For reference:

Orlanth Rex Emperor battleship

Hammer of Faith Mars battlecruiser

Cypra Probatii Improved Overlord battlecruiser

Moon of Aaron Dictator carrier

Moon of Esau Dictator carrier

Scourge of Heresy Dominator cruiser

Danae Dauntless light cruiser

Dragon Dauntless light cruiser

Absalom Grau Dauntless light cruiser

Targa Florio Dauntless light cruiser

Squadron Orbis Swords

Blue wing Swords

As Commodore Vladimir M’Dhu walked the upper bridge of the Scourge of Heresy and looked out at the stars, the planet Caldur and the lights of the space dock, he realized just how relieved he was to be back in space. He had always expected a verdict of ABSOLVO from his Court Martial following the loss of his flagship Hammer of Faith , but the presence of Solar Admiral Hogar as Chairman of the Board made him feel more certain in his expectation. However, in the end, he had been saved for sure by the enemy, in a manner of speaking. With the defection of the Moon of Aaron and the Moon of Esau , and the survivors of Squadron Orbis , the truth of Admiral Bandini’s insanity and treachery had come out.

As a sign of his vindication, he had been promoted to Division Commodore with no increase of pay or seniority, but a doubling of the forces under his command. Along with the promotions came Division Commissar Krenk, a rather mixed blessing, and a constant reminder of the shadow, however faint, that had been cast on his career. As far as his Cruiser Division was concerned, there was good news, and potentially very bad news.

The Hammer of Faith had been saved, and almost a half of its veteran crew had been rescued from the hulk alive. The saving of the ship had been a significant point in his favor at the Court Martial, at least as far as the Fighting Admirals and Captains had been concerned. It had been towed to the space docks orbiting the Forge-world of Ruslan. It would be some considerable time before it was repaired. The crippled Dauntless cruisers Danae and Dragon had been restored at the Caldur space docks and the minor damage to the Scourge of Heresy had also been repaired. Unfortunately nothing had been done about Captain Vindire, and with the Commodore’s acquittal, his too was a mere formality. The best news was the arrival of the Cypra Probatii from the nearby Gothic sector. It had been damaged by in Warp Storm and put into Ruslan for repairs. For the next several months it would be on a shakedown cruise, based out of Caldur. It was a legendary ship with more battle honors than some fleets. Captain Thrak and his crack crew would be a welcomed addition to the division.

Along with the good always came the bad. The division had been reinforced by the formerly Traitor, but merely misguided, Moon of Aaron and it’s Orbis Squadron escorts. It seemed that Admiral Zoltoy planned to keep most his suspect fish in a single barrel, the better to shoot them.

To shake down their commands Commodore M’Dhu and Sub-sector Commander Maltesse had been ordered off to exercise against each other’s Ordnance tactics in the Mercurial zone. Commander Maltesse’s division consisted of the Orlanth Rex , an Emperor class battleship, the Moon of Esau , a Dictator class carrier and sister to the Moon of Aaron , the Dauntless light cruisers Absalom Grau and Targa Florio and four Swords from the Blue wing . His own under-strength division consisted of his flagship Scourge of Heresy a Dominator class cruiser, Moon of Aaron , the Dauntlesses Dragon and Danae and two Swords from Squadron Orbis . Attached was the Cypra Probatii . Commodore M’Dhu could have shifted his pennant to the Cypra Probatii as it was both a battlecruiser and a veteran ship, but Commodore M’Dhu was planning for the long run. In months the Cypra Probatii would be gone. The Scourge of Heresy would still be here and he knew the crew would appreciate the vote of confidence. They could not see his doubts.

**********

The ships of the division had been spread out abreast in a long patrol line. There was over 100,000 between ships and there was always the chance that one would get overwhelmed. However, “No Captain does wrong who moves to the flashes of the enemy’s guns” was one of Commodore M’Dhu’s standing orders. The net had been cast, now it was time to see what it would catch.

