Orbiting Planet: IXL-900A01; Iserlohn Corridor
Onboard the Serebryakov
I took four sub-fleets from the rest of the 3rd Fleet to investigate the immediate area around the Iserlohn Starzone. We were out looking for resources to which we could report back to the Alliance Military Logistics Department. But I had also used this opportunity to train and test members of my fleet. We were currently around a Gas Giant which was the location of today's exercise.
I only had two Rear Admirals who were currently filling the role of six. Deciding to make things easier on my underlings as well as ensure that I had enough reliable subordinates to fill the lower ranks. I tested four prospective Rear Admirals to see if they would be suitable for promotion to full Rear Admiral. They had come with both Bruno and Gale's recommendation and Ilia had verified that they were suitable to the task to be promoted to Rear Admirals. Which only left to review whether they met my standards.
The Fourth Sub-Fleet was under command of Rear Admiral Mattias Brivio, the Fifth Sub-Fleet was under command of Rear Admiral Stas Schreiber, the Sixth Sub-Fleet was under command of Rear Admiral Shamash Hrabě, and the Seventh Sub-Fleet was under command of Rear Admiral Helen Ebner.
They had all been subjected to various types of exercises across the system under my supervision and judgement. The exercises consisted of:
Fleet Battle
In Fleet Battle, the only goal is to destroy or rout the entire enemy fleet.
Attacker Objectives: An enemy fleet is harassing a nearby system. If you attack at once, you have an opportunity to reduce the enemy's presence.
*Destroy or make the enemy fleet disengage!
Defender Objectives: A small scout force has been destroyed by an enemy fleet. Reports indicate that the enemy ships are moving in your direction.
*Destroy or make the enemy fleet disengage!
Convoy
Convoys are missions in which valuable transport ships carry personnel and supplies from one system to another.
Attacker Objectives: We have detected an enemy convoy carrying important resources. The convoy's route takes them through this system, so it is ripe for an attack!
*Destroy more than half the enemy transport ships.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: A convoy is en route to the front with several important resources aboard. Protect the ships!
*Get more than half your transport ships across the map.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Data Recovery
Briefing: Data Recovery missions involve a ship containing sensible data for the factions of the conflict as they try to get the edge on their opponents through it.
Attacker Objectives: Vital information has been located aboard an enemy ship. Recover this data at all costs.
*Seize the data by assault action and disengage with it.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: Enemy ships are en route to your location. The enemy's objective is to seize certain data carried aboard your ship's databanks.
*Disengage with the data
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Breakthrough (A)
Briefing: Breakthroughs involve a blockade in a part of space that is critical to keep a system under control. A set of Defensive Platforms hold the choke point of the conflict.
Attacker Objectives: Your fleet must break through an enemy blockade. As long as the blockade exists, the Navy cannot operate freely in this system.
*Destroy defense platforms and get Line Ships across the map.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: An enemy fleet is threatening to break through our blockade! Destroy these ships before they reach the planet.
*Destroy enough enemy Line Ships or hold long enough.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Assassination
In Assassinations missions an important office is on board an admiral ship. His vulnerability will create the perfect opportunity to strike him down.
Attacker Objectives: Agents have identified a high-ranking enemy officer that must be dealt with. Seek out the target ship and eliminate it.
*Destroy the targeted enemy ship.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: We have intercepted an enemy transmission marking your ship for destruction. The enemy has designated your vessel as a priority target.
*Destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage or disengage the target.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Breakthrough (B)
Breakthroughs involve a blockade in a part of space that is critical to keeping a system under control. A set of Defensive Platforms hold the choke point of the conflict.
Attacker Objectives: Your fleet must break through an enemy blockade. As long as the blockade exists, the Navy cannot operate freely in this system.
*Destroy defense platforms and get Line Ships across the map.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: An enemy fleet is threatening to break through our blockade! Destroy these ships before they reach the planet.
*Destroy enough enemy Line Ships or hold long enough.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: A convoy is en route to the front with several important resources aboard. Protect the ships!
*Get more than half your transport ships across the map.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Data Recovery
Briefing: Data Recovery missions involve a ship containing sensible data for the factions of the conflict as they try to get the edge on their opponents through it.
Attacker Objectives: Vital information has been located aboard an enemy ship. Recover this data at all costs.
*Seize the data by assault action and disengage with it.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: Enemy ships are en route to your location. The enemy's objective is to seize certain data carried aboard your ship's databanks.
*Disengage with the data
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Breakthrough (A)
Briefing: Breakthroughs involve a blockade in a part of space that is critical to keep a system under control. A set of Defensive Platforms hold the choke point of the conflict.
Attacker Objectives: Your fleet must break through an enemy blockade. As long as the blockade exists, the Navy cannot operate freely in this system.
