Ascent to Greatness: A Junior Officer's Tale

[Azatol]

Chapter 7 – Operation Cold Dish


“This is WEP 523 Contemporary Missile Operations, I am your instructor Colonel Dorn. Let me tell you a few things about myself and then this class. I served onboard the station Alba Lulia and then the Targul Ocna 001 as missile bay unit leader. During my time, the fleet destroyed 8 Amon’krie vessels, all of them destroyed by missile fire.

This class is about the analysis of contemporary usage of missiles in fleet operations. This course will be drawing heavily on new developments in the war and especially Operation Cold Dish, which is now underway. We will also discusss the Blockade Campaign and the possibilities for fleet action in the future.

As prerequisite to this class, you have learned how missile bays are operated, the security concerns that are paramount in operation and the tactical firing criteria and performance of current missiles and obsolete designs. This class will be your preparation beyond serving in a missile unit, and into the issues Admirals and their staff must deal with. Any questions?”

There were only five students in this top level missiles class, four men and one woman, but one answered him with a question.

“What will the tests be like?”

“Part essay, and part computer evaluated using the Fleet Command Simulator. I will give you exercises early on, voluntary but highly recommended, in using the FCS. The system can handle battles beyond any that have existed in our history down to small conflicts more characteristic of the war thus far. The Amon’krie have shown us that hostile races exist, and it might only be time until one that can field true fleets faces us. The Amon’krie thus far have not sent more than one ship after us in a single battle.”

The rest of the students were silent, and so I waited a moment and then began my prepared discussion.

“The Senate recently approved a new operation for the combined fleet which they call Operation Cold Dish. The Amon’krie who do not know our aphorisms, are unsure what the operation’s purpose is, but can any of you?”

“‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’ The senate proposes to get even for the slaughter of 200 divisions of our soldiers,” Marcus, one of the students answered.

Joseph, who had asked about the tests, finished the answer, “And also the depravity of the Amon’krie military in killing nearly 700 million of their own people.”

“Exactly, killing their citizens, or what are now our refugees, and starting fires which may well have obliterated the population completely, along with the destruction of the best of our soldiers, has displayed to the senate and military the complete indifference the Amon’krie have to morality. But beyond the questions of why, we settle into the how, what and when.

Two weeks ago, the fleet began its first battle of this new operation, and wiped out an important strategic colony of the Amon’krie. The colony, named Ashadra VI, operated 20 missile silos, and yet did not damage the fleet at all. Why have such planetary missile silos failed to damage our ships as we have damaged them?”

“They have not made advancements in missile design that we have, and therefore the maximum range of their missiles is significantly less than that of our own. In addition the fleet doctrine takes advantage of this by operating in between our maximum range and theirs. This means we can hit them but they can’t hit us,” Julia, a third student who was tops in her class responded.

“If we factor out missile iteration, and equipped such a colony with our class of missiles, would the final results be different?”

Marcus responded, “Both sides would have equal range, so the outcome would depend on the durability of the planetary silos versus the durability of our ships, and the number of each as well.”

“Incorrect, one of the fundamental doctrines of missile combat between two vessels, is what is called the missile dance, where each combatant closes in to fire, and then retreats to evade the enemy missile’s maximum range. Modified appropriates, in the described situation, our fleet can close in and fire on the enemy, and then flee the oncoming missiles. The planet can not flee the missiles targetting it, because it is not mobile. Thus, in missile on missile combat, immobile objects such as planets and stations are significantly disadvantaged, unless they have much greater range on their missiles.

If the stationary target has vastly longer ranged missiles, then the mobile vessel can not close in to fire before the stationary target has fired upon them. Even then, the mobile vessel can usually flee, making the battle a stalemate.

Only at a wormhole defended by a space station, can an immobile object actually win against a mobile vessel, assuming proper tactics on both sides. Sometimes, a fleet could estimate that it would survive a missile barrage from a longer ranged planet, but in fact not be able to and be destroyed, but this is an error in tactics.

