This post is inspired by a writing prompt in the Worldbuilding Community - Worldbuilding Prompt #558 - Rush Requests
It's the next part of the space opera tale of Alex Deroma.... I've left it far too long since I wrote one of these. Enjoy !
Image created by AI in Wombo.art
Asteroids slowly shifted and tumbled in chaotic orbits, masking the hundred and one warships hiding inside the cluster.
On the command deck of the battleship Moonfall, Admiral Alex Deroma had a screen full of faces; the captains of the hundred ships under her immediate command.
The faces held a spectrum of impressions; resignation, anger, insolence, indolence and some just plain unreadable. She couldn't see any that showed the respect her rank was due, and that made her happy. These were the rejects of her Battle Corps, the ones who lacked discipline, tact, and the ability to obey orders. Their crews were the same.
But what she saw wasn't just a bunch of rebels, it was people who had the ability to think laterally, and to act on those ideas. People who weren't afraid to speak their minds. People like her.
"Right, this is just a training exercise. All we have to do is get from this asteroid cloud, to that one over there. All that stands in our way is the rest of the Battle Corps. They only outnumber us fifty to one. Anyone got a problem with that ?"
She waited for the inevitable pushback, and it only took a second. Captain Fradmill of the Stab-Then-Twist. She wondered if letting them rename their ships had been such a great idea, but had to admit to herself that some of the names were imaginative.
"What's off limits, Admiral ?" he asked, in a tone which suggested he'd like a minimalist answer.
"No live fire, try not to get anyone killed, and try not to do any damage that'll take more than a couple of days to repair. Apart from that, do what you can to get to your objective. You can work together or not, that's down to you to decide. Expect the opposition to use a blocking formation from standard doctrine."
There were grins appearing on screen. They clearly liked the freedom this gave them.
Then, unbidden, Alex's X.O. keyed her comlink. "Captains, have you all received the image I sent you before the conference ?"
Alex looked over at her. "What are you up to, Trass ?"
Kailen Trass Yalandri grinned. "Well, you gave them a name. Alexandra's Avengers. We decided among ourselves that it would be good to have an emblem to go with it. Something that will make the enemy shit themselves when they see it."
This was a surprise ! Yalandri was normally happy to work behind the scenes just ensuring everything ran smoothly. Clearly the rebellious streak was contagious.
"Well, Ladies and Gentlemen," Trass went on, "your crews have had an hour to get this done. I know that's not much time. Let's see how it looks."
The assembled captains flicked their controls to show an external view of their ships, seen from the front. On each of them was a large, freshly painted badge, looking like a demonic skull with wings. It was about as non-regulation as it was possible to get.
Alex couldn't help herself. She broke into a huge grin. "I love it ! But now we've got to earn it, give it the reputation it deserves. I know you can do it."
Image created by AI in Wombo.art
An hour later, all the ships were gathered behind a cluster of asteroids on the other side of the system. The Command Deck screen was full of faces again. This time, most of them were smiling, grinning, or had expressions of quiet satisfaction.
In the centre of the screen was the image of Kailen Horgett of the Third Legion. He had commanded the rest of the Battle Corps for the exercise, as the opposition force.
"Admiral," he began, "I congratulate your squadron on achieving the objective so quickly. But I have to formally protest about the way they did it. They didn't use any of the standard formations, and operated in a highly dangerous manner with no respect for proximity alarms."
She nodded at his words. "Exactly, Kailen. I kept the exercise rules to the minimum necessary for basic safety. You had the same rules, but followed S.O.P. That's the problem; both Imperial and Confed navies have followed their procedures for thousands of years. Battles are ossified, bloody slugging matches. I want to stop all that. The Avengers will test out concepts and lead the way, but I want the whole Battle Corps to start working unconventionally."
Horgett nodded slowly. Alex knew him from his record, and knew he got it, even though it might take him a little while to make the mental shift required.
Alex turned to her captains. "Any damage or casualties ?"
Captain Pell raised a hand. "I think we picked up a scratch on the paintwork from getting a bit close to a blocking ship".
There was a ripple of laughter across the screen. Then Captain Grinard of the Radio-Silence-Is-A-Blessing raised her hand. "We lost a marine. We snuck her out in SSM kit as the exercise began. She did her job and turned the main comms antenna around on the Second Legion flagship, but got knocked into space as we passed through."
Alex's mouth dropped open. "She did what !! Even I couldn't think of a crazy scheme like that. Well done. Now go and get her back. I'm never leaving anyone behind again. Nor will anyone in this command. Not ever."
To be continued.....
Previous parts of Alex's Saga;
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
The First Saga, the Tale of Fedric - Final Part - with links to all the previous parts.