Neptune's Massif by Ben Winston Page A

several ARC ships will be remaining here indefinitely to bolster our defense. Folks, we can do this, and I feel we can do it pretty damn quickly, too.
    " Star Dancer will stop a quarter light year outside the outer planet's orbit. We'll launch both our Raptor teams and four Condor-AS variants before proceeding in system on a slow, low-emission hyperbolic course.
    "Our Raptors will head straight in. Damocles will set down near the continental capitol of Stardoc, while Hephaestus picks a spot near the planetary Capitol of Greywind on the southern continent. Their mission will be recon, evaluate and disrupt. They are also to determine if there is a resistance movement, and if so, try to make contact with them. Once the attack begins they will be free to raise all the hell they want for the enemy commanders on planet.
    The Condors will hunt down and destroy the two light cruisers and try to soften up the medium before we arrive. When Star Dancer gets close enough, we'll splash the medium if the Condors haven't. At that time, we'll drop our Marines, and the fight will be on. We'll launch fighters for air support and enemy air suppression. At that point, I will call the Imperial Governor and demand his immediate surrender. Now, we all know that no plan lasts beyond first contact with the enemy, so it'll be adjusted as we go, but that's the gist of it. Questions?" Ian finished.
    "How will we locate the Benesians the Matriarch would like us to find?" Someone asked.
    "I would hope that once the fighting is over, they would simply come forward to tell us they are there. If not, I suppose we can simply start searching for them. Scanners are good for stuff like that," Ian said playfully.
    "Do you have an over-all timeline for the operation, Admiral?" Chloe asked.
    "I'll send you the planning file Chloe, but the operations time-line is four days, give or take a day. I tried to remain flexible until we get a handle on those infantry folks," Ian replied. "We all know how unpredictable Marines can be!"
    "You got that right, Sir!" Major Reise said, laughing.
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    J u'nio Ha'ena Beach
    Hawaii
    Mid-Pacific Ocean
    Planet Earth
    Sol System, Sol Sector
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    C oming in low from the east, over the ocean, Alan led the small fleet of three shuttles with his Raptor. They were very low because of their proximity to Hilo International Airport, they tried to stay out of the airspace a commercial flight might be using. They came in quietly, very early in the tropical morning, before the sun had risen, in order to land and get the ships under cover as quickly as possible without being seen.
    Alan knew that the drones had built a large, underground hanger as part of the construction, but really hadn't paid attention to how big it really was. As the small ships crossed over the small abandoned resort, Alan saw lights on the ground form two circles indicating where the craft were to land.
    Andreya, who was acting as the flight controller, ordered the Raptor and one of the shuttles to hover while the remaining two shuttles landed in the circles. Alan watched in amazement as the shuttles were lowered into the hanger, then moved to the side, and the elevator returned to the surface; far quicker than he thought they would be able to.
    After all four craft were inside the hanger, and the 'doors' were once again closed and hidden, Alan and his team got out of the shuttle to meet Doctor Juno and his band of researchers. Alan was surprised, as there seemed to be a lot of them.
    Andreya found something to stand on so she could speak to the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to Hawaii. The base computer system is not an AI, but it is smart enough to be able to assist you with most questions. Mathias is also available via comms for the time being. All of you have been assigned quarters here and can be guided to them by the computer. For the time being, however, I would recommend you assist the drones in unloading your ships