NationStates Jolt Archive

"There. That is the closest HIRIE (hee-ree) system of which we know," Admiral Ghent thrust his finger into the holoprojection of the galaxy. "Now much there, but it'll be a psychological victory."

Commodore De Tua shifted about in his seat. "The whole system, practically, is civilian. What will we do with them," he questioned. "Certainly you don't intend to-"

"Casualties are part of any war, Commodore. People will die," Admiral Ghent cut him off. "Besides, once the vast production facilities of the HIRIE are ours, the Federation will not be able to resist our forces much longer."

"So, what's the plan then? Do we have any intel on the system," questioned Captain Asclepius.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. The Federation has extensive files on our 'allies', the HIRIE. We were able to get the information we needed through, shall we say, clandestine means?"

BEGIN REPORT

MILITARY PRESENCE: MINIMAL;
STATIONS: SHIPYARD;
VESSELS: FOUR FRIGATES, 14 PATROL VESSELS (LOCAL), FOUR FIGHTERGROUPS;
SPECIFICATIONS: FRIGATES:

GAELAL CLASS HIRIE VESSEL
2 SHIP-GRADE COIL GUN TURRETS: RATED 15 SHOTS/SEC, AMAT SHELLS
4 LIGHT IRATIUM CANNONS
48 VLS TUBES ARMED WITH DIRECTED BLAST AMAT WARHEADS
PINCH (EMP) WARHEADS
2 LIGHT ANTI-SHIPPING LASERS

CIVILIAN STATUS: 100+ MILLION
FOUR TERRAFORMED EARTH-SIZED MOONS ORBITING GAS GIANT
VARIOUS DEAD PLANETS AND ASTEROIDS, COLONIES ON BOTH

END REPORT

"That's all we have, gentlemen," Admiral Ghent said. "Captain, you'll take the Dreadnought Einigkeit and eliminate everything in-system. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir," saluted Captain Asclepius, as he turned away from the holodisplay and walked off the bridge.

The Commodore's brow furrowed in thought. "I don't like this plan. Killing a hundred million for no reason is... insane. Idiotic. And certainly not tactically wise."

"I know our plan, Commodore, and this will achieve our goals in the long-run. I believe you have a mission, do you not?" Admiral Ghent's impatient voice betrayed his threatened feelings.

"Yes, sir," saluted the Commodore.

OoC:

Sorry I couldn't respond GZ, I got kicked off the computer a little after you signed off and I've now got to go to work. I'll have something by tonight.

OOC:

It's all right. I delayed for... what, two weeks?

OoC: More like six months, but that's neither here nor there =P

HIR Outer Layer, Gaelel Class Frigate New Saratoga, Edge of Kranat System == Earth Time: 11:58


"Captain Graham sir, drone ops reports all S&D drones are recollected and secured", intoned a small man from an open door to his commander without actually looking at him, so absorbed in his datapad he was.

The much larger, more military looking man he had been addressing turned to him, allowing the slightest hint of bemusement to leak into his demonaire at the sight of his overly studious first mate, "Very good Mr. Levelry, any word from the Crasus and the Kristina Heve?"

After a few moments of entering commands into his pad, Levelry finally looked up from it to reply, "Both report that they are ready to jump on your command". He walked into the room, the door silently closing behind him.

The captain smiled fully now that his subordinate would be able to see it, "Also good", he said, and then continued, letting a bit of an old mischevious glint into his eye, "I expect the colonial greens are itching to get back home after such a long deployment".

Both men laughed, sharing a comraderie as old as their initial posting on the Saratoga five years ago. Although they had already spent a whole year in-system, the way the local militia operated still amused both of them, rotating in conscripts monthly to crew their modest fleet of patrol vessels in accordance with some obscure local legal tradition. The 10 months of the year local teens spent serving and one month they spent on board a ship did have the effect of teaching them to be responsible, but it prevented them becoming anything but new recruits in the eyes of Republican naval elements in system.

The whole month long "Long Patrol" deployments they occasionally accompanied the frigates on didn't help too much.

Captain Graham, a large and well-built man now getting into his 40's (and sporting the slowly graying hair to show it) sat down in a fashionably sparse chair and took out two glasses and a bottle of wine -- a rare luxury available to only him and some of the other higher officers while on deployment -- and began filling them, "So, tell me Peter, how are you doing? How is Martha adjusting to living this far away from Terra? I hear she gave birth recently".

The smaller but equally well-built man, obviously of no more than 35, "Oh yes, a baby boy, Michael we've called him. He has a grip almost as strong as his older brother already and is a very handsome little guy, if I don't say so myself". He paused a moment, then nodded his head to indicate the captain's hair, "Are you ever going to get something done about that? You don't need to look like you're already 300, you know. My great-grand pappy looks younger than you from certain angles".

Chuckling, the older man ran his fingers through the mottled brown and gray hair, "I happen to like it. It makes me feel...distinguished, like I might be old enough to have had a grandfather who remembered the Proge Wars or something".

