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OOC: About ten pages in something else made me lose my temper and I deleted a vast chunk of Zosen character development to get this post finished so I can have a weekend off without having to think about any of this.
(- In hyperspace to Mark... -)
Zosens new Azdara, which he had named the Ranirakyin , glided through hyperspace smoothly as he had done for almost a day now. She was only a week and a half old, and had seen no action at all... Ironically, short of a brief test flight around the low orbit of Dames, the first time the Ranirakyin had launched was the time, roughly a week ago, when Zosen had joined the defence fleet of Chak where, Chyi-Azhar had told him, a warband would be formed to raid the lesser ones.
He had been excited by the prospect of a joining on a raiding expedition against the lesser ones, but he was somewhat overcome with what had actually happened. Apert had been attacked by the bears, the Igadzra, and a counter-attack had been launched so swiftly that Zosen expected strategy had been decided along the way. From what he understood, Hyaishi was behind it all, and now, what had at first been a daring raid on Notil as a counter-attack and warning had escalated into the current situation.
Ninety four Azdara squadrons and thirty Arada squadrons en route back to Mark, but not in retreat to Chak - they were going to attack. Zosen had to admit, when the bears Aradas had followed, he too had considered that Marks defences must be weakend, but still... One warband, as powerful a warband as it might be, was not enough to take Marks remaining defences by storm. It seemed like Hyaishis entire plan hinged about the expectation that the two warbands in Emnin would also be striking, a gamble that, if misguided, would result in a slaughter.
Zosen eyed the Ranirakyins fleet position display, watching the currently stationery readings of his comrades. Chyi-Azhar, Runar, Ka-ruul, and this... Isa. He had yet to meet any of them in person, although he suspected each of them had met Chyi-Azhar beforehand. Their squadron, which Chyi-Azhar had yet to name, had not been fully formed yet, as it was waiting for Azhaurais return. It had been forced into action however, and was operating with low teamwork. Zosens mentor had seemed rather disproving of this, but had responded negatively to Zosens suggestion that they get to know each other over comm. channels while in hyperspace. It is the azkhradi, Zosen. The moment before the kill. This time is a time to be alone.
Nonetheless, Zosen was curious about the nature of the others. Runar was one of Chyi-Azhars acquaintances, and they were alike in age and manner, though Runar, it was said, was more aggressive and more interested in the hunt than Chyi-Azhar, who was reputed to have born in the seat of his Kohatsa. From what Zosen had heard, however, Runar was a talented Azdara pilot also, and the two of them had a long history of co-operative efforts. Runars skills must not have fallen far below Chyi-Azhars if they flew wing-to-wing in battle. Not for the first time, Zosen wondered how Runar had earnt his name. He couldnt recognise what it might have derived from, but then again, he knew barely Ancient at all.
Ka-ruuls, name, however, was easily understood. It was Ancient for one who follows, and apparently he was named such as about a year ago, on one of his first patrols, he had followed a small Zidagar strike force across half of the Crescent rim, monitoring their movements and not allowing them to be lost, until they finally gave up whatever mission it was that they were on, and returned to Outpost Terapin. He was a year older than Zosen, and apparently was a major risk-taker, as one would have to be to follow a dozen Zidagar fighters from Qerid to Marafey, and then to Terapin, going through three of the wolves systems in the process. His skills were not doubted, however. Like Zosen, he was an aikaita - the third level on the Index. Unlike Zosen, he seemed to lack the drive to become a kidhasai (the highest level), however. To be aikaita at age twenty, or indeed nineteen, was impressive enough.
As much as Zosen tried not to think about it, it was Isa who he was most curious about. Chyi-Azhars vehement response to an azdhara piloting an Azdara was understandable enough. All they were good for was sexual release and various tasks the true Azdgari would not waste their time with. Zosen had never associated with azdhara , however, choosing instead to concentrate on his aim to become kidhasai with a singleminded determination that was unlike the Azdgari.
However inappropriate the situation, however, the question remained: why had Hyaishi allowed any azdhara to pilot an Azdara? And was she going to prove any good at all? Chyi-Azhar had made it perfectly clear that he didnt expect Isa to live out this battle, and he had said so with such confidence that Zosen wondered if he would kill her himself. Faced with that thought, Zosen felt nothing at all. It was just an (/i)azdhara(/i), after all. Barely even sentient. But he couldnt help but wonder...
What sort of azdhara flies with the greatest Azdara pilot of this age? What sort of azdhara flies at all?
----------------
In five minutes, the Ranirakyin would be leaving hyperspace, along with the rest of the Chyi-Azhars squadron and indeed the entire warband. Over the last few minutes, Zosen had received a string of messages from Chyi-Azhar, each impersonally addressed to the rest of the squadron. They outlined he expected his squadron to behave, and the targets they would take. The first priority Chyi-Azhar had outlined was simple enough. I will flag up an Igazra moments after we enter the system. We will destroy it. The five of us. No interruptions.
Zosen doubted it was entirely a personal decision on Chyi-Azhars part - he would have preferred to eliminate enemy Aradas, as they were to do immediately afterwards, one to each, with the exception of Runar, who would fly with Chyi-Azhar. The Azdgari behind this warband, Hyaishi of the Zaarisha , was said to be the greatest strategist of this age, just as Chyi-Azhar was the greatest Azdara pilot. Zosen already had the basics of Hyaishis plan down, as he had sent messages out to the entire warband. The majority of Azdaras were forming groups of eight squadrons, each octa-squadron hitting a separate Igazra. Chyi-Azhars squadron was not amongst those.
Those Azdaras which would fight independently of that were likely assigned to an Igazra each, a far more difficult proposition than the swarm. Or perhaps it was simply the elite squadrons, of which Chyi-Azhars would surely be one. Hyaishi still seemed convinced that the other two warbands, under the command of Soran Yain, would also be there. His entire strategy seemed to rely on it. The battle would be far, far closer if he was wrong.
As Zosen had expected, Chyi-Azhar intended the squadron to split after that, with Runar staying with him. Those two would attack Aradas head-on, annihilating them and moving on. Zosen knew what sort of skill to expect of Chyi-Azhar and his Kohatsa , and with the back-up from Runars Triada , they would be a deadly force. The others - no doubt Hyaishi had not wanted to name Isa - were to act individually and to be cautious, but also to bear in mind that how they acquitted themselves today would determine how they were seen in the squadron. Zosen thought it no coincidence that Chyi-Azhar wished for him, Ka-ruul and Isa to fly alone. He wanted Isa to die, and was counting on the fact that the azdhara would take on far too great a target in an attempt to earn his favour. He also wanted to test Zosen and Ka-ruul to the very limits.
A channel was open that moment from Chyi-Azhar. Zosen? his familiar voice inquired. Zosen quickly replied that he was present and alert, and awaited the unexpected message.
Stay alive, Zosen, his mentor said after a brief moment of silence, in which Zosen had checked to confirm that the channel was still open. Take opportunities, make sure other Azdgari do not die today. But do not take risks.
The channel went dead. Zosen had noticed the slight emphasis on the word Azdgari. A clear enough sign that Chyi-Azhar wanted Isa dead - he was asking Zosen to support other ships in the warband, but only those piloted by Azdgari.
(- Residence of Aynakurai Vakhys, Xarnes -)
It was done. Five days ago, the Hypercube Project had been declared complete. The first Vakhys-chamber had been built as part of the project, underground on Dames. It would be able to produce hypercubes. Soon, Aradas would be refitted with dimensional phasers. Vakhys was feeling elated. Xiaan and Karyd were gone, and he hadnt seen from Yain again... No, he didnt want to think about Yain. Hed snapped before, firing at him, and he was afraid that next time Yain visited, it would be to kill him.
But that was the last thing on Vakhys mind. It was done. Sat in the upper chambers of his residence, which had been ruled by those upstarts Xiaan and Karyd for so many weeks, Vakhys was writing by hand in his diary. It was unusual to do anything by hand these days, but Vakhys preferred it. Quill pen and real ink - that was the way to record ones life events. Itd taken some brief dabbling in chemistry to actually synthesise something remotely like the same ink used millenia ago, and Vakhys had not enjoyed. Chemistry was not his field.
His handwriting was a wild, illegible scrawl, but that was not the only reason nobody would ever understand what was written here. It was in fluent Ancient, every word. In a time when only odd words of Ancient were known, and very few Azdgari could assemble a basic (and usually grammatically incorrect) sentence in it. Certainly, nobody could speak it, or write it so confidently. Vakhys had learnt in many years ago, out of interest. Oh, it was often said that there were not enough records left alive to recreate the language, but they were wrong. It had taken him about three years, and had involved a dramatic discovery that to this day, he could not begin to understand.
...confident that they will... continue funding later once I tell them of the future prospects, Vakhys spoke out loud in a whispered Ancient as he finished the passage. He was overjoyed, he wasnt going to pretend otherwise. Not only had his project been a success, but now he had surely earnt massive respect within the Council of Science. Perhaps hed even be given an honorary position at a council member? An influential one, of course. Power and fame. Thats what awaited him, for this.
Oh, it wasnt just the hypercube. It was more than that. Vakhys theories, that those narrow-minded warmongers had cared so little about, meant so much more than hypercubes. Because of these discoveries, they now stood at the brink of a new era of prosperity. There was much left to observe, and for that Vakhys would need...
Ah. The only thing that could get Vakhys down. He no longer had funding. He would likely not to receive it until the Council of War saw how effective hypercubes could be in a combat situation and decided to fund Vakhys again... But that would mean he would have to make another device for them to murder things with.
Foolish murderers, can they not _see _the potential? Vakhys asked of himself, returning to Common Azdgari mid-sentence. If he had to once again constantly be convincing some idiots that he was in fact working on something that would help them kill things and not some useless revolutionary scientific theory of the interconnectedness of all things, he swore he would kill something. And since the idiots who would be watching him unfortunately werent an option (yet), it would have to mean a trip to Meagh to partake in the ancient Azdgari tradition of murdering animals, only with the slight modification that Vakhys liked the idea of doing it with nuclear warheads. More satisfying that way.
Of course, the more he thought about it, the more he realised that the next project might make the members of the Council of War even happier. Although it wasnt a weapon, the way his research was leading... Yes, this could work out very well indeed.
As Vakhys closed his diary and quietly doffed his day robe, donned his cozy night gown and slipped into bed for a long nights sleep as he had not enjoyed for some time, there was one thought that kept entering his mind.
