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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 10:59:14 GMT
”My Uncle said flames are on the horizon. I asked him whether the Sarahbs were burning things again, he said he meant the galaxy. I asked him why when the 2nd war was over, he told me war was only just beginning"
AME061/5/12
Celebransk System: Orillian Space
“And they called for restitution from us? After we specifically told them to meet us at the negotiating table?”
“Yes Madam”
“Outrageous. Ignore their request, wait until after the 72 hour deadline and have this address made public to the Nucleans. These Colonials think they can bully us natives into whatever they like, they are wrong and we will make this a subject to stand against” Yrillx waved the aide away who quickly left the room. The two others standing next to her to report more news “Yes do go on”
“We are ready to approve the High Imperium’s use of specific segments of Istralan Madam, the council has given the go ahead and we just need your final signature” The aide handed the women a physical piece of paper and a pen. Yrillx, somewhat uninterested signed away.
“Working with Colonials, who would have thought? At least they are supporting our efforts in the Emerald Republics, there done now leave” She waved the man away who bowed and scampered off. The last man came forward.
“Ma’am we have reports of brewing race riots on Tanakol, it seems the heavy handedness of our field commanders has brewed quite a tense situation which has not been helped by the AGA decapitating the RFSM. It seems both Sarahbs and Ramans are demanding more aid from their respective governments, even with the aid of NGOs and RANGSI the situation is not good. Both BPW and RFSM are stirring the pot, if we are not careful our peacekeeper units in the area may be overrun and the entire situation may explode into full on ethnic conflict along the border” Yrillx downed a cup of exquisite Ueuxtull vintage before sighing.
“Never a dull moment. I don’t know why you are reporting this to me, Takar is the one overseeing the entire operation” The aide hesitated.
“I was to keep you informed of the situation... Takar is currently iss-“
“Just leave I’m sure he has it under control.” The man seemed to wait a moment before leaving. If she had been at the meeting to decide the intervention in the Emerald Republics she would have voted to support it, now however. She would definitely have voted to glass it. -------
1 hour after Nuclean deadline
“The Orillian Free State does not bow to the wishes of colonial nations. We asked the Nucleans to come to the negotiating table and they asked for restitutions on a deadline of their own imposing. We will not provide restitution, unless they publically apologise for the destruction of our forces in a blatant act of provocation. We are within all rights to defend our region of space, we were born here, and the Nucleans were not. It is because of this that we will defend our home by any means necessary. Should the Nucleans wish to come to the negotiating table and apologise like we asked then we will accept such and seek to de-escalate. Should they continue to sabre rattle and posture and escalate in attacks we will respond in kind. We will not give any time period for replies, for unlike Colonials we seek no control over the galaxy”
Tanakol System: Emerald Republics Contested Space
The situation was quite frankly, dire.
A powder keg was ready to ignite on Tanakol, one of the most disputed of the systems in the contested space and a world with an equally large population of Ramans and Sarahbs. It had been here that the first ethnic killings had occurred and it had been here that the various forces had come to blows only to be stopped by Orillia. It had been 2 months since the start of the peacekeeping operation and while the occasional raid by the various insurgent groups was undertaken the actual frontline had been quiet. Airstrikes occurred on pockets of insurgent forces but it was the humanitarian situation which was spiralling out of control. With supply lines cut due to the various airforces on standby and warships in the orbital lanes shipments of food had early on begun to be interdicted as reports of arms shipments and equipment being smuggled in began to appear. Both Ramanunjagar and Sarabhai were eager to supply the forces on the ground and arm the people but when they began intercepting each other’s food shipments the situation became grim, starvation was becoming a real problem and despite the efforts of Orillia alongside RANGSI refugee camps and various NGOs such as Mercy Without Borders the problem was becoming more pronounced.
Of course given the climate of ethnic killings, the attacks and continued raids of the insurgent groups and the recent decapitation strike on the RFSM the people were about ready to explode. It didn’t take much for the Ramans to be convinced that the Sarahbs were the ones who started interdicting food convoys, and vice versa and soon angry mobs and rioters began to not only take matters into their own hands, trying to raid NGO helper compounds and Orillian peacekeeping logistic dumps but also join up with the respective insurgent forces. Both RFSM and BPW promises that if the other ethnicity was pushed off the planet then the interdictions could be lifted and more smuggling of weapons was attempted through the blockade. Given the heightened tensions on the ground, space was no different.
The No.22 Squadron of Ramanunjagar consisting of 43 vessels hung in the orbital lanes while the 78th Space Army of Sarabhai consisting of only 22 vessels of much larger classes sat at a fair distance the two eyeing each other down while 56 vessels of the Orillian Free State along hung back, keeping an eye on both. Civilian ships attempting to land would have to undergo inspection from all three fleets and as very hastily and ad hoc negotiated, any dismissal by one faction would see the vessel turned away. Of course this turned rapidly into a pissing contest as Sarabhai ships turned Raman food shipments away and viceversa and it had quickly spiralled into a standoff.
It was a standoff which was about to escalate and blow the humanitarian situation into even greater peril.
180 FTL signatures appeared at the edge of the Tanakol system as Dawns March, the renowned Triarch/EPA/Capitol mercenary force pulled itself in system. The force was large incorporating several battleships and even a group of 10 ground conveyers. With a very rapid broadcast Dawns March tipped the balance in system quite vigorously one way.
“This is Dawns March to all non Sarabhai assets in system, you have 4 days to evacuate and relocate to Ramanunjagar space, and failure to comply after the given time will be met by force. This is for the benefit of both peoples to allow for food and provisions to be provided and not intercepted by the Republic of Ramanunjagar and the Orillian Free State who seeks to undermine this region. Agamo out”
Tanakol System: Emerald Republics Contested Space
Lurking at the edge of the system, the JCV Dram Of Dunbroath had been waiting for days. They had initially been turned away by No.22 Squadron, the Ramanunjagar officer speaking as few brusque words as possible before terminating the comm line, distaste for even speaking to the traders clear in every syllable.
Captain "Fat" Eddie, a middle-aged Suedian, was awoken from his catnap by excited chatter from his first mate and his navigator. Rubbing his eyes and rolling from the hammock he had slung in an alcove of the cluttered bridge-cockpit, he stretched and squinted at the displays. The readouts were crude, and the ship itself was a decades-old freighter originally from North Tasman - indeed, Eddie kept a secret set of Tasman IFF's and port credentials even though no-one had heard from that state in years. Despite their age, the displays made it clear - a huge force had arrived in-system. Moments later, an open hail identified them as Dawns March, and confirmed they were here to help the Sarabhai.
"Now! Let's go, gun it gun it!" he spluttered, scarcely believing their luck. He clapped Francesca on her furred shoulder, encouraging her, and then turned to his own seat. Collapsing into it, he brushed aside an old plate and scooped up an old comm handset, the tangled cable pulling the plate off the console and sending it clattering to the floor.
"This is the JCV Dram of Dunbroath, delivering cargo to private concerns on Tanakol. Our bill of lading and shipping information is appended."
Anyone interested would see that the shipping information had been left blank, but that the billing information came from an innocuously-named company based in Sarabhai territory. Fat Eddie himself had a good suspicion it was a shell for BPW or even the Sarabhai authorities, but he didn't care. He had a hold full of old Burnham railguns, AmRec systems and aging flak armor, and the mystery customer was paying very well indeed..
Sanrin System, Castle Zhang-Yu
In a basement beneath the fortress, Major Silke Kirsch finished transmitting a file and then opened a call to Admiral Minowara, the overall commander of all Jade Imperial forces in the galaxy. After a few moments, his oddly-cherubic face appeared. Despite his round face and snub nose, he was a man of little humour, perhaps a consequence of his decidedly un-martial appearance. "Yes, Major?" he said, managing to invest his speech with just the right amount of disdain for the spymaster.
"The Dram has just reported that they are attempting to make planetfall on Tanakol. It appears that the Sarabhai have contracted a large mercenary force to secure dominance over the system there."
The Admiral nodded, deeming that the only necessary response. Kirsch, used to this by now, simply saluted and ended the feed. Although the Admiral sneered at her agency, he had needed the JIAN's help. The Orillians were seen as a growing threat to the general safety of the northern galaxy, as well as a direct threat to Imperial trade and shipping, but the Admiral had neither the justification nor the military resources to subdue them militarily. Instead, he had turned to the Jade Intelligence Agency Network, the ancient imperial spy ring that had its roots in the Namidae assassins centuries before. Major Kirsch, a veteran of alternative warfare operations and the mastermind behind the successful psychic burglary of the Systems Commonwealth leadership, had decided that since Orillia were trying to keep the peace in the Emerald Republic, the best way to drain their resources and willpower was to promote the war there. With the Orillians favouring Ramanunjagar, the obvious choice was to feed weapons and materiel to the Sarabhai and the BPW, and so using shell corporations they had dispatched Fat Eddie and his ship to pour fuel onto the fire.
Kirsch sighed and took a sip of water. It was a thankless job, but it was interesting nonetheless
“Say, Tetli?” Muttered the slightly obese figure of Togarn Matras, the Chief Director for the Associated States of Natar as he sat down beside the Administrator of the international organisation. Administrator Tetlisun was relaxed into a rose-leather chair bordered with antique wood as he silently read from an old tome intently. Raising his eyes to the sight of his Chief Director, Tetlisun gave a small smile,
“Ah Toggers, good to see you…” He remarked, his attention now returned to the book he was studying with such interest. The pair found themselves secluded in some cozy nook within the dimly-lit confines of the Bid Club: Natar’s most illustrious and exclusive Elite’s Society. Those around them were focused on their own quiet mingling, reading or board games, people of such standing had little interest in involving themselves in the business of others when they already had so much to control. “...Please sit down.”
Matras wasted no time in falling into a nearby lounge chair. Placing his glass of wine, an Adalouse Vintage 3578 from the Royal Federation, down on a varnished table beside him. Having gotten comfortable, the rotund bureaucrat inquired,
“Have you received any word on the, uh, Emerald Question yet?”
“Oh that?” The Administrator replied, putting his book down upon his lap.
“Well I’ve consulted with the banks and we’re more or less in agreement that there isn’t anything to gain through physical involvement. Hmph, why shed sweat with the scythe when you can pay your gardener to do it, eh?” Tetlisun chuckled, his eyes trailing down the floor introspectively,
“Though it would be more accurate, in this case, to say the gardener would be paying us for his scythe.” The leader added, to which Togarn replied, (edited)
“So we’re providing arms?”
“Well, not quite as much providing as we’re selling.” Tetlisun huffed, “Though with this Orillian peacekeeping operation the prospect of a hefty gain from the conflict doesn’t seem that visible. Then of course there’s the trade routes that course through Emerald space; we’re still considering whether it would be worth escorting commercial vessels through that route...”
To that, Togarn Matras nodded and took another drink from his glass. His brows suddenly furrowed. As he leant in towards Tetlisun, the middle-aged director questioned,
“Speaking of Orillia, have you had news from them about the La Serena Incident…?” He looked about for a moment as he returned to his slouched pose within the chair, shifting as though to stretch away some ache in his body.
“Not as of yet no. It’s troubling that they haven’t contacted us on the matter or dared to explain themselves. That entire fiasco’s raised more questions than I dare to seek answers for… And they all start with getting some answers from the Orillians. They’re forgetting that our aid is not a gift…” Tetlisun murmured thoughtfully as he pinched at his chin.
“I’ll see to getting a meeting with them up, they’ll know the stakes of not satisfying our inquiries. As for the Emerald crisis… Well, I think the best policy for now will be to just sit and see who else gets involved and how things develop… No rush.” He concluded with a smile as he looked back to Togarn. Mr. Matras in turn smiled back before remarking,
“It’s amazing, isn’t it? How interacting with the diplomacy and skirmishing of the Colonials can cause two nations to spiral into anarchy like they did.” (edited)
“Oh yes...” Came the reply from Tetlisun as he picked up his own glass of vintage, “Thankfully for us, our societal cohesion isn’t founded on a dependency for the support of Colonial empires and their economies.” He added as he gulped down the Argunto Vazule: a wine freshly imported from the Accord before returning to his book.
The initial Teliran response was as such. The Emerald Republics situation was not particularly more significant than any other of the bilateral struggles that the native unaligned had from time to time. Certainly nothing worth justifying a unique campaign over. But for now, the ASN was keeping a beady eye on affairs as the civil servants of its nation-states eagerly advertised their weapons, industrial possibilities and financial proposals. The only action the Association even made initially was a demand, disguised in the form of a polite request, for an official meeting with Orillia surrounding the situation.
Tanakol System: Emerald Republic Contested Space
Rear Admiral Juli Volarn stood cross-armed before a holographic image of the system. Another shipment was stopped and more yelling came over the coms from captains complaining about delays.
“Shut that off, this bickering is driving me insane.” She ordered. The voices soon stopped and the soft hum of the holographic projector took its place.
Juli was tired. Three weeks had gone by since she started this assignment, and she was already envying the admirals who did routine patrols. Mindlessly scanning the same region of space ten times was more enjoyable than this. Alarms rang and 180 triangles representing unknowns appeared on the edge of the system.
“FTL signatures ma’am, large fleet, multiple capital ships detected.” Juli moved the hologram to show the new fleet that had arrived. “New fleet identified as Dawns March, they are ordering all non Sarabhi assets to leave this system in four days.” Her annoying assignment had just gotten more infuriating.
“Ma’am Captain Alex is on the coms.” Juli waved to let it through. Before her an aging man that could have been her father appeared. He held a hand over his heart and bowed. Juli returned the gesture and raised an eyebrow.
“How should we approach this new element Rear Admiral?” He asked.
“We were assigned to babysit the Sarabhi forces here, we will stay at our current position and monitor the situation. Make no moves unless aggressive action towards us is taken.” Juli waved off as she moved around Alex to look at the Dawns March fleet. Ship specs were displayed before her and she placed her hand on her chin thoughtfully.
“Go to combat readiness three and warm up Subspace Drives.” She decided. Yellow lights pulsed on the bridge and Captain Alex bowed before disappearing.
The Centauri fleet shifted slightly into a more defensive pattern. The two battleships under command of Rear Admiral Juli and Captain Alex were soon surrounded by four Heavy Cruisers and twelve destroyers. The fleet was small but perfect for the mission of overwatch.
Tanakol System Juvos, Iridati Border Province, Kujas City RANGSI-Administered De-Escalation Zone (DEZ)
The DEZ was in a riot. Huge crowds of the starving population, both Raman and Sarabh, went out on the streets protesting the lack of food. Where the two ethnicities met, violent clashes would occur. So often such incidents occurred that the RANGSI de-facto authorities deemed it ‘normal’, as normal a result as you would expect like sodium meeting water. Or a fire to a powder keg. Behind these crowds, armed insurgents and firebrand instigators from both sides were drumming up the crowds to escalate the violence.
The peacekeepers of the 15th Internal Security Battalion of the 87th Combined Arms Regiment, also known as the 15/87 ISB, would have quickly responded with anti-riot units to break up the fighting and deploy themselves in the middle in order to prevent further violence. However, much more pressing matters had to be attended to.
----- “Let us in! Give us food!” one protester screamed at the RANGSI sentry staring him in the eye from the other side of the fence. The metal fences of Camp Unity, the major RANGSI military base and HQ of the 15th’s operation in the DEZ, were being yanked and pulled as the crowds attempted to dislodge it. Turn out sirens echoed throughout the city, drowned out by the larger cacophony of distant screams, gunfire and roaring fires as chaos reigned. The base was put on high alert and additional reserves of provosts were being mustered to reinforce the perimeter guards. This was no ordinary food riot - it was unprecedentedly organized. The Raman and Sarabh ultranationalists were nudging the population towards the base, likely to stage a break-in and steal not just only food, but weapons for their causes. The sudden RANGSI invasion of Kujas City as the insurgencies of both sides were in the middle of fighting for the border city that lay between Sarabh and Raman provinces threw them off guard. Their mission to pave the way for humanitarian assistance and establish a safe ground for reconciliation however, ironically united the higher commands of the ultranationalists together - the faster they kicked the foreigner out, the faster they could resume settling their age-old feuds. ------------
The fences were finally down and hordes of people were bursting through, ignoring the warning shots. They swiftly swarmed the first lines of provosts and quickly relieved them of their weapons...for some, their own lives as they were beaten to death and paraded out to the street as an example of foreign aggression.
A fist slammed on the table. “These Rama-banana ding dongs and Sara-sons of bitches are going to be the literal death of me!” Captain Wahab gritted his teeth, his thick, greyish moustache curving together with his lips.
“Sir! Battlenet’s crawling with all these distress reports! Smaller peacekeeper FOBs and Mercy supply depots are getting swarmed all over the city! The only available unit I got on the horn is the 600th Transport Wing from Wiktor AFB, ETA 3 hours!” Lieutenant Nara scrambled into the room. She was the XO to Captain Wahab, and effectively the second in command of the 15th ISB.
“3 hours?! We’ll be dead by then!” the CO of the 15th ISB ran a hand through his ageing hair. He sighed. “No use complaining. Bring us to Alert Level 1 and authorize lethal weapons-” -------
“I must protest!” a young fair-skinned brown-hair man in a blue uniform forced himself in between Wahab and Nara. He was Skyler, a Union military officer posted as AGA Liaison to the RANGSI DEZ. “These are hungry civilians! Not insurgents! There is no need for violent force!”
“Well then smart guy, then why are they here? There’s nothing but guns and MREs in this fucking base unless you are telling me those Rama-cibais and Sara-sohais suddenly evolved to sustain on tungsten bullets!” Captain Wahab snapped.
“Of course not-”
“It’s thanks to their own fuckery, and the Orillians’ fuckery, that we don’t have enough food as it is! And what the heck happened to the food we tried so hard to distribute?! They end up looting the trucks and burning the rest is what happened!”
“It’s still not your decision to make! We have to sit tight and liaise with the AGA council and wait for permission!”
“And it's not your soldiers that keep dying in the streets you fucking ballozoid!” Wahab sharply retorted. “Just yesterday five peacekeepers on patrol went dead on the radio. This morning do you know where we found them? Hanged from a tree.”
“Revenge doesn’t give you the right to shoot civilians, Captain.”
“These are not civilians!” Wahab smashed his fist on the table again in frustration. He dragged Skyler by his collar and pointed repeatedly at the camera feed.
“See that fuckface there? RFSM-RN insignia, and he’s not even hiding his SMG he’s waving it around in the air like a bloody wanker! They’re not starving, they stole all the fucking humanitarian aid after all! They’re here for our weapons! They’re going to use it to kill Sarabhs, and the Sarabhs are going to use it to kill Ramans! Are you seriously telling me you would like to wait around for another bloody massacre to happen?” ------
“None of that discounts the fact that there are civilians among them Captain!” Skyler shoved him away. “You tell your men to load those bullets, and the endorsement’s off!”
“I don’t need your fucking endorsement!” Wahab tore off the AGA patch from his shoulder and threw it on the ground. “This is now a RANGSI operation, always has been! The moment the AGA didn’t want to force the Orillians to lift the blockade, that was when I knew we’re in this alone!”
“You know what Captain, the Prime Minister was right. RANGSIs are a moral vacuum. You don’t care about doing good. You don’t even care about lives. People like you aren’t our allies, you’re just as violent, as oppressive and as evil as Capitol.”
“And your Prime Minister....” Wahab leaned in and snarled softly in Skyler’s ear. “...Is a fucking cock and balls puppet disguised as a humanoid. Admiral Hargun was a soldier, he knew what had to be done. I cannot say the same for the civilian moralist pansies you call the new Union government.”
“Leave on the first wave of dropships. If you want to complain to the AGA council, you have to do it alive,” he released him after a few seconds. Skyler glared at him back, dusted off his shoulder and had no more words to offer. He stormed out of the room.
------- Camp Unity 2 Hours Later
Hundreds of dead bodies stretched out to the last two remaining defensive lines of the base. Tear gas and rubber bullets were evidently not enough to discourage the violent intrusion, and the Provosts and Military Police of the 15th exercised the last resort of their ROE as they loaded full magazines of 30 live bullets and brought out the heavy equipment - whatever GPMGs and grenades they can muster from armskotes.
Captain Wahab had outlined his plan of organized evacuation; all combatants are to form defensive lines and buy time for the armorers to move out guns and ammo back to the central ammunition dumps in the rear where they are then moved again by logistics personnel to the dropships. Some are channeled back to the defensive lines to keep them supplied. What could not be evacuated in time was destroyed by C4.
Their numbers were gradually being thinned out. Some provost squads could not make the retreat and end up being mauled by angry mobs. Some were burned alive by molotov cocktails, some others were simply shot by armed citizens, likely the insurgents of the Raman and Serabh ultranationalist militias. ------
The battle was raging so close to the HQ that Wahab could literally hear gunfire just 200 meters away, and even see the whole event unfurling before his very own eyes without the need for CCTVs. Wave after wave of mobs threw themselves at the sandbags, only to cut down by machine gun fire. But even machine guns ran out of ammo. The Ramans and Serabhs seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of men and women. “Sir! The 600th are really pushing their thrusters ETA 30 minutes!” Lieutenant Nara reported.
“The last of the light dropships managed to leave with the wounded and the ammo. All that’s left is the heavy stuff we packed on the pellets for the 600th to pick up,” Lieutenant Lee remarked. He was the officer in charge of the support company and had overseen the evacuation of military stores and weapons to the drop pads. He passed a S35 rifle to the Captain. “Here you go sir. I managed to save HQ278 just for you sir.”
“Thank you Lieutenant,” Wahab took the rifle, pulled the charging handle back, checked the chamber, released it, loaded a fresh magazine, pulled it back and released it again to chamber a new round and then put the rifle to safe mode. He put on his helmet and gear, observing the battle before him as he did so. The second line was collapsing, they were running out of ammo and were even engaging mobs in melee, only to be surrounded and dragged away deep into the vicious sea of rioters to be never seen ever again. He gave the order to collapse back to the final line of defence just right outside the HQ.
“30 minutes!” he ran towards the railing of the balcony, a floor just above his troops, right next to the last good machine gun in the entire base. “We hold this position for 30 minutes! Or we die trying!”
---- A bullet whizzed past him and hit the machinegunner squarely between the eyes. He took a few shots at the incoming crowd before pushing away the gunner’s body and commandeering the GPMG himself. The insurgents were throwing everything they had; bullets, rocks, molotovs and even captured grenades or home-made pipe bombs. The remaining provosts below gritted their teeth and returned fire, holding to their stations behind the very last sandbag wall in this entire godforsaken base.
“The 600th is here! All the pellets have been loaded up!” Nara rushed into the balcony, ducking as a bullet narrowing missed her head. “Sir! There’s still time to evacuate! We need to get going!”
“RPG!” a rocket smashed into the wall near them, sending rocks and mountains of dust and dirt on both of them. Wahab peeked up momentarily, to his horror the insurgents even brought in RPG launchers.
“We can’t! If the line collapses the RPGs will get through and destroy the heavy dropships!” he sat up again and unjammed the GPMG before unleashing another volley of 7.62mm into an ever nearing mob. The last rounds were expended, and Wahab dragged Nara back into the HQ building. He brought her to the drop pads where the heavy dropships of the 600th were waiting.
“You are all that is left of the 15th’s command staff,” he said to her as he unfastened his rank patch and put it in her hands. “Congratulations, Captain Nara. You better get going.”
“Captain! I can’t leave you here!” Nara tried to refuse and give back the rank patch.
---- “If you want to die, die another day!” Wahab grabbed her shoulders and pushed her into the ramp of the nearest heavy dropship. “The wounded survivors are gonna need a CO! You’ve been at my side, you’ve seen how to do it! You’re the best choice for Captain!”
“Ma’am, if you want to leave, now's the time!” a flight sergeant called out from the cabin as the sound of gunfire echoed right in the HQ’s rooms - a clear sign the last line of defence has been breached. Nara nodded, and she signalled the flight sergeant to take off. One by one the ramps closed up, and the 600th took to the skies leaving the doomed base behind. -----
There was nowhere else to run for the survivors, now down from five companies worth of infantry to just two platoons. Blood ran freely from the bodies of rioters and provosts alike, soaking into the soil, the stone and the flood drains. Behind them was a fence, where another mob of angry and desperate civilians were waiting to break in and mop up the rest of the RANGSI troops.
“Ramans and Serabhs! We, citizens of the Republik Angkasa, have come here to end your bloodshed. We have come here in recognition that your city, your provinces and your entire planets are in a dire humanitarian crisis!” Wahab picked up a loudspeaker.
“We have given you food! We have given your people shelter and safe refuge! We have given you our own ideology so that your peoples may end their pointless strife and unite together! But we have failed, because you have failed us! You have rewarded all our efforts with nothing but violence!”
“We have come here, thinking that perhaps one day our motto of ‘regardless of race, language and religion’ would become yours. But I now see. I see that regardless whether you are a Raman or a Serabh, both of you are nothing but brainless scum.”
“If you know only violence, then let us demonstrate to you what real violence is!” Wahab threw away the loudspeaker and fixed his bayonet on his rifle. “Activate Frenzy.”
“Frenzy Activated,” with that command Wahab activated the hidden functions within all the surviving soldiers’ neural chips that pumped them full of adrenaline and propaganda. Anger overtook fear and anxiety, pupils faded into red and the troops were frothing in primal rage.
“Fix bayonets! Charge!”
------------------------------------------------- Wiktor AFB 87th Combined Arms Regiment HQ
Major Farehum ripped the complaints paper, crumpled into a ball and threw it back at Skyler. “You can tell the Union, or the AGA for that matter, that I will not change anything. What Captain Wahab did, or what everyone else did on this bloody planet, was according to SOP.”
“SOP?!” Skyler growled. “You call killing civilians SOP?!”
“You have a funny way of calling people with hostile intentions, much less guns and molotovs, ‘civilians’.”
“It’s not just shooting people with live bullets for creations’ sake!” Skyler threw his hands in the air exasperatedly. “Your commanders were connecting explosives to their vital signs and blowing up bases when they were done with their last stands! It’s one thing to shoot crowds of people, Major! It’s another kind of villainy to blow them into pieces!”
“My god...the PR fallout from this one…” Skyler grumbled as he buried his face deep in his palms. “Not to mention the videos on Ancnet of RANGSI peacekeepers bayonetting civilians. This whole operation, your whole operation of bringing ‘unity’ to Tanakol has been a disaster.”
“It’s not just preventing guns being trafficked for genocide, my troops also saved lives by giving theirs to make sure the temporary refugee camps were fully evacuated,” Farehum snarled. “The SOP may seem ruthless yes, but it saved refugees from certain genocide one way or another, are you discrediting that?”
“No I am not Major, but every single act of brutality real or perceived erodes the AGA mandate here, don’t you forget about that.”
Zaoth System - High Imperium Space
Jaor Vakorian scanned the briefing displayed on his desk again in the vain hope that he could possibly make some sense out it. After reaching the end, he glanced at his colleague on the other side of the desk. "So let me see if I properly understand the lunacy you're -"
She lifted a finger to cut him off. "The Senate, dear cousin. If you'll recall, my House even voted against intervention."
He ground his teeth. "Fine. The lunacy the Senate is proposing. A task force dispatched to the Emerald Republics, an area rife with conflict, for the purpose of dispensing weapons to genocidal lunatics under the guise of medical aid, and all so that the Houses can curry favor with the Orillans. " He paused for a moment. "And to top it all off, you personally nominated your niece, the fucking Butcher of La Serena, to head this shitshow."
His glare when he was finished could've vaporized an asteroid, and the woman across from him had the decency to look mildly chagrined. Celros Entar, the director of Imperial Intelligence, cleared her throat and hemmed for a bit as Jaos continued to glower at her. Finally, she caved.
"Well, the medical aid is real enough... Alright, look! There are more considerations here than just the Orillans. The Senate is looking to capitalize on the good PR from the emancipations, and it would look good to be supporting the Unaligned against the AGA. Not to mention that they're also concerned about the security of the trade routes if the Sarabh's gain the upper hand in the region. "
He snorted. "You mean the mercantile Houses don't want to pay higher taxes, and think they can bully the Ramans into giving them reduced rates if we back them. And of course, the AGA gets egg on its face as things spiral further out of control and we get to look reasonable when we drop troops to break the rioters." He smirked. "But they're only rioting if they're not on our side, isn't that right?" Celros coughed delicately. "That's definitely one way of looking at the matter. Personally, I prefer to look at the brighter side of our presence being there to help suppress racial violence and keep any unwanted interference at bay."
At the last bit, Jaor's head came up and his eyes widened. "Unwanted interference? Star above, you're talking about the Core Worlds Campaign, aren't you? No wonder. You spooks must have been shitting yourselves after Boras."
Now it was her turn to glare. "Alhergus is an unknown quantity right now, and the Houses agreed that it would be...unwise to allow for the possibility of any assault by him. Now if you're quite finished lambasting me over decisions I had no input in, can we get back to the details of the deployment?" --------
Tanakol System - Emerald Republics Contested Space
The comms station beeped, and the officer turned towards the command throne. "Ma'am, incoming transmissions from multiple fleet elements across the system. They're asking for IFF codes and our justification for being here."
Myan Entar raised a hand in acknowledgement. "Wide system broadcast, inform them that we're here to assist with peacekeeping efforts and that our civilian ships are carrying food shipments and medical aid."
There were various snickers from around the bridge, and honestly, the Primarch couldn't blame them. With a 'task force' consisting of four Horus-class destroyers, six Legios assault carriers, and two supercarriers, it would've been a hard pill for anyone to swallow that the Imperium was just here to keep the peace. Never mind the fifty freighters they'd brought with them. Then again, she mused, looking at the rotating image of Juvos, those freighters were mostly filled with guns and anti-personnel heavy weaponry...
Naragaon System, Ramanunjagar Republic Avimukta City
The office was large as befitting its owner's position. tapestries lined the walls, showing scenes from Ramanunjagar history, all woven in colored and hung from gold rodsattached to the walls. The lighting was indirect, shining up onto the ceiling from recessed light fixtures.
Defense Minister Aramathra sat at his desk looking over reports dealing with the Sarabhai situation and the growing chaos in the disputed zones in the wake of the decision to separate themselves from the Nucleans. A long time political ally of Prime Minister Euphemi, Aramathra was a believer in the "Greater Ramanunjagar" concept. Aramathra recalled the last cabinet meeting. The actions taken by the RSFM had complicated things immensely. The fact that the government had bankrolled them just added potential fuel to the fire.
The Prime Minister had handled things well, trying to get the rogue element of the RFSM under control. It would not go well with the puppets trying to slip their strings. That was a complication no one needed. And then there were the various interventions by foreign forces,,,
Besides the Nucleans ultimatum to the worlds of the disputed zone, other forces were getting involved, The Sarabhai had hired a large mercenary contingent to assist and advance their position. Aramathra knew of them, Dawn's March, a highly competent unit with a reputation well known among most militaries and the mercenary community.. The Orilians had decided to intervene, though Aramathra was concerned that their "humanitarian missions" were just thinly disguised adventurism, and lastly RANGSI, which was operating refugee camps. There were also rumors of Natar getting involved, which when combined with the RSFM and Sarabh terrorist actions, were turning the region into a potential inferno. It was only a matter of time before it ignited. (edited)
Aramathra relaxed for a moment in his chair before his next appointment. He breathed in the air, a sweet and spiced scent tinting it from the incense burning in gold filigreed burners at the room's inner corners. All too soon his comm panel beeped, it was his secretary announcing that his next appointment had arrived, a businessman named Andren.
His secretary opened the office door and Andren walked in. a handsome human male in his mid-30's, he wore a well-cut black suit, with a small black crystal around his neck, hanging from what seemed to be a fine iridium chain. For a moment Aramathra thought he saw a faint purplish light inside the crystal, but on a closer look there was nothing. Trick of the light... he thought before motioning to the guest chair in front of his desk. "Welcome to Naragaon, Mister Andren, how can I help you? Be aware that my time for this appointment is limited, affairs of state and all."
"A pleasure to meet you, Minister Aramathra. What I have to say shouldn't take long to explain. I represent a group of individuals who are rather concerned about the situation building up in the disputed area coreward of the Ramanunjagar Republic. I am certain you government also has concerns about that region of space?"
"That much should be obvious to any intelligent observer" Aramathra said grimly. "So what interest to these associates of yours have in this situation and it's resolution?"
"Only to see stability returned to the region. And yes I realize that for that to happen, it will likely be a rather bloody process. Of course one can make an effort to minimilize the violence. My question for you Minister, is what do you want out of this?" (edited)
"As you put it so eloquently, to solve the situation in the disputed territories with a minimum of bloodshed."
"Is that all?" Andren said, nodding slightly.
"Well..." Aramathra said simply. pausing to look at one of the embroidered tapestries. It portrayed a small pair of colored birds bathing in a stream. "If I could do it I would want to see those territories under our control. And then become the basis of the Greater Ramanunjagar... But frankly that's a pipedream."
"It might be possible to arrange."
Aramathra paused, a slight look of shock crossing his face before he began to laugh. "You are insane if you believe that. This appointment is over. You have wasted enough of my time. My secretary will show you out."
"Is there something I could arrange to show you that I am sincere and that my associates can deliver on any deals we make?" (edited)
After thinking for a minute, Aramathra chuckled and said "Sure... neutralize the Dawn's March and Centauri fleets in the Tanakol system."
"Done." Andren said, smiling warmly,
Aramathra was taken aback by the stern, confident tone in Andren's voice. "And what will your associates want in return?"
"Only your continued friendship." Andren said with a smile, then he turned and left the office. leaving Minister Aramathra sitting at his desk. The light fixture illuminating his desk, which had flickered occasionally for the last week, finally gave up the ghost and burned out, leaving Aramathra sitting in shadow.
“When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.”
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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 11:01:28 GMT
Tanakol System Ground
There was another explosion as the perimeter fence was breached, dirt and body parts from several civilians and also a RANGSI trooper showering the area. First through was a surprisingly well armed civilian, obviously not a normal non-combatant. Wielding a Burnham railgun he fired off several bursts into the defending few RANGSI troopers before being gunned down.
It was the same everywhere, isolated outposts of RANGSI, Orillian and NGO forces or provisions were being raided by remarkably well armed insurgents. Ethic Sarabs had seemed to explode in fervour as the arrival of both Dawns March and the Centauri fleet had appeared in system, backing the Sarab people and their right to this world. New arms and munitions flowed into both insurgent groups and into the general Sarab population as they surged forward, this time supported by actual Sarabhai army forces who intended to push the Ramans up against the wall and in some truly unscrupulous cases, cut off their ability to run and evacuate, leaving them to the mercy of the less than questionable ethnic supremacists. It was clear one of the ships which had reached the surface, one of many who had run the blockade given the sudden change of situation, had been carrying a substantial arms shipment and such arms, from the Jade Empire no less, now disseminated across the population.
