The Terran empire had grown exponentially since humanity had made it off Earth. Each new colony they discovered provided them with even more resources that propelled them even further into space. Their ingenuity had led them to create some of the best weapons on which they travelled through the interstellar medium. Had been long since rendered inhabitable, but humanity was no longer confined to a single colony; their continued existence was ensured… so they thought.
Through a few encounters with the Aspha Miners, the Terrans learned that they weren’t the only multicellular, sentient, and potentially aggressive species out there. The brutish rodents utilized steampunk goliaths to systematically extract the prized guts of a planet. Tough and strong and barely smart enough to keep the machines running, they cared little for the Terrans except for trade. Land rights were hotly disputed between the two races.
A few unlucky Terran settlers even survived to tell tales of the Collective race on the fringes of society. The cyborgs often collected fresh organs from the fringes of the United World Council’s domain.
In a region far enough from the frontiers of space that its people should never see combat, a rich and plentiful empire was growing steadily. Its populations were loyal and produced excesses of food and credits to be traded on the intergalactic markets. However, as with any measure of success, it draws the attention of those who would try to exist on destroying what others have worked to create. A small fleet was stationed there to protect it, under the command of Froggieman, and his flagship, the enormous Hercules.
"We've been here twenty-three days and still no sign of any enemies. When will they ever show?" Xander shouted over the intercom from his capital ship, the Nirvana, "I would like to get back home, got a girl waiting for me and a man can get real lonely out here in the middle of nowhere on a ship full of men..."
Xander was always on a short fuse. Sitting still only made it shorter. Frog had learned how to deal with his friend in the few years since they met. "Easy, Xan! Just hold it, federation scouts have been detecting faint readings here and there. And since this is the only planetary system of note for barring hyperspace travel, action is definitely eminent. Get your men to positions. Let’s get this fleet ready for battle."
"Yes, sir! Finally."
The fleet was buzzing; all excess crewmen were ordered into the T.Ryu-Jin Fighters docked in the Hercules Juggernaught. They arranged themselves into common tactical formations; the P.Thor Destroyers with their long range took the lead, followed by the C.Cancer Destroyers, then the T-Ryus making small formations buzzing around the Hercules and Nirvana. The colony itself was able to assist with two Sword class destroyers that it had recently purchased from a passing Aspha Miner. They also were kind enough to donate a small group of small strafez runners that their science division was recently growing.
Through a few encounters with the Aspha Miners, the Terrans learned that they weren’t the only multicellular, sentient, and potentially aggressive species out there. The brutish rodents utilized steampunk goliaths to systematically extract the prized guts of a planet. Tough and strong and barely smart enough to keep the machines running, they cared little for the Terrans except for trade. Land rights were hotly disputed between the two races.
A few unlucky Terran settlers even survived to tell tales of the Collective race on the fringes of society. The cyborgs often collected fresh organs from the fringes of the United World Council’s domain.
In a region far enough from the frontiers of space that its people should never see combat, a rich and plentiful empire was growing steadily. Its populations were loyal and produced excesses of food and credits to be traded on the intergalactic markets. However, as with any measure of success, it draws the attention of those who would try to exist on destroying what others have worked to create. A small fleet was stationed there to protect it, under the command of Froggieman, and his flagship, the enormous Hercules.
"We've been here twenty-three days and still no sign of any enemies. When will they ever show?" Xander shouted over the intercom from his capital ship, the Nirvana, "I would like to get back home, got a girl waiting for me and a man can get real lonely out here in the middle of nowhere on a ship full of men..."
Xander was always on a short fuse. Sitting still only made it shorter. Frog had learned how to deal with his friend in the few years since they met. "Easy, Xan! Just hold it, federation scouts have been detecting faint readings here and there. And since this is the only planetary system of note for barring hyperspace travel, action is definitely eminent. Get your men to positions. Let’s get this fleet ready for battle."
"Yes, sir! Finally."
