A chaotic sight was visible from the Link's bridge. As a large, glowing bulb, the planet Ekson provided the background for the battle that raged in space. Just in front of the Link, two ships were slowly making their way forward; on the left was the slightly damaged Sokol while the still brand-new-looking Lisanov hovered on the right. Past these two blue-coloured Coalition ships lay a collection of six iconic, gray, makeshift Outsider ships. Further still, closer to the planet's orbit, the worn-down but still intact-looking Medvedar and Vorobey could be seen. In between the Medvedar and Vorobey and the Outsider fleet floated a relatively small ship with a hull that seemed to be missing parts.
As a bitter-looking Tenara turned his head from the scene outside the window, the status report he had ordered came in.
"Sir: we're dealing with one Outsider Assault vessel, two Outsider Patrols and two Outsider Raiders here. It looks like the Outsider Assault ship marked 'JI-03' has taken most of the hits from our Ekson forces. It's heavily armored and scans still show it at 82% capacity, though. All other Outsider ships are still at roughly 100%. The Aegis has been shielding Ekson and is down to roughly 60% capacity. Our Ekson forces seem to be holding out well: the Medvedar is at roughly 75% capacity and the Vorobey at a comfortable 85%. One of the planetary cannons seems to be offline, but the other one is still firing. Our ships on this side are all still close to 100% and good to go. Awaiting orders."
Tenara took a second to take it all in and then started rattling through commands, each person adressed setting to work as his cue came up.
"Com, tell the Aegis to get out of there and reposition as discussed earlier. Contact Major Hiroshi for me and tell him he needs to take out as much of their anti-air as possible so we can take a boarding party through. Lieutenant Cinnet, take command of communications and direct our ships where needed - tell everyone to focus their efforts on taking down the Outsider Patrol ship marked BYS4. Lieutenant Akirano, open a line to the Aegis and ask Xavier what he needs for a succesful sabotage boarding party - then gather the men. Lieutenant Barage... I need you here. Helm, take us in."
Within the ten seconds it took Tenara to say all this, the bridge turned from an intensely focused circle into a well-oiled orchestra. As the captain turned to his oldest lieutenant to discuss more detailed tactics, Synna Akirano turned and left the bridge to enter the ready room.
Once inside, she pushed a couple of buttons, and a holographic version of Xavier appeared.
"I take it we're commencing our earlier discussed plan?", he said.
"Exactly", Akirano replied. "The Captain told me to ask you what you need for this to work."
Xavier didn't even pause to think and answered instantly. "I need an air force that gets me into the ship and a group of Marauders to take care of any strong doors. I will handle the rest."
Akirano nodded. "I'm gonna inform the men. Sit tight; we're still clearing airspace, but I'll get back to you soon. It won't be long before this goes down."
"Understood", Xavier replied as his hologram disappeared.
-
The Lisanov's medical bay, same timespan
Doctor Zane threw down his knife, turned away from the bed and leaned down on a small cabinet next to him, still wielding his bloody gloves. As he regained his breath he thought about the circumstances. Usually Coalition physicians used high-tech equipment such as cutting lasers for operations, but the fact of the matter was that these weren't always available. The Lisanov was a small ship with a small medical bay to begin with, and the fact that they had picked up tons of survivors didn't help. Zane had spent the past ten minutes rushing from body to body to do what he can, and he was glad that his manual surgical skills were excellent compared to some of the lazier physicists in the Coalition military.
"Doctor?! I think we have a hot one here!", a male nurse cried out from a couple of meters away. Zane looked up and around the area. The nurse was calling out his plea in general with all the Lisanov's doctors being in action already. As soon as Zane noticed he was the only one that seemed able to respond he figured his breather had last long enough and ran over to the nurse.
"What's his situation?", Zane inquired.
"Looking bad, sir... he's all torn up. If it's even a he."
Zane took a proper look and immediately saw that the nurse meant. The person before him looked more like what a pack of wolves would consider dinner than a real human being. If Zane didn't know better he would say that whoever the unlucky sod was, he had been hit multiple times by a giant meat tenderizer. With the Coalition's knowledge of medicine, a lot was possible, however.
"Get me some proper tools, this one needs them", Zane said to the nurse as he set to work.
SoA
-The Link, Lisanov and Sokol arrive at Ekson where the battle is now set to turn into a 6v5 in the Coalition's favour. They focus their attacks on the Outsider Patrol ship marked BYS4, and a boarding party is being put together while the Coalition's air-forces attempt to take out as much Outsider anti-air as possible.
-Doctor Zane treats his patients inside the Lisanov's medical bay.
It only took a few seconds for more ships to show up. As the Outsiders aboard the RR-13 prepared for a direct battle with the Aranov Sokol facing them, the Link left warp just to the side of the ship. At the same time, the Lisanov appeared to the right of the RR-13 while the Rivet showed up behind the ship and the Aegis left warp above it.
At the Link's bridge, the captain had a decision to make. As the Sokol engaged the RR-13 and the first shots were fired, Tenara hailed Asimov and Corrino who were still keeping their ground on Ekson. As soon as their slightly distorting images appeared on the Link's big monitor, Tenara adressed the two.
"We've caught an Assault ship on its own and are about to take it down. How's the situation there?"
Though Tenara saw officers running and shouting chaotically on the red-lighted bridge behind Asimov, he laughed as he replied. "We're doing fine my friend! I see you've just sent us some more of those clowns for us to take care of!"
Corrino quickly interjected, looking a lot more worried. "Captain, we're holding our ground so far and have managed to activate the planetary cannons. This battle just turned into a two versus five, though. I don't know about the Medvedar, but the Vorobey won't be able to hold them off very long if the situation doesn't change..."
Tenara nodded and quickly replied. "Alright, sit tight you two... I've got something that should take the pressure of you until we deal with this Assault."
As the screens went black, he turned to Akirano. "Tell Xavier to get in there, good."
A few seconds later, the Aegis, which had been floating above the RR-13, leapt back into warp as it headed for Ekson. In the meantime, the Lisanov and the Rivet had also engaged the Outsider Assault ship which was already showing signs of damage, despite its strong armor. Its normally large fleet of Wraiths was dwarved by fighters from all of the Coalition ships - this battle too seemed to be heading the way the Coalition wanted it.
When the Link's cannons started roaring as well, it was a matter of minutes before the RR-13 showed multiple hull ruptures and puffs of smoke coming out of all its sides. The fighter activity had also slowed down as the combined Coalition airfleet was busy finishing the remnants of the Outsider airfleet. Tenara was pleased; the Sokol had taken the brunt of the damage, which was still pretty much negligible for a ship with such thick armor. The other ships had remained relatively untouched, only showing some light bruises and paint scratches despite their lower armor: because of the Coalition's sheer amount of ships and the fact that the Outsiders had been caught mostly off-guard, the RR-13 hadn't been able to deal even close to the damage it would have if it had engaged the Coalition ships one by one and on its own terms - it may have even won that battle.
"Hail them and tell them they will not be harmed if they surrender now", Tenara said to an ensign.
"No response", the ensign replied after a few seconds.
Tenara sighed. "Stubborn bastards..."
At that point, the Assault suddenly started turning. The positions of the ships in the fight were still similar to how they started, but the RR-13 was now turning its front towards the Link.
"What the hell are they doing?", Akirana said. "They're exposing their flank to the Sokol, which they know has the strongest weapons!"
Sure enough, as soon as the RR-13 faced the Link directly, the Sokol fired a full volley that wrecked half of the Assault's flank. Still, it kept turning, slowly facing its back towards the Sokol and its wrecked side to the Link.
That's when the most unlikely person finally caught on. "THEY'RE GOING TO RAM IT!", Verron cried out.
For a brief moment, Tenara was confused. Why would the Outsiders ram them if they could just surrender? The Link was too well armored for a frontal ram by a nearly broken ship to do much damage. Plus, the Assault's front wasn't even directed at them anymore.
That last thought made it click for him too. The Assault was now facing the Rivet. The Tirion Support ship with low armor and no maneuverability. They were going to ram the Rivet, and it wouldn't survive such a blow.
"GET ME AJAX, NOW!", Tenara shouted.
As the screen turned on seconds later, Ajax' puzzled face showed up on it as outside, the burning Outsider Assault ship slowly started to pick up speed.
"Cap'n? Do you have any idea what they're doing?"
"GET OUT OF THERE! THEY'RE GOING TO RAM YOU!"
There was just enough time for everyone on the Link's bridge to see Ajax' eyes go wide before he closed the channel. As the Rivet initiated its reverse thrusters, ensigns on the Link's bridge started shouting through eachother.
"The Sokol's still reloading, captain!" - "The Lisanov's doing all they can, but their guns are weak!" - "We're turning to face them captain, ready to fire again in thirty seconds".
Sure enough the Lisanov fired several more volleys, but its meager weaponry didn't do much to slow down the RR-13 that was now scooting towards the Rivet, which was slowly moving backwards. The next ten seconds seemed to pass in slow-motion.
With ten seconds left to go until the Link could fire again, the RR-13 collided with the Rivet. Nine, its frontal hull started digging into the Rivet's. Eight, the Rivet's front half started to split in two. Seven, it connected with the ship's central core. Then at Six, in one short blast of light, it was over. As soon as the area cleared again, the Rivet was gone, along with the RR-13. In place of the two ships was what appeared to be a dark grey cloud of dust, which any Terran aboard a Coalition ship would recognize as a gigantic debris field.
After three more seconds of eerie silence, Tenara ordered an ensign to hail the Rivet. "No response, sir", he replied grimly.
Some more time passed before anyone spoke again. Tenara bit his lip so hard he drew blood as he spoke up. "Tell all ships to look for survivors. Shoot any Outsider escape pod-"
At that point an ensign shouted out, blurring out the rest of Tenara's order. "There's a huge wave of escape pods on each side, captain! Their captain must have given an early evacuation order!"
Tenara's face lightened slightly as he looked around the bridge and gave new orders. "Tell all ships to haul in survivors and escape pods... put any Outsiders in the brig, we'll deal with them later. Notify me if Captain Ajax is found. As soon as the area is clear, tell everyone to move straight to Ekson... this isn't over yet."
SoA
-Xavier travels directly to Ekson with the Aegis in order to take some pressure of the Medvedar and Vorobey, who are now fighting a 2v5.
-The Link, Sokol, Lisanov and Rivet take out the Outsider Assault ship RR-13 with relatively minor losses, but the RR-13 rams the poorly armored Rivet as a last ditch resort and takes it out. Escape pods do manage to leave the ship, saving some of its personell and forces. The three leftover Coalition ships are to pick up any survivors from the pods before heading to Ekson as well.
The captain ended his speech on top of a set of stairs as he looked out across the small field of Outsiders. There was some movement on the right side of the formation. A small number of people stepped forwards out of the line. Tenara counted six. At least four of them looked young and scared. It wasn't much, but he was happy some made the choice.
The two Outsiders that seemed older looked firm and unphased. One of them had a mischievous glow in his eyes - one that was only visible when looking for it. It looked like Tenara was getting exactly what he was after.
As the Outsiders walked up to one of his crewmembers to register, Tenara turned to his chief of security, Officer Sheen, who had been standing next to him during the entire speech.