All was not so lost for the Ramans however, insurgent groups fought back on their end and tried to throw out the RANGSI weapons they had captured to the rest of the population to defend themselves. On top of that Raman military units began to deploy, taking up positions as rear-guard in areas where civilians were being pushed out or attempted to be cut off to prevent massacres. All the while it was the Orillians who began the series of airstrikes, bombing key Sarab logistics installations using their drone platforms, each one would fly as close to the ground as possible, weaving between the huge server stack cities to approach without giving the enemy a lock. At the last possible second they would pull up, fire their guided munitions and either attempt to withdraw or be shot down. The action was meant to delay Sarab advance as Orillian drone units deployed to the thickest areas of fighting determined to allow Raman civilians to escape. ------
Kavanis spaceport was perhaps one of the main focuses, with the blockade in orbit reduced now that the fighting had started every civilian ship was drafted in to try evacuate Raman civilians either off world or to another part of Tanakol not ravaged by the frontline. Small personal shuttles, bulk haulers and even military cargo craft were used as crowds gathered to wait their turn to board. Falla watched and surveyed the open concrete runway, seeing the huge waves of people waiting in line or boarding the constant inflow and outflow. The smoke stacks from the city beyond denoting the frontline. It was close but they would get these people out.
“Situation on the front?”
“Not good commander, Sarbs are pushing pretty hard and their insurgent friends are making a mess of things for us all over. They must have got some damn shipments through from some new patron. Good news is Orillias deploying its forces to help” the man standing next to Falla replied, his eyes glued to a holographic screen which gave constant battlefield uplink read outs.
“Good, about time those robo-“ Falla was cut off as several sudden explosions rocked the area. Some hit the runway while others hit deep into the crowds of civilians, killing many. Alarms sounded and the screaming began.
“Are we under air attack!”
“Negative its fucking mortars, insurgents must be trying to hit us and slow us down, ill redirect the 79th to sweep where those shots came from”
“Do it, and get gunships up there. If you see a single Sarb who is even holding a fucking stick. Shred the bastard”
Tanakol System Space
The situation had rapidly become what could be officially dubbed a ‘shitshow’ in the hours after Dawns March had entered the system with such a large force and announced that all Ramans must leave the system in 4 days.
Some civilian ships present tried to leave, clearly reading the tides as a battle was brewing and FTLed out of the system in a rapid manner. However most others saw the opportunity for what It was worth and tried to run the blockade, spurred by the Jade Empire vessel which had made a break for it the floodgates were opened and ships of both nationalities and more sped for the ground. Food, weapons, supplies, even smuggled in additional forces were present as the ships went to their designated drop zones. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. It started with the Raman fleet firing on the Sarab vessels trying to break through, the military grade weapons easily turning several of the ships quite blatantly carrying weapons to little more than debris. This rapidly escalated in short order, as the Sarab fleet in orbit did the same, and within several minutes the shooting war started.
The small Sarab taskforce the 78th Space Army, found itself in a bad situation, outnumbered by the Ramans and with the Orillian fleet immediately choosing to support the Ramans the firepower directed at them was enough to reduce the force of 22 to a mere 7 within moments, the force quickly firing its drives and trying to retreat using the orbital lanes to take cover on the other side of the planet. The Raman No.22 squadron had lost several in return but they did not pursue the Sarab fleet instead they took positions ready for the arrival of both Dawns March and the Centauri who were now closing in on the planet having had to make their way through the planets passive interdiction field.
The Orillians however did not sit still, they accelerated using the planet to aid their speed and prepared to use their main advantage, firing off several missile salvoes at the retreating 78th as they did so. With the orbital space now fully turned into a shooting war Agamo was under no illusions that his current mission was to wipe out No.22 and the Orillian force in system, something which was indeed confirmed by the announcement which was broadcast from outside the system.
“This is Prime Minister Euphemi Laghari of the Republic of Ramanunjagar. In response to the blatant act of provocation and ethnic relocation in the Tanakol system we refuse to withdraw and evacuate our people from their rightful homes. The use of such forces such as Dawns March reflects on the nature of the Sarahbai people and as such we will defend our citizen’s right to their homes. I give the Sarabhai government 2 hours to withdraw their affiliated forces to the edge of the system and issue a ceasefire in space or I will be forced to deploy additional Ramanunjagar fleet elements to eliminate any threats to this nation’s people.”
Natar System ASN Space
Madam Yrillx sat patiently admiring the architecture and rather grand splendour of the room she had been told to wait in. The wallpaper and various fixings of the walls and ceilings gave it a distinctive aristocratic flare which Yrillx had observed in other species before. Whether this was the fine art work of the Telarians themselves or the cultural imprints of countless others they had bowed to was unknown to her, but either way she could appreciate it.
She was here because an Orillian representative had been requested to attend a meeting in regards to both the Emerald Republic situation and the events at La Serena. She had no doubts it would be a tense one, but Yrillx was confident in her nations goals and their reasoning in the current situations. For now she would wait to be called in.
SHADE headquarters Raqqah system Disputed space
A day in the life of Marshal Ishwar Randhawa began a few minutes before the alarm clock sounded at 4:30AM. It started with a few stretches then a quick morning workout to wake himself in the private gym built into his quarters, a practice that had maintained the 110 year-old's body and mind in the optimal condition his task demanded. Showering and grooming himself came next and took a fair amount of time, after all he couldn't demand SHADE be kept in pristine condition if he himself did not stick to those strict standards. Before getting dressed up in his well-maintained uniform he made sure to spend some time inspecting his quarters for any sign of dirt of disorder and clean up any imperfections himself, leaving very little to do for the cleaning staff that would arrive after he'd left. Breakfast was at 7:00 in a special balcony of the officer's mess hall along with his 16 generals. Although this was the first time that SHADE's command staff met together, Randhawa had strictly forbidden discussing the day's tasks at the table and so the other Sarabh generals conversed instead about a variety of milder topics such as the food, weather, their families and important events going on outside of SHADE. Seeing which topics they chose and what tone they took was a subtle way for the marshal to gauge the morale and relations of his staff while eating in silence himself. With breakfast over, the Marshal and his generals parted ways to go to their respective posts to meet up with their staff and formally relieve the night shift officers of their command. Major General Ranjan Patil, Ishwar's night-shift counterpart, welcomed the Marshal at his desk and transferred the important memories of the evening with a digital handshake before sitting down and going over a list of tasks that had been accomplished or left unfinished overnight, all of them contained in a large stack of folders. Inside were flight logs of aircraft arriving and leaving SHADE, lists of new staff transfers, technical issues that had come up, orders from Raqqah supreme command, weather reports and intelligence updates that would take up most of Marshal Randhawa's morning to process. Finally came the most important part of the meeting, the brief question that would decide the operations for not only just the rest of the day but the upcoming months. "Have they backed down?" The Marshal asked, neatly stacking the folders close to the corner of the desk in order of importance.
"Negative, Marshal." Ranjan Patil replied. "According to DMI they think we are bluffing."
"Understood." The Marshal said in his deep voice with a slow nod, leafing through the folder that showed the position of ships currently orbiting Raqqah. "That'll be all, Major General Patil. Dismissed."
The Major General stood at attention and saluted before turning around and leaving the office. While normally the Marshal would communicate minor adjustments of the day's agenda to his staff at that time of the morning this day nothing in the stack of folders even approached the importance of the decision he was about to take. Sitting down in front of the desk in the office he'd organized with OCD-like symmetry, Marshal Randhawa condensed the stack into a few pages of notes in complete silence. Like clockwork, he finished with exactly enough time to walk to the general staff's briefing room.
Soldiers, colonels and generals stepped out of Marshal Ishwar's way and saluted practically like fresh recruits, all groomed and kept as clean as Randhawa himself. Officers from any other nation would have been forgiven if they mistakenly thought the asceptic corridors and disinfectant-smelling air of SHADE was the interior of an interstellar flagship. Many areas even had emergency airlocks and oxygen equipment at the ready. But this was a planetside facility below ground, one located so high up above the sea level that the outside was as inhospitable as any barren world.
SHADE, the Southern Hemisphere Area Defense Emplacement, was the seat of the Republic of Sarabhai's military might in Raqqah. Back in Sarabhai's darkest days it had been a dugout of half-starved young soldiers surrounded on all sides by RFSM insurgents, infested by fleas and weakened by cholera but holding the line down to the last man with tenacity. Many of the bodies of these heroes -Ishwar's brothers in arms- were still out there lost in ravines or foxholes, mummified by the cold and lack of oxygen and still clutching their weapons years after the Republic of Sarabhai had been at the brink of annihilation during AW2. Nowadays SHADE was the size of a small country, spanning hundreds of fortified facilities all across the colossal shield volcano known as Mount Pandatarai; sixteen airbases, thirty-two army bases and over a hundred sensor outposts stood on the stratospheric mountain, using the planet's largest peak as a vantage point that left little place to hide for the enemies of Sarabhai for hundreds of kilometers around them. It was the largest fortified position in all of Raqqah and one of the largest in the Emerald Republics as a whole and its facilities burrowed deep into the volcanic basalt of the still-active peak to shield the mountain troops from the deadly conditions. At Mount Pandatarai's summit were built SHADE's two most important facilities: an anti-orbital facility of immense power and a weather control station that exerted its invisible influence over an area the size of a continent.
Despite its many strategic and operational roles, however, Marshal Randhawa saw the site's primary role as being something else: a war grave. Knowing how many young Sarabhs -including his own three gransons- were out there in the frigid slopes waiting to be given a dignied burial, Ranhawa had imposed the strictest discipline on every single soldier and military contractor in all of SHADE and a zero-tolerance policy towards debauchery and disrespect of the uniform. This had made the personnel of Mount Pandatarai's bases somewhat of a special breed of warrior; loyal to a fault, nationalistic and with a will of steel, Marshal Ranhawa's men had turned SHADE into one of the most prestigious institutions of the Sarabh military.
Even after turning SHADE into what it was, Ranhawa had repeatedly turned down transfer offers to Sarabhai's supreme command, refusing to leave the enormous mountain complex until every missing Sarabh was found and buried. While nobody in the base doubted that it was one of his intentions, rumors circulated that Randhawa also wanted to skip serving in the chiefs of staff of the army and aimed for the Republic's highest office.
"At 0200 hours we detected a convoy of 10 aircraft, presumed to be the 479th Transport Wing of the Ramanunjagar Air Force based off Bhakurma Airfield 650km to the southwest." One of the generals reported in front of the rest of the staff in the large briefing room while Randhawa listened attentively. "They were flying at very low altitude to avoid radar but, as the Marshal predicted, we were able to use high-altitude backscatter to detect them. At 0211 our base at Gaurella scrambled two 2-ship flights of fighters and prepared 8 others for sortie. The takeoff appears to have been picked up by Raman satellite early warning as their convoy of transport planes immediately turned around and retreated. There was no interception but we think the operation was a success, the airbridge to Bendora remains broken."
A looping replay of the fligthpaths taken by Raman and Sarabh aircraft glowed in the otherwise very dimly-lit room. "DMI thinks that fligth was Ramanunjagar's last-ditch attempt to stay on top of the situation." An intelligence analyst added when it was his turn to speak. "10 aircraft is too few for what they are trying to do. They think this was just a feeler trying to see if they could sneak large formations of aircraft under our radar in preparation for a much larger operation but reduced levels of activity in Ramanunjagar's transport airbases makes it seem like the operation has been cancelled after today's events."
"They don't want a repeat of last month." Randhawa intervened, slowly stroking his well-trimmed beard. "If the Ramanunjagar Air Force gave up on maintaining the airbridge would explain the arrival of our newest guests, I presume."
"Yes sir." The chief of anti-orbital defense and second highest-ranked officer in SHADE after the Marshal himself informed, sensing in Randhawa's words that it was his time to talk. He gestured at the holographic display, which zoomed out from the Bendora airspace all the way up to the orbit of the entire country and showed a new set of images taken by reconaissance satellites: the angular form of a military transport ship of the High Imperium’s interstellar navy and an armed escort vessel. "This vessel ignored our calls to leave the area and recently made a burn to bring its orbit over Bendora in the next 6 hours." "It's going to supply RFSM-RN." Randhawa said in a soft, matter-of-factly tone. "Do we have any word from the government on how to handle it?"
"To tell you the truth, sir, they're leaving the decision in your hand."
This surprised the Marshal, who raised an eyebrow, and then without skipping a beat began picking his papers back up and putting his pens back in their cases as soon as he noted the time alotted for the briefing was nearly over.
"Shoot it down in 6 hours 15 minutes during re-entry blackout." He said. His men had grown to expect stoicism from the Marshal but to hear him calmly order the destruction of an Imperial Navy ships with such calm made many of them pause to do a double take. "The Orillians might be enforcing the no-fly zone over Tanakol but we are enforcing it over Raqqah."
A good two dozen papers were prepared detailing the order to fire, and the marshal signed each and one of them before handing them back to the commanding staff of each of the multitude of facilities that would be involved in the destruction of the large Orillian vessel without the slightest hint of doubt or wavering. With little else to discuss, SHADE's general staff was dismissed and they all returned in a hurry to the headquarters knowing the execution of the marshal's orders had wide-ranging implications and they would have to prepare the base to withstand the consequences of their act.
Watches were set and alarms began ringing all across the complex. The newly-reinvigorated Emerald War was coming to SHADE and its men were readied for it. The Marshal himself retreated back to his office to compose the many letters addressed to the various oversight organisms and offices of the Sarabhai government, the chiefs of staff and the Prime Minister detailing the actions to be taken for the record. It did not take him very long, however, as large portions of those letters had already been written in advance and he only had to fill in the specific dates and locations now.
This left him time to open up his diary and write down a few lines in what was surely to be one of the last opportunities he’d get to put his thoughts on paper before the operation required him to be at his command post every day. Opening the old tome about halfway, Marshal Randhawa wrote:
‘Enemy spacecraft will be re-entering atmosphere. Authorized the operation. No irregularities otherwise.’
He skipped a line and paused for a moment.
‘The vices of a man are a living thing. Like how animals are sculpted by the blind forces of evolution, vices too change shape and function during life. Otherwise anyone could become a saint by merely overcoming the flaws he had as a child and we all know it’s not that easy. Throughout a man’s life his lesser self employs a variety of tricks to survive, it can disguise itself as a biological imperative as addiction does, or it can pretend to be a deepy-held component of own’s cultural identity. Whatever form this regressive impulse takes in a man, he must overcome it with the same conviction as he does its most open forms.
Sometimes vice hides in traits that we hold dear to ourselves, making it harder to be freed from it. I have overcome the part of me that has held me back in a number of forms but now I struggle with it more than ever. There is a part of me that makes me human, that has given my life meaning and has given me joyous memories with my family. This trait, which I’ve been taugth and have taught others to nurture all my life, now harasses me and clouds my judgement.
My mercy is the latest form that this moral contamination has taken. It is easier for a man to fight his greed and wrath than to fight his sense of mercy. Through the mercy and grace of others I have become who I am but now I must hold back from offering that same sentiment so that my task can be completed and suffering can, in the long term, be avoided.
It is easy to give up your life for your nation. Countless forgotten martyrs have done it. It is much harder to give up your soul for your nation. To do the horrible thing that must be done, sober, aware and looking at it.’
“Grandfather Randhawa”, as he was called by the personnel of SHADE, had a different name to the people who lived in the desert that surrounded the mountain: the Butcher-King of Mount Pandatarai. To them he was the opposite of the paternal and dignified figure as he was to the men and women of Sarabh’s security forces, he was a faceless and monstruous purveyor of famine and misery. A large basin with dozens of cities was located to the south of Mount Pandatarai which had for decades being one of the points of friction between not only the Raman and Sarabh states but their peoples. It was one of the areas that had been pried off Sarabhai during the zenith of Ramanunjagar’s gains, turned into the loosely-defined “autonomous area” from which RFSM had staged countless operations against the mountain fortress to the north. Sarabhai had attempted to take it back but the only thing they’ve gotten out of their repeated attempts were eleven thousand body bags and a civilian population radicalized against them. The Bendora basin was Sarabhai’s in name only. RFSM-RN now enjoyed free rein in this occupied basin thanks to the direct military support of Ramanunjagar and Orillia. Unlike the majority of territories, Sarabhs in Bendora had welcomed RFSM-RN with open arms and given them shelter while they inflicted terrible casualties on the Sarabhian Republic’s security forces. So bloody was the insurgency in Bendora that over time the men and women in SHADE had come to see them as foreigners and fought them as such. If these Sarabhs chose RFSM-RN over their own nation, they would be buried alongside them.
The weather control station atop SHADE struck Bendora with a drought that had lasted the better part of a year. Aircraft from Mount Pandatarai’s airbases had destroyed all major supply lines to the population, setting the stage for famine to ravage the entire Bendora basin. Counterattacks to bring the station offline had failed and barely made a dent in the fortress’ 8km-tall cliffside, leaving RFSM and their Ramanunjagar sponsors to try different desperate measures to bring supplies to the cities, all of which had been thwarted by SHADE. Now, months into the isolation of Bendora, relations between the Sarabh civilians and RFSM-RN were starting to fray as rationing became stricter and stricter. Hunger was already sweeping the smaller cities of the basin, its victims numbering thousands, soon enough it would be everyone for themselves once self-preservation overtook all forms of social and political organization. The Marshal counted on it.
After the Ramanunjagar Air Force had proven unable to airlift supplies to Bendora, Orillia was the last hope to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.
Hours later, the decisive moment had come.
“35 minutes to target.” The observation posts reported once the Imperial ships were preparing to re-enter the atmosphere. Randhawa and his generals looked at the sky from a control tower. “Array reports no malfunctions, ready for deployment.”
“Arm the array.” Randhawa ordered, arms crossed. The two commanding officers of the anti-orbital forces stood up and walked to two consoles on opposite sides of the control room. A retinal and fingerprint scan of the two brigadier generals unlocked a small door for each, behind which was a keyhole which they turned.
“Master arm on, BIT commencing.” One of the brigadiers reported and the other one repeated. “Targeting mode automatic.”
“BIT complete, all emitters warmed up.”
In the large central crater of the volcano, a vast array of thousands of parabolic laser emitters were deployed from protective storage domes. Once the rail-mounted antennae had evenly distributed themselves all over the crater they elevated and slewed to test their mechanical actuators in a coordinated dance.
“Mechanical steering shows no irregularities, target handoff from satellite in 30 seconds.”
“Deploying reflector, weather conditions stable, wind speed 40 meters per second south-southwest.”
From a large hemisphere-shaped hangar built near the summit of the volcano, an airfoil kite spanning over a hundred meters was carefully towed out by tractors and made to face the wind. Flaps and slats on this ligthweigth yet resistant structure actuated to increase its lift and take to the air as soon as its heavy bracing anchors disengaged. Three cables tied to ground platforms kept the airfoil tethered to the launch area and supplied with power for the various pods of electronics and sensors that this giant kite hoisted into the air. The largest of these streamlined pods hung directly beneath the airfoil’s center of lift and held within it an alien object more expensive than most of the lasing array put together: a monocrystalline mirror of polished dawnstone.
Normally, SHADE’s powerful laser had its firing arc restricted to only firing upwards. The Imperials, acting on Raman intelligence, had taken this into account and was attempting to enter the atmosphere at such a low angle it would slip under the laser’s arc. But this time they would be met with an unexpected upgrade to the array, mounted on the airfoil that Randhawa had ordered to be flown on a weekly basis without the mirror to trick Orillia and Ramanunjagar into thinking it was a spy asset.
“Airfoil is at altitude.” An air controller informed and his report was followed by the chief fire control officer of the station. “Laser guidance system has a clear track.”
“Laser cooling cycle initiated.”
Among the many reports given by the control staff of the lasing array, one stood out in particular and was always announced with the ping of an alarm: the target position updates. AEW&C aircraft and observation satellites of Sarabhai tracked the arriving Imperial ships. Soon enough the transport ship was shrouded in a veil of high-temperature plasma and its glow lined the edges of the stratospheric clouds around SHADE.
“Emitter cooling completed, target is locked.” The windows of the control tower became a deep inky black and opaque. “Antiflash protection of all forces in SHADE engaged. Final warning engaged. Target is in T1 firing window for 35 seconds.”
The operator pressed a button on his console, activating an alarm in the form of three loud claxons. The fire control chief then turned to Randhawa and, with a wordless salute, stood up and to the side of his computer, offering him the chance to pull the trigger. The Marshal simply put a hand on the switchboard and raised his gaze.
“You saw what happened in Tanakol.” He simply said. “This is not only a message to Orillia and her allies to let them know they will have no presence in this system. This also goes to all those vultures that were nowhere to be found during the nadir our long struggle and now are showing up with hundreds of ships to Tanakol. The Republic of Sarabhai appreciates their help but we will depend on nobody to ensure our sovereignity.”
The flash of the laser was so bright that for a split second the outside became visible through the heavily-tinted windows of the control tower. In a second the large Imperial ships was vaporized by the combined power output of the hundreds of powerplants that provided energy to the mountaintop laser. From then on the laser array of SHADE would remain on, engaging all Orillian, Raman or Imperial. Interdictors on other sites began emitting at full power to lock down the system and Raqqah’s system defense fleet was brought online in anticipation of retaliation.
TANAKOL SYSTEM SPACE
Fat Eddie swore. They had sprung forwards, leaping to take advantage of the confusion caused by the arrival of the Dawn's March mercenary contingent, and the Raman and Orillian fleets had been momentarily caught flat-footed, slow to react, but as the Dram surged ahead it had been followed by dozens of other craft seeking to escape the system or slip down to the planet's surface.
The movement triggered a response, much like a crocodile springing at a passerby. The Raman fleets opened fire on Sarab vessels, lighting up the darkness with explosions and the flare of energy weapons and engine bursts, a flickering firework display that signalled the deaths of hundreds. Within moments, the system was a boiling maelstrom of crossfire as the Raman and Orillians sought to solidify their position before the Sarab reinforcements arrived. Riding ahead of the wave, Francesca pushed the aging freighter to its limits, rolling occasionally to avoid the stray bursts of gunfire as they screamed towards Tanakol.
The freighter shuddered as something impacted them, throwing the crew against their harnesses. The ship began to rumble as they entered the atmosphere, rattling as Francesca fought to keep the ship under control....
TANAKOL SURFACE
The landing had not thrilled Fat Eddie. Someone had blown a good chunk of their hull out on the way down, and the landing had in truth more resembled a crash, despite Francesca's best efforts. The Dram Of Dunbroath was not going anywhere soon, and although they had successfully offloaded their cargo, they were trapped planetside. Fat Eddie stood on the cargo ramp, leaning against a support strut and sipping on a hip flask. The landing zone was a run-down dump, and crashing a freighter into it had arguably improved it, and whilst the Dram had been in all kinds of seedy locations and situations, this was feeling more and more like a bad idea to Fat Eddie. - SANRIN SYSTEM, CASTLE ZHANG-YU
Kirsch shifted uncomfortably. She had been summoned to an audience with Daimyo Toshi, and whilst she was not officially answerable to the civilian authorities, Admiral Minowara had ordered her to attend and cooperate fully with the diminutive overlord of Sanrin System. Stood in front of the Daimyo's desk like a child in front of the school principal, she waited for the Daimyo to finish writing.
"Major, please take a seat. How are you?" "I am well, thank you ma'am. And yourself?" replied Kirsch evenly - she might have been unsettled but she'd be damned if she betrayed that fact. "Good, good. Admiral Minowara tells me you have an interest in the Emerald Republics?" Unsure of how much the Admiral had already said, Kirsch decided that feigning ignorance as to the Daimyo's meaning was the best route - a standard soldier's ploy. "The Emerald Republics are part of our trade network, yes ma'am." Sighing with a wry smile, the Daimyo waved a hand dismissively. "I am referring, Major, to your operatives currently in the Tanakol System, and the fact that Burnham railguns seem to be a la mode in the Republics right now." Kirsch pursed her lips and then nodded. "Of course. Yes, the JIAN has been smuggling export-cleared assets to the BPW insurgency movement in Raman territories. The Orillians have been supporting the Republic of Ramanunjagar and their terrorist attacks against the Sarabhai, and since the Orillians are vehemently anti-colonial it was deemed prudent to ensure that they did not achieve their strategic goals regarding the Emerald Republics. Direct intervention is not an option at this stage and so we elected to provide materiel assistance to the Sarab allied freedom fighters, beginning with the Tanakol System." ”Indeed, an excellent plan. I only sought to ask you about it because there are already news reports in which Burnham M2A6 weapons are clearly visible. It seems some of them were quite instrumental in overrunning RANGSI and Orillian outposts in the last few days, which would be quite the ringing endorsement if we were looking for publicity. Which we are not.”
Kirsch blinked at the flash of steel that found its way into the Daimyo’s last few words.
“Ma’am, this has been a sterile operation. The Jade Empire lies halfway across the galaxy, and even should someone choose to dig deeply we have deniability. Burnham weapons can be found in every corner of space, and there is no proof that we had a had in it.” Toshi raised an eyebrow at what she felt was a bold claim. “No proof? What of the ships that deliver these arms? What of their crew?”
Kirsch shook her head. “We use people we trust aboard every ship, people who can clean things up if mistakes are made. There’s no risk.” she said, deciding not to mention the minor hiccup that the Dram was still stuck on Tanakol – it would be cleared up without the Daimo ever needing to know.
There was a long pause as Toshi considered this. She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “There is always risk. I want to be kept in the loop for all operations going forward – if this blows up in our faces it will be on your head.”
Natar: ASN Space
Yrillx’s silence was only accompanied by the echoed chatter that emanated from the nearby secretary’s desk as the staffmember scribbled down notes. Upon her desk lay a small pad evidently streaming some kind of interview. Whomever the participants were they were thankfully using Galactic Common, presumably to appeal to the growing interplanetary populace on Natar.
“-...Now Lord Telso i’d like to move on-, If I may, to the subject of the recent and rather sudden news of a diplomatic mission by the Orillian Empire to Verat. The question I obviously have, err, of course, is what is the purpose of this visit to our republic?” The interviewer questioned, only to be replied by a polite and clearly pronounced voice of this Telso figure,
“-Well that’s an international matter. We’re just hosting the visit.” Even without seeing the screen, one could picture the kind of dismissive smile the President of Verat had accompanied the sentence with.
“So a major galactic power has been invited for discussions in Verat but you’re not even allowed to attend?” Came to immediate inquiry, only to be chuckled and deflected by the lord,
“Not at all the case Tomel, not at all the case. You see, diplomacy is an extremely complex issue, it requires a great deal of meandering, go-betweens, symbolism and so forth-”
“But the Veratian government isn’t actually involved in this meeting.” The interviewer reasserted,
“It’s not as simple as-”
“...Who is dealing with this mission, Lord Telso?” Tomel asked, keeping the heat up evidently as he grilled the politician,
“That would be the Space Authority, Tomel.” Telso flatly responded, maintaining his calm as the interviewer questioned,
“And who is actually dealing with them?” To which the President cooly answered,
“The Stadtholder of the ASN.” Muttered the politician somewhat less proudly.
“Mose Tetlisun?” Asked Tomel.
“Mose Tetlisun.” Confirmed Telso.
“So let me make this clear for the audience…” The host huffed, his mic making a crumpled and ruffled noise as he evidently shifted in his chair, “The diplomatic summit being hosted within our national capital...”
“Yes it’s-” Squirmed Telso.
“...For a major anti-colonial power…” The host continued.
“Well I wouldn’t quite-”
“...Is being run by a man renowned for his pro-colonial policies-”
“Well, err, ...among other-”
“...For an organisation centered in Kalethia…”
“Not just in-”
“Which is being paid for by the Veratian people.” Tomel finalized; being replied to with a temporary silence as though the President himself were mortified by the political dynamite just thrown at him on-air.
“...W… Well, you see… Diplomacy is an extremely complicated- It, ah, dealings of this scale can’t be handled by any one nation, you see, unl-” Once more, Telso was interrupted,
“Why not?” The host mercilessly stabbed.
“...Because our countries are simply too small for galactic empires to bother themselves to deal with.” Telso shakily explained.
“Why? Individual countries have met and dealt with major empires before: Arcovia, the Royal Federation, RANGSI to name a few. Those empires have dozens of billions, if not trillions, of people- They can quite easily spare a few diplomats to meet and reach out to our national governments.”
“But then we get into the trouble of disunity, and then, well, we’re back to the days before the Sasona War!” The Lord chuckled dryly before being calmly eased down by the host,
“Yes. Well, i’d like to take the opportunity-” Suddenly the stream was interrupted as a civil servant poked his head from out of a nearby doorway and looked to Madam Yrillx. The rather well-kept, noble looking official gave a small smile and nodded to her before murmuring,
“Administrator Tetlisun will see you now.”
Making her way through and into the meeting chamber, the Orillian was greeted by the sight of an empty board room. Its large oak table was surrounded by antiques and artworks of varying origins. Both of Teliran and Human origins. The few windows that existed in the room were coated in blinds that gave the room a rather dim, yet-natural, light for the interior; a subtle reminder to Telirankind’s dislike for broad daylight. The entire place was empty, with the exception for the civil servant; who had shifted Yrillx in quietly shuffled into a corner before looking down to tend to some notes.
It took several minutes before the Orillian actually received the presence of the Administrator. From an opposing doorway came the muffled, approaching voice of the stern planetary stadtholder.
“And she’s already here?” Came the approaching voice, being quietly affirmed by a flock of aides whose combined footsteps created a cacophony that sounded more like a crashing wave was approaching the room than a team. The hubbub of voices that joined the officious chorus were mutters of what documents informed the administrator on what for the relevant topics to handle for the meeting, current events surrounding Orillia and the republics and reminders of certain appointments the leader had coming up.
Finally, the figure of Tetlisun burst through the door, quickly followed by two other figures. One was a rather portly gentleman of a Teliran, dressed in a relatively Human suit who eyed Yrillx with a judging look. On the other side of Tetlisun stood another Teliran: A finely dressed female carrying a number of documents and a datapad. The flustered figure that was Mose Tetlisun himself quickly straightened as his eyes locked onto the Orillian as the room immediately fell into total silence.
“...Madam Yrillx.” Mose finally murmured, “...Welcome to Natar. ...I believed you have much to explain to us. Let’s do away with the officialities and get started shall we?”
Mose steadily began to circle around the table, taking a seat close to the Orillian. He was a sharp contrast compared to the rather confident demeanour the Administrator had once held in his recording to Orillia some time ago. The positive approach he had portrayed during that first contact was now gone; replaced by an interrogative stare that never seemed to leave the Orillian. This was not going to be a meeting of cheerful allies it seemed.
Zaoth System - High Imperium Space
The Senate chamber was filled with the subdued chatter of the various Senators from all across the Imperium as they filed in to take their seats. In a box against the far wall, Jaor traded glances with Celros. "This better work, you crazy bitch."
She merely snorted. "Crazy? Try telling that to her." They both turned to look at the Speaker's platform, which was rising into the air as silence swept across the vast hall.
Upon the platform, draped in robes of gold and blue, stood Falten Eroth, First Speaker. She raised her hands and began to speak, her voice clear and resonant. "My lords, I bid you welcome to this gathering, and apologize for the aprutness of the call to assembly. However, as recent events have shown, the Republic of Sarabhi has blatantly disregarded all international mores regarding humanitarian conduct during times of war. Further, they have slaughtered without warning a convoy of Imperial citizens who bravely attempted to bring relief to the beleaguered peoples of the Bendora Basin."
The usual murmurs of the Senate threatened to rise into a roar of fury at her words before she continued. "In recognition of their valor, the Houses of Vakorian and Vos have elected to carry out posthumous adoptions of several members of the convoy, as well as their families."
Here she paused again in the manner of a master conductor to allow the rumble of the crowd to swell again. "Of course, honor thus demands that justice be carried out against their murderers. To this end, these two Houses of noble standing have declared a blood feud against all those responsible for their deaths. The Houses call for blood! Who shall answer?"
The roar of fury resounded in the chamber as representatives of Houses from all across the Imperium added their voices to the cacophony.
Celros looked back to Jaor, smirking. "Still think she's nuts?" ------------------------------
Raqqah System - Emerald Republics Contested Space
The counter displayed on the bridge of the Apollo-class battleship Emarion's Grace ticked downwards to the fleet's emergence back to realspace. In the command throne, Kalsa shifted, trying to work the kinks out of her back from spending the entire shift in that damn seat. As the timer hit zero, a shudder ran through the ship, the FTL engines shifting and forcing the realspace bubble the ship was in back into reality. From an outside perspective, it would've appeared as if the fleet simply appeared out of nowhere.
Shifting her attention to the main display, Kalsa tapped out several maneuver orders to pull the fleet back into position after the jump. Then something else flared on the display. Four cruisers, midway between them...and the world they'd come to deliver judgement against. Sneering, she began to issue deployments. With a battleship, five cruisers, and fifteen troop carriers plus supply freighters, she'd hang Randhawa from a gibbet or burn this world to ash trying...
Tanakol System Space
“Rear Admiral, the Sarabhi forces are under attack, should we engage?” Captain Alex’s voice came over the speakers and irritation spread across Juli’s face.
“Our orders are to not get involved unless we have been fired upon.” She barked back. Several crewmen looked up from their consoles to look at the woman.
“However we can not ‘babysit’ them as you so eloquently put it, if we sit back and let them be slaughtered.” Alex reasoned. Further irritation filled Juli and she stomped a foot before turning to the navigation officer.
“All ships, combat speed six! We move to support the Sarabhi troops on the ground.” The officer nodded and quickly made to send out the orders and begin moving the ship. Turning to the Marine Commander she pointed at him, “Prepare all combots for planetary assault!” The Commander saluted and ran off the bridge. Turning back to face the front view screen she watched as the shapes representing their fleet began to move.
“Ma’am Ramans and Orillian fleets are moving to engage us.” The tactical officer called out. Juli looked to see the several orange chevrons turn red in their path. A cruel smile swept across her face as she felt the thrill of battle fill her.
“If they so wish to get in our way, then smash them!” She ordered. Turrets began to spin before firing a barrage of positron beams towards the Ramans and Orillian fleets. Missile doors slid open and loosed volleys of anti-ship missiles.
Centauri Space: Gamma Prime, Centauri Gamma
“Rear Admiral Volarn has engaged the enemy.”
“As was expected, her orders were conflicting on purpose.” A knife clinked against the plate as a section of meat was cut off.
“Very tricky of you Grand Admiral.” A servant came to fill the Grand Admiral’s drink.
“What moves do we make now?” The Grand Admiral chewed before looking at the businessman across from him.
“Now? Now we begin the war machine, we will need new ships, new combots, and new drones. After all,” Standing up he wiped his mouth before leaving. Before he left the room he turned. “We have a war to fight Mr. Galen.”
Mr. Galen watched the Grand Admiral walk out before turning to the other assorted businessmen and women. Smiles spread across their faces as they heard the news.
“You heard the man, we have a war to fight, the era of peace is over, Centauri shall return to what it does best.”
Raqqah System Space
The four cruisers spotted by Kalsa had, within a fraction of a second, flipped around vertically and began burning to chage their velocity vector. By how quick the maneuver had been initiated, it seemed obvious that the ships were largely on autopilot and reacting with pre-programmed maneuvers to the arrival.
