NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Just some background crap here for you Ortaga awaiting your move.

C.N.S. Eternal Vigilance
Vigilance Class Monitor
Flagship of the Commonwealth Navy
Thetis System, Capital WIckian Commonwealth



Evacuation of the sister planet in the Thetis system had already begun, massive amounts of cutters and shuttles ferried civilians from the planet to waiting transports and freighters. Roughly ten percent of the population had been evacuated already about fifty-thousand people in all. The vessels bearing these refugees were being sent to various systems, including Epsilon Pegasi, and Ticonderoga. Epsilon was a small back water colony inside Takian controlled space safe from the reach of the Solar Navy’s grasp. And Ticonderoga was declaring independence from the Commonwealth claiming neutrality in the up coming conflict. Those Wickians in Thetis left to their own defense against the entire might of the Hegemon.

Abandoned by his own colony, the thought brought bile to Strength’s throat. However the WIckians were also abandoned by their allies as well, the Verniians had changed over the years since their own occupation, Strength desperately wished for their fleet to lend his aide but he doubted very much any would be forthcoming. It was as if they had forgotten that their were WIckian refuges that fought alongside their citizens in the uprising on Endicott, or that there was an entire WIckian flotilla at Gregor in the final battle. They were abandoned by the Verniians for the second time.

Protector Strength controlled the Commonwealth Navy and as such he held the Commonwealth together after the anarchy that befell his nation after the Second Battle of Thetis more the forty years ago during the Great War. Forty years he had feared this event would happen, that the Ortagan’s would come to finish the battle they started so long ago. Strength was the sole surviving flag officer from that battle so many of his dearest friends perished under the deadly battle lasers or singularity missiles of the Solar Navy. The fleet gave as well as it got that day, which meant that both sides lost equally leaving each to wonder when hostilities would resume.

The evacuation of the populous was the number one priority, the WIckians had to survive this battle and it was up to the fleet to ensure they had the time to flee the system to do so. Already Remembrance City was commencing preparations to fold to its fall back position in the Sanctuary System, the fold generator on the massive city was tested only once, however their Takian crews assured Strength that they would perform perfectly.

They were ready for the Solar Navy, it would be a fight, and the Third Battle of Thetis will decide the future of his people, would they go quietly into the night, hardly...the real question was would his nation survive the night's demons?

Whisper Palace, Silesia, Roum Prime, Roum System, Hegemony of New Ortaga
2000, Roum Local Standard

“We cannot continue like this, Channing!” Kagoshima Isoruko said with frustration filling his tone as he paced the room. The Coordinator of Finance for the Hegemony eyed the others in the room warily as he paced.

In one of the chair’s of the Hegemon’s personal study and office, Jordan Galt—Polemarch of the Hegemony—watches the movements of Kagoshima intently from the shadows cast into the room by Roum’s pale moon. His dark eyes trace Kagoshima’s path from his skull-like face. Standing closer to the door is Cima Garahou—the Hegemon’s Strategos. Her gaze is cold, arms neatly folded across her chest, and every bit of her posture reflecting military bearing. Kendra Ansel, the Hegemon’s daughter and master of the Hegemon’s Special Observation Bureau, stands closest to her father. She eyes Kagoshima with a smoldering gaze, he has broached a topic she has long avoided.

Channing Ansel stands before the windows that show the lighted skyline of Silesia. His hands are clasped behind his back and his half-closed eyes lazily trace the path of a rising heavy transport sailing through the night.

“We can and we will, Isoruko,” Channing says in calm tones. “The entirety of the Great March must be secured. To do this the remnants of the Wickian parasite in Thetis must be removed and the government of Erewohn crushed. It is a necessity if the Hegemony is to survive and if my office is to continue to uphold the mandate of the citizens.”

Kagoshima bit his tongue, knowing all to well that the mandate of the citizens was largely upheld by their fear in the vast intelligence and state police forces the Polemarch controlled, the growing omnipresent of the Special Observation Bureau’s political watchdogs, and the might of the Solar Forces.

