Fleet Admiral Bryant received a response indicating support of both his partners in the Rigil campus, ten days later; and so, composed the proposal to be recommended to the Secretary of Defense for navigation through the legislative process. It made sense to elevate these operations and their senior officers one level. At twelve Fleets, they were already becoming unwieldy for the superiors. If they were forced to grow any further, it would become necessary to split them into subordinate divisions. By making them Quadrant level, they would be able to divide into subsidiary Theatre Operations; if, they had to expand beyond twelve Fleets each. But, the proposal promoted the idea that; they should always be combined under the umbrella of Fifth Mobile RAC to maintain mobility, under a universal authority; and that, if they were, the R&R should be amended so that those particular Quadrant Commands were not included in the planning meetings, unless invited, to fill an identifiable need. George already held similar meetings with his sub-commanders and carried their information, projections, needs and suggestions with him to the Headquarters' meetings. It was not necessary to deplete the operation of all its senior administration, at the same time, every three months.
The proposal received the assent of all the compulsory civilian bodies, and it was enacted into law before the end of the year. Mobile Fifth was affirmed as a "Headquarters Grade Authority" comprised of Three Quadrant Level Commands, each containing two Theatres of six, or more, Fleets; and falling directly under the jurisdiction of the C&C; with one of the three always in direct control.
George made sure that Mobile Fifth RAC was at Alpha Centauri on January 1, 2260. That day, Admirals Tom Stevens, Palakiko and Coquinas were promoted to level eleven in a Headquarters' ceremony befitting full Admirals. The three C&C sat with them for a good hour between the ceremony and the luncheon explaining their new positions; so, they would understand their responsibilities to Mobile Fifth RAC; but, would also know the incredible level of autonomy they would now exercise. Except for combined operations, they would enjoy the complete tactical independence of their forces; provided they met Mobile Fifth's objectives and requirements. If and when expansion would increase their commands beyond the current twelve fleet projection; they would be permitted to divide them into two Theatres and nominate the Commanders of those operations. Essentially, planning, management, and policy for the entire service now fell into the hands of eleven people.
George decided the Mobile Fifth Commands should hold off on designating Theatre Commands for a while. The constant expansion of the past ten years had thinned the senior ranks, somewhat; and, they all needed time to develop and select talent for these senior positions; and, for the ones that would become vacant; because of these promotions. So, though, Stevens, Palakiko, and Coquinas were full level-eleven Admirals, they directly controlled the fleets under their commands. Another consideration in the matter was hardware. Establishing six new Theatre Commands within the three Quadrant level ones would create the need for six supercarrier mobile Headquarters and their protective flotillas; along with, three additional Mobile Hospital commands. Many advantages would be harvested from the new configuration; but, the costs would be steep; and so, should be avoided; until the current expansion was complete.
Chapter 9 The Battle of Nu Draconis
Saturday, Aug 25, 2260
"War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over." William Tecumseh Sherman
Time continuously repeated itself, over the next long while. Both Mobile Fifth and IGB were in constant states of expansion, during the period. George’s third Theatre Command was added before my second one; so, it was named Theatre Twelve Command; and IGB’s was called Theatre Thirteen when it was formed.
By the time Admiral Stevens noticed the puzzling enemy movements, on August 25, 2260, both his and Pal's commands had reached optimal size; while the new Theatre Twelve was up to six Fleets; though, it was an entirely new formation. This current shift reminded Tom of the redeployment George had spotted nearly a year earlier; that turned into a ferocious battle at Lambda Bootes; only this time, the buildup was much larger. All forces trained their sensors into the region where the reorganization was happening; after he advised all of Fifth Mobile, of the shift. Late in the day, it was apparent a staging operation was in motion; in preparation for a jump. The next day, Tom's people detected vortices forming and traced their destinations to the Nu Draconis system.