The maneuver had taken all their crewmen by surprise, who suddenly found themselves scrambling for something to brace against while the sounding of alarms called all men to their stations. Information had come from SHADE about the newly arrived intruders so the ships, previously tasked with enforcing a blockade between the outer moons of the system and Raqqah itself, set themselves up to confront the High Imperium flotilla. The modern and monolithic-looking forms of four Ozark IV-class warships floated in an extremely loose formation with tens of thousands of kilometers of separation, appearing to each other merely as small twinkling dots lost in a sea of glittering stars. Unlike the Ozarks at the service of the Carnaithian oligarchs, these had been painted in a distinctive antiflash white covering with dark blue highlights; the new colors of Sarabhai's postwar fleet. The destruction of their space force at the hands of the AGA during the war had, in the long term, benefited the country as it had given the Republic the opportunity to start over from scratch and effectively get rid of all the deeply-entrenched careerists and bureaucrats that had hampered their previous military. What they had ended up with was a fairly small but very well-equipped fleet capable of locking out their Ramanunjagar counterparts from large sections of space whenever they showed up, although much less flexible in the grand scale due to their inferior numbers. Raqqah's Squadron No. 8 exemplified this philosophy of quality over quantity not only in the very small amount of ships but also in the officers put in charge.
"We have the enemy fleet on all sensors." Came the chief of integrated sensors station through the intercomms on the operations room of Squadron No.8's flagship, the SIS Trishula. "ECCM filtering in progress."
"Understood, all systems are going green at expected rates" Another staff officer informed once he was done with his own preparations. "We've got launch codes from the bridge and are ready for any eventuality. Awaiting orders, admiral."
"Link us up with SHADE fire control. Cool the mirror."
The command room of the Ozark-class was built as a room-sized round table where every crewman was tightly secured to their seats with heavy braces resembling that of a rollercoaster. All 24 of the ship's flag officers were reclined far back, near horizontally and could only stare upwards at the ceiling of the room, the only way to actually look and address each other was through a conference call. There was no single large holographic display as was common in many flagships across the galaxy, instead all information was distributed in a number of station-dependent HUD pages that officers tabbed through at regular intervals. There was no holographic view of the outside either, through extensive training and neural imprinting the Sarabhai officers and pilots had become capable of creating complex and reliable mental images simply by reading off color-coded polar coordinates from their datastreams. This left the middle of the circular room freed up for additional computers and emergency evacuation passageways, in the middle of it stood the admiral himself.
There was little left in Admiral Chakravarti Kamath that could be considered still alive. He laid with arms crossed over his chest, entombed in a carbon fiber sarcophagus with a small vision slit and practically embalmed with shear-thickening g-dampening fluid. His limbs were covered in mesh bandage sleeves to keep his body from falling apart and a multitude of pipes and rubber tubing went into his body to keep what remained of him living and conscious. At nearly 260 years old, the admiral made even SHADE's commander seem young in comparison. He predated practically everything: the modern age, the Republic of Sarabhai and even space travel among his people. He was old enough that somewhere in the vast landscape of his memory there was still a faint afterimage of the time when the Emerald Republics were one single entity, back when Ramans and Sarabhs had seen how alike they were but before they'd noticed they weren't perfectly alike. Chakravanti had lived through Raqqah's entire evolution from its pastoralist origins to its modern-day situation and through it he had gone through a hundred lifetimes' worth of experiences from pauper to continental governor; rumors even had it he had achieved enlightenment. But as the long-lived guru's body approached its final decay and medical science proved unable to extend his physical condition further, the admiral found his final freedom among the stars, made one with his command.
"Neurometrics authenticated, SHADE fire control authority is yours, sir." An officer reported.
"The targets have been cross-referenced with database." The chief of integrated sensors added. "Single battleship, five cruisers, fifteen troop transports."
"Disregard the warships." Admiral Kamath commanded through his digital voice link. "They've come here to land so let's make that a lost trip. Enemy troop transports will be engaged with SHADE beam, reserve all onboard weapons for defensive use."
As his orders were executed, the four cruisers rotated to reveal the addition that the No.8 Squadron had made to the Carnaithian Ozarks. Protected by a sliding armored cover was a large dawnstone mirror, much like the one on the airfoil planetside, attached to the starboard side of each of the cruisers. Making use of this exotic addition, Kamath opened the battle over Raqqah by adjusting the mirrors so they reflected the astoundingly powerful laser beam coming from SHADE, bounced it from ship to ship and swept it in the direction of the troop transports, all four ships burning in separate directions but maintaining the same distance from SHADE. Powered by hundreds of powerplants planetside, the beam that ended up being projected at the Imperial fleet ended up being orders of magnitude more powerful than what the Ozark-class cruisers would have been capable of generating on their own and was continuous, allowing Squadron No.8 to flood the whole vincinity of the Imperium fleet with energy from afar.
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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 11:03:42 GMT
Wiktor AFB Harambujar Sandlands, Iridati Border Province 87th Combined Arms Regiment HQ
Harambujar was an arid desert. For a long part of the planet Juvos’s history, this part of the Iridati province remained unsettled. It was only with the recent transmigration of the poor from densely overpopulated cities that brought civilization, both Raman and Sarabhai, to these vast oceans of sand dunes and rocky mountains. With some state subsidies and second-hand farming equipment bought using those subsidies, small towns popped up usually near lakes and aquifers. Harambujar became something of an isolated rural backwater of Iridati where the migrants struggled to feed themselves with what little farmland they were able to set up with primitive irrigation techniques, constantly fighting for their survival against the scorching heat and dry sandstorms, left forgotten by their brethren in the cities. That was, until the renewed outbreak of hostilities between Ramans and Sarabhai populations in not just Juvos but the entire Tanakol system over the famines caused by blockades up above. Mercenary raiders showed up in Harambujar; Sarabhai mercs pillaged Raman villages and Raman mercs pillaged Sarabhai villages, both mercenary groups laughing their way to the bank as they sold the highly coveted food supplies to the black market in the cities while the starving villages were at each other's' throats blaming each other for the ordeal. ---
Then came the 87th CAR of the Republik Angkasa, who were tagging along with the humanitarian workers of the Mercy Without Borders. The Raman and Sarabhai planetary governments approved their arrival, desperate for any way to feed their restless populations. Harambujar was the only place that they approved for the construction of the 87th CAR’s base of operations - the Wiktor AFB, both governments knew better than to let foreign militaries get too close to their cities. However what they did not count on was how far the famine would go for Iridati, and how far the 87th was willing to go to resolve the famine.
As Iridati sank deeper into violence, anarchy and chaos, the 87th became a force for order in Harambujar. Small patrols of gunships and dropships circled the arid wastes conducting search and destroy operations against bands of mercs and bandits seeking to prey on the Mercy supply convoys. Security operations gradually expanded to include the villages as well. SF platoons conducted anti-insurgency missions in the mountains to break up merc camps and stashes while INTSEC provosts inserted themselves in between the two hostile peoples cementing their role as peacekeepers. ---
When it became clear the governments of Iridati were essentially gone, lost to the ethnic violence, the 87th’s mandate changed as Major Farehum, the CO of the 87th, saw the opportunity to tackle what he saw was the heart of the problem - the ethnic violence. Rapid air and land assault swept through the whole province, RANGSI battalions were aggressively capturing major cities and military bases - in the name of disarming the ultranationalist militias and restabilising Iridati for its eventual return to government control. The Raman and Sarabhai portions of Iridati effectively lost sovereignty and were amalgamated under RANGSI control as the Iridati DEZ. Everything became bigger than simply Harambujar, the whole of Iridati was now the mandate of the 87th. --- In Harambujar, the 87th’s presence gradually stabilised things, enough to allow Mercy crews to peacefully deliver aid without any incident or quarrel, unlike in the cities where they were constantly under attack or the threat of attack by militias and starving people resorting to banditry. Major Farehum decided to go one step further and went to work trying to establish good relations between the Raman and Sarabhai villages. Commissar-Captain Kollason, a veteran who have served with Farehum in the Battle of Klendathu and underwent the Pzyon Corps’ reforms of the Commissariat that turned him into a psionic monk, was appointed as head of the Harambujar Peace and Unity Commission (HPUC). Together with Mercy personnel and military monk-commissars, the HPUC turned the schools and medical camps it built to service both villages as Common Zones (CZs) where they brought the Ramans and Sarabhais together and introduced to them the RANGSI ideology of multicultural peace and harmony. Ad-hoc football fields and sports areas were also built to allow the children and youths of both groups to interact non-violently. Heated debates and scuffles were initially commonplace but intervention by RANGSI provosts and commissars gradually calmed things down. Village elders, Hujah of the Ramans and Kati of the Sarabhais, even met face-to-face at the borders that separated them and shook hands without any incident - future talks eventually led to the Hujah-Kati Covenant, an agreement to work towards cooperation and prohibit ethnic violence of any form.
---
Major Farehum had planned to export the success of Harambujar to the rest of the Iridati province, but the intervention of the Orillians and other foreign parties complicated the situation. The fragile state of chaos and balance that kept the wider Raman and Sarabhai forces weak from the famine and from fighting each other tipped; unidentified arms shipments bolstered the ultranationalist movements and their newfound firepower encouraged the events seen at not only at Kejas, but everywhere else around Iridati.
---
“Major, I got news from the AGA council…”
Major Farehum sighed and took off his patrol cap. He picked up a cup of tea and stirred it with a plastic spork - standard issue courtesy of the Regular Army.
“Ma’am Su-Jyeon, I’m no stranger to bad news. I’m ready to hear how our…’friends’ think,” he sipped abit of the tea.
“You asked for it,” the holographic avatar of Chief Diplomat Su-Jyeon, RANGSI Liaison to the AGA, pulled out a bunch of papers. Complaint forms. “As Skyler promised, the whole thing about us shooting rioters and blowing up our bases in the middle of the cities raised a huge stink. I’m on your side believe me, I tried telling them about our troops defending refugees and not letting weapons get into their hands but unsurprisingly, they really like their AGA mandate and image.”
“They’re demanding us to withdraw.”
Farehum stared into the screen. “Good, my troops have enough of doing hopeless tasks- wait there’s a news update from the intel section.”
---
He read the notifications on the datapad. “Well, ma’am, war’s officially begun. The AGA will get their withdrawal very soon.”
“What?!” Su-Jyeon gasped.
“Sarabhai forces and ethnic paramilitaries have begun making their moves against the Raman populations. Raman forces are moving in to secure their kin against massacres, backed by Orillian airstrikes. Tanakol’s becoming a shitshow that’s esclipsing our own.”
“Tell me you have a plan.”
---
“I do, it’s already in action,” he shared camera feeds from the airbase’s CCTV and UAV systems. Dropships were streaming in, dropping off battalions’ worth of troops, supplies, equipment and vehicles at various landing zones around Wiktor AFB. Combat engineer companies were busy at work digging trenches and sandbag bunkers setting up a defensive perimeter both at the airbase itself and an outer perimeter 5 kilometers away. What was left of Mercy crews and equipment were also put to work building greenhouse farms and water plants in the hopes of alleviating shortages of food and water.
“Our strategy of scattering our bases and forces to support Mercy operations in Iridati Province has proven untenable after the riots. I pulled back all my forces here in Harambujar to prepare a centralised defense of Wiktor AFB and the surrounding villages.”
“The people of Harambujar are the most promising receivers of our message, I am willing to defend them but they need to get off this rock as soon as possible.”
“I’ll see what I can do without calling in the Navy. Good luck Major,” Su-Jyeon nodded before the feed ended.
Tanakol System - Emeral Republics Contested Space
Alarms howled across the bridge of the destroyer as weapons fire began to flicker back and forth over Tanakol, and Myan found her grip tightening on the forearms of her seat. Damnation and hellfire, this was exactly what they'd been hoping to prevent! Her head slumped as the background noise of the vessel increased to a fever pitch as the crew ran to and fro to take the ship into combat. On the main screens, shield indicators flared, and targeting reticules danced over the icons that represented the Sarabh's and their allies.
A gesture from the Primarch brought up combat menus flickering to life, and the ship shuddered as it came about for acceleration. The fleet had massed three light-minutes out from Tanakol, far enough to keep them from the thick of the fighting, but not so far they couldn't contribute to the battle. One of Myan's aides at her side linked her pad to the throne's input systems, and expanded display filled the area, showing the rest of the fleet as it deployed for combat.
"Target the Centauri vessels with the lances, fire by volley. Aloth, contact the carriers, tell them to begin deploying storms to cover shuttle flights from the Legion ships. Hold off on missile fire and cannon volleys until we close the range. Someone get on the line to command and get me reinforcements. I want at least a full battleship detachment with escorts." --- The murmurs of assent from around her as people scattered helped settle her somewhat as she watched the symbols weave and dance before her. The ship shook again, this time from the feedback of the four massive battleship-grade particle lances grafted to the hull as they fired at the Centauri warships.
Further away, the two supercarriers, themselves vast enough to be battleships, rotated to bring their opening hangars to face the combat, massive swarms of drones rushing out to smother the sensor signature of the Imperial fleet in a vast cloud. More importantly for the Imperium's purpose, they also covered the launch of dozens of shuttles from the Legion ships. ---
Raqqah System - Emerald Republics Contested Space
Kalsa had time for one single stunned "Fucking wha-?" before the the searing beam simply erased one of her troop carriers. Blinking in shock, she watched as another carrier died before she managed to gather herself enough to issue orders. "Get the carriers out here, FTL stat!"
With the threat from the laser now well and truly made apparent, the remaining carriers wasted no time flipping end for end and fleeing while they frantically spun their FTL drives. They blinked out into hyperspace one by one as the beam blazed, with another two carriers dying in fire before the last ship was safe.
By this time, Kalsa was veiwing the bridge of her battleship through a red haze as she snapped out orders. The lance batteries rotated to target the nearest cruiser, then unleashed searing threads of particle energy while the other warships of the fleet began to close in as well.
Tanakol System Ground
With the Kavanis spaceport situation getting tenuous and the Sarabh forces still pushing hard continuous calls for aid were sent out by the Raman military forces, stating of civilians and non-combatants being evacuated and how the Sarabhs were effectively trying to cut them off and in some cases deliberately targeting civilians. The 79th had completed their task, the Raman force being mounted in IFVs took key hill positions around the airfield, shredding two different insurgent positions who had taken RANGSI mortars and began shelling the evacuation zones, the vehicles auto cannons making short work of the individuals who didn’t run away. However all was not well, the 79th then came under rapid attack by Sarabh vanguard forces from the actual army units, and the hills became rapidly entrenched as both sides tried to dig in and engage.
“Confirmed Sarabh presence on our flanks, the Orillian airstrikes are slowing them and the rest of the military units seem to be holding but we don’t have the forces to continue”
Falla waved the man away as she looked over a map of the area, it was no holo map, but a proper paper map which had been procured from one of the civilian houses in this area. It was covered in dirt as repeated shelling loosened the masonry of the airfield building she took shelter in, her men moving two and fro across the entire area, packing up command elements or rushing in to inform others of constant updates from the front less than three miles from the airfield perimeter. The constant sound of jet engines and large explosions was her companion as Orillia actually did their job. At least they were helping.
The Sarabh army forces, being much smaller and focused for insurgent warfare, were built around working with large insurgent forces beneath them. While they were much less equipped than Raman units of larger sizes the sheer numbers of insurgents and armed civilians had put the Ramans on the back foot, still up front peer to peer combat was something that the Ramans excelled at, and while the Sarabh forces had the front foot, the longer they drew this out the harder it would become. Multiple Raman units defended the airfield and its surrounding region, but several more had already acknowledged the call for help and were slowly organising ready for moving. Orillia had also accepted the aid call, and supposedly robotic formations were being sent to bolster the region alongside the current airstrikes. Maybe Kavanis would hold to get its people out after all. ---------
Upon receipt of the message that Centauri forces would be joining the Sarabhs in their assault planet side a series of co-ordinates were established and sent to the Centauri from the ground based allies, denoting a good location for large FOB in the open arid planes north west of the Kavanis airfield and the surrounding cities, Sarabhai would be able to briefly provide air cover for any orbital drop but further cover would have to be provided by the Centauri themselves. Sarabh engineer units had already begun to clear the area of several long since outdated information lines which ran between huge server stacks and the activity was not unnoticed by both Raman and Orillian recon flights.
This wasn’t the only thing noticed however, as a Raman Triarch built Stryker Interdictor which had been stripped of weapons and equipped with powerful optical systems prowled the Sarabh backline, using stealth systems it quietly surveyed the logistics trains and force distribution of the enemy. The goal was to determine and alert Raman ground forces to any more Sarabh units moving into the area, as well as co-ordinate further airstrikes with Orillia on key logistics locations but what confused the pilot was the strange half ‘landed’ vessel which had been spotted. The large activity surrounding it and the fact that it was very much new warranted further attention as algorithms were run through on its identity and purpose.
Tanakol System Space
Another ship of the 78th Space Army was destroyed as the Orillian anti ship missiles caught up with it, but no further barrages came as they focused attention on the new arrivals.
It had seemed like the Prime Ministers announcement had been ignored. And no grand speech from the Sarabhai Republic was forthcoming, at least not in a direct manner. As such Agamo shrugged as he looked around the bridge.
“Sending ex APP ships against ex APP ships and crewmen, not a smart idea if you ask me. After all we know how to run these things properly. Target enemy ships and let’s make this quick” he gestured with his hand to open fire and the crew eagerly responded. The traditional APP fire lane leapt out of the fleet, targeting both Raman and Orillian ships. It was a one sided battle, even with the 78th reduced to a shadow of their former selves the 180 vessels of Dawns March plus the Centauri contingent was more than enough.
Several of the Raman ships were destroyed, just from the Tachyon Arrows alone. No.22 squadron, thinking it could stand its ground and fight, had a very rapid change of heart as the subsequent railgun rounds, positron beams and anti-ship missiles followed up. Despite the fact that the Raman force now moved to use the planet as a shield they retreated in excellent form hoping to hook up with the High Imperium ships, PD units flashing to shoot down incoming munitions as they themselves launched missiles and fired rail gun rounds into slingshot manoeuvres using the planets gravity. Another 6 Raman ships died in short order however, reducing the squadron down to 32 vessels remaining. But while the Ramans withdrew, Orillia had no such thoughts. The automated fleet proved once again its speed and agility, jinking and weaving as it came, but it did not fire on the Centauri, perhaps it was some programmed hate of the Colonials but the small Orillian force began to conduct hit and run strikes on Dawns March, missiles and railgun rounds destroying a single Triarch cruiser in a concerted strike, the automated fleet loosing 5 vessels in return. Still space superiority clearly belonged to the Sarabhs.
That was until another 330 FTL signatures translated in system bearing Raman IFFs.
Emerald Republics Region: Just outside Sarabh Space
In what was not even a named system, purely a catalogue number of GY-88-2B and now suitably dubbed ‘Styx’ logistics units were working at full speed. Sarabh engineering both military and civil worked around the clock with ex APP members of Dawns March erecting huge pre-fabricated bases on the surface of the systems barren planet, a lonely world in an otherwise blasted and dead system thanks to the small glow of the white dwarf that sat at the centre. Munition bunkers were carved out below the surface, habitation domes were erected next to the newly cut space ports, and servicing and engineering pools were created with reinforced substances to help perform maintenance on the myriad of gear they had available. But it was in orbit where most of the frenzy was occurring, the orbital engineering corps along with various logistics vessels were constructing large shipyards, berths that could contain the ships of Dawns March and provide them with the necessary repairs and resupply that would likely come from a huge operation on the scale that Sarabh had paid them for. They were going to be here for a long time, and it only made sense that Sarabhai would do everything it could to help provide for such a powerful military asset.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
With the sudden activity of RANGSIs withdrawal to a more concerted and centralised position word quickly spread through the myriad of insurgent contacts with both RFSM and BPW using the information to muster forces and conduct small raids to try and acquire weapons. All the while they attempted to smuggle more weapons on to the planet to continue to build up and push the foreigners out. But not all were supportive of the insurgents, with the humanitarian work RANGSI and Mercy Without Borders had carried out many citizens had enjoyed the benefits and in a handful of cases ethnic groups had worked or lived together in prosperity for a very short while without violence. Tip offs from local groups or individuals gave RANGSI intel on potential impending raids, and the smuggling of weapons along with a large plan to assault Wiktor AFB and drive RANGSI off planet. One particular contact, whose code name for safety reasons was ‘Delhi’ seemed to be feeding RANGSI everything they could want, locations, names and manifests. But while the first rounds of information given had proven to be an extreme success with several cells and weapons trafficking rings broken open by small Special Forces units the ever present possibility of such information leaking being used against them was clear. It was a potential problem that so far had only been a solution, but with the impending supposed assault and the ramp up in ethnic attacks and insurgent activity the choice may not have been so clean cut.
Natar System ASN Space
Yrillx kept herself fully calm as she carefully took her seat and sat down. Her flowing Orillian robes the same as she ever wore while on official political duty or attending meetings. She bore no intimidation for the fact that she was alone in a room with many others of a potentially now somewhat hostile power and she had no illusions that Natar may very well pull their funding after the events which had transpired. Still she would stand her ground, and do whatever was best for her nation, there would be no apologies.
“Of course Administrator. I prefer to get straight to the point. First I will clarify, you are referring to the events of La Serena of recent along with the retaliatory strike on the Nucleans and our continued involvement in the Emerald Republics correct?” She smiled.
“I wish to make sure we are on the same page concerning which subject is being discussed”
Truth be told Yrillx knew the Orillians did not want to lose Natars funding, and in fact loosing such would very much cut short their operations in the Emerald Republics. Such a pull out would make them loose face, even more than any potential action with the Nucleans. While Yrillx intended to stand her ground, she was ordered to make concessions if need be however the prospect of such made her feel disgust.
Emerald Republics Common Region: Corona-LSFTZ Commercial Shipping Zone
The convoy was very much clear on both active and passive sensors.
It was a fact that Commodore Sahana knew all too well. The stripped out bridge of a RSC Noya Moskva class cruiser was where she sat, surrounded by procured and retrofitted computer systems and consoles. The ship had served with a different Space Army only 6 years prior, but that force had been mauled by the AGA and as such this ship the Vihaan had been put into mothball for a short period before being returned to active service two months ago. Straight out of the academy on Samarth Sahana had graduated and been assigned to the Vihaan and rapidly promoted to command a small force known as the 138th Space Army. Now she had been tasked with patrolling the Common region, to support the 78th in Tanakol and its surrounding region by ensuring that non Raman convoys got through to supply the enemy elements there. It was a job she was proud of and held in the highest regard.
“19 vessels, 17 are cargo haulers but are too far out to get active scans of their contents, two are old stripped out Hammers ma’am. They appear to be cooling their drive systems before their next jump to Tanakol” One of the crew members called out, Sahana nodded in reply. “Understood. Bring us in closer on intercept course, activate interdiction and target the Hammers first, they are going to know we are here so be ready for any return fire, make sure PD is up to it. Once the Hammers are gone hamstring the enemy transports engines and tell boarding teams to be ready, if we can take these supplies for ourselves I am sure Command will be very happy” She grinned.
“Ma’am are you sure you want to activate interdiction? We are in the commercial lane and it might cause comp-“
“Your concern is noted however if we let them jump that is more that the 78th has to deal with. I won’t let command deride us for letting enemy forces get through and thus fail at our mission. Bring interdiction up, once the Hammers and enemy engines are down drop it to lessen the odds” The crew acknowledged the order and the Sarabh fleet raced in on attack vector. The interdiction field going up soon after. Just two minutes before engagement range however the FTL translation of a monstrous contact filled sensors.
“What the… Get me an ident!” Sahana shouted. “Corona mass bulk hauler… 1800km long my lor-“ The reply came quick but was quickly cut off as a Vishram Ancerium hauler translated in only several kilometres behind it, the huge 100km vessel ploughing into the Coronan ship at such speed that the two practically were smashed to pieces, a massive cloud of shrapnel, ship and Ancerium now accelerated away quickly snowballing as two more ships FTLed out into the line of fire.
One was a Union civilian transport, which was near instantly shredded by the remains of the two initial ships while the other, a Qanis seed runner was clipped and sent into a disastrous uncontrolled spin, unable to escape it too was destroyed, and its precious cargo sent to the void.
Sahana screamed and shouted to shut down the interdiction system, but by then it was too late. The Raman convoy had FTLed to Tanakol, and the damage had already been done.
Natar: ASN Space
“Indeed.” The Administrator calmly confirmed with a smile before looking over to the civil servant now taking minutes of their conversation before returning his attention to the Orillian.
“Of course, the Associated States doesn’t run the show in La Serena nor in the Emerald Republics, we would never wish to insinuate that we control or preside over either of those affairs… Especially in the liberties in how the Orillian Free State chooses to behave in those areas.” Tetlisun assured his counterpart with a disarming tone, though he sounded almost sarcastic in his reference to Teliran non-interference.
“No, we’re just here to have a civil and friendly discussion about Teliran interests in the Orillian Free State.” He cheerfully grinned, looking over to the minutes still being taken of the their dialogue before looking back. His face suddenly faded; in an instant all of the positivity flooded away and was replaced by a stone-cold, dead look as he stared directly at the Orillian, “...And how recent unpredictable behaviour in La Serena might jeopardise our faith in such continued bonds.”
Now something seemed to replace the deadness in his eyes. His face remained as unmoving and neutral as ever. Yet his pupils seemed to fill with life, or perhaps it was brewing, hidden anger. (edited)
“Now I suggest you make the explanation you are about to give for this incident in La Serena, Madam Yrillx, the best justification for an international disaster Orillia has ever given in its entire history. So good it could be placed in a plaque and put on display before the hordes of onlookers at the national museum…!” His voice started to quake towards the end, the hand he was using to gesture with balling into a fist. Just as he finished he seemed to cut himself off from getting any more aggressive; pressing his lips tightly together. Closing his eyes, the Stadtholder seemed to calm himself before returning to a more in-control look. His eerily-positive smile once more spread over his face whilst he adjusted his uniform before proceeding to hold his arms out in an almost forgiving manner
“Madam Yrillx… You are a Gauleiter of the Orillian Free State… And you seek the friendship and prosperity of natives across the galaxy; as do we…” He practically purred in a pride-filling tone, showering her in reminders of her success,
“I need not remind you how much hope, how much responsibility and expectation is being rested squarely upon you today. You will be showered with respect, with praise and power if you can walk out of this summit with our continued friendship.”
He paused, his voice being just as falsely friendly as before, but now there was something to it that seemed to insinuate that he knew what his underlying implication was,
“Nor do I doubt you’re aware of how much ignominy you will carry back should you return with news that you have not only failed to re-secure that friendship…” He squinted, “But outright rallied the natives of Natar; with its financial ties, media interests, diplomatic bonds and all... Into official condemnation and opposition of Orillia.” (edited)
The Teliran leader inhaled slowly, glaring at Yrillx with a knowing look about him as he sat forward in his chair,
“...I may not be an expert on your position Madam Gauleiter. But such a blunder would surely prove to be a most opportune moment by those beneath you to call your capabilities into question… Perhaps even your competence. By coming here you have charged yourself to be directly responsible with this meeting’s outcome.” He sighed with a challenging look,
“Such a chance would no doubt prove irresistible to your present colleagues to undermine your power over them and state affairs. When you combine that with what is surely about to degrade into an exhausting quagmire of a peacekeeping campaign… Well.” The Teliran paused before lightly chuckling, “...Nevermind. It’s amusing to think of all the knock-on consequences from such a simple thing as this little friendly chat, isn’t it…!?” He gleefully asked as he took a more relaxed posture, "Besides, I do hope this has just been one big misunderstanding."
“So. Madam Yrillx.” He resumed, sniffing momentarily; quelling his amusement from the depth of the situation, “I will ask you this only once: What was Orillia doing sending military fleets into the proximity of a completely independent station like La Serena whilst it was under the protection and aid of the Associated States of Natar?” His judging stare had returned; his gaze seemed to weigh down upon Yrillx as though to remind her of everything he had warned her of, of all the responsibility she had in the outcome of this proceeding, and all the expectation of a sound justification.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos Harambujar Region
“What is happening Major?” Hujah asked. Kati leaned against the wall, folding her arms. The sudden military build up surrounding their villages were definitely of much concern, and as leaders of their peoples, they need answers.
Farehum sighed. The school in the Common Zone was emptied, the children were sent home early for the day. The classroom was a perfect neutral ground. Commissar-Captain Kollason kept watch with a few other guards, using telepathy to detect hostile intentions nearby.
“I don’t need to tell you the whole of Juvos is going to war. What I need to tell you is that before they do, they are coming for us first. We’re the common enemy, everything we did here is an affront to their extreme ideologies. Harambujar is going to be a warzone.” --- “Well, with all your troops here they are definitely strong enough to repel them, yes?” Hujah pressed further.
“Harambujar can be turned into a fortress, but we don’t have enough food or supplies to last that long. Not after the Orillians, Sarabhais and Ramans keep messing with the space traffic above. I’ve requested for transports to evacuate all of us. Both of your villages included.”
“You’re asking us to leave our ancestral land,” Kati interjected.
“I’m asking you to save your people,” Farehum turned around to face her. “Your peoples would be better off on a nice fertile planet, far away from all ethnic bullshit, free to pursue a future of peace and harmony. As long as you stay in the Emerald Republics, you will never reach it.”
Hujah and Kati stayed silent for a while, hesitating to give their answer. Farehum checked his watch, realising that time was up, and stood up. Walking to the door, he turned around to face them one last time before leaving.
“Go back and convene with your people, tell them to think about it. I need to oversee the defences, call me when you have your answers.”
----- RANGSI troops were finished with their first layer of defensive trenches and sandbag bunkers, all the digging was hard work especially in the sun so the troops and the combat engineers decided to take a break. Originally they were supposed to build a second layer of defences five kilometers further away, but command decided that it was not worth risking troops to heatstroke and over-exhaustion especially with what little medical supplies they have left. Soldiers rotated between resting and manning the positions while air defence and artillery detachments moved along the lines placing AA and SPH vehicles in covered shelters as well as supplying the troops with mortars and MANPADS to use if the need arises.
However, they were not just sitting around waiting to be attacked. UAVs kept watch on the entire region, gunships patrolled the main routes of entry into Harambujar for any signs of military movement into the sector and the 7/87 Airborne Battalion was busy, one half of it was on standby as QRF while the other was going around planting explosive charges in the main roads, taking advantage of its airmobility to land in, plant the charges fast and bug out. Special Forces units were trekking the arid plateaus and canyons that covered the northern part of the region, setting up outposts that served as observation posts, for now these OPs would be just binoculars with sniper rifles, but dropships would come and drop off heavier equipment such as ATGMs, SAMs and howitzers to turn these OPs into firebases. ---
Small SF platoons of Commandos were also dispatched to infiltrate the neighbouring regions, acting on information supplies by their long-time trusted informant, Delhi. There were some suspicions as to whether Delhi could be compromised but now with no eyes throughout Juvos after the massive withdrawal any intel is as good as they come. Command decided to take the risk with small SF insertions. Better they be dead in bogus leads rather than the entire 87th CAR paying for it if the threat was real.
Styx System Dawn's March Yard 1. Planetary Orbit
The medium freighter Fortunate Endeavor approached the massive yards and stations, still partly under construction. They had been contracted as many other ships had to deliver repair parts and supplies to the logistics facilities being constructed by Dawn's March with Sarabh help. They were scanned by patrol ships on their approach but they did not mind. In fact they were comforted by the security. After all their cargo was expensive and well desired-both by hostile forces in the chaotic conflict, as well as being a mother lode of loot for pirates.
They had been fortunate, neither pirates nor hostile commerce raiders had accosted them on this trip and system traffic control had received their cargo manifest and shipping orders. They were directed to the largest of the shipyard facilities. By the sheer size of the massive structure it had to have been intended for capital ship repairs and overhauls. Fortune's Endeavor docked at one of the large docking clamps, which had facilities intended for bulk cargo transfer. As the massive airlocks began to be loaded with cargo from the chip's cavernous holds, a handler team entered the station through much smaller personnel airlock.
First mate Harry Sanders emerged first, walking up to a Dawn's March security officer. "Sir, we have a load of parts for the engineering supplies section. Here is our cargo manifest." and handed the man both a datachip and a hardcopy of the manifest. The officer examined the hardcopy and scanned the chip, checking for the proper authorizations and permits and finding them. "All looks to be in order, take this load down to Engineering Stores, Level 5," With a nod Harry looked to the rest of his team, who had emerged from the larger freight airlock with a medium size grav repulsor truck.
Boarding the truck's cab, the driver-a woman named Melissa, Harry could never remember her last name, not that such mattered in the rather informal life aboard a freighter looked at him. "Everything in order Harry?" "Yeah 'Lissa, you know the drill. Procedure and red tape are the glue that binds Ancerious together. Head for the cargo lift, we need to drop our load off on Level 5. Hell, I wonder how many levels the habitable station of this place has?"
As they drove off towards the elevator, other trucks and small grav sleds came out of the airlock one by one. Their handler teams likewise showed their manifests to security personnel and were told where to deliver their cargo-which included weapon components, computer parts, general electronic supplies, and environmental system parts. All of them proceeded to their assigned areas to deliver their cargos.
As the freight elevator came to a halt on Level 5, the doors opened and the truck pulled out, turning to park at a truck dock area with a large sign saying "Receiving". The got out and Harry walked over to the cargo master. "Engineering parts load, Where do they go?" as he handed the cargo master his manifest. "Reactor parts to Section A, Drive parts to B, General engineering supplies to C. No environmentals so we can skip the other sections. Encounter any raiders or pirates? This shit would make a nice haul." "Nah we lucked out, but I have to thank you guys, your security insystem is topnotch. No pirate or raider would hit this place." He then called out to his crew. "Suit up everyone, time to make our pay."
The team opened the cargo bay of the truck. Their was a exoskeleton for each of them, and 2 large tractor beam equipped drones for the real heavy lifting. There were also a set of small antigrav pods that could be attached to larger containers to help reduce their weight. They all remembered though what Harry had told each of them when they were first hired, "These pods reduce weight but not mass, be careful when moving heavy loads. Inertia is a vengeful bitch, she's intolerant of mistakes!"
"Hot and Sweaty" was the best term to describe the hours that followed. Despite the exoskeletons, grav pods, and the drones the work was hard and exhausting-moreso cause it required some degree of care to the nature of their cargo. Crates and containers had to be placed carefully as the parts inside included rather delicate electronics. It was not like shipping bulk structural parts or raw ores, you couldn't just "dump it". The engine parts were done first. They had been the last thing loaded on the truck so they could get them delivered first and then be "over the hump" as far as needed exertion, Then came assorted electronics, and finally the reactor and power transfer supplies.
Harry himself put the last crate into position. More of a large box actually. Power transfer controllers. Small control units that controlled the interface of a reactor's output to the power distribution network of a starship. As he placed the container he checked a clear panel on the top, making sure everything was undamaged, Finding nothing wrong, he turned away. They were featureless black rods that were fitted in to the power systems like a FTF connector on a power line. As he turned away to return to the truck he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eyes, barely in his peripheral vision. He though he saw a purplish "black light" glow from one of the controllers,
He frowned, then took out his techscanner and ran it over the crate. The readings were all as expected. "Trick of the light I suppose,,,," he said as he looked around. He saw a UV light fixture, one of the ones used for bio decontamination and detection. He started to laugh. Mind's getting the best of me. must be the stress from working in a war zone. At least the bonus we are getting will make the danger worth it. he thought to himself as he walked back to the truck, leaving the crate sitting along with all the others in the cargo bay.
