The Age of Terran Imperialism [FT|IC|SEMICLOSED SEE OOC]

[Tagali Federation]

Tagali Prologue
Music

In my time, the Tagali were masters of our universe. From the Rim to Perseus, our rule was absolute, anyone who stood in our way was crushed, and they're charred worlds served as warning to others who would follow. Our Empire was, and still is glorious,but my time is over, and my reign is nearing its end. Even now, as Savah calls me to join my ancestors, enemies lie in wait. Ready to pounce on us from the dark corners of the void. Our frontiers, once thought to be our footholds in a vast galaxy that was ours for the taking, are now slowly being suffocated as countless "Ivokushah" merge on our borders. To most offensive of them being a vermin-like species, the Humans. They spread like a plague, taking planet after planet like they have any sort of claim. If the rumors are to be believed, there is even a whole Galaxy of them out in the void. Truly a repulsive thought.

Thanks to Hana's blessing, our fate isn't sealed yet. Our spies indicate that the Humans are in conflict with a much larger foe. Who this foe is we do not know, but it provides us opportunity to snuff out the light of Human civilization and replace it with the three planet banner. And if we in turn gain the ire of those that currently besiege the Humans, let it be so. They have never faced the Tagali, and we are not human.

Alas, it is not my destiny to see the crushing of these enemies. I only have so long to live, yet I have no regrets. I expanded our borders, brought honor to the great House Sajana, our people flourished under my rule. But this is a task I will have to leave to my Daughter, Yaliza. I've done all I can. Now, all that can be done is to wait and see.

[Tagali Federation]

Tagali Chapter 1: Arrival

Waeruta III
Ruins of Rethtu, former capital of Waeruta III


Waeruta III was a beautiful world, once home to 4.2 Billion people. It's mild climates allowed for multiple harvests year around, a boon to the Waerutan economy. Waeruta III was a bread-basket world for its neighbors within its star cluster, feeding billions with Waerutan grain. Anyone could have used that influence to exert their authority on their neighbors with the threat of starvation, but not the Waeutans. The Waerutans were a peaceful and spiritual people, wishing only for peace among all people, themselves and xeno alike. Unfortunately for them, their pacifism could not explain why their neighboring systems were suddenly going dark, nor could protect them when the darkness came for them....

---

music

Now, the teal fields of Waeruta III lie in flames. The pristine temples and shrines of their cities were now nothing but heaps of rubble under a burnt out sky. The once noble Waerutans now hiding in the shadows as the invading Tagali armies rampage across their planet.

Under the Banners of Violet, the Tagali soldiers celebrated their victory. The soldiers of the Empire gathered around their Secundus, one of the many current claimants to the Imperial Throne. The make up of the army reflected the diverse makeup of the Empire, Howling to the to binary sunset were Maug-Lai Warriors, large hyena-like beings that straddled the line between civilized and primal as they switched between bipedal locomotion and returning to all fours as blood dripped from their fanged snouts. Next to them, the more Humanoid Jorian Men-At-Arms let out the deep chants of their throats, clad in Tagali made armor covering their naturally forming chitin armor. Trophies of their recent victory adorned their hoop-forming horns. Perched across the nearby ruins, the avian Scra'Shynn Mercenaries squawked as their feathers changed into flashy and bright colours, displaying excitement. Their happiness was not out of love for serving the empire, but for the payment they would be receiving for aiding in another one of the Empire's grand conquests. Not even the Tagali were uniform in their origins. Tagali Soldiers all carried the banner of their native House in one way or another while flanked more exotic members of their species such as the Berzerkers of House Hakon, their power armor draped in the furs and skulls of previous kills. The Veiled Riders of House Mashraqi joined along on the campaign with both rider and mount were adorned in specialized stealth suits.

The local Secundus, Ishval Yol-Sajana, helped himself to a member of the local fauna, tearing into it like an animal. His white hair, a staple among the native Tagali of the Saj Archipelago, was stained with blood, yet his armor barely had a scratch. He kept his tail conveniently out of the way, wrapping it around his waist like a belt. Ishval through what was left to the ground, standing up to address his troops.

"Brave Imperial Warriors, another victory has been achieved here. Our campaign of the Quva Star Cluster has finally come to an end!" Ishval paused as the Imperial Army before hims cheered, howled, and chirped. He raised his hand up for silence, a command his army quickly obeyed.

"But this is only the beginning," Ishval pointed towards the sky. "Out there, a larger prey awaits our mighty fleet. Out there, a weak race of vermin, humans, have spread out like vermin in our path! If we are to take this arm of the galaxy for the Empire and ensure our future, the status quo of the region must be completely uprooted.In their place, We shall take their place, and burn anyone who stands in our way! These Humans must be put under our boot, forced to face the "Tavuka". For the Supremacy of the Empire!

*Tavuka: "The Thirds" The Tagali rules for subjugating a planets population. One third will be killed, another will be taken as slaves into the Empire, and the final will be spared to rebuild the planet.

[Glorious Terran Empire]

{Arstan} {Arianne} {Lucille} {Joachim}

March 15th, 2457
Provincial Capitol, Zei'Am Prime, Empire

"So, this list." The Terran Governor said aloud to the regent. "What did they do? Was there another town sacked?" The list had Terran names. "No, sire, they will be handed to us for execution or the fires of revolution will burn. "Guard. Take this note to the shuttle. We will go about your list of people by dawn, rest assured. Occultus!" He called out, the regent heard the distinct activation of a Terran weapon behind him. "Chancellor Mol?" The Chancellor recognized that chirp behind him. The Prince The chancellor turned around to see the prince with a Terran pistol to his temple. Then he heard a similar sound from behind once more, and turned to the governor and his guards, weapons raised, even the Chancellor's guards were targeted by the faceless suits flanking the governor. "I think I need another list of names, Chancellor. There has been a threat of revolt now, so if you don't want your family, and the one you were tasked with defending to suffer, I think you need to write a second list. Make no mistake, you will die. It will be painless, and you will be the only one slain tonight if you provide us with this list. Don't let yourself be responsible for a second burning of this rock."

"...If you have a pen and paper..."

March 6th, 2457
Imperial Palace, Crystalline City of Dorni, Doradus Delta, Doradus

"Is there something on my face, guard?" Arstan asked aloud as he was led around the palace. "No, sir." Something didn't add up. "So then why am I drawing looks as though I've offended someone important?" Arstan was confused. He had even bothered to dress in his military dress uniform, sharp, black, with gold highlights. Technically he outranked the Grand Admiral that had been here previously, though only in civil matters. "You are different, it is only normal that looks will shift as you spend more time here." Oh that won't do. If I'm supposed to be here looking for a permanent partnership then I cannot have this stigma. Sicilius's warnings at the banquet had successfully shifted things out of Arstan's favor. Something Arstan was going to have to climb up against as opposed to strike down at. Just then, he realized that he was lost. "Ahem, I grow tired of this tour now, unless there's some great wonder of Ellian culture in this next area, may we return to the guest house?" The guard seemed taken aback. Arstan could just barely hear it under the guard's breath as he nodded. "You're in one, you daft foreigner."

Arstan didn't call attention to it, but kept that in his mind.

Back at the Guest House

"Oh, that's fine, anywhere I can get a book will do, call it a quirk if you must but I just prefer the feeling of it compared to the delicate feeling of a screen." Joachim was led out of the guest house swiftly, as Lucille and Arianne stayed indoors. "What do you think?" Arianne asked aloud to Lucille. "These distractions are meaningless, and this arrangement is time consuming. It is inefficient. {There are already reports of battle in sectors away from Velutaria, we cannot afford to drag this out, the Empire is beset on two fronts and I must return before I become necessary.}" Arianne balked. "I was talking about the calligraphy." Lucille looked at her, through her, really, for a moment before examining the text. "Is it meant to be an illegible cipher?" Now Arianne was glaring. "No?" "It looks like an illegible cipher used to encrypt sensitive information. What does it say?" Arianne then adjusted her cuffs. "It says Maximus."

"No, it does not."

{Rude.}

March 6th, 2457
Mal'Uk'To, Occupied Zei'Ari Space

Madness and stupidity had ruled this day, but Bridgette wouldn't let them recover. Many of her own battleships had been put out of commission, yet the enemy had fewer still. "Fire on that battleship, reduce it to slag!" She ordered, the Balaur's mighty guns had turned to one of the Radiants. Much of the Iron group had been destroyed, and a great deal of battleships in the Anvil group had been disabled, but the Hammer broke many of their big guns, they were ordered to continue harassing the enemy battleships at range, and the Balaur had survived the bombardment, Bridgette saw many signatures growing in intensity, and had begun the process of getting Gottfried's Dreadnoughts in system, providing coordinates and spacetime fluctuations to allow the Jump Drives to lock on. It would take three minutes at this rate. "All strike craft begin heading to the surface of the planet, we can handle their fighters with point-defense. Destroyers Halifax, Ozark, and Muntenia, move into orbit to remove any anti-air assets."

The Hammer strike group launched another volley of kinetics into the Radiants, and began engaging the Warbringers as well. "All Hammer Strike Group elements, we've been ordered as following: Mag-dump into enemy capital ships, fire until there's nothing left, or until we receive flanking fire. Orions, get into energy field overlap for maximum defensive capabilities, those battlecruisers are paper-mache." Commander Lionel Angevin was given charge of the group for the moment, and while he was ordered to focus on punishment, he was mentally preparing himself for any number of things to come out of those FTL signatures bubbling around the fleet. Even the Balaur was spooling its warp drives.

March 7th, 2457
Rimward Fringe, Grand Duchy of Ridoria, Terran Empire

"What is this drivel?" The Governor was perplexed. The report of the refugee ship's arrival was confusing moreso than anything else. A race of peaceful farming insectoids had been reduced to a third of their population, and cargo ship less than 500 meters long, less than 10,000 individuals in stasis, having evacuated beforehand. There was a few hours where translation was taking place. Mad ravings about the blue-skinned monsters. He was speaking to the alien soon after. Waerutan, it called its race, and they were looking to isolate themselves, requesting a dome be constructed to house them, and requesting safety. "Are these individuals Velutarian?" He asked, as the matrix turned it into a string of clicks and gurgles. "No, they are Tagali, the banner baring the Three-Stars of Hell. Your Emperor has been heard of on Waeruta III as a bringer of peace and stability. We will live in any way we can to spare us the pain of the Tagali oppression. Please, we seek your Emperor's blessing, we can tell you anything we can to prepare your people. The 27 Kingdoms have already rejected us, all 27 of them! They see your Empire as a bulwark and live in the lie of safety. Please, beseech your Emperor! We must be safe from them before they descend upon this space."

The Governor was at an impasse. "Very well, I will send a report to Terra itself. Your people will live, but it is not up to me where, you will report to these coordinates, under an escort, and give your full testimony when you arrive.

Later that Day, Imperial Palace, Terra

"Summon the Senate. I must speak with them." Tiberius was, for once in a great few years, unsure. Minerva, what are these? Tiberius pondered to the symbiotic presence of the Empyrean race. {Something mightier than Velutaria, but less prolific, I had hoped they would stay away long enough to take Velutaria, but it seems they've begun early. They're faster, taller, and stronger than the civilian populace, and possess a slight edge in technology, militarily speaking. But, as far as I know, they could still have a scarcity.} "Hmm..." He thought to himself. Are they psykers? {Not that I can tell.} Well at least we won't have to manufacture more anti-psy materiel, what's the estimate on titan-sized vessels? {Numerous.} Can they strike the Imperator before it can strike them? {Not if you know where they are before they know where you are.} Then we can hold.

"My honored Senate, I am here with dire news, I trust everyone has read the datapads before them? Good. Now, I am here while Sicilius is off on deployment to organize a defensive plan. We must mobilize the garrisons and activate the Knights of the Gilded Shield to lead tactical operations." This garnered hushed distress from the senate. The Knights of the Gilded Shield were 9 first-generation clone commanders kept in a torpor of combat simulations to prepare them for the Empire's defense. They were geniuses of war, but being first-gen, were on a limited life of perhaps 25, with modern bio-augmentation, 100. They were kept asleep, dreaming of wargames to keep their bodies from aging. The first generation of clones were a wartime emergency measure in the other galaxy, made to stop an omnicidal race of bio-ships hellbent on eating galaxies. The clones were the first line of defense on the ground, genetically engineered to age at an accelerated rate, and filled with propaganda and given the finest military training. This measure ensures that even modern clones have a stigma of warfare and death.

"I have a witness, a refugee, to describe the horror and the civilian view of their battle stratagem. I have the Knights working on it now, and what we can gleam from the descriptions of their forces are a motley of races, and frighteningly similar in rule to Velutaria. Please, friend, speak freely. You are our guest, and I will give you a temporary home in Ulthan IV. It has good pasture lands, compatible with your physiology. Your people are safe, now tell the Galaxy what you saw, and will we deal with it as best we can."

The meager creature stood before the mass of senators. "Thank you, your munificence. Now, senate of Terra. I awoke on the fifth day of..."

March 7th, 2457
Interplanetary Space, Risaria System, Velutarian Empire

The battle was getting underway, the Terrans opened up with kinetics the moment they got into range, shattering multiple Velutarian formations. The Velutarians had returned fire, instantly knocking out 3 Terran dreadnoughts, and Sicilius needed to get a grasp on the situation. "After the 7th Volley, all ships are to begin Divide et Imperia maneuvers." Sicilius then had Juno broadcast coordinates to each fire group. "Now!" Sicilius' ships all warped to various points around the system, at numerous stations and over different planets. The Velutarians pursued in equal division, but as they arrived, the Terrans all converged on a single position, annihilating the now-numerically inferior Velutarian division. Over 200 vessels were gone when the Terrans dropped out of warp guns ablaze. Then, the Terrans warped away once more, bombarding the pursuing Velutarian Fleet.

"Fire control, target the lead broadcasting vessel." The Grand Admiral simply pointed at the hologram depicting it, and the terrible superweapon began charging. Another beam of antimatter sliced cleanly into the Velutarian dreadnought, as it then exploded with the brilliance of a sun. The Terrans lost another fourteen battleships and dozens of support craft as the next 5 minuts passed, but Velutarian dreadnoughts were popping like corn kernels on a range as the Archangel class battleships glided through the battlefield, lancing holes into Velutarian cruisers and battleships whilst reflecting the UV lasers that the Velutarians were showering them with. "Squid fighters inbound, deploy fighter screen and nuclear flak." The guns turned away from the enemy fleet, loading atomic shells, and blasted into the cloud of fighters approaching from above, and Terran fighters streamed out of hangar bays and flew into the glowing cloud of ionizing radiation.

The fighters danced around in the maelstrom of fire and radiation, shields glowing against the firestorm as their guns erupted and their missiles flew through the clouds of hell. The Velutarian fighters had been largely blinded by the nuclear explosions, and furthermore many of them were either drifting with little power or otherwise completely disabled. It was like dropping a shark into a tub of paralyzed, bleeding tuna. The Velutarians had lost strike craft dominance.

[Anshari]

Oh boy, I didn't realize I never posted. So, I forgot what I was gonna do fully for the post so I'm just posting what is immediately essential to get the plot rolling again. Sorry!

Tenshaan System, Vasir Tzar Enclave – Orion Spur

Tenreya Listening Post

The Tenreya Listening Post is of a recent construction, the passing of the Kar Initiative some time prior has lead to an expansion of Tzar interests. Such interests, may not be of conquest, but of exploration and discovery. Granted, the station is mostly used for military intelligence, but in their spare time the Tzar seek to observe the gravitational disturbances and spacial phenomena that occur around them.

Overseer Jao Menraya Vas’Tzar observes over the latest eavesdrops. The Tzar have been eyeing a near by planetary cluster, a pacifist society of artisans and farmers, primitives who they deem worthy to observe and learn.

“Show me the recent inbound traffic from 32:00 to 00:15 Tzar Standard.” Jao requested, his voice soft and quiet.

“Yes sire.” speaks his young assistant, her voice louder and stern compared to her superior. “Odd, there’s a...” her voice trails off as she observes the unusual break in transmissions.

“What did you find Jayvah?” Jao inquires.

