Sigma
Inactive Member
Mar. 1, YE 36
It was the last fifteen minutes before the first wave dropped. Marines were rushing about getting their kit together.
Leon Santiago was already in armor, pulling as many shotgun shells as he could for his AS4GS and checking his communication frequencies. Since the two Marine Shaiks used essentially the same equipment and the same comm. frequencies, it would be a disaster for them to intercept and listen in to anything the other side was doing. While they were, in theory, not supposed to do that, both Shaiks knew that NCOs all over would be trying to cheat that way. With their own officers' unspoken permission. If this was supposed to be a true simulation of war, one would have to guard the frequencies without the two-faced promises of brother officers.
He checked the fleet engagement status to see whether 4th Marines would have to worry about 2nd Fleet's fighter screen.
----
4th Fleet had begun operations almost the moment they dropped into the system, like any other invasion fleet. They were led by the Battleship and Battlecruiser Divisions, with the majority of the fleet's heavies up front. 1st and 2nd Cruiser Divisions formed the flanks, protecting the Carrier Division in the middle.
Swarms of 4th Fleet fighters had moved ahead of the fleet to engage 2nd's own fighter screen. Admiral Ironside had adopted a very aggressive strategy, unlike the more cautious Valken. There was to be no fancy maneuvering yet. Just a tight, compact formation to break through to their objective, drop the Marines off and then break up the 2nd Fleet.
Their opposition had been scattered throughout the system. It was Admiral Corcyra's way of preparing his own fleet to handle a situation where they would caught off balance. The arrival of 4th Fleet was known but its exact time and location were a secret, known only to that fleet's officers. As a result, Corcyra had to post picket units at all the likely places and delaying forces in strategic locations behind them to act as delaying forces.
Ironside and Valken had known this. Part of the plan had been created by the Grand Admiral prior to his departure. He just left the rest of it up to Ironside to finish with her own command style. The Admiral had suggested the compact formation and the arrival of the fleet together so as to brush aside any pickets or counter-attacking forces. Ironside, however, had decided to come in above the system's lateral plane. As a result, her ships slashed downwards while the 2nd Fleet's ships had to decide whether or not to turn and fight or turn and hope they didn't get shot across the T.
Nepleslian warships were designed to have powerful forward firing arcs with their broadsides being slightly less so. The doctrine followed that a forward facing unit presented a smaller surface area upon which the enemy might hit, as opposed to a broadside which presented a lot of surface area.
Corcyra had pulled back, conceding the landing zone to 4th Fleet too easily. All 4th Fleet could claim were half a dozen destroyer pickets. Even the delaying force had been pulled back. Ironside had frowned. Corcyra was smart. He was saving his numerical strength to gather his fleet and then bring his huge force to bear on the 4th Fleet. If he destroyed 4th Fleet in orbit, it effectively signaled the end of the campaign. Without a fleet, ground forces were helpless against orbital bombardment.
----
So the 4th Fleet Marines looked to have a clear drop. The problems would come after the drop and Leon strongly suspected that the Death's Head and his own FMF were walking into a trap. But at least they pretty much knew it was a trap.
He watched the two medics in Phaedra's squad gear up, working in sync and correcting each other. Save for the medical cases they carried, both looked like regular combat Marines.
"Corporal Morris, draw a couple of those experimental ammunition cases for the platoon and check out how they work. All I know is that you punch in the quantity and type into the datajockey, the nano inside builds it then spits it out for you. Check and see how sturdy they are. If we can bring them along in the drop, I want them. Otherwise, we'll have to get the tankers to bring them in the second wave," Leon instructed Henry.
The dummy rounds they had were finite, after all, and if they were going to need to hold the drop zone, a supply of ammunition would be good.
"All right, listen up the rest of you. This is the first major op we've done. Some of you might remember Tange. This is that big." He paused. Leon wondered if he should stress the date and timing of these war games. He decided not to. The Marines ought to be smart enough to work out exactly why the war games were being held in the Nepleslia system and exactly why three of their fleets were in a single location despite the strategic requirements of the Navy.
"We will be dropping 500 Marines every ten seconds for ten minutes. That is the first wave. We will be in that first drop. Our job is to secure the beach head perimeter. 2nd Marines aren't going to be in the landing zone but once they figure out where it is, they'll be heading for it. Simultaneously, shuttles will be ferrying heavy armor and more infantry down as the second wave. They'll be slower, having to burn through the thin planetary atmosphere. Third wave will be another infantry drop timed exactly when second wave hits. After that, we hold the line until the Field Marshall tends us where to punch a hole and break out. Be fully prepared for the landing zone to be surrounded before that break out. And remember, pray to God that Corcyra isn't smarter than Admiral Ironside. We lose the fleet in orbit, we lose the round. Squad leaders, check your chickies are ready for hatching and report in!"
