All Will Know

[Skeelzania]

Skeelzania had not been idle since the Battle of New Constantinople. The arrival of Durer’s fleet at Solomon had touched off the largest movement of hardware and personnel in a generation. House Grenzkraftmarines were called up to serve on the frontier, allowing Skeelzania to concentrate its Sternmarine without fear of Ork raiders overrunning the border. Every day brought new warships to Solomon, joining the hundreds already there. Supply vessels and spacedocks worked overtime repairing any wear and tear suffered on patrol, to put as many ships into the fight as possible. Even the valiant, decapitated Ishtar was neglected, work instead being dedicated to her less damaged sisters.

At the center of this activity was the imposing Allanean Interstellar Gate, recently arrived and installed beneath the guns of the Aegis Planetary Defense Fortress. While the merchant marine had already made limited use of the structure, this would be the first mass movement of Skeelzanian military might through the Gate.

Arrayed a full astronomical unit in length was that force, the newly-christened Skeelzanian Sternmarine Deep Space Fleet. Originally slated at three hundred vessels strong, nearly a third of total Skeelzanian fleet numbers, it had grown in the last week to five hundred and fifty. It would be the largest fleet ever deployed by the Sternreich. Even the desperate Exante Gambit, when the entirety of the fleet was committed by Grand Prince Vladimir to battle, had tallied only two-hundred odd ships. Eleven of the fourteen Ishtar dreadnoughts were included, their squadron under the flag of the Sternmarine’s newest flag officer, Rear Admiral Zacharie Desaix. Altogether there were a half dozen Admirals in the fleet, all directly under the command of the Grand Admiral himself, Gerulf Van Cleef.

Yet even the Grand Admiral would not be the ranking member in the fleet. Diplomacy had been as much a part of the build-up as the movement of men and material, and the Skeelzanians had been extremely fortunate in that department. The saurian Sskiss, long considered an exotic and dangerous race, had invited the Skeelzanians to establish a forward base in the Sskiss home-system. It would be the first true contact between the two nations. As such, the Skeelzanians were keen to make a favorable impression.

The first ships to enter the Sskiss home system were the corvettes, the Uhlans and Curriassers. They made up a small part of the fleet, twenty-five vessels no more. New Constantinople had shown this to be a war that could only be won through heavy ordinance. Hopelessly outgunned, the corvettes would act as scouts and guides. They immediately set about contacting what port authorities the Sskiss possessed, and establishing a path out of the system. For the Grand Admiral had no intention of stopping; Riiss’ Sslash was only a waypoint in the Deep Space Fleet’s journey to Ile Sorne.

For an entire day the great fleet passed through the Gate. Even at ten miles in diameter, for safety’s sake no more than six vessels would pass through at a time. And the great distances afore and aft of each squadron, necessary to keep the following ships from being obliterated by the antimatter exhaust trail of the engines, forced a slow passage.

Relegated to the extreme rear of the fleet, the Archduke Serrat’s was an especially slow passage. Not that he had any right to complain, of course. His quarters aboard The Golden Horn were lightyears away from those delegated to man-of-war’s men, or even the cabins Serrat had known in his youth. Of course, the sleek Contra-cruisers his father had commanded were nothing like the stately, ponderous slug of a barge his wife had stuck him on. The magnificent views awarded on the observation deck were some consolation, however. Located deep within the bowels of the barge, the 360-degreen image was fed by cameras placed all around the outer hull. The Deep Space Fleet burning through the night was nothing if not spectacular to gaze upon.

At long last, The Golden Horn, followed by three Heavy Supply Tenders, passed into Riiss’Slash. A final message of luck was dispatched to Grand Admiral Van Cleef, and the two forces separated. The seven-kilometer long barge, steered by tugs, made its way whichever La Grange point the Sskiss thought most fitting. Trusting their supplies and their Archduke to the Sauroids, the Deep Space Fleet boosted farther out into space. The rearmost squadrons further increased thrust, moving up in the formation until all ships were in the wide, lozenge attack pattern typical of Skeelzanian fleets. At the sign from the Grand Admiral, all hyperdrives were engaged, and the fleet left reality.

Twenty two hours later, they re-emerged slightly above the galactic plane, bearing down on the Sornei fleet. A simple message was transmitted via hyperspace from the carrier-dreadnought Ostrogoth to the Sornei Fist: “Empress Anikar of Ilë Sornë, the Kaiserin Diana sends her greetings and her aid. The Skeelzanian Sternmarine Deep Space Fleet has arrived.�

[Allanea]

[an IC post will appear within 2 days]

[Zerstorendar]

Kaiserlich Kytus Draigan, occupied as he was by the resurgence of his father and the impact it was having on the now-restless population of Zerstorendar, was loathe to commit forces to the Areian War that he may need at any given moment. While Zerstorendar’s initial involvement in the War had resulted in heavy casualties and a grand victory, the plans to drastically increase the forces levied to the Sornei would be scrapped out of necessity.

