Stellar Fox (Castle Federation Book 2) Read Free Page A

away. Kane looked old – well beyond what seventy years should do to a man with full anagathic treatments.
    “We’re losing,” he said bluntly. “I know that’s not what the news says – we aren’t even controlling the media too much on that count, they’re focusing on systems lost. They’re quite cooperative in calling it a ‘victory’ if we still hold the system at the end of the day.
    “So far as we can tell, Walkingstick’s losses in the first offensives were, thanks to you and young Captain Roberts most prominently, far higher than he expected. He expected to hit Midori with twenty-five to thirty warships, facing ten to fifteen.
    “Instead, you met his twenty with eighteen and kicked his ass six ways to Sunday,” Kane concluded with some relish.
    Fleet Admiral James Calvin Walkingstick had been declared ‘Marshal of the Rimward Marches’ by the Congress of the Terran Commonwealth. His new job description boiled down to ‘conquer the Alliance in the name of unifying the human race’.
    “So Walkingstick has a lot fewer ships than he expected for phase two, and we have more,” Kane said after a few moments. “Unfortunately, the man is smart enough to have planned for that possibility, and he’s currently engaging in a series of hit and run raids that aren’t taking systems or even doing much damage – except to our capital ships.
    “Every ship he destroys is one less mobile asset for Alliance High Command to shuffle,” the turbaned Vice Admiral said grimly. “He’s grinding us down, Dimitri. We’re recommissioning the Reserve, but… they’re still months away from deployment.”
    “He won’t wait that long,” Dimitri finished grimly. “Once he’s stretched us thin, he’ll concentrate his ships and hit the systems we need to fuel our war machine.”
    “Exactly.”
    “So you need me,” the old Admiral told Kane. “My life is the Federation’s, old friend. Tell me what we need.”
    With a sigh and a hand gesture, Kane brought up an image of a battle group. Dimitri’s practiced eye picked out a Renaissance Trade Factor Magellan -class battleship, two Coraline Imperium strike cruisers – a Rameses -class and a Majesty -class – a Castle Federation Last Stand -class battlecruiser… and at the heart of it, the immense mass of a Sanctuary- class Federation supercarrier.
    “Alliance Battle Group Seventeen,” Kane said bluntly. “Being assembled around the new Avalon . It’s a multi-national force, and will require an admiral both experienced in battle and in managing a multi-national force.”
    “ Avalon , huh?” Dimitri said as he released the chair and walked a half-circle around Kane’s desk, studying the hologram. “That’s quite the strike force,” he continued. “What’s the catch?”
    “A bunch,” Kane told him. “The Trade Factor doesn’t have a seventh-generation starfighter yet – hence them contributing a battlewagon. The Imperium does , and their cruisers are bringing the first wave of their Arrow type fighters. We’ve made sure both Avalon and Cameroon have full wings of Falcons , but no one has built doctrine for Falcons flying with Arrows yet.
    “Last, but not least, Avalon hasn’t commissioned yet, Horus hasn’t arrived yet, and Alliance politics mean at least your first mission is going to be glorified babysitting.”
    Dimitri eyed the force. Avalon was the biggest ship by far, but the battleship and all three battlecruisers were of a similar generation – which meant of a similar size. The only difference between a battleship and a cruiser, after all, was the role. Cruisers carried fighters, though battle cruisers still had battleship-grade guns – just not as many of them as a battleship.
    “It sounds like I’ll want to raise my flag on Cameroon ,” he observed. “Let the new Avalon get their feet under them without the Admiral hanging over their shoulders.”
    “Normally I’d agree with you,” Kane allowed, “but in fact, I’d regard