NationStates Jolt Archive

The H.S.V. Corlantor had just exited from its wormhole jump into this unknown system. The artificial wormhole had unleashed a large energy build up which would be detectable to any long range sensors picking trying to up for any cosmic energy distortion anomalies.

The sleek Hegemonic Frigate (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicFrigate.jpg) continued on its slow and steady course towards the fourth planet from the central star of the system. The Hegemonic Frigate than began to scan the planet with it's medium range sensors. The Frigate kept a considerable distance till the planet was totally scanned. The Frigate then headed towards the planet and started to assume a standard orbit over the planet.


On The Bridge…….


The Frigate Commander of the vessel Yelock Rastlo was sitting in his command chair looking at the planet on screen. This world would be perfect for colonization. It had a perfect atmosphere and a moon that could easily be Voloiaformed into a perfect star command base for the Hegemon's Star Command.

The Second Commander Orain Draka looked at the scanned planet information and told the Commander about the planet's life form static's, "Commander, the planet is occupied by sentient life forms. They seem to be in very primitive state. They do not even posses nuclear energy!"

The Frigate Commander Yelock thought about Orain's comment about sentient life on the planet. The Commander after a few seconds of deliberation said to his subordinate, "Notify the Hegemonic Star Command and tell them the planet we have found needs to be cleansed of alien life."

The Second Commander sighed and said, "Yes sir, we have opened a direct channel to the Hegemonic Star Command."


The Frigate Commander replied in his most humble force, "This is Frigate Commander Yelock Rastlo of the Hegemonic Frigate Corlantor. We ask that a small taskforce be sent to cleanse this world we have found of possible sentient alien life. As dictated from the Grand Interstellar Hegemony's first command!"

OOC: Is this an open thread? (And what bit of the universe are you in, near Earth? Way out in some exotic galaxy?)

OOC: It is open, It is out in another Galaxy. I would have preferred to make it in the Milky-way but ever since maps came out there is no room for my nation...

The sleek, matte-black hull of the Ominous Hum was completely invisible against the inky blackness of space. Optimised for a stealthy approach, every last scrap of radiation that could be stopped from escaping had been. The powerful sensor arrays lay dormant, as their powerful emissions would have likely alerted any observers. The double-walled cavity hull had been flooded with coolant to mask any infrared emissions, although as almost all systems had been shut down and the reactor was running at low power, its infrared signature would be negligable anyway. Rather than sprinting towards its destination it simply allowed itself to drift gently with the remaining momentum from its entry to the system. No observer would notice it until it was good and ready.

The Light Combatant Vessel Ominous Hum had been sent to the as yet un-named system after an unobtrusive sweep by an unmanned probe revealed relatively primitive yet sentient organic life inhabiting the fourth planet from its sun, a small main-sequence star judged to be around a third of the way through its lifetime. Although the probe had been sufficient to discover the life forms, its communicators could find no compatible reception equipment planetside and so a less sophisticated alternative had to be found.

That alternative had been the staple of British democracy through its Imperial years, although as part of a less violent plan: send a gunboat. Or rather a frigate. The Ominous Hum shipmind had been suffering from interminable boredom recently and was beginning to play rather dangerous games of railgun billiards in the asteroid field around Augustus, and so it had been chosen to investigate the world and bring civilisation to the barbaric natives, partly as a humane act to give it something to do, and partly to stop it from killing anyone. And although carrying a delegation; a human delegation, to add insult to injury; to this uncharted backwater had sounded about as fun as terminal cancer (or its Shipmind equivalent), its failsafes had kicked in and so, until its mission was completed, this godlike being was Fleet Command's bitch.

Still, interesting could be found in the most unexpected of places, and this was apparently one of them. The presence of a foreign fleet, apparently armed to the teeth, certainly counted as interesting. Although the ship would not intervene violently unless they gave it a reason to, it studied all information picked up on passive sensors carefully, corrolating each last piece of data, looking for anything that would help it in case of a battle.

Meanwhile, the rear hatch of the ship opened, releasing twenty far smaller yet just as stealthy probes, each one massing only around three tonnes. They used reactionless drives to spread out around their mothership, guided by splinters of the Shipmind towards their objectives. Finally, with gaps measured in hundreds of kilometres between them and the Ominous Hum, they stopped. Five of the probes immediately began broadcasting on multiple wavelengths, mimicing an active scanner array at high power, and appearing from their emissions profiles to be gunboat sized at least. One of the five also sent out a message, using a tightbeam microwave to focus on the detected vessel.


To: Unknown Vessel
From: LCV Ominous Hum
Re: Closed System

This system is under the protection of Shipmind Ominous Hum, acting under undisclosed authorisation. As such, your entry to this system is defined as hostile breach of territorial rights. Failure to terminate current course of action and return to system of origin will result in measures being taken to secure said system at expense of your hull integrity. Go play elsewhere.


Belligerent, with just a splash of arrogant dismissal, it was perfect. The Shipmind chuckled mentally, knowing that even if the intruders locked in on the broadcast, they would only be shooting at an expendable probe. And thats when the real fun would start.

OOC: You don't have to be on a map. There's plenty of room in the Milky Way that's not taken, and people who claim it can't possibly enforce such volumes of space. I for one am on no map, but in the Milky Way.

In other news, Tag. I'm sure I'll enjoy.

OOC: That's fine. This is FT, anyway. Suspension of disbelief is part of the package. BTW, do y'all use fighters? Because strictly speaking, they're useless in space. But lots of people like them anyway, and if so we can go with.

Gurguvii 3rd Fleet

The Third Fleet was the smallest fleet in the Interstellar Republic. It was filled with old ships, entirely outclassed by the New Class designs that had permeated the Gurguvii Navy of late. Republic, Imperial and Nebula class Star Destroyers, purchased decades ago from foreign governments coasted through space next to the indigenously built Shark class Protected Cruisers and Andiamo Battleships.

The fleet was scheduled for replacement in the next shipbuilding cycle, three months from now. Until then, it was tasked with expanding the borders of the Interstellar Republic into the unknown recesses of the core. The area had already been claimed by the government in legislative cycle CIVII, but the space itself had yet to be investigated.

The fleet's commander was a man by the name of Daton Kallandor, Rear Admiral of the Orange. He was an older man, one of the ones who had grown up in the fleet serving aboard the ships that he commanded. Resultingly, he had no interest in outlasting them in the service. When the Third put in for the last time in its current form, he'd be put out to pasture.

But for now, there was a small planet to explore. It was in the next system, and a pair of Wendselybury class exploratory junks leapt into hyperspace. It was standing doctrine for Gurguvii commanders to explore a system before committing the entire fleet, in the hopes that the junks would report any dangerous anomalies when they returned.

Exporatory Junk EJ-021

The commanding officer of the Junk, Quin Walmington, was a twenty one year old Lieutenant. It was his first command, and he liked the small and grungy ship. He'd seen images of the replacement ones, even been inside a prototype. The new ships were nicer in every way, but they lacked the romantic feel of one of the older types.

The EJ-021 shuddered when she exited hyperspace, and the confusion that filled the viewport resolved itself into a beautiful vista. A planet, habitable by its looks, hung in space. Behind it was a sparkling nebula and beyond was the black of space, filled with stars that gradually accumulated into a tiny ball of light near the deep core.

And a fleet of starships, dark and ominous. They too hung in space, a dark and martial glory. Not terribly pleasant looking, but rather threatening in the size and composition of the fleet. As was fairly common in the Andromeda Galaxy, the fleet looked unfamiliar. As well, there was another ship. Small, but not without guns, the black vessel cruised through space with its gunports open.

"Sir," the comm officer said. "We have a transmission from the other vessel, directed at all ships in the area. Playing now."

[Insert that bit by Taldaan, which you hardly need to read again]

Lieutenant Walmington frowned, and slapped the comm button at his station.

"This is Lieutenant Walmington of the Gurguvii defense force. This planet is claimed by the Interstellar Republic. It is not open to colonization, annexation, or... anything else. I'd advise you to leave now, and never come back." After closing the channel, he somehow felt that he might have handled that better.

a 12 star destroyer patrol depped out of transwarp
tatical whats out thier a few unknowns said the tatical offcier
the capatian said order the entire patrol group to red alert arm weapons raise shields and hed to the nearest unknowen

((Hello, Seph.))

Exploratory Junk EJ-021

"Incoming Star Destroyers," the guy at sensors said shrilly. "I count twelve, repeat one-two vessels." Lieutenant Walmington winced. Proper combat doctrine suggested that he signal the fleet and bring in the wrath of God on all of them. But he didn't especially want to add more fuel to an already unstable fire. Nobody wanted a war, especially not a three way one. He essentially had three options.

1- Signal the fleet and let Admiral Kallandor deal with it. He was the senior officer, and the most experienced man in the fleet. He'd hopefully find a peaceful way of explaining to everyone that this was Gurguvii space.

2- Signal the fleet and inform them that they should move on. It'd be the safest way to handle things, and Admiral Kallandor would respect his reccomendation. Nobody needed to die. On the other hand, it would mean having the Interstellar Republic, a huge and powerful nation, bow in the face of smaller, heretofor unheard of ones.

