Terran Wars, Trials and Deliberation

[Chaser617]

“Captain on the Bridge!” a sharp, crisp voice called out as Edo Naval Forces Commander Michael McLoude stepped through the hatch to the bridge of his new command the heavy destroyer EWS Mutsu. His new command he thought with a small smile, taking a moment to look at himself in the reflection of one of the bridge view ports. Instead of the uniform he was use to seeing, the deep blue of a UAWN shipboard jumpsuit with gold leg striping, and two diamonds on his shoulders wreathed in laurels, he wore a slate gray uniform of a button-down shirt and comfortable trousers and black polished boots. On his shoulders where three thick dark blue bars, indicating the rank of commander and the bands where repeated at his cuffs as well, a single dark blue star emblazoned his shoulders, the symbol the ENF used to denote a starship commander where the UAWN used laurel wreaths. All and all the akita-inu had to admit it was a very pleasing uniform to wear, not as utilitarian as the UAWN jumpsuit, but still it was rather comfortable, and the light weight material suited shipboard climates quite well.

He then turned his attention on his crew. For the majority they were native-boarn Edoans, including the rating that had called the bridge to attention. However, while the Court of Edo’s official language was Japanese, the language of its navy was English, just like the Union and the League. At the moment though Ensign, no Michael thought with a smile, Lieutenant Conleen was bending over her communications and electronic warfare stations with a contractor from Kirishimi and several of her subordinates. Chief Reynaurd smiled and nodded as she watched a gunnery exercise being run on the bridges gunnery main board while Kevin was handling things in Main Gunnery. Finally there ‘Lieutenant Commander Daniel Karlin’ talking with his ‘purser,’ what the UNAW called a logistics officer, Lieutenant (j.g.) Igohirm Takashi. The former Bosun had been very uneasy about accepting a commission, in fact, accepting one and being catapulted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and given the position of Mutsu’s executive officer. Michael had smiled, calmly pointed out that the Bosun had been his XO in all but title aboard the Boone, and told him quite frankly that the former enlisted fur had more time in space than anyone the Edoans could have spared. Michael admittedly had played that last bit of dirty pool when Daniel had tried to say Sally or Kevin could have easily filled the position of XO. It really had left the bear no choice at all.

“As you were,” Michael said softly and the crew got back to work as he crossed the bridge, buy passing his command chair and joined his XO. “How are our stores squaring away?”

Daniel nodded to short, fine-boned squirrel he had been conversing with. “Mostly loaded captain,” he said with the crisp concise accents of one that had grown up with two languages. “The Ships and Supply Bureau still are balking at my demand for extra warhead guidance packages.”

Michael grunted at that, one thing he had learned in the five days he had held command of the Mutsu was that the Edoan S&SB was just as stingy as the Office of Ships and Personnel in the UAWN. “The Long Lance is a new missile design for the ENF, I trust Lieutenant Commander Yancy’s missileers to have them at max availability but I don’t want a repeat with our Long Lances like the UAWN had with the first batch of Mk.VIIs.”

That had been one of the surprises of the Mutsu design. In her scabbed-on armored launch blisters amidships, she carried the Kirishimi SS-4 ‘Long Lance’ starship to starship MIRV missile. In one of the biggest coups in military technology transfer, Kirishimi Electronics had been contracted by the Office of Ships and Personnel to provide the guidance software for the Mk.VII MIRV missile. In return for designing the guidance software, Kirishimi had been given the rights to produce a version of the Mk.VIIs for the Edoan Naval Forces. The original deal had been made to try to help entice Edo into the Union but no one had ever told the Edoans they had to stop making their new Long Lances. In fact, very few knew they had the MIRV missile capability, something that was only regularly deployed aboard Union Triumph-class heavy battlecruisers. That a ship the size of Mutsu had missiles at all, and had MIRV missiles would be a nasty shock.

