Menelmacar wrote:-snip-(Image)
Command Conference Room
MIV Nírnaeth Arnoediad
Forward Staging Area, System MEC-3848287, 6.1 LY from Chri'irah
The Warmaster hosted a conference as a final strategic preparation. He stood beside a large holo of Chri'irah and the space around it. As he pointed various things out, annotations appeared in the holo, or notable features would jump out and zoom in to give a better view. Present were himself, Nienna, Sellan and Caida, and Lady Carningortonis, the captain of Nírnaeth Arnoediad. The captains of the other ships, as well as Baroness Conde of the Allanean fleet, were patched in by holo and could watch and ask questions as needed.
"Baroness Conde, When we arrive," Lord Ferinion was saying, "I would like the Allanean fleet in a formation surrounding our own in a supportive formation. No ship is to be less than one-third of a light-second from any other, I will have no enfilades. Arrival will be on six separate vectors, to more or less englobe the planet, minimum range five light-seconds out. Nienna's Fleetmind, which your vessels are of course encouraged to join, those that have sapient intelligences of their own, will compute the optimal formation."
"The anchors of the defense of Chri'irah," he continued, "are twenty Mare-class orbital defense platforms of Stormwrath origin."
One of the stations leapt out of the holo, expanding to be visible in considerable detail.
"Details on them will be sent to all of your ships. These stations have limited armament and engagement envelope and so do not present a significant threat to this vessel or most of the fleet, but may be a concern for our smaller elements. However, we do want to ensure that the Excidians are not able to pull a Clarke." He referred, here, to the despotic president of Earth in an old holo, who, upon being cornered by the resistance fleet, attempted to turn Earth's defense network on the planet itself. "Further, other elements of the plan require proximity that their continued existence somewhat deters. Therefore they must be cleared away more or less immediately. To that end high-distort munitions will be deployed. Nienna, are they distributed as I ordered?”
“They are, my lord,” answered Nienna.
“Excellent. I want half fired immediately on arrival, twenty at each platform. The remainder will be reserved as a second wave in case the first is not fully effective."
The Mare platform condensed back into the larger holo, resuming its serene orbit around the projection of Chri'irah, and was replaced by another station, this one slightly smaller, and wheel-shaped.
"Next, Sigma Station. This station dates back at least to the very first survey of this system, two millennia ago, and is a relic of the original local civilization. It is not, as far as we can tell, operational, but it could be a tactical asset and the enemy should be denied it. Further, it would be of benefit to the Birrin if it is still there when they're ready to restore it. Baroness Conde, you will handle this aspect of the plan. Board the station in the manner that seems best to you, clear out any enemy troops, and secure it. Ensure any enemy landing craft are also destroyed. Please do not shoot the place up too much; I want it intact, or at least as intact as you find it."
"Next, Nienna, tell us about this ship." He pointed at a large, luxurious-looking vessel.
"This ship," said the shipmind, expanding the image of the ship, "is registered to Tachyon Corporation as Capital Investment. She's a luxury cruiser, and we believe she is primarily used for the enjoyment of company executives. However, she has prodigious transport capability, and has been used extensively to support Excidian operations on the planet surface in a transport and, we believe, command capacity. She is among the vessels that has visited Chri'irah most frequently since first contact between the Excidians and the Birrin was first detected several months ago, and it seems reasonable to presume there may be senior executives and leadership aboard."
"Indeed," said Ferinion. "I do not want Capital Investment destroyed, at least not at first." He glanced at the holos of the captains of his Finarfin-class assault transports and Craban-class dropship carriers. "I trust you all know what to do?"
"Yes, my lord," they each responded in turn.
"Excellent," said Ferinion. "Now, one final point. The Excidians have put out a call for mercenaries, and promised considerable returns. We do not entirely know who all has answered the call, so expect the unexpected. We do, however, know there is a C'tani harvest fleet. I have already briefed those of you who need to know, what to do. Those of you who haven't been briefed personally by myself on this, find other targets. There will be plenty. Consider it a secondary objective to ensure that any mercenaries lose money on this contract." He grinned. "But do not jeopardize primary objectives to do so. If they flee, let them. Orbital supremacy is our main goal. From there we will turn our attention to the planet, and we'll meet and discuss again at that time. Does anybody has any further questions?"
Baroness Conde spoke in a crisp, calm tone. If she disapproved of anything, it was betrayed, perhaps, only by a slight tinge of discomfort to her tone. Though she disapproved of being Ferinion’s subordinate, she realized of course that he has been a superior tactician.