The Second Fracture was at hand, and Zerstorendar needed every man and ship it could get.

However, it was the same sense of honour (and common sense) that stopped Kytus from killing his own father immediately that demanded he keep his promise to the Sornei: they could still remain a powerful ally, and even if there was no advantage they could provide after being mauled by the Imperiatus, it mattered not.

The Kaiserlich of Zerstorendar was a man of his word.

+++++

Fleet Captain (or ‘Zucaplich’) Gant Fendal was surprised that he was still in sole command of the Areian Task Force. The objective of the Zerstorendarian fleet was to provide any aid it possible could in ensuring the eventual destruction of the Areian race, and Fendal was obviously proud to be overseeing such a glorious undertaking.

The Zerstorendarian fleet had been repaired, refitted, and seen a number of changes in disposition. Firstly, fighter complements had been reduced to those carried on board the fleet’s Capital class vessels due to the potency of Imperiatus anti-fighter weaponry and the lack of necessity for great numbers of fighters when performing screening actions as opposed to attack runs.

Secondly, the Corvette and Frigate Class vessels had been increased in number but not in proportion with the rest of the fleet. The Corvettes and Frigates would remain as support craft, covering the larger ships but providing no contribution to any offensive actions.

The Destroyer class vessels were also more numerous, and these would once again form the body of the fleet’s offensive power. A number of Destroyers were attached to each Capital vessel to increase the survivability of both parties and form a number of fleet nuclei as opposed to the original fleet’s centralization of the flagship, ZVSG Oblivion.

Finally, and perhaps the most significant change, was the increase in number of Capitals from three to nine. The new Zerstorendarian fleet was nearly four times larger than the fleet that had fought at New Constantinople and exponentially more suited to the role of fighting the Imperiatus. It was almost unheard of for a man of Fendal’s rank to command such a force, but his singular experience against the Imperiatus, as well as Zerstorendar’s unique situation with the potential internal schism, had resulted in the Kaiserlich and Sternsieglich appointing him sole command of the Areian Task Force.
He refused to allow it to go to his head, however. He would send a full report of the Zerstorendarian fleet disposition to the Sornei the moment he arrived, and he knew his fleet’s power would seem miniscule in comparison to the gargantuan forces some other ESUS forces were preparing. They would be right, too. Kaiserlich Kytus conceded that the Sornei needed Zerstorendarian assistance, but refused to dedicate any large fleet to the war. The Second Fracture was at hand, and Zerstorendar’s military assets were needed. As it was, Kaiserlich Draigan thought he was being generous.

No, the Zerstorendarian fleet, packing an impressive amount of condensed firepower as it was, was not large enough to take a great amount of pressure off of the larger ESUS fleets. There was only one area Fendal believed Zerstorendar would have the most effective contribution to, and that was ground combat.

Genlich Markus Scarus, despite calls for his return to Zerstorendar to assist in stabilizing the Mannlich Imperium, reluctantly refused and demanded that he be kept on in the Areian War, a request the Kaiserlich granted. Scarus was a Zerstorendarian hero, a talented soldier, and experienced against the Imperiatus ground forces. He was the perfect choice for the War, but it was a source of some antagonism between himself and some Zerstorendarians that he would resist returning to his home. In fact, he had not completely come to terms with it himself. He just believed he was the best man for the job.

As it was, Scarus commanded a new force of Ravagers: his own Prymarch, an army of 35,000 Ravagers, stood prepared to obey any and every command he gave. With his experience against the Imperiatus and such a force of super-heavy infantry at his disposal, the Zerstorendarian ground contribution to the Areian War was immense.

Both Fendal and Scarus had discussed the possibility that a ground engagement would be unnecessary, but it would not change their battle plan: Fendal and the fleet would co-operate with the Sornei intimately so as to have maximum impact on the upcoming battle, while Scarus would lay in waiting until he was needed.

+++++

The Zerstorendarian fleet entered the system where the Sornei had requested assistance, and Fendal was somewhat taken aback by the sheer number of ships detected. By the looks of things, there were closer to three thousand ships, the bulk of them Sornei and to a lesser extent Skeelzanian.

“By Tereza, that’s a fuckload of ships�, commented Chanda, the ZVSG Oblivion’s Intelligence Officer.

“Indeed�, replied Fendal. “Gelmarz, get me in contact with the Sornei flagship.�

Gelmarz, the Comms Officer, complied immediately, and Fendal rattled off his brief greeting:
“Greetings, Anikar. This is Fleet Captain Gant Fendal of the Zerstorendarian Areian Task Force, here to assist. I am sending a report containing the details of my fleet, and I would appreciate some indication of what you would prefer my fleet to do. The Stars Belong To The Strong.�

At Fendal’s indication, Gelmarz shot off the report and they waited for a reply while admiring the sight of the Sornei fleet.

