{"id":6361,"date":"2021-09-19T22:30:27","date_gmt":"2021-09-19T14:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=6361"},"modified":"2021-09-19T22:30:27","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T14:30:27","slug":"hostis-humani-generis-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=6361","title":{"rendered":"Hostis Humani Generis Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Satellite,<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Challenge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In space, math reigned supreme. And the mathematics of war was not<\/em> with Task Force 136.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In SEL-5, every object not under thrust maintained a stationary position relative to the sun and Earth. Too used to watching constellations in constant motion over planetary bodies, a sense of unreality washed over Silva as he studied the tactical display. Every installation was completely still. The only moving objects were ships in transit, riding on thick clouds of expended propellant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parked at the outermost edge of the area of operations, the Enterprise<\/em> and her ships dominated the volume around Minas Station. The laser star\u2019s gigawatt laser could obliterate any threat within ten thousand kilometers in the space of heartbeats. The kinetic bus could launch an alpha strike at any convoy or faction foolish enough to challenge the blockade. The Enterprise\u2019s<\/em> remaining drones granted her persistent long-range combat projection power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But annihilation was not the mission. It was the threat, the promised consequences of failing to comply with Terra\u2019s will. To manifest her will, the destroyers had to get in close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They had to. They were limited by the shuttles nestled within their flight decks. The shuttles were designed for short, quick hops from point A to point B.  With their anemic chemical rockets, cramped passenger compartment and minuscule life support system, that was all they were good for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The destroyers couldn\u2019t stand off at long range and deploy the shuttles. Either the shuttles burned fuel on a high-speed intercept, or oxygen on a slow trip. No matter which way they cut it, if the shuttles were deployed at standoff range, there would only be enough supplies for a single VBSS mission per launch. Millions of kilometers from Earth, with only a single CLS ship for resupply, surrounded by hostile factions unwilling to resupply the task force, minimizing consumption was critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That forced the destroyers and their robot ships to take up positions three hundred and fifty kilometers from Minas. Close enough that the Marines could inspect several ships in a single deployment, not so close that the Minas space patrol could overwhelm a destroyer through weight of numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The swarm. It was the tactic every self-respecting spacer feared the most in crowded orbitals. And the destroyers were deep in unfriendly space. Surrounded by ships and stations from every angle, all of whom had every reason to distrust Earth, they were at constant risk of being overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The area of operations could transition from a frigid peace to red-hot war in five minutes or less. Once the missiles started flying, at this range, there would be precious little time to manouvre, even less time to fight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enterprise\u2019s<\/em> job was to buy every second she could for the destroyers. The intelligence department worked overtime, feverishly identifying and categorizing every contact in the area of operations. They marked and analyzed every ship with visible armament. They studied the nuclear ships for signs of weapons. They tracked vectors and bearings and cargo pods, looking for burns that would line up a Q-ship for a kinetic barrage. Even with the assistance of the carrier\u2019s powerful onboard AI, it took a human to divine intentions from actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rest of the ship worked to pre-empt possible threats. The drone department juggled the Stingers and the robot ships. The weapons department plotted solutions for attack patterns. Engineering and Navigation worked out safe vectors for evasive manouvres. Maxine Waters coordinated the crew, the brain and heart and soul of the ship, freeing Silva to handle high-level strategic decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain, we have a ship attempting to run the blockade,\u201d the duty officer reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement snapped Silva out of a duty-induced haze. It had barely been a full day since the task force arrived on station. He\u2019d spent that time reading through intelligence reports, war-gaming responses to different permutations of opposition forces, updating the brass back on Earth, and other such operational duties. He had been looking forward to retreating to his stateroom, if only so he could relieve the pressure gathering in his temples and scratch the itch between his shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No such luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An electric current charged the Combat Information Center. The spacers tensed over their consoles, poised for immediate action. Waters pasted her coffee bulb against the nearest hook-and-loop pad on her table, then replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSensors, analysis of the runner?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cModular heavy cargo freighter with NTR propulsion bus, massing about two thousand tons. Plume spectroscopy indicates liquid oxygen-hydrogen mix. Payload section comprises twelve one-thousand-ton cargo pods. Transponder indicates she\u2019s the Orion<\/em>, registered to Minas Station. She is currently pivoting away from Minas Station,\u201d the sensor officer replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the young man spoke, Silva zoomed in on the Orion in his tactical display, seeing sensor feeds on multiple windows. Through the lens of the Enterprise<\/em>\u2019s ultra-long range telescope, she looked vaguely like a mace, spouting atomic fire from her crown. The massive bulge was a spherical propellant tank, the nuclear thermal rocket a short stub on one end, the payload section a long spine at the other. She was turning and burning, slowly orienting herself towards empty space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny signs of weapons?