Subject: [Fanfic] The Fortunes of War, Chapter 1 Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 22:11:19 -0500 From: "Falkenhorst" Newsgroups: alt.startrek.vs.starwars THE FORTUNES OF WAR A Fanfic by Ray Koons also known as COLONEL FALKENHORST No money is being made on this fanfic. All Star Trek material belongs to Paramount. All Star Wars Material belongs to Lucasfilm. All other material and situations are creations of the author, and are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is a DIRTY SHAME. Author's Introduction. This story takes place in an Alternate-Timeline universe. In the late 20th century, the USSR avoided collapse and began an aggressive military buildup under a new regime. A series of events led up to world war 3. America was invaded by Soviet armies, along with Europe. After several years of bloody fighting, America finally defeated the Soviets, driving them out of the US under a hail of nuclear warheads. Germany emerged as the dominant power in Europe, having defeated the Soviets under the charismatic new Kaiser, Heinz I. Peace did not last long, as soon the US, weakened and disorganized by the war, fell into revolution. A new fascist/militarist government emerged, renaming the US the "Empire", and naming the brother of the German Kaiser as their Chancellor. Soon the Empire had forged an alliance with Germany, and soon the 2 great powers were at war again, this time overrunning Russia. Germany and America became the 2 most powerful empires in the world, conquering and subjugating China in a war lasting 2 decades. England and France, the last major free nations, resurrected the old NATO alliance, hoping to escape the influence of the new Philadelphia-Berlin Axis. In the 400 years following, the cold war between these 2 power blocks intensified, growing into space as first the Axis, then NATO traveled to the stars. The Axis consolidated their grip on the extrasolar colonies, preparing a master stroke of offensive warfare against NATO. Finally, the grand attack was launched, with over 6 Million Axis troops and 8000 Tanks pouring over the Rhine and into western Europe. In space, a titanic engagement raged as the Axis fleets launched a series of violent attacks on the NATO space navies. As the Axis crushed all opposition on land and sea, the Space fleets hammered each other along long established battle lines from Mercury to Pluto. Finally the Axis fleets prevailed, driving the NATO forces into a rout. Fleet assault followed fleet assault, driving the NATO fleets out of Sol space. The German fleets finally defeated the main elements of the NATO fleets in the 3 week battle of Alpha Centauri, forcing the remnants of the NATO fleet to retreat to the fringe where this story begins. Ray Koons, April 26th, 2001. Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning Rear Admiral Lafayette stood at the center of his flag bridge. All around him, crewmen and their officers manned their consoles and carried out their duties. The swirling vista of space, currently distorted into starlines, as the vessel was traveling at 10 Lightyears per Hour, was visible through the transparisteel viewports at the forward end of the bridge. His ship, the Philadelphia class Cruiser Charleston, Imperial Naval Registry CM-25, had left the Imperial dockyards at Luna 4 days previously. Currently the vessel and the 3 Halsey class Destroyers in attendance were en route to join the Axis 4th Combined fleet. It had been a month now since the war, and the Imperial and German armies had finished mopping up the last NATO forces in Europe. The remnants of the NATO space navy that had escaped the fleet engagements over Earth and Mars, both bastions of the Imperial/German Axis, had fled to the outer colonies, some 3 months away by the fastest hyperlight drive. It was now the task of the Axis space forces to hunt down and exterminate the last enemy units. The 4 ships lanced their way through the void, drawing closer and closer to the rendezvous. Lafayette turned away from the viewports and walked to the map room, where he stood at the table and looked over the large map of the local star cluster, of which the solar system was a part. Many points were marked in Green or Blue, those representing Axis installations, or enemy facilities now under axis control. Centauri was now firmly in German hands, after nearly a week of sporadic but hard-fought engagements with NATO defenses in that system. The taskforce's course was plotted across the belt of old colonies which had been established by the Empire and it's German allies in the early days of the expansion, nearly 75 years ago. Those systems were dotted with icons representing small military installations, none comparing to the vast fleetyards and assembly facilities in orbit over Luna or Mars. Heavy spaceborne industry had yet to move into those areas, as most of the Axis fleet assets and resources had been concentrated in the solar system to defend against the massed threat of the NATO armadas. Now, with NATO out of the game, the Axis Supreme Command would be expanding