Post by Samael on Jul 2, 2012 13:31:33 GMT -5
Faction: Sith Empire
Department: Navy
Rank: O-8 Rear Admiral (RADM)
Name: Demetrios Gavril
Race: Tapani Human, Male
Age: 41
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 186
Birth place: Javis, Mecetti Province, Tapani Sector
Appearance:
Hard was the word used to describe Demetrios Gavril by any who met him. Neatly combed, blond hair lay above a face which could have been carved from granite. Light-blue eyes stared out like twin glaciers above hollow cheeks and a square jaw. A mouth suited for frowns of displeasure and stiff commands lay beneath those cold eyes. A firm, pursed mouth, with lines around its edges. Not the creases of laughter, no, never that, but harsh, straight lines carrying from the nose downward, stretching the mouth with them. Everything of Demetrios, from the erect posture of his mesomorphic body to the tanned, leathery skin of his face, speaks of rigid, unyielding order. Even his clothes are stiff and rigid. Despite his high station, he is neither gaudy, nor is he undressed. He dresses as his duty demands.
Personality:
A harsh man of strict adherence to the law, Demetrios tolerates no fools. His rigid ways can cost him points in charm and charisma, but his very presence inspires despair in even the most mocking of court jesters. He is notoriously stubborn, to the point where even his allies become frustrated at his durasteel manner. Incredibly jaded, Gavril sees the galaxy as it is and, though he recognizes the abilities of Force Users, believes the "Will of the Force" to be non-existent. His only "soft" side seems to be for fine arts such as rock carved sculptures. He is humanocentric, seeing humans as, if not superior, at least the ruling race of the galaxy and therefore deserving their due.
Most of his acetic attitude stems from bitterness. His main trait is Duty, with a capital D. And he fulfilled that duty time and again in service to his brother, yet Robierto disdained him and begrudged him credit for any of the victories, if he gave them at all. He followed his brother because he was required to, but he certainly never took pleasure in it.
One might think that being a dutiful man, he is also honorable, but Demetrios will sacrifice his honor, if necessary, to further the cause of his righteous duty, for he considers himself to be a righteous man. In his world there is no grey. If it serves to hinder his cause, namely saving Tapani from the villainy that has infested it - and to a large extent ridding the galaxy of what he sees as a corrupted Republic, then it will be scorched to ash. And that scorching he believes just, no matter who it scorches, so long as it protects the lives of others, or the cause itself. So if he believes genocide will help overthrow the corrupt enemy, he will slaughter millions, but after overthrowing the enemy he would turn himself in to be tried as a war criminal. He believes right cannot undo wrong.
A man of average physical abilities, his mind is his true weapon. As a leader, Demetrios commands respect, if not adoration. Loyalty, if not love. He executes his role of office with strict adherence to the law. Toe the line, and risk losing that toe if it goes over by a fraction. Or even if it goes over in good cause. His strategic foresight is remarkable, considered by those who know him to be one of the foremost in the galaxy. However, his stubborn nature, sour demeanor, and lack of general pleasantness, he alienates those who might otherwise be his friends. He says what is on his mind, those who disagree be slagged.
Skills:
Counter-Insurgency
Siege Breaking
Siege Warfare
Naval Warfare
Ship Systems - Communications, Combat Systems, Navigations
Logistics Coordinator
Tactical Coordinator
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 5
Leadership: 8
Unarmed: 4
Melee Weapons:1
Ranged Weapons:5
Bio:
Early Life
With the end of the Great Sith War came a time of despair for the people of House Mecetti. Their influence amidst the Noble Houses of the Tapani Sector evaporated after the Pelagian Nobles destroyed their fleets and the feared Mecrosa Order. Stepping into the vacuum came their great bane and arch-nemesis, House Pelagia. Declining into the shadows of defeat, House Mecetti bided its time. One day, they would be feared again. One day.
Despite losing its lofty position, or perhaps because of it, the nobles of Mecetti behaved even more pompous and arrogant than they had before. Life for a peasant in the Mecetti Province was a sad, hopeless existence. Meaningless, from the day of birth to the day some gaudy Knight decided to stick a lightfoil in you for supposed incompetence. Luckily, or maybe it was fate, Demetrios Gavril was born to Lord Mikhail Gavril, a nephew to the High Lord Machiavel and a cousin to the Imperial Tapani bloodline. Of all the nobles, the Gavrils were perhaps most bitter. Many a blood relative they had lost in the Great Sith War to the Jedi supporting Pelagians. They had a reputation as excellent commanders, and sent their sons to some of the finest academies in the galaxy. Like his father before him, Demetrios was placed into Feduchini's Military Academy at the age of seven. From his first few classes, it became clear that Demetrios' young mind contained an exceptional intellect for problem solving.
While rings of political maneuvering wove around the Noble Houses, Demetrios concentrated deep in the heart of the academy, studying for the day when he would restore Mecetti's power, his growing ambition in life. The years passed and Gavril began to learn specific tactics, his preference carrying him into the focus study of naval warfare. Complex maneuvers such as the Mecrosa Fade and the Tapani Pincers were analyzed and stored into his memory, then pulled out again and displayed with astonishing aptitude in the monthly war games. Regularly, Gavril devastated the navies of his class mates in their holo skirmishes. The other boys grumbled about the unbeatable Gavril, disliking their defeats as much as any competitive boy used to getting what he wanted would. Eventually, an instructor stepped in, deciding to show the boys that no one was unbeatable. Demetrios found his forces routing, the Instructor had caught him firmly in a Jycellian trap, his heavy cruisers springing from behind the lighter frigates missile barrage to engage at close range. It was a crushing defeat. Gavril resented losing. So much so, that he watched the logs over and over again to see just how he was beaten. A squadron positioned here, a flanking maneuver there, Gavril judged his own actions as harshly as his opponent's. For days on end he watched it, preparing for another encounter. The next time he played the Instructor, he did not lose. At the age of fourteen such a feat was nearly unheard of. What otherwise would have been a lauded victory was turned into skepticism and dislike because of Gavril's overly serious and blunt attitude, which had alienated him from most of his classmates. The military commanders who taught him, however, enjoyed the lad's frankness. It was ever in the military man's nature to be surly and unlikable, but that mattered not if he won his battles.
The next four years grew much harder as Demetrios was put in advanced classes. Studying ancient military texts with keen attention to detail, Gavril soon memorized the entire "Shey Tapani's Art of War." He studied the various strategies of the Noble Houses. House Pelagia preferred to use disruptive attacks to confuse, whereas Cadriaan would unleash an all out frontal assault, then suddenly pull a flanking maneuver. Reena enjoyed changing up the tactics, never quite sure of what the House would do. Melantha was ordered and strong, fighting in formations, their keys to victory laying in how they held perfect formation even in the midst of battle. After a year of such study, they moved on to look at the wider strategies of galactic powers. The Hutt kajidics power were in their slaves, who supplied the bulk of their military. They would spend a week studying a particular culture, then move on to the next. Again, studies on galactic cultures concluded when the year was out, after which they moved on to examining the known warships of the galaxy. How to maneuver them, where their weak points were. It was an exhaustive course in warfare, but by the time Demetrios turned eighteen he was already well on his way to becoming one of the foremost tacticians in the galaxy.
