Well, I promised to post it in the Writer's Guild forum, but I PM'ed the prologue to my story to Kelly Antilles IIRC and awaited for judgement whether I was fit for WG membership - and I still haven't received any answer. My reaction is to post the story on this forum instead.
If you find it substandard, don't be harsh on me. It's the first sci-fi novel I'm writing....
BTW, I'd like to thank Shinova for inventing the name Jardra (which will appear as the name of the inhabitants of a high-grav planet) at my request.
UPDATE 9/11/2003 - I've discovered a grievous technical error!! I have written that an Aulx-class Battleship has sixty heavy lasers, when I intended it to have twice as much as that!!
The Wormhole War (original story) - updated 9/11/2003
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Peregrin Toker
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The Wormhole War (original story) - updated 9/11/2003
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-09 05:01am, edited 28 times in total.
"Hi there, would you like to have a cookie?"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
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Peregrin Toker
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PROLOGUE
Zxavor stood in one of the many rooms in his splendid, spire-shaped palace and beheld himself in
the mirror.
His narrow jawbone, pointed ears, almond-shaped eyes and pointy nose identified him as a Xril. The very slender but muscled frame of his body, however, was obscured by his long, flowing lavender-blue robes. He smiled with a sinister grin, revealing a row of wickedly sharp fangs.
His dark eyes had seen much conflict during the time he seized control of his home system of Xhatrr to enthrone himself as Supreme Potentate. But now, he was contemplating what might be his grandest campaign of conquest ever.
He turned around and started thinking.
"No", he reminded himself, "The term "conquest" implies wanton aggression, and this campaign is necessary."
The assymetrically conical door to the planning room, engraved with the Horned Sigil of Xhatrr, opened.
A Xvarrol, an elite trooper of the Xril military entered the room. To
augment his physical strength he was clad in heavy exo-skeletal armour - his ceremonial position denoted by the elegantly curved styling and red livery of the exo-armour.
The armoured guard asked whatever Zxavor muttered. The Supreme Potentate answered, with an icy voice: "None of your business, soldier."
Needless to say, Zxavor's mind resumed concentrating on what he originally was thinking about.
Overpopulation. Xhatrr, only habitable planet in its home system was overcrowded with Xril.
Most Xril actually lived on other planets where "artificial environments" were built - enormous buildings which each were self-contained cities. However, dependancy upon imported oxygen was a problem and even these other planets started to suffer from said overpopulation.
Unless another planet with breathable air was discovered orbiting
some distant star, he would had to use morally questionable methods to reduce overpopulation.
He was not sure whether he ever would hear of an existing planet that resembled Xhatrr closely. Still, if there were such a planet in another solar system, he wouldn't mind ruling a domain beyond the solar system where he was born. Such power... such dominance... such might...
Zxavor stood in one of the many rooms in his splendid, spire-shaped palace and beheld himself in
the mirror.
His narrow jawbone, pointed ears, almond-shaped eyes and pointy nose identified him as a Xril. The very slender but muscled frame of his body, however, was obscured by his long, flowing lavender-blue robes. He smiled with a sinister grin, revealing a row of wickedly sharp fangs.
His dark eyes had seen much conflict during the time he seized control of his home system of Xhatrr to enthrone himself as Supreme Potentate. But now, he was contemplating what might be his grandest campaign of conquest ever.
He turned around and started thinking.
"No", he reminded himself, "The term "conquest" implies wanton aggression, and this campaign is necessary."
The assymetrically conical door to the planning room, engraved with the Horned Sigil of Xhatrr, opened.
A Xvarrol, an elite trooper of the Xril military entered the room. To
augment his physical strength he was clad in heavy exo-skeletal armour - his ceremonial position denoted by the elegantly curved styling and red livery of the exo-armour.
The armoured guard asked whatever Zxavor muttered. The Supreme Potentate answered, with an icy voice: "None of your business, soldier."
Needless to say, Zxavor's mind resumed concentrating on what he originally was thinking about.
Overpopulation. Xhatrr, only habitable planet in its home system was overcrowded with Xril.
Most Xril actually lived on other planets where "artificial environments" were built - enormous buildings which each were self-contained cities. However, dependancy upon imported oxygen was a problem and even these other planets started to suffer from said overpopulation.
Unless another planet with breathable air was discovered orbiting
some distant star, he would had to use morally questionable methods to reduce overpopulation.
He was not sure whether he ever would hear of an existing planet that resembled Xhatrr closely. Still, if there were such a planet in another solar system, he wouldn't mind ruling a domain beyond the solar system where he was born. Such power... such dominance... such might...
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-02 06:14am, edited 4 times in total.
"Hi there, would you like to have a cookie?"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
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Peregrin Toker
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CHAPTER 1 - THE FIRST STONE IS THROWN
(several months after the prologue)
Zxavor entered the chamber of the High Council, flanked by two Xvarrol.
In a half-circle of abstractly shaped chairs around him sat his advisors. Many of them had fought by his side during the time when Zxavor seized the power over the solar system.
During a discussion about the expansion of Zxavor's dominion, one advisor mentioned the artificially-generated wormhole which had been established by the Wormhole Generator station near Kvorthx, another planet in the Xril home system.
The wormhole linked to the solar system closest to Xhatrr and was established as a gateway for space probes and eventual colony ships.
This was kind of old news - the startling thing was that the latest probe sent through that wormhole had found a planet similar to Xhatrr - from outer space, it evidently had an atmosphere as well as seas.
Zxavor replied "Excellent - send a scientific probe to investigate the planet's surface."
Exactly one month later Supreme Potentate Zxavor and Supreme Battlelord Txaxil, supreme commander of the Xvarrol, rode a hover-limousine (an absolute rarity in the Xril society, where 99% of cars either are taxis, law-enforcement patrol cars or ambulances) to the site where the next probe was to be launched.
This was the first time in many years that Zxavor had seen Txaxil not clad in the gilded crimson Exo-Armour of the Xvarrol. Txaxil was a Xril much like Zxavor, but somewhat more weathered than Zxavor despite his younger age - as well as being much more massive than Zxavor due to his military past, albeit still lanky. Txaxil was some 80 years, a great deal younger than Zxavor's 120.
They were still, however, both ageing Xril with notable military experience from the Great Uprising led by Zxavor himself.
The hover-limo, escorted by four fully-armed gunships of the Xvarrol, stopped in mid-air and landed upon the landing pad assigned for them.
The two leaders were there to oversee the launch of the new probe, which should explore the surface and atmosphere of the new-found planet, affectionately nicknamed "Xhatrr'vxoth" or "New Xhatrr".
If not inhabitable, the planet could nonetheless be used as a resource-mining world.
Zxavor and Txaxil were greeted by the supervisors and commanders of the launch facility - not to mention some of the personnel - standing in a tight formation like a legion, raising their clenched fists into the air. This was the proper hand gesture since Zxavor seized power, but in reality it was seldom used unless representatives of the authorities were present.
Regardless of anything, the personnel of the launchpad facility definately did their best to appear worshipful. Zxavor and Txaxil walked upon a black and white carpet stretched before them on the ground to greet them - the carpet was even adorned with the Horned Sigil of Xhatrr.
The Horned Sigil was the personal symbol of Zxavor and resembled a bizarre hybrid between a spanner's head, a Yin-Yang symbol and a pair of antlers.
The conical, assymetrical door opened as they approached. The two leaders of the Xril were welcomed by a female Xril - slightly shorter than Txaxil at roughly 190cm and clad in a dark blue jumpsuit decorated with two triangular white pauldrons. She also had a black triangular hat displaying a golden Horned Sigil - identifying her as an officer. She introduced herself as Cpt. Rxythl.
Rxythl guided Txaxil and Zxavor towards the launchpad through the rooms and corridors of the facility.
Compared to the lavishly decorated interior of the mansion-spire which Zxavor lived in, these surroundings were quite boring. Thinking of the contrast between the dullness of ordinary Xril architecture and his home, Zxavor asked himself: "But do my people really need more than that??". He had a good reason to think so - people at least were guaranteed food, shelter and work - not to mention that the new, collectivistic economy had done away with the elitarian caste system which The Great Uprising was a rebellion against. And reflecting back upon the history of Xhatrr, Zxavor also knew that it was nigh-on impossible to make a collectivistic society function in the first place, so he was proud of the feat he had achieved. As devoid of personal freedom as the post-Uprising Xhatrr Dominion might have been, it was still a masterpiece of social engineering.
Txaxil, on the other hand, lived most of his existence in even more spartan conditions on a military academy, and didn't pay much attention to the monochromatically bright grey walls and eerily glowing fiberoptic strips on the ceiling which illuminated the building's interior. The only differences from his position in pre-Uprising society and the current were that he now had a higher rank - as well as much more political influence. Before the Uprising, the martial caste to which Txaxil belonged had little to have said in anything but military matters. Now, Txaxil was second only to Zxavor in political influence.
The three Xril passed through a several differently sized rooms before reaching an elevator. The computer of the elevator system opened the door to the elevator as it sensed an appoaching an organism carrying a Xhatrr Spacefleet badge.
Rxythl commanded the elevator to got to the 8th floor of the building. When the elevator had arrived, Zxavor and Txaxil's eyes gazed through a rectangular window upon the launch vehicle.
Before the launch, Zxavor didn't need to make a speech - the monarch of the Xril was so elusive-but-revered by his subjects that his mere presence excited the people around him.
As the launch procedure was almost fully automated, the Xril watching the launch didn't have to do much. All it took was the words "Probe to Xhatrr'vxoth... take off" uttered by Rxythl and the launch vehicle thundered through the atmosphere of Xhatrr.
When the launch vehicle was all but invisible from the ground, Zxavor smiled - knowing that everything as far went as planned.
(several months after the prologue)
Zxavor entered the chamber of the High Council, flanked by two Xvarrol.
In a half-circle of abstractly shaped chairs around him sat his advisors. Many of them had fought by his side during the time when Zxavor seized the power over the solar system.
During a discussion about the expansion of Zxavor's dominion, one advisor mentioned the artificially-generated wormhole which had been established by the Wormhole Generator station near Kvorthx, another planet in the Xril home system.
The wormhole linked to the solar system closest to Xhatrr and was established as a gateway for space probes and eventual colony ships.
This was kind of old news - the startling thing was that the latest probe sent through that wormhole had found a planet similar to Xhatrr - from outer space, it evidently had an atmosphere as well as seas.
Zxavor replied "Excellent - send a scientific probe to investigate the planet's surface."
Exactly one month later Supreme Potentate Zxavor and Supreme Battlelord Txaxil, supreme commander of the Xvarrol, rode a hover-limousine (an absolute rarity in the Xril society, where 99% of cars either are taxis, law-enforcement patrol cars or ambulances) to the site where the next probe was to be launched.
This was the first time in many years that Zxavor had seen Txaxil not clad in the gilded crimson Exo-Armour of the Xvarrol. Txaxil was a Xril much like Zxavor, but somewhat more weathered than Zxavor despite his younger age - as well as being much more massive than Zxavor due to his military past, albeit still lanky. Txaxil was some 80 years, a great deal younger than Zxavor's 120.
They were still, however, both ageing Xril with notable military experience from the Great Uprising led by Zxavor himself.
The hover-limo, escorted by four fully-armed gunships of the Xvarrol, stopped in mid-air and landed upon the landing pad assigned for them.
The two leaders were there to oversee the launch of the new probe, which should explore the surface and atmosphere of the new-found planet, affectionately nicknamed "Xhatrr'vxoth" or "New Xhatrr".
If not inhabitable, the planet could nonetheless be used as a resource-mining world.
