| Author |
Battle for Luyten - By Darksworde |
Darksworde
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: September 06, 2002
Posts: 806
From: The Zoo
|  Posted: 2003-07-01 10:28
Chapter 1 - A small matter for a scout
An eerie, unnerving silence descended on the command deck of the ‘Dark Shadow’, the depth of the noiseless atmosphere echoing off the bulkheads. Everyone onboard knew that sound could not travel through space, however that thought was overridden by the desire to stay silent when on a mission of secrecy.
The reason for the deathly silence lay on the command console of James Sinclair, commander of the ‘Dark Shadow’. His ship and crew had been ordered to scout out an enemy system, to intercept and analyse any communications in the Cygnus System and report back any information of importance. Up until an hour ago, the mission had met with little success, his Comm station intercepting mainly Civilian chatter and maybe the odd snippet of fleet banter. All this had changed with a flashing red light, an indication that yet another data stream had been intercepted. The communication held within had turned out to be encrypted and at this very moment, Sinclair had a team of data expert’s busy working to discover what the communication held.
In addition to this, Communications had already confirmed the identity of the recipient, namely an ICC Strike force classified as ‘Sixth’ Fleet by UGTO Intelligence. Having been in-system prior to Dark Shadow’s arrival, sixth fleet was apparently rearmed and refuelled yet steadfastly remained in orbit around Junction. Speculation onboard ship was rife with regards to the fleet’s intention, however the talk had remained as just that, harmless speculation. Now however, with a large ICC Fleet of unknown purpose and an encrypted transmission, the facts pointed to a conclusion that worried him greatly. Simply put, the Interstellar Cultural Confederation had finally decided to move for the Luyten System, strategically the next target of opportunity and importance.
A crisp tone emitted from the commander’s Comm badge, ‘Yes’, he said quickly, the tension in his voice obvious, ‘Report’.
‘Fredrickssen here Sir, we’ve just finished with the decryption’, a slight pause from the Head of Data Analysis and then he continued.
‘Its not perfect, we could only translate the outgoing parts of the message, but I think your going to be pleased with the results’, Fredrickssen ended with a hint of anticipation in his voice.
As a Slicer, Fredrickssen was well renowned for his abilities to hack anything and everything, so the fact that only half of the message could be decrypted was an indication of the level of importance that the message held. Sinclair accessed the file on his command console, whistling to himself as he read through the contents. The look on his face was almost ecstatic, for the information contained within would almost certainly secure promotion for both himself and Fredrickssen, if he could get it back to Sol. For what he was looking at, almost with disbelief at first and then with a certain amount of smugness, was a series of jump vectors and co-ordinates for ICC Sixth Fleet, originating at Junction and translating to a point deep within the Luyten System. However, what made the information so critical was a section tagged to the end of the transmission, a simple code that indicated the time and date of arrival, 2 weeks from now.
Pulling himself up from his command console, Sinclair looked towards his Helm Officer, ‘Move us slowly to the far side of Cygnus’, he ordered, ‘maintain full ECM Coverage until we are far enough away to hide our jump translation and then set course for Van Maanen’.
The command deck shuddered briefly as the directional thrusters kicked in, the scout ship rolling to port then gliding slowly away into the darkness of space. As the ‘Dark Shadow’ moved away from her orbit around the Gas Giant, Sinclair couldn’t help but wonder what the other half of the transmission contained.
The Van Maanen system sits right on the edge of UGTO held territory, yet is only two systems away from Sol, the traditional home of the United Galactic Trade Organisation. As such, the system is viewed as being an obvious stepping stone for an invading fleet and is high on the list of strategic resources. To this end, military policy dictates that a presence must be maintained within the system to provide coverage in case of said enemy invasion.
It was this presence, known more commonly as the 7th Tactical Fleet, which Admiral Pete Fontaine found himself in command of. A veteran of the First and Second Stellar War’s, Fontaine was also a former instructor at the Gagarin Naval Academy on Earth and the recipient of the Star Fury Medal, a commendation given out to a select few in defence of the core worlds. However, for Fontaine, this command was cited as his last, the conclusion of a long and fruitful career in the Navy. His fleet was a collection of ageing dreadnoughts and cruisers, all having undergone at least 4 major refits in the past 5 years. and his Flagship, the UGTO Dreadnought Retribution was no exception. However, since the UGTO had not seen a major engagement for nearly 10 years, the state of the 7th fleet was deemed acceptable by Military Command. The only cause for concern was the declaration of war made by the ICC nearly two years past. However, as yet, no major confrontation had yet to occur, so for now Fontaine would have to make do with the resources at hand.