JUVOS, TANAKOL SYSTEM
The Dram Of Dunbroath was just about ready to take off again, although they had been stuck for some time. Fat Eddie had been forced to visit a few local chop shops, junkyards and repair facilities to acquire the parts they needed to patch the damaged freighter together, and whilst he thought he had been relatively discreet, he was no secret agent and he was very clearly not a native, his ruddy cheeks and thick sideburns marking him blatantly as a Suedian - although how many people were aware of the Suedian minority in the Jade Empire, he had no idea.
He did not care though, he would rather put this planet to his backside and never take another of the lucrative but shadowy contracts from what he suspected were government agents. If this blew up in their faces that was their problem now, he was moments away from disappearing back into space.
Francesca had seemed increasingly irritated, hissing in frustration as she worked to repair the ship, snapping at the other crew members as they scrambled to obey her terse orders. She was an excellent mechanic, however, and repairs had gone smoothly - now she was just running up her pre-flight checklist.
Eddie took a swig from his hipflask and cast one last jaundiced look across the wrecked neighbourhood that was their temporary spacepad. He spat in disgust, pocketing the hipflask, and was about to turn to leave when he spotted a trio of figures emerge from a roadway perhaps a hundred yards distant, carrying weapons. That was no big deal, but they turned immediately towards the Dram. Hitching his belt, he squinted to get a better look when suddenly a good deal more figures emerged, a small crowd picking up speed as they yelled and pointed at his ship. He had no idea who the hell they were but he had no intention of finding out. - He staggered up the ramp, bawling for Francesca to launch. She did not protest, suggesting she had already spotted them too, but simply activated a Gyaku-Ko Beam Defense Point. The one-point-five meter gun whirred into life, turning to face the oncoming foot soldiers and firing an argent blue beam over their heads as a warning shot as the engines goosed. Return fire spattered against their hull, but the gunmen paused long enough to let the Dram take off as Fat Eddie flung himself into his seat and took control of the gun, scoring a trail across a small group of men out in the open, burning them into nothingness with relish, the sweat on his forehead still thick with nerves. He let out a triumphant grunt even as Francesca snarled at him.
"What did you do that for?!" she demanded, outraged. "Bastards were shooting at us!" he replied indignantly. "And doing no damage! Now we have killed, now they will want answers!" she retorted, exasperated. Fat Eddie remembered that he was captain of the ship and told her to stow it. He didn't care anymore, he just wanted out of the system, and whilst the violence still raged overhead, their small freighter slipped out of the system. Reaching for his hipflask, he couldn't find it, and swore. He must have dropped it before climbing back aboard. That was a one-of-a-kind, custom made for him with his name and the date of his graduation from the navigation academy engraved on the base!
Tanakol System: Space
“Ma’am, several Raman ships have been sunk.” Rear Admiral Volarn’s smile grew ever larger as she watched red markers blink out of existence. Incoming markings showing fire were destroyed with a few retaliatory missiles launched to give chase.
“The enemy fleet is retreating to the other side of the planet, do we follow?” The Navigations officer turned to look at Volarn.
“No, form up with the Sarabhi forces, launch landing craft and prepare for planet side ops.” She ordered. The screen in front of her shifted with the ship showing glowing outlines in the distance representing the Sarabhi fleet. Smaller gunships and much larger landing craft soon entered the screen.
"Ma'am the High Imperium is firing upon us." Volarn moved the hologram to see the oncoming fire. Chevrons appeared above them denoting them as Antiproton beams. Stifling a laugh she zoomed out of the view and motioned to points on the hologram. Yellow diamonds appeared as Volarn clicked her finger.
"Move our ships to these locations, and increase power to the shields." Watching as the ships moved to their locations a smile crossed her face as the Antiproton lances shot by harmlessly. "Respond with a volley of phase missiles and antimatter torpedos. Also call up the Grand Admiral, we require reinforcements if we want to have a successful military campaign in this system." Nodding the Coms officer went to work, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he sent out the message.
Tanakol System: Ground
They followed the coordinates given to them by the Sarabhi. Gunships formed around the large transports, their guns trained to any incoming hostile threats. Of note was the much larger transport that seemed to almost look like a mobile factory. Feeling the pull of the planet’s gravity the ships shut their engines off and fell to the planet bellow. As they entered the upper atmosphere they looked to be meteors falling to the ground.
Once the entered the lower atmosphere their engines kicked back on. The skies were calm with clouds blocking out the surface bellow. Up there they met their first obstacle as interceptors raced towards them. Air-to-Air missiles were launched on both sides. Squadrons of gunships broke off to attack the interceptors while most guarded the landing craft. Several unlucky ships were struck, great trails of smoke and fire billowed out of engines and hulls causing the heavy dropships to fall from the sky.
Seeing how they were under attack the pilots of the landers decided to drop early. Cutting their engines the group of transports plummeted to the ground. Once they lost the interceptors their engines roared back to life. Nearing the drop point landing gear were lowered and doors folded open. Engines shifted forward as jets of pure blue flame slowed them down. Their occupants didn’t mind the rough handling for they were drones like the landers. Before the landing gear could touch the ground combots were jumping off the transports and forming into squads.
Tanks, APCs, IFVs, and a plethora of other vehicles followed suit. A ground shaking boom heralded the largest of the transports as its thrusters shot out to slow its decent. Shrapnel and bullet hulls dotted its once pristine hull. Dust flowed past the feet of the drone army but they didn’t waver. Landing down the loud whine of the engines spooling down was soon drowned out by the sound of clicking and whirring as the middle of the ship began to unfold.
Standing up from its transport mode the massive Centauri Minotaur moved its arms and legs. Bending down it grabbed its “rifle” a massive thing that dwarfed most of the Centauri tanks. Two more Minotaur mech suits stood up from the transport, their red eye’s scanning their surroundings.
“This is Commander Sal Nedick of the Centauri Federation,” The first Minotaur boomed, his voice wasn’t simply carried out on the wind as it was also sent over an open communications channel. “To any enemy combatants. Surender at once or be destroyed.”
Stepping forward the three Minotaurs took point of the Centauri Army, their massive guns held out. Gunships buzzed behind them, acting as spotters and defense.
Tanakol System - Emerald Republics Contested Space
--- Tanakol, High Orbit ---
More alarms sounded as the Centauri warships returned fire, and the Primarch gritted her teeth. She'd give the bastards this much at least, their pilots were something else, to be dodging that volume of lance fire without even scorching the paint. The destroyer pulled into formation with its brethren, while point defense batteries opened up, doing their best to thin the Federation salvos.
Even with the fire from the PD arrays, missiles began to slip through, and the ship shook and bucked under the impact against the shields. Warning icons flashed as several generators along the prow failed, allowing missiles to gouge at the hull, ripping gashes and wrecking one of the engines. Myan, who had been knocked down by the impact, staggered up and croaked an order for a retreat. They'd have to simply settle for covering the Raman forces until reinforcements arrived. Speaking of...
"Comms, give me something!"
The comm officer, a young woman bleeding from a gash on her head, blinked woozily before tapping at her console for a minute and glancing back up. "Battleship detachment en route, sir! Two dreadnoughts commanding, ETA fifty hours."
Forcing a grin, Myan laughed. Meanwhile, the Imperial ships began to withdraw, firing off missile barrages and plasma cannon rounds as they went. --- Tanakol, Surface
The first the Ramans heard was a noise like a hurricane.
Then a hot, dry wind came scouring over the rubble as sleek troopships came sweeping in, landing several miles out and disgorging rank after rank of soldiers in heavy power armor. The Legions had come to Tanakol to defend the Raman Republic.
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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 11:06:04 GMT
Tanakol System Ground
“Looks like the Centauri drop was a success, vanguard recon elements have spotted some quite heavy gear heading our way” One of the troops reported. Falla sighed. This operation to evacuate the civilians here was rapidly escalating into the main focus of the ground war across the entire region. They didn’t have the firepower to take on heavy mechs in the open, but maybe their new help did. The Centauri booming message to surrender had made her roll her eyes and no such Raman reply was issued.
As the 79th engaged the leading elements of the Sarabh Light Fusiliers on the flanks of the Cherai Overlook the 244th, 82nd and 148th held the main frontline on the Kavanis flats around the airport with the 35th defending the north in Kannur. Falla watched however as the drop ships of the High Imperium designated their landing zone and began to ferry forces several miles away from the main airport closer to Ajur, they could be invaluable and the Orillian ground forces that had been promised had been spotted not far away, two armoured echelons which would roll in to help defend the airport. The shelling from the Cherai Overlook had thankfully stopped, but the Sarabh long range artillery still had the airfield zeroed in. While Orillian aircraft engaged Sarabh planes over Kavanis and Kabali they continued their CAS strikes aiming to hit enemy formations engaging on the frontline. Truth be told Falla hoped they would get some more air defence in to aid the situation.
“Tell the 244th they have heavy enemy incoming and to stay dug in east of Kabali in the villages here, get them to use every dirty trick and surprise that they know to help bring those Centauri bastards down” -------- The Centauri drop was virtually unmolested by the Orillian air attacks as the Sarabhs had briefly redirected aerial forces to cover for their new found allies. The foundations of the FOB had been established and the Sarabhs now worked with the Centauri engineers to make it a proper base of operations. Still the Sarabhs were waiting for the Centauri, despite their massive numbers advantage and various engagements across a wide front the Sarabhs surprisingly only had 3 military units in the area, the Light Fusiliers, Aggregan Armoured and the Republic Mechanised. Each was a small core of dedicated professional soldiers and army equipment which was very small and not as well trained as the Ramans, but it was the sheer number of insurgent forces that worked alongside them, supplementing the small force with massive tactical capability.
With the Fusiliers fighting on the Cherai Overlook and the Aggregan fighting at the foot of Chandrahk Hill around Kannur it was the Mechanised force that was charged with assaulting the airfield, and the sudden arrival of the Centauri in the south promised to give them the breakthrough they needed. As the high altitude recon flights continued the escape of the unknown vessel was registered by the Orillians, correlating its identity with one announced in orbit. The JCV Dram of Drunbroath. It had been one to run the blockade, and clearly had something to do with some of the materials delivery to the Sarabhs. Still its strange allegiance was something that the Orillians would focus on, it seemed there were more nations likely backing the sides in this as it first appeared.
Tanakol System Space
While the 78th Space Army hooked up with the High Imperium, offering extended PD capabilities the morale of the crew despite their losses was high. After all the cavalry had arrived.
The 330 FTL signatures bearing the Raman IFFs accelerated in towards the planet as fast as their drives would manage, having appeared at the edge of Tanakols civilian interdiction system they were an amalgamate formed out of 3 separate Space Armys now designated the 4th Tanakol Defense Army. Their appearance promised both that Ramanunjagar was not ready to give up Tanakol yet and the fact that this battle was rapidly escalating, now swinging the prospect of the engagement back over to the Raman side. While it would be a while until they got into proper firing range the prospect of a large Raman fleet coming in to wrest space superiority from the Sarabhs, Centauri and Dawns March was a tough one.
The Orillians quite frankly didn’t seem to care, their automated ships turned and burned rapidly heedless of the G force restrictions that manned vessels had and once again came in to attack the Dawns March force. Railgun rounds and guided munitions were launched across the fleet, covered by ECM and PD platforms the Dawns March were ready for them intercepting many and destroying a handful of Orillian vessels in the return fire fight at the cost of two more ships of their own. Agamo frowned at the loss of more ships but it was the impending Raman flotilla that annoyed him, Dawns March could hold their own but against such numbers they would take heavy losses, while he had the Centauri and No.22 squadrons remnants it wasn’t enough.
“Prioritise firepower on the Orillians, get us on a slingshot I want us away from the planet when the Ramans arrive, use that time to bombard key enemy positions on the surface” His order was executed instantly and the DM fleet accelerated into a new orbital path. Already Sarabh intelligence was feeding Dawns March fleet forces key logistical, command and military positions planetside to precision bombard, something the Orillians seemed keen on disrupting.
“Tell our allies we will be pulling back to just outside of high orbit, there’s no point in dying pointlessly here”
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
The call for the ethnic Ramans and Sarabhs who would indeed listen to the RANGSI forces and who had responded well to the aid to leave their ancestral home was a tall order. The representatives went back to their people, and it would be another two whole days without contact that they would debate it, back and forth across the courtyards of their villages and towns representatives would preside over a pseudo hearing, weighting options and deciding on what the actions would be. In the end the two representatives trudged back to the RANGSI encampment, now very much reinforced and dug in given the situation they had been tipped off about.
In a surprising turn, they agreed. They would leave Juvos and go somewhere greener, without war and without suffering so their people may finally live together in peace. A seed that if all in the Emerald Republics would burn, would go on to survive and in time grow. Not all agreed of course, some would stay behind but most had chosen to follow their elders and they would wait for the RANGSI transports to come and take them away. Three clear SF targets had been given by Delhi, one a large ammunition dump which was being horded in an abandoned village below ground to be used in the final assault, another which was a key insurgent orator who was well known by the locals and had been using his powers of persuasion backed up with violence to turn the local peoples against the RANGSI forces, and the last, a supposed staging ground where the insurgents were keeping several pieces of heavy armour to use in the assault on the base. Two went well and clean, the ammunition dump was there as was said, and lightly guarded due to its primary defence being secrecy, several charges later and the abandoned village had been wiped off the map in an impressive display of pyrotechnics which had for a brief period lit up the regions sky. The orator as well, who’s name had been Bengali Oseen had been quickly and quietly assassinated, taken out in his compound by a single sniper round to the back of the head.
But the armour depot had been a bust. The RANGSI SF had found nothing there, nothing to indicate that the armoured forces were present, what they did find however was an ambush. They were outnumbered, surrounded and outgunned as insurgent forces took positions all around rocks, old buildings and more. Perhaps Delhi had been compromised after all.
Natar System ASN Space
Yrillix narrowed her eyes as Tetlisun went on the offensive with unnecessary theatrics. Yrillix didn’t like Natar, or Tetlisun, she saw them as suck ups to the Colonial powers, who had cheated their way into power in the galaxy through blind luck on behalf of the Union and selling out their nations very soul and people in order to get every scrap of coin they could. Their actions had shown they were not interested in the unaligned movement, they just care for power and money, the actions here told her everything she needed to know. Perhaps she would screw this up, and be replaced with one of her underlings, she could think of at least three individuals who might do well in her position. But even if she was ousted here due to the repercussions of losing Natars economic backing, the nation would surely pay for crossing Orillia so blindly.
“As you’re well aware both Orillia and La Serena do not have the most auspicious history. And given the recent events between our two nations the promise of La Serena being kept on a tight leash was very much acceptable to us. Still, La Serena was a potential dangerous polity, not so much directly. It after all took too much damage from our assault to ever be a threat to us directly, but it was those that supported it that caught our eye. Numerous nations aided La Serena, others chose to stay and help rebuild it alongside your people. Chief of those were the Nucleans and the Annolidians who are or rather were perhaps members of the AGA and large powers in the galaxy, the former as you well know likes to throw their weight around often.” She paused eyeing the room.
“Our forces never entered La Serenas space, they were to patrol and monitor the activity there, keeping an eye on the colonials from afar to ensure they didn’t use La Serena as some new staging ground for operations in that region. Intelligence gathering that was all. Hence the deployment of extremely small flotillas, nothing ever large enough to be a threat to La Serena itself. However the Nucleans attacked us, they somehow used our own systems against us to lure our flotilla into La Serena space then ambushed the force and destroyed it, then claimed and framed to make it look like we were the ones invading La Serenas territory. It was a power play, one to make us look bad and no doubt give them whatever reasons they want to engage us and roll over us like they did with the United Federation or Trinova. Orillia won’t be bullied by colonials, and so a powerful message was sent in return. We hit one of their closest military installations, minimal chance of collateral, as a statement to show that if they choose to attack us we will make them bleed. We don’t roll over to threats or to international jabs Stateholder, as I am much assured Natar would not either”
Her visage was stone blank as she finished.
Samarth System: Sarabhai Space
“The latest report states that Coronan ships have destroyed the 277th and 249th Space Armies in retaliation for the destruction of their bulk hauler during the interdictor incident with the 138th”
“And now the Coronans are at our backs for a fuck up. What else?”
“We have a representative from the Qanis Guild, they want full reparations for the loss of the shipment that was destroyed and the Vishram also want full reparations. Both are demanding that interdiction along the commercial shipping lane to be banned under enforcement of an international fighting force. The Union has also backed this motion and demanded a full explanation to why a civilian liner of theirs had been destroyed, they want reparations for the families of those involved and a formal apology along with the trying of those involved.” The list just kept coming. Causing Chandra Sehkar to groan and rub the large well groomed black beard he sported. He leant back into the large leather chair behind his Presidential desk and looked directly upwards.
“What a mess.” He sighed then looked to the Minister for Foreign Affairs “Alright. We need to not let this turn into a nightmare. Issue a formal apology to all parties along with agreement to pay reparations, I know before you comment we can barely afford it, but I don’t want the Guilds or Vishram breathing down our neck let alone the god damn Union of Worlds. I’ll see that a trial is set up and the…”
“Commodore Sahana Sir”
“…Yes Sahana is tried properly, make it showy and make it bold. Get the media and international community off our backs. And tell our forces to stay away from the Commercial zone, I don’t want any more fleet forces to be destroyed by Coronan jump and scoot attacks” He groaned again “An international fighting force is the last thing we want given what’s bloody going on…”
The Stadtholder remained unmoved by the Orillian’s retort. She seemed equally unprovoked by the threatening implications the Teliran had started the discussion with. This was going to be a tougher talk than the Administrator had hoped for. Sitting upright and giving the most neutral stare, Mose quickly fired back,
“Intelligence gathering on a station under the control of a friend and trade partner. Atleast, I had thought that was the respect each of our governments held for each other. Are you saying the Orillian Empire doesn’t trust the Association’s capacity to ensure the neutrality of La Serena itself?”
His decision to refer to Orillia, not by its official name, but as an empire, was not accidental. The Teliran didn’t wait to add to his inquiries as he leant forward over the table, talking more like he was an interrogator with his suspect than with an equal party,
“Or why wouldn’t Orillia simply request we take action to diminish the admittedly misfortunate, presence of foreign government contributions in La Serena? If anything that would’ve been far more effective in obliging their ejection from the station than sending recon missions at god-knows what expenses for the taxpayer.”
Taking a single old coin from his pocket, the Stadtholder held it between two fingers and inspected it nonchalantly, as though he was already expecting the response to come. With a single side glance to Yrillx, the bureaucrat finished by muttering,
“I thought an empire the scale of Orillia would’ve been sticklers for cost-efficiency.”
Mount Pandaratai Raqqah System
The edges of Mount Pandatarai's caldera glimmered with the deep orange hue of molten volcanic basalt as the laser array fired at its distant target. All over SHADE's surface and even the surrounding area the faint smell of ozone filled the air, the sheer heat of the emitters being enough to dissociate oxygen molecules in Raqqah's atmosphere. The sheer ammount of energy being pumped out by SHADE's anti-orbital system was like a river on the verge of overflowing and barely capable of being contained by its embankments; many of the laser emitters began overheating and shutting themselves down or, in the worst cases, blowing up in a flash of plasma. A constant supply of fresh laser emitters was sent out of SHADE's underground bunkers via the rail system while damaged ones were brought back inside for repair or emergency cooling by the facility's legions of technical specialists. The output of the weapon remained more or less constant but every additional second of continuous fire was putting more and more of a strain on mount Pandatarai's cooling systems, many of the heatsinks near the site were reaching their limit and pressure within the cooling circuits was beginning to rise.
"Six transport ships destroyed, target damage assessment confirms six kills with a degree of certainty above 95%, all transports" The chief fire control officer reported to Marshal Randhawa, who nodded and emphatically tapped on the plotting table in front of him with a mix of pride and approval. "The remaining enemy transports have retreated."
"35 emitters have been completely lost, 175 are going through emergency cooling cycles and 49 melted their mirrors but are recoverable. 2241 emitters are still functioning and average array output is still above 90.98% from peak" Informed the general sitting at the head of the engineering station. "Understood." Randhawa said. "Tell the men that they are making us all proud."
"Enemy is starting counter-fire, cruiser Belaghana is being targeted by the enemy flagship." The female voice of the space defense force came over the intercomms. "Admiral Kamath wants to know if the facility can reconfigure the beam."
"Of course." Marshal Randhawa said through a phone he picked up to communicate back to the liason post. "He can reconfigure the beam to his liking, we've already overriden all emitters not working perfectly."
"Understood, sir. Beginning beam reconfiguration."
For a couple seconds, the emitters atop Mount Pandaratai went silent, temporarily silencing the deafening electrical buzz that had filled the inactive caldera and leaving only the sizzling noise of red-hot ceramics and molten rock. In a careful choreography, the laser antennae adjusted their azimuth by an almost invisible ammount and then began firing again. This time not one but four beams were coming out of SHADE, each one aimed at a different ship of Squadron No.8. Raqqah System Space
Kalsa's battleship was prioritized as a target and attacked with the SHADE beams from four different angles by the Sarabh warships, which swept the powerful laser over the battleship's predicted envelope. Each of the four beams was paused for a few seconds to give enough time for each ship to attack the Imperial battleship with their own onboard weapons: submunition-carrying guided MAHEM shells from the powerful spinal mounts of the Carnaithian-built warships flew out at the Imperial battleship before the beam resumed. All other weapons on the ships -mainly their turreted railguns- were dedicated to instead intercepting the Imperials' particle lances with explosively-pumped magnetic field generators and clouds of ferrous nanoparticles in an effort to defend the nearest friendly ship. It was, however, a combination of Kalsa's heavy fire and SHADE's massive power output that ended up quickly bringing cruiser Belaghana down. Much of the enemy's particle weapons was succesfully intercepted, enough so that the cruiser's armor was sufficient to resist what was left of the lances, however, the unarmored mirror was slightly damaged and this was enough to completely destroy the fragile device. The stabilizing mechanisms that sustained the mirror's perfect reflectivity were damaged and, in an instant, the mirror became opaque and was completely vaporized by the SHADE beam, which sliced through the ship as it if it wasn't even there. A quarter of the ship was sliced off, knocking the cruiser out of action and causing it to tumble. "Belaghana has been hit!" Admiral Kamath's chief of sensors reported. "They're spinning out of control!"
"Tell them to evacuate and abandon ship if they can't!" Kamath replied. "Tell cruisers Singhat and Sakariya to pull back toward us and assume a V formation! As for us, halt fire on the enemy and focus solely on covering their retreat."
"Understood, sir!"
Upon the loss of Belaghana, the two Ozarks that were now closest to the enemy quickly turned around and burned at full speed towards Kamath's flagship, maintaining the SHADE beams on their target to inflict as much damage as possible against the Imperial flagship before they could rejoin with Kamath in a safer formation.
Tanakol System, Juvos Harambujar Region, Wiktor AFB
The 55th Commando Company had performed admirably, on balance. Their constituent platoons split up and attacked the three targets roughly at the same time. The ammunition dump and the assassination of an insurgent HVT was a success. The armor depot however...it had been two days and the platoon assigned to it had not reported in.
Major Farehum smelled something big was going to happen. It all had been going too smoothly after all. The villagers agreeing to his proposal, the success of the 55th’s first two missions, of course the only thing that would shake things up was if one day while they are evacuating, enemy armor just appeared out of nowhere and shot up the entire airbase. If the enemy armor even existed in the first place, he prayed to God that was not the case.
---- “Any signs of 3rd platoon?” Major Farehum walked into the command center.
“No sir, transponders all dead, all our attempts at communication is a dead end,” the OC of the 55th Commando Company, Lieutenant Ghwee reported. “I can’t say for certain if they are dead or alive. Commandos tend to get all sneaky like.” “We need to make sure, Lieutenant. I don’t want a case of our men getting left behind on this god forsaken rock. You got a recon squad, don’t you?”
“Yes sir. Golf-773. They can get to the mountains by car in two days, then cross over to the other side in one day and reach the armor depot by the next day,” Ghwee replied.
“Four days is too long. It’s potential enemy armor we are dealing with. If 3rd platoon failed and the enemy armor force got away, they’ll be over us in three. I tell you what Lieutenant, I’ll give you a dropship and a Zekop on station for CAS,” Farehum looked at his watch. “Two days. Find out what happened to 3rd platoon.”
“You got it sir,” the Lieutenant nodded and began making calls to mobilize Golf-773.
--------------- In the dead of the night, a lone Hercules II dropship quietly crossed the mountains, using them as cover to mask their approach. They were dropped off on flatter terrain at the foot of the mountains on the other side, from there they would use their Type 40 armored car to get closer to the suspected armor depot.
There was a single UAV drone stashed inside the car. This would be their ace, their instrument to scout out the armor depot safely without exposing themselves. Golf squad will park 8 kilometers from the target location, set up a concealed position, assemble the drone and then deploy it.
---------------- Tanakol System Space
A civilian fleet warped into the edges of the Tanakol system, as far as the local interdiction would allow them to go. A massive fleet hauler, RCS Long Boyo, was essentially a 10km long rod with rows of toruses, attached to them were several hangar modules within which were used as storage for supplies or to house smaller ships. The rest were 5 paramilitary corvettes providing escort security, 1km long civilian ships modified with some weapons such as missiles, small lasers and light railguns - bordering the line between anti-asteroid/anti-piracy defensive systems and outright military-grade weaponry.
The RCS Long Boyo and its protective complement had been hired by Chief Diplomat Su-Jyeon to evacuate the RANGSI forces and Mercy personnel on Juvos. However as they made their approach it was clear it was not going to be an easy task now that the entire system was a warzone. They hoped their civilian IFFs and their broadcasted intentions to evacuate the RANGSI foreigners on Juvos would be reason enough to be spared from the fighting.
TANAKOL SYSTEM SPACE
As the JCV Dram of Dunbroath departed the system, scans and pings to it would reveal that it was openly flying the flag of a civilian Jade Empire hauler, having delivered a cargo of what the manifest claimed were construction equipment such as drills, toolsets and safety PPE to a private Raman company that was almost certainly a shell for the Raman intelligence agencies. It ignored responses to hails, however, and leapt into hyperspace the moment it cleared the fluctuating FTLi fields generated by the various warring factions over Tanakol.
TANAKOL SURFACE
The crates of Imperial rifles, their numbers filed off and replaced with fabricated ones that adhered to no Axis registries, were soon emptied, the boxes reused as storage or broken up for firewood and defense works. They had a badly-stenciled set of made-up logos too, with the company name 'BEST GLUCOSPORT' in Common underneath a smiling citrus fruit with a baseball cap. There was no such company as BEST GLUCOSPORT, but the boxes would muddy the water for anyone trying to figure out where the rifles had come from.
One crate, however, contained something more deadly than the junkyard railguns and their various peripherals. Perhaps sixty anti-matter hand grenades, which looked like bizarre fly-swatters, with a bulky flat head and a long handle for throwing. They were a failed experiment by the Jade Marine Corps, which had discovered that it was almost impossible to design an anti-matter hand grenade that could be thrown far enough not to kill the user when it went off. Whilst no use for the average Jade Marine, the JIAN had reasoned that the Raman insurrection could perhaps use them to kill enemy tanks, set IED traps and generally cause mayhem with the additional firepower.
Inside the crate, on plain lam-protected paper in simple type font and with no watermark, was a single message in Common. DO NOT SHAKE. STORE CAREFULLY. BLAST RADIUS 50 METERS. USE BY DATE ON REVERSE.
Raqqah System - Emerald Republics Contested Space
The Grace shuddered and the screaming howl of damage alert sirens could be heard as the warship reeled from the enemy fire. Kalsa struggled to stay conscious as the AI flared the engines in a series of high-g maneuvers designed to throw the Sarabhi targeting off.
Several minutes later, Kalsa was able to pull up the damage reports and what she saw had her wincing. That damned beam had raked along their portside, overloading and burning out the shield generators before it left a kilometer and a half long gash of molten metal scored through the armor and into the ship itself.
Casualties were estimated in the thousands, and half the lance batteries were offline because the power conduits had been buried underneath molten metal. Not to mention the coolant flooding across four decks.
One thing was for sure. Going up against those beams again would do more than just scratch her hull. Gritting her teeth and cursing, she opened a comm to Fleet Command to request reinforcements. Then she ordered the cruisers to continue pushing forwards as two of them started firing missile salvos in earnest while also opening up with fusion cannon barrages.
Centauri Space: Gamma Prime, Centauri Gamma
Closing the channel the Grand Admiral crossed his hands before his face and cracked a small smile. Leaning back he typed in a number and a calling tone filled the room. An answer tone chimed and the holographic image of an aging man with greying hairs and a war torn face appeared before the Grand Admiral’s desk.
“Grand Admiral.” The man bowed before giving a small knowing smirk. “Is it time?”
“It is old friend, show them what it means to fight the Centauri.” The Grand Admiral grinned as a similar look spread across the other mans face.
International Space: Centauri FOB
“This is Admiral Jutani, all ships, make way for the Tanakol System!” The Admiral swept a handout towards the open windows of the bridge. Ships dotted the starry void, each activating their Tunnel Drives. Before them the swirling vortex of a wormhole filled the window before the multicolored light show of wormhole transit filled the room. Soon a rippling pool could be seen on the other end of the tunnel. Tanakol System: Space
274 individual wormholes could be picked up from the Centauri fleet jumping in. A great section of the ships were heavy cruisers with destroyed and frigates dotted around. At the Center were the crux of the fleet, three Lambda Sigma class Astro Battleships and the flag ship, the Maximus class Astro Dreadnought The Sun Spear.
“Rear Admiral Volarn, I have come to assist you.” Admiral Jutani called out.
“Thank you Admiral Jutani, sending you current telemetry of enemy forces planet side and in the system.” A holographic map before the Admiral was quickly updated and errors fixed with data they had acquired upon exiting FTL.
“Very well Rear Admiral, shall we get underway? We have a battle to win.” Admiral Jutani selected the grouping of High Imperium ships fighting Rear Admiral Volarn’s ships. “All ships, open fire on the dogs who wish to bite back!” A hail of gunfire loosed from the Centauri fleet as panels shifted and folded out on the battleships and dreadnought. Ports on the front of the ships with almost short “barrels” began to glow as motes of light pooled at their centers.
“Charging of the Star Bolt at fifteen percent, approximate full charge in one minute.” The gunnery officer called out. Admiral Jutani smiled as he ‘zoomed’ in on what he assumed to be the Imperium flagship.
“Aim for their engines, and reactor, I want to leave their command dying in the water.” Jutani commanded, slowly the Sun Spear maneuvered into a better firing position before a holographic reticle appeared before the window. In its center was a zoomed in image of the target, showing weapons fire from its guns. Rear Admiral Volarn thanked the ancestors as Admiral Jutani’s ships opened fire. Two ships had been lost while she waited for reinforcements and one more was badly crippled. Her ships continued to fire as they moved to a more advantageous point above the planet. Point defense was on full fire and the deck of her battleship looked like old holovids of cities during air raids.
Tanakol System Ground
“The 79th are reporting that the Cherai Overlook has been taken, Sarabh forces have withdrawn into the valley under the cover of the Centauri heavy guns” Falla smiled.
“Good, get the 79th to start bombarding the Centauri from the overlook. Use pop up attacks and NLOS to do damage where we can… Let's just hope the 138th can hold” - The explosion tore Estra from her position and threw her over the cracked first floor to impact the ground below causing her to cry out and groan. Every window which had not been shattered in the area now did so, showering the 138th with glass and other debris as the dust and dirt coated their positions. Estra could not hear effectively, the ringing too loud in her ears as a squadmate pulled her up and was shouting at her. She had no idea what the man was saying but he thrust her rifle back into her hands and pointed back at her position, she nodded dazed and then got back into where she had been, the ringing slowly subsiding.
The huge Centauri mechs were continuing to bombard as they came closer, the mechanised and armoured units spread out in front of them also firing away with heavy guns and auto cannons. Knocked out Centauri vehicles smoked in the open plains where infantry crewed ATGM positions had opened up and got good hits but those positions had also been targeted. Rama artillery also fired away on the advancing forces but it was not enough, Estra knew if the 138th did not withdraw they were done for, the armoured forces alone would overrun their positions let alone the colossi which would blow them all to hell. Still they had to defend the airfield, it was their people who were escaping.
Another tank just beyond her position was knocked out with an ATGM before Estra had to get down, a return missile from one of the colossi had immediately returned fire, turning the building two blocks down into a firestorm. Once the enemy was in the city they could make them bleed, but right now it was a slaughter. That was until Estra watched as heavy ATGMs and artillery began to rain down from the Cherai Overlook, maybe the 79th had won the fight up there. It still wouldn’t be enough, but it would help. She smiled to herself as another anti air missile streaked overhead, the Centauri gunships having been engaged by the airfields own long range batteries.
“Hold fast! Reinforcements are on their way! The High Imperium will be here soon!” The call came down the line and Estra felt herself tense. Help was on its way.
She would hold for the families who had yet to get out. - To the North the Orillian forces, new to the warzone and fresh in forces rapidly deployed to the assistance of the 35th mechanised. The No.1366 Ground attack company conducted rapid pop up attacks on the Aggergan Armoured as the Orillian tanks formed up to support their Raman allies. But it was the new 73522 Support brigade which would make its presence known, deploying just south of Kannur massive theatre EW and ESS equipment was set up, the unit keeping itself protected from air attack by the buildings and its own AA forces. Still when it was ready to go the Orillians began to transmit, attempting to block and jam all electronic communications and long range radar returns across the entire battlespace while simultaneously analysing the enemy systems. The Orillians were keen to win the information fight. - But not all went the Ramans way, the 82nd supporting the 138th to the north and just east of Kabali were forced to withdraw. Heavy artillery had been directed by the Centauri to hammer their emplaced positions along with the sudden orbital bombardment directed by the Sarabhs from the Dawns March fleet and the shear waves of Sarabh irregular forces were wearing down their own defensive fire. When the Republic Mechanised finally made their charge the 82nd were blinded, demoralised and damaged. With their slow fighting withdrawal a path was now open to Kavanis airfield, one which a quick deployment could use to hammer the airfield itself.
Tanakol System Space
With the bombardment away to the surface from Dawns March Agamo watched as his fleet slingshotted away from the planet, the bombardment having been redirected at the last second to target key Raman forces to supposedly open a hole in a frontline. Still the Orillians had struck in the bombardment window, knowing the DM ships could not effectively maneuver in their bombardment positions or in the middle of the slingshot. 6 more ships had been destroyed from Agamos fleet including a Forge class cruiser, a major kill for Orillia, but now he knew the Orillian force here was spent. While the 78th Space Army continued to support the High Imperium forces and waited for the new 4th Tanakol Defense Army to enter range Agamos eyes widened in surprise at the sudden FTL signatures he was seeing.
“It seems like the Centauri are committing. Once we are away, bring us around to try and rendezvous with them. If we take much more damage we will withdraw for repairs” His order was acknowledged as several ships split off his force, each too damaged to continue and heading out to FTL to the FOB.
