The Taleo-Zarithian War(FT, OOC and Sign-Up)

by **Taledonia** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 5:16 pm

The Current Situation

The Altedia Assault has come to a halt as the front lines have stabilized on the planet of Roth Glacis. The Zarithian forces, having pushed back the Taledonian army, are equally trapped. The Royal Navy's blockade of the Nevara Asteroid Belt has prevented the Zarithians from escaping the planet to strike at the rest of the Alivant system, while simultaneously tying up the Taledonian ships and preventing them from supporting the beleaguered army on the planet. For the moment a stalemate exists, yet the situation is untenable for both sides. Every day sees the strength of the encircled Taledonians falter, while each moment the forces of Misghan are unable to expand past Roth Glacis sees the religious zeal of their cause slip away in failure. The balance of war hangs precariously, and both sides are at the breaking point.

Taledonian Position

Having successfully occupied the inner planets of the Alivant system, the Taledonian invasion of Zarathoft has ground to a halt at the doors of Roth Glacis, the last bastion standing in their way of total domination. With their fleet tied up blockading the Winged Fleet, the army sits alone in an extensive series of trenches surrounding their landing zone. Mercilessly bombarded with acid and explosives, the conditions are hellish and resolve is wavering. If the army is to survive and break out of the trenches, then they'll need shipments of munitions and heavy artillery to counter the bombings and air strikes of the Zarithians, allowing them to move forwards and crush the False Prophet once and for all. Peace is within reach, it but needs a final push.

Zarithian Position

Two years ago saw the Winged Republic crushed. In a whirlwind of confusion and chest-thumping, the Taledonian Consortium swept through the Alivant system, brushing aside all resistance and bribing their way into the hearts of the common man. With promises of wealth and prosperity they swayed the meek, while ruthlessly crushing any who questioned them. Now the Winged Fleet is in tatters, its ships divided and trapped within their drydocks, while the army has bowed to the will of a new prophet. The Holy Legions of Tethlashar now hammer the Taledonian invaders with righteous fury, and seek to spread out to liberate their countrymen throughout the system and enlighten them to the glory of Mishghan. It is the destiny of the Zarithian people to throw off the shackles of the Taledonians who would claim them, and to cleanse the stars of the unworthy. The river of acid is ready to overflow its boundaries, all it requires is a vessel to carry it forth.

Sign-Up

This RP is primarily character driven. As such, we are not looking for nations to pick sides and send their glorious armies into battle. Rather, we are looking for rogue traders, blockade runners, mercenaries and merchants down on their luck looking for quick paydays. Both sides are engaged elsewhere and are unable to spare any starships to assist their ground forces, and thus are looking for private individuals of courage and guile who can assist and ultimately decide the outcome of the war.

If you wish to side with Taledonia, you'd be tasked with avoiding Zarithian warships that have slipped the blockade and are roving the system destroying trade and supply routes, as well as dodging incoming fire from planetary defenses as you seek to bring supplies and weapons to the army on Roth Glacis.

If you'd like to assist the Zarithians, then you'd basically be finding ways to either ferry their soldiers off Roth Glacis, or creating distractions so that the Zarithian warships can slip the blockade themselves. Alternatively, should you wish to be a band of mercenaries and get into the good fight like the bloodthirsty space-vikings you are, then the ranks of religious zealots would be happy to have you, and will probably even let you lob a few acid shells at those heretics in the trenches there yonder.

Either way, please fill out this form if you'd like to take part:

Main Characters: Please provide brief bios of your main characters.
Allegiance: Which nation/organization do you hail from? If none, say Rogue
Siding With: Taledonia or Zarathoft
Motivation: What are you planning on doing, and why? Is the price of smuggling weapons too good to pass up, or do you feel that Mishghan is the true God?
Number and Type of Vessels Commanded: How many ships do your people have, and what type are they? Do you have a single trade freighter? A small band of pirate cruisers? A squadron of ace fighters painted in all the colours of the black-and-white rainbow?
Proof of Quality: We aren't snobs, but it's mighty frustrating when you can't tell what the other person is saying. Please provide a link to some of your other writing so that we can see that it's legible and not one sentence "ZOMG MY GUYS SHOOT YOU WITH LAZERS NOW" posts.

Prologue

1. The Boulder Falls - First Contact Between the Consortium of Taledonia and the Winged Republic of Zarathoft
Overview:

Following the mutiny of Captain David Zerr of His Majesty's Royal Navy, a manhunt ensued to recover valuable artifacts of state, and led the HMS Sisyphus into Zarithian territory. In a moment of crisis, the Sisyphus was destroyed and wrecked upon the planet of Ethis. As this was the first contact between the two states, tensions ran high, until diplomacy broke down and led to a small fleet action between the Royal Navy and the Winged Fleet.

Aftermath:

With the destruction of the ZC Radiance and the capture of the ZF Shogun, a de facto state of war existed between the Consortium and the Republic. The HMS Defiant, captained by William Moberly, RN, recovered the stolen artifacts from the surface of Ethis, and then retreated to the boundaries of the Alivant system there to await reinforcements and survey the Zarithian civilization.

2. The Battle of Zarathoft - The Royal Navy smashes and routs the Zarithian fleet near Zarathoft
Result: Decisive Taledonian Victory. Formal state of war is declared.
Aftermath:

Taledonia gains control of the Inner Limits, which includes the planets of Mermadane, Ethis, and Zarathoft, along with the subsequent space platforms orbiting Zarathoft . Through propaganda, bribes, and endorsing local interests, Taledonia sways bands of citizens to revolt against the Zarithian government and side with Taledonian interests. Prince Liam escapes to the Outer Limits, but the rest of the royal family is captured. Emperor Edward dies shortly after occupation of natural causes.

