“ Bring the 14th to Grid 77-A. Concentrate all fire on Cruiser Designate 882.”
Held firmly within an expansive holo-sphere, five blinking dots moved forward past the end of lines of red dots arrayed parallel to one another. The crimson dots did not react to this push as a sizeable congregation of larger green dots held their attention toward the opposite end of the line.
“ Isolate and enlarge 77-A.”
Within the shimmering projection, the group of moving green dots grew considerably larger, the holo-projector magnifying the dots’ action before shifting from a featureless tactical map to one where individual ships were recognizable by shape and unit insignia. Many a person viewing the represented action would have noticed a quintet of Fire-class Frigates bravely engaging the center of three battleships, each bearing the Galactic Coalition Emblem.
The frigates dished out fire disproportionate to their size and took the same in return as punishment for their audacity in engaging ships four times superior. Slowly but with stubborn persistence, the frigates chewed at the center ship’s hull and ignored its peers firing just as fiercely. One by one they fell from formation and disintegrated, fire from within consuming men and machine alike.
Before the last of the five surrendered to the inevitable pull of fate, winking out of existence in a flash of luminescence, the target of their fire and fury broke in half along the keel. Its reactor breached, the Star Destroyer exploded and was replaced by a cloud of debris.
“ Send Authorization Alpha 3. Commence Stage 5.”
The holoprojector whirred when the humans controlling its operation forced a drastic increase in displayed material. Five Imperial-class Star Destroyers reverted to realspace where an equal number of their lesser comrades had made the ultimate sacrifice. Pointing like five daggers at the heart of the GC force, the Destroyers let loose a furious barrage of turbolaser energy that eliminated what opposition stood in their way. Small ships and heavy cruisers were swept aside all the same.
Hundreds of explosions began to litter the display before it reformed itself into a tactical display of red and green. The view overall was simple to see even by a novice in the art if war: the concentrated Imperial assault had turned the flank of its enemy’s lines forcing them to send more ships away from the primary incursion at the opposite flank. Action lead to counter action and the result was plain: the Empire had won the day. Coalition ships, their lines now broken, withdrew to save that which could be salvaged from the field.
“ Conclude. Lights.”
The holoprojector ended its presentation at the center of an amphitheater filled with young humanoids dressed in blue. Steadily, glowpanels along the room’s tiered seats came to life as did several more banks thereof in the ceiling. Standing where the TaggeCo. Projector had slid below floor slips was Baron Telan Desaria.
“ That simulation was drawn up by the General Staff as a training exercise for Imperial Line officers in anticipation of an assault on Carida. The specifics you witnessed were affected by Rear Admiral Terechek, Bastion Sector Fleet. His actions, while leading to a simulated victory, were flawed. Reason?”
He gazed around the room at nearly a hundred Cadets, each one now feverishly remembering the presentation and doing his best to pick apart every movement. Admiral Desaria was barely successful in suppressing a grin or chuckle, fondly recalling the days of his youth and similar circumstances.
“ Your Excellency, if I may. The Rear Admiral failed to deploy his assault shuttles to supplement his flanking force.”
The Admiral turned half-way to his left and took measure of the speaking cadet. He was a she – a female humanoid from Praxxis Minor wearing insignia of a Cadet-Lieutenant Commander.
“ That he did, but given the speed necessary for surprise on the flank would not have allowed for deceleration needed when deploying support craft. Anyone else?”
The first cadet shot down, no other dared venture a guess. It thus fell to the instructor to fill in his flock.
“ In a word, Terechek was careless. He used five frigates to punch a whole in his enemy’s lines when five cruisers would have done same thing ten minutes later. In any battle, a confident and superior commander can bend circumstance to his will so time is more an ally than enemy. Terechek was willing to give the lives of ten thousand men to achieve victory ten minutes faster. In all battles in all wars, the sacrifice of a small number to save a larger number is inevitable. This case is different and such a sacrifice in unacceptable to the Empire. The lives of its soldiers are not expendable.”
