Episode 2: War On Two Fronts
"The assassination of President Gorgian and the destruction of the starbase Santa Fe. Both of these atrocities, which have been played out in Terran space, have been committed by the Drengin Empire. It pains me that my first act as President of the Terran Alliance, is to come before the honorable Congress of the Alliance and ask for a declaration of war against the Drengin Empire and their allies the Dominion of Korx and the Yor Collective. For war is already upon us, human blood has been spilled, human lives have been lost. Over 3000 were aboard the Santa Fe and over 300 on the USS Earth with President Gorgian. Tough, long, and painful this war will be, but the resolve of humanity will win out through the violent night. The enemies forces are massive, but alone in this fight we are not. The leaders of the Altarian Republic and the Torian Confederation are delivering messages, much like this one, to their respective legislative bodies as we speak here. Together our three galactic nations survive and prosper in peace after we defeat our enemies with our righteous might. The Drengin Empire attacked us when we least expected, hoping to drive our people into hiding in fear, to discourage our military forces into fleeing, to make us think we have no chance of victory. But, all the Drengin Empire has done is strengthened our determination to fight, live, and to be free!" Applause exploded in the great hall as now President Alan Bradley finished his speech. He stepped down from the podium. When he was out of the sight of the senators, Bradley smiled, he had won the crowd, he would have his war.
The Congress of the Alliance was the legislative, law making, body of the Terran Alliance. Headquarters in New York City on Earth, the Congress is made up of elected senators from each planet in the Alliance. Each planet received two senators that have been voted into office by their respective planet. The Congress consisted of over two hundred senators, about half are members of the Universalists party, Bradley own party. The other half was a mixture of the other seven political parties, with the Populist in the lead with twenty-five percent of the entire congress.
Bradley was taken, immediately after the speech, to his personally plane to take him to his new residence. Two weeks have passed since the Santa Fe and Earth, and the new President was sworn in on his ship. Like the President the ship also got a new name. The Mars is officially now the USS Earth-D, the President Personally carriage of the stars. Bradley new residence was located in the Earth city of Paris, home of the executive seat of the Terran Alliance. It took ten minutes to fly from New York City to Paris, there is no air traffic for the President.
They landed on the Presidential Residence private airfield and spaceport, Bradley knew that the new Earth was stationed underneath the airstrip at a constant ready to be launched in needed immediately. A small control tower stood off to the side of the field, from there a controller informed the President that a his advisors were waiting for him in the War Room.
The residence it's self, officially called the Executive House, was nothing over the top. It was a modest mansion, if mansions can be modest. Divided into two wings, the west and east wings, one for business and the other the residence. It has all the necessities to keep the President comfortable and safe from all disasters, naturally.
The room went silent as the President entered. The room was full of monitors and projectors and all types of viewing machinery, Bradley had only been here seen in here once before. That was the day that late President Grogian told him to meet with the Iconians, a mission he was never able to complete. Around the table located at the center of the room, all the late presidents, therefore now his, advisers sat waiting for his audience.
Before Bradley sat down he said, "Gentlemen and Ladies, you have your war." He sat down. The advisors frowned at the statement, but Bradley knew they were all hounds. Hounds looking for any praise they can get from the leader of the Terran Alliance. "What is the news?"
A round plump man with a red nose and cheeks by the name of Gregory Hidalgo, Secretary of the Galactic Navy, started. "Well, the fleet that destroyed the Earth was only an advanced fleet. Which means it not a real treat, it preyed on some of our merchant vessels in the area, until a regional Defense Fleet, led by the Bradley." The President flinched, he detested that ship. Just because he managed to get elected they name a ship after him. The advisors pretend to not notice. "They defeated the smaller enemy fleet easily, only taking minor damage, so we considered it a complete success." By damages he meant causalities Bradley knew.
"Are we under threat of a real invasion then?" Bradley asked.
This time it was a plump round woman, by the name of Madam Jelks. She was a loud individual, who loved to boast about how she was born on Earth, especially to the non-earthborn humans on the council of advisors. Bradley wasn't really sure what her officially position was in the council, he made a mental note to find out. "Well, theoretically were always under threat of invasion if you look at it. But does this advanced fleet, signaling that a large invasion is on it's way? Well, that would be why it's called an advanced fleet now isn't it." She snorted. "But, were here on Earth. An attacking enemy fleet can never make it this far, so we are in no danger whatsoever."
