Please excuse my no-name-ness. I'm a lurker.
I've been reading Harry Turtledove's World War series, and playing Homeworld around the same time. After having my Mothership transfixed by Ion Beams a couple times (and watching her blow up), I had the idea to write a story along those lines. Here's a start.
Feel free to critique and take apart.
-------------------------------------------------------
Homeworld -- Visitation
by Dave
Dramatis Personae
Iae Torlyei -- Kushan Male, former senior lieutenant aboard the Iroth, now Commander of the Eloi'ah.
Karan Sjet -- Kushan Female, aka Fleet Command. Held permanent command post aboard the Mothership (physically wired into the datanet of the Mothership), and was killed upon it's destruction.
Joseta Anpol -- Kushan Female, Commander of the Iroth Heavy Cruiser.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 1
Commander Iae Torlyei sat down on his bed and began to weep.
The Mothership was gone. The Pride of the Kushan Fleet had been destroyed in the battle to retake Hiigara.
The carrier that he commanded was all that was left of the Fleet.
His mind drifted back to the true start of the tragedy, when he was a senior lieutenant on board the Iroth, the fleet's only Heavy Cruiser. He had been checked his personal electronic messages, and decided to check the Military Officer's Private Forum. There were many debates raging over how to approach the final battle for the Homeworld. Karan Sjet herself was deviating from her characteristic neutrality and logical bearing. His eyes glazed over as he skimmed the titles of the topics presented.
He blinked, snapping back to reality as he saw a title proposing... a "Failure Contingency Plan?" What on Kharak? He expanded the topic, glanced at the abstract, then dropped down the budding discussion to get a feel for what was going on.
Hmmm... a plan to allocate a carrier and a Veil-class cloaking field generator to observe the battle and allow the carrier to flee undetected should the Mothership be destroyed. Preposterous. Resources could be much better used for a handful of frigates or a few wings of medium-sized corvettes. It could in no way participate in the battle, and what would it do if the Mothership were destroyed? Come out with point-defense guns blazing? He laughed at that thought.
Deciding to put an end to this nonsense, he opened the "Reply" field and wrote:
-Where would the fleet come up with the resources needed to build another carrier? It seems a waste of resources.
-Why not another few frigates and fighters? Besides, the carrier cannot assist in the battle without being detected.
-Where would the carrier go, should it need to flee?
-Excellent points, noted a Rear-Admiral. Perhaps you can answer them.
-I? Why? I'm the one denouncing the plan.
-However, if you insist...
Iae thought for a few moments, than continued typing.
-It is better to live and fight another day. If necessary, the Fleet can draw resources from recycled enemy ships and from Hiigaran comets in the
-outer comet cloud. They should be easy to find using probes for stereoscopic imaging and looking for slight gravity fluctuations.
-
-As for the place of retreat... I believe a solar system is best, especially one with many gas giants, because gas giants have many moons that can
-be used to recreate the fleet. It would also be easy to hide "behind" one of the gas giants or among its moons and ringlets should the Taiidan
-go looking for it.
-Is there anything else that disqualifies this idea from consideration? asked the author of the topic.
Yes, thought Iae, your thinking of it. He continued.
-Yes. Several other important facets of the idea should have been addressed, without which failure is near-certain:
-
-It is important to provide a means for communication between the carrier and the Mothership. This could be done easily using two probes.
-Both probes are launched at right angles to the Mothership and the hidden carrier, such that there is line of sight from the Mothership to the
-first probe, from the first to the second probe, and from the second probe to the carrier. Whisker laser communication can then take place
-easily, and be very difficult to trace. In fact, any number of probes could be used, to increase either security or redundancy.
-
-The carrier should be placed behind one of the moons of Hiigara to cover it's jump signature when it jumps in and out.
-
-Finally, we come to the problem of crewing the ships built by the carrier. Perhaps one of the cryogenic storage pods could be built into the
-carrier, and personnel revived when they are needed.
-Wow, remarked Karan Sjet.
Karan Sjet! thought Iae. She's impressed with my rebuttal!
-The Commanders of the Fleet have come their closest to total unanimity on any one topic since the decision to deploy weapons on the Guardians of Kadesh during their ambush.
Iae swelled with pride, tinted with astonishment.
-They have decided to go ahead with the Failure Contingincy Plan, as Iae Torlyei has eloquently laid out the best method of executing it.
-The reason, of course, is sound: In the event of the destruction of the Mothership, our people will not be lost, and our fight can continue.
He blinked, unable to believe his eyes. He re-read the statement, his mind turning in disbelief.
His console beeped softly, announcing that a personal message had just been received. He tapped the notice, which expanded into a plain, unobtrusive sidebar.
To: Torlyei, Iae
From: Sjet, Karan
Message:
Excellent rebuttal. You expertly nailed each of the flaws in the plan and fixed them. Because of this, the fleet commanders have found that the Failure Contingency Plan has merit, and plan to implement it. Several further asked to examine your history as an officer and two of them, upon reading your service records, have recommended that you be given command of the new carrier, which is to be named the Eloi'ah.
Will you accept command of the Eloi'ah?
Message Ends.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 2
His mind momentarily ceased to function. So Fleet Command had understood that he had just attempted to kill the Failure Contingincy Plan, and now they wanted him to command it? Had the whole universe gone crazy?
