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Beyond Hope
- Chapter 74 - Consequences[]
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News around the Sphere[]
"...multiple nuclear detonations in Harlech, and outlying regions of the city this morning, simultaneous with attacks on orbital facilities and Wolf's Dragoons' warship fleet. We still don't have an identification on the attackers, though the Kerensky's Blues was identified engaging against an unknown Essex class destroyer…"
-DBS News Correspondent Klaus Kleist
Reporting from the Outreach system, February 4th, 3066
[Report delayed 12 days due to HPG network issues]
”The unidentified attackers set down earlier today. They started sweeping through the streets of Avalon City and the surrounding areas in swift precision. The Davion Guards and elements of other commands are responding but with the initiative heavily with the attackers, well it doesn’t look good.
Please everyone stay in your shelters if you have them. If not, stay indoors and pray.”
-ABC New Correspondent Moira Townsend
Reporting from New Avalon right before her death, February 1st, 3066
Carrying out her reluctant Duty[]
WoBS Divine Wrath, Essex Class Destroyer
Orbit of Outreach, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
February 8th, 3066
Precentor Scylla had her prior mission to Kowloon canceled and been returned to where her real strength was best utilized, Warship command.
This was not The Master’s plan.
St. Jamais. This is his work. He was even less patient than Pollux. He was also a disciple of The Master and thus knew of the Shadow Divisions.
She didn’t like being forced into this position but it was make the best of a bad situation time.
Right now Pollux was leading one of the Shadow Divisions on New Avalon.
In a way she envied him right now.
He can actually convert people to the faith. Meanwhile, I must convert people to radioactive ash.
When the Third Transfer was complete she would do her penance by becoming a simple farmer’s wife with Charybdis, raising their children according to Blake’s teachings.
That is what she looked forward to.
For now she had her duty.
The Dragoons on Outreach were proving surprisingly difficult to fully convert to radioactive ash. But for the Third Transfer to happen despite things going off the rails the orders were for Outreach to burn to the last man, woman, and child. They could only leave if a superior enemy force arrived or Outreach would be incapable of supporting human life for at least a thousand years. Whichever happened first.
False Flag Operation[]
Hsien, Federated Commonwealth
Charybdis was in orbit over Hsien.
Right now his ship had a Clan Diamond Shark identifier and paint scheme. It was a Star League vintage version of the Essex, But for the people below the differences would be lost on them and a true Diamond Shark Essex.
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Essex I Class Destroyer
They made a show of chasing off what would be his flagship in the coming conflict. Making it look like Clan Diamond Shark was coming to the aid of the locals.
They had even gone so far as to assemble machines captured from Clan Diamond Shark on Tukayyid, as well as True Born warriors who had come to be of the faithful since that day.
Their mission would be to make it look like Clan Diamond Shark’s response to this attack is to move from peacekeepers to conquerors. No more half measures.
The final stroke would be Precentor Thor’s 17th Shadow Division then coming in to be welcomed as liberators.
He wasn’t sure if the plan would work as desired but those were the orders after the mission to Kowloon had been scrapped.
Stay safe my love. I will come for you yet.
Impatience of waiting to return to Duty[]
University Hospital
Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
Sean’s face was concentration.
The upper most surgical supports had been removed, but getting enough flexibility out of her back to complete her current exercise, well it was still an effort, especially with the surgery being so recent.
“Not bad. Almost. You’ll need your live-in assistant until your next surgery.” Doctor Pol commented as Sean couldn’t quite reach as far as she desired.
“Dammit, Doc Pol. People are dying. I’m a Mechwarrior. I need to do something about it.” Sean almost growled.
“I know it is not easy knowing your comrades are fighting and dying out there right now but you need to heal more first.”
“You’re right, I’d never pass a medical review board for fitness in my current state. At least hurry up with the exoskeleton. I prefer walking to the wheelchair.”
