Beyond Alpha Centauri :::

[Mr. President]

State of Firaxis
Civilian Records Archive

Name: Alan Davidson
Date of Birth: 7/4/2675
Immediate family: Father Michael, accountant, born 17/2/2652; Mother Marie, park ranger, born 25/6/2653; brother Simon, Air Force Sergeant, born 30/8/2673
Status: DECEASED 13/12/2699

Education: Graduated MidValley High School 2693
Graduated National University Magnigoth Pass October 2698, major in international relations

Criminal record: NONE.

Comments: Died December 2699 in car accident. No autopsy performed.

* * *

Maximum Security Prison, Blackburn, Vega Prime

“And how are you related to the prisoner?” the guard rumbled.

“I’m his lawyer,” the visitor said. He was very innocuous-looking: middle height and weight, his facial expression pleasant, his suit immaculately pressed. “He called me a couple of weeks ago and I just got in from Firaxis.”

The guard scanned the lawyer’s card. “Follow this man,” he said, gesturing at another guard. “Do not wander away.”

For the crime of entering the Drone Republic with the intent to commit sabotage, noted Firaxian socialist John Antoja had been sentenced to three years in a maximum-security prison. Wardens boasted of the most secure prison system since Chairman Yang's Gulag Sea seven hundred years ago. The very walls were stuffed with surveillance material that tracked the empathic sound of the inmates' thoughts, as well as more mundane heartbeats and breathing patterns.

As he walked down the hall, the lawyer glanced at the blank doors on either side. They all looked the same to him, but clearly his guard knew where he was going. “In here,” he said, unlocking one of a seemingly endless chain.

The portal clanged shut. John Antoja was seated in the corner of his cell, knees drawn up to his chest and head down. The activist looked already broken. The previous year’s U.N. Review of Freedom had criticized, of all things, the opaque cell doors in the Drone Republic’s prisons, claiming that they allowed prisoners to be subjected to humiliation and torture. Glancing at his watch, the visitor hoped the detail was accurate.

As he advanced, Antoja looked up. “Who are you?” he asked.

The lawyer acted quickly. He pressed a button in the side of his watch. Nothing appeared to happen, but the machine had released a short-range tachyon pulse that would temporarily neutralize any surveillance equipment in the room or the walls. It would seem as though they had blinked off for no apparent reason; within half an hour, normal function would be restored. But the guards had no doubt noticed the deactivation and would be on their way.

From a false compartment in the side of his briefcase, the man drew an air-blast syringe filled with clear liquid. Swiftly he clamped one hand over Antoja’s mouth and jabbed the other into the prisoner’s side. Injecting all the fluid, he held the inmate's head in place until his eyes glazed over. Stepping back, the man allowed Antoja to fall naturally to the floor. As he replaced the syringe in its hiding place, he shouted loudly for the guard.

The prison officer burst into the room to find the supposed lawyer casting frightened glances at the dead prisoner. “I was talking to him, and he just collapsed,” he said.

He stepped back, out of the cell, as three more guards hurried down the hall. Their consternation at the surveillance glitch was overriden as they saw the fallen prisoner. Moving to help the first guard, they ignored the assassin completely.

The prison doctors determined that Antoja had died of cardiac arrest. His visitor left the facility soon after and headed straight for the Blackburn MegaMall. Dropping the syringe into a wastebasket in a pre-determined corner of a department store, he hesitated for just a moment as he removed a bundle of business cards from his pocket. They had on them the name of Antoja’s real lawyer, who was probably at this hour being released from a county lock-up following the dropping of a traffic violation. The man tossed them into the garbage and walked away.

Sporting a red baseball merchandise shirt made of shiny material, the assassin boarded a late transport to Firaxis that night, using his second name of the day. In the cafetaria before takeoff, he struck up a conversation with a brown-haired woman with the same team’s shirt. “You like the Avalon Bears too?” he marvelled. “I can’t believe Garcia got himself thrown out of that last game!”

As the ship climbed back into the void, the shadow man melted back into the darkness from whence he came.

[History Guy]

Novan Vessel Black Eye, On the fringes of Theta Sector, Castor System

“They are coming.”

The rasping, grating voice broke through the eerie silence in the darkness of the ship’s battle stations. At least, all was silent from behind the makeshift barricades, the chairs, tables, and other pieces of furniture and useless equipment that hadn’t been fastened down by the builders when the ship had first been constructed at Haven Shipbuilding Docks six years earlier. Before the barricades, by the large, sealed automatic doors (all made of a thick synthmetal steel – barely worthy of the Novans, let alone the Drones), a grinding, slamming noise simply increased the deep sense of foreboding that controlled the atmosphere of the battle station.

Behind the door, these Novans knew, lay a battalion of finely organized police units, swat teams, all members of Morgan’s space interior police. These men were banging away at the doors for a reason. At the same time, they were cutting through the locks with their lasers, the Novans knew this, but the pounding was simply a method of instilling fear into the hearts of the Novans. It was working.

The Lieutenant whispered to the Master-At-Arms, so as his men would not hear him. “They’ll be cutting through the locks with their lances any moment now. Even these can’t stand up to those lances. They’ll be in here shortly.”