“The Corrins and the Zabis left us a debt of 27.9 trillion solaris, Channing!” Kagoshima says exasperated. “And since the Two-Month War we have added 20.1 trillion solaris of debt to that ourselves. It is becoming harder and harder to secure loans, even from the Turin Combine. The interest goes up by at least 5 percent every time we make another request. Soon they will want payment, and if they demand it in full—even just a quarter—we will not be able to do it!”

The Hegemon of New Ortaga waves a hand in dismissal, “We will not need to borrow any further from the Valinor after this campaign, Isoruko. And we will be able to use the Wickians to suspend labor costs again. Admiral Hellings is already in position, the matter is not up for discussion. Besides, the Valinor would not dare to call in all the markers at once. They know that if they try to destroy the Hegemony that way we will turn the Solar Forces on them.”

Kagoshima stops his pacing, his head stoops a little, once again he has failed. And he does not share the Hegemon’s faith that the Valinor still fear the Hegemony. Many in the higher levels of the imperial government already view the Hegemony as a black hole, one from which the Valinor realm should distance itself from. Or perhaps even actively seek to remove before it threatens their own domain. That didn’t even mention the forces of the Vaku, the Verniians, or the Erewohnese—all of which might want to challenge the Hegemony before it could become self-sufficient. And if the Valinor believe it is to their advantage to let the Hegemony fall they would let it be shattered without a wince.

“Strategos Garahou?”

“Your Excellency?”

“Is Admiral Hellings in position?”

“The fleet is assembled in the Gryps system on our position near Thetis. Admiral Hellings has reported that he is ready to move less than an hour after receiving confirmation to commence Operation Round Hammer.”

Ansel nods slowly, “Then give the good Admiral his confirmation and my personal best wishes. I want Thetis to be ours before the week is out.”

“Is Your Excellency approving the use of plan 35-.”

“The Thetis system is to be sterilized,” Ansel says with finality, cutting off Garahou’s recital of the official plan to be used to cleanse Thetis of the Wickian sub-humans. “Completely sterilized of this genetic abomination. In time this program will also have to be extended to the other worlds of this so-called Commonwealth.”

“Of course, Your Excellency. I will relay your orders at once.”

“Jordan, what reports from the Dylar system?”

“Species 34-A is being assembled in our security facilities. I expect the operation to be completed within three months, then we can start culling candidates for the industrial collective programs, and send the dropouts to the first round of internment camps. After 34-A has been completely expended, they will be terminated.”

And such the Hegemony continued with its ruthless course through history, ignoring all that surrounded it in its self-driven madness.

HSS Phoenix, Gryps System, Gryps Strategic Corridor, Hegemony of New Ortaga
0102, Roum Local Standard

Admiral Hellings looks over the assembled fleet on the combat bridge of the HSS Phoenix, one of the powerful assault dreadnoughts of the Hegemony’s Solar Navy. Twenty-four of the Phoenix class dreadnoughts are at the core of the formation, flanked by sixty Hegemon II class dreadnoughts, seventy-two Roum class war frigates, and over one hundred of the agile Ansel class monitors. Off to one side of the formation are six Revolution class carriers and next to them are four specially modified hulls carefully constructed in the yards of Axis.

These four warships are little more than drive cores. Surrounding their central spire are forty 4.5-gigaton fusion warheads each, bought from the armories of the Star Empire of Valinon. Governed by suicidal AI programs these ships have loaded in their minds the last known coordinates of the mobile Remembrance City. They are designed to exit hyperspace on top of the Commonwealth’s “capital” and detonate. Then Hellings command can make short work of the surviving scraps of the Commonwealth Navy left from the disastrous attempt by the Wick to colonize across their recently discovered wormhole.

Finally the vast bulk of the HSS Anubis, the latest of the Ortagan “super-battleships”, safeguard the Gryps system. The vast warship is larger than even the Behemoth that terrorized Thetis so long ago. Its two vast central disc joined together, protecting the energy source for its formidable main weapon, spikes protude out from its central mass. The Anubis watches as its smaller cousins move to leave Gryps, content to wait and be the fall back for Hellings war fleet.

Hellings turns to his comm section, “Signal to the rest of the fleet, we make the jump to Thetis now. Exit vector is to put us in the mid-system, the drones are to proceed on their attack vector with Remembrance City.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

And so the Solar Navy sets a course to finish the destruction of the Wickian home system that escaped its wrath close to fifty years ago.

