Chapter 12

Admiral William Johnson looked out from the observation deck aboard the Revenge, watching the mighty fleet that had been assembled over the last year and three months. Just under 400 combat warships, ranging from small nimble corvettes to massive battleships like the Revenge and captured Star Destroyers like his original flagship, the Impassable. That didn't count the over a hundred support vessels such as fleet tenders, ammunition ships, and massive interstellar transports for several hundred thousand ground troops. In just a few hours, Operation Vengeance would begin. The full invasion of the Imperial held Zoloch Sector.

It was

Supposedly they would be facing about 200 Imperial warships, but the vast majority of them would be small systems patrol craft, corvettes, frigates and light cruisers. Still there were supposedly a dozen large Imperial Class Star Destroyers and some larger cruisers and lighter models of star destroyers like the Victory Class. But they would have the assistance of the Free Confederacy, which had many ships as well and could probably force the Empire from the sector alone. If they could make significant gains before the sector was reinforced, then they would be able to gain a sizable buffer to help protect Earth.

"We've accomplished so much in so little. It felt like yesterday that we were trying to salvage the Impassable." Allison had crept up on him. Will checked and saw they were alone in the room.

"Think about what we could do in a decade. Or a century." He replied.

"Or if we didn't have to fight this war." She said wistfully, looking at him.

"I wish." He said. "But I'd rather die free than live under the boot of the Empire."

"What would you do when the Empire gets defeated?" It was perhaps an unrealistic question.

"I never thought about it. I have no idea. Maybe I will continue serving here, though unless Harrington retires I don't exactly have much of a career to advance. Whatever happens, we are still going to need the fleet." He smiled. "Or I could retire and settle down with you."

"That would be nice. But let's win this war first." Allison mused.

"Harrington and I have been talking with Admiral Fisher. He's a good engineer and scientist but an even better organizer and supply chain manager. I was a bit reluctant at first since I didn't want it to be seen as favoritism, but Harrington took control of that. You're getting promoted to head of R & D so he can take control of fleet logistics." He smiled and pulled out the rank insignia of an Admiral. "You're getting promoted as well."

"Aww thanks Will. Quickly checking to see if nobody was in the area, she kissed him as he pinned the new insignia onto her uniform.

"I think you're the right one for the job." He looked at a clock hanging on the wall. "Let's get going, we don't want to be late for my speech.

The orbital defense platform and command station Indomitable had been constructed after the Empire's second attack on Earth to coordinate a network of defense platforms and satellites. While all these systems could easily be controlled from ground based installations, it would make coordination with an orbiting defense fleet much easier and also served as a mobile base for fighters. Today, however, a number of high ranking civilian and military officials were aboard to commemorate the beginning of the operation, with dozens of reporters broadcasting the event across the globe and to the warships in orbit.

One of the large hanger decks had been cleared of all traffic with rows of seats and bleachers facing a podium. Johnson, as commander of the operation, would be delivering a speech to the attacking forces. The event was also being broadcasted to civilians, and anyone else who wanted to hear it. Standing tall with his dress uniform impeccably ironed, he looked at the masses of people he would be addressing. And there were probably millions, maybe even billions watching down on Earth.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, sailors and soldiers alike from the United Nations Spaceborne Navy, United Nations Extraplanetary Marines, and the United Nations Planetary Assault Army, we now stand poised to begin the most critical military operation in this planet's history. Since the Empire came to try to take the independence and freedom of our nations and our people, we have taken an almost completely defensive posture, building up our forces to protect our world and hit back when the time was right. But now that all changes. We are going to charge into the Zoloch sector and put as much space between this planet and the Empire as possible. It won't be an easy task, and every single one of you will be challenged in ways you never thought possible. While we may hold an almost two to one numerical advantage against the Imperial sector forces, our planet has no experience with offensive operations of this magnitude. And if we fail, it may give the Empire a clear shot of invading Earth. This has led many to question the choice to go on the offensive, and at one time I did myself. But the answer I found was a definite yes for the attack. The Empire's failed attacks against us have cost them dearly in ships. They have lost half of their Star Destroyers and many smaller ships not just from combat but from a rebel movement local to that sector. This is potentially a once in a lifetime chance that we are taking. And we signed a treaty with the Rebel Alliance that stated we would attack the Empire. So maybe we should have written that treaty differently back then. And finally a buffer between us and the Empire will mean they may never have the chance to strike directly at us again. If that is a possibility, I and the fleet will do everything in my power to ensure it."

