Legends of Galactic Heroes - The Sleeping Dragon

Chapter 21

"Enemy forces detected! Starboard side, 12 light seconds* away!" Yelled a sensor operator. Attenborough sighed as he was on the Löwe; a recent standard battleship.

The Löwe was a recent make of the same class of battleships. Just about finished and launched and comissioned about 3 months ago. He simply knows that this will be a small skirmish to something bigger. But for him he's commanding a small flotilla of 100 ships. Ever since the 7th battle of Iserlohn, the 13th fleet was called to Heinessen for the fame on capturing Iserlohn Fortress. After that both the 9th and 10th Fleets had been moved to Iserlohn to make sure no one would attack as command for both was left to Rear Admiral Lionel Morton.

"How many ships are there?" Asked Attenborough as the sensor operator responds. "About 120 ships in total from they way they're moving they haven't detected us. Probably due to the radiation from the star."

The star Iserlohn Fortress orbits around creates a lot of both energy and radiation. Even if you're about a light second away from it and an enemy would barely be readable on the sensors.

"Sir, the enemy has started to move!" Yelled the sensor operator as the imperial ships start to move.

"All ships prepare to fire!" Yells Attenborough as all of the ships prepare to open fire. Jowever the enemy ships thought otherwise.

"Sir! A small detachments of 20 ships are heading to the left flank!" Yelled the sensor operator.

Have the battleship, Mikasa with 20 ships to engage them." Says Attenborough as his ship, the Löwe maneuvers with the other 78 ships to engage the rest. The larger enemy flotilla which is now equal in numbers to theirs.

"Sir, incoming message from Mikasa they report that the 20 enemy ships are destroyed, 1 cruiser has been damaged." Says the communications operator.

"Alright, reorganize the squadron. 25 ships for the left and right flanks and 50 for the center. Prepare for incoming attack." Attenborough says as the remaining ships reorganizing to the attack.

"Enemy approaching, they've passed yellow zone! They're in green zone*!" The sensor operator yells.

"Shit! All ships open fire!" He yells as all ships open fire. The laser fire hits as ships on both sides explode, but the battle was over as the Imperial fleet tucked tail and ran.

Attenborough sighs in relief. "XO send report to Iserlohn we recently entered combat with small Imperial flotilla, 36 enemy ships destroyed, 13 ships lost."

"It's a victory for us sir," his XO says, but Attenborough doesn't speak. 'It may be, but for how long?' He thought as his small flotilla was heading back to Iserlohn.
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Meanwhile in the Empire the other people inside the Galactic Empire start their discussion and schemes.

Bells were ringing outside the building of Prime Minister Lichtenlade. He sits in his curved and bowed out desk as the Finance Minister Gerlach was with him.

"This is a report from Count Remscheidt, our Comissioner at Phezzan."

"And so the true source of the information is?"

"Probably Rubinsky." Lichtenlade says with near disdain.

"What is the 'Black Fox' of Phezzan planning?" Gerlach asked not only himself, but also the Prime Minister.

"Whatever, a force of thirty two and a half million troops..." he paused as he thought. "Who shall we assign to intercept it?"

Gerlach had a light bulb light up in his head. "Shouldn't it be given to that brat?"