A Never Ending Struggle - A Human Stellaris AAR

[Macavity116]

I'm all caught up, subbed, and ready for whatever comes next. Glad I found this story.

Personally, I'm worried for the people of Horizon. I've never heard a story involving Humans and Xeno Reptilians that ends with everyone involved being happy.

 

[Specialist290]

Hope all goes well with your studies

I have to say that, while I don't fully sympathize with Suharto's views and methods, I do have to admire his willingness to stand by his convictions. He is proving to be a bit more of a nuanced figure than he seemed at first blush.

 

[Jorrhast]

Or maybe he's just spewing bullshit. Don't forget, politicians don't have to believe in what they tell, being a good orator is enough.

 

[stnylan]

Suharto's problem is one common to most dictators, I feel. He simply cannot abide news he does not want to hear.

 

[crisrko]

I'm all caught up, subbed, and ready for whatever comes next. Glad I found this story.

Personally, I'm worried for the people of Horizon. I've never heard a story involving Humans and Xeno Reptilians that ends with everyone involved being happy.

Glad you're on board.

Hope all goes well with your studies

I have to say that, while I don't fully sympathize with Suharto's views and methods, I do have to admire his willingness to stand by his convictions. He is proving to be a bit more of a nuanced figure than he seemed at first blush.

He is quite stubborn in his ways.

Or maybe he's just spewing bullshit. Don't forget, politicians don't have to believe in what they tell, being a good orator is enough.

True.

Suharto's problem is one common to most dictators, I feel. He simply cannot abide news he does not want to hear.

I'd say he hit back, honestly.

 

[Packers05]

Hmm, so Suharto's and elitist. Interesting.

 

[crisrko]

Procyon System

“Do you really think this will work, Stanfield?”

“I think they’ll never expect such a tactic, and that’s exactly why it will be effective. We will retreat back in Procyon when the time is right.”

It’s been several months from the battle of Suulan. Much happened within the Confederation, events revolving around the conflict between the Remnant and the human worlds. While the force under Warlord Teryani Grezeiros consolidated its foothold in the outer territories of the Confederation, the United Nations poured immense resources in the fortification of Procyon and the reinforcement of the Navy.

It’s size now stood at sixty Sutten Mk.3 Corvettes and twenty Kingston-Class Destroyers, twice the size of the old combined might of the Tercio and Lancer Fleets, adapted to counter Mirati weaponry and defences. Needless to say, this was one of the greatest investments made by the Confederation, one that required the sacking of the mineral rich cities of the Nashrivanni Empire alongside many other sacrifices in infrastructure and industry.

What will now follow is the fated clash between the Confederation and the Mirati. With a taste of what space combat truly feels like, the forces under Admiral Aderawa will not be as easily picked off as in the last battle. The gap in technology is still evident, Mirati shield and laser technology far superior to that of the Confederation, but the use of kinetic batteries and antimatter missiles will perhaps bridge that gap.

“I will transmit this to all of our forces then.” Aderawa nodded before turning to one of his communications officers. “Open a connection to all of our vessels.”

Within moments, the holoprojection of Admiral Aderawa appeared on the decks of every human vessel within the Procyon System.

“Attention all forces. Prepare your hyperdrives, we will be jumping into the Usowake System.”

​

These news shocked the majority of the crews serving within the Confederation Navy. A change of plans this late in the game was not easy to take in, especially with everyone knowing that the Confederation will have to gamble on the defence of Procyon. So then, what could High Command be thinking?

“Upon jumping into the nearby system, we will immediately open fire on the star outpost and any other Mirati ship guarding it. We will force their ships into an engagement. This is all for now.”

Aderawa terminated the communication, before turning towards Captain Stanfield.

“We’re taking a gamble here, Lyonel. If this goes wrong and we lose the majority of our forces, we will have to retreat to Procyon and pray to whatever Gods we follow that we win the battle.”

