Task Force Nineteen Briefing

Mission: Do not go gentle Day: 1 Stardate: 2407.07.03

(USS Champlain - Observation Lounge -- FO - Lt. Cmdr. Ahmed Ibn Salid-- 0825)

Ahmed had listened with a sense of incredulity. The Martian Defense Perimeter was the most powerful, static line of defense ever devised. It's power output was almost as great as the entire planet of earth. It was the quintessential hinge upon which any chance of victory hung.

~And we are going to attack it!~

The admiral had described in some detail what would be faced, but Ahmed realized exactly how bare-bones that description was. The Torpedo and phaser platforms were only a small although formidable aspect of what they would face.

The stations in the systems were armed as well, making them critical strong points. They had enough firepower to hold off a half-dozen ships each, with UP, being so heavily armed that she could cause a serious contention to the Task Force.

"McKinley Station, Jupiter Station, Valhalla, even the LaGrange Science station had been armed by Doenitz"

"The fighter wings were a formidable force as well. If they managed to get all 1,000 fighters in the sector active, there would be hell to pay. The defense platforms were equipped with Turbo phaser emplacements and self regeneration modulating shields. And interspersed between them would be the torpedo platforms. They were equipped with the same type of shields, but their weapon compliment would be a few hundred quantum or photon torpedoes capable of firing spreads of 10 torpedoes at a volley, not one but four simultaneous volleys."

Tachyon grid nets prevented cloaked ships from simply by passing the defense perimeter. It was the worst possible scenario, and then you added the 200+ starships captained by the most loyal of Doenitz's supporters. If the war was lost, they all knew what would happen to them, Most of them would fight tooth-and-nail to their final breath rather than lose this war.

Assuming you got past all the ships and the MDF, there were the ground emplacements. The planetary defense grid on earth and Luna would be firing up at any vessel foolish enough to get too close.

They would have to be destroyed.

"Questions, Concerns, so far?" he asked.

"Are we trying to capture ships, or are we simply clearing the path for the fleet, no questions asked?" Drizzt asked.

Sevant quirked his head slightly. "If we could capture ships, I'd not complain. I doubt we will have the time however. The MDP itself won't require troops to tackle, not the space borne parts at least, but taking Starbase Valhalla will be incredibly expensive in terms of manpower-"

~How blasé you say it. Expensive, as if men were credits.~

He paused, "The Marine Expeditionary Force will be providing most of the footwork, they're fresh out of battle on Andoria and their combat effectiveness is reduced for planetary conquest. Instead, they- and a good portion of Marines in TF-19, will concentrate on Valhalla, and on the ground-based defensive installations on Mars. What Captain Rivers decides to do with her Tactical forces, what she feels she can do with them, is up to her." He paused briefly and looked at Captain Rivers, "The Champlain doesn’t boast enough Marines to add to the Expeditionary Force, the Boudicca contingent will remain with you for ship-board defense, or whatever else you see fit to use them as.

"But let me remind you all, the forces that have stayed at Doenitz's side to this point are almost all fanatical in their devotion. They will not surrender, every report I've seen says they will fight to the death."

The Vulcan eyed the Andorian for another moment. "I doubt there will be time to engage in boarding activities."

The Andorian nodded once, sharply.

"If I may sir, tactically speaking is there a particular sector of the MDF that we will be striking specifically, or will the task force be spread out across the perimeter? And more to the point, at which portion of the MDF will the Boudicca and the Champlain be breaching the perimeter?"

"Commander Salid, is it?" Sevant asked, almost unnecessarily. His memory was near idyllic. He tapped a couple of commands into the panel on the table before him and a red corridor vector appeared on the map. "We'll waste no resources on those sectors that don't give us a direct line of attack to Mars, and Earth. LoDona's whole fleet could take down the MDP entire, but 400 ships will only be enough of a wedge to pop a hole in one place. We'll drive directly for Mars, and from there split into two prongs- one group to take and hold Valhalla, the other to neutralize Mars."

"Once we've neutralized the nerve-center of the Defense Perimeter, LoDona and the rest of the Fleets will drive to Earth. There they will deal with the 1st fleet and every emplacement on Luna and Earth herself."

He tapped a button again and the map disengaged. "Any ship in TF-19 that survives, and that I can spare, will be directed to join them."