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several weeks earlier, Haldus system, Rutharian space.
"Where are we? We are not at the home system yet." Listhim said impatiently
“we have reached the Haldus system, Oracle’s Grave Nebula.” A lieutenant answered
“What? Why aren’t we at the Core? I thought I set the navigational computer to the Core?” Listhim raged at his crew.
“Sir, our navigational computer was hacked, I suspect the High Command did it. I’ve therefore changed the approaching vectors to throw them off our trail” The lieutenant answered
“Right, now they know where we are, the mother fleet will surely follow. We need to sort this war out quickly.” He started pacing about on the bridge, thinking of a solution.
They are in the ancient’s space, which means they are possibly watched.
No matter, he believes in the fleet. The firepower he brings will outgun the ancient fleet easily if reports from the Kel-Azaans’ are to be believed. The Kel-Azaans have lost most of their worlds to the monstrous fleet commanded by Malungord, but even that fleet is no match for the 120 dreadnoughts at his disposal, even if they were highly automated due to lack of crew.
The rogue fleet is composed of admirals, officers and crew that had enough of the procrastination of the Alari Admiralty and High Command. They felt compelled to do something in front of the Rutharian carnage. They called themselves the Hunters of the Sun, a clandestine military group that took in the officers who believed in a ‘galactic unification’ against the extra-galactic threats. They believed in radical and direct actions that will take the ancients out of the equation on the path to galactic domination.
And Admiral Listhim is the most determined member of this group out of all Alari members. He was raised on the legends of the Heroes of the Alari, those who’ve done the impossible, who’ve defied all odds. He wanted to be one as well. He started his academy training at very early age, through excelling the tasks set he met many like-minded individuals, that formed part of the group. The surprise at Aeonflux had been years in the making.
Now he is going to do what is thought to be impossible: To humble an Ancient Empire.
The Alari intelligence on the Rutharians has been scarce before the contact. However thanks to active sensor links with the Azaans the Alari have learnt a great deal about their enemy: their ship weapons are potent but their designs ancient, which still relied on the bomber and strike crafts. Such outdated designs while useful against the Azaans will be no match for the all big guns dreadnought fleet of the modern Alari design. The Gargantua class is armed with bristling arrays of particle defence weapons that would tear the smaller crafts to shreds and is forged with shield and armour able to absorb several direct hits from the biggest Titan laser.
Admiral Listhim is confident in his ships. However, he has reservations about his crew for they are very, very green.
Viceroy Malungord is preparing for a major offensive operation in the Kel-Azaan capital world that would soon bring the Azaan’s to heel. The Kel-Azaans are worthy warriors who fought them to a standstill before, however, worn down by battle of attrition as time went on
Their fleet is no match for the 1st Pelagic expedition of battlecruisers, titans and enforcers.
The android armies of the Rutharians, which are the most numerous in the galaxy and can be endlessly reinforced, have won the day on the 5 Azaan worlds. Once the pockets of resistance are destroyed, they expect Azaans to sign a peace treaty. Their pathetic Righteous League is of no consequence as fleets after fleets were destroyed by his mighty hand. The Alari which was considered the primary threat was unusually inactive, after all, they have only been tested against a much inferior foe, the Jogollwans. There will be bigger enemies to fight, for instance, the mysterious energy beings that showed up and annihilated the Othethis.
She was planning for the conclusion of the war when a distress call was received from the Haldus system, and her instinct told her to investigate.
“Warp to Haldus! The Azak planet can wait.” The Emperor would be mad if any league forces managed a surprising landing on the Rutharian planets
several days later, while charging the 9th Armada's warp drives at Haldus:
“Enemy ships sighted Admiral!” Alarms sounded out
“They wanted a battle; they shall have one!” Listhim shouted, hoping others didn’t notice the nerves in his speech.
"Where are we? We are not at the home system yet." Listhim said impatiently
“we have reached the Haldus system, Oracle’s Grave Nebula.” A lieutenant answered
“What? Why aren’t we at the Core? I thought I set the navigational computer to the Core?” Listhim raged at his crew.
“Sir, our navigational computer was hacked, I suspect the High Command did it. I’ve therefore changed the approaching vectors to throw them off our trail” The lieutenant answered
“Right, now they know where we are, the mother fleet will surely follow. We need to sort this war out quickly.” He started pacing about on the bridge, thinking of a solution.
They are in the ancient’s space, which means they are possibly watched.
No matter, he believes in the fleet. The firepower he brings will outgun the ancient fleet easily if reports from the Kel-Azaans’ are to be believed. The Kel-Azaans have lost most of their worlds to the monstrous fleet commanded by Malungord, but even that fleet is no match for the 120 dreadnoughts at his disposal, even if they were highly automated due to lack of crew.
The rogue fleet is composed of admirals, officers and crew that had enough of the procrastination of the Alari Admiralty and High Command. They felt compelled to do something in front of the Rutharian carnage. They called themselves the Hunters of the Sun, a clandestine military group that took in the officers who believed in a ‘galactic unification’ against the extra-galactic threats. They believed in radical and direct actions that will take the ancients out of the equation on the path to galactic domination.
And Admiral Listhim is the most determined member of this group out of all Alari members. He was raised on the legends of the Heroes of the Alari, those who’ve done the impossible, who’ve defied all odds. He wanted to be one as well. He started his academy training at very early age, through excelling the tasks set he met many like-minded individuals, that formed part of the group. The surprise at Aeonflux had been years in the making.
