Tides of Change

[Rodent]

The conference room on-board Lisbon station was dimly lit, just enough to be able to make out faces if one stood nearby. Here, in this quiet chamber, reminding one of a place where conspirators met in horribly cliche movies, a grave problem was being discussed. The room was protected against eavesdroppers, and the people talked softly.

Two men, and a woman, were conversing. The Admirality of the Primary fleet was discussing matters, in a rather informal fashion. X was absent, of course. He was hardly ever around, his doings as shadowy as the man himself. Admiral Mirage was also absent. That left just the primary fleet admirals, to deal with the issue of the Coalition.

Osborne spoke first, as was his pergorative, being the holder of the rank of Fleet Admiral.

We know about the Coalition problem. What is your evaluation regarding them?

Both of them leaned forward, as to speak, but the woman, Julia Benford, Rear Admiral, spoke first, and Robert D'Souza leaned back.

[font=Agency FB]The threat posed by them cannot be underestimated. They were, and are a terrorist organization, their pilots are well trained, they are experts in guerilla warfare, and their ships are designed as such.

Their fighter corps have good experience in operations throughout Sirius, and they have flown with us, so they know our general tactics. They can be a large nuisance, and something we'll have to watch for. The perimeter will have to be strengthened against incursions by them, and we'll have to increase recon patrols in the omegas to hope to be able to locate their raiding squads and make arrangements.

Osborne nodded. It fit together logically.

Robert. What's your opinion, ehh?

Robert spoke, in usual Hispanic undertones.

[font=Agency FB]Julia's assessment seems good to me, but there are a couple more factors. Let's see what we know about them.

He pressed a few buttons, and an Osiris, with a couple of smaller shapes that could be identified as Typhoon destroyers, showed up.

[font=Agency FB]From what we know, they have two hard hitting Osiris class Battleships, The Havana and the Karl Marx. Both of which have undergone refits at Evora, and so we know that they are an older model of Osiris, although strong and durable because of some Coalition fitting.

They have a few Destroyers, of which The International, and The Lithuania are known. I do not put their destroyer strength at over twenty altogether. Storm gunboats, unknown amount. We know their construction though, because there is one in our fleet.

They depend on snubcraft mostly, and that's what we'll have to watch for. Their capital strength can hurt us if we are far from our bases, but in Omicron Minor with it's defenses, I doubt they can do much of a dent.

That fit together as well. Osborne gave a quick nod of assent, and now began to speak his mind.

[font=Agency FB]Let's have a look at the strategic overview then.

Pressing a few buttons, a 3-D view of the Sirius sector came up. With a few adjustments, he had a smooth map of the Omegas and the Omicrons, with lines from Omega-52 to Minor showing possible routes of attack.

[font=Agency FB]You see, the most direct route to us, and the most economical, is through Omicron Kappa. There are only two ways to Omicron Kappa, through Omicron Gamma, which we all know as Corsair territory, and Omicron-74, where the Omicroners reside.

The Coalition is at war with both the Corsairs and the Omicroners.

Julia interjected, with a trace of a smile.

[font=Agency FB]Obviously neither of them are going to allow the Coalition to move fleets through their systems.

Close, but not exactly. The Omicroners may yield to some pressure, but they are not going to allow fleets to move, under any circumstances. Which means we can rule out the big guns. That leaves the snubcraft. Obviously, any action in the Omegas will have to be guarded, because there they have free reign.

[font=Agency FB]Hmm. Their snubcraft are not to be underestimated. And they have assaulted Minor with the Guild Core, which shows a degree of cooperation. A combined assault would leave us short.


[font=Agency FB] They would have to sneak a wing to the Omicrons first. Unless I am much mistaken, and this break in the alliance was the doing of the Core, I doubt the Core is too trusting of the Coalition. And if we keep the recon nets strong, we would be able to see them coming.

Osborne sighed a little. They had a plan.

[font=Agency FB]So, strengthen our recon network in the Omegas and the Omicrons, send word to keep an eye out for Coalition movements, and plan our own movements outside the Omicrons accordingly. That should be sufficient.

Of course, I'll put the corps to overtime patrolling, just in case. We might have established the Coalition threat as a minor addition to the ones already, but we have to watch. As usual

The others merely nodded. They had consensus.