NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC:

I'm just introducing this faction with some help from a good friend of mine. Basically, this faction is a more aggressive version of the Tamaraneans, with influences from comic books, cartoons, and original thought. I'll post more on my creative processes later, and a link to a factbook if I make one. No direct interventions, if you please. News reports, intelligence briefs, diplomacy, and the like is welcomed.

IC:

Locals called the planet Ehah. The fresh, newly-trained warriors aboard the ships dropping from hyperspace at the system’s edge did not care. To them, Ehah, a world 85% the size of Earth was just a target in their sights, a ripe fruit they would soon pluck. The small, purely defensive force of lightly armed warships, clustered within the system’s depths were all targets which would serve to weed out the weak and improve the skills of the strong. The installations orbiting Ehah and other local planets were likewise. The cities on the planetary surface would be practice for plasma cannons, and in the end the fighting would hone the command and control skills of one Crown Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran, leaving the young girl “blooded,” but without putting her at too much risk. She had been trained almost from birth to lead a host to war, but this raid would be her first genuine independent battlefield command without observation from her father the High King, or his loyal right hand, Lord Galfore. She relished the occasion. At last it was time, her first big chance to prove she was capable, that she could lead her father’s warriors to battle and emerge victorious. This battle and the campaign to follow would help to determine how people regarded the Crown Princess in future. Success would mean respect and renown, while failure would bring scorn, even a small chance her parents would rescind the decision to give her the crown and permit Komand’r, her deformed sister, to have that privilege instead. While the Crown Princess loved her sister, her love was not so great as to desire losing her position.

“Astrogation,” she said, looking to one of her leading officers. “Have all ships of the Group made successful transit?”

“They have, Princess,” said the large, red haired, red bearded officer, looking down at the console to which he was assigned. “All ships report they are in prime condition.”

Koriand’r grinned, and just suppressed a giggle.

“Inform all Group ships to come to full combat readiness. Warriors are to prepare for shipboard combat. Form up in standard formation and begin moving in-system at half speed.”

Her flagship’s helmsman acknowledged the order, and soon the entire Group was on the move, some twenty ships. Certain her orders were being followed and knowing there would likely be nothing else she might do on the bridge for a while yet, the Crown Princess, escorted by her security detail of Royal Guards, retired to her quarters to get some rest. Well, she might get some rest. Some of the Guards looked like they might appreciate a little “relaxation” themselves. Who could say what would happen?

Two hours later…

Crown Princess Koriand’r strode confidently onto the bridge once more, flanked by her escort and fully decked out in her form-hugging battle armor, a predatory grin on her face.

“We are closing to within range of the planet?” she asked.

“Yes, Princess,” was the reply. “Thus far, we have seen no signs of the local defense forces.”

“What?” The Princess glanced at the person making the report. “We have seen nothing? Are they hiding, perhaps?”

“Perhaps, but I can not imagine where they could, unless they have some stealth technology we do not know about.”

Koriand’r shook her head slightly as she pondered this information. Ehah was not a wealthy planet. Its position had no strategic value, it had little natural resources and it was not noted as being very powerful in the region. All of this and more did not suggest the existence of sophisticated, fleet-wide stealth in the planetary defense forces. The Tamaranean heiress bit her lip as she thought. Could it be…?

“Captain,” she looked at the man who commanded her flagship. “Initiate full active scanning sweep out to maximum range.”

“Princess?” The man looked shocked. She did not blame him. Active scanning would reveal most anything dangerous out there, but it would also help potential enemies gain better targeting solutions. It was a high risk in most circumstances, one many commanders tried to avoid.

“Just do it,” she commanded in a voice that said she would not be opposed. The captain nodded and set the process in motion. Moments later, he approached the Crown Princess.

“Princess,” he began, in a voice that said he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “Full-spectrum scanning has revealed no viable threats located in the system.”

“I…beg your pardon?” Koriand’r asked.

“We can detect no enemy fleet, Princess,” the man repeated. “Not a single warship has shown up on the screens.”

Koriand’r was silent for a moment. Finally, though, she spoke.

“Open a communications channel.”

“At once, Princess.”

“Leaders of the planet Ehah, I am Crown Princess Koriand’r of the Kingdom of Tamaran. As you listen to my voice, a full Battle Group descends on you. What forces dare oppose us?”

No reply was heard for a few minutes, and then suddenly the officer in charge of communications spoke up.

“Princess, we are detecting transmission bound for out-system targets being cycled through an orbital satellite.”

“Isolate the satellite!” the Princess ordered.

Five minutes later, the offending construct was being displayed on a scanning screen.

“Have one of the escorts target and destroy the satellite.”

In response to the order, a light escorting vessel zeroed in on the satellite with a plasma cannon and blasted it to smoldering debris with one shot. Koriand’r sent a second transmission.

“Leaders of Ehah, your pathetic attempt to summon help is thwarted. Surrender, before it is too late.”

With that, the Crown Princess of Tamaran and her fleet settled back and held position, awaiting a reply.

