LAC Competition, Stage Two

While scheduled to last ten hours if necessary, the first round had lasted only eight, longest being an attempt by the team from RSNS Joseph O Shelby's Iron Brigade Squadron. That Squadron had dropped as normal, and taken a sharp dogleg above the ecliptic to attack Witch Queen running full out in stealth for half of it, then mooching along on low powered wedges.

The collier had spotted them at 3 million kilometers, resulting in a brisk missile battle that had killed the collier thanks to two massive launches of half of their ordinance at a time, but had cost the attackers eight LACs. The shortest engagement had been under an hour with RSN Raphael Semmes' Stainless Banner Squadron just charging in like maniacs against Witch Bride. But adroit handling had allowed eight of them to survive that engagement.

In length of engagement from launch to attack Shrew had taken seven hours and thirty minutes; the second longest time, though of them all, only Shrew's attack had been without a loss with Semmes third after RSNS Fitzhugh Lee's First Virginia Cavalry, which had scored second in shortest time at one hour 20 minutes and losses with nine survivors. Four hours was allowed between bouts so that all of the crews could relax at least a bit. By the time Shrew had finished her run the second bouts had begun.

The original scenario had been changed less than an hour into the training because a squadron, even at half strength could swarm a single cruiser under. This new scenario was more complex. A single Gladiator squadron, two light minutes inside the hyper limit, protecting an OFS light task force in system, with the cruisers along the ecliptic every light minute covering about a ten LM swath of it, all under stealth, limiting detection range to about eight light minutes if they were maneuvering, or less than five million kilometers if they were not. A drone shell had automatically been deployed 10 million kilometers from each cruiser's initiallocation. Being Solarian drones, they would only last about 24 hours but their stealth systems made them hard targets to see beyond half a million kilometers unless maneuvering. Also, while you could spot the drone shell, you had no idea where the cruiser was inside it.

All would be dropped less than fifteen LM out, so the fact that they were coming out be obvious. The Commanders were not told if the enemy squadron was maneuvering or not, and so could not choose where to hit along the picket line; only the location of the entry point they chose, not knowing where along the picket shell they were. So they might find themselves hitting the center, or being lucky and hitting one of the ships on the flanks of the formation, or in fact missing the picket line completely. If that happened, however, their orders were to close on that picket line and at least be spotted. In that case they orders were to 'run the enemy ragged chasing you'.

As explanation, they were a probing attack with enough decoy drones to simulate a full LAC group trying to draw the task force away from their base, which was the target of the remaining LACs of their CLAC, which had dropped in and deployed exactly opposite their attack two hours earlier beyond the forty LM range of detection of a hyper footprint. Usnig stealth they had moved to within ten light minutes. They would wait long enough to find out if that the task force; three battle cruisers with five destroyers remaining in system, were drawn out to deal with the smaller intruder force.

If they were drawn out, the group would wait until they were up to speed toward the raiders, and unable to stop a high speed attack on the base by the remaining 38 LACs. But a minimum of six hours later, they would attack anyway. The CLAC would hyper back in ten hours later to pick up any survivors. While the remaining LACs of the full wing together were enough to deal with the in system force, they could do so only by allowing the picketing ships sufficient time to come up their ass full bore.

Here it had to be quick and dirty. According to the rules the cruisers would logically call for support, though the nearest vessels were a minimum of forty five minutes or more away at their highest possible acceleration, and only after that would the task group be called in unless they broke through that perimeter.

In other words, a typical cavalry mission, which would please the Sidemore teams to no end. Also, failing to return because they were either destroyed or simply didn't make the rendevous was not a loss if the rest of the mission went as planned; though failing to draw off the task group was.

This had also given her a chance to exercise the rest of the LAC commanders aboard the attached mini CLACs (Why did they keep referring to themselves as 'Jeeps' anyway?) which had pleased their captains to no end. So she had four LAC groups prepping for the others side of what they called 'alpha strikes'.

She knew enough LAC jocks to know that both terms were distinctly Sidemoran. She'd have to find out what they meant.