The Tapani Empire still ruled the Noble Houses, though the Emperor had chosen to join the Republic the Empire managed to maintain much of its sovereignty. The Emperor was Giorgano III, a powerful, but old man, who was oft busy with crushing the incessant insurrections springing from the Freeworlds. These numerous rebellions caused him to increasingly widen the leeway given to the Imperial Tapani Military. So it was that Demetrios Gavril, a commissioned Lieutenant at the age of 19, began to earn his name.
The Everlasting War
His first vessel was the "Indefatigable," a frigate. Part of a small task force sent to Parnella, they soon encountered a significant force of rebels. Three Imperial frigates pitted against seven corvettes with a large contingent of starfighters. Outnumbered, but undeterred, the two forces engaged. Demetrios quickly deduced which ship held their commander due to the excellence of his communications crew and the signals they managed to pick up between the corvettes. Concentrating all fire on the bridge of the enemy corvette, Gavril blew the rebel leader into the heavens of space. The action managed to break up the formation of the enemy, who were thrown into confusion due to the loss of their leader, but before anymore harm could be done assistance for the Loyalists arrived in the form of another task force, quickly overwhelming the rebels, who were summarily taken before the Emperor and executed for treason. Gavril's life became repeats of such events for the next seven years. Slowly, but surely, he climbed the ranks. Just as Demetrios put on his Commander's plaque, the rebellion seemed to come to an end, bled out by the overpowering dominion of Loyalist might. Though he was now a middle-ranking officer, Gavril's peacetime progress was slow. He curried no favors with the necessary people, his rigidly law-abiding attitude allowing the slippery bureaucrats no room for maneuvering as he used red tape to strangle them whenever they approached to converse. Resented, Gavril remained unaffected.
Demetrios' older brother, Robierto, was an Admiral in His Majesty's Navy. Robierto was the jovial one, seemingly endlessly dining or going off to fetes with other high-ranking members of the Tapani houses. It was Robierto Gavril who assumed the mantle of leadership when not only their father, Mikhail, died of assassination, but also the High Lord - a common event in House Mecetti. Gavril followed his brother faithfully in everything. And when Robierto lay the blame for Mikhail's assassination upon House Pelagia, he faithfully followed him to war.
Of course, the Emperor would never allow civil war, but the Emperor fell ill and died suddenly. With the accusations flung at Pelagia for the murder of Mikhail Gavril, it seemed all fingers pointed to them, the House of the Rising Phoenix. The new Emperor was young and cared little for what his subjects did. In short, an Emperor the Houses would want to keep on the throne as long as possible.
Robierto used Demetrios' tactical genius like a weapon in the ensuing civil war. It was Demetrios who was besieged for a year on Javis, holding the planetary defense ring against House Cadriaan's fleet until the High Lord of Reena arrived. It was Demetrios who was then sent to capture Riesa from the Calipsans. Through use of a feigned retreat he managed to pull their defensive fleet away long enough to send a full company of special forces to the planet, who soon disabled the defenses. It was Demetrios who took on the entire Cadriaan Navy and smashed them to bits at Achillea, wielding the combined might of Houses Mecetti and Melantha's navies to crush them in a pincer maneuver by microjumping House Melantha's reserves from a nearby system right into Cadriaan's rearguard. It effectively wiped out the Naval power of the Pelagian Alliance. Yet, despite all this, Robierto never thanked Demetrios once. Demetrios, not knowing how to use media effectively, felt victimized as the praises were pushed off onto High Lord of Reena, or other nobles. The Battle of Achillea served as Demetrios' only piece of recognition and, despite its significance, it was underplayed. The two brothers had never liked each other much, and Demetrios resented Robierto's abuse of his loyalty.
For eight years the war between the Houses had raged. Mecetti seemed poised for victory, but their star was set to fall from its newfound heights. The Pelagian nobles, recognizing their dire situation, enlisted the aid of the Herglic Conglomerate, promising them new territories. The giant aliens from Giju struck swiftly, their fleet crushing House Reena at the Battle of Canti. The tables turned and the war dragged on for another year before the Emperor finally intervened. His Imperial Majesty did not look favorably on an outside, alien race invading Tapani sovereignty, as he saw it. The Imperial fleet, enormously outgunning the Houses, soon united them once more and turned the entire might of the Tapani sector upon the Herglic Conglomerate. Another three years of bloody war followed, with Demetrios abilities continuing to shine, though none of his victories came close to the Battle of Achillea. Finally, at the Battle of Giju, the Tapani Empire prevailed and forced the Herglics to surrender and give up portions of their territory in exchange for a peace treaty.
Throughout the war, Demetrios actively participated. However, he was never given large commands like he had at Achillea and much of it was amphibious warfare, which others were deemed more suited for. Finding time in the endless war, he married the Lady Caterina, a cousin to the Emperor. This strengthened his ties to the Emperor, and put him in line to the throne. But that line was a long line, heavily contested and perilous to be in. Their marriage grew cold as the years passed in the war, for she was barren and brought him no heirs. It was a marriage wrought out of duty, like many other relationships in his life, as he felt no true love for the woman.
Betrayal
In a few short months after the peace treaty, Robierto and all the leading Lords of the Mecetti were quite suddenly poisoned. Demetrios would have died too, except that he was under the personal protection of the Emperor by way of marriage to Lady Caterina. The two bodyguards outside saved him from the initial attempt, which was done by assassin unlike others, but Demetrios took note of the nobles dropping like flies and quickly fled into hiding to avoid risk of a second attack. Baron Nichollo named himself new High Lord of House Mecetti. Demetrios watched his face play on the holonews and realized as he watched that Nichollo had been in the same class as him, back in the academy. As Gavril thought about it, he remembered beating the man time and again. How it pained him to watch this man take what was rightfully his. Yet there was nothing to do about it. Before Demetrios could make his case to the Emperor, Nichollo had already poisoned the waters, quite literally. All of those who stood close to Demetrios in court, and those were few indeed, were dead. Nichollo whispered into the Emperor's ear, telling him it was all Demetrios' doing. Not many days later, the Emperor proclaimed Demetrios banished for life from the Tapani Sector.
Seething, Demetrios' mind worked furiously. The entire Tapani Sector was corrupted with lies. Even in their defeat these Pelagians were victorious. Gavril believed the Jedi Order had master minded it all, due to their close ties with Pelagia, of who Nichollo was a close relative, and by extent the Republic as a whole. He soon convinced himself that corruption festered within the highest levels of the governments in Tapani and Republic. It would have to be removed. With a new cause found, Demetrios took his wife and fled the Republic, vowing to restore order and justice and reclaim what was his.
Halfway across the galaxy, Demetrios Gavril sought service with the Sith Empire, the only military likely to help him reclaim his birthright once it captured the Tapani sector. If it ever did. The Sith Empire moved slowly, hurting for want of experienced commanders and veterans that the Republic employed. So it avidly sought out experienced commanders. When Demetrios presented them with his resume and all the years of warfare experience, despite little galactic-wide knowledge of his feats, they were anxious to have him for his knowledge. For the first time in his life it seemed, Demetrios found himself with some leverage. Pushing for a higher rank, he was eventually commissioned a Vice Admiral and presented with Task Force Justiciar, a small force with twenty frigates and ten cruisers.