Now he is going to do what is thought to be impossible: To humble an Ancient Empire.
The Alari intelligence on the Rutharians has been scarce before the contact. However thanks to active sensor links with the Azaans the Alari have learnt a great deal about their enemy: their ship weapons are potent but their designs ancient, which still relied on the bomber and strike crafts. Such outdated designs while useful against the Azaans will be no match for the all big guns dreadnought fleet of the modern Alari design. The Gargantua class is armed with bristling arrays of particle defence weapons that would tear the smaller crafts to shreds and is forged with shield and armour able to absorb several direct hits from the biggest Titan laser.
Admiral Listhim is confident in his ships. However, he has reservations about his crew for they are very, very green.
Viceroy Malungord is preparing for a major offensive operation in the Kel-Azaan capital world that would soon bring the Azaan’s to heel. The Kel-Azaans are worthy warriors who fought them to a standstill before, however, worn down by battle of attrition as time went on
Their fleet is no match for the 1st Pelagic expedition of battlecruisers, titans and enforcers.
The android armies of the Rutharians, which are the most numerous in the galaxy and can be endlessly reinforced, have won the day on the 5 Azaan worlds. Once the pockets of resistance are destroyed, they expect Azaans to sign a peace treaty. Their pathetic Righteous League is of no consequence as fleets after fleets were destroyed by his mighty hand. The Alari which was considered the primary threat was unusually inactive, after all, they have only been tested against a much inferior foe, the Jogollwans. There will be bigger enemies to fight, for instance, the mysterious energy beings that showed up and annihilated the Othethis.
She was planning for the conclusion of the war when a distress call was received from the Haldus system, and her instinct told her to investigate.
“Warp to Haldus! The Azak planet can wait.” The Emperor would be mad if any league forces managed a surprising landing on the Rutharian planets
several days later, while charging the 9th Armada's warp drives at Haldus:
“Enemy ships sighted Admiral!” Alarms sounded out
“They wanted a battle; they shall have one!” Listhim shouted, hoping others didn’t notice the nerves in his speech.
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As the two fleets engaged each other, the Rutharian expeditionary force reacted first, release its thousands of long range torpedo bombers.
They have only capital ships, that is unwise of them, thought Malungord. With carrier-strike craft tactic, she's defeated many foes, simply because she's had the longer reach than most of them. Strikecrafts nullify their shields as they move within their protection range.
The size of enemy vessels was enormous, which is a concern as they were the size of the smaller Titans. However she didn't believe they carried equivalent laser technology, for that is the pride of the Rutharian fleet, and she didn't believe any of the late comer species could master it.
Meanwhile, at ISS Warpath
"tight formation, ready the point defence systems!" Screamed Listhim. He'd rather not be hit by a proton torpedo, that wouldn't feel right. With a tighter formation, they concentrate all their flak cannons at the incoming bomber squadrons, but at the cost of providing a large target. They were about to engage as the enemy flagship lit up and got ready to fire
"Titan laser! shields up at maximum!" He didn't need to scream this time; all hands were bracing for the impact.
The Titan laser came like a stream of an enormous energy beam, vaporising the space debris in the way and making it all the way through the front of the ISS Warpath. It BORE through the frontal layers of armour and shields but was stopped short by the final layer of armour. The self-healing Living metal went to work and started repairing the vessel. However, the damage has been done.
"I need a status report on the compartment damages" Listhim grimaced. He's received reports of crew losses, but he could not let up, not now. The enemy stayed out of the range of the Alari fleet, taunting it. "Full speed ahead!" this remained difficult as the dreadnoughts were comparatively slow. The good news is that enemy doesn't look like it's about to run.
As the last torpedo bomber dropped its payload, the Alari particle cannons opened up, dealing them damage. 1/2 the torpedo bombers would not make it back for a second run. Some dropped their payload too early and did no damage to the Alari vessels, others hit the armour but were unable to penetrate through to the engines of the dreadnought. Overall a disappointing result for the Rutharians.
"Your Highness, the enemy, they have repelled our bombers!" one of the battle thrall commanders informed Malungord. "No matter, we shall deal them blow up close. Seeing that they could not manoeuvre their ships fast enough, we shall cut them to ribbons."
The Rutharian plan:
The Rutharian battle plan, which is a sound one, is to use quick manoeuvres to break up the Alari fleet, then take advantage of the empty spaces between them. This will render their gigacannons useless as they could not risk fire on their colleagues. "Full steam ahead!" The Viceroy commanded. The biggest clash in Gaak history is about to unfold, with 120 capital ships on either side vying for supremacy.
Listhim was aware of the possible implications of the Rutharian getting up close. However, he was determined not to give them a chance. Let them see what the Alarian firepower is like. "Concentrate all your fire on the Titan!" He barked to the few officers on the bridge.
"Readying gigacannons!" his AI assistants repeated the call throughout the Armada. A real test is about to begin.
"130 clicks... 125... 120! Within range Sir!" said his loyal lieutenant.
"All right, they've had their fun; now it's our turn!" Listhim grinned savagely at the screen.
"FIRE!"
