By now, everyone has heard of the disaster in blue sector and the billions of deaths associated with the unprovoked aggression of the Caffienators. However, even in these dark times, a consideration of the past may enlighten us as to our future - a future that to many now seems very grim indeed.
Following the establishments of the Phase Four Defence Cordon - including such prestigious fortifications as Storm Base and others - the Self-Determinance Novitiate turned inward as wealth flowed from the top down to the very lowest levels of society. At the time hailed as a great social victory, this period is now seen as the beginning of the vulgar decadence that weakened the Novitiate from within, and many are the calls to a return to the old serene austerity. The newfound confidence of our culture is best demonstrated by the poorly-concieved assault now called the 'Rout of Recall'.
After the pacification of the Mb'eeni frontier, Admiral Prefect and his fleet were dispersed to cover the construction of Phase Four, a huge defensive network throughout the Novitiate. As trade and luxury began to have it's slow, crippling effect on our leadership, popular political pressure began to agitate for a renewel of the offensive against the Mb'eenies. The media was full of an attitude of arrogance - the earlier victories had paid handsome diplomatic and economic dividends, and it was inconcievable that the enemy could be allowed to rebuild it's strength and intruige against us. Admiral Prefect was ordered to reassemble his fleet and jump into the heart of the enemy empire. It was thought that the enemy was weakened and would be easily 'rolled up' by Prefect's powerful fleet.
The SDN Tokash is hit heavily aft, incurring damage that was eventually fatal
The first stages of the operation were exactly as planned. The capital ships under Prefect's command were far too strong for the defence screens on the Greenie frontier, and the fleet blasted quickly through to the enemy homeworld withou spotting a single major enemy ship. Admiral Prefect was refused permission to pacify these areas for conquest, and instead he was directly ordered to continue his drive towards the heart of the enemy. As is often the case, this overconfidence at the highest level led to disaster.
Even in the second phase, the true danger to the Novitiate was not recognised. Admiral Prefect encountered much stiffer resistance once he was deep behind enemy lines, and several running battles were fought as his fleet strained to keep up with the timetable created by the politicians and populists. The SDN Glidestar was heavily damaged by an unsuspected minefield as a direct result of this haste, and this is speculated to be the sole reason the Glidestar was not destroyed in the final battles.
Prefect's fleet is encircled and outnumbered due to civilian incompetence
The obvious warning signs were ignored - the enemy had concentrated on Prefect's anti-fighter defences, and they were known to employ vast fleets of escort carriers. With the Glidestar returning to drydock for repairs and out of the war for weeks, perhaps months, Admiral Prefect demanded to be allowed to retreat. He was once again overruled - the bureaucrats demanded results, and it seemed the Novitiate was on the verge of total victory.
As now seems obvious, it was a trap. As he moved into bombardment positions above the Mb'eeni homeworld, a full week from friendly space and will enemy fleets unmolested in his line of supply and communication, Prefect was surrounded by a vast enemy fleet, comprising the forces of a Coalition of Chaos that SDNi had not even suspected. His deployments were as successful as the situation allowed - his pre-positioned fighters took a heavy toll on enemy bombers and the light forces were nearly annihilated by cunning use of missile frigates. However, the disparity was too great and the battle turned decisively against our forces. Recent powerplant damage - the nature of which is still classified - had seriously impaired the SDN Tokash's mobility, and Prefect was now unable to transfer his flag elsewhere to effectively command the battle. Very soon only the capital ships remained under a steady bombardment of phase missiles. But the worst was to come.
End of an era - the wormhole front is breached in a suicidal attack by Caffienator fanatics
Before the SDN decision-makers heard about the slow-motion disaster with the fleet, news of an even more serious threat was recieved. Admiral Dong was dead, his base destroyed, and our erstwhile allies the Caffienators had breached the wormhole defences. As facts slowly trickled in, the people of the homeworld learnt of the sudden onset, the obliteration of the light fleet stationed nearby and the cataclysmic immolation of Admiral Dong's starbase in the largest kamikaze attack ever recorded. The balance of power had decisively shifted, and when news was recieved of the Coalition forces allied against Admiral Prefect, there was little surprise.
However, fortune smiled on the SDN at this point. The Caffienators sacrified thousands of lives and one of their few capital ships to cripple the defences of the Novitiate, but they were motivated not by politics, religion or strategy but resources and money. Rather than strike at our homeworld - now stripped almost bare of assets, bar the slowly-recuperating Glidestar and a few escorts - they diverted to one of the Phase Five colony worlds. Here they deployed a weapon of unheard-of barbarity and savagery, as they obliterated all life on the DDoff colony in seconds, literally sucking the crust of the planet into space.
Billions die, to profit the Caffienators
It's amusing that the Kol DOESN'T look any more purpose-built than the others with it's outriggers and totally assymetrical, non-optimal array of turrets. I could design it better; so could you. Ironclad just suck.
That seaquest carrier was stupidly good though in stock. I wonder how it is now.
