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The Gyst – Chapter 6 Only the occasional chirp and chime from control panels broke the silence in Dispensation’s CIC. Admiral Krona rubbed the gold coin in his hand and watched his assault waves take final position around the warp point. It wasn’t the first assault to regain the Vault system; Krona hoped that this would be the last. For fifteen months the war between the Enclave and the Kingdom had been going in the Enclave’s favor. Despite the seizure of the Vault system by the Kingdom at the start of the war, and the subsequent battles to both reclaim it and defending the neighboring system of Gold, the Space Security Force had made considerable progress at the other point of contact with the Kingdom. Krona was beginning to think that if the war kept going at this rate then Vault would be liberated via Kingdom space than from Gold. It helped matters that the 2nd Security Fleet received priority in new construction. What didn’t help was the incessant prodding by the Magisterial Council and Security Command to launch another assault. There had been six previous assaults into Vault: four which were called off due to strong Gyst defenses and the other two ended in pyrrhic victory. With no effective follow-up forces those two assaults were chased out of Vault by a handful of missile ships. In turn the Gyst assault Gold four times, crippling the fixed defenses but failing to break the defending fleet. Attacking early and often may have kept the enemy focus on Vault but it also deprived Krona from building up a substantial force for an effective follow-though. What Krona really wanted was permission to conduct a true mass transit attack. Unlike the one conducted by Admiral Penny months earlier in the Silverware system, which only involved frigates, Krona wanted to use all of his ships at once. The concentration of firepower and absolute numbers would crush both the fixed and mobile defenses as well as dilute the laser buoys and minefields. Security Command, mindful of the losses Krona incurred previously and those from Penny’s assault, was not totally convinced. Krona was only allowed to use his corvettes in a simultaneous transit. To make to most of what he had, and goad the Gyst to expend their buoys as early as possible, Krona had each of his first four waves composed of three Magistrates, three Weedkillers, a Glass Jaw, and twelve Electric Gloves. The first seven ships would transit in a normal manner while the Electric Gloves would move as one. Since the Gyst had consistently positioned their force beam bases right next to the warp point the concentration of energy beams would easily taken them out. Follow-up waves would consist of missiles cruisers, tasked to engage those mobile units that stayed out of energy beam range. Once the size of the minefield was determined the right number of ships would move into a portion of it and sweep it clear. Only then would any capital missile bases be engaged and destroyed. Surviving enemy mobile units would be hunted down by his destroyers and frigates. A chime reminded Krona that the assault was ready. After giving the appropriate orders he sat down, watching the CIC’s holoimager as the first ships made transit. Now it was just a matter of waiting for the courier drones. If the news was good then the assault would continue, otherwise the liberation of Vault would wait until fleet was brought back up to strength. The first wave made transit. Coming in last were the twelve corvettes with only two interpenetrating and exploding. What the Bhohim found were formidable fixed defenses: three type-4 bases, 21 type-3 bases and at least 840 buoys. Long range scanners were still offline due to transit, but there was no doubt that the inevitable minefield around the warp point matched the buoys in strength. What was surprising was the location and deployment of the bases. First off, there were five nearby groups of bases: one north, one northeast, two south, and one northwest at a range of two light seconds. Each of these groups was composed of three bases. Further out at 3.75 light seconds were three more groups, located north, southeast, and southwest. Such a deployment would suggest a mix of standard missile/capital missile bases. This assumption was only partially correct. Nine of the bases were armed with x-ray lasers and of those three reached action stations. In addition to their deadly beams 100 regular laser buoys lacerated the seventeen Bhohim ships. Three corvettes were destroyed outright with the rest severely damaged. Being larger the battlecruisers faired better, until the Gyst fleet, sitting three light seconds from the warp point, raced to action stations. Of the 132 ships 41 were able to open fire. Only the three