The turning tide, p.1
The Turning Tide, page 1
THE TURNING TIDE
Copyright © 2014, Merl W. (Bill) Baldwin
www.billbaldwin.us
EBOOK ISBN: 9781632630636
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Created: Helmsman Publications
www.helmsmanpublications.com
2014
THE TURNING TIDE
New E-Book Edition
Revised and updated from the original
HELMSMAN'S
WINGED COMET
By Bill Baldwin
Other Novels by Bill Baldwin:
The Helmsman (Classic Edition: 1985) • (Director’s Cut Edition: 2003)
Galactic Convoy (Classic Edition: 1987) • Director’s Cut Edition: 2003)
The Trophy (Classic Edition: 1990) • (Director’s Cut Edition: 2007)
The Mercenaries (Classic Edition 1991) • (Director’s Cut Edition 2008)
The Defenders, 1992
The Siege, 1994
The Defiance 1996
“Last Ship to Haefdon” (nv) Oceans of Space, ed. Brian M. Thomsen & Martin H. Greenberg, DAW 2002
The Enigma Strategy 2009
NOTE: A Wilf Brim Glossary
especially for The Turning Tide
begins here
The Galactic Almanac
(and handy encyclopedia)
Invasion of Emithrnéy/Bax (52014)
From the Edition for Standard Year 52016
Contents [hide]
▪ 1 General Information
▪ 2 Imperial Forces
▪ 3 Preparations
▪ 4 The Attack
▪ 5 The Anomaly
▪ 6 General Trafford’s Order to Withdraw
▪ 7 Admiral Brim’s Partial Countermand
▪ 8 Military Consequences
▪ 9 Personnel Consequences
▪ 10 Addenda
General Information.
The main thrust of this raid into occupied Effer’wyck was to destroy the Gravity Dock near Eppeid City on Emithrnéy/Bax, a massive starship repair complex—vast enough to service the largest starships in the Known Universe and sufficiently impregnable to withstand poundings from the most powerful disruptors at the time. Before the invasion of Effer’wyck by The League of Dark Stars, the Effer’wyckean government had constructed the facility at enormous cost. Ironically, it was now serving as a furtherance to Nergol Triannic’s ambition of conquering the entire Home Galaxy. Its destruction would deal a hard blow to The League.
The secondary objective of the raid was to capture a new BKAEW detection apparatus that League engineers had just finished installing on Lavenurb/Bax, next planet out from Emithrnéy/Bax. Because capture of this equipment was so important to the war effort, the Imperial Admiralty had decided to risk their new I.F.S. Montroyal, a brand-new medium transport starship. It was not enough to simply destroy this new leaguer equipment; Imperial research boffins on Proteus/Asturius needed to find out what made it tick. Doing that required Montroyal to bring it home.
Imperial Forces
For this effort, Combined Operations Command cobbled together a middling armada consisting of eight light cruisers, six Free Effer’wyckean disruptor monitors, 16 surface bombardment ships, two flotillas of tiny Electronic Warfare trawlers, and 25 of the latest armored landing craft—in addition to Montroyal. This force had been secretly assembled—along with nearly six thousand battle-ready commandos—on two uninhabited planets located less than a light year from the Imperial side of the ’Wyckean Void.
The entire operation was under direct command of Major General Megan Trafford, Imperial Army.
For overhead support, Fleet Command had likewise provided six squadrons, of 16 Starfury Mk 9 astroplanes each, to fight off defending starships—plus another four squadrons of WF Type-327 attack astroplanes, whose job it would be to smother defensive fire from the surface. Considering that a large percentage of the Starfuries were almost brand new and could therefore be depended to fly nearly any time they were needed, the numbers seemed adequate for the job—at least early in the mission, when the Imperials would face only local opposition.
However, when signaled by the Royal Engineers at Emithrnéy/Bax that the new Leaguer BKAEW had been loaded aboard I.F.S. Montroyal, two squadrons of Starfuries and two squadrons of WF Type-327s were to be diverted to this special operation for the remainder of the mission.
