Star People

Chapter 32

Operation Star Point Part 4

1245 hours on the Deriaton One’s bridge…

“Captain! I have just received word that the strike forces from the carriers Lexington and Regelion have successfully cleared a path through the Zedan fleet and aircraft to Sword Beach.”

“Excellent! Colonel Lostara has done well in leading the joint-effort!” Captain Retora stated as she studied the magical tactical projector. “Thanks to his leadership and the new weapons we had developed, securing Juno Beach shouldn’t take that much longer.”

“Uhm… begging your pardon, Captain,” The communications officer name Verela began, “I’m receiving reports that Omaha Beach had already been secured early this morning and the forces at Juno Beach are nearly finished with destroying the coastal defenses. And… from what I can tell, it was done almost entirely by the forces of Free Land.”

“What?! That’s impossible! They can’t possibly have the same kind of firepower that we possess! There must be a mistake!”

“Well, we did receive the report from Colonel Lostara that they encountered far more enemy resistance than the other two fronts. He also reported that the new Pursuer Rockets and Swimming Bombs performed flawlessly.”

“Well, there you go.” Retora said with confidence. “Omaha and Juno simply had an easier time because the enemy realized that Sword Beach was the greatest threat and focused on that front. And I should think we were naturally the biggest threat. After all, we are the greatest superpower in the world.”

“Uhm… yes, Captain.”

Retora turned to her helmsman, another dark elf named Tylee. “Ahead full! Once we have cleared the shore batteries at Sword Beach, we’ll have our ground troops and new armored vehicles deployed by early this afternoon!”

“Captain, I am detecting several enemy warships approaching our position. It looks like they’re trying to seal in the gap caused by the strike forces.” The navigator named Shyree declared.

“Very well then. Change course! We’ll be able to deal with them. Nothing can stand up against the Deriaton One! Get all battle mages ready! Have all other Naran vessels prepare to repulse the enemy!”

“Aren’t we supposed to begin bombarding the shore batteries at Sword Beach?” Tylee asked.

“This won’t take long, considering the Deriaton One’s firepower. Besides, it’s better to get rid of any enemy forces before they can outflank us. Send out the message to the other Naran ships!”

“Aye, Captain!”

As the flying battleship began to move towards the enemy, neither its crew nor its captain was aware that they were about to enter a killing field. The report by Colonel Lostara had been falsified by the arrogant and humiliated officer after the Free Land starfighters had ignored his authority and opened the gap for the Naran forces on their own. Furthermore, Retora had been misinformed of the performance of the new weapons.

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1315 hours…

“What are those Naran idiots doing?!” Captain Johann Schmidt exclaimed as he saw the tactical display on the main holo-viewer. He was the commanding officer of the Nebula-class heavy cruiser Indianapolis. He was not pleased to see that their allies were moving out of formation.

“It appears that they intend to engage the Zedan warships that are approaching us from Point 48, 95, 2A.” The navigator announced. She was a Kyteeri named Shelara.

“Damn it all! Now I have to split my cruisers and destroyers to set up the landings at Sword and rescue those morons! Is it so hard for Naran to understand that we have to keep in formation, so that we can cover each other on all sides? This is no time for grabbing glory!”

At that moment, a new voice came over the communications frequency.

“It seems that you’re in quite the situation, Captain Schmidt. Do you mind if we give you a hand?”

Johann’s expression brightened as he recognized the voice. “Mark Delan, is that you?”

“It’s me, Johann. The Council and the upper brass decided to send the Missouri to assist in the Sword Operation after Omaha was secured this morning.”

“Thank heavens for that! Yes, I certainly could use the help! I need to focus on neutralizing whatever shore batteries and defenses that the starfighters didn’t get at Sword Beach, before I can begin setting up the landings.”

“All right, then.” Relan nodded as she also spoke to Schmidt. “The Missouri is only 200 km away from Naran’s encounter with the Zedan fleet. We should be able to trap them in a pincer maneuver.”