Weedkillers, half-dead, remained. Their drones speed away even as the second wave made transit. For the losses involved the first wave was only able to remove half the shields of one base. After a quick read of the drone data Krona called off the assault, but not before the third wave had already made transit. The firepower of the Gyst’s new laser weaponry came as a complete surprise. Even at a range of two light seconds the new laser caused three times the damage as a regular one at the same distance. Just two more drones arrived, from a Weedkiller that barely survived the second wave. Their data just confirmed Krona’s decision to call off the assault to be a sound one. It was clear that a new ratio of shield to armor protection would be needed. Point in fact; Krona had argued that the Magistrate class, being an assault unit, would’ve been better served with the same protection scheme as used by the Weedkillers. So convinced by the obvious conclusion Krona had the three remaining Magistrates and twelve Electric Gloves sent to the space station orbiting Gold Prime. He ordered a refit that would bestow a rough parity of shielding to armor protection for the Magistrates. The single shield generator on the Gloves would be replaced with additional armor. After sending his after action report back to Security Command Krona redeployed his remaining ships around the Gold/Vault warp point. He mused that if the SC took his advice to heart then the next assault, composed of refitted ships and sent in one simultaneous transit, would succeed with acceptable casualties. He just hoped that his defense posture would keep the Gyst at bay long enough for his plan to work.
Arch Duke Wonset, former Regent and uncle to King Kysjyt, was pleased with the results of the defensive battle. The efficacy of the new x-ray laser had been proven decisively. Coupled with the deployment of the ships and bases, arranged so as to minimize damage from the enemy’s energy beams, the Bhohim assault was halted. Aside from the 308 laser buoys expended the only damage was done to one base, having lost 80% of its shielding. Wonset was also thankful that the anticipated problems associated with the new weapon, radiation leakage and catastrophic containment failure, didn’t happen in the battle. In a few days it would be the turn of the Frontier Fleet to assail the Bhohim defenses of Gold. Conferring with Admiral Selsyn, second in command of the fleet, it was decided that the planned attack would be conducted in a conventional manner except for one important difference. Following the battleships of the first wave all the minesweepers and most of the Flare explorer vessels would conduct a mass transit. The reasoning was based on the key weapon the Bhohim depended on – the laser buoys. Depending on the amount loss due to interpenetration, the Bhohim commander would be facing a quandary for the first few minutes. To kill the minesweepers before they destroyed a significant number of buoys, several hundred, had to be fired. However, with so many small ships the buoys’ effect would be severely diluted. To counter that, the defending bases and ships would have to kill the small ships, leaving the minesweepers unmolested as they went about destroying buoys, not to mention the regular warships firing at the defenders. With more x-ray laser armed ships in each successive wave the Bhohim would have to fire all of his buoys to at least score some significant damage. For maximum damage, any Bhohim beam base would have to be very close to the warp point. With the knowledge of the new x-ray laser (not necessarily how it worked but based on its obvious destructive power), however, there would be the temptation to move the bases further out to mitigate the damage. Wonset firmly believed this wouldn’t be the case. Having seen what the new lasers could do even at a range of two light seconds the Bhohim Commander would make the most of a bad situation and keep his bases close. He may even bring his ships in closer as well to supplement the bases’ fire. If so, the enemy might be enticed to bring his ships to point blank range so as to destroy as many Flares as possible before using the buoys. This could only help the Gyst in turn, firing their lasers at point blank range at an enemy that had a low ratio of armor to shields. Coupled with the direct permission by King Kysjyt to conduct the mass transit the odds of victory were favorable. The only decision left was when to send in the assault. Wonset arbitrarily decided that a waiting period of four days was a long enough time. By then the Bhohim commander would’ve stood down his forces, insuring that the first wave in would have its surprise. Until then Wonset wrote a private correspondence to Kysjyt and visited some of the battleships involved in the upcoming attack. He also visited his grand niece, Princess Hysyth, on the battleship Thunder Lord. Hysyth, having achieved the rank of senior lieutenant in the Royal Navy, was serving as the chief fire control officer aboard the battleship. It was Wonset’s unspoken and expected duty to keep an eye on Kysjyt’s daughter. Being the oldest of Kysjyt’s offspring made Hysyth the expected successor to the throne. War, being the crucible as it was, would expose any flaw in Hysyth’s character. That and the possibility of dying didn’t guarantee her spot. So, with a critical eye disguised as that of a doting grand uncle, Wonset sought to find out how Hysyth was doing professionally and privately.
