Its us again! Here to bring you yet another exciting community topic!!!!
This topic is dedicated to any stories, lore, epic poems, novels, Role Playing...anything your heart desires to share!!!
We are always up for a good read and are excited to see what you all create from DS.
We will be featuring hopefully some neat post in this orginal post every so often. Maybe be something we liked or we though it need attention! So, aim your Ogrov at that writers block and get your fingers typing!
There aren't any rules, but we do have some guidelines to follow so that we all can participate and enjoy ourselves.-There is really no limit on what you post just as long as it is Distant Stars related.-Most members are participating in a single large story with the occasional side story or two. While this thread is certainly not limited to just that story, for the benefit of all readers and participants, please begin your post with how we're supposed to handle it. (Personal Story) (DS RP) (Trader Space) Examples of this can be found all throughout the thread or by looking at this post. https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/21/#2596003 This will help us all out by letting us know if you're trying to set yourself up to join the main lore, if you plan on just telling your own story, or if you're just writing lullabies for children to sing before they go to bed.-While we don't expect you to 'Play the game' in your stories, we do ask that you keep any liberties that you take be grounded within the game. For example: Talking about your space marines invading another ship is not something the game covers, so feel free to be inventive on how it would happen. However, carrying point singularity rifles that open up little black holes is beyond the scope of the game and will not be allowed. Soldiers with phasic armor that prevents them from being wounded let alone even being hit, while being relevant to the technology in the game would also not be allowed. The point is to be fair to the other people. We encourage you to ask yourselves, would this work in the game, and how would I feel if someone used this on me? If You feel strongly that it would work and you'd be okay with it being used against you, then by all means, use it. Fantasy posting, dream sequences, and April Fool's postings are of course, immune from this guideline.-We highly encourage you to message other members for help or advice. There is a TeamSpeak channel that is frequently used by the regulars to talk issues out or just shoot the breeze behind the scenes. Everyone is encouraged to take advantage of these resources. Also, 'regulars' may send you messages with suggestions, concerns, or advice. It's nothing personal, so please do not be offended, they're just trying to help keep the lore consistent within these guidelines. If there's any doubt at all about anything, just message one of the people who you see posting a lot. If they don't know, they'll pass your message along to someone who does or tell you who you need to talk to.-It is also highly recommended that you message other RPers before posting anything involving their stuff. If you don't, you're likely going to find all of DS rising up against you.-In an effort to reduce clutter, we're asking that Out Of Character (OOC) commenting be either sent to the individual for whom it is intended by using the private message feature, or take it to another thread. https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/366762 is a thread frequented by many of the lore writers and random comment posting about anything under the sun is highly encouraged there as well in an attempt to get the thread locked. Enjoy.
Here are other stories found within the topic:
-Reply # 103 Coloniel3 has started a interesting story. We look forward to more from him/her soon! JUMP TO STORY
-Reply # 107 Cadalancea has shared some great stories from his/her own writtings!! Again we look forward to more from him/her!! JUMP TO STORY
Some resources that we have spent hours, days, and weeks working on that will help out all participants in this thread. We ask that you look through these to help you better understand the region.-About Distant Stars- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/11/#2532381This post will give you a lot of basic information on what the region of space is like, how to get there, and who is there waiting for you.-Distant Stars Maps- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/23/#2604760This post provides you with a quick look at the region and provides you with a download link where you can get yourself a copy of the posted maps in their unreduced forms. They're very helpful when trying to figure out where to go and who you're likely going to run into when you get there. Maps of individual systems are posted throughout the thread. They're generally posted by the first person to explore the system. If you don't know if a system has been explored or not or want to see a map of a system that has been explored, ask around via PM or TeamSpeak. Someone will point you to the place.-Character Biographies- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/11/#2532380This post is a general collection of the main RP characters whom you will likely have contact with. We ask that all people posting in the main lore post their main character(s) bio as soon as possible so that the rest of us have a little background on who your character is, how they like to fight, where do they come from, and why they're there. Read the existing bios for examples on what we're looking for.
-Player made TEC Fleet Ranking Structure- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/17/#2581279
-UE Fleet Rankings- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/18/#2582667
-David's Lions Fleet Rankings- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/18/#2581491
-Advent Social Structure/Rankings- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/18/#2581615
-Potential Gas Giant Colony Designs- https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/372058/page/30/#2617791
ITS SUGGESTED YOU READ ALL THE LORE POST, IF YOU WISH TO JOIN US. THIS ALLOWS YOU TO UNDERSTAND AND CATCH UP ON ALL THE CURRENT HAPPENINGS.
no longer needed
(NO LONGER NEEDED, SEE EDIT FOR OP)
Don't worry I won't try a crossover with Star Wars. Maybe 'DAH!' but only if I run out of good ideas.
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Admiral Jak'lya sat amid the captains of the TEC. His alien face, horrible as it was, was expressionless save for a look similar to that of deep thought. Finally, in his raspy and alien voice he answered.
"Captain Borovsky. I am not a liar. We sent our entire fleet of shipssss to counter this unknown threat and the only one that survived was filled with soldiers who were weeping and crying, broken by thissss enemy."
He returned his gaze to the rest of the captains. Most had dumbfounded looks of shock or horror on their faces, and still others were filled with triumphant glory. Only General Veers was expressionless. Finally he spoke up.
"Admiral Jak'lya. What you have told us...defies simple explanation. You have answered several questions and opened up a whole field of new ones. However, if you will assist us against the Advent, then perhaps, perhaps, we can set aside our differences and work together."
Ignoring the shocked looks on his fellow officers' faces Veers stood up, extended his hand, and said "Truce?"
Across the table Admiral Jak'lya also stood, took Veers' hand and said, "Truce."
Lord Ryat looked at the pill sitting in front of him. He did not want to do what he was about to do. But he and Carbon needed the info on that artifact. Still, to do what he was about to do just felt wrong, even to an Advent. It represented all that he hated about the Advent. The Vasari he understood, they were a desperate race. They just needed someone to help them and they needed to humbly accept it, like Lord J'rah. But the Advent were pure evil. Yes some, like his grandfather, were slowly waking up to the wrongness, but most were accepting of what the Advent were doing. But still, to do this, just felt wrong. He sighed as he contemplated his desicion. They needed the information. And that deep into Advent territory few spies could penetrate, and that process took longer than this would. With a sigh he took the pill from off of the table in his room, laid himself down, and swallowed the pill. The Advent used drugs to enhance their abilities, but they either used them in ceremonial purpose or for recreational use. Hence, they never bothered to refine or study all of the effects. His grandfather had, and had taught him all about drugs. He had used some in moderation to hook up with some Advent, the low order Coalescence woman was one, but he never really pushed the level but once. And now he was doing it again. As the drug hit his system the room started to spin and the his senses, changed. He struggled to control his breathing, remembering the exercises he had learned, keeping himself centered. Then, when he was fully in the trance, he focused his thoughts upon that woman. Soon he was seeing double as he entered her mind and say what she saw, heard what she heard and sensed what she sensed. Using her senses he was able to realize she was not in any spot where a moment of inattention would be noticed or cause personal issues. He began slowly working into her mind again, laying certain instructions as well as gathering more intel. Slowly he made the changes necessary and then began to clean up, making sure to leave little or no evidence. Then, being satisfied with that, he worked his way out of her mind and recentered himself. With as much willpower as he could muster, he forced his physical body to grab a medical injector at his side and pressed it against his leg. The counter drug in the injector forcable cleansed the drug out of his system, jarring him mentally. The room spun and he quickly turned over and vomited on to the floor several times. As he layed there exhausted and spent, he remembered the convesation with his grandfather about this. He had asked him if the others did things this way. His grandfather shook his head saying that they revelled in playing in others minds and generally let the drug wear out. Few if any took the counter drug. Slowly the effects wore off and he became aware of another presences in the room. He shifted his body towards the person and saw Captain Usyma sitting in a chair nearby with a worried expression on her face. Startled he sat up. "My Lord are you okay?" she asked quietly looking at the vomit on the floor. "Yeah, guess it was something I ate, Im fine now," he said shakily, "To be honest, I wouldn't mind eating something else." he commented as he tried to stand up and almost fell as Usyma grabbed hold of him and lifted him up onto his bed. "I'll get someone to bring you something to eat and get this mess cleaned up," she said as she picked up the medical injector and tossed it into the disposal unit. Ryat merely nodded his head in thanks. "Oh and Ryat dear?" Usyma said quietly. He looked at her as she looked back at him into his eyes, "Next time you do something like this. Let me know so that I can cover for you. You have been down for 16 hours."