"You register these guys and give them proper jobs. Make sure they're not hassled or harassed and fit in well with the crew. But do not let them out of your sight. I want 24/7 surveillance on these guys. If one of them does anything you'd consider unsavory, hold off in acting unless it's life-threatening, but call for me right away".
-
Seven hours ago, Link Bridge
"Hi there! Captain Corrino of the Vorobey reporting in. My officers should be joining us shortly."
Tenara looked at Akirano, his currently active second in command. "Set up a meeting", he ordered. As more screens started flipping on, he turned around and walked off the bridge.
Akirano watched her captain leave and then turned her head back at the screen, where Corrino's officers had just finished reporting in. Another screen popped up showing a handsome young face with a strong jawline and short wavy hair.
"Greetings miss! Captain Ajax of the TSS Rivet, at your service"
"Pleased to meet you", Synna replied. Before the newest captain had a chance to respond, another screen turned on and showed the face of a tall, scrawny man with a small black moustache.
"Lyren of the Lisanov, awaiting your orders".
Synna looked at him briefly and then adressed the five captains and their officers on the screens before her, intend on setting up the meeting.
-
Four hours ago, aboard the Link
He took two turns and was back at the Janitor's cart. He took the mop and continued cleaning the floor, just a couple of seconds before a pair of marines walked by him. As the marines took a turn around the corner he smiled; he was in the clear.
Or so he thought. As he looked up from the floor he was mopping, he found himself staring at two guards whose side-arms stared back at him.
"Mr. Guerra, you're coming with us."
He realized there was no point in running and held up his hands. "Where are we going?", he shot back.
"The brig.", the guard answered.
-
Now, moon of Delios, Link's bridge
Captain Tenara was nervously staring at his screen. His play had been large and daring and all three his first mates had backed it up, but would it be enough? Did the Outsiders take the bait? Just as the captain was about to do another nervous pace to the other side of his bridge, his screen flipped on again and showed the handsome young face he recognized as Captain Ajax'. A small cut was visible on his temple and a drop of blood was rolling down from it.
"They're biting, Captain. It's working", he said.
"Excellent", Tenara said more to himself than to Ajax as he grinned widely.
Ajax' screen went static for a second before he spoke up again. "Captain... the Lisanov wasn't made for this, we need that assistance now!"
As Tenara woke up from his momentary lapse he looked at Ajax as he called out. "Absolutely. You heard the man. You know what to do. Get to it!"
With those words, the entire crew came into action. A communications officer in the back sent a transmission to the Sokol as the pilot activated the ship's engines and steered it from behind the moon it was hiding at. At the same time, three Medivacs filled with Marines and Marauders launched from one of the cargo bays towards the lone ex-Tirion ship located in high orbit of the planet.
SoA
-The Outsider spy was anticipated on and manipulated by Tenara from the get-go in order to give the Outsiders false information.
-While the Outsider flagships deploy their troops on Delios to combat the Lisanov and Rivet who have set up there, the Link and Sokol appear from behind a nearby moon in order to engage the Outsider ships from behind. They also send a boarding party onto the Aegis, the prototype Tirion vessel that Ambassador Wheelwright asked the Collective to return.
As the Vorobey and Medvedar pulled into orbit, drop-pods were immediately shot down from the ships in order to hasten the process of gaining a foothold. The inhabitants of colony sites on the planet quickly hid themselves as they realized a major battle was about to break out. Corrino and Asimov had carefully gone over the details of the battle just moments prior to their attack. Commanding an Aranov Patrol vessel, Corrino's forces were to provide air support for the ground troops Asimov's Aranov Standard would be deploying. Their goal was to set up a foothold on Ekson and hold the planet as long as possible - their allies would complete their own tasks and then set towards assisting Ekson.
When the Marines and SCV's started landing in the forest, small groups quickly formed and made their way towards both of their first priorities: two standard-issue defensive Ion Cannons set up to defend the planet from flagships. Though they had obviously failed the Coalition earlier, they would now be able to give the soon-to-be defending army some much needed reprieve; once they came back online, anyway. In the original Outsider invasion of the sector the rebels had been quick to disable the cannons to prevent Aranov insurgents from sabotaging their ships once the planet was firmly in their grasp. In order to ensure the best defensive position possible for the upcoming battle, Asimov had ordered his forces to set up mining bases as close to the cannons as possible.
As the first Siege tank rolled out of newly landed drop-pod, batallions of Aranov infantry could be seen setting up sandbags and rushing all through the forest. It was clear that they were in a hurry: this was the calm before the storm.
-
The Outsiders, on the other hand, were not in a hurry just yet. The captain of the ship marked by the Coalition as JI-03 tugged as his moustache as he looked at the screen in front of him. The spy had given them valuable information, and they had been prepared for the Aranov attack. As the JI-03 spearheaded the JI-01 and BYS-05, the three Outsider vessels carefully maneuvered into the best angle to attack Ekson from. Within minutes they entered orbit as the two to them unnamed Aranov ships came into vision. The JI-03 launched a quick volley as Outsider drop-pods started making their way towards the surface. With just one word, the Outsider commander had unleashed the storm. As if by a melancholic reaction by the planet, Ekson's clouds tore open as the rain started.
SoA
-The Vorobey (Aranov Patrol) and Medvedar (Aranov Standard) set up a foothold on Ekson and take defensive positions. Their primary goal is to get the two anti-flagship Ion Cannons that were part of the planet's original defenses back online. It will take them 3 IC's to do so.
-As three Outsider ships (JI-01, an Outsider Patrol, JI-03, an Outsider Assault, and BYS5, an Outsider Raider) enter Ekson's orbit, the battle for the planet commences.
The yellow cloud located at the far end of the Naran system was more commonly known as the Chronae Nebula. It had been mapped quite a while back, when Terrans first settled the nearby systems. Because of the large amount of dust and the fact that warp travel through it was not conveniently possible, few Coalition ships had bothered to check its insides. As a hidden entrance to the system, it had been used with great effect by criminals and smugglers seeking to both leave and visit the planets of the system. Ever since the Outsiders had taken control of the region however, it had been empty.
Up until now, that is. The Link's crew looked out of the ship's windows at the Sokol as both ships disappeared into what looked mostly like a combination of orange juice and a sandstorm. It was only because of the continuous transmissions that the ships sent eachother that they could keep track of eachother's whereabouts.
Tenara liked it this way. This was where he was going to strategize his first big play. Sure, he had cleared Elos, but that had kind of been Xavier's battle. He had a carefully structured plan in mind to clear Naran of Outsider troops, and he preferred to be hidden from prying eyes when discussing it with the captains that would be commanding the ships in the fleet he could, at least temporarily, call his own.
"Alright... Hail our support", the captain Ordered. An ensign pushed a few buttons as a short-length wave sent out an identification message to other Coalition ships in the cloud. In front of Tenara was a big screen that had been divided into several smaller screens that could show multiple persons. The identifcation message had only just been sent out when one of them switched on and a familiar face appeared on one of the screens.
"The Sokol here, reading you clearly", the pale, brown-haired Barbarossa said. A few seconds later, more screens started flipping on.
"The Medvedar", a rather rough-looking man with long black hair and a long black beard nodded. "I am captain Asimov. These are my first and second mates". As he spoke the last seven words, two more screens flipped on and showed several younger looking officers clad in the blue garb of Aranov's military.
Before Tenara had a chance to respond, a bald man with a thin red moustache popped up on one of the screens and spoke up. "Hi there! Captain Corrino of the Vorobey reporting in. My officers should be joining us shortly."
Tenara looked at Akirano, his currently active second in command. "Set up a meeting", he ordered. As more screens started flipping on, he turned around and walked off the bridge.
SoA
-The Link and the Sokol arrive in the Naran system and the ships' respective captains, Tenara and Barbarossa, meet up with the captains of their backup ships to discuss the plan of attack.
As the Link was slowly making its way to Magraia, Tenara carefully paced down the row of Outsider prisoners in cargo bay five. All of them knew what likely lay before them on Magraia, and it impacted each of them differently. Some looked nervous, some looked sad, others looked angry and some looked outright scared. All of them looked at Tenara.
"Soldiers... Crewmen... Officers, Outsiders, Terrans... Today, you stand before a crossroads. As you will all know, in several hours we shall land on Magraia. Governmental judgement awaits those of you who get off this ship there. I offer you a choice, however: to stay aboard my ship. Never mind your previous choices. Never mind your previous alliances. Never mind your previous life. I offer you the opportunity to work for me as a crewman aboard the Link. Now I will not lie: I will not entrust you with your old positions from the get-go. Trust has to be earned. But aboard the Link, trust can be earned. You will start at the bottom. As grease monkeys working engines... Janitors mopping floors... Kitchen chefs chopping meat. But you will be able to rise. You will have a fair chance at a new life. You can either take that chance, or you can take your chances with the government of Magraia. Even though you may consider yourselves captives, know that this one choice is fully yours. Take your pick."
The captain ended his speech on top of a set of stairs as he looked out across the small field of Outsiders. He saw the group on the left mumble, stare angrily at him and even spit on the ground. Those were the Outsider soldiers. Tenara knew none of them would want to join him. To work on an Outsider ship was one thing, but it was the soldiers who really believed in Ray Kane's cause. They were the ones willing to die for it, and they would most likely rather do so than join the Collective.
There was some movement on the right side of the formation, however. A small number of people stepped forwards out of the line. Tenara counted six. At least four of them looked young and scared. It wasn't much, but he was happy some made the choice.
-
Magrathean Army Headquarters, Magraia, four hours later
The Link's bridge crew walked through a hallway on their way to a ready room inside the building. Vennon was walking next to his captain, while Joshep and Synna were following them. The young officer looked nervous as he shot questions at his commander.
"Is there anything I should know, sir? I've never been to the Magrathean high command. Should I salute them? Should I use their names or ranks to address them?"
Joshep laughed. "You're expecting too much, son", he said as the group took a curve through a corner.
"What do you mean?", Vennon asked.
This time, Tenara answered with a grin. "You'll see... Just hold your tongue, anyway."
With that, he opened the door the group had just reached and walked inside as his officers followed him.
The room was relatively small; only a bit larger than the Link's ready room, but with more holographic projectors - a total number of thirteen positioned equally around a round table, with one large one being in the middle. Inside the room were three people: an elderly looking man in a green military uniform with grey hair and a general's hat, a younger dark-haired man with a similar uniform and a man in a ceremonial red outfit. As the group came inside, the elderly man immediately spoke up.
"Moranno, hey there! Good to see you again! I see you brought your officers. Come in, sit down! How was Elos?"
"Well, full of explosions, General", Tenara managed to reply as the old man started talking again.
"I heard you did a damn good job there lad. Wouldn't have it any other way! Still a shame though, I miss having you around here. Had to grab this goon to help me write my daily orders now. He still has a lot to learn."
The dark-haired man's eyes twinkled as he replied. "I'd learn a lot faster if you'd stop forgetting what it is I actually need to know".
With that, the general burst into laughing. As he came to again, he looked at Moranno.
"Well, come on, aren't you going to introduce me to your crew?"
Moranno looked from the general at his crew. "Crew, this here is General Oatcombe, leader of the Magrathean military and member of the board of the Coalition Military Executives. General, these are Synna Akirano, Joshep Barage and Vennon Cinnet, my first mates."