It was the midnight shift on Krona’s flagship. The admiral visited the dimly-lighted CIC out of an unconscious calling to see the tactical plot. Centered on the plot was the warp point, a white circle outlined in black on a light blue background. Three type-2 and three type-4 beam bases were located half a light second ‘north’ of the warp point. An equal number and type of bases were located south. Almost three light seconds beyond the north beam bases was a trio of missile-armed type-4s. Much further out at six light seconds were the capital missile bases, three each north, southeast, and southwest. For the beam-armed portion of the fleet Krona had it stationed 1.5 LS ‘east’ of the warp point. The 24 missile ships were with the three missile bases, ready to move and orbit the warp point. Combined with six hundred patterns of mines and 750 laser buoys the defense of the Gold warp point was stronger than it has ever been. The grating sound of an alarm brought Krona to full awareness. On the flat panel tactical plot a crimson dot, representing an enemy ship, appeared. It was closely followed by four more. Knots formed in both of the admiral’s stomachs, for he instinctively knew what the armament was for the five battleships. An angry blot of crimson dots followed the fifth battleship. Of the thirty BC-sized vessels eight interpenetrated and exploded. For a moment the shock of seeing so many large combatants enter paralyzed Krona. He didn’t see the solitary frigate trailing its far larger brethren, and it took the mass transit of eighty explorer vessels to snap him back into reality. Twenty-four of the little ships had tried to share the same area of space at the same time and died, but that left eighty-four enemy ships on the Admiral’s plot. Only one base that reached action stations had a buoy control system. Krona held back ordering the firing of one hundred buoys until the last possible moment. Those ships and bases that did manage to reach action stations in the first thirty seconds managed to destroy three battleships, the single frigate, and one explorer. One battlecruiser was heavily damaged due to a barrage of gun missiles and energy beams. Thanks to those fifty-five explorers the big Gyst ships only took minimal damage. It was clear to Krona that the small ships were nothing more than engines and armor. In order for the remaining buoys to have maximum effect those explorers had to be destroyed. The second Gyst wave made transit. Five more of what had to be laser-armed battleships appeared as well as two frigates and another explorer. Krona mentally grimaced as the two battleships from the first wave, fully recovered, fired at a type-4 base and inflicted heavy damage. The duo also wrecked a type-2 base and another was hit by their external sprint missiles, losing half of its shields. As bad as that was the battlecruisers were revealed to be minesweepers and commenced to knock out buoys and fired their external sprint missiles at another type-2 base. In addition the 21 assault shuttles the sweepers launched contributed to the massacre. In all a total of 123 buoys were wiped out in thirty seconds. Another base equipped with a buoy controller became active. Knowing he was facing a ‘use them or lose them’ situation Krona ordered 200 buoys to be activated and used immediately. So far none of his ships had been hit, but he lost one type-4 base with the other five either moderately or severely damaged. Only one type-2 base remained untouched while another had just three energy beams; the other four were utterly wrecked. With the need to whittle down the explorers so as to make the buoys more effective only two Gyst battleships in the second wave were e-hulked with a third heavily damaged. The tactical plot turned very bright for a split second, indicating the 200 buoys had fired. With sixty Gyst ships on the warp point each one was targeted by at least three buoys. Of the 29 explorers (only four of which were previously undamaged) only seven remained, albeit each with only one operable engine room. Initially starting with 750 buoys only 326 remained. The third