The captains sat and stared at General Veers and thier new ally, Admiral Jak'lya of the Exodus Fleet, in silence. Many were contemplating what had been said. Some had accepted it already. Releasing the aliens grip General Veers sat back down.
"Admiral, if our forces are to truly work together, we have many things that we must go over."
The alien likewise sat and spoke in his rough voice. "Yessss General. A sssuitable chain of command mussst be esstablisshed."
Captain Lyap, of the Fermin, also spoke up.
"We also must familiarize ourselves with eachother's ships, fleets, and intelligence. So that we canset up a united front against the Advent."
"Yessss. Captain, you have the mind of a true warrior."
Captain Lyap stirred,in a delicate soft voice she said, "Thank you admiral."
"Captain Lyap speaks the truth Admiral," General Veers told the assembled captains. To the Vasari he said "I am sorry for the loss of the Reviar. We would've needed that ships experience."
With a rough sound, laughter perhaps, the Vasari commanders acted as though sharing an inside joke. Finally, Admiral Jak'lya quieted them enough to tell General Veers what had truly happened. Through occasional bursts of chuckling from his fellow captains, Admiral Jak'lya told General Veers, "The Reviar wasss not dessstroyed today General. We intended thisssss whole battle to be a diversion ssso that we might get your attention."
Raising an eyebrow General Veers replied, "Ah good. The Reviar is perhaps the most feared of all your ships Admiral. However the loss of that ship may greatly damage our cause."
"It will not General Veersssss. The ship was an automated hulk, made from the burned wreckage of the Lok'ja from a previous battle."
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I'll finish it later.
The Osiris had finialy reached the Underworld. They had made it though the the heavy debrie field and where finialy docking with the starbase. The events apon the Osiris had been somewhat hectic. Vlad's men had gone though every person on the ship, searching for anything that could give them a lead. They now had five on the ship that where known to be apart of the terrorist cell. The rest of the crew looked to be alright to Vlad. The terrorist had changed the intel brief before it was given to Carbon. This was to lead him to his death, but Carbon was able to make it though. The five had been taken on board the Underworld to have thier minds pumped and wiped. This method was illeagal with in the TEC, but no one really knew where the Underworld was at, and Xenon's crews where good at covering thier tracks. Xenon watched as the rest of the men slowly filed off the ship, making thier way to the barracks or the many small bars on the starbase. As the finial members of the crew left, Vlad came to stand next to Xenon
" Just the five sir, all others check out. Seems they sent onboard to watch your movement. Sir we need to be more carful with who comes of board, especialy now that we have it." Vlad said, standing next to Xenon, looking out at the large dock that housed thousands of strike craft.
" Yes Vlad, i understand, the next time the Osiris leaves here, you will need to screen all members of the crew. Our package will need to be preped and moved to sector 11. Your men are to only do this, and it is to be known by only the men doing it. Dont tell them what they are doing, just have them do it." Xenon said, as he slowly looked around
" yes sir i understand " Vlad said, then he quickly moved away to compleat his task.
Xenon stood a moment longer, then he walked off, heading to his nexus of information at the heart of the Underworld. As he moved though the starbase, he took note of the individuals he passed, looking for any sign that would lead to suspicion. As he reached the control room, he looked for the closest comm. officer
" Get Carbon online, i need to talk to him. its top priority" Xenon said has he moved to a small seat that was close to the officer.
"yes sir, give me a moment to make the connection"
"Understood, tell me when its ready" Xenon said has he sat down in the chair
Alexander puts the teacup on the arm of his chair, "Glad to hear from the planet's surface. This is the DLS David. We have a Centauri fleet and one other vessel with us."
"The -Ue_ only has enough room for a handful of vessels at a time. A rotation will have to be set up. In the meantime, I will inform my superiors that you have arrived. Please give us a moment and Alkali Branson will transmit the rotation orders. We hope you make yourselves comfortable during your stay," the voice responds back before disconnecting.
Alexander turns to his comm officer, "Cheery people, wouldn't you say, Lieutenant?"
The lieutenant nods, "Enough so, sir."
"In the meantime, tell Captain Levin I would love to have a meal with him. Preferably on the David. I find Marzas a touch too claustrophobic for my tastes," he quips.
The lieutenant replies, "I will send your request, sir."
The Centauri are given priority in the rotation, being quickly serviced since little to no wear has been accumulated on the trip. Shore leave is largely arranged via shuttle, but kept on board the station orbiting the planet so as not to upset local laws or concerns. While the Centauri make a line for their maintenance, the two Lions point outward to await any new arrivals, wanted or otherwise.
Commander Dukin leaned back in his battle couch and took a sip of the soda he was enjoying during his shift on the Starbase Alta. This was his favorite command and he had many. Kols, Sovas, Marzas, he had commanded many ships and had several shot out from underneath him. But he kept going until he commanded a Dunov and lost that one as well. He figured it was time to move on, so when the oppirtunity to command a starbase came up he jumped on it. The fact that Lord Ryat paid good and gave him a lot of latitude, as long as results came in, made it so much better. He glanced at the holorojection of the gravwell of Eras VII, it was a volcanic world that had several metal asteriod mines around it and refineries that serviced not only the metal mines but two asteroid fields containing crystal asteriods. The starbase served as a defensive trade port. it was armed and armour as well as TEC could make them with trade ports and a small group of fighter bays containing the latest gunships. A small fleet of a Kol and Dunov plus several groups of Kodiaks, Cobalts and Hoshikos stood guard. They were several lanes away from the front though so Dukin felt safe. That safe feeling went away when a bright flash that seemed to fill the command center occured. All power was lost for a few moments before stand by generators came online. Commander Dukin had not be strapped in his battle couch and had drifted out of it a bit before the gravity came back on. He quickly strapped down. "What the hell was that?!" he shouted. "Unknown sir," his tactical officer replied as he worked quickly with the tactical board, "the computers are still down. We should have it up in moments." Dukin waited anxiously until everything was back online. "Okay, we are up sir," the tactical officer reported, "we were hit by some of phasic weapon of unknown origin." "Give me a report of whats going outside," Dukin ordered noticing that the holoprojection was looking odd. "It seems the whole gravwell was hit. The fleet is reporting massive electrical damage and minor hull damage," the tac officer responded, "They should be up soon, but they don't have the backups we-" The tac officer's board screamed an alert. "Sir we have unidentified ships coming in," he reported, "Oh My Gods! Its the Vasari!"
