Chapter 36

The Imperial Scout Hole in Space drifted, observing the massed alien fleet. An essential, if incredibly boring, job ... well normally. This time period though both the Pilot and the Comm Officer were frantically taking readings of the massive power fluctuations coming from all the ships in the alien fleet.

“Looks like they’re preparing to move out,” Grinna the Comm officer finally stated.

“Yeah, but where?” Passavo the Pilot, and her lover, asked.

“If it’s Tafta, I don’t think we’d win ... not yet.”

“Yeah, they’ll have better tactics, plus those big shleckers in the centre have fired up as well,” he nodded.

“FleetInt wants us to observe and give a direction when they do move.”

“Let’s hope they don’t decide to divert their forces as the Black on Black is still two days out,” Passavo observed.

“Yep. Ah, they are jumping!”

“Going XD ... now, following the attack ships ... and ... it’s more or less away from Tafta.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Tell me about it,” Passavo exhaled.

“Preparing breadcrumb sats.”

“Yeah, FleetInt will want to know.”

“And we’ll let them know the moment we know,” Grinna replied.

The following work period I awoke with my head stuffed with new knowledge, all to do with Advanced Officer training. Nor as far as I could tell, much in the way of tactics, it was mostly logistics, of all things.

In this I was corrected when I reported to Commander Lisel in what was named the Advanced Command Training Room, but looked (and smelt) like a broom cupboard.

“Welcome, sub-Commander,” she greeted me after I knocked, entered and saluted.

“Commander,” I acknowledged the greeting.

“Good. Now set protocols aside and let’s get to work on enabling access to the memories you were given.”

I was actually surprised at how interesting the subject was and how much I needed to know. Yes, logistics played a large role in it such as how much and how many items a Regiment needed in order to keep it supplied and fighting for a day. Plus, naturally, how to get such items, along with workarounds if standard routines failed.

“Yes, the average armour can keep a Trooper going for days ... if not binary cycles,” she admitted. “However, where possible GF will try to keep their life to within certain norms with hot meals and the ability to keep clean. Also, it’s essential to keep the suits powered if spending more than a day in the field, hence the need to know just how many charging units are needed and where they are at any one time, as well as the power packs we use when in the field.”

“I would have thought the AIs would be arranging that?” I asked.

“They do, though it’s your job as oversight to ensure everything is in place before sending the Troopers into battle.”

“They won’t tell me?”

“Only if you ask.”

“Wow...”

“The AIs are perfectionists. When we did put them in charge of a unit, that unit was always late into battle or would not take advantage of a situation as the AIs made sure everything was perfect before they ordered a move,” Lisel explained.

“Ah, we exercise discretion. Got it.”

“That’s right, Kiria. Sometimes you need to take advantage of an enemy’s mistake and throw the Troopers into battle unprepared, the AIs just will not do that unless ordered.”

There were other items as well, all in addition to what would be a standard Officer’s duty. I was also introduced to what was called Command Net, which was a more refined version of the AI infonet that Flinn generally tapped into and gave the positions and abilities of all forces that would be under my command. It was there that tactical situations could be resolved as I saw how the AIs dealt with much larger groups than the ones I’d commanded earlier. It was also the link with Fleet Command and how Ground Force liaised with them for support.

“So, I could command up to a division whilst in the field?” I asked.

“Yes, but unlikely, initially at least,” Lisel acknowledged. “The higher you go, the less overall control you have as well.”

“Yeah, micromanaging is out, totally,” I grinned.

“Very much so and the AIs will drop you out of the loop if you try it.”

“Ruthless, but understandable,” I nodded.

“Yes, your job will be to guide the battle, not command individual Troopers or units.”

“Gotcha and I now have all the tools to do it with.”

“You do, but you need to practice. Come with me and we’ll start you on a simulator,” she ordered.

It was a standard simulator room that involved placing the subject or subjects into a virtual reality environment and enfolding them in a training exercise in a more or less safe environment where their actions could be monitored and their mistakes pointed out afterwards during the debrief.