3. Scouring of Fronis Prime - With the Zarithian forces still reeling from their defeat at Zarathoft, the Taledonian Navy destroys the Fronis Prime military installation with little resistance, beginning the contest for the Quiriant.
Result:Strategic Taledonian Victory
Overview:

Despite a definitive Taledonian victory at Fronis Prime, control of the gas giants Bolthou and Quiriant, and their surrounding moons is still largely contested. Bolthou primarily remains in control of Zarithian forces as it is nearest to the Nevara Asteroid Belt and the major SPEAR Military Installation. The major area of conflict is occurring in what is known as simply the Quiriant, which includes the more bountiful gas giant Quiriant, its orbiting moons, and the entire stretch of space between Bolthou and Roth Glacies. Due to numerous orbital defenses and being the hub of the remaining Zarithian fleet, the Taledonians are unable to press forward into the Nevara Asteroid belt to destroy the Zarithians.

4. The First Battle of Roth Glacis - Zarithian Winged Fleet routs the Royal Navy in orbit of the planet of Roth Glacies.
Result: Zarithian Victory
Overview:

In exchange for asylum, the surviving captured Taledonian crew of the Sisyphus aided in the construction of producing Zarithian prototype ships-of-the-line, as well as provided details to Taledonian naval tactics. Unaware and overconfident, the Taledonian navy sailed into what would prove to be a disastrous ambush. The prototype Zarithian ships-of-the-line humiliated the unprepared Taledonian forces, resulting in the damaging and destruction of numerous Taledonian crafts. News of the Zarithian victory resounded across the Alivant and lead to an uprising on the planet of Mermadane.

5. The Red Sand Rebellion - Zarithian loyalists and militiamen strike against Taledonian control of Mermadane before Taledonian retaliation ends with the destruction of the city of Book.
Result: Rebellion defeated. Taledonian control of Mermadane restored.
Overview:

Following the Zarithian Winged Fleet’s victory at Roth Glacies, Mermadane loyalists and militia from within the Red Sand Mining Installation strike against Taledonian control of the planet, seizing local magistrates from the grip of the small Taledonian contingent garrisoned there. For two months, the Red Sand Militia skirmishes with the Taledonian forces before overrunning the small garrison resulting in the killing and capturing of Taledonian soldiers. In retaliation, the Taledonian fleet bombards the city of Book, largely decimating the city and effectively ending the Red Sand Rebellion. Taledonian tactics are largely criticized, disputed, and lead to public outcry.

6. The Triple Coronation - Soothing the anger over the razing of Book, the Zarithian and Taledonian Royal families make a public display of unity.
Overview:

As public opinion towards the Taledonian occupation begins to turn sour, the young princesses Emma and Christina Tarlvich begin a tour of the Inner Limits, meeting with local populations and listening to their concerns. As tensions ease, His Majesty King Elias II of Taledonia arrives at the head of a trade convoy, bringing with him vast amounts of goods and materials and promises vast rebuilding efforts to not only restore damages caused by the war, but also promising a program of terraforming projects to tame the harsh climates of the Alivant. Festivals and parades are held, demonstrating the joys of unity with the Consortium, and culminates with the triple coronation of Emma, Queen of Zarathoft, Christina, Queen-Consort of Taledonia and Empress of Zarathoft, and Elias, Emperor of Zarathoft.

7. The Second Battle of Roth Glacis and the Ice Invasion - The Royal Navy routs the smaller Zarithian fleet and sends them fleeing. A hasty invasion of the icy planet Roth Glacies follows as the Taledonians rush to establish a beachhead, as well as pursue the defeated Zarithian vessels.
Result: Strategic Taledonian Naval Victory. Ongoing blockade and siege.
The Ice Invasion:

After the Taledonians' humiliating defeat at the First Battle of Roth Glacies, the regrouped forces strike again to establish control of the icy planet that has become one of the the hearts of resistance, this time routing the Zarithian navy despite them once again engaging their prototype ship-of-the-lines. Faced between establishing their invasion, and pursuing the fleeing Zarithian warships, the Taledonians make a hasty, and largely unsupported invasion of Roth Glacies against the unprepared and reeling Zarithian ground forces there before their navy pursues the Zarithian ships, resulting in light engagements as a beachhead is established. A series of small skirmishes between the Taledonian invasion force and Zarithian forces generally fall in the favor of the Taledonians leading to Taledonian Rosarth Offensive.

The Nevara Blockade

With the Winged Fleet once again defeated, the remnants flee to the safety of the Nevara asteroid belt and the gas giants Bolthou and Quiriant. Outnumbered, the Zarithian navy cannot afford a pitched battle against the Royal Navy. The Taledonians, however, cannot approach to engage the Winged Fleet due to the presence of planetary defenses that would tip the scale in favour of the Zarithians. Therefore a stalemate exists, with the Royal Navy attempting to keep the Zarithian ships blockaded in their ports, while the Zarithian war effort cannot progress without naval transports.

The Rosarth Offensive

The Taledonians major push to expand and gain control of areas on the surface of Roth Glacies. Initially, Taledonian progress is unimpeded and faces only light harassment and skirmishes from Zarithian forces before culminating into the first major land engagement at Khinahuk Valley.

i.Battle of Khinahuk Valley

Khinahuk Valley is an area of badlands on Roth Glacies. What initially began as a series of ambushes, guerilla attacks, and general harassment by Zarithian forces soon escalated into a large scale conflict. In an attempt to impede, and hopefully repel, the Taledonian offensive, the smaller Zarithian force decided to make a stand hoping to continue to use the terrain to their advantage. Despite a defensive advantage, the larger and better equipped Taledonian army overwhelmed the Zarithians, forcing a tactical withdrawal, with the Taledonians being able to continue their offensive.

ii.The Dakkan Engagement

Continuing their advance, the Taledonians marched their way towards the major Dakkan Mining Installation, hoping to seize its resources. However, the withdrawn Zarithian army, along with local militias, private industrialist mercenary armies, and organized crime lords had prepared a strong defensive line outside of the installation. Over the course of the next few days the Zarithian and Taledonian forces clashed amidst large scale firefights and artillery shelling before stalemating. While the Taledonians were unable to push into Dakkan, due to the extensive shelling and engagements, the mining installation was left in large need of repair and mining operations were forced to cease. Despite what could be considered a tactical Taledonian victory, this would mark the end of the Rosarth Offensive.

