Somewhere in Stoinian space, the Fleet of Relentless Appraisal

Fleet Commander Mayfeld grimaced as he listened to his fellow Fleet Commanders (FC) argue on the best course of action for the Appraisal Fleets. FC Yamraiha insisted that the Appraisal Fleets should selectively raid Terran worlds for to resupply their resources while FC Recklez demanded the Fleets invade and hold every world for the glory of Venterra. FC Kensei and FC Pryde both declined to attend the conference and sent in their reports as well as an explanation for their absences. FC Pryde had taken his fleet across Stoinian space hunting down a particular officer who snubbed his right to duel. Meanwhile FC Kensei stated that he would need to be more hands on with the invasion of Cornucopia returning General Mykraft back to the Fleet of Merciful Restraint so that he may offer his expertise to the other officers.

FC Recklez said, "We have already secured a firm foothold in this sector, We must seize control of resource rich worlds and glass others-" "And waste troops and ships policing the occupied planets? We'd stretch our supplies and create an opportunity for these terrans to retake their worlds." snapped Yamraiha
"Nonsense, we will exterminate the Terrans if they try to do so." boasted Recklez as Yamraiha shook her head and visibly face palmed, "And it will be your hubris that brings us down, We are a fleet of 25,000 warships, not a fleet of a million strong warships. Our orders were to raid and learn, not seize and hold territory. (Yamraiha looks over to Mayfeld) Commander Mayfeld surely you must agree that holding all of these planets will cause logistical issues sooner than later." "I... am aware," replied Mayfeld, "But, Recklez has a point as well" "What?" Yamraiha said dumbfounded, "Surely you must see the logic in directly seizing their resource rich worlds for the Federation. We could lower the burden on our supply lines and press the fight on, instead of siphoning off only what we need to maintain the Armed Appraisal from the enemy."

Yamraiha could only shake her head in disbelief as Mayfeld continued "You may not agree with my methods, but I will allow you to use your fleet as you see fit as I've done so for both Kensei and Pryde. I and Recklez will continue to secure worlds for the Federation while you can raid the enemy for supplies and knowledge." Yamraiha sighed as she replied, "As you wish... But I'm borrowing General Mykraft, his knowledge of the terrans will allow us to make forays deep into enemy territory." Mayfeld nodded signing off on Yamraiha's request. "Now if there is nothing else you are all dismissed to your tasks, while I report to the High Command on our progress." Yamraiha and Recklez rise and salute Mayfeld before staring daggers into each other. The two quietly thinking death to the other as they professionaly saluted and turned to exit the room from the different sides back to their respective flagships

Just call me Frost

Roleplayer,
Former member of the Pool of Justices

King of the Hill

(This post was last modified: 12-18-2021, 10:47 PM by Imperial Frost Federation.)

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19:46, 2/08/1620 PD
Cornulan District,
Cornucopia

While the Cornucopia Air Force had done an excellent job at holding off the invading forces, slowly over time they began to rang BINGO. Meaning they had to reload and refuel from the intense fighting. Even so, the Venterran landing ships and drop pods had made it through the aerial defence. Now the task fell to the ground forces. While most of the suburban areas had been evacuated to either underground bunkers or off-world, they were an easy target for the Venterrans to land and establish a foothold on the planet. Attacking the Spires right away would be a death sentence as they still were impregnable fortresses. The Venterrans would have to bring heavy ground support to make any offensive attempt feasible. That is if they cared for their troops lives. However, Field Marshal Häkkinen had other plans and he would let the Venterrans bleed for every corner, every street, every house for as long as possible. That was the Stoinian defensive spirit and today it would be up to the ground forces to keep that flame alive. 
Sergeant Major Nimrata Jastar Kaur, a female Sikhian, a hardened veteran from the Mardakii Crusade. She looked through the binoculars from the top of a building. More and more Venterran dropships were unloading their troops and hardware. The 226th Battalion was sent out to eradicate them in the designated area about 40 klicks north of Ascension Spire, the HQ of Cornucopian Defence Command. She packed her binoculars and turned to her CO, 2nd Lieutenant Zheng Guanting. A rather large man for the Qingese stereotype, but such was the Terran diversification over the centuries in the Star Kingdom.
- "Well, Sir. We better get moving. Any word on support from Major Van Houte?"
- "Aye. As soon as the 364th Armoured Battalion arrives at our position, we'll hit them hard. Get your squad ready as you'll be up front."
- "Yes, Sir!"
Nimrata then headed down to mobilize her squad. The 19 other soldiers were already prepping themselves up with the mobile armouries as the battle hardened veterans they were. Despite their older age status, their experience was of great value to the younger Lieutenant. That's why they would be send as the vanguard. Her troops chatted with her as she came down the stairs.
- "Ah Chief, we finally gonna move our asses?" asked Gunnery Sergeant Iulian Collinescu, a broad Reachian hailing from Bostoreș. Back from the days when the Rhodesian Sector was the Reachian Sector. His family were originally farmers of both Neerian and Sinaian descent, but the Velutarian War had changed their careers indefinitely. Now he was Nimrata's right hand and he wouldn't disappoint her.
- "Yes, Ol' Rock. Let's get the ol' sacks moving. We're going to escort the 364th Armoured and hit the Mardakii lovers before they can secure a foothold." she replied with a stern voice.
- "Good. So get their rockets from them, stick it up their ass and then light them back into orbit? I like it." Iulian was was no man for sugar-coating things. His Sinaian bluntness and creativity combined with Neerian vulgarity always brightened up the mood of the squad.
The squad laughed as the squad made their final preparations. Viggo Sundin was a Private 1st Class of Skandian origin. Despite his tall height, he sometimes seemed like fresh Marine if it wasn't for his blonde beard. Curious as ever he asked a question to Nimrata.
- "Well Sarge, what I just don't quite understand is why tops brass didn't declare for a Crusade yet?"
- "Does it really matter? As long as these bastards are invading our home, that's reason enough for me to shoot their asses." Collinescu replied.
Nimrata wished she could give a clear answer to the younger member of her squad. Unfortunately, she didn't have any of it.
- "Well... Guess maybe they don't want to declare a Crusade against fellow Terrans. Regardless though, we've a job to do that doesn't involve astropolitics. Now let's move it." she replied while handing over a M41 SPNKR rocket launcher to Viggo.
Her squad moved out and were greeted by the column of Grizzlies they were to escort. It seemed their mission was quite an important one as the Grizzlies weren't toys to be used lightly. After jumping on top of them, the combined forces rolled out. Even the Air Force wasn't done and continued to hold bombing runs on the area they would attack. After driving through the wide suburban streets for about two kilometres, they were to approach the enemy. Or at least a first batch of them. 
- "All right squad, keep an eye out on the ridges. They might try to ambush us."
Then a Venterran gunship appeared as the blue hue of plasma made it distinct noise. The Marines instinctively jumped off the Grizzlies and began to scatter. The Grizzlies dual cannons aimed for the gunship while unloading its anti-air missiles. However, those missiles were absorbed by the gunship's shields. The first three Grizzlies of the column then unloaded their dual M310 120mm Smooth-Bore cannons in a volley. They made quick work of the gunship as it was sent to spiral, barely having any time to react to the column. After the short interjection by the gunship, it became quite apparent the enemy was close by. 
- "Ol' Rock! Take your section to the left flank and watch the ridge above us. We'll cover you."
- "Affirm, Sarge. Come on boys, let's keep the convoy rolling!"
Their joyride on top of the Grizzlies was now over. Nimrata headed the right section and quickly checked any street corners for any dangers. Luckily, for now there weren't any and could see how in the other streets similar combined convoys were moving towards the same target. Without the convoy stopping, it seemed like this was going to be quick small scale operation. This brought up a smile on her face.
- "What's so fun, Sarge?" asked Lance Corporal Goran Kadić. The Sorbian who followed her footsteps.
- "Just a happy thought that this might be a quick operation." she stopped to check the corners. Just the other Marines from the other columns. She continued to march forward to the end of the junction and then continued to talk with Kadić. "If we don't get any wounded, I'll give you boys a round when this is over."
- "Ha, Sarge. Just like after Bogo Rai then? Sure would be appreciated. Tell you what you do that and I'll handle the grill."
- "Just make sure to bring your pastrami again."
- "No worries, I'll make sure it's mutton so you can eat as well. Here Sarge, let me take over from you." he said while tapping on her shoulder two times. A sign to stop which Nimrata did instinctively.
- "All right, Corporal. Just don't slow us down now. We've got a pretty good momentum going on."
- "No worries, Sarge." he replied with a wide grin on his face.
Goran headed slightly with his head to his right at the next street junction. He scouted the area quickly and decided to march forward. It was then when he could see red light shine in his directions, quickly followed by an energetic sound. The next few milliseconds he saw a plasma bullet come his way, but it went right through his skull before he had even time to process what the light actually meant.
For a second, Nimrata froze as her good friend was taken down by a Venterran sniper. Quickly processing what just happened, she immediately turned to the convoy.
- "CONTACT!"
With that the Marines began to group up forming a line at each street corner, guarding the are from the other section's side to which they were exposed. It was unclear whether this sniper was alone, but there was only one guarantee to assure the convoy could keep going forward towards the objective. As soon as her section's last man was in formation, he tapped three times to the one in front of him, who then passed it forward, she looked at the other section. It was Ol' Rock who then nodded at her. She nodded back and marched forward looking into the direction from where the bullet might have come from. Quickly altering her pace to throw the sniper off guard and then the rest of her section followed her to cover her in case the sniper took his shot. However it was seemingly quiet and all was well. Was this a lone sniper perhaps? Unlikely since the objective was roughly 400 m ahead. Though she couldn't rule out a scouting party. And just as she turned to watch her section pass through the junction, the sniper eliminated the last man in her line. The penultimate member of her line jumped forward to safety and began to scream when he landed.
- "Tenth building on the right, second floor!" shouted Private 1st Class Matthys Wessel.
- "You sure?" Nimrata asked for a confirmation.
- "Positive."
Nimrata then turned towards the Grizzlies and tapped on the comms button of her helmet, opening a line to the Troop Sergeant of the eight Grizzlies strong convoy.
- "Troop Sergeant Foss, I need a round on the second floor of tenth building on the right. That's the sniper's location."
- "Copy that, we'll blow the bastard to pieces."

