Specters of Past Wars: Unfit for Duty

By: C R Daems

Narrated by: Carrie Coello

The Padang Commonwealth Alliance has been invaded by aliens called the Sytorians. The war is in its tenth year, and the Padang Alliance is losing a war of attrition. Initially, the two nations' cruiser-kill ratios were equal. Today, the Sytorians destroy three Padang cruisers for every two Sytorians cruisers.

The Padang admiralty is having a difficult time finding replacement crews for those injured and killed. Particularly experienced fleet and squadron commanders. As a result, the Navy has been forced to promote its officers early before they have sufficient experience and skills and to transfer senior administrative admirals to command fleets

Consequently, the Navy is experiencing a worsening kill ratio each year and is projected to lose the war within five to ten years.

A captain who recently suffered a catastrophic injury sees an unconventional solution, but it would require the Navy to abandon its century-old traditions, which it adamantly refuses to do.

Consequently, the Padang Alliance's only hope of survival is to find a group willing to fund and create a prototype squadron to test the potential solution. If it proves successful, it could be used to force the necessary changes. If not, the Padang Alliance is doomed.

©2024 C R Daems (P)2025 C R Daems

the first battle was a strategic nightmare. then you learn why.

the story doesn't really get started till you get passed the first battle. I made it about halfway through the first battle and gave up in disgust. then a few months later I decided to give it another shot. and it was actualy pretty good. this does feel like maybe a revamp of a work he had previously not finished. or he has no feel for space combat. there is a lot of ships getting in a line side by side and charging at the other guys ships like civil war soldiers. and moving your ships so the make a line up and down is a revolutionary idea to these people. until you realize that the people running the war only have parades to base their formations on. then it all starts to make sense.

Huge Disappointment.

Contains Spoiler.
I have listened to all of author Daems' many great tales. Many several times. Usually they feature young women MCs facing severe personal and professional challenges. These sometimes but not always misogynistic obstacles crop up throughout each MC's life and career.
I enjoy listening to these young women assert their agency.
In this novel, once the main character's [spoiler: loss of limbs] is resolved early in the novel, she faces no more danger. The novel loses its focus on her.
I hope Clem Daems pulled this story out of a pile of early unpublished stories That it does NOT