“For several hours there communications traffic in the system suddenly fell silent. It wasn’t a sudden black out or...” Jayvah voice suddenly cracked, her thoughts fall silent. Jao observes the communication transcripts for himself in horror.

“Inform the Imperial military.”

Mal’Uk’To – Imperial Terran Space

Stellar Winds – Fleet of Dire Malevolence

Her ship buckled, debris clutters the command deck as enlisted Anshari remain at their posts. Via observes the tactical data and the holotable, insignias representing friendly and hostile ships constantly shifting with Anshari vessels dropping off the map like flies.

“Sire, the ground base near the temple has been hit.” barked one of her underlings. Via contemplates her options. “What’s the status on the evacuation of Mentos’ flagship?” Via inquires. “If we’re going to abandon the field of battle, we must leave with something!”

“Evacuation is proceeding as planned, Mentos is off the vessel and the recovery of the Xylis’ escape pods is at 85 percent.” replies her communique officer.

“Order the Swordbearers to engage a tactical warp to the otherside of the planet, deploy Skirmishers to provide sweeps of the planet for Terran fighter-bombers. Assign any surviving cruisers to provide escort for those carriers!” Via barked. The Anshari command crew begin working frantically. Via’s continues to bark her orders as the Radiants are laid to waste. Her Warbringer contingent is now next on the Terran’s list.

“Sire, we have friendly warp signatures inbound, the Kar have deployed Orto’s battlegroup.”

Sword of Valor – Fleet of Unyielding Intervention

“Warp complete, systems report operational status and rapid response teams are ready for launch.” Orto’s second in command observes the holotable. Insignias begin to light up all across. Balls of purple and blue, some entangled in each other, ignite the room in a blueish/violet haze.

“Communiques, hail the Stellar Winds, secure channel, order Lance Contingent into firing position Gyth. Praemium Contingent standby for targeting uplink.” Orto ordered.

“Link established Fleet Conductor. Battle Union Master Via is on the line.”

“Fleet Conductor Orto, this is Battle Union Master Via of the Stellar Winds. We’re sending you all available data on this adversary, advise.” Via said, her voice is somewhat shaken and her buckling hull can be heard over the comms.

“Advised Via, begin to commit to a full retreat, we will cover your escape. What’s the situation for our forces on the surface?”

“Trapped, the ground base has been bombed by a Terran destroyer group.”

“Understood, Cruiser Division Aelph commit to retrieval ops, prepare RR teams to counter-air operations. Fire Control, commence GTU with Praemium, target their dreadnought chassis and prepare to fire.”

As Orto played his cards his fleet moves into position. His flagship, the Sword of Valor, remains by the dreadnought group. Ten Radiants form into an X shaped formation, their bows ignite in a crimson glow as particle beams rain towards the Terran warships. The largest vessels, the Adjudicators, launch six diamond shaped constructs, tethered to their home ship by a crimson energy beam. The beams glow intensifies until each warship fires a river of particle energy, a raging current towards the Terran dreadnought Balaur.

A squadron of cruisers broke off from the main force and executed a short range warp towards the planet’s upper most atmosphere. Aelph’s command ship, a Flightbringer, begun rapidly deploying its fighter wings: six Skirmishers in total begin screeching through the atmosphere in search for Terran strike craft to engage. Thirty seconds later, two dropships begin to move towards the surface to retrieve their brothers and sisters.

[Ella2 6]

A Challenge of Pride

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
035/04/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Doradus, The Doradus Sector
The Crystalline City of Doruni, Doradus Delta
The Main Chamber, The Imperial Guest House
Haruka Kimura, the Eastern Princess

Haruka's eyebrows shot up at the rouge prince's words. It appeared that her intuition was correct: Arstan did have some fire in him. "Was that a challenge?" she demanded. Mami shot her a look of disapproval and the Terran prince had fallen mysteriously quiet - but then again, so had everyone else present in the room. Perhaps she was too forceful? She certainly did not think so - not for what she had seen or heard about Arstan. “I mean,” the Eastern Princess quickly amended, unaware of the silent conversation occurring between the Terran royalty, “If you are so keen, I'd be happy to oblige.”

“I think that the prince Arstan would be interested in an introduction to the Ellian arts after he has had some time to settle down into the new environment,” Mami advised, “Perhaps then Haruka may show you some of the finer points of the sport.”

“Uh. Of course,” the pink-haired princess hurriedly agreed, “Please excuse my imprudence.”

“Yes, I think that would be best,” Arianne concurred. They looked toward Arstan for his opinion and the Terran prince voiced his approval, albeit begrudgingly. He really did not need anything of the sort, but he could already hear Arianne's mental keyboard clicking away faster than the speed of light in an attempt to convince him otherwise. At this rate, they would be able to rebuild the Imperial Palace out of nothing but walls of text by the end of the day.

“Ah, forgive me, I have been feeling the urge to cross blades lately, what with all the war being declared upon our peoples,” the Terran prince blurted after finding no better excuse.

“That's understandable,” Mami conceded politely.

Arstan quickly changed the topic. “Ahem, lovely tea, your grace. In any case, you've given us your names, I suppose that we should at the least give you the same courtesy. I am Prince Arstan, son of a man who died before my birth by the name of Roland...” The exchange continued and Haruka was pleasantly surprised by Arianne's proclamation. She did not have time to read the Terrans' personal files (and it was somewhat dubious that she would even if she could).

"I wasn't aware we were in the presence of a strategist," she said with a smile after the Terran princess had finished, "Perhaps you and Hinata would like to trade some tips later." Arianne returned the grin and bowed her head in something resembling humility but, given her previous remarks, Haruka could not exactly be sure that was all there was. Lucille restarted the introduction with her own before Joachim took over.

"I am Prince Joachim, 9th closest living relative of his Imperial Majesty, and hold three Doctorates in Physics, Relative, Particle, and Theoretical. Although Crown Prince Garland wasn't involved in it for me, I disinherited myself like Arstan did..." The room fell into an uneasy silence. Mami met her uncle's gaze and the King-Emperor coughed as discreetly as he could manage given the tension in the air.

"It was a pleasure meeting everyone today," he declared with a smile, "I'm sure that our guests would like to spend some time recuperating after their long trip and preparing for the tomorrow tonight. Which reminds me that we have to do some preparing of our own." He stood and inclined his head slightly towards the Terrans, bidding them farewell. The Ellian royals followed suit, bringing their hands before them in goodbye and following Audamar out. Servants swooped in in their wake to invite the Terran royals to indulge in the treats of the Guest House.

---

A Challenge of Wit

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
035/04/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Doradus, The Doradus Sector
The Crystalline City of Doruni, Doradus Delta
The Dining Hall, The Imperial Palace
Haruka Kimura, the Eastern Princess

The days were shorter on Doradus Delta than what the Terran royalty was used to. If the sun were to rise in the morning, it would set during what the Terrans would consider noon, only to rise again during the evening and set once more at midnight. Normal people are unlikely to adjust themselves to this new environment without the Guest House's artificial lighting simulating the day-night cycles of Terra.

The winter was longer on Doradus Delta than what the Terran royalty was used to. If snow was to begin falling during winter, it would be the end of spring before the thaw came and cleared away the thick blankets of white, only for winter to return a year and a half later. During the later months, the snows would bury the Imperial Palace in a grand waxen sea as if the oceans had deposited their frozen selves onto the land. For now, however, eight days after the First Frost, the only snow to grace these fertile plains were the petals of the great Doradus roseate cherry. For today, the snowflakes were pink and smelled of roses.

The chilly winds had taken up the flavour of winter, however, even if the snow had yet to do so. As the sun fell below the horizon, so too did the temperature. But it was these conditions that made it pleasurable to be indoors. The Dining Hall had been retroformed back into what it looks like the night almost a week ago - albeit smaller in scale as much of the guests present during the actual celebration had returned to their homes - during the Feast of First Frost as a way to allow the Terran royalty to enjoy the celebration they had previously missed.

A host of servants welcomed the guests at the door, offering drinks and appetisers, accepting coats and ushering them inside and to their seats. The King-Emperor sat at the end of the room on a slightly raised dais, flanked on his left by his mother, the Princess Dowager Misaki, and on his left by his wife, the Princess Glaucia. The Terran party was sat on the head table of the left aisle, closest to the King-Emperor, the position of honour normally reserved for the Crown Princess Hoshi, Audamar's only daughter and heir to the throne, who had now been exiled to the table behind Arianne. Opposite them on the right aisle were some of the various royals and nobles of the Kita Dynasty. The position of honour on that side of the aisle was normally reserved for Emperor Ryou, but was instead given to his younger brother, Prince Takashi, in his absence.

It did not take long for everyone to be seated a settled. Some were eager to meet the Terrans in person, others were eager to enjoy a pleasant night of good food and good wine. Most were eager to get out of the cold. Audamar rose from his seat once everyone else had taken theirs, the various buttons and tassels on his ceremonial robes shimmering slightly with the motion as they caught the omnidirectional lights. A page unobtrusively handed him a microphone and his voice boomed throughout the expansive room shortly thereafter.

"I am delighted to welcome our friends and allies to Doradus Delta and to celebrate an early end to the week of First Frost. I would like to extend my apologies to our noble guests. We would have normally welcomed you to our home on the evening of the first day of your arrival. However, due to the differences between the physiology of our two species, that would have coincided with what you would have considered morning tea, and there was some doubt about having much of an appetite to enjoy the dinner amongst my organising staff."

"First Frost has always been a special day for the Ellian culture. It is the first day of winter and the recommencement of the Cycle of Life, Death and Rebirth from burial to renewal. The physical manifestation of one of the founding principles of Ellian philosophy... The Feast of First Frost was always a symbolic celebration for a symbolic day, but this year, it has become something even more special. The signing of the Terran-Ellian pact took place on this sacred day, forever uniting our two peoples. We are honoured to call you 'friend.'" He raised his cup and the others followed suit. "A toast to our Terran comrades!"

The evening continued enthusiastically as entree was served and the myriad of royals and nobles flittered to the head table to greet the Terran royalty, introduce themselves and hopefully rub some shoulders. Hoshi made her visit after the main course, tiptoeing around the table to Mami with her cup in her hands. "Cousin Mami, you're sitting in my chair!" She bubbled.

Mami laughed and lifted the young crown princess onto her lap. "You're getting too old for this," she declared, grimacing at the weight on her thighs. Hoshi merely giggled at that. "Is that wine?" Mami asked, eying the contents of her cup critically.

"It's water," Hoshi replied before turning to the Terrans, her transition from Ellian to Terran remarkably swift and effortless despite her apparent age, "I hope you're all enjoying yourselves. My name is Hoshi, what are yours?"

---

A Challenge of Might

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
036/04/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Doradus, The Doradus Sector
FED-0001 King-Emperor Athanaric, Headquarters of the Royal Starfleet
The Bridge, The Command Deck
Admiral Harduwich Ludovicus

Harduwich stepped on to the bridge of the King-Emperor Athanaric after some much appreciated time in port. The massive warship had taken its fair share of punishment during the Zei'Ari campaign. Damaged plating had since been torn off and replaced with fresh armour while her hull was refurbished with a new coat of paint. Destroyed rooms were cut out and new interiors were inserted in their place. Refitted guns lined her rejuvenated frame, the turrets and casemates housing them renewed as necessary.

Other vessels of the fleet could only fair worse. It was remarkably fortunate that no vessel was lost during the campaign. Yet even over all these years, no such engagement had ever left such a large mark on the Royal Starfleet. With these repairs completed - some much more extensive than others - it was difficult to argue whether or not this was still the same formation that first embarked into the void at the start of the war only some weeks ago.

“Are we ready to go?” The Admiral asked, eager to get down to business.

“Aye aye, Admiral,” Commander Gervas, the chief officer of the King-Emperor Athanaric replied, “Commence final preflight check.”

“Yes, Sir! Logistics Department report: All personnel have reported to general quarters. Supply stores are at maximum capacity. All fuel tanks are full. Retracting all docking conduits and closing all airlocks. Logistics Department ready for departure, Sir!”

“Engineering Department. All reactors operating at peak efficiency. All primary and auxiliary systems go. Damage control parties are on high alert. Primary thrusters one through to four on standby. Engineering ready, Sir!”

“Navigation Department reporting, Sir! All navigation systems operating normally. Navigational equipment final preflight checklist completed. Course plotted and ready.”

“Strategic Department report: Sensors clear. No threats observed. Signal traffic minimal on all communications channels. Sending departure request to Royal Starfleet Headquarters. We're ready, Sir!”

"Sir! Tactical Department report, Sir! Main battery deactivated. Secondary guns on standby. Weapons tight on all tertiary defence systems. Gunners standing by for fire orders, Sir!"

"Medical Department. Nothing to report, Sir!"

"No internal warnings or notices have been given for our departure, Admiral," Gervas reported, turned back to his superior, "All departments standing by and ready.

“Reply received from HQ: “Headquarters to FED-0001 King-Emperor Athanaric. You are cleared for departure. Please comply with regulation departure velocity. Good hunting, Admiral. Over.”” As if on cue, the immense electromagnetic coils surrounding the cylindrical docking bay slowly dragged the massive dreadnought out of the station. Once clear of the station, the huge vessel's primary thrusters fired without delay, spewing forth jets of superheated plasma in its wake and pushing her into a higher orbit.

The King-Emperor Athanaric's armour plating slowly parted as massive solar panels and radiators extended themselves into the void. While these devices could not be relied upon in the eternal gloom of deep space and needed to be retracted in combat, it was always beneficial to take advantage of the rising star's light whenever possible. As such, once the dreadnought reached a suitable orbit, the great engines were put into a low burn while large banks of smaller ion thrusters took over.

Just beyond them, the rest of the Royal Starfleet was forming up - some thirty odd warships of varying sizes. These were accompanied by a cloud of smaller, auxiliary system defence units (which were themselves incapable of faster-than-light traversal) and several enormous logistical vessels - some more or less the same size as the dreadnought that was now joining the formation.

"Contact Rear Admiral Lutgardis," Harduwich ordered. The signals officer wasted no time establishing a secure channel with the rear admiral's vessel. A few minutes later, the immense glass display quickly cut to reveal Ima, flanked on the left and right by her chief officer Yamamoto and marine captain Johnston, respectively.

"Admiral Ludovicus," Ima greeted, bringing two extended fingers to her temple. Her subordinates followed suit. The fleet admiral returned the gesture.

"Welcome back from the counter-terror expedition in Terra," Harduwich greeted, "I hope that went well."

"It is good to be back,” the rear admiral smiled, a smile of genuine relief. In truth, she was just glad to be back in the familiar command chair of the Crown Princess Hoshi. "The operation preceded impeccably. We were able to arrest all of the Gish terrorists that made it across the border." No doubt the admiral had already heard the news by now, but small talk was small talk and there was precious little else to talk about.

"Prince Kunibert and Princess Haruka are currently accompanying guests from the Terran Empire," Harduwich announced, "I need you to take charge of the Planetary Task Force in his absence."

“Princess Haruka is gone too? Would that make you the overall commander of the Federal Starfleet?” the Rear Admiral asked hopefully.

“No. It would not. Admiral Reinhard is the next highest ranking officer after the Princess,” Harduwich explained, “he will be directing all fleet operations from the Li'Bu'Sio”

“No doubt fleet cohesion will suffer,” Ima sighed, “The officers of the Imperial Starfleet are not used to taking orders from other people. They only listen to the Princess. Some of my subordinates are also doubtful of Admiral Reinhard's ability - especially now that he commands a… A Zei'Ari fleet. It may prove difficult for him to coordinate the Federal Starfleet.”

“I understand your concerns. Prince Kunibert and Princess Haruka's absence is unfortunate.” Harduwich agreed, “But Admiral Reinhard is a capable leader and his style of command grants much more autonomy to his subordinate officers. As long as he maintains reserves, w-”

“If I may, Sir, Admiral Reinhard doesn't often maintain reserves,” Ima informed him.

This caught the admiral by surprise. “Doesn't he?” Ima shook her head in confirmation. "Well," Harduwich began, "He will if I ask him to... He'd better."