Indeed it was the Vasari, as two Antorak Maraudars came through the phasic hole made by their Kostura Cannon. One opened up a Phase Gate, while the other launched EWS bombers and Sabotuer Nanites that slowed operations in the grav well down. The small TEC defense fleet had straightened itself out and began heading out to engage. It was quickly slowed by the EWS bombers. A much bigger Vasari fleet came through the Phase Gate consisting of 4 Kortul Devastorts, 2 Jarrasuls, and 2 Vulkoras with 50 Skirmishers and 40 Lasurak Transporters. The Kol managed to fire off a Gauss Rail Gun shot before one of the Marauders took it out and into phase space. The Kortuls fell upon the Dunov and it was soon done away with in a fiery explosion. The starbase launched its gunships which took out a fair number of Vasari strike craft but was overwhelmed by the sheer number of fighters while the bombers and Skirmishers cut through the TEC frigates like a chainsaw. The defense fleet was neutralized quickly. "They are staying out of our range sir," the tac officer said, "only missiles can hit them that far out." Dukin nodded in understanding but kept his eyes glued to the holoprojection. It wasn't the fleet that held his interest though. He called up a view screen that focused on an unassuming Migrator at the back end of the fleet. One that quickly began forming the lattice work for a Vasari Starbase. He had heard of the Vasari's ability to quickly build a starbase but to see it was awesome and terrifying. And he knew what would happen when it was finished.
Lord Ryat slammed open the doors to the conference room in anger. "I want to know what the hell happened at Eras VII?" he commanded as he sat at the head of the conference table. His staff quietly pulled out hastily prepared reports. Captain Usyma spoke first. "Well My Lord," she began "this attack came from the Vasari that we had previously thought we had taken out a couple of month ago. Apperently they have a much bigger section of their empire on the farside of the Advent. They came in on a shot from their Kostura Cannon and took the defenses there by suprise. It was a total lose." "The refineries and mines were completely destroyed as well My Lord," reported the Economic Advisor, "and we may lose the cyrstal mines soon in the asteroid belts as well." Lord Ryat sighed, then looked over at his Operations Officer. "My report, My Lord, is both good and bad," she began, "The good news is that we have enough resources to continue our build up for the attack on the Advent. The bad news is we don't have enough to take back the planet and will need to consolidate some of our defenses to shore up our lines from another attack by the Vasari, which means more planets lost." Lord Ryat sighed as he took in the information as presented. The attack on the Advent had to take place as planned. He still did not know what was going on but he knew that he had to push the attack and though Carbon would be helping, Carbon was stretched thin as well. And Lord J'rah couldn't help as he was on the other side of Eras VII, plus Ryat doubted he could convince the council to attack another Vasari clan right now. He had to deal with the Vasari or they would be a thorn in his side that he could not ignore. He picked up his copies of the reports and went over them, letting his mind work over them. "Is Admiral Alexander still in the sector?" he asked. "Yes sir, he has two capital ships with cruiser support near the Ario system and has been in contact with Carbon," Usyma responded. "Send him a message that I might have a target for him, let him know its a Vasari target and that it will be softened up for him," Ryat said, "Tell him he can have whatever planets and gravwells we have to abandon and whatever this Vasari clan has taken over." An aide came in to the room and handed Captain Usyma a report then left. Lord Ryat and the rest waited while she read it over. "Well, this gets better and better," she said, "Apperently the Vasari have built a Phase Gate at Eras VII." "Then also give Alexander the technical info on the Phase Gates and tell him what he can do with it." Ryat smiled wolfishly.
The man walked cautiously onto the hangar deck approaching the man in black at the end of the deck slowly. "You asked to see me?" he said. "Yes, I did" Lord Ryat said as he turned to face the man, "I have a job for you and your companions. As you know the Vasari has made things interesting at Eras VII. I want you to make things interesting back." "Yes well, its going to cost ya," the man said, "not to mention that fact that the Vasari have more strike craft then we can handle. It may get ugly for us." Lord Ryat smiled coldly, "Yes that is why I would be quite willing to look the other way, while certain hulks were to disappear," he said as he pointed to a group of six Halycon carrier hulks floating in space.
Alexander sat in his ready room, fiddling his fingers as his eyes glare into space. A beep comes over the comm and he continues to fiddle. The comm beeps again and he looks up, his fingers freezing in motion.
"Yes?"
"Sir, we have a priority one communication from Lord Ryat Arnoldt. Eras VII has fallen to the Vasari and he's wishing for assistance. In trade it appears he's willing to give us control over the liberated planets?"
"One moment," Alexander says before hanging up and grabbing his coat. He enters the bridge and takes his seat, "Ensign, lay in a course for Eras VII. Advise the Jerischo and Centauri fleets to meet us there. Let Ryat know we're not aristocrats. This will be a freebie for him."
"Sir, we're also getting a data feed from Lord Ryat. It's technical specifications to a Vasari Jump Gate."
Alexander quirks an eyebrow, "Why in blazes would he be giving us that information?"
"Unsure, sir."
"Alright, hold on to that data and get us there as quickly as possible. Open up a channel to the Jericho."
His comm beeps and Captain Levin comes over, "Yes, sir?"
"Captain Levin, do you have a missile barrage prepared?"
"Yes, sir. Five hundred missiles loaded and ready to go."
"Good, prepare to use the things." With that the two vessels make their way to the edge of the gravity well and jump out, leaving the Centauri behind to gather themselves before joining.
Coming out of phase space, the two vessels stand a far distance off from the action in orbit. A group of Halcyon carriers share their firepower with the Vasari fleet, and the space station hovers slightly apart from the rest. Alexander asks, "Tactical, did we have any sign that the Advent would be here?"
A lieutenant commander stationed to the rear right of Alexander goes over his console, "No, sir. I'm not sure they're even Advent. We are not picking up any psionic wavelengths."
Alexander shakes his head, "Nevermind. As long as they keep them busy, I'm happy."
The Orkulus takes notice of the newcomers and departs from the slugfest taking place between capital vessels. It turns its cumbersome body towards the David and begins the approach. Alexander angles his head towards the lieutenant commander, "Is that thing well armed?"
"Reinforced plating, but the weapons are still undergoing construction. She's a fish, sir. We'll have to act fast to keep it that way."
"Very well, command the Jericho to take point. Ensign, flank the station and begind firing."
The Jericho goes nose to nose with the station, firing nuclear weapons into its belly. The David swings around, its autocannons peppering the surface of the shielding with fire until it arrives at the backside of the station and turns its railguns and beam weaponry towards it. With each impact, a dull thud sounds and slight amounts of inertial energy pass under the feet of the crewmen. The stations' shielding fails to hold for long, allowing the weapons fire to meet the hull directly.
"Order the gunships to scramble. I want to hinder their completion of those weapons." The gunships launch in a minute, screaming towards the projections on the station. On the surface, Vasari construction units grapple onto the metal and assemble the weapon systems. They are a short way from complete when a group of TEC vessels dart by, firing a light flak towards the site. Small clouds of gas and hot metal make their appearance, the shrapnel peircing holes through several parts of the equipment and even critically damaging one of the construction units. With each pass, the weaponry falls further and further away from being complete, until the project is an apparent failure.
The Jericho's shielding is on the edge of collapse when the a railgun blast from the David blasts through one of the energy emits holding the two halves of the station together. The resulting damage causes the maneuvering engines to fire out of balance and the top end spins out of control, the fingers crashing against the bulbous, lower section. The metal tears apart and the station soon becomes wreathed in flame. As the form shreds into bits, the two TEC vessels make a swift departure. As they leave the scene, a bright flash of light signals the demise of the station.
"Sir, the station's destruction is confirmed," the tactical officer informs.
"Very well, let's engage that mess of a sortie over there. Order the Jericho to remain on our flanks. We'll have to take the brunt this time around."
Ahead of them the Halcyon's continue to put up a strong fight. Two of them are doomed, one drifting away while venting atmosphere and the other breaking into sections. The Vasari are not much better off, with a Vulkoras dead in space and one of the Kortuls suffering multiple hull breaches. Alexander watches the representations on the screen flash red and feed out data as they approach. "Focus fire on the wounded Kortul when in range. Open a channel to Captain Levin."
A beep sounds on his armrest, "Sir?"
"Captain, hold the barrage until we get well within the skirmish. We have nearly a hundred smaller vessels in this mess. I want them all swept up."
"Yes, sir," Levin replies, "I will make sure every shot counts for double."
The armrest beeps and Levin's voice is gone. Alexander straightens himself in the chair, "Good man."