“That is the drawback of a cutting edge experimental prototype. No spares to cover when it needs a service. My student is working on it.”
Sean wheeled out of Doctor Pol’s office.
Nathan Roshak was waiting for her.
“I know that look.”
“Another two months of needing someone to wipe my ass for me.”
“I wish there was more that I could do to help.”
“You’re doing enough, Roshak. Come on. It’s ab machine day.”
They made their way over to the gym where Sean was helped to the floor. She rolled her shirt up as Nathan applied the conductive gel.
Then out of a pack he produced a machine. It would stimulate Sean’s abdominal muscles to make up for the fact she was physically unable to perform the exercises that would normally see to it.
Sean was able to see the looks of envy and desire on some of the other gym goers. “We could do this more privately yet you insist on the university gym. In all our time together you have never said why.”
“In a way I find the attention reaffirming. Sure now and again the looks are of pity and other things I don’t want but I still get enough looks that let me know no matter how my recovery from my injury turns out I’ll have a life worth living.”
“But you still wish to return to the field of battle.”
“I do. Now more than ever.”
Traveling outside time & space[]
Somewhere that is nowhere
Outside the hull, colorless chaos. "What do you think, Punkin?" Arthur Steiner-Davion asked his daughter.
"It's kinda neat looking, Daddy." Hannah Ngo-Steiner-Davion replied, "Is this what everybody misses?"
"Yes." He told her, "Your proof in demonstration-the passage through hyperspace isn't instant at all, we just never had the ability shift our frame of reference to see it before."
"Where are we going?" she asked.
Arthur didn't answer her immediately.
"Will Auntie Helena be there?" she asked, prodding him.
"No, I don't think so, but you'll be able to tell her about this adventure when we get back, okay?" He explained. "Miss Minh, how are we doing?"
"The warp field is holding." Nicole said, "Based on your hypothesis, we should be approaching Epsilon Pegasus soon."
"Good, keep me informed. I want the emergence outside the ecliptic limit, just in case something went wrong."
"Aye sir…what are we doing there?"
"We're going to find some rocks." he told her, "After that? I don't know yet. It depends on what's going on. We'll need to find the rocks to run a refuel for the next leg in the trip."
"I get it, sir." Nicole nodded. "This is going to change the world again, isn't it?"
"Maybe. It might even change the world for the better." Arthur offered. "Before we left…have you been in contact with your Sol-side family?"
"Not much since graduation night. My sister Olivia's contracted with a family out-system, near Ross, Joe's dropped the faith, though-Mom's last message suggested he's fallen in with Word of Blake, though…"
"What?"
"It's OLD Belter legends, right?" Nicole commented, as she checked the duration clock, "During the First Exodus years, when mankind was spreading to the stars, the old factions included a group rumored to be affiliated with religious radicals, the 'Manei Deo'-they're just a story, but…it's a persistent one. Mom suggested it might not be a story at all, but she wasn't direct about it."
"Weird." Arthur agreed, "Well, we'll finish the test flights and I'll make your excuses, Nikki, it's good to have a professional at the controls."
"Thanks sir. Tell the truth I thought my ass was going to grow into that desk! It's nice to have some fun doing interesting things finally…stand by for emergence in three…two…one…."
The view outside shifted to normal space. "Never saw that before…has anyone?"
"Only in Jump-Dreams." Nicole agreed. She turned the command chair, "So…what are we really doing?"
“The kind of science the less you know about it the better.”
Subtly, Nicole popped a message beacon from the MS Gloria's emergency warning system, with a copy of the logs. These were new designs, using an Omni-25 fusion power unit, along with a 'base model' copy of the 2nd generation 'black box' to broadcast messages, they were INTENDED to summon help in the event of a misjump, provided the misjump were close enough for a detector to pick up the signal before the air ran out.
Arthur pretended not to see the movement that released it.
"Let's go find some fuel."
Hide-and-seek[]
First Lord's offices
Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
"Epsilon Pegasi??"
