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http://www.novacw.com/starfire-index.shtmlOn the southeastern portion of the second largest continent of Crimson Expanse was an area known as the Scrublands. There were no permanent settlements, only hunting lodges. While they did fulfill that role these lodges were built and placed in such a way that they could be used as camouflaged bunkers. More than a handful of wild game wandered so close to such hidden lodges that they were bagged with ease. The same can be said about unwary sweep teams, and follow-up teams failed to pick up the attacker’s trail. Region General Ronon, commander of the Hokum ISA Expeditionary Corps on Crimson Expanse, was inclined to leave the Scrublands alone. It wasn’t a region noted for major Comensal activity, and combat of same was quite low. All that changed when intelligence had definite data showing that the hunting lodges were being used for ammunition manufacturing and as command and control assets. A veteran battalion of line infantry was selected as it came out of the rest and regeneration schedule. Made to appear as a reserve for forces in a region next to the Scrublands, this battalion left 100 of its number behind while the rest broke up into companies, each tasked to take out an identified lodge. It took the better part of two weeks before the companies reached their objectives, and most of the movement was done at night.
As vegetation went the Catchthorn bush was the most common in the Scrublands. Found where the water table was shallow these bushes, taller than the average Comensal and Hokum, served as natural game blinds as the grazing animals had to pass them to reach the inevitable creek or small pond. Nestled in one such bush was a sentry, shrouded in a camouflage cloak and surveying her surroundings with passive detection goggles. Not for the last time she ached to fire at scrub deer that came within a meter of her position, and it occurred so often that the deer appeared to know that she was there and didn’t consider her a threat.
The same couldn’t be said of the squad of Hokum troops that kept the area under surveillance. It was the scrub deer that piqued their interest, and with discreet sensors they found a steady source of carbon dioxide once the deer moved on. Patience was rewarded when a camo-cloaked Comensal came to relieve the sentry. This happened every third day, and on the twelfth day the order was given to take out the sentry. With a combination of molasses slowness and swift sprints a Hokum Vara 1st class reached the bush concealing the sentry. In a moment of complete concentration the trooper moved in and quickly grappled the completely surprised Comensal. Looking at her attacker, the bonehead had been expecting her relief which was just two minutes away. Now she had one of the Vara’s back arms wrapped around her waist with the front two taking an arm each. The remaining back hand clamped on the throat. Unable to cry out the last thing she felt was her windpipe collapsed from a memory-plastic combat glove fueled by adrenalin. Dropping the body like a bag of putrid meat, the Vara adjusted his camouflage cloak and waited for the second Comensal to appear. This one too was dispatched in the same manner, and with the way cleared the rest of the squad moved out to a new position. It didn’t matter that they moved somewhat noisily as the enemy wouldn’t respond fast enough in any event.
Another squad located the concealed hunting lodge, and all it took was old fashion eyeballs. A pair of Scrubland hawks orbited a particular spot that was otherwise a nondescript brush covered lump of ground. The intelligence section of the Expeditionary Corps learned that this particular species was attracted to the smell of deer meat, especially if it was cooked. With thermal imagining and chemical sniffing lasers the concealed vent was located. Now that the Comensal inside the lodge were distracted by the first squad the second one sent a burst transmission to an orbiting troopship. In under a minute one of the hundreds of one-shot kinetic bombardment satellites orbiting the planet at any one time adjusted its orientation and fired. Other concealed squads watched as the drive coil, accelerated to 0.1
c, impacted the ground with the force of a war god’s hammer. Anyone in that lodge was dead as all the concealed viewports were blown open and belched hellacious amounts of debris and fire. So too were the doors and emergency escape hatches, and more often than not were accompanied by the bodies of those Comensal waiting next to them.
The impact also caused camo-cloaks to fluctuate, and allowed the Hokum to locate hidden Comensal outside of the lodge as well as mortar pits and automatic weapon nests. In no time 50mm mortar rounds landed on those now-exposed positions and with the need of secrecy gone the Hokum troops loaded and activated their gauss rifles. Fleeing boneheads were picked off like so many drones in a live-fire exercise. It was over before anyone broke out into sweat. A field intelligence squad came and inspected the ruined lodge. Communication gear was identified as well as two rooms that had been used to store huge amounts of pipe rifle ammunition. Two safes and a handful of plaspaper hardcopies and data drives were recovered.
