Author’s Note: I decided to use a home rule for warp transits starting around this point in the campaign. This is the same rule I used in the Phoenix Campaign, and was published in Electronic Communique. I was never a fan of the warp point size limitations, as I am a huge fan of big capital ships, and the warp point capacity limitations in the standard rules puts significant limitations on the sizes of ships that can effectively be deployed by empires. In addition, at the same time as it limits the use of large ships, the standard warp point rules discourage the use of small ships as well. After all, if you are only going to get six ships through the warp point, wouldn’t you want six battleships rather than six corvettes?
The home rule published in Electronic Communique gives an alternate method for doing warp transits. In essence, the warp point capacity for each warp point is divided by five, giving a number between 20 and 100. This is the amount of hull spaces that can transit through the warp point each movement impulse. Thus, for a warp point with an adjusted 80 capacity, an 80 space battlecruiser can transit each movement impulse, for a total of six battlecruisers per turn. Multiple smaller ships can transit as well, but each ship after the first counts as 2x its normal hull spaces. So, instead of one battlecruiser per movement impulse, three corvettes could transit per impulse (16+32+32). If the ship is larger than the hull space capacity of the warp point, then it will take multiple impulses to transit. In our battlecruiser example above, if the warp point capacity was 20, then it would take four impulses for the battlecruiser to transit, meaning you could only get one and a half battlecruisers through per turn.
Month 112, Day 1, Rehorish Prime
The D’Bringi turn over research data on four critical high-tech six systems to the Rehorish – augmented shields, energy beams, plasma guns, and advanced gun/missile launchers. The D’Bringi agreed to provide this information essentially free of charge, in exchange for later considerations. The Rehorish immediately begin development of these systems.
Month 112, Day 7, Earth
Mid-level representatives from the USSR and the Coalition meet to discuss the possibility of an alliance. The meeting goes well, and the Soviet representatives clearly want the Coalition to join the war. An agreement is reached for higher level meetings to be held within two weeks.
Month 112, Day 7, Solar System, Warp Point to Moskva
The Soviet 2nd Fleet was drawn up before the warp point in the solar system, in assault order. The Fleet consisted of three battlecruisers, three heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and twelve destroyers. In addition, the twenty-five explorer class craft from the 2nd Guard Group were assembled alongside the warships, ready to follow them into battle. The fleet comprised the entire combat strength of the Soviet navy, aside from the nine new escort class craft launched a few days ago and working up around Earth. Marshal Kosygin hit the button on his desk to connect his communicator to the rest of the fleet. A few seconds later it flashed green, indicating that every ship in the fleet was linked in. He stood and walked towards the camera, an earnest look on his face. “Officers and men of the Soviet fleet. We stand at a critical point of the war! Our leaders, sitting in their bunkers on Earth, cower in fear and plot to betray us all to the Coalition, in exchange for safety! They believe that we cannot defend them! That we are weak, and cannot fight against what stands against us!” He walked forward, closer to the camera, and leaned towards the pickup, looking at it with an even more earnest look. “They are wrong! We are strong, and we can stop the onslaught from the alien barbarians. We will prove to everyone that we are soldiers! We are stalwart! We cannot be defeated! We will attack the fleet on the far side of the warp point, and we will destroy them. And once they are gone, we will show our leaders what true strength really is! We will show them that we, as Russian soldiers, will stand firm against anyone who challenges us! For Mother Russia!” He turned and nodded at his chief of staff, who turned off the cameras.
Once the cameras were off, he swiftly crossed to his desk and punched in the combination for the command group. In a few seconds he was connected with the commanders of the ships in his fleet. “The latest intelligence confirms that the D’Bringi are still located fifteen light seconds from the warp point. We will transit through the warp point and, once the transit effects are gone and the fleet is assembled, we will engage the D’Bringi fleet. I anticipate that the D’Bringi will use the same strategy as they did in the battle of Leningrad. They will engage our missile ships with their missile ships, while they attempt to get their beam-equipped ships in close enough to engage decisively and end the battle. You all know my plan, but I will reiterate it here. Our missile ships will engage theirs, while our destroyers and the ramming fleet moves to intercept the barbarian’s beam ships. I will determine the point at which we will shift targeting to the enemy beam ships from their missile ships. Is everyone ready?”
