“I favor the conservative approach,” Alphons stated, after every variation had been scrutinized.
“That’s the SADEs’ consensus,” Lydia added. “The singular unknown concerns the nature in which the drones launch from the Arcus. There’s the distinct possibility that the drones will approach the fleet in two waves.”
“Hector, we need to know if Alex can pin Vyztram down to the length of time between launches, and what that would mean in distance,” Ellie said.
“Done,” Hector replied, after sending the message.
“Based on Vyztram’s information about the separation the drones must maintain, we can estimate the approximate breadth of each wave,” Hector said. “Three Tridents would be required to neutralize each wave.”
“If the wave separation is minimal, we encounter problems,” Lydia said. She used the holo-vid to illustrate the issue. “It’s our supposition that the waves will follow each other, but what if they don’t?”
As Lydia moved the position of the second wave, the timing of the Tridents’ attacks from alternate directions interfered with one another. In several scenarios, a Trident was caught in the wash of an NNEMP wave.
“If we play it safe and separate the timing of the squadrons’ attacks, then we risk failure,” Ellie said. She manipulated the holo-vid imagery.
Ellie’s audience watched three Tridents descend on the first wave from above. The warships launched their devices and curved away. When the NNEMPs detonated, the drones were rendered inert. Containment was lost, and the drones disappeared. Then the second Trident squadron launched its attack run, but the second drone wave had swiftly diverted from their original trajectory.
“And here’s another and worse possibility,” Adrianna said, taking control of the holo-vid’s input. In her variations the second wave didn’t move as one. The drones scattered and made huge loops to converge on the Freedom from multiple directions.
“Admiral,” Hector said, addressing Ellie. “We can’t rely on controller programming to ensure crews aren’t risked. The variations are too numerous. In addition, crews are required to launch the weapons.”
“I know,” Ellie said quietly. “I don’t see any other option. We have to signal both squadrons to attack at the same time. We can’t risk the drones separating.”
“And the Tridents will have to release their devices to detonate at the same time,” Alphons noted.
“If the Trident squadrons are staged near each other, and the waves are stacked, the plan won’t work,” Ellie said, returning to that scenario. “We have to stage one squadron high and one low. Then we cover most of the options.”
“And if the drones separate after launch?” Adrianna asked.
“Don’t go there,” Ellie warned. “Tatia’s message said that Alex told Vyztram to attack the Freedom. Hector, how would you interpret that directive?”
“On the assumption that Alex has established a relationship with Vyztram, the AI would interpret that literally and wouldn’t opt for variations,” Hector replied. “Each wave should be sent directly at the Freedom. Vyztram would rely on Alex’s plan to interdict the drones.”
Ellie eyed her admirals, who raised no more objections. “Now, as to the squadrons we assign,” she said.
“Descartes’s senior captains have the experience,” Alphons noted.
“How’s Alain doing?” Adrianna asked him.
“Étienne spent some time aboard Alain’s Trident,” Alphons replied. “I spoke to Étienne afterward. He said he’d told his twin that tens of thousands of lives were saved by stopping the Syslerian fleet’s advance on Toral and the fight that would have inevitably followed.”
“But did that salve Alain’s conscience?” Adrianna pursued.
Hector considered the discussion taking place. The twins were trained as escorts, protectors of House members. They’d been assigned to Renée. Later, they’d split their duties to cover Alex and Renée. Then they’d trained at the Omnian flight academy. Throughout their careers they’d employed judicial force to disable their attackers or enemies. Now, one of them was displaying symptoms of regret. He’d made a note to speak to Alex about how this occurred in humans.
“According to Étienne, it did,” Alphons replied, “but I wasn’t convinced by him. The way he spoke sounded as if he was protecting his twin.”
“Should we split the squadrons?” Adrianna asked.
Ellie regarded the SADEs. They weren’t offering advice, and she understood why. This was a human issue — dependability under pressure.
“Give me a moment,” Ellie said. Then she linked to Étienne.