it's assets in those systems, although slowly. The taskforce's destination was the farthest Axis controlled system in a chain of 7 systems on the outer fringe of the explored regions. Of those 7 systems, the Axis fleet controlled 2, while the last of the NATO fleet clung tenaciously to the remaining 5. None of the systems contained any habitable planets, just a few dead ones, plus some asteroid belts and lumpy planetoids. These, however, were what made these systems valuable. With the proper equipment, the metallic ores and frozen chemicals locked within these asteroids could be extracted and refined into usable materials for constructing habitats, starships, industrial infrastructure, and other essential resources. Given enough time, the NATO remnants hiding out in the area could exploit those resources and perhaps pose a renewed threat to the Axis. Thus, Supreme Command had decided to dispatch forces to wipe out NATO for good. Forces of both the Imperial Navy and the Sternwaffe were converging on the first system in the chain, known as K-49. The massive combined fleet that was massing there was not yet strong enough to take on the NATO forces, but with the arrivals of another 2 weeks, it would far outnumber the enemy forces arrayed against it. The German assault fleets from Alpha Centauri and several Imperial Carrier groups were en route to K-49 at their best speed. It would be a hard battle, but Rear Admiral Lafayette was confident in his men. They would prevail. The Charleston and her escorts raced on towards battle and glory. Flight Lt. Arthur Smith looked out of the cockpit of the big LR- 10 long range bomber as his flight cleared the accelerator tracks of Alpha base. The massive spacecraft was shaking with acceleration and he was pressed back in his crashcouch as the powerful magnetic fields of Alpha Base's catapults hurled his ship out of the small moon's gravity well. The moon in question, 0-2, was second of 3 small satellites orbiting K-49A, the tremendous ringed gas-giant planet that was the focus of Axis activity in the system. The other 3 Bombers in his flight pulled into diamond formation with Smith's ship at the forward point. The other 3 flights of the squadron were visible farther off, and data scrolled down the side of the holodisplay inner faceplate of Lt. Smith's helmet as he brought up sensor readings on the other craft. There were 3 other squadrons participating in this mission, which were launching while Smith's squadron was gaining altitude. They orbited around the moon fairly quickly, and the other squadrons moved into formation using their thrusters. When the formation was all in order, the ships fired their sublight motors in unison, boosting out of orbit. They followed a curving trajectory that took them past K-49A, flying low over the thin rings. Lt. Smith turned his scanners downward into the rings and did a focus. Various pinpoints scrolled past on his display. That would be the robotic mining vessels that plied the dense field of small rocks, extracting valuable materials. The co-pilot swung the ship around in line with the other bombers as they accelerated around K-49A. They were approaching their cruising speed, and soon the engines were throttled back. Then, as the bombers coasted around the planet, the fleet came into view. Smith picked out at least 6 Deutschland class Dreadnoughts, along with a host of Heavy Carriers. A flight of German starfighters approached, black and white Iron crosses gleaming on their cranked wings. This particular squadron's insignia was a grinning death's head with blood red eyes painted on the tailfins. The radio crackled. "Good luck, American pilots. Send the English to hell for me." "Will do, Fritz." said Smith, using the friendly radio slang of Axis pilots. The bombers passed row after row of cruisers and destroyers. Then they passed the Imperial Battle-line, the crews looking in wonder at the powerful armaments aboard the huge LA class Dreadnoughts as they passed by. Once they were clear, the pilots slaved their hyperdrives to the lead bomber's computer, and jumped as one, in perfect formation. The remnants of the once-great NATO armadas hung in orbit over then next planet in the chain, K-50C. This was nothing but a burned hunk of rock and metal. It had been fried to a cinder when it's star had gone nova in the days when humans were still crawling out of the mud. Now it's sun was a small white dwarf in the distance that cast a pale glow over the shattered remains of it's planets. Several large NATO installations dotted the nightside, covered by heavy defenses. The mission of the incoming bombers was to fire their long-range missiles against the orbiting fleet, reducing their numbers and combat ability for the upcoming fleet assault. The NATO forces had set up a series of fighter patrols around the perimeter of the system. One such patrol of 4 fighters was just now making it's 4th pass of it's assigned patrol area on the grid. "Hullo there number 2, see anything peculiar?" crackled the cockney accent of the lead pilot over the radio. "Nothing