Star Force: Escalation (SF12) Read online

  January 4, 2108

  The defending frigate and two cutters moved out from the American shipyard in low Earth orbit to intercept the approaching fleet of 18 corvettes, knowing full well that they were outgunned, but still determined to acquit their duty as best they could. With the local American fleet spread out to engage the limited British fleet around Earth and begin making strikes against key orbital facilities, the threat profile to the four American shipyards was low…which is exactly what the Japanese had counted on when they launched their simultaneous attacks.

  Fleets of Japanese warships had redirected towards the American’s shipyards, with enough of a head start that the Americans couldn’t recall enough of their ships in time to make a difference. They’d seen the Japanese fleets approaching with hours of warning, but aside from the few vessels assigned as defensive patrols, the mathematics of orbital navigation made the inevitable attack painfully tedious to watch.

  The 18 Japanese corvettes split up as they neared the 3 defenders, with 6 bypassing them entirely while the other 12 engaged the Americans head on in a flurry of missiles exchanges, with the American cutters breaking formation to try and split the Japanese line, but it did no good. They were outnumbered and succumbed quickly enough, taking down three corvettes with them and damaging two others.

  The Japanese ships stuck around long enough to finish off the remains of the American warships, thoroughly blasting them to bits while their leading ships tackled the limited shipyard defenses, taking out anti-missile batteries and a smattering of low caliber defense turrets protecting the 7 partially constructed warships and the fabrication facilities that had constructed the majority of the American fleet.

  With the shipyard’s defenses gone, the 6 corvettes pulled back, appearing to leave the station to rendezvous with the rest of their fleet. As they did, two of the ships turned around with the starboard one firing a single missile back towards the shipyard. Without any missile defense systems remaining, the single weapon flew a clean track straight into the heart of the station housing over 6,000 construction personnel and detonated its 20 megaton nuclear warhead.

  The explosion ripped a gaping hole in the center of the thick station, cracking and twisting the exterior construction slips around as a wash of debris expanded outward, with the bulk of the station still remaining intact. A second missile fired from the corvette detonated on one of the slips, blowing it and the ship it contained apart and succeeded in disconnecting a section of the ring-like exterior Halo that all the slips connected to clear of the station, with it and two other filled slips drifting away from the main body.

  The second corvette launched a third nuke, then a fourth, and finally a fifth before the Japanese ships withdrew, leaving what had just been a highly active and productive shipyard behind as a messy, expanding debris field, with a mixture of small and massive chunks drifting about everywhere.

  Similar Japanese attacks occurred on the Americans’ other three military shipyards, breaking through their meager defenses and nuking the stations in a remarkably swift and horrific tactical assault that, within a matter of hours, took away the Americans’ ability to produce more warships, leaving their sizeable fleet without the ability to replenish their numbers.

  A fifth Japanese fleet consisting of four cutters had also been deployed on a simultaneous intercept mission, but wouldn’t catch up to their targets for an additional 5 days as they chased down an American supply convoy headed for Mars. Without Star Force transportation and supply purchase, the ground campaign on Mars had to be resupplied from Earth directly, which meant sending slow convoys of cargo ships across the inter-planetary gap in lieu of the inter-planetary starships that the Americans did not possess and that the Australians would not loan them.

  The 17 cargo ships never stood a chance, given that they didn’t have a military escort. The Americans hadn’t considered one necessary, given that at Earth they had the British fleet on its heels, with most of its ships stuck out in the asteroid belt and unable to return home. When the Japanese cutters caught up to the American convoy they didn’t demand a surrender, rather they destroyed 16 of the American cargo ships before siphoning fuel out of the remaining tanker to replenish what they’d lost in the pursuit.

  Afterwards they detonated that ship’s fuel tanks and turned around, heading back to Earth for the backlash they knew was coming, but given the serious blows they’d just struck, attrition would now be on their side in the soon to escalate naval war, and the American troops on Mars would not be receiving backup for some time, giving the remaining British territories that hadn’t yet come under attack some hope, along with the addition of Japan’s own meager Martian army forces to the surface war that the Americans had been dominating.

  The conflict that had looked like a mismatch between the USA and UK suddenly took on a new dimension as Japan allied themselves with the Brits, considerably evening the field despite the impending Star Force black listing that they knew would result. Japan saw opportunity on the horizon, both with the revelation of a new corporate alliance that could render some of the services that they’d been relying on Star Force for, and the possibility of knocking the Americans off their perch of dominance…as well as potentially sweeping up a lot of territory in the process, now that it had become clear that Star Force was intent on letting the nations fight it out so long as they didn’t encroach on civilian targets.

  As soon as word hit the newscasts of the Japanese attacks, the political dynamic immediately changed. Star Force was no longer dictating events, and every nation, corporation, and entrepreneur looking for an angle began aligning themselves with the faction they felt would come out on top in the end.

  Eight days later, when Germany denounced the Japanese nuclear attacks as barbaric and intolerable, they pledged their moderate military forces to assist the Americans in defense against Japan. The British responded in kind, declaring war on the Germans and attacking their holdings in the asteroid belt, which symbolically and functionally kicked off what Davis had long feared would happen.

