Author’s Note: There is a lot going on in this post, hopefully everyone can follow what is going on. <G>
September 9, 2036
The last two ships of the Abonai survey fleet arrive in Alkumar (El Paso) and join the survey effort.
October 9, 2036
Alliance CruRon 6 and DesDiv 2 arrive in the Tau Ceti system at the warp point to El Paso. So far there have been no sightings of Abonai ships in El Paso since the escape of the Milton.
November 4, 2036
The Alliance heavy ships arrive on the warp point in Tau Ceti. Admiral Laducer dispatches the 2nd DesDiv through the warp point to picket the far side, while her heavier ships are positioned 5 million kilometers off of the Tau Ceti side, ready to engage with missiles if the Abonai came through.
November 19, 2036
The Raumarine begins final preparations for Operation Albion, the invasion of Novara. All ships still in overhaul status are given orders to return to operational status. The planned execution date is December 20, 2036.
By now Alliance intelligence agencies have tumbled to the fact that the Raumarine is acting in an atypical fashion, however, the top brass and the Alliance’s political leaders decide that the Reich is reacting to the Alliance’s out-system deployments.
November 29, 2036
The Abonai complete their gravitic survey of the Alkumar system (El Paso for the Alliance) and have located one additional warp point which they reasonably believe was used by the Alliance. The Abonai battle group sets its course for the newly discovered warp point. It will take them nearly forty-three days to reach the warp point’s location.
December 4, 2036
The Russian fleet completes its preparations for action. Unnoticed by any of the other powers due to their preoccupation with each other and extra-systemic events, the Russians have been preparing for action by pulling their ships from overhaul status and reducing training and other exercises.
December 19, 2036
Eighty combat units of the Raumarine break Venusian orbit on a course for the Novaran warp point. They are soon joined by ten warships, nineteen troop transports, and four fleet support ships that had been taking on cargo and troops on Earth. In all, the troop ships have embarked fifteen armored divisions and four combat assault divisions. Nearly simultaneous with the departure of the fleet, the Reich government announces that the Raumarine will be engaging in operations against the Novaran fleet, and further announces that it will be enforcing an exclusion zone of ten million kilometers around the warp point to Novara. No ships belonging to any other nation will be allowed into that zone as long as the Reich fleet is engaged in operations in the Novaran system.
The Reich Parliament votes a declaration of war with a substantial margin, and public support is substantial. The Reich government and most of the press has spent significant time and effort vilifying the Novarans, and the result is solid public support.
In Russia, what used to be the Soviet government watched the Reich warships leave Earth and Venus and altered its calculations accordingly.
December 20, 2036, 0210 hours
Four groups of ships, clustered around jump ships, approach the Novaran warp point. Each group is composed of four Hessen class battleships and a single Von Roeder class jump ship. Ten seconds pass as the ships prepare for transit, then each of the jump ships opened a jump point and the big battleships began passing through. Finally, each of the jump ships entered their own jump point and the ships disappeared from the solar system.
[attachment=0:1p5xs11g]Novara View 1.gif[/attachment:1p5xs11g]
The Reich warships appear scattered around the warp point at distances ranging from seven thousand kilometers to ninety three thousand kilometers. They are struggling to regain control of their ships and their sensors are non-functional.
The Reich ships begin moving almost immediately. The heavy battleships turn ponderously away from the warp point and begin moving away at their best speed, in a bid to put as much space as they can between them and whatever is defending the warp point. They can’t see anything yet, but the assumption is that the Novarans have almost certainly put something on the warp point. The four jump ships turn towards the warp point and begin racing towards it to make their jump out. Unfortunately, the Novarans have other plans. The closest jump ship, just seven thousand kilometers from the jump point, is hit almost immediately by thirty five fusion torpedoes. Five torpedoes suffice to take out the jump ship’s shields, then the remaining torpedoes begin eating into her armor. Like all Reich ships, though, she is heavily armored. Torpedo after torpedo slam into the big ship’s flank, and finally, the twenty-fourth torpedo penetrates the ship’s armor. The explosion generated by the torpedo lances through an already weakened area of the armor and penetrates to the ship’s engine room. For a few seconds the ship’s massive jump drive destabilizes, but then the crack engineering team gets the systems under control and the ship jumps out, fleeing the withering torpedo fire from defenders it couldn’t see.
A few seconds after the first ship jumped out, the second Reich jump ship reached the warp point and jumped out as well, this time without being engaged by the defenders. Ten seconds after the first jump ship left the system the third Reich jump ship transited out as well, also without being engaged.
The last Reich jump ship is still thirty-one thousand kilometers short of the jump point when it is hit by thirty-five fusion torpedoes, a full twenty seconds after the last torpedo salvo. Once again the ship’s shields are easily stripped away and this time the torpedoes penetrate the armor in several places. The ship’s magazine, quarters, and engineering spaces all suffer damage, as does the jump drive, but the massive installation remains functional.
Seconds after the second torpedo salvo arrived, the Reich ship’s sensors finally come up and they see ten Novaran ships, five cruisers and five destroyers, closing on the last jump ship. The Reich crews, still struggling with the after-effects of the jump, continue their efforts to stabilize their recalcitrant systems so that they can engage the enemy ships.
The Novaran ships don’t waste time on following the last Reich jump ship as it races towards the warp point, as it will jump out before they can recharge. Instead the Novaran warships race past the Reich ship, headed towards the group of three Reich battleships behind it. The Novaran ships have split up, so that the smaller DD’s can proceed at their maximum speed. The Reich battleships are moving at 2637 kps, while the Novaran cruisers can only make 2500 kps at their maximum. The Novaran DD’s are cranking out 3600 kps, though, and thus could quickly overtake the fleeing Reich BB’s.
Four of the Reich BB’s manage to get their systems stabilized thirty seconds after arriving in the system and launch forty short range anti-ship missiles targeted on two Novaran cruisers. In response, the Novaran ships launch thirty anti-missiles.
Two Novaran anti-missiles hit their targets amongst the incoming missile salvoes, but then the Reich missiles, each traveling at 32,000 kps, which is a full 8,000 kps faster than the Novaran anti-missile missiles, roar past the defensive missiles and slam into their targets. Seventeen Reich missiles hit each of the Novaran cruisers, destroying both. The short-ranged Reich missiles are devastating.
In the seconds after the heavy Reich missiles took out the two cruisers, fifteen Reich anti-missiles slam into the Novaran anti-missiles, taking out three. Three additional Reich BB’s stabilize their systems and launch thirty more short-range anti-ship missiles. Again the Novarans launch anti-missiles, this time twenty-two. The last Reich jump ship reaches the warp point, but instead of jumping out it waits on the warp point.
