Agamemnon:
Achilles is one man!
Odysseus:
Hector is one man! Look what he did to us today!
-Excerpt from Troy -2004
Ch 4.
There was a great silence in the meeting room as Reinhardt looked over the reports of the prisoner exchange.
On paper everything seemed to be going well, Admiral Lynch had been infiltrated with the prisoner exchange. So they should focus on the upcoming Civil War within the Empire.
The Kaiser had recently passed away. A fact that Reinhardt lamented dearly since it deprived him of the pleasure of killing the man himself.
"Currently we stand as follows: the Lippstadt League can field up to 250.000 ships of both state and private fleets under their control, we can field about 190.000 of our own but out of those our forces are composed out of 80% of the veteran troops and officers." Oberstein reported.
"What of the alliance?" Reinhardt asked, making his Admiral mutter amongst themselves.
"Currently they can muster about 250.000 ships in total."
"So the Empire has had for almost two centuries trouble against a nations that has almost less than half of its military power. Only incompetence and division on our side allowed the Alliance to survive and the same from the Alliance side is what prevented the rebels from destroying the Empire. But now….now the finest of both sides will be in charge. Make no mistake my loyal ones, this 'civil war' is just a big training exercise for the real fight ahead." Reinhardt said as his admirals nodded.
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Heinessen
"Come in." The Commodore heard from the other side of the door, and she was let inside by the two Rosen Ritter guards.
Once inside the in her 40s woman looked at the sight of the Chairman of the Alliance, Miracle Yang on his knees looking over various maps, she remembered long ago that in her youth she saw the picture of an old painting of the Emperor Napoleon looking over maps, the painting was with the subtitle 'his enemy's worst nightmare.' The Emperor and a map, now that very same scene played out in front of her as she saw the Conqueror of Iserlohn get up and extend a handshake.
"Sorry about that Commodore, I just lost myself in the maps and my usual housekeeper is off at the Academy." Yang said as she shook hands with the supreme authority on the alliance.
"I understand excellency. My own office is in a similar state."
"None of that excellency malarkey. I'm not in my 40s yet."
"As your excellency commands." The Commodore said, which did make Yang crack a smile.
"You'll fit right in with the rest of my staff. Bunch of rebellious renegades the lot of them. You know everybody thinks that I was in charge of the 13th Fleet. But all I did was somehow manage to get a group of the biggest wild cards in the fleet all pointing in the same general direction. And for that reason people slapped the name 'the Magician' on me."
"With respect excellency. That action in itself, is nothing short of miraculous."
"Yup, you'll be a perfect fit for my loony bunch. Speaking of which let's get down to business. Are you familiar with the Black Lancers?"
"Yes, they are a fast attack response fleet composed entirely of fast battleships, led by Admiral Bittenfeld. Their main strength if speed, mobility and offensive power." The Commodore replied.
"And that's what makes them so dangerous. On their own they could be dealt with a proper strategy, but when used in conjuncture with other fleets, their speed and firepower makes them a force multiplier both on a strategic and tactical level;. For example in a fight between two sides with 10 ships each, if one ship on side B is much faster than any ship on side A. Then side B can use that ship to gang up on one ship of side A with almost two ships at once, and by the time Side A brings reinforcements to make it an equal two on two fight, their original ship is destroyed or side B can retreat and repeat the two ship on one tactic. That's why I am creating this new unit 'project counter." Yang said and showed her a folder.
"Your excellency."
"Call me sir if you must." Yang said in exasperation.
"Very well sir. This fleet is composed out of mostly hammerhead missile cruisers and missile destroyers."
To the Commodore's hesitant objection, Yang smiled a bitter smile.
"Correct Admiral. It's no secret that the Alliance is exhausted, from every manpower and resource that we have. We have to fight smarter, not harder cause the Empire can outspend us. So that's where the missile ships come in. Fast, cheap, hit like a bull and….and with the lowest number of personal we can….it's all we can afford now without breaking the country's economy. This new fleet has two roles. Namely go to where the invasion will be coming and slow them down long enough till the rest of the fleet reinforces. And the second one is to shoot the Black Lancer's charge before they break through our lines and cut us to pieces. Needless to say that it will mean a lots of fighting, with a fleet that can't win battles on its own. So I understand if you turn down the offer of fleet commander Vice-Admiral."
"I'm a Commodore sir."
"Well now you're a Rear Admiral. And you'll be a Vice Admiral if you say yes."
At that the Commodore's head snapped from the folder to meet Yang's eyes. What she was offered was a very, very substantial bribe. An act which made a certain feeling bubble up from inside of her.
"Before I give you my answer, may I ask an inappropriate question sir?"
"Go ahead. You'd be the first one under my command to actually ask permission first before being a smartass with me." Yang lamented and this did make the Commodore grin a bit.
"How many other candidates turn you down before you got to my name on your list."