“Which is precisely why we must gamble here and now, before all of their forces converge. We saw their military superiority in Suulan. An Empire that advanced cannot only possess forty ships.”

“Still, defending Procyon might give us a better chance.”

Lyonel shook his head. “We’re inviting them to regroup and prepare. If they did not attack until now, that means they could not commit their forces. Either their invasion force was divided, and we fought but Grezeiros’s token navy, either they are occupied on other fronts.”

Aderawa held his hand up, shrugging his shoulders. “Or both.”

Lyonel shook his head. “Nevertheless, when we escaped, I’m sure we’ve hurt their egos. If Grezeiros is to be used as a landmark, their race is extremely prideful. Young beings like us escaping from slaughter is an insult they won’t take lightly.”

“You seem to have deduced alot from your interactions with the Warlord.”

“Not much. I’ve noticed a few things from our first contact. The way she behaved, the way she presented herself. Her position was confirmed, but I don’t think that position alone is the reason for her pride. She might be a far better warrior than we know, or she might be a noble.”

Aderawa rested his chin onto the back of his hand while standing. Lyonel continued his analysis.

“When she contacted me via holo, I could see the sword at her waistline. Reports from Sai’yon indicated that their ground forces did not possess blunt weapons, only firearms, so it must symbolize something.”

“And?”

“And finally, they’ve been taking their time. Instead of pushing through for a decisive victory, they chose to strengthen their hold on our outer territories.”

“Surely you don’t believe they’re wary of us?” Aderawa displayed a self-mocking smile.

“I don’t know. Grezeiros was looking at me like prey for the entire duration of first-contact, though when we escaped she looked incredibly frustrated. I think she’s slightly grown to respect us.”

“I’m not sure if I should be happy about that.”

“Doesn’t matter. I doubt the rest of her forces respect us. They had no issue taking control of our systems, and almost annihilated half of our fleet in Suulan. They will be overconfident the next time we meet. The only thing I do not understand is why, in spite of everything, they’ve not pressed on their advantage when we retreated.”

“You did damage their flagship, perhaps it played an effect on their morale?”

“They’ve lost one shit, while we lost fourteen. I don’t think morale had anything to do with it. I think they don’t have the forces for a total conquest of the Confederation. No, I think that Warlord Grezeiros does not believe her forces sufficient.”

“If she did not request reinforcements, that simply means that the Remnant is occupied with other wars. Wars bigger than us.”

“Terrifying, isn’t it?” Lyonel sighed while walking to the end of the deck. As he faced towards the reinforced glass, he said. “We might be the latest participants to this race.”

“You’re starting to sound like some old admiral, Captain. It fits you too, you know.”

Aderawa smirked, crossing his arms. Stanfield chuckled softly.

“Well then, I’ll return to my ship.” Stanfield nodded lightly before saluting Admiral Aderawa.

“Very well.” Aderawa turned towards one of his engineers. “Prepare the hyperdrive. We’ll be jumping within the hour.”



UNSS Scimitar

Captain Lyonel Stanfield returned from the Admiral’s new flagship. Upon his return, Lieutenant Davis was waiting for him in the hangar bay.

“Davis.” Stanfield greeted him while walking towards the exit and the Captain’s deck.

Davis immediately followed him, annoyance visible on his face. “Really? We’re going to be gunning for Usowake? It’s a damn death wish, Captain.”

“It’s a decent strategy, Lieutenant.”

“How do we know we won’t be ripped to shreds again?!” Davis stopped in his tracks, holding his arms out. “We’ve lost half of our fleet the last time, what’s going to be different now?!”

Stanfield stopped too, heaving a sigh. He turned around, walking towards Lieutenant Davis. Softly, he placed his hand on his shoulder before speaking.

“I understand you’re afraid, Lieutenant, but you’ll need to steel yourself.”

“Steel myself?!” Davis cried out. “Against that? How am I supposed to steel myself?!”

