Empire in Crisis (22 page)

The Earth, its moon and its sun had a bizarrely unique
mathematical relationship that defied common sense and had left astronomers
scratching their heads for the last three centuries. The fact that Earth’s moon
turned out to have a hollow core only increased the mystery. The number 366
figured prominently in that mathematical relationship. (Note to Reader. See
Appendix A)

The video conference with his ship COs did not accomplish
as much as he had hoped. He still wasn’t prepared to commit to specific
deployment plans without more data, and the conference ended up being a brainstorming
session where just about every commander expressed an idea as to what the Ring
was for, who built it or what Fleet Group-R should do to control it.

Over the next 35 hours, 12 more recon drones returned.
Logan had hoped for more, but the FAO admitted that he hadn’t expected even
that many to find their way back. The combined data confirmed the earlier
estimated size and width of the ring and also managed to pinpoint one point on
the ring where a cluster of ships were hovering nearby. The number of ships
detected visually by the drone was small, but Logan was willing to bet that
there were more ships that the drone had missed. He wished he knew where the
other two wormholes on the far side were located so that he could station
sentry squadrons within detection range to keep an eye out for alien
reinforcements. But he didn’t know, and locating them could take days or even
weeks. When McKeon came to him and told him that other ship COs were starting
to get impatient, Logan knew he had to act. He, McKeon and the FAO worked out a
plan in his quarters. First the 337th would be brought up to RG25. Then the
107th and the 337th would carefully move through the wormhole into RCP01. When
the FAO pointed out how much visible light the wormhole would temporarily throw
off as the two fleets emerged, Logan shrugged it off.

“There’s no way to avoid that if we’re going to try to take
control of the Ring. If we act fast, we can still exploit the element of
surprise before that emergence light reaches any Gorgon ship.”

After both fleets were through the wormhole, they would
separate. Splitting up his forces made Logan nervous, but if the Gorgons
brought massive reinforcements into RCP01 from the opposite side, he needed as
much warning as he could engineer. The 337th would be his eyes and also guard
his flank. With the plan finalized, McKeon was told to distribute it to all
ship commanders and to all three fleets. The 827th and the 477th would hold
their positions and act as the Empire’s first line of defence, just in case the
Gorgons decided to launch a major attack before Logan could assume control of
the Ring. It would take the 337th roughly 12 hours to rendezvous with the
107th. That suited Logan just fine. It meant that the joint operation would
begin early in his ‘day’ cycle, and he would be at his most alert.

When both fleets were ready to transit the wormhole into
RCP01, Logan ordered the 107th to go first, led by his own flagship squadron.
Not only was it intended to show both fleets that he was ready to lead from the
front but it was also intended to satisfy his personal curiosity about RCP01,
in spite of the limited information about that nexus that would be available to
him upon his arrival. After his flagship squadron emerged, the rest of the
107th arrived one squadron at a time, and all of the heavy cruiser squadrons
were given priority over their battlecruiser rivals. McKeon had resisted that
idea, but Logan had remained adamant. He wanted his cruiser squadrons to spread
out and form a picket line to extend the range of warp detection as far as
possible. It took almost an hour for the whole fleet to arrive at RCP01. The
337th would start arriving within a few minutes of the arrival of the last
squadron from the 107th. That was the point that entailed the most risk as far
as Logan was concerned. In the unlikely event that a massive Gorgon fleet was
detected bearing down on the 107th, his ships would not be able to retreat
through the wormhole while squadrons from the 337th were still in the wormhole
on their way in. As soon as at least one ship was transiting a wormhole, that
wormhole was effectively closed to ships trying to transit the other way. Any
attempt to enter a wormhole already being used in the opposite direction would
generate the same results as if that wormhole no longer existed. The ship would
pass through the volume of space where the wormhole normally would be and
continue on unaffected. It made co-ordination of high volumes of traffic in
both directions a challenge, but eliminated the possibility of head-on
collisions inside the wormhole.