On a positive note, the fleets sensors had been upgraded within the last year, a new design of active ECCM that boosted the signal range to over double that of the previous system. So it was a formality that the signature of an incoming Scout Ship would be detected on the far side of Gefjon, quickly identified as the ‘Dark Shadow’, its course identified as originating from the Cygnus System, via Luyten.
‘Admiral, we have an incoming transmission from the Dark Shadow,’ Said Commander Sarah Harding, a member of Fontaine’s Flag staff, ‘She is communicating a Priority One Beta Code, requesting immediate clearance to dock with the Retribution’
‘Understood Sarah, open the pattern and prepare an escort for Commander Sinclair. Ill meet with him in the briefing room’
A Priority One Beta code was hardly ever used to transmit a communication. As this was a code normally reserved for fleet commanders, it was surprising to see a mere Commander use it. However, as the priority One Beta code indicated a critically high degree of urgency, it was understandable that the scout ship ignored the long-winded docking routine and manoeuvred quickly into position next to the Retribution, hurriedly extending docking clamps and tubes.
As the Dark Shadow finished docking to 7th Fleets flagship, Commander Sinclair quickly swam up through the docking tube and swung onto deck five of the Retribution. Waiting for him was a small escort, led by Commander Sarah Harding.
‘Welcome aboard Commander Sinclair, sorry to rush you, however if you would follow me, I will escort you to Admiral Fontaine’
Sinclair gave a curt nod and moved to follow the young commander. ‘Damn me, the academy spits them out young these days’, thought Sinclair, ‘She doesn’t look a day over twenty.’
‘If you don’t mind me asking, you look awfully young to be wearing a commanders rank, would you mind if I asked how long you’ve been out of the Academy’, he asked in a conversational tone of voice, not realising the implied insult the question also carried.
A quick glare from Commander Harding, and he soon realised that maybe he should have phrased the question differently. ‘I have served aboard 7th fleet’s flagship under the command of Admiral Fontaine for the last two years’, said Harding, a hint of defiance and irritation behind her voice. ‘Prior to that, I served onboard the Argonaut as her Communications Officer, where I was promoted to the rank of Commander and offered a place on the Admirals flag staff. I have been in active service for the best part of 5 years now, so whilst I may be young, I have a wealth of experience, if you must know’.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Sinclair continued, ‘Fives year onboard a flagship will go a long way towards advancing to Commander. Me, it took 5 years just to get my first promotion and a further ten to get command of the Dark Shadow. However, she’s my ship, my crew and I wouldn’t have it any other way’
Harding smiled at the apologetic tone in Sinclair’s voice and responded, ‘I wont say I’ve had it easy to get to this rank. I’ve had to pull some long and hard hours, however the Admiral made a personal request for me to serve onboard the Retribution, so I assume I’ve done something right’.
Sinclair laughed and nodded his head, giving the young commander the quick once over from behind. Fleet commanders like Fontaine didn’t make personal requests for staff very often, which meant that Harding really must have been outstanding at her job. Coupled with a figure that was very pleasing to the eye and shoulder length brown hair that framed a face with equally pleasant features, he could understand how she had got to Commander so quickly. Adjusting his view, so as not to be caught staring, they stopped before a large door, just as she turned around.
Looking at Sinclair she smiled. ‘Straighten your uniform, the Admiral doesn’t go for the slept in look. I would suggest you need a shave, however I doubt you have the time if the urgency of your communication is anything to go by. Oh and your shirt is hanging out round the back’.
Sinclair proceeded to check his uniform, just as Harding opened the door. ‘Sir, Commander Sinclair as requested’, she said in an amused manner, just as Sinclair started to tuck in his shirt. Realising that the Admiral was appraising him, Sinclair quickly stepped into the briefing room and straightened himself out as best he could.
‘Thank you Commander’, said Sinclair, shaking his head and smiling to himself at the same time, ‘Our conversation was enlightening, I’m sure we can discuss the pros and cons of the correct manner and time of when to dress ones self at a latter time. Until then’.
Commander Harding saluted the Admiral, turned around and gave him a brief smile. ‘Until then’, she teased, walked through the door and off down the corridor.
Turning fully to Admiral Fontaine, Sinclair presented a crisp salute and proceeded to hand over a datapad. ‘Sir, this is an intercepted transmission we received in the Cyngus System two days ago’
As Fontaine started to read through the transmission, Sinclair continued, ‘As you can see the Transmission indicates that the ICC are sending one of their fleets to Luyten, in my opinion to stage an attack further into our territory. It was pure luck that we managed to capture the additional data about jump translation points and times, however I’m sure we can make the best use of it.’