Stanfield shook his head. “We’re jumping within an hour. Go cool off your head.” And he softly tapped Davis’s cheek before pointing into the other direction. “Go on.”

Davis clenched his fists and turned around swiftly, pacing towards the other side of the ship in, frustrated and scared.

A few moments later, Captain Stanfield arrived on the Captain’s Deck. Inspecting the faces of his crew, he sat down on his chair atop of the platform, crossing his legs. Tapping a few buttons on the side of his chair, he pulled up a holographic projection of the Usowake System; more specifically, a map of the system.

“Engineer, prep the hyperdrive. We’re jumping on the Admiral’s order.” Stanfield dragged his finger across the projection. “Comms Officer, notify the marine detachment to gear up and prepare explosives. They’re going to be deploying into the space station after the battle.”

The two responded in unison. “Yes, sir.”

​

Half an hour later;

“All ships, engage hyperdrives. Target, Usowake.”

Power surged around the Confederation forces, rippling through the space surrounding them. One by one, ships disappeared into nothingness, marking their jump into the neighboring system. As reality distorted and space turned blue, the crews of the Confederation Navy braced themselves for the first battle with the Mirati Remnant since the catastrophic defeat in Suulan.

It did not take them long to arrive in Usowake. As ships disengaged their hyperdrives one by one, they were surprised to discover the area to be remarkably empty. As they advanced towards the Usowake station, a small Mirati force appeared before them, under the banner of one of Warlord Grezeiros’s subordinates.

“Send a message to the Warlord, the human forces have jumped into Usowake. Their forces number around eighty.”

“Immediately, Milord.”

As the Lord crossed his arms, a smirk curled around his lips. “Shall we begin?”

 

[stnylan]

Quite the human build-up. This could be rather discomforting for the Mirati.

 

[Macavity116]

Oh, my. A lot of people on both sides won't be coming home from this one...

 

[Specialist290]

Here we go at last. Aderawa and Stanfield are making quite the gamble, but considering the payoff they could get -- defeating an enemy fleet that has to date barely been scratched, seizing the initiative, potentially reclaiming their lost systems -- I'd say that the reward is well worth the risk.

 

[Packers05]

Well, the human fleet is almost twice the power of the Mirati fleet. Destroying that may weaken Teryani's forces. Not to mention its an easy target.

 

[AnthraxDaveUK]

Ah, but are the Human forced being simply lured into a trap themselves?

 

[Packers05]

Ah, but are the Human forced being simply lured into a trap themselves?

That is a possibility that i never thought of. Seems like a trap. Be careful.

 

[crisrko]

“What are your orders, Milord?”

“All forces, advance. We will crush the Confederation before the Warlord arrives.” The Mirati clenched his fist proudly.

One year after the battle of Suulan, the Confederation and Remnant forces will now fight eachother once again. With both forces rapidly advancing it is only a matter of time before the battle begins. Admiral Aderawa and Captain Stanfield’s forces number a total of sixty corvettes and twenty destroyers, each ship armed with kinetic batteries and antimatter missiles. While the Navy prefers the usage of laser weapons, the gap between human and mirati technology needs to be overcome with creativity, and counter-weapons.

“Milord, the Confederation forces total eighty ships, three fourths Corvettes, one fourth Destroyers. I advise we retreat and wait to regroup with the Warlord.”

“No!” the Lord shouted in anger. “I’ve been waiting for this moment. I will defeat these pesky human forces and take the position of Warlord for myself.” He pointed forward. “Advance. Lasers, arm, shields, activate.”

One by one, the laser cannons shone brightly, preparing to fire.


Meanwhile, aboard UNSS Scimitar

“It seems they’ve taken the bait, Admiral.”

Captain Stanfield was currently talking with Admiral Aderawa through the holocommunications terminal.

“I guess you were right Captain. Their pride has gotten the better of them.”