The problem was, the guidance packages required more care than that of a standard single-warhead missile such as the Mk.VI used by the UAWN or the SS-3 used in Edo’s orbital defense network. The Mk.VIIs had had a dismal service readiness rate till the missileers aboard the ships that were equipped with them learned to properly care for them, and proper supplies of spares where provided. He wanted to stomp on the possibility of that mistake before it happened.

“I told them the same thing, and I also informed them that His Highness might find it…distressing? That we were not supplied what we asked for the coming cruise,” Lieutenant Igohrim responded a smirk on his muzzle.

“You have an evil, low and dangerous mind Tak,” Michael said with one of his patented boyish lopsided grins. “As a officer and a gentleman I must abohre your methods, but, as your commanding officer, I say anything that can get us what we need is to the good.”

“Yes sir, also the naval yards will have the re-loads for the Long Lances we will expend in our weapons trial ready for us as soon as we return,” Lieutenant Igohrim said then nodded his way out of the conversation and back to his duties.

“Remind me never to play poker with him Skipper,” Daniel said with an appreciative smile. “I think I wouldn’t walk away with much, maybe not even my uniform.”

“I’ll hold you to that Exec,” Michael returned softly and Daniel winced, making Michael’s smile grow larger.

“Your loving this way too much Skip, you know that right?”

“Ahh but for such a bear of distinguished service, you deserve your new and glorified rank.”

His bear executive officer simply snorted. “See if you’re singing the same tune when you get shanghaied into flag-rank sir.”

Michael just chuckled and shook his head. “That my unwilling Exec, is quite a way off.”

“Maybe be but I bet you won’t like it anymore than I like this.”

“Duty calls Daniel,” Michael returned softly then his smile brightened again. “Are we ready?”

Before he could answer, Sally turned from her new domain. Not only was she communications chief for the Mutsu in Edoan service that also meant she was the mistress of the ship’s electronic warfare specialists as well. It was a new job for her, one that she had dove into, but she still preferred her communications watch of her roots. “Message from Range Offices Captain,” she announced formally, times like this it would not have done to call him ‘skipper’ like the rest of the UAWN crew normally did. “’You may proceed and fire when ready’.”

“All right Ladies and gentleman,” he smiled stepping up to the massive holo-proj field that gave him a unnaturally crisp view of local space, then switched to one of the most detailed tactical plots he could think of as he eyed the Mutsu’s track at the bottom of the projection then eyed his targets. “Lets see if our Lady has teeth.”

There was a soft chuckle about the bridge and Michael smiled again, then frowned, everyone knew that to be his thinking expression and that meant it was time for work.

“Helm come left coarse one zero eight!” he began issuing commands from inside the holo-proj field, something the crew had learned was his way. “Fifteen degrees up angle on the bow, Gunnery…”

***

Dame Lisa McLoude sighed as she read the dispatch from Fleet Command. It had been delayed in her reception by nearly a week because of security concerns, but here it was, on paper, just as the navy always printed its most important documents at least once. Her son was alive and well she thought with the greatest of relief.

She had tried to not let herself hope that her Michael had survived the destruction of his little ship. She knew many times crews did not make it out, especially considering how Adam had been tight lipped about anyone’s chances of getting away from a ship ambushed by a heavy cruiser. He hadn’t wanted to say a thing but Lisa knew the look in his eyes, one did not marry and stay married for as long as she and her beloved Adam did without knowing such things.

Now though the Navy had confirmed it, and had also informed her that he was heading home, though not quite in the capacity she would have thought. She had had no idea Edo would have given her son such responsibilities, and she had to admit, she looked forward to seeing her son in that Edo Naval Forces Uniform, but what he was transporting was even more important than her personal delight at seeing her son.

A draft of a Treaty of Alliance with Edo, that she thought with a small smile, is worth nearly the whole harvest. She had been one of the ones to argue against trying to coax Edo into the Union, she believed whole heartedly that no candidate for member should be coerced, that they should want to enter of their own accord. However she had been a very big supporter of the faction that wanted to bring relations with the neutral world closer. Not mean knew how the Union, in fact how most star nations where truly dependent on Kirishimi Electronics’ FTL Guidline designs, she did not know of a single ship class in the UAWN that didn’t use their basic design, it was simply superior to anything anyone had ever come up with. Also Edo was a major stop-over point for trade, and had vast mineralogical wealth. However the last would probably go largely untapped save for very carefully regulated extraction sites for quite a while, Edoans where quite of the same mind as Hardinites when it came to scaring up their planet.

