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Forum Index » » English (General) » » Discipline of Strategy, Chaos of Battle, Flexibility of the Mind
 Author Discipline of Strategy, Chaos of Battle, Flexibility of the Mind
Darksworde
Marshal
Pitch Black


Joined: September 06, 2002
Posts: 806
From: The Zoo
Posted: 2009-01-10 17:39   
'Discipline of Strategy, Chaos of Battle, Flexibility of the Mind'

The words of a long forgotten admiral hung heavy in the air, the fleet commander's ritual of reciting the words on the eve of battle complete. Looking at the tactical display before him, the situation appeared desperate to say the least. His own command, mainly cruisers and a smattering of dreadnaughts, was vastly outnumbered by an enemy fleet at least five times larger than his own.

‘Admiral Valentine’, said the communications officer, an ensign by the name of Stour, ‘Incoming signal from designated mission target Alpha’.

Sinking further into the chair of his flagship, Admiral Valentine shook his head, intimidated by the size and importance of the task ahead. Naval intelligence had pre-empted a parallel effort from the ICC. After all, the initial broadcast containing a set of co-ordinates and an authentication code had originated in their territory. However the size of the taskforce dispatched had been totally underestimated.

Acknowledging the superior position and firepower his opponent held, Valentine focused his attention on his real objective, bypassing the enemy fleet and ensuring the retrieval of a well hidden and heavily shielded escape capsule.

The first step would be to engage his opponent, drawing his attention away from the real target. The problem here would be how to engage the enemy ships without sacrificing his own. Looking at the force arrayed against him, Valentine suspected that casualties would be unavoidable.

The only ships that stood any chance would be dreadnaughts. His own squadron numbered eight of the new, slightly larger and more powerful Elite Assault variant, with an accompanying escort of twenty heavy cruisers. This would be pitted against the core of the enemy fleet, positioned on the other side of the system in a wall of battle. Designed to maximize firepower in one direction, the wall of battle numbered fifty two dreadnaughts split into five distinct squadrons. Each dreadnaught was accompanied by a pair of cruisers to provide a defensive screen for the dreadnaughts. To either side of the wall, a flotilla of supporting ships held position, ready to intercept any incoming fire and lend fire support when the engagement moved to close quarters.

The second step would be how to retrieve the escape capsule without giving away its position. The escape capsule was designed to allow for recovery in enemy territory. Upon broadcast of a specially prepared signal, the capsule would send out a heavily encrypted response that allowed recovery teams to close on its position. The safety margin that Naval Intelligence estimated between the time for recovery and a response from the enemy was placed at fifteen point five two seconds, meaning any time gained by the initial distraction would be critical.

Finally, Valentine would have to ensure the successful withdrawal of his fleet from enemy territory, all whilst taking enemy fire. If everything went to plan, the mission would be a success, with the possibility of vital intelligence gained to further the war effort.

‘Signal the fleet’, said Admiral Valentine, ‘Pitch Black. Target the wall, Defiant Formation Alpha’

[ This Message was edited by: Darksworde on 2009-01-11 04:23 ]
_________________
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  Email Darksworde   Goto the website of Darksworde
Darksworde
Marshal
Pitch Black


Joined: September 06, 2002
Posts: 806
From: The Zoo
Posted: 2009-01-11 04:17   
‘Lieutenant Aristor’, continued the Admiral, turning to the helm officer, ‘bring us to a bearing of ten degrees port and give me a ten second burst of power Lets see how comfortable they are at handling a Pitch Black.’

As the flagship swung to port, the decks of the dreadnaught shuddered as the engines sprang to life. On the command deck of every ship in the fleet, similar orders were given, starting a precise and dangerous maneuver which had seen hour upon hour of practice in the simulators by each captain of Admiral Valentine’s fleet.

The Pitch Black maneuver was a risky but potentially rewarding tactic to employ in battle, used by only the most brilliant of commanders who had the complete trust and respect of those under his or her command.

The aptly named maneuver required each ship within the fleet to make an immediate pre-arranged course correction followed by a sudden, short burst of power from the engines before finally switching to silent running to reduce emissions and signature. The idea was to present an invisible target to the enemy. The addition of the Defiant Formation Alpha order notified the fleet that the flagship ‘Defiant’ and her accompanying sister dreadnaughts would be participating in a mirror image, creating an invisible claw as it advanced forward.

‘Ten seconds’, he whispered, more to himself as his flagship shot forward with a sudden burst of power. ‘Prepare for silent running’.

With workman-like efficiency, the helmsman increased power, the thrum of the engines increasing. All around, the command crew rushed about, preparing to power down any and all non-critical systems. As the seconds ticked by, the crew settled into a well rehearsed pattern, flicking switches and entering terminal commands to hibernate or suspend. As the final seconds passed, an eerie silence encompassed the command deck as the last systems shutdown and twenty eight ships of the UGTO fleet glided like predatory birds through the depths of space.

[ This Message was edited by: Darksworde on 2009-01-11 04:26 ]
_________________
Live by the sworde, die by the sworde

  Email Darksworde   Goto the website of Darksworde
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