Troop Sergeant Fabio Foss then ordered the lead tank to eliminate the sniper. The tank drove forward while rotating its cannons. Five seconds later, the high velocity cannons made short work of the second floor's balcony. The convoy then proceeded to drive forward, but that was when new opposition appeared.
- "Contact up front!" said Collinescu over the comms.
There a group of purple floating speeders headed towards the convoy's direction. The lead tank was quick to fire another round and eliminated one of the five speeders.
- "Shoot the damn rockets." Nimrata shouted.
Her men who carried the rocket launchers then kneeled into position. The speeders however began to shoot volleys of plasma at them. Throwing them off guard and taking a few of her men down. The lead tank drove slightly to the right and made way for the second tank to shoot as well. The speeders were eliminated a short while later after a few rocket launchers were fired. 
- "Sergeant Major, is everything under control?" Lieutenant Guanting asked over the comms.
- "We're five down, Sir. But good to go forward now."
- "Copy. I'll come strengthen you up front as well."
The convoy then move forward again. Now just 200 m away from where they were supposed to launch their attack. Before Nimrata could check the street corner, she could hear the sound that was similar to the gunship they met earlier. She figured it must be some sort of enemy vehicle and raised her left fist in the air. Signifying the convoy to halt. She leaned forward and was greeted by another sniper bullet. She did get a small glimpse however of the small roundabout on her right and described it over the comms.
- "Enemy sniper instalment with multiple heavy armour 50 m away. Lieutenant, plan of attack?"
- "Form up with the tank and head towards the target. Clear the zone out."
- "Affirmative."
Her section tapped again to signify they were ready and the tank moved forward a bit. Its canon was already rotated toward the direction of the enemy to maximize their element of surprise.
- "Mark." Lieutenant Guanting ordered.
Nimrata and her section then moved towards the Venterran encampment firing volleys of bullets from their M65 assault rifles. Giving the Venterran forces of all sizes a blue hue. The Venterran tank was quickly eliminated by the Grizzly's rounds and it seemed Nimrata and her Marines would have a clear win. It was then when she heard another cannon round from a Grizzly, but didn't saw where it landed. She turned around and saw three Venterran tanks heading their direction, firing large plasma bullets nearly half the size of the Grizzly tanks. 
- "Take cover!"
Nimrata and her squad scattered around as one plasma round landed behind them and one hit both of the lead Grizzlies. Throwing them up in the air in a blazingly bright blast that blinded the Marines for a good amount of seconds. Nimrata and her squad were now being pinned down. The encampment had been cleared due to the enemy plasma round taking out the rest of the encampment. The threat on the right of the convoy was no gone, but the newly Venterran armour on the left was proving more than a challenge. On top of that, in the front of the convoy a wide array of Venterran ground forces headed towards from the buildings. It seemed this was an ambush and they fell right into it. But these Venterrans perhaps forgot they were fighting against Stoinians.
In a wild and unorthodox decision, the two remaining front tanks revved their engines and launched themselves forward. Their aim was to run over the enemy infantry and the next tanks in line would take care of the wraiths as the tanks unloaded a volley while heading towards the infantry. Nimrata ordered her men to help out the tanks and cover them from any Venterran clever enough to throw grenades or even board the tanks.
The firefight lasted no longer than another minute and the friendly tank convoys from the next streets had helped clear out the Venterran forces. The convoy's forces were now at half the strength they rolled out with. The situation which once was a hopeful guaranteed success, was now drenched in blood.
- "Sergeant Major, the enemy's more entrenched than we initially thought. Command has ordered us to press forward to eliminate them while we still can."
- "Lieutenant..."
- "I know, Sergeant Major. But we have our orders. I'll coordinate with the other convoys to strengthen our convoy.
- "Yes, Sir." she replied after letting out a small sigh.
She knew the Lieutenant was well aware of their situation and that this was likely the best course of action in the grand scheme of things. She couldn't help but feel her stomach nagging about the situation. Nonetheless they continued to press on as the large enemy encampment was within striking rang now.
Nimrata and the rest of her squad ran forward across the buildings as the convoy drove forward like maniacs. Surprise was no longer a factor. Only eliminating them as quickly as possible was an option. Thus the Grizzlies fired volley after volley. Sending dozens of Venterran troops flying into the skies. 
- "Well, guess that's one way of sending them into orbit." Collinescu chattered over the comms to lighten up the mood. This was after all the sort of humour that kept Stoinians sane in the heat of the most severe combat circumstances. 
Without a second thought, Nimrata jumped from one of the Venterran barricade ramps and threw a grenade out into the general direction of a large conglomeration of small alien forces. After giving the smaller aliens a taste of metal, Nimrata rolled over as soon as she landed on the ground, using her motion to position herself in a knelt position. From that position she fired volley after volley and the all too familiar sound of the M65 assault rifle was like music to her ears as the Venterran aliens scattered in disarray. 
Her squad followed her example and started to clear out the Venterrans without taking too much damage themselves. Soon the Lieutenant's squad arrived too, as well as the other Marine forces from the other convoys that now attacked the large encampment from multiple angles. Grenades exploded over the sounds of plasma and the high velocity cannons hitting their targets. It was then when Nimrata saw the leader of the encampment. A towering Mardakii.
She headed towards him after shooting down three more of those jawless xenos. When the Mardakii stood just ten meters in front of her, she tossed her assault rifle on the ground and unsheathed her combat knife. The Mardakii reciprocated her actions, accepting her challenge and deactivating his shields. As the brute ran towards her in a frenzy, Nimrata unexpectedly jumped forward. Rotating mid air so she could land with her back on the ground as she flew between the legs of the Mardakii. The brute was too sloppy to catch her as she flew between his legs. There, she had the perfect opportunity and put her knife into what she suspected was a weak spot between the joints. When the knife sliced effortlessly into the Mardakii's groin, she knew she had struck gold. 
After standing up she looked over the paralyzed Mardakii as the rest of the fight began to tone down. She gripped her knife again and thrusted it further into the Mardakii and twisting the knife. The Mardakii screamed out in pain and fear, spreading terror to the remaining Venterran forces as they were cut down by the other Stoinians. No mercy was shown and Nimrata finally put her knife just under above where the Mardakii's Adams apple would be. Letting him drown in his own blood. The zone was now cleared out and Gunnery Sergeant Collinescu came to see Nimrata's achievement.
- "Well... That one is going to make a fine rug, Chief." he complemented on the Mardakii's fur as he grazed through it with his hand.
- "Might make a coat of him though." she replied jokingly.
- "Ah... Guess there's enough hide and fur for both."
A Grizzly then drove forward and stopped in front of Nimrata. The hatch opened up and Troop Sergeant Fabio Foss appeared.
- "Well Sergeant Major. My compliments to you prowess. I always pitied the Mardakii, but you just gave a whole new level to it. I don't think I've ever seen someone twirl so elegantly while cutting down a Mardakii."
- "The pleasure's all mine, Troop Sergeant. I'll try to sing next time as well." she replied laughing off while she cleaned her knife with her armguards.
Lieutenant Guanting then approached Nimrata as well. 
- "A job well done, Sergeant Major. In my book you've already earned more than ten lifetimes worth of a General's pension. Now let's hea-" he stopped mid-sentence as he listened to an incoming message. 
Nimrata heard something too, but it was something different. It was something reminiscing plasma weaponry and it quickly became louder and louder. She looked up and saw a plasma bomb dropping straight on a Grizzly tank. A green blast of plasma flared up the roundabout and plasma rained from down the skies. She wanted to look up, but her instinct got the better of her and lead her to cover. She then looked around and saw all Ol' Rock, Sundin and Lieutenant Guanting dead half-burnt on the ground. This couldn't have been an ambush, so it meant the Venterran reinforcements had arrived late. 
She checked her ammunitions and noticed she had only her knife and grenade at her disposal. She took a deep breath as she heard energetic sounds and Venterran xeno chatter. She looked around, but no one was seemingly left to coordinate with. Where could she turn to? The chatter grew closer and closer. No, this was it. This was her stand.
After saying a short Sikhian prayer to welcome her death, she armed her grenade. Screaming as she tossed the grenade and herself over the barricade she used as cover, she lashed out into a final blaze of fury. Heading straight towards to a jawless xeno. Though there was something odd about these Venterran soldiers. They wore different armour compared to the rest, but Nimrata didn't have any time to think as she was shot in her left shoulder by a plasma carbine. 
Thudding against the ground, she put her hand on the place where she was shot only to quickly take her hand off as the heat was immeasurable. She looked at her wound and she'd been shot right in between the armour plates that were supposed to disperse the plasma. Her flesh was both seared and burnt. The stench grew beyond her tolerance and she couldn't help but be bugged by it. She crawled back to her barricade while her wound spat both blood and scabs. Slowly she began to calm herself and held her knife even tighter. 
The jawless xeno that had shot her than jumped right next to her, sending shivers down her spine. As her body slowly began to fall into shock and she struggled to maintain consciousness, the xeno knelt before her. Its long neck bringing his face closer to hers. It said something in his native language, but Nimrata couldn't help understand it as her ears were easily overloaded by the slightest sounds now. She decided to make one last stand, tightening her grip on the knife and then slashing it towards the face of the xeno.
She had actually missed, but was able to slice off some of the xeno's left mandibles. The xeno remained unphased and reached for his energy sword. Activating it and thrusting it into Nimrata's abdomen. As her eyes began to close and the pain overtook her thoughts, Nimrata could only do one last. Smile as she met her death at the hands of a Venterran Hell Diver.

Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor

(This post was last modified: 12-24-2021, 05:53 PM by Maverick.)

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Somewhere above Cornucopia
 Colonel Devran Recklez looked out the portside view of his dropship as Venterran fighters screamed in the upper atmosphere of Cornucopia escorting the dropships to their predetermined landing zones. Col. Recklez clutched his hard light pad tightly as the dropship shuddered from the turbulence and growled. ‘Why? Why in the seven rings couldn’t he have been dropped after the fighting had stabilized’ He wondered as the dropship shuddered again. The Colonel was a humble quartermaster in charge of supplying Venterran forces but his elder brother was a commanding Fleet Commander charged with bringing righteous fury down upon the Terran menace. Colonel Recklez hoped to make his brother proud, but he still valued his own life taking the comforts of the logistical officer’s route. He looked out the view port again as the Dropship made its final descent to drop off the officer and his security detail and he looked unimpressed. Stoinian architecture was rather narrow, but well structured for Terrans as the cityscape organized itself along a series of blocks.

