Chapter 8
Q:
From: James Porter (Guest) James Porter:when will we see the Gamilans?A:
Let me think. 3-4 chapters in future.
= place: Shanxi, alliance army camp east of the capital, 10:00 - 1 day after the arrival of the 2nd fleet =
"How much strength do we have on the surface." - General Craig asked.
"All the marines have been deployed, the 4th Panzer Division and the 17th Infantry Division are ready. The 24th Infantry Division is in the process of unloading and should finish around 12:00 am. The remaining divisions will be ready by 4:00 pm." - Major Neithardt said.
"Well. What is the status and location of all forces?" - Craig asked.
"The enemy has stopped the attack on the City Center and is surrounding it with about 32,000 soldiers. General Williams is currently planning a counterattack with the help of our Marines, but he needs backup. Their main base was established in Fiume. Relative reports estimate the presence of 13,000 to 15,000 enemy soldiers there." - Major Neithardt said.
"Well. Here is the plan. Major Oleg Petrovsky!" - General Craig said.
"Yes, sir." - Major Petrovsky replied.
"You are to take the 17th and 24th Infantry Divisions and support Williams in the attack on the east side of the city. There, they are to merge and begin shipping supplies to SDF troops and civilians. Major Neithardt!" - General Craig said.
"Yes, sir." - Major Neithardt replied.
"You will be in command of the base, troop unloading and supplies. The 4th Panzer Division under the command of my personal command will conduct an attack on the enemy base. All operations are set to begin at 1:00 p.m. local time. Now move on!" - General Craig ordered.
"YES, SIR!" - replied the soldiers in the staff.
= place: Vulture-class dreadnought Vulture =
The Vulture is the newest turian dreadnought and the first of its class. It is over 30% larger than its predecessor and was delegated to protect the Palaven and as the Primarch's personal flagship. He is now in the open space with his escorts and with the 14th and 31st Fleets for a special meeting called by the Primarch. In order not to arouse STG's suspicions about what was happening, both fleets departed without mobilization. This resulted in the arrival of only half of the entire fleet, but even then the combined forces here numbered 3 dreadnoughts, 57 cruisers and 70 frigates. In the conference room, the Primarch and various commanders and politicians debated what to do with the human problem.
"General Desolas Arterius did well. This young race, humans or whatever, broke the law of council and must be punished for it." - said the admiral of the 14th Fleet.
"Normally I would agree with my colleagues, but according to the information provided, the patrol was chasing them beyond the relay into human territory." - said the admiral of the 31st Fleet - "This is already an act of aggression against a sovereign state. Human forces had the right to defend themselves. And the fact that they didn't attack our territories after this shows their peaceful will. They probably intercepted a few prisoners and, after interrogating them, learned that it wasn't a pirate attack or a declaration of war, but an act of an overzealous patrol commander."
"It's a new race in space." - said the commander of the escort flotilla - "We can assimilate her as a client race and raise our status as we did with the Volus."
"The Voluses want to be our client race in exchange for protection." - said the political advisor to Primarch Fedorian. - "Besides, you know what outrage it would bring. 'Turians attack new race without justification,' I already see such headlines in the newspapers. Additionally, thanks to the Asari and the Salarians, we don't have enough ships to attack people and guard the borders against pirates at the same time. Such action may even bring about a rethinking of the Farixen Treaty, maybe even our position as the peace and military arm of the Council."
"The truth is, General Arterius has already invaded." - said another adviser to Primarch Fedorian - "Now, maybe he just presses the humans to sign a peace treaty on our terms."
Then a soldier came into the room. He was out of breath and with worry painted on his face.
"P-p-p-PRYMARCH, turn on CNN, fast!" - he said without thinking.
"This is an important conference, and this is what you tell us about turning on TV?!" - exclaimed the nervous admiral of the 14th Fleet.
"B-b-b-but." - the soldier began, but the Primarch interrupted him. - "Do what he says. Something must have happened."
And immediately everyone turned on their omni-tools and turn on CNN.
"An unknown enemy attacked and destroyed the fleet protecting Macedon." - The asari reporter spoke quickly and it was obvious that she was completely nervous - "Nobody knows where they came from or why they are doing this." - she broke off suddenly and said, with a dead man's face - "Oh... goddesses... Their ships are going into position to the orbital bombing. The predicted place is... this city. Wait, the attackers are broadcasting something on all channels."
And she turned on her omni-tool, from which the message came out. - "This is Rear-Admiral Steven Hackett from System Alliance-"
= place: system from which the turians came 20 minutes earlier =
"Rear-admiral, scanning complete. The presence of 2 cruisers, 8 frigates and 10 corvettes has been confirmed." - Pressly said.
"We have 46 Isokaze-class destroyers, 13 Murasame-class cruisers, 5 Congo-class line cruisers, Enterprise-class aircraft carrier, 4 Alamo-class frigate, 2 Leonidas-class destroyers and Berlin-class cruiser. A total of 71 ships. Enough to defeat them and stop a possible counterattack. " - said Hackett - "Okay, on all ships initiate the 'Flash' Plan."