Still the arrival of the Centauri had not gone unnoticed by the Ramans. The new fleet of 330 ships now angled to intercept the Centauri arrivals, it seemed they were looking for a stand up fight while the new arrivals tried to hammer the High Imperium from afar.
-
The Orillians however, despite the damage they had taken, pulled back to help cover the High Imperium fleet, but their data processing had not been deterred. The ever run scans of the system and IFFs identified not only the RANGSI civilian fleet which had turned up but the Dram of Drunbroath. Having cross referenced its appearance when it had broken the blockade in orbit and then having been identified on the surface alongside Sarabh & Raman natives which were armed with its display of the Jade Empire the link to Raman intelligence services did not add up through the shell company. The details and potential links were routed through the Orillian network, this was a task for the diplomats, not the automated fleets. (edited)
Tanakol System Planet Juvos
With the disappearance of 3rd Platoon the RANGSI forces swiftly and stealthily deployed to the region surrounding the armour park. They had to identify what had happened to the commando unit and find out what was really going on here.
It certainly didn't take long to find out.
The armour depot which had supposedly been empty before, was now lit up and full. Tanks of both Sarabh and Raman make lined the positions alongside IFVs, APCs and LAVs all having maintenance conducted on them while some practiced fire drills in the dead of night out on the open flats. The worst part was what Golf Squad could spot from the concealed position up in the elevated terrain, using their daylight night vision equipment they could zoom in to see several bodies strung up along the camps outside. They were stripped down, but were unmistakably RANGSI. Paint was dabbed on walls nearby ‘Death to the Colonials’ spread across and next to the dead. 3rd platoon had obviously been killed on their op, but it was also the various air defenses which they spotted which gave concern.
The insurgents which were planning the assault on the RANGSI forces were extremely well armed, where the hell were they getting funding and equipment from, and how were Sarabhs and Ramans working well enough together here?
Natar System ASN Space
“It is not that we do not trust you and Natar Stadtholder, the AGA has proven extremely insidious, often using neutral parties against those who they wish to seek conflict with, whether the neutral party wishes it or not. We are fully confident in Natars ability to ensure that La Serena is not only neutral but also a place with a changed outlook, we are however, not confident in what the Nucleans or Annolidians may be working towards in that area.” Yrillix wanted to smile when Tetlisun mentioned a diplomatic request to expunge or decrease Colonial presence there, but her face remained cold.
“We thought it not in Natars best interest for us to request the Colonial presence be reduced. After all your own economic standing is very much fed by their vast, almost seemingly unending coffers. After all Orillia would not wish to diminish Natars economic gains in specific areas if it can be helped, hence the small reconnaissance forces, to ensure that your own income is not affected but that we also stay up to date with any potentially behind the scenes ex AGA foul play, which of course happened anyway.”
“We are certainly a fan of cost efficiency, why do you think we constructed Istralan and our automated fleets? Our presence would ensure cost benefit to both parties, but alas it seems the Nucleans do not wish our presence to be nearby, no doubt as an act to try force us to submit. I will formally request colonial presence on La Serena to be lessened, but my nation will do whatever is required to stop us from facing a similar fate as Trinova or the United Federation” Yrillix emphasised the word nation as if in response to the comment of an empire.
Sarabh Deep Space Outpost 588
The ships of 99th Space Army were on standby, only 23 ships in total but the deep space outpost provided long range scans. They were on interception duty, despite the disastrous incident with the Commodore Sahana Sarabhai had not cancelled Raman civilian convoy interception, only forbade interdiction deployment within the Commercial shipping zone.
The crew of the outpost were watching President Chandra Sehkar formally apologise to those involved, agreeing to the payment of reparations and showing the Commodore being paraded to military trial. Nobody liked the idea of paying the reparations or acting in accordance to foreign wishes but getting others involved was too much. At least the foreign powers had been appeased, and that there would be no forceful retaliation other than the Coronans attacking two different small Sarabh fleets.
That was until the outpost exploded.
The force of the impact and explosion was so violent and out of nowhere that the 99th had no time to respond, the shrapnel and force destroying 16 of their vessels hanging close to the outpost and heavily damaging the remaining vessels. No warning, no signals and no signs of an attack had been present and as the 99th made to withdraw and report the sudden attack Sarabhai high command was flooded with more reports, swiftly followed by the same in Raman command structures.
Military installations, forces and refueling stations all associated with Sarabhai and Ramanunjager had all been destroyed across the commercial shipping lane space without warning and without sign. It had started with Outpost 588 and those belonging to Sarabhai but had quickly switched to Raman too. Fragmentary reports of stealth munitions of immense size came in, but no official statements were made yet, the shock had been too great.
Something was clear though, some weapon or ship was out there now prowling in the void striking at targets of both nations, without warning or hesitation.
Emerald Corridor
As fierce land battles raged all across the theatre and Sarabh's Raqqah defensive squadron was tied up in an uphill battle against the High Imperium, both of the Emerald Republics' were completely blindsided by the loss of contact from all forces in an enormous swathe of territory. Such was the scale of the blindspot that had been suddenly carved through their sensor networks that in the initial confusion both sides believed that it was their communications that had been shut down or hacked. In an effort to re-establish contact before their enemy both sides turned to 'sneakernet' physical data hauling by launching emergency comms relay ships off of Alcubierre catapults. These small and disposable ships, based on capital interceptors, soon started detecting one another and locking themselves into engagements, further lenghtening the duration of the comms blackout in the Emerald Corridor
Ramanunjagar and Sarabhai's comms relays ships were interdicting one another and preventing whatever data they had collected from making its way back to the communications centers of the Emerald Republic. Taking the initiative to try and get rid of the gridlock, Ramanunjagar was the first to launch a destroyer squadron into the Emerald Corridor, hoping to free up all their trapped comms ships by destroying the Sarabh counterparts. The job was entrusted to Squadron No. 14 from the capital who, thanks to their Orillian tanker support, were able to sortie before the smaller and ovetasked Sarabhai Space Component could scrounge up an unit from their available ships. Acting upon intelligence reports that no Sarabhai unit was capable of sortying for the next 4 hours, Squadron No.14 quickly departed the Ramanunjagar system of Peltas and plotted a course to find and intercept all Sarabh obstacles to the return of their friendly comms relay ships. The hasty departure left the Raman crews no time to fully fuel their ships and required multiple Orillian tankers to accompany the fleet; the squadron admiral made the unusual decision to finish fueling up while in transit.
The squadron of 8 destroyers and a destroyer leader rushed to the zone of the blackout. Their Alcubierre drives ran at emergency power, causing one of them to stall and have to return to base for repairs. Even though the trip was relatively short compared to the maximum range of Ramanunjagar's Triarch-made vessels, running their FTL drives at such high settings completely destroyed their fuel efficiency and required the ships to take turns refueling from the Orillian tankers while in FTL. This meant that they could only fly straight ahead -any deviation could potentially cause one of the destroyers to miss the tankers- but without any Sarabh FTL signatures in long-range sensors this was thought to be safe. They approached the Emerald Corridor, barely able to process all the signatures from the thousands of cargo ships still transiting the route in their alcubierre bubbles, and then suddenly things took a turn for the worst.
Among the complicated mess of FTL wakes in the Emerald Corridor, one of them suddenly started acting suspicious by slowly swerving out of line with civilian traffic. The Raman fleet was alerted of this by the nearest planetary sensor station and began carrying out evasive maneuvers, greatly increasing their fuel usage. The incoming FTL signature continued approaching, following up their maneuvers to maintain a lead and ignoring warnings by Squadron No.14 to immediately change course or be fired upon. Already on edge from the loss of communications, the squadron admiral ordered FTL munitions to be fired at the approaching signature and, at a massive fuel cost that put the entire mission in jeopardy, a volley of missiles were fired out at the approaching target. These would never find their mark, being interdicted shortly after being fired and left to drift in the deep void of space. The enemy contact suddenly stopped leading the Raman fleet and took a direct course to target, a few seconds later the entire squadron was interdicted out of FTL. Searches for the source of interdiction were futile as sensors didn't show anything, they were simply stuck in the middle of empty space as the FTL contact approached them fast. Desperate orders were made by the destroyer lead to circle the wagons and assume a defensive stance to intercept the incoming munitions. Interdiction was turned on and all guns were turned in the expected direction in which the unknown contact would be interdicted.
Shots were fired in advance from the powerful railguns of the Triarch-built destroyers but a last-minute jink by the target made them miss by millions of miles as it ended up being interdicted in a different place than expected. As the target revealed itself to be an enormous type of munition with an engine signature consistent with an antimatter rocket, defensive fire proved almost completely futile. The large cruise missile didn't just dodge Ramanunjagar's fire, it predicted it and avoided the aim of the railguns even when they weren't shooting. It tracked the evasive maneuvers of Squadron No.14 through the dense cloud of decoys and wide-area dazzlers as if they simply weren't there and as their options quickly started running out it became obvious that whatever had interdicted the Ramanunjagar fleet was also observing them and updating the targeting logic of the munitions. At almost the same time all captains ordered their crew to ditch the mission and simply fire everything that could be fired at the incoming cruise missile, launch cell arrays were emptied to intercept the threat. The only thing this ended up achieving was revealing its true nature: the instant the counter-missile fire was made by Ramanunjagar the single cruise missile quickly spun up and detached its fairings, revealing itself to be an enormous cluster munition entirely loaded up with anti-ship munitions, decoys as well as gunship-like defensive drones that raced ahead of the pack and locked themselves into high-G combat with the swarm of defensive missiles and railgun shells of the Ramanunjagar fleet.
Showing the same predictive maneuvering as the cruise missile had shown earlier, the defensive drones dodged through the fire, shot down missiles and dilluted defensive fire to the point it became inneffective. For a couple seconds, the Ramanunjagar crews were left to contemplate their fate as the defensive drones quickly disengaged and made a burn to avoid an intercept. Their job was done. Eight nuclear explosions flashed in the vincinity and from the detonation points came explosively-formed slugs of nightstone at relativistic speeds that cut through Squadron No.14's ships like butter. Not a single of the Orillian tankers was touched.
Hundreds of NEFP munitions had survived the attack and, alongside the defensive drones, formed up with the now-spent cruise missile. Survivors from the Raman fleet watched powerlessly as an alcubierre bubble was fired from seemingly empty space and scooped up all the munitions, drones and the bus itself away from the battlefield and back into the Emerald Corridor. The only trace of the stalker that hade made it trivial for the missiles to avoid the ship's defensive fire screen was a brief glimmer, a ghostly trail of golden mist of tachyonic sails being activated.
<<BREAKING NEWS:>>
flashes consistent with defensive fire, nuclear detonations and major ship impacts detected at site of Ramanunjagar Space Force Squadron No.14.' A Cherenkov-flagged observation vessel chartered by the Global Frontline Observer transmitted half an hour later, observing the events from half a light-hour away with its powerful optics. From that far away, discerning small objects required multiple long exposures and so the Cherenkov ship had to keep FTLing away from the light echoes. Normally such activities would have gotten the Cherenkov vessel interdicted and possibly boarded but there were currently no military vessels anywhere near to do that. Ramanunjagar and Sarabh presence had been completely wiped off the Emerald Corridor, including the data relay ships. The GFO's ships, on the other hand, were not being targeted and used the opportunity to gather as much data as possible for their elaborate map of the battlefield.
'Orillian Search and Rescue unit deployed to the area. Signatures of weapons hit consistent with what is currently being reported elsewhere in the Emerald Corridor. FTL munition track has been back-traced to Third Republic of Corona battleship IX-787 as it transited the Emerald Corridor at FTL. However, the munition appears to have been redirected multiple times over the last 3 hours by an unknown Alcubierre catapult. Behavior of munitions and FTL trace consistent with a yet-undetected vessel operating in the area.’
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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 11:08:25 GMT
Natar: ASN Space
It took less than a second after Yrillix’s reaffirmation of Orillia’s conviction, for the Stadtholder to reassure them, “And the Associated States of Natar is, of course, strongly supportive of your course, Madam Gauleiter. The cause of anti-colonialism is a reasonable and necessary force within this galaxy- Believe me when I tell you that I genuinely do believe that the Union and its kin must lose its galactic dominance, to allow it to reassert itself would only read down to the detriment of Natar.”
The Administor gave no time for his assurances to sink in before adding, “We support your cause, believe me we do, in principle atleast. But the Associated States are still a young force in the galaxy, and a neutral one to boot, our strength does not come from fighting and conquering… But from trading and investing. Our help would be much better given, in a war, through financial and industrial support through reasonable deals, while of course not acting so favourably as to be biased.”
The Stadtholder gave a stern, authoritative stare, “The Telirans will not abandon Orillia in its cause, we will work to curtail and watch any foreign government activity within La Serena and continue our financial lifelines to your effort. But the slightest sign of military action near our territories by Orillia again and you will rapidly find industry on Natar’s disposition to your state souring, is that clear, Madam?”
Presidental Residence, Marn Prime, Ancerious Congressional Republic (ACR) Space
“Mr President, we’ve let this situation go on for too long without an official response, people will begin to think we're just full of hot air if we can’t intervene into a large conflict like this.” Secretary of Defence Rodgers said aggressively to President Welkin.
“What are you suggesting Sam.” He replied plainly
“We’ll send in BCSG Seventeen and two dezen support ships to help placate the situation in Takanol as well as get people off the planet. Our presence may or may not antagonize the locals so we’ll have the rest of the Ninth Fleet on standy by at Pollux. Rena is on a special assignment so we can’t spare the fourth.” She explained.
“What about the forces on the ground?” Welkin asked.
“We have the seventy eighth Marine Expeditionary force at Pollux as well, they’re a little green but they have a good mix of UDS vets in there.”
Welkin leaned back into his chair, put his hands together and put his index fingers to his chin in a contemplative expression. He took a few moments to think about the decision while his other cabinet members talked about the risks. After hearing them talk for some time he leaned forward again.
“Sam.” He said loudly, cutting off the others talking.
“Give the order.” -
Pollux Nine Anchorage, Pollux Fortress System, ACR Space
“Seventeen you are clear to jump, good hunting out there.” The Traffic controller said over the comms.
“Sir, Drives are burning and convoy has given the greenlight.” Ensign Killian said loudly to Admiral June Adams.
Admiral Adams looked towards the woman at the comms console and gave an affirmative nod.
“All hands to action stations, charge main guns and get the CAP ready to deploy as soon as we transition.” Admas commanded
Claxons blared and the bright lights dimmed to a cool blue in the Combat Information Centre. More crew funneled into the CIC and took up their positions filling once empty room to capacity. With it came all the voices from the different ship departments running checks and coordinating themselves with the rest of the ship.
Adams watched patiently as it all unfolded around him, he had served his time in the Marnish Navy and saw his fair share of combat but nothing like a full scale war zone. His second in command Vice-Admiral Cal was a UDS veteran of the Third Galactic War, she was much more qualified for the position but the ACR wanted to wean itself from UDS military reliance. That being said however it didn’t stop the ACr from filling its fleet quota with UDS warships. He was in command of his largest ship ever and the rest of the fleet was also gargantuan by everything else he had seen. But the ACRSS Freedoms Triumph was a sturdy Liberation Class Battle Carrier. He was suddenly aware that he had zoned out and Cal was tapping him on the shoulder. -
“You alright Admiral?” Cal asked genuinely
“I’m fine, I was just lost in a train of thought.” Adams replied.
“Well stay focused June, remember your training, and we’ll be in and out before you know it.” Cal said slapping him on the back.
Adams walked a circle around his command console in the middle looking over the ship and fleet status. It was all green to go, he took a deep breath to shake off the anxiety and took a step back.
“Begin Transition!” He commanded confidently.
Outskirts of the Takanol sytem
The fleet of Republic ships came into the system suddenly as the close space drives deactivated and severed the whole in real space they had created. They’re arrival was bold, obvious and purposeful. They began moving at best speed towards the planet all the while sending out a signal declaring their intentions.
“We are a humanitarian mission to prevent the killing of innocent civilians, we do not wish to engage. If we are fired upon we will retaliate in force.”
Tanakol System: Juvos Ground Armor Depot, outside Harambujar
“Sarge...I found 3rd platoon…” a Corporal handed the binos to his section commander. The female sergeant grabbed it and just for that few seconds, her facial expressions froze in place.
She brought down the binos, muttering something under her breath, whether it was a prayer for the fallen or a curse at the rebels, only God truly knew the words uttered that night.
“Leave the UAV here and transfer controls to S3,” she threw the binoculars back at the Corporal. “Record all the evidence. We are getting out of here.”
Golf-773 got to work fast and drove back to the dropship as fast as they came there. The single UAV they deployed would continue to observe the Sarabh and Raman rebels and Regiment HQ would be updated real time. The images taken with the binoculars served as a backup.
------------------------ Wiktor AFB 87th CAR HQ The atmosphere in the war room back at Wiktor airbase was heavy. Major Farehum, his XO, the 87th's S3 operations officer and Lieutenant Ghwee assembled around the holo-table, weary sleep-deprived eyes watching the drone feed with empty pupils.
There was a second of deafening silence, despite the background noises of beeping machines, chattering among the lower officers and clacking keyboards - the grisly fate of the 3rd platoon and the large concentration of armored forces there took a while to digest. (edited) --------
“This...is not good,” Lieutenant Ghwee finally spoke. It seemed like he was in due for promotion to Captain Obvious when he said those words, but the fatigue and morbidity of the situation deflected any offense.
“That many tanks could overwhelm us, and we don’t exactly have the time to re-adjust the defences,” Major Farehum said.
“If we deployed our gunships, those air defences would be a huge risk. And scrap beyond Harambujar’s borders would be evidence for them to accuse us of invasion. I’m willing to bet they got radars that can track our artillery shots as well and trace it back to the AFB,” the XO added on.
“It also means our source might be compromised. Our commandos walked straight into an ambush. Someone ratted them out,” the S3 muttered.
--------
The four men looked at one another wordlessly, their lips seemingly sealed by the gravity of the situation.
The burden of decision was now on the Major. “We’ll have to take the risk and let the armored forces enter the province. Involving official Sarabhai and Raman forces will only make things harder for us. On the bright side, thanks to Golf-773, at least for now we took away their element of surprise and we can track them.”
“Once they’ve crossed the provincial borders, we send a squadron of Shockwaves to strike them where it hurts and have two Paladin IVs outfitted for SEAD duty to cover them.”
“It’s a good plan, sir,” the S3 commented while the XO was nodding his head in approval. ---- “Lieutenant Ghwee, your commandos will be the failsafe. If stragglers persist, I need your men to mine the route of approach and stop them. Equip them and have them on standby notice, if those tanks move I need all of them to be ready at the dropship pads ready to lift off at any time. You good?”
“Yes sir, I will notify the company immediately,” Ghwee saluted and made his way out of the room.
The image of the armada of tanks and well-armed insurgents continued playing on the screen. The S3 looked at their markings and unit insignias with intense focus as he sipped his coffee.
“Just where do they get this stuff? And just who in the world have the influence to make the Sarabhai and Ramans work together…” he muttered, his questions hanging in the room and left unanswered, for the CO and the XO both have none. He’ll have to get his S3 department to run intelligence analysis on those unit markings to get any sort of chance at shedding light on this big mystery, before the big mystery comes to them first. -----------------------------------
Juvos Orbit
The RCS Long Boyo parked in orbit, making sure to stay away as far as possible from the warzones around them, and launched a handful of smaller transport ships into the atmosphere from the stretch of hangar bays along its 10km long hull. It was their hopes that they could get an efficient exchange system going on here, with the transports going down with pellets of food, fuel, medicine and water and coming back up with civilian refugees. This would go on and on until the last soldier and last RANGSI gear on Juvos was evacuated.
It would be a shame if something happened to the Long Boyo in orbit...
Tanakol System: Ground
Commander Sal Nedick looked over the various screens that showed the battlefield around him. The enemy was being pushed back and Centauri losses were bellow the projected numbers so far.
“This is boring, sir.” Lower Regent Sandre Vol bemoaned. A look to his left showed a live feed of the very bored Lower Regent. A hand reached up to stifle a yawn while her other hand guided her gun onto a small pocket of enemy troops. Muffled gunfire ended their existence and they kept on moving.
So far Sal could agree with his squad mate, at the beginning of the battle it was a bit more exciting as they experienced heavier resistance. Training his gun onto a group of tanks he opened fire. The burst of shells slammed into the enemy tanks erupting them in plumes of fire and smoke.
Large angry letters appeared on his front screen that caused him to nearly jump. His years of combat experience quickly took over and he was calm as he read the information on his screen. Incoming Missile the warning read. Using his left hand Sal’s fingers flew from muscle memory as he selected countermeasures. Panels on his mech’s shoulders slid open and small turrets piped up into place. Targeting the incoming active sensor pulses the turrets locked on and fired their X-ray lasers frying the missiles internals. Smiling Commander Nedick watched as the missiles went wild, veering off corse into the ground and random directions. The missile warning came back and a scowl crossed his face.
“These guys don’t know when to give up to they?” Regent Beni Meu hissed from his right. A marker lit up where the new volley of missiles had been launched from. The large “backpack” on Beni’s Minotaur shifted as panels moved to reveal racks of missiles. Four missiles were launched upwards by magnetic rails before maneuvering thrusters kicked in leveling them parallel with the ground. Locking onto their targets the missiles shot off to deliver their cluster munitions onto the Raman forces.
“You see that commander?” A ping in the super left of his screen illuminated a feint image in the distance.
“That I do Lower Regent. High Imperium dropships. It looks like they want to join the fight as well.” Commander Nedick smiled, finally a force that might prove more admirable than the Ramanujagar. “Regent Meu, are radio coms operation yet?”
“No Commander, radio is still being jammed.” The Regent reported. Cursing Sal pressed forward, the airbase was nearly in sight.
“Vulture One to Bull Leader do you copy?” Switching over to the other channel Commander Sal tuned into the gunship pilot. “Go ahead Vulture One.” He responded.
“Objective Alpha is giving us a harder fight than anticipated, we may need to back off.” The news was annoying but not terrible.
“Understood Vulture One, pull back as needed Sarabh forces are keeping enemy air occupied.” Commander Nedick watched as dots representing the gunships pulled back a ways out of the line of fire. Once again the missile warning came, this time from the side.
“LOOK OUT!” Turning his Mech Sal watched as Regent Meu’s Minotaur was struck in the arm by an ATGM. The arm went limp as it dropped its massive rifle which fell to the ground crushing rocks and trees. Holding his other arm before him in a defensive posture Meu launched four more missiles at the new targets.
“Sandre, boom tubes, position Gamma!” Sal barked. With speed that betrayed the colossi’s size Sandre moved her Minotaur behind Meu’s. Pulling out the magazine she loaded in an Anti Infantry Air Burst magazine. Taking aim her optical range finders targeted above the enemy’s position and opened fire. The onboard guidance AI’s kept the rounds aimed above the enemy until they were nearly on top of them. In micro seconds the AI’s dove the rounds in at nearly 90 degree angles. A microsecond latter they exploded sending hundreds of fragments into the infantry from above. “Scratch One platoon sir.” Sandre boasted, her Mech relaxing its stance.
“Regent Meu, how is your Minotaur?” Commander Nedick asked, he could see the damage on a screen to his right, but he trusted the pilot more than the machines.
“She’s fine sir, I have bots repairing vital components as we speak.” To emphasize he slowly moved the damaged army up a bit.
“Can you move?” An affirmative nod from Meu’s Mech was followed by him picking up his rifle with the other hand. Compressed air blasted rocks and dirt out of the muzzle as he holstered it to his “backpack”. “Lets go Bull Riders, we can’t stay here forever, we must move for the city.”
Tanakol System: Space
“Star Bolt at ninety-five percent charge” The Gunner officer called out. I’d been a while since he’d been able to use the Star Bolt cannons of his ship. Although he wished they could have been a bit closer.
“Sir, Ramanujagar ships are moving to engage us.” Faltering for a second he turned to face the hologram which showed the enemy fleet closing in.
“All ships, change targets, concentrate fire on the Ramanujagar. Slowly the star field shifted view till the holographic sights showed the Ramanujagar ships. Aiming for the largest ship he targeted the largest concentrations of radiation.
“Star Bolt Cannon is fully charged sir.” A wicked smile crossed Admiral Jutani’s face as he pulled the trigger. Dozens of Hyperfequancy lasers lashed out into the void, their invisible beams traveling slowly at the speed of light.
The rest of the fleet turned their guns on the approaching enemy and opened fire. Bolts of positronic energy flying out at the same sluggish light speed.
TANAKOL SYSTEM, GROUND
Things were quiet along Captain Kassee's section. Around them the battle was raging fiercely, and in the distance he could see vast Centauri mechs doing battle with other Raman units, their juggernaut forms wreathed in fire and explosions. To his front, an abortive Sarabh attack had been easily repulsed, and whilst he got the impression that they were just there to pin his company of the 138th down and prevent them reinforcing elsewhere, that was fine by him.
He watched impassively as a Sarabh medic in a ragtag uniform desperately dragged a wounded soldier back towards enemy lines. He waved a rifleman down and let them go. The casualty had a knee shot to shit, and probably wouldn't be back any time soon, if at all. No sense in adding another corpse to the day's tally when the mans fighting days were already over.
Scanning the horizon with his rangefinder again, he saw nothing of interest and turned to sit down, sheltered by some broken concrete...
NEARBY
The Sarabh insurgent militia had volunteered for this mission to help out their regular army compatriots. Crawling slowly across no-mans land, using knowledge of the terrain to their advantage, two dozen operatives had managed to get to within thirty-five yards of the 138th. Only a stone's throw away from Captain Kassee, the Sarabh volunteers began priming the strange, spade-shaped grenades that had mysteriously been handed down to them from somewhere further up the chain.
These bombs were reputedly of advanced foreign origin, and were treated with a sort of reverence. They would blow a hole clean through the 138th and let the regular army advance, breaking the Raman line and crumbling the sector. These otherworldly grenades could be key to victory in this whole campaign!
Across a 500m section of line, the several clusters of Sarabh militia checked the time. The last few seconds drained away and with a rattle of clicks and the rustle of fabric they heaved the grenades _ The munitions landed like hail, the clatter of metal on stone and concrete ringing loudly over the distance sounds of combat, and there was a shocked moment of silence. A voice began yelling from the Raman defensive lines and then suddenly the world erupted.
From a distance, the Sarabh army observers watched in silence, aghast. A rippling barrage of flame, so hot that at its core it burned blue-white and hurt to look at, tore along the front of the 138th. The soundwave was unbearable, like a furious god roaring his outrage at the mortals who had caused such disorder, and without needing to confirm they knew that the Sarabh militia who had launched the attack were all destroyed along with their targets. The grenades had exploded in a huge radius, far larger than anyone could throw manually, consuming everything in their path with flame and fury. Even the front ranks of the waiting Sarabh army felt the buffet of heat and wind reach out to threaten them, and they hunkered down behind cover to weather the storm.
When they peered back out the enemy was in disarray. The 138th had been gutted, and where a line of makeshift defenses and difficult terrain had once stood was now a blasted, featureless series of low hills and craters, an open road straight through the Raman defenses. With a cheer they began their advance, rolling forwards to seize the initative
Tanakol System - Emerald Republics Contested Space
Tanakol, High Orbit -
"Incoming fire!" Myan started out of her review of damage reports as the helm blared a warning. Evasive maneuvers had already started without her input, and she watched through the sensor feeds as the Centauri long-range plasma bolt ripped by and hit the atmosphere below. That was gonna cause one hell of a lightshow, she mused as she got back to arranging for other maneuvers.
Her command had taken one hell of a beating during the short engagement with the Centauri forces, and she'd lost one of the assault carriers and her own flagship was damaged, with another destroyer effectively out of the fight. As she considered her options for continuing the fight, an alarm sounded from the nav station, and two words changed all of her plans.
"Hyperdrive emergence!" --- At the very edge of the overlapping interdict fields, almost 3 full AU from the planet, there was a blinding flare of light that faded to reveal a battle line of two dreadnoughts and three battleships, with a screening force of five more destroyers, ten cruisers, and three full wolfpacks of fifteen frigates each. The commanding dreadnought opened a broadcast channel to Myan, with a holoscreen opening on her end. "Primarch, our apologies for the late arrival, we were delayed by an incident along the flight path. I and my fleet are at your command." Raising a hand in acknowledgement, she continued to work out deployments and then finalized orders and cut the connection. Now it only remained to watch how matters played out. The Imperial reinforcements began to accelerate towards the Centauri, the wolfpacks moving as a single formation ahead of the rest. Meanwhile, Myan's ship and the remaining two operational destroyers rallied, and along with the supercarriers, began to move along flight paths that would take them back into engagement with Admiral Volarn. ---
Ground -
The blinding flash on the horizon and the resultant pulse of gamma radiation had the Tribune commanding the ground forces reconsidering his options. If some Star-damned idiot was throwing around what looked very much like antimatter weaponry, then adjustments would be needed. After a few moments, the 502nd and the 13th were directed to dig in on the high ground to receive the Raman 82nd and repel the Sarabhi 3rd. Earthworks were hastily erected and the APC's placed to the rear as heavy weapons teams began setting up mortars and fusion batteries.
At the same time, the 302nd and 67th were sent forward to engage the Centauri and reinforce the 138th, while the 84th was held in reserve. Imperial gunships raced by overhead, gun turrets powering up to acquire targets on the opposing air support while missile racks armed and prepped to fire.
Tanakol System Ground
“What the fuck was that?” Falla asked once the shockwave had passed. Two of her aides giving her a look of confusion before someone ran into the dust caked room.
“Ma’am! Massive detonations on the frontline, reports indicate that the 138th has been made combat ineffective! Troops are reporting tactical weapon effects I think they escalated! We have orbital bombardment incoming too!” The troopers tone was stressed and clearly worried. So far no tactical let alone strategic weapons had been used by either side, both had them at the ready but an unspoken agreement of non-escalation on that front had kept both sides from wiping each other out in fire. Falla rushed outside with the trooper to stare south west, multiple mushroom clouds and a wall of smoke rising high into the sky. The trails of aircraft duelling all around.
“Those bastards really did it. Tell whatever units remain of the 138th to pull back to Kavanis to reinforce the 82nd and get the 244th to come relieve us, the High Imperium forces can hold the frontline for now. Get on the horn and inform command. If they want to throw around weapons like that we will too, we need tactical weapons deployment to halt their forces.” She grimaced, the choice gnawed at her but she had no choice. If they pushed through they would make it to this airport in an hour and then the civilians would be slaughtered. They had evacuated around a third, and had patched up the runways from earlier shelling. She still didn’t like the situation.
“And get us some airstrikes on those enemy forces too” Falla finally turned skywards to see the bright streaks of incoming munitions as well. The bombardment targeting the area behind the 138th and where the High Imperium was aiming to position themselves. The bombardment shots sending small shockwaves through the ground as each hit and created large plumes of smoke. Her men were retreating through that. She briefly closed her eyes and muttered a prayer.
--
The explosions of the grenades had done their job, within moments the entire west flank of the 138th was gone. Flashes of brief annihilation events had instantly flash vapourised many defensive positions while the shockwaves had blasted virtually everything out across the entire region. Already nearly broken by the Centauri assault and earlier Sarabh engagements the 138th broke their positions, they withdrew however they could as vehicles both military civilian took on however many soldiers and gear they could and began driving back to Kavanis. Pockets surrendered on the frontline to the Centauri mechanised and armoured forces and some fought to the death, choosing to detonate their positions than surrender to the Sarabhs. The Centauri were the preference to surrender to, they were relative unknowns and the ethnic killings of the Sarabhs had travelled far, the Ramans did not want to chance it. The bombardment however made the retreat even more dangerous. The kinetics fired by Dawns March slammed into the retreating elements of the 138th and killed countless men and women on their withdrawal. The unit had all been but wiped out, only fragments of it remained.
With the defensive positions broken through the Centauri were on a clear run to move to Kavanis across open desert fields, with the High Imperium now in front of them they also were closer to the airport and its own forces. More NLOS ATGMs and artillery came down from the Cherai overlook as the Raman 79th continued its attacks, however the retasking of the 10th and 14th Remote gunship groups caused them to refocus. Centauri craft fired off long range rocket and ATGM attacks, blowing apart Raman IFVs and now hastily fortified positions. It was enough for the NLOS launchers to cease fire and keep covered and the artillery to be protected, SPAAGs rolled out to fire 40mm bursts at the gunships and their incoming ordnance while MANPAD teams and light SAM units returned fire, trying to either destroy or more likely ward off the gunships enough to stop their attacks. Still the 79th had been pinned down, and that was something taken advantage of.
The heavily damaged Sarabh Light Fusiliers who had lost the Cherai overlook and which had retreated now saw their chance to regroup. Meeting up with Sarabh irregular forces and insurgents the group prepared to resupply and re-arm, they were eager to get back in the fight. Especially as Sarabh reinforcing units were inbound to meet up with them.
With the Raman 82nd Armoured defending the airfield and now defending against the Republic mechanised the sudden artillery fire and supporting Orillian CAS proved to be more than enough for the Sarabh forces. IFVs and tanks exploded as laser guided munitions and cluster barrages hammered the open plains around the airfield, turning Sarabh units into flaming wrecks and making their insurgent and irregular forces useless against trained armoured Ramans. The Sarabh attack stalled, and the losses now being inflicted the Republic mechanised ceased their attacks, and began to fall back in the direction of Kabali. They would not waste their forces and would instead wait for the Centauri to lead the attack on the airfield itself. This was not to be allowed however, as the 244th Raman Mechanised began its move to cut off the withdrawal, keeping several small units defending the like at Degana the main mechanised elements moved out under the cover of Orillian air support.
It was the same Orillian air support which more or less utterly choked off the Sarabh Aggregan Armoured. Gunships unleashed their payloads into tanks and APCs while Schism MBTs sniped targets from range. ATGMs came in response, concealed in desert positions to wipe out the Raman 35th Mechanised forces which rushed forward to press the attack. Still the combined forces were more than enough to cripple the Sarabh unit and force a near total retreat. The Gunships harassing them and continuing to barrage them all the way. ----
Neither was the air war stagnant. With Orillian CAS still performing close strikes in support of Kavanis airfield and primarily targeting the Republic mechanised it now switched to the Centauri. High flying ground attack planes fired laser guided munitions, wracks of cluster bombs and even standoff cruise missiles. Prioritising the Collossi which were spearheading the Centauri attack. All the while Sarabh planes moved to engage as they attempted to expand their aerial superiority, attacks came under assault from superiority fighters causing burning wrecks of Orillian craft to rain from the sky.
That was until the Raman 345th Air Wing joined the fray, launched 80km east they had mobilised earlier and finally reached the battle area. Long range radar guided missiles were launched at Sarabh targets while the Sarabhs were forced to break off and now engage the Ramans, only with less fuel and munitions. Explosions lit the sky once more as both sides tried to wrestle for air dominance. Anti air batteries on both sides attempting to assist in any way they could.