  World War III had just begun.

  And it was going to be fought in space.

  Three weeks later all 11 of the Archon team leaders arrived back in Atlantis for a summit meeting, given that the lag times for communications between the planets was abysmal and the current system alignment had Earth centrally located. Davis was not in attendance, nor were any auxiliary personnel, just the original trailblazers who, aptly enough, called for the meeting to be held in the lounge of their original quarters block that few of them used nowadays.

  They rearranged the soft, cushy chairs into a circle in front of the wall-sized video screen, their video game equipment still attached at the base, harkening back to their days as newly minted adepts. It was used sparingly now, given how little they saw of each other, but several recently released games were visible in the rack, indicating that at least one of them was still getting some use out of it.

  Paul was the last to arrive, and took the remaining empty chair next to Jason. “Sorry I’m late. Got an intelligence update on my way down. Looks like the Germans are gearing up for a ground campaign on Luna.”

  Morgan rolled her eyes. “Will they never stop? Seriously, what’s their objective…destroy or capture everything their enemy has and kick them back down to Earth? They’re fighting like this is some kind of feud, not a war.”

  “I don’t think they are thinking,” Greg added. “They’re reacting to each other without an end game.”

  “That’s what you get with artificial peace,” Jason pointed out.

  “Meaning what?” Morgan challenged.

  “Meaning that there hasn’t been a full scale war for more than a century, even though there have been just causes to start one. They’ve let people be murdered and/or starve to death in the name of ‘peace’ just to satisfy the status quo. You put that genuine frustration into the mix with greed-mongers and you’ve got countries and individuals that have been spoiling for a fight for a
long time. I bet half of them don’t care what happens long term, they just want to stick it to the other countries as much as they can, right here, right now.”

  “History repeats itself,” Rafa declared. “Avoid the small wars…end up with a big one.”

  “Bottom line is, where does it stop this time around?” Sara asked. “Or is Morgan right and they’re just going to keep at it until everyone is dead?”

  “Obviously we’re not going to let it come to that,” Sam said evenly. “The question is how we go about stopping this. So far, they’ve mostly held within our demands to avoid civilian installations and neutral parties. Do we ignore the sovereignty that we claim to acknowledge and stop this by brute force, or do we let them bleed each other out?”

  “A good question,” Steve admitted. “I’m partial to a hybrid solution myself.”

  “Such as?” Sam asked, curious.

  “We took away China’s weapons because they were a threat and had misused them, but we let everyone else stay armed. Why? Because as much as we exist to keep the peace, we have a bigger objective in play. A much bigger objective.”

  “Defense against the V’kit’no’sat,” Morgan said aloud what everyone was already thinking.

  Steve nodded. “And to do that we have to unite Earth. Right now most of them are squabbling brats who can’t be trusted, but some are learning. However we handle this situation, we need to have the idiots cut their own throats so the others have a chance of learning from their example. I think a big concern that we’re overlooking is the threat of one or all of them attacking Star Force installations…and we’re overlooking it because the other nations learned from China’s mistake. They know we’ll kick the crap out of them if they so much as look at us the wrong way, so despite this gigantic mess we’re in, we are seeing some signs of progress.”

  “So what’s the lesson we’re teaching this time?” Jason asked.

  “We’ve got several to choose from,” Steve said, leaving the question open.

  “Have there been any reports of them taking prisoners?” Ben asked.

  “A few on Mars,” Greg noted, “but I haven’t heard of anything naval?” he finished, glancing at Paul.

  “There were a few facilities that were captured in the belt where they didn’t kill the workers, but we haven’t heard of a single prisoner being taken from any naval engagement. They’re fighting like they’re out for blood.”

  “We took back those facilities and crew, by the way,” Rafa added. “The British have since reduced their attacks only to military targets, so I think they got the message.”

  “Military or not, nuking the American shipyards is going way over the line,” Greg said with a hint of anger in his voice. “The Japanese have to pay a heavy price for that.”

  “Agreed,” Jason acknowledged. “How far is Davis willing to go?”

  “He’s still saying it’s up to us,” Greg confirmed, having been the one most recently assigned to Atlantis and accessible for face to face discussions with the Director. “He’ll back whatever move we make, he’d just prefer that there be some bit of civilization left for him to work with after the dust settles.”

  “Dust…” Kerrie said with a sarcastic laugh. “You have any idea how much debris those shipyards put into orbit, not to mention all the other engagements. We’re going to have a mess cleaning it all up, and probably still be picking pieces off our ships’ hulls for years to come.”

  “All four countries have been slapped with the 25 year ban,” Morgan said, leaning forward in the soft chair and putting her elbows on her knees as she rested her chin on her interlocking fingers, “35 for the Brits, and no one seems to care. The Japs and Germans even jumped into the fight after the first two bans had been handed down. You’re probably right about them not thinking of the long term economic and tactical consequences, which will hold them all back relative to the other nations, but if they’re willing to take a hit just to get at each other, then I say we make it a bigger hit.”

