_9 September wy590 - [[Grove]]_ _[[Julian Felix|Julian]]-_ You've taken over the helm of [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] after Lt. Park stroked out during the last high-G burn. The first shot from [[WDF Arnold Whistler]] was fired nine hours ago, and the battle over [[Grove]] has been a relentless slugfest every moment since. Everyone is starting to sound seriously strained. Commander [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] is in his seat at the tac table behind you, and Colonel Banks is down in the ops pit with the LSO and the rest of the CIC staff. [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] and her destroyer escorts have pulled clear of the furball and you're all taking advantage of the CIC still being pressurized to suck down a bulb of coffee while you have the chance. Davis at comms pipes up. "Fleet's reporting that 2nd Battalion just went over the wall in Laurel." Some exhausted murmurs on the CIC channel and a "Go get 'em [[Cara Burton|Cara]]" from the skipper. "Commander," Banks this time, "*Crazy Horse* just took out *Templar* and *Fidelius*, she's wrecking our flank out near [[Cheyenne Drive Yards]]." "Show it to me, Ted." There's a few moments of silence while the skipper looks over the situation. You finish your coffee and button your helmet back up. It doesn't take long before [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]]'s voice pops back up. '"LSO, what's the status of our birds?" "Ordered home after that squadron of frigates showed up. We lost three and one is still running ammo and medevac to the 2nd on the ground pretending to be deaf." "In all this? Who's the suicidal one?'" "Denhardt, sir." "Put him on, please, Mr. Davis." A moment passes. "Chief Denhardt, this is [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] actual." Denhardt's voice comes yelling into the channel along with the sound of dropship engines roaring in atmosphere and the distinctive sound of flack hitting his hull. "Yessir?" "What's your status?" "Nothing but the rain here, sir. Climbing out with wounded, sir, ETA twenty minutes." "How're your comms?" "It's a Christmas miracle, sir." "If we're still here in twenty minutes I'm going to need you on the deck, clear?" "Crystal sir, gotta go, fighters." There's another moment of silence, you're not sure if the skipper is conferring with [[Theodore Banks|Banks]] or staring at the tac map as he's wont to do. "Colonel, take _Crazy Horse_ out of my sky. Straight in, I'll get the rest of the flotilla where they need to be." There's a beat where everyone in the CIC takes in the thought of taking on something four times your size. "Yes sir! Helm, make your heading two-five-two by seven-three mark six, all ahead two-point-five." You kick off the g-alert claxon while you wrench the massive assault cruiser around to point at the battleship wreaking havoc on [[The Whistler Colonial Corporate Council|the Council]] fleet five thousand kilometers away and then gun the [[Korolev Hydrogen Drive|Korolev]]s into nearly a three-G burn. Everyone grunts as the g-couches administer yet another dose of meds. [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]]'s destroyer escorts pull away and appear as if they're heading to another part of the engagement, but you've learned to trust the skipper. "She sees us coming," says Banks. Everyone with a tac map up sees the massive [[Grove]] battleship come about to align her main guns with [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]]. "Looks like she's got some damage portside aft, she's turning to keep us from it." "Probably smart of him," replies [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]]. You look to where *Agrippa* and *Antonius* are headed and start to see the pattern. A few more minutes pass. Right as [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]]'s speed is starting to worry you, Banks comes back over the comms. "Helm, that's enough for now. Skipper, we're in torpedo range." You cut the thrust and take your first un-strained breath in nearly twenty minutes. "Let em' have it," [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] responds. [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] fires her full load of twenty torpedoes and another twenty a few minutes later after the magazines recycle. You watch as over seventy torpedoes streak towards you from *Crazy Horse*. After nine hours of battle, it's barely even remarked upon, the ESO has already tagged them. The ESO and the guns will do their job or not. A few minutes later, after the ESOs on both sides confuse and confound handfuls of torpedoes from both salvoes, both ships erupt in missiles that begin their path across the void. A few of *Crazy Horse*'s missiles head out for *Agrippa* and *Antonius*, but it's a token gesture to warn them away. It seems that all the ordinance ever produced by mankind is headed for your ship, followed closely behind by one of the fiercest battleships ever put to field. The ESO lights up full-spectrum countermeasures and every one of [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]]'s hundred turrets spin into action, filling the space in front of the cruiser with metal. Both capital ships manage to sweep away the torpedoes and most of the missiles, but some get through. You feel the ship shudder with the impacts and secondary explosions, but it's distant as you desperately work to keep the old girl lined up with *Crazy Horse*. Banks will be getting the damage reports. [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]]'s voice comes over the comms, quiet and calm. "Steady on, Mr. Felix.". "Yessir," you mumble. the missile hits definitely