Protector Strength looked into the holo-tank on his flag bridge. It was filled with icons, most were freighters or other auxiliaries fleeing the system, about 80% he figured.

Then there were Icons that were not fleeing, they all belonged to his fleet, the Protector's Own. They were the elite of the navy and they would resist the Solar Navy, they probably could not win, but they would fight!

The "Wall" was compromised of Four Battle Squadrons, each consisting of a monitor flagship, two super dreadnaughts and five dreadnaughts. Along the flanks of this wall and above and below it were four squadrons of BC(P)s. Filling in the gaps and expanding outward of the wall were Fifty destroyers and thirty cruisers acting as a screen. A thousand Lacs flew rapidly in squadron sized elements beyond the screen.

Strength was at the last battle and it was a slugging match, this one most likely would be too, but he had a few surprises for the Solar Navy, courtesy of his favorite mercenary contacts in the Principality. And some he thought up himself too. He knew not if he would survive the out coming fight but he knew his people would.

The WIckians awaited the Solar Navies arrival.

HSS Phoenix, Outer Reaches of the Thetis System, The Commonwealth of the Wick
0800, Solar Forces Time Standard

A flurry of gravitic distortions rend the space in the fringes of the Thetis system. The slender, winged profiles of the Phoenix class dreadnoughts tear into the Wickian home system surrounded by their blood-thirsty cousins.

"Status report," Admiral Hellings barks at the tactical section surrounding the massive holographic projection that dominates the combat bridge.

"Multiple combats on outbound vectors. Mostly civilian ships and lighter warships, it appears to be an en masse evacuation of the system, Admiral."

Hellings' face twists into a grimace, "What of the rest of the Wickian fleet?"

"Several battle squadrons consisting of 5-6 dreadnoughts, varying classes are forming up along with several battlecruiser squadrons that appear to be of pod form classification."

"Match their profiles with the information the Security and Intelligence Coordination CentCom on Roum sent us on the Protector's Own unit of the Wickian navy. Do we have a status report from the drones?"

"Drones are preparing to retranslate back into normal space now, Admiral. Estimated time of retranslation is eighteen seconds."

"Positive match on eighty-five percent of fleet forming up in-system as the Protector's Own, Admiral.

"Prepare to accelerate in-system, and keep the feed from the drones live until they detonate."

**********

As the vast armada sets its brutally linear course for the inner regions of the Thetis system, the true malice of the the Solar Navy's battle plan is unveiled. In an eerie unity, four distortions signaling the retranslation of Hegemony ships open in the atmosphere of the Wickian homeworld. The suicide AIs controlling their course have locked in the last uploaded coordinates for the Wickian floating city of Remembrance provided by the agents of Polemarch Galt.

Seconds after they retranslates into normal space, into the scarred heart of the Wickian Commonwealth, the suicide AIs send a command into the holds of their ship "bodies." In a searing fire, 160 4.5-gigaton warheads ignite primordial fires as old as the stars themselves. And once again the Hegemony of New Ortaga reigns destruction down upon the homeworld of the Wick, seeking to finally annihilate the people who have stayed its might for so long.

OOC: Posting this first half for now the second half and my cities explosion will follow shortly...

There was a reason why the WIckians hated the Ortagans worse then death. It was a simple reason, for death was something that came in good time everyone knew one day they may die. However the Ortagans themselves brought death to the WIckians, the young and old, the sick and infirm, all were targets for extermination for the Solar Navy, and their murderous hand knew no limits.

In the years since the last war the name Channing Ansel was used to scare little children to sleep.

“Good to sleep child for if you do not Ansel will send his minions to kill you!”

Needless to say WIckian children got plenty of sleep…

The Ortagans hated the WIckians because they viewed them as genetically altered freaks deserving of nothing, whose freakish characteristics are matched only by the completely alien Vaku. They also hate the WIckians because they have dared to challenge the supremacy of the Hegemony, and have remained free for the past three decades despite their best efforts.