Whoever it is were meant to be at war with these days, my next project... Will likely be the end of it for them.
(- Zaarisha (Hyaishis Arada), Mark -)
The Zaarisha exitted hyperspace along with a warband consisting of five hundred and sixty five Azdaras and one hundred and eighty nine other Aradas. It was Hyaishis personal ship, and while he was an oddity in not piloting an Azdara, his Zaarisha , like Sai-Varitairs Kisande warship, Hyaanls Chanari and Yains Tzi , was heavily modified, and little like the usual Azdgari Arada.
The moment Hyaishis warband entered Mark to meet the half-prepared Igadzra forces, there was a frenzy of sensor and comm. activity, of which the Zaarisha was the centre. Thousands of programs Hyaishi had spent the last day in hyperspace readying were initiated, operating on the raw sensor data and sending flags and comms to every ship in the warband based on the information. These programs were the ones that determined which octa-squadrons attacked which Igazras, where the elite Azdara squadrons hit, and the exact roles of the Azdgari Arada squadrons in this battle. They were simplified, however, but as Hyaishi quickly looked over the Igadzra position, he realised that there wasnt much to add. The Igadzra position was by no means foolish, and they had been cautious and prepared to face an attack back from Notil. The positioning was as expected for now, and so there were no immediate complications.
As he thought that, hundreds of unfamiliar projectile weaponry suddenly closed on the warband with surprising velocity. Hyaishi blinked. They finally eschewed their useless SAEs... what are these things? The Zaarisha would take sensor logs, Hyaishi didnt have any time to find out the answer to that. He opened channels with every Azdgari ship in the entire warband.
Funnel to ninety degrees, dont be hit! Hyaishi barked sharply, while he himself obeyed his own commands. Veering sharply upwards at full velocity, he aimed to immediately fly beyond the maximum range of whatever these weapons were. If theyd been SAEs, the warband would simply have dived through, darting out of the way of individual SAEs, but Hyaishi was not going to have his band take any risks.
As the stragglers were obliterated by the unprecedented power of this new weapon, Hyaishi was extremely grateful of his decision. The vast majority of the fleet had taken major evasive manoeuvres, and thankfully it seemed that these new missiles couldnt match a sharp turn over a short distance. Still, Hyaishis eyes widened with horror as he scanned through the losses. Seventy Azdaras, destroyed... the Igadzra had not shot in vain. He would have expected most of those pilots to overload their shield regeneration, but... Apparently they hadnt had time, overcome by numerous missiles at once.
Thankfully, the bears had been too smart, perhaps realising how many missiles it would have taken to destroy the average Azdara... And many, many more Azdaras that were hit survived, due to their new, more powerful shielding. The bears would not make the same mistake again.
Draw them, Hyaishi uttered calmly over a channel to all the remaining ships, and a moment later, received a predicted maximum range of these missiles. Who sent this, then? He glanced at where the message had come from - an Azdara called the Kohatsa.
Quick response, Hyaishi mused. Inys was likely only half a second behind in doing the same and sending the messages out to all the fleet. It was one of his roles - he didnt actively pilot the Zaarisha , but Inys was surprisingly talented at on-the-spot battle analysis. That was half the reason he had hired him.
Once again, Hyaishi was proud of the discipline of the Azdgari chaos machine. They quickly moved to the range that they estimated would be just at risk from the missiles, as a second, lesser salvo was launched. Very few of the second salvo hit anything, as the Azdgari adapted and performed their standard SAE draw, darting out of maximum range and specifically aiming to avoid the attacks. However, the bears seemed to be smarter these days.
Seems we cant convince them to waste any more than that. That second salvo was just a small amount of lack of discipline, perhaps. Ive never seem them react quicker.
Rather than opening another series of channels this time, Hyaishi simply tapped one key that sent an automated command to every ship to hold back. Surprised, the Azdgari fleet responded, some quicker than others.
For several minutes it stood like that - a stalemate across the system. The bears would have been fools to break their defensive formation over Pimre Station, and they likely knew that any sorties they sent out from their main battlefleet would be wasted. The Azdgari had the speed advantage, and if they seemed to be pausing to catch their breath, there was no chance any Igadzra ship would force it into a fight.
Seventy different channels tried to open to Hyaishis Zaarisha , likely asking what the hell he was doing, but he closed every one. Inys and he had gone over the calculations a thousand times over the last day. Yain would be arriving in another minute.
The minutes dragged on endlessly.
(- Kohatsa (Chyi-Azhars Azdara) -)
Cursed designs, Chyi-Azhar muttered, taking the bizarre battle silence to look over what he could fathom about these new missiles with their eerie blue glow, unlike anything hed ever seen from the bears. He had been the only one in his squadron to be hit by one, and two more would have followed and likely secured his demise had he not swiftly evaded them. They were far superior to SAEs, however, and even the best of evasion strategies would not be able to avoid the majority of these weapons. If it wasnt for the new shields...
Still, this silence bothered Chyi-Azhar. What was Hyaishi up to? The Igadzra formation was improving, and they had more time to plan how they would react when Hyaishi finally did order the attack... more deaths would come of this. What was he thinking?
It dawned on him, then. There was one reason hed wait, and one reason only. The fact that it allowed some of the sharper Azdgari pilots time to consider how they might combat this new weapon of the lesser ones was unintended, but somewhat useful.
He was waiting for another fleet. That was the only explanation. Chyi-Azhar was not party to all the information, and this annoyed him greatly. What did Hyaishi know? What reinforcements were coming, and from where? With the Igadzra position as it was, if another fleet was coming from-...
Emnin. Yain. Of course.
Chyi-Azhar smiled faintly. It seemed this child Hyaishi wasnt all that bad. Although it made little difference to Chyi-Azhars plans - he was challenging Hyaishi when this was over anyway. There were consequences for telling someone such as he that he must harbour an azdhara whore in his squadron.
(- Diumin, Diudir -) A battle hardened, one-eyed Azdgari crossed the platform outside and watched as the last ships came to dock at Diumin Base. Seventy Aradas - sixty of them unarmed - and thirty Azdaras. Diumin Base was small, although it had docks enough for far more ships, for several warbands at a time. There were two separate docks in the base - a smaller dock used by the regular patrollers, and the massive underground dock used by warbands in the past. It was this second dock that had been necessary for these visitors, and it seemed somehow sad that this cavernous facility was now being used to refuel ships from a retreat.
Diumin had been alerted several days ago - in fact, it had learnt of the impending loss of Apert at the same time the Azdgari at Outpost Rai had learnt of it, and had made preparations to refuel the ships quickly. They would not be staying - Dames was their location, and then the relocation of Outpost Rai was to be considered.
A group of Azdgari were already wandering around outside of their ships. They had unanimously refused accomodation, after learning that once again the heating systems were playing up, but it seemed the thirty Azdara pilots were happy to get an opportunity to walk around.
It had been years since the one-eyed Azdgari had piloted an Azdara, and he never wanted to go back. The long days in the cramped conditions killed him. These last eight years hed been the unofficial commander of the Diumin Base, and had hardly set foot off Diumin. He had been a decent pilot in his day, but he hardly considered his dayto include the now anymore.
One of the Azdara pilots noticed him and walked over to intercept him. Ah, Diugar... its been a while!
He didnt recognise the Azdgaris face at all. Probably someone who played cards with me a few years back... Azd only knows how some of these people remember me. In reality, it was quite obvious why people would remember Diugar - a one-eyed Azdgari who looked as if hes been chiselled from obsidian, and who had a heart that no hearth could ever warm.
Diugar made a noncommital sound, and went back to observing the other Azdgari who were leaving the ships. Refuelling had begun already, as dockworkers swarmed over the ships in a chaotic mass that was never as efficient as it tried to look.
The talk is that were going to rebuild Outpost Rai in 1273, he continued as if he didnt realise that Riugar couldnt really care less. The lesser ones arent hardly likely to find it there.
And its serves no use there, neither, Diugar spat, turning his attention upon the younger Azdgari who bothered him. Outpost Rai will be rebuilt in Apert, or else this worlds surely gone mad. Only other place it serves any use is right up against the bears backside.
The other Azdgari looked surprised at Diugars harsh response, and seemed to take offence from the last comment, as if somehow it was a personal one against him, which wasnt how Diugar had intended it at all, but he had could care less. Well be heading on to Dames for now, however... until the counter-attack is over. What will you do if and when Diumin is attacked?
Ill do the only damn thing I can do, Riugar replied, annoyed. Ill pack up and run like the winds, cause thats what Hyaishi and the others say I should do and I dont have the ships to do much else. Riugar wasnt much happy about it, either. Theyd sacrifice Diumin and Muid for nothing. There was a reason Diumin had been held for generations, and this new upstart general didnt seem to realise it. Even Apert had its purpose, in a sense, although itd never been used for the most obvious one.
The other Azdgari smiled then, knowingly. I heard a rumour that a major attack against the lesser ones out of Diumin is planned soon, soon after this false counter-attack goes ahead.
Riugar blinked, and studied the Azdgari closely. You heard this from who?
From Hyaishi. A few weeks ago, discussing general strategy... he basically predicted everything thats happened up until now.
Riugar blinked once more. You might not be that bad after all... him neither... do tell me more about this, raid out of Diumin, you said?
(- The Myrihas Wastelands, Chaka IV, Chak -)
A lone Azdara slashed through into the lower orbit of Chaka IV in a matter of seconds, at velocities so extreme that nothing in the known galaxy could have sought to pass it. It struck directly downwards at full power, and then, hovering fifty metres from destruction on the planets surface, the vessel... Stopped.
It was a prototype Azdara, unique in that it was the first ship in existence to utilise the gravitational impulse drives recently invented by the master engineer, Tsurai Kyaand. It was Kyaand himself piloting this Azdara, although he rarely did so anymore. He knew he wasnt much of a pilot, and had vowed never to fly an Azdara again after nearly dying on the very course he intended to fly today.
Oh course, hed changed the specifics of his promise several days ago, to mean that hed never fly the most dangerous course on the Myrihas in a ship using an ion drive. In what was now the fastest vessel in the galaxy by a long way, a ship capable of coming to a halt almost immediately, turning without pause... strafing without turning... He felt a newfound confidence in his abilities. And, failing that, hed mapped out the entire course so that this new prototype could fly it even if he couldnt. Which, at these velocities, he probably couldnt.