The fleet was buzzing; all excess crewmen were ordered into the T.Ryu-Jin Fighters docked in the Hercules Juggernaught. They arranged themselves into common tactical formations; the P.Thor Destroyers with their long range took the lead, followed by the C.Cancer Destroyers, then the T-Ryus making small formations buzzing around the Hercules and Nirvana. The colony itself was able to assist with two Sword class destroyers that it had recently purchased from a passing Aspha Miner. They also were kind enough to donate a small group of small strafez runners that their science division was recently growing.
| Defending fleet | ||
| Units | Name | PR |
| 40 | P.Thor Destroyer | 64960 |
| 30 | C.Cancer Cruiser | 54120 |
| 1 | Hercules Juggernaught | 45402 |
| 3000 | T.Ryu-jin Fighter | 24000 |
| 1 | Nirvana Dreadnought | 18030 |
| 50 | Small Strafez Runner | 5750 |
| 2 | F.Sword Destroyer | 2304 |
"This is colony Alpha-Delta-Omega of the Galacia System requesting any U.W.C. assistance in the area. We are under attack by unknown aliens. Please assist A.S.A.P.! I repeat this is..." The signal stopped silence filled the deck.
"Let’s get moving!" Roared Rear Admiral Frog. The Hercules' propulsion systems came on-line the massive craft began moving along slowly, with all other ships adjusting to it's pace. The convoy trundled into view of the planet and confirmed Frog's fears. A ragtag band of ships that looked barely stocked and struggling to make it from system to system just to survive. To the naked eye, the small fleet looked unlikely to fight, and one might be deceived into mistaking this band of pirates for refugees.
To Xander, looked like the elusive Marauder race his father had told him stories of. Hundreds of years ago, when humanity was first branching out, they came across the remains of a civilization long past its prime. A brief term of slavery under the Terrans restored their vigor and now the few that are left terrorize colonies and pillage to continue their existence. They go by the designation of Marauder to those fortunate enough to have proper clearance and oppositely yet equally unfortunate enough to have run into them in the past.
"Preliminary scans appear to read that they possess a handful of destroyers only sir... wait, there is one, no two, make that five massive ships out there sir." The display flashed panel after panel. “The ships are not appearing in any of our databases. Not Terran or Miner, or even Collective.” The ensign became nervous and stuttered a bit. "Orders, s-sir?"
"Run command: MARAUDER."
| Attacking fleet | ||
| Units | Name | PR |
| 3 | Pyth Battleship | 67581 |
| 2 | D.Angel Battleship | 46412 |
| 116 | Piranha Frigate | 43964 |
| 10 | D.Hammerhead Frigate | 36120 |
| 8 | Barracuda Destroyer | 18176 |
| 12 | Pike Destroyer | 15312 |
| 3 | Tiger Destroyer | 4488 |
The ensign's fingers flashed over the panel and after a few seconds the screen visibly lit up with tactical data. "Whoa! Here is some more info on our enemy..." The ensign again flashed his hands over the control panel and the info was sent to Frog's neural link. He took command of the battle through his link and thought it through.
*** BEGIN NEURAL FEED ***
EVALUATING CURRENT DEFENDING FLEET CAPACITY...DONE
EVALUATING INVADING FLEET CAPACITIES…DONE
ATTACKING FLEET’S POSTURE…CAREFUL
SIMULATING BATTLE TRIAL ONE... DONE
SIMULATING BATTLE TRIAL TWO... DONE
SIMULATING BATTLE TRIAL THREE... DONE
SUGGESTED PLAN OF ACTION: RETREAT OR REINFORCE
*** END NEURAL FEED ***
All he had was a Hercules, Nirvana, and some scattered destroyers to his name to take on that. That’s if he disregarded the docking bays full of T.Ryu-Jin fighters but what good could they do against such a fleet, even if crippled? The noble thing to do was to fight, but the prudent thing to do was to flee and save his fleet for better odds. Ships weren’t exactly cheap, and colonies were considered expendable by those higher up. But when he signed up for Officer Training Corps, he swore to do all he could to carry out every mission. His mission this time was to keep this colony out of enemy hands, and he would see it done.