She checked, and only two were running so far. Her own CIC busy dealing with Fitzhugh Lee's First Virginia Cavalry, and Witch Bride facing off against Stainless Banner. She shifted to Admin mode, and watched the first maneuvers. The other nickname for admin mode was 'god' mode, because first you were seeing everything in real time regardless of the distance between combatants and could tell the status of every system aboard every ship. There were also sidebars giving the amount of time that would pass before opponents would see each other, whether delayed by light-speed or actual realtime.

"Skipper?" Sayoko Gill turned. "Yacht Oak Glen calling. Approaching us, requesting docking access for cargo transfer." Her head cocked. "Also transfer of personnel."

"Signal her to come up on our starboard side." She ordered. Curious; she knew Os was aboard, but why request transfer if he was returning?

The size of one of the older dispatch boats, Oak Glen nuzzled up alongside the Witch Maiden and waited until the personnel tube extended to lock on. As the hatches on both ends opened, Os with the help of the three man crew first notified the bay supervisor, then began unloading her cargo. Since she had been the one suggesting the competition, Rebecca had taken it upon herself to arrange refreshments, so on each end one man anchored himself inside the tube, and kegs of beer, and cases of stronger drinks floated down the tube to be caught by the one inside, who handed them off to the crewmen that stacked them on pallets. Fifty kegs of assorted beer, nine cases of wines, and five cases of harder alcohol flowed smoothly from ship to ship for the blowout celebration.

After that, Os came aboard, but after reporting, stayed near the end of the tube. Then a younger man swam it. When he came down, he stumbled, and Os caught his arm. The young man used the cane he held in his left hand to steady himself, then saluted the OOD. "Request Permission to come aboard?"

"Welcome back, Mr. Stanhope." Ensign Kyle replied.

"I have to take this to sickbay." He dropped the salute, and pulled a chip folder from his pocket.

"Understood. Rating Driscoll-"

"I'll walk him down there, sir." Oscelli told him.

"Very well, Mr. Oscelli. Carry on."

As more and more of the participants in the LAC competition began their runs, the first loss occurred. First Virginia had landed almost dead center on the enemy line. They had deployed recon drones to detect the picket shell, then begun an unpowered advance as soon as they did. But they had failed to probe beyond it. Diedre had moved her cruisers to the edges of the drone shell, and gone silent again before those drones arrived. The first that they knew she had was when a double broadside had been flushed right into their teeth. The LACs had gotten their wedges up, then attempted a wild ass charge like Stainless Banner had in their first competition. Their target cruiser had survived, if a lamed hulk was surviving, but the squadon had been wiped out.

Stainless Banner's commander had landed pretty much in the same place, but she had shown a cunning side. She sent in the recon drones, allowing Witch Bride the same chance that Hughes had. Then appeared to try another fast approach. But Stainless Banner launched a dozen decoy drones and had instead split into two sections, passed over and under the picket line outside of detection range, then even blew a raspberry at her opponents as they went to full power charging in system with the decoys remaining appearing to be a full launch. Fifty minutes into the exercise, they had gone stealth again, and almost three hundred Solarian recon drones were trying to localize them. The in system task group had split into three elements itself to give chase.

The next three competitors were already running their opponents ragged. Mikishima was facing the toughest test; Witch Queen was holding the task group in tight, forcing him to come to her. The two Republican units, named Imperial Guard Cavalry and 1er Regiment de Carabiniers had both slipped the pickets in almost as cheeky a manner as Stainless Banner and were running the picket cruisers around. But Forrest's Cavalry Corps, which had slipped the picket line had run in without deviating from course before going into stealth. Then had made the mistake of not altering it. They ran into the three destroyers Witch Queen had sent out which had merely boosted along their projected course then gone silent. While two of his five LACs survived killing both destroyers, both were damaged as they had gotten suckered into energy range.

Now Stacey's Shrew squadron had just started. "Sam, I'll let you handle the Iron Brigade. I'm going to watch Shrew."

Zachary waved, looking at Krueger who was sitting in as A-Tac just as Riyal had in CIC backing Diedre Hughes and Abigail.

On God mode, Stacey hadn't done much yet; she had been placed on one end of the picket line, and had deployed recon drones which slid though the enemy unpowered. None had been spotted, and she seemed to be considering- the full dozen LACs went to very low powered wedges, sliding along the outside of the picket's shell, then when well clear, boosted speed toward the inner system units. Rebecca didn't understand. Why hadn't she spooked the picket?

