NationStates Jolt Archive

The stage was set. Most of the ships had been recalled from Loriiea, a bare contingent of twenty remained. It was a security flaw, yes. But a security flaw that could be easily rectified, and would be, within the short span of eight hours. The fleets had been recalled, and a defensive squadron of almost four hundred ships would be there.

In eight hours.

It was this eight hours that was to prove critical. No-one would ever know how the intelligence was leaked. Of course, there would be theories in days to come. Was it the Consul? A Senator? Or some insidious means of the Dratherians, that they had not yet foreseen.

Whilst the loss of Loriiea would have little military ramifications, the political ones would be huge. For one, Callis Yalltar, along with every Loriiean Senator, was presently on Loriiea. It was a politically good move - while the fleet had been moved out, he intended to show his goodwill to the Loriiean people, especially those who continued to vote for him.

For his career, however, it would lead only to a very short, very violent end.

A mere fifteen minutes after he landed, the Dratherian Navy arrived. In force.

The blockade was swift the Loriiean system had been a prime target to spread a wave of death. Callidus Assassins had been placed in the Republic months before the war. They had been reporting to the Imperium for some time on the status of Republic forces as they could best discern. A force of two thousand some warships descended on the system. The Imperium was swift in engaging the enemy at distance with Nova Cannons, Lance Batteries, and Vortex Torpedoes. When he force descended they already had in good mind what they were going to do. They were going to burn the system. This would shine as a prime example of the Imperium's might and unyielding devastation. Virus Bombs and Cyclonic Torpedoes had been prepared this was Exterminatus.

Mighty warships of all kinds had been assembled mighty and powerful a few Star Forts and multitudes of other ships including Battle Barges, Strike Cruisers, Battleships, and Fleet Carriers. Their crenelated towers showing their mighty Gothic appearance. Terrible in their appearance. Aboard the white winged form of John Mercer stood silent contemplating what he was about to do. He was going to send a message to the Republic terrible as it was. They would do this to his home so he would return the favor. In the midst of their fleet a set of mighty broadcast starships had been assembled. Their massive satellite dishes set to transmit to the masses. His stepped forward gripping the sword at his side as it pulsed with life. It too was not sure about this course of action. However it was open to them he watched the main world of Loriiea I. He looked at the sensor relays watching as mighty automated superfreighters were fired upon by mighty warships. Mercer knew this was a Agri-center. He looked out at his forces from the Dragon's Pride he turned to Kivpa and said, "Well old friend this is where we throw our weight in. I want the forces prepared immediately, I leave you to that." Kivpa's dark eyes turned on Mercer and he said, "It is necessary to do this. I will let you carry the burden of it on your own if you wish but do not try to lie to me. I will tend to the forces." As Kivpa said that he silently exited the room with all the grace of an Imperial Assassin. Mercer sighed and watched as explosions rippled through space.

"Sir, we've got inbounds."

"The reinforcements? They're not due for eight hours!".

Callis looked annoyed, yet felt gratified. It was a huge risk he had taken, returning to Loriiea at such a time.

"Nossir. They're not showing up on my IFF. Transponders aren't matching any Republic codes. Superfreighters are reporting attack, sir. They're huge, but not shielded. One.. two.. they're all down, sir. Radarstats one, seven and nine are still up."

"Hell."

"Yessir."

"Can we get a message out?"

"Distress signal Pri-Alpha has already gone out. If that doesn't get the fleet here in time, nothing will."

"How long do we have?"

"Assuming they take up geosynchonous orbits to bomb us.. we have maybe fifteen minutes. FTLi was either disabled, or our codes have been suborned."

"Can we tell?"

"Sir, I'm a radar operator. Not a inhibitor technician. I wouldn't have a clue."

"Send out this message. Consular Order. Pri-Alpha. Change all FTLi field inhibitor codes immediately. Don't just cycle them, change the whole damn encryption system."

"Yessir. Message away. Not that I can see what good that's going to do."

"It's a better use of my time than sitting here waiting to die."

The operator gulped. "Yes, Consul."

"Now, operator. Do we have any escape shuttles?"

