by Dan Heisman
Emperor Krang looked pleased.
The Xantang leader’s sub-galactic palace was lavishly decorated with the conquests of dozens of worlds. Visitors to the splendid throneroom on the imperial homeworld often gawked at the bejeweled artifacts and expensive finery. But today there were no visitors. Aside from Krang and a military officer, there were only a few attendants who stood a respectful distance from the Emperor.
The Xantang empire seemed to be growing every day, and Krang’s great space fleet had so far seemed unstoppable. Krang was eager to control some additional systems toward the far wing of his Galactic sector. In particular, the Procyon system seemed an obvious and juicy target in that area.
The Emperor was aggressive, but he hated to be on the losing side. So Krang only proceeded when and where the odds seemed best for victory. No sense wasting too many huge Dreadnought warpships; they were costly to make and hard to replace. With his usual interest in military details, Krang wanted to hear more about the Procyon system scouting report.
"We surmise the Hubitats have little fortification and an even more meager fleet, General?"
Enzon, the Sector Scout General for the area that included the Procyon system, looked eager to comply. "Yes, Sire. They will be no more trouble than were the Ninglucks. We have an ongoing scouting and spy mission at Procyon. They repeatedly send the same report: the Hubitats have only a few anti-ship laser bases and no Dreadnought class ships in the system, just a few large destroyers with older Photon guns. They are absolutely no threat at all to one of our Fleet battalions, Sire!"
"All right then. Prepare to send in the third sub-battalion. One Dreadnought should be enough; back it up with two anti-base bombers and several older Z-class warpships, just in case." Krang paused to consider any possible snags. He looked Enzon in the eye to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say. "And continue the scouting reports. If anything should change, let us know immediately and we will reconsider the attack." When Krang spoke in that low, booming voice, no one doubted who the royal "we" was.
Enzon also knew that the Emperor would tolerate no unexpected problems. "Yes, Sire! The Fleet will leave tomorrow and the warpships should arrive in Procyon within the week. Dreadnought Messiah will be in the lead. Heggorah to Victory!"
"Very well, then. Heggorah to Victory!"
------
The Messiah’s Admiral Mortlan knew that something was wrong as soon as he looked at the tactical sensors The Xantang fleet had just come out of warp in the Procyon system. "Enzon, look at this reading. The Hubitats have added three more anti-ship bases and five more Destroyers to the numbers shown on your report!"
General Enzon stared at the sensors and then back at his men's latest scouting report, most disbelieving. "This is highly improbable.
There is no way the Hubitats would have known we were coming, much less be able to add to their defenses this way!"
Mortlan was not happy nor satisfied with Enzon’s response. The Admiral walked over to the tactical station and told the tactical officer to produce an updated computerized analysis report and simulation. He frowned as he relayed the information to Enzon. "Instead of the 100% victory that was shown had your original report, our computers are now showing only a 93% chance. We should have brought a bigger fleet."
Enzon jumped at the chance to turn the conversation around. He smiled at Mortlan defiantly, "Then if you lose with a 93% chance, it will be your problem, not mine, Admiral."
Mortlan pretended not to hear. He nodded toward his communications officer and shouted, "All ships to begin attack mode!" then strode back to the Messiah’s command station as the the huge ship surged onward into battle.
Within the hour lasers and photon missiles filled the spaceways of Procyon. The battle was taking longer than expected.
Enzon studied the latest tactical situation with disbelief. The Messiah had suffered an incredible amount of damage. The smaller warpships had fared even worse. Both anti-base bombers were gone and the Z-class ships had been outclassed by the Hubitats smaller Fleet. Only a couple of Z-class Xantang ships remained fighting. Enzon looked at Mortlan, who was still preoccupied with the Messiah’s defense. "Call a retreat."
Mortlan gave Enzon a look that would kill, but the Admiral was not arrogant enough to pursue martyrdom. "I was just about to do so, but thank you all the same." The words were like ice.
Mortlan’s sarcastic manner did not elude Enzon. But both of them knew that reporting to Krang after this debacle might be worse than staying and fighting the now dominant Hubitat Fleet. Mortlan turned towards the communications console and announced,
"Prepare for the Xantang Fleet to withdraw."
