Posted by: Zume
« on: August 01, 2008, 05:34:46 PM »The Terpla'ns - Chapter 5.75
Bapha regarded the display with a critical eye. The warp point survey of BRB-01 was complete. There were just the three, and two of those were revealed by an Axis military freighter five weeks earlier. Pinnace probes followed by Sloop scouts had shown the systems on the far side of warp points 2 and 3 were uninhabited. With no captured data to lend any clues it was a toss-up on which of the two systems to investigate first.
The first system had a run-of-the-mill red star with four planets and an asteroid belt. As for the second it was a binary pair of orange suns with similar arrangements. Bapha flipped a mental coin, and decided to send his Professors into the second system, naming it Rain Gauge. He kept the rest of the survey force at a spot equidistant of BRB-01?s second and third warp points. Except for the minelayers, for he had them retrieve the mines and buoys deployed in Abyssal-019 and had them placed around BRB-01?s third warp point.
Three weeks later the Professors found a warp point in Rain Gauge. Sending a pinnace to investigate the other side, 120 buoys were found. No ships were evident, and the survey ships sent their other eleven pinnaces to knock out the buoys. Once that was done the Professors made transit. Long-range scanners found 300 patterns of mines and a single undersized type-2 base 8 light seconds away. Having anticipated this, the ships had laser-armed SBMs on their external racks. The small base lost its armor and point defense. It self-destructed a minute after a shuttle left it, heading in-system.
Several days past before a light minesweeper group arrived, a trio of Valhallan Reliants and a like number of Terpla?n Crams. Once clear the Professors followed the path of the shuttle. They found a habitable planet four light minutes from a red sun, and in orbit of the planet was the same kind of dreadnought-sized space station as found in Pyrocumulus and Cirrocumulus. It was an Axis colony, named Blood Pride, and after the Governor refused to surrender he had the space station blown up rather than have it boarded.
Bapha sent in a request for a brigade of army troops to occupy the planet. Having an estimated population of 14,000 the colony didn?t rate a full division. Marines from the Professors were landed to secure the minimal spaceport in the interim. Half of the Professors went back to Rain Gauge to finish the survey while the other half started a new one in Blood Pride. Further survey assets arrived in BRB-01, and Bapha had these sent to investigate the system connected to the third warp point. All he asked for the next several weeks was that to be no further surprises. Had he known it, someone else had asked the same thing.
********
System Admiral Hovwen looked at the commanding officer of Borehole?s defenses with feigned pity. Being a reservist, Prime Commander Jonpen was old for his rank. What service he did see in the last two wars was in a secondary capacity. The only reason he commanded in Borehole was that the previous commander, a System Admiral, was called to frontline service due to his combat experience. Now that the war had temporary turned sour for the AFC the pressure fell on Jonpen to keep the enemy out of Borehole until the fleet came back to its defense.
?Honestly, Prime Commander,? Hovwen said in honey voice to take the edge off her words, ?there?s nothing more I can do. What?s left of Star Force 3, the support group, can in no stretch of the imagination be considered for warp point defense. General Naltas has consented to the Governor in deploying 30,000 troops on Borehole and the remaining 10,000 on Meadow.?
With long, fine green strands of hair that grew between the merger points of the boney plates taking on a grayish tint Jonpen looked like a senior professor grading papers. He resented the situation he was in, wishing that he had taken the retirement three years ago. Only his wife?s insistence did he stay in the reserves, mainly for the bonus to retirement pay if he served just five more years. He looked at the officer before him that was 20 years his junior and spoke his mind. ?I?m surprised that you?re in front of my desk instead of behind it, Hovwen. As the senior naval officer in the system you are obligated to assume command of the defenses until such time higher headquarters decides otherwise.?
Hovwen looked humored. ?About that, Jonpen. It appears you haven?t checked your messages before this meeting. The AFC HQ in Bedrock had decided to change your interim command into a permanent one. You?re no longer ?holding the fort? so to speak.?
Looking flustered, Jonpen quickly made a scowl. ?But that means I?ll be prompted to system admiral and you?ll be under my command. I?ve earned my officer commission way before you did, Hovwen.?
The carrier admiral smiled. ?Not so fast, Sir. Included in the orders from Bedrock was one directing me to return, along with my carrier deck crews and remaining flight personnel, to Bedrock. What?s left of SF 3 is still under my control. The mobile yards will follow as soon as they?re done with their current projects.?
?You can?t even spare me the deck crews? The fighter additions to Borehole and Meadow?s space stations have just been completed. Your crews can train the new ones until they become proficient.?
?It won?t warrant a damn, Jonpen.? Hovwen said it in a tone of finality. ?While impressive, the fifty-four squadrons each station could deploy will only have one chance to engage before they?re shot down. My crews will best serve on new carriers. I?ll be leaving for Bedrock as soon as the transports and freighters have been loaded.?
?Loaded with materials needed for the defense of this system, I may add,? Jonpen said pointedly.
?Materials needed to finish the construction of a dozen major warships, Sir. There will be no more missteps in our drive to liberate those worlds from Abomination occupation, including Borehole. If you bleed the enemy assault force badly enough you might delay them to serve the Fleet?s purpose. If not, then you at least did your duty as an officer.?
?Liberate Borehole?? Jonpen said incredulously. ?You?re saying that the enemy will succeed in gaining entry here??
Hovwen smiled. ?If you?ve cared to review the assaults in Hamthen, Metalstorm, and Gilded Wire then you know they?ll take heavy casualties to win.? She looked at her watch. ?You?re going to get a call from the Governor shortly regarding the scheduling of your promotion ceremony. Have your wife trim your facial hair beforehand. You want to leave a professional image for posterity. Good day, System Admiral Jonpen.?
Left speechless by Hovwen?s impudence Jonpen couldn?t decide to be happy on his promotion or depressed for the foul card dealt to him by Providence.
********
The survey element in Chrome was done, finding two warp points. Pinnaces found nothing barring their way on the far side of each one, so Sloops were sent in immediately. One system had a yellow sun while the other had a pair of blue giants. Knowing that blue suns had a much higher propensity for multiple warp points the survey commander elected to survey in that system first, naming it Kerama Retto in honor of his fraternal grandmother. He also called for additional survey elements to exploit Kerama Retto?s warp points as soon as they were found.
What the survey, indeed, any survey couldn?t find were closed warp points. The only way to find one was to make transit from the open far side, or detecting a ship making transit within range of long range scanners. Upon picking up an enemy drivefield pattern the sole Axis scout in Kerama Retto, drivefield down and quite as a stone, transmitted a tight-beam message to a comm buoy. In turn the buoy fired a courier drone through a warp point right next to it.
Days past, and what was a by-the-book survey became something more. An Axis task group emerged from a closed warp point. The Allied sensor and comm network wasn?t nearly complete and didn?t pick up the ships until they were well on their way to the entry point. An immediate call for help was issued, and the now stranded trio of survey ships and their replenishment vessel went to the outer reaches of the system. The crews hoped they?ll be able to return to friendly space before their supplies ran out.
The same thing happened in Connectors, the system that linked up to Silvershoe. Believed to be a dead-end for the lack of warp points the true nature of Connectors was made clear. Another Axis task group appeared via a closed warp point. The sensor net tracked the progress of the ships and sent updates to a Sloop that held station over the Connectors/Silvershoe warp point.
For one thing the task group was booking, clearly having no dreadnoughts or battleships to slow them down. The Sloop wasn?t able to get a positive ID on the ship classes as a pair of Axis corvettes had sped ahead and fired capital missiles. Based on drive-strength alone it appeared the enemy had 28 BCs, 18 CA, 16 CL, 17 DD, 12 FG and 40 ES.
In the Output system, linking up to Metalstorm, a somewhat larger task group appeared. Again this was courtesy of a closed warp point. Rushing to the Output/Metalstorm warp point, the Axis force deployed itself in a defensive position and laid mines and buoys. After a short time 4 BC and 8 CA hulled ships (based on their drive strength) moved away and made for their entry point. Watching this was the 2nd Survey Force. Dispatching his escort carriers independently, Rear Admiral Enkas sought to destroy the ships before they could escape.