Dispositions of the Zerstorendarian Areian Task Force

Fleet Command
Starsplitter Class Superdestroyer- ZVSG Oblivion (Fleet Captain Gant Fendal)
Starsplitter Class Superdestroyer- ZVSG Darkhand (Captain Hanz Trilkin)
Garr Class Supercarrier- ZVSG Apex (Captain Ghen Ryder)

Prime Force
Garr Class Supercarrier- ZVSG Heidi
Starsplitter Class Superdestroyer- ZVSG Unreal
Starsplitter Class Superdestroyer- ZVSG Annie
Starsplitter Class Superdestroyer- ZVSG Aftershock
Starsplitter Class Superdestroyer- ZVSG Hellfist
Starsplitter Class Superdestroyer- ZVSG Dietrich

Secondary Force
Destroyer Group: 27 Claymore Class Destroyers
Frigate Group A: 20 Helgarr Class Frigates
Frigate Group B: 20 Angra Class Frigates
Corvette Assault Group: 40 Ursa Class Corvettes
Corvette Escort Group: 40 Hyperion Class Corvettes
Reduced fighter complement

Zanekrieger Assets
35,000 Ravagers commanded by Genlich Markus Scarus.
*Deployed seperately from the Sternsieg Fleet

Sternkrieger Assets
11,000 Hellbringer marines
Assorted boarding craft
*Attached to the Sternsieg Fleet

[Allanea]

The Allanean ships completed their refueling and rearming only now, and perhaps this was why they could not have contributed meaningfully to the – brief – fight against the Nobuseri. Still, apologies were needed – and they were issued, of course, to the Sornei.

My dear friends!

It appears we have failed you in this first – though small – task of this war. As you know, this was not due to our lack of loyalty, but rather due to logistical reasons, reasons beyond our own control. Still, I am forced, with a grieving heart, to bring you my apologies on this issue. I hope I can somewhat compensate for this failure for additional aid.

Yours Sincerely,

Alexander Kirillovich Kazansky.

And indeed, he was true to his word.

Blasting through hyperspace came two gigantic Heinlein freighters, a full 20 kilometers in length, loaded to the brim with weapons and supplies for the Sornei. There would be tanks, food, drone warships, medicine, ammunition, and so forth – all the Sornei needed to carry on the fight.

So, when do we start shooting them?

[Sskiss]

The battle data had long sinse finished flooded in from a variety of sources - namely the ESUS powers who had participated in the first conflict involving the Imperiatus. The Sskiss in there usual detached and analytical fashion had from that same data, extracted every scrap of useful information possible. Nothing had been left to chance as the very future of their species depended on it. Some say the Sskiss went about it with all the efficiency of a pack of carrion birds stripping a carcass to the bone.

The Skeelzanian craft had arrived in small groups at first; barges laden with supplies and their ever present tugs. Later, the first warships started to appear though the gate, first in small numbers but gradually increasing in numbers as well as in the size of the craft.

Tensions were at an all time high. This was for a number of reasons, starting earlier with the war itself, followed by the construction of the Alleanian Stargates and finally culminated with the arrival of a large Skeelzanian battlefleet! And while the Sskiss had offered the Skeelzanians the right to construct a supply and repair base within their own homesystem the eventual arrival of the alien fleet proved to only increase the tension further. To make matters worse, the Sskiss ruling elite knew that the Skeelzanians were xenophobic and as a result, not to be entirely trusted! The Sskiss elite were making a gamble, but a gamble where the potential benefits outweighed the risks. They were careful not to show any signs of these concerns to the Skeelzanians. As a result of all this, it was decided that the best possible option of communication between both peoples was via holographics in an effort to avoid any "unfortunate events".

Some of the Sskiss elite as well as the members of their military had sincerly thought that Isss' Raak, their ruler had, as the Sskiss sometimes say, "mind has become/turned to stone"....

However, in their eventual and inevitable conflict with the Imperiatus, the Sskiss had now possessed two distinct advantages. The first was that the Sskiss had knowledge of both the enemy ships' capabilities as well as their battle tactics. The second, was that the enemy did not possess that same advantage....

It was two advantages that the Sskiss military, the "teeth and claws of the race" was intent on taking full advantage of!

--------------------------------------------

The Sskiss offer the following against the Imperiatus.

Main Fleet

24 "Death Pod" class Torpedo/Missile Frigates
28 "Deadly Hunter" class Hvy Stealth Raiders *
18 "Slicing Claw" class class Destroyers
12 "Far Killer" class Torpedo/Missile Cruisers
9 "Eating of Victory" class Battleships
1 "Crushing Bite" class Dreadnaught (command ship)

Secondary Fleet

24 "Predators Vengence" class System Gunships ** (STL propulation only. Can only travel system to system via stargates)
12 "Ruthless Slasher" class Hvy System Gunships ** (STL propulation only. Can only travel system to system via stargates)

Assorted fighter craft totaling 2600 light fighters and 840 medium fighters and at least triple that number in drones of various types.