Once in range, the two vessels fire directly at the Kortul, piercing the structure with a railgun and nuclear shot, soon throwing the vessel into chaos and death. The Jarrasuls turn towards their new enemies and focus their beams on the David, forcing it to engage its adaptive forcefield. The skirmishers engage the David, bringing themselves into the Jericho's range, but the Transporters continue to hang back from direct battle. The Jericho juts forward, passing the David.
"What the hell is Levin doing?"
"Sir, I think he's getting in range for the barrage."
"His shields won't hold up. Alright, let's get in there and cover him. Keep between him and the bulk of their forces."
The David catches up to the Jericho, winding itself around the Marza to catch most of the incoming fire while laying down an even spread of counter-fire. The occassional phase missile gets through, sheering off armor plating and rattling the crew a bit. The Jericho arrives at the center of the Vasari formation, the Skirmishers in tow, when it cuts its engines and a sudden bloom of light projects from the forward missile bays. The area lights up like a firework, strings of light and pops of red glittering the sky. The Skirmishers fall to the attack quickly, the debris bouncing on ships like rain. The Transporters fail to hold up much longer, sending a spray of remains out one side of the battle. Their fighters catch a great deal of the ensuing flak, scattering the formations. In the ensuing confusion, the pirates succeed in taking down the remaining Vulkoras. The Jarrasuls turn towards the phase gate on the far side of the planet and begin a hasty retreat. Rather than follow, the David and Jericho engage the remaining three Kortuls. The Kortuls succeed in finishing off another Halcyon when the edge of the gravity well brings a new arrival.
"This is Captain Hollans of the 3rd Centauri Fleet. We have ADvent and Vasari targets. What are your orders?"
Alexander turns to his comm, "The Advent are not who they appear to be. Engage the Vasari vessels."
"Yes, sir."
The new sight sends the enemy forces into disarray. The Halcyons make a break for the edge of the gravity well while the Kortuls turn in multiple directions, firing at any target nearby. The Centauri cruisers, a fine mixture of direct combat vessels and support vessels, run directly into battle, swooping around the Kortuls as they cover the enemies with fire. The Kortuls fail to successfully hit too many of the cruisers, but the David and Jericho are prime targets. With its shields in critical condition and phase missiles beginning to contact the hull, the Jericho attempts to break from the engagement, leaving the David to handle the larger conflict. Soon the Kortuls organize themselves, every remaining one making a break for the phase gate. The retreat is costly as one of the Devastators takes repeated blows to its engine system, it falling behind its comrades. With the reduced weapons coverage, it becomes inviting to the cruisers and collapses under a barrage of automatic fire and attack drones. The lack of fire or explosions allows the vessel to drift into small parts and the crew to gently float amid the void. The remaining two Kortuls make it through the gate, although not without a cost to their own structural integrity.
With the enemy dispatched, the fleet takes rest between the planet's orbit and the gate. Alexander looks over the technical specifications given by Lord Ryat, "What's the condition of the planet?"
"It suffered moderate bombardment, destroying all major cities, but missing rural and lesser populated areas. The orbital structures are gone. I think those Halcyons were pirates, sir. They've made their jump and appear to be recovering resource caches abandoned during the battle," the ensign informs.
Alexander nods, "We owe them one, so I'll let them get away with that much. We need to do some refitting and repairing. Have the 3rd send parties down to assist the civilian population and tell teh 5th to arrive as soon as possible. Keep our noses on that gate in case we have to blow it, but I think it might come in handy."
Alexander stands, taking off his coat and approaching his ready room, "Lieutenant, tell Ryat he can have his planet back. I'm taking a nap."
Continuing from where I left off.
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"Ah I see Admiral."
"Yesssss. The ship was no major losssss to usss. It was run entirely by droidssss."
"Well now we must begin our work."
"Yesssss. I already have a plan General."
"As do I Admiral. But let us hear yours first."
"Very well."
Admiral Jak'lya stood and placed a differet Holounit on the table, pressing the Start button as he sits again. A blue holo appears. This one is of 4 stars each with planets orbitting the stars.
"Thisss is the Poassss sector captainsssss. Our forcessss recently launched an attack at Poasss II to set up a base for a push into the Advent. But we were beaten back. The far star, over here," he said as he gestured at it and the Holounit zoomed in for a closer view, "is a huge base for the Advent. But it is well hidden. And defended. It is located in the Unda system. We need to remove thissss base captainssss or it might penetrate into the heart of both our empiresssss."
the holoscan vanished and talking and arguing quickly broke out across the table.
"We must eliminate that base!" yelled Captain Orthop. An old man who had once been an Admiral before retiring and coming back into service to combat the Advent.
"I concur! This station is a menace! Blow it to smithereens!" said the grizzled voice of Captain Crypto, who, as he was in charge of the Destructor loved violence almost as much as his ship was designed for it.
"On what the word of a Vasari? A Vasari? Really Orthop I thought the Astorka's captain above this! You fought against them for nearly 5 years!" challenged Captain Oliver.
"Captains! We need to scout the area first! We cannot just fly into the system!" interjected Captain Adler.
"Bullcrap! We have all the information we need from the Vasari!" replied Orthop.
"Captainssss we will turn over our intelligence to you but you musssst not fear betrayal." said Captain Sima.
"Oh a Vasari betray us? Gee I sure will trust the people who attacked us with no provocation!" replied Captain Oliver in a nasty voice.
"Ssssstop thissss! We mean you no harm!" replied Captain Verav.
"I think we need to assure the integrity of this information first," interjected Captain Dershowitz. "That being the case, I agree with Captain Adler."
"Gentlemen you must understand that the Vasari are no longer our enemies.," said General Veers. "At least, not this faction."
"That is true General. Sssome factionssss refuse to ssstop the fighting," replied Admiral Jak'lya. The other Vasari nodded in agreement.
"Very well. We will scout out this posistion. Check out if this information is true. If it is then we will attack them!"
The TEC captains nodded. It seemed solid enough and not too risky.
"Now that this is settled I declare this meeting adjourned. Return to your ships captains. Admiral please forward information on your fleet to me so that I may formulate a strategy. I've already sent my fleets' information to your flagship," General Veers said, pointing out the large and recently opened viewport behind him of the Kortul Devastator that had arrived in-system just several minutes ago. "A fine ruse if I may say Admiral."
"Yessss. Yesss it was. I bid you good bye captainsssss. We will be prepared to meet again in 2 daysssss' time."
On the bridge of the Bastion a young officer, Seargent Neal, sits at the sensor station. The cleanup was going well. The Vasari had moved into position with the rest of the fleet. Zooming out to a larger view, Neal saw that the whole of the General's holdings, under his direct control as Govenor, were all safe and secure. Suddently a red mass appeared off an asteroid near Agamemnnon. 2 phase jumps away. An enemy fleet. Larger than any that Neal had seen. He trembled for a second then reached for the alarm when a sudden jab in his mind stopped him. He twitched for several seconds then collapsed. A woman stood behind him.
"Oh no. You won't tell them of our little surprise yet," she whispered. Then his world went black.
Carbon walked through the decks watching repair crew hard at work. Work can be heard echoing through out the ship. The Event Horizon sat above Eras in deep orbit. The remains of his fleet sat in deep orbit between the minefield and the major civilian section of orbit. There was a steady stream of supplies ships leading from his crippled ship to the trade ports. Even his Hoskio captains where hard pressed to keep their drones up and running. Over half of the 5th Division was now space junk floating in the star's grav well. 1000's of crew members were lost also. It was not a good start to the week. Running up to catch up the Paragon who was walking rather fast, "Sir! Paragon!! Sir!" the officer shouted, though he was drowned out over the noise from the repair. "Paragon! Paragon!" the officer finally caught up panting hard. Carbon stopped and turned around, "What?" Carbon tone was harsh and rough. "Sir, Xenon wants to talk...now." still trying to catch his breath as he handed Carbon a holodisk. Carbon grabed the disk and continuted to walk down the deck.