Kyaand smiled to himself, congratulating himself on finally completing a design that had taken him and his team of engineers eight weeks to build, after a lifetime of dreams. Accelerating to high velocity quickly, his Azdara darted through the Myrihas Wastelands in a way that would mock all Azdaras to go before it.
The key to this new propulsion was that no longer was the Azdara being powered by the standard ion drives, but instead, by an (anti-)gravitational singularity focused just inside the ships shields. The raw power was immense, and because the new system was fully flexible, the full propulsion power could be assigned to turning in an instant - which was why all of a sudden turning had become no issue at all, making the Myrihas... Laughable.
Indeed, Kyaand was laughing. This Impulse-1 drive exceeded all his dreams, and it was only just the beginning...
(- The Battle of Mark -)
Four minutes stalemate was broken in an instant when the Igadzra suddenly faced the last thing they had expected. A brief energy signature was all the warning there was before Yains warbands exitted hyperspace at the other side of the system, at maximum velocity and not slowing down. The two combined warbands under Yains command were so large as to immediately dwarf all the forces in the system at that time. Almost twelve hundred Azdaras and two hundred and fifty Aradas appeared in an instant, and suddenly everything had changed.
It took five seconds for Hyaishis warband to move into action, as they had in fact never decelerated, instead choosing to move in small patterns outside the Igadzras maximum missile range so as to keep their velocities, as per the instructions of their commander. By the time Hyaishis warband had begun to close the distance on the Igadzra forces, however, Yain was upon the Igadzra with unprecedented fury. Igadzra missile weaponry struck with devastating force for a few seconds, but it was not enough to change the sway of the battle. Seconds later, Yains forces quickly gained the information Hyaishis had gained regarding these new weapons, and seconds after that, they gained new information.
Yains warbands met the Igadzra armada first, and immediately were struck by sapphire-coloured beams instead of phase burst fire, and from an unexpected range. The first few Azdaras targetted fell immediately, but then others began to roll away from the fight and regenerate their shields quickly. Two Azdaras that wouldve been annihilated overloaded their regenerators and left the battle immediately, decisions being made in an instant that made the difference between life and death.
However, despite the impressive display on the Igadzras part, their response to Yains warbands was not quick enough, and within a few heartbeats the Igadzra forces were falling. The battle was quick and tremendously devastating, Igazras lasting only seconds against concentrated fire, Azdaras either being destroyed or being forced out of the battle by burnt-out regenerators every second.
The Igadzra attempted to meet Hyaishis forces also, as salvo after salvo of their new missile weaponry struck the Azdgari attackers, but they had the disadvantage of speed, numbers and ferocity. As the Igadzra numbers immediately began to twindle, particularly amongst the Igazras, it became clear that the battle would be quicker and less satisfying than anyone could have wished for.
Early Igadzra tactics were quick to develop to the abilities of individual Azdgari ships to take hits, however, as originally many salvos were badly placed as they were designed to take down ships with the least amount of missiles. But similarly, once the Azdaras were in amongst the Igadzra, the Azdgari quickly adapted.
The Igadzra also demonstrated the use of their tractor beams, although by sheer coincidence Hyaishis orders for Azdaras to form octa-squadrons and attack from maximum range to allow all ships to hit their targets reduced the otherwise devastating ability of these beams. Groups of Igaras tried to tractor damaged Igazras away, but this tactic failed on the whole due to their inability to due so faster than the Igazras fell. It quickly shifted to being done to damaged Igaras, as there were many when the Azdgari Aradas joined in the fray.
Once the chaos rose to a certain level, Azdgari Aradas began firing off salvos of dispersal rockets, vast numbers to each Igazra at a time. By this point, however, most of the Igazras had already fallen... as had far too many Azdaras, to the surprisingly powerful new weapons they faced.
(- Tzi (Yains Azdara) -)
The Tzi darted away from a series of larger missiles launched at it, the ethereal-seeming blue phantoms unable to alter their trajectory fast enough. Two of them crashed immediately into the Igazra the Tzi had run up against, and two more smaller missiles luckily dispersed and lost their target, their range exceeded. A brief hail of phase fire struck the already massived damaged Igazra, an unfortunate survivor of a massive attack from dispersal weaprony which had left it so badly damaged that barely any of its weapons were still even functioning. Several beams were trained on the Tzi , but it used the damaged Igazra as cover. Yain had quickly realised that although these beams were powerful, one or two at a time wasnt too much of a threat against his upgraded Azdara.
A few seconds later, the Igazra finally went down, after a trio of Azdgari Aradas joined the cause, finishing it off. The Tzi was drawn into a brief firefight as two Igadzra Aradas went to take their revenge. They both fell quickly, although one of the Azdgari Aradas was lost under overwhelming missile fire.
Yain found himself enjoying this battle more than he had enjoyed any in a long time. The odds were too much in their favour, but these new weapons proved interesting. Finding ways to make them hurt the bears more than they hurt him was what Yain enjoyed most. He had quickly learnt not to go too close to these new vessels, except for Igazras like the one that his allies had just destroyed. Those mostly destroyed wreckages were the perfect cover.
The battle was raging on, but most of the Igazras were destroyed. Yain glanced at the sensor display, pondering his next move, when it was chosen for him as an extremely impressive salvo of missile fire was shot directly at him. Far too much for one Azdara... Yain pondered with some amusement. Seems they know me.
As the blue phantoms closed surprisingly quickly, Yain wondered how hed deal with this one, checking to see if there were any likely looking carcasses nearby. Another two Igadzra Aradas were moving to cut him off. He realised then that he was in the middle of an improbability - a small concentration of Igadzra ships in the sea of Azdgari. Such things occured periodically in the chaos of battle, it was unavoidable at this level. His sudden misfortune, however, was a problem.
Rolling and U-turning in an attempt to avoid these smaller missiles, two struck his ship anyway, too fast to dodge. The larger ones couldnt turn anywhere near fast enough to track him, and he was able to dart around an enemy Arada and have it take some of the heat. Combined with his phase weaponry, it fell, although his shields were low. If he took another hit soon, it would be-...
The missiles chasing him were suddenly obliterated by an explosion from a dispersal rocket, and surprisingly quickly, two Aradas hunting the Tzi were annihilated by extremely accurate phase fire.
Yain was relieved as the Zaarisha darted past him, moving far faster than any normal Arada could. Hyaishi would not let Yain forget that one.
Somewhat annoyed that he had needed such rescuing, the Tzi nonetheless moved to follow the Zaarisha , to watch Hyaishis back from now on.
Within a matter of minutes, the Igadzra fleet had been annihilated. Several Laziras were able to escape, but Pimre Station was not entirely evacuated by the time the Azdgari warbands fell upon it and annihilated it, leaving the system for Emnin afterwards.
R &D
Phase Stealth Field 6/9 days.
Impulse-1 Refit 1/2 days.
Subdimensional Research, Stage Two: Subspace-Interface Nexus 0/10 days.
Phase-Arada Refit (2/2, complete 24/02/05.) Graviton Impulse Drive (Model: I-1) (8/8, complete 24/02/05.) Subdimensional Research, Stage One: Hypercube Project (12/12, complete 23/02/05.) Azdgari Hyperdrive (5/5, complete 16/02/05.) Level 4 Phase Shielding (7/7, complete 18/02/05.)
The Subspace-Interface Nexus will be explained later. It is a continuation of the Subdimensional Research by Vakhys. It will allow energy signals to be transferred subdimensionally from one nexus (hypersphere network) to another, or back to itself. In part it is a prerequisite technology to various advancements which will follow, although it has two other applications which will be explained in the OOC thread probably on Sunday.
Azdgari Fleet 400 Azdaras, 20 Azdgari Aradas lost in Mark. (i)50 Igazras, 90 Igadzra Aradas and Pimre Station destroyed in Mark._
Fleet: 2740 Azdaras, 736 Azdgari Aradas, 150 Azdgari Warships, 600 Freight Aradas, 6 Hypercubes, 10 Phase-Aradas. Production: 140 Azdaras, 20 Azdgari Aradas, 3 Hypercubes.
Tollb: 900 Azdaras, 246 Azdgari Aradas, 3 Phase-Aradas(2 Hypercubes). Molar: 900 Azdaras, 246 Azdgari Aradas, 70 Azdgari Warships, 4 Phase-Aradas(2 Hypercubes). Chak: 795 Azdaras, 191 Azdgari Aradas, 80 Azdgari Warships, 3 Phase-Aradas(2 Hypercubes).
Muid: 30 Azdaras, 10 Azdgari Aradas. Diudir: 30 Azdaras, 10 Azdgari Aradas. Raigar: 85 Azdaras, 36 Azdgari Aradas.
(i)30 Azdaras, 10 Azdgari Aradas, from the Apert defence fleet, are... somewhere. By normal 1 RTD = 7 game days rules, they would be in Tinar by now, but as the entire region is in strict-time, where they are depends on what day youre looking at._
60 Azdaras are said to be involving in scanning and patrolling.
Patrolling... DSN-2298, DSN-9041, Novish, Racet, Karra, Funit, Reban, Kacca, Calb, Elridi, DSN-2143, DSN-1273, Elder, Dafi, Emnin, Dirach, Lontri, Toi, Plate, Kade, Tinar, Meagh, Azdgari, Leka, Kelmaon, Marafey, DSN-682, DSN-2189, DSN-8204, Mark.
Scanning... Qerid, Fluron, Plogok, Terapin, Notil, Mordus, Nujja, Norhis, Motif.
This post has been edited by SilverDragon : 27 February 2005 - 06:27 PM
On the Premonition , en route to Mordus
Ujo sighed, leaning back into the large chair on the bridge of the Premonition as it continued to cruise through hyperspace. He rubbed his eyes slowly. No word received about what was happening in the rest of Directorate space. He only hoped that Station Raelion was still there when he got back. Igadzra Defense Fleets had been expanded in recent weeks, but it still wasn't enough. Without an Armada to protect them, defense forces basically just had to hope that a massive enemy armada wasn't about to cruise into the system. Ujo knew equally well, however, that the task of increase defense forces was rather difficult, considering the border they had to maintain.
Something had to be done soon. Ujo knew that Central Command was always busy working on new plans and strategies and contingencies, but few of them really worked. The original plan to ally with the South Tip strandless had failed because Central Command, and even Ujo himself to an extent, underestimated how stubborn and bitter and, in his opinion at least, stupid they were.