There was a chorus of “Yes, Sirs”, and Marshal Kosygin smiled. “This is the battle that turns the tide of the war! To victory!” The contact was broken, and the fleet began moving towards the warp point. Now that no one aside from his closest subordinates could see him, he began pacing. Everything rode on this battle. During the last week, as the designated time approached, he had gotten less and less sleep. Contrary to what it said in his carefully curated biography, this was the first time he had faced combat, and as the time approached the fear had grown inside of him. He found this fear undermining and a nearly intolerable personal betrayal, as after a life of service to the USSR he had never thought that he would feel this way. He knew that all of his plans for the future hinged on the upcoming battle, and he had confidence in his plan, but the fears ate away at him, particularly when he was alone. And now, with the battle approaching and his ship ready for transit, all he wanted to do was run and call it all off. It was only by a supreme act of will that he held on to the shreds of his courage and stayed on the command deck.
The latest intelligence showed that his fleet was out-massed by the enemy three to two, even including the rammers, which privately he was sure would only be good for a diversion. Those weren’t good odds, but he had no choice. He could feel the situation changing back home. The Politburo was filled with old men, tired and fearful. The Coalition offered them an out, an easy way to safety and to ensure their power, at least for the near-term, and they would surely grab at it as desperately as any starving man would grasp at food held before him. His promises of eventual victory would count for nothing, and if they were truly considering an alliance with the Coalition their first move would be to remove him from power before he could organize resistance. His only hope to counter them was to win a great victory, something he could use to rally most of the military behind him and convince the Politburo to back him rather than the General Secretary. Between the victory he hoped to win here, and the organization that his second, Polhovnik Turgenev, was putting together among the critical officers back home, he could seize power and prevent the corruption of the Soviet people by the west and its Coalition. But first he had to win that victory. As his flagship, the battlecruiser Admiral Ushakov, transited out of the Solar System, he wished he had more confidence that he could make that victory happen.
The first ships through were the three Russian battlecruisers and three cruisers, which together accounted for most of the long-range striking power of the fleet. Nine explorer class ships squeezed through the warp point with the bigger cruisers, their small size meaning they could dart through without causing interpenetration. Facing them was the D’Bringi fleet, one battlecruiser, eleven heavy cruisers, and twelve corvettes. Set off to the side from the main D’Bringi fleet was a second fleet, composed of six heavy cruisers and six light cruisers. Intelligence believed that these ships belonged to a race allied with the D’Bringi, and they had yet to reveal their capabilities.
The Soviet ships moved away from the warp point, interposing themselves in between the warp point and the D’Bringi fleet, as more ships began appearing behind them. The second group through were three light cruisers and three destroyers, accompanied by fifteen explorers that squeezed through between the bigger ships. The newly arrived ships moved to join the bigger cruisers positioned one point five light seconds from the warp point. The D’Bringi fleet sat another thirteen-point-five light-seconds beyond the Russian cruisers, a full six light-seconds beyond even capital missile range. Marshal Kosygin was relieved to see that the D’Bringi were still sitting fifteen light seconds from the warp point. If they had been sitting on top of the warp point they would have been able to force his fleet into a close-range duel almost immediately, something that would be disastrous for his fleet given the number of close range combatants the D’Bringi had. His staff theorized that the D’Bringi feared an accident if they took up close range positions, where they might accidentally engage a Coalition ship transiting through the warp point, even with prior warning, or that the Soviets might attempt to use a transiting Coalition ship as cover for an assault. By stationing themselves away from the warp point they gave themselves insurance against surprise and against an accident that might bring the Coalition into the war.
The next wave consisted of six destroyers and seven explorers, and now that the bulk of the fleet was on this side of the warp point Marshal Kosygin was able to relax at least a little. Getting trapped with half of his fleet on the other side of the warp point had been a particular fear of his, in spite of the improbability of that happening, given the D’Bringi deployment so far from the warp point. In another thirty seconds his fleet would be assembled. So far, the D’Bringi fleet had not moved, but he was sure that their crews were rushing to their stations and preparing for the coming engagement. Neither side would be able to surprise the other here.
The fourth wave was made up of the last three destroyers, which moved smartly to join the fleet. The D’Bringi began moving towards the Russian ships as the last destroyers entered the system, closing to twelve light seconds as the last destroyers joined the main fleet. The Russian fleet sat immobile for another minute, watching as the D’Bringi ships approached. Finally, when the D’Bringi fleet reached nine light seconds from the fleet, the Russian cruisers all turned 60 degrees to port, and began detuning their engines to make themselves harder targets for the oncoming D’Bringi ships. Marshal Kosygin watched as everything went according to his plan to give his force the maximum advantage possible in the upcoming engagement. He could feel his confidence building as everything went as he had planned.
