Fleets are ordered and required to redeploy to the following positions.
For the protection of Rigil
Aquarius Fleet 14hr 29min 43sec Dec -60.5º @4.36lY
Canis Minor Fleet 14hr 35min 50sec Dec -60.0º @4.36lY
Centaur Fleet 14hr 39min 40sec Dec -60.5º @4.36lY
Delphinium Fleet 14hr 35min 40sec Dec -60.0º @4.36lY
For the Protection of Sol
Vulpecula Fleet 12hr 30min 00sec Dec +10.0º @.40lY
Telescope Fleet 13hr 0min 0sec Dec 0.0º @.40lY
Reticulum Fleet 12hr 30min 00sec Dec +10.0º @.40lY
Pegasus Fleet 13hr 0min 0sec Dec -10.0º @.40lY
All positions relative to Sol
For reconnaissance all autonomous Frigate commands should form a picket line from 14hr, 39min, 40sec Dec -60.5º, @4.36lY to 12hr, 30min, 00sec Dec +10.0º, @.40lY
While three Fleets are involved, we believe that, two would be sent to Rigil to neutralize control of the OESA, first. On that basis, the principal defense should be there. All attempts should be made to peacefully contain these fleets; but, lethal force is approved, if required, at the discretion of Fleet Commanders.
Any unnecessary communication regarding this matter should be avoided. All steps should be taken to secure this information should communication be necessary.
Admiral Palakiko
In a short time, the C&C sends another communication explaining they have analyzed Nichols' tactical plan; and are ordering all Commands, within support range of the positions outlined in his and Palakiko's orders, to support their actions. Their Commanders are ordered to detach the selected Fleets and place them under Stephen's command. All commands are ordered to follow his lead on communications. In very short order another twenty-two TAMs triggered the enunciator on my pad.
I send an order to Commander MacDonald to switch to communications protocols in the previous messages; then send an e-mail asking him to check with medical on the number of trauma patients we can handle, in an emergency.
A short while later he replies; explaining that, medical advises they can handle up to eight, initially; projecting another six per hour for an additional five hours. They project, they would reach maximum limit on bed space, at that time. They further advise, they are equipped to handle everything up to class three trauma.
I send a memo to the C&C, copied to all other commands advising, the Examiner is close to the projected Rigil engagement and will assist in any medical needs, if required. I add the position we would park at; copying it to the Examiner Captain. We are half a light year from it. We jump out a couple of minutes later. MacDonald deserves a promotion.
We exit the jump out of sight of, but nearest to, the Phoenix Fleet, still parked off Rigil; but, now at the new position. I head for the Examiner's bridge; order the Captain to deploy short range sensors; and, long range at one eighth light-year. In less than ten minutes, I should be able to follow Phoenix.
When we finally see what's within our sensor range, it is obvious we are close to Phoenix. There are nearly sixty of their sensors in our general direction; even though, we can't see any ships. Commander MacDonald readies our weapons; which are defensive only. We do not have offensive weapons like torpedoes or missiles. We do have a gun placement with two bow and two rear facing fifteen neutral particle cannon banks; and, we are capable of launching anti-missile missiles and counter measures like chaff made from foil and hot flares. MacDonald sets everything to "station keeping"; so, we hold steady in this exact position. If they're coming, the first won't make it here, until tomorrow afternoon; so, we just sit and wait.
I contact Helena. We aren't quite close enough for vocal communications; so, we e-mail each other. I end by telling her I love her; and, ask her to be careful. She says I should know that is not in the job description; but, she always takes care. The waiting is terrible; so, I decide to get some sleep; and, rejoin the bridge crew closer to the expected arrival of our foes.
.................................................................................................
"Holy shit.' I say to no one else; since, I'm alone. 'I slept in." I growl as I look at my night table clock that is indicating Wednesday December 2, six hundred hours. I wanted to rise by five hundred. Mentally, I had calculated possible arrivals for the rebels; if, they used different velocities. The earliest the first one could be here is six hundred hours; so, I wanted to be up and ready for action by then. I rush to clean up and dress; head by the Officers' Mess to grab a coffee and croissant; and gulp it all down; as, I'm stumbling to the bridge. It's six hundred thirty when I take a seat. I try to stifle a burp. People in close proximity look my way.
"Good morning, everyone." I say cheerily holding as naive a look as I can on my face.
They all respond; then, go on to monitoring their systems and the space around us. A steward enters the bridge with a tray holding pots of coffee, cups, spoons, cream, sweetener and rolls of all types. I rise and grab a coffee, quickly; giving everyone that ingenuous smile again.
"...Slept in." I say to the shift duty officer.
"Yes sir. It happens to all of us." She mumbles uncomfortably.
Business goes on as usual. Every fifteen minutes, the Bridge Commander asks for reports; and, in a specific sequence, everyone returns their status. This goes on until the change of shift at eight hundred hours. The Captain appears at the same time; though it's not his shift on the bridge. The ship's status exchanges start up again; the new shift sounding exactly like the previous one.
At nine hundred hours, I realize there is something I forgot to do. I type a message to Sparks; ordering him to suspend all investigative audits, temporarily. I explain that we are needed here in case of casualties; and, his shuttles would be used to transport them. I also advise him there may be a need for the services of his enforcement people and his troops. There is a flash on the long range screen as I send the message. I stand and peer at it. There are more.
"Captain, we're picking up weapons fire ten degrees to port on our current declination." The officer manning the sensor station snaps.
"Very good, ensign. - helm set a course ten degrees to port zero zee axis. - Propulsion set velocity on IPE to ramp to fifteen percent in thirty minutes. - helm execute move." MacDonald orders officiously.
"There are continuous status updates from the sensor station, the helm and the propulsion station as we accelerate.
"Captain, we have three ships in visual range." The sensor station reports.
"Put it up ensign." MacDonald orders.
The screen changes. After a moment's analysis, I realize I am seeing the Shenzhen in battle with a Cruiser. There are several more ships in the distance unengaged. The Shenzhen shouldn't be a match for the Cruiser but, Savign is taking pot shots at it while conducting some elaborate evasive maneuvers. It is an astonishingly skillful approach; and a real tribute to the maneuverability of a Frigate.
"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 here.' 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 used 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 are 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 lying in 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 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 maintaining weapons contact 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, light a 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 vessels; boarding the vessels; doubtlessly arresting the senior officers. I order enforcement personnel to each vessel, 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 captured vessels. All the while, we have been creeping toward the action. We are in a great 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 affect 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 hundred launched by the Carrier ESS Bulgaria that penetrated the Engineering deck; piercing one fission and one fusion reactor; destroying the ESS Cambodia; flag ship of the Cambodia Group, Capricorn Fleet Task Force One and Capricorn Fleet. All hands were lost. It's all over; but, the mopping up; and, 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 war - and the Grays, before that. If we didn't have our own wars, we'd have been in no condition to defend against outside enemies. It's strange. We will remain in the middle of this, for a while, now that the battle is over. My enunciator 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 badly hit, though. They did a great job, until help came. 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 additional 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 enunciator 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 our service. 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 with the operations of the service - we are apolitical by charter.
We firmly believe that, investigative operations 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 assist in the battle; though, your operation 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; and 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 ancilary 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 system 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, the Command be categorized as a Theatre Command.
12) That the Inspector General Branch charter be broadened to include examination 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.
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