All of that was important, and Edo knew it had what everyone had wanted, so it had used it to stay out of everyone’s paws. She had personally met Lord Yukiinu and rather liked the malamute for his convictions on staying an independent world. She had just been one of those that had worried that staying independent would not be an option for the Edoans. They themselves had apparently seen it and where now taking steps to rectify their predicament. Daring of them she thought with that smile, Alliance did not mean union membership, they would still be their own nation, but an alliance would bolster both the Union and Edo immeasurably.

Now she just had to get this delicate little piece of information to the right people she thought as she tapped the tip of her muzzle with one finger, then tapped her desk’s built in caller. “Genaveve?”

“Yes mother?” her daughter’s voice came back.

“I need you to do something for me, I need you to gather representatives Comlin, Preston and Hitoro-sama for a meeting. Try to do it as quietly as they can, I do not want certain other representatives learning of it, or they will demand to be part of the meeting as well.” She had purposefully left out names but she had no doubt, especially after hearing of the hide lashing Harlman had tried to give her daughter, that Genaveve knew exactly who she wanted excluded. She couldn’t deal with Harlman’s excessive bully boy and superiority complexes right now, and she was sure as the harvest not going to let him in on this little political maneuver, he’d try to kill it just because the Navy hadn’t approached him first, or the Edoans hadn’t addressed their opening communiqué to him personally. That was the pettiness of Francis Harlman. “Tell them it needs to be very discreet, and that I apologize for the lack of information and will inform them of the need when they arrive.”

She heard the pause in her daughter’s response then she came back. “I’ve asked Gunny Simpson to relay your requests to the representatives though their door guard,” Lisa gave a small knowing smile. Ever since that encounter with Harlman, Genaveve had come to depend on the marines that law demanded be posted at the offices during wartime for certain sensitive jobs. She had even heard Gunnery Sergeant Samuel Simpson, the head of the detail assigned to Lisa say that he rather enjoyed giving his furs a real job rather than door guard, even though every single one of them took their posts deadly serious. If there was one thing that was discreet in these halls Lisa thought with a thin smile, it was an Allied Marine.

“Thank you Child,” she said with her pet name for Genaveve that had somehow stuck with her even into adulthood and Genaveve making her the grandmother of two gorgeous little girls. She then flipped off the caller and took a deep breath to think.

This had to be done right, it took a minimum of four representatives by law to review a draft treaty for presentation. Technically the president of the Alliance normally was the one that presented the treaties. She’d have to call in President Peter Paulson, a Corbiner with a rather wicked sense of humor and the ability to get even Harlman to agree on something, but for now they had to keep this treaty quiet, to keep any League spies from getting a wiff of it as well.

Sometimes she hated politics, sometimes she just wanted to be back on Hardin managing the McLoude family farm, but she had accepted the job, and damn if she wasn’t going to do it right.

[Nikas_Zekeval]

Hmm, Edo has some intersting teeth. I assume if a HDD has MIRV warheads, the cruisers will too? And does the Ise class have similar VLS blisters like the Mutsu?

Intersting thoughts, if the League navy is like the Union then they won't expect MIRVs on anything lighter than a capital unit, if they expect a 'bush navy' to field them at all. Might they think the first time they see a MIRV swarm that it's an EW trick? Short term the Edoran ships would have higher missile punch and ability to swamp PD.

[TMLutas]

Nice story.

Scarring, I would think, not scaring?

[Chaser617]

The SS-4 'Long Lance' will be standard armerment for all ENF missile capable ships. Unlike the Mutsu, the Ise-class dosen't need the scabbed on armored blisters, they have their virtical launch cells mounted internally like all other cruisers.

