Michelle O'Brian stepped into the meeting room on board Winchester Station. It was hardly used these days, reserved particularly for meetings of the Board, or with Her Majesty's Royal advisors. The Majority of these meetings had been held recently in the War Cabinets war rooms.
The room had been ornately decorated with items of Bretonian military history, and at the centre was a large oak table, surrounded by high backed chairs, one for each of the Admirals and Commodores of the 12 Great Fleets. Michelle sat at the head of the table, a datapad placed before her. She had chosen her Dress Uniform for the occasion, representing the 1st New London Command Fleet.
The first to arrive was Admiral Norma Clark, head of the 11th Grimsby Research Fleet. She sat down at the bottom end of the table, placing her papers before her, clearly for her situational update.
Admiral Clark. Thank you for joining me. We shall wait for our colleagues to arrive before continuing.
My pleasure Ma'am.
She sat, waiting for the others to arrive
After a short period of time Admiral Charles Davis head of the 9th Ark Royal Mobile Assault fleet and 10th Macduff defence fleet entered the room, he wore his white dress uniform with a symbol of the Newcastle forces on his left arm. He was carrying a briefcase with him and he saluted as he entered.
" Fleet Admiral O'Brian requesting permission to enter ?"
"Granted ! " the Fleet Admiral spoke.
Davis proceeded to sit next to Admiral Norma Clark, he also greeted her. He pulled out a tablet and left it on the table fallowed by removal of his hat and leaving it on the table. He looked at the Fleet Admiral ready to take part in the conversation.
Jacob McIntire, Commodore of the 6th Counter Fleet, including the Essex entered the room in a great mood, he was always happy to have an excuse to leave the rocks of Dublin and with it the people with this unbareable dialect and clothes dirty of dust and gold.
He walked to the table, taking a seat between to empty chairs and put a thin sheet of papers on the table, smiling,
Hello gentlemen, ladies
He then put his hat on the back of his chair, leaning back to wait for what was to come.
Although almost everyone invited was there, the chamber was silent for some time already. No one was talking, as it was pointless to start the discussion before everyone was present. Admiral Davis cleared his throat and it echoed throughout the silence. The Fleet Admiral took a glance at her watch. It had just started counting seconds after eight.
A soldier entered the chamber and exclaimed after closing the door:
"Admiral Sir George Richard Hall!"
"Let him in", the Fleet Admiral responded, slightly stressed.
A caffeinated, rugged wretch in a lavish ceremonial uniform, with tidily arranged dark green Norfolk Fleet emblems, probably by someone else, creeped from the doorway. He handed his admiral's hat to the soldier and rose proudly, irradiating the chamber with his vanity. His eyes made contact with the Fleet Admiral's.
"Precisely on time, Fleet Admiral. Good morning."
He bowed his head slightly. There was some jesting tone in his words, enough to defy his superior, but not enough to earn him anything more than a stern look. Almost as if he was speaking to a child playing fleets in a bathtub.
There was obviously some bigotry between O'Brien and Hall. O'Brien was a thirty year old girl, who was also Hall's boss. He doubted her leadership abilities, and was convinced that she had reached the position by using her other abilities while spending nights with the previous Fleet Admiral in a romantic and perhaps very drunken manner. The fact that the previous Fleet Admiral was a woman did not disturb him, but the fact that she had more in common with a cat than a woman in terms of appearance did.
These, however, were not the main causes. It was that Hall wanted the position for himself. Doing anything to undermine O'Brien's reputation and authority, and increase his own, was an attractive option. He did not revise about his fleet status during the evening. Instead, he rewinded Commander Dagon's (unintentional) recordings of O'Brien's quarters to prepare some aces in his sleeve. Actually, he spent more time studying O'Brien and other Admirals and Commodores than his own forces. And he finished on time. The cardamine in his genes helped his mind run faster. He could have arrived much earlier if he wished, but what he really wanted was to show everyone how foolish they were to sacrifice their sleep to arrive earlier and humbly serve a bawdy girl. He observed everyone's reaction to his relative delay and the slightly joking tone so he could calculate how likely they would be to vote O'Brien down from the position, if there arose a chance, and elect, perhaps, him.
He stood there for a moment, with his thoughts completely hidden behind the expressionless mask, unscrupulously waiting for the Fleet Admiral's welcome to her (for now) chamber and the approval to take a seat.
Michelle looked up, her lips thinning as Hall entered the room. He may only be a few seconds late, but he knew what he was doing
Admiral Sir George Richard Hall, a pleasure as always. If you would care to take your seat?
She indicated the seat to he left, representing the 3rd Cambridge Command Fleet. She knew Hall was attempting to frustrate her, and decided to put on her best smile. Anyone who aspired to be someone in the Armed Forces knew that Hall had been gunning for her position for years, even long before she took command, and she suspected he was attempting a small act of defiance now. She need not worry though. By giving him the newest Armed Forces toys first, and plenty opportunity to exercise his authority, O'Brian knew she could rely on him to get the job done. There was no denying him being a force to be reckoned with after all. With Hall taking his seat, she nodded slightly towards the end of the table
Admiral Clark, would you like to start us off?"