3- Three starts off the same as one, but assumes that Admiral Kallandor can't mediate the situation peacefully. Then, there'd be a three, or perhaps four way conflict between nations over a tiny backwater planet. And it would be his fault.

He sat back in his chair, staring at a patch of rust that had been allowed to remain. The ship was being decomissioned in a month or so anyway, right? He looked around. The bridge was cramped, staffed by men and women half in and half out of uniform. It was the general state of things aboard vessels of the Third these days, nobody seemed to care how things looked. Everything functioned as well as can be expected for a half-century old fleet, but appearances had been allowed to slide. The crewmen were less professional, although still well trained enough. Referring to their officers by name was not uncommon these days. The old hands said it used to be different; Walmington wouldn't know.

He'd contact the fleet. That was the only responsible thing to do. And he'd leave it up to his superiors to decide a course of action. That was their job, right?

Third Fleet, Andiamo class Battleship Naglfar

"Admiral, incoming transmission from Quin's exploration junk," the comm officer said. He was a good guy, the comm officer. Name of Francis Drummond.

"Put it through, Francis." The audio message squealed and sparked its way through the speakers, but it was perfectly audible.

"Admiral Kallandor, this is EJ-021. We have encountered two fleets and one vessel. The only one we're able to identify belongs to the Empire of Sephrioth. It's a group of twelve Imperator I Star Destroyers. Nothing that the fleet can't handle. Then we have a fleet of unknowns, somewhat larger. And lastly, an plucky little frigate that claims to represent someone and is telling us all to go away."

Kallandor sighed. It wasn't the first time that ships of the Gurguvii commonwealth had run into the Imperium of Sephrioth. The last time had been a scout ship for the colony of Belleisle, and it had been mostly inconclusive. Then, the Imperium had been reasonable. Now, there was no way to tell. They were typically short and to the point with their messages; but it sometimes gave those in the Gurguvii fleet some concern that the point was being misread.

Not only that, but the fleet was broken into detachments. He commanded the largest one, but the others were out there exploring and subduing territory on their own; the fleet couldn't be brought together easily or with any speed, either.

"Alright, fine. Fire up the engines, set a course for the disputed world. Signal the fleet to begin jump. And send datapackets to the detached squadrons, order them to detail all available forces to the disputed world." The Naglfar's engines whined as they processed the titanic energy required to move from place to place at multiples of lightspeed.

And then, they were gone.

And when they emerged, the sensor boards began to scream blue murder.

"Admiral! Imperium vessels have raised shields and powered weapons. They're vectoring... making for the EJ-021!" Kallandor blinked. That was fast. If the Imperium wanted to make a fight out of it, though, he'd let them. The Third, even in pieces, would rip them to shreds.

"Sound General Quarters throughout the fleet. I want three groups, one to protect the scouts, one to guard the planet and one to follow the Naglfar. Have half the lighter ships guard the scouts, break the heavies into two groups. One half to me, the other, plus half the lighter craft, to the planet. And set a course for the Imperium fleet, full envelopment formation."

The fleet began to separate, each column moving to its assigned tasks. Following the Naglfar was exactly half of the heavy elements of the fleet, which promptly split into eight groups of two that vectored so that they surrounded the column of Imperium destroyers. Three groups went above, two to each side and three below. As they drew within weapons range, Admiral Kallandor fired off a message to the lead Imperium ship.

"Imperium vessel, you have targetted a warship of the Gurguvii Third Fleet. Be advised, further hostile activity will be construed as an act of war, and will result in your destruction. Stand down or face immediate consequences."

coms to Gurguvii Third Fleet this is the kitir comander of the hope of the empire this is just a shake down of space near the empire if we had locked on thier would be a sub fleet not a patrol group in the aera

OOC: Incoming Hobbeebian Vessels:

Defense Class Explorationary Ship - Normal model http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/hobbeeb/unnamed_star_cruiser.jpg
-x5

Attack Class Explorationary Ship - Normal Model
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/hobbeeb/TyrantMissileCruiser.jpg
- x10

Sniper/Boarder Class Explorationary Ship - Normal Model- Unmanned
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/hobbeeb/untitled.jpg
-x20


The Exploration Fleet has had some rough times. Many times they just run into problems. And this time was no different. Who knows what waited for them as the drifted.....

the sephrioth patrol group picked up the persence of hobbian vessels


ooc geton messenger and cw

The Voloian Frigate did not respond to the hailing of any of the foreign vessels. It just waited for the task force to arrive in the system. Once the alien fleet arrived however the Frigate raised shields and powered up its weapon systems. The Particle Beam Cannons were set to target the incoming ships. The Plasma torpedoes were also being charged and targeted to the enemy signatures. The Frigate still held its position but did not move or attempt to respond.

The distortion anomalies did however suddenly increase as twenty five more wormholes of various sizes suddenly appeared and out came out twenty five warships meant to be the task force to cleanse this system of alien life.

The Hegemonic Frigate finally sent an all hail transmission to all involved party's:

Official Hegemonic Transmission:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/VoloiaFlag.jpg


This Star System is claimed by The Grand Interstellar Hegemony. We of the Hegemonic Star Command are here to follow the supreme orders of our Grand Hegemon who has given us the difficult task of expanding the Voloian civilization and cleansing it of alien sentience. If you non Voloians do not leave this system we will be forced to cleanse you along with the inhabitants of this planet as the First Command dictates!


The Hegemonic Task Force then powered up their combined weaponry and raised their energy shields. The twenty-five vessels headed towards the planet with a deadly arsenal ready to distribute death to any non-Voloian stupid enough not to leave after this straightforward warning…



OOC: Fleet status:

1 Frigate originally exploring and in orbit of planet..

Task Force:
1 Dreadnought (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicDreadnought.jpg)
5 Destroyers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicDestroyer.jpg)
5 Cruisers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicMediumCruisers.jpg)
4 Frigates (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicFrigate.jpg)
3 Heavy Cruisers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicHeavyCruiser.jpg)
2 Light Cruisers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicLightcruiser.jpg)

ooc not a good idea firing up on my patrol group

OOC: I know that but the Voloians do not. The way they see it your sephrioth patrol is out numbered and most likely out gunned by the task force plus the fact. The Voloians are extermely Xenophoblic does not give them much room for diplomacy with other nations/races..

ooc i have a combat tallon on stand by 50 ships
ic coms to volian vesel if you wish to fight us fire but i gannernete the cloaked comabt tallon that is one short warp jump away would come in

The H.S.V. Corlantor responded to the Sephrioth's message of retaliation.


Official Hegemonic Transmission:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/VoloiaFlag.jpg



We are giving you a chance to leave here without being exterminated. If you were smart you would leave this system and realize this star system is now under the united command of the Grand Interstellar Hegemony. Even if you brought another force into the system this taskforce would just call for the assistance of the other three taskforces making up the entire 1st Hegemonic fleet. I suggest you fall back to your system of origin and tell your leaders to keep out of Voloian space if you know what is good for you.

The Frigate then fired a warning shot with one of its Particle Beam Cannons. The energy weapon just barely missed the leading Sephrioth Star Destroyer. It was clear warning of the Hegemony's First Command.


The advancing taskforce assumed a wedge formation with the Frigates and Destroyers taking the outer part of the formation and the Cruisers and the Dreadnought forming the inner part of the formation. It was obvious to any observer the smaller vessels were acting as a defense wall for the larger and obviously stronger ships that had already started targeting the various aliens vessels in this star system…

((OOC: I was kind of under the impression that your fleet was already here, apologies. I don't so much need to make any changes, right?))

Third Fleet, Battleship Naglfar



"Commander of the Imperium Vessels. Your actions do not correspond to your words. You have powered weapons and vectored towards a Gurguvii military vessel. Unless you divert within the next minute, we will open fire," Admiral Kallandor snapped into the comm.

"Incoming transmission from the unidentified fleet, sir. Audio only, I'm piping it through." The speakers crackled again, before bearing an unfamiliar and peculiarly accented voice.



Kallandor frowned. The escort screen that surrounded the EJ-021 could hold off the Imperium fleet for a short time, whereas the vessels guarding the planet were not quite evenly matched against the Intersteller Hegemony ships.

"Order the ships screening the planet to hold position. Someone, signal Karasitha ((Gurguvii homeworld/Fleet CENTCOM)) and inform them that we have a military situation. Reccomend that the First Fleet divert from patrol duties to this sector. And then, turn this fleet around. Get me in orbit of the planet, as well as a link to the Hegemony flagship." A chorus of 'aye, sirs' greeted his orders as the eighteen heavies did a cumbersome about face beside the Imperium vessels.

"Maximum speed to the planet." Kallandor punched the communications device.
"[i]This is Admiral Daton Kallandor of the Gurguvii Third Fleet. You have entered Gurguvii space and are engaging in what could be construed as an act of war. If you do not retreat immediately, you will be destroyed. If you attempt to attack vessels or planets of the Interstellar Republic of Gurguvungunit, we will defend ourselves with extreme prejudice."

