| [IC] Tunnel of Contest |
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Disclaimer: This thread at times will brutal and graphic because it is about a very very bloody war. Although not all posts contain graphic description, some of them do. You have been warned.
Cornucopia System, Klendin A, The Hoffman Klendin was an ice giant of the Cornucopia system. Far away from the metropolitan Stoinian world booming with trade and commerce. However during a recent probe survey to locate new resources on Klendin's first moon, strange subspace readings were recorded in orbit of the moon. These readings weren't discovered during the early charting of the Cornucopia system and appeared to come from nowhere. The scientists couldn't make heads or tails from probe's readings. It was like nothing they had seen before. The corporate higher ups wanted answers and so invested in a scientific mission to answer their uncertainties. They hired top scientists from Cornucopian Planetary University and set them on a mission to reveal the mystery of the probe's data. The Hoffman was a small scientific vessel, an AriesCorp Corporate-class cruiser, equipped with sensors for their mission. ![[Image: Cruiser.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/j2FqC4VM/Cruiser.png) The Hoffman. The Captain of the ship was Cosmin Leonard, a veteran freighter captain for Smith Mining Corporation. This mission was nothing like his normal job, but the pay was good and that was good enough for him. He sat in his captain's chair and smoked a cigar to counter his impatience with these higher folk who called themselves professors. "Professor Middleton, do your fancy instruments pick up anything yet?" Professor Lynn Middleton was amongst the most praised astrophysicists of Cornucopia. She had jumped on the chance to get some more fieldwork and leave the halls of her university for once. "Perhaps if you studied them more you'd know it yourself." "Lady, we both know that's above my paygrade." "A pity. Science really is a fascinating subject." Cosmin rolled his eyes. He was set out to make a simple living for himself not some sort of grand understanding of the universe. He wanted to make it clear to the professor, but he knew it wouldn't matter much and so continued to puff from his cigar. "Hold on... Preliminary data is coming in... These are strange readings indeed. It seems that the initial space-time distortion ahs increased. But how?" Cosmin continued to puff from his cigar. The professor and her team were working on the data and disturbing them wouldn't result in a productive working environment. As far as he was concerned, this was a easy job. Collect and come back, nothing more, nothing less. However after half an hour of scientific debate, the professor's team had come to a consensus. They would need to arrange the deflector to emit a large magneton pulse towards the distortion. "Captain, I believe we may have stumbled unto a wormhole. We'd need to rearrange the deflector to emit a large magneton pulse to open the wormhole. When can we expect it to be ready?" Cosmin blew out the last of his smoke towards the professor. She didn't like the gesture, but was in no position to comment on it. "I'm sure the crew can handle it in an hour. Hell, I'll even let you join in on the fun as well. Coordinate with Chief Ugarte." "Thank you Captain." With that the scientist worked together with the ship's engineers and modified the deflector to emit a magneton pulse. When it was ready, the science team fired the magneton pulse. It was in that moment that something magnificent opened up the wormhole. It was magnificent to look at, as if it were a reverse black hole. The science team reviewed their data and they couldn't believe it. The wormhole was stable and there were no severe subspace fluctuations. The science team cheered and laughed as they realized the scope of their findings. This was unprecedented, a gateway to another part of the galaxy with near instantaneous travel! Surely they would eventually find a way to artificially create it and make Warp Field Drive obsolete. ![[Image: Untitled.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/rFx7D9Lz/Untitled.png) The wormhole opening after the magneton pulse.
"Professor, did we just find the gates towards heaven or what?"