\u201d Waters asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNegative, ma\u2019am. No external weapons. Those pods, however, are large enough to hold a weapons package each.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waters clenched her jaw, absent-mindedly rubbing her chin. The tension was evident in her shoulders. He fought the urge to take command. This was her job now. He had to trust in her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Silva said, \u201cIt\u2019s not likely to be an attack.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so too,\u201d Waters said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cComms from the Lexington<\/em>,\u201d an officer called out. \u201cCommodore, their captain wants to speak to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Waters, the captain of the Lexington<\/em> was on his first tour as commanding officer, but at least Waters had the excuse of being bumped up into the big chair with little prep. In the few times he\u2019d spoken with Captain Hamilton on the way here, the man seemed terminally incapable of initiative in the presence of his superiors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGo ahead,\u201d Silva said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamilton\u2019s voice piped into the speaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCommodore, a cargo freighter is attempting to run the blockade,\u201d Hamilton begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see her,\u201d Silva interjected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are your orders?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur standing orders have not changed. Neither have our rules of engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo I have permission to engage?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva sighed, even more loudly than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain, you do not need my permission to carry out your orders. Just do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fatigue sharpened Silva\u2019s voice to a cutting edge. Silva heard the hurt in Hamilton\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRoger, sir. Proceeding to hail the vessel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva tuned his console radio to the guard channel. A few seconds later, Hamilton\u2019s voice filled the airwaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCargo ship Orion<\/em>, this is the TSF Lexington<\/em>. You are attempting to violate a blockaded zone. Cut thrust immediately and stand by to be boarded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By way of response, Orion<\/em> fired her engine in the opposite direction, killing her momentum. For a long moment, Silva wanted to believe that the Orion<\/em> had chosen to comply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then her nuclear thermal rocket burned at full power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamilton repeated his order twice more. The Orion<\/em> continued her burn. The Enterprise<\/em>\u2019s AI projected her trajectory on Silva\u2019s console. At this rate, she would exit SEL-5 and embark on a long cruise to nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCommodore, the Orion<\/em> is attempting to flee,\u201d Hamilton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can follow the action on my screen,\u201d Silva said testily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPermission to escalate?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that request, Silva heard: Please cover my ass?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProceed,\u201d Silva grunted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White light speckled off the command module of the Orion<\/em>. A warning shot from the Lexington<\/em>\u2019s main lasers, just powerful enough to get the crew\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrion<\/em>, this is the Lexington<\/em>. You are violating a blockade. Cut thrust immediately and stand by to be boarded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLexington<\/em>, this is the Orion<\/em>,\u201d a weaselly voice replied. \u201cWe are declaring a medical emergency and we need to evacuate the area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBullshit,\u201d Silva muttered under his breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To his credit, Hamilton caught on to it too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrion<\/em>, you are burning on an escape trajectory. You\u2019re not headed towards any inhabited installation in the system. You\u2019re not experiencing an emergency. Cut thrust immediately and stand by to be boarded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orion<\/em> cut her rocket. Now she drifted through space, still on an escape trajectory. Lexington<\/em> flashed her again with her laser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrion<\/em>, you will assume a stationkeeping orbit immediately and stand by to be boarded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLexington<\/em>, Orion<\/em> here. Allow us to clarify. Sedna Station declared a medical emergency. We are carrying medical supplies for the station. We cannot be delayed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva looked at Waters. Waters shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t hear anything out of Sedna,\u201d Waters said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrion<\/em>, Lexington<\/em>. You are still on an escape trajectory. Your vector will not take you anywhere near Sedna Station. You will assume a stationkeeping orbit immediately and stand by to be boarded. This is your final warning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLexington<\/em>, Sedna here,\u201d a fresh voice interjected. \u201cWe are declaring a medical emergency. Orion<\/em> is carrying vital medicines for us. We need that ship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva closed his eyes and counted down. Three\u2026 two\u2026 one\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnterprise<\/em>, Lexington<\/em> here. Sedna Station has claimed a medical emergency, and Orion<\/em> claims she is carrying medical supplies for Sedna. Please advise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLexington, Enterprise<\/em>,\u201d Silva said. \u201cStop and inspect the Orion<\/em>. Do not allow her to violate the blockade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPermission to engage?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva rolled his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPro\u2026 No. Belay that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSir?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrepare a boarding crew.\u201d Silva turned to Waters. \u201cWarm up the laser star. Have it stop the Orion<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRoger.