time. It looked like humanity finally was taking a more offensive posture. With all that going on, John was being sent back to the top-secret base where he had started. A real backwater where he was never going to see any combat. It felt like a cop-out.
His ever-present Marine minders were along for the ride. Jones was on shift at the moment and engaging in his usual stony silence. John was accessing the main nav feed with his implant and saw that the system did not even appear to have a Fleet relay. There were no indications of anything except a large asteroid belt. Their course took them deep into the belt. Probably where the big secret base is.
John thought all the secrecy was a bit silly. The aliens were so different; they might not even understand humans. Since they had never answered any communications or even initiated any, who could talk to them or leak secrets? Of course, this station could be secret from humans. There was the growing militancy and acceptance of the People for Peace and their agenda. That wasn’t going to be a problem easily solved.
Still, the Fleet seemed obsessed with security and secrecy these days. John had spent the days in transit researching Doctor Umgabe. He was an impressive person. The term genius popped up with regularity. He was responsible for the development of the quantum cannon and the even more impressive targeting system for the bomb-pumped laser or BPL warheads, which had been the most difficult problem. He also had assisted the team that had been able to modify the current warship shields to resist the Globur beams.
Doctor Umgabe had been involved in improvements to quantum drive and even fusion powerplants. His research in high-energy physics had allowed for safer and smaller powerplants for developing worlds. Perhaps his greatest achievement was in the implants that every imperial citizen had. He had invented a new kind of interface that allowed a human brain to interface with data systems in a way that was not overwhelming and could be targeted.
Implants had always been in widespread use, but Doctor Umgabe’s work had made them much more intuitive. He had spent almost his entire life doing research, and when the conflict had broken out, he had begun consulting on numerous projects. And now he headed the current one, named the Advanced Heavy Fighter Experimental Weapons Research Project. The security briefing was appropriately laced with the really easy to say acronym AHFEWRP. Pronunciation ranged from “Ayfewarp” to “Asswrap.” John had to take credit for the last one.
Here I am in a system far away, ready to resume operations for project Asswrap, John thought with a smile. Asswrap test pilot reporting for duty.
Chapter 6
Vice Admiral Stukov read the dispatch from Rear Admiral Pang. Why can’t we catch an even break?
He was reviewing the current situation. The Fleet relay in the Chard system let him see where TF13H was in real time. He saw that the task force was doing its best to radically alter its course and get into the right vector for the moment when their drives were fully charged. Rear Admiral Pang was in for a very long day.
Until now, things had been calm. Weeks with no contact from the Globur. Stukov suspected that they had finally learned that their previous attacks had failed, and they had lost two full battlegroups. He had flipped the communique to the grand admiral, underlining the timeline. There was not much they could do but wait.
Stukov was running simulations as if he were the Globur commander assaulting the Mongolia system. It would be possible to detect Pang coming in. They would be out of quantum drive and in the system for a while. Last time, Pang had come in directly behind them. They would have detected her but had no idea it was a heavy task force—at least that was his guess.
That meant they might try to intercept her as she transitioned outside the system. The entire question was the makeup of the Globur force. He toyed with the idea of having Pang wait until they could get a look at the assault force from the Fleet relay in the Mongolia system. The Globur were likely to make that a priority target, and if they knew what happened last time, they would be prepared for a relay station that could maneuver.
If the Globur battlegroup was the standard size, then Pang should be able to deal with them, even if they tried to set an ambush. That was a big if.
The hatch slid open, and Grand Admiral Medici came in. He was the only one who could get into Stukov’s office unannounced. The two had a very good working relationship. At one time, there had been two vice admirals, each controlling half of the Fleet ships reporting to the grand admiral. Since the start of the incursion, all ships had been reallocated to the sectors Stukov now controlled. Medici had been his peer with the other half of the Fleet warships. There were other vice admirals, special projects, logistics, personnel, intelligence, and a general in charge of the Marines. The Fleet general staff was still as small as it had been before the incursion.
Medici stopped and looked at the holodisplay. “Mongolia? I really do not like the looks of this.” Medici peered at the display for another moment before taking a seat so he could look directly at Stukov.
Stukov shrugged. “I was thinking about holding TF13 back until we could get a look at the assault force, but they need to get to the system quickly if they are to prevent any bombardment of Khan. Governor Jamyangiin has been heating up the comm channels looking for help. The senator for the Mongolia system is here in Albion. He’s running around already saying the sky is falling and something must be done. The system evacuation is underway, but there is no way they can shift over a billion people off the planet. The governor is telling people to leave the cities and head to the plains.”
Medici arched an eyebrow. “The Fleet oversight committee has requested a plan for assistance in the Mongolia system. I already told Senator Paasche that TF13H is on intercept, and that seems to have placated them for now. And the good news?”
Stukov shook his head. “There really isn’t any.” He shrugged. “Khan is not a highly developed planet. Their society is not built around megacities or towers. Most of the infrastructure is good, but the population is very spread out. There wouldn’t be many targets worth taking out with a kinetic strike.”
Stukov’s aide pinged him. General Pullman was at the door. Stukov told the hatch to let him in. Pullman was a large man, and even though the hatch was amply large, it always looked like he was passing through a cramped opening.
Pullman stopped when he saw Medici. “Sir, I thought I might find you here. I wanted to have a quick chat about my Marines on Khan. I just finished speaking with Lieutenant Colonel Blucher, the garrison commander.”
“Pull up a chair, Pullman,” replied Medici easily. “We were just discussing the Mongolia system.”
Pullman filled a seat, and there was a pause as he looked at the holodisplay that Stukov had been using. He fixed an intense gaze on the two Fleet admirals.
“We may lose the Mongolia system, and Khan is the first planet lost to the Globur that has a sizable Marine garrison,” he said in an even voice.
“You really think we will lose the system?” asked Stukov, not at all surprised by Pullman’s assertion.
Pullman gave a short nod, or some semblance of it since he had virtually no neck. “I believe there is a high degree of probability we will lose the system,” he continued. “The Globur have shown themselves to be a resilient and adaptive foe. They will come to Mongolia with enough resources to ensure they can beat down whatever we might have waiting.”
