Well be approaching the planet from the day side, so any action wont be visually seen from the ground. The Saratoga has been hiding in the Ross system for seven days, tracking the movements of their ships. Once the battle begins she will use her screens to disrupt communication between the fleet and ground forces. That way they can only communicate with their ground forces by physically sending a shuttle or ship. Thats going to be almost impossible once the battle is joined, but even if they did by the time the ship lands to warn them, our marines will already be on the ground. Our naval marine drop ships will be coming on the heels of the five Empire class battleships, of which Washington will be included. Their initial task will be to punch a hole in the Alliance fleet so that our naval marines can make planet drop. Then they will spread out and start knocking out those twenty dreadnoughts. Were going to try as much as possible to spread them out for screen dumping. By the way, how have your experiments worked on that process?
Extremely well, sir, Kosiev replied. We loaded up a destroyers screen by hitting it continuously with eight primary beams until the screen was approaching violet and system failure. The destroyer then flew into the screen of the Washington, and when it exited all the energy had been removed and the screen was back to yellow; the Washington didnt even show a change in color. We also found out that it doesnt matter how fast the ship goes through the screen, all the excess energy is absorbed and stored by the Washington.
Those Empire ships are going to be life savers for some of the other ships, Tag said. When the five Empire class ships go after the dreadnoughts, the remaining ninety-five ships should have a ship targeted and attempt to destroy it as quickly as possible. We will assign those targets while were coming in from the sun. If they are successful, then the numbers of ships were facing should be equal after the initial assault with the Alliance having a weight advantage because of the dreadnoughts.
What about the civilians in the concentration camps on the planet? Do you think they will be executed once the ground forces see the drop troops?
Our initial drop forces will be landing at those camps first. They will be transporting a portable Coronado screen to cover the camp while they hold off the Alliance ground forces until they are relieved, Tag said. He looked at Kosiev and continued, There is a good chance that there is going to be heavy loss of life in this exercise, but it is my firm belief that if we do nothing now, when the main Alliance fleet arrives, they will execute everyone on the planet. They will do this for two reasons: one, to make sure that no one is left that could attack them from behind, and two, to make sure that we resist them in their occupation attempt on Earth. They want a reason to annihilate us. We might as well grant them their wish.
Why did you set up a blocking force? Youre using twice as many ships there as you are in the attack. Why not send all three hundred to overwhelm the Alliance fleet?
Because shortly our three hundred ships will be facing more than a thousand, and its important that they learn that we can successfully handle superior numbers. The Alliance can call up more than twenty-five thousand ships immediately. We have got to reduce that number in the early conflicts or we will be overwhelmed. Well use the blocking force in the attack if it becomes absolutely necessary, but if we can defeat those ships with half their number, then the veterans from this battle will send the message to the rest of our fleet that we are the best. That pride of conquest will be contagious. The blocking fleet will also be observing the battle and will learn from the experience. It is vitally important that no Alliance ship escapes to warn them of our capabilities. The blocking force must stop any escape attempt. At some point during the battle if we achieve numerical superiority the remaining Alliance ships will run. Its up to the attacking force to run them into the blocking force or destroy them.
What if they surrender?
Tag looked at Kosiev for a long moment and then said, If they surrender we will transport them to a forty-mile-wide cavern weve carved on Europa. Weve installed environmental systems, and there are provisions to feed them. They can govern themselves; were not going to waste personnel watching them. Well store their ships in another cavern on Callisto. Jupiter is inside the star drive limit so no one can approach without us knowing it. If this conflict ends peacefully, we will send the prisoners and their ships home.
Kosiev said, If they surrender, the entire crew should be made to leave their ship in lifeboats, and then their ships should be destroyed.
Why? Tag asked.
They could have self-destruct mechanisms with delayed timers. Or communication devices designed to be deployed after capture. We would endanger anyone charged with moving those ships.
Hold on just a minute, Tag said. Then he commed Danielle and explained the discussion he and Kosiev had just had.
Hes right, Tag, Danielle said. Do our ships have delayed self-destruct?
Yes.
So do theirs. Destroy the ships.
Thanks. Bye, love.
Bye.
Admiral, you will be receiving new directions from the director concerning how to handle any Alliance forces that surrender.
You value her opinion a lot, Kosiev said. He was bothered that Tag had taken her opinion but not his.
Admiral, she has a talent at putting unrelated facts together and coming to the truth. Ill bet that if you call her back now that shes had a minute to think about it, shell be able to tell you that even taking prisoners will be next to impossible, because their ships will be programmed to self-destruct before they can leave.
How could she know that?
Its the way she said delayed, Admiral. She doesnt think there will be much of a delay. Knowing the Cainth, shes probably right.
Im surprised that you dont just destroy them outright after what they did to the hostages, Kosiev commented.
I considered that. But Ive seen too many old history movies where Ive seen the terrible things that we have done to each other. You have seen them too. Either we have grown and have learned from those experiences, or were no better than the ones were fighting. Its wrong to kill someone who has decided to stop fighting.
I agree, sir, Kosiev said.
We leave in twenty hours. Im making skid marks to see a lady with blue eyes while theres time.
Skid marks? Kosiev thought.
Chapter 27
W ashington and her four sister ships were leading a long line of one hundred warships. They were traveling single file toward the planet Ross to minimize the amount of mass that would be visible to the Alliances mass sensors. Tag was able to use his talents to maneuver the ships so that they fell into psychic shadows. He closed his eyes and saw that the only place not covered by one of the shadows was the artificial nose of the Melbourne, which was the lead ship. All the other ships followed in her shadow. He placed the sixty destroyers at the end of the long train of ships because of their small size. The bridge crew was looking at views of the Alliance fleet provided by Saratoga. The Cainth fleet was spread out evenly around the planet with the dreadnoughts evenly spaced around the equator.
Do you think our little disguise might fool them? Tag asked Kosiev.
Im not sure of their sensor capability. It should allow us to get somewhat closer than we would otherwise, Kosiev said.
The Melbourne had left three days earlier than the other ships and made a stop in the Ort cloud that surrounds Earths solar system with millions of comets. An engineering team had selected one of the smaller comets that was 6,500 feet wide and hollowed it out to its core prior to the Melbournes arrival. The Melbourne, commanded by Captain Alverez, who was Kosievs former weapons officer, had then moved into that hollow and began to slowly accelerate to its jump point. It was not easily done, but the power of its drives took it out of orbit, and with its comet nose piece, the ship started picking up speed. The Melbourne had used a traditional force field to keep the comet from coming into contact with its hull and used the Coronado screen to enclose both of them to safely make the jump to the assembly coordinates. It waited there for the other ships. Once the other ships arrived, Tag lined them up, and then they jumped to the Ross system. The long train of ships accelerated and used the suns gravity well to slingshot them toward the planet. They had been traveling using only minimal environmental power for sixteen hours. They should be tracking us by now, Kosiev said. That comet nose piece is hot from our passage by the sun and is leaving a vapor trail.