 The Dropship deposited the Colonel and his detail atop the roof of a three story apartment previously taken by an earlier landing force and was converted into a forward operating base for Venterran forces in the area. The Colonel looked at his welcome committee and spoke after entering the building, “So… what’s the situation?” A Mardakii captain smiled, baring its fangs. “Welcome Colonel to point Obsidian, we are far from the enemy spire and don’t anticipate fierce resistance. However, as you may be well aware, we are responsible for ensuring that our landing forces are adequately supplied to take several of their airfields for our own in atmosphere fighters and bombers.” The Colonel nods as he follows the Mardakii to a map in a hollowed out apartment serving as a base, “Indeed, but afterwards (Recklez points to a contested point on the map) We will be launching a full scale assault on the enemy from this staging ground.” The officer looked concerned, “But sir… Stoinian troops appear to be assaulting that position as we speak, we may not be able to hold the position without significant reinforcements.” The Colonel smiled, “Nonsense, request the assistance of the Hell Divers, they will be more than enough to clear any and all Terran resistance and we can move in conventional troops to hold the positions once they retake it.” The Mardakii bowed, “As Venterra wills.” 

 Aboard the Kings Hand in orbit over Cornucopia

 Captain Hasega grinned as his troopers stood ready. “Hell Divers! When we joined the Hell Diver Corp we took an oath.” started the Captain, “According to our station, All without exception.” repeated the Hell Divers. Hasega continued, “On the blood of ancestors, on the blood of our children! We swore to uphold the Federation!” “Even to our dying breath” responded the Helldivers.
 
 “Our enemies are weak, worthy of neither pity, nor mercy! Even now they cower behind their heroes to spread terran lies across the sector.” “We shall grind them into dust” “And continue our march into glorious combat!!” he roared, as an empty drop pod bay door opened revealing the chaotic space and air battle between orbital and in atmosphere fighters.

Gesturing to the space below, Hasega roared, “Glory Awaits!” The Men roared back and jumped down into the void below. They were hell divers, and unlike the other orbital drop shock troopers who require drop pods, a Hell diver jumped without a pod. Relying only on their shielding and armor to cushion the fall. They fell unnoticed by the enemy, mistaken as either a piece of debris or a corpse that couldn’t be recovered in time. Faster and faster they fell until they reached terminal velocity, their armor flared up in flames as the atmosphere sought to burn them in a vain bid to stop the Hell Divers from making their mark on Cornucopia’s surface. 

 The Hell Divers fell like hail on the surface of Cornucopia, crashing through the roofs of several buildings and causing mayhem and chaos across enemy lines. Hasega was the first to recover from his fall, unslinging his carbine and pushing out of the abandoned apartment. Several others soon followed his lead exiting from other apartment rooms and regrouping with their Captain. Those fortunate enough to fall directly on top of their foes relished the challenge as they cleaved a bloody path with their energy swords. 

 The Captain and his men moved to the roof of their respective buildings using their jump jets to traverse the hole in the ceiling made by their falls. Hasega took in a deep breath through his helmet as his men jumped from their buildings onto the roof he stood on, Venterran fighter/bombers screaming overhead as they dropped their payload on the unseen enemy further down the block. The Captain’s comms crackled to life as he watched the remainder of his men fall in. “Hell divers, this is Obsidian actual. Come in Hell divers.” The Captain responded, “Kings Hand one to Obsidian Actual go ahead.” “Terran forces have converged on point Delta, and we need your assistance. We have dispatched reinforcements, but you are the closest force to Point Delta.” “Enemy strength?” the captain asked gruffly, “Unknown, but troops reported the enemy used armor.” The Captain grinned, “Very well, be prepared to divert air support when we ask. Kings Hand one out!” The captain then looked at his troops, “C’mon you apes, We’re on the bounce!” and engaged his jump jets to hop from roof to roof. The Hell divers followed along, firing short precise bursts of plasma fire on the unsuspecting enemy below as they cut a path forward until the Captain abruptly stopped and dropped behind cover. The Hell Divers followed the captain’s lead ducking behind the wall and peered over looking at enemy armor situated between them and point Delta. 

 “King’s Hand one to King’s hand actual. Request air support on our positions danger close” the captain whispered, “This is King’s hand actual understood, Spear ten is on the way, danger close in 5 seconds.” “Roger, Kings hand one out!” replied the Captain. He then looked at his men silently and signaled that they would attack as soon as Spear 10 dropped its payload. The comms on the Captain counted down, “5..4…3…2…1…dropping now!” A fighter/bomber dropped a plasma bomb over target screaming past the helldivers. As the fighter/bomber screamed past, the Hell Divers jumped firing on the Terrans below striking several.  As they landed on the wreckage of Point Delta, the Hell Divers grinned, cutting down the terrans in plasma fire until one remained. One Terran attempted to toss a grenade or perhaps it sought to embrace a Hell Diver in a suicidal embrace, the captain couldn’t tell, but one of his men blasted the terran with their carbine and claimed his right to kill. The captain simply shrugged and gestured in the direction of the terran as he barked new orders to secure a landing zone for conventional reinforcements.

The Hell Diver grinned from behind the helmet and jumped next to the Terran and kneeled, “Die with honor, Terran” the trooper said as he reached for his energy sword. The terran attempted to fight back making one last slash towards the trooper, but the Trooper remained unphased continuing to reach for his energy sword. The Trooper then activated his sword and thrust it deep into the Terran’s abdomen, smiling back at the now smiling corpse. The Hell Diver deactivated his sword and returned, grinning from his kill, and the Captain noticed the injury to his mandible saying, “Trooper you should get that looked at.” The trooper saluted and replied, “no sir, this will heal without any problems. I wish to remain a part of the hunt.” The Captain sighed and nodded, “Very well, we move out when the Drop ship drops off the first of the conventional reinforcements." And with that the men departed to pursue the Terrans right after the first dropships returned to point delta with fresh reinforcements.

Just call me Frost

Roleplayer,
Former member of the Pool of Justices

King of the Hill

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21:16, 17/08/1620 PD
CorDefCom, Ascension Spire,
Cornucopia

It had been two weeks since the Venterrans had landed groundside on Cornucopia. Even though the Stoinians had put a formidable fight, the Venterran numbers were too strong. Luckily the fleet had dispersed and now likely was divided into multiple attack groups. Häkkinen hoped that the colonists could have escaped before the Venterrans arrived, but these Terrans used slipspace drives which were noted to be faster than the Stoinians' warp field drives. Häkkinen had no time to ponder on hypotheticals. He was sent here for one specific reason and he would fulfil it. He would defend this planet and its civilians for as long as he could. Dying if need be.
- "Sir, the Venterrans are amassing another coordinated attack to push towards Ascension Spire. Scouts report a large wave of armour towards our north-western defensive lines." one of the assistant called.
- "What?! How did they get past our sensors?"
- "Unknown, Sir. Will get the Officers on it, but since they destroyed our satellite network, they could have interfered with our surface sensors and communications."
- "Get to it then."
Häkkinen looked over the holomap as the attacked frontline was projected. The enemies were dotted red and Häkkinen saw a lot of red headed towards a thin stripe of green. The Venterrans had created a weak spot the previous two weeks and they were now trying to collect their reward.
- "Contact Shadow Base and get me an ETA. Tell them to scramble squadrons of bombers and escorts to wipe those bastards of the ground." he ordered to his other assistants before looking back at the map.
The nearest forces weren't in place to bolster the weak spot in time. They'd need at least half an hour and the enemy was just about five minutes away. The situation was dire and it looked like the defensive line around the Ascension Spire would crumble tonight. This was everything Häkkinen feared for in the initial fighting. He'd centred most of his troops within the Spire. An error given how the Venterrans kept creating weak spots in their lines. 
- "ETA of aerial support twenty five minutes, Sir!"
- "Confirm, attack. Tell them to make haste!"
Colonel Jenkins of the 73rd Cornucopian Regiment was in charge of the weak spot. His troops had suffered major losses and were to be relieved by fresh soldiers. However, the Venterrans had learned the Stoinian timing and had calculated perfectly for this precise moment. For the reinforcements wouldn't come for another twenty minutes or so. They had found the perfect opportunity to strike and dissect the Stoinian defensive line with one surgical attack. 
- "Get me Colonel Jenkins."
Colonel Jenkins appeared within ten seconds next to the holomap and greeted the Field Marshal accordingly.
- "Sir, to what do I owe you the pleasure?"
- "Colonel, the Venterrans slipped past our sensors and will hit you in full force in five minutes. Get your men into position and hold them off fo-"
- "Sir, you know damn well that we won't be able to hold them off!" Jenkins interrupted the Field Marshal. "My men are on the brink of breaking. Is there no help coming our way?"
- "Aye, there is. But they won't get in time before the Venterrans reach you."
- "So this is it then?"
- "Not if you hold the line, Colonel."
Colonel Jenkins' was quite visible despite the holograms interference. They both knew what was being asked.
- "We'll do our best, Sir. 73rd Regiment, out."
Häkkinen hated the situation as much as Jenkins. The situation however didn't allow for much talk between them. The man had to put his men into position to make the final sacrifice if they were to have any chance of survival.
- "Sir... They won't be able to hold them off. They're not properly armed to repel them." one of the assistant mumbled in the command room.
- "No..."
- "Sir?"
- "They are armed with the weapon every Stoinian has."
- "I don't understand."
- "Are the district's loudspeakers still intact?" Häkkinen asked to the logistical officers.
He got a solid affirm from them. Sighing before straightening his uniform, Häkkinen set out to arm the soldiers of the 73rd.
- "Open a channel using the loudspeakers, Lieutenant."
- "Channel open, Sir."
- "Soldiers of the 73rd... It's with a heavy heart I speak to you now, but the Venterrans are minutes away from attacking your position. Help is on their way, but won't get there in time to prevent an enemy attack. I won't lie to you... The enemy is coming with heavy armour to make a dent in the line there. The odds are drastically against you. That's not why I'm talking to you now though... We all know what's a stake here and failure isn't an option. Remember that your ancestors fought against similar odds. At Thermopylae, the shores of Normandy or at Geelvink Hill. Your ancestors held the line regardless of the odds and never looked back. Our children will speak of your great deeds of tonight as you will hold the line. You shall once again show these Venterrans what we Stoinian are made of. You've shown them that we fight like Lions and that is more than I could have hoped for. But... The current reality is that the Battle of Cornucopia hangs on a thin thread and you're the only knot now that brings any strength to that thread. I'm not going to ask you to fight like Lions... I'm going to ask you to fight like demons. For when this war will be a long distant memory, both Stoinians and Venterrans will remember your actions and say: 'The 73rd was there! They did not fail! They did not falter! They did not surrender! And above all, they held the line!' Show these Venterrans what true rage is. For hell hath no fury like a Stoinian shackled. Hold the line men... Hold the line."

