The star called Apticec (Aptic) was an ordinary yellow star, surrounded by twelve none-too-notable planets. The third of those planets was fit for habitation, its population just under 100 million.
Though part of the United Humankind, traveling a mere 5,000 cédlairh planar miles through planar space would take one into the sphere of influence of the power the UH was officially at war with, the Humankind Empire of Abh.
It was no flight of fancy to call the planet’s position precarious. It was not, however, alone in that predicament, as many other star systems faced similar circumstances, which was the reason there was no fleet stationed nearby, and all that existed by the portal was an orbital fortress.
When the Abh invaded, the fortress’s efforts were valiant and worthy of mention, but it was destroyed before their overwhelming firepower.
When the fortress’s debris fell into orbit around Aptic III, the planet’s Premier, Macrit Tallas, thought to try speaking to the commander of the enemy fleet.
“...As such, I shall take this chance to make our will clear to you. That is, not my personal will, but the will of all who reside in the Aptic Star System, as is my duty. I acknowledge that, given you and we are in a state of war, I perhaps cannot blame you for invading this system. But I say unto you, in this moment of soaring emotion, shaking as we stand, that it is the duty of a member of the United Humankind to bear such strife, and that we bear that duty gladly...”
The Premier of Aptic’s speech reverberated through the Commander’s Bridge of the fleet flagship, the patrol ship Lachcaü.
Listening intently sat the Commander-in-Chief, whose hair was a blue blaze. She stared at Tallas’s hologram, her red eyes burning, but the only real sign of her irritation was the way her fingertips were ever-so-slightly tapping at the armrests.
Chief of Staff Cfadiss was surprised. She’s being so patient. He hadn’t thought patience was a concept his commander had ever heard of.
“...It may be the case that our system hasn’t the power, alone, to break your nation’s blockade over our space. Yet we will not simply sit idly by, waiting for our Peacekeepers to passively taste defeat. This land is our land!” The Premier raised a fist. “When you Abhs touch down onto this surface, I promise you we will show you what we can do. We will fight, and keep fighting, until our Peacekeepers have expelled your fleet. You will never rule over the surface of Aptic III!”
When the Premier paused for breath, the commander simply grinned. From her venom-red lips, came cordial words of encouragement. “Please, try your best.”
Confusion crept on Tallas’s face. He opened his mouth to reply, but she paid no heed and cut the transmission.
“I feel sorry for the Premier; he spoke so passionately, but it was just such tedious tripe.” Then Commodore Sporr Arohn Sekpaht Penezh, Archduchess of Laitpanh, stood up from her seat.
“Chief of Staff, was there any change in the situation while I was busy listening to the man?”
“The astrospace of Aptic III has been totally secured,” reported Cfadiss. “Seventy percent of the fuel of the antimatter fuel factory by Aptic’s sun has been taken. Furthermore, our own ïodh hoca (mobile antimatter fuel factory) has already completed 62% of its projected deployment. The tymh (propellant refueling station) to be set up on Aptic VI has gotten 0.17% of the way there, it seems the propellant refueling station’s installation will take the longest amount of time, at around 218 hours hence...”
“So it’s all going according to plan,” Sporr cut in.
“Yes.”
“From now on, you can just say ‘nothing’s changed.’ Don’t you agree it would be best if you learned how to get through things in life more concisely?”
“Understood. I’ll be careful from now on,” Cfadiss nodded grudgingly.
“Oh, you’re no fun, Chief of Staff,” Sporr frowned.
What does she even want out of me? Why am I here? Cfadiss lamented inwardly, his mind turning once again to working out the contents of that letter of transfer.
Naturally, he didn’t actually expect to be able to send out a letter of transfer in reality.
According to Star Forces tradition, a superior could not bury a subordinate’s transfer request. After all, a starpilot who didn’t want to be there was just a liability. In addition, the higher-ups could use the knowledge of how well a commander kept hold of their subordinates as information by which to evaluate their performance.
But in the three years he had been under Sporr’s command, Cfadiss had stumbled across a startling truth — Sporr harbored him no ill will whatsoever. Were she to receive a transfer request, though, she would.
He would assuredly be transferred elsewhere, but only the Personnel Department could know when. Cfadiss was loath to so much as imagine what might transpire in the period between his request and his transferral.
“Communications Officer, call up the Descfac,” ordered Sporr.
Before long, the commandant of the recon sub-fleet Descfac, Associate Commodore Rosech, appeared before the Commander-in-Chief’s Seat in hologram form.
“Commandant, are preparations for departure ready?”
“Completely, Commander-in-Chief,” Rosesh replied concisely.
“Very good,” nodded Sporr, shooting Cfadiss a glance that screamed you should take a leaf from his book. “Be a dear and depart at once.”
“Yes.” Rosesh saluted. “As planned, the recon sub-fleet Descfac will scout out the Miscerec Star System.”
Sporr nodded wordlessly a second time, and the hologram cut out.
