“Admiral on the bridge!” the shout went out from the yeoman on duty, as Fleet Admiral Taela Shanthi stepped out of the turbolift, and onto the bridge of her flagship, the USS Thunderchild.
“At ease.” She said, stepping off the upper deck and down to the command deck. “Report.”
“An enemy fleet dropped out of quantum slipstream approximately forty thousand kilometers from the planet.” Captain Matsuda answered. “Our sensors can’t get precise scans thanks to the enemy’s jamming all frequencies, but based on visual alone, we count at most three hundred ships. Mostly of types we’ve seen before, and identified by our prisoners as Vindicator and Dreadnought Class Heavy Cruisers, along with Nebulon-B Class Escort Frigates and CR90 Corvettes. However, we’ve picked a small number of bigger ships at the heart of the fleet, at most a hundred in number, though precise numbers are probably smaller than that. We think those are the ‘Star Destroyers’ the prisoners mentioned, and which we’ve never seen before.”
“How much bigger?” Shanthi asked.
“The smallest is bigger by half than our Galaxy Class Starships.” Matsuda replied. “The biggest is around a mile long, and while we can’t get precise scans, we’re getting enough data to indicate those mile-long ships are putting out enough energy comparable to smaller, main-sequence stars.”
“As we suspected then,” Shanthi said while taking the command station, Matsuda sitting down beside her. “Star Destroyers are battleships. Signal Picard on the Enterprise to standby on reserve, and await my orders.”
“Ma’am?” Matsuda asked.
“Something’s not right here.” Shanthi mused. “Lieutenant Anderson, is there no way to get around the enemy fleet’s jamming?”
“I’m still working on it admiral.” The sensor officer responded. “I’ve been trying to bypass through the upper theta and lower delta bands, but the enemy’s jamming is simple and…elegant, in its methodology. They’re just…flooding, the frequencies with high-power emissions. They’re simply drowning everything out with noise.”
“…brute force methodology…” Shanthi murmured. “…not the most efficient method, but one that’s almost always certain to work.”
“And how very fitting for an autocratic state.” Matsuda said.
“…Lieutenant-Commander Stanton,” Shanthi called to the tactical officer. “What’s the status of the enemy fleet?”
The officer briefly cross-referenced his reply before speaking. “They’re holding position at their dropout point,” he said. “And maintaining a diamond formation. Their shields are up, and weapons online. However, I do not detect any fighter launch of any kind.”
“Confirmed,” Anderson chimed in. “The enemy fleet isn’t launching anything at all.”
The fleet admiral and flag captain shared a concerned glance between them. “Could they be waiting for us to make the first move?” Matsuda asked.
“…possible,” Shanthi admitted after a moment. “But even if it is, I’d rather not dance to the enemy’s tune. I assume long-ranged communications are jammed, but what about short-ranged communications?”
“It’s choppy,” Ensign Brennan at the operations station replied. “But short-range communications are up and running.”
“Get me Starfleet Headquarters.” Shanthi ordered.
“Yes, ma’am.” Brennan said. A moment later, and the viewscreen was displaying a situation room in Starfleet Headquarters, with Admiral Paris taking center stage.
“What do you think, admiral?” Shanthi asked. She might outrank Paris, but Paris had seniority on her, and she wasn’t so proud that she wouldn’t ask for much less ignore the second opinions of her peers and colleagues.
“I suspect this is a probe by the Empire.” Paris replied. “They’re testing Earth’s defenses for when they launch a full-scale attack. But more than that, this is also probably a spoiling attack. A way to pin the Home Fleet down, and to focus our attentions to here and now instead of responding to their assault on our communications infrastructure across the whole of Federation space.”
“Or operations against other core worlds, like Orion and possibly Andoria or Vulcan.” Shanthi added.
Paris nodded in greement. “I think so too, admiral.” He said.
Anything further was cut off as alarms began to sound, both in Starfleet Headquarters and on the Thunderchild’s bridge. “Admiral,” Stanton warned. “The Imperial Fleet’s begun to move. While maintaining relative distance, they’re moving to flank us to starboard.”
“Incoming fire!” Anderson barked.
“Bring up tactical!” Shanthi ordered, the viewscreen shifting to tactical view.
“Looks like ranging shots to me.” Matsuda said.
“Ranging shots will give way to firing for effect soon enough.” Shanthi retorted. “Signal the fleet, take Tactical Formation Carousel Four, operating at twenty-minute intervals. Also, let’s keep our distance, and not be too aggressive for now.”
Matsuda raised an eyebrow at that. “A prudent call, admiral.” He cautiously remarked.
