Federation Reborn 2: Pirate Rage (83 page)

Unfortunately, those beautiful ships were gone, eaten up by sabotage and the grinding conflict of the first years of the Xeno war. The losses had forced the admiralty to rethink their designs, deliberately degrading performance in favor of production. Cutting range, armor, weapons, power plants, crew, and shields down to the minimum get them into space fast. Quantity over quality, just as the allies had done in World War II and the corporations had done during the First Xeno War and the Terrans had done during the First Terran Interstellar War and the time period after it.

Some of the plans, like the
Shield Maiden, Resolution
, and
Newmann
were his designs. They weren't built to take on some of the older designs like the
Derfflinger
. He was a bit nervous about that matchup. Amadeus now had more than enough ships to do the job he reminded himself, but they were undoubtedly going to get hurt in the process. A
Derfflinger
of the latest vintage was more battleship than battle cruiser, with her thick layers of angled armor, compartments, and levels of redundancy that sent any engineer into tizzies when something broke and needed to be traced. Hell, just her layers of armor were the stuff of nightmares for any good DCC or engineering crew.

Hopefully, the damage they had sustained would lay them up. Hopefully, the damage would expose a vital weakness Amadeus could exploit once he pinned them down. But they were going to fight like the trapped animals they were in Nuevo Madrid. Things were going to get really ugly.

He shook his head. No matter. They'd get the job done. If one or more
Newman's
were laid up, then he'd deal with it. Most likely he'd have to pull a division from First Fleet and swap them out with Amadeus, but again, he'd deal with it when the problem arouse. His eyes turned back to the frigate and destroyer yard he was currently viewing.

He had been detailed to setting up yards like this, yards that were fast crude affairs designed to take advantage of raw materials as close to mining facilities and manufacturing centers as possible. He'd lost count of how many yards he'd set in motion. At least he had experience for this.

Vestri's people were good. They kept to the established lanes, and the operation of the various yards and stages of construction kept them from crowding each other. Very nice.

He turned back and smiled softly to the sight. It was beautiful, poetry in motion to his engineering eyes and mind. He just hoped it wasn't going to be a wasted effort.

He got up and shook himself, straightening his shoulders. It was time to get back to work.

---<>))))

“Ma'am, if you've got a moment?” Lieutenant JG Lewis Waldeck asked, making a show of rapping on the hatch combing of his section head.

Lieutenant Commander Pauline Turnip looked up from the sandwich she had been eating at her desk. She set it down and brushed her fingers to get the crumbs off as she chewed. After a moment she waved him in as she took her linen napkin off and dabbed at her mouth daintily.

The subs were good, but she had a thing for light mayonnaise. Crystal, the sandwich lady, practically drowned the turkey melt for her every time she made it and she loved it.

The lieutenant looked at the intelligence commander's cool face and tried hard not to squirm nervously as she rocked in the chair and took a sip of her drink. He knew she was a hard case. This might be a hard sell he thought. And she was just the first round. In order for his idea to get into actual use, he'd have to walk it right up the chain of command.

But he was determined to do that if necessary. He felt it was important. Never mind if it helped his career along he thought lightly. He fought the elation that thought train kept bringing to his mind.

“I've been going over your proposal, Lieutenant, it's interesting,” she said. He nodded. “I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on it.”

“Yes, ma’am. I was thinking about some of the scouting methods used prior to and during the Xeno war. Since we won't have more dedicated scouts available for some time, I suggest we skim off an active tin can, a destroyer and send it to scout systems for us. They've got the legs we need.”

“You're taking a hell of a risk with our assets. We're still low on deployable assets as it is,” she said, netting her fingertips together and then twisting her chair from side to side. “If we lose one to a minefield or ambush, we'd be frittering away our people for no gain.”

“Ma'am, with war there are risks. But we can try to minimize them.”

“For instance?” she asked coolly.

“Well,” he sent a signal from his implants to her holo display. It changed to show the Protodon system. “Taking an example system here, if we short jump a ship in outside the normal jump lanes that should avoid any minefield or ambush. The ship can then use passive sensors to accumulate data on the target.”

“At that range they aren't going to get much,” the commander said, leaning forward and studying the display. “Passives are limited. They can also be spoofed. We'd also have to filter a great deal of extraneous material in the data—solar events, planets, and such. You have to remember, Lieutenant, a tin can doesn't have the sensors of a dedicated scouting platform. Nor the stealth needed to do the job undetected. When they go in, they are going to need to get as much intel back as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. Her eyes flicked to him and then she sat back. “But I think we can up the information if we deploy recon drones in a shell. They can be purpose-built drones with a shared architecture for easy repair and with tailored sensor modules in each.”

“Hmmm.” She watched as the plot changed. A series of recon drones, really just robotic sensory platforms deployed from the destroyer and flew out on all six axes.

“Communication lag and synch up would be an issue, but one the crew can overcome. I think it's worth a look, ma’am. If you’re concerned about using a tin can, we could always use a lighter unit.”

“Interesting,” she said nodding. “I think the admiral has been so fixated on a proper scout he's ignored this option,” she said, still uncommitted to the project. He may not have clearance for the Prowler project or how far along the four ships that had been built had gotten.

She didn't want to discourage his initiative by shutting him down without an explanation. The exercise and proposal would do him some good, exposing him to the elements of the chain of command she thought.

“Or he's more concerned about keeping the assets concentrated, ma’am,” the lieutenant replied.

“Why a tin can?” she asked eyes shifting to his, curious about his reasoning.