Looking up from the datapad, Fontaine took a pause for thought and then spoke, ‘Is this information confirmed?’
‘No Sir, the transmission was broadcast using one of their most complex and high priority Encryption routines. In addition, there was no indication they were aware of our presence, which further leads me to believe that the information is genuine. Also, taking in the time-scale involved, it would be safe to say that it is unlikely the information we have will change’.
‘And the other half of the transmission, originating from the CD System?’ chipped in Fontaine, ‘Do we know what that might be?’
Sinclair answered immediately, ‘No Sir, we were unable to capture key segments of the incoming transmission’
Fontaine stood up and walked over to Sinclair. ‘This is excellent work commander, you have done well. Although I can’t promise anything, I’m going to recommend you for a promotion. The hard work you’ve shown over the last two years commanding the Dark Shadow, plus this extremely valuable piece of information, leads me to believe that you deserve the new rank.’
Fontaine paused a moment to think then continued. ‘For now however, I need you in command of a warship. The Dark Shadow just won’t serve a purpose in the upcoming battle. I’ve decided to give you the Valiant, a newly refitted Destroyer. She maybe small, but I assure you, the Valiant packs quite a punch. To avoid the problems this may cause in fleet command structure, I’m also giving you a field commission to the rank of Captain. Bare in mind the rank is only temporary, however I fully expect it to stick after the engagement. To make sure the transition to the Valiant goes smoothly, I want you to co-ordinate with Commander Harding. She can help you arrange the transfer of anything you need from your old ship. I’ll send her to you shortly’.
Walking Sinclair to the door, Fontaine added one final point. ‘As luck would have it, the 2nd and 4th fleets are due to arrive here within a day or two. They will provide us with the tactical resources we need to set a trap. Before then, I must report my intentions back to Sol for verification, so you have at least a few days to settle in and make yourself familiar with the crew. Anyway, we must be about our business Captain, good day!’
Sinclair turned to the Admiral and gave a quick salute. Walking out into the corridor, he headed in the direction of the Dark Shadow, mulling over the potential list of candidates he might want to bring over to his new commission. Two or three people sprang to mind and he decided on the spot to have a private word with them. After that, he would need to arrange a transfer of his personal effects to the Valiant. Finally, he would also have to discover what kind of ship he was about to command.
[ This Message was edited by: Darksworde on 2003-07-01 10:28 ]
_________________
Live by the sworde, die by the sworde
|
Darksworde
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: September 06, 2002
Posts: 806
From: The Zoo
| Posted: 2003-07-01 10:28
Chapter 2 - The Plot Thickens
Admiral Shi Jie Sheng, commander of the ICC 1st Fleet was in a peevish mood this morning. The Council, under the leadership of Councillor Fredrickson, had finally given the go ahead for the planned invasion of Luyten, a course of action that the Admiral had been pushing on the council for the last few months. It was his belief that Luyten was the key to winning the war against the UGTO and if they could take that one single system, they would have a perfect stepping-stone into Van Maanen and Wolf 359, forcing the UGTO onto the defensive.
His proposal was to use the resources of his own 1st fleet and that of 6th fleet, under the command of his close friend Admiral Thompson, to capture the Luyten System and then make a push into Van Maanen. From there, the plan would be to consolidate their position and then strike deeper into UGTO Territory. A communication had already been received from the Cleopatra, Admiral Thompson’s Flagship, detailing his plans to arrive on the outskirts of Luyten. In fact, if all went to plan, 6th Fleet would be departing within the hour for its destination. In response to Thompson’s communication, Sheng had replied that he would rendezvous at the same point and time.
However, the reason for the Admirals peevishness was due to an unfortunate delay. A mechanical fault in the jump drive of the ‘Ikon’, one of the newest Dreadnoughts in his fleet, had meant that he would be arriving late for the rendezvous in Luyten. Already an hour behind schedule, the engineers informed him that repairs to the Ikon were almost complete. Although the situation was unavoidable, Sheng always insisted on punctuality from those under his command, so the delay created by the Ikon’s jump drive caused him a certain amount of embarrassment, which he was sure Admiral Thompson would point out.
‘Admiral, transmission from the Ikon Sir, she’s good to go’, reported Commander John Elsey.
‘Excellent’, replied Admiral Sheng, ‘Prepare the fleet for the jump to Luyten, we leave now’.
Fifty ships of the Wall, comprised of thirty Dreadnoughts and twenty assault cruisers all moved in unison to align for the jump to Luyten, each ship within the fleet interfaced with the navigation systems onboard the Vanguard, Admiral Sheng’s Flagship. The Vanguard was a state of the art Dreadnought fitted with the latest shielding technology, the most powerful engines and a weapons system second to none. She was the blueprint for the next generation of ICC Combat Ship and as such was a fitting chariot for the Interstellar Cultural Confederation’s premiere fleet commander.
