Excerpt from 'With Flag and Turbolaser', Chapter 5 'By Any Means Necessary', by Fleet Admiral Uthin Samuel.
The third battle of Weyland was an almost cursory affair, but it was a turning point for Imperial policy. It is hard to imagine now, but after a bull run of four new worlds captured in one month, we were convinced the whole galaxy would fall as easily. The cultists attack on Weyland was, in a sense, the end of innocence for the Empire. For the first time we came face to face with the fact that we were not invincible, our rise was not inevitable destiny. It would take somewhat longer for us to realise that there was a very real chance that we could fail in our quest to bring order to the galaxy.
The return to Weyland from Korriban was another tense investigation into just how hard our hyperdrives could be pushed. I knew that enemy ground troops would be inbound, following in transports not too far behind the cultist strike fleet. I feared that even if our troops managed to resist that assault, it would only incite the crazed 'prophet' to being a sustained turbolaser barrage. We had to reach Weyland before our garrison on the ground was wiped out.
We came out of hyperspace to find the enemy cowering inside a loose sphere of hastily-deployed laser satellites. I tasked the INS Loyalty with eliminating the closer ones and Captain Force reported that they presented little challenge to his guns. Meanwhile Commodore Darkevilme hardly needed to be ordered to close with the enemy; in fact I suspect, were I to order her to hold position, I would have been forced to press insubordination charges.
I ordered all ships, save for Captain Knight's gunboats which were merrily decimating the enemy fighters, to concentrate firepower on the enemy command ship. It did indeed prove to possess the unlikely, possibly even supernatural regenerative capabilities that Captain Vortex had described in his final transmission.
This ability could not save it from the combined firepower of Task Force Exterminator, and the mad prophet HSRTG died under our guns, screeching obscenities into the comm channels right up to his last breath. Once the command ship was wreckage, I had the fleet squadron focus on their sole remaining destroyer, while the Strikes began picking off enemy gunboats. With their leader gone, the enemy's morale soon broke.
The FTL on the cultist destroyer had been taken out by our second salvo, so it had no hope of escape, but I regret to say that a handful of enemy gunboats did make it out into hyperspace. Our interdiction cruisers were still at the early prototype stage at that point, so such an outcome was essentially unavoidable. However our subspace jamming was quite effective, and the enemy troop transports arrived forty minutes later with no realisation that their fleet had lost control of orbital space. Of course they refused our demand for unconditional surrender, so I was forced to destroy the entire convoy before it could land.
Our ground forces were rescued whole and intact, and I must say that they were very pleased to see us. As every child now knows, following the recapture of Weyland it was remand to 'Vortex', in honour of the good Captain and the sacrifice made by his defending force.
After that the task force was broken up, spread over our new conquests to provide defence while the fortifications were built. I was recalled to SDN, where I was to confront an even greater threat. Moff O'Farrell had convinced the Emperor that hypervelocity ground-to-surface batteries were needed on every world, an endeavour that would mean freezing naval budgets at...
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Concurrent with the third battle of Weyland, far to the Galactic south, the Great Leader himself was pacing the command deck of the INS Star Fist, observing his Objective Interim Low Density Battle Multiple Formation Fleet Unit making ready to jump. The halfwits at Imperial Fleet Command did not have the vision, the drive, the total commitment to do what was necessary that Strategic Space Command did. This operation would be completely off-the-record, a situation ensured by post-engagement selective mind wipes for all personnel save the most senior command staff.
The Multiple Formation Fleet Unit contained no escorts, no ships smaller than a light carrier, for they were beneath consideration in Moff Skimmer's grand scheme.
“Jump the fleet.” Stars streaked into lines and vanished in a flash of light as the massive battlecruiser converted its mass into a tacyhonic equivalent. “Very good. Now clear the bridge. I will command from the CIC.”
The journey to the Maw took six hours, the older hyperdrives in the SSC ships not able to maintain anything like the pace that the final generation of Old Empire ships could. The fleet emerged from hyperspace into a thick cloud of ionised gasses, which crackled with electrical discharges. The cruisers Big Stick and Laguna flanked the flagship on each side, while the light carriers Lucky Bastard and Muffin trailed behind.
“Shields aren't coming up sir! The charge is just leaking out of the grids as fast as we can pump it in!” Sheets of lightning washed over the exterior hulls of the SSC ships as they vainly struggled to raise their shields.
“Great Leader, our sensors are also badly degraded by this pocket of material we're caught in, but I am detecting a sizeable enemy force, well outside the pocket.”
“Flank speed! And put my on subpace, all channels.”
“You're on sir.”
“Enemy vessels, this system has been claimed in the name of Strategic Space Command and shall henceforth be known as HAB. As such you are now trespassing on the private property of the Great Leader. Flee now or witness a demonstration of SSC firepower.”
“This is Master Ossus, commander of the free ship Capitalist and platinum tier member of the Libertarian Alliance. An engagement here will profit no one. Any interference with our perfectly legal and harmless salvage operation will be met with rapid escalation of hostilities. Your fleet is at a tactical disadvantage and our sensors show your hulls to be of considerable age. I strongly recommend that you back down.”
Moff Skimmer, or as he insisted his subordinates address him, 'The Great Leader', nodded to a young lieutenant. The nautiloid woman saluted as her other hand turned a large key already inserted into its slot. The display above it flicked from 'Probably Safe' to 'Rapid Auto Kill', and the fleet opened fire.