The Mishghan Awakening

Following his escape from Zarathoft, Prince Liam Tarlvich was eventually taken in by a group of monks of the ancient religion of Mishghanism. It was here where Liam had a spiritual awakening among the monks where it was declared that Liam had become Mishghan Incarnate, sent to repel the Taledonian invaders, reclaim the Alivant for Mishghan, and he was renamed Tethlashar. Tethlashar was declared Misghan’s vessel and Emperor of Zarathoft with the ancient powers that accompanied that title. Following the monks’s declaration for Tethlashar, large droves of the population of Roth Glacies flocked to support the religion and its leader in a fervor. In a meditative vision, Tethlashar said he envisioned the followers of Mishghan creating a holy army to vanquish the Taledonians with such force that the Taledonians very flesh melted from their bones. Due to the distractions of the war throughout the system, and using the large black market of Roth Glacies’ organized crime for supplies, the formation of the Tethlashar’s army went unnoticed by any major sources. As the Dakkan Engagement subsided, Tethlashar’s army began to march.

The Altedia Assault

The region encompassing Dakkan and the surrounding land is known as Altedia, and it was here that the Taledonia and Zarithian forces were encamped. During one of the Long Darks of Roth Glacies, Tethlasar and his army entered Dakkan, claiming control of the forces there. Outnumbered by Tethlasar’s loyal legions, the fact that Tethlasar was Zarithian Royalty, and in desperate need of reinforcements, the commanders did little to protest the claim, instead joining forces. As dawn broke across the Taledonian positions, Tethlasar’s forces began to rain down shells of acid, an ancient component of the Mishghan religion, upon the Taledonian forces, in an attempt to recreate the Tethlasar’s vision of the Taledonian’s flesh melting from their bodies. Soon after, the artillery bombardment was joined by Tethlasar’s Legions descending upon the Taledonian forces in a full scale assault. The Taledonian lines broke, and the Taledonians were forced to retreat, losing much of what was gained in the Rosarth Offensive as Mishghan devotees pursued them across Roth Glacies. As it stands, the Taledonians are once again trapped inside their landing zone with little support, entrenched in an expansive trench network and facing a constant barrage of acid bombs and assaults by Tethlashar’s growing legion.

Accepted List

Siding with Taledonia
Xianlong
The Ben Boys

Siding with Zarathoft
The Ben Boys
Equalsun Empire

Neutral
OMGeverynameistaken
Alotopia
Arjia

by **Xianlong** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 7:45 pm

Main characters:

Captain Felix Taylor

Captain Taylor is the commanding officer of the 1st Company of the illustrious 802nd Infantry Regiment of the Imperial Army. Following his leading role in the destruction of the warlord Arbat Zhul's forces over Salan Prime, where his small strike team brought an orbital weapons platform down on the enemy HQ, he was seconded along with a group of his men to the Fourth (Covert Operations) Directorate Of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau. There he was given joint command of Operation CHESSBOARD, the Xianese effort to aid the Taledonians in their struggle with the Zarithians, alongside Operative Grey.

Sergeant-Major Tom "Tomcat" Carter

A grizzled 20-year veteran of the Imperial Army and it's various campaigns, SM Carter earned his nickname by being the toughest, smartest, luckiest, and meanest bugger around. He took the young Lieutenant Taylor under his wing when the rookie officer first shipped out to the trenches of Arcturus IV, fresh from the Imperial Academy. The two men have been staunch allies and close comrades ever since.

Operative Charles Grey

One of the IIB's finest, Grey has been in-system for some time, laying the groundwork for CHESSBOARD. it is his brainchild: an attempt to propagate Imperial doctrine through other nations. Realising the need for seasoned combat troops, he requested and recieved Captain Taylor and his men.

Captain Isaac Hawke

Isaac Hawke is one of the leaders of the Talon Company, a mercenary group based out of a large fleet of warships that constantly moves around the fringes of Imperial space. In order to boost the combat capabilities of the limited Imperial forces taking part in their operation, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau expended a considerable chunk of their budget to hire Hawke and several of his ships to aid them in their task of supplying and evacuating the Taledonians trapped on the planet. He commands from his flagship, the Iron Fist.

Allegiance: Xianese Empire. Specifically, the Fourth Directorate of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau.

Motivation: Operation CHESSBOARD. Propagating Imperial policy through proxies, allies, and other third parties. The destruction of potiential threats via covert action and active measures. The opportunity to extend Xianese influence beyond their borders.

Siding with: Taledonians

Number and type of vessels: Nine ships. Eight belonging to Talon Company, of varying sizes and armament:

Kingmaker
Guangzhou
Arrow
Lyon
Zhuge Liang
Magnus
Nemesis
Iron Fist

All of these carry fighters. (exact specifications will follow).

One IIB unmarked smuggler:

Hjarmak

Proof of quality: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=316197

by **Taledonia** » Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:12 pm

While your quality is proven, I must refer you to where I mentioned we aren't looking for national militaries coming in to dramatically alter the balance of power. Otherwise it's no fun.