"From my knowledge, sir, Loriiea operates a full array of non-FTL capable shuttles, but nothing that fleet won't fan out and catch."

"Move over, operator."

Callis pushed past the man, and, with a few deft movements, accessed ancient computer-backdoors he himself had left in the Loriiea network.

[[Access.Granted]]
[[NodeCentral]]
[[Command? Universal/Shuttlebay]]
[[Shuttlebay access granted.]]
[[Command? Detonate 18012 contigency 12]]
[[Shuttles set to self-destruction upon being approached.]]
[[Command? Universal/Network]]
[[Central Loriiean Network root access gained.]]
[[Command? Network/Format::All]]

Callis sat his hand on a pad that slipped out, fingerprints, DNA scans, retinal scans, and brain-scans all ensuring that he was who the system thought he was. That ensured, the two major commands were given. Firstly, the shuttles would be destroyed on the enemy landing. No craft were to be suborned by the enemy. Secondly, every computer on the planet, everything on the Loriiean network, from superfreighter computers to every bit of useful data on the planet was wiped. Personal records might remain, but no technical data could be accessed by the Dratherians. He had made sure of that.

"You're fatalistic, Consul."

"Not fatalistic, operator. I'm a realist. If we were a coreworld, the Navy might have time to organize a force to come to our relief. As it is, we are the furthest world from Taledonia, by a factor of almost two. There's no way a force can make it in time."

"But.."

"It's been nice working with you, operator. You have a sense of duty. What's your name?"

"Klen."

"Klen. Are you ready to die?"

"Not really, sir."

Callis laughed.

"Good. No-one should ever be ready to die. Just aware that it could happen. Now, if they bombard us, we'll try and ride it out here in the crust. If they land, we've got enough antimatter here to give them a nasty shock as they start breaking in."

"Didn't you wipe the computers?"

"Yes. But the antimatter charges can be operated manually. The most important one is here, in Meeting Hall, Klen. Thus, if we get contacts coming through the atmosphere, and we're not dead after we hit, we get the unpleasant responsibility of killing ourselves."

Klen spoke up, and Callis raised his hand. "It would be better to sit in silence, I think. Consider your life. I will address the Loriiean Senators one more time, and then I will come back."

Klen slumped, and Callis chuckled.

"It is not so bad as all that! We will die as men of valour, and we will be forever remembered. Is that not better than to fade away in obscurity?"

The Imperium fleet quickly overtook enemy positions the overwhelming might of the battlefleet. Taking up orbits around the planet. The Dragon's Pride hung over what it knew was the location of the enemy stronghold. Callidus Assassins had been very precise with information on these systems. Mercer sent the order for the transmissions to be sent out across the Republic and the Imperium on all channels civilian and Military it would be seen by everyone. The transmission showed images from the Loriiean System and then shifted to the view of Loriiea I with the massive Imperial fleet hanging over it. Mercer was the next view and he stood majestic in his gleaming white battle plate with his wings outstretched. Then he spoke,

These people human like us mobilized fleets to attack our homeworlds their deeds were heinous crimes against fellow humans. The Imperium was attacked by their forces for no honest reason other than to conquer. SO here we will show the Republic we are not to be trifled with. We now commit these souls to Exterminatus.

The view shifted once again to the mighty starships of the Imperium as they made firing solutions. They fired multiple torpedoes targeting domed cities on the surface with yields strong enough to impact the dome. Cameras on the planet would show those inside suffocating to death as the domes fell apart under the assault from orbit. These images were broadcast across space as the Imperium brought their might to bear.

"On-screen."

Callis sent a transmission back, merely smiling.

"Well played, Dratherian. Yet we have not butchered civilians. We have not fought any who were not soldiers. You will be made to remember this in days to come."

He sighed as Loriiea was slaughtered, wincing as the domes lit up, in frenetic orgies of fire - the high-oxygen environments coupled with force would do that.

They had shown their strength. And it appeared all it was good for was the butcher of undefended innocents.

He turned, and left the Senators, smiling. "We are only nine, today. Khaberi is in the Union, and for that, I am grateful. She, at least, will be able to avenge us, for all that she is a child."