Furthermore, 42,000 Elite Sskiss ground troops will be on standby.

* Hidden asset to be used at the most oppertunistic moment.
** Massive firepower relative to size and volume

EDIT:I only hope this offer is enough for the war effort. Forgive the "quicky post" it will get better as it goes along.

[Telros]

The Kelauan Dominion had suffered much in recent months, and had caused the total collapse of their nation as well. The Kelauans had suffered the loss of an entire battlefleet over New Constantinople, and many of their ground forces on the planet. This was compounded by losses in the war with the rogue A.I. Kara at the side of their Cyprian allies in the Realm. Another two battle fleets, with another ravaged. This had left the Dominion with only one fully operating Warfleet at its command, a very weakened position indeed. The Dominion then took a step to try and ensure they were not preyed upon some enterprising power in their time of weakness. They worked on a program to further boost their soldiers, truly making them gods amongst mortals in combat. This project had the unintended side effect of horrifically changing most, if not all of their populace. Some became the vile Shade Lords, forever destined to consume life to feed their infinite hunger, while others became part of their armor and were coped again and again by the Shades Lords until they were nothing but soulless automatons. The precious few whom managed to escape ran to anywhere they could, including the Federation of Telros.

The Federation was a modest and peaceful nation, but one whom had prepared for war a long time ago. It had its military built up to peacetime levels, with unused military assets for when war was declared. A focus on trade, and the peace required for it, made them very reticent to want to go to war. However, several factors had come together to oppose their reluctance. For one, the threat of the Departed was immense; the technology displayed in the destruction of New Constantinople, given to them by the fleeing Kelauans, was incredible. It was above even their standards, which were high. They had to ensure the Departed did not look at the Federation as its next target. Next, the trade with the Sornei had been nice and fulfilling, with plenty of profits all around. With the war and subsequent abandonment strategy, that trade had suffered horribly, with ships forced to stay home or be destroyed. The corporations were already screaming bloody murder and it wasn't getting any better, Finally, the Kelauan refugees begged them to avenge those they lost in the battle of New Constantinople. They could not turn down a request from such a broken people. As such, the Federation had a mass consensus meeting on affinity and it was agree nearly unanimously that the Federation had no choice to but to go to war.

Assets long kept silent, the HYDRA armies kept in storage, began to be awakened and Telrosian reservists were called up as displays of the decision went up for all eyes to see and news on the build up occurred. As their economy began to shift into war-time production, a fleet was gathered at Telros V, the homeworld and center of the Federation. It was not large in comparison to other fleets, but it was large for the Federation. Out of a navy of 200 in a nation that could support more, forty ships was an incredible expenditure, but the Federation knew from the Kelauan recordings that firepower would be needed. Under Admiral Gethair, also known as Lord Arthur Gethair, the fleet was gathered at Telros V, and then sent to the outer edge of the Federation to get supplies and armaments. Then, with a final roll call, they activated their ZTT drives and cut open large holes in space, spewing interference and energy on massive levels, creating chaos that the most advanced sensors could not pierce.

And mere moments later, the fleet appeared in the system that originated from the call. A message was sent out from the fleet.

"This is Admiral Gethair of the Federation of Telros. We have heard your call and have answered. The Kelauan Dominion is, sadly, no more but a scattered group of survivors of a great calamity. However, they have called for your salvation, and the Federation will do its best to see your salvation come."


OOC:

Fleet Size:

2 Prayer-class Battleships
3 Hive-class Carriers
6 Hades-class Destroyers
9 Excalibur-class Cruisers
20 Midnight-class Cruisers

Fighter craft: Somewhere in the low thousands (fighters are more like drones, aka armed missiles, so it is fighter craft but it also isn't.)

30,000 HYDRA drone soldiers, with a sizable vehicle complement, as well as 4000 Telrosian Legionnaire and two fully armed squads of Telrosian commandos.

[Arizona Nova]

One Week Later

Anikar sat within her quarters, alone. Her gaze was fixed upon a far corner, but she saw nothing, and thought nothing. The clock was winding down on the ragged fleet, and in little less than an hour the desperate assault would begin. She felt sick to her stomach, not because of fear, but because of guilt. She had seen the information the Praetor had presented her, and though maybe today’s battle plan sounded tactically sound on paper, the odds of victory were still slim; and those odds were accounting for the forces that Sornei intelligence knew about. She had wondered before if she had simply kept things moving forward, in terms of fighting, just because she simply wished to make an end of it – if on some deep level, her ageless mind simply wanted the trap to finally snap shut and destroy the crippled stratagems and conspiracies which she had constructed millennia after millennia. It would wipe the slate and let her finally fade away into eternal grey quiescence, all obligations and ancient oaths finally nullified in a field of broken, heroic dead. Such was her ultimate fate, she had no doubt, anyway – there would be no return to Heaven or induction into Hell for such as her. The Imperiatus was simply acting as God’s agent, finally putting to an end her childish scheming; her deranged experiment.