wave of ships was identical in composition to the second, but Krona saw that three of newcomer battleships fired only the other new beam weapon employed by the Gyst. Initial reports from the bases indicate that this ‘drill beam’ made perfect holes through whatever it hit. Inevitably the beam would pass through a critical part, rendering the afflicted shipboard system useless. Looking at the plot, Krona knew that even if he sent all his current active ships forward now there was no way to stop the minesweepers and the annoying assault shuttles from killing at least another 100 buoys. Deciding to wait until all his beam-armed ships were active, Krona ordered another 200 buoys to open fire. Coupled with the missile bases, missile cruisers, and the beams ships the Gyst forces were now reduced to just twenty minesweepers and five battleships. All the close-in beams bases were gone or weaponless. Only sixteen buoys remained. If the Gyst continued the assault in a conventional manner… A fresh swarm of lights clustered atop the warp point icon on the tactical plot. The fourth wave was another mass transit, comprised of frigates, destroyers, cruisers and battleships. Krona didn’t express any shock like some of the ratings in the CIC. Any commander committed to a mass transit attack wouldn’t limit himself to just one in the same engagement. The admiral’s immediate eye was on the minesweepers. At minimum speed and maximum engine modulation the twenty ships, all with varying degrees of armor damage, plunged into the northeast section of the minefields. Each was targeted by five mine patterns, and forty mines were spent by each pattern. No sweeper was lost, yet each was reduced to scrap. If left alone, the sweepers would expend themselves to take out the last twenty patterns. Krona tasked the missile bases and cruisers as well as his Privilege class BCs to take out the sweepers. For all others the new Gyst battlecruisers served as the targets. After this exchange Krona planned to take his ships to within half a light a light second of the warp point. Even the Gyst light cruisers were equipped with the new lasers. He saw no other option but to close in and take down as many laser ships as he could. With gun missiles to strip away shields and energy beams to gut interiors Krona was still confident of smashing what was obviously the heaviest warp point assault in the war. The missile ships would have to hold out as long as possible before making a run for it. Ten minesweepers were finished, along with the crippling of one BB and two BCs. Bhohim losses included six DDs and two FGs. At this point the only thing Krona regretted was sending the three Magistrates and twelve Electric Gloves away. Their firepower was definitely needed. As the ships moved and maneuvered to a spot just beyond the depleted northeast section of the minefield the admiral watched as the ten remaining minesweepers turned in place while eight BBs and two BCs came to join them. The mines went after the broken sweepers first, venting their atomic fury upon them. Amid the expanding clouds of debris the remaining patterns spent themselves on the intruding battleships. Prepared for the onslaught, the big ships swatted down the mines for moderate damage to themselves. Only the crippled BB and one of the two BCs fell, but their deaths had blazed a clear path for their brethren to follow. The fifth wave entered as the minesweepers and the Bucklers took care of the mines along the planned exit route. Aboard the Thunder Lord one Lt. Gyst Hysyth, daughter of King Kysjyt, waited patiently as her equipment recovered from the effect of warp transit. The limited scans that were immediately available told her that the enemy was closing on the warp point. At the moment Hysyth exercised her discretion and fired Thunder Lord’s force beams into a typical noisome Bhohim frigate. One beam managed to hit despite be addled by transit, collapsing the shields. Hysyth glanced briefly at the fleet roster on a secondary repeater. Of the seventy-seven ships that made the third mass transit twenty-six interpenetrated. That was a little over the expected number of losses, but the concentration of firepower was telling. Bhohim frigates and destroyers were boiling away like water in a skillet. Once all the beam-armed ships were disposed of the fleet will move away from the warp point in the cleared path through the minefield. Once past the mines the fleet will turn and close on the northern missile bases. This will take them out of the missile envelope of the other six capital missile bases. They will be taken care of as soon as the Bhohim missile cruisers were destroyed or driven off. The reason there hadn’t been an assault into Gold for the last five months was the need to build up enough forces to conduct