Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 21, 2021 13:12:02 GMT
Seeking an end to hostilities through hostile actions, a paradox of intent and execution
"Come on ‘Havoc,’ show us what you and your new allies in capitol have planned…"
~Admiral Drogan about to get his wish
‘Havoc’ looked over the displays. Things were, more or less, going as predicted. The empire had lost its hold on three planets, and the systems containing those planets had been purged, more or less. Assets were already being recovered. The continuous stream of data pouring in from the hotly contested Tenebrae worlds painted a desperate and dirty war of attrition, one that, in the long run, the Immortal Empire was going to lose. But they had never to win that way. They were playing dirty. Because if Ambrosious had taught them anything, it was that Tenebrae didn’t hold back when it came to civilian targets, so neither would they. Many of the imperial forces on these worlds had successfully set up city scale force field generators as well as interference and disruptor stations. While these couldn’t stop a full scale bombardment, it did make it too risky to even attempt. As padded insurance, captured civilians, soldiers, as well as works of art, anything that the Tenebrae forces could even conceive of as valuable were held in key positions to prevent the detonation of orbital munitions capable of penetrating the force fields. Disruptor stations, developed after the multiple battles, interfered with shunting denying a safe way in or out of the held cities.
On the flip side of these, mostly positive, reports were the planets where imperial presence had failed to entrench itself properly. These were the planets that ‘Havoc’ was giving the most attention to. Of these, two stood out, the systems Excion III and Brestem. The operation at Excion III was still salvageable, but only just and only with the swiftest, most brutal of tactics. Brestem however, was completely lost and nothing short of a full scale invasion would fix that.
“C.A.B.A.L., I need Brestem ta be purged. Prepare ta recover assets, jus’ like las’ time.”
”Won’t work.”
‘Havoc’ sighed deeply, he was getting really tired of these Emerald Swords, “An’ why not?”
”Purge System-1 has been rendered inoperable due to complications.”
The prime admiral punched one of his consoles, cracking the screen, “Jus’ GREAT! So then, I guess then tha’ we have authority ta use tha’ back-up then?”
”Yes.”
“Well whoopdee [EXPLETIVE] DOO! C.A.B.A.L.!!!”
YES?
“Inform Dr. Fynswelle tha’ I wanta purging strike against Brestem, FULL AGGRESSION! I don’ wanta single survivor when recovery starts.”
RIGHT AWAY
“Tell him I also wanta strike agains’ Excion III. Tell ‘im NOT ta purge tha’ system, jus’ rattle’er bones enough fer our boyz ta set-up shop proper.”
AGAIN, RIGHT AWAY
“Now,” ‘Havoc’ settled down in his chair while a tech replaced his broken console, “Let’s hope we don’ kill more than intended.”
<<<>>>
Location: -Withheld
The attack run, which would go down in the history books as one of the most brutal in the galaxy, started not with a roar of engines or even the soft hum of a generator powering up. No, it started with a whiney man with a sleeping disorder and a persistent A.I.
MOORE, YOU HAVE A HIGH PRIORITY MESSAGE FROM DR. FYNSWELLE.
Scientist-Biologic Randy Moore rolled over onto his back, his blood shot eyes staring at the pulsing veins in the ceiling of his private quarters.
“C.A.B.A.L.?”
YES?
“I was almost asleep.”
YES
“Do you know when the last time I slept was?”
THREE DAYS, FIFTEEN HOURS, FIFTY-SEVEN MINUTES, EIGHTEEN SECONDS AND STILL COUNTING
Moore clapped his hands before pointing at the ceiling, “Yep, so let the techs get it.” He then rolled over on his side.
MOORE
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?”
THIS IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. IT REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
The scientist merely sighed before flopping over on his front in a desperate bid for sleep.
MOORE
No response.
MOORE
Still no response.
MOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMO-
“ALRIGHT! I’M UP! LET’S HEAR THE [EXPLETIVE] MESSAGE!”
VERY WELL
”This is Dr. Fynswelle, authority voice print whatever. Listen, Moore, we’re up to bat. Full system purge has been authorized by Lord Wizengurd, Prime Admiral Parker, as well as two members of the Order of the Emerald Swords, verified by C.A.B.A.L., who by the way, has the coordinates for the system we need to purge. Our intel on the enemy forces in the target system is sketchy at best, so as always err on the side of overwhelming force. I’ll leave the details up to you.
END OF MESSAGE
Moore stood and stretched his tired limbs, “Alright, I’m heading for the Command Node. Alert everyone to what’s happening.”
RIGHT AWAY
<<<>>>
Location: -Withheld
In a system near the outermost edge of the galaxy, in a place no sane faction would lay claim to, a red dwarf burned fiercely as a battle between the explosive energy of the star trying to escape and the gravity holding it together raged in its core. Around it a single massive planet orbited, a rock incapable of supporting any form of life. That is, except for life that had been designed to not just live, but thrive in such conditions. The massive outpouring of radiation from the unstable star fed and nourished the bioships of the Immortal Empire. They moved in swarms, orbiting the barren world. Of these, one eclipsed all others, a Vargr control node. At more than eighty miles across the living creature more resembled an asteroid than a living creature. Space was warped around the creature as it created a massive hyperspatial pulse. The pulse changed in intensity and duration as the control node relayed commands and orders to the spatial bioweapons. The swarms of living ships moved with surprising coordination and precision. More than half grouped up and initiated a hyperspace jump out of the system. The rest formed up around the Vargr control node. Inside the node Moore stretched before getting comfortable in his command throne. “Wake me up if they attack *yawn* attack us.”