With some of the pressure off them the Orillians continued to CAS run the Centauri, but it was the recon elements which continued their efforts. One such recon drone had been closely watching the situation in the 138ths area of operation and had full spectrum observation of the detonations which had happened across the frontline. Sarabh tactical weapons were instantly ruled out as the intelligence was sent through the Orillian network and analysed in detail. The weapons did not produce tell-tale radioactive plumes, and so deductions were made as to be antimatter in origin. A fact cross referenced with both Raman and High Imperium observations. Instantly links were made to the weapons shipment observed earlier from the Drum of Drunbroath and now with a dedicated reason the Orillian network system AI highlighted as many details about the ship, its weapons and encounters with Sarabh irregulars using foreign weapons as possible. Matches came to a high percentage chance that the origin was at least some company tied to the Jade Empire, and as such the information was sent up the chain to the diplomatic segment of Orillia.
Tanakol System Space
“Yet more arrivals. I am growing tired of this.” Agamo frowned watching the ACR fleet now move in system, their message had been one of humanitarian aid and yet they clearly had military forces here. Yet they were not the only ones, the High Imperium also had reinforcements appear too. With the Centauri and Raman fleets now engaged in heavy combat and the HI fleet moving to link up with its reinforcements Agamo looked at his own forces.
They could deploy combat units to the planet. But they would be cut off and without supply. And staying here was going to turn into a bloodbath.
“Change of plan, withdraw. Tell the Sarahb authorities they can take this system themselves, we are expended. We will be resupplying and re-arming and then returning if they still wish our support at this location.” The order was acknowledged as the Dawns March force sling shot around Tanakol and began to make its way out of the system. Upon reaching the edge of interdiction the group jumped. Agamo muttering to himself.
“We will be back”
Raman ships exploded as the Centauri fleet hammered home with positron weapons and their Hyperfrequency lasers. Crippled old APP ships came apart or were rendered combat ineffective as nearly 72 vessels out of their 330 were knocked out in the first engagement. It was a substantial loss but to their credit the Ramans did not immediately break or panic, precise counter fire of mass drivers, lasers and missiles came in response as their ships weaved and jinked using the fact that they predominantly used smaller ships to the advantage. They targeted the largest Centauri ships as they came. The few Orillian vessels that were left breaking from the HI and trying to provide whatever ECM coverage to the Ramans as they could.
“We welcome you to our system ACR, our people are enduring great hardships, we will allow you passage to the main planet but beware the Sarabh navy will likely try to interdict you. We shall attempt to cover you as best we can” The reply was the only one received by the ACR fleet, seemingly broadcast by the Raman fleet engaging the Centauri.
Tanakol System Planet Juvos
At the edge of the RANGSI position in the middle of the night there was a small wave off to the troops on watch. It was a statement said during the 2nd Ancerious war between AGA forces on Addas, Jorronas, Rubikon and more.
“Conference” The call came out of the dark. The RANGSI troopers on the line instinctively replying.
“Fuck” Both came in whispers as the reply went out. From just below the position 10 Union Alphas disengaged their active camo systems and moved up to the RANGSI positions, being let in they nodded to each other.
“I am Sergeant Durst, Union of Worlds 90th Special Forces, I need to see your commanding officer at once” The mans blacked out uniform, active camouflage system and elaborate advanced ghilli suit made him look about as far from the Union as you could get. But the gear he wore absolutely gave it away. Durst went to say something else before a bright set of explosions brightened the sky.
“Shit too late” Durst swore. The Long Boyo which had been ferrying shuttles now had several major alerts come to life as four separate anti orbital warnings blared to life. Each one was a cluster of three missiles designed for full anti orbital engagement launched from concealed positions, tags put them as both Raman and Sarabh design along with one unknown. The missiles travelled in their ballistic arcs booster stages coming away as they maneuverered to engage and destroy the RANGSI vessel, one missile arcing away to try and catch several shuttles which were entering the atmosphere.
Natar System ASN Space
“Of course” Yrillix replied in short order to the reaffirmation of Natars beliefs. The representative didn’t show outward emotion but in reality she had absolutely no trust in what Tetlisun had just said. “But as you surely realise there will be a reckoning within the next decade or so in the galaxy between both sides. It would be inadvisable to at that point be trying to attempt a balancing act between such, lest you potentially end up like the poor Dectrose after the 2nd Ancerious war. Know that Orillia will fully support Natar militarily should it so happen to choose to stand against the colonial menace. I for one know that you will not abandon us in our cause, and I will appreciate your efforts to curb such involvement in La Serena, as well will my people”
“I perfectly understand Stadtholder, is there anything else you wished to discuss?”
Samarth System Sarabh Space
“I don’t give a fuck what they call it! Emerald Ghost or not it’s absolutely crippled our communication and military capacity across the entire contested zone. What it did to the Ramans No.14 squadron confirms it to be hitting both sides with total distain…” Chandra Sehkar President of the Sarahbai Republics roared as the cabinet sat quietly around their desk.
It had been days of nonstop meetings, constant contact and streams of information being sent into the room. Some of them had even slept on the floor as others went about their duties, taking stimulants and more to stay awake. They were all exhausted and on edge since the corridor interdiction incident with foreign matters and more and this sudden appearance of the ‘Emerald Ghost’ which the galactic media was now calling it just made the situation all the harder.
“That maybe so sir but it was at least confirmed to have something to do with Corona, it is likely some kind of reprisal for what occurred and that is precisely why I suggest this course of action. A joint venture with the Ramans and other polities involved here will help out standing on the galactic stage like we are offering the prelude to an olive branch. With any luck it will de-escalate several hot spots and give us a bogey man to go after. Nothing acts like an unknown threat to take views off other matters, allowing our special forces to conduct other raids” The internal affairs ministers plan was sound, although the man seemed to shake violently due to his stim intake. Sehkar growled at the mention of working with the Ramans but he knew it was the right thing to do. While the ghost was out there neither side could effectively engage one another. Apart from Tanakol the entire situation was a major standstill which neither one could use to capitalise.
“Alright send the message. But if this goes south I want our forces to be in a position of strength where we can exploit whatever may be around after” His cabinet nodded in agreement.
---
BREAKING NEWS:
The Republic of Sarahbai has extended a hand of mutual co-operation to the Republic of Ramanunjagar and all of those operation within the region to overcome what has been dubbed the ‘Emerald Ghost’ a possible Coronan weapon which has subsequently been used to wipe out key military assets of both sides across the entire corridor region. No response has been yet made to this statement but it is believed that neither side can exploit the current war state with the disruption caused by this mysterious foe. Global Frontline Observer is known to be on the scene conducting extensive survey for possible locations of the Ghost but so far no sightings have occurred since the Raman Squadron No.14 was destroyed
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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 11:11:47 GMT
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is the RCS Long Boyo! We have been engaged by an unknown weapon! Requesting suppo-” the line was cut short as the large missile hit its attack against the thinly-armored vessel. Numerous smaller dropships scrambled to evacuate, but many were also cut down by the fourth missile. The evacuation was as good as dead.
“Holy fucking shit!” many RANGSI troops muttered as the bright explosion lit up the night sky like a small star in the distance. Many who were awake stopped what they were doing, awestruck by the sight.
Sirens immediately began blaring as Captain-Commissar Kollason darted out of the command tent, his sword unsheathed and a pistol in hand.
“Impending attack! Impending attack!” the Captain-Commissar began shouting. He barged into several nearby tents, waking up the soldiers and hurrying them to put on their gear and be ready. “Everyone! To your stand-to positions! Hurry up!”
He then walked over to Sergeant Durst, extending his hand for a handshake. “Sergeant Durst, I’m Commissar-Captain Kollason, regimental civil-affairs liaison. Believe me, after all that hoo-ha with the Union representatives, you’re a welcome sight.”
“Follow me, I will bring you to our CO,” the two began walking into the command outpost where the 87th’s HQ was situated. The whole HQ was in a flurry of activity, the intelligence and sensor personnel were especially busy trying to find out who was behind the attack and frantically checking sensor data to make sure there were no enemies trying to sneak up on the base.
------------
Major Farehum rubbed his eyes as he woke up from a short 2 hour nap, disturbed by the commotion, as he bumped into Kollason and Sergeant Durst.
“Sir, this is Sergeant Durst. Union 90th Special Forces. He needs to see you ASAP,” Kollason introduced.
“Good to know we still have friends in the area, Sergeant Durst,” Major Farehum nodded. “Come with me to the war room. Everything is going to shit and we need all the intelligence we can get to make sure the Harambujans live another day. Kollason, you come too.”
Inside the war room, almost the entire command staff was present. Files of everything they know so far; the riots that pushed them back to Harambujar, the unknown armored forces massing near the provincial border beyond the mountains and every analysis run on images of markings, unit insignias and more so far, was handed over to Sergeant Durst to get him up to speed on the current situation. The video feeds from every UAV in action was laid out clearly on the main screens of the war room, especially the one deployed by Golf-773 to observe the enemy forces.
Takanol System
“We read you Ramen Fleet, we appreciate the help.” Admiral Adams personally replied to the broadcast.
“Sir we have ships pulling away from the combat, looks like they got scared off.” One of the MASDS Operators shouted cheerily. Adams acknowledged the man but he remained unconvinced.
BCSG Seventeen continued moving through the system, scanners going active and CAPs moving around the formation. In the centre of the warships was about a dozen craft from Republic State Emergency Services which were clad in bright orange paint and white markings.
“Keep weapons hot and eyes open, make sure anyone that is not a friend keeps back from the fleet. I want full identification on all targets before we open fire.” Adams commanded as he watched the planet grow closer on his display.
“I am glad we understand each other and you agree that your people will refrain from any further action in regard to La Serena or its proximity. Doing so would of course give me little grounds to justify continuing our vital aid to Orillia in future.” The Stadtholder feigned a smile before raising and giving a brief nod,
“No, I don’t believe we have anything else to establish. I hope your weather fairer winds in regards to your actions in the Emerald Republics, Madam, though I fear the storm will only become more violent.”
__
As the war raged on, another zone of conflict saw a hotbed of new foreign intervention but not by any foreign government. Instead, as increasing publicity on the carnage and patriotic struggles occurred between the Emerald Republics, a new wave of foreign volunteers began to stream in. In the preliminary stages the numbers from the ASN were scarce, numbering in their dozens on most planets at best. But as these fighters became more and more known, and the freedom of information and expression of ideas took their effect on Natar, the numbers of volunteers began to accelerate. From the ASN came three major armed groups taking up weapons and forming foreign militias in their offer of impassioned aid to their foreign comrades.
The first, and earliest, of these groups, quickly became known as the Kotegaman Division, so named after the first successful Socialist leader on Natar. Of this division came a series of branches; battalions deriving from numerous different cultural and national groups on Natar, all sharing one common motive: The propagation leftwing socialist thought and the aid of their native revolutionaries. With their sole objective being to ensure final victory for the Red Front. With them came a variety of accoutrements. Some arrived with nothing, some with a smorgasbord of conventional small arms, while some made provision to bring their civilian vehicles and high-grade modern military equipment with their own money.
This division came with private backing from a range of sources across Natar, from sympathetic workers, to revolutionary organisations to entire nationstates on Natar interested in the support of Ramanunjagar indirectly. Rumour even came that Altak, the first socialist state on Natar, was sending trainers and advisers alike to the Red Front command in a bid to bolster their organisational strength. In total the forces numbered over 30,000 by the time that the preexisting fanatics on Natar had all grabbed their weapons and taken flight.
In staunch contrast to this was another group, smaller, but equally committed to the Ramanunjagar cause: The Natar Nativist Division likewise had begun to accelerate throughout the early stages of the conflict. The usual Teliran numbers arrived largely with little more than small arms and an optimistic ideal of changing the galaxy in their vision. But if that force made up the quantity of the rightist volunteers, it certainly didn’t make up the quality. With them came a far better armed, and far more experienced group of fighters calling themselves the Capitol White Brigade. Constituted of two sections: The Capitolitist White Brigade proper and the Capitolite Human Brigade. The first of which were largely composed of the Teliran followers of Natar’s Capitolitist movement, a gang of ultranationalists, planetary unificationists, anti-colonials and otherwise, who came armed better than most local forces. Likewise the Human Brigade, a mere twentieth of the size of their Teliran counterparts, came armed to the teeth with so much equipment and support one might think it was a direct military intervention. Such quality came on the payroll of their Natar-side movement leader, the exiled Grand Admiral Raxis. The tired former-admiral, embittered by the loss of his homeland, was still yet determined to do what he could against the now-protected cronies of the AGA. For Raxis, sending aid from his exiled populace and following was a chance to yet settle the score. Even if it was against a small associate of his old enemies.
The final force was a diverse collection of cells, arriving for varying reasons. But all came in support of Sarabhai. Organised by both Sarabh pressure and mutual willingness under a single group known as the Natar & Associated Territories Sarabhai Legion. The emblems, ideologies and quality of soldiering formed a patchwork quilt of expeditionaries. From the thousands under the Leftwing Teliran International Division to the squad-sized La Serena Militia, NATSL created a united front for Teliran radicals of all sorts to stand in support of what they saw as a Pro-Colonialist faction. Yet despite this outlook, few came in the spirit of supporting some proxy for RANGSI or other such nations.
While some did come in the name of pro-colonialism, most came in support of a variety of things. Fighting a perceived accomplice in Capitolite xenophobia, solidarity with Sarabh left wingers, taking a stab at the ‘Orillian Fascists’, the self-determination of the Sarabhs, fighting for the Sarabh government, an opportunity to prove their bravery in a warzone, Union expats trying to continue the old torch of fighting Capitolites, or a combination of such things. All that was certain was that their arrival only provided yet more men and equipment to expand the killing across the Emerald systems.
CASTLE ZHANG-YU
The Daimyo was incensed. She had a report from the local KanshoCorp bigwig that unknown pirates had outright stolen one of their 19C-E7 mining vessels. A vast freighter capable of extracting, processing and transporting up to 350,000 TEU, it had been waylaid with a particularly valuable cargo of titanium and palladium. The crew had been forced at gunpoint onto their sole shuttle and ejected, and the bandits had made off with the whole vessel.
Although they had no identifying markers, KanshoCorp had been able to track the ship's black box even after it was subjected to a few rounds from a blaster pistol, and unsurprisingly it was last seen heading towards Orillian space.
This meant nothing, and was not enough to confront the Orillian government over, but it was clearly an act of revenge for Jade involvement in the conflict over the Twin Republics.
Kirsch could sense her simmering fury despite the cool and dispassionate demeanour the Daimyo was displaying. Toshi poured Kirsch a cup of tea and then paused for a moment.
"The Orillians seem to have discovered your ruse. This act of piracy, however muddied the waters may be, is a clear message. I warned you, did I not?"
Kirsch had the good sense to appear gravely concerned. In reality, although it was an annoyance, the Orillians had not dared openly accuse the Empire for lack of proof, and so this tit-for-tat seemed to be the most they were willing to commit to. If it happened again it may be cause for concern, but from Silke's point of view, trading one pile of ore for the destruction of the entire Raman 138th and the strategic breakthrough by Sarabh forces was a good bargain.
She appreciated that the stockholders of KanshoCorp may not feel the same way however. "You did, my lady. I have already dispatched a force to locate the Dram of Dunbroath and bring them in for debrief."
Toshi was silent for a moment, sipping her tea. "And what am I to tell KanshoCorp?" ___
Kirsch did not reply, and Toshi answered for her. "I will placate them, and have Admiral Minowara publicly increase patrols in the area. We can pass them off as simple pirates, albeit well-equipped ones. With any luck, if they attack again we can catch them and acquire hard evidence."
Kirsch nodded, and Toshi continued. "I want the Dram of Dunbroath captured and sunk, and her crew inside these walls within the week. This is your mess, and you will clean it up."
Her tone brooked no contradiction, and Kirsch nodded again. She was primarily a desk agent, not a field operative, and where other agents such as Volksfahr or Berauscht might have quipped their way through the meeting, she simply kept her head down and tried not to make things worse. Dismissed, she made her way back to her office.
She sighed in frustration. She had no idea where the Dram had gone. Francesca, her contact aboard the Dram, had not made contact and the ship had not been seen by any of its usual connections. This was going to be a tough one.
Tanakol System Ground
Sal Nedick watched as another Minotaur detonated, the cluster munitions raining over it like a vicious hailstorm, individually nothing serious but together the armour penetrating bomblets practically smashed the giant war machine to pieces, the body already falling back from the sheer impacts. That was the third loss so far. The initial engagement had been practically laughable, and the thought of engaging the High Imperium who mostly used infantry was even more so. But the Orillian and Raman airstrikes had not been so laughable. Repeated cruise missiles, cluster strikes and more had ravaged their advance, causing them to fall behind in tempo even as the orbital bombardment had destroyed the 138th. Still another shot rang out to blast apart a couple of Raman MBTs in the distance, Kavanis and their objective just beyond. They were so close. He could see the Sarabh armoured units advancing with his own below, racing forward to engage the newly set up HI positions, autocannon and main gun fire near constantly bombarding the enemy as he was fed priority targets to wipe out, the Minotaurs now acting like precision kill support elements as the smaller forces raced in to secure the area.
“They may bleed us, but this will be over soon” He said aloud, the spread of Sarabh and Centauri forces now approaching close range to the hastily dug sandbanks of the enemy. Then everything went white.
Internal compensators aligned and stopped the Minotaur from falling over in the shockwave, Sal Nedick bracing as the nuclear weapon detonated on top of his advancing forces. Tanks and vehicles were tossed across the ground as the mushroom cloud roiled above them and the glow dissipated. His frontal armour was scorched but not compromised, but as the sensors updated him things did not look good. The 26th and 33rd had been hit hard, and for now the attack was faltering. Had the Ramans really chosen to use tactical nuclear weapons and escalate this further? ----
“The 79th is reporting enemy gunships withdrawal but they have taken heavy casualties, they won’t be able to flank and engage the enemy.” Falla merely nodded, the mushroom cloud now having risen high into the sky.
“Understood, what about the others?”
“The 244th is now moving into flank and engage the Centauri and the northern contingent is about to catch up and wipe out the Sarabh Aggregan armoured. But enemy reinforcements are rapidly moving in, we have reports of a large Sarabh air contingent inbound. I think we are about to receive some heavy fire in return.” Falla nodded to her aid.
“This will escalate… Tell all units to not advance, dig in and prepare. No doubt they will use nuclear weapons in response. Bastards used them first…” ---- With the 79th all but exhausted fighting off the Centauri gunships the Sarabh reinforcements spread out and advanced, the mechanised aimed to support in the north and stop the Orillian push while the revolutionary core and regrouped fusiliers now pushed to support the wavering Centauri line. While their forces were not out of the fight by any means the sudden nuclear strike and now advanced 244th on their flank meant that pushing further on Kavanis was suicide. They had the old positions of the Raman 138th and they would use it to great effect. Still with the air war now starting to turn the Orillian and Raman aerial forces began to pull off, needing to re-arm and refuel, not willing to engage the new Sarabh aerial wave with low fuel and ammo.
For now, it seemed like Tanakols most fought over region would wait for the next round of engagement.
Tanakol System Space
In space it was another matter entirely.
More Raman and Centauri ships exploded as the two fleets came close enough to hammer each other, the Raman reinforcements had taken heavy losses but so had the Centauri, both fleets leaving wrecked ships to drift in the vacuum of space. With Dawns March having left the battlespace and more reinforcements turning up for the High Imperium things looked grim, the Sarabh group captain of the No.22 Defense Squadron rubbed his chin. They simply did not have the forces to contest Tanakol, and with the ACR arrival it was all but sealed. He did not call command for reinforcements, they would simply withdraw and regroup enough to come back in strength, for now his people would have to hold their own planetside.
“This is Group Captain Aavatanine of No.22 Squadron, all forces withdraw. Tanakol space is lost, but we will be back. As for you ACR contingent we only hope that you maintain support for ethnic Sarabhs and ensure the Ramans do not commit atrocities in our absence” With the message done the No.22 Squadron immediately hard burned away from the battle, and with no more support the Centauri did the same, unwilling to throw any more ships away but knowing they had ground forces planetside they withdrew but not entirely. Their fleet burning for one of the outer planets where it could enter a stable orbit and make repairs until and opportunity to reinforce the ground forces presented itself…
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
“We never left, the Union ordered all ‘public’ operations kept on the low but behind the scenes all military ops we had were given the green light still. We did not want to totally abandon our allies, besides I have what your looking for, although it appears I came too late” His grim visage denoting his sadness at the RANGSI losses in the strike that had just happened.
“Orillia is supplying the contingents here against the colonial forces, targeting specifically your elements along with any others they can. We had tried to get here in time to warn you about them setting up anti orbital units to take down your ship, but we were too slow. However, we do have evidence of them arming and supplying the insurgents. They want to make RANGSI and allied efforts here by colonials look like disasters, I say we blow their fucking scheme wide open. That’s if we survive this” He smiled, chucking a holographic recording of Orillian transports and drone units handing over gear and weapons to the insurgents, as well as anti-stealth technology which was likely used in the killing of the recon team.
“We don’t have much, a couple of Alpha teams but we are here to help anyway we can. Because I am pretty sure that was the signal to attack” The sound of incoming artillery shortly after indicated Durst was correct.
Dawns March FOB
The Trident class slid into dock without problems, thankfully the FOB had been set up extremely quickly by the Sarabh government and their own teams of engineers. The ships had sustained damage and needed re-arming and no doubt it would be days if not a couple of weeks to get the force completely up to 100% effectiveness. Agamo himself stood by one of the docks, watching a Hydra slowly come in to rest next to the huge Trident.
“Sarabh government is wanting us for their big joint ops to take down this ‘Emerald Ghost’” the report comment made Agamo smile in amusement.
“We are in no shape to do so, tell the Sarahbs they are on their own for the time being, tell them to have the Centauri help. We don’t have the time” He replied. The XO nodded.
“Yes sir, also have you seen the reports from Kolbaijep?” The man asked somewhat unsure in his tone. Agamo turned to look him in the eyes.
“You mean those Capitolites who threw in with Natar? Raxis lot?” He began laughing “They have fuck all training, logistics or forces. If they get in our way, we will deal with them, we have no loyalty to the state. It was Raxis who abandoned us at Rubikon to throw away our forces in defending that stupid system killing toy and not our own people. He is a bygone from a failed era, I will not hold punches for his toy soldiers” Agamo grimaced as he remembered the fall of Rubikon and his own suffering all because the Grand Admiral had prioritised the Crucible rather than one of their own major population centres. He looked back at the ships in disgust “There is no change to how we treat them, as enemies”
“I understand sir”
Dram of Dunbroath: Near the Madan System
The ships watched and waited.
The Dram had withdrawn from Tanakol fairly rapidly after it dropped off of its cargo, after all Tanakol was an active warzone and the civilian ships had rapidly scattered to avoid the shooting war after everything had gone to hell. Still the Dram had been waved off as a non-factor until the Orillians had discovered its objective and its purpose, and ever since they had dedicated fleet units to finding the ship in an attempt to get more evidence. With the Emerald corridor being such a big and busy place, it had been a total fool’s errand until now.
With the sudden clamp down on traffic thanks to the ‘Emerald Ghost’ and its activities the Orillians had finally gotten a hit near Madan and had directed two escorts and a destroyer to investigate. Of course they were running silent and stealthy, hoping that the civilian sensors on the Dram were not up to the same specs as those on dedicated warships they sat back and watched, waiting to see what it would do next and whether the ship was safe to attempt to intercept and board. As the Orillian vessels kept their distance they sat sensors primed, looking for the perfect opportunity to snatch it.
Emerald Corridor Space
The call for joint operations had been surprisingly been accepted by the Ramanunjagar Republic and even the Orillians and the Centauri as the fleet elements dedicated to scouring the area still kept a distance from one another. Neither side trusted the other not to start shooting and so designated areas were given for each side to sweep without risk for captains to decide to take shots.
While traffic in certain regions had been diverted the joint ships spread out across a large area, in an attempt to overwhelm and bait out the Emerald Ghost the plan was for wherever it would strike the rest of the fleets would then zero in and engage it. But so far after 2 days of efforts, nothing had happened. No sign of its strikes had come yet, despite the blatantly large military forces of both sides being deployed to the area where only days earlier anything military had been destroyed piecemeal.
Politicians on both sides bickered, some blaming the other side for the Ghosts actions while other cooler heads reinforced that it must have been some Coronan retaliatory strike. Still while nothing happened tensions merely continued to rise, making the tenuous balance between the two sides fray and begin to break down. Just as the nuclear strike on Tanakol was announced on the news, and the Republic of Sarabhai was poised to break the joint co-operation effort, the Ghost struck.
The 87th Space Army, a force of only 30 Raman ships had been destroyed in a sudden and overwhelming attack during another refuelling operation swiftly followed by the No.34 Squadron from Sarabhai being wiped out as they attempted to withdraw to be cycled out. The details had been caught by a nearby Global Frontline Observer ship, QX-33-8 which reported the same activity as the previous strikes as well as spacetime warping consistent with Aclubierre metric. Almost immediately alarms were raised by both sides and fleet units began redeploying, moving in to try and trap the Ghost.
Kolbaijep System: Contested Space
It had started in a barfight.
While Kolbaijep was a major shipyards and trade point positioned perfectly for the Corona-LSFTZ Commercial Shipping Lane it too had not escaped the ethnic conflict and brief flareups had occurred on both its orbiting facilities and also on the surface, thankfully while violent these flareups had died down thanks to the convincing of authorities on both sides. The facilities here gave income to everyone and their families, and to disrupt such was to throw the quality of life of many to the fire. So far, the uneasy truce had lasted, with ethnic Ramans and Sarabhs continuing to work alongside each other on the extensive orbital facilities and live together in the cities on the planet’s surface.
But that changed in the bar fight, having had an influx of individuals from abroad a group from the Natar & Associated Territories Sarabhai Legion had started a fight with a group of Capitol White Brigade both sides full of volunteers from Natar and even other nations as the bar fight had escalated to include fights from the local Raman and Sarabh populations. Before long the small fist fight had escalated into a brutal riot and fighting across the entirety of an orbital habitat. More and more had been called in on either side as the first reports of ethnic killings on both groups came in, this instantly prompted sparks in the other habitats and on the surface as fighting which had been bottled up for weeks suddenly erupted like an uncontrolled wildfire. Streets were turned into battlegrounds or morgues as people were gunned down, led by the volunteer legions they pushed the fighting further, one of the orbital habitats being almost entirely depopulated of ethnic Sarabhs.
This event was celebrated by the Ramans, however they only watched in horror as unknown elements inside of the movement used the habitats own asteroid defence system to target a Mercy Without Borders relief and refuge camp outside of a Sarabh dominated city. In an instant the entire area was carpeted with nuclear fire, an act that caused both sides to pause, before a renewed and incandescent fury was unleashed by the Sarabhs in response.
Tanakol System Planet Juvos Wiktor AFB, 87th Combined Arms Division HQ
“Orillia…” Major Farehum’s voice trailed off as he rubbed his chin. The mixture of sleep deprivation and revelation of this information settling in, slowing down his reaction time. He gave an audible sigh. “Of course, it makes too much sense.”
He turned to the Division XO and nodded when they heard the sound of incoming artillery. The siren for such an attack was sounded and orders were disseminated to seek cover and hunker down. The airbase’s CRAM network whirred to life and controllers within the HQ were feeding sensor data and orders to track the incoming projectiles.
“They hate us colonials and they were the ones that complicated the humanitarian deliveries, setting off this entire chain of events,” Farehum moved to gather all the files on the table and place them back onto the tray where they would then be carted back to a secure locker for safekeeping. He then extended a palm to Sergeant Durst.
“I agree with your Sergeant Durst. We got a FTL line to RANGSI space. If we transmit your data back hom-” ------------------------
A loud, piercing shriek interrupted his sentence and several explosions shook the whole airbase. Everyone in the war room dropped to the ground.
“Sir! They took out our FTL comm array!”
“Dammit! I spoke too soon!” Farehum cursed. He turned to Durst. “Alright Sergeant, we have to do this the hard way. I need you to hand over your data so we can make copies of it as a failsafe.”
More explosions followed along with the thunderous roar of the airbase’s CRAM systems, blurping as hundreds of tracer rounds streaked out to intercept whatever artillery the Orillian-backed insurgents launched at them.
“Sitrep!” Farehum called.
“Multiple damage reports are coming in! Standby sir!”
“Damage to runways lanes 3, 5 and 9! Various surface fuel tanks hit and burning hot! 10 Paladin strikefighters and 4 dropships destroyed! Multiple but unknown casualties!”
The video cam of the airbase showed plumes of black smoke trailing from the burning fuel tanks and a hive of activity as airmen and safety crews were rushing in to do damage control, putting out fires, removing debris and attending to the wounded who were either caught in the blast or hit by shrapnel and debris. Engineers were also dispatched with construction equipment to attempt to patch up the damage to the runways. -------------
“I am moving us to Threatcon One. All division staff commanders evacuate to your secondary command outposts. All units prepare for combat. I repeat, prepare for combat.”
The main command outpost was now in the motion of decentralising and spreading out all the division’s command elements to smaller outposts scattered throughout the entire airbase, to prevent the case of an artillery round or an airstrike killing the whole division HQ if they were situated all in one building. Only Major Farehum and his own HQ staff would stay behind to man the equipment and direct the battle that was to come.
Farehum then went over to the sensors terminal, spoke to the officer manning it for a while and plugged out a flash drive. He then turned over to Sergeant Durst and his men.
“I’m gonna take your offer Sergeant because I’ve seen what Union Ghosts can do back on Klendathu. I got a lot of trust,” he then handed over the flash drive. “Inside this are a few possible coordinates our artillery tracking radars managed to backtrace those shots to. They are over the provincial borders so we can’t risk sending our conventional forces in or else we invite Sarabh or Raman attention which will complicate matters further. So I need you and your guys to go in quiet and do what you do best.”
“We managed to set up a few firebases on the mountains. If you need them, callsign is Skyhammer 2-3. If you need evac, call for Angel 9-1 and Angel 9-2.” Major Farehum then shook Durst’s hand. “Good luck, soldier.” -----------------
Outer Defensive Line - North 15th Military Police Brigade Brigade HQ Command Post
Nara looked wistfully at the rank patch in her hands. After Captain Wahab’s death in Kujas City when the rioters broke into their FOB, she had been, albeit in a very last minute fashion, appointed as his successor as she was given his rank patches and then shoved into the back of a dropship, with zero regard for her own opinion on the matter.
The responsibility of brigade commander was still too new, too fresh and too burdensome for her to shoulder effectively. Forget about survivor’s guilt, until now she did not have the experience or the confidence of managing the affairs of an entire brigade. Nara came into the 15th MPB initially as a signals officer, parachuted directly into brigade staff thanks to her university degree and military scholarship which made her a high flyer destined for the top appointments.
The actual brigade XO was KIA in Klendathu, shot by some Eosian remnant that persisted on the planet as part of the entire division’s mop-up operations after the final battle at the captured Union fortress. Following the end of 2AW, constant activation and deactivation of the division and its constituent brigades as the Regular Army faced steep budget cuts meant that the replacement never truly came as brigades were constantly disbanding, reforming and then disbanding again as politicians and army officials bicker over who to keep and who to let go. (edited) ------------------
When the 87th CAD was reformed for this very mission, the 15th MPB was one of those that finally got reactivated for good. They still did not have their XO, so Captain Wahab billeted the then-Lieutenant Nara as the XO. It made sense, the one good with the signals and command equipment would make a good second-in-command to help relay orders and direct troops around, in the context of the low-conflict humanitarian operation that they were expecting to conduct.
Now, all of the eyes of the other more senior brigade staff officers were on her. They had little confidence in her ability to lead, no doubt some of them imagined themselves in her shoes doing a better job. They did not need to say it, Nara could feel it. She could feel the disdain leaking out from her peers and even her own subordinate soldiers on the ground as she made her daily inspections. The brigade respected Captain Wahab more than just a leader, he was like a father. No matter how nice they try to be, they could not bring themselves to recognize her as his replacement.
Nara could not blame them. Even she herself did not feel to be worthy of a replacement. That was why every night, out of sight of the soldiers in her own command tent, she would take out the rank patch from her uniform. The bars, to her, were not hers to wear. (edited) -------------------
Lieutenant-Commissar Daniel Kolguritz then entered the tent, finding his brigade commander staring at the Captain rank patch. A Pzyon Corps monk-commissar attached to the 15th MPB, Daniel was here for psyops - boost the morale of its soldiers in any major advance. His psionic abilities also made him useful for interrogations, allowing him to siphon intelligence from enemy combatants or detect if someone is lying without resorting to crude torture.
Daniel was one of the first, and perhaps still the first, officer to sense the depression festering within Nara after the 15th came back from Kujas City. He took it as his job to check up on her every night and try to lift her spirits up. The 15th could not afford to have their brigade commander break, especially not in this warzone.
While they were playing cards, Daniel suddenly dropped his cards and looked around, to the puzzlement of Nara. His eyes were darting around, left to right.
“Daniel what’s happen-”
“Shush!” Daniel put a finger on his lips. He tried to focus, his mind homing in onto the source of the weird sensation creeping in.
-------------------
Footsteps.
The grinding sound of sand and rocks.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Slump.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Slump.
Hushed whisperings. Foreign language.
Running.
They were running.
Towards them.
Hostile intention.
“GET DOWN!” Daniel dragged Nara down behind the lockers as two armed men entered the tent and opened fire with their suppressed submachine guns, the bullets narrowly missing their target as they peppered the wall behind Nara’s desk. Nara whelped in shock while Daniel popped out of cover with a pistol in his right hand, firing shots at one gun man while telekinetically choking and lifting the other before snapping his neck. Their bodies slumped back onto the ground and Daniel went over to inspect their bodies.
“It’s those Sarabh-Raman insurgents command warned us about,” he turned to Nara. “Nara, we are under attack!” --------------------
The ground violently shook as multiple explosions went off nearby. Gun fire followed and a cacophony of shouting can be heard outside. They ran outside, only to find the ammunition stores in flames, troops rushing to get their gear, while armed insurgents were coming through the gate, firing their rifles into the camp and killing several soldiers who were not prepared to fight back.
Nara was breathing heavily, her mind racing and blanking out as the chaos erupted all around her. Daniel knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder. Their minds connected. The fear and panic within her faded away, replaced with a new sense of clarity.
Nara got up, nodded and whipped out her radio. “This is Captain Nara to all units on the brigade net. Perimeter breached. Fall back to the center junction and consolidate a new defense line. From there we will fend off the enemy advance and then move up to recapture the perimeter.”
“Fifteenth-Lead to Divcom, Fifteenth-Lead to Divcom, we made contact with the enemy. Perimeter breached. Requesting reinforcements. Over.”
The 15th MPB was not alone, other posts on the Outer Defensive Line manned by other brigades also came under contact from the insurgents’ infiltration attempts. As artillery hit the airbase and the orders for Threatcon One came down, the troops on the first line of defence dug themselves hard for what was to come for a very very long night.