As for the other companies involved they bagged two more lodges that morning. That left the fourth, and for that one another tactic was tried. Instead of destroying it outright it was decided to capture it. For days beforehand a single Hokum trooper made his way to the exhaust vent, and once there only waited for the word to come over his comm. That done he pulled out three grenades, twisted the tops off each one, and dropped them down the vent. Instead of exploding the grenades released globs of a thick substance that fell further down the vent. Making contact with the filters and interacting with them the substance turned into that most of insidious of Asteroid Axis weapons – black smoke. Being heavier than air, this black smoke sought its own level and got drawn into the lodge itself with help of the ventilation system. Arrogant as they were, the Comensal never considered that the weapon would be used against them, and in any event the lodges didn’t take black smoke into consideration when they were built. Soon the inhabitants were choking as their lungs were coated on the inside by a slick, oily residue. The lodge commander activated the self destruct, knowing that even the most committed among his personnel would respond to instinct to get fresh air and run out of the structure and thus provide the enemy a way to get in. Even so enough materials that survived for field intelligence to gather, and the Scrublands operation was considered the most successful for the entire month on Crimson Expanse.
********
On Hokum Prime there was a meeting being held at the Presidio, the administrative headquarters for all of the Imperium’s armed forces. Attending was Emperor Valsur, and he listened as Bemus, Imperator of the Army, came to the conclusion of his report. “It has been three months since our Commonwealth allies landed troops on Bedrock Prime, my Lord. As of yet the Comensal population hasn’t broken out into a universal rebellion like all the other occupied planets and lunar colonies. There’s no accounting why they’re acting so, unless they were specifically ordered by their leaders to wait. With that extra time the Commonwealth Space Army has entrenched itself on Bedrock and is ready to smother any uprising.”
“Such casualties involved will be stupefying, considering that 100 million Comensal live on Bedrock,” Valsur observed. “Bemus, inform me when our allies report that Bedrock goes into revolt. It’s a key factor in regards to long-term policy on the Asteroid Axis.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
Valsur made a note on the data pad he had on him. “Conovus, your report.”
The Imperator of the Navy stood up and directed the attention of the attendees to the holoimager built into the ornate, centuries-old handcrafted hardwood conference table. “With our allies in control of Bedrock the fortification of the Crimson Expanse chain has been rationalized.” He highlighted one icon of the aforementioned warp chain. “Tire Iron will be guarded by the Expeditionary Fleet and will only have mines and buoys at the Tire Iron/Bedrock warp point. Same goes for Abyssal-018 with its warp connection to Tire Iron. Should the Axis reclaim Bedrock our increasing stock of bases will best serve at the Crimson Expanse/Abyssal-018 and Solid State/Fallowed Field warp points. Light fortifications will go in to cover the Cain/Laser Burn and Com-9/Com-23 warp points”
“Excuse me, I.N.” said the Minister of Arms, “but do you intend to fortify the Fallowed Field/Tire Iron warp point?”
“Only with automated weapons, Minister. There are only so many fortifications that we can afford to build and allocate. We took into account that any probable Axis counter-offensive would have enough assault assets to enter Fallowed Field as a matter of course.”
“But Fallowed Field has three inhabited planets, albeit with a grand total of some 50,000,” said Arms. “I have seen reports that the system’s inhabitants had grown tired of seeing their spaceports destroyed and have, most likely, been stockpiling resources. Resources that would go a long way to resupply their liberating fleet.”
Conovus folded his back pair of arms in front of him in a sign of resoluteness. “Once that stockpile runs out the long-term support from that system is minor. Indeed, the enemy will also be compelled to defend the system anew, and most of its production will go into the construction of those defenses instead of supporting the advancing fleet. As for the defense of Solid State we’ll have the help of our allies. Remember, Solid State is only three transits out from Metal Storm, the system from which the Axis launched its invasion of Hamthen space. A CSF task group can arrive when requested should the Axis retake Tire Iron.”
Valsur stroked his fine-fur covered chin with his front left hand. “I.N., what is the worst case scenario regarding a counter offensive launched by the Axis down the Crimson Expanse warp chain?”
“My Lord, the staffs agree that the most dangerous scenario is one where the Axis breaks into Solid State and then immediately sets out to secure the BRB-1 system and fortifies the warp point leading to Abyssal-019 and in turn connects to Metal Storm. While blocking allied reinforcement from that route the Axis can then reclaim the Blood Pride system and its population. Along with that system they will recover Redwire and Ampere, giving them multiple routes into those systems we conquered earlier in the war. If they gain control of Stone Wash, Com-12 and Com-7 the Expeditionary Fleet will be cut off from supply.”
