Briddarri Operation Glimmer

Hyperjump Mines

Operation Glimmer was a military operation during the Naplian wars, in the Briddarri and Dresch theater of operations. Hyperjump capable smartmines were launched into starstream paths from the Dresch frontier into Naplia, to destroy transiting warships and transports. After several postponements insisted on by the Dresch government, fearful of Naplian retaliation, the operation commenced, as luck would have it, at the very time when the Naplian offensive along the Dresch and Audrian border began. The mines caused some damage and delay to Naplian starstream traffic and damaged starbases and orbital installations. Part of the plan was for Royal Briddarri stealthships to drop the mines into starstreams connected to Naplia’s Svenisch ally, but the speed of the campaign ended all hope of continuing operations. 

Hesitation

Despite the objections of the Dresch government, fearing Naplian reprisals against Dresch starstreams, the operation was planned to coincide with a similar scheme to mine the starstreams along the Briddarri frontier. 

Starstream mine operations against Naplia were intended to deflect criticism, that the Grand Alliance was not serious about the war with Naplia. A decision of the Audro-Dresch Supreme War Council was taken early in the war to commence hyperjump mining operations and stealthship-drops of smartmines. This was vetoed shortly afterward by the Dresch War Committee, a ruling which was not rescinded for about three years when the Briddarri and Dresch finally agreed that hyperjump mining would begin as soon as the expected Naplian offensive commenced.

Plan

The plan had been presented to the Briddarri War Cabinet by the Royal Briddarri Navy as retaliation for Naplian orbital minelaying. Admiral Sir Evered Res claimed that he had originally proposed the idea to the prime minister when they visited western Audria in the early months of the conflict, but by the time the operation began, the prime minister believed the idea was his. A stock of twenty million smartmines, released at the rate of one thousand per day, were to be put into starstreams in Dresch that flowed into western Naplia. It was to be a naval operation under the command of Briddarri Commander Garser Belvey. 

Mines

The mines were specially developed for the operation by Defense Laboratory 151 (also known as “The Toy Factory), a Briddarri weapon research laboratory. Each mine contained 60 kg of Triservuoleine (TSV). Trials of the mines were carried out in the at the Timmeran Starsystem Naval Gunnery Range where the mines successfully maneuvered and detonated as advertised.

Operation

Early in the campaign mines were released in the Kose starsystem to destroy enemy jump beacons; other mines were hyper-launched into the Erna starsystem but failed to arm. Soon after the Briddarri put 1,700 mines in the Nirhe starstream near Haym starsystem and reportedly damaged several troop transports. Starstream traffic was temporarily suspended around Haym starsystem as a result. By the time of the general retreat, 2,3 million mines had been released into Naplian starstreams. Admiral Agasta Pretilt, commander of the Dresch 22nd Fleet Group, ordered a massive hyperjump mine launch to delay a Naplian attack on the Dresch forward positions in Kafafir Nebula. Briddarri stealthship mine drops began immediately, but few mines were laid by stealthships before the general retreat was ordered and the main stockpile of smartmines was abandoned at the naval munitions depot on Gerania-6.

Next…Northern Terra Campaign Highlights

Artwork by Camilo Aldana

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