The twenty-four Novaran anti-missiles attack the Reich missiles, but all miss. On the other hand, sixteen Reich anti-missiles hit groups of Novaran anti-missiles still en route to the Reich attack missiles and kill six. A Novaran CA and DD are attacked by ten Reich missiles each. The DD is overwhelmed and destroyed, while the CA is only damaged.
The Novarans launch their third salvo of torpedoes, this time targeted on a Reich BB one hundred and twenty thousand kilometers away. Thirteen out of twenty-three Novaran torpedoes hit the Reich battleship. The torpedo fire strips away the BB’s light shields almost immediately, but then washes across the heavy armor hide of the battleship without visible effect.
In the meantime, the anti-missile missile duel continues. Fifteen Novaran anti-missiles attack Reich missiles, but all miss. In response, nineteen Reich anti-missiles attack the Novaran anti-missiles, killing six. Five Reich missiles break through the Novaran anti-missile missiles and slam into the same Novaran cruiser hit five seconds ago, heavily damaging it.
Four more Reich BB’s activate their systems and launch forty anti-ship missiles. The Novaran ships launch sixteen anti-missiles.
Less than a minute after the Reich ships arrived in the system the missile duel contiunues unabated. Sixteen Novaran anti-missiles attack the incoming Reich missiles, killing one. Four Reich missiles hit a Novaran cruiser, lightly damaging it. A Novaran destroyer is hit by eight missiles and destroyed. Seconds later an already damaged cruiser is hit by four Reich missiles, causing two secondary explosions which destroy the ship. Another Novaran destroyer is subsequently hit by ten Reich missiles, heavily damaging it. A second Novaran DD is hit by nine missiles, destroying it. As the missile strikes went home, five additional Reich BB’s launch fifty missiles at the remaining Novaran ships.
Sixty five seconds after the battle started the Novaran ships began launching their torpedoes again, but even as they launched Reich missiles began their deadly work amongst the surviving ships. Four Reich missiles hit a Novaran cruiser, but this cruiser was at alert stations when the Reich ships transited in and its shields are at full strength. As a result the Reich missiles don’t penetrate the ship’s shields. Ten Reich missiles hit a second cruiser, this one effectively unshielded, and heavily damage it. The remaining Novaran ships launch seven torpedoes at the same Reich BB they targeted before, hitting with five. Once again the big ship takes their fire without flinching or showing signs of damage.
The maelstrom of destruction around the warp point continues, but the Novarans are running out of ships. Seconds after launching its torpedoes, a Novaran cruiser is hit by twenty Reich missiles, causing two secondary explosions. The cruiser is staggered, but survives. A second, already damaged cruiser is hit by four Reich missiles, which cause a secondary explosion that destroys the ship.
At this point there are only three Novaran ships left, two DD’s, one of which is heavily damaged, and a heavily damaged CA.
Five seconds later the Novaran ships are gone. Three Reich missiles wiped out the damaged Novaran DD, leaving eleven missiles to attack the undamaged DD, destroying it. A single missile struck the damaged CA and wiped it out. The battle is over. In exchange for armor damage to one battleship and light damage to two jump ships, the Raumarine has destroyed ten Novaran warships.
In the aftermath of the battle the Reich jump ship transited out to update the fleet, and the twelve Reich BB’s began rescuing the Novaran crews from their life pods. Over the next ten minutes the Reich fleet jumps into the system as the Reich BB’s rescued the Novaran survivors. Once that task was complete the BB’s rejoined the main fleet on the warp point.
The two damaged jump ships were immediately dispatched back to Venus for repair while the rest of the fleet reorganized on the warp point. Admiral Derg detached the four remaining jump ships, along with a Koln class scout, two cruisers, and three missile frigates, to guard the warp point. The rest of the fleet, after replenishing its missiles from the munitions ships, set out for the initial rally point on the route to the Novaran home world. The rally point was an asteroid in the belt orbiting outside the home world’s orbit. The Reich fleet would arrive there in twelve days.
Admiral Derg’s message announcing the victory arrived on Earth eighteen minutes after the end of the battle. The Reich government released nearly the entire message to the public, to great acclaim. The public was nearly ecstatic over the news, to the point where the government felt forced to try to moderate their joy by pointing that the Raumarine still faced the greater portion of the Novaran fleet in their home system, along with whatever planetary defenses the Novarans possessed. The problem was that while the average Reich citizen was in favor of this war, and had a firm belief in the superiority of Reich arms over any opponents, this belief was tempered by a creeping fear that the Novarans might be more powerful than anyone suspected. From the first many in the Reich, while they publicly supported the war, privately feared that the Raumarine would disappear into the Novaran system, never to return. More than one person in Europe feared the possibility that Novaran ships would appear overhead one day, seeking revenge. That fear made Admiral Derg’s victory that much greater. The fear still remained, but with the victory it seemed slightly more unreasonable. The possibility of Novaran ships bombarding Earth receded a little further into the night.
The return of the damaged Reich ships to Venus, easily observable from Earth, was the signal that Russians had been waiting for.
Fourth Sino-Soviet War, 2036
The Fourth Sino-soviet war began on December 21, 2036, with a devastating four-pronged Russian attack against the Japanese Empire. The first part, which developed in the early morning hours, was a nearly complete subversion of the Empire’s computer and communications networks. The groundwork for this had been laid during “The Event”, at which time the Imperial network was compromised, and the Russians had used the initial foothold to completely penetrate the network and all but the most secure Imperial communications. This initial attack went nearly unnoticed, at least in the early phases, because rather than shutting down or disrupting communications and information transfer, the Russians instead used their access to distort communications and data, leading to confusion and paralyzing indecision at the highest levels of the government.
The second part of the attack also went unnoticed, largely because of the data-distortion and miscommunications caused by the electronic portion of the attack. Nearly simultaneously thousands of re-entering micro-meteorites and small floats drifting on the surface of the ocean exploded throughout China, Japan, and the entire Pacific basin, spreading tailored viruses and other, more sinister payloads. Within twenty-four hours 10% of the ethnic Japanese citizens of the Empire were sick, and that percentage would grow to 50% in five days. Five days after that nearly every ethnic Japanese citizen would be sick.
Two days after the spread of the virus military units of the Indian Republic on duty on the border first detected the airborne virus coming across from its border with China. The Republic immediately captured the virus for analysis, put the entire country on an even higher state of alert, and instituted fairly severe medical limits on society.
