Why did the sight fill him with foreboding? Was it the unexpected lack of resistance? His drone probes had reported two dozen type four OWP'S and extensive minefields covering the Sagebrush-Zapata warp nexus. That had been enough to draw the fire of almost all of his remaining SBMHAWK'S, but there had
He brooded over the display, pondering the system spread out before him in miniature. This warp point lay nearly in the system's plane of the ecliptic, as did his destination--the Iphigena warp point. But they were almost diametrically opposite one another, and between them was the inner system: the local sun, the two small, airless innermost planets, the Earthlike third planet, and an extensive asteroid belt.
Having the sun directly between him and his destina- tion was annoying. That colossal gravity well made any sort of straight line route impossible, even in this day and age. He'd chosen his course long since: a hyperbola at right angles to the plane of the ecliptic, passing "over" the sun and its innermost children. He wanted to avoid the ecliptic anyway; it would distance him from any traps the opposition might consider springing.
But where was the opposition?
He knew he would encounter some fortresses, at least, at the Iphigena warp point; there'd been a couple there even before the rebellion, and the rebels must have reinforced them. After all, that warp point was far closer to the sun than most less than ten light-minutes beyond the asteroid belt, in fact. The rebels couldn't have failed to construct some asteroid fortresses, the cheapest and in many ways best kind.
But there had to be heavy mobile forces lurking beyond scanner range. He couldn't be that far wng about rebel strategy. The increasing ferocity of their eom-merce raiders had managed to suck off a dismayingly high proportion of his light carrierswhich had to be what they'd intended, assuming they meant to engage him here. Unless, of course, they'd followed the same line of reasoning and decided to do something else, just to be difficult.
He shook free of his useless speculations and walked a few paces to join Yoshinaka and Mujabi, who were hud-died in consultation.
"Problems, gentlemen?" "No, sir," Yoshinaka replied. "Admiral Remko reports the screen's deployment complete."
Trevayne nodded. Remko's screen massed twelve battle-cruisers and attendant destroyers. With Admiral Steinme-uller's fifteen heavy cruisers attached, he would precede the battle-line by fifteen minutes, sweeping the space before the ten supermonitors, ten monitors, eight super-dreadnoughts, and twelve battleships.
The battlegroups had the usual allotment of destroyer escorts, except for the supermonitors, which were flanked by the new escort cruisers designed and built in the Rim, and Trevayne had held back three destroyer battlegroups, built around Goeben-class command cruisers.
The battle-line was also accompanied by Carl Stoner's six fleet carriers and three remaining light carriers, with over two hundred fighters. The rebels could put far more fighters into space whenever they finally offered battle, but at least they could no longer count on the edge their pilots" experiencff normally gave them--Stoner's people had been blooded repeatedly against both rebels and Tangri. "The fleet is ready to proceed," Yoshinaka continued. "No, we were discussing the lack of opposition. It's almost eerie. His "Yes. I suppose it's possible I've been wrong all along about where the rebels will make a stand, but I still don't think so. And yet... ff they do plan to put up a serious defense, letting us make transit unscathed shows a high degree of chutzpah." Mujabfs eyebrows arched in puzzlement, and Trevayne translated.
"Rigelian word?" Li Han folded her hands in her lap and watched her display. The data codes were more tentative than usual because the single scout cruiser hidden outside the asteroid belt was at extreme range. Still, the essentials were clear. A powerful screen had moved away from Trevayne's main force, opening the gap between itself and the battle-line to a full ninety light-seconds, and she sat expressionlessly, watching her enemy advance into what hopefully -comwd prove an unsuspected trap. She glanced at Reznick. "Time to asteroid belt?" ""Their screen will cross it headed in-system in about six hours, sir. Their battle-line will be approximately fifteen minutes behind them." "Thank you." She turned back to the display, wishing Trevayne hadn't jumped the gun on them.
He'd begun his breakout over a month earlier than predicted, and half her carriers had yet to reach her, nor did she have any idea how the defense against the Rump pincer was proceeding. Her ignorance gnawed at her, and she wished she dared communicate with Magda or Jason, but they needed corn silence to do their jobs. She felt herself relaxing as she thought of her friends. If anyone could pull it off, they could.
Sean Remko sat in his command chair like a bear.
His combat vac suit and grooming were impeccable, but somehow he always struck Cyrus Waldeck as unwashed and slovenly. The flag captain shook his head distastefully and glanced back at his own display as his ship crossed the asteroid belt, moving at a--to them--leisurely pace to allow the battle-line to keep up. He stiffened as a sudden flicker of light abruptly resolved itself into the data codes of enemy vessels.
"Admiral Remko! We've got--was "I see them, Captain," Remko interrupted.
"Brian' he turned to his chief of staff his--- come to a heading of one-one six. Increase to flank speed. Prepare for missile engagement: carriers are primary targets." "Aye, aye, sir!" "Captain Waldeck, stand by to engage the enemy." "Aye, aye, sir!" Remko glanced at his elegant flag eaptain from the corner of one eye, then turned to his eom officer. "Get me the flagship." "Aye, aye, sir." Remko watched the drifting data codes as he waited for the eom link to be established. With transmissions limited to light speed, there was a time lag of just over ninety seconds either way, so he wasted no time trying for an integrated conversation when Trevayne's image appeared on his screen.
"Admiral, we've detected seven fleet carriers, seven battleships, and eight battle-ernisers with nine light cruis- INSUIECTION ers maneuvering as regular three-ship squadrons--almost dead ahead at max scanner range. We should be able to engage them on our own termsthe battlewagons will slow them up for us. But we'll need carrier support..." Trevayne nodded as Remko paused to acknowledge a report. He waved a hand at Yoshinaka and pointed at his chief of staffs communications panel.
"Launch them," he said.
"Sir," Remko looked back out of the screen, "the rebel carriers have launched what appears to be their entire left-brace ighter complement. ETA twenty-one minutes. Let me repeat my request for carrier support.., urgently." "Already granted, Scan," Trevayne replied. He glanced at Yoshinaka once more and received a nod of con left-brace irma-tion.
"Thank you, sir. One trashed rebel task force coming up. Remko out." "Well, you were right about the rebels offering battle here." Yoshinaka spoke as the screen blanked, then paused at Trevayne's unaccustomed scowl.
"Bloody hell, Genji, that can't be their entire force! Where're their battle-line and assault carriers? And look." He pointed to his battle plot. "They're backing away now that they've launched their left-brace ighers. Why? They can't outrun Scan with battleships to slow them down. Besides, battleships don't run away from battle-cruisers; they try to close before a force like ours can come to their opposition's support." He scowled at the plot, as if by sheer concentration he could know the minds commanding those drifting bits of light.
"I don't like it at all, Genii." But the blips told him nothing, and his eyes strayed back to the big visual display as Nelson neared the asteroid belt. Planet Three was the second brightest object in the heavens.
"Admiral Petrovna's launching, sir." 'hank you. Time, Bob?"
"Oh-seven-forty Zulu, Admiral." "Log it." Hah leaned back in her chair. The Book said a commander never committed her forces to combat when she couldn't exercise tactical control, but The Book didn't cover this situation. She'd agonized over her command structure before she finally made her call. Magda had proven her mettle too often to question her ability to handle the role thrust upon her, but Hah had really wanted her for the other detached force, even ff it was smaller. Timing, she told herself. Timing was everything. She could entrust her own force to no one eiseit had to be under her direct control, with no eom lag-and she needed Magda for the job she had, which to eft Jason for what was actually the most ticklish aspect of Operation Actium. Han didn't question his ability--comonly his experience.