People were gathered in a debriefing room on Fort Leniex, with Grand Admiral Taylor on the front, updating the personnel about an operation that has been authorized. A small detachment of the taskforce Warhammer, Delta Transport Fleet and the CO of the Polyphemus were in the room.
“Listen up, boys and girls.” The lights lowered and Taylor activated the projector with the push of a button on her wrist’s device. “We’re about to go down with Operation Anvil, if you’re here that means you’ve been assigned to this mission.” Chloe turned around, started the briefing with the image of Bering’s inactive jumpgate and viewed the presentation along with the rest. “Your target is the inactive jumpgate in the Bering system.The goal is to retrieve parts of the jumpgate and haul it to Vespucci and the Engineering division will take care of everything else.” She changed the image to the Bering system’s map with position and movement markings on it.
“The Polyphemus will deploy along with a few fighter wings to escort the Deltas to Pacifica, where the transports will mount the equipment necessary for this task and stand by, while the combat forces will proceed to the area where the jumpgate is located, secure it and after everything’s clear, call for the Deltas to do their job.” She pauses for a bit while the image on the screen was changing, now showing Battleship Alma. located in the Hudson system. “As you can see, the Liberty Navy has fortified their presence in the neighbouring Hudson, which could mean potential threat if they detect your presence in Bering. You must be on high alert at all times.” The lights came back and Chloe closed the projector.
“That is all. Any questions?” She looked at the crowd and saw a few hands rising. She pointed at someone in the middle of the seated crowd, he got up and introduced himself. “Major Max “Fightmaster” Cooper, when do we leave, Ma’am?” The major paused “As soon as the Polyphemus has finished preparations. The strikecraft you will be using have been prepared and moved on the carrier. Any other questions?” She waited for a minute to see if anyone else has any other questions, but none appeared. “Good, you are dismissed.”
Time: 0600 hours
Vespucci system
Fort Leniex
HFB-Polyphemus
The commanding officer of the Polyphemus, Daniel Rou, was in the ship's bridge finishing the preparations for their departure to the Bering system. He was going through the movement plans on his data pad incase there was some miscalculation that could add obstacles on their way or worse, jeopardise the mission. The Crimson fighter wing and the Azure bomber wing were loaded on the Polyphemus and their pilots had just finished their individual preparations. "This is Major Cooper to the bridge, both the Crimsons and the Azures are here. We're good to go." The short transmission from the ship's hangars alerted Rou, it was the signal he was waiting so the mission could begin. A bright green was lit on the side of his datapad which showed the ship's readiness aswell as the hangar's status. Rou stood up and alerted the bridge and opened inter-ship comms aswell as a channel to Fort Leniex. "This is Fleet Captain Rou to all hands, we've got the green light for departure, the Polyphemus is now disembarking for the Bering system. See you soon, Leniex." Rou sat back down and ordered the helm to set course for the Magellan jumphole where the Delta transports were waiting.
Rou sat on his chair as the ship was travelling to its destination smoothly through the Leniex asteroid field. After almost an hour he alerted the Crimson wing to be on stand by for deployment and escort the Deltas. "Major Cooper, this is Captain Rou, I need you and a few others outside to keep our transports safe throughout the trip." Major Cooper replied affirmitevely, going on Crimson 1 along with some of the more skilled pilots to accompany him. "We're ready to launch on your orders Captain." Rou was looking at the mission plans once again just before their rendezvous with the Deltas. He was particulary worried about proceeding through California undetected, as the flight plan was through lightly patrolled areas. He wasn't a man that would take his chances, from his experience he knew that things never go according to plan. "Sir, we are being hailed by the Delta leader." The communications officer disrupted Rou's thinking. "Patch him in." Rou stood up and greeted the Major. "The Deltas are good to go, sir, just give us the order." Rou signaled Major Cooper to launch and soon everything was in formation, ready to begin the mission.
“Everything’s in order? Good.” Rou turned to the ship’s helm and gave them the order to begin “Helm, take us through the jump hole,” The helmsman replied affirmatively “Aye aye sir.” The inter-ship comms were activated by the captain “To all hands, we’re about to jump through the hole to Magellan. Brace yourselves.” The Polyphemus was slowly going through the jump hole and the Deltas along with their escort were following it through, just like ducklings follow mama duck. The jump was successful and the captain requested a status report on the ship and the followers “Status report, I want to know if something’s out of the ordinary.” The XO immediately responded to the captain with a positive report, nothing’s gone wrong after jumping. “Our ship is intact sir and there hasn’t been a negative report from the fleet.” Rou stood up from his seat and aligned his hat a bit, this was a sign he was both excited and anxious. “Excellent. Helm, set course for the Cortez jump hole and the California one afterwards. Luck is with us today. XO, you have the reigns until then.” Rou believed that any voyage would not be cursed with failure if the first step away from home was successful, and he was particularly glad that this operation had at least the blessings of space. The captain went to the mess hall to grab something to eat and relax before he would be needed again in the bridge. There he saw some of the men playing the dice and doing the common knife tricks with their hands, which made him chuckle for a second. After he sat down and finished with his food, he moved to his quarters to get some rest.