The speech had played over as the Venterrans had begun their attack. Häkkinen voice however cut through the sounds of plasma and bullets. The speech filled the soldiers of the 73rd with enough adrenaline that they fought like never before. They were like a lion backed against a wall. The fighting had stopped ten minutes after the bombers had unleashed havoc on the Venterran forces. For the 73rd held the line that day...

Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor

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10:23 shiptime, 24/09/1620 PD
Bridge, HMS Mai Bhago,
Akali Squadron

Commodore Ruadhán O'Hea wasn't considered to be a remarkable naval officer in the larger Stoinian Royal Navy. The middle-aged Eirean had actually struggled a bit with his career and his often clashed with his superiors. That's why his command of a Squadron came relatively later than expected. He had served faithfully under Blood 'n Guts for many years in the 3rd Star Corps. Be it at Byzantium during the Velutarian War or at Oporon in the First Mardakii Crusade, O'Hea more than compensated his lack of tactical imagination at times. That's why he'd learned to listen to his crew and formulate a strategy together with them. What he didn't know however, is that he had picked up a thing or two from them.
For three months now the Venterran fleet had pushed the Stoinians back. Nearly three months of continuous scatter and retreat. Even now as the Venterrans pushed further into the Core and Elysium Sectors, Stoinian ships were outnumbered in battles. Much of the Navy was actually being used to evacuate civilians rather than to fight the Venterrans. Top brass had learned their lesson from the Velutarian War, in spite of planetary shields failing in need for an update. They wished to minimize the civilian casualties.
O'Hea now was to retreat to the 1st Armada under Grand Admiral Harrington and form up with the 474th Fleet in the Macedonia System, after a recent skirmish with the Venterrans at Dolina. Akali Squadron was a combination of a battleship and a few cruisers and destroyers. All named after aspects of Sikhian culture. The HMS Mai Bhago, O'Hea's command ship was a Bellator-class command battleship. One of the more sturdier designs from recent shiplines. It was accompanied by two Reliant-class heavy cruisers, the Raj Kal and the Avanesh Bhalar; one Müller-class support cruiser, the Succour; two Falcon-class heavy destroyers, the Savage Nihang and the Karpa Barsha; and lastly the Crested Porcupine, a Vulture-class missile destroyer. These all formed Akali Squadron, meaning Eternal One in Sikhian. The Squadron upheld its legacy despite the fact that its officers and crew may not have all been part of Sikhian ethnicity. Nonetheless, they hoped their martial ferocity was at least half as much as those ancient warriors on Mother Terra.
O'Hea sat in his command chair pondering as usual about the war. He too, like many others in the Armed Forces, wondered why it wasn't called a Crusade by now. The foundation was there, but top brass was clearly up to something. An offensive might be actually a change of scenery for once. Continuous running away won't win a war. O'Hea was about to get the chance to do so.
- "Skipper, I'm getting something faint on the frequencies." Lieutenant Calum MacCathain called his CO to come over to the communications station.
- "What is it Lieutenant?" O'Hea asked while marching towards MacCathain.
- "I'm not sure. I detected a spike in subspace. Like some sort of shadow from a large mass." MacCathain tried to run his diagnostics again, but to no avail "Huh, it disappeared now. Guess it was probably a malfunction I guess."
- "Have it run by engineering, we can't be too sure in times of war." he then turned towards his helmsman, Sub-Lieutenant Andreas Winters. "Helm, what's the nearest inhabited system?"
- "The Cappadocia System, Skipper. About 32 hours away from our current position."
- "What are it's defence systems? Any nearby forces."
- "Planetary shields Mark-I and just a few MAC platforms, Skipper. Nearest ships are two days away."
O'Hea's gut was telling him something. The Venterrans had been remarkably quiet in the area despite Cornucopia's relative proximity. It was believed this was due to the Venterrans splitting off into multiple fleets rather than making a real unified front, O'Hea felt this situation had more to it than it showed at first glance. Surely engineering would confirm what he'd suspect. A Venterran fleet lurking for potential targets. The Venterrans had no sense of honour regarding killing innocent civilians. Even mocking the Stoinians at the battle of Cornucopia. God, these are some savages.
- "Plot a course, but don't hit it yet. I want confirmation from engineering first."
- "Aye, Skipper."
Commander Deth'imuola'nuruodo, or Thimuolan in short, was the ship's Executive Officer. The emotionless Cheunh looked frowningly at his superior. Giving him the sign that he was curious about what he was planning without openly questioning his Commander. He soon returned to his duties and realized that if need be, the situation will be revealed in time. 

Half an hour later, O'Hea got his confirmation. The subspace spike was in fact a shadow of a large unknown mass. Given the current circumstances, this was all the confirmation O'Hea needed. He ordered his Command Staff to the Briefing Room. After all he wanted all their input for this situation. Despite the fact that most of their six hour-shifts had ended. For Stoinian vessels maintained an 18 hours cycle where the crew is constantly rotated. During peace time crews may diverge, but not so during war times. Especially a defensive one.
- "Well gentlemen... I fear we've detected an incoming Venterran fleet. I suspect it's heading for the Cappadocia system and we're the nearest help they have."
- "Skipper, aren't such presumptions too inaccurate to take with the information we have disposal?" Commander Thimuolan replied. "From what I understand, the scans we have could still be a malfunction."
- "Perhaps... But these are uncertain times."
- "What about the size of the shadow? Can we figure out how large this fleet is?" asked Lieutenant Commander Illés Szilárd, the tactical officer.
- "A sizeable Dreadnought would be a good assumption. With a margin of error for supporting ships." replied Commander Edward Dixon, the Chief Engineer.
- "I doubt that even with our combined firepower we can take down such a Dreadnought. We're better of mobilizing the fleet and rendezvous with them on the get go." replied Lt. Cmdr. Szillárd.
- "I agree with the Lieutenant Commander, Skipper. Even with our best odds, we're outgunned." added Commander Thimuolan. 
- 'Problem is that it would take the fleet 56 hours to get there. Given how the Venterrans use Slipspace like the Velutarians, we're also outpaced." interjected Sub-Lieutenant Winters. "If we're going to assume the Skipper's correct, than we're going to need to intervene as soon as possible."
- "True. Cappadocia's planetary shields are among the first generation from the Velutarian War. If Cornucopia's shields fell that quickly, just imagine how fast Cappadocia would fall as it only covers one continent." Chief Dixon agreed.
- "We still have to clear that up with Command. We can't break protocol." Thimuolan reminded them of the procedures.
- "Hell, not if people's lives are at stake!" Sub-Lieutenant Winters shouted.
The situation was about to escalate and O'Hea felt it. He had to put an end to before complete anger overrun the conversation.
- "We're going to Cappadocia."
- "Sir? We ca-" Lt. Cmdr. Szillárd tried to interject.
- "Lieutenant Commander Szillárd, the Commodore has been quite clear on the matter. We should prepare for the coming combat. I'm sure the Commodore will have enough to explain as it is." Commander Thimuolan commented. He may disagree with O'Hea here, but he understood that once orders were given, they are to be followed. For if O'Hea was wrong, he would answer for his mistake.
The meeting ended as it began, webbed in doubt and uncertainties. Group Captain Leonid Dmitreyevich Terekhov hailed the Mai Bhago and was transferred to the meeting room where O'Hea was stilling simmering down on the recent meeting with his staff. Terekhov's appearance was that of a Ruskovite brute. A stark contrast to the now famous High Admiral Chekov. What Chekov had in his fiery heart and vicious personality, Terekhov lacked and was a reserved man like O'Hea. Though, he was more vocal than O'Hea when he didn't like the odds against him. The low voice of Terekhov spoke over the comms. Had he not become a career military officer, he might have easily become a bass singer in one of the famous Ruskovite oktavist choirs.
- "Commodore... I heard we're changing course?" Terekhov's tone was friendly, but with a hint of contempt.
- "That's correct. We have reason to believe we'll be the only force able to reach Cappadocia in time and help evacuate the planet."
- "Hm, when did you receive this information?"
- "Little over two hours ago. I've discussed it with my staff and confirmed the validity of our scans. It doesn't look good. A Venterran Dreadnought with a full escort. A  I'll brief you in shortly. Was just about to call all senior officer of the squadron as a matter of fact."
- "I called you to voice some concerns. My guts told my something was wrong and I didn't want to raise too many questions openly." Terekhov sighed heavily as he was about to give a rant to his superior. He didn't enjoy it, but his honour compelled him to do so. "We're going in blind and the Venterrans have us on the run. Have you seen the recent battle reports? It looks like we're flying straight to hell. How large do we speculate this Venterran fleet to be?"
- "A Dreadnought, five or so Cruisers and tens of Destroyers from what we caught with our scanners."
- "By God... How are we going to stop them?"
- "I'm not sure yet. But we're going to make it work. We have to make a stand for once. How can we say we defend our people if we just keep running away? No, we're going to make a stand at Cappadocia. Top brass may have my head afterwards. I'll brief you in half an hour."
- "All right O'Hea. I see you've made up your mind and there's no point in trying to change it. I just hope we're going to survive all this. We've already taken a pretty good beating as it is." Terekhov was a kind man and had known O'Hea for quite some time. He knew better than to further throw in doubt in the O'Hea's void.
- "We'll give them hell. Just like in the Velutarian War"
- "Into the jaws of Death, into the mouth of Hell... Flew our small squadron. God's speed, Commodore."
- "God's speed, Captain."
O'Hea turned off the comms hoping to find some rest and closure for a moment. Fate had other plans for him and his search for a small measure of peace The shipwide comm chirped in the Briefing Room.
- "Skipper, incoming message from Cappadocia."
- "Put it through, bridge."
What followed was nothing but a fearful confirmation of O'Hea's suspicions. Cappadocia was now under attack by a Dreadnought and tens of accompanying cruisers and corvettes. O'Hea then dismissed his Staff and sent out a message to his superior for an emergency meeting after rerouting the Squadron towards Cappadocia.