"Pleased to meet you!", the older man replied. "This gentleman here is Lieutenant Levant, my assistant". He then turned and noticed there was a seventh person in the room. "Ooh, and this is Ambassador Wheelwright of the Tirion Republic. Please forgive me, Ambassador."
The ambassador, who spoke for the first time since the Link's crew had entered the room, looked like a friendly type. "That's quite alright, General. Shall we get to business?"
The general seemed to settle down as captain Tenara spoke up. "Business, yes. I heard something about Aranov recommending us, General?"
"You're right there", Oatcombe replied. "The board of the Executives was discussing once again what to do about the situation in the Naran system. You see, the system has been occupied by an Outsider fleet for ages now. We've been trying to do something about it for a while and have gathered some ships in a nearby nebula, but every time stuff is about to go down the mercenaries they gave the job to seem to disappear. We were sick of it and wanted someone reliable to finally get the job done. Aranov recommended your Collective."
Tenara thought for a few seconds before nodding. "Naran has Magrathean and Tirion colonies. We'll take care of it."
"Good", the general said. "There is something else...". His words trailed off as he looked at the Tirion ambassador, who finally spoke up properly.
"There is indeed more to it. Captain: the Tirion republic was experimenting with new flagship hull designs at its colony of Delios. One prototype ship was in orbit of the planet when the Outsider fleet took over the sector. We want the data aboard that ship back."
The captain again thought for a few seconds. "A boarding mission... very well. Could I use the ship in battle, if needed?"
"If you can actually manage to commandeer it, by all means", the ambassador replied. "That would be a great test of the new hull designs. We just want that data."
"Consider it done, then", Tenara said.
Oatcombe then spoke up again as he got up. "Very well son. Well, I'm gonna have to be heading off. Receptions and all that business". He rolled his eyes as he said it. "Levant has the details. Hope to see you again soon with more good news. Good luck out there, and show them how it's done!"
With that, both he and the Tirion Ambassador left the room.
-
Bridge of the Link, docking bay, Magraia
"Get me the Aranov Patrol", Tenara spoke. A crewman behind him pushed some buttons and a familiar face came up on the screen in front of him; it was the captain of the ship that had fought alongside the Link on Elos.
"Looks like we're heading out together again", Moranno said.
"You're not getting rid of me so easily", the Aranov captain said with a smile.
"You're not the only one", Tenara replied with a grin as he nudged his head back. Behind him, in a corner on the bridge, Xavier was standing and observing the activities of the various crewmen. "If we're gonna keep working together, we may need to swap names, captain."
The Aranov captain smiled and then saluted. "Captain Barbarossa of the Sokol, sir."
Moranno returned the smile and the salute. "Captain Tenara of the Link, at your service."
-
Pinegrove, Elos capital
Mayor Johnson looked around. There were festivities all over. The Link had come and gone quickly, but it had done so like a whirlwind. The planet's new Magrathean-Tirion settlers had helped rebuild the city and set up a military base and several mining complexes in record time. All that remained of the once huge Outsider flagship that had crashed into the heart of the city was a piece of its hull, which had been set up in the city's square as a monument to those that had fallen. A new city hall had been built behind it, and it was on the building's stairs where the new mayor was now standing with a pair of scissors, ready to open the new hall and start off a new period in the history of the planet. Most of the planet's population had come out to see the event.
As Johnson turned to cut the satin ribbon a man in a similar official green-and-red garb smiled at him from a few meters away. The man was Mayor Ackles, Johnson's new partner. As an official colony of the Collective, its leadership had been tuned in fashion: mayor Johnson, a Magrathean, was in charge of the colony's internal politics and laws. Mayor Ackles held a similar position in rank, but was to focus his attention on the industrial and productive capabilities of the planet's population. A third person, Colonel Wreave, was in charge of the planet's military.
With a soft but clear 'shick' Johnson's scissors cut through the ribbon. The crowd roared as it fell to the ground.
SoA
-Captain Tenara makes his Outsider prisoners an offer: stay on board and work as his crew, or face justice on Magraia. This gains him 6 new crewmen. The remaining Outsider crewmen (29) and soldiers (15) are all left on Magraia.
-The Collective's officers talk to the 'Magrathean high command' and a Tirion ambassador. A Magrathean general tells them Aranov has recommended them to the Coalition's board of Military Executives for a mission regarding the clearing of the Naran system, which has been occupied by Outsider forces.
-As Tenara accepts, the Tirion ambassador gives him a secondary mission: a Tirion Support ship with prototype plating is floating in orbit of the Tirion planet of Delios. The Tirions would like it back. Tenara has Tirion permission to use it in combat if needed (this would in fact be a great test of its armor).
-The Collective spends 6 points on Magraia to recruit 16 new Marines, 5 Marauders, 10 Siege Tanks and 2 Medivacs.
-The Link along with the Sokol (Aranov Patrol) set out for the Naran system. 4 IC's/days until arrival.
-The Collective's colony at Elos is officially rebuilt and working. Starting with the next post, the faction will now generate 1 point per post.
It was gruesome. As the Outsider infantry charged at the Collective's line, the Siege Tanks sprung into action and turned their turrets like tiny towers of doom. As if heralding the arrival of Death, the barrels blasted in unison as Marines, Firebats and Medics alike exploded in a grizzly scene of flying intestines. Whoever made it through the blasts was immediately gunned down by machine gun fire, concussive shells and Wraith lasers. The only lucky ones were the soldiers knocked unconscious by the blast waves, and the ones in the back who immediately halted their advance as their brothers and sisters in arms literally evaporated in front of their eyes. As the scared and panicked Outsider forces threw down their arms, the battle on the ground ended. Aranov's Vikings, Wraiths and Ravens all turned their noses upwards sharply and quickly ascended towards the Outsider's flagship; the battle in the air had only just started.
Not fully realizing what had happened to its remaining ground forces, the crew of the Outsider Assault ship prepared for battle as they floated closer towards their enemies. As the Aranov Patrol and the Link got into its range, it was the Outsiders who fired the first round. Though half of the lasers and missiles missed their targets, several of them did good damage to the Patrol's hull and the Link's right laser battery. Immediately, a strong response came. As the Coalition's ships fired their own weapons, the Outsider's bridge shook as the ship took heavy damage to its frontal hull, left missile batteries and cargo compartments.
Outside of the ships, the battle was also raging. Outsider Wraiths were in aerial dogfights with the few Vikings and Wraiths the Aranov Patrol had left close to it. Though the Aranov fleet looked like it would lose the battle at first, the tables turned rapidly as Wraith after Wraith jumped out of the clouds below the site. Soon to be followed by a massive wave of Aranov Vikings, it wasn't long before the Outsider Wraiths were all either crashing, exploding or attempting to flee. With aerial superiority attained, the Aranov fliers turned their attention towards the Outsider flagship, shooting at its plates wherever they could hit it, like hundreds of ants biting at a dog's legs.
Twice more did the Outsider Assault ship fire its batteries before it succumbed to the joined forces of the Aranov fleet, the Aranov Patrol, and the Link. As a large explosion took out the entire right side of the ship, it arced to its side before slowly beginning to lose height. Several seconds later, it was in freefall, right until it crashed in the middle of the city with an ear-shattering noise.
Half a minute later a screen opened up at the Link's bridge. It showed a distorted feed of what seemed to be a scared, young Outsider officer, covered in blood and dirt. Behind him, his bridge lay in shambles as several corpses and crying wounded lay spread out across it. The young man looked Tenara in the eye and spoke in a soft voice. "Please... no more... have mercy... we surrender."
Tenara looked straight back at him as he gave the command loudly. "Hold your fire!"
The young officer looked at captain Tenara with a thankful, nearly revering look as a tear rolled down his cheek. The captain gave him a small, melancholic smile before closing the channel. It was over.
-
Five hours later, the situation had already begun to clear up. The few Outsider survivors there were were still being given medical attention in cargo bay five aboard the Link, which had landed just outside the city. Several armed guards were positioned among them, keeping an eye out for anybody who'd try anything. Mechanics and engineers had already begun to repair the damage dealt to both the Link and the Aranov Patrol.
At the same time, hundreds of Collectivists in vehicles were moving in and out of cargo bay four, emptying it as they went. Several taskgroups had disembarked and construction of the Collective's new base was well underway - these people were no fighters and had seen very little of the fight that had just taken place; they had no reason to waste time.
A bunch of them had also gone into the city, where a group of hundred or so were busy taking apart the crashed Outsider flagship, stripping it of useful materials to rebuild the city as they went along. They were joined by civilians who had both left the city and hidden themselves in cellars as the fighting started: the majority of these people had been Magratheans or Tirions before their government joined with the Outsiders. The ones who weren't didn't care who their planet owned to politically and simply wanted to rebuild their city. There was much to be done, but there were many hands working.
SoA
-The Collective's Siege Tanks along with Xavier and the Aranov airforce clean up the charging Outsider ground forces in a short exchange just before the air battle commences. In this exchange, all Outsider ground forces either die or surrender while the Collective loses 16 Marines, 5 Marauders and 2 Medivacs. During the short air battle, both the Link and the Aranov Patrol receive minor damage before destroying the Outsider Assault ship, which crashes into the city. The Aranov airfleet loses 10 Wraiths in dogfights with Outsider Wraiths.
-The Outsider forces surrender completely and are taken captive, resulting in 15 soldiers and 35 Outsider crew members being stored in the Link's fifth cargo bay.
-After the dust settles, Collective forces disembark and start cleaning up and repairing the city. They bring building materials from the Link's cargo bay and start setting up a military base on the planet as well. Repairs on the Link commence; the Aranov Patrol returns to Magraia for repairs since it sustained heavier damage.
-From this point on, the Collective colony is active and starts mining. Because of a 4 point penalty however, the faction will not receive +1 point per post for another 4 posts.
-The Collective receives 10 points from the Magrathean Empire and Tirion Republic for repairs/funding.
-The Link fills up an additional 50 supply worth of room with scrap and parts from the Outsider flagship along with some of the Outsider's infantry equipment. None of this is (re)usable but these goods can lateron be traded or sold.
As soon as everyone had left the room, Synna walked over to the control panel and pushed a few buttons. A few seconds later a friendly-looking female hologram popped up in the middle of the room.
"What can the AIA do for you, Officer Akirano?”
"I need some information on a Ghost called Xavier Origin, code X-01", the dark-haired officer replied.
"Ghost information is highly classif-", the hologram started as Synna interrupted her.
"Yes yes, save me the speech. I just need to know if he's with the Consectorate or not."
The hologram typed displayed a typing motion for a few seconds and then turned back to Synna. "A Ghost named Xavier Origin does not exist, miss Akirano".
The Tirion officer looked slightly to the side as she softly bit her lip. She was not entirely sure what she was looking for, but decided to press on anyway. "That's strange, seeing as he just arrived on my ship and says he's following Aranov's orders to observe our actions."
The female hologram typed again for a few seconds, seemed to read something, and then looked back at Synna. "That seems correct".
Synna blinked. "But he does not exist?"
"That's right."
Synna had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but she had what she wanted: a confirmation that there were in fact records, regardless of how strangely classified they were. Adding this to the fact that Xavier had mentioned Domovoi himself, she reasoned that at the very least this man was known to the Consectorate. Which was enough. Synna looked back up at the hologram.
"Very well... Thank you for your assistance."