It was Folly for the WIckians to resist, for they did not have the resources to beat the Solar Navy, no one did save maybe the Kriegsmarine. The WIckians understood this, they knew by resisting alone they would be fighting the face of death itself, but still they fought and asked for no help at all. The only greater then their bravery was pride the same pride that caused them not to align themselves with the Valinor before the Great War, pride the WIckians could not walk away from a fight or deny it.

Battle would be fought in the Thetis system this day would be known as the Fourth Battle of Thetis, the day the WIckians were expelled from their home system hundred of thousands would be dead, but they would not go out alone…

Too much blood was spilled for the WIckians or the Ortagans to look at each other with anything but vehement hate.

---

No one could have predicted that tactic used to destroy Remembrance City, unless of course one thought like an Ortagan. It was a forgone conclusion that the city would be destroyed as the hellfire consumed it. However the city was well protected about a quarter of it remained when it was all done and from this section spilled life pods, some to be collected others left behind.

The Solar Navy in this one instant murdered over one hundred and fifty thousand WIckian civilians. Another atrocity to add to the large list their military has accumulated over the years of war.

It was also another reason for Protector Strength to hate the Ortagans even more and it did much to harden his resolve. As he stared at the tactical plot he noticed the large collection of blue Icons of the fringe of the system begin their journey into the depths of the system.

"Sir C&C reports that the enemy fleet is around two hundred and fifty vessels large with eighty dreadnaughts and at least twice that in lighter units. We are considerably outnumbered."

"Noted Ensign." Strength said with no emotion, "Fleet Orders...All units this is the Protector, The Fleet will advance and engage the enemy! We do this for all those who have been killed by the Hegemony's expansion, for those who have died on New Edo, on Seljuk, and in Falasmayon. We do this for our sons and daughters and other family members whose lives have been taken from us! To Battle friends! FOR HONOR, FOR THETIS!" He roared the crews on every ship responded with the battle cry.

The fleet began its movement towards Hellings' fleet which lied beyond the asteroid field they should be able to intercept it just beyond that field which lied roughly a third of the distance between the two fleets. Beyond the previously mentioned asteroid field the system contained three planets, with Thetis being the second from the sun. The LACs soon were lost in an ECM haze acting as its vanguard. Patriotic music echoed through the ships hulls, warrior like in the times of old marched into battle to the beat of drums and fife.

OOC: Well hopefully this will wake up my war buddy :)

IC:

A line has been drawn, Strength knew for every minute his forces held off the Solar Navy the more refugee transports could escape. That was the future of the nation he held together for the past three decades, its people. The majority would head to Ticonderoga, the rest to the colonies and mobile cities on the frontier of the Raumriech, dispersion would ensure their survival, and undoubtedly they would be pursued.

That was the real reason so few ships defended Thetis this day, most of the lighter units were already sent to the rally positions. Half of the Battle Squadrons of the Home fleet was sent to reinforce Ticonderoga. The other half would be thrown in the cauldron in this battle of the line in Thetis, this day.

The Protector's Own had moved beyond the asteroid field, the Solar Navy still clinging to the fringe of the system, at least four light minutes out. Far from the reach of any navy's weapons except for those of Strength's fleet. He intend to say hello to the Solar Navy for the first time since their first meeting thirty years before.

"Send my compliments to Admiral Zelazny, he is free to commit the mines." Strength told his communications officer. Who confirmed and transmitted his orders.

Around orbit of Thetis herself lied a massive field of Fold Mines, however the only thing original to them was the fold generator. This generator was attached to an oversized missile pod that contained 15 Tactical Fusion Missiles each with a yield of 4 giga-tons, ten additional missiles were inside the pods however these were dedicated as ECM missiles, decoys, jammers, and penetration aids. In one instant over four million of the mines lied in orbit of the tormented planet of Thetis ceased to exist simultaneously appearing two million km in front of the Solar Navy's fleet. One second past the translation the missiles raced from their pods at over 75,000 kps, the angry storm of missiles rained down upon the heavy units of the Solar Navy.

The WIckians had answered the Ortagans call for blood. The battle had just begun.

HSS Phoenix's Combat Bridge, Outer Reaches of the Thetis System, The Commonwealth of the Wick
0822, Solar Forces Time Standard


Hellings watches with a subdued expression as the explosion rips through the atmosphere of the Wickian homeworld.