“It’s good to hear from you too, Commander. Good luck to you both! Schmidt out!”

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1330 hours…

“What is the number and position of the enemy vessels?” Catpain Retora asked.

Her navigator nodded as she gazed upon her magical viewer. “I’m counting 75 surface vessels, which include several destroyers, cruisers and one large battleship. I’m also picking up signals from several underwater contacts. About five of them.”

“Hmmm, sounds like those underwater vessels we’ve heard about. I believe they’re called submarines. As I recall, Free Land did give us the plans to create our own type of underwater craft. Not that it really matters, since an underwater ship can do nothing against a ship that can fly, like the Deriaton One.”

“That may be true Captain, but the same cannot be said for the surface ships in our fleet.” Retora’s First Officer pointed out. She was also a dark elf, Commander Arsa Veens. “They have no defense against those weapons called torpedoes.”

“Until now.”

“Captain?”

“In addition to the Pursuer Rockets and Swimming Bombs, the New Magical Technologies Labs have come up with a weapon called an Underwater Sphere. They are set to cause a huge explosion after they reach a certain depth. The destroyers will drop these weapons into the ocean when their water mages detect the submarines.”

“I see. Very ingenious!”

“As you can see, we have nothing to worry about, either on the ocean surface or beneath it. We shall show the Zedan and the world that the Kingdom of Naran is still the topmost superpower!”

Her entire bridge crew let off a cheer. It was going to be glorious.

At that moment, the navigator announced that the Zedan warships were within 25 km of their position.

“I believe it is time to demonstrate the long-range firepower of the Deriaton One!” The dark elf captain declared. She addressed her radar operator and helmsman. “Have the battle mages finished with charging up the Kraister Guns?”

“Yes, Captain! We will be able to open fire within 120 seconds!” The helmsman announced.

“Excellent! Target the center of the formation! We should be able to take out a good number of them in a single barrage!”

“Aye, Captain!”

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On the Missouri…

“Captain!” Ensign Taichen called out. “I’m reading a very large increase in psion-energy buildup, coming from the Deriaton One!”

“Give us a visual.”

The holo-viewer switched from its usual tactical display to show a high-definition image of the Naran flagship as it turned its broadside toward the enemy fleet. The other Naran vessels were doing the same. Despite being more than 200 km away, the bridge crew was able to see the approaching battle clearly.

Mark nodded as he noted that the main turrets of the Deriaton One were swiveling about. Each turret had two projections that resembled the tines of a tuning fork. Energy started to crisscross between the tines. The energy started to condense and become focused as the Kraister Guns prepared to unleash their payloads.

This should be interesting.

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“Captain, we have targeted the center of the Zedan battle force!” The helmsman announced. “Kraister Guns are at 80% capacity… 90%... 95%.... 99%.... the guns are now ready to fire!”

“OPEN FIRE!” Retora shouted.

Both Kraister Guns let loose with wide waves of energy which sped toward their targets like a series of tsunami. The Zedan ships began making evasive maneuvers as the blasts rushed toward them. Some were able to get clear of the blast zone, many were not able to avoid the attacks as they made contact and the energy detonated.

A few of the destroyers and two cruisers were ripped apart as the energy waves slammed into them, causing them to break apart and sink. The larger ships, especially the battleship, took some damage but remained afloat and still combat-worthy. Many of the crews were shaken by the sudden attack, but they immediately began speeding toward the Deriaton One and its fleet.

“We have confirmed direct hits on several of the Zedan warships.” Shyree announced. “I count five destroyers sunk or damaged beyond repair, as well as two cruisers.”

“What about the others? What about the battleship?” Retora asked anxiously.

“There was minimal damage with no appreciable loss in performance. It seems that they were able to maneuver away from the brunt of the attack.”

“Can we fire the Kraister Guns again?”