When the CVEs were finally in range it came as a surprise to the strikewing commander that the four BCs turned out to be CV hulls. He launched his 16-squadron strike anyway, targeting the carriers but with orders to engage the defending fighters first. His Axis opposite number also launched 16 squadrons, but kept them on the defense. In a point-blank exchange 38 Axis fighters were obliterated by proximity-fused FRAMs while 53 Sharks were felled by nuclear fireballs and rail gun rounds. Partially lightened, the 43 remaining Sharks moved on, out of the reach of the Axis Hatchets but within range of the CV and CAs? point defense. Six Sharks were felled while the rest moved into position. The Axis ships went to maximum ECM generation and maneuvered so that they could engage those fighters in their partner?s blindspot. The Hatchets caught up and let loose with their guns. For the loss of one heavily armored Falcon Crest and the loss of the passive defenses on another the whole Allied strikeforce was wiped out.
The three remaining Falcon Crests turned and gave chase to the Allied CVEs and their destroyer escorts, though the damaged CV had to detune its remaining engines to attain the speed of 0.1c. With 58 F0 fighters the Axis just had one opportunity to engage before the CVEs were out of range. As for the Allies they could?ve detuned their engines and be out of range that much quicker but couldn?t. There was no telling how long the 2nd Survey Force would be in Output. Detuning engines would?ve lead to damaged engines and a drain on supplies to conduct repairs. So they waited and watch as the enemy fighters crawled within range.
Two-and-a-half minutes later only 17 Hatchets pulled away from the CVEs, leaving four of the fragile carriers limping at half-speed. The DDEs followed them for a minute, blasting eight more like clay pigeons. Before the CVs closed in the DDEs sent their cutters to pick up survivors, but only two transfers were completed when the Falcon Crests entered weapons range. With great reluctance the escort captains fired their CAMs at the still-occupied ships, their drivefields down to ensure their destruction. Even though they knew they saved the crews from being tortured to death at the hands of the enemy it didn?t make the job one bit easier.
As far as the AFC was concerned it was a favorable start to their offensive, despite the events that preceded it, namely the loss of SF 3. With the AFC making assault attempts into Metalstorm, Silvershoe and Chrome it was hoped that the Allies would siphon off ships from TF 21 to counter them. If Metalstorm should revert back to Axis control it would strand the Allied forces, condemning them to a painful death as supplies ran out. Then, and only then, would thoughts about reinvading Hamthen space could be entertained.
********
Three weeks prior to Axis actions in what became to be known as the Citadel Chain the Allies made their move. Still without mobile forces to back them up the Axis defenders of Borehole wondered if the enemy would continue to oblige them and not attack. Three missiles bases, originally constructed for shipment to Hamthen space, were reassembled and added to the warp point defense. Now with a total of 18 type 5 and 6 type 2 bases, back up by 390 fighters, 900 mines patterns, 600 laser buoys and 180 primary buoys the defenders, lead by newly promoted System Admiral Jonpen, thought they could hold their own against an attack.
Three massive ships, each almost 30% larger than a dreadnought, emerged from the warp point. What followed were two dreadnoughts and a mass transit of explorers and escorts. Of the 100 Damage Sinks 32 interpenetrated while 28 of the 80 Magnets shared the same fate. 221 Apins emerged and went across a section of the minefield arbitrary labeled northwest. Losses from mines along with interpenetration reached 54. What the Allies faced in the immediate area almost fit the intelligence they gathered. The addition of three bases was something that had to happen within the last two weeks. More of a concern was the placement.
Of the nine assumed beam bases they were in their groups of three, but placed 1.5 LS out northeast, northwest and south. They were just outside of plasma gun range. It appeared to be an acceptable tradeoff for the bases: their HET lasers would do less damage but they wouldn?t be initially pummeled by plasma. For the imagined fighter bases and the defense platforms they were still 5 LS out, but the addition of three more had them placed north, southeast and southwest. 16 squadrons were on the cap on a 0.5 LS orbit and they turned as one and moved on the invaders, rushing to get their weapons on-line.
Given the nature of such assaults the attacker got to fire first. An Avami let loose with antimatter CAMs (the only ship in the assault waves to be so equipped) and a HET laser on a southern beam base. Half of its shields were crushed and 9% of its armor vaporized.
In the rush to action stations only two BS5Bs, one BS5E, a BS5R and three BS2s became active. Eight of the sixteen CAP squadrons managed to fire, yet for all that only one Avami was almost destroyed (along with its 60-strong strikegroup) and another losing only its shields and 17% of its armor. One BS5B lost its shields and the majority of is armor. 17 mine patterns in the NW mine area were eliminated with BAM-Rc rounds along with the help of the passing Apins. Last and not least were the Allied Apins, taking out 30 primary beam and 12 laser buoys with transit-addled weapons. For the Axis, there were just too many Damage Sinks and Magnets. Even if all the laser buoys were fired the Magnets would?ve remained as well as the majority of the Damage Sinks. The defense commander, recently prompted to the position by Jonpen, made new targeting priorities for his bases.
Perhaps most damning was that none of the fighter bases were able to crash-launch their broods. While the three remaining assault carriers released their 24 squadrons six more ships made transit: 2 Bowman BCE and 4 Cram BB minesweepers. The sole Engineer in the first wave activated its jammer, confounding the datalinks of the 8 remaining CAP squadrons. 20 Allied squadrons went for the NE beam bases while 4 stayed to engage the CAP fighters.
The Apins (a.k.a. Whales) went to attack the NW beam bases. Lieutenant Senior Grade Davke, commander of the Whale wing based on the tenders Curtys and Bayyar and of the whole Apin strike (due to the death of the original commander in the transit) was fortunate enough to survive the charge through the minefields. He eyed the looming plate-shaped bases like they were paddies of deep-fried mackerel meat, feeling very hungry. Defensive fire brought down three Whales, and two of the beam bases crashed-launched their solitary squadrons.
?Guns,? Davke barked from the side of his mouth, for on the other he was chewing on some mackerel jerky. ?Have our wing shoot internal armament at those fighters. They annoy me.?
?Aye, aye, Cap?n,? said Guns sardonically. ?Don?t need to tell me twice.? As those orders were passed external ordnance, one FRAM and three laser packs per Whale, barked their violence at their enemies. It made Davke proud that his Whales from Curtys and Bayyar brought down all twelve fighters though at the cost of two of his own. The destruction of the three NW bases was complete, leaving 104 Whales still carrying their FRAMs.
The fighters on the NE bases caused massive internal damage on two and removed 81% of the passive defense on the third. Not wanting to loss a carrier from having a FRAM-loaded fighter being crushed in its hanger bay all the squadrons carried just the regular nuclear-armed variety. Each fighter carried one short-attack missile, a gun and laser pack. Based on the distance of the enemy fighter bases the Allied Sharks had only one minute with which to attack the beam bases and this dictated their armament. It was estimated they would have only one attack run, followed by a strafing of the buoy parks, before the first crashed-launched squadrons from the bases arrived.
That the Axis fighter bases still didn?t launch caused no end to the commander?s torment. In fact there were no Axis fighters left on the warp point, all having fired their missiles and moved off or shot down. Not enough of the small ships had been eliminated to justify firing the laser buoys yet. Nevertheless there had been some progress as both Allied DN(V)s were perforated by primaries, reducing their speed and increasing their turn mode significantly. The one mobile Avami transited out and was replaced by six Kiosho CAs. Those Allied squadrons that went against the Axis CAP now turned on the intact NE base, tearing it apart.
Meanwhile the Whales had moved to the southeast, ending up in the primary-armed buoy ring. With nothing else in range they opened up on the buoy parks in front of them and on their port side. However, they were within capital point defense range of the southern beam bases. Davke grumbled when three more Whales were shot down. He swallowed the wad of jerky he was chewing on and tore into a fresh strip. ?Hey, Cap?n,? said Sensors, ?looks like the Bonies had made up their mind. They just fired their laser and primary buoys.?
