Chapter 28: Strategy

Jim was looking at Carl's face on the view screen of the bridge when he began his question.

"Admiral? Given what we have seen to date with the Gray's fleet, if you were the commander of the other side, how would you plan your operation? Assume you wanted to take out Prime itself, as the major objective."

Carl was on the spot and he knew it. As a credit to his professionalism, he kept his emotions in check. Then his face formed the look of a man deep in thought. It wasn't long before he began to speak.

"Well, given the difference between technologies, and the effective defenses we have shown against them in the recent past, I would be inclined to perform a feint. This planet, Gilmer, looks like it would be the perfect spot for a feint. It's directly in line between their staging area and Prime.

"I would drop a large enough force here, to cause the enemy to commit a large force to this section. Hell, if the other side didn't know I was coming, I would just drop the whole fleet here first. I would do some damage, like take out the gate, and drop a few of the core busters into Gilmer. Then I would get the hell out of here, and head to the primary objective.

"That way, when all of the Federation's resources are heading here in response, on a 'rescue' mission; I could mount my main attack with marginal resistance, on Prime. Since they have two planet destroyers, I would say they would want to make sure they get both Prime and Gilmer."

Jim looked at the Admiral, "Yes! That's it! Two planet destroyers."

"Sir?" said Carl.

"Admiral, Centauri Prime is a binary planet. Two different targets not one."

"In that case, I would send most of my forces to Prime, and only leave a few secondary ships here to deal with the faint."

"What, if they drop the fleet here, first?"

"In that case, Sir, we will probably lose Gilmer."

"Can we evacuate the planet?" Annette asked.

Jim shook his head 'no', and said, "Not in less than a week. And we only have about 600 cycles before they get here."

"Sir, they don't know that we know they are coming, do they?"

"No reason to think so, Carl."

"Ok. Station two Carriers, four Heavy Cruisers, and four Battleships here on Gilmer. Then get the rest of the fleet to Prime as soon as we can."

Annette asked, "What about everyone starting here, and we can use the Jump Gate to move back to Prime? I mean even though they are using hyper-space, we will still have a day, before they get from here to Prime."

"Any problem with that idea, Admiral?"

Jim knew, full well, that the gate was the weak link in that idea.

"Yes Sir, a big one. If the Gate goes, it will take us longer than we will have, to warp back to Prime."

"No," Annette said, "all our ships can open a Jump, without using the Gate Ring."

"Yes, however the exit point would be uncontrolled," said Carl.

"Why?"

"Well, you need a Gate to control the entry and exit points, don't you?"

Jim spoke up with, "No, Admiral. Annette is correct. We only need the exit point gate. All our ships are capable of opening a Jump point, without the entry gate."

Carl smiled widely, saying, "In that case, Sir, I think it would be best if we get most of the fleet here, now; and try to secure a decisive loss for the Grays."

Jim thought about something else.

"Contact Admiral Rainer. Ask him the status of the hyper-space mine laying ships."

Moments later, the Com Officer said, "Sir? I have him on-screen."

"Jim, the ships are only 80 percent complete."

Jim asked, "But can they enter hyper-space, now, and lay mines?"

"Sir, their engines have been tested in hyper-space, so they can enter it. But the dispensers have not been installed on the ships, as yet."

Don asked, "Excuse me, but are the transporters installed?"

Rainer checked. He didn't even flinch that a nine-year-old boy had asked the question.

"Yes, the transporters are functioning. That's how we are getting the source material to the ships for the replicators to turn into parts."

"What are you thinking, Don?" Jim asked of the twin.

"Well, you just use the transporters to move the mines into space from the ship."

Jim and Rainer looked into each other's faces on the view screen, with 'aw shit' expressions.

Then Jim said, "Admiral, get those ships in hyperspace and start mining the space around Prime."

"Orders going out now, Sir. But we only need to get one mine in place."

"Pardon?"

"The mines are self replicating. They only need source material, and then they will spread out on a set pattern on their own."

Jim looked at Rainer in disbelief.

"Who thought up that idea? Oh, never mind. I only have one son that professes to be a 'miracle worker'."

Rainer smiled, "Oh, he had even better ideas for the mines than that."

"Dare I ask?"

"Sir, the source material is set to convert silver first, before it goes on to heavier elements and works its way down the periodic scale of elements."

"What? Are you saying that if one of the mines goes off, and doesn't kill the ship; then other mines will replicate a new mine using up any nearby silver, first. I mean, are you saying that the replication process becomes a weapon in and of itself?"

"Sir, that is exactly what I am saying."

Annette asked, "What's to stop the mines from expanding into infinity?"

Rainer replied, "Oh, they are deployed in a predetermined pattern. Once the pattern is full of mines, the replication stops."

"And what's to stop the replicators from using our ships, or other mines, for source material?" Jim asked.

"Sir, he thought of that as well. The replicators cannot draw source material from a shielded ship, and the mines have IFF transponders."

"I see, so what happens when we don't need the mines anymore?"

"They can be shut off or on at will. They can also self-destroy, if the right code is sent to them."

"Are we sure that using all the silver up will kill the Grays in the area?"

"Pretty sure, Sir. They are silver based life forms, and if all the silver is used up they will die a quick death."

Jim noted that he didn't specify a painless death.

"I'll be..." Carl exclaimed.

"What what's that Admiral?" Annette asked

"Never mind."

The UFP Jason arrived though the jump gate next.

Jim smiled, "Send a Fleet Order: use Jump engines and lock onto the Gilmer Gate for their exit point."

"Aye-aye, Sir," The Com Officer said.