Zxavor and Txaxil were greeted by the supervisors and commanders of the launch facility - not to mention some of the personnel - standing in a tight formation like a legion, raising their clenched fists into the air. This was the proper hand gesture since Zxavor seized power, but in reality it was seldom used unless representatives of the authorities were present.
Regardless of anything, the personnel of the launchpad facility definately did their best to appear worshipful. Zxavor and Txaxil walked upon a black and white carpet stretched before them on the ground to greet them - the carpet was even adorned with the Horned Sigil of Xhatrr.
The Horned Sigil was the personal symbol of Zxavor and resembled a bizarre hybrid between a spanner's head, a Yin-Yang symbol and a pair of antlers.
The conical, assymetrical door opened as they approached. The two leaders of the Xril were welcomed by a female Xril - slightly shorter than Txaxil at roughly 190cm and clad in a dark blue jumpsuit decorated with two triangular white pauldrons. She also had a black triangular hat displaying a golden Horned Sigil - identifying her as an officer. She introduced herself as Cpt. Rxythl.
Rxythl guided Txaxil and Zxavor towards the launchpad through the rooms and corridors of the facility.
Compared to the lavishly decorated interior of the mansion-spire which Zxavor lived in, these surroundings were quite boring. Thinking of the contrast between the dullness of ordinary Xril architecture and his home, Zxavor asked himself: "But do my people really need more than that??". He had a good reason to think so - people at least were guaranteed food, shelter and work - not to mention that the new, collectivistic economy had done away with the elitarian caste system which The Great Uprising was a rebellion against. And reflecting back upon the history of Xhatrr, Zxavor also knew that it was nigh-on impossible to make a collectivistic society function in the first place, so he was proud of the feat he had achieved. As devoid of personal freedom as the post-Uprising Xhatrr Dominion might have been, it was still a masterpiece of social engineering.
Txaxil, on the other hand, lived most of his existence in even more spartan conditions on a military academy, and didn't pay much attention to the monochromatically bright grey walls and eerily glowing fiberoptic strips on the ceiling which illuminated the building's interior. The only differences from his position in pre-Uprising society and the current were that he now had a higher rank - as well as much more political influence. Before the Uprising, the martial caste to which Txaxil belonged had little to have said in anything but military matters. Now, Txaxil was second only to Zxavor in political influence.
The three Xril passed through a several differently sized rooms before reaching an elevator. The computer of the elevator system opened the door to the elevator as it sensed an appoaching an organism carrying a Xhatrr Spacefleet badge.
Rxythl commanded the elevator to got to the 8th floor of the building. When the elevator had arrived, Zxavor and Txaxil's eyes gazed through a rectangular window upon the launch vehicle.
Before the launch, Zxavor didn't need to make a speech - the monarch of the Xril was so elusive-but-revered by his subjects that his mere presence excited the people around him.
As the launch procedure was almost fully automated, the Xril watching the launch didn't have to do much. All it took was the words "Probe to Xhatrr'vxoth... take off" uttered by Rxythl and the launch vehicle thundered through the atmosphere of Xhatrr.
When the launch vehicle was all but invisible from the ground, Zxavor smiled - knowing that everything as far went as planned.
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-02 06:15am, edited 5 times in total.
"Hi there, would you like to have a cookie?"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
-
Peregrin Toker
- Emperor's Hand
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- Joined: 2002-07-04 10:57am
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- Contact:
CHAPTER 2 - THE CONTACT
Weeks - in fact almost a month had passed since the probe was sent to the Xhatrr'vxoth system.
As Zxavor took seat upon his strangely-shaped throne in the chamber of government, he awaited the science advisor Vyoxth to report the status of the probe.
Vyoxth seemed reluctant to say anything, and as this particular advisor - distinguished by his almost pinkish robes and the trident-like pattern adorning his hat - almost trembled far too visibly, Zxavor said with aggravation clearly evident in his voice: "Vyoxth - what is the current status of the probe, and why are you so reluctant to tell it?"
Zxavor's severe countenance and the menacing way in which he spoke to Vyoxth finally encouraged the advisor to speak the words he had been keeping from Zxavor like they were some sort of forbidden knowledge.
Vyoxth then uttered: "The probe stopped transmitting signals shortly after arrival on the other side."
A very shocked Zxavor asked: "What were the last signals the probe sent?"
Vyoxth's reply was: "Well, I don't recall'em exactly, but I think they were transmitted in orbit around the planet Xhatrr'vxoth. It was equipped with a highly advanced computer-guided system supposed to avoid collisions, but the sensor systems of the probe could have malfunctioned by accident. I really don't konw - I'm a politician, not an engineer." Zxavor was quite disappointed, but he had nobody to blame and only had to start again from scratch.
He ordered that another probe with a more expensive collision-avoidance system should be sent - however, to his order he added: "Don't hurry this, please."
The next day, Zxavor's advisors had more strange news. The artificially generated wormhole was still not closed, and a squadron of Jxirth-class frigates on a routine patrol near Kvorthx had picked up a piece of debris which was by no means made by nature.
It appeared much to be a space probe of some sort, but upon analytic study by scientists from Kvorthx it was revealed not to have been the Xril-built probe sent to Xhatrr'vxoth. Aside from various technology which, although its alien appearance was well-known to the Xril, the probe found near Kvorthx also contained a plaque made from aluminum, engraved with many strange sigils.
Apparently it was some sort of message, but the engraving did not bear even a vague resemblance to any alphabet ever used by the Xril.
As those words left the mouth of Admiral Xvolthaxr, representative of the Xhatrr Spacefleet in the High Council, the rest of the council was stunned. After several centuries of searching for extra-Xhatrrial life in the universe without any results, the Xril might have finally found the answer to the eternal question... "Are we alone in the universe??"
Of course, many Xril were convinced that there was life outside the Xhatrr solar system. But this discovery changed a belief to fact. It also reduced the need for examination of Xhatrr'vxoth, as they now knew that this planet was able to support intelligent life.
However, in the government confusion had soon risen. One thing was to discover alien life - another matter was to make contact with it.
Zxavor asked himself many questions: How should we be able to communicate with them?? How should we welcome them - if we should welcome them at all?? If they had contacted us deliberately, why had they contacted us?? Are they friendly or hostile??
Zxavor couldn't bear the burden of all these problems - not to mention that a wrong decision could lead to the loss of Xhatrr to alien hands in this situation - so he decided on the easiest solution.... apathy.
Until somebody had deciphered the plaque picked up in the space near Kvothx, he would wait for further contact by the people from Xhatrr'vxoth.
Months later, things hadn't gotten better.
The average citizen was still worried whether the message from beyond the solar system was a dire threat or a friendly greeting.
Truth was in fact - the message was indecipherable. Maybe it was a news transmission between two worlds in a vast interstellar empire.
If it indeed was so, Zxavor's tiny dominion would quickly be defeated. However, logic told him that it probably not as powerful. Because of this and the previous known difficulties with communicating with the inhabitants of Xhatrr'vxoth, if communication would be possible at all, it would be much safer - and, in general, much cheaper!
Other than that, Zxavor - as well as all of his advisors - had wondered why the inhabitants of Xhatrr'vxoth didn't send a plaque with universal symbols of either threat or friendship, instead of all these cryptic hieroglyphics.
Regardless of what they meant, Zxavor felt slightly frustrated over the discovery of the plaque from Xhatrr'vxoth.
It had grinded his expansion program to a halt since all the Xril Spacefleet now were doing - aside from regular routine patrol - was waiting for more messages from Xhatrr'vxoth. However, one day that situation would change.
Weeks - in fact almost a month had passed since the probe was sent to the Xhatrr'vxoth system.
As Zxavor took seat upon his strangely-shaped throne in the chamber of government, he awaited the science advisor Vyoxth to report the status of the probe.
Vyoxth seemed reluctant to say anything, and as this particular advisor - distinguished by his almost pinkish robes and the trident-like pattern adorning his hat - almost trembled far too visibly, Zxavor said with aggravation clearly evident in his voice: "Vyoxth - what is the current status of the probe, and why are you so reluctant to tell it?"
Zxavor's severe countenance and the menacing way in which he spoke to Vyoxth finally encouraged the advisor to speak the words he had been keeping from Zxavor like they were some sort of forbidden knowledge.
Vyoxth then uttered: "The probe stopped transmitting signals shortly after arrival on the other side."
A very shocked Zxavor asked: "What were the last signals the probe sent?"
Vyoxth's reply was: "Well, I don't recall'em exactly, but I think they were transmitted in orbit around the planet Xhatrr'vxoth. It was equipped with a highly advanced computer-guided system supposed to avoid collisions, but the sensor systems of the probe could have malfunctioned by accident. I really don't konw - I'm a politician, not an engineer." Zxavor was quite disappointed, but he had nobody to blame and only had to start again from scratch.
He ordered that another probe with a more expensive collision-avoidance system should be sent - however, to his order he added: "Don't hurry this, please."
The next day, Zxavor's advisors had more strange news. The artificially generated wormhole was still not closed, and a squadron of Jxirth-class frigates on a routine patrol near Kvorthx had picked up a piece of debris which was by no means made by nature.
It appeared much to be a space probe of some sort, but upon analytic study by scientists from Kvorthx it was revealed not to have been the Xril-built probe sent to Xhatrr'vxoth. Aside from various technology which, although its alien appearance was well-known to the Xril, the probe found near Kvorthx also contained a plaque made from aluminum, engraved with many strange sigils.
Apparently it was some sort of message, but the engraving did not bear even a vague resemblance to any alphabet ever used by the Xril.
As those words left the mouth of Admiral Xvolthaxr, representative of the Xhatrr Spacefleet in the High Council, the rest of the council was stunned. After several centuries of searching for extra-Xhatrrial life in the universe without any results, the Xril might have finally found the answer to the eternal question... "Are we alone in the universe??"
Of course, many Xril were convinced that there was life outside the Xhatrr solar system. But this discovery changed a belief to fact. It also reduced the need for examination of Xhatrr'vxoth, as they now knew that this planet was able to support intelligent life.
However, in the government confusion had soon risen. One thing was to discover alien life - another matter was to make contact with it.
Zxavor asked himself many questions: How should we be able to communicate with them?? How should we welcome them - if we should welcome them at all?? If they had contacted us deliberately, why had they contacted us?? Are they friendly or hostile??
Zxavor couldn't bear the burden of all these problems - not to mention that a wrong decision could lead to the loss of Xhatrr to alien hands in this situation - so he decided on the easiest solution.... apathy.
Until somebody had deciphered the plaque picked up in the space near Kvothx, he would wait for further contact by the people from Xhatrr'vxoth.
Months later, things hadn't gotten better.
The average citizen was still worried whether the message from beyond the solar system was a dire threat or a friendly greeting.
Truth was in fact - the message was indecipherable. Maybe it was a news transmission between two worlds in a vast interstellar empire.
If it indeed was so, Zxavor's tiny dominion would quickly be defeated. However, logic told him that it probably not as powerful. Because of this and the previous known difficulties with communicating with the inhabitants of Xhatrr'vxoth, if communication would be possible at all, it would be much safer - and, in general, much cheaper!
Other than that, Zxavor - as well as all of his advisors - had wondered why the inhabitants of Xhatrr'vxoth didn't send a plaque with universal symbols of either threat or friendship, instead of all these cryptic hieroglyphics.
Regardless of what they meant, Zxavor felt slightly frustrated over the discovery of the plaque from Xhatrr'vxoth.
It had grinded his expansion program to a halt since all the Xril Spacefleet now were doing - aside from regular routine patrol - was waiting for more messages from Xhatrr'vxoth. However, one day that situation would change.
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-02 06:16am, edited 4 times in total.
