by Chris Hechtl
“Let's see if we can pull a rabbit out of our collective hats,” Berney said to the captain. “The tin cans are lining up to the repair yard now. As soon as they are fixed, we will rotate them back to the jump point. I'd like to send one back to B-97c to act as a forward picket. Admiral De Gaulte has signed off on the idea on the condition that we can do something about the other ships. Now …”
:::{)(}:::
The arrival of the fleet and the truth of their situation finally sank into the final holdouts on the planet. Thousands either applied to help or tried to purchase a ticket off the planet. Unfortunately, for those who wanted to flee, there was no escape. The only ships going back to the Empire's core were fleet ships and the admiral flat-out refused to allow any civilians on board no matter how much they begged and attempted to bribe or threaten him.
With the arrival came profound changes in the repair yard and planet side industry. Lieutenant Savenan's efforts to get the repair yard functional had helped, but the fleet's arrival had galvanized the Horathians to move mountains. The engineers in the fleet might be demoralized by their loss and retreat, but they weren't willing to give up just yet. Many had to be prodded out of their funk, but after a bit of hemming and hawing, they dived into the work of repairing their ships with what they had available with a growing will. Some officers realized they'd hit rock bottom.
“There is only one direction morale can go. Up. Only upward from here. But, we've got to dig in and kick some ass to make that happen,” Admiral De Gaulte said in an address to the entire star system. “Here is where we hold. Here is our line in the sand. We must and will hold this star system. To do that I need you to dig in and push. To stop holding back, to stop the stupid games. Stop the corruption, the attacks on one another. We are all imperial citizens, if we wish to continue to do so we've got to work together.”
“Otherwise, the enemy wins. Otherwise, there is anarchy and every single one of us will face their wrath.”
:::{)(}:::
Commodore Rabideau's reinforcements arrived with the usual energy flare three days after Catherine's departure. Morale took an immediate uptick as word got around of the fresh reinforcements.
For Berney and the rest of the staff, the resupply mission's arrival was a mixed blessing. They had been working steadily to drain the fleet train of supplies that the ships had picked up from Dead Drop, but they were reluctant to kick the ships loose since some had machine shops that were of use in the frantic repair efforts. The ships had also been useful as orbital warehouses. Now, they could reconsider that option. If one or more ships could nip out fast enough, they might be able to make a run to Garth and come back stuffed with supplies.
Not that they were certain a single load of whatever they could scrounge up in the neighboring system could make all that much of a difference. It would take a series of loads and a much larger force to make any sort of proper defense workable. But, they had to try something. The admiral had drawn a line in the sand. They had gone as far as they were going to go and no further.
The four battle cruisers, two light cruisers, one medium and one heavy cruiser, and eight destroyers were a mixed blessing to some. They were a drop in the bucket in comparison to what they had lost, though definitely a great relief to see fresh undamaged ships riding to their rescue. What mattered to many were the four resupply ships. With them their own ships stood a chance of fighting or running. Many personnel were still focused on the idea of running.
Once the staff received the initial information download and the commodore had been apprised of the situation, the admiral called a staff meeting.
“Commodore Rabideau is making his best speed to us. We will see them in another three days. Until then we'll have to make do and prepare for their arrival.”
“So few. What were they thinking?” Jeremy murmured. He had already received a download of the manifests in the supply ships. He had passed it on to the quartermasters to work on ship packets. There wasn't enough for everyone, so they had to prioritize what was available.
“They thought the first victory meant we could continue to win. They didn't think we could lose,” Myron said. Sedrick nodded grimly.
“To be honest I doubt any of us did. I remember an old axiom, plan for both victory and defeat. For ages we've scoffed at such things. I think that's come back to haunt us,” Berney admitted. He hoped he was older and wiser now. His confidence level had certainly taken a hit. He didn't want to go into the same situation fa, dumb, and thinking it would be easy.
“Ma Deuce is up and running as smoothly as the repair yard can get her. Sir, I urge you to send her or another ship back to B-97c.”
“We both know the enemy can ambush them. They've got damn good stealth. They can also outrun a ship. Ma Deuce has a questionable hyperdrive and is a turtle in hyper anyway, Berney. My answer still stands,” he said.
“What about one of the new destroyers, sir? Send one or more of them? And we could perform a raid of our own,” Myron suggested.
“Raid?” That perked a few people up. Jeremy looked highly dubious at the idea however.
“Get in behind the enemy lines and cut up their logistics. Hit their fleet train.”
“To do that we'd need a heavy enough force. We don't have it. Not to spare. And how do you propose … oh, B-97b?” Berney asked, catching on.
“Exactly. I say we send in two scouts there. We've got the jump coordinates. We have them go there instead of to B-97c or send a picket to B-97c and the raiding force.”
“I don't like dividing my force in the face of a superior opponent, Myron,” the admiral rumbled.
The tactical officer nodded and spread his hands apart. “It's a risk of defeat in detail I admit. But we are at the point where we have to take risks. No risk, no reward. Right now, we're playing for time, sir.”
“Agreed.”