The Assembly Hall was the capital building of the socialist government of Ehah. About the only thing they shared with their ‘warlike’ fellow believers on the other planets was the religion, and even then the percentage of believers was lower, far lower, than in any other planet.

Unlike the other planets, Ehah survived entirely by trade. The amount of resources able to be mined and used on the planet could support a population of one million- the entire planet’s population, mind you- for about two years. That, coupled with its position on the outer step of the system, made it a target for invasion only if the invader wanted to conquer for the sake of conquest. A battle had not occurred there for more than one hundred and fifty years and, as such, they had no fleet to protect them. No ground based anti-spacecraft weapons. In fact, they only had a standing military of five thousand souls and twenty heavy armor vehicles, and legislation had just been passed to disband that!

So understandably, they were somewhat unnerved by the first transmission. They had immediately activated a protocol that sent a warning message to other colonies, but this was cut off midway through by the destruction of the satellite.
The second transmission followed, and the assembled leaders of Ehah started a short and rather frantic debate. The entire military was called to action and then immediately called to stand down, only to have certain urban area forces stand back up. Various propositions were tossed around, like running, telling others to fight while they ran, burying their heads under the ground and hope for the best, and give up.

A message was sent out by the only Assemblywoman with the balls to speak:
“This is Assemblywoman Betty Carsas of the Ehahan Socialist Government, Outer Marshite Colony. Why have you come to our planet with thoughts of conquest? We are peaceful people, not inclined to expand towards your people and without ill-intentions.”

The Kiros Communication Relay was a cornerstone of Marsh communication. Messages sent by the governments of planets would lose speed, for lack of a better term, as they travelled as the entire Communication System used ‘ground-powered’ systems. Messages would end up taking days or weeks to reach their targets. So the Kiros System was implemented- each Kiros was a large satellite stationed at specific relay points where messages would start to slow down. They would, for lack of a better term again, speed them back up. This allowed messages that went through the network to never take more than a few hours.

So it wasn’t long before the other planets in the system got the small message from Ehah:
“Unknown Contacts heading towards Ehah. Unknown forces, non-Marshite-“

And then the message was cut off. It was received by the six other inhabited planets of the nineteen planet system as well as the various outposts and, of course, the Roaming Fleet.

It was noted as being of interest but, considering it was Ehah and the planets were not allied with one another, only Gerran and Moi’Kara took any serious notice of it at that time…

Upon finally hearing a transmission from the planet, the Crown Princess laughed. Did the locals imagine she could be turned aside with rebuke? X’Hal, how pathetic were they?

“I would think my reasons would not be as important to you as the simple fact that I have intentions to subject your world to the rule of my people. Your peaceful ways and evident lack of initiative have only made you a more easily conquered target. The fact that none of your more intrepid neighbors has not yet done so shocks me greatly. If you must know, however, my liege, the High King of Tamaran, desires a new world and more subjects to rule, and that is reason enough for my sensibilities. Prepare to feel the irresistible might of Tamaran.”

Even as this transmission was being heard by the Assembly on Ehah, swarms of armored shuttles flew out from the Tamaranean warships, each one packed with heavily armed warriors. The ships kept watch in orbit against defensive strikes from the surface, and they were shocked and more than a little disgusted when none materialized. Even so, they were smart enough to breathe a sigh of relief as the drop-ships landed at various locations on the planet’s surface, mostly communications centers and government buildings, such as could be identified. Crown Princess Koriand’r went in the second wave of shuttles taking her bodyguards plus a company of warriors to secure the men and women of the planet’s Assembly. As their shuttles touched down outside the building, several more warriors had already gathered there and have begun to secure the surrounding cityscape.

“You!” the Princess growled in slightly accented English as she grabbed a young-looking woman in the corridors, likely some lowly clerk. “Take me to the Assembly, now!”

“Oh, shit.” Muttered one of the most well-spoken politicians the planet had known.
The assembly could see the dropships coming down the surface. A few tried to flee, but Betty could only curse under her breath at her cowardly fellows. Where the hell could they go? The enemy was here! My Marsh, what type of enemy was this? And enslavement!
But what choice did she have?
Her options were few, so she sat back, lit a kreggar, and leaned back. Why was she the only one here with any backbone?
She realized she had one duty she must perform. She went to her datapad and pressed a few keys and was linked to the Monastery-Museum some eighty miles away. She then closed the thing.
At least they could save the religious part of the country for a few more minutes.

A few miles away in the city, a company of ‘soldiers’- really, at this point they were just unarmored guys and gals with gauss rifles- was near the Gracken Building, the largest radio tower in the city. And by a company, the author means a few platoons running around aimlessly with no direction and differing orders. Only one platoon was in position as a drop ship started deploying troops. They fired, more out of fear at the aliens than any sort of courage, with their various platoon level weapons at surprisingly close range from inside the town square next to the building that was covered.