<Greetings, Admiral,> Étienne sent, believing his partner was making a formal call.
<I apologize if I’ve disturbed your sleep, Captain,> Ellie sent, noting the late hour.
<We’re deciding on who will lead the Trident attacks on the drones outside the Ollassa system,> Ellie sent. <We require six Tridents, and Commodore Descartes’s squadrons would be the natural choice. I need to know how Alain would feel about taking part in the attack?>
<My crèche mate is tired of taking sentient lives,> Étienne replied. <It’s known that each of us might be attacking drones in the Ollassa system with an EMP device. For this one last occasion, Alain is good with that. Afterward, he’ll retire his captaincy and seek employment with the fleet in some other capacity, preferably aboard the Freedom.>
Ellie understood Alain’s desire. His partner was Tatia Tachenko. They’d been apart for many annuals, meeting only briefly when the fleets rendezvoused. On the other hand, she’d been fortunate that her partner, Étienne, was assigned to the same fleet as her.
<I appreciate the frankness, Captain,> Ellie sent. <Tell Alain that I don’t think he has any worry about an assignment aboard the Freedom. He’s a highly valued and loved individual.>
<My thanks for your words, Admiral,> Étienne sent. <I’ll relay them to my twin.>
Ellie closed the link and returned to the conversation with the SADEs and the admirals. <Alain will participate in the attack. It’ll be his last action as senior captain.>
Alphons briefly hung his head. Alain was a prized officer, but he knew that the actions in Talus had resulted in an emotional awakening for Alain.
“Then we’ll send Descartes and his squadrons?” Adrianna asked.
“The senior captains have the experience,” Ellie said. “They’ll provide the best advice to their captains to ensure that the drones are neutralized and the dangers are minimized. Don’t forget that drone destruction is our primary goal. Failure to completely eliminate them is to place the Freedom in jeopardy.”
Ellie turned to the SADEs and added, “I presume that Commodore Descartes has been listening to this conversation.”
“Yes, Admiral,” Hector confirmed.
“Alphons, send the commodore,” Ellie said. “Have the squadrons exit their transit in the high and low positions that we’ve calculated are their best attack positions. After the transit exit, Descartes is to contact Admiral Tachenko and rendezvous with the Freedom.”
“Understood, Admiral,” Alphons replied.
Ellie leaned back into her chair. She’d responded to Tatia’s directives as best she could. She dearly wanted to sail for the Ollassa system, but Tatia affirmed that was unacceptable. Alex had said, as it was, he had too many moving parts. One more variable would only overly complicate the problem.
22: Adjustments
<Greetings, my heart,> Tatia heard in her implant. She’d been in a deep sleep, and she had to replay the message before the implications of its reception sunk into her consciousness.
<Alain,> she sent with fervor, hoping that there wasn’t a signal delay.
<I’m here, my heart,> Alain sent. He’d been apart from his love for too long. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much that had stifled him.
<Are you here with Commodore Descartes?> Tatia asked.
; <Yes, Étienne and I have the assignments for the drone attacks,> Alain replied.
<Well, Ellie sent the best captains for the job,> Tatia sent, her thought carrying a congratulatory tone. She didn’t receive an immediate response, and the silence was unexpected. <What’s wrong?> she sent.
<You should hear this from me first,> Alain replied. <After Alex solves the problems in this system, I’ll be resigning my captaincy.>
Many questions flew through Tatia’s mind. She wanted to ask what had happened to Alain at Talus. Then again, she considered that his decision might have been brewing for some time, but she just hadn’t seen it. In the end, she swept the questions aside. Alain was the love that she had always coveted. It didn’t matter to her that they were a hydrogen couple, as the Omnians often referred to a partnering of a New Terran and a Méridien.
<Whatever you want to do, Alain, is fine with me, as long as you do it near me,> Tatia sent.
Alain received Tatia’s thought, which held the warmth she felt for him, and he heard her throaty laughter. The only thing he wanted right now was to crawl into bed with her and drape his arms around her robust body.
