"Captain, can you identify that Cruiser?" I inquire.
"Sensor Station, can you identify the Cruiser?" The Captain snaps.
"No sir, they fly no pennant, and we're not close enough to read the registry, sir." Comes the response.
"Comms, I know this sounds like a stupid question, but, any transponder signal?" He shouts.
"I have two, sir. One ship is the ESS Shenzhen. The other is the ESS Olpae." The radio operator responds.
"The Shenzhen is friendly. The Olpae is the one we want.' I interjected. 'If the Olpae is here, then it's Ara Fleet that landed at this position.' I add as I walk up to the screen. 'If that's the Olpae and its Ara Fleet, then this should be the Flag Ship.' I say as I reach high and point to a spot on the massive screen. 'Can you get a fix on that ship? These spots are the whole Group." I say as I point to one blotch after another.
"All stop! Go to Station Keeping.’ MacDonald calls out, then turns to me. ‘We got it, Admiral.' MacDonald says as he receives data on his pad. 'I'm sending it to you."
I receive his information and compose a message.
MEMO
URGENT
From:Admiral K. Brubacher Inspector General
To:Vice Admiral Helena Leeds Commander Phoenix Fleet
Re:Position of Ara Fleet - Flag Ship
C.C.Admiral S. Nichols Commander Theatre Nine, Admiral G. Bryant Fifth Mobile RAC
Date:December 2, 2257
Admiral Leeds,
We are in direct view of a battle in progress between the ESS Shenzhen and the ESS Olpae. Shenzhen is acquitting herself well but needs assistance. In the distance, we can see the rest of Olpae's Group which includes the Flag Ship of the Ara Fleet. We have pinpointed the Flag's position as; 14hr, 39min, 40.31245sec: Dec -61.4831º @4.36035Y, which is very close to both your Fleet and Carina Fleet, and in the vicinity of all eight Fleets posted to this area. I hope this is of some assistance to you.
Admiral Kurt Brubacher
I am forced to use Helena's maiden name. The system won't recognize her married name for several days, yet.
"Creep in a little closer, Commander," I order.
"Helm dead ahead. - Propulsion IPE zero to ten in twelve minutes. - Execute." He orders the bridge team.
We're almost right on top of the battle, now, but I can see several ships clearly in the background. The Shenzhen is hit but keeps up the avoidance course' while firing as much ammunition as she can. One-quarter of the Cruiser Olpae is dark.
We see jump exit points abruptly opening all over the region we are observing. I recognize some of the ships of Phoenix and the Reticulum Fleets surrounding the portion of the Ara Fleet, we can perceive, from our perspective as more jump points open above and below it. We make out ships from each of the two Pegasus Task Commands. Task Force One is above Ara, and Task Force two is below them. All incoming Groups have launched a host of fighters. Ara Fleet responds in kind.
The local area resembles a space inhabited by an angry swarm of bees as the four Fleets, and hundreds of Raptors engage in the deadly dance, turning the dark cosmic background as bright as the sunrise. All ships engage the Ara Fleet. We observe continuous bursts of weapons fire maintaining the brilliance, on the black background. First, it is the Olpae spraying particle shots and spears on the newly arrived vessels while sustaining weapons exchanges with the Shenzhen. Then, the intensity increases as the new arrivals return fire at a ferocious rate. For a few more minutes, we can discern constant flashes from farther off in the blackness, like a distant hectic lightning storm in a summer’s nighttime sky. Suddenly, there is silence and space is still. The friendly ships, we discern from this perspective, are sending shuttles out to Ara's vessels, boarding the ships, doubtlessly arresting the Senior Officers. I order enforcement personnel to each craft, to facilitate arrests. This battle is over!
Captain MacDonald sends out messages to the three Fleets offering our medical services, and any Marine assistance needed to control the captures. All the while, we've been creeping toward the action. We are in an excellent position to offer aid.
“All stop! Set all thrusters to station keeping!” Mac Commands.