Password: Bylgia
RP Sample:
The Battle of Achillea:
Surrounding the blue and white world of Achillea, lay a massive fleet of Cadriaan vessels. Their warships were much feared in the Tapani sector, captained and crewed by experienced veterans, all anxious to get their shot at an ancient foe. Groups of Mecetti ships began to come of hyperspace near Achillea, and at their center was the ominous form of a Tapani Heavy Cruiser. Fifty frigates of varying classes and a large number of smaller supporting vessels surrounded the heavy cruiser. Yet for all this, House Mecetti was outmatched.
The light-blue eyes of Demetrios Gavril stared out like two frozen ponds. His gaze swept the scene before him from the bridge of the Ra Heavy Cruiser with impervious, cool confidence. Assigned by High Lord Robierto Gavril to command this force of Third Mecetti Fleet and destroy the entire Cadriaan fleet, Demetrios already thought five steps ahead of the situation at hand to the big picture.
"Ship Assessment?"
The Tactical Operations Officer, known as TacOp, replied after a short pause. "It looks like three times our number in cruisers and five times in frigates. Good news is they have no battlecruisers."
"Indeed." Gavril said calmly. The imposing size of a battlecruiser wouldn't be frightening any veterans into submission, but any pilot or cruiser captain who attacked it would have that slight terror in the back of their mind. A titan could be killed, but the one who did it would not be faint of heart. "What of their starfighters?"
"Thirty times the amount we have brought."
Demetrios' mouth tightened. He was more concerned about the starfighters than the enemy capital ships. However, his calculations and strategy predicted Cadriaan fighter superiority. To counter the veteran aces, Demetrios' fleet formation had been adjusted. Anti-starfighter frigates were spread out evenly among the fleet so as to provide ample protection to the fleet from starfighters.
The layout of Gavril's fleet would seem odd to most. The front line and center were normally apportioned, with the majority of his force forming a staunch center line and acting as the backbone of the fleet. The carriers were situated in the heart of the fleet near the Ra. The left flank was made up of the faster frigates. However, the right flank was made up of only a few supporting vessels. To any strategist worth his weight in credits it would be obvious what Gavril attempted to do. The faster ships of the left flank would try to curl around the large line of the Cadriaan line and destroy the flanks. No doubt the enemy commander wondered just who the Mecetti let command fleets these days.
"Advance the fleet," said Gavril simply.
The Mecetti ships began creeping toward the Cadriaan line at a steady pace, but Cadriaan did not seem content to allow them to close without hindrance. Knowing full well that they had the advantage in starfighters with both experience and numbers, Cadriaan unleashed a swarm of starfighters that would blot out a small sun to soften up the forward lines of the Federation before they reached engagement range. The Mecetti countered with their own significantly smaller swarm of starfighters that stayed within the Mecetti's lines. Within moments ships were sending in damage reports. The starfighters were wreaking havoc.
"Sir, should the ASFs be brought up to the front line?"
"No, keep them where they are." Gavril waited, watching the enemy fleet. After a few heartbeats, the hostile vessels began wrapping around Demetrios' fleet, like the slowly closing hands of death. "Have C-902, C-35, and C-603 break off farther to the left. They are to avoid being encircled by the enemy."
"Yes, sir."
The left flank shifted, breaking off from the center line and moving off to the side. The Cadriaan commander must have known that even if Gavril succeeded in flanking it wouldn't matter due to type of vessels committed to the task. Frigates were powerful ships, but they could not stand up to the amount of cruisers Cadriaan had at their disposal. The gaping jaws of the enemy fleet opened to swallow Gavril and his entourage in a glorious display of fireworks. As they lines came together millions of red and green lancets of energy jumped between them, filling space with a constant barrage of color and death. Demetrios watched it all without reaction save from his searching eyes, absorbing all the information he saw. A constant flicker of light, back and forth, back and forth, in an incessant pattern. Snubfighters tumbled through space, fighting for supremacy of the skies while dodging the flak bursts of turbolasers and the ever present threat of being hit by stray fire or point defense weapons. Demetrios let the fight rage on for several minutes, already suffering the loss of several corvettes as the enemy concentrated fire.
"Do we have a location on the enemy flagship?"
"Yes, sir, it's the Freedom's Cause located to the rear of the enemy lines."
Demetrios activated an encrypted comm "Force B, engage the enemy's right flank. Captain Harubal, your target is the Freedom's Cause. Acquire your target and unleash our deadly surprise." He opened a different line. "Captain Kenash, engage the left flank of the enemy."
From within the blackness of space to the right of Demetrios' lines a dozen ships jumped out of hyperspace. Caught completely off guard, the left flank of the Cadriaan fell into chaos as they were engaged by the swift attack of the faster frigates. On the right flank, the newly appeared ships drove like a spearhead through the encircling right arm of the Cadriaan fleet. Caught between hammer and anvil, the encircling lines shattered and lost all cohesion. A particular fireball Demetrios watched with care. The Freedom's Cause did not fare well when ten frigates fired on it at once. So much for the enemy commander. The chain of command for the Cadriaan fleet was temporarily unclear. Everywhere, captains were shouting orders, commanding and countermanding each other. The more experienced captains began to realize what was happening, and swiftly began working on recovering an established chain of command, but Demetrios did not intend to give them a moment's peace.
"Center line, full speed ahead. Captain Harubal, beak their center and we will have broken their unity. Once that is done, numbers matter little," Gavril's voice was filled with the reassuring air of one who knew what he was about and would not be deterred.
Cruisers and frigates clashed violently with the sheer thickness of the Cadriaan's center, but the concentration and cohesion of the Mecetti against the temporary chaos of the Cadriaan's line was showing. A cruiser trailed flame as it sunk below the battle zone. Despite this, the immensity of Cadriaan's forces made it hard going for the Mecetti as Gavril's flagship, Ra, sustained heavy fire from all sides. Green and red flashed back and forth, shields on both sides soaking up the fire, or hulls taking the heavy pounding as lasers scorched the surface and turbolasers simply ripped straight through. The battle turned into an all out slugfest, with ships exchanging blows as they fought for their lives and their causes. Cadriaan to protect. Mecetti to annihilate. A line creased Gavril's brow as Cadriaan vessels began to regain their cohesion, organizing fire and trying to maneuver to escape the trap they had fallen into. The Mecetti still had not punched through the center line and were still struggling to make significant headway against the preponderance of Cadriaan vessels. Not only that, but the starfighters of the Cadriaan wove about the battlefield like a deadly pestilence. It all seemed like a desperate effort that only resulted in punching a pillow. The Mecetti could strike as hard as they wanted, but it made little difference. A cruiser broke apart beneath sustained fire, coming to pieces as it peeled away and poured atmosphere, crew, and wreckage into space. And the attacking force on the left, though swift, could not stand toe-to-toe with the ships of House Cadriaan.
Gavril opened up a comm channel, "C-902, C-35, and C-603, draw back and then come at full speed into the enemy's left flank, then draw back again. Repeat until their left flank has broken."
"Sir, we're heavily outnumbered. Even with the losses the enemy has suffered we cannot keep up a sustained engagement."
"If I had wanted your opinion, I would have asked," Gavril said cooly.
"Of- of course, sir. We will begin immediately."
The battle progressed, but at a slower pace.