here, Guv'nor. Just dead space." replied his wingman. The 4 fighters adjusted their headings and accelerated, heading on down their patrol route. Suddenly, a series of energy spikes began registering on their sensors. "Blimey! Enemy bombers at 6 o'clock!" hollered one of the British pilots over the comm channel. "Must've dropped out of hyperspace as we were leaving. C'mon, boys. Let's give these chaps a warm welcome!" said the flight leader. The 4 fighters peeled off and broke by twos, arcing up and around, vectoring in towards the incoming bombers. "Here they come! 4 bogeys at 3 and 4 o'clock!" The voice of one of the gunners crackled in Lt. Smith's headphones. "Look sharp men. We've got another 4 minutes till drop range." said Smith, concentrating on his flying. The bombers redlined their sublight motors, cranking flat out for their release point, which would get the missiles close enough to hit their targets without running out of propellant. The 4 British fighters came racing in, their pilots firing on the bombers with their Laser Cannon. The bombers autocannnon turrets returned fire, filling space with criscrossing streaks of red death. The fighters weaved in and out as they approached, their pilots firing as bombers crossed through their sights. One ship flew through a storm of laser fire, taking some glancing hits as it's pilot raked a bomber with his cannon, holing the fuselage in a dozen spots. The bomber, incredibly, flew on, although it 's weapons bay was damaged and the warheads were jammed in their racks. Then the fighter was raked by a long burst from a Tail gunner and spun out of control, spreading flaming wreckage in it's wake. Another bomber went down, and Lt. Smith hauled over on the yoke, moving the bomber into closer formation with his wingmates. The co- pilot came on the intercom. "Bogey dead ahead, 12000 klicks and closing!" "Gunners! Here he comes!" called Smith. The British fighter came in fast, eating the distance rapidly. It's cannons began winking, and verdant streaks of laserfire ripped past the cockpit windows of Smith's ship. Long red fingers of death criscrossed out to meet the dodging fighter, which punched his afterburners and climbed. A burst of fire caught the ship, shearing off it' s starboard wing and sending it spinning out. A few more flashes, and the other fighters were dispatched a few moments later. Lt. Smith smiled as he swung the ship back toward the target. In the compartment aft of the cockpit, the ship's 2 bombardiers trained their powerful long range targeting sensors on the distant NATO fleet, acquiring positional data and other vital information. This was transferred to the 35 missiles directly behind them in the bomb bay. Each missile had a yeild of about 1 Megaton, making them dangerous in packs, with their warheads aligned to produce a 40 Degree forward blast cone. The missiles computers responded with a ready signal as they locked onto their targets. This scene repeated itself aboard the other bombers as they entered firing range. Their bomb bay doors dropped open, and one after another, the missiles dropped from their racks and ignited, streaking away toward the NATO fleet, almost invisible in the distance. The NATO fleet began frantically maneuvering and charging their deflectors, hoping to avoid the incoming missiles. Targeting subroutines automatically initialized, and the ships' Autocannon point defenses went active and began tracking the incoming warheads. When the swarm of missiles entered range, the small laser turrets aboard the NATO capital ships opened fire, the first few shots wiping out a respectable number of missiles. However, the bombers had launched in waves, of which the first of 3 had been destroyed. The blast debris and radiation from the destruction of the first wave spread out, creating havoc with the NATO ships' targeting sensors. The second wave of missiles raced in through the dead area of space where the NATO sensors were blind and broke through, streaking in against their targets. Again, the point defense clusters fired, taking out nearly 40% of the 2nd wave. Those missiles that got past the point defenses scored hits, however, and damage began to tell upon the NATO ships. Shields flared with repeated hits, finally collapsing. Then the missiles detonated against hardened armor, reducing external weapons and sensor mounts to vapor, but not yet penetrating. A few more hits split a few ships open, their reactor piles going critical and frying their crews with intense doses of radiation. Some ships began cooking off like powder kegs, those whose magazines had been breached brewing up the most spectacularly of all. Escape pods by the dozens raced away from drifting, burning wrecks, and hundreds more space-suited figures floated in space, waving their arms and legs as their beacons broadcast their locations to the surviving ships. Lt. Smith grinned evilly as he lined his bomber up on it's exit vector with the remaining bombers. 