Stormbringer wrote:[Cornerian Flagship]
"And tell those damn cats they're not welcome here if there's to be a truce."
TNS Republic
Willtan lsitened into the Cornerian response to the Kzin arrival and grimaced. That wasn't the rightway to deal with the cats, obviously the Cornerians hadn't had much experience with the patriarchy. He wondered what the response would be, something drastic he was sure, but it all depended on the persoanlity of the commanding kzin officer.
"Order all strike groups to maintain station with the Battleline. Have them ready to move if needed though, if we do end up fighting I want to hit them hard and fast."
"The carriers should drop back a little farther and tell the the three heavy cruisers to move in a little tighter with them. I want the four light cruisers to spread out a little bit and have the ten destroyers and six frigates setup a standard perimeter."
The remaining ships of TF51 were all formed up with Republic in a standard wall of battle with Republic at the heart and the battle cruisers flanking her with the seven heavy cruisers formed tight around them and the destroyers and frigates in a standard antimissile/antifighter screen.
"The battle line is to maintain seperation from the Cornerians and I want our missile crews to keep working on those target locks. If we fire lets hit something big. Keep the special weapon ready too, but transfer fire control to my console."
HMS Astoria was the lead ship of the First Marine Expeditionary Force--a modified Jupiter-class carrier produced by the Corporate Sector. Under her command were dozens of escorts protecting the assault and logistics ships. All told, two complete corp of Royal Marines were preparing to drop on the planet to assist the Commonwealth against the invaders.
But they couldn't fight their way through the enemy fleet; to do that would be suicide. No, they hid in the shifting red depths of Babylonian Hyperspace in a tight formation, prepared to open up jump points right in low-orbit and begin an assault. Their allies within the Patriarchy and the Kzinti, however, had to first draw off the enemy fleet -- otherwise they'd be badly exposed and meat for any heavy fleet combatants.
And so, they waited in hyperspace for their signal, and then they would jump out and if neccessary unleash Hell upon the invaders.
Fortunately for the ceasefire plans, the Kzinti officer in command went by the book and simply pretended that there had been no transmission at all. The uncivilized kshat monkey-spawn of Corneria and their ideas of who should be welcome in a ceasefire were utterly beneath notice. The admiral decided that if there were to be negotiations he would send a half dozen of his biggest and meanest Assault Troopers to loom over the conference without speaking a word, only staring intensely into the eyes of the Cornerians and baring their teeth with the occasional challenging snarl--among Kzin males this was effectively an invitation to a duel.
Of course, honor demanded some sort of immediate response. He had two Black Prides under his command, and he detached half of one (a couple of battlecruisers, three cruisers, with attendant escorts and singleships) to slowly--almost lazily--swing wide around the battleline of the Cornerian fleet. For the next few minutes they would be dangerously exposed out of the main formation, but when the maneuver was completed they would be in a position to strike from the side of the aggressor formation, where the firing arcs of the missile-heavy Cornerians were the weakest. It also put them in an excellent position to escort transports down to the planet.
In essence, the Kzin commander was deliberately exposing his ships in this way, daring them to open fire. Everyone in the system knew that with interdiction preventing any escape and the belligerents outnumbered so heavily, the Cornerians would be committing suicide for handful of ships. It was like a standoff from the Old West, one side badly outgunned--and the Kzin had just given them a mocking wink.
"I am gravely disappointed. Again you have made me unleash my dogs of war."
--The Lord Humungus
The Kzin were definitely manuvering for a better shot. It wouldn't mean too much but it would allow them to drop troops on the ruins that were Desjardins.
"Don't break the cease-fire. Just keep them painted and missles locked on. No need to start the fight but no need to trust them either"
FROM: CNV Morrigan
TO: Cornerian Fleet
SUBJ: Cease Fire
-::-
"You just destroyed one of my finest vessels. We are over a world you have devastated with your murder-weapons and coward's tactics. Your continued unwillingness to comply leaves me in a very bad position.
Now, to me, this looks like another weakling's bid to escape retribution- par for the course for Cornerian dogs.
