The Terpla'ns - Chapter 6

The Terpla’ns – Chapter 6

Chapter 6.25

Chapter 6.50

Chapter 6.75

Lieutenant 2nd Grade Goysk was thankful he postponed lunch until after this proficiency flight. Task Force 21 was still bringing its strikegroups up to strength after battling its way into Borehole. Some of the reserve pilots in the fleet train hadn’t flown a fighter in over three months, an inexcusable state of affairs that Goysk and other veteran pilots were about to correct. For some of the pilots it was like remedial training, while others showed they still had the knack after months of inaction.
     The pilot Goysk had in the front seat knew his stuff. In advanced maneuvers and mock anti-shipping strikes the new-mint performed to expectations. It was in the dogfight department that the fighter’s life support system and Goysk’s fortitude was pushed to the limit. Rapid and unexpected maneuvers performed by the new-mint seem designed to gain the edge while at the same time make the ‘guy-in-the-back’ as sick as possible. At times Goysk felt as if his stomach would come out his mouth or rear or both at the same time.
     Eighty minutes later Goysk called it quits and had the new-mint land on the Junshu. After the extraction process he took off his suit’s faceplate, eyes still throbbing. The rookie pilot, still in full flight gear, had his paperwork in one hand. Goysk took it and proceeded to go down the checklist. In the comment section he left a verbose assessment. “Don’t let this swell up your brain, new-mint. It appears the instructors back home have refined your natural talent as a pilot. You performance was top-notch. Just don’t make your back-seat guy lose his lunch unless you’re in actual combat.”
     “I’ll endeavor to remember, Sir,” said the pilot, voice electronically tinged by the suit’s speaker.
     “Good.” Goysk signed the paperwork and looked over the pilot’s flightsuit. “You don’t have a call sign yet?”
     “Actually I do, Sir.” The pilot removed a strip of tape from what would be called a forehead on a Terpla’n. Printed in black lettering was the word ‘Alpha’.
     “Whoa there, hotshot, that call sign is already taken,” Goysk said readily. “The instructors back in flight school wouldn’t have failed to mention that little fact.”
     “Well, Lt. Goysk, those instructors are friends of mine that go way back.” The new-mint removed his faceplate, revealing that he was in fact female (you can tell by the shape of the eyes). Next she removed another piece of tape from her suit, revealing two gold pentagons, rank insignia for an admiral. The name tag, also on tape, was lifted to reveal the real one beneath. Goysk felt his mouth turn to lead when he realized the new-mint was actually Admiral Tulcus Jki, the commander of Task Force 21 and the driving force of the early strikefighter program.
     “I’m sorry for the subterfuge, Lt.,” said Jki. “For my pilot recertification I needed an honest appraisal. If you knew I was an admiral the temptation to give me a passing grade regardless of my skill would’ve been great.”
     “From the way you flew, ma’am, it’s clear you didn’t need affirmation of your skill.” Goysk wondered what possessed him to say that line, feeling that it was self-serving tripe.
     Jki just smiled. “Thank you, Lt. Now I do believe it’s tradition for a pilot that has passed recertification gets treated to some ice cream.”
     “Certainly, ma’am. After all you’re the one who started that tradition.”
     “Ah, so you do remember some of that arcane knowledge back in flight training. Lead on, Lt.”

“You know you didn’t need to get recertification now,” chided Reas as he met Jki after she had her ice cream and changed back to a standard shipsuit. “In fact, you had no reason to be piloting a fighter anymore. You’re a two-pent admiral now and too valuable to be lost flying something as dangerous as a fighter.”
     “You’re entitled to your opinion, Rear Admiral Reas.” Jki over-emphasized the rank as a matter of teasing. Following the deaths of Ayrth and Gannus there had to be battlefield promotions to fill the void. Jki became a two-pent admiral to assume command of TF 21. Reas, formally in charge of the task group’s strikewings, now had command of the carrier group. The jump from captain to rear admiral skipped the intermediate step of flag captain, a necessity since he needed the rank to back up his authority. “I wanted to keep the moral of our pilots up by honoring my pledge to recertify every year until I’m physically unable to do so. It will also give the ship crews something to talk on instead of combat losses.”
     Reas smirked. “You risked your guts so that when the decks hands call you ‘the old lady’ it’s out of respect.” He then turned serious. “Did your doctor approve?”
     “To tell you the truth he didn’t know,” Jki admitted. “This was the first time I was in a fighter since my last recertification, just before our third assault attempt from Hagelkorn.”
     “Well I bet the doctor will make it his business to perform a physical once word gets out,” Reas admonished. “You probably shifted some of those organs the surgeons went through so much trouble to patch up. Remember those occasional stomach pains you get? I hate to see you put down something more substantial than ice cream tonight at dinner.”
     “You may be right, Reas. It’s a likely outcome but well worth the pain. I need the crews to stop dwelling on the past and concentrate on the present.”

The 2nd Expeditionary Corps, a total of 60,000 troops, was landed on Borehole Prime. Given the population of the planet it was likelier to have the bulk of Axis troops. Meadow, with its smaller population, was saved for later but KBS satellites were still seeded in orbit above it, ready to pound any observed military activity. Calls to the two planetary governors asking them to surrender were ignored. Instead they sent out the same message of defiance.
     Borehole was defined by its very rich mineral deposits and manufacturing. A third of the planet’s 320,000 inhabitants lived in four distinct cities that were right next to each other, forming a rough square with a river running in the middle. Two cities focused on mining and refining, one on manufacturing, and the last on agricultural processing and power production. Collectively they were called the Quad Cities, even by the Comensal themselves. Having identified it as the planet’s center of power from captured records Terpla’n troops landed and proceeded to invade the northwestern component of the Quad Cities.
     Fighting was light until it entered the city proper. Unwilling to use KBS satellites in an urban area the CSA had to deal with Axis Army units more directly. Showing a high degree of deviousness the Comensal plant operators deliberately dirtied up the atmosphere, producing a ‘smudge-pot’ effect of industrial proportions. Laser targeting was practically useless due to clouds of hot, black smoke. Aerial observation was likewise limited. This allowed monstrous 500 ton tanks, quickly nicknamed Octopuses by the Terpla’ns for their numerous weapon turrets, to serve as mobile forts.
     It took a recently developed weapon to take down the Octopuses as well as every other physical obstacle the blocked the CSA. Man-portable hyper velocity missiles, scaled-down versions of the KBS, were actually 12kg rods wrapped with drive field coils that moved at ten percent the speed of light. Nothing, not even the thickly armored Octopuses and fortified walls could resist the energy such missiles delivered upon impact.
     While the battle raged on Borehole the situation on Citadel was peaceful bordering on tedium. The 1st EC still kept to its patrols and civil works projects. There was even talk of a draw-down of troops, withdrawing 10,000 while 5,000 took their place to learn how to police and interact with the Comensal civilians. Betting pools on which two brigades would be sent back to Hagelkorn as reserves, however, didn’t get nearly as high as the one started a week earlier.
     It was an exciting day in Camp Tango. In the commons room for the 3rd Company, 141st Regiment a group of soldiers met with their platoon sergeant. “Come on, Sarge,” said Corporal Menki-wa. “She came all this way to boost morale of us poor ground pounders. You should go to the show.”
     Private Qan-zu agreed. “Yeah. Zhusha-na is going to premier Planet of the Khanates here, in this camp. She could’ve easily had it on Yoshibo where it was filmed, or even back on E’sana.”
     “She’s also an accomplished singer,” Private Luin-ba chimed in. “Her entourage has plenty of pretty girls willing to throw themselves at a decorated soldier like you. There are even some pretty boys for girls like me to lust after.”
     The Sarge, Pepen-su, was unmoved as he kept writing. “Zhusha-na is going to be in camp for three days. You three go ahead without me. I have other duties to attend to first.”
     Menki-wa chuckled. “Yeah, like writing letters to you girlfriend.” He made exaggerated kissing noises that prompted Qan-zu and Luin-ba to join in. For his trouble Menki-wa got a sharp hit to the kneecap from Pepen-su. On a smaller being the blow would’ve left a massive bruise or even hairline fractures on bone. “Ow! I was just kidding, Sarge. Can’t you take a joke?”
     “No, that’s above my paygrade,” Pepen-su said. “You three scoot along and look at the pretty lady that earns more money in six months than you’ll every see in your whole life.”
     “You’re such a killjoy, Sarge,” Luin-ba pouted. “Come on, let’s go.”
     Once the three left Pepen-su resumed his letter writing. It was for Svaa Keltro, a Hamthen child that he maintained a correspondence with since the 1st EC landed on Citadel Prime. He was proud to learn that Svaa was the top pupil in her school and that her class enjoyed her sharing his letters in class. Along with the usual admonishments to keep getting good grades and to listen to her parents Pepen-su also provided videos to Svaa. Despite the way he acted earlier Pepen-su had every intention in seeing Zhusha-na’s appearance in the rec hall today. He was going to record it and send it to Svaa. Her class would certainly like to see first-hand video of one of the Commonwealth’s most popular stars.

All was quiet in the groundside headquarters of the 1st Expeditionary Corps. Located in the former Comensal governor’s residence it looked as if a media lab had been shoehorned into the first floor of the three-floor house. Field General Jingu-wa, the commander of the 1st EC, had his quarters on the top floor. He got up at 0430, had showered, dressed and eaten breakfast by 0500, and went to his ground floor office for the daily briefing. The highlights included the first shipment of processed ore from Citadel to Hamthen and the scheduled visit by singer-turned-movie star Zhusha-na to the headquarters later in the afternoon.
     Jingu-wa stepped out onto the patio with a cup of coffee in hand and smelled the morning air. Comensal farmers had returned to their fields, plowing and planting. Fertilizer had been applied recently and despite the distance the wind carried the smell, making the general’s nose crinkle. He took a sip of coffee to remove the smell from his nostrils. From the rose-colored sunrise it appeared, at least from a folklore perspective, that it was going to rain later that day. Jingu-wa looked in the direction of Stone Hearth, capital and main city of Citadel. The streetlights were going off as the sun rose higher. The day in his opinion was going to turn out just like every one since the planet was secured. With the population seemingly resigned to tolerate Commonwealth control in general and the E’sani in particular it appeared peace, on this planet at least, has been achieved.
     After taking another sip of coffee Jingu-wa ruminated over the plan to reduce the overall occupation force by 5,000. Admittedly the 60,000 on-planet now was a bit much for a population of 400,000. Still there was the practical experience the troops gathered in patrolling and policing Comensal civilians. Ultimately the garrison will be reduced to 20,000 – a single division – and areas on-planet would be developed to hold divisions tasked for invasions further into Axis space. Following another sip he looked northwest towards Camp Tango. It was then that he saw what looked like plumes of smoke rising from the ground some kilometers in the distance, standing out against the darker western sky like white lint. Figuring it was farmers burning undergrowth in the fields, providing ash for fertilizer, Jingu-wa went back inside. In a minute the peace that had held sway over Citadel for the past three months was gone.

The farmers were out in the fields that morning. Controlling fleets of manned and robotic machinery work that would require a whole day only took five hours. Fencor, age 34 and father of three, loved to work in the fields. Next to service in the fleet or army being a farmer, waging the war to bring in a crop to feed the people, was as high an honor that one could achieve.
     After sending his robots and teenage farmhands out on their duties Fencor inspected the northwest portion of his fields. He was shortly joined by his 12-year-old daughter and together they made sure the irrigation systems were operating. The region the farm and Stone Hearth were located in was that of arid grassland that was nevertheless good for growing wheat. Planting was delayed due to the Commonwealth invasion but there was still time to bring in a harvest before winter.
     In a section of one field both Fencor and daughter started to dig. After a minute they had uncovered what looked like a section of discarded irrigation pipe. Fencor raised and pointed it towards Camp Tango, some 10km away, using a radio compass to ensure accuracy. The daughter had a minicomp in her hand, telling her father at what elevation the pipe should be set, adjusting the bracing leg with care. Pulling the arming cord Fencor then turned a simple dial on the side, setting the rocket inside the pipe to fire at a designated time. The process was repeated in three adjoining fields, the firing of the rockets set so that all four went off at the same time. As much as Fencor wanted to stay and watch the rockets launch he left for the hills, taking his daughter with him and ordering his farmhands to do the same. When the rockets fired he smiled for the blow he was about to deliver to the enemies of the Comensal.

In Citadel there were two task groups from the First Field Fleet. TG 111 was guarding the Citadel/Chrome warp point and TG 112 was in orbit of Citadel Prime, acting as a mobile reserve, ready to move into Brass Latch or Chrome as needed. TG 113 had moved into Brass Latch to watch that system’s third warp point. Word had come of an Axis force making an appearance in the Kerama Retto system, one transit out from Chrome. Acting on his initiative the commander of TG 111 decided to stay in Citadel and allow the enemy to come to him. With fixed defenses, including 6 type-2, 1 type-4 and 2 type-5 bases and his ships the commander believed he could hold the warp point. TG 112 was en-route and set to enter Chrome in two days. Thanks to the placements of warp points in Kerama Retto and Chrome the Axis task group made good time.
     Being shrewd the Axis commander knew that staging an assault now would meet with disaster. He figured, correctly, that had the Allies any mobile defense force that it would be on the Citadel/Chrome warp point. Scouts and scanner buoys wouldn’t have failed to track his task group’s progress across Chrome and the enemy was very likely at general quarters. To keep up the enemy’s expectations the Axis commander sent in his 40 Dispersion escorts. That none of them came back just confirmed his theory on Allied alert status.
     So the commander waited. Task Group Chrome had come well-equipped with mines and buoys, but placed the majority of them at the Kerama Retto/Chrome warp point. Only a light barrier of 300 mine patterns and 210 one-shot laser buoys guarded the Chrome/Citadel warp point. The commander kept most of his fleet 1.5 LS from the warp point and just six squadrons of fighters on the CAP. He allowed an Allied pinnace probe to return to Citadel unharmed. He was tempting the Allies to come after him and wasn’t disappointed.
     First to enter were four Nikazu-Vs, one Cram and a Luttfomi, all on an arbitrary bearing of north. What they saw matched what the pinnace reported earlier. Sitting exactly 1.5 LS southwest (facing southeast), placing it on the most direct bearing for the Chrome/Kerama Retto warp point, was the Axis task force: 24 BC, 12 CA, 12 CL, 15 DD and 12 FG. What they didn’t see immediately was the regular Axis carrier group and a Command Detonator sitting 5.5 LS southwest. Six squadrons of Hatchets were on the CAP and moved in to engage the Allied ships. Three squadrons volleyed their close attack missiles at one Nikazu, almost breaching the armor. It was finished off by those ships that became active along with another. 14 mine patterns were blotted from the southwest mine patch by the Allied BAM-Rc rounds and a Hero was hit by the Cram’s hetlaser.
     The second wave was made of three Cqux DNs and three Gymen BCs. Launching their broods, the two remaining Nikazu-Vs continued with their turns and transited back into Citadel. All ten squadrons of Sharks stayed on the warp point, each fighter armed with a pair of laser packs and a single gun pack, tasked to engage Hatchets set upon attacking the Allied ships. Indeed amongst the Axis BCs were in fact six Falcon Crest CVs, of which two launched six squadrons, throwing themselves at the DNs even as the Sharks turned on them in a feeding frenzy. Including the other three CAP squadrons only 19 out of 54 Hatchets survived their attack runs. All the Cquxs and the Cram were destroyed with just one Hero nearly destroyed and a National Will having lost half of its engines. 15 more mine patterns were obliterated along with seven buoys.
     Wave three saw three Terplas and three Disams enter. Ignoring the BCs again the Axis ships pounded the new DNs. With no Hatchets to engage the Sharks took on the buoys parks, leaving 159 of the original 210. The Command Detonator primed and fired 100 laser buoys, finishing off the Terplas and removing the armor from the six battlecruisers. The Luttfomi took the hits in stride while a Hailfire was 75% wrecked. BAM-Rcs from the DNs and BCs took down a good number of mine patterns.
     In the fourth wave three Oknibs and three Kioshos found that they weren’t going to be alone after all. Loaded with CAMs on their external racks these ships took down a CL and finished the crippled BC. The Gymens worked over the shields and armor of a Hailfire. Again the DNs were targeted to destruction with the Disams getting the leftovers. Ravaged by the Sharks only 14 laser buoys were left when the order was given to use them, the few hits liked to the pretentious barbs of a skirmisher.
     The southwest mine patch was down to three patterns. Despite having its point defense suite needled by the Stalwarts primary beams the sole Luttfomi entered the mines and fulfilled its role. Set to maximum attack parameters the mines that weren’t sent astray by ECM had to endure the big ship’s shower of point defense rounds and counter missiles. Armored breached and with heavy internal damage the Luttfomi had cleared a lane for the mines were utterly spent. Wave five’s three BBs and three CAs had expected to be beset by the nine squadrons of Hatchets crash-launched by the Falcon Crests just half a minute ago. Instead the Axis craft went into a dogfight with their Shark counterparts. Datalink jammers on a Gymen and Kiosho helped the Sharks greatly but their numbers were cut appreciably. Only 6 of 54 Hatchets flew back to their carriers after expending their ammo but they had shot down 12 of 60 Sharks.
     To kill the jamming the Axis ships, instead of finishing off an almost-dead Nikazu, went and obliterated the jamming Kiosho. Three Axis Hailfires were severely damaged along with one DD destroyed and another crippled. A Disam went back to Citadel as the sixth wave came in. The Luttfomi was turning as fast as it could, its engine tuners give it the extra bit of gravity-twisting momentum it needed. By no means was this maneuver in response to the sudden appears of 192 Hatchets being launched 5.5 LS away from their carrier motherships. In less than 90 seconds they’ll be on the warp point.
     The Axis had destroyed the jamming Gymen and polishing off two Headmaster DNs and the last fifth wave BB. When the seventh wave completed transit, passing another retiring Disam, the Hatchets were only 1.5 LS away and in the midst of their own warships which were now facing the breach in the minefield. It was clear they were going to advance on the warp point along with the fighters presently. Bent on making the cost higher the sixth wave Losyns fired their restored launchers at a Hailfire, smashing its passive defenses with antimatter fists. Two more Headmasters exploded into wreckage, leaving just two from the seventh wave.
     Wave eight came just in time to receive the Axis fighter tsunami and the Luttfomi transiting out. The Axis ships moved just a quarter of the light second closer to the warp point but with maximum ECM. A Stalwart was destroyed nonetheless as well as a few Axis cripples. In the dogfight over the Allied ships only 10 Sharks were left, having only knocked down 19 Hatchets. Going for maximum kills only the remaining Disam and the eighth wave Engineers and Second Colonels remained untouched.
     The Falcon Crests, Eagle Crests and their escorts pulled away at maximum speed, their Hatchets in tow, while the warships edged in even closer to greet the ninth wave, made of Okado DDs. Quicker on the trigger was the Engineer trio. A Hero and Sprinter were vaporized by CAMs, capital force beams, and double volleys of antimatter sprint mode missiles. Additionally the datalink jammers on the trio were on full power, making the Axis ships fire as singletons. Nevertheless an Engineer was destroyed with another immobilized with all the fire directed towards them. With the environment becoming so lethal the 10 Sharks moved away from the warp point, waiting for the moment when their laser packs would prove most productive.
     The last Disam made transit while the six CAs of the tenth wave arrived. Still the focus of wrath the last Engineer with a jammer was pounded by the dwindling number of Axis warships. It was dispatched along with two Second Colonels. Now only half a light second away the exchanged became more violent. The eleventh wave CLs focused their transit-addled weapons on one National Will, but with so much ECM they only scored two hits with sprint-mode missiles. All six ninth wave Okados were destroyed and one Tamaya-Pg had half of its armament removed.
     Now just 0.25 LS from the warp point the Axis ships, down to 5 BC, 9 CA, 4 CL, 6 DD and 8 FG, found the twelfth wave of three Quagaar BBs and three DDs making transit. 3 Punches, a Sprinter, National Will, Stalwart and a Hailfire were either destroyed or rendered weaponless. On the Axis part they settled on crippling five of the six Tamaya-Pgs. Then the moment of truth arrived as the thirteenth wave came in just as the Axis ships came atop the warp point. Two Tamayas went back to Citadel and thus missed the undisturbed fury of the Quagaar BBs. The last Hailfire was eviscerated by 25 lasers and a Punch was figuratively pummeled by close assault missiles. Showing more interest in rendering ships as wrecks the Axis made the six CLs of the eleventh wave weaponless or motionless.
     Two more CAs left when six Tzel frigates of the fourteenth wave stepped in. Coming back into the fight were the 10 Sharks, lining up on a Punch before it could use its hetlaser to finish off a cripple. Successful, the Sharks did lose 5 of their number from Axis point defense fire. For the fifteenth wave it wasn’t made of ships but of six Apins, all of which went into the clear spot in the minefields to regroup and orientate themselves. The last two CAs transited as well as one Quagaar BB, bereft of weapons. As for the last pair of Hero BCs they used their weapons to finish a trio of Barlatio CLs and started on the third BB of the twelfth wave. Firing individually the last four DDs also took care of the Barlatio-Fcs and the first Quagaar BB.
     Six more Apins made transit and thus were able to witness what the Axis did next. Instead of firing at Allied ships the captains elected to use their weapons against their own cripples so as to prevent them from being boarded. Three destroyers were vaporized, but this came at the expense of using those weapons to inflict damage to the third Quagaar BB that would’ve required over a month of repairs. So it was the Allies came back into possession of Chrome but at great cost. Task Group 111 was a spent force with only its carrier group of 30 squadrons giving it any measure of strength. The assault group was also gravely depleted, preventing its use either by TG 111, 112 or even by TF 21. As for the Axis they were satisfied with the result. Having bloodied the enemy’s nose they made them worried about securing the Citadel/Chrome warp point against a future assault. Their 8 CVs, 4 CVLs plus escorts (including six Wave Rider minesweepers) went back into Kerama Retto to guard its warp connection to Chrome and get their flight groups back up to strength. By tonnage lost and psychological damage done it was an acknowledged Axis victory.
     There was some consolation for the Allied force. Of the sixteen Axis ships boarded after the battle two still had intact databases. A substantial Axis population was three transits out from Kerama Retto in a system called Battlement, likely the staging area for the task force. Substantial automated defenses were in Shunt, the system linked to Kerama Retto and used by the Axis task force for their transit to Chrome. It would be months before any thought could be given in mounting a counter-offensive. All that could be done now was to repair those cripples that made it back to Citadel, reinforce the buoy weapons, and wait.