DRAM OF DUNBROATH, NEAR THE MADAN SYSTEM
Fat Eddie had spaced Francesca after the ship's narrow AI had reported a message delivery whilst he had been coincidentally looking at his display for once. The message had been cryptic and the recipient seemingly innocuous, but the geotagging feature had been intentionally turned on and that was all the evidence he needed. The rest of the crew had never liked the felidaen anyway and the news that she was a government spook, or at least a narc, had been enough to condemn her.
Between the loss of Francesca and the fact he was having to lay low and avoid his usual contacts, however, Fat Eddie was finding that jobs were increasingly few and far between. The unlovely slab that was the Dram was lurking near the Madan System - Fat Eddie had heard of a potential haulage job there but did not want to exert the fuel to burn in-system without confirmation, nor did he want to linger in-system too long in case someone caught up to him.
He cursed himself yet again for letting that stupid catbeast convince him to take the Sarabh job. Absolute foolishness, now he was mixed up in Imperial shenanigans that would probably see him killed.
Whilst he waited for a message to come through, he propped his feet up on the console, lighting up a cigarette and taking a sip of tea to keep himself awake. The Dram had no stealth systems to speak of, and its only defenses were some point defense beamers and a few countermeasure launchers, but it relied primarily on good planning and sticking to well-patrolled routes for protection. Now, bereft of the welcoming bosom of the Jade Empire, it was in a much more precarious position, unaware that the trio of Orillian warships were sizing it up even as the captain blew smoke rings and let his mind wander...
Takanol System
"Admiral! we're in position over the planet. Marine General Lee is asking for permission to launch." The Comms tech shouted.
"Give it to him and tell him to keep tightly to ROE, we can't afford to escalate the situation." Adams barked back.
The Republic mission was simple, keep the evacuation going and protect the people. Anyone trying to massacre innocents or disrupt the evacuations was a target. The Republic Army was too large of a force to mobilise for such a mission so the Republic Marines were chosen instead. There were five landing zones for the Republic Marines across all the major cities of Jamnagar, Phusro, Noida, Howrah and lastly Kavanis where the heaviest fighting was and where the Republic would concentrate most of its forces to aid the staunch defenders. Three whole divisions and an Airborne Carrier were going to be sent to aid Kavanis, the Divisions selected were the 22nd Air Mechanised, 68th Armoured and the 12th Mechanised with the ACRSS Alliance providing air wings and artillery support.
The 22nd Air Mech was the first to make planet fall and made headway to reinforce the High Imperium front, although relations with them were at an all time low and rapidly decreasing. The fact they were helping in this situation worked to improve that image somewhat. Republic air support was prioritised for the 22nd while the 42nd made headway from Kanais to reinforce the Ramn 82nd armoured in their fight against the Centurai Super heavies taking to the field. The 12th would be held in reserve around Kavanis in a defensive position as either a fall back line or to rapidly respond to breaks in the line.
In orbit BSG 17 would remain to assist in SAR operation on destroyed and damaged ships for both sides as well as ensure that civilian craft are travelling unaffected in the area.
Dawn’s March FOB
Ahmet as on a short break. These ere shorter and more infrequent as more and more ships came in for repairs. A local Srabh, he had hired on with Dawn’s March as an electronics and poer systems tech. He had done a tour in the local planetary army and so as familiar with military proceedure.
His parents had told him not to, but he said they needed the income. Ahmet had lost his job since Raman terrorists bombed the factory he had worked at. Over his parents’ objections he took the job, which paid rather well, albeit as very exhausting. As fae as danger ell…yes it as there, but as the terrorists proved danger could strike anyhere.
“Power Systems, get on it. Agamo wants the supplemental reactor brought online. E’ll need the extra poer or repairs on that Trident that just docked.” His supervisor shouted in the break room. Ahmet and to other tech, Merrick and Hanson, ent down to a supply hold to get a poer regulator to ensure uninterrupted power flow.
As he placed the regulator into position and activated the poer flow, he noticed the regulator flashed a kind of black light. He paused, and heard Merrick talking about a party his friends ere hosting. He said it would be a real blast.
The regulator pulsed, an eerie purple light like the blacklights at clubs.
Ahmet thought to himself that Merrick needed to learn to shut the f…
Ahmet’s thoughts and his body dissipated as a Metaphasic wave pulsed out. His death was instant and painless, the same could not be said for others. A massive neutron flash ripped through the area of the reactor rooms.
Tanakol System - Tanakol, High Orbit
The screen flickered, updating to show the reinforcements pushing in-system as Dawn's March withdrew. Myan glared sullenly at the retreating fleet, then shook her head and turned towards other matters. Directing her ships to hold position and marking spots for the incoming fleet, she began issuing further commands to support the ground forces.
Then the alarms went off, and she stared out the viewscreen in horror as two pulses of blinding light lit the planet below, one soon after the other. Those idiots! Gritting her teeth, she gestured for a comm to be opened to the ACR fleet elements. "Please be advised, nuclear munitions have been deployed on the surface. Proceed with caution."
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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 11:13:31 GMT
Tanakol System - Tanakol, Surface
The blast wave of the nuke swept over the bulwarks the Legions were holding, and in the case of the 67th, swept them away in a mess of irradiated armor and shattered earthworks. Frantic to hold the position, the 302nd was immediately ordered forward to secure the line before the Sarabhs could push any further. Meanwhile, somewhat further down the line with the 502nd, Optio Jelthran grunted and dropped back behind cover as another fusillade of bullets hammered into the plasma shield covering his position. Rolling over, he tapped his comm, practically screaming to be heard over the chaos. "Star bedamned, where's my fire support?"
The reply was halting and squealing, but came through laced with static as it was. "Morta- ready, fire on yo-". Grinning, he laughed. "Then shell the bastards to hell, already!"
Not a minute later, the sky was lit with searing pulses and flashes as fusion cannon batteries and mortars began firing, almost all of them targeted on the advancing Centauri mechs. Jelthran laughed and signaled his brigade to move up...and then coughed and swayed as spots flickered in front of his eyes. Slumping back down to the dirt, he managed a hazy prayer as the Legionnaires swept in position around him.
Star of the Dawn, Guider of the Flame. Defend us from the Void, light our way in Shadow, and deliver us safely beyond pain and sorrow.
Tanakol System: Ground
The situation was going to get worse. She knew it.
The smoke of the mushroom cloud that had detonated to stop the Sarabh advance had lost its shape, dispersing into the sky and becoming one with the other burning clouds of smoke that rose from the surrounding wrecks, craters and towns of the surrounding area. The Sarabhs had pulled back, deciding to dig in along the original Raman defence line while her own units had continued to weather the Sarabh and Centauri long range fire.
She should be in a better mood of course, the orbital war was won and Raman, High Imperium and now ACR forces were forming up. The notification that ACR units were deploying to assist the evacuations had eased her mind, but now that nuclear weapons had been used the situation could only escalate. Still she watched the fiery streaks of ACR forces descending from the heavens over the area, at least they would be helped if anything major did happen.
“Assist their forces as they land, anything they need let me know and get it for them. No exceptions” Kalla said aloud as the first ACR troops landed close by to the airfield’s perimeter. ----
Missiles and ordnance hammered the new Sarabh defence line, the Minotaur colossi forming up behind broken buildings to get some semblance of cover from the return fire. Sal Nedick was furious, their attack had been stalled and he boiled with rage as he watched the now burning crater where his forces had previously been. While the Minotaurs had come off relatively well their supporting elements had been flattened and the call for a small withdraw and to dig in and bit him deeply. Now they were weathering return artillery fire from the Raman and High Imperium forces along with the Raman counterattack by their armoured forces.
His gun fired again, the shell flying out to impact a vanguard light tank of the Raman 244th Armoured. The vehicle literally disappeared in a storm of fire and debris as the huge round cored it in a single shot. It did nothing to ease his anger though but the knowledge that Sarabh reinforcements were forming up across the line did make him feel somewhat better.
Surprisingly the knowledge that the orbital war had been lost for now and that the Centauri fleet had withdrawn did not bother him. It happened in warfare, and his Minotaurs had brought all the supply elements they needed with them, they could hold out until the fleet returned. Still the sight of orbital drop elements made him grit his teeth, the enemy were getting even more reinforcements, but the glare in his eyes lifted his spirits, it seemed the Sarabhs were not eager to let them land. -----
In the north the retreating Aggregan armoured finally rallied as the two supporting mechanised divisions moved into support. The open desert sand became a battleground as the Sarabh units made their stand, augmented with additional insurgent units they raced forward to meet the Raman and Orillia forces. Railgun rounds, ATGMs and lasers flew across the scorching heat haze of the open ground, explosions on both sides indicating kill shots as the first smoke began to erupt into the air. The Orillian gunships which had been picking off retreating elements and vehicles now found themselves under fire from Sarabh SPAAG and missile defences, bright flares and chaff were deployed as the gunships scrambled to get out of range, the flat open terrain not affording them any cover or terrain advantage as burning wrecks fell from the sky.
It would seem the engagement would go on for some time, denied their air support the Raman and Orillian units were outnumbered, but not necessarily outgunned. -----
To the south the 79th continued to withdraw, while the Cherai Overlook had been an advantageous position it was now being hammered by artillery from the Sarabh Revolutionary Core. Having taken serious damage from the battle with the Centauri gunships and now under a constant stream of shells the 79th chose not to dig in new positions, but to withdraw from the range of the guns altogether. With the fleeing forces the tactical high ground and flank on both forces was now open to anyone willing to exploit it. -----
High above the battlefield in the air the Sarabh fighters continued to flex their newfound numerical superiority, shooting down several Orillian Recon planes and strike assets as missiles found targets on both sides. With the majority of Raman and Orillian assets withdrawing to refuel the Sarabhs had temporary control of the air as remaining assets carefully picked and chose what to engage. It was one of these assets that was picked up by Raman long range radar, a trio of heavy bombers were inbound to the battlespace and were being escorted by several wings of Sarabh fighters. Almost immediately alarms were raised as the intelligence units concluded they were only being deployed for one reason, strategic strikes.
Klaxons blared across the airfield at Kavanis and across other airfields as Orillian and Raman assets in the middle of refuelling were called to take off and engage at all costs. Raman pilots yelled and screamed, stating they would not have enough fuel to return home or only a couple minutes engagement time but the Orillian assets had no such qualms. The robotic ground crews applied what weapons and fuel they could before the fighters once again taxied onto runways and hard burned into the air. Some Raman assets joined them, the message that the Sarabhs were likely going to nuke the airfield and everyone on it now widely getting out. The message was also sent to the sudden ACR air forces now deploying above Kavanis the Sarabhs own air superiority was challenged, given that Sarabh air defences and AO forces had already opened up on the ACR forces orbitally deploying they did not hold their fire, fighters sweeping in to try keep them off Kavanis and the ground forces. But the situation was unchanged.
They had to shoot down those bombers.
Tanakol System: Space
“This is Administrator Abdukrahmen Kamani of the Sarabh assets on Tanakol to the Ancerious Congressional Republic peacekeeping forces in system. We strongly ask that you stay away from the engagement in Kavanis, Raman forces are attempting to smuggle out military assets from the airfield under the guise of people clearly feigning humanitarian rules. Their clear use of tactical nuclear weaponry is apparent and we would instead ask you to support our civilians on the southern continent in the Howrah district as they are under heavy artillery assault from merciless Ramanunjager forces” The administrator was a plump man, his uniform immaculate and his message coming from the main Sarabh stronghold on Tanakol, clearly with their orbital and space assets gone they were trying to play the political game.
Even as the ACR initial forces began their combat drop in the Kavanis area targeting warnings were apparent as anti-orbital forces began to lock onto them and the other ships that were coming close to give support. Long range air defences also locked as missiles and kinetic munitions were launched by Sarabh defence units hoping to inflict as much damage as possible and deter additional drops in support of the Ramans. But most importantly it was to try deterring orbital bombardment and keep the Sarabh forces groundside in the fight long enough for more fleet assets to return and save them.
At least with the orbital war over the civilian assets began to once more approach the planet, the standoff blockade was gone and the Raman fleet was in no mood to stop any sort of civilian shipping to the Sarabhs in the presence of the ACR, cargo and supply ships began to make runs down to the planets surface, carrying food, medicine and more. Mercy Without Borders had a practical convoy of vessels waiting to deploy which now made speed to the surface, but with none of the checks imposed before, it was inevitable that weapon shipments board unsuspecting vessels also began to make it through.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
The explosions kept coming as the incoming shells were blown out of the sky by the CRAMs or got through to detonate on the airfield. It was clear even from the initial strikes that this was no random fire pattern, they were targeting key elements of the RANGSI base which must have been pre mapped and sighed for weeks. The FTL com line, fuel dumps, ammunition storage, runways and parked planes were all targeted by long range strikes as the attack began. Durst grimaced as the first call out came that the FTL line had been destroyed. He nodded to the Major.
“You have our forces, we will take down that artillery, here is everything we have data wise. Anyway we can get it off world do so, we are calling in our small evac shuttle, it was supposed to be for emergency extraction but it should be here within 6 hours, I have sent encrypted text for it to land here. Get the data on it. We will do our jobs, good luck” He saluted the Major before running out of the tent, the Union Alphas were very good at destroying precision targets, and right now that was exactly what Durst was going to do. ----
The first frontal attack had been silent, insurgent units crawling up to the perimeter in the dead of night silently getting into positions while the mechanised elements moved up behind them. Being the most obvious targets the mechanised veicles out in the desert attracted the most attention, leaving the insurgent attackers crawling up close a perfect window of stealth. They had pounced after the destruction of the orbiting ship had occurred, jumping into trenches, and gunning down everyone, throwing grenades into firepoints or slitting the throats of RANGSI soldiers who had not seen them in time. In one swift attack the outer perimeter had been compromised, large amounts of breaches and small hold outs were reported as the mechanised elements now rolled forward proper.
Gunfire came in from the assault, a few tanks in the first wave laying down fire on strong points and machine gun nests. The enemy had planned this, with almost AI like precision… Perhaps the Orillians were data linking everything in control but that remained to be seen. Artillery, smaller now from concealed mortars and light SPGs bracketed the frontal positions as the APCs and IFVs, a mish mash of home-grown designs, old APP units and more rolled up and began to deploy more squads of better equipped infantry. Fire went back and forth, the occasional remaining strongpoint gunning down infantry as they came forward, a RANGSI ATGM blowing up another as it opened its hatch, the firestorm blowing out the back to engulf all those within. Screams, explosions, and gunfire howled throughout the night, as ideological war on a galactic scale focused down onto a single area of a poor world.
Dawns March FOB
The blast was instant.
Agamo was far enough away from his own ship to not be killed, but the sudden blaring radiation alarms for a moment made him cower in fear, he was back on Rubikon again. The Unions Plasma Coil missile had detonated, and they had been laced with a lethal dose of radiation, hours to live at most. He remembered his men begging him to take the anti-radiation meds which he insisted on handing out to everyone else, they begged him to take them and survive, to enact revenge and find out why they were abandoned to die when their nation had chosen to protect the Crucible over their very homes. He felt their pain again, the fear, the betrayal.
He snapped back to reality.
“Massive neutron pulse! Sir its from your flagship… By creation the doses…” His aid stood dazed.
“Are we safe? What’s the situation dammit answer me!” The man threw up. Agamo closed his eyes to black out another flashback from the sight. He turned, quickly accessing the nearest console, and looking at the information. Anger rippled across his face as the figures came in. Everyone on his flagship was dead, without a doubt they had likely keeled over and died instantly or were in the process of dying as their cells ceased to function. Everyone in the surrounding docks had likely received a fatal dose and several other ships nearby had been caught without navigational shields and thus their crews were also likely heavily irradiated. Even Agamo and his aid had received a high dose despite the distance.
“This is the Captain distribute anti-radiation meds at once, those who are too gone put them out of their pain and spare them what’s to come. I want a full shielded team to inspect what the hell just happened. All command staff to the CIC immediately. We have been sabotaged”
Dram of Dunbroath: Near the Madan System
Satisfied that the Dram was wholly unaware of the ships that were stalking it the collective AI of the three vessels initiated the operation. Having waited to get close by coasting the trio now lit their main drives and burned towards the civilian vessel, two capital target locks were placed on the vessel from the Destroyer calculating that the threat of such would likely subdue whoever was on board into surrendering peacefully. Still smaller weapon systems on the two escorts powered up just in case the Dram had some unknown weapon systems akin to a Q ship and tried to fight back.
”By the authority of the Orillian Free State you will cut your drive, power down all weapons and defensive systems and prepare to be boarded. Any resistance will be met with force. You will comply” The tone was robotic and emotionless and was repeated every 30 seconds over the wideband broadcast to the Dram. As it was one of the escorts came in close, cutting its main drive and using large RCS thrusters approached the civilian ship, its airlock umbilical extending as numerous Orillian combat constructions on board checked weaponry and lined up ready to storm the vessel and discover whatever evidence they had come for.
Kolbaijep System: Contested Space
In response to the nuclear genocide of the city on the surface one of the Sarabh warships which had been refuelling at Kolbaijep retaliated. Coming out of dock it had fired its RCS thrusters and swung about, targeting the Raman held habitat with its spinal railgun, in one fell swoop it fired, the round accelerating through the orbital layers to strike the habitat head on. The impact practically destroyed it instantly, the fragile bubble that surrounded the liveable spaces burst and violently decompressed into space killing virtually all aboard the habitat in one blow.
Immediately several Raman ships also undocked, turning the Sarabh vessel, the Divine Defender to little more than debris as its CIWS systems were overwhelmed at close range by railgun shots and missiles. With the storm only escalating sensor systems and orbital monitoring units began to blare wildly as the debris from both events now flew outwards impacting several other habitats and causing a chain reaction. Calls for aid on both sides were sent out as the first trappings of Kessler syndrome and the possibility of further genocides seemed to escalate.
Takanol System
The 22nd and 68th had combined forces to form a defensive line from the still encroaching mechs of the Centauri. Tanks and armoured vehicles alike were simply being blown out of existence with a mere round or two from their gargantuan weapons. It was decided to conduct a fighting retreat as to preserve their strength instead of throwing themselves into wholesale slaughter. Adding insult to injusy was the lack of sufficient air support due to the fly boys fighting against the once unchallenged sarabh air force. They planned to defend the airfield on the western side with the Raman 82nd. The 12th began moving to the outskirts of the city to begin digging in as well as trying to expedite the evacuation process by offering the use of some of their vehicles to make runs out to the airport. The Airborne carrier now taking a holding position over the city also opened itself up as a means of evacuation by letting smaller space craft land on it and ferrying civilians from the taller buildings and anywhere they could land dropships.
The Republic had finally entered the air war with the arrival of their airborne carrier, linking up with Raman intelligence and radars they were able to send squadrons where they were needed to ward of CAS runs or to confront the Sarabhs own ASFs in duels across the sky above the battlefield. The main advantage of the Republic coming into this was its numbers, which was also its disadvantage as there was a large number of 'nuggets' among the incoming forces who hadn't seen real combat outside of a simulator. When the bombers were brought to everyone attention however was when the Republic gathered several sqaudrons to immediately confront the menace. --- Admiral Adams listened to the message of the Administrator with unease. He was a military man not a politician and he didn't like being involved in these kinds of games. Nevertheless however there were already two divisions and an airborne carrier en route to the Howrah district. He intended to reply to the administrator and give him a message that would hopefully ease his ind if that were the case and to show that the Republic forces wouldn't be bullied politically.
"This is Republic Navy Admiral June Adams to Administrator Abdukrahmen Kamani, I have taken your recommendation into consideration but the Republic efforts here are to ensure the safety of the civilian population. We do however already have forces deploying to Howrah and when they arrive they will assist the civilian population if necessary. If you would like to be involved in our efforts there please have your soldiers there make an effort to communicate with the Republic forces so they can be identified properly and we can help the right people in this situation. I would also take this time to ask you to call off the bombers carrying a nuclear payload going towards Kavanis. We will try to make sure that tactical and strategic nuclear weapons will not be used any further by the Ramans." Adams said politely in the message before sending it to the administrator.
He would also send a message to the Ramans asking them if they would cease using nuclear weapons if the Sarabhs also agreed to such. He didn't have much faith in either side backing down mutually and with the Anti-Orbital weapons forcing him to move his fleet away he'd have little to no way of trying to intercept any larger missiles in space.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
The sudden offensive and the sheer violence-of-action enacted on the perimeter of the RANGSI base caused them to quickly cave in and be overwhelmed. Entire companies were being swallowed, enveloped, cut off, overrun and eventually destroyed by the Sarabhai-Raman forces, whose associations with Orillia still remained unclear.
The order was given for any remaining units on the front to make an organised retreat closer to the airbase, where the units on reserve have reached near-complete mobilisation and are in a better position to defend the airbase perimeter without any more surprises. A mix of infantry and military police forces manned the lines of sandbags and the defensive emplacements of heavy machine guns and ATGMs, while the tank forces were held at the back as a quick reaction force. Battered units from the front slowly trickled in with damaged vehicles and trucks stacked with the wounded, under the cover of the airbase defence forces.
Major Farehum immediately gave the order to scramble all the aircraft, unwilling to let them remain on the ground like sitting ducks. However, with plenty of infrastructural damages left, plus the near-zero preparation time, the scramble was not moving as fast as he would have hoped. For now, 2 attack aviation companies managed to take off barring their fixed wing assets, the 12 Zekop gunships quickly moved to launch a counter-attack - a lightning strike to harass the insurgent’s mechanised elements. Because of the rushed nature of their deployment, many ATGMs failed to fuse properly, thus the only working weapons that were left to use, to the horror of the Zekop pilots, were their miniguns and automatic-grenade launchers. Gritting their teeth, they pushed forward, dangerously close to the enemy main force, in order to strafe targets of opportunity with their close-range weaponry.
Tanakol Ground: Kavanis Airport
The Raman forces had watched the ACR drop with elation and open arms, military units and personnel around Kavanis rushed to drop zones, assisting units in deploying and getting them up to speed on the entire situation on the ground, the ever present sounds of screaming jet fighters and columns of smoke clear across the entire area as the air war raged. The civilians were over halfway evacuated, and with the presence of the ACR drop ships landing on the airfield proper the civilians rushed to be rescued. Held back into orderly groups by the Raman soldiers and ACR men women and children were sent first, escaping into the holds of craft even as the sky erupted in explosions from the constant fighting.
“Evacuation estimates are at 66% ma’am the ACR presence here has really made a difference. Im also hearing from the High Imperium commanders that they are going to set up teleport beacons shortly to assist as well”
“Good. Status on bombers? This is all for nothing if we get fucking nuked” Kalla wiped the sweat from her brow as she stared at the paper map in front of her, the holographic system had been destroyed in a strike earlier.
“Still inbound, but Orillia, ACR and our own fighters are moving to intercept, we will get them Ma’am” She sighed.
“Lets pray they do” --------
Sal Nedick braced as the shell came in, the explosion detonating to the side of his Minotaur and exploding with force, completely decimating the infantry squad that was in the ruins giving him fire support. His metal frame rocked slightly but he took no damage. Ironic that they were now fighting to defend the same ruined village that the Ramans had held earlier. Several more ACR ATGMs came in, his ADS system shooting several down. But he was running out of ammunition, his Minotaur group would have to pull back temporarily to supply soon, thankfully the Sarabh reinforcements were coming onto the line. While the Raman coalition could not push into their defended positions, they couldn’t break out for now either.
He managed a brief scan of the air war, the numbers which flooded in were intense and he quickly went back to focusing on the battle before him, pumping another huge round into a now pulling back ACR MBT, its form detonating due to the sheer mass of the projectile. It seemed their renewed offensive was ending for now, still there was no time to celebrate. It would not be long before they tried again. It was the perfect time. “Units, move back in pairs, re-arm and resupply. Let the locals take the line for now but give withdrawing support where possible. It seems they are pulling back, lets use this opportunity. For the republic” He heard their replies come in over the radio. He would fight the foe again soon. -------
A burning Orillian gunship tumbled from the sky in a haze of flame as the Sarabh counterattack pushed on. Railgun munitions and missiles came in a constant hail as the renewed counter offensive pushed forward, the Raman 35th mechanised tried to hold the line, setting up its disembarked infantry into key positions and sending ATGMs of their own into the enemy. It worked for a short while as the Orillian MBTs gave support and went on, but it was no luck. They were outnumbered and quickly out maneuverered, having lost air superiority the constant CAS runs were gone and the Sarabhs were making full advance under such, even their own CAS craft began to make strikes across the line. Knowing the north would be a bloodbath if they stayed the Orillians focused their electronic warfare onto the enemy forces there and began a withdraw, deploying ESS smoke systems with automated units to help the 35th infantry withdraw. Their plan was to withdraw to Degana and dig in there for defence.
Tanakol Ground: Air War
As the ACR plunged into the fray the entire sky became a blaze of contrails, missile streaks and flaming wreckage. The Sarabhs were throwing all they had into this attack to maintain air superiority and even with the hastily half refuelled and re-armed Raman and Orillian craft coming back to help the sheer numbers showed that the Sarabh forces had likely redirected aerial military assets from across several regions here for this decisive engagement. Even as the massive airborne ACR carrier began its operations the Sarabh long range air defence forces were tracking it and readying their munitions. Following data taken from frontline assets the heavy air defence platoons launched their long-range missiles from over the horizon, the large weapons engaging several different booster phases to build up speed and come down to try and attack from above. 12 missiles had been fired, and all of them were targeting the aerial ship.
Still even as fighters tore at each other, even engaging with gun runs and dogfights the true threat was still incoming. The three Sarabh strategic bombers powered forward, opening their bomb bays and revealing the strategic cruise missiles within, they would nuke Kavanis and wipe the city and the airfield from the entire face of the planet. Still the coalition forces would try to stop them. Multiple ACR fighter groups had been sent in to stop them, followed up by Raman and Orillian fighters that had scrambled during re-fuelling out of desperation. Several fighter units moved to intercept them, the area around the bombers turning into a fierce engagement as the bombers own defensive missiles tried to keep them alive. The first detonation was seen however as one of the ACR pilots scored a lucky missile strike, the bombers entire fuselage being gutted as it exploded mid-air. Still the coalition took casualties, the Raman contingent suffering the most and being reduced to a handful of planes. Then a second bomber was destroyed, one of the Raman pilots, his ammunition and missiles expended flew through the defensive screen and even after being hit by a missile rammed his craft into one of the bombers, destroying the two craft instantly and causing their wreckage to fly towards the ground.
There was one bomber left, its bomb bays now open it was getting final targeting solution to fire its weapon.
Tanakol System: Howrah City
It was utter chaos.
As the ACR assets landed near Howrah city they could already see what a mess it was, fires and smoke rising from countless buildings as the sounds of gunfire and explosions were carried on the wind. The situation looked grim, initial recon overflights showed huge mobs in the streets rioting and fighting one another. It almost looked like whole roving bands of ethnic Ramans and Sarabhs had formed up to then clash with each other, to defend certain districts or just rampage around trying to kill the other. Most actual identified army units from both sides seemed to either have withdrawn from the city, or be in the middle of doing so, fearing the sheer numbers of the mob. Some soldiers even joined the mobs, lending their equipment and aid to the enraged civilians to kill the ethnic counterparts.
The city needed order, and that was going to be a tough task.
Still at the mention of nuclear deployment of bombers Administrator Abdukrahmen Kamani seemed to go white as a sheet. He quickly turned to someone off the holographic call and began shouting, the words muted, until he finally turned back to the call.
“I did not authorise those bombers! This is a strike without the authorisation of me and my command staff! Why would we conduct a nuclear strike against a city containing segments of our own people good god…” He seemed genuinely in panic “I have directed orders to Sarabhai land forces to try and stop those bombers, but given the circumstances I do not know who is loyal and who isn’t, this was done by someone on the inside, please shoot down those bombers for the sake of our people and this conflict! I will do everything I can to silence the anti orbital guns, its almost like my forces are no longer responding to me” He looked defeated. Even as the link cut and he got about trying to rectify the situation the orbital environment was still hostile.
Now that the blockade was lifted many civilian ships were making a break for the surface, including those hospital ships of Mercy Without Borders. Despite the clear nature of the ships AO rounds flew up to meet them, destroying several in the process of the drop. Shortly however the majority of rounds ceased, but some continued, clearly ignoring the call for ceasefire.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
The sudden attack which had struck with such force and swept through the outer perimeter now began to stall as it reached properly held and dug in defences closer to the airfield. RANGSI HMGs mowed down insurgent infantry as they tried to cross open ground and ATGMs flew in to blast apart vehicles that came over the line to try and spearhead the attack. For a moment it appeared that the line would hold, the insurgent casualties rapidly and alarmingly building up as they tried desperately to crack the inner rings. Many even fled, not willing to throw themselves into RANGSI strongpoints to get mown down by fire, but once again the artillery came in. CRAM shots engaged but the shells this time were laced with submunitions, cluster bombarding entire segments of the line and even hitting insurgent forward elements briefly. Even as the aircraft desperately scrambled shells came into land on the runway, thankfully the small warheads doing minimal cratering and allowing the pilots to move around them on their way to take off.
The desperate CAS runs however proved extremely effective. ATGMs and cannon shots tore through clumps of soldiers and vehicles with only a few MANPADs and heavier autocannon shots replying. It appeared they didn’t have much in the way of anti-aircraft, and yet they were still trying to push on despite the hail of rounds. ------ The silenced weapon struck quickly and cleanly, the sentry, purely a farmer with an assault rifle went down silently. In the crags of the rocky overlook the shimmer in the night air betrayed the presence of the Union Alphas as Durst and his teams moved onto the artillery positions slowly and quietly.
“Sentry eliminated”
“We have green marks from all three teams”
“Move in” The pressure wave from the artillery being fired again made Durst twitch with anger, they had to go quietly though. If they rushed in to take it out they would be pinned down and wiped out. Just a little more, hold on a little longer. He thought.
Dawns March FOB
The room was filled with dead men.
The assembled command staff of Dawns March all sat, because most couldn’t stand, at the table with practically all of them on a drip dispensing anti radiation nanites, stem cells and meds. Even Agamo could feel the drip in his arm as he sat and watched their hollowed faces. He could feel the ghosts of Rubikon screaming just behind his eyes, it was like he was living the nightmare again.
“Situation is as follows…” One of them started before pausing “The main reactor was undergoing maintenance and refuelling on your flagship sir. Something went wrong and a titanic neutron pulse was emitted. Estimated dead are between 2000 and 8000 depending on the next 4 days results from anti-radiation treatment. Many skilled personnel were killed and the reactor for your flagship has been destroyed. Rebuild will take months and many of us will be in this state for at least a month. Findings show it was sabotage of some kind”
“Of course it was sabotage, we know our reactors back to front this would never happen” Agamo snapped “What was the situation in the repairs?”
“Sarabh crews were assisting sir. We were most certainly infiltrated” The reply brought frowns all round.
“Dismiss the Sarabh maintenance crews from the FOB. Inform the Sarabh government of their incompetence and get our men and ships ready at once”
“Sir, those crews are invaluable, especially given our losses the ability to repair, re-arm and refuel will take far longer-“
“I said remove them! I will not have this happen again”
Dram of Dunbroath
The Orillian combat drones came aboard in near total silence. Their slender but armoured forms all armed with riot suppression gear and SMGs. The one at the front studied Fat Eddie closely before replying.
“This vessel is under search from the Orillian Free State Navy. We will analyse your memory cores, data storage, cyber systems and search your ship. You will comply or we will arrest you for interfering with military affairs” the other drones behind the one speaking began to fan out down corridors and more. Looking for anything out of the ordinary.
Kolbaijep System With the chaos in Kolbaijep continuing to escalate the Ramanunjagar government called in any and all help they could. A personal line was given to the High Imperium, requesting warships to helps stabilise the orbital scene and stop wanton civilian and infrastructure destruction by any means. It also didn’t take long for the Sarabhai government to do the same, the statement that civilians were being deliberately killed brought additional Mercy Without Border vessels to the system but also a contingent from the Castradom Commonwealth, 8 warships and 2 civilian vessels FTLing in and taking up positions, the warships training weapons on Raman warships and defensive installations in an effort to get them to stand down.
Meanwhile the Sarabh local government were also trying to rally the Natar foreign forces to their aid, to help them in securing key positions on the planet. Not only that but talks were now proposed to Natar in order to buy weapons for the Sarabhai war effort.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
The Raman-Sarabhai insurgents started pulling back. RANGSI soldiers in the defensive line began to cheer and holler at this small victory.
“Yea that’s right! Move bitches! Move!” a machinegunner growled as he continued to aim and squeeze the trigger at the retreating Raman-Sarabhai insurgents, mere blobs of blackish-blue silhouettes barely seen in detail due to the night’s darkness, all the more making them less ‘human’. The GPMG burped in short, rapid bursts.
Then the earth shook, and thunder echoed through the black sky in the distance. Many stopped cheering, and in the next few seconds, began realising what it meant.
“ARTY!” screams from sergeants and officers began disseminating throughout the entire trench network as explosions dotted the air above them. The airfield’s CRAM stations indeed were trying their best to intercept all the artillery rounds, but cluster munitions made things significantly harder. The bomblets peppered the open trenches, killing or wounding a considerable number of soldiers who did not manage to take cover in time. The small grenade-sized explosions and shrapnel furthermore damaged any heavy weapons - ATGMs, MANPADS and HMGs - laying in the open.
All the running, scrambling for cover and getting caught in the explosions caused the volume of fire the RANGSI troops were putting out to significantly plummet, opening a possible window of opportunity for the enemy forces to resume another wave of attack. (edited) ------
However, that was not the only bad thing the cluster bombs had caused so far.
“This is the 78th Forward CSS Company! The cluster bombs have disabled many of our transports and we have wounded and stranded units all stuck in the killzone! Requesting support ASAP!” The frantic radio transmission came in. Similar transmissions soon followed, from other CSS companies that had been helping with the evacuation of the frontline.
“This is Captain Nara to all remaining 15th MPB callsigns! Set up defensive positions around the stranded vehicles! We have to buy them time no matter the cost!” a reply came through. The 15th Military Police Brigade, originally one of those at the front and now battered after being surrounded and overwhelmed by insurgents, U-turned their APCs and armored cars around to defend the damaged CSS companies to the best of their abilities. However, with meager manpower and assets left, their little defensive action would only surmount to a last stand action - only to buy whatever little time they can but ultimately doomed to fail if no additional reinforcements come.
-------- Further into enemy-held zones, the 12 Zekops were pleasantly surprised at their handiwork at such close ranges, and were motivated by the scene of exploding tanks and infantry to continue pressing on forward. However, the fearful booming sound of poms-poms burst through the air, and the gunship pilots returned to reality as they came to realise that they were being fired at by anti-aircraft autocannons.
The missile locks of enemy MANPADS further fizzled out any more gungho notions of cowboying this op. Fellow gunships left and right were being blasted out from the sky - one had its tail blown off by an AA autocannon round, another was blown up directly in its engine nozzles by a heat-seeking MANPADS missile. The lead Zekop immediately signalled the end of the op and to return to base, after the entire ordeal 4 out of the original 12 Zekops were lost in battle, and 4 more had received slight to moderate damages. But the mission was a success - at such short ranges of engagement even the most green of pilots knew that it was effectively impossible to not take casualties after such a daring act. Every gain had its price to pay.