The missiles began flying almost as soon as the D’Bringi crossed the seven-point-five light second range demarcation. Only the three Russian battlecruisers, and the D’Bringi datagroup made up of two heavy cruisers and their only battlecruiser were equipped with capital missiles, and so these were the only ships able to fire at this point. The Russian ships target one of the D’Bringi capital-missile armed heavy cruisers, only managing to punch one missile through its point defense fire and EDM’s. The D’Bringi ships targeted the Soviet battlecruiser Zhdanov, and got three hits, in spite of the Russian ship’s deployment of an EDM and its engine modulations. Marshal Kosygin felt as sinking feeling as the icon for the Zhdanov began flashing, indicating that its shields were down. He frowned. One of his irreplaceable battlecruisers had already lost its shields, thirty seconds into the battle. And they hadn’t even managed to knock a damned D’Bringi heavy cruiser’s shields down in return! The fear that had briefly left him came rushing back, nearly overwhelming him. If the D’Bringi could do that to the other battlecruiser, his could be next! Anger warred with fear within him as his mind betrayed him and the fear wormed its tendrils through him. Somehow, he held on to his emotions, and continued watching as the battle developed. Around him the battlecruiser’s bridge crew fought their ship.
The D’Bringi fleet continued to close on the Russian fleet, which continued to sit in place and detune its engines. The Russian battlecruisers fired at the same D’Bringi heavy cruiser, and this time they scored four hits and knocked down its shields. The D’Bringi capital missile datagroup targeted the Zhdanov again, also scoring four hits, damaging the big ship’s armor.
The D’Bringi fleet continued its advance, crossing into standard missile range, as the Soviet fleet continued to detune in place. The D’Bringi capital missile group targeted the Zhdanov again, getting six hits and wiping the last of its armor away. The Zhdanov and its sister ships managed to get a salvo off before any more incoming fire could destroy its datalink installation, and launched their XO rack mounted missiles as well, all targeted on the same D’Bringi heavy cruiser as before. The deluge of missiles overwhelmed the D’Bringi cruiser, which had no EDM’s left, and the D’Bringi ship disappeared in the heart of a massive explosion. The Soviet crews all cheered at the sudden destruction of the D’Bringi ship, at the visible evidence that their enemy could be destroyed. Marshal Kosygin’s hopes were buoyed, for a few seconds, but then a D’Bringi cruiser group armed with standard missiles targeted the Zhdanov, and in spite of the long range scored six hits, knocking the battlecruiser out of its datagroup and damaging its engines. The Russian heavy cruisers, now within range of their standard missiles, launched on a D’Bringi cruiser that hadn’t fired yet, scoring twelve hits between the two salvoes launched by their advanced missile launchers. The Russian light cruisers launched against the same D’Bringi CA, scoring three more hits, knocking down its shields.
Marshal Kosygin, worried that the loss of a battlecruiser so early in the battle, ordered the Zhdanov to retreat to the Solar system, and then ordered the beam force and the rammers to advance on the D’Bringi while the cruisers held the range open. The Zhdanov turned and closed to one light second from the warp point before the D’Bringi fired again. In the meantime, the Russian cruisers all turned away and attempted to keep the range open, but were forced to turn periodically to ensure that the D’Bringi didn’t get into their blind spots. The smaller Russian ships charged towards the D’Bringi fleet, which continued closing. The D’Bringi fleet was now four light seconds from the Russian cruisers, and two light seconds from the Russian destroyers and rammers. The battle became somewhat chaotic at this point. The first to fire were the Russian heavy cruisers, launching two salvoes from their advanced missile launchers and another salvo from their XO rack, all targeted on a D’Bringi beam armed cruiser, completely destroying the D’Bringi ship before it could fire. The remaining two Russian battlecruisers targeted a damaged D’Bringi cruiser, scoring three hits and leaving it streaming atmosphere. The Russian light cruisers focused their fire on a D’Bringi capital missile cruiser, launching their XO missiles as well, scoring sixteen hits and seriously damaging the D’Bringi ship. The Russian destroyers were now within range of their twin force beam turrets, and opened fire, targeting a D’Bringi beam armed cruiser and scoring fifteen hits. The tough D’Bringi ship’s shields went down almost immediately, but its armor withstood the incoming Russian force beam fire and remained intact, almost certainly indicating that the D’Bringi ship had improved armor.