It was the last fifteen minutes before the first wave dropped. Marines were rushing about getting their kit together.
Leon Santiago was already in armor, pulling as many shotgun shells as he could for his AS4GS and checking his communication frequencies. Since the two Marine Shaiks used essentially the same equipment and the same comm. frequencies, it would be a disaster for them to intercept and listen in to anything the other side was doing. While they were, in theory, not supposed to do that, both Shaiks knew that NCOs all over would be trying to cheat that way. With their own officers' unspoken permission. If this was supposed to be a true simulation of war, one would have to guard the frequencies without the two-faced promises of brother officers.
He checked the fleet engagement status to see whether 4th Marines would have to worry about 2nd Fleet's fighter screen.
----
4th Fleet had begun operations almost the moment they dropped into the system, like any other invasion fleet. They were led by the Battleship and Battlecruiser Divisions, with the majority of the fleet's heavies up front. 1st and 2nd Cruiser Divisions formed the flanks, protecting the Carrier Division in the middle.
Swarms of 4th Fleet fighters had moved ahead of the fleet to engage 2nd's own fighter screen. Admiral Ironside had adopted a very aggressive strategy, unlike the more cautious Valken. There was to be no fancy maneuvering yet. Just a tight, compact formation to break through to their objective, drop the Marines off and then break up the 2nd Fleet.
Their opposition had been scattered throughout the system. It was Admiral Corcyra's way of preparing his own fleet to handle a situation where they would caught off balance. The arrival of 4th Fleet was known but its exact time and location were a secret, known only to that fleet's officers. As a result, Corcyra had to post picket units at all the likely places and delaying forces in strategic locations behind them to act as delaying forces.
Ironside and Valken had known this. Part of the plan had been created by the Grand Admiral prior to his departure. He just left the rest of it up to Ironside to finish with her own command style. The Admiral had suggested the compact formation and the arrival of the fleet together so as to brush aside any pickets or counter-attacking forces. Ironside, however, had decided to come in above the system's lateral plane. As a result, her ships slashed downwards while the 2nd Fleet's ships had to decide whether or not to turn and fight or turn and hope they didn't get shot across the T.
Nepleslian warships were designed to have powerful forward firing arcs with their broadsides being slightly less so. The doctrine followed that a forward facing unit presented a smaller surface area upon which the enemy might hit, as opposed to a broadside which presented a lot of surface area.
Corcyra had pulled back, conceding the landing zone to 4th Fleet too easily. All 4th Fleet could claim were half a dozen destroyer pickets. Even the delaying force had been pulled back. Ironside had frowned. Corcyra was smart. He was saving his numerical strength to gather his fleet and then bring his huge force to bear on the 4th Fleet. If he destroyed 4th Fleet in orbit, it effectively signaled the end of the campaign. Without a fleet, ground forces were helpless against orbital bombardment.
----
So the 4th Fleet Marines looked to have a clear drop. The problems would come after the drop and Leon strongly suspected that the Death's Head and his own FMF were walking into a trap. But at least they pretty much knew it was a trap.
He watched the two medics in Phaedra's squad gear up, working in sync and correcting each other. Save for the medical cases they carried, both looked like regular combat Marines.
"Corporal Morris, draw a couple of those experimental ammunition cases for the platoon and check out how they work. All I know is that you punch in the quantity and type into the datajockey, the nano inside builds it then spits it out for you. Check and see how sturdy they are. If we can bring them along in the drop, I want them. Otherwise, we'll have to get the tankers to bring them in the second wave," Leon instructed Henry.
The dummy rounds they had were finite, after all, and if they were going to need to hold the drop zone, a supply of ammunition would be good.
"All right, listen up the rest of you. This is the first major op we've done. Some of you might remember Tange. This is that big." He paused. Leon wondered if he should stress the date and timing of these war games. He decided not to. The Marines ought to be smart enough to work out exactly why the war games were being held in the Nepleslia system and exactly why three of their fleets were in a single location despite the strategic requirements of the Navy.
"We will be dropping 500 Marines every ten seconds for ten minutes. That is the first wave. We will be in that first drop. Our job is to secure the beach head perimeter. 2nd Marines aren't going to be in the landing zone but once they figure out where it is, they'll be heading for it. Simultaneously, shuttles will be ferrying heavy armor and more infantry down as the second wave. They'll be slower, having to burn through the thin planetary atmosphere. Third wave will be another infantry drop timed exactly when second wave hits. After that, we hold the line until the Field Marshall tends us where to punch a hole and break out. Be fully prepared for the landing zone to be surrounded before that break out. And remember, pray to God that Corcyra isn't smarter than Admiral Ironside. We lose the fleet in orbit, we lose the round. Squad leaders, check your chickies are ready for hatching and report in!"
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