Task Group 121, guarding the Silvershoe/Connectors warp point, had only sent in two random pinnace probes when the Axis task force opposing it made its move. In came five Falcon Crest CVs in the normal fashion followed by another Falcon Crest and 40 Dispersion ESs in a mass transit. 10 of the little ships interpenetrated and exploded. Coming in blind they saw twelve ships orbiting the warp point at a range of 1.25 LS. Six of them were Bulan Hunter Party BCs with the other six being Valhallan Sovereign BCs. Just slightly behind them were the other warships with the carriers much further back. Seven squadrons were on the CAP along with the usual compilation of mines and buoys.
     The Falcon Crests slammed a Hunter Party with CAMs, leaving only two operable engine rooms and a capital force beam. While none of the close-in BCs reached action stations several ships in the rest of the task group did, as well as four of the seven CAP squadrons, took down two Falcon Crests and a Dispersion. Two Jonal tenders primed and fired two hundred one-shot laser buoys. Going up in smoke were two more badly crippled Falcon Crests and 12 Dispersions.
     Only eight squadrons launched from the last two Axis CVs as they completed their turns and transited back to Connectors with two Dispersions joining them. Six Stalwarts appeared to take their place. Regardless of being at action stations or not the remainder of the Allied ships moved closer, making their sprint-mode missiles more effective, especially for the Cqux DNs. With active capital fire control a pair of those ships pummeled a like number of Stalwarts. The 48 Hatchets were able to engage their targets before becoming decimated by Allied defensive fire. One Sovereign was destroyed; another was crippled and was joined by two nearly-dead Hunter Party BCs. All six second-wave Stalwarts were destroyed.
     A further six Stalwarts made the scene only to find one Dispersion transiting back to Connectors, leaving four others behind, including two that were e-hulked. Ten Hatchets remained, and from those two each turned to a Hunter Party and six went for a Sovereign. A head-on suicide run to maximize damage, only one succeeded in hitting a Hunter Party, destroying its last engine. Two CAP squadrons destroyed a pair of Stalwarts right off the bat, and for their part the Axis CAs only took down 2/3 of the armor of one Sovereign.
     There was no fourth wave, leaving just four e-hulked Dispersions and two weaponless, limping CAs. Primary beams succeeded in hitting the remaining engine room of one, preventing it from escaping or self-destructing while the second took one too many hits, for a primary beam pierced the fusion containment chamber, releasing a torrent of energy that destroyed the ship.
     Tugs came forward and towed the four damaged ships to the awaiting repair squadron. Inspection of the five captured Axis ships came up with one intact astronavigtion database. There was a closed warp point in Connectors and it lead to a system call Forger’s Gate. With two great asteroid belts and a multitude of moons housing populations the system was an economic dynamo. Military data was just limited to Connectors but it was certain Forger’s Gate’s defenses would be on the heavy side.
     Lacking an assault element, especially armed pinnaces, TG 121 had no recourse but continue its vigil over the Silvershoe/Connectors warp point. Meanwhile fresh news came in from Citadel and Metalstorm. The Axis was proving that it was still in the fight.

Of the three task groups dispatched by the Axis it was the one slated for Metalstorm that was designated as the most important. The Commander, System Admiral Lorcan, was given the task of mining the warp points leading to Dotz, Silvershoe and Abyssal-019. To that end he had 33 Barb Wire minelayers and 12 Command Detonator control ships at his command. His task group was reinforced with additional warships, and when the Allied carriers in the Output system were dealt with these ships were brought in. The problem was the Allied task group that guarded the Metalstorm/Output warp point. A conventional assault would be prohibitive, so Lorcan had the blessing of the First Leader to conduct a mass transit assault.
     A pinnace probe had ferreted out the Allied force. 3 DN, 6 BB, 6 BC, 9 CA, 9 CL, 18 DD and 12 FGs orbited the warp point at a range of 1.5 LS, placing them out of the reach of plasma guns. At 3 LS were 3 DN, 3 BC and 3 CL. The suspected carrier group was 1 LS further out, containing at least 4 CVs, 2 CVLs and perhaps 2 or 4 CVEs as the CAP was only seven squadrons strong. As for buoy weapons their number was 480, leaving the composition of the minefield a complete imponderable.
     Six hours after the pinnace came back Lorcan made his move. First to come through was the bulk of the task force in a mass transit. 4 BCs, 2 CAs, 4 CLs, 2 DDs, 2 FGs and 18 ESs interpenetrated in an overwrought display of megadeath. The six Falcon Crest carriers and six Wave Riders came through unscathed. Following this cavalcade of menace were two CAEs and two DDEs. Lorcan’s BC command ship fired first, designating the DDs as the first targets to be destroyed. Of the seven CAP squadrons only three got active and crushed the passive defenses of a like number of Falcon Crests. Their fighter bays were intact but being reduced in speed they couldn’t participate in operations after the battle. Just three BCs were destroyed by the Allies along with another heavily damaged. In return Lorcan saw to the destruction of fifteen DDs. Eleven squadrons crashed-launched from distant carriers and it would one minute before they were in attack position over the warp point. None of the three buoy tenders became active, including the sole control base, giving the Axis a brief reprieve from damage.
     Five Falcon Crests transited back to Output, leaving the most damaged one behind, but not before putting 24 squadrons in the air. In turn this horde went over the close-in ships only to find a Nikazu had activated its jammer. They ignored it and went after ships that had yet to reach action stations. Also joining this maelstrom were 80 Grenadier corvettes, 28 of which interpenetrated. Congratulating themselves for being out of the reach of those small ships the Allies instead concentrated on taking out larger warships. When two tenders got active there were just too many ships (115) on the warp point to make the firing of 200 IDEW-Ls worthwhile. Even so the Axis was down to just two direct-combat BCs, 9 CA, 6 CL, 10 DD and 9 FG. The Allies lost 2 BBs, 1 BC, and 2 CLs but others were greatly damaged and had little or no offensive capability. Spent of weapons the Axis fighter squadrons pulled away and headed for an area clear of Allied ships.
     The eleven crash-launched Shark squadrons reached the Axis task force only to face a gauntlet of defensive fire put up by the Wave Riders and Grenadiers. Six Axis cruisers were smashed but the sheer volume of point defense and plasma gun fire meant that only 16 Sharks came out of their attacks runs to return to their carriers. Now down to 94 ships and with the sole control base now joining the two tenders the Allies fired 300 IDEW-Ls in the caldron of Axis ships. Two cruisers already on the brink were wiped out but a like number of Grenadiers were spared due to their ECM.
     Shifting tactics the Allied commander had the Grenadiers targeted for destruction while their plasma guns recharged. Twelve fresh squadrons were incoming and as many as possible were needed to survive their attack runs. No sooner was the order given that a fresh wave of six ships entered. They turned like regular battlecruisers yet this didn’t seem right to the commander. Improvising quickly he had his distant missile units target the newcomers. In all 24 Grenadiers were vaporized. One of the new BCs was destroyed as well.
     A boil of fresh contacts filled the Allied commander’s plot, proving the five remaining newcomers were Falcon Crest assault carriers. Twenty squadrons of Hatchets bolted for the Allied ships while the twelve composed of Sharks fell upon the remaining Axis CA and CLs. As the five carriers slipped back into Output the battle moved into the main phase. 40 out of 72 Sharks survived while only five of 120 Hatchets were shot down. As before the Axis fighters moved away from their kills and out of point defense range. Just one Hero, ten Sprinters, seven Punches, twenty-four Grenadiers, two CAEs and two DDEs remained combat-capable. For the Allies they had only 3 Terpla DNs, 4 CAs, 3 CL, 1 DD and 8 FG that were intact. Various other ships were immobilized or barely moving with little or no weapons to their names. Regarding the missile group one Disam had been the target of primary beams from the Stalwarts. Chastising himself for not ordering it earlier the Allied commander had the missile ships move a light-second further out from the warp point, preventing any further wave of primary-armed ships from lancing them.
     A Hailfire, having been the exclusive target of Allied primaries, left before it became nothing more than a collection of holes. It was followed by a limping Stalwart; both ships passed the fourth inbound wave, composed of six Heroes. The Allies focused on the more fragile Punches and Sprinters. For those not outright destroyed they got treated to the last 43 IDEW-Ls that still had a charge. In a bid to survive the worst off ships went back to Output in a mass transit (the last two CLs interpenetrated on the far side) but had witnessed the arrival of the fifth wave.
     After a moment of concern it was found that the five CVs in this wave were the same ones that had appeared over three minutes earlier. With no fighters available for at least two minutes fire was shifted onto those carriers that had sustained armor damage previously. Two Falcon Crests were destroyed with another taking a beating. With just 26 Axis ships on the warp point the order went out to use all 107 intact IDEW-Ps before their numbers were further reduced. At most engines were crippled, but for each ship so damaged meant one less available for sustained operations.
     The three surviving Falcon Crests had picked up fresh flight groups from the Eagle Crest carriers in Output. As for the two that were destroyed they carried no fighters, hedging that the Allies expected all the carriers had squadrons embarked. It was costly shell game but it worked for it sent 12 squadrons against the weakening Allied force. Sensing that he needed to make the most of the impending loss of his close combatants the Allied commander gave the order to move to within 1.25 LS of the warp point. This allowed those ships that still had intact plasma guns to use them against their Axis foes. It worked out in that only seven Heroes (two of which were badly damaged), one Sprinter, two Interceptors and two Aerosols were left. On the Allies part all three Terplas sustained severe damage from the 72 Hatchets. Still the ships closed slowly on the warp point, intent on crushing those few Axis ships left in front of them.
     Only 50 Sharks were left from the original 180. It was decided to hold them back until all were rearmed as it made no sense to send them in penny packets to be slaughtered piecemeal. On the flipside the Axis had 326 Hatchets, sans short attack missiles, in Metalstorm, waiting only for carriers to come back to pick them up. The Oknibs and Disams continued to move away, reaching a distance of 5.25 LS from the warp point so that they could continue their bombardment without being hazard by capital force beams. For the Endril Choirs they stayed at the 4 LS limit so their standard missiles had a fair chance to hit.
     The Terplas were weaponless and the number of active Heroes was down to four. In the latter half of the battle’s fifth minute five Falcon Crest CVs came in. These were the same ones that left two and a half minutes earlier, and as before the one with the armor damage was targeted first. It was dispatched with alacrity along with a Hero and another Falcon Crest was greatly damaged, but not damaged enough for it and its three partners launched 16 squadrons of Hatchets. A mostly dead Hero and the four carriers transited back to Output, picking up 96 spent Hatchets on the way.
     For targets the fresh Hatchets weren’t going after the close-in ships but for the missile units. First to be hit were the Choirs. Enough damage was done by four squadrons to strip the Endrili ships of their shields, armor and 1/3 of their engines. Going to the defense of the Oknibs and Disams was the carrier group, fixing weapons to fire on the Axis fighters. So set were they for the defense that they couldn’t bring their missile launchers to bear on yet another transiting wave of Axis carriers. There was just three this time, and one was vaporized by the antimatter missiles of the Oknibs. Another Hero was felled, leaving just one with weapons on the warp point.
     One Oknib was obliterated for the loss of 33 of 96 Hatchets. Before leaving the two Falcon Crests not only launched 24 fighters but recovered 48 spent ones. The greatly depleted Allies weren’t surprised that four regular Eagle Crests and two Hailfires came in just at the same time as the last 50 Sharks were launched. The last armed Hero fired, knocking out a Rundenro, leaving just one Tzel frigate at point-blank range. It scored a defiant final hit before the mass fire of transit-addled weapons consigned it to ruin.
     The Eagle Crests picked up 120 Hatchets and left, passing four Warrior Spirits and two more Hailfires. Bearing down on the Choirs were 24 Hatchets and waiting over them were a like number of Sharks. Though the Sharks claimed 17 Axis fighters the Choirs were made to join the eternal one. With external racks loaded with EDMs the CVL targeted by the Oknibs, Disams, the Junshus and their escorts suffered the lost of half its engines and all of its hanger bays. This still allowed 54 Hatchets to be picked up by the other three. When they transited out they were followed by a Hero which was holding together more by its crew's willpower than anything else.
     26 Sharks that were not involved in savaging the latest Axis strike were now upon those Axis ships left at the warp point. Unfortunately a pair of Hailfires was quicker and fired first, spearing 10. A further 8 were nailed though at the cost of both missile-spewing battlecruisers. The Oknibs and Disams destroyed an Aerosol, a ship that with its partner had been busy swatting spent buoy weapons.
     For the remaining 24 armed Sharks all they found were just the two Interceptors as the last Hero, two Hailfires and an Aerosol went back to Output. For sending just two Sharks to oblivion the Interceptors were smashed to bits. It was then quiet. The senior surviving commanding officer on the Allied side, Flag Captain Rukan took stock of what he had left. Just two Oknib missile dreadnoughts, three Disam missile battlecruisers (two with primary damage), four Junshu carriers, two Larikem light carriers, two Cout escort carriers, two Bowman escort cruisers, an Interception escort cruiser, one Provem escort destroyer, two Sloop scouts and 29 Sharks. The control base and three tenders had no real jobs to perform until the IDEWs had recharged their weapons. A small cluster of cripples was making for a spot over one light-minute away where a Sappen transport was ready to pick up wounded crewmembers.
     Having sustained such casualties and knowing the Axis had five intact Falcon Crests Rukan knew he couldn’t hold the warp point. Eventually they would take out the Oknibs and Disams and the last of his Sharks if they stayed to defend them. Salvaging what he could with the tools left to him Rukan made his plan. He had his two Bowmen move on the warp point at a range of half a light second. The capital missile ships closed to within 4.5 LS where their fire control solutions would be maximize. All remaining intact ships made best speed towards the Metalstorm/Dotz warp point. As for the sole control base the crew elected to remain on the slight chance the Axis should falter in their cause.
     Eleven minutes after the start of the battle Rukan was proven right. Five Falcon Crests and a Hailfire emerged to find the two Bowmen waiting for them. As was their wont the Axis fired first, the sole Hailfire achieving three sprint missile hits on one of the cruisers. Giving back a tsunami in reply the Bowmen destroyed the passive defenses and ripped into the hull of one CV. It was finished off by the Oknibs. Utterly dismal targeting resulted in only five of sixteen capital missiles from the Disams locking onto another CV. Only two got through and then failed to bring down the shields.
     As before the remaining CVs launched their broods and picked up fighters left behind from previous strikes and transited out. There were no Axis ships to fire at now, but the Bowmen took their measure of the Hatchets, splashing 15 at point-blank range. Both ships were destroyed by numerous close attack missiles unleashed from the Hatchets. Almost six squadrons still had their loads, making a beeline for the Oknibs and Disams. Moving at a crawl so as to generate the most ECM the missile ships awaited their fate, firing point defense just as the Hatchets were on top of them. Nine exploded like frozen birds used as improvised skeet, a score that showed the ships gave good account for themselves. One Disam was destroyed completely as damage from a nuclear fireball finally reached the protected magazines and wrecked the containment of an antimatter warhead. Another ship only lost half of its shields.
     Just as the strike pulled away from its kill a fresh wave of ships made an appearance. Composed of three Eagle Crest carriers the number of Hatchets they embarked was 90. The targeted carrier fired its trio of EDMs and thus only had its first cargo hold wrecked when the shields and armor failed. As the previous strike had yet to reach the warp point the carrier trio didn’t stay around to pick them up as they launched their Hatchets, returning to Output as expediently as possible.
     Seven Hatchets disintegrated upon contact from nuclear fireballs created by point defense missiles. Both Oknibs were made to resemble miniature suns and a Disam had suffered some armor damage. Going on his schedule Lorcan sent in his three intact CVLs and three pinnaces. With previous scanner data the two remaining Disams fired on the CVL that had lost its shields earlier. Of course those shields were now restored but there wasn’t time to reload the external racks with EDMs. Just three capital missiles hit the carrier, yet the armor didn’t yield. 54 Hatchets were launched and a like number recovered and spirited out of the system.
     Knocking down only one fighter the Disams were destroyed in the battle’s fifteenth minute. A pinnace went back to Output to summon ships that had been waiting for this moment. Two carriers emerged as well as four Hailfires. Nine squadrons of Hatchets, all armed with gun packs, were launched to sweep away the buoys while the Hailfires, soon joined by a freighter and four Pursuer scouts, began to clear a path in the mines. As soon as the magazines went empty they were filled again with fresh ordnance from the freighter’s holds. Two squadrons of Hatchets that still carried close attack missiles were vectored onto the sole Allied mine and buoy control base, destroying it in one pass for no loss.
     Lorcan was rightfully pleased for wrestling control of the warp point away from the Allies. The one thing he regretted was his lack of antimatter warheads for his fighter missiles. If not for that one omission the battle would’ve been won faster and with less cost for his forces. Eventually that most desired technology would be made into real-life hardware, especially after all the money that was funneled into its developed.
     Of the 310 Hatchets based on the carriers used in the battle there was hanger space for 294, a fact that Lorcan could only attribute to an act of Providence. He also considered his survival in the battle as proof of universal favor as his flagship could’ve been polished off at any time and yet escaped, though it was perforated by numerous primary hits. Repair work was prioritized on the damaged carriers first while the other ships for the time being had life support and full engine capability restored.
     Finally a path was cleared in the mines. Out went the three minelayer groups, each made up of eleven Barb Wires, four Command Detonators, one Helo Pad pinnace carrier, three Fleet Tracker scouts, eight Warrior Spirit CVLs and four Aerosol escort destroyers. The carriers, despite being so new and their flight groups green, were needed to maintain a CAP over the warp points. It would’ve been an exercise in waste otherwise since the enemy could easily send in flights of those damnable armed pinnaces to destroy buoys. As for defense of the Output/Metalstorm warp point Lorcan decided for the time being to keep the carriers involved in the recent battle along with the 18 DDs and 18 FGs he had in reserve. The Allies still had a survey force somewhere in Output and until it was accounted for the mines and buoys guarding the warp point as well as the repair ships and cripples had to be protected.
     As the schedule went, provided there were no major upsets, a host of brand new Grenadiers will be on hand in three weeks to reinforce the blockade of the Metalstorm’s other three warp points. If it could be held for months then all Commonwealth forces in Axis territory will be starved of supplies and new ships, eventually falling to the might of fresh Axis formations equipped with new weapons and technologies. Providence has shown its preference to Lorcan; the Asteroid Axis will once again ultimately triumph over its enemies.