The Russians didn’t have it all their way. The D’Bringi heavy cruiser/battlecruiser datagroup targeted a Russian heavy cruiser with a heavy salvo that included their XO mounted missiles, scoring ten hits, wiping its shields and almost breaching its armor. D’Bringi standard missile equipped cruisers targeted the Zhdanov, limping towards the warp point, scoring two hits, slowing it further. A group of D’Bringi beam armed cruisers targeted a Russian destroyer, getting seven hits with their force beams and energy pulse cannons. The Russian destroyer lost its shields and damage from the energy pulse cannon leaked through the ship’s armor and destroyed the Russian ship’s datalink. The Russian destroyer was staggered, and managed to fire back, but then was hit by more force and energy pulse cannon fire from a second group of D’Bringi heavy cruisers, suffering heavy internal damage. A D’Bringi corvette group targeted one of the oncoming Russian explorers, testing to see if they could be easily knocked out. Because the range was long for force beams, the D’Bringi corvettes only scored one hit and failed to slow the Russian rammer, so the remaining D’Bringi corvettes switched to targeting the more dangerous destroyers, scoring eight hits on an undamaged destroyer.
It was at this point that the second fleet of ships, consisting of six heavy cruisers and six light cruisers, joined the battle. Up to now they had been content to follow the D’Bringi fleet into battle, closely shadowing the D’Bringi ships, but had not fired. The Russians had managed to ascertain that these ships were not D’Bringi, and apparently not Rehorish, making their identity a mystery. Marshal Kosygin had hoped that this meant that they wouldn’t fight with the D’Bringi, and were merely observers, but he hadn’t really believed that. Now the alien heavy cruisers opened fire, each with three lasers and four guns, while their light cruisers mounted five lasers. The two datagroups of alien cruisers each targeted an intact Russian destroyer, each scoring multiple laser and gun hits, taking out the Russian destroyer’s shields and almost penetrating their armor. The two light cruiser groups then each targeted the same Russian destroyers, each hitting with nine lasers, causing serious internal damage to both Russian destroyers.
Marshal Kosygin watched the alien ships ravage his destroyers and fear stabbed through his heart. He came to a sudden realization. They weren’t going to win this battle. He had lost a third of his destroyers in the first exchange of beam fire, and, as he watched the D’Bringi and allied alien fleets turning he realized that his rammers would never reach the alien ships. They were too slow, and all they could do was delay the aliens. They wouldn’t be able to turn the battle, only delay the inevitable. He had already effectively lost one of his BC’s, and his heavy cruiser datagroup was about to be broken as well. And once the Zhdanov was gone, the aliens would concentrate their fire one of his two remaining battlecruisers, and in his heart he knew that the missiles would be targeted on his ship. On him. In a flash, he could see the outcome of the battle if he continued. The D’Bringi would target his ship, and he would be killed. What happened to his fleet after that wouldn’t matter. Win or lose, the result would be the same. The Politburo would declare him a Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously, crying crocodile tears the whole time, and then proceed with their cowardly plan to ally themselves with the Coalition. He suddenly came to a decision. He must live to save his country and people. He realized that it wouldn’t be cowardly to retreat at this point, it would be a heroic act to save his nation! He turned towards the plot to take in the tactical situation. The D’Bringi would eventually force a close-range engagement and his cruisers would die, rapidly. And in just another minute or so they would force him away from the warp point and all hope of retreat and salvaging anything from this battle. With his fear gibbering in the back of his mind, he realized that If he returned now, he might be able to salvage something of his plan. He could cast what had happened so far as a victory! He knew what he had to do. He activated the all-ships comm system. “This is Marshal Kosygin. We have struck a strong blow for the people of the Soviet Union. Having done that and achieved our objectives, it is time to withdraw. The cruiser force will head for the warp point and make transit home, while the rammers and the remaining destroyers will cover our retreat. To victory!” He shut off the communicator and collapsed into his chair. Around him the bridge crew worked at their stations, carefully avoiding looking at the Marshal. To Kosygin, it felt like they all were staring at him in disdain, as if they could all see his cowardice on his face.