As the 840 gigacannons roared, the muzzle flash lit up space around the fleet. Each cannon hurled a massive projectile at the Titan at relativistic speeds, and several hits disabled its shield, opening way for other shots to severely damage it. However thanks to Rutharian repair technology, the damage done was not apparent, and this dampened the atmosphere aboard ISS Warpath somewhat.
"Fire the Titan laser!" Malungord screamed. She knew it was a tough fight but the damage far exceeded her imaginations. Now she needs to take out the enemy flagship, for the rest are apparently AI controlled and would inevitably fall into disarray if the command vessel was gone.
"Shield at 0%, structural damage 0%, armour at 40% and repairing"
A duel of a sort was started. The Rutharian battlecruisers also opened fire at ISS Warpath with tachyon weapons and the remaining bomber fleet put into use. Both Admirals are in the race against time to defeat the other, in a no holds barred battle to the death.
They have only capital ships, that is unwise of them, thought Malungord. With carrier-strike craft tactic, she's defeated many foes, simply because she's had the longer reach than most of them. Strikecrafts nullify their shields as they move within their protection range.
The size of enemy vessels was enormous, which is a concern as they were the size of the smaller Titans. However she didn't believe they carried equivalent laser technology, for that is the pride of the Rutharian fleet, and she didn't believe any of the late comer species could master it.
Meanwhile, at ISS Warpath
"tight formation, ready the point defence systems!" Screamed Listhim. He'd rather not be hit by a proton torpedo, that wouldn't feel right. With a tighter formation, they concentrate all their flak cannons at the incoming bomber squadrons, but at the cost of providing a large target. They were about to engage as the enemy flagship lit up and got ready to fire
"Titan laser! shields up at maximum!" He didn't need to scream this time; all hands were bracing for the impact.
The Titan laser came like a stream of an enormous energy beam, vaporising the space debris in the way and making it all the way through the front of the ISS Warpath. It BORE through the frontal layers of armour and shields but was stopped short by the final layer of armour. The self-healing Living metal went to work and started repairing the vessel. However, the damage has been done.
"I need a status report on the compartment damages" Listhim grimaced. He's received reports of crew losses, but he could not let up, not now. The enemy stayed out of the range of the Alari fleet, taunting it. "Full speed ahead!" this remained difficult as the dreadnoughts were comparatively slow. The good news is that enemy doesn't look like it's about to run.
As the last torpedo bomber dropped its payload, the Alari particle cannons opened up, dealing them damage. 1/2 the torpedo bombers would not make it back for a second run. Some dropped their payload too early and did no damage to the Alari vessels, others hit the armour but were unable to penetrate through to the engines of the dreadnought. Overall a disappointing result for the Rutharians.
"Your Highness, the enemy, they have repelled our bombers!" one of the battle thrall commanders informed Malungord. "No matter, we shall deal them blow up close. Seeing that they could not manoeuvre their ships fast enough, we shall cut them to ribbons."
The Rutharian plan:
The Rutharian battle plan, which is a sound one, is to use quick manoeuvres to break up the Alari fleet, then take advantage of the empty spaces between them. This will render their gigacannons useless as they could not risk fire on their colleagues. "Full steam ahead!" The Viceroy commanded. The biggest clash in Gaak history is about to unfold, with 120 capital ships on either side vying for supremacy.
Listhim was aware of the possible implications of the Rutharian getting up close. However, he was determined not to give them a chance. Let them see what the Alarian firepower is like. "Concentrate all your fire on the Titan!" He barked to the few officers on the bridge.
"Readying gigacannons!" his AI assistants repeated the call throughout the Armada. A real test is about to begin.
"130 clicks... 125... 120! Within range Sir!" said his loyal lieutenant.
"All right, they've had their fun; now it's our turn!" Listhim grinned savagely at the screen.
"FIRE!"
As the 840 gigacannons roared, the muzzle flash lit up space around the fleet. Each cannon hurled a massive projectile at the Titan at relativistic speeds, and several hits disabled its shield, opening way for other shots to severely damage it. However thanks to Rutharian repair technology, the damage done was not apparent, and this dampened the atmosphere aboard ISS Warpath somewhat.
"Fire the Titan laser!" Malungord screamed. She knew it was a tough fight but the damage far exceeded her imaginations. Now she needs to take out the enemy flagship, for the rest are apparently AI controlled and would inevitably fall into disarray if the command vessel was gone.
"Shield at 0%, structural damage 0%, armour at 40% and repairing"
A duel of a sort was started. The Rutharian battlecruisers also opened fire at ISS Warpath with tachyon weapons and the remaining bomber fleet put into use. Both Admirals are in the race against time to defeat the other, in a no holds barred battle to the death.
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The tide of battle seem to turn against the Rutharian Reconquerors:
"Fire at will!" commanded Listhim. He noticed that it is useless to concentrate fire on the Titan as it absorbed most of the firepower and could repair itself at a fast rate. However the rest of Malungord's fleet proved not as durable. Many battlecruisers fell to his concentrated gigacannon fire. The momentum is his, as long as the flagship draws the Titan laser fires.
"Sir, the outer hull is damaged! suggest evacuation of the Warpath!"
"We have structural reserves, send more power to self-repair machineries" He answered.
Malungord can see the battle is not going her way, however she still have more tactic to try.
"Direct power to the Titan laser, turbo charge it!"