Cosmin was dumbstruck about what just happened and hypnotized by the beauty of the wormhole. If he knew about this, he would have dropped the pay for this job, for the beauty was deserving enough. "No Captain, it appears to be the first stable wormhole. This is completely unprecedented, we have to prepare to go inside of it." The professor was ecstatic, but the Captain didn't share her enthusiasm. "That's out of the question! We don't know what lies beyond there. Perhaps it was closed for a reason." "Captain, you don't understand the scientific importance of this discovery. It shows that many of our theories were in fact ri..." The Captain interrupted her. "Mrs. Middleton! For all we know on the other side await dozens of Velutarians. We won't proceed until we have support from the military. We can't risk another first contact war." The Captain had made his point. Perhaps she was blinded by the scientific miracle that had just happened and the Captain saw things more realistically. Regardless of what she thought, the Captain was right. They alerted military authorities and within three hours a squadron was there to escort them. They then proceeded to go through the wormhole. They were taken away by beauty of the inside. It was indeed otherworldly and no Stoinians could have imagined it before. A weird congregation of blueish clouds formed the subspace tunnel. After three hours of travel in the wormhole they had exited the other end of the wormhole. This was uncharted space. The professor was already dreaming of missions of exploration and scientific experiments on the wormhole. Her plans were cut short as the military squadron forced them to return. A ban on solitary travel was also enforced, military escorts were required for any travel through the wormhole and exploratory mission were put on a halt for now. The scientific community was outraged, but the military wanted to ensure their safety for a first contact situation wasn't ruled out. High Command decided that the exploration of the other end of the wormhole would fall to Grand Admiral Corvousier and initiate first contact with whomever was on the other end. The Joint Stoinian-Treecuu Exploratory Fleet had embarked to uncharted space. For now the task would be up to the Old Dreadnought. One week later, Cornucopia System, H.M.S. Eternity Grand Admiral Corvousier had finally arrived Saint Alexis. It had taken him a while to prepare this operation and took the whole 65th Fleet with him. As five hundred ships made their final calibrations for a smooth ride through the wormhole, the Grand Admiral was visited by professor Middleton. He sat on his chair in his ready room as the door chimed. "Enter." The eager and young professor entered the room. Corvousier wasn't too impressed by her and continued to smoke from his pipe. "Please have a seat." "Thank you, Mr. Corvousier." "Pleasure is mine, Mrs. Middleton. Now tell me, you wanted to install some new sensors to the Eternity?" "Yes, these instruments will help us identify the properties of the wormhole. That way we can triangulate where the wormhole leads exactly. From the star density we gathered when we first entered it, it should be around the same distance from the galactic core as we are. As of yet that is our only clue. Our mapping systems are affected by the wormhole in some manner and we hope to eliminate the interference to finally gather the exact location of the wormhole entry points." "I see, how long will these sensors take to install?" "Oh about an hour, we took the liberty of calibrating it beforehand." The Grand Admiral looked sternly at her, she began to stress as her face became redder. He wanted to test her for a bit, though he figured he had made her uncomfortable enough. However he smiled as he had good news for her. "Very well Mrs. Middleton. You may proceed. It will be a while before the fleet will be ready and I'm sure we can work in the interest of science in the meantime." The professor was overjoyed and gasped a breath of happiness. "Thank you Mr. Corvousier. This means so much to us. I can't tha..." "On one condition." The professor was surprised. Had she spoken too soon? "You and your crew will leave the ship before we leave for the wormhole. We're going into potential hostile territory and I don't want to unnecessary civilian casualties. Our ships operate with skeleton crews as is. Am I clear?" "Yes Grand Admiral. As you wish." "Good, hopefully we will get the results you're looking for." "We all do Sir." The following three hours might have been the longest of Corvousier's life. He felt a certain uneasiness about this mission and by now he had learned to trust his instinct. It was because of them that he was able to survive the Velutarian War for so long. Awaiting the final moments of the preparations he made a promise to himself. Whatever we find on the other side. I won't allow another war. With those words he entered the wormhole with his fleet. The Cornucopian Defence Fleet was also alerted of the situation and forces were ready for anything. The instruments of professor Middleton proved to work as intended and the mapping systems of the Eternity weren't affected by wormhole radiations. Finally after the long ride they had arrived in uncharted territory and he set out an audio-visual message on an open subspace channel for all to hear. "This is Grand Admiral Corvousier of the Stoinian Star Kingdom. We have travelled here through a wormhole and we come in peace. We wish you no harm and come here to open diplomatic relations. We will remain here in this position for the coming week, that should be long enough time for anyone to respond to our calls. If we don't receive any messages by then we will start to explore this uncharted space. I repeat we come in peace. Corvousier out." The Stoinian fleet then took a dispersed defensive formation surrounding the Grand Admiral's superdreadnought. Whatever would happen next, they would be ready for it. Unbeknownst to them, they had just entered Venterran space and their actions would influence to course of history. Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Azmersk's Grave, Wako System