------
"Carson, are you having any problems?" "No dad. Thanks for the help." "Supper will be ready in a while." "OK, dad."
------
Krang did not look so pleased. Not at all.
"So General, how is that your scout-ing re-ports..." Krang spat out the last two words slows so as to denigrate them, "always so accurate before, were so putrid in this disaster?!"
Enzon knew the scouting reports had been correct up until their arrival at Procyon. How the Hubitats had built up their defenses so much in the little time before the attack still baffled him, but he knew that arguing with Krang led to a sharp increase in one’s mortality rate. He stared past Krang, still looking in the Emperor’s general direction, but beyond him towards the royal purple drapes. "You are correct, Sire, as always. Our reports, while showing the initial weakness, were not timely enough to show the improbable, but nonetheless occurring, Hubitat buildup just prior to our arrival."
Krang was not so pleased with Mortlan, either. The Admiral, who had thus far had tried to avoid attention by positioning himself behind Enzon, now received the undesired attention of the Xantang leader. "And Mortlan, notwithstanding this scouting debacle, what was the reading of your probable success at the start of battle?"
Mortlan knew that Krang was trying to make a point, and not just curious. The emporer was an astute military leader who always read every word of a battle report - especially after a rare loss. So lying was out of the question. "93%, Sire, but…"
"And do you not consider yourself better than the average Fleet Admiral?" Krang saw that Mortlan was actually about to answer, so he rose out of the throne chair to emphasize that he was not finished, "…or do we have to put Grand Admiral Gorncheese in charge of the seizure of Procyon?!"
"93% was probably low, Sire. It was a battle I should have won. I have no excuse."
Krang did not get to be Emperor by executing his best officers. He knew that Enzon and Mortlan were among these, but he also had little experience or tolerance with failure. "Enzon, what do your scouting reports say about Procyon NOW?"
Enzon was not happy that Krang had now turned the royal attention back to him, but did see this as an opportunity to redeem himself. "The Hubitats have started a strong buildup there, which began shortly before our Fleet arrived…"
Krang gave the Sector Scout General a look which could not be misinterpreted.
"…and continues today. Several anti-spaceship laser bases are being added and new ships are arriving every day, with new technology almost matching our own."
Admiral Mortlan also saw the opportunity for redemption. "Sire, I suggest we re-outfit the Messiah with our latest weapon technology, and send the Elephantine in, also. We can include 20 anti-base bombers and replace the Z-class ships with W-class. And…there is also a new weapon!"
Krang, who had thus far been listening to Mortlan with some distance, immediately became attentive. He gave the Admiral his full attention. "A new weapon?"
Mortlan sensed some relief, "Yes, Sire. Our laser scientists have developed a laser-intensifier, capable of combining several laser shots into one unstoppable one."
The head of the Xantang empire smiled. Krang’s voice took on a less menacing and more serious tone, "So, Mortlan, you want to go back?"
"Yes Sire. With a much larger fleet and the new weapon, the Hubitats should have no chance."
Krang turned to Enzon and spoke quietly, as if to emphasize that it was a threat, "And you, General, shall see to it that ‘no chance’ is exactly what will happen."
Enzon’s only response was "Heggorah to Victory!"
"Heggorah to Victory!"
"Heggorah to Victory!"
-------
On the bridge of the Messiah Enzon looked at the latest report. His whitened face contrasted against the dark holo-image of Procyon space showing the refitted Messiah’s tactical station. "It is not possible that the Hubitats could have accelerated their defense buildup so much." A Hubitat Dreadnought had suddenly appeared; up to now it had been thought that the Hubitats lacked the technology to build a Dreadnought, much less the time to do so.
The Fleet Admiral yanked the report out of Enzon’s hands and turned toward his guards, "Escort General Enzon to his quarters!"
"But Mortlan!, you may need my…" Enzon could barely speak as three large guards grabbed him by the shoulders and arms and forcibly removed him from the Messiah’s bridge.
"Enough! I have a battle to win." Mortlan was speaking to empty air by the time he finished. He turned from the closing doorlifts and went to the tactical readout for the upcoming Procyon battle. 98%. There was a two percent chance that Krang would have his head, and that was two percent more than Mortlan had wanted or expected. There was no going back now. "Prepare for engagement!"