Davke looked at a repeater plot, noting that just 19 Damage Sinks and 36 Magnets remained. The immobile Avami was gone, no surprise, and all the other big ships had varying degrees of armor damage. Some of the small ships, having weathered the lasers, were now immobilized by a lucky primary hit. They were a great way to spread out the damage but in no way would Davke volunteer to man a Damage Sink. If he was to go down, it was to be in something that was shooting back. On another repeater came a warning from one of the Bowman BCEs. Three fighter platforms were confirmed when they crashed-launched their squadrons, totaling 33 in all. Since the missile bases were next after finishing the beam bases Davke wasn?t all that worried. Those Bonies would be handled by friendly fighters, hence their mix of weapons.
The fourth wave was made up of six Endrili Hellstones, passing six Damage Sinks as they returned to Gilded Wire. With some assist from the Kioshos the Whales only had to expend 10 FRAMs to make the southern BS5Bs toothless. Assault shuttles from the cruisers were launched and made for the wrecks, looking to capture them before they could scuttle. The last BS5V launched its fighters while the first eight CAP squadrons landed, the deck crews doing their best despite their lack of practice.
Wave five was made up with 6 Luttfomi minesweepers. Going back to Gilded Wire was one Salyf DNV, one Bowman BCE, and four Damage Sinks. Allied fighters moved into point-blank range of the incoming 22-squadron strike from the northern fighter bases. Within the influence of the Engineer?s jamming ECM, the Hatchets were on the receiving end of their name, but the Sharks slipped on their victims? blood as well. Even when backed up by capital point defense only 90 northern Hatchets out of 132 were shot down. Compared to 38 Sharks speared from a shiver of 139 it was the Axis that considered it a bargain, for that meant 38 less fighters to challenge the orbital works of Borehole Prime. However, the northern Hatchets had to expend half of their short-range attack missiles to do it.
Wave six had three Terpla DNs, including Ayrth?s flagship, the Captain Narkas, and three Crajen CAs. The eleven inbound Hatchet squadrons from the SE bases and the survivors from the northern bases elected to take on two of the Terplas, which turned out to be the Narkas and the Wesjek. Burdened from transit effects, they coped as best they could. It was the Narkas that was chosen by the three Axis BS5Rs to receive a full volley. With the hits it sustained from close attack missiles it was nothing less of a miracle that the damage stopped just short of the magazines.
Despite using every available weapon just two fighters remained from the northern strike, and both pilots chose to ram the immobile hulk of the Narkas as their gift to the First Leader. Sensor techs on all the Allied ships watched with dread as the two made their death drive. One failed by a narrow margin, his aim upset by the transiting seventh wave. The second was like a metal shaving to a magnet, hitting the big ship squarely in the middle. More akin to a popsicle sculpture without enough glue the Narkas fell apart in several major sections, its spine broken and the last of its air rushing out like a ruptured boiler.
Davke only managed a mild profanity, still caught up in participating in the destruction of the missile bases. He made just one change, instructing his Whale crews to totally obliterate the bases. The six beam bases currently being boarded were enough in Davke?s opinion. If the intelligence pukes wanted to grill him for destroying potential informational finds then that was fine by him. Ayrth made a favorable impression on Davke during the latter?s acceptance of a squadron performance award for action in the Altocumulus Chain campaign. Eyeing the situation plot, Davke ordered his Whales to tackle the BS2s. As he saw it, losing Ayrth was like losing a whole fleet. Destroying six inconsequential small bases would saving the lives of Marines, as the losses were high enough already.
The deck crews on the northern fighter bases were rushing as fast as they could in rearming the CAP squadrons that managed to reach them. Only the sensor and command crews on those bases knew it was doomed effort. Doing their duty was the only thing that kept them going; dying as a professional was better than surrendering to despair. BAM-G rounds from the Hellstones had finished what the previous waves? BAM-Rcs had started. The targeted lane had just the right number of patterns to match the number of sweepers. Accompany them were six Hazen BCs, energy beams ready to render the northern Axis bases into shorted-out wrecks fit for capture.
Wave ten entered and was the only one in range of the SE defense base? capital force beams. All the others, even the remaining EX and ESs, had moved through the lane in the minefield and subsequently out of range for the time being. The Hazen ships scored some hits, and with the remaining squadrons backed up by the Engineer and Luttfomis they prepared for whatever the fighter bases spat out at them.
Eight squadrons shot out of the two northern fighter bases five-and-a-half minutes into the battle. The defending fighters engaged the oncoming wave at maximum gun pack range, downing 32 both by gun and laser. Followed by the massive point defense batteries of the Engineer, Luttfomis and the BCs only one fighter broke through. It was a symbol of defiance, and just as futile as it was torn apart by concentrated point defense fire.
As for the northern defense base it was shorted out completely. The fighter bases had not one weapon with which to shoot back, save for 27 fighters, their last. All they could do was follow in their predecessors? footsteps and end up just as dead. After delivering point-blank energy blasts at the two fighter bases the Hazen BCs then turned on the SE bases. The Allied ships had in the interim kept a steady barrage, knocking down the shields of the remaining defense base. One BC had a third of its armor removed before the noisome base was silenced.
Rear Admiral Gannus, commanding the assault force from a Luttfomi sweeper, had decided to let Davke take care of the BS2s. With twelve BS5s to scrounge for data it did make sense not to waste more lives on a battle that was already won. It was again a costly one for the pilots involved, only 65 out of 204 Sharks survived to return to friendly hanger bays. 72 of the 221 Whales were gone, and 17 out of 100 Damage Sinks survived, along with 47 out of 80 Magnets. One Avami and two Terplas were gone with just five ships heavily damage. All the ships that were in the first three waves received significant armor damage (especially the smaller ones) and the odd primary beam hit. Combat deaths were expected to be around 12,600. As assaults went it was as low as one could imagine under the circumstances. Axis losses were higher, and with their targeting of the small assault ships they largely ignored the capital units. While having the beam bases out of the reach of plasma guns did prevent the probable destruction of one at the outset it was the Apins and fighters that brought about their rapid destruction. This was worth remembering for the next assault.
The rest of TF 21 made transit. Along with those sweepers able to make speed the whole formation made for Borehole Prime. The loss of Ayrth did have a noticeable effect on morale. Many wondered if the huge space station waiting for them was filled to the brim with death-seeking pilots very much like the one that claimed the Narkas. Admiral Jki was the most concerned of all, for despite two weeks effort only 240 fighters were prepped from crated storage. Combined with the F0 Sharks based on the escort carriers the task force had 504 fighters. With no wish to send them against an unknown quantity Gannus agreed with Jki to keep the fighters on the defense until Axis fighter strength guarding Borehole Prime was established.
In no particular rush Gannus, now commanding from the battleship Breakwater, parked TF 21 10 LS from the space station orbiting Borehole Prime. It was a big one, having the mass of 22 dreadnoughts. Sensors and optical observation showed it was building additional station components as well as six more BS5s and 6 BS3s. The disadvantage of being that size was that it couldn?t employ shields. With nuclear-armed SBMs Gannus had his capital missile units rain upon the station. Each hit stripped away armor and external ordnance, forcing the expenditure of EDMs before they were destroyed. When a unit ran out of missiles it simply pulled away and remunitioned from an Asghaln freighter.
Calculating the rate of armor loss System Admiral Jonpen launched his fighters ninety seconds into the bombardment. 324 F0 Hatchets, their green pilots giddy with pride and resigned to fate, made a direct line for the capital ships. The only concession Gannus made to this development was the move the task force so that it engaged the horde when it was just 0.75 LS out. It could be likened to a fireworks display set in space, a virtual forest of sparks, fireballs, and streamers that marked the demise of 251 death-seeking souls. The remaining 73 conducted a suicide run, homing in on one ship, the one that made the obscene demand for the Comensal settlement to surrender. A ship called the Breakwater.
Maneuvering and firing madly the battleship claimed it fate-allotted share of suicide attackers. Driven with pure adrenaline in their veins the pilots that survived pressed on and, despite their greenness, made a perfect head-on attack. 42 Hatchets smashed into the Breakwater. The attack failed to completely destroy the ship and those suicide attackers that missed were knocked out by a vengeful trio of Jajer-Ds. While all this was going on the task force was still keeping the missiles raining on the station. It wasn?t until after the station belched air that news of Gannus? death was announced.
