Gabatrix: The Cipra Campaign

Her reptilian eyes scanned every individual in the room. Despite her valiant attempt at speaking English, the room had a small applause to it when she ended her speech. Morale seemed slightly upbeat, but Ramírez was only so swayed. The fleet adjunct stepped back a little bit as she gave a couple of quick nods to Tara'Talar. Finally, the Aksren woman stepped forward to address everyone.

"Hello, all of you," the anthro oviraptor spoke. "My name is Adjunct Tara'Talar. I escorted your ambassadors to make the alliance between our people." Her eyes looked at Ramírez with a mild sense of pride before looking at the others. "I want all of you to look at me closely." She said this as she pointed at her head with her four-digit hand. "My family was born in Aksren clan space before they moved to T'rintar clan space. I choose to fight against my people because they are the enemy. Aksren clan people don't care about you. They will kill you. They will kill everything. Don't let the Aksren people scare you. Don't try to negotiate with them, for they won't listen to you. They only wish to conquer all. I want to see all of you survive and win."

Ramírez noted that there was generally a mild acceptance from the officers that a T'rintar Aksren was saying such words. Even he felt a gentle sense of what Tara'Talar was. It reminded him of what he said so long ago on the UHN Gabatrix. He began to really think about it as he briefly looked away.

"Thank you," Tara'Talar said as she stepped back. Admiral Rex stepped forward as he wasn't far from the Fleet Adjunct. The lights in the room began to light up as the briefing was starting to reach a close. He resumed his briefing.

"I'm sure that you have questions," Rex stated. "I would encourage you to ask them."

"Admiral," one of the female officers asked. "CO Edith of the UHN Mawson. How long can we maintain this attack?"

"The siege is expected to go as long as we can maintain it. The battleships are expected to maintain a defensive perimeter around the Ark Royal for as long as possible. General quarters will be kept indefinitely till we receive word from the marines on whatever is needed. T'rintar clan squadrons 1-11 will also be on standby to provide whatever fire support is needed for marine forces. If the marines fail to reach the planet or the T'rintar clan fleet withdraws, we will withdraw, although.....I'm not counting on such a thing to occur."

There were a series of sighs as everyone knew a significant battle was coming. Maintaining such a long-term engagement was something that hadn't been seen since a year ago, and that was a losing battle. Rex could see the tone that was in place.

"Look," he clarified. "I believe that we can do this. Unlike the defeat of Cipra, we have a chance to win this." His fist was balled up and displayed for everyone to see. "This time, we aren't sitting by and waiting for the Aksren to bleed us to death. This time we come back swinging. The Mawson, Hensen, Bingham, and Teixeire were all in those battles. Some of those crews never left. I don't know about you, but I feel like punching the Aksren in the nose. It's even possible that we can save any prisoners that are on the planet."

While the admiral's words helped inspire some, Ramírez was not so easily convinced. Especially with the final sentence that he delivered. He remained silent as he waited for Rex to finish up his statement.

"Any other questions?" Rex asked.

"Yes, sir," a male officer undid his seat straps and stood up. "CO of the UHN Legion, Commander Maninder. I speak on behalf of the other COs of the marine assault force vessels to the battleships and you overall, sir." He looked at the other officers. "The assault carriers and transports that are heading into Cipra. I can't emphasize enough of the dangers that we are expected to face. We are expecting 25% casualties before even touching the ground, and that is with almost our entire arsenal of 18 Phalanx Class Assault Carriers, not including everything else. This in addition to the more that will be fighting on the ground. Aksren clan orbital defenses.....ground defenses....they will use everything that they have against us. If we ask for support, then help us. I.....would prefer to see my family in the following days to come as many of us do. I want to see Cipra freed. I believe in our new allies and that they will give us. Make that happen.....for God's sake."

"You'll have our word on that Commander Maninder and all the COs of the marine taskforces," Rex assured them. "We wish you Godspeed to Cipra. Are there any other questions or comments?"

There weren't any as everyone remained quiet. Finally, the admiral gave an affirmative nod and looked at the officers.

"Then I will remain here so I can convene with Fleet Adjunct Yuio'larin. Everyone else is dismissed unless you have questions that you wish to bring up with me privately." He tapped the table hard with his knuckles. The other officers all began to get out of their chairs. The door slid open as the briefing room started to empty out of personnel.

