The Veritian Derelict (Junkyard Dogs) Read Online Free PDF Page A

are sometimes so straightforward that they seem over simplistic. In a battle in open space against vastly superior forces, the best course of action would almost certainly be to lay down covering fire and retreat as quickly as possible by executing at least a minimum distance microjump on a random vector. Other situations may require more innovative thinking. For instance, the execution of a microjump from within the Humboldt radius of a planetary gravity well would be almost certain suicide. Execution of a microjump while in the close vicinity of an occupied facility in open space, while considered extraordinarily bad manners, can probably be accomplished in reasonable safely, especially if the ship that is executing the jump is outfitted with a harmonic balancer module such as a Pearson's Compensator or a Dyson Graviton Damper. The harmonic balancer neutralizes the minor but not inconsequential gravity effects of nearby objects, such as other ships or even something fairly massive, such as a space station, and renders the microjump reasonably safe.
    Such a maneuver was actually executed during a combat situation in 2542 by a squadron of three destroyers under the leadership of Federation Navy Commander Eliza Evens when her group came under attack by a vastly superior force from the small but belligerent Clovian Empire while docked near the neutral port of Harmony, a multi-ringed station in open space in the Alsatian region of the Santana Quadrant. The incident took place in the early stages of what came to be known as the 'Parisian Standoff,' a conflict that might have been of much greater consequence if the small Federation destroyer squadron had been successfully attacked. Such tactics are not recommended unless extreme conditions warrant the risk and the inevitable diplomatic fallout, however..."
    Hartwell Wristcomp reference note highlighted for further review by Tamara Carlisle. Excerpt is from " Extreme Tactical Solutions: Case Histories of the Successful Use of Unconventional Tactics (With analysis)." Admiral Alvin F. Plissey, United Terran Federation Navy (ret).
     
    UTF Naval Academy, on the North American Continent of Old Earth, November 22, 2598.
    Ensign Tamara Carlisle, Ph.D. Candidate at the United Terran Federation Naval Academy, had never been more terrified in her entire life. She was sitting by herself on one side of a long, rectangular table in an enclosed room illuminated with harsh, white lighting. Sitting across from her, on the other side of the table, were the four men and one woman who made up her Ph.D. graduate committee. All of them were at least fifteen years older than the Ensign, who was in her mid-twenties. At the moment, all of them seemed to be either frowning or glaring at her. None of them were smiling, that much was certain. The group was an hour and a half into the final oral examination of the young officer and the candidate in question was extremely unsure of how well the exam was going. She had answered several of the early questions adequately, or so she thought, but there had been others where she had not been so sure. The present question didn't seem to be going well at all.
    "So, Ensign Carlisle, " said Admiral Stuart Butenhoff, the committee member who had originally posed the question, "Let's go over this again. You are about to come under attack. Your ship and your crew are in mortal danger. How are you to resolve this situation? What is your tactical solution?"
    Ensign Tamara Carlisle had a bad habit of stammering. More accurately, she had a tendency, especially when she was nervous, of starting out her sentences with jumbled thoughts, sentence fragments somewhat related to the subject matter she was thinking about, before getting her thought processes aligned and speaking normally afterwards. While she had been working on the speech problem, taking a short pause and concentrating before speaking seemed to help, she still had difficulties when she was nervous or under pressure.