Within the hour the new weapon was tested against the Hubitat Dreadnought. The effect was less than expected. "Give me a new readout on the enemy shields!"
"Yes, Admiral. I am now reading a 3.7 Gigagauss force shield. That almost matches our best!"
Mortlan became increasingly concerned. "How are our bomber ships doing against their bases?"
The tactical officer shouted a few commands to the holographic controls and the computer said evenly, "11 ships are down and six bases have been destroyed. Our estimates are that at this rate there is a 27% chance that all the bombers will be destroyed before all the bases are taken out, up from 3% at the start of the battle."
Cursed Enzon. "How could this happen?!" The remaining bridge officers stared straight ahead, carefully avoiding Mortlan’s tirade. They knew that anyone daring to answer the Admiral’s rhetorical question might find himself accidentally on the wrong side of an airlock.
The battle continued with many ships of both sides - but especially Xantang's - joining the space debris."
Tactical, what is the probability of Fleet victory now?"
"23%" The tactical officer had programmed the computer to answer directly to Mortlan so that he did not have to face Mortlan’s wrath.
Mortlan knew that it really didn’t matter. Retreat was not an option. The Messiah took a hit from another missile. The missile had been shot from one of the Hubitat anti-ship bases that had somehow survived the Xantang bombers’ attack. The Elephantine was long gone and the Messiah would soon follow.
-------
"Carson, are you coming to supper? It’s getting cold." "In a minute, Dad, I’m busy."
Emperor Krang looked pleased.
The Xantang leader’s sub-galactic palace was lavishly decorated with the conquests of dozens of worlds. Visitors to the splendid throneroom on the imperial homeworld often gawked at the bejeweled artifacts and expensive finery. But today there were no visitors. Aside from Krang and a military officer, there were only a few attendants who stood a respectful distance from the Emperor.
The Xantang empire seemed to be growing every day, and Krang’s great space fleet had so far seemed unstoppable. Krang was eager to control some additional systems toward the far wing of his Galactic sector. In particular, the Procyon system seemed an obvious and juicy target in that area.
The Emperor was aggressive, but he hated to be on the losing side. So Krang only proceeded when and where the odds seemed best for victory. No sense wasting too many huge Dreadnought warpships; they were costly to make and hard to replace. With his usual interest in military details, Krang wanted to hear more about the Procyon system scouting report.
"We surmise the Hubitats have little fortification and an even more meager fleet, General?"
Enzon, the Sector Scout General for the area that included the Procyon system, looked eager to comply. "Yes, Sire. They will be no more trouble than were the Ninglucks. We have an ongoing scouting and spy mission at Procyon. They repeatedly send the same report: the Hubitats have only a few anti-ship laser bases and no Dreadnought class ships in the system, just a few large destroyers with older Photon guns. They are absolutely no threat at all to one of our Fleet battalions, Sire!"
"All right then. Prepare to send in the third sub-battalion. One Dreadnought should be enough; back it up with two anti-base bombers and several older Z-class warpships, just in case." Krang paused to consider any possible snags. He looked Enzon in the eye to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say. "And continue the scouting reports. If anything should change, let us know immediately and we will reconsider the attack." When Krang spoke in that low, booming voice, no one doubted who the royal "we" was.
Enzon also knew that the Emperor would tolerate no unexpected problems. "Yes, Sire! The Fleet will leave tomorrow and the warpships should arrive in Procyon within the week. Dreadnought Messiah will be in the lead. Heggorah to Victory!"
"Very well, then. Heggorah to Victory!"
------
The Messiah’s Admiral Mortlan knew that something was wrong as soon as he looked at the tactical sensors The Xantang fleet had just come out of warp in the Procyon system. "Enzon, look at this reading. The Hubitats have added three more anti-ship bases and five more Destroyers to the numbers shown on your report!"
General Enzon stared at the sensors and then back at his men's latest scouting report, most disbelieving. "This is highly improbable.
There is no way the Hubitats would have known we were coming, much less be able to add to their defenses this way!"
Mortlan was not happy nor satisfied with Enzon’s response. The Admiral walked over to the tactical station and told the tactical officer to produce an updated computerized analysis report and simulation. He frowned as he relayed the information to Enzon. "Instead of the 100% victory that was shown had your original report, our computers are now showing only a 93% chance. We should have brought a bigger fleet."
