'Cry 'Havoc!' And Let Slip The Dogs Of War
Xxxxxxxxxxxx Alliance Flagship Rio Grande xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"In conclusion our forces shall be split up into 4 formations of 65.000 ships each. Overall command shall Admiral Bewcock who will lead Formation Fezzan, task force center which will by commanded by Admiral Paeta, task Force Heinessen which will be under my direct command and task Force Iserlohn commander by Admiral Cazelnut." Greenhill said as a round of amusement echoed all throughout the meeting room as they all looked at the seat where instead of Cazelnut being present his 'aide du camp' Yang Wen Li was present.
"Admiral Yang, you seem troubled, what is it?" Bewcock asked.
"Your excellency this feels too straight forward. We fortified both corridors and we have a reserve at Heinessen and a quick response force to reinforce both corridors, from the outside it would be a fool's errand to attack the Alliance as we are now and yet Lohengram is doing it. He is one that only fights when victory is guaranteed so the question is why is he attacking now? The answer is that he has a winning strategy." Yang replied.
"I agree but we've run countless wargames and simulations and yet we've found that at best all he can do is try to concentrate his forces into one corridor before we do ours. Lohengram may be a genius but there is a limit to how many crazy high risk high reward tactics he can pull off." Minister of Defense and former Fleet Admiral Sithole said and the gathered room nodded.
"I agree, but still, I think that we should plan for a worse case scenario. One where we must also implement a high-risk high reward strategy. I've come up with several but in order to pull them off I need full access to fleet wide resources and full fleet cooperation." Yang said and presented his plan.
"Admiral Yang, this strategy even if it works would wound the Alliance beyond repair." Greenhill said of the plan.
"It will, but wounds can heal easier than loosing a war. If we lose this, I have no doubt that one day democracy and the Alliance will rise again, but it will be much harder than if we fight to a draw and reach a peace. Though I understand your reluctance if this plan is not pulled off to perfection, then we not only loose the war but suffer a total defeat." Yang replied.
"Admiral Yang, this plan is a million to one shot at victory. But knowing Lohengram he may have come up with an attack that would make our defeat inevitable. If that scenario is true then a million to one odds is better than zero. I vote to approve the plan." Sithole said and every other Admiral present voted.
"If that's settled then everyone to your posts, we have at best 5 weeks before Lohengram's forces reach either of the corridors." Bewcock said and they all left to assume command of their fleets.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 4 weeks later. Task Force Centre xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Incoming transmission from Fezzan. Enemy fleet detected. Numbering 350.000 strong!"
"Looks like they are going to try and break trough there. Tell the Winged Hussars to march ahead with our fast ships. We'll bring up the heavies." Paeta said as both his forces and the reserves from Heinessen where mobilized.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fezzan corridor. Three weeks later Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Strange. We've been fighting for weeks now and all they have done is fire long range missiles. They haven't once tried to charge." Bewcock said as Task Force Heinessen and Task Force Paeta had reinforced him and together 190.000 ships and the Artemis Necklace were holding off 350.000 Imperial ships who all they did was fire at them from ling range and use up their anti missile defense and their own missile supplies for a counter barrage.
"We've lost less than 100 ships and fewer than 1.000 casualties. Something's not right. This isn't like Lohengram at all." Bewcock said as he thought in puzzlement at what was happening.
"Enemy is breaking off attack."
That had been the last thing heard for two weeks, that is from Fezzan.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx Iserlohn corridor xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Enemy sighted! 350.000 ships in total. So many of them! We're outnumbered almost 8 to one!" Ed said in despair as he reported the news.
"Calm down. Judging from the reports from Fezzan I think I know what's happening." Yang Wen Li said as the missile barrage started and once more that was all that happened for the two weeks needed for the reinforcements to reach Iserlohn.
After another week of bombardment, the Empire withdrew.
"Looks like I was right. Call for conference call with the Task Force Leaders." Yang said and went to the conference room for a digital meeting.
"It appears the enemy is employing a grind strategy. They are not coming to fight and destroy out fleets but making us use fuel, supplies and missiles in order to outspend us. Also they keep rotating which fleets come to both corridors and which fleets rest keeping their troops fresh and morale high." Yang said to them.
