Kor'laesha was a beautiful planet.
Rear Admiral Hirata couldn't help but admire it from the bridge of his flagship, appearing as a blue orb streaked with white where clouds trailed across its surface. Here and there he could make out the green specks of islands scattered across the water-world, the sites of lush jungles, golden beaches, and the kind of ambient warmth and sunshine that attracted tourists otherwise rare in this part of the Kitsune Empire. Even the local Necrians tended to seem more relaxed, their pale skin bronzed with tanning, having long since traded lancers and honor blades for cameras to document seaside photo-shoots and dice for nightlife gambling. It was a wonderful place to be posted, something he had made sure to take full advantage of.
From high orbit, you would never know that the planet was currently a battlefield.
That only went for looking at Kor'laesha and its barren moon, of course. All around them was evidence of the conflict in the form of massing starships, crowding local space under the protective fields of defense platforms, grazer mines, sensor drones, and the other fortifications typical of Imperial systems. The centerpiece of it all was the many transport craft ascending or descending to the world, some ferrying loads of evacuees to larger vessels while others passed through the security screens and vanished into FTL for territories deeper inside the Kitsune Empire. Many of them were part of the logistics section of his fleet, tankers, supply ships, and liners doing their part to speed along the operation, but others were common freighters and cargo craft enlisted in the effort. Everything from tiny courier shuttles to heavy haulers was pitching in to get as many civilians as possible out of the line of fire.
Protecting them along with the static defenses was Hirata's combat fleet. The normally small garrison force had grown, first with the remains of Fel'tethra's own garrison, then with other ships scrambled from other areas until the proper Imperial Navy portion alone was more than two score strong, with the ICE complement bumping that up to just under 60 Xiscapian ships. Then there was the colonial Necrian contingent, formerly known as the Reactionaries, sixteen ships including ten frigates and half a dozen cruisers under the leadership of the Scarlet Serpent. Last but not least, the Cruorians had responded to the call for assistance with a task force of their own: 25 warships led by the dreadnought Odin, not counting the unit's medical frigate and tenders helping out with the evacuation. Put together, it was a formidable fighting force.
Hirata, however, was under no illusions. Even adding in the Alversian reinforcements he had been promised, his fleet would still be only a fraction of the size of the predicted SIN invasion armada. The data collected from the Fel'tethra engagement made that clear, as well as the fact that it was led by a massive super-capital warship which even his pocket battleship Blood Pact couldn't hope to defeat. Fortunately, his orders were simply to fight for as much time as possible for the evacuation before withdrawing -High Command knew better than to think they could somehow hold Kor'laesha.
Unfortunately, that was easier said than done.
The tod examined a holographic representation of the SIN's flagship, the Necropolis, even as reports on the evacuation's progress flowed through his neural link. In the Battle of Fel'tethra, the enemy had held their flagship back instead of using it to crush the garrison, and they had suffered quite a few ships lost for their discretion. Would they repeat the same tactic, sacrificing more of their fleet for the supercapital's safety, or would they throw caution into the wind and use it as a high-tech battering ram? He guessed the former, but it was impossible to be sure. It was something he would need to discuss with his fellow commanders once they had all assembled.
Even at the worst of times, Hirata had always been confident to a fault, and he maintained his customary little grin even though no one but the bridge guards could actually see it. Making the expression made him feel better, something sorely needed when there was a grasping tension in his gut and his heart was working overtime. Fear was never far away when battle was imminent, but he had never expected to be fighting Necrians, the same people he had improbably become so close to. One in particular.
Where did Jyll's loyalties lie?
Despite his thick white fur, Hirata felt cold.
Kor'laesha
Madano Island
X Corps Headquarters...
A transmission flashed out from the base of the world's garrison, encrypted to reach the fellow AXIS ground commanders coming to reinforce the Xiscapians. A gray-furred tod stood before them in the slim, dark green power armor of the Imperial Army, though it was visibly warped and scorched in several places. Only his head could be seen, but the amber-eyed kitsune looked haggard, standing up straight despite the pressure he was clearly under. A map of inhabited Kor'laesha was projected beside him, showing the various islands and other points of interest as well as force compositions there, both for allied forces and estimates for the rebels. Barely bowing, he lost no time in getting to the point.
"I am Lieutenant General Hotaka, ground commander of Kor'laesha's garrison, the X Corps. My forces are outnumbered and scattered across the islands, but their ultimate objective is the same as yours: buy enough time to complete Kor'laesha's evacuation. Only a fraction of the population is to be moved, but we cannot have another Fel'tethra Massacre, even if it means that Xiscapian troops must be placed in dire straits. Indeed, many already are. That's where you come in.
"Virtually the entirety of the native militia and security forces have turned to the enemy's side, and they have tens if not hundreds of thousands of irregulars across the archipelago. Any Necrian carrying a weapon and wearing a uniform can safely be assumed hostile. The enemy is fanatical, they know the terrain well, and they have broad support from the population. Do not underestimate them.
"Evacuation operations are proceeding apace in most areas, but there are four in particular which urgently need reinforcement. To begin with, the 221st Imperial Mechanized Division and the 118th Imperial Air Assault Division have been engaged in a running battle on the island of Zyanlon as enemy forces made an offensive from the capital area. They have fallen back to the eastern city of Newkara and been reinforced by an Imperial Marine brigade, but they have sustained casualties and are greatly outnumbered. Newkara must be held until its vulnerable population can be evacuated. If enemy forces break through Imperial lines then Newkara's evacuation will become untenable, so this cannot be allowed to happen.
"The second area of concern is the island of Koibol. It houses a KORGTO installation for orbital defense under Imperial control. Unfortunately, it was supplied by a militia base, which has since laid siege to the KORGTO batteries. If that facility falls into enemy hands, they could threaten any allied ships in orbit, and stop the evacuation cold. KORGTO's crew must be reinforced and defended until they can destroy the weapons and render them unusable by the enemy.
"Third is a barrier island on the western coast of Cabraillo. An airbase there is being used for evacuations, but to get to it, civilians have to cross one of three causeways from the mainland. 3rd Battalion from the 901st Air Assault Division is protecting the bridges, but as the evacuations finish the fighting is coalescing on the barrier island. If those causeways fall then all remaining refugees there will be trapped on Cabraillo's mainland. The 3rd Battalion badly needs reinforcement.
"Finally, there is the island of Rapi, part of the Nalato chain. The evacuation from Rapi has been piecemeal due to the presence of a militia base, which controls both the starport and a large fuel refinery on the island. To allow for the evacuation to proceed, we must wrest control of Rapi's starport from the enemy and hold it long enough for transports to arrive. A diversionary attack on the refinery may draw the militia away, but I leave that to the commander on the ground to decide. In any event, an organized attempt to evacuate Rapi must be made.
"Be advised that neither the Imperial Army or Navy will be able to provide you with consistent orbital or aerial cover. Most ships will be needed to assist in the evacuation or defend against the SIN's fleet when it arrives. Otherwise, you will have to rely on what you brought with you. However, I will do my best to get your commanders the support that they need. Lieutenant General Hotaka out."
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