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FLASHPOINT - AN EVO WEBSTORY - GRAND FINALE CREATED AND MODERATED BY THUNDER AND ESPONER
FINALE WRITTEN BY THUNDER
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Note: This is meant a finale to the story. Comments are welcome, and encouraged, but please do not post any continuation posts. The story is over. Thanks to everyone who participated - you all deserve a big round of applause.
Flashes of light blazed across the landscape of the Renegade base on Pariah... it was the only remaining Renegade base in existance, and the renegades fought valiantly to keep it intact. Hinwar and ASAR commandoes clashed with Renegade defenders, neutron pistols matching against blaze rifles, and the occasional projectile weapon or two...
Invading Hinwar and ASAR marines could be seen setting up artillery batteries on the hillside several miles outside the base itself. They dared not approach it, and didn't want to risk collateral damage in an orbital bombardment. Instead, they waited patiently, as their defense lines held off the renegade advances and their shock cannons were set up. Finally one, then two, then all five of the massive artillery cannons were up and running. The renegades rejoiced as they watched the invaders pull back, leaving the base damaged, but intact. Their party was cut short, though, as a white flash lit up the western horizon. It was followed in quick succession by four more flashes, and a sound something like a thunderclap. The shock cannons fired with deadly accuracy, raining down explosive blasts of pure energy on the renegade base. Chaos suddenly set in, renegades running every which way to avoid the explosions. The renegades countered with a full assult on the artillery battery, but the area had the advantage of high ground and was well defended. The renegades were repulsed, and forced to watch as their base was demolished by the fury of the ASAR shock cannons.
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Grunadulater smiled as he recieved the news that his troops had prevailed. Along with the experienced forces of the ASAR, they had managed to secure the base on Pariah. Several kraits and a helian or two could be seen leaving the surface and entering hyperspace. With nowhere left to call home, the Renegades were reduced to nomads, wandering the stars, perhaps looking for a distant world to settle on, or perhaps assuming a new identity and starting a life as a merchant, or even a UE citizen...
Thunder, Grunadulater, and Admiral Nelson looked on as a parade wound its way through the new capital of the joint Hinwar/ASAR world of Pariah. Three months had passed since the battle of Pariah, and it had turned from a renegade base to a productive colony, and a center of trade in the region. Even some Hinwar from the distant worlds of Liadon, and even a few smuggled out of bondage from Gamur, now resided there, along with many happy ASAR citizens.
With the threat of the renegades dispelled, the UE, Hinwar, and ASAR could turn their full attention on the Voinian war, and it was beginning to show. Though the Emalgha were still trapped within a powerful Voinian blockade, allied attacks against the southern Voinian worlds were beginning to have an effect. A UE raid had badly damaged Vorik outpost last week, and a powerful Hinwar-UE strike against the Voinian base on Otid was in the works for next Tuesday. All in all, the tide of the war was beginning to turn, as the allies turned their full fury against the Voinian Empire.
On the surface of Irid, the Hinwar had finally completed their work. The world was shrouded in toxic gas, and the world had laid basically untouched for decades, the aftermath of a Voinian attack on a rebellious race of slaves known only as the Lasin. They were now extinct... none had escaped the fury of the Voinians. But now one of the cities on the surface had been restored, and a dozen Hinwar supply ships sat waiting as the spaceport. Thunder too was present, waiting aboard his own heavy fighter, watching from orbit. "We're ready," the signal came in.
"Then do it," Thunder replied.
In the midst of the now repaired capital city, a large spherical structure began to open, almost like petals of a flower. The sphere split into wedge shaped peices and retracted as the highly concentrated chemical inside was released; the chemical that could break down the toxic gas in the atmosphere.
At first the change wasn't even noticable. The Hinwar watching nearby were the first to see it: a thinning of the blue gas that filled the air. The rate of the reaction increased, and soon they were standing in a bubble of clear air, a bubble that continued to expand outward at an ever increasing rate. Cheers could be heard as Hinwar scientists and colonists took off their environmental suits; after decades of toxic slumber, Irid would once again support life.