Half an hour later, a message comes in from Nichols to the effect that, both Ara and Crater Fleets have been overpowered at Rigil. An hour later, we are informed that Capricorn Fleet was repelled at Sol, in similar fashion to what happened here. There was a short pitched battle, but Capricorn was defeated by the three Fleets that overpowered it. In some respects, that was a worse confrontation. Capricorn put up fiercer resistance. The response from Vulpecula Fleet was a spear among hundreds launched by the Carrier ESS Bulgaria that penetrated the Engineering deck, piercing one fission and one fusion reactor, destroying the ESS Cambodia, the Flagship of the Cambodia Group, Capricorn Fleet Task Force One, and Capricorn Fleet. All hands were lost. It's all over but the mopping up, tallying the dead, and ministering to the injured. Will humans mature out of the need for war, I think to myself. Then, I recall the last one - and the Grays, before that. If we didn't have our own wars, we'd have been in no condition to defend against external enemies. It's strange. We will remain in the middle of this, for a while, now that the battle is over. My annunciator sounds-off, for the hundredth time in two days.
MEMO
From:V. Admiral Helena Leeds Commander Phoenix Fleet
To:Admiral K. Brubacher Inspector General
Re:Defense of Rigil
Date:December 2, 2257
Admiral,
We have prevailed. Thanks for the heads up. Some Phoenix ships are a little scraped up. A few injuries. Shenzhen was severely hit, though. They did a great job until help arrived. Thank you again.
V. Admiral H. Leeds
I head back to my office and put on the news. My feed is from Rigil, so they are reporting on the battle there. They are showing nighttime scenes looking up into the clear sky from the ground. You can see the flashes in space. It looks like stars going nova. They cover it frantically for a short period then break for further speculation on the recently married couples. Then, they deal with old stories of previous arrests for rebellion. The battle only gets about fifteen minutes’ attention in each hour, until the journalists realize it is part of the larger plot including all the previous arrest. Then, it is the only topic; including all the unfounded speculation. My datapad chimes again. There is an operational order and a message from the C&C
MEMO
From:Fleet Admiral W.O Stephenson C&C OESA,
Fleet Admiral O. Blackman C&C OESA
To:Admiral K. Brubacher Commander OESA Inspector General Branch
C.C.All Quadrant Commanders
Re:Ongoing Investigations
Date:December 2, 2257
Admiral Brubacher,
This is a personal communication from the two of us to commend you on the work your team did in weeding out the widespread conspiracy that wove its way through the OESA. The service is indebted to you for uncovering this plot.
An organization such as the OESA cannot flourish without the absolute commitment of all its personnel to the Chain of Command. When Senior Officers begin to take sideways actions, of the own accord, that are contrary to this philosophy, we can reach a point where the whole system is in jeopardy. The defeated rebellion is an example of people taking a stand, based on a political bias that is in opposition to the operations of the service - we are apolitical by charter.
We firmly believe that investigative processes into this criminal enterprise must continue to determine if there are any other culpable officers before we can move on to permanent changes in the OESA. This is a result of being doubtful of the personnel we have to draw from to satisfy the many vacancies that now exist and will be created in the near future.
This incident brought a few inadequacies to light. First, we noted with horror that, your personnel were at serious risk of injury and even death, twice. The first was when a Fleet Commander refused your team's lawful warrant and attempted to forcefully resist their
investigation. The second was when you were forced to put your Flag Ship, the Examiner, in harm’s way to assist in tactical operations, at Rigil. We are aware, you did all you could to contribute to the battle, though your Command is not equipped for offensive actions.
Next, we realized that the Inspector General Branch has not got the assets or resources to conduct the operations we have continuously asked of you.
In light of these realizations, we are proposing the following to the Secretary of Defense, the Orion Council, the Orion Legislative Assembly and Emperor Edward III.
1) Though now considered a department of the C&C office of the OESA, the Inspector General Branch should be elevated to the status of a full independent Headquarters' Field Tactical Command equal to a Quadrant Command or Fifth Mobile RAC.
2) That the I.S.I.E. Department staff levels be increased from a Regiment Level Command to a Division level, specifically to foster a needed increase in its intelligence, investigative, and enforcement capabilities. We also believe that all investigative, intelligence, and enforcement operations of the OESA, currently within the Judge Advocate General Department and the Military Intelligence Department, be incorporated into the Inspector General Branch.