"Sir, the attack against the left flank of Cadriaan is failing! They've mobilized their forces and are concentrating all fire on wiping out our ASFs! Several wings of bombers just came out of their carriers and are heading straight toward us, sir!"
"Where's the nearest ASF?"
"Nearly-" the officer's breath caught as the Anti-Starfighter Frigate disappeared from the target screen, being replaced by a Cadriaan cruiser. "Their left flank is pressing forward and overwhelming our own flank! They just took out the ASF."
"I can see that," said Gavril in icy tones, his teeth grating in irritation. "Concentrate our firepower on those advancing ships," Gavril turning around sharply and speaking with icy determination to the combat systems officer. "We must stop this advance before it rolls up our flank. Have our squadrons of Mark Three Interceptors counter the starfighter attack."
"Too late!" cried the officer.
An enormous explosion filled Gavril's ears and he felt himself tumbling through the air. He found himself laying on the cold metal of the bridge, smoke clogging his lungs and nostrils, while his ears rung. The coppery, metallic tang of blood filled his mouth and he felt a spiking pain in his right side. The intrepid naval officer refused to give into pain and pushed himself up from the ground. He glanced around and found that he had been flung into one of the pits. He mounted the stairs as quickly as his injured ribs would allow and surveyed the bridge. A portion of the viewport had been blown away, and scorched wreckage lined the right side of the bridge. A quick assessment showed Gavril that by sheer luck he had survived the attack. The viewport was safely blocked off now by a blast shield, but Demetrios couldn't let this attack deter him. He began giving orders as soon as he regained enough air to speak.
"All cruisers have new targets, destroy the carriers of Cadriaan." Demetrios berated himself silently. Once again, he had underestimated Cadriaan's starfighter pilots and almost paid with his life. "Draw the C-902 line back into the fight and engage their advancing vessels. Why isn't C-35 advancing?"
"They don't believe they can hold out in sustained close engagement."
"Do they know what their insubordination is costing us?" asked Demetrios, his eyes frozen cold. He opened up a channel. "Captain, you will get your squadron back into the engagement immediately, is that understood?"
"Sir, we cannot hold out-"
"It is clear to me that you lack strategic vision, therefore you will simply obey the orders I give without hesitation. I do not ask what I myself would not do if it were necessary, Captain."
"Very well." The Captain's gritting of teeth was almost audible.
Demetrios Gavril took a moment to analyze the damage done to his body to make sure his judgement was not being impaired by pain. He felt at least one, possibly two broken ribs, a contusion on his hand and multiple bruises across his body, but he did not believe he had suffered a concussion. The cogs in his mind began working again to try and save his fleet from being overwhelmed by the numbers of Cadriaan. Overall the battle was going comparatively well. He had succeeded in some of the finer aspects of warfare, make the enemy believe you weak when you are strong. Make them think you far when you are near. The reports continued to come in as the enemy rolled up Demetrios' left flank. Advanced measures needed to be taken.
"Order a retreat, all engaged ships, disengage and fall back."
The Mecetti fleet pulled away from the enemy, slowly creeping back from Achillea. Cadriaan hesitated at first, but still having little chain of command it pursued, confidant it could destroy the Mecetti in their flight and route the fleet. Gavril watched the tactical screen at one of the databanks as the Mecetti pursued. Gavril watched, unmoved, as Cadrian vessels ate up ships that fell behind the main group of the retreating Mecetti force.
"Ships, re-engage."
The Mecetti force about faced at their top speed and opened fire on Cadriaan. Cadriaan's ships were strung out across space as they had tried to pursue the Mecetti. Now the Mecetti turned on them with all the skill of a highly trained military.
"Good news, the Melantha commander reports he is ready for the microjump, but we cannot sustain this bombardment much longer, sir. Their numbers are simply overwhelming."
The combat systems officer was indeed correct. Demetrios assessed the damage reports at a glance and nodded once in assent. Of course something needed to be done. Even with all of Demetrios' tactics Cadriaan still outnumbered them.
Cadriaan still had not regained their cohesion after the surprise attack. The huge fleet was strung out away from Achillea with the Mecetti forces facing the very tip of the Cadriaan spear, however blunt and wide of a spear it was. With the Melanthan's fleet arriving at an undisclosed time, Demetrios saw a route toward crushing the enemy with one final stroke. He ordered the communications officer to send out a message to the force. They would be performing a fleet-wide Shey Slash, cutting right up the middle of the uncoordinated enemy fleet all the way back to Achillea.
The Mecetti vessels began to move forward at their full speed. The ships could not fire on the Mecetti with full force or else they would risk hitting their ships on the other side. The Mecetti were under no such hinderances. Jets of green and red flashed across space in incessant patterns, causing explosions against shields and hulls.
Earning their reputation as veterans of combat, the Cadriaan captains quickly adapted to fire on the much larger targets of the Ra and other cruisers, leaving their significant starfighter force to take care of the other Mecetti vessels. Demetrios' face remained stolid as ever as the Ra's shields began to take on heavy damage. In turn, the Mecetti focused fire on specific vessels as they passed, hitting them again and again until they were crippled or destroyed.
"Sir, our heavy cruisers are taking significant damage! Should we break off?"
"No," replied Gavril quickly. "We will stay the course. Gentlebeings, at the end of this run we will make an end to the Cadriaan Fleet."
The bridge crew looked at each other in confusion. It certainly didn't seem that way. Even if Melantha's forces arrived before they were destroyed the combined forces would only be enough to match the Cadriaan, scattered as they were. Some shook their heads sadly, others grimly returned to their tasks. This officer just did not get it. You could not beat a numerically superior force, not when outnumbered by that many ships. It simply was not done. Whoever had the most ships won. Sure, tactics might help to turn the numbers here and there, but against so many? Impossible.
Demetrios assessed and quickly disregarded the low morale of his crew. They had not received training in advanced tactical fleet maneuvers, psychological warfare, or studied the great admirals of military history. They did not know what he knew. Every new surprise took a toll on the morale of Cadriaan. They might have the numerically superior force, but Demetrios was certainly neither outgunned nor outwitted. Already, he thought of the final blow that would scatter this confused morass that was his enemy.
Finally, the last ship cut through the last line of the Cadriaan force. The entire Mecetti fleet was now amassed directly in front of Achillea. They about faced to point their array of guns at the huge mass of Cadriaan ships that stood ready to destroy them. No doubt the Cadriaan captains thought Demetrios' maneuver foolish. He was now trapped with his back quite literally against Achillea. It would take another trip back through the Cadriaan ships to allow Demetrios' ships to activate their hyperdrives and jump away from the planet.
Suddenly, a hundred vessels materialized from hyperspace directly behind the Cadriaan force. At first, the Ra's crew thought them more Cadriaan, but as they turned to look at the tactical display they slowly realized it was the relief force Melantha had promised, with the Intimidator heavy cruiser leading the way. A flurry of comm activity went across the sensors as the enemy captains began attempts to coordinate a defense. Everyone began to realize just what had happened.
Gavril blinked slowly. It played out so perfectly, he could not have planned it better. His Shey Slash had put his force in a perfect position for the Tapani Pincers maneuver that had just been executed, unwittingly, by Melantha. Not only was Melantha here to help, but they had the disoriented Cadriaan fleet caught between their two forces. Gavril thought it high time to end this costly conflict.
