“An afternoon with subordinates can go either of two ways: it can be a fun get to know session, or it can be an awkward slog.”
* An unknown captain.
“Good Afternoon captains!”
Edward looked over the assembled captains of the fleet in front of him in the “new” conference room aboard the Jupiter outpost. Though the existence of simplified Chinese and Cyrillic on several panels gave away the origins of the station’s new addition, which was about as obvious from the outside as well. As in it was clearly the old Sino-Russo Jupiter outpost that had a few modifications made to it. It was alright however with nice windows looking over Jupiter which spun as the ring slowly rotated. Well, reuse and recycle or however they used to say it at primary school.
A general murmur of “Afternoon” and “Sir” came from them as he sat himself at the head of the table facing the window and its grandiose view. From their papers he managed to recognise the captains of the four Tribal class destroyers: Captain Cathey Hawthorn, Captain Alex Akenson, Captain Douglas Smith, and finally Captain Elizabeth Jennings. But amidst them were also the several captains of all of the auxiliary ships.
There, near to him, was also the only non-navy officer there, Lieutenant Colonel Laurence Bellegarde. The Frenchwoman’s face stern, and Edward couldn’t help but feel a tad unsettling. She looked as if that the entire situation was inadequate and everyone around her was responsible, their hair perfectly kept and short, her uniform so well kept that it made everyone else around her seem inadequate. Ironic considering that almost everyone else was one rank above her at least.
Unfortunately, a rather noteworthy absence however was the general of the brigade that would be kept in reserve who was apparently currently with his brigade, overseeing the integration of the new recruits into it. It was surprising that there were still enough people who were either willing to volunteer or were eligible to be conscripted after the last few waves, and that was due to end very soon as well. Ultimately however, they only had to go for a rather lax draft due to the surprising speed of the invasion of Russia and the masses of troops from the US, France, Germany, Poland, India, and Korea. But Britannia always prefers the waves and the skies anyway.
Edward stood by his chair, clearing his throat as he pulled a mass of files out of a case, “Now, in this meeting I bring good news and bad news. The good news is I’m not using power point, we’re going into the history books, and we have plenty of logistical support. The bad news is we’re going to be into the history books, the logistical support way be spread a bit tight considering our task and this operation has been ordered by the provisional government, hence this operation may be cancelled in a few months when election day rolls around.”
And with that he sent files sliding across the table in the direction of all of the officers, Laurence’s eyes looking up at the admiral as their file slid to them, “Well you’re quick to the point.”
“I’ll take that as a complement. But as you will all see in your files you have your briefs. Yes, this is all real, No, you cannot talk about it quite yet and yes, we’re going to hold back on using actual force until we need to. I don’t think history textbooks about our new united earth should start with, ‘and then they started a surprise attack against an independent colony’ but I’m not sure about everyone else.”
There were some general murmurs of agreement that came from all around the table, several of the officers opening up their files and flicking through them. The expressions around the room became a mix of surprise but also of apathy as they blankly sifted through the papers.
“I’m presuming we have more than my Battalion and a couple of ratings with guns for this?” Laurence muttered, her eyes yet again looking up at Edward.
“Well uh-“ Why was he stuttering now? “Well we have 146th Mechanized Brigade of the new army in reserve in case my plan A doesn’t work.”
“Ah, well I feel even more out of place. And tell me, what is this, plan A?”
Edward swallowed, “Well, we have an attached diplomat and I’m hoping we can try to get them to peacefully integrate, saving us having to shed any blood or create any harm.”
Laurence and captains Elizabeth and Alex leaned back in their seats, studying the admiral intently.
“Well it’s a rather ambitious idea Admiral,” She said, “And I doubt that’s what command has intended considering all the assets here.”
“However, I don’t like the risk of attacking an entire country with an army of ten thousand, nor do I like the idea of angry locals who hold the death of their father in battle against us.”
“It’s a fair point, but the nobility are always stubborn, and I doubt they’d want to give up their positions, combat may be an inevitability.”
“we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, but now, I want to lay out the plans for our initial entry and how we establish ourselves in their orbit. Without that we can’t do anything else. Now, captain Elizabeth?”
“Yes sir?”
“I want you to head our operation to search for any remaining derelicts or wreaks within the planet or moon’s orbit. We need to reclaim any and all black boxes we can find and I’m sure there is a lot of scientific, technical and material interest in the derelicts themselves.”
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“Right sir.”
“Now for our supply ships…”
----------------------------------------
“David, do you know how much I hate meetings?” Edward sighed.
“A lot, most people do I think actually. Why, was this one too tiring for you?”
“I felt that Frenchwoman was judging me every moment I was there and I don’t feel like she was impressed, though who knows!? I might be wrong!”
He slumped back into his chair, arms hanging limply by his sides as he tried to let the stress escape from his body. He was never good at public speaking and these sorts of meeting were the worst.
They were both in the captain’s quarters aboard the Sheffield. It was a fair bit smaller than the one aboard the station but still far more comfortable than your average bunk room. That and it had been left free by the fact that Edward and David were effectively acting as the ship’s captain. They hadn’t found one in time and there wasn’t any specific flag bridge aboard the ship so eventually they were just given the command of the ship until after the operation had been completed. So, Edward had just taken the room as his. It was alright, though the lack of windows were a little depressing.