Azmersk's Grave (formerly known as Azmersk IX) was a dead world, a reminder of the Venterran Federation's greatest failure in the last millennia and a warning to the Terrans within "Venterran space". The debris field of the dead world orbited a dormant Quantum rift that had formed as a result of the Anti-Piracy mission that later became known as the Wako Incident. The System was abandoned after the Venterran navy left hidden surveillance probes to monitor the dormant rift. The Venterran High command believed that the rift would never be opened and that outside of a handful of ships all hands were lost in the incident. However, to the surprise of the High Command the probes began to relay strange readings... Wako Monitoring Station, Avdullah System The Crew of the Wako Monitoring Station (WMS) were in shock. They had just watched one of their probes witness the Rift stabilize into a wormhole as a squadron of unknown vessels entered the system briefly before returning to the void. The station was abuzz with rumors as the crew wondered aloud if these unknown ships were crewed by the pirates' descendants or a new unknown threat. The commander of the Station, Azma Kahn, replayed the footage of the unknown vessels in his office and shook his head. "SAI Hjelm," He said calling out to the station's AI, "Dispatch an encrypted message to both the Ceres Council and Venterran High Command, and request for further instructions." The AI's voice could be heard briefly responding, "understood sir, dispatching now..." The commander then turned on the PA system and spoke, "Attention all hands of the WMS. I understand that there are many of you who are worried, but today we witness history. A birth of a new wormhole and a possible first contact with a new civilization. However, despite these joyous news, the system they originate from is concerning. Wako! The greatest thorn in our side. Home to a Terran colony that was glassed 11,000 years ago. Home of the old pirates that harassed our fleets, and the site of our greatest failure in recent history. We have done our duty to observe the system so that it may not threaten us. Now it is time for the Federation Fleet to do its job and deal with this unknown. Together we will continue to our duty and record the events that will unfold before us." The commander then signed off as the crew's morale slowly rose with a flurry of activity to ensure that the Federation wouldn't be caught unware again. One Week Later, Fleet of Merciful Restraint, (82nd Venterran Strike Fleet) The news of a potential resurgent threat from the Wako spooked the Ceres Council and the Venterran Federation after 400 years of relative peace. Though the Federation didn't believe in borders the possible threat to their member planets was enough for the council to place their authority with the VFHC and Federation Navy whose ruthless military doctrine ensured that none within their corner of the galaxy would threaten their hegemony. The VFHC, bolstered by the continued intelligence from the WMS dispatched the Fleet of Merciful Restraint, led by Fleet Admiral Ix Mayfeld to the WMS, where it would jump directly to the Wako system as soon as the probes would detect activity from the new Wormhole. They didn't wait long as WMS detected 500 ships leave the Wormhole. Mayfeld grinned as the order came down to intercept the unknown fleet. "It's about time." He said before activating the comms to speak to the fleet, "Comrades, We are go for interception. Vanguard Vessels prepare to jump on my mark, on 3...2...1... Go!Go!Go!" The Fleet of Merciful Restraint's vanguard of "500" Dreadnaughts lurched forward into slip space as the main Fleet remained behind as a reserve force. 1 hour later The space 100 kilometers away from the Stoinian crackled to life. The distortion was barely noticeable in the inky black void as it continued to crackle and shift matter forming a small sphere the size of a baseball. The small sphere then seemingly collapsed in on itself before it released a violent shockwave expanding at an incredible rate before stabilizing as a large sphere. This phenomenon repeated itself several hundred times simultaneously as Massive warships slowly materialized into real space. Fleet Admiral Mayfeld listened to the Stoinian message as his Flag Ship, the Hand of Mercy, took its position in the center of the dreadnaught formation. As the message finished Mayfeld could feel his hearts beat faster as he recognized the language spoken by the Stoinians, one taught by the Venterran Military as a dead language of an enemy, the Terrans, "Stoinians? They look rather familiar.... Are they another humanoid species like the True Venterrans, Adopted Venterrans, or were they Terran Mimics? Ai, open Audio Channels only. I don't know how these Stoinians will react to the presence of Venterrans*." "Understood Admiral, opening Audiochannels." replied Ai. The Admiral sighed as he brushed up on his knowledge of the language and spoke, "Attention. Grand Admiral Corvousier and Stoinian Kingdom Vessels. This is the Venterran Federation Fleet of Merciful Restraint. You are trespassing In Venterran space. Return back into the void and we shall not harm you. This is your only warning."