3 would not be coming home, but all in all, the raid had been successful. On the rear sensors, the 3rd wave of missiles plowed into the NATO ships, causing more damage. Smith cursed NATO once more as he pulled the hyperdrive levers. Grand Admiral Walter Eastbury paced back and forth on the flag bridge of the Imperial Dreadnought ISS Nashville. The assault was to begin soon. His fleet consisted of his heavy battle line, 19 Dreadnoughts strong, 33 Cruisers in 2 separate divisions, a screen of 46 Destroyers and a further 200 Frigates and Patrol Vessels. 4 Heavy Carriers were assigned to his taskforce, along with 6 Fleet Carriers and 8 Escort Carriers. The combined air wings of those monstrous vessels would surely be enough to crush whatever Ragtag force NATO could send his way. The German element, most of it recently having arrived from Alpha Centauri, was a sight to see. No less than 12 of the sleek, powerful Deutschland class Dreadnoughts held formation among the Axis formation, accompanied by 20 of the fast Scharnhorst class Missile cruisers and several squadrons of the hard-hitting X class destroyers. The operational plan was simple. Deadly simple, to Grand Admiral Eastbury. The fleet would commence a series of assaults on the NATO held systems, reducing them one by one, and forcing the remnants of their fleets to yeild. Eastbury was optimistic, as Intel from the last bomber raid had reported most of the NATO fleet was still in the K-50 system. 26 Divisions of crack Axis assault troops were being marshaled back home, and would soon be en-route via transport ships. These soldiers would assault the NATO ground installations, after they had been deprived of their spaceborne support. A lieutenant walked up to Grand Admiral Eastbury, saluting. "Report, lieutenant." said Eastbury. "Sir, all sub-unit commanders report their ships ready for action." "Excellent. Inform flag-captain Morell to commence operational plan "Dunkirk" in 26 hours. Dismissed." Admiral Wendell Hearst was having a bad day. He looked over the day's action reports as he sat behind his desk in his stateroom aboard the H.M.S. Warspite. The ships damaged in the bomber attack 3 days ago were back in battle trim, whatever approximation of such could be attained this far from proper facilities. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. Once the Royal Space Navy had been a vast and powerful force, almost as large as the Imperial Navy and that of their German allies. But no more. His mind flashed back over the 4 months since the war. The massive fleet engagements in Earth orbit, hundreds of huge warships pounding each other at point blank range amidst an apocalyptic charnel house of exploding nukes and flashing energy beams. Then, as the fleet had retreated towards Luna, The German fleet had made it's appearance. As the battered British and French fleets limped away from Earth, they were pounced upon by no less than 65 Dreadnoughts of the Deutsches Sternwaffe, leading swarms of missile cruisers and those infernal X-ray laser armed destroyers in a majestic, sweeping turn that took them around from their hiding place over the lunar darkside and head on into the NATO fleet. Space had seemed torn asunder as the 2 fleets merged, gunners running their weapons flat out, ships heeling out of control and blazing up like roman candles. The British and French ships had redlined their engines, bullying their way through, taking losses. The German Dreadnoughts closed to point blank range again and unleashed broadside after broadside upon the NATO ships, even while powerful atomic weapons and focused laserfire exploded harmlessly off of their thick armor and shielding. Then the came defense of Alpha Centauri by NATO fleets, when the German fleet returned to finish the job. It had been an epic space battle, the German and British ships standing off and pounding each other at long range with tacnukes and laser salvoes while their starfighters clashed in a titanic contest above, between, and around the battling ships. The Germans' superior protective armor and heavier weapons had won out in the end, smashing ship after NATO ship into drifting wreckage. Finally the fleet had retreated. Hearst, the highest ranking officer left, had led the escape. Fleet Admiral Grahm had gone down with his ship, the Nelson, on it's death plunge into the atmosphere of Centaurus. The huge ship had broken up in the stratosphere, raining multiton chunks of wreckage over a whole hemisphere of the planet. He was disturbed from his reverie by a wailing alarm Klaxon. He brushed his papers aside and ran for the hatch. Crewmen were running down the companionway, their boots clattering on the deckplates as they ran toward the lockers which contained their Vacsuits. Admiral Hearst arrived on his bridge in time to see another set of crimson dots flash up on the tactical plot. "Report!" He called to his flag captain. "Sir! We are tracking more than 170 Capital ships and over 400 escorts dropping out of hyperspace on the edge of the system. Our outer shell fighter patrols are engaging!" "Fleet order: All ships to General Quarters and leave orbit. Deploy in formation Churchill Alpha 5 and prepare to