"Finally the Wickian abomination will be obliterated from the Great March," says a too smooth voice behind Hellings.

Hellings allows his vision to shift for just one moment and eye warily the knife-thin figure and the demonic blue eyes of Tactical Observer Marlow--Kendra Ansel's personal spy to his command.

Hellings nods, no assent what-so-ever would cause suspicion, which would quickly lead to execution or a life term on an internment camp in Seljuk or Dylar. But Hellings does not have to agree verbally with the madness the Observers and Polemarch Galt's Strategic Security Force (SSF) force upon the Hegemony.

"Enemy fleet is accelerating and making to breakthrough the asteriod belt."

"Have the fleet ascend fifteen degrees and proceed over the asteriod belt and full acceleration. We will deny the Wickians even the minimal cover the nearby fragments could provide by meeting them on the other side."

"Admiral! Fold spikes from the inner system," a new alarm tears through the quiet cacoon of the combat bridge, a piercing siren.

"What the-," Marlow's voice is lost in the harsh screech.

"Automatic distortion field, Observer Marlow," Hellings says. "Ever warship in the Hegemony has it hard-wired into it since we were forced to share a border with the Takans."

The hard-wired systems of the paranoid Solar Navy rapidly move to bring themselves online. In truth though the systems are not as fool-proof as the Solar Navy would like them to be. They were designed by technicians and engineer under the Grand Duchy of New Ortaga, and most of them were executed during the revolution that created the Hegemony. True not all the genius has gone out of the Hegemony, but technicians and engineer of such magnitude these days are rare outside the safe enclaves of Ginias Saharin's laboratories and the security of Axis and Roum.

The modified projects and energy generators come to life, seeking to create a sphere where Takan-based fold technology cannot re-enter normal space. The dreadnoughts and many of the battle-frigates and carriers forming the core of the formation pull it off with ease, but the outlying collections of destroyers, gunships, and agile monitors are not so lucky.

Spikes against the projected field show where fold mines meet the invisible barrier and simple cease to exist in the alternate realms of the fold. But on the fringes of the fleet, small suns erupt, consuming a carrier, almost a squadron of battle-frigates, and a host of monitors.

Hellings turns cooly to on of his tactical coordinators, "Signal to the rest of the Flag Squadron and Dreadnought Squadron I. All Phoenix dreadnoughts are to prepare their main batteries for firing sequence and lock on to the approaching Wickian formation. Coordinate with the battle squadrons to make sure that no ships are in our field of fire."

"Yes, Admiral."

Swirling nexuses of energy form on the wing pylons of the Phoenix and her sister ships, as well as at the end of their extended prow. In unison twenty-four beams of super-concentrated energy, drawing on the power of no less than six singularity reactors are hurled at the Wickian formation. It is enough energy to crack the very crust of planets, and reduce small moons rubble. The sinister green-white energy rushes toward the heart of Strength's formation, the product of the possessed mind of Ginias Saharin and given life by a nation driven by an incomperable insanity.

Phoenix class dreadnought (http://www.wolfsshipyard.mystarship.com/Drawings/ISA/Victory.gif)

Strength knew well the awesome power of the main guns on the Phoenix class dreadnaughts, which is he brought his fleet in relatively below that of the Solar Navy, their wedges interposed between the Ortagan fleet. A single beams that struck a wedge of a Dreadnaught or larger were simply absorbed, however the same could not be said about the smaller ships whose weaker wedges could not stave off such a powerful attack, nearly a dozen cruisers and battle cruisers were obliterated from the deadly beams.

One old venerable battle cruiser the CNS Tyrannous Rex was struck a glancing blow by one beam which cut nearly a 200 meter hole in the side of the ship, it vent fire, atmosphere and crew as it rolled out of formation crippled.

Strength’s own monitor shook violently as its wedge absorbed the blow.

“Fleet orders, all ships are to roll pods, and go to rapid continuous fire on all tubes, Monitors are free to engage with slicer cannons and Nova cannons.” Massive waves of missiles began to be volleyed from the heavy units of the squadron, half carried ECM, penetration aids and other electronic countermeasure device to enable the laser warheads or the 4 gigaton fusion warheads of their compatriots to enter attack range of their targets. At the current rate of fire the dreadnaughts of the fleet could only maintain for only thirty minutes of battle. However by that time the battle would most likely be decided. Each monitor also mounted a half dozen slicer cannons that began to lance towards the Ortagan’s fleet as well as a pair of nova cannon’s angry armaments from each monitor.

