Read Online Rogue Powers by Roger MacBride Allen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Roger MacBride Allen
Tags: Science-Fiction
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Finland and arrived at that star system safely. The drone which intercepted us also carried a new device. It was the key components of a receiver unit for a matter transmitter. We were ordered to get that device to New Finland, assemble the complete receiver, and receive from deep space 5,000 League troops so as to counterattack the Guards. Obviously, using the matter transmitter got the League around the anti-ship missiles and gave us the element of surprise.
"The troops arrived safely—though I understand there was an accident on the ship that transmitted them toward us, the Mayflower, after the last of the troops got off, and it will be some time before they risk using the matter transmitter again.
"With a great deal of luck, courage, and sacrifice, the League troops and the Finns were winning. We would have driven the Guards off the planet and out of the star system. Then we discovered that a ship called Leviathan was on its way.
"Leviathan is—or rather was—basically similar to the Eagle and the other carriers, except for three major differences. One, she was much larger than our ships. Two, she was designed to enter an atmosphere; she could operate either in air or space. The third difference was that Leviathan was a lighter-than-air craft. Leviathan used a combination of aerodynamics and the lifting power of hydrogen gas to keep her in the air.
"The points central to this court-martial are these: Leviathan was by a factor of a thousand the most powerful ship in that system, but she could have been destroyed at any time by a single nuclear weapon. Our side did not do so because the controls operating the anti-ship missiles were aboard her. The missile system was designed so that
it would fire at any ship entering the system unless it was told not to. A dead-man system. Destroy the control system, and there would be no way to tell the missiles to let a ship past. If we had blown Leviathan, the missile system would have kept the New Finnish system sealed to our forces for perhaps fifty years, during which time the Guards could have returned by controlling the anti-ship missiles from outside the star system, obviously, the League didn't have the missile control codes, so we couldn't do that."
"In other words," Brown put in, "had not circumstances made the League and Finn forces hostage to the continued existence of Leviathan, she could have been destroyed easily."
"Perhaps not easily, but there is no question that we could have blown her. As it was, we were forced to board Leviathan and take over the missile-control center long enough to send a self-destruct to all the missiles. That left the way open for League ships to enter the system."
"What happened to Leviathan then?"
"After the last of the boarding party had gotten off the ship, we used the fusion engines of a lander craft to melt through the hull. They had relied on that hull, made of an extremely tough material, woven metallic super whiskers, to protect the lift cells, which were filled with hydrogen. When the flames finally burned through to the lift cells, Leviathan was destroyed by explosion and fire."
"You have touched lightly on your own part in all this. Did you not in fact take command of all the League and Finn space forces when all the more senior officers had been killed?"
;;Yes I did."
"Did you not in fact plan and lead the boarding operation, and personally use the missile-control system to send the self-destruct? Furthermore, was not your lander the last ship to leave Leviathan, remaining there at great risk and at your specific orders to pick up any survivors and ensure that the enemy ship was destroyed?"
Mac hesitated. "Yes, that is correct," he said.
Pete smiled. It was hard to be a modest hero under oath. Brown wanted to make sure the record showed what sort of man they were putting on trial.
Brown went on. "I have here a list of decorations awarded to you. Have you not in fact received the New Finnish Gold Lion, the U.S. Legion
"The troops arrived safely—though I understand there was an accident on the ship that transmitted them toward us, the Mayflower, after the last of the troops got off, and it will be some time before they risk using the matter transmitter again.
"With a great deal of luck, courage, and sacrifice, the League troops and the Finns were winning. We would have driven the Guards off the planet and out of the star system. Then we discovered that a ship called Leviathan was on its way.
"Leviathan is—or rather was—basically similar to the Eagle and the other carriers, except for three major differences. One, she was much larger than our ships. Two, she was designed to enter an atmosphere; she could operate either in air or space. The third difference was that Leviathan was a lighter-than-air craft. Leviathan used a combination of aerodynamics and the lifting power of hydrogen gas to keep her in the air.
"The points central to this court-martial are these: Leviathan was by a factor of a thousand the most powerful ship in that system, but she could have been destroyed at any time by a single nuclear weapon. Our side did not do so because the controls operating the anti-ship missiles were aboard her. The missile system was designed so that
it would fire at any ship entering the system unless it was told not to. A dead-man system. Destroy the control system, and there would be no way to tell the missiles to let a ship past. If we had blown Leviathan, the missile system would have kept the New Finnish system sealed to our forces for perhaps fifty years, during which time the Guards could have returned by controlling the anti-ship missiles from outside the star system, obviously, the League didn't have the missile control codes, so we couldn't do that."
"In other words," Brown put in, "had not circumstances made the League and Finn forces hostage to the continued existence of Leviathan, she could have been destroyed easily."
"Perhaps not easily, but there is no question that we could have blown her. As it was, we were forced to board Leviathan and take over the missile-control center long enough to send a self-destruct to all the missiles. That left the way open for League ships to enter the system."
"What happened to Leviathan then?"
"After the last of the boarding party had gotten off the ship, we used the fusion engines of a lander craft to melt through the hull. They had relied on that hull, made of an extremely tough material, woven metallic super whiskers, to protect the lift cells, which were filled with hydrogen. When the flames finally burned through to the lift cells, Leviathan was destroyed by explosion and fire."
"You have touched lightly on your own part in all this. Did you not in fact take command of all the League and Finn space forces when all the more senior officers had been killed?"
;;Yes I did."
"Did you not in fact plan and lead the boarding operation, and personally use the missile-control system to send the self-destruct? Furthermore, was not your lander the last ship to leave Leviathan, remaining there at great risk and at your specific orders to pick up any survivors and ensure that the enemy ship was destroyed?"
Mac hesitated. "Yes, that is correct," he said.
Pete smiled. It was hard to be a modest hero under oath. Brown wanted to make sure the record showed what sort of man they were putting on trial.
Brown went on. "I have here a list of decorations awarded to you. Have you not in fact received the New Finnish Gold Lion, the U.S. Legion
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