The Minister of Arms made a harrumph. “As far as supply is concerned, is that the reason why you tasked most of the
Opera repair ships for the assembly of prefabricated base components? Those were meant to pick up the slack in converting, repairing and refitting Axis ships on-site without having them make the trip back to Whel.”
Arms had a point. The half-hearted assaults conducted by the Axis in Abyssal-018 and Tire Iron had left a considerable number of hulls to be processed. Indeed, there were still unconverted captured hulls in Cain, a system adjacent to Crimson Expanse, and in several other systems including Fallowed Field. The 14
Opera class ships were the largest yet built by the Imperium, and each had six machine shops, yet cost as much as a heavy cruiser. For the money they were the most efficient in terms of capability to cost. They could’ve made short work of the hulls yet to be converted, but by the same token they can put together prefabricated base components together like nobody’s business. “Yes, Arms. That is the reason since my request to construct asteroid forts in Crimson Expanse and Solid State have been turned down.”
“A necessary refusal,” said the Minister of Revenue. “The cost of prefabricated base components is considerable, and we can’t fund both at the same time. Priorities had to be made.”
Arms folded both sets of arms in front of him. “So they have.” His eye went from the Minister of Revenue to the Minister of Industry. “All that funding for an increase in industry capacity would’ve gone a long way to building those asteroid forts. For the record, they are less expensive to build compared to bases of similar capabilities.”
“We need to enhance our industrial base,” said Industry, the knuckles of his front pair of hands rapping the table’s surface. “It’s a sensible long-term investment, especially since this war has all the signs of being a long one.”
“Yes,” Arms sneered. “You’re milking it for all it’s worth. All our inhabited planets have already had their industrial base expanded, even taking into account the overall increase in our science and technical capability. Now you’re extending it to mineral rich lunar and asteroid colonies and mining outposts. Tell me, will all the other colonies and outposts get the gift of largess as well? You’re finally fulfilling the election promise to your constituents back home, eh?”
“As well as you, Arms,” Industry shot back. “This new capacity will feed your growing fleets and armies as well. Isn’t that what you said to your constituents as well?”
Valsur raised all four hands up and out. “You’re not here to replay a typical council session for the Army and Navy Imperators. Conovus, please continue.”
“As you wish, Emperor.” The chief naval officer changed the holoimager to project a representation of the Com-23 system. “Our force in this system, under the command of Admiral Calixto, is being reinforced. All three captured enemy mobile shipyards have been converted to our use and are now working on the remaining ships. She’ll get 40% of the current block of reinforcements. Meanwhile, here,” Conovus changed the display to that of the Geode system, “Lord Admiral Jocelin is getting 40% with the remainder going to Lord Admiral Janus. With the Expeditionary Fleet on the defense for now it will be up to Jocelin’s Frontier Fleet to resume the offensive. Calixto will hold until a sufficient probe force is built up in Com-23.”
Valsur nodded approval. “Good. All those reinforcements have the new upgrades. On my order 90% of the mobile yards and repair ships in the Imperium proper will be sent forward to upgrade our ships in the field without having to travel all the way back to the Whel system. Those mobile yards remaining here will upgrade the defense force ships without tying up construction slips.”
“Every new slip that is added is being devoted to construction in one form or another,” said Industry. “With the new munitions coming on-line in the near future we will have a distinct edge with which to bludgeon the Axis to death.”
After much internal thought Bemus decided to broach the subject that everyone was thinking about but not the will to speak it out loud. “On the subject of death, My Lord, there is the issue of what we’ll do with the Expeditionary Corps should the Axis break back into Tire Iron. The build-up of our ground forces took months, and it would take months to extricate them. We could do it in a pinch, using pinnaces and pinnace liners to supplement the
Troubadours, but that would mean leaving most of the Army’s heavy equipment behind. That equipment will have to be destroyed to prevent it from being used by the Comensal inhabitants.”
Valsur steepled his front pair of hands. “If we move them out early, only to end up repulsing the Axis from Crimson Expanse, we’ll have a harder time of it reestablishing ourselves on the planet. If we wait until the last moment then we’ll have to re-equip the Army at considerable time and expense, especially in the light of Naval needs.” He looked at each minister in turn, having more than a fair idea of what was going on in their minds. Bemus and Conovus were clearly expecting a decision one way or another. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to, gentlemen. That is my decision.”