[Glorious Terran Empire]

{Arstan} {Arianne} {Lucille} {Joachim}

March 15th, 2457
Provincial Capitol, Zei'Am Prime, Empire

"...This acts as a third and final point of repeal on your Imperial right to live. The prosecution has rested its case." One of the power-armored individuals spoke at the show trial. "The defense brings forth the point that the governorship has committed crimes and thus our client was acting on a civic duty to oppose tyranny, zeal in such acts aside, it was not with pure intent to cause havoc." A second spoke. "Verdict has been reached, on the first charge; of unlawful and dangerous acts of insurgency and rebellion we find the defendant guilty. On the charge of conspiracy to commit murder, and the conspiracy to harm government officials, we find the defendant guilty. On the final charge, of attempted coup with intent to cause ruin we find the defendant not guilty." A row of individuals in armor spoke. "Sentence: Swift death, not to be publicized, and burial services offered. Monetary compensation to families afflicted by lack of income and by emotional grievance. You will be held for 1 week and given a chance to connect with loved ones before you will be terminated via ionizing impulse to the brain. Court is dismissed."

The "Hidden Judges" as they are called, serve an integral part in law enforcement and intelligence services for the empire, as highly trained and armed-to-the-teeth officers of the law, and as spies for the government's watchful gaze. The Occultus Iudicum are known in the criminal world as the reason the cartels and foreign black markets have disappeared from Terran life after the founding of the Empire. A typical case of criminal activity is handled by at least 100 individuals with varying degrees of attachment to the apprehension, the processing, and the sentencing of a suspect. This is done to remain as impartial as possible, and a small group are to act as defense attorneys and reason the motives and argue facts in favor of their client, the suspect. Every last one of them, in case of martial law, can act with impunity as judge, jury, and executioner. No officer of the Occultus is without the knowledge of a judge on the law and its interpretation.

They are faceless. They are legion. If you threaten the Empire and its rule of law, they are your bane. If you are innocent before the laws that govern the Empire, they are your guardians. They are Occultus. And they are the law.

March 6th, 2457
Imperial Palace, Crystalline City of Dorni, Doradus Delta, Doradus

The Ellians had a great fascination with the beauty found in their nature, trees most thoroughly, Arstan noted. It was quite an impressive display to be sure, but he was a poor boy raised to envy the sight of that which shines, and that cold inky blackness enveloping it. The stars and the paining of the night had always fascinated him. Unlike the simplicity of Terra, this place had twice the days and nights in the same time. And it was so odd for him not to be able to point to a star in the sky and call it by its name without the aids of his augmentations. Yes, even here, his disability of ignorance had crippled him and he needed the aid of machines. You couldn't even see Sol from the Crystalline City, he'd come to find, except during the heart of bitter winter. And here these strange people were, singing of life and death, of day and night.

The Ellians had forgotten of his reliance on technology. During his stay he'd noted some remarks and hints of secrecy only so thinly veiled by the blanket of a language difference. A difference so easy to correct thanks to the bits of metal he's so dutifully and tirelessly lodged in his head since the sky fell with fire and a man in armor suddenly told him he was a prince. It was strange how casually they spoke with one another, verbally, that is. Arstan had almost forgotten how to read his relatives' demeanor without communicating through the voices in each other's heads. It had become so simple. Nevertheless, he had come to another gathering so soon after the first, a 'formal' introduction, as the Ellian King-Emperor explained. The Terran Royality had not dressed particularly for the occasion, but they hadn't had a chance to wear anything casual since they'd arrived, formality wasn't a concern. Lucille wore a rather conservative dress, imperial colors, Joachim decided upon a rather extravagant suit, slight shimmer in the fabric, imperial colors. Adrianne, the she-devil, wore business attire, imperial colors. Arstan himself decided on his Admiraly council uniform. He'd had his styled in his own choice of color, replacing the imperial black to a deep hue of blue, and the gold cuffs had the Imperial Eagle clutching spears in place of swords, a wreathe in place of a crown.

As the Ellian King-Emperor toasted, the others had lifted their cups, but he would be the first to speak this time.
"To Brotherhood!" The others followed suit, with the expcetion of Lucille, the enigmatic one.
"To Sisterhood!"
"To Brotherhood!"
"To Unity!"

Arstan was disappointed at the lack of alcohol in his drink. Alas, but his vices called to him. {Smooth move, Arstan, but what are you going to do for smalltalk, gonna challenge people to a duel again? Get drunk and embarrass yourself once the drinking begins? Maybe try seducing one of the princesses to get thrown out?} {No.} {Any reason?} {Because that's what you want.} The other nobles and royals had already made acquaintance and said their pieces. Adrainne and Arstan had made a bit of a game out of making the better impression. Lucille and Joachim had started a game of chess in their heads. That was when the Crown Princess, Hoshi, as she'd introduced herself, made conversation. With the Crown Princess making conversation, Arianne practically lunged at the opportunity to upstage Arstan the bastard.

"My name is Arianne, and it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope we all get to know one another better, with the union of our houses."
"I'm Arstan. About time that we've met. I hope to understand differences between us and make a lasting friendship"
"I am Lucille, pleased to meet you."
"I'm Joachim, glad to finally meet you."

So, Crown Princess Hoshi, is it alright if I call you simply by name? Or would you prefer I speak your title?"
{Arstan! She's young. Don't you try that-.} {Stop that train of thought, you charlatan. I'll have you know I put a great deal of pride in my discretion.}
{Qf2} {I don't know what I expected after the tenth move. Concede.}

March 6th, 2457
Mal'Uk'To, Occupied Zei'Ari Space

The tactical screen lit up with signatures as Bridgette pressed the button which sent an alert to Gottfried. "Fucking BRACE!" She yelled into the ship-wide comms array. Suddenly the Balaur was struck square by a volley of overwhelming firepower, breaking through the shield and cutting through many heavily armored portions. She had only a split second to release the dreadnought's Citadel configuration and target a predesignated beacon for jump out. A mere moment later, the Balaur was in friendly space. The ship was drifting, leaking oxygen, and practically pissing radiation out of the lower starboard panels. A quick look at the screen in front of her determined that Gottfried jumped in without a hitch, and had engaged the enemy with his dreadnought fleet. "Send an alert on any friendly channels listening, that definitely fried most of the jump drive's internals. We're dead in the water for now. Begin triage protocols and start getting headcounts. Where are we?" She asked, looking to the navigation officer. "Formerly Mor'Ul'Rek." Bridgette weighed her options. "Decrypt our distress calls, aside from repair and medical aid, there is an active gag order on this skirmish. No details, call it 'battle damage.' Understood?" Ayes all around confirmed that not only the bridge crew had survived, but so too did their faith in her as a commander.

At the battle...

"Gantz bought us time, all battleships under my command, target the sub-dreadnought vessels. Dreadnought gunnery! Fire, Alpha-2!" Gottfried had taken tactical command over Bridgette's forces. The dozen dreadnoughts he'd brought had focused fire on the lead broadcasting vessel as per the order of engagement. "Inform the strike craft planet-side to counter-engage. All turrets incapable of attacking my priorities, attack targets of opportunity. " Marcus had a secondary objective; capture one of each enemy vessel type. Such an objective would provide the empire with much needed intelligence on enemy capabilities. "All 14th Task Force elements under 60% fighting efficiency or manpower vacate the battlefield. We have it from here."

Gottfried's loose sphere began to spread out with its support ships, in an envelopment attack whilst the dreadnoughts suppressed the enemy's large ships with overwhelming firepower.

March 7th, 2457
Rimward Fringe, Grand Duchy of Ridoria, Terran Empire

"Reports ominous. Preliminary tachyon scan indicates buildup on our side of the spur with the kingdoms." The observer station over Korramia VII bode grimly. The Tagali indeed seem to exist. The Knights had already been stationed to the Provincial Capital of Ridoria to prepare the region's defenses. One of the 9 men in Ridoria spoke up. "We can station at least 12 patrol squadrons in a system then, the Imperial militia can be expected to raise shields over the developed worlds swiftly, but the fringe territories in the Grogorn Tribelands like Ghim and Vardax might be too far flung and sparsely populated to coordinate a defense without some serious micro..." One of his colleagues stepped forward. "We have authorization to militarize the planets in vassal territory, begin evacuations of the civilians and xeno populace there. Only military personnel will be allowed. Ghim has vast underground tunnels which make it a great fortress world, some deep natural valleys to hide anti-orbital guns too," Another knight stepped to the hologram and pointed to the other system spoken of.

"Vardax has mighty storms, and we can use the plasma surges to mask our troop carriers. It's fairly swampy there too, plenty of ground that can be held in a ground skirmish, but if a storm hits we'll have no means to get air supremacy. Guess the Xenos won't either but that ain't something we can bank on. Might be farther down that track than us. Try to make them think we've fortified Korramia 4 and Ridoria, make em' cocky enough to attack Ghim or Vardax, make a big mess of ghost traffic and try to mask our deployments. It's better they hit these rocks than somewhere with lots o' civvies. Plus, they're in Imperator strike range to boot. Keeps their fleets from sitting still to bomb our soldiers once they find out we can blow up a sitting target all the way from Terra. Have we got confirmation on a real naval presence, speaking of?"

One of the elderly clones sitting in a chair spoke up without looking away from his screen. "Aye, 4th Armada, and in reserve, we've got... Ha! All the ships that boy-king was gonna take. Arstan or something. Course the Gaia II is being brought back from the scrap heap so we don't have a titan with this fleet, but, gods, dreadnoughts and battleships galore, battlecruiser wing the size of Odin's manhood and fully stocked carriers with top-ranking mercs and a hand-picked officer corps! Cloning facilities, droid foundries, munitions manufacturing licences and factories? Gods, how much money did the government give this kid have to carve his little exclave with again?"

"Enough for us. The Presi-... The Emperor," The grizzled clone corrected himself. "-Has given us carte blanche. You'll get your guns, you'll get your ghost movements, and you'll get your shiny ships. Country's already fighting the Velutarians. War bonds are worth more than bio-augments these days, and all those senators, moguls and nobles are throwing their financial weight into these wars. We couldn't have asked for a better starting position." He finished with a smile.

"Oh, to have purpose again! Shame we haven't got those Braeglen or Malkari wankers to fight alongside anymore."

March 7th, 2457
Interplanetary Space, Risaria System, Velutarian Empire

Having lost the edge in strike craft, the Velutarians hadn't been so foolish as to panic. The Velutarians had activated their network of shield matrices and began to shoulder evenly the damage of the Terrans' targeted attacks. Meanwhile Sicilius had lost another handful of dreadnoughts and two-dozen more battleships. "Fire on the lead ship!" He ordered him tactical officer, who'd targeted the broadcast vessel with the Titan's terrible weapon, spearing into the shield with a fine antimatter beam, completely overloading the network of joined shields, crippling the enemy's battleship and dreadnought capabilities. The Velutarians suddenly began to rout, having lost hundreds more ships than the Terrans by this point, and suffering heavy damage to many more, with the Terrans tallying a total loss of 174 major vessels, with over 300 minor vessels such as destroyers and frigates having been destroyed. This left the 1st Armada victorious over the Velutarian's Grand Fleet, but only just.

Velutaria had a vast number of shipyards and repair stations. The Grand Fleet could nurse this defeat in a month. The 1st Armada's losses in dreadnoughts and battleships would need two weeks, 3 with the possibility of a second or third front emerging, Sicilius couldn't bank on pulling ships quickly from reserves and had to guess conservatively on spare ships off the production line. While the Grand fleet was avoiding conflict, Sicilius would attempt to gain as much ground as possible, personally laying siege to the planet of Malutaron below, breaking Gottfried's Reaver Flotilla off to raid where he could, but mostly to scour for the reports of a Velutarian presence near a rather unremarkable system. The system of Chronosium had been occupied by the Velutarian Admiral Kolarak, and it seemed to hold a monumental structure. Gottfried's primary mission would be probing the Velutarian blockade while also gathering information on the extant megastructure.

The Imperial Legions, however, would be laying siege to not only Malutaron, but the surrounding dozen systems. The 1st Armada was able to detach a dreadnought and 7 batttleships with escort for each legionary deployment. Terra was carving the bloody path to the Velutarian throne, one world at a time.

[Piethrixia]

PAFSDS - 1087|4|21
PAFDD - Quail

LftCol Reitsma, Brother of the Nations leader Jacobus Ada Reitsma. Looks out over the enormous Control Centre of the Dreadnought. At the other end of the room, the entire wall shows 10 Metre tall screens of information. In the Centre of them, all is the View of the Front of the ship. 10 Quail Class Dreadnoughts followed by the last of the 50 Enterprise Class Destroyers to be used in the Invasion of Earth. The LtCol hears a Knock on the Door to his office.
"What is it?"
"Leftenant Daniels, requesting permission to enter Sir" He Salutes.
"Come in Leftenant" The LtCol sits down at his desk "Why are you away from your ship? What do you need?"
"I have Orders from Vers" He Plugs something into the Desk. A Map of the Systems nearby pop up above the desk. "We are to begin the Attack on Earth in 1 hour"
"Ok then, Dismissed." He Starts to turn around and Daniels Salutes and walks out. "Leftenant" He Turns around Quickly. "I'm Reassigning you."
"To what sir?" The Leftenant Looks Confused "Don't I have control of my own Destroyer already?"
"Yes but that's just a tin can Compared to a Quail class." He Presses a button on his desk. An image of a Ship appears. "The Borealis needs a Captain."
"Sir. Don't you have to be a Captain to have control of a Dreadnought?"
"Consider it a Field Promotion. Captain"
"Thank you sir" Daniels Salutes and walks out.

PAFDD - Borealis

Daniels walks onto the Bridge, with captain slip-ons on his arms. Everyone in the Bridge Stands up and Salutes.
"As you were. Get ready to go the FTL." He sits on the Raised seat in the Bridge and presses a button on the Arm.
"This is Captain Daniels of the Borealis. Ready For FTL" Eight other Dreadnought Captains Followed.
"This is Leftenant Colonel Reitsma of the Quail. all Retributions in Hangars. Course set in, ETA Eight days at 50 x FTL. Jump."
The fleet of the Goliath Ships and not so Goliath Ships suddenly Slip Forwards and out of sight.

Piethrixian Fleet Arrival in 8 Days

[Glorious Terran Empire]

April 29th, 2457
Magi Defensive Station, Trans-Neptunian Orbit, Sol, Terran Empire

"Tachyon signatures detected, expected arrival point 147 megameters from Magi-9. 274 degrees by 110 degrees, variance of a degree on either axis. Arrival in an hour, margin of error 14 minutes. Force size is intermediate in size, potential Velutarian raiders. Incoming from above galactic disk. Investigate stellar bodies following mobilization. Inform the Golden Armada." The tension was palpable, as this would be the first hostile incursion into Sol since first contact with Velutaria over seven years ago. The entire system was placed on high alert, with all trade rerouted to surrounding systems or kept in harbors.

The Imperial Terran Navy mobilized with its few reserves to defend the capital. The signal was sent via quantum link to every vessel with a laser or pulse cannon, and the merchant marine warped to their coordinates alongside the Sol defensive fleet. A chain of command following the trained naval officers had been quickly set in place and the battlefield was surrounded on every axis by squadrons of vessels around the predicted entry point.

Within 15 minutes, the Emperor's own flagship and the nearest thousand vessels were waiting, weapons ready and waiting for targets. Nearly a thousand more vessels were on the way and another thousand would be ready to depart for Sol in less than an hour. The Emperor himself would lead the fleet. "Fire support, target the most likely entrance point, charge the Lux Oblivionis. Prepare to order fighters to warp within 10 seconds after firing. All ships, clear the splash zone of the weapon, your vessels will be annihilated if they remain within 10 megameters of the target area. Hostiles incoming soon, fire on my mark!"

April 2nd, 2457
Zei'Ari Principality, Terran Empire

Order rang across Zei'Am Prime. The rebel leaders had been broken and punished beneath the weight of the Empire's hidden police and planetary guard. Loyalist talking heads were promoted, secessionist speakers were barred, and if evidence of treason was truly found, executed silently. Zei'Am Prime's crippled infrastructure had been repaired and expanded by Terran technology, refugees had been granted new properties and the populace was not hungry or thirsty. The Terrans' post-scarcity methods of resource allocation, energy production, food enrichment, water purification and synthesis had been able to remove the need for class strife in the principality.