The hologram smiled as it replied "You're welcome" and closed itself down. With that, Synna exited the ready room through its automatic doors and stepped onto the bridge. She went over to the captain, leaned over to him and whispered in his ear.
"The Ghost is clean."
Tenara nodded at her. With that, she straightened back up, smiled at Xavier, who had been sitting in a corner and had watched her since she came in, and left the bridge.
-
Elos, Magrathea, three hours later
Elos was a relatively hot planet. The areas near the equator were in fact so hot that they were completely uninhabitable. The areas close to the extreme north and south points of the planet were very habitable areas though, and everything in between was hostile but livable. Though there were several smaller settlements spread around the planet, its largest city was located high up in the northern hemisphere. This city's northern end was surrounded with impassible mountains, but its southern end led into large open fields. The Outsider forces on the planet had retreated back into the city and set up defensive Siege Tank-lines backed up by Marines, Marauders, Science Vessels and a couple of Wraiths as soon as the Aranov fleet had come into view scouting the area. Their enormous flagship was floating above the cloudline, high above the city. They were prepared for a long lasting siege, and that would be exactly what they would get.
The usually quiet fields at the south end of the city were now booming with noise. Both the Aranov Patrol ship and the Link were floating in the background of the Siege Tank-line the Coalition forces had just set up around the city. The Siege tanks were spread out, blocking all exits out of the city, and Marines, Marauders and Hellions were positioned to support them. The sky was littered with Medivacs, Ravens and Wraiths, and several squadrons of Vikings were patrolling the area. No shots had been fired yet, but both armies were completely locked down.
Aboard the Link, Captain Tenara realized this. He and his three officers had retreated to the ready room, where a holographic version of the Aranov Patrol's captain was lit up. Xavier was standing against the wall near the round room's entrance.
"Whoever makes the first move in this scenario takes the losses", Barage said.
"You're right", Tenara chimed in. "We could win the battle if we charged everything right into the city, but we'd lose nearly all our troops. We need a way to pick off their Tanks without losing units - at that point we've got them in a stranglehold. Plus, we'll be able to flush them out of the city and minimize civilian casualties."
The young Verron stepped forward. "Can't we use the Aranov Wraiths to take out the tanks?"
"Good thinking", the Aranov captain replied, "but I'm not sending my Wraiths up against that many Marines as long as those damn Science Vessels negate my cloak. They'll be toast in seconds."
"So we'll need to take out the Science Vessels", Ms. Akirano concluded. "Your Vikings' range should be great at getting that job done, no?", she said to the Aranov captain.
"Definitely. I can send them in to solve our problem at your command, Captain Tenara."
"Hold on a second", Tenara replied, seemingly thinking things through. "While that tactic would be very effective, we may be able to do one more. If we simply open fire, a bunch of the Vessels will get away and hide behind enemy lines until they are needed. If we can provide a distraction, we may be able to take them all out in one fell swoop".
Joshep Barage was the first to react. "Of course! If we force them to keep their Science Vessels near the frontline, we can snipe all of them down before they even notice. And then our Wraiths will have free reign".
"What kind of distraction did you have in mind?", Ms. Akirano asked.
Captain Tenara looked at his officers briefly before resting his eyes on Xavier who was standing in the corner. "Agent Origin... you said you could help?"
"A distraction in the truest sense of the word would not work." Xavier said. "Only one vessel is needed to give the marines time to kill your wraiths, and Wraiths are not known for the range on their anti-ground weapons, so the vessels could stay a good deal behind the tank and marine line. What you need is pressure, not a distraction. Take out a vessel and attack the undefended location, force another vessel to come, destroy that one. After that the Outsiders will more likely retreat than send more vessels, but you should be able to destroy a good chunk of their troops."
Xavier paced to the middle of the room.
"Taking out vessels after the first one would be hard and result in losses if you used Vikings or Wraiths. I can assist there, my equipment is beyond that of any regular ghost."
"The siege tanks will tear you apart." Tenara said.
"I can handle them." Xavier said calmly. "My cloak isn't as limited as that of the Wraiths either, so I can be a constant threat to them."
He looked at the hologram of the city, showing the last known troop positions. They had barricaded themselves in on one of the main roads.
"Once the first vessels are down, they will be forced to play more defensive and lose ground. I will strike and take the first vessels in the west, a small squadron of wraiths will assist - mostly just for the pressure. Vikings should make advances in the east, while Wraiths show themselves in the south. It won't take them long to realize they won't be able to hold their current positions, and they will be forced to group all their forces up, making it impossible to take out their vessels without severe losses."
"And how is that going to help, Agent?" The captain of the patrol asked.
"They will be out of ground to maneuver on. If they place their tanks on the edges of their forces, I can eliminate them. If there is a marine line in front of the tanks, your tanks will be able to hit them from a barely safe range."
"Makes sense", Tanara replied. "I want those Vikings ready to fire, though - any Science Vessel they can snipe should be taken out."
The captain looked around the room. When he saw that nobody replied, he simply said "Make it so". With that, Xavier took off to the docking bay as the hologram of the Aranov captain closed itself down and the Link's crew left for the bridge.
SoA
-Officer Akirano gets told by the Aranov Intelligence Agency that the Ghost named Xavier does not exist, but figures out that he has to be allied with the Consectorate anyway.
-The Link and Aranov forces land near Elos' capital city after scouting the area. The Outsiders are holed up inside the city with a Siege Tank line, the Collective/Aranov forces block the way out with their own tankline.
-Xavier is sent in along with several Aranov Wraiths to provide pressure and clear out the Outsider Science Vessels along the western side of the city. A number of Wraiths and Vikings provide constant pressure from both the southern and eastern sides.
The crowd roared as the Link landed. The event had been turned into a special celebration and many had come out to see it. While none of the Empire's inhabitants were particularly prideful or nationalistic, the feeling that the launch of the Collective project had created was one of enthousiasm. Aside from improving relations with the Tirion republic, the Magratheans liked the tiny taste of military independence. Not that they were unhappy with the Aranov Consectorate; quite the opposite. However, some more direct control and nationality did cause a glimmering interest.
As the Battlecruisers' main dock opened, four figures came out. Any Magrathean would instantly recognize the one leading the group: he was Douglass Lass, the president of the Tirion Republic. Behind him stood a somewhat older-looking man, a black-haired woman and a strong, young official. All three were clad in a grab coloured dark green with bright red details.
Two men approached the group; one clad in a similar garb, the other instantly recognizable by just his face: Arthur Dent, the leader of the Empire. As the two shook hands and greeted eachother the cameras rolled freely. Once they finished up their brief introduction, the officials in the green-red garbs shook hands with the man next to Arthur Dent. Soon after, Dent turned around and walked to a makeshift podium to adress the crowd.
"Magratheans, sisters, brothers... Today is the start of something new. If you have been following the news, you will know this ship is known as the Link. And you will also know that these people behind me are both Tirion and Magrathean officers. These men will work together to perform the will of the Empire and of the Republic, our close allies.
Our forces have worked together over the past months to realize this project, and this is where it finally begins. As of today, the Link is officially 'in action' and it will start performing missions around the sector. This is a fine example of what craftsmanship and hard work can achieve."
Dent gestured at Lass when mentioning craftsmanship.
"Normally I would say to you: 'Long live the Empire'. Today however, I say to you... 'Long live the Collective'!"
Applause was heard once more as Dent and Lass shook hands again and disappeared from the scene. The crowd then started talking amongst themselves as a legion of Magratheans in green-red outfits started to board the vessel and the officials disappeared into the ship.
-
The Link ready room, roughly two hours later
"Well, so much for the formal introduction", the captain said to the three first mates standing around the holographic projection table in front of him. "In case you didn't catch it outside, my name is Moranno Tenara. While on duty, I prefer 'sir' because it's shorter, but my surname or rank will suffice. First name's fine off-duty."
Tenara paused, waiting for a reaction from any of his officers. It came from the middle-aged woman. "Synna Akirano. Pleasure to properly meet you". She nodded.
Next, the younger man on the right spoke. "Verron Cinnet, at your service", he said as he saluted. Tenara grinned.
"You can leave out the salutes from now on - saves us both some crucial time."
Verron went red as the older man took a small step forward and introduced himself. "Joshep Barage, sir".
The captain then pushed a button on the table, activating its holographic projector; it was a representation of the Magrathea system. "With that out of the way, lets get down to business. What you see here is the system we are currently located in. I assume you'll recognize it."
Synna thoughtfully scratched her cheek as Joshep looked on silently. Verron's eyes were locked on the hologram so tightly it made the young officer look like he was trying to pierce an Ultralisk with his gaze.
"This", Tenara said as he pushed a button and the holograph zoomed in on a planet, "is the nearby planet of Elos. As you'll know, we are to use the resources in our cargo hold to set up a base for ourselves. That planet is where we'll do so."
Miss Akirano looked thoughtful for a second before speaking out. "Weren't there Outsider forces scattered over the planet, last time it was scanned?"
"Exactly", Moranno replied. "And that is where our first mission lies. We are to clear the planet of Outsiders in order to set up our own base."
"I'm guessing that means a planetary assault? An orbital bombardment would ruin the planet's surface", Joshep interjected.
"Right again, were it not for one obstacle...", Tenara replied. "The Outsiders are said to have a large flagship in the area, which will need to be neutralized before we can take control of the planet. We will need some support to take out this ship. Only once we reach the planet, we'll find suitable landing spots and begin our assault. I've decided to radio the nearby Pirate patrol vessel for orbital assistance."
"The Pirates? We can't trust them! We ask them along and they'll turn against us as the battle starts!", Verron immediately shouted out.
Tenara looked from Synna to Joshep. When no one replied to Verron's outburst, Synna started talking. "I do not think we need to be so afraid of Pirates from the coalition; even if they wanted to sell us out, their betrayal would mean war in the entire sector. I do however agree that we shouldn't trust them so readily if we haven't explored other options, though."
The captain looked somewhat annoyed as he gave his reply. "Fine, fine... I know the rules; if two of you disagree, I can't make the decision. What would you suggest however? We need that support or we may as well stick to this planet and never leave."
Suddenly Joshep interjected. "I may have a solution for that problem. The Pirates are not the only ones who can offer us support. There's an Aranov Patrol at the system's edge that we could request assistance from."
"Aranov? Well, no offense, but I thought we were doing all this precisely to grow less dependent on his army."
"Be that as it may, the Consectorate is still a loyal ally. Plus, we will be in charge of the operation, since we are running it. We will still have our independence", Joshep shot back.
Moranno thought for a second before answering. "I guess that makes sense. Unless you two disagree, that's how we'll do it. Mr. Barage, make the call. Mr. Cinnet, you have the bridge. Ms. Akirano.... dismissed". With that, Moranno and two of his officers left the ready room, leaving Joshep alone to access the projection table.
Ten minutes later, the remaining crowd roared one last time as the Link undocked and departed Magraia.
SoA
-A Tirion-manned Link lands on Magraia and the Magrathean part of the crew boards.
-Dent adresses the Empire in a speech.
-The Link receives its first mission: to clear out the planet Elos of Outsiders and set up its base of operations/colony there. It travels there from the planet of Magraia, along with an Aranov Patrol vessel for support. Since these planets are both located in the same system, there are 0 IC's/days travel time.
