Chapter 35

Taisha, with the aid of a few military types as well as Imperial Investigator Tillan, was observing the battle in a massive tri-dee cube which had been set up in the command centre of Tafta Station.

“The Empire appears to be using a few innovative tactics to take out the slower alien fleet,” she commented to the group.

“They have the weapons to deal with the semi-organic skin the aliens use,” Tillan replied. “That, along with the knowledge of their saboteur squads, they know where the vulnerable parts of those vessels are and are targeting accordingly.”

“Interesting, though I suspect you’re worrying a little over Kiria’s involvement,” Taisha noted with a smile and a sympathetic look.

“I am indeed, though that is the career choice she has made and I’m not going to gainsay her vocation ... nor could I. The first enlistment with Ground Force is difficult to get out of, to say the least.”

“That and Kiria loves her job,” Taisha added.

“That too,” Tillan agreed.

“So, how do you intend to move forward together?”

“Patiently, though we both know our jobs may occasionally keep us apart.”

“It must be love,” Taisha noted with delight.

“Not sure if it’s strong enough to call it that yet. But we’re getting there.”

“And you didn’t blush, impressive.”

“Thank you, Meritocrat.”

“Training?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny that.”

“I see,” Taisha nodded, amusement clearly to be seen in her eyes. “Looks like our Allies are struggling in part.”

“Only in part, plus the attacking fleet has yet to reach the battlestar grid.”

“Yes, I rather doubt the Emirate are enjoying their part in it though,” Taisha noted.

“They’ll probably try to spin it as us letting them down,” Tillan frowned. “Admiralius Zheng struck me as the type to do so.”

“Emir Grigo did send a despatch indicating that Zheng was barely competent, but had seniority,” Taisha added. “I passed it on to the other Admirals and their likes.”

“Ah, I did wonder at the two Gershonian Ducal fleets flanking and now assisting them.”

“Yes. I suspect Navarchs Untiriol or Huila got Admiral Ramantillavion to free them up for just such circumstances.”

“Assuming Ramantillavion didn’t propose it?” Tillan queried.

“He’s supervising the far wing, not the centre where the Melanoqi and Emirate are.”

“I see,” Tillan nodded. “Looks like the aliens are being channelled into the battlestar grid now.”

“Yes. Now it will get interesting,” Taisha smiled as she saw the power indicators showing the station’s defences coming online.” I don’t think they’ll expect this little surprise.”

“I certainly hope not as they appear to be coming our way loaded for bear.”

‘The attack fleets have broken through the rearward prey and now advance on the station,’ a tactical intelligence announced.

‘Now we shall break them!’ the consensus crowed.

‘Shall we?’ the senior intelligence enquired. ‘Only I see a trap being sprung, not a retreat or rout.’

‘Your negativity is wearisome.’

‘We have rarely defeated the fleets of this prey. Caution is called for!’

‘We shall call upon the masters to censure you,’ the consensus replied in icy tones. ‘We are supreme!’

‘Well, your supremacy appears to be unheeded by this prey,’ the senior intelligence pointed out as the leading edge of the attack fleets came apart under sustained heavy fire.

“Gershonian and Hegemony vessels are beginning the flanking movement,” Ploiarch Jeeva informed Untiriol, who was studying intently the battle in the cube.

“Draw us back within the grid,” she ordered. “Inform the Emirate and Ducal fleets that now is the time.”

“Yes, Navarch.”

The Melanoqi Regialis and Amazona fleets along with the two Gershonian Ducal fleets slowly withdrew into the battlestar grid as the alien attack vessels began a head-long charge to get at them, thinking that at last the prey were retreating. Though somewhat slow to follow, the Emirate fleets did the same thing. What had been a slugging match, with the more powerful (in the Melanoqi’s case) Allied fleets against the vastly more numerous alien fleets, turned. Suddenly the aliens were assailed from all sides by an Imperial battlestar grid designed to take out the aliens of both attack and close defence types. As the weapons in the grid were cloaked as well as controlled precisely by the AIs an alien ship would find itself hit by up to a hundred beams for a split second and being vapourised before the beams would switch to a new target. Nor were all the beams the same, there was a fifty-fifty mix of dispersion and hyperbeam types, along with masses of cloaked missile pods. This, coupled with the still firing Imperial Allies, tore a massive chunk out of the leading edge of the alien attack fleet.

“I don’t think they liked that,” Jeeva commented to Untiriol.

“They’ll like what happens next even less,” Untiriol replied. “Give the signal to Ramantilliavon and Hassat.”

“Yes, Navarch.”

“We have a go from the Melanoqi,” Laksamana Collovi informed Supreme Oramiral Hassat of the Starlit Hegemony.

