(Anyone who hasn't posted want to become an ESF captain?)
Snow fell lightly off Perneas' nose as he stared in a state of shock at prefect Gordon.
'No reinforcements? NO REINFORCEMENTS? My God man! There's an entire Union fleet bearing down on our fragile colony and admiral DuPont can spare us not ONE SINGLE SHIP?'
Gordon frowned at Perneas, and looked at him steadily. All traces of the savage angry man had gone.
'Do you question my ability at reading captain?' He asked quietly.
'No sir.'
'Thankyou.' He turned around and started walking towards tactical. The men there were
thoroughly busy, occupied with assessing the numbers of the Union fleet.
Perneas stared at his back, as the man jabbered to one of the officers. How strange, he though. Very strange. Union commanders had always been slightly different to their counterparts when it came to planning interstellar wars. They either attacked you completely with all their forces, or waited to see how would react after destroying a single ship.
'Admiral DuPont will have a good reason for doing this' Perneas felt a friendly hand on his shoulder. 'The Union is probably trying a feint to test our response time. Then suddenly they'll just head back into ether. Remember the Earth Scare?' Marselles said.
'Yes.' Replied Perneas.
The Earth Scare had been quite the most inventive little trick the Union had gotten up to since the Border War. On March the 28th, 2601, ESF pickets were alarmed by an overwhelming resurgence in Union military activity. The next day the entire body of the Union's navy, all 5 fleets, were detected heading into ESF space; their target Earth. For 72 hours, men and ships were rushed from all over the Federation to defend the Sol system and Earth. 3 days after the initial detection, the Union ships arrived at the edge of the Sol system, face to face with over 50 capital ships, and thousands of smaller ones courtesy of every division and even civilians. Then the Union fleet turned around, and headed back to Union space. To call it humiliating would be an understatement.
'But there's something wrong here. Earth, a big target, you could expect the ESF to rally for it, but Magestic 3? It's already well defended, and the civilian population is almost under constant martial law anyway. Even if this was another Earth Scare, Admiral DuPont could probably prevent the media from even knowing of it.' Said Perneas, earnestly.
'No doubt, no doubt. But he's the Admiral.'
Prefect Gondor finished talking to the men in tactical, and walked back to Perneas. His brown face was almost white.
'It appears I owe you an apology Captain Perneas. The Union fleet is certainly intent on conquest.'
'How do you know?' Asked Marselles keenly.
'Because they're hiding their numbers.'
2 hours later, Perneas was back in the Prometheus, Marselles was back in his carrier, the Negulon, and once again, Perneas was preparing for battle.
Prefect Gordon's voice rang out over the bridge via his hologram.
'...good, now would the light cruiser captain's please signal that they're in position?'
The Comm officer looked over at Perneas, 3 metres away and seated in his commander's chair. It presented an almost total view of the bridge, from the giant transparent window at the front, to every single control panel on every single level. As could the Romans say 'all roads lead to Rome', Perneas could honestly say 'all walkways lead to captain Perneas'.
He, Perneas, nodded at the Comm officer. The man pressed a button.
Gordon's eyes flickered to the control panel that was not shown in his picture. It was probably right in front of him, but to the people on the bridge it looked like he was looking at the chief engineers stomach.
'Good. Now the carrier captains?' He stood there for a few seconds. 'Come on people, this is not lunch break!'
Evidently the stray carrier signalled. He smiled a satisfied smile.
'Excellent. Now people pay close attention. The Union fleet is jamming our transmissions, so we can't even tell how many of them there are, only that they are coming to invade, and that they are taking it seriously this time. We can assume that the Union will be victorious in this encounter, if all things go according to their plans. We must therefore make do the most we can to disrupt those very plans. Assuming that they are using a single fleet for this conquest, we can predict to a slight degree how they will come out of hyperspace. My tactical teams are beaming this plan to you over using radio waves, right now.'
The Comm officer raised his hand in a signal of affirmation. Perneas nodded back.