Maximum range, acceleration rate and yield are three factors to be maximized in missile designs, while reload time, footprint and cost are to be minimized. Of course, like all things, you never get the best of all worlds, and so the better missiles that were developed gained in yield and maximum range but lost in cost.

Maximum range has already been discussed during our battle sequence, but the rest should be analyzed as well...

***

“Some Space Marines, trained and ready, were left behind because Turnaveni was full. Now the transport plans to load those marines and conduct operations on all the colonies they can find, skipping any which have satellites in orbit. The Baksha system is their first target,” the Dean informed me. I had met with him often to learn of recent developments in the military.

“So the war is almost over?” I asked.

“No one knows how many colonies the Amon’krie have. But there has been no significant resistance from the Amon’krie. Meanwhile the fleet continues Operation Cold Dish. The Shipwrights report they will soon be able to construct a 400 kt ship. The military wants to see what they can do to build larger stations once they complete this new hull. The Alba Lulia may be scrapped if the king orders a larger station built eventually.”

“What else would they put on a larger station. They already have the shipwrighting group onboard the Alba.”

“We don’t know, but at least another missile bay, and perhaps other useful equipment, although know one knows what that would constitute. A new station would have more of a planetary defense focus than the Alba. They may leave the Alba in place and cut out all civillian modules from a larger station. How many launchers do you think a station twice the Alba’s size could support if it had no civillian purpose?” he asked.

The Alba Lulia was 500 kilotons, this new one would be 1000 then.

“Anywhere from 2 to 12 launchers I’d say, but probably 8, if they really go in for the military station idea.”

“If they stacked launchers everywhere, and offered nothing else but a missile defense station, how about then?”

“18 launchers, the cost would be rather high, but it would be quite a formidable battery.”

“Staggering, especially if the military researchers ever get a chance to improve our missile designs some more.”

“Maybe they will, eventually. An important station with that many missiles would be a real impetus to develop better designs.”

“We don’t know how long it will be until they can build such a large station however,” the dean said, leaving the fantasy behind.

“By the way, as part of an exchange program, related to our treaty with the Kithra Consortium, as secret as that has been thus far, as many as a dozen Kithra citizens will be enrolling in classes here at the academy. Others are arriving to supplement the small diplomatic staff at the palace. The Kithra are very local in their concerns, caring only about their own solar system, but they offered the new agreement to share some of what they know and learn some of what we know. Not the best stuff, just skimming a bit off the top, as I heard our ambassador say.”

“They seem to be a complete mystery, I’ve not heard of what they are like,” I said, and it was true.

“They are a green species, but brighter green than the Amon’krie, and they don’t look serpentine as the Amon’krie do. They are much more insular than the Amon’krie, and they don’t insult us nor destroy our ships. It seems from recent communications, that the Kithra once were embroiled in constant warfare between factions, as we once were, but a strong leader has risen to unite the people.”

“Interesting.”

***

To: All Military Personnel

General Duke Adram completed his planetary cannonry program, but unfortunately the enemy satellites used manuevering thrusters to take themselves out of planetary range. Why they didn’t fire, since they must have been active and not in sleeping state in order to manuever, is unknown. The planetary cannons are now useless, so Adram hopes to get a design for a cannon-armed destroyer. We are currently working on such a design, and will send it along to the appropriate departments.

Military Design Team

***

To: All Military Personnel

The Medias class destroyer contains seven naval style cannons of superdreadnought size and bore. The vessel is designed for short range defense or fleet supported operations, because it can easily run through its ammo capacity. Maximum range of targetting acuity on the cannons is 3000 kilotons, beyond this the weapon can not be accurately fired. Damage is an impressive 1/3 of that of the current nuclear missile, because of the advanced cannonball design. Each shot should hit with around 25 megatons of impact energy.

Recommended usage is anti-satellite operations.

***

“Recent technological developments, as well as digital footages shot by General Adrum, for Operation Old School, have made it neccesary to have an academy wide meeting. First we would like to show the footage of these new naval cannons that have been retrofitted and scaled up for space usage. Then we’d like to show both students and instructors a new technology that will reshape the universe of war in space.