Lyonel shook his shoulders lightly. “I was hoping for them to attack us, simply because they’ve seen what the previous battle did to our fleet. However, I don’t think this is Grezeiros’s fleet, the flagship is different.”

“Indeed. We should capitalize on this and test our new weapons. I’ll be terminating communications, Captain. I’ll broadcast the orders to the entire fleet within a few moments.”

Communications terminated, the holoprojection slowly dissipating into thin air. At the same time, the doors below the Captain’s deck opened, footsteps approaching the chair of Captain Lyonel Stanfield. Lieutenant Davis has returned to his duty.

Lyonel crossed his legs before glancing towards his Lieutenant. “Have you cooled off?”

“Somewhat. I’ll stand and fight alongside you, Captain. I will trust you—” Davis looked over at the crew below. “No, I’m sure we all trust you with our lives.”

“Very well, Davis. Notify the Engineers to prepare and arm the antimatter missiles, we’ll be firing the first salvo soon.”

“Understood, Captain.”

As the two forces rapidly approached each other, Admiral Aderawa begun transmitting to all forces. The first clash of Usowake was now underway.

“All ‘vettes, fire your first antimatter salvo on my mark. Group A surround the enemy from the left. Group B, same thing on the other side. I want Group C and the Destroyers to remain in a wedge formation, with the Destroyers at the front.”

As the green laser cannons shone from the Mirati forces, Admiral Aderawa shouted:

“FIRE!”

​

One by one, antimatter missiles were released by the Confederation forces, effectively creating a mat that would block the invader’s view of the fleet. In a panic, the Mirati forces tried to reposition themselves, but the missiles struck clear, causing holes and total system shutdowns. It was a destructive opening to the battlefield, much to the surprise and anger of the Remnant.

“Groups A, B, all power to the engine. Destroyers, fire your batteries! Let them get closer!”

Meanwhile, on the Mirati flagship.

“Milord, they’re trying to surround us!”

The Lord clenched his fist in anger, shouting at his subordinates: “All units, divert power to your shields. Corvettes, break off and engage them in a dogfight!”

As the forces responded to the commander’s instructions, the first kinetic salvo arrived from the Confederation, striking down the shields of several Mirati corvettes, sending others into disarray.

Confederation forces continued to rapidly approach and surround the Mirati forces on the side under the protection of the Kingston-Class’s kinetic fire. “Group A, divert power to your kinetic weapons. Group B, continue advancing until my mark!”

Two minutes later. “Group B!” Aderawa shouted “Divert power to your kinetic weapons! Group C, break away from the wedge formation and advance in a line!”

“That’s our cue, Captain.” Lieutenant Davis noted.

“Indeed. Engineers, divert all power to our frontal shields. Group C, slowly advance with me! Prepare the second battery salvo!”

Stanfield stood up from his chair, walking slowly to the reinforced glass before the Captain’s deck.

“Not yet... wait for my mark.”

“Group A and B, open fire broadside! Use all your kinetic armament!”

In unison, the two corvettes group begun firing upon the surrounded Mirati forces. As the projectiles struck their hulls cleanly, their shield systems began flickering brightly, collapsing under the sheer pressure of the assault. It was one thing to be struck from one direction, but hits from multiple directions could heavily affect even the most potent shields.

“Return fire! I’m not going to be defeated like this!”

“Milord, our forces have begun activating their emergency hyperdrives!”

“Nay! I forbid it! Divert all power to our weapons, blast their ships away!”

Begrudgingly, some of the Mirati vessels returned fire upon the Confederation forces, taking down a few Corvettes in the process. However, their immediate success would not last long, as another antimatter missile salvo would be launched.

“Now! Group C, fire all your remaining missiles!”

One by one, the rockets would break away from their carrier and make their way towards their target. As the missiles struck the Mirati ships, small balls of flame erupted upon the impact points. Soon, their ships would engage their hyperdrives one by one, while less fortunate vessels would be torn apart as gravity would contort their exposed innards.