'Display the plan picture, override Gordon's image keeping the sound.' Said Perneas quickly, so as not to interrupt Gordon.
'I advise all captain's to display the plan picture.' Announced Gordon.
The picture of the system in 3-D appeared over the bridge. Instead of ships, were square and triangles representing them. Lines of x, y and z allowed the eye to differentiate where they were positioned in three dimensional space.
'Run it.' Said Perneas.
The picture changed. Not the ships though, they stayed in the same position. What happened, was that Union ships sprang out of hyperspace. Atleast, it seemed like it. 3 big triangles (Perneas guessed they represented the battlecruiser's, but was not entirely sure) 3 diamonds (carriers, if this followed the standard warmap configuration) and 10 smaller triangles (heavy destroyers). The fleet appeared over Magestic 3, like a beautiful flower, and soon launched it's seeds. 18 - 20 smaller triangles (fighters perchance?) thought Perneas, and then saw 22 smaller ones. Ahh, those larger ones must be corvettes. Then the picture stopped.
Gordon's voice was heard again over the intercom, 'My tactical officers plan 3 different possible entry formations. These will all be seen. The first is the Enclosure manouevre. This is successful only when if the Union outnumbers the ESF ships by a significant majority. The Union commanders have very few opportunities to use this tactic, so I don't believe Admiral Lockwood will try it out in his first invasion attempt.'
The red triangles and diamonds rearranged themselves so they were spread out almost 180 degrees in front of Magestic 3. In the middle of the semi-circle were 3 battlecruisers, taking the position of the key-piece to the battle. Around them, the corvettes were spread out more or less evenly, and heavy destroyers guarded escort carriers at the tipes of the enclosure. The picture stopped when the ships began moving inwards.
'Since this is unlikely, I have ordered you into positions where you would be extremely vulnerable to such an attack. If any captain wishes to question this formation, then please tell us now. My warning is, that if we make preparations for an Enclosure, we will be slaughtered should we proceed with the following maneouvres. This is the Swarm tactic, and relies heavily on fighters. The Union does not usually make much use of their fighters, the very reason why I think this tactic is the more likely. Their admiral wishes to catch us off-guard.'
While he was talking, the Union ships rearranged into what could faintly resemble a merchant cruiser seen from the top-side. At the van of the formation, were the battlecruisers and heavy destroyers, very open and very unprotected against the wrath of the ESF ships. Behind them were the escort carriers, and spread thinly in between these seperate fleets the corvettes. Suddenly, the escort carriers launched all their fighters at once, and those fighters streamed towards Magestic 3. The battlecruisers and heavy destroyers slowed their approach, and the Union fighters dog-fighted in front. Leaving their most powerful ship's unprotected against the ESF's fighters, this tactic could be a risky one, and would incur heavy losses even with victory.
'This last tactic is the most common among Union captains, as it does not expose their main ships. The 'Porcupine' assault method is used almost all the time, but is almost fatally susceptible to a pincer counterstrike.'
Now the Union ships were not spread out at all, but formed a rough sphere, pin pricks at the outside, and huge Union battleruisers on the inside. Layer by layer, as if the strongest ships were afraid to get hurt, and the lighter ones the opposite. Provided the enemy did not attack from 2 sides, the Union could rely on having longer-range weapons to pound the enemy to dust inside they're reinforced shell.
'I have prepared you for the Swarm tactic, but you're position will work more or less against the Porcupine manouevre. Godspeed, and good luck. I will forward our ETA of the Union fleet to your viewscreens.'
The voice stopped, and the tactical screen remained frozen and motionless.
'Switch it off please' asked Perneas. It was switched off, to make way for the timer. The same timer Perneas had watched while being pursued by a certain battlecruiser under the command of the very Admiral who he was about to fight.
'Come back to finish the job have you?' He muttered.
The crew watched the counter in anticipation. Their sweat could be seen even from Perneas viewpoint. He did not blame them, he was sweating too. He deeply wished that Darkk was here to assist, perhaps the Vylae Warship could turn the tide of this loathsome battle he was certain he would lose.