The clerk’s arms broke as the Princess gripped, perhaps, a bit too tightly. Or maybe it was her lack of calcium, that is just as likely.
“I’ll take you there! Just stop hurting me, p-please!”

Princess Koriand’r, hearing the pained, desperate tone in the girl’s voice, released her death-grip on her arms.

“X’Hal, you people are so weak it is pathetic!” she exclaimed. “Lead the way!”

Koriand’r pushed-gently, this time-the girl along and then followed as the girl walked, occasionally whimpering in pain, her warriors close behind. As well as keeping an eye out for attackers and staring down local officials in the corridors, the Princess and her entourage eyed the furnishings. For a so-called “Socialist Assembly,” these people knew how to decorate. Thick carpets, wood-paneled walls, paintings, all kinds of things adorned the inside of the outwardly austere building. The conquering Princess snorted as she continued walking. Such hypocrisy was disgusting.

“Is this the place?” she asked the clerk as they approached a fairly large set of sturdy-looking double doors. At the girl’s nod, she took her, gently as possible, by the shoulders and moved her aside. Then, an instant later, two of the Royal Guard escorts shoved the doors open unceremoniously to let the Princess walk inside, which she did, having instructed her warriors to keep the clerk nearby. When they had the necessary time, she would find the girl a physician. It would have to be soon, though. Humans were notoriously frail.

“Hail, you who until lately ruled this world!” she greeted in a trained ‘speech giving’ voice loud enough to be heard clearly by all. She had removed her helm before she came in and now clutched it under arm. Her cape, brilliant emerald green with gold bordering, fluttering slightly before it settled out smoothly against her back. A light sheen of sweat gleamed in the false light upon the bare gold skin of her arms, and her eyes were hard and merciless. “I am the Crown Princess Koriand’r of the Kingdom of Tamaran, but you may call me Your Highness. Who leads here?”

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Being fired upon as they landed was not totally unexpected to the warriors, but they had been told there was no solid resistance, and as such, many of them did not have blades or rifles drawn and some were not wearing helmets. Three of them were killed instantly, and seven more went down badly wounded, but there were some ninety more behind them on the drop ship and they were alerted now. Among these highly trained fighters were a handful of six warriors chosen from the 15% of the Tamaranean people who could fly unassisted, and hurl bright, super-hot energy bolts. This small assault squad moved fast and headed straight towards the defending platoon at a dead charge, streaking along less than five feet above the ground, flinging out a surge of “star bolts,” drawing out swords and axes as they closed in.

The politicians responded to this question with panic and fear. The reaction was much like a chicken without the aid of a head, or a cat on catnip in a pool of cocaine.
"I lead this assembly!" Betty cried above the din.
"You are mistaken. According to Article 37, Section 16, Paragraph 5, Line 3, Bylaw XI, I lead during an invasion of the city." A random male politician bellowed.
"Actually, since the military is not called to action, I lead." Replied another.

Betty sat down and looked at her desk. Why the hell did she move to Ehah in the first place? Moi'Kara was so much better! Damn her and her college years, yearning for peace. What she wouldn't give to look up into the sky and see a Washington-Class Light Cruiser...


The 'soldiers' panicked at the very sight of the flying Tamaraneans, running into the innards of the building as star bolts blew sections of the building to shreds. Within moments, they joined the throngs of people running to and fro in a panic in ths streets. They screamed for help into the comm channels, but none came as the rest of the miluitary had more or less thrown down their weapons and either fled into the civilian populace or threw their hands up and gave in to the Tameraneans regardless of rank.


As the invasion commenced, many miles to the north of the capital, the Ehah Monastery went into Protection Protocol III and shut its massive metal doors and started submerging itself to pose a lessening threat. The people inside were not pleased.

In the hallway outside the Assembly’s meeting chamber, the warriors waited in silence, the quiet only broken once in a while by a low, machine-gun rapid exchange in their native language. The clerk they had brought along with them was still there, circled by a half-dozen of the Princess’s own guards. The Princess had given orders she was to be kept in sight and safe, and she would be.

“Have we found a decent physician to deal with the girl’s arms yet?” one of them asked.

“Not yet,” replied a second. “We shall see to that soon enough. Our lady would see her healed.”

“She can always use a new servant to shine her boots, or hold a wine jar,” muttered a third.

His comments elicited a chuckle from his comrades, and he lightly patted the clerk on the back.

Meanwhile in the Assembly chamber, the Princess and her two close escorts stood in the middle of the room, the warriors still and silent, the Princess listening calmly to the raging chaos, her face set in a hard mask, emotionless.

“BE SILENT!!!” she bellowed at last, her eyes flashing bright green for a moment, and then subsiding once more. “Which of you is Betty Carsas?” she asked. She saw numerous hands pointing. She chortled loudly as she moved slowly toward the Assemblywoman in question.

“Your colleagues betray you to save themselves, Assemblywoman,” she said calmly. “How does that make you feel?”

"Makes me wish I hadn't left Moi'Kara," was the reply, and the Princess nodded.