Ekson orbit, Naran System
A chaotic sight was visible from the Link's bridge. As a large, glowing bulb, the planet Ekson provided the background for the battle that raged in space. Just in front of the Link, two ships were slowly making their way forward; on the left was the slightly damaged Sokol while the still brand-new-looking Lisanov hovered on the right. Past these two blue-coloured Coalition ships lay a collection of six iconic, gray, makeshift Outsider ships. Further still, closer to the planet's orbit, the worn-down but still intact-looking Medvedar and Vorobey could be seen. In between the Medvedar and Vorobey and the Outsider fleet floated a relatively small ship with a hull that seemed to be missing parts.
As a bitter-looking Tenara turned his head from the scene outside the window, the status report he had ordered came in.
"Sir: we're dealing with one Outsider Assault vessel, two Outsider Patrols and two Outsider Raiders here. It looks like the Outsider Assault ship marked 'JI-03' has taken most of the hits from our Ekson forces. It's heavily armored and scans still show it at 82% capacity, though. All other Outsider ships are still at roughly 100%. The Aegis has been shielding Ekson and is down to roughly 60% capacity. Our Ekson forces seem to be holding out well: the Medvedar is at roughly 75% capacity and the Vorobey at a comfortable 85%. One of the planetary cannons seems to be offline, but the other one is still firing. Our ships on this side are all still close to 100% and good to go. Awaiting orders."
Tenara took a second to take it all in and then started rattling through commands, each person adressed setting to work as his cue came up.
"Com, tell the Aegis to get out of there and reposition as discussed earlier. Contact Major Hiroshi for me and tell him he needs to take out as much of their anti-air as possible so we can take a boarding party through. Lieutenant Cinnet, take command of communications and direct our ships where needed - tell everyone to focus their efforts on taking down the Outsider Patrol ship marked BYS4. Lieutenant Akirano, open a line to the Aegis and ask Xavier what he needs for a succesful sabotage boarding party - then gather the men. Lieutenant Barage... I need you here. Helm, take us in."
Within the ten seconds it took Tenara to say all this, the bridge turned from an intensely focused circle into a well-oiled orchestra. As the captain turned to his oldest lieutenant to discuss more detailed tactics, Synna Akirano turned and left the bridge to enter the ready room.
Once inside, she pushed a couple of buttons, and a holographic version of Xavier appeared.
"I take it we're commencing our earlier discussed plan?", he said.
"Exactly", Akirano replied. "The Captain told me to ask you what you need for this to work."
Xavier didn't even pause to think and answered instantly. "I need an air force that gets me into the ship and a group of Marauders to take care of any strong doors. I will handle the rest."
Akirano nodded. "I'm gonna inform the men. Sit tight; we're still clearing airspace, but I'll get back to you soon. It won't be long before this goes down."
"Understood", Xavier replied as his hologram disappeared.
-The Lisanov's medical bay, same timespan
Doctor Zane threw down his knife, turned away from the bed and leaned down on a small cabinet next to him, still wielding his bloody gloves. As he regained his breath he thought about the circumstances. Usually Coalition physicians used high-tech equipment such as cutting lasers for operations, but the fact of the matter was that these weren't always available. The Lisanov was a small ship with a small medical bay to begin with, and the fact that they had picked up tons of survivors didn't help. Zane had spent the past ten minutes rushing from body to body to do what he can, and he was glad that his manual surgical skills were excellent compared to some of the lazier physicists in the Coalition military.
"Doctor?! I think we have a hot one here!", a male nurse cried out from a couple of meters away. Zane looked up and around the area. The nurse was calling out his plea in general with all the Lisanov's doctors being in action already. As soon as Zane noticed he was the only one that seemed able to respond he figured his breather had last long enough and ran over to the nurse.
"What's his situation?", Zane inquired.
"Looking bad, sir... he's all torn up. If it's even a he."
Zane took a proper look and immediately saw that the nurse meant. The person before him looked more like what a pack of wolves would consider dinner than a real human being. If Zane didn't know better he would say that whoever the unlucky sod was, he had been hit multiple times by a giant meat tenderizer. With the Coalition's knowledge of medicine, a lot was possible, however.
"Get me some proper tools, this one needs them", Zane said to the nurse as he set to work.
SoA
-The Link, Lisanov and Sokol arrive at Ekson where the battle is now set to turn into a 6v5 in the Coalition's favour. They focus their attacks on the Outsider Patrol ship marked BYS4, and a boarding party is being put together while the Coalition's air-forces attempt to take out as much Outsider anti-air as possible.
-Doctor Zane treats his patients inside the Lisanov's medical bay.
Space battle site between Delios and Ekson
It only took a few seconds for more ships to show up. As the Outsiders aboard the RR-13 prepared for a direct battle with the Aranov Sokol facing them, the Link left warp just to the side of the ship. At the same time, the Lisanov appeared to the right of the RR-13 while the Rivet showed up behind the ship and the Aegis left warp above it.
At the Link's bridge, the captain had a decision to make. As the Sokol engaged the RR-13 and the first shots were fired, Tenara hailed Asimov and Corrino who were still keeping their ground on Ekson. As soon as their slightly distorting images appeared on the Link's big monitor, Tenara adressed the two.
"We've caught an Assault ship on its own and are about to take it down. How's the situation there?"
Though Tenara saw officers running and shouting chaotically on the red-lighted bridge behind Asimov, he laughed as he replied. "We're doing fine my friend! I see you've just sent us some more of those clowns for us to take care of!"
Corrino quickly interjected, looking a lot more worried. "Captain, we're holding our ground so far and have managed to activate the planetary cannons. This battle just turned into a two versus five, though. I don't know about the Medvedar, but the Vorobey won't be able to hold them off very long if the situation doesn't change..."
Tenara nodded and quickly replied. "Alright, sit tight you two... I've got something that should take the pressure of you until we deal with this Assault."
As the screens went black, he turned to Akirano. "Tell Xavier to get in there, good."
A few seconds later, the Aegis, which had been floating above the RR-13, leapt back into warp as it headed for Ekson. In the meantime, the Lisanov and the Rivet had also engaged the Outsider Assault ship which was already showing signs of damage, despite its strong armor. Its normally large fleet of Wraiths was dwarved by fighters from all of the Coalition ships - this battle too seemed to be heading the way the Coalition wanted it.
When the Link's cannons started roaring as well, it was a matter of minutes before the RR-13 showed multiple hull ruptures and puffs of smoke coming out of all its sides. The fighter activity had also slowed down as the combined Coalition airfleet was busy finishing the remnants of the Outsider airfleet. Tenara was pleased; the Sokol had taken the brunt of the damage, which was still pretty much negligible for a ship with such thick armor. The other ships had remained relatively untouched, only showing some light bruises and paint scratches despite their lower armor: because of the Coalition's sheer amount of ships and the fact that the Outsiders had been caught mostly off-guard, the RR-13 hadn't been able to deal even close to the damage it would have if it had engaged the Coalition ships one by one and on its own terms - it may have even won that battle.
"Hail them and tell them they will not be harmed if they surrender now", Tenara said to an ensign.
"No response", the ensign replied after a few seconds.
Tenara sighed. "Stubborn bastards..."
At that point, the Assault suddenly started turning. The positions of the ships in the fight were still similar to how they started, but the RR-13 was now turning its front towards the Link.
"What the hell are they doing?", Akirana said. "They're exposing their flank to the Sokol, which they know has the strongest weapons!"
Sure enough, as soon as the RR-13 faced the Link directly, the Sokol fired a full volley that wrecked half of the Assault's flank. Still, it kept turning, slowly facing its back towards the Sokol and its wrecked side to the Link.
That's when the most unlikely person finally caught on. "THEY'RE GOING TO RAM IT!", Verron cried out.
For a brief moment, Tenara was confused. Why would the Outsiders ram them if they could just surrender? The Link was too well armored for a frontal ram by a nearly broken ship to do much damage. Plus, the Assault's front wasn't even directed at them anymore.
That last thought made it click for him too. The Assault was now facing the Rivet. The Tirion Support ship with low armor and no maneuverability. They were going to ram the Rivet, and it wouldn't survive such a blow.
"GET ME AJAX, NOW!", Tenara shouted.
As the screen turned on seconds later, Ajax' puzzled face showed up on it as outside, the burning Outsider Assault ship slowly started to pick up speed.
"Cap'n? Do you have any idea what they're doing?"
"GET OUT OF THERE! THEY'RE GOING TO RAM YOU!"
There was just enough time for everyone on the Link's bridge to see Ajax' eyes go wide before he closed the channel. As the Rivet initiated its reverse thrusters, ensigns on the Link's bridge started shouting through eachother.
"The Sokol's still reloading, captain!" - "The Lisanov's doing all they can, but their guns are weak!" - "We're turning to face them captain, ready to fire again in thirty seconds".
Sure enough the Lisanov fired several more volleys, but its meager weaponry didn't do much to slow down the RR-13 that was now scooting towards the Rivet, which was slowly moving backwards. The next ten seconds seemed to pass in slow-motion.
With ten seconds left to go until the Link could fire again, the RR-13 collided with the Rivet. Nine, its frontal hull started digging into the Rivet's. Eight, the Rivet's front half started to split in two. Seven, it connected with the ship's central core. Then at Six, in one short blast of light, it was over. As soon as the area cleared again, the Rivet was gone, along with the RR-13. In place of the two ships was what appeared to be a dark grey cloud of dust, which any Terran aboard a Coalition ship would recognize as a gigantic debris field.
After three more seconds of eerie silence, Tenara ordered an ensign to hail the Rivet. "No response, sir", he replied grimly.
Some more time passed before anyone spoke again. Tenara bit his lip so hard he drew blood as he spoke up. "Tell all ships to look for survivors. Shoot any Outsider escape pod-"
At that point an ensign shouted out, blurring out the rest of Tenara's order. "There's a huge wave of escape pods on each side, captain! Their captain must have given an early evacuation order!"
Tenara's face lightened slightly as he looked around the bridge and gave new orders. "Tell all ships to haul in survivors and escape pods... put any Outsiders in the brig, we'll deal with them later. Notify me if Captain Ajax is found. As soon as the area is clear, tell everyone to move straight to Ekson... this isn't over yet."
SoA
-Xavier travels directly to Ekson with the Aegis in order to take some pressure of the Medvedar and Vorobey, who are now fighting a 2v5.
-The Link, Sokol, Lisanov and Rivet take out the Outsider Assault ship RR-13 with relatively minor losses, but the RR-13 rams the poorly armored Rivet as a last ditch resort and takes it out. Escape pods do manage to leave the ship, saving some of its personell and forces. The three leftover Coalition ships are to pick up any survivors from the pods before heading to Ekson as well.
Forty-five hours ago, Link cargo bay five
The captain ended his speech on top of a set of stairs as he looked out across the small field of Outsiders. There was some movement on the right side of the formation. A small number of people stepped forwards out of the line. Tenara counted six. At least four of them looked young and scared. It wasn't much, but he was happy some made the choice.
The two Outsiders that seemed older looked firm and unphased. One of them had a mischievous glow in his eyes - one that was only visible when looking for it. It looked like Tenara was getting exactly what he was after.
As the Outsiders walked up to one of his crewmembers to register, Tenara turned to his chief of security, Officer Sheen, who had been standing next to him during the entire speech.
"You register these guys and give them proper jobs. Make sure they're not hassled or harassed and fit in well with the crew. But do not let them out of your sight. I want 24/7 surveillance on these guys. If one of them does anything you'd consider unsavory, hold off in acting unless it's life-threatening, but call for me right away".