Shanthi gave him a look. “Like I said,” she began. “I’d rather not dance to the enemy’s tune. But we need to act regardless, so we’ll do that in a way that gives us at least a little breathing room plus space to step back and look at the overall situation as the battlefield develops.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Matsuda said with a nod.
“All ships have adopted the shield modifications, right?” Shanthi then asked.
“That’s correct.” Matsuda confirmed. “That should improve our shield’s effectiveness against turbolasers or even just plasma weapons in general by five to twenty-five per cent. That said, output is still going to be a problem, with bigger turbolasers or plasma cannons still having the potential ability to just power through our shields.”
“One thing at a time, captain.” Shanthi said, narrowing her eyes as the first combat formation of the Home Fleet opened fire. Phasers at first, ineffective against the shields of any Imperial vessel bigger than a frigate, though more effective against armor. Here and now though, they were used to measure the range, as well as to poke holes into the Imperial Fleet’s escort screens.
And then once the range was gotten, photon torpedoes flashed through space. To counter the Imperial Fleet’s jamming, Starfleet had reprogrammed their torpedoes to simply keep flying towards the general location of the enemy fleet as indicated on launch. Once they were close enough for short-ranged sensors to be able to burn through the jamming, they automatically targeted the closest enemy vessel, improved IFF systems making sure no cases of friendly fire could occur.
It wasn’t a perfect solution, as shown both in simulations and in previous skirmishes with the Imperial Navy. In particular, the torpedoes being programmed to target the nearest enemy vessels meant torpedoes more often than not tended to saturate some enemy ships while ignoring others.
This made them a less-efficient weapon than hoped and expected, a particularly-serious problem given how photon and quantum torpedoes were the only weapons that Starfleet had that were truly effective against Imperial capital ships. In response, production of both types of torpedo had been expanded (more so the former than the latter due to the extremely-advanced technological requirements needed to produce the latter), and efforts were underway to begin producing plasma torpedoes as well. Cruder than either photon or quantum torpedoes, true, but they packed more power than the former, and easier and faster to produce than either.
Again, not very ideal, but given the crisis facing the Federations, needs must.
Similarly, proposals were floating around to increase production of tricobalt devices, and to make carrying them standard practice for Federation vessels. Another proposal called for Starfleet to begin deploying subspace weapons as weapons of last resort, though the Federation Council was balking at the notion.
Truth be told, Shanthi wasn’t very enthusiastic about using subspace weapons either, even in a last-resort role. Even if it allowed the Federation to defeat the Empire, the consequences of their use might be such that ‘victory’ would be completely meaningless in the end. It was essentially very much a case of burning down a house to get rid of termites.
“The enemy’s returning fire.” Matsuda worriedly said.
“Status…?” Shanthi prompted.
Matsuda didn’t reply at once, focusing on his console for the next few moments. And then he grimaced, shaking his head at the fleet admiral. “Even with the shield modifications,” he said. “The Mirandas and Excelsiors still can’t hold up against the kind of firepower the Imperials are throwing out.”
“It was a mistake keeping those ships for so long.” Shanthi said with a sigh. “Don’t get me wrong, they served well and respectably, and it seemed like the right decision at the time. But now we are paying the price for limiting the designing and construction of new classes, in favor of repeatedly-refitting and extending the lifespans of obsolescent classes from a century ago.”
“Something to keep in mind when this is all over.” Matsuda said.
“If we come out on top when this is all over.” Shanthi grimly corrected, and glared at the captain at his expression of shock. “We’re at war, captain. War on a scale we haven’t seen in centuries. We’d best face facts and accept reality, and everything it implies for us all. Otherwise, we’d be going into this with one eye covered, and one hand tied behind our backs. And there’s no way we’re coming out of it that way, much less on top.”
“I…I see your point, ma’am.” Matsuda hesitantly said, before alarmed beeping from his console drew his attention. “Damn…the first combat formation is taking losses. We’re not even ten minutes into the battle, and we’ve already lost six ships, and three more forced to retreat after taking critical damage.”
“Which ships?” Shanthi asked. “Just the classes will do.”
“Four Excelsiors, and two Mirandas have been lost.” Matsuda answered. “All three retreating vessels are Nova Class.”
“And the enemy?”
“We’ve managed to destroy three CR90s, and forced another six to fall back.” Matsuda said. “We’ve also inflicted moderate damage on two of the modern Vindicator cruisers.”