DRAM OF DUNBROATH
Eddie shrugged. "Be my guests, gents. Guys, let's co-operate, show them what they want to see."
As the droids moved past him, a beep came through on his Holo from the cockpit. Have alerted the IJN. We can stall them easy.
Eddie cursed. He had specifically told his crew not to give away their position to the IJN, what with him having dumped Francesca out of an airlock, but what was done was done.
As the droids spread out, they would find little trace of the "BEST GLUCOSPORT" delivery in the cargo holds, though the manifest did confirm that they had dropped off a dozen crates of what the system claimed were energy drinks to Tanakol several days prior. The flight logs and navigational system confirmed the same, and that the cargo had been collected from the Muralo Alto system in Jade Empire space.
Tanakol: Kavanis
The Aerial ship that was the centre piece of the ACR's military presence in the area was nothing short of a fortress in the sky. While it lacked and meaningful offensive capabilities it made up for it with extensive arrays of defensive weapons. AAMs, CIWS and EW suites were used to full effect against the incoming barrage. A couple were sent spiralling due to jamming while a few more were taken out AAMs and the last ditch effort of the CIWS made it so only five of the original twelve impacted. The damage wasn't catastrophic but another barrage or two like that and the ship would fall on top of the city.
The ACR Aerospace Corps was seeing the effort put in by Orillia and the Sarahai jets and kept the pressure on them while they still have the number advantage. Their focus on controlling the skies was also complemented with a CAS runs which had some freedom with the enemy air forces tied up. Their primary target was the Centaruii Collosi which were now retreating to resupply, those beast couldn't be allowed to return to the fight lest more Republic live be lost to their overwhelming power.
On the ground the 22nd air mech and the 68th Armoured doubled down on their push against the Sarabh Revolutionary Core Division. They would push them back and hit the main Sarabh defence line from its left flank in a sweeping attack that would hopefully rout the enemy and secure the airport.
Tanakol: Howrah
The Republic found itself in a messy and hopeless situation. Any action they took for one side would only spark more violence. General Lee and Admiral Adams both came to an agreement that it was best to let the mobs go free while the Republic secured critical infrastructure and offered safe havens and evacuation routes for civilians caught in the violence. A message was sent to both the Raman and Sarabh who were leaving to ask for aid in the endeavour and for each side to try and talk to local leaders in an attempt to stop the violence at least for a time.
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Post by EmperorMyric on Oct 10, 2021 11:15:15 GMT
Kolbaijep System:
Amid the chaos from the rapid escalation of the situation at Kolbaijep, the Teliran expeditionary forces based on the planet, on both sides of the conflict, had practically been rendered paralysed. With their organisational units being a mismatch of untrained zealots, money-hungry cowards and anything imbetween, most of the forces that had been caught in the hotzone of the outbreak of violence had either scattered or retreated amid the confusion.
But by now the Sarabhai expeditionary forces were beginning to reorganise under Sarabh efforts to rein in the Natar volunteers under their country by firstly pulling them back to ancillary roles. Without further discipline, training or preparation, these volunteer forces on Kolbaijep were unlikely to offer any further utility than that.
Amid this situation, the Telirans had sent an emissary to discuss an exchange with the Sarabh government there, whose situation was far from ideal. For such a dangerous environment as a conflicted planet like Kolbaijep, it was hardly expected that the ASN would send the Director of Finance, but they did. As Director Arcamavir stepped off from his shuttle, he awaited to sight the Sarabh representative as he tapped his fingers against the top of his case; his jewellery bands tinkling against each other as he did so.
“Where are they…?” The Director grumbled as he and his entourage descended from his shuttle to an empty landing bay, “...These backwards sons of bitches beg for me to meet with them and then they don’t eve- Ah hello my good friend!” Arcamavir quickly turned his moan into a cheerful greeting as the Sarabh delegates hoved into view; his grimace turned into a beaming grin.
Tanakol - Orbit
A sigh as the displays updated. "Well, that's looking pretty fucking bleak. The 502nd got the fuck ripped out of them by those mechs." One of Myan's aides cleared his throat and enhanced a screen showing the air combat over the last hour.
"As you can see, the Ramans are...struggling against the Sarabhi air superiority. As things stand now, we're prepping several beacons to be sent down to facilitate evacuation of the refugees still at the Airfield."
The Primarch hummed for a few minutes, tapping her nails against her chair. "Tell the 502nd and what's left of the 67th to withdraw. The 13th is to continue to hold the flank, with the 302nd assisting in holding the line. Direct the 84th to follow the retreat, but hold position to the west of the airfield and support the Ground Company."
Someone else brought up the request for reinforcements from Kolbaijep. "What about this, ma'am? The fallout of refusing aid at this juncture seems...excessive. That said, our forces in this theater are somewhat spread thin."
Myan grunted in disgust. "Fucking idiots, killing each other over stupid crap. There's an entire galaxy of valid reasons to shoot another sentient in the face, and these morons pick one of the dumbest I've ever heard of." At the hesitant pause from her staff, she snorted. "Fine! Send a response, tell them aid is incoming. ETA for dreadnought and escort transit to Kolbaijep?"
"9 hours, if the currents hold with projections."
A wave of a hand. "Then get going, already." ---
Tanakol - Ground
Pareth squinted against the overcast sun as artillery rumbled off in the distance behind the retreating column. She'd come down with the deployment expecting to sit back and laugh as the Legions rolled over the opposition. What had happened instead...she shuddered, and slouched into her seat in the APC. Those mechs. And the vehicles! Bitter as it was, they just...hadn't been ready. And now she had to wonder how many people were going to die before they were ready.
Far overhead above the clouds, unseen by the bitter and shocked soldier, Imperial drones came streaking down through the atmosphere, with the bulk moving to engage the Sarabhi aircraft, resorting to mindless ramming, where they failed to land shots against the more nimble manned fighters. One in particular singled the lone bomber out, accelerating towards it at full speed.
Elsewhere, a shuttle touched down on the airfield and technicians poured out, scrambling to set up teleport beacons before shepherding civilians into the transport area hundreds at a time. Every few minutes, there was a crackling roar and a pulse of light, before they began setting up for the next teleport.
Tanakol Ground: Kavanis Theatre
The final bomber had launched its munition.
Warning klaxons began once again blaring over the Kavanis airport and city, sending Kalla into a deep dread.
“Get the civilians into whatever cover as possible, get the transports off the ground and in the air and as many through the teleporters as you can! Brace for to immediate detonation! Take whatever precautions you can!” The wailing in the air lent her to look skywards as if she could see the missile incoming. The bomber had been shot down after it launched the munition and the aerial fight was only now breaking off, Sarabh forces knowing what was coming next left rapidly as several craft attempted to shoot the missile down.
Across the battleline the fighting seemed to stop, the prospect of total nuclear annihilation had made it that shooting the enemy was no longer top priority. Sarabh commanders raged up the chain of command demanding to know why they were being sacrificed while forces took whatever they could behind terrain or in ditches in the sand. It was even worse in Tanakol city, citizens from both ethnicities screamed in terror, running for whatever failed hope they could, crushing each other in stampedes of sheer panic.
Fate seemed to have turned against Kavanis, but there was hope. A lone ACR pilot pushed his fighter craft to the very limit of endurance. Screaming engines roared as the pilot dove after the missile, following it at low near ground level as it evaded anti air systems. Several bursts of cannon fire missed, but one managed to hit home, causing the missile to cease its acceleration, pushing the engines into the redzone the pilot pulled in alongside, and just like the actions of a brave few in ancient history used his wing to tip the missile up.
In a moment the warhead went into the ground and detonated, the bright white flash blinding anyone still looking around due to its brilliant intensity. The pilot had sacrificed himself to detonate the missile early, still far away from the city and airport. The shockwave was still powerful however, hitting at force tanks flipped on the battleline while infantrymen in the open were sent flying. Damaged buildings collapsed in Kavanis and aircraft were briefly knocked from the sky. As the raging winds died down many popped up from their bolt holes to see the huge mushroom cloud towering over them, it had been a full-on strategic weapon and it had nearly heralded the annihilation of several million people, as well as the entire battlefront.
Tanakol: Administrative Complex
“That fucking blunder nearly annihilated our forces, our civilians and caused a totally rebellion of our men in one fell swoop! I want to know who ordered that nuclear strike and have them shot!” Administrator Abdukrahmen Kamani was bright red with rage having just got off the call to the ACR commander. The detonation in Kavanis had almost cost the Sarabhs far more than they bargained for.
“We have reason to suspect it was one of the field commanders in conjunction with the BPW-“
“I don’t give a fuck just have them shot! This has totally destroyed our image and stalled out advance, given our allies in space just ran away we have no chance of fighting a war here. I don’t care about what high command says or how long reinforcements will take I’m not killing my damn people anymore. Call the Ramans, offer a ceasefire”
“…Sir?” The generals and advisors around him looked confused.
“Did I stutter! We are not surrendering we are ceasing firing; can’t you clowns understand that? We need to re-organise and let our men regroup” Several nodded in agreement.
“Understood sir”
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
The brief opening seemed to almost be totally exploited in moments. The precise attacks of the insurgent infantry as they came seemed too co-ordinated, too tactically adept. It just gave more credence to them being controlled likely be Orillia. More insurgents went down to explosives as they moved rapidly to try and cut RANGSI off from the airfield and prevent take offs, some insurgents who broke through even tried to fire at aircraft attempting to launch.
Still despite the renewed offensive through the breach and the exploiting of the weaknesses the RANGSI air support was enough to hold them back. Gun runs and explosive munitions tore entire sections of their charges out and the outer defences were littered with burning tanks. Still the artillery sounded again, or what seemed to be, bright orange flashes on the far hill signalled only one thing, the artillery had been destroyed by the Union Alphas.
Still the many civilians who RANGSI had been working with attempted to call out to leaders and more as the troops prepared to evacuate.
“Please take us with you!” One elder cried on his knees as if he was praying “We have young children, let them grow up on fertile foreign soil we beg you!”
The pleas were drowned out momentarily as more short-range mortars opened up on the airfield trying to lob shells into HMG and ATGM positions where able. It was backed up by more anti air autocannon fire, this time far more accurate with warning spikes of Radar missile locks. Further out it appeared the enemy had more advanced SPAAGs.
Dram of Dunbroath
The Orillian drones were methodical and totally cold as they accessed systems and went through every tiny nook and cranny on the ship. They did not tolerate distractions, clearly stating crew to cease interaction when some of the engineers tried to make idle chit chat with the Orillian robots. The few crates with the “BEST GLUCOSPORT” were analysed, pictures taken and relayed off as was the flight log in the system regarding the collection of cargo from Jade space. As the data from the drones was relayed and compiled the picture became clearer, it wasn’t fully there yet but it was enough to make the statement that the IJN or at the very least elements of such had been meddling in Tanakol, leading to the possible escalation of nuclear weapons.
The drones concluded their operation and returned to Eddie.
“We have reasonable assumption to place you and this crew in direct causation of the escalation of tactical to strategic weapons on Tanakol. This ships drive signature was reported in two separate cases, one after being the detonation of tactical weapons. We will ask you plainly, are you working for the IJN as agents to help destabilise native populations in the galaxy?”
Kolbaijep System
The representatives of Sarabhai looked worn and weary as the met the beaming grin of Arcamavir. They had been awake nearly two days trying to calm down the constant escalations in system, and with the report of a nuclear detonation on Tanakol along with an agreed upon ceasefire things were getting out of hand quickly.
“Greetings Director, please follow us” The internals of the habitat were far from luxurious and the small administrator room was fairly tacky as they offered Arcamavir a seat.
“Director we have reason to believe that our government and that of the Ramans will soon enter ceasefire negotiations. The fact of the matter is that it will not resolve the current tensions and that we must be ready for when the Raman menace attacks us once again. We are asking for your help in supplying weapons and defence systems which may help us the next time around”
<<BREAKING NEWS>>
Emerald Republics (Ark)- A strategic detonation supposedly under the control of rogue Sarabh elements has occurred in Tanakol almost wiping out the Kavanis sector and millions of inhabitants. If not for the efforts of allied support the death toll would be impossible to calculate.
In an even more stunning turn of events the Sarabhs & Ramans have agreed to implement ceasefire on Tanakol itself and are calling upon both governments to do the same. Given that both nations military forces have been much reduced in the fighting and against the supposed Emerald Ghost which has once again avoided destruction it is a plausible end in sight.
We can only hope that negotiations go smoothly and that both governments extend a hand to make this a reality.
We will keep you up to date.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
The walls of the command bunker shook and lights flickered as a mortar round landed on a tarmac nearby.
“Sir, I have good news and bad news.”
“Good news?” Major Farehum asked.
“Good news is we now have enough transports to lift off all the civilians by using the baseships.”
“Bad news?”
“None of the troops are going back home.”
“I see…” he sighed. “Captain, I trust everything vital is safe onboard on those transports.”
“Yes sir, the data and all other HQ documents are onboard. The Divisional Colours are also safe.”
“Good, then all we have to do is to buy time for everyone to take off,” he breathed in, knowing that this could perhaps be his last moments. A heavy burden seemed to be lifted off his shoulders and a newly found vigour reanimated his tired, sleep-deprived body.
He quickly began disseminating orders to any surviving unit he could get his hands on on the holo-map. What remaining gunships and fighters were called up for a last-ditch SEAD mission to silence the insurgents’ SPAAG, even if it was practically suicidal.
---- “To anyone left out there on the ground...it means you volunteered your own ride back home for the sake of the refugees. I cannot express how proud I am of your noble actions.”
Farehum’s voice rang out across the PA systems and broadcasted to all the radionets.
“We came here to save the civilians, and by hell’s left nut we will fulfil this mission today! All units, prepare for a final counteroffensive, we must push back the insurgents and allow our comrades to escape!”
“May the motherland bear witness to what the 87th did here today. Majulah Singapura!”
“Majulah Singapura! Onward!” cries from the surviving soldiers at the airbase rang out in unison as the fire in them were reignited, pushing them to go on the offensive against the insurgents literally knocking on the gates. Giving their comrades one last chance to push were a handful of mortar teams and snipers set up on the roof of the airbase HQ building, as they used up all their remaining ammunition of HE and smoke rounds to launch one last massive barrage against the incoming insurgents.
Naragaon System, Ramanunjagar Republic Avimukta City Defense Minister's Office
Defense Minister Aramathra was reading over reports of events at the Dawn's March FOB station. If this was the work of Andren's associates, then I am beyond just 'impressed'. Now if only they can capitalize on the disaffection between Dawn's March and the Sarabh workers... Though not in the initial reports, News services had been reporting that all the Sarabh techs and other workers on the FOB had been fired-and many of them had been vociferously complaining. Now if there was a way to capitalize on that...
His intercom beeped. Touching the activation button he heard his secretary in the outer office. "Minister? Mister Andren is here to see you." Aramathra was taken aback for a second Very punctual. "Send him in." Mister Andren walked in and headed to the front of the Ministered desk, shaking his offered hand before taking a seat.
"Greetings Minister. I trust you are satisfied with our first contribution to your war effort?"
"Indeed Mister Andren. The damage done to Dawn's March will take them out of the fight for a while, and more importantly dissent has been sown among the local Sarabhs in response to the 'sabotage'." Aramathra said, the satisfaction in his voice plainly obvious. "Perhaps there is a ay your associates could take advantage of this rift in relations? Some way to heighten the impression of the Sarabhs as being incompetent? It would nice to see their political fortunes and propaganda efforts become a real trainwreck."
Mister Andren smiled at the word "trainwreck". "Actually Minister, you have given me an idea..."
Nishara III Nishara System
Avram sat in the Conductor's chair in the locomotive's cab, looking out at the terrain along the tracks leading them all to their date with destiny, and likely martyrdom. The train they had hijacked was carrying methyl isocyanate gas in a large number of tank cars. The plan was rather elegant. At an appropriate time, they would set the train to accelerate slowly to maximum speed with a short delay. They had to pass through the Rahmani Valley in order to get to the industrial plant that was the train's original destination and also their target. The track ran along the edge of a steep slope and had a curve with a speed maximum that if exceeded would result in derailment and the lethal chemicals being released far short of their target.
The casualties would be horrific-the plant was in a large city, and the time delay in the acceleration would let them jump from the train, albeit likely with injury. If that proved impossible, well... none of them was adverse to martyrdom, thought the did not seek it either.
Nishara had been mostly quiet in the ongoing conflict. The group's Supreme Commander had decided this would make it a perfect choice of targets. The factory complex selected was in a Raman controlled area of the one of the world's 2 major continents, and was producing a great deal of goods, mostly civilian. These goods however included trucks that were being shipped out to Raman forces on Tanakol and other worlds where the fighting was far more intense. Disabling that factory would put a crimp in the logistics of the Raman army and militias alike.
The casualties in the city would be horrific, but as the Supreme Commander had stated "In the end, they’re only Ramans."
The train lurched a little. seeming to pick up speed before slowing own again. Turning to his team's hacker-now the train's engineer, Avram said "Gulfaam, Careful on the speed. We want to stay at normal velocity until we get past the Rahmani Viaduct. Don't want to alert anyone yet-or worse, derail on that viaduct." "System glitch I think, Commaner. It was just momentary." The train went on, the two enjoying the vista of the mountain terrain while they could.
Suddenly the train lurched forward again-but this time it kept accelerating. "What the hell?" Gulfaam said. "We're at 80 Kmh and climbing, and... I can't slow her down!" Avram looked on, shock on his face. "We have to slow down, we will go over the viaduct at this speed...” His blood ran cold. Rahmani Valley was the site of one of the largest Sarabh refugee communities. Mostly prefabricated barracks style housing, it was one of many on Nishara. The planet's relatively peaceful conditions made it a haven for Raman and Sarabh alike. Rahmani held at last count something like 40,000 Sarabh refugees, mostly from Tanakol.
"Mizhir!" Avram shouted to the third member of the team, a veteran fighter who ha been relaxing in the locomotive's small crew lounge. The original train crew ha unsurprisingly failed to approve of what the team's mission was, an regrettably had to be killed. Their bodies had been stuffed into a parts locker so as not to be found and alert security forces. Mizhir came out, his laser pistol in his hand almost instinctively. "Is there a problem Commander?" he said, calmly. "Yes... I believe, and this sounds really strange, I believe we are being hijacked." Mizhir just looked at him in puzzlement "Someone is hijacking a crew of hijackers?"
"I think the Commander might be right, Mizhir." Gulfaam said. "Something has taken over the train's computer. It's overriding both my own hacking and the train's normal programming. I'm going to try and counteract it." "Be quick about it, we have about 15-20 minutes until we get to the Rahmani Viaduct. If we derail there we'll dump this cargo of death onto our own people in the refugee camp." Avram said. "Mizhir, can we physically disable the train, get it to slow down or stop?"
"Slow down no, the controls for speed run through the computer. Stop it? Possibly, could cut the main power feed to the motors in the bogie assemblies. There's a problem though. Main power feed is under the train, not designed to be accessed while the train is in motion. I'll try to figure something out."
Gulfaam linked to his deck, inserting the interface jack into his DNI socket, then hooked his deck to the interface connection to the train's computer and jacked in to the system. hat passed for cyberspace in the train's system as fairly basic-it as after all a rather dedicated system. He started looking for the hostile influence. Program... worm... other decker, he did not know hat he would be facing.
He found out soon enough.
He noticed a distortion of sorts in the system that he took to be the hostile program. Activating a stealth routine, he moved cautiously into it.
And found himself in what appeared to be in the void of space.
He felt a chill. There was no way this level of construct could be associated with the train's computer. This was like a high-end corporate system, or worse, something he'd heard the Ghosts of the Tradex or Singers would have. Fighting off a growing sense of terror, he readied every intrusion program and black ICE code he had and moved into the void...
Meanwhile, Mizhir and Avram had opened a floor hatch that le to a very narrow crawlway-barely two safety rails- under the train that was normally used in a roundhouse or maintenance shed. The crawlway was never intended to be used while the train was in motion. Checking his laser pistol, Mizhir said "Ok, I'm going to crawl to the power feed access, shoot off the retaining bolts, an then burn my way through the main power coupling. That should trigger the hardwired safeties an stop us. Just have to keep my balance." Avram nodded "May the gods grant you success my old friend." Mizhir then lowered himself carefully onto the "crawlway" and started making his way back to the access port, carefully keeping up the best speed he safely could.
Avram sat in the conductor's seat, watching the progress of the train as it moved steadily closer to the Rahmani Viaduct. Meanwhile, Gulfaam moved steadily through the cyberspace void, heading for the closest object that seemed different then the background starfield. It was a kind of floating black flame, with deep purple flickerings in it. The flames surrounded a kind of crystalline geometric shape that seemed to shift it's geometry every time he looked at it. As he approached he heard a voice seemingly in his mind. Likely a communication from the hostile system.
Hmmm? So, I have a visitor. How quaint. Don't be coy now, come to me. You are quite good to have detected my presence. This is a testament to your skill-unfortunately it means I ill have to take this to another level. A Pity, It is rare that one of the Nescient has the talent and mind to reach me.
"I don't care about that, you are going to murder 40,000 of my own people. I have to stop you."
Ahh, but it as ok for you to murder at least that many of your enemies? Is death not death regardless?
"That is war, and yes, death is death on some level. But my people suffer because of the Ramans. We have had to overcome much, and all we seek is peace-Even if the path to peace is paved in suffering and tragedy. One day it will end. Who or what are you that you even care? The Ghosts? The Singers? Eosians?"
None of the above. Who I am is irrelevant. And I must say perhaps you are not Nescient at all. That makes what is about to happen even more tragic. But then again, If you understand something of the true nature of life, I suspect you will if not approve-then at least philosophically appreciate this. Oh... one of your companions is trying something. I admire his willingness to risk death for his principles. For what it is worth, I am almost sorry for what must happen to you. But I hope at last you understand.
Gulfaam's deck alerted him to a multi-vector cyberattack incoming. He launched his one daemon program at the strange construct, and activated all his defense programs. He saw the daemon's code get shredded-he never saw such massive processing power. Then he felt a presence-inside his defense programs-inside his mind.
And he could not even scream.
Mizhir had managed to get to the power feed access panel. Holding on to the safety rail with one hand, he carefully drew his laser pistol. He shot off the first of the four bolts, positioning himself so when the hatch cover fell it would not hit him. He then fired at the second bolt. "Mizhir, we are approaching the cutoff point! Hurry up!" Avram almost shouted over his comms headset. Mizhir frowned and shifted slightly so as to get a bead on the last two bolts. Cutoff point was when the train had to start decelerating, otherwise inertia would carry the train over the viaduct regardless of the brakes.
The laser flashed again and the third bolt was sheared through. At this rate he felt confident that he had enough time to complete the procedure-and then a jet of live steam from the reactor's coolant system sprayed from a vent, hitting him squarely in the face.
Mizhir screamed, the laser pistol falling from his hand onto the track. The shock and pain caused him to lose his balance, and he fell screaming to the track, whereupon the speeding train's wheels ended his screams and his life.
Avram slumped into his chair as he saw Gulfaam disconnect from his deck and rise. Hope rose in him, "Did you stop the hackers?"
Gulfaam drew his pistol, a 10mm semi-automatic. And said to him in a voice that was chillingly not Gulfaam's.
I have a message for you... And you are not going to like it...
Pray for Death
Gulfaam placed the gun under his jaw, pointed up towards his head. H said on last thing, in his own voice... "Help me..." Before the gun's report sounded and his brains splattered the roof of the locomotive's cab.
Avram had not long to wait. He did not take the easy way out with his own pistol, but instead waited. The wait was not long. He could see the near end of the viaduct approaching and the next thing he knew the train as on it. The locomotive leaned towards the gorge as it hit thee curve at full speed. with a screeching of metal the whole train derailed, smashing through the side walls of the viaduct and plunging into the gorge-and the refugee camp.
People in the camp started screaming. Refugees, freedom fighters, aid workers... They started to run, some trying to get to motorcycles or other vehicles. The screaming became a cacophony of chaos and pain as the line of tank cars hit the ground and burst open one by one spread their cloud of Isocynate gas through the camp. The cloud spread quickly. Rahmani Gorge was a natural wind tunnel, and those winds spread the cloud across the camp like an angel of death.
The screams-which at first were louder then the crashing sound of the train cars, dropped to moans, then to whimpers.
And then to silence.
Kolbaijep System:
With a feigned smile, the Teliran director eagerly stole the Sarabh’s hand to practically wrench it off with a handshake. As Arcamavir sat down, his peers explained to him the conflict’s imminent end. Almost immediately, Arcamavir’s head spiked up as though in surprise to the news; his eyes wide. Slowly, he gazed back to his aides who all shifted in place before returning his look back to the Sarabhs. The director looked like he was about to explode with rage as he hissed through gritted teeth,
“I’m overjoyed to hear your dreadful conflict is ending so soon…!” He spat the sentence out before continuing, “...Of course, I will do all I can to facilitate defence procurements between your government and the contacts throughout Natar… I know quite a few colleagues of mine within the industry in-fact… I’m sure my friends would be eager above all others to accommodate your needs…”
The Teliran paused, his eyes slowly returning to those of the Sarabh representatives.
“Tell me… What is the current economic health of Sarabhai…?”
Tanakol - Ground
As the ceasefire takes effect and the Sarabhi paused in their assault, the Legion units withdrew at full speed, APC's packed to the gills with casualties, and dropships even risking landings in the former battlezone to assist with the evac. Today had been a sobering experience, and the Legion, the pride of the Imperium and the iron fist of the Houses, had been humbled. Preliminary loss estimates were at over 50% for the entire landing force, with the 502nd having lost almost 80%, if not even more.
Stumbling out of the truck, Pareth watched the chaos unfold at the airfield as the civilians were pushed aside to make way for her bleeding and battered men. Silently, she whispered a prayer for all the needless dead today, here and across the Emerald Republic. Swift journey beyond, travelers. --- Kolbaijep System - Emerald Republics Contested Space
The void shivered and split as a curved prow glided back into realspace, accompanied by five others. The dreadnought flared its engines, dropping into the local star's gravity well on a course towards the main planet. At the same time, a wide-spectrum broadcast was issued, both by radio and over the Ancnet, so that no doubt could be left as to the task force's purpose here.
"This is the High Imperial dreadnought Avarice of Carnage and escorts, responding to an aid request. Please provide an orbital path."
<<BREAKING NEWS>>
Emerald Republics (Ark)- The situation in the Tanakol system has calmed, with evacuations around Kavanis having been completed and the official ceasefire now called the entire area is slowly moving to deal with the aftermath. Surprisingly both Rama and Sarabh forces have called for the honouring of the ACR pilot who stopped the strategic nuclear attack and have now pulled back their forces entirely.
Both nations have publicly addressed the motion of a joint ceasefire and have seemed to welcome such. A diplomatic meeting has been set up in neutral territory to discuss a sector wide ceasefire and end to hostilities. While an actual peace agreement and official treaty are highly unlikely given the ethnic conflicts still ongoing the ceasefire at least appears to be a major option.
Reports however of renewed insurgent activity from the BPW and RFSM have surfaced given the closing of hostilities including from current matters on the ground a chemical weapons attack on the Sarabh refugee camp in Nishara. Over 40,000 casualties have been reported when a BPW insurgent attack via train went wrong and overshot its target. Already Mercy Without Borders as well as RANGSI and Union humanitarian forces are on site to try and save any who remain, and conduct clean-up operations alongside the Sarabhai government.
We will bring you more as events unfold.
Tanakol System: Planet Juvos
As the transports began to lift off taking the civilians and the data about Orillia with them the few remaining anti air weapons tried to shift their targets against them. They were quickly silenced however as the renewed counterattack sent ATGMs into SPAAGs and the RANGSI air attacks blew them apart from above. The path of the transports was safe, and the civilians would get to see another tomorrow. The truth about Orillias involvement here would be secured for use politically later.
Even as the Union Alphas continued to destroy artillery and mortars, they were being overrun, cut down by insurgents who moved back to defend their big guns. One by one squad members went down, until finally Durst sent up a signal flare, the smart flare pulsing rapidly in IR light it conducted morse code to the RANGSI forces.
‘It was an honour’
A moment later another explosion rippled through the insurgent’s backline as Durst sacrificed himself to detonate the ammunition dump.
The insurgents came in hard and fast, matching RANGSIs renewed counterattack head on. They couldn’t stand up to the disciplined troops, so they used numbers, dragging down soldiers or isolating them before gunning them down. Explosions rippled through insurgent groups as the grenades were used up. The mission had been completed. And the 87th would be remembered as heroes.
In time Orillia would pay for their manipulations.
Kolbaijep System
The Avarice was swiftly given an orbital path, the High Imperiums presence rapidly becoming known to both sides in system as the threat of outside reprisal became apparent. Neither Raman nor Sarabh forces in system could stand up to the HI in their current state, and any acts of aggression could easily throw a side off balance, into perfect line of fire of the colonial.
Ironically this rapidly deterred further retaliation. The High Imperiums appearance and slow move into a wide public orbital path calmed the fighting through fear and intimidation. While an official ceasefire was being drawn up elsewhere, their sheer presence could help keep the peace here, without ever firing a shot. Angry fighters and insurgents raged at their luck, knowing that any action would be met with violent response and put their side on a loss in any negotiation.
Peace came to Kolbaijep after such slaughter, purely down the barrel of a gun.
Arcamavir gave nothing more than a sly grin for a few moments before finally replying, this was going to be easier than he had thought,
“I see a prosperous future for both of our countries not far ahead.” The Teliran chuckled, “...For a few ‘quid pro quo’s’ as the Humans say… of course.” He patted the representative on his shoulder.
-----
“Thank you-“ The director started before Arcamavir mentioned the state of the Sarabh economy. The man seemed to flinch for a moment before flustering a reply.
“Uh… Well… It has uh suffered much in the way of the conflict, the reduced trade, the hits to our industry, the reparations we have had to pay to the nations affected by the interdiction incident as well as pay outs to families who have lost loved ones…” He stopped before bursting into a continuation.
“But! We were indeed hoping that perhaps you may be able to offer some loans to our fair nation, to help kickstart our industry and get trade running again! In no time we will be back on our feet with your help and much better equipped. Just in case- Or rather when those Raman scum decide to attack us again” He smiled falsely, desperate and knowing he had no cards to play in this situation.
Dram of Dunbroath
The drones stood and listened as Eddie explained the entire situation. The machines giving absolutely no emotional indication of a response until he had finally finished.
“Given the state of affairs we will escort you and your ship to an Orillian safe zone, there we will question you further and ascertain your involvement. Once the situation is resolved and you are found absolved of all crimes, we will release you. We will stay aboard your ship to facilitate your return with us. Do not attempt to resist or we will be forced to ensure your compliance”
Already a data packet was sent over by one of the ships, accompany them and comply with the request.
DRAM OF DUNBROATH
Eddie spluttered in indignation. "You don't have the authority to arrest me! Besides, who's going to pay for my lost time when you realise you're barking up the wrong tree? This is a lucrative vessel, I don't think you want to pay my rates!" he blustered, fully aware that if he called on the Jade Empire for help they would probably arrest him themselves.
Naragaon System, Ramanunjagar Republic Avimukta City Defense Minister's Office
Aramathra sat at his desk in his office, reading over the latest reports from the Prime Minister, Military Command, and the Diplomatic Service about the recent ceasefire. He also looked over the report on the recent "terrorist attack" on Nishara. Sarabh operatives from a militia group had apparently bungled an attempt to crash a trainload of poisonous chemicals into a local Raman weapons factory. Somehow the gas ended up being dumped into a Sarabh refugee camp, killing over 40,000 Sarabhs and eroding support for the militia in the Sarabh nations on the divided world.
The Minister was pleased, though the massive loss of life somewhat discomfited him. Still, it was one last blow to the Sarabhai before the apparent coming on of peace-however long that lasted. He was expecting Mister Andren, who had requested one last meeting. Apparently Andren’s "Associates" were likewise seeing the situation cooling down and perhaps wanted to move forward with the next step in their agenda.
Aramathra was suddenly rather chilly, realizing he had know idea just what that agenda was.
His intercom beeped. "Yes?" he said after touching the activation button. "Mister Andren is here for his appointment, Minister." his secretary's voice said. "Let him in." he responded as she opened the door and Andren entered, smiling slightly. When the door closed he moved to the chair Aramathra offered him and sat down. "I hope you are impressed Minister. Amazing how the Sarabhs made such a critical mistake on their strike."
"How true. Odd, since the reports from Intelligence on that group indicated a high level of competence and professionalism-at least as far as that last word applies to a terrorist organization." Aramathra replied. "Still, it looks like the war such as it is will be ending soon."
Andren nodded. "As they tend to do. The loss of life was regrettable, but such is the nature of conflict. I am sure the Raman people will be stronger because of it."
"Now that the combat is winding down, perhaps your associates can help in other ways? Peace has a set of necessities all it's own." The Minister paused, thinking for a moment. "We will need much to recover. Ships, weapons-the terrorist strike caused a loss of production at an important ordinance factory with the umm... diversion of materials. We will also need assistance rebuilding infrastructure, industry, humanitarian aid. Can you help us with those things?"
Andren was silent for a moment, obviously thinking it over. For a second Aramathra thought he saw that little flash of purple light in the crystal pendant Andren wore. Andren then said "Actually yes. My Associates will be able to help out with all of those things. Details will have to be worked out of course but it should not be a problem."
With a nod and a smile, Aramathra held out his hand to Andren who shook it as both men stood up. Aramathra said "I look forward to a continuing relationship then. I am curious about one thing though Mister Andren. What will your associates want for this new level of help?"
"Again, your friendship mostly, though I will admit their may be some favors they may want you to do for them at some point in the future, A quid pro quo sort of deal. Favors for favors. You know how diplomacy works."
"What if we are unable to provide what they need?" Aramathra responded, a look of concern growing.
"Let us not think of such unpleasantries, Minister." Andren said as he left the office. Aramathra suddenly felt cold for a moment. He was starting to wonder just where this would lead, and in some small corner of his subconscious mind wondered if he had metaphorically sold his soul,
<<BREAKING NEWS>>
Emerald Republics (Ark)- The conflict between the Emerald Republics has officially been declared over by both representative of Ramanunjagar and Sarabhai, the two nations having conducted peace talks aimed to create a ceasefire to end the violent conflict. It is officially now agreed that the ceasefire is in place and military forces of both nations have been withdrawn from frontline activities.
Already rebuilding operations are under way, aided by such nations as the Orillian Free State, ASN, RANGSI, Centauri Federation and Union of Worlds. There is of course much to rebuild, and the economic state of the twin Republics leaves a lot to be desired, with time perhaps they will recover to the pre war states.
For now, however, the Emerald Republic war is over. And we can all rest easier with one of the galaxies conflicts having come to an end. ----
Yrillix turned the news broadcast off with a flick of her wrist.
“So, it’s over then?” A voice asked. She shook her head.
“Not even remotely, the Ramans are asking, begging for us to arm them and ethnic conflicts between the insurgent groups are already taking place. No, the place is still a powder keg, the spark just went out is all. It can be reignited at a moment’s notice”
“I see. Still within parameters then. Good job Madam, I am looking forward to the next operations results”
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