George ordered Theatre Twelve to put three of its fleets in position as a reserve force; then directed three Task Force Commands to each of the two points always protected against a pincer movement. Palakiko's forces were ordered to take up the center of the line. Stevens was instructed to take Nine to Nu Draconis to defend against the aggressor; who would enter the system to attack a single long range monitoring station. It would require just under five days to redeploy there; the Inscrutables would need twelve. So, he would have lots of time to lay the trap. George decided to leave Pal in charge; and, go with Stevens aboard the Midgard, as an observer. They arrived at Nu Draconis at seventeen hundred, on August 31.
The star is not quite twice the size of Sol and burns exceptionally fierce; giving it a very white appearance; but, deceptively emits a relatively high concentration of infrared light. There is a planetary system in the Goldilocks region around the star; but, it's major land masses are uninhabited by animal species; though it's a good source of water and some atmospheric gasses. Solar radiation keeps an ozone layer from forming, and the reduced magnetic field of the planet provides poor shielding. The oceans and large lakes provide habitat for thousands of fish, waterborne mammals, amphibians and plant species. Smaller lakes are devoid of life. Only a few species of succulent plants are scattered thinly over oft shaded ground areas.
The OFSA views Orion Federation space as a kind of desert, with settlements and oasis scattered throughout. Member worlds are the hamlets. Though uninhabitable, the Nu Draconis planetary system is seen as one of the refuges. These waterholes throughout the territory are well documented and heavily protected. The disbursement of inhabited and uninhabited supply sources results in OFSA vessels never being more than a day away from water or environmental gasses. Though these ships recycle everything; and, usually only need occasional top-ups from the supply vessels; emergencies can arise.
Tom deployed his Theatre Nine armada in the same pattern George used in the two regions he defended at Lambda Bootes. A Task Force guarded the station, in the background. Forward forces were in more distant orbits positioned behind or on the flanks, and slightly above, the incoming enemy landings. Half of his forty-eight subs were scattered throughout the projected enemy exit points. The other half were split between the defensive force and protection duty of the supercarriers. Once in place, they waited; completing last minute maintenance on systems that would be heavily taxed; during the coming battle.
On Friday, September 7, 2260, at precisely six hundred twenty-nine hours, two hundred thirty-one thresholds were detected; as they began forming. Tom had all carriers launch fifty percent of their fighter force; putting twenty-three hundred Raptors in flight throughout the battlefield. One hundred eighty-four of Tom's warships opened up with particle weapons; disrupting forty-nine conduits; consequently, destroying the vessels inside. Before acquiring any valuable sensor data, the enemy was hit with torrential weapons fire, while exiting their jumps. Raptors immediately attacked enemy fighter launch capabilities.
Surrounding space was a mess before the Inscrutables even fired a shot. It was filled with dust, ragged metal, and torn plastics spewed from the very pores of space into the battle zone, from the wormholes' destruction. Partial hulls, flotsam, and garbage rapidly cartwheeled and tumbled along ephemeral courses; a result of, the onslaught to the ships that made it into open space; colliding and crashing off each other; suddenly redirected into unpredictable trajectories.
But, Tom's command was moving and shifting; not just standing in open space, like the enemy, who stopped; hover
ing; once free of their thresholds. Even at this short range, he enjoyed a sensor advantage. Theatre Nine knew where their enemy was; but the opponent had to keep waiting for sensor lags, to target any Federation Craft. Within half an hour, a fierce, pitched battle was being prosecuted; but, by numbers of warships that now favored the OFSA. The defense had been so wildly successful that; Tom couldn't distinguish between flashes of individual exploding rival vessels. Space was continuously lit to the brilliance of a bright summer's day on Earth.
As the tactical commander, Admiral Stevens was ceaselessly occupied; transmitting TAMs in quick succession; receiving and digesting endless reports; stopping to observe; then, composing and sending additional orders. In quick order, he moved from the desktop three-dimensional heads-up display to his data pad; then, to the viewport; and, back to the screen; sometimes, not even realizing consciously what he had absorbed and was responding to. His reactions had reached a nearly instinctive level, at this stage. He had been in battle nearly a dozen times; and, had led thousands of simulations, over the course of his career. Though heavily engaged, he emanated calm - never anxious - never panicked - always pacing himself at a deliberate rate. He knew that; anyone close must view him as the professional, thoughtful leader; if, they were to be expected to perform accordingly.