When both fleets were in RCP01, Logan gave the signal to
execute his plan. The 337th would travel at high warp speed in a wide detour
around the Ring to take up its sentry position two light hours on the far side
of the Ring. That would stay outside of the Gorgon warp detection range. The
107th would make a similar detour in order to approach the Ring from a
direction that was not along a direct path from the Ring to any known wormhole.
If there was Gorgon traffic between the Ring and the two known wormholes, the
detour would prevent them from being detected by the enemy. The warp speeds of
both fleets were adjusted so that they would reach their destinations at
approximately the same time. While that was happening, two heavy cruiser
squadrons would take up positions that would allow them to monitor the two
known wormholes leading to RG23 and RG24. With all squadrons and fleets on
their way, Logan composed and transmitted a short message to the Emperor. That
done, he leaned back in his Command Chair and tried to ignore the feeling that
something momentous was about to happen.

DeChastelaine cursed as he heard the two-tone sound
signifying an incoming FTL message just as he was about to fall asleep. He got
out of bed to get a better look at the wall display where the message was being
shown.

[Fleet Group Commander Logan to Emperor DeChastelaine. The
107th and 337th have arrived in RCP01 and are conducting a flanking approach of
the Ring. No sign of Gorgon ships other than those previously detected by recon
drone holding position near the Ring. Will keep you advised. End of message.]

DeChastelaine felt a shiver go down his spine and wondered
what that signified. Was it fear, or anticipation, or maybe a little of both?
While humans had encountered a dozen alien races during the Empire’s rise,
humans had always enjoyed a clear technological superiority. Now there was
undisputed evidence of a technically superior alien race, and DeChastelaine
found that thought terrifying. It took him a long time to finally fall asleep.

* * * * *

Logan looked up when the main display signaled that the
fleet was now within Gorgon detection range. The display was showing the
overall tactical situation: four green icons representing the two fleets and
the two cruiser squadrons, yellow icons representing the two known wormholes, a
blue icon representing the Ring.  It was disconcerting not to see a star at the
center of the display. The lack of any star for hundreds of light years
reinforced Logan’s uneasiness at being in the middle of a black void. In his
opinion, the Rift was no place for humans. Any further thoughts were
interrupted by the arrival of two text messages from the heavy cruiser sentry
squadrons.

[65th to Fleet Group Commander. 110 ships have left the
vicinity of the RG23 wormhole and are travelling at 4.6C on a heading for the
Ring. We will continue to track enemy fleet from beyond their detection range.
End of message.]

[155th to Fleet Group Commander. 124 ships travelling at
4.6C have left RG24 wormhole and appear to be heading for the Ring. Squadron
will continue to track enemy fleet. End of message.]

Logan shook his head in dismay. It was obvious to him what
had just happened. As soon as the Gorgon ships near the Ring had detected the
107th approaching, they had called for reinforcements from large Gorgon fleets
that had been lying in ambush on this side of those two wormholes. He was
certain that those two fleets would rendezvous before reaching the Ring, and
then the 107th would be faced with an enemy force of at least 234 ships. And
unlike the last time he had to fight off a fleet that size, there were no
wormholes that he could use to ambush the approaching force. Using warp
missiles against targets that were also moving at warp speeds was problematic
at best. And if he chose to position the 107th at or near the Ring, then by the
time the enemy fleet dropped down to sub-light speeds, they would be so close
to the Ring that the Gorgon ships could fire their beam weapons at his ships
immediately. He wasn’t prepared to take that risk, but an alternative move was
not at all obvious.