A single movement of Admiral Sheng’s right hand and the Vanguard’s navigation systems calculated the final details of the jump to Luyten. A short pause to confirm synchronisation between each ship of the fleet and then a huge eruption of light as the jump engines of each ship surged into action, propelling them at inconceivable speed toward their destination.
Multiple jump signatures near the planet Ran heralded the arrival of the 2nd and 4th UGTO Fleets, returning from an exercise in the Lalande system. The official reason for the exercise was said to be a show of support to the colony worlders of the Lalande System, to ensure that they remained loyal to the UGTO cause during the war. The unofficial explanation however was said to be the provision of much needed combat experience to the command staff of both fleets, an area that was severely lacking of late in most UGTO Fleets. The presence in Lalande was also useful if the ICC decided to push beyond their borders again as it provided the UGTO with a quick reaction force that could be deployed to any of the connecting systems.
With everyone in the military expecting a renewed offensive from the ICC, it had come as little surprise when Admiral Clarke of the 2nd Fleet and Admiral Washington of the 4th Fleet received a transmission to attend a war briefing onboard the Retribution. Leaving their command staff to deal with the mundane tasks of patrol assignment and other matters, both Admirals quickly departed for the dreadnought to attend the briefing. On arrival, they had received the traditional ceremony that their ranks deserved and then escorted to the War Room, located deep within the heart of the ship. After being introduced by Commander Harding, acting in the role of Liaison, all three admirals got down to the business at hand.
Admiral Fontaine started off the briefing. 'Gentlemen, I have gathered you here to discuss an opportunity that has recently presented itself to us. As I'm sure you know, we have been anticipating some sort of offensive from the Interstellar Cultural Confederation for some time, having consolidated their territory in the Cygnus and Ross 248 systems. Although we only offered minor resistance to these pushes from the ICC, the UGTO High Council did not look favourably at the loss of either system.
'Indeed', responded Admiral Washington, 'Although if a large enough force had been in position to respond, I'm sure we would have held both systems, as many of the inhabitants, I suspect in both systems, would have wanted us to do'.
'That is undetermined Mark', replied Fontaine, 'The UGTO have neither the resources to spare or the desire to spread itself so thin without due cause. Others may think different, however all of us here know the truth of the technological gap between our fleet and that of the ICC. Anyway, that is beside the point. What we can agree upon is that if any such move was made for Luyten, we could not allow the ICC to gain a system of such strategic importance'.
'Luyten was and is a perfect stepping stone for either side', continued Admiral Clarke, 'Hell, that’s why we keep a fleet in Van Maanen and why we mine the jump gate on a regular basis. However, I doubt if the ICC would be foolish enough to risk our static defences and make a move for Luyten any time soon’.
'Your being naive, Robert', answered Fontaine, ' The ICC could quite happily take the long route in. It may require a number of refuelling stops and take much longer, however I wouldn’t put it past their damn Admiral Sheng to try it. In fact, I can confirm that is indeed what they intend to do'.
'You can?' replied both Admirals at the same time. Looking at Washington, Clarke continued, 'How do you know. What evidence have you got to support this?'
Fontaine nodded to an aide, standing off to one side, who handed both admirals a datapad. 'A scout ship in the Cyngus System intercepted the transmission before you. The details appear to be a confirmation of orders from an Admiral Thompson, commander of their 6th Fleet, as well as a detailed plot for their intended course to the Luyten system. In addition, the message contains the exact times for these jumps, allowing us to predict the exit point for each ship. This gentlemen, is the breakthrough we have been looking for. This is the information we need to stop the ICC in their tracks and demonstrate that their Admiral Sheng is not infallible'.
'Have we had word from UGTO Command?’ asked Clarke, scanning through the transmission, ‘What about the missing half of the transmission. How important might that be?'
'Well, a plan has already been confirmed by UGTO Command', replied Fontaine, 'I would have liked the involvement of Admiral Macintyre and his fleet, however I’m grateful for what we have at our disposal. With regards to the missing half of the transmission, they conclude that it is not important. With three tactical fleets at my disposal, they view this as enough to deal with any threat, short of the ICC 1st fleet involving itself. This, however, they view as unlikely'.
'Unlikely how?' posed Washington, 'Surely we must include the 1st Fleet and Sheng in our plans, it would be stupid of us not to!'
'UGTO Command considers the involvement of Sheng and his fleet as unlikely at this point in time. They cite the potential for unrest within the ICC if the 1st Fleet was to leave the CD system unguarded.'