One incoming message was from George Bryant; who could have delivered it personally; but, probably didn't want to interrupt Tom's tempo and train-of-thought. Pal was on the way with four more Fleets. She had decided to redeploy only a few hours after Theatre Nine had left the staging zone to intercept the Inscrutable's attack.
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Commodore Cervell, a Deltan, worked just as feverishly in the Flight Control Tower. As the Midgard's CAG, he was copied on all Admiral Stevens' orders and was responsible for coordinating flight operations with the tactical maneuvers the Admiral required of the Fleets in his command. This meant analyzing a directive to determine how it impacted on the positioning of Raptors; then, generating instructions to his own fighter group and the CAGs aboard all Fleet Flagships. All offensive, defensive and reconnaissance flights were required to meet all their objectives regardless of their parent ships' positioning. The Battle of Nu Draconis was exceptionally demanding; since, Stevens kept everyone moving, all the time, to keep them from being targeted. Each and every parent ship's shift required realigning both the position and attitude of all of its deployed fighters to keep them out of its line of fire; while permitting the most efficient targeting position.
Some Raptors zigzagged back and forth and up and down; strafing launch tubes, stressing shields and even penetrating hull panels. Others defended against the limited group of enemy fighters that had been dispatched successfully; both groups always staying just over, or just under, the salvos of ammunition that emanated from the OFSA ships.
The Midgard and its defensive flotilla rocked from constant hits to their shields; as they too launched sheaves of projectiles used to protect supply vessels; moving in and out through front line ships; replenishing the necessities that kept Fifth's people in fighting form - and alive. Half the big mother ship's contingent of fighters rolled and banked through the tight alleyways fashioned by the provisioning craft and their receptors; intercepting enemy weapons discharges; and, firing on those posing any kind of threat to each small assemblage.
Half a day into the fight, there was a subtle but definite change in the tempo of action. The enemy was beginning to ration its weapons' fire; a direct result of the poor resupply. Tom ordered all Fleets to continue Nine's pace; until only a half dozen enemy vessels remained; then, make every attempt to recover one.
One by one, the opponent's battleships were being destroyed. But, their diminished presence allowed for a little less frantic pace. That's when Bryant finally appeared.
"It sure looks like you've got it all under control. Your overall strategy and localized tactical moves have been very well thought out." He complimented the older Admiral.
"Thanks, boss. I think I have it in hand; which, leads me to ask; why is Pal on the way?" Stevens inquired.
"She detected a very quick restaging and jump out; immediately after we left. Another hundred warships are on the way here. She knew; if you had this contingent under control, you wouldn't need help; but, jumped out just in case. Theatre Ten should enter our local region in about an hour and a half. The added enemy will be two days behind her.' George responded, and then added. 'There is a good side to this, though. I am now sure these have been tests for a much more expansive attack. They are feeling out how we handle reinforcements, this time" He finished.
"You mean that; you believe they sacrificed all the ships they've lost, so far?" The astonishment and disbelief, in Stevens' voice, was tangible.
"Exactly! We find it hard to accept; because we can't just send thousands to their death. But, that's an emotional point of view. We are emotional beings. What if you had no emotions; and, didn't feel for those who died in battle? What if; all you were concerned with was the improvement of the hive's situation? You have to admit that; they know exactly how we respond, to direct attacks; and, will understand how we deal with reinforcements, soon enough. If you don't care about the individuals, it's a good plan. When they are ready for a major confrontation, they will consider all this during preparations." George explained.
"So, when do you expect that - the major confrontation, I mean?" Stevens queried.
"It depends on how much more testing they want to do, after this battle. Maybe, one more test - to see how we respond to diversions - then, the big one, I suspect." George answered.
"So, when do you think those attacks will come?" Tom inquired.