“ If you will forgive my impertinence Your Excellency?”
The Admiral nodded to another cadet, this one bearing the long face of Sirris natives.
“ Didn’t you sacrifice two Destroyers during the Battle of Teth to cover your withdrawal and then counterattack an hour later? Is not such a sacrifice, according to what you just said, careless?”
Many cadets inwardly cringed, worried if not terrified that Admiral Desaria would explode into a violent rage. They were pleasantly surprised when he calmly took his cap from the holo-projector’s console and placed it on his head.
“ I would not. In order to assure that the ruse of a withdrawal was maintained, the Rogues had to believe we were covering our retreat. Those two ships were, also, manned solely by skeleton crews of volunteers. Their sacrifice allowed the ruse to succeed, the Rogue forces beginning to fortify the system. In doing so, they had to withdraw several ships from the line and we hit back hard, taking the system. No sacrifice worthless that saves lives, only those that waste. Good, nay superior, commanders can tell the difference.”
With that, Admiral of the Fleet Baron Telan Desaria exited the room and left the cadets standing at attention at his departure. In the hall, Lieutenant Malik was waiting with crossed arms. “ Are you enjoying yourself, Admiral?”
Desaria glowered at his life-long friend and bodyguard. “ I can’t stand teaching pasty-faced future ensigns any more than I can an appointment with an ISB Agent.”
“ Perhaps this will improve your mood.” Malik handed his charge a crystal-sheet bearing the emblem of the General Staff. Since Admiral Virenius had assumed his post, Desaria found seeing his beloved symbol a bitter pill to swallow. That feeling lessened with time and the knowledge the few friends he had remaining on the Staff were keeping their new Chief and his ambition-drive cronies at bay.
You are to proceed with all speed to Vladet. Effective immediately you will assume command of 127th Battle Group and prepare for escort duty of production complex. Details enclosed. Command of the 1st Destroyer Squadron is not ceded. Said formation slated for repairs during the duration of assignment.
Desaria smiled. “ It does indeed.”
The pair turned immediately for a nearby shuttle bay.
Held firmly within an expansive holo-sphere, five blinking dots moved forward past the end of lines of red dots arrayed parallel to one another. The crimson dots did not react to this push as a sizeable congregation of larger green dots held their attention toward the opposite end of the line.
“ Isolate and enlarge 77-A.”
Within the shimmering projection, the group of moving green dots grew considerably larger, the holo-projector magnifying the dots’ action before shifting from a featureless tactical map to one where individual ships were recognizable by shape and unit insignia. Many a person viewing the represented action would have noticed a quintet of Fire-class Frigates bravely engaging the center of three battleships, each bearing the Galactic Coalition Emblem.
The frigates dished out fire disproportionate to their size and took the same in return as punishment for their audacity in engaging ships four times superior. Slowly but with stubborn persistence, the frigates chewed at the center ship’s hull and ignored its peers firing just as fiercely. One by one they fell from formation and disintegrated, fire from within consuming men and machine alike.
Before the last of the five surrendered to the inevitable pull of fate, winking out of existence in a flash of luminescence, the target of their fire and fury broke in half along the keel. Its reactor breached, the Star Destroyer exploded and was replaced by a cloud of debris.
“ Send Authorization Alpha 3. Commence Stage 5.”
The holoprojector whirred when the humans controlling its operation forced a drastic increase in displayed material. Five Imperial-class Star Destroyers reverted to realspace where an equal number of their lesser comrades had made the ultimate sacrifice. Pointing like five daggers at the heart of the GC force, the Destroyers let loose a furious barrage of turbolaser energy that eliminated what opposition stood in their way. Small ships and heavy cruisers were swept aside all the same.
Hundreds of explosions began to litter the display before it reformed itself into a tactical display of red and green. The view overall was simple to see even by a novice in the art if war: the concentrated Imperial assault had turned the flank of its enemy’s lines forcing them to send more ships away from the primary incursion at the opposite flank. Action lead to counter action and the result was plain: the Empire had won the day. Coalition ships, their lines now broken, withdrew to save that which could be salvaged from the field.