Though not as dangerous as a real battle, they were often much harder to complete, as the various surprises thrown at you (all from real conflicts) tested you to your limits, and beyond, if necessary. So, it turned into a long day as I was placed in various simulated situations and told to use the new knowledge I had to fight my units, most of whom I couldn’t see, against various enemies, some hidden, some obvious.

“It’s so damned hard,” I commented during a break between simulations. “There’s so much to keep an eye on and I don’t as yet know what’s important and what’s not.”

“That’s why we do it here,” Lisel chuckled. “It’s also to break you of trying to micromanage as well. There are things you’re going to have to learn to trust your subordinates to do properly.”

“Along with trying to judge just what the enemy are up to as well,” I sighed. “No wonder you don’t have many senior Officers.”

“It’s an art form in a sense. Not just anyone can do it, but we believe you can as you’ve shown promise in the field in overcoming obstacles.”

The day carried on apace as I struggled with various simulations and the surprises they often had as well as continuing on into the following day, which surprised me as the course was only supposed to last a day.

“Gods dammit!” I snarled as yet again the forces under my command were wiped out by simulated Vraik ravagers. “How the hell did they burrow through solid rock?”

“There’s a fissure fault in the strata,” Lisel pointed out. “It caught out the Commander fighting on the moon Bellagh during the Vraik conflict as well.”

“How am I supposed to know that?” I asked exasperatedly.

“You aren’t, the simulation is to test your resolve in facing overwhelming defeat.”

“I didn’t like it,” I said in flat tones.

“No one does, but we have to know how you’ll react. As it is, you’ve gone well beyond basic right into advanced training, overcoming problems that have caught out Senior Commanders in the past,” Lisel informed me.

“Is that why we’re doing the extra day?”

“Yes. You kept on overcoming simulations that have had others totally stumped. This was the first one to really test you, even then you held out longer than 99% of the others, as well as enabling the only successful evacuation of other Regiments operating in the area that the attack was made in.”

“Who the hell won that one?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Marshall Delon. He won a pyrrhic victory by getting the Troopers to blow up the power plant. It killed all of his units and although killing all the ravagers, allowed other ravagers access through our line and into the base where the evac was ongoing.”

“Couldn’t see me doing that, the power plant was aiding the evac and the re-supply efforts,” I mused out loud. “I did consider it at one stage though.”

“Yes, that’s why he overall failed and you passed,” Lisel replied with a slight smile.

“Didn’t feel like a victory,” I shrugged.

“Sometimes a victory is down to the time you went down to defeat and enabled others to complete their tasks. Not winning the battle.”

“Guess so, though I didn’t like it ... not that liking it or not matters much.”

“Any thoughts on what would have aided your chances?” she asked.

“A Fleet bombardment along with a bigger reserve,” I replied after a few rotations thought.

“Good,” Lisel nodded in satisfaction. “You identified two key areas where the tide of the battle could have been changed to the Empire’s advantage.”

“Seems pretty obvious,” I chuckled.

“You’d be surprised, several candidates opted to refight the battle ... and lost, despite knowing what was about to happen.”

“It might have delayed the inevitable, but not by that much,” I shrugged.

“Correct, the entire scenario is to test your ability to cope with defeat, not to find a way to win.”

“Yes, still didn’t like it, so I think I’ll try to avoid it in the future,” I replied with a wry smile, getting a smile from Lisel as well.

“Good thought. Now you’d best go, I believe you have the High Bureaucrat’s reception to attend tonight.”

“I do indeed, thank you.”

“Tillan!” I called out and waved once I spotted him as, along with Flinn and Torun, I stood near the bar.

“My Lady, ladies,” he greeted us as he approached.

“Hi, Tillan. Keeping busy?” Flinn replied.

“This and that,” he chuckled. “Mostly to do with checking manifests and attempts to pilfer tech.”

“So not all bravely infiltrating crime syndicates and hyperbeams at dawn?” she giggled.