“Besides, we do need the information,” Sedrick said, with a nod of support to the staff TAO. “We could also use the warning if the enemy does show up. If we have time, we can reinforce the picket with a courier when one becomes available and then send one or more ships to keep the ships supplied.”
“Or rotate them. The Federation is defensive minded. Or was up until we ran into them on the move. My question is, are they moving in now or just sitting there rebuilding?” the admiral asked, rubbing his goatee.
“It's possible. Either way, we need to find out.”
“I think I'll wait on a final decision until I consult with Commodore Rabideau. For the moment, get the planning and paperwork done while we continue the repairs and resupply. How are we there?”
“Another two days and the yard should be able to swap to another ship. They've got the basics down now, sir. We're trying to get the same class of ship in if possible so it's easier to run through them.”
“Right,” the admiral drawled. “And the supplies?”
“We'll run through the supplies in space within another day. Fresh supplies are coming up by shuttle tomorrow. They can't quite keep up with some of our demands. They are trying however,” Jeremy stated.
“Not good enough. Did we clean out their warehouses?” the admiral demanded.
“No, it's a matter of not having enough heavy lift capacity, sir. They only have so many shuttles and only so many big cargo shuttles,” Jeremy replied with a quick glance down. He obviously had the answer prepped and ready. “It's a bottleneck the captain is aware of.”
“And obviously one he can't resolve. Well, perhaps the fresh reinforcements will help. Oh, note, get all the fighters off those ships and onto Nimitz. I want that carrier restocked.”
“Yes, sir. I've already put the order in,” Berney replied.
“Good. Have them fly out as soon as they are in range.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Look into the shuttle situation. See what you can do there with the shuttles we've got.”
“Will do.”
“And we'll need to turn around some of the fleet train. They can h
ead to Garth to get supplies. Send one or more further for more complex equipment, but Garth can help too. They've got a yard and more industry after all.”
“Okay,” Berney replied, making a note. He also noted the sudden uptick in the attitude and behavior of the group. The clouds were beginning to lift, a corner of his mind thought.
Or it was just the calm before the storm, he thought. He tried to banish such traitorous thoughts out of his mind as he paid attention to the meeting.
Chapter 16
Pyrax
Three days before the Eastern Front scheduled mission launch, Rear Admiral V'r'z'll heard some scuttlebutt that Admiral Subert was trying to delay the mission. She consequently decided to bring the subject up during an Admiralty conference.
The Admiralty conference was a rare thing; every senior officer participated in it through local links as well as the ansible. Admiral Irons had ordered it since both fronts would be moving out shortly and he wanted everyone on the same page. They initially got up to speed on each other's commands and missions before it was her turn.
“We're ready, sir, ready and eager. It's time to make them fight on our terms, sir, on a second front. Keep them so focused on defense they can't sneak something around to hit from other directions.”
“Agreed.”
“They'll do that anyway. Most likely they'll call in their Gather Fleet from the other sectors. It will take time for those ships to get here though,” Admiral White stated.
“You are talking about throwing them off, but the logistics isn't easy,” Admiral Subert warned. He didn't like the idea of losing two out of three of his fleet carriers. Granted he had two more under construction, but that wasn't the point.
“Yes, I know, but we can scavenge from the land with the replicators,” V'r'z'll pointed out.
“True.”
“The enemy is at its best when they are on the offense. I say we take that away from them and start liberating the worlds they've been busy invading and taking as their own,” the Veraxin stated.
“That will mean we'll need more resources to invade and liberate them,” General Forth reminded her.
“Not at once,” she said, turning to his image. “We can secure the orbitals, strike their largest targets with kinetic strikes if they refuse to surrender and then hold it until your people or General 1010111's can get around to sending in forces to clean them up.” She left unsaid the forces from Nuevo and Bek.
“True. I admit; it is time to make them dance to someone else's tune. I've wanted to go on the offense for a while,” General Forth replied with a nod. He turned slightly to look at Admiral Irons' image. “The hand over in Protodon is going smoothly. We're pulling back the forces there. Colonel Kodiak is moving in to Nuevo Madrid, and Colonel Harley is wrapping up Destria. Colonel Bear is almost ready with his division. Many of the personnel returning will be ready to be promoted as we stand up the next two divisions. It will take some time to stand up the new units, but I think Admiral V'r'z'll has a point. While her people secure the orbitals, we can get our people sorted out and moving.”
“Understood. And the logistics?”
“They won't take care of themselves, but we'll get it done, sir,” General 1010111 replied. “And my people will be right behind the Marines to take over to free them up for the next planet. It's a pity we don't have much intelligence on the planets, and if there are fifth columns, we can rely on them for support.”
“At this time, they may be expended,” Admiral Sienkov replied. “We haven't gotten anything from the teams we sent in that direction. I don't know if they are alive or not,” he said. “But, I'll supply the codes to call them when you get to each planet,” he said with a nod to the admiral and then to the general, “so they can give you what local intelligence they can.”
“We can use that,” the Veraxin replied with a signal of second-degree acceptance.
“I'd like to get another fleet carrier into operation before the mission launches. But, I understand America will be returning soon,” Admiral Subert said.