If you could scale it back a lot, then I'd gladly accept you. As you are part of an intelligence service looking to form ties for your nation through covert ops, might I suggest sending simply your main characters with a small force of guards in your one unmarked smuggler craft? That way it does not look like your government is directly helping us, but simply smuggling in some weapons for us.

Much like the CIA likes to do.

Edit: Unless, of course, these nine ships are small cruisers not suited for pitched combat and without the capability of orbital bombardment.

by **OMGeverynameistaken** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 3:43 am

Main Characters:
HHA Commodore-Captain Arseniy Grigoryevich Golovka - Commanding officer of the expedition. Arseniy is unofficially retired from active naval service, having been on half pay for almost a decade as he pursues various exploratory missions for the Imperial Cartographic Society. He is generally known for his opinion that all aliens need the civilizing influence of human kind and, as such, it is generally his XO who deals with alien contacts directly. Considered amiable and well meaning, some find his easy assurance of superiority grating.

HN Lieutenant Lev Andreevich Artsimovich - Arseniy's XO, Lev is a stark contrast, being efficient, somewhat cold and rather pessimistic. While he holds similar views on humanity's inherent superiority, he generally keeps them close and as such tends to be more popular with the non-human crewmen. Lev is of Novo Samarquandian descent, marked out by a lanky frame, bright green eyes and collagenous pads over his joints.

HHN Captain Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov - Commanding officer of the marine detachment of the expedition. Mikhail is generally unhappy about his duties with the expedition, as he has not had the opportunity to kill anything for quite some time.

Vulcan - An Izverg, lieutenant and head of the Izverg assault platoon attached to the marine force. Vulcan is nine feet tall, red, horned and of similar disposition to Mikhail, the two having served together long enough that Vulcan is considered the first sergeant of the battalion. Like most Izverg, he speaks slowly and gives great consideration to his words, sometimes giving the impression of stupidity. Nobody has been able to work out whether this is intentional or not. The fact that all Izverg carry a large iron club as a 'cultural weapon' only adds to the impression that these creatures have stepped out of myths about ogres, oni and giants to grind human bones into their bread.

Zhores Ivanovich Dollenzhal - Lead scientist of the expedition, winner of a number of prizes for his work on xenolinguistics, xenoarchaeology and the mating rituals of the Haksr#kt#kt of Sophia's Star. Frequently at odds with the expeditionary commander over a variety of issues, not least of which are his quarters aboard the Mir.

Captain Petro Dorofeyevych Apostol - The Cossack captain of Mir. Petro is part of the nomadic 'Kosmacks,' Cossacks having taken to the independence of the frontiers of space, making their living between the stars in mobile caravans of space vessels. Petro is a mercenary by nature, although he retains many political and business ties with the Russian Empire.

Allegiance: Which nation/organization do you hail from? Rogue. Affiliated with the Russian Empire's Imperial Cartographic Society.

Siding With: Whoever has the space coal.

Motivation: The XXIV Exploratory Expedition Squadron has run found itself stranded in the system with a serious shortage of fuel on its hands. Its motivation, such as it is, is to secure a source of claudia (space coal) and get out of the system ASAP.

Claudia generally occurs naturally in colder regions of a system's inner worlds. Any Martian-esque planets would be ideally suited to its presence. Procedure would most likely be to determine which side currently holds a good candidate world, then offer to assist their enemies in taking it back in exchange for fuel.

Depending on how things go, the squadron may choose to remain, or various parts of it may return. Petro is always willing to return to a good market, after all.

Number and Type of Vessels Commanded:
Fobos - A battleship of the Ekaterina Velikaya class, formidably armed with six turrets mounting dual 12" guns, the class is considered somewhat out of date due to their low in-system speed and endurance. Ideally, the Fobos was to serve as a semi-mobile base for the rest of the expedition when in system, employing its prodigious supply capacity to sustain operations. The ship's secondary function was, of course, to fend off any aggressive natives. Fobos serves as flag ship of the fleet.

Ivan Kalita - A protected cruiser of the Dmitry Donskoi class, Ivan Kalita is the expedition's eyes and ears. Its armament is reasonably formidable for a vessel of its class, but is generally intended for use against other light ships. All ships of the Dmitry Donskoi class carry a large modular section slung beneath the main hull, this can be adapted to carry all manner of equipment. In the case of Ivan Kalita, this is a large sensor suite suitable for planetary scanning and system-wide technology checks. Ships of the Dmitry Donskoi class are capable of atmospheric transit, but such a fuel intensive maneuver is unlikely unless the squadron is provided with more claudia.

Mir - A ship of no particular class, but commissioned by the Imperial Cartographic Society. The Mir is a cossack freighter pressed into service as a transport, servicing the expeditions detachment of ground personnel, including approximately 150 scientists and their support personnel, as well as a battalion-strength detachment of marines. Like most Cossack vessels, Mir has been cobbled together over the years, customized and rebuilt beyond all recognition. It features a variety of armaments, none of which are standardized and several of which are of alien origin. While it works, it does so quite well. When it fails, it does so spectacularly and often explosively.

The expedition includes three destroyers and three torpedo boats, which the Russian Empire does not designate with official names due to their expendable nature. Destroyers generally serve as mobile point-defense and anti-fighter platforms, while torpedo boats are intended to use their superior mobility and evasive ability to close in on capital ships and deploy their torpedoes.

Proof of Quality:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=322590

See also my (incomplete) factbook, viewable on my nation's page.

As may be determined here, I am a bit slow with posting at present. IRL is IRLing and all that.

by **Xianlong** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 6:02 am

These are not huge battleships, they are mid sized destroyers with no orbital bombardment capability. The one exception would be the Iron Fist, but operational parameters mean that it would never be used in this capacity. And the Talon Company Mercs are not part of the imperial Army.