-Seven hours ago, Link Bridge
"Hi there! Captain Corrino of the Vorobey reporting in. My officers should be joining us shortly."
Tenara looked at Akirano, his currently active second in command. "Set up a meeting", he ordered. As more screens started flipping on, he turned around and walked off the bridge.
Akirano watched her captain leave and then turned her head back at the screen, where Corrino's officers had just finished reporting in. Another screen popped up showing a handsome young face with a strong jawline and short wavy hair.
"Greetings miss! Captain Ajax of the TSS Rivet, at your service"
"Pleased to meet you", Synna replied. Before the newest captain had a chance to respond, another screen turned on and showed the face of a tall, scrawny man with a small black moustache.
"Lyren of the Lisanov, awaiting your orders".
Synna looked at him briefly and then adressed the five captains and their officers on the screens before her, intend on setting up the meeting.
-Four hours ago, aboard the Link
He took two turns and was back at the Janitor's cart. He took the mop and continued cleaning the floor, just a couple of seconds before a pair of marines walked by him. As the marines took a turn around the corner he smiled; he was in the clear.
Or so he thought. As he looked up from the floor he was mopping, he found himself staring at two guards whose side-arms stared back at him.
"Mr. Guerra, you're coming with us."
He realized there was no point in running and held up his hands. "Where are we going?", he shot back.
"The brig.", the guard answered.
-Now, moon of Delios, Link's bridge
Captain Tenara was nervously staring at his screen. His play had been large and daring and all three his first mates had backed it up, but would it be enough? Did the Outsiders take the bait? Just as the captain was about to do another nervous pace to the other side of his bridge, his screen flipped on again and showed the handsome young face he recognized as Captain Ajax'. A small cut was visible on his temple and a drop of blood was rolling down from it.
"They're biting, Captain. It's working", he said.
"Excellent", Tenara said more to himself than to Ajax as he grinned widely.
Ajax' screen went static for a second before he spoke up again. "Captain... the Lisanov wasn't made for this, we need that assistance now!"
As Tenara woke up from his momentary lapse he looked at Ajax as he called out. "Absolutely. You heard the man. You know what to do. Get to it!"
With those words, the entire crew came into action. A communications officer in the back sent a transmission to the Sokol as the pilot activated the ship's engines and steered it from behind the moon it was hiding at. At the same time, three Medivacs filled with Marines and Marauders launched from one of the cargo bays towards the lone ex-Tirion ship located in high orbit of the planet.
SoA
-The Outsider spy was anticipated on and manipulated by Tenara from the get-go in order to give the Outsiders false information.
-While the Outsider flagships deploy their troops on Delios to combat the Lisanov and Rivet who have set up there, the Link and Sokol appear from behind a nearby moon in order to engage the Outsider ships from behind. They also send a boarding party onto the Aegis, the prototype Tirion vessel that Ambassador Wheelwright asked the Collective to return.
Ekson, Naran system
As the Vorobey and Medvedar pulled into orbit, drop-pods were immediately shot down from the ships in order to hasten the process of gaining a foothold. The inhabitants of colony sites on the planet quickly hid themselves as they realized a major battle was about to break out. Corrino and Asimov had carefully gone over the details of the battle just moments prior to their attack. Commanding an Aranov Patrol vessel, Corrino's forces were to provide air support for the ground troops Asimov's Aranov Standard would be deploying. Their goal was to set up a foothold on Ekson and hold the planet as long as possible - their allies would complete their own tasks and then set towards assisting Ekson.
When the Marines and SCV's started landing in the forest, small groups quickly formed and made their way towards both of their first priorities: two standard-issue defensive Ion Cannons set up to defend the planet from flagships. Though they had obviously failed the Coalition earlier, they would now be able to give the soon-to-be defending army some much needed reprieve; once they came back online, anyway. In the original Outsider invasion of the sector the rebels had been quick to disable the cannons to prevent Aranov insurgents from sabotaging their ships once the planet was firmly in their grasp. In order to ensure the best defensive position possible for the upcoming battle, Asimov had ordered his forces to set up mining bases as close to the cannons as possible.
As the first Siege tank rolled out of newly landed drop-pod, batallions of Aranov infantry could be seen setting up sandbags and rushing all through the forest. It was clear that they were in a hurry: this was the calm before the storm.
-The Outsiders, on the other hand, were not in a hurry just yet. The captain of the ship marked by the Coalition as JI-03 tugged as his moustache as he looked at the screen in front of him. The spy had given them valuable information, and they had been prepared for the Aranov attack. As the JI-03 spearheaded the JI-01 and BYS-05, the three Outsider vessels carefully maneuvered into the best angle to attack Ekson from. Within minutes they entered orbit as the two to them unnamed Aranov ships came into vision. The JI-03 launched a quick volley as Outsider drop-pods started making their way towards the surface. With just one word, the Outsider commander had unleashed the storm. As if by a melancholic reaction by the planet, Ekson's clouds tore open as the rain started.
SoA
-The Vorobey (Aranov Patrol) and Medvedar (Aranov Standard) set up a foothold on Ekson and take defensive positions. Their primary goal is to get the two anti-flagship Ion Cannons that were part of the planet's original defenses back online. It will take them 3 IC's to do so.
-As three Outsider ships (JI-01, an Outsider Patrol, JI-03, an Outsider Assault, and BYS5, an Outsider Raider) enter Ekson's orbit, the battle for the planet commences.
Naran, system's edge
The yellow cloud located at the far end of the Naran system was more commonly known as the Chronae Nebula. It had been mapped quite a while back, when Terrans first settled the nearby systems. Because of the large amount of dust and the fact that warp travel through it was not conveniently possible, few Coalition ships had bothered to check its insides. As a hidden entrance to the system, it had been used with great effect by criminals and smugglers seeking to both leave and visit the planets of the system. Ever since the Outsiders had taken control of the region however, it had been empty.
Up until now, that is. The Link's crew looked out of the ship's windows at the Sokol as both ships disappeared into what looked mostly like a combination of orange juice and a sandstorm. It was only because of the continuous transmissions that the ships sent eachother that they could keep track of eachother's whereabouts.
Tenara liked it this way. This was where he was going to strategize his first big play. Sure, he had cleared Elos, but that had kind of been Xavier's battle. He had a carefully structured plan in mind to clear Naran of Outsider troops, and he preferred to be hidden from prying eyes when discussing it with the captains that would be commanding the ships in the fleet he could, at least temporarily, call his own.
"Alright... Hail our support", the captain Ordered. An ensign pushed a few buttons as a short-length wave sent out an identification message to other Coalition ships in the cloud. In front of Tenara was a big screen that had been divided into several smaller screens that could show multiple persons. The identifcation message had only just been sent out when one of them switched on and a familiar face appeared on one of the screens.
"The Sokol here, reading you clearly", the pale, brown-haired Barbarossa said. A few seconds later, more screens started flipping on.
"The Medvedar", a rather rough-looking man with long black hair and a long black beard nodded. "I am captain Asimov. These are my first and second mates". As he spoke the last seven words, two more screens flipped on and showed several younger looking officers clad in the blue garb of Aranov's military.
Before Tenara had a chance to respond, a bald man with a thin red moustache popped up on one of the screens and spoke up. "Hi there! Captain Corrino of the Vorobey reporting in. My officers should be joining us shortly."
Tenara looked at Akirano, his currently active second in command. "Set up a meeting", he ordered. As more screens started flipping on, he turned around and walked off the bridge.
SoA
-The Link and the Sokol arrive in the Naran system and the ships' respective captains, Tenara and Barbarossa, meet up with the captains of their backup ships to discuss the plan of attack.
Space, Magrathean system
As the Link was slowly making its way to Magraia, Tenara carefully paced down the row of Outsider prisoners in cargo bay five. All of them knew what likely lay before them on Magraia, and it impacted each of them differently. Some looked nervous, some looked sad, others looked angry and some looked outright scared. All of them looked at Tenara.
"Soldiers... Crewmen... Officers, Outsiders, Terrans... Today, you stand before a crossroads. As you will all know, in several hours we shall land on Magraia. Governmental judgement awaits those of you who get off this ship there. I offer you a choice, however: to stay aboard my ship. Never mind your previous choices. Never mind your previous alliances. Never mind your previous life. I offer you the opportunity to work for me as a crewman aboard the Link. Now I will not lie: I will not entrust you with your old positions from the get-go. Trust has to be earned. But aboard the Link, trust can be earned. You will start at the bottom. As grease monkeys working engines... Janitors mopping floors... Kitchen chefs chopping meat. But you will be able to rise. You will have a fair chance at a new life. You can either take that chance, or you can take your chances with the government of Magraia. Even though you may consider yourselves captives, know that this one choice is fully yours. Take your pick."
The captain ended his speech on top of a set of stairs as he looked out across the small field of Outsiders. He saw the group on the left mumble, stare angrily at him and even spit on the ground. Those were the Outsider soldiers. Tenara knew none of them would want to join him. To work on an Outsider ship was one thing, but it was the soldiers who really believed in Ray Kane's cause. They were the ones willing to die for it, and they would most likely rather do so than join the Collective.
There was some movement on the right side of the formation, however. A small number of people stepped forwards out of the line. Tenara counted six. At least four of them looked young and scared. It wasn't much, but he was happy some made the choice.
-Magrathean Army Headquarters, Magraia, four hours later
The Link's bridge crew walked through a hallway on their way to a ready room inside the building. Vennon was walking next to his captain, while Joshep and Synna were following them. The young officer looked nervous as he shot questions at his commander.
"Is there anything I should know, sir? I've never been to the Magrathean high command. Should I salute them? Should I use their names or ranks to address them?"
Joshep laughed. "You're expecting too much, son", he said as the group took a curve through a corner.
"What do you mean?", Vennon asked.
This time, Tenara answered with a grin. "You'll see... Just hold your tongue, anyway."
With that, he opened the door the group had just reached and walked inside as his officers followed him.
The room was relatively small; only a bit larger than the Link's ready room, but with more holographic projectors - a total number of thirteen positioned equally around a round table, with one large one being in the middle. Inside the room were three people: an elderly looking man in a green military uniform with grey hair and a general's hat, a younger dark-haired man with a similar uniform and a man in a ceremonial red outfit. As the group came inside, the elderly man immediately spoke up.
"Moranno, hey there! Good to see you again! I see you brought your officers. Come in, sit down! How was Elos?"
"Well, full of explosions, General", Tenara managed to reply as the old man started talking again.
"I heard you did a damn good job there lad. Wouldn't have it any other way! Still a shame though, I miss having you around here. Had to grab this goon to help me write my daily orders now. He still has a lot to learn."
The dark-haired man's eyes twinkled as he replied. "I'd learn a lot faster if you'd stop forgetting what it is I actually need to know".
With that, the general burst into laughing. As he came to again, he looked at Moranno.
"Well, come on, aren't you going to introduce me to your crew?"
Moranno looked from the general at his crew. "Crew, this here is General Oatcombe, leader of the Magrathean military and member of the board of the Coalition Military Executives. General, these are Synna Akirano, Joshep Barage and Vennon Cinnet, my first mates."