Shanthi bit back a curse at the lopsided losses. It might just be the heat of battle getting to her, but damn…
…subspace weapons were really tempting right now.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On the command deck of the Imperial Class Star Destroyer Iron Duke, Vice Admiral Tyron-Hu Tye stared at the tactical display along with his staff officers and flag captain. They watched as the formation they’d been fighting up until now fell back in good order, covering their withdrawal with torpedo volleys, even as another, fresh formation moved up, and smoothly resumed the battle.
“Well,” Commodore Gentti Valhoun, the battlegroup’s Chief of Staff, began. “That explains why the enemy fleet split into four. Three formations hang back to the rear, while one formation engages us in a gunnery and ordnance duel.”
“It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it?” Tye said with a nod. “Based on intercepted communications from the start of the battle, and how long we engaged the previous formation before it withdrew, it seems the enemy plans to shift their formations around every twenty standard minutes.”
“It’s a smart plan.” Valhoun said with a nod. “It conserves their combat strength, especially since it seems the enemy fleet commander has adopted a conservative stance towards the battle. And after a formation is withdrawn from the front lines, they have ample time to conduct field repairs, restock on munitions, evacuate the wounded, receive reinforcements, and if necessary, refuel.”
“With all due respect sir,” Captain Risshik Yung of the Iron Duke responded. “That’s only because the operational plan calls for us to adopt a similarly-conservative stance towards the battle as well, at least at first. If we launch a full attack, the turbolasers on our Star Destroyers and heavy cruisers have more than enough range to hit the enemy’s rear echelons, and well within acceptable values for accuracy.”
“Be that as it may, captain,” Tye said. “Within the present circumstances on the battlefield, the enemy commander is conducting themselves competently…so far.”
The conversation stilled as they watched another volley of torpedoes head their way. Point-defenses opened up while TIE Fighters swooped around on an intercept course, and even succeeded in shooting down a fair number of torpedoes.
Tye smiled at the sight, and shook his head. “I have to admit, sir,” Valhoun began. “When Admiral Targaryen issued the order to deploy fighters to intercept incoming torpedoes given the enemy’s preference for mass torpedo volleys, I thought her…desperate.”
“It does run counter to accepted fighter doctrine, doesn’t it?” Tye asked. “Still, it works, and our lady admiral just might be on to something there.”
“She might have spent the Clone Wars making sure guns, rations, and reinforcements went where they needed to be and as soon as possible,” Yung remarked. “But she knows how to fight a war. And to be honest, she had an important role as well. Soldiers can’t fight on an empty stomach. And I for one wouldn’t want to go up alone against gun-wielding battle droids with only a stick in my hand.”
A ripple of laughter echoed around the tactical display, everyone present having fought to some degree or another during the Clone Wars. “In any case,” Tye said. “We have our orders, so let’s conduct our assigned role with all we’ve got. And cheer up, captain. You’ll have the opportunity to show what your ship’s capable of soon enough.”
Yung nodded. “As you say, sir.” He said.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Starfleet’s Home Fleet’s second combat formation was falling back and the third combat formation moving forward when the Imperial Fleet also began reforming their formation. “What are they doing?” Shanthi asked.
“…from simulations on the way they’re redeploying their squadrons,” Matsuda grimly said. “They’re reforming into a spindle formation. Admiral, I think they’re planning to break through our center.”
“…so the Imperials plan on making a cavalry charge?” Shanthi mused to herself. Narrowing her eyes in thought, she rubbed her chin for several moments before coming to a decision. “In that case, we’ll draw them in.”
“Admiral?”
“Signal the fleet,” Shanthi ordered. “Take Formation Elastic Three. If the Empire wants a fight, then by God we’ll give them one, and beat them into the floor at that!”
Matsuda smiled at the admiral’s fervor while relaying her order. Within minutes of the order’s dispatch, the Home Fleet was redeploying into a loose, cloud-like formation, squadrons layered into screens across a large area of space in all axes. This gave both the advantage of depth, and flexibility to respond to any situation that might arise.
Meanwhile, the Imperial Fleet continued its reorganization, forming up into a spindle with their heavily-armed, armored, and shielded Star Destroyers to the front and center. Smaller, lighter ships made up the bulk of the formation to the sides and rear, screening the hard core and tip of the formation.
Then ion engines blazed white and hot, the Imperial Fleet throwing itself forward, preceded by staggered volleys of turbolaser fire, far greater than during the earlier phase of the battle. Explosions erupted across space as smaller and lighter Federation vessels went down, but the Home Fleet didn’t waver, returning fire with torpedoes and phasers.
More explosions erupted across space as smaller Imperial vessels went down, denting and cracking the sides of the formation. But the center and tip held firm, with even tricobalt devices and quantum torpedoes proving less effective than expected against Star Destroyer-grade shielding.