'Even so', Washington piped in, 'we all know that Sheng likes to take risks. It is not inconceivable to think that he would involve himself in a push for Luyten'.
'I agree with you Mark', Fontaine replied quickly, 'however UGTO Command does not. Since they have the final say in anything we do, we have to go along with their wishes'.
Washington shook his head, 'I just think we should at least wait for more reinforcements and confirmation of the whereabouts of Sheng’s fleet.’
Fontaine considered what Washington’s had said, answering, ‘We don’t have the luxury for either of those points Mark. You know as well as I do that we need to act quickly if we are to put a plan into action.’
Washington intensified his protest, venting his frustration. ‘Damn it Pete, I know that both require time, however I don’t like the idea that we could be caught with our pants down. If the ambush goes wrong, the loss of all three fleets would be disastrous. I’m not happy to rush in without a more in-depth analysis of the situation’.
Fontaine responded with equal intensity. 'Mark, the business of war is all about risk. We could sit here in space for a month and try to analyse what the enemy would do, whilst everything just passes us by. In the end, we would achieve nothing but wasting the time and resources we have at our disposal. It’s why we have strategic Analysts back on Earth and Mars, to make these decisions for us. We are here to carry out their suggestions and mould them into something we can use’.
Fontaine took a deep breath to calm down. 'Anyway, we have orders to carry out and a briefing to continue. What I intend to do is ambush their fleet as they exit out of jump. Between the three of us, we need to hammer out a battle plan so that the ambush goes as smoothly as possible. Shall we begin gentlemen?’
_________________
Live by the sworde, die by the sworde
|
Darksworde
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: September 06, 2002
Posts: 806
From: The Zoo
| Posted: 2003-07-01 10:29
Chapter 3 - The Ambush
As Sinclair swam up the docking tube from the shuttle to his new ship, he decided to himself that the Valiant was an amazing feat of engineering, a destroyer class ship vastly superior in every way to the scout he had previously commanded. Cited an old naval adage in his head, ‘They are the first ones to a battle and the last ones out. Thus is the destroyer’s fate’, he pulled himself from the docking tube and onto the destroyer. Brushing off his uniform, now sporting the rank of captain, he extended an arm back into the docking tube for Commander Harding, the other passenger on the shuttle, and gently helped her onboard.
‘Welcome aboard Sir’, greeted a tall man wearing the rank of Commander, as his arm extended out and into a crisp salute. Behind him, a further group of ten people, all wearing the uniforms of an officer came to attention. Off to one side of the docking hatch, a whistle sounded to begin the customary ceremony for when a new captain accepted his commission.
Sinclair returned the salute and hazarded a guess at the identity of the person before him. ‘You must be my second in command, Commander Alexander’.
‘Yes sir’, replied Alexander, nodding his head. ‘However, before full introductions can be made, I believe Commander Harding has an official task to conduct first!’
Harding smiled and nodded at both Sinclair and Alexander. Taking her cue, she held out a previously unseen roll of parchment towards Sinclair and began. ‘Captain James Marshall Sinclair. As of 0400hrs on the 17th day of the year 2260, you are here by granted a commission to command the United Galactic Trade Organisation’s Warship, Valiant. It is your duty to uphold the constitution onboard ship and ensure the loyalty of all those whom you command. Do you accept?’
Taking the roll of parchment from her hand, Sinclair replied, ‘On my honour, I pledge to serve the United Galactic Trade Organisation and all those she represents!’
With that last statement, Harding gave Sinclair a formal salute to end the ceremony. Walking beside the captain, she patiently waited as Commander Alexander introduced him to the rest of his command and then gave him a tour of the destroyer. With her business concluded onboard the Valiant, under normal circumstances she would have departed immediately for the Retribution. However, these were not normal circumstances, with the imminent arrival of the ICC 6th fleet, so Admiral Fontaine had requested that she bring Captain Sinclair up to speed to ensure that he gelled quickly with the rest of the fleet. What this meant was that she would have to stay at Captain Sinclair’s side until after the engagement, a situation she wasn’t adverse to. But she couldn’t help but wonder if she would be needed on the Retribution and as the tour concluded on the bridge of the Valiant, she thought about how Fontaine intended to deploy the fleet.
Sat in his command chair onboard the Retribution, Admiral Fontaine checked the time. ‘Only three hours to go’, he thought to himself as he considered the ambush. After a moment of thought, he decided to put his plan into motion early, giving the communications officer a curt nod. Almost immediately, eighty wings of interceptors, bombers and space superiority fighters, almost eight hundred ships, launched into space from the carrier dreadnoughts of 4th Fleet.
