The Void War (Empire Rising Book 1) by D. J. Holmes Page B
Authors: D. J. Holmes
Tags: Science-Fiction, Space Opera, Military, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Exploration, Space Exploration, Galactic Empire, Space Fleet, Space Marine, Colonization
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system?”
James had allowed Fisher to continue manning sensors despite her watch having ended. He wanted her to have the privilege of carrying out the first scans of what was sure to become one of the newest British colonies.
“No sir,” she replied. “There’s no signals or sign of industrialization from any of the planets in the system. I’m also not picking up any ship drives or reactors.”
Nodding, James continued to sit in silence. No signs of a ship just meant there were no ships in the system several hours ago. The infrared signals the ships sensors were currently picking up had left the system hours ago and, traveling at the speed of light, had only reached Drake’s position now. A ship could have entered the system in the last few hours and they wouldn’t know about it. Also, anyone in the system lying in stealth wouldn’t be giving off much heat radiation in the first place. They could be in stealth mode just as Drake was. And that was the dilemma. All RSN ships were designed to operate under stealth for prolonged periods, if they had too. Even the missile and plasma cannons were designed with energy cells that would allow them to operate for two minutes without drawing on any energy from the reactors. Combined with the passive sensors’ ability to easily track ships with their reactors and drives lit up, it meant that a ship in stealth mode could cause a real problem. From a good starting position a ship in stealth could maneuver close to their target and unleash a volley of missiles or even rake their target with plasma cannons before anyone even knew they were there.
Drake had almost come straight to V2 from the shift passage to Cambridge. If a Chinese or even an alien ship knew about the Cambridge passage then Drake’s current position would be the most logical one for a British ship to exit shift space. The next logical move would be to head straight for the habitable planet. James silently berated himself for not thinking of this sooner. If he were a Chinese Captain tasked with keeping the Void a secret he would position his ship between where a British ship would enter the system and the habitable planet. Lying in stealth he could wait for the British ship to move into the system and then fire a spread of missiles as they passed. He should have taken Drake to the far end of the system and entered it on a completely unpredictable route! The Void made such a maneuver easy for there was no dark matter to limit where he could go with the shift drive. The tactics book would have to rewritten if war ever broke out here.
“Navigation, plot us a course that will round the fifth planet in the system and then take us in toward the habitable world. And take us there with 20% thrust.”
In her space trials Drake had been able to reach 25% of her maximum thrust before the heat radiating off the ship was detectable. James didn’t want to take any chances.
“Sensors, dispatch two stealth recon drones. The first one is to go on a direct path to the habitable planet. The second is to follow the path we’re going to take into the system, use the fifth planet’s gravity to sling it towards the third planet,” James ordered.
The habitable planet was the third planet in the system. With luck a detour around the fifth would keep them from being detected by any ships expecting them to head straight for V2.
“Yes sir,” Fisher replied.
Normal recon drones were fitted with small impulse engines similar to the missiles Drake carried. Outfitted with their own active and passive sensors they allowed starships to scout a system without entering the mass shadow of a star. Any astronomical body with a gravimetrical field created a mass shadow within which the shift drive couldn’t be engaged. Since the invention of the shift drive spacers had been calling these gravimetric fields the star’s ‘mass shadow.’
James didn’t want to take any chances though. If
James had allowed Fisher to continue manning sensors despite her watch having ended. He wanted her to have the privilege of carrying out the first scans of what was sure to become one of the newest British colonies.
“No sir,” she replied. “There’s no signals or sign of industrialization from any of the planets in the system. I’m also not picking up any ship drives or reactors.”
Nodding, James continued to sit in silence. No signs of a ship just meant there were no ships in the system several hours ago. The infrared signals the ships sensors were currently picking up had left the system hours ago and, traveling at the speed of light, had only reached Drake’s position now. A ship could have entered the system in the last few hours and they wouldn’t know about it. Also, anyone in the system lying in stealth wouldn’t be giving off much heat radiation in the first place. They could be in stealth mode just as Drake was. And that was the dilemma. All RSN ships were designed to operate under stealth for prolonged periods, if they had too. Even the missile and plasma cannons were designed with energy cells that would allow them to operate for two minutes without drawing on any energy from the reactors. Combined with the passive sensors’ ability to easily track ships with their reactors and drives lit up, it meant that a ship in stealth mode could cause a real problem. From a good starting position a ship in stealth could maneuver close to their target and unleash a volley of missiles or even rake their target with plasma cannons before anyone even knew they were there.
Drake had almost come straight to V2 from the shift passage to Cambridge. If a Chinese or even an alien ship knew about the Cambridge passage then Drake’s current position would be the most logical one for a British ship to exit shift space. The next logical move would be to head straight for the habitable planet. James silently berated himself for not thinking of this sooner. If he were a Chinese Captain tasked with keeping the Void a secret he would position his ship between where a British ship would enter the system and the habitable planet. Lying in stealth he could wait for the British ship to move into the system and then fire a spread of missiles as they passed. He should have taken Drake to the far end of the system and entered it on a completely unpredictable route! The Void made such a maneuver easy for there was no dark matter to limit where he could go with the shift drive. The tactics book would have to rewritten if war ever broke out here.
“Navigation, plot us a course that will round the fifth planet in the system and then take us in toward the habitable world. And take us there with 20% thrust.”
In her space trials Drake had been able to reach 25% of her maximum thrust before the heat radiating off the ship was detectable. James didn’t want to take any chances.
“Sensors, dispatch two stealth recon drones. The first one is to go on a direct path to the habitable planet. The second is to follow the path we’re going to take into the system, use the fifth planet’s gravity to sling it towards the third planet,” James ordered.
The habitable planet was the third planet in the system. With luck a detour around the fifth would keep them from being detected by any ships expecting them to head straight for V2.
“Yes sir,” Fisher replied.
Normal recon drones were fitted with small impulse engines similar to the missiles Drake carried. Outfitted with their own active and passive sensors they allowed starships to scout a system without entering the mass shadow of a star. Any astronomical body with a gravimetrical field created a mass shadow within which the shift drive couldn’t be engaged. Since the invention of the shift drive spacers had been calling these gravimetric fields the star’s ‘mass shadow.’
James didn’t want to take any chances though. If
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