Time Commander (The First Admiral Series) (3 page)

As Billy calmly sat at the War Table, the other Staff Officers were already beginning to gather for the Conference with Admiral Parbe‘an of the Third Fleet. Singly, in pairs, or small groups, the Senior Staff of the Universal Alliance Fleet filtered into the bright, glaring lights of the War Room. As the Staff Officers filtered into the War Room they saluted the Supreme Commander of the Universal Alliance Fleet by snapping their booted heels together.

With a brief nod, Billy Caudwell acknowledged their salutes and waited for the entire Staff to gather. Some took their seats around the large War Table and began either working on documents they had brought, or talking to other Staff Officers who had already arrived. Others made their way to the Synthesiser to collect some of their preferred beverages before either taking their seats or forming small standing groups nearby.

Whilst he waited, Billy considered the seriousness of the situation. The Third Fleet was quite badly exposed out on the Terganian Frontier. When the planet Targus, and its neighbouring systems, had joined the Alliance, it had been for military protection from the Ganthorans and for the trade links. The change in military presence from the local forces to the Universal Alliance Fleet often encouraged a more powerful neighbour to attempt to seize some of the Alliance’s new territory. The Ganthorans were a species with a known hunger for new conquests, and a great deal of the Terganian frontier was disputed territory.

With resources already badly stretched, Billy had decided to send Third Fleet to the Ganthoran and Terganian frontier. Third Fleet were an experienced and battle-hardened command led by a tough, no-nonsense Skaylar by the name of Fursus Parbe’an. First Admiral Billy Caudwell had taken the calculated risk and sent the under-strength Third Fleet to the Tergalian frontier. Billy knew that frontier deployments were always risky situations. Hoping that the bluff would work, Billy had requested the Universal Alliance Diplomatic Department to make the strongest overtures and offers of friendship to the Ganthoran Government. At the last report from the Diplomatic Department, the Ganthorans had yet to respond to any of their messages and approaches.

Since sending Parbe’an to the Terganian frontier, the Ganthorans had probed and explored the newly-established defensive perimeter. Now it appeared that their Frontier General had found some weakness that he felt he could exploit. Whatever he felt he had discovered must have been interesting, since he was now staking his entire force on pushing the Alliance back from its new frontier. Billy Caudwell was concerned that if Parbe’an had to abandon Tergus, the Ganthorans might take brutal revenge on the population. That, plus the damage done to the reputation of the Alliance Fleet might make existing members nervous enough to leave the Alliance. It was, potentially, a very bad situation. Billy Caudwell knew that at some point there was inevitably going to be military defeats for the Alliance Fleet, but he simply could not afford to sustain one right now, and certainly not on the Tergalian frontier.

As First Admiral Billy Caudwell contemplated the likely effect on the Universal Alliance of a reversal on the Tergalian frontier, the Alliance Fleets Chief of Staff bustled quickly into the War Room.

“Sorry sir.” The Chief of Staff Marrhus Lokkrien apologised with the regulation snap of his heels. “Just picking up the Briefing from Intelligence.”

“
In your own time, Marrhus. Call them to order when you’re ready.”

Chief of Staff, Second Admiral Marrhus Lokkrien was a Bardomil by birth, but an Alliance soldier by loyalty.

Marrhus Lokkrien stood over six feet tall and had the pale grey skin and green almond-shaped eyes of his species. His straight black hair stood over a rather unnervingly scarred face. Marrhus Lokkrien had seen a great deal of combat experience in his life and his face bore testimony to his courage and good fortune.

Billy relied a great deal upon Lokkrien for advice and support, although with the ultimate responsible lying with Billy, their conversations could become quite heated and animated. That was the strength of Marrhus Lokkrien. He had his views and opinions and he argued for them. That was what a First Admiral needed from his Chief of Staff. He needed someone to stand up to him, to argue against his more hare-brained ideas and to give him a sense of perspective on what he was doing. The last thing a Chief of Staff needed to be was a “Yes Man”. As they had worked and argued together, they began to form an unspoken bond of loyalty and friendship.