‘ Cypra Probatii reporting. Long distance Surveyors detect Moon of Esau at 120,000, starboard 15, down 7.’

As usual, it could be better and it could be worse. The Cypra Probatii was the second cruiser from the right; the Dragon was on the far right of the line. Commodore M’Dhu waited for a moment to see what Captain Vindire would do. It seemed he had a long wait.

‘Lieutenant Hogar, signal division “Close on Cypra Probatii ”. Battle plan FAITH. Captain, carry on.’

The ‘Aye aye’s of both Flag-Lieutenant Hogar and Captain Vindire overlapped. Captain Vindire was so afraid of doing anything wrong, that under the direct gaze of authority he tended to do nothing at all. That trait, and his fanaticism for the Cult of the Emperor, got Commodore M’Dhu to thinking of ways to get him transferred out of his command. Indecisive he might be, but no coward, as his leadership on the boarding action against the Traitor Bandini’s flagship had shown. He would make a good Master of Arms, or even a Confessor. He made a bad captain.

The lights dimmed and the artificial gravity was reduced as power was redirected to the maneuvering thrusters and the main engines. Commodore brought up the operations display on his command lectern. There was not much to see at the moment. As he considered the situation he noticed a small commotion on the bridge.

‘… and if they don’t get it fixed within ten minutes, I’ll flog them all, including the officers!!!’

Commodore M’Dhu lead the division, Vindire was his Flag-Captain, it was his job to run his own ship. The Commodore waited for a report. He did not like a ‘busy’ bridge. His theory of command was that each officer had his job, and it was his responsibility to get on with it, with minimal oversight from higher up. Otherwise, how could they learn how to act in battle when inevitable casualties and battle damage might cut them off from their superior’s orders. Well trained officers would do the right thing. Commodore M’Dhu was even prepared to accept the right wrong thing. There was no place for confusion and indecision.

‘Rites of Containment have failed on plasma reactors 6 and 8.’

‘Coming to new heading.’

‘Captain?’ he asked expectantly.

‘There has been a failure in the engine rooms. We can manage only three quarters power, but don’t worry, I’ll get them going again if I have to flog them all to death to do it, Sir!’

‘It has been my experience, Captain Vindire, that the Sacred Rites of the Machine God take a certain time to complete and the Tech-Priests cannot be threatened. Could you recite the Litany of Loyalty in ten minutes?’ The Litany of Loyalty had three hundred and sixty-nine verses.

‘No, Sir!’

‘Rune-Priest Majoris, how long to recite the Rites of Containment?’

‘Twenty-three point eight five minutes, Commodore.’

‘Thank you Rune-Priest.’

At times the Rune-Priests, Tech-Priests and their Servitors were a problem. They worshipped the Ever-living Emperor, but only as an Avatar of the Machine God, when you asked them a question there was a better then even chance that you would not be able to understand a significant portion of the response. However, without them, there would be no Imperial Fleet. They were a necessary inconvenience. They could fight like land sharks if their sacred machines were in danger. Commodore M’Dhu respected anyone who would fight for his ship.

The Commodore monitored the command channel and watched as the action developed.

‘ Moon of Esau launching two standard small assault waves.’ That would be a squadron each of fighters and bombers in each wave.

‘ Cypra Probatii moving to engage.’ If any ship was suited to facing attack craft unsupported it was the Cypra Probatii . With its enhanced turret array, it could shoot down waves wholesale.

‘ Cypra Probatii reporting, Absalom Grau detected 180,000, starboard 35 up 4.’ That was exceptional. Commodore M’Dhu doubted that the surveyors or augers of the Scourge could detect a ship at 180,000, much less identify it. Even his beloved Hammer might not perform so well, still she had other virtues. A blue marker appeared on the operations display. Commodore M’Dhu could see with pleasure that the red markers of the Danae and Moon of Aaron had almost merged with the Cypra Probatii . He was getting there ‘firstest with the mostest’ as some long forgotten adage instructed.