An other hour later, O'Hea finally got his meeting with Rear Admiral Arashiro Masaru of the 3rd Fleet Section of the 16th Fleet. The holo of a rather small yet broad Shikokan officer with a traditional moustache growing from the upper corners of his lips. He asked inquisitively with a raised frown.
- "Commodore O'Hea, I understand you're already headed to Cappadocia?"
- "Affirmative Admiral. We're the best hope they got at the moment."
- "That's where we disagree, Commodore. A larger combined fleet would have higher assurances."
- "With all due respect, Admiral. Cappadocia's shields won't hold them until the fleet's arrival at Cappadocia."
- "My engineers tell me otherwise, Commodore. I'm ordering you to alter your course back to our rendezvous."
This was a pivotal moment in his career. Would he follow suit or keep clashing with his superiors, which had slowed down his career? Or would this war actually need more affirmative individual actions? O'Hea made his choice right then and there to commit to his plans.
- "Rear Admiral, I'm afraid I can't comply with that order. My conscience requires me to bring the offensive to the Venterrans. We can't win this war by just running away."
- "So by becoming cannon fodder you'd win the war?! This isn't the Velutarian War, Commodore. We have enough martyrs as it is in our history."
- "Not necessarily, Admiral."
- "What?"
- "I may have an idea to defeat the enemy."
- "Care to explain, Commodore?"
- "All I can say over the comms is that I'm going to give the Venterrans a taste of their own mettle. I can't risk them intercepting it."
- "You understand I can't sanction this?"
- "I do, Sir. But I'd be more than happy to stand a court martial if I survive the battle."
- "Dammit, I can't hold you back from doing it lightyears away. I just hope you know what you're doing, Commodore."
- "We'll do our best. Admiral."
- "God's speed, Commodore."

Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor

(This post was last modified: 01-08-2022, 02:46 PM by Maverick.)

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19:42 shiptime,26/09/1620 PD
Bridge, HMS Mai Bhago, Cappadocia
Akali Squadron

Akali Squadron had just arrived in distant orbit around Cappadocia. The planet was subject to Venterran bombardment as the fleet had already destroyed all orbital defence systems. Even the communications satellites had been destroyed. The planetary shields were also at the brink of giving up and it was unsure what would follow once they dropped. Would the Venterrans invade the planet? Or destroy the colony from orbit? These were the questions that dreaded the Nova Romans on Cappadocia. The Venterran advance had caught up with them and they weren't able to flee. Despite the colony's planetary shields, they were overloading faster than expected and despair flooded the colony.
The squadron had been briefed of the plans and each ship's role in the past 10 hours. O'Hea had actually thought a strategy out to retake the planet. It was a daring plan, but only fate would reveal whether or not it would succeed. For conventional naval tactics like the ones used at Cornucopia had failed the Stoinians up until now. They had to switch to their wits to stand a chance. Especially when they were outnumbered 3 to 1 and severally outgunned. O'Hea stood up from his chair and wanted to waste no time.
- "Helmsman, how many ships?" O'Hea asked without any emotion.
- "28, Skipper. One Dreadnought and Six Cruisers. Rest are all Destroyers." Sub-Lieutenant Winters replied with a hearable tone of despair.
- "Coms, open a channel to the Squadron."
- "Channel open!"
- "All right, Akali Squadron this is it. We all know the drill. Stick to the plan and we'll make these bastards wish they never went through that wormhole. God's speed. Engage."
 

The short speech had eased off the tension on the crews. The Engineers had worked their asses off the past day and a half to actually make the ships battle-ready from their previous encounter at Dolina. Luckily, Stoinian ships were overengineered and among the sturdiest in the entire Sector. Functionality above all, was the principle that drove Stoinian military shipbuilding. While other civilizations expressed different ideas through ship design, be they fear-inducing daggers from a distant Ryccian Empire or a spiked elegant ships from the Drakari Celestial Imperium, Stoinians only did so for civilian ships. Military ships were built around the MAC cannons ever since their invention in the Velutarian War and O'Hea was going to utilize the ranged advantage they gave the Stoinians. Betting that the Venterrans in their arrogance wouldn't make micro-jumps and instead focus on the planet. The saying from Mother Terra stuck and O'Hea saw that he'd struck gold.
 

O'Hea looked at the holomap and saw that only a small portion of the Venterran Fleet was sent out to engage them. Another three ships headed out to protect the Venterran flank should the Stoinians press an offensive. As far as the Venterran Fleet Commander was concerned, the Stoinians were but a minor nuisance and Cappadocia was still the real prize. Their hubris will bring their own downfall. He thought.
- "Akali Squadron, maintain formation. All MAC cannons, fire at will!" He gave the order over the comms and the first volley of MAC rounds were fired as soon as the Venterrans changed their vectors towards the Stoinians.
The Mai Bhago, Karpa Barsha and Savage Nihang diverged to port while the Crested Porcupine pressed starboard with the Raj Kal & Avanesh Bhalar Cruisers protecting its port flank. The missile destroyer would play a major role and while it could unload its missiles by now, its arsenal would have to be spared for when the need truly came. All Stoinian starfighters were launched and sent to escort the Missile Destroyer Crested Porcupine and serve as an extra layer of point defence. The Cruisers and the port group unleashed volleys of their MAC rounds eliminating several smaller Venterran Destroyers. The Stoinians used their cannons longer range to picket off the Venterran ships when their weapons weren't yet in range. Unleashing large projectiles magnetically accelerated to a significant portion of the speed of light was one of the surest way the Stoinians dealt damage.
The battle was going well in the first minutes. Once the Venterrans arrived in their weapons' range however, O'Hea did something unexpected. The Mai Bhago changed its vector to the opposite orbit of the one the bombarding fleet was on. What seemed like a cowering move at first, would be revealed as a long term investment. While it drifted away from the battle, the Mai Bhago continued to fire volley after volley at the Venterran Cruiser which was heading towards Karpa Barsha and the Savage Nihang. 
Two Venterran Destroyers were flanking them and unloaded their missile volleys. The Venterrans were utterly convinced they'd eliminate the Stoinina Destroyers right then and there. Just as the missiles were to reach the kinetic shields, the two Destroyers opened their engines at full capacity and thrusted forwards with the ship's maximum acceleration of 644 G's. They flew between the Venterran Destroyers and headed towards the facing Cruiser coming their way while throwing the Venterran Destroyers into disarray. The missiles, of course, continued to follow their trail. Going towards the Cruiser they too unloaded their arsenal. The Support Cruiser Succour followed the Mai Bhago's orbit and one of the Venterran Destroyers was pursuing it. Meanwhile the two Cruisers escorted the Missile Destroyer further to starboard.
 

- "Mai Bhago, we need you to fire MAC rounds at our pursuing vessel." Commander Ye Zhen over the comms calmly, though with a hint of discomfort.
The young Qingese Officer now served as Acting Captain after Captain Jerah Jerayesh was killed in a rare bridge explosion. Support Cruisers weren't really meant to engage in direct combat. Despite the Succour's best efforts, the versatile Venterran Destroyers were now in range to fire upon them. O'Hea replied immediately.
- "Sucoour, we read you. We'll blow them to pieces no worries." O'Hea replied before turning to Lieutenant Commander Szilárd. "You heard her. Target those Destroyers and give them a proper salute from Mr. Faraday."
- "You got it, Skipper!" The Lieutenant Commander replied with a cheerful tone. It seems the favour of battle had changed the Officer's mood. O'Hea couldn't help but smile at the sight of it.
The Mai Bhago then used its thrusters to adjust for its orbit. When the ship was aligned, drifting off to its new orbit, and the battery crew was ready, a new volley of rounds were fired. Propelled by the magnetic laws of physics described by Faraday, the Venterran Destroyers took another volley of Meganewtons. After several rounds, their shields failed and the last volley pierced their hull. Letting it drift helplessly.
Just in time, the shields of the Venterran Cruiser had failed and the Savage Nihang and the Karpa Barsha flew right next to the hull of the Cruiser. Tens of seconds later, the Venterrans' own missiles and torpedoes blasted through Cruiser's hull and brought their allied ship down. The Stoinian crews cheered on as the battle moved into their favour. Ship by ship. The Mai Bhago fired its last MAC shots before Cappadocia would stand in the way. With the Cruiser eliminated by the port Destroyers, the Stoinians chipped off the remaining Venterran Destroyers in coordinated MAC strikes. While the Venterrans sent out more Destroyers to help the Cruiser, they didn't arrive in time and were promptly sniped from thousands of kilometres. The starboard group continued to diverge even further, but the pursuing Cruiser had reached the two escorting Cruisers, the Raj Kal and the Avanesh Bhalar, and set out to broadside both of them.
Meanwhile the Venterrans set a group of Destroyers to intercept the Mai Bhago. The Dreadnought also changed vectors towards the Stoinian Cruisers, finally giving them the worthy attention.
 

- "Bhago, this it the Bhalar. The Dreadnought is taking the bait. Looking mean and ugly with its two Cruisers and Three Destroyers accompanying her." Group Captain Terekhov commented on the situation.
- "Copy that Bhalar. Just stick to the plan and pick its escort off one by one. We'll finish them off once we go around Cappadocia." O'Hea reaffirmed his plan.
- "Will do. Bhalar, out."
- "Helm, hit the engines again. I want to speed our round trip." O'Hea ordered at his helmsman.
- "Aye, Skipper. Hope our thruster will hold." Sub-Lieutenant Winters answered.
- "They'll hold, Helmsman. They'll hold."
The Stoinians regrouped into a Main Battle Group under Group Captain Terekhov as the Dreadnought reversed orbit and set out to intercept them. Megatons of mass was to suddenly change course and it took time to do so. The Mai Bhago even fired up its engines to hasten its orbit. Meanwhile the Succour would use its advanced comm systems to keep the separated ships in contact with each other as Cappadocia's satellite network had been destroyed. The battle had lasted for 3 hours so far and it seemed fortune had indeed favoured the bold as about half of the Venterran Fleet was turned into orbital debris. The Mai Bhago however had no clue of the incoming Venterran Destroyers as the planet had blocked their sensors. They were flying blind and were in for a surprise.
 

