Empire in Crisis (9 page)

“I was not aware of
that aspect of the Board’s report, My Emperor, and based on what you’ve just
told me, I would have to agree that being able to take advantage of the Cyclone
shipyard complex in order to cut completion times with the resulting higher
output is certainly preferable.” 

Hiakawa’s glare at the
Strategy Board and his sudden capitulation told DeChastelaine that the Board
had managed to embarrass their boss. Whether it was deliberate or a simple
oversight was impossible to determine at this point. The Head of the Strategy
Board was also the DCSFO, and his expression was also one of annoyance. If he
hadn’t deliberately left his boss vulnerable, then he was guilty of neglect in
not making sure that the Executive Summary contained all the important
information. If DeChastelaine ever replaced Hiakawa with someone else, it
wouldn’t be the current DCSFO. 

“I’m glad that you
agree with me, Admiral Hiakawa. Please continue your briefing,” said
DeChastelaine. 

“Yes, My Emperor. A
majority of the Board agreed in principle with Commander Hood’s recommendation
that some capital ship construction be terminated due to those ships now having
been determined to be too slow. The differences in the Board’s thinking has
more to do with the nuances of the technical aspects of construction, as well
as the fiscal impact of cancelling ships that will incur financial penalties.
If My Emperor is interested in that level of detail, I would be happy to
arrange for one of the Board members to speak to that issue; otherwise, I will
go on to the Board’s overall strategy for fleet deployment.” 

“I’m willing to wait
for a written report on that issue, Admiral. I’m anxious to hear the Board’s
thinking on fleet deployment.” 

“Certainly, My Emperor.
Commander Hood’s recommendations on fleet deployment to meet the alien threat
certainly has some advantages, but the Strategy Board has taken into
consideration other aspects of the overall strategic posture of the Empire vis
a vis its neighboring alien races and have come to a different conclusion.
Instead of detaching one full battlecruiser squadron and one heavy cruiser
squadron from each of our 34 fleets and using those squadrons to assemble two
new fleets with inexperienced flag officers in command, the Board is
recommending the following deployment.” 

At this point, the
holographic image of the Admiral and the Strategy Board was replaced by a
tactical representation of the entire Empire with green dots scattered
throughout but mostly near the edges of the Empire. 

“The 987th and the
787th fleets would be re-assigned from their current status as Reserve Capital
Fleets to active status and would be moved to the vicinity of the Tango Epsilon
33 starbase as quickly as possible. The Board has assured me that both fleets
could be moving within ten days of getting their new orders. The advantage of
using two existing fleets is that they have established chains of command that
are used to working together and those two fleets would have a well balanced
mix of light, medium and heavy ship classes.” 

“Ten days before they
even start moving?” asked DeChastelaine. “Tell me something, Admiral. If the
Kravell Empire suddenly attacked Empire territory with multiple fleets, would
it still take those reserve fleets ten days to start moving? Aren’t they
supposed to be able to react quickly in exactly those kinds of
situations?” 

“Yes, My Emperor, in
theory they are supposed to be able to react more quickly. However, there is a
difference between an emergency sortie and a more planned activation. The
scenario that you’ve described involving multiple enemy fleets would justify an
emergency sortie. As far as we know, there is only one alien fleet attacking
across the Rift. That limited penetration of Empire territory allows us to take
a bit more time in organizing a response with more logistical support than an
emergency sortie would include. The emergency sortie protocols clearly state
that those fleets could only be expected to remain in the field for a month
before needing to be pulled back to replenish their supplies. By taking those
ten days upfront to build up supplies, those two fleets will be able to stay in
the field two to three times longer.” 

“I see,” said
DeChastelaine after a pause. “I’m going to mute my station for what I expect
will be a minute or two while I confer with my staff.” Hiakawa saw the
holographic Emperor lean over slightly and look to the side. He guessed that
the Emperor’s ‘staff’ was probably Commander Hood. The staff conference took
almost five minutes. Naturally, to Hiakawa it seemed to be much longer. When
the Emperor shifted his gaze back to the other admirals, he had a mischievous
smile on his face. 

“I must say that you’re
not very subtle, Admiral Hiakawa. The Fleet Commander of the 987th is your son
and the Fleet Commander of the 787th is your nephew. Now if they were
exceptionally good at fleet combat tactics, I might be willing to consider
letting them take the fight to the enemy, but I’ve been informed that both of
them finished in the bottom half of all graduates of the Advanced Fleet Combat
Tactics course. I therefore cannot agree to deployment of those fleets.  

“Commander Hood’s
recommendations, on the other hand, do address the issue of fleet tactics skill
levels. With very few exceptions, all the rest of the squadron leaders of the
battlecruiser squadrons that should be sent to the Rift combat area are above
average in fleet combat tactics. The leaders of those heavy cruiser squadrons
that are to be re-deployed have not yet taken the AFCT course, but most of them
had above average grades in their Academy tactics classes. This suggests that
they have a natural aptitude for ship tactics and maybe will for fleet tactics
as well. By re-deploying those squadrons to the front line, they will gain
invaluable field experience that can make them even more qualified for eventual
fleet commands of their own. Deploying them this way might very well give the
Empire the next generation of fleet commanders, and in the short run, I’d
rather have two fleets composed of fast battlecruisers commanded by tactically
savvy commanders than two fleets composed of slow capital ships commanded by
tactically incompetent commanders. I also notice from Commander Hood’s report
that because each fleet is only sending two squadrons, they should be able to
begin their re-deployment almost immediately, and the first Strike Fleet could
be organized and in position in as little as nine days versus the ten days it
would take your son and nephew to even begin to move toward the Rift
area. 