Enzon jumped at the chance to turn the conversation around. He smiled at Mortlan defiantly, "Then if you lose with a 93% chance, it will be your problem, not mine, Admiral."
Mortlan pretended not to hear. He nodded toward his communications officer and shouted, "All ships to begin attack mode!" then strode back to the Messiah’s command station as the the huge ship surged onward into battle.
Within the hour lasers and photon missiles filled the spaceways of Procyon. The battle was taking longer than expected.
Enzon studied the latest tactical situation with disbelief. The Messiah had suffered an incredible amount of damage. The smaller warpships had fared even worse. Both anti-base bombers were gone and the Z-class ships had been outclassed by the Hubitats smaller Fleet. Only a couple of Z-class Xantang ships remained fighting. Enzon looked at Mortlan, who was still preoccupied with the Messiah’s defense. "Call a retreat."
Mortlan gave Enzon a look that would kill, but the Admiral was not arrogant enough to pursue martyrdom. "I was just about to do so, but thank you all the same." The words were like ice.
Mortlan’s sarcastic manner did not elude Enzon. But both of them knew that reporting to Krang after this debacle might be worse than staying and fighting the now dominant Hubitat Fleet. Mortlan turned towards the communications console and announced,
"Prepare for the Xantang Fleet to withdraw."
------
"Carson, are you having any problems?" "No dad. Thanks for the help." "Supper will be ready in a while." "OK, dad."
------
Krang did not look so pleased. Not at all.
"So General, how is that your scout-ing re-ports..." Krang spat out the last two words slows so as to denigrate them, "always so accurate before, were so putrid in this disaster?!"
Enzon knew the scouting reports had been correct up until their arrival at Procyon. How the Hubitats had built up their defenses so much in the little time before the attack still baffled him, but he knew that arguing with Krang led to a sharp increase in one’s mortality rate. He stared past Krang, still looking in the Emperor’s general direction, but beyond him towards the royal purple drapes. "You are correct, Sire, as always. Our reports, while showing the initial weakness, were not timely enough to show the improbable, but nonetheless occurring, Hubitat buildup just prior to our arrival."
Krang was not so pleased with Mortlan, either. The Admiral, who had thus far had tried to avoid attention by positioning himself behind Enzon, now received the undesired attention of the Xantang leader. "And Mortlan, notwithstanding this scouting debacle, what was the reading of your probable success at the start of battle?"
Mortlan knew that Krang was trying to make a point, and not just curious. The emporer was an astute military leader who always read every word of a battle report - especially after a rare loss. So lying was out of the question. "93%, Sire, but…"
"And do you not consider yourself better than the average Fleet Admiral?" Krang saw that Mortlan was actually about to answer, so he rose out of the throne chair to emphasize that he was not finished, "…or do we have to put Grand Admiral Gorncheese in charge of the seizure of Procyon?!"
"93% was probably low, Sire. It was a battle I should have won. I have no excuse."
Krang did not get to be Emperor by executing his best officers. He knew that Enzon and Mortlan were among these, but he also had little experience or tolerance with failure. "Enzon, what do your scouting reports say about Procyon NOW?"
Enzon was not happy that Krang had now turned the royal attention back to him, but did see this as an opportunity to redeem himself. "The Hubitats have started a strong buildup there, which began shortly before our Fleet arrived…"
Krang gave the Sector Scout General a look which could not be misinterpreted.
"…and continues today. Several anti-spaceship laser bases are being added and new ships are arriving every day, with new technology almost matching our own."
Admiral Mortlan also saw the opportunity for redemption. "Sire, I suggest we re-outfit the Messiah with our latest weapon technology, and send the Elephantine in, also. We can include 20 anti-base bombers and replace the Z-class ships with W-class. And…there is also a new weapon!"
Krang, who had thus far been listening to Mortlan with some distance, immediately became attentive. He gave the Admiral his full attention. "A new weapon?"
Mortlan sensed some relief, "Yes, Sire. Our laser scientists have developed a laser-intensifier, capable of combining several laser shots into one unstoppable one."
The head of the Xantang empire smiled. Krang’s voice took on a less menacing and more serious tone, "So, Mortlan, you want to go back?"