Third Fleet, Mediator Heavy Cruiser Seraphim

Commodore Harman Shae found himself unexpectedly in the middle of a fight. He'd been told by Kallandor's transmission to approach with all convenient speed, and he had. His small battlegroup dropped out of hyperspace just aft of the Hegemony fleet, and recieved a databurst from the Naglfar an instant later. Arrayed behind him were a pair of Rejuvenator Star Destroyers, three Victory I Star Destroyers and seven Belarus strike cruisers.

"Woah, enemy fleet off to starboard. Orders are to sound General Quarters and prepare to engage." The sirens began shrieking on the Seraphim's bridge, and off duty crewmembers throughout the ship scurried to their positions.

Gurguvii Order-of-Battle
Third Fleet:
1 Mediator Heavy Cruiser
12 Andiamo Battleships
10 Nebula Star Destroyers
10 Imperator II Star Destroyers
5 Rejuvenator Star Destroyers
11 Republic Star Destroyers
6 Shark Protected Cruisers
20 Belarus Strike Cruisers
3 Endurance Fleet Carriers (but only if 'yall play with Fighters. I usually don't but some like them.)
8 Victory I Star Destroyers
1 Tyrolean Battlewagon

Note: Not all vessels are insystem yet. I have insystem

1 Mediator Heavy Cruiser
9 Andiamo Battleships
6 Nebula Star Destroyers
10 Imperator II Star Destroyers
11 Republic Star Destroyers
6 Shark Protected Cruisers
16 Belarus Cruisers
3 Victory I Star Destroyers
2 Rejuvenator Star Destroyers
(1 Endurance Fleet Carrier?)


((Really, Voloia, unless you want a long war with two very large fleets, I'd suggest you leave. If you do want a war, cool! Gurguvungunit needs to be more active anyway. And Seph, were you going after... my ships, or Voloia's?))

((Mmm... you posted while I was posting. The firing changes much. Imagine that my post came before yours, can you? If not, I can edit.))

"Hegemony ships have opened fire on Sephrioth vessels, sir!" Admiral Kallandor set his jaw.

"Fire a warning barrage between the two fleets. Inform them in no uncertain terms that no more offensive action will be tolerated. If either power does not comply, inform them that they will be at war with the Interstellar Republic." He sat down in the command chair, feeling the old leather creak. It wouldn't be the Naglfar's first battle, but it might be the last. A blaze of glory, as it were, for the Third Fleet. Even so, war was serious business.

"Inform Gurguvii High Command that the situation is escalating, and weapons have been discharged between third parties. Tell them to move the First here at flank speed."

Outside the metal skin of the Naglfar, the thirty-six capital ships of the Gurguvii Fleet fired a single turbolaser blast each. The shots cut through space between the Hegemony vessels and the Imperium's fleet. The beams, as befitted a fleet as heterogenous as the Third, were a range of colours including red, green and gold.

OOC: Last post for tonight…

1. I do not think you need to make changes to your prior posts.

2. I do not mind getting into a war with two major powers. I will most likely get creamed but what the heck. I need to establish some Rp creditability.

3. I can imagine your post being before mine.

4. I will write an IC response tomorrow after work. I need to get some sleep have to get up early for work.

OOC: Very cool. I don't want to destroy you, but I also want my space (I need it, my population just broke 5 billion). So, this might end up being a smash and fortify sort of war, rather than a psychotic attack and buerrnnnn kind of war. And I actually don't know what Seph'll do, he/she...?'s kind of a wildcard as far as these things go in my (limited) experience. Have a nice night/morning/day.

Ominous Hum was somewhat taken aback by the Gurguvii forces picking up a tightbeam transmission focused on the Hegemonic ship, and even more so by the fact that it had apparently been spotted. The ability of their ships to not only pluck a broadcast out of the void despite it being a tightbeam transmission that hadn't been focused anywhere near them, and then to successfully pick out its almost non-existant radiation cross-section despite the jamming and the distracting presence of emissions drones went against every previous encounter in its long history. The retort had been equally hostile, and now its decision to lock horns with the Hegemonic frigate had every possibility of evolving into a clash with a fleet that outnumbered it more than fifty to one. Time to send for backup, perhaps.


FTL Channel comm538 opened...
From: LCV Ominous Hum
To: HCV Chainsaw Sculptor
Re: Reinforcements? Please?

Remember I told you yesterday that fleet command had me shipping a meat cargo to some extraterritorial shithole [attached file: system co-ordinates], and that I'd be back in a few days? Well, I ran into a spot of bother out here, and I'd like to call in that favour you owe me. I'm currently facing down a hostile fleet all on my lonesome, and I'd appreciate some help. Feel free to bring a few friends along.

Incidentally, you haven't seen LCV Spiritual Warfare anywhere, have you? He said he'd be back at Vasco da Gama in two weeks, and that was over a month ago. I can't pick him up on FTL channels either. Have you heard anything?


The reply was quick, although that was to be expected with FTL communications.


From: HCV Chainsaw Sculptor
To: LCV Ominous Hum
Re: Nothing better to do...

Yeah, why not? I'll see who else wants to come along for the ride. I'll see you soon. Just don't get yourself killed before we get to you.

As for Spiritual Warfare, no-one really knows where he went. We searched the entire system, and Rational Gaze and Protean Thought went off looking for him, but they haven't reported back yet. Still, I doubt he could have got far.


With the message sent, Ominous Hum powered up the reactionless drives and slid further into the system, slightly towards the battle. The drones followed, flanking the larger ship, ready for their main programming to be activated.

ooc voilas and im male
ic the captain said a i want that combat tallon here of 2 seconds ago aye sir cooming them

IC:

The H.S.V. Disintegrator, The massive Dreadnought in the rear of the firing formation received the Gurguvii's message and sent a final reply to the rather large force in the area that seemed to be the most powerful threat to the Hegemony's expansion/extermination effort.

Official Hegemonic Transmission:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...VoloiaFlag.jpg



It is the Hegemonic Star Command's sworn duty to protect Voloian life and expand the Hegemony. If some aliens have to be exterminated to ensure our races survival. I will gladly perform my duty and disintegrate them from existence. This system has been claimed by the Grand Interstellar Hegemony, We shall cleanse the planet and colonize it for the good of our people. If you leave now we shall not harm you or your comrades but this offer of amnesty will not last long. I suggest you take it if not for your life but the lives of your friends and comrades aboard your fleet.

The Voloian vessels halt to avoid the fire from the Gurguvii ships. The Gurguvii ships had also been targeted by the ship's weapons systems. The wedge formation may have been focused on the Sephrioth ships but the deadly wedge sides were also focused on the other two forces in the area. It seemed obvious to all that the Hegemony was here to stay unless someone removed them from the field.

The Dreadnought in the rear used a transporter beam to send something out into space behind the formation. The object was round and was sending an interstellar signal outside of the system. If one were to scan it they would realize the signal was always repeating itself over and over. It would seem to the observant mind the Voloians were calling for back up…


OOC:

OOC: Very cool. I don't want to destroy you, but I also want my space (I need it, my population just broke 5 billion). So, this might end up being a smash and fortify sort of war, rather than a psychotic attack and buerrnnnn kind of war. And I actually don't know what Seph'll do, he/she...?'s kind of a wildcard as far as these things go in my (limited) experience. Have a nice night/morning/day.

The Hegemony is trying to ensure Voloian survival by expanding their territorial control of other star systems. This place is important to them considering they just made over 1 billion Voloians and need a place for their growing population to live. I must warn you however if you do take the system. The Voloians will send cloaked raids in this system with the hope of disrupting trade and possibly getting into a position to attack your settlements on the planet. The Voloians happened to be a tad territorial and since their xenophobic they have a tendency to show little mercy to a race they consider an enemy.

coms to volian vessels you are outnumbered and outgunned surrender now our be destroyed for the glory of the empire.

((OOC: As for detecting the Ominous Hum. Uh, oops? That's proof that I shouldn't start wars past midnight. Although it seems odd that you'd communicate to someone that you don't know well with tightbeam, since I'd imagine that it at least lets them know where you are.))

"Imperium vessels, you are directed to leave the system immediately. The presence of non-treaty aligned warships in Gurguvii space will not be tolerated. We wish no harm on you, but require your fleets to leave the area with all convenient speed." Kallandor was tired, this whole war business was starting to get to him.

"Sir, Hegemony dreadnaught has launched a probe of some kind. It's transmitting a locator beacon-- probably a call for reinforcements. And their flank vessels have targetted us." The bridge crew sounded professional again, although they had mostly abandoned military uniforms.

"Order the Seraphim to destroy it," Kallandor replied. He watched through the viewport as red bolts lanced out from the big cruiser.

Gurguvii Fleet Command, Karasitha

Lord Admiral Randall Yanover stood in the huge, circular situation room that showed the disposition of all Gurguvii fleets in existence. The room was a ring of holographic projections, showing the First, Second, Third and Home fleets in their entirety. The Third was well out of the usual sphere of operations, apparently confronted by enemy forces sufficient in number to worry Rear Admiral Kallandor. The man was dependable and steady; if he was worried then there was good reason to be.

The Second Fleet was engaged in patrol and escort duties along the borders, while the Fourth was guarding the Gauntlet, a passage through the strange nebulae that surrounded the Gurguvii homeworld. The Home Fleet was the nearest, staying in geosynchoronous orbit around Karasitha.

