Altiris Knights:Civil War

Book 3:Chapter 2:Defense Plans

Lyra, Valhares and a few officers entered the council chamber, where Judeor, Kirtan, Akala, Admirals Zalor, Virsol and Urixan, along with Grand Admiral Gaerval were waiting for them.

"It is good to see you back safely. Now, come. Show us the recording" Gaerval said. Lyra nodded and took out the data card and ran it through her scan scrambler and slid it into the projector.

"Admiral Veeren, Admiral Bantaas, Admiral Fioris, I called you here to plan our next attack. Most of the Alliance fleets are spread out defending Ykamas, Kyrama, Lok Etreon, Vanraael and the Jorna Octagon. There are no defenses at Akalos and Ilmaer, and only a small fleet at the Laxis Shipyard. The question is, which do we attack first?"

"I think we should attack Ilmaer. Ilmaer is close to Ykamas, and there are no Alliance ships in between. We can overtake Ilmaer, and then strike at Ykamas, and from there, on to Vanraael itself. Most of their defenses are still at Lok Etreon, Kyrama and the Jorna Octagon, while our combined firepower shall be enough to defeat them at Ykamas, and then Vanraael" said Admiral Bantaas. "I disagree. Assuming we do take Ykamas, what's to stop them from launching a counter attack against us? No, we can not attack their head quarters quite yet" Admiral Fioris replied.

"If we are ever to attack their head quarters, that time is now. If we do nothing, eventually, they shall become bold enough to hunt us, and inevitably, destroy us" Admiral Veeren countered. "And there comes in our greatest advantage. We can easily keep ourselves mobile, whereas they have to stay put, or else risk loosing an important world, like the Jorna Octagon, for instance" said Fioris.

Lynaxa watched them bicker, with an amused expression on her face. "What say you, Lady Lynaxa?" asked Admiral Bantaas. "Why, the answer is clear in my mind. Laxis is one of their least defended bases. If we take the shipyard, that will ensure they shall get no more ships, and we can use it to construct our own" Lynaxa replied. "But then their fleets will combine their firepower and take us out!" Fioris exclaimed.

"That will be a mistake. If they do, then we can send a fleet to the Jorna Octagon, and destroy their bases on Ykamas, Lok Etreon, Kyrama, and then eventually, Vanraael. They will only be able to send a small task force, one that we can easily destroy. Now, if there are no objections, let us begin." None followed. The recording ended, and the projector screen went blank. Lyra withdrew the card and put it back into her card holder.

"This is worrying. She is right. We can not attack them with our full force. We have to leave a fleet at the Jorna Octagon. But, we can not let them take the shipyard either" said Gaerval, stroking his chin. Judeor narrowed his eyes, and raised an eyebrow. "I have an idea. We can attack them with most of our ships, and box them in, disable their lightspeed engines. A portion of their fleet shall, of course, attack the Jorna Octagon. We will have to let them be, and focus on the rest of their fleet. Our defenses at the Jorna Octagon are powerful enough to hold out for at least a few hours, and don't forget, we can also use the less powerful guns on the battle station itself to assist with the defense. Their main group will eventually have to retreat. It will be hard to pull of, but it will be worth it" he said.

"Yes, but we have to make sure we arrive after they do, because if we get there first, they will suspect a trap. So, as soon as they arrive, someone will have to alert us, and that's when we shall make our move" said Lyra. "If this tactic is to have any success, we shall have to disable their engines fast" said Urixan. "However, that is our only option. Now, let's move" he said. They left the council chamber, and started the preparations.