You are to immediatly cut your engines and kill your weapons systems. Do so, and perhaps an agreement can be reached."
-: ENDTRANSMISSION :-
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )
"All ships, lock on target and stand ready. Show them we mean business."
"Send this message to the Cornerian fleet:
This is not a negotiation. You, Cornerian commander, personally have the blood of billions on your hands. If you want to show your willingness to put and end to your folly, you will comply. This is your final warning."
-: ENDRECORDING :-
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )
"Cornerian Commander, you would do well to direct your comments to those they are intended for. My ships, as well as those of the Patriarchy are not under Commonwealth command and I tell you now that we will not lower shields, power down our engines or any other such foolishness. You are the weaker party, you have exactly two option. Lower your shields and submit. or... you can chose to defy us and we will destroy every ship in your fleet. Those are your only choices. Choose fast or we'll decide for you."
Indashani Space, Indas System
Indas 3, Government Headquaters
The planet Indas 3 was arguably the heart of the Republic and contained within it a significant amount of the civilian infrastructure as well parts of the military infrastructure of the Republic. It was surprising then to discover that the planet was the least populated of all major planets within the actual Republic. Indas 3 was considered a garden world and its mineral riches were for the most part untouched. Its 2.4 billion souls was a relatively small population all things considered, and the vast majority of the population was centered on various cities scattered through the planet.
Although Indas 3 did not possess the same population as other major worlds and was not as productive as most of the heavily industrialized core worlds, it did possess an intricate and very capable orbital defense system. The planet was the most heavily protected world in the Republic without exception, which was not terribly surprising considering the significance of the planet itself. While other worlds could produce more ships or more goods, Indas was the de facto heart of the Republic and it was defended as such.
Threat Assessment Room
The threat assessment room was buried over a kilometer beneath the surface of the government headquarters and was dominated by a large table which incorporated within it an advanced holography system. Each chair belonged to a particular individual, usually various chiefs of staff or defense ministers. At the moment, only four members were present, the President of the Republic, the grand admiral (a title that was bestowed to the admiral of the first fleet), the head of Naval Intelligence and finally the head of the Republic’s special operations branch.
President: “Gentlemen, we have been preparing for this moment for several years and now it is at hand. As you are no doubt aware, I feel it is time that we at least attempted to become more prolific in the interstellar stage. I am aware of the possible risks, but I am also aware of the possible rewards. The truth is that we may continue to remain an inward looking nation, but sooner or later we will have to look outwards. I believe that time is now, although I admit that the rumors of conflict that seem so prevalent as of late have made me wonder if our timing is at its best.” Naval Intelligence: “My office can confirm that the rumors are more than simple deception. We have worked through intermediaries in some of our neighboring nations to ascertain that multiple conflicts have erupted at various points in the last year. The Black Alliance, whose vessels we knew quite well up until the replication of the Displacement drives have apparently been driven off somewhere from their usual space. There are reports of planetary surfaces being razed, although we were unable to get our hands on solid evidence to that fact. The truth Mr. President is that the galaxy has apparently become a tad more dangerous than usual in the last year. If we try to incorporate ourselves in the interstellar stage, we may be forced to take sides.” Grand Admiral: “I agree with INI on this one Mr. President. Our forces are substantial and have served us well over the year, but we would be fooling ourselves if we believe that we have any serious advantage over some of the other local powers about. If the interstellar picture is collapsing to the point where large scale wars are taking place, appearing on the scene will only tempt the other powers into trying to sway us to their side. I recommend a cautious approach, using intermediaries as much as possible and perhaps coordinating with some of our local allies. We should attempt to gain more information on these conflicts ascertain which are powers that are unstable and who are powers that we can deal with.” President: “Then we shall approach cautiously, INI you have my complete authority to approach the information gathering process in anyway you see fit. I expect a briefing every day starting tomorrow on what steps you are taking, how you are taking them and what your expectations are. I want the sixth fleet to be briefed on the external situation and be updated on the situation as it happens. Finally, I want some aspects of the children to be prepared.” CoI Representative: “As you wish Mr. President, we will work closely with the Navy and INI.” President: “Thank you for your time gentlemen, I look forward to future briefings in the comings days.”