"Yes Sire. With a much larger fleet and the new weapon, the Hubitats should have no chance."
Krang turned to Enzon and spoke quietly, as if to emphasize that it was a threat, "And you, General, shall see to it that ‘no chance’ is exactly what will happen."
Enzon’s only response was "Heggorah to Victory!"
"Heggorah to Victory!"
"Heggorah to Victory!"
-------
On the bridge of the Messiah Enzon looked at the latest report. His whitened face contrasted against the dark holo-image of Procyon space showing the refitted Messiah’s tactical station. "It is not possible that the Hubitats could have accelerated their defense buildup so much." A Hubitat Dreadnought had suddenly appeared; up to now it had been thought that the Hubitats lacked the technology to build a Dreadnought, much less the time to do so.
The Fleet Admiral yanked the report out of Enzon’s hands and turned toward his guards, "Escort General Enzon to his quarters!"
"But Mortlan!, you may need my…" Enzon could barely speak as three large guards grabbed him by the shoulders and arms and forcibly removed him from the Messiah’s bridge.
"Enough! I have a battle to win." Mortlan was speaking to empty air by the time he finished. He turned from the closing doorlifts and went to the tactical readout for the upcoming Procyon battle. 98%. There was a two percent chance that Krang would have his head, and that was two percent more than Mortlan had wanted or expected. There was no going back now. "Prepare for engagement!"
Within the hour the new weapon was tested against the Hubitat Dreadnought. The effect was less than expected. "Give me a new readout on the enemy shields!"
"Yes, Admiral. I am now reading a 3.7 Gigagauss force shield. That almost matches our best!"
Mortlan became increasingly concerned. "How are our bomber ships doing against their bases?"
The tactical officer shouted a few commands to the holographic controls and the computer said evenly, "11 ships are down and six bases have been destroyed. Our estimates are that at this rate there is a 27% chance that all the bombers will be destroyed before all the bases are taken out, up from 3% at the start of the battle."
Cursed Enzon. "How could this happen?!" The remaining bridge officers stared straight ahead, carefully avoiding Mortlan’s tirade. They knew that anyone daring to answer the Admiral’s rhetorical question might find himself accidentally on the wrong side of an airlock.
The battle continued with many ships of both sides - but especially Xantang's - joining the space debris."
Tactical, what is the probability of Fleet victory now?"
"23%" The tactical officer had programmed the computer to answer directly to Mortlan so that he did not have to face Mortlan’s wrath.
Mortlan knew that it really didn’t matter. Retreat was not an option. The Messiah took a hit from another missile. The missile had been shot from one of the Hubitat anti-ship bases that had somehow survived the Xantang bombers’ attack. The Elephantine was long gone and the Messiah would soon follow.
-------
"Carson, are you coming to supper? It’s getting cold." "In a minute, Dad, I’m busy."
-------
Emperor Krang was not easily approachable.
In this mood, the exalted leader of the Xantang wasn’t hungry. He threw the offered meal on the floor and several servants scrambled to pick up the pieces that had been scattered on the lush red rug. One minion bone rested on top of a boot belonging to the Emperor’s military visitor.
Grand Admiral Gorncheese bowed and stayed low until spoken to. He did not get to be Grand Admiral for nothing.
"Rise, Gorncheese." Krang sat on the ornate throne and continued looking grim. "Give us your report on our Fleet strength and technologies."
Gorncheese was ready, as always. "First the technologies. Good news, Sire. Even the recently new style photon guns are now obsolete. We have developed a superconducting beam which requires little energy to send, but packs at least the damage of the best photon guns."
"Excellent. What are the chances that the Hubitats can defense this weapon?"
Gorncheese knew that Krang could not be lied to about such matters. "The new Sector Scout General for the Procyon sector has been receiving some strange readings from his spies. It seems the Hubitats have invested quite a bit in technology research, and seem to be able to match whatever our scientists are able to produce within a short time."
Krang looked at Gorncheese with respect. "This sound more like spying than research to me. Is our technology plant secure? Can we trust every scientist?"
Gorncheese knew that counter-spying always had to be considered and had covered this contingency. "I have gone over these matters with Security General Phongrast and he has assured me that the Hubitats have never been in our sector, much less infiltrating our highest security plants. I do not think so, Sire."
