Battle for Proxima (8 page)

“You surprise me, General, I thought you would have been the first to want to strike the enemy,” she said.

“Of course, but not without knowing what we face. With the planetary militias calling in their army units, our remaining forces are heavily depleted. My ground forces currently consist of just three Marine battalions and nine fully operational, equipped and mobile Army battalions. I’ve got another fifteen spread throughout garrisons, most on Prime, of course. That isn’t enough to occupy one minor planet or even a major colony, let alone to conduct a continuous war. We might have the ships, but do we have the manpower to actually take and hold ground?”

“I’m assuming you have a suggestion?”

General Rivers straightened up and gave a wry smile.

“You sensed that? Well, a slight modification to your last option might give you the fast offensive that you want, as well as providing the troops and intel that I think we need to continue the war effort.”

“Go on,” she said enthusiastically.

“We blockade the Anomaly and send in scouts to investigate the route. They can make contact with Terra Nova and establish the situation there. Ideally, we can open up a resupply route. If not, we can block or mine the area to stop ships using it. As you know, I can get most of the infantry off world and on ships in less than forty-eight hours. I recommend we adopt a planet hopping strategy. We hit a populated planet first, clear the enemy and set up forward bases and recruitment centres. We leave behind a small number of troops to train the locals and draft new battalions from the local population.”

“Then we load up and move the Fleet to the next location, land the troops and do the same?” she replied as she considered his ideas.

“It will be slower than I had hoped, but it does have benefits. By keeping the Fleet and the ground forces close together, we can maximise our effectiveness. The only real problem with this is, that it will allow the enemy free reign to move through the sector and attack at will.”

“That is true, Admiral. I therefore propose we select targets we can secure quickly at the beginning. We need maximum results in the shortest possible time. I would suggest either Agora or Orthrus. Both have seceded, and I can guarantee the population will already be reeling under the occupation.”

“Yes, this is more like it,” said the Admiral, with what looked like a happy expression. She turned to the intelligence staff that had been stood quietly.

“Do you have any intelligence that could be of assistance with this strategy?” she asked.

“Analysis of the limited data, from the probe sent into the Anomaly, confirms that the link to Alpha Centauri through the Anomaly appears stable. We were unable to ascertain the situation on the other side, other than two points. The first is that the final image, after substantial enhancements, shows the planet appears as it should. There are no major landmass changes or atmospheric alterations.”

“Why the landmass changes?” asked General Rivers.

“There is always the possibility that the rift may affect both time and distance. It may be that objects crossing could find themselves at a radically different time period. Our science teams stated it was unlikely, but we had to check.”

“Is that even possible?” he asked.

“Our theoretical physicists argue between themselves about it. Ultimately our evidence says no, so it isn’t an issue. The second point is that on the extreme periphery of the image, we found this.” She handed over her datapad.

General Rivers and Admiral Jarvis stared carefully at the blurred and heavily damaged image. It wasn’t immediately clear, until the Intelligence Officer pointed out the faint blue tint in the corner, showing the edge of the planet’s atmosphere.

“A ship? What is the problem with that?” asked the Admiral.

“We have analysed this image for more than three days and have produced this approximate design. We estimate our figures are about seventy percent accurate.”

She brought up a three-dimensional model of a vessel. It was about the size of a Confed frigate, but much rougher in shape and unlike anything the Admiral had seen before. The two most distinctive parts were the engines and the weapons arrays, both were more substantial than anything the Confederacy used.

“What the hell is that?” demanded the Admiral, her tone suggested both anger and surprise.

“We’ve checked out records and so far, the only matches that we have are for the drive system here,” she pointed towards the rear of the ships. “We found designs using the same parts in the factories on Prometheus, though they are much more powerful than would be required for a craft of that size. The data sent to us by Commander Anderson’s research team, suggests the site has been running for over a year and they have the means to produce a vessel roughly every six to eight weeks.”

“I saw the report, I assumed the craft were small transports for their infantry. Are you suggesting they have been building warships? Why haven’t we seen them?”

“That was our first assessment, Admiral. Following the reconstruction created, based on the images from the probe, our assessment has been revised.”

The Admiral looked over to the General before looking back to the Intelligence Officer.

“With these characteristics, it is highly probable that they have built different classes of ship, though none bigger than the projected design here. Records from Prometheus customs databases show two privately registered passenger liners that roughly match the engine configuration. It is therefore our assessment that an unknown number of these vessels may be throughout the sector. There is a very strong possibility that some of them may have been travelling through the Anomaly. If the enemy has other factories, it is possible more vessels could have been built.”

Admiral Jarvis sighed as she examined the data. She checked through the records and looked at the file on the two passenger liners. There were clear similarities between the grainy images and the projected design created by the Intelligence staff.

“In our last report, we highlighted the reconnaissance runs that confirmed no activity on the colonies. The only locations lacking in reliable reconnaissance are Agora or Orthrus,” said the officer.

“Agora? Unlikely, the planetary resources are minimal and the population smaller than Kerberos. They would have to shift substantial resources to the surface and that would have been noticed. The only reason Prometheus went hidden for so long was because it was well below the surface and on a planet, with an abundance of raw materials and a large supply of slave labour. Orthrus is a possibility, though only in the last few months. Prior to that our Marine garrison would have reported unknown activity,” explained General Rivers.

The last officer, who until now had been silent, stepped forward and pointed to the map.

“It has been my opinion for some time, that the most likely place to construct vessels would be in relative secrecy out on the Rim. Until the uprising this was the only place, other than Prometheus, where the ships could have been built. I have been examining data from the Tamarisk mission months ago and there appears to be something very interesting going on there,” he said almost excitedly. He pushed the sequence of images onto the main display. It showed a series of heavy transports, along with one of the unknown ships.