The Palace on Zei'Am prime had been scrubbed of radiation, its walls refurbished, its staff given treatments and augmentations. Even the Libertas system, formerly Chur'Mok, the first battlefield of the war, had been largely rebuilt. The Zei'Ari still there would see the dismantling of inefficient factories, and would see the erection of a completely new industrial sector over the ruins that had been left by two wars upon the planet's surface. These were cleaner, faster, simpler, and could produce nearly four times as many goods as before. The Zei'Ari foremen and managers still responded to Terran CEOs and CFOs, a reminder of the ruling classes.

Life was changed across the Zei'Ari lands, for better or worse. Prince Rozu had come to understand it. His way of life would need to change too to survive the Terran regime, to live in the wake of Invicta Imperii in Terris. His father Zog did not adapt, and was beaten by the Unconquered Empire of Earth. He would adapt, if nothing else but to turn the Empire of Earth into a tool to help his people instead of destroy them.

March 30th, 2457
Vardax, Rimward Fringe, Grand Duchy of Ridoria, Terran Empire

A thunderous blue haze and razor-sharp wind marked the start of a new day on Vardax. 2,000,000 soldiers and over 5,000,000 tonnes in materiel had arrived the previous night, and another round would arrive today. Deep trench lines with two-directional fire capacity were erected across the planet. Weather data almost a month in advance was predicted. An entire anti-orbital emplacement was constructed and submerged in the swamps. Barracks beneath the murky waters were constructed, Soon the entirety of Legio V Dawn was on planet, many areas were charted across the surface, and countless paths of raid and retreat were mapped. As the commanders ordered, they rehearsed mock battles in storm conditions of torrential ammonia rains and charged particles tampering with sensor data until they'd become fully accustomed to the climate, able to fight at full speed during a storm without mishap.

The lighter amphibious personnel carriers and lightweight ARH-1 Hover-Tanks in addition to the jump-jet equipped raider division in the 5th legion meant they could thunder across the surface with the storms. While other legions were fortifying cityscapes and tunnel networks on more developed planets, the 5th legion was primarily an offensive deployment. Yet their tactics would be the only kind capable of 'fortifying' a chaotic marshland like Vardax, if such a term could be applied. There was no way that the 5th legion would leave this world without victory first being achieved. For their orders were to stand against a potential Tagali incursion until either the enemy breaks, or the planet breaks.

Ghim

Unlike Vardax, Ghim was barren, dry, windstorms would graze its surface, but not enough to deter an army. It was a mining world at first, before the Empire introduced more efficient means to the native Ridorians and Grogorn. This meant there was a large network of transportation lines, once for cargo, now for military equipment. The 20th Legion would be deployed here, as again unlike Vardax, there were multiple areas to deploy hidden anti-orbital guns. Ghim's boreholes and strip-mines were great for enclosing the guns and supplying them with ammunition or power. Entire divisions could appear on the surface from nowhere on Ghim. and disappear back into the tunnels just as swiftly. The planet only surrendered under threat of blockade, as before the Empire's technology was introduced to make the planet autonomous, it relied on shipments, once from Velutaria, then from the Grogorn chieftains.

The Empire held this planet in great strategic importance. It was here that supplied the first wave of Archangel battleships once Supplice began to mine the planet's deeper layers.

It would be taken only by complete destruction, as the tunnels have since been given their own veritable biosphere by Imperial colonization technology, even scorching or irradiating the surface would do little to affect the power-armored legion from stepping out of their safe, climate-controlled tunnels to attack any interlopers. Just according to the plan of the grizzled old clones.

March, 2457
Dozens of Systems, Velutarian Empire

The Velutarian Empire burns.

The world of Fonkid Morrog, an old planet considered to be essential in founding Velutarian influence in the Orion Spur, fell after a bloody three-day assault from the Seventh Legion. Palaorum, a world which had hidden an Antecedent Relic that was 200 years ago a mystery to Velutaria, and still remains as such today, fell after but a single day to the 13th Legion. Its ancient libraries were shattered, and the relic was moved to safe containment in a station orbiting far around Procyon. Many historic worlds had been taken, Velutarian nobles were either expelled en masse or taken in transport convoys to become either slaves or examples in the case of leaders, of religious, military, and community organizations. The slave soldiers of Velutaria had rebelled against their masters to break the Velutarian oppression of their peoples. Many were killed by their overlords, but as many were saved when the Terrans broke the backs of the Velutarian army command.

Pogroms erupted among the liberated and integrated former slave worlds. The Imperial legion had a hard time attempting to spare the occupied Velutarians the wrath of their former underlings. Many officers ignored orders to stop the violence. The Terrans added many more species, those of vassals already held and granted citizenship, or niche communities that had been brought to serve the machinations of Velutarian slave masters. Of these niches, many opted to join the Imperial military, further adding to the stability of conquered planets. Though certain Velutarian communities needed Terran Planetary Guard regiments from core worlds ferried to them to quell the violence.

The Terran Empire had lost over 12 million men and women in the sieges, to the tune of tens of millions across the conquered worlds. The Grand Fleet returned to capable service shortly after the Velutarians' Orion Border Zones fell, but even if they were taken back, these worlds and their history would bear the scars of the Terran conquest forever.

With both Great Flotillas endlessly chasing each other and trying to goad one another to a second engagement, the front ground to a halt.

April 21st, 2457
House Fenn, Fennoria, Velutarian Empire

Japra Fenn knew only rage. Such anger had driven her to despair, her servants avoided her gaze and steered clear of her ritual pools and chambers out of fear over her wroth. She was floating aimlessly in her most favored of said pools in Fennoria. She felt the pulse of the door, someone came to intrude upon her anguish. "Enter." She said, to which the door opened itself to reveal a plebeian male, smaller than her by over 15 centimeters. "Your Most Excellent Majesty, I apologize a thousand fold for intruding, I-" She stopped him there. "Your purpose is already deemed nonexistent, thrall, be brief or your death will not be." The servant's eyes darted down, away from her piercing gaze. "The Vengeance Project is completed ahead of schedule, all 12 hulls await christening and orders."

"Servant." Japra called, her voice no longer carrying venom in its delivery. "Your name." He stammered for but a second. "M-my name is Rygul, your Highest of Graces." She pondered for a moment. "Rygul, you are henceforth to be my official jester. You will not die as long as you continue to bear news. As well as entertain me when I grow bored."

"Thank you, Grand High Empress."

Later that Day, War Room, Fennoria, Velutarian Empire

"They must be allocated to the Grand Fleet for our next engagement with the Terrans' First. What news of Kolarak's expedition?" The Grand High Empress spoke to her admiralty via communications link. "We've had word that he's destroyed the defensive positions and has occupied the structure, presently deciphering its function. Yesterday he reported an encounter with nearly 50 Terran battleships which employed hit and run tactics for about an hour before disengaging. Minimal losses." Japra's eyes narrowed. "Admiral Yonduk, how long have you been in command of any large groups?" The Admiral was taken aback. "70 Years your Majesty." He asserted. "That's 'Your Most Excellent Majesty,' and how is it that in all your years you've never heard of a scouting party?" Everyone at the meeting knew of Yonduk's inheritance of the title, a topic he was always sore over. "Why, I... I didn't!" Japra seemed to revel in the confrontation. "Henceforth all inherited officer positions will be preened by the rest of the admiralty for competence before being commissioned. Yonduk, you are hereby stripped of rank and to be arrested and tried for gross incompetence. As for the 12 Krakens of Malice, our Vengeance Project, dispatch them to the Grand Fleet and inform Povu to be ready to deploy to Kolarak's position. His fleet is unable to fight off the Terrans' Armada alone."

"And for the Almighty Gods' sake, someone give the Roshai a target for their contract. The Anshari will do if not the Terrans."

[Piethrixia]

PAFDD - Quail - ETA - 1 Hour

A Sergeant runs down a long corridor to the Captain's office. He runs through the Door Still saluting as he puts a data card on the captain's desk.
"Sir Enemy Ships on Long Range Scanners at the Point of Exit from this Course, I Recommend we change Course."

"How many?" He says as he is still turning around and putting his glass down.

"Thousands." The Sergeant plugs the data card into the command console "One has a weapon that could obliterate the Quail." An image pops up on the screen.

"That's, not what I expected." The Captain looks down at his command console. "Enable FTL Linking with the rest of the Fleet."

"Sir? Those are only used when one ship cant go as fast as the rest of the fleet."

"Exactly" The Captain Brings up the Stats of the ship. "This Ship is the fastest in the fleet, we have the fastest FTL Drive. We can go thousands of times faster than light"

"Now I see what you are going to do sir. The fleet is only going 100 x FTL. If they are all connected to the Quail, then we can get there in the next 20 Minutes"

"Exactly, Sergeant. Now go get the fleet ready" The captain looks at the models of the greatest piethrixian vessels on his wall.

"Yes sir" He Salutes the Captain and Leaves.

PAFD - Greenwood - ETA - 2 Minutes

"Charge Weapon Systems. Shields Full"

"Yes sir, Weapons Systems online, Sheilds are on Full"

"Enable IFF Transmitter, we don't want a Dreadnought giving us a full broadside by accident"

"Yes sir, that would be very bad." The Officer looks down at his Console. "2 minutes to Arrival. The Quail is Slowing its FTL Drive down. When it gets to our Max speed we can take over"

[Anshari]

Mal’Uk’To – Imperial Terran Space

The dropships from the surface quickly rendezvoused with the closest Flightbringer. The light carrier quickly accelerated to faster than light, zipping away from real space back towards Anshari space. Meanwhile, the battle has grown fierce, the arrival of Terran reinforcements is putting unrelenting pressure on the already weakened Anshari defense. Fleet elements from the Mylith and Kar are spread apart, battleships are torn apart like paper through a shredder, but the Kar’s new dreadnoughts hold firm, retaliating against Gottfried’s forces. As the battle raged, the dreadnoughts begun to lose power as their anchorage modules begin to overload and shutdown. The prisms that make up the dreadnought’s unyielding firepower begin to retract into the ship and the Anshari begin to huddle around their vulnerable capital ships.

Sword of Valor – Fleet of Unyielding Intervention

“Sire, the Bornstellar reports a successful retrieval of the artifact team. Via is requesting a status updat--” The communique director is thrown against his terminal and knocked unconscious. The Radiant buckled and shuddered as Terran rounds penetrate through her armor.

“Seal off damage compartments and tell the Mylith to retreat, we will hold this position until the dreadnoughts are warp capable.” Orto said, his voice was firm but to those close can feel a slight hesitation.

The tactical director approached Orto. “Moros, we won’t survive the dreadnought’s recharge cycle, we need to eject and cleanse.”

Orto stood silently for a moment as the battle raged outside beyond the CIC. Via’s ships had already vacated the field, leaving only a sea a crimson amongst the tactical display before him. “Order the dreadnoughts to abandon ship, rendezvous with the nearest battleships and execute Denial protocols, we will cover them until their reactors are prime to detonate.”

Orto’s fleet remained behind, struggling to hold the unyielding fury of the Terran war machine. As each dreadnought is vacated and detonated or otherwise destroyed under the unrelenting hailstorm of neutronium and metal. Soon there were only husks of once uncontested military might, no souls remained, at least at a glance. The Anshari had completed their goals, but at a terrible price.

System Jiris-1743A – Outskirts of the Velutarian Border

Fleet of Opposed Thought

The Tzar have been operating outside of Velutarian space for some time, monitoring their activity. The Tzar are among some of the more curious Anshari, and some of the most deadly in combat. The Velutarians, for a time, had left them alone, whether it be out of acknowledgment of their inferiority or they simply were unaware of their presence, the Tzar had operated unopposed.

As the fleet prepares to warp away to another system along the border, one of their scout ships returns. The Seeker hails the command ship. A discovery had been made, an unusual fleet movement within Velutarian space, and warp signatures from another point of origin all converging on a singular location. The Tzar fleet then changes course, moving closer to the anomaly detected by their Seeker.

Rok’Kar – Kar Providence, Anshari Prime

Vasir Imperial Court House

“Your Vasir needs to be kept in line! You’ve nearly brought war to our realm!” shouts an Aeon of the Vzar. News of the Mal’Uk’To incident spread quickly to the High Aeons of the Vasah Upper Council. High Aeon Nycrah Kras Ah’Vzar rage echos through the council chambers. “Your reckless leaders must stand trial for this embarrassment. We are to guide the younger races, not butcher them! Let alone, be defeated by their primitive weapons!”

“Nycrah, you understand the threat the Terrans pose far more than the rest of your comrads.” Gyshiir responded. “Your Vasir has been keeping secrets from this council. Particularly knowledge that is best kept with all of us, rather than a select few.” Gyshiir pauses for a moment. “Do not dare to lecture me on the scriptures of our Covenant either. Your Vasir is not renowned for civil behavior with the children of this galaxy.”

Nycrah rises from his seat once more, but is interrupted by the arrival of the Vas’Regent.

“Enough High Aeons, for the time now is not to squabble. The blame lies not with the Mylith, for they simply carried on their duties as per our Covenant with the Gods and their children.” He turns to the High Aeon of the Kar. “The fault lies with the Kar, for in their blind sense of justice, assaulted the Velutarian brutes. With the ferocity of a disciple of Vziir himself, they cut down the Velutarians efficiently, saving a primitive planet doomed to slaughter.”

Joto Maan rises from his chair. “The actions of our Fleet Conductor is unforgivable. He will be punished to the fullest extent of Kar military law. I seek forgiveness among my brothers and sisters of the Anshari.”

“No.” Ran said.

“He violated Imperial law for his actions. While his insubordination to military hierarchy falls under the Kar’s sphere, it was his interaction with the Velutarians that violates Imperial law, and such adjudication must be carried out by the Imperial courts.”

The High Aeons silently agree, Joto sits motionless, silently acknowledging Ran’s reasoning.

“Have him transferred to an Imperial holding facility for processing Joto, so long as I have the Council’s blessing.”

The majority agree in unison. The Mylith and Kar silence deafens the room.

“Now, for the Velutarians...”

“Ran, I wish to discuss my findings with you following a private investigation.” Gyshiir said.

“What did you find Gyshiir?” Ran inquired.

The table in front of them illuminated a holographic depiction of the Anshari Titan in its completed state.
“Intenya, what is this?” Gyshiir inquired. The question plagued side conversations and whispers, echoing through the halls as Ran sat silent.

“The gears of war are turning in this galaxy Gyshiir, the Velutarians expand unchecked and now these Terrans plague our galaxy with their hegemonic behavior.” Ran paused for a moment.

“Your father approached me, Gyshiir, with a solution to our complacency. A chance to enforce civilization across the galaxy, an opportunity to put these sea serpents of Velutaria in check. I’ve known long before we’ve truly needed this weapon of war that we would indeed need it and here we stand, today, defenseless against not one but two contenders to our position as caregivers of this galaxy.”

“Now the Velutarians demand blood for their slaves killed by a rebellious Kar’s hand. I move to ratify our Writ to give more power to the Imperial military so we may battle against these contenders and better push back the demons of the fringe.”

The room remained silent.

Xaii and Nycrah rise from their seats. “We, the Vzar, stand with our Imperial leadership in this time of need, we vote to ratify our Writ.”

The Tzar and Azel then also rise, leaving only the Kar and Mylith to stand as the opposition.

“The council votes in favor, 4 to 2 to ratify the Writ. We will convene tomorrow at dawnbreak to discuss the ratification. This council is adjourn.”

[Tagali Federation]

Tagali Chapter 2: Wolves at the Door

post music

The day many had been waiting for had finally arrived. At the edges of Ridorian Space, the dreaded Tagali Fleet had begun emerging out of warp. The fleet, while boasting a main contingent of what could be identified as Tagali vessels, was an assortment of ships of various species.Species from the farthest reaches of the Empire were brought together for this glorious invasion of Humanity. Jalorian Interceptors, Scra'Shnn Raider Vessels, Dalga Light cruisers, and most importantly the massive Maug-Lai Barrier ships. Massive hulking beasts boasting incredible protection and fire power, forming a protective "shell" formation around the smaller ships of the fleet. Humanity was just about to experience its first taste of Tagali Brutality.

