“If the Syndicate flotilla turns back to meet us—” Kontos began.
She shook her head firmly. “They’re obviously trying to protect those troop transports and freighters. Unless they know the enigmas are going to chase them, turning away and running toward us would just leave those transports and freighters completely open to attack. Unless something else happens, I don’t see any chance of the Syndicate flotilla changing its vector.”
As if triggered by her words, a new alert sounded and new symbols appeared on her display.
Marphissa stared as the display reported that yet another flotilla had appeared in this star system, this time at the jump point from Moorea. Two more battle cruisers, three heavy cruisers, a light cruiser, and eight Hunter-Killers.
Granaile Imallye’s flotilla had arrived.
Before getting to Iwa, Marphissa had anticipated fighting a couple of two-way battles, her forces against Imallye and her forces against the enigmas. But now there were four flotillas at Iwa, and each one of those flotillas regarded the other three as hostile. “Imallye’s forces, the Syndicate forces, and the enigmas, will all attack us at the first opportunity. The only good part of that is they will also attack each other at the first chance that offers itself.”
“A four-way fight?” Kontos asked in disbelief.
The image of Kapitan Mercia appeared before Marphissa. “Well, Kommodor, we have three different enemies to choose from. Which do we attack first?”
Put that way, the answer wasn’t too difficult. “The enigmas. We’ll continue on our approach to intercept their armada.”
Mercia nodded. “I am obligated to point out that it is possible Imallye’s forces will ignore us, the Syndicate, and the enigmas, and proceed straight to the jump point for Midway while the rest of us kill each other.”
That was an ugly possibility. Marphissa remembered the implacable woman she had exchanged messages with at Moorea. “That could happen. We must give Imallye a reason to come after us.” She knew that Iceni would be listening in to this conversation, and would know what that reason would have to be, but Marphissa did not feel comfortable telling her president that it was time to broadcast her presence as bait.
President Iceni’s image appeared as well, looking both resigned to her fate and determined. “I will transmit a message to Imallye. A long message, so she can confirm that it is coming from Midway.”
“Thank you, Madam President,” Marphissa said. “May I suggest that you also include some recent details of events here so that Imallye will not think the message is just a recording.”
“I’ll do that.” Iceni glanced to one side, studying the situation on her own display. “What are your intentions, Kommodor?”
Marphissa took a deep breath, then spoke clearly. “I intend continuing onward to engage the enigma armada, splitting off our troop transports to land our ground forces as we pass closest to the planet. If any Syndicate warships still survive when we reach them, I will not target the Syndicate units but allow them to continue engaging the enigmas as well. Once the enigmas are destroyed, I will evaluate the state of any surviving Syndicate warships before turning to engage Imallye’s flotilla. After destroying Imallye’s forces, I will bring our flotilla back to the planet to support our ground forces in their assault on the enigma base.”
“That’s as good a plan as any at this point,” Iceni said. “How does Colonel Rogero feel about it?”
“Colonel Rogero is… not happy,” Marphissa said, choosing her words carefully.
“I’m not surprised. But as bad as things may be on the surface of that planet, they will certainly be a lot better than if his soldiers stayed on those transports with that many enigma warships on the loose.” Iceni paused to rub her forehead, revealing for a moment beneath that not-quite-concealing-enough gesture the concerns she was otherwise hiding very well. “I approve of your plan of action, Kommodor. Proceed. Remember that the enigmas often try to surprise their opponents, so take nothing for granted.”
“Yes, Madam President.”
As Iceni’s image vanished, Marphissa gazed once more at the situation in Iwa. The Syndicate flotilla was still nearly three light hours distant and just to the starward side of the bows of Marphissa’s ships and slightly beneath them. The Syndicate forces should have reached the planet holding the enigma base a short time ago, and would have probably dropped off the transports and freighters while proceeding onward to meet the enigmas. Marphissa’s own flotilla was heading into the star system, aiming for that planet’s orbit as well. Two light hours beyond the Syndicate forces was the enigma armada, which was visible just to port (away from the star) of Marphissa’s flotilla and several degrees above Midway’s ships. As of five hours ago, the alien armada had been on a vector aiming to meet that of the Syndicate flotilla.
Imallye’s flotilla had arrived from Moorea a little over four hours ago, and was coming in from far to port and just aft of amidships relative to Marphissa’s force. Because of where the jump point from Moorea was located and the times the other flotillas had arrived at Iwa, Imallye would have seen the other three groups of warships as soon as her ships left jump space.
The vector for Marphissa’s flotilla curved into the star system, aiming to intercept not just the orbit of the planet but also the Syndicate flotilla that was moving to meet the aliens. As Marphissa watched her display, the projected track of Imallye’s force shifted only slightly, aiming to swing past the stern of Midway’s flotilla. Mercia had apparently been right about Imallye deciding to hit Midway while the bulk of its forces were tied up in the fighting at Iwa. Hopefully, President Iceni would either persuade Imallye to join in the fight against the enigmas, or goad Imallye into chasing Marphissa’s force as it raced to meet the Syndicate flotilla and the enigma armada.
It was all already complicated enough. What sort of hidden strike could the enigmas also manage when their forces were clearly visible?
“Kapitan Kontos,” Marphissa said, slumping back and gesturing at her display, “if you were an enigma, how would you surprise us or anyone else in this star system?”
Kontos shrugged. “Reinforcements.”
“If more enigma warships arrive at their new jump point, we’ll have plenty of time to see them coming,” Marphissa pointed out. “And our path isn’t coming closer than twenty-three light minutes to any other planet in this star system, so even if the enigmas are hiding behind one of the planets we’ll still have time to react.”
“We will come much closer than twenty-three light minutes to our objective,” Kontos said, pointing to the world they were heading toward. “We are currently tracking to be within a few light seconds of that planet.”
Marphissa gave him a cross look. “It’s a buried installation. Deeply buried. Even if the enigmas have installed defenses on the surface we’ll be too far away for those weapons to threaten us unless we change our track and go into orbit about that planet.”
Kontos nodded, then turned a questioning look on Marphissa. “How do the enigmas supply that buried base, Kommodor?”
She looked back at him, thinking about the question. “There isn’t any landing area visible on the surface,” Marphissa said slowly. “The enigmas have to have some sort of capability to transfer bulk cargo from orbit to that base.”