The First fleet had been redirected an hour ago, and was in transit. A dotted green line showed their progress. ETA was twenty hours.

non enemy forces of Gurguvungunit thes up starts fired up on us we will retalite dare u stand with them or against them

ooc: Gurguvungunit: thats OK, I too have suffered the effects of RPing after midnight. ;)
Anyway, it was one of my deliciously expendable probes broadcasting. I don't particularly care if the probes die, so they get tightbeam duty.


The Taldaani reinforcements, led by HCV Chainsaw Sculptor, slid neatly through the ring of debris at the edge of the system and entered the system at full combat readiness. Unlike the Ominous Hum they entered with very little regard for stealth, instead relying on surprise to achieve their aims. Entering at cruise speed, they descended on the battleground at a frightening rate.

Chainsaw Sculptor, using active sensors to gain a complete picture of the battlefield, immediately took account of the situation. Ominous Hum was alone, although apparently unengaged, and some way from the combat zone. The three fleets, on the other hand...

Filtering through every last piece of information, the Shipmind made a split-second decision. Of course, a split second decision for a Shipmind was, in organic terms, a decision debated for millenia, discussed and argued over constantly, opened to the public on numerous occasions, observed from every possible angle with an electron microscope, put through every simulation that the supercomputers could run, and only then acted on.

The Gurguvii, although belligerent, had apparently disregarded Ominous Hum as a threat and had instead focused on the Voloians. Although exact inter-fleet relations were unknown, formations of all fleets suggested that they were at least on neutral terms with Sephrioth. Not only that, but the fleet would be a daunting prospect to attack. The fleet, although hardly uniform, seemed competent.

Sephrioth too had a large fleet, outnumbering the Taldaani Shipminds, although the HCVs were likely more than a match for the Star Destroyers. The complete lack of escorts made them a tempting target, but being outnumbered by them would cause some problems.

Voloia on the other hand was far closer to the size of the Taldaani fleet, and having fired on the others they would find no friends among the Sephrians or the Gurguvii. The icing on the proverbial cake was that, should the Shipminds obliterate the Voloians, the sheer overwhelming display of power would gain them respect among the other fleets, which could later be capitalised on.

The Taldaani fleet closed in on the Voloian reinforcements. At one hundred thousand kilometres range, without warning or parley, their weapons bays opened and disgorged a swarm of relativistic kill vehicles. Six hundred kinetic penetrators lanced out towards the Voloian fleet at 0.35c, each one ready to strike hard enough to cause a fusion reaction with any ship that it struck, obliterating both RKV and ship in a catastrophic impact. As cfractional chunks of incredibly dense metal, point defence guns would have almost no effect on them. Unless a miracle occured, the Voloians would be utterly shattered by a single barrage.

the tallon formed up with we patrol group lets give 'em a show arm phasers

Third Fleet, Battleship Naglfar

"Incoming vessels, unknown type. They appear similar to the unknown vessel. They're accelerating towards the Hegemony vessels and are firing weapons!" Kallandor raised his eyebrows with alarm. Most fleets usually warned people first.

"Weapons, designate unknown vessels as a secondary target. Open communications with them." The comm officer gave him the thumbs up, fleetwide signal for 'channel open'.

"Unknown vessels, you have entered Gurguvii space. Be advised that your presence here is highly irregular, and your actions not permitted by the Interstellar Republic. Further, be it known that combat between third parties is not permitted. If you have a dispute with the Hegemony vessels, take it elsewhere. Aggression against Gurguvii ships will be considered an act of war."

Tyrolean Battlewagon Ragnarok

Group Captain Gregor Delenkov was a small, rotund man with a slightly purple face. He didn't inspire confidence, nor did he deserve it. He was a capable commander, an inadequate large fleet leader and prone to fits of rage. But he did know how to work the system, and had steadily risen through the ranks of the Fleet where another like him would have remained a galley cook. It was the misfortune of the fleet that he now commanded its largest ship, equipped with enough firepower to convert from solid matter to dust a small planetoid unaided if given enough time.

The Ragnarok, three Andiamo Battleships, four Nebula destroyers, three Rejuvenator destroyers, and five Victory destroyers arrived insystem between the vessels of the Imperim and the Taldaani. Delenkov had been informed that the fleet was facing possible combat between several armed parties, and upon arriving recieved the Imperium's transmission as well as watching the Taldaani vessels fire weapons.

Because of the relative vectors of the fleet, from the bridge of the Ragnarok it appeared that the Imperium and the Taldaani were operating in concert, and that the Taldaani weapons had been discharged towards the Third Fleet in orbit of the planet.

Delenkov, who was certainly a man of action if nothing else, fired first and scanned later. He issued orders to the small fleet that accompanied him to fire on both the Imperium vessels and the Taldaani, before doing so himself.

"Lock larboard broadside on the lead unknown vessel, and starboard broadside on the lead Imperium vessel. Fire when ready." The bridge crew stared at him, surprised at the suddenness of his action.

"Fire, goddamn your eyes! Fire or I shall see you all flogged at the stake for insubordination!" No matter that flogging wasn't an accepted disciplinary action in the fleet, the bridge crew leapt to their duties with alacrity.

From the exterior of the ship, it would be like watching a solar flare directed at two points. The sheer volume of fire made it impossible to see through, as the massive Tyrolean battlewagon opened fire. Behind it, the rest of Delenkov's task force did the same. Coherent light poured from the turbolaser and pulse cannon emplacements on the big ships. Although both the capabilities and durability of the Taldaani vessels were unknown, the Imperium vessels would not long survive unless the Gurguvii ships were forced to redirect their fire.

OOC: Getting the ball rolling for Gurguvungunit here...

OOC: Taldaan: I am not sure if my shielding can withstand the effects your weapons. If not please let me know what exactly your weapons can do. So I can edit and make a more accurate response.

IC:

On the bridge The H.S.V. Disintegrator:


Taskforce Commander Trolas Morka looked at the view screen and noticed the sudden incoming attack from the stealthy Taldaani fleet. The Taldaani had unleashed a barrage of small incoming space probes that had begun to smashing into the energy shields and dealing great amounts of damage to the ships in the outer edge of the formation drastically lowering their defensive capabilities.

The young female Voloian Commander was highly trained and had run many simulated stealth raids. This was her first cleansing and she had to prove herself here and now or die. She ordered the wedge formation to hold its position and return fire upon the Taldaani Ships. The Voloian weapons systems were already online and completely charged for a fight on this scale.

She then ordered the middle of the wedge to fire at the Sephrioth vessels giving the Gurguvii some breathing space she ordered the squadron forming the right of the wedge to lock on the rest of the Sephrioth vessels to help increase fire support against them. It seemed the Gurguvii were a temporary friend for now..

The effects of the Battle….


The Taldaani Ships had managed to pull a fast one on the Hegemonic forces. The RKV's were coming at the frigates and Destroyers that formed the outer part of the formation. They smashed and made a fusion reaction against the shields severely damaging the shields and in some areas melting the ships armor plating used to protect the hulls.

The Point Defense Lasers were absolutely useless against the incoming craft and many of them managed to get through increasing the damage to the hull integrity of many of the Frigates and the Destroyers.

The Wedge fired upon the Taldaani ships unleashing a counter barrage at their ships trying to achieve excessive destruction against them. The Frigates locked on with their Particle Beam Cannons and unleashed twenty white beams (5 each) of pure particle energy meant to destroy everything in its path. The Destroyers unleashed another barrage of Particle Beam Energy upon the Taldaani. Their firepower was more considerably however packing fifty particle beams (10 each) that headed towards the enemy in a counter barrage. Some of them even managed to fire off their plasma torpedoes. (10 total torpedoes) These hulking balls of pure plasmatic energy hurled from their torpedo bays towards the Taldaani ships with the intent of utter destruction….

The Sephrioth Front:


The Sephrioth vessels were almost instantly being fired upon the Heavy Cruisers, and medium class Cruisers of the Wedge formation. The Cruisers kept their fire continuous and mobile within their formation. This made them harder targets to hit but also reduced the efficiency of their own attacks. It seemed foolish to fight this way but it was really cover fire for an insidious plan about to be unleashed upon the Sephrioth Star Destroyers.

The two Light Cruisers lowered their energy shields and raised their cloak fields. The Light Cruiser seemed to spontaneously disappear from visible space and even their energy signatures disappeared from most ship sensors. They then moved out of formation and made a erratic maneuver towards the Sephrioth ships the goal to plant several cloaked transporter mines near the Sephrioth Talons location. The confusion those mines would give the Voloian task force a chance to out maneuver there larger enemy before they had a chance to overwhelm the now outnumbered Hegemonic Taskforce.

The massive Hegemonic Dreadnought started to unleash it's considerably standard arsenal in an offensive strike on the Taldaani front. The Particle Beams 25 out 35 of them headed towards the Taldanni ships with the intent of pushing them away with its sheer firepower. The only hope the Voloians had is if the Taldaani could be moved or destroyed to give the hegemonic vessels a chance to escape or reinforce themselves.