Thank you Fleet Admiral. As you are all aware, we reserve no regional reports, as that honour falls to Admiral Davies. Fleet updates cover our recent merging with the 12th Stirling Exploratory group. With the recent updates to the instability of the JumpHole network leading us to the Dundee system, we felt it necessary to begin an evacuation effort. For the time being, the Stirling and her forces will be aiding us until such time as their deployment is required. We also cover the alien structure located in the Newcastle system. Unfortunately, our efforts to penetrate the protective shield are relatively unsuccessful. We are continuing to make advancements, and will keep the board updated on our progress. This is all I have to report at this time.
Thank you. I hope that we will see some developments in the region soon. Commodore McIntire, would you like to update us on Dublin and the Essex Fleet developments?
McIntire startled, sorting his papers and beginning his report.
The Essex Fleet is at the moment in an overall good state. Our fights with the Mollys continue as expected but the intensity is nothing we can't handle. In last time there is even a decrease in firefights with them, but there is no apparent reason for it. Maybe the conflict cools down a bit or their ressources are shrinking. Only time will tell I'm afraid.
There are other news though, in the last months we sighted once and again ships of either Kusarian or Gallic origin, some with Nomadic equipment, some without but all highly aggressive. But this incididents decreased in numbers leately, too. Nevertheless you should be informed.
The overall safety of the mining operations could be mantained, but of course we couldn't hinder every single attack.
Overall the situation is getting better. Slight optimism is not inappropriate at this time.
For Edingburgh I cant report much apart from what we see on occasional guerilla attacks. The system is used as a gateway to supply the troops of the GRN at the front. I try to make their job as hard as possible, but the resources I have are insufficient for bigger strikes and I dont risk men and equipment in unecessary fights there.
That is all, madam.
He leans back again, apparently content with what he just reported. He hoped that the good news might even lead to some interesting task for him. Correspondingly relaxed he awaited the next reports.
Michelle paused, thinking on the Commodores report. She finally looked up, smiling
Thank you Commodore McIntire. My own advice here would be to keep your guard up. While the Molly's may be lax in their operations against us and Bretonian civilians right now, they could be using this time to pool their resources and prepare to strike at us. Remain vigilant, the Suffolk will support you should you require it.
Admiral Davis, your reports from the 9th Ark Royal and 10th Macduff Great Fleets, as well as your report on the Newcastle region if you please.
Admiral Davis nodded he looked the Fleet admiral in the eyes and as he reported he looked each Admiral in the eye.
"Thank you Fleet Admiral I would like to report that 9th Ark Royal and 10th Macduff Great Fleets, also known as The Newcastle fleets, are combat ready and active. Regular personal and fleet training exercises keep the forces combat ready, most of the fleet scores are very high *he hands a grade evaluation list of the fleet to the FA* witch is acceptable.
Now the current numbers of the fleet is the one written on this report, except for the losses we endured during the events of the Newcastle incident last year, Those losses were 2 squadrons of Templar's and a the Destroyer vessel Acolyte. However the incident bore positive fruit for us, my command staff and myself managed to develop a protocol for actions in case such events ever occur again. You can review them at the archives for last year, but to simply put it direct lock down of the entire system, civilian traffic either is reduced to minimum or none at all until the situation resolves. Sending scout parties to recon and evaluate the situation and I can continue on and on, I believe who ever wishes can request to have the report sent"
He takes a sip of water before he continues
" System activities, Gallic royal navy presence in the system is minimum to none, thanks to the efforts of the good men and women serving in the Newcastle forces, how ever criminal activity can be noticed but again to a minimum level's, Molly activity surprisingly stretches only to around Belfast, a station witch in my opinion currently posses no threat, Wild and nomad activity after the events of the Newcastle incident has decreased as well, however the intruders in the Berrier Ice field have grown quite a but and some intruders manage to slip pass the patrol regions, I am guessing there still explorers trying to see what caused the incident, I am aware that Admiral Norma Clark and Captain Oliver Davis are still conducting their investigation."
He noded towards Admiral Clark.
" Allied activity and North en sector political and Military map, Currently the Tau sector is still occupied by the Royal navy forces. I requested a status report on the planet Harris's status and the situation was deteriorating, scouts indicated a presence of a royal navy ship above the planet but not much is known other then that. The Tau-29 system is under Kusari Exile control as we all know the Imperial Navy breached last year the defences in Kyushu and established a beach head, after words however dialog was lost with the 343, and we haven't had any contact with the for quite a while, no requests no nothing, I am wondering weather or not to our continue our small logistical support for them or expand the operation to something more larger in scale. Regular engagements by the Outcast against Royal navy forces in the Tau-23 are reported by local news networks and freelancers. The Council allies have also ceased transmissions and have established a a close perimeter in their system. The occasional supply ship, and secondary forces can be noticed to be active. "
He rested little bit before he continued
"So in conclusion of my report I would like to note that the Newcastle forces are training and improving themselves every day and they are ready for combat. My recommendation about the Dundee situation, yes evacuate the system but the 12th Stirling Exploratory group should be attached to the Newcastle forces or Manchester. That is all thank you for your attention."
he leaned on his chair and took a zip of water.
