- CHAPTER 11 -
- ISS Hopolite, Captain's Ready Room, Two Minutes Later -
Ulysses turned to P'tel. "Well, how about we see just whom we are going to be dealing with. Computer, please list the high points of the service record for Fleet Admiral Tomas Chriton starting from the when he first became a Commodore, in chronological order."
"Processing." The machine replied, and for a few seconds the room was silent. Then the computer dispassionately continued. "First action after assuming command of the Battlecruiser ISS Chernobin was placation of the Irridani uprising in 2324. Casualties: 100 fleet marines, 900,000 Irridani combatants." Ulysses shuddered. While the total casualties had been small in the grand scheme of things, they represented close to half of Irridani's total population. All the Irridani had wanted was to have free elections. Imperial officials would have none of it and violently put down the resulting protestors. The casualties showed what happened when the ~ 1 million strong hastily assembled militia went head to head with 2 million Marines with attack craft, power armor, tanks, and orbiting Fleet fire support. And most hadn't even been killed during the fighting. When the Marines hit the first few pockets of organized resistance, the Irridani knew they were licked. Most surrendered shortly thereafter, hoping for mercy. Then Commodore Chriton had ordered hundreds of thousands of them shot for unlawful rebellion against the Terran Empire.
"As a result of successful and rapid execution of his orders, Commodore Chriton was promoted to Admiral in 2325. His next major action was the conquest of the Cardassian Union in 2333. He was second in command of the Third Fleet when first contact was made with the Cardassians. Third Fleet was dispatched to bring Cardassian space under Terran Empire control. First action of the Cardassian Campaign: Near complete destruction of the Cardassian battle fleet near the Bajor System. Second action: supervising of the cleansing of the Cardassian home world. Seven Billion estimated casualties." Cleansing was a neat and tidy word for a very dirty and despicable action. Cleansing a world involved using a Genesis Device on it, converting a planet filled with potential combatants to a world ripe for colonization.
"Because of successful execution of his orders, Admiral Chriton was promoted to Fleet Admiral and placed in overall command of 24th Fleet in 2334. Next major operation was the Conquest of the Dominion in 2370. Although 24th Fleet was only a small part of the operation, it distinguished itself well in combat vs. the Jem'Hadar forces. 24th Fleet was the primary element involved in the cleansing of the Dominion Core Worlds in 2374." This operation was made possible by the fact that a network of subspace tunnels had been discovered accidentally in 2368.
The Ambassador class USS Voyager literally stumbled into one. After a few hours, the crew finally figured out how to get out of it. When the Voyager returned to normal space, they found that they had traveled a surprisingly large distance. Retracing the events that had led up to the accident, they found that they were able to open access to these, subspace tunnels whenever they wanted. The tunnels opened up the galaxy to the growing Terran Empire. Without them, the sheer distances involved in keeping its holdings under control would have limited the final scope of the Terran Empire or greatly increased its military expenditures to keep pace with its rapidly expanding borders. But since Warp Drive wasn't needed for long distance travel after the discovery of the tunnels, a new wave of conquest followed on their heels.
"Next major mission was the Conquest of the Borg in 2375. 24th Fleet was responsible for both spearheading the initial and the final attacks on Borg space, including the final assault on Unimatrix Two in system 993C TI42 and the subsequent destruction of the new Borg Queen." The first attack on Borg space had involved a surprise attack on the recently located Borg Unimatrix. Involving nearly 500,000 ships striking from subspace tunnels simultaneously, the Unimatrix never stood a chance. 24th Fleet was the first formation out of the tunnels, and they destroyed five Cubes before the Borg even began to respond. With the specially designed weapons and shield enhancements, the Imperial ships had been virtually invulnerable to normal Borg assimilation tactics. That combined with surprise and the scale of the attack enabled the rapid destruction of the Borg Unimatrix. But the Imperial ships did have casualties. Invulnerability to assimilation wasn't the same as invulnerability to conventional weaponry, of which the Borg had in copious amounts.