a decisive assault. Waiting for the necessary number of minesweepers was a pain, but now they had fulfilled their role. It was up to the fleet to finish the job. As the oldest offspring of Kysjyt it was generally agreed that Hysyth had the best chance to be the next monarch of the kingdom. After the formidable losses incurred, all necessary due to the strong defenses erected, Hysyth wondered if she had the fortitude to make such momentous decisions. A loss here would prolong the war or end with terms unfavorable to the Kingdom. As one that never made tough decisions lightly Hysyth knew her father came to his decision after much study and contemplation. She hoped by making the correct, necessary decisions in whatever she does will lead her to be the chosen heir to the Diamond Throne. Fire control finally shook off the effects of transit. Datalink was restored, and targeting priorities were issued by the Crimson Lord, Uncle Wonset’s command ship. Nine Bhohim BCs and fifteen CLs, all missile ships, moved away from the trio of standard missile bases at .05c, employing engine modulation. They were still in Thunder’s fire control envelope. As the sixth wave arrived orders came from the Crimson Lord. One missile BC was highlighted as the target. Both internal launchers and external racks of all three Lords belched their loads and the force beams lanced out in concert. Hysyth snapped her fingers in triumph as the BC lost its passive defenses, bleeding air and debris. Half of the missile hits came from Thunder’s portion as well as both force beam hits. The enemy, after hitting the heavy and light cruisers, shifted their fire to the destroyers and frigates. It was a logical move, since it was only those ships that had the speed to overhaul the missile cruisers once they ran out of ammunition and ran. When the last of Frontier Fleet emerged from the warp point, three missile cruisers, Wonset made his move. The six Bucklers and Lords moved out at full speed on separate courses, southeast and north respectively, while the rest of the cruisers and destroyers (all the frigates were gone or crippled) made for the northern bases. A 60° turn to port brought the spinal laser armed ships in line with the Bhohim missile cruisers. So targeted, one Midbow lost its datalink despite the use of EM. In turn the missile ships had to move at full speed just to keep the range open. All the Privileges had been either riddled with primary beams or smashed with laser fire. At reduced speed they elected to pursue the Bucklers now that the three cruisers at the warp point were wrecked. Two of the x-ray laser CAs came to a crawl after be hit by sprint mode and capital missiles from the northern bases but two of the regular missile bases lost their armor and datalink. Force beams from six cruisers and the two datagroups of Lords removed two of the bases from consideration. It was all over for the Bhohim missile cruisers. When contact with the Dispensation was lost the senior officer in charge of the missile squadrons made a great error. Instead of heading towards the southwest missile bases, thereby gaining formidable support, he headed west/northwest. Worse still was that he found out that the spinal laser still packed a punch even at a range of two light seconds. Every missile ship lost its armor and datalink. For the Midbows they even lost engine rooms. Packed with EDMs, the Gyst spinal laser cruisers and destroyers only suffered moderate to heavy shield damage from the weak missile volleys that faced them. Five of the Broker commanders essentially panicked and detuned their engines, scattering and trying to escape. It didn’t matter to the Prism-Ls DDs. It took some time, but by the end of the day they ran them down. None of the Brokers surrendered but plenty of survivors were picked up. Meanwhile the six Bucklers kept heading towards the southeast bases. At three light seconds range both datagroups fired into two of the bases, destroying datalinks and weapons. The pursuing crippled BCs fired what weapons they had, and with the fire from the bases one Buckler, already stripped of armor, was reduced to moving at half speed. At just under two light seconds the bases fired at a fresh BB, intent on making their mobile comrades’ job easier by removing as much passive protection as possible. At half a light second five Bucklers perforated the bases again. The sixth Buckler, now just over two light seconds away, turned 60° so as to bring its recharged primaries to bear on its pursuers. Just two beams hit one of few armed BCs. Force beams and capital missiles finished the Buckler, but the other five had rendered the bases useless in a period of one minute. It took just two more minutes to disarm the BCs, and one minute later their crews rigged the ships to self-destruct