“
Gentlemen, if I may have your attention,” Lokkrien called the officers to the briefing.

The officers ceased their chatter and activities and took their appointed seats beside the War Table. Under the watchful gaze of the First Admiral and the Chief of Staff, the meeting quickly came to order.

“Gentlemen.” Lokkrien swiftly pressed a button located on top of the War Table.

To the right of the War Table, against the only wall on the raised platform, a two-dimensional holographically projected Tactical View Screen was being activated.

“As of forty minutes ago, the Ganthoran Imperial Fourth Frontier Fleet under a General…Grobbeg…” Lokkrien checked his notes, “...entered Alliance space with the full Frontier Fleet contingent.”

Lokkrien paused for effect to let the news sink in. There were a few murmuring voices, but no one broke the generally agreed silence. Meanwhile, on the Tactical View Screen, a two-dimensional image was being projected from the floor of the raised platform onto the wall. The image was clear and its contents were quite stark.

Set against a black background, the image showed, to the far left, a broad yellow curving line to represent the Terganian and Ganthoran frontier. Moving slowly from right to left across the image were white triangular icons. There were a large number of these icons in a roughly circular formation. In the centre of the circle were twenty large triangles also in a circular formation. Around the circle of large white triangles were three hundred and fifty smaller triangles in an arrowhead formation. Surrounding these triangles were a further eight hundred smaller triangles, also in an arrowhead formation, leading the entire formation towards their intended target.

That intended target was the Universal Alliances Third Fleet around the planet of Tergus.

Sitting in the centre of the two dimensional representation as pale blue triangles, the Alliance Third Fleet looked horribly exposed and vulnerable. Around the War Table there were sharp intakes of breath. This was a full-scale Ganthoran invasion, just under twelve hundred ships, and they were heading straight for Admiral Parbe’an’s Fleet.

Looking at the image on the screen, Billy Caudwell quickly assessed the situation. The large white triangles would be the Ganthoran Carriers. They were well protected in the centre of the formation. Surrounding the Carriers would be a host of heavily-armed Cruiser-like escorts, and surrounding them would be smaller more agile and less well armed and protected ships.

On the blue triangle side, Billy could see one large triangle. That would be the Star Destroyer “Olympus”; Admiral Parbe’an’s flagship and command centre for Third Fleet. The Star Destroyer was very much the lord of all it surveyed. At over two kilometres in diameter it was octagonal in shape. Around the waist of the vessel, which carried a crew of almost one hundred thousand, were four of the most feared weapons in the universe: a Trionic Cannon. Each Trionic cannon had the ability to destroy an entire star by de-stabilising the bonds that held the very matter of the star together.

“
We have a total of just under twelve hundred ships approaching Third Fleet with a complement of less than twenty vessels.” Lokkrien confirmed what everyone could already see in the two-dimensional image.

“
Well,” said a voice from the darkness, “I don’t much like the Ganthorans’ chances against old Parbe’an!” Everyone around the War Table started to laugh.

“
O.K., enough of the hilarity, Gentlemen...we’ve got a serious situation on our hands.” Billy Caudwell couldn’t help but smile at the joke which had broken the tension.

“
Sir,” the voice of a Communications Officer interrupted from the darkness, “we’ve established the video-comm link with Third Fleet.”

“
Excellent, put it on Tactical View Screen Two,” Marrhus Lokkrien said.

A moment later, the two-dimensional image of the white and blue triangles was replaced by the stern, stocky and solid chalk-white features of Admiral Parbe’an.

“Welcome Admiral,” Lokkrien began, “can you hear us properly?”

“
Yes, sir!” Second Admiral Parbe’an’s booming voice rebounded and echoed throughout the entire War Room.

“
Admiral Parbe’an, what is it looking like out there?” Billy asked.

“
Well, to be honest, you’ve got us sitting here with our trousers down and our backsides hanging out in front of an entire Ganthoran Frontier Fleet…sir.”

There was a short sharp intake of breath from those around the War Table.