“As you command, Emperor,” said Bemus, bowing respectfully.
********
Com-30, inbetween the Iron Sky and Imperium-occupied Geode systems, had a surveillance force detached from Lord Admiral Jocelin’s Frontier Fleet. One task for the ships involved was to interdict the occasional flood of courier drones that came from one of Com-30’s warp points. With the nav buoys knocked out only a fraction of the drones were able to maintain course, and those that survived the minefield and the attentions of the watching ships, fighters and pinnaces generally made it to the warp point leading to the Iron Sky system. Probes to the other side of the warp point ended in failure, and that meant a significant Axis force was there to guard it. So it was a waiting game for everyone.
That changed when a solitary Axis
Stalwart-class cruiser emerged from the warp point. It scanned it surroundings and transited out before the assigned automated weapons control ship could enable the laser buoys. Likewise the 9 F1 Spear fighters and Garrocha armed pinnace on the CAP, orbiting at a distance of 3 LS, didn’t reach action stations. Nothing followed the Axis ship, and twelve hours later the watch force stood down.
Though brief, the scan was detailed enough. A minefield, comprised of 294 patterns, surrounded the warp point. As for being 6 patterns short it was simple to explain as the massed courier drone incursions had gradually ground down the minefield. 120 buoys were present, and the apparent control ship was 8 light-seconds out. From the drive and shield frequencies the ship was an Axis
Command Detonator, clearly captured by the Hokum months earlier in Binary Code system and adapted for their use. It was an affront to Axis honor and sensibility that one of their own ships would be used against them. That alone was enough for the Axis commander to plan for an attack. In regards to other Hokum units there was one CL and two DD-sized ships, orbiting at 6 LS distant. Taking a gamble, the commander decided to launch his assault 18 hours after the probe instead of waiting two to five days as usual.
An hour after breakfast the next day saw the first units of the Axis assault enter Com-30. What appeared to be six regular pinnaces popped in and stayed on the warp point, firing their point defense mounts at the shell of buoys. The CAP moved in, out of range for now as their main purpose was to shoot down drones. Six more pinnaces entered, and the four Hokum ships still hadn’t reached action stations. Cleared for action, three Spears of the CAP entered point-blank range and received a rude shock. All six pinnaces from the first wave stepped up their power output, revealing them to be of the armed variety. While all three Spears missed with their lasers the pinnaces didn’t miss them and even took down six buoys.
The third wave was made up of six more armed pinnaces, making the total 18, and the rest of the CAP got their fire-control online. They stood 0.25 LS from their enemy yet only managed to bag one, and for that they were shot down in their entirety. Both DDs, a
Greyhound and a
Podium, became active but held back launching their broods of Spears and Garrochas. The Hokum commander on the CVS had the Spears armed with gun packs in addition to the pair of lasers they carried. It made no sense to throw them in against the growing number of pinnaces at this point. On his order the three ships moved to join the
Command Detonator.
Just two more armed pinnaces and four regular ones arrived in the fifth wave. At the end of the third minute of the battle 108 buoys had been shot down. One pinnace darted through the warp point, and with that the Hokum commander had his small force move off at maximum cruiser speed. One minute later two DNs and four fleet carrier hulls emerged and fired off capital mine-clearance rounds from their external racks into one patch of the minefield, destroying 9 patterns. Three of the carrier hulls were just that, launching 15 squadrons of Hatchet fighters. Next to join were three more DNs and three BCs, and they proved to have internal capital launchers to supplement their external loads. 23 patterns were dispatched, followed by 9 more. With the patch so weakened the two DN and one BCA minesweepers made their move, despite the likelihood that the remaining patterns were set to maximum engagement parameters. Both
Grim Reapers and the
Wave Rider lost nearly half of their respective armor, but the way was clear into Com-23 for the Axis task group. The four Hokum ships, 27 Spears and 3 Garrochas were doomed, yet there was never the thought of surrendering. Ultimately they took down 44 fighters before the wrecked hulk of the
Command Detonator vaporized upon the detonation of its remaining stock of FRAMs.
