A Small Colonial War (Ark Royal Book 6) (23 page)

John had his doubts.  Getting the rock to the surface without causing a disaster in a planetary scale would be difficult.  Massive chunks of rock had been lowered to the surface before, but never on an inhabited world.  The risk was simply too high.  But the Indians, if they wished, could probably slice the asteroid up in orbit and drop smaller loads to the mass drivers.  It wouldn't be too hard. 

Or they could be planning to break it up and scatter more rock into orbit around Clarke III
, he thought. 
It would make our life harder
.

“We depart in two hours,” Admiral Fitzwilliam warned.  “The two flotillas will receive separate orders from me.”

He held up a hand.  “We’re already on a war footing, but we have to assume the Indians have rejected the ultimatum,” he added.  “They will have to dislodge us from Pegasus if they want to win the war.  I’ve already warned our friends” - he jabbed a finger towards the foreign ships - “that anyone who comes too close risks being fired on without warning, and I don’t want you to hesitate.  The Indians will not hesitate themselves.”

There was a long pause.  “Captain Naiser, remain behind,” he concluded.  “Everyone else, dismissed.”

The holograms blinked out of existence, leaving John alone.  “Admiral?”

“
Warspite
will be the flagship of Bulldog Beta,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  “You’ll have command of three other ships, all destroyers.”

“Yes, sir,” John said.  He assumed that Commodore Blake would be in command of Bulldog Charlie, with Fitzwilliam himself in command of Bulldog Alpha.  “We know
precisely
where to harass the Indians.”

“Of course,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  “However, I have a specific set of orders for you.  I do
not
want you to use your main gun against their convoys.”

John frowned.  “Sir?”

“I do not want you to remind the Indians that it exists,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said, flatly.  “I can give you the orders in writing, if you wish.”

“It won’t be necessary, sir,” John said. 

“You’ll have them anyway,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  His lips twitched into a humourless smile.  “The armchair admirals who’ll dissect the battle piece by piece will not take them into account unless you do.  Some damn fool of a historian will say you were a complete moron who managed to forget the colossal gun built into his ship, someone so idiotic it was a minor miracle you didn't manage to hit an asteroid.”

“Yes, sir,” John said.  There was something deeply personal in Admiral Fitzwilliam’s comment, but he knew he couldn't ask.  God knew there had been hundreds of studies of
Ark Royal
and her missions, some of which had been highly critical.  As the senior survivor, Admiral Fitzwilliam had probably gotten more than his fair share.  “May I ask why?”

“I have an idea,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  “It depends on just how the Indians react to our moves, Captain, but I’d prefer not to play that card until we know we can use it.”

“Yes, sir,” John said.

“You’ll have detailed orders waiting for you in the datanet,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  “I don’t think we can hide the main body of the fleet, but we can probably get your ships away from the Indians and their allies.”

“Yes, sir,” John said.  The Indian convoys had been fairly regular, according to the stealthed platforms.  It was difficult to be sure, but it looked as if the Indians had devoted most of their freighters to supporting the war.  “We can get to the interception point without anyone being any the wiser.”

“I hope so,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  “Commodore Blake will be harassing their fleet while you take out the convoy.”

He smiled, coldly.  “Your mission was very well done, Captain.  Do you have any other observations before you go?”

John hesitated.  “We could broadcast a message to the colonists,” he said.  “The Indians would have had to replace the datanet completely if they wanted to keep us from uploading messages into it.”

Admiral Fitzwilliam frowned.  “And you believe it would help?”

“If the report is accurate, sir, the colonists are being gently pushed into outright collaboration,” he said.  “It might be better to remind them, now, that we’re on the way.  The Indians will know when we enter the system, won’t they?”

“Yes,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  He cleared his throat, loudly.  “However, you would also run the risk of convincing them to do something stupid.  I don't think there are many people on the surface with any genuine military experience.  We still don’t know what happened to the POWs.”

“Yes, sir,” John agreed.  The potential consequences were horrific.  In wartime, the Indians would presumably clamp down as hard as they could.  “But the risk might be worth it.”

“Might,” Admiral Fitzwilliam said.  He looked down at the deck.  “I’ll give it some thought, Captain.  Until then ... return to your ship and prepare for departure.”

“Yes, sir,” John said.

He disengaged the hologram.  His head spun, as always; he removed the goggles and headband, reminded himself savagely that he’d never left
Warspite
and hastily keyed the terminal in front of him.  The orders were already there; HMS
London, Cardiff
and
Manchester
had been assigned to his command.  He glanced at the files - he knew the captains of two of them personally, which was a relief - and then read the second half of the orders.  Disengaging from the task force without being seen would be a challenge, but doable if they were careful.  The Indians wouldn't realise that two flotillas had left the main body until it was far too late.

“Two hours,” he mused.  “And then we can engage the Indians at will.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

J-35/Pegasus System

“All ships have checked in, Admiral,” Sally said.  “They’re ready to deploy.”