The third phase of the attack was actually an outgrowth of the first phase. Approximately three hours after the initiation of the first phase, as the Imperial government was struggling to understand what was happening, or indeed, if anything was happening, the Russian penetration of the Imperial data networks turned destructive. Conflicting orders were sent to military units through channels that were considered secure. Some units prepared to attack while others withdrew. Three Imperial naval units in orbit, two cruisers and a destroyer, attacked each other in an orgy of destruction as their computers told their crews that the other ships were launching against them. The other orbiting ships watched in horror and confusion as the three ships pounded each other to scrap, unable or unwilling to intervene in a conflict they didn’t understand. Conflicting orders and information raged across the comm. links and no one knew what to believe.
The network attack took an even more deadly turn amongst the Imperial Planetary Defense Centers on the ground. Even these ultra-secure installations weren’t proof against electronic infiltration, and three of the bases were destroyed in minutes as their fusion power cores overloaded and exploded. All fourteen remaining bases were forced to shut themselves down to avoid a similar fate. Their pleas for help or information were ignored in the ongoing meltdown of the Japanese data networks.
By the end of the first day the Japanese Empire was paralyzed, its fleet and PDC’s impotent and its ground forces in disarray. All of this done without any hard evidence on the culprit. By the third day the Indian government, which has not suffered the same data network failures that the Japanese Empire has, puts enough evidence together to place the blame for the attack on the Russians. While in the past the Indians maintained a firm neutrality when the Russians and the Japanese fought their battles, the fundamental change in the nature of the Russians over the last decade has convinced the Indians to abandon that neutrality, at least partially. They immediately transmit their information to the Japanese and offer them help in restoring their communications and data networks.
December 25, 2036
The Empire is reeling. Nearly fifty percent of the ethnic Japanese population is sick and largely unable to care for themselves. The clone population is untouched and clones have been pressed into duty throughout the Empire caring for sick civilians. The Army is hit at least as hard as the civilian population, and neither Imperial doctors nor the Indians can offer any hope that a cure will be found in the short term. The Emperor has threatened the Russians with everything up to and including a full nuclear strike over the ongoing disaster, but he Russians have maintained their customary silence. In the end the Emperor orders the Army to launch an attack on the Russians, hoping to achieve something, anything, before every Japanese officer is an invalid.
The current force levels are not in favor of the Empire, even considering the typical Japanese assumption of superiority. The Empire can field only thirty divisions, eight of which are armored or armored infantry. Orbital surveillance shows the Russians have fielded at least one hundred divisions along the border. The Emperor knows that the Army cannot win, but he hopes that if the Army can achieve some sort of progress against the Russians they will buy enough time to find a cure or to bring the other nations in against the Russians. So far both the Reich and the Alliance have expressed their support, but both are focused on events beyond the solar system and neither is willing to become involved in a fight here on earth. Even as Imperial divisions move forward to the attack, Imperial diplomats work feverishly to convince the other human nations that this is their fight too, or soon will be whether they choose to join in or not. They face an uphill battle, in spite of the enigmatic nature of the Russians, given their aggressive nature of their relationship with the Russians both before and after their change.
The initial Imperial attacks are beaten back almost immediately and then the Russians go on the offense, driving into northern China. The fighting over the first five days costs the Empire three divisions, 1.2 million civilian casualties, and nine economic facilities. The Russians lose two divisions in their attacks.
Two days after the attacks started, when it became clear that they were doomed to failure, the Imperial government redoubled its appeals to the other nations for help against the Russians. Normally, none of the democratic nations would consider helping either of the remaining totalitarian nations; but all of the nations have gradually come to the realization that the Russians are no longer exactly human. In fact, in both the Reich and the Alliance the Russians are most often referred to by the press as “The Aliens Amongst Us”, a description that the two governments have come to take very seriously. When looked at from that point of view, Russia’s attack on Japan took on a very ominous quality. The Indians had always taken the Russian situation very seriously, of course, given their proximity to the Russians and the fact that they boasted Earth’s weakest economy and military.
The Japanese request was seriously debated within both the Alliance and Reich governments. Those who wished to intervene in favor of the Japanese were handicapped by the fact that both governments were currently focused on military adventures outside the solar system. Indeed, the cream of the Wehrmacht was embarked on transports holding at the warp point to Novara. Still, even so, there were powerful interests in both governments that were in favor of resolving the Russian situation once and for all. However, even as the debates raged, a message was received in the capitals of both countries from the Russians. Very few transmissions had been received from the Russians since The Event, and thus every one was viewed as extremely important. In essence, the transmission stated that the Russian people were engaged in resolving a long-standing issue with the Japanese Empire, which had attacked Russia twice in recent history. Intervention by any of the other terrestrial nations would not be tolerated, and, if any of the other nations should attack, the Russian people would resort to nuclear weapons to defend themselves. The message ended by reiterating the fact that the Russian people had no issue with any other nation on earth, but that the Japanese people forfeited their independence by the continued hostility to the Russian people.
The Russian message chilled debate within the two major governments. The threatened use of nuclear weapons effectively ended all serious proposals to militarily aide the Japanese. While both of the major governments had no real doubts that they could demolish the Russians in any all-out military confrontation, including a nuclear exchange, the earth had been suffering under the lingering effects of the last nuclear war for over ten years, and it was clear to all that any major nuclear exchange would likely render the earth uninhabitable. No one wanted to risk that, at least not when their direct survival wasn’t at stake. In the end the governments of both of the major nations turned the Japanese Ambassadors away empty handed. The Indians agreed secretly to assist the Japanese as much as they could, but they absolutely refused to give any open aide aside from humanitarian assistance to any of the sick or wounded that made it to their borders.
January 2, 2037
Novaran System
The Reich Assault Fleet arrives at the rally point at an asteroid four hundred and eighty million kilometers short of Novara. The fleet has been bombarded by demands from the Novarans to leave their system, but encouragingly there have been no attacks. After a brief pause, the fleet sets out for its next rally point, this one in deep space 180 million kilometers from Novara.
On Earth…
The Russians continue to advance during the second week of fighting, inflicting heavy losses on the Japanese. For the loss of four infantry divisions, largely in the heavy fighting that surrounds the Japanese enclaves in China, the Russians destroy seven Japanese divisions, kill 2.2 million civilians and destroy 11 major economic facilities. Worse, five of the remaining Japanese divisions fall to the disease, their officers incapacitated. With their officers incapable of giving orders, the clone troops either follow the last order given or sit passively, awaiting new orders. In either case they are easy meat for Russian cyborg units advancing south towards the Chinese coast.