The most immediate response was the switching to antimatter warheads, hastening the station?s demise. Soon whole sections were blasted off the immense construct, ending in a series of stroboscopic fireballs that caused a shower of station parts to fall across a wide swath on the planet below. Then nothing, the task force waited for orders. On the carrier Junshu the strikewing operations officer, Captain Reas, approached Admiral Jki and said the words needed for the occasion. ?Admiral Jki, in accordance to regulations pertaining to the death of commanding officers during offensive operations it is the duty of the next most senior and experienced officer of command rank to assume the duties of their predecessor. In Task Force 21?s chain of command you are currently the only officer that meets those requirements. For the record do you accept the responsibility to command the task force??
?I accept the responsibility,? Jki said firmly. Gannus said those exact words before, hours ago, when she contacted him after the warp point battle. Losing Ayrth, a friend and mentor for decades, was a harsh personal blow in a very impersonal bloody war. Ayrth could?ve easily stayed out of the assault, but chose to participate directly. He factored the chance that the enemy would mistake the trio of Terplas in the sixth wave as Oknibs, thereby focusing their missile volleys and fighters on them. He wanted to keep his capital missile DNs intact for the bombardment of Borehole Prime?s space station. It cost him his life, but his plan worked. Save one ship, the task force suffered no casualties during the bombardment.
Quickly Jki implemented the remainder of the operations plan. The transports, carrying the 2nd Expeditionary Corps (consisting of 60,000 troops), was called from its holding position in Gilded Wire. An Apin wing was left over Borehole Prime, tasked to take out the spaceport and to determine the strength of the defending garrison. Task Force 21 moved on to Meadow, finding that its space station also housed 324 fighters manned by green pilots. This time the F1 Sharks carried only two laser packs, allowing it keep the range open while engaging the Hatchets. Only 11 reached the task force with only one firing before the pitiful remains were brought down by a trio of minesweepers.
The Battle for Borehole was complete, leaving Jki to her thoughts on what she wanted to say for Aryrth?s eulogy.
********
Commonwealth President Eyna Huj found some relief in watching the fish in his office aquarium. From tiny Neons to large Angelfish the denizens of the 100 gallon tank went about their existence without a care of what was beyond the glass. After the meeting he had with senators and naval officials earlier in the day Huj envied the fish, for they had no need for politics and diplomacy.
The report on the assault on Borehole came in, and it rekindled a smoldering flame in the senate. While the use of ships like the Damage Sinks and Magnets to dilute the fire of enemy laser buoys had proven most useful it was the resultant casualties that caused loud grumblings. To be most effective the aforementioned ships had to use mass transits, resulting in 30% losses through interpenetration even before combat began. Coupled with the deliberate fire from Axis bases only 17 out of 100 Damage Sinks survived. Despite the degree of automation employed to reduce casualties the number of deaths on the explorer-sized vessels was over 3400.
With the CSF clearly on a winning streak the more self-serving senators came to decry the 'wasteful expenditure of precious youth' on mass transit tactics used to secure the victories. They argued that more aggressive exploration would lead to a backdoor in Axis space, exploiting poorly-defended interior systems to attack and thus alleviating the need for direct assaults. Some senators took a different track and advocated the increase use of armed pinnaces in the assault role. Since each Apin 'only' had a crew of six it was far more logical to use them instead of ships in the initial rounds of a warp point assault.
In polite terms the admirals replied to the senators' newfound military wisdom. In regards to warp point exploration it took the better part of two months of survey to find open warp points in any one system or starless nexus for that matter. If a backdoor into Axis space was found it was going to take months if not a year to properly exploit it for a rushed campaign was worse than no campaign at all. As for Apin use the admirals were considering increasing their numbers, provided that several factors are taken into account first. While they suffered less in mass transits and minefield attrition could be tolerated Apins had to be used in really large numbers if they were expected to handle the first few minutes of a warp assault all on their own. Certainly they could destroy any close-in base at will but when it came to fighters the Apins couldn't stand up to whole wings of them. Even a fully-loaded F0 Axis fighter could run down an Apin, and being a bigger target made them easier to hit. Despite being able to engage three targets at once a battle between similar numbers of fighters and Apins will result in the latter's complete annihilation.
Therein lays the crux of the senators' unspoken message. The great majority of the casualties in the mass transit attacks were suffered by the CSF, which meant they were Terpla'n casualties. What was unsaid, but clearly heard in-between the lines, was that the other allied nations were not taking their share of the burden in regards to warp point assaults. Huj could see their point. If not later in this war but certainly afterwards there was bound to be some resentment that the vast number of lives lost in mass transit attacks were Terpla'n while the rest of the allies (with the exception of the Hazen) were 'safely in the rear making proud noises' as the senator from Kiosho said in a private dinner.
There was good news later in the day. It was publicly announced by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs that a newly found warp connection will enable Endrili ships to cut transit time to Hamthen by one-third. That meant the newly constituted Endrili Expeditionary Force would be in combat that much sooner. It was after the press conference, in a private meeting between the Endrili Ambassador Smettz, Huj, and CNO Qal, that the full details of the EEF were revealed.
Having studied warp point assaults made by the CSF and Axis the Endril Military Service came up with a new type of warship for the mass transit assault role. It was frigate-sized vessel, the Firewalker class, heavily armored to take the attention of laser fire and even the occasional energy beam blast. Instead of being armed with plasma guns a Firewalker had tactical scanners and a pair of tractors beams. Employed en masse along with Damage Sinks flotillas of Firewalkers would enter a minefield patch, take whatever the Axis throws at them, and then use their tractor beams in wide-angle mode to destroy mine patterns by the bushel. The aim of this was to create a clear path in the mines much quicker, allowing subsequent waves of ships to move and use their ECM to maximum benefit. Especially against Axis missile bases, for it wouldn't be long before they deployed antimatter capital missiles of their own.
The look Huj and Qal made was that of astonishment. To make the tactic work would require scores of Firewalkers and Damage Sinks. Like what happened in Borehole any Axis commander confronted with this tactic would elect to destroy as many of these small ships as possible in order to preserve buoy weapons for use against more important units, like capital ships. Endrili casualties would be very high. When asked about this Ambassador Smettz stated that it was his race's commitment to see an end to the Axis aggression, even at high cost. Just as the Axis made clear its will to rid the universe of 'abominations' it was the will of Bertik, the Endrili God, spoken through Empress Skessen V, his mortal voice, that the Axis be made to pay for its genocidal ways.
After expressing thanks for this enormous commitment Huj decided to hold a press conference later in the week to announce the composition of the EEF. It would be nice to see those snide senators eat their words with mackerel when confronted with the news straight from Smettz' mouth.
********
The 1st Survey Force had completed its work in Rain Gauge and Blood Pride, finding no more open warp points and just two lunar outposts on Blood Pride's outermost pair of planets. As for the other system linked to BRB-01, Crystal Haze (named so on a whim by Bapha), there was no sign of Axis ships and buoys. Supplemental survey elements had arrived in the interim and Bapha dispatched them to Crystal Haze. A scanner buoy network was deployed in the system in case Axis ships should happen to return.
At roughly the same time TF 21 conducted its assault into Borehole a sensor contact appeared fifteen light-minutes from Crystal Haze?s red sun. By good luck the contact came close enough to one buoy to be positively identified by its drivefield frequency. It was the same Axis military freighter that was tracked five weeks earlier in BRB-01. Again it was booking, moving with urgency for some reason.
With interest peaked Bapha ordered the 1st Survey Force into Crystal Haze. He wanted to capture the ship and plum the depths of its database. Without long-range scanners the ship would be blind until the very last moment, and it would be too late for it to flee. Upon entry Bapha received electrifying news. The sensor buoys picked up new, alien drive field contacts. They were in apparent pursuit of the Axis ship, occasionally boosting speed by detuning engines. Eventually they would be in range, but given that the ship was heading directly for Bapha?s entry point it would be the survey force that would get first crack.
While devising a capture plan Bapha received the senior sensor tech on the Carris, his flagship. He presented new data on the alien contacts. The aliens had followed the Axis ship?s course very closely and had, in fact, entered definitive scanner range of one buoy. Searching for a match, the sensor tech found that the alien drive field frequencies had been observed before. A little over six years ago, to be precise. That alone was enough to identify them, but the buoy also sent photographic images. With an unmistakable design theme and with yellow and blue coloring Bapha knew the alien?s identity. It appeared that the Asteroid Axis had made the Hokum Imperium their enemy.