"I'm not sure. There is a pattern here. I just haven't found it, yet. When I do, we'll know when the next one's coming. I don't mind defending against another test; but, I won't wait for the big one. After the next one, we will find a way to attack - come hell or high water - and damn the CauDo!" Admiral Bryant was adamant.
Several hours later, Stevens was advised that sensors had detected more than seven dozen wormhole apertures forming in their region. He watched space transform into the near transparent, seemingly reflective, tailed orbs; ordering his vessels to hold fire. It was Pal and her eighty offensive battleships along with her protective flotilla and an entourage of supply transports. She offered help; agreeing to operate under Tom Stevens' orders. He essentially doubled-up the strength at all positions; placing Asgard alongside his ship the Midgard.
Eighteen hours after the initial landing, the remaining enemy vessels began to self-detonate. One after the other, they erupted into fusion flares. Within an hour, all were nothing but litter in the surrounding space - except one.
Tom observed it on his system. First, two dozen small pods ejected from the ship. Then, murky clouds of gas, dust and smoke vented from ports and seams throughout the hull; indicating an interior combustion; but, the ship was not annihilated; instead, left floating dead, in space.
He darted for his pad; feverishly tapping on the screen; ordering nearby vessels to get the craft under tow and pull it into position behind Midgard and Asgard; while, Marines boarded and secured the interior. They would now sit and wait for the next wave of opponents. Tom sent out messages; ordering a twenty-four-hour stand-down; but, stressing all Commands must be at the ready an hour after its expiry.
At twenty-one hundred on Sunday, September 9, 2260, all Theatre Nine and Ten front line vessels opened up with particle weapons fire; as ninety-one exit points began forming in front of them. With so many guns focused on them, only seventeen emerged; as space itself exhaled the smoke that had been the enemy. It took just two hours to finish off the remaining Inscrutables.
The Midgard rigged the enemy ship for towing; then, the combined force jumped back to the main battlefront staging area. The Battle of Nu Draconis was over.
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Theatre Nine had recovered a fighter craft and pilot's body in April of 2259 and three more since that time. They had also finally retrieved an empty warship in the battle that took place at Nu Draconis. Its self-destruct had failed to operate properly; after, some of the crew ejected. This had been most unusual behavior. To that point, in time, every ship destroyed in an auto-destruct sequence had gone with all hands aboard; probably, to prevent just such a failure.
Admiral Stevens headed the examination of the captured enemy warship, himself. He cut orders to engineering to place teams on the ship to restore its structure to the point it could sustain an environment; then reestablish atmosphere, gravity, and lighting to the vessel.
When that was completed, tech parties were sent to crawl through it; examining surviving systems microscopically. In just under two weeks, all the information that could be gleaned from the carcass was in the hands of scientists and engineers, intent on understanding it all.
I studied all the reports with great interest. This species reminded me of the ancient mythological chimera; with both human and insectoid attributes – probably a warrior race like the Spiel; but, that wasn’t certain without interviews of live captives. However, unlike the Spiel, the Inscrutables appeared to have absorbed all their technology, from others. Their vessels were a hodgepodge from all species proximal to them. I considered this fact, intensely. In the end, I concluded; the only way this could have happened was if, they had been subjugated by an advanced species for a long enough period to have learned how the sophisticated systems work. Then, they would have had to have rebelled; and, absorbed it all. Once out in space, capturing and adapting additional complex equipment and weapons would have become simpler; as they advanced. Now, their ships contained very progressive systems jury-rigged to operate together in unconventional ways. Arrangements of Gray, Spiel, CauDo and even Orion Federation, along with many unrecognizable technologies, were melded together to create a powerful, albeit awkward, warship. They had taken the basic structural design from the CauDo; so, the warships were not all that sturdy. Propulsion had been absorbed from the Grays and navigation from the Orion Federation; which meant the ships could never be used at their full capacities; because of the structural weaknesses. Communication and sensor systems were based on engineering in use by the Gray, CauDo, Spiel and Federation; before, the technological advance Admiral Bryant had conceived and advocated.
Righteous Reign II - Righteous Rule Page 12