Indashani Space, Indas System
Five Veytha class ships floated in the darkness of space, dwarfed by the nearby structure of an orbiting Space Fortress. Their individual orders had been to await a series of shuttle transfers each bearing some CoI personnel and their new orders. It took roughly one hour for the transfers to take place, each individual vessel accelerating away from Indas 3 and towards deep space immediately. Once each vessel had reached a predetermined distance each activated their hyperdrives. Their orders were specific and they understood their importance.
~~~~~
edit: minor nitpick about the population size of Indas 3
Last edited by Marcao on 2004-02-25 02:37am, edited 2 times in total.
"And the Entente shows up and steals the thunder. What a gyp." Muttered the Corsair officer leading the fleet already there. The ships had gathered, waiting for a move. "The Cornerians are showing their usual lack of intelligence. They're in a corner; they roll over and show us their belly, or they die."
The pirate ships clustered, prepared to leave if the Entente decided to do anything foolish.
Manic Progressive: A liberal who violently swings from anger at politicos to despondency over them.
Out Of Context theatre: Ron Paul has repeatedly said he's not a racist. - Destructinator XIII on why Ron Paul isn't racist.
The RHD Expeditionary Fleet headed out from Ulrich a few days ago. Addressing the Azegart Governor; Lord Alexander XI had learned of the hell of Desjardins and headed "southward". The offensive bulk of Dunlap would be soon to arrive there.
Formerly the artist known as Captain Lennox
"To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me." - Sir Isaac Newton
"Grand Admiral, border pickets report a large Dunlap fleet on the move, trajectory reports indicate they are heading for Desjardins."
"Ancestors eat their eyes! I knew it was a trick."
"Broadcast the information to all allied vessels. Open a channel to the Cornerian vessels. Inform them that we know what they are up to, and give them a final chance to surrender."
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )
"Sir, we're getting reports of an incoming Dunlap fleet."
Willtan looked up in annoyance. "Order the Strikegroups to take up position opposite the new Kzinti detachment."
He thought about it for a second then, "Then send the Cornerians a final warning. If they don't surrender and lower their shields we'll have to take that as a refusual of our terms. Make sure they know we won't let them stall for time."
Also send a message back to Navy Command, infrom them of the Dunlap actions. Maybe the state department can convince them to turn around before it's too late and we have to destroy them too.
Fast Fleet Groups East and West was already in foldspace, their stardrives straining at maximum power to the aid to the relief of the Commonwealth. Every second was precious, for the Commonwealth's front on Conventry was barely stabilized and there was a sizable armada there covering the invasion force. The Entente had decided to make a point this fine day, and was marshalling with insurmountable force.
Ever since the previous "Grand Alliance" had crumbled, the Entente's power bloc had gained ascendacy. It was based on mutual respect of each nation's goals, power and sovereignity; indeed, nowhere did the treaty mention mutual defense pacts, free trade agreements or absurd declarations of neutrality. No, each agreed to respect each other's goals. And now, the Entente's unity was being shown, for the forces of three of her members were actively engaged while a fourth covered her brother navies from attack in the rear.
And so, two battlecruisers and their fleets rushed towards Coventry to remove the invader from the Commonwealth.
Desjardins [Babylonian Hyperspace]
The trap had been sprung and the First Marine Expeditionary Force was no longer needed here. They dropped numerous decoys that would last no longer than six hours in the hellish environment of hyperspace but it would probably distract anyone looking at them for long enough.
Their destination was Coventry and all ships lit off their "sublight" drives for the journey.
The trick about gathering reliable intelligence was to sort through the exaggeration and get to the quintessential truth. It was usually far more easily said than done, and this time was no exception. Under normal circumstances the process of finding out reliable information took a considerable amount of time, the republic naturally possessed a capable intelligence branch and more than its fair share of spooks and spies. Sadly, the Republic’s network was concentrated on space around it and its own allies or would be enemies. The information that it sought now did not deal within the sphere of influence of its immediate networks and thus it was forced to rely on outsiders.