and abandoned them. Back at the northern bases the issue came to a close. The last standard missile base was destroyed by point-blank force beam fire while the remaining trio of cruisers armed with x-ray lasers breached the armor of two capital missile bases. Volleys uncoordinated, those two plus their undamaged partner lost combat capability thirty seconds later, all smothered by beams and missiles alike. As for the southwest bases their wait was a short one. The spinal cruisers left the broken, fleeing Midbows to their force beam armed fellows. Along with the six Lords, the six Cutlass-Ls made for the remaining operable bases. At a range of 7.5 LS the bases selected one BB at random. Six missiles survived the point defense of the Crimson Lord; the ship lost 60% of its shields. Moving at full speed, the Cutlass-Ls reached the 6 LS mark just as the second volley of missiles reached for the Crimson Lord. The ship and its five companions were a quarter of a light-second behind the cruisers. Despite deploying both EDMs the Crimson lost the rest of her shields and half her armor. Return fire did bring down 90% of the shields of one base. The sour point was that only one spinal laser managed to hit the aforementioned base, destroying one of its racked EDMs. Despite the lackluster performance Wonset knew that the Bhohim will regard the cruisers as the main threat now. He ordered them to maintain full speed while the Lords went to maximum EM while still being able to move. When the bases’ missile launchers recycled the cruisers were now at 4.5 LS range while the BBs reach 5.75. One datagroup of cruisers was quicker on the trigger. Nearly all the armor was blow off the first base and its last EDM was destroyed as well. Out of an understandable need for self-preservation the bases now focused on the cruisers. Despite having fired their external ordnance earlier in the battle the bases still had a formidable volley of 42 capital missiles. The selected cruiser survived the volley by deploying its three remaining EDMs. Everything forward of its first engine room was wrecked, but it was still able to go at full speed. Follow-up by the other cruiser datagroup and the BBs breached the armor, taking the base out of the link. After another recycling period the cruisers were 3 LS away and the BBs 5.25. Now in an apparent move to maximize damage the two bases still in link went after the Crimson Lord again. Just enough missiles got through to remove the rest of Crimson’s armor and break her datalink. Retaliation was quick as six spinal lasers cut deep into the wounded base. Two Cutlass-Ls of the other datagroup fired on the second base, burning away its weak armor and ruining its datalink and EDMs. Missiles from the Lords took down half of its shields. That left the initially wounded base. Only two missiles got past the point defense, wrecking two engine rooms on the battered cruiser. Now at 1.5 LS the five untouched cruisers went for the remaining intact base. Looking at their doom the base commanders decided to place their full attention on the damaged cruiser again. The picked-on ship went to full EM and barely moved a quarter of a light second. With the pounding it was dealt the ship still was able to fire its spinal lasers one last time, but tragically missed. One of the other bases brushed it off with its remaining launchers. The Lords fired on the second base, intent on bringing down the shields for a specific purpose. At point-blank range the bases couldn’t do anything but hurl insults at the five cruisers. Just four spinal lasers were fired; enough to insure that the bases posed no threat to Lords. No more missiles were fired, but the battleships used their force beams to take down the shields of the third base. It was then that the Bhohim knew the reason. Twenty-one assault shuttles, all but forgotten after their buoy-killing mission, had been waiting 10 LS away. Upon receiving the order from Wonset the shuttles broke up in groups of seven with each group targeting a base. None of the bases were able to scuttle by the time the assault shuttles arrived. With crews all but dead the RN marines in those shuttles were able to secure the bases in ten minutes. For their effort the Gyst got an intact database, indicating Gold had two other warp points among other things. The Gyst victory was now complete. On the Thunder Lord Hysyth disengaged the ship’s fire control system and congratulated her ratings for exemplary performance. Thunder achieved an on-target rating of 90%. Such skill was earned by defeating the Bhohim in their previous assaults into Vault. In upcoming battles the crew would have a distinct advantage over their opponents. As the ships launched small craft for search and rescue duty Hysyth contemplated on what was going to