Just call me Frost
Roleplayer, Former member of the Pool of Justices King of the Hill
Wako System,
H.M.S. Eternity The waiting lasted mere hours before a response arrived. Tensions quickly rose as the slipspace ruptures revealed themselves. Panic raged across the many bridges of the Stoinian ships as they recognized the readings. They were nearly identical to Velutarian FTL and the most experienced crews knew those readings all too well. Corvousier was taken by surprise as even the Eternity was taken into red alert as. His display showed the enemy fleet as well and he recognized those readings. From his command room he opened a channel to the bridge and the whole fleet. "Captain Carneiro and the entire fleet, stand down. We haven't yet identified if they are indeed Velutarian. Their ships have different configurations and we can't presume they are Velutarian." "Sir, audio-visual message coming through." The fleet stood down, though the energy surge of charging their weapons would certainly be detected by the enemy forces. Due to Corvousier's quick reactions the surge only lasted until the message came through. Corvousier couldn't believe his eyes. There were other Terrans out here? Why would they be so militant towards us? "Com, open a channel." "Open, Sir." "This is Grand Admiral Corvousier to Venterran Fleet. We have no intention to trespass your territory, but we would like to open diplomatic relations. Given the nature that we now are neighbours to the wormhole, the Stoinian government would like to initiate first contact protocols with your government. It's also good to see fellow Terrans out here. Corvousier out." The Stoinian fleet maintained its vigilant formation and their close proximity to the wormhole meant they had an easy escape route if things went sour. Corvousier hoped for the best, but the Stoinian crew remained ready for battle at yellow alert. All ranks were now sweating for what was to happen next. Would there be war or not... Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Wako System, Fleet of Merciful Restraint Vanguard
Fleet Admiral Ix Mayfeld sighed as he replayed the message from the Stoinian fleet. "Terrans.... So... They've finally returned from the grave...." muttered the Admiral. The bridge crew looked up at their Admiral with concern as his face darkened. Mayfeld looked at his AI assistant, Jun, and spoke firmly, "Launch all Fighters and inform the fleet that they are free to engage the Terran threat." Jun responded, "Understood sir, the Fleet has been authorized to engage the Terrans." The Fleet of Merciful Restraint's Vanguard fighters left their hangars screaming into the void towards the Stoinian Warships. The Fleet's capital ships opened fire with their railguns and plasma cannons towards the ships closest to Wormhole as the fleet of Merciful Restraint moved to engage the Stoinians. As the First volley was fired, Admiral Mayfeld calmly ordered the fleet to, "Cut off their escape routes and do not allow them to call for reinforcements. We will secure this Worm hole for the protection of the Federation."
Just call me Frost
Roleplayer, Former member of the Pool of Justices King of the Hill
Wako System,
H.M.S. Eternity God damn it! What in God's name are these Venterrans doing? The Stoinian vessels returned fire as well. Though confusingly enough they used the same weaponry they did. It became clear that the large railguns targeted the smaller Stoinian destroyers as they were in a dispersed formation. Corvousier was quick to react to and commanded the fleet. "All ships withhold fighters. Regroup we're going back into the wormhole. Eternity maintain position and provide cover. Launch corvettes as well1 Fleet Sections Alpha and Gamma provide anti-fighter support for the retreating vessel." With those orders, the Stoinian formation began to tighten and vessels started the head towards the wormhole. The retreating ships from the centre had reached the wormhole and began their evacuation. Destroyers from the outer formations were cut to pieces and even cruisers were starting to take a beating. As the Venterran fighters arrived the Fleet Sections designated to fight them held the line. But as the Venterran fleet now fired their railguns on the protective Fleet Sections it became clear they couldn't stand for much longer. The Eternity had launched its compliment of corvettes which helped with the protection against the Venterran fighters and progressed to the wormhole as well. The 5 km long superdreadnought was now taking the brunt of the Venterran fire as it covered the retreating vessels. Its shields went down, but the hard materials and sturdy Stoinian engineering allowed it to leave the wormhole as the last Stoinian ship. Now the Stoinian had time to catch their breath. Grand Admiral Corvousier opened his channel toward the War Council. "Hostile nation known as the Venterran Federation has engaged us. Inhabitants seemed Terran in origin and are highly territorial. Pending their next move to see if they follow us through the wormhole." Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Wako System, Fleet of Merciful Restraint Vanguard
Mayfeld grimaced as he watched the Stoinian fleet retreat back into Wormhole. The bridge crew paying no mind to their Admirals foul mood cheering the triumphantly returning fighters. "Jun, deploy the long range probes into the wormhole. I want to know what these Terrans are capable of." "Yes sir" she replied as an audible 'thwunk' could be heard as several probes were launched into the wormhole. "Bridge crew deploy corvettes to scan for life signs and boarding parties to the disabled vessels. They are to capture the survivors if possible, but they are free to kill some of the Terrans when they resist. We have time before the rest of the fleet arrives and we move on to secure the other side..." As the Merciful Restraint's Vanguard awaited its reinforcements. The sounds of a struggle could be heard from the console as the Venterran Boarding parties entered the enemy vessels trapped on this side of the Wormhole displaying their actions for the Admiral to see. Soon they will understand the enemy. Soon they will breach the void and send the terrans back to the grave.