“All ships...” Aderawa breathed heavily. “Cease fire. The Mirati have fled.”

With these words, the crews of all participant ships erupted with joy, absolutely exhilarated by the result. After the disaster of Suulan, the Confederation had finally proven that the Mirati could be defeated.

Admiral Aderawa slumped into his seat, holding his chest. His heart was racing and his forehead was absolutely drenched with sweat. Puffing loudly, he chuckled under his breath in relief.

“We’ve cleared the first stage, haven’t we?”

Aderawa let out another chuckle.

​

UNSS Scimitar

“We’ve done it Captain!” Davis was jumping with joy alongside the rest of the crew. “Haha!”

Stanfield however was staring outside the reinforced window aimlessly, as if he was expecting something to happen.

“Captain?” Davis muttered under his own lips as he slowly went up the stairs leading towards the Captain’s deck.

At that exact moment, a large surge of energy appeared on the ship’s sensors, triggering a loud alarm that would surprise the rest of the crew. Lyonel shook his head in disbelief, as another Mirati force dropped out of hyperspace. One by one, the jet black ships appeared in the Usowake system in a tight, wedge like formation.

At their very front, a silver vessel with the Mirati flag painted on its hull. It was Warlord Grezeiros and her personal fleet detachment.

“Davis. Get everyone in position. We’re about to engage again.”

“Shit.” Davis cursed as he stared outside the reinforced window. “Everyone! Back in position! Engineers, to your stations! Gunners, get on the consoles, now!”

Captain Stanfield pressed a few buttons on his console. “I want all available hands to head into the storage deck and rearm the missile launchers. Now.”

Lyonel shook his head lightly as he exhaled deeply. He pressed a different combination of buttons on his console, opening a communications channel towards Admiral Aderawa.

“She’s here, Admiral.”

“Indeed, she is. Most of our forces are reinforcing their missile launchers, and I don’t think we’ll have the same success as we did before.”

“No. I’m sure she was waiting nearby Usowake, watching the battle unfold on her radar. She was probably listening into their communications too. The missiles won’t have as devastating an effect as before.”

Aderawa laughed in disbelief.

 

[stnylan]

Silly alien, should have waited.

 

[Specialist290]

Stanfield and Aderawa can thank that foolhardy excuse for a fleet commander for helping them arrange such a potent demonstration.

Grezeiros undoubtedly has a leg here, as she has more experience and the Confederation forces no longer have the element of surprise in their favor; by the same token, however, the humans are now facing two separate fleets piecemeal, rather than a single overwhelming concentration of force. They may yet have just enough of an edge now to defeat the Mirati in detail, so long as they can keep them off-balance and don't surrender the initiative.

 

[crisrko]

Silly alien, should have waited.

It's a great break for the Confederation. Even if their victory was ensured by the incompetence of the Mirati Admiral, it is a huge boost to their morale. They think they have a chance at winning.

Stanfield and Aderawa can thank that foolhardy excuse for a fleet commander for helping them arrange such a potent demonstration.

Grezeiros undoubtedly has a leg here, as she has more experience and the Confederation forces no longer have the element of surprise in their favor; by the same token, however, the humans are now facing two separate fleets piecemeal, rather than a single overwhelming concentration of force. They may yet have just enough of an edge now to defeat the Mirati in detail, so long as they can keep them off-balance and don't surrender the initiative.

I agree. Be it retreat or attack, it needs to be human initiative. They need to dictate where and when, but also when to retreat to fight another day. What initially seemed like the guaranteed defeat of the Confederation now seems like an opportunity.


As an author's note, the next update will most likely be at the end of the next week, or in two weeks even. I'm still around, though I have not had any time to be writing. Hope you guys stick around, since I have no intention of cutting this story short now.

 

[Nikolai]

Never a moment's rest, I see.