"Pleased to meet you!", the older man replied. "This gentleman here is Lieutenant Levant, my assistant". He then turned and noticed there was a seventh person in the room. "Ooh, and this is Ambassador Wheelwright of the Tirion Republic. Please forgive me, Ambassador."
The ambassador, who spoke for the first time since the Link's crew had entered the room, looked like a friendly type. "That's quite alright, General. Shall we get to business?"
The general seemed to settle down as captain Tenara spoke up. "Business, yes. I heard something about Aranov recommending us, General?"
"You're right there", Oatcombe replied. "The board of the Executives was discussing once again what to do about the situation in the Naran system. You see, the system has been occupied by an Outsider fleet for ages now. We've been trying to do something about it for a while and have gathered some ships in a nearby nebula, but every time stuff is about to go down the mercenaries they gave the job to seem to disappear. We were sick of it and wanted someone reliable to finally get the job done. Aranov recommended your Collective."
Tenara thought for a few seconds before nodding. "Naran has Magrathean and Tirion colonies. We'll take care of it."
"Good", the general said. "There is something else...". His words trailed off as he looked at the Tirion ambassador, who finally spoke up properly.
"There is indeed more to it. Captain: the Tirion republic was experimenting with new flagship hull designs at its colony of Delios. One prototype ship was in orbit of the planet when the Outsider fleet took over the sector. We want the data aboard that ship back."
The captain again thought for a few seconds. "A boarding mission... very well. Could I use the ship in battle, if needed?"
"If you can actually manage to commandeer it, by all means", the ambassador replied. "That would be a great test of the new hull designs. We just want that data."
"Consider it done, then", Tenara said.
Oatcombe then spoke up again as he got up. "Very well son. Well, I'm gonna have to be heading off. Receptions and all that business". He rolled his eyes as he said it. "Levant has the details. Hope to see you again soon with more good news. Good luck out there, and show them how it's done!"
With that, both he and the Tirion Ambassador left the room.
-Bridge of the Link, docking bay, Magraia
"Get me the Aranov Patrol", Tenara spoke. A crewman behind him pushed some buttons and a familiar face came up on the screen in front of him; it was the captain of the ship that had fought alongside the Link on Elos.
"Looks like we're heading out together again", Moranno said.
"You're not getting rid of me so easily", the Aranov captain said with a smile.
"You're not the only one", Tenara replied with a grin as he nudged his head back. Behind him, in a corner on the bridge, Xavier was standing and observing the activities of the various crewmen. "If we're gonna keep working together, we may need to swap names, captain."
The Aranov captain smiled and then saluted. "Captain Barbarossa of the Sokol, sir."
Moranno returned the smile and the salute. "Captain Tenara of the Link, at your service."
-Pinegrove, Elos capital
Mayor Johnson looked around. There were festivities all over. The Link had come and gone quickly, but it had done so like a whirlwind. The planet's new Magrathean-Tirion settlers had helped rebuild the city and set up a military base and several mining complexes in record time. All that remained of the once huge Outsider flagship that had crashed into the heart of the city was a piece of its hull, which had been set up in the city's square as a monument to those that had fallen. A new city hall had been built behind it, and it was on the building's stairs where the new mayor was now standing with a pair of scissors, ready to open the new hall and start off a new period in the history of the planet. Most of the planet's population had come out to see the event.
As Johnson turned to cut the satin ribbon a man in a similar official green-and-red garb smiled at him from a few meters away. The man was Mayor Ackles, Johnson's new partner. As an official colony of the Collective, its leadership had been tuned in fashion: mayor Johnson, a Magrathean, was in charge of the colony's internal politics and laws. Mayor Ackles held a similar position in rank, but was to focus his attention on the industrial and productive capabilities of the planet's population. A third person, Colonel Wreave, was in charge of the planet's military.
With a soft but clear 'shick' Johnson's scissors cut through the ribbon. The crowd roared as it fell to the ground.
SoA
-Captain Tenara makes his Outsider prisoners an offer: stay on board and work as his crew, or face justice on Magraia. This gains him 6 new crewmen. The remaining Outsider crewmen (29) and soldiers (15) are all left on Magraia.
-The Collective's officers talk to the 'Magrathean high command' and a Tirion ambassador. A Magrathean general tells them Aranov has recommended them to the Coalition's board of Military Executives for a mission regarding the clearing of the Naran system, which has been occupied by Outsider forces.
-As Tenara accepts, the Tirion ambassador gives him a secondary mission: a Tirion Support ship with prototype plating is floating in orbit of the Tirion planet of Delios. The Tirions would like it back. Tenara has Tirion permission to use it in combat if needed (this would in fact be a great test of its armor).
-The Collective spends 6 points on Magraia to recruit 16 new Marines, 5 Marauders, 10 Siege Tanks and 2 Medivacs.
-The Link along with the Sokol (Aranov Patrol) set out for the Naran system. 4 IC's/days until arrival.
-The Collective's colony at Elos is officially rebuilt and working. Starting with the next post, the faction will now generate 1 point per post.
Pinegrove, Elos capital, Magrathea
It was gruesome. As the Outsider infantry charged at the Collective's line, the Siege Tanks sprung into action and turned their turrets like tiny towers of doom. As if heralding the arrival of Death, the barrels blasted in unison as Marines, Firebats and Medics alike exploded in a grizzly scene of flying intestines. Whoever made it through the blasts was immediately gunned down by machine gun fire, concussive shells and Wraith lasers. The only lucky ones were the soldiers knocked unconscious by the blast waves, and the ones in the back who immediately halted their advance as their brothers and sisters in arms literally evaporated in front of their eyes. As the scared and panicked Outsider forces threw down their arms, the battle on the ground ended. Aranov's Vikings, Wraiths and Ravens all turned their noses upwards sharply and quickly ascended towards the Outsider's flagship; the battle in the air had only just started.
Not fully realizing what had happened to its remaining ground forces, the crew of the Outsider Assault ship prepared for battle as they floated closer towards their enemies. As the Aranov Patrol and the Link got into its range, it was the Outsiders who fired the first round. Though half of the lasers and missiles missed their targets, several of them did good damage to the Patrol's hull and the Link's right laser battery. Immediately, a strong response came. As the Coalition's ships fired their own weapons, the Outsider's bridge shook as the ship took heavy damage to its frontal hull, left missile batteries and cargo compartments.
Outside of the ships, the battle was also raging. Outsider Wraiths were in aerial dogfights with the few Vikings and Wraiths the Aranov Patrol had left close to it. Though the Aranov fleet looked like it would lose the battle at first, the tables turned rapidly as Wraith after Wraith jumped out of the clouds below the site. Soon to be followed by a massive wave of Aranov Vikings, it wasn't long before the Outsider Wraiths were all either crashing, exploding or attempting to flee. With aerial superiority attained, the Aranov fliers turned their attention towards the Outsider flagship, shooting at its plates wherever they could hit it, like hundreds of ants biting at a dog's legs.
Twice more did the Outsider Assault ship fire its batteries before it succumbed to the joined forces of the Aranov fleet, the Aranov Patrol, and the Link. As a large explosion took out the entire right side of the ship, it arced to its side before slowly beginning to lose height. Several seconds later, it was in freefall, right until it crashed in the middle of the city with an ear-shattering noise.
Half a minute later a screen opened up at the Link's bridge. It showed a distorted feed of what seemed to be a scared, young Outsider officer, covered in blood and dirt. Behind him, his bridge lay in shambles as several corpses and crying wounded lay spread out across it. The young man looked Tenara in the eye and spoke in a soft voice. "Please... no more... have mercy... we surrender."
Tenara looked straight back at him as he gave the command loudly. "Hold your fire!"
The young officer looked at captain Tenara with a thankful, nearly revering look as a tear rolled down his cheek. The captain gave him a small, melancholic smile before closing the channel. It was over.
-Five hours later, the situation had already begun to clear up. The few Outsider survivors there were were still being given medical attention in cargo bay five aboard the Link, which had landed just outside the city. Several armed guards were positioned among them, keeping an eye out for anybody who'd try anything. Mechanics and engineers had already begun to repair the damage dealt to both the Link and the Aranov Patrol.
At the same time, hundreds of Collectivists in vehicles were moving in and out of cargo bay four, emptying it as they went. Several taskgroups had disembarked and construction of the Collective's new base was well underway - these people were no fighters and had seen very little of the fight that had just taken place; they had no reason to waste time.
A bunch of them had also gone into the city, where a group of hundred or so were busy taking apart the crashed Outsider flagship, stripping it of useful materials to rebuild the city as they went along. They were joined by civilians who had both left the city and hidden themselves in cellars as the fighting started: the majority of these people had been Magratheans or Tirions before their government joined with the Outsiders. The ones who weren't didn't care who their planet owned to politically and simply wanted to rebuild their city. There was much to be done, but there were many hands working.
SoA
-The Collective's Siege Tanks along with Xavier and the Aranov airforce clean up the charging Outsider ground forces in a short exchange just before the air battle commences. In this exchange, all Outsider ground forces either die or surrender while the Collective loses 16 Marines, 5 Marauders and 2 Medivacs. During the short air battle, both the Link and the Aranov Patrol receive minor damage before destroying the Outsider Assault ship, which crashes into the city. The Aranov airfleet loses 10 Wraiths in dogfights with Outsider Wraiths.
-The Outsider forces surrender completely and are taken captive, resulting in 15 soldiers and 35 Outsider crew members being stored in the Link's fifth cargo bay.
-After the dust settles, Collective forces disembark and start cleaning up and repairing the city. They bring building materials from the Link's cargo bay and start setting up a military base on the planet as well. Repairs on the Link commence; the Aranov Patrol returns to Magraia for repairs since it sustained heavier damage.
-From this point on, the Collective colony is active and starts mining. Because of a 4 point penalty however, the faction will not receive +1 point per post for another 4 posts.
-The Collective receives 10 points from the Magrathean Empire and Tirion Republic for repairs/funding.
-The Link fills up an additional 50 supply worth of room with scrap and parts from the Outsider flagship along with some of the Outsider's infantry equipment. None of this is (re)usable but these goods can lateron be traded or sold.
The Link ready room
As soon as everyone had left the room, Synna walked over to the control panel and pushed a few buttons. A few seconds later a friendly-looking female hologram popped up in the middle of the room.
"What can the AIA do for you, Officer Akirano?”
"I need some information on a Ghost called Xavier Origin, code X-01", the dark-haired officer replied.
"Ghost information is highly classif-", the hologram started as Synna interrupted her.
"Yes yes, save me the speech. I just need to know if he's with the Consectorate or not."
The hologram typed displayed a typing motion for a few seconds and then turned back to Synna. "A Ghost named Xavier Origin does not exist, miss Akirano".
The Tirion officer looked slightly to the side as she softly bit her lip. She was not entirely sure what she was looking for, but decided to press on anyway. "That's strange, seeing as he just arrived on my ship and says he's following Aranov's orders to observe our actions."
The female hologram typed again for a few seconds, seemed to read something, and then looked back at Synna. "That seems correct".
Synna blinked. "But he does not exist?"
"That's right."
Synna had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but she had what she wanted: a confirmation that there were in fact records, regardless of how strangely classified they were. Adding this to the fact that Xavier had mentioned Domovoi himself, she reasoned that at the very least this man was known to the Consectorate. Which was enough. Synna looked back up at the hologram.
"Very well... Thank you for your assistance."