While purposefully moving towards the Geode warp point the task group had some of its ships peel off to conduct specific duties. One of these attracted the attention of a
Fast Walker scout. It could’ve been run down by the F1 Hatchets, but was left alone. The ship in question, a freighter hull that was scarcely larger than that of an escort, was reinstating the chain of com and scanner buoys from the entry to the Iron Sky warp points. While the third buoy was being deployed the
Fast Walker made a high-speed pass of the ship. No shields impeded the sensors of the little scout, and found that nearly half of the freighter’s mass was devoted to a pair of shuttle bays. One moment those bays were occupied, and the next they weren’t as four shuttles leapt out of them like hungry prairie cats. The range was mere 0.75 LS and so the scout captain thought he was safe. However the scanner techs told him the shuttles were 50% more massive and had lit up the ship with fire control lasers and radar. That could only suggest they carried offensive ordnance, and that was proven when each shuttle fired a pair of laser packs. Only one hit, prompting the captain to detune his engines to get out of range. With one last chance the shuttles fired again, obtaining four hits that utterly destroyed the ship, thus marking the first ship kill for the Axis Stiletto escort shuttle in the war.
The
Empresario and
Podium at the Com-30/Iron Sky warp point abandoned their position upon hearing the entry of the Axis task group. Moving at full cruiser speed they would’ve made it to the Geode warp point but one Axis formation surged ahead of the dreadnaughts and intercepted. It was comprised of one fleet carrier hull and two undersized battlecruiser hulls. The distance between the two forces was one light-minute with the Axis force trailing behind. Instead of detuning engines the Axis force launched a strike of twelve Hatchets and twelve Stilettos. It took an hour to close on the two Hokum ships. At the right moment the
Podium launched its quartet of Garrocha armed pinnaces, each carrying a close attack missile, a laser and two gun packs. They met their enemy one light-second short of the ships, targeting the Hatchets and knocking out three before turning into brief incandescent miniature suns themselves. As for the Stilettos each had one laser pack, hosing the hull of the
Empresario to delouse it of external ordnance racks. Long-range point defense fire failed to knock out any fighters.
No further losses were incurred on the Axis strike until they reached point-blank range. Both ships went to maximum engine modulation to supplement their ECM generation and faced each other to cover their partner’s blind spot. Only one more Hatchet was shot down after all was said and done. Both ships were pummeled by lasers and FRAMs alike until nothing remained. Duty discharged, the Axis strike returned to their ships and made way for the Com-31 warp point. From there it was their task to patrol the Com-31 system for any Hokum ships, and a network of scanner buoys was deployed like what was done in Com-30.
With Iron Sky no longer isolated the Axis task group now had a source of supply. Once the warp point leading to Geode was properly invested this part of Operation Restoration, the AFC’s plan to resume the offensive in enemy space, could continue.
Picket class FT2(Scout) AC 13 Hull TL 3 new construction
(2)H(BbL)H(BbL)(XR)Qf(Ic)mgm(2)
5 RCP 7 MCP Cost = 150mc/11.3mc
HTK 8 mgm x 1 (escort shuttle ammo) 4 Escort Shuttles
Pinyon Jay class BCA 'Composite' Carrier AM2 AC 17 XO Racks 85 Hull TL 9 new construction
(1)(S0x11)(Acx12)[H(BbL)(BbL)Q(BbL)x2]Hs(BbS)Qf(II)(III)(II)XrsDi(M2)(III)(II)?2[(Vx6)Dcx2]!2(HET)DzQZi
(Lh)(III)Mgmmg(6)
85 RCP 27 MCP 12 FCP Trg: 3 Bmp +4 Tem -2 Cost = 2231mc/334.7mc
HTK 77 S0 x 11 Ac x 12 Dc x 2 Dz x 1 Di x 1 V x 12 HET x 1 mg x 1 mgm x 1
1 shuttle 12 escort shuttles mgm - fighter & escort shuttle ammo mg - fighter& escort shuttle (120)/XO Rack (80) ammo
Fishing Hawk class BC(V) Pinnace Carrier AM2 AC 14 XO Racks 70 Hull TL 9 new construction
(1)(S0x6)(Acx9)Hs[(BbLx5)Qsx2](BbS)Qf(II)(III)(II)H(XR)(III)(II)Dc!2PgDz?2ZiQs(III)mg(6)
70 RCP 17 MCP Trg: 1 Bmp +4 Tem -2 Cost = 1614mc/242.1mc
HTK 55 S0 x 6 Ac x 9 Dc x 1 Dz x 1 Pg x 1 mg x 1 (XO Rack/armed pinnace ammo) 1 shuttle 10 armed pinnaces