--Zume
Bapha regarded the display with a critical eye. The warp point survey of BRB-01 was complete. There were just the three, and two of those were revealed by an Axis military freighter five weeks earlier. Pinnace probes followed by Sloop scouts had shown the systems on the far side of warp points 2 and 3 were uninhabited. With no captured data to lend any clues it was a toss-up on which of the two systems to investigate first.
The first system had a run-of-the-mill red star with four planets and an asteroid belt. As for the second it was a binary pair of orange suns with similar arrangements. Bapha flipped a mental coin, and decided to send his Professors into the second system, naming it Rain Gauge. He kept the rest of the survey force at a spot equidistant of BRB-01?s second and third warp points. Except for the minelayers, for he had them retrieve the mines and buoys deployed in Abyssal-019 and had them placed around BRB-01?s third warp point.
Three weeks later the Professors found a warp point in Rain Gauge. Sending a pinnace to investigate the other side, 120 buoys were found. No ships were evident, and the survey ships sent their other eleven pinnaces to knock out the buoys. Once that was done the Professors made transit. Long-range scanners found 300 patterns of mines and a single undersized type-2 base 8 light seconds away. Having anticipated this, the ships had laser-armed SBMs on their external racks. The small base lost its armor and point defense. It self-destructed a minute after a shuttle left it, heading in-system.
Several days past before a light minesweeper group arrived, a trio of Valhallan Reliants and a like number of Terpla?n Crams. Once clear the Professors followed the path of the shuttle. They found a habitable planet four light minutes from a red sun, and in orbit of the planet was the same kind of dreadnought-sized space station as found in Pyrocumulus and Cirrocumulus. It was an Axis colony, named Blood Pride, and after the Governor refused to surrender he had the space station blown up rather than have it boarded.
Bapha sent in a request for a brigade of army troops to occupy the planet. Having an estimated population of 14,000 the colony didn?t rate a full division. Marines from the Professors were landed to secure the minimal spaceport in the interim. Half of the Professors went back to Rain Gauge to finish the survey while the other half started a new one in Blood Pride. Further survey assets arrived in BRB-01, and Bapha had these sent to investigate the system connected to the third warp point. All he asked for the next several weeks was that to be no further surprises. Had he known it, someone else had asked the same thing.
********
System Admiral Hovwen looked at the commanding officer of Borehole?s defenses with feigned pity. Being a reservist, Prime Commander Jonpen was old for his rank. What service he did see in the last two wars was in a secondary capacity. The only reason he commanded in Borehole was that the previous commander, a System Admiral, was called to frontline service due to his combat experience. Now that the war had temporary turned sour for the AFC the pressure fell on Jonpen to keep the enemy out of Borehole until the fleet came back to its defense.
?Honestly, Prime Commander,? Hovwen said in honey voice to take the edge off her words, ?there?s nothing more I can do. What?s left of Star Force 3, the support group, can in no stretch of the imagination be considered for warp point defense. General Naltas has consented to the Governor in deploying 30,000 troops on Borehole and the remaining 10,000 on Meadow.?
With long, fine green strands of hair that grew between the merger points of the boney plates taking on a grayish tint Jonpen looked like a senior professor grading papers. He resented the situation he was in, wishing that he had taken the retirement three years ago. Only his wife?s insistence did he stay in the reserves, mainly for the bonus to retirement pay if he served just five more years. He looked at the officer before him that was 20 years his junior and spoke his mind. ?I?m surprised that you?re in front of my desk instead of behind it, Hovwen. As the senior naval officer in the system you are obligated to assume command of the defenses until such time higher headquarters decides otherwise.?
Hovwen looked humored. ?About that, Jonpen. It appears you haven?t checked your messages before this meeting. The AFC HQ in Bedrock had decided to change your interim command into a permanent one. You?re no longer ?holding the fort? so to speak.?
Looking flustered, Jonpen quickly made a scowl. ?But that means I?ll be prompted to system admiral and you?ll be under my command. I?ve earned my officer commission way before you did, Hovwen.?
The carrier admiral smiled. ?Not so fast, Sir. Included in the orders from Bedrock was one directing me to return, along with my carrier deck crews and remaining flight personnel, to Bedrock. What?s left of SF 3 is still under my control. The mobile yards will follow as soon as they?re done with their current projects.?
?You can?t even spare me the deck crews? The fighter additions to Borehole and Meadow?s space stations have just been completed. Your crews can train the new ones until they become proficient.?
?It won?t warrant a damn, Jonpen.? Hovwen said it in a tone of finality. ?While impressive, the fifty-four squadrons each station could deploy will only have one chance to engage before they?re shot down. My crews will best serve on new carriers. I?ll be leaving for Bedrock as soon as the transports and freighters have been loaded.?
?Loaded with materials needed for the defense of this system, I may add,? Jonpen said pointedly.
?Materials needed to finish the construction of a dozen major warships, Sir. There will be no more missteps in our drive to liberate those worlds from Abomination occupation, including Borehole. If you bleed the enemy assault force badly enough you might delay them to serve the Fleet?s purpose. If not, then you at least did your duty as an officer.?
?Liberate Borehole?? Jonpen said incredulously. ?You?re saying that the enemy will succeed in gaining entry here??
Hovwen smiled. ?If you?ve cared to review the assaults in Hamthen, Metalstorm, and Gilded Wire then you know they?ll take heavy casualties to win.? She looked at her watch. ?You?re going to get a call from the Governor shortly regarding the scheduling of your promotion ceremony. Have your wife trim your facial hair beforehand. You want to leave a professional image for posterity. Good day, System Admiral Jonpen.?
Left speechless by Hovwen?s impudence Jonpen couldn?t decide to be happy on his promotion or depressed for the foul card dealt to him by Providence.
********
The survey element in Chrome was done, finding two warp points. Pinnaces found nothing barring their way on the far side of each one, so Sloops were sent in immediately. One system had a yellow sun while the other had a pair of blue giants. Knowing that blue suns had a much higher propensity for multiple warp points the survey commander elected to survey in that system first, naming it Kerama Retto in honor of his fraternal grandmother. He also called for additional survey elements to exploit Kerama Retto?s warp points as soon as they were found.
What the survey, indeed, any survey couldn?t find were closed warp points. The only way to find one was to make transit from the open far side, or detecting a ship making transit within range of long range scanners. Upon picking up an enemy drivefield pattern the sole Axis scout in Kerama Retto, drivefield down and quite as a stone, transmitted a tight-beam message to a comm buoy. In turn the buoy fired a courier drone through a warp point right next to it.
Days past, and what was a by-the-book survey became something more. An Axis task group emerged from a closed warp point. The Allied sensor and comm network wasn?t nearly complete and didn?t pick up the ships until they were well on their way to the entry point. An immediate call for help was issued, and the now stranded trio of survey ships and their replenishment vessel went to the outer reaches of the system. The crews hoped they?ll be able to return to friendly space before their supplies ran out.
The same thing happened in Connectors, the system that linked up to Silvershoe. Believed to be a dead-end for the lack of warp points the true nature of Connectors was made clear. Another Axis task group appeared via a closed warp point. The sensor net tracked the progress of the ships and sent updates to a Sloop that held station over the Connectors/Silvershoe warp point.
For one thing the task group was booking, clearly having no dreadnoughts or battleships to slow them down. The Sloop wasn?t able to get a positive ID on the ship classes as a pair of Axis corvettes had sped ahead and fired capital missiles. Based on drive-strength alone it appeared the enemy had 28 BCs, 18 CA, 16 CL, 17 DD, 12 FG and 40 ES.
In the Output system, linking up to Metalstorm, a somewhat larger task group appeared. Again this was courtesy of a closed warp point. Rushing to the Output/Metalstorm warp point, the Axis force deployed itself in a defensive position and laid mines and buoys. After a short time 4 BC and 8 CA hulled ships (based on their drive strength) moved away and made for their entry point. Watching this was the 2nd Survey Force. Dispatching his escort carriers independently, Rear Admiral Enkas sought to destroy the ships before they could escape.