The Frigate in orbit of the planet watched the fighting and started to fire upon the Sephrioth vessels unleashing more particle energy against their shielding and giving the Light Cruisers more cover fire…


The signal device had been destroyed but not before sending several repeating waves out into the cosmos. It would just be a matter of time before the rest of the 1st Hegemonic Red Fleet came here and destroyed everyone one here...

Third Fleet, Battleship Naglfar

"He did WHAT?" It wasn't often that Admiral Kallandor shouted. Sure, he barked the occasional order under fire, but this time he was standing, red faced, yelling in the middle of the bridge. Spittle flew from his mouth.

"That's right sir," Lieutenant Stavetti said mournfully. She manned sensors, and usually had the attention of unattached males on the bridge during low stress duty. As it was, most of them were glued to the main screen as they watched Group Captain Delenkov's massive blunder take shape.

"I want to speak with that man," Admiral Kallandor said stiffly. Lieutenant Drummond made it happen with the somewhat hackneyed phrase,

"Channel open, sir."

"Captain Delenkov, discontinue combat operations immediately, and explain yourself!" Delenkov's voice filtered in through the comm, sounding miffed.

"I have opened fire on hostile vessels threatening the fleet, sir! Our allies seem to be helping me, whoever they are." Kallandor raised his eyebrows at the last. "Sir, if I may, our ships have inflicted some damage on both sides. If I may be allowed to continue, I expect a rapid victory in this area of space."

"That's the problem, Captain. We don't want a victory there. Indeed, we don't want a fight. What we actually want is to see the ships that you called allies blasted out of the sky, since they've been spouting some kind of garbage about cleansing the sector of aliens!" There was silence from the comm. "You have been relieved of command, your second will replace you. Second in command, you will make a fighting retreat towards the Seraphim, whereupon you will join Commodore Shae's command." He killed the transmission.

"Now, get me a line to both the Imperium vessels and the unknown ships." Drummond tweaked his controls again, and flashed the thumbs up.

"Imperium and unknown vessels, this is Admiral Kallandor of the Third Fleet. The elements of my fleet that just attacked you were operating without orders. The group's commander has been ordered to discontinue combat in the area, and has been relieved of command pending a court marshal. We regret the damage and loss of lives that has been conferred upon you by the commander responsible."

ooc: Voloia, you wanted to know what RKVs do? They're kinetic energy weapons in much the same way as the LOSAT missile, only on a much larger scale. Each one is a long rod of incredibly dense metal with a powerful subluminal drive fitted to the back. A five-tonne RKV strikes with a kinetic energy of just over 27524 petajoules in a diameter of one metre (if my maths is off, feel free to correct me, but I'm fairly sure of this). For comparison, thats around twice the entire energy production of the United States in 2001.


A Taldaani ship, being controlled by a Shipmind and having no crew at all, has no need for such frivolous things as mess halls or cabins. Apart from weapons bays and the occasional maintenance tunnel (or nanite capillary on the more advanced ships), the ship is essentially solid state. With the exception of LCVs, which are designed as light transports as well as skirmishers, Taldaani war vessels are a few core systems wrapped in an enormous chunk of ablative armour with weapons and sensors emplacements.

Of course, that isn't to say that they are invulnerable. The unexpected barrage from the Warwagon smashed against Chainsaw Sculptor's armour and made huge gouges in the eight hundred metre ship's starboard side, obliterating railgun emplacements, point defence lasers, and sensor arrays with equal abandon. The Shipmind first had to redirect the magnetic field drive to stop it from spinning out of control, and then snapped off a quick message to the offending ship.


New FTL Channel opened...
To: Warwagon Ragnarok
From: HCV Chainsaw Sculptor
Re: A little frisky, huh?

What are you doing? We're firing on the Voloians, not you, you trigger-hapy piece of shit. If you so much as breathe near me again I'll forceably expel you from this mortal coil!


And seconds later, the Voloian counterbarrage hit home. Chainsaw Sculptor, having fallen behind while recalibrating thrust ratios, had barely escaped the impact of particle beam and plasma torpedo. The torpedoes were easily dealt with, point defence lasers detonating them almost as soon as they left the launchers. The particle beams were more of a problem. Although the effects were dampened a little by the range, the attack was still sufficient to reduce the unfortunate MCV Jolly Roger to floating wreckage, as well as inflict damage on the rest of the fleet.


<HCV Whirling Blades of Doom> Did you see that? They killed Jolly Roger! Those sons of bitches!
<MCV Porcupine> He kept mind backups; he'll be back in a month or two. Still, looks like they have teeth.


A second equally-sized barrage of RKVs was launched at the Voloian fleet, although weapons bays were beginning to empty. Now that the gap had closed somewhat, the fleet also opened fire with their railguns, blasting yet more kinetic penetrators towards the enemy, although they were far less powerful than the RKVs.

The message from the Gurguvii in apology for the Warwagon opening fire was recieved and answered with a quick affirmative rather than hostility and insults. Risking further combat was hardly a good idea, especially when it could be avoided. Still, the news that the offender would be court-martialled was good. It showed unwillingness to open fire on the Taldaanis.

OOC: So they pretty much like Andromedia's kinetic weapons. I think my shields can handle a few strikes but if they swarm like that again. I am going to have to write up some destroyed vessels. (Reads post sighs) I mean now I have some heavy casualties coming up…



IC:

The Voloian Wedge had taken some heavy pounding from the first wave of the attack. The incoming second wave of the RKV's made the Voloian outer defenses really lose hope. The Frigates and the Destroyers tried to turn around to face their rear towards the enemy. It is a common practice one to allow the rear shields to act as a new protection point and the second reason to unleash their own smaller yet quite hazardous rear plasma torpedoes. These weapons are no were near as powerful as the hulking abominations that came originally from the Destroyers. The smaller Plasma torpedoes would quickly rush towards the Taldaani fleet with the intent of performing some more damage to the now much closer enemy vessels. These Torpedoes are primarily used as a heavy weapon on the retreat or as a desperate last resort weapon. The Destroyers and the Frigates also kept firing their Particle Beam Cannons that were now more effective at the closer range. The beams of intense particle energy came once again at the enemy with the intent of destroying them and avenging the now evident losses the Voloian Fleet was taking…


The maneuver however was slow to perform for the much damaged vessels and one of the frigates showed that to be evident when it tried to turn and was hit directly in it's side by the enemy barrage. The poor vessel's side shields and armor were not able to withstand the heavy hit and the frigate exploded. The chain reaction of smaller explosions rang out across its bulkhead until the ship was silenced forever in a scream of outer destruction.

Two of the Destroyers that had also tried to follow suite with their rear torpedos had also been creamed by the combination of railgun fire and by the sheer brutality of the RKV's eventually overwhelmed to the enemy's fire and began to take to much hull integrity damage. The Engineering personals in one of the destroyers were practically sucked into the vacuum of space as their section had lost the ability to seal the damaged ship. The sight would be horrendous for any Voloian to bear which gave the rest of the Taskforce the resolve for one thing. To cleanse this system and achieve revenge…


The Dreadnought unloaded her own weapons in entirety down upon the Taldaani. The 35 Particle Cannons unleashed another deadly barrage into their fleet. The Dreadnought also gave permission to unleash the Voloians most feared weapon the Molecular Disintegration Cannon. (MDC) This powerful and very energy-consuming weapon was used to break down the molecular structure of large capital ships, planetary cities, and Star bases.

The Dreadnought powered up the weapon and unleashed a purple beam that headed towards one of the largest ships in the Taldaani force. (You decide which one) The beam if it hit its target would start to break up the molecular structure of the enemy's shields, hull and even armor if they had any. The reason for this strike was to either wipe out the enemy's defensive capabilities or if the initial counter barrage did that. It would increase the damage inflicted upon the ships internal capabilities in one mean strike…


OOC: Before God Modd is called, I want to explain the weak points of the Molecular Disintegration Cannon.

This MDC despite it's rather long destructive description has a number of weaknesses that can be exploited here are some of the following.

The Molecular Disintegration Cannon needs to be very accurate just to nail its target. If it does not hit the target than it is not effective and while it does affect ships and other solid matter it meets along the way it reduces the weapons ability to damage the original target.

The MDC also can be blocked with sufficient counter energy weapons or shielding. The MDC also has a long recharge time The MDC is kind of like using a Romulan Mauler Cannon except instead of atomizing everything in one blast.

The MDC acts like a specialized heavy version of the Mauler Cannon. It is possible for a strong capital ship to surrive being hit with this thing but it will at the very least do some large amounts of damage to the effected area.)

shields taking a pounding sire and cloaked vessels in comming fire one salvo of cluster qantiums at the cloaked vessesl


ooc a salvo is 20 torps times by 62 cluster qantiums ar modified regualr qantium torps

ooc: Don't worry, I don't think you're godmodding. And Seph, what cloaked vessels?


With the decreased distance between the battling fleets, the Voloian fire was far more effective. Whereas before they had not been able to breach the point defence laser coverage, the plasma torpedoes were now able to cause a few hits on the Taldaani ships. Repair nanites swarmed along maintenance capillaries to begin the repairs on damaged armour, although the tiny self-replicating machines would only be able to conduct crude repairs. Although they could easily plug holes in the armour, the delicate systems were another matter entirely.