"At our current rate of spending we estimate that we have 18 months before our fuel supplies dry up. 24 if we use the stockpiles from the civilian sector. Missile stock will be depleted within 6 months, spare parts 12. Based on the size of the total Imperial Fleet we estimate that if the Empire plays it like this they have up to 36 months of fuel on us." We are looking at best at defeat in a year and a half if not two at the current rate." Admiral Cazelnut reported as a grim atmosphere overtook the conference,
"It's not just that. We've received a report from my sources in the Empire. As we are now the Alliance fleet is doing this." Commodore Bagdash said as he showed the route of the Alliance fleet between Fezzan and Iserlohn on their side of the corridor which looked to be like a half circle that looped back into Alliance space.
"This is the Imperial routed." The computer showed a straight line that was almost parallel with the great line that bordered the two nations.
"But how can that be? There are not supply bases in that area and you'd need time to build them!" Paeta said in disbelief.
"But it would take less time to move those that already exist. Commodore, am I correct in assuming that Geiersburg and Rentenberg are the bases suspected of being used to make this shorter supply line?" Yang asked.
"Yes. We received reports of a plan to put warp engine on them. At first we thought that they would bring them to bare at either corridors, but not this." Bagdash said.
At that Yang slapped both his hand on the table and jumped up from his seat in joy.
"This is it! He's finally made a mistake! We have him! We have him!" Yang said with joy as he danced around his room, much to the shock of the Alliance Admiralty.
"Forgive me sirs. But with this, conditions have changed. I request that as soon as the enemy fleet returns to Iserlohn, we initiate my proposed plan." Yang said.
"Very well, I approve of it."
"Admiral Paeta, if possible, I'd like the Winger Hussars to stay with task force Iserlohn for the upcoming operation." Geary said to her direct commander.
"To get even with the Black Lancers?" Paeta asked.
"Yes sir."
"Give'em hell Admiral." Paeta said and proved the plan.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fezzan Corridor. Brunhilda xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lohengram looked at the map that displayed his troops. He led 150.000 ships hidden just beyond the Fezzan Corridor while currently Merkatz and Kircheis lead their 150.000 ships combined with the 200.000 mobile force lead by Reuenthal and Mittermeier to once more bombard the Alliance positions.
It had been almost 3 months and this was the state of the war, just a constant one of maneuver and artillery duels. It was the only thing that could be done against such a well prepared defense.
Because they only move 200.000 ships and kept the rest stationary they saved up on fuel, enough for their spending to be equal to the Alliance and the Empire could outspend them.
This was a guaranteed victory.
And yet Reinhard was feeling like he was an animal in a cage.
"To think that we've use Ovlessler's Fabian strategy on this. It is effective, but still….another 21 months of this…." Reinhard said.
"Do not worry about the morale of the troops, we've mobilized as a border defense instead of an invasion, this will keep desertions to a minimum since every single soldier can see the Alliance forces on the other side of both Corridors. And it is already bearing fruit. It's been two weeks already and the reinforcements for Iserlohn have not arrived for almost 5 days now. Also report say that Iserlohn has been evacuated of none military personal, it seems we are already making them burn trough their supply line." Oberstein replied.
"Then perhaps we can cut this was short of Kircheis takes Iserlohn, though I doubt that even outnumbered as such that Yang Wen Li would fall after only a few days of being cut off and besieged." Lohengram said as his personal aide ran into the room short of breath.
"What is it Emile?" Reinhard said as Emile, with a trembling hand, handed Reinhard a note.
At that Reinhard's eyes went wide in shock as he ran towards the bridge of the ship.
Oberstein grabbed the note and read it, for a moment he too thought that his eyes where malfunctioning.
"Meerkats and Kircheis Fleet…..annihilated." Oberstein said as he too ran towards the bridge as he did so he saw panic and chaos all around the Brunhild as he reached the bridge.
There they saw the image of a wounded and bed ridden Kircheis who was explaining what happened.
"Yang…Yang Wen Li withdrew his fleet from Iserlohn, we….we thought that he was trying to lure us into a fight so as to attack with reinforcements who where pretending to be hidden. So we…..cough….cough….we pretended to take the bate and moved close enough to bombard Iserlohn with missiles but not enough to fall into a trap…..The….Then he shot the Thor hammer while it was still submerged….cough…. Yang Wen Li turned Iserlohn into a bomb and we were caught in the blast." Kircheis said as the image shook and static overtook it.
"Kircheis! Kircheis!" Reinhard shouted in despair as the image returned.