Chiyon Class Dreadnought, "Awoken Behemoth"

In the center of the sphere of Tagali ships was a Chiyon-Class Dreadnought. These vessels not only served as the head of a Tagali Fleet, but also were the personal war vessels of members of the Tagali Royal Family. Their presence on the battlefield signified the arrival of a high ranking member of the Tagali government. "Barrier Ships are in position and point defense systems are operational." The large hologram of the Hyena-like Maug-Lai said. Secundus Ishval Yol-Sajana leaned forward in his commander's chair. "Thank you, Warlord Agar. Keep an eye out for any Humans that want to die sooner than their comrades." The Maug-Lai Warrior chuffed in agreement before disabling his hologram.

A new individual arrived on the bridge. It was an alien, a Kisharan slave to be exact. Kisharans were similar to Humans, but paler, shorter stature, and eyes as black as the void. This Kisharan had raven hair as black as night and boasting many of the skin scarification designs common to her people. Ishval turned to the new arrival on his bridge, standing to tower over her. "Kaja, what intel do you have to report?" Kaja keyed inputs into her wrist device, displaying a projection of the system and various entities within it on the bridges holo projector. "It is as the drones we attached to the Waerutian refugee ships detailed. The Humans have built up a significant defense both in space, and on their various planetary holdings. However, if what little we know of the Humans is true, this will only be a minor setback. Still, caution would be the best course of action."

Ishval chuckled to himself. "And that timidity is exactly why your people and the rest of the *Reef were conquered with such ease. Still, the less Imperial blood spilt over Human planets the better. Begin translation procedures. Let us see if the vermin are capable of recognizing their betters.

To the pitiful defenders of Humanity. This is Secundus Ishval Yol-Sajana, ruler of the Orion Holdings of the Tagali Empire and claimant to the Imperial Throne. I offer this one chance to surrender this system without bloodshed. You must lay down your arms, power down your ships, and disable all planetary and orbital defenses. You must renounce any and all allegiances and swear undying loyalty to High Empress Yaliza Yol-Sajana, Great Uniter of the Tagali Households, High Chieftress of the Maug-Lai Tribes, Highest Consul of the Taani Republics, Queen of the Reef, (Further titles redacted for brevity.....) Refusal of your new masters will be unacceptable. If you must know the terms of such a choice, just ask my Waerutian slaves who you have stolen from their rightful owners what happens when we send our enemies to their destiny. Only your punishment will be much more severe. I demand your answer immediately. I will not accept prolonged deliberations on your part.

*The Reef: A region of Tagali Space, located in the Outer Arm of the Galaxy. A massive star cluster home to a diverse number of intelligent life. The Reef was conquered by Emperor Gujarta of the Unalok Dynasty circa 101 CE.

[Glorious Terran Empire]

April 29th, 2457
Magi Defensive Station, Trans-Neptunian Orbit, Sol, Terran Empire

Recommended BGM - "Glatisant" Track 9/43 from Ace Combat Zero "The Belkan War"

The Imperator sat there in the vast emptiness of space waiting for the oncoming fleet, super weapon charged and waiting for the invaders to leave FTL. A preliminary analysis of Tachyon pulses showed the enemy forces to be sizable, with one lone vessel posing a size indicating it carried weapons sufficient to sink Terran dreadnoughts. The Tachyons had come in with more variance very soon, indicating a swifter pace than before, the Terran fleet prepared for anything. Terra's siege broadcast was raised, allied comms sat with bated breath, awaiting the call to warp to Terra at full speed.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, sons and daughters of Terra. I will be the first to inform you all, the enemy numbers in the hundreds. Among them is a vessel which must be destroyed swiftly, it will be larger than any vessel you have all yet faced. Fear not. The Light of Oblivion shall lay it low, and failing that, every gun in this fleet will fire upon it at once, bringing it down in a ball of molten fury. Their fleet composition otherwise is sound, and strategies to mitigate losses will be taken first and foremost. Of the Merchant Marine, I would remind you all that your Emperor commands survival before glory. If your vessel or its crew come into mortal danger, warp out of this system as the Navy deals with the menace. Now, scan shows it will arrive any moment, be prepared! Ad Gloria!" The Emperor spoke before the battle.

As soon as the enemies arrived, the Imperator would fire its dreadful weapon at the largest ship, and bombard its support fleet with its massive cannons, particularly picking off whichever vessels decided to broadcast signals directly.

March 6th, 2457
Mal'Uk'To, Imperial Terran Space

Despite all the showboating and grandstanding made by the enemy at the battle's onset, the enemy was falling to pieces. The enemy's original goal had been met, in a Pyrrhic sense. Yet, so had the Terrans' goal, a near-total military victory. Two Terran fleets had weathered three Anshari, and the wrecks would be pilfered for all technological secrets to be laid bare. As the enemy command vessels charged warp, no attempt to stop them was made, only a defiant transmission against the Anshari:

Code: Select all

"AND STAY OUT!"

The enemy dreadnoughts broke under Gottfried's onslaught before him, aided by their own internal detonations, and the battlefield soon became quiet. Terran crews began intercepting life support pods, opening them, binding the occupants, and subsequently quarantining them for full bio-analysis while xenolinguistics studied their communication. Even after it was deemed no pathogens or toxic secretions would be able to harm them, the Terran military made a point to only interact behind the faceless masks of powered armor. Names, ranks, and numbers of identification were given to the Terrans in spades. Once it was determined that the Anshari registered high ESP sensitivity and passive Psi-fields were detected, the Terrans deployed suits coated in Latticed Alloy 1476-b, a nearly-unmatched anti-psychic material, described by such to be 'a void' upon observation due to its effect of nullifying psychic fields entirely. The Anshari prisoners were notably less confident and composed as the questionings continued. At the very least, Anshari corpses for dissection, autopsy, and weaponizable bioanalysis had been obtained, alongside linguistics data allowing the Terrans to transmit in and use translation matrices to mimic, the Anshari language. The lack of signal relaying and encryption over the battle indicated that the Anshari were less than privy to such cyphers, allowing Terra potential advantages in the way of data security and passage of intelligence.

Salvage wise, Anshari warships of every size littered the space around the battlefield. As each wreck was contained and analyzed, nothing data-wise could be gleamed from their damaged systems, their weapons could be reverse engineered, but their anti-thermal coating interested Gottfried more. The Anshari vessels appeared staggeringly brittle when exposed to kinetic fire, and their most advanced weapons platform, a battleship that seemed singlemindedly-engineered as an energy cannon carriage, was used in front line warfare as if it were an over-sized cruiser. Their strike craft also seemed to suffer from the issue of overspecialization, rendering them less than ideal against the Terran strike craft with many iterations of improvement in generalized fields. Anshari wrecks were damn-near torn apart by military R&D to determine weaknesses. Though it was determined that the majority of Anshari failings were in doctrine and deployment speed instead of technical fault. Had the tertiary battlegroup seen action first, Bridgette would've been unable to secure victory before the reinforcement waves, and without Gottfried ready to jump in, Mal'Uk'To could've been a catastrophe. The last bit of tactical data worthy of mention was that after translation of recordings, interrogation, and deduction, that the Anshari Empire was not a completely centralized state, but a federation of autonomous states.

The Sagittarius, having been the spark of the engagement, landed on the planet surface, with a marine detachment, to begin scientific examinations as the Anshari did earlier that same day. No resistance was found, but the marines made the scientific mission feel quite secure from hidden soldiers or booby traps. All that could be gleamed were databanks, but once they were decrypted, it was revealed just what the Anshari were after; controlled meson reaction. Nearly twice as efficient as the aging 2nd-generation positron reactors the Terrans employed. Only fleets such as the Golden Armada, 4th Armada and Arstan's Royal Armada would be capable of retrofit, on account of their expected harbor time. 1st and 2nd Armadas would be forced to fight until the Velutarians were unable to launch a major incursion in the time-frame of the retrofit, and the 3rd Armada was constantly under-equipped due to the meddling of the Admiralty. Of course, these mesons could be weaponized, but it would be quite an arduous task and would be a grave oversight to arm Terran ships of the line with total-conversion weaponry, as in the unlikely case of miss, malfunction, incompetence, or malicious officers, such weapons were still weapons of mass destruction in Terran eyes.

At 0200 Terran Standard Time on March 7th, Mal'Uk'To was, by order of Lord Admiral Marcus Gottfried, rechristened "Humility," a change approved by the Imperial Council of Stellar Naming and deemed unoffensive change to the culture of its original inhabitants.

April 29th, 2457
Ghim, Silariat System, Rimward Fringe, Grand Duchy of Ridoria, Terran Empire

Recommended BGM - "Fortress" Track 34/92 from Ace Combat 5 "The Unsung War"

"Contacts towards the rim! 1500 signatures, it's..." The Tactical Operations Officer stammered. "Sir Lancelot, they match descriptions of the Tagali, what are we to do? They have a titan sized vessel in their fleet." The old clone in charge of the Ghim defensive effort sighed. "Have they sent us their demands?" He wanted to be sure that his orders were given justification. "On screen, Sir." He read it aloud for the entire strategic crew of the planetary defense network. "Charming. Ahem, inform them of my response." Lancelot had seen swarms of bioships larger than this in the other galaxy, he had seen fleets crack planets in two and terrifying megastructures used for war. All worse than this. He was sure this would simply be another storm to weather.

To Ishval of whatever-your-house is, Ruler of Dirty Shit, Claimant to Other Shit.

I offer you one chance to turn back before you make a fool out of yourself and ruin your nice pristine fleet. Way I see it, your terms already demand a sacrifice of two thirds of those I am sworn protect, to slavery or butchery. We will hold until this planet breaks. We've survived worse than a hodgepodge fleet and a twelve-kilometer scrap heap of a titan. We bow to none but the rightful Emperor of Terra.

Come take this rock from my cold dead hands, you xeno freak.

Sir Lancelot, Order of the Gilded Shield, Clone Designation Alpha-227, Line 12,
Responding in place of the Emperor of Terra, Tiberius I Maximus

"If they get close, fire with all anti-orbital batteries! Raise all shields, shutter all bunkers and recall all surface deployment to defensive arrays! This planet will break before we let it fall! Call the damn navy and wipe them from our skies!" Lancelot ordered his soldiers to action. The great anti-orbital cannons were monstrous in power, essentially dreadnought guns dug into the vast caves and valleys of Ghim, firing with over 293 gN of force with their neutronium shells. Even Terran Admirals and Generals with knowledge of the strategies used would fear an assault on Ghim in its current state. The Tagali fleet gleamed brightly on Terran sensors both in space and on the ground.

Within 10 minutes, Admiral Bridgette Gantz's new flagship, the Dea Patronum arrived with its fleet, 1500 strong, with 2500 more ready to deploy from neighboring systems. Her actions in Mal'Uk'To had earned her a promotion and numerous honors. Furthermore, she became verbosely-titled the 'foremost expert on novel enemy tactics xenological warfare' by the admiralty council. Her flagship was a mighty Athena class supercarrier, one of the most heavily fortified ships in the Terran navy, and essentially a mobile harbor, its hangar bays large enough to moor destroyers and cruisers alongside the hundreds of warp-capable strike craft it carried. It occasionally shimmered as the layers of nanites coating it darted across the ship's surface, both to fortify its armor durability, and repair battle damage. A swarm of support vessels had warped into formation around the Dea Patronum, numerous dreadnoughts, carriers, and over 400 battleships all simultaneously wormhole-jumped into the system to meet the Tagali titan with teeth bared. The Terran fleet was formed 3 lightseconds away from the enemy formation, using the Q-Comm feed from the countless early-warning buoys for targeting data in real-time, in spite of the light-lag experienced at such ranges.

Bridgette made special note of the bulkier ships forming up to soak incoming fire, and ordered her ships to open with a graser barrage and activated electronic warfare suites to mask the fleet's specifics, ghost ships appearing on the EMR spectrum, chaff clouds and holo-pods were launched as well to mimic the signatures of Terran ships. Strike craft were deployed in a defensive manner, to guard the fleet, but also in preparation to warp towards the planet to establish air supremacy should the enemy attempt to strafe the surface emplacements. A quick spectrum analysis of the hostile fleet showed larger ships with frightening defensive capabilities. "Prepare to warp into the heart of their formation with our battleships. Switch to neutronium once that happens. Continue graser barrage." The Tagali capital ships were massive, Bridgette had to focus her entire dreadnought battlegroup's fire on individual targets to ensure swift kills. For the first time in a long time, her vessel was not the biggest fish in the pond.

April 5th-April 26th, 2457
Dagon, Fomalhaut, Unsettled Territory Terran Empire

The ITN Alacrity and its convoy of colonizer-vessels entered orbit of the mighty gas giant Dagon, a neighbor to Terra by modern standards. The idea of gas giant colonization was always foreign to primitivists and the scientifically inept, but the Empire had its ways. Shuttlecraft deploying flotation balloons as they streaked into and out of the planet's atmosphere had created a cloud of buoyant platfroms in the great gaseous sea of the planet, as cargo and transport vessels met with each of the veritable islands to offload equipment and crews. Chief among these facilities was a cloning vat, to provide a source of new colonists even in the event that their predecessors perish before reproduction.

For resources, the Alacrity had already been sending collection barges to break down and process objects from the debris cloud and disc around the planet itself, not to be said of the harvester stations also present in the massive atmosphere of Fomalhaut's resident planet. By the end of the month, a decently sized and genetically-stable population had been reached, and life continued on. Dagon had facilities every Terran colony needed, and it was as such considered a success by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Its floating clusters of buildings acting like small island cities in the vast emptiness of the gaseous sea beneath and between them. Residents would be confined to these climate controlled structures and shuttlecraft, with the exception of those with EVA suits and maglock clamps to avoid a fall. Such were typically tasked with repairing floats and ensuring that storms and debris wouldn't leave any lasting damage to the structures they called home.

Outside invasion was a non-issue, every building had a thin electromagnetic shielding layer to protect from debris, a shield which could be detected, but the gas giant's overwhelming EMR signals interfered with broad-spectrum sensors so greatly that unless the Velutarians knew explicitly which frequency bands to watch, Dagon would be invisible to them and unmolested. Bombardment was a threat, but that would mean they'd already have been found. Furthermore, Supplice Heavy Industries had already invested a sizable amount to turn some of Dagon's orbit into a complex array of cargo ship foundries, so the colony was further hidden by the much greater targets above.

A frequent thought crossing the minds of these colonists looking into the great gas sea was never an if, but always, "When will that horizon be filled with our cities?"

According to experts, such a feat would require centuries at the least, unless the Empire came up with another great breakthrough to aid colonization.

April 29th, 2457
Antecedent Ruins, Ak-Morinia, Velutarian Empire

The great globe sat there in the void, defiantly gleaming against the occasional solar storm of its parent star. It was unmoving against the greatest forces nature threw at it. A true testament to the Antecedents, those objects of worship in the Anshari Empire, but to Velutaria, the sphere was a monument to the failures of the past, to the Velutarian Admiral Kolarak, it was a door to either ruin or victory, a victory he would not leave closed. Not only had he been harried by Terran scouting parties since he'd arrived, but his own brother died fighting in the Risaria system under Povu's command. He'd long since taken down the turrets orbiting the structure, made planetfall on the structure with his expedition, and even set foot himself upon it. His forces had barely mapped the surface by the time the Terran raid under Marcus Gottfried struck his dreadnought Korralus amidships, forcing it to dock with the structure and forcing him to turn his expedition instead into a harbor for the Velutarian navy to repair it. This effort was expanded upon by Velutaria as the war grew nearer to it, but since Povu's arrival, Kolarak had been relieved of primary command, answering to the one who let his own flesh and blood die.

"This is not negotiable, Kolarak. Your own vessel's crew may continue your work, funded by your own stipend, but we must turn the Terrans back here when they arrive or the frontline will surely collapse. The Grand High Empress herself has anointed me with this authority." The screen hummed as Kolarak became more outraged. "And Her Most Excellent Majesty vested in me the authority to lead my detachment, as it was upon your arrival, to study this great Antecedent relic you've turned into a station!" Kolarak was barking back at Povu at this point. "A mission you promised would see Velutaria's final triumph over Terra with. A mission that, over the past 4 Drahki ⁽¹⁾ has turned up short. You will deal with this shortage to your efforts and take it in stride or I'll have you arrested and tried for insubordination. A trial you will lose."