"Then how do you explain the Hubitats constantly winning battles against us, against all odds? While Procyon is the best example, this seems to be happening all over the front in their sector."
The critical question. Gorncheese knew that there was no logical answer, so he wisely said nothing.
"Suppose we take our entire Fleet to Procyon?" Krang said this with his back turned, but quickly turned to see the response.
The Grand Admiral was stunned at this suggestion of extreme measure, but he quickly recovered and carefully replied, "And to leave you and the homeworld defenseless, Sire?"
"We still have our enormous number of advanced anti-ship bases. And besides, if we capture the critical Procyon system, how could the Hubitats get around you? Any other warp path they could take that would not go through Procyon would allow our Fleet time to return to Xantang."
"You are right as usual, Sire. May we leave a few Dreadnoughts at home, just in case?" Gorncheese wanted to be careful.
"How many do we have in total?"
"73, Sire. Of which 52 are currently available for upgrading to the superconducting beam."
The Emperor rose, as was his wont. "Very well, then, do so and take your flagship, the Gorshing, along with 47 upgraded Dreadnoughts plus all of the bombers and W-class ships. Such a Fleet has never been seen in this sector of the Galaxy. And do not ever forget, if we lose, we lose everything!"
"There is no need to be concerned. I will not fail you, Sire! Heggorah to Victory!"
"Heggorah to Victory!"
-------
Gorncheese had scrutinized every report from current and previous Procyon situations, so he was prepared for an unpleasant surprise when the gigantic Xantang Fleet, headed by the Gorshing, arrived at Procyon.
He looked at the updated scouting report and got the tactical update. Only 99.9%? With the entire Xantang Fleet at Procyon there was still a 0.1% chance of loss? The Hubitats were formidable opponents, indeed. They constantly were reducing impossibilities to improbabilities and then winning against long odds. For the first time, Gorncheese wondered if 99.9% was enough. He would have to make sure that it was!
Gorncheese surveyed the enemy forceson the holo-image. The Hubitats had set up anti-ship bases, quite a few, on each of several planets. While the advance scouting report had shown only five enemy Dreadnoughts, there were undeniably 17 gigantic Hubitat ships now facing off against his 47. And the smaller class of Hubitat ships had grown in number, too. 99.9% or not, it would still be a long battle.
The hours went by. Hubitat missiles seemed to strike the Gorshing and other Xantang ships with unlikely force and frequency. Hubitat ships were not only able to survive the new superconducting beam attacks, but also to counter with one or two attacks of their own that Gorncheese didn’t even recognize. Tactical probability analysis showed that the chances of victory had dropped all the way to 91%. 33 Xantang Dreadnoughts were left compared to 14 for the Hubitat.
Time passed. Honorable warriors from both sides would never return home again.
The battle was now almost over. The odds had lied again. The Hubitat ships seemed like dancing gadflies around the Gorshing, surviving shots here, making improbable shots there. Gorncheese stood before the holo-image of the disintegrating battle in disbelief. One of the few remaining Xantang Dreadnoughts was at that moment disappearing from the image as another Hubitat missile hit its target. The Xantang bombers had destroyed most of the anti-ship bases, but in doing so had been completely obliterated, leaving a few unchallenged bases to fire at will.
Gorncheese knew that the Gorshing was not long for battle. No one from the great Fleet would be around to feel the Emperor’s wrath when the news of this crushing defeat arrived at the now almost helpless Xantang homeworld. Krang didn’t like to lose.
-------
"Carson, you missed dinner by a mile!"
"Sorry, dad. I just got caught up in the game."
"So my installation went OK?"
"OK?! I told you there was no problem. This game is addicting. Even on Level 1 it is tough. I decided to play Emperor Carson of the Hubitats."
"Who are the Hubitats?"
"One of several races you can choose from: the Shortings, Marciles, Joblings, Xantangs, Ninglucks, …"
"So how does it work? It must be a fascinating game for you to miss dinner."
"Now that I think about it, I’m starved! Is there any dessert left?
"Sure. I’ll hear about your game later. But only after you eat some good food."
"No, let me tell you now; it will only take a minute. You start on one world with minimal ships and technology. You have to develop more advanced technologies, build up your worlds, ships, and bases with those technologies, and expand your empire." Since it was my first time playing, at first I wasn’t too good and the Xantangs got a big lead in my sector."