"Captain Harubal, open fire."
Department: Navy
Rank: O-8 Rear Admiral (RADM)
Name: Demetrios Gavril
Race: Tapani Human, Male
Age: 41
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 186
Birth place: Javis, Mecetti Province, Tapani Sector
Appearance:
Hard was the word used to describe Demetrios Gavril by any who met him. Neatly combed, blond hair lay above a face which could have been carved from granite. Light-blue eyes stared out like twin glaciers above hollow cheeks and a square jaw. A mouth suited for frowns of displeasure and stiff commands lay beneath those cold eyes. A firm, pursed mouth, with lines around its edges. Not the creases of laughter, no, never that, but harsh, straight lines carrying from the nose downward, stretching the mouth with them. Everything of Demetrios, from the erect posture of his mesomorphic body to the tanned, leathery skin of his face, speaks of rigid, unyielding order. Even his clothes are stiff and rigid. Despite his high station, he is neither gaudy, nor is he undressed. He dresses as his duty demands.
Personality:
A harsh man of strict adherence to the law, Demetrios tolerates no fools. His rigid ways can cost him points in charm and charisma, but his very presence inspires despair in even the most mocking of court jesters. He is notoriously stubborn, to the point where even his allies become frustrated at his durasteel manner. Incredibly jaded, Gavril sees the galaxy as it is and, though he recognizes the abilities of Force Users, believes the "Will of the Force" to be non-existent. His only "soft" side seems to be for fine arts such as rock carved sculptures. He is humanocentric, seeing humans as, if not superior, at least the ruling race of the galaxy and therefore deserving their due.
Most of his acetic attitude stems from bitterness. His main trait is Duty, with a capital D. And he fulfilled that duty time and again in service to his brother, yet Robierto disdained him and begrudged him credit for any of the victories, if he gave them at all. He followed his brother because he was required to, but he certainly never took pleasure in it.
One might think that being a dutiful man, he is also honorable, but Demetrios will sacrifice his honor, if necessary, to further the cause of his righteous duty, for he considers himself to be a righteous man. In his world there is no grey. If it serves to hinder his cause, namely saving Tapani from the villainy that has infested it - and to a large extent ridding the galaxy of what he sees as a corrupted Republic, then it will be scorched to ash. And that scorching he believes just, no matter who it scorches, so long as it protects the lives of others, or the cause itself. So if he believes genocide will help overthrow the corrupt enemy, he will slaughter millions, but after overthrowing the enemy he would turn himself in to be tried as a war criminal. He believes right cannot undo wrong.
A man of average physical abilities, his mind is his true weapon. As a leader, Demetrios commands respect, if not adoration. Loyalty, if not love. He executes his role of office with strict adherence to the law. Toe the line, and risk losing that toe if it goes over by a fraction. Or even if it goes over in good cause. His strategic foresight is remarkable, considered by those who know him to be one of the foremost in the galaxy. However, his stubborn nature, sour demeanor, and lack of general pleasantness, he alienates those who might otherwise be his friends. He says what is on his mind, those who disagree be slagged.
Skills:
Counter-Insurgency
Siege Breaking
Siege Warfare
Naval Warfare
Ship Systems - Communications, Combat Systems, Navigations
Logistics Coordinator
Tactical Coordinator
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 5
Leadership: 8
Unarmed: 4
Melee Weapons:1
Ranged Weapons:5
Bio:
Early Life
With the end of the Great Sith War came a time of despair for the people of House Mecetti. Their influence amidst the Noble Houses of the Tapani Sector evaporated after the Pelagian Nobles destroyed their fleets and the feared Mecrosa Order. Stepping into the vacuum came their great bane and arch-nemesis, House Pelagia. Declining into the shadows of defeat, House Mecetti bided its time. One day, they would be feared again. One day.
Despite losing its lofty position, or perhaps because of it, the nobles of Mecetti behaved even more pompous and arrogant than they had before. Life for a peasant in the Mecetti Province was a sad, hopeless existence. Meaningless, from the day of birth to the day some gaudy Knight decided to stick a lightfoil in you for supposed incompetence. Luckily, or maybe it was fate, Demetrios Gavril was born to Lord Mikhail Gavril, a nephew to the High Lord Machiavel and a cousin to the Imperial Tapani bloodline. Of all the nobles, the Gavrils were perhaps most bitter. Many a blood relative they had lost in the Great Sith War to the Jedi supporting Pelagians. They had a reputation as excellent commanders, and sent their sons to some of the finest academies in the galaxy. Like his father before him, Demetrios was placed into Feduchini's Military Academy at the age of seven. From his first few classes, it became clear that Demetrios' young mind contained an exceptional intellect for problem solving.
While rings of political maneuvering wove around the Noble Houses, Demetrios concentrated deep in the heart of the academy, studying for the day when he would restore Mecetti's power, his growing ambition in life. The years passed and Gavril began to learn specific tactics, his preference carrying him into the focus study of naval warfare. Complex maneuvers such as the Mecrosa Fade and the Tapani Pincers were analyzed and stored into his memory, then pulled out again and displayed with astonishing aptitude in the monthly war games. Regularly, Gavril devastated the navies of his class mates in their holo skirmishes. The other boys grumbled about the unbeatable Gavril, disliking their defeats as much as any competitive boy used to getting what he wanted would. Eventually, an instructor stepped in, deciding to show the boys that no one was unbeatable. Demetrios found his forces routing, the Instructor had caught him firmly in a Jycellian trap, his heavy cruisers springing from behind the lighter frigates missile barrage to engage at close range. It was a crushing defeat. Gavril resented losing. So much so, that he watched the logs over and over again to see just how he was beaten. A squadron positioned here, a flanking maneuver there, Gavril judged his own actions as harshly as his opponent's. For days on end he watched it, preparing for another encounter. The next time he played the Instructor, he did not lose. At the age of fourteen such a feat was nearly unheard of. What otherwise would have been a lauded victory was turned into skepticism and dislike because of Gavril's overly serious and blunt attitude, which had alienated him from most of his classmates. The military commanders who taught him, however, enjoyed the lad's frankness. It was ever in the military man's nature to be surly and unlikable, but that mattered not if he won his battles.
The next four years grew much harder as Demetrios was put in advanced classes. Studying ancient military texts with keen attention to detail, Gavril soon memorized the entire "Shey Tapani's Art of War." He studied the various strategies of the Noble Houses. House Pelagia preferred to use disruptive attacks to confuse, whereas Cadriaan would unleash an all out frontal assault, then suddenly pull a flanking maneuver. Reena enjoyed changing up the tactics, never quite sure of what the House would do. Melantha was ordered and strong, fighting in formations, their keys to victory laying in how they held perfect formation even in the midst of battle. After a year of such study, they moved on to look at the wider strategies of galactic powers. The Hutt kajidics power were in their slaves, who supplied the bulk of their military. They would spend a week studying a particular culture, then move on to the next. Again, studies on galactic cultures concluded when the year was out, after which they moved on to examining the known warships of the galaxy. How to maneuver them, where their weak points were. It was an exhaustive course in warfare, but by the time Demetrios turned eighteen he was already well on his way to becoming one of the foremost tacticians in the galaxy.