"None of them. Yours was at the top of it."
That shocked the Commodore.
It was an open secret that there were no female officers above the rank of commodore in the entire fleet. Which made it clear of the military's attitude towards women.
"But…why am I the first choice?"
"Cause you're the best qualified for the job. You have an impeccable track record. Frankly I'm surprised that they didn't give you a fleet already or a Chief of Staff position." Yang replied and there and then the Commodore realized that she had witnessed another miracle.
She saw a politician being honest.
"I accept the new rank sir. But on one condition."
"And that being?"
"I want to be the one to pick the name of the new fleet."
"All right, what is it."
"The Winged Hussars." She replied with a cheeky grin.
"The Winged Hussars…From the famous polish Winged Hussars. Immortalized in the Battle of Vienna and Somosierra? Seems fitting. Well, is that's all then I suppose that all that's left is for you to address your new fleet. Congratulations Vice-Admiral Honor H. Geary." Yang said as he shook hands with the new commander of the newly formed Winged Hussars.
Just then Frederica came in and handed Yang a message.
"There was a clash over Odin. The nobles are gathering in Geyersburg. The Imperial Civil War has begun. Lieutenant."
"Yes sir?" Frederica snapped to attention.
"Tell Admiral Bewcock and Commander Sydney that it's time to implement Plan: Tannenberg."
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Reinhardt Fleet meeting room.
"The Alliance has mobilized 8 fleets, numbering 200.000 and has positioned them in the Dorian Starzone. All under the command of Fleet Admiral Sydney, Bewcock, and Greenhill. Dorian is situated at about equal distance from Iserlohn, Fezzan and Heinessen. Meaning he now forces both us and the Nobles to keep a significant portion of our forces at one of the two corridors in reserve to prevent an invasion there and if there is a coup on Heinessen then this super fleet under his allies can stop it in it's infancy. So it's a 3 way check, and all without firing a single shot…The galaxy has become a much more interesting place as of late." Reinhardt said in truest joy, he relished this challenge, and the great obstacle that he had to now overcome.
"Also, according to our intell the admirals that would be sympathetic towards a military coup are also part of this new task force. Currently about only 1/3rd of the alliance high officers would support a coup and gathered in one place there is no way they would attempt it." Oberstein said from his report.
"Any more bad news?" Bittenfeld asked sarcastically.
"Yes." Oberstein replied with indifference, which made the red headed Admiral do a double take and his colleagues chuckle.
"We have received this from our spies on Heinessen." Oberstein showed them the folder.
"Pictures of the sky? Why are these relevant? I can't see any military vessel on them." Mittermeyer said.
At that Reuhental jump up from his seat, as if the chair became red hot lava.
"There's nothing in them! Where is the Artemis Ring?!" The hetero-chromatic eyed admiral exclaimed and the entire room erupted into chaos upon realizing what just happened.
"Everyone! You are acting in disgrace to your ranks! And in front of the commander as well!" Siegfried said and that brought everyone into heel, calming them down.
"That madman has moved them! But where…AAAA! Fezzan! I'd bet my left nut that the bastard has moved them to their side of the Fezzani corridor!" Bittenfeld exclaimed, showing that despite being a brutish barbarian, the hot headed Admiral was far from being an idiot.
This made another flurry of half panic flood Reinhardt's Admirals, without the necklace any coup had to hope of lasting once the fleets of the alliance returned and with the Artemis Necklace being moved, it meant that the Alliance was now a very, very hard to destroy fortress, be it from within or from without.
"Well played….well played indeed. But do not despair my loyal ones. For while Yang Wen Li had been focusing on internal matters, I have been focusing on both internal and external matters. And as such I present to you the key to our victory in the war. Or rather a quicker victory in the war." Reinhardt said and snapped his fingers, through the door there came a group of bloodied commando troopers, every single of them had visible bandaged wounds and limbs that where in casts of plaster. They were led by Commodore Gunther Kisling, commander of Reinhardt's personal guard.
"Mission accomplished, we have secured the two targets." The Commodore said.
"Excellent work. Ensure that the family of the men who died receive full military pensions and are exempt from taxes for the next 20 years. Every single member of the strike team is to be promoted one rank and be given triple pay for life. Congratulations Rear-Admiral. Bring them forth."
Reinhardt said as before the Admiralty of the enemy of the nobles, there now stood the wife and daughter of Admiral Merkats.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Flagship Hyperion. Orbit over Heinessen.
Yang Wen Li was napping on the deck of the flagship, a history book over his eyes, when Bagdash, his head of intelligence, came with a message from their spies in the Empire.
"So Admiral Merkat's Fleet and Admiral Fahrenheit's fleet have defected from the Lippstadt League…..My oh my….when it rains, it pours." Yang said before he returned to his nap. The bad news would still be there when he would wake up.