"You're not from around here, then? I thought you looked different from the rest of these...people. I think I'll speak to you."

One of Betty’s two rivals for control began spluttering some kind of a reply, but he did not get a chance to finish whatever he meant to say. The invading Princess’s right arm lifted, and with a flick of the wrist hurled a small, green energy bolt in his direction. His panicked scream was cut short as well by the impact of the bolt against his face. His headless corpse tottered on its feet for a moment, the heat cauterizing blood almost instantly, and so very little spread about. Then it seemed to realize it was dead, and fell to the floor, limp.

“Now,” she said. “As I was saying, I’ll speak to you. As you might have guessed already, your independence is at an end. You are now subjects of High King Myand’r of Tamaran, in whose stead I come to impose his claims. I have come to this room to examine this Assembly and see of what use it may be to my liege. Thus far, very few of you impress me at all. This planet will be subject to our laws. Your army is now to be handed over to our control to use keeping the peace and enforcing the High King’s law. More of our terms will be made known to you shortly. Have you any questions?”

Meanwhile, a ship in orbit noticed the sinking of the massive structure north of the capital. Word was passed along.

Several of the politicians ducked and remained ducked as the Princess said her piece. None of them wanted to die, Betty gathered.
"What about our people? I can venture a guess that your kind are somewhat warlike. We are the opposite: We desire nothing more than peace. What does this...subsumation mean for our people?" Betty asked, her eyes looking around at the aliens. They looked strong. A little too strong.

"BAH! Betty, you long to be in Moi'Kara yet you have forgotten her people so quickly. Alien heathens, it is true we are weak and peaceful. But let us not be the barometer which you use to judge the others, or you will be crushed like bugs under a boot. Indeed, if we had even a tenth of courage and strength that the other colonists have- then Marsh have mercy on you, for your corpses will be as still as the Cathadrian moons!" croaked Alabster Kaine, an elderly old man who poked his head up.
"Heathens, the whole lot of you. He will destroy your very bodies if you dare inflict harm upon His kind! Leave this system and pray that the Holy Warriors don't deem you a threat, or your entire damnable race will be wiped from the stars with His Cleansing Fire!" he continued, his voice growing with intensity as he spoke.

GERRAN, Heavy Cruiser Alberson
The commanders of the Gerran Defense Force met aboard their flagship. The fleet was small, as they focused on their ground forces. Gerran relied on their good relations with the Roaming Fleet and the Holy Warriors to aid them in the defense of their homeworld via fleet action. Unluckily for them, save for a small Holy Warrior detachment, they were without any aid this time of the year.
Gerran had other means of doing what was needed to be done, and so they activated the Marks Sensors.

Each sensor was the size of a small meteor. It also looked like space debris and was a one-time use item. It was an amazingly complex and effective sensor. The issue was that once used, it lit up like a flashlight in the dark. As such, the designers had shrugged their shoulders and focused on making the sensors stronger and the data relay faster.

The two Marks in Ehahian orbit were activated. Within moments, the whole Tamaranean fleet was known, and after a minute, the situation on the ground was known.

The Gerrans were not happy.

The GDF transmitted the data to not only the Home Government, but to the other Colonies as well as the Roaming Fleet. Some time after that, news announcements were made and the information was further sent out to systems beyond the Marshite colonies.

Princess Koriand’r had barely opened her mouth to speak when Kaine began to rant. Her head snapped around to look at him, her eyes flashing green with displeasure at being interrupted. Here she was, an imperial conqueror, and she yet couldn’t make the locals be silent for five minutes. As the man spoke, the expression of displeasure on her face grew. This was too much. She made a silent gesture, and some more of her warriors began filtering in to the room, spreading out and blocking all the exits. Then she turned to face the old man and began walking towards him.

“Old man,” she said. “You seem to be on the wrong planet. Perhaps you should have lived on this Moi’Kanta you speak so much about. Be that as it may you are here instead, and I have just conquered this lowly world. I would think it fairly obvious, but don’t you think you should keep a lower profile? That you will hate us is a given. You ruled here, and now we have ended that, but to speak so loudly against a race which has you at their mercy can not be wise. Your friend Ms. Carsas has the right idea. As to this…Holy Marsh person, it would seem He is not paying attention to Ehah as several of your people were killed already in the landings, and no terrible Cleansing Fire has descended on my people.”

In the same moment as she spoke, the Princess reached around and drew a wicked-looking short sword, keeping her eyes on the old man as she did so.

"If this Holy Marsh is so great, if He will destroy all who harm His people, do you think he will reach out His powers and stop my blade before it strikes you?"

Meanwhile the ships in orbit detected the sudden activation of the Marks in orbit above Ehah. The activity caused a sudden flurry of action in the invading fleet as they scrambled to locate the enemy satellites. In minutes they had found them, but were too late as the Marks had expended their energy and died out. Even so, the invaders moved in to collect the offending foreign objects.