Just call me Frost
Roleplayer, Former member of the Pool of Justices King of the Hill
Cornucopia System,
HMS Eternity After three hours of travel through the wormhole they arrived back to the Cornucopia system. The Eternity had taken quite a beating. Her shields had taken the brunt of it and some railgun rounds had penetrated its armour. The damage control teams were already starting to work on her and were making good progress. Corvousier dreaded what just had happened, but lived with the decision he had to make and was relieved he didn't have to leave any fighters behind. Though the fears of survivors aboard those vessels lost. It was starting to look like the Velutarian War all over again and Corvousier didn't like it at all. As he regrouped with the Cornucopian Defence Fleet he called for all nearby ships to join and defend Cornucopia. He alerted Cornucopia's government and evacuation efforts had begun as well as fortifications. It was unsure what would come through that wormhole and how many of it or when. Though Corvousier suspected it will take the Venterrans at least a few days to group a large enough fleet to overrun their position. Corvousier called the Royal War Council on the new holographic technology the Treecuu had given them for the Joint Fleet. The King spoke up with his baritone voice as he appeared. King Andrei: Grand Admiral Corvousier, report. GA Corvousier: Your majesty, the Venterrans are still a mystery. They appear to have no interest in diplomatic talks and seem to be fiercely territorial. I suspect they will come through that wormhole eventually. I should also mentioned that they appeared to be Terran. GA Harrington: What about their technology? How many ships did we lose? GA Corvousier: We've lost 65, mostly destroyers. Their technology seem to be on the same level as us. They even use weaponry similar to our MAC cannons and plasma based weaponry. Perhaps if we pushed it, it could have been pyrrhic victory, but in uncharted territory it would be a foolish mistake. King Andrei: I grant you that, but their lack for diplomacy, especially for a same species, is concerning. Would you say we have any chance? GA Corvousier: None, Sir. I deeply regret to inform you, unless we reach out to other star nations. Though I fear we might not have the luxury of time. GA Keyes: What about a defence of Cornucopia? How many ships have you been able to assemble? GA Corvousier: We should have 4.000 vessels in two days, with double in five. However we maintain a battle ready status and have already coordinated with planetary defence platforms. GM Zhukov: I see you're well armed, but what if you fail? Who will defend Cornucopia then? We can't expect them to hold out forever, we must send ground troops as well. GM Raeth: What about Spartans? Shouldn't we deploy them pre-emptively? King Andrei: No, if this is to become a war of attrition we need an ace up our sleeves. However, we can't expect the ground troops to arrive there in time. I think we should start conscription on Cornucopia. GM Ganowicz: Sir, but that is unprecedented. Congress will be in uproar about it! King Andrei: And let Congress bicker around what to do while our people have already paid the price?! I will not allow another O'Conner government to diminish our war effort. The King made it clear that this was no time for pleasantries. The military was reforged for these circumstances and the civilian government would be too inefficient to oversee it. This was a matter best done by experts. Some members weren't too keen with the King's dismissal of Congress, but they knew he was right. King Andrei: Gentlemen, this is a time for which MacArthur reforged the nation. We are the shield of the Stoinian Star Kingdom. It is up to us to show these Venterran scum what we're made of. Terran or not, they are the aggressor and we will defend our realm whatever the cost. I know it has become quite clear, but formalities state that I should ask you this question. The King votes in favour for a declaration for war against the Venterran Federation. What does the Royal War Council vote? The Royal War Council voted unanimously in favour. Congress' vote would now be a formality since this was a defensive war and would serve as a reflection for the Stoinian people's willingness to fight. Corvousier further prepared the defensive perimeter around Cornucopia and just under 4.000 ships were ready to protect the planet at all cost. Meanwhile Governor Munteanu declared a state of emergency and enacted conscription laws. Most planetary government officials left the planet as well as most children and their mothers. The civilians vessels were overcramped and continuously left the planet to flee the system. Cornucopia was arming itself for what was to come, whatever it may be. Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