The Japanese are growing more and more desperate. Limited communication has been restored with the fleet, which is largely still functional, but the ground bases are still out of action. The Imperial Fleet has relocated to lunar orbit in an effort to distance itself from the Russian ground batteries. The Russian fleet followed, but it has made no other hostile moves.
The news is worse on the ground. Since the start of the war the Imperial Japanese Army has lost fifteen divisions to the fighting or disease, while the Russians have only lost six. The IJA only has thirteen divisions left, and four of those are headquarters divisions. After a late night meeting with the Imperial General Staff, the Emperor himself orders the Imperial Fleet to prepare to engage the Russian fleet in the hopes that a victory in orbit will counter-balance the inevitable catastrophe on the ground.
January 4, 2037
Novaran System
The Reich Assault Fleet has reached its last failsafe point in the Novaran system. It is now 180 million kilometers from Novara, and so far has not been attacked or even detected any Novaran ships whatsoever. The sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop is almost oppressive as the Reich ships advanced deeper and deeper into the alien system. After spending a brief time at the rally point, Admiral Derg gave the order to advance on the initial attack position, sixty five million kilometers from Novara. As it departs the rally point, the Assault Fleet detached two groups of ships. The two groups are each composed of five Scharnhorst anti-missile frigates and two escorting Scharnhorst missile frigates. The two groups move out 1 million kilometers ahead of the main fleet, displaced slightly to each side of the fleet’s course, extending the fleet’s anti-missile detection envelope from two to three million kilometers.
Admiral Derg, along with everyone else, has anxiously awaited the Novaran response to the Reich penetration of the Novaran system. No one knows just what the range is of the Novaran planetary missiles, or how many they can launch, so every million kilometers that the Reich fleet closes could put them within attack range. Admiral Derg has spent a lot of time during the long approach considering wasted opportunities. The Mark II long range anti-ship missiles carried by the battleships and cruisers of the fleet had a maximum engagement range of 131 mkm’s, far beyond that of any other known missile. However, unfortunately, the Mark II standard missile fire control system, which was mounted on nearly every ship in the fleet, has a maximum engagement range of 67 mkm’s. The Bureau of Design had intended to introduce a new capital ship missile fire control system to complement the Mark II Long Range Missile; however, in the rush to improve civilian technology to counter the high background radiation on Earth the new fire control system was postponed and ultimately cancelled. If the capital ship fire control system had been installed she would be fairly confident that her fleet could attack Novara from far beyond the Novaran ability to respond, however, with just the standard fire controls her fleet actually had they would have to close to just half the distance they otherwise would have with the longer ranged systems. Given their uncertainty about the Novaran capabilities that was enough to give any fleet commander heartburn.
To make things worse, she wasn’t totally at ease with the attack plan, which had been forced on her by the political leadership back home. She was confident that her fleet could acquire any ships in or around Novara from sixty-five mkm’s out, especially with the help of her Koln class scout’s drones, and what they could acquire she was certain they could destroy. Her capital ships and cruisers carried fourteen hundred long range missiles that had enough fuel to loiter until every missile was launched and then move in one overwhelming salvo to the planet. Based on their poor showing against her missiles at the warp point she was fairly sure that the Novaran planet’s defenses would not be able to deal with such a huge salvo. When faced with the choice of being wiped off the face of the planet or surrendering, she was fairly sure that the Novarans, who surely weren’t insane, would surrender; however, the Kaiser and his advisors didn’t see it that way. They had absolutely forbidden her to launch a large scale bombardment of planetary civilian targets, and even demonstration strikes had to be cleared with the government on Earth. She was authorized to engage ground based defenses, under certain circumstances, but she had to be able to see those defenses to engage them. If she couldn’t force those defenses to reveal themselves then she would have to close and ‘encourage’ the Novaran defenses to show themselves, so that her fleet could engage and destroy them. That meant that the fleet would have to weather attacks from the Novaran planetary missile batteries, but in a way that was okay. After all, if the Novarans were as incompetent at offensive missile engagements as they were at missile defense, then the Raumarine should have no problem dealing with any attack they launch. And once the Novarans had exhausted their magazines they would have no choice but to agree to terms with her fleet in orbit over them. That was the theory, anyway. It remained to be seen just how sane the Novarans were going to be.
January 4, 2037, 0525 hours, lunar orbit
The IJN launches its assault against the Russian fleet. The fleet has been somewhat isolated from the worst of the unconventional Russian attacks. The disease has not spread to the ships in orbit, and, due to quick action by several officers in the fleet, the viruses and other net attacks never gained as much of a foothold on fleet ships as they did in the ground-based systems. However, because of the countermeasures taken, the Japanese ships are forced to limit their communications to avoid opening themselves to infection, and as a result their coordination and planning is poor. Their initial salvo will be well coordinated, but after that the individual ship commanders will have to decide on their own what their targets will be without input from the flag.
At 0525 hours, 56 seconds, the twenty-one cruisers and twenty nine destroyers of the Japanese fleet begin charging their shields and activate their sensors. The fleet’s commanders know that they won’t be able to fool the Russians as to their intent, so they have orders to open fire as soon as they can lock on to a target.
Five seconds later the Japanese destroyers and the last remaining laser-armed cruiser strike out against three Russian cruisers. One cruiser takes over fifty laser hits and is left a riddled hulk. The second cruiser takes fifteen hits from the Japanese 12 cm lasers, but its armor is proof against the attack. The third cruiser takes twenty-eight hits and suffers a secondary explosion in its engine compartments, leaving the ship barely functional. Simultaneously, twenty Japanese missile cruisers launch one hundred and sixty Long Lance II missiles at four different Russian cruisers.
The Russians were not caught sleeping, if indeed they even sleep any longer. Almost simultaneously with the first Japanese salvo, the Russian ships brought up their fire control and search sensors, and the Russian rail guns were online and tracking in time to interdict the first salvo of Japanese missiles. Thirty four Japanese missiles died on final approach, but that still left one hundred and twenty eight missiles to slam into their targets. In spite of the close range and the near perfect attack conditions, the Russian cruisers, which have a top speed of 9920 kps or nearly 40% that of the Japanese missiles, manage to force fifty of the attacking missiles to miss. One cruiser was hit by thirty three of the missiles and damaged, the other three were hit by anywhere from three to twenty-one missiles, none of which penetrated their armor. Even as the missiles slammed into the Russian cruisers the Japanese beam ships continued to bombard the Russian cruisers with concentrated 12 cm laser fire, killing a cruiser and damaging a second.