Both parts of this secondary operation were under direct command of Vice Admiral Wilf Brim, Imperial Fleet.
Preparations
On the surface, the attack appeared logical and well planned—an operation by, as well as for, the textbooks of interstellar warfare, carrying with it the potential for vast damage to the enemy and prodigious profit for the Empire and its Allies.
However, once the attack was underway, it was clearly understood the Imperials could encounter much unwelcome company in very short order. Fat Leaguer Marshal Hoth Orgoth commanded nearly fifteen hundred attack and killer astroplanes in Effer’wyck—and had never shown any shyness about using them. With all the myriad things that could go awry during such a large, complex operation, it was also clear that Operation Eppeid carried with it the quite-viable seeds of disaster.
Significantly, General Trafford was so certain of success she forbid talk of wasting resources on contingency plans, should the unexpected transpire.
The Attack
On D-Day, 25 Octad, 52014, the diverse ships of the Imperial assault flotilla slowed through Hyperspeed to arrive at an initial point off Emithrnéy/Bax within moments of zero metacycle—a genuine triumph of spacemanship in all respects and an excellent beginning to the operation.
Immediately, four Starfury squadrons fanned out to encircle the main target planet at Emithrnéy/Bax as a Combat Air Patrol. The remaining Starfuries and the four squadrons of WF Type-327 attack astroplanes headed toward the surface for an orbital holding pattern. At the same time, light cruisers and monitors were descending slowly through the atmosphere to secure the gravity-dock perimeter, should such be necessary.
Concurrently, while the raid commenced on Emithrnéy/Bax, a much smaller force of Special Services-Assault (SSA) commandos and Royal Engineers landed on Lavenurb/Bax, near the new BKAEW site. When the Commandos had the BKAEW site under control, Royal Engineers began to disassemble the BKAEW equipment (including all special antennae visible on the reconnaissance HoloPics). Subsequently, each piece would be loaded aboard Montroyal, which would withdraw as quickly as possible to the Imperial side of the ‘Wyckean Void, with no regard to the larger operation.
At first, everything appeared as if it was proceeding perfectly.
The Anomaly
Then the anomaly occurred—one that immediately destroyed General Trafford’s hope for surprise. One of the first two de-orbiting landing craft ran afoul of an escorted merchantman in the process of lifting for space. A furious fire fight erupted, and within clicks everyone was blasting away at anything that moved.
Suddenly, powerful disruptors on the surface went into operation, their blinding discharges fouling Hyperscreens on both sides. Two appeared to fire simultaneously, and Immediately, a tremendous explosion erupted in space that blasted the old heavy cruiser I.F.S. Furious completely out of the sky—with an immediate loss of its heavy disruptors on the ground— and nearly eight hundred Imperial Star Sailors
Quickly following this, another surface disruptor site exploded with a great burst of radiation fire, signaling that at least some of the Commando force must have made it to the surface and deployed. However, all hope for success on the surface faded when League battle crawlers appeared on the surface. The entire operation began to fall apart at that point.
General Trafford’s Order to Withdraw
With the Eppeid-Gravity-Dock operation now in dire straits, General Trafford reacted in great haste, ordering all astroplanes and starships to support an immediate exit for the ground forces. This order came before Admiral Brim could accomplish his secondary mission: supporting the capture of the League’s powerful new BKAEW unit on Lavenurb/Bax. With the failure of the attack’s main thrust, many League starships had already been freed to answer calls of help from the second front.
Admiral Brim’s Partial Countermand
Moments after General Trafford issued her order to break off the attack and retreat across the Wyckean Void, Admiral, Brim made his fateful decision to support the operation on Lavenurb/Bax rather than to abandon that effort. Countermanding Trafford’s orders, he ordered two squadrons each of Starfuries and WF Type-327s to report at highest priority to Lavenurb/Bax, then departed for that battle himself. In later testimony at his Court Marshal, Admiral Brim said his decision was based on the Imperial Fleet’s acute need to counter the powerful new League BKAEW, which was already beginning to show results against Imperial shipping of all kinds.