She nods lightly, chewing over Davis' words.
Yes, thank you Admiral Davis for your report. My advice at this time would be to retask your supply convoys to Planet Harris itself. Evacuate those you can, and send supplies to those that remain. We can't force them to leave, but they damn well won't be forgotten. It seems the Tau region, whilst still a long way for us to truly mount an offensive, is something that requires a little more care. Find priority targets, and opportunities of interest, and strike at those. We'll give your fleets the action they deserve, when the time comes Admiral. For the time being though, as you command some of the largest fleets at the Armed Forces disposal, I will decline on your request for the Stirling Exploratory Group. They would be better suited to defending the Grimsby, and are little more than a battlegroup at present. This task would suit them better, but thank you for your consideration.
She lowered her head slightly in his direction before turning to Hall
Admiral Sir Hall, your report on the Norfolk Defence Fleet, and the 3rd Cambridge Command Fleet please, as well as your situational report for the Cambridge sector.
While the Fleet Admiral was busy listening to Admiral Davis, Hall directed a certain look at Commodore McIntire. It was shamelessly lewd and it diverted towards the Fleet Admiral immediately, as if he wanted to say: "You'd hit that, eh?" Hall's organism was, as already mentioned, deteriorated by the extensive use of cardamine many years ago, so he did not feel a lot of romance himself towards the Fleet Admiral. Knowing McIntire as a rather virile man and the youngest of them all, save the Fleet Admiral, he expected him to rashly let off a reaction, which would help Hall sense how highly he thought of the Fleet Admiral and, perhaps, how loyally. O'Brien turned towards Hall at this inappropriate moment and avoided the perverse look only by a second. Hall skimmed through a list, cleaned his throat, and started to speak. He prolonged the first "the" as he was gathering all the necessary information into his working memory.
"Theeee... size of the Norfolk Fleet and the Cambridge Planetary has diminished slightly since the last census. This is because we are covering not one, but three systems. A month ago we were still bogged down in our operation against Cadiz due to the Omega-5 asteroid field and the lack of forces caused by the lack of the High Command's care towards my fleets. Despite everything, it seemed that we did dent the Corsairs really well, as that was when the Red Hessians suddenly decided to disrespect all our agreements and attack us, despite all my efforts to reason them. That resulted in the operations against Cadiz being halted. They mentioned that the Corsairs had been pushed back and that it was what enabled them to pillage our territory. I do not think that they were right completely and I would rather say that they had been pushed aside. More precisely, into Poole. The frequency of their raids in that system has increased dramatically, while it has decreased in Cambridge. The jump hole leading to and from Omega-5 in Cambridge has collapsed, but it is possible that a new one has opened in Poole. It is also possible that, God forbid, they have built an outpost in the system. I require a small wing of ships equipped with the best sensors available to probe the Torfaen Asteroid Field.
Progressing further, or rather deteriorating, even the Zoners of Freeport 1 decided to turn against us, albeit not openly. The Sovereign has been positioned to monitor the Freeport, but the ship might have to be moved to Magellan following the absolutely indispensable transfer of the Dauntless to the secondary fleet. I remind you, Fleet Admiral, that I still need orders concerning Freeport 1."
He took a cup of tea, apparently specially prepared for him. He looked around it, at it, smelled it, tasted it timidly and carefully, and only then took a sip. And another two, as it was apparently both safe and delicious.
"On the brighter side, however, as I have not received any significant reinforcements for years, I have managed to strike a few agreements with some parties, such as the IMG, the Core and Battlegroup Auxesia, and use their instead. I also hope that the treaty with Rheinland, which I initiated myself, will be signed soon, because it seems to me that the Red Hessians, the Coalition and the Mollies are forming an alliance, directed specifically against my forces. If that does not happen, I propose ceding a part of Dublin to the Corsairs in exchange for a peace treaty, and some inevitable neighbourhood disputes with the Mollies, of course." He grinned at the thought of manipulating people to murder each other. "That should make the Commodore's work easier too.
Bringing everything to a conclusion, my forces are too spread out and I need reinforcements in order to continue keeping the southern trade routes safe. Whether they come from other fleets or from Rheinland is not my concern. I also need orders concerning Freeport 1. That is all."
Hall did not really need those reinforcements so direly. What the south faced were mostly just disorganized pirate raids and a few Coalition propaganda ships. But his forces were not exactly invincible either, so failure was still an option. That would damage his reputation notably, and he needed the reputation to climb the ladder of power.
He bowed his head to the Fleet Admiral slightly, but submissively, as he needed the reinforcements. He was waiting for her to turn her back so he could stab it.
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