Ujo's thoughts were interrupted as Templar Hhazou approached him. "Executor, you have yet to take any rest since we departed Apert, and before then you got little more rest on the trip into the system. Perhaps you should take a break before we reach DSN-9041?"
The aging Executor watched Hhazou closely. He was young for an Igadzra, only 30 years old, and already serving under the quasi-legendary military leader. He was tall, thin, but athletic, with jet black dreadlocks that hung to his waist. Hhazou was quiet for the most part, but still eager to fight and war against the enemies of the Directorate. He was filled with zest and zeal and fight, although he maintained the cool exterior far better than some younger officers. Ujo had been just like him, when he first joined the military. Officers change as they grow older and see years of ceaseless wars. You became cold, calloused to the suffering around you. Ujo was indeed a grizzled old veteran of many wars.
"I'll sleep later," Ujo replied, putting on his visual headset again. Leaders, especially one as high ranking as an Executor, got used to getting little sleep and more than a fair share of stress. Ujo mentally kicked himself for not leaving more scouts in the area to guard against an Azdgari retreat from Apert. Now, much of the Eastern border was at risk. Ujo hoped that Executor Lathe in Mark could hold off an attack by the Azdgari.
Lathe was competent, and older than some of the newer executors. He had a simple life. He was born on Ragni, spent most of his life as a farmer, joined the Marines, and eventually ended up as Templar. After saving Shaei's life from a traitor, he was given a promotion to Third Executor. Ujo could only hope he could hold Mark...
"Now would be a good time, sir. We are still at least a day or more away from DSN-9041. You should get some rest now. I will wake you if we receive any word from Central Command or our fleets," Hhazou insisted.
Hhazou would make a good executor someday. Ujo was sure of it. The best way to learn was to be in a position like this: following orders from a veteran Executor. Not that Ujo would ever boast of his accomplishments, he considered that foolish and arrogant. For the most part he just chuckled and shrugged or brushed it off when someone tried to ask him about his legendary deeds. Hhazou had learned long ago of how Ujo reacted to such praise.
"Very well... You have the bridge, Templar," Ujo said reluctantly, standing up and taking off his headset, then turning around to walk off to his quarters while Hhazou asked for the hourly status report...
------
Igadzra Central Command
Executor X'el stared blankly at the casualty list from the Battle of Mark. The Pimre Station had been destroyed, and most of the Igadzra fleet with it. Only Executor Lathe, by mere luck or perhaps mercy, had managed to escape into the Notil system.
After several long moments of silence, X'el looked up at several nearby Templars who were awaiting his orders. "Dispatch ships from the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Armadas to assemble in Notil, and send the reinforcements gathered here to aid them as well. Retake the Mark system and rebuild the station immediately."
One templar nodded, then bowed and ran off as X'el turned to the others. "Give out new orders. Ships are to be placed closer to jump points. At the first sight of any enemy ships entering the system, open fire. Call back our defense fleets from Feviry and Motif as well. Neither of them need the ships to guard them, but our borders do. Have them assemble in this system, and then distribute them throughout our other defense fleets. That should raise the current count of ships as part of a standard defense fleet to 25 Igazras and 75 Igaras."
"What of the 10 remaining Igazras stationed here?" a Templar asked.
"Send them to aid the rebuilt 1st Armada, and as soon as we have more ships available, send them to reinforce Mark as well. Send a message to Ujo telling him to commence with the plan as soon as can be arranged."
Igadzra Research and Development
With the recent attack on Mark and Notil, the priorities of R&D were shifted significantly. The Izagara project was halted in favor of more immediately applicable projects that would better allow the Igadzra to defend against the Azdgari, who now seemed to be a much greater threat than previously thought.
A new project, now that the equipment and systems upgrade was finished, was to build the design of the new Ixada Orbital Defense Platform (ODP). It was basically a small station with heavy weaponry and shields, and was meant to provide Igadzra systems with better protection in case of attack.
A second new project, which took the place of the Izagara, was the Zephyr Rocket. It was also a fairly simple project: take a Class-3 Halcyon Torpedo, remove the guidance systems and other such equipment that gave it such a long life, and modify the warhead for proximity detonation and a large blast radius. What was created was the Zephyr Rocket. Faster and longed ranged than the Dispersal Rocket, it was also more powerful, with a larger blast radius. There were two types of launchers: the standard internal launcher, a modification of Halcyon Torpedo Launchers, and an hull-mounted rocket rack, with each rack capable of holding and simultaneously firing four of these rockets.
Meanwhile, with the completion of the systems upgrade for Igadzra vessels, all of them were being outfitted with additional weapons. When the Igazra and Igara were first refitted, places for new weaponry were built into the design, but at the time much of the equipment was still too bulky to be added on. However, the equipment upgrade decreased the size of several general and rather bulky components of Igadzra technology. Particle Weapons and Torpedo Launchers were decreased in mass by several tons, while the effect towards the Graviton Beam and PDS battery were only a ton. As such, now all Igadzra engineers had to do was add on the extra equipment. It would take about a week.
Research Projects
Equipment Miniaturization -- DONE
Izagara Project -- Halted (7 RTD remaining)
Shield Modification -- 2 RTD
Ixada Orbital Defense Platform -- 9 RTD
Zephyr Rocket -- 4 RTD
Construction Projects
Idzar'xada Super-Station -- Phase 2 -- 1 RTD
Naval Statistics
Current Ship Count (not counting losses in Mark) 339 Igazras 1010 Igaras
Production (per RTD) (new ships assigned to the rebuilt 1st Armada) 10 Igazras 30 Igaras
Defense Fleets Igadzra, Ersadt, Innirian, Nujja, Mordus, Norhis 25 Igazras ( 150 total ) 75 Igaras ( 450 total )
Rebuilt 1st Armada -- Notil 50 Igazra 200 Igaras
2nd Armada -- Ersadt 25 Igazras 75 Igaras
3rd Armada -- Innirian 30 Igazras 90 Igaras
4th Armada -- Mordus 35 Igazras 105 Igaras
OOC: I'm going a bit lax on strict time now that the Azdgari retreated from Mark. I don't see this as being a problem, but if it is I'll work it out.
This post has been edited by Captain Carnotaur : 25 February 2005 - 12:27 PM
"Our shipyards are still too slow Greg, if we delay to let them improve on their own our window of oppertunity will be closed tightly."
"If we can't wait for them to improve on their own we'll have to hire some experienced off-world shipcrafters for them to model after."
"And where do you expect to hire such shipcrafters? The Igadzra are on our side but they're not that friendly..."
"Who says I'm thinking about Igadzra personel Iagraz? I'm not talking of any strand or the miranu for that matter."
"Then who is left to build such sophisticated ships? You humans are adaptive I admit but I have yet to see a human ship that even remotely rivals such specifications as a Lazira--let alone other crecent ships."
"Iothe Prime."
"Who is Iothe Prime?"
"Not a person, a planet. Home to the best shipcrafters humanity has to offer, their first hellian prototype was made with sheetmetal and a hammer--quite resourceful they are..."
"So they can build ships from almost nothing, so?"
"The ships they build are superior to most stanard ships across UE space, if they can beat a war machine's products with limmited resources--Imagine what they can do when given the materials they need!"
"Point taken. So Kjole will be goin then?"
"Ordinarily he would handle such things, but because he is so obsessed with that pet-project of his I'll have to go personally."
"Then take a ship amd try to impress some of them--we need as many experienced personel as we can take!"
"Aye, I'll take a Lazira."
--- Ship Production: 2 Laziras --- Fleet Status:
12 Crescent Fighters: Standing By 4 Aradas: Standing By 4 Laziras (standard): (3 Standing By;1 en-route to Iothe) 2 Miranu Couriers: Ferrying Equipment to Outpost T'akra --- Research:
Hyperquartz Research: Find a way to cheaply produce refined hyperquartz refraction crystals, research retooling them into power-cells and capactiors. ETA: Subject to Moderation ( please?
Thael Iorya walked down the long dark hallway towards central command, a data pad in her left hand. Nodding to the guard, Thael inserted her clearance card into the door and waited for it to be processed. It was at that moment Executor Asai approached her from behind.
"Well hello there, Thael," he said, stopping a few feet behind her.
"Executor," Thael replied curtly.
"Look at me when I talk to you," Asai replied, annoyed. Thael sighed, turning around and bowing slightly in respect before turning back to the door, which opened at that moment. Thael moved to block the diplomat, placing his hand on the door frame in front of her. Thael glared at the executor.
"Step aside, Asai," Thael hissed, shoving his arm aside and walking through.
Asai merely laughed. "Whatever you say, my dear... I'll be back."
Thael shook her head, disgusted, and promptly walked over to Executor X'el, who was standing in front of the galactic map in the center of the room. "Here is the report from Feviry. They have agreed to help with researching the Orbital Defense Platform. The overall time required should be cut by a week or two," Thael reported.
X'el nodded slowly. "Very good. Our allies are proving most useful and trustworthy." He paused. "Why aren't they anything like the other strandless worlds?"
"More dealings with the Igadzra and other species, I suppose... and I think their leadership is more accepting," Thael replied, shrugging and looking around for a moment. "Am I dismissed?"
"Yes, you are. Unless there's anything else you'd like to talk about..."
Thael sighed. "Was Executor Asai always so arrogant and condescending?"
X'el also sighed and shook his head. "Don't worry about him... I'll take care of Asai."
"Do it soon... he's a pain," Thael muttered, quickly walking out of the room.
Ixada Orbital Defense Platform -- 6 RTD (joint research project with Feviry)
A no-post, for now. A story post will be written later on.
