[X]A Failed Star
In the end, you have your navigators choose the most obvious of paths.
Through a system of a failed Sun, dead before it was even born. Completely unremarkable, with pale glow, a thin belt of asteroids, and a handful of rocky worlds without an atmosphere. The journey goes smoothly and without surprises, which is just as well. You had done the first part of your mission; now came the second, which involved arriving at your destination at precise time.
***
As one, your fleet emerges from Hysh space, sheets of ice breaking off sleek hulls, before evaporating under the gaze of Almiratz' sun. In stark contrast to the previous system you traveled, the sun here is massive and blazing with power. Were it not for automatic screen polarization and video saturation control, you and the bridge crew would have probably been rendered blind. It is out here, in the blazing corona of a sun, that Marshall Dommel gathers her fleet.
The visual screens of your flagship, normally useless in battle, identify at least 3 full Heavy Assault divisions, in addition to Dommel's own command element, lead by her personal battleship. You also spot the other Assault Division assigned to her command. You frown when your quick math doesn't add up to the organizational numbers - it seems that while they arrived before you, they took proportionally greater casualties...
"Commodore." Noire, ever the busybody flag captain, reports. "We have arrived into the system. The Marshall is congratulating us on luring substantial enemy force, and is requesting your presence aboard her flagship as soon as possible."
You nod, standing up. "Then there is no reason to dely. The sooner we can get the briefing done, the sooner we can prepare."
***
On your last visit to
Anemone II, you had little time, or opportunity to see much of the ship. Now however, as you're being led towards the Marshall's command deck, you have the ample opportunity to do so.
And your one reaction is "opulence". The halls of the
Asuryan-class battleship are cream-white in color, with a
very liberal use of gold-plated appliances, finishes, flourishes and filigrees. A few of the central ship corridors in fact feel less like starship interiors, and more like massive palatial halls. However, the crew you observe is the perfect image of dutiful, quietly shuffling from post to post, whispering orders and directives.
When you enter the Marshall's sanctum, you are greeted with less hostility than before. You suppose your success thus far has melted some of the ice; alternatively, Marshall's officers would at least wait after the battle before they would plunge a knife into your back. Like the Marshall herself, the group is predictably made out of Reyans, though it is the first time you see all of them at one place.
Between themselves, they are a rather motley bunch, you give them that. You see one officer, hair bleached and skin weathered by age, with distinctions of senior Captain. Probably Dommel's own flag captain. Next to him was a younger male, with similarly pale hair, but darker skin. Unlike the somewhat slimmer counterpart, he looks as if he was built from raw muscles, more suited to army than navy, and towered over everyone else in the room. Next to him stood a trio of fellow Commodores, likely the leaders of Heavy Assault groups. One was an older man, but taller and somewhat more robustly built than the first captain, whose neatly trimmed beard and hair stood in contrast to his age. Second was a petite woman with black hair and piercing violet eyes, and the last one was also a woman, albeit more...
filled out with traditional silver hair and seagreen eyes. The last two were again Captains, though they made for an odd pair; one was a man with light brown skin and unruly red hair tied into barely regulatory ponytail, while his companion was a short, athletic woman with clear blue eyes and what
must have been hectoliters of blonde hair.
Marshall Dommel returns your salute with parade drill perfection, before sweeping her sight along the gathered officers, before smiling softly.
"We are all here. Very good, we can begin."
As she utters the last syllable, the room dims, and the holographic screen beneath your feet comes to life.
"Thanks to the efforts of our Light Assault groups-" She gestures with her baton at both you and the other blonde "-the first phase of the operation is a success. Heleian forces are en route along with reinforcements." Suddenly, Dommel's smile takes on far less charitable look. "What Heleians don't know is that Almiratz star engages in periods of irregular activity, marked by intense solar storms, mass ejection and overall radiation. We have known of this for a while thanks to our border surveillance, and today we will make use of it. That is precisely why we have been operating under a tight timetable until now."
