Troy Rising 2 - Citadel (14 page)

“And you were right,” Major To'Jopeviq said.

“Being right is sometimes the worst possible thing you can be,” the general said, hissing in humor again. “You may learn this someday to your disservice. And in this case, it was a mixed curse. I have been given the task of preparing the attacks that are scheduled to be sent in against Terra.”

“We are going to attack them as well?” To'Jopeviq asked.

“Eventually,” the general replied. “In part that is my doing. The Terrans, clearly, have defenses far in advance of what they should given their relative youth. My point was that if they can prepare such formidable defenses, we really don't want them having time to prepare offensive structures. Thus as a small part of the overall attack against the Glatun Federation, there is a codicil to take the Terran system. Star Marshall Gi'Bucosof has the overall command of the Glatun attack. I am in charge of the Terran portion as well as others. And I am putting you in charge of examining them in depth. Determining how formidable their defenses really are and how to defeat them.”

“What did this? Do we know?”

“A combination,” the general said. “They have created a most bastardized fortification on the gate, a nickel-iron asteroid that has been inflated into a battlestation of sorts. And they have a very capable mining laser using solar pumped power. You will be briefed on what is known and have a team to determine how dangerous the systems actually are. To Devastators they are clearly very dangerous. I want you, also, to develop their Order of Battle better than our current estimates and look at key players in the system. Think not just of direct assault but political assault. On that subject, part of your team will be a member of the Kazi.”

“If you so order, General,” the major said, stoically.

The Kazi were the Imperium's political police as well as its intelligence arm. To'Jopeviq recognized their necessity, especially for controlling conquered populaces who tended to be restive. It did not mean he liked them.

“Don't look so glum, Major,” the general said, heartily. “Getting a Kazi assigned to you means you're important! I have them around me like flies! If I had a minor granddaughter left I might marry her off to you! You're advancing!”

“Yes, sir,” To'Jopeviq said.

“And you don't care,” the general said, hissing again. “You are the bluff warrior who longs only for the sting of battle. But this is part of preparing the battlefield, Major. Your job is to ensure that when we enter the system, we will be fully prepared to destroy their defenses and take it without losing an entire fleet.”

“Yes, sir,” To'Jopeviq said.

“So, get to work,” the general said, waving his hand at the door. “Your new ‘assistant' is waiting.”

The lieutenant in the general's outer office was that oddest of things, a female officer.

Rangora females were much more petite than their male counterparts, rarely clearing a meter and a half in height and with much smaller and finer scales. This one was smaller than normal, almost a dwarf. She barely came up to To'Jopeviq's waist.

“Lieutenant Jith Beor, sir,” the female said, saluting. “I am your administrative assistant for this project.”

It took To'Jopeviq longer than normal to make the realization that when the general mentioned his “assistant” the senior officer was pointing out that the assistant was more like his control. He wasn't used to dealing with Kazi. And with that realization, he also knew that the female wasn't really a Navy Lieutenant. The combination made the salute he returned slow and somewhat distasteful.

“Good to meet you, Lieutenant,” To'Jopeviq said, belying every word with his demeanor. “Do you know where we're setting up?”

“Just down the hall, sir,” the lieutenant said, gesturing to the door. “We're rather close to the center of power, eh?”

“Being close to the center of power is somewhat like being close to an unstable laser emitter, Lieutenant,” To'Jopeviq said as they walked down the hallway. “I prefer to be on the other end of the ship. Or, better, on a different one.”

“You do not care for this assignment?” Beor asked.

“I would much rather be on an Assault Vector,” To'Jopeviq said as he entered the offices they were to use. “And I see we're alone.”

“If you think so, you really aren't used to being near the center of power,” Beor said, gesturing to his office. It already had his name on the door. “If you're going to discuss what I think you want to discuss, we'd be better off in there.”

“Lead on, Lieutenant.”

“Because only the Kazi have this room monitored?” To'Jopeviq said as he sat behind his desk.

“As far as I know it is not monitored by anyone,” Beor said, sitting down without being asked. “I swept it rather carefully and it is shielded. I am not here as your political officer, To'Jopeviq. I'm here to be the Kazi liaison—there are pieces of intelligence you may not be able to get through normal military channels—and to bring some alternate thinking into the group.”