"This is Rear-Admiral Muller. All unit's rally on me! Everyone that can still fight rally! We have to hold the lines! YANG WEN LI IS INVADING!" Muller said before he too was cut off.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Iserlohn Corridor. Hyperion xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Tell every ship that they are to salute as we pass the site of the explosion….Farewell Iserlohn….you where a mighty fortress….as the Empire would say…..we salute you as you too go to Valhalla." Yang said as the forces he commanded his fleet as they chased what was left of the 350.000 strong Imperial Fleet.
"Everyone listen up. We've crossed the Rubicon, after loosing Iserlohn we cannot fall back, the only way left is forward as such…initiate Operation Overlord." Yang ordered as the 13th fleet, surrounded by other allied fleets and spearheaded by the Winged Hussars invaded the Empire.
Yang Wen Li's invasion of the Empire had begun.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Fezzan Corridor. Brunhilda xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Full mobilization towards the Iserlohn corridor!" Reinhard said before alarm bells started ringing all throughout the ship.
"Enemy fleet detected emerging from Iserlohn! Numbering….180.000 ships! They have entered the green zone!"
"What? They never left! They pretended so as to rest and resupply and wait for this! Damn you Yang Wen Li! All units move to battle formation! We must stop this Rebel invasion here and now! Tell Kircheis to withdraw from the corridor and to rally with Mecklinger's forces at Bayerland." Reinhard said.
Bayerland was the industrial heartland of the Empire, it was so big that it was divided in two during the Imperial civil war.
"Excellency, I apologize for my error and will present my letter of resignation as soon as I can draft it." Oberstein said.
"For what?"
"It was mee that endorsed a Fabian strategy and the using of Geiersburg and Rentenberg as supply dumps, because of their new positions Bayerland is without a defense. With them gone there is nothing stopping Yang Wen Li from attacking our industry. The fault is mine."
"The fault is on all of us. Including me. I never imagined that he'd do something as insane as blowing up Iserlohn. Get this is what they say 'a cornered rat shall attack a tiger'. But do not despair. Mecklinger has Fahrenheit and Bittenfeld who are on rest list. They will mobilize there and hold long enough to stop the advance into Bayerland." Reinhard replied as he looked at the map.
"Do you think they will try to attack Odin?" Oberstein said.
"No, it's simply too far away. They would run out of supplies before that. It's just not possible to attack both Bayerland and Odin at such a distance." Reinhard said as he looked at the map. But a small part of him also whispered that up until now no one ever expected Yang Wen Li to use Iserlohn as a bomb.
"Still….tell Mecklinger to leave one fleet on Odin to defend it….just in case.
That was during the first week of the battle as Bewcock kept Reinhard tied down at Fezzan as the young warrior watched the map of the Western Theater and the latest news of Yang Wen Li's fleet.
"He hasn't stopped once to loot to resupply his forces. Not bad, but nothing can outpace Bittenfeld and Fahrenheit." Reinhard said as his fleet continued to fight the Alliance force lead by Bewcock.
Another week passed and Mecklinger reached them.
"Good call! Mecklinger is shadowing them and preventing them from entering Bayerland. It looks like Yang Wen Li is trying to avoid battle and go around. Smart." Reinhard commented.
"He must have enough ammo for only one or two fights, he cannot get into a war of attrition with a well know defensive admiral like Mecklinger. Excellency. If within a week Yang does not fight then we win for I doubt he can sustain his fleet more than that. They must be at their breaking point." Oberstein said.
Two weeks passed and nothing changed.
"How?!HOW!? Is he still able to maneuver his fleet!?" Reinhard said in disbelief as Kessler came in with a report.
"Your Excellency we have managed to capture an alliance vessel intact and this is what we have found."
"What? They….they've stripped them down and stuffed them with fuel cells and supplies. And they only have 10% percent of full personal. This isn't an invasion force! IT's….NO!" Reinhard said as he looked at the pattern that Yang Wen Li charted.
It wasn't to attack Bayerland! It was to lure their last forces into Bayerland and away from.
"Sister!" Reinhard said in horror.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Odin. Prime Minister Palace xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Kircheis dragged his limping body to the room where a wheelchair bound Merkatz stood and looked at the sky as all around there was panic.
"He's come, hasn't he?" Reinhard Sister said as she, Helene, Merkat's daughter approached the pair.
"Not ye. But he will be here soon. Yang Wen Li has marched on Odin."
"Hannibal is at the gates. And the gates are open." Merkatz added as alarm bells rang signaling that the Alliance Fleet was in the system.