Voina Liberation Front 71 Carriers (3 destroyed) 271 Destroyers (10 destroyed) 475 Fighters (20 destroyed) 300 Fighters (Launched fighters)
------United Earth Fleet and Construction 130 Carriers 455 Destroyers 595 U.E. Fighters 700 Freight Couriers 100 Scoutships 150 mines Per Day: 4 Carriers, 23 Destroyers, 30 Fighters Earth: 4 Carriers, 10 Destroyers, 20 Fighters (All work will be temporarily done on gathering mines for the nearby systems; an average of 25 mines a day is collected) New Taranto: 2 Carriers, 13 Destroyers, 20 Fighters Paaren: 3 Carriers, 10 Destroyers, 10 Fighters
United Earth Force Locations:
Voina Liberation Front 71 Carriers 271 Destroyers 475 Fighters 300 Fighters (Launched fighters) Location: Avann
Defense Fleets: Huron Fleet 10 U.E. Carriers 30 U.E. Destroyers 50 U.E. Fighters
Verril Fleet 30 U.E. Carriers 82 U.E. Destroyers 130 U.E. Fighters <150> (Twenty of the U.E. Fighters are patrolling Yandros and the surrounding systems, and, like Carnotaurs Patrol Interceptors, will stay where they can jump and only take scans of the enemy fleets) Centauri Fleet 30 U.E. Carriers 75 U.E. Destroyers 62 U.E. Fighters
Eltor/Sol Defensive Fleet 52 U.E. Carriers 246 U.E. Destroyers 240 U.E. Fighters
Sol Defenses: Earth Station (six blaze turrets, three hunter missile launchers, fifty hunter missiles, 1200/1200 protection; pre-equipped with above stuff)
Centauri Defenses: Centauri Station (six blaze turrets, three hunter missile launchers, fifty hunter missiles, 1200/1200 protection; pre-equipped with above stuff) 150 space mines
---NEW PROJECTS--- U.E. Corvette modification for the U.E. Destroyer. Protection is brought down by 15%, but the speed is brought up to 220. ETA: Six days.
Space Mine Reverse-Engineering. This project seeks to reverse-engineer the space mine so that more can be constructed. ETA: Three days.
---PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT---
Subspace Research Program. Will attempt to gain information on subspace (the level of space below realspace). ETA: Finished. Information gained: Subspace frequencies and how subspace may be entered. Further subspace research ETA: Two days.
---FINISHED PROJECTS---
Paaren Station Relocation. This project will disassemble Paaren Station and rebuild it in Centauris sky. It will also bring Centauri Station (the result) into service. ETA: Finished.
Ship refit. All warships will mount Emalgha-U.E. railgun weapons. Fighters are counted out. Destroyers and similar ships will have two railguns and Carriers three. ETA: Finished.
The Miranu fleet sent to colonize F-25 arrived in the DSN-6160 system to quite a surprise. Expecting to find an empty system, they instead found a newly arrived fleet of Emalgha ships.
"The Emalgha?" said the captain of the lead freighter, "What are they doing here?"
"Is it possible they've developed a nebula penetration device of their own?" his first officer mused.
"They must have," the captain said, clearly in a state of awe. "I didn't honestly think they had it it in them."
"Should we leave the system?" the first officer asked, clearly aware that the Miranu had not yet chosen to make first contact with the Emalgha.
"That won't do any good now," the captain replied, "no doubt they've already spotted us. There's far too many of our ships for them not to have done so."
"Then what do we do?" asked the first officer, in a state of confusion.
"Open a channel to the lead Emalgha ship. It's time to introduce ourselves."
Moving forward away from the fleet, the lead Miranu freighter assumed a position about halfway between the newly-arrived Miranu fleet, and the already assembled Emalgha ships. Picking up the comms device, the captain began to speak.
"Greetings, Emalgha vessels. I am Admiral Torin of the Miranu Peace Corps. I represent the Miranu, a peaceful race who reside to the east of your space. We certainly were not expecting to meet you here - in fact, we were completely unaware that any other race had developed nebula penetration technology. From the looks of it, you're here for the same reason we are - to colonize this world."
Here Torin paused, wondering what to say next. He had a bit of an independent streak in him, as evidenced by the next words out of his mouth:
"As you arrived first, the claim to this world is yours. But I would ask that you consider that we might colonize F-25 jointly. We Miranu are an advanced civilization, with technology that could greatly help your race survive against the onslaught of the Voinians. We have both advanced shield technology and metallurgy that could greatly improve the shields and hulls of your vessels respectively... if you allow us to colonize this world jointly, we might be able to arrange a gift of technology to your people in thanks. I think you'll find that we'll make quite agreeable neighbors - and certainly there is enough room on this world for the both of us. So, what do you say?"
----------
Research
This post has been edited by Thunder : 26 February 2005 - 03:00 AM
(vIsitor, I think that a meeting between us might be in order...once I blast these traitors, that is.)
The Seydlitz chased down a fleeing Helian, accompanied by Yeager's and Jacoban's Helians.
"Jacoban, you take his left, Yeager, take the top. I'll blast his engines, do the same for the others."
"Hoo-ah!"
"You got it."
The Arada fired off a burst of Phase fire, targeted at the retreating Helian's engines.
It hit successfully, rendering it adrift. The two Helians strafed it with Blaze fire, and destroyed it.
-----
"Marshall, hold on, I'm on station."
The Seydlitz blasted past, and with a burst of Phase fire, took out the Helian's engines. The Turncoat proceeded to blast it with Blaze and Phase fire, destroying it.
----- -----
Fleet Orders: Seydlitz : Leg-Biter (Engine-Blasting) Turncoats: Hunter-Seeker (Going around blasting stuff) Helians: Hunter-Seeker
Current Traitor losses: 35 Helians (3 destroyed, 3 without engines) 70 Kraits (10 destroyed)
This post has been edited by Ryuu : 26 February 2005 - 09:48 AM
Avann
Considering how badly they were outnumbered, the Voinian Commander made the decision to retreat from the system, instead of staying to destroy only a handful of ships at the loss of a rather large Voinian fleet.
The Voinians quickly retreated and jumped away, leaving a small screen of fighters and frigates to hold off the UE. Several more of their ships were taken down, but they also managed to destroy a small handful of attacking UE vessels. A handful of Voinian troops stayed behind to destroy the station if the UE attempted to capture it.
Abaddon Warfleet 20 Cruisers (0 lost) 50 Frigates (20 lost) 80 Heavy Fighters (20 lost) 70 Interceptors (10 lost) 80 Heavy Fighters (Launched) (20 destroyed)
Voina Liberation Front 60 Carriers (0 destroyed) 260 Destroyers (7 destroyed) 400 Fighters (35 destroyed) 300 Fighters (Launched fighters)
Emalghion
In Emalghion, there was no warning when the massive Voinian armada entered the system, and they needed it. With the recent technological upgrades of the Emalgha, the Voinians would suffer heavy losses, but they hoped that they would at least take the Emalgha down with them.
With several dozen supply ships, loaded with troops, coming along with the fleet, the Voinians immediately charged Emalghia and Gurado. The supply ships hid behind the massive armored hulks of Voinian warships as they lumbered slowly but steadily towards the planets, firing off some rockets at the Emalgha.
It was at this point that 3/4 of all the Heavy Fighters and Interceptors, a little over a thousand fighters total, broke off from the main fleet. Using their speed against the slower Emalgha warships, they moved around to execute the Voinian's plan. If the Emalgha fleet stayed near their planets, they would have to deal with the Voinian warships. If they tried to run away, denying direct combat, the fighters would merely move around until the Emalgha were in between the fighters and the Voinians. At that point, the fighters were attack. Emalgha warships were fast, but not nearly fast enough.
Cerberus Warfleet 136 Cruisers 495 Frigates 405 Heavy Fighters 405 Interceptors 544 Heavy Fighters (launched) 150 Supply Ships
OOC: And, please Grundy, keep it low on what exactly all my ships do and stuff, because I have some very carefully laid out tactics, and I don't want you doing a huge battle post without giving me any time to respond.
Systems Upgrade -- DONE
Fighter Upgrade -- 1 RTD
Shield Upgrade -- 4 RTD
Shipyard Upgrade -- 1 RTD
Current Ship Count (kind of inaccurate, I'll fix it up later) 259 Cruisers 718 Frigates 1050 Heavy Fighters 745 Interceptors (not including Launched Fighters)
Production (for 2 RTD) New vessels assigned to Vorik 8 Cruisers 28 Frigates 45 Heavy Fighters 40 Interceptors
Subjugation Fleets Gualon, Gamur, Durala, Dyram 10 Cruisers ( 40 total ) 25 Frigates ( 100 total ) 45 Heavy Fighters ( 180 total )
Abaddon Warfleet -- Mihal 20 Cruisers 50 Frigates 80 Heavy Fighters 70 Interceptors 80 Heavy Fighters (Launched)
Abaddon Warfleet -- Vorik 33 Cruisers 118 Frigates 205 Heavy Fighters 140 Interceptors (10 Interceptors are currently patrolling the Pokoren system) (10 Interceptors are currently patrolling the Dogover system) (10 Interceptors are currently patrolling the DSN-9338 system)
Perdition Warfleet -- Obron 25 Cruisers 60 Frigates 100 Heavy Fighters 100 Interceptors (10 Interceptors are currently patrolling the Zator system)
Cerberus Warfleet -- Emalghion 136 Cruisers 495 Frigates 405 Heavy Fighters 405 Interceptors 544 Heavy Fighters (launched) 150 Supply Ships
Note -- My patrolling interceptors are stationed right at the edge of the gravity well in the system, so that they can jump out instantly if they see an enemy fleet enter. They are under orders just to watch the system, and not to engage, enemy ships. As such, if you enter the system, they'll just see you, scan you, then leave before you can do anything.
This post has been edited by Captain Carnotaur : 26 February 2005 - 02:26 PM
Sumo
Commander F'karnai had been pretty surprised to discover a dearth of Zachit defenders in the DSN-6116, Nadej and now Sumo systems. He didn't know what they were up to, but he was fairly sure that Rago was correct in ordering this raid. He scanned the system one last time, and set a course for Xrima.
==============
Hrekka
The remaining Renegades on North Tip Station surrendered to the Zachit fleet almost instantly, as most of them were mothers and children, and felt quite abandoned by Potek's decision to evacuate. The few captains that were left on the station felt just as little loyalty, but decided it would be wise to keep a gun or four on their persons. As always.
The Rock, R &D caverns
Zern had somehow devised sensors that could penetrate the thick fog of the Ji Nebula. All that was left was to attach them to a ship and send it out to map the nebula itself. Unfortunately, that route was cut off now, as the Zachit had taken control of Hrekka, the gateway to the Ji. There were other entrances, but they involved passing through several Miranu- or Zachit-controlled systems. The project would have to be put on hold for now.
The communications and missile jamming research was going very well also, although Rago had really been hoping for something with more punch. Currently the communications jammer simply made enemy transmissions passing through or near a Renegade ship take longer to get through that system. There was no way as of yet to completely halt the message from arriving, although that could probably be researched later.
Zern had something else to worry about, though -- Rago's pet project was now a cloaking device. Zern was trying to figure out whether a sensor cloak or a light-bending cloak would be easier to build, and he still wasn't sure. He only had a week or to left to make a decision, however, so he figured that he had better buckle down and get some work done.