"Hi there, would you like to have a cookie?"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
-
Peregrin Toker
- Emperor's Hand
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- Joined: 2002-07-04 10:57am
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- Contact:
Chapter 3 - Through The Wormhole
In another solar system, long away from Xhatrr....
A short biped with strong limbs - a mere 1.45m tall but incredibly muscular - with wide, powerful jaws sat on a chair on the bridge of the Borava-class defense monitor Kaunarga. The decorations on the tight purple cap upon his vaguely conical skull identified him as Captain of the ship, and other markings on the hat denoted his name - Karvol.
At various computer terminals on the same bridge similar beings in orange-red uniforms sat and were fully occupied with managing the ship's main functions. They all belonged to the Jardra - a species that came from the planet Avarnam orbiting the star Vorou.
A wormhole had recently appeared near Avarnam, and shortly after a space station orbiting the planet picked up two strange space probes which probably came from the alien solar system connected to Avarnam by this wormhole.
A Jardra-made probe - with a message of friendship included - had been sent through the wormhole as a response. Until whomever built the first probe responded, no ship was allowed to enter the wormhole. The Kaunarga continued approached the wormhole along with the rest of the task force fleet assigned to guard the wormhole and assure that nobody would enter the wormhole.
As the ships approached the coordinates where it should stop advancing, the captain ordered: "Stop rear engines!! Activate retrothrusters!!" One of the lower-ranking Jardra sitting elsewhere on the bridge responded to the order by programming the main engines of the ship to stop and activated the front-mounted retrothrusters, thus decelerating the ship.
The fusion-powered retrothrusters on the ship's front activated, each blazing with ice-blue fire as the ship decelerated.
It was a content crewman who reported: "Deceleration process complete."
All the crew and officers believed their assignment would only be contemporary, as the task would be rather tedious - in fact, Cpt. Korval expected the admirals to give the task to some space station constructed for the purpose, as soon such a station was built.
Meanwhile - in the Xhatrr system:
The smuggler starship Xzyth raced through the space between Xhatrr and Kvorthx, pursued by a squad from Kxal-class corvettes which hunted the Xzyth like a pack of ferocious predators stalking their prey.
Aboard the bridge of the smuggler ship, the navigator - an old female Xril clad wearing loose-fitting red clothes and a garish hat - asked the confused captain: "The 'vettes are getting closer!"
As a pair of Nzilx-class patrol ships approached from near a military starbase orbiting Kvorthx and fired their dorsal laser batteries at the pirate ship, the confusion only grew. A rain of laser beams was sent towards the Xzyth - some missed, while others found their mark - either damaging the Xzyth itself or obliterating one of the many smuggler "fighters" (basically just space shuttles converted into military craft).
It was a desperate situation, requiring desperate measures and desperate solutions. The Xzyth was not equipped for taking on so many ships at once. It was a Vzarh-class freighter converted into a smuggling vessel by replacing some of the cargo bays with antimatter reactors in order to power the various laser batteries fitted to the ship - as well as the modified engines.
If it attempted to hold its own against the Nzilx-class defense ships as well as the corvettes, it would quickly be destroyed by a hailstorm of searing laser beams.
The captain of the Xzyth ordered the red-garbed navigator to set course for the wormhole. It might have seemed an unsafe option, but the alternative would be certain death.
Besides, the crew of the corvettes and patrol ships would have to defy orders if they didn't give up following the Xzyth through the wormhole.
The navigator of the Xzyth wasn't too impressed with the order, but as she set coordinates for the wormhole, following words left her vestigial lips: "Well, it's the only way out..."
On board one of the Nzilx-class patrol ships, one of the officers on the bridge shouted: "Sir, They're entering the wormhole!! What shall we do, Sir?"
The captain's immediate answer was: "I suppose that they'll only stay there for a short duration of time and return when they think we've forgotten about them. Communications Officer Xath, open up communications to all other Xhatrr Spacefleet ships pursuing the pirate ship!"
A few seconds after, the computer screen next to the captain's chair reported: "Communications open!"
The captain spoke with his head pointed towards the telescreen: "Defense ship [/]XVC Jxur, set course for military space station Kvorthx'Xzarash. Corvettes, resume routine duties." It could be heard in the captain's voice that he was slightly aggravated that the smugglers had escaped. These bootleggers, black-market merchant and smugglers - or "pirates" as the authorities called them, were becoming an increasing problem. Particularly due to the growing black market, which was destabilizing the economy.
However, the hoary and battle-tempered captain quickly muttered with a grin on his lips: "The pirates won't have any chance of getting help from aliens they can't even communicate with - and it won't be a long time before we're blockading the wormhole. When they return to Xhatrr, we'll crush them."
On board the Xzyth, the crew cheered as the their ship ventured through the wormhole. However, when they found themselves in another solar system, what met them was a sight they did not expect.
In another solar system, long away from Xhatrr....
A short biped with strong limbs - a mere 1.45m tall but incredibly muscular - with wide, powerful jaws sat on a chair on the bridge of the Borava-class defense monitor Kaunarga. The decorations on the tight purple cap upon his vaguely conical skull identified him as Captain of the ship, and other markings on the hat denoted his name - Karvol.
At various computer terminals on the same bridge similar beings in orange-red uniforms sat and were fully occupied with managing the ship's main functions. They all belonged to the Jardra - a species that came from the planet Avarnam orbiting the star Vorou.
A wormhole had recently appeared near Avarnam, and shortly after a space station orbiting the planet picked up two strange space probes which probably came from the alien solar system connected to Avarnam by this wormhole.
A Jardra-made probe - with a message of friendship included - had been sent through the wormhole as a response. Until whomever built the first probe responded, no ship was allowed to enter the wormhole. The Kaunarga continued approached the wormhole along with the rest of the task force fleet assigned to guard the wormhole and assure that nobody would enter the wormhole.
As the ships approached the coordinates where it should stop advancing, the captain ordered: "Stop rear engines!! Activate retrothrusters!!" One of the lower-ranking Jardra sitting elsewhere on the bridge responded to the order by programming the main engines of the ship to stop and activated the front-mounted retrothrusters, thus decelerating the ship.
The fusion-powered retrothrusters on the ship's front activated, each blazing with ice-blue fire as the ship decelerated.
It was a content crewman who reported: "Deceleration process complete."
All the crew and officers believed their assignment would only be contemporary, as the task would be rather tedious - in fact, Cpt. Korval expected the admirals to give the task to some space station constructed for the purpose, as soon such a station was built.
Meanwhile - in the Xhatrr system:
The smuggler starship Xzyth raced through the space between Xhatrr and Kvorthx, pursued by a squad from Kxal-class corvettes which hunted the Xzyth like a pack of ferocious predators stalking their prey.
Aboard the bridge of the smuggler ship, the navigator - an old female Xril clad wearing loose-fitting red clothes and a garish hat - asked the confused captain: "The 'vettes are getting closer!"
As a pair of Nzilx-class patrol ships approached from near a military starbase orbiting Kvorthx and fired their dorsal laser batteries at the pirate ship, the confusion only grew. A rain of laser beams was sent towards the Xzyth - some missed, while others found their mark - either damaging the Xzyth itself or obliterating one of the many smuggler "fighters" (basically just space shuttles converted into military craft).
It was a desperate situation, requiring desperate measures and desperate solutions. The Xzyth was not equipped for taking on so many ships at once. It was a Vzarh-class freighter converted into a smuggling vessel by replacing some of the cargo bays with antimatter reactors in order to power the various laser batteries fitted to the ship - as well as the modified engines.
If it attempted to hold its own against the Nzilx-class defense ships as well as the corvettes, it would quickly be destroyed by a hailstorm of searing laser beams.
The captain of the Xzyth ordered the red-garbed navigator to set course for the wormhole. It might have seemed an unsafe option, but the alternative would be certain death.
Besides, the crew of the corvettes and patrol ships would have to defy orders if they didn't give up following the Xzyth through the wormhole.
The navigator of the Xzyth wasn't too impressed with the order, but as she set coordinates for the wormhole, following words left her vestigial lips: "Well, it's the only way out..."
On board one of the Nzilx-class patrol ships, one of the officers on the bridge shouted: "Sir, They're entering the wormhole!! What shall we do, Sir?"
The captain's immediate answer was: "I suppose that they'll only stay there for a short duration of time and return when they think we've forgotten about them. Communications Officer Xath, open up communications to all other Xhatrr Spacefleet ships pursuing the pirate ship!"
A few seconds after, the computer screen next to the captain's chair reported: "Communications open!"
The captain spoke with his head pointed towards the telescreen: "Defense ship [/]XVC Jxur, set course for military space station Kvorthx'Xzarash. Corvettes, resume routine duties." It could be heard in the captain's voice that he was slightly aggravated that the smugglers had escaped. These bootleggers, black-market merchant and smugglers - or "pirates" as the authorities called them, were becoming an increasing problem. Particularly due to the growing black market, which was destabilizing the economy.
However, the hoary and battle-tempered captain quickly muttered with a grin on his lips: "The pirates won't have any chance of getting help from aliens they can't even communicate with - and it won't be a long time before we're blockading the wormhole. When they return to Xhatrr, we'll crush them."
On board the Xzyth, the crew cheered as the their ship ventured through the wormhole. However, when they found themselves in another solar system, what met them was a sight they did not expect.
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-02 06:17am, edited 4 times in total.
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victorhadin
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I'll read it in a bit. Promise.
-But I have to learn some Bulgarian at the mo. Dammit!
EDIT: AAARGH! "Pleased to meet you" translates into thirteen bloody syllables of Bulgarian!
-But I have to learn some Bulgarian at the mo. Dammit!
EDIT: AAARGH! "Pleased to meet you" translates into thirteen bloody syllables of Bulgarian!
"Aw hell. We ran the Large-Eddy-Method-With-Allowances-For-Random-Divinity again and look; the flow separation regions have formed into a little cross shape. Look at this, Fred!"
"Blasted computer model, stigmatizing my aeroplane! Lower the Induced-Deity coefficient next time."
"Blasted computer model, stigmatizing my aeroplane! Lower the Induced-Deity coefficient next time."
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Singular Quartet
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Interesting. I agree it needs a bit of polish but by all means do not do too much of that until it is finished. You will have to go over it over and over again as you are writing it, changing the earlier parts to fit the later parts. If you spend too much effort on polish now, you will get frustrated and will never finish it.
Why was there not a full blockade of the wormhole? Wouldn't any fleet set there to keep anyone comeing in through the wormhole be able to prevent anyone escaping from it as well?
Why was there not a full blockade of the wormhole? Wouldn't any fleet set there to keep anyone comeing in through the wormhole be able to prevent anyone escaping from it as well?
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Peregrin Toker
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I promise I'll go format it tomorrow.Singular Quartet wrote:Needs formatting.
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-07-26 04:59pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Peregrin Toker
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Good point. However, I could add that the Jardra ship Kaunarga and its sister ships only were a squadron of a much larger fleet assigned to block the wormhole - and the Xril ships chasing the pirates might have been running out of supplies. Also, the Xril home system is plagued by aforementioned pirates. In fact, the piracy is so much of a problem that the Xhatrr Spacefleet spend every second pursuing pirates. (I envision the Xril state as being a corrupt dictatorship which would make the Soviet Union in comparison - which would explain all the black markets)Stormin wrote: Why was there not a full blockade of the wormhole? Wouldn't any fleet set there to keep anyone comeing in through the wormhole be able to prevent anyone escaping from it as well?
BTW, you're right about polishing - the first two chapters are way too descriptive and padded in my opinion. However, I took a month-long hiatus between writing the first two chapters. And this is only the first draft.