"Fifty one light years from Sol, yeah." Alice Wells handed the transcript, "Minh's report. I don't know if we still call this a kidnap or AWOL, or if we call it a covered assignment."
“We will have to decide that soon won’t we?” Helena hid her face behind her weaved hands.
"Peter sent a ship as soon as they decrypted it, but it's a lot of territory to search and if they're not broadcasting RF it's a needle in a very big haystack. The part you might want to consider, is she details the modifications to the AC Warp systems-they extended their jump a considerable distance before coming out of hyperspace."
“If Arthur doesn’t want to be found he knows how to keep himself from being found. He’s letting Nicole launch these reports to give her cover.”
"That's my take. Whatever it is, he's still not resolved to actually do it, so this maybe isn't suicide."
“Okay. So our options are to deploy more ships than we have to make the chances of finding him measurable or send a message imploring him to come back.”
'If we do that, it'll be putting blood in the water, lots of people will be looking for him of the sort we really don't want finding him and the kids."
“Yeah. So I need a third option.”
Samantha frowned, "Why not just let him get it out of his system and come back?" She suggested, "I mean, if we're facing a situation where it's Olympic level hide-and-seek, maybe just having some patience?"
“Given my current options, it is the least bad.” Helena nodded.
Moving at the Speed that could be BAD[]
Research Base, Spider Moon
Kowloon System, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
January 30th, 3066
"Oh, this could be bad." Missy Haufner was a graduate student until roughly a week ago, when she found herself in a workroom at Spider Moon Base with the top eleven students in Professor Steiner-Davion's Advanced Warp Theory and Hyperspace Physics course.
"What? It solves the long-jump problem…"
"What happens if you drop something out of the field?" Missy asked.
"I guess it gets destroyed?" David Dannuci guessed.
Missy shook her head, "Not according to the math it doesn't…at least, not according to this math. According to this, it stays in hyperspace at whatever the relative velocity was, until it hits a gravity well."
"What then?"
"Then it comes out, only instead of a nice orientation to the local frame of reference…"
“At speed… Oh god. You’d crack a planet with that much energy.”
"And the energy's recursive at the exit. I mean, spacetime would seal up after a bit, but for a few seconds…" She paused, and ran the calculations again, "For a few seconds, you might have enough energy to crack a star...maybe. If these equations work the way they look like they work. No way to really test it..."
“And if the star is big enough…”
"I think we need to tell the leadership, just in case. They gave us this problem for a reason." Missy said after a moment. "Just in case."
“But we’re just guessing really.”
"Right, here, this is my process, check my work.' Missy told her colleague, "Find where I'm wrong, because this can't be right. It would've happened before if it were…"
“Nothing about this current situation is right.” David started working on the chalkboard.
After he finished checking the math the color from his face was gone.
“I think I’m going to be sick.” David ran out of the room.
"We need to tell the boss."
The sound of David vomiting into the trashcan was audible in the room.
“Sorry. Nothing good can come from that math…” David apologized as he sat down.
"Any sufficiently advanced…"
First Lord's offices
Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
"...technology or knowledge, is indistinguishable from a bigger gun." Dr. Kenneth stood in front of the First Lord's select committee. "That's the logic behind the Mother Doctrine, it was why Comstar tried to suppress scientific progress with their 'Holy Shroud' operations, and why the Scientist Caste was kept under Warrior supervision among the Clans."
"What are you suggesting?" Comstar's representative, Precentor Julian Tazman, asked. This week, it was one of Dow's people sent to sit in.
"Doctor Steiner-Davion may have uncovered the solution to breaking the thirty light year barrier without Gateway, or he may have come across the biggest gun imaginable. Bigger than antimatter, bigger than nukes. We can't even test this, the risks are too high from an accident, especially if the accident happens to intersect with a stellar body."
“So in this case it could be worse, he’s done both.” The Precentor groaned.