Obedient to the orders of the Marshal, the Russian cruiser force turned towards the warp point, while the Zhdanov, slowed even more from the damage it had just suffered, limped towards the warp point at its best speed. The D’Bringi and allied fleets are forced to turn away from the Russian fleet, moving parallel to it, to avoid the oncoming rammers, which, while slower than the D’Bringi ships, have a better position as they are in between the D’Bringi fleet and the warp point. In addition, the rammers split into three groups, trying to predict the course the D’Bringi would take to avoid them. The nine intact Russian DD’s accelerated away from the rammers towards the D’Bringi fleet, and managed to slip into its blindspot due to the D’Bringi fleet’s preoccupation with the rammers. The allied alien fleet, accompanied by the D’Bringi corvettes, turned at the last second to keep the Russian DD’s in their firing arc, but this put them squarely on a course for one of the Russian rammer groups. The Russian destroyers ended up just half a light second from the D’Bringi fleet, while the two main fleets are five light seconds apart. The Russian rammers had split, with twenty two heading for the main D’Bringi fleet in two groups and ending up one point two five light seconds from their targets, while the other three split off and headed towards a heavily damaged D’Bringi cruiser that had fallen behind the main fleet after losing its weapons and being reduced to one sixth speed. The D’Bringi allies fired first, with their heavy cruisers concentrating on the Russian destroyers. Both sides were now within effective range of their weapons and were able to inflict substantial damage. The two alien heavy cruiser groups each targeted an intact Russian DD, with each heavy cruiser firing at a single destroyer, stripping them of their armor and shields with their guns and lasers. The Russian destroyers returned fire, but concentrated on the lone D’Bringi battlecruiser, getting eight hits between the two datagroups, leaving the big D’Bringi ship streaming atmosphere. The alien light cruiser groups then targeted the same destroyers, and like the heavy cruisers each light cruiser targeted an individual destroyer, leaving six Russian destroyers heavily damaged and limping. The last remaining Russian destroyer group targeted the D’Bringi battlecruiser as well, getting four hits with their force beams, causing heavy internal damage. The Russian battlecruisers, now heading for the warp point, targeted the D’Bringi battlecruiser as well, scoring one hit and adding to the internal damage. The D’Bringi heavy cruisers, unable to target the Russian destroyers in their blind spot, turned their weapons on the oncoming Russian explorers, obviously intent on ramming. Three full or partial datagroups of D’Bringi cruisers fired at the rammers, destroying seven from the group positioned most advantageously for ramming. The Russian heavy and light cruisers targeted the damaged D’Bringi battlecruiser, but the range is extreme and only managed to get three hits between them. The last intact D’Bringi capital missile ship, a heavy cruiser, targeted the damaged Zhdanov and scored three more hits, slowing the Russian battlecruiser to one sixth of its former maximum speed. The Zhdanov fired back defiantly, targeting the damaged D’Bringi battlecruiser, scoring three hits on the damaged D’Bringi ship. A damaged Russian destroyer, overlooked in the larger battle, choose that moment to fire its force beams straight into the big D’Bringi battlecruiser, causing it to explode in a shower of debris. The D’Bringi corvette force then unleashed on the remaining rammers in front of the allied heavy and light cruisers, destroying the last five in that group, ending the threat from the only group that was in a position to reach the main fleet.