The only Imperial military presence there is Captain Taylor and his group of men (of whom they are few) the Talon ships are there to protect and escort the IIB ship to and fro to the planet's orbit, nothing more. As for the Army troops there, they have strict rules of engagement, they are only to attack the religious fanatics if they threaten the Taledonians or in self defence.

Anyway, tell me what you think.

by **Taledonia** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 10:30 am

Sounds good Xianlong, you're accepted. Just a heads up, as you're helping me, don't maintain orbit around Roth Glacis for any extended amount of time. Zarathoft has enough surface to orbit weaponry to satisfy thirty Putins.

And speaking of Russians, OMGeverynameistaken, you're accepted. Despite the fact that you have a sizable fleet, I enjoy the fact that you're not really invested in either side, and just want to get away. It's a fresh angle, and I'm simply giddy over your purposefully bad equipment. Also, you're in luck and provided with quite a bit of freedom. Most of Zarathoft's planets are cold, inhospitable places with only small habitation belts, if that. Any of them will probably have claudia. Roth Glacis itself, with all its mining industry on that cold and desolate world, will probably be full of it.

by **Xianlong** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 10:53 am

Got it. Hanging around in the orbit of Roth Glacis is bad for your health.

by **Equalsun Empire** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:04 am

Taggity tag; would fill out an app right now, but I have to go to choir rehearsal

by **Zarathoft** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:38 am

I suppose it's time that I should join this little party. If there are any questions on any of the locations in question, feel free to refer to my factbook in my signature. It's incomplete, but gives you a general idea, or you can always ask me and I'd be happy to provide the information myself. I would hope to have the IC thread up by tomorrow or Tuesday.

by **OMGeverynameistaken** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 11:49 am

Mr. Golovka will be simply giddy

We'll see if the situation is desperate enough to push a noble officer of the Russian Empire to commit a bit of piracy.

by **The Ben Boys** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:29 pm

Main Characters

Captain Vecka Risner-Captain of the Starlight, Risner has had a distinguishing career in the Romera galaxy fighting the Uli before being promoted to a battleship commander and fighting in the Milky Way galaxy. She is known as a tough, cold, calculating commander, usually working by the book and choosing discipline over loyalty when commanding her ship.

Commander Gentry Kalk-Commanding the Marines aboard the Starlight Kalk is one of the only senior officers still alive. Kalk relies more on his troops willpower than his commanding ability and-whilst an admirable quality-can be overused. In this sense he is the opposite of his captain, but still believes in the institution of discipline.

First Lieutenant Karan Root-Acting XO after the death of the previous one over Sanguerth, Root's experience beforehand was nominal at best. The senior among the bridge crew and a navigation station operator, Root is much more creative, if somewhat scared, than his commander.

First Lieutenant Raegos Vreek-Acting Fighter Wing Commander (character not yet fleshed out)

More to come as the RP progress, I'm a fan of making characters then tearing them down/killing them off and making new ones

Allegiance

Empire of Bakra

Siding With

Most likely Taledonia, see Motivation.

Motivation

TIBER, an alliance the Bakrans are founders of, is fighting the Tnemeden Republic in pitched battle for control of the Sanguerth system. The battle can go either way, with the Bakrans defending as well as they can against superior numbers, with only a thin stream of supplies between them and the precipice. With their home a galaxy away and almost no ties to anyone in the Milky Way aside from a few light trading contracts that facilitate adequate colonial growth and the Tnemeden Republic at their front door, the Bakrans are with their backs against the wall.

Captain Vecka Risner of the BINS Starlight was fighting in orbit of Songnam Major and during the course of the battle she was boarded by Tnemeden troops. As her ship was being beaten down she ordered an emergency FTL jump to random coordinates: the Starlight and her crew ended up in the Alivant system, the once-mighty battleship was limping along, it's FTL drives now inoperable, Tnemeden crawling all over the ship, and an unknown war waging around them.

Ideally I would like to have Taledonia not attack this unknown ship. Because of the nature of Bakran culture and forgiveness, a nation attacking (even out of misunderstanding) would be an enemy of the Empire, therefore if some Zarithian ships are beaten back by the Starlight then they would side with the Taledonians until they could repair their FTL and find a way back to Bakran space. Of course it matters whose the more blindly aggressive, which looks like the Zarithians right now.

Number and Type of Vessels Commanded

BINS Starlight

The Starlight is a Shala-class battleship, a 2500 yard behemoth designed to take on ships larger than even it. With an insane amount of armor and armament and a regiment of Marines this ship can tip the balance of most space battles. There are exceptions, most notably when it has been bombarded and boarded by an enemy fleet (as it is right now). Though still on half-strength it is formidable, if on a limited lifeline and on the defensive.

Though normally fielding a few squadrons of fighters and carrying 10,000 planetary assault troops, many of it's fighters are destroyed and troops already disgorged, leaving them with (roughly) around 1,000 marines on the ship. Not nearly as intimidating as it is when fully operational and repaired, it is still able to hold it's own.

Proof of Quality

Third Uli War thread nexus, located at the bottom of the OP.

A few of my favorites:

by **Zarathoft** » Sun Feb 22, 2015 8:33 pm

The Ben Boys wrote: Of course it matters whose the more blindly aggressive, which looks like the Zarithians right now.