Designed to provide long range support, 4th fleet would normally sit back and remain hidden, whilst allowing their fighter compliment to fly in and strike at their target. In this instance, their designated task was to quickly swarm the defences of 6th fleet, buying time for the close assault ships of the 2nd and 7th fleet to move in and engage.
The task laid out before the fighter pilots of 4th fleet would be crucial to the upcoming battle. They would be the first to engage the enemy and most likely sustain the highest casualties during the engagement. Hence the role of fighter pilot was reserved for those of a brave, courageous or foolhardy disposition. Men like Lieutenant Commander Richard ‘The Reaper’ Morgan, who conveniently fit into all three.
An Englishman by birth, his command was the 112th squadron, known as ‘The Horsemen of the Apocalypse’. Based on the ‘Excaliber’, a carrier dreadnought attached to the 4th fleet, The Horsemen were an elite combat unit, a small and tightly knit band of four fighter pilots, well known throughout the Navy for a reputation of being reckless, foolhardy, but more importantly, lucky. So it was not surprising to find The Horsemen at the very fore of the ambush, ready to strike at an approximate position that would yield the flagship of the enemy fleet, an opportunity that would give them the scalp of Admiral Thompson.
Sitting in the cockpit of his one-man fighter, Morgan pondered on the merits of deploying his fighter wing early, in preparation for an ambush more than three hours away. He could think of better and more productive ways he could spend his time, maybe organising a game of poker for the lads or sharing an intimate moment with some of the many young female ensigns assigned to the fleet. His thoughts trailed off as a series of compressed dust rings appeared around his ship, heralding what he considered to be the rude and surprisingly early arrival of the ICC Fleet.
Initial surprise gave way to the reflexes of training as Morgan effortlessly cycled through a series of start-up procedures to get his ship ready for combat. The routine was something he insisted upon from every member of his squadron, including himself, so it came as no surprise when the rest of his command signalled a complete state of readiness. Ion Engines sprang to life as the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, accompanied by a further seven hundred and ninety six ships, propelled themselves towards the first of their allocated targets, a group of twenty dreadnoughts sitting in a spherical formation around a ship identified as the Cleopatra.
Sweat formed on Morgan’s brow as he sent his fighter into a dive to avoid the point defence of a nearby dreadnought, presently the objective for three squadrons of 4th fleet’s bombers. Morgan’s role was to tie up the dreadnoughts point defence and allow the slower, more vulnerable bombers time to get into range and deliver their payload. Opening up the throttle, he spun his ship over and raced along the underside of the dreadnought, concentrating his fire on an apparently vulnerable section of the hull. The resulting explosion forced him to pull up, a stroke of luck, as the incoming wing of bombers sent their payload of missiles rushing in to meet the dreadnought. His ship rocked from side to side as the concussion of an even greater explosion ripped into the side of the unlucky dreadnought as the bomber groups of the 4th fleet chalked up their first kill of the day.
In a similar fashion, the rest of 4th fleet’s squadrons engaged the ambushed ships of the ICC. Caught by surprise, Admiral Thompson’s fleet was simply overwhelmed by the onslaught of fighters, spewing an inconceivable amount of firepower into the shields and hull of their helpless victims. Point defence systems onboard the capital ships sprang to life, trying to track down and shoot the much smaller ships, as wave after wave of bombers rushed in to deliver their payload of missiles.
Breaking through the weakened formation of dreadnoughts, Morgan selected his next target of opportunity, the ICC’s flagship. As he closed in on his new objective, It became apparent that the Cleopatra was employing some sort of new technology, as her point defence was unusually effective, with an incredibly fast recharge time and scarily accurate targeting. As yet, no fighters had managed to punch through her defences, but Morgan was certain he could change that, as he ordered every available ship to concentrate fire on his target.
As he closed in on the Cleopatra, he guessed that over two thirds of 4th fleet’s fighter pilots must have heeded his call, every one of them eager to send the flagship of the ICC fleet to the depths of hell. Targeting the starboard side of the dreadnought, Morgan strafed alongside the hull and focused on a cluster of torpedo launchers near the stern of the ship. As he flew past the launchers, he noticed a series of small emitters peppered around the hull and wondered about their purpose as they discharged a huge pulse of blue energy.
‘What the hell’, shouted Lieutenant Commander Morgan, as the pulse washed over his ship. Electrical sparks jumped from one side of the cockpit to the other, causing him to push right back in his seat. Warning lights sprang up as the computer tried to correct a hundred and one internal problems and then a look of shock swam over his face as the warning system efficiently informed of a critical overload in the engine mass. Given more than a split second, he might have been able to hit the eject button and launch the cockpit into space, hopefully to be rescued once the battle had finished. However lady luck it would seem had chosen not to favour him or his fellow pilots today. Of the eight hundred fighters to engage initially, all but fifty died instantly as the Cleopatra unleashed the latest technology the ICC had to offer.