“I understand the plan so far. I shall have a force prepared. Now, if I may ask, are there targets for my fleet’s guns that we should engage as a priority? Surely you didn’t bring a seventy-ship fleet here just to board a station.”
“A hundred and sixty one, with you, the freighters, and this battleplate included, of course,” Ferinion said, “And indeed not. I brought a hundred and sixty one ships because I am not a betting elf, because we don’t know the entirety of what we might face, and because the hopeless despair of my enemies is both tactically beneficial and personally enjoyable. In answer to your question, your priority target, beyond of course anything shooting at you, followed by anything shooting at us, is any Mare platforms that miraculously survive eight hundred high distort missiles. Remain outside their engagement envelope, which is just short of five light-seconds and you can pound them with impunity. When they are gone your priorities are enemy capital ships, particularly any guarding our boarding targets. Beyond that, prioritize Excidian vessels over mercenaries.”
He waited a moment in case anyone else had anything to ask, then nodded, “Excellent, we are adjourned. We jump in an hour.”(Image)
Command Center
MIV Nírnaeth Arnoediad
An Hour Later
“Warmaster on the bridge!”
Ferinion strode out onto the command deck of Nírnaeth Arnoediad to the salutes of Lady Carningortonis and her bridge crew. The bridge of the battleplate, like that of all other Menelmacari warships, was deep within the hull, near to its physical center in fact, but one might easily believe otherwise, for all around was the convincing illusion of being outside the hull, the bridge seeming to hang directly in space. The entire room was surrounded by holographic projectors that showed the view surrounding the ship, as would be seen from the bridge if there was no hull in the way. At a gesture or command the image could be zoomed, rotated, or otherwise manipulated for a better view, and data or other viewpoints could be superimposed and annotated over the larger image.
“All ships report ready, my lord,” Carningortonis noted, and Ferinion briefly reviewed the data; his own Dant’harthad, a Fëanor-class dreadnought, followed by the quartet of Valarauka battleships, then the Úrulokë cruisers and Úruvafalma missile cruisers, ten each, fifteen each of Egalmoth destroyers and Tinúviel frigates. There was a trio each of Daeron fleet carriers and Craban dropship carriers, both variants on the Valarauka hull, and four Nienna recovery cruisers, with five Finarfin assault transports rounding out the fleet. Below this came the Allanean vessels, likewise reporting ready.
“Fleetmind is assembled and ready,” Nienna likewise reported.
“Good. You are of course prepared for the translation, yes?” asked the Warmaster.
“That is ready too, of course, my lord,” said Nienna. One benefit that had arisen from the Argus Array’s observations of the Birrin was that decades of television and radio had been recorded and several of the most widely spoken Birrin languages had been translated. Menelmacar would not face the baffling language barrier the Singaporeans had.
“Good. Prepare for jump; we do this by the numbers. Put me on to the fleet,” Ferinion ordered, then began, “This is Warmaster Ferinion nos Cirdan to all ships. We embark once more on a mission of mercy, of liberty, and of justice. I have the utmost faith in each and every one of you that you will carry out your respective missions to your fullest, and no doubt extremely considerable capability. Some of you have done this before, all of you have drilled and trained and practiced for this day. The slaver will not stand, the shadow will be driven back from Chri’irah, and a proud people will stand free and reach for the stars once again.
“You’ve all been briefed, you all know what to do. The desire to crush the slaver runs hot in your veins; but orbital supremacy is our main objective. Keep the handle on the blade; if he flees, let him. We are eternal; there will be time uncounted to root him from the spaces between the stars. Now forward, to victory!
“Á haloitë!” he finished, with the order to jump, and flashes of golden light heralded the departure.
With the Fleetmind coordinating, the jump process began. First was a half-dozen Tinúviel frigates, one to each entry zone, which immediately kicked loose their Very Dangerous Arrays. Each Menelmacari ship carried at least a hundred, on the smallest, and up to thousands on larger, sensor drones that formed a Very Large Array, vastly enhancing the sensor resolution of the parent ship. Usefully, each drone was also a loitering missile, and could be expended at will against enemy targets -- hence the ‘Dangerous’.