The hour was too near to think even that clearly, now. The door chimed, and she shuddered.

“Come in,� she said, her voice flat. She did not look up.

“Empress,� said the voice of the Captain. “We have just received confirmation from Carvinia that the Imperiatus is moving in. It is as we expected; they are incoming with almost all they have, and have left just a few strong ships overhead of the occupied worlds.�

“Are the charges and inhibitors ready? Are they exactly as Kertai specified?�

“Yes, we have run a battery of tests throughout the week. Every last one, and the spares, and the backups for the spares, are ready to go. They are all in place for when we begin our attack run.�

“Good. Have Admiral Govannon lead the fleet out. I will join you on deck in a little while.�

The Captain hesitated, and then asked, “Permission to make a personal query, my Empress?�

Anikar looked up. There was some concern and perplexity wrote in the lines on The Captain’s face. She noticed, for the first time, that a considerable amount of his hair had managed to grey out, despite his immortality treatments. “Yes,� she said.

“Are you alright? You just seem…�

“Despondent,� she finished for him. “I’m about to make thousands of men die for a slim chance at what may ultimately prove a futile gesture.�

“I know the feeling,� said the Captain.

“Not on this scale,� she said, frowning. “And if you will pardon my morbidity, you can follow them, and all your faults and mistakes will be glossed over by the grave and by memory. I have no such privilege. I survive because it is impossible for me to die, and every last survival can only heap more guilt upon me, to dwell on for an eternity.�

“Granted,� said the Captain. “Yet history is not so often as generous to the dead as it would seem. We have all considered the alternatives; to live as cowards and traitors in what few worlds are left to us after the destruction of New Constantinople, or become second-class refugees elsewhere, and everyone from the engineering sections to deck gunners to commodores has said they’d rather die.�

“They’ll get that chance,� she said. “And if no one else survives the responsibility will be all mine.�

“They’ve already lost people; everyone has. Crewmates, friends, family. That isn’t your fault.�

“Even so. You should return to the bridge, even if you’re not going to be in full control of orchestrating this attack. Do our allies all have a copy of the battle plan?�

“Our allied commanders have all been briefed on it, yes, and we have given them digital and physical copies. The signal is set, and we shall fire it once we begin the jump to Carvinia.�

“Excellent, Captain. You are dismissed.�

“Yes madam,� the Captain said. He bowed and turned to leave.

“Thank you for asking,� Anikar said.

He turned back and nodded politely, and walked back out.

Anikar stood up, striding over to the view on the wall.

“Kertai?� she asked, reaching out to him mentally.

In a few moments came the response: “Yes, Anikar? I am here.�

“Are you ready? The Captain is going over the final checklists with the fleet right now.�

“As soon as all the firewalls open back up; it seems some of our captains have been very zealous in having certain loopholes patched up, since the siege. I could slip in some other way but I think they’d appreciate it this time if I asked first.�

Anikar smiled faintly. “That would be good. Check back in when you’re done.�

In a few moments, Kertai was back. “All done. We have more than at New Constantinople, you know. We know more about the enemy, where he is coming from, and we know they will have less. Don’t lose hope.�

“Thank you Kertai,� she said. “I’m sorry I’ve been so… insular, the past few weeks.�

“It is alright,� he said. “We have all been under a great deal of stress. We will all get through this; just wait and see.�

“Yes,� said Anikar. “Yes, I think you are right. Let us begin.�

With one last dispatch to the allied fleet, the Sornei vessels slipped, as one, into the night.

[center]***[/center]

-=Lirium System, Arenumberg

Imperiatus patrols in Lirium were sparse. Though every other system had so far fallen without a fight, for some reason Imperiatus command had gathered as much of their strength as possible for Carvinia. Whether they wanted the last advance to be as awe-inspiring as possible, or expected resistance at the massive Ilicanis orbital complex there, who could say? Yet the case was that except for some small patrols (although the ships patrolling were, by local standards, capital-sized), the new annexations were all nearly emptied.

Not that any assault was expected. The Anikari had gone to ground, fleeing their homeworlds and shifting from place to place, a whole “proud� nation of humans reduced to nomadism and raids. The Imperiatus fleet couldn’t even be sure that if what few attacks the Anikari had staged were even orchestrated by the central government, which they were beginning to happily assume had dissolved, or were the random flailings of the dispossessed people. Yet the way their ships managed to completely vanish was still some cause for concern.

Thus it came as an incredible shock to the Imperiatus cruisers there when a full three-thousand of the Sornei fleet appeared in their midst.

Their lead ships did not have time to react, and as their defenses were on low power, they were almost instantaneously destroyed. As the Sornei fleet fiercely engaged the remaining vessels, two Hughies split off. They carried no crew, but rather a series of complicated equipment assembled by Kertai, special-tailored for the Imperiatus itself. Just as quickly as they appeared, the fleet vanished, leaving the Imperiatus patrols crippled in their wake. The Hughies activated their equipment, and at once the system’s communications and all FTL capabilities were locked down.