Kolarak resigned his argument with Povu for the day, fuming with rage. He ordered his subordinates to mount a deeper excursion into the facility than they had taken before, leaving behind only enough to repair and guard his vessel. "We will find it. We will find the secret to winning this war... We have to."

It was not 4 Terran Standard Hours before the 1st and 2nd Armadas of Terra launched their attack on the Grand Fleet

(A unit of time measuring almost 2 weeks)

[Piethrixia]

Recommended song - Conquer The Skies By Curtis Schweitzer (Should Start at 25 Seconds in)

PAFDD - Quail ETA - 140 Seconds

"Quail to fleet captains, our dreadnoughts will be holding back for exactly 57.4912 seconds after you all arrive in the system. We are suspecting that the enemy will fire the superweapon fitted onto one of their ships at our dreadnoughts the moment they warp into the system. Enable weapons, shields full. End transmission" the Captain looks out of the massive viewscreen of the dreadnought's bridge. The nine other dreadnoughts in the formation slowing down as the smaller vessels are speeding up.

PAFD - Borealis ETA - 0 Seconds

The ship and the ships around it some to a sudden stop. Not even 5 milliseconds pass before the computer systems of the destroyer kick in. Every single weapon begins firing. From a small AA turret to a massive anti-capital ship cannon, everything fires. Two destroyers In the heat of all of the fire end up ramming into each other, their cores exploding in massive explosions of radiation and shrapnel.

[Ella2 6]

A Challenge of Wit II

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
035/04/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Doradus, The Doradus Sector
The Crystalline City of Doruni, Doradus Delta
The Dining Hall, The Imperial Palace
Haruka Kimura, the Eastern Princess

"I hope we can be friends too!" Hoshi agreed. She tilted her head to one side as if in thought. "Arstan...? I've never heard of that name before," she mused aloud, "but I guess it does sound kind of cool..." She trailed off before turning to the Terran prince as he spoke again. Her expression lightened considerably. "Sure! You can call me by name," the crown princess replied, apparently oblivious to the menacing glares the two Terran royals shot at each other, "I'll call you by name as well."

Mami however, thought otherwise. "Hey, don't you think it's nice to be called 'princess?'" She asked, wrapping her arms around the younger girl and nuzzling her chin into her crown.

"Well... I guess..." Hoshi agreed at length. She felt her cousin nodding.

"Well then, wouldn't you like it better if Prince Arstan called you "princess?'" The older brunette continued, tilting her head to one side, "Besides, I'm sure Prince Arstan might like being called 'prince' as well, don't you think?"

"I don't know. Prince Arstan asked nicely, I'm sure it's okay if he calls me by name," the little brunette replied. Mami was just about to add something else when the little girl's question stopped her in her tracks. "But cousin Mami, do you like being called 'princess?' Cousin Osamu said he gets annoyed of being called 'prince' all the time."

The older girl turned to the Prince of Justice, who pretended not to have noticed her gaze. "Cousin Osamu probably likes being called 'High Mandarin' more," she said at length, her tone neither one of approval nor one of overt condemnation.

Hoshi nodded slowly and turned to the Terran. "Do you like being called Prince Arstan?" She asked, "Or is there something else you prefer to be called by?" Mami let out a pent up sigh. The girl was missing the point.

"Way I see it," Haruka began, picking up her teacup, "We'll be family after this whole marriage business is over and done with. Might as well start getting used to it now."

"Haruka does raise a point," Mami agreed, almost reluctantly, "Though I'm not entirely convinced that the present moment is an appropriate time to start."

---

The Tagali Theatre

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
036/04/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Doradus, The Doradus Sector
The Crystalline City of Doruni, Doradus Delta
The Core, The Sphere
Grand Marshal Hilda

The newly appointed grand marshal inspected her tallies with a critical eye before leaning back in her chair, unimpressed by what she saw. The Knight of Larestir noted this with only a hint of amusement. "Velutaria isn't a stable front," Grover explained, guessing her thoughts, "I'm afraid we can't spare more men." Hilda's eyebrow shot up at that before settling back down again. "Grand Admiral Shinobu and Grand General Theudhar will report to your new office in an hour's time. Any questions?"

"None," the staff officer replied.

"Very well then. Thank you for coming." They rose and exchanged salutes before Hilda's aide, a young Easterner by the name Yuuma, opened the door to let his superior out. Outside, they were bid farewell by Ermingard, Grover's personal assistant, who quickly stood up, saluted and opened the door for the two of them in a smooth, well-practised action.

"Four thousand ships," Hilda lamented once they were outside, "How do they expect me to do anything with four thousand ships?"

"The Sir-General is probably expecting the Terrans to take on the brunt of the enemy's forces," Yuuma reasoned, "And if that wasn't their intention, there is precious little more that we can do." The Grand Marshal nodded sagely in agreement. His analysis was correct. "Are we going back to the office, Ma'am?" Her aide asked after noticing their heading.

"Yes. I have some more work to do," Hilda explained, entering the room, "Let me know when Shinobu and Theudhar arrive." The second lieutenant bobbed his head in understanding and let himself out, closing the door behind him.

All workspaces in the Sphere were more or less the same. There were two rooms, the first outer one being something akin to a reception room where the officer's aide worked and the second inner room being the one where the officer themselves worked. The default setup was a simple affair. There was a desk at the far end armed with a glass touchscreen surface display, drawers (containing a small supply of paper, a lighter and an ashtray) a charging port and a minimum of two chairs. A display cabinet lined either side of the wall and was generally used to house the commander's prized possessions should they have any. The walls were whitewashed plasteel covered by yet another layer of circuit-embedded glass - a distinctive trait of most modern Ellian architecture.

The door opened, causing the Grand Marshal to look up. The newcomer was a tall lady with large, slate blue eyes and hair of a brighter shade of aquamarine. A pair of crowned anchors were lodged on her shoulders, designating her as a Grand Admiral. "You're early," Hilda observed. A smile. The two exchanged salutes.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Hilda."

"It was nothing," the Grand Marshal laughed, brushing aside the praise, "It's not like this is a permanent position."

"The fact that you were selected out of all the available admirals and generals speaks volumes in and of itself."

Hilda shook her head, "No, no. All the veterans are out on the Velutarian Theatre. I'm just what they managed to scrape up from the bottom of the barrel on a whim." The door opened again. They turned to greet the new arrival. A somewhat tall and fairly muscular man with board shoulders. His eyes were an icy blue through his hair was deep indigo. Between him and Shinobu, Hilda seemed Lilliputian in comparison. The Grand Marshal's comparatively more fiery features hinted towards her relatively impulsive nature, compared to her two calculated subordinates. A balanced composition of skills and traits, if such existed.

"I see you're early, as usual," the Grand General remarked. Shinobu grinned in return, shaking hands. "Marshal Hilda," he saluted. The Grand Marshal returned the gesture.

"Welcome back to Doradus. How was your holiday in Kajiki?" Hilda asked casually, inviting the two to take a seat. She pulled up several documents onto the table and the walls.

"It was pleasant enough," Theudhar replied, taking a seat, "It was a shame they had to cut it short." He examined the notes on the wall behind his commanding officer and nodded quietly to himself. "These are our initial deployments, I presume?"

Hilda nodded her confirmation. "The Sir-General briefed me about this an hour ago, but I didn't get all the details. As you can see, there's no word on our ground forces. So, what are the statuses of the forces assigned to us?"

"We have to raise two entire banner armies from scratch," Theudhar explained, "We could not draw an expeditionary force from the federal defence reserves and our only two professional expeditionary banner armies are deployed to the Velutarian Theatre. Thankfully, the people are eager to honour the Terran treaty, so enlistment is about as high as ever - amongst our people anyway. Understandably, the Zei'Ari are still a bit bitter and are not as enthusiastic about helping the Terrans." He paused slightly. "But that brings total wartime commitment to a billion servicemen in the army alone. I must wonder if the economy can keep up with this."

"That isn't our place to speculate," Hilda reminded him. He nodded in agreement. "So what's the story with the Navy?"

"It's more or less the same tale," Shinobu informed her, "All the veteran battle forces are deployed in Velutaria. We're working with fresh formations. Much of the Imperial Navy is away, so these are mostly ships from the Royal Navy. The good news is logistics is no longer a concern. Zei'Ari ships make excellent armed transports and we have thousands of them. We should be able to keep our troops supplied for much, much longer than we are used to."

"That is good news indeed," The Grand Marshal agreed, "That is good news indeed."

---

The Ridorian Front

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
021/05/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Silariat, The Terran Sector
FED-12150 Embers of Doradus
The Command Centre, The Command Deck
Vice Admiral Kathrin

The Ellian forces deployed in and around the Terran frontier were rapidly alerted to the intrusion. After some initial mustering, the response force, consisting of half of Admiral Ludovicus' Battle Force was to be deployed in two waves into the field of battle approximately two hours apart from each other. Vice Admiral Kathrin's Strike Force was to arrive first to reinforce the Terran defences while Vice Admiral Nadine counter-attacked after the assault was blunted by the combined allied defenders. The other half of Harduwich's battle force was to be held in reserve in the event that the Tagali invaders launched a second offensive along another part of the front.

Kathrin warped in as the battle was beginning to unfold. Terran vessels had taken up battle positions and opening salvoes had already been exchanged. The main screen was rapidly updated with movement in the theatre, but the information still lagged behind by a fraction of a second. For all intents and purposes, however, they were effectively operating in real time.

All vessels in the Ellian fleet had been retrofitted with Terran warp drives. However, only a handful of light cruisers had been updated with Terran faster-than-light sensors and only formation flagships carried Terran faster-than-light communications units. The sensors readings had to be relayed to the command ships before being broadcasted traditionally to their subordinate vessels, reducing cohesion but by no dramatic amount.

In light of this, Kathrin had elected to deploy her strike force in a fishing net; a sparse, scattered and roughly circular formation with her ships were spread across a total of three light seconds from end to end with some tens of millions of kilometres separating individual vessels. The strike force was to lay down concentrated fire on the geometrical centre of the Tagali formation, their wider arc of fire simulating the same effects as if the Tagali were trapped in a salient and exposed to fire from multiple sides. The general battle plan was sound - at least in theory.

In practice, her formation was far too sparse to present any meaningful resistance to the Tagali should they attempt to rush her line. A folly, perhaps, on the part of the young vice admiral, who counted on the numerically superior Terrans to take the brunt of the assault.

“All task forces have assumed combat positions, Admiral,” Kathrin's Second Lieutenant reported.

The Vice Admiral nodded, somewhat anxiously, and waved the fleet forward. “Then let us join battle,” she decreed. Her aide nodded in turn and passed the order down the ranks. It took a few minutes before the net lurched forward, the vessels on the edge of the formation moving slightly faster than the centre, causing the net to gradually curve into a lens shape.

“Strike force closing into effective range,” the Chief Tactical Officer reported, “We are five light minutes out. Estimated time to target: Thirteen hundred seconds.”

“Open fire.” There were a few seconds of delay before the guns started firing. Bright blue blots soared into the distance at speeds approaching light, all angled to converge on the centre of the Tagali formation - or rather where the centre of the Tagali would probably be by the time the munitions arrive; a sphere approximately the same size as the Tagali formation was presently. It would be another five minutes before the first of the initial volley collided with the Tagali ships and their effects would be known, but there was one thing that was known for certain right now: The young Ellian had made a mistake and she had lost the initiative.

A much more experienced admiral would have waited until range had been closed further. The advantages were two-fold: Firstly, the arc of fire currently projecting from the Ellian fleet was dismal, negating the effects of Kathrin's wide formation which she had sacrificed so much defensive power to gain. Secondly, the speed of Ellian munitions would have had a much more profound impact by then. The Tagali had never engaged the children of the rising star before, and their leaders would likely be surprised by the incredible velocities Ellian plasma could attain. Were such the case, they may not have been able to respond as effectively as a prepared foe. As of now, only time will tell if this folly was a costly one.

[Glorious Terran Empire]

Since we've gone nearly two months without an update.

{Arstan} {Arianne} {Lucille} {Joachim}

March 6th, 2457
Imperial Palace, Crystalline City of Dorni, Doradus Delta, Doradus

The elder of the two, Mami, was shrewd. Arstan thought perhaps his license to laziness in conversation would be revoked, but the childish innocence of the young Hoshi was a greater force. "Of course I do, but I would rather talk as a person instead of as a title." That was when the fiery one, Haruka, spoke up about the future, where the two families would be joined. Mami was losing ground, but still persisted. "Indeed, if we're going to share households with one another, we should act like it." That was when problems began. "Prince Arstan, need I remind you that back home we are to refer to the Crown Prince or Crown Princess by title?" Oh how she was going to be a thorn. "Make no mistake cousin, I am offering the young Crown Princess here a greater kindness then you'll ever see me give Garland." He wasn't going to call that bastard anything higher than his own name if he could help it, and Arianne knew this. "Crown Prince Garland to you. Crown Princess Hoshi, Princesses Haruka, Mami, please do not let Arstan walk over tradition. His closer relation to the Emperor aside, he is disinherited, and from low, unwed birth. Outside of our own Emperor's kindness, he doesn't deserve any right to address you directly." Arstan's eyes grew cold and distant. He felt rage, and could sense his vision became blurry around the edges. {How dare you?} He had to have some sort of reaction. "I would not be caught spreading such slander at the table, cousin. We can continue this later." {I'd stop if you weren't this easy to drop from the competition.} {Competition? Since when was it- never mind. It's always a game with you.} "Slander? It's hardly slander to warn those that will be family that in particular, Prince Arstan, you, are a lecher and a hedonist who cannot help but be run by passions." Arstan realized what she was doing, goading him into a fight to remove him early. "If you really want me to call Garland and everyone else in my life by title, win that humiliation in the arena, or at the very least quit acting so asinine at such an important gathering." He looked towards the Ellians. "Well it seems I must come clean. Everything said about me is true, I am a slave to my own ambitions. Though I lack any dishonorable intent here, as my cousin worries. On the contrary, the passion burning within me is to be a king in my own right. I can't keep living a dishonorable life if I want to be a just king, now can I?" The glance back to Arianne as she rolled her eyes confirmed he'd kept his anger in check at the cost of taking her insults without reprisal.

April 14th, 2457
Imperial Palace, Sol, Terran Empire

"The Anshari prove that our advancements are not unique among races in this galaxy. Further scrutiny reveals that the Anshari reside beyond the region of warp-inhibited space between the arms Orion and Perseus. Original analysis indicated this was due to natural phenomena, but that now remains to be proven. With Velutaria on the backfoot, we should prepare for tactics and strategies showcased at Humility. Furthermore, the Anshari have been proved through autopsy and study to be Psionically sensitive to the point of presence. An overhaul of our anti-ESPer warfare doctrine should be pursued, with the Braeglen of Cassius being counsel. Telekill foundries should be reopened." Senator Adam's proposal drew immediate ire from the more xenologically inclined factions in the senate. "Such would violate the treaty signed 30 years ago with the Braeglen Empire!" A senator cried out in the uproar. "That 'Empire' is 60 years of constant Warp away and too busy dealing with their own issues to worry what we do here. They have no bearing on our government. The Federal Republic was beholden to the treaty, the Empire is not."

This would set a dangerous precedent, but one the Empire had to admit to make any progress. If the Empire bogged itself down with paperwork from the weak-willed democracy of yore, it would succumb to the same dependence on foreign powers.The Milky Way is a dangerous place. An Empire cannot rely on others to save it.

Though the notion that Velutaria was on the backfoot was laughable. The Emperor knew that Velutaria needed constant pressure to keep their military in disarray. If they were allowed to consolidate and organize, they could push the frontlines back, and with the Tagali encroaching, Terra still lacked a reserve corps. The Clone Army program was successful, but legislation hampered its ability with limits and regulations that restricted mass propagation, regulations that also made engineering super-soldiers difficult. Clones having free choice couldn't be overstated in its importance during mental development, but genetic modification needed to be granted a more direct impact than the archaic post-crisis lawmakers devised. Mankind was again at war, and those bred for war would be needed.