*Destroy defense platforms and get Line Ships across the map.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: An enemy fleet is threatening to break through our blockade! Destroy these ships before they reach the planet.
*Destroy enough enemy Line Ships or hold long enough.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Assassination
In Assassinations missions an important office is on board an admiral ship. His vulnerability will create the perfect opportunity to strike him down.
Attacker Objectives: Agents have identified a high-ranking enemy officer that must be dealt with. Seek out the target ship and eliminate it.
*Destroy the targeted enemy ship.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: We have intercepted an enemy transmission marking your ship for destruction. The enemy has designated your vessel as a priority target.
*Destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage or disengage the target.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Breakthrough (B)
Breakthroughs involve a blockade in a part of space that is critical to keeping a system under control. A set of Defensive Platforms hold the choke point of the conflict.
Attacker Objectives: Your fleet must break through an enemy blockade. As long as the blockade exists, the Navy cannot operate freely in this system.
*Destroy defense platforms and get Line Ships across the map.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: An enemy fleet is threatening to break through our blockade! Destroy these ships before they reach the planet.
*Destroy enough enemy Line Ships or hold long enough.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Space Station Assault
Space Station Assault involves huge stations used for maintenance of the ships composing a fleet, making them a valuable asset to keep, or to destroy.
Attacker Objectives: One of our space stations has fallen into enemy hands. We request that you take back the installation, or, as a last resort, destroy it.
*Destroy the space station in time
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: Emergency message! One of our space stations is under enemy attack! Requesting assistance.
*Destroy or make the enemy fleet disengage and keep the station from destruction.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Planetary Assault
Planetary Assaults are battles on which the fate of systems depends on the armies that fight on their ground. Spatial supremacy and firepower will be vital to win the world.
Attacker Objectives: Our troops are fighting enemy ground forces on a planet in this system. They need your fleet's assistance to complete the conquest of this world.
*Reach indicated areas with indicated ships in time.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Defender Objectives: A world is being overrun by enemy troops! Your fleet is the planet's only hope to turn the tide of the ground battle.
*Force the attacker to miss enough objectives.
*Or destroy/Make the enemy fleet disengage.
Some of the exercises have not been put into use except for fringe cases. As most of the war was focused around major conflict zones such as the Battle of Astarte recently and the many Battles of Iserlohn. But history so often proves a war can be determined by smaller scale conflicts and fights. So while the Navy and by extension the media and politicians are interested in ensuring we win the big fights. I am more interested in ensuring that all those little battles leading up to those bigger battles are won.
After all as demonstrated by Yang Wen-li during a prior battle for Iserlohn and during our last successful battle for the station. If you capture a person of significance, you can force the enemy to surrender or allow your forces to pull out of a combat zone. As Yang Wen-li held Reinhards Flagship and thus the man himself hostage during the previous assault on Iserlohn. Which made the Empire Fleet stand down allowing the Alliance to retreat, even when Reinhard ordered the fleet to continue firing. Even more recently with Rosen Ritter and Captain Walter von Schonkopf capturing Admiral Stockhausen and forced him to order the stations remaining forces to stand down and surrender.
And of course, the many near blunders I've since helped to avert by protecting the logistics convoys during and after the battle of Tiamat. Because a certain Admiral gave an order that no one dared challenge the absurdity of and threatened to leave our supply chain vulnerable at the first sign of danger.
By this point the Alliance has seen a plethora of many smaller battles which are never recorded or taught about. As the primary focus has always been on the few larger battles and the strategies and tactics used in them. Are recorded and taught over and over. But so many of those battles could have been avoided or gone differently if any of the smaller battles had gone differently beforehand.
That is what these exercises are for. To teach my future flag officers about these types of smaller battles and to not focus so much on the larger battles. To round out their skills and abilities as well as their familiarity to many types of battle. It is these exercises that I did not get to fully teach the 13th Fleet. I only got to teach them so much with the assistance of Euanthe and Mandfred. But hopefully Yang can expand their familiarity and usage beyond the basics and what I've shared.
"So Admiral, what are your thoughts on your newest flag officers?" Ilia asked. "Do they meet your standards?"
I look over the results for all the previous exercises as well as the results of the various stages and tests within the Aptitude Test itself. Everything met the standard requirements which I asked of anyone who was assigned to me. Which was well in a way far above the standard set by the Navy. Meaning they were also better than the standard Empire Admiral. But not nearly to the highest degree which people such as Ashby, Bewcock, Sidney, Reinhard, Yang and myself to name a few could and had reached.
"They are acceptable." I responded as I looked up from the reports I was reading on my data pad while standing on the bridge of my Flagship. I turned my attention from the data pad to the holographic display of the four sub-fleets gathered near the unnamed gas giant.
"Now to see if they have learned anything from their previous battles and tests." I add as I give the signal to begin.