“Give the orders. Let us teach them to respect us,” Hassat ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

“A most bold plan indeed. Navarch Untiriol is clearly a most competent leader,” Hassat commented out loud to the bridge crew.

“Her experience in the last battle she fought must have given her insight, even if these aliens now have side beams,” Collovi nodded. “Now we shall encircle and extirpate them.”

“Indeed we shall, for to add to the honour of the Hegemony.”

“Honour and glory to the Starlit Hegemony!” came a spontaneous cry from the bridge crew.

“Melanoqi have sent the signal, Admiral,” a Comm Officer reported to the command group observing the battle in the central cube.

“Begin the encirclement,” Admiral Ramantillavion ordered. “Ensure the outer edge knows the close support fleet of the aliens are approaching them, though Admiral Clessik has whittled them down somewhat.”

The Gershonian 2^nd Royal Fleet moved swiftly to pre-planned positions, linking up with various Hegemony flotillas en-route. Despite being massively outnumbered still, the various Fleet Commands had figured if the aliens were to come to Tafta, they would be focussing on the Station and the planet and would not give their full attention to anything coming at them from the rear, such was their adherence to orders and a rigid mindset. The enclosing of the encirclement proved that the Fleet Commands were correct and the aliens were able to be selectively targeted by various flotillas, with only the alien ship being fired upon returning the fire.

“I do believe we have them,” Clessik nodded sagely as he watched both battles in the central cube.

“Looks that way, sir,” Gollant replied. “Their inflexibility is working against them again.”

“I expect at some stage they’ll get their act together, just be thankful today wasn’t that day.”

“Indeed so, sir.”

“Are the Technocracy and Kingdom Fleets in position?”

“They are, sir.”

“Give them the go ahead. They know what is expected.”

“Orders sent, sir.”

To the front of the alien close support fleets the Kingdom Fleets emerged and loosed off a massive volley of missiles, each ship transitioning back to XD space as soon as their load of missiles was expended as their beam weapons were useless against the aliens. Although the Kingdom missiles were not as good as the Imperial ones, there were a lot of them and they were heading in towards several vessels that had been stripped of their outer weaponry by constant attacks by Heavy Fighter squadrons. This meant the aliens were woefully unprepared for the strike though did manage to take the majority of it down, yet lost almost two hundred of their vessels in the process.

The Technocracy Fleets also emerged, though to the rear of the alien formation, and began mass firing of missiles as well, though in their case they were firing an Imperial version of their standard missile from box launchers and the salvo was massive compared to that of the Kingdom. Nor did they launch a single salvo, but continued to fire again and again at the exposed aliens, many of whose ships had already been sabotaged by Ground Force.

‘Beautifully done,” Clessik nodded. “Send our thanks to the Fleet First of the Kingdom Fleets.”

“Message sent, sir. They replied, ‘You’re welcome and good luck’,” Gollant replied.

“Let us now begin the squeeze.”

“Yes, sir. Orders sent.”

All parts of the Imperial Fleets started pressing the aliens, who were struggling to recover from the massive strike by the Kingdom and the ongoing one from the Technocracy. This enabled various Imperial flotillas, each including several capital ships, to get in amongst their formation and close the range to where the capital ships beam weaponry was at its most effective. The once invincible alien ships started to come apart under the massed dispersion beams and follow-up hyperbeams of the Empire. Not that the Imperial Fleets were coming away scot-free, hundreds of their own were hit, damaged or destroyed by the fanatical aliens. Yet still it was clear the Empire were heading towards another victory as the kill rate on the alien vessels was clearly in their favour.

“Technocracy are having to withdraw now,” Gollant informed Clessik who was currently guiding the other Admirals as to where the aliens looked to be gaining some stability.

“Our thanks to Over-Captain Supreme Gisseg for a well-timed strike,” Clessik replied.

“Sent, sir. She says it was an honour.”

“The honour was ours,” Clessik nodded. “Now, let’s finish this!”

‘It appears we underestimated this prey yet again,’ the senior intelligence reprimanded the now surly and quiescent intelligences.

‘This was the masters’ plan!’ a reply came, eventually.

‘It was and it failed.’

‘How could this be? We fulfilled it as they wished,’ came an almost plaintive reply.

‘This may be heresy, but the plan must have been flawed. This prey are ... not prey but a dangerous entity which we have goaded into dealing with us and which we have constantly and consistently underestimated,’ the senior stated into a stunned silence.

‘ That is heresy and we demand your termination as unworthy of the masters and their brilliance!’ came the eventual reply.

There was silence as the senior self-terminated as the combined intelligences desperately sought a way to somehow preserve the close defence fleets.