In order to gather as much information as possible in a stealthy manner, the Republic had decided to cheat a little. It had decided to not only activate various branches of its intelligence networks, ships sent forth with the sole intent on discovering more information about the conflicts that existed within the galaxy, the powers involved and the reasons behind them. If the Republic was to try and integrate itself into the present situation, it needed a clear picture of which nations were likely to entangle it in problems, and which nations were stable enough to do business with.
The idea of using gestalts to amplify the powers of some of the more powerful telepaths was not terribly surprising. That manner of intelligence gathering had been the staple of Republican intelligence for decades; sadly shielded targets were immune to any such attempts. Furthermore, there was some distaste at the practice of violating the minds of others, irregardless of how tastefully and gently the violation took place. In the end, the Republic had decided that it needed to know as much as possible about the direction the galaxy seemed to be taking. To that end, some directives were bent while others were down right suspended. In its sphere of influence, the Republican intelligence apparatus swung into full gear, outside of its sphere of influence ships of the Republic began to discretely eavesdrop whenever an opportunity presented itself. Slowly but surely, a few pictures began to take shape, a steady stream of information sent back to headquarters for analysis and eventual dissemination into the upper tiers of Republican government.
Last edited by Marcao on 2004-02-17 03:54pm, edited 1 time in total.
"This is the Cornerian fleet to the TSC. We want some one we can trust. Your reputation is not the best. Unfortunately we can't trust our lives to your mercy alone."
Andreson's generally calm demeanor held despite the insult, but no one on the Morrigan's bridge was fooled. An insult to a soldier's honor, spoken by one who had just days before massacred civilians by the billion- Andreson was not happy.
"Cornerian fleet, this is not a negotiation. You have assaulted our nation, destroyed our home, and killed the crew of one of my ships. Don't assume we haven't noticed your allies moving to your aid.
Stand your vessels down. Once the clear and present danger you present to those I serve on the space-habitats behind me has been defused, then we can talk. Count yourself lucky I didn't just blow you out of space, and am instead sitting here listen to your insults and drivel.
Stand down, and you have my word as an adherent of New Bushido and a Samurai to the Commonwealth that your vessels will not be harmed."
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )
Indashani space, Indas system
Indas 3, Government Headquarters
the information gathered by the myriad of agents outside of the Republic was processed and analyzed at an increasingly rapid pace. Where possible, information was confirmed from multiple sources everyone was aware of the importance of not making a serious mistake. If the president was to make a decision, the best possible information would be needed irregardless of the picture it painted. As the information was sorted and moved upwards towards the President and his chiefs of staff, a series of pictures began to take form. A candidate rising above all others for contact.
