Free Battle for Proxima by Michael G. Thomas

of the Fleet and hope that once through, we can isolate the headquarters of the enemy and completely destroy it. This, of course, still leaves us with the enemy forces here to contend with. We could then bring reinforcements back with us for a general offensive. Option number two, we concentrate our efforts on the enemy forces here and cut them off from their base of support in Alpha Centauri, by blockading the Anomaly. The last option is to ignore the Anomaly, using every ship at our disposal to destroy them once and for all. What do you think, General?”
    General Rivers shook his head and turned away from the display.
    “Well?” asked the Admiral impatiently.
    “I appreciate you want to get this offensive over, trust me, so do I. I’m concerned at the level of intelligence we currently have. We know a little about their command and control, but nothing about the leadership, their motives and strategy and most importantly of all, their disposition. How many ships do they actually have? What about factories, like the one we now control on Prometheus?”
    “You surprise me, General, I thought you would have been the first to want to strike the enemy,” she said.
    “Of course, but not without knowing what we face. With the planetary militias calling in their army units, our remaining forces are heavily depleted. My ground forces currently consist of just three Marine battalions and nine fully operational, equipped and mobile Army battalions. I’ve got another fifteen spread throughout garrisons, most on Prime, of course. That isn’t enough to occupy one minor planet or even a major colony, let alone to conduct a continuous war. We might have the ships, but do we have the manpower to actually take and hold ground?”
    “I’m assuming you have a suggestion?”
    General Rivers straightened up and gave a wry smile.
    “You sensed that? Well, a slight modification to your last option might give you the fast offensive that you want, as well as providing the troops and intel that I think we need to continue the war effort.”
    “Go on,” she said enthusiastically.
    “We blockade the Anomaly and send in scouts to investigate the route. They can make contact with Terra Nova and establish the situation there. Ideally, we can open up a resupply route. If not, we can block or mine the area to stop ships using it. As you know, I can get most of the infantry off world and on ships in less than forty-eight hours. I recommend we adopt a planet hopping strategy. We hit a populated planet first, clear the enemy and set up forward bases and recruitment centres. We leave behind a small number of troops to train the locals and draft new battalions from the local population.”
    “Then we load up and move the Fleet to the next location, land the troops and do the same?” she replied as she considered his ideas.
    “It will be slower than I had hoped, but it does have benefits. By keeping the Fleet and the ground forces close together, we can maximise our effectiveness. The only real problem with this is, that it will allow the enemy free reign to move through the sector and attack at will.”
    “That is true, Admiral. I therefore propose we select targets we can secure quickly at the beginning. We need maximum results in the shortest possible time. I would suggest either Agora or Orthrus. Both have seceded, and I can guarantee the population will already be reeling under the occupation.”
    “Yes, this is more like it,” said the Admiral, with what looked like a happy expression. She turned to the intelligence staff that had been stood quietly.
    “Do you have any intelligence that could be of assistance with this strategy?” she asked.
    “Analysis of the limited data, from the probe sent into the Anomaly, confirms that the link to Alpha Centauri through the Anomaly appears stable. We were unable to ascertain the situation on the other side, other than two points. The first is that the final image, after substantial