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activated, spewing more precedent nukes; few ships carried large enough
Field generators to do so with impunity, but this was one of them.
The commander of the New Chicago immediately ordered his flight
controllers to warn off the fighters, but it was too late for half of
them. The rumor that Saurons recovered from Jump Lag more quickly than human
norms was apparently true, for the batteries and missile launchers of
the Sauron battleship Leviathan began sweeping New Chi's fighters from space.
Kellogg had his fleet closing on the Alderson Point at four Gs, but New Chi's
skipper knew that it would not be enough. Leviathan was deploying thousands of
perimeter mines, clearing the way for the reinforcements which must follow
her. NewChicagowas forced to open range as the Leviathan continued to advance,
but her screens still picked up the arrival of at least a dozen Sauron
warships in the first wave.
Aboard the Strela, Casardi's communications officer turned from his board.
"Sir, the Fomoria is in contact with the Sauron battleship; I think it's the
Leviathan, sir."
Casardi and Adderly shared a look. The Leviathan had been the vanguard of the
Sauron invasion force that had captured Meiji over three years ago; nothing
had been heard from the Imperial world since, and the Sauron battleship had
been on hand for most of the Empire's disasters that followed. To say she
possessed a fell reputation in the Imperial Navy was to damn her with faint
praise.
"More Saurons emerging, Captain . . ." The commo officer began
calling off ship types and identification estimates, and as the list grew,
Adderly's spirit died.
God, we haven't a prayer; we've got half the Eleventh Fleet here, but there's
just so many of them.
"Captain Casardi, please have your communications officer patch me in to the
bridges of the Chinthes accompanying us. Secure beam, if you would, and I'll
make the contact in my cabin."
Casardi carried out the request instantly. But he spent a long time looking at
the door after Adderly left.
"Chinthes and Strela shadowing the prize ship, First Rank," Weapons
announced.
"ActivatingCanada's batteries now, firing on the Strela."
Diettinger maintained his own communication with the commander of the
Leviathan, Vessel First Rank
Vonnerbek. They had worked well together in the past, and he was confident
they would do so now. As the commander on the scene, Diettinger was placed in
charge of the Leviathan and her attendant forces for the duration of the
mission; in this case, the securing of the borloi. Vonnerbek waited until
Diettinger had finished relating the tactical situation to him before
speaking.
"Thank you, Diettinger. Be advised that the First Fleet is arriving this
location in nine days."
Diettinger was thunderstruck; only iron discipline kept the shock from his
voice and features. "Do you have information regarding this, Vonnerbek? Is the
High Command planning to invade Tanith, attempting to secure it permanently?"
He remembered what he had told the human norm, Adderly, regarding routes into
the Empire, and with good reason. Tanith lay at several tramline exit points,
true, but each one in
Empire territory was an Imperial Naval base! The jungle world was industrially
worthless and militarily untenable.
Vonnerbek spoke freely; there was no known way to tap into modern
communications lasers.
"Affirmative. The First and Second Fleets together represent the majority of
Sauron's remaining naval strength. Our planners indicate that if we secure
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Tanith, even as no more than a refueling stop, and move before the Empire can
react, then the next stop could be any or all of those bases,
evenSpartaitself."
Diettinger held the other First Rank's gaze. "That will not win the war,
Vonnerbek."
"That is High Command's estimate as well. But Socio-Ops are convinced that
such action against the cattle," - it was the Sauron term for non-combatant
human norms, not an insult - "will result in vast civilian
backlash against the Imperial military, possibly forcing a peace."
Diettinger arched his right brow, the one not covered by bandage. "I see.
Socio-Ops is not my field,"
he said simply.
"Nor mine," Vonnerbek agreed. In fact, both of them considered it a waste of
personnel, talent and resources. But both were Soldiers, and that meant both
followed orders. "And of course," Vonnerbek concluded, "Leviathan is carrying
special Occupation Breedmasters."
Occupation Breedmasters were the "eugenic shock troops" of the Saurons;
supplied with a hundred thousand fertilized ova from Sauron females, they
implanted these in selected human norm "Breeders"
who would then carry the Sauron fetuses to term. The genetic quality of these
walking wombs would have no appreciable effect on the resistant proto-Saurons
they bore, and freed female Soldiers for more important war duties.
Diettinger nodded, but the idea did not sit well with him. The use
of Occupation Breedmasters signaled total commitment on the part of the High
Command, and he doubted if they were aware of the growing fanaticism among the
human norms against the Saurons. They had not seen the enemy's Chinthe
destroyers strafing their ownCanadajust to kill a few Sauron Marines.
"I wonder what Socio-Ops would make of my interview with the human norm,
Adderly," Diettinger added.
Vonnerbek shook his head, and for a member of a race known for an
inexhaustible supply of willpower in the face of adversity, Diettinger
thought he had never seen such a look of hopelessness in his life. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]