"I believe it safe to say, this is what your predecessors were afraid of-a leap in progress that has the potential to endanger the structure of the Galaxy itself? Yes, it potentially could be, it could also potentially lead to positive ends, like saving the human race from extinction and the ongoing threat of local wars getting out of hand. After a certain point, anyway." Kenneth explained, "but we don't have enough information, it may be an elegant mathematical model that doesn't reflect reality, or doesn't reflect it adequately."
“With this you could just simply leave and by the time anyone found you again it wouldn’t matter.” Helena nodded.
"Likely, the weapon effect is HIGHLY theoretical, let me give you an example from history. Before the first Atomic Bomb was tested, some of the project's scientists hypothesized, and had good mathematical proofs, that it would ignite the atmosphere of the entire planet. We don't know that a mass ejection in hyperspace will do this, the math says it will, but the maths are still incomplete, we're not truly sure why a jumpship arrives in synch with local space time at the emergence point, and we've been doing that for centuries."
“At the very least I think it is safe to assume an annihilation field would still be created if nothing else. One that depending on the size of the object released could be much more substantial than what we currently know happens from conventional Jumpship emergence.” Helena added.
“And because it’d be brought out by a gravity well… Oh god that really could ignite a breathable atmosphere.” Precentor Tazman said.
'We don't know for certain that it won't just dissipate." Kenneth persisted, "we don't have records of jumpships emerging in gravity wells-those misjumps? May have happened thousands of times and we'd never know it, because the energy dissipated in hyperspace and there wasn't anything left to emerge. Untested, this is all just an Hypothesis, and really more speculation…but, the working group on Spider Moon thinks the math is consistent enough I was compelled to report it to the Council."
“Thank you, Doctor Kenneth.”
"So, Madame First Lord, what do we do?"
"We need to find Arthur Steiner-Davion and bring him home before he can test this." Helena sighed, "And before it lands in the wrong hands and they test it."
Damn you Arthur.
"That could be more difficult." Victor's holoimage flickered, "The chaos is increasing geometrically, and we're fighting invasions on New Avalon, and Skye. That whole region is on fire and getting wor…." his voice devolved into static, and the signal was lost.
“******.” Helena cursed.
“It could just be a technical issue.” Precentor Tazman said uncertainly.
The sound of gunfire outside…
Enemy at the Door[]
The Com Guards' 222nd Division were fighting… the 222nd Com Guards, and it was spilling out into the upper levels of Ia Drang city.
Meanwhile, emergence waves were detected in Kowloon's outer system.
The war had come to Kowloon.
At the center of the formation was a clearly cribbed from the notes of the Free Worlds League Thera Aerospace Carrier. In support were two Impavido, and six Eagle Class Frigates.
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Landmark Class Destroyer in combat
Their second jump followed a short period of observing the system and running the calculations.
The Landmark vessels in system were on them within moments.
Brief streaks and sparks from the Naval Gauss Rifles impacting the task force were joined by the explosions of capital missiles armed with nuclear warheads.
The problems began with the first successful…well, it might have been successful under other circumstances, hit on the Thera.
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Thera Class Aerospace Carrier Warship
A blue flicker across the carrier warship preceded the flash of detonation.
Somebody had actually completed that theoretical project, successfully.
As the mass of fighters began to spill out of the invader ships one of the Eagles still crumpled under the combined fire.
Either the system was not universal or it wasn’t perfect. The answer to that would be some time in coming yet.
Repeated battering of Naval Gauss fire and nukes directed at the escorts did seem to be more effective.
Fighters began to tangle. More and more were spilling out of the Thera still.
The next ship to fall was one of the Impavido.
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Impavido Class Destroyer
KCGS Western Desert was the first defending vessel to succumb to the invaders.
Two more Eagles fell in short order.
The invaders kept pressing closer to Kowloon from their second jump point.
It was now a running gun fight. The defenders had the advantage that they could rotate out their vessels more readily and replace them with fresh replacements.