The old man looked down and smiled.
"Heathen, the Holy Marsh protects those who give of themselves to him. We abandoned His Desire long ago in our seeking out of peace. He will not protect this planet, nor will he stop my death as I have done what I have needed to do," he looked up, "so kill me, for death is the goal of every True Believer, not life as this cowards here seem to believe."

Koriand’r smiled, but the expression seemed forced, perhaps even a bit false.

“Death is your goal?” she asked. “Well, then, perhaps I can assist you in reaching it.”

Her eyes flashed fully green, leaving no discernable iris or pupils, Grasping the sword in both hands, she lunged forward at Kaine, leaping up in the air and coming down on him in a decapitation strike sending his head rolling on the ground. She landed in a crouching position. As she stood up, she looked down at the new corpse.

“It seems your god has turned from you, old man,” she said, and then stopped, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Then again, perhaps He has been merciful today.”

Her eyes rose to meet the hesitant, horrified stares of the rest of the Assembly.

“Not one of you tried to stop me,” she observed calmly. “Not one of you raised a hand to defend this man. Not one of you implored me to spare him. Why? I shall tell you why. You are all cowardly, people unworthy to rule a merchant’s fruit stand, much less a world. Apart from this man and Assemblywoman Carsas, not one of you is worth the chairs upon which you are sitting now.”

Koriand’r turned to her warriors and gave a command in her own language. Two warriors raise the body and the severed head, and carried them from the room, first wrapping the dead mans remains in what had once been a tapestry of some event in the world’s past.

“He will be given to his people to be buried in the local manner,” she said. “Assemblywoman Carsas, please step into the hallway with me for a moment.” As she walked to the exit, the Princess raised a hand in view of everybody just before passing the doors.

“Kill them,” she said, and walked outside, the doors closing. The warriors drew their swords…and got to work.

Meanwhile…

Koriand’r stood outside, accompanied by the clerk, Betty Carsas, and a small group of Royal Guards. She and her escorts said nothing as the sounds of the massacre in the chamber just behind them carried on in earnest, letting the two locals absorb what was happening. Finally, when the last scream had died away, she turned to Betty.

“You will serve me, if you wish to live. You will rule this world on my behalf, as its appointed Regent. Local authority will be yours but you will be answerable to me and every decision you make is subject to my review at any time. I trust you understand your circumstances.”

Having said that, she looked at the clerk again.

“We must find you a doctor, child. What is your name?”

"M-My name is Terry, Your Highness," was the reply. The Princess almost laughed.

"Very well, Terry. Let's see about those arms of yours. I do not know my own strength sometimes. I would leave you to your own physicians, but the people who were in the room behind us do not inspire much confidence in the professionals of this world. The doctors aboard my ships have experiences with Humans, and my flagship has a superb medical ward. Transport will be arranged within the hour and you may rest assured you will be treated well. I will confess I can be cruel, but not without reason."

Report by Crown Princess Koriand'r, to the High King...

My Liege,

It gives me great pleasure to report to Your Majesty of a great success in conquering our first target. Ehah offered almost no resistance, what little was offered being poorly organized, and I write this from the room in which one of the planet’s leading Assembly kept his private office. The entire capital city, and indeed every sizeable community on the surface, is either directly in my power, or has contacted me here in order to submit before my warriors could even reach them. All but one of the ruling Assembly is dead, and she lives only as my puppet, serving as the Regent of Ehah. I have made sure she knows what the last moments of her fellows were like, and that she will face the same if she crosses me. She is not from the local stock, but a related people who dwell on a world on the conquest list.

I have the pleasure to report losses have been negligible during the assault of the world’s defenses, with only ten warriors lost during the initial landing. To compensate for these deaths I have ordered that one hundred locals be gathered and executed. The executions will be public, and those selected were mostly people who were no great benefit to the society, criminals and the like.

In addition, it would seem the neighboring world of Gerran, another Marshite world, had some intelligence assets planted in the Ehah system, which have permitted them to gain some knowledge regarding my invasion force. Exactly what information they have, and the level of detail, is unknown. Gerran, as it happens, is the next target on my list of objectives. As such, to confuse the enemy I would suggest that new military forces be dispatched to augment those which I already command. In this way, the people of Gerran may be caught off guard wile I may also use these new forces to accelerate my campaign as events in this region of space permit. For the time being, I am consolidating what I have taken and giving my forces a short time in which to rest and prepare to move along.

I eagerly await your reply, and I remain, my Liege, your most humble and obedient servant.

Crown Princess Koriand’r

Mount K’atai, Aschew province, 18 miles north of the Capital of Gerran
Government Bunker.

Structures as old as this one were rarely used. However, the President loved these sort of designs used by his ancestors when in danger. They got him in the right frame of mind.
The board room was empty, save three aides that followed him. There were no refreshments nor luxury afforded. The only thing there besides a chair and a DataPad desk was the monitor, and on the monitor was Admiral Chasen of the GSDF.