That's what tends to happen after your last unexpected visitors gave stargazers an impromptu stellar fireworks display at the expense of a billion dollar space carrier...

by **Alotopia** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:38 am

Main Characters:
Captain Czer Rathisborn - Commander of the Kaas-Class Star Reaper, the Long Night of Sorrow. He was born to a Lesser Alotopian House on the Capital Planet. While his family's last name resembles the Emperor's surname, they are very distant relatives. He was raised in his family's manor until the age of 10, when he was sent to his Leige Lord's Naval Academy. He was trained in ship command and tactics, and graduated 8th in his class. He was given command of his first current ship 5 years afterwards after serving on the Uvok-Class Star Dreadnought, Evos. A surprisingly charming and charismatic commander, he leads by example instead of by fear like most of the Naval captains. His men respect him and believe in his judgment. Following his retirement from the Naval, he settled on the fringe world of Cosurst. (Reasons for Commanding in Motivations)

Commander Avos Tolfin - He is an older commander who has served under Captain Rathisborn for over 10 years. He is a hard, cynical man who only wants to avenge his family. He hates any and all pirates, but often lumps smugglers into that category. While he hates pirates, the ship he is currently serving on is considered a "pirate" vessel by the Alotopian Navy. However, the Alotopian Navy refuses to stop their trade route raids as long as they don't attack Alotopian ships.

Tactical Officer Stuvo Chang - He grew up with Captain Rathisborn, so they are good friends. However, they don't let their friendship get in the way of their jobs. Chang likes to crack jokes in the middle of combat situations, much to the anger of Commander Tolfin. Tolfin and him have a rocky relationship, with Chang often yelling at Tolfin to "shut the hell up, I'm trying my best!" He is a funny man who enjoys cracking jokes but can get super serious if need be.
Alliegence: Rogue/Pirates/Smugglers
Siding with: No one at the beginning. They know nothing about this area...
Motivation:
Corust was a favorite retirement world for former Alotopian Navy personnel, with many still holding contacts and power within the Navy itself. When the planet was attacked by pirates and razed, their families were murdered and most of the people were enslaved. Most of the former Naval personnel were holding a conference in a deep underground bunker when it was attacked. When they emerged from the bunker, the planet was on fire. It was no longer the beautiful planet it once was... When they realized what had happened, they all decided (300 former officers) to avenge their families. They pooled their money and purchased an old Kaas-Class Star Reaper that was rusting in the scrapyard. They spent the next 9 months repairing and retrofitting the vessel on Corust. They called in favors to the Navy saying, "Yall want to test out those weapons and shielding, but you can't because of the treat... Well we don't have to follow that..." The Navy thought there was no harm as they were all loyal, former officers, so they installed the technology on the ship.

(I'm gonna change how they get to the area, i didnt like the time stream thing)
It's gonna be a hyperdrive malfunction with damages the hyperdrive making to impossible to return in a timely manner.

Number and Type of Vessel commanded:
One Kaas-Class Star Reaper - An older Ship of the Line, it boasts 19 Dual-Barrel Heavy Turbo-MACs (Highly Advanced Mass Accelerated Cannons, similar to Star Wars Heavy Turbolasers in size and power), 36 Dual-Barrel Medium Turbo-Rails, 56 Light Turbolasers (more on armament below), and 10 ion cannons. It has adaptive shielding, which allows it to effectively adjust to both physical projectiles and energy weapons as well as slowly negate the effectiveness of those weapons. 800 Meters long. While this vessel was decommissioned 20 years prior, it has been heavily modified by its occupiers to house experimental weaponry and shielding. While the Heavy Cannons are manned by people, all of the light cannons are automated via droids, and most of the ship is run by droids. They do have an automated intruder defense system which involves blast doors and nerve gas. They target fighters and are used as point defense weaponry. Mostly used for attacking pirate vessels and smugglers, it has also been known to attack Duros trade lanes.

Proof of Quality: http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=293416
Note - I haven't RPed in a while and this is kind of old but my writing skilled have improved since then.

Also, any constructive criticism is welcome. I'm not entirely sure if my plan of entering the fray is viable.

by **Taledonia** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 1:15 pm

Ben Boys and Alotopia, while your applications and good and interesting in themselves, I'm hesitant to accept them. While it's so far been disregarded, we're not wanting national forces. While everyone has some very interesting ideas, I'm simply struggling with the idea of allowing yet more warships into this fight.

What we're hoping for is more private citizens; salty traders who've heard through the grapevine that large sums can be made in the Alivant system, for those with the guts to face heavily armed resistance in their mostly unarmed freighters. More Firefly than Star Wars(excluding Han Solo, who is introduced as a smuggler before getting involved in the rebellion.)

Alternatively, if you feel you must have a combat role, we'd kindly ask that you once again be private and not national forces. Guns for hire, privateers, bounty hunters. And then once again, more terrestrial based than fleet based.

So for your current applications, might I suggest the following:

Ben Boys: The Starlight, currently waging war within itself due to the boarders, becomes damaged to the point where the life-support systems are failing. So while the ship is not destroyed, everyone is forced to flee to the surface of Roth Glacis. Both sides of the fight can land in different camps, and thus be taken in by different sides. In this way you have your forces on the ground suddenly faced with the thought that, if their adopted comrades lose, the other side will repair and give the Starlight to their new friends.

Alotopia: Well, quite honestly, I can't think of anything other than if you'd be willing to have your vessels damaged by your freak shift into alternate dimensions, and with power enough only to list into the Alivant system. Once there, all Hell breaks loose and you lose all but life-support, becoming trapped in the gravity of Roth Glacis and being drawn into orbit. As you sit there helplessly, Zarathoft or I can either destroy you or assist you, depending on what you offer either side. Sort of stuck between a rock(Zarathoft's surface guns) and a hard place(a patrol of my battleships).

Again, this is but a suggestion to reconcile your bringing large military assets. If either of you have better ideas, or wish to remake your applications into more civilian type, then feel free.

by **The Ben Boys** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 2:02 pm

That can work too, though I can also apply for a mercenary force instead if you are more comfortable with that.