 

[crisrko]

Aboard the Mirati Flagship

Warlord Teryani Grezeiros, clad in her Tyrian purple armor was standing on the commander’s deck, facing towards the reinforced glass panels that allowed her to see the surroundings of her ship. Aboard her vessel, her communications officers and engineers were diligently piloting the vessel and its systems towards the defeat of the Confederation.

Alongside the Warlord, her trusted advisor and subordinate, Commander Beivaris was analyzing the data collected during the encounter between Teryani’s forces and the Confederation in Suulan, and the battle between Admiral Aderawa and Lord Zylhorisys minutes before, in the very same Usowake System.

Debris was littering the space, destroyed husks drifting into the orbit of planets surrounding them, pulled by the gravitational fields produced by stars. Confederation forces were caught out of formation, celebrating their momentary victory over the arrogant Lord’s forces, despite the better judgement of the Warlord.

“I’m not surprised Zylhorisys was defeated, Milady. It would indeed seem that the Confederation was capable of amassing a decent enough force.” Beivaris noted.

A small smile appeared as the right corner of her lips curled.

“Zylhorisys is an arrogant prat, descending from one of the Great noble houses of Miresh. His nose is so far up his own ass he would never realize he’s outmatched.” Teryani shrugged her shoulders lightly.

Commander Beivaris tapped his holopad a few times, as a visual reconstruction of the battle between the Confederation’s forces and Lord Zylhorisys’s fleet slowly took form infront of the Teryani and himself.

“As you may see, Milady, the Confederation seems to have employed antimatter missiles in order to surprise the Lord and deal serious damage to the hulls of his ships.”

“Indeed, antimatter missiles cannot be cancelled by the shields. The entire Mirati Navy lacks the means of defending against missiles, but there are only so many you may carry at once.”

Beivaris nodded.

“That is correct. Based on the data, each of their Corvettes was capable of firing four missiles at once. Two thirds of their forces fired one salvo, while the other third fired two.”

“May I safely assume that they require reloading, Commander?”

Beivaris shrugged his shoulders lightly as Teryani turned and opened her palm in questioning.

“Given that their forces surrounded his fleet and struck broadside, I doubt they had time to reload their missile launchers. Antimatter missiles are, after all, quite a handful to move.”

“Very well.” As she interlocked her fingers behind her back. “Activate the communications device, broadcast to all of our forces.”

Teryani walked over to the side of the deck, standing infront of her chair. She slowly placed on her helmet, adjusting her long, charcoal hair behind her back, as it blended in with her ebony cape. Slowly, the device activating, scanning her from head to toe. Moments later, she was projected to every vessel apart of her fleet.

“My warriors.” Teryani held out her arms. “Today, we will push back the defiant humans, who dared to strike against our mighty Empire.”

As her speech progressed, she gained the undivided attention of her followers, but also increased the ire of those who sought to dethrone her and take her position for themselves.

“Not too long ago, in spite of my better judgement and command, Lord Zylhorisys led his forces into battle against the Confederation, instead of waiting for reinforcements to completely, and utterly annihilate the human rabble.” She clenched her fist as he raised her hand. “We will repay this insult with fire and blood.”

As their vessels thrusters ignited, they rapidly approached the Confederation forces with their laser cannons firing almost blindly in their direction in order to hamper the human reorganization effort. While the majority of the shots were nothing more than strays, some of them managed to strike clear, breaking apart the shields of the more battered vessels.

Admiral Aderawa responded swiftly, ordering groups A and B to rapidly descend out of their weapons sight and regroup alongside Captain Stanfield’s group C and the Destroyer group. As Captain Stanfield’s forces fired a missile volley, followed by a kinetic barrage by the Destroyer group, Teryani ordered her forces to split and direct all the power to their thrusters.