  “Longer ban?” Jason asked, fairly sure that wasn’t what she meant.

  “Confiscations,” she said bluntly. “If they can’t play nice, we start taking away their toys, one by one, until they start to care.”

  “Beginning with what?” Greg asked.

  “Territories,” Kerrie said, her eyes narrowing. “They’re land hungry, so let’s start squeezing their borders and see how long it is before they take the hint.”

  “We voided all their leases when the bans took effect,” Paul pointed out. “We haven’t gotten all of them evacuated yet, but they’re losing more than half the territories they possessed right there and didn’t so much as blink twice.”

  “Those were never really theirs,” Ian pointed out, “and they’re gobbling up each other’s to replenish the losses. This way, they can gain more land and deny it to their enemies at the same time. By our rules everyone got a piece if they earned it. Now, it’s winner take all.”

  “Their true colors are showing through, which is a mixed blessing, I think,” Kerrie said. “We can use this to feel out who our real allies are, as well as who is honorable and who isn’t.”

  “The Japanese fall into that latter category,” Greg declared.

  “Which is something good to know,” Jason acknowledged Kerrie’s previous statement. “Up until now they’ve played things pretty close to the vest. I wouldn’t have pegged them to jump in with the Americans or anyone else for that matter if they weren’t hit first.”

  “The Corporate Alliance changed that, I think,” Ben said, referencing the official name taken by the asteroid belt economic co-venture. “With another fish in the pond, I think several nations are going to stop playing things by our rules and show us where their true priorities lie.”

  “Where are the Russians in all this?” Morgan asked.

  “Playing it smart,” Paul answered. “They quietly informed us that they intend to keep out of the engagement zones and requested a token naval presence from us in their fleets, so that if someone attacked them they’d have to move against us as well.”

  Rafa raised an eyebrow. “That’s a surprising twist.”

  “What was your answer?” Steve asked.

  “We agreed, and have several warships moving into position now.”

  Sara stared off in thought, then her eyes widened in understanding. “With the Americans suffering from a ban, they figure they’ll end up top dog.”

  “Possibly,” Paul admitted, “though I’m hoping for a bit more from them. They’ve been uncharacteristically responsible the past three decades, long enough that we might be seeing an actual philosophy change.”

  “Wishful thinking there,” Morgan differed.

  “Maybe,” Paul conceded, “but for the moment they’re not causing trouble, which I’ll take.”

  “Start with their mining zones in the belt,” Steve suggested, getting back to the crux of the matter. “Aside from the Brits, nobody’s in a position to defend those against us, so it should be an easy pickup. If that doesn’t get their attention, go for the Martian territories.”

  “Why not just kick them dirtside and be done with it?” Sam asked. “Really, why aren’t we doing that already with Japan? Do any of you see a way where they get to keep a military after this is all over?”

  Everyone was silent for a moment, thinking it through, before Jason began nodding his head. The more he thought about it, the more he realized Sam was right. “Anything less would send the wrong message.”

  “Are we talking disarmament or denying them space travel?” Morgan asked to clarify.

  “Good question,” Greg said, leaving it on the table. To date, no nation or corporation had been penalized that far, not even China.

  “We have an intermediary option,” Paul pointed out. “Restrict their holdings to Earth orbit only…along with the military ban.”

  Jason snapped his fingers as a thought came to him. “I’ve got an idea, and one I think Davis will like.”

  3r />
  January 27, 2108

  The airlock to the exterior of the German mining station clanked with the connection being made, then it began to cycle through the atmospheric matching process, which took a few more tedious seconds. The outer door opened shortly thereafter, with a mass of white armor filling the small airlock cubicle, visible through the interior window, which soon slid aside into the wall with the massive armored Knight stepped through, his face hidden behind the reflective faceplate on his helmet.

  The miners gathered at the airlock took several steps back, looking up at the giant as several Star Force personnel in standard uniforms crossed through the open airlock doors behind him, accompanied by a smattering of security personnel armed with holstered stinger pistols.

  The woman who came in third in line wore the dark blue uniform of Star Force’s personnel relations branch and stepped forward alongside the towering Knight as she made eye contact with the miners.

  “Good. I was hoping we could accomplish this transition peacefully,” she said, speaking German. “Due to your country’s recent military actions, this mining station is hereby being confiscated by Star Force, effective immediately.”

  She held up a hand as a smattering of panicked reactions increased the noise level in the docking atrium and connecting hallways out of it, all of which were now packed with the station’s staff.

  “You are not being taken prisoner,” she promised. “You are noncombatants and we apologize for involving you in this conflict, but your country will not be allowed to profit from spaceborn operations, such as mining this field, if they can’t conduct their business honorably. Again, I apologize that this has involved all of you. We have no issue with your mining activities on this station. As far as my information goes, you’ve followed all of the rules and have succeeded in processing a significant amount of material from what is, admittedly, the thinner portion of the national zones. You should be commended for this.”