[GZG] [GZG Fiction] Battle of the Two Moons - 1 of 4

In a shift from our reporting of the land war on Mars, today we are
honoured to bring you the newly declassified report of the Battle of the
Two Moons by the great Admiral Jomei Miyake himself... 

After Action Report - Kassen Kasei Ni Tsuki (Battle of the Two Moons) -
Admiral Miyake Jomei

Opening Moves

With the aid of the magnificent Heavens our united squadrons fought with
the iteki besieging Kasei and succeeded in all but annihilating them.

We have spent many patient and obedient months following command's
strategy of waiting and striking once we were judged to be in a position
of strength. We could not afford to attack impudently, risking the loss
of our fleet and leaving the skies of Kasei naked before the iteki. We
therefore concentrated our strength in a mid-range orbit, so we were
placed to put ourselves between the foe and the surface if need be. 

We have quietly prepared the tsuki of Kasei, Phobos and Deimos, by
stealth over many months. A torrent would have been quickly noticed, but
the trickle that leaked in every time the iteki fleet passed over the
horizon went as unnoticed as the drip that slowly fills the lake.
Likewise the iteki showed not an inkling of the new gunnery systems
coming in on the daily shuttle runs. These runs did not go unmolested,
but it is clear that if the enemy had known what gold was on board they
would never have let them reach us. The men and new officers have
integrated quickly, the technicians have worked tirelessly to get the
new systems installed and operational and the crews have drilled until
they could not stand with exhaustion. It has been an admirable
performance by all involved.

Once all was prepared, we performed the ritual of farewell and began our
opening moves. Our heavy cruisers were used as guard-ships, distributed
on watch in the lowest and highest of our orbits (according to plan),
while the main fighting squadrons in the core of our formation made
ready for battle, so as to be ready to set out immediately. We slowed so
we would end up with out tail in the same hemisphere as that of the lead
edge of the iteki fleet. We were to begin the battle with the next
sighting of them. 

Thus it came about that on May 30th 2196, at 22:00, the low-orbit
cruiser Hatsuyuki reported over fleetnet: "Enemy sighted clearing the
horizon, steering 0 minus 5 degrees relative to our heading."

All the crews of our fleet leapt to their posts. We began our slow climb
at once, each ship proceeding in order of its appointed place. We had to
go painfully slowly as to drag the iteki with us. Internally each ship
secretly made its dispositions to receive the enemy. At 22:20 the other
(left-most) lower-orbit guard-ship, the Yubari, reported: "Bulk of the
enemy's fleet is in sight. They are mirroring our climb, offset by 15
degrees."

The Chiba (Captain Chiba Ken'ichi) squadron, the Simmons (Commander Mark
Simmons) squadron and the main cruiser squadron (under the direct
command of Vice Admiral Sacha Chuikov) were matched and in contact with
the enemy from 22:40 to 23:10, 350 km below the orbit of Deimos.
Thereafter these vessels were constantly in the neighborhood of the
iteki, and even took some light fire from them from time to time.
Nevertheless they held their nerve in the slow climb, only returning
with light, glancing fire. They successfully kept in constant touch with
the enemy fleet, all the while conveying accurate and frequent reports
of the alien's state. It became apparent that the iteki were marshaled
in two columns line ahead, with a slight concentration of the largest
ships a third of the way along the column. The strongest vessels were in
this ball, and extending up the right column to behind its head. The
weaker and smaller vessels, and fighter platforms, followed in the rear,
with their speed a slow but steady 2mu.

I was therefore enabled to adopt the strategy of sliding past Deimos
before directing my main strength, at about 23:30 from the higher orbit
back towards Kasei, with the object of attacking the head of the left
iteki column. At this point my line ceased its rise and slide into a
flatter formation, almost all in the same orbital envelope. This saw the
main squadron, the armored and strike cruiser squadrons, and the two
destroyer squadrons reach a point about 7.3 kilometers above the head of
the Iteki columns at roughly 23:40. From this point, with the object of
attacking the enemy's left column, they steered port 30 degrees. At
about 23:45 the Simmons squadron, the cruiser squadrons, and the Chiba
squadron had reached attack positions, while still keeping a light touch
on the enemy. At 23.50 the two fleet's positions stabilized for the
first time at a distance of 6.2 kilometers, with the Kra'Vak fleet
sitting below our port bow. As had been expected, the right column of
iteki was headed by two Kylies but then came a Katsumi, Katana,
Kickback, Kenny and two Kontos. The left was lead by a Kontos, three
Kylies, Kenny and a single Katsumi. At the very tip between the two
columns, were a pair of Kermits, which seemed to be acting as forward
scouts. The rear, which was visually obscured by the sun rise, but clear
on our EW screens, were two Kimono, a Kylie and a squadron of moderate
sized cruisers and heavy destroyers.

At this point I ordered the whole combined human fleet into action, and
at 23:55 I broadcast to all ships: "The fate of Mars rests in our hands.
Let everyone do their utmost or die in the trying."

Shortly there afterwards the main squadron bore down on the head of the
enemy's column in a diagonal direction. The armored cruiser squadron
followed to the rear so that the formation became a single column ahead.
The Chiba, Simmons, and the Chuikov squadrons, in accordance with the
previously arranged plan of action, dropped straight down to attack the
rear of the enemy's column. 

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