“Now as for your
assertion that the enemy incursion is composed of just one fleet, I’m of the
opinion that we don’t know for sure how big this alien incursion is, and
therefore it’s foolish to assume the best case scenario. In my capacity as the
overall military commander, I deem it prudent to assume the worst case and act
accordingly. Deploying two fleets composed of battlecruiser and heavy cruisers
will hopefully give us the time to re-organize our other fleet assets, and by
that I don’t just mean shift ships and squadrons around. It will include
reshuffling the deck of fleet and maybe even squadron commanders. You and I
both know that the best officers have not been allowed to rise to the top, and
that fact is what is putting the Empire in jeopardy.”  

DeChastelaine was about
to say more but hesitated when it became clear that Hiakawa and each member of
the Strategy Board were suddenly looking down at their consoles. DeChastelaine
was also able to hear the urgent sound of the alert signal from their
consoles. 

“My Emperor, it appears
that we’ve received a message from the 107th,” said Hiakawa. “I will have it
copied over to you.” The text message soon began to scroll across
DeChastelaine’s console screen. 

[No sign of alien ships
at TE33. Recon elements have not made contact half way to TD39. Request any
information on any contact reports from other fleets. End of message.
Logan] 

“This is good news, My
Emperor!” Hiakawa noticed that the Emperor’s expression continued to be
serious. “The fact that the enemy has not moved forward could mean that they’ve
withdrawn from Empire space. I intend to order Fleet Commander Logan to send
his recon squadrons all the way to Tango Delta 39 to confirm whether that is
the case.” 

DeChastelaine was about
to speak when he heard Hood clear her throat. He looked at her and saw her
shake her head. “Standby while I confer with my staff again, Admiral,” he said
to Hiakawa. After muting his station again he looked at Hood and said,
“Well?” 

“Those recon squadrons
are scouting the direct route from TE33 to TD39. There’s nothing that says the
enemy has to move forward along that wormhole connection. They can just as
easily detour around to the side and come at TE33 from an unexpected direction.
I recommend that we warn Logan of that possibility. If he decides to garrison
the other wormhole exits, he’s going to need all his squadrons. Sending his
lights and heavies to TD39 will weaken his overall combat capability just when
he might need it the most, My Emperor.” 

DeChastelaine thought
for a few seconds and said, “All right, I want you to compose a short message
to Fleet Commander Logan, advising him of your concerns, Hiakawa’s
recommendation to investigate TD39 and my decision that it’s Logan’s call to
make. Send that to Fleet Com when it’s ready. I’ll make sure that they send it
on to Logan.” He quickly turned the audio connection to his admirals back on
again. 

“My staff has raised an
interesting possibility that the enemy may be moving forward via an indirect
route and that TE33 may be vulnerable to attack from wormholes on the 107th’s
flanks. Rather than try to manage the situation from here, I have decided to
let Fleet Commander Logan decide whether to push his recon elements further
forward or to pull them back and protect his flanks. A message to that effect
is being prepared by my staff and I will want it to be forwarded to the 107th
as expeditiously as possible, Admiral Hiakawa.” 

Hiakawa forced himself
to remain silent while he struggled to control his anger. When he was able to
speak calmly, he leaned forward and began speaking in a deceptively low voice.
“My Emperor, I feel it is my duty to point out that your decision to let Fleet
Commander Logan decide his next course of action is an egregious intrusion into
the traditional authority of myself and my staff to give fleet commanders these
kinds of directions.  I have acknowledged your right to determine the overall
strategic plan, but I do NOT acknowledge your right to micro-manage every
tactical situation. I must warn you that you are coming dangerously close to
crossing a line that should not be crossed.” 

DeChastelaine was not
fooled by the calm tone of Hiakawa’s response. The man was boiling mad; that
much was obvious.
Is this the issue that will trigger the marine battalion?
I think I’m ready, so why postpone the inevitable? Logan needs the flexibility
to manage the situation as he sees fit, and if that means Hiakawa calls in the
marines, then so be it!
 

“Will you have my
message to the 107th sent immediately or not? Choose your next words carefully,
Admiral Hiakawa.” 

Hiakawa couldn’t
believe what he was hearing. It was almost as if the Emperor was trying to goad
him into unleashing his marines, but that made no sense unless DeChastelaine
had somehow neutralized the threat. Hiakawa needed time to find out. 

“I will have your
message to Fleet Admiral Logan sent immediately, My Emperor.” 

“I would like to hear
you give those orders right now, Admiral,” said DeChastelaine. 

Hiakawa nodded. “CSFO
to Comm. Center.” 

“Comm. Center here,
Admiral. What can we do for you?” 

“Have you received a
request from the Palace to send a message to the 107th within the last few
minutes?” 

“As a matter of fact,
yessir, it’s just arrived as we’ve been speaking.” 

“Fine. I want that
message relayed to the 107th immediately.” 

“We’ll have that
message on its way within sixty seconds, Admiral.” 

“Very good.” Hiakawa
looked at DeChastelaine who nodded. 

“Now that we’ve got
that issue taken care of, I wish to return to the subject of organizing our
military response to the alien incursion. Commander Hood’s recommendations
concerning redeploying battlecruiser and heavy cruiser squadrons will be
implemented as soon as possible. I’ll expect to see squadrons in motion within
twenty-four hours. I’ve decided that this meeting is concluded.” And before
Hiakawa could say another word, DeChastelaine had shut down his station’s
electronic connection to the Admiral and the other participants.