Vernii
11-06-2004, 04:40
The space above Vernii was a flurry of activity. Pinnaces carrying flag officers to their ships, cargo shuttles carrying equipment and supplies, and ammunition ships transferring missiles to waiting warships.
The orbital forts began their daily orbit adjustment, and courier boats came and went. The last flight of cargo shuttles was just leaving Empyrean's boat bays as Fleet Admiral Harris's VIP pinnace arrived.
There was only a small side party waiting for him as he had requested. Captain Hallock, CO of the superdreadnought, was waiting for him. Hallock saluted as Harris stepped out of the pinnace. "Welcome aboard Admiral. It's good to see you."
Harris returned the salute, "Indeed. I must admit I've been almost looking forward to this moment."
---
Home Fleet coasted silently in it's orbit over Vernii, but here and there squadrons of ships would pull out of formation, heading for L4.
TF 1.2 accelerated past the assembled warships, strangely led by a something new to the People's Navy, a carrier. It passed through the system, reached the hyper limit, and translated.
TF 1.1 was next, it's departure calculated so that it and 1.2 would reach their target systems simultaneously.
Second Fleet came last, a long procession of Verniian dreadnoughts, superdreadnoughts, and Erewohnian battleships, with a few warships from the Commonwealth Navy mixed in. Harris stood on the flag bridge of Empyrean, watching the huge holoplot set into the center of the room. The superdreadnought was in the center of the formation, and dots in the holoplot began disappearing as the lead ships translated into hyper. Finally came the superdreadnoughts turn, and it too vanished.
Behind the departing warships another wave of courier boats left the system, carrying news and messages to Acler, Klein, Morningstar, Erewohn, and Thetis. Behind them, almost as an afterthought, two sleek yachts entered orbit, Corona and Bucintoro. They carried the families of the President and his Cabinet. They left the system, hopefully carrying their passengers to safety from the coming war.
The orbital forts began their daily orbit adjustment, and courier boats came and went. The last flight of cargo shuttles was just leaving Empyrean's boat bays as Fleet Admiral Harris's VIP pinnace arrived.
There was only a small side party waiting for him as he had requested. Captain Hallock, CO of the superdreadnought, was waiting for him. Hallock saluted as Harris stepped out of the pinnace. "Welcome aboard Admiral. It's good to see you."
Harris returned the salute, "Indeed. I must admit I've been almost looking forward to this moment."
---
Home Fleet coasted silently in it's orbit over Vernii, but here and there squadrons of ships would pull out of formation, heading for L4.
TF 1.2 accelerated past the assembled warships, strangely led by a something new to the People's Navy, a carrier. It passed through the system, reached the hyper limit, and translated.
TF 1.1 was next, it's departure calculated so that it and 1.2 would reach their target systems simultaneously.
Second Fleet came last, a long procession of Verniian dreadnoughts, superdreadnoughts, and Erewohnian battleships, with a few warships from the Commonwealth Navy mixed in. Harris stood on the flag bridge of Empyrean, watching the huge holoplot set into the center of the room. The superdreadnought was in the center of the formation, and dots in the holoplot began disappearing as the lead ships translated into hyper. Finally came the superdreadnoughts turn, and it too vanished.
Behind the departing warships another wave of courier boats left the system, carrying news and messages to Acler, Klein, Morningstar, Erewohn, and Thetis. Behind them, almost as an afterthought, two sleek yachts entered orbit, Corona and Bucintoro. They carried the families of the President and his Cabinet. They left the system, hopefully carrying their passengers to safety from the coming war.