Hackett's fleet is in operation. All 2nd Category ships under Hackett's command, performing a short FTL jump, only 500 kilometers ahead of enemy fleets and immediately opened fire from the main guns at the center of the turian formation. The fire eliminated the frigate and the corvette and damaged another frigate and cruiser.
The turian ships began to turn towards Hackett's ships in order to fire at them from the main guns while attacking with auxiliary ones. As 7 ships approached the enemy fleet, they also began firing their auxiliary guns and Shock Cannons mounted next to the auxiliary guns, destroying another 2 corvettes and a frigate. As Hackett's unit approached 250 kilometers, 3 things happened simultaneously. The GUARDIAN lasers on the Turian ships began firing, their main guns were in attack position, and a short FTL jumped on both flanks of 30 SDF ships. The surprise of the defenders lasted only a second, and that second was enough for the SDF to destroy 10 turian ships. The others, seeing their chances, quickly gave up. And so the short battle over the planet is over. On the human side, only 5 damaged ships, in exchange for 15 destroyed and 5 captured enemy ships.
"Rear-Admiral, we took over all the ships that surrendered." - Pressly said.
"Fine, order the ships to position themselves in orbital bombardment over the city." - Hackett said.
"But Rear Admiral, Admiral Drescher has banned bombing civilian targets." - the surprised pilot said.
"Do not worry. We won't break an order, but no one will stop us from bluffing. Hand it over to the rest of the fleet."
"Yes, sir." - the communications officer said.
As the ships began to line up, Pressly said to Hackett. - "Too old for this."
"Yes? So how old are you?" - Hackett asked.
"75." - Pressly replied - "I was due to retire in a month when this shit started."
"The downside for that we live longer than our ancestors - we have to work more for retirement and we see more shit things." - Hackett said.
"On the other hand, better me than my grandson Charles." - Pressly said.
"Therefore, we must end this war quickly, before he is forced to take part in it." - Hackett said.
"Rear-Admiral, all ships in position." - the officer said.
"Broadcast this transmission to the planet on all channels with a translator." - Hackett said.
"Already preparing." - the communications officer said. - "Done, the whole planet is hearing us. Good luck Rear-Admiral."
"This is Rear-Admiral Steven Hackett from System Alliance. Your fleet has invaded our planet and used kinetic bombardment on civilian objects. The Alliance system took this as a declaration of war and wiped out your fleet. If you don't give up within ten galactic standard minutes, we'll reply the same. Hackett out."
= place: Citadel, private council chambers =
"Pirate base? Hmmm?" - Valern asked sarcastically, glaring at Sparatus.
"I swear I didn't know." - Sparatus said.
"And the entire Hierarchy failed to notice the mobilization of the fleet?" - Tevos asked sarcastically.
"Mobilization of the fleet can be started by the person in charge of it in case of danger. The pirate base behind the relay and the garden world were reasons enough for that." - Spartacus defended himself.
"Spartacus, I've been a councilor for over 500 years, and this year more things have gone worse than in the last 275 years combined." - said Tevos - "First the problem with the Batarians, the greatest increase in pirate raids in the last 200 years, the Vorchas appear and attack the asari colony and not under command of some krogan or other pirates but alone, the quarians try to settle on the planet and there is shooting between them and your patrol and our Specter, which is publicly known as having anti-quarian views, and now an unknown race occupies Macedyn, which is the base of the Turian fleet, and they claim to have defeated this fleet, but only after your fleet bombed civilian targets, and they are going to answer the same. The only thing left is for the Geths to decide to attack. *Sigh*. I need a vacation."
"Don't get tired now." - Sparatus said, frightened - "We must send the fleet immediately! Or anyone to stop them! There is no way my people would let them go after kinetic bombing of civilian objects!"
"There should be the Matriarch of Benezia nearby." - Tevos said - "We will pass this task on to her."
"New information from Macedyn." - Valern said, which returned the other councilors.
On the screen, the reporter said - "We have confirmation. The Primarch of the Macedyn announced the surrender, thus making this planet the first turian planet occupied by foreign forces since the Krogan Rebellions. In an address to the colony, he said, 'If what Rear-Admiral of the System Alliance is saying, the General has deceived me and all the races in Citadel space. I trust that this problem will be resolved quickly, so I will not risk civilian lives for the dishonorable fight that the lie started.', end. A ferry will arrive soon to take the Primarch of the Macedyn to the flagship of the System Alliance fleet. The next broadcast will take place as we get more information. Asernia Jannini from Citadel Network News was speaking."
wiki/Neithardt#Hajimari_no_Kiseki - Major Neithardt.
euderion/art/Turian-Vulture-class-Overview-647612494 – Vulture-class dreadnought