damaged some of the ship's maneuvering thrusters, you and the computer are struggling to compensate. Both ships continue to hurtle towards each other, making small adjustments to their course to maximize damage as they pass. With just seconds to go before opening fire, a massive explosion blooms from the far side of *Crazy Horse* as the near-invisible mass driver slugs from *Agrippa* and *Antonius* rip into her wounded flank and hit something critical. The battleship lurches and spins laterally into her momentum right as both craft open up with turrets and salvoes of close-range missiles. Even though *Crazy Horse's* turrets aren't optimal in the five seconds the ships are in range of each other, [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] is savaged through sheer volume. But [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] strikes true. A close-range missile salvo and a precisely-aimed broadside from the ship's turrets, combined with the mass driver shots from your escorts tear *Crazy Horse* literally in half down the beam, leaving her shattered bulk ballistic and heading down the well. There's a cheer that's cut short when the lights go out. You've lost most of the thrusters and the Korolevs from the starboard side of the ship, so you can guess the damage is extensive. The CIC's comms come back on with the emergency lighting, whatever program the skipper was using to isolate the chatter reset. Colonel Banks is speaking. "That was reactor one scramming," the XO says, trying to sound calm but his voice is tight, "damage is extensive. We can maneuver, but nothing fancy. Most of the starboard side is torn open. Port PDCs are okay, but the magazine feeds are all red. We're no longer combat capable." The skipper sighs audibly. "Very well, I think we've done our bit for king and country. Helm, flip us and slow us down while we still can. Did our wayward dropship pilot live through that?" "Landing in five, sir," replies Davis. "*Agrippa* lost containment in that last salvo and went up with all hands, *Antonius* is hulled and abandoning ship." "Expensive sonofabitch," mutters Banks. "Yah," replies the skipper, "and there's still two more out there kicking. Engineering, I'd like to get out of the line of fire, could we jump if we wanted to?" Silence. "Engineering? Mick?" Silence. "Mick?" Banks comes back somberly. "Fire crews are reporting the engineering station on deck 47 is open to space, sir. The whole section's gone." The CIC channel goes silent for a full two minutes to give the skipper a moment to grieve. "Sir," Davis injects, "orders from Fleet, we're to withdraw up the well and mobilize at [[Grove]] L4 to begin a blockade." You audibly hear [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] jump in surprise. "They're what?" "All ships capable of doing so are ordered to disengage and make all haste, sir." Since you're decelerating at a comfortable 1g, you take the opportunity to swivel around and look at the skipper across the tac table. He's got it zoomed out to all of the [[Grove]] planetary system, both [[The Whistler Colonial Corporate Council|Council]] and separatist capital ships highlighted. He looks a lot older than he did this morning: gray hair plastered with sweat against his forehead, eyes red-rimmed, his helmet visor smudged from evaporated condensate, even his burns from the thing a few years ago look angry. He'd spent those moments of silence weeping, but now his blue eyes are flitting around the hologram over the table, lips moving soundlessly. He looks across to you and nods at the hologram. "What do you see, Ensign?" You look at the holo, calculating the trajectories of all the major players in your head, watching [[The Whistler Colonial Corporate Council|the Council]] fleet slowly disengage and re-form around the flagship. "Looks like everyone but us is following orders, skipper," you say, hoping he thinks it's funny. [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] ignores the quip. "Show me orientations on _[[WDF Arnold Whistler|Arnold Whistler]]_, _Stephen Feldman_, and _Martin Yang_," he says, gesturing to the three [[The Whistler Colonial Corporate Council|Council]] carriers anchoring the fleet. You move your hands over the controls and display how each ship is positioned in high orbit over the planet, guns facing the battle below. "Comms," barks the skipper suddenly, "kindly remind Fleet that 2nd Battalion is an hour from running up our flag in the capital and if we pull back they're going to get slaughtered." [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] continues to stare at the three friendly carriers on the plot, his lips moving silently as he works through whatever scenarios were playing out in his head. You've known for a long time never to challenge [[Jack Cartwright]] to a game of Chess. Banks turns around and looks up at the two of you from the pit with a raised eyebrow. "Skipper?" he asks. He zooms the map back out again to take in all of [[Grove]]. "Felix, if those three carriers fired their spinal ortillery mass drivers, where would the shots land?" "Er..." "You can do this math in your head Ensign, where would the shots land?" You do some quick calculations and highlight a ring around the planet. "52 degrees north, sir, or thereabouts." [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] closes his eyes and sags in his chair. "'*A war by any other name..