Ramírez was finally able to reminisce a little bit, but he felt that he had a lot to say. Captain Peizhi also walked forward to stand beside the admiral. The former Chinese CO seemed very relaxed and calm with the planning stages, even congratulating Rex on his performance. The fleet adjunct and Tara'Talar noticed Ramírez as he stood by the whole group.

"That's it then?" Ramírez asked Rex in an almost agitated tone. "Just like that? You make me the third in command of an entire invasion op!?"

Rex gave a condescending smirk. "Yeah, I did. I made you the third in command of one of the most important UHN fleet operations of the entire year."

Ramírez put his hand to the back of his bald head. His look alone was enough for the admiral to read and observe. He pulled him to the side, away from the others to speak with him privately.

"I've only heard rumors about this operation a few times but didn't know anything about it," Ramírez explained. "This whole operation......it.....this is a lot."

"I know it is a lot, my friend," Rex told him. "It won't take much for you to spend a few hours so you can get acquainted with everything. Plus, Tara'Talar gave her word that you would be well taken care of on her vessel."

"It isn't that...Rex," he commented as he folded up his arms. "I don't care of the Itreans, good or bad. I just know that this whole battle....it screams of a disaster in the waiting."

"What do you mean?"

"I've had enough of a time in evaluating the Aksren and their tactics. This..." he pointed at the display image of the fleet positions. "You expect the Aksren fleet to just leave a perfect-sized hole for the marine landing ships to punch through? Let me guess....you had months of this whole thing in the works, and that is what you have?"

"Ramírez, Ramírez. It will work," the admiral tried to console him. "The time to strike is now. The Aksren clan may have had a firm hold on Cipra for a year, but the T'rintar clan intelligence reports that the enemy doesn't have as many defenses placed on the planet as your imagination may be telling you. Commander Maninder's fears are present, but....just like D-Day on ancient Earth. The true casualties won't be as bad as what will happen."

"Are you just going to blatantly tell that to that to the marine assault ship Captains that are going to give their lives on this campaign?"

"No....I don't plan on it. They know of the dangers that are coming.....everyone does."

The commander shook his head while he kept his sights on the display image of Cipra. "I've had my chance to evaluate Cipra during these long months.....hell....almost an entire year. You expect the Aksren just to fold up and give up like it was nothing. Look, I'm not going to lambast the T'rintar clan. I'm glad we have them on our side, but even I know enough that they aren't prepared for an all-out invasion on Cipra. They are used to fighting defensively. Waiting for the enemy to arrive is far different than going into somebody else's backyard and expecting them to roll over, even if the Aksren aren't the original owners of that world."

Rex seemed to give a profound smile. "You know why I chose you then? Bloody hell, I choose you because of everything that happened to you after the destruction of the Gabatrix.....after what you did in helping Ambassador Kane and Ifra reach Earth, contacting New Olympia, and showing Admiral Simmons who's the boss. Many officers don't have the courage to do that sort of thing."

"I did it because I had to," Ramírez scoffed. "I had to do it because the UHN ordered me to carry out the whole damn mission."

"And look at what it got us." Rex gave a gesture towards the Itrean women. "New allies..."

Ramírez wasn't convinced. "I shouldn't have gotten such praise. Captain William deserves more. He was the one that gave his life to save us all."

"I know. He's a hero to the UHN, but you're a survivor. It's why you're my friend and why he considered you to be a good friend as well."

He shook his head. "William wasn't the best friend that I would have had. You put too much credit on that part."

"Somehow, I think that's different. I offered you a position to help retake Cipra, what has been planned for at least nine months, what the T'rintar and UHN have been getting ready for a while now. I know the situation that the other command staff has put you through. They feel that a nice desk job is all you need.....what will 'shut you up,' as one of them had told me. I know better. I know you were one of the stricter officers in the chain of command on Mars during the short time that you were there, but you know what? You got the job done. I also know that in the long run....you can't be kept there forever. Now ask yourself, what would William want if he heard that you were offered this position.....the opportunity to fight the Aksren clan....to engage in one of the first major offenses against the Itreans since we ever encountered them? Hmmm....?"