Although the Voloians were apparently on the run, they were still able to inflict damage on the Taldaani. The weight of particle beam fire was slowly but surely stripping away the armour, and it was only a matter of time before more serious effects were felt. In fact, the smaller ships were already beginning to crack under the strain. One of the LCVs suddenly lost structural integrity, hull cracking under the continuous bombardment, damaged beyond repair.

Still, it was the Dreadnought that was the greatest threat to the battlegroup. Standing its ground amid its battered escort, it fired a storm of energised particles into ship after Taldaani ship. Yet another MCV spiralled away, its hull sporting an enormous gash that had broken through to the control banks and turned the once powerful ship into an uncontrolled floating hazard.

Still, it was the Molecular Disintegration Cannon that had the greatest effect. Chainsaw Sculptor, having caught up with the rest of the fleet, had moved into the thick of the combat, firing salvo after salvo of railgun ammunition. Still, after the damage inflicted by the Warwagon, the HCV was less agile than it might have been otherwise. The purple energy beam struck the vessel dead on, slicing through the already damaged armour with contemptuous ease. Armour plating groaned as it warped and twisted under the assault. Nanites flooding to contain the damage were disintegrated as they reached the impact zone. The doomed ship tried desperately to escape, trying to roll out of the way of the beam, but it was to no avail, and the purple flare of the energy weapon was answered by an explosion aboard the Taldaani ship as the fusion reactors went nova.

And then, where there had once been a ship, was a cloud of debris and vapourised armour composite.

Being Shipminds, the Taldaani fleet vessels were above such petty organic things as "morale", but even so the loss of their leader was a shock. Still, FTL communications and blindingly fast cogitation allowed them to elect a new leader with nanoseconds. Still, they understood such concepts, and having detected the biological forms tumbling from the wrecks of the enemy escorts, the plan to end the fight was simple. Between them, the Taldaani fleet had around one hundred RKVs left. These were targetted squarely at the Dreadnought, which had made itself an immense target on sensors by firing the enormously energy intensive MDC.

coms to talladian fleet the empire tallion will assist you

ok said the tactiocal officer we have a clean lok on the violioan fleet

FTL Comms Opened...
To: Sephrian Fleet
From: HCV Whirling Blades of Doom

Thanks for the offer. I propose that you use your better shielded ships to draw their fire while we encircle them thereby cutting off their retreat. This way we can wipe them out without giving them a chance to rendezvous with any reinforcements entering the system.

the doombringer class star destroyers opened fire at the enemy with thier phasers

OOC: New weakness of MDC tracking the sheer energy used after an attack…


IC:

The H.S.V. Disintegrator was taking a sheer bashing from the RKV's that had now smashed into it's shields lowering their integrity down greatly. The highly reinforced Xintium armor plating was trying to withstand the massive assault of the fusion reactions whenever they passed through the weakened shields. The Armor melted in it's first layer but the second and third layers held. It was just a matter of time before the hulls were breached…

The Disintegrator unleashed another volley of Particle Cannons and all here complement of Plasma Torpedoes. These five hulking spheres were bigger than the ones that the Destroyers used and they came much faster than the other versions. The Torpedoes would have seemed to be primarily used for capital ship close range fighting which seemed to be the logical choice in this crude situation.

The odd thing was however the Disintegerator launched another volley of Plasma torpedoes almost immediately after their first. They swiftly traveled just a big and just as fast but they seemed to be something wrong about them. The energy used to create the plasma could not have recharged that fast something had to be wrong. The truth was these were pseudo-torpedoes sort of duplicates used to confuse enemy ships and hopefully scare off the enemy assault that seemed to be taking a sever toll out of the Dreadnought..


The escort ships knew they were doomed, The Taldaani had damaged their wormhole generators and key elements of their jump drives making it impossible for the Voloian Ships to jump into a wormhole and leave this system. The Hegemonic Star Command taught a crew at birth to fight to the death rather than surrender. They now proved they listened as the battered and injured ships frigates and destroyers all fired every last weapon whether it was plasma torpedo or Particle Cannon. These ships had one purpose to die fighting for the safety and protection of the Voloian race.

They fired until the energy from their weapon system was depleted and even then the commanders ordered their crews of their ships to try and ram the enemy that was still pounding them. The A.I. was activated and set to ensure that the remaining Destroyers and frigates set their ships to commit a suicide ram of the enemy ships a last act of defiance from a defeated enemy….

Some of the Destroyers and the Frigates would not make it to their targets and had set up a self destruct code hoping to use their own hulls as a sort of fragmentation grenade inside the Taldaani formation..


OOC: Sephrioth, I am guessing you saw the cloak but could not lock on to the ships signatures which means your firing randomly. If not please explain how your ships can trace my cloaked vessels and I will edit…

IC:


The Light Cruisers were maneuvering around the enemy Torpedoes. The torpedoes were flying everywhere trying to score a hit upon the moving Cruisers, which were maneuvering at full power to get at the underbelly of the enemy formation. One lucky torpedo hit the Light Cruiser Rathart on the broadside smashing it's armor and damaging the hull slightly. The shields were not able to help thanks to the fact they had to lower them to avoid detection but the light created by the hit made Rathart decloaked for a second. That could be a second of instant death if the Sephrioth track it’s movements from the second of damage and recloaking..


The Heavy Cruisers now did something odd all three of them held their ground and opened up with their own arsenal of Plasma Torpedoes along with the Cruisers. The Particle Beam Cannons also continued to rain repeated abuse upon the Sephrioth ship's shielding and armor with the now obvious intent of bring their wraith to bear upon them instead of the Light Cruisers…

the tallon pulled of and cloaked

ooc i use gravimentric sensorts for targeting

IC:

The Light Cruisers were completely annihilated in the Sephrioth attack. Their phasers cut through the hulls and armor of these ships like a knife through butter. The Light Cruisers only managed to transport half of there total cloaked mines towards the Sephrioth Fleet that had just recently cloaked.


The Heavy Cruisers and the Medium Cruisers start to use a Tachyon spread to scan the area the Sephrioth were in to find their cloaked ships. The Tachyon had revealed they had moved from their previous position and the Cruisers continued to spread out their Tachyon particles to find the cloaked enemy vessels…

The fact that the Dreadnought had survived the RKV barrage against all the odds made life somewhat difficult for the Taldaani fleet. Out of RKVs, and with the enemy showing no signs of giving in, not to mention the fact that they were taking a pounding, it seemed best to withdraw to a safer distance. Recalibrating their electromagnetic fields, they accelerated backwards away from the enemy, firing another volley of railgun launched fusion bombs to give the enemy something to think about. Although the bombs were not as powerful as the RKVs, they would still be able to inflict heavy damage on anything that they hit.

The torpedo ploy, although cunning, had failed to take one thing into account. Even though the Shipminds could not tell the difference between the armed torpedoes and the dummies, logic dictated that the closest ones should be destroyed first. The armed torpedoes had been launched first, and therefore they were first to be destroyed. Even so, the enemy fire once again inflicted heavy damage.

The Ominous Hum had not been taking part in the action thus far, but with a full weapons bay and a circle of probes, it could still contribute. Dumping its entire RKV payload, it fired all ten of them towards the enemy dreadnought. Realising that this would not be enough, it launched the probes as well. Although they weren't designed to be used purely as weapons, it was entirely possible to use them as such. Massing several tonnes each, and capable of cfractional speeds, they too sped towards the Dreadnought, followed by a barrage of railgun fusion munitions for good measure.

OOC:
ooc i use gravimentric sensorts for targeting

Technobabble. I don't think that ships would emit gravitons anyway, and since the term gravimetric implies that the sensors measure gravitons...

Tachyons... don't exist. But... wait! This is FT. I forgot. (wince) I guess it's worth nothing anyway. And Taldaan; I love the shipminds. Seph, are your Destroyers based around the Imperator Star Destroyer hulls/systems from Star Wars?

IC:
Third Fleet, Battleship Naglfar

"So how about we just let them fight it out?" That was Andrea Jacobs, Flag Captain of the Naglfar. "I mean, it's not like they aren't fulfilling our objectives well enough." Kallandor, now sans uniform jacket and lounging in his command chair, smiled.

"That's the plan, Andrea," he said. "Once they've annihilated the Hegemony ships, we move in and destroy the Sephrioth vessels and the HCVs. If a Hegemony backup fleet shows up, well, we have the First."

First Fleet, New-class Battleship Massena

The First was an interesting animal, Rear Admiral Rachel Whitting noted. Despite being experienced with the new class, she always found them a little odd. Not least of which, of course, were the shipboard AIs.

"...And so the druid says to her, 'Don't forget your riding shoes!'" That was Victoria Regina, one of the newer ship AIs. They were still working out the personality bugs, but Rachel didn't mind, really. Even if the jokes were horribly off colour, they leant an interesting tone to what was normally a pretty boring day.

The bridge crew, accustomed to both Rachel's lax command style and Victoria's humour, laughed and kicked their heels up on the guardrails. Not much else to do in hyperspace, really.

The admiral studied her command roster, checking it against the sensor readings from hyperspace entry. As big a fleet as the First was, it was always a good idea to make sure that every ship was accounted for.