Over the next six hours the exchange of fire had seen two more Landmarks destroyed for the loss of the last of the escort force for the invaders.
The Thera still had an incredible number of fighters and could do some damage.
It took two more hours of focused fire, and hundreds of aerofighters before the invaders were finally destroyed.
Taking Stock of the Damages[]
Spider Moon…
Helena was in the secure room. She didn’t like being in the secure room. But someone had gone through a lot of trouble to get people in place for another decapitation strike at the Star League.
“Damages?”
“A fair number of their aerospace fighters made it into atmosphere. Fortunately the ones that made it did not seem to have nukes. Three of our vessels destroyed to the point of not having much left to salvage from them. Another six are going to need significant yard time. We’re still counting up the fighter losses and civilian losses.”
"How bad is it, civilian wise?" Helena asked.
"We're going to need to reallocate seats in the Assembly." Evelynn was communicating from a field unit. "Provo and Brigham on the Plateau got hit hard, New Saigon county lost half a dozen towns and villages along Tributary eleven, fifteen and twenty in the Delta, they hammered Xiao Loc pretty badly, another fifty thousand there when an enemy fighter crashed into the flood control structures, we've got farmland that's under water in the River Delta. Reports from Coast Guard disaster relief are pegging at just over a million total civilian casualties, mostly due to targeting big infrastructure we couldn't harden like Ia Drang was hardened. It's good they hit us on a high summer year, we're not going to have a lot of frost casualties this winter that we'd have if the orbital wasn't on closest approach."
Helena swallowed that. "Nearly a MILLION?"
"Nha Tranh. They focused on the University site." Evelynn clarified, "Bunker busters and firebombing, lots of it didn't land where it was aimed, so a lot of the Capital is still on fire, and I don't think we've got a building left in that city taller than five stories, the bastards aimed a lot of hate at tall buildings in downtown-most of those are mixed Residential and business, and even with the evacuation order, people were stubborn."
"And now?"
"Now, they're not stubborn anymore, if they're alive, they're a mix of angry and traumatized instead."
“Okay, Evvie. I’ll leave it to you to see to the recovery efforts. You don’t need me micromanaging, but if you need any resources I’ll be glad to do what I can to drum up anything you need.”
“You stay safe.”
“You too.”
Keeping a Promise[]
University
Kowloon, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
The damage around the university was significant but she’s come through it with only minor additional injuries.
The lab with her exoskeleton? That hadn’t actually taken too much damage but the disruption from the attack meant she’d be without it for even longer than anticipated. There were other priorities now.
Which she was okay with.
So she was doing the only thing she could that made her feel remotely useful right now. She was handing out emergency supplies to students and faculty.
Nathan Roshak walked up to her table. He had taken off to tend to the land the Falcons had bought. Fortunately it suffered comparatively little and so now he was back.
“Honestly. it is good to see you.” Sean said as he drew close enough.
“Aff. The attack was savage but could have been much worse. It will take this world years to recover.” Nathan said as he came around to flank her.
“You’re helping?” Sean raised an eyebrow.
“Aff. Soon I will have to leave this world as my Clan’s priorities have changed. My promise…”
“I understand. You can go. You have your duty.”
“That is not what I mean. I have been talking with one of our scientists. I showed them the schematics and specifications for your exoskeleton. They are working to build you an improved version.”
“Clan Jade Falcon devoting resources to something like my exoskeleton? Seems a bit off brand for you. Why?”
“Because we have come to re-evaluate what waste means. The battleroms of your fight on New Avalon where you sustained your injury are obtainable from certain unconventional sources. I procured them and watched them. You emerged badly injured but victorious from a fight that a lesser Mechwarrior would have lost, badly. Not returning you to the cockpit of a Mech would be far more of a waste than the alternative.”
“I’m not jumping the fence. I have my loyalties and nothing will change that.”
