NationStates Jolt Archive

Maug Armory and Refinery
System FD-202
Alexander Derit, Manager of Plant Operations, watched the asteroids drift in the outer system. Every few moments, one of them would be snagged by the robotic delivery tugs and hauled towards the Refinery. Then the tug would release it, allow it to fall into the gapiong maw of the crusher, and then to the Furnace. From the other end of this deep space facility was the Refinery, where the metal blocks emerged to be wrought into usable materials.

Then, the transports hauled these metal to the Star Dock several systems away, where the TRSN facility was assembling a series of ships for use in this dimension. Where the TRSN went, so did Maug, for profit was sure to be at hand. Derit turned from the great viewscreen and took a sip of his coffee. It was real coffee, exported from Terra, and was his personal vice. He glanced back down at the stack of papers on his desk, reports and files. "Damn." he stated.

He turned to view the starfield again, this time looking towards the Plant. Inside, machines were churning out weaponry for the Marines and even for the Fleet itself. Even now, a transport was pulling away with a load of focussing lenses. In the outer system, several TRSN patrol craft kept station, and a Hydra Frigate was docked. He would have preferred more forces, but the Board of Directors wanted less military interference. How quick they forget... the terror that we used to feel, back in the war...

He picked up his coffee again when the alarms sounded. He looked out the viewscreen, and his blood ran cold. Shadow. How did they get here? The coffee fell away and shattered on the deck. Three battleships were coming in system, and two carriers followed. He slapped the intercom. "Sound general quarters! Evacuate the station, get the transports away! Everyone arm yourselves! Send a distress signal, we're in deep shit!" he paused. "Alert the TRSN that it's back."

The Hydra Class was pulling away, and the Patrol ships were forming a screen to guard the station, but Derit knew what was coming, and he was certain he wouldn't see another Terran sunrise.

OOC: This is an NPC Nation, and has a military/population/tech base FAR larger than its stats.

IC:
The Fleet moved into the new system, following the Sense. They knew, as a predator smells blood, that the Terrans had been here... they were here... they were definately here...

With the Jump clear, the Fleet oriented on the station. There was only a little of the Warriors... just the Peons. There was happiness, or at least an analog emotion. There would be a feast today, and the food was already corralled.

The Fleet deployed into combat stance, reaching out with light craft and readying the main force. A transmission was deteced from the base.

MANY: They are summoning help.

ONE: Good. More for the slaughter.

ANOTHER: But if we are ambushed?

ONE: We cannot be. They are weak, arrogant in their complacency. They shall fall.

MANY: We await the growing herd. We will destroy them.

The Fleet attacked as one.

The Hydra Frigate Camini cleared its berth, it's shields up and guns swinging about to face the opponent. The Camini's captain, Commander Trevor Etreus, gripped his command chair hard. "All right, men, we can't win this, but we have to buy the civilians evac time. Our job is to delay the Shadow for as long as possible."

The crew, and the crews on the other ships, nodded in somber acknowledgement. The Frigate and the three Picket Ships formed a line, while the two Picket Carriers deployed their Strikefighters. The fighters rushed to interdict the Shadow fighters before they could fire on the station.

The bottom and two topside dual Rail Turrets aligned on the lead battleship and fired. Blasts rippled away around the ends of the four barrels and shook the ship that fired them, and the KE slugs slammed into their target a millisecond later, vaporizing against the shields.

The ship rocked as the AM missiles roared away, detonating amid the approaching fighters, shattering the squadrons. But more were behind that. And then the fighters arrived at the Camini.

The Fleet was among the Terran ships, wreaking havoc on them, darting through their drives, wreaking destruction as they loosed salvos. These Terrans were puzzling... the strong always stood before the weak, breaking the Natural Logic. Why was this?

But it benefitted the Fleet.

MANY: If they are content to let the Weak carry on their genes, it is to our gain.

ONE: It must do something for them, for they have fought us longer than any others.

ANOTHER: Lies. They will be Subjugated in time. They are weak.

ONE: They could have destroyed us.

ANOTHER: They gave us life again. We shall not fail.

The attack continued. The Fleet didn't care if the Warriors or the Peons were before them, for either was feed.

Cmdr. Etreus bit his lip as the Camini shook again, the Shadow fighters firing with tactical warheads into his drive. "Where's the AF fire?" he demanded.

"Sorry, sir, they knock out our close in sensors with that last strike! We're firing blind!"

The Rail Guns belched again, and the slugs again struck the lead battleship. This time, the shields flickered slightly. The return volley was devastating, however, a wall of energy and missiles. "Brace!" someone called.

The point defense knocked out the first wave of missiles, but the energy weapons slammed into the shields, knocking them mostly away. The next wave of missiles struck, and the point defense fought valiantly, but some got through. One of the Pickets exploded, it's reactor going critical. No escape pods were fired, because the Shadow took prisoners, and it was better to die.

The Camini rocked as the damage reports flew past the screen. Alarms rang, and the ship was kicked forward. The main screen exploded into bolts of electricity, and the sensor bank exploded from an overload. Etreus jerked against his restraints. He saw the data on his uplink.

Weapons: One Cannon Operational
Shields: 3%
Sensors: Faulty
Reactor: OVERLOAD
Drives: JUMP GATE CRITICAL; SUBLIGHT 78%
HULL BREACH DECK 2, 3, 4, 6, 9

He grimaced. "Helm. Put all power to sublight and shields. Kill life support. Full speed ahead."

Derit ran down the corridor of the facility for the docking bay, all the main information carried in his laptop. The base computer was wiped blank, and he carried it all. He staggered as the base rocked from another impact. As he ran, he noticed Marines in battle gear setting up barricades.

They're going to fight? Why? This question had always haunted him throughout the War as he had watched other Marines do this exact thing. He couldn't take it anymore. "Marine!" he yelled to a passing soldier.

"Sir, please get out of here!" the young man, no, kid, replied. It was a kid, younger than Derit's own, maybe eighteen. "You've gotta evacuate while you have the chance."

"Why aren't you pulling out with us?" Derit demanded. "You don't have to die."

"Every second we buy gets more civilians away, sir."

"But why?"

"I took an oath, sir. Now please, fall back!"

Derit pulled out a small pistol he had hidden in his coat. "I'm going to fight."

"Sir, you won't do any good, you're no soldier. Get out of here!"

Derit, confronted by this sad truth, nodded. "Thank you, Marine." he ran for the airlock. He heard the young soldier running the other way, running towards certain death. Why?

He entered the hangar and sprinted up the ramp of one of the vessels inside. "Loaded!" the crew chief called. The pilot kicked on the thrusters and lifted from the berth, rising through the Magnetic Field that sealed the hangar and into space. The main drive kicked in, and the transport began to run for clear space, pursued by Shadow fighters.

The Camini limped forward towards the Shadow battlegroup, and they fired upon it with growing intencity as they figured its intention. The Frigate collided head-on with the lead battleship, and the detonation blinded anyone who happened to see it. When the fireball faded, neither ship remained, and the other two battleships were listing.

Taking a cue from their leader, the Picket ships acclerated towards the Shadow battlegroup, intent on their suicidal course.

The Fleet was perplexed. Why do they do this? They should abandon these pitiful and fight another day. But always this futilly dedicated fight. Humans were so predictable. All firepower was concentrated to take out the attacking Picket ships.

The second set of transports were away.

OOC: Is this mining base in the Sol System? How far it is from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter? I might participate depending on a few things...