RESEARCH COMPLETE : Nebula-penetrating sensors, stage I
RESEARCH INITIATED
Cloaking device, unknown description: ETA Monday, March 7
RESEARCH CONTINUED
Communications and missile jamming technology, stage I: ETA Sunday, Feb. 27
CONSTRUCTION REPORT
Plans for asteroid shipyards complete Building two shipyards: ETA Wednesday, March 2
New Ship Construction (three days' worth) 6 Laziras 24 Aradas 90 NT Fighters
DSN-2131 14 NT Cruisers 37 Laziras 24 Aradas 240 NT Fighters
Sumo ---- > Xrima 113 Aradas 580 NT Fighters
This post has been edited by asriel : 01 March 2005 - 08:20 AM
OOC: Thunder, I hope you find this post okay.
Outpost Vargien -- Ersadt System
Representative Soran finally received a quick burst of a transmission from the Igadzra outpost. "You are cleared to dock at Bay 2C. Lower your shields and power down your weapons. You will be met by a representative."
"Of course, thank you," Soran said half cheerily, quickly moving his courier in to the bay which the Igadzra had designated for him. Nearby he saw two large Igazras in a separate bay undergoing some kind of refit. Soran had also noticed the large fleet stationed nearby near the entrance points from the Sirabor system, lying in wait to intercept incoming enemy vessels.
The Miranu Courier quietly set down, and a walkway was lowered with Soran quickly exiting the vessel. He was met by two fully armored Igadzra soldiers carrying rather large phase rifles. A third marine then approached, carrying a phase submachine gun. He also wore a helmet, his eyes invisible behind the black visor.
"Representative Soran?" the marine, apparently a lieutenant, asked.
"Yes, I'm here to--" Soran began, but the marine cut him off.
"Follow me," the marine ordered, his voice undistinguishable because of the semi-mandatory voice distorter. Soran quickly followed in behind the lieutenant, flanked by the two other still silent marines.
Soran was lead to a large, rectangular meeting room with a long, black table with many chairs in the center. Two other marines were in the far end of the room. The lieutenant told Soran to stay there while he walked forward to a rather tall Igadzra standing alongside the table, his back to Soran. The lieutenant whispered a few quick words, bowed, and walked out along with the two marines, leaving only Soran, the other Igadzra, and the two guards.
The Igadzra then turned around slowly, and Soran quickly noticed that he was obviously a high ranking officer judging from his military uniform. The Igadzra carefully examined Soran for several long moments before speaking. "Welcome to Outpost Vargien, Soran," he said in his own voice, not bothering with a voice distorter unlike his armored marines. He also did not wear a headband to hide his face, which was somewhat odd for an Igadzra.
"I am Second Executor Ithon Nahzai, and I thank you on behalf of our government for agreeing to negotiate stronger trading ties," the tall Igadzra continued. His face bore several scars, and he had long jet black hair, rare for an Igadzra, and put into dreadlocks.
"It is an honor to meet you, Executor Nahzai."
"Ithon."
"What?"
"Igadzra speak their last name first. You may address me as Executor Ithon."
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, I--"
"It's no matter. Few know a lot about our culture. Now down to business..." Ithon said, sitting down at one of the large chairs and motioning for Soran to sit across from him, with the Miranu quickly did.
As if on queue, an Igadzra marine entered the room with a steel tray with two glasses and a transparent bottle. Setting down the tray, he quickly poured out some sort of liquid into the glasses. It was an interesting light blue color, and Ithon quickly took a glass, offering the second to Soran.
Ithon took a sip and nodded approvingly to the soldier, who bowed and walked out. "Ahhh... Igadzra wine. Good, isn't it?" he asked, taking another sip then setting the glass aside.
"Yes, it is," Soran commented, although the taste was rather strong for him.
"Now down to business... What must be discussed and detailed for the final trading pact to be signed? I'm sure you know more about all the things that need to be worked out than I do. I would, however, also ask if the Miranu are interested in strengthening ties with the Igadzra in other ways. A technological exchange, perhaps? What do you think?"
The Oracle , en route to Mark
Executor Lathe sighed, plopping himself down in the bridge chair. He buried his head in his hands, sighing again as his new lieutenant, Templar Halak, approached him.
"We will arrive in Mark shortly, Executor."
"Thank you..." Lathe muttered.
"What's wrong, Executor?"
Lathe looked up at Halak, the replacement for the previous Templar who was killed in the engagement with the Azdgari. "I'm just don't think I'm up to this anymore... my fleet was just massacred. Fourty-nine Igazras..."
"Executor..."
"Yes, Halak?"
"You were outnumbered over twenty to one. You also destroyed about 400 Azdaras and many other Aradas. Considering these odds, you performed extremely well. The grand executor no doubt knows this, and that is why he is sending you back, except this time with a more powerful fleet. So, I suggest you work just as hard as you did last time, because you aren't going to do any better being depressed" Halak stated, not afraid to talk so bluntly to someone a much higher rank than he was. Lathe couldn't help but chuckle.
"Very well, Templar..."
At that moment, the fleet entered the Mark system...
Mark System
In Mark, the rebuilt 1st Armada quickly spread out and approached the large uninhabited sphere of Marok. The force was soon followed by a large group of merchant laziras, which immediately began to move into orbit around Marok. Deploying construction crews and platforms, the fleet set to work constructing the new Outpost Marok. While 60 Igaras were placed to guard the outpost construction, the other 60 Igazras and 180 Igaras moved out to guard the general area of hyperspace exit points. Groups of two Igaras were sent into Emnin, Grooz, and Dafi to inform the fleet ahead of time of an enemy attack that was incoming.
Meanwhile, construction of Phase 2 of the Idzar'xada Super-Station was completed in Igadzra. At the same time, all Igadzra vessels were fully outfitted with the additional weapons (allowed by the systems upgrade).
Shield Modification -- 1 RTD
Ixada Orbital Defense Platform -- 5 RTD (joint research project with Feviry)
Zephyr Rocket -- 3 RTD
Idzar'xada Super-Station -- Phase 2 -- DONE!
Outpost Marok Construction -- 4 RTD
Current Ship Count 300 Igazras 960 Igaras
Rebuilt 1st Armada -- Mark 60 Igazra 240 Igaras (2 Igaras currently patrolling Grooz) (2 Igaras currently patrolling Emnin) (2 Igaras currently patrolling Dafi)
2nd Armada -- Ersadt 25 Igazras 75 Igaras (2 Igaras currently patrolling Sirabor)
3rd Armada -- Innirian 30 Igazras 90 Igaras (2 Igaras currently patrolling Kavkaz)
4th Armada -- Mordus 35 Igazras 105 Igaras (2 Igaras currently patrolling Elridi) (2 Igaras currently patrolling Novish) (2 Igaras currently patrolling DSN-2143)
Note -- All Igara patrols are ordered to avoid contact with enemy ships, and will always stay in area ready to hyperjump out of the system.
The trip to Iothe had been relitively uneventful, no renegades and an unusually low number of Igadzra patrols--likely the rest had been shipped off to the front. Unpon entering the Iothe system itself however it was clear a small battle was taking place. Although Greg did not want to take sides he was forced to retaliate when the Militia Traitors opened fire on his Lazira, likely thinking that the craft had come to reinforce the Seydlitz and its accompanying vessels. Recoiling from the weapon's impact the now-angry politician ordered all weapons to fire at the attacking vessels. SADs ripped apart helians, dispersal rockets and turret fire obliterated kraits and what wasn't destroyed either fled or was left at the Seydlitz 's mercy. Opening a comm chanel to the somewhat out-of-place Arada, Greg prepared to speak.
"Errr...Helo? Is this thing on? oh, I'm no good at taliking to people over the comm..."
--- Battle Report: Militia Traitors: 35 Helians (12 destroyed, 8 disabled, 5 retreating) 70 Kraits (45 destroyed, 7 retreating) //END REPORT// --- Ship Production: 2 Laziras (1/2 Done) --- Fleet Status:
12 Crescent Fighters: Standing By 4 Aradas: Standing By 4 Laziras (standard): (3 Standing By;1 visiting Iothe) 2 Miranu Couriers: Ferrying Equipment to Outpost T'akra --- Research:
Hyperquartz Research: Find a way to cheaply produce refined hyperquartz refraction crystals, research retooling them into power-cells and capactiors. ETA: Subject to Moderation (please advise)
Peter heard a nervous "Hello? Is this thing on?" come through the communications channel.
The comm signal was coming from the newly-arrived Lazira, which had been pummeled by the traitors.
"Ach scheisse. " he said before turning to the comm input.
"This is Captain Peter Nohrgen of the Seydlitz , here to get rid of a traitor militia force that attacked the Hatuli system several days ago. As I see it, our operation did some damage to your vessel, so repairs are on me."
Unshure of how to reply Greg said the only thing he could without making a fool of himself.
"Errr...thanks. I'd be glad to return the favor on the behalf of the FLF governing party, if you haldnt've been here we could've been toasted. We'll discuss matters planetside."
Closing the chanel Greg awaited meeting his saviours in person, he was better at talking tto people face-to-face. A tactician he was yes, and he possessed a brilliant political mind, but he was no combatant--he left that to Iagraz--he would have to bring a bodygaurd or two in-case matters went awry. He also realized that Captain Peter Nohrgen could be a valuable ally, although Greg's insane agenda might scare him off...he would have to show him at least one part of his plans personally--the most ludicrus part of all...
Peter guided the Seydlitz into Iothe Prime's atmosphere, alongside the FLF Lazira.
He put the Arada down on the spaceport, and made sure all systems excluding engines and life support were offline, before he came out and went to meet the FLF representative.
Yeager was with him, but toning down his insanity a bit. How he did that, nobody in the fleet knew.
The Emalghans had, in fact, been waiting for the Voinian fleet. Admitted, they didn't know they were coming, but the entire Emalghan navy was on high alert. The fleet status when they jumped in was such:
271 Fighters 267 Warships 194 Attack Drones 78 Explosive Drones 85 Rocket Drones 30 Freighters 100 Defense platforms 8 Carriers
Director Mineaux could tell immediately that the fighters would be a nuisance. He commanded the Warships to stay right where they were, between the Voinian fleet and Emalghia. Any enemy fighter would be downright foolish to even attempt to come close, with several hundred turrets equiped on the Emalghan Warships.