The image rapidly shifts, showing the squadrons of Dommel's battlegroup, and an impressive red sphere that marked the system's sun. "The storms interfere with communications, but also cause tiny, almost imperceptible electro-gravitic interference around the star that expands and destabilizes any exit from Hysh space into normalspace. In layman's terms, it causes ships to scatter on jump and inhibits long-range communications. This means that enemy fleets, already operating in loose formation, will be scattered when the storm starts."
One of the older officers raised his hand. "And then we strike?"
Dommel nodded. "Yes. Our aim here isn't so much to win, as to destroy as many enemies as possible. Therefore, our Heavy Assault and my Command element will act as single formation, and destroy enemy groups one by one as they appear, taking advantage of our tactical supremacy." As she shifted to explain her plan, the images beneath your feet begun dancing to the tune of her words, visualizing the situation.
"To prevent the solar storm from interfering with our own Battlegroup, we will be making the maximum use of our light elements." She again eyes you, and the other blonde officer. "Commodore Desalt, Captain Oristis. I want your forces to act as our vanguard. You will be deployed in a wide formation around the star, with destroyers acting as forward spotters and relays. When battle starts, your role will be to remain mobile and identify enemy formations. You are cleared to engage light enemy forces, but your priority is to be our eyes and ears." Her green eyes linger on you both, impressing the weight of the task. "Captain Caldred will act as our reserve. Now, that's for generics. For the specifics of our deployment..."
The briefing lasts for hours on straight, as the Marshall hammers out a plan of action. During this time, you divide your attention between Dommel's plan, and your fellow commander. Ordinarily, you would have had time to familiarize yourself with other Group commanders, especially fellow Light Assault Captain, but with situation being what it is...you will have to make do.
From what you can tell so far, Odette Oristis is a traditional Reyan naval officer - coldly professional, with an air of haughty professionalism, probably magnified by her royal bearing in spite of her otherwise petite statue. Although you can't help but think she's always a word away from loosing her temper - but whether it is a simple resentment from being a junior officer, being under command of non-Reyan, simple nervousness or something else entirely, you cannot say. She doesn't offer much insight into proposed tactics, but she does make pointed questions regarding potential enemy responses and countermoves.
By the time Marshall Dommel dismisses the officers, yourself included, easily more than 3 hours had passed. That leaves you with two, maybe three hours before first Heleian formations start arriving, so the Battlegroup begins it's preparations immediately...
After consulting extensively with yourself and Captain Oristis, Marshall Dommel decided to deploy your combined Light Assault assets in following way:
[]Maximum Saturation: In order to maintain best possible sensors coverage and chain of communications, your formation will be spread out to maximum, with numerous Destroyers working alone in close range with lone cruisers and additional cruisers serving as relay ships with the main fleet. This will allow perfect vision for the main group even with solar storm ongoing, but will severely degrade your combat power, and largely place the conduct of your fleet in the hands of individual captains.
[]Seekers and Stingers: Your destroyers will be spread out in chain-like fashion around the star, with a handful of cruisers for support. This will mean that you will have less sensor coverage, but will allow your element to concentrate a main force of Light cruisers to act as interceptors and raiders, allowing you to participate more directly in battle without abandoning your task. However, this will strip your own ships of escorts.
[]Each Group A Fleet: Your Light Assault elements will be divided into numerous smaller groups, each composed of dozens of destroyer nets with a core of cruisers, with several more acting as relay ships. These "mini-fleets" will patrol most likely enemy attack vectors. While you won't have total coverage of a swarm, of firepower of a concentrated light cruiser reserve, this will keep firepower and sensor coverage in battle, and allow your scout teams better protection along with allowing them to handle small enemy groups on their own.
In addition, you had discussed finding use for your - 9th Group's specifically, as it seems that the 7th has lost the majority of its fighter wing in the raiding action against Heleians.
[]Deploy your Strike Craft with your fleet, detaching groups as needed to protect your ships.
[]Have them reinforce Dommel's main force.
[]Grant them full independence and deploy as a roving spoiler. The stellar conditions are perfect for small-scale strike craft actions, but this will mean that they won't be able to support you or the fleet, and vice-versa.
***
IT LIVES!