“And to weed out alternate thinking?” To'Jopeviq asked.

“If you mean to ensure that there is no indiscrete sentiments,” Beor said, “that is a standard part of any Kazi's job. But you are hardly a threat to the Imperium, To'Jopeviq. Quite the opposite. Your loyalty is unquestioned. As is the loyalty of most of this team. Oh, there are a couple who are on the questionable list, but only because they are . . . thinkers. The sort of people who question everything. Such people are useful. They simply need a bit of watching to make sure they don't go too far. My main mission, though, is as I stated. To bring alternate intelligence and alternate thoughts to this planning group. And, of course, to handle your paperwork.”

“So you see everything?” To'Jopeviq said.

“Of course,” Beor said, hissing in humor. “And so you don't have to worry about it so much. I'll be taking care of payroll, move your papers, that sort of thing. So you can do the job of figuring out how to take the Terran system without losing another forty ships.”

“Will it be a Rangora force?” To'Jopeviq asked. “Or more stinking, cowardly Horvath?”

“That has yet to be determined,” Beor said. “In part because no-one has taken a close look at the Terran system.”

“Where's the rest of the team?” To'Jopeviq asked.

“Being gathered,” Beor said. “We're the first. By this afternoon, we'll be getting to work.”

“So . . .” To'Jopeviq said. “What's your real rank?”

“That is not your concern,” Beor said. “When we are in public, though, I will treat you with the exact respect you are entitled by your rank and your experience. In fact, my cover is to be the star-struck young lieutenant working for the handsome and virile hero.”

“That could be fun,” To'Jopeviq said.

“Don't push your luck, Major,” the agent said. “I'm not actually star struck.”

“That's what's going to make it so fun.”

“This is Doctor Thiolh Avama,” Beor said. “He is a specialist in xeno-history and has recently written a paper on the Terran system and human social interactions.”

“Doctor,” To'Jopeviq said, nodding his head. “Any initial thoughts?”

“The first thing to understand about Terrans,” the academic said, musingly, “is that they are societally and politically complex. They have not yet gone through a coalescence period being broken into numerous tribes that are separated into nation-states with varying degrees of political power and economic influence.”

“All of that being said, the Terrans are an essentially peaceful people. They are a race of evolutionary herbivores rather recently shifted to omnivorous consumption. They have a long history of territorial aggression but always seek to control and even eliminate such actions . . .”

“Totally disagree.”

“Analyst Deegh Toer of the War Intelligence Agency,” Beor said, introducing the short, stocky, Rangora. “He was part of the first team to do an analysis of the Terran defenses.”

“And if anyone had paid attention to it, the Horvath wouldn't have entered the system in such low force,” Toer said. “The humans are animals. They live, eat and breathe war to an extent it's hard to find outside our own blessed Imperium.”

“If you observe their many broadcast channels,” Avama said, chidingly, “this is clearly not the case. They constantly attempt to restrict their warfare, even having many thousands of regulations regarding war that it might be fought, when absolutely necessary, in the most peaceful possible way.”

“Peaceful war is a contradiction,” To'Jopeviq said.

“Not at all,” Avama said. “They clearly separate what they consider ‘good' war and ‘bad' war among the higher quality polities. The better, more elite, humans firmly deride and avoid any conflict with a material or even strategic basis. They even have a term, ‘operations other than war.' These are such things as nation building and humanitarian support missions. This is what the militaries of most of the great polities are used for much of the time.”

“Explain the Iraq Invasion!” Toer said.

“The overthrow of a vicious dictator who was slaughtering his own people,” Avama said, shrugging. “The tribe called Americans also believed he was a material threat.”

“And the American military exists purely to perform these ‘actions other than war?' ” Toer said with a scoff. “It outnumbers or outclasses the rest of the world's militaries combined. And since they got into space it is the lead military in that front.”

“If you had ever met any American diplomatic personnel, you would know that they are, charmingly, innocent, peaceful and naïve,” Avama said. “They truly believe that war is a thing of the past. The Americans bluff and are more than willing to bully lesser polities, but they have no real stomach for war. There are few or none on Terra who do. Frankly, a reasonable negotiated surrender is the most likely outcome of this conflict.”