The hologram smiled as it replied "You're welcome" and closed itself down. With that, Synna exited the ready room through its automatic doors and stepped onto the bridge. She went over to the captain, leaned over to him and whispered in his ear.
"The Ghost is clean."
Tenara nodded at her. With that, she straightened back up, smiled at Xavier, who had been sitting in a corner and had watched her since she came in, and left the bridge.
-Elos, Magrathea, three hours later
Elos was a relatively hot planet. The areas near the equator were in fact so hot that they were completely uninhabitable. The areas close to the extreme north and south points of the planet were very habitable areas though, and everything in between was hostile but livable. Though there were several smaller settlements spread around the planet, its largest city was located high up in the northern hemisphere. This city's northern end was surrounded with impassible mountains, but its southern end led into large open fields. The Outsider forces on the planet had retreated back into the city and set up defensive Siege Tank-lines backed up by Marines, Marauders, Science Vessels and a couple of Wraiths as soon as the Aranov fleet had come into view scouting the area. Their enormous flagship was floating above the cloudline, high above the city. They were prepared for a long lasting siege, and that would be exactly what they would get.
The usually quiet fields at the south end of the city were now booming with noise. Both the Aranov Patrol ship and the Link were floating in the background of the Siege Tank-line the Coalition forces had just set up around the city. The Siege tanks were spread out, blocking all exits out of the city, and Marines, Marauders and Hellions were positioned to support them. The sky was littered with Medivacs, Ravens and Wraiths, and several squadrons of Vikings were patrolling the area. No shots had been fired yet, but both armies were completely locked down.
Aboard the Link, Captain Tenara realized this. He and his three officers had retreated to the ready room, where a holographic version of the Aranov Patrol's captain was lit up. Xavier was standing against the wall near the round room's entrance.
"Whoever makes the first move in this scenario takes the losses", Barage said.
"You're right", Tenara chimed in. "We could win the battle if we charged everything right into the city, but we'd lose nearly all our troops. We need a way to pick off their Tanks without losing units - at that point we've got them in a stranglehold. Plus, we'll be able to flush them out of the city and minimize civilian casualties."
The young Verron stepped forward. "Can't we use the Aranov Wraiths to take out the tanks?"
"Good thinking", the Aranov captain replied, "but I'm not sending my Wraiths up against that many Marines as long as those damn Science Vessels negate my cloak. They'll be toast in seconds."
"So we'll need to take out the Science Vessels", Ms. Akirano concluded. "Your Vikings' range should be great at getting that job done, no?", she said to the Aranov captain.
"Definitely. I can send them in to solve our problem at your command, Captain Tenara."
"Hold on a second", Tenara replied, seemingly thinking things through. "While that tactic would be very effective, we may be able to do one more. If we simply open fire, a bunch of the Vessels will get away and hide behind enemy lines until they are needed. If we can provide a distraction, we may be able to take them all out in one fell swoop".
Joshep Barage was the first to react. "Of course! If we force them to keep their Science Vessels near the frontline, we can snipe all of them down before they even notice. And then our Wraiths will have free reign".
"What kind of distraction did you have in mind?", Ms. Akirano asked.
Captain Tenara looked at his officers briefly before resting his eyes on Xavier who was standing in the corner. "Agent Origin... you said you could help?"
"A distraction in the truest sense of the word would not work." Xavier said. "Only one vessel is needed to give the marines time to kill your wraiths, and Wraiths are not known for the range on their anti-ground weapons, so the vessels could stay a good deal behind the tank and marine line. What you need is pressure, not a distraction. Take out a vessel and attack the undefended location, force another vessel to come, destroy that one. After that the Outsiders will more likely retreat than send more vessels, but you should be able to destroy a good chunk of their troops."
Xavier paced to the middle of the room.
"Taking out vessels after the first one would be hard and result in losses if you used Vikings or Wraiths. I can assist there, my equipment is beyond that of any regular ghost."
"The siege tanks will tear you apart." Tenara said.
"I can handle them." Xavier said calmly. "My cloak isn't as limited as that of the Wraiths either, so I can be a constant threat to them."
He looked at the hologram of the city, showing the last known troop positions. They had barricaded themselves in on one of the main roads.
"Once the first vessels are down, they will be forced to play more defensive and lose ground. I will strike and take the first vessels in the west, a small squadron of wraiths will assist - mostly just for the pressure. Vikings should make advances in the east, while Wraiths show themselves in the south. It won't take them long to realize they won't be able to hold their current positions, and they will be forced to group all their forces up, making it impossible to take out their vessels without severe losses."
"And how is that going to help, Agent?" The captain of the patrol asked.
"They will be out of ground to maneuver on. If they place their tanks on the edges of their forces, I can eliminate them. If there is a marine line in front of the tanks, your tanks will be able to hit them from a barely safe range."
"Makes sense", Tanara replied. "I want those Vikings ready to fire, though - any Science Vessel they can snipe should be taken out."
The captain looked around the room. When he saw that nobody replied, he simply said "Make it so". With that, Xavier took off to the docking bay as the hologram of the Aranov captain closed itself down and the Link's crew left for the bridge.
SoA
-Officer Akirano gets told by the Aranov Intelligence Agency that the Ghost named Xavier does not exist, but figures out that he has to be allied with the Consectorate anyway.
-The Link and Aranov forces land near Elos' capital city after scouting the area. The Outsiders are holed up inside the city with a Siege Tank line, the Collective/Aranov forces block the way out with their own tankline.
-Xavier is sent in along with several Aranov Wraiths to provide pressure and clear out the Outsider Science Vessels along the western side of the city. A number of Wraiths and Vikings provide constant pressure from both the southern and eastern sides.
Empire's capitol, Magraia, Magrathea
The crowd roared as the Link landed. The event had been turned into a special celebration and many had come out to see it. While none of the Empire's inhabitants were particularly prideful or nationalistic, the feeling that the launch of the Collective project had created was one of enthousiasm. Aside from improving relations with the Tirion republic, the Magratheans liked the tiny taste of military independence. Not that they were unhappy with the Aranov Consectorate; quite the opposite. However, some more direct control and nationality did cause a glimmering interest.
As the Battlecruisers' main dock opened, four figures came out. Any Magrathean would instantly recognize the one leading the group: he was Douglass Lass, the president of the Tirion Republic. Behind him stood a somewhat older-looking man, a black-haired woman and a strong, young official. All three were clad in a grab coloured dark green with bright red details.
Two men approached the group; one clad in a similar garb, the other instantly recognizable by just his face: Arthur Dent, the leader of the Empire. As the two shook hands and greeted eachother the cameras rolled freely. Once they finished up their brief introduction, the officials in the green-red garbs shook hands with the man next to Arthur Dent. Soon after, Dent turned around and walked to a makeshift podium to adress the crowd.
"Magratheans, sisters, brothers... Today is the start of something new. If you have been following the news, you will know this ship is known as the Link. And you will also know that these people behind me are both Tirion and Magrathean officers. These men will work together to perform the will of the Empire and of the Republic, our close allies.
Our forces have worked together over the past months to realize this project, and this is where it finally begins. As of today, the Link is officially 'in action' and it will start performing missions around the sector. This is a fine example of what craftsmanship and hard work can achieve."
Dent gestured at Lass when mentioning craftsmanship.
"Normally I would say to you: 'Long live the Empire'. Today however, I say to you... 'Long live the Collective'!"
Applause was heard once more as Dent and Lass shook hands again and disappeared from the scene. The crowd then started talking amongst themselves as a legion of Magratheans in green-red outfits started to board the vessel and the officials disappeared into the ship.
-The Link ready room, roughly two hours later
"Well, so much for the formal introduction", the captain said to the three first mates standing around the holographic projection table in front of him. "In case you didn't catch it outside, my name is Moranno Tenara. While on duty, I prefer 'sir' because it's shorter, but my surname or rank will suffice. First name's fine off-duty."
Tenara paused, waiting for a reaction from any of his officers. It came from the middle-aged woman. "Synna Akirano. Pleasure to properly meet you". She nodded.
Next, the younger man on the right spoke. "Verron Cinnet, at your service", he said as he saluted. Tenara grinned.
"You can leave out the salutes from now on - saves us both some crucial time."
Verron went red as the older man took a small step forward and introduced himself. "Joshep Barage, sir".
The captain then pushed a button on the table, activating its holographic projector; it was a representation of the Magrathea system. "With that out of the way, lets get down to business. What you see here is the system we are currently located in. I assume you'll recognize it."
Synna thoughtfully scratched her cheek as Joshep looked on silently. Verron's eyes were locked on the hologram so tightly it made the young officer look like he was trying to pierce an Ultralisk with his gaze.
"This", Tenara said as he pushed a button and the holograph zoomed in on a planet, "is the nearby planet of Elos. As you'll know, we are to use the resources in our cargo hold to set up a base for ourselves. That planet is where we'll do so."
Miss Akirano looked thoughtful for a second before speaking out. "Weren't there Outsider forces scattered over the planet, last time it was scanned?"
"Exactly", Moranno replied. "And that is where our first mission lies. We are to clear the planet of Outsiders in order to set up our own base."
"I'm guessing that means a planetary assault? An orbital bombardment would ruin the planet's surface", Joshep interjected.
"Right again, were it not for one obstacle...", Tenara replied. "The Outsiders are said to have a large flagship in the area, which will need to be neutralized before we can take control of the planet. We will need some support to take out this ship. Only once we reach the planet, we'll find suitable landing spots and begin our assault. I've decided to radio the nearby Pirate patrol vessel for orbital assistance."
"The Pirates? We can't trust them! We ask them along and they'll turn against us as the battle starts!", Verron immediately shouted out.
Tenara looked from Synna to Joshep. When no one replied to Verron's outburst, Synna started talking. "I do not think we need to be so afraid of Pirates from the coalition; even if they wanted to sell us out, their betrayal would mean war in the entire sector. I do however agree that we shouldn't trust them so readily if we haven't explored other options, though."
The captain looked somewhat annoyed as he gave his reply. "Fine, fine... I know the rules; if two of you disagree, I can't make the decision. What would you suggest however? We need that support or we may as well stick to this planet and never leave."
Suddenly Joshep interjected. "I may have a solution for that problem. The Pirates are not the only ones who can offer us support. There's an Aranov Patrol at the system's edge that we could request assistance from."
"Aranov? Well, no offense, but I thought we were doing all this precisely to grow less dependent on his army."
"Be that as it may, the Consectorate is still a loyal ally. Plus, we will be in charge of the operation, since we are running it. We will still have our independence", Joshep shot back.
Moranno thought for a second before answering. "I guess that makes sense. Unless you two disagree, that's how we'll do it. Mr. Barage, make the call. Mr. Cinnet, you have the bridge. Ms. Akirano.... dismissed". With that, Moranno and two of his officers left the ready room, leaving Joshep alone to access the projection table.
Ten minutes later, the remaining crowd roared one last time as the Link undocked and departed Magraia.
SoA
-A Tirion-manned Link lands on Magraia and the Magrathean part of the crew boards.
-Dent adresses the Empire in a speech.
-The Link receives its first mission: to clear out the planet Elos of Outsiders and set up its base of operations/colony there. It travels there from the planet of Magraia, along with an Aranov Patrol vessel for support. Since these planets are both located in the same system, there are 0 IC's/days travel time.