---

A nation driven by an incomparable insanity.

These were words that could be used to describe why the sons and daughters of his murdered home world, were fighting here this day. He looked out of the view port of the escape pod, the battle was raging much to far away for the naked eye to see, but he knew what was happening. Mighty Ortagan battle lasers and their other fiendish energy weapons exchanged their fire with WIckian missiles in a ballet of death.

He supposed that there was no avoiding this fight, they all knew including he that the Ortagans would return to finish the deed they started thirty years ago. Yet, the battle was folly, the Protector's Own even reinforced with regular naval units as they, stood not the slightest chance of victory this day. They could delay the Ortagan advance, yes true. But defeat it no, the SN could send in reinforcements with ease, the outrageous difference between the ability to project power between the two fleets was almost heart breaking, in the final analyze we never stood a chance against the tidal wave that was the Solar Navy.

It became clear to him that it was not the Hegemony alone that was driven by insanity his own nation was driven by the very same thing as its most despised enemy. And may the Tester forgive him and his people for not recognizing that sooner. It would not be only the Protector and his squadron that would die this day, also would die the blinding hate that the Wickians held for their hated enemy, before that paranoia and fear would consume their souls as it did the souls of the Hegemony and its Hegemon.

The man’s thoughts were finally broken as his pod was jarred violently as he was pulled onboard an ancient looking System Guard battleship.

HSS Phoenix's Combat Bridge, Outer Reaches of the Thetis System, The Commonwealth of the Wick
0907, Solar Forces Time Standard

"We've lost the Razor's Kiss, Admiral!" comes a stunned cry from the tactical coordination officers.

Hellings grinds a fist into his leg. That makes three Hegemon class dreadnoughts lost to the Protectorate squadrons. Not counting the other two damaged by missile attacks.

The Wickians are starting to learn, he thinks silently to himself.

The ships under his command are by no means the most efficient point-defense systems in the Raumreich. Approaching a half a century since the end of the Great War, the Hegemony had still failed to secure DOS technology from their estranged Valinor allies. And now that opportunity seems to have escaped the Hegemony's grasp forever as the rulers of the Star Empire distance themselves from Roum. But the Solar Navy has compensated for its weakness. Cluster-warhead missiles, mass area affect fusion warheads, and dispersion fire from their battle lasers are just as deadly--if not as efficient--as any Kriegsmarine DOS defensive sphere. And the gravimetric shields while not as invulnerable as they once were, are still resistant to scattered and disorganized fire. But the same cannot be said for concentrated volleys from Takian weaponry.

He resists the urge to glare back at Marlow standing beside him. Knowing the vile political officer is carefully evaluating every lost his command takes.

Enough of this.

"Hail the Star Fire and tell them Captain D'Orient he's to ready a Vortex missile for launch. Have our gunners release one from the Phoenix's stores as well. It's time to end the threat of those monitors."

"Yes, Admiral."

"Prepare a full launch of Snarl warheads as well. I want full coverage for that Vortex."

The dance of laser fire and missiles continues around the Ortagan and Wickian warships. But within the bowels of the Phoenix, Hellings prepares the weapon that dealt the Wickians their death blow during the First Battle of Thetis. Suddenly the dreadnought belches over a hundred Snarl class ECM warheads, racing toward the heart of the Wickian formation. As they scream out senseless electronic noise, multiple "mini-decoys" drop off their engine pods. They tear toward the Wickian monitors, and Strength's flagship, covering the approach of a single massive Vortex missile.

"Contact all ships," Hellings barks. "They are to prepare for immediate in-system jump. We will retranslate on top of the Wickian homeworld!"