3) That operational support staff levels be increased, as needed, to support the other proposals within this brief.
4) That a sub-command be created at the Theatre Command level to accompany, protect and project force for the Inspector General Branch during mobile operations.
5) That capital budget be increased for the purchase of two Carrier, two Cruiser, Four Frigate, two Special Covert and two Supply-class ships and ancillary hardware to include two hundred Raptor Class Fighters. And that, future budgeting be flexible to allow for IGB changing roles and responsibilities.
6) That personnel and operating budget be increased to support proposals 2,3,4, 5 and 7, including qualified Raptor pilots and Marine Commands for War Ship deployment.
7) That the ESS Examiner be replaced with a Super Carrier class vessel with all offensive weapons systems intact, modified for operations of the Inspector General Branch, and be accompanied by a support flotilla as are all our other mobile Station Commands.
8) That the Commander of the Inspector General Branch be a Flag / General Officer of Level Eleven category.
9) That the Commander of the I.S.I.E. be at the level of Major General
10) That the Commander over all Marine Forces(corps level) of the Inspector General Branch be at the level of Lieutenant General.
11) That the Mobile Force Commander, though equipped as a Task Force, be at the level of Admiral (10), and that this Officer be designated the Deputy Inspector General, and that the Command be categorized as a Theatre Command.
12) That the Inspector General Branch charter be broadened to include the examinations of all remote and local planetary governments.
Though somewhat costly, we believe this would allow us to achieve an Inspector General Audit of every Command in the OESA twice annually and every Planetary Government every two years, and would allow the Command to carry out its responsibilities safely and efficiently. We also believe that rolling all other investigative, enforcement, and intelligence operations into the Inspector General Branch would be more efficient and cost effective for the entire OESA, in the final analysis. We would like your opinion on the matter.
We also wish to offer you elevation to Admiral (11) and renewal of your assignment as Commander Inspector General Branch. If you accept the offer, we would need your recommendations for all senior positions outlined in the above description.
We would also like to inform you that this concept is being vigorously promoted by the remaining Quadrant Commanders. We look forward to your response.
Fleet Admiral W. Stephenson
Fleet Admiral O. Blackman
OFFICE of the C&C OESA
Operational Command Order
From:Flt. Admiral W Stephenson C&C OESA,
Fleet Admiral O. Blackman C&C OESA
To:Adm. K. Brubacher Commander Inspector General Branch
C.C.All Quadrant Commanders, Commander Fifth Mobile RAC
Re:Investigation of recent rebellion
Date:December 2, 2257
Admiral,
You are ordered and required to continue all examinations direct toward clarifying the recent uprising:
1) until all subordinate personnel under the command of the ring leaders are cleared or charged.
2) until all leads relating to this incident have been exhausted.
Fleet Admiral W.O. Stephenson
Fleet Admiral O. Blackman
I summoned Rear Admiral Rohkea Sielu and Colonel Chris Sparks to my office, waving them in informally when they arrived. I turned my pad around opened at the memo.
"I don't want to send these to you, but I want both of you to read them. There's a letter from the C&C followed by orders." I said as I handed the pad to Roh, first; then, turned my chair and sat silently while Roh read. She passed the pad to Chris who read them, too. Neither said a word. Both looked stunned.
"Well... what do you think?" I asked.
"I have to tell you, Kurt, that this makes sense. We almost got our asses shot out from under us when you wanted to aid the Shenzhen. A little muscle would have been great, then." Chris said.
"Sir, I think it's great. It's good to have the offensive power, all right, but IGB is superior at investigation, enforcement, and even intelligence, now. Why not roll it all under one roof and give it some clout? No one's going to screw with the Inspector General Branch if it's configured like that. And, it 'd be good to use our audit capabilities to ensure planetary cooperation and honesty. Orion is a big territory. Some of these people have to be taking advantage of the system. I think it's good for our Empire, not just for the OESA," Roh said.