"Initial attack on first Borg Unimatrix resulted in the loss of 100,000 ships, including 3,000 of the then new Wraith class vessels. Most losses were due to last ditch ramming by Borg vessels." Subsequent attacks were virtual turkey shoots, as the Borg seemed highly uncoordinated due to the loss of their Queen thanks to the destruction of the Unimatrix. Then things changed. "In an even more distant part of the Delta Quadrant, a new Unimatrix and Borg queen had been created. The Borg found their feet and started using more intelligent tactics against the Terran Fleet. They also adapted, at least in part, to the anti Borg measures that the Empire had undertaken. Suddenly, weapons systems were no where near as effective and shields could often be breached by Borg assimilation and holding beams. While Fleet R&D scrambled to find a way to counteract these Borg advances, Starfleet fought valiantly against their suddenly superior foe. It was only because the Borg fleet had been so devastated before they found their feet again that allowed Starfleet to win in the end, and it had taken 5 long years of hard fighting to do it.
"24th Fleet successfully penetrated Unimatrix Two's defensive perimeter and launched a volley of Genesis warheads at the complex. One got through and remade the Borg station, and the Queen within it, into a small, M-class world. With the subsequent confusion in the Borg ranks, the surviving Fleet units proceeded to destroy all remaining Borg from this galaxy. Because of his pivotal role in the destruction of both Unimatrix complexes, Fleet Admiral Chriton was decorated with the Lion of Terra with clusters. He is currently the only serving fleet officer to be so decorated. He remains in command of 24th Fleet as of current stardate 03.13.2380." The computer finished its dialogue.
"So basically he has virtually no compunction to uses extreme force when he feels it is needed." Ulysses said, a frown on his face and sour taste in his mouth. "Not that that isn't the usual actions of Admiral's and the Terran Empire Council that they serve."
"Granted Captain." P'tel said, and even her usually reserved features showed horror. Many serving fleet officers went out of their way not to see the casualty figures that the Terran Empire had caused. It let them sleep better at night. "But since we are in no position to do anything about it, we need to follow this. man's," she ground out, "orders. And he does seem determined, if not creative, in all of his tactics." Just looking at the 24th's casualties, Ulysses was inclined to agree.
"That loss rate is incredibly high. Sure he gets the job done, but he has no finesse. He just charges straight at the problem, instead of looking for a more elegant solution that would save more of his command's lives. Sooner or later, he is going to hit an enemy that that tactic isn't going to work against." As he said the words, a sense of foreboding came over him, setting the hairs on the back of his neck up, blowing through him like the breath of death itself.
"What's the mater sir? Your skin has gone very pale, and you look afraid." There was genuine concern in her voice. Ulysses shook himself.
"I'm not sure. I just suddenly got a very disturbing feeling, like somebody walking over my grave."
"Despite living so long with human's, that is one idiom I will never understand. How can someone walk on your grave when you aren't dead yet? It is highly illogical, even for a human idea."
Ulysses opened his mouth to reply, but his communicator chirped just then, cutting him off. He gave it the customary activation tap. "Vanguard"
"Captain, the Shiva is hailing us. Fleet Admiral Chriton wants a word with you."
"On my way." Ulysses somehow managed to hide the distaste and more than a little fear from his reply. He stood and strode determinedly back onto the bridge, with P'tel following him.
"Put it up."
The faintly smiling face of Tomas Chriton appeared on the view screen. "Captain, now that the defensive perimeter is established, I invite you to dine with me tonight on the Shiva."
"I would be honored sir. What time should I transport over?"
"7:00PM sharp, but don't use the transporter. Come in a shuttle." That was an odd request, but Ulysses was far too much Chriton's junior to comment on it.
"As you command sir."
"Splendid!" The Admiral said. "Chriton out." The screen blanked for a split second, showing the Terran Empire emblem, then the outside starfield replaced it. Why in the world, Ulysses thought, would Chriton want him to use a shuttle?