Several hours later his sleep was disturbed by a call from the bridge. “Sir, we’re about to jump to California” Rou rubbed his eyes a bit “I’ll be there ASAP.” He got up and splashed his face with some water hastily and rushed to the bridge where he was greeted by his XO. Rou sat on the captain’s chair and alerted the crew about the upcoming jump and the risks of them being found out. “To all hands, this ship is now on yellow alert. Everyone must be at their posts and ready for combat. Our fighters must be prepped and ready to launch at all times. That is all.” The numbers they kept flying were minimal to eliminate the chances they would be spotted, as the arbiter’s advanced jamming systems could not cover a large fleet, but a small fleet as theirs was no problem. “Crimsons, fly ahead to the waypoints and alert us about contacts.” Major Cooper acknowledged and moved to the their first waypoint in California. “Roger that, sir.” Major Cooper uploaded the flight path to the rest of the fighters.
“Crimson leader here, we have new orders. We are to fly ahead of the pack and scout for contacts. The flight path we’ll follow is the one you see now on your screen. The fleet’s waiting, let’s move people!”
The Crimson wing was moving towards the 1st waypoint and the rest of the fleet was following slow and steady. “Crimson Leader to Polyphemus, we have reached the first waypoint. Nothing out of the ordinary. We’ll go ahead to the second waypoint.” The ships fired up their cruise engines and continued on their flight path. “Roger that Crimson leader, we’re almost at Waypoint 1.” Rou was sitting on his chair waiting patiently, his heart was beating fast because non-combat staff were in a hot spot under his watch. He slowly erased any negative thought once he convinced himself that everyone in the mission was selected due to their abilities to perform. Several minutes later another transmission from the Crimson leader was sent out “Crimson leader reporting our current status, waypoint two is clean and clear. Moving to waypoint three. Over” At this point the rest of the fleet were halfway to the second waypoint. Almost an hour later, they managed to reach the Texas jumhole undisturbed and possibly undetected. “Crimson leader, this is Polyphemus actual. I need you and your men to cross over to the Texas system and notify us if we can proceed. If you come across minor hostiles take them out, otherwise request support.” A handful of fighters prepared were slowly being sucked into the jump hole.
A few minutes later, the Crimson leader reported a successful jump and three contacts on scanners. “Polyphemus, everyone jumped successfully. Ov- Hold on, I am picking up three unidentified contacts. They are of medium size, we’ll check it out, stand by.” The laser and plasma weapons of the squad were charging up as they were approaching the unknown contacts, soon they realised they were small time smugglers hauling scrap metal from the field. “Polyphemus actual, this is Crimson leader, the contacts have been identified as small time freelance traders. You are cleared to jump. Over.” Major signaled the rest of the fleet to cross the jump hole. “Crimson leader, this is captain Rou. We’ll be doing the same thing all over again, you lead and we’ll follow, waypoint’s at the Bering jump hole.”“Copy that.” The Crimsons departed on their own again and the rest of the fleet slowly followed. An hour later they arrived at the rendezvous point in Bering.
Engulfed in a flashing light the Polyphemus emerged from the anomaly. Suddenly a dazzling yellow light infiltrated the bridge through the portholes and the helmsman promptly engaged the shading technology. Bering's sun is so bright it illuminates the whole system with its shine, but the party was well prepared. "To all hands, status report?" requested Daniel Rou after regaining his vision. "This is Crimson Leader, all fighters jumped successfully." Seconds later the Delta Leader responded with a similar confirmation. So far it was a smooth ride, but they were no longer in Liberty space and this war-torn system posed a serious risk. "Adjutant, give me a map of this sector," ordered the fleet captain and began evaluating the vicinity.