Field General Jingu-wa saw the warning light blinking at one console in his command post as he came back inside. He went over to it to find the operator issuing a warning to all troop and support bases and outposts on Citadel to activate their artillery air defense systems. Looking at the map displayed on the console’s main screen Jingu-wa instantly realized those smoke plumes he saw just moments earlier outside weren’t caused by burning vegetation but by rockets. He went over to the situational data table in the center of the room, finding chief of staff Colonel Gensa-pe had brought up multiple video feeds from Camp Tango. There appeared to be just four impact sites, matching the number of smoke plumes out in the fields. Jingu-wa grimaced when he saw that the rec hall in Tango had been hit for smoke was coming out of a hole in the roof.
     “They blindsided us,” Gensa-pe admitted to his boss. “By acting so passively the Comensal gave us no reason to keep our guard up constantly. We thought our defense zones around our troop bases were wide and monitored enough to prevent such a thing from happening.”
     “Don’t beat yourself up over this,” Jingu-wa said. “We have found weapon caches in and around towns and settlements, but there are practically unlimited hiding places on this planet. Send a company to the place where the rockets were launched. We may get lucky and capture some of those responsible for conducting this attack.”
     “Yes, General.”
     “Any other signs of activity?” Jingu-wa inquired.
     “Just the normal routines in Stone Hearth and the other cities and towns, General.” Gensa-pe brought up a patchwork of street scenes across the planet in a hologram display over the situation data table. A view from Stone Hearth showed two flower-bearing children being escorted by an adult approaching a roving patrol. Appearing to be kindergarten-aged the tots, under the urging of the adult, walked up to the patrol. One child directly approached a pair of E’sani soldiers while the other walked to the patrol vehicle, her arm raised so that the driver leaning out the vehicle’s top could accept the flowers. All around there were smiles.
     The scene went white for a moment. Jingu-wa blinked reflexively, and when the image returned it was of chaos. There had been an explosion, perhaps two. Of the children they were gone; the soldiers on the ground that had been recipient of flowers were knocked down, either badly injured or dead. Slumping over the top of the vehicle was the decapitated body of the driver, blood dripping down from the stump of the neck had started to pool on the ground below.
     Instant alerts went out, but even then it took precious seconds for the soldiers on urban patrols to comprehend what was expected of them. Jingu-wa watched in horrid fascination as the scene was repeated in three other cities at practically the same time. A child or two approached a patrol to offer flowers only to then explode, killing or wounding several soldiers in the process. In each case there was a Comensal adult nearby. After the explosions each adult involved produced a heavy handgun and shot the felled soldiers in the head, provided that the patrol vehicle didn’t have something to say on the matter. As for Stone Hearth the adult also had a bottle stuffed with a rag. Right after the twin explosions this adult went to the vehicle, lit the rag and dumped it down the top hatch. The crewmember inside had recovered from his shock a moment too late and was horribly burned before the fire suppression system kicked in. Despite the pain he did activate the point defense strips, shredding the adult into a bloody rag doll.
     In the command post Jingu-wa sensed the rise of emotion coming from everyone. To use children as living bombs was nothing less than total contempt of life for both the opponent and of one’s own race. It was going to be hell for the E’sani would rather shoot themselves than level a weapon against a child, even a Comensal one. Jingu-wa didn’t want to contemplate that if the enemy was willing to use children like this then the whole population of Citadel had be considered enemy combatants. Being the leader he had to contemplate that line of reasoning. Wholesale use of child bombs could lead to massive combat deaths of troops that hesitated firing in their own defense.
     Jingu-wa gave the order for urban patrols to consolidate their forces in one spot in each of the towns and cities they were in. That would protect them for the time being until a thought-out plan was constructed to deal with the new reality, but the Comensal reinforced that reality immediately. It became painfully clear that this was the start of a planet-wide uprising as fresh combat reports came pouring in minutes later. The opening act of the second battle for Citadel set the tone for the remainder of the fighting: to call it hell was understating the case.

Chapter 6.25
“So it keeps getting better and better. The Hokum Imperium is at war with the Asteroid Axis. I hazard a guess that the Hokum been fighting even before our trade treaty was ratified,” Admiral Jki said upon reading the report provided by Captain Yos. A survey force set upon intercepting an Axis military freighter had encountered a trio of ships that turned out belonging to the ISN.
     Previously a member of Ayrth’s staff, Yos survived the destruction of the Captain Narkas though was injured. Both of his hands were burned as well as his left eye. Undergoing periodic surgery and regeneration therapy Yos had to wear a medicinal eye patch and protective gloves until sufficiently healed. Despite his injuries Yos offered to be Jki’s staff intelligence officer. “Quite possible, Admiral,” he said in his characteristic assertive voice. “Though we will wait with interest on hearing their official version of events I hope Rear Admiral Bapha conversations with his Hokum counterpart will be more productive.”
     “Informal intelligence gathering will be practiced by both sides,” Jki observed. “Until the construction of that freight transfer station in Corral Bridge there’s been practically no news on the Imperium. Even so that station is small, roughly the same tonnage as a destroyer, and interaction between the freighter crews and station personnel is tightly controlled. Even our ambassador is restricted to that station, and in the few months he’s been there not so much as a peep was made about the Hokum involvement in the war.”
     Yos’ right eye blinked acknowledgement, though he grimaced as this irritated his wounded left eye. “Undoubtedly they’re still harboring some resentment over losing the Short War. With hand-picked personnel, tightly-controlled comm transmissions, and stringent database monitoring the Hokum have ensured that nothing concerning their war with the Axis came to our attention. The only change we’ve seen militarily was the removal and replacement of bases guarding the Corral Bridge warp point. Of course such a situation goes both ways, as our freighter crews going to Corral Bridge are hand-picked as well. Even the ambassador had been picked for his ability to be nondescript, giving only the most inconsequential bits of information.”
     Jki made a small grunt of acknowledgement. “Given that the Imperium is at war, Yos, then they have to be thankful for the revenue generated by trading with the Commonwealth. If they appreciate the kind of foe they now face then they’ll exploit all the revenue streams open to them. I wager they’re trading as much as their economy is allowing at the moment.”
     “If that’s the case, Admiral, then their economy is much smaller than that of the Commonwealth and our allies. Had we not already been at war with the Axis then the Imperium would’ve been in dire straits.”
      An angry buzzer prevented Jki from responding. She looked at her desk monitor and keyed in passwords to open the encrypted message it displayed. Her eyes narrowed. “We’ll continue this discussion later. Brief Axis incursions have occurred at the Citadel/Chrome and Silvershoe/Connectors warp points. I want you and your staff to analyze the reports and speculate what they might mean for our task force.”
      “I’ll endeavor to divine the Axis’ intent, Admiral. So far they’ve shown their willingness to attack, even half-heartedly, if it advances a greater plan. That may be the case in this instance.”

In planning their attacks on systems captured by the Allies those who ran the AFC thought themselves to be clever. They believed confusion and second-guessing would hamper the CSF, making them decide whether or not to continue their offensive past Borehole or reinforce Citadel, Silvershoe or Metalstorm. While it could be argued that with relative successes, especially in Metalstorm, did affected the Allies in the short run the AFC missed a great opportunity to recover Citadel and truly isolate Task Force 21. Had the AFC pooled all three task groups into one task force and assailed Citadel from Chrome then it would’ve been a major success. With the warp points leading to Silvershoe and Brass Latch covered with automated defenses and backed up by a centralized mobile force Citadel could’ve become a true embodiment of its name. This was possible had they waited two months, but the visceral need to strike back immediately was too great.
     Very shortly System Admiral Lorcan felt his enthusiasm die. It became clear to him that the intelligence assessment failed to take into account just how much importance the CSF had placed in defending Metalstorm. For sure the defending task force was destroyed; a feat accomplished by a mass transit and of shuttling carriers picking up and dispensing fighters and the lack of defending fortifications. He found where those fortifications have been. A scout had speed on ahead of the minelayer group destined for the Metalstorm/Dotz warp point. A host of mobile yards and portable machine shops were assembling bases just one light second from the warp point. Just how much far along the 18 bases were was difficult to tell, so the scout crept in closer and closer until it was fired upon by just the mobile yards’ weapons. Answering the call of his hot blood, the Prime Commander of the mining force, Pasron, elected to destroy the bases immediately. He called upon Lorcan to send forward some of his carriers to bring replacements fighters for the inevitable losses. He didn’t wait for a reply.
     Just three light-minutes from the bases new contacts began to populate Pasron’s plot. A solitary ship came first and it was an escort carrier, launching its fighters at the circling Fleet Tracker scout. Being faster than the scout the fighters caught up to and destroyed it. The other two Fleet Trackers were similarly threatened and made to move away, eventually falling to the fighters’ laser packs. At 2.5 light-minutes 18 new ship contacts came into being, followed by an indeterminable number of small craft. With no more expendable scouts to use Pasron decided that discretion was in order, having his force fall back to the Metalstorm/Output warp point at full speed and hoping that his reinforcements would meet him half-way. The Helo Pad pinnace carrier, being faster and with no datalink partners, slowly pulled ahead and thus was spared.
     Less than five hours later the 18 ships contacts had closed to 10 LS range. They turned out to be destroyers with drive field frequencies identified as Hamthen in origin. The small craft contact was a swarm of 126 pinnaces, most likely the armed variety. Axis carrier crews quickly changed the loads of their fighters as fast as their greenness would allow. Each Hatchet was loaded with a short-range attack missile and a gun pack, and despite being prototype fighters they still had a speed advantage over the Apins and destroyers. Four minutes and 2 LS later 144 Hatchets took off to engage their pursuers.
      The range closed rapidly and once it dropped to 2 LS the Allied force made a circling curve maneuver that placed the Hatchets just outside the range of their guns. From this position the destroyers and Whales used their point defense mounts to thin out the opposition, bringing down 36 Hatchets. Forced into a position where they had to pursue the Hatchets closed within gun range but their greenness reduced accuracy by one-third, though the size of the Whales compensated for this. The exchange was incredibly lopsided for in getting 22 Whales the Hatchets lost a further 70 in their number. Finally at point-blank range the last 38, knowing that none of them would survive, harpooned 22 more Whales.
      With the last of the Hatchets gone the Allied force, now freed from distractions, resumed its chase. The destroyers were indeed Hamthen, built in the orbital yards of Hagelkorn and crewed by a race that sought revenge for the devastation the Axis wrought on its homeworld. So devoted in intent and of implacable will that once in capital force beam range the crews opened up without restraint. Two minutes into the battle one Barb Wire was down to one-third speed while a Thunderbird lost six engine rooms. Even with that damage the Hamthen ship kept going for as long it still had a weapon and an engine it was still in the fight.
      Down to 2 LS range the Hamthen had three trailing, crippled Thunderbirds with five more destroyed. Six Axis minelayers had been e-hulked with another utterly destroyed. Only at this range had the lasers on the CVLs scored their first hits, again testament to how green the crews really were. At 1.25 LS the capital point defense mounts on the escorts destroyers opened up on the Whales, nailing seven like targets in a carnival game booth. Losses mounted for both sides until the final exchanged happened at point-blank range. Only one CVL remained, e-hulked along with 14 minelayers. The Hamthen just had three intact Thunderbirds with four more crippled. Terpla’n Whales losses were 80 out of 126.
     A call was put out for the three tugs in Dotz to come into Metalstorm and tow the Axis ships to the warp point. A Sappen transport had been trailing the destroyers to pick up the inevitable life pod survivors. In the interim the seven destroyers elected to conduct boarding actions on the e-hulked ships, docking physically and using volunteers along with marines. It was unadulterated horror for the Axis crews as they were systematically slaughtered. Hull breaches were made so that the survivors were either forced to stand their ground and die fighting or move into fewer and fewer compartments. Eventually those that chose the latter died from asphyxiation, preferring that death than that given by members of a race bent on vengeance. By the time the Sappen arrived three minelayers had succeeded in restoring an engine and thereby effecting their self-destruction. The Hamthen didn’t mind as it meant boarding the remaining five ships would entail fewer casualties. A cursory inspection showed that the minelayers were packed to the gills with automated weapons. It was an easy bet that the other two contacts were minelayers groups just like the one that was destroyed.

While the platoon got geared up Sgt. Pepen-su couldn’t help but recall what happened to him earlier in the rec hall. It was morning, and a breakfast was held in the overfilled hall with the cast of Planet of the Khanates as guests. Playfully crowded by platoon mates Pepen-su jockeyed for a good spot to record singer and film star Zhusha-na. She was tossing out movie tee-shirts into the crowd. Just as Pepen-su was behind one of the pillars supporting the roof the rocket came in. The explosion wasn’t particularly powerful (from an E’sani perspective) though the sound in the confined space was like a crescendo of doom.
     Pepen-su only got a fragment in his arm and his ears still had a slight ringing. There were a fair number of substantial casualties, including Zhusha-na. She received numerous bits of shrapnel in her back as the rocket had exploded above and behind her. Many of the cast members appeared to be as badly off as her if not worse. Thankfully no-one else present from Pepen-su’s platoon was injured. Ten minutes of medical attention had removed the fragment in his arm. After the last stitch was sewn he responded to the order issued by the camp commander for all off-duty personnel to get into their combat gear.
     The 3rd Company of the 141st Regiment had assembled in their allocated drilling square. Captain Washu-te, the company commander, was standing on a raised platform alone, holding a microphone. She wore sunglasses, and the ones she had on now made her look as impersonal as a boulder. “As many of you have already have figured out the explosions in the rec hall and elsewhere in the camp weren’t accidents. Four rockets had been launched from farmer fields to our southeast. Additionally, there have been numerous incidents of Comensal civilians attacking our patrols and checkpoints in the towns and cities. Casualties have been sustained on both sides. In the majority of the attacks children have been used as suicide bombs.”
     It was like disbelief was given an almost audible sound, and it came from the assembled soldiers. For the last two months they have seen and even interacted with the local populace on a regular basis. Even belonging to a culture that was obsessively militaristic the Comensal children seemed to act and play just like their E’sani and even Hamthen counterparts. They couldn’t imagine what cultural imperatives and conditioning would be required to make a child a living weapon. “The general has declared marshal law,” Washu-te continued. “No civilian vehicle movement is allowed, and a weapons amnesty is in effect for six hours. After that, any Comensal found in possession of a weapon is to be considered a combatant. Curfews will be strictly enforced. All attacks conducted against our forces will be answered with maximum force.
     “I know what you’re thinking in the back of your minds. The general has made it clear that only when feasible will children combatants be made prisoner. If your chem scanners detect the presence of explosives on any civilian, children included, you are to put your survival as well as your fellow soldiers above that of any Comensal.”
     Washu-te waited for a moment, expecting a protest from a least one soldier. That none came reassured her insofar that discipline remained strong, and it took a great deal of strength not to express one’s feelings in this instance. It was killing her inside just as much as her troops that they were facing this situation. She prayed that today’s attacks were just an aberration. If children continued to be used in this manner then those soldiers going back home risked becoming unrecognizable by their families. “Platoon leaders, take your troops to the eastern motor pool and load them up in the transports. Then, along with your platoon sergeants, report to me at the command center for your assignments. Dismissed.”
     It wasn’t until both Lt. Casfe-de and Sgt. Pepen-su returned that the platoon made its feelings known. “El-Tee, what is this crap about shooting armed kids?” Corporal Menki-wa seethed. “We can use sonics and sleep gas to keep the civvies down and take those engaged in active fighting.”
     “That’s not practical in the long term, Corporal,” Casfe-de said. “If we start ‘screaming and gassin’ just to minimize the risk to children then we’ll be limiting our options. The enemy will have a much freer hand with which to kill us.”
     “I agree with the Corporal,” Private Luin-ba stated. “We should not surrender our conscience just for battlefield expediency.”
     Pepen-su stepped forward and made a look that would make any drill instructor proud. “We’re not going to surrender our conscience or anything else for that matter. It’s the Comensal that have surrendered; namely their sanity and hope for the future. They played us for fools by being passive until now. All of our goodwill, our patience, and trust have been wasted. I’ll be damned if we allow them to take to fight out of us by using their children as living bombs.”
     Private Qan-zu tried to interrupt. “Sarge, we could always separate the chil…”
     “Stow it, trooper!” Pepen-su barked. “You’ll see the videos soon enough and perhaps you’ll get to see it today first-hand. The El-Tee and I got to see a bunch of them in the command center. It was enough to make some of us gag, watching as smiling, flower-bearing kids blowing themselves and our friends up, friends that had endured their share of combat on Hamthen and here on Citadel. They had every right to expect going home alive, but now they’ll be going home in a coffin, or even a box, judging from what was left of them.” He pointed his finger down the length of the transport, moving it side to side like it was loaded weapon. “If any of you should hesitate when faced by a bonehead of any size carrying explosives you better pray that the El-Tee handles you first. Otherwise I’ll make you wish you had been court-martialed for cowardice in face of the enemy. Understood?”
     “Yes, Sergeant!” the platoon yelled, but behind each voice was the sense of bewilderment. Pepen-su had never acted this way before, even while under the stress of combat. He was like a layer of oil that calmed troubled waters, but now it seemed like he was driven. All knew that it wasn’t an act he played to get them focused and motivated.
     “We’re going to Broken Creek residential district of Stone Hearth,” Casfe-de said. “Along with the 4th and 5th Platoons we’re going to enforce the ordinances of the marshal law decree. It will be difficult in light of how far the Comensal are willing to go to harm us, but I expect all of you to perform your duty.”
     Within an hour the 3rd Platoon was performing above and beyond what it was expected of it.