When the CVEs were finally in range it came as a surprise to the strikewing commander that the four BCs turned out to be CV hulls. He launched his 16-squadron strike anyway, targeting the carriers but with orders to engage the defending fighters first. His Axis opposite number also launched 16 squadrons, but kept them on the defense. In a point-blank exchange 38 Axis fighters were obliterated by proximity-fused FRAMs while 53 Sharks were felled by nuclear fireballs and rail gun rounds. Partially lightened, the 43 remaining Sharks moved on, out of the reach of the Axis Hatchets but within range of the CV and CAs? point defense. Six Sharks were felled while the rest moved into position. The Axis ships went to maximum ECM generation and maneuvered so that they could engage those fighters in their partner?s blindspot. The Hatchets caught up and let loose with their guns. For the loss of one heavily armored Falcon Crest and the loss of the passive defenses on another the whole Allied strikeforce was wiped out.
The three remaining Falcon Crests turned and gave chase to the Allied CVEs and their destroyer escorts, though the damaged CV had to detune its remaining engines to attain the speed of 0.1c. With 58 F0 fighters the Axis just had one opportunity to engage before the CVEs were out of range. As for the Allies they could?ve detuned their engines and be out of range that much quicker but couldn?t. There was no telling how long the 2nd Survey Force would be in Output. Detuning engines would?ve lead to damaged engines and a drain on supplies to conduct repairs. So they waited and watch as the enemy fighters crawled within range.
Two-and-a-half minutes later only 17 Hatchets pulled away from the CVEs, leaving four of the fragile carriers limping at half-speed. The DDEs followed them for a minute, blasting eight more like clay pigeons. Before the CVs closed in the DDEs sent their cutters to pick up survivors, but only two transfers were completed when the Falcon Crests entered weapons range. With great reluctance the escort captains fired their CAMs at the still-occupied ships, their drivefields down to ensure their destruction. Even though they knew they saved the crews from being tortured to death at the hands of the enemy it didn?t make the job one bit easier.
As far as the AFC was concerned it was a favorable start to their offensive, despite the events that preceded it, namely the loss of SF 3. With the AFC making assault attempts into Metalstorm, Silvershoe and Chrome it was hoped that the Allies would siphon off ships from TF 21 to counter them. If Metalstorm should revert back to Axis control it would strand the Allied forces, condemning them to a painful death as supplies ran out. Then, and only then, would thoughts about reinvading Hamthen space could be entertained.
********
Three weeks prior to Axis actions in what became to be known as the Citadel Chain the Allies made their move. Still without mobile forces to back them up the Axis defenders of Borehole wondered if the enemy would continue to oblige them and not attack. Three missiles bases, originally constructed for shipment to Hamthen space, were reassembled and added to the warp point defense. Now with a total of 18 type 5 and 6 type 2 bases, back up by 390 fighters, 900 mines patterns, 600 laser buoys and 180 primary buoys the defenders, lead by newly promoted System Admiral Jonpen, thought they could hold their own against an attack.
Three massive ships, each almost 30% larger than a dreadnought, emerged from the warp point. What followed were two dreadnoughts and a mass transit of explorers and escorts. Of the 100 Damage Sinks 32 interpenetrated while 28 of the 80 Magnets shared the same fate. 221 Apins emerged and went across a section of the minefield arbitrary labeled northwest. Losses from mines along with interpenetration reached 54. What the Allies faced in the immediate area almost fit the intelligence they gathered. The addition of three bases was something that had to happen within the last two weeks. More of a concern was the placement.
Of the nine assumed beam bases they were in their groups of three, but placed 1.5 LS out northeast, northwest and south. They were just outside of plasma gun range. It appeared to be an acceptable tradeoff for the bases: their HET lasers would do less damage but they wouldn?t be initially pummeled by plasma. For the imagined fighter bases and the defense platforms they were still 5 LS out, but the addition of three more had them placed north, southeast and southwest. 16 squadrons were on the cap on a 0.5 LS orbit and they turned as one and moved on the invaders, rushing to get their weapons on-line.
Given the nature of such assaults the attacker got to fire first. An Avami let loose with antimatter CAMs (the only ship in the assault waves to be so equipped) and a HET laser on a southern beam base. Half of its shields were crushed and 9% of its armor vaporized.
In the rush to action stations only two BS5Bs, one BS5E, a BS5R and three BS2s became active. Eight of the sixteen CAP squadrons managed to fire, yet for all that only one Avami was almost destroyed (along with its 60-strong strikegroup) and another losing only its shields and 17% of its armor. One BS5B lost its shields and the majority of is armor. 17 mine patterns in the NW mine area were eliminated with BAM-Rc rounds along with the help of the passing Apins. Last and not least were the Allied Apins, taking out 30 primary beam and 12 laser buoys with transit-addled weapons. For the Axis, there were just too many Damage Sinks and Magnets. Even if all the laser buoys were fired the Magnets would?ve remained as well as the majority of the Damage Sinks. The defense commander, recently prompted to the position by Jonpen, made new targeting priorities for his bases.
Perhaps most damning was that none of the fighter bases were able to crash-launch their broods. While the three remaining assault carriers released their 24 squadrons six more ships made transit: 2 Bowman BCE and 4 Cram BB minesweepers. The sole Engineer in the first wave activated its jammer, confounding the datalinks of the 8 remaining CAP squadrons. 20 Allied squadrons went for the NE beam bases while 4 stayed to engage the CAP fighters.
The Apins (a.k.a. Whales) went to attack the NW beam bases. Lieutenant Senior Grade Davke, commander of the Whale wing based on the tenders Curtys and Bayyar and of the whole Apin strike (due to the death of the original commander in the transit) was fortunate enough to survive the charge through the minefields. He eyed the looming plate-shaped bases like they were paddies of deep-fried mackerel meat, feeling very hungry. Defensive fire brought down three Whales, and two of the beam bases crashed-launched their solitary squadrons.
?Guns,? Davke barked from the side of his mouth, for on the other he was chewing on some mackerel jerky. ?Have our wing shoot internal armament at those fighters. They annoy me.?
?Aye, aye, Cap?n,? said Guns sardonically. ?Don?t need to tell me twice.? As those orders were passed external ordnance, one FRAM and three laser packs per Whale, barked their violence at their enemies. It made Davke proud that his Whales from Curtys and Bayyar brought down all twelve fighters though at the cost of two of his own. The destruction of the three NW bases was complete, leaving 104 Whales still carrying their FRAMs.
The fighters on the NE bases caused massive internal damage on two and removed 81% of the passive defense on the third. Not wanting to loss a carrier from having a FRAM-loaded fighter being crushed in its hanger bay all the squadrons carried just the regular nuclear-armed variety. Each fighter carried one short-attack missile, a gun and laser pack. Based on the distance of the enemy fighter bases the Allied Sharks had only one minute with which to attack the beam bases and this dictated their armament. It was estimated they would have only one attack run, followed by a strafing of the buoy parks, before the first crashed-launched squadrons from the bases arrived.
That the Axis fighter bases still didn?t launch caused no end to the commander?s torment. In fact there were no Axis fighters left on the warp point, all having fired their missiles and moved off or shot down. Not enough of the small ships had been eliminated to justify firing the laser buoys yet. Nevertheless there had been some progress as both Allied DN(V)s were perforated by primaries, reducing their speed and increasing their turn mode significantly. The one mobile Avami transited out and was replaced by six Kiosho CAs. Those Allied squadrons that went against the Axis CAP now turned on the intact NE base, tearing it apart.
Meanwhile the Whales had moved to the southeast, ending up in the primary-armed buoy ring. With nothing else in range they opened up on the buoy parks in front of them and on their port side. However, they were within capital point defense range of the southern beam bases. Davke grumbled when three more Whales were shot down. He swallowed the wad of jerky he was chewing on and tore into a fresh strip. ?Hey, Cap?n,? said Sensors, ?looks like the Bonies had made up their mind. They just fired their laser and primary buoys.?
Davke looked at a repeater plot, noting that just 19 Damage Sinks and 36 Magnets remained. The immobile Avami was gone, no surprise, and all the other big ships had varying degrees of armor damage. Some of the small ships, having weathered the lasers, were now immobilized by a lucky primary hit. They were a great way to spread out the damage but in no way would Davke volunteer to man a Damage Sink. If he was to go down, it was to be in something that was shooting back. On another repeater came a warning from one of the Bowman BCEs. Three fighter platforms were confirmed when they crashed-launched their squadrons, totaling 33 in all. Since the missile bases were next after finishing the beam bases Davke wasn?t all that worried. Those Bonies would be handled by friendly fighters, hence their mix of weapons.