"My lady, but the shields would be unable to regenerate when we do that!" the engineer thrall answered.
"Do it, we need that flagship out of the way and fast!"
"Yes my lady." Loyal to a fault, the thrall would not disobey her.
"What is that Titan doing?" As he wondered, the communicator came online.
"Captain Ketrill, status report!"
"All ships suffered superficial damage sir, but they've made a dent in your flagship. I suggest you evacuate immediately sir!"
"negative captain, the AI matrix is stored here."
"It can be transfered, Sir, if you would just leave and move command vessel to ISS Ghost..."
"I've made up my mind, take the matrix and I would cover you guys from the Titan laser, you'll take over command if the ISS Warpath is destroyed!"
"..."
"They are losing and losing badly, be prepared for anything, Listhim out!"
"Charging Titan laser: 33%"
"Fleet status report!"
"we have suffered heavy damage, and still could not get close to the Alari fleet. We have lost contact with squadron 9, 13, 15, 17!"
"We need that laser charged up."
"Your Highness, if we have no shield we will be sitting ducks to the Alari barrage!"
"And we need reinforcements if we are to win here, the 2nd Pelagic Expedition is in the Bera system, should we call for reinforcements?"
"Already did. No it would be too late, the battle ends here today"
"Fire at will!" commanded Listhim. He noticed that it is useless to concentrate fire on the Titan as it absorbed most of the firepower and could repair itself at a fast rate. However the rest of Malungord's fleet proved not as durable. Many battlecruisers fell to his concentrated gigacannon fire. The momentum is his, as long as the flagship draws the Titan laser fires.
"Sir, the outer hull is damaged! suggest evacuation of the Warpath!"
"We have structural reserves, send more power to self-repair machineries" He answered.
Malungord can see the battle is not going her way, however she still have more tactic to try.
"Direct power to the Titan laser, turbo charge it!"
"My lady, but the shields would be unable to regenerate when we do that!" the engineer thrall answered.
"Do it, we need that flagship out of the way and fast!"
"Yes my lady." Loyal to a fault, the thrall would not disobey her.
"What is that Titan doing?" As he wondered, the communicator came online.
"Captain Ketrill, status report!"
"All ships suffered superficial damage sir, but they've made a dent in your flagship. I suggest you evacuate immediately sir!"
"negative captain, the AI matrix is stored here."
"It can be transfered, Sir, if you would just leave and move command vessel to ISS Ghost..."
"I've made up my mind, take the matrix and I would cover you guys from the Titan laser, you'll take over command if the ISS Warpath is destroyed!"
"..."
"They are losing and losing badly, be prepared for anything, Listhim out!"
"Charging Titan laser: 33%"
"Fleet status report!"
"we have suffered heavy damage, and still could not get close to the Alari fleet. We have lost contact with squadron 9, 13, 15, 17!"
"We need that laser charged up."
"Your Highness, if we have no shield we will be sitting ducks to the Alari barrage!"
"And we need reinforcements if we are to win here, the 2nd Pelagic Expedition is in the Bera system, should we call for reinforcements?"
"Already did. No it would be too late, the battle ends here today"
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Omnious. Seems like the Alari are slowly getting the upper hand. But that Titan..
The battle rages on as the Rutharians desperately tries to provide cover for the Titan, forming a sphere around their weapons of mass destruction allowing it to recharge. They paid a heavy price as the enforcers and battlecruisers fell to Alari fire one by one. The victory looks like within Admiral Listhim's grasp. He was energised by the battle and continued to issue his commands, while the ISS Warpath repaired itself. It has suffered severe damage but was believed to be contained.
As Listhim considered his next move, he noticed that his companions engaged sub-light drives and moved in front of him, blocking the Rutharian fire.
"What is the meaning of this? you are moving out of formation! over“
The captains of the fleet did not answer. They too, are determined not to lose their admiral in today's battle.
"Sorry my communicator is down, Admiral" The screen flashed on and off, several faces appeared then disappeared.
"Could not receive that last command"'
"Please repeat, over"...
"Captain Ketrill! Haghonon, Kashnak..."
While I appreciate the gesture, now I can't deal a death blow to the enemy Titan. He could not edge forward however, the way was blocked by several other dreadnoughts.
"Your Highness, the enemy has moved on to cover their flagship!" the battle thrall exclaimed.
"They are not wasting any time. The laser, fire when ready!"
"My Lady, our shields would be temporarily offline after this, we should..."
"Just do it! Move non-essential personnels onto escape pods."
For the first time in Rutharian history, Viceroy Malungord contemplated the loss of a Titan, and what that would mean. All the battle thralls would lose their strength and belief in the Rutharian Reconquerors; the domino effect is inescapable. Her weapons staff aimed the laser at their target, the ISS Warpath.
"Readying Titan laser... 80%..90%..95% Fire!!"
A gigantic energy beam emerged from the Titan, much more powerful than even the Ether Drake's plasma breath. The laser had penetrated the shields and chassis of no less than 5 Alari vessels and made enormous gaping wounds in them. The gigacannons on those vessels stopped firing as the laser caused system-wide damage. Had the flagship been where it was it would have been cut in half, instead, it was protected by a phalanx of other dreadnoughts, that was mission killed in its stead.
"Damage report!"