It was not a new tactic and it was a tactic that Strength expected the Solar Navy to use once they sustained an inconvenient level of casualties, apparently they reached that point. Both fleet’s started to begin to lose some of its larger units and the smaller screening ships murdered one another much more ruthlessly then any wall of missiles could, their battle was somehow more personal and much more deadly. He was at the First Battle of Thetis, his taskforce arrived in time to see the Behemoth and its dreadnaught compliments split through Home Fleet scattering the valiant defenders of Thetis. In the years since that battle the navy developed only one tactic to successfully escape the Vortex missile, and that was to get away from it as fast as humanly possible.

Of course they didn’t know for sure that a vortex or multiple vortexes were inbound the ECM was to great, whoever two large silhouettes appeared in the Lidar returns, definitely a possible carrier for the warhead. All counter missiles were devoted to the interception of this threat. MIRV’s were launched essentially ten of the dirtiest nukes modern technology could make they to the wall of static and jamming and deployed their payloads, a wall of nuclear fire. It was hoped either the explosions themselves would kill the vortex missiles if not perhaps the sheer ungodly amount of EMP generated would disable it.

“Fleet Orders, All ships prepare to execute ‘Cowpens’ on my order, and may the Tester be with you all.” It was also most a desperate act Cowpens called for the fold shields of the monitors are used not to divert the oncoming missiles of the Solar Navy but rather to grab the fleet itself and to transport it to roughly the orbit of Thetis, the final line of defense. The shields have already been used to divert some of the oncoming fire of the Solar Navy, for it seemed that the anti-fold devices of the Solar Navy only blocked incoming folds in re-entry to normal space, not the other way around. It would save many lives allowing the fleet to gather a pause, to rest for at least a half a day until the Solar Fleet could conceivably be in range of the planet. Especially if they were delayed by the thick minefields that were being redeployed along their vector. However he knew his Monitor would not be among those who escaped nor would any others but a single one. There were not enough fold shields to go around, and if they lost Thetis a monitor would be too much of a drain on the economy. The others would carry on the fight.

“Execute Cowpens!” With that the fold shields activated leaving the Protector and two of his sister ships to fend off the Solar Navy. He scanned the data returns from holo-tank and saw his target, the Phoenix. “Take the fight to the Enemy! FOR HONOR, FOR THETIS” The Protector roared his ships slicer cannons and nova cannons as well as one of the other monitors concentrated their entire fury upon the flagship of the enemy fleet. The other monitor attempted to assist however it was hit by no less then three of the massive battle lasers struck the massive ship gouging deep into is hull the ship spun out of formation uncontrolled as numerous lesser armaments overwhelmed it. Strength would not know whether his alpha strike killed, wounded or disabled his most hated demon, for the vortex warheads detonated…

HSS Phoenix's Combat Bridge, Inner Reaches of the Thetis System, The Commonwealth of the Wick
0919, Solar Forces Time Standard


As the Vortex missile hurls itself at the Wickian defenders, the Solar Navy vessels translate into hyperspace. In a series of flashes, the warships vanish, finding sanctuary from the incoming monitors assault.

"Retranslation in thirty seconds, Admiral!" comes a panic-filled cry. Intra-system jumps are not as easy for the Hegemony's armed forces as it is for the rest of the Inner March powers. It is a drain on the Solar Navy's massive, energy-intensive jump systems, one of the many reasons the Hegemony spends untold billions keeping the network of warp gates originally built during the high-point of the Grand Duchy in operation.

Hellings nods calmly, "Have all ships establish target priorities based on proximity to their exit vectors. The fleet will continue in scattered engagement until we can reform in orbit over Wick itself."

"Yes, Admiral."

Once again a series of flashes tear into the eyes of those in normal space. It is a brief storm of energy and hyperspace tides just outside of Wick cis-lunar orbit. The scarred, broken husk of the Wickian homeworld lies before the armada scrambled from Gryps. Hellings watches as the outer perimeter of his command starts to skirmish with the warships still in orbit around the capital of the dying Commonwealth.

A quiet cough breaks his calculations.

"Admiral Hellings," says Marlow, "the Hegemon was very specific that the Thetis system was to be purged of the unclean Wickian abomination. As such, in my capacity as Observer in the name of His Excellency, I will request that you reprioritize your targeting to block the Wickian attemtps to escape the fate they so justly deserve.

It is not a request, it is an order, and it is one very similiar to the one that sent the flaming Behemoth into the capital of the Commonwealth half a century ago. Hellings eyes Marlow with a vacant gaze, the tactical coordinators of the combat bridge watch their commander and his jailor as well.

