The Ouster migration cluster commonly known as a Swarm was detected by Hawking distortion-sensing equipment in the Camn System a little more than three standard years ago, the young briefing officer was saying. Immediately upon detection, FORCE Task Force 42, preconfigured for evacuation of Hyperion System, spun up to C-plus status from Parvati with sealed orders to create a farcaster capability within portal range of Hyperion. At the same time, Task Force 87.2 was dispatched from Solkov-Tikata Staging Area around Camn III with orders to rendezvous with the evacuation force in Hyperion System, to find the Ouster migration cluster, and to engage and destroy their military components Images of the armada appeared on the callup temp and in front of the young colonel. He gestured with his pointer and a line of ruby light cut through the larger holo to illuminate one of the Three-C ships in the formation. Task Force 87.2 is under the command of Admiral Nashita aboard the HS Hebrides
Yes, yes, grumbled General Morpurgo, we know all this, Yani.
Cut to the quick.
The young colonel simulated a smile, nodded imperceptibly toward the General and CEO Gladstone, and resumed in a voice a trifle less confident. Coded fatline transmissions from TF 42 during the past seventy-two hours, standard, report pitched battles between scouting elements of the evacuation task force and forward elements of the Ouster migration cluster
The Swarm, interrupted Leigh Hunt.
Yes, said Yani. He turned toward the callup, and five meters of frosted glass burned to life. To me the display was an incomprehensible maze of arcane symbols, colored vector lines, substrate codes, and FORCE acronyms which added up to total gibberish. Perhaps it made no sense to the big brass and senior politicians in the room either, but no one let on that this was the case. I began a new drawing of Gladstone, with the bulldog profile of Morpurgo in the background.
Although first reports suggested Hawking wakes in the neighborhood of four thousand drives, this is a misleading figure, continued the colonel named Yani. I wondered whether that was his first or last name. As you know, Ouster ah Swarms can be constituted of up to ten thousand separate drive units, but the vast majority of these are small and either unarmed or of negligible military significance. Microwave, fatline, and other emission signature evaluation suggests
Excuse me, said Meina Gladstone, her weathered voice in sharp contrast to the briefing officers syrupy flow, but could you tell us how many of the Ouster ships are of military significance?
Ah said the colonel, and glanced toward his superiors.
General Morpurgo cleared his throat. We think about six seven hundred, tops, he said. Nothing to worry about.
CEO Gladstone raised an eyebrow. And the size of our battle groups?
Morpurgo nodded toward the young colonel to stand at ease. Morpurgo answered. Task Force 42 has about sixty ships, CEO. Task Force
Task Force 42 is the evacuation group? said Gladstone.
General Morpurgo nodded, and I thought I saw a hint of condescension in his smile. Yes, maam. Task Force 87.2, the battle group, which translated in-system about an hour ago, will
Were sixty ships adequate to face six or seven hundred? asked Gladstone.
Morpurgo glanced toward one of his fellow officers as if asking for patience. Yes, he said, More than adequate. You have to understand, CEO, that six hundred Hawking drives may sound like a lot, but theyre nothing to worry about when theyre pushing singleships, or scouts, or one of those little five-person attack craft they call lancers. Task Force 42 consisted of almost two dozen main line spinships, including the carriers Olympus Shadow and Neptune Station. Each of these can launch more than a hundred fighters or ALRs. Morpurgo fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a recom smokestick the size of a cigar, appeared to remember that Gladstone disapproved of them, and struck it back in his coat. He frowned. When Task Force 87.2 completes its deployment, well have more than enough firepower to deal with a dozen Swarms. Still frowning, he nodded toward Yani to continue.
The colonel cleared his throat and gestured with his pointer toward the callup display. As you can see, Task Force 42 had no trouble clearing the necessary volume of space to initiate farcaster construction.
This construction was begun six weeks ago, WST, and completed yesterday at 1624 hours, standard. Initial Ouster harassing attacks were beaten off with no casualties for TF 42, and during the past forty-eight hours, a major battle has been waged between advance units of the task force and main Ouster forces. The focus of this skirmish has been here"Yani gestured again, and a section of the callup pulsed with blue light beyond the tip of his pointer"twenty-nine degrees above the plane of the ecliptic, thirty AU from Hyperions sun, approximately 0.35 AU from the hypothetical rim of the systems Oort cloud.
Casualties? said Leigh Hunt.
Quite within acceptable limits for a firefight of this duration, said the young colonel, who looked like he had never been within a light-year of hostile fire. His blond hair was carefully combed to the side and gleamed under the intense glow of the spots. Twenty-six Hegemony fast attack fighters destroyed or missing, twelve torpedo-carrying ALRs, three torchships, the fuel transport Asquiths Pride, and the cruiser Draconi 111.