"ISS Wraith: total damage, ISS Ghost incapacitated, ISS Specter heavily damaged and I can't raise the other two vessels at all!"
He paused for a second. Several thousand crews. Those went in with him in the academies, the fresh faces at the ceremonies that he remembers as if yesterday. Gone. The AI controlled ships would not do this for him. It was the Alari, Lavi and other species at the academy.
"What is the status of the enemy?" Now that he's looking for revenge. Only the combat AI reported back to him, as several screens stayed eerily silent.
"Captain Ketrill? Ketrill?" she's gone too.
The bridge could afford to hold a minute of silence as it took a while for the gigacannons to reload.
"I. Want. That. Titan. Obliterated." He gritted his teeth.
On the other side of the battle, Malungord fingered an amulet about her clawed hand. She didn't think she would need to activate the transwarp escape system reserved for the most senior Rutharian military officers, but the day looks lost, and the empire needs her to command the 2nd Pelagic Excursion to fight another day. The Alari fleet is closing in menacingly, divided into squadrons and abandoning their phalanx formation. Hunting her vessels. The good news is a small contingent seem to have stopped, damaged beyond repair by the Titan laser. Her own fleet was much worse for wear, the destroyers (enforcers) were eliminated, several battlecruisers remain and are firing reflexively, the Titan now shieldless and damaged with multiple compartment damages. It was time to go. But not before he sent the crew onto escape pods.
"Fire the gigacannons!" Listhim gave a final command.
Hundreds of gigacannons had started a non-stop barrage that caught the Rutharian remnants in a hailstorm of fire. The Titan sustained the most of the fire, and explosions broke out for the first time as the sheer volume of fire overwhelmed its regenerative systems. The Titan laser flared up then dimmed down, as the terrifying weapon was silenced.
The various remaining Rutharian vessels started their emergency warp out of Haldus. Listhim's gambit as it would be called, was won.
As Listhim considered his next move, he noticed that his companions engaged sub-light drives and moved in front of him, blocking the Rutharian fire.
"What is the meaning of this? you are moving out of formation! over“
The captains of the fleet did not answer. They too, are determined not to lose their admiral in today's battle.
"Sorry my communicator is down, Admiral" The screen flashed on and off, several faces appeared then disappeared.
"Could not receive that last command"'
"Please repeat, over"...
"Captain Ketrill! Haghonon, Kashnak..."
While I appreciate the gesture, now I can't deal a death blow to the enemy Titan. He could not edge forward however, the way was blocked by several other dreadnoughts.
"Your Highness, the enemy has moved on to cover their flagship!" the battle thrall exclaimed.
"They are not wasting any time. The laser, fire when ready!"
"My Lady, our shields would be temporarily offline after this, we should..."
"Just do it! Move non-essential personnels onto escape pods."
For the first time in Rutharian history, Viceroy Malungord contemplated the loss of a Titan, and what that would mean. All the battle thralls would lose their strength and belief in the Rutharian Reconquerors; the domino effect is inescapable. Her weapons staff aimed the laser at their target, the ISS Warpath.
"Readying Titan laser... 80%..90%..95% Fire!!"
A gigantic energy beam emerged from the Titan, much more powerful than even the Ether Drake's plasma breath. The laser had penetrated the shields and chassis of no less than 5 Alari vessels and made enormous gaping wounds in them. The gigacannons on those vessels stopped firing as the laser caused system-wide damage. Had the flagship been where it was it would have been cut in half, instead, it was protected by a phalanx of other dreadnoughts, that was mission killed in its stead.
"Damage report!"
"ISS Wraith: total damage, ISS Ghost incapacitated, ISS Specter heavily damaged and I can't raise the other two vessels at all!"
He paused for a second. Several thousand crews. Those went in with him in the academies, the fresh faces at the ceremonies that he remembers as if yesterday. Gone. The AI controlled ships would not do this for him. It was the Alari, Lavi and other species at the academy.
"What is the status of the enemy?" Now that he's looking for revenge. Only the combat AI reported back to him, as several screens stayed eerily silent.
"Captain Ketrill? Ketrill?" she's gone too.
The bridge could afford to hold a minute of silence as it took a while for the gigacannons to reload.
"I. Want. That. Titan. Obliterated." He gritted his teeth.
On the other side of the battle, Malungord fingered an amulet about her clawed hand. She didn't think she would need to activate the transwarp escape system reserved for the most senior Rutharian military officers, but the day looks lost, and the empire needs her to command the 2nd Pelagic Excursion to fight another day. The Alari fleet is closing in menacingly, divided into squadrons and abandoning their phalanx formation. Hunting her vessels. The good news is a small contingent seem to have stopped, damaged beyond repair by the Titan laser. Her own fleet was much worse for wear, the destroyers (enforcers) were eliminated, several battlecruisers remain and are firing reflexively, the Titan now shieldless and damaged with multiple compartment damages. It was time to go. But not before he sent the crew onto escape pods.
"Fire the gigacannons!" Listhim gave a final command.
Hundreds of gigacannons had started a non-stop barrage that caught the Rutharian remnants in a hailstorm of fire. The Titan sustained the most of the fire, and explosions broke out for the first time as the sheer volume of fire overwhelmed its regenerative systems. The Titan laser flared up then dimmed down, as the terrifying weapon was silenced.