The fourth wave was made up of six Endrili Hellstones, passing six Damage Sinks as they returned to Gilded Wire. With some assist from the Kioshos the Whales only had to expend 10 FRAMs to make the southern BS5Bs toothless. Assault shuttles from the cruisers were launched and made for the wrecks, looking to capture them before they could scuttle. The last BS5V launched its fighters while the first eight CAP squadrons landed, the deck crews doing their best despite their lack of practice.
Wave five was made up with 6 Luttfomi minesweepers. Going back to Gilded Wire was one Salyf DNV, one Bowman BCE, and four Damage Sinks. Allied fighters moved into point-blank range of the incoming 22-squadron strike from the northern fighter bases. Within the influence of the Engineer?s jamming ECM, the Hatchets were on the receiving end of their name, but the Sharks slipped on their victims? blood as well. Even when backed up by capital point defense only 90 northern Hatchets out of 132 were shot down. Compared to 38 Sharks speared from a shiver of 139 it was the Axis that considered it a bargain, for that meant 38 less fighters to challenge the orbital works of Borehole Prime. However, the northern Hatchets had to expend half of their short-range attack missiles to do it.
Wave six had three Terpla DNs, including Ayrth?s flagship, the Captain Narkas, and three Crajen CAs. The eleven inbound Hatchet squadrons from the SE bases and the survivors from the northern bases elected to take on two of the Terplas, which turned out to be the Narkas and the Wesjek. Burdened from transit effects, they coped as best they could. It was the Narkas that was chosen by the three Axis BS5Rs to receive a full volley. With the hits it sustained from close attack missiles it was nothing less of a miracle that the damage stopped just short of the magazines.
Despite using every available weapon just two fighters remained from the northern strike, and both pilots chose to ram the immobile hulk of the Narkas as their gift to the First Leader. Sensor techs on all the Allied ships watched with dread as the two made their death drive. One failed by a narrow margin, his aim upset by the transiting seventh wave. The second was like a metal shaving to a magnet, hitting the big ship squarely in the middle. More akin to a popsicle sculpture without enough glue the Narkas fell apart in several major sections, its spine broken and the last of its air rushing out like a ruptured boiler.
Davke only managed a mild profanity, still caught up in participating in the destruction of the missile bases. He made just one change, instructing his Whale crews to totally obliterate the bases. The six beam bases currently being boarded were enough in Davke?s opinion. If the intelligence pukes wanted to grill him for destroying potential informational finds then that was fine by him. Ayrth made a favorable impression on Davke during the latter?s acceptance of a squadron performance award for action in the Altocumulus Chain campaign. Eyeing the situation plot, Davke ordered his Whales to tackle the BS2s. As he saw it, losing Ayrth was like losing a whole fleet. Destroying six inconsequential small bases would saving the lives of Marines, as the losses were high enough already.
The deck crews on the northern fighter bases were rushing as fast as they could in rearming the CAP squadrons that managed to reach them. Only the sensor and command crews on those bases knew it was doomed effort. Doing their duty was the only thing that kept them going; dying as a professional was better than surrendering to despair. BAM-G rounds from the Hellstones had finished what the previous waves? BAM-Rcs had started. The targeted lane had just the right number of patterns to match the number of sweepers. Accompany them were six Hazen BCs, energy beams ready to render the northern Axis bases into shorted-out wrecks fit for capture.
Wave ten entered and was the only one in range of the SE defense base? capital force beams. All the others, even the remaining EX and ESs, had moved through the lane in the minefield and subsequently out of range for the time being. The Hazen ships scored some hits, and with the remaining squadrons backed up by the Engineer and Luttfomis they prepared for whatever the fighter bases spat out at them.
Eight squadrons shot out of the two northern fighter bases five-and-a-half minutes into the battle. The defending fighters engaged the oncoming wave at maximum gun pack range, downing 32 both by gun and laser. Followed by the massive point defense batteries of the Engineer, Luttfomis and the BCs only one fighter broke through. It was a symbol of defiance, and just as futile as it was torn apart by concentrated point defense fire.
As for the northern defense base it was shorted out completely. The fighter bases had not one weapon with which to shoot back, save for 27 fighters, their last. All they could do was follow in their predecessors? footsteps and end up just as dead. After delivering point-blank energy blasts at the two fighter bases the Hazen BCs then turned on the SE bases. The Allied ships had in the interim kept a steady barrage, knocking down the shields of the remaining defense base. One BC had a third of its armor removed before the noisome base was silenced.
Rear Admiral Gannus, commanding the assault force from a Luttfomi sweeper, had decided to let Davke take care of the BS2s. With twelve BS5s to scrounge for data it did make sense not to waste more lives on a battle that was already won. It was again a costly one for the pilots involved, only 65 out of 204 Sharks survived to return to friendly hanger bays. 72 of the 221 Whales were gone, and 17 out of 100 Damage Sinks survived, along with 47 out of 80 Magnets. One Avami and two Terplas were gone with just five ships heavily damage. All the ships that were in the first three waves received significant armor damage (especially the smaller ones) and the odd primary beam hit. Combat deaths were expected to be around 12,600. As assaults went it was as low as one could imagine under the circumstances. Axis losses were higher, and with their targeting of the small assault ships they largely ignored the capital units. While having the beam bases out of the reach of plasma guns did prevent the probable destruction of one at the outset it was the Apins and fighters that brought about their rapid destruction. This was worth remembering for the next assault.
The rest of TF 21 made transit. Along with those sweepers able to make speed the whole formation made for Borehole Prime. The loss of Ayrth did have a noticeable effect on morale. Many wondered if the huge space station waiting for them was filled to the brim with death-seeking pilots very much like the one that claimed the Narkas. Admiral Jki was the most concerned of all, for despite two weeks effort only 240 fighters were prepped from crated storage. Combined with the F0 Sharks based on the escort carriers the task force had 504 fighters. With no wish to send them against an unknown quantity Gannus agreed with Jki to keep the fighters on the defense until Axis fighter strength guarding Borehole Prime was established.
In no particular rush Gannus, now commanding from the battleship Breakwater, parked TF 21 10 LS from the space station orbiting Borehole Prime. It was a big one, having the mass of 22 dreadnoughts. Sensors and optical observation showed it was building additional station components as well as six more BS5s and 6 BS3s. The disadvantage of being that size was that it couldn?t employ shields. With nuclear-armed SBMs Gannus had his capital missile units rain upon the station. Each hit stripped away armor and external ordnance, forcing the expenditure of EDMs before they were destroyed. When a unit ran out of missiles it simply pulled away and remunitioned from an Asghaln freighter.
Calculating the rate of armor loss System Admiral Jonpen launched his fighters ninety seconds into the bombardment. 324 F0 Hatchets, their green pilots giddy with pride and resigned to fate, made a direct line for the capital ships. The only concession Gannus made to this development was the move the task force so that it engaged the horde when it was just 0.75 LS out. It could be likened to a fireworks display set in space, a virtual forest of sparks, fireballs, and streamers that marked the demise of 251 death-seeking souls. The remaining 73 conducted a suicide run, homing in on one ship, the one that made the obscene demand for the Comensal settlement to surrender. A ship called the Breakwater.
Maneuvering and firing madly the battleship claimed it fate-allotted share of suicide attackers. Driven with pure adrenaline in their veins the pilots that survived pressed on and, despite their greenness, made a perfect head-on attack. 42 Hatchets smashed into the Breakwater. The attack failed to completely destroy the ship and those suicide attackers that missed were knocked out by a vengeful trio of Jajer-Ds. While all this was going on the task force was still keeping the missiles raining on the station. It wasn?t until after the station belched air that news of Gannus? death was announced.