From Lirium, to Tyvinia, and Raayven, the Sornei fleet made its blazing flight, with the Imperiatus fleet still at unawares. Each system in its turn was cut out of the strategic tapestry, and they drew ever closer to the final cataclysm – code-named within the strategic battleplan, “Ragnarok.� All went according to plan, until Lovaris.

By now the Imperiatus was getting the idea that something was going wrong. No word coming out of the annexed systems was as alarming as outright warnings, and the ships in Lovaris were prepared. The Sornei fleet was pulled out of hyperspace sooner than expected, and farther out, due to interdiction. Kertai immediately knew that the fleet’s survival depended upon finding the interdicting vessel now, and if it came to it, destroying every last Imperiatus ship. It had to be done quickly, but under interdiction, they couldn’t do it fast enough to squelch all warnings. Kertai now had to make a painful choice; steam in with the fleet under his control and give the enemy time to send a full warning and accounting of the Sornei fleet to the enemy fleet at Carvinia, or fire the communications interdicting Hughie and cut himself off from the fleet, and the fleet’s ships from one another, until they destroyed the enemy interdictors and exited the system.

“Admiral Govannon,� Kertai’s voice echoed on the bridge of the Fist, “The enemy has prepared for us, this time around. They are interdicting our FTL engines and it will take us some time to steam in and take care of the problem at its source. In the mean time we must stop their communications, but if we do that, I will no longer be able to communicate with the fleet. In fact, you will be denied all but analog Morse signals; my precautions were that thorough. Do all commanders have a copy of the battle plan and contingencies? I have left a message on all ships; we are enacting Delta… now.�

The denial Hughie fired, and immediately, all radios and signals crackled out, and a buzzing silence reigned on all channels.

Govannon turned to the helm. “You heard the man. Special attack plan Delta; chop chop! The Imps think they have the wool over our eyes, but they didn’t start formulating their defenses with a communications blackout in account, and if that Kertai is right that will flummox them! Full speed ahead!�

One by one the Sornei fleet fired their sublight engines, temporarily breaking their formation but soon drawing back in again as the captains began to enact the Delta plan. Soon at speed they drew near Beta Lovaris.

Slinging around the dark side of the planet, the Imperiatus fleet came. Breaking orbit, it raced forward to meet the Sornei fleet. The Sornei fleet twinkled as it came onward, as thousands of lights flashed signals in Morse to one another, sending last minute corrections all trickling down from the Fist.

The two fleets opened upon one another, but for once the Sornei fleet far dwarfed its enemy in size. Although bereft of Kertai’s coordination, Delta plan left enough of an idea of how to fight the Imperiatus that the Sornei, especially with this size of a fleet, could still effectively end them. Within a few minutes, all that remained was one large battlecruiser, which began to charge as huge jets of plasma exploded out of its side, like great spouts of lifeblood. It did not get close enough, and soon perished in the withering crossfire of the lead ships. With the last Imperiatus ship destroyed, the FTLi lifted, the Sornei fleet pulled out. The moment it got out of range of their own communications inhibitor, Kertai re-asserted his control of the fleet, and issued the signal to the allied fleet – Onward, to Carvinia!

[Telros]

The Telrosian fleet had been on standby since they had arrived, constantly checking and re-checking their systems, weapons, everything. Admiral Gethair wanted nothing to go wrong when they finally engaged the Imperiatus. From all that they had seen, they had enough to deal with when they would engage them than to have to worry about a stray malfunction. He sat in his chair on the bridge, aboard the Battleship Hope's Light, reviewing status reports on his nanonics, shuffling through the datavises reporting everything was in tip-top shape. He paused when a new file came in, from the enigmatic A.I. of the Sornei. Opening it, he glanced down the file and smirked. So that was their plan...bold, very bold. Incredibly reckless. But brilliant. If it worked, they would be able to at least show they could put up a fight against the Imperiatus. And it was good, the ground pounders would get a chance to see some action too. He opened up a affinity channel to the entire fleet.

"Alright, boys and girls. We will be going into the Carvinia system and hitting these Departed freaks with everything we have. I don't know what will happen out there; all of you have seen the Kelauan battle reports. They are incredibly powerful, their technology is immensely advanced, and they have the numbers to back up their intentions. However, we all know if we step down now, it will not be long when the ESUS lies in ruins and they are knocking at our door. I trust each and everyone one of you that you will do your best against this foe in the coming battle. It will be long, hard, and brutal. But let's show our allies that when you have a Telrosian at your side, that side is well kept." He ended the affinity channel and then sent a series of datavises, ordering the fleet to get into position. The forty-odd ships of the Federation fleet began to shift, gaining distance between themselves so their ZTT drives did not accidentally cut any of their comrades apart. Combat wasps were readied, shields strengthened, weapons armed and the soldiers aboard readied on the troop transports, whom would fly in when the signal came. They all watched solemnly as the Sornei fleet, in its immensity, flickered and vanished, traveling to hit the enemy at Carvinia. The air grew tense and thick with apprehension. The plan called for them to wait until the signal came for the cavalry to come rushing in to save the day. Any deviations could cause the entire battle to go horrifically awry. So, they waited as seconds passed. Then minutes, their nerves fraying with each passing second.

