“Launch probes,” he ordered. “I want a complete sensor shell spread out two light minutes from the fleet.”
“Aye, sir,” Lopez said. “Drones launching… now.”
“Order the Chinese to advance towards the planet,” Ted added. Captain Wang had been petitioning for the job as soon as they’d started to plan the operation, so Ted had agreed, with only a few minor reservations. If the aliens were plotting an ambush, there was a very good chance the Chinese would accidentally spring it before the carriers put their necks in the noose. “Remind them that I don’t want any heroics. I merely want them to survey the outer edge of the alien industrial node.”
He sucked in his breath as the drones raced outwards, eventually confirming that there was nothing within several light minutes of the fleet. Ted felt cold ice slipping down the back of his spine; something was wrong, but what? Why hadn’t the aliens attempted to block their advance? Given their speed advantage, they could have landed a few blows then retreated before Ted’s forces caught up with them. Could it be he was heading towards precisely where they wanted him to go… or were they distracted elsewhere?
The thought chilled him to the bone. What if the aliens are attacking Earth right now?
“Transmit the contact package,” he ordered. There was no point in trying to hide. They were making enough electronic noise to ensure that they could be detected from right across the star system. “Let’s see what answer we get.”
“It will be at least half an hour before the message reaches them,” Lopez warned. “And a full hour before we get any reply.”
If they do reply, Ted thought, grimly.
“Understood,” he said. There was nothing they could do about the laws of physics, at least until someone came up with a way of sending messages faster than light. Some of the scientists might talk about creating artificial tramlines, but Ted would believe it when he saw it. The power it took to expand the tramlines alone was quite significant. “We will just have to wait.”
He settled back in his chair as the fleet moved away from the tramline, surveying the data as the drones and frigates relayed it back to the analysts. The planetary system had two gas giants, he realised, although one of them didn’t seem to have received much attention from the aliens. There were still no traces of any life-supporting worlds, which didn’t really surprise him. The aliens seemed to follow the same basic logic as humanity when it came to settling other worlds; they concentrated on the life-supporting planets first, then started to develop the rest of the system. So far, there was no trace of any alien terraforming program, but that proved nothing. Their biology would predispose them towards habitable worlds rather than trying to terraform Mars-like worlds that would require the infusion of vast amounts of water. But there was no shortage of water in space…
“No response,” Lopez said, when eighty minutes had passed since they’d transmitted the message. “Not even an uncomprehending response.”
Ted gritted his teeth. If they were right, the facilities ahead of them might be controlled by Faction Two… and firing on them would bring Faction Two into the war on the wrong side. But if they were under Faction One’s control… there was no way to solve the problem without actually talking to the aliens and the damned creatures refused to talk!
“Continue towards primary target,” he ordered, finally. “And transmit the standard warning…”
“Contacts,” Lopez snapped. “Multiple contacts.”
Ted swore out loud as red icons flared into life on the display — no, two groups of red icons. One directly in front of them, the other on a course that suggested they’d been lurking behind the tramline. The aliens had set a trap…
“I don’t understand,” Lopez said, blankly. “We surveyed that part of space, sir.”
Ted looked down at the display, puzzled. Lopez was right. The aliens hadn’t been there when the drones passed through that section of space, unless their stealth systems had improved remarkably. And that meant… what?
He looked at where the aliens had appeared and knew the answer. “They set a trap,” he said, grimly. “And they’re trying to catch us between two fires.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
In hindsight, Ted realised, as the alien ships closed in, it should have been obvious. Everyone had known that tramlines didn’t form between planets and the stars they orbited — but then, everyone had also known that it was impossible to extend a tramline. If the aliens could do one, why not the other?
“They used a tramline between the gas giant and the star,” he realised. “Jumped their fleet right into prime interception position.”
Lopez blinked at him. “Sir?”
“If they’ve mastered jumping without a tramline, we’re dead,” Ted pointed out. “They could have jumped right into close range and torn us apart before we even knew we were under attack. Instead… where they appeared says there has to be a tramline there, even if we didn’t expect it to exist.”
He shook his head, dismissing the thought. The analysts could work on it later, once they got out of the trap. “Launch probes at both alien fleets,” he ordered. “I want to know what we’re facing.”
The display updated rapidly. Both alien fleets included eight large carriers and a number of smaller ships, including several of unknown design. Ted had to admit they’d timed it very well; if he continued to advance towards the planet, he’d have to fight his way through one force while the other came up behind him. If he turned and retreated back to the tramline, the same thing would happen, only in reverse. And, with one enemy fleet blocking his path back to the tramline, he couldn’t hope to avoid engagement.
We can’t enter the tramline without engaging the fleet, he thought, grimly. And if we don’t try to enter the tramline, we’ll die here.
“Alter course,” he ordered. If the enemy could be tempted to merge their fleets into one unit, the tactical problem would become simpler. But then, if they did, they could just crush his fleet by sheer weight of numbers. “I want to head away from both fleets.”
He watched, grimly, as the enemy fleet altered course too. Force One — the fleet between them and the gas giant — started to move in pursuit, while Force Two hunkered down near the tramline. Ted silently cursed the enemy commander under his breath, knowing just what it meant; whoever they were facing was not someone inclined to make rash moves. They might be able to beat Force One, but Force Two would still be blocking their escape. And, given the alien speed advantage, it was unlikely he could smash his way through Force Two before Force One caught up with them.
And even if we did, they’d still be in position to charge after us into the Target One system, he thought. He shot a wistful look at the display, where Target Two still glowed invitingly, then dismissed the thought. There was no way they could attack the system now. We have to beat them both here.
“Force Two is moving,” Lopez said. “She’s advancing along the tramline.”
Ted nodded, unsurprised. Force Two would always be between the humans and their only means of escape. If they set out through interstellar space, it would be years before they reached another star… and they’d better hope it had a tramline. And if the drives failed in interstellar space, they’d be stranded for the rest of their lives. No, that wasn’t an option. But nor was forcing their way back through the tramline…