As their thrusters flared up, boosted by a temporary energetic overload, the Mirati vessels easily avoided the kinetic barrage. A small detachment was broken off, descending rapidly in order to enter targeting range for the regrouping Confederation groups A and B. With their thrusters exposed by the repositioning effort, the Remnant forces took advantage by the brief window and opened fire, quickly immobilizing a few vessels.

In stark contrast to Suulan, Warlord Grezeiros no longer employed a line formation, nor utilized the inhibitor device that almost trapped the entirety of Admiral Aderawa’s forces, instead using speed to capitalize on the window the Confederation needed to reposition their forces. While this tactic was very effective in disabling human ships, the larger Destroyers still took the brunt of the antimatter volleys.

​

“Milady, we have already managed to disable over half a dozen human Corvettes, though the majority of them have regrouped with the rest of their forces.”

“Continue firing our laser turrets. Even though they won’t take down those Destroyers, it’s enough to keep them on their toes.” Teryani nodded. “What about our losses?”

“I’m afraid their antimatter missiles have been quite effective. We’ve lost three Destroyers. Their missiles punched a hole clean, then gravity did the rest.”

“I understand.”

Teryani stepped forward, dragging her right hand across the holographic projection of the battlefield.

“There is still much debris from the previous battlefield. Commander, what do we know of their radar technology?”

“I believe it is quite inferior to ours, though I cannot say what the extent of its capabilities is.” Beivaris responded.

“Form a small four Corvette detachment and have them flank through the graveyard.” She said as she zoomed in on the map. “Make sure they do not fire unless it’s on my order.”

“Immediately, Milady.”


Aboard the Confederation flagship

“Admiral, a small ship detachment has broken off from the main Mirati formation, it’s heading into the debris field.”

Aderawa was standing on the deck, facing towards the reinforced glass with his hands behind his back. Dazzling green and purple lights shone as the laser weapons fired from each side, clashing and dissipating against shields. Ships exploded into balls of fire, husks of metal contorting as the void rips them apart from inside their broken hulls.

“Order Captain Stanfield to break off Group C and take three other Corvettes with him and intercept, immediately.”

The Communications Officer interjected. “Sir, the Captain is requesting to talk to you.”

“Patch him through.”

Aderawa dragged his finger across the top of the holoterminal to his right. A small projection of Captain Stanfield appeared next to him.

“Admiral, I must protest your order. I believe we need to retreat into Procyon.”

“I believe we can push through, Captain. It would be a shame to give up on our current advantage.”

Stanfield shook his head. “Advantage? We’ve taken losses, Admiral. Pretty heavy losses if I may. This has been a high risk high reward gamble. We’ve got our score, and it’s time to cash out.”

​

Admiral Aderawa paced back and forth next to the holographic projection of the system’s map. As the projection updated in real time with the movement of the two forces, Aderawa sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Very well, Captain. I’ve already listened to you more than a few times, it makes no sense to stop now.”

Stanfield heaved a sigh of relief and nodded as he saluted his superior. Shortly, the communication terminated. Aderawa tapped a few buttons on his console and opened a communications channel to all human vessels.

“This is Admiral Aderawa. Engage your emergency hyperdrives and retreat to Procyon. I repeat, engage your emergency hyperdrives and retreat to Procyon. We will regroup and, should the need arise, fight any attacking Mirati forces. Admiral Aderawa out.”

Aderawa terminated the channel and nodded to his ensign. The young man turned towards the engineer station, shouting: “Engage the hyperdrive!”

 

[Specialist290]

Sometimes, a tactical withdrawal is necessary to avert an even worse disaster. Stanfield has a good head on his shoulders, and Aderawa deserves credit for listening to his subordinates. They make a good team.

This may have been an overall tactical victory for the Mirati, but I'd call it a morale victory (and possibly a strategic one) for the Confederation. They have once again "pricked the god" and drawn blood, proving that their foes can not only be hurt but even thrown back with the right combination of will, equipment, and guile. However loath they may be to admit it, Mirati claims of superiority are starting to ring a little hollow.