"Ha, it's a good thing you aren't married Cap, or your wife would make you do it. Come on, it'll be jump time soon -- actually, it's only two minutes away if my clock is right. It is 12:03, right? We better get out there", the first mate said, looking distracted for a moment as he checked his internal clock.

Graham shook his head, "No need to be so precise Peter, but I agree, we really should get out there". He looked at the still full wine glasses for a moment, then pushed them into a corner of his desk and slapped on the refridgeration and containment field. Getting back up out of his chair, he walked around the desk as his first mate followed suit.

The door opened as soon as it sensed their approach, but for all the noise it made it might as well have not been there in the first place. They walked a few meters down the corridor they found themselves in and paused before a doorway so Graham could enter his short keyword into the display panel. This door opened as silently as the other, but, in a testiment to their high level of training, Graham heard someone call, "Captain on the deck" as soon as he walked in.

Not allowing any outer expression, he smiled warmly on the inside, glad that he could have men such as these to serve under him. He hoped to one day have his son grow up and command such men, but he wasn't sure that the lose of his mother a decade ago would help very much.

"At ease men, back to your stations", he said, raising his voice so as to be heard over the din of the bridge.

He looked around once, taking in the bridge, then began firing off orders in rapid succession, "We're one minute to jump time. We're going back to Orda and our orbital slot opens at 12:10. I want us there three minutes early. Comms, notify the Crasus and the Kristina of our jump time and order them to slave their nav systems to our own. Nav, I want a short jump plotted by t-30 seconds".

A flurry of 'yessir's came back in reply as he moved to his command chair and Leverly moved to his station

After a little while, the officer in charge of astro-navigation looked up from his station in the crew pit and reported in an officious tone, "Course set captain. I've also got confirmation that the two Kranatian patrol vessels are soft-linked with my station for the jump".

Graham genuinely smiled this time, "Very good, we're early. We'll arrive early, then. Jump on my mark". Graham set his internal clock to tell him when the correct time had come and then he pushed a button on his command chair, alerting all crew members of the impending jump. A few seconds later he opened his mouth, "Mark".

With the press of a button and a distant hum from the direction of the engineering section, the New Saratoga's spurt-jump drive turned all conventional notions and distance and speed on their head and thumbed its nose at general relativity. A small burst from the main engines and the ship was cruising towards Orda, the main moon in orbit around the Gavre gas giant, center of government for the Kranat system.

Captain Asclepius fixed his gaze on the holodisplay of the Kranat system. "Helm, how close can we fold to that Gas Giant there?" he queried.

Twisting his chair around to face the Captain, the second mate, Mr. Ashleigh, responded, "With or without destroying the planet, sir?" He chuckled for a moment and then stiffened up. "About half an AU, Cap'n."

Captain Asclepius maintained his gaze. The moons were too close to the Gas Giant to allow a regular fold. However, thought the Captain, There is one way we could do it...

Turning to face Chief Ashleigh, Captain Asclepius drew an enormous grin across his face. "My good man, I believe I've got quite a task for you."

Mr. Ashleigh cocked his head to one side and lifted his eyebrows. "Do proceed, Moi Capitan," he said.

"Point Fold."

Mr. Ashleigh's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding. No Dreadnought has ever attempted that. And almost every other ship that's tried has never been seen or heard from ever again!" Mr. Ashleigh turned back around and shook his head.

The Captain frowned. "Well what would you suggest?" In the back of his mind, Asclepius knew that his second mate was probably right. The procedure was indeed too risky for a Dreadnought. With this, the Captain turned back to the holodisplay and attempted to brainstorm another plan.

"Well, Caius, why not just use the element of surprise? The HIRIE doesn't know we're not Feds," a voice scowled from behind the Captain. Caius turned around to see Commander Rick Großmann sitting on one of the safety rails smirking.

"Not a bad idea, Rick," chortled Caius. "What do you say you take over, Mr. Brilliant?" Captain Asclepius moved aside and bowed, making a sweeping motion with his arms toward the Captain's chair.

"Nay, Cap'n. It's your boat. I'll just do the unthinkable: Impersonate a Federal Officer," Großmann said.

"Well, seeing as you're actually wearing a Federal uniform, you can do that."

--------------------------------

A vessel appeared in the blackness of space. Its sleek form was painted in Fleet Standard, that is, Blue and White. Some work had been done on the vessel to give it back its original Federal look, but The ship still had traces of the modifications made to it after the Schism. Not like the HIRIE had completely accurate specs of Federally-built warships.

"I suppose then we wait for them to initiate contact," Mr. Ashleigh asked.

"That's the plan, and until then keep us on a direct course for this moon," Commander Großmann said as he jabbed his finger at the holodisplay. "The most energy in the system is output there. They call it 'Orda'. Probably the System Capital."

"Alrighty then, sir."

OoC: You know what? Can we put this on hold for about a month? MOst of my available time for writing for the last two weeks (and for the next month) is going to http://www.nanowrimo.org/