Ramírez sighed. "He would tell me to do it."

"And?"

"That I shouldn't....fine....," he relented.

"Good....bloody good show. I know that you can do it. Besides....you might be right. Maybe the Aksren clan are expecting us. Maybe they're going to give us a good fight. I think that we should be ready for everything."

The way that the admiral had said it didn't seem to be taken seriously. It was said in a remark that indicated to Ramírez that the admiral was overly confident that everything was going to work. The only action that seemed to counter that saying was employing him in the role that would put him in the position of leading the entire fleet operation. He could see that while the admiral had chosen him, it was almost as if it was a reflexive one made by others that criticized the high-ranking officer for not having enough contingencies installed in Operation Desert Shrike. Rex was a mixed character of flamboyant decision making, lackluster concepts, lucky achievements, and some successes here and there. Regardless, Ramírez did consider Rex as a friend and only made his arguments on point.

"I still think that this has problems," Ramírez said. "You're taking one of our fleet drone carriers into a battle.....a battle where the Aksren can clearly outnumber us. What is that, what? Two hundred....three hundred Aksren warships?"

"Numbers are expected to be about 300 maximum."

"300.....just 300? The Aksren have like 100,000s of warships....maybe even close to a million depending on if they can spread out their crew complement to operate them. It doesn't take a rocket scientist two seconds to know that Cipra is the closest base that the Aksren have to strike the UWA in every known sector that we own. Even if the T'rintar clan are defending us, if something crawls up our enemy's ass and they decide to mount some big offense, then they will devote more resources to defending their newly acquired world."

"Which is why the more in why we'll retake it."

"No....which is why they will defend it to the last ship....."

Rex seemed unconvinced. It only seemed to give Ramírez more room in his argument.

"I'm just worried about everyone, sir, friend or not," Ramírez continued. "The Ark Royal is a Clemenceau class Drone Carrier. It's one of our best support vessels that's in the UHN right now. I damn well wish that we had one of the new Emerald class Dreadnoughts or Czar Class Battleships, but they still need more time to get them fully ready. Even then, the UHN Clemenceau suffered in the battle against the Aksren over a year ago. We lost the UHN Shinano during the Cipran Siege....it won't make a difference if the Ark Royal is going in or not. It's going to be a fat target."

"The Shinano was an older class carrier. Its days were numbered, as much as it was a tragedy for the captain and crew that operated it. We won't fail with the T'rintar backing us up. Instead, we will be backing them up."

"Hmmm....." Ramírez still seemed unconvinced.

"You worry too much, Ramírez. As I recall, William's report was rather.... explanatory but brief on your attempt to stop the meeting between us and the T'rintar on the UHN Gabatrix. Something about the fact that you were worried that a disease would be brought aboard, am I right?"

"That threat was warranted," Ramírez quoted as he folded up his arms. "We had little information on all the Itreans at the time. For all we knew, they had a disease ready for us. I would disobey an order if it meant the lives of the ship crew. Even now, we still have to worry about it. I can only hope that all those marines are given the right immunities in case the Aksren deploy their diseases on us."

"As I said," Rex slapped his sides. "You worry too much. Now....if you don't have any other concerns, I suggest that you talk with the Fleet Adjunct. I'll need you to serve as an intermediary. Thee.....T'rintar have expressed a little bit of interest in having you a part of this operation....perhaps it's because of one Itrean in particular." The admiral's eyes briefly gestured to Tara'Talar. "Of course, I think, in the end, it's best to have you a part of it anyway."

With that, the admiral stepped away from Ramírez while giving a short pat on the shoulder. The commander had to admit that complaining much further wouldn't accomplish anything. It was best to fulfill his roles adequately whether he genuinely agreed with the idea or not. Instead, he turned and looked at the fleet adjunct and Tara'Talar, that was speaking with other T'rintar adjuncts. Needless to say, he already knew that they would have their hands full. It was best that he spoke with them and saw what sort of things they needed to have done. He could only hope that the upcoming battle would go as smoothly as it was intended.....