“Communications Officer, arrange a carrycraft for Fïac Glaharérr (His Highness the Commander-in-Chief).”
“Roger.” The communications officers looked up at her. “Do we have anything in particular to report?”
“No,” said Sporr, shaking her head. “Everything’s going swimmingly. The tedium of it.”
“All ships of the recon sub-fleet Descfac have set sail,” reported the exploration staff officer.
The Humankind Empire of Abh’s great counterattack would commence here, in the Aptic Star System, in this, the year 955 I.H.
It had been three years since the Three Nations Alliance (comprised of the United Humankind, the Greater Alkont Republic, and the People’s Sovereign Stellar Union) had attacked via two of the portals in the Ileesh Monarchy, one of the Eight Monarchies that comprised the Humankind Empire of Abh.
The Empire had taken the enemy on and won for the time being, but they had lost large swaths of territory within the Ileesh Monarchy to the enemy, and it had yet to be recovered.
Both sides of the hostilities had sustained serious damage, and for three years, neither power could mobilize any large-scale forces. The best they could manage up until now was the small skirmishes that attended the recon-in-force of the star systems near the boundary lines of their respective zones of influence.
This three-year lull was also time enough to rebuild the fleets and gather information. By analyzing the compucrystals recovered from the captured enemy ships, the Empire uncovered where the two portals that had been opened up in the Ileesh Monarchy, the Saudec Ceutesocnbina Céïcr (Portal 193 of Céïch [Caysh]) and the Saudec Gagamata Sibr (Portal 882 of Sibh [Seev]), led to.
From the Central Sector of the Milky Way Portal-belts all the way to its Seventh Ring, lay the constituent interstellar empires of the Three Nations Alliance, which had declared war on the Empire, as well as the Hania Federation, which remained neutral.
In the spaces between those powers lay seven of the eight monarchies that made up the Empire, the exception being the Ileesh Monarchy.
Both Portals 193 of Caysh and 882 of Seev connected to a sector located between the Sïurgzedéc (Syoorgzedeh) and Rasisec (Raseess) Monarchies — a sector controlled by the United Humankind.
And so Military HQ cooked up a scheme to sever the sector from the TNA.
Starting from the Sïurgzedéc Monarchy’s Dreuhynh Biscaitr (Countdom of Biscaith), they’d capture star systems such as Aptic and Miskehrr and establish a main supply line across them. Then they would take the star systems near the main supply line, and in so doing build a line of defense. In the end, the line would run all the way to the Laicerhynh Üerér (Duchy of Üeréc [Wehreh]) in the Rasess Monarchy. In addition, they would try to close up the now-isolated sector.
The name of the operation was Rainibh (Phantom Flame).
The composition of the Byrec Rainibr (Phantom Flame Fleet), the strategy’s fleet of enactment was as follows:
Ranking order of the Phantom Flame Fleet
Commander-in-Chief: Imperial Admiral Abliar (Crown Prince and King of Barkeh)
Chief of Staff: Star Forces Admiral Cénéch (Rüé Laicerec [Imperial Duchess])
Advance Recon Corps (Byrec Casna Rainibr [Phantom Flame Fleet 1])
Commander-in-Chief: Commodore Sporr (Archduchess of Laitpanh)
Chief of Staff: Kilo-Commander Cfadiss (knight first-class)
Right-side Invasion Corps (Byrec Mata Rainibr [Phantom Flame Fleet 2])
Commander-in-Chief: Grand Commodore Lulaimh (Rüé Lœbec [Imperial Marquess])
Chief of Staff: Associate Commodore Tlirh (Lymh Sezlainr [Baron of Sezlainh [Sezlenyuh])
Nucleus Invasion Corps (Byrec Bina Rainibr [Phantom Flame Fleet 3])
Commander-in-Chief: Imperial Admiral Abliar (serving concurrently)
Chief of Staff: Star Forces Admiral Cénéch (serving concurrently)
Left-side Invasion Corps (Byrec Gona Rainibr [Phantom Flame Fleet 4])
Commander-in-Chief: Grand Commodore Cotponic (Rüé Lymh Ïarlymec [Imperial Baron Noble Princess])
Chief of Staff: Associate Commodore Sescath (Rüé Lymh [Imperial Baron])
Rear Supply Corps (Byrec Lyna Rainibr [Phantom Flame Fleet 5])
Commander-in-Chief: Star Forces Admiral Lecemh (Imperial Duke)
Chief of Staff: Commodore Cic (Ïarlucec Laicerec Gambr [Dukedom of Gambh] Noble Prince)
With one hundred and fifty sub-fleets in all as their main military force, they also had seventy sub-fleets’ worth of combat ships that were part of the training fleet (in that they had yet to be appointed to specific formations) making up the rear.
This time, the Imperial Star Forces had taken the front lines.
“Commander-in-Chief, the star system’s Premier is asking to speak to you again,” reported the communications officer.