"...That brings the death count to 8000." Carbon sighed. As he watch his metal friend on the Holovid connection. You couldnt see much from the vid, black...the way Xenon liked it. Even though it was 3d image there wasnt much to see. "Also repairs are gonna take the rest of the week at least. Event alone is a weeks worth of repair."" Is this Lord Ryat not helping as you planed?" Xenon said, " Besides this terrorist group is far more entrenched in the -Ue_ than any one of us could have expected, Im sure you havent heard the recent news from the captial planet. Assination, made directly on the Admin buildings. A small explosive went off, destroyed the whole east wing of the building." Xenon continued. Sitting slighty forward so the light illumated his face."Yes, he is helping with supplies, but Im not in a very trusting mood at the moment with anyone." Carbon scowled. "Ive not till you sent it my way. If you ask me the bastards deserve it. Maybe it be good reminder that the Divisions are needed." Carbon stared at the montor next the projected Xenon, "Im not likeing the way this is going down. It seems we disturbed the viper nest. And what is...disturbing is that we not even progressed outside -Ue_ with this plan. Well till now with including Lord Ryat. Do you think he knows why Im really here?" Carbon glanced up at Xenon." Doubtfull, He is well informed, but not many know the inner workings of our organization. Though some are catching on quickly, seems the politictians of our organization would rather let thier tounges loose then relize that silence can be better. You need to be carefully around this Ryat. He is known for dealing with the shadier side of the universe." In the background Xenon could be heard talking and fumbling with something then he contined to talk , " Just recieved word that some new members to the distant stars system have arrived, Flag ship David." "Rejects of the TEC? Or montiors?" Carbon said as he looked at the intel on the David. "Errr...maybe not that a rather impressive fleet composite. Dont tell me that all you got on this Admiral...Draakjacht." a small smile came across Carbons face. "This just got alot more interesting...I know this crew. David's Lions."" Figured you might have some knowledge on them, you seem to know quite a few people" Xenon said, showing a slight smile. " You should talk to them then if you have history, might prove to be usefull" Xenon shifted in his seat a blank look back on his face. " Oh Carbon, its arrived." Xenon said shortly as he leaned back into the shadow."I figured its what set of this can of worms. Shall I assume your holding it also? Carbon said half joking. Walking back to his desk, "Its been years since Ive seen anyone from David's Lions anyhow, and it was a different war back then..." Carbon said as he took out a dark bottle and glass from the bottom of the desk. Pouring a drink as he watch Xenon stare coldly at him. "So I guess there going back then? Ive signed our death sentence with this scheme...I grow tired of vengance anyhow." Sipping on the liquid for the glass." Well I would like to see them find me here, besides I have a few aces up my sleeve." Xenon said , " I think I can get it up and running soon enough, Sector 11 is working on it as we speak. Once its up we will be able to do a lot more than we are right now, Besides I am rather enjoying this low key stuff." Xenon replied back to Carbon."Its always been your thing. I envy you for it." Carbon raised his glass as to toast to the idea. "Im suprised you let it leave the Underworld. Then again, its unexpected so I guess I should expected you to do it." Carbon shook his head. "So whats the next move friend...Im crippled for a bit." said Carbon quitely as he turned around to look out the windows at what is left of his fleet." The next move, will be trying to get that data that we never finished getting, one of my projects done kinda depends on this data, though Im almost finished with one thing that you will enjoy. though you will have to come back here for me to get it installed on your ship." Xenon said, " when should I be expecting you?"Carbon gave a laugh, "You know better than me when to expect me. But I got the hint. I'll leave just as soon as we are ready. I can leave whats left of the 5th here." Carbon sighed deeply." Very well then, ill see you soon" With that xenon cut the communication with Carbon.Carbon continued to stare out the window. Half empty glass in his hand....
"Sir, hull plating is at ninety-nine percent coverage. Weapons are in working order and all missiles are loaded and ready."
"Excellent, lieutenant, patch me through to the David," Captain Levin says.
"Admiral, we have battle functionality. Should we proceed?"
Alexander leans over his comm, "I think if we're going to do this, now's the time. Form on my wing and keep formation. Lieutenant, anything from the Centauri?"
The communications officer fiddles with the controls while holding his headset tight to his ear, "Sir, the 3rd is engaged in dozens of rescue operations across the planet and the 5th is forming up."
"Excellent, who's in command of the 5th?"
"Captain Marcus, sir," he replies.
"Tell Marcus to follow us through in three minutes. I want to see if we can surprise them twice."
"Understood, sir," the lieutenant replies.
"Helmsman, run the phase drive on standby and approach the gate. Let's hope Ryat's information is good."
"Yes, sir," the ensign says, "Engaging engines."
The David and Jericho approach the bluish flow of energy within the jump gate. As the tip of the David touches the gate, the vessel loses velocity rapidly, a mere moment passing before the entirety of the vessel is pulled in with a flash of light. Instead of the glittering, smooth flow of normal phase travel, the unnatural phase lane is harsh with dark colors coming off surfaces like vapor. The roar of the ship comes to an end as the David leaves the phase gate. Alexander leans forward in his chair, breathing deeply with his eyes wide open.
"Was that uncomfortable to anyone else?"
The ensign rights himself as his head spins and looks back at the tactical officer who just lost his lunch on the floor, "Just a bit, sir."
Looking up at the holovid, they find themselves in orbit of a planet where an Orkulus awaits. Rather than approach the new ships, the Jericho arriving a moment after the David, it holds a steady position while the two Kortuls from the previous battle are repaired by a pair of regeneration bays, small vehicles roaming across the surface as they repair the vessels. The Jarrasuls are orbiting close to the planet, just beyond a pair of hangar bays, a nanoweapon jammer and a Kostura Cannon. Defending the Orkulus are five missile platforms. Much to the Alexander's happiness, the minefield in orbit is stationed near the phase lane on the far side of the gravity well. Alexander points to the symbol for the Orkulus, "Inform the Jericho to open fire. Don't let those vessels become operational."
The David and Jericho rush towards the Kortuls, while the Orkulus spawns a large number of strike craft from its launch bay on top. The mixture of fighters and bombers approach rapidly and open fire. On their first pass, the David fires a large cloud of burning flak, sending many of the ships spiraling out of control. The flak is followed by two wings of gunships, launching from the David and pursuing the enemy vessels with haste. Turning for the second pass, the Vasari strikecraft discover a host of rounds scattered in their directions, further lightening the number of Vasari in space.
"Sir, our fighters have superiority," the tactical officer announces.
"Good, now bring down the Kortuls."
Coming just within range, the David and Jericho begin firing off their weapons. Simultaneously, the Orkulus and missile platforms fire their weaponry at the enemy vessels. The Kortuls are powered down, allowing the fire to rip into the hulls and cause subsystems across the vessels to breach and explode. The Vasari weaponry bounces and pops on the shielding of the two TEC vessels, only the occassional phase missile making it through to the armor. The Kortuls crumble beneath the onslaught while secondary fire shreds the armor from a couple of the missile platforms and the regeneration bays.
The tactical officer says, "Sir, the Orkulus isn't packing the punch I thought it would have. Our shields are down seven percent."
The helmsman looks back, "Sir, we're getting a large number of life signs aboard the station, especially on the lower decks."
Alexander nods, "It's a colony station. I don't think they expected us to know how their gates work. They're a low priority. Engage the defense structures and Jarrasuls."
The regeneration bays and missile platforms break into debris as the the David and Jericho continue past. The Jarrasuls are heading away while the two TEC vessels fire down on the hangar bays, them being closer that the Kostura Cannon. As they engage, the 5th Centauri come through the gate, a moment passing while they recover from the passage. Once done, they swarm over the station, littering it with fire and drones. The Orkulus fires wildly while turning away from the assault.