A thought occurred to Tatia, and she sent it before she could reconsider. <And if you want to leave the fleet, we’ll do that too.>
<I wouldn’t ask that of you,> Alain quickly objected. <I’m hopeful that I can find something to do aboard the Freedom.>
<Never fear, my heart,> Tatia replied. <If Alex can’t find something to keep you busy, then I certainly can.>
Alain joined in Tatia’s laughter. One more engagement, he thought wistfully. <I’ll speak to you again soon,> he promised before he ended the link.
Knowing that the squadrons Tatia had requested had arrived, she rose, enjoyed the refresher, and dressed.
When Descartes’s command exited from the transit to the Ollassa system, he expected Alain to link to the Freedom, and he waited patiently for the link to drop. Then he allowed some time for the admiral to gain the bridge.
Cordelia sounded her silver bells in response to twin contacts. Tatia and Descartes had made simultaneous requests to speak to each other.
<Greetings, Admiral,> Descartes sent.
<Welcome to the Worlds of Light, Commodore,> Tatia replied. <I understand only one NNEMP was released in the Toral system, which Alain’s Trident launched.>
<That’s correct, Admiral,> Descartes replied.
<You’ll have seen the expected drone waves’ formations,> Tatia sent. <I’d like to understand the intended dispersals of the NNEMPs at each wave.>
The bridge holo-vid lit, and it displayed a drone wave. The ships formed a spherical cluster. They were evenly spaced.
<Why this shape?> Tatia asked.
<An AI sent them, and the drones’ programming would assume the most efficient shape,> Descartes replied. To the SADE, it was a complete explanation.
Within the holo-vid, three pinpoints of light, representing the Tridents, swept down on the wave. Then, as the Tridents curved away, the banishers, which held the EMP devices, were launched. As the weapons reached their points of detonation, Descartes froze the display.
<A weapon’s pulse spread is focused by an antenna,> Descartes explained. <We used this technique against a lead battleship. However, in this case, it won’t work. We need a wide dispersal pattern. Therefore, we’ll remove the antennas from every banisher shell. The dimensions of a drone wave require three detonations one hundred twenty degrees around the cluster’s circumference.>
<What about the strength of the pulses?> Tatia inquired.
<We’ve maximized the energy releases,> Descartes replied. <It will be critical for every Omnian ship to be far clear of the pulses.>
<It’s supposed that the drones’ power generators will lose containment,> Tatia commented.
<That’s our consensus,> Descartes replied. <The pulse aimed at the battleship wreaked havoc on every electrical system, including the battleship’s engines, which the Syslerian engineering officers ejected. As you’re aware, we didn’t have the opportunity to conduct a survey to determine the extent of the damage.>
<So, there will be four distinct massive explosions,> Tatia mused. <We release three EMP pulses, and then the drone wave detonates.>
<The probabilities are high, Admiral, that the outcome will be different from what you imagine,> Descartes sent.
<Explain,> Tatia requested.
<We sent our request to Alex to ask Vyztram details about the waves’ separation and positioning,> Descartes replied.
<Cordelia?> Tatia queried.
<Alex received the request, but he hasn’t contacted Vyztram,> Cordelia replied.
Descartes didn’t dwell on the reasons that the information wasn’t forthcoming. Admiral Thompson had planned for most eventualities, and the SADEs concurred that the squadrons’ positioning represented the optimal approach. <Admiral, while the data would be useful, it shouldn’t be depended on. Vyztram is an unknown. Regard,> he sent.
The holo-vid displayed two Trident squadrons, one waiting above the drones and the other in wait below. Within the image were two drone waves. Descartes rearranged the waves in various positions relative to each other.
After each repositioning, Tatia watched the Tridents attack the waves. By separating the squadrons, Ellie had allowed for every variation of the waves.
<We’ll launch our attack prior to the midpoint of the distance between the Arcus and the Freedom,> Descartes explained. <It’s imperative that the distance to targets be precisely calculated, as the waves near the midpoint. We expect one Trident squadron to be slightly nearer its wave than the other. But the intent is to deliver the banishers on their targets at the same time.>
<You’re providing an opportunity for every Trident to clear the detonation field at the same time,> Tatia suggested.