With fighting in orbit and the Japanese Empire close to collapse, the militaries of the three other human nations move to their highest alert states. Active sensors proliferate, and missile defense systems and offensive missile acquisition systems controlled by AI’s quiver in their eagerness to join the fray (metaphorically speaking).
The orbital battle, which is now fifteen seconds old, escalates yet again when five Russian ground bases join the fray by launching one hundred and twenty missiles at the Japanese ships orbiting the moon. The controlling powers of Russia hold their breath (metaphorically), as the Russian ground based launchers will take twenty to thirty seconds to recharge, meaning that the other powers have a window of attack during which the Russian strategic forces won’t be able to reply. The window of opportunity passes, though. Neither the Reich nor the Alliance is willing to become involved in the ongoing war between the Japanese and the Russians, particularly with so much of their fleet’s ships out of the solar system.
Meanwhile, in lunar orbit the two fleets continue to tear at each other. The Russian cruisers are coordinating their fire well, and are concentrating their rail guns on one Japanese missile cruiser after another. The IJN, though, outnumbers the Russians and is performing well. In exchange for the loss of a single missile cruiser to Russian rail gun fire, the Japanese beam ships destroy three Russian cruisers, one of which was ripped apart by a series of secondary explosions started when it suffered engine damage. The engine fragility of the Russian ships is noted by the other nations with interest.
Seconds after the Russian ground bases launched their missiles the twelve Russian missile frigates in lunar orbit launched 108 missiles of their own at the Japanese ships. Even as the frigates launched their missiles the Japanese continued to pummel the Russian cruisers with their lasers, damaging two.
The planetary missile salvo has broken into two discrete groups as it leaves the vicinity of Earth. The leading group is traveling at 30,000 kps and the second is traveling at16,500 kps. With missiles approaching from both the Russian frigates and from Earth, offensive laser fire from the Japanese ships falls off completely as they reconfigure for missile defense. Before the IJN ships manage to reconfigure and recharge their lasers the small missiles launched by the Russian frigates slam into their targets. Six Japanese cruisers and a destroyer are attacked by the missile wave. Three of the cruisers suffer internal damage, while the lone destroyer to be attacked suffers serious damage when one of its engines explodes after receiving damage. While the IJN is preoccupied by the missiles, the Russian cruisers turn their 12 cm rail guns on a Japanese destroyer, wiping it out.
Even as the Japanese fleet recovers from the missiles launched by the Russian frigates, the planetary missiles begin arriving. Unlike the surprise salvo from the Russian frigates, the IJN fleet could see the planetary missiles approaching and they were ready for the onslaught. Unfortunately, the IJN ships are working in a limited communications environment, and are therefore unable to properly coordinate their missile defense. The effect of this limited-communications environment is serious. Some IJN ships are only firing in their own defense, while others risk exposure to Russian corruption and link their defensive fire with other ships. The Russian planetary missiles are tough targets, though, and the Japanese only manage to intercept fifteen in the first part of the first wave and the survivors slammed into five cruisers in a sudden flare of nuclear explosions. Unlike the missiles launched by the frigates these are planetary missiles and they are big, brutal, missiles intended to strike at heavily armored ground targets, or to win an orbital battle in one salvo. These missiles have warheads twice as powerful as the warheads of the smaller frigate missiles, and the five targeted cruisers are staggered by the impact of the monsters. One IJN missile cruiser is overwhelmed and destroyed, while the other four take eight hits each. The four survived the attack but each was left with huge rents in their armor and heavy internal damage.
In response to the Russian planetary missile strike the IJN fleet launches 117 missiles at the Russian fleet. Their targeting discipline and organization is fraying under combat conditions and strict communications limitations, so the missiles are targeted on many different ships instead of being properly concentrated. Even as the missile duel continued a Japanese missile cruiser is hit by 64 rail gun projectiles and is shredded, left a barely functional hulk.
Nineteen planetary missiles from the second (and slower) part of the first wave are shot down by Japanese laser fire. The remaining missiles attack four Japanese cruisers, destroying three and crippling a fourth. Russian rail guns shoot down four Japanese missiles. The remaining missiles attack eight Russian destroyers and three cruisers. No ship is hit more than eight times, and most are hit three or four times. None of the missiles penetrate the Russian ship’s thick armor.
The tide of the battle is visibly turning. The IJN began strongly and caused significant damage to the Russians in the beginning; however, their lack of communications and the missile attacks which have forced the Japanese ships to transfer their lasers to defensive duties have reduced the IJN’s offensive abilities and given the advantage to the Russians.
Thirty seconds after the first salvo, the Russian ground bases launch their second one hundred and twenty missile salvo, this time composed completely of the faster missiles. The Japanese continue to have problems in coordinating their actions and while some IJN destroyers switch their lasers over to offensive mode while waiting for the planetary missiles to arrive, others do not. In the meantime, the Russian cruisers keep up a steady barrage of rail gun fire, shredding one IJN cruiser after another.
Ten seconds after launch the Russian missile salvo streaks into lunar space. Japanese laser fire destroys twenty-one missiles, leaving nearly one hundred to attack IJN cruisers. Four cruisers were destroyed outright by the missiles and seven were damaged. Two of the cruisers suffered heavy internal damage when chain reaction internal explosions began in a magazine and spread to the cruiser’s other magazines, causing heavy damage.
In the aftermath of the attack by the planetary missiles the IJN fleet has been reduced to launching salvoes composed of just forty six missiles. The battle is obviously winding down. The Japanese have lost almost all of their cruisers and those remaining are heavily damaged. Even as the remaining IJN missile cruisers launch, the Japanese destroyers leave orbit, running for Titan. Similarly, the Russian frigates are running for their asteroid base.
Russian rail gun fire destroys five incoming missiles and the remainder attack eight Russian cruisers, however, the missile fire is so spread out that it is largely ineffectual. One cruiser is hit by five missiles and lightly damaged, the others are hit by between one and three missiles and none suffer any damage. In the midst of the missile duel the Russian cruisers continue their rail gun barrage, destroying one IJN cruiser after another.
Even as the smaller IJN ships flee the Russian ground bases launch a third salvo, this time composed completely of the slower variant. With the IJN missile cruisers a spent force the Russian cruisers turn their rail gun fire on the receding destroyers, killing one and damaging a second before they are out of range. For their own inscrutable reasons the Russian ships decline to pursue.