If he turned the 107th around now, the Gorgons would see it
on their warp detectors and wonder if their reinforcement fleets had been
detected, even though those fleets hadn’t detected any human ships themselves.
That might tip the enemy off that they were at a disadvantage with regards to
warp detection range. Logan wanted to keep that advantage a secret for as long
as possible. He briefly considered and then rejected a complicated plan whereby
a heavy cruiser squadron would allow itself to be detected by the nearest
Gorgon fleet and only then would the 107th ‘react’ by changing course. The
problem with that plan was the timing, By the time the squadron could get close
enough to be sure of being detected, the 107th would be within a couple of
minutes of arriving at the Ring itself. It was far simpler to just take control
of the Ring, even if only for a short time, and then withdraw when the Gorgon
fleets were close enough so that both sides would appear to ‘see’ each other at
roughly the same time. While the number of Gorgon ships hovering near the Ring
now was uncertain, Logan was willing to risk combat with them. Unless the 107th
got close enough to detect those ships with active radar scanning, he would
never know what their strength really was. This kind of approach was the only
way of finding out.

Logan composed and transmitted two short messages to the
cruiser squadrons ordering them to avoid combat at all costs while continuing
to track both fleets from beyond enemy detection range. A third message brought
the 337th up to date. It would continue as previously ordered. Estimated time
of arrival at the Ring was now less than five minutes.

When there was less than a minute to go before the 107th
dropped down to sub-light speeds, the warp detection system picked up signs of
movement from the vicinity of the Ring. Thirty-four ships were moving at a
sub-light warp speed, but not towards either of the incoming reinforcement
fleets as Logan would have expected. Instead, they appeared to be moving in a
way that kept the Ring between them and the 107th. Logan could think of a
couple of reasons why they might do that, but their slow speeds didn’t make any
sense. If he wanted to, he could take up a position next to the Ring and still
be able to fire warp missiles at the retreating Gorgon squadron, and with their
sub-light velocities, those ships would be ideal targets for his missiles.

“Zoom in tactical,” ordered Logan. The display now showed
only the Ring, the small enemy squadron and the 107th. Logan used his console
to rotate the display to get a sense of the actual relationship between all
three entities. A straight line between his fleet and the enemy squadron would
pass in front of and over the Ring. The Gorgons were making it easy for his
fleet to fire missiles without having to worry about the Ring getting in the
way. The 107th was now decelerating quickly.

“We’re sub-light!” shouted the FAO. “Zero warp
in…five…four…three…two…one…NOW!”

“Are we close enough for direct fire, FTO?” asked Logan.

“Negative, sir. At this range, accuracy would be abysmal.
Recommend a 340 missile barrage.”

Logan pondered the recommendation for a few seconds. That
many missiles would make a noticeable dent in the fleet’s missile inventory,
but if they didn’t neutralize those 34 ships now while they had the chance,
those ships would join with the larger fleets, and then Logan would face an
even stronger enemy force.

“Okay. Set it up and fire as soon as you’re ready,” ordered
Logan.

No sooner had the Fleet Tactical Officer acknowledged
Logan’s order than the FAO turned to look at Logan with a shocked expression on
his face.

“Something’s happening with the Ring! Warp stress readings
are spiking off the charts! RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE COURSE CHANGE!”

At first Logan didn’t understand why the FAO wanted a
course change, but a quick glance at the tactical display brought understanding
and a surge of fear. The 107th was now perfectly aligned with the Ring.
Whatever the Ring was about to do, his fleet was right in front of it. Before
Logan could give the command to change course, the computer-enhanced image of
the Ring on the display flared up with a light so bright that it hurt to look
at it. Logan felt the ship lurch to one side so violently that the inertial
dampeners couldn’t completely compensate for it.

“WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?” shouted Logan.

“THAT THING IS PULLING US IN!” yelled the FAO.

In to what?
thought Logan. “Gimme
visual!” The display switched from computer-generated tactical data to
computer-filtered optical data. The image made Logan gasp in disbelief. The
ship’s opticals were looking down into a swirling whirlpool of energy that had
to be some kind of artificial wormhole, only this one was HUGE! The ship’s
plunge into the whirlpool was so fast that Logan’s stomach threatened to heave.
The realization that his flagship was now INSIDE this monstrous wormhole hit
Logan like a kick to the head. If he had acted faster, the ship might not have
been pulled into the whirlpool. It took a few seconds for the shock to wear off
enough to re-engage his rational mind to ask the obvious question of whether
the rest of the fleet had been pulled in too.