“Mr. President, glad you could make it on time. We are online with the GGDF and GIS, as well as being listened to by various civil departments and the Church.” Chasen said, his old drawl spilling out while he manipulated his data pad.
President Eschex sat down, and activated the data pad. Immediately, he was awarded with a three dimensional display of the alien fleet and their ground forces as recorded by the Marks sensors. Information scrawled past in that same display, along with conjuncture from the GIS.

“Chief, I see here you believe the aliens will attempt to reinforce their position. Why?” The President asked, touching the display of one of the alien capital ships. Analysis and conjuncture once again scrawled past the craft, postulating as to the design, mission, and systems in use.

“Mr. President, this is an alien race that appeared out of nowhere and sacked a colony while arriving with great force, more than a raider strike would normally have. We believe this is a colonization or enslavement mission. Common sense says that as Ehah was easy to take over, they may attempt to move on to new planets. They will not want to spread themselves too thin and will likely gather more forces.” The GIS Head Chief, Macy Caran, replied in a low, cold, steely voice.

“I see. And do you believe they will come here?” The President responded, pulling the display back and looking at the likely entry points as well as the estimation of how long it took the invaders to reach Ehah from any one of those points.
“Almost certainly.” Was the response.

All sides went through some more data.
“Admiral, how long could the GSDF fight the invaders?”
“We have five destroyers, a light cruiser ready for combat now, a light cruiser that will be ready in a few days, and the Alberson is prepared. That being said, assuming we are on a level playing field in terms of technology, no more than a day. The GSDF is primarily responsible for fighting off raiders, slavers, and holding our ground against small forces while the GGDF prepares for battle and the Roaming Fleet is called to aid. However, the Roaming Fleet can not come to our aid for about a month and the other colonies are just catching wind of this. Even assuming that Moi’Kara sends its fleet to aid us, it would take two weeks to arrive. The GSDF will be destroyed by then.” The admiral ended flatly and quickly.

“What about the moon bases?”
“If we use them well, they will get perhaps a volley or two in at close range. They will damage the enemy, but I doubt they will prove decisive. We just have to live with the fact that this will turn into a ground war.” The Admiral ended.

“I see. General Haughey, your thoughts?” The President asked the leader of the GGDF as he went over displays of the opposing ground forces.
“We stand a good chance of holding them off. Assuming that they have the same number of men and women as we do in our fighting arms as well as them having complete orbital supremacy, our current plan is to engage in areas that would be of high value to the invaders and see how far they are willing to go with the bombardment. If they don’t hit those areas from space, we will continue to give battle there to bleed out the enemy and stop any possibility of them getting into the cities from the ground. Beyond that, the shield system in use by the cities will keep them safe from orbital strikes as well as the Ickadi Gas Formation-” General Johnathan Travers said as Eschex rolled over various bits of information.

“The Macksa Continent is being hit now, right?”
“Yes, Eschex.”
It was as good as he could hope for. The Formation would take two months to get to an area with large amounts of civilians. Only ten million people lived in Macksa, so the inability to engage the enemy would not be a concern.

“So if I gather correctly, you will not engage the enemy outside of HVAs and cities?”
“Correct.”

The meeting last several more hours before they reached a plan…

Torid was the capital of the world with over twelve million people. The agro-scrapers reached high into the sky and the parks, the product of much hard work with the constant terra-forming of the planet, were plentiful. It was a thriving city which meant that over eleven million, eight hundred thousand OccularEntertainment sets were purchased since they were invented.
So many people got to see the news broadcast. It was sent to their eyes in various forms, some liked it three dimensional, others in Classic, and others in various other ways. Nonetheless, the message was the same.
“This is a GONS9 Breaking News Report!
At Six Gassan Galla this morning, a previously uknown alien race sacked the neighboring colony of Ehah…”

Koriand’r sat lazily behind the massive desk which dominated her private office. She had stripped away the full battle garb which she had worn on Ehah, instead wearing only a tight, sleeveless shirt and short, knee-length pants. Both were form-hugging and colored a moderately dark shade of purple. Her long, fiery red hair, normally worn loose was tied back in a long tail with a purple tie. She leaned back lazily in her chair, eyes closed. Terry, the young Marshite clerk she had “appropriated” from the Assembly building was sitting quietly beside her, on a low stool. She held a data pad and pen. As the Princes talked to her, Terry wrote down what was said at a furious, trained pace. Her once-broken arms were now completely healed, having been subjected to the best medical technologies available. She had even received heavy dosages of chemical enhancers to bring her physical health to something like the Human norm. She was in many ways in better health than when she was captured. Even so she was technically a servant in the Crown Princess’s Household, and her dress matched her technical status. She wore a tan, sleeveless dress which extended to just past the knees and a pair of matching sandals. A small braid at her right temple with a green bead set at its end showed others she was the personal possession of Koriand’r, and thus not to be harmed needlessly.