Heavy turbolasers returned fire, followed by concussion missiles from Victory Class Star Destroyers present. Then for the first time in the battle, a Galaxy Class ship, the Missouri, exploded as a concussion missile punched through the engineering deck and literally blew the warp core open.
Taking casualties at a suddenly-increased rate, the Home Fleet began falling back. Encouraged by the enemy’s seeming loss of heart, the Imperial Fleet pressed the assault, launching more TIE Fighters and TIE Bombers to engage the enemy at close range. This proved the undoing of the Venator Class Star Destroyer Black Prince, when quantum torpedoes collapsed the hangar shields and punched into the ship’s heart.
Fuel and munitions for the attack craft stored in the hangar exploded, and blew the Black Prince in half. The sight of the Imperial battleship reduced to a pair of burning hulks caused cheers to break out across the Home Fleet.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The enemy has us surrounded on three sides,” Tye’s adjutant warned. “And are commencing full bombardment.”
“Don’t falter!” Tye snapped, even as the Iron Duke trembled from photon torpedoes striking her shields. “Maintain the formation, and move combat-capable ships to the outside while bringing crippled ships to the inside! Status of our air wings?”
The Iron Duke shook again as more torpedoes hit her shields. “TIE Fighters are concentrating on providing CAP as ordered!” the adjutant replied. “Similarly, TIE Bombers are launching torpedo runs on enemy capital ships as ordered!”
“How much longer until phase two begins?” Tye demanded.
“Six minutes and ten seconds,” the adjutant said. “The fleet should be jumping to hyperspace within the next few minutes.”
The Iron Duke shook again, and light flashed through the bridge windows as the command tower’s shields took fire, a volley of photon torpedoes. “What are you doing?” Captain Yung demanded. “Divert power to turbolasers, and return fire! Turn those enemy ships to scrap!”
Deep in her bowels, the Iron Duke’s power systems hummed as main power was diverted to the heavy batteries, supplementing their built-in power systems. Those same batteries traversed and elevated their turbolasers, targeting computers tracking a pair of Nebula Class Medium Cruisers.
“Fire!” Gunnery chiefs roared, moments before gunners pulled their triggers. A volley of emerald beams lanced through space. They staggered one of the Nebulas, but the ship was able to escape. The other was not so lucky, its shields collapsing and allowing the turbolasers to shred one of its nacelles. Chunks of burning hull followed as part of the main hull was blown away, only interference from other Starfleet vessels allowing the stricken Nebula to limp away.
“Admiral,” Tye’s adjutant began. “The fleet’s entered hyperspace. Phase two is about to begin.”
“Just a few more minutes then.” Tye ground out before the Iron Duke shook again. “A few more minutes.”
Outnumbered and surrounded on three sides, the Imperial Fleet fought on, exchanging fire with turbolasers, proton torpedoes, and concussion missiles against Starfleet’s phasers, photon and quantum torpedoes, and tricobalt devices. Ships exploded one after another, the fleet’s escort screens taking a bloody beating as CR-90s and Nebulon-Bs went down one after another, and to a lesser degree, so did Carracks and Vindicators.
Surprisingly, among the fleet’s lighter vessels, the Dreadnoughts held out the best. Average in terms of firepower, obsolescent in terms of electronics, and slow in terms of mobility, but their endurance was far above that expected of mere heavy cruisers, just short of Star Destroyers, in fact.
“The fleet should come out of light-speed shortly.” The adjutant tightly said. “…three…two…one…”
The Imperial Fleet dropping out of hyperspace was a sight for sore eyes for the Fifth Battlegroup. It was also like a blow to the gut for the Home Fleet. In an instant, the tactical calculus had completely changed, with the Empire now enjoying a minimum of twenty per cent numerical advantage on the battlefield, with over a thousand Imperial ships present.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Receiving tactical data from the Fifth Battlegroup.” Sara said to me. “Transmitting to the rest of the fleet.”
“Then let’s use it while Starfleet’s still getting their bearings back.” I said. “Fleet: volley fire, three times!”
Staggered volleys were launched from the fleet’s heavy batteries, lancing across nearly a hundred thousand kilometers of open space and smashing into Starfleet’s lines. Explosions erupted across space, the agile maneuvers of Starfleet’s vessels turning chaotic and haphazard as they struggled to recover. At the sight, I pointed at the windows on the Courageous, enjoying the moment of theater as I gave the order.
“ALL SHIPS, FOLLOW MY LEAD: CHARGE!”