“Prepare to start ECM on my mark,” James ordered.  There was
some
room for error, but not much.  “Are our guests still watching?”

“Yes, sir,” Sally said.  “They’re right on the line.”

Spies
, James thought, crossly.  He couldn't imagine being bombarded with requests for interviews during Operation Nelson, or the desperate flight to Alien Prime.  The media ships would definitely not have dared to come so close to an alien ship. 
We should open fire and blow them all into dust
. 

He pushed the thought aside, savagely.  “Activate ECM,” he ordered.  “Inform Beta and Charlie that they may depart as planned.”

“Aye, sir,” Sally said.  She watched her console for a long moment.  “ECM field is active, Admiral.  Drones are in place and ready to activate.  Beta and Charlie are signalling that they’re ready to slip into stealth mode.”

“Activate the drones,” James ordered.  He sucked in his breath.  Anyone watching with passive sensors would see the entire task force suddenly wrapped in a blaze of ECM.  It would be impossible, assuming the boffins were correct, to pick out individual starships among the throng.  “And order the fleet to advance.”

“Aye, sir,” Sally said.

James settled back in his command chair.  If everything went according to plan, neither the Indians nor the other foreigners would be aware that the task force had dispatched two flotillas on separate vectors.  They'd assume he was keeping the fleet as a united body, which wouldn't actually be a bad idea ... if, of course, one knew nothing about the mass drivers and the threat they posed.  As it was, he’d have to abandon the pretence a long time before they slipped towards Pegasus.

“Admiral,” Sally reported.  “One of the Indian ships has jumped out.”

“Off to warn its commander,” James noted.  He’d considered attempting to jump the Indian ships, but they’d been lurking right on the tramline.  The attack would have had to succeed in the first few seconds or fail utterly.  “The other?”

“Still watching us, sir,” Sally said.

“We’ll take her out with starfighters if she’s still there when we get into engagement range,” James said.  He would be surprised if she was - the Indians wouldn’t throw a ship away for nothing - but he had to prepare for it anyway.  “Keep a sharp eye on her.”

“Aye, sir,” Sally said.  She paused as the display updated.  “Admiral, our shadows are following us.”

We won’t be able to do anything secretly while they’re here
, James through, grimly.  But he couldn't do anything about it, not now. 
They’ll just have to keep their distance.

“Keep the task force on course,” he ordered.  They’d be nice and predictable, exactly what the Indians were expecting to see.  “And take us through the tramline as soon as we enter jump radius.”

“Aye, sir,” Sally said.

***

“We’ve broken free, sir,” Tara said.  “There’s no sign they’ve detected us.”

John nodded.  If they were lucky, the watchers were still convinced that Bulldog Beta and Bulldog Charlie were still with the task force.  The Indian ship on the tramline wouldn't have a clue that his tiny flotilla was bypassing her and sneaking into the Pegasus System.  Unless, of course, the Indians were just
playing
dumb.

“Helm, take us to the tramline,” he ordered.  It was quite possible the Indians had a stealthed ship watching the tramline, but it would have some problems detecting the British flotilla unless they risked using active sensors.  “And jump us through as soon as we arrive.”

“Aye, sir,” Armstrong said.

John smiled coldly, feeling his heart starting to race in his chest.  This was it; they’d sneaked into the enemy system twice now, but this time they intended to launch the first strike against the Indian Navy.  Part of him regretted it; the rest of him relished the challenge, relished the chance to prove he was better than his Indian counterparts.  He pushed that feeling into the back of his mind - he didn't want to make himself overconfident - and watched as
Warspite
advanced towards the invisible tramline.  The single red icon representing the Indian ship didn't move.

They must be mesmerised by the advancing task force
, he thought.  Had the Indians assumed Britain would back down without a fight?  It might have been the only thing that had convinced them to invade the systems in the first place. 
Are they now regretting their choice
?

He shook his head, slowly.  The Indians could withdraw at any moment - or even signal their willingness to withdraw - and the Royal Navy would let them go.  He’d read the Admiral’s briefings; there was no hope, whatever happened, of a complete victory.  The Solar Treaty would see to that, unfortunately.  All they could do was drive the Indians out of British territory and declare victory.  If the Indians wanted to run, they could.  No one would try to stop them.

“Captain,” Armstrong said.  “We are entering the tramline.”

“Jump us through,” John ordered.

The display flickered and rebooted itself, hastily.  John had braced himself for everything from an immediate attack to an Indian battle fleet holding position where the task force was likely to appear, but the display was empty.  The Indians were either holding position near the planet - which made a certain kind of sense - or hidden under stealth. 

“Link into the remote platforms,” he ordered.  “We need to locate that carrier.”

He sucked in a breath as the carrier appeared, still in position near the gas giant.  But the gas giant was several light hours away ... he shook his head as the display updated again, showing the carrier’s possible locations.  No starship, certainly not one as large as a supercarrier, could have travelled over five light hours in less than a day.