“Further,” the Crown Princess said. “The serving Regent of Ehah will reconstitute the army of Ehah to its pre occupation strength of five thousand people, as many of these as possible being those who served in that army before the occupation started. Once that is done, she will recruit, by force if necessary, an additional ten thousand personnel. The final force, some fifteen thousands strong, will be commanded by my chosen garrison commander, who will be named at a future date, alongside those Tamaranean units left behind. All personnel in this force will be required to make oaths of allegiance to the High King, and his Family and chosen Representatives and will be liable for use elsewhere in the High King’s holdings, at his discretion.”

Koriand’r paused at that, taking a moment to sip from a wine goblet on the desk.

“In addition to this,” she said, and Terry began writing again. “Three thousand people, equally divided between males and females, are to be selected for transport to Tamaran. They are to be in a good health both mentally and physically, suited to potentially hard work. These orders are to be carried out as swiftly as possible. You will contact me when they have been done. – End of message.”

With that, the Princess leaned back again and let out a mighty sigh. Things were going well. Ehah was effectively hers, and her father was sending more forces. Ten warships, and ten thousand warriors would be arriving soon to augment what she had. Once those forces arrived, and Ehah was stable enough, she could move on…to Gerran.

The Ehahian Medical Authority was queried to gain information relating to the mental and physical well-being of the residents of the planet. Within twenty-four hours and using the criteria given by the Princess, five thousand candidates for slavery were listed in five different sets, arranged in order. Set one and two were the cream of the crop that were not in the military, while set three was quite good an fulfilled all obligations but beyond that were not special, Sets four and five included less intelligent but physically capable people and more intelligent but less physically capable individuals. Within two days, the whole list was handed over to the proper authorities on Betty’s orders.

The Ehahian Military Establishment was a whole other matter. Of the five thousand men of arms, about half had deserted immediately. They had a ground total of two thousand three hundred and eight soldiers, casualties counted. The first order of business was finding the deserters and then finding ten thousand people willing to be pressed into service. Betty’s headache grew.

The Ehahians did not believe in prisoners or segregation, believing instead in are-education centers for serious criminals and a hug and a caring heart for the smaller ones. As such, getting the one-hundred civilians to be executed was a pain. Betty used this chance to consolidate power and offered up a list of people who would cause the occupation trouble in the future.

On Gerran, the Alberson was in a decaying orbit as much of the Gerran Mechanical Fleet worked at offloading weapons and other unneeded materials. The Second Government were the first non-military individuals to board as much of the crew devoted to ship boarding and weapons systems were offloaded on the planet. With two days, civilians were starting to be shuttled to the large ship. At the same time, a few dozen cargo ships were impounded on authority of the Gerranian Transport Authority and in conjunction with the various civil governments of the planet started loading civilians into the massive ships.

The people, for the most part, took this all in stride. Various late night comedians made light of the situation, “Of course we need to fear these aliens. Only the bravest, toughest, and most willful beings can stand the Socialists for more than a minute before offing themselves!” Jakana Bon quipped to roars of laughter. Schools weren’t closed(much to the chagrin of those forced to go) and businesses were open. The stock market took a serious dive, but Gerran was in the midst of a boom and it didn’t not have a serious impact.

However, preparations were being made for ground combat. The GGDF kept on updating the most likely locations for the alien invaders to drop to the ground using likely fleet positions, the planet’s rotation, weather, and associated factors. The city shiels were activated and put through various test runs while the GGDF started moving around to position their forces to best keep the cities safe. The GSDF, meanwhile, let go off non-essential personnel who would not be able to help much in ensuing battle.

The GIS’ one ship, the GIGV Merc, launched several dozen Marks sensors into the likely avenues of entrance. The enemy could come from literally any direction, but according to the orbit they had held over Ehah, thought patterns were postulated and as such the Marks sensors were dispersed over the likely areas. Meanwhile, passive sensor networks, especially SpaceEye, were activated. SpaceEye’s detection devices were hard to find and destroy let alone read. This allowed each sensor to be activated for a very long time. The downside was that their continious scans were of low quality and clarity and took longer to reach Gerran. This was countered by having a large number of them. This, coupled with normal detection systems, allowed a complete and total assessment of the enemy’s capability long before battle was joined.

Gerran’s situation was watched closely by the other colonies. Moi’Kara, the closest planet and the one with the largest peace time fleet, started to assemble for a possible intervention. Polokin, the next one that was well known for developing the shield system used by all the other planets, did much the same. Regik’s near ceaseless war between the Theocracy and the Empire stopped as both sides contemplated sending massed ground aid. Both could do it- their ground armies could likely lay waste to the rest of the system. Tzeken, meanwhile, convened the Planetary Congress and the various nations debated what best to do.