He paused. "There are no illusions as to what the Empire would do if they got their hands on Earth. They would force us to surrender and live under their boot for the rest of time. If that failed, their ships would bombard us from orbit until we finally cave to their demands, or our world has been turned to slag. This is a reality that everyone in the fleet will not allow under any circumstances. But while I would have done everything to never be in this situation, perhaps we have oddly enough benefited from this looming threat. Humanity on this planet has fought itself from the moment we could walk. As time went on, we developed better methods of fighting and new technologies to allow us to kill more effectively. When peace came, it was only temporary. We only stopped fighting when we saw that the price would simply be too high, and then we decided to find ways of fighting that would allow us to fight without suffering these consequences. But let me ask you this. What happens when we stop fighting amongst ourselves and turn our attention to fighting those outside our world? What happens? We start to think less about our nations and more about each other and the task at hand. In the grand scheme of the galaxy, our little nations are irrelevant. Some would say even combined we are as well, but our offensive will change that. We shall be a small world, unheard of no more. If we take the Zoloch sector, we will have done something no one in the galaxy has done before. This will be the first time a supposedly primitive species invades an entire sector of Imperial space. And once we take one, more and more will fall into our grasp. The name Earth will be spoken with fear by Imperials, and with joy and excitement by the free people's and species of the galaxy. So let's get going before the Empire gets any ideas." As Johnson finished, a chorus of clapping and cheers rang out.

He soon found himself pulled aside by Harrington, in the deck chiefs' office that had been temporarily cleared.

"Well Will, good luck out there. Cause if we screw up it won't be long before the Empire comes back."

"I have it under control sir." He replied. "Everyone is ready to get going. No issues have been reported."

"You're ready for this Johnson. Good hunting." He shook his hand. "It's been an honor serving with you this past year."

"Thank you Admiral. Same to you."

"I'll show myself out. I think there is another guest that would like to speak to you in private." He smirked as Allison came in. As soon as the Admiral left, she grappled him in an embrace.

"Stay safe out there Will. And come back as soon as possible." She didn't say anything else, but her sad expression conveyed all her feelings. He could see tears welling in her eyes. While they had been dating for over a year now, the constant demands of the service meant they had less time to interact than most other couples. Even if they were on the same ship, they both were working a lot and rarely had the time to spend together. Just as they were starting to spend some more time together in the past few months, they would be torn apart as Will led operation vengeance. And they both knew that him returning alive was not a certainty. Many things could go wrong in space, and in many cases they were deadly.

"I'll be home for Christmas." He tried to lighten the mood a bit with the joke, but he found himself on the verge of tears. It felt agonizing, and Will found himself momentarily doubting if he should still lead the offensive. But he snapped out of it, knowing it was something he needed to do. "And I'll send comms as much as I can." He said, holding her tighter. After a few moments, the two left the embrace and made their way to one of the operational hangars to depart the station.

The public did know the two were in a relationship. Both had initially tried to keep it secret, but as an old galactic saying goes, rumors travel at lightspeed on a starship. So it wasn't long (but longer than they initially thought) before the media got a leak from someone who knew aboard the ship.

There was no reason to hide it, as their relationship was completely legal and not against regulations. When the fleet had been secret, there had been no contact with the outside world allowed so members had essentially no chance of forming a romantic relationship with someone on the planet. Therefore there had never been any regulations preventing relationships between members of the crew, as long as it didn't interfere with their duties.

However, the two acted like everyone else did when in public. To both of them, public displays of affection while off duty were weird and uncalled for in their environment. Both knew their behavior needed to set an example for the fleet. If you asked most people if the two were in a relationship just based on how they acted in public, most would answer no. So it was quite a break from normalcy when Allison decided it would be a great time to plant a big sopping wet kiss on his lips as he approached his shuttle. There were dozens, maybe even hundreds of other people in the room, many of which watched silently as it unfolded. Will was taken aback at first but he eagerly pulled in for a few moments before parting.

"You'd better come back." She muttered under her breath as they let go.

"I shall return." He replied. An unexpected cheer rose from the crowd as the two parted, and Will scurried away. Part of him wondered what the tabloids and gossip magazines would think, but he pushed those thoughts aside. For once, he didn't care what others thought of him and his relationship with Allison.

He just wanted to kiss his damn girlfriend.