“Not immediately, Captain. The battle mages are in the process of chanting in order to repower the guns. It will take at least 610 seconds before we can fire them again.”

“By that time, the Zedan fleet will be close enough to fire at us. Not to mention that we’d be caught in backlash if we fire the Kraister Guns at such close range.” Arsa pointed out.

Retora frowned. These were some of the major drawbacks to having such powerful, magical weapons. They were slow to load and needed preparation time. Not to mention that certain side-effects had to be avoided.

“Have the rest of the fleet begin engaging the Zedan fleet and buy us some time to recharge the Kraister Guns. Once they are charged, we will pull back far enough to avoid the backlash and fire on the enemy!”

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The Missouri…

“I have to admit, I’m impressed.” Reelan remarked. “They actually managed to fire off an attack equal to one of our anti-proton guns.”

“Maybe one of our secondary guns, at 10% power perhaps.” Mark amended. “But I don’t see them making a follow up to their attack.”

“Maybe it’s because those guns take time to reload and recharge?”

“Yet another example of why we don’t use magic. And I saw that their attack was more spread out when they hit their target. It would have been more effective to focus that blast.”

“Captain… Commander… the Zedan battle force has closed the distance between themselves and the Naran ships. They are currently exchanging fire.” Taichen announced.

“What about the Deriaton One?” Mark asked.

“It seems to be backing away as the other ships are apparently covering its withdrawal.”

“Looks like we were correct.” The First Officer stated. “Their weapons take too long to recharge. Even the rate of fire from the other Naran vessels is slow.”

“Three Naran vessels have been reported as sunk from torpedoes.” Taichen stated. “The other Naran destroyers are launching depth charges. No effect. The depth charges are exploding too shallow to damage the Zedan submarines. Several more Naran vessels have taken substantial damage.”

“Amateurs!  They’re nothing but amateurs!” Mark’s Kyteeri wife said with a bit of disgust.

“And it seems we have to save them from their own incompetence.” Reelan’s mate stated as he turned toward the helmsman. “Ensign Gatsbu! Load kinetic shells in the main pulsar turrets. Aim for the Zedan ships closest to the Naran fleet. Do you think you can sink them from here?”

“Not a problem, Captain!” The Velor helmsman said with pride. “Like I said before, I used to bullseye grandars back home!”

“Good! Let’s go for a new high score. You may fire when ready, Ensign!”

The Missouri’s main turrets swiveled about as the frontline Zedan vessels were targeted by the star battleship’s long-range sensors.

“BANG!” Gatsbu declared as he pressed the firing stud.

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The bridge of the Deriaton One…

“Captain! The Siyanagen has reported to have suffered irreparable damage! It can no longer continue and must withdraw!”

“Damn it! How much longer before we can fire the Kraister Guns?” Retora shouted.

“Still another 210 seconds!”

“I don’t know if the strike force can hold out for much longer.” Asra remarked.

The main difference between the Naran and Zedan forces was not firepower, but the speed of their weapons. Magical spells were potent enough to rival science-based weaponry in some cases, but their ease of use was severely lacking. What took only a few seconds for the Zedan to reload their guns, took far longer for the Naran to do the same. It was like pitting a semi-automatic M1 Garand Rifle against an 1861 Springfield Musket. Furthermore, magical spells were not consistent and depended on the will of the caster. Sometimes the attack spells would vary in intensity, and would not even inflict any appreciable damage to their targets. Even more daunting was the fact that their enemies were scoring more hits and causing considerable harm to the fleet.

What was even more frustrating was that the Deriaton One had no other long-range weapons other than the Kraister Guns. In order to support the other ships, they would need to get within the range of their secondary guns, which were less than 10 km. The pride of Naran was basically a floating artillery platform and not suited for close-combat.

As the Naran ships were gradually being pushed back, several of the commanders and captains began to consider ordering a withdrawal. Then a miracle happened.