Governor Genpan read the reports coming into her hidden command bunker with a deep sense of accomplishment. The initial attacks had achieved maximum results. Over 500 Commonwealth soldiers, all of them huge, hulking E’sani, were killed with an equal number wounded. Only 100 civilians have been killed with half that number wounded. She snorted in contempt of the six hour amnesty given to the colonists to turn over any weapons they may possess. They had already done so over two months ago when fighting on Citadel came to an end. A handful will be offered, but only those kinds used in the initial attacks, namely handguns and some explosives. Ripping out walls, floors, and digging into the foundations of buildings were likely actions by the CSA this time around to find weapon caches. That will avail them nothing.
    Incorporated into every home and structure on the planet were parts for simple rifles. Without knowing it the CSA have been looking at arsenal after arsenal of weapons in plain sight. In minutes even a child could assemble a crude yet effective pipe rifle with nothing more than a screwdriver. With only one moving part, the trigger (and even that wasn’t really necessary), the weapon was immune to jamming as the ammunition was fired electronically. This was also the case with simple grenade launchers which again were nothing more that tubes fitted with a grip and a notch sight to give a semblance of being able to aim.
     In a matter of hours the whole of Citadel’s civil population will be involved in the fighting. Outnumber the CSA army corps on the planet over 6 to 1 the Comensal would be able to fight in relays, allowing groups to rest and reconstitute while fresh ones kept up the pressure. Unless significantly reinforced the E’sani troops will have to prioritize which battles had to be fought first, thereby leaving some sectors on Citadel woefully undermanned or temporarily abandoned. This can only help the defenders, an action Genpan wanted so that the fight would drag on and on. If the AFC was prepared to follow through on its promise to crush the CSF presence in Axis space then the enemy troops on Citadel will very soon find themselves isolated and running out of supplies.
     The blood in Genpan’s heart urged her to leave the bunker and command the citizen army directly. Her mind told her that it was too early. Not until enemy troops have been fighting intensely for weeks and sustained heavy casualties would she venture forth onto the surface. By then the people would have become proficient warriors, fulfilling the racial imperative of supremacy. She hoped to kill some E’sani personally before all was said and done so that she could rightfully claim to have fulfilled her obligations as a Comensal.

News of the defeat of the Dotz warp point mining group was still traversing the void to Lorcan’s command ship when a message was received from the Abyssal-019 group. A scout had detected 41 Allied ships heading for the Abyssal-019 warp point. Upon closer inspection it was found that it was a convoy, and based on the drive fields it was made up of one FT10, three DDs, nine CTs, six FT1s, eleven FT2s, two FT3s, six FT4s, a FT5 and two Sloop scouts.
     The Fleet Tracker wasn’t able to get in closer as two of the DDs revealed themselves to be escort carriers, launching four squadrons of those damnable F1 fighters that forced the scout to flee. Having already been charging at full speed across the system the scout lost an engine room twelve minutes in the chase and was destroyed. Barson, commander of the Abyssal-019 mining group, had informed Lorcan of his intention of eliminating the convoy with his 144 Hatchet fighters. The experience of battle would remove the greenness from the flight groups and allow them to perform their mission of flying the CAP over the Metalstorm/Abyssal-019 warp point without penalty. Like the now-deceased Pasron had done Barson requested that Hatchets be sent to him to replenish his strike groups after taking the inevitable casualties.
     The range between Barson’s ships and the convoy was dropping. However, even at full tactical speed of a cruiser the engagement window was going be razor-thin. Barson estimated that his fighters would only get one shot at the convoy before it made transit into Abyssal-019. Handling the four known squadrons of Sharks would the responsibility of 8 of the 24 squadrons of Hatchets. The goal for the other 16 squadrons was to destroy as many freighters as possible. Barson had a strong hunch that it was a supply convoy for a task group located in or beyond Abyssal-019. With it gone and the warp point mined that supposed task group would either wither on the vine or be extinguished if it tried to enter Metalstorm. All and all it looked to Barson to be an attainable, low-cost victory.
     Lorcan appreciated the fact that the Allies would undoubtedly have a sensor and comm network in Metalstorm. What he couldn’t have known was the schedule of ship movements. While the presence of the system’s Axis outposts and colonies had been confirmed there was no way to communicate with the populations as they were garrisoned by Allied troops. Lorcan toyed with the idea of sending pinnaces loaded with marines to the outpost on Metalstorm A-1 to liberate it and hopefully gain information on the enemy. He decided to wait until follow-up forces would allow for a more comprehensive liberation effort.
      While Barson dreamed of rightfully-won accolades and Lorcan pondered potential Allied responses there was a third mind in play. Using the sensor network to his advantage the commander of the convoy knew where his foes where at all the time. He also knew their composition due to the sacrificial effort of one Sloop scout that took the missiles of two Pursuer corvettes as it dove into definitive scanner range of Barson’s ships. Being a crafty old salt the commander had implemented a technique to fool the Axis scout into believing what it was seeing were actually freighters. He had the ships ‘dirty-up’ and detune their engines in a bid to make them appear as commercial instead of military drives. If kept up for a significant period of time there was a risk of burning out drive components but at the rate the Axis formation was gaining it wasn’t going to be problem for long. In truth all the ships were military hulls, and had the scout got within 10 light-seconds of the formation it would have known the truth. With the Fleet Tracker gone the commander trusted his Axis counterpart to take the bait and come after him before leaving the system. He wasn’t disappointed.
      Aside from the two Tzelan-crewed Sloops (one having been destroyed already) the convoy was composed of 38 warships and one Fkoln class troop transport. The ship, the Belynda, was carrying a brigade of 5,000 Terpla’n troops to the Blood Pride system. Connected via datalink were two Tzel Index CTs. In a globular formation that surrounded the Belynda were Quagaar ships: three Bodyguard CTEs, fifteen Burnmark CTs (seven of which were leaders variants), and six Hotpoint ESs. In a separate formation a Terpla’n Interception CLE was linked to a pair of Phyr FGEs. Keeping them company was the Tzelan-crewed Task Element 114.1. Comprised of four Cout CVEs, two Provem DDEs and three Okado DDs TE 114.1 was under the command of Captain Simm. He was also the overall commander of the convoy but not by choice. The most senior officer was the commander of the Belynda, Captain Hauc. After visiting Simm’s ship, the carrier Autumn Wind, Hauc was seriously injured when he slipped and fell on the boarding ramp of an assault shuttle on the Belynda. In the days that followed Simm asserted himself so that there was no doubt as to who was now in command. That there was no complaint to the potentially engine-wrecking trickery Simm ordered gave proof to his leadership, charisma and command ability.
     Barson waited until he launched his fighters at a range where they could reach the convoy, attack it and its fighter escort, and return with a three-minute cushion. He decided to do this since he had no desire to involve his minelayers, despite the fact that they were armed with capital force beams. He didn’t want so much as a single sheet of armor scratched, much less the loss of one hold of mines and buoys. Besides he wanted to see how the pilots would perform conducting a long-range strike. Once F1 fighters were fielded by the AFC such strikes would be more common.
     So it was 144 F0 Hatchets speed on until finally their inherent scanners acquired the convoy all on their own, having been guided by long range scanners of the destroyer escorts 50 light-second behind them. The pilots were doubly surprised to find that their prey wasn’t mostly freighters but were all warship hulls and that eight squadrons of Tzelan Fireflies appeared from the black and were now only a quarter of a light-second away. So startled by this development the eight Hatchet squadrons tasked to engage enemy fighters stayed in formation with the anti-shipping strike. The distant Aerosol DDEs saw them, but with the transmission lag the warning came just after the Fireflies opened fire, splashing twenty-three Hatchets. Lasers from the Quagaar and Tzel ships claimed four more.
     The Hatchet pilots forged on; utterly dedicated to completing the mission regardless of the losses they’re about to sustain. Still going at 0.05c the convoy engaged the Hatchets at a range of 0.25 LS. Those units equipped with improved point defense opened up along with all other weapons. With the Fireflies 51 more fighters were swatted like so many bugs.
     Seventy Axis fighters emerged from the death ground of their fallen compatriots and closed to point blank range. They decided to take out the sole superdreadnought hull, the Belynda, as the escorts were centered on it. Even the escort carriers stayed on station for Simm was determined to protect the troops aboard the ship even at cost of his own. Waiting for this moment the Interception activated its jammer; throwing the green Hatchet pilots for a loop and making them fire as singletons. In a final bid of defense the Belynda launched its brood of 41 assault shuttles. The ship was going to end up damaged but the shuttle pilots were damned if they were going to let any Axis pilot get away.
     The strike that was going to give experience to green pilots instead offered death. Not one Hatchet out of 144 survived yet they did leave a mark. Over 1,000 soldiers were dead on the Belynda with 400 injured. She retained her engines and in the company of the Phyrs, Bodyguards, Indexes, a Sloop and the Interception the big ship proceeded to the Abyssal-019 warp point at full tactical speed now that the need for deception was over. By the time the Belynda entered the starless nexus only two previously wrecked boat bays were repaired, forcing the ship to scuttle nearly half of its assault shuttle complement.
     Even as the last Hatchet died Simm gave out new orders to the remaining escorts. While the remaining smaller ships loaded up a single CAM on their external racks the CVEs, DD and DDEs fixed a single capital missile each. When that was done the Axis minelayer group had closed the range to 17 light-seconds. The presence of the minelayers told Simm that the Axis planned to keep Metalstorm bottled up from Allied reinforcement. He resolved to destroy as many minelayers as possible so that Task Group 123, guarding the Abyssal-019/BRB-01 warp point could come back into Metalstorm with as few casualties as possible.
      Prime Commander Barson appraised the sensor readings sent by those Hatchet pilots before they died. He was livid, for the expenditure of his entire fighter strike force not one enemy ship was destroyed. A less tempered commander would’ve committed his ships and destroy his tormentors, but Barson retained his reason. Those Allied fighters were dangerous enough with antimatter ordnance, and to allow them to close with ships in support could lead to disaster. So he opted to retire from the scene and allow the enemy to pursue him. He allowed his Helo Pad pinnace carrier to precede him at its full speed. In case of the worst happening at least Lorcan can make use of its pinnace complement. In the forthcoming stern chase long-range force beam fire will whittle away the corvettes and escorts while the now-empty carriers and their DDEs would swat down fighters like the pests they were. In the end the Axis will be triumphant.
     Twenty four minutes later combat began. The Allied ships were at 5 LS range with the Couts, having launched their Fireflies earlier, kept station 5.5 LS from the Axis force. Barson directed his minelayers to open fire on an escort first, finding that they didn’t employ ECM. Whatever shielding it employed had been knocked down, yet the armor wasn’t breached. Return fire only came from the three Okados in the form of standard missiles, scoring a hit with one armed with antimatter.
     The CTs, ESs and Fireflies increased speed to 0.13c, pulling ahead of the Okados and improving the closure rate with the minelayers. Firing again on the selected Hotpoint the small ship lost two engine rooms and subsequently fell out of formation. Shifting to another ES, which had closed to 4 LS range, the minelayers scored again, crippling it. A third Hotpoint was wrecked 30 second later with a fourth losing its armor.
     It became the Allies' turn to fire back with their lasers. Selected Axis ships started to lose armor along with external ordnance, namely their CAMs, as Simm sought give his Fireflies the edge they needed to survive their attack runs. At 2 LS range the capital force beams became even more destructive. Just eleven corvettes remained intact with weapons while one was destroyed with three others crippled. One escort was gone with the other five damaged. Even so those four Hotpoints still armed with a laser followed the Axis ships, their Quagaar crews determined to make up for the loss of the Uan homeworld.
     At 1.5 LS range each of the eight Firefly squadrons fired six stand-off missiles at a minelayer that had lost its shields and was streaming air due to the attention given to it by the Okados. Enough missiles broke past the point defense to destroy four engine rooms, reducing its speed by two thirds. Three more Burnmark CTs were reduced in speed and armament while two others were lazed to death by the CVLs. Now lighted in load the Fireflies closed to 0.75 LS with the remaining full-speed Burnmarks just 1 LS from the minelayers. The slowed Barb Wire was fired upon by CTs and was made weaponless. Return fire left only two CTs in weapons range and only four Fireflies were shot down.
     At point-blank range each Firefly, armed with a pair of antimatter close attack missiles, coordinated with their squadronmates and opened fire. Axis ships responded as individuals, each targeting a squadron or one of the last two Burnmarks. By using their point defense they left themselves opened to the distant CVEs and the Okados, for each ship had loaded a single antimatter capital missile on their external racks. The result of this encounter was that six minelayers were wrecked with another destroyed. 24 more Fireflies died with the last two Burnmarks following them.
     The fighters broke off and made for the carriers as the Okados continued to close. Further damage was done to one minelayer while one DD lost it shields and armor. Still moving away, Barson watched as the DDs made a circling maneuver that resulted in them being 3.5 LS away but still within effect range of the trailing cripples. One was destroyed though the Bowspun lost all of its weapons and most of its engines. As the Fletcher and Drawstring moved away, still firing on the crippled minelayers, the Bowspun was hit by the receding Axis ships. Only the magazine remained, and after the captain gave the order to abandon ship he had one of the remaining antimatter standard missiles primed so it could be used to self-destruct his command. Regretfully Barson has his remaining ships come about so that the capital force beams were in range again. The Bowspun was destroyed before half of the surviving crew could affect an escape. In their parting shot the Fletcher and Drawstring further damaged an already wrecked Barb Wire.
     Barson took stock of his situation. Four Barb Wires and three Command Detonators were destroyed or badly damaged. 364 out of 900 mine patterns and 420 of 900 buoys were now so much debris. Worse, only one Command Detonator remained and the carriers were without fighters. He called back his Helo Pad pinnace carrier and tasked the DDEs to search for lifepods. With his depleted force he moved on the warp point, using his CVLs and their lasers to finish off the Quagaar cripples along the way. The Allies made one last fighter strike, but even with only 20 Fireflies and armed with stand-off missiles they still managed to damage a Barb Wire. With armor previously gone and lacking EDMs the ship lost an engine room and two holds that contained eight mine patterns and eight buoys.
     Once the automated weapons were in place Barson sent his now empty Barb Wires, Warrior Spirits, Aerosols and cripples back to the Metalstorm/Output warp point at best cruising speed so as not to further stress their engines. Only then did he hear of the defeat of the Dotz mining group. Barson was fit to pop a blood vessel. If the Metalstorm/Dotz warp point wasn’t covered then, in his opinion, this was an exercise of futility.

Prime Commander Konset was aboard the CL Populous, currently in the asteroid belt of the Elotoshani home system, to witness a weapons test. The ship had only just two days earlier left the shipyards over Elotoshani Prime, having been refitted with a prototype spinal force beam. For the target a worn-out Kitchen class freighter, fixed to run on automation, was slowly approaching the Populous at a speed under 2% of c.
     Konset was surprise and proud that the project team developed the spinal force beam in record time, especially without the benefit of additional funding. Even better in Konset’s eyes was that the team was wholly composed of Comensal. His guts involuntarily curdled when he recalled what his superior, System Admiral Joncan, had told him in most strict confidence on his first day in the Science Development Bureau. One-third of the personnel employed by the SDB on Elotoshani Prime were racial Eloto. In his opinion the abominations should not have been utilized for their scientific acumen. From what he read he believed it created a fatal crutch of dependency. The development of prototype fighters, an achievement that should’ve been one exclusively of the Comensal was instead an unwarranted collaboration. Improved datalink and second generation advanced maneuvering, while very useful technologies, would’ve been developed by the Comensal as a matter of course, despite having first seen them in use by the Nu’Chut AIs.
     In the past few months Konset wondered, privately of course, on why the First Leaders had elected to keep the Elotoshani race alive. Had they followed the same plan as they had done with the Lauset then the Eloto would now well be on the road to extinction. Eloto Prime would’ve been developed for wide-scale Comensal habitation by use of Eloto slave labor. On Lauset Prime that work was done, the race having been reduced to a mere 1.3 million. In ten years the Lauset would be gone, just like all their cities and every tiny reference of their civilization. For the Eloto there was no mass culling of the population or a wholesale leveling of cities. As disgusting as it was the Abominations were actually thriving under Axis rule. Those scientific busy-bodies were undoubtedly using their inquisitive minds to find ways to overthrow their occupiers. At times they had to be reminded of their inferior status and of their ultimate doom.
     “Target ship will be in maximum firing range in two minutes,” said a sensor tech on Populous’ bridge. Konset acknowledged, picking up a pen mic and having the communications officer open a channel to the target ship, for while it was automated it was by no means unmanned. “This is Prime Commander Konset of the Axis Fleet Command, speaking on the behalf of Governor Xanmar, Prime Executive of Eloto, and First Leader Grandous of the Asteroid Axis,” he said imperiously. “All 200 of you on the freighter have been convicted of advocating dissent against Axis authority on Elotoshani Prime. In punishment your families on Eloto will be employed in special construction teams for a period of no less than ten years. Depending on their performance at the end of those ten years they will be allowed to return to civil life.” What Konset said was just for the official record. At most only 10% of Eloto used in such teams lived to be released. Despite this fact Elotoshani managed to make themselves such a nuisance that a great number of special construction teams were in use at any one time.
     “As for you,” Konset continued, “instead of working with your families you will have the unique privilege of witnessing the performance of our new weapon system first-hand. The weapon test and your sentence of execution will be fulfilled once the ship has been vacated of atmosphere or is complete destroyed. Firing will commence presently.” Turning off the mic, Konset gave a nod to Populous’ captain.
     The technicians and specialists were happy to get six minutes of live firing from their pride and joy. To them it didn’t matter that the freighter was destroyed. Collapsing cargo holds was a variable that couldn’t be controlled. Viewing the data himself Konset realized that spinal force beams would benefit from the targeting refinement of the capital fire control system currently under development. He noted his observation in his report while a tug collected freighter fragments for close inspection. The Populous moved on to a formally occupied asteroid so that the spinal force beam could conduct its sustained firing test. No mention of the testing as well as the specifics of the executions was made available to the general Eloto population.

For the last two weeks Jingu-wa was greeted each morning with a red sky. From his headquarters the general witnessed plumes of smoke rising from the city of Stone Hearth. Each one was caused by a burning building or vehicle, always the result of violence. Armed with previously unsuspected caches of weapons the Comensal civilians were engaging Commonwealth troops tooth and bone. It was beginning to look as if no buildings would be standing at the end of this uprising, if there was going to an ending at all.
     Jingu-wa turned to Gensa-pe, his chief of staff. “A brief planet-wide summary if you will, Colonel.”
     Despite looking as haggard as his general Gensa-pe spoke professionally. “Overall combat had dropped considerably since yesterday. Intel believes the civilians had been instructed by their leaders to lay low and regroup. We have taken control of two of seventeen major settlements on Citadel though at the cost of practically leveling them. The civilians there have fled into the hills, and we have turned up an important piece of information via prisoner interrogation. Governor Genpan is alive. Given her background she’s the one masterminding this uprising.”
     With a grunt Jingu-wa acknowledged Gensa-pe’s findings. While it was reported by the Comensal that their governor died in the initial fighting four months ago there was no detailed history of her in the planetary databases. Upon finding her residence there was tidbits and relics to give background to her past. The mural in the main living area, taking up the whole south wall, depicting her victory over an unidentified alien race was as fascinating to look at as it was repulsive. Old uniforms, rank insignias and medals were stored in a hermetically-sealed closet, and, most informative of all, a reverently displayed holovid of Genpan’s instillation as Citadel’s governor by the current Axis First Leader, Grandous.
     Had she cared to save her possessions from being looted Genpan had plenty of time before the invasion to hide them in the wilds of Citadel or destroy them for that matter. By not doing neither Jingu-wa inferred that his opponent had either written off her possessions as war losses or that she expected them to be there upon her return. For the former that would be the mark of a realist, while the latter suggested unjustified confidence, perhaps even pathological arrogance. Given what had happened on Citadel for the past two weeks Genpan wasn’t just arrogant, but insane.
     “What’s the current casualty count?” Jingu-wa said after a moment.
     “1,100 dead, 2,400 wounded,” Gensa-pe offered. “The great majority of casualties were caused by suicide bombers, mainly children. As for the colonists, the estimate is 6,500.”
     Jingu-wa cringed. “Have there been signs of our troops losing their… hesitation in shooting?”
     “Yes, General. The past four days has seen a surge in proactive engagements by our men,” Gensa-pe said as neutrally as possible. “The use of Comensal-specific sleeping gas has gone down markedly as well as the active taking of prisoners. Platoons conducting ‘reconnaissance by grenade’ have sustained far fewer casualties.”
     “I see.” The general sighed heavily. “Until further notice our troops will not take unwarranted risks to secure prisoners, including wounded ones regardless of age.” It took a lot out of Jingu-wa to say that sentence. In too many instances in the past two weeks Comensal children had either been playing dead or were actually wounded on the battlefield. E’sani that risked their lives to recover such children were killed by snipers or blown up by hidden bombs and grenades. It was going against the grain for an E’sani not to help children, even if they were combatants, but as long as the enemy believes it was a worthwhile tactic to use them as bomb carriers Jingu-wa had to see to his troops’ survival, even at the cost of their feelings. “Get an escort ready. I’ll be visiting the battalion commanders in Stone Hearth presently.”
      “It'll be ten minutes, General,” said Gensa-pe.