Marshal Kosygin watched as the Zhdanov, slowed and burning, limped through the warp point and out of the system, finally. His cruisers were approaching the warp point as well, and would transit out in thirty seconds. The D’Bringi and allied fleets were still entangled with the remnants of his destroyers and rammers, and there was no doubt now that his cruisers would escape the battle. Without a word he turned and left the bridge for his small office, leaving the battlecruiser’s bridge crew speechless behind him. The battle continued on towards its now inevitable end, even without its architect. The main Russian fleet reached point seven five light seconds from the warp point before the next exchange of fire, while the D’Bringi’s alien allies charged the warp point, trying to close the distance before the Russians could escape. The D’Bringi fleet itself was caught up in a furball with the remaining Russian destroyers, only three of which were intact, and the rammers, which, while they had little hope of actually reaching the faster D’Bringi ships, were still valiantly trying. The three rammers that had split off to charge the damaged D’Bringi cruiser reached their target, and the damaged D’Bringi ship had no weapons to stave off the attackers and no other ships were close enough to help. The D’Bringi ship was crippled and moving at a quarter of the speed of the rammers, but it had a crack crew determined to do their best to survive and save their ship. The rammers all plunged towards the D’Bringi ship without hesitation, but their green crews were still new to space combat and had trouble controlling their ships. All three missed their target. The allied alien cruisers, still out of beam range of the main Russian fleet, turned their fire on damaged Russian destroyers, destroying one and heavily damaging two others. The intact Russian destroyers targeted an intact D’Bringi cruiser, knocking its shields down and causing armor damage. In exchange, the D’Bringi cruiser group targets one of the intact destroyers, wiping it from space. The Russian battlecruisers targeted the last D’Bringi capital missile armed cruiser, getting seven hits and causing heavy internal damage. Another D’Bringi beam cruiser group targeted the last two intact Russian destroyers, crippling both with their energy pulse cannons. The Russian heavy cruisers also targeted the D’Bringi capital missile cruiser, getting six more hits, causing more internal damage. The D’Bringi standard missile cruiser group targeted the damaged Russian heavy cruiser in response, getting two more hits at long range, causing additional armor damage. The Russian light cruisers also fired at the D’Bringi capital missile cruiser, scoring three more hits, causing yet more internal damage. At this point the D’Bringi corvettes began mopping up the damaged Russian destroyers, killing three in rapid succession. The remaining allied ships which hadn’t fired earlier now joined in, killing three more Russian destroyers. The last few Russian destroyers focused their fire on the D’Bringi corvettes that were harassing them, knocking one’s shields down and leaving the other streaming atmosphere.
With the last exchange of fire done the Russian cruisers transited out, leaving four crippled destroyers and thirteen explorers behind, entangled with the D’Bringi fleet. With the main threat gone, the battle was quickly over. The D’Bringi and allied fleets maintained their distance from the remaining rammers but maneuvered to engage the small ships at effective weapons ranges, and called for the small ships to surrender. The only answer from the Russian ships was the continuing ramming attack by the three Russian rammers harassing the damaged D’Bringi cruiser. They got one more chance to ram, but missed again due to the valiant efforts of the cruiser’s remaining crew. The rammers were coming around to target the crippled D’Bringi cruiser again when a heavily damaged Russian destroyer fired on a nearby D’Bringi corvette, getting a hit. This was enough for the D’Bringi, who opened fire on the remaining Russian ships without mercy, destroying most of them in an orgy of destruction. Only five rammers remained after the D’Bringi stopped firing, and it was clear to even their crews that they could do nothing more. Life pods spread out from the small ships, which then self-destructed. The battle was over.
In the aftermath of the battle, Fleet Leader Fortress Breaker feted the surviving crew of the valiant Clan B’Regest cruiser that had stood off the suicidal Russian ramming attack all alone. To honor the crew and the clan, Fortress Breaker granted the clan cruiser a name, Foe’s Bane, something usually only given to fleet flagships.
Initial Forces
Russian: 3xBC, 3xCA, 3xCL, 12xDD, 25xEX
D’Bringi: 1xBC, 11xCA, 12xCT
T’Pau: 6xCA, 6xCL
Losses:
D’Bringi
Destroyed: 1xBC, 2xCA (200 HS)
Damaged: 3xCA, 3xCT
Russia
Destroyed: 12xDD, 25xEX (535 HS)
Damaged: 1xBC, 1xCA
In the aftermath of the battle, back in the Solar System, the commander of the Soviet flagship, Polhovnik Kozlov, gathered the naval infantry that had been detailed to guard the bridge. With them in hand, he marched to the Marshal’s office, just down the companionway from the bridge. He was fairly sure that he knew what the Marshal had intended, and like any good officer, had waited until he knew which way the winds blew before he decided on which side he would fall. Marshal Kosygin’s failure made the decision easy. The Marshal’s office wasn’t locked, and gesturing for the junior officer and his squad to wait, he went in without knocking. He wasn’t surprised to find a mess. Marshal Kosygin had used his pistol to save them all a lot of time and effort. Grimacing in distaste, he left the room and called for the ship’s surgeon to attend to the mess in the Marshal’s office.
Ultimately, the Marshal’s remains would be shipped back to the Earth on the battlecruiser Zhdanov, which was dispatched for repairs shortly after returning to the Solar System.
