Fleet VII answered, “While they attack us, you can attack them from behind.”
Horsip smiled. “Send: ‘I like your spirit, but they could split their fleet in two, and outnumber both of us.’ ”
“My men are impatient to kill traitors.”
“There are too many of them. We need some advantage before we hit them.”
“Fleets IX and XV are coming behind me.”
Horsip looked blank, and turned to his staff officer at the long-range screen.
“Well, sir, there is something. Just what it is, we don’t know yet, but—”
The harsh rap of the printer interrupted him.
“Sir, message from Sark Roffis, Commander Battle Fleet XVI, to United Forces Supreme Commander: ‘Where is the enemy?’ ”
The printer gave another rapid-fire burst.
“Sir, message from Brok Argil, Commander Battle Fleet VI, to United Forces Commander: ‘Which ones are the traitors?’ ”
Horsip looked around blankly.
“Sir, there are more coming in from another direction!”
Chills ran up and down Horsip’s spine.
“Are they ours?”
“Ship characteristics match, sir.”
The printer went off again.
“Sir, message from Nark Rokkis, Commander Battle Fleet IX, to United Forces Commander: ‘Show us the enemy!’ ”
Horsip stared at the long-range screens, then turned to look at the battle screen.
Ganfre, with the equivalent of four battle fleets, was sliding his ships past the Columbian solar system, where Horsip waited with Centran Battle Fleets V and II, and he was already between Horsip and Battle Fleet VII. Ganfre could not attack Horsip without coming into range of the Columbian defenses, while Horsip could not attack Ganfre without leaving the Columbian defenses, and fighting at odds of one against two. Battle Fleet VII, meanwhile, at odds of one against four, belligerently faced Ganfre as Ganfre eased forward to get this fleet into his grip. As the dictators’ fleet reached out for Battle Fleet VII, Battle Fleets XVI and VI approached at high speed, with Battle Fleet IX looming up ever more solidly on the long-range screen.
Now Ganfre had his ships almost in position, and at any moment might begin his attack on Battle Fleet VII, which if anything was edging forward to hasten the moment.
The printer clacked.
“Sir, message from Gar Noffik, Commander Battle Fleet VII, to United Forces Commander: ‘Do I have permission to attack?’ ”
Horsip, calculating the odds, said, ” ‘Refused. Avoid contact with the enemy until I give the word.’ ”
Ganfre now chose to begin the attack on Fleet VII.
Each individual ship in Fleet VII simultaneously pivoted 180 degrees and accelerated sharply.
Ganfre closed the gap, to run into a ferocious barrage. Then Fleet VII drew out of his reach.
Battle Fleet XVI now began to show up on the battle screen, along with a gigantic Battle Fleet 88, “Snar Gorible” commanding.
Horsip had seen enough. Fleet VII was unquestionably real. And if the Concealed Zone of the Integral Union could put forth three such fleets as II, V, and VII, it followed that there was every reason to think the approaching Battle Fleet XVI was also real—and that fleet, for the first time, made the odds even.
Horsip at once gave his commands to the Centran battle fleets.
The ships of Fleet VII simultaneously turned ninety degrees, to bring their main fore and aft armament into action, the entire fleet moving in a wide lattice toward the right edge of Ganfre’s fleet, which was approaching them head-on.
Out from the Columbian system came Horsip, with Centran Battle Fleets V and II opening out into a thin lattice, and heading for that same right wing of the dictators’ fleet.
At high speed, Battle Fleet XVI raced for the juncture where the other three Centran fleets should join, approaching the “upper” edge of that right portion of the enemy fleet.
Ganfre, his right wing suffering under the simultaneous fire of the main fore and aft armament of Battle Fleet VII, while his own ships could bring only their forward beams, missiles, and other weapons into most effective use, and with his left wing completely out of action, had ordered a ninety-degree turn to the right by his ships, to equalize the rates of fire on the right wing, and hopefully to enable him to curve his left wing around behind Fleet VII.
But now Battle Fleets V and II were approaching his right, so that it would be sandwiched between two Centran forces, and struck simultaneously from both sides.