EDIT:

Mercenary force wouldn't be that large, maybe 1,000-2,000 ground troops, not enough to make a strategic difference and a good way to open up a first contact. Maybe a scheme by the higher-ups to connect with more forces in the Milky Way by setting up contracts with Bakran mercenaries.

by **Equalsun Empire** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 2:33 pm

Main Characters: Veris Eldenian - Veris is the Admiral of the EEN scout fleet Shadowfoot and captain of the DTP Ominous Sign, he is an easy-going, merciless commander. Yes, those two don't seem to go well together, but they're the traits that got him into command of a Prowler in the first place. Once finished with this mission, he's lined up to be put in command of the DBD Passive Resistance, so he needs to do well at all costs.

Trae'Sanctafia nar Omnia - Wing Commander of Titan squadron 1, she is the link between Veris and his Corvette squadrons. Raised on the border planet of Septicia before the Menneske-Eldar war, she has had an outstanding military career. However, due to a cynical personality and a few fights with high-ranking generals, she has been unable to advance to any rank higher than Wing Commander. She doesn't mind, though, as she would much rather be in the field than in an office on Eldenia.

Eliana Variax - Squad Commander of the 10-man Encrypto squad carried by the DTP Ominous Sign, she is relatively new to live combat. She graduated from the Continua Naval Academy twenty years ago, and has only been in live combat once, when the Ominous Sign was discovered by Menneske pirates. Due to her heroism and brutal effectiveness in boarding actions during the engagement, she was promoted to commander of the meager TerraCom forces carried by her ship. She is good friends with Trae'Sanctafia

Allegiance: The Equalsun Empire
Siding With: Taledonia ~~or Zarathoft~~
Motivation: We are trying to gain favor with the Taledonian government to secure trade rights and mining permits.
Number and Type of Vessels Commanded: 1 Dusk Treader Prowler, 3 Pulsar Frigates, and 9 Titan Corvettes.
Proof of Quality:

Marix V, Menneske Outer Planet

Caste Everson sat at the central slipstream monitoring console of Marix Naval Academy, dutifully staring at the console as he struggled to keep his eyelids from closing. One of the Academy's Orbital Command trainees, he was required to track all jumps to and from the Marix system for an hour and then write an essay on patterns the patterns he observed in the traffic. He felt that it was the most useless task he could possibly be writing about. Caste Everson wanted to do more simulations of commanding the orbital defense grid. However, his teacher thought otherwise, and now he was stranded at this console until his required hour was up. Which was... Now! Caste broke into a smile as he stood up, stretching his sleeping limbs as he prepared to go to the library to write the necessary essay. However, as he went to grab his identity card from the slot by the computer, he stopped short. There was a break in the pattern he had been observing.

For just a millisecond, he thought he had seen a blip in the regular stream of dots moving to and from the gravity well marked "MARIX". His tired eyes widened to alertness as he settled back into the chair, straining to see the disruption again. He did not want to fail this assignment. He didn't have to wait long; thirty seconds later, the blip repeated itself, one hundred kilometers thirty degrees X axis fifty degrees Y axis from the original. He realized what had caught his eye; that was not a Macedonian signature. Grabbing his communicator, he called up the commander of the Academy, his teacher. "Sir, we have an unidentified signature at fifteen hundred kilometers forty degrees X axis twenty-five degrees Y axis from the station, infrequently zipping on and off the grid." However, the words had no sooner left his mouth then the signiture appeared again; and stayed.

Marix Naval Academy Command Room, Marix V

Commander Abhay Anit lounged in the command center for the Marix Naval Academy, trying to make the most of his lunch hour. Beside him sat Admiral Colton Smith of the Marix IV-based Seventh Battlecruiser Group, which was tasked with the defense of the Marix system in case any more Ruuk-Hon border skirmishes spilled into the sector. When they got the message, Abhay was unconcerned; probably a bit of reflective titanium left drifting after falling off a rusty cargo ship or something. Still, it had to be identified and taken out of the shipping lanes; it could start causing problems eventually. Turning to Colton, he asked "Can you send one of your frigates over to ID the object?" Colton agreed; as long as Abhay poured him a glass of Kovaki whiskey. Abhay laughed and agreed to the deal, and went to get the beverage while Colton tasked one of his smallest frigates to investigate the space junk.

However, when the frigate MNF Halberd reached the location where the spotty signal was coming from, nothing could be seen on visual. The captain reasoned that it was probably simply reflective, and decided to give his novice gunning crews some practice. If High Command wasn't already combing this sector for a lost, invisible superweapon, then it was safe to dispose of it and get some training done at the same time. "Okay, on my mark" he said, waiting for all the gunning crews to finish loading the 100mm cannons carried by the vessel. As expected, crew four was late once again; he'd reprimand them later. "Fire!" he said, and a spray of depleted uranium shot into space. And exploded on the Eldar Prowler hidden there, knocking out its malfunctioning cloak for seven seconds before the ship disappeared again.

As the frigate and a few merchant ships sent in vague reports of seeing a ship-shape object in the wake of the fire, Caste frantically called Abhay again. "Sir, the orbital monitoring equipment has gone crazy; there are 264 unidentified signatures, fast-moving and headed for us!" Back in the orbital monitoring center, the screen was filled with unidentified markings as a massive group sped towards Marix V.

Commander Abhay and Admiral Colton jumped to their feet, the latter racing for his shuttle while Abhay raced for the Orbital Defence Grid Command. He reached the reinforced-glass-ceilinged room in what must have been record time, bringing the magnetic accelerator cannons online as the 50-ship Seventh Battlecruiser Group broke away from moorings and docks, organizing into battle formation. Suddenly the screen beside him lit up, displaying the photograpic analysis for the mystery vessel. "Oh my Gods..." He gasped, staring at the ship design only seen in library history sections and legends. It was undeniably Eldar; the first seen in over five hundred years.

