The Outer Oligarchs

"So we'll be the frontline unit?"

"More like the scouting vanguard. We are the closest fleet to Uranus and Neptune at the moment. We are not expected to be fully committed to a confrontation, we don't have enough mass for that." The Admiral answered Don's question without skipping a beat.

"Won't we be under threat of being overrun?"

"In theory no, at least if we're careful. Intel says they haven't started mobilizing yet. As long as we stay out of range of the stations and avoid their fleet concentrations they shouldn't have the numbers to encircle us. Command hopes that we can use the advantage you provide to pick off a few of their regulars early to capitalize on it further once the primary task force comes through."

"Why don't we coordinate with the main fleet to deliver an Alpha strike?"

"Just as we have spies in the Oligarchies, they have spies on Earth and Mars. The instant Task Force Center leaves harbor, they will begin mobilizing. It looks like your assignment here was intentional. Any further questions?"

"Can I borrow your fleet to practice fire concentration and how long do I have to do so?"

The Admiral plugged a few numbers into a calculator, checking her orders for timetables. "Most I can offer is ten hours but it would be all at once, too taking for a non-combat operation I think you would agree?"

"No. At the moment it is infinitely more important that I have more time to practice with them. If they get tired they can switch shifts. Tell them to treat it as a live combat exercise. I will give conditions as we go." Don was already thinking up a regimen to run the gunnery crews through.

Adirondack did not ask questions, only raised an eyebrow.

"Three days from now we will be passing by an asteroid cluster. It should stay within your required 35000 kilometer range for a good portion of that time. I would love to give you more time to shoot, but ammunition and energy are serious concerns for this type of operation. If possible please keep it sparse."

"I can do at least that much."

- - - - -

Back aboard the ship, Don was hard at work planning out a routine for the ships he was going to be the eyes and ears of. ARC provided specific ammunition estimates on a ship by ship basis, as well as request information on each ship's strengths, weaknesses, and outstanding characteristics be they good or bad.

This was tricky. He needed to assemble an itinerary in which he was providing information to every ship in the fleet without accident or leaving them without orders. With only a single carrier, deployable craft could not be expected to stay operational for the full ten hours. They would only have time for two mock runs.

"You're good at politics right ARC? Do you know the Oligarchies work?"

"While I cannot claim to know much about politicking, I am familiar with the workings of the 132 government bodies outside of the inner ring. I believe they are collectively known as the Outer Oligarchies. Are these the Oligarchies you refer to?"

"Yes. I know our system, the Terrestrial Coalition, has issues maintaining cohesion with only four members. How do they maintain a system with that many members?"

"There is no system. Despite their being grouped together in most contexts, they are not legally or traditionally bound to each other. Any time they operate together is almost purely because they view military action against the Terrestrial Coalition as being a benefit."

"Really? How is that possible? Don't they stand to lose everything?"

"Not really. Despite our military superiority over them, surpassing their combined strength, it is hard to spare enough ships to actually deliver a finishing blow to any of them. If they manage to get so much as one ship capable of a nuclear strike in range of any civilian center, they win."

"I understand that is what the Planetary Defense Fleet is for. Why can't we just, I don't know, do the same? Nuke them back and eliminate the threat?"

"Public opinion of mass slaughter and the idea of being the first to commit such an atrocity since August 9th 1945 amongst the political and military command have removed that option from the table. Easy, yes. Effective, yes. But the ramifications of such an action don't allow it. The stations that their civilians are held on must be taken by ground troops."

"Ok so we have to land ground troops. Why haven't we been able to take any of them out still? We've been fighting for like 250 years at this point, surely we've had the chance to."

"The issue is that for the most part they do not care for their civilian population. There is fear they would open civilian habitats to the vacuum of space should they be taken."

"All the more reason to nuke them in my mind."

"But the civilians are innocent."

"Are they? Don't they support the governments they work under?"

"No. For the most part they are akin to slaves. Rarely, if ever, do they achieve nutritional standards. Most of the governments do not subscribe to democratic elections either. From young ages they are forced to either be soldiers, or work tough jobs mining asteroids. They do not have the strength or power to resist."

"Hrrrm. That's an issue. So how does central plan to win?"

"My conjecture is a total dismantling of the Oligarchs' military. If they are left with no military power, they may be subject to overthrow. We will be key in this role. Make sure to capitalize on the advantages we provide before countermeasures are devised."

"That's what I'm trying to do right now. How long can one of the destroyers maintain a point defense screen before they overheat or run out of power."

"15 minutes on average. The older models are excluded from this number as their power systems have deteriorated somewhat."

The planning continued.