Ganfre at once saw his mistake, and signaled a 180-degree turn to withdraw from the Centran trap.
Ganfre’s fleet, however, was a coalition, not trained to the same level. Where some of the ships obeyed with precision, others turned late, and some had rejected the first order to turn ninety degrees by ships as being too difficult in this situation, and instead had turned by squadrons. When the second order, to turn 180 degrees, followed on the heels of the first order to turn ninety degrees, the ships turning by squadrons were caught with the first maneuver uncompleted. Again the response varied. Some units elected at once to turn back the leading ships of the squadrons, while others elected to finish the first maneuver before beginning the second. In the resulting chaos, Horsip did not even turn his ships to conform to the new enemy direction, but instead exacted the full toll of his advantage on the enemy’s right wing.
Ganfre now swiftly curved back the left wing of his fleet, turning this wing 180 degrees, the huge fleet formations curving around to take Battle Fleets V and II in the flank, and hopefully to sandwich Horsip’s left wing as Horsip had sandwiched Ganfre’s right wing.
Horsip turned the ships of Battle Fleets V and II ninety degrees “down,” each individual ship now headed at right angles to the ships of Ganfre’s fleet, as Centran Battle Fleet XVI, slightly altering its course on Horsip’s command, approached the “upper” edge of Ganfre’s formation.
Battle Fleet XVI, already spaced for maximum effect, threatened to bring to bear on the thin upper edge of Ganfre’s fleet the concentrated fire of all the forward weapons of its ships. The ships on the upper edge of Ganfre’s fleet could not hope to equal that concentration of fire. The danger existed that Battle Fleet XVI might chew its way through the whole of Ganfre’s fleet from top to bottom, taking the whole fleet in the flank.
Ganfre, seeking to avoid the chaos that had come about before, signaled a ninety-degree turn by squadrons, to swing his whole fleet “down,” paralleling the direction of Horsip’s Battle Fleets V and II away from Fleet XVI.
Horsip, meanwhile, turned Battle Fleet VII 180 degrees, by ships, aiming it from the right of the formation back toward the left.
The accumulated momentum of the various maneuvers now exacted its price.
Battle Fleet XVI was already moving at high speed before Ganfre gave the order to turn. As Ganfre’s ships turned, Battle Fleet XVI passed down through the gigantic lattices of ships, working murderous execution on the enemy, but finally ceasing fire because of the intermingling of the other ships, enemy and Centran, once the upper wing of Ganfre’s fleet was passed.
Battle Fleet VII, moving to the right of the other fleets, continued in that direction even after the order to turn had been obeyed. While Battle Fleet XVI was still passing through the formation, Battle Fleet VII was fighting its own inertia, and slipping farther to the right—out of the way. Then, gaining speed, it slid back across the decimated formation of the dictators’ fleet while their ships were gathering momentum downward.
Horsip, totally concentrated on the job, now reversed the direction of Battle Fleet XVI.
Ganfre, clubbed and battered, the condition of his fleet varying from iron discipline to chaos, now had the added treat of seeing Centran Battle Fleets IX and XV loom up on the screen.
Horsip brought Battle Fleet IX in from the original left flank of his fleet. Battle Fleet XV he had stand by, on the far side of the battle from the Columbian system.
Ganfre at once: (a) offered sizable concession to Horsip; (b) threatened the use of new secret weapons if Horsip did not accept the concessions; (c) signaled Earth, calling for help; (d) gave orders for the disposition of new reserve forces of the NRPA; (e) proposed a permanent alliance with Snard, until Centra should accept his terms.
Horsip repeated the original demand of the High Council, and brought in Battle Fleet IX to sweep the enemy formation and be out of the way before Battle Fleet XVI should pass back through the remnants, while Battle Fleets V and II, parallel to the enemy formations, were laboring at the task of destruction, and Battle Fleet VII was getting into position for another pass.
With this in store for it, the enemy coalition abruptly broke into fragments, each fragment suffering multiplied destruction as it clawed for safety, the surviving enemy groups splitting into small formations, and even into individual ships.