TA56

==Chapter 56 - The Armada==
Astrogration Program
Nagelring Academy
Tharkad, Tharkad System
3170
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"Their speed does not match Hogarth's hypothesis......of the attackers being confined to sublight velocities."  Amy paused, "interesting, there is a lensing effect."
The first observations came from Nyasa, but the rest were from other points along a band of space.
The triangulation ranging effect used to pinpoint star locations was giving strange, and contradictory distances on the approaching contacts.
This, in turn, landed on every research establishment that could crunch numbers and come up with a decent hypothetical in the Inner Sphere, including the Nagelring advanced astrogation program for cadets.
"Lensing?"
"Gravitation-or anything else that can bend space, will sometimes reveal itself by bending light." she said quite calmly.
Professor Diefenbacher sat down next to her, "Hypothesis?" he asked.
"Alcubierre Warp process was observed to cause a similar effect with the KCGS Tranh Truk Ngo for the nineteen hours it was in operation. Based on distance traveled, they moved faster than the effect on a similar mass we could observe in the majority of these images-either their drives are weaker and they are moving more slowly. Or they are considerably smaller, proportionally-but the lateral angularity to their apparent course-"
"How fast?" he asked.
She sat very still, thinking.  "One point zero one five times the fastest measured speed of light.  Estimated they will reach the Lyran border in the Rim Zone sometime in 3190 plus or minus six months from August. Assuming they do not increase their speed as they get closer.  The better news, is that one or more might be possible to intercept before then."
"How much?"
"How many ships do you want to send?" Amelia Ngo asked, "Any ship with a jump drive and sufficient fuel to recharge in deep space could do it now-the pass would be miliseconds, unless the field can be disrupted."
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