The Synchronicity War Part 2 Read Online Free Page B

crucial last minute targeting data updates
that would enable their attack drones to get close enough to their
targets to hit them using the drones’ internal radar for last
minute course corrections. If Defiant sent the targeting data
directly to the Strike Force, the enemy would detect it and wonder
who Defiant was transmitting to with a high probability of scanning
behind them and detecting the Strike Force.

    The Astrogator had also calculated when Defiant
would have to veer off in order to have any kind of decent chance
of avoiding destruction. The answer was 15 minutes before the
Strike Force launched its attack drones. Shiloh got up and quickly
strode over to the Weapons Station.

    “If we veer off 15 minutes early, what does that
do to attack drone hit probability?” asked Shiloh to the Weapon’s
Officer.

    “One moment, Sir.” A few seconds later he had
the answer. “The problem is that if the attack drones use their
terminal guidance radar too soon, the enemy will have time to fire
back at them. If they wait until they’re within 1-2 seconds of
interception before turning on their radars, the drones will very
likely be too far away to be able to correct their trajectories
enough to hit the targets. Either way I calculate it, we’ll be
lucky to hit even one of them, Sir.” Shiloh thanked him and
returned to his station. This made no sense. The vision said that
SOME of the enemy ships were destroyed or at least damaged enough
to prevent them from taking part in the attack on the Avalon Colony
and it also revealed that Defiant survived the battle but Shiloh
couldn’t see how he could make both those outcomes happen.

    The solution to the problem arrived 3 minutes
later in a message from Iceman, relayed via Valkyrie.

    [ Iceman to CAG. Strike Force went to max
acceleration as soon as destruction of 1st wave of recon drones
detected by reflected light from laser hits. Our revised attack
profile data follows. I think we can still hurt them even if you
veer off 15 minutes early. If you launch a message drone on a wide
angle, you should be able to use it to relay targeting data from
the recon drones direct to us. Don’t risk the ship unnecessarily on
our account, CAG. We know we’re expendable. It was an honor
fighting beside you. Message ends ]

    Shiloh’s relief that Iceman had found a way to
make the vision come true, was mixed with the sudden fear and
sadness over the possibility that Iceman and the others might not
survive the battle. The vision hadn’t mentioned their fates. By
accelerating sooner, the Strike Force would catch up to the enemy
fleet quickly enough so that the attack drones would have a decent
chance of hitting their targets but that meant that the fighters
would inevitably overrun the surviving enemy ships and would then
have to run a gauntlet of laser fire, which they couldn’t return.
When he could trust his voice not to betray his emotions, Shiloh
called the Astrogator over to his station.

    “Martin, we’re going to veer off 15 minutes
early and we need to launch staggered waves of recon drones so that
there’ll be some still scanning as long as possible. Launch one…no,
two message drones so that they’ll be able to send com laser pulses
to the Strike Force without the enemy seeing them. Make sure all
the recon drones know where to send their targeting data for the
relay. Do you understand what I want?”

    “Yes, Sir!” When the Astrogator returned to his
station and Shiloh was alone with his thoughts once more, he took a
deep breath. Iceman’s brilliant idea of setting up a new and much
closer relay would improve the chances of multiple hits
tremendously. His 19 fighters were carrying 95 attack drones armed
with 500 kiloton fission warheads. A direct hit would vaporize half
the target instantly and even a near miss would seriously damage
it. If they could destroy or disable most of the enemy fleet, some
of the fighters would make it through the gauntlet and come out