<Precisely, Admiral.>
<Well planned,> Tatia sent approvingly. <Our retreat remains the same. Set your squadrons appropriately. Then station your ship with the Freedom and board. When the action starts, you’ll join Admiral Gaumata’s command. However, you’ll maintain exclusive control over the actions of your squadrons for the purpose of deactivating the drones.>
<Understood, Admiral,> Descartes replied and closed the link.
Cordelia immediately relayed a summary of the admiral’s conversation with the commodore to the senior staff.
* * * * *
<Rise and shine, Lieutenant,> Chief Teddy Lassiter sent to Nata.
The thought crossed Nata’s mind to object that she wasn’t supposed to be on duty for another two hours. However, the objection never left her implant. <Coming, Chief,> she sent.
Teddy grinned. He liked Nata’s new attitude. Much had taken place in the Toral system for the lieutenant. Not the least of those discoveries was Ude’s medical debilitation and his emotional transformation.
“What’s up?” Neffess asked from her bunk.
“Lassiter wants me in the bay,” Nata said quickly, hurrying for the refresher.
Neffess checked the controller, as she threw off the bedclothes and followed Nata. “The squadrons are moving into attack positions.”
From inside the refresher, Nata opened the link Neffess sent her. “I can’t believe it’s happening so quickly. We just transited outside the system.”
“Alex might have been waiting for us,” Neffess offered.
The mention of Alex’s name momentarily evinced a touch of anxiety, but it was an old reaction, which was quickly buried. As Nata dried off, conversations with Ude flooded her mind. His calm was the granite that her rage had died against. She no longer felt the animosity toward Alex that had driven her for nearly two decades.
Neffess stepped into the refresher after Nata. Her exposure to the mist was cursory. Dischnya tolerated the mister’s moistness, but it wasn’t something they enjoyed.
“Where you headed?” Nata called out from the sleeping quarters, as she dressed.
“Where do you think?” Neffess replied rhetorically. “
Our warm and fuzzy Teddy has requested your presence in the bay. The controller puts him in the starboard bay. That’s where the captain loaded the weapon.”
Nata chuckled at Neffess’s description of Chief Lassiter. The chief was anything but warm and fuzzy, and only the captain called him Teddy.
The lieutenants were quickly dressed in work coveralls. They exited the cabin and descended decks to reach the starboard bay.
When Teddy’s implant detected the lieutenants in the bay, he turned from the NNEMP, which sat on the deck near the bay’s twin doors. “Over here, Lieutenants,” he said.
When Nata and Neffess stood beside Teddy, the chief said, “We’re going to throw this device at the drones. You should learn the details of manipulating it. You might have to do something like this in the future.”
Nata and Neffess curtailed their tendencies to smile. Teddy was making it up. None of them had seen a banisher that contained an NNEMP, much less worked on one. They’d been stored aboard the Our People, while SADEs completed their construction during the trip to Toral.
Teddy schooled his face too. He had two reasons for calling Nata to the bay. First, he knew Neffess would follow. Second, he needed two well-trained individuals, who would be extremely careful in the manner of crew who’d been qualified to enter the dangerous beam hulls.
“What’s the plan, Chief?” Nata asked.
“We’ve got one operation and a series of adjustments to perform on this device to ready it for deployment,” Teddy replied. “The instructions came from Commodore Descartes.”
Teddy locked eyes with each lieutenant, as he sent them a link. “You’ll notice the commodore’s first lines in these instructions.”
Nata and Neffess dove into the file. The sentence Teddy mentioned was highlighted. It read, “Chiefs, extreme care must be taken with these adjustments. Utilize your best qualified personnel. When the shell is removed, and the interior exposed, missteps can result in the device’s detonation.”
Reading the commodore’s warning, the eyes of the lieutenants grew wide. When they finished, they regarded the chief.