5.... Oh here we go he thought. God how much I hate countdowns!
4....
3....
2....
1...
Spatial disruptions were visible quite clearly against the backdrop of space. Tactical screamed;
'It's the Swarm formation!'
Perneas could stand it no longer. Jumping out of his seat, he ran over into the Tactical Section of the bridge. He looked over at the screen. The ships were certainly positioned in swarm formations, but there was something clearly wrong with it. No middle stream. Either the Union fleet was more bold than he thought, or...
'It's an altered Porcupine formation!' He exclaimed. Gordon's picture flashed onto the bridge.
'The Union has opted for the Swarm formation, capital ships get ready to jump behind the escort carriers. Frigates and fighters, will take pairs and engage the incoming fighters.'
Perneas yelled out to Comm;
'Connect me to Gordon NOW!'
The man nodded, but Perneas remained where he was.
Gordon's picture stopped transmitting, and Perneas switched on his personal commlink.
'Wh-'
'Gordon, the Union has NOT opted for a Swarm attack, but is using an altered porcupine asssault pattern. Stop the capital ships from jumping behind them now!'
There was a pause on the other side, interrupted by minor bursts of static.
'By God you're right!' He exclaimed.
The light on Perneas' commlink died, but Gordon appeared over the bridge.
'All capital ships, abort ether, all capital ships, abort ether!' He screamed into into each captain's holovision screen, from the tiny radio-only cockpits of the fighters, to the huge 3-D gallery in the carriers.
But it was too late.
From Perneas' position next in tactical, he could see every movement of the fleet. The ESF ships had not aborted quickly enough. Already in a mini-hyper jump they could not abort till they had arrived at their destination - the meatgrinder of space between the battlecruisers and escort carriers. Someone muttered a prayer. The carriers dropped out of hyperspace, and began receiving fire immediately. The light cruiser, being more nimble and slightly faster managed to evade firepower until they built up enough charge to jump again, but could not make accurate calculations as to where, so they spun off in random directions all over the solar system. The carriers, who were specially geared so they could not do this, tried to launch fighters in order to stave off the assault, but it was no good. Plasma coming from corvettes shot the fighters as soon as they exited the carrier, and melted the bays where they came from. A few enterprising corvette captains circled round the carrier, evading the railgun and blasted at it's fusion reactor, destroying it instantly. of the 4 carriers that had jumped, 1 was destroyed, 2 badly damaged and only a single one had managed to re-jump near Magestic 3.
'It must be slaughter in there!' Exclaimed a crewman.
Perneas could do nothing but agree.
As they waited in comfort next to the orbital railguns of Magestic 3, those on the other side of the system were enduring pure and unadulterated chaos. Neutron missiles exploded left and right, some hitting, some just casting halos of deadly radiation across the vacuum of space. Ships spun around, trying as much as anything to find a target to attack, and desperately hoping that the missiles trailing it would lose their guidance among the debris of carrier's and fighters. Machinegun bullets raced across space, arcing some of them, but more just kaplonking onto anything in their path, be it friend or foe. Union fighters, not going out to engage the approaching frigate and fighter group, engaged the ESF without mercy. Using their incredible strength to their advantage, they could sit back at their leisure and fire at the mess that was their dogfight. Whilst being able to withstand much machinegun fire from their own ships, the ESF fighters couldn't. Space was spraying with projectiles, and it was rare indeed, among so much plasma and Union unique weapons, to see a railgun shell or even a piece of gravsteel debris.
Finally, after so much tension, the 2 remaining carriers, now all badly damaged, but alive, broke free of the thrall of the Union fleet, and jumped back into position. While it might seem that the ESF had taken a light beating for their rashness, a free punch on your opponent like that could easily turn the tide of the battle. But in a battle so sorely weighted as this, it could spell only sure defeat.
(This message has been edited by Count Altair El Alemein (edited 06-16-2001).)
(This message has been edited by Count Altair El Alemein (edited 06-16-2001).)
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