Minutes later he found himself back aboard the Revenge, it's large industrial grey form about to be tested just like all the others in the fleet. Enlisted and officers of all ranks saluted him and stood at attention, but he mostly waved them away. While he appreciated the respect they gave him, he had work to do. The thoughts of loss and agony of seeing Allison for the last time for a while were replaced with his usual duty first mentality. He had an invasion to command.

Around him the over 6000 enlisted and officers that crewed it bustled about, finishing the last minute preparations for departure. Bulkheads were secured, explosives checked to prevent accidental detonation, and toilets were polished, among other small actions. Crewmen checked to see if their loved ones had received their latest messages and waited for responses from people they knew they may never see again.

Across the world, from the metropolises of New York and Tokyo to the vast steps of the Gobi desert and the Amazon rainforest (or at least what remained of it after the wildfires a few years ago) people watched. People flocked to their television sets and computers to watch the speech, with delivered pizza and takeout delivered to watch what would be another watershed moment in the history of the world. Even those who did not watch at the moment would be bombarded with clips and recordings now sprinkled across the internet.

Some with telescopes watched the fleet preparing to leave, trying to identify the different types of ships in orbit.

As Johnson reached the bridge, the on duty crew all paused and stood at attention once again. watching the crew prepare to depart. There was a sort of frantic, chaotic efficanty that developed on the bridge or CIC of a starship, with constant communications and orders being relayed and given. There was no doubt that at times it could be an extremely stressful environment, akin to a professional kitchen during dinner or the capital building of a country. However, the crew could more than handle the environment. Only the best would get the chance to serve aboard the Revenge at all, and only a few of those would have the honor of serving in it's command center.

This was made clear in the ship's condition. No errors or warnings of any kind had been reported throughout the ship, and if they had existed in the first place they had already been solved.

"Anything to report, Drofa?" He asked the ship's commanding officer. He had been transferred back from his stint in command of the Moscow while they had been meeting with the Admiral Gorky of the Free Confederacy and dispatching recon drones to scout major Imperial worlds. These scout drones had transmitted constant footage back to the intelligence arm of the fleet, allowing constant monitoring of Imperial operations throughout the Zoloch sector. They were several steps ahead of the Empire, and they would be able to exploit this intelligence opportunity to make smart choices as to when to attack.

Sofia Lyon, the diplomatic official who had been dispatched to lead the negotiations had been pleased with the results. Afterwards she had spoken a lot with Codore Gent, and now believed that the rebel group would not be hiding anything.

"All ships are ready to depart, sir. No issues to report." He stated.
"All signs indicate the crew is ready for this." Indra Sing, the ship's new XO said. Formerly the first captain in the Indian Navy, she had joined the fleet quickly after it had been revealed to the public. She had traded the option of commanding one of the older Halsey class cruisers to become XO of the fleet's flagship. So far she had performed her duties in an exemplary manner.

"Good, let's get underway." Johnson replied. "Signal all the ships in the first and second battle group to jump in exactly one minute." He ordered the young comms officer, who quickly relayed the message to other ships.

Only a few ships would be participating in the initial stage of the attack, the ones that made up the first and second battle group . If the Empire caught on to the full force of the operation in the beginning, they might be able to call in reinforcements from other sectors or perhaps a dedicated oversector fleet. The intention was by the time the Empire knew the full scale of the attack that it would be too late for them to stop the invasion.

The first target of the invasion would be the Grostme system. The system was small, made up of a few gas giants with only one habitable world, Grostme VI. It was a small mining colony under heavy Imperial occupation, with a population of only a few hundred thousand. There were approximately 10,000 Imperial personnel at several major garrisons across the planet.

The first wave would consist of the Revenge, as well as one of it's newly commissioned sister ships, the Bismark. (there had been some controversy over the naming the ship off of one of Nazi Germany's predominant warships of the time, but most didn't mind due to the protocol for naming these ships being for old seafaring battleships). Two Indomitable class multirole supercarriers and four regular cruisers with the interdictor cruiser Senail to prevent the Imperials from fleeing into hyperspace. Additionally there were eight destroyers, 12 frigates and 18 corvettes. There were also three heavy landing ships and two medium ones that would help land troops on the surface of Grostme VI.

The seconds ticked down, and an eerie silence wafted throughout the bridge. Some prayed and others stared at each other nervously, lost in thought as the true magnitude of the moment set in. This action would determine the course of an entire planet and it's seven billion inhabitants.

"One minute is up, the hyperdrive is ready sir." The ship's helmsman said quickly.

"Let's head out. Operation Vengeance is a go."