“You're dreaming,” Toer snapped. “Just dreaming.”

“Gentlemen,” To'Jopeviq said, trying not to sigh. “We are getting ahead of ourselves. Mr. Toer, can you explain how the Terrans wiped out a fleet of, admittedly second class, battleships with a mining laser?”

“Calling the SAPL a mining laser is like calling a Devastator a freighter,” Toer said. “You can use it for the purpose but it's sort of over classed. The SAPL consists of a Very Large Array of mirrors scattered near their sun. That VLA captures sunlight and concentrates it on the Beaufort's Distributed Array or BDA. The BDA then concentrates it more and bounces it up and down to more VSA mirrors scattered out of the plane of the ecliptic. They move the light around the system for, ostensibly, mining purposes.”

“The main company which owns the system uses it extensively, and very inexpensively, for mining purposes,” Dr. Avama pointed out.

“They don't need seventy petawatts of power for mining!” Toer snarled. “That's not a mining laser, that's a weapon of doom!”

“Seventy petawatts does seem a bit strong for a mining laser,” To'Jopeviq said.

“They don't, normally, use it all at once,” Dr. Avama said. “They use the laser, along with spin processing, to separate metals. And they normally have several projects running at once. They have become a major supplier of materials to the Glatun.”

“Who are using it to produce warships and defense stations,” Toer said.

“If this thing uses mirrors, it should be reasonably easy to take out,” To'Jopeviq said. “Just target the mirrors.”

“Which is where Troy comes in,” Toer said.

“Troy?”

“A mining program,” Dr. Avama said.

“Very clearly a defense program,” Toer replied.

“They are now getting most of their material from Troy,” Dr. Avama pointed out.

“It's a fricking battlestation!” Toer shouted. “They say it's a battlestation! The plans are on their hypernet!”

“Doctor, please,” To'Jopeviq said, holding up his hand. “Mr. Toer, what is Troy?”

“Troy is a NI asteroid they inflated into a battlestation,” the analyst said. “And, yes, they are mining it also. But it has kilometer and a half thick walls of nickel iron. The ‘mining' is burning our missile and laser tubes, ship bays, personnel centers. During the last battle, the Troy, which was barely operational, was used as the final focus engine for the SAPL. Which is it's primary,” he continued, glaring at the academic, “purpose. Troy will be supplied from a distance by the SAPL which will have a stable aim point and can send power from as much as four light seconds away. And the mirrors can move around while supplying the power. So you can throw lasers at them all day and not get them. Best bet is to expend your missiles on trying to take out all the mirrors. Good luck, that bastard Vernon won't quit making the things.”

“Vernon?” To'Jopeviq said.

“A major financier,” Dr. Avama said. “But not a serious personality. He is new riches from after the first contact. But otherwise unimportant.”

“He created SAPL and Troy,” Toer growled. “How much more important does a person get?”

“SAPL,” Dr. Avama, “once you think about it, is a rather elegant idea. I'm no great expert but most asteroid mining . . .”

“Uses large annie power pumped laser systems,” To'Jopeviq said. “Chunks are mined off of the asteroids and fed to smelters and fabbers using gravity tugs.”

“Yes,” Dr. Avama said. “As you say.”

“My father is an asteroid miner,” To'Jopeviq said. “I know quite a bit about it. What is spin processing, though?”

“Take a big laser,” Toer said. “Which, obviously, Terra has. Start an asteroid spinning on one axis. Heat. The metals separate out. It will eventually form a sort of plate. You can then cut the metals off. Mine and smelt in one.”

“That is elegant,” To'Jopeviq said, nodding. “But you need cheap laser power.”

“Which the humans get from their sun,” Dr. Avama said, excitedly. “It's a very unusual approach and has quite a bit of economic consequence if you think about it. It's one of the reasons I find the culture so fascinating . . .”

“I understand,” To'Jopeviq said. “Kilometer and a half of nickel iron?”

“Kilometer and a half,” Toer said.

“Entrances?”

“The missile launch tubes,” Toer said. “The laser tubes. Eventually the plans include ship launch tubes. And the main door. Which is big and hard to close. If you can get in before they close the door, you might have a chance. Absent that my analysis is if they get even their phase one plans, a successful assault will require forty Assault Vectors.”