by Yakov Merkin
Darkclaw did not join in the declarations. He only had one purpose—to serve the High Lord—and thus did not eagerly anticipate the coming war as the others did. It was almost a pity that in the not too distant future the others at this table would be his enemies.
However, a moment later he decided that he did have something to add.
“To the end,” he said quietly.
CHAPTER 5
“We’re approaching the Kanor system now, Srei Felitzvah.”
“Understood,” Nayasar replied. “Order the fleet to prepare for battle and stand by for further orders.”
As the officer began relaying her commands, Nayasar stopped pacing around the bridge and rested her hands on the smooth, cool railing that surrounded the deck’s central section. The flight to Kanor had not been long, as Sneva was in the same area of the Alliance, though Nayasar and her force had needed to wait for the rest of the Felinaris fleet to arrive before they could depart for Kanor. It was fortunate; they would have to make good use of the two weeks it would take the Legion Navy to mobilize. The combined Felinaris-Snevan fleet numbered at just over two thousand warships, though such a large number was not what was needed for this fight.
Nayasar walked up a short flight of stairs to the second level of the Felinar’s command deck, the combat control center. A number of mid-rank officers were already milling about, preparing the real-time combat display along with several monitors, which would display the other high-ranking officers in the fleet for easier communication during battle.
“Is everything ready?” she asked one of the officers overseeing the setup, a first lieutenant.
“All systems ready, Srei Felitzvah,” she replied with a salute. Nayasar returned the gesture and made her way to the combat display.
“Open channels to the Swift Strike, the Blood Wing, and the Selban,” she ordered. A few moments later, Felivas, Supreme Warlord Sarkan, and High Captain Natar Felikhav of the Selban appeared onscreen. The Selban was the second Felinar-class battleship, crewed entirely with those who had lost loved ones in the Galactic Alliance’s heinous attack. Nayasar had special plans for that ship, though not in this battle.
“As I’m sure you all know,” she began, addressing the officers assembled in the combat control center as well as those on the monitors, “we will arrive at our destination shortly. The Kanor will know we are coming; there is no way around it. As such, we will have to assume that some sort of response force will attempt to force us from the system. I do not expect that it will be large enough to drive us out, but we cannot take risks.”
She faced the image of High Captain Felikhav. “High Captain, I am giving you command of the bulk of the fleet for this operation. Your task will be to deal with any Galactic Alliance response forces that enter the system. Stay out of range of the planet’s defenses, and at all costs prevent their ships from getting to safety within the defensive web.” She activated the real-time combat display, and set it to play out the attack plan.
“Two assault groups will attack the power generators, as per Operation Twin Blade. I will personally lead one, and Admiral Kharitzon the other. Battlegroup Seven will be under my command, and Battlegroup Eight will fly with the admiral. Both battlegroups have been outfitted with experimental sensor-flooding devices.” Nayasar paused for a moment, then gestured to one of the assembled officers. “Lieutenant, if you will,” she said.
The officer stepped forward. “The sensor flooding devices do what their name indicates,” he began. “They flood enemy sensors with dozens of false signatures, giving them more targets than exist, most of them false. It is less effective against living fleets, as they can manually target based on sight, but an automated defense network such as this will not adjust. Should one system malfunction, those of the ships nearby should compensate, but it would still be advisable for said vessel to disengage, should it be safe to do so.”
Should not, Nayasar said to herself. The systems had performed admirably in lab testing, but this would be their first field test. However, there was no reason to bring up doubts now. They were committed. It was a pity that the Tyrannodons would not be present at the battle. Nayasar was both eager to show Darkclaw how competent she was, and wanted to see how he ran a battle. He was an interesting case, seemingly as emotionless as a robot, though something in her doubted that was the case—no organic being could exist like that. Hopefully there would be time before the next battle to speak with the executor, to figure him out. I wonder if he even realizes how much his arrival means to us—to me. Nayasar shook her head slightly—thoughts for another time; there was a war to begin.
The lieutenant stepped back, his explanation complete, and Nayasar returned to where she had been standing. “Even with the sensor-flooding devices, the sheer number of platforms is still a threat. Supreme Warlord,” Nayasar turned to directly face the Snevan leader. “Your task will be to directly engage the defense platforms, to draw as much of their fire as you can while the assault forces move into position. Once they deactivate, do not destroy the remaining platforms. We can install generators of our own once the planet is ours.” Darkclaw had requested that the platforms not be destroyed if possible, but even he would have to admit that to attempt the attack while completely ignoring them would be foolish. If he knows what it means to be foolish.
“Veryy goood, Grand Admiiraal,” Sarkan replied. “Ii eexpect yoou and thee admiiraal too joiin mee foor a driink once thee plaanet is ours.”
Nayasar had to smile. While the complete confidence of the Snevans bordered on extreme overconfidence at times, it was still something to be admired. And here we have a right to be confident. “I look forward to it, Supreme Warlord.”
