Alpha One - Chris Burton [69]
This was Rose’s tried-and-tested method of opening a forum, and his team, all of whom was with him throughout his previous Sentinel campaigns, duly indulged.
“We need to bring their command ships into the open,” said Commander Troy.
Troy was a forty-six year old fellow American who was known for her quick thinking but methodical approach to battle tactics.
“We should concentrate our jump ship sorties in these general areas.” She pointed towards the interactive holographic battle map and dragged three Rapier and one Sabre battle group to three different areas on the map. These were identified as being Sentinel Command Centers.
“We can back these up with teutonic infiltration. This will have the effect of breaking the main Sentinel fleet into four sections, for which we can deploy separate initiatives to break them down.”
“I agree,” said Commander Schneider, a tall, thin Titan of Germanic extraction, who was Rose’s eyes and ears to the fleet. If you wanted to know who was where and what they were doing, Schneider was the person you turned to.
“We need maximum infiltration on the outer flanks of each section. Would it not be better to deploy the jump ships from below?” He stood and made references to his tactical suggestion on the holographic display.
“We have seen weaknesses in Sentinel Shield capability from below.”
“Yes, but we need to deploy a much greater number of Jump Ships. Perhaps as many as a thousand, if we are to gain an early initiative,” interjected Admiral Haines.
Haines was Rose’s Number Two. He was a burly man of Caribbean descent. His accent was strong, but he spoke slowly and purposefully having grown used to people’s lack of understanding of his accent. He neared the end of his active Alpha life and looked forward to his place on The Senior Bench.
Haines proceeded to demonstrate how best the jump ship battle groups could be deployed, assisted by Schneider and Troy who illustrated the impact of teutonic fire power on each area.
Rose stood and approached the Map.
“Okay. I agree that we should attempt to split the enemy into four main sections. We must not forget Admiral Shenke’s task force, who can be deployed from the rear to perform a similar function. When we have broken the fleet into sections, we can then break up our Fleet into constituent parts and launch offensives in line with the Centurion B initiative.
We should deploy ten Rapier Battle Groups and one Sabre Battle Group. That will give us a concentration of seven hundred fifty Rapiers and seventy-five Sabres. We don’t want to cause an overflow of jump ship activity. This could lead to many jump ship losses in the short term, and we can scarce afford to lose the biggest advantage we have.”
He paused briefly, before speaking directly to Haines.
“Courtney. Can you and your team make the necessary arrangements? Also, can you make contact with Admiral Shenke and confirm our discussions?”
Rose left the command team to calculate the logistical and operational changes required to implement the new battle strategy. He headed for his state room. It was time to update Admiral Koenig.
Despite the revised tactical deployment, Rose still felt uneasy. The Sentinels were not acting as they had done before. They seemed much more assured, stronger and capable. He needed to know why and soon.
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Sentinel Response
In the end, the decision to attack was taken out of General Yoshi’s hands. Alpha advanced to within one thousand kilometers of the Sentinel Fleet and had launched their offensive immediately. The initial onslaught was significant and effective. Yoshi coordinated his forces, and they were winning a number of individual skirmishes.
Alpha launched their jump ship. The Southern Fleet had no single answer to the overall adaptability and maneuverability of their jump ship. They were everywhere and there must have been hundreds. Each individual ship carried substantial weaponry,