His finger grazed the "Reply" option, and he leaned back in his chair to dictate his letter aloud in his spartan, empty room. His console transcribed his letter.
To: Sjet, Karan
From: Torlyei, Iae
Message:
I have just argued against the Failure Contingency Plan, and now you want me to command the project? As I have argued against the project, I fail to see how I qualify to lead it. I would much prefer to remain at my post aboard the Iroth, as I hope to command it one day.
Also, holding command of the Eloi'ah seems cowardly. The commander is unable to participate in the battle in any way, save, perhaps, for mop-up activities post-battle. I had hoped my actions during the battle aboard the Iroth would, perhaps, lead to a promotion.
Message Ends.
Torlyei brought up the damage control readouts for the Iroth, checking up on the final repairs being conducted on the ship. It had seen action the last few days after the Taiidan had strapped engines on the back of an asteroid and attempted to ram the Mothership. The Iroth had assisted two destroyers and three ion cannon frigates in cutting the rock in half with high velocity charged particles. It then was moderately damaged in the battle with the asteroid's escorting fleet. Iae was glad to be on board the Iroth; one of the destroyers hadn't made it back.
The Iroth seemed due for its last few paint jobs over the new ion cannon battery that had had to be replaced. Iae then expanded the view to include the entire fleet. A few corvettes seemed to still be under repairs, and one of the missile destroyers had to have a whole missile rack replaced, but the Fleet was otherwise in full readiness.
Iae then checked the Mothership's production list. There it was: the Eloi'ah carrier, as well as a Veil-class cloaking field generator. Also lined up were two Matriarch-class support frigates, two assault frigates and a destroyer to replace the one lost during the battle.
A beep sounded again, and a new message came up.
To: Torlyei, Iae
From: Sjet, Karan
Message:
Commanding the Eloi'ah would be a great honor, senior lieutenant. You might also be advised that the Iroth will likely draw the most of the enemy's fire and stands a significant chance of being destroyed by sheer firepower. How much glory do you gain for sitting in an escape pod or breathing vacuum?
Also, should the Battle for Hiigara be successful (as we all hope), you, as commander of a carrier, stand a good chance of being deployed to quell rebellions and hunt down remnants of the enemy fleet. Should it fail...
Message Ends.
Perhaps Karan Sjet wants me to command the Eloi'ah. thought Iae. Not to mention the fact that being aboard the Iroth could be dangerous. It looks like the Eloi'ah may be the best shot I have at commanding. As much as I hate the thought of not being in the Battle for Hiigara, and even worse, the thought of fleeing like a coward, losing everything is not acceptable. And if I can obtain Karan Sjet's promise of being the first assigned to quell rebellion after our success, it might be worth it.
He called up a draft to Karan Sjet.
To: Sjet, Karan
From: Torlyei, Iae
Message:
I will accept command of the Eloi'ah, however reluctantly, on the condition that I be one of the first assigned to suppress rebellion and rogue warlords following our victory at Hiigara. I feel that I am getting "the short end of the rod" with this plan, and I want to know that I'll have something to do when the shooting stops.
Message Ends.
------
As Senior Lieutenent, Torlyei assisted bridge command aboard the Iroth Heavy Cruiser. His duties were wide ranging and in many places vague. He was one of the lowest ranked officers on the bridge. However, Commander Joseta Anpol had commended him for his quick thinking and succinct responses. She had given several good words about him to his senior officer, and had covered his tail on at least one occasion. He turned back to skimming anomalous sensor contacts from the past battle and categorizing their threat levels.
After a few minutes of mental menial work, another message came in.
To: Torlyei, Iae
From: Sjet, Karan
Message:
I will not guarantee you anything. You have neither the position nor the right to demand anything in exchange for command of the Eloi'ah. You are one of several being considered for command.
Message Ends.
Iae replied immediately:
Message:
Then I wish to withdraw myself from consideration for command of the Eloi'ah.
Message Ends.
He was angered by the fact that his simple request had been flatly denied. He wanted a piece of the action, and all he got was a scolding.
He stood rapidly, bouncing his hunter green chair off the light cyan wall behind him in his console's "cubbyhole." He paced his room rapidly, still frustrated. Another part of his mind absently noted that he should be glad he had room to pace, as only officers had any kind of privacy or living "space." He was still pacing furiously when a soft chime sounded from his console. A public message came up on the screen:
Construction on the Eloi'ah has been temporarily suspended.
A design change is delaying further construction until it can be properly implemented.
Now what? wondered Iae.
Another message appeared, this time a private one from Karan Sjet.
Message:
Your request for removal from consideration for command of the Eloi'ah has been denied. In fact, you have been selected to serve aboard her, Commander Iae Torlyei. You are also denied permission to refuse this post. The other commanders have agreed, to near unanimity, that you are best qualified to control the newly commissioned carrier. Due to the importance of the battle we see before us, you are not permitted to request re-assignment until after the battle has been concluded.
I recommend you approach this with the utmost sincerity and seriousness, as you and the Eloi'ah may be called to continue where the Mothership has failed.
Message Ends.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homeworld Alt-History Fanfic
Moderator: LadyTevar