Brim’s actions saved the Lavenurb/Bax operation, but only barely. By the time he arrived, the Imperial Marines had nearly completed loading the disassembled BKAEW into I.F.S. Montroyal, but unknown to them, both Helmsmen for the big starship had been killed. Taking the situation into his own hands, Admiral Brim landed his Starfury near the big ship, set explosive charges to keep it from enemy hands, then boa rded the big ship. Taking Montroyal’s completely unfamiliar helm, he managed to pilot the big starship home.
Military Consequences
No major objectives of the raid were accomplished. A total of 3,623 of the 6,000 men (almost 60%) who made it to the surface were either killed, wounded, or captured. Fleet Command failed to lure the League astroplanes into open battle, losing 96 Imperial astroplanes (at least 32 to flak or accidents compared to 48 lost by the League), while the Imperial Fleet lost 33 landing craft and one destroyer
Personnel Consequences
Although General Trafford was generally cited for the failure, she retained her Imperial Army rank and commission. However, because Admiral Brim had countermanded her orders as senior commander of the failed operation, Trafford convened a court martial against the Admiral. Her testimony at this trial resulted in his being officially disciplined, then deprived of his commission in the Imperial Fleet.
Addenda
It should be noted that Admiralty’s decision to relieve Admiral Brim of his commission was not unanimous throughout the Service, nor the Imperial Palace. Soon after Brim’s court marshal, Emperor Onrad V announced the following decree:
Know ye by these presents that I, Onrad the Fifth, Grand Galactic Emperor, Prince of the Reggio Star Cluster, and Rightful Protector of the Heavens do make and seal this proclamation by all powers and endowments vested in me at my coronation. From this day onward, Our loyal subject, Wilf Ansor Brim, shall be known throughout all the civilized Universe as Lord Brim, 1st Duke of Grayson. With this title, I also assign, from Royal Land Holdings, the five habitable planets and two non-habitable planets of the star Grayson, and all properties, minerals, rents, leases, and income pertaining from them to his sole ownership. Decreed this first Standard Day of Decad in the Standard Imperial Year 5201
Prologue
. . .nearly two Standard Years later
GANTACLAR HARBOR, IMPERIAL PROVINCE OF CARESCRIA, LINFARNE/NAVRON, 32 OCTAD, 52016
"Hands to stations for landfall!” buzzed the cabin loud speaker. “Hands to stations for landfall! All passengers to seats immediately.”
The civilian packet ship was bumping down through remains of a huge storm that had rendered this whole region of Linfarne’s surface white with snow. Through Wilf Brim’s first-class stateroom Hyperscreen, the wintry landscape looked just as forbidding as he remembered from nearly 30 years in the past: nasty. Clusters of lights winked off here and there below while the star Navron brightened the Lightward horizon with a hazy brush strokes of pink and lavender.
Off to Starboard, he spotted the foreshortened outline of frozen Lake Kelton where wind-swept billows of steam signaled a runway melting for the packet’s landfall. The gray sprawl of Gantaclar Wharves cluttered the near shore. Before the Farthington-291 asteroid mines had become unprofitable some years ago, those wharves had been of considerable importance to the Empire. From the lack of lights there, Brim gathered that little of its former activity remained. But, if his speculations about the upcoming conference was anything in the neighborhood of accurate, war was about to change all that. Radically.
They flew a quick circuit of the lake, then turned and descended rapidly toward the surface, the packet’s Helmsman making constant—to Brim, unnecessary—corrections for what must have been a blustery wind. Back in ’89 when Instructor-Helmsman Jim Payne taught Brim to fly ore barges, he judged skill by the corrections people didn’t make on final approach. Brim still made those judgments.