“That will not be an issue. For the sake of cooperation with the Star League I have agreed to take on a liaison officer with my Cluster.”
“There are still plates in my back that will limit my flexibility for a few months yet.”
“Also not insurmountable. When the time comes you will find our surgeons quite capable of removing them and I will personally see to any special needs you have until such a time.”
“I’ll need a mech. The AFFC and Star League are not likely to give me one.”
“That is also something I have taken efforts to arrange. When you are able you will have one.”
“You’re persistent.”
“Aff.”
“I promised to help for the rest of the week.”
“Then I will as well.”
“Okay, Roshak. You’ve got a liaison.” Sean smiled.
“Excellent.”
Trouble with certain People[]
Secure Medical Room 9, Spider Moon
“Good, you’re finally awake.” Jane’s remote smiled as the prisoner slowly opened his eyes.
“I survived?” The man’s accent was thick but understandable.
“That is correct. Demi-Precentor Travis Ngokwa. Born Praetoria Archology, South Africa district. At least that’s what we recovered from the wreckage of your ship. Naughty boys and girls, plagiarizing the Free World’s League’s efforts like that. Have to give you some credit for that nifty shielding technology. We actually had to pound on your ship for a few hours.”
“I don’t know anything useful.” Travis answered.
“That’s fine. I didn’t really expect you to know much. I’d just like you to confirm that your vessel had no nukes aboard. The computer records we recovered indicate there was a supply error and none were actually delivered to your vessel.”
“Ngokwa, Travis Demi-Precentor one seven zero four three two four four eight eight one three seven two seven.” Travis tried to make several subtle movements.
“Thank you for your cooperation.” Jane smiled.
Jane stepped her remote over to the side of the Demi-Precentor, cuffed to his bed.
“You really didn’t think we would leave those operational and in place do you?” Jane tapped the man on the forehead gently.
“Even if we did I think you’d find them rather ineffective on me.” Jane tapped him on the forehead again. “That’s the trouble with you sort. You don’t think things through properly.”
Regrouping[]
Gibbs system, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
The storm had hit Gibbs industrialplex, but lightly. Part of that had to be the attack on Tharkad. "What do we know?" Katherine demanded.
Fleet Admiral Katherine Morgan Steiner-Davion had demands aboard her flagship.
"We know the HPG went down temporarily at zero seven thirty hours four days ago, and came up around midnight this morning, we know that they'd have Peter's body if he were dead on display. Precentor Gavin Dow's in charge of a provisional government on the surface."
Arthur is missing, now Peter is missing.[/b] She subconsciously fidgeted, "Where is the Archon-Prince?"
"He's currently organizing efforts on Coventry, Admiral Ma'am."
That's where they're going to hit next.
"I want a Cruiser group en-route for Coventry within four hours' time, find at least two cruisers and their destroyer complements that can, and get crews out to salvage the ships damaged in-dock and get whatever can be repaired ready for action."
"Admiral, they hit the docks unawares-"
"Yes. I know. There is precedent, historical. They hammered the Fleet in dock, but they didn't get everyone and what they did get, much of it can be brought on-line and put back to service, so start getting my ships ready to go."
"Aye, Ma'am."
Tried to Pearl Harbor us? Okay, ass-weasels… thought Katherine.
"What about allied vessels?" she asked
"Confirm ident on the Wolf and Falcon ships, then get them fuel, munitions, and food…and find out which one of those antiques has deck space for additional fighter wings, who's left over there that can claim to be in charge, and how fast we can form a war-council to respond to this. They tried a sucker-punch, we're going to counter punch. You have your orders, see to it."
Mentally, she opened a book in her imagination, a book she'd read a few time. Okay, Madame First Lord, I read it , hopefully you'll understand what I'm doing before you call me on the carpet for doing it.
Nonetheless, she began composing a classified report letter for transmission via fast courier to the First Lord of the Star League, whose last known location was the Kowloon system….
After all, it simply would not do, to be in a state of confusion.