The most immediate response was the switching to antimatter warheads, hastening the station?s demise. Soon whole sections were blasted off the immense construct, ending in a series of stroboscopic fireballs that caused a shower of station parts to fall across a wide swath on the planet below. Then nothing, the task force waited for orders. On the carrier Junshu the strikewing operations officer, Captain Reas, approached Admiral Jki and said the words needed for the occasion. ?Admiral Jki, in accordance to regulations pertaining to the death of commanding officers during offensive operations it is the duty of the next most senior and experienced officer of command rank to assume the duties of their predecessor. In Task Force 21?s chain of command you are currently the only officer that meets those requirements. For the record do you accept the responsibility to command the task force??
?I accept the responsibility,? Jki said firmly. Gannus said those exact words before, hours ago, when she contacted him after the warp point battle. Losing Ayrth, a friend and mentor for decades, was a harsh personal blow in a very impersonal bloody war. Ayrth could?ve easily stayed out of the assault, but chose to participate directly. He factored the chance that the enemy would mistake the trio of Terplas in the sixth wave as Oknibs, thereby focusing their missile volleys and fighters on them. He wanted to keep his capital missile DNs intact for the bombardment of Borehole Prime?s space station. It cost him his life, but his plan worked. Save one ship, the task force suffered no casualties during the bombardment.
Quickly Jki implemented the remainder of the operations plan. The transports, carrying the 2nd Expeditionary Corps (consisting of 60,000 troops), was called from its holding position in Gilded Wire. An Apin wing was left over Borehole Prime, tasked to take out the spaceport and to determine the strength of the defending garrison. Task Force 21 moved on to Meadow, finding that its space station also housed 324 fighters manned by green pilots. This time the F1 Sharks carried only two laser packs, allowing it keep the range open while engaging the Hatchets. Only 11 reached the task force with only one firing before the pitiful remains were brought down by a trio of minesweepers.
The Battle for Borehole was complete, leaving Jki to her thoughts on what she wanted to say for Aryrth?s eulogy.
********
Commonwealth President Eyna Huj found some relief in watching the fish in his office aquarium. From tiny Neons to large Angelfish the denizens of the 100 gallon tank went about their existence without a care of what was beyond the glass. After the meeting he had with senators and naval officials earlier in the day Huj envied the fish, for they had no need for politics and diplomacy.
The report on the assault on Borehole came in, and it rekindled a smoldering flame in the senate. While the use of ships like the Damage Sinks and Magnets to dilute the fire of enemy laser buoys had proven most useful it was the resultant casualties that caused loud grumblings. To be most effective the aforementioned ships had to use mass transits, resulting in 30% losses through interpenetration even before combat began. Coupled with the deliberate fire from Axis bases only 17 out of 100 Damage Sinks survived. Despite the degree of automation employed to reduce casualties the number of deaths on the explorer-sized vessels was over 3400.
With the CSF clearly on a winning streak the more self-serving senators came to decry the 'wasteful expenditure of precious youth' on mass transit tactics used to secure the victories. They argued that more aggressive exploration would lead to a backdoor in Axis space, exploiting poorly-defended interior systems to attack and thus alleviating the need for direct assaults. Some senators took a different track and advocated the increase use of armed pinnaces in the assault role. Since each Apin 'only' had a crew of six it was far more logical to use them instead of ships in the initial rounds of a warp point assault.
In polite terms the admirals replied to the senators' newfound military wisdom. In regards to warp point exploration it took the better part of two months of survey to find open warp points in any one system or starless nexus for that matter. If a backdoor into Axis space was found it was going to take months if not a year to properly exploit it for a rushed campaign was worse than no campaign at all. As for Apin use the admirals were considering increasing their numbers, provided that several factors are taken into account first. While they suffered less in mass transits and minefield attrition could be tolerated Apins had to be used in really large numbers if they were expected to handle the first few minutes of a warp assault all on their own. Certainly they could destroy any close-in base at will but when it came to fighters the Apins couldn't stand up to whole wings of them. Even a fully-loaded F0 Axis fighter could run down an Apin, and being a bigger target made them easier to hit. Despite being able to engage three targets at once a battle between similar numbers of fighters and Apins will result in the latter's complete annihilation.
Therein lays the crux of the senators' unspoken message. The great majority of the casualties in the mass transit attacks were suffered by the CSF, which meant they were Terpla'n casualties. What was unsaid, but clearly heard in-between the lines, was that the other allied nations were not taking their share of the burden in regards to warp point assaults. Huj could see their point. If not later in this war but certainly afterwards there was bound to be some resentment that the vast number of lives lost in mass transit attacks were Terpla'n while the rest of the allies (with the exception of the Hazen) were 'safely in the rear making proud noises' as the senator from Kiosho said in a private dinner.
There was good news later in the day. It was publicly announced by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs that a newly found warp connection will enable Endrili ships to cut transit time to Hamthen by one-third. That meant the newly constituted Endrili Expeditionary Force would be in combat that much sooner. It was after the press conference, in a private meeting between the Endrili Ambassador Smettz, Huj, and CNO Qal, that the full details of the EEF were revealed.
Having studied warp point assaults made by the CSF and Axis the Endril Military Service came up with a new type of warship for the mass transit assault role. It was frigate-sized vessel, the Firewalker class, heavily armored to take the attention of laser fire and even the occasional energy beam blast. Instead of being armed with plasma guns a Firewalker had tactical scanners and a pair of tractors beams. Employed en masse along with Damage Sinks flotillas of Firewalkers would enter a minefield patch, take whatever the Axis throws at them, and then use their tractor beams in wide-angle mode to destroy mine patterns by the bushel. The aim of this was to create a clear path in the mines much quicker, allowing subsequent waves of ships to move and use their ECM to maximum benefit. Especially against Axis missile bases, for it wouldn't be long before they deployed antimatter capital missiles of their own.
The look Huj and Qal made was that of astonishment. To make the tactic work would require scores of Firewalkers and Damage Sinks. Like what happened in Borehole any Axis commander confronted with this tactic would elect to destroy as many of these small ships as possible in order to preserve buoy weapons for use against more important units, like capital ships. Endrili casualties would be very high. When asked about this Ambassador Smettz stated that it was his race's commitment to see an end to the Axis aggression, even at high cost. Just as the Axis made clear its will to rid the universe of 'abominations' it was the will of Bertik, the Endrili God, spoken through Empress Skessen V, his mortal voice, that the Axis be made to pay for its genocidal ways.
After expressing thanks for this enormous commitment Huj decided to hold a press conference later in the week to announce the composition of the EEF. It would be nice to see those snide senators eat their words with mackerel when confronted with the news straight from Smettz' mouth.
********
The 1st Survey Force had completed its work in Rain Gauge and Blood Pride, finding no more open warp points and just two lunar outposts on Blood Pride's outermost pair of planets. As for the other system linked to BRB-01, Crystal Haze (named so on a whim by Bapha), there was no sign of Axis ships and buoys. Supplemental survey elements had arrived in the interim and Bapha dispatched them to Crystal Haze. A scanner buoy network was deployed in the system in case Axis ships should happen to return.
At roughly the same time TF 21 conducted its assault into Borehole a sensor contact appeared fifteen light-minutes from Crystal Haze?s red sun. By good luck the contact came close enough to one buoy to be positively identified by its drivefield frequency. It was the same Axis military freighter that was tracked five weeks earlier in BRB-01. Again it was booking, moving with urgency for some reason.
With interest peaked Bapha ordered the 1st Survey Force into Crystal Haze. He wanted to capture the ship and plum the depths of its database. Without long-range scanners the ship would be blind until the very last moment, and it would be too late for it to flee. Upon entry Bapha received electrifying news. The sensor buoys picked up new, alien drive field contacts. They were in apparent pursuit of the Axis ship, occasionally boosting speed by detuning engines. Eventually they would be in range, but given that the ship was heading directly for Bapha?s entry point it would be the survey force that would get first crack.
While devising a capture plan Bapha received the senior sensor tech on the Carris, his flagship. He presented new data on the alien contacts. The aliens had followed the Axis ship?s course very closely and had, in fact, entered definitive scanner range of one buoy. Searching for a match, the sensor tech found that the alien drive field frequencies had been observed before. A little over six years ago, to be precise. That alone was enough to identify them, but the buoy also sent photographic images. With an unmistakable design theme and with yellow and blue coloring Bapha knew the alien?s identity. It appeared that the Asteroid Axis had made the Hokum Imperium their enemy.
--Zume