Sounds good, but what if the Alliance fleet doesnt come into range of the forts weapons?
Then we launch the ships on one side of the planet and pin the fleet there between those coming from the moon, the Ultras jumping in and the ones coming from the planet. It will be a work in progress. We have to let the Alliance fleet dictate what happens this time.
Kosiev sat up and said, Leisure time is over. To plan those three possible maneuvers is going to take a lot of work so that every ship knows where its supposed to be. Ill see you later.
Tag waved as Kosiev called a meeting of all his admirals as he left the room. He then looked back at his consoles monitor and saw more ships jump into the Alliance system. Ummmm, 15,800 and theyre still not forming up. He shook his head and said to Ensign Kelly, Im going to grab an Ultra and jump out to Glod to see Danielle. Contact me the moment those ships start forming up into squadrons.
Yes sir, Kelly said.
State Leader Sten and Headman Dgzh were sitting at a conference table with the former Ambassador to the Glod Union. The Ambassador said, When I delivered your message to the Glod royalty about your plans to destroy their planet, they prepared to execute me but that Human Female they named Queen intervened and stopped them. She told them that if they executed everyone that told them bad news then they would never hear the important things that were critical to survival. She actually said, You should thank the Ambassador for giving you advanced warning. They let me and all my staff leave peacefully and assisted us in boarding our ships.
Sten and Dgzh looked at each other and Stein said, For such ferocious fighters, these Humans are incredibly hard to understand. I would have executed you and every other Alliance citizen in a public square.
Thats another thing, Leader. They broadcast over their world net that the Alliance was coming to destroy their world and any Alliance citizen that would like to leave would be given passage to the nearest Alliance base aboard civilian ships. Very few chose to leave. They dont appear to be afraid at all. One other thing I saw on my way from the planet, they appear to have big rocks orbiting the planet in a belt around the middle.
Sten and Dgzh both jumped out of their seats and Dgzh yelled, They have what?
The Ambassador looked shaken and started mumbling, I dont know what they were. They looked like huge rocks circling the planet.
Dgzh grabbed his remote to his console and pushed several button on it until a picture appeared on the wall screen of the Earth with its asteroid forts circling at the equator. Did they look like that?
The Ambassador looked at the picture and nodded, Exactly like that. Stein and Dgzh looked at each other and said nothing. The Ambassador said, Whats so serious about those rocks?
Ambassador, those are a Human defense system designed to put a shield around a planet. We have designed a system to drain the shield but it has never been tried in actual field conditions. I find it extraordinary that the Humans could install that system as quickly as they did. Do you happen to know when the asteroids were first put in place?
The Ambassador searched his memory and appeared to draw a blank but then his face lit up, I remember right after our assault of their planet thirty five rotations ago that I was standing outside and suddenly a big shadow crossed over me on a cloudless day. I couldnt figure out what caused it but it had to be one of those things.
Sten looked at Dgzh and asked, Do you know how many warships the Glod have in their inventory?
More than 3,000, State Leader but they are standard Alliance ship types.
Order 6,000 of our ships to jump into the Glod system and see how many ships come out to defend the planet. Once we get a count have our ships jump back.
Tag was in the Glod system holding his wifes hand while they looked down on a pond where reptilian frogs were jumping ten feet in the air to catch what looked like giant gnats. Things sure look different here, Tag said. Danielle just smiled. Suddenly Tags com buzzed. Kosiev was on it and Tag heard him say, Mr. Gardner, more than 5,000 Alliance ships are forming up in an area away from the rest of the fleet. We still have ships jumping in and the count is up to 16,300. Do you think they intend to attack us piecemeal?
That wouldnt make sense. Keep an eye on those ships and let me know if they start turning on their star drives. Kosiev nodded and signed off.
Whats going on? Danielle asked.
The Alliance Fleet has 5,000 of their ships forming up away from the main body of the fleet. I just cant believe they would jump to Earth ahead of the main body.
Danielle thought a minute and said, Maybe theyre not jumping to Earth. We sent the Alliance Ambassador packing three days ago. Perhaps he told them about the Asteroids and theyre coming to check it out.
Tag thought furiously and said, Danielle, there wouldnt be any reason to check out the asteroids with 5,000 ships. Either they attack with the entire fleet or stay where they are. Then it struck him, Maybe they are trying to see if we are going to use the Glod Navy to defend the Earth. If its not here then this may be their first attack. He lifted his com and said, Tgon-Gee, respond immediately!
Tgon-Gee came on his com and said, Yes Mr. Tag, how can I help you?
How many of your ships are here?
About 2,800; we have 800 ships being converted at your building facilities. Why do you ask?
Bear with me a minute, how many of the 2,800 have been converted?
About half of them have the new technology.
Im expecting the Alliance to jump in more than 5,000 ships to see how many ships you answer with. Can you get your ships out and have the new ships placed behind the old ones with their screens shut off. They should still look like standard Alliance warships.
Tgon-Gee nodded and disappeared from Tags com. I hope we have enough time to get this done, Tag said. Kosiev, he said into his com. How close is that group of ships to being sorted out for jump?
Theyre encountering some difficulty, they just had 400 ships jump into the area they were assembling and they all scattered probably thinking that it was another one of our attacks. It will take them at least another hour and a half to reorganize.
Thanks, Admiral. Then Tag called Tgon-Gee, Excellency, it looks like we will have about, whats the Alliance word for minute, on yeah, dreg, ninety dregs before they jump. Can you organize your fleet that quickly?
Its being done right now. We were already in formations around the planet so it shouldnt take more than thirty or forty dregs.
I might be wrong about this but I have to leave and get that Ultra Battleship out of your system; there is no way to explain that. Im going to leave my wife and your Queen here for you to take care of.
It will be our honor.
Danielle hugged Tag and kissed him, Are we always going to be saying good-bye?
Tag smiled and said, Thats what makes the hellos so great. Ill see you after the battle.
See that you do, Danielle said to him as he ran from the room.
Tags ship jumped out of the system thirty minutes before the Alliance fleet jumped in. They formed ranks and began moving in system. Shipven Vi looked at his sensors and asked his sensor officer, How many ships do you register on your instruments. Some of them are behind those in front but it looks like at least 3,000 or so.
Do you see anything unusual about their ships?
Were a long way out from the planet but they look like standard ships.
Vi turned on his com and said, State Leader, they have approximately 3,000 ships here. They all look like standard ship types.
Sten looked at Dgzh and said, Jump back into our system immediately.