"So did you lose?"
"No, but I cheated."
"You’re my son. You don’t cheat."
"Well, all right, it wasn’t cheating, but it was sort of like cheating. See, after almost every turn I saved the game. Every time I lost a critical battle, I just went back to a version of the game which I had saved before the battle started. By changing my strategy or going back to even earlier saved versions, I was able to maximize my defenses against threats I knew were coming. Even so, I had go back and fight some battles quite a few times. For instance, there was this one crucial battle at Procyon where I must have gone back a hundred times because the Xantang sent almost their entire Fleet, and I couldn’t build up a very strong defense. But I finally got lucky and, just before you came up, I won."
"OK, come on and get a late night snack."
"Wait a minute. Now that I won that battle, I have to save this game so I can come back later and go after the Xantang homeworld. They still have a lot of anti-ship bases, but even if I have to go back a couple of times I should take it and win the game."
"But can’t you win without going back? After all, in real life you can’t ‘go back’. It would be a good lesson if you don’t win every time. After all, if you haven’t played well enough to win, you deserve to lose. Turning an improbable win into a victory every time by going back just isn’t right."
"Aw, dad. It’s fun to win when the odds are against you, and it’s still a challenge even if you have to go back and try a few times. And besides, the computer doesn’t mind if it loses, but I don’t like to lose…"
Emperor Krang was not easily approachable.
In this mood, the exalted leader of the Xantang wasn’t hungry. He threw the offered meal on the floor and several servants scrambled to pick up the pieces that had been scattered on the lush red rug. One minion bone rested on top of a boot belonging to the Emperor’s military visitor.
Grand Admiral Gorncheese bowed and stayed low until spoken to. He did not get to be Grand Admiral for nothing.
"Rise, Gorncheese." Krang sat on the ornate throne and continued looking grim. "Give us your report on our Fleet strength and technologies."
Gorncheese was ready, as always. "First the technologies. Good news, Sire. Even the recently new style photon guns are now obsolete. We have developed a superconducting beam which requires little energy to send, but packs at least the damage of the best photon guns."
"Excellent. What are the chances that the Hubitats can defense this weapon?"
Gorncheese knew that Krang could not be lied to about such matters. "The new Sector Scout General for the Procyon sector has been receiving some strange readings from his spies. It seems the Hubitats have invested quite a bit in technology research, and seem to be able to match whatever our scientists are able to produce within a short time."
Krang looked at Gorncheese with respect. "This sound more like spying than research to me. Is our technology plant secure? Can we trust every scientist?"
Gorncheese knew that counter-spying always had to be considered and had covered this contingency. "I have gone over these matters with Security General Phongrast and he has assured me that the Hubitats have never been in our sector, much less infiltrating our highest security plants. I do not think so, Sire."
"Then how do you explain the Hubitats constantly winning battles against us, against all odds? While Procyon is the best example, this seems to be happening all over the front in their sector."
The critical question. Gorncheese knew that there was no logical answer, so he wisely said nothing.
"Suppose we take our entire Fleet to Procyon?" Krang said this with his back turned, but quickly turned to see the response.
The Grand Admiral was stunned at this suggestion of extreme measure, but he quickly recovered and carefully replied, "And to leave you and the homeworld defenseless, Sire?"
"We still have our enormous number of advanced anti-ship bases. And besides, if we capture the critical Procyon system, how could the Hubitats get around you? Any other warp path they could take that would not go through Procyon would allow our Fleet time to return to Xantang."
"You are right as usual, Sire. May we leave a few Dreadnoughts at home, just in case?" Gorncheese wanted to be careful.
"How many do we have in total?"
"73, Sire. Of which 52 are currently available for upgrading to the superconducting beam."
The Emperor rose, as was his wont. "Very well, then, do so and take your flagship, the Gorshing, along with 47 upgraded Dreadnoughts plus all of the bombers and W-class ships. Such a Fleet has never been seen in this sector of the Galaxy. And do not ever forget, if we lose, we lose everything!"
"There is no need to be concerned. I will not fail you, Sire! Heggorah to Victory!"
"Heggorah to Victory!"