The point of the meeting was made, at least, and Terran metal foundries roared to life again to produce Latticed Alloy 1476-b. Colloquially, 'Telekill,' a material with properties similar to tungsten with less weight. The desired effect of 1476-b was that psychic fields and all ambient effects on local spacetime simply ceased on contact with the material. Psions and ESPers describe the feeling of the material to be similar to an endless void, without echoes or whispers. The Imperator Calamitatis was originally constructed with the naturally-occurring counterpart, 1476-a. The primary difference between the two is merely acquisition. 1476-a is extremely rare, and while difficult to fabricate, the artificial 1476-b is easier to obtain in large quantities, and is only slightly heavier from the refining process.

April 29th, 2457
Magi Defensive Station, Trans-Neptunian Orbit, Sol, Terran Empire

"Target destruction confirmed, multiple similar vessels confirmed. Listing targets in priority list. Updated target lists sent to fleet elements." The tactical officers were like chirping birds with all the information. The barrage of fire from the Terran fleet was immense. Closer vessels unloaded with kinetic slugs, striking with forces closer to cosmic impact than conventional weaponry. The majority of Terran ships lanced the enemy formation with razor-thin spears of gamma-rays which trailed brightly and vividly along the sensors like pillars of light. Terran dreadnoughts and carriers stood as monolithic weapons platforms. With their thick plating and redundant energy shields, not a single one had suffered beyond superficial damage so far. The fight was turning quickly into a turkeyshoot.

Soon the superweapon was ready again to fire. Another of the enemy's largest ships was targeted. The attackers had leaped into the claws of an enraged dragon, and were paying the price for their prideful assault. So far a few dozen Terran ships were damaged, warping out of the fight and far away from the exclusion zone to repair.

April 29th, 2457
Antecedent Ruins, Ak-Morinia, Velutarian Empire (Contested)

Gottfried's 2nd Armada arrived on the other side of the megastructure, immediately engaging the Velutarian patrols. As the response groups flowed out, Sicilius's 1st Armada arrived in front of the enemy harbor facilities and opened up with a massive graser barrage. Kinetics seemed off the table at this angle to avoid damage to the structure. As Gottfried mopped up the disorganized interception force, he rejoined Sicilius, providing heavy fire support from a high angle of attack. That was when the Velutarians deployed them. 12 titan sized vessels. Sicilius had only seen such things in the other galaxy during the Braeglen-Alurian war, a war where two galactic superpowers fielded fleets filled with titans to oppose each other. He knew what 12 could do to one, but when they all began to use standard Velutarian weapon systems, he realized that they hadn't been equipped with a superweapon. Sicilius retained his advantage, but he had to choose his targets carefully. 12 titans could still wear his own down faster than he could break them if he misjudged their defenses.

He ordered Gottfried to focus on one titan whilst he ordered his own fleet to focus another. Then he began to charge the Atlas's weapon, its target being a third titan. The Vlutarian support fleets were still engaging his own, and so he only devoted his dreadnoughts to the focused barrages. Concerted efforts to tear down the enemy's kitchen-sink deployment. Sicilius could tell that they were rushed, if defeating them all here was achieved, it would take less than a month to encounter a similar group with better armaments and armor. Such was Velutaria's size. He'd made mental notes on their ship development and priorities for Gottfried's long-range raiding force. A pity that he couldn't spy, only scout. He needed to know Velutaria's political and economic atmospheres as well.

April 29th, 2457
War Room, Fennoria, Velutarian Empire

"Your Eminence, Povu's fleet has been engaged by the monkey hordes at Ak-Morinia. The battle is not in our favor, but the Vengeance project has been deployed successfully." Japra Fenn simply chuckled. "Good, even if we lose the first batch, the next can be configured to make up for the shortcomings. The Grand Fleet can be replenished with provincial reserves. Terra cannot stand firm." The Admiralty council exchanged glances. "Ahem, in other news, our sympathizers in the 27 Kingdoms have confirmed the Terrans have banded together with the Ellians, and are presently engaging with a large rimward force with significant technological development. The sympathizers have identified them as Tagali." A hushed gasp filled the room. "So the myths were true? And they're fighting the Terrans no less! Wonderful, we must have an envoy dispatched to discuss terms of alliance." At this, her advisers balked. "Your Eminence, the Tagali have laid claim to all the Galaxy, they are like us in that allies are subservient. Their culture calls for executing a third, enslaving another and leaving the rest in the ruins. I cannot advise against such a course in stronger terms." The grand High Empress paused for a moment. "Very well, no envoys. But we must assure that I will be the one subjugating the human throne on Terra."

The Admirals grew weary. "Your majesty, we lose countless experienced officers by the day. Every loss replaced by brand new ships is a trained and battle-hardened asset. We cannot reasonably keep organization and discipline like this. The ships under Povu's command are invaluable in the greater war effort." Now Japra Fenn carried a stark glance in the Admiral's way. "So what? All those treasonous old cretins die and the new commanders will be my fanatically loyal followers, trained in our most esteemed military academies. Povu is the only one of the old guard with enough of a tactical mind to command. At this point I'm growing weary of the council's defiance to my will. Ensure that the Terrans at Ak-Morinia are destroyed so that we may finally recapture our territory and finish our subjugation of those sniveling apes." The Admiralty had hushed whispers, but all nodded or bowed to the Empress's outburst. She knew that disloyalty grew in their hearts, and for now she could only get rid of as many as she could before they made a treasonous move against her. Daiqaros kept them in line, but with him still recovering she held waning power over her admiralty. The Velutarian Empire was massive, it could be days between a rebellion starting and the information reaching the throne. Ususally they were crushed locally, but the Admiralty in rebellion would throw military cohesion into a terrible place. Japra heard things all around her. Whispers in silent rooms, those calling her name from across the halls. She retreated to her sanctum for the day, surrounded by automated sentries, things that could never betray her. Japra swam to her favorite spot, and rested for a while, the days controversies having shredded her patience.

[Piethrixia]

PAFDD - Quail

The Captain of the Quail Yells over comms as a barrage of fire slams into the Shields of the Dreadnought "Over a quarter of our fleet has been destroyed! Send a Message to The ICSHTF Fleet to warp into the battle zone immediately!" On the huge viewscreen of the Dreadnought, a Frigate with a cloaking refit Explodes right in front of an enemy vessel, Shrapnel from the explosion Hits the Powerful shields of the Quail at high speeds. The Captain spins to his left to face the Helmsman on the bridge "Engines full reverse get us out of range of their Superweapon but in range of AM/M Torpedoes." The Helmsman Quickly Begins pressing buttons on the large console in front of him. The Captain then turns to his Tactical Officer "Weapons Full power, AM/M Torpedoes Dispersal Pattern Sierra Target the ship with the Superweapon." By the time he is done speaking the other Nine Dreadnoughts and a couple of Dozen Destroyers and Frigates are also pulling back.

The Captain looks towards the large Console showing Ship locations, He spots a single dark purple dot moving very fast towards the Enemy Superweapon. Before the captain can do anything a single Retribution Class Frigate fitted with a cloaking device Uncloaks and fires two white and Five Red Flares from its Stern Torpedo Launcher. (Five Red flares meaning Commencing Raming maneuver, and two white meaning loss of comms). The Frigate then Fired Ten Antimatter Matter Torpedoes at the Ship before slamming into the thick outer hull of the ship unused munitions inside of the ship being thrown around the battlefield and exploding when they hit other ships or debris.

[Anshari]

Rok’Kar – Kar Providence, Anshari Prime

Vasir Imperial Court House

“The deciding vote, Tzar.” The Vas’Regent said as he stares towards the two representatives of the Tzar Vasir. The High Aeon that represented his kin rose and spoke before the council.

“The Tzar, given the circumstances at hand, vote in favor to ratify the Writ of Union. Times are changing, and we too must change to enforce civility in a chaotic galaxy.”

“And so shall it be” the Vas’Regent decreed. “This concludes our council.”

Unidentified System – 50 Lightyears from Terran Space

4th Anshari Excursion Fleet

Enlightened Justice

The Anshari commander read through the reports on his datapad. The changes made to the writ became immediate just days after the Mal’Uk’To incident, and with it drastic changes to Anshari fleet structure followed. The Imperial military became far more serious. The Mylith and Kar’s defeat at the hands of the Terran shocked many in the Empire. While the Imperial government went through much trouble to hide the details of the event, the Vazir spared no expense to blame the Mylith and Kar for the humiliation. Many members of the Imperial military who hail from those kin were ridiculed, with some resigning out of embarrassment.

The commander himself served with the Tzar, though he felt for his brothers and sisters of the Mylith. Unlike his subordinates, he knew what they encountered in Mal’Uk’To, and seek to prevent a similar tragedy. The newly reorganized 4th Excursion Fleet serves as the Imperial government’s means of extending its direct influence beyond their borders. The 4th is among 7 fleets deployed to deep space to observe and respond to any transgressions against the Anshari people and their interests, and they are by far the largest. Many Vasir fleets were integrated into these fleets, much to the dismay of the Kar and Mylith. The Anshari can no longer put their safety into the hands of the Vasirs themselves. Now, they must stand united.

“Sire, we’re receiving reports from Tenreya Listening Post of a massive fleet movement towards Terran space. The Imperial Martial Tribunal has ordered us to investigate.” The communique overseer reported.

“Set course to approximately 17 lightyears beyond their known border, deploy seekers to investigate.”

Unidentified System – 100 Lightyears from Velutarian Space

7th Anshari Excursion Fleet

Kia’Sila

The newly formed 7th Excursion Fleet was tasked by the Imperial government to patrol the outer-most regions of the Velutarian Empire. Their orders were vague, and attempts are clarification fell on deaf ears. Whispers throughout the enlisted believe their directives originate from the highest echelons of Imperial command. The commander ignored the frivolous gossip that engulfed his lower ranks and focused on the task assigned to him. The 7th Fleet was ordered to observe Velutarian fleet movements in the region. His flagship, a modified Swordbearer, is outfitted with an expanded hangerbay and state of the art observation drones. The sleek autonomous machines were of Mylith origin, capable of borderline sentient thought, were deployed and retrieved at a regular pace. The drone’s material as well as its design makes it difficult for the primitive Velutarians to detect it without the use of graviton sensors, allowing the drones to slip in closer via sublight without being detected by all but the most paranoid of Velutarian commanders.

Several hours pass, the technicians finish sifting through the data acquired by the drones and notice a particular oddity. During the commander’s briefing the technicians noted the detection of a massive object hidden within a nebula region deep inside Velutarian space. The drone took note of a fleet engagement between the Terrans and Velutarians within the region, as well as the engagement involving colossal warships but the fact that stood out the most to the commander was the construct the Terrans and Velutarians are squabbling over. A product of mega-engineering that the Anshari have never before witnessed. The commander immediately informed his superiors and his new orders are simple: Establish a forward post and await reinforcements.

[Piethrixia]

PAFDD - Quail | Bridge

The Captain Stands from his command chair. "Send a message to Command, call in the Dexterities." The comms officer begins typing out a message to command.

Vers orbit | PAFD - Dexterity

"Sir new orders from command, we are to warp into the earth system to assist in a battle. The quails fleet is losing." The Captain turns around the face the comms officer. "Why aren't they sending more dreadnoughts?", "Sir the Dexterity class is the fastest class in the fleet. We can get there in almost an hour. The rest of the ships take days to get there.". The captain sits back down. "Inform the rest of the fleet we are leaving. Full warp." The comms officer types out another message. "they are ready, we leave on your command, sir." The captain presses a button on his chairs console. The bridge lighting turns a red colour and the wall panels turn to screens that show the outside of the ship. "Let's go, Punch it." The Fleet of over 50 Dexterity class Destroyers warps out of orbit.

[Glorious Terran Empire]

April 29th, 2457
Magi Defensive Station, Trans-Neptunian Orbit, Sol, Terran Empire

Antimatter weapons detected. Shield strength maximized. All vessels in expected blast zone vacated. Point defense batteries engaging projectiles. The feed of information raced through Tiberius's mind as the Imperator Calamitatis orchestrated the battle. Two of the projectiles exploded in a brilliant flash and maelstrom of electromagnetic interference as they were shot down. The other missiles struck the shields of the Imperator, not holding enough of a yield to overload the shield itself, but punching holes into the energy field. Enemy hulls equipped with antimatter located, targeting local spacetime... Lux Oblivionis charging... 50%... 75%... 100%, holding fire... wormhole opened at target spacetime, firing. It mattered not if the weapon had line of sight. Thank to the targeting system being intertwined with the Titan's jump drive, anywhere within 100 light years could be synchronized with locally deployed resonance beacons or the jump drive's own power to instantly immolate the target area with the magnitude of a hundred suns.

As the smaller vessels begin ramming maneuvers in desperation, the stalwart hull of the titan, rolled tungsten plating meters thick, coated in Telekill, remain only superficially damaged. The battle is handily in the Terran side, as more vessels are set to arrive soon. The few dreadnoughts and battleships in system unload volley after volley of neutronium shells towards the enemy dreadnoughts. Tiberius ponders, in this moment. "Surely, the enemy means to bring more? Or perhaps this attack is a mere diversion..."

April 29th, 2457
Antecedent Ruins, Ak-Morinia, Velutarian Empire (Contested)

"Hull breach in compartments 109 through 145!" Povu's tactical officer read out as the Terran titan finally cracked through his shields in a hail of neutronium slugs. The battle was a mess. Terran dreadnoughts had shattered any concerted effort of counterattack. The Terran titan had destroyed the tenth of the Velutarian titans, Falki'Rog, named after the Trickster God, in a single shot, and suddenly the Terran armada had turned from picking off his battleships to destroying the Vengeance weapons. The 4th, Fenn'Morro, named after the Reaper Goddess, erupted in a hail of neutronium and gamma ray blasts. His fleet still had the numerical advantage, and so he focused entirely onto the Terran flagship. The Terran battlegroup had tightened formation into a cone around the titan. The Terran dreadnoughts, however, remained at their position, charging warp drives as they began to take fire from the Velutarian titans. Povu was about to order the other titans to redirect their fire when he realized his mistake. the Terran dreadnoughts had all warped behind the Velutarian titan group, well behind the defensive screen of his fleet. His vessels began to take heavy fire when the Terran titan lost shield power. A storm of x-ray beams struck its hull before it activated its jump drive. Said jump drive brought the Terran titan next to his own. He could faintly see the sentry drones being deployed in a swarm before they all opened fire with orbital bombardment payloads.

Velutarian ships had stronger plating than any primitive vessel, in the sense that they were very efficient thermal conductors. Laser fire up through the x-ray spectrum was almost useless. Kinetics capable of damaging their hulls were not encountered until Terran neutronium ripped through their plating like paper mache. However, even the Terran gamma ray lasers were still ineffective against the shields. Shields which had fallen to neutron slugs, opening the vessel up direct fire. Povu was slammed against his console as the Terran drones unleashed a tidal wave of nuclear fire against his vessel. Each of the tiny drones firing a projectile capable of entering a nuclear fireball during re-entry. Upon impact, each one detonated with a half-megaton payload. His flagship titan,Magorriok, named for the Patron God of War, initiated an emergency warp to the nearest allied port, and without Povu's guidance, the rest of the fleet fell to chaos and rout.

The system was now Terran, but the megastructure was still occupied. Gaius Sicilius would not leave a fully functioning enemy harbor facility, and immediately mobilized the legionnaires with the dual mission of controlling and exploring the massive orb.

Gazing out at it from his control bridge, Gaius felt a familiar deep sense of unease and dread. As if it was staring back at him. He had only once before seen a structure that outperformed it in grandiosity. Back during the Braeglen-Alurian war, he was a captain in the allied assault of the Alurian star system. They had constructed not only a ringworld around their star, but also a partial Dyson sphere. Not like the loose swarm Terran uses for power generation and system defense, but a real, rigid shell capable of unimaginable power output. The last hour of the war. When the Empyrean fleet arrived to dispel the conflict, Gaius felt the same hungry presence, that the dominant force of that galaxy was watching and waiting. But for what?