The various remaining Rutharian vessels started their emergency warp out of Haldus. Listhim's gambit as it would be called, was won.
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Intermezzo:
Alvaria, Capital Planet, Presidium2
Admiral Karba has just left a hearing from the Alari High Command about his involvement in the Listhim's rebellion, as they've called the event on Aeonflux. The aftermath was significant and he was glad that he was cleared of any wrongdoing. He was about to go back to work when his communicator flashed, "urgent call, don't catch transport, walk to residence 2Z5" on it. This would be a prankster except it had the handwriting of an old friend, Admiral Falatir.
"Alright what are you up to this time?" He thought to himself. Is this some game?
Nevertheless, he met her, at the destination she specified
"Why the secrecy? " he was curious more than annoyed.
"Shhh, you must make sure you are not followed. " She gestured to the outside. There were guards posted throughout. "These are my guards."
"I think you've noticed that our country became a lot more authoritarian lately, " She said.
"Yes, with the advance of technology the damage one can do is multiplied, hence the need for a police state, " he answered. "However why are we here?"
"There is a conspiracy within the military to replace the republic with a monarchy." She said animatedly.
"You mean the Imperial faction? come on; no one would take them seriously."
"But they already have, see how we are not as keen about rescuing our neighbours as we used to? With the star forge, someone in the higher up had changed."She said, continuing without pause. "It's almost as if they want some calamity to happen to the other members of the league, and then take over"
"President Linntyl is definitely a member of the Imperialist faction, even though she glosses over it"
Karba thought about this for a second.
"Yes, you can see their logic. The Alari Navy is at its strongest; we could field millions of warships if we wanted to, all we need is personnel, and with AI citizens that would not be a problem."
"We don't need the other civilisations."
"Yes, now you sound worryingly like one of them. " She was concerned.
"I am just following their logic; I can see how it's appealing to some people"
"Without neighbours, how are we ever to see our mistakes? if the galaxy had been just the Alari, what hope would it have?" She was getting to a point.
"Remember the Yuhtians. They thought they had the galaxy forever; then they were defeated, ashes spread through the wind. "
He knew that she was a Yuht fanatic, as she mentioned many times about her love of Yuht poetry and literature.
"Still, the faction that's xenophobic only has marginal support..."
"Not the xenophobes, the Imperialists. For the moment they are the bigger threat"
"The danger is that the high command seemed to agree. See we didn't bail out the Kel-Azaans? Even though we egged them on to fight the ancients. If it weren't Listhim their entire nation would be destroyed." She went on
"...And then the Alari rides in and saves the day, and maybe take the Peya system as a reward?" He was quick to catch on.
"Not before we left them to stew a bit." Heh, he liked his own wit.
"Exactly. The high command wanted some galactic conflagration to happen, so we are the only safe haven that all people would turn to. "
"you are not suggesting the Othethis..."
"The Othethis... yes... who liked them anyway? they are as xenophobic as our Imperial faction..." She produced a datapad, pausing him mid sentence.
"Here is the report about subspace echoes, three months before the invaders came through the dimensional portal in the Husko's home system."
"Karb, the high command knew about this and did nothing to warn them!"
He was shocked. Sure, no one liked the Othethis, but there were billions of them. Now nearly wiped out.
"And now, I think we've finally met our match: See the report from the outer rim systems? They are coming to Alari homeworlds, but this time a different enemy, one that relies on massive numbers, and is likely organic."
"Surely not the dragon host?" Karba still had his moments about the Ether Drake.
"Don't know, and the point is the command is keeping us in the dark, we can no longer trust it."
"What do you suggest we do about this?" Karba asked, he was starting to understand the gravity of the situation.
"Well we can expose them, but we need backers. To play the political game. We should stop sitting on the sidelines. Have you checked out the Order of the Burning Star? You know how that militarist faction is always trying to get you to join?" Falatir said.
"Those guys... I am sure you can join as well, what, you think they can help?" Karba was skeptical
"Karb, those are militarists, but they uphold the Veltessa Constitution. They won't stand for the republic to become a tyranny. "
"... and besides, the enemy of your enemy is your friend" She winked.
"Direct action. You start to sound like that Listhim kid."
"That's the other thing I want to talk about. You need to petition the admiralty to send Bemalon and yourself after him"
"....ok" he was surprised at this.
"but why is this? he played the game; he should get punished for it." Karba was genuinely puzzled.
"Because he is your son."
He was stunned. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"They are after the splinter group he heads, this Hunter of the Sun organisation? They'll likely get him and try him as a terrorist, using extreme measures. They'll also want to get rid of those young admirals whom still believed in the constitution. "
"You can't let that happen."
Now that he's over the shock, when, how, why? Theoretically, he understood that 30 years ago technology existed to transfer an embryo from one female to another but....
Before he realised it he was getting angry, but he suppressed his anger. For the capacity booster helped him to make the most rational decisions and overrode his limbic system.
"I think we need to talk, Fal" He said seriously. First, the son, then, his future.
Alvaria, Capital Planet, Presidium2
Admiral Karba has just left a hearing from the Alari High Command about his involvement in the Listhim's rebellion, as they've called the event on Aeonflux. The aftermath was significant and he was glad that he was cleared of any wrongdoing. He was about to go back to work when his communicator flashed, "urgent call, don't catch transport, walk to residence 2Z5" on it. This would be a prankster except it had the handwriting of an old friend, Admiral Falatir.