"I understand what the C&C are saying. They've got a lot of gaps in Senior positions. They need to promote people up through the ranks, and they don't have a clue who they can trust anymore.’ I counter, then, continue. ’On top of that, there are the points you’ve both made. I think I will answer positively and accept the job. We'll have to find a Corps Commander. Chris, they'll have a problem with a three level jump, so I'm going to recommend you head I.S.I.E at the rank of Major General. It's essentially the same job you execute now, but about four times as big. If you say yes, I will need you to dig into JAG and Military Intelligence to find out how many people in our disciplines they employ. Do you want it?"
"Yes, sir. And, I don't think I'd want the Corps Commander job, yet. I'm enjoying the direct involvement with all the aspects of the department. I would lose that - maybe after a year or two as a Division Commander." The colonel responded.
"And Roh, your job will expand dramatically. The additional I.S.I.E personnel and a Theatre Command structure below will certainly add to your Staff and workload. I'd need you and all your people to crunch the numbers - the total cost of all the personnel and assets. You need HR to start looking for people. I have a Theatre Commander in mind, but the Marine Corps Commander might take some doing. You'll have to find an experienced Division Commander seeking promotion or a move, somewhere. Of course, you'd be elevated to Vice Admiral, if you agree to take the job." I said with a smile.
"You know me, sir. The bigger the challenge, the better. I would have to say yes to the offer." She responded.
"Good, I have a special job for you Roh. Can you excuse us please, Chris?’ I waited for him to exit. ’I need you to look over Vice Admiral Helena Leeds's file. Get anything you need from HQ or Mobile Fifth. Then, ask me any other questions you have. My instincts are to take her on as my Theatre Commander. But, I'm not sure if it's because of bias. I believe she is qualified for the job. It would be nice for us to be together, but I don't think that's the main reason I want her to take the Theatre. I want you to have an objective look and see if you'd offer her the Command if this were your operation.' I stopped and looked at her pained face. 'You can never talk of this. It cou
ld end up in a divorce." I finish.
"Sir, I'm uncomfortable with the task. But, I'll do it for you." She says as she rises. She turns and leaves the office.
I prepare two promotion warrants elevating Sparks to Brigadier and Commander MacDonald to Captain. I send them with a side memo to the C&C.
MEMO
From:Adm. K Brubacher Commander Inspector General Branch
To:Fleet Admiral W Stephenson OESA C&C,
Fleet Admiral O. Blackman OESA C&C
Re:Your personal memo to me - IGB future
Date:December 2, 2257
Admirals,
You are always too kind in your view of my performance, but I do appreciate it. I reviewed the proposal you are sending to the Government and feel it needs only one modification, for the time being. Initially, the first Fleet should be configured as two Carrier Groups with proper command structures. This detail may have been understood by you. However, since it was not specified, I felt it deserved mention. Otherwise, I agree wholeheartedly with your concept, which is based on the knowledge that the workload for the Inspector General Branch will continue to be challenging, with ongoing criminal investigations and the day-to-day Inspection Audits of Commands, at the increased rate you seek. The addition of planetary audits will also add to the workload. I feel it would be a positive step for an organization the size and scope of the OESA. With seventeen hundred twenty-four deployed warships, three hundred sixty supply vessels, eleven Supercarrier Mobile Command Bases, ten hospital ships, four academies, eight shipyards and three million eight hundred thousand personnel, it makes perfect sense that an internal watchdog would need to be large enough to be capable of achieving its objectives.
In fact, when you review the above numbers, it is apparent, even your current proposal may not be quite enough. Regardless of that, it is a positive step. Additional expansions can be planned, as needs become apparent.
I would be honored to accept elevation and assignment as Commander of the enlarged Inspector General Branch.
In the interim, I believe, it is necessary to increase our investigative and enforcement capabilities now, to be able to handle the on-going criminal investigations and maintain investigative audits at the higher rate you expressed. I would like your permission to increase I.S.I.E. levels to Brigade strength, immediately. I believe our total staff levels will still fall within current budgetary constraints. I would also ask your authorization to acquire two additional large shuttlecrafts to facilitate the increase in operations, which should fit within our current capital allocation.
Righteous Reign The Series: E-version Boxed Set Edition Page 55