The Tapani Empire still ruled the Noble Houses, though the Emperor had chosen to join the Republic the Empire managed to maintain much of its sovereignty. The Emperor was Giorgano III, a powerful, but old man, who was oft busy with crushing the incessant insurrections springing from the Freeworlds. These numerous rebellions caused him to increasingly widen the leeway given to the Imperial Tapani Military. So it was that Demetrios Gavril, a commissioned Lieutenant at the age of 19, began to earn his name.
The Everlasting War
His first vessel was the "Indefatigable," a frigate. Part of a small task force sent to Parnella, they soon encountered a significant force of rebels. Three Imperial frigates pitted against seven corvettes with a large contingent of starfighters. Outnumbered, but undeterred, the two forces engaged. Demetrios quickly deduced which ship held their commander due to the excellence of his communications crew and the signals they managed to pick up between the corvettes. Concentrating all fire on the bridge of the enemy corvette, Gavril blew the rebel leader into the heavens of space. The action managed to break up the formation of the enemy, who were thrown into confusion due to the loss of their leader, but before anymore harm could be done assistance for the Loyalists arrived in the form of another task force, quickly overwhelming the rebels, who were summarily taken before the Emperor and executed for treason. Gavril's life became repeats of such events for the next seven years. Slowly, but surely, he climbed the ranks. Just as Demetrios put on his Commander's plaque, the rebellion seemed to come to an end, bled out by the overpowering dominion of Loyalist might. Though he was now a middle-ranking officer, Gavril's peacetime progress was slow. He curried no favors with the necessary people, his rigidly law-abiding attitude allowing the slippery bureaucrats no room for maneuvering as he used red tape to strangle them whenever they approached to converse. Resented, Gavril remained unaffected.
Demetrios' older brother, Robierto, was an Admiral in His Majesty's Navy. Robierto was the jovial one, seemingly endlessly dining or going off to fetes with other high-ranking members of the Tapani houses. It was Robierto Gavril who assumed the mantle of leadership when not only their father, Mikhail, died of assassination, but also the High Lord - a common event in House Mecetti. Gavril followed his brother faithfully in everything. And when Robierto lay the blame for Mikhail's assassination upon House Pelagia, he faithfully followed him to war.
Of course, the Emperor would never allow civil war, but the Emperor fell ill and died suddenly. With the accusations flung at Pelagia for the murder of Mikhail Gavril, it seemed all fingers pointed to them, the House of the Rising Phoenix. The new Emperor was young and cared little for what his subjects did. In short, an Emperor the Houses would want to keep on the throne as long as possible.
Robierto used Demetrios' tactical genius like a weapon in the ensuing civil war. It was Demetrios who was besieged for a year on Javis, holding the planetary defense ring against House Cadriaan's fleet until the High Lord of Reena arrived. It was Demetrios who was then sent to capture Riesa from the Calipsans. Through use of a feigned retreat he managed to pull their defensive fleet away long enough to send a full company of special forces to the planet, who soon disabled the defenses. It was Demetrios who took on the entire Cadriaan Navy and smashed them to bits at Achillea, wielding the combined might of Houses Mecetti and Melantha's navies to crush them in a pincer maneuver by microjumping House Melantha's reserves from a nearby system right into Cadriaan's rearguard. It effectively wiped out the Naval power of the Pelagian Alliance. Yet, despite all this, Robierto never thanked Demetrios once. Demetrios, not knowing how to use media effectively, felt victimized as the praises were pushed off onto High Lord of Reena, or other nobles. The Battle of Achillea served as Demetrios' only piece of recognition and, despite its significance, it was underplayed. The two brothers had never liked each other much, and Demetrios resented Robierto's abuse of his loyalty.
For eight years the war between the Houses had raged. Mecetti seemed poised for victory, but their star was set to fall from its newfound heights. The Pelagian nobles, recognizing their dire situation, enlisted the aid of the Herglic Conglomerate, promising them new territories. The giant aliens from Giju struck swiftly, their fleet crushing House Reena at the Battle of Canti. The tables turned and the war dragged on for another year before the Emperor finally intervened. His Imperial Majesty did not look favorably on an outside, alien race invading Tapani sovereignty, as he saw it. The Imperial fleet, enormously outgunning the Houses, soon united them once more and turned the entire might of the Tapani sector upon the Herglic Conglomerate. Another three years of bloody war followed, with Demetrios abilities continuing to shine, though none of his victories came close to the Battle of Achillea. Finally, at the Battle of Giju, the Tapani Empire prevailed and forced the Herglics to surrender and give up portions of their territory in exchange for a peace treaty.
Throughout the war, Demetrios actively participated. However, he was never given large commands like he had at Achillea and much of it was amphibious warfare, which others were deemed more suited for. Finding time in the endless war, he married the Lady Caterina, a cousin to the Emperor. This strengthened his ties to the Emperor, and put him in line to the throne. But that line was a long line, heavily contested and perilous to be in. Their marriage grew cold as the years passed in the war, for she was barren and brought him no heirs. It was a marriage wrought out of duty, like many other relationships in his life, as he felt no true love for the woman.
Betrayal
In a few short months after the peace treaty, Robierto and all the leading Lords of the Mecetti were quite suddenly poisoned. Demetrios would have died too, except that he was under the personal protection of the Emperor by way of marriage to Lady Caterina. The two bodyguards outside saved him from the initial attempt, which was done by assassin unlike others, but Demetrios took note of the nobles dropping like flies and quickly fled into hiding to avoid risk of a second attack. Baron Nichollo named himself new High Lord of House Mecetti. Demetrios watched his face play on the holonews and realized as he watched that Nichollo had been in the same class as him, back in the academy. As Gavril thought about it, he remembered beating the man time and again. How it pained him to watch this man take what was rightfully his. Yet there was nothing to do about it. Before Demetrios could make his case to the Emperor, Nichollo had already poisoned the waters, quite literally. All of those who stood close to Demetrios in court, and those were few indeed, were dead. Nichollo whispered into the Emperor's ear, telling him it was all Demetrios' doing. Not many days later, the Emperor proclaimed Demetrios banished for life from the Tapani Sector.
Seething, Demetrios' mind worked furiously. The entire Tapani Sector was corrupted with lies. Even in their defeat these Pelagians were victorious. Gavril believed the Jedi Order had master minded it all, due to their close ties with Pelagia, of who Nichollo was a close relative, and by extent the Republic as a whole. He soon convinced himself that corruption festered within the highest levels of the governments in Tapani and Republic. It would have to be removed. With a new cause found, Demetrios took his wife and fled the Republic, vowing to restore order and justice and reclaim what was his.
Halfway across the galaxy, Demetrios Gavril sought service with the Sith Empire, the only military likely to help him reclaim his birthright once it captured the Tapani sector. If it ever did. The Sith Empire moved slowly, hurting for want of experienced commanders and veterans that the Republic employed. So it avidly sought out experienced commanders. When Demetrios presented them with his resume and all the years of warfare experience, despite little galactic-wide knowledge of his feats, they were anxious to have him for his knowledge. For the first time in his life it seemed, Demetrios found himself with some leverage. Pushing for a higher rank, he was eventually commissioned a Vice Admiral and presented with Task Force Justiciar, a small force with twenty frigates and ten cruisers.