“So,” David said, sipping his drink, “Why did you ask me to come here and hang out? I presume it was for a bit more than just having a few drinks. Not that I would complain about that at all!”
“Well, I was wondering if you brought the troops you promised?”
David mouth curled into a smirk, “Oh, well, I have every last one of them you asked for.”
Edward nodded, straightening up in his seat “Let’s see the goods then.”
David nodded back, hauling up a black case onto the table and opening it, turning it around for Edward to inspect all of the little models of power armour wearing nuns sitting in their foam padded box. All in a simple yet neat black paintjob, “All five-hundred points of the best Zealots of the Imperium you can get.”
“Well, I doubt they last that long against the full force of the imperial guard however!” Edward chuckled, pulling up his own box of figures, these a bunch of custom, gas-mask wearing World War one British soldiers with laser guns and more complex paint jobs with all the details picked out, though he hoped David wouldn’t notice some of the small mistakes on them…
“Yeah, you have too much luck with your rolls…”
“I make shit rolls too, and you’ve made some amazing comebacks as well, it happens.”
“Well then, you think this little Warhammer game here could fit on this desk?”
“Lets find out shall we? I’ve got some stuff that can constitute terrain and a little mat rolled away here too…”
“Dice and measuring tape?”
“Got that too for once.”
“Well then, set up and roll off and I hope you don’t get lucky with that again…”
The table was set up fairly quicky and ignoring the exact rules it was about large enough to fit a proper match on. Edward lost the deployment roll off but then after everything was done, won the initiative roll off, starting the game first.
He looked across the board. His force was a mixed band with mortars, a tank and some infantry, all commanded by a commissar. David however had gone for an entirely infantry-based list with units that could all rip his constituent units apart given the opportunity.
“Of course, you won the initiative roll…” David mumbled, watching the board like Edward was doing.
“Well I can still cock this all up yet…” He muttered in return, getting his commissar to shout some orders and moving his infantry and tank up towards the central point, keeping them all in cover and noting all the units they could attack.
“Are you ready to fire then?”
“Yep, mortars right into those anti-tank people there.”
The dice rolled. A few hits, a few wounds, but David then saved a disappointing number of them as only one sister was blasted off the field.
Then the infantry fired, the encouragement from their commander boosting them as they managed to take out several members of his frontline infantry as the guardsmen made good use of front-rank fire, second rank fire! The tank then followed up by pouring everything into the heavy weapons squad to devastating effect, leaving only their squad leader remaining as David cursed. It was his only unit with dedicated AT guns and it was taken out without even the chance to take a shot at their target.
“I guess you can actually see the value of dedicating everything you have to wipe out a threat…” He grumbled, his face blank.
Edward’s brow furrowed as he frowned, “What do you mean by that David?”
“You brought your tank and mortars down on me without mercy and neutered my chances of winning while also protecting the tank in the process.”
“Yes, it’s the logical thing to do but you’re trying to infer something here and I’d like you to spell it out for me but I don’t like where this is going…”
“Well exactly, you did what was the most logical choice to achieve a sound victory, just you seem to have second thoughts when you take these choices off of a board or a screen. And I think you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
The dots quickly connecting in his head, his blood starting to roil, “Oh, is that what this is about now David, during a casual game!? Look, I'm just saying that there's two options here, and this one, clearly, is good!"
He knew his patience had run out some time ago, as had David's, but neither were willing to back down on this particular point and David was dead set on making his.
"Oh for fucks sake Edward! We're talking about an invasion here!"
David's voice rose as he spoke, crescendoing in a shout, with his voice keeping it’s pitch as he continued.
"There are no good options! There's a plan that puts the lives of us first, and one that places the enemy first! Get down from the moral high ground and recognise this for what it is!"
Edward's jaw set as he waited for David to compose himself.
"Are you quite done? Instead of shouting at me, how about we consider the long-term implications of a brutal takeover, hmm?"
His own voice had taken on a somewhat condescending tone, which he quickly suppressed. It wouldn't do to make this already sensitive debate a matter of pride for his somewhat unstable subordinate.
"If we go in weapons hot, then yes, we MAY lose a few hundred less of our own forces. However, think of the resentment a bloody blitzkrieg would foster for the IFC, as well as scandals back home."
David's face had flushed red, from anger, frustration or embarrassment Edward couldn't tell.
"Very well, Sir. I apologise for my tone."
David spoke through gritted teeth, head held high, and face scrunched up.
"Yeah, it's fine mate. I suppose I should be glad we did this in private and not on the bridge."
David shook his head.
"You know damn well I wouldn't actually question your authority in front of the others. I just need you to at least consider what I said."
Edward nodded, and the room fell silent for a few minutes. Then:
"Drinks?"
David nodded.
"Drinks. But we have to finish this game up first and you are not complaining about any of the rolls from now on out, alright?”
“We can always drink here if you still have those bottles in your desk.”
“I do, though don’t tell Alex.”