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waters rattled off a series of orders. Spacers called out status updates and vital information. The laser star fired its RCS, bringing its massive laser to bear. On his screen, the Orion<\/em> continued to coast through space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whiteout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The atomic rocket erupted in a cloud of white flame. Shrapnel spewed in a thousand directions. Thin streamers of boiling propellant gushed out into the void.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLexington<\/em>, Orion!<\/em> What the hell are you doing?! We are unarmed!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva interjected into the radio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOrion<\/em>, this is the Enterprise<\/em>. Our orders were clear. No space traffic is allowed without our express permission within the blockaded zone. Violations will be met with force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone in SEL-5 could see the laser strike. Everyone would know that the laser star could erase anything within the system. With that shot, everything changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The independent stations of SEL-5 have hated Earth for generations. Now they would learn to fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Silva spoke, the laser star continued its deadly work. Ultraviolet laser pulses drilled into the Orion\u2019s<\/em> RCS thrusters with unerring precision. Even attenuated over thousands of kilometers, every pulse arrived with enough force to blow the delicate thrusters into smithereens. Every blast imparted momentum to the ship, sending her into a death spiral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The command module separated from the stricken ship. Roughly the size of an apartment back on Earth, the CMOD was the nerve center of the ship, where the crew lived and worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou just killed our ship!\u201d The captain of the Orion<\/em> wailed over the guard net.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou chose to violate the blockade. We presented the consequences,\u201d Silva said coldly. \u201cAssume a stationkeeping orbit now<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t kill us! The entire solar system is watching!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to. On the other hand, your present trajectory will take you on a thousand-year orbit around the Sun. We can rescue you and take you back to Minas Station\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFuck you and your \u2018rescue\u2019!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2014or we can knock out the engines on your CMOD and leave you be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou son of a bitch!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe choice is yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long, long minutes past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the CMOD fired its tiny chemical engines, bringing itself into a stationary orbit relative to the Sun and Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva released a breath he hadn\u2019t known he was holding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLexington<\/em>, Enterprise<\/em>. Pick up the stranded spacers. Figure out what the hell they were really<\/em> doing, trying to run the blockade,\u201d Silva ordered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAye, aye, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnterprise<\/em>, Minas Station. You fired on an innocent, unarmed spacer. This will not be tolerated!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The speaker was the same gravelly-voiced man from yesterday. The boss of Minas Space Traffic Control, or maybe even the entire station.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRelease our ships, our people and our goods, hand over the terrorists who hijacked the Louisiana<\/em>, and we will return to Earth,\u201d Silva said. \u201cUntil then, we are staying.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHah! Everyone knows it\u2019s just an excuse! You came here to colonize our system!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we came here to do that, we wouldn\u2019t send a mere ten ships,\u201d Silva replied. \u201cAgain, our only demand is\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSave your breath. We know what you are. We will<\/em> take action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva shut off the radio and turned his attention to the wider tactical situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Orion<\/em> CMOD drifted helplessly through space. The Lexington<\/em> deployed a shuttle. Civilian traffic burned well clear of the situation. The remaining ships around Minas Station remained on lockdown, unable to move for fear of attracting another long-range laser strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTalk is cheap,\u201d Waters said. \u201cAs long as we have the laser star, they know they can\u2019t touch us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey also know that as long as they hold on to the hostages, we can\u2019t leave. Our supplies won\u2019t last forever, and we\u2019re a long way from home,\u201d Silva said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou think they\u2019ll try to outwait us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey can grow their own food. We can\u2019t. All we can do is cut off their economic lifeblood, keep goods and money from flowing in and out of the station, and hope that when the cost of resistance grows too high, they will comply.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waters pursed her lips. \u201cWe\u2019re in this for the long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBetter get comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Want more stories like this? Check out the BasedCon book sale\u00a0here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Challenge In space, math reigned supreme. And the mathematics of war was not with Task Force 136. In SEL-5, every object not under thrust maintained a stationary position relative to the sun and Earth. Too used to watching constellations in constant motion over planetary bodies, a sense of unreality washed over Silva as he studied […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[138,143,216,253,278,289],"class_list":["post-6361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-fiction","tag-free-story","tag-military-science-fiction","tag-pulprev","tag-science-fiction","tag-singlit"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6361"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}