One of them grinned.

"What is it, Caius?"

"You refer to her as a child, still, Callis. She's a century older than me."

"Yes, well.."

He laughed. "That's true, I suppose. In any case, gentlemen. Does anyone else want to drop antimatter containment, or shall I do the honours?"

The faces told him what to do. He turned, and left, taking Klen along the way.

"Come along, man. We're going to go kill ourselves."

As the containment collapsed, the Dratherian forces would detect a major release of energy in the area. The largest city on Loriiea, containing a full quarter of the population, was gone.

Mercer looked cautiously at the viewscreen as the energy was pinpointed. Mercer looked pained as he felt those lives exstinguished and looked down at the surface and said, "Remember no one is innocent......." Looking over at the devastation he had seen he winced obviously in pain. He knew what would happen to this world and it pained him. He turned to the weapons control station and said, "Tell the fleet to cease fire. Ready two-stage cyclonic torpedoes and target the surface." Stepping forward he leaned heavily on the railing forward of the Navigator as an old battle-scarred weapons officer reported, "All ships report Exterminatus arrays ready." Mercer stepped back and stretched his wings drawing the blade Kusanagi from his waist, "All ships commence firing."

At once the light of hundreds of two stage torpedoes struck the surface of the planet at a single point. The crust of the planet began to crack and blister. Volcanoes erupted violently across the planet and devastating earthquakes began to shake the planet apart as the torpedoes burrowed to the planet's core. As the deadly warheads detonated the planet began to crack and burst apart fire leaped out licking at the ships from the surface. And aboard the Dragon's Pride Mercer fell to his knees and clutched his head as he heard the millions of lives screaming out in pain and agony. Then all at once it was silent.

Mercer slowly righted himself on the bridge standing to his full height. His Magnum's had disappeared and his right hand glowed with a black aura even from beneath the angelic white battle plate while a bright white aura shone from his left arm. He looked across at his commanders and said, "Deploy the Shadow Star. Then move out set next warp jump coordinates for the Asurian system and make speed for Naval Command." He quickly exited the bridge and headed to his quarters. As the fleet made the jump to Warp a mighty Ramilies lay hidden cloaked amidst the rubble. This would shield it from enemy sensors and in the meantime it took long range deep space scans of the surrounding systems.

On board the Dragon's Pride Mercer sat in his quarters stripped down to the waist wearing fatigues while his battle plate and weapons set in his armorer cage. Standing up he looked down at his arms. His left arm glowed with bright white energy and articulate and embellished metal that would cause most to cry for it's sheer beauty. However his right was at the opposite end of the spectrum covered in black metal with molten lava showing through the joints in the armor. It's dark and malevolent appearance would strike terror in the hearts of those who dared to look upon it though almost surely would be coveted by the forces of Chaos.

These were Angelus and Harconan in their most powerful forms. The weapons wielded by Mercer were created in the forges of Dratheria millenia ago. Their forms held three stages. Stage one the form of plasma charged kinetic rounds. In the second stage the nanotechnology of the weapons restructure them to fire heavy plasma cannon blasts. In stage three the nanotechnology wraps the weapon around the arms of the wielder creating the Angel Arm and the Demon Arm powerful weapons with the ability to fire powerful plasma blasts, tear through armor, enhanced strength, forcefields, and a myriad of other unknown but similar abilities. The drawback however to the third stage of the weapon is that it takes a severe toll on the user weakening their psychic strength as well as their physical strength. The only weapons of their like in existence. Remnants from the ancient days of the Dratherian Empire but still potent weapons.

A vox came to Mercer's quarters, "Sir we have just come from Port Hedland as you requested and we have discovered the live form of High Judge Johnas. And sir the Ecclesiarchy is naming him a saint his eyes burn with the Aquilla and his sword is blessed. He is currently en route to Teric to see the Inquisition." Mercer looked quietly at the monitor and finally said, "Very well I will report to Teric after I rendezvous with Naval Command." As the vox cut off Mercer stared at his arms as the nanotech began to dissolve away.