First the video.”

The amphitheater darkened, and you could feel the excitement in the room. Many of the instructors and all of the students were seeing their first space battle. I tried to note what features of the cannons I could. They were mounted externally, two at each side, and three on top. They dominated the visual look of the Medias.

Only one Medias was going up against all 10 satellites.

“The enemy satellites can only fire accurately at up to 2000 kilometers, giving us a range advantage,” the superintendent said, as the video showed the satellites gradually coming into view and getting bigger, “but even with our range advantage, battle is much more close and personal with cannons. The cannonballs are made using depleted uranium, which gives them more density and punch than regular rounds. In space, such rounds are safe since their harmful affects are not applicable.

The Medias closes to 3000 kilometers, since it can’t be fired upon from that range, but its rounds can hit the satellites at that range. Unlike missiles, which are guided, firing projectile weapons requires good tracking and sensor equipment onboard, as well as a staff capable of lining up the shots well. Misses are not only possible, but expected at times.”

But, against the satellites, all seven cannons fired shots that hit, destroying two satellites. On the second volley, only one satellite was destroyed as two shots missed. Three missed on the next volley, and then again two missed. After seven volleys by seven cannons, the satellites were destroyed.

“These cannons cost less, and recharge in one third of the time, giving them equal firepower on a time basis, to the missiles. However missiles have a range advantage that is quite significant. Another advantage in the cannon’s favor is that more cannons can be mounted on vessels than missile bays. For every three missile bays, five cannons can be mounted. This would all be moot, because of the range advantage, except that a new technology has come along.

As those who study history know, missiles have dominated since the end of the naval era, or the middle of the air force era. The navy, this time in space, has since taken first position back from the air force, for several years. But now the preferred air force weapon, the missile, is likely to face obsolecence in the coming years. Again, as I said, this is because of a new technology.

Meet a special type of cannon that has been newly developed. Along with this special cannon, which fires smaller cannon balls than the ones you have just seen, comes special tracking software and systems. The combination of special cannon and special software is called the Point Defense System. Operated automatically by this software, the point defense cannon fires rounds optimized for the destruction of missiles and satellites.

To fire at satellites, the point defense cannon is used manually as any other cannon, however against missiles, the software detects them using sensor systems and carefully, even repeatedly if neccesary, fires against the missile. The cannon fire is optimized to disable the missile, rendering it dead in the water and non-explosive.

These point defense cannons can be overwhelmed by a sufficiently large missile volley, but current experimental designs are just the tip of the iceberg, and in testing in the Eskirk system, point defense proved capable of substantially revising all doctrines of missile fleet warfare.

A second point in favor of missiles, is that neither the Amon’krie, nor the Kithra have such technology at this point in time. But such things do not remain that way, while the Amon’krie are not likely to exist as a fighting force by next year, other threats may come into existence that are equipped with such cannons.

In addition, using the point defense cannons on our side opens up new options. We can use the less expensive, and equally powerful DU cannons that were so well demonstrated in Operation Old School, along with the Point Defense cannons, and dominate any enemy that uses missiles. In fleet operations, point defense should be able to support other ships, such that the combined power of many ships’ point defense will surpass any sporadic missile attacks.

The School of Weaponry will be adding a new speciality in Cannonry, both regular and defensive, and your Missile Instructor, Colonel Dorn, will be investigating the impact of point defense cannons on the doctrines of missile fleet warfare.”

The superintendent was certainly right that these developments would change everything. Any missile fleet facing such weapons would have to go over the top with overwhelming volleys.

***

“Tarneveni gambled and won against the Amon’krie colony in Baksha. They began their run just outside of missile range and charged in against three missile silos, taking three hits, but using their bulk to survive. Tarneveni was heavily damaged but managed to launch its pods, and the Space Marines won their second victory. This time the Marines suffered almost no casualties, but the Tarnaveni was heavily wounded, losing much of its engine power. Now, the military says they have control of every system they know the Amon’krie occupy. They will probably release the Mizil for exploration, once the fleet is resupplied.”