“ Conclude. Lights.”
The holoprojector ended its presentation at the center of an amphitheater filled with young humanoids dressed in blue. Steadily, glowpanels along the room’s tiered seats came to life as did several more banks thereof in the ceiling. Standing where the TaggeCo. Projector had slid below floor slips was Baron Telan Desaria.
“ That simulation was drawn up by the General Staff as a training exercise for Imperial Line officers in anticipation of an assault on Carida. The specifics you witnessed were affected by Rear Admiral Terechek, Bastion Sector Fleet. His actions, while leading to a simulated victory, were flawed. Reason?”
He gazed around the room at nearly a hundred Cadets, each one now feverishly remembering the presentation and doing his best to pick apart every movement. Admiral Desaria was barely successful in suppressing a grin or chuckle, fondly recalling the days of his youth and similar circumstances.
“ Your Excellency, if I may. The Rear Admiral failed to deploy his assault shuttles to supplement his flanking force.”
The Admiral turned half-way to his left and took measure of the speaking cadet. He was a she – a female humanoid from Praxxis Minor wearing insignia of a Cadet-Lieutenant Commander.
“ That he did, but given the speed necessary for surprise on the flank would not have allowed for deceleration needed when deploying support craft. Anyone else?”
The first cadet shot down, no other dared venture a guess. It thus fell to the instructor to fill in his flock.
“ In a word, Terechek was careless. He used five frigates to punch a whole in his enemy’s lines when five cruisers would have done same thing ten minutes later. In any battle, a confident and superior commander can bend circumstance to his will so time is more an ally than enemy. Terechek was willing to give the lives of ten thousand men to achieve victory ten minutes faster. In all battles in all wars, the sacrifice of a small number to save a larger number is inevitable. This case is different and such a sacrifice in unacceptable to the Empire. The lives of its soldiers are not expendable.”
“ If you will forgive my impertinence Your Excellency?”
The Admiral nodded to another cadet, this one bearing the long face of Sirris natives.
“ Didn’t you sacrifice two Destroyers during the Battle of Teth to cover your withdrawal and then counterattack an hour later? Is not such a sacrifice, according to what you just said, careless?”
Many cadets inwardly cringed, worried if not terrified that Admiral Desaria would explode into a violent rage. They were pleasantly surprised when he calmly took his cap from the holo-projector’s console and placed it on his head.
“ I would not. In order to assure that the ruse of a withdrawal was maintained, the Rogues had to believe we were covering our retreat. Those two ships were, also, manned solely by skeleton crews of volunteers. Their sacrifice allowed the ruse to succeed, the Rogue forces beginning to fortify the system. In doing so, they had to withdraw several ships from the line and we hit back hard, taking the system. No sacrifice worthless that saves lives, only those that waste. Good, nay superior, commanders can tell the difference.”
With that, Admiral of the Fleet Baron Telan Desaria exited the room and left the cadets standing at attention at his departure. In the hall, Lieutenant Malik was waiting with crossed arms. “ Are you enjoying yourself, Admiral?”
Desaria glowered at his life-long friend and bodyguard. “ I can’t stand teaching pasty-faced future ensigns any more than I can an appointment with an ISB Agent.”
“ Perhaps this will improve your mood.” Malik handed his charge a crystal-sheet bearing the emblem of the General Staff. Since Admiral Virenius had assumed his post, Desaria found seeing his beloved symbol a bitter pill to swallow. That feeling lessened with time and the knowledge the few friends he had remaining on the Staff were keeping their new Chief and his ambition-drive cronies at bay.
You are to proceed with all speed to Vladet. Effective immediately you will assume command of 127th Battle Group and prepare for escort duty of production complex. Details enclosed. Command of the 1st Destroyer Squadron is not ceded. Said formation slated for repairs during the duration of assignment.
Desaria smiled. “ It does indeed.”
The pair turned immediately for a nearby shuttle bay.