engage the enemy!" In the engine compartments of the ships in the British and French fleets, the same scene was repeated again and again. Sweaty engineers in thick protective suits threw switches and shifted turbines into their highest gears, while other men opened massive valves, allowing steam to rush into the turbines at extremely high PSI. Control rods were adjusted, and Geiger counters began clicking faster as the Reactors were brought up to full output. The engineers were not in any danger, as the suits were just a contingency requirement. However, the entire engineering sections were always very well shielded in case of an accident. One by one, the large ships of the NATO fleet pulled out of orbit, feeding increasing amounts of power into their engines and weapons, their deflectors charging up. Admiral Eastbury stood stoically on the Nashville's bridge, pondering his options. Then he began giving orders. "The battle line will hold beyond attack range. Missile Cruiser squadrons will deploy to the flanks and provide long range fire support. Carriers will launch full antishipping strike and provide CAP against enemy vessels. German destroyer squadrons will stand by for further orders. Execute." he said. The fleet began to move, the ships accelerating and maneuvering into position. They closed range, moving slowly. The ISS Endeavor, a Saratoga Class Carrier, stood off from the fleet. It's catapults fired again, hurling another 4 SB-14 Naval Bombers aloft, loaded with heavy antiship ordnance. They accelerated and joined the formations that were growing above the Axis fleet. When they had assembled, they turned and accelerated towards the enemy fleet. They ate up the distance quickly, their powerful, overcharged sublight engines hurling them inexorably closer to their objectives. The squadrons of AF-41 Assault fighters peeled off and prepared to dive in and raise hell with the defensive guns on the big British cruisers while the other ships lurked above, waiting for their turn to strike. Then, from the decks of all the remaining carriers in the NATO fleet, fighter after fighter began appearing, streaming aloft and acclerating into attack runs from below the orbiting fighters. The Imperial pilots shouted into their mikes and rolled down and away, punching their throttles and arming their cannons. The 2 groups of fighters closed in and opened fire, twisting and turning, dodging and shooting in an unfolding ballet of death over the NATO fleet. One Imperial fighter erupted in flames from a dozen hits, spiraling out of control and slamming into a French destroyer. 3 Imperial fighters roared through the melee, cannons blazing. The British fighter fleeing them was jinking and weaving, trying to escape. The 3 Axis ships chased him down, riddling his fighter with cannon fire and peeling away, looking for other targets. While this was going on, the SB-41s started their attack runs. They raced down, flashing past and through the raging dogfight, priming their heavy blasters. The defensive armaments of the ships below began opening fire, and the incoming fighters broke formation and began weaving and dodging. One was hit and exploded brilliantly, but the others kept on, raking the ships with long streams of heavy laser blasts. These splashed off of the deflectors at first, but as the range dropped, the gunners concentrated on vital targets, autocannon clusters, sensor arrays, and other weakly defended points. The shields over those areas flickered, and began to fail. The ships' defensive fire began to slacken somewhat as the assault fighters began cutting into their defensive capability. Then the SB-14s came roaring down, bombardiers holding their aimpoints in their targeting reticles as they released bomb after bomb. The NATO ships were rocked with blast after blast as the bombers rolled away and accelerated, several squadrons of fighters breaking off and escorting them back towards the carriers. The Assault fighters stayed about a bit longer, before they too turned away and headed for the carriers. Just as the bombers cleared the Enemy ships, the German "Reich" class Missile cruisers opened fire, their launchers firing again and again as they expelled several waves of heavy antiship missiles. As the missiles began racing in towards their targets, the Axis Battle line began to accelerate, moving forward in attack formation. The German destroyers peeled off and began accelerating out around the flanks. Missile after missile screamed in, pummeling the defenses of the recently razed NATO ships. Point defense clusters fired on full auto, destroying missile after missile, but the others kept on, roaring in at the ships, which were now taking violent evasive action. The NATO fleet was alive with explosions as ships took hits, some being split open and exploding, others just shuddering and continuing on. A lieutenant walked up to Admiral Eastbury and saluted. "Sir! Gunnery reports that we have reached maximum primary weapons range!" "Very good. Commence broadside fire on NATO targets, Dreadnoughts and cruisers first. When will