Both sides were numerically equal. But those prior exercises had a purpose to them beyond just making them familiar with the smaller battles. They would also affect the current larger battle. To help make them aware that those smaller battles are not to be taken lightly or dismissed. But to keep hammering in the importance of being aware of how things unfolding around them affect them in the final grand battle.
The fight started at well over 40 light seconds. Well outside the theoretical range and optimal range for a fight. But close enough that it did not take long for both sides to close in.
Tactics and strategies were encouraged. Rushing with just blocks of ships firing at one another was the FPA Navy standard tactic and formation. But it left much to be desired and anyone with some wit to them would be able to play to its weaknesses. So when both sides came in close and neither side maintained a solid wall. But began to perform various other formation and employing tactics and strategies they themselves had thought up. I allowed myself an internal smile while maintaining an outward stoic and impassive expression. It would not do to let them see how proud I was just yet. Let them focus on the battle here and now.
…..
Fourth Sub-Fleet; Sophia; Rear Admiral Mattias Brivio
Mattias felt physically tired. For the past several days he and his peers had been put into nearly every scenario that their commander could think of. When he was not in a battle with one of his allies, he and everyone else in his command were put through another series of rigorous tests and kept always near or on the edge of physical exhaustion. He thought that going through the many varied portions of the Aptitude test up to Commodore were tough. But this was something else entirely.
Always being made to keep aware of his command and its constant state of readiness. From what the state of his fighter craft was at to how well maintained his battleship line was. It was not new, but somehow the Admiral had found ways to introduce more challenges to the test that made it even more difficult.
But he was focusing to much on what was and not on what was in front of him.
He needed to win here, how he would win was determined purely on whether he could either destroy the enemy or force them to retreat.
His subfleet made greater use of cruisers. As they were able to act as a bridge between the firepower and strength of a Battleship and the speed of a Destroyer. Which was good, because he would need that speed and strength in order to match his opponents.
"Have Squadron two and four focus on pushing into the enemies flank here. Squadrons three and five will push into their flank here. Once they have the enemies attention we will drive down the middle and focus on Stas and his command Squadron." He orders as the four sub-fleets came within range of one another.
The Fourth Sub-fleet began to move like the well-oiled machine it was. Having grown familiar to his command style. Giant Battleships hundreds of meters long moved to engage. Their eight powerful prow mounted Neutron Beam Cannons reaching out across the light seconds to impact against the shields of their fellows. While the Cruisers began to move to fill in gaps that their enemy made to avoid the incoming fire allowing them to push them into better positions so that the Battleships could take them out. Meanwhile the Destroyers led the charge into the enemies ranks, targeting those ships that did not get destroyed but were damaged enough that their own Electron Beam cannons could finish the job.
…..
Fifth Sub-Fleet; Katherine; Rear Admiral Stas Schreiber
The Katherine shook as the shields flared and took most of the incoming damage from Mattias focusing them. But even as his ship shook, Stas stood firm. They would make it through this! He would not let his opponent here get the better of him and his sub-fleet.
They had all endured to much hardship through these exercises to be taken out in the first opening blows of this battle. No, the Fifth Sub-Fleet would draw the Fourth in and let them think they were winning. And then when they were deep inside their lines unable to withdraw. He would close the trap and destroy Mattias and the Fourth Sub-Fleet. He had studied plenty of previous battles between the Alliance and the Empire. Studying the tactics and strategies of the greatest military minds of the FPA and wrote his own thesis about his findings and how those great minds took in various bits of information from their lives and all their previous battles to come to the conclusions they did.
Now he would write his own strategies and tactics and Mattias would be the first to help him write them for the future of the FPA.
"Tell the Squadrons to pull back and make space in the middle. Look like we are taking more damage than we actually are. Draw Matthias in and wait for my signal." He ordered as he watched the melee that was unfolding.
He only hoped that their allies could resist whatever the Seventh Sub-Fleet thought up. Shamash had not let him down before so he would believe in him now.
As his orders were given, the Fifth Sub-fleet began to spread out and create a noticeable opening while ships were destroyed and disabled from the Fourth pushing into its lines. The lines between the two Sub-Fleets would begin to blur as each commander sought out their other in the hopes of decapitating the enemy Sub-Fleet.
…..
Sixth Sub-Fleet; Windsor; Rear Admiral Shamash Hrabě
The Sixth Sub-Fleet weathered the attack from their opponents. As the battle had only started things were not quite so dire yet. But they needed to wait for the enemy to get within range of the carriers and the fighter craft.