Bradley didn't understand her logic, he ruled more then just Earth. "What about the people not on Earth? What about the populated planets near the demilitarized zone? What have they to do if an invasion comes?"
"Well," she paused. "Those people near the demilitarized zone, as long as they fly under the banner of the Terran Alliance, they will be protected." It wasn't an answer Bradley knew, more of a threat. Madam Jelks thought Earth was the only suitable planet for a human to live on, and thought all those stupid enough to leave it didn't deserve to be protected by the mother planet.
"How many fleets are active at this moment?" The President asked.
"Four, with five in reserves. And three more are capable of being created." Said some man, Bradley didn't know his name, and frankly he didn't care.
"Send the four fleets to the demilitarized zone, bring the reserves into commission, them all but one on patrols of out territory. Leave the one on permanent guard of the Sol System, I don't want any more surprises. Creates those other fleets and put them on high alert standby. Send messages to the border planets and tell them to prepare their ground to space defenses and to set their garrisons on high planetary invasion alert. Now if you excuse me, I'm needed at Crosspoints station for a meeting with the leaders of the Altarian Republic and the Torian Confederation."
"Wait, President, don't you want your advisors to go with you on this war mission?" Almost all of them said at once.
"No." He said simply and left.
"They've broken through the air defensives over January City! Enemy troops are landing on the ground!" the intercom yelled. "If we lose the City the planet is as good as lost! Were doomed!" It ended abruptly.
Get a hold of yourself, she thought. She wasn't sure if she was directing her thoughts to the voice or herself. It wasn't hopeless was it, they couldn't lose the air to the invaders? If the air was taken, then the ground would be virtually defenseless to attack and invasion.
Beams of light rained down around her, a lonely pilot in the mist of battle. She dodged the light with skillful precision. A plane of foreign design caught her eye. She pulled on the stick to turn and meet the new adversary. A grayish tan in hue, four wings jutted out in an X shape from the hull. Designed for both lower space and atmospheric combat, the enemy plane was a formable foe. But she could tell by the way the wings shook during flight that the pilot was inexperience, or at least, not as experienced as her. She pulled the trigger, two lights of her own blasted from the front of her plane, and then pulled up just in time to dodge two missiles that exploded on impact with another enemy ship next to her plane. The explosion blinded her for an instant, but her aim was true, one of her lasers cut one of the four wings from the plane's hull, while the other hit the engines direct on. The foe began it's decent towards the ground with a trail of smoke fallowing it, until a ball of fire consumes it on collision.
"Largar!" A different, yet illustrious, voice sounded. "Largar, Hellgin is dead, shot down. You are now in command." It went silent.
"Damn," was all that she could say. At the beginning of the day, she was third in command of the Air Defense Force (ADF) of the Penisola Port Province on the outer planet Cerci III. Now Kristina Largar was in charge of the whole division. "Damn," Kristina said again.
With two missiles launches she, the new commander, took out two more enemy planes. Balls of fire exploded all around her, as planes fell from the sky. Even though in battle you can't tell who is winning, her hopes weren't very high. How could a force, that was caught complete by surprise, win against a force a hundred times their size. She didn't even know the Terran Alliance was at war, for what other reason would Cerci III be attacked.
She fell two more planes when the order came over her radio. "Kristina Largar, this is Cerci Command. The Drengin have captured January City, the capitol is in their command. Command is taking up headquarters in Easter. The main bulk of the enemy forces, both air and ground, are moving towards you now. You are ordered to pull back to Penisola and hold off the enemy until evacuation can reach you by sea. You have your orders soldier, best of luck." The intercom went once again silent.
"Damn," she said once more before turning on her outward receiver for the radio. "All right pilots listen up, this is Largar. January has fallen, but the planet is still fighting. We've received orders to fall back to Penisola, we are to hold the city until evacuation reaches us by sea. These are our orders, I expect them to be fallowed. This part of the Campaign for Cerci III, for that is what this has become, is over."
Episode 3: The Battle of Cerci III