"Sir, should we direct the 5th away from the Orkulus?"
"No reason to. The Jarrasuls are a loss to us and I don't think we need any help with the orbitals. Bring us within range of the Kostura."
The Orkulus' shields have failed it and the hull is suffering greatly when the phase gate flashes with the arrival of new forces, this time Vasari. A Vulkoras stands amidst a slew of Skarovas Enforcers with Subverters and Overseers mixed in. Aboard the David, additional red lights begin flashing. Alexander glances between the view of nearly a hundred ships between them and the gate and the stats of the enemy configuration.
"Sir, the 5th has just been flanked. We have a mixed fleet of enemy ships in orbit," the ensign informs.
"They have fire superiority, sir," the tactical officer shouts.
Alexander turns to the comm officer, "Tell Marcus and Levin to head for the gate." He turns his head to the tactical officer, "Divert energy to shields. We need to get the hell out of here."
The David and Jericho turn towards the gate, their noses aligning with the round device as the 5th come into contact with the Vasari forces. Hot rounds of ammunition and wave shots light up the dark backdrop, creating exlplosions and sending tons of debris scatterd about. The two capitals delve into the conflict at its height, autocannons and missiles scattering about the host of targets. The Vulkoras hovers at the rear of the formation, firing phase missiles towards the Jericho, shearing armor plating from the square vessel.
A power converter explodes on the bridge, causing crewmen to reel. The helmsman looks up, "Sir, the Jericho is taking heavy damage. Our shields are holding, but I don't know how much longer."
"Marcus' ship just went down. The 5th is breaking," the comm officer shouts.
Alexander looks to the comm officer, "Tell the Jericho to hold their course and get the 5th through that damned gate." Another explosion causes panic on the bridge as crewmen rush to extinguish the flames. Alexander looks up from flinching, "Where's that Vulkoras?"
"Sir, they're dead ahead."
The holovid pulls the tactical image to show the Vulkoras between them and the gate, but at a higher declination, dangling a path before them. Alexander curses to himself as he rises from his seat and approaches the helmsman. The helmsman looks at the Admiral, seeing him point his thumb over his shoulder. The helmsman leaves his seat and Alexander takes over. He cuts the engine, allowing their momentum to continue their course. He fires the maneuvering engines, tipping the nose of the vessel upwards. The ship rattles as a few vessels bounce off the shielding, often bursting into flames in the process. The tip of the beam weapons run just beneath the Vulkoras, the shielding crackling as the two fields fight for space. Finally, the fields come to a compromise and fuse, opening a path between the ships. The beams fire, cutting a path across the belly of the Vasari vessel. As the Kol passes the Vulkoras, the engines take the final blow, cutting out upon taking damage and leaving the Vulkoras in a drift. Alexander presses the David to straighten out before contacting the gate, causing his teeth to grit as the distance closes. Within meters of the gate, an Enforcer pierces the shields of the David and delivers several successful blows to the ship. The forward holovid bursts into flames as the ship contacts the phase gate. The flames appear to grow into tendrils as they travel between systems, becoming darker and darker as they expand. When the David arrives on the other side, the fire extinguishes itself in a flash. The jolted crew recover quicker than the first time and attend to the damaged components and injured crewmen. Alexander returns command of the helm to the ensign.
"Take the flight log and record that. Might be a good one to keep on file."
"Sir," the comm officer says, "the Jericho just came through."
The Jericho arrives trailing shards of its own armor, atmosphere venting from several sections and plasma manifolds leaking trails of gas. More ships continue through the gate, all 5th Centauri.
"Turn our nose towards the gate and get me Captain Levin."
A moment passes before Levin's voice comes over the comm, "Sir, are you okay?"
"We're fine. What's your status?"
"We've got multiple hull breaches and blown systems all across the board. There's no way to know our losses just yet, but our missile systems are without power and... sir, it's a mess. I don't know what else to tell you."
Alexander nodded, "Alright, just hold her together."
Centauri vessels continue to come through the gate in small groups, almost all bearing some degree of damage. An Enforcer appears through the gate and the David promptly brings down the vessel. After another few Centauri appear, more Enforcers make their appearance, being engaged by the TEC forces and overwhelmed. After a dozen of the heavy cruisers make their way through the gate alongside TEC vessels, Alexander sighs, "Alright, blow the gate."
"Sir, Centauri ships might still be on the other side," the tactical officer protests.
"I understand that, but I don't need the fight following us back. I said blow the gate."
"What about the Kostura Cannon?"
"What about it?"
"Sir," the lieutenant commander calms his voice, "if we destroy the gate, we might not be able to make our way to it. That means the cannon can be used to ambush another planet when the Vasari are regrouped."
Alexander leans his head back and closes his eyes. "Alright, muster the third and organize a watch. Get hold of anyone you can. We need an Argonev built here to repair and resupply. I know the people below need help, but orbital defenses are a priority. Forget the other phase lanes, this gate is the front line."
"Yes, sir," the tactical officer says.
Alexander looks at his shoulder where the sleeve of his coat is torn, "Damn."
Lord Ryat studied the intel report as to what occured with Admiral Alexander, then with a sigh, tossed it on the table. He was not suprised. He had given Alexander those planets to beef up his forces so that he could handle anything on the other side of that phase gate. Including the offending Kostura Cannon. He made an order sending a small task force of 1 Kol, 1 Marza, 1 Dunov, with 30 light carriers and 30 Gradas to help secure that line, with a statement to the Governor of the planet Eras VII to give Admiral Alexander anything he wants as far as infrastructure to help rebuild and repair his fleet. He reached for the rest of the intel reports and started going through them. He still could not figure out what has being researched, though he got a hint that it was nanite based. Which did not say much. Everyone had some form of nanite tech, with the Vasari having the best and the Advent who had the most evil. He shuddered at the thought of nanite-controled slaves. His grandfather told him much of what the Advent did with nanites. Part of the reason why he did not mind destroying the Advent society. He finished off those reports, then sighed again. He hated this waiting. The fleet, 8 Kols, 2 Marzas, 4 Dunovs, 60 HCs, 40 Hoshikos, 20 Cielo, 30 Gardas, was sitting in the Ario Star Gravwell waiting for the Advent to attack the four now up and running starbases sitting in the Eras Star Gravwell. A second fleet of 6 Sovas and 2 Dunovs and 60 light carriers were still at Eras I ready to jump in as well. But the Advent did not seem to be biting. He picked up the intel reports and began going through them again just to waste time. The comm beeped, which he quickly activated. "Go ahead," he said. "My lord, the Advent have arrived," the captain said.