the X-1s enter range?" "Another 10 minutes, sir." "Excellent. Proceed." The ISS Nashville's heavy gun turrets rotated on their mounts, their gunners training them on their aimpoints. Central fire-control had picked out a French Richelieu class Dreadnought as the target of their opening broadside. The guns fired, hurling massive amounts of coherent plasma energy out, connecting the Nashville briefly to her target by brilliant streaks. The enemy ship flared up, it's deflectors lessening the turbolaser blast, but the hull still started to glow from the heat. The French ship's own gunners responded, and a broadside lashed out in return. Axis ship designers had taken care to make the Axis ships as rugged and powerful as possible, able to suffer a tremendous pounding and remain battleworthy. Likewise, they were equipped with powerful redundant generators that could keep weapons and deflectors supplied even if the ship was severely damaged. As the Nashville traded fire with the French ship, it's consorts did the same, filling space with a Red Rover game of flickering energy salvoes that raced back and forth between the 2 lines of ships. The Missile cruisers fired again, the heavy warheads targeted on the ships which were offering the most resistance. Axis fighters orbited above the battle, waiting to pick off any NATO fighters or bombers stupid enough to brave the radiation and energy filled vectors between them and the Axis fleet. As the 2 Battle lines hammered each other, the German destroyers, which had been circling the battle, now made their move. They came roaring in from the NATO ships' blindspots, their weapons too busy firing on the Axis Capital ships to give the destroyers close attention. NATO Captains recognized the approach of the X class destroyers, and began frantically ordering evasive maneuvers. On the fire control deck of the X class Destroyer K-15, German officers in gray pressure suits threw switches and checked readouts, feeding firing co-ordinates into their computers. Crewmen in thick radiation suits worked over the massive gun that ran for most of the length of the ship. The alarm siren began wailing, and they knew that they had better get clear. They ran and entered the lead-lined safe areas, the doors coming down. Heavy machinery began working, and a sleek, 800 Megaton Atomic Bomb was loaded into the firing chamber from the magazine, which contained 200 such warheads. The bomb was suspended in the firing chamber by magnetic fields as the autoloader assembly retracted and the hatch cycled shut. The ship locked onto it's target, an English Battlecruiser, and the order went down: "Toast their asses!" The fire control officer fired. The bomb detonated, it's explosive force being channeled and converted by the magnetic fields into an intense, highly destructive beam of coherent energy. An actinic blue spear of energy stabbed out from the bow of the Destroyer. It slammed into the shields of the British ship, expending 40% of it's energy on them before slicing through, the thick hull armor absorbing another 20% before it sublimed to vapors. Then the blast scythed it's way through the British ship, ripping through bulkheads, cutting control linkages, severing main- steam lines and vaporizing crewmen and equipment. The British ship lost power, belching clouds of superheated vapor and atmosphere that rapidly cooled and froze in the vacuum. The pipes that carried the steam from it's reactor cores to the turbine generators had been cut by the blast, and now vented their contents to space. Lifepods and spacesuited figures began appearing outside the ship as the crew bailed out of the airlocks and any other exit. The ship spun out of control, it's reactor core melting down and flooding the ship with deadly radiation. Across the NATO fleet, this scene repeated itself as the German Destroyers fired their powerful weapons, many times blasting cleanly through enemy ships, leaving them burning, drifting wrecks. The remaining NATO ships, however, began to turn more of their heavy guns on the Destroyers as they raced past, scoring telling hits. Deflectors flared and gave away, and soon several Destroyers had been reduced to glowing scrap, their loads of nuclear weapons frying the crews within minutes. The Destroyers could hit heavily, but they sacrificed shield power to the main weapon system and engines. Admiral Eastbury smiled as he watched the X-1s make their run, causing a fair number of red dots on the tactical holo to fade to gray. Those Germans sure could make powerful guns, he thought. As he watched, the NATO gunners began hitting back, sending a few X-1s spiraling away in flames. He smiled. Every operation had a price. He turned and gave an order. An instant later, the X-1s engaged their hyperdrives and vanished. Admiral Hearst picked himself up off of the deck as the Warspite righted itself. That last salvo had knocked out the starboard deflectors, he was sure. "Fleet status! Now!" he called. "Sir! Enemy missile cruisers are preparing to fire again. Battle line has sustained 36% casualties!" "And