Prime Commander Barson finally allowed himself to rest in his cabin on the sole Command Detonator, CD-031, keeping watch over the automated weapons guarding the Metalstorm/Abyssal-019 warp point. Only the pinnace tender DP-019 kept the larger ship company. With the loss of minelayers and their holds at the hands of an Allied escort group there were only 528 mine patterns, 312 IDEW-L and 160 one-shot laser buoys available to hold back any Allied intrusion. A solitary sensor buoy was placed three light-seconds from the warp point, providing CD-031 sensory data several light-minutes in every direction. The pinnaces swept an area of one light-minute around the warp points both in Metalstorm and Abyssal-019, destroying comm buoys. With the orientation provided by the buoys now gone any Allied courier drone, either coming or going, had a good chance of going astray.
     The one bit of consolation Barson got was that System Admiral Lorcan agreed to replenish the CVLs tasked to maintain a CAP over the warp point with fighters from the CVs. With a rough mid-system rendezvous it would be five days before the CVLs returned. Still, with the Metalstorm/Dotz warp point uncovered the whole exercise of denying the system to the Allies was in grave danger. That was Lorcan’s problem as far as Barson was concerned. Before resting, he was informed of an approaching drive field contact. If it was just a scout there wasn’t much that could be done, but nonetheless he had his external racks of CD-031 and DP-019 loaded with capital missiles from hold storage. There was always a chance that the presupposed scout would be foolish enough to come in weapons range and when it did it would be fired upon. He did leave orders to be informed when the contact or contacts comes within one light-minute of the warp point. Thus he went to sleep being optimistic of the future.
     In addition to conducting the attack on the Axis minelayer force Captain Simm had sent a message to the base assembly force and to the fortifications guarding the Dotz/Metalstorm warp point, requesting pinnaces and shuttles. Lead by a Sloop scout the small craft flotilla made for the scene of battle to rescue Allied survivors, moving at full tactical speed in view of the lifepods’ limited life support.
     Simm had also called upon a force of warships to pick up where he had left off. Task Element 114.2, a Bulan formation, had been in Dotz awaiting a freighter carrying F1 Sharks, replacements for the element’s F0s. Captain Mannan, having only bagged an Axis scout in the Terrace system in lieu of the Axis survey squadron obliterated by TE 114.1, relished the opportunity fate handed to him. At full speed 114.2 moved on the warp point Axis officer Barson was guarding.
     At the appointed time Barson was informed of the approaching contacts. It was a force of six ships moving at maximum cruiser speed. In less than fifteen minutes it was determined that two of ships were possible heavy cruisers, one light cruiser, and three destroyers. The odds were likely that one or more ships were carriers, thus sealing the fate of CD-031 and DP-019. To save something from this situation Barson reduced the crews of both ships and sent them off on the pinnaces and shuttles towards the Metalstorm/Output warp point. He waited until the ships came within definitive scanner range before moving. Then at 9.5 LS range Barson got his answer. It was a force of two CVLs, a CL, and three DDs. The carriers launched six squadrons of Sharks, more than enough to see him off. He had his two ships move away at 0.1c, leading the Allied ships on a chase. As long as his ships were going down for the count he wanted to take a few fighters with him.
     The three DDs sped up to 0.117c, pulling ahead of the CVLs but behind that of the fighters. Seven minutes later, just as the three Bulani Warriors were almost in range for externally-mounted capital missiles they slowed and kept station. To have turned around at this point would bring the fighters in closer quicker, so Barson stick to his plan. Waiting two more minutes the Sharks were only 1 LS away. Four point defense systems were answered by 36 fighter stand-off missiles, 36 fighter laser packs and 16 SBM-Lts fired by the two Larikem CVLs and Interception CLE. CD-031 and DP-019 each lost their passive defenses, external ordnance and two engine rooms. With that damage the Axis ships only had one more opportunity to engage fighters instead of two.
     Just one Shark was shot down, a great let-down for Barson as he wanted to claim a whole squadron. While casualties on the two ships were low due to the reduced complements it was death of key personnel that hampered the order for self destruct. With prior training as a drive field technician Barson made for CD-031’s only operable engine room. Three minutes past, by which time shields on both ships had been restored and the carriers had closed to 1.5 LS. Along with the Interception they fired standard nuke-armed missiles in sprint mode and launched six marine-filled cutters. Deliberate fire brought down the shields and allowed the cutters to attach themselves to the Axis hulls to commence boarding operations.
     After a righteous hunt through darken corridors and wrecked holds that would live forever in the annuals of the Bulani clans the Axis ships were secured. Where Barson had failed in blowing up the ship there was success in erasing the database. It was the same story on DP-019 but this didn’t dampen the mood of Mannan and his crews. To complete the victory the Sharks destroyed those buoys around the warp point and TE 114.2 sent in all their courier drones into Abyssal-019, informing Task Group 123 that the major hurdle to return to Metalstorm had been removed. All that remained was to fire clearance charges to create a lane in the minefield, something that TG 123 could handle easily.
      Mannan elected to stay at the warp point until the task group arrived. From there the Axis force covering the Metalstorm/Silvershoe warp point would be dealt with most severely, leaving the force at the Output warp point for last. The bold Axis gambit had turned into a farcical misadventure, a most significant turning point in the war.

Chapter 6.50
From his command post on Granite-1, the massive space station complex orbiting Bedrock Prime, Galaxy Admiral Danmor felt almost as expectant as a child about to go on summer recess. Following a month of intense shake-down drills under the eye of System Admiral Farnon, Star Force 1 of the Second Advanced Fleet was ready for combat. Arranged in serrated rows the ships of SF 1 looked like beads of light from the Danmor's clearsteel viewport. The bulk of SF 1 had the new composite armor, either by construction or refit. Other technologies that would’ve brought an increase in offensive power, such as F1 fighters and antimatter, were still months away from actual deployment.
     Danmor still wanted to wait until SF 1 could field antimatter-armed ordnance but the High Command ordered him to conduct an assault on Allied forces in the Borehole system. The stratagem of occupying Allied attention in Citadel and Silvershoe as well as seizing Metalstorm had been initiated just a day earlier. A success would mean that Allied forces in Axis territory would be cut off from supply and gradually lose combat effectiveness. With time and some luck it would have worked, but the High Command wasn’t known to be patient.
     It was overly ambitious plan in Danmor’s opinion. A far more effective use of the forces involved would’ve been to seize Citadel and fortify the warp points leading to Silvershoe and Brass Latch. Along with further strengthening of defenses in Circuit Run the AFC could move in on Borehole at leisure, destroying the most forward and experienced Allied task force. In actuality Danmor favored to crush the Imperium fleet that had captured Crimson Expanse, a system three transits from Bedrock. So far displaying nothing heavier than a battlecruiser those four-armed abominations had only advanced as far as they did due to the greater force offered by the Allies. He had to settle in sending probing forces to keep the Imperium on its toes and to stay informed of their fleet strength guarding the Crimson Expanse/Abyssal-018 warp point. With the slipways of Granite-1 available new ships were under construction, all destined for a force that would, finally, wrestle control of CE away from the Imperium.
     An aide reminded Danmor of the time. Speaking in a comm link that carried his words to SF 1 Danmor gave a two-minute patriotic speech that, for once, didn’t come off as recycled hash. He told them that this was the decisive point in the war and that all past defeats would be atoned in a righteous battle of civilization over abominations. Admiral Farnon assured his superior that regardless of cost his fleet will deliver victory for the Asteroid Axis.
     In seventeen days SF 1 will have reached the Circuit Run/Borehole warp point. Along the way System Admiral Hovwen, commanding the carriers of SF 1, conducted additional drills for her flight groups. She knew that practically all of the fighters embarked on the Soars and Falcon Crests would be lost in action. It was going to be a battle of attrition, one which Hovwen was intent on winning. For the first assault the fighters involved would not be used to attack shipping but instead clear out the Allied buoy parks. If not entirely successful the first time around then a second assault would be sent in to finish the job.
     Hovwen, along with Farnon, was hedging that with the buoys gone the Allies would have no choice but bring their warships within plasma gun range of the warp point so as to destroy the incoming ships of the next assault as quickly as possible. With sixteen Soars and eight Falcon Crests enough would remain for the definitive battle, one which will employ a mass transit of Grenadiers. It promised to be a grand battle, one that Hovwen wanted to see with her own eyes.

Danmor, Farnon and Hovwen weren’t the only ones expecting great things to happen. Valhallan King Russen, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the RVSN, was leading the balance of the Royal Fleet to the Borehole system. Russen had been looking forward to participate in the conquest of Citadel. Events back home had conspired yet again to hobble Russen and in consequence reinforced negative views held by other members of the alliance about the Valhallans.
     The fall of the Hamthen homeworld had prompted the Valhallans to send additional ships to bolster Allied formations. Instead of a coherent force these ships were sent in division and squadron strength. Powerful figures in the Congress, along with willing toadies in the RVSN, had arranged the deployments such that while each task group had some Valhallan ships they were always subordinate to other Allied commanders. Point in fact, there were no RVSN admirals in these formations. While senior captains still answered to the chain of command an admiral had to also answer to King Russen. As long as this happens he kept being undermined to field a proper fleet.
     Having enough of these shenanigans Russen decided to do something. Using the powers invested in him as secretary of foreign affairs he made a request of the RVSN commander-in-chief, his other official position in the government, for an escort on a visit to the Hamthen homeworld. As the C.I.C., Russen spoke on the behalf of himself as king, asking for ship commanders to volunteer their vessels for this escort. Given that many young officers supported the monarchy during the civil war were now in positions of authority and command the turn-out was high. It was the fitting out of the fleet train that slowed him since many of the freighter auxiliaries were civilian-owned and controlled by interests that if not outright hostile to the monarchy were at least resentful. In the end Russen had to rent the services of a Tuphonese shipping company from his own fortune so that the Royal Fleet would have a reliable method of supply for the duration of its deployment.
     When the Comensal colonists on Citadel staged their uprising the Royal Fleet had been in the Hamthen home system for two weeks. While publicly praised by Interim President Skuu for the fleet he brought in private Russen was subject to direct, yet rightfully earned, criticism for the tardiness of Valhallan forces. In the best interest of the nation Russen ‘took one for the team’ and vowed to improve the working relationship with congress. A difficult task since Prime Minister Karsen, an aristocrat that managed to hold onto the bulk of his wealth and influence following the civil war, didn’t make private of his disdain for Russen.
     The Royal Fleet had moved on to Dotz to participate in strike fighter exercises when word came of the Axis move into Metalstorm. By the time the fleet reached the Dotz/Metalstorm warp point news had come of the defeat of an Axis minelayer group that threatened the base assembly group. Three days after that Task Element 114.2 reported its success in clearing the Metalstorm/Abyssal-019 warp point of Axis ships and weapon buoys.
     Russen reasoned that had the AFC sent in a stronger force they would’ve been in control on the other side of the Dotz warp point. That they hadn’t, and having not affected the recovery of their Metalstorm colonies, clearly suggested that the Axis was counting on clearly inadequate formations to secure the warp points in a bid to block off the flow of supplies and information to dispersed Allied formations. Following an intense discussion with his staff Russen elected to make for the Metalstorm/Output warp point and launch an assault before the Axis could reinforce. He sent word of his decision to Task Group 123, suggesting that once they’ve broken out of the minefields covering the Metalstorm/Abyssal-019 warp point that they should handle the force guarding the warp point leading to Silvershoe. By the end of the week King Russen was determined to have a victory that would restore Allied confidence in his nation.

Borehole had just two warp points, making defense a no-brainer. 120 Sharks, one-fourth of TF 21’s fighter strength, were on the CAP, prowling the outer edges of the automated defenses that guarded the Borehole/Circuit Run warp point. 900 weapon buoys and 600 patterns of mines formed the fixed barrier that an enemy force had to deal with in addition to 28 capital ships, 73 cruisers, 54 destroyers, and 18 frigates. That’s not even mentioning the carriers themselves and dedicated anti-fighter escorts. The CIC on the Captain Dessis, Jki’s flagship, was conducting an exercise with back-up personnel when the transit occurred.
     Two Falcon Crest and four Soar assault carriers made their entrance in the normal manner without the preamble of a mass transit of Dispersions and Grenadiers. Seven of the twenty CAP squadrons activated their weapons and closed to engage. With the fleet at 1.5 LS range, a precaution against Axis plasma guns, the bombardment of the intruders began. A total of 47 ships, ranging from Jki’s own Captain Dessis to a Hazen DD joined the Sharks and reduced to wave to just two Soars. Both ships were e-hulked by a quartet of Hazen and Valhallan BCs.
     One Soar did retain its hanger bays. 30 Hatchets were tossed into the void, but instead of making for the Allied ships they plowed into a buoy park. Expecting a second wave the Allies didn’t move in and six CAP squadrons of activated Sharks held their fire. Only shipboard lasers engaged the Hatchets, slapping two like bugs. Armed with gun packs the Axis fighters bagged 22 weapon buoys. When the Sharks crash-launched from the carriers 4 LS away arrived permission was given to the active CAP squadrons to engage. Dashed from the heavens, the Hatchets had claimed a further 19 buoys.
     While cutters and shuttles filled with marines conducted boarding actions on the two hulks Jki pondered the significance of the attack. For the waste of six assault carriers, 168 fighters, and over 6,700 personnel the Axis only bagged 41 weapon buoys, 8 mine patterns and damaged a destroyer. Had the Axis sent in an undetected pinnace probe then they couldn’t have failed to see what they were up against. Otherwise to conduct such a light attack blind was insanity.
     Upon further pondering Jki considered the news that just came about Metalstorm. If it was the intention of the AFC to seal off the Allies’ only route to friendly space then the attack made some sense. As long as the AFC held the Metalstorm/Dotz warp point, reinforcing it to a hideous level, TF 21 would run out of supplies and reinforcement. There were no more weapon buoys and mines in supply, and maintenance materials were in stock for only four months, sans repairs. The AFC could simply wait and conduct occasional light assaults to gage the strength of TF 21.
     There was no way the AFC could know of the reinforcements already moving in the Tinsmith system. By no means were Jki and TF 21 going to wait passively for the next four months.

The frequency of combat was dropping in the city of Stone Hearth. Word from on high had it that the Boneheads were moving out into the hills in small groups. Lt. Casfe-de believed there was some truth in that statement. He attributed the enemy’s flight more to the fact that they’ve sustained such casualties in the past three weeks that running was their only option. His platoon as well as the rest of 3rd Company had a hand in modifying the enemy’s behavior.
     While leading the platoon to a new sector Casfe-de reflected on the curious design features of Comensal buildings on Citadel. Walls were plasticrete half a meter thick, a feature explained for insulation benefits, and were reinforced with durasteel rods. Thin, narrow grills lined the top level of all buildings two stories or taller, serving to regulate the temperature. Basements looked more like cozy bunkers than for storage of various family possessions. When asked, the Comensal said they were storm shelters. The region that Stone Hearth was in did boast an active tornado season in the spring along with violent thunderstorms. Earlier Casfe-de considered it odd that the storm shutters for windows and doors were located on the inside of the buildings instead of the outside. Wasn’t it better to have the shutters take the hit of hail and flying debris rather than replace broken glass after each major storm?
     When the Comensal civilians took arms against the Expeditionary Corps the building design philosophy became all too clear: thick walls to resist gunfire and explosives, narrow slits to observe and fire weapons from, and basements to serve as redoubts. More soldiers than Casfe-de cared to think about had become casualties in supposedly cleared structures in the early fighting. From this the E’sani made copious use of thermobaric and conventional grenades to turn building interiors in abattoirs, scorched and flecked with remains of bodies. Kinetic projectiles from aircraft and orbiting ships collapsed ceilings and floors, entombing Comensal when all other methods to extinguish them had failed.
     The platoon reached an intersection when the sound of a Comensal weapon was heard. With so much debris from previously ruined buildings around the soldiers easily found cover. Eyes alone were able to see the signature barrel of a pipe rifle protruding from the grill slit on the second floor of a housing unit down the street. Then a grenade exploded in front of Casfe-de’s position, though the wall fragment he was using shielded him from the shrapnel.
     A portable kinetic round was fired in reply, opening a hole in the wall. With that done the usual volley of grenades went in, but there were no explosions. Casfe-de took a peek and found grey, heavy-looking smoke pouring out of the opening as well as the peeled-back grillwork. Someone had fired choker grenades. This kind of grenade produced thick smoke that was immensely irritating to anyone not wearing goggles and masks. What separated choker smoke from Axis black smoke was that the former wasn’t deliberately designed to be lethal. You had to be in the stuff for several minutes to fall unconscious and to-date Casfe-de hadn’t seen any Comensal that voluntarily stayed in an enclosed space filled with choker smoke for more than three minutes.
     From the building came three Comensal. Two were adults, doubled over and hacking so profoundly that had they produced a lung from the effort then none of the watching E’sani would’ve been surprised. As for the third it was a child, likewise engaged in a coughing fit. They were most likely a family as the Comensal colonists fought in such a way. “El-tee,” said Corporal Menki-wa, “are we gonna make them prisoner?”
     “If you want to be a hero and remove their weapons then by all means, Corporal,” Casfe-de said loud enough for all to hear. The last time the platoon took prisoners Private Qan-zu was killed when a Comensal sniper killed him with a round from a pipe rifle. Already the platoon had their guns leveled at the family, except for one.
     Platoon sergeant Pepen-su jumped from his cover and ran to the family, oblivious to the potential threat from snipers and calls from this lieutenant to stop. Feebly the adults tried to raise their pipe rifles only to be punched in the gut and knocked out cold. Using plastic ties Pepen-su bounded the adults’ hands behind their backs. The child had latched onto his leg in an attempt to stop him and it took some effort to subdue him. Once the child had his hands bound Pepen-su raised his arm and signaled for assistance. Resigned, Casfe-de sent two soldiers to Pepen-su, dragging the adult Comensal back to the platoon. Pepen-su held up the still-struggling child like it was a prize catch of fish.
     “Care to say what the hell that was about? We had no orders from Company to take prisoners.”
     “We were low on thermo and napalm grenades,” Pepen-su said directly. “I had Luin-ba use choker rounds instead. As for prisoners the orders from Corps headquarters trump those from Captain Washu-te. Intelligence on the pullout of civilians is desirable in regards to the location of their rallying points outside the city.”
     Casfe-de squinted. “You acted like this before, mixing bravery and foolhardiness, Sergeant. I don’t have the time to find out why you had this relapse, but if you do that again I won’t regret the consequences. Since these are your prisoners, you get to stay here and wait for the transport back to battalion. Then get to an aid station and have that leg of yours looked at.”
     “Eh?” Pepen-su looked down and found several bloody spots on his leg. The child had been armed with a very sharp pocket knife, one that could cut through the battle fabric, and repeatedly stabbed the Sarge. He didn’t recall feeling a thing. “Sure thing, El-tee.”
     The rest of the platoon moved on, but not after having bounded the legs of the Comensal first as well as gagging them. It was a short wait, but for all that time the child gazed at Pepen-su with malevolent eyes. For the life of him he wondered why the child didn’t cry.