Mayy yoour god bee wiith yoou,” he said. Though Nayasar had heard the expression before, she always found it odd. The Snevans were in an odd place in regard to religion. They accepted the existence of some kind of creator, but worshipped none, believing themselves to be strength personified, their mission to make it known to all. She still did not quite understand it, but respected it all the same.
“May the Omnipresent be with all of us,” she replied. “To battle stations,” she ordered. There was no more planning to be done. Everyone knew their part, and would accomplish their mission.
Nayasar remained at the combat control center along with a few officers, though most departed to see to other duties. She contemplated returning to her command chair; she herself would only be participating in a small part of the attack, but decided to remain. She was still in command of the fleet, and her place was here, where she could coordinate with the others should the unexpected happen.
She watched on the display as battlegroup seven formed up around the Felinar. Fifty-one ships including the Felinar, the attack force would form up into teams of three—a leader and two supports—each maneuvering independently and remaining far enough from the other groups that the false signatures created by the sensor flooders would fit in between. Almost completely on the other side of the planet, Felivas’s battlegroup eight was doing the same. As she watched the last ships move into position, Nayasar felt her heart begin to race in anticipation of the battle, her first of the war. The vengeance begins today.
“All ships in position?” she asked, and received affirmative responses from both the officers present, and those on the screens.
“Then let’s begin.”
The order given, Nayasar muted her output audio to Felivas, the supreme warlord, and High Captain Felikhav. Hearing all of her orders from here on out would only serve to distract them.
She watched on the display as the three-hundred and fifty Snevan warships, over a third of their entire fleet, moved to engage the defense platforms that would be able to fire on both her attack force and Felivas’s. Once the defense platforms began to fire, both attack forces made their move. She would need to do her part quickly, so too many Snevans did not lose their lives in the distraction. As she worried about the Snevans, Nayasar’s thoughts turned briefly to Fel
inar, where an attack similar to the one at Sneva was expected. There would be more than enough ships there to deal with an attack, but she still worried, and a part of her felt that she should be there, not attacking another world.
“All ships,” Nayasar began, forcing her attention back to the battle at hand, addressing her assault group, “activate sensor-flooders. Divert all power from non-essential functions to shields. Let’s finish this quickly.” Once they were done here, they could break comm silence and receive an update from Felinar. Until then, however, only the Omnipresent knew how they were faring back home.
Nayasar glanced up from the display at the main display screen, and watched the glowing defense platforms grow nearer; they were easy to spot against the black of space and the blue of Kanor. After a few moments, she turned back to the tactical display and watched the stars marking her fleet approach the squares of the defense platforms. The Felinar and its escorts, the White Fang and the Koakhba, were in front, as it should be. Nayasar was well aware of the risks of the highest ranking officers leading the offensive, but neither she, nor any other Felinaris, would have it any other way. It was a long-standing tradition among Felinaris that a true military leader led their troops rather than staying safely in the rear. And, of course, it would be far less fun. Executor Darkclaw would not approve, she was sure, and would cite a number of reasons why that was unwise.
Still, there was some fear, particularly now, when she was flying straight at enemy weapons emplacements, despite the confidence she had exuded. After all, there was no guarantee that the sensor-flooders would function properly, and if an enemy response fleet arrived before the platforms were deactivated, things could get very messy. But, as the old song said, she would not fear death even when she stared it in the face, for the Omnipresent was with her. Nayasar glanced for a moment at Felivas’s image on the small screen. He looked to be standing as well, and not facing her. She let her eyes linger for a moment before returning her gaze to the display. There was no place that she would rather be right now. And besides, in all likelihood things would go perfectly, and this battle would be over in minutes. She could not deny the thrill that came with battle.
The assault force would be coming in range of the defense platforms now. On the display, the spheres representing the platforms began to glow red as they started to fire. Both the Snevan diversion and the sensor-flooding devices seemed to be doing their job well: Almost two thirds of the defense platforms were either firing at the Snevans or at the false signatures.
Even as she noted that, the Felinar shook slightly as it took a direct hit from one of the platforms. I should have expected that.
“Shield status?” she asked.
“Holding steady at ninety percent strength.”
“Have the auxiliary generator on standby,” Nayasar ordered. She was not going to take any chances. According to the display, the Felinar and its assault force was less than a minute from the target.
“All attack teams are to begin to spread into an optimal firing position,” she ordered. On the display, the teams of three began to maneuver so that when they came in range of the power generator, each would be able to fire immediately, without fear of hitting allies. As she quickly counted, she found more reason to be pleased. All ships were accounted for. While she couldn’t immediately tell which, if any, ships were damaged and how extensively, every one was still on course. The Omnipresent truly is with us today.
“In range of target in twenty seconds!” one of the bridge crew announced as the ship was rocked again.
“Shields holding at fifty-five percent strength,” informed one of the officers in the combat control center.
“Once we are in range, fire at will,” Nayasar ordered. There was no sense in waiting until they were in range to give the order. The faster the power generator was destroyed, the better shape they’d be in.
“In range in five… four… three… two… one… in range!”