The First had been the first fleet, not surprisingly, to undergo full replacement after the mutiny had been quashed about a decade back. It had put the First out of commission for years as the new class was brought up to full combat readiness, but the resulting fleet had proved itself in several skirmish actions since. It was the largest of the fleets, the offensive hitting power of the Gurguvii Navy. The ships, unlike the blocky and outdated designs of the Third, were small and smooth skinned. They followed the 'all big guns' design concept of the ancient water-navies, and even the destroyers mounted a version of the assault cannons that gave the ships their heavy-hitting power.

To look at a battleship like the Massena against something like the Tyrolean Battlewagon, you would note at first that the Tyrolean was exponentially bigger. You would secondly note that although the Massena mounted bigger guns, the Tyrolean had far more. You might naturally assume that the Tyrolean was the more powerful, but you'd be wrong. The Massena, although less capable of laying down volume-fire, could expend more in the way of actual energy in a salvo than did its larger cousin. Although the design of the new class' weaponry did not lend itself to the destruction of a planet, the Massena could easily cause more damage than its opposite number in the old fleet.

This rationale held true for all the ships in the fleet against their respective weight-classes in the old system. Heavy Cruisers outclassed the Destroyers and Battleships of the Third. Destroyers in the new class were equivalent to strike cruisers of the old.

The First Fleet was, essentially, a very effective means of projecting destructive power. It numbered more than the Third as well, and its tender ships carried enough stores for extended campaigns. While the Third could not operate far beyond the borders of the Interstellar Republic, the First could launch and sustain an invasion for roughly eight months before resupply. And they were moving with all speed to the disputed system.

OOC: Said disputed system could use a name...

ooc erm yes and no and voilia my ships cloks are desgeined to leave a faint taycon trace

when thecoms to seph fleet when the hegmony are destroyed we return to the empire kyle the a.i of tthe heavenlyt sin said

In the black, the void remained solid, consistent, and mostly empty; undisturbed by the simple melddings of mortal creatures bound by flesh and instinct... nothing more than mere actors in a grander stage directed by powers unfathomable by their feeble minds. However, sometimes the actors, the stars of this grand play, do not follow the script laid out by the directors, and must then be redirected back onto the beaten path.

In the middle of what his acolytes called the Ooraccaun system, Navick's power shattered through the void from the poles of every stellar body in the system. The endless arcs of furious emerald lightning struck an area of empty space not far from the raging battle, leaving large claps of necromantic thunder in their wake every living being within light-years could hear.

The lightning continued to strike and thunder continued to roar as vessels coalesced into the material realm out of the green cinders of a burning universe. Bodies devoid of flesh, clad in tattered rags howled in delight from out of their coffin sized vessels, their bare bone arms flaying through the vacuum as orbs of crimson energy gathered in the palms of their hands.

Soon larger vessels emanated from the chaotic storm; horseless chariots driven armoured specters whipping at the ghosts of once mighty steeds and jerking the ragged reins to keep the restless equine spirits steady. Large graveyards were next: once great warriors rose from their tombs and the fetid soil to clamor their weapons and chant haunting songs of misery. The terrifying vessel was guided through space by an eternal undertaker from his great stone home near the edge at the back of the yard. The house was an amalgam of crumbling stone and dead vines clawing their way up the stone pillars and into the great pane windows illuminated by some sort of verdant energies just beyond the ivory curtains.

The chariots and coffins gathered near these yards that had moved into position around the massive gothic castles once belonging to mortal kings that dwarfed them in size. Large metal walls enclosed the complex mazes of old cobblestone streets that cut their way through the empty and crumbling gothic buildings stained black by the dark fires of their conquerors. In the castles center a great spire loomed over the walls, replacing the keep the castles former owner constructed there. It was made of cruel steel wrought by anguish and the cries of horrified victims as Navick's minions slaughtered them without mercy before brining them back to the realm of the living, in bodies racked by suffering to construct the great spire.

From this spire the roars of a grizzled Archmage penetrated the void and the ears of the busy mortals as they fought. He spoke in a language no man could hope to understand, summoning forth a great cloud of emerald energy to envelop his floating fortress and the graveyards that formed around it. He was at the top of the spire, his hair thick and haggard, a colored amalgam of silver, cobalt, and ash. The furs of great beasts covered this daemonic man; the heads of powerful bears protected his shoulders and held the robe made of the hides of the same animal to his back as he danced and chanted. His steel boots clanked against the metal floor; whipping his scepter through the air, commanding more lightning to strike wherever the scarlet eyes of the bleached skull laid their gaze.

Vampiric soldiers clad in spiked black armor marched silently from the spire into the streets to man the walls canons and prepare for battle; armed with great claymores and large medieval muskets imbued by necromantic energies, causing the one pound balls of lead to be even deadlier.

Navick's small fleet had amassed in Ooraccaun to challenge those who had made war here. The Archmage called out in a hellish voice deep as the river Styx in a language understandable by any species that heard it's echoing sound.

"Do those here whose hearts still circulate their red life-force desire to join the great dominon this day? Have you now decided yourself worthy to enter his realm and shed the flesh and blood that has bound you to an existence of simplicity guided only by instinct and your own petty interests? Answer; the Father demands it."

THE FALL OF THE H.S.V. Disintegrator


The sudden barrage from the Ominous Hum was too much for the already weakened Dreadnought to bear. The H.S.V. Disintegrator hull was breached on multiple decks sucking hundreds of crewmen out into the void of space. The Taskforce Commander Trolas watched the bridge of her personal flagship begin to burn around her.

She made one last salute to her crew on duty in the bridge. The Disintegrator's bridge suddenly exploded after one of the fusion weapons hit it dead center killing everyone on the Command Bridge. The usually sight of men running to escape pods was not seen. The Voloians believed in fighting to the end and never designed such pods seeing them as a dishonorable way of retreating from ones duty. The sight of the Dreadnought falling brought the Voloians into despair. Some of the wounded ships started to fall back away from the Taldaani Fleet.


Sephrioth Front:

A mass retreat was called as the Cruisers both Heavy and Light began to fall away from the enemy. They hoped to get to the other side of the Star system and wait for reinforcements to come and rescue them from this hopeless situation. The Voloian forces were pulling away in a very disorganized retreat limping away from the brutal thrashing it had received fighting two fleets practically by themselves against all odds. This was a terrible defeat but it had shown the Voloians could and would fight to the end…



1st Hegemonic Red Fleet

The Hegemonic Star Command had recently received a call for help signal from an unknown system. The Signal was identified as a Taskforce that was part of the 1st Hegemonic Red Fleet. It seemed the Col'Sar had ordered them to begin a cleansing campaign against the unknown system's inhabitants. The sudden call for help from 25 vessels was not heard of lately it seemed the Hegemony had found some very hostile new neighbors that would have to be taught to leave the Voloian Race alone. The Hegemonic Star Commander Lothsanthar Krolog had a plan. He personally sent the order for the 1st Hegemonic Red Fleet to assist it’s sister taskforce in the cleansing of the unknown star system.



1st Red Commander Marlok Tromsahin was by far the most experienced Fleet Commander in the entire Hegemony. He had been a veteran in the civil war and had seen action against several privateers and traitor ships that had ravage abandoned Voloian colonies. The Commander had successfully gathered the remaining three taskforces of his fleet and began another wormhole jump in the direction to where the signal had come. Seventy five vessels with at least three dreadnoughts would be a fearsome force for anyone to fight and they were coming to assist their sister taskforce in it’s goal of wiping out all non Voloian life in the star system…

OOC: Col'Sar: The Hegemonic Intelligence Department. If you want an example of what they are like think of the Romulan Tal'Shair and you have an idea what these guys are like.

All Voloian Hegemonic Fleets have a color designation:
Red: Conquest/ Offensive military fleet
Orange: Protection/ Defensive military fleet
Purple: Exploration/ Intelligence Fleet
White: Colonization Fleet

HCV Whirling Blades of Death sighed internally. The destruction of the Voloian dreadnought had reverberated across every sensor, and in that instant he knew that the enemy was broken. Their ships fled from the Shipminds, not even laying down fire as they retreated. Sending out a signal to the other ships in his battlegroup not to pursue them, he powered down his railguns and slid backwards away from the clouds of wreckage, both organic and inorganic, that marked where particle beam and kinetic penetrator alike had torn hulls asunder.

What a senseless waste of life the battle had been. It was not his warrior kin that he thought of now, not the Shipminds of the Taldaani fleet. For them, the destruction of their interstellar shells was nothing. To a Shipmind, the ship was just another part of the whole, an organ expendable because it was replaceable. Each Mind had backups in the nation-encompassing infosphere, simulacra scattered across the Taldaani worlds. Within three months, Jolly Roger, Tigershark, the mighty Chainsaw Sculptor, all would be implanted into new hulls and would be free to roam the galaxy once more.

But the Voloian organics? For them, the death of their ship was true death. Each body tumbling gracefully from a deep cut in the side of their fragile vessel, their bodies freezing into a sleep from which they would never awake, their death rattles solidifying to drift the solar winds: they would not be reborn. They were lost to the universe for all time. They had not even made an attempt to save themselves from their ruined ship, when Ominous Hum's RKVs had shattered its scorched hull to leave it open to the insatiable void. No escape pod leapt from its torn flanks.