He quickly realized that the Tanner asteroid field is going to be an obstacle for the Polyphemus. If they were to fly in formation around the battleship they would lose precious time and fuel. As much as he didn't want to split the convoy in this region, he gave the following orders in the joint comms channel: "This is captain Rou to all hands, listen carefully. Delta transports set a direct course for Pacifica Base. The exact coordinates have been input in your respective neural net logs. When you get there our Unioner friends will install adequate salvaging tech on your ships, which is crucial for this operation. Crimson Wing on the other hand is to fly ahead and scout for possible threats. Your first waypoint is the Hudson jump hole. After that location is secured proceed to Pacifica. Keep a distance of no more than 10 klicks from the transports. The Polyphemus will cover the rear and disturb a potential ambush." Major Cooper didn't fancy the situation at all, but the commands were given. “Orders acknowledged, Crimson Wing moving out!" The transports also engaged their cruise engines and headed for their destination.
A couple of hours later the Crimsons and the Deltas reached their objective uninterrupted. The fighters reported only a group of Unioners patrolling the area, but nothing else of significance. "Delta Leader to Pacifica base, requesting docking access." The party was greeted by the voice of a rough Rheinlandish accent, "Guten tag, Hellfire piloten. We've been expecting you." Moments later the docking bays opened and consumed the transports.
Meanwhile, some 30 klicks from Pacifica, a river of sweat was running down Rou's cheek. Now he was navigating the Polyphemus himself on the bridge, dodging boulder after boulder. Cruise speed was not an option in this blasted field. After receiving the good news from the rest of the group, the fleet captain was more or less relieved. It was going to be a couple more hours before the equipment was installed on the transports, so he decided not to waste any time and head directly for the final destination. "Attention all pilots, this is captain Rou speaking. When preparations on the Deltas are complete, deploy immediately and head for the last checkpoint, where we will conduct the salvaging. Major Cooper, I entrust them to you to keep them safe. In the mean time I will go ahead and secure the jump gate. I also think it's high time we let loose our bombers. Azure Wing, this final route is going to be the most unpredictable, keep your eyes peeled and protect the Polyphemus at all costs in the event of an attack." Numerous bombers flew out of the battleship's belly. “Copy that, captain, Azure Wing assuming defensive formation."
Daniel Rou finally sat down on his chair on the bridge and took a sip of cold water. "Helmsman, take the wheel for the time being." An instantaneous reply followed "Aye-aye, captain!” With Azure Wing flying about he could take a moment of rest, but his senses were still sharp, ready for any kind of surprise...
“Fleet Captain, we have reached our destination,” reported the Helmsman.
“About time,” Rou sighed. Reinvigorated, the captain got up from his desk and took a look outside. The jumpgate to Hamburg was in the expected condition- a total wreck. There were tons of debris flying around, but they were of no use. The desired components were located in the more intricate parts of the jump gate. “This is captain Rou speaking, Azure Wing is to remain in formation around the Polyphemus. The small squad of Crimsons is to secure the area. I want a 15 klik perimeter set up. You are to remain vigilant from this point on until the operation is completed.” Rou then switched the channel to the Pacifica base. “Come in, Crimson Leader. How are the preparations going?”
After a short static Major Cooper’s voice sounded through the internal comms loud and clear: “Your timing is impeccable captain. Delta 2 is undocking as we speak, Delta 1 is already in space testing the energy drain on the new equipment. Everything seems to be in check.” A slight smile appeared on Rou’s face for a moment. “Excellent! The Deltas are to proceed to our location immediately after undock. Crimsons vessels, don’t lose sight of the transports. We are securing the vicinity, but should be ready by the time you get here.” “Roger that,” the Delta pilots acknowledged simultaneously!
In less than an hour, all vessels regrouped at the rendezvous point. Daniel Rou took a deep breath and began dishing out his usual set of orders: “Alright gentlemen, this is it! The area has been scouted thoroughly and no contacts have been detected- we are clear to begin extraction. Deltas, move to the inside of the gate and begin scraping off the inner panels. Once they are peeled off go ahead and carefully salvage whatever hardware you can find. Use the software from our Engineering Division, so we can avoid any damage done while handling the devices manually. After that--”
“I am sorry fleet captain,” Major Cooper interrupted. “I have just received word from our allies at Pacifica about a possible Rheinland Military patrol coming in from the Hamburg jump hole!” Cold sweat ran down Rou’s back for a moment. The Polyphemus and all escorts could handle any Military patrol with ease, but it was of utmost importance to keep their presence incognito in this system. He wouldn’t be caught off guard that easily, not while being this close to finishing this darn mission. “Crimson Leader, head to the jump hole and keep it in check.”
“Understood,” replied Fightmaster and made his way through the swarm of rocks.