Threat Assessment Room
President: “Are you certain about this?” The president went silent, his eyes sliding to the information presented to him in his data pad. His eyes sliding towards the chief of intelligence. Chief of Intelligence: “The information is as accurate as we can make it. As you noticed, the green information has been confirmed by multiple sources, the information in blue has been confirmed by more than two separate sources, while the information in red has not been confirmed by other sources. Nonetheless, we stand by the information. It does appear that multiple nations are involved in a conflict that begun over the defeat and subsequent annexation of the Azegart.” President: “So I gather. I am still surprised that so many nations are involved in this. The data on the so called “Grand Alliance” is interesting, if a little thin. The information on the so called People’s Republic of Corneria is also very thin but it is enough to paint the right picture.” Chief of Intelligence: “I apologize Mr. President but we do not have an intelligence apparatus in these nations, and as such our information about them has been gathered primarily for secondary and tertiary sources. The gist of the matter is that the PRC and the TSC went to war, and as far as we know that war is still taking place as we speak. Finding out information about places of battle, fleet formations and such has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Our sources of information simply do not know where that is taking place, and where the ships are gathered. However, our information suggests that the TSC capital was at one point bombed with a strategic device before the war. There are also rumors that the TSC capital’s planetary shield was destroyed during the war and the capital destroyed.” President: “I see. So now the question becomes, who should we make contact with? More importantly, who shall we make contact with without being dragged into a war.” The president paused for effect, reminded everyone present that he had little interest in joining a war that he at the moment, knew so little of. “The information on some of the neutral nations is thin, and for these very reasons I am disinclined to send ships towards them. We have known of the UTR and SKS for sometime now, but only in passing and while I would personally enjoy a meeting between ourselves and the said powers, they will have to wait. We have the most information about the TSC and the PRC. The TSC is closer gentlemen, but also appears to be the losing side.” He considered that for a moment, for the truth had always been that no one likes a loser. Furthermore, if they approached the TSC and it was indeed in its death throes, then the TSC would naturally try and sway them to assist them in their war. “However, the information on the PRC does not fill me with confidence. If they indeed managed to defeat the planetary shield of a colonized world and settled for bombing it from orbit, then we must consider what that means.” He hesitated for only a moment before he made his decision. “I am inclined to approach the TSC. What do you all think?” Chief of Intelligence: “The TSC seems to be as our information reveals the more appealing of the two choices. They are closer to us, which simplifies matters and they have not carried out some of the actions that the PRC is supposed to have. I would vote for the TSC as well.” CoI Representative: “I personally was leaning towards Corneria. They are like we are a Republic according to the information that we have, and although the information suggests that our ideologies about war are somewhat divergent, they are winning the war.” The female paused, her eyes sliding from on member of the room to another. She was well aware of the fact that when the President and the Chief of Intelligence were in agreement, the issue was usually decided. Nonetheless, she felt the need to try and play devil’s advocate. “However, as has been pointed out before in our history, winning is not everything.” She smiled as the chief of intelligence’s expressionless frown softened as he anticipated where she was going. “As such, I would have to say that I am leaning towards the TSC. Since the Black Alliance appears to have moved their base of operations near us, the path to the TSC is more tempting than would have been. We should contact the TSC and find out first hand how their war is going. Even if we choose not to actively participate, the information we shall learn about galactic affairs is too enticing to pass up.” Grand Admiral: “I agree that the TSC is our best choice in this matter between the PRC and TSC.” He went silent then, deciding that nothing more needed to be said on the matter that had not been covered by others before him. President: “Since we are in agreement, we shall make preparations to send a small task force to introduce ourselves properly to the TSC. Grand Admiral, I expect that you already have someone in mind for the task. I look forward for an update on the situation as early as convenient. Until then, we are adjourned.”
Indashani space, Asaya system
Asaya 3, Orbit
The bridge of the INS Shining Path was full of activity although the silence that dominated it would have surprised many observers. The ships of the Indashani were likened to tombs by the handful of non-telepaths that had ever resided within one. Without the need to speak verbally, walking through one of the vessels was akin to walking through a cemetery at night. At the moment however, dozens of conversations were taking place throughout the ship, all carried from one mind to another and back again.
There was little doubt that the Shining Path was a warship, its hull bristled with gun ports and drone tubes, and even though the ship had the elegant and somewhat familiar silhouette of Indashani naval vessels, even her graceful lines and subtle curves could not change the fact that it was built to destroy. It had been the final Acheron class battleship built, and due to that fact remained arguably the most powerful ship of the class. Her orders however were not to destroy but to lead a small task force of vessels to the edge of the TSC space and await diplomatic contact. The mission was surprising to the captain of the ship, but that surprise quickly turned to delight. Contact situations were something that he had trained for extensively, and he was certain that it was part of the reason why he had been given the current task. All that they needed to wait for now was for the shuttle from Asaya 3 to arrive with their chosen ambassador. If contact went smoothly, they would need one.
Captain, the Ambassador’s shuttle has arrived. We are cleared to begin our mission.
The voice of the artificial intelligence which served as the heart of the Shining Path and her voice was carried into his mind via a direct neural interface implant. The voice was quite female and extremely familiar. The only other voice that he knew as well as that of the ship’s avatar was that of his own wife, a realization that made him smile for a moment.