Onboard the Retribution, Admiral Fontaine felt the deaths of each pilot as the unknown pulse weapon ripped into the heart of his initial attack. However, Admirals were not given their rank for their kindness of heart or other such emotions. No, they were placed in command for their ability to make judgements under pressure and ignore the loss of life until the battle was over. Turning to his communications officer, he ordered the fleet to close in and engage, a risky tactic, but with superior numbers he felt the advantage was still with the UGTO.
The risk of course would be if the new ICC technology would have any effect against the heavily shielded systems of capital ships. Without knowing exactly what this new technology could do, it was difficult to make decisions based around it. However, the pulse wave, as he referred to it, appeared not to effect the enemy capital ships. With no evidence that the ICC had deployed fighter wings, it could be assumed that this new weapon was designed to work on small types of ordnance. However, thinking back to an old earth saying that his father had once said, Assumption was the mother of all screw-ups.
The close assault ships of the 2nd and 7th fleet moved into ideal targeting range of the ICC fleet. Huge volleys of missiles exchanged between ships, battering indiscriminately through both armour and shields. The huge engines of each ship surged with power, driving them through space, the commanders of these ships vying for the best tactical position in the ever-changing sphere of combat. As the battle progressed, casualties on both sides started to mount. For the UGTO, this was an unavoidable and planned for situation, due in kind to their technological inferiority. For the ICC however, this did not hold true, as the number of intact ships they had began to run critically low.
The Retribution bore down on Admiral Thompsons Flagship, currently exchanging fire with four other UGTO Dreadnoughts. Whilst holding them off, the Cleopatra had taken a severe amount of damage and was positioning itself to move away. A sudden explosion from her engines ended any thought of escape however, as the Cleopatra suddenly gave up the ghost. With his flag ship dead in the water and on the verge of destruction, Admiral Thompson did the only thing he could do, signal the self-destruct and order all hands to abandon ship.
Standing up from his command chair, Admiral Thompson watched as the bridge of his flagship emptied. A few of his crew had tried to prevent him from staying, however it was his duty as an officer to go down with the ship. It had been unfortunate that his career was to end this way, having been outmanoeuvred as such, however it had been his preference to die in the heart of battle, not old and decrepit, relying on other people to prolong his life. As thousands of escape pods and lifeboats streamed out from the rapidly fading dreadnought, the Admiral gave one final salute to his fleet and crew as the counter to self-destruct hit zero. A rush of fire and heat exploded from behind, killing him instantly as his lifeless body was flung into the forward consoles of his bridge. The entire super-structure of the dreadnought exploded, like a fireball in the very heart of a volcano. The explosion finished off the four surrounding UGTO Dreadnoughts, already damaged from the exchange with the now dead Cleopatra, as the spirit of Admiral Thompson exacted his revenge.
Onboard the Vanguard, Admiral Sheng face was disturbingly cold as the ICC 1st fleet surged closer to the scene of battle. Having received the distress call sent by Admiral Thompson, his heart had almost burst from its cage when the Cleopatra had been destroyed. A deathly silence descended over the bridge as his crew wondered what effect this would have on their commander. A momentary lapse of concentration revealed his inner sorrow, but gathering himself, his gaze quickly turned to one of ice cold determination. Steeling his grip on the command console, Sheng vowed to avenge the death of his friend, Admiral Thompson, as the 1st ICC fleet emerged into the middle of a firestorm.
The Vanguard leapt into action, pouring fire into the nearest enemy ship, the Retribution. With pinpoint accuracy, her navigation systems had placed her at the stern of Fontaine’s flagship, one of ten dreadnoughts in the core of the three UGTO fleets. A split second later and four more ICC Dreadnoughts exited jump alongside the Vanguard. Although undamaged so far during the ambush on the ICC 6th fleet, the Retribution stood no chance as forty banks of chemical lasers and over a hundred Fusion Torpedoes ripped into her stern in the space of ten seconds. Energy Discharge from each of the torpedoes rushed through the main decks of the UGTO Dreadnought, the range so close, the ordnance so powerful that even her command deck to the fore of the ship was disintegrated instantly. A number of torpedoes that had failed to detonate exited from the prow of the Retribution and continued into the back of another dreadnought as Admiral Fontaine’s Flagship met a short and explosive death.