At that moment, one hundred kilometers from where the orbital defense grid's range petered out, the mystery signatures revealed themselves as what was obviously an Eldenian battlegroup. Analysis popped up all around Abhay, who grimly studied the enemy. The signature five-kilometer Eldenian Gemini flagship, the lengthy Shade Pulsar battlecruisers, dozens of Undying destroyers, and hundreds of Pulsar frigates. Abhay weighed the odds; they were outnumbered 5 to 1, were almost completely unprepared, and had no incoming reinforcements. Even Colton's powerful Battlecruiser group wouldn't last five minutes under a pounding from a force that size, and his orbital defense grid would crumble under the long-range directed energy fire, if the records were still valid. However, they had to hold while they scrambled civilian craft away from the planet; the Eldar would not pursue them if they weren't a threat, but they needed to be off the planet. Or else... Abhay shuddered at the memory of what they had been taught in history class, about what the Eldar did to planets they conquered. It was not pretty.

"Colton, form your ships into a defensive perimeter aligned with the defense grid. Engage when they come within range. And scramble all interstellar and interplanetary civilian craft; get them away from this planet. We can't win this battle." On the bridge of the battlecruiser MNBC Second Wind, Colton nodded in grim agreement. Turning to his helmsman, he said "You heard the man, move the fleet into position. Prepare all cannons, and release long-range rockets. Bake the scum." Turning to the viewscreen showing the approaching armada, Colton wrote a quick message telling his family he loved them before facing his final battle.

Marix V Debris Cloud

EENG Valiant drifted through what had previously been the orbital grid of Marix V, burning hulls of destroyed ships and structures occasionally scraping against the sides of the vessel. Fifty-seven minutes had passed since the discovery of one of the scouting Dusk Treader Prowlers was discovered by the Menneske faction, forcing the fleet to move in while the alien fleet was still in orbit. However, a battle costing his fleet over a dozen ships had claimed fifty of the enemy's and the planet currently under siege by the Eldenian TerraCom, giving a logistical and strategic victory to the Empire. Similar reports of victory were coming in from the flagships DS9 and Guardian, currently sieging other former Eldar colonies. Deploying another wave of Corvettes to the planet, he sent a friendly hello to Exile, which had just warped in to help with the troubling scans coming in; a massive Macedonian fleet was grouping at Ventrix III to counterattack against the multiple incursions to their space. Over 1500 ships were expected to be there, from Prowler intelligence reports. Thus, all five Eldenian battlegroups were on standby for combat in this region of space, leaving just the transport groups to defend the City. It was something that had to be risked, however; it was time for the Equalsun Empire to expand.

by **Taledonia** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:19 pm

Whichever you'd prefer, Ben Boys. I did enjoy the scenario I came up with, allowing you to effectively fight on both sides and risk a giant ship as prize, but if you'd like to re-apply as a merc force that's fine by me.

And Equalsun, may I refer you to the OP and my previous post, in which I said I was hesitant about accepting national forces from Ben Boys and Alotopia. Now not to sound rude, old boy, but I'm afraid I must put my foot down and insist that further applications be made for private groups out for profit of one kind or another, and not representatives of governments looking for favours.

by **The Ben Boys** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:29 pm

The scenario you've envisioned is probably the best one, though I'm going to need a little bit to add in some Tnemeden characters and information to do that. I really like the idea of fighting on two different sides, since I've never done that before and sounds really fun, especially since (suitably epic/appropriate) character deaths are a favorite RP device of mine, though to be honest I haven't explored the Tnemeden too much. Time to change that.

More information to come.

by **Xianlong** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:31 pm

I'd just like to reinforce the preponderance of private interests on the Xianese side: only a tiny minority of personnel are actually Imperials. The crew of the Hjarmak and a small squad of Imperial Army regulars, that's it. The rest are Talon. And even then their ships are not large, save for the Iron Fist, which serves as the command ship. And the objective of their operation is not to curry favour: it is an attempt to identify and combat potential threats without committing huge armies to the field. Such active measures are common, like the Soviets in Vietnam or the Americans and British in Afghanistan, 1979-1989.

by **Alotopia** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:44 pm

Alright, maybe a more rogue/former military vessel that was stolen from the shipyards or something... i will edit it to fit that... one vessel this time tho

by **Taledonia** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 5:22 pm

Xianlong wrote:I'd just like to reinforce the preponderance of private interests on the Xianese side: only a tiny minority of personnel are actually Imperials. The crew of the Hjarmak and a small squad of Imperial Army regulars, that's it. The rest are Talon. And even then their ships are not large, save for the Iron Fist, which serves as the command ship. And the objective of their operation is not to curry favour: it is an attempt to identify and combat potential threats without committing huge armies to the field. Such active measures are common, like the Soviets in Vietnam or the Americans and British in Afghanistan, 1979-1989.

I am completely convinced of it, sir, I do assure you. My main concern was the size and strength of your craft, which you have already explained away. I look forwards to our game!

by **Xianlong** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 5:57 pm

Thanks. Stupid question, though: you will post a link to the IC thread here? Just so I don't miss the start, I've been writing the opening post for the past few days.

by **Zarathoft** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:29 pm

I will post the IC thread here pretty soon, I'm just finishing up and doing my attempts at a proofread on it, so it should be posted quite shortly.

by **Zarathoft** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:57 pm

The IC thread is up and can be viewed right here. Also, were ignoring the double post because I decided.

by **Taledonia** » Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:03 pm

Also, Ben Boys you're accepted on the terms of that new scenario. I'm sure you'll play the two parts marvelously. And Alotopia, once your application is revised let me know and I'll most likely add you to the list.

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