Thunder looked on from his ship, amazed at what he saw. What started as a pinpoint of clear skies among a sea of toxic blue grew, spreading to cover a small region of the sky, and then the entire southeast continent. Thunder watched as the uniform blue was slowly replaced by sparkling blue seas and a barren, gray and brown landscape. Spread by the upper-level winds, the chemicals circled the globe. Within a day, Irid was restored, and the last traces of the toxic gas was gone.
Hinwar colonists flooded out of the supply ships, eager to begin their new lives on Irid. With a little time for the ecosystem to recover, it would be beautiful once again, covered by forests and praries, and farmland.
Korane scowled as he listened to the morning breifing. Six months had passed since they had their last contact from the renegades when Pariah was lost, and things were not going well. Riden and Otid had fallen to the Hinwar and UE respectively, and Vorik had been destroyed in a joint UE/ASAR offensive. Avann looked to be the next target. The Voinians were losing fast, up against the combined might of three allied governments and the stubborn rebelliousness of the Emalgha, still holding on to the Emalghion system despite multiple attempts to capture it. Forces were spread thin across the border. Just when it looked like things couldn't get any worse, a young Voinian lieutenant rushed in, with a data-pad in hand. He pulled Korane aside.
"Sir, I've just recieved word that the first three dreadnaughts have been completed, and are fully operational. Two more are in the works."
"Excellent." Korane smiled, realizing that the time for a counter-offensive was at hand. "Send them, along with a large escort fleet, to the Emalghion system. It's time we took care of the rebellious Emalgha once and for all."
The Emalgha defenders let out a cheer as they finished off the last in a wave of Voinian interceptors. They were a bit puzzled, though; this was a far weaker attack than they were used to. They had barely incurred any losses. Something was up, and they didn't have to wait long to find out what. A massive Voinian fleet hypered into the system from behind, and immediately opened fire.
"What the heck is that?" asked the Emalgha commander out loud, when he caught sight of the lead dreadnaught.
"I don't know," his first officer replied, "I've never seen a ship that large."
"Order a direct assult. We can't let that behemoth reach Emalghia!"
The Emalgha ships flew forward, and opened fire on the dreadnaught with a fury and force never before seen in any battle they could remember. Emalgha cannon fire coarsed across the surface of the dreadnaught as the first wave of attackers hit their mark with devistating force. As the smoke faded, though, the dreadnaught barely looked scratched.
"Let's show them some real power," ordered Ultimate Rebel, commander of the Voinian fleet. "All ships blitz the Emalgha, now."
The stunned Emalgha looked on as two more dreadnaughts appeared from behind the Voinian battle lines, and opened fire with a new enhanced neutron turret. Bolts of purple energy flew with an accuracy and power that amazed even the Voinian attackers, and the brave Emalgha began to fall. Explosions filled the system as Emalgha fighters and warships clashed with Voinian interceptors, frigates, and the massive dreadnaughts themselves. Despite their best efforts, the Emalgha ships began to fall one by one, and their numbers started to dwindle badly.
Unable to hold back the Voinian hordes any longer, the Emalgha ships gave way, and a wave of intercerptors and heavy fighters flew through their lines, catching them in a crossfire. The Emalgha looked on in horror as one of the dreadnaughts, anhialating any defending ships that came near it, entered orbit of the moon of Guardo and began a devistating orbital bombardment. Almost all the Emalgha ships were disabled now, and they realized it was a lost cause. Their home was lost, their world about to be destroyed.
"Full scale evacuation, now!" The message came through to the Emalgha military headquarters on Emalghia. Hundreds of freighters and passenger ships were loaded, as civilian and military transports alike were utilized to take as many civilians as possible and get them out of the system. The mass exodus continued even as the Voinian fleet entered orbit and began an orbital bombardment of Emalghia itself. Ship after ship flowed into hyperspace, as millions of Emalgha refugees sought to escape the wrath of the Voinians.