The squadron of ICC Dreadnoughts pressed on through the burning wreckage that was the Retribution and opened fire on the core of the UGTO fleet. Taken totally by surprise and with the majority of their ammunition gone, each of them fell quickly to the sudden onslaught from the Vanguard and her companion dreadnoughts. In a similar fashion, the rest of the ICC Fleet exploded into action on arrival. With prior knowledge of their targets, Admiral Sheng had been able to allocate firing solutions to each squadron within his fleet. The result was cacophony of wreckage in the middle of space as fully half of the remaining UGTO ships were gutted from the inside leaving them disjointed and confused.
The UGTO forces started to react slowly, the sudden loss of half their fleet taking its toll. Of the initial one hundred and ninety ships that comprised the three UGTO Fleets, only sixty ships remained after the initial flurry of blows. Of those sixty ships, none were dreadnoughts, a huge loss of life in addition to the gap at the top of the command structure. All that remained was a mix of ageing Missile Cruisers, two squadrons of destroyers and a few support ships. This however didn’t stop them from fighting for their lives. Outgunned, outnumbered and outthought, the remainder of the UGTO fleet struggled valiantly to pull itself together.
The ICC 1st Fleet in comparison had got off lightly from the initial attack. Two dreadnoughts had been crippled on arrival by collision with other ships. The Dreadnought ‘Ikon’ had been unfortunate to exit its jump in front of ten cruisers, who had taken the opportunity to open fire at the helpless ship, ending its brief and uneventful life. The remainder of 6th Fleet had quickly integrated with their would-be saviours, confirming the fact that the Cleopatra had been destroyed and Admiral Thompson was dead. Spurred on by the loss of their commander, 6th fleet’s survivors went about their business, fuelled by the desire to exact revenge on those responsible for his death.
The battle raged on, the remains of the UGTO fleet fighting to gain a semblance of order. The cruisers started to pull back and try and saturate the ICC Forces with missiles. One squadron of destroyers, having seen off the Ikon then engaged a similar number of Cruisers from the other side. The Support ships darted in and out of combat, to render aid where possible, the role of rearm and repair essential to their fleet. The second UGTO Destroyer squadron as yet had still to make a move. The chain of command was unclear as to who should be calling the shots.
Sat in his command chair onboard the Valiant, Sinclair watched in dismay as the battle before him unfolded. The unexpected reinforcements for the ICC, who he now clearly recognised as the ICC 1st Fleet, had swung the outcome of the battle in favour of the enemy. Taking in the situation using his tactical display, he ordered the Valiant to engage the nearest ICC ship, a half-crippled dreadnought that had been unfortunate to exit its jump in the same physical space as that of his squadrons command Dreadnought. Realising that he was now effectively leaderless, Sinclair decided to open a channel to the rest of the squadron. It was time to make a very brave command decision, the kind that could make or break a career.
‘All ships, focus your fire on that crippled dreadnought’, he ordered, ‘Try and take as many of their damaged ships as you can before you have to retreat’. The ten destroyers in his squadron all concentrated fire on the crippled dreadnought. Individually, each destroyer stood no chance taking down the hulking leviathan, the amount of firepower available was woefully inadequate. However with nine other such ships opening fire at the same target, the effect was very much similar to a pack of wolves taking down a larger foe. Ion Tracker Missiles raced through the space between the pack of destroyers and the dreadnought, exploding against what remained of her shields and biting into her hull.
Closing the distance to the dreadnought, the destroyer wolf pack moved into range, firing off searing beams of death, whilst continuing to spit out missiles at the same time. Huge cracks in the hull of the dreadnought started to appear, spewing out atmosphere into space. Sensor readouts onboard the Valiant indicated that the dreadnought was now fully crippled with its reactor mass about to go critical.
A split second later, the ICC dreadnought appeared to fold in half as explosions in the middle of its hull ripped the ship in two. Unfortunately for the Valiant, the even larger explosion as the dreadnought’s reactor mass went fully critical, caught the destroyer as she flew past, ripping a hole into the rear of the ship and rendering all but one of her engines useless. Warning lights lit up on every console on the bridge as the destroyers primary and secondary systems started to lose power.
‘Captain, we are dead in the water’, reported helm, ‘Orders?’
‘Fire the jump engines now, and lets hope to hell we don’t hit anything’, replied Sinclair, his voice annoyed.
The Valiant leapt away from the scene of battle, exiting her jump in the middle of nowhere. Communication had been lost with the rest of the fleet and Sinclair had no idea how the battle had fared. He suspected that the UGTO fleet was either mostly destroyed or scattered to the four winds, however there was enough time for regrets later. For the moment, he had to ensure that his crew would survive and make it safely back to Van Maanen.
[ This Message was edited by: Darksworde on 2003-07-01 10:29 ]
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