“Rotate the opticals! Maybe we can tell if other ships were
pulled in!” yelled Logan, in a voice that was louder and more scared sounding
than he had intended. It took a few seconds of searching, but it was soon clear
that Logan’s flagship wasn’t the only ship to be pulled into the Ring wormhole.
How many ships was impossible to determine until they came out the other end,
wherever that turned out to be. Attempts at communication with the other ships
proved impossible. Logan was about to open a video channel with McKeon, but the
other man beat him to it.

“Those sons-of-bitches lured us into the Ring’s zone of
control!” snarled McKeon.

It took a second for Logan to understand what McKeon was
getting at, but it sounded right. The enemy squadron had maneuvered in a way
that made it tempting for the 107th to do exactly the right thing in order to
activate the Ring and be pulled in.

“I suspect that you’re right, Commander, but there’s
nothing much we can do about it now. Let’s hope there’s another Ring at the
other end, and that it operates the same way in reverse. You might want to let
the crew know what’s happening. I also want the ship to stand down from Battle
Stations. We have no idea how long this transit will take. It could be hours,
days or even longer. We’ll go back to Battle Stations when we emerge at the
other end.”

“I’ll make an announcement right now, sir,” said McKeon in
a much calmer voice.

Logan listened with half an ear as McKeon made the
ship-wide announcement. Wondering what or who they’d find at the other end was
foremost in his mind, but he was also worried about what was now happening back
at RCP01. The 337th would have no way of knowing that the 107th was gone since
there hadn’t been time to warn them. If they encountered an enemy force and
asked for instructions, they might not realize they were on their own until it
was too late. This situation had all the earmarks of a complete disaster in the
making. Logan felt a headache coming on.

                                                                          *
* * * *

DeChastelaine woke to the sound of another incoming FTL
message and cursed again. Not much time had passed since the last one, and
therefore it seemed to him that it was unlikely that this message was good
news. When he read it, he wondered if he was having a nightmare.

[337th Fleet Commander to Emperor. Have lost contact with
the 107th after a massive energy emission from the Ring. Last message from FGC
Logan warned of two large Gorgon fleets approaching the Ring from vicinity of
the two known wormholes. I have established contact with the 65th and 155th
cruiser squadrons that are shadowing the approaching enemy fleets. Under the
circumstances, I’m assuming temporary command of Fleet Group-R and am ordering
a withdrawal back into the RG25 nexus. The 155th will be ordered to stay within
detection range of the Ring in case data on the 107th’s fate becomes available.
End of message.]

Standing naked in front of the wall display, DeChastelaine
began to shiver uncontrollably, and it wasn’t because he was cold. He needed to
speak with Hood and Bishop as soon as possible. It was time to wake up the
Palace staff.

Hood had never seen the Emperor so agitated. He was clearly
unhappy that she was the last to arrive. Somehow Bishop had gotten to the
Palace first, but her tardiness wasn’t the only or main reason for
DeChastelaine’s state of mind. It was obvious that the FTL message was
primarily at fault. It was tempting to think that the Emperor was
over-reacting, but the news really was bad. The problem was that she had no
idea how bad.

“What kept you?” snapped DeChastelaine. “Do you have
something more important than advising your Emperor in a time of crisis?”

“No, My Emperor. I’ll endeavor to respond to your summons
more quickly from now on,” said Hood in what she hoped was an appropriately
submissive tone. DeChastelaine glared at her for a few seconds before pointing
to the wall display and the message from the 337th.

“This is clearly bad news, but what’s infuriating, beyond
the fact that the Fleet Commander of the 337th can’t be bothered to identify
him or herself to me, is that I have no real idea of what happened to the
107th! So first things first! Who is commanding that fleet?”