"Alright what are you up to this time?" He thought to himself. Is this some game?
Nevertheless, he met her, at the destination she specified
"Why the secrecy? " he was curious more than annoyed.
"Shhh, you must make sure you are not followed. " She gestured to the outside. There were guards posted throughout. "These are my guards."
"I think you've noticed that our country became a lot more authoritarian lately, " She said.
"Yes, with the advance of technology the damage one can do is multiplied, hence the need for a police state, " he answered. "However why are we here?"
"There is a conspiracy within the military to replace the republic with a monarchy." She said animatedly.
"You mean the Imperial faction? come on; no one would take them seriously."
"But they already have, see how we are not as keen about rescuing our neighbours as we used to? With the star forge, someone in the higher up had changed."She said, continuing without pause. "It's almost as if they want some calamity to happen to the other members of the league, and then take over"
"President Linntyl is definitely a member of the Imperialist faction, even though she glosses over it"
Karba thought about this for a second.
"Yes, you can see their logic. The Alari Navy is at its strongest; we could field millions of warships if we wanted to, all we need is personnel, and with AI citizens that would not be a problem."
"We don't need the other civilisations."
"Yes, now you sound worryingly like one of them. " She was concerned.
"I am just following their logic; I can see how it's appealing to some people"
"Without neighbours, how are we ever to see our mistakes? if the galaxy had been just the Alari, what hope would it have?" She was getting to a point.
"Remember the Yuhtians. They thought they had the galaxy forever; then they were defeated, ashes spread through the wind. "
He knew that she was a Yuht fanatic, as she mentioned many times about her love of Yuht poetry and literature.
"Still, the faction that's xenophobic only has marginal support..."
"Not the xenophobes, the Imperialists. For the moment they are the bigger threat"
"The danger is that the high command seemed to agree. See we didn't bail out the Kel-Azaans? Even though we egged them on to fight the ancients. If it weren't Listhim their entire nation would be destroyed." She went on
"...And then the Alari rides in and saves the day, and maybe take the Peya system as a reward?" He was quick to catch on.
"Not before we left them to stew a bit." Heh, he liked his own wit.
"Exactly. The high command wanted some galactic conflagration to happen, so we are the only safe haven that all people would turn to. "
"you are not suggesting the Othethis..."
"The Othethis... yes... who liked them anyway? they are as xenophobic as our Imperial faction..." She produced a datapad, pausing him mid sentence.
"Here is the report about subspace echoes, three months before the invaders came through the dimensional portal in the Husko's home system."
"Karb, the high command knew about this and did nothing to warn them!"
He was shocked. Sure, no one liked the Othethis, but there were billions of them. Now nearly wiped out.
"And now, I think we've finally met our match: See the report from the outer rim systems? They are coming to Alari homeworlds, but this time a different enemy, one that relies on massive numbers, and is likely organic."
"Surely not the dragon host?" Karba still had his moments about the Ether Drake.
"Don't know, and the point is the command is keeping us in the dark, we can no longer trust it."
"What do you suggest we do about this?" Karba asked, he was starting to understand the gravity of the situation.
"Well we can expose them, but we need backers. To play the political game. We should stop sitting on the sidelines. Have you checked out the Order of the Burning Star? You know how that militarist faction is always trying to get you to join?" Falatir said.
"Those guys... I am sure you can join as well, what, you think they can help?" Karba was skeptical
"Karb, those are militarists, but they uphold the Veltessa Constitution. They won't stand for the republic to become a tyranny. "
"... and besides, the enemy of your enemy is your friend" She winked.
"Direct action. You start to sound like that Listhim kid."
"That's the other thing I want to talk about. You need to petition the admiralty to send Bemalon and yourself after him"
"....ok" he was surprised at this.
"but why is this? he played the game; he should get punished for it." Karba was genuinely puzzled.
"Because he is your son."
He was stunned. Waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"They are after the splinter group he heads, this Hunter of the Sun organisation? They'll likely get him and try him as a terrorist, using extreme measures. They'll also want to get rid of those young admirals whom still believed in the constitution. "
"You can't let that happen."
Now that he's over the shock, when, how, why? Theoretically, he understood that 30 years ago technology existed to transfer an embryo from one female to another but....
Before he realised it he was getting angry, but he suppressed his anger. For the capacity booster helped him to make the most rational decisions and overrode his limbic system.
"I think we need to talk, Fal" He said seriously. First, the son, then, his future.
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Chapter 7: The enemy within
The state of politics in the Alari assembly. 40% support for an Imperialistic faction, and rising. The Alari must be at a crossroads, should they elect their own Imperator/ Imperatrix? Uniting the galaxy under a single throne must be appealing to some 42 billion people
The state of politics in the Alari assembly. 40% support for an Imperialistic faction, and rising. The Alari must be at a crossroads, should they elect their own Imperator/ Imperatrix? Uniting the galaxy under a single throne must be appealing to some 42 billion people
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After taking over the command of the 2nd Pelagic Excursion, Viceroy Malungord was implacable as ever, she believed in the ability of the Rutharian fleet to win through despite the odds stacked against her. She would use the Oracle's Grave Nebula to her advantage, setting a trap for the inexperienced Admiral Listhim, as she had heard from the intercepted Alari communications. A rogue admiral, operating without support or logistics from the home base, could not possibly last. He led the young Admiral on a merry chase amongst the difficult to navigate lanes of hyperspace in the Nebula, distracting the enemy from the home world of Core.