Password: Bylgia
RP Sample:
The Battle of Achillea:
Surrounding the blue and white world of Achillea, lay a massive fleet of Cadriaan vessels. Their warships were much feared in the Tapani sector, captained and crewed by experienced veterans, all anxious to get their shot at an ancient foe. Groups of Mecetti ships began to come of hyperspace near Achillea, and at their center was the ominous form of a Tapani Heavy Cruiser. Fifty frigates of varying classes and a large number of smaller supporting vessels surrounded the heavy cruiser. Yet for all this, House Mecetti was outmatched.
The light-blue eyes of Demetrios Gavril stared out like two frozen ponds. His gaze swept the scene before him from the bridge of the Ra Heavy Cruiser with impervious, cool confidence. Assigned by High Lord Robierto Gavril to command this force of Third Mecetti Fleet and destroy the entire Cadriaan fleet, Demetrios already thought five steps ahead of the situation at hand to the big picture.
"Ship Assessment?"
The Tactical Operations Officer, known as TacOp, replied after a short pause. "It looks like three times our number in cruisers and five times in frigates. Good news is they have no battlecruisers."
"Indeed." Gavril said calmly. The imposing size of a battlecruiser wouldn't be frightening any veterans into submission, but any pilot or cruiser captain who attacked it would have that slight terror in the back of their mind. A titan could be killed, but the one who did it would not be faint of heart. "What of their starfighters?"
"Thirty times the amount we have brought."
Demetrios' mouth tightened. He was more concerned about the starfighters than the enemy capital ships. However, his calculations and strategy predicted Cadriaan fighter superiority. To counter the veteran aces, Demetrios' fleet formation had been adjusted. Anti-starfighter frigates were spread out evenly among the fleet so as to provide ample protection to the fleet from starfighters.
The layout of Gavril's fleet would seem odd to most. The front line and center were normally apportioned, with the majority of his force forming a staunch center line and acting as the backbone of the fleet. The carriers were situated in the heart of the fleet near the Ra. The left flank was made up of the faster frigates. However, the right flank was made up of only a few supporting vessels. To any strategist worth his weight in credits it would be obvious what Gavril attempted to do. The faster ships of the left flank would try to curl around the large line of the Cadriaan line and destroy the flanks. No doubt the enemy commander wondered just who the Mecetti let command fleets these days.
"Advance the fleet," said Gavril simply.
The Mecetti ships began creeping toward the Cadriaan line at a steady pace, but Cadriaan did not seem content to allow them to close without hindrance. Knowing full well that they had the advantage in starfighters with both experience and numbers, Cadriaan unleashed a swarm of starfighters that would blot out a small sun to soften up the forward lines of the Federation before they reached engagement range. The Mecetti countered with their own significantly smaller swarm of starfighters that stayed within the Mecetti's lines. Within moments ships were sending in damage reports. The starfighters were wreaking havoc.
"Sir, should the ASFs be brought up to the front line?"
"No, keep them where they are." Gavril waited, watching the enemy fleet. After a few heartbeats, the hostile vessels began wrapping around Demetrios' fleet, like the slowly closing hands of death. "Have C-902, C-35, and C-603 break off farther to the left. They are to avoid being encircled by the enemy."
"Yes, sir."
The left flank shifted, breaking off from the center line and moving off to the side. The Cadriaan commander must have known that even if Gavril succeeded in flanking it wouldn't matter due to type of vessels committed to the task. Frigates were powerful ships, but they could not stand up to the amount of cruisers Cadriaan had at their disposal. The gaping jaws of the enemy fleet opened to swallow Gavril and his entourage in a glorious display of fireworks. As they lines came together millions of red and green lancets of energy jumped between them, filling space with a constant barrage of color and death. Demetrios watched it all without reaction save from his searching eyes, absorbing all the information he saw. A constant flicker of light, back and forth, back and forth, in an incessant pattern. Snubfighters tumbled through space, fighting for supremacy of the skies while dodging the flak bursts of turbolasers and the ever present threat of being hit by stray fire or point defense weapons. Demetrios let the fight rage on for several minutes, already suffering the loss of several corvettes as the enemy concentrated fire.
"Do we have a location on the enemy flagship?"
"Yes, sir, it's the Freedom's Cause located to the rear of the enemy lines."
Demetrios activated an encrypted comm "Force B, engage the enemy's right flank. Captain Harubal, your target is the Freedom's Cause. Acquire your target and unleash our deadly surprise." He opened a different line. "Captain Kenash, engage the left flank of the enemy."
From within the blackness of space to the right of Demetrios' lines a dozen ships jumped out of hyperspace. Caught completely off guard, the left flank of the Cadriaan fell into chaos as they were engaged by the swift attack of the faster frigates. On the right flank, the newly appeared ships drove like a spearhead through the encircling right arm of the Cadriaan fleet. Caught between hammer and anvil, the encircling lines shattered and lost all cohesion. A particular fireball Demetrios watched with care. The Freedom's Cause did not fare well when ten frigates fired on it at once. So much for the enemy commander. The chain of command for the Cadriaan fleet was temporarily unclear. Everywhere, captains were shouting orders, commanding and countermanding each other. The more experienced captains began to realize what was happening, and swiftly began working on recovering an established chain of command, but Demetrios did not intend to give them a moment's peace.
"Center line, full speed ahead. Captain Harubal, beak their center and we will have broken their unity. Once that is done, numbers matter little," Gavril's voice was filled with the reassuring air of one who knew what he was about and would not be deterred.
Cruisers and frigates clashed violently with the sheer thickness of the Cadriaan's center, but the concentration and cohesion of the Mecetti against the temporary chaos of the Cadriaan's line was showing. A cruiser trailed flame as it sunk below the battle zone. Despite this, the immensity of Cadriaan's forces made it hard going for the Mecetti as Gavril's flagship, Ra, sustained heavy fire from all sides. Green and red flashed back and forth, shields on both sides soaking up the fire, or hulls taking the heavy pounding as lasers scorched the surface and turbolasers simply ripped straight through. The battle turned into an all out slugfest, with ships exchanging blows as they fought for their lives and their causes. Cadriaan to protect. Mecetti to annihilate. A line creased Gavril's brow as Cadriaan vessels began to regain their cohesion, organizing fire and trying to maneuver to escape the trap they had fallen into. The Mecetti still had not punched through the center line and were still struggling to make significant headway against the preponderance of Cadriaan vessels. Not only that, but the starfighters of the Cadriaan wove about the battlefield like a deadly pestilence. It all seemed like a desperate effort that only resulted in punching a pillow. The Mecetti could strike as hard as they wanted, but it made little difference. A cruiser broke apart beneath sustained fire, coming to pieces as it peeled away and poured atmosphere, crew, and wreckage into space. And the attacking force on the left, though swift, could not stand toe-to-toe with the ships of House Cadriaan.
Gavril opened up a comm channel, "C-902, C-35, and C-603, draw back and then come at full speed into the enemy's left flank, then draw back again. Repeat until their left flank has broken."
"Sir, we're heavily outnumbered. Even with the losses the enemy has suffered we cannot keep up a sustained engagement."
"If I had wanted your opinion, I would have asked," Gavril said cooly.
"Of- of course, sir. We will begin immediately."
The battle progressed, but at a slower pace.