Chapter 4: The Gathering Fleet

"Ha....ha.....this music is so groovy, man," an individual said in one of the shuttle seats. He was listening to something that was on his tablet as he was nodding his head. His composure was utterly laid back and said with the utmost calm and content that anybody had. If anything, to the others, he almost had the tone and voice of a person that might have been stoned. His pale complexion, voice, attitude, and long tied-up blond hair were a clear giveaway that he came from one planet in the UWA.

The shuttle that was en route to the UHN Brigade was filled with personnel, mostly being pilots and some marines. Every seat was used as the various individuals spoke to one another. However, a few seemed to focus mainly on the upcoming event. Everyone had to cope with it one way or the other. Despite the complexity and basic knowledge that people had about the upcoming operation, the overall morale was mixed. On the other side of the shuttle were two pilots, a man and a woman of mixed complexion, who seemed to be looking closely at the individual looking at his tablet and making odd comments. The man was looking closely at the somewhat stoned male character and then saw his name tag and rank.

"Umm.....that can't be him," the male pilot quietly said to the other. "Were the UHN that desperate to grab him too?"

The woman looked confused as she quietly responded to him. "Why? Who is this guy?"

"That Cebravin guy.....it's Petty Officer Dean." He shifted in his sidewall seat and made sure that his belt was securely fastened.

"Dean? I know a couple of Deans."

"No," the man said as he shook his head. "It's 'Dean' as in Petty Officer 1^st Class Kevin Dean.....as in 'Doper Dean.'"

The woman still gave a confused look. "I still don't understand."

The man almost seemed hesitant to explain. "I mean...," he sighed. "You remember a story about Shuttle Incident 4-67?"

"Yeah, I do. That happened two years ago. Two shuttles almost collided. It was a common story that they told us about. All about shuttle safety procedures."

"Yeah," the man nodded. "Who was a part of it? One of the pilots was him....Dean."

"Oh, really?" the woman's tone seemed to understand. "Uh.....wait. If that was him, then....he actually saved the shuttle from crashing into the other. He made an incredible move that helped avoid it."

"Yeah, but he was stoned out of his mind too. After that, they moved him to fly the F-170s. God, they are going to have him in this operation?"

"Wouldn't he have been a part of Exercise Awakening Hawk?"

"There were many of us....I might have missed him, or he might not have been a part of it at all."

The woman watched Dean closely. The blond-haired individual still seemed to look at him as he was looking at his tablet.

"He doesn't seem to be a bad guy," the woman said. "Can't blame him for being a little bit stoned at the moment....the whole op supposed to be coming up."

"Ah....you just wait and see," the man said. "God help us if he takes up flying again."

A couple of seats on the same side as Dean was a T'rintar Aksren and an Oshunian woman, possibly a couple. The marine woman had a dark complexion to her and was holding onto the Itrean woman's hand. The name tag on the marine's uniform was Zalika. The Itrean woman had red and tan colored scales on her skin. She wore her clan's familiar green and red uniform or just out of simple preference. The marine wore the standard blue and green camouflage shirt and jeans, much as many of the marines in the same shuttle. The name tag of Bekra was seen on the Itrean's uniform. She was a little bit confused about the conversation that these two humans were engaged in.

"So anyway," Zalika almost excitedly said in her faint Oshunian accent while waving her hand. "Here I was getting piss ant drunk with Joe.....he starts ranting away like a madman in the next two seconds. Starts throwing bottles around. Complains about.....hey.....are you paying attention?"

Bekra's reptilian eyes seemed focused on the man and woman as they were focused on Dean. Her good hearing allowed her to listen carefully to the two humans as they spoke about the lone Cebravin not too far from her.

Zalika turned and looked at the two people briefly before looking back at Bekra. "What?"

"They are talking about this human with curiosity and fear," Bekra said with the familiar Itrean accent.

Zalika turned and looked closely at the Cebravin that Bekra was hinting at. Dean was still focused on the video as he was giving an almost hearty laugh at the images. The Oshunian woman's eyes momentarily widened a little bit as he started to recognize him.

"Oh.....Bekra, it's him," Zalika said with some excitement.

"Him, what?" Bekra asked her.

"Dean.....thee Dean!" Zalika leaned over on the fastened seatbelt and looked across the other passengers. Her words echoed in the shuttle interior. A few of the passengers were caught off guard as they almost witnessed the spectacle.