‘ Cypra Propbatii reporting. Danae on station.’

‘ Esau launching two more waves.’

Space battle developed with a measured stateliness that was at complete odds with most descriptions of battle. Ships moved more like icebergs or asteroids than the popular conception of insects or birds.

‘ Cypra Probatii reporting, Orlanth Rex detected, 190,000, 17 starboard, zero zero.’

Now that would be a problem.

‘ Cypra Probatii reporting, Aaron and escorts on station, launching fighters.’

There was a quiet bell from the command lectern which signified that the range was close enough for the tactical display to become active. The information would be coming from the surveyors, augers and opticons of the ships engaged, and it would be heavily processed by the logic engines. The display was nearly as good as the image of the combat in Commodore M’Dhu’s mind.

‘All waves destroyed. No damage.’

‘ Cypra Probatii and Aaron launching torpedoes.’ Torpedoes could peel of escorting fighters and cause waves to move out of the way. It would buy him time. Until his force had concentrated, it would be a defensive action.

‘ Cypra Probatii reporting, Blue wing detected, 120,000 starboard 83, down 5.’

There was a brief dimming of the lighting, and by the change of temper of the bridge crew, he could tell that the engines must be at full power again. He looked at the chronometer, nearly twice as long as predicted. He looked toward Rune-Priest Senioris Escher.

‘The Invocation of Insulation and the Prayers of Activation were also required, Commodore.’

‘ Esau launching more waves.

‘ Cypra Probatii reporting, Targa Florio detected, starboard 97, up 2.’

Well that was everything, or at least everything he knew about.

‘Lieutenant Hogar, make sure all crews continue to man the surveyors. Commander Maltesse may have a surprise for us.’ Admiral Maltesse did not become Sub-Sector commander on charm and good looks.

Now the tactical situation had cleared up. Commodore M’Dhu’s division, with the exception of the Dragon was concentrated in a single group, or would be as soon as the Scourge arrived. Commander Maltesse’s force was split into two groups. One consisted of the Orlanth Rex , the Esau and the Absalom . They were located about 95,000 away on a bearing of starboard 25, at about zero, zero. The other group at about 100,000 and starboard 90, consisted of the Florio and the Sword squadron, and harrying their flank about 55,000 away was the Dragon .

The space between the opposing fleets was thick with enemy attack craft waves. In this Commodore M’Dhu was seriously outnumbered, he could launch four squadrons for every twelve squadrons launched by the enemy.

The pilots of the Aaron performed magnificently, turning back most of the enemy fighters. The supporting fire of the capital ships dispersed the nearby bombers beyond effectiveness. That was the easy part.

‘ Rex launching large waves.’ That would be four squadron waves with up to two fighter squadrons to suppress the defensive fire.

‘ Esau launching small waves’

‘Swords moving on Dragon .’ That was a relief. If the enemy could be decoyed into chasing the Dragon, superiority could be achieved against the carriers.’

‘Direct hit on Esau with Nova Cannon.’

‘Six hits.’

‘Shields down. Esau crippled.’

Commodore M’Dhu missed the characteristic lurch as the Nova Cannon fired. In exercise conditions the logic engines handled the simulated firing. It wasn’t the same.

‘ Dragon firing, Sword destroyed.’ The crew of the ‘destroyed’ ship would spend the remainder of the action with their plasma generators damped down. In the cold of space, it would soon be very uncomfortable.

‘Defense firing pattern HOPE.’

‘No effect.’ No effect!!!. Every ship on the fleet had fired at the incoming bombers with no effect!! Gunnery drill would be doubled.

‘Fighters intercepting.’

‘Enemy attacking Aaron .’

‘One squadron dispersed.’

‘One squadron dispersed.’

‘Two squadrons dispersed.’