"Sir, the attack against the left flank of Cadriaan is failing! They've mobilized their forces and are concentrating all fire on wiping out our ASFs! Several wings of bombers just came out of their carriers and are heading straight toward us, sir!"
"Where's the nearest ASF?"
"Nearly-" the officer's breath caught as the Anti-Starfighter Frigate disappeared from the target screen, being replaced by a Cadriaan cruiser. "Their left flank is pressing forward and overwhelming our own flank! They just took out the ASF."
"I can see that," said Gavril in icy tones, his teeth grating in irritation. "Concentrate our firepower on those advancing ships," Gavril turning around sharply and speaking with icy determination to the combat systems officer. "We must stop this advance before it rolls up our flank. Have our squadrons of Mark Three Interceptors counter the starfighter attack."
"Too late!" cried the officer.
An enormous explosion filled Gavril's ears and he felt himself tumbling through the air. He found himself laying on the cold metal of the bridge, smoke clogging his lungs and nostrils, while his ears rung. The coppery, metallic tang of blood filled his mouth and he felt a spiking pain in his right side. The intrepid naval officer refused to give into pain and pushed himself up from the ground. He glanced around and found that he had been flung into one of the pits. He mounted the stairs as quickly as his injured ribs would allow and surveyed the bridge. A portion of the viewport had been blown away, and scorched wreckage lined the right side of the bridge. A quick assessment showed Gavril that by sheer luck he had survived the attack. The viewport was safely blocked off now by a blast shield, but Demetrios couldn't let this attack deter him. He began giving orders as soon as he regained enough air to speak.
"All cruisers have new targets, destroy the carriers of Cadriaan." Demetrios berated himself silently. Once again, he had underestimated Cadriaan's starfighter pilots and almost paid with his life. "Draw the C-902 line back into the fight and engage their advancing vessels. Why isn't C-35 advancing?"
"They don't believe they can hold out in sustained close engagement."
"Do they know what their insubordination is costing us?" asked Demetrios, his eyes frozen cold. He opened up a channel. "Captain, you will get your squadron back into the engagement immediately, is that understood?"
"Sir, we cannot hold out-"
"It is clear to me that you lack strategic vision, therefore you will simply obey the orders I give without hesitation. I do not ask what I myself would not do if it were necessary, Captain."
"Very well." The Captain's gritting of teeth was almost audible.
Demetrios Gavril took a moment to analyze the damage done to his body to make sure his judgement was not being impaired by pain. He felt at least one, possibly two broken ribs, a contusion on his hand and multiple bruises across his body, but he did not believe he had suffered a concussion. The cogs in his mind began working again to try and save his fleet from being overwhelmed by the numbers of Cadriaan. Overall the battle was going comparatively well. He had succeeded in some of the finer aspects of warfare, make the enemy believe you weak when you are strong. Make them think you far when you are near. The reports continued to come in as the enemy rolled up Demetrios' left flank. Advanced measures needed to be taken.
"Order a retreat, all engaged ships, disengage and fall back."
The Mecetti fleet pulled away from the enemy, slowly creeping back from Achillea. Cadriaan hesitated at first, but still having little chain of command it pursued, confidant it could destroy the Mecetti in their flight and route the fleet. Gavril watched the tactical screen at one of the databanks as the Mecetti pursued. Gavril watched, unmoved, as Cadrian vessels ate up ships that fell behind the main group of the retreating Mecetti force.
"Ships, re-engage."
The Mecetti force about faced at their top speed and opened fire on Cadriaan. Cadriaan's ships were strung out across space as they had tried to pursue the Mecetti. Now the Mecetti turned on them with all the skill of a highly trained military.
"Good news, the Melantha commander reports he is ready for the microjump, but we cannot sustain this bombardment much longer, sir. Their numbers are simply overwhelming."
The combat systems officer was indeed correct. Demetrios assessed the damage reports at a glance and nodded once in assent. Of course something needed to be done. Even with all of Demetrios' tactics Cadriaan still outnumbered them.
Cadriaan still had not regained their cohesion after the surprise attack. The huge fleet was strung out away from Achillea with the Mecetti forces facing the very tip of the Cadriaan spear, however blunt and wide of a spear it was. With the Melanthan's fleet arriving at an undisclosed time, Demetrios saw a route toward crushing the enemy with one final stroke. He ordered the communications officer to send out a message to the force. They would be performing a fleet-wide Shey Slash, cutting right up the middle of the uncoordinated enemy fleet all the way back to Achillea.
The Mecetti vessels began to move forward at their full speed. The ships could not fire on the Mecetti with full force or else they would risk hitting their ships on the other side. The Mecetti were under no such hinderances. Jets of green and red flashed across space in incessant patterns, causing explosions against shields and hulls.
Earning their reputation as veterans of combat, the Cadriaan captains quickly adapted to fire on the much larger targets of the Ra and other cruisers, leaving their significant starfighter force to take care of the other Mecetti vessels. Demetrios' face remained stolid as ever as the Ra's shields began to take on heavy damage. In turn, the Mecetti focused fire on specific vessels as they passed, hitting them again and again until they were crippled or destroyed.
"Sir, our heavy cruisers are taking significant damage! Should we break off?"
"No," replied Gavril quickly. "We will stay the course. Gentlebeings, at the end of this run we will make an end to the Cadriaan Fleet."
The bridge crew looked at each other in confusion. It certainly didn't seem that way. Even if Melantha's forces arrived before they were destroyed the combined forces would only be enough to match the Cadriaan, scattered as they were. Some shook their heads sadly, others grimly returned to their tasks. This officer just did not get it. You could not beat a numerically superior force, not when outnumbered by that many ships. It simply was not done. Whoever had the most ships won. Sure, tactics might help to turn the numbers here and there, but against so many? Impossible.
Demetrios assessed and quickly disregarded the low morale of his crew. They had not received training in advanced tactical fleet maneuvers, psychological warfare, or studied the great admirals of military history. They did not know what he knew. Every new surprise took a toll on the morale of Cadriaan. They might have the numerically superior force, but Demetrios was certainly neither outgunned nor outwitted. Already, he thought of the final blow that would scatter this confused morass that was his enemy.
Finally, the last ship cut through the last line of the Cadriaan force. The entire Mecetti fleet was now amassed directly in front of Achillea. They about faced to point their array of guns at the huge mass of Cadriaan ships that stood ready to destroy them. No doubt the Cadriaan captains thought Demetrios' maneuver foolish. He was now trapped with his back quite literally against Achillea. It would take another trip back through the Cadriaan ships to allow Demetrios' ships to activate their hyperdrives and jump away from the planet.
Suddenly, a hundred vessels materialized from hyperspace directly behind the Cadriaan force. At first, the Ra's crew thought them more Cadriaan, but as they turned to look at the tactical display they slowly realized it was the relief force Melantha had promised, with the Intimidator heavy cruiser leading the way. A flurry of comm activity went across the sensors as the enemy captains began attempts to coordinate a defense. Everyone began to realize just what had happened.
Gavril blinked slowly. It played out so perfectly, he could not have planned it better. His Shey Slash had put his force in a perfect position for the Tapani Pincers maneuver that had just been executed, unwittingly, by Melantha. Not only was Melantha here to help, but they had the disoriented Cadriaan fleet caught between their two forces. Gavril thought it high time to end this costly conflict.
"Captain Harubal, open fire."