Finally, a datavise popped into Gethair's mind, with a simple message.

Onward, to Carvinia!

He smiled. "All ships, prepare to initiate jump on my mark." The ZTT drives began to power up, the swallows appearing ahead of them as they distorted space. "Three....two...one...Mark!" The wormholes opened and the fleet shot through, heading for Carvinia.

******************

Carvinia

As the Sornei duked it out with the Imperiatus ships and finished them off at Lovaris, the Telrosians appeared with a scream of tortured space and flashes of light and energy so twisted and explosive, it almost hurt to see. The wormholes gaped and the Telrosian fleet shot out, barely a couple seconds after they had entered. The wormholes closed, and the fabric of space time resumed its normal composition. With that interference gone, Gethair began to focus on leading the battle, with his Ship A.I., Arthon, coordinating it with the other ship A.I.'s.

"Alright. We need to hit them hard and hit them fast, while doing our best to keep them from hitting us. So this is what I want you to do. I want you to launch combat wasps, half of our offensive capability, and all of our defensive capability. The defending wasps are to keep as many missiles and projectiles out as they can, while holding off an enemy fighter waves. All ECM wasps and generators are to be activated ASAP. We need to dull their targeting and sensor arrays as much as we can. Have the offensive wasps shoot forward, standard dispersal pattern to prevent large splash weapons from wiping em out. Time a wave of KDS missiles to fire and hit just after the combat wasp wave washes over the enemy fleet, making the impact much better. Do this every time the wasps attack and peel off, until we are in optimum firing range. Hold off on the pulse and graser weapons, and the antimatter weapons, for now. I want to hold those until we come closer and engage. For now, I just want to pound them."

This conversation took less than a second, as he datavised it to the A.I. and the A.I. enacted it. The Telrosian ships began to accelerate, heading for the Imperiatus fleet at Carvinia. Thanks to the Sornei info, they know how to best hurt the enemy ships and their weapons would be targeted at the best spots. The ships many launchers flared and hundreds of combat wasps, the size of missiles, shot forth with great speed, accelerating as they cleared the fleet. They were armed with kinetic solid shells, ready to fire like shotguns at the enemy, antimatter bombs, pulse and graser fire, various submunitions, fusion bombs, and even ECM generators, to make them harder targets. As they rushed, the ship A.I.'s calculated and then fired a host of semi-circle and cylinder-shaped missile, blasting forth to follow the combat wasps like a second wave of locusts. Hundreds more of the combat wasps remained behind, circling and patrolling in defensive formations, keeping pace with the fleet and ready to prevent enemy fire and fighters from hitting the fleet.

And this was only the beginning for the Departed, for more of the Sornei's allies were coming forth to aid them in the Battle of Carvinia.

[The Cerberus Alliance]

The quarters were dim, and cramped, but comfortable enough for Aridan to relax. He was busy reading, flipping through the pages of one of Cerberus' newest bestsellers. Then the intercom beeped, interrupting him.

"Sir, I've received the signal for us to make our jump." The voice of the bridge comm officer on duty broke the silence of the room.

"Very well, make the jump to the coordinates we've been provided with. Make sure that the destroyers, assault pods, and UOFs are ready to launch as soon as we reach our destination."

"Roger that." The com turned off. Aridan stood up, adjusted his armor, and stepped out of his quarters.

-----------------------------------

As he entered the bridge, the vortex presented on the main screen let him know that the fleet was already in FTL.

"Pilots?" He asked.
"On standby." Responded the officer that had been manning the captain's position during aridan's absense.
"Good." Aridan said as he took his place. "ETA on Carvinia and status on ships?"
"10 minutes until we hit Carvinia, 3 minutes until the UOFs go online, and 5 minutes until quick release on the destroyers is ready."
"Have the tac hologram ready to go active the second we enter the system, set the Odysseus force to go into sphere formation around the four larger ships, and have the Achilles 2's take a delta formation with the Archer taking point and right in front of the Guidance. All ships are permitted to fire at will."
"Roger that, transmitting orders for post jump maneuvers."

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The Cerberan fleet burst into the Carvinia system right beside that of Telros. Released from docking pylons, 50 destroyers took up their positions. Each of these released 5 smaller, spherical craft referred to as assault pods. Within moments of this, 2500 drone interceptors were speeding around the fleet's formations, patrolling and waiting for the fighting to begin. And the 5 Galaxies-worth of mechs stored on board the fleet's big ships hadn't even launched yet.