The few remaining Emalgha military ships fought valiantly, trying to buy enough time for the civilian exodus to reach completion. Almost all were disabled now, and the Voinians were moving to stop them. One of the dreadnaughts, despite suffering massive damage, was now headed directly for the stream of escaping ships, poised to put an end to the evacuation. Redchigh, commander of the Emalgha military, looked on from the bridge of his tattered battleship. Shields had failed, and his armor was barely holding. He knew he had to buy his people enough time to escape to Bonheuria. Mustering all the power his ship had left, he ordered his crew to the escape pods, and set a collision course for the massive dreadnaught.
Escape pods detached from the hull of Redchigh's ship, and Redchigh himself fell to the floor as his ship was rocked by neutron cannon fire from interceptors, trying to blow his ship up before it could reach the dreadnaught. He transferred the last of his power to the armor, life support, engines, even the power from the escape pod launchers. He knew it was the only way he could make it, and save the innocent refugees trying so hard to escape. He sat bravely on his captains chair, watching as the dreadnaught filled his viewscreen, and as the interceptors stopped their barrage, fearful of being caught in the coming blast...
On a nearby passanger ship, a dozen Emalgha children looked on through a porthole as they saw a lone Emalgha warship careen into the oncoming Voinian dreadnaught, engulfing the entire rear section of the massive warship in a ball of flames. Disabled, the dreadnaught floated off course, spewing sparks and smoke into the vacuum of space, before it exploded in a brilliant flash of light and rain of scrap metal. Redchigh, martyr to his people, had sacraficed his life so that thousands of refugees could escape. The exodus continued to completion, and the last few civilian ships hypered out of the system, on course for Bonheuria. Meanwhile, the Voinians were landing troops on Emalgha, securing the planet and all that was left behind.
Lord Gwydion was busy frantically relaying battle plans and orders to various warships. With the capture of Emalghion and the elimination of the Emalgha threat last week, dozens of warships were freed up to fight the UE, Hinwar, and ASAR. The Voinians would be a force to be reckoned with once again, and he had a feeling that the tide of the war was about to turn once again, this time in the Voinians' favor...
In the months that came, the battles were more frantic, larger, and more devistating than anyone had imagined possible. The Voinians, with the aid of their new dreadnaught class ships, reclaimed Riden and managed to destroy Outpost Alpha, clearing the Bakka system of UE presence. The still enslaved Hinwar on Gamur were oblitherated in a massive orbital bombardment; few escaped as the Voinians unleashed the full fury of their military might on the settlement, leaving the planet a barren, uninhabited wasteland. Even the powerful UE cruiser was no match for the dreadnaught, and only strength in numbers and the brilliant military planning of Admiral Benden and other military strategists saved the UE and their allies from being overrun. The war raged on, battle after battle, power shifting from side to side, as each would thrust forward in an offensive, only to be stopped and put on the defensive as their enemies responded with a new wave of ships and an even greater fury. Border systems changed hands again and again, so often that colonists and traders feared venture within two jumps of the border. Casualties began to mount for both sides as the war took its toll on everyone involved. It was anyone's guess as to how much longer it would continue...
Thunder walked in and sat down at his customary table in a nondescript resturant on the top floor of a skyscraper in downtown Irid City. He was wearing plain civilian clothing; his days of a cap, uniform, and shiny military boots were passed; he had passed the job of Military Commander to Grunadulater three years ago, in the elections at the end of the Great War. Grunadulater had led the Hinwar in many great battles during the war, and had proven himself as an knowlegdable, brave, and able commander. Now only distinction that set Thunder apart from the civilian crowds was the bodyguard that stayed by his side at almost all times.
It had been three years since the war had ended. Neither side had won, but rather they battled to a perpetual stalemate. Slowly hostilities had ceased, as the Voinians and the Humans with their Hinwar allies took to patroling their borders, and an uneasy peace settled in. The Voinians were now contained to within a tight perimeter stretching from Dyram to Mihal, and up to Avann and Kelmaon, but no ship dared cross the border, on either side. Still, nobody knew when events would again reach the flashpoint, plunging the galaxy back into darkness and war...