“Um, it's the traditional unit for scouting like this, ma’am. It's got the legs to go a couple of systems without refueling, it can haul more, it can stay longer, and it can stand up to a lot of ships. Ships the enemy may have screening the system.”

“Not a cruiser or higher though,” she asked, carefully testing him. Light cruisers were already doing that job she thought, remembering the missions to Tau and Pi sector. She really should nip him in the bud before this got too far along, but she was genuinely curious how thick headed he'd gotten.

“Not for long, ma’am. But if they can see them coming, they can hyper out since they are outside the system. If they get caught, a destroyer can take some punishment before it jumps out.”

“I'm glad you thought that through,” she said with a nod.

“Ma'am, I think we need the intel, especially in light of what's going on in Briev.”

“I'm not sure about heading in that direction,” she said.

“We could split off a few of the new construction for this. Blood the units,” he offered. “Give them a cruise, a proper shakedown and mission.”

“And I'm not sure that's a wise idea either,” she said shaking her head. His face fell. “Oh it's a good one in a way but not with a green crew. No, if we were going to do this, we need a proven crew. One that can get in and out without wanting to play hero. Just intel,” she said. “But your example is a good one. Do you have a target list?”

“Um.” He looked down to his tablet then up to her. “Dead Drop is just in easy range from Protodon for an
Arboth
class, ma’am.”

“It's in easy range. She could go on to Horath and back if needed,” the commander replied.

“But that would be, um …,” he saw her flicker of annoyance and cut himself off. “As you say, ma’am, it is possible.

“Continue.”

“We could go to Konohagakure, ma’am. Scout there and return.”

“Possible. Probable actually, since we're going to go there eventually. Why not send a cruiser again? Like the ones we've sent to Pi and Tau sector?” she asked him.

He blinked at her stupidly.

She smiled thinly. “Had your head too much in your work to notice that, Lieutenant?” she asked mildly.

“Um, ma'am …”

“Trust me. The admiral is aware of what a tin can can do. He and the other flag officer have been strategizing for some time now,” she said mildly. “After all, it's what an admiral is supposed to do. Like an intelligence officer is supposed to find information and interpret it,” she said mildly.

“Um, ma’am …”

“Your list. Continue,” she urged, waving a hand.

He gulped and then nodded miserably. “Well, ma’am … I was going to say beyond Charon and into the Pi sector but you um, just said …”

She nodded as if she was considering the idea. “I think we can rule it out for now. I'd rather not get too far ahead of ourselves and not pay attention to details,” she said in a slightly scathing tone. He winced. “So, what I want you to do is draw up a proper plan. Count on three tin cans for this exercise.
Fuentes
will most likely be one of these units even though she is currently deployed in Epsilon Triangula.” He winced. “Three targets, the tin cans will have to sweep different probable approaches to the Federation. One being B101a1 of course … we can ask the picket there nicely if they've seen anything I suppose …”

He winced. Her sarcasm was withering. He felt like crawling under her desk.

“And the other two, ma’am?” the lieutenant asked meekly, making a note. “The Senka chain and Protodon chain to Dead Drop as you mentioned? The three ships can't be in all the systems at the same time, ma’am,” he cautioned. He hoped he hadn't cooked his career with his enthusiasm. Some intelligence officer he was, a small corner of his mind scoffed as he tried to act as dutiful as possible.

“No but what they can do is deploy recon drones or observation systems like the ones the admiral devised for the Briev chain. They can deploy each, then when they get to the last in the chain, work their way back drawing the feed from each and then dumping it when they return to our space and a handy ansible. Well, the brief report at any rate.”

“Ah,” the lieutenant said nodding. “So draw up a plan and op orders then, ma’am?”

“Yes, include cartography, any intel on each system we have, and strict orders not to engage unless they are under attack. Oh, and passive systems only. Tell them to run silent on exit from hyper. If this works, we might just go deeper,” she said, still eying him.

He nodded. “Aye aye, ma’am,” he said coming to attention.

“Dismissed, Lieutenant, good initiative albeit misplaced. You need to temper that and your enthusiasm with a realistic look at the playing field
before
you jump in like this again,” she warned, eying him severely. He nodded glumly. “Get me this by the end of this shift,” she said, waving an airy hand.

He seemed to gulp and then nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” he said automatically. There could be no other reply of course. Her eyes twinkled a little.

“Get to work then; you've got quite a bit to do,” she said waving her fingers dismissively. That should keep him busy and his head down for a while she thought.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said as he about-faced and marched out. He ducked as others glanced in his direction. He felt his face afire and his ears burning.

Pauline chuckled as she sent him packing. His heart had been in the right place but lord had he been stupid to bring it up to her first! He should have talked it over with some of the juniors … how had he gotten past ensign? And why was he in her section?

She frowned thoughtfully as she sipped her drink. He passed in his work, handled his section, but now that she thought about it, she didn't want a day dreamer working for her. The work was tedious, but it was too easy to miss if you had your head up your ass and not where it was supposed to be.

He meant well, but he needed seasoning. And since he'd brought up the tin cans … she frowned and put a call in to a buddy at BUPERS.
Eagle
still needed a couple junior officers. Waldeck just elected himself she thought.

She also made a note to put a mild slap in his jacket when she did his review.
Definitely
more seasoning she thought.

---<>))))

“So, we have no more sightings of the Xeno Wraith?” Commander Sprite asked.

“None this quarter at all. It's why it's called a Wraith I suppose,” Commander Yao said. “We're still chiseling at pieces of it and eliminating hiding spots, but we're not sure our arsenal of cyber tools and weapons will take it down until we actually run up against the thing for real. But that wasn't the topic of the current conversation,” he said, eying the others in the room.