Detailed battle info:
Attacker's PR 232053 Defender's PR 214566
108%
| Battle wave 1 | |
| Stack 1 | Defender's 40 P.Thor Destroyer attack(s) Attacker's 3 Pyth Battleship - 1 Pyth Battleship destroyed |
| Attacker's 2 Pyth Battleship attack(s) Defender's 40 P.Thor Destroyer - 39 P.Thor Destroyer destroyed | |
| Stack 2 | Attacker's 2 D.Angel Battleship attack(s) Defender's 30 C.Cancer Cruiser - 4 C.Cancer Cruiser destroyed |
| Defender's 26 C.Cancer Cruiser attack(s) Attacker's 2 D.Angel Battleship - D.Angel Battleship damaged | |
| Stack 3 | Defender's 1 Hercules Juggernaught attack(s) Attacker's 116 Piranha Frigate - 14 Piranha Frigate destroyed |
| Attacker's 102 Piranha Frigate attack(s) Defender's 1 Hercules Juggernaught - Hercules Juggernaught damaged | |
| Stack 4 | Attacker's 10 D.Hammerhead Frigate attack(s) Defender's 3000 T.Ryu-jin Fighter - 812 T.Ryu-jin Fighter destroyed |
| Defender's 2188 T.Ryu-jin Fighter attack(s) Attacker's 10 D.Hammerhead Frigate - 2 D.Hammerhead Frigate destroyed - 406 T.Ryu-jin Fighter lost during attack | |
| Stack 5 | Attacker's 8 Barracuda Destroyer attack(s) Defender's 1 Nirvana Dreadnought - Nirvana Dreadnought damaged |
| Defender's 1 Nirvana Dreadnought attack(s) Attacker's 8 Barracuda Destroyer - 1 Barracuda Destroyer destroyed | |
| Stack 6 | Attacker's 12 Pike Destroyer attack(s) Defender's 50 Small Strafez Runner - 50 Small Strafez Runner destroyed Defender's Small Strafez Runner wiped out |
| Stack 7 | Attacker's 3 Tiger Destroyer attack(s) Defender's 2 F.Sword Destroyer - F.Sword Destroyer damaged |
| Defender's 2 F.Sword Destroyer attack(s) Attacker's 3 Tiger Destroyer - Tiger Destroyer damaged | |
| Battle wave 2 | |
| Stack 1 | Defender's 1 P.Thor Destroyer attack(s) Attacker's 2 Pyth Battleship - Pyth Battleship damaged |
| Attacker's 2 Pyth Battleship attack(s) Defender's 1 P.Thor Destroyer - 1 P.Thor Destroyer destroyed Defender's P.Thor Destroyer wiped out | |
| Stack 2 | Attacker's 2 D.Angel Battleship attack(s) Defender's 26 C.Cancer Cruiser - 4 C.Cancer Cruiser destroyed |
| Defender's 22 C.Cancer Cruiser attack(s) Attacker's 2 D.Angel Battleship - D.Angel Battleship damaged | |
| Stack 3 | Defender's 1 Hercules Juggernaught attack(s) Attacker's 102 Piranha Frigate - 14 Piranha Frigate destroyed |
| Attacker's 88 Piranha Frigate attack(s) Defender's 1 Hercules Juggernaught - Hercules Juggernaught damaged | |
| Stack 4 | Attacker's 8 D.Hammerhead Frigate attack(s) Defender's 1782 T.Ryu-jin Fighter - 650 T.Ryu-jin Fighter destroyed |
| Defender's 1132 T.Ryu-jin Fighter attack(s) Attacker's 8 D.Hammerhead Frigate - 1 D.Hammerhead Frigate destroyed - 325 T.Ryu-jin Fighter lost during attack | |
| Stack 5 | Attacker's 7 Barracuda Destroyer attack(s) Defender's 1 Nirvana Dreadnought - Nirvana Dreadnought damaged |
| Defender's 1 Nirvana Dreadnought attack(s) Attacker's 7 Barracuda Destroyer - 2 Barracuda Destroyer destroyed | |
| Stack 6 | Attacker's 12 Pike Destroyer attack(s) Defender's 2 F.Sword Destroyer - 2 F.Sword Destroyer destroyed Defender's F.Sword Destroyer wiped out |
| Stack 7 (A) vs. Stack 2 (D) | Attacker's 3 Tiger Destroyer attack(s) Defender's 22 C.Cancer Cruiser - C.Cancer Cruiser damaged |
| PR losses | |||
| Attacker | 50791 = | 21.9% | |
| Defender | 104990 = | 48.9% | DP |
*** Victory! ***
Colonies: 1
Colonies: 1
| Attacker's fleet
| Defender's fleet
|
The outermost planet of this system fell to the decrepit invaders, and Frog considered his options. Another confrontation with the enemy would probably result in the destruction of what was left under his command; fighting was not an option. Neither was leaving the wealth of this system to the enemy. They would probably use the plunder to harass other systems; these cretins only knew how to kill and steal, and they had become experts at both.