"In the event we’re discovered by enemy ships, Delta transports are to follow RNG-457 evasion protocol and escape with whatever cargo they’ve managed to collect. Now commence dismantling this scrap heap!”
Both transports assumed positions and began executing the orders…
“This is Crimson Leader to Polyphemus actual, come in!”
“Polyphemus actual here, report Crimson Leader?”
“Several Rheinland Military ships have been spotted exiting through the Hamburg jump hole. I count three bombers and two fighter escorts. Considering the ship types and number I believe—“
Daniel Rou smashed his fist against his mahogany desk so hard that the crackle was heard over the comms. “This was to be expected,” he thought to himself. His intuition would not let him get caught off guard. “Deltas, what’s your status?”
“This is Delta Leader here, we have about 500 more units of cargo to fill up, but all necessary components listed by our Engineering Division have been acquired. Should we proceed with the final scoop?”
“That’s a negative,” replied Rou. “Terminate all salvaging operations and execute the evasive protocol, we got what we came for.” In a direct engagement, the Legion would win against the puny patrol, but those bombers could evaporate the transports in an instant. A tactician of his stature would not allow for a small victory to compromise the success of this mission. The large battleship began crawling to the destination, followed by the rest of the party Soon enough the main task force was gathered at the coordinates Rou had inputted for such a scenario and ordered all vessels to form on the Polyphemus, some 5 kliks from the jump gate. “Helmsman, begin charging the jump drive. Estimated time?”
“Five minutes, sir,” reported the helmsman. “If you have it ready in less than three I will save you a spot at the admiral’s bar on Leniex, soldier.” With said prize in mind the helmsman began relaying all power to the jump drive. That would immobilize the behemoth completely as well as down its shields and cannons for a while, but it was a risk he knew the fleet captain would approve of taking.
"Major Cooper, have you been spotted?” asked Rou with a tense voice.
“Negative, captain. My cloak is still holding out, but I don’t know for how long. The enemy ships are far behind me now, but are moving in on our location.”
“Ignore them, proceed at full speed to the waypoint!” If Rou’s calculations were correct, the party should be able to escape unnoticed. One minute passed, two minutes passed- the seconds were dragging with the speed of broken Defiant gunboats after a Hellfire raid. A bright light began emitting from the core of the Polyphemus due to the large surplus of energy poured in the jump drive.
“The drive is charged at 100%, captain. Destination has been set for the beacon at Vespucci, near America base. Are we clear to jump?”
“All troops in formation? Where the hell is Crimson Leader?!”
A small fighter with the sigil “Fightmaster” engraved on its hull in red decloaked nearby and swooped under the belly of the beast: “Crimson Leader has formed on the Polyphemus. It was a close one, I am all out of juice!"“Jump now! Go, go, go,” yelled out Rou with the intensity of a fleeing Navy lieutenant! In the distance the Rheinland patrol caught a last glimpse of the formation: “Herr Oberkommander, multiple hostiles have appeared on the scanners. Wait, was ist das? It seems like a—“ were the only words the pilot could mumble before being blinded by the sudden burst of light from the Polyphemus…
Moments later the party emerged in the Vespucci system safe and sound. “What a flashy escape, captain,” exclaimed the helmsman! Daniel Rou was greeted by a familiar sight. He exhaled heavily and relaxed his body on the chair while observing the welcoming group of transports and other support craft, including snub escorts. “You did well girl, you did real well” he whispered while patting the command board of the immobilized Arbiter. It would be some time before the Polyphemus could restore its systems to operating level, but they were out of harm’s way, the mission was complete. Rou stood up and congratulated everyone: “Good job, men! Your excellence will be noted in my report to Mrs. Taylor.”
“Come in, Fleet Capitan Rou,” Chloe’s voice echoed from the comms channel. “Was the operation successful?” “Speaking of the old lady,” said Rou with a smile on his face. “Affirmative ma’am, no casualties suffered.” “Wonderful! I’m glad you’re back, captain. A drop ship has been dispatched to bring you as well as Crimson, Azure, and Delta leaders to Leniex. We have much to discuss. Over and out.”
“Helmsman, take the wheel. Refuel the ship and make sure all systems are stable when I get back. I won’t forget about my promise, he-he.” Daniel Rou gave the helmsman a slight wink and then walked out of the control room. As he strolled down the corridors his thoughts were resonating with the joyful rhythm of his footsteps. His thoughts were no longer on the battlefield; now all he was wondering was what type of champagne had the Grand Admiral picked for the celebration.
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