happen next. What remained of the fleet would proceed to Gold Prime. Whatever defenses were in place would be taken out and the space station captured or destroyed. Landing of ground troops would follow immediately. Hysyth couldn’t wait to step foot on Gold Prime. In accordance to Fendalen tradition, any surrender must be rendered to the most direct relation of royalty. With her presence in the system Hysyth was the one to receive the Magistrate of Gold’s surrender. She imagined the impending scene, just as if it was one of the ancient paintings she saw in her history texts. More importantly, it most likely she would be made viceroy of Gold. Wonset was too experienced a commander to be spared for such a task, and her other siblings were either too young or still in training. With the right amount of magnanimity and persuasion Hysyth knew she could make Gold Prime a valuable addition to the war effort in general and to the Kingdom in particular. The crown and diamond scepter looked all the more attainable now.
It was now a month after the battle. Frontier Fleet had undisputed claim of the Gold system. Both warp points leading back into Enclave space were covered by growing numbers of mine patterns, laser buoys and the new energy beam armed buoys. As predicted, there were no orbital bases over Gold Prime aside from the space station. Outgunned, the station commander attempted to scuttle the installation but a wave of assault shuttles, back by the missile ships of Frontier Fleet, successfully docked. Royal Marine companies secured the station within an hour. 345,000 troops now garrisoned Gold Prime, population of 120 million, after two weeks of fighting. The Magistrate of Gold surrendered after the bulk of his troops, many of which were slated to be used in the recovery of Vault, were killed. Coupled with news that Silverware was retaken the war had turned in the Kingdom’s favor. Fresh construction reached Gold but it would be another month before Wonset could mount a credible advance further into Bhohim territory. The Crimson Lord, orbiting Gold Prime, had its armor and minor internal damage fully repaired. Given the intensity of battle there were very few lightly damaged units. Those ships that could move under their own power had already returned to Vault for repairs. For those that were hulked by energy beams mobile repair ships restored enough of their internal systems so that they too could go to Vault. Before that happened Wonset held an award ceremony in Crimson’s refurbished shuttle bay. Princess Hysyth was in attendance as well. Twenty officers and ratings were to be rewarded for conspicuous bravery. Of that number three were tapped to become Knights of the Realm. In addition to receiving a badge bearing the royal crest, a knight was granted the title of count, a generous amount of land, and a yearly allowance from the King. As he announced the recipients Wonset watched as Hysyth pinned the various medals and badges. He was reminded of the numerous times during the civil war of battlefield promotions and knighthoods bestowed on people that were killed shortly thereafter. It was his hope that in this and following ceremonies the recipients would enjoy their recognition well past the current war. Frontier Fleet 12 BB(Lx) all destroyed 6 BB(R) 1 w/armor gone and minor internal damage 6 BB(P) 1 destroyed, 2 medium armor damage, 2 very light armor damage 30 BC(MS) 22 destroyed, 8 interpenetrated 6 BC(Lx) 4 destroyed, 2 interpenetrated 6 BC(R) 1 destroyed, 1 severely damaged 12 CA(Lx) 2 destroyed, 3 heavily damaged, 4 interpenetrated 6 CA(Ls) 1 destroyed 6 CA(F) 1 destroyed, 2 interpenetrated 9 CL(Lx) 5 destroyed, 2 e-hulked, 2 interpenetrated 6 CL(F) 1 heavily damaged, 2 interpenetrated 6 CL(W) 1 destroyed, 2 interpenetrated 12 DD(Ls) 4 interpenetrated 6 DD(F) 4 destroyed, 2 heavily damaged 12 DD(W) 5 destroyed, 1 severely damaged, 2 interpenetrated 18 FG(L) 9 destroyed, 4 severely damaged, 5 interpenetrated 83 EX 25 interpenetrated, remainder destroyed 308 Laser Buoys expended 43,734 killed/1,113 wounded 2nd Security Fleet Assault Component 12 BC(F) 9 destroyed 12 BC(MS) 9 destroyed 48 CT(E) 36 destroyed 10 ES 3 destroyed Remainder sent to Gold Prime and subsequently fled the system. 14,022 killed 4,548 POW Main Component All destroyed unless noted otherwise. Captured/surrendered units heavily to severely damage. 12 BC 1 captured 9 BC(R) 15 CL(R) 1 surrendered 18 DD 1 surrendered 27 FG 1 captured 1 surrendered 6 BS2(B) 6 BS4(B) 9 BS4(R) 3 captured w/1 intact database 3 BS4(M) 167 laser buoys destroyed/583 laser buoys expended 100 mine patterns used/500 patterns eventually destroyed 30,448 killed (including those not rescued in time since Gyst lifepods had priority) 30,152 POW
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