"Sir. Look at this." Through a railgun sight, there was something strange about the enemy fighters. They looked bulky... almost like... Mineaux turned quickly.
"Do not let them get within range. Those lumps are either rockets or bombs, and we're not going to find out which." All ships turned, to find the enemies fighters flanking them. This was no matter; railgun fire began to pour into the fighters, specifically the Heavy Fighters. With hundreds upon hundreds of railguns firing at once, the slow Heavy Fighters simply couldn't dodge the sniper-like railguns. The enemy began falling in the dozens, then in the hundreds. Cruisers, which were slightly behind the Warships, added immensely to the railgun power. All ships stayed slightly apart so that rockets would have a far harder time hitting.
The voinian fighters were still closing with the Emalgha, and even with Drones and Fighters combined the Voinians had a huge numerical advantage. The new UE engines, installed in every single ship in the Emalghan fleet, gave the Emalghan Fighter an edge over even the enemies Interceptors. The Drones, however, had a large cliff over the Voinian fighters. All fighter ships were ready to engage Voinians before they came into rocket range of the Warshis and Carriers.
Meanwhile, the defense platforms were firing all railguns directly into the enemies large ships. The MK II defense platforms (only railguns) fired in bursts at enemy Cruisers, dealing out massive loads of damage. A dozen MK I defense platforms cleaned up whatever the MKIIs didn't kill on their first shot. The rest of the MK Is attacked only Frigates, firing not in bursts, but dealing damage to nearly the entire fleet.
The Cruisers and Frigates are currently flying towards the planet. The Emalghan Warships and Carriers are not in front of the planet, and are railgunning one flanking group of Voinian Fighters. The Emalghan Fighters and Drones are ready to defend the Warship and Carriers from the other flank.
The opening minutes of the battle would soon be gone completely as the Voinian fleet came ever closer to the Emalgha homeworld. Even now the surviving Voinian fighters were gaining on the defending fleet. -----
Down on the planet, citizens knew what to do. This had happened hundreds of times before, and the proper defenses were already set up. Bomb shelters littered the planet; most families had one that doubled as their basement. People immediately ran and hid there, after some had manned turrets to destroy any landing ships.
Fleet Losses: Emalghans: 271 Fighters 267 Warships 194 Attack Drones 78 Explosive Drones 85 Rocket Drones 30 Freighters 100 Defense platforms 8 Carriers
Voinians: 90 Cruisers (46 Destroyed) 397 Frigates (98 Destroyed) 170 Heavy Fighters (229 Destroyed) 318 Interceptors (93 Destroyed) 117 Heavy Fighters (launched) (267 Destroyed) 150 Supply Ships (0 Destroyed) ---------- DSN-6160
The capitan of the leading Emalghan Freighter, Director Daeso, gawked. Through all the static of the Nebula, the Emalghan sensors could barely make out the Miranu ships. He opened a comm link.
"You... Y'all are the Northern Aliens. You must be. We are... honored." Daeso was also terribly relieved. The fact they had not only asked to share the planet, but had offered to help meant that they were not, in fact, a race to stay away from, as previously thought. The Board would love to hear this. Somehow, also, the Miranu spoke a decent version of the Voinianish dialect most Emalghans spoke. Daeso knew the Northern Aliens knew about the Emalghans, but to decipher their language... amazing.
"We... we would be extremely glad for any technology to help against the Voinians... and would welcome you to join us in colonisation of this planet. Could you help us, though? Or comm systems are not able to break through the barrier of the Nebula, and we urgently need to get a message back to our homeworld. Might you help?"
"Also, Miranu, I suggest that we rename this system and planet something more... inviting."
---------- Kelmaon
The Emalghan governement on Kelmaon has noticed strange energy readings coming from deep under the ground. Upon investigating, they've unblocked the Construct, but haven't activated it. Many archeological teams have been sent down to examine the structure and translate the ruins around it. Construction teams have begun digging to completely uncover the Construct. Lots of mine activity has been halted to complete this, so it should be done fairly quickly. The Construct itself is being surveyed and repaired in places that Emalghan engineers currently understand.
---------- Research and Development
Emalghan Carrier: ETA: DONE (Friday, February 25th)
Colonisation of F-25: ETA: Who knows? I'll figure it out when the Miranu get back to me.
Railgun Defense Platforms: ETA: DONE (Saturday, February 26th)
New Tech Corrosive Railgun Shells: A Shell that fits directly into a Railgun, but eats through the enemy ships armor for a far longer time. Only one Corrosive shell may be fired every few regular shots. ETA: 3 Days (Tuesday, March 1st)
New Tech Hyperspace Telescope: Utalising advanced sensor technology along with basic hyperspace knowledge, a tiny hole can be opened to up to 4 systems away. Not only can the Telescope maintain a constant read on every system 4 systems away (getting ship count and basic system info), a message can be sent through the hyperspace hole. ETA: 10 Days (Wednesday, March 9th)
This post has been edited by grunadulater : 27 February 2005 - 04:07 AM
High Orbit above Flour, Fluron System
"All Squadrons, this is the one minute warning. Repeat, one minute till hyperspace jump."
With a quick series of keystrokes Sirian Ridal synchronized his jump clock with those of the twenty-four fighters under his command. Confirmation reports came back almost immediately from his flight leaders, but he payed little heed. By this time he was sure that there weren't any problems with such a simple and oft practiced procedure as a hyperjump. He had more important things to think about in the seconds until his command was flung across the light-years into what would be their first battle.
He had trained his Initiates hard over the past year, and they had finally been molded into a force that he considered to be ready for combat. Like any realistic commander, however, he knew that there were some trials that there was no way to fully prepare for. Battle was one of them. He was lucky to have a chance to blood his men in what should be a fairly easy campaign. General Deran believed that Muid would be lightly defended, and that it's defenders would stage only a token battle before falling back to the Azdgari core systems. The question, then, became a matter of how "lightly" their target actually was defended. With the Azdgari you could never be too sure. They would find out soon enough.
"Five..."
"Four..."
"Three..."
"Two..."
DSN-682
With a flash millions of colors resolved themselves into the blackness of space as Sirian's fighter tore it's way back into real space. Along with him came thirty Zidaras , twenty Zidagar Aradas, and seventy five Zidagar fighters. Strafing a Zidara that had jumped in almost on top of it, an Azdara scout blasted out of range of the Zidagar fleet and immediatly transmitted a message to it's base.
The greater Zidagar armada split itself into two groups. Fifteen Zidaras would stay behind and secure the system, while the rest pressed the attack. It was only a few moments later that the attack fleet came about on a new heading and was once again hurtling through hyperspace. Their destination was the Azdgari outpost on Muid
Marafey System, Minus two hours
The reactions among the handful of Azdara scouts patrolling Marafey to the sudden arrival of fifty Zidaras and a hundred Zidagar Fighters ranged from an exaggerated yawn to an almost maniacal giggle. Needless to say, the Azdgari pilots were somewhat disappointed when they realized that the goal of the Zidagar forces was not, in fact, focused entirely on them. Reluctantly, they came to the conclusion that the lesser ones had arrived with some kind of ill intent towards Muid, and sent messages warning their outpost of the Zidagar presence.
On the bridge of his flagship, Admiral Zama considered dispatching a few flight groups of Zidagar fighters to keep the watching Azdgari on their toes, but decided it wasn't worth the trouble. He ordered his ships to form a large net in the vicinity of possible hyperspace exits from Muid. If everything went according to plan the Azdgari would be retreating through this system some time in the next twenty-two hours, and he hoped to catch them unprepared.
Muid System, Zero Hour
Sirian wasn't seeing nearly what he had expected in Muid. Command had predicted that such a far flung outpost would be lightly defended... but ten Aradas and thirty Azdaras? This would almost be funny if it weren't war. He only hoped that some much greater force wasn't off ravaging another Zidagar system. Shaking his head, he concentrated on the situation at hand.
The veteran pilot threw the throttle of his fighter completely open, then punched an activator that shunted all of the power from his ship's stand alone generator into his engines. His head was momentarily pressed firmly into the headrest of his seat as his inertial dampers struggled to keep up with the forces this exerted. Followed by the rest of his squadron, Sirian's fighter was now going nearly thirty five percent faster than it's standard top speed. Javelin missiles flashed past him homing in on the Azdgari Aradas who were already evacuating their base.
With typical Azdgari style it had taken only few minutes after the Zidagar had entered the system for the Outpost on Muid to be completely abandoned and anything of importance set with charges. Unfortunatly even this hadn't been fast enough with a complete lack of warning, and the Zidagar had managed to get missile locks on the Aradas. Despite overload shielding, several of the Aradas had been destroyed with Javelins by the time Sirian's twenty five fighters were closing with the Azdgari. The seasoned Paladin checked his range sensors, then activated his squadron comm.
"Alright boys, 30 seconds to weapons range, those Azdaras will probably fall back to give the Freight Aradas time to finish evacuating the oupost, be sharp, fight in your flight groups and don't get cut away."
True to his prediction, the Azdaras broke from their Arada counterparts and in a fraction of a second were in among his command. The entire engagement lasted only a few dozen seconds, and Sirian lost all but the vaguest sense of the battle around him. All that mattered were the two Azdaras on his tail, and the four men in his flight. Throwing himself into a hard barrel roll to the right he managed to avoid the worst of a full phase barrage, taking only light damage. He banked left, and with a burst of extra energy to his engines, came up on the tail of an Azdara. Int he series of sudden shifts and turns that followed it took all of the power and reflex that he could muster to maintain his pursuit. His phase cannons pulsed as he poured fire onto the Azdara, but the combination of an explosion behind him and an instantaneous turn from his enemy broke his lock. A look at his sensor display told him that the explosion had been one of his fighters.
Sirian locked his jaw, he buried the thought of which young pilot had died under his command, but the fury remained. His movements became pure instinct, and the next thing he knew, his target was in front of him. As one his missiles and phase cannons lashed out and washed over the Azdara, he came directly behind it and in a wash of phased beam energy the enemy fighter exploded. Ten seconds later the Battle of Muid had come to an end. Once the last of the Freight Aradas had left the planet with the base personnel the Azdaras broke away from his formation. As a single unit they entered hyperspace.
Azdgari Defenders 6 Azdgari Aradas (4 Destroyed) 25 Azdaras (5 Destroyed)
4 Freight Aradas Destroyed
Zidagar Fleet 15 Zidaras 20 Zidagar Aradas 72 Zidagar Fighters (3 Destroyed)
Marafey System, Twenty-four hours later
When the Azdgari came out of hyperspace only a fraction of the Zidagar fleet was within weapons range of them. In the seconds before they once again fled into hyperspace a few fighters managed to get missile hits, but no losses were inflicted.