[Piethrixia]

High Vers Orbit (HVO) | PAFDD - Dexterity | Bridge

"Sir, Message from The Skrrt, they are ready to dock." The comms officer turns to face the captain who is sitting in his chair. "Good, open the main hangar door." The captain gets up and walks out of the bridge.

HVO | PAFDD - Dexterity | Hangar Bay

The massive Hangar doors of the Destroyer open to reveal a Corvette no more than 50 meters long, behind it the rest of the fleet of 40 shiny new Dexterity class Destroyers are docking with other ships of the same type. Slowly, the Small Vessel moves into the hangar and lowers its landing gear, the ships docking vehicles move to magnetically connect the Corvette to the flight deck.

HVO | PAFDD - Dexterity | Bridge

The captain walks back into the bridge, the Comms officer quickly begins talking "The Skrrt has completed its docking, we are getting messages from the rest of the fleet that they are ready to warp." The captain sits in his command chair and presses a few buttons on the command console built into the armrest. "Prepare for warp, maximum speed." The bridges lights suddenly turn a dark orange and the wall panels that are set to show outside of the ship turn to display different information about the ship. All over the ship, every screen, except for those in important rooms like Engineering or Weapons control, turn the same dark orange colour. In the hangar, the blast doors slowly close and seal shut. The ship's weapons turn back to face their default positions. "Engage."

The ship slips forwards at unimaginable speeds after it the rest of the fleet also goes to warp.

46:54 Minutes Later

The captain's voice suddenly comes from every speaker in every hallway, Turbolift, and room.

"We are about to go into a battle that most will not come back from. We have already lost most ships sent in the first wave, The Victory, the Keter, the Euclid, and the Sorano have been lost. The enemy posses high tech shielding and weapons systems. Antimatter-matter warheads have done some damage, but with the speed and agility of these vessels, we will have a chance. we are exiting warp in a random part of the Solar System Far from any other planets of ships."

Unknown location | Sol System | PAFDD Bridge

The Fleet of warships exit warp and quickly Undock the Corvettes in their hangars. The Destroyers then Warp Away to the battle area.

Trans-Neptunian Orbit, Sol, Terran Empire

The Warships come Suddenly Appear 2,000 Kilometers away from the battle. Large doors on the front of the ship open to reveal backup thrusters for if the Impulse Coils of the ships fail. Both the Impulse Drive and the Thrusters strain the stop the ships from ramming into both sides forces. Once the ships are at a 200 kph drift they open fire. Their Cannons and torpedoes firing in massive Salvos at the enemy ships.

[Ella2 6]

A Challenge of Wit III

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
035/04/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Doradus, The Doradus Sector
The Crystalline City of Doruni, Doradus Delta
The Dining Hall, The Imperial Palace
Haruka Kimura, the Eastern Princess

Mami watched the exchange between the two Terran royals wearily. Responses were shot back and forth so quickly none of those outside the immediate conversation could really get a word in on the heated argument. Moreover, the conversation had attracted the unwanted attention of the other nobles around them. The aristocrats watched on keenly from the other table, some amused, some appalled. Most maintained a neutral countenance, but Mami could tell that their minds were occupied.

She glanced up at the King-Emperor and noticed the look of disapproval in his eyes. She echoed his thoughts: Did we make a mistake to befriend the Terrans? Thinking back on what she had read about the imperial dominion, there seemed to be many instances of enduring cruelty, to the point where it seemed a social ill. Their cloning program. Their enslavement of conquered peoples. Their orbital bombardment policy. It was all outlawed long ago by their ancient ancestors who, like they, saw it as barbaric.

But none of that was relevant in the present moment. Audamar's expression indicated that he wanted the conversation stopped but it was not in his place to remind their guests of common courtesy, nor did he want to embarrass the Terran royals by addressing the matter personally before all the other Ellian nobles. The burden then naturally fell to Mami.

She turned to Arstan and Arianne once they had finished. “Surely such talks of such nature could be spared from the dining hall? You're scaring Hoshi.”

Haruka, however, had different thoughts on the matter. “What a coincidence,” the Eastern Princess began, “Duelling is also an integral part of our culture.” Mami shot her a quick glare which the pink-haired girl elected to ignore. “Respect that is earned always always outweighs respect that is assumed. But of course, to us the duel is a sport for good fellows to engage in to entertain themselves. We'd rather not settle disputes with the blade.” She turned from Arianne to Arstan and then back to the Terran princess again. "After all, why tarnish the blade or foul the duel with such petty contrivances?"

[Glorious Terran Empire]

{Arstan} {Arianne} {Lucille} {Joachim}

March 6th, 2457
Imperial Palace, Crystalline City of Dorni, Doradus Delta, Doradus

"Indeed, I agree that we should not bring our grievances from home here, cousin. Besides, I would like to see what duelists this nation has, not my own flesh and blood." {We both know you'd be done and dusted in a minute.} Arstan stood up, clasped his hands together and excused himself from the table, making a brisk pace out of the dining hall where the entire Ellian upper crust had just witnessed him being mocked. {Oh here we go.} "Excuse me," At this point Arianne seemed more satisfied at Arstan's physical retreat than worried at the fact that this land's politics were much less cutthroat than Terra's. "Perhaps my cousin is right. Really, I should go and reconcile." She said, excusing herself from the table. "I am so sorry for this, princesses. I was so caught up in upholding tradition, I didn't realize how vicious I must've seemed to you. You see, it was a habit of his that I have become tired at curbing, I was not quite in the right mind when I confronted him. I beg your pardon," She began to walk towards the same doorway. In truth, Arianne would look to other interests.

"Well, since they didn't say it, I'd like to apologize for the actions of those two. Our family can be a handful at times, it's true, but they're not bad people." Joachim sheepishly spoke up for the snarling lions that had just vacated the room, truthfully, he was just glad that Arstan could have an outlet for his combat fetish without needing these family spats. Arianne, on the other hand, made him fear for the fate of a Terran-Ellian marriage. She was born and bred for political games, since before the Imperial proclamation, she had a silver spoon in her mouth and tending servants to play cruel games with. "Let not the impulsive of our extended family taint your perceptions, friends and allies. The Empire is new to all of us, even those of us in high standing are not used to the new way of life. It has been stressful. The Empire itself had only been established in earnest ten years prior, as much as the natives of Terra remembered the brimstone ruins of yore and the reclaiming settlers had histories a galaxy away, the people here representing Terra had only been children at the time of Tiberius's coronation. Joachim warmed himself to the scholarly types in the hall, as well as those with any questions about the empire, whereas Lucille simply moved to entertaining pleasantries with the nearby nobles, eventually making her way to greet the princesses and establish herself as the voice of reason among the Terran royalty.



Arstan had retired to the garden, gazing into the sky to find peace. After what felt like hours, he heard footsteps behind him. "No need to slit my neck, Arianne, that little stunt you pulled just ruined both of our chances here." The silence only dragged on. "I remember looking into the night sky when mother would kick me out of the house for whatever reason. I remember looking at the scars on the moon, at the stellar blanket of our cosmos, and thinking of how small I really was, how small everyone must be." He felt the weight on the ground shift slightly at this, stance had changed somewhat. His implants gave him many an extra sense, that he knew there was a heartbeat behind him. There was a guard patrolling the entryway behind him at a very constant pace. He could tell how many stones were in the garden at a glance. "I thought that everyone was as small as me, until I saw the great ships descending from that inky black void. Once the sky fell, and those men without faces came to the cities with their fancy weapons talking about the ghosts of 350 years ago, I didn't know that I'd be swept up and made a prince of the stars so soon after. I had nothing, and then suddenly everything. Tell me Arianne, do you really blame me for being such a dumb hedonist? Your upbringing was so vile as to have slaves born of my standing back when you were young. Is it so wrong that I have the harmless drinking and dueling? That I get to be the big and important one? The fiery, dashing, gallivanting stellar prince? Ugh, why do I bother any more? Go on, do what you always do. Run back to them and cry your crocodile tears at all the horrible things that the evil lowborn said. Go and compel me to, yet again, spill blood for my honor. Then I'll be the bogeyman of the Ellian nobility just like I am for the Braeglen nobility, and the admiralty, AND the senate." He then turned to look Arianne in the eye. Wait, where was Arianne?

April 29th, 2457
Magi Defensive Station, Trans-Neptunian Orbit, Sol, Terran Empire

The enemy reinforcement wave was expected, though not in such a manner, their vessels were too close and too fast for anti-ship weapons to be brought to bear. And yet there was a tactical gap. With FTL communications, the ships 2 lightseconds away, on the other side of the spherical battle formation, could be fed targeting information instantaneously. At this distance, the enemy was barely moving. All non-dreadnoughts were fed this targeting information, since only they had guns capable of jeopardizing the titan's shield integrity. The light-lag could be accounted for thanks to the titan's data link, and maneuvers at those relativistic speeds would be difficult. The enemy torpedoes were screened by point defenses and combat drones, but several destroyers and cruisers were damaged by their cannon fire. Eight merchant marine destroyers and a navy cruiser were struck in the engines by the surprise barrage, and quickly fell to the sustained fire, escape pods launching out en masse.

The first battlecruisers and destroyers opened with a gamma ray laser barrage, it would take two seconds for the enemy to be hit by it, and also two seconds to even detect it had been fired. Such was the nature of this battlefield. The Imperator Calamitatis began to charge its superweapon again, this time the energy would be focused on another of the enemy's large vessels. it would be useless to engage the enemy fast attack group, the titan was simply not designed to deal with such force at close range, and they represented little threat to the Imperator compared to the remainder of the first wave. If they weren't dealt with by then, the Imperator would simply warp to an effective range and bombard them.

[Piethrixia]

Trans-Neptunian Orbit | Sol | Terran Empire | PAFDDD - Quail | Bridge

The ships tactical officer looks up from his control panel and faces the Captain "Sir, a large mass of something is about to enter the area, I have no idea what it is. It could be ships, or it could be enemy weapons." The captain is about to speak, but he stops for a second. "Ignore them, I think they won't be doing anything to us."

Trans-Neptunian Orbit | Sol | Terran Empire | PAFDD - Dexterity | Bridge

The Captain Stands from his command chair "All maneuvering systems, Full reverse." The Fleet of Destroyers is suddenly put into reverse. The Comms officer looks up from their command console just as a piece of a destroyed ship hits the Shields of the ship, the crew is rocked around. "Sir, we have a message from the Skrrt. Displaying it on screen 10." a screen in the front of the bridge shows three words.

Prepare For Attack.

Suddenly the fleet of 50 Skrrt class Heavy Cruisers comes out of warp behind the enemy fleet, their weapons systems already online.

Trans-Neptunian Orbit | Sol | Terran Empire | PAFJK - Skrrt | Bridge | Ten seconds before

The captain sits down in his command seat. "Prepare to exit warp, charge NFTL drive, All Stations Grey Alert, prepare for Jumps."
The ship's lighting turns to a very light white colour, the weapons systems are armed and aimed to the front of the ship. The ship comes out of warp right behind the enemy fleet. The Engineering officer begins talking on the communication system to the bridge "Engaging NFTL Drive." The ship and the rest of the small fleet of Corvettes begin making tiny "Jumps" around the Imperator, their weapons firing whenever they get a chance to.

Trans-Neptunian Orbit | Sol | Terran Empire | PAFDD - Dexterity | Bridge

From the bridge of the Dexterity, the bridge crew can see a flash of light moving around the Imperator, shells being fired from the flash of light almost constantly. Suddenly two ships are thrown out of the flash, one of them missing its front half, and the other with a big chunk missing from its rear. The rest of the ships still continue to fire, seeming like they are ignoring the destruction of one of their ships, and the crippling of another.

[Anshari]

Jenra Outpost – Anshari Pegasus Holdings

Unbiased Revelations

Jenra Outpost has seen an increase in ship traffic over the span of several months. First with the Kar battlegroup, now with Anshari civilian contractors and military personnel ferrying across the Pegasus Arm and beyond. Unfortunately for the Anshari, however, their access is restricted to a secondary jump point located 200 lightyears away from Jenra, as Jenra’s jump gate is still under construction. A Anshari envoy ship, the Unbiased Revelations is no stranger to this. As a diplomatic shuttle, the Unbiased is unarmed, though outfitted with near pitch black metallic plating forged into a sleek, sharp design to absorb and shrug off primitive detection measures. An enhanced warp drive allows the vessel to shrink down what would take weeks for standard civilian shuttles down to days of travel.

As the envoy arrived to Jenra Outpost she proceeded to dock at one of the outpost’s few opened docking ports for resupply before she makes her journey to Terran space.

Unidentified System – 100 Lightyears from Velutarian Space

7th Anshari Excursion Fleet FOB

In the orbit of the local gas giant, the 7th Excursion Fleet established a makeshift outpost on the surface of one of the many orbiting asteroids. The Anshari commander believes the magnetic field will help hide it from Velutarian scanners while they await for reinforcements. Days pass and no updates from the Orion Consensus. The 7th Excursion Fleet and other Anshari military forces operating in the Orion Arm answer to the newly formed Orion Consensus. The Orion Consensus takes the role of an Imperial Arms Martial as well as a Vasir Operations Lead, but with the Excursion Fleet falling under the direct authority of the Vasah Upper Council and their wishes, they are not lead by any one Vasir but rather an assigned Imperial Arms Martial, or in this case, the Orion Consensus.

***

Days have passed and a message finally arrived. The 7th Excursion Fleet is to move against the Velutarian forces along their outer most rim systems. The Mylith commander, confused, request clarification before beginning his new assignment. The Anshari were not at war with the Velutarians, did the Council approve of the operation? Who is giving the orders?

Unidentified System – 17 Lightyears away from Silariat

Enlightened Justice – 4th Excursion Fleet

The 4th Excursion Fleet exited warp in a nearby star system, approximately 10 lightyears away from Silariat. The Enlightened Justice, flagship of the 4th Fleet, begun deploying Seeker drones to the system to observe the ongoing conflict. The Tzar modified Seeker drones allow for safe observation from further distances than the standard Imperial design. The Commander had to ask for a few favors from Tzar military commanders to give him the technology. As soon as the Seekers departed from the flagship, they’ve entered warp towards their destination.

[Ella2 6]

A Challenge of Wit IV

March 6th, 2457 Terran Calendar
035/04/12258HE Ellian Calendar

Doradus, The Doradus Sector
The Crystalline City of Doruni, Doradus Delta
The Dining Hall, The Imperial Palace
Haruka Kimura, the Eastern Princess

Haruka glanced after the two retreating Terrans as they withdrew from the table and crossed her arms. "Something tells me that Princess Arianne isn't leaving to reconcile," she remarked. She was tempted to go after them, but then again it was not really any of her business. Still, someone had to stay with their guests. Coming to a decision, she stood up and-

"And where are you going?" Mami demanded, her tone authoritative but neither encouraging nor condemning.

This did not slow down the Eastern Princess, who simply carried on as she was. "I'm going to make sure they don't end up killing each other," she replied, pausing by the door to peer down either length of the hallway. Upon spotting the Terran prince in the garden, she made her way towards him, perplexed by the absence of Arianne. Did they finish their fight already? she wondered, Did Arianne back off? Or has she already been downed? Unsettled, she picked up her pace.

"No need to slit my neck, Arianne, that little stunt you pulled just ruined both of our chances here," Arstan suddenly began. Haruka stopped in her tracks, taken aback by this sudden outburst. She had not seen the Terran since she left the dining hall. She swept her gaze across the garden and was reassured that the princess was nowhere in sight. Did he mistake her for Arianne? Recovering, she opened her mouth to reply, but the Prince froze her words in her throat as he continued with his speech. "I remember looking into the night sky when mother would kick me out of the house for whatever reason. I remember looking at the scars on the moon, at the stellar blanket of our cosmos, and thinking of how small I really was, how small everyone must be."

How small everyone must be? The statement rang somewhere deep within her though she was not quite sure why. Either way, she was intrigued. She shifted her weight to one side, crossed her arms and waited for him to finish. Eventually, he managed to end his long-winded speech on a defeatist note before turning around to face her, his expression weary at first, but that quickly dissolved into surprise. Haruka cocked her head to one side and gave him a faint smile. "I dare say the first half was rather captivating - poetic, even," she commented, "The second half not so much."