The entry zones established as clear, the remainder of the frigates were next, along with their Allanean counterparts, and the newly arrived ships deployed their VDA’s as well. This continued up the line, destroyers next, then cruisers, then the battleships and dreadnought, with the battleships each anchoring an equatorial group, and Dant’harthad anchoring the south polar group. Last was Nírnaeth Arnoediad herself, anchoring the north polar group. The Allanean ships were arranged around the Menelmacari in a defensive posture, while the support vessels, like carriers, transports, and recovery ships, were deep at the center of each polar group’s formation, where they would be best protected, and behind each group’s respective flagship. The Vingilot freighters, ten each from Menelmacar and Allanea, remained in the staging system; while stoutly armed and defended to deter piracy, they were not truly combat vessels, and would not deploy until orbit was cleared.
Each ship deployed her VDA as she arrived, and the Menelmacari picture of the system, and the disposition of forces therein, got clearer and clearer. Targeting was automatically adjusted, as the location of enemy forces and defenses was compared against where they had been expected to be. Shooting solutions were computed, threat lists were compiled and prioritized. Finally the ships began to launch their Somë drones and Thoron fighters. All of this was a well-oiled machine, and when the last VDA was deployed and the fighters and drones began to launch, the time elapsed from Ferinion’s jump order was approximately two-point-seven seconds. The warmaster smiled as data began to flood in, and the holograms around the bridge continually updated accordingly.
“As expected, my lord,” Nienna noted, “the Mare platforms are distributed as the vertices of a dodecahedron, for full coverage around the planet. I’ve updated HDM targeting and am firing now.” And then, as much to herself as Ferinion, as she spotted the C’tani missile drums, “Oh, this is interesting. Hello, Meravaid, what are you up to?”
The first wave of high-distort missiles launched from various ships around the fleet. With twenty missiles per target, there was more than enough to allocate to reactors, life support systems, ammunition magazines, and other volatile components that would maximize damage. The enemy might detect no less than four hundred singularities, which would deepen, plunge towards the planet below, and then abruptly vanish.
Contrary to what one might expect, the Menelmacari did not fire at the nearest stations to each group. They instead fired at the farthest. The high-distort munitions fell fast, passing directly through the planet itself, to strike at each station from below rather than above. The purpose of this was two-fold. One, it would cause the bulk of the debris to blast outward, away from the planet. Two, it would give Ferinion time for what he was about to do next.
“Put me on. Wide-band broadcast, to the whole system. Translate as I go.”
“Greetings, Chri’irah system, Birrin and slaver alike. I am Warmaster Ferinion nos Cirdan, Fifth Battle Fleet, Eternal Noldorin Empire of Menelmacar. To the Birrin, in the name of Her Supremacy, Sirithil of the House Fëanor, Queen of the Stars, and the Artaoron and people of Menelmacar, we offer you greetings and friendship, as well as our support. Let it be known that the long night has ended, and dawn has come. We are here to remove that which has plagued your world for too long.”
He paused, and the translated chirping of the most commonly-spoken Birrin tongue followed, translating his introduction. He then continued:
“To the mercenaries supporting the Excidian slavers, now is your opportunity to see sense and withdraw. You were paid fifty billion up front; take it and run. If you do not, you will fall with them. We derive no satisfaction from the prospect of your unnecessary destruction, but it will happen nonetheless. Your blood will boil in empty space, nourishing nothing, revered by no one.”
He paused again for the Birrin translation.
“To the slaver, per the Amistad Declaration on Slavery and the Rights of Sapience, and also per Menelmacari policy of universal jurisdiction in the suppression of slavery, we name you hostis sapiens generis, the enemy of all sapientkind. You are outside all law, all protection. The only escape from your fate is surrender and manumission. Surrender and manumission bring forgiveness. Now, normally, I would recommend that you strike your colors and evacuate your battlestations, but…. I don’t think you have time.”
Another translation, and then the high-distort missiles, re-emerging into reality, detonated.
BPS Samuel L Jackson, Bridge, still under cloak.
Captain Finwe Helyanwe gasped as he saw the torpedoes crash into the proud Excidians. He began muttering in Eldar, and several of his more psychic crewmen cringed at the intensity of his aura.
"Captain!" Science Officer Prawwk Awk squwaked, "Are you well? What is happening?"
Helyanwe sighed. "Do you not see? Those warriors have drawn first blood, and Tinfect is sure to follow. We have little hope for a bloodless end for this play."
The Eldar captain looked out towards the gruesome destruction that was occurring, and sighed as he realized that their mission of discovery and learning was over.