It had been twelve days since Task Group Metalstorm broken into its system namesake. Now back in Output the remnants of the task group had assumed a defensive stance while the repair ships tended to battle broken hulls. System Admiral Lorcan was left brooding over the loss of the Dotz and Abyssal-019 mining groups. The Silvershoe group was in place but was vulnerable now that the warp point to Dotz was uncovered. He strongly considered calling back the Silvershoe group but decided to wait until the Grenadiers arrived in nine days time. With 120 of those small ships Lorcan would take them into Metalstorm and seize the Dotz warp point for good.
     The empty minelayers and light carriers from the Abyssal-019 mining group had returned to Output and was now proceeding to the warp point leading to Data Disk. From there the carriers will get uncrated fighters and then return to Output. One empty minelayer was with the repair ships that sat one light-minute from the Output/Metalstorm warp point, waiting its turn to get its light damage fixed. Two other minelayers were still crawling back in Metalstorm, unable to push their few remaining engine rooms.
     Four Eagle Crests, five Falcon Crests, three Warrior Spirits and their escorts orbited the Output warp point at the relatively safe distance of four light-seconds. Those carriers that were damaged had their internal systems fixed but for the most part the armor was left in its wrecked state. Lorcan was willing to wait for the Abyssal-019 light carriers to come back restocked before completing the armor repairs. Even so he still had 294 Hatchets, 72 of which were on the CAP at any one time. Closer in at 1.5 LS were 4 Hailfires, 18 Sprinters, 18 Punches and 2 Grenadiers. The initial barrier the enemy had to confront first was a cloud of 600 mine patterns and 600 weapon buoys. Lorcan felt confident that the Allies would still be assessing what to do next. Each day they waited meant one more day closer for Lorcan to make another attempt to seize Metalstorm.
     Over the last four days scouts in Metalstorm have tracked several drive field contacts. To a one the scouts were intercepted by fighters and destroyed before definitive readings could be obtained. When the comm buoy at the Metalstorm/Output warp point was eliminated by a pinnace no further information came from those sensor buoys seeded in the system. Lorcan decided earlier not to waste time worrying what might be coming. Whatever force was heading his way would be decisively dealt with by his defenses.
     That belief was tested when the first assault wave of King Russen’s Royal Fleet made the scene. Four Nikazu-Vs and two Luttfomi minesweepers were accompanied by 84 Whale armed pinnaces in the first wave. 14 of the small craft interpenetrated and a further 7 fell to mines as they made for Lorcan’s DDs. The sole Luttfomi armed with antimatter CAMs fired on one Sprinter, demolishing it.
     Five CAP squadrons got active and along with ships able to reach battle stations they wrecked two Nikazu-Vs. Two of the four buoy tenders armed 120 one-shot laser buoys and fired them, finishing off the two assault carriers. On their part the Valhallans made three Sprinters weaponless wonders with a fourth missing six of its seven engine rooms. Six Hatchet squadrons were crash-launched, but with the orbital positions of the carriers there was no way the new Hatchets could intercept the Whales before they were at point-blank range of the warships.
     As the remaining two Nikazu-Vs launched their squadrons and transited out the second wave, containing two more Nikazu-Vs, three Crams and a Luttfomi, appeared. 63 Whales and 60 Sharks pounced on the Axis warships which had elected to fire their weapons at the Valhallan ships rather than defend themselves. If not outright destroyed the Hailfires, Sprinters, and Punches were barely mobile and hardly armed. The two Grenadiers were vaporized by antimatter fireballs. Four more CAP squadrons did what they could to the fresh ships but it took the firing of 200 IDEW-Ls to finish off a Nikazu-V. Firing independently, the minesweepers took out 15 buoys. Frantically, 12 more Hatchet squadrons were crash-launched from the Axis carriers.
     Passing the returning second-wave Nikazu-V were the two Engineers and four Tamaya-Di of the third. The five Shark squadrons launched from the retiring carrier stayed on the warp point to engage the incoming wave of 36 Hatchets. Rockets expended, the 60 Sharks from the first wave came about and aided their brethren with gun packs, leaving the Whales to pick away at the Axis cripples with laser packs. Some Hatchets did get to fire but with the Sharks involved there were none left at the warp point. With options running out the Axis officer controlling the buoys elected to fire 113 energy beam buoys (seven had already been shot down by the minesweepers). The sweepers, despite having their shields knocked down earlier, used their overload dampeners to absorb the hits. As for the Tamayas they lost half of their internal systems and all their external ordnance as the firing circuits were fried. It was too much for one first-wave Luttfomi, and it exploded like a firework. Seven more Hatchet squadrons were launched, bent on denying the enemy more ships for them to use in future operations.
     The other first-wave Luttfomi, already in dire straights, transited back to Metalstorm to deny the Axis another easy kill. In the fourth wave came another Engineer, two more Tamaya-Di and three Paramount BCs, one of which was Russen’s flagship. Even without the intelligence assessment of the battle involving TG 124 and data provided by the solitary pinnace probe just half a day earlier Russen made it clear that he would participate in the assault. Having lead loyalist forces in the Valhallan Civil War and endured several injuries Russen was ready to face the dangers that challenged his men.
     The enemy fighter strength had been correctly gauged, making an important part of the operations plan come into play. 72 Hatchets set upon to destroy more sweepers saw their datalinks brought down by jammers mounted on the third-wave Engineers. Just 22 survived their attack runs after braving the gauntlet of defenses but they claimed a Cram and heavily damaged another. With fifteen ships on the warp point the remaining 90 Axis IDEW-Ls were going to be spread thin yet they were fired before more of them were sniped. All that this accomplished was to make a second wave Cram transit back into Metalstorm and be replaced by six Derakags of the fifth wave. As for the three wrecked, crawling Hailfires they were blitzed by the Paramounts' capital energy beams, killing their engines and making them suitable for boarding by the Derakags'assault shuttles.
     Lorcan, commanding from a Falcon Crest carrier, knew that sending in his available sixteen squadrons now would lead to their destruction for little gain. The six battlecruisers revealed their massive batteries of missile launchers when they fired mine clearance rounds into a patch of the minefield. Now that the Sprinters and Punches were all gone the enemy had shifted fire to an escort, wrecking two engine rooms on an Aerosol. When the sixth wave appeared the retreating Axis ships had moved to the edge of the standard missile envelope. This came at the cost of ECM as the Derakags demonstrated. Two Aerosols were pummeled by antimatter missiles and capital force beams, ripped open like overripe fruit.
     Freed from transit effects the 3 Oknibs and 3 Disams of the sixth wave fired their capital launchers at one Eagle Crest carrier. At a range of 6.25 LS not that many missiles would achieve lock-on but antimatter warheads compensated. Point defense and an EDM wasn’t enough and the ship lost half of its engine rooms. That ship was left behind, the only regret Lorcan had was that a squadron landed on it just two minutes earlier. When the ship was destroyed it took six Hatchets along with it. At 7.75 LS range Lorcan thought he was safe only to be proven wrong when the Oknibs of the sixth and seventh waves fired SBM-Lts at a Falcon Crest identified for having sustained major armor damage in the last battle. Two engine rooms were wrecked, leaving it fate sealed.
     With recharging buoys being wiped out in job lots by Whales and Sharks the King sent an order for the three assault carriers to return. The regular carriers were called forward as well. For once the Sharks and Whales were rearmed they would be sent out to engage the retiring enemy. Russen didn’t want to see any enemy ships get away, a sentiment felt by his crews and especially the pilots. A path was finally blown through the mines, allowing for the concluding phase for the battle to take place.
     Rendezvousing almost immediately with the Axis carriers were the four Command Detonators that controlled the automated weapons. A short time later twelve repair ships, one CVL, four BC, and a CA joined the formation. With engines fixed the warships could keep up with the carriers but without weapons and no armor they were quite vulnerable. Pulling head of the main formation were four Punch FGs, their engines fully fixed and equally defenseless. Left behind was a CA-hulled minelayer, its demolished first engine room sealing its fate as it was blown apart by Sharks armed with stand-off missiles.
     Despite the losses Lorcan still felt confident. He had 184 of his original 294 Hatchets. If the Allies wanted to get him they would have to use their fighters and destroyers. With sixteen capital force beams, three HET and four regular lasers to back up the Hatchets any running battle would be in his favor. He believed that smug assertion until long range scanners gave him a definitive read on the force that was closing: 24 destroyers, 69 armed pinnaces and 216 fighters. At 6 LS range he launched his Hatchets, holding them over the ships until the destroyers revealed their armaments.
     Rearmed with a mix of gun packs, close attack missiles and laser packs the Valhallan fighters had a speed advantage over their Axis opponents. Also staying with their ships the pilots had to be patient and wait for the enemy to release their fighters. Down to 5 LS the destroyers, all of them Falogrens, opened up with capital force beams and capital missile launchers. Their missile salvos, including external ordnance, were equipped with antimatter. Of the eight repair ships targeted only one lost all of its passive defenses, bleeding air from a hole punched into its primary cargo hold. With each one firing three EDMs each told the flag captain that the remainder, including the Command Detonators, had no CAMs on their racks. As the carriers had on the most part fired their external capital missiles at the warp point battle meant fighter losses were going to be fewer than expected, but that was later.
     Firing back the Axis broke the shields of one DD and most of its armor. Instead of catching up the DDs kept pace, staying at maximum capital force beam range. Down to their internal launchers the missile fired this time were armed with laser warheads. Two more repair ships lost their primary holds but one Falogren lost four engine rooms. With the Hatchets approaching the Valhallan formation performed a circular S maneuver. Ignoring the crippled DD the Hatchets were drawn to the main formation like moths to a flame. In this case the flame was provided by the Sharks’ gun and laser packs. Lorcan had failed to anticipate this maneuver for it was the same one used to destroy the Dotz mining group back in Metalstorm. Armed exclusively with short attack missiles the Hatchets were impotent as the Sharks were just out of reach.
     Aid by the point defense on the Whales and Falogrens the number of Hatchets chopped up was 107. Losing 58% of one’s strike force without inflicting harm in return would make one rage but not Lorcan. His artificial heart, courtesy of a wound back in the Nu’Chut War, regulated his blood pressure completely, so he swore instead. The 77 remaining Hatchets gave the Sharks the slip so that only laser packs could reach them, but that maneuver placed them within gun range of the Whales.
     Just 16 Axis fighters remained after 61 of their number were lazed, pelted and engulfed in fireballs. Unable to get to the DDs the last Hatchets went for the Whales. Firing both sets of close attack missiles in proximity mode twelve Hatchets bagged an equal number of Whales. Lasers and guns eliminated the remnant of the Axis strike force. Ordering the crippled DD back to the fleet the Valhallan Flag Captain had the formation come about and resume the pursuit of the Axis force. With the time involved those ships with down shields were able to restore them, but three known repair ships with expended EDMs and wrecked armor the pairing down could begin in earnest.
     The Axis ships inflicted almost as much initial damage on a DD as they did on the previous Falogren. Concentrating on just one repair ship this time the DDs broke it, reducing its speed by two-thirds. Keeping the range fixed at 5 LS the DDs employed a little bit more ECM, making the fire control solutions of the Fc-armed ships 30% instead of 40%. The second Falogren lost its hold while one repair ship was all but destroyed and another was doing its best impression of a snail on a sticky surface. A steady rain of missiles from a pair of Interceptors and a mangled Hailfire had worked on a third DD, reducing its shields by 75%.
     Further fire took three engines from the second Falogren. The Axis was down three repair ships and two of those were finished off by fighter lasers and a pair of force beams. Finding one limping ship ahead of them four Whales fired their loads of stand-off fighter missiles, finishing it off. The standing order was that cripples were to be destroyed. King Russen was not inclined to conduct boarding actions other than the three e-hulked BCs back at the warp point. When the third Falogren was forced away due to damage the Axis had lost five repair ships with a sixth well on the way.
     The range between the Axis ships and the Whales and Sharks was gradually closing. When the small craft were at a range of 2 LS there were only two repair ships left. With the number of force beams dwindling it was taking longer and longer to remove a Falogren from combat. When the fighters got to 1.5 LS range the lasers on the carriers opened up, failing to hit anything. The fifth Falogren was forced to retire, down to two engine rooms.
     With the Whales and Sharks now so close Lorcan dithered on what to do next. At least half the Valhallan fighters only appeared to have one gun pack, meaning that they must be carrying a close attack missile, judging from the speed they displayed when engaging the Hatchets. With the turning radius of his battlecruisers if the formation moved one way that would allow the Valhallan DDs to come one-half light second closer. If he turned another direction so as to engage the pinnaces and fighters with capital point defense that would be exposing his blind spots to the DDs also. Currently he could engage the DDs yet his blind spot was facing the pinnaces, the ones armed with stand-off missiles. There were only 51 left and they couldn’t do that much damage, Lorcan told himself, so he decided to take whatever puny punishment the Whales cared to dish out to him. For that attitude he was reward with the sight of one his Command Detonators being smothered to death by multiple nuclear fireballs. The Falogrens had also targeted the ship, firing CM-Lts so as to strip off its EDMs. Along with force beam damage it only took 24 Whales to finish the job, leaving 27 still armed with missiles.
     The Valhallan flag captain sensed this was the time. He ordered the Sharks to move at full speed, closing to within 0.5 LS of the Axis formation. The Falogrens moved at full speed as well, losing the slight edge they had in ECM over their Axis foes. Faced with the inevitable Lorcan decided to engage the Sharks and take down as many of them as possible even if it meant offering his blind spots to the Falogrens.
     Despite this opportunity present to them the Falogrens weren’t able to exploit it. They concentrated on another Command Detonator, bent on removing it from the line-up. Sharks armed with laser packs fired on those ships that were observed to fire incomplete external loads earlier. It was a move to ‘delouse’ the Axis ships of their EDMs so that the DDs’ missile fire would not be hampered. Ten Sharks were blasted from their formations.
     Letting loose with all weapons the Axis ships fought for their lives, gunning for those Sharks that hadn’t fired laser packs. Sixteen fireballs marked their kills but it was a futile effort. Antimatter, stand-off fighter missiles, lasers and force beams destroyed the three Eagle Crest and four Warrior Spirit carriers. Bitter and resentful, Lorcan made out his final report for the courier drones. He knew his Falcon Crest carrier, being so heavily armored, would be the last to go. The drones were delayed from launching until the last possible moment.
     Nine more Sharks were claimed but that left just four carriers and two partially-repaired battlecruisers. Range had dropped to the sweet spot where capital force beams doubled their damage. Moving in rapid, slashing attacks fit for their namesake the Sharks took down a BC and savaged the armor of Lorcan’s carrier. The other BC was pulverized by the Falogrens. Trailing wrecks of Axis ships were picked off by the DDs as well, cleansing the battlefield of Axis residue. With fire-control ladars from all the Valhallan DDs locked onto his ship Lorcan gave the order and had the drones launched. Just as they cleared the ship a massive explosion raced down the length of the hanger bays, pushing a wall of debris before it. One support beam, backed by incredible force, pieced a bulkhead and entered the bridge, killing all inside. For that Lorcan missed the fall of the last two carriers, their armor only serving to prolong their deaths.
     King Russen held an awards ceremony three days after the battle. On his flagship, armor still wrecked while the repair ships tended to other, more seriously harmed vessels, Russen used his dual hats again. As C.I.C. of the Royal Navy he gave out medals for conspicuous bravery and accomplishment in battle. As King he gave his thanks to the crews of the assault ships and Falogrens and the fighter squadrons. He knew such an indulgence would make his opponents turn redder than usual. It was a boost to morale that the personnel of the Royal Fleet needed. Destruction of the Axis force in Output was a significant contribution to the Allied cause. For now the Valhallans tended to their damage and waited for TG 123 to finish the remaining Axis force in Metalstorm. Once relieved, the Royal Fleet would move on to Borehole and participate in another major offensive.

It was evening mess on the Captain Dessis. The wardroom was host to the senior officers of Task Force 21. Admiral Jki sat at the head of the table, flanked by Rear Admirals Reas and Barsus, the latter her chief of staff. Other officers included Rear Admiral Khal, commander of the UWL contingent, Captain Netts, in charge of the twelve Tzelan frigates, and Read Admiral Vekken, leader of the Bulan ships. As for the Hazen contingent commander, General Mevtos, and Valhallan squadron leader Joyns they were unable to attend as they were designated to command the task force for the current duty cycle.
     She had met with the officers before when she was in charge of TF 21’s carrier group. This, however, was the first informal gathering since Jki assumed command following Ayrth’s death. In this setting she hoped to see how her subordinates interacted with one another in her presence. She hoped her own stature in the CSF wouldn’t intimidate the others into just exchanging mild platitudes.
     However, the officer with the most presence in the room was Rear Admiral Ossla Dowel, commanding the Crajen Naval Service Guild cruisers and destroyers. Earlier in life he was a carpenter’s apprentice but changed guilds when the NSG underwent an expansion following the establishment of Crajen’s first colony in another system. While he did have a radiant personality and charisma that were undeniable it wasn’t those traits that emphasized his presence this night. It was the smell of sawdust and resin that made clear to all that Dowel was in the room.
     A Terpla’n like Jki didn’t have a highly developed sense of smell. For her to notice the sawdust smell meant Dowel actually reeked of it. She was reminded of her own father’s woodworking endeavors and how the various smells of glues, varnishes and yes sawdust would linger. She could only imagine how Khal was taking it: Humarsh could tell the difference between two coats of paint from thirty meters away.
     “I’ve been told you’re quite the craftsman,” Netts said engagingly. “The furniture in your command ship’s wardroom is your work, yes?”
     Dowel’s four stalked eyes swiveled. “Oh yes, absolutely. The set that was on hand for her commissioning was completely atrocious. It could’ve been mistaken for industrial scrap, all that bare metal with no padding or anti-scuffing tips. I just got done with the ‘refreshment’ cabinet,” he said with a conspiratorial air. “By the way it was made the old one could’ve been mistaken as a repository of radioactive waste, and no glass! Well, I took care of that I tell you. I got the cabinet proper completed just half an hour ago. All that’s left is to apply a fresh coat of varnish and she’ll be right.”
     “Fascinating,” said Vekken, his face scrunched up due to the smell, not that Dowel could tell as he couldn’t read Bulani facial expressions. “What else have you created with your woodcraft skills?”
     “I also made the table service for the wardroom as well,” Dowel beamed. “All wood, sealed with resin that has antibacterial properties. It’s a skill that’s been in my family for over twelve generations. Not to sound boastful but I had in my spare time made condiment holders for the enlisted mess as well.” He then noticed something from the corner of his eyes. “Ah, Mr. Khal. Are the lights a bit too bright? I hear that Humarsh prefer somewhat less luminous settings, no doubt due to your native sun.”
     Truth be told, Khal found the odor so oppressive that his three eyes were watering. “It must be a slight food allergy, my good man. I’ve never partaken of Terpla’n barbeque panfish until now. The sauce may not be agreeing with me.”
     “I’m sorry to hear that, Admiral,” Jki said. “I thought I selected a dish that would be agreeable to everyone’s digestion….”
     An alarm klaxon interrupted, its jarring noise aided and abetted by flashing orange lights. Jki stood up. “It’s a transit warning, gentlemen. Since it’s too late to return to your ships you will join me in the CIC. Consider this an opportunity for your respective second-in-commands to step up and exercise their talents.” The officers left as a group, but not before Vekken swallowed his panfish in its entirety. It was a sign of good manners for a Bulani to clear his plate of food offered by a superior.
     In the minute it took to reach the CIC the battle was more than half done. 60 Grenadiers and 40 Dispersions arrived in one go with 20 of the former and 8 of the latter interpenetrating. Following them in a normal fashion were four dreadnoughts and a carrier, very likely Soars and a Falcon Crest. Nine of the twenty CAP squadrons became active and gunned for the big ships. From the pounding they received the Axis ships should’ve been far closer to death’s door.
     The crew of the Captain Dessis, already at a heighten state of alert with so many admirals on board, achieved action stations in record time. Along with the other active ships one DN and 29 Dispersions were destroyed with just 3 e-hulked by Hazen and Valhallan BCs. With two small control bases active 143 IDEW-Es were fired, immobilizing 35 Grenadiers and further hurting the remaining 3 DNs and the BCA.
     4 pinnaces were launched by the big Axis ships with three of them transiting out. HET lasers from a DN finished off one Bulani DD, leading the active Allied DNs to damage them just enough that their weapons went off-line. There was no second wave so no further buoys were fired. When it became clear that the BCA and five Grenadiers still have enough motive power to transit out they were destroyed. Firing plasma guns the other Grenadiers slapped down 11 expended energy buoys. The remaining enemy pinnace was brought down by laser fire from a Bulani Warrior.
     When Jki reached the CIC, and after seeing what was happening on the master plot, she found that General Mevtos read her mind. Allied ships armed with energy beams short-circuit the Axis force. For six further buoys knocked out the Allies were awarded with 35 Grenadiers and 3 DNs e-hulked. Flights of cutters and shuttles landed boarding parties and with the shear numbers involved it was guaranteed that one ship would have an intact database. The two Soars captured from the previous enemy incursion revealed nothing.
     “What a cost just to get sensor data from three pinnaces,” Khal commented. “They could have easily sent in a swarm of pinnaces to get what they needed.”
     “They destroyed one of my Warriors,” Vekken said, “and took out more mines and deliberately targeted spent energy buoys. Why are they conducting piecemeal attacks?”
     “Not attacks,” Dowels jumped in, “but probes. I believe the first one two days ago was conducted with such self-importance that it could be called supreme arrogance. The one just now was an admission that more force was needed. In both instances they made an effort to destroy our automated weapons.”
     Looking intently into the holographic tank Jki took in the scanner readings like a dry sponge to water. “Those weren’t carriers, but minesweepers. Factoring in the amount of damage they sustained tells me that they’ve developed composite armor. We have to assume that most if not all of their ships waiting on the other side of the warp point have been built or refitted with new armor. Now that they’ve seen what we have on the CAP along with our force composition I wager my pentagons their next attack will be the definitive one.
     “Gentlemen, we’re going to pre-empt that third attack and give a sharp blow to their confidence. I’ll order the tugs in our fleet support flotilla to rendezvous with the assault element arriving from the Tinsmith system. Those ships will be towed here so they could be used that much sooner. We need tactical reconnaissance as well as grav surge data in order to get an idea of what’s confronting us. With the composition of the Quagaar assault elements we’re going to finish what the Axis tired to do here.”