‘One squadron dispersed.’

‘No effect from enemy attack.’

‘ Rex launching waves’ The Rex had now assembled twenty four supporting squadrons, and there were another twelve even closer.

‘Swords firing on Dragon .’

‘Shield down‘

Now he had a solid block of enemy waves to pass through, there was no avoiding them.

‘Detach supporting fighters.’

‘ Cypra Probatii , lead the way.’ The battlecruiser cut through the opposing attack craft, like a hot knife through butter, its enhanced defenses dispersing all of them.

‘Direct hit with Nova Cannon.’

‘ Esau bracing’

‘four hits.’

‘Shield down.’

‘Port lower galleries wrecked..’

‘ Esau torpedoes off-line.’

‘ Cypra Probatii firing lances.’

‘ Esau is off-line.’ Another crew waiting for the exercise to begin.

There was a sudden warning hoot and before the blast screens slammed shut everyone on the bridge was almost blinded by a sudden flare from the Caldur sun.

‘WARNING SOLAR FLARE’

‘Outer shield disabled.’ There was a chorus of reports as every ship reported their outer shield knocked down. At least the Scourge had two.

‘Defending fighters dispersed.’ The pulse of the flare had dispersed or disabled all the defending fighters. Commodore M’Dhu looked with expectation as the logic engines recreated the tactical display, and he was very disappointed to see that none of the enemy bombers was dispersed or damaged.

‘ Dragon under fire.’

‘ Dragon bracing.’

‘Bracing failed.’

‘ Florio firing with lances.

‘Bridge destroyed.’

‘ Dragon , prow penetrated, surveyors off-line.

‘Swords firing.’

‘Port battery disabled.’

‘ Dragon crippled.

‘Fire in ventral bulges.’ At least the Captain of the Dragon had the vessel on an escape vector. The hulk might be salvaged.

Commodore M’Dhu had expected the enemy bombers to concentrate on the Aaron to ensure assault superiority, but was surprised as they by-passed her and her escorts and came directly for the Scourge . Evidently his Nova Cannon bothered them more. The standard pray for this circumstance came to his lips.

‘May the Emperor make me truly grateful for what we are about to receive and may we survive to return the favor with interest.’

The enemy bombers made very close attack passes, their targeting lasers simulating their deadly plasma torpedoes.

‘Hit on forward defense turret.’

‘Hit on Prow opticon.’

‘Hit on Starboard gallery.’

‘Hit on main Chapel.’ Well that would annoy Captain Vindire no end.

‘Ship crippled.’

It could have been worse. Four squadrons of bombers had managed to inflict only four hits, even when escorted with fighters. Unfortunately his Nova Cannon had gone off-line. Commander Maltesse would be celebrating that.

Well there was more than one way to cripple a battleship.

‘Signal attack pattern VICE.’

‘Direct all metriculators and logic engines to the batteries.’

‘Fire as you bear.’

‘All ships engage Dauntless to starboard.’

To port the assembling waves of bombers were dispersed as the simulated lasers, macro cannon and plasma pulse scythed through them. A total of 16 squadrons were dispersed. To starboard, even though braced, the Absalom took a terrible pounding from everything in range, suffering five hits, one of which was stopped by the shields, crippling the vessel, but causing no extra damage. The Swords, who were out or range instead fired on the Rex knocking down two shields, only gnat bites. However soon it would be different. If his force could just survive the incoming fire, they would cross the stern of the Orlanth Rex at close range, and supported by a flight of bombers, the torpedoes and lances might well damage the vessel badly.

Commodore M’Dhu’s smile was interrupted by an emergency all on the priority channel.

‘Ion storm arriving in two hours. Exercise canceled. Retrieve all assault craft. Batten down all ports.’

This was dangerous, if the Swords did not get in the shadow of the cruisers, they could be completely wrecked by the vicious bombardment of an ion storm. Oh well, there was always tomorrow.