Shamash watched as both the Fourth and Third Sub-Fleets closed the lines between one another. With the Fourth being the aggressor while the Fifth let them believe that they were doing better than they were. He trusted Stas to hold the right flank, but his own Sixth Sub-Fleet was the most Carrier focused of the four currently deployed here. So he needed to either go out and intercept his enemy or have them come to him and if he knew Helen she would not dedicate her forces until she judged that her forces had a better than even chance of winning. Meaning he would need to go to her to get his carriers into effective range while she could stay at range and fire into his.
Yet as he searched for a way to get in close to the Sixth Sub-Fleet he watched the display show the Fourth Sub-Fleet begin to flood into the Fifth's battle line to engage in a melee. Leaving Helen's flank open.
"Have the Battleship line push forwards. Get Helens attention. Make her believe we are going to make a push to the front. Have the Carriers and Cruisers go to her flank and engage her while she's distracted." He ordered.
Mattias was one of the quick thinkers of the four of them and often acted without thinking to inform his allies. A trait that had gotten himself and others in trouble on more than a few occasions. But he had also learned to temper and restrain himself since their shared days in the Academy. Occasionally though he would slip and thus leave an opening that others could take advantage of.
Such what was happening now.
The Sixth Sub-Fleet began to push forwards. The large Battleships pushing forwards making a semi-solid wall that could not be broken nor ignored as they engaged the Seventh. As they took more and more of the Seventh's attention. The Carriers and Cruisers began to move at an angle to get around the two lines for a better position to deploy and engage their foe.
…..
Seventh Sub-Fleet; Patricia; Rear Admiral Helen Ebner.
Helen was being cautious as she watched the battle unfold. Both Mattias and Stas were locked in a close quarters fight. A fight that Mattias had engaged in and forgot to warn her of his plans. But now he was stuck deep inside of Stas formation which was not nearly as damaged as Mattias would probably have hoped. He was lucky that he thought quickly and could get his orders out just as fast. If not he would have been overwhelmed by Stas.
But her attention right then was not fully focused on Stas or Mattias. She was facing Shamash.
With her flank being left open by the departure of Mattias she needed to move units to intercept Shamash's current plan to fill in where her ally had been. But as she was attempting to do so, Shamash was tying down her forces and preventing her from moving those units lest she leave an opening for them to push further into her front lines.
"Get our Destroyers moved over to our flank that Mattias has left open. Have them ready to intercept Shamash over on that side. Keep our Cruisers and Battleships focused on engaging his front line and trying to stop his movements."
She ordered as she watched the four fleets move and engage one another. There was nothing to take advantage of currently. But she only needed to bide her time.
Tanya
My commanders were locked in the middle of close battle with both sides making mistakes. But also taking advantage of those that were being made.
Mattias was in the worst position out of the four, but he looked to be handling his position well enough regardless. Stas was holding his ground and despite pulling off his trap Stas still need to full fill the purpose of his trap in destroying his enemy since he had them surrounded. Shamash and Helen were starting to spin in circles around the other. With Shamash pushing the right side of Helen's Sub-Fleet. But the losses on the front and not enough support meant that lines needed to continually shift or else they would be surrounded and destroyed. It was a mess of a battle but beyond the larger strokes of the battle. The many smaller decisions began to mount up.
It would be around now when the effects from all the previous battles would begin to take effect. Combined with the high intensity of the fight that was currently on going. The results of the previous battles would begin tipping the fights in one direction or another.
If a Convoy was intercepted the person meant to defend the convoy would be lacking in supplies. Meaning the tools for keeping a ship running in a multi-hour-long battle or keeping the many fighters up and running were running low.
If special Data had been lost or stolen. The one who had taken it would be able to know more about their enemies' tactics. As well as some insight as to which ships were Command and Control or ECM types.
Breakthroughs resulted in having more special ships available to use. Getting those Command and Control or ECM type ships. Or the alternative, having escape with more soldiers and thus more crew. Crew that would be experiencing exhaustion at this point as well as reduced morale and numbers.
Assassination on targets of opportunity removing valuable crew and officers who could carry out orders or hold together a formation during some of the more difficult or stress inducing portions of a battle.
And so many more variables.
"It looks like things are reaching the climax of the battle." Ilia mentioned as the display showed the losses beginning to mount and reaching a tipping point. As neither side was willing to surrender or admit defeat and run away.
"I see I am going to need to get the point across to them the value of survival and fighting another day." I say with a slight shake of my head.
"Also, a message from Iserlohn arrived recently. Rear Admiral Holland is asking for you." Ilia adds.
"I will speak with him when I get back to Iserlohn. We are in the middle of our exploration of the Iserlohn Corridor and Iserlohn Station has enough ships to hold it." I remark with a hint of derision. I wonder if I should subject him to the aptitude test as well? Give him something else to complain about instead of being a nuisance and trying to waste my time. Something to think about later.
Whatever he wants to talk about can wait. Right now, my Fleet needs my attention.
[End Chapter 12]