DSN-6160 Gladdened by the Emalgha's friendly response, the captain of the lead Miranu vessel sighed in relief, and then picked up the comm to continue the exchange.
"We thank you for your most friendly response," he said. "First, on the matter of communication--we'd be glad to help you get a message back to your homeworld. Our Nebula Penetration Device allows for limited communication through the nebula. We can relay a message to our colony on Kirrim Prime, a system to the east of Kelmaon, and include instructions for our officials on Kirrim to relay the message on to Emalghion. The whole process would take about twelve hours."
At this point the captain paused, turned to his first officer, and handed him the comm. "You're a technician by trade - why don't you explain our technology?"
"Me... sir? I'm hardly versed in their language..."
"Don't worry, the language computer will do most of the work for you. Go ahead."
"Okay..." gulped the first officer, and re-opened the comm channel.
"I'm First Officer Jaden of the Miranu Peace Corps," he began, in broken Emalghan. "As a technician, I know something about our defensive technology, and how it might be able to help you. Please don't take this the wrong way, but there is a great deal that we could do to help improve the hull construction of your ships. Metal is far more durable than wood, and the incorporation of metal alloys into the hull design of your vessels could greatly increase their strength.
We Miranu have long since abandoned thick hulls for speed and shielding, but we retain the knowledge to forge relatively strong metal alloys, which we use in thin sheets to construct the hulls of our vessels. Alone they aren't much but if added to your current hull design, it would certainly be stronger than the wood alone you're using now. I'm sure our government would be willing to help incorporate metal hull panels into your vessels if you so desired."
At this point, Jaden handed the comm back to the captain, who gave him a broad smile. "See - you did well. Great job."
"We will instruct our vessels to begin a joint colonization effort with your ships," the captain said over the comm. "Now, what say we get working on that message to home of yours? Oh... and as for renaming this system, we had two ideas, both derived from the history of the human race, who reside to the south of our space. One is Atlantis , and the other is Avalon , both of which were legendary islands, fabled to be of great beauty. We felt these names were appropriate because they reflected the secluded and shrouded location of this beautiful world." ----------
Negotiations with the Igadzra "A technology exchange?" Soran stammered... he had never expected such an offer from the usually isolated and cautious Igadzra. But it was exactly this kind of offer that he'd been sent here to broker. "That sounds like an excellent idea, if we can work something out. We Miranu have developed advanced sensor buoys; very small, very difficult to detect, and capable of transmissions nearly three times quicker than standard hyper-light communication. We've used them to develop an advanced warning network along the Renegade and Zidagar borders of our space. We'd be willing to trade this technology if you wanted."
Soran thought for a moment, then continued. He was still a bit flustered from having misspoken the executor's name--Miranu typically only had one name, and the idea of first and last names was quite foreign to him. "We've also developed a Nebula Penetration Device that greatly reduces the effects of sensor interference, so effectively that we have even been able to enter the Ji Nebula. This too we would be willing to exchange."
"Of course, there's the matter of what you could offer in return. I've been a diplomat and an ambassador for nearly fourty years now, and in that time I've come to realize that Igadzra intelligence is second to none. So you are most likely already aware that the Zachit, the Miranu military arm, have begun an offensive against the Renegades, in hopes of ending their incursions into our northern space. If you have any technology or somethin to trade that could assist the Zachit in their efforts to nullify the threat of the North Tip Renegades, we'd be most interested."
Soran paused, then shrugged non-committally. "Of course, if you'd rather trade something non-military, then we'd certainly be welcome to that too. The Miranu are always looking to advance our science and technology."
With that, Soran smiled, a look of genuine kindness evident on his face. "Either way, I hope that this technology exchange will help to develop the friendship between our two peoples, and lay the groundwork for a mutually profitable trade agreement."
-----------
This post has been edited by Thunder : 27 February 2005 - 04:01 AM
DSN-6160
The message was immediately relayed through the Miranu's devices. It contained information about everything that had transpired. Daeso responded to the Emalghans technology hail.
"Yes... new armor would be quite useful, but I think you slightly underestimate our... what did you call it? Wood?" On Emalghion, most 'trees' had been fossilized ages ago. Anything that could be considered a 'tree' would be hard as a rock, yet somehow still produce oxygen and ingest carbon dioxide. Only on the fertile moon, where small ferns and grasses grew, was there anything near plant life. Daeso then came to his senses.
"Yes, yes, of course, we'd be eternally greatful for anything you can offer, Northern Ones." Daeso also responded the other hail.
"Atlantis... well..." The words Atel ant and iz combined in exactly that form meant doing something rather unpleasant to a species of bovine.
"Avalon. Yes, we like this name. Henceforth, this system shall be named Avalon. As for the planet... we have a suggestion." Daeso grinned.
"New K'insta. It means 'End of the Old Vendetta'. In this place, we can start anew, away from the Voinians."
This post has been edited by grunadulater : 27 February 2005 - 04:39 AM
Mark System -- 5th Armada
The plan had been sent into motion. Departing from their bases in Norhis, Nujja, and Mordus, a force of 80 Igazras and 240 Igaras set out towards the Mark system. It had been perfectly timed. After an Azdara arrived in Mark and scanned, a message was quickly sent to the fleet in Notil. One day later, the fleet arrived, and waited until the appointed time to head out on the mission. They constituted the new 5th Armada.
Mordus System -- 4th Armada
The 4th Armada lay in wait in Mordus. Ujo was again in command, although this time the fleet only consisted of 30 Igazras and 90 Igaras. When the time had come, Ujo lead 30 Igazras and 60 of the Igaras out towards the Elridi system.
Exactly one day later, the remaining 30 Igaras made the jump for Novish, and then promptly headed for DSN-2143. The bulk of the 4th Armada, however, continued to Elridi. About 30 Igaras were left to guard the system while the remaining 30 Igazras and 90 Igaras made the jump to Diudir...
At about the time the 4th Armada was departing for Elridi, the 5th Armada made a jump into Dafi. Two days later, they made a jump for Elder...
Elder system -- 5th Armada
The mighty 5th Armada, 80 Igazras and 240 Igaras strong, entered the Elder system. They wasted no time in moving towards the hyperspace exit area leading in from the Chak system. The fleet couldn't really guard it very effectively, but if any enemy fleet entered the system, the Igadzra were in a much better position for dealing with them. The plan was to attack with Igaras while the Igazras quickly formed up in a sphere and rejoined with the Igaras before making the main attack.
Diudir system -- 4th Armada
Not expecting much resistance, the 4th Armada jumped into the Diudir system, ready for battle. They rapidly formed up into the typical spherical formation, and charged straight Diumin, their weapons and crews ready...
Outpost Vargien -- Ersadt system
Executor Ithon nodded slowly, listening carefully to everything that Soran said. After a moment of thought, he replied. "Your sensor and sensor buoy technology would be most helpful to us. In return, we offer you our Halcyon Torpedo technology, as well as a new shield design we just completed which allows for a shield grid to be split into three separate, layered grids. They should prove most helpful in the Zacha's struggle against the Renegades." He paused for a moment then shrugged. "And you may have the Graviton Beam and systems upgrade, as I'm sure you could use that as well, even for non-military purposes."
Ithon took a small sip of the wine and then continued. "We will have the specifications transferred to your databanks, along with whatever technological information you might need in order to produce them. Now that the exchange seems to be arranged, are there any trading papers you might need me to sign to bring the trading pact into effect?"
Meanwhile, construction of the new Outpost Marok continued. As well, all Igadzra vessels were now being outfitted with the new shield designs, giving them three separate shield grids. This had the effect of increasing how much shields they could regenerate, and give ships an extra buffer before they lost all shields.
Research & Projects
Shield Modification -- DONE!
Ixada Orbital Defense Platform -- 4 RTD (joint research project with Feviry)
Zephyr Rocket -- 2 RTD
Outpost Marok Construction -- 3 RTD
Current Ship Count 310 Igazras 990 Igaras
Production (per RTD) (new ships assigned to Mark) 10 Igazras 30 Igaras
Defense Fleets Igadzra, Ersadt, Innirian 25 Igazras ( 75 total ) 75 Igaras ( 225 total )
Rebuilt 1st Armada -- Mark 70 Igazra 270 Igaras (2 Igaras currently patrolling Grooz) (2 Igaras currently patrolling Emnin) (2 Igaras currently patrolling Dafi)
4th Armada -- Diudir 30 Igazras 30 Igaras
5th Armada -- Elder 80 Igazras 240 Igaras
Igara Guarding Patrols -- Elridi and DSN-2143 30 Igaras
This post has been edited by Captain Carnotaur : 27 February 2005 - 05:28 PM
(OOC:Sigh, friggin safari crashing took my post with it. The Nt area is on strict time, so confusion shall abound.)
Hrekka 1st day (23/02)
A dozen Aradas headed for North Tip station, quickly docking and releasing Commando teams onto the station. Quickly the sensitive areas were secured, offers of transport to Hizdriar, or arrest for trial being offered to the remaining renegades. The choice was fairly easy for most renegades.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the Zachit fleet left the system and headed for home.
==========
This bit of the post empty for now until I talk to asriel. The bit in Hrekka is based on what I talked to him about before, but I'm not sure so I need to talk to him.
============
Zachit Sensor Drone A small drone designed to extend sensor range and power and provide improved targetting information. Building on the work of the Miranu sensor bouy development. ETA:Complete 23/02 - 26/02
Zachit Hrekka Refit A quick refit to ensure Northtip Station is firmly under Zachit control and produces Zachit style ships. ETA:Complete 26/02 - 27/02
Zachit Tri-Turret An improved Phase turret with 3 mounts and enhanced reload. ETA:4 days 27/02 - 3/03
Miranu Counter-Missile Upgrade ETA:Complete 22/02 - 25/02
Miranu Hyperspace Enhancement Ships will no longer need to slow down to enter hyperspace ETA:3 days 25/02 - 28/02
Fleet Groups is 20 Z.Aradas & 60 Z.Fighters Squadrons is 2 Z.Aradas & 6 Z.Fighters
Zachit 14 Groups
Hrekka 2 Groups
In Limbo in Zachit 2 Groups
This post has been edited by RMA : 27 February 2005 - 05:52 PM