Lord Ryat examined the data from the Eras Star. The Advent had brought a huge fleet in, 4 Radiances, 4 Halycons, 2 Revelations, 4 Raptures, 4 Motherships with 150 Aeria Drone Host, 120 Disciples, 30 Defense Vessels. He thought it was odd that there was no Adjudicators but assumed the mass of Aeria Drone Hosts where for. He leaned back in his battle couch, trying to be as comfortable. "To all ships, begin phase jump," he ordered. And the TEC fleet begins its phase jump. The Kols leaped first with the rest following closely. The bluish hue of the phase travel danced over the ships. Lord Ryat continued to examine the data, wondering what the strike craft mix was. Probably mostly bombers with some fighters to deal with 56 gunships that the starbases had. Ryat watched the timer go down, then the fleet phased into the Eras Star. And was immediately shook up as a furious mass of mines slammed into the Kols. Ryat's Phoenix was struck hard across the shields and they dropped to nothing. The captain, ever the calm veterean, ordered the activation of the adaptive force shield just in time to take the next line of mines and survive, barely. One of the newer Kols was struck hard as well and did not have the experience that Phoenix had and soon was a crumpled mass of debris that slowly drifted down. An older Kol, Sparta, took the brunt of the mines and disappeared in a fiery explosions. Other mines came flying in and crashing into the fleet, but the damage was spread out and no more ships were lost but the damage was severe. "Son ofa-" Lord Ryat cursed, "Give me a damage report." he ordered as he berated himself for not thinking about mines. "It's not good My Lord," his operations officer said, "We lost two Kols and have severe damage on all ships. Phoenix is damaged bad." A beep came from his message box. "Uh.... we have a lot of bombers coming our way, My Lord," he said in a shaky voice. Ryat pulled up the tactical screen. A mass of bombers was heading at them. He made a quick decision. "All Kols, ready Flak Burst on my mark!" he said across the fleet comm. He watched the bombers come closer, still massed together. The forward edge began firing on the Kols, though not focused on one ship so the Kols survived. "Fire Flak Burst!" he ordered. The Advent admiral had made a mistake has he had kept the bombers in a huge mass. So when 6 Kols fire off their Flak Bursts filling the area with anti-strike craft munitons right when the mass was in the middle of the line, the bombers disappeared in a mass of small collective explosions. Everyone on board Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief. Then the next problem came. 120 Disciples had come in on the heels of the bombers and were uneffected by the Flak Burst. They swooped down on to the Cielos and wiped them out before the TEC could respond. They turned to the Hoshikos that were hard at work on the damage to the fleet and began picking them off. Ryat ordered the fleet to attack the Disciples but he knew he needed to pull back. About that time the Second Fleet jumped in on the other side of the gravwell, too far to help and too late to do anything. "Marzas, Missile Barrage, NOW!" Lord Ryat shouted, hoping to clear some room for his fleet to retreat. The Marzas opened up with their missiles and the Disciples quickly fell. Lord Ryat grimaced as he noticed that the Advent fleet had turned to face his and had began launching more strike craft in staggered formations to avoid the Flak Burst fury. "All vessels, begin retreat," he ordered. The now tattered fleet began to turn back in hopes of escaping. The bombers began firing into the Kodiaks who were defenseless against them. Gradas vainly attempted to fight off the bombers, but they were too few and the bombers continued their attacks as the fleet began to jump out. The Revelations got into range of their abilities and one Marza and one Dunov faltered in their jumps. The bombers quickly pounced on the vessels and they staggered, then shattered under the fire. The rest of the fleet managed to escape back into the Ario Star. Lord Ryat sighed sadly as the loses began to be tallied up. It was not pretty. He ordered the fleet to proceed to Eras I and it began to limp back. The Advent never followed. He also knew the starbases at the Eras Star were a lose. Further, this whole thing told him something unsettleing. He turned to Usyma. "The Advent knew we were coming."
Fine , Fine Ill edit the story for goodness sake!!
I just changed my introduction so I think you'll like it.No crossover and if more then one person wants me to change it back , I will[I don't think that'll happen though]
"The hidden fleet is ready my lord"said a captain , trembling at the might of the grand admiral." Good "the grand admiral replied"wipe out the advent first then the vasari , the advent seem to of been winning the battle captain , now admiral Shoen last out long story short kil the stronger of the three sqabbling fractions and destroy them all not a ship , not an orbital structure , no survivors or I will personally to your exacution Adimiral.
Paragon Carbon walked into Lord Ryat's office and paused. The normal clean look of Ryat's desk was ruined by stacks of books by authors known as Sun-Tzu and Guderian, about Napoleon, Rommel, Patton and other such persons. Ryat was reading one about Spruance and the Battle of Midway deeply absorbed. "Doing some light reading?" quiped Carbon. Lord Ryat looked up quickly, seemingly startled. "Oh, yeah," he said, putting the book down, "I like to recenter myself whenever I fail to take it to the enemy properly." Carbon took a seat as Ryat clean and rearragned the desk. "Heard about that. Lost some good ships," he said. "Yeah, well ships are replaceable but men," Ryat sighed, "Those are family members, fathers, mothers, children. You can't replace those. I hate war. Damn the Advent for bringing it in." "And the Vasari," Carbon added. Ryat frowned a bit on that comment. "Yeah, somewhat," he replied, "though with them they were only doing what they have done for thousands of years. They had never run into an equal. Some are starting to realize that fighting maybe a bad idea. True, some will continue to fight adn will have to be put down, but some are willing to listen." Carbon shrugged. "Well I don't think you brought me over to talk politics," he said striving to get to the point, "what did you want to talk about." Ryat smiled. "Point," he conceded, "first, have you figured out what is going on at the Advent research stations or the Relic planet?" Carbon shook his head. "No, Xenon's people just can't get in there. The Advent have that area locked up tight." he said, "You?" Ryat shook his head, "No, my people get close, but still nothing. Well on to the second topic." With that he activated a holograph above his desk showing several systems. He modified the holograph to show just two. "This is Eras, where we are," he said pointing at one, "Eras VII has a phase gate that leads here to this system, Portage I believe." he said pointing at the other, "The Vasari that own this area still have their Kostura Cannon there. And I plan to steal it." Lord Ryat finished with a smile. "Steal it?" Carbon said, "Interesting. How do you plan on using it. Given that its alien tech, it may be a bit much for us." "True," Ryat conceded, "But Lord J'rath is willing to help us with this, though he is not willing to give the specs for it." "Which means he is coming," Carbon said with a slight growl, "Damn Vasari." "Well I don't blame him," Ryat said, "The specs for the Phase Gates was a strong consession even though we can't really build one. It would be too much to give up the Kostura Cannon." Carbon sighed, then shrugged, "Okay, so what is your plan then." "Simple, use the Kostura Cannon to open up phase lanes to Kyrene III, the asteriod research base, and Kyrene IV, V4-Una the relic planet with the artifact. Then we will jump into those grav wells and take them over. I will get Kyrene III and you can get V4-Una." Lord Ryat explained. "What about forces, my fleet is almost repaired but I need more to pull this off," Carbon said, "Not to mention the fact that the Advent will come screaming in afterwards so we will need to stop them." "Already got that handled," Ryat said, "I have been able to shake lose many ships and they are headed over here, plus my factories have been working non-stop. Both of us will have plenty to do our jobs, plus I plan on stealing any and all info the Advent have at the research labs and then demolishing it. I will then join up with you and Lord J'rath will also be there with his own fleet plus a Maruader that can help us phase in fleets from Eras if we need them. We will lock down V4-Una so tight, the Advent won't stand a chance." "Hmmm, I don't like depending on the Vasari," Carbon grumped. "Well its either that, or smash ourselves against these massive forifications the Advent have set up." Lord Ryat responded, "and if I have to, I will do it without you if so need be." Carbon flashed him a look of anger. "You are one manipulative bastard you know that?" he growled. Ryat smiled. "Yes, I get it from my mother," he quiped, "but seriously, you in or out." Carbon sighed, "Yeah, I'm in." "Good," Lord Ryat said, "oh and one more thing, not a word of this to anyone. It seems that we may have some Advent spies, and I don't want them getting this plan. So when I give the briefing, it will run differently so as to throw them off the scent." "Okay sounds reasonable," Carbon said, "Anything else?" Ryat shook his head, "Nope, until next time." "Until next time." Carbon said in return, before getting out of his chair and heading out of the office. When he was gone Lord Ryat pulled out his dataread and activated it. There was the info as to what the Advent were researching. He shook his head at what was going on. The Advent could not have this, neither should the TEC or Vasari. He quickly erased the data file, wishing he had never seen the thing.
" so are comms back up?" Xenon asked quitely
"yes sir, all repairs are finished"
" Good, get ahold of Carbon again, tell him that got some more info on the advent terrorist withing the TEC...., oh, and tell him that we got some more info out of the data we originaly got from the data dump. Also that im getting people close, just need some more time."
"yes sir, it will be sent out right away"
" And tell him if he doesnt get his ass back here for the refit i have for his piece of junk ship that i will be the one to scuddle it."