Nayasar looked up at the display screen and watched as missiles, laser and plasma fire streaked out, first from the Felinar and the rest of its attack team, and then from others, growing in volume until the space above Kanor was aglow with red light. Then the shots began to connect with the target. The first few did little other than make the generator facility’s shields glow and flicker, but as the sheer amount of fire increased and did not let up, satisfying explosions began to erupt, and a minute later the entire thing exploded in a short-lived but spectacular fireball.
Cheering erupted on the command deck and Nayasar joined in. even though the mission was not over, it was good to see her crew in such a happy mood—it had been some time since they could celebrate. Any concerns she had had were unfounded: the new tech had worked perfectly, as had her plan.
“All ships are to report in,” she ordered once the cheering died down. “I want full damage reports, now.” She wouldn’t have any ships putting themselves needlessly at risk, and automated damage reports would not provide enough information to determine whether a ship should stay back.
A glance at the display screen showed her that Felivas’s assault force had succeeded as well. She had become so focused on her own objective that she hadn’t been tracking his progress. She unmuted her connection to him on the Swift Strike. “Excellent work, Admiral,” she congratulated.
“You seem to have done a fine job yourself,” he replied as he turned to face her. “All ships accounted for, four with heavy damage; I am ordering them to hold position until we can send assistance.”
“Very good. We should move against the last generator now.” The third and final target would be the most difficult of the three to destroy. It was a newer model, and as such had both better protection for itself and powered more platforms on its own. “I’ll contact the Snevans and have them position themselves so they can support our attack.
Before she could do so, a warning alarm began to blare.
“Status!” she demanded, turning back to the officers in the combat control center.
“Sensors are picking up six hundred Galactic Alliance warships entering the system, Srei Felitzvah. They will arrive within five minutes.”
Six hundred? She had expected maybe half that number. Where were these ships coming from? Surely they could not be Legion Navy ships—they would not have had time to mobilize even a force this size so quickly. “Can we identify them?” she asked.
“Two hundred Legion Navy warships, the rest are of the Irhani defense fleet.”
Nayasar was silent for a moment. This was less of a problem and more of an opportunity. If they could wipe out this force, not only would most of the Legion Navy’s active forces be destroyed, but so would over half of the Irhani fleet, making Executor Darkclaw’s job much easier. What better way to prove ourselves to him? But all the same, this battle had gone from a simple attack to a potentially disastrous engagement. Any levity that had accompanied the destruction of the first two generators was gone now.
Nayasar turned back to the display, now updated to show the enemy fleet approaching from hyperspace. After a few moments of thought, she unmuted her connection to the supreme warlord and the high captain.
“Supreme Warlord, High Captain, I trust you are aware that we’ll have a great deal of company here soon. We must destroy this fleet. Supreme Warlord, I need your ships in position to hit as many of the arriving ships as possible. High Captain, integrate the Snevan fleet into the bowl formation.”
“Understood, Srei Felitzvah,” replied the High Captain.
“Whaat of yoour asssaault forces? Wiill yoou not neeed ssuppoort?” the supreme warlord asked. “Ssurelyy thee enemyy wiill attempt too sstop yoou.”
“We’ll manage. Without your ships engaging them from the outset, their fleet will be much harder to deal with. Felivas and I will take care of the generator. Just keep the Legion and the Irhani off our backs.” Hopefully the supreme warlord and the high captain would coordinate well. If she had a choice, she would have left the battle to her own for
ces, but they would need the Snevans. Hopefully the supreme warlord would not feel that his authority was threatened; she had deliberately not placed his ships under High Captain Felikhav’s command.
“Wee wiill doo more than that,” the supreme warlord replied.
“I’m sure you will. Good hunting,” Nayasar said, then muted her output to him and the high captain.
“Let’s finish this,” she said to Felivas. As much as she wanted to take command of everything, the plan had been made with her in command of the force attacking the generators. She had to do her job before she could let herself focus on the new threat.
“I’m with you,” he replied.
“We’ll go in at diverging angles,” Nayasar said. “I’ll hit the generator with my force from above the platform on the side closest to the planet, you attack from above on the opposite side.” This would enable both attack forces to fire simultaneously without fear of hitting one another, and hopefully allow the mission to be completed faster. Without the Snevans as a diversion, they would be taking much more fire. Ships would likely be lost. Nayasar pushed the thought out of her mind. She would deal with casualties later.
“Understood, ready when you are.”
“I’m ready now. May the Omnipresent watch over you.”
“And you as well.”
Nayasar muted her output to Felivas and walked down to her command chair. The display would be less useful now; once they were done, she would return to observe the battle that had yet to commence. And it would be safer to have as many people as possible secured. It would not be a smooth flight.
“Take us in,” she ordered.
It was a wholly different view, watching the attack run begin through the display screen rather than the tactical display. The mass of organized weapons aimed directly at you, from the tiny ones only equipped with a light laser cannon to the largest, which could field as many as seven heavy cannons and could hold as many as thirty missiles. And she was in the most dangerous position of all, as the group leader.