RidOv Chpt-37

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==Ridiculously Overboard!! (A Captain Roberts Tale!!)Chapter 37 - Hump as big as Warship, its ...==
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===The Battle of Joan's Post===
Joan's Post System - Outworlds Wastes, Periphery
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Began with an in-system jump to the planetary L1 to engage two Invader and one Star Lord Class JumpShips charging at that position. Bandit forces hadn't been prepared to repel boarders, as they're usually the ones doing the boarding, and this system was relatively 'safe' for them, having been uninterfered-with since the Sons of Plunder seized control in 3085.
'dive' and 'salvage' work stood the assault teams from the Evanescent in good stead-unlike their bandit prey, these men were armed with specialist gear modified by technical experts with no small amount of 'on the sly' technical advice from Marine Supervisor Seron of the Evanescent's command staff.
Specialist gear like boarding-assault modified Nighthawk PA(L) suits with SLDF model EMU's attached, helped a lot in securing the Jumpships before more than a single pair of Aerospace Fighters, still stunned by the EM emergency wave of the Warship, could respond in the CAP.
The remainder were engaged by SB-27b Sabres and Vulcan Aerospace fighters in 'air superiority' configuration.
Drills run by Mr. Bedwyr paid off, the bandit fighters were caught flat-footed or unprepared for Royal variant Sabers backed by the heavy firepower of centuries-old, yet well maintained and virtually new, heavy fighters all backed with ESM and ECM (and ECCM) support from the Corvette.
The dogfights lasted seconds. The Jumpships merely minutes, the pair of Assault dropships...didn't last much longer than that. There's this event when your stolen Overlord A3 is lanced like a boil by a pair of Naval Lasers before it can bring the nose to bear on the attacker. Peculiarly, the Union Pocket-Warship variant, still dressed in White, didn't last significantly longer, as she was still trying to accelerate away, leaving the engine bell nozzles exposed to the warship's main guns.
Zap, zap, zap, zap and now it's drifting time as the thin-skinned, 'insufficient' warship is able to pick the missile-armed ex-Blakist vessel apart with a string of leisurely salvos, while using her conventional batteries in point-defense mode to deal with the missiles.
At D Plus 5 hours, an HPG call was sent to Devil's Breath, and the surface assault forces, now with updated nav info and coordinates, began to arrive at the L1 point, releasing dropships into attack formation escorted by fighters and the Evanescent herself.
The Invasion of Joan's Post had begun.
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===Enemy DropShip Spotted===
"That...was a Pocket Warship." Larry observed.
"So it was." Amanda was in that 'trance' that Larry associated with her 'Desmond' self. "I have memories of those being considered equal to a ship like the Evanescent, maybe even superior...which is kind of funny for what amounts to a second or third generation assault dropship meant by certain factions in the Defense Force to reduce the influence of the Star League Navy in local defense."
"You...remember?"
"Desmond has memories...files, of the testing." Amanda was back briefly. "The intent was to supplement the Reagan Space Defense System at home, and create a cheaper alternative that could be sold to the House Lords in order to reduce their strategic mobility while encouraging them to feel...safer." she licks her lips, "Testing didn't go well, I just..re-ran the protocols the Naval board ran when they were trying to kill the program. Neutralize the missile threat using the ship's conventional arsenal in point-defense mode, while engaging at long range with the main gunnery. we have strategic mobility, they don't, so you jump in, neutralize their carriers, then disable their engines with aimed bracket-fire, followed by holding range and shifting our defense guns to defense-I basically overrode the controls on the Autocannon arrays and loaded flak ammo, the missiles and their warheads hit what amounted to a giant-sized AMS...but it's a bit of a strain. The systems weren't really designed for it, it's just the other guys are crap gunners and never faced this kind of opposition-opponents aware of their main trick-before."
She blinked, "Mister Samuel! eyes on the scope, I'm releasing commander's override back to the gunnery station. We need to keep anything they might be launching off those dropships, Acknowledge!"
"Ayeh, Captain!" Sam announced.
She slumped in her chair, "My head hurts, Larry."
"We need a better way than having you hit the commander's override every time, Ma'am." Larry told her.
"Put it on the list of things we can suggest to the Khan or the Defense minister...or President Avellar." she dismissed with a groan, "For the next refit, maybe. CAG! How is the convoy?"
"Holding formation, I should be out there-"
"No, I need you here coordinating our fighter groups and giving me useful feedback." Amanda half-scolded. she looked over to Lori, "Has Mister Seron reported status on our boarding teams?"
"WE're reporting green on all captures, Captain-we caught them trousers around the ankles."
"Request follow-on crews contribute personnel for prize crews to ferry those vessels back to Northsun for inspection and turnover, Mister Seron's in command of that element for the time being." Amanda judged.
"are you sure that's wise?"
"Does Mister Seron seem like the sort of man who would go into opposition against the Snow Ravens or the Outworlds, Lori?" Amanda asked.
"No."
"There's your answer. we're denying the enemy an asset, if the ships aren't here to steal, they can't steal them back."
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===Formation===
Attention to Orders...