"Your excate words? sir?"
"ummm, maybe not, just tell him to get back here"
Xenon was still on the Underworld, his communication array had been damaged by some of the floating debrie that was floating around his space station. It happened a lot, though usually it just bounced off. The hazzards of having your hidden star base with in a ship graveyard. An unusual place for one, so no one looked this way, most just try to avoid it all together. Xenon needed all the ship remains to test his pet project, though it wasnt known by many just what he was doing. He actually needed Carbon's ship for the next part of his test, though Carbon probably wouldnt like what was going to happen.
A man in a uniform came by and handed Xenon a small disk, which Xenon put into a slot on his chair as a holographic image of a desk appeard with a file on it.
" so this is what happened to our friend Ryat? Doesnt look so good, but im glad he made it out alive. What do we know about this?"
" Appears that the Advent terrorist tipped them off, they where prepared for Ryat when he entered the gravwell"
" Whats our progress on this terroist group? Have we found where they are based at? Who Bombed our capital? Why are they able to infiltrate us so well? "
The room stayed silent as no one could offer an answer to any of Xenon's Questions
"Anyone,.... Anyone at all? Ok if i dont get answers to these things soon, it will be very unconfotable on this star base for eveyone. Once we find out who tipped the Advent off about Ryat send it his way, it had to be someone within his circle, and how in the hell did our capital get bombed?"
The room came alive with activity as Xenon sank a little deeper in his seat, it was quite comfotable, and he usually fell asleep in it. As he began to calm down he remembered something that had been pushed to the back of his mind
" Hey whatever happened to those TEC people at that one planet, you know David and Jerico? Did we ever hear back about what they where up to?" Xenon said as he sat back up in his chair
" They stayed briefly at the planet then moved on, had quite a fight with the advent, they won and are now holding at that planet."
"Wow.... Someone had an answer, whoever you where, you get the rest of the day off go have some fun, or maybe some sleep, you'll probaby need that more in the comming days" Xenon said as he laughed to himself, " Is Wepwawet ready for Carbon? Dont want to make him wait now do we?"
"We were expecting you to take the planet so that you could use it to resupply," the voice of Lord Ryat's subject comes over the comm.
Alexander shakes his head, "I understand, but given the surface damage done and my lack of an Akkan, I doubt it would do much good. We're just getting the first set of hangars operational as it is, and that alone pulls a lot of resources from helping the people below."
"Understood," the captain replies. "My men can assist wherever it is you need us. We are at your disposal."
"Thank you. Have your support units meet up with the 3rd and assist planet side. We can use the caps on watch."
"Yes, sir," the reply comes before the communicae ends.
Alexander looks towards the tactical officer, "Lieutenant commander, where do we stand?"
"The Jericho is functional, but still replacing the bulk of armor and secondary systems. She wouldn't get very far in a fist fight. We have full functionality and are fitting the last plating now. The Centauri are still licking their wounds. The 3rd have the Argonev super-chassis in place, but little else and planet recovery is slow go. The 5th are being overhauled. They've had to scuttle nearly a dozen derelicts so far," he replies.
Alexander looks at the tactical screen with two yellow and a whole spread of purple and blue blips on it. For some time no one has seen a Centauri come through the gate. The Vasari have slowed their efforts, but once in a while a scout or skirmisher ventures forth.
"Sir," the comm officer calls, "we have a communication from the star. Nearly two dozen Advent capital vessels with full support have engaged TEC vessels around the star. TEC forces have suffered massive casualties. Advent have superiority."
"Any word as to their movement?"
"No, sir, but TEC forces have withdrawn to Eras I. It ends there."
Alexander nods, "Alright, we can only assume with a force of that size they're looking to secure the system. That means there's little between them and us but time. Lieutenant commander, any chance we can use this gate a back door?"
The tactical officer's fingers dance across his controls as he grimaces, "We could make it, but we'll have to expect heavy loses. There's no telling how many reinforcements have been called to that planet."
"Well, we don't have a lot of options. See if we can have some cheap mines put up to slow the Advent and get that Argonev up and running. If we can't make it a viable station, just strap guns to it and make them work," Alexander says.
"Sir, units coming through the gate," the ensign reports.
A group of three Enforcers bolt through the gate. Just as soon as guns lock onto the targets, they wheel around and begin firing at the gate structure.
"Sir, they're attacking the gate."
"Bring them down."
A flurry of fire from the David and Ryat's capitals beat the Vasari vessels from multiple directions. Soon the three roll as flame tears their chassis' apart.
Alexander's voice grows, "Damage report."
"The gate has taken superficial damage only. All of it's systems appear..."
The gate's bluish glow briefly ebbs before fading away, leaving a dark disk hovering in place. Alexander looks up at the holoprojector warning of a system shutdown. "What just happened?"
"Sir, the gate's been shut down."
"I can see that, ensign. I need to know why," Alexander rises from his chair to approach the helm.
"Sir, I do not know. I just... it's... maybe they shut it down from the other side. I do not know," the ensign lifts his arms in surrender.
Alexander taps his fingers across the helmsman's controls. After watching data scroll by on the station, he turns back towards his chair. "So now we have the Advent blocking the only way out of this system and the Vasari just turned off our only other option. I need other options and I expect them quick. We're on a timer, everybody."
The bridge bustles as men work vigorously at their stations and jump on communications hubs to organize efforts across the ship. Alexander sits down and cups his hands over his mouth, staring at the small dot indicating the Vasari gate, and the red word flashing beside it.
'Inactive'
The ring gently spins in the black as the noses of several ships point in its direction and wait.
Xenon was startled awake to the sound of an alarm. He quickly got out of bed and dressed himself,by the time he was dressed a man in a unifore entered Xenon's quarters.
" Sir, have a situation with white impules, seems all the recent turmoil in the -Ue_ , they havent taken kindly to us taking thier baby"
" Soo how did they know it was here?" Xenon asked as the two started to walk down the hallway to the controll room
" They traced the build orders for the Underworld, they have a fleet inbound for us as we speak, ETA three hours, Big fleet multiple capital ships, exact numbers of ships are unknow as of right now, seems that the high ups still alive in the corperation are trying to get things back together, meanwhile we have some leads on the terrorist, seems that we have finially found one of the major players, here is the file for it"
They continued to walk as other crew members ran to diffrent stations getting ready for the inbound fleet. Xenon took the file and opened it reading over the contexts as they walked. Xenon reached the bottem of the file, and stoped walking as he finished the file.
" Thought that might get your attention" the man in the uniforme said
" Does Ryat know this?" Xenon asked his face not moving form the file
" Not sure, was waiting for your instuctions on it, we need to keep moving sir"
" Right " Xenon said as they started walking again
" But i have even bigger news" the man said as he handed another file to Xenon," we got and agent in, seems we need to move now, sir"
Xenon look over the file, " My God, get Carbon now, i want him to know what he is dealing with and that he needs to get here for a full brief, im not going to trasmit this. Also let Lord Ryat know about his situation, we need to prepare for this fleet thats comming in, maybe we can stall them till Carbon gets here, im not big on the whole front line fighting thing, thats his department. Tell him to watch his crew, seems he is in a hot bed at he moment" Xenon told the man as they reached the control room, " Alright everyone," Xenon said has he entered the room, " lets move quickly and make sure that all our assest are secure before the company fleet gets here"
The room was a flurry of movement as a man in the corner of the room sent out messages to Carbon and Ryat, the situation with White impulse had become very grave.
Xenon was sitting in his chair, thinking about how to make his next move, " Hey lets make a call to the David, maybe they can offer some help, we need to move the Impulse, and if we can use someone who has not connections to the corpration then it will make it harder for them to track"
" yes sir, we will right away"
" Alright men, we have made our move, now lets see how eveyone else will react" Xenon said as he sat in his chair
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