LITMIR.BIZ

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      “The drones were unable to penetrate the camouflage fields of the active satellites, but judging by the wreckage of the destroyed satellites, they are unarmed. Apparently, the base on the natural satellite was designed to study the civilization inhabiting the planet. The drone managed to download some information from one of the almost dead satellites. It couldn't access the shared network, but it broke into the local data storage, and now we know a lot about about what was happening on the planet before Admiral Kuhn arrived here.”

      “It can wait,” Hirch brushed him off. “What is known about the base itself?”

      “All exterior structures are destroyed. There is no sign of the camouflage field generators, but scanners have not been able to penetrate deep below the surface. The lower levels of the base could have survived, with a fairly high probability of doing so.”

      “Could anti-space defense assets have been preserved there?”

      “They could, especially if they were located at some distance from the base itself and were used only at the very end of the battle. It is possible that hangars with fighters or in-system transport ships have also survived.”

      “Is the enemy showing any activity?”

      “There is no absolute certainty, but drones are picking up signs of short-range communication systems. The orbital constellation seems to be exchanging data with someone on the planet's surface and with the base on the natural satellite.”

      “What's going on down there?”

      “There's a big war going on over there, Commander,” replied the ship's deputy commander for armament, “The Aborigines enthusiastically destroy each other, using primitive technology that is two hundred years, maybe two hundred and fifty years, behind ours. The only problem is that there are a lot of these wild people out there. The resources of the Consul Pran are not enough to destroy them all. Besides, it's not certain that we'll be allowed to do it in peace. Going to the planet with an incomprehensible object on the satellite behind us…”

      “Don't take me for an idiot, Korff,” Hirch grimaced. “Forward me all the data delivered by the intelligence. War on the planet is good for us. If we can't kill the natives on our own without undue risk, why not help them do our job for us? I think covert support for the losing side would be a good solution. Senior Analyst, in eight hours I want to see a preliminary computer analysis of the main scenarios of our intervention in the course of combat operations on the planet. The goal is to expand the scope and intensity of the conflict as much as possible. There must be no winners in this war.”

      Chapter 2

      Vice Admiral Gun'ichi Mikawa stared intently into the night sea. Today his luck had smiled on him. In the difficult battle just ended, his squadron defeated U.S. and Australian allied forces covering the landing of the American troops on the island of Guadalcanal.

      The Solomon Islands were one of the most important points in the Pacific Ocean. With the airfield already nearly completed on this strategically important island, Japanese aviation would be able to control considerable water space and operate on convoy routes connecting the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

      The Americans also understood the importance of Guadalcanal and were not going to let the Japanese gain a foothold on the island and build an air base there. The Allied amphibious landing began on August 7, and attempts to prevent it with air strikes had only limited success. As darkness fell, however, the Imperial Navy entered the fray.

      Allied ships covering the landing fell into the trap set by Mikawa off Savo Island. Their four heavy cruisers went down. Another cruiser and two destroyers sustained serious damage, while not a single ship in the Imperial Navy even lost combat effectiveness[1]. It was an undoubted victory, but it was no less important to make the next decision. It was now, after the destruction of the cover ships, that the way to the American landing zone was open, Mikawa's cruisers could reach the defenseless American transports unloading equipment and ammunition on the island shore. However, somewhere in the darkness of night the American aircraft carriers were hiding, and if morning caught the Japanese ships in range of their planes, this victory could turn into a catastrophe.

      It was a difficult decision. Vice Admiral Mikawa understood that his ships would need time to regroup, eliminate the effects of enemy shells and to reload torpedo tubes, which was a laborious and time-consuming procedure. The Japanese ships had few shells left, and there was no air cover. The few seaplanes based on the cruisers don't count – they're just scouts. A brief meeting with members of the staff only confirmed Mikawa's near decision not to risk the squadron, and at two hours and twenty minutes he ordered his ships to begin withdrawal.

      Suppressing a heavy sigh, the Vice Admiral temporarily turned over command of the squadron to the commander of the cruiser Chōkai and headed for his quarters. The victory warmed his soul, but the decision made did not give the squadron commander peace of mind and brought unpleasant thoughts.

      The first months of the war brought a number of resounding victories for the Land of the Rising Sun. After the tremendous success in attacking the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, the destruction of two British battleships in the South China Sea, the capture of Burma, Malaysia and the Philippines, the successful landing of General Yamashita's army at Singapore followed, as did the landing at Bali and the capture of the islands of Sumatra and Timor.

      In the battle in the Java Sea, Rear Admiral Takagi's squadron sank five enemy cruisers and five destroyers, almost completely destroying the Anglo-American squadron that was trying to prevent the Japanese from taking over Java Island. As early as the eighth of March the garrison of Java surrendered and thereafter the entire Dutch East Indies were seized by Japanese troops almost without resistance. Then, in March, they occupied the Andaman Islands.

      Japanese-controlled territory moved close to the shores of Australia. On the nineteenth of February their aircraft bombed Darwin, and on the third of May the island of Tulagi was occupied without a fight, and a major battle for New Guinea and the Solomon Islands unfolded.

      Nevertheless, the first failures appeared in the victorious expansion of the Empire of Japan. On May 3 a battle took place off the coast of Australia in the Coral Sea in which the Japanese failed to achieve a decisive victory, and in early June the Imperial Navy lost four aircraft carriers in a battle off Midway Atoll, which was a real disaster. Naval aviation suffered irreparable losses, losing its most experienced and trained pilots.

      And now the Americans and their allies became so bold that they decided to launch a counteroffensive by landing on Guadalcanal Island. And he, Vice Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, had a real opportunity to disrupt this enemy operation, but he limited himself to winning the sea battle, and, with his tail between his legs, turned his ships around, afraid of aircraft attacks from American aircraft carriers.

      To distract himself, Mikawa sat down in a chair at his desk and turned on the radio, trying to tune in to the Tokyo radio wave. Soon he heard the familiar callsigns of "Kyokai Hoso" of the NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation. Through the usual rustle of interference the announcer was talking about the weather, and the Vice Admiral grimaced, realizing that in the next few minutes he would not hear anything important. At that moment, Mikawa didn't yet know how badly he was wrong.

      The slight crackling of the air suddenly turned into an unpleasant screech, which was almost immediately replaced by an unfamiliar silence, and then it was cut through by a distinct and somewhat lifeless voice, speaking Japanese clearly, but with a strange, unnatural accent.

      “Vice Admiral Mikawa, if you would be so kind as to give me a few minutes of your time…”

      Mikawa twitched with his whole body, staring at the radio receiver like it was a poisonous snake.

      “Don't worry, Vice Admiral. Unfortunately, our communication is one-way, so just listen to me. If you want details about who I am, I will explain, but not now, because it is not so important at the moment.

      What is important is that the enemy aircraft carriers that you feared when you decided to abort the operation had, the night before, withdrawn from Guadalcanal and have left the Solomon Islands area. Yesterday your

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