4 Hours after First contact between Venterran and Stoinian Forces, Wako System The Fleet of Merciful Restraint
The Fleet of Merciful Restraint was brought back to her full strength as the main fleet entered the system. Her Vanguard having finished "cleaning up" the remnants of the Stoinian fleet trapped in Venterran Space. The Terrans unsurprisingly attempted to fight to the last sailor, but some wisely surrendered to the Venterran boarding parties being transferred onto auxiliary ships where they would be shipped off to Federation prisons to be interrogated by the True Venterrans. The boarding parties generally noted that the Terrans put up a pitiful resistance against them, but their resolve to survive and fight to the last terran was commendable. However, one report from General Hos Mykraft caught his eye. Admiral Mayfeld sighed softly as he ended the report, "Don't underestimate the Terrans... sound advice from the General... Jun Contact Fleet Command, I will personally report our victory and request permission to pursue them." "Understood sir." replied the AI before it blinked twice. "Sir, before I do, I'd like to inform you that I've just reestablished connection with the probes and that it likely takes three hours to travel through this wormhole. Though our fleet of 5,000 warships can pursue, Perhaps it would be prudent to request and await reinforcements?" Mayfeld shook his head, "No, if what you're saying is true, we'll lose the momentum and allow them to fortify the gate. We must not allow them to rest for too long. Move the fleet into the wormhole, we will give our report to the High Command as we travel." "Understood Admiral," Replied Jun as she contacted the Venterran High Command. The High Admiral (HA) of the Venterran Federation, Thel Firenze, and 2 other Grand Admirals (GA) appeared on the monitor Right after the fleet entered the worm hole. High Admiral Firenze: Fleet Admiral Mayfeld... FA Mayfeld: Sir, I wish to report on the defense of the Wako system from an enemy we believed to be extinct. The Terrans have returned. GA Thorne: Terrans?! In Venterran Space?! Ridiculous! They should've all been wiped out from this sector when we arrived here during the Great Journey. GA Yamana: And yet, Mayfeld reports that they have returned... Tell me Mayfeld, what is their tech level. FA Mayfeld: Grand Admiral their tech level is... rather limited at the moment. Their weapons are similar to ours though they lack plasma weaponry and have inferior shields in comparison to our vessels. Much like pirates their true threat lies in their numbers and perhaps their wit as we won't know their true capabilities unless we commit additional interactions. HA Firenze: Explain... FA Mayfeld: Sir, the enemy commander wisely withdrew from the Waco system instead of engage our forces in a pitched battle after we fired upon them as soon as we discovered they belonged to an enemy species. Thus the enemy commander managed to avoid having his fleet encircled and destroyed by the main body of the Fleet of Merciful restraint which remained in reserve at the WMS located an hours jump away. Furthermore, the Enemy sacrificed dozens of screens to protect their capital ships like a Sporgle cutting off unnecessary limbs to survive. HA Firenze: I see... in that case Admiral, why didn't you entertain these terrans and quietly cut off their escape? FA Mayfeld: Sir, our doctrine is to shoot any threat of the Venterran Federation first then interrogate survivors to ascertain the threat level. We have secured some prisoners, after they put up a desperate, but pathetic defense of their stranded warships. but the Fleet is moving to pursue the enemy. The Wormhole leads to an enemy world, and appears to take 3 hours to travel through. GA Thorne: I see, then in that case, We should move to enact the Great purge against these Terrans. Deploy the entire navy to crush them! GA Yamana: that sounds rather reckless, I doubt the Ceres Council would even authorize a Great Purge. HA Firenze: They have given me full power to authorize a Great purge Yamana. GA Yamana: I see... HA Firenze: However, I agree, it is far too reckless to engage the Terrans without ascertaining their true strength. If the old lessons are true then these Terrans are hiding their true capabilities, and we must drag their secrets to the light. Thus, I order you, Fleet Admiral Mayfeld to Judge the Terrans. To see if they have the strength to survive and impress us or are they condemned to the Great Purge. You will be granted command of an additional 20,000 ships to raid, steal and purge as you see fit. FA Mayfeld: Thy will be done... Glory to the Federation! VFHC: Glory to the Venterran Federation!