Admiral Listhim remained patient in hunting down his prey and eventually met Malungord on the field of battle in the Lehmsa system. He has scuttled the damaged battleships and moved on to a new command vessel, the ISS Destroyer. A fitting name, he thought.
However, there was a slight interruption before he could unload fury unto the 2nd Pelagic Excursion.
The warp engine cooled as the fleet made a beeline towards the 2nd Pelagic Excursion, with gigacannon loaded and ready to fire. At this point in time an officer alerted him to a disturbing development.
"Admiral, you better take a look at this."
Warp signals, a lot of them. Alari in origin, looks like the Admiralty finally caught up with him
Who was tasked to apprehend him? He thought. Karba? Bemalon? Haghanon? Rhass? Cyan Shoot? He ran through a list of names in his head. Trying to focus on the enemy, he gave an order. "Ignore the signals, all speed ahead towards the 2nd Pelagic Excursion! I will end this war once and for all!"
"Aye Admiral" The lieutenant saluted. It would be great if we could destroy the Rutharians before our own kind kills us, he thought wryly. The crew was notified of this development and stoicly accepted their fate.
"We are being hailed, the emerging Alari fleet identify itself as the 5th Armada!" They are equivalent in power to us, he thought. But the Admiralty surely would not just send one fleet, and they are likely to be crewed by an experienced crew, not AI
Admiral Listhim remained patient in hunting down his prey and eventually met Malungord on the field of battle in the Lehmsa system. He has scuttled the damaged battleships and moved on to a new command vessel, the ISS Destroyer. A fitting name, he thought.
However, there was a slight interruption before he could unload fury unto the 2nd Pelagic Excursion.
The warp engine cooled as the fleet made a beeline towards the 2nd Pelagic Excursion, with gigacannon loaded and ready to fire. At this point in time an officer alerted him to a disturbing development.
"Admiral, you better take a look at this."
Warp signals, a lot of them. Alari in origin, looks like the Admiralty finally caught up with him
Who was tasked to apprehend him? He thought. Karba? Bemalon? Haghanon? Rhass? Cyan Shoot? He ran through a list of names in his head. Trying to focus on the enemy, he gave an order. "Ignore the signals, all speed ahead towards the 2nd Pelagic Excursion! I will end this war once and for all!"
"Aye Admiral" The lieutenant saluted. It would be great if we could destroy the Rutharians before our own kind kills us, he thought wryly. The crew was notified of this development and stoicly accepted their fate.
"We are being hailed, the emerging Alari fleet identify itself as the 5th Armada!" They are equivalent in power to us, he thought. But the Admiralty surely would not just send one fleet, and they are likely to be crewed by an experienced crew, not AI
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"Ignore the hail"
"But Sir..."
"I will answer to a court hearing later, now, get that Rutharian. Monitor the 5th armada for hostile manoeuvres."
"Yes Sir."
The 5th Armada repeated the call a few times, but did not appear overtly aggressive, that is, it didn't train its gigacannons on the 9th. They followed the 9th towards the 2nd Pelagic. The crew of ISS Destroyer was perplexed at this turn of events, however more was to come.
What is that Admiral upto, he wondered. As he contemplated his next move, things quickly escalated.
"Incoming hyperspace warp! Additional Alari signatures detected!" The lieutenant is now alarmed. His tone sounded more urgent.
"at least two separate fleets Sir!"
"When it rains, it pours, who is it this time?" Listhim is beyond surprised now, but since he's very stubborn he continued the course. To defeat the Ancients.
Meanwhile, on the Rutharian front:
"Your Highness, we should begin immediate emergency jump out of the system!" one of the battle thralls panicked.
"Several Alari fleet warp signatures detected, ship count in excess of 1000, all dreadnoughts!"
"No, we shall stay. As you can see, they are not our enemies, but the enemies of Listhim" Malungord calmly answered. "Tea?"
"But Sir..."
"I will answer to a court hearing later, now, get that Rutharian. Monitor the 5th armada for hostile manoeuvres."
"Yes Sir."
The 5th Armada repeated the call a few times, but did not appear overtly aggressive, that is, it didn't train its gigacannons on the 9th. They followed the 9th towards the 2nd Pelagic. The crew of ISS Destroyer was perplexed at this turn of events, however more was to come.
What is that Admiral upto, he wondered. As he contemplated his next move, things quickly escalated.
"Incoming hyperspace warp! Additional Alari signatures detected!" The lieutenant is now alarmed. His tone sounded more urgent.
"at least two separate fleets Sir!"
"When it rains, it pours, who is it this time?" Listhim is beyond surprised now, but since he's very stubborn he continued the course. To defeat the Ancients.
Meanwhile, on the Rutharian front:
"Your Highness, we should begin immediate emergency jump out of the system!" one of the battle thralls panicked.
"Several Alari fleet warp signatures detected, ship count in excess of 1000, all dreadnoughts!"
"No, we shall stay. As you can see, they are not our enemies, but the enemies of Listhim" Malungord calmly answered. "Tea?"
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