Sovereign chapter 2 (standard:science fiction, 2252 words) [2/3] show all parts
Author: St George	Added: Mar 13 2003	Views/Reads: 2930/2160	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Chapter 2

Adams liked Agamemnon, the main installation on Titan, it was very
different from the naval facilities on Mars or Io. The Neo-Mir base was 
full of exotic things and people. Anduril freighter crews were the 
biggest non-human contingent, but there were also Anduril naval 
personnel and even a few Tisiphones conversing in their strange 
clicking and hissing language. Because of the wildly different 
morphology of humans and Tisiphones it was biologically impossible for 
them to speak each other's languages. Fortunately Galadriel, the 
Neo-Mir computer, was on hand to translate. Royal Sovereign was to lay 
over at Titan for three days before leaving to join up with a joint 
human/Anduril fleet which needed a bit more muscle, Adams had given 
shore leave lavishly, she did not know when the chance would come 
again. 

Adams spent some time familiarising herself with the fleet she was
joining, the 17th flotilla was its human designation. Lead by the third 
Anduril battleship Azaal it was a powerful force: Azaal, the Anduril 
light cruisers Lethan and Tarray-Frit, the Shogun class corvettes SNS 
Fearless and SNS Scythe, and the Sovereign class battle-cruiser SNS 
Royal Sovereign. The Lucifer class destroyers SNS Enforcer, Grizzly, 
Highlander and Wildfire and the Anduril frigates Sketo and Tennit, 
escorted these capital ships. The light cruiser SNS Trafalgar had been 
seriously damaged when the 17th Flotilla had taken part in the battle 
of Heretic and ‘Sovereign was her replacement while Trafalgar was under 
repair. Adams was in auspicious company too. Captain Assisus Karran 
Tsar of the Azaal was the Anduril navy's most highly decorated and one 
of their longest serving officers, and Captain Stele of Wildfire was 
the most experienced Solarian captain (as Wildfire was the first ship 
to be commissioned. 

Royal Sovereign glided through her portal into the controlled space of
Messiah Station where STC gave her an approach vector and the ship 
nudged gently into her berth. Docked amongst the rest of the fleet it 
became apparent that ‘Sovereign was now on fully active service, no 
more safe escort duty. “First off captain, congratulations on your 
acquittal, it's good to see your name back on the roll.” said the 
Commodore. Adams was being briefed about the fleet's next cruise. A 
holo-chart was being displayed by a projector. “This is HU44,” he said, 
before zooming the chart in to show one system. “This is ES-44529, a 
Megaeran outpost which the admiralty have designs on. In nine days 
Crusader will lead a fleet to capture it. We think it likely that once 
an attack is launched, the enemy will either retaliate or try to take 
it back. In either event we would like to turn it to our advantage. It 
seems highly probable, given what we know of Megaeran tactics, that 
they will use the 41st Flotilla to respond to our attack, lead by their 
flagship which we have codenamed ‘Grimalkin'. We daren't attack the 
fleet when they are at their home port, it is too well defended. 
However, if they put to space then the 17th Flotilla will be near 
enough to intercept before they can attack either the star system or 
anything else. Alternatively, if a different fleet is sighted then you 
may be ordered to intercept that at Captain Tsar's discretion. Tsar 
will move the fleet to Heretic in two days' time to meet up with 
Crusader's task force. During the attack itself there will be an 
Anduril light cruiser, ANS Fournier, and her escort of four destroyers 
in the area which can provide backup in emergency, again at captain 
Tsar's discretion. We're all eager to find out what the Sovereign class 
can do Captain, I know we won't be disappointed.” 

Heretic's controlled space was alive with ships preparing for the
operation: Crusader and her eleven comrades, plus Fournier and her 
escorts, and now Azaal led her fleet into the area. Crusader had not 
left Heretic since the battle in which she had been so wounded, it was 
heartening to think that the great beast would soon be out there in her 
natural habitat. Activity on board ‘Sovereign had been at fever pitch 
during her stay at Messiah but everything was calm now, all that could 
be done had been. 

Both battleship and battle-cruiser were about to come into their own.
Size is not the only, or indeed the most important, difference between 
a cruiser and a battleship. They have different designs for different 
roles. A battleship is a long-range, well protected hunter with 
firepower enough to take the fight to the enemy and defence enough to 
come home again. They are well protected and self-sufficient. Cruisers 
however are ship-killers, pure and simple. They work best when escorted 
by lesser vessels, a cruiser has excellent offensive capabilities at 


Click here to read the rest of this story (143 more lines)