Just call me Frost
Roleplayer, Former member of the Pool of Justices King of the Hill
Cornucopia System,
Cornucopia, 4 days later The Stoinian defence systems were coming in nicely. Roughly 6.800 ships were put to defend the Cornucopia system. Even Support Dreadnoughts and Troop Carriers had deployed their assets in an effort to fortify Cornucopia if the fleet were to fail. The evacuation was well on schedule and just over 5 billion civilians, mostly women and children, had transported them towards safety at a military planet in the Core Sector. Lucky for them, some infrastructure was built to welcome them, but many were still on the planet. Grand Admiral Corvousier dreaded the waiting, for he knew that if the Venterrans would come in force, they would have to retreat and protect the escaping civilians. Conscription on Cornucopia was going well and by now nearly every person between 18 to 35 T-years and without a family of their own was armed. Volunteers were also accepted and many women and older persons joined as well. This was to be a war for survival and they wouldn't stand idly by. The Stoinians didn't need much training as their military training program in school had trained them to defend their own land. More experienced imported troops were given field promotions to guide the conscripts for the worst. Without a doubt, all members of society were feeling the tension. This would also be a test for the Spire cities, which were most common on Cornucopia. Their defences were vast, but would they serve the Stoinians well in a ground invasion? Not even the Velutarians had achieved to launch their ground troops on Cornucopia, but many feared that the Venterrans would. ![[Image: Spire-City.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/NMcwV2rS/Spire-City.jpg) Spire Cities reaching will into space, serving as space elevators for the evacuating populace. Field Marshal Valto "Wall" Häkkinen was the appointed commanding officer of the Cornucopian ground forces. A respected veteran from the Velutarian War and second to Grand Marshal Grant during the Mardakii Campaign, Valto has gained the nickname "the Wall" for his actions and defensive tactics. In the Velutarian War he held the planet of Martinique in the Tozorian Sector for the Stoinians and protected the planet and its civilians like a wall. He also defended his position during the First Mardakii Crusade when the enemy had launched a massive counterattack to Stoinian firebases on Oporon. He was a renowned defensive military strategist and it's because of that reason that the Stoinian High Command had assigned him to defend Cornucopia. Luckily his home of Ignis was close by and it had only taken him a day to arrive. All ground operations were his responsibility and coordinated with the fleet to fortify the planet, but it became clear that if the fleet was to retreat, it was up to the Wall to defend Cornucopia. To inspire his freshly conscripted recruits he held a televised conference where he held a speech.
The rather old man, somewhere in his early 60's, appeared in his Field Marshal uniform as sternly and proudly as any officer of that rank. Though he didn't wear his medals, which peeked the interest of many. There was a good reason for it however... ![[Image: Delriosuit.jpg]](https://i.postimg.cc/y8S0hKDQ/Delriosuit.jpg) Field Marshal Valto "Wall" Häkkinen on a terrace while giving his speech. "My fellow Stoinians. I stand here proudly before you as your new Commander. We all know that the circumstances for this occasion aren't fortunate. However, I am proud to see that the Stoinian Spirit still lives on and that so many of you have answered the Lion's call. We may not know what drives these Venterrans to kill one of their own. It is here that we, Stoinians, will be forced to face the possibility which is deemed unthinkable. To fight and kill other Terrans. Their zealous and ferocious acts have revealed however that perhaps there is such a thing as a barbarian Terran. It pains me to say this, but we must assume this possibility. But we are Stoinians! We don't falter against xenos and we have conquered the stars in search of a New Stoinian Order! We have conquered the stars to bring the Light of Terra to the stars in a sea of darkness filled by barbarian races! We have done so time and time again and if other Terrans wish to face our wrath, then so be it. We are forged in fire and will do everything to keep the flames burning. At nothing will we stop, at nothing will we rest for we face the threat of extinction again. The Stoinian Lion has only one answer to that call: Roar once more! Ever prouder and ever stoic, let them come... But we will hold the line! For we don't do this for our glory, that's why I stand here before you without my decorations. They mean nothing compared to our will to survive and we will face it together. Commanders and Privates, we all stand together like a wall and none will break it! Whatever comes through that wormhole, we will face it and repel it from our lands!"