“She hasn’t moved, sir,” Tara said.

“That’s about to change,” John muttered.  The Indian CO would probably know the task force was on the way ... he’d probably already started putting his contingency plans into operation.  “Keep a very sharp eye on her.”

“Aye, sir,” Tara said.

At least we know the Indians haven’t cracked the secret of FTL communications,
John thought wryly, as
Warspite
continued to slip further into the system. 
They’d have reacted by now if they had
.

The display changed, again.  “Captain,” Tara said.  “The task force is transiting into the system now.”

“Understood,” John said.  If the Indians
were
planning an ambush, it would be sprung now ... if, of course, they’d had time to get an ambush into position.  “Inform me the moment anything changes.”

***

General Anjeet Patel jerked awake as alarms began ringing through the giant ship, calling her crew to battlestations.  He grabbed his trousers as he rolled out of bed, pulled them on as quickly as possible and ran out of the cabin while buttoning his jacket.  The alarms were still sounding as he entered the CIC, just in time to see the first set of red icons appearing near the tramlines.  A line of text at the bottom warned that the data was five hours out of date - the British task force had had plenty of time to alter course before the Indians received their first warning.  Anjeet would have been surprised if they’d stayed near the tramline.

“Report,” he ordered.

His aide looked up.  “General, we received a warning from the picket ships, just before the British started to jump through the tramline,” he said.  “The full task force has entered the system.”

“Understood,” Anjeet said.  He cursed the alarms under his breath.  Even if the British made a beeline for his fleet, and it didn't look as though they had, it would still take several hours before the two fleets were in engagement range.  “Order the fleet to stand down to yellow alert.”

The young man frowned.  “Sir?”

“There’s no point in tensing ourselves up now,” Anjeet said, sharply.  He disliked having to explain the rationale behind his orders, but it was a reasonable request.  “They’re not going to be on us in seconds, are they?”

“No, sir,” the aide said.

“Of course not,” Anjeet said.  If the British
had
managed to find a way to move at FTL speeds without the tramlines the war was already lost.  “It will take them at least ten to fifteen hours to close with us, if that’s what they want to do.  So we will prepare to meet them, as calmly as you please, without overstressing the crews.”

“Yes, sir,” the aide said.

“Cancel those alarms,” Anjeet ordered.  He took a moment to study the display, silently breathing a sigh of relief when the alarms were silenced.  The noise was bad enough to give him a pounding headache.  “Deploy an additional line of pickets to surround the fleet - inform the captains that I am authorising the deployment of the laser net.  Dispatch two destroyers to watch the British ships from a safe distance.  Make it clear to their commanders that I want intelligence, not heroics.  If they get jumped by the British, they’d better hope they go down with their ships or I’ll kill them personally.”

“Yes, sir,” his aide said.

Anjeet nodded at the younger man, then sat down in his command chair and forced himself to relax.  What would the British do?  If they came right for his fleet, he intended to pull back and see if they could be induced to come into range of the mass drivers on Clarke III.  If not ... well, he could wait and see what happened before committing himself.  He had a whole string of useful options he could use.

“Inform all ships committed to Operation Sitka to prepare for deployment,” he added, after a moment.  It still didn't look as though the British intended to challenge his fleet directly, but he couldn't allow the British to hold position indefinitely.  “And send a signal to
Vikramaditya
.  I want her to hold herself at readiness to advance into Pegasus if necessary.”

“Yes, sir,” his aide said.

Anjeet smiled, coldly.  One way or another, he told himself firmly, there was a nasty surprise in store for the British.

***

“The Indians are still holding position near the gas giant,” Sally reported.  “They’re dispatching at least two ships towards us, but no other notable reaction.”

“Understood,” James said.  He cursed the speed of light delay under his breath, but consoled himself with the thought the Indians would be having the same problem.  On the other hand, they also had a horde of spies following the British ships.  “And the detached units?”

“They’re in stealth mode, sir,” Sally said.  “I am currently unable to track them.”

James nodded, shortly.  Commodore Blake was an old friend - they’d been at the Academy together - while he’d come to respect Captain Naiser.  The man might have started life as a starfighter pilot, which wasn't the best of pedigrees, but he’d matured into a capable commanding officer.  But it still felt wrong to remain in the rear, to issue the orders and watch junior officers carry them out.  He should be in danger too.

I am in danger
, he reminded himself.  The Indians couldn't leave the task force in place for long, not without risking their control over the system. 
And when they come, this ship will be the main target.

“Captain Pole is deploying the CSP,” Sally informed him.  “One squadron of starfighters on CSP; the remainder held in readiness for immediate launch.”

“Understood,” James said.  He frowned as he turned his gaze back to the display.  “Launch a spread of probes to monitor local space and to hell with the beancounters.  I want to know the moment one of their ships tries to sneak up to us.”

“Aye, sir,” Sally said.