the carriers?" he asked. "Still holding back, sir. They've got a full reinforced CAP screen around their perimeter. It would be suicide to attack." "Order the Carriers to fall back to the rally point. The line will follow. Destroyer squadrons 1 and 2 will cover the withdrawal." "Aye, sir!" The battered NATO fleet began disengaging, the carriers powering out of range while the bigger Dreadnoughts began accelerating, putting distance between themselves and their adversaries. Two squadrons of NATO destroyers made a run for the Axis fleet, firing their missiles as fast as they could. The Axis Dreadnoughts maneuvered for clear firing arcs, and their main batteries went into action, hurling thick streaks of turbolaser fire back at the destroyers. First one, then another faltered and decelerated as it was hit repeatedly. The missiles flew in at the Imperial and German vessels. Point defense clusters went into action, blowing many out of space in brilliant flashes of light. One missile, however, found it's way past the damaged screens of an American Cruiser, venting it's nuclear fury deep within the ship's hull. None of the crew had a chance to jump ship, as if it would have done them any good. All 1600 crewmen and the 550 Imperial Marines aboard died instantly, riding a wave of nuclear fire to the gates of Valhalla, the final destination of the battle-slain. The NATO fleet was running, it's vector taking it out and away from the planet. Unseen to them and their sensors, the German Destroyers dropped out of hyperspace on the planet's far side, helmsmen opening their throttles to full power. They primed their main cannons as they accelerated toward the planet, it's gravity accelerating them far beyond their rated flank speed. While that was happening, another 5 Imperial ships dropped out of hyperspace on the periphery, just out of weapons range of the Carriers that were waiting at the rendezvous. Their fighters began launching, while their sensor operators tried to get a fix on the enemy vessels. The 5 Imperial Navy minelayers broke formation, their launchers going into sprint-fire mode, ejecting dozens of heavy mines into space. The fighters approached, just as the minelayers finished up, clearing the minefield and making the jump to hyperspace. Unknown to the carriers, the rendezvous point was now a deadly powder keg, just waiting to explode. The fighters' low power sensors could not get a fix on the stealthed mines, so they reported that the ships were possibly a picket screen of Axis frigates, shadowing the main fleet. The NATO fleet arrived at the retreat exit point, the Axis fleet following and spreading out into a wall of ships. They were still several light-minutes out, and the NATO commanders knew that they would be long gone by time the Axis vessels caught up. The destroyers on the other side of the planet were drawing closer and closer. The NATO captains knew that the destroyers would be returning any time, and wanted to get gone. The British and French ships maneuvered into position, their navigational computers beginning their jump calculations. Admiral Eastbury smiled as he watched the enemy fleet on his tactical holo. There they were, expecting to be gone before he could catch them. They were wrong. He watched the range tick down, the German Ships altering course to slingshot around the planet. When they were only several thousand kilometers from the edge of the sensor blindspot created by the planet's mass, he gave one order: "Now." All around the NATO fleet, the mines, atomic bombs with 500 megaton yeilds, yet no bigger than a 55 gallon petrol drum, began homing in on their targets. They approached on maneuvering thrusters, getting within effective range of the NATO ships. Then, when their computers calculated that 95 percent of the mines were in range, a small signal was transmitted. The detonator pins on thousands of mines tripped off simultaneously. A wave of explosions ripped through the assembled NATO fleet. The ships were in close formation, preparing to jump to lightspeed. The mines detonated in such close proximity that the blastwaves from some hit the targets of others. Deflectors failed up and down the line, and ship after ship was torn apart in the blaze of nuclear fury. Ships spun out of control, their crews fried at their stations by the intense radiation, or their controls and systems blown to hell by the powerful explosions. Other vessels, undamaged, or relatively so, began maneuvering as well, trying to avoid the burning, radioactive hulks of the other ships. The formation fell apart, the ships still capable of FTL finding themselves boxed in by the mass of flaming, exploding ships. Just then, the destroyers came barreling around the planet, redlining their engines as they sped towards the wrecked NATO formations. The chill hand of death wrapped it's bony fingers around the heart of many a NATO sensor operator just then as they realized exactly who and what the new contacts were. The X class destroyers swooped in on the NATO fleet, their gunners targeting the ships that had survived the