...The following colors are to be brought out of retirement pending the formation of a new, joint-responsibility organization.
Kappa Galaxy 
2nd Outworlds Fleet
Configuration as follows:
Cerberus Outworlds Raven naval Group
OWS Evanescent (Bonaventure Block 1*) CO: Director Amanda Roberts, XO Supervisor Nichols, Laurence
OWS Translucent (Bonaventure Block X) CO: TBD, XO TBD, (Vessel under reconstruction)
OWJS Breitenfeld (Invader Class Jumpship) CO: TBD
OWJS Longhorn (Invader Class Jumpship) CO: TBD
Dropships to be assigned as available.
Ground Forces: 
15th Garrison Cluster (Kappa) reactivate to Active Duty
16th Garrison Cluster (Kappa) Reactivate to Active Duty
1st Battalion Northsun Militia
3rd Composite Kappa Cluster (Solahma Reserve)
Fleet Base Northsun
Northsun Maintenance and Fueling dock
11th Wing, Outworlds Military Corps (Northsun Militia Aerospace)
2nd Garrison Cluster (Reactivated)
Company D, Northsun Militia (Marine)
Northsun Airbase, Eleanor Continent, (Formerly SLDF garrison for the 1565th independent company, SLDF circa 2752)
The Command Intent is to begin long-term stabilization operations in the Unincorporated region of the historical Outworlds Alliance. Additional garrison postings will open as worlds are reclaimed from Bandit occupation.
Personnel are to be drawn through standard recruitment of Alliance citizens interested in, and capable of, military service, combined with experienced cadre and leadership personnel from Clan Snow Raven (with integration at the officer level if and as required, see: Director Amanda Roberts/OWS Evanescent.)
In phase one of the longer term plan, Kappa combined with 2nd Outworlds Fleet will primarily serve as a mobile 'firefighting' and patrol force with headquarters at Fleet Base Northsun and Fleet Base Joan's Post. if and as required, additional garrisons will be formed and integrated to support anchoring stability on lost or previously neglected worlds.
Per standard plans, command level of formations and units will be held by experienced personnel at or near the end of their front-line service, with cadre roles for experienced soldiers and warriors filling NCO and instructor slots, and the bulk of enlisted and lower officers being drawn from Alliance volunteer personnel or mid to low scoring(but still passing) Sibko graduates that can not find or qualify for posts in the Snow Raven Touman, though volunteers will be accepted from Trueborn or Clan-origin freebirth stock.
Over the next ten years, 2nd Fleet and Kappa Galaxy will reach a designated size, and subdivide. Such subdivisions will incorporate the names, colors, and traditions (where available) of previously extinct units of either the Outworlds Military Command, or Clan Snow Raven.
Trials for personnel transfers FROM Kappa or 2nd Fleet to Front line formations will be conducted on a quarterly basis, though not for prior service personnel, only for local recruits or sibko graduates whom were assigned to, or volunteered for, service in Kappa Galaxy as their primary or initial service assignment (thus, filling a training and experience requirement in lieu of high scoring in their initial trial of position).
Primary Missions:
1. Bandit hunting and anti-piracy
2. Colonial area security and emergency response
3. Commerce protection and promotion for economic development to the benefit of the Raven Alliance.
4. intersystem law enforcement and order maintenance.
5. intersystem communication maintenance.
Secondary Missions:
1. Act as a skills maintenance and training ground for Raven Alliance Naval forces and ground forces.
2. Act as an emergency reserve formation for Raven Alliance Regular forces.
3. Act as flank security for the coreward theater of the Raven Alliance's anti-spinward region.
4. Act as a testing ground for Alliance military and civil technologies in a high-stress environment.
5. act as a straining ground for testing tactical and strategic planning, including service as an OpFor for training drills for the rest of the Alliance Military.
Long Term objective: To restore the Raven Alliance to the historical borders of the pre-war Outworlds Alliance, foster economic growth, prosperity, and development, and instill order, domestic peace, and security for citizens of the Raven Alliance over the long term.
History shows us that 'peacetime' is the breath taken between wars, and survival comes to those whom are prepared and have a deep reserve.
-Mitchell Avellar, 
August 10, 3115.
countersigned;
-Khan Alberto Crow
October 1st, 3115
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===Enemy Spotted===
In Transit - Tresspass System, Outworlds Wastes
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"We're going to need a bigger boat...
The explanation for how The Sons of Plunder had gotten so big, without being seen?
Well, it's sitting in orbit over Tresspass.
With a pair of Barons as escort.
"Have they seen us?"
Amanda shook her head. "No, they aren't even looking in this direction. This one's too big. We need actual fleet units if they have that thing even half crewed."
"Can you identify it?" Larry asked.
"Newgrange class Yardship, modified." she said.
Lori and Larry both almost whispered. "Erinyes"
Amanda checked their clock. "We've got seven days before we can jump out of this system, Lori, send to the taskforce all the imagery we're getting at this range, and ask them to forward request for Snow Raven Fleet Backup, because we're not going to take that monster with a pair naval lasers."
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