*.'" he whispers. It's a quote from a popular anti-war protest song playing everywhere in [[Whistler's Reach|The Reach]]. "Laurel, Ensign. They're getting ready to bomb twenty million civilians and a thousand of my [[Whistler Defense Force|Marines]]. Just like [[Canto]]." "Sir?" says Banks, "The bad guys are running out of targets at this altitude, we need to get out of here." The skipper is back in thinking-mode, you look down at Banks helplessly and shrug. Davis chimes in, "Fleet's acknowledged the situation on the ground and their orders stand, sir. They're asking if we require cover for our withdrawal." The skipper leans back in his seat and looks around the CIC. By this point everyone has turned to face him and he locks eyes with all of you in turn. "They're not going to blockade [[Grove]]," he says quietly, "they're going to bomb it. Like they did [[Canto]]. They're going to bomb them until they can't stand to put up a fight and then they'll bomb them just a bit more for good measure. Tens of millions of civilians will die. All our [[Whistler Defense Force|Marines]] on the ground will die." _Including Major Burton, who may as well be your baby sister_, you think. "We have to stop this war." "Sir?" says Banks, sounding increasingly alarmed. "We have to make it so they know they can't win. Ever. Force a surrender." He highlights a target on the map and looks up at you. You feel a pit open up in your gut, you feel sick. But you also know he's right. "Set a course, Ensign," he says quietly. You nod and turn back to your station. "Mr. Davis, on the 1MC please." There's a chime on the ship-wide channel. "All hands, make all haste to the flight deck for orderly evacuation." Banks is standing now, "Commander [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]]?!?" The skipper holds up a hand to the XO. "I'm going to end this war, Ted. I'm going to end it right now before they wipe out another society." Banks stiffens and clenches his fists a few times, but doesn't say any more. "Gentlemen, I'm about to commit a direct violation of a lawful order...and maybe a war crime...please voice your objections now for the record." Davis and Simms look at each other and up at you but don't move. The Marine posted at the hatch doesn't move, but seems to be eyeing Banks suspiciously. Banks shudders and sighs. "[[Jack Cartwright|Jack]]…[[Jack Cartwright|Jack]] I can't." [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] smiles down at the man and nods. "It's okay Teddy. You're relieved. Go get all our people off our ship safely please." Commander [[Theodore Banks]] nods solemnly. "I stand relieved, sir. Good hunting." Banks leaves the CIC, the Marine follows. You're not sure if it's to evacuate or keep an eye on the XO. You finish your plot and the battered assault cruiser shudders into motion. "Good to go here, sir," you say. "She'll go to combat flank in twenty minutes and make impact ten minutes later. Not enough time for anyone to stop us." [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] nods. "Very well. Good work today, all of you." "Sir," says Davis, "Fleet actual requesting actual." The skipper chuckles darkly and snorts. "Mr. Davis, tell *my wife* that I'll be home in time for dinner. All of you, secure your stations and head to the flight deck." The three of you button up your stations and head for the hatch. "Sir," you ask, "you're coming, right?" The CO waves at you dismissively. "I'll be along, I just want to make sure no one tries anything." You look at Simms and Davis with a shrug and take the lift down to the hangar. By the time you arrive, all but one of the dropships have departed, the remaining one, Hawk-Three-Eight, looks like it was batted around by a kitten the size of a carrier and then used for target practice. Banks is standing at the gangway and gestures for you to get aboard. "He's not staying, is he?" he asks. You shrug. "He said he wasn't..." You climb onto the ramp but stay close enough to keep an eye on the hatch into the bay. A moment later, Warrant Officer Denhardt trots up the ramp and pushes past you, holding a hammer, a roll of heat tape, and what appears to be a severed attitude control relay. Without a word he climbs into the cockpit and closes the hatch. You and Banks fidget as the timer to the high-G burn ticks down. With less than two minutes to spare, Commander [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] strides onto the flight deck and approaches the battered dropship. "XO?" he asks. "All our people are secure, sir," replies Banks. The skipper takes one last look around his ship. "Very well, Colonel. Let's go." The two men climb aboard and Denhardt pulls the dropship clear of [[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] just moments before she leaps into a 5g burn on her collision course for the [[Cheyenne Drive Yards]]. You all sit in silence for ten agonizing minutes. Finally, Denhardt calls back from the cockpit. "[[WDF Indomitable|Indomitable]] crashed into [[Grove]] Orbital. The [[Cheyenne Drive Yards]] are gone, along with _Ghost Dance_ and a few other warships in the yard." There is no joy in the cabin, just an immense weight. In six centuries, no one in the colonies has ever purposefully damaged a shipyard. Another thirty minutes pass in silence as the dropship makes its way to the fleet. Then Denhardt calls back again. "Our [[Whistler Defense Force|Marines]] have taken the government center. Whoever's in charge down there has issued a cease-fire." [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] sighs. "What are our carriers doing?" "Well, I'm no expert, but it looks like they're dispersing the fleet for a blockade." "Good," says the skipper, then leans back against the bulkhead and closes his eyes. "Sir? Um. Colonel Banks? Fleet's ordering you relieve Commander [[Jack Cartwright|Cartwright]] and place him under arrest." You see Banks roll his eyes inside his helmet. "I'll get right on that, Denhardt. Thanks."