The packet flashed low over a familiar rocky shore, flared, then touched down on her gravity foot in cascades of spray: nicely enough; Brim allowed the Helmsman that, at least. As they slowed and the spray subsided below his cabin Hyperscreen, he could see a side channel had now melted ahead, curving off to a jetty where six optical bollards flashed on either side of a rusty brow. Time to get going, he told himself, snapping his fingers to attract the single portmanteau he’d packed. So far as he could tell, his was the only ticket to this destination—and little wonder. Gantaclar was ugly.
By the time they came abreast the brow, Brim was at the boarding-lobby Hyperscreens, watching tractor beams flash from the bollards to the packet’s anchor ports, drawing her smoothly to the quay. He smiled to himself: perhaps he’d judged the Helmsman too harshly…
When the gravity engines ground to a halt somewhere beneath Brim’s feet, the silence was half startling. “All hands and passengers prepare for local gravity. Repeat, prepare for local gravity.”
Brim steadied myself; he’d never been good at gravity switchovers. Somehow they… ugh …he could taste his gorge….
“You all right, Sir?” a Steward inquired solicitously.
“Yes, …I’m fine,” Brim choked, recovering as the local gravity took effect. It had always been that way with him; sometimes better, sometimes worse. He could never get used to the change—almost washed out of the Helmsman’s Academy because of it.
“You sure you’re okay, Sir?”
“Just open the hatch, please.”
“Aye, Sir.” Deftly, the Steward popped the hatch inward and carefully shoved it to one side. A blast of frigid air swept into the lobby along with the strong redolence of ozone. Brim heard a rasping screech outside as someone extended a poorly lubricated brow to the hatch. It connected with a clang; the Steward peered out to inspect with a professional aspect.
“Okay?” Brim asked, feeling impatient for some reason.
“Seems, safe, Sir,” the Steward assured him, stepping aside.
Snapping his fingers for the portmanteau, Brim stepped out onto the small upper platform and paused for a moment, not quite ready for either the eerie silence or the half-familiar panorama of rusting gantry cranes, derelict holding bins, and abandoned C-97 ore barges beached in uneven rows along the snow-covered waterfront. His last view of Gantaclar had been a riot of clamorous, violent activity. Now, except for a small squadron of executive transports hovering on spanking-new gravity pads a thousand irals to Lightward, nothing except the packet on which he’d arrived seemed related to starflight at all. This wasn’t the Gantaclar he’d known; this was the ghost of Gantaclar.
He carefully picked his way down half the steep, ice-speckled flight of stilled escalator treads—probably hadn’t moved by themselves for decades. Below, a couple of military dock hands were talking with a cabby whose skimmer idled quietly a few irals from the brow. All three appeared to be staring up at him.
As he reached the bottom and stepped through the gate, a Chief Warrant Officer in the Imperial Carescrian Navy crunched forward through the crusted snow. He was heavy-set man with huge, grizzled hands and looked strangely familiar. “Admiral Brim,” he said. “Welcome to Gantaclar, such as it is.” With that, he clicked his heels and gave a military salute
Instinctively, Brim returned the salute before he could check himself. “Thanks, Chief,” he muttered as his cheeks burned. “Except… I’m just Wilf Brim, these days. And I didn’t catch…..”
“Wouldn’t expect you to recognize me, Admiral,” the Warrant officer said. “We served together in Fleetport thirty durin’ the Battle of Avalon. M’ name’s Blake, Chief Warrant Officer Harry Blake. I was a Systems Tech. aboard old Starfury sixty-five ninety-five the day that Gorn-Hoff got on our tail.”
Brim shook his head. He’d been such a close acquaintance of death in the last few years, all the terrors of war seemed to blur together. He faked it. “Chief Blake, of course,” he lied, extending his hand. “How could I forget?”
“Considering all you’ve gone through in the last couple o’ Standard Years, Admiral,” Blake said with a look of sympathy Brim didn’t especially need, “ I wouldn’t be surprised if you couldn’t remember your own name sometimes.”
“Once in a while I can’t,” Brim quipped with a wry grin. Then he remembered the man’s feelings. “But I deeply appreciate that you did.”
