' Wrote:"Next, promoted to the rank of Commodore, Jack Frost, who will assume command of the 3rd battlefleet of the 8th Fleet, onboard the Battleship Stirling in Dundee, and Blake Owen, who will assume command of the 1st Battlefleet of the 7th Fleet, replacing Admiral Hobart onboard the HMS Derby. Commodore Owen is also to receive the Distinguished Flying Cross for exceptional skill in combat operations."
Promotion ceremonies were great. Celebration, food, drink, and friends. Even the junior officers felt like admirals in the limelight of of the podium. Maybe it was human nature to be attracted to shiny medals and chevrons along the dress uniform, or maybe it was human need for attention. Either way, it was a great diversion from the war, and for Bretonia's Finest, that was all that mattered.
Of course, there was tomorrow. After celebrations and parades ended, responsibility set in. Perhaps most notably on the front line of a costly war. The officers and pilots there has mixed expectations. Were they simply doomed to continue retreats and setbacks, or are they required to rise above their predecessors and push the invaders back into the independent worlds? The long hours in the battlefield left little time for such philosophy.
The stage is set. Pilots, cargo, young, old, courageous and cowardly pass back and forth on the epic battlefield that is Leeds in 818 A.S.
The newly minted commodore stood on the command deck of the HMS Resolute, a newly minted ship. Southampton had devoted nearly all its resources to fighters and bombers, but managed to make an occasional capital ship. One had to credit BMM's efficiency in ship building, which was of course heavily subsidized by The Crown.
The Resolute was commissioned as the 1st Battlefleet's replacement flagship. Originally, each battlefleet had a battleship, but as resources dwindled, the admiralty reassigned the larger ships to more dangerous areas on the front. The 1st Battlefleet's assignment was far less dangerous. It had been tasked with securing the flank along the trade lane to Newcastle. To date, no Kusari offensives had occurred on this side of the line, but many strategist feared it was only a matter of time until the scout Chimeras that harassed Leeds daily would find a weak point. However, Owen was hopeful. Kusari capital ships would be stuck in the asteroid field, meaning any attack would have to be fighters and bombers only. This only reduced the threat, however, as Kusari veterans could quickly unleash a surprise raid and circumvent the defenses.
"Are we absolutely certain the smugglers are even going that direction anymore? Edinburgh is much safer with the recent counteroffensive. We need bombers guarding Dublin from Kusari miners, anyway."
"That leaves Leeds wide open..."
"Gentlemen," Sir Admiral Fraser's voice commanded the conference room. "I appreciate both your concerns, however, guarding the Edinburgh lane allows us control of the outer smog cloud, and puts our bombers in position to flank a Kusari advance directly into Leeds. Therefore, I have sent transfer orders to a portion of your battle groups.
Dismissed."
Ever since the Kusari advance, the admiral had to manage increasingly limited resources. This naturally led to disagreements among commanders as to where the resources were to go. As useful as debate was for formulating strategies, endless second guessing could erode confidence. For the most part, a tight perimeter had been established along the front lines, but someone could always slip through...