Poor noble fools.

Their destruction had been self-wrought, of course. Threatening to cleanse an innocent world of all life could not go unpunished. But even so, could they have been saved? Had the Taldaani fleet approached with soft words rather than bursting into the system with a volley of kinetic penetrators, would the outcome have been different? Logic dictated that, had the Taldaani not opened fire, the aggressive Sephrians or the territorial Gurguvii would have. And yet there was always the possibility that a peaceful solution could have been found. Of course, it was too late now. Far too late.

And what of their companions? They had fled without even retrieving the flashfrozen carcasses of their brothers in arms. By their comrade's actions, these misguided but brave men and women would be allowed to remain forever drifting. They deserved better. Whirling Blades of Death used his point defence lasers gently and precisely, vapourising each dead organic with its superheated touch.


May these bodies return to the infinite and eternal void that birthed them. May the sum of their matter be returned to that of the void, to remain in the sums of all things forever after.

Amen.

[OOC: Bump]

OOC: Navick, are you actually serious? No. Just... no. I don't especially want to RP against a fleet of zombies controlled by a necromancer. That's really more fantasy than sci-fi. I think I'm going to sit this one out, actually, since it doesn't seem to be going anywhere except crazy. Uh, the Gurguvii fleet didn't actually do anything. I suppose you can imagine that none of my actions ever happened. Even thought that probably means that the Chainsaw Sculptor survived the fight intact... but whatever. You'll figure it out.

Voloia, you're a good RPer. Keep at it!

coms to talidani fleet enemy is retreating suggest bouth our forces combine and destroy them

ooc: Gurguvungunit, don't worry. Chainsaw Sculptor would have been destroyed anyway; I just wanted to have something spectacularly killed by the Voloians.

And Voloia, the man speaks truth. You're one of the best newbies I've seen in ages, and already up there with the best FTers.


FTL Channel Opened...
To: Sephrian Fleet
From: HCV Whirling Blades of Doom

You suggest that we run down the fleeing Voloians and put them to the slaughter? I suggest that you should cease all thought of such barbaric actions. We fought the Voloians to protect this world from their imperialism, not to slay men and women who were likely only following the orders of a tyrannical government, and who, more to the point, will never threaten this system again. Stay your hand, o ye of little honour.

IC:

Inside the System….


The H.S.V. Corlantor the small frigate that had found this system had also lead the retreat of the crippled task force. The Taskforce lacked shielding and energy to power up it's energy weapons. It only had enough power to move at STL speed meaning leaving this system was going to be a very long journey unless back up arrived.

The H.S.V. Corlantor's Frigate Commander Yelock Rastlo had managed to hold the five other vessels remaining in a slow but now steady formation away from the planet. They hoped that by moving in the direction they had come into the system would get them closer to any reinforcements that might come. This was all speculation of Yelock part he really just did not want to be in range of the enemy's weapons since they had reduced the taskforce into only five vessels after volley exchanges in this system.




More Wormholes opening….

The Space/Time distortion anomalies would have started to spike up again but this time the readings would be off the roof. It seemed now there are about seventy five of these suckers forming and appearing around where the old signal beacon was before it was destroyed. The wormholes start to grow and soon after only a few seconds. The more Voloian Vessels start coming out of the wormholes. The seventy-five hegemonic star vessels started to form their wedge formations making three entire attack formations. Their shields and weapons had been powered up and were already prepared for combat.


The leading wedge formation making up the 1st Taskforce headed by the 1st Red Fleet Commander Marlok Tromsahin formed the head of the Fleets formation as the wedges formed wings to the sides of the 1st taskforce. It seemed there should be a force at the rear to protect it. That spot was supposed to be reserved for the 4th taskforce, which had apparently been destroyed and battered across this system.


The 1st Red Fleet Commander hailed all involved party's making sure his orders were understood by all within this star system.



OFFICAL HEGEMONIC TRANSMISSION:


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/VoloiaFlag.jpg


All alien fleets, according to our scans you have fired upon and destroyed much of our sister taskforce. We demand you explain yourselves and leave this system never to return or this larger force will destroy you all. The Hegemony hopes you pick the right decision and leave this system peacefully or the people on that planet will be vaporized rather than giving them a merciful death..

OOC: I was bringing the fleet anyway, why not now?

1st Hegemonic Red Fleet Size: 3/4 of total size/strength
Task Force:
3 Dreadnought (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicDreadnought.jpg)
15 Destroyers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicDestroyer.jpg)
15 Cruisers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicMediumCruisers.jpg)
12 Frigates (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicFrigate.jpg)
9 Heavy Cruisers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicHeavyCruiser.jpg)
6 Light Cruisers (http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/HegemonicLightcruiser.jpg)

[OOC:If you're all going to ignore me, it'd be nice if you said so.]

OOC: Ignore you, I have not even heard of your intro post into this thread? Where did you come from?

[OOC: If you display the same number as posts as I do, it should be post 45, last post on the 3rd page. EDIT: Sorry, my mistake... correct the I-was-typing-to-fast error. ]

OOC: I am going to bump this thread up and then respond after someone else does. I am the last one Icly to give a response…

The deployment of additional Voloians to the system was a definite setback for the Taldaani. In fact, more than that, it was a disaster. The original battlegroup had been defeated at the cost of several ships and the entire RKV payload, but to stand and fight against this second fleet, damaged and with their most powerful weapon unavailable, would be impossible.

Moving away from the new enemy fleet the Shipminds regrouped further towards the edge of the system, firing a spread of railgun shells both to cover their retreat and to hopefully cause some havoc among the newly arrived and hopefully relatively unprepared ships.

Still, the barrage was more of a last push than any kind of committed assault. If the new arrivals were to be defeated, it was not the Taldaani who would do it.

[OOC: Bump...]

coms to taldian fleet the imperium shows no mercy in battle in fact they are bllod enemies of the imperium

coms to blood enemys of the imprium you threatened a an imperial patrol group and we responded in kind

FTL Channel Opened...
To: Sephrian Fleet
From: HCV Whirling Blades of Doom

Well, if you're so determined to wipe them out, I guess we won't stop you. Just don't expect any help. Now run along.

The sudden barrage from the Taldaani began to strike the Voloians shields. The Shields were still fresh and had not received a dreaded pounding from the RKV's. This meant the shields held against the railgun fire that continued to act as suppression fire for the Taldaani retreat.


The Hegemonic Fleet began to retaliate with a counter barrage of Particle beam fire upon the retreating Taldanni for daring to fight then run away from battle. The Voloians however began to move their formation towards the bigger threat that was not retreating from the system, the Sephrioth fleet.


The Voloian Dreadnoughts aimed their deadly MDC's and powered them up. The Wedge started to volley several volleys of Plasma Torpedoes at the Sephrioth vessels hoping to confuse them in the sudden rush of heavy fire…


The wounded taskforce started to pick up a strange message from the ships that looked like floating medieval castles. (Insert Navick's message)


The H.S.V. Corlantor computers was slowly processing this new information and the A.I. was wondering how these beings factored into the Hegemony's plans. The last thing the Voloians needed was to fight three fleets just to take this system. The Sephrioth and the Taldanni would be a handful without adding these unknown vessels into the mix.


The H.S.V. Corlantor's Frigate Commander Yelock Rastlo decided to send a message to these unknown vessels.

OFFICAL HEGEMONIC TRANSMISSION:


http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/Xharnia/VoloiaFlag.jpg


Unknown Alien vessels, This is the H.S.V. Corlantor of the Hegemonic Star Command's Purple Fleet. I am here to explore this system and cleanse it of all non-Voloian life. If you intend to stay here or attempt to interfere with the Hegemony's plans we will be forced to send you to oblivion like the poor fools that challenges us earlier. The Voloian race is all that matters and the only life we care about!

the comander of the uruk said weapons officer charge the raveger cannon yes sire the cannon wil take 20 minutes to charge begin a salvo of cluster qantuims

ooc my planet killer a modified mauler cannon my fleet has 1 ravegaer

kabump

[OOC: Bump. Sorry that it is taking so long, I have a job interview in an hour, but I will try my damndest to get the post up tonight. Btw, Voloai, if you have MSN or the equivlanet, we should probably discuss some things.]

OOC: Sephrioth: This will not end well, My MDC's are my planet killer weapons and I have three of them. One on each Dreadnought,

Navick: I do not have Msn or anything like that, If you want to talk privately I recommend sending me a TG..


IC:

The Voloian Fleet continued to advance upon the Sephrioth vessels targeting them one at a time. The goal was to concentrate fire upon them one at time. This was the goal to bring down the Imperium's talon of Star Destroyers with the fleets combined particle beam weaponry. The MDC's were now fully armed and ready to fire upon the Sephrioth vessels. However the fleets sensors picked up a large energy buildup amongst the Sephrioth vessels. The Voloians started to pull back slowly firing continuously hoping to get out of range from the sheer energy build up…

ooc volia my ravveger cannion is one of my planet killers only have 1 ravager


sire port sheilds fail ing tuurn us to aft and status on the ravvager ready and waiting