- "Skipper, five Venterran Destroyers on intercept vectors!" Lieutenant Natalia Cornea, the Sensors Officer, alerted her CO as her screen flashed with five hostiles.
- "Just five?" O'Hea asked astonished.
- "Affirmative. Just five, Skipper." The Lieutenant reaffirmed her findings.
O'Hea pondered for a moment. Why wasn't the entire orbiting Venterran Fleet formed together? What could make them split o- Ah! The Venterran Destroyers must have been sent out earlier when the Mai Bhago diverted. The Venterran Fleet Commander must have ordered the Destroyers to eliminate his ship. At the time, the Commander must have been in his or her hubris as shown with the small portion of its fleet send out to engage the Stoinians. Meanwhile, the distance between the Destroyer group and the rest of the orbiting fleet must have expanded in such a way that the Destroyers were now all alone. Even if the orbiting remnant would alter course, it would take them just short of an hour to arrive at them. That was time enough.
- "All right, Lieutenant Commander. Prepare for another of Faraday's greetings." He said to Lt. Cmdr. Szilárd, the tactical officer.
- "Aye, Sir. Also arming missiles pods." Szilárd replied.
- "No! Keep them for when we meet the remnant group. Helm, keep the engines hot, we're going to do the same the Nihang and Barsha." He exchanged the orders to his Bridge Officers. They nodded and enjoyed the new cohesion their O'Hea seemingly showed for the first time. The crew was ready to face the Venterran Destroyers. Never surer of their actions in their joint career on the Mai Bhago.
Once the Venterran Destroyers appeared on the Mai Bhago's sensors, it set out to do the same trick the Savage Nihang and the Karpa Barsha had done. Eliminate the Destroyers with its MAC cannon, capture the Venterran missiles and torpedoes in its tail and deliver them to the remnant Venterran group.
The Main Battle Group had once again fired their MAC cannons to chip off the screens escorting the Dreadnought. Though once the Dreadnought's weapons were in range, it started to put a lot of pressure on the shields of the Stoinian vessels. On top of that, one of the Venterran Cruisers altered course to claim the kill on the Succour which had positioned itself away from the fight. The Stoinians were perplexed by this sudden change, but took the Venterran mistake as a boon to eliminate the other Cruisers escorting the Dreadnought.
 

Now that the Mai Bhago was fired upon by the Venterran Destroyers that survived its MAC volleys, it did the same trick as the Destroyers, firing up its engines and tailing the missiles and torpedoes. While spearheading to the next group of Venterrans that had circled around the planet, the Mai Bhago fired both forward and aft MAC cannons, chipping off the Destroyers both in front and at the rear of the ship. Giving the Venterrans volleys of Faraday salutes.
The Main Battle Group however, was now facing the Dreadnought. Their shields started to fail and the crew started to pray that the overengineering of their ships would now pay off. Meters upon meters of Titanium-A3 layering started to chip off as the Venterrans enveloped the Stoinian ships in rounds of plasma. The Crested Porcupine now also unleashed its arsenal of M58 missiles towards both the intercepting Cruiser and the Dreadnought.
 

The Venterran Cruiser that was pursuing the Succour was now completely out of the fighting. Out of range of both the Succour and the Main Battle Group. The Main Battle Group was now fighting against three larger Venterran ships and their ships took heavy hits. Meters of Titanium were chipped off from their hulls. Eventually, the Savage Nihang was the first Stoinian ship to suffer hull breaches. The battle at Dolina had eroded the true potential of their hull. Luckily, the ship continued to fight on as the crew was still safe due to the ships structure. The honeycomb internal skeleton of the ship would also prevent from the enemy eliminating their ship easily.
The Venterran Cruiser and starfighter escorts had succeeded in eliminating the Crested Porcupine before it could have unloaded all of its missiles. It was a blow in O'Hea's plan, but the situation could still be saved. 
 

Meanwhile the Mai Bhago succeeded in eliminating the remaining Venterran ships that had circled around. Her shields however had taken a hard hit and would surely fail once they would face the Dreadnought. Luckily, hundreds of missiles and torpedoes still were on its tail. It could neither accelerate nor decelerate too much now or the missiles would catch up on them.
- "Skipper, last Destroyer is making a run for it. Though it seems heavily damaged." Lieutenant Cornea notified O'Hea.
- "Tactical, are they still in range?" O'Hea asked Szilárd.
- "Only aft MAC canons, Skipper." Szilárd said as he smiled. O'Hea shared a short glance and merely nodded at him. "Proceeding with Faraday greeting protocols, Skipper."
Before the fleeing Destroyer could clear out from the debris, it was shattered to pieces by the Bhago's aft MAC cannons. Another encouraging action for her crew.
 

As ship systems all across the Main Battle Groupd failed, the missiles of the Crested Porcupine had dealt the killing blow to the two Venterran Cruisers. The Dreadnought's shields were still active, but had also taken a blow. In effort to save the larger group, the Savage Nihang set in on a ramming course of the Dreadnought's engines.
- "Nihang, what are you doing? Mekan, answer me!" O'Hea shouted over the comms as the Bhago was now back in communications range. He was already horrified by the Porcupine's loss.
- "I'm sorry, Commodore. Tens of decks are breached and we've lost the majority of our offensive systems have been disabled. I'm going to order an evacuation, Sir." Commander Vimal Mekan Singh replied as apparently the bridge suffered from fire outbreaks. The man coughed as the smoke began to fill the room due to the ventilation system failing.
- "Get to the escape pods, Mekan. Now!" O'Hea replied.
- "Just one more thing." Mekan tapped on the helms console. "All crew, this is the Commander speaking. The Nihang is set on an intercept course to the Dreadnought. All hands abandon ship. I repeat all hand abandon ship." He then turned back at O'Hea on the viewscreen. "Just make sure my Newtonian gift makes your plan count, Sir."
- "Dammit, you son-of-a-bitch. Abandon ship now!" O'Hea couldn't help but feel distress as he feared he'd lose another colleague again.
The comms brok off and the Nihang set of with ramming speed three minutes later. O'Hea unknowing if Mekan had left the ship or joined in its fate.
Sacrificing itself, the Savage Nihang brought down the Dreadnought's shields and propulsion systems. The rest of the Main Battle Groupe diverted power to engines and made sure they were out of range from the Dreadnought and the incoming missiles the Mai Bhago carried behind her.
With the Dreadnought now drifting in space, the Mai Bhago once again fired rounds of MAC cannons chipping away its hull. The Venterran Cruiser that had pursued the Succour now took the chance to flee as it was out of range of the Stoinian vessels. Its quest for blood had turned into the fleet's only surviving ship. They had to report what had happened here.
 

When the Mai Bhago was in range, her shields collapsed and grazed meters from the Dreadnought's hull. Unleashing the last killing blow by the weapons of its allies. The space debris now settled around Cappadocia and the Stoinians won their first victory in the war. The Stoinian crews cheered as they established contact with Cappadocia.
- "Skipper, dozens of escape pods are veering towards the planet after the Dreadnought's explosion." Lieutenant Cornea alerted her CO through the cheers of Bhago's crew.
- "Helm, get us in range to pick them up. Comms, contact them and see who made it." O'Hea quickly acted to not waste any more Stoinian lives than need be.
- "Setting course, Skipper." Sub-Lieutenant Winters replied.
- "Skipper, comms coming in from the escape pods... Commander Mekan, made it." Lieutenant MacCathain notified his CO.
O'Hea sat down while letting a heavy sigh. Even tilting his command chair backwards a little bit. He'd earned that little of relaxation now. His crew had performed excellently during the battle and they had found a new working cohesion. The battle had flared up a side within O'Hea he didn't know he had. He decided right there, within a single heartbeat, that this would be the new Commodore O'Hea from now. The crew had brought the best out of him.
- "Thank God... Notify Admiral Masaru and the 16th Fleet.

While the Nihang and the Porcupine were lost, a large portion of their crews had actually survived the battle. The crew stood in disbelief over the last six hours and the battle that had taken place. They had actually won. Not through overwhelming force, but through the correct application of each ship's specialization. All thanks to O'Hea's sudden imaginative stratagem and the overengineering of Stoinian shipbuilding had made this victory possible.
The Battle of Cappadocia became a rallying cry for the Stoinian Fleets which now were in position and encircled the Venterran Incursion. Like in the Velutarian War, superior tactics won the day. Though, naval commanders were surprised that such tactics had come from an unimaginative Officer as O'Hea. The Eirean had learned a trick or two from his crew and Akali Squadron had honoured the memory of its namesake. The tide of the war was about to change now, just like O'Hea's career as an Officer.

Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor

(This post was last modified: 01-08-2022, 02:46 PM by Maverick.)

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17:34 planetary capital time, 17/09/1620 PD,
CorDefCom HQ, Ascension Spire, Cornucopia

Häkkinen was in the Command Room again looking over the Venterran lines which had now circled around Ascension Spire. The spire's artillery cannons were wrecking havoc on the encroaching Venterran forces, but the Venterran aircraft had started to find gabs in their defences and they were slowly eliminating the spire's outer defences. Most of the civilian population was moved in the spire's underground bunkers just under the factories which had been installed by the Firebases of the Support Dreadnoughts. The other spires of Cornucopia faced the same problems, two of them had already been breached by Venterran forces and the fighting had intensified. As Häkkinen stared again over the holomap showing him that Venterrans had breached the defensive lines, it became clear that Ascension Spire would soon face the same fate as the other spires. This war was a dreadful one, but news would soon spread to Häkkinen that would likely shatter him.
- "Sir, incoming transmission from the Venterrans." Shouted Colonel Qiu Ruogang, the Officer in charge of communications. 
Häkkinen strolled towards the Colonel's console with a face that said it all. Leave me alone, I've got a goddamn war to win.
- "Well, what is it?"
- "Sir... It's..."
- "Whatever it is, you better tell me. The Venterrans are going to push against our last defensive lines before they are able to breach the Ascension Spire."
- "I'm sorry, Sir. The Venterrans have glassed Ignis."
- "What?!"
Häkkinen felt as if a stake had gone through his heart. The pain nearly paralyzed him. He needed to see confirmation. He pushed the Colonel away and saw the transmission sent out by the Venterrans. It showed Recklez on his bridge as he looked over a planet. Shockingly it was indeed Ignis and Häkkinen felt the stake twisting in his heart. As the Venterran plasma beams fried Ignis' crust, a tear came from Häkkinen's right eye. He knew the spot which was first targeted. It was the capital city Lahti where three of his children lived alongside his elderly parents. All wiped out in a single blight. The message then zoomed out, showing dozens of plasma beams fire on even the natural wonders of Ignis. His world was now on fire.
- "Sir, the Venterrans are launching their attack." Shouted one of the Officers, unknowing of the Field Marshal's current state of torment.
Häkkinen turned around. His eyes were visibly red from the pain and the Command Room fell silent. He sniffed one more time before stepping towards the holomap.
- "Then we'll keep fighting. We must hold the Ascension Spire's walls."
Häkkinen then held off the Venterran attack for one more week. What seemed like a sure victory at the time with what the Venterrans hoped to be a compromised Commanding Officer, turned into one of the fighting's most brutal carnages.

Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor

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Sometime Before the Glassing of Ignis

Colonel Devran Recklez sighed as he looked at the map of the Spires from his position on Point Obsidian. Venterran forces did well on the ground, but Stoinian aircraft were rather nimble avoiding the incoming orbital shells from the supporting warships above. The colonel knew that they only needed one more push to breach the enemy spires but things were complex on the ground with constant fighting making it difficult to create additional staging zones for incoming Venterran troops. However, despite this additional difficulty what truly gave the colonel a headache was the inability for his logistics corps to find suitable sites for additonal staging areas due to the constant destruction and shift in terrain. Recklez looked carefully looking for an ideal zone when he saw exactly what he was looking for, a large space presumably used as a market center. "If our troops could seize that position within the Spire City then our forces could establish a foothold and supply the Venterran push further into the spires." he muttered softly to himself. He then looked up to a Communications officer and said "Get the Himiko's revenge and inform Fleet Commander Kensei I might have found a staging ground to push further into their spire cities." the officer offered a terse salute to acknowledge his orders and began to contact the Venterran flagship when an explosion rocked the building suddenly crushing the comms officer and disabling the long range comms. 

"Status report!" roared the Colonel as his surviving officers slowly rose from the rubble. "Sir, outside troops reported that a stoinian bomber got lucky and dropped their payload nearby" "I see... can we restore long range communications and request air support?" "No sir. We may be able to replace them but we will need to travel to the nearest forward operating base to request replacements. In the meantime sir, I think we had best evacuate all non-essential personnel including officers from point obsidian until we can resecure our positions." The Colonel sighed but nodded in agreement, "Very well, we will evacuate Point obsidian until further notice." He then grabbed one of the wounded officers lying on the ground growling, "You're coming with me." and marched towards the exit. As he carried the injured officer to the exit, he used his personal comms to order outside troops to dispatch a ground troop transport carrier to evacuate the wounded and nonessential personnel. He then heard the familiar growl of a T-55, a venterran troop transport vehicle, and exited the door handing off the injured officer to the crew and gestured for the rest of the wounded and staff to follow them into the transport. 

As Recklez helped the injured into the T-55 he suddenly felt a pang of sharp pain and grabbed his chest and felt something warm and wet. The Colonel looked down to see his hand coated in blood and fell backwards towards the ground in shock. "Sniper!" A venterran trooper shouted as the garrison opened fired wildly hoping to suppress their unseen assailant and allow the rest of the injured onto the T-55s. The Colonel tried to say "Get the wounded on the T-55s" but all he could do in reality was cough up blood and struggle to remain conscious as he bled out. The Combat medics tried to reach the Colonel, but they too were suppressed by their unseen assailants. Until finally the Venterrans saw the glint of a stoinian scope and a Venterran Mardakii growled, "There they are! Open fire!" Point Obsidians troops continued to suppress the Stoinians as several other troops moved to cut the Stoinians off. By the time the Point Obsidians forces had neutralized the enemy stoinians it was too late for the colonel as the combat medics couldn't reach him before he bled out on the ground.

The Righteous Fury 48 hours before the glassing of Ignis

Fleet Commander Sagan Reklez was furious. One of his lesser fleets, the Fleet of Merciful intent, was lost in the battle over Cappadocia. Venterran engineering and their previous engagements had proven that Venterran ship building was far superior with Pryde's reckless maneuvers during the battle of Cornucopia proving the Stoinians needed at least five times as many ships to make it a fair fight in conventional combat.The Fleet Commander roared, "HOW?! HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!" repeatedly as his bridge crew slowly leaned into their seats to avoid drawing unwanted attention to themselves. The ship's SAI, Raf, looked on neutrally and waited for his captain to stop his tantrum before replying, "The Terrans were ingenius with their tactics utilizing an unforeseen flaw in our electronic countermeasure systems to create friendly fire incidents. Furthermore reports indicate that the fleet of merciful intent underestimated the Terrans before its destruction, sending their forces piecemeal instead of jumping straight into the fray with an in system jump. By the time the fleet had realized its mistake the situation was too late to remedy."

Recklez frowned but listened intently to the SAI's explanation and asked, "So if they were unable to exploit this flaw in the ECM then the Fleet of Merciful Intent would have been on top?" "I believe so, Captain." the SAI responded, causing the Fleet Commander to grin, "I see, so then if the enemy were unable to use our own weapons against us then we are superior! But the fleet of merciful intent must be avenged. Plot a course for Cappodacia! We will glass their settlements and take their resources for the Federati-" "Um... Sir Recklez," A bridge comms officer spoke up, "there's an incoming transmission from Fleet Commander Kensei. Should I patch it through?" "Kensei? What the hell does he want?" growled Recklez confused by the sudden transmission "I'm not sure sir, but it sounded urgent." replied the comms officer "Very well patch it through."

The Fleet commander said dismissively, as a prerecorded message by Fleet Commander Akira Kensei was displayed, "Recklez, since you're the next of kin, I regret to inform you that your brother Colonel Devran Recklez was shot and killed by Stoinians during the battle of Cornucopia. Our troops were able to recover the body and in accordance with the traditions of the Venterran federation will return him to his next of kin for burial rites. However, because you are in the midst of combat, I have elected to send the Colonel back to the Recklez estate where your family can conduct the proper rites. I am sending this prerecorded transmission to both you and Commander Mayfeld so that you two can discuss your departure back to Venterran space to attend your brother's funeral." The transmission ends as Recklez's heart sinks and his eyes water with rage. "Sir?" the comms officer called out sympathetically, but Recklez doesn't pay attention.

"My brother dead?! no... No.... NOO!!!" Recklez cried out as his anger and grief consumed him, his men, initially concerned for their commanding officer soon began to fear for their lives as they remembered the last time Fleet Commander Recklez lost his temper murdering several bridge crew and abusing his authority to label the murders as summary executions for a list of imaginary crimes. The SAI spoke up, "Captain! Commander Recklez, I understand that the loss of your relative is a devastating blow but we are in a combat zone sir. If you are unable to command please retire to your quarters and grieve while we chart a course back to Cornucopia." "NO! I'll not take orders from a Computer! Helmsman chart a course to the nearest Terran world! I will glass the surface of their planets into charred glass! And Let the Terran Filth watch in despair as their precious worlds become uninhabitable one by one!"

"My apologize Commander, but I have a suggestion for a target." said Raf "Speak Computer." growled the angry Fleet Commander "The enemy commander on Cornucopia was one Field Marshal Valto Häkkinen, a native of the planet Ignis" responded Raf coldly "So Häkkinen is the one responsible for murdering my Kin!" "No sir, that would be the-" "Silence Computer! Helmsman chart a course to Ignis and have the fleet follow. We will glass this terran's home and give him a fraction of the taste of what he has done to my clan and I!" The helmsman could only respond with a nervous "Aye Sir," as furiously charted the fastest course to Ignis as he feared that charting a slower course would cost him his life. As soon as he finished charting the course the Fleet Commander ordered the fleet to jump into Slip Space.

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(This post was last modified: 01-09-2022, 12:33 AM by Imperial Frost Federation.)

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Orbit above Ignis

The Fleet of Righteous Fury swept away the Terran resistance quickly and ruthlessly. Unlike the Fleet of Merciful intent that had made the mistake of underestimating the Stoinians, the Fleet of Righteous Fury hammered any Terran warships that had remained to fight and dispatched boarding parties to exterminate the crews of surviving stoinian ship.  Fleet Commander Recklez issued the order that no quarter was to be given to the enemy in direct violation of Fleet Commander Mayfeld's own orders to take prisoners for study. However, the Fleet of Righteous Fury was loyal to Recklez and their crews sought to please their Commander with the blood of the Terrans. Once the fleet secured the space above Ignis, Recklez ordered his fleet to bombard the planet until their shields broke, "Their final sight will be the wrath of Venterra" grumbled the Fleet Commander as he made preparations to glass the homeworld of the Terran Field Marshal.

"Computer you will record this transmission and spread the sight of the destruction of this dirt ball so that Häkkinen will taste a fraction of the grief I feel for his murder of my brother." The SAI attempted to speak"Sir he-" "HE IS RESPONSIBLE AND YOU WILL OBEY!!! OR I REPLACE YOU WITH A MORE COMPLACENT COMPUTER" Roared Recklez his anger mounting beyond the boiling point. The SAI appeared to sigh in resignation and replied robotically, "Your wish is my command. You may speak when ready sir."

The Fleet Commander grunted and spoke, "In accordance with the way of Venterra I,  Sagan Recklez, bestow upon this Terran filth, a thousand suns to avenge my kin. My kin of Venterran heart and my own blood. Field Marshal Häkkinen, you've killed my brother on your prison-world of Cornucopia and for that you'll face my vengeance. Watch your homeworld as I shall make you suffer the same pain as I, laying waste to Ignis and your family. Their tears shall forever be crystallized in the glass of this world. A fate I will bring to all you Terran scum."

Recklez then signals for the Fleet to begin glassing the planet targetting their planetary capital and soon engulfing the entire planet in a blaze of radioactive plasma.

Somewhere in Stoinian Space, Fleet of Divine Wrath

Fleet Commander Rath al Pryde grimaced as he paused his own campaign to hunt for Courvousier after receiving the transmission from Recklez depicting the full glassing of the Terran World of Ignis. He had pushed into what their enemies had called the Rhodesian sector and had finally received a challenge, when one of his lesser fleets was rebuffed by a Stoinian armada, but things had changed with the destruction of Ignis. Now Pryde and the rest of his fleet needed clarification on their operating parameters. Partial glassing, or the destruction of population centers from orbit was the norm for the Appraisal fleets operations to land troops to occupy a planet, but glassing entire worlds was different. That was the standard of the great purge. 'Has the Appraisal Fleets moved from Appraisal to purging without informing me' he thought concerned, "Io, were you given new directives on our conduct with the Terrans?" "No captain, our orders remain the same. Eliminate Terran resistance, keep prisoners of war alive for study and to collect intelligence on the 'Stoinian Star kingdom'." replied Io. Pryde muttered, "I see, then.." his words trailing off as he became lost in thought. "Captain if I may," Io asked bringing the Fleet Commander back into reality, "Go ahead" he replied tersely, "Thank you sir, it is my belief that Commander Recklez acted recklessly ignoring his directives and glassing the entire planet was caused by the death of Colonel now Major General Devran Recklez on the Planet Cornucopia." "Right, I'm guessing the Venterran navy has already processed the late Col- I mean Major General's death since they gave him the customary posthumous promotion." replied Pryde "Indeed sir, Fleet Commander Kensei has informed the next of kin and has sent a transport ship for the Recklez estate to pick up the Majory General for funeral rites." said the SAI. 