“For refit before she joins the rest of TF 3.2,” Admiral Irons said.
“Understood.”
“We can't wait forever. And we've waited long enough. I considered sending TF 3.2 north to join Second Fleet, but I think a second front is a valid strategic plan. We should stick with it and not second-guess ourselves. If we have a problem on either front, we will freeze it in place until additional forces can get there.”
“For this to work, Pyrax will have to supply TF 3.2 as well as the Tau mission,” Admiral Subert ventured. “I'm not certain if I have the personnel, Admiral.”
“We'll get them to you. Antigua will continue supplying Second Fleet as well as the wolf packs. You should see additional supplies start to come in from the neighboring star systems.”
“We need another force,” General Forth said. “What about Bek?”
“We're going to work on that.”
“It would be nice to get them to contribute more. And regular travel to Nuevo would get General 10101111 some additional support.”
“Agreed,” the army general stated. “We're getting there though. Slowly but surely. I'd like to open up additional bases, but that's a topic for another time.”
“Understood. Admiral Sienkov is going to be headed to Bek to clean it up. Admiral Logan will break ground for him. His mission will leave shortly,” Admiral Irons said. “Unfortunately, he couldn't attend this due to the limits of his ansible.” His tone was flat and mechanical to the others; however, Yorgi was in the same complex and got the direct feed. The others couldn't see him wince but Admiral Irons did. “We'll be sending support with him to make it stick. But, back to the subject at hand, Admiral V’r’z’ll, mission approved. You move out in seventy-two hours. Good luck.”
“Thank you, sir. We'll kick some pirate ass for you.”
“You do that. And do it for everyone in the Federation while you're at it. Antigua out.”
:::{)(}:::
“She doesn't have anyone for Righteous Swarm,” Commander Strongbirth complained. The berth calls for a captain senior grade and we have so few. All of them are going to the battle cruiser commands. The lieutenant commander in charge of it was falling short of expectations. That rankled a bit since she had been the one to appoint him there.
“I'd love to leave her out since she's only just finished her working-up exercises, but it's not up to me,” Commander Ch'n'x, the female Veraxin head of operations stated. She signaled first-degree annoyance mixed with second-degree exasperation. “I understand she is pushing for one of her own people to take the command?”
“Oh?”
“Captain Chavez.”
“It's the first I've heard of it. We've got to find the right person for that slot. Captain Adel is just too green.”
“He's a lieutenant commander and a new one at that. We're pushing the expansion program hard.”
“Then we need to do something about that too. Get the Bekians in here or slow the pace of construction or increase BuSchool's output and our own promotions.”
“Try telling them and the Admiralty that,” the Veraxin stated, repeating her earlier hand signals.
The elf nodded. “We've got seventy hours to find that warm body. I'll check on Captain Chavez. She's been transferred to two battle cruiser commands; she might appreciate the change. She has no hyper experience though,” the elf mused.
“No, but she's got the rank, and as you said, she's a warm body. At this point, I'm all for it. Besides, it gets her out of here.”
“Oh?” the elf said once more, large eyes blinking before they narrowed in speculation at the bug. “What now?”
“I heard she's after an early shot at flag rank given she's got the Fourth BC Squadron.”
“She just got her second list!” the elf complained indignantly.
“Weren't you just pointing out that we need to speed up promotions?” the Veraxin pointed out.
“Yes, but …,” the e
lf sputtered as she silenced herself in annoyance. “Okay, you've got me there,” she ground out after a moment. “I just don't see it. I can't justify it no matter where she's from and what experience she claims to have,” she said with a bite in her voice.
“Not made here?” the bug asked. “Or at least not trained here? Is this going to be a problem with all the Bekians?”
“I don't know. Once we get a better feel for them, I doubt it. There is just something there. They don't like implants, they are arrogant, they don't know hyperspace, have problems with A.I. and nanotech …,” the elf shook her head.
“Well, they better get their collective acts straightened out soon, we need them. Are you going to put the call in? Peru will be leaving port tomorrow,” she warned.
“Oh yeah, I knew I was procrastinating about something,” the elf muttered as she used her implants to put a call in to her office to explore the Chavez option.
:::{)(}:::
It hadn't taken a genius to realize Righteous Swarm needed the right captain. The lieutenant commander who had the slot was not up to her standards. Admiral V'r'z'll wasn't ready for another delay however, so she called in a favor. She put the call through and then impatiently waited for the other female to pick up. It didn't take long.
She laid out the situation and then ended with her pitch. She took a no-nonsense approach to it. She'd already tried before. Now she was through with asking nicely.
“I know this is a sacrifice, but I backed you in coming on this mission, Captain. You wouldn't be here if not for me.”
“I remember it differently, Admiral; I volunteered for this mission before you did,” the captain replied with as much dignity as she could.
“You were one among many. You know the drill. Do you really want to piss me off?” the Veraxin demanded. “I need this to happen. You are going to make it happen, Captain,” she said, indicating first-degree command.
“Admiral …”
“Seriously, Captain, you don't want me as an enemy. Your own time is coming. You have a choice to make. Make me happy or piss me off. Which is it going to be?”