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Strategos (A Great Captain Roberts Tale!!) - Part 2
Chapter 4 - Heisty and Scheisty[]
Reaction to Operation Plan[]
Central to the…
…concept of Commando operations, is the use of asymmetric force-that is, the use of smaller, less powerful (in a conventional sense) forces to cripple, disable, demoralize and damage an enemy prior to the arrival of more formalized, 'proper' regular forces.
This acts as a form of force multiplication, allowing what are technically less capable, smaller militarizes to carry out impressive victories where the usual calculus would indicate ignominious defeat.
This typically takes the form of covert approaches designed to target an opponent's capabilities in ways he is not prepared to protect.
The opposition is more numerous, they have established deep, well equipped defenses, they know the terrain, they have backup.
These must be addressed.
"She wants to attempt what?", Khan Alberto Crow stared at the latest report from OWS Evanescent.
"She wants to try to steal four Invaders and two Star Lords...as their opening move," Acton Howe explained. "Each vessel taken in such a manner is mobility denied to the enemy, and added to our own forces. Then, she wants to blow up some fuel docks and get the enemy chasing her around the system to straggle them out for defeat in detail."
"Her planning needs work." the Khan stated.
"Aff…her list of contingencies and failure points shows clearly that Dave Foster's influenced some of her thinking, and Nichols has as well…but it does need work."
"Tell them to continue to delay until backup is available," the Khan ordered. "Gather more information and refine their plan, find more points of potential failure, and address them."
"For how long?"
Crow studied the chronometer. "One week," he determined. "Long enough for Foster to arrive and give refinements-and enough resources to maybe carry it out without losing major assets."
"Seyla."
Discussing a Solid Plan[]
"It is a…
…solid plan." Fleet Captain Foster reviewed the operation plan from Evanescent. "It does need some refinement, but it is a solid strategy if it can be pulled off." He turned to Ensign Johnson. "So, do you see the first place it can go completely wrong, Johnson?"
"The JumpShip hijacks," Johnny said. "When we took their ship at Bell, there was a significant defensive force aboard, and they were well armed for the job. WE were just better armed, but to go for all four? She needs to split her marine complement to a lot smaller teams than we used."
"Aff," Foster nodded approvingly. "That IS a point of failure, but you missed the obvious one."
Johnny looked puzzled at his commander. "The obvious one?"
"Approach," Fleet Captain Foster said. "To pull this off the way she has it outlined, they can not have even so much as a single moment's warning. And they have to use shuttles, even on cold drift those shuttles can be spotted by someone looking outside at the wrong moment, in the right direction…and it has to be simultaneous."
"Without the element of surprise…" Johnny recognized. "...without it, the marines never make the hulls."
"Bingo," Foster stated. "This base has sufficient CAP in place and their observation shows that CAP is actually patrolling-which multiplies the 'windows' to spot an oncoming strike team well in time for a fighter interception-while the alert alone could spook the JumpShips to flee, which is not good for anyone in an approaching shuttle."
"So…not so workable." Johnny sighed.
"It is, it can be made to work, she just needs both Evanescent and Illusive to strike at the same time, from much closer." Foster grinned.
"Emergence waves, we Crazy-Jane right in between two. While she CJ's the other two, small craft launch as soon as internal power recovers, it does not give them time to react, because the hundred twenty seconds it takes to recover external sensors is enough time for the boarding shuttles to launch and close the gap, based on the positioning. It will take hard burns for the boarding teams, and that is always a little dangerous, but…the ships can be taken in such a manner."
"What about the other two?"
Here, Foster hissed with his teeth, "Well…someone's teams will be short, because those teams will have to be arriving on cold-drift unless we have a third ship coming in at the Nadir…which we do not."
"Feels riskier somehow," Johnny said uneasily.
Foster nodded. "It is, which is why I am going to call in a couple of old favors."
"Sir?"
"Even mediocre officers have contacts. I happen to know the CO of Kappa's transport group, and they have a Clan Merchant with a Carrier dropship and a wing of solahma, with marines."
Foster nodded to Johnny's work-tablet, "Prep for a dictated short-burst transmission, Mister Johnson. Esme is on duty in Comms?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. The first, is a FRAGO-that is a 'fragmentary order' to OWS Evanescent outlining my changes to her plan, the second will be a personal message to Star Captain Wilhemina Siegel, from me, and it will include some details I would prefer did NOT appear on an official report. Ready to copy?"
"Aye sir."
Marching Orders[]
"That son of a…
…bitch!!" Star Captain Wilhemina Siegel spat, reading the offprint. Her words were crude and harsh, but her tone was almost nostalgic and fond. "Officer's call in forty minutes, tell Star and Binary leaders to report to the War Room, and bring coffee. All passes are canceled, I want every one of my shipboard marine complement secured for transit by…" she checked the chronometer, "Twenty Two Forty Hours."
"Ma'am?"
Wilhelmina grinned, and it stripped twenty years from her features, "We are going into battle!!"
She then tapped the Tech at the communications console, "Prepare to copy, burst transmission to OWS Illusive, classified traffic, Eyes Only Fleet Captain David Foster, code base Ice Rook series fourteen. Open header with 'my dearest short-tackled, dim-witted surat-spit, I do remember the incident in question and was quite disappointed…"
The rest of the message was laced with insults of a personal nature of the sort that would, to an outside observer, look like a furious mix of roast and bald degradation, but in the midst of it, between the taunts and occasional brutal put-downs, was an acceptance and a request for a copy of the operational plan.
The CSRS Rook Roost would be ready for the mission in twelve hours…even if Wilhemina had to get out and stow the sail rigging herself, by hand.
Captain's Place is on her Ship[]
"Drink up…
…me hearties and yo-ho." Amanda muttered, looking at the revised strategic plan. She didn't even need to touch the keypad, to have the revised outline filled in with specific targets, positioning data and light delay calculations.
"Mister Seron, revised target list and deployment instructions," she intoned, and her Marine Commander's display filled out.
"This…is a much, much better plan," Seron said.
"Aye. It is," Amanda nodded. "We won't be running short when we hit them."
"Will you be remaining aboard, Ma'am?" Seron asked.
Amanda shrugged, "I trust your judgment, Mister Seron… Should I stay aboard?"
"I would prefer it, Ma'am." Seron told her seriously. "A commander's position is on the ship, not in the middle of a boarding action. You are more useful handling contingencies and directing forces, than being a direct combatant. You know, I think it would help Mister Nichols not to be fretting because you are exposing yourself to return fire directly with only a boarding suit between you and the enemy's weapons."
"Noted. I'll leave the fun to you then."
"Thank you, Ma'am." he said grimly.
"Booty for everyone…" she sighed.
"Yo-Ho, Captain." Seron actually smiled.
"Go in four hours," she said. "be ready."