nuclear holocaust relatively undamaged. Again streaks of violent energy lashed out, pummeling shields and rending hulls, ripping open ships like fish in the jaws of a giant shark. Those ships that still had working deflectors did not have them for long, as most were combat-depleted and were swept aside by the full power energy beams from the German ships. The German Destroyers raced in at full throttle over the NATO fleet, their gunners singing Deutschland Uber Alles as loud as they could as they chambered more atom bombs into their guns and strafed the NATO ships again. The German National Anthem blared over the loudspeakers from the German Flotilla Leader and onto the bridge of the ISS Nashville. The crew had joined in, and Admiral Eastbury walked over to a Lieutenant. "Smith, move the fleet into range. Standard Englobement formation." "At once, sir!" said the Lieutenant, running off. The Axis fleet moved in, the Carriers hanging back, but unloading squadron after squadron of missile-armed assault fighters. Waves of German and American fighters led them in, banking smartly over the Axis battle line as they raced into the blazing cauldron before them. NATO fighters began launching from the few surviving carriers, bravely attacking straight into the teeth of the massed Axis formations. Today was their day to die. As the fighters and assault bombers raced in among the scattered cloud of wrecked and burning NATO ships, the Dreadnoughts of the Axis fleet fired their first salvo. The SWS Prinz Eugen's gunners cheered as they fired into the bridge structure of the HMS Warspite, the heavy turbolaser shots shearing the whole lot off in a cloud of burning wreckage. Missile after missile rained in on the NATO ships, a few falling to scattered point defenses, the others splitting off and slamming into their targets, namely the ships that were still fighting. A flight of 3 imperial SB-14 Naval bombers from the ISS Princeton dodged around the burning wreck of an Inflexible class Battlecruiser and lined up on their target: The FSS Jean Bart. The French Carrier had taken a pounding, defending tenaciously against the massed German fleet assaults in Centauri space. The 3 ships roared in at full speed, their bombardiers locking their targeting reticles onto the gaping hangar port beneath the ship's bow. 2 French fighters came at them, firing away. They were pounced on from above by a flight of Messerschmitts, and so the battle went on. The Imperial ships released bomb after bomb, unloading on the great carrier. One of the French fighters was shot out of space by the German pilots pursuing him, but the other managed to rake one of the bombers with laserfire before he too was killed. The Imperial and German pilots peeled away, exclaiming victoriously over the comm frequencies as they rocketed off through the melee. The bombs slammed into the Jean Bart's flight decks one after another, setting off a rippling series of explosions that walked through the ship's innards. The pilot of the damaged bomber said the rosary as he lined up his damaged ship on the bridge viewports of the French Carrier. The mighty vessel heeled over, explosions blowing it apart at the seams as the bomber slammed into the bridge. The last thing the pilot saw through his canopy was French officers frantically taking cover as he plowed through the bridge windows. Admiral Eastbury stood near the bridge viewports, watching silently as the NATO fleet was hammered mercilessly. Not many ships were able to fight back now, and the ones that still had operating guns and deflectors were losing badly against the massed firepower of the Axis fleet. An officer walked over to Admiral Eastbury. "Sir, the enemy flag officer is offering to surrender." "Very good. Halt all attacks, but move the fleet to cover the enemy. Prepare boarding parties at once." "Yes, sir!" said the officer. Within an hour, the NATO fleet was secured. The ships that could still move and fight under their own power were separated out of the massive debris field that stretched for a thousand kilometers in all directions. The Imperial and German boarding parties went aboard, securing the vessels with minimal resistance. The English and French knew they were beaten, and that was that. The other ships that were wrecked and still floated in the debris field were examined closely, as Imperial destroyers moved on and sent robotic probes inside the hulks to scan for survivors. Many were picked up, and were loaded aboard transports to be treated aboard the hospital ships and space stations in the K-49 system. The main phase of the war appeared to be over, with only token NATO space forces standing between the Axis fleets and their conquest of the last bastions of the once great alliance. There was still much fighting to be done, and many thousands of ground troops would surely perish in the coming weeks. However, none of the victorious Axis crewers or officers could have suspected that the real conflict was still ahead of them, looming closer with every lightyear they advanced toward their final objective...