The speech had uplifted many worried spirits, they now believed in their Commander. The following days the Cornucopian Defence Command (CorDefCOM) gave out defensive instructions for all citizens and giving munitions to fight. For every Stoinian knew how to fire them, thanks to their military school programs. The population was ready, whatever may come through that wormhole. The planetary shield generator was at an all time ready, for when the enemy would pass through the wormhole it would activate itself and cut off any transportation to and from the planet. It was on the fourth day that Häkkinen got a message from Grand Admiral Corvousier. "Field Marshal, the Venterrans have arrived. We'll protect the civilians as much as possible, but if worse comes to worse... God's strength, Field Marshal." "And God's speed to you, Grand Admiral. Open a planetary wide channel. All hands, this is Field Marshal Häkkinen, the Venterrans have just arrived through the wormhole. The last civilian transports will be launched, but after those the planetary shield will be activated. We must prepare ourselves to hold the line." Neither fear or panic was to be seen in the streets of Cornucopia. They all knew they could have paid this price long ago during the Velutarian War. What could one do when facing death, except to smile back? That was a firm Stoinian believe instilled by the Philosopher-King of old. The military programs which replaced physical education at schools had prepared them for this moment. All their live choices would eventually bring them to face the gates of hell, but how many would return from it? As the Venterrans arrived 10 AU's away, the Stoinian Defence Fleet put itself between the escaping civilian ships. Ready to engage their long range weapons at the first sight the Venterrans would enter their range. This time they were determined to make a stand. The many defence platforms too were filled with large MAC-cannons designed to blast cruisers to pieces. The planetary shield ready to be activated at a moments notice and seal the fate of Cornucopia. All Stoinians had but three words in their minds... So it begins... Pacifica: Myria, Sallodesia, Stoinia • A1-0: Stoinian Star Kingdom • Aurora: Kingdom of Threnebor
Combined Fleet of Relentless Appraisal, Fleet of Merciful Restraint, Wako System 3 hours before detection
Fleet Admiral Mayfeld sighed softly to himself as the first wave of the invasion fleet led by Commander Pryde entered the wormhole 4 days after his initial attempt to pursue the retreating Stoinians was put on hold to reorganize the 82nd, 83rd, 99th, 201st, and 501st strike fleets into the Combined Fleet of Relentless Appraisal. The 5 Strike fleets totaling 25,000 warships were his to command temporarily. Mayfeld made sure that the 4 Fleet Commanders understood their roles, but only two Fleet Commanders, Rath al Pryde and Sagan Reklez, expressed their eagerness to follow the will of the Venterran High Command and request to be part of the Vanguard. The other 2 Admirals, Akira Kensei and Seras Yamrahai, expressed concern with the decision and were somewhat reluctant to be following the High Command's directive. Mayfeld speculated that their reluctance was due to their "troubled" relationship with the High Command resulting from the 2 Admirals participation in the disastrous Wako Incident. Despite this troubled relationship with the High Command, Mayfeld still trusted the Veteran Admirals to get their tasks done and follow his orders. Mayfeld made sure to extensively monitor the Stoinian defensive preparations with the long range probes he dispatched frequently alongside debris from the destroyed Stoinian vessels to conceal their presence in order to increase the overall success of the invasion. The overall operation was rather simple, to send in waves of 3,000 warships every hour to put pressure on the Stoinians and gauge their response to each wave. Now all that was left was for Mayfeld was to wait patiently as the clock for the battle of Cornucopia ticked forward... Battle of Cornucopia Vanguard, Fleet of Divine Wrath, VNS Tip of the Spear Commander Pryde smiled, his fleet was positioned 10 AU away from what he perceived were a fleet of Stoinian Warships and "supply ships" retreating from the system. He was outnumbered 2 to 1, but the Ship's AI, Io, surmised that the Stoinians would not willingly leave the defensive cover of their orbital platforms to engage the Divine Wrath or leave the "supply ships" undefended. "They seem a bit too cautious for my tastes..." muttered the Commander as he opened a fleet wide channel. "Men," his voice boomed across the intercoms across the fleet. "Today is a day of Glory for the Federation! We, the Fleet of Divine Wrath, have been granted the honor of the Vanguard! To be the First to engage these 'Terrans' in Glorious Combat and the first to display the power of the Federation! I trust all of you to do your duty and brave whatever tricks they throw upon us... but if you happen to find yourself in the halls of Ceres or in the ethereal skies of Terramin when you should be in the midst of combat, do not fret for you are already dead and have fulfilled your roles spectacularly. Long Live the Federation and Good luck and may Victory bless you all!" Pryde then grinned as he ordered, "Fleet, in-system jump on my mark. 3...2...1... Mark!" The space around the fleet of Divine Wrath crackled mightily as they disappeared into the inky void of the slipspace portal. The disappearance of the Fleet of Divine wrath only lasted for a few seconds as the space around the Stoinian vessels and orbital defense platforms crackled to life. The distortion was again barely noticeable in the inky black void as it continued to crackle and shift matter forming a small sphere, which collapsed in on itself before it released a violent shockwave around the Stoinian vessels and platforms, damaging some, disabling or destroying others with some vessels even swallowed by the massive spheres created by the exiting Venterran warships who opened fire upon the Stoinian vessels as soon as they exited the Slipspaced portal. Venterran Fighters screaming into the void as the launched immediately after their motherships exited slipspace, targetting enemy fighters and stoinian gun and plasma batteries that roared to life firing a counter volley against the Venterran warships. The dropships hurtling towards the enemy vessels and platforms to deposit their complement of shock troops no matter the cost. The chaotic battle for Cornucopia has begun...
Just call me Frost
Roleplayer, Former member of the Pool of Justices King of the Hill |
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