The Long Lance is essentially the same as the Union Mk.VII, the differences are so minor that they really don't effect the performance. The reason the Mk.VII is only routinely employed aboard the newer Triumph-class BCHs is two fold, one, they were the first ship class in the Union fleet designed with the proper fire control hardware to handle the new weapon. Second, even though there are other classes now that have either been retrofitted with the new standard fire control, or like the Hermes-class DDHs where designed for it from the start, the fact is, there just aren't enough of the new missiles to go about. Lets just say we can blame Harlman for this, he wanted the Mk.VII production facilities on Lewstown just like the Mk.VIs were made there and when the final assembly was eventually slated for New Hokkiado, well, lets just say his pettiness kicked in. The fleet is just now getting the supplies of the Mk.VIIs it needs to fully equip all its battle squadrons, not just those that are made up of the new Triumph-class. However the newer more advanced missile is still confined to battlecruisers, and at the moment, its a major reason Union heavy ships are considered superior to the League BCHs the League got caught flat footed by the MK.VII, they didn't think the Union had the ability to design a ship-to-ship MIRV missile, so they shelved their own design till after thee war. Now they're trying to play catch up with their oen MIRV design.

Edo dosen't have that problem, and Admiral Koga is taking advantage of the fact that he dosen't have to put up with Harlman being pouty about not getting the production facilities for his world....

Also another thing you need to realize, up till the Mutsu, no one, and I do mean no one, used the 'Heavy Destroyer' type other than the Union. The heavy destroyer has been somewhat a signature of the UAWN since its inseption, but no other power really has seen fit to design and build these 'pocket cruisers.' They are nearly as expensive to build as a cruiser (though still cheaper than a heavy cruiser or a battlecruiser). The league's always laughed at the design, and pre-war projections stated taht the Hermes-class and the older Decatur-class hulls would be easy meat for CAs, let alone CAHs.

[Earl McClaw]

...[the League] didn't think the Union had the ability to design a ship-to-ship MIRV missile...

A minor nitpick...
"MIRV" is an acronym for "Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicle" and was coined for ICBMs that released more than one warhead (at apogee, typically). As these are space-to-space missiles, "MIRV" is a misnomer.

But an understandable one. People today are more likely to understand "MIRV" than some new term you coin.

The best solution? Devise a new meaning for the acronym.

* * *

So, after the space trials (which if the League has anyone on the ball will be observed by a spy ship), the EWS Mutsu will reload, top off its stock, and pick up its VIP passenger before heading out?

I have to wonder about the quality of its guest quarters.

[Chaser617]

Well, the acronym on thsi case means Multiple Independent Reaction Vehicle IE each warhead is independently steered to its target. Dasically in the day and age that this takes place in, some things have gotten acronyms that sound very similar if not identical to things that where used in the past, but, mean something different slightly.

And as far as spying on Mutsu during her trials, well, lets just say its hard to sneak a ship into the range, not impossible but very hard, and at the moment, the League has no reason to try, because they know nothing about the Edoan building program. Let me rephrase that, many probably do, but certain higher ups have dismissed it out of paw.

I don't want to sound like I'm dismissing your criticism out of had becauase I'm not, believe me! its just you hit on one of those artistic liscens things with the MIRV .

[Earl McClaw]

... Multiple Independent Reaction Vehicle ...
I don't want to sound like I'm dismissing your criticism out of had becauase I'm not, believe me! its just you hit on one of those artistic liscense things with the MIRV .

On the contrary, you're doing exactly what I suggested when I noted the modern meaning of the acronym. You've clarified with your own definition. <cheers>

I'm doubly glad to hear the League is dropping the ball. (If they had someone properly effective in the command structure, there'd have been a secret listening / observation post established back when the war of conquest was being conceived. Nothing succeeds like knowing more about your opponent than they do about you.)

[Chaser617]

Heres a secret, there ARE effective people in the command structure, Petarch is VERY good. the problem is, the superiority complex is so deeply ingrained......