The Deriaton One’s Kraister Guns were still 120 seconds away from a full charge, when nine projectiles sailed through the air, passing over the crystalline ship and landing dead center on five Zedan destroyers, and four cruisers at the forefront of the enemy fleet. All nine warships broke apart and sunk within seconds, much to the astonishment of both the Zedan and Naran sailors.

“What the Hell was that?!” Captain Retora exclaimed.

“Captain! The Free Land Star Battleship Missouri is hailing us!” Verela stated.

“The Missouri?” Asra repeated in confusion. “I thought it was taking part in the Omaha landings!”

At that point, the magical viewer flashed and displayed an image of Mark Delan and his First Officer. Both gave a sharp salute to Retora and Asra, in which they quickly returned.

“This is Captain Delan of the Star Battleship Missouri. Am I to assume that I am speaking with Captain Retora of the Deriaton One?”

“You are speaking to the captain of Deriaton One. Begging your pardon, Captain Delan, but we’re surprised to see you here. I thought the Missouri was part of the Omaha operation.”

“The Omaha landings have long been secured since this morning. So the Council decided to send the Missouri to assist with the Sword operation.”

“They sent only one ship?”

“I assure you that the Missouri is quite capable of dealing with the situation. And from what I’ve seen so far, you seem to be in a situation that’s beyond your control.”

“We don’t need your assistance! We can handle this!”

Mark let off a slight sigh before turning toward his helmsman. “Ensign Gatsbu?”

“Aye, Sir?”

“Target the Zedan battleship and sink it. I believe two kinetic shells should be sufficient. Then fire on the rest of the Zedan fleet and force them to surrender.”

“Aye, Sir!”

“I told you, we don’t need…!” Retora cried out.

“Fire.”

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An instant later, one of the forward main turrets of the Missouri let loose with a thunderous blast. Two kinetic shells were sent hurtling toward their target. In less than two seconds, the shells plowed through the bow and stern of the Zedan battleship. The projectiles punched through the armor belt as if it was made of parchment. The impacts were so great that the entire ship broke apart before the magazines detonated, enveloping it in a huge explosion, before quickly disappearing beneath the waves.

After seeing several of their ships, including their flagship, being destroyed with ease, the remaining Zedan vessels began pulling back. The Missouri however, was not in the mood to let them get away as Ensign Gatsbu continued to fire the main pulsar guns. Though the kinetic shells were set at reduced power, they were still causing considerable damage to the enemy. The destroyers were getting pulverized, while the light and heavy cruisers were taking a beating. Finally, after thirty seconds of the unrelenting barrage, the Zedan commanders ordered all of their ships to shut off their engines and raise their flags of surrender. Even the submarines were forced to surface and surrender.

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On the Deriaton One and every other Naran vessel, the crews were in a state of absolute disbelief. One ship had defeated a fleet that had greatly outnumbered it. Not only that, but the sheer power and accuracy of the Missouri’s main pulsar guns was unbelievable. Ensign Gatsbu had picked off the Zedan ships from over 200 km, and did it as easily as a skeet shooter picking off clay targets.

At that point, Captain Retora came out of her shock to begin shouting at Captain Delan.

“You had no right to interfere!”

“May I remind you that you and your fleet were not supposed to engage the enemy on your own?” Delan countered.

“The enemy fleet was trying to outflank us! We had to deal with them before they could outmaneuver us!”

“That could have been accomplished if you had stayed in formation. By going off on your own, you lost the support that our ships could have given you. It was just a lucky coincidence that the Council decided to send the Missouri to assist with the Sword landings. You endangered the entire operation with your quest for personal glory. You underestimated the capabilities of the Zedan and overestimated the capabilities of your own forces. I hope that you have learned something from this encounter, Captain.”

At that point, the Missouri cut off its transmission and began heading back toward the Sword beach landing area. The Naran fleet had no choice but to follow. As for the surviving Zedan crews, they would later be met by other Free Land vessels to be taken as POWs.