“You will notice that this vessel seems to have the same engine and weapon configuration as the vessel at the Anomaly.”

“You’re suggesting we have seen these ships over the last year, without even realising it?” asked the Admiral.

“We are not in agreement on this issue. Though my comrade is correct, with regards to the ship, there is no guarantee it was made out on the Rim. It is fair to add that the area contains limitless source of asteroids, stations and ships. Construction of civilian vessels, as well as maintenance and repair work, is conducted there all the time and would easily mask this kind of operation,” added the female Intelligence Officer.

The Intelligence staff waited while the two senior commanders examined the information carefully. On the display, the Rim and Prometheus were a large distance apart. The planetary colonies dotted throughout the large star System had all, until recently, been part of the Confederacy. It seemed ridiculous that until only a month ago, an entire factory and research site had been discovered buried inside one of the planets itself. Admiral Jarvis checked the details on the ships, specifically the projected specification and potential for combat.

“These warships. What can you tell from the power and weapon configuration? I don’t recognise these weapon ports.”

“That, Admiral, we do not know. We will need to see one in action before that can be ascertained,” she answered.

“I don’t like this, not at all. If this is correct, we may well have a problem. What if they have managed to get warships to Alpha Centauri? That image clearly shows a potential threat waiting on the other side. Maybe the reason we’ve heard nothing for months is because the entire System has been overrun?” said General Rivers.

Admiral Jarvis nodded in agreement.

“I will send out a signal to our commander in the field. I want full reconnaissance conducted on every colony, planet and station in Proxima. I don’t care what the consequences or the risks are, we need information and fast! I anticipate a start to our operation in a matter of days. If they have the ability to build ships, it means we could be fighting a losing war if we wait any longer. Each day they get stronger, while our forces become smaller and more tired. I want reports on my desk within twenty-four hours!” she said to the Intelligence team, before turning to General Rivers.

“General. I need forces at full readiness for combat. If there are attempts being made to establish factories on seceded worlds, we will need to stop them fast. Your three Marine battalions and twenty-four Army battalions need to be embarked on ships and ready for combat operation in one week! Is that possible?”

“It won’t be easy, I’ll need to requisition civilian vessels, but it can be done. If we are planning on assaulting ground forces, I could do with more heavy infantry,” he said, also turning to the Intelligence team.

“Thank you, that will be all.”

After a series of sharp salutes the team marched out, leaving the two commanders in the room on their own. Admiral Jarvis looked ay him curiously.

“Well?”

“Have you given more thought to Lieutenant Spartan and Commander Anderson’s suggestion, regarding the Biomechs?”

“Ah, I was wondering when that would come up. The last report from Anderson says the first of them had already been awoken. I have read your report about those that helped you. I’m concerned some of you may be going a little soft on them,” she said, almost playfully.

“Soft?” answered the General, not seeing the funny side. “Trust me, I have seen enough of them and watched too many men and women die at their hands. I honestly believe the creatures we have fought have been programmed more thoroughly than even religious indoctrination. They barely think, they simply follow out their orders with ruthless efficiency.”

“Perhaps, but how is that different to us using them to fight their own?” she asked.

“I wasn’t suggesting we did that. Before Spartan left, he gave me a few ideas to think about. I’m not certain it is an ideal solution, but it does have merit.”

“Let me guess, he wanted to give the them the chance to join Confed Marine units as privates?” she asked laughing.

“You might be closer than you think. Back in the nineteenth century on Earth, several countries made use of mercenaries to supplement their armed forces. The British, in particular, made use of an actual region called Nepal where they recruited for hundreds of years. The soldiers, known as Ghurkhas, provided thousands of men over the years. It was a simple agreement, whereby the locals received greater benefits than they would ever earn living in their homeland. In return, they would fight for the British. As a reward, after their service, they were ultimately granted permission to live in Britain.”

“I’ve not heard of them. Did it work?”

“Admiral, they were cheaper than British soldiers and the equal, sometimes the better, of the local troops. Until the great colonisation of the new worlds, the European Army still contained a Ghurkha unit as part of the British Corps.”

“Thank you for the history lesson, perhaps you could tell me what your plan is then?”

“We will have several thousand strong, aggressive and homeless Biomechs with no hatred for us or the Confederacy. If we were to offer them a simple deal, a trade if you like, they agree to join the Confed military. This would be under human officers, but as a Biomech battalion. They could be armed with spare heavy weapons and close quarters gear. We have plenty in stores.”

“A Biomech army? You’re serious?”

“I know it sounds a little off, but they have the potential to provide us with a powerful shock force. Combined with our new Vanguards and the Fleet, they could give us the edge in ground combat.”

“Assuming I agreed to this, how long would it take? Surely we would need months to prepare them?” she asked suspiciously.

“Commander Anderson tells me their basic programming includes speech, simple problem solving and the use of tools. They can learn to use edged weapons in hours. Firearms will take longer, but if we give them the heavier guns, they can make up in firepower what they lack in aim. Anderson suggests a week could be enough for a rough, but workable force. Over time, we could improve their training and tactical prowess.”

Admiral Jarvis stood silent, contemplating the opportunity. She was well informed of their lack of heavy infantry. The Army personnel were competent, but many were Territorial Soldiers and not used to being stationed away from home. They lacked much of the modern equipment used by the marines, also the ability to land directly into battle. Of the twenty-four Army Battalions, only the five that formed the 12
^th
Airborne Division, were trained and sufficiently equipped for assault operations. They were already in position on Prime, where they were assisting in training the local militias in combat tactics. This was under the supervision of General Shears, the colony’s military commander.