"Come on ‘Havoc,’ show us what you and your new allies in capitol have planned…"
~Admiral Drogan about to get his wish
‘Havoc’ looked over the displays. Things were, more or less, going as predicted. The empire had lost its hold on three planets, and the systems containing those planets had been purged, more or less. Assets were already being recovered. The continuous stream of data pouring in from the hotly contested Tenebrae worlds painted a desperate and dirty war of attrition, one that, in the long run, the Immortal Empire was going to lose. But they had never to win that way. They were playing dirty. Because if Ambrosious had taught them anything, it was that Tenebrae didn’t hold back when it came to civilian targets, so neither would they. Many of the imperial forces on these worlds had successfully set up city scale force field generators as well as interference and disruptor stations. While these couldn’t stop a full scale bombardment, it did make it too risky to even attempt. As padded insurance, captured civilians, soldiers, as well as works of art, anything that the Tenebrae forces could even conceive of as valuable were held in key positions to prevent the detonation of orbital munitions capable of penetrating the force fields. Disruptor stations, developed after the multiple battles, interfered with shunting denying a safe way in or out of the held cities.
On the flip side of these, mostly positive, reports were the planets where imperial presence had failed to entrench itself properly. These were the planets that ‘Havoc’ was giving the most attention to. Of these, two stood out, the systems Excion III and Brestem. The operation at Excion III was still salvageable, but only just and only with the swiftest, most brutal of tactics. Brestem however, was completely lost and nothing short of a full scale invasion would fix that.
“C.A.B.A.L., I need Brestem ta be purged. Prepare ta recover assets, jus’ like las’ time.”
”Won’t work.”
‘Havoc’ sighed deeply, he was getting really tired of these Emerald Swords, “An’ why not?”
”Purge System-1 has been rendered inoperable due to complications.”
The prime admiral punched one of his consoles, cracking the screen, “Jus’ GREAT! So then, I guess then tha’ we have authority ta use tha’ back-up then?”
”Yes.”
“Well whoopdee [EXPLETIVE] DOO! C.A.B.A.L.!!!”
YES?
“Inform Dr. Fynswelle tha’ I wanta purging strike against Brestem, FULL AGGRESSION! I don’ wanta single survivor when recovery starts.”
RIGHT AWAY
“Tell him I also wanta strike agains’ Excion III. Tell ‘im NOT ta purge tha’ system, jus’ rattle’er bones enough fer our boyz ta set-up shop proper.”
AGAIN, RIGHT AWAY
“Now,” ‘Havoc’ settled down in his chair while a tech replaced his broken console, “Let’s hope we don’ kill more than intended.”
<<<>>>
Location: -Withheld
The attack run, which would go down in the history books as one of the most brutal in the galaxy, started not with a roar of engines or even the soft hum of a generator powering up. No, it started with a whiney man with a sleeping disorder and a persistent A.I.
MOORE, YOU HAVE A HIGH PRIORITY MESSAGE FROM DR. FYNSWELLE.
Scientist-Biologic Randy Moore rolled over onto his back, his blood shot eyes staring at the pulsing veins in the ceiling of his private quarters.
“C.A.B.A.L.?”
YES?
“I was almost asleep.”
YES
“Do you know when the last time I slept was?”
THREE DAYS, FIFTEEN HOURS, FIFTY-SEVEN MINUTES, EIGHTEEN SECONDS AND STILL COUNTING
Moore clapped his hands before pointing at the ceiling, “Yep, so let the techs get it.” He then rolled over on his side.
MOORE
“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?”
THIS IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE. IT REQUIRES YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
The scientist merely sighed before flopping over on his front in a desperate bid for sleep.
MOORE
No response.
MOORE
Still no response.
MOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMOOREMO-
“ALRIGHT! I’M UP! LET’S HEAR THE [EXPLETIVE] MESSAGE!”
VERY WELL
”This is Dr. Fynswelle, authority voice print whatever. Listen, Moore, we’re up to bat. Full system purge has been authorized by Lord Wizengurd, Prime Admiral Parker, as well as two members of the Order of the Emerald Swords, verified by C.A.B.A.L., who by the way, has the coordinates for the system we need to purge. Our intel on the enemy forces in the target system is sketchy at best, so as always err on the side of overwhelming force. I’ll leave the details up to you.
END OF MESSAGE
Moore stood and stretched his tired limbs, “Alright, I’m heading for the Command Node. Alert everyone to what’s happening.”
RIGHT AWAY
<<<>>>
Location: -Withheld
In a system near the outermost edge of the galaxy, in a place no sane faction would lay claim to, a red dwarf burned fiercely as a battle between the explosive energy of the star trying to escape and the gravity holding it together raged in its core. Around it a single massive planet orbited, a rock incapable of supporting any form of life. That is, except for life that had been designed to not just live, but thrive in such conditions. The massive outpouring of radiation from the unstable star fed and nourished the bioships of the Immortal Empire. They moved in swarms, orbiting the barren world. Of these, one eclipsed all others, a Vargr control node. At more than eighty miles across the living creature more resembled an asteroid than a living creature. Space was warped around the creature as it created a massive hyperspatial pulse. The pulse changed in intensity and duration as the control node relayed commands and orders to the spatial bioweapons. The swarms of living ships moved with surprising coordination and precision. More than half grouped up and initiated a hyperspace jump out of the system. The rest formed up around the Vargr control node. Inside the node Moore stretched before getting comfortable in his command throne. “Wake me up if they attack *yawn* attack us.”