Chapter 6.75
General Jingu-wa looked impassive as he read the report handed to him by the interrogator. Questioning of Comensal prisoners has so far proven of little value other than affirming the fanaticism they displayed in the field. Captured messages, equipment and other battlefield clues provided far more intelligence on what the enemy was doing. Live prisoners were only being taken for the express purpose of intelligence gathering. Only those Comensal so wounded that they couldn’t put up resistance or otherwise incapacitated were chosen. Attempts to hold prisoners in large groups have proven futile insofar as they became the source for insanely-led rescue attempts.
     The colonists had melted into the countryside, drawing troops of the Expeditionary Corps away from the cities and towns. Casualties were now going back up, mainly due to ambushes. With the firepower the troops could call upon any colonists that stood and fought were eliminated with dispatch. This meant whole families were slain, and it didn’t ease Jingu-wa’s mind one bit that the children involved were armed and fighting, killing his men as readily as any adult.
     He faced the interrogator, one of the few Tzelans assigned to mostly E’sani 1st EC. Peth Wenns was a junior professor of xeno-anthropology and sociology back on his homeworld. He was among a team of Comensal specialists that studied and interrogated the first set of prisoners taken earlier in the war. As Tzelans went Wenns gave the impression of a reflective wise man that members of his race like to do for the benefit of others. He did, however, have his unconventional side, and it was this that made Jingu-wa sit up and take notice. “You’ll probably get some bad press back home for what happened, Wenns,” the general simply stated. “For the record I’ll assert that the prisoner, already injured, succumbed to an undetected wound.”
     “I’ll appreciate that, General,” Wenn said with a flick of his ears, looking up to meet Jingu-wa’s eyes. “My seniority back the university maybe affected if the facts aren’t presented correctly for the record.”
     Jingu-wa nodded, holding a pen in preparation to write notes in the margin of the electronic paper pad. “For the sake of the record just what kind of candy did you offer the prisoner when you started the interrogation?”
     “It was a jellybaby, General,” Wenn said in a manner one would answer a question posed by an aunt from across the dinner table. “It was the way he knocked it out of my hand that told me he didn’t like sweets. As for his demise I don’t believe it was an undetected wound. Have a surgeon on a transport conduct an autopsy. The prisoner may have self-induced a brain aneurism.”
     “Self-induced?” Jingu-wa said incredulously.
   “Yes. I noticed after fifteen minutes into my attempt to engage the prisoner in conversation that his eyes glazed over and blood ran out from his ears,” Wenn replied in the same manner as before. “He may have ‘checked out’ from the beginning and simply resigned himself to death. I’m beginning to believe that it may have been better had he tried to assault me. I don’t want to be known as the professor that literally bored a man to death. That would make me the butt of bad jokes from students.”
     Jingu-wa placed an affirming hand on Wenn’s shoulder. “Professor, the way this war is going I doubt anyone will give this incident a second thought.”

The command station on the Engineer minesweeper Clarion Call was quiet. Junior Executive Admiral Tang was standing over the master holographic table, viewing a projection of Task Force 21 and his assault element. Four of his six hands manipulated controls to focus on one part of the projection. Twelve ships, two of them Engineers and ten Luttfomis, were poised right above the Borehole/Circuit Run warp point. Unlike Clarion Call, the Engineers and seven Luttfomis had been extensively refitted by the mobile yards over Citadel.
     The Allies still lacked grav surge data on Circuit Run side of the warp point. Despite boarding 38 e-hulked ships from an Axis probe four days earlier no intact database had been found. It was the same story on Borehole as the enemy had destroyed municipal information systems and records to prevent their capture. It was suicide to use survey ships, and while Magnets refitted with science instruments would work the political climate in the Commonwealth wouldn’t permit a mass transit at the present time.
     The Quagaar CDF, still smarting over its tardiness in preventing the loss of the Uan homeworld nine months earlier, came up with a solution. While assembling in Citadel for the next offensive the CDF had refitted nine minesweepers into massively shielded and armored units equipped with science instruments. It was calculated that at least one out of six ships so modified would return from a probe of an enemy-held, unsurveyed point.
     After his ships were literally dragged by tugs across the system Tang had a meeting with Admiral Jki. About to ask if he could use the armed pinnace wings to cover the sweepers Tang was relieved when Jki told him up front to do so. It was out of concern that the Axis might have developed antimatter warheads, and if the defending fighters in Circuit Run had them even the modified Engineers could be brought down. Since they would stay on the warp point the Whales would initially only take interpenetration loss, losing roughly 24 out of 162 right off the bat. While in Circuit Run the Whales could also knock out weapon buoys and fighters, ensuring the follow-up assault would face fewer of them.
     Tang adjusted the projection back up to one light-second scale, making the ship icons look like they were surrounded by a cloud of gnats instead of pinnaces. “Send the following order to the probe wave,” Tang said to an attending junior officer. “All units will proceed with the operations plan.”

Circuit Run was a red dwarf/white dwarf binary system that normally wouldn’t even rate an outpost. In fact there was a colony, 17,000 strong, on the rockball world orbiting the red dwarf. The Axis placed it there to exploit the mineral riches that were literally strewn across the planet’s surface. Complete with a small space station the colonists of Circuit Run would’ve continued in their mining efforts for the greater glory of the Comensal had reality not intruded.
     When war came the ore refineries on Circuit Run were upgraded with additional facilities, increasing output significantly. In turn, when Borehole fell, this colony became the front line against the Allied invasion. Deployed at the Circuit Run/Borehole warp point was Star Force 1 of the Second Advanced Fleet. 27 capital ships, 54 cruisers, 36 destroyers and frigates kept watch along with 900 patterns of mines and 720 weapon buoys. Two squadrons each of fleet and light carriers, plus attending escorts, were on hand to keep a 96 fighter-strong CAP on the warp point.
     After pondering the data brought back by the pinnaces System Admiral Farnon, commanding SF 1, had decided that enough time had pass by to commence the assault to reclaim Borehole. In two hours eight assault carriers, four minesweepers, and 60 Grenadiers will move together in the first wave, followed by dreadnoughts and battleships. Once the Allied ships were disposed of SF 1 will move onto Borehole Prime and land 50,000 troops with 20,000 more earmarked for Harvest. Everyone was to participate in the great victory of the people.
     A thoughtful commander, Farnon was about to issue a force-wide order for crews to have a meal before the assault when the transit alarm blared in his flagship’s CIC. He watched as six ships emerging from the warp point with only two on the same initial heading. Accompanying the last ship were 162 of those damnable pinnaces of which 22 exploded via interpenetrations. Instead of moving away from the warp point the pinnaces stayed, a departure from regular tactics. While the CAP moved in to attack the regular warships, orbiting the warp point at 1.5 LS, rushed to battle stations.
     Firing transit-addled weapons, the two huge Allied ships picked on a Hailfire, nearly breaking its armor and shorting out a shuttle bay, engine room and missile launcher. The four dreadnought-sized ships destroyed a Sprinter with CAMs. Farnon flexed his boney forehead in consternation. Despite the firepower brought to bear the two huge ships and one DN, thought to be assault carriers, didn’t begin to belch air until they took enough damage that would’ve destroyed them outright. In fact enough hurt was dished out to destroy five dreadnought-sized assault carriers. Even the firing of 120 IDEW-Ls failed to take down one ship, though the two SDs and a DN were badly off. What made Farnon’s gorge rise was that the armed pinnaces had fixated on the fighters. If one missed with a proximity-fused missile then it used its transit-addled internal gun and two more on its external racks. Of the 96 Hatchets, 48 of which had fired, 95 were shot down.
     Farnon wished he had his assault carriers, sitting 10 LS from the warp point, positioned with his regular carriers so that their flight groups could participate that much sooner. The complete destruction of the CAP meant facing a boatload of anti-matter armed fighters. He was relieved and curious why the Allied ships weren’t carrying fighters. While he pondered on this another wave of ships entered, all of them the size of DNs. Expending CAMs as they became active the Axis ships destroyed the first wave ships and only seriously wrecked another in the second. Grimacing as the Whales went through the IDEW-Ls like so much krill, taking down all 240 of them, Farnon allowed the use of 240 IDEW-Es so as to cripple and immobilize the six ships that were now on the warp point. He succeeded in that two ships lost all motive power, but the other four burned out their overload dampeners and still had engines.
     With no third wave and knowing they wouldn’t make it out in time the four ships played their trump card when the 20 Hatchet squadrons crash-launched a minute earlier arrived. Jammers played their one-note song of discord, throwing the Axis fighter squadrons into disarray. After three of the sweepers were destroyed and another silenced the Hatchets were able to attack as complete squadrons instead of singletons. Even so 69 out of 120 were shot down for the loss of just 71 Whales. Having fired their short-ranged attack missiles the 69 remaining Whales followed the two regular pinnaces in one wave, leaving behind not just a gutted force of Hatchets but also chalked up 55 more buoys.
     A moment passed when Farnon received a call from System Admiral Hovwen, commander of SF 1’s carrier group. “Normally congratulations are in order, Farnon,” she said in a snide manner. “It appears this was just a major probe by the abominations to determine our strength. While they launched no drones they did managed to get 71 pinnaces back into Borehole. For the record, Farnon, we lost 27% of our total fighter force. That number would’ve been lower had your active ships, especially your Hailfires, been at the warp point and swatted those armed pinnaces like so many pestilent rodents.”
     “The pinnaces could have well been armed with antimatter,” the SF 1 commander replied like a belligerent shopkeep. “Had I ordered the ships to move in then they would’ve been directly threatened as well as being more vulnerable to the suspected assault carriers.”
     Hovwen matched Farnon’s attitude. “But they weren’t assault carriers. With their smashed shields you saw them for what they were – minesweepers. Instead of orbiting the warp point like a skittish child around the pool your ships should’ve been on top of the Aboms to dispatch them that much quicker. I’ve lost 27% of my total fighter strength and you lost 47% of our buoys.”
     A portion of Hovwen’s boney forehead throbbed. “True enough, but with fighters from the assault carriers your CAP can now be 18 squadrons instead of 16. As for the buoys they won’t be missed. We’ll be advancing soon enough.”
     “Of course,” Hovwen replied. “The fighter reorganization will be done shortly, and I’ll send the resultant empty carriers to Circuit Run A-1 so that the fleet auxiliaries can stock them with prepped fighters from storage.” She then took the tone of a governess expecting her due. “What will you do with the four immobilized ships on the warp point? My pilots could use some live fire practice.”
     Farnon was older than Hovwen by five years and had been a system admiral longer than her. In his opinion the officers of the graduating class that Hovwen came from were lacking in proper respect of higher leadership and seniority. It was as if they read from the same book of impudence in the library of effrontery. It would serve her right if she had her ship blown out from under her. Such a thing happened to Farnon in the Eloto War and it did wonders for his own sense of uncalled-for flippancy to senior commanders. He looked thoughtful for a moment. “They will be towed from the warp point and boarded. The ships in this probe were not observed on the Borehole side of the warp point. If the enemy has been reinforced we will need to know. Hopefully the databases on the four hulks will be in a recoverable state. For now have the Soars, Falcon Crests and Grenadiers keep station with the Eagle Crests. If no data is found in the next 24 hours the assault will proceed.”
     “As you order, System Admiral Farnon,” Hovwen acknowledged, turning off the link. Farnon gave the now-dark screen a harsh look before moving on to revising the order of transit now that his fleet was down one Hailfire and three Sprinters. With another mass transit, approved by Galaxy Admiral Danmor, he felt that he was going to win. This optimism about his fleet’s prospects of success would soon turn out to be misplaced.

“We’ve hurt them, Admiral,” Captain Yos said, his one good eye blinking. “27 Hatchet squadrons have been eliminated as well as almost half of their buoy strength. They also expended CAMs from 70% of their ships.”
     Jki moved her gaze from the hologram displaying the task force placement around the warp point to Yos. “You believe that the Axis commander will follow the manual in this instance?”
     “I stake my rank on it,” Yos stated firmly. “In all captured Axis databases the procedure for occasions like this is for one-third of ships at a time with expended CAMs to pull out to 12 LS range and rearm, with priority given to capital units first.”
     Jki acknowledged the intelligence officer with a blink that used both sets of eyelids. She had hoped that at least one ship would’ve returned with grav surge data. While it would’ve helped in the orientation of subsequent wave of ships it wasn’t critical to the overall plan. Regardless, Admiral Tang had shown foresight in proposing and backing refits of minesweepers for this eventuality. The refitted Engineers and Luttfomis had at least accomplished their secondary task. Being so massively armored had made the Axis captains obsessive in destroying them, forcing the expenditure of external ordnance. As for the Whales their role as a CAP killer was affirmed, forcing the Axis to use their assault carrier strike wings if they cared to maintain a strong presence on the warp point.
     “Admiral,” Yos continued, “our window of opportunity is narrow. They believe we’ve been given pause and as a result will stand down. As they didn’t risk sending their ships in closer to kill our pinnances faster tells me they intend to assault us in the very near future. In less than two hours their heavy units will have rearmed with CAMs. In less than four hours all of their ships will be back at full combat capability.”
     Jki looked at the hologram again, arms crossed behind her. “There is that, Yos, and they have four ships with which to conduct boarding actions. If I was their commander I would do that in the hope of getting sensor records, especially current ones.” She then fixed her gaze at the officer on the other side of the projection. It was Rear Admiral Barsus, her chief of staff. “We will proceed with Ops Plan Black Tuesday. The first wave will transit in two minutes.”
     “Aye-Aye, Sir,” said Barsus.