“Aye. We’ll start blasting away at them immediately, of course, sir. We’ll take those guys down. They want the ship intact, but if we destroy this bunch, they’ll have to blast us.”

“I doubt it, Master Thorne. These men are going to come in slowly, after tossing in a few of their defragmenters, and then they’ll be in here.”

The Lieutenant knew the routine. He’d studied this sort of thing since his last operation. It had been a clever one, yes. The Daisy had been a Morganite police ship, something like the one that was linked up with this ship now. The Novans were using one of their tactics that they knew would never win a war for them, but would weaken the enemy severely. After the virus instilled by the Angel’s Probe vessel crippled the enemy vessel, the Novans had been able to link up immediately. They quickly filled the bridge tube that connected the two ships with a paralyzing gas (temporary, of course), which immediately came into the Morganite vessel through the ducts. The gas almost immediately rendered the whole crew unconscious, and then the Novans came in. Collecting the comatose prisoners, they withdrew, left the police ship intact, removed the virus from the ship’s datalinks, and left it to drift, a very effective means of instilling fear in the enemy.

They’d done the same thing a week later with a similar police ship, and so they had about one hundred male and female prisoners to use as hostages in the future. Now, one week later, they’d tried the same trick once again. Unfortunately, they’d hit a ship that was prepared. The Probe ship had been knocked out first, blasted into infinity, and now the Morganites were closing in for the kill. The Captain knew that they’d never do the same to this Novan vessel, of course. They didn’t want to kill their own men aboard. It would be much better simply to storm it and rescue the prisoners. The Morganite government was silently going after the Novans in revenge for what had happened, and they were going to use every means necessary to do this. Already, the Novan ships that had defected had vanished mysteriously while en route back to Novan territory. Nothing had been made of it, of course. Morgan had arranged for that. Without the pay that they suddenly stopped receiving from Kerensky, the Novans had turned around, and except for a few vessels and the flagships, they were all destroyed, and everyone aboard was unaccounted for.

Now, the day of reckoning was coming for another group of Novans.

The Lieutenant readied his woefully out-of-date chaos rifle, and placed it in a commanding position over top part of the faux perimeter defense, and placed his finger on the trigger. Soon, he knew, they’d be in, and he’d probably be just another Novan lying upturned on the ground with his face shot in.

The thought didn’t particularly enthuse him.

The Master-At-Arms beside him clawed at his whiskers with his spindly digits, and then himself placed his rifle in a similar position, sighting it directly at the hatch, so that he might be the first to take down the enemy. He was not alone in his wish to do this, however. The room was filled with men, sitting in the darkness, kneeling down on one knee, and sighting their rifles for the coming combat.

As the Lieutenant was about to contact his Captain by watchvid, the lock cracked. The smell of burnt wires was clearly evident, and the doors parted with a grind and a snap, wires sticking wildly and uncontrollably out of the sides, melting all down the side of the hatch doors.

The doors parted only a little way, allowing small objects to be tossed into the room easily, and this was obviously what was to happen. Before it could, though, the Master-At-Arms shouted “Grenade!” Soon enough, he was proved to be correct, and he was shortly taking cover as a defrag grenade suddenly landed before the other end of the barricade, and exploded almost immediately, sending shards and body parts all over the room. There were sudden screams, which were just as suddenly cut off, and the thuds of bodies and weapons slamming coming into contact with the floor.

The next grenade became lodged in the barricades, falling through a crack between a chair and a table, and getting tangled into some loose circuits. The Master-At-Arms was right nearby, and immediately dove into the circuits to remove the grenade in hopes of returning it to the chap who’d misplaced it.

“Damn it, damn it,” repeated the Master, fumbling through the wires to get his paws on the object. “Got it!” he suddenly shouted, and pulled it up from where it was hidden, quickly reaching to throw the thing back at the doors. Unfortunately, before it left his hand, it detonated.

The bloody, charred, indescribably mangled corpse of Master-At-Arms David Bailey were catapulted backwards and slammed against the wall some yards behind the Lieutenant, who was doubling over in pain. A shard of the grenade was lodged deep into his stomach, and another in his side, and a third in his arm. Bailey’s blood was spattered all over his protective suit, and he struggled to keep a grip on his rifle. He tried to ignore the Sixth Officer, who had been beside the Master all along, and who’s brains were scattered all over the wall, and who’s body lay far too near to the Lieutenant’s boot for comfort.

The third grenade landed directly beside a unrecognizable ensign, and this man was quick about his job, immediately grabbing hold of the defrag grenade, and popping it through the crack in the doorway, flying back behind the barricade as shards and body parts slammed into the bulkhead. There came afterward a pause in any Morganite activity whatsoever. The Lieutenant almost tricked himself into believing that the enemy had all been so close together that they’d all been taken out by that one blast.