- ISS Hopolite, Captain's Ready Room, Two Minutes Later -
Ulysses turned to P'tel. "Well, how about we see just whom we are going to be dealing with. Computer, please list the high points of the service record for Fleet Admiral Tomas Chriton starting from the when he first became a Commodore, in chronological order."
"Processing." The machine replied, and for a few seconds the room was silent. Then the computer dispassionately continued. "First action after assuming command of the Battlecruiser ISS Chernobin was placation of the Irridani uprising in 2324. Casualties: 100 fleet marines, 900,000 Irridani combatants." Ulysses shuddered. While the total casualties had been small in the grand scheme of things, they represented close to half of Irridani's total population. All the Irridani had wanted was to have free elections. Imperial officials would have none of it and violently put down the resulting protestors. The casualties showed what happened when the ~ 1 million strong hastily assembled militia went head to head with 2 million Marines with attack craft, power armor, tanks, and orbiting Fleet fire support. And most hadn't even been killed during the fighting. When the Marines hit the first few pockets of organized resistance, the Irridani knew they were licked. Most surrendered shortly thereafter, hoping for mercy. Then Commodore Chriton had ordered hundreds of thousands of them shot for unlawful rebellion against the Terran Empire.
"As a result of successful and rapid execution of his orders, Commodore Chriton was promoted to Admiral in 2325. His next major action was the conquest of the Cardassian Union in 2333. He was second in command of the Third Fleet when first contact was made with the Cardassians. Third Fleet was dispatched to bring Cardassian space under Terran Empire control. First action of the Cardassian Campaign: Near complete destruction of the Cardassian battle fleet near the Bajor System. Second action: supervising of the cleansing of the Cardassian home world. Seven Billion estimated casualties." Cleansing was a neat and tidy word for a very dirty and despicable action. Cleansing a world involved using a Genesis Device on it, converting a planet filled with potential combatants to a world ripe for colonization.
"Because of successful execution of his orders, Admiral Chriton was promoted to Fleet Admiral and placed in overall command of 24th Fleet in 2334. Next major operation was the Conquest of the Dominion in 2370. Although 24th Fleet was only a small part of the operation, it distinguished itself well in combat vs. the Jem'Hadar forces. 24th Fleet was the primary element involved in the cleansing of the Dominion Core Worlds in 2374." This operation was made possible by the fact that a network of subspace tunnels had been discovered accidentally in 2368.
The Ambassador class USS Voyager literally stumbled into one. After a few hours, the crew finally figured out how to get out of it. When the Voyager returned to normal space, they found that they had traveled a surprisingly large distance. Retracing the events that had led up to the accident, they found that they were able to open access to these, subspace tunnels whenever they wanted. The tunnels opened up the galaxy to the growing Terran Empire. Without them, the sheer distances involved in keeping its holdings under control would have limited the final scope of the Terran Empire or greatly increased its military expenditures to keep pace with its rapidly expanding borders. But since Warp Drive wasn't needed for long distance travel after the discovery of the tunnels, a new wave of conquest followed on their heels.
"Next major mission was the Conquest of the Borg in 2375. 24th Fleet was responsible for both spearheading the initial and the final attacks on Borg space, including the final assault on Unimatrix Two in system 993C TI42 and the subsequent destruction of the new Borg Queen." The first attack on Borg space had involved a surprise attack on the recently located Borg Unimatrix. Involving nearly 500,000 ships striking from subspace tunnels simultaneously, the Unimatrix never stood a chance. 24th Fleet was the first formation out of the tunnels, and they destroyed five Cubes before the Borg even began to respond. With the specially designed weapons and shield enhancements, the Imperial ships had been virtually invulnerable to normal Borg assimilation tactics. That combined with surprise and the scale of the attack enabled the rapid destruction of the Borg Unimatrix. But the Imperial ships did have casualties. Invulnerability to assimilation wasn't the same as invulnerability to conventional weaponry, of which the Borg had in copious amounts.