With the Japanese destroyers out of range the battle has reached a lull. The few remaining IJN cruisers are struggling to reload their launchers before the planetary missiles arrive.
In the seconds before the planetary missiles arrive the IJN cruisers launch 47 missiles at the nearby Russian cruisers. Before the missiles can strike the remaining IJN cruisers are destroyed by the planetary missiles. The IJN missiles, now out of control, are easy targets for the Russian rail guns. In all the battle lasted for just over one hundred seconds.
In the aftermath of the battle the Russian cruisers move to pick up their life pods, and their frigates return to orbit. The Russian ships ignore the Japanese life pods drifting amongst the wreckage of their fleet. After some debate, the Alliance 1st Destroyer Division leaves orbit to pick up the Japanese survivors.
The seven relatively undamaged Russian cruisers return to earth orbit and begin systematically dismantling every Japanese installation and ship still in orbit. Three Japanese laser armed cruisers, eight destroyers, and two jump ships are currently either in overhaul status or being refitted, and every one is destroyed.
Dai-i Kinnori, the senior surviving officer aboard the IJN destroyers that escaped the debacle in orbit, orders all Imperial ships to head to the colony of Kobe in the Gliese-204 system, except his destroyers and the troop transports and freighters. Those he orders to continue to Titan.
January 5, 2037
Novaran System
The scouts attached to the Reich fleet launch four drones from the Initial Attack Point (IAP), sixty five mkm’s from the planet. They will take approximately one hundred minutes to reach the planet, and then they will have another one hundred and thirty four minutes of endurance on station. The drones will take up station three mkm’s from the planet, and once they do the Reich fleet will have close-range intelligence with which to plan its strike.
Even as the drones speed away from the Reich fleet, Admiral Derg issues a surrender demand to the Novaran government. Admiral Derg’s communiqué demands the stand-down of all Novaran armed forces and what is, in essence, the unconditional surrender of the Novaran nation. The Novarans ignored the demand.
One hundred minutes later Admiral Derg had her confirmation. Her fleet already had solid target locks on twenty-four Novaran cruisers, twenty-one destroyers, and three 8,000 ton contacts that Intel believed to be Novaran jump ships, all in orbit over Novara, and the drones confirmed that there were no other ships present. That was all she needed. Seconds later orders flashed out from the flagship, and seconds after that the cruisers and battleships of the Reich fleet began launching missiles. For the next three minutes the ships steadily drained their magazines, until 1,140 missiles were in flight. Three minutes after that all of the missiles were at the assembly point, and on command the Reich ships shifted their targeting to the ships orbiting the Novaran planet, sixty-five mkm’s away. Responding to the new targeting orders the missiles roared away at 20,000 kps. Their flight time was fifty two point five minutes.
Meanwhile, on Novara, the Novaran political and military leaders were fretting. The Reich was clearly displayed on their sensor arrays, sitting 65 mkm’s out. As Novaran planetary defense missiles had a maximum range of 56 mkm’s, this presented a major problem. As was the fact that the Reich fleet was known to be equipped with missiles that far outranged the torpedoes that were mounted on the Novaran fleet now in orbit over the home planet. Given the human ship’s demonstrated speed superiority, or at least parity in some cases, the Novaran leaders had made the painful decision to keep the fleet in orbit, under the cover of the ground bases. By remaining in orbit they risked destruction by missile fire from the Reich fleet, but they also added the fleet’s one hundred and forty anti-missile launchers to the forty-five possessed by the Kingdom’s ground bases. If they could weather the Human fleet’s long range missile fire then they could launch a counter attack and push the Humans out of the home system. Or so their thinking went.
The Novaran government’s patience was fraying steadily as the Reich fleet sat at its rally point, and when the Reich drones entered range they tired of waiting. General Melsnatison, the Novaran commander of the home planet’s defenses, dispatched two Toad II destroyers to intercept the two groups of drones. Unfortunately, the 3,600 kps maximum speed of the destroyers wasn’t sufficient to catch the drones, which were moving at 11,000 kps. Worse, the drones never settled in one spot for long and seemed to be following a random course throughout the area surrounding the home planet. Eventually the General was forced to recall his destroyers and ordered his ground bases to launch a salvo of anti-missiles to take the drones out.
Twenty minutes after the Reich missiles set out for their targets, the Novaran ground based sensors detected the incoming missiles. The attacking missiles were still 38 mkm’s out, far beyond the range of the Novaran anti-missile targeting systems. After conferring with his commanders, General Melsnatison ordered his ships and bases to open fire. One hundred and eighty five counter missiles raced away, followed by another salvo the same size every ten seconds. All of the counter-missiles raced to an assembly area 100,000 kilometers from Novara, directly in the course of the oncoming missile strike. One hundred and eighty seconds later 3,330 anti-missiles were in space, waiting for the Reich missile salvo to arrive. Those missiles represented about sixty percent of the entire supply of anti-missiles available to the Novaran defense forces. Still, the Novaran commanders were confident that they could deal with this missile salvo. If the Reich could launch several missile salvoes of this size, though, there would be a problem.
The Novaran anti-missiles loitering just short of their maximum fire control range leapt towards the Reich missiles as soon as their controllers could lock them up. They intercepted the incoming missiles just short of 1.4 mkm’s out. The Novaran missiles had a very hard time hitting the Reich missiles, which were almost as fast as the interceptors. The Novaran missiles achieved a 12% kill rate, meaning that just under four hundred Reich missiles died in one flaring burst 3 mkm’s from the planet. The remaining seven hundred missiles continued on towards the ships orbiting the planet.
Panicked, the Novaran ships and bases began launching anti-missiles as fast as they could. Salvoes composed of 160 anti-missiles raced away from the planet and the ships orbiting it in a last, desperate attempt to stop the missiles short of their targets.
Everyone watching on the planet and on the orbiting ships held their breath as the anti-missiles raced towards the massive wave of Reich missiles. A second salvo of anti-missiles, followed by a third raced away, and the orbiting destroyers were coming close to running their magazines dry. Even as the fourth salvo launched the first ran into the attacking missile wave and space was marked by thermonuclear explosions as the anti-missiles exploded. The attacking missile wave emerged from the holocaust relatively untouched. Later analysis would show that the Novaran anti-missiles achieved a 9% kill ratio, killing twenty incoming missiles.