That thought quickly vanished as a grenade of more considerable size suddenly flew through the crack and landed beside the barricade, far enough from the Lieutenant, but close enough to enough of his boys to incite them to jump up and attempt to grab the thing. However, as one of the able bodied privates grabbed hold of the thing, a curious thing happened. Instead of an explosion, a strange noise came from the object, and immediately a dense cloud of acrid-smelling smoke issued from it. The man dropped the grenade in horror and fell back, reaching at his eyes, coughing and spluttering. One of the men near to the Lieutenant identified the stuff immediately.

“Tear gas.”

Instantly, the men began to panic, and covered their eyes in a vain hope to shield it. The men who had them ripped out their gas masks, while others simply clawed at their eyes in horror. When the second grenade landed near the first, the Lieutenant was thrown back in a heap when it issued itself dangerously near his part of the barricade. It was then that the Morganites forced open the hatch, and charged in.

They were splendidly arrayed. They wore silksteel armor, and carried before them silksteel shields, which were curiously light, though at the same time very effective. They were almost unnecessary, as the Novans were too busy trying to protect their eyes to fire off a shot. The Morganites, off course, were wearing large, black gas masks.

Immediately, the plasma shard rifles the Morganites carried issued fire, and men began to explode in flashes of white and scarlet, flying against the bulkhead in a horrific mess. Little resistance could be offered, other than from the men who wore gas masks. The Lieutenant himself could barely make out the forms of the attackers, and with his wounds, he was little use in battle. After hurling off one shot, he fell back with six shards in the chest and head. Within four minutes, all of the Novans in the battle station were dead. In twelve, all of the Novans aboard were dead, and the intruders recovered all their prisoners, save the four who could be shot by the Captain before the bridge fell to the flame guns.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Mr. President]

Michael Hsiang wished he had brought his night-vision glasses. The military-grade pair stored in his desk pinched his temples, and he had sneaked out to the mall and purchased a commercial pair, “for night-time drivers and sportsmen”. Those ones had adjustable headstraps and nose guards, but lacked the sophisticated computerized add-ons found on the one from his emergency kit. In any case, they sat at this moment on his kitchen counter, and so the courtyard was all dark to him.

“We have a problem.”

The Prime Minister recognized the voice, but had no name or face to put to it. The Head of Shadow Operations worked for him, reported to him, and was paid large sums by him. Yet Hsiang did not know his name or even his face. A necessity, but disconcerting nonetheless.

“I hope we can get through this quickly. This conference is an absolute killer, and I have to get back at six in the morning,” the Prime Minister said.

“I’ll make it quick,” said the voice in the dark. “You remember that John Antoja was imprisoned in the Drone Republic last month. Well, last week their Department of Corrections informed my department that he was to be subjected to psychic probing.”

Hsiang’s wince was covered by the night. Psychic probing was a method of interrogation, originally developed by Believer empaths on Chiron, that involved bombarding a subject’s mind with psychic energy using a combination of mental and narcotic manipulation. At its most effective, it could pick individual thoughts out of a person’s head. A side effect was that many who were subjected to it went insane. The United Nations had banned it, and many people thought that no government still used it. Hsiang himself had believed this, and now he knew he was wrong.

“I see,” he replied.

“Shortly afterwards,” the voice continued, “we discovered evidence that implicated Antoja in the attempted bomb attack on the Spartan embassy. We also discovered the names of many other operatives and the identity of the ringleaders.”

A nearby streetlight illuminated a small area, into which a photograph was offered to Hsiang. He took it, straining to make out the details. Several figures posed in front of a brick wall decorated with a crude image of Marcus Kessel’s face on an octopus whose tentacles sprawled leisurely across the Milky Way, almost every radical slogan graffitied around it: “Pacifica Has Failed, Free Lakedaemon, Equal Use of Game.” On the far left, he recognized Antoja from some documents he had read in an intelligence briefing. But the central figure was someone whose name and face he knew intimately.

His name was Robert Lagaia, and he was the Minister of Transportation. Hsiang almost could not bring himself to believe that the amiable senator was a terrorist. He had been a member of the Pacific Party’s youth wing, and was once a liaison with the Spartan consulate in Kawaguchi Port. And now Hsiang was looking at a picture of him holding an impact rifle and calling for the destruction of Firaxis.

Then again, where could a terrorist find better cover than the Cabinet? Who was more beyond suspicion than the Prime Minister’s close political ally and personal friend?

“This is authentic?”

“I’m afraid so,” said the Head of Shadow Operations. “I’ve already begun the cleanup operation. Antoja has already been liquidated. My men are taking out fourteen more of their people tonight.” He paused, and Hsiang realized he was looking at his watch. “As a matter of fact, three of them just died in a car accident. But Lagaia is the problem. We looked at his office earlier today. There was no sign of him. His house is also empty. There’s nothing missing, and no sign of anyone leaving, but he’s not there.”

“Do you think he’s trying to leave the country?” the Prime Minister asked.

“Most likely,” the hidden man replied. “We’re watching all the spaceports, but since we hadn’t been monitoring him as a suspect previously, there was a large window – all of today and most of yesterday – to get out. We don’t have the budget of a Morgan Interstellar, though, and we might have too few sleepers overseas to track him down before this thing goes public.”

Hsiang nodded. “We have to find him. If he comes forward, it