“Numerous enemy bombers inbound sir, and our own fighters can't target them in this muck!” The enemy wouldn't have any problem targeting the giant SSC ships.
“Commodore Sheppard, Captain Adrian, you are to go to flank speed and get out of this crap Ay-Sap. Suppression fire on the enemy fleet.”
“Enemy bombers heading for the carriers sir!”
“Captain Hotfoot, Captain King, close up on the flagship. We will defend you as best we can.”
The two carriers moved into close formation with the INS Star Fist, a continuous stream of fighters pouring out of their hangar bays, while the cruisers steamed forward. The INS Laguna got into position first and unleashed a full broadside on the corporate vessels. Her shields had almost no time to recharge before the return fire battered them down again. Commodore Sheppard was more cautious, hanging back and allowing the Big Stick's shields to recover before engaging.
The enemy was dying fast but the INS Laguna was taking heavy damage. The Star Fist's momentum had carried it to the other side of the enemy fleet; the great ship threw curtains of fire at the libertarians but could not directly assist.
“Lucky Bastard, Muffin, you are to close with the enemy immediately! Get in there and do some damage!”
“Aye sir!” Captain King was closer to the stricken SSC cruiser and saw easy prey in a group of heavily damaged enemy acclamators.
The Acclamators went down, but their decoys and ECM suites had been masking a squadron of corporate dreadnoughts directly behind them. The enemy ships moved forward as one.
“That's it! Synergistic fire on the thrust units of that smaller ship!” Master Ossus was finally getting value for money out of his correspondence course in fleet combat tactics. The INS Muffin was soon almost powerless and began drifting towards the nearest singularity.
“Captain King! Use your thrusters! Slingshot around it!” The Great Leader's brow furrowed as he watched one of his ships plunging toward oblivion.
“No good sir! We took some torpedoes in the main hangars, her structure is compromised.” Horrible groans and shrieks drowned out Captain King's words as his carrier buckled and contorted. Finally it crossed the Roche limit of the black hole and disintegrated.
Captain Hotfoot was not about to suffer the same fate, and pulled the INS Lucky Bastard away from the fight, preferring to let his bomber wings do the work. The Star Fist was hunting down enemy destroyers caught away from the main fleet, picking them off with near impunity now that her shielding was charging properly. Unfortunately she was still vulnerable to pinpoint strikes from star bombers, and swarms of the fresh enemy heavies were descending on the lumbering ship.
Lieutennant WesFox was determined to put a stop to that. He was flying a state-of-the-art interceptor design that Moff Skimmer had yet to reveal to the rest of the Empire. The TIE Defenders cut swathes through the enemy bombers, but they were too few to stop them all. Waves of torpedoes pounded the terraced hull of the Star First, destroying several of the port weapons blisters.
“Commodore Sheppard! Support the flagship!”
“Yes sir, we have a solution on the second enemy destroyer.”
Heavy guns thumped as the two ships took out an enemy each.
Meanwhile the remaining libertarian ships had the badly wounded INS Laguna surrounded. Her weapons smashed and her hull badly torn, the great star cruiser had nothing to answer the final enemy assault with. Or so they thought.
“Open channel to their command ship. Tell them we wish to negotiate terms.”
“Captain?” Master Ossus was clearly annoyed at the loss of two thirds of his ships, but still smugly satisfied at the besting of the Laguna. “What could you possibly offer me that would entice me to spare your life? We are preparing to withdraw and before I do I see no reason not to eliminate another tool of Big Government.”
“You can have this ship. A powerful star cruiser, not to mention a treasure trove of intel and technology. Allow my crew to abandon...”
“Ha! Your ship is a worthless hulk and its systems hopelessly obsolete to what we have recovered from this installation! Furthermore I am sure you would erase the databanks before abandoning her. No Captain, I think it is time to terminate your franchise.” Master Ossus was looking nervously at his sensor repeaters, which showed the Big Stick and the Star Fist approaching his position.
“You forget one thing in your calculations.” Captain Adrian said cooly.
“Oh really?” Master Ossus paused, ready to give the final firing order “and what is that?”
“The Great Leader has decreed that all Strategic Space Command capital ships be equipped with an Objective Interim Cobalt Salted Antimatter Doomsday Device... and your prattle has given me time to complete the arming sequence.”
The petaton-class explosion blew away the remaining libertarian fleet like a live hand grenade nestled in a basket of kittens. Lieutennant WesFox's TIE Defenders led the SSC's TIE wings in clearing the last of the enemy fighters. At last, the three remaining SSC ships had the HAB installation to themselves.
As far as the rest of the Empire knew, the Laguna and the Muffin never existed. Records were forged, hull numbers changed. 'Unexpected setbacks' reported in the commissioning of the INS Star Fist, while 'enemy sabotage' delayed the refit of the INS Big Stick.
That is not to say that some real sabotage did not occur. Enemy agents destroyed mining facilities on Peptuck and Prefect with thermal detonators. Crews are working to rebuild the installations; Director Weemadando has confirmed that this is the same group that sabotaged the Walk Softly.
The Empire now stretches over 13 inhabitable worlds, one metal-rich planetoid and one major asteroid field. The former Maw installation is under SSC exclusive control.
We have begun preparations to strike at the cultists who attacked Vortex and also make a push for the old Imperial shipyards at Sullust. However it will be some time before our forces are assembled.
moment.