Frog sent the command to all of the colonies in the system. Using what time he had left, he orchestrated the liquidation of the wealth and resources planet by planet. What could not be readily sold was destroyed to spite the aliens. In a short time, the wealth was extracted as best as could be under the circumstances and the Terran fleet left the system.
* * * * *
The deck clicked with each fall of his boot. The metal floors and walls spoke only of a cold efficiency, using what was needed to get the job done. No time of aesthetics on these war machines. It could get to a man if you lived on it long enough. Admiral Block wondered why they never bothered to fix these things. They send men home for going insane but never fix the problems that drive them insane! For the price they fly all the guys to and fro, they could've remodeled this whole station! But none the less, the old Chimera Starbase got the job done. The hallways seemed even more forbidding at this time, the mechanics made the walls creak but there were no other humans within one hundred yards of this deck, all asleep on deck seventy-three. But it was no matter, the bridge was just ahead and there would be friendly faces and news of their arrivals.
Block strolled into the briefing room and took note of who was sitting where. Among those attending were the most outstanding commanders in the Terran empire with both hand to hand combat experience and having survived at least one encounter with the elusive Marauders. Both Xander and Frog were in attendance, them being the anticipated guests. Their efforts in the Galacia system hadn’t gone unnoticed by the command structure.
"I'm Admiral Block," he hit another key and a planet appeared on the tabletop projector, "and this is your mission." The planet revolved a few times and looked like an ordinary planet. The uncomfortable silence began and dragged on with no one willing to ask the obvious question.
"What's so special about it?" someone finally asked. "Looks like every other rock floating around you all call planets." He sat back in his chair and locked his hands behind his head. “They change hands often enough, not like they are important.”
"I’m glad you asked, Wildcat. Let me show you a size comparison of this planet and the ancient planet of Earth." He pushed another button and looked up. Nothing changed. "Here is a hundred-fold magnification." The planet proceeded to move off the projection and tiny piece of dust floated into the projection.
Xander swatted at it repeatedly out of boredom. "Don't waste your time, Captain. There is no dust in here, our ventilation is state of the art."
"Then what is that?" Xander inquired, pointing at the small, surprisingly stationary object in the air near his seat.
"It’s Earth." Block noticed which faces displayed on the outside the shock that was surely hitting everyone, Earth was the standard by which all other planets were measured. "It is approximately one-thousand times the surface area of our ancestral home world.” All planets were given an index that described their quality. The relay from Jason was terse like all scout reports but said more than enough.
Begin transmission.
U.Large, X.Class, Land:12,002, Ore:7.
End transmission.
It was recently discovered in sector one-thirty-two but a Viator I, if you can call crashing into it 'discovering'. We don’t know how a planet could get this big or how we could have missed it before. It’s as if it just popped out of thin air! We want you to check it out for us. You will be under the command of Captain Warmonger and will rendez-"
"A captain?! Frog outranks him! Why doesn’t he lead?" Xander sat expectantly with his hands on the tabletop. Discipline was obviously lacking in the lower echelons of the fleet. Block made a note to have this investigated. How long would an empire remain cohesive if everyone given command of a few ships felt the need to question their superior officers?
"Well, your latest ‘victory’ considered, I’m surprised myself he still does outrank him... want to push your luck any further, Lieutenant?" Frog stiffened at the attention but did not display any signs of weakness for Block to exploit. "No? Good. You will be leaving in two hours and will rendezvous with him in forty-eight hours, dismissed!"
* * * * *
Warmonger paced his deck, still unbelieving of what his sensors were telling him. This monster of a planet didn’t want to share any of its secrets with him it seems. The conventional means of sending different S and P waves through a planet to detect what its layers were made of didn’t work on this thing. The outer crust was so dense, the waves didn’t pass through, and so there was no way of telling what this was made of short of cracking it like a nut. That task also seemed impossible.
There was very little he could do but pace and wonder what a planet this size had to hide. It’s not every day that a planet like this is found, and they certainly haven’t occurred before in the natural universe. Things this massive tended to collapse under its own weight into a proto-star or other useless bit of space debris. But this planet featured every ecosystem one could imagine and probably others unseen before. Perhaps someone made this, but if so, why go through such great lengths to abandon it? Like a piece of driftwood it was, no surface activity detected! Nothing made sense to him, nothing...
No comments:
Post a Comment