The Shattered Empire (The Shadow Space Chronicles Book 2) (58 page)

“That seems like a decent plan, Commodore,” Captain Stavros said with an overly friendly tone.  “However, I do have a couple questions.”  The pirate leaned over the holoprojector and adjusted the controls.  The system expanded out, into a full three dimensional diagram, complete with many of the details which the two dimensional map hadn't held.

Commodore Moore opened his mouth to complain, but before he could, Stavros gave a broad wave, “I applaud your skill at simplifying the battlefield to eliminate distractions.  However, I couldn't help but notice that your emergence point is actually outside our maximum missile range but still inside their detection range.  That would give them sufficient time to launch their ready fighters and bring a number of their alert ships to combat readiness, without us being able to do anything about it.”

Commodore Moore flushed, “In theory, yes.  However, I think with the force we can muster, especially with our cruiser strength...”

“The fleet base there has four wings of Patriot mark twos,” Garret said after a glance at the information.  “That's literally more fighters than my Hammers carry missiles.  Patriot mark twos are nasty to deal with for my gunboats, but they'll mount plenty of ordinance.  The RLF force there can use their normal tactics, hit and run and break up our formation as we close...
if
we give them time to marshal their forces.”

Garret saw Oronkwo nod in response.  Garret hated to agree with Stavros, from loyalty to his boss if nothing else, but the man had said what he would have.  The plan would probably work, as Commodore Moore had laid it out.  The problem was it would cost them, heavily.  Out front, his Hammers would pay the butcher's bill, but heavy casualties among the flanking corvettes was almost a given against standard RLF tactics.  In truth, the cruisers would be fairly well protected, which is why Garret was somewhat surprised that Captain Stavros had spoken up.

“But to emerge any closer, we run the risk of being caught too close to disengage if the enemy is present in force,” Commodore Moore said doggedly.  “And any further away and we still run the risk that we'll be seen with adequate time for them to marshal not just their alert fighters and vessels, but also anything else in the system.”

“Commodore, you are the very fount of knowledge,” Stavros said with what sounded like absolute sincerity.  “However, I wonder if you might consider the use of Captain Oronkwo's stealth systems.”

“I had considered that, but since the rest of our vessels do not have those capabilities...”

“My ships could go ahead,” Captain Oronkwo said.  He scowled, almost as if he felt he'd been insulted by the Commodore ignoring his ships capabilities.  In a way, Garret supposed he had.  “We could not only scout out the system and report in, but position ourselves to strike their vulnerabilities upon your arrival, taking down their command and communications nodes or their sensor arrays to blind them and leave them vulnerable.”

Commodore Moore flushed, his olive skin dark, “Not that I doubt your capabilities, but I helped to design the sensor array in the Wenceslaus system.  I know full well that it has overlapping arrays.”

“But this was before you retired, some twenty years previously,” Garret said.  “And I doubt they've upgraded their systems since.”  As he saw the Commodore's face darken still further, Garret hurriedly added, “While you used the best technology available, at the time, I'm certain without an officer like yourself to look after things, their maintenance must have suffered.  Also, Captain Oronkwo's ships have the best stealth systems money can buy.”

Commodore Moore nodded slowly, “You do have a point, Captain.  However, I am worried that with the delay of twelve day travel there, even with the five day journey back here, we will not be well positioned to benefit from his scouting operations.  Also, things may well change drastically in that time.”

“That's an excellent point,” Captain Stavros said.  “Captain Oronkwo, do you happen to mount one of the newer model ansibles on your vessels?”

“I do,” Oronkwo said with exaggerated patience.  Garret winced at that.  Clearly the mercenary captain had reached the end of his patience with the Halcyon Commodore, not that Garret could blame him.

“My own vessel mounts one as well, how wonderful,” Stavros said with another of his broad smiles.  “That would allow us to coordinate, not only over distance, but to do so en route.  A great boon.”  He looked at Garret, “What range, would you say, Captain, would your Hammers be effective at with their improved ammunition?”

Garret frowned.  That kind of information could prove deadly if the pirate sought to use it against them.  At the same time, it wasn't something that Admiral Mannetti, at least, didn't have available from sensor data.  “No more than thirty thousand kilometers.”

“My own vessel's maximum range is twenty five thousand kilometers,” Stavros said.  He looked at the Commodore, “Your two Independence-class cruisers have a maximum range of twelve thousand kilometers with your heavy rail-guns, correct?”

Commodore Moore grimaced, “That's true enough.”  He clearly didn't like to admit to a more limited range.  Garret wasn't sure if that was because it made his ships seem older or less capable, or just some sort of inferiority in general.

“Well, then,” Stavros said with another broad smile, “Perhaps we can use this to our advantage, no?”  He adjusted the diagram and highlighted the fleet base.  It was a large station, with a modular design similar to most Colonial Republic stations.  Half of it was in use by the civilian traffic in the system.  That was, Garret knew, in part to provide some protection against a surprise attack.  Although some pirates and even some Colonial Republic officers had shown the callousness to perform such attacks regardless of the civilian casualties, the hesitation to do so by anyone with even a sliver of a conscience meant most Colonial systems would accept the risk of making their civilians hostages to their enemies good behavior.

“We obviously can't hit the station without giving the civilian population time to evacuate,” Stavros managed to say that in a fashion that sounded as if he didn't really care.  “However, we can freely engage any vessels in orbit, particularly if we emerge in a flanking position so our fire will not threaten the planet.”  Stavros pointed at a position only a thousand kilometers above the planet's surface, inside the orbit of the station.

Garret nodded at that, although his rounds were 'smart' they continued to travel if they missed their targets.  Atmospheric friction, at the speeds they traveled, would barely slow them.  The missiles they carried, while more advanced and better maintained than the Colonial Republic ones, were still subject to the occasional glitch.  If one coasted into atmosphere and smashed into a town, even without detonation, it would cause massive loss of life.