Suddenly there was an omnidiectional signal from one detached recon drone offset by almost four light minutes behind the line a million and a half kilometers behind it. It would take a few seconds- Now the cruisers had brought their wedges up. Their drone shells moving into a long wide swath charging toward the radio source. Her annunciator chimed, and she thumbed it. "Captain speaking."

"The competitons have gotten off to a good start." Hughes reported.

"What's going on right now?"

"First eliminations for Volleyball and wrestling."

"How are we dealing with having nine teams for those?"

"Our Republic contingent dropped out of the volleyball tournament, and we dropped out of the wrestling." She laughed, "the wrestling team from Semmes was taunting us until they saw color sergeant Valenzuela."

They both laughed at that. Hector Valenzuela, captain of the wrestling team, had been born and raised in occupied San Martin, and joined the Royal Marines when his homeworld was liberated. He was one of the rare tall San Martinos; and at 220 centimeters, 260 kilos he had taken the right to be big to new extremes. In fact he was the only practitoner of Sumo wrestling aboard as well. There was literally no one in his weight class on any of the ships of the squadron in either sport.

"But all of the Sudemoran fencing teams were mad at us."

"Why?"

"Fencing is linked to their code duello. So we got a twelve person team from each ship."

"Twelve!"

"Yep. Gladitorial technique, Something called Bowie knife, though I would call it a short sword, foil, epee and saber like normal, rapier and main gauche- don't ask, it has to to be seen to be believed- bastard sword, katana, katana and wakizashi, and quarterstaff."

"I knew they had a dueling code, but that sounds barbaric even by our standards." While there were constant efforts expended to either make dueling illegal, or at least limit it to the less dangerous Dreyfus protocol, the more lethal Ellington protocol was still being used.

"It would be if they actually fought to the death. But they explained it to me. Their dueling code is almost completely nonlethal. Since they were mainly reenactors and descendants of reenactors, just about everyone is skilled in the use both edged and projectile weapons, and the person challenged has the right to choose the weapons, so you can choose edged or projectile. The seconds are allowed to alter that with agreement in the interests of fair play. They wear the same kind of clothes used in sparring with both Grayson and standard fencing, so you'd get bruised, but not cut up.

"Using guns, they actually manufacture cartridges with paint capsules. Unless the person aims at you intentionally to kill, you're relatively safe." Hughes chuckled. "In their 200 odd years, only fifty have died in duels."

"Did they offer to demonstrate these other styles?"

"Everything but katana; those members are their kendo team."

"I hope to see it."

"Better hurry down then."

"I'll have lieutenant Huggins watch the rest of Stace's run then." She looked at the screen. Shrew's LACs were inbound, still in the clear. The Recon drone used to decoy them was still there in her god mode, even though the Sollie drones had passed by it as it went passive. In fact, the cruisers were going to overfly it within a few minutes. "I'll let her know, and be right down." She disconnected, then hit the button for Prifly.

"Prifly, Huggins."

"Have you been monitoring Stacey?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I finally came up with a scenario for the last competition. The Capwell inner system fight."

"But that gives Mikishima an unfair advantage."

"Not really; you know as well as I do that a sim never goes exactly the same as the actual battle. That is why even after 2200 years no one has won the simulations of the Battle of Midway as brilliantly as the US Navy did in reality. What I did was set it so that they have exactly the same ships. If the Ferret gets killed, they are eliminated. Also, I included the capture of the the ships. I have not told them, but they must capture, not destroy them. If they destroy either intentionally, they are eliminated."

"So they have to do as well?"

"Yes." Huggins grinned. "It also gave me a chance to give our friend Quintain an independant command. I'm going to have him lead it with Shrew as his Ferret."

"So she's done well enough to keep the command in you opinion?"

"You must be joking, skipper. I was going to ask that she be assigned to me after the first competition."

Rebecca chuckled. "There's an old saying lieutenant, that you can tell the quality of a woman's mind by whether they agree with you about something or not. I like the way your mind works. When are you going to tell her?"

"Oh, she'll figure it out when she leaves the Ferret, skipper." Huggins replied.