Following closely on the heels of the first wave of defending missiles was the second wave, and behind that were even more anti-missiles as the Novarans launched everything they had. Every five seconds the attacking missile wave ran into what looked like a solid wave of explosions, but every time it emerged essentially intact. The Novarans managed to launch eight salvoes of anti-missiles, but the last was too late to intercept the attacking missiles. Later analysis would show that the defensive missile fire destroyed 138 missiles, but that left over five hundred missiles to strike at the orbiting fleet.
To the watching observers on the fleet it was as if god’s fist was advancing inexorably towards them. The missiles themselves were invisible, of course, but their advance was marked by a nearly continuous carpet of nuclear fireballs as the anti-missiles interposed themselves. The survivors would later state that it was as if a flaming fist was reaching out of the dark for them. The explosions marched towards the fleet and then, at the last second, the fireballs engulfed the orbiting fleet. At the last second the waiting ships fired their torpedoes in a desperate, last ditch defensive measure. The odds of scoring a hit on the small missiles were poor, at best, but the ships had no other targets and nothing else to do with their weapons. Twenty-three missiles were swatted from space by the powerful torpedoes at the last second, but the rest smashed into the Novaran fleet in a massive serious of explosions that were bright enough to sear the eyes of thousands of Novarans watching from the ground.
It was over in seconds. When the explosions cleared a cheer went up in General Melsnatison’s command center, as all of the fleet’s icons were still there. The cheer faltered and then died out when the true situation became clear. First, the icon for the cruiser Artaxia flickered and then went solid black, denoting complete destruction, as a chain reaction of explosions ripped through the stricken cruiser in the aftermath of the attack. Then one by one, every single one of the icons for the remaining cruisers changed to display the green band for damage. Even as the shocked command staff watched, the band for the cruiser Helthond began pulsing, showing serious internal damage, as a huge secondary explosion raced through her engine spaces. Only two cruisers got away with damage limited to their armor, and one of those was in overhaul status and thus only capable of limited actions. All three jump ships in orbit showed serious damage, as well as three destroyers.
Later analysis would show that out of the original 1,140 Reich missiles, the Novarans managed to intercept five hundred and sixty-four, mostly with their anti-missiles. Disturbingly, out of the five hundred and seventy-six missiles that got through the Novaran defensive fire, only one missed its target, a testament to the Reich engineering teams that designed and built the missiles.
In the minutes following the attack the Novarans caught their breath and began putting things back together. As the damage reports came in, it became clear that while the situation was serious, it wasn’t quite a total disaster. Only one ship, the cruiser Artaxia, had been completely destroyed. Thirteen cruisers, all three jump ships, and a single destroyer had suffered serious damage as well, leaving eight cruisers and sixteen destroyers which, while not completely undamaged, were fully functional.
Damage control efforts began on board the damaged ships while the Novaran command staff watched the icon representing the Reich fleet, wondering what their next move would be, If they had exhausted their missile supply then they would turn away, and that would be the signal for the remaining Novaran ships to attack. If another missile attack appeared, that would be a different matter. The remaining mobile units of the fleet were busily redistributing their remaining anti-missiles, but the preliminary counts showed only six hundred and twenty four anti-missiles left after the last attack. The ground bases had another nine hundred, but that was their entire stock. Emergency orders had been placed with the military supply corporations, but it would take time for them to deliver, and that was time they didn’t have if the Reich ships still had missiles in their magazines.
Sixty five mkm’s away…
Admiral Derg and her staff watched the plot as the flagship’s computers massaged the data from the initial attack. It was apparent from the initial numbers that the Novarans had managed to stop about half of the missile salvo. Disappointingly, it appeared that only one ship was destroyed out of the thirty eight ships they had targeted.
After several minutes, the tac comp sounded a tone and put the results up on the wall mounted display. Given the range to the target their sensors hadn’t been able to determine the extent of the damage to the targeted ships, but display was showing that five hundred and seventy five of their missiles hit their targets, and given the fact that one of those targets was destroyed, that meant that the damage was likely to be evenly spread and possibly heavy, in some cases.
Admiral Derg turned away from the display, back towards the tactical plot, deep in thought. Her fleet had thirty-eight long-range missile fire control systems and three hundred and forty three long range anti-ship missiles left. She could launch one more attack with the long range missiles, but doing so would strip her fleet of the last of their long range missiles. Of course, the fleet still had over four thousand Mark II anti-ship missiles, with a maximum range of 56 mkm’s, and just over twelve hundred Mark II short-range anti-ship missiles, with a maximum range of 18.8 mkm’s.
After thinking about the situation and conferring with her staff, Admiral Derg decided to fire off the remaining long-range missiles before closing to launch a third attack with their shorter ranged missiles. After all, she had no way of knowing what the maximum range of the Novaran missiles were, and she wanted to cause as much damage as she could before subjecting her fleet to attack.
Seconds later the Reich ships began launching long range missiles again. The battleships and cruisers of the fleet had just enough long-range missiles for two salvoes, and then they fell silent again. Three hundred and forty long-range missiles raced away from the Reich ship. Once again Admiral Derg had decided to spread her missile fire among as many Novaran ships as she could, trying to damage or destroy as many ships as possible, so the Reich missiles were targeted on thirty eight ships.
Twenty minutes later the missiles appeared on the Novaran detection network’s screens. The Novaran commanders were both relieved and dismayed. Relieved that the new missile wave was much smaller than the last, but dismayed that it existed at all. After a short period of consideration, the Novaran commanders decided that this was a good sign. Obviously, the Reich had exhausted its missiles in the two attacks, and after this they would be forced either to retreat or to engage at close range. Either way suited the Novarans.
Once again the Novarans began launching anti-missiles, building up a huge wave to meet the incoming Reich missiles. General Melsnatison ordered every remaining anti-missile launched, although not without reservations. Calculations based on their performance against the last attack showed that even if they launched every remaining anti-missile it would still be a very close run thing. There was no sense in saving their anti-missiles if this missile attack destroyed the fleet. The General had almost ordered his units to save their remaining anti-missiles, against the possibility that the Reich might target the planet at some point, but his advisors had pointed out that they had no way to tell where the Reich missiles were targeted, and in any case, even if they were targeted on the fleet, the Reich could change their target to the planet at the last minute. So away the defensive missiles went.
Fifteen hundred anti-missiles were launched over the next several minutes, and then they waited as the Reich missiles closed on the planet and its orbiting fleet. Finally the attack missiles were close enough to be targeted, and the anti-missiles roared away to meet the three hundred incoming missiles. Every Novaran on the fleet held their breath as the two massive groups of missiles met in one huge blinding second of annihilation. When the explosions cleared the hopes of the Novarans faded. The anti-missiles had performed even poorer than expected. One hundred and thirty three attacking missiles were left, and the Novarans were out of anti-missiles.