“My own vessel, also carries two squadrons of light fighters, ideal to screen the Hammers from any ready fighters while they engage real threats,” Stavros said.  “While your own ships can launch missiles on any patrol vessels near to the planet, and we would be close enough that they would hesitate to fire back, at risk of hitting their own world.”

Garret winced at that.  It was a cold thing to do and a terrible position for the defenders.  They would have to chose between defending themselves and risking damage to the planet they defended.  Their own fire would almost certainly strike the planet if they missed.  Even interceptor fire aimed at missiles, particularly the thirty millimeter cannons favored throughout the Colonial Republic, could potentially penetrate the atmosphere to strike the planet. 

“We can almost certainly destroy any vessels which do engage us at minimal cost to ourselves.  Also, from there, your ships could move forward and board the station, take charge of any ships we wish to take, and we can depart.”  There was some levels of risk to the plan, but it did offer substantially less risks to their raiding force, Garret thought. 
It's also one of the coldest ways to go about fighting: hit the enemy by surprise, use their own people against them, and put them in the position where they can die or surrender.

Evidently Commodore Moore felt even more strongly about it, “That's a terrible way to wage war, Stavros.  In all likelihood we'd be killing ships and crews before they even had a chance to suit up or bring systems online.  Worse, we'd be using their own civilians as weapons against them!”  He shook his head, “It's just as well that we can't rely on any kind of navigation system to get us that kind of pinpoint accuracy to a shadow space jump.”

“Not a navigation system, no,” Stavros said, “But a psychic navigator?  I wager mine could do it.  And if you're worried about killing them when they're not ready... well, that's all well and good if you're the strong side, but Halcyon isn't.  In all likelihood, those same crews you're worried about killing wouldn't hesitate to bomb your cities from orbit when given the orders... or to loot your cities, enslave your people, and have you and your crews executed for treason.”  There was a cold edge to Stavros's normally emotive voice, as if he spoke from some dark experience of his own.  Garret had heard that Stavros came from Greece, on old Earth.  Perhaps he thought of how wretched life was there, with violent gangs fighting over the bones of the old, ruined cities or maybe it was something to do with the civil war in the Centauri Confederation, which claimed Earth.

Surprisingly, Captain Oronkwo spoke up as well, “Commodore, this is a war.  We'll be engaging legitimate military targets.  In particular, you'll have my ships there to spot for you ahead of time.  With an emergence that close to the planet, we retain the ability to withdraw safely in case of any type of larger enemy presence, before they can safely engage us.”

Commodore Moore grimaced.  “We'll need to review this, look over the calculations, particularly with the ranges of your ships and the probable locations of enemy vessels.”  His voice was reluctant, yet Garret saw that his resolution crumbled in the face of his notional subordinates disagreement.

Garret looked over at Stavros Heraklion and met his gaze.  For just a moment, his blue eyes seemed to have a strange, calculating look to them, as if he were trying to take Garret's measure.  The moment passed though and the pirate's smile held nothing more than cunning and self-interest. 
The plan is good,
Garret thought,
not surprising considering it probably follows standard pirate doctrine, hit hard, put yourself in a position where the enemy can't fight. 
No wonder Stavros had survived so long as a pirate.  He had enough bestial cunning to use civilized behavior against his enemies and enough intelligence to not cross over the line into atrocities that would have entire fleets after him.

Really, the plan sounded similar to one of Tommy King's raids that Garret had studied during his time in training.  The pirate had brought his entire fleet into low orbit in the New Paris system and engaged the defending fleet from where they didn't dare return fire.  He'd destroyed over a dozen Colonial Republic ships before the commander withdrew and then looted several of the planet's major cities and departed before a relief force could arrive.

Garret supposed he should be glad that Stavros was less successful a pirate than Tommy King.  The legendary pirate had at least limited his ravages to specific targets, by and large.  Stavros seemed too opportunistic to limit himself to targets over some kind of philosophical, ideological, or moral grounds.

Commodore Moore still seemed a bit shaken at having his entire plan discarded, yet done so in a way that he couldn't take real offense at.  “Well, gentlemen, I'm glad we all worked together to form this plan and I look forward to our work together, which will no doubt build strong relationships we can depend upon.”

At his words, Garret felt his stomach twist.  He wasn't certain if the Commodore
really
believed that or not, but it sounded rather like something he was told to say... perhaps from his political backers, maybe even the ones who wanted their alliance with Mannetti.  A glance at Stavros showed another of his broad smiles, yet there was a predatory edge to it, one that suggested any kind of friendship with him would last only until he saw better profits in betrayal.

I'll keep my eyes open,
Garret thought,
even if the rest of my planet seems determined not to see the wolves they've brought in to guard the sheep, this is one sheepdog that isn't confused by their fawning behavior.

***

Lauren bit her lip nervously as she waited in the rented room.  She had set up the rendezvous to meet with Mason away from both prying eyes and ears as well as away from the psychic who he seemed to trust implicitly. 
The Baron trusted her too,
Lauren thought,
but she's here, which means either she abandoned him or he sent her away.
  Either way, she didn't entirely trust the other woman, as friendly as she was.

Lauren didn't really trust anyone, especially not right now.  She had begun to rethink a lot of her recent decisions of late.  She wished she had someone to talk with, about some of her assumptions and about some of her feelings. 
I made my decision to follow Mason because I respected him,
Lauren thought,
because he offered me a different life and I was sick of losing people.
  Yet some small voice whispered that she had really accepted his offer to come with him because of some other expectations.  Not that he had ever even
hinted
at any kind of interest in her, she knew, nothing other than the one kiss on Port Klast.