On the bridge of the Deriaton One, Retora quietly seethed. Mark’s words cut deeply against her pride, though she couldn’t deny that she had underestimated her opponent. If the Missouri hadn’t arrived, things might have taken a turn for the worst.

The rest of the bridge crew also kept silent as they didn’t want to say anything that might anger their captain. The First Officer wanted to say something, but decided to keep her peace. In her mind, one thought kept on coming back.

Damn it! As much as I hate to admit it, Captain Delan was right!

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Sword Beach…

“What’s going on?” Retora demanded on the magical viewer, as the Naran fleet and the Missouri arrived at the coastline to Sword Beach.

“What do you mean?” Mark asked as he responded on the holo-viewer.

“Why are there so many troops on the landing zone? Weren’t there massive artillery emplacements, bunkers and other coastal defenses? Where are they? Where is the enemy?”

At that moment, Captain Schmidt joined in on the discussion with his holo-viewer. “I can answer that question. The initial airstrike led by Major Hendrix cleared out about 85% of all the coastal defenses.”

“Major Hendrix? Who is he?”

“His call sign is Blue Hawk Leader. He was the one who led the strike force that cleared a path through the naval and coastal defenses to Sword Beach.”

“Wasn’t that airstrike led by Colonel Lostara?”

“Well… no. Not to be insulting, but Colonel Lostara overstepped his bounds by trying to take command of the operation. He proved to be incapable of accomplishing the task, so Hendrix took back command and led our starfighters to complete the mission.”

“What about our Sky Blade fighters and Marine Assault bombers?”

Schmidt shrugged his shoulders. “He left them behind since he deemed them as inefficient and unnecessary.”

“Ridiculous! Those are our most powerful and advanced aircraft!”

“If you say so. In any case, Hendrix and the starfighters did such a thorough job that there wasn’t much for us to do after we took care of what remained of the enemy emplacements. There were a few stubborn holdouts, but they weren’t anything we couldn’t handle.”

“Good job, Schmidt.” Delan complimented.

“Thank you.” Schmidt then addressed the Deriaton One’s captain. “I’m sorry to tell you this, Captain Retora, but you pretty much missed it all.”

“That can’t be!” The dark elf captain protested. It was bad enough to learn that Colonel Lostara may have lied in his report. Retora had wanted to display the power of the Deriaton One when it bombarded the enemy. It would have made up for the ship’s poor performance earlier. Now she was denied her chance to redeem herself and the pride of her nation. The initial airstrike, the naval battle, the coastal bombardment, the beach landings; Free Land had practically done it all.

“Captain Retora, you and your forces are welcome to begin landing your troops and equipment on the beach.” Schmidt pointed out. “You’re behind schedule but since the beachhead is secure, you don’t have to worry about enemy attacks.”

Instead of replying, Retora angrily cut off communications.

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The Missouri…

“I’m thinking that Captain Retora’s… what was that Earth expression again?” Reelan said. “Oh yes… I think her feathers were ruffled.”

“I’d say that was accurate.” Mark agreed. “She was probably expecting some glorious battle to show off the capabilities of her ship. Now, she’s been reduced to making deliveries.”

“Do you think she will take this lesson in humility to heart?”

“I certainly hope so. We really don’t need more hotheads and glory-seekers at this point.”

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With the Sword Beach finally established, the first phase of Operation Star Point had been completed. At the Omaha front, the Free Land Battle-Mech and Infantry Divisions were already making considerable strides deep into Zedan territory. The Juno front lagged behind as the Kingdom of Atlans tried its best to keep up with their Star Alliance allies. As for the Sword front, their forces would not begin moving inland until the next day.

During this time, the Zedan forces began digging in.

To be continued…

Author’s Notes

The idea of having the Deriaton One destroyed was suggested, but I decided that the humiliation of Captain Retora and having her nation’s prized ship being put on the sidelines was better. And there will be more friction developing between Free Land and Naran after this war.