The Novaran crews steeled themselves against the inevitable as the Reich missiles raced towards them. At the last second the Novaran ships launched their torpedoes in a desperate bid to stop as many of the incoming missiles as they could. Twenty-one of the attacking missiles fell prey to the torpedoes, but then it was too late to do anything. Once again the Reich missiles streaked in to attack the Novaran fleet, but as before the Reich had spread its targeting across many ships. Eleven cruisers and eleven destroyers were attacked, and they had all had more than enough time to recharge their shields since the last attack. Only three cruisers were hit by enough missiles to penetrate their shields, and of those, only one suffered enough damage to penetrate its armor. The destroyers weren’t as lucky, and didn’t have the same shielding as the cruisers, so six suffered internal damage. No Novaran ships were destroyed in this attack.
Once again General Melsnatison was forced to reconsider his position. He still had seven cruisers and fifteen destroyers that could be considered combat-ready, although many had armor damage and some had minor internal damage. His advisors were convinced that the Reich fleet was out of missiles, and thus would either retreat or move to a close-attack position. His fleet and ground stations were out of defensive missiles, so there was no longer any valid defensive reason to retain the fleet in orbit. He was tempted to send the fleet out against the Reich fleet, but even as he gazed at the icon representing the Reich ships he decided against it. His PDC’s still had seven hundred and twenty improved anti-ship missiles, and there were nearly nine hundred of the older planetary missiles in reserve. If the Reich fleet closed by even ten mkm’s, then they would be in range of his improved missiles. They would have to close another seven mkm’s before they were in range of the older planetary missiles, but he would settle for even getting one salvo in against the Reich ships. Just something to strike back at the damned humans!
Even as General Melsnatison debated the merits of using his remaining mobile units as bait to lure the Reich in, Admiral Derg had already made up her mind. Her long range missile supply exhausted, she ordered her fleet to close to within 48 mkm’s of the Novaran planet, well within the maximum range of her standard anti-ship missiles.
One hour and forty six minutes later, the Reich fleet was on station and launching missiles. While the Reich fleet couldn’t detect the anti-missiles that the Novarans were undoubtedly using, Admiral Derg had noted the decrease in the number of interceptions and had decided that the Novarans were running out of anti-missiles. In addition, based on damage estimates she believed that many of the remaining Novaran ships were damaged. After some thought, she decided to launch yet another strike against as many targets as possible. This time her missile frigates were able to participate, as they were well within range of their missiles. That meant that the Reich fleet now had enough tracking systems available to target every remaining Novaran ship. Admiral Derg decided to launch fifteen to twenty missiles at each remaining ship.
Even as the Reich fleet was deploying its missiles, the Novaran PDC’s were doing the same. The Reich fleet wasn’t as close as General Melsnatison would have liked them to be, and the Novarans wouldn’t be able to assemble all of their missiles into one large strike the way that the Humans were undoubtedly doing, but for the first time since the engagement began they were in range. Large planetary missiles begin racing away from the planet in the Novaran’s last bid to defend themselves.
Ninety seconds later seven hundred and sixty eight Reich missiles were in space and headed towards Novara. It took longer for the Novaran missiles to assemble. Four minutes and forty seconds after beginning to launch, the Novarans had five hundred and forty missiles at the assembly point, and one hundred and eighty still waiting to be launched. Unfortunately, they couldn’t wait any longer, as the endurance on the first missiles to be launched is barely enough to reach the Reich fleet. Just as the Reich fleet had done moments before, the Novaran bases shifted their targeting systems from the assembly point to their targets in the Reich fleet and the missiles roared away. Additional salvoes followed as soon as they were launched. It would take the missiles over forty minutes to reach their targets. By that point the Reich missiles had already closed by six million kilometers and just needed another 29 minutes to reach their targets.
The Novarans were forced to watch as the Reich missiles approached. They had no more anti-missiles, so the only weapons they had to oppose the incoming missile wave was their ship’s torpedoes. By the time the missile wave had reached active detection range of the planet the Novarans had confirmed that the missiles were targeted on the orbiting fleet, not their planet. General Melsnatison had already ordered all of the non-essential crew members of the fleet to be transferred off of the orbiting ships, and all they could do was wait. It was a massacre. The missiles raced in unopposed until at the last second the orbiting fleet began firing torpedoes at the incoming missiles. The missiles were past the torpedo salvo in a second, suffering only 14 casualties, and then the survivors plunged into the waiting ships. The fleet’s orbital anchorage was inundated with blinding nuclear explosions, and when they cleared the fleet wasn’t there any more. Just scattered wreckage and a few life pods.
It was Reich fleet’s turn next. General Melsnatison had sacrificed his entire fleet to get this chance to finally attack the invaders, and it was his last hope of driving the humans off. Even now his PDC’s were being resupplied with missiles, but they were older and less capable. Most importantly, they couldn’t reach the Reich fleet unless the human ships closed at least another one million kilometers. If this attack didn’t work, they would be at the mercy of the human fleet.
Approximately 37 minutes later, on board the Reich Fleet…
“Detection Alert! Multiple objects detected, range…four million kilometers from the main fleet, course, speed, and classification unknown. Detection is thermal only.” The sensor officer’s voice was cool and calm, at least so far.
Admiral Derg turned towards the central display in time to see it updated with the latest information from the Fleet’s thermal sensors.
“Update…CIC has confirmed…contact is now classified as a missile wave…five hundred and forty discrete contacts. Course plot is an intercept on the main fleet, speed…19,500 kps. Time to intercept…204 seconds.”
Admiral Derg’s mind raced. The incoming missiles were far beyond their anti-missile fire control range, but that was a lot of missiles. “All ships, begin launching AMM’s targeted on holding point 1. Fire plan to follow.” Derg hurriedly designated a way point on her personal display, and then downloaded it to the fleet repeater. “Fleet movement orders, waypoint 2, maximum fleet speed.” She swiveled to face her missile defense officer. “Recommendations?”
The MDO didn’t look up from his station as he feverishly worked to fine tune his preset plans. The flagship shuddered as her launchers began hurling anti-missile missiles into space and the entire fleet began retrograde movement, directly away from the oncoming missile wave. The fleet’s maximum speed was only 2500 kps, so there was no way they could outrun the missile wave, but the movement plan would add thirty seconds on to the missile’s approach time.
Finally, the MDO looked up. “Recommend missile defense plan C