The Roaming Fleet was about a month away, but when word reached them of the alien invasion they stepped to it. Grand Admiral Boirkina Shein, a caution man, decided to not split the fleet until they reached Moi’Kara as deals were struck for three allied fleets to be created:
The Gerranian Expedition. Roaming Fleet and Moi’Kara, sixty ships. To be created above Moi’Kara. Known as Task Force 9.
Moi’Karan Defense Expedition/Marshite Counter-Attack Force: Roaming Fleet, Moi’Kara, Polokin, seventy-two ships. To be stationed above Moi’Kara. Known as TF 11.
Marshite Allied Force: Eighty Outposts Confederation, Holy Warriors, Regik, Tzeken, fifty-five ships. To be based around Tzeken. Known as TF13.

The Roaming Fleet was far away at this time and it would take three weeks to reach Moi’Kara. By that time, they would be the finishing touches on the Gerranian Expedition and The Moi’Karan Defense. Until then, those fleets would not move. The Eighty Outposts Confederation would take a while to gather up the space and ground personnel needed for the operation, being spread out and often times with poor communication.

The Holy Warriors received word of the invasion about three days after it happened, over ninety percent of the fleet engaged in hunting down Lard Cultist Piratical Fleets. Ground forces were stationed on Gerran for hostile environment training, Moi’Kara for the Gresin Insurgency/Heresy, Regik in the continuing wars, and abroad in small expeditions.

In short, the platoon on Gerran smelled a chance at glory.

Ehah

Koriand’r sometimes had trouble, as a Tamaranean, understanding humans. This was not such a time however, as she watched broadcasts detected from Gerran. Tamaranean people often behaved the same in a difficult situation, faced by troubles. They would make light of the danger, mock the enemy, and all the while the Tamaranean did not doubt preparations were being made on Gerran to fight a war, defend independence, liberty, and more tangible things like family and friends. Some among them would fight to the death when her forces came, while others would fight to a point and then surrender, and then some likely would stop at tough words. This last group alone disgusted the Princess, who firmly believed you should say nothing you were not prepared to back up. At least the first two groups tried. You could not hate a person who died in the act of defending his people. You could hate him while he was giving you a hard fight, but once he died you showed him respect.

Her grasp of Marshite humor was limited at best, but she could still grasp the concept that the people of Gerran did not see the conquest of Ehah as a great accomplishment on her part. Apparently to them, it had been amusing to see anybody actually put forth the needed resources. Perhaps they were correct to be amused. Ehah had been a most pathetic conquest. Even so, her new forces would arrive soon, then it would be time to depart for Gerran. Koriand’r smiled grimly at the thought. She doubted they would be laughing when her fleet showed up. Then again, she mused, smiling into her wine glass, perhaps some kind of grim battle humor would possess them, if only to laugh at themselves for being so foolish. Had she been in such a position, she would have lashed out long ago, striking at the attackers before they had readied themselves, spoiling the attack they were plotting, and trying to gain information on them. Instead, they just sat there and waited.

Her eyes drifted from the display projection to the data pad on the table beside the plush mound of cushions where she sat. It held several reports. One was a simple file, reporting the sensors which had been recovered and were being examined presently. Another was a report from the Regent of Ehah Betty Carsas, reporting the implementation of her orders. Koriand’r smiled at that one. The woman knew how a loyal underling was to behave in the Tamaranean system. Finally, and most exciting, was a message from Lord Galfore, her old friend and beloved mentor, in which he gave congratulation on taking Ehah, and informed his Princess that the forces she had been promised were on the way and should be arriving very soon. He would not be coming himself, because, he said, he did not feel it necessary. She only hoped he was right. The responsibility of this mission was enormous. If this campaign failed, she would lose everything, and return home in shame, if at all.

Days later, aboard the Battle Fleet flagship Yorgos……

Decked out in standard battle armor, ceremonial cape draped on her shoulder, battle helm clutched in the hands of Terry the Marshite, the Crown Princess of Tamaran strode with confidence onto the bridge in silence. All conversation ceased as she stepped up to the central dais, and looked at her assembled officers. Displayed on the main view screen was Gerran, sub-displays showing streams of data and facts both known and postulated. One of them showed possible locations of probes not unlike those discovered in orbit around Ehah.

“Tactical,” she began. “Do we have any idea how to find those probes more effectively?”

“Not as yet, Your Highness,” was the reply. “We can usually only detect them once they have activated.”

“By which time, it is too late to do anything about them,” the Princess groused sourly.

“That…is correct, Your Highness,” the man said.

“Very well,” said the Princess. “I guess there is nothing to be done for it. We must make progress quickly.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” was the reply from all the officers in attendance.

“Communications!” she barked. “Open a channel. We’ll give the locals a chance to see reason before we kill them all.”

Behind her, she did not notice Terry’s face going pale. At her command, the signal was a general broadcast on all signals known to be available to the planet.

“People of Gerran, this is Crown Princess Koriand’r, of the Empire of Tamaran. Not long ago, you witnessed the forces at my command overwhelm the planet Ehah. I have been informed you do not see this military operation as being very impressive. Well, now I have come here, to do to you what I did to Ehah. However, I am not completely heartless. I will give you one chance to submit without bloodshed and have an easier time of it than Ehah had. Refuse my terms, and you will see just how…impressive we can be.”