Thank you. Has our task force been assembled?
Yes captain, our task force is ready to go.
He sighed softly, shaking his head for a moment before his mind curled around those of his bridge crew, orders given and carried out in absolute silence. He felt the ship’s gravity drives come to life, all manner of relevant information projected to his mind and the implants that resided in his brain. In his retina, a series of projections and information was displayed, their velocity, vector, the position of the task force relative to his own. He could mentally tap into any of the ship’s systems, from passive sensors right down to weapon systems. Inside of the armored core of the ship, he was Zeus upon Olympus.
It took task force 6.1a less than a minute of acceleration to reach their chosen jump spot, within three quarters of second later the entire task force had jumped into hyperspace. The entire trip to their chosen contact point would take a significant amount of time. Until then, all that they could do was wait and prepare themselves for their exit into real space. The captain was aware of the situation with the TSC, and he could only hope that contact went well. The TSC could not afford many more enemies, and the Indashani did not wish any.
TSC space, Isis Border Province
Edge of System
Task force 6.1a slid out of hyperspace with the grace of a stiletto as it slid into real space. The Shining Path positioned herself in the center of the formation, flanked on her port and starboard by five other ships. These ships were two light cruisers, four heavy frigates and four frigates. The task force was potent enough for its task, which was contact. If push came to shove, the Shining Path alone possessed more than sixty percent of the firepower in the task force. This was not a war party, and if the TSC responded in force things would certainly get a bit…hectic.
The task force crept along the edge of the system without any attempt at stealth, emissions were not controlled in the slightest and any and all stealth features which the Indashani ships were capable of were disabled. TSC space was never truly breached, as the task force refused to enter the system. Its passive sensors however were more than capable of picking up whatever information the system decided to share with them. Time simply passed, and the task force waited occasionally sending a single message in a broad band transmission into the system proper. The message was simple enough: “The Republic of Indas contact task force 6.1a patiently awaits the pleasure of the TSC representatives.”
As time passed the ships waited for the inevitable contact, after all no nation could be rude enough to overlook the cautious and utterly polite approach of the Indashani ships. Still, if the war was going badly for the TSC they may not have enough ships to actively patrol their space. It was certainly a possibility and the captain frowned as he considered it.
Keep me updated on the situation. If you pick up any ships approaching us, bring it to my attention immediately.
Of course Captain.
The captain smiled thinly and settled on waiting. This was after all what contact missions were all about.
"So Hazmarat," Jocelyn Galdstone asked her Internal security director, "you've got something to report?"
"Yes," the stocky man opposite to her said. "YOu know we were talking about the danger of telepathic infiltration a while back."
"Yes, yes, I know. But wasn't it a non-issue so far?"
"You're right, your Grace. But recently we perceived a rather unsettling increase on the numbers of incidents. But we can't put a finger on the one's responsible for it..."
"The Hallworth protocols...?"
"Are still in effect. So far, we only have two cases in which a telepath was able to scan more than the surface thoughts of a citizen. It was immediately detected, and we instantly wiped the persons biological brains clean. We surmise it was due to lax danger assessment of the relevant Datasphere agent. It has been replaced, and we stepped up the thought encryption."
"Did you catch the responsible persons?"
"Not alive, unfortunately. And from what we have, we cannot point to a nation..."
"Well, keep looking out, if you could get one alive..."
We're working on it. In the mean time, we should be ready to activate the Hallworth-II-protocols at any given moment."
Great Dolphin Conspiracy - Chatter box
"Implications: we have been intercepted deliberately by a means unknown, for a purpose unknown, and transferred to a place unknown by a form of intelligence unknown. Apart from the unknown, everything is obvious." ZORAC GALE Force Euro Wimp Human dignity shall be inviolable. To respect and protect it shall be the duty of all state authority.