"I want to be there when she does. Captain clear." Rebecca signed off,and stood. Saya, you have the conn." There was a muffled curse from the tacial section. It sounded like it was in German. "Sam, how is the Iron Brigade doing?" she asked artlessly.

"Better than anticipated. He's using his EW drones very well. Mr. Krueger's having difficulties." The younger man gave him a pained look. "Well you are, snottie. Now find them so I can kill them."

"Yes, sir."

Surprises

Stepping from the lift in Cargo 2 was like entering a sports arena. Forward to her left two volleyball nets were occupied by four teams; Witch Queen playing the Republicans from Manhattan, her own team playing Shelby's team. Aft to her left four mats had people wrestling. To save time, each wrestling team was comprised of four members, and scoring was on points, so the highest point total went on to the finals. As one of the Sidemorans pinned who appeared to be a Manticoran, she heard a droning. Oh god they didn't...

There was a rattling of drums, followed by the tune 'The Minstrel Boy' on bagpipes and drum. Eight people in three different uniforms marched past, two snare drums leading, followed by three pipers, and three bass drums. The uniforms were archaic, One snare drummer and one bass drum in a light blue, the other snare drummer in darker blue, the other five in red tunics with kilts in four different tartans.

"Will someone please put that cat out of it's misery!" Someone shouted from the stands where part of the Manticoran contigent was.

If she remembered correctly, Oliver Herford once said, 'The Irish gave the bagpipes to the Scotts as a joke, but the Scotts haven't seen the joke yet'. But like a lot of Gryphon Highlanders, she liked them. "Piper! Scotland the Brave!" she shouted. The band segued into the song she had requested with a small cheer as all of the Highlanders applauded it.

"So you like the pipes, Captain?" She turned to meet a dark haired captain in Gray.

"They're part of our heritage." She replied. "We haven't met. You are?"

Dwayne Kelly, Semmes," he waved. "Each of our ships carries at least one piper, one fife and two drummers. Mine are the two in Black Watch Tartan. Shelby carries Seaforth Highlanders, Forrest carries Scot's Guards, and Lee carries Argyle and Sutherland."

"I thought the sett of their tartans were familiar."

"The others are 45th New York, and 1st Massachuttsetts; Forrest and Shelby respectively."

As he spoke, the pipes fell silent.

"How is the competition so far?"

"Without having to deal with that ogre of yours, I predict my own ship will take the wrestling. We're in the finals against Witch Bride. The Republic team looks to be winning the volleyball match." He stopped talking as a whistle sounded, the Republic team jumping up and down, hugging, and the Republic's contingent cheering. "Just as I said."

Fabrication had struck medals for the competitons for both first and second place only. As Rebecca found a seat, the two teams came forward, and Diedre Hughes hung their medals around their necks. Then the speakers in the cargo bay cleared, and the Republic of Haven's National anthem played as everyone stood.

Captain Kelly was right about his own crew's taking the wrestling. But the speakers stayed silent. A fifer in 45th New York blues marched forward, and began to play something she was sure she had heard before. Then the captain of the Sidemore team began to sink in a clear tenor.

"To dream ... the impossible dream ...

To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...

To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ..."

Oh my god. The Impossible Dream from the Man of La Mancha is your national anthem?"

Kelly laughed. "Considering who settled Sidemore, that surprises you?" He shook his head. "People who dreamed of a simpler life, and were willing to forgo 90 percent of modern technology in the process? That truly is the impossible dream."

"And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest,

That my heart will lie will lie peaceful and calm,

when I'm laid to my rest ..." As the singer reached this point, the entire Sidemore Contingent stood and began to sing along.

"And the world will be better for this:

That one man, scorned and covered with scars,

Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,

To reach ... the unreachable star …"

On the wrestling mats pairs faced off with different weapons. After a moment, she finally understood Diedre's comment about rapier and main gauche. As they cleared off, Valenzuela stepped out to face the spectators. "Fengniao and Cao Mei Klumbach-Dollaryde, the Darling Duo." He spread his arms, and the girls with the precision of long practice stepped out from behind him, marching under his spread arms. Fengniao had her sword, her sister her yan yue dao. Then, before an entirely new audience, they performed their mock fight.

Yes, it looked like it would be a good day.