[Zerstorendar]

“Sir, looks like the Sornei have bugged out�

“No shit.�, said Fleet Captain Gant Fendal with no small trace of sarcasm. Over three thousand ships, possibly the largest fleet Fendal had ever seen assembled in one place, had briefly acknowledged the presence of the myriad of ESUS forces arriving before jumping out to Carvinia. It was an impressive sight, and the speed at which they had executed such an exodus made the Sornei impatience plain. It seems they were tired of running and hiding and were finally prepared to strike back. Fendal’s mouth twitched, and he imagined the Kaiserlich would be somewhat excited by the news. The Kaiserlich loved it when others showed the qualities that tended to define Zerstorendar.

Moving from the strategic holo-display, Fendal relocated himself to the command podium. The podium was more symbolic than his necessary place at any given moment, but hey: when he was up there with his neat uniform and straight back, he looked pretty damn professional. The Sternsieg was all about professionalism, after all. Smoothing down the rising fronds of his slightly-inflated ego since the last engagement, Fendal cleared his throat before addressing the roughly 150 ships of his fleet:

“This is Zucaplich Gant Fendal, Sternsieg commander of the Areian Task Force. Men and women of Zerstorendar, it’s time to get started. The Sornei have shown some impressive balls and left us in the dust. It’s time for us to set an example! We may be few, but that doesn’t matter in the slightest: we are the fucking Sternsieg, of fucking Zerstorendar, and we’re going to Carvinia to fuck shit up!�

At around that moment, the rest of the Union ships began to depart, the Telrosians and Cerebrans disappearing in flashes of light. The Sornei command reached the Sternsieg fleet, broadcasted through each ship:

“Onward, to Carvinia!� Gant pounded his fist on the pulpit:

“You heard the elf! Onward, Zerstorendar! The Stars Belong To The Strong, and –we- are the strong! Areian Task Force, we are moving onward to the fire and death of glorious battle!�

The Comms Officer ensured the speech had been broadcasted perfectly, without interruption, then grinned. He spun around in his seat to look at his Captain, who was obviously enraptured in the moment.

“Somewhat over-dramatic, wasn’t it sir?�

“Somewhat�, chimed in Intelligence Officer Chanda while smiling coyly over his gloved hand. Fendal beamed:

“What can I say? I’m excited. All that remains to be seen is whether or not we die painfully.� Chanda rolled his eyes, and Fendal returned his gaze to the viewscreen. The Sternsieg fleet moved into position almost immediately as the Captains of each ship ensured the co-ordinated were correct and the battle plan could be implemented instantly upon arrival. Against the sheer power of the Areian fleet they were to be fighting, they would have to be very careful. Despite their gung-ho enthusiasm, Sternsieg commanders of any rank were not ones to let their emotions cloud their judgement: a fleet of their size, despite its superior power to the last fleet dispatched in this war, could be destroyed in minutes if they made any serious positioning errors.

[center]+++++[/center]

The ZVSG Oblivion activated its foldspace engine and slipped into the alternate dimension reserved for FTL travel, arriving moments later at Carvinia. In the space of several seconds, the remainder of the Rendari fleet arrived. Many hundreds of fighters immediately swarmed from the launch bays of the nine Capitals, taking up point-defence patrol formations around their designated objectives. Each fighter had a place to be and a role to play, and the quick-wits of the fighters, as well as their AI-enhancement, allowed to take up their positions with absolutely no error. They could cover the larger ships from enemy ordinance that slipped through the net while remaining out of the line of fire of larger weapons and point defence.

The seven Superdestroyers, with the two massively armoured Supercarriers forming the flanks of their formation, surrounded the ZVSG Oblivion. Fendal’s flagship would be relegated to a less dangerous role at the outset of the engagement, but would be the first to move into the line of fire when an opportunity to go on the offensive presented itself. The Claymore class Destroyers of the fleet took up guard around their larger counterparts, 3 Destroyers to each Superdestroyer/carrier. The frigates and corvettes then took up their respective positions so that the Zerstorendarian fleet formed a screen of overlapping defence. This process of deployment took under a minute, during which time Fendal and the Oblivion’s AI took in all the information they could about their surroundings.

The Sornei were already there in force, their fleet dwarfing those of the ESUS. The Telrosians and Cerebrans had also arrived, though they were in closer proximity to each other than the Sternsieg fleet was to them. The enemy fleet was not yet in visual contact, though erratic readings were showing that they were around. Lots of them.

Fendal took one look at the arid worlds of the system, and imagined that they would be a real hell to fight across. Still, that was a job for the Ravagers.

In the separate, heavily defended and very fast landing ships attached to the Sternsieg fleet, Genlich Markus Scarus waited with his 35,000 Ravagers for an opportunity to get on the ground. The Imperiatus had gotten the drop on them last time, but a man like Markus learned quickly. The Ravagers of the Zanekrieger would not even give the enemy the opportunity to kill themselves, this time.

However, there was one thing the Ravager General was looking forward to the most: fighting alongside power-armoured dinosaurs.