17:39 (Kyoto Alpha Time)
Sunday, October 18, 4021
Combat Center, H.S.S. INVINCIBLE
High orbit above Alpha Centauri A-IV
While they were quite low, Fleet Admiral Lex Garth still had hopes for this incoming battle, for a number of reasons. Up to now, in this 22 month-old war, the Morgs had possessed the decisive advantage of being able to concentrate all their forces at single points chosen by them, thus crushing their human opponents through sheer weight of numbers, rather than through any true technological or tactical superiority. Taken individually, the Morg ships were slower and less agile than human ships, plus they could not by themselves go above the speed of light. While their anti-matter projector guns had devastating firepower that could destroy even heavy combat ships in one strike, their true advantage resided in their inter-dimensional tunnel technology, which was analogous to creating large artificial wormholes in space. With their inter-dimensional tunnels, the Morgs were able to select a point in the star system of their choice and create a large opening in the fabric of space, opening through which whole fleets of Morg ships could then emerge from to attack the said star system. While the Morgs’ native system’s precise location was still unknown to Humans, it seemed that the Morgs knew too well the locations of the various systems inhabited by the Human Expansion. They thus had been able to overwhelm one by one in mass surprise attacks the Human-occupied systems, exterminating every Human in those systems and destroying everything in their path. After losing in succession 24 star systems to the Morgs in the last 22 months, the Human Expansion was left with only two systems intact: Alpha Centauri and the Solar System. However, all those tragic losses had brought a bitter benefit to the Human Expansion: its fleet was now able to concentrate its remaining forces on defending only two star systems, instead of having to spread its ships among two dozen star systems. For the first time in this war, Lex Garth felt that he had enough combat ships with him to have at least a reasonable chance of repulsing the Morg attack that was now expected at any time.
Lex Garth looked around the large tactical situation display sphere, eyeing in succession his flotilla commanders.
‘’Thank you all for coming on such a short notice, ladies and gentlemen. Time being strictly limited, I will thus ask you to keep your questions, if any, for after my presentation. Our forward patrols have now confirmed that the last of the Morg scout ships have been forced to jump back through the inter-dimensional tunnel they opened just beyond the orbit of Alpha Centauri A’s outer asteroid ring. It is now time for our fleet to deploy for battle while the enemy has no eyes left on the battlefield. Vice-Admiral Konovalov!’’
The second most senior officer to Garth’s right came to attention on hearing his name.
‘’Admiral?’’
‘’You will be in charge of our ambush force, which will be comprised of the light cruisers Second and Third Flotillas, the heavy cruisers Twelfth Division and the 340 interceptors of Rear-Admiral Janata. You will immediately take your force and post it in low orbit around Alpha Centauri A. Be careful to always stay above the surface opposite the Morgs’ inter-dimensional tunnel and use relay probes to stay in contact with me, but make sure to avoid detection by the Morgs. You will come out of your hiding place only on my express order. Good luck!’’
Konovalov saluted Garth, then pivoted on his heels and walked out of the combat center at a hurried step. Not waiting for him to be out, Garth then continued his briefing.
‘’Vice-Admiral Yonan! Your 360 interceptors with be reinforced by the 48 frigates of Rear-Admiral Jibril and will form our covering force. Your mission will be to hide your ships in the asteroid belt, near the mouth of the Morgs’ inter-dimensional tunnel, and to wait there for the enemy fleet to emerge from the tunnel. Before the enemy does, however, I will want you to mine the entrance of the tunnel. When the enemy fleet will emerge, our main force will then concentrate an intense fire of synchrotron radiation on the enemy ships to force them into covering and protecting their sensors. Once the enemy will be blinded, you will attack him with continuous attack passes, with the goal of inflicting as many casualties as possible to the Morgs while staying out of the fields bathed by synchrotron radiation. You will withdraw on my order or if the Morgs initiate a pursuit.’’
‘’Understood, Admiral!’’
‘’Admiral Burnside! Your 106 battleships, along with the INVINCIBLE, will form our main force, which will take a blocking position halfway between the Morg tunnel and the fourth planet. Your mission will be to strike the enemy hard with long range fire, cause the maximum casualties and to block at all cost the road to Alpha Centauri A-IV. Use liberally your synchrotron batteries and your heavy disintegrators.’’
‘’We will give them hell, Admiral.’’
‘’Rear-Admiral Juarez! Twelve of your battleships, along with 112 interceptors commanded by Commodore Akamura, will form my tactical reserve. Stay in high orbit above the fourth planet and watch closely the battle to detect any enemy group that could try to infiltrate our lines.’’
The powerfully-built Hispanic man to which Garth had just spoken raised an eyebrow, apparently confused.
‘’And my six remaining battleships, Admiral? Where will they be?’’
‘’They will be detached from your division to form an escort force for the exploration cruiser MARCO POLO, which has landed in Kyoto Alpha and is now busy loading up as many civilian refugees as it can carry. It will then take off to transport those refugees to Earth. That task has in fact the highest priority after that of defending this system.’’
Garth then looked around at his assembled subalterns.
‘’Ladies and gentlemen, we now have for the first time the chance of using fully our fleet and give a bloody nose to the Morgs. With some luck, we may even be able to force them to withdraw before they can touch the fourth planet. Keep your ships concentrated and move them constantly while pushing your engines to the maximum. The fate of two billion Centaurians is now in our hands. Good luck and good hunting!’’