“Admiral Parbe’an!” Marrhus Lokkrien scowled at the angry Skaylar in charge of Third Fleet.

It was against the protocol of the Alliance Fleet for a subordinate to address a superior officer in such a disrespectful way at an open Briefing.

“No!...Marrhus,” Billy soothed the angered Bardomil Chief of Staff, “he’s got every right to be angry. We can play the blame game later, but first we need to help Third Fleet recover the situation.”

“
What is the battle capability of Third Fleet, if you please, Second Admiral.”

“
Well, sir, we have four thousand two hundred and sixteen effective Eagle single-seat fighters. The Star Cruisers Acheron, Ambush, Aegis and Avenger have depleted Force Shielding capability. The other Star Cruisers are fully operational. The Fleet Carriers, however, are both still refitting with the upgraded Trion Drive,” Parbe’an said.

That isn’t good news
, Billy Caudwell thought to himself. Both of the Fleet Carriers were upgrading their Trion Drives. That effectively meant that they were stranded in space. The Trion Drives were closely coupled to the Thrust Engines that used the same power source to drive the vessel. It really was the worst of both worlds for the Third Fleet. Four out of fourteen Star Cruisers had little, or no Force Shielding, whilst the two Fleet Carriers couldn’t move. No wonder Parbe’an was angry; he had two large sitting ducks in the shape of his Fleet Carriers and four lame ducks amongst his Star Cruisers.

“
The Olympus is fully functional and operational,” Parbe’an said.

“
Thank you, Admiral Parbe’an.” Billy briefly scanned the room. “I take it you have seen the deployment of the Ganthoran Fleet?”

“
Yes, sir, and we are awaiting your instructions.”

“
Very well...any suggestions, Gentlemen?” Billy inquired.

“
Best plan would be to hunker down and fight them off until First Fleet arrives,” one of the Third Admirals replied.

“
Gentlemen, please,” Billy teased the Staff Officers, “I cannot see the gallant Admiral Parbe’an and Third Fleet skulking behind their shields and waiting to be rescued.”

“
Absolutely correct, sir.” Parbe’an beamed at the compliment.

“
From what I see of the situation,” Billy said, “the Fleet Carriers anchor you to your current location. The sensible thing to do is to defend them. You have four below-strength Star Cruisers with varying degrees of Force Shielding, am I correct, Second Admiral?”

“
You are correct, sir.”

“
This leaves you with the choices of, one; abandon your lame ducks and get out there, which leaves Tergus undefended. Not good politically. Two; you hunker down behind the Force Shielding as Admiral Garthan suggested, and wait for either rescue or to be blown to space dust. Or three,” Billy paused for effect, “you do what Third Fleet do best, and you go out there with your Eagles, take the battle to them, and make them fight in the vicinity of their own big ships.”

The officers around the War Table, almost as one, began to protest. The tenets of sound military logic dictated that you did not split your forces in the face of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.

“Sir, that’s suicide!” Marrhus Lokkrien stooped down, trying to read Billy.

“
Marrhus, they’re most likely going to lose all their Eagles anyway, so let’s make best use of them.”

“
Gentlemen! To order, please!” Lokkrien said.

“
Sir, it’s madness to separate Third Fleet from its Eagles! You cannot split a command in front of a horde like that!?” A Third Admiral looked to his peers for support.

“
Take the fight to them, Gentlemen. The best form of defence is attack.” Billy outlined the situation. “If Third Fleet’s Eagles are raising blue murder amongst the formation of large ships, the Ganthoran is going to have to commit large numbers of his own fighters to protect his Carriers. That keeps the Ganthorans away from the vulnerable Fleet Carriers.”

“
Now, we’re getting somewhere.” Admiral Parbe’an smiled wolfishly.

Like most Skaylars, Admiral Parbe’an relished a good fight. To Billy’s mind, this would indeed be a good fight, and it would, most likely, be a costly one. Admiral Parbe’an had more than enough fighting spirit and good grounded military experience to make the best possible use of his limited Eagle resources.