Isis Station was a major fleet base. In more peaceful times, her slips were filled with frigates and light cruisers in from deep patrol, her skies glittering with the lights of a Manipule of the Provincal Fleet. Now, her slips stood silent, and only a handful of lightly armed Civil Service police craft, corvettes and light frigates, remained in her defense constellation.
Never the less, Isis Station was well fortified, with ten heavy gun platforms and a trio of missile platforms sitting in orbit, linked by constellations of small, inert drone-sattalites.
Isis Station's commander was in his quarters, enjoying a very fitful nap. Word of the fighting had reached him, and he had family on Jacob's Landing. No word had arrived yet about their status, which made it even worse. His mind was far from rested when his alarm-bell went off- unidentified craft dropping from hyper at the system's edge.
He stumbled on to the command deck with his jacket hanging open and his hair in disarray.
"Vasily, report. What the hell is going on here?"
"Unidentified warships, Commander. Early-warning nets picked them up just now. They are broadcasting that they come in peace and seek an audiance with a representative."
"Alright. Get on the line with Isis Secundus's governer. She'll want to talk to them. And alert the defense net to be on their guard- there aren't enough of them to cause the gun platforms any real problems, but they might not know that. Could be harriers looking to exploit us while the Manipule is off fighting the Cornerians."
Katrina Lermontov, governer of Isis Secundus and the premier Commonwealth authority in the region, responded to the Indashani message minutes later.
"Welcome to Isis, Indashani commander. What brings you to our fair port?"
-: ENDRECORD :-
Last edited by Thirdfain on 2004-03-10 03:55am, edited 1 time in total.
Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite.
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - )
The invading force was monitoring their communications for the slightest hint of trouble for their mutual attacks. Sensor operators strained to get the best performance out of their equipment -- apparently something had gone very wrong on the attack at Desjardins by their allies. Thus, while their troops were still fighting on the ground they were preparing to evacuate them at a moment's notice. They could not afford to get pinned down. However, the Krytos forces had to stay near the planet to support their troops.
That would prove a mistake. On the edge of the Krytos interdiction fields, the brilliant glare of multiple spacefolds appeared, and two Fast Fleet Groups of the Star Kingdom's Royal Navy appeared, guns blazing. The two battlecruisers in the group fired their long-range reflex cannon while the rest of the fleet covered them; their targets were the Krytos interdictor ships...
"Enough of this bullshit. They aren't going to surrender. That damn Cornerian commander is just trying to buy himself time. Probably hopeing those Dunlapian ships will help them out. I'm not going to give them time for that."
Willtan had had enough of the Cornerian indecision. If they wanted to die he was going to oblige them. He trigered a commline to his flag captain, "Captain Hart, the task force is advance, all ships are weapons free. Begin missile bombardment." Internal hypermissiles buried within the Terran warships began to cycle as they sent warheads ona short trip through hyper to emerge on Cornerian shields.
UTRN ships mounted light missile armaments for there size, but made up for it with armor and heavy energy batteries. But agaisnt the individually weak PRC ships it didn't amtter that much. this was going to be another example of the N^2 law. The Cornerian ships were far greater in number then the UTRN ships, but they were also far less capable individually then the Republican warships facing them.
""CIC, keep an eye on that Cornerian superlaser. If you pick up an type of energy buildup, I want to know instantly." Republic was equiped witht eh first two of the new SLAM-II tactical superweapon developed by the Naval Weapon Command.
A minitarized version of the planet cracking SLAM it was intended for use against targets exactly like the Cornerian weapon platform. They weren't cheap though, so if he could take out the weapon platform without it he would. But if there was the slightest risk of that superlaser firing he'd take it out first.
"Contact Captain Glass and order his fighters in. Tell them to hit fast and hit hard. I want them to go for mission kilss right now, weaken the PRC fleet as much as they can before the battleline reaches energy range."
"Then contact the Kzin and TSC commanders. Tell them what we're doing. Though I'm sure they'll figure it out as soon as the first missile hits."
The monster that was Republic lead they way, missile already pouring into hyperspace, energy batteries charged and ready to deliver there fury into the first cornerian ship unlucky enough to get into range.