"Initial attack on first Borg Unimatrix resulted in the loss of 100,000 ships, including 3,000 of the then new Wraith class vessels. Most losses were due to last ditch ramming by Borg vessels." Subsequent attacks were virtual turkey shoots, as the Borg seemed highly uncoordinated due to the loss of their Queen thanks to the destruction of the Unimatrix. Then things changed. "In an even more distant part of the Delta Quadrant, a new Unimatrix and Borg queen had been created. The Borg found their feet and started using more intelligent tactics against the Terran Fleet. They also adapted, at least in part, to the anti Borg measures that the Empire had undertaken. Suddenly, weapons systems were no where near as effective and shields could often be breached by Borg assimilation and holding beams. While Fleet R&D scrambled to find a way to counteract these Borg advances, Starfleet fought valiantly against their suddenly superior foe. It was only because the Borg fleet had been so devastated before they found their feet again that allowed Starfleet to win in the end, and it had taken 5 long years of hard fighting to do it.
"24th Fleet successfully penetrated Unimatrix Two's defensive perimeter and launched a volley of Genesis warheads at the complex. One got through and remade the Borg station, and the Queen within it, into a small, M-class world. With the subsequent confusion in the Borg ranks, the surviving Fleet units proceeded to destroy all remaining Borg from this galaxy. Because of his pivotal role in the destruction of both Unimatrix complexes, Fleet Admiral Chriton was decorated with the Lion of Terra with clusters. He is currently the only serving fleet officer to be so decorated. He remains in command of 24th Fleet as of current stardate 03.13.2380." The computer finished its dialogue.
"So basically he has virtually no compunction to uses extreme force when he feels it is needed." Ulysses said, a frown on his face and sour taste in his mouth. "Not that that isn't the usual actions of Admiral's and the Terran Empire Council that they serve."
"Granted Captain." P'tel said, and even her usually reserved features showed horror. Many serving fleet officers went out of their way not to see the casualty figures that the Terran Empire had caused. It let them sleep better at night. "But since we are in no position to do anything about it, we need to follow this. man's," she ground out, "orders. And he does seem determined, if not creative, in all of his tactics." Just looking at the 24th's casualties, Ulysses was inclined to agree.
"That loss rate is incredibly high. Sure he gets the job done, but he has no finesse. He just charges straight at the problem, instead of looking for a more elegant solution that would save more of his command's lives. Sooner or later, he is going to hit an enemy that that tactic isn't going to work against." As he said the words, a sense of foreboding came over him, setting the hairs on the back of his neck up, blowing through him like the breath of death itself.
"What's the mater sir? Your skin has gone very pale, and you look afraid." There was genuine concern in her voice. Ulysses shook himself.
"I'm not sure. I just suddenly got a very disturbing feeling, like somebody walking over my grave."
"Despite living so long with human's, that is one idiom I will never understand. How can someone walk on your grave when you aren't dead yet? It is highly illogical, even for a human idea."
Ulysses opened his mouth to reply, but his communicator chirped just then, cutting him off. He gave it the customary activation tap. "Vanguard"
"Captain, the Shiva is hailing us. Fleet Admiral Chriton wants a word with you."
"On my way." Ulysses somehow managed to hide the distaste and more than a little fear from his reply. He stood and strode determinedly back onto the bridge, with P'tel following him.
"Put it up."
The faintly smiling face of Tomas Chriton appeared on the view screen. "Captain, now that the defensive perimeter is established, I invite you to dine with me tonight on the Shiva."
"I would be honored sir. What time should I transport over?"
"7:00PM sharp, but don't use the transporter. Come in a shuttle." That was an odd request, but Ulysses was far too much Chriton's junior to comment on it.
"As you command sir."
"Splendid!" The Admiral said. "Chriton out." The screen blanked for a split second, showing the Terran Empire emblem, then the outside starfield replaced it. Why in the world, Ulysses thought, would Chriton want him to use a shuttle?