Pryde then sighed as he started to regret to what he was about to say, "I know we've finally gotten a challenge with one of our lesser fleets being bested by a Stoinian Armada, but we must return to Cornucopia and convene a full meeting with the other fleet commanders. It's clear that our operating parameter's have changed with Recklez's decision to glass a Terran world entirely and so we'll need to summon the other fleet commanders to be on the same page. I know you all want to test our mettle against that Stoinian Armada (the bridge crew chuckle in response with some shouting 'indeed') in addition to supporting my hunt for the Terran Admiral Courvousier, but that must be placed on hold. The last thing the fleet of Divine wrath needs is to be kept out of the loop and risk events that untenable for the fleet. So I hope you'll forgive the brief delay in continuing to test our mettle against a proper foe." The bridge crew salute their ship's captain and set about their tasks recharting a course back to Cornucopia as Pryde dispatched the following message "Fleet Commanders I wish to reconvene to strategize our next moves and conduct for the duration of the Appraisal war."

Pryde then sent the following message to Mayfeld, "Fleet Commander Mayfeld, I understand that Fleet Commander Recklez was under significant mental stress resulting from the loss of his loved one, but that does not excuse his actions over Ignis. There is No Honor in what Fleet Commander Recklez has done. Major General Recklez was a casualty of war and one whose death would have been avenged on the battlefield. I understand we have discretion over how much of a planet we can glass, but I and from I can tell Fleet Commander Yamraiha have declined to glass entire worlds. Instead we have largely limited ourselvest to glassing population centers to support ground operations in smash and grab operations throughout Terran space. Commander, I hope you share my sentiments in hearing what that Reckless fool has to explain why Glassing the Terran World of Ignis was beneficial to the overall Appraisal of these Terrans. This is Fleet Commander Pryde over and out." he then sent the transmission to Mayfeld unware that the contents of the message remained unencrypted.

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(This post was last modified: 01-09-2022, 12:36 AM by Imperial Frost Federation.)

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09:18 shiptime, 7/11/1620 PD
Admiral's Command Room, HMS Manticore,
Tenerife, Core Sector

King Andrei entered the Admiral's Command Room of his personal flagship, the HMS Manticore. A dreadnought that had served directly under him from the Butchering of Velutaria through the First Mardakii Crusade. She was a majestic ship Andrei had grown fond of. She might not be the biggest and toughest ship in the Stoinian Navy, but she executed the needs of her King flawlessly. The newly retrofitted Admiral's Command Room had been a new sight he still had to adjust to as he sipped from his morning tea. As he tasted the fine Earl Grey, he activated the holomap. The Joint Fleet with the Treecuu had given the Stoinians holographic technology and proved to be a much intuitive tool to project space combat once you understood the basics. He looked over the projection of the current lines of the Venterran Incursion, which by now had been declared the Second Mardakii Crusade.
By now the Venterran Incursion had been stabilized and the defensive lines were formed. The Venterrans were able to make significant gains due to their larger attack fleets compared to the smaller Stoinian fleets that scattered after Corvousier was overwhelmed by the Venterran Fleets. Though the fleets long range tactics had given the Stoinians some advantages, but wasn't enough to compensate for their outgunned situation. The Stoinians had amassed a large fleet to fend off the Venterrans instead of mobilizing to more strategic defensive positions. In hindsight however, that wouldn't have mattered really. The nearby ships weren't with enough numbers to hold off the Venterran fleets even if more reinforcements had arrived in time. The Cornucopian Defence Fleet had been 6.800 strong and the Venterran Fleets amassed a number of roughly 25.000 in total according to intelligence estimations. That was a number even tactics used in instances at Cappadocia could have won and the first battle was a blow to the Stoinian Navy with a loss of 4.000 ships. One thing was certain however. When the war was over, the Navy's positioning would have to change to prevent any sort of Incursions to happen again.
King Andrei tapped on his console to activate the intercom while viewing the Venterran Incursion on the holomap.
- "Captain Ivanova, prepare the ship to leave within two hours. My gut tells me I'll get top brass all in line today."
Andrei smiled as he realized he had referred to himself as top brass. Normally the term would be used by lower ranking grunts and officers. He was sure it would cheer up his Captain in the morning routine. Captain Susan Stepanovna Ivanova was a fierce lady that ran the King's own ship tightly. She had the same flare as a Marine Drill Sergeant would have. She once berated to some technicians: "'Ivanova is always right. I will listen to Ivanova. I will not ignore Ivanova's recommendations. Ivanova is God. And if this ever happens again, Ivanova will personally rip your lungs out." It had become the unofficial mantra of the Manticore and Andrei could appreciate such martial fire in his crew.
- "Aye, Captain. We'll be ready once you give the call." Ivanova replied sternly as ever.
Andrei then saw his communications console bleep. The Grand Admiralty was checking in for their strategic meeting. Andrei hoped their final plans for Operation Centropia would come to fruition now.
- "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen." Andrei replied with his baritone voice.
The 13 Grand Admirals replied to their liege as their rank would require it. Andrei wished to not spend unnecessary time on small pleasantries and directed the meeting straight into the stratagem required to win this war.
 

- "Grand Admiral Vir, I must compliment you on your recent offensive. I'm sure the colonies of Vesta and Caelestis appreciate you intervened before the planetary shields fell. Though me must discuss the final details of our attack. We can't let the Venterran Fleets beyond our lines and must press the offensive."
- "I agree with the sentiment, Sir. But wouldn't that invite an attack from the back. It poses a clear opportunity for the Venterrans." Grand Admiral Rhayna Arnolds replied. She may not have been involved in the Operation and stationed in the Qingese Sector now, but she still was a valuable member of the meeting.
- "Not if we circle our fleets while advancing. We have to numbers to do so. Careful and strategic manoeuvring on the colonies will draw them away. Once I make my position known, Pryde and his fleet will come looking for me. That much is given." Grand Admiral Corvousier replied. He had made that Fleet Commander a promise and he would give the bastard what he wanted.
- "Grand Admirals. We have roughly 70.000 ships dedicated to our offensive. We've waited long enough. We have the numbers and guns to push the Venterrans back straight to Cornucopia. If we circle our fleets around as Corvousier suggested numerous times, our victory is guaranteed." Strategos Hague called out against the stalling of the other Grand Admirals. This was a war within core Stoinian territory and they'd need to act accordingly. 
Andrei nodded at Strategos Hague. They were on the same page and formed a driving duo between the Grand Admirals.
- "Agreed. We've been over this and initial analysts agree with us. The time to start with Operation Centropia is now. Once Grand Admiral Corvousier launches an attack through Miracle, Gnarvis and Perth, the Venterrans will drawn out towards him. Then Grand Admiral Harrington and Vir push forward again to Corvousier's offensive scrambling the ships between fleets to keep Corvousier hidden. Meanwhile I and Winton launch raids from the Elysium and Core Sector targeting bombarding Venterran fleets. When we eliminate those fleets we turn back to our side of the border. They're already disorganized as it it." King Andrei elaborated on the strategy.
- "We kick them in the butt and you give them migraine. A sound plan, Sir. The Venterran Fleets do seem disorganized and have different objectives. We attack now and they'll likely further diverge instead of forming a combined front." Grand Admiral Vir affirmed the King's plans.
- "Or finally gives them a motive to unite." Grand Admiral Boxleitner sneered.
- "Unlikely. Intelligence reports confirm that the scattered fleets have different tactics to achieve their goals. Hell, not all Commanders order a glassing on a harmless planet." Strategos Hague replied with a begrudging tone. 
- "Indeed, the fleets have different goals. Pryde and Yamraiha seem to be on a hunt and scout mission. Kensei hasn't left the Cornucopia system while Recklez and Mayfeld occupy the incursion zone. While I understand the reservations that the raiding fleet may come for our butts, incoming fleets should be able to prevent them from doing any harm. The plan is sound and it'll succeed." Grand Admiral Harrington replied as the menacing lady she's always been when it came to fighting the enemies of the Kingdom. Her Death Squadron in the Velutarian War proved to show that Harrington wasn't someone that fooled around.
- "I do still worry about our tactics to engage the Venterrans. At short range their weapons are deadlier than what we've faced in the Velutarian War." Corvousier replied.
- "Split your forces," King Andrei replied "Use half of your larger ships to snipe them from a distance while the bulk jumps closer to the Venterran fleet. Immediately opening fire on them and entice them. That way they'll be drawn into battle while we still maintain our long range advantage."
 - "I agree, but Mayfeld has proven to be an adaptable fellow. He won't fall for such contraptions." Grand Admiral Pyke voiced his concerns. The man had created a formation that was named after him and was seen by many as an expert tactician.
- "Mayfeld does indeed raise concerns, but alterations in tactics may prove useful. I suggest we give tactical liberties to our Captains. Especially the Cheunh officers as their way of thinking is more calculated. It will throw off even the most experienced Venterran Commanders." Strategos Hague affirmed his stance.
- "Indeed, perhaps we should advise with the Kontauri as well? They could have a fresh look on space combat unlike us." King Andrei suggested and was met with different glares. Ranging from supportive, to outright disappointment.
- "By God, Sir. The primitives barely have any experience with space travel and now you want them to dictate our strategy?" Grand Admiral Clarke replied. The man came straight from the Tozorian Corridor and firmly denied any positive aspects of primitive species.
- "Not our strategy, just the tactics. Don't judge so hastily, they might surprise you, Clarke." Hague answered Clarke's question.
- "Or we give them enough intel to finally form a rebellion. The only people we can truly trust is us Terrans. Stoinian history has proven it." Grand Admiral Ironheart sided with Clarke.
- "In case you have forgotten, the Venterrans ARE Terrans." King Andrei replied "We're in a premiere of our history. We have to adapt to our enemy or we will fail."
- "Studies have shown that there are significant alterations, Sir." Corvousier interjected. "Ever since Cornucopia, I've monitored our scientists analyses on Venterran bodies. However, it is beside the point."
- "I assure you we'll figure their origins out once we settle at a table with them for peace. Now back to the offensives..." King Andrei dragged the conversation back to the point.
For two more hours the Grand Admirals, Strategos and King debated on all types of strategies. From attacking tactics to fallback positions and readjustments in weaponry to prevent the Venterran mistakes at Cappadocia to happen to their own ships. All in all Operation Centropia was finalized and the order was given. Stoinian fleet set out to recapture systems or raid the fleets supporting their war efforts. However, it would all happen in a disorderly pattern that would take the Venterran Fleet Commanders a headache while they adapted to the moving frontlines and new tactics. It was time the Stoinians brought their ancestral start back under their banner and as their anthem would say: "Our Proud Lion roars once more!"

Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor

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