"What will it be this morning, Prime Minister?" a waitress asked.
"I'll have the usual," Thunder replied kindly.
"Coming right up." The waitress then turned to Thunder's bodyguard, taking his order and then returning to the kitchen.
Thunder looked out the window. The sun was just rising, causing the usually deep blue sky to tint with shades of green, yellow, and orange. The ecosystem on Irid had recovered beautifully in the absence of the toxic gas, and new trees could be seen growing in the park below. Thunder's gaze drifted as he looked first at the other buildings, then at the nearby lake, and finally at the people walking through the memorial in the park below. It was an awe-inspiring sight, a tall obelisk structure stood in the center of the park, with an observation deck at the top. People stood there, looking out over park, and the city. Below stood a massive sculpture, and a field of statues, in rememberance of the Lasin, an entire race who had lost their lives to the Voinians. At least their memory lived on.
------------------ Ad Astra Per Aspera
Nice, living up to your reputation I see, Thunder. You had a very hard finale to write there, but did it well.
------------------ "That's all very nice, but where are the guns?" - SilverDragon
That was amazing, truly amazing. Thunder, if you would like a future in writing short stories or books, I know a few authors(Anne Crispin, Michael A. Stackpole...) and my mom is an editor.
------------------ "The heathens are upon us. Arm yourselves and go with God." Paul Benden, Commander of the Purple Sector Fleet, prior to the Battle of Cygni. (url="http://"http://pub70.ezboard.com/bevtechsoftware")EVTech Software Webboard(/url)
Very very cool and very very good, though it could be happier... Just kidding, it's great.
------------------ If at first you don't succeed...Hit it harder! - Me -------------- Millennium. Its coming, prepare for it. Coming to the (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiaSW.com/games/ev/chronicles.html")EV Chronicles(/url).
Great job Thunder, we could even do a second flashpoint in a near future with that end.
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Um. It was really cool but why do I always have to die in all finales except when I had the Azdgari. I liked the renegades too. Damn. Oh well.
Awesome story!
------------------ --The Eye is Upon you-- If you look long enough the Sun isn't that bright.
Hmmm. I could help write a second Flashpoint if you wanted me too. The finale is a good one to continue from if you ask me, and is a great masterpiece. And I apologize for being absent the majority of the story. I would've tried, but I had alot on my hands at the time.
------------------ Why settle for a $3 pound of pork meat, when you can get up to 50+ pounds of human meat free? Visit (url="http://"http://pub101.ezboard.com/bstarbasedelta")Starbase Delta(/url) today! Or come to (url="http://"http://pub69.ezboard.com/bnewsatori")New Satori(/url), my new ezboard! "Your eyes can deceive you—don't trust them." —Obi Wan Kenobi "You will not try, you will do it." —Yoda "What a piece of junk!" —Luke Skywalker
ESPilot has a good idea. We could start a second one, since your finale could be made a continuance. Great ending, I couldn't have done near as good!
(This message has been edited by Ultimate Rebel (edited 06-02-2001).)
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Originally posted by Ultimate Rebel: **ESPilot has a good idea. We could start a second one, since your finale could be made a continuance. Great ending, I couldn't have done near as good!:D
**
Good plan. Just wait until Reign of Chaos II and Golden Horizon end first.
thats realy good.
I'm glad to hear that so many people like the finale, thanks for all your positive comments! I'm honored.
If anyone is interested, I posted a final update to the map, to reflect the situation following the finale. (url="http://"http://www.geocities.com/evowebstories/flashpointmap.gif")www.geocities.com/evowebstories/flashpointmap.gif(/url) (as always, copy and paste manually)
I've heard a little talk about a sequel - and I'd be happy to participate in one, if there's enough interest. Just give time for some of the other stories (sequels to Red Horizon and Reign of Chaos) to get out of the way first. It'll work better that way.
Where are those stories you talk about?
------------------ I try to think but nothing happens!- Ultimate Rebel