Chapter 2 – Worlds Collide
Imperium
As the final ships in the fleet were readying their starfighters and weapons, Chief Astropath Corbec ran to Jerger announcing, "Admiral! We have received a transmission from the opposing fleet!"
"Put it through," He ordered.
"Admiral, are you sure it's a wise decision?" Questioned the Fleet Commissar. "I could have you-"
"Commissar Helix, I recognize your authority," Jerger interrupted. "But we do not know which enemy we are facing. By putting this communication through, I will be able to better obliterate them. If it's the T'au, I know to get closer and use ramming, if the Eldar, then have the fleet in a tight formation, and so on. By knowing what faction I am facing, I will have a better strategy for dealing with them."
"Oh. I uh, I see your point," Helix acknowledged.
As the screen displayed the face of the enemy, likely their commander, Jerger could not identify what type of enemy he was facing. His words were alien, but he could tell by the tone that there was a sign of smugness as well as desperation.
"Close transmission," ordered Jerger.
"Well, what have you learned?" Helix inquired, already knowing that it was an unknown enemy.
"This is a new enemy, as you have already determined. Therefore, we must be aggressive and unpredictable. We will have the light cruisers commence an opening salve to test their shields. In the meantime, two thirds of the starfighters and half of the boarding torpedoes will be launched in order to clear their fighters that they retaliate with. The frigates and destroyers will engage."
"Interesting strategy, but what will our cruisers and battleships be doing?"
"After the opening salvo, the cruisers will ram the enemy dreadnoughts while our battleships will open fire with larger ordinance while maintaining a decent range, as some of us must protect the transports. At the same time, the enemy ships that have been targeted for boarding will be unscathed, as we must take control of them, but there will be no reserve ships targeted for boarding, as we do not know exactly what we are dealing with" Jerger concluded.
As the final ships finished their preparations for battle, Jerger sent the orders to fire an opening salvo to the captains of the light cruisers and briefed the various Commodores on his strategy.
As the opening salvo began, Jerger sent a fleet-wide communication to all the souls under his command, "We are about to commence battle on an enemy we have never faced. They will be crushed under the might of the Imperium! Glory to the Emperor! For it is he who we will fight for! For it is he who we will die for! For the Emperor of Mankind!"
Separatists
"I cannot calculate what the response will be from the outsiders," the tactical droid remarked.
"It will clearly be a favorable outcome," Korrado stated. "Would an outside force really just come here of all places just to attack? Not every force you encounter in the galaxy will be hostile."
"I now calculate that attacking our fleet will be a high probability."
"Why would you possibly think such an outcome? You just said you couldn't calculate their response."
"Because the outsiders have finished repositioning their fleet and we have detected a large increase in energy usage from some of their ships."
"Nonsense. I see no reason why they wouldn't join our cause against the Republic."
As Korrado finished his arrogant display, the scanners alerted him that the outsider ships his tactical droid had pointed out just fired an opening salvo.
"You were saying," the tactical droid mocked.
"Why would they attack us?" Korrado asked, stunned by his failure at diplomacy.
Although the opening salvo had only been a few shots from six of the outsider's ships, their projectiles were catastrophic when they hit their targets, as shown when one hit the side of a Munificent-class star frigate. The frigate was badly damaged and began to limp to the rear of Korrado's fleet. Just as Korrado was turning his head to view the other ships, the two frigates to the left of his dreadnought were obliterated.
"I recommend we inform Count Dooku and retreat," advised the tactical droid.
"No!" Korrado snapped back. "I will not have my second battle as an admiral be another defeat!"
"But sir, our forces are clearly outmatched," the tactical droid protested.
"We may be outnumbered, but we still have a decent sized force to engage the outsiders."
"We have 13 operational Munificent Frigates, 4 Lucrehulks, 4 Hardcell Transports, 2 Recusant Destroyers, and only 1 Providence Dreadnought. The enemy fleet is far larger and more-"
"Yes, yes, but we have no idea how tough their shields are," Korrado interrupted. "For all we know they have all power diverted to their weapons and no shield capabilities."
"I calculate the odds of you being correct 7.3 trillion to-"
"But there is still a chance I'm correct," he interrupted again. "Launch all fighters and engage the outsiders!"
Imperium
While eagerly watching the battle unfold, Jerger was astonished by how weak and pathetic the opposing force was. He had his fair share of easy opponents, but nothing as easy as this. In the opening salvo alone 3 of their ships were out of the battle.
"Inform Ordnance Master Varus to fire the different types of cannons, macrocannons, and batteries separately," Jerger ordered.
"Admiral, if I may inquire, why? What reason could you possibly have for firing weaker broadsides?" Helix demanded.
"Based on the opening salvo, we know the enemy ships are helpless against our weaponry. However, we do not know exactly what type of weaponry they are most vulnerable against."
"I see."
"While you may have the ability to declare any person unfit for duty, you still lack the tactical insight for the overall objective of this outcome."
"Which is?"
"To learn the best way to defeat this new opponent in order to efficiently dispose of their culture, paving the way for mankind in the Emperor's name."
"I understand admiral. I will personally make sure that Ordnance Master Varus accomplishes his duties."
"As Commissar Helix left to verify Varus' assignment, Chief Astropath Corbec whispered, "He's only been with us a month and he acts as though he has the final say on this ship."
"I know, but what can I do? He does have the ability declare anyone unfit for service based on their actions or the state of the fleet. However, if his ego endangers the fleet, he will have to answer with his life. In the meantime, we must focus on the battle at hand."
"Of course admiral."
End Chapter 2