"Mr. Jurdison, have the fleet reprioritize to intercept any vessels within engagement range seeking to escape. Release monitor squadrons eight, nine, and thirteen to deal with any outbound ship groups."

"Yes, Admiral."

"Do we have a lock on the surviving Wickian forces?"

"Majority of sensor confirmations are still along the outbound systems. Some of the warships that folded away to escape the Vortex detonation range are in bound on intercept vectors."

"Have the Star Fire and the Maelstrom prepare to more Vortex warheads for launch. They are to engage the Commonwealth warships if they choose to close through normal space using Vortex with Snarl ECM umbrellas. Finally have all dreadnought squadrons put output on distortion field generators to maximum. Extend out projected sphere of defense to as many of our escorts as possible. I will not have the Wickians folding in on top of us. And prepare to scramble our reconnaissance drone platforms. I want the Wickian homeworld scanned, along with its satellites. It's time to see if the Wickians are hiding anything else from us."

Ortagan Scans of the orbital installations and the surface of Thetis would have yielded much. The Ruins of Remembrance City still smoldered in orbit, as well as thousands of pieces of debris that what were orbital installations, ore refineries, shipyards, and orbital farms, all the infrastructure a nation’s capital was expected to contain, the infrastructure the WIckians themselves scuttled.

As the Ortagan’s began to scan the surface of Thetis, nothing of interest would have been found except for the dozens of still active fusion reactors that still were active on the dead planet's cities. It was a dead planet devoid of life or targets the WIckians were unlike the Verniiains or the Erewhonese and did not concentrate much effort at all on static installations in orbit of the capital or on the surface of the planet or its satellites.

Numerous light units of the Ortagan fleet now broke off in pursuit of their new mission to hunt down the multitude of civilian craft still fleeing the area. Most WIckian freighters sported sidewall and some kind of armaments to ward off a typical pirate but their hunters were much more skilled and stronger then a pirate, those targets a monitor closed on would die, not alone but would die nonetheless.

The Ortagan’s however while concentrating on the planets surface and its moons, distracted by the hunting of fleeing freighters, or the skirmishing between the couple dozen light Commonwealth Naval units in the area, committed a fatal flaw on not scanning the debris in orbit more closely. It was Admiral Strength's final trump card, his revenge from the grave.

Three entire LAC wings (900 LACs) simultaneously activated their wedges propelling them into point-blank range with the Ortagan Fleet. These LACs had no way to escape the system and were doomed, in such a case a WIckians resolve to fight to the bitter end was hardened when facing their bitter enemy.

Many consider it suicide to engage and Ortagan fleet at such a range with their energy armaments, however the LACs’ spinal graser was nothing at all to jeer at, LAC were ship killers and their grasers hit like sledge hammers at this close range.

The LAC pilots undoubtedly would be slain, but the Ortagan fleet would bleed quite profusely.
---

Commodore Villers had one single duty left to complete and that was to get as many of the Navy's ships and civilian vessels out of this system as possible, He left twenty-four cruisers and destroyers to act as a delaying force in orbit of Thetis, all craft remaining in the system were ordered to rendezvous at the sister planet for evacuation that were not already on their way to the limit.

He winced as he saw the Ortagan monitors and light units hunt down the ships in near orbit of Thetis, he knew he had to withdraw what he had left now or not at all.

The Civilians ships lead the way as his battered wall fell in protectively as a rear guard. The remaining Battle cruisers and screening units took up positions along the flanks and in the Van. The last of the WIckians now departed their home system, it was burning and captured by their worst enemy.

The worst of it was that many were being left behind either in freighters that would be captured, in settlements on the Sister planet, or in the hulks of the Orbital city or the numerous other isolated habitats throughout the system, a full evacuation was not possible. Villers got out what he could as for those who remained behind they would torment his soul for the rest of his days. If they ever got out of the system that is. If the Ortagan’s tried they could still very well overtake his battered fleet, that all changed when the tactical display showed the appearance of almost a thousand LACs in orbit of the capital in the midst of the Solar Navy, with that sacrifice they may just be able to escape.