-------
Gorncheese had scrutinized every report from current and previous Procyon situations, so he was prepared for an unpleasant surprise when the gigantic Xantang Fleet, headed by the Gorshing, arrived at Procyon.
He looked at the updated scouting report and got the tactical update. Only 99.9%? With the entire Xantang Fleet at Procyon there was still a 0.1% chance of loss? The Hubitats were formidable opponents, indeed. They constantly were reducing impossibilities to improbabilities and then winning against long odds. For the first time, Gorncheese wondered if 99.9% was enough. He would have to make sure that it was!
Gorncheese surveyed the enemy forceson the holo-image. The Hubitats had set up anti-ship bases, quite a few, on each of several planets. While the advance scouting report had shown only five enemy Dreadnoughts, there were undeniably 17 gigantic Hubitat ships now facing off against his 47. And the smaller class of Hubitat ships had grown in number, too. 99.9% or not, it would still be a long battle.
The hours went by. Hubitat missiles seemed to strike the Gorshing and other Xantang ships with unlikely force and frequency. Hubitat ships were not only able to survive the new superconducting beam attacks, but also to counter with one or two attacks of their own that Gorncheese didn’t even recognize. Tactical probability analysis showed that the chances of victory had dropped all the way to 91%. 33 Xantang Dreadnoughts were left compared to 14 for the Hubitat.
Time passed. Honorable warriors from both sides would never return home again.
The battle was now almost over. The odds had lied again. The Hubitat ships seemed like dancing gadflies around the Gorshing, surviving shots here, making improbable shots there. Gorncheese stood before the holo-image of the disintegrating battle in disbelief. One of the few remaining Xantang Dreadnoughts was at that moment disappearing from the image as another Hubitat missile hit its target. The Xantang bombers had destroyed most of the anti-ship bases, but in doing so had been completely obliterated, leaving a few unchallenged bases to fire at will.
Gorncheese knew that the Gorshing was not long for battle. No one from the great Fleet would be around to feel the Emperor’s wrath when the news of this crushing defeat arrived at the now almost helpless Xantang homeworld. Krang didn’t like to lose.
-------
"Carson, you missed dinner by a mile!"
"Sorry, dad. I just got caught up in the game."
"So my installation went OK?"
"OK?! I told you there was no problem. This game is addicting. Even on Level 1 it is tough. I decided to play Emperor Carson of the Hubitats."
"Who are the Hubitats?"
"One of several races you can choose from: the Shortings, Marciles, Joblings, Xantangs, Ninglucks, …"
"So how does it work? It must be a fascinating game for you to miss dinner."
"Now that I think about it, I’m starved! Is there any dessert left?
"Sure. I’ll hear about your game later. But only after you eat some good food."
"No, let me tell you now; it will only take a minute. You start on one world with minimal ships and technology. You have to develop more advanced technologies, build up your worlds, ships, and bases with those technologies, and expand your empire." Since it was my first time playing, at first I wasn’t too good and the Xantangs got a big lead in my sector."
"So did you lose?"
"No, but I cheated."
"You’re my son. You don’t cheat."
"Well, all right, it wasn’t cheating, but it was sort of like cheating. See, after almost every turn I saved the game. Every time I lost a critical battle, I just went back to a version of the game which I had saved before the battle started. By changing my strategy or going back to even earlier saved versions, I was able to maximize my defenses against threats I knew were coming. Even so, I had go back and fight some battles quite a few times. For instance, there was this one crucial battle at Procyon where I must have gone back a hundred times because the Xantang sent almost their entire Fleet, and I couldn’t build up a very strong defense. But I finally got lucky and, just before you came up, I won."
"OK, come on and get a late night snack."
"Wait a minute. Now that I won that battle, I have to save this game so I can come back later and go after the Xantang homeworld. They still have a lot of anti-ship bases, but even if I have to go back a couple of times I should take it and win the game."
"But can’t you win without going back? After all, in real life you can’t ‘go back’. It would be a good lesson if you don’t win every time. After all, if you haven’t played well enough to win, you deserve to lose. Turning an improbable win into a victory every time by going back just isn’t right."
"Aw, dad. It’s fun to win when the odds are against you, and it’s still a challenge even if you have to go back and try a few times. And besides, the computer doesn’t mind if it loses, but I don’t like to lose…"