Farnon moved his command temporarily to the Heart of the Hero class BC Righteous Grasp. He could’ve stayed with his original ship, the DN Basher, but decided to remain with the bulk of his fleet. It showed the crews that he had faith in their ability to repulse any abomination threat that should appear while the capital ships rearm their external racks. A laborious process, it took a little over 25 minutes for the work on a DN to be complete but for a BC it was only 16. So far 8 DNs, all 9 BBs and the first 7 BCs involved had loaded two CAMs each.
     To pass the time Farnon ordered the broadcast of boarding party combat on the four e-hulked abomination ships be transmitted to all units in the fleet. He was thoroughly disgusted by the sight of the aliens with their six arms and two large eyes. At least they had two legs, and altogether it reminded Farnon of a particular model of robot used by the Nu’Chut AIs for shipboard maintenance. These aliens were fighting every bit as hard and fatalistic as any AI-controlled soldier-bot. Only here these Aboms gushed blood instead of hydraulic fluid.
     Just as Farnon made the order for some aliens to be captured for interrogation and dissection purposes the transit alarm sounded again. Farnon looked intently at the holograph tank and witness the arrival of three large ships followed by a dreadnought. What came after them was a mass arrival of ships: one DN, six BBs, twelve CLs, twenty-one DDs, thirty-two CTs and sixteen ESs. Of that number twenty-four interpenetrated and exploded. To finish the surprise 166 armed pinnaces came along as well with 26 experiencing the law of probability regarding two objects trying to share the same location in space at the same time. Farnon only found solace that the enemy lacked data on the grave eddies of the warp point. Multiple units still ended up facing a different vector.
     The regular warships of SF 1 were still 1.5 LS from the warp point, cruising at 0.017c and located arbitrarily south, moving counter-clockwise. Carriers, escorts, minesweepers and Grenadiers were 4 LS southeast, moving counter-clockwise and the rearming warships were 12 LS north, safe from missile fire but with drivefields down at the moment. It would take another minute before they could begin moving as suited ordnancemen made for the nearest airlocks. Also located north were four small control bases for the automated weapons guarding the warp point. For the capital missile armed National Reaches and Firebows they cruised clockwise very slowly 4.5 LS distant, located due west of the encroaching Allied horde. Farnon didn’t curse himself for letting the crews stand down from action stations as he truly believed the enemy wasn’t about to try another incursion so soon. Even if it meant the recovery of Borehole was delayed by months as long as he held onto Circuit Run then it could still be counted as a victory for the Axis.
     This first wave, composed entirely of Quagaar ships, was set on victory as well. While driven by profit and lucrative sales the Quagaar were often the target of bad jokes and derision for the way they went about their business. It is often said that it would take a major deity to get out of a contract early with the Quagaar. In all fairness one does get quality service for the money involved. Moreover once the contract is signed the Quagaar ensure the conditions, and obligations, are fulfilled entirely. As a whole, the CDF had seen the destruction of the Uan home system as a breach of contract on their part. While they may have not stated it publicly the CDF saw their participation for the rest of the war as a massive penalty fee that must be paid to settle that contract.
     While the Commonwealth Senate was still brooding on allowing the CSF to conduct mass transits with ships the Quagaar CDF was under no such restrictions. While his large ships were towed across the Borehole system Admiral Tang sent Jki a warp assault plan that would involve all of his assault elements as well as supporting escorts. With some modification Jki sent it back, only informing the other task force commanders just hours before the sending in the probe wave. Confidence in success rose markedly, and opinions of the CDF in general and the Quagaar in particular were changed as a result. But first there was a battle to be won.
     The first ship in was Tang’s Clarion Call, and armed with antimatter CAMs it stood the risk of facing active Axis ships as the probe wave only went in twenty minutes earlier. With none attacking at first sight the Clarion Call selected a Hailfire and let loose with all weapons. Shields on the Axis ship went down and half of the armor was compromised. Naturally, being the first one in and one of three biggest ships the Clarion Call was the focus of the initial Axis fire. Farnon, seeing that the remaining IDEW-e buoys were still recharging elected to make the most of the 240 one-shot laser buoys. He ordered as many corvettes and escorts as possible to be destroyed so that buoy fire would be less diluted.
     Just 26 Hatchets where shot down by the Whale’s internal guns while twelve of the eighteen CAP squadrons were able to fire their attack missiles. True to their training they went after the suspected assault carriers, collapsing shields and crushing armor with nuclear fireballs. Farnon, while happy that three of the four control bases went active, was disappointed in the performance of his fleet. 53 Allied ships were still on the warp point. Tactics dictate that more of the ships had to be destroyed so that the buoys would have fewer targets and be more effective, yet to wait would allow the enemy to use ECM and reduce the number of overall hits. With the intentions of the pinnaces unknown Farnon erred on the side of caution and gave the order for all 240 laser buoys to be used at once.
     Not one ship was destroyed as a result but many of the corvettes and escorts were crippled. It was worse for the three of the six escort carriers that survived the mass transit. 20 out of 36 Sharks remained in their launch bays and all the pilots lost were veterans of the Battle of Ua. That didn’t deter the survivors from their primary job of engaging CAP squadrons that had yet to fire. As they launched those ships without weapons or point defense transited back to Borehole followed by two of the escort carriers. Coming the other way were three Nikazu-Vs and three Cram minesweepers. These ships were refitted some months earlier so as to enhance their passive defenses and performance. Especially the Crams now equipped with engine tuners and a datalink jammers.
     Farnon kept his active ships away from the warp point due to the jamming coming from three of the Allied ships, all of them large and well-armored. While this reduced overall damage it did allow for those ships in datalink to fire together instead of singletons. The remaining Hatchets on the CAP were another matter, but they had expected this to happen. Besides, it wasn’t going to matter anyway. 140 Whales, after braving the minefield and losing 26 of their number, went for the warships along with 27 Shark squadrons flung from the two Avami and the Salyf.
     The Hailfires blitzed the Whales, taking out 33 like one would with dynamite in a lake of fish. It was a desperate bid to challenge fate in the face of antimatter and the Axis formations paid for it. One minute into the battle two Heroes, eleven Hailfires, eight Stalwarts, ten National Wills, five Sprinters, and six Punches were destroyed, crippled or heavily damaged. The diversion provided by the corvettes and escorts proved decisive. Had the Axis made more of a concerted effort to take out the Avami and Salyf then there wouldn’t have been as many FRAM-armed Sharks. A Quagaar CL was made weaponless and a few more corvettes were wiped out, including the third CVE. One Nikazu-V in the second wave was nearly gone but the flight groups in its bays as well as its two sisters just carried normal close-attack missiles, gun and laser packs. Only two more CAP squadrons went active and did some damage before they were cut down by the 20 Quagaar fighters and point defense on the Luttfomi and Provem escort destroyers.
     Admiral Hovwen was relieved to see 31 carrier-based squadrons crash launch from their bays one minute into the battle. While the 27 Shark squadrons moved away from the warships and towards the capital missile units, indicating that they fired just partial loads, there were just ten squadrons launched by the two intact Nikazu-Vs. It was certain that few fighters from this 31 squadron strike would survive. What was important is that they inflict as much damage as possible. The enemy had to be beaten down until the northern warships had moved in to deliver coordinated salvos just outside the range of the jammers.
     Both Avamis and the two remaining Nikazu-Vs transited back to Borehole. Three escorts down to just one engine apiece went through at the same time with two of them interpenetrating on the far side. Replacing them were three Cqux and three Hazen BCs. Seeing Hovwen’s squadrons making for the Allied ships Farnon gave the order for the jamming coming from Allied ships to be eliminated. Tang’s Clarion Call needed only to be breathed on to fall apart while the Salyf was gone. As for the Luttfomi the jammer was so well protected that it was destroyed only after one squadron of Hatchets was savaged by Sharks. Witnessing this onslaught of Hatchets was the fourth wave made of three Nikazus and three Valhallan Paramount battlecruisers.
     The Hazen Second Colonels were targeted first and in their defense the Cqux fired half of their missile batteries at the Axis scourge, knocking out fifteen fighters. For the most part the Allied ships focused on their counterparts. Only the minesweepers engaged the fighters with massed batteries of point defense. The 81 Whales, each still lugging a pair of laser packs, kept after the Axis hulls with great intensity. A light cruiser, four destroyers and a frigate were stabbed like a bull by a matador, only stopping when ECM was no longer being generated.
     As for the National Reaches and the new Firebows they fired on the fourth wave Nikazus. With point defense still affected by transit the three battleships were wracked by full salvos of internal and externally-launched missiles. Two of the Nikazus had breached armor with one losing nearly half its internal systems. Farnon was glad to see this damage as well as having the six energy-beam armed ships completely destroyed. The distant capital ships had finally begun to move and were now 11 LS from the warp point. He ordered the 60 Grenadiers, nearly all of which were now active, to move on the warp point. As for Hovwen she still had 23 squadrons at her disposal, only waiting for the remaining carriers to reach action stations. Remnants of the first strike landed on heavily armored Falcon Crests and Soars. It was up to the regular combat ships to take out active jamming from Allied ships to ensure those fresh squadrons make the biggest impact.
     Wave five was composed of three Terpla DNs, including Jki’s Captain Dessis, and three Derakag BCs. Their addled weapons contributed little to the ultimate demise of the Axis beam-armed ships. Just two Heroes remained after what the Spectrums and Cqux had done, the rest were polished off by the Whales and the HET lasers of the DDs and minesweepers. As for the Sharks, each still carrying one FRAM, they had caught up to the National Reaches and Firebows. Three and two of the respective classes were targeted and crippled.
     Now commanding the forces in Circuit Run Jki ordered Tang to transit back to Borehole. The Clarion Call, down to just an engine room, was spared from destruction because the Axis didn’t want to waste fire on it while more killable units were around. Four Quagaar CL and two DDs, lacerated by laser buoys earlier, were put down by capital missile volleys. When the Clarion Call left it was replaced by three Oknibs and three Hazen Trumpeters. Upon seeing the arrival of the first Oknib Admiral Hovwen had her carrier group alter course and began moving away, though the range only increased by 0.25 LS initially. Earlier primary hits from the CLs and from the stabilized Terplas had disabled engine rooms on three Eagle Crests and an Interception.
     Farnon survived the near destruction of the Righteous Grasp. Trapped in the wrecked CIC he only had access to tactical scanners and communications. He witnessed the three Trumpeters launch 39 shuttles, each one heading for a limping, weaponless ship that trailed behind Righteous Grasp like obedient dogs. The other Allied ships launched cutters and shuttles, no doubt also filled with marines to conduct boarding actions. Sprint mode missiles were fired to knock down shields to assist the shuttles. Farnon checked his service sidearm after contacting Hovwen and placing her in command of SF 1. Combined with 23 Hatchet squadrons the 8 DNs, 9 BBs and 7 BCs still had chance to blunt the enemy offensive. The Grenadiers would serve their purpose and divert fire away from the advancing capital ships and retreating carriers.
     The intact National Reaches and Firebows moved one light-second further away from the warp point. While accuracy for their missile launchers was reduced this did place them out of range of capital force and primary beams and standard missiles. A Terpla DN, having expended its EDMs half a minute earlier to fend off a previous volley was hit again, losing its shields. Moving relentlessly the Grenadiers had closed to 2.75 LS, sacrificing 20 of their number from the concentrated efforts of the Allies. 18 Whales were harpooned by plasma bolts but five managed to shoot down those bolts meant to kill them.
     Three more Oknibs and three Disams made transit in time to witness Hovwen’s carriers and minesweepers detune their engines. Her intent was to place as much distance between herself and the Allied ships before they broke through the minefield or brought in fresh squadrons armed with antimatter short-attack missiles. Joined by the ten squadrons of Sharks from the second wave Nikazu-Vs the Whales and the warships destroyed 39 more Grenadiers, leaving one that was riddled by the Terplas’ primary beams. Axis capital missiles continue to rain on the Captain Feyhs and resulted in an armor breach. The last Quagaar DD in the battle was destroyed by the Firebows. Return fire from the fifth-wave Oknibs succeeded in breeching the shields of a National Reach. Eventually they’ll learn of the density of the ship’s armor.
     With the entry of the ninth wave the Axis capital units were at 6.25 LS range. The Prestige DNs let fly with their light capital missile batteries, fixing on finishing off the Feyhs after the hurt it received from the National Reaches and the Firebows. Still retaining an engine, the Feyhs was able to transit back to Borehole. Now with two datagroups of Oknibs and one of Disams the Allies were finally able to breach the armor of one National Reach. It wouldn’t be long before it was reduced to mobile slag courtesy of antimatter fireballs.
     Six Crajen CAs, including Admiral Dowel’s flagship, filed in on random vectors just like the previous nine waves. Now in capital force beam range, the Axis capital ships were joined by the missile units and opened up on a Cqux DN, demolishing 80% of its shields. A Prestige lost 62% of armor in addition to all its shields from the concentrated attention of the Allied ships while the harmed National Reach was removed as a threat. The sole Grenadier was hit by primaries again but was still mobile. Closer still at 3.75 LS the lasers on the Axis ships came into play. Splitting their fire the Axis so damaged a Cqux it was force to retire along with the last Quagaar CL, passing the inbound twelfth wave. Another Cqux DN, having already received some hits, became the new headliner in the hit parade.
     The Quagaar BBs now had the range on the enemy. The Spectrums, with their massive batteries of standard lasers and after preparatory work done by the rest of the fleet, rendered one DN, BB and BC useless. One Cqux was destroyed in the exchange with another losing half its weapons, leaving just three intact ones in Circuit Run. It transited out before it could be finished off. After burning the figurative oil the Axis ships slowed dramatically and generated the maximum ECM possible while still advancing, closing to 2.25 LS when the thirteenth wave appeared.
     As the Cqux DNs continued to be pounded secondary fire (the second volley of the Axis BBs’ advanced missile launchers) fell on the Dessis. Rightly assuming the ship was of the command variant for only firing one primary beam the Axis captains were going to destroy it as soon as all the Cqux were gone. When that was done the focus was shifted to the Derakags. With the volume of fire offered by sprint-mode missiles it made the BCs attractive targets.
     The range had dropped to the point where both capital force beam and HET laser delivered four times the destructive power than at maximum range. For what came next Jki described in her memoirs years later as a ‘dick move’ on the part of the Axis. The 23 Hatchet squadrons, having kept station over the every-diminishing number of capital ships on their trek of immolation, dropped their external ordnance and turned away at full speed. Having waited for the Hatchets to come in close where jamming would’ve rendered their datalinks useless Jki kept the remaining 63 Whales and 60 armed Sharks right next to the warp point, ready to pounce. Being what they are the Allied pilots only regretted in not getting more fighter kills that day.
     Mindful of plasma guns the eleven remaining combat capable Axis capital ships turned 60°, intent on orbiting the warp point at a distance of 1.5 LS for as long as possible. The four intact Firebows and three National Reaches detuned their engines and proceeded to leave the battle. Regardless, the BCs would still be in firing range of CM and SBMs for another minute while the DNs would face an additional 30 seconds of fire. Without engine-augmented ECM a Firebow was selected and fired upon by the Oknibs and Disams. Antimatter fireballs broke shields, shredded armor and disemboweled two-thirds of the engine spaces.
     While their ships were being felled like trees the Axis focused on the Dessis and Haya, both Terpla class DNs, and by pure chance Dowel’s CA. Being so heavily damaged protocols were activated on the Dessis. The two E’sani marines in the wrecked CIC bodily moved the officers and ratings into the chutes that directly lead to escape pods. Jki would’ve been the last to leave but a marine did his job and unceremoniously pushed her down the chute like a bag of laundry and followed. He also secured the pod’s hatch and hit the launch button, respectively shoving aside whoever was in his way.
     All waves since the fourth had been carrying capital mine-clearance rounds on their external racks as well as firing them from internal launchers moments after making transit. The target mine patch had now been reduced to a mere two patterns. Generating maximum ECM those ships facing this depleted patch moved into it, lead by the Captain Avma. Both patterns expended themselves on the veteran ship. Of the 43 mines that achieved a lock only 26 got past the point defense and detonated, failing to knock down the shields. Finally in plasma gun range three Bulani Hunter Party BCs let loose on an Axis BC. After being slapped by four capital force beams a total of nine plasma bolts impacted on the armor-denuded ship, making it explode like a balloon.
     Before dying the last pair of Axis battleships finished the Dessis and Haya and almost claiming Dowel’s ship. A Firebow was lacerated by laser-tipped SBMs but got out of range before losing engines while the previous one was put down by a two full salvos of SBMs armed with antimatter. That just left the three National Reaches. Considering the shielding involved Dowel had all capital missile units fire laser-tip SBMs. Half the armor on one was burned off before it and its companions were out of range.
     In ten minutes the fight for Circuit Run was over. With Jki indisposed Dowel, designated to assumed command of the task force, sent the Whales and laser-armed Sharks against the National Reaches. He had considered sending the Sharks based on the fleet and light carriers and the fast destroyers against the Soars, Grim Reapers, and the engine-damaged carriers and escort but decided against it. The enemy still had over 260 Hatchets, and combined with the displayed improvement in their armor the projected loss to TF 21 inherent strength of 480 Sharks would be crippling. As for the boarding actions on the multitude of Axis hulls marine boarding parties were reporting success. First securing engine rooms and magazines the marines ventilated entire sections of contested ships with multiple hull breaches and, when possible, accessing life support stations and venting atmosphere into space. Of those Axis ships yet to be boarded a new display of defiance was shown. In pairs while one ship slowed to a stop another kept moving and rammed, immolating both in a sought-for suicide pact. With personnel transports on hand to conduct SAR operations TF 21 followed the retreating Axis carriers at cruising speed, taking its losses to enter the system in stride as the price for its victory.

General Jingu-wa was standing on the third-floor balcony of his command post, looking out towards the city of Stone Hearth several kilometers away. Next to him was the Tzelan Wenns, also looking but with a pair of field glasses. It was late afternoon, and with the cloud cover it appeared that rain was about to fall. “Not much to see out there, General,” Wenns commented. “There has been almost no activity in the city as practically everyone has left.”
     “Aside from the occasional sniper, professor,” Jingu-wa replied, “and whatever family decided that they’ve waited long enough to leave their reinforced basements. There is one person in Stone Hearth that has stayed from the beginning. I am convinced Governor Genpan is still here. Not a cave or forest redoubt but right under one of those buildings in the city.”
     Wenns stroked his chin in a gesture of contemplation. “I do believe you are right, General. In Comensal history texts, both ancient and modern, I’ve read the leader always stays in the place that will be the site of ultimate victory. For that to happen, the colonists will have to return to Stone Hearth. All they’re waiting for is the word.”
     Jingu-wa scowled. “Not if I can help it, professor.” He pointed at the fields at the city’s outskirts. “We’re going to make a ten-kilometer wide clear zone around the city. All vegetation will be burned away and random minefields scattered about. As for the city I will have it dismantled.”
     Wenns was perplexed. “Dismantled? That will leave piles of rubble for the colonists to use as cover, Sir. It’ll make fighting in the city that much more difficult.”
     “Dismantled, Wenn, not destroyed,” Jingu-wa emphasized. “Every building, save this one, was constructed in such a way that they could be put together in a minimal amount of time. I image it was done to facilitate rapid replacement of sections damaged in earthquakes. We will use that fact to our advantage. Each structure in the city will be taken apart, wall to wall, loaded into shuttles and then dumped into an ocean or atop a polar ice cap. There will only be holes in the ground where homes and business once stood and we’ll fill in the holes too.”
     “Pardon me for saying, Sir, but part from the long term advantage of denying the Comensal cover this will be a labor-intensive project. Are you hoping to provoke Governor Genpan to react?”
     His scowl replaced with grim smile Jingu-wa looked over to Wenns. “I would like nothing better than to force her hand and show herself, professor. In the process of returning the city to nature I hope to find her bunker and capture her alive. Just one sentence from her, telling the colonists to surrender, will end the fighting here at once. All it boils down to is how long she can keep her composure as we remove Stone Hearth from the face of Citadel.”

Allied scouts fanned across the Circuit Run system and in short order found the colony on the innermost planet of the red dwarf component. Orbiting it was a DN-sized space station, unarmed except for a single squadron of Hatchets, and a small spaceport located right next to the primary population center, a domed city of 8,000. The station was dispatched by the armed pinnace tenders Curtys and Bayyar and their pod of Whales for no loss.
     News of King Russen’s victory in Output reached TF 21 just as Circuit Run A-1 was secured by Quagaar marines. Communications along the Citadel Chain had been restored when TG 123 defeated the Axis guard force watching the Metalstorm/Silvershoe warp point. Even the ships of 2nd Survey Force in Output took care of the retreating ships that were once part of the force covering the Metalstorm/Abyssal-019 warp point. Parties to celebrate this series of victories as well as commemorate the fallen took place on TF 21. Jki, Tang, Dowel and the rest of the senior task force officers were in the rec center on the Captain Avma. Other than some inadvertent bruising Jki was none the worse for wear in escaping Dessis’ destruction.
     “Looks like we’re part of an exclusive club,” Dowel said, holding a saucer of spirits in one hand while the other had a plate of shredded cheese. “We three have survived the near-destruction of our flagships or have escaped in the nick of time. It’s the stuff that legends are made of.”
     Tang finished the drink he had been nursing since the start of the party. “I’m certain the contribution made by my personnel will reduce, however so slightly, the red mark against the name of my nation. Now that we’ve truly shaken the AFC out of whatever complacency it had our future assaults will really depend on luck and divine blessing.”
     “Ah, it’s far too early in the evening to get philosophical my good Tang. Well, not until you get three or four more drinks into you. So before that happens I have something to give to you.” Dowel had one of his attending junior officers bring over a cloth covered object. “This is to express my thanks as well as everyone else in the task force for your contribution to our victory.” With his two claw arms he held up the object right in front of Tang like a schoolchild showing a parent a drawing.
     Intrigued, Tang lifted the cloth. He found a wonderfully detailed scale model of an ancient Quagaar sailing ship in a clear glass bottle. Dowel was radiating pride. “I’ve worked on that for the last five months. As usual the rigging was the most difficult but most satisfying.”
     “Thank you, Dowel.” Tang turned so that the other officers could get a good look of the model.
     Dowel’s stalked eyes turned to Jki. “I’m sorry to say Jki that your bottled ship was destroyed when my quarters was wrecked. It will be some months before I can present you with it. However I can extend my congratulations to another matter.”
     “What may that be?” Jki asked.
     With his claw arms folded under him Dowel gave the visual cue that he was quite smug about something. “While you were indisposed and I was still in temporary command of the task force I received the high-level messages from the fleet message network. One of them was from Senator Sal Jki, addressed for the task force commander – eyes only. Since it wasn’t addressed to you specifically I took it upon myself to read it.”
     Jki noticed the teeth-bearing grins on Rear Admirals Reas and Barsus’ faces, knowing only one reason why they were doing it. “Though the use of priority communications for private messages is frowned upon I believe in this case it’s justified that such news will be of benefit to the recipient. Let me be the first one to congratulate you on becoming a grandmother, Admiral Jki.”
     “That’s very good news,” Reas said before Jki could reply. “Now when we refer to our leader as ‘the old lady’ it’ll be completely accurate.” He raised the cup of wine he was holding. “Here’s to the health of the Admiral’s family and her first grandchild.”
      Amid the cheers and congratulatory words she got that night Jki was above all happy about the news. A very close second was that no photos were taken. Had there been they would’ve shown an admiral with a shade of red usually found on daughters playfully embarrassed by their parents in front of company.

09/25/08
updated 11/29/08

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