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Peregrin Toker
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Okay, I'd include that in the second draft. This is only the first version of the story. I've currently rewriting the first 3 chapters as a response to your criticism - but it'll still stay my story.Stormin wrote:In that sort of situation, I think that very fast smuggler ships would be much more common than pirate ships, though they could be reported as pirates by the government to make the civs less inclined to support the smuglers.
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How about those guys have a black market innovation ecm/eccm jammer device that prevented the blockading ships from being accurate with their fire? Some could have left their posts to engage the pirates allowing an escape.
I can imagine those particular captains to get a lot of flak from their commanders afterward though.
I can imagine those particular captains to get a lot of flak from their commanders afterward though.
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Peregrin Toker
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I'll include that sometime.Stormin wrote:How about those guys have a black market innovation ecm/eccm jammer device that prevented the blockading ships from being accurate with their fire? Some could have left their posts to engage the pirates allowing an escape.
I can imagine those particular captains to get a lot of flak from their commanders afterward though.
BTW - I need help on the fourth chapter. Should it be how the Xril pirates somehow forge an alliance with the Jardra, or told from the Xril authorities' viewpoint - thus telling mostly of how the Xril pirates return with alien escort as ships are starting to arrive in order to block the wormhole??
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Considering the communications difficulties, that might be impossible. But if the ship is being pursued and the chase ships follow through the wormhole and shooting starts, it would get very nasty very quickly.Simon H.Johansen wrote: I'll include that sometime.
BTW - I need help on the fourth chapter. Should it be how the Xril pirates somehow forge an alliance with the Jardra, or told from the Xril authorities' viewpoint - thus telling mostly of how the Xril pirates return with alien escort as ships are starting to arrive in order to block the wormhole??
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Peregrin Toker
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I've decided to make communications possible because some of the Jardra, those known as Telepath-Interrogators, have cybernetic implants in their brain which allow them to read others' minds. (I wanted something else than a black-against-white scenario so I decided to have the rebellious smuggler factions within the Xril allying with the Jardra)Stormin wrote:Considering the communications difficulties, that might be impossible. But if the ship is being pursued and the chase ships follow through the wormhole and shooting starts, it would get very nasty very quickly.Simon H.Johansen wrote: I'll include that sometime.
BTW - I need help on the fourth chapter. Should it be how the Xril pirates somehow forge an alliance with the Jardra, or told from the Xril authorities' viewpoint - thus telling mostly of how the Xril pirates return with alien escort as ships are starting to arrive in order to block the wormhole??
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Peregrin Toker
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Okay, in the meantime I've decided to drop that "telepathy-enabling cybernetics" deus-ex-machina plot device and instead make the Jardra ally with the smugglers because they have common enemies.
And below is the 4th chapter!!
And below is the 4th chapter!!
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Peregrin Toker
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Chapter 4 - Eruption
(author's note: Originally this chapter was called "The Action Begins")
Vorou star system, aboard Borava-class defense monitor Kaunarga of the Avarnam Defense Force:
The stocky Jardra crewmen of the Kaunarga were awed when they saw something exiting the wormhole. The captain's second in command, a hairy-faced male Jardra named Saro, looked almost transfixed as he gasped: "Sir... it's an alien spacecraft."
Cpt. Karvol, who seemed to be the only one not caught in a web of amazement, sarcastically replied: "What else do you think it is, Lt. Commander Saro? Sensors, scan it."
As a 3D-rendered wireframe model of the alien craft appeared on one of the many viewscreens on the bridge, the intelligence officer reported: "Sir, The ship's roughly 320 metres long from prow to stern. Sensors have found signs of life aboard the ship as well as traces of several matter-antimatter reactors and nuclear fusion reactors. It's lightly armed for a ship its size - probably an armed freighter. Seems like it's been damaged in battle, sir."
The shape which appeared on the viewscreen resembled no ship ever seen by the captain.
It was as angular as any ship, but unlike the ships of the Avarnam Defense Force which used to look like spaceborne fortresses, this ship was different. It was wide, yes, but it was much more elongated than an Avarnam-built ship.
The basical shape of the ship was a long, somewhat flat rectangle, with a vaguely beak-like structure at the prow and a line of dorsal-mounted turrets on the top of it. Behind the last dorsal turret was a bunker-shaped module which probably was the bridge. Given that most of the life signs came from this tower-like bridge as well as the prow, Karvol assumed these to be the command centres of the ship while the rest of the ship was largely automated. Given that some of the Jardra-built ships used by the autonomous planet of Shaikarsa also has their command sections in the prow, it was not unlikely that it applied to this ship as well.
Cpt. Karvol ordered the crew in charge of sensors and communications to find the radar frequencies of the alien ship.
Vorou star system, aboard the smuggler ship Xzyth:
After the Xzyth went through the wormhole, the excitement of its crew quickly turned to panic as sensors and viewscreen informed them that they were approaching a fleet of almost a hundred alien ships. The panicked captain said stoically: "I hope they're not hostile."
Suddenly, on the ship's communications vidscreen - which used to display black screen - the Xril saw the crew of one of the alien ships. Their crew - which presumably were of the same species that built them - bore a vague resemblance to Xril, but the resemblance was barely there.
Unlike the tall, hairless and slender Xril, these creatures were short, stunted and hairy. Their short bodies were clothed by orange uniforms, but evidently muscled to an almost grotesque extent. Their shaggy hair, long noses and the position of their mouths reminded them of some sort of mythological demons or trolls.
One of them, apparently the commander, wore a strange purple cap which either was deliberately conical or an indicator of yet another bizarre aspect of the beings' skull structure.
All of them, despite their stunted stature, over-muscled bodies and grotesque bearing, felt so similar to the Xril themselves, if they didn't look similar, that it almost was unnerving...
The increasingly worried captain of the Xzyth observed the alien beings talk to each other in a language unlike anything he had heard yet, and then the transmission suddenly stopped.
The communication screen displayed nothing.
Nothing.
Xhatrr Space System, Starbase Kvorthx'Xzarash
The captain of one of the Nzilx-class patrol ships which pursued the Xzyth walked through the dimly illuminated corridors of Kvorth'Xzarash before entering the quarters of Admiral Kyaxra.
Admiral Kyaxra was one of the most eccentric Xril ever to enter the Xhatrr Spacefleet, and always attempted to appear as intimidating as possible. It didn't help that he was unnaturally pale, even for a Xril, and had eerily bulging eyes.
The captain reported: "Sir, my ship the Kraxxark, its sister ship Jxur and the 12th Corvette Squadron were chasing a smuggler ship. It fled into the wormhole, which is forbidden territory without permission to enter. We resumed routine patrol duties, sir."
The brooding Kyaxra, clad in his midnight-blue Admiral's uniform, complete with shoulder pads and an elaborate hat, stared into the captain's eyes and said threateningly: "Fool! In case you've read the full text of the Wormhole Directive, you'd know that all military ships have automatic permission to enter the wormhole. I never intended to limit our ability to enforce and persecute... Captain, I'd like to remind you of an old proverb."
Confused, embarrased and slightly intimidated, the captain asked: "Sir, which proverb, sir??
Kyaxra - threatening and ominous as usual - squinted his eyes, clenched his fist and exclaimed: "The ends justify the means.... the ends always justify the means."
As the captain was demoted to Lieutenant and his second-in-command took command over the Kraxxark, several Jxirth-class frigates and a few Kvarx-class destroyers were sent to block the wormhole in the future. As well as that, a pair of frigates and a Xuln-class heavy cruiser were sent into the wormhole in order to retrieve the frigate.
Vorou Star System, aboard Borava-class defense monitor Kaunarga of the Avarnam Defense Force: [/i][/b]
Karvol watched as the sensors detected something else coming in from the wormhole... and he had the feeling it was not going to be something pleasant.
The crew of the Kaunarga and the other defense monitors guarding the wormhole were stunned as they saw the first vessels enter from the wormhole. It was similar in structure to the armed freighter which still drifted between the wormhole and the Jardra ships blocking it, but it was much larger.
Its length was a little over a half kilometre. It had the same basic layout as the freighter, but it was less sleek and the prow-mounted beak-shaped module was the same width as the rest of the ship - as opposed to the first alien ship, where the beak-like structure was much narrower than the rest of the ship. It apparently didn't have as many docking bays and it was quite heavily armed - four dorsal-mounted turrets and on each side a sponson-like turret which mounted a huge gun - its barrel was almost 200m long - which could adjust to fire at pretty much any angle. Or so the sensor scan indicated.
If there wasn't something wrong with the sensors, there were little cargo space aboard the ship - indicating that this was, of all, a warship. The whole crew of the Kaunarga was frightened.
One similar ship also entered the Vorou star system from the wormhole, and an even bigger ship did so too.
The large ship was horrifically intimidating - over a kilometre long, on each side a sponson with two of the gargantuan weapons, with lots of dorsal and keel-mounted turrets.... it was rather elongated, but the shape of the ship was much more rectangular than those of the other alien ships... in fact, in some ways it almost resembled an elongated Avarnam Defense Force ship.
Cpt. Karvol was almost tempted to see these incoming warships as invaders, but he still gave the idea of peaceful coexistence a second thought, even though he would be unable to communicate. He would not like a misunderstanding to result in a war, particularly with the enemy possessing kilometre-long ships easily a match for a Kalshaksa-class heavy cruiser.
The sensors now told them something interesting - the small ship which arrived yesterday activated its engines and apparently tried to escape from the larger ships which recently had arrived.
As the small ship accelerated somehow, it became clear that it was pursued by the larger ships, which.... fired at the smaller alien ship.
The dorsal and keel-mounted laser turrets of the warships cut through the small ship, while the enormous side-mounted guns didn't fire until the ships were very close... but after the deadly beams from the humongous sponson-mounted guns were fired, the small ship was all but a derelict piece of drifting space debris.
Karvol was amazed at how powerful these weapons were. They certainly weren't lasers - at least not according to the sensors' scan of the beams.
Admiral Shardoka aboard the defense monitor Taudarr, leader of the task force assigned to block the wormhole, ordered the fleet not to attack the alien ships - he did not want a war to erupt due to a misunderstanding.
The Jardra were confused. Because of this wormhole, they were now involved in some war between beings they couldn't understand. At least not yet. The vidscreen displayed tall, almost skeletal beings which at once seemed so disturbingly alien and eerily similar - and their language at first appeared to consist of hard consonants, lisps and sharp syllables. Maybe these bizarre creatures would communicate with the Jardra some day.
Cpt. Karvol also noted that the warships displayed a symbol the smaller ship didn't display.
The identification symbol on the small ship was some purple claw-like marking, while the alien warships had a black and white symbol which looked like a cross between a spanner and a pair of antlers, which a sphere between the "antlers".
Shortly after having annihilated the small ship, the alien ships appeared to activate their retrothrusters and set course towards the wormhole again.
The menacing alien warships, armed with mysterious building-sized guns, went back into the wormhole almost as soon as they had appeared.
Karvol did not know what to do.... but if all the alien warships were as powerful as the ones which recently went into the Vorou system to destroy the equally enigmatic small ship bearing the symbol of the purple claw, he certainly hope they were friendly.
However, deep inside Karvol felt humiliated and provoked by the aliens' apparent lack of qualms about trespassing in the Vorou system just to eliminate what appeared to be a mere refugee ship. The captain also hoped sincerely that a larger military presence would soon be assigned to guard the wormhole. Preferably some Kalshaksa-class cruisers to augment the small defense monitors...
And one thing would be for sure - If they're going to attack us, they better expect maximum resistance...
Vorou Star System, aboard Xuln-class Heavy Cruiser Xlithru of the Xhatrr Spacefleet
Commodore Xytharxk was still as nervous as he had been since his task force entered the wormhole - after all, for the first time in his life he saw alien spaceships with his own eyes - but his worries were now fewer as the smuggler vessel was eliminated.
Xytharxk told the captains of his taskforce: "Don't attack any alien ships -repeat: Do not attack any ships else than the smugglers. Nothing indicates that they're likely to attack us."
All of the alien ships were quite small, and at first they appeared extraordinarily passive. But there were so many of them that the Xlithru and its escorts would be better off escaping in damaged condition than fighting the aliens and risking their lives - as well as one of the oldest, most honoured and revered heavy cruisers in the Xhatrr Spacefleet.
However, as the three Xhatrr Spacefleet warships returned through the Wormhole his fears vanished. In fact, to Xytharxk it appeared as though the aliens were more confused than aggravated.
Even though the Xril ships had exchanged laser fire and particle beams in the alien solar system, its inhabitants appeared either awestruck or indifferent.
As the lumbering heavy cruiser left the alien solar system, Xytharxk said to himself: "Those alien ships didn't appear much of a threat... Zxavor would be pleased to hear that the conquest will be so easy."
(author's note: Originally this chapter was called "The Action Begins")
Vorou star system, aboard Borava-class defense monitor Kaunarga of the Avarnam Defense Force:
The stocky Jardra crewmen of the Kaunarga were awed when they saw something exiting the wormhole. The captain's second in command, a hairy-faced male Jardra named Saro, looked almost transfixed as he gasped: "Sir... it's an alien spacecraft."
Cpt. Karvol, who seemed to be the only one not caught in a web of amazement, sarcastically replied: "What else do you think it is, Lt. Commander Saro? Sensors, scan it."
As a 3D-rendered wireframe model of the alien craft appeared on one of the many viewscreens on the bridge, the intelligence officer reported: "Sir, The ship's roughly 320 metres long from prow to stern. Sensors have found signs of life aboard the ship as well as traces of several matter-antimatter reactors and nuclear fusion reactors. It's lightly armed for a ship its size - probably an armed freighter. Seems like it's been damaged in battle, sir."
The shape which appeared on the viewscreen resembled no ship ever seen by the captain.
It was as angular as any ship, but unlike the ships of the Avarnam Defense Force which used to look like spaceborne fortresses, this ship was different. It was wide, yes, but it was much more elongated than an Avarnam-built ship.
The basical shape of the ship was a long, somewhat flat rectangle, with a vaguely beak-like structure at the prow and a line of dorsal-mounted turrets on the top of it. Behind the last dorsal turret was a bunker-shaped module which probably was the bridge. Given that most of the life signs came from this tower-like bridge as well as the prow, Karvol assumed these to be the command centres of the ship while the rest of the ship was largely automated. Given that some of the Jardra-built ships used by the autonomous planet of Shaikarsa also has their command sections in the prow, it was not unlikely that it applied to this ship as well.
Cpt. Karvol ordered the crew in charge of sensors and communications to find the radar frequencies of the alien ship.
Vorou star system, aboard the smuggler ship Xzyth:
After the Xzyth went through the wormhole, the excitement of its crew quickly turned to panic as sensors and viewscreen informed them that they were approaching a fleet of almost a hundred alien ships. The panicked captain said stoically: "I hope they're not hostile."
Suddenly, on the ship's communications vidscreen - which used to display black screen - the Xril saw the crew of one of the alien ships. Their crew - which presumably were of the same species that built them - bore a vague resemblance to Xril, but the resemblance was barely there.
Unlike the tall, hairless and slender Xril, these creatures were short, stunted and hairy. Their short bodies were clothed by orange uniforms, but evidently muscled to an almost grotesque extent. Their shaggy hair, long noses and the position of their mouths reminded them of some sort of mythological demons or trolls.
One of them, apparently the commander, wore a strange purple cap which either was deliberately conical or an indicator of yet another bizarre aspect of the beings' skull structure.
All of them, despite their stunted stature, over-muscled bodies and grotesque bearing, felt so similar to the Xril themselves, if they didn't look similar, that it almost was unnerving...
The increasingly worried captain of the Xzyth observed the alien beings talk to each other in a language unlike anything he had heard yet, and then the transmission suddenly stopped.
The communication screen displayed nothing.
Nothing.
Xhatrr Space System, Starbase Kvorthx'Xzarash
The captain of one of the Nzilx-class patrol ships which pursued the Xzyth walked through the dimly illuminated corridors of Kvorth'Xzarash before entering the quarters of Admiral Kyaxra.
Admiral Kyaxra was one of the most eccentric Xril ever to enter the Xhatrr Spacefleet, and always attempted to appear as intimidating as possible. It didn't help that he was unnaturally pale, even for a Xril, and had eerily bulging eyes.
The captain reported: "Sir, my ship the Kraxxark, its sister ship Jxur and the 12th Corvette Squadron were chasing a smuggler ship. It fled into the wormhole, which is forbidden territory without permission to enter. We resumed routine patrol duties, sir."
The brooding Kyaxra, clad in his midnight-blue Admiral's uniform, complete with shoulder pads and an elaborate hat, stared into the captain's eyes and said threateningly: "Fool! In case you've read the full text of the Wormhole Directive, you'd know that all military ships have automatic permission to enter the wormhole. I never intended to limit our ability to enforce and persecute... Captain, I'd like to remind you of an old proverb."
Confused, embarrased and slightly intimidated, the captain asked: "Sir, which proverb, sir??
Kyaxra - threatening and ominous as usual - squinted his eyes, clenched his fist and exclaimed: "The ends justify the means.... the ends always justify the means."
As the captain was demoted to Lieutenant and his second-in-command took command over the Kraxxark, several Jxirth-class frigates and a few Kvarx-class destroyers were sent to block the wormhole in the future. As well as that, a pair of frigates and a Xuln-class heavy cruiser were sent into the wormhole in order to retrieve the frigate.
Vorou Star System, aboard Borava-class defense monitor Kaunarga of the Avarnam Defense Force: [/i][/b]
Karvol watched as the sensors detected something else coming in from the wormhole... and he had the feeling it was not going to be something pleasant.
The crew of the Kaunarga and the other defense monitors guarding the wormhole were stunned as they saw the first vessels enter from the wormhole. It was similar in structure to the armed freighter which still drifted between the wormhole and the Jardra ships blocking it, but it was much larger.
Its length was a little over a half kilometre. It had the same basic layout as the freighter, but it was less sleek and the prow-mounted beak-shaped module was the same width as the rest of the ship - as opposed to the first alien ship, where the beak-like structure was much narrower than the rest of the ship. It apparently didn't have as many docking bays and it was quite heavily armed - four dorsal-mounted turrets and on each side a sponson-like turret which mounted a huge gun - its barrel was almost 200m long - which could adjust to fire at pretty much any angle. Or so the sensor scan indicated.
If there wasn't something wrong with the sensors, there were little cargo space aboard the ship - indicating that this was, of all, a warship. The whole crew of the Kaunarga was frightened.
One similar ship also entered the Vorou star system from the wormhole, and an even bigger ship did so too.
The large ship was horrifically intimidating - over a kilometre long, on each side a sponson with two of the gargantuan weapons, with lots of dorsal and keel-mounted turrets.... it was rather elongated, but the shape of the ship was much more rectangular than those of the other alien ships... in fact, in some ways it almost resembled an elongated Avarnam Defense Force ship.
Cpt. Karvol was almost tempted to see these incoming warships as invaders, but he still gave the idea of peaceful coexistence a second thought, even though he would be unable to communicate. He would not like a misunderstanding to result in a war, particularly with the enemy possessing kilometre-long ships easily a match for a Kalshaksa-class heavy cruiser.
The sensors now told them something interesting - the small ship which arrived yesterday activated its engines and apparently tried to escape from the larger ships which recently had arrived.
As the small ship accelerated somehow, it became clear that it was pursued by the larger ships, which.... fired at the smaller alien ship.
The dorsal and keel-mounted laser turrets of the warships cut through the small ship, while the enormous side-mounted guns didn't fire until the ships were very close... but after the deadly beams from the humongous sponson-mounted guns were fired, the small ship was all but a derelict piece of drifting space debris.
Karvol was amazed at how powerful these weapons were. They certainly weren't lasers - at least not according to the sensors' scan of the beams.
Admiral Shardoka aboard the defense monitor Taudarr, leader of the task force assigned to block the wormhole, ordered the fleet not to attack the alien ships - he did not want a war to erupt due to a misunderstanding.
The Jardra were confused. Because of this wormhole, they were now involved in some war between beings they couldn't understand. At least not yet. The vidscreen displayed tall, almost skeletal beings which at once seemed so disturbingly alien and eerily similar - and their language at first appeared to consist of hard consonants, lisps and sharp syllables. Maybe these bizarre creatures would communicate with the Jardra some day.
Cpt. Karvol also noted that the warships displayed a symbol the smaller ship didn't display.
The identification symbol on the small ship was some purple claw-like marking, while the alien warships had a black and white symbol which looked like a cross between a spanner and a pair of antlers, which a sphere between the "antlers".
Shortly after having annihilated the small ship, the alien ships appeared to activate their retrothrusters and set course towards the wormhole again.
The menacing alien warships, armed with mysterious building-sized guns, went back into the wormhole almost as soon as they had appeared.
Karvol did not know what to do.... but if all the alien warships were as powerful as the ones which recently went into the Vorou system to destroy the equally enigmatic small ship bearing the symbol of the purple claw, he certainly hope they were friendly.
However, deep inside Karvol felt humiliated and provoked by the aliens' apparent lack of qualms about trespassing in the Vorou system just to eliminate what appeared to be a mere refugee ship. The captain also hoped sincerely that a larger military presence would soon be assigned to guard the wormhole. Preferably some Kalshaksa-class cruisers to augment the small defense monitors...
And one thing would be for sure - If they're going to attack us, they better expect maximum resistance...
Vorou Star System, aboard Xuln-class Heavy Cruiser Xlithru of the Xhatrr Spacefleet
Commodore Xytharxk was still as nervous as he had been since his task force entered the wormhole - after all, for the first time in his life he saw alien spaceships with his own eyes - but his worries were now fewer as the smuggler vessel was eliminated.
Xytharxk told the captains of his taskforce: "Don't attack any alien ships -repeat: Do not attack any ships else than the smugglers. Nothing indicates that they're likely to attack us."
All of the alien ships were quite small, and at first they appeared extraordinarily passive. But there were so many of them that the Xlithru and its escorts would be better off escaping in damaged condition than fighting the aliens and risking their lives - as well as one of the oldest, most honoured and revered heavy cruisers in the Xhatrr Spacefleet.
However, as the three Xhatrr Spacefleet warships returned through the Wormhole his fears vanished. In fact, to Xytharxk it appeared as though the aliens were more confused than aggravated.
Even though the Xril ships had exchanged laser fire and particle beams in the alien solar system, its inhabitants appeared either awestruck or indifferent.
As the lumbering heavy cruiser left the alien solar system, Xytharxk said to himself: "Those alien ships didn't appear much of a threat... Zxavor would be pleased to hear that the conquest will be so easy."
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-02 06:19am, edited 6 times in total.
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Peregrin Toker
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Chapter 5 - The Invasion Begins
Planet Xhatrr, the Chamber of the High Council in the Spire of The Government
Supreme Potentate Zxavor brooded upon his bizarrely-shaped throne in the Chamber of the High Council, contemplating what to do. The Xlithru and its escorts had discovered that all alien ships found yet were small defense monitors which were slow but heavily armed for their size... but if these were the average enemy ships, there was no doubt.
Xhatrr'vxoth must be conquered. But how?
Admiral Xvolthaxr, another member of the High Council, had finally lost his patience and asked: "Supreme Potentate, my patience isn't endless."
Startled, Zxavor pressed a button upon his throne's armrest - causing the throne of darkest metal to turn clockwise, now facing the rest of the High Council.
The apparently slightly aggravated Supreme Potentate raised his sceptre and pointed it towards Xvolthaxr as following words left his mouth:
"Your patience?? It is me, not you, who commands unquestionable authority in this solar system. As for the expansion plan... We'll conquer the system as quickly as possible. This means that the conquest warfleet should be as big as possible, and that most of the ships currently on patrol will be re-transferred to the conquest fleet."
Another advisor asked: "But I thought that the threat from the pirates and smugglers required the presence of..."
Slightly worried by the fact that one of his most trusted advisors would question him that much, Zxavor interrupted the advisor in mid-sentence: "Anyone with a vague knowledge of naval tactics should be aware that anything bigger than a Kvarx-class destroyer currently don't have any other tasks little more than intimidating. In fact, the huge Aulx-class battleships were constructed with the specific purpose of scaring rebels into submission. I suggest we keep a few big capital ships in our home system, but as many ships as possible should be available for the invasion fleet."
Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath, supreme leader of the Xhatrr Spacefleet, nodded. He was rarely here, but because of the importance of the situation, he took up one of the guest seats in the Council. During the years immediately following The Great Uprising, it was him - along with Supreme Battlelord Txaxil to see how easily a "Rule Through Fear" doctrine would be accepted by Zxavor as a means of keeping the populace loyal until society was more stable.
Xyakkath then commented Zxavor: "Most pirate ships are stolen freighters with light armament. The outlaws rarely get their hands on any genuine military vessel larger than a Nzilx-class enforcer. It won't make that much of a security difference if 70% of the Xhatrr Spacefleet's capital ships are used."
The science advisor Vyoxth considered asking why the overpopulation had to be solved in such a violent and expansionist manner, but he refused to as he knew he couldn't stop the war. Not even a silent sigh showed his pessimism.
Meanwhile, Zxavor smiled wickedly. In his mind, this expansion was necessary to increase his already absolute power and it was aggravating that it had been delayed for months. Now, he was convinced that only insignificant 300-metre defense ships stood in his way. To confirm his decision to invade Xhatrr'vxoth, he said: "Let the conquest begin."
Three days later, Xhatrr Solar System, Starbase Kvorthx'Xzarash:
A vast armada was gathered under the command of Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath, most of the lesser Fleet-Lords and Admiral Xvolthaxr.
Numbering dozens of cruisers and battlecruisers, over seventy frigates and destroyers and a swarm of corvettes, it was truly a majestic yet ominous sight. At the core of it all were three humongous Battleships - the Aulx and its sister ships Zxolrr and Klaxr.
The Aulx-class, named after an ancient god of war, were the largest warships ever built by the Xril. Each of them over a mile in length and having a primary armament of 120 heavy lasers and four particle accelerators, they were built to replace the Xuln-class as the heaviest ships of the Xhatrr Spacefleet. However, as they were found to be notoriously expensive to maintain, only three were built.
Now, they were command ships of the conquest task force and spearheads of the invasion. The term "spearheads" was indeed appropiate, since the prow-mounted command module had a rather pointed and elongated shape - from a side view appearing quite triangular - making the ship look vaguely like a wickedly barbed spearhead. It would have been more practical to build the prow module in another shape, but it looked sufficiently sinister and the Aulx-class was built to intimidate first and foremost - preferrably making the enemy surrender by virtue of its mere presence.
Aboard the Aulx itself, first of the line and pride of the Xhatrr Spacefleet, Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath sat in his Admiral's Chair while beholding the ships maneuvring into formations - ranging from the smallest corvette to enormous cruisers exceeding a kilometre in length each. They were organized into three fleets, each under a Fleet-Lord. In turn, the Exalted Fleet-Lord held supreme command over the operation. (editor's note: A Fleet-Lord is an Admiral of the Xhatrr Spacefleet who holds significant political influence)
Over the communications screen, Fleet-Lord Yaxra reported from his flagship, the Aulx-class battleship Zxolrr, that all ships under his command had moved into their assigned positions before voyaging towards the wormhole.
As Yaxra was the last of the Fleet-Lords who reported so, Xyakkath ordered his communications officer to open up communications to all command ships in the formation. Over the communications network to the other Aulx-class Battleships and Xuln-class Heavy Cruisers modified into commandships, Exalted Fleet-Lord Yaxra ordered the lesser Fleet-Lords and Admirals to let their sub-fleets set course for the wormhole.
Powered by antimatter and nuclear fusion, armed to the teeth with lasers and particle accelerators and eager to fight for their Great cause, the vast armada approached the wormhole like a pack of vicious predators closing in on their prey.
Believing the aliens to offer little more resistance than what the Xril had seen yet, they expected quick victory. What they would be met by, would be a long and arduous war which would exhaust both factions.
Planet Xhatrr, the Chamber of the High Council in the Spire of The Government
Supreme Potentate Zxavor brooded upon his bizarrely-shaped throne in the Chamber of the High Council, contemplating what to do. The Xlithru and its escorts had discovered that all alien ships found yet were small defense monitors which were slow but heavily armed for their size... but if these were the average enemy ships, there was no doubt.
Xhatrr'vxoth must be conquered. But how?
Admiral Xvolthaxr, another member of the High Council, had finally lost his patience and asked: "Supreme Potentate, my patience isn't endless."
Startled, Zxavor pressed a button upon his throne's armrest - causing the throne of darkest metal to turn clockwise, now facing the rest of the High Council.
The apparently slightly aggravated Supreme Potentate raised his sceptre and pointed it towards Xvolthaxr as following words left his mouth:
"Your patience?? It is me, not you, who commands unquestionable authority in this solar system. As for the expansion plan... We'll conquer the system as quickly as possible. This means that the conquest warfleet should be as big as possible, and that most of the ships currently on patrol will be re-transferred to the conquest fleet."
Another advisor asked: "But I thought that the threat from the pirates and smugglers required the presence of..."
Slightly worried by the fact that one of his most trusted advisors would question him that much, Zxavor interrupted the advisor in mid-sentence: "Anyone with a vague knowledge of naval tactics should be aware that anything bigger than a Kvarx-class destroyer currently don't have any other tasks little more than intimidating. In fact, the huge Aulx-class battleships were constructed with the specific purpose of scaring rebels into submission. I suggest we keep a few big capital ships in our home system, but as many ships as possible should be available for the invasion fleet."
Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath, supreme leader of the Xhatrr Spacefleet, nodded. He was rarely here, but because of the importance of the situation, he took up one of the guest seats in the Council. During the years immediately following The Great Uprising, it was him - along with Supreme Battlelord Txaxil to see how easily a "Rule Through Fear" doctrine would be accepted by Zxavor as a means of keeping the populace loyal until society was more stable.
Xyakkath then commented Zxavor: "Most pirate ships are stolen freighters with light armament. The outlaws rarely get their hands on any genuine military vessel larger than a Nzilx-class enforcer. It won't make that much of a security difference if 70% of the Xhatrr Spacefleet's capital ships are used."
The science advisor Vyoxth considered asking why the overpopulation had to be solved in such a violent and expansionist manner, but he refused to as he knew he couldn't stop the war. Not even a silent sigh showed his pessimism.
Meanwhile, Zxavor smiled wickedly. In his mind, this expansion was necessary to increase his already absolute power and it was aggravating that it had been delayed for months. Now, he was convinced that only insignificant 300-metre defense ships stood in his way. To confirm his decision to invade Xhatrr'vxoth, he said: "Let the conquest begin."
Three days later, Xhatrr Solar System, Starbase Kvorthx'Xzarash:
A vast armada was gathered under the command of Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath, most of the lesser Fleet-Lords and Admiral Xvolthaxr.
Numbering dozens of cruisers and battlecruisers, over seventy frigates and destroyers and a swarm of corvettes, it was truly a majestic yet ominous sight. At the core of it all were three humongous Battleships - the Aulx and its sister ships Zxolrr and Klaxr.
The Aulx-class, named after an ancient god of war, were the largest warships ever built by the Xril. Each of them over a mile in length and having a primary armament of 120 heavy lasers and four particle accelerators, they were built to replace the Xuln-class as the heaviest ships of the Xhatrr Spacefleet. However, as they were found to be notoriously expensive to maintain, only three were built.
Now, they were command ships of the conquest task force and spearheads of the invasion. The term "spearheads" was indeed appropiate, since the prow-mounted command module had a rather pointed and elongated shape - from a side view appearing quite triangular - making the ship look vaguely like a wickedly barbed spearhead. It would have been more practical to build the prow module in another shape, but it looked sufficiently sinister and the Aulx-class was built to intimidate first and foremost - preferrably making the enemy surrender by virtue of its mere presence.
Aboard the Aulx itself, first of the line and pride of the Xhatrr Spacefleet, Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath sat in his Admiral's Chair while beholding the ships maneuvring into formations - ranging from the smallest corvette to enormous cruisers exceeding a kilometre in length each. They were organized into three fleets, each under a Fleet-Lord. In turn, the Exalted Fleet-Lord held supreme command over the operation. (editor's note: A Fleet-Lord is an Admiral of the Xhatrr Spacefleet who holds significant political influence)
Over the communications screen, Fleet-Lord Yaxra reported from his flagship, the Aulx-class battleship Zxolrr, that all ships under his command had moved into their assigned positions before voyaging towards the wormhole.
As Yaxra was the last of the Fleet-Lords who reported so, Xyakkath ordered his communications officer to open up communications to all command ships in the formation. Over the communications network to the other Aulx-class Battleships and Xuln-class Heavy Cruisers modified into commandships, Exalted Fleet-Lord Yaxra ordered the lesser Fleet-Lords and Admirals to let their sub-fleets set course for the wormhole.
Powered by antimatter and nuclear fusion, armed to the teeth with lasers and particle accelerators and eager to fight for their Great cause, the vast armada approached the wormhole like a pack of vicious predators closing in on their prey.
Believing the aliens to offer little more resistance than what the Xril had seen yet, they expected quick victory. What they would be met by, would be a long and arduous war which would exhaust both factions.
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-09 04:59am, edited 4 times in total.
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Chapter 6 - Through The Flames Of Battle, Unto The Anvil Of War!
Vorou Solar System, Kalshaksa-class Heavy Cruiser Vursharjin of the Avarnam Defense Force
Admiral Shardoka watched the invaders approach. He now knew who they were. After the last incident, the alien ship destroyed by the large, unidentified warships was recovered by the Avarnam Defense Force. One of its crewmembers was found to be alive, but dying - and apparently so injured that nobody was able to heal it. As the alien died, one research group requested parts of the tall, lanky alien's brain. They revived and offered to implant the brain parts - supposedly the linguistic centre of the brain - into a volunteer. Shardoka recalled the fuss when a well-known scientist heading the research team - Shardoka couldn't remember his name - had the alien linguistic centre implanted in his brain together with a cybernetic implant enabling him to learn from the now-deceased alien.
According to the scientist, the alien species called themselves unpronounceable for a Jardra, which could best be reproduced with the sword "Kh-Sriil". Their entire solar system was united under one leader, unlike the Jardra system of Vorou which was divided into six factions. The home system of the Kh-Sriil was suffering from overpopulation and their leader, a brutal tyrant whose name a Jardra would pronounce as Tss-K'Savor, funded a the artificial generation of a wormhole with the purpose of sending a huge invasion fleet through the wormhole in order to conquer Avarnam. The small ship was a smuggler vessel fleeing through the wormhole in order to escape authority. A couple of days after, the scientist was committed to a mental asylum because of a recently-acquired multiple personality disorder which quickly was found to be linked to the alien linguistical centre implanted in his brain.
This didn't reduce his credibility, and as a result of his warnings, all of the Avarnam Defense Force's ships were gathered near the wormhole to beat back the Kh-Sriil ships.
Shardoka resumed thinking about what was happening now - the battle for Avarnam, which had already begun. Ever since the alien probe was picked up, people had been hoping the best and fearing the worst... and the dire warnings of doomsday prophets were now confirmed.
The sensor-management crew aboard the Vurshajin reported that they had picked up information on the alien ships. There were over a hundred ships between the size of a Voudr-class Frigate and a Sikoushra-class light cruiser - they apparently made up the majority of the fleet. Some smaller ships - probably corvettes and gunboats - were also registered by the radar systems of the Vurshajin. However, the core of the invasion fleet were the enormous ships which destroyed the smuggler vessel. Each were over one kilometre in length, and there were over twenty of them. Three of them were particularly ominous even though he only saw them on the scanning screen where 3D wireframe models of them showed up. Those spaceborne colossi were armed to the teeth, carried large docking bays for not only fighters but also corvettes - and their prow modules were wickedly pointed, like a spearhead.
The hoary Admiral Shardoka was shocked to find out that the invasion fleet was of such a size... especially after finding out what the gigantic weapons on the sides of the capital ships were. They were some sort of particle accelerators applied for military use - something which the Jardra hadn't considered practical - and according to the scientist who had parts of a Kh-Sriil brain implanted in his own, everything bigger than a Kh-Sriil frigate had at least two of these guns which could cut through otherwise laserproofed armour like a sword through flesh.
Shardoka did not count on winning this battle, but he was determined on doing his best... remembering the old warrior's adage that it would be better to go out in a blaze of glory than to fade away into obscurity.
Quickly, the communications officer of the Vurshajin reported orders from First Admiral Tukajra and his flagship, a modified heavy cruiser called the Jarshkai.
Tukajra's orders were as following: "Flagship to fleet: Assume anvil tactics. Admirals Shardoka and Vornash, concentrate fire on capships. Admirals Terkau and Darosh, concentrate fire on escorts. Admirals Gneshra, Sarsha and Jashor - intercept incoming enemies."
Everybody knew what it meant. Anvil tactics meant firing at designated targets as soon they entered range and generally not moving unless necessary - each fleet thus forming an anvil. Three of the admirals should apparently let their fleets form some sort of frontline defense with the only purpose of slowing down the advancing enemy. They might not survive, but their sacrifice would be worth it.
While he over the viewscreen saw Gneshra, Sarsha and Jashor's fleets advance further, Shardoka hoped that he would not fight in vain.
Vorou Solar System, Command Battleship Aulx of the Xhatrr Spacefleet
This was the Aulx's baptism of fire. It had patrolled the Xhatrr solar system for 20 years, doing little more than intimidating. It was specifically built for this purpose - no wonder it was named after a god of war whose priests preached with bloodied sword and burning torch rather than with speech. Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath clicked on a button on his Admiral's Chair, which then turned 180 degrees so the Exalted Fleet-Lord could gaze upon the golden plaque attached to the wall in the bridge.
"There Is No Defeat, There Is Victory."
As he read that saying, his personal motto, he said to himself: "I hope this is true this time as well."
He was urged to turn around the Admiral's chair once again as a sensors-operating crewmember reported: "Sir, 26 alien ships are advancing towards us, sir."
Xyakkath ordered a scan of the ship. Several 3D wireframe models appeared on viewscreens, each representing an alien shiptype. The basic structure of the alien ships was a rectangular box, with a large bunker-shaped building on the part of dorsal section and swivelling turrets mounted over-and-under fashion on box-shaped extensions on the sides of the hull. These weren't the only weapons of the ship, as turrets also were mounted in dorsal lines like on Xril ships and near the large bunker-like tower on the rear dorsal section. In general, they were more stocky and rugged-looking than Xril-built craft - in fact, in some aspect they seemed like spaceborne fortresses to him.
The largest of the ships were roughly the size of a Txarr-class carrier of the Xhatrr Spacefleet - not near as long, but slightly more massive. However, most of the ships advancing towards the Xhatrr invasion force were between 300 and 600m long.
The Exalted Fleetlord ordered the destroyers escorting the Aulx, as well as the fleet of Admiral Xvolthaxr, to attack the advancing enemy fleet as soon as possible.
After he opened up the communications to the destroyers and Xvolthaxr's command fleet to tell them his orders, he commented to himself: "It's time to see whether the Aulx truly is like its namesake."
And indeed a whirlwind of destruction it was, as hundreds of laser beams found their marks on alien spacecraft, while others missed. However, the aliens were quick to return fire.
A torrent of searing laser-fire hit the armoured prow of the Aulx, most of it deflected by the laserproofing compound layer incorporated into the outer hull, but some damage was still done. Not that it disabled any functions.
As the clashing fleets continued to exchange fire while they approached each other, the communications officer of the Aulx reported that they already had lost contact to the Tzyrsh, one of the Kvarx-class destroyers escorting the Aulx. Further scans indicated that the ship soon was crippled. This war had already yielded its first casualties.
Vorou Solar System, aboard the Borava-class Defense Monitor Kaunarga of the Avarnam Defense Force
Karvol cheered as a crewman reported that one of the Kh-Sriil ships already had fallen to a volley of laser fire courtesy of not only Admiral Gneshra's command ship but also it escorts - among them Defense Monitor Squadron Tyarvosh, of which Karvol's very own ship and its crew were proud members.
Gneshra reported from his Kalshaksa-class heavy cruiser over the communications vidscreen that they should continue focusing on the enormous behemoth spearheading the invasion and the ships which escorted it.
However, Gneshra added: "Defense Monitor Squadron Tyarvosh - concentrate fire on enemy flagship's destroyer escort. Meanwhile, I and the cruisers concentrate fire on the flagship. It's launching smaller ships from lower decks... appears to be combined carrier and battleship.
Don't get too close to them! Their most dangerous weapons have rather short ranges, so they only have firepower advantage at point-blank range. End communication!!"
That was not going to keep six 300-metre Defense Monitors and their iron-willed crew from taking on a 1750-metre battleship and its escorts. Karvol had sworn allegiance to his home planet, and he would not let it fall to these lanky, pallid and ghastly monstrosities bent on obtaining new territory.
Captain Karvol resolutely told his navigator to set course towards the Kh-Sriil ship closest to the gargantuan battleship. They approached their target, a somewhat sleek 800-metre ship evidently a light cruiser. Karvol ordered to the other ships in the squadron: "Kaunarga here. Open fire!"
Defense Monitor Squadron Tyarvosh opened fire upon the Kh-Sriil light cruiser. The amount of fire it was able to withstand - 90 laser beams in total, all finding their mark - was evidence that the Kh-Sriil knew a method of making metals temporarily resistant towards laser fire, just like the "Laserproofing" used by the Jardra.
However, aside from the fire returned by the enemy ship, the sensors picked up something else...
The sensors officer screamed at the top of his lungs: "Sir, three small enemy vessels approaching from starboard, sir!" A scan revealed them to be 120m in length each and possibly those taking off from the hangar section of the juggernaught enemy ship.
Karvol quickly ordered lower starboard batteries to concentrate all fire on these ships. A few salvos reduced them to space debris one after one - they apparently weren't launched to destroy the Kaunarga but to distract it.
Meanwhile, Squadron Tyarvosh had still been steadily approaching the Kh-Sriil cruiser, and the communications officer panicked: "Sir, the Kraldou reports that its prow section has been mangled by a single beam much more powerful than the largest lasers!"
Just as confused and terrified, Karvol lost his concentration only to yell: "Communications! Order rest of squadron to activate retrothrusters and fall back until we're out of particle accelerator range!" After taking a quarter-second break to take a breath, he yelled: "Stop all engines! Retrothrusters on full power!"
As he said this, the viewscreen showed the enemy vessel aiming its port-mounted particle accelerator turret... and that was the last thing he saw before the Kaunarga was reduced to debris.
Vorou Solar System, Command Battleship Aulx of the Xhatrr Spacefleet
Xyakkath smiled as the Aulx and the escorting destroyer Kvarx exchanged fire with one of the larger enemy ships while squadrons of the Xhatrr Spacefleet's heavy fighters harassed the enemy capital ship like a flight of Xyars (editor's note: A Xyar is a winged parasite the size of a hummingbird, native to Xhatrr).
The ships under other Xril admirals and fleet-lords maneuvered under the front-line enemy fleet in order to engage the main enemy defense fleet still long away albeit still visible, while taking pot-shots at the aliens from beneath with their dorsal batteries.
It was as like victory was already in his hands, although the battle was far from over.
Even though the Aulx was slightly damaged, this did not shake his conviction that he would triumph. He had not seen a single defeat since The Great Uprising when he served aboard the battlecruiser Thxozh, ancestor of the Xyrroth-class cruisers now the Xhatrr Spacefleet's backbone. However, back then he lost battles while winning the war.
As a near-crippled alien frigate apparently went kamikaze against the Aulx only to be annihilated by its particle accelerators, Xyakkath whispered:
"There is no defeat, there is victory!"
Vorou Solar System, Kalshaksa-class Heavy Cruiser Vursharjin of the Avarnam Defense Force
Admiral Shardoka watched the invaders approach. He now knew who they were. After the last incident, the alien ship destroyed by the large, unidentified warships was recovered by the Avarnam Defense Force. One of its crewmembers was found to be alive, but dying - and apparently so injured that nobody was able to heal it. As the alien died, one research group requested parts of the tall, lanky alien's brain. They revived and offered to implant the brain parts - supposedly the linguistic centre of the brain - into a volunteer. Shardoka recalled the fuss when a well-known scientist heading the research team - Shardoka couldn't remember his name - had the alien linguistic centre implanted in his brain together with a cybernetic implant enabling him to learn from the now-deceased alien.
According to the scientist, the alien species called themselves unpronounceable for a Jardra, which could best be reproduced with the sword "Kh-Sriil". Their entire solar system was united under one leader, unlike the Jardra system of Vorou which was divided into six factions. The home system of the Kh-Sriil was suffering from overpopulation and their leader, a brutal tyrant whose name a Jardra would pronounce as Tss-K'Savor, funded a the artificial generation of a wormhole with the purpose of sending a huge invasion fleet through the wormhole in order to conquer Avarnam. The small ship was a smuggler vessel fleeing through the wormhole in order to escape authority. A couple of days after, the scientist was committed to a mental asylum because of a recently-acquired multiple personality disorder which quickly was found to be linked to the alien linguistical centre implanted in his brain.
This didn't reduce his credibility, and as a result of his warnings, all of the Avarnam Defense Force's ships were gathered near the wormhole to beat back the Kh-Sriil ships.
Shardoka resumed thinking about what was happening now - the battle for Avarnam, which had already begun. Ever since the alien probe was picked up, people had been hoping the best and fearing the worst... and the dire warnings of doomsday prophets were now confirmed.
The sensor-management crew aboard the Vurshajin reported that they had picked up information on the alien ships. There were over a hundred ships between the size of a Voudr-class Frigate and a Sikoushra-class light cruiser - they apparently made up the majority of the fleet. Some smaller ships - probably corvettes and gunboats - were also registered by the radar systems of the Vurshajin. However, the core of the invasion fleet were the enormous ships which destroyed the smuggler vessel. Each were over one kilometre in length, and there were over twenty of them. Three of them were particularly ominous even though he only saw them on the scanning screen where 3D wireframe models of them showed up. Those spaceborne colossi were armed to the teeth, carried large docking bays for not only fighters but also corvettes - and their prow modules were wickedly pointed, like a spearhead.
The hoary Admiral Shardoka was shocked to find out that the invasion fleet was of such a size... especially after finding out what the gigantic weapons on the sides of the capital ships were. They were some sort of particle accelerators applied for military use - something which the Jardra hadn't considered practical - and according to the scientist who had parts of a Kh-Sriil brain implanted in his own, everything bigger than a Kh-Sriil frigate had at least two of these guns which could cut through otherwise laserproofed armour like a sword through flesh.
Shardoka did not count on winning this battle, but he was determined on doing his best... remembering the old warrior's adage that it would be better to go out in a blaze of glory than to fade away into obscurity.
Quickly, the communications officer of the Vurshajin reported orders from First Admiral Tukajra and his flagship, a modified heavy cruiser called the Jarshkai.
Tukajra's orders were as following: "Flagship to fleet: Assume anvil tactics. Admirals Shardoka and Vornash, concentrate fire on capships. Admirals Terkau and Darosh, concentrate fire on escorts. Admirals Gneshra, Sarsha and Jashor - intercept incoming enemies."
Everybody knew what it meant. Anvil tactics meant firing at designated targets as soon they entered range and generally not moving unless necessary - each fleet thus forming an anvil. Three of the admirals should apparently let their fleets form some sort of frontline defense with the only purpose of slowing down the advancing enemy. They might not survive, but their sacrifice would be worth it.
While he over the viewscreen saw Gneshra, Sarsha and Jashor's fleets advance further, Shardoka hoped that he would not fight in vain.
Vorou Solar System, Command Battleship Aulx of the Xhatrr Spacefleet
This was the Aulx's baptism of fire. It had patrolled the Xhatrr solar system for 20 years, doing little more than intimidating. It was specifically built for this purpose - no wonder it was named after a god of war whose priests preached with bloodied sword and burning torch rather than with speech. Exalted Fleet-Lord Xyakkath clicked on a button on his Admiral's Chair, which then turned 180 degrees so the Exalted Fleet-Lord could gaze upon the golden plaque attached to the wall in the bridge.
"There Is No Defeat, There Is Victory."
As he read that saying, his personal motto, he said to himself: "I hope this is true this time as well."
He was urged to turn around the Admiral's chair once again as a sensors-operating crewmember reported: "Sir, 26 alien ships are advancing towards us, sir."
Xyakkath ordered a scan of the ship. Several 3D wireframe models appeared on viewscreens, each representing an alien shiptype. The basic structure of the alien ships was a rectangular box, with a large bunker-shaped building on the part of dorsal section and swivelling turrets mounted over-and-under fashion on box-shaped extensions on the sides of the hull. These weren't the only weapons of the ship, as turrets also were mounted in dorsal lines like on Xril ships and near the large bunker-like tower on the rear dorsal section. In general, they were more stocky and rugged-looking than Xril-built craft - in fact, in some aspect they seemed like spaceborne fortresses to him.
The largest of the ships were roughly the size of a Txarr-class carrier of the Xhatrr Spacefleet - not near as long, but slightly more massive. However, most of the ships advancing towards the Xhatrr invasion force were between 300 and 600m long.
The Exalted Fleetlord ordered the destroyers escorting the Aulx, as well as the fleet of Admiral Xvolthaxr, to attack the advancing enemy fleet as soon as possible.
After he opened up the communications to the destroyers and Xvolthaxr's command fleet to tell them his orders, he commented to himself: "It's time to see whether the Aulx truly is like its namesake."
And indeed a whirlwind of destruction it was, as hundreds of laser beams found their marks on alien spacecraft, while others missed. However, the aliens were quick to return fire.
A torrent of searing laser-fire hit the armoured prow of the Aulx, most of it deflected by the laserproofing compound layer incorporated into the outer hull, but some damage was still done. Not that it disabled any functions.
As the clashing fleets continued to exchange fire while they approached each other, the communications officer of the Aulx reported that they already had lost contact to the Tzyrsh, one of the Kvarx-class destroyers escorting the Aulx. Further scans indicated that the ship soon was crippled. This war had already yielded its first casualties.
Vorou Solar System, aboard the Borava-class Defense Monitor Kaunarga of the Avarnam Defense Force
Karvol cheered as a crewman reported that one of the Kh-Sriil ships already had fallen to a volley of laser fire courtesy of not only Admiral Gneshra's command ship but also it escorts - among them Defense Monitor Squadron Tyarvosh, of which Karvol's very own ship and its crew were proud members.
Gneshra reported from his Kalshaksa-class heavy cruiser over the communications vidscreen that they should continue focusing on the enormous behemoth spearheading the invasion and the ships which escorted it.
However, Gneshra added: "Defense Monitor Squadron Tyarvosh - concentrate fire on enemy flagship's destroyer escort. Meanwhile, I and the cruisers concentrate fire on the flagship. It's launching smaller ships from lower decks... appears to be combined carrier and battleship.
Don't get too close to them! Their most dangerous weapons have rather short ranges, so they only have firepower advantage at point-blank range. End communication!!"
That was not going to keep six 300-metre Defense Monitors and their iron-willed crew from taking on a 1750-metre battleship and its escorts. Karvol had sworn allegiance to his home planet, and he would not let it fall to these lanky, pallid and ghastly monstrosities bent on obtaining new territory.
Captain Karvol resolutely told his navigator to set course towards the Kh-Sriil ship closest to the gargantuan battleship. They approached their target, a somewhat sleek 800-metre ship evidently a light cruiser. Karvol ordered to the other ships in the squadron: "Kaunarga here. Open fire!"
Defense Monitor Squadron Tyarvosh opened fire upon the Kh-Sriil light cruiser. The amount of fire it was able to withstand - 90 laser beams in total, all finding their mark - was evidence that the Kh-Sriil knew a method of making metals temporarily resistant towards laser fire, just like the "Laserproofing" used by the Jardra.
However, aside from the fire returned by the enemy ship, the sensors picked up something else...
The sensors officer screamed at the top of his lungs: "Sir, three small enemy vessels approaching from starboard, sir!" A scan revealed them to be 120m in length each and possibly those taking off from the hangar section of the juggernaught enemy ship.
Karvol quickly ordered lower starboard batteries to concentrate all fire on these ships. A few salvos reduced them to space debris one after one - they apparently weren't launched to destroy the Kaunarga but to distract it.
Meanwhile, Squadron Tyarvosh had still been steadily approaching the Kh-Sriil cruiser, and the communications officer panicked: "Sir, the Kraldou reports that its prow section has been mangled by a single beam much more powerful than the largest lasers!"
Just as confused and terrified, Karvol lost his concentration only to yell: "Communications! Order rest of squadron to activate retrothrusters and fall back until we're out of particle accelerator range!" After taking a quarter-second break to take a breath, he yelled: "Stop all engines! Retrothrusters on full power!"
As he said this, the viewscreen showed the enemy vessel aiming its port-mounted particle accelerator turret... and that was the last thing he saw before the Kaunarga was reduced to debris.
Vorou Solar System, Command Battleship Aulx of the Xhatrr Spacefleet
Xyakkath smiled as the Aulx and the escorting destroyer Kvarx exchanged fire with one of the larger enemy ships while squadrons of the Xhatrr Spacefleet's heavy fighters harassed the enemy capital ship like a flight of Xyars (editor's note: A Xyar is a winged parasite the size of a hummingbird, native to Xhatrr).
The ships under other Xril admirals and fleet-lords maneuvered under the front-line enemy fleet in order to engage the main enemy defense fleet still long away albeit still visible, while taking pot-shots at the aliens from beneath with their dorsal batteries.
It was as like victory was already in his hands, although the battle was far from over.
Even though the Aulx was slightly damaged, this did not shake his conviction that he would triumph. He had not seen a single defeat since The Great Uprising when he served aboard the battlecruiser Thxozh, ancestor of the Xyrroth-class cruisers now the Xhatrr Spacefleet's backbone. However, back then he lost battles while winning the war.
As a near-crippled alien frigate apparently went kamikaze against the Aulx only to be annihilated by its particle accelerators, Xyakkath whispered:
"There is no defeat, there is victory!"
Last edited by Peregrin Toker on 2003-11-02 06:21am, edited 3 times in total.
"Hi there, would you like to have a cookie?"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
"No, actually I would HATE to have a cookie, you vapid waste of inedible flesh!"
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Crazedwraith
- Emperor's Hand
- Posts: 11924
- Joined: 2003-04-10 03:45pm
- Location: Cheshire, England
1st: Cool story
2nd:
no worse than "Attack of the Clones" and alot more accurate as well.
3rd: Why does this have constant references to earth when neither culture is terran?
4th: In the prologue it is stated that the xril use exo-armour to "To
compensate for the physical weakness of the Xril" Yet what are they weak in comparison to? havnig no contact with heavier-gravity species?
5th: Despite what the last two comments imply, iam enjoying your story alot. IT's excellent
2nd:
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CHAPTER 4 - THE ACTION BEGINS
(writer's note: Yes, I know it sounds cheesy, but I couldn't find a better name)
no worse than "Attack of the Clones" and alot more accurate as well.3rd: Why does this have constant references to earth when neither culture is terran?
4th: In the prologue it is stated that the xril use exo-armour to "To
compensate for the physical weakness of the Xril" Yet what are they weak in comparison to? havnig no contact with heavier-gravity species?
5th: Despite what the last two comments imply, iam enjoying your story alot. IT's excellent
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Singular Quartet
- Sith Marauder
- Posts: 3896
- Joined: 2002-07-04 05:33pm
- Location: This is sky. It is made of FUCKING and LIMIT.
Technical mumbo-jumbo:
I would like to note that Lasers, as c velocity weapons, have effective ranges based on the reaction abilities of the target. If the target uses c veloctiy sensors, then the target would be unable to react to the atack, as the sensor sweep stating that hte attack is coming would arrive with the attack. While there still are effective defenses against lasers (a good method would be a simple random zig-zag in 3d to prevent the beam from hitting if you're far enough away.)
So, quite simply, there is no "range" to lasers, simplely because it's open space. There's nothing obstructing the beam (this does, however, assume that the beam generator is perfect, as in, all of hte phtons are going in the exact same direction, a notable problem with cheap laser pointers) sso it's not going to lose energy as it travels (actually it will because of interstellar hydrogen and whatever space dust, but that's not exactly noticable except at extereme distances, and that's on intergalactic terms for high-powered lasers.) So basically, I question the whole range bit, unless you have a (il)logical explanation for it, or just don't want to explain it.
I would like to note that Lasers, as c velocity weapons, have effective ranges based on the reaction abilities of the target. If the target uses c veloctiy sensors, then the target would be unable to react to the atack, as the sensor sweep stating that hte attack is coming would arrive with the attack. While there still are effective defenses against lasers (a good method would be a simple random zig-zag in 3d to prevent the beam from hitting if you're far enough away.)
So, quite simply, there is no "range" to lasers, simplely because it's open space. There's nothing obstructing the beam (this does, however, assume that the beam generator is perfect, as in, all of hte phtons are going in the exact same direction, a notable problem with cheap laser pointers) sso it's not going to lose energy as it travels (actually it will because of interstellar hydrogen and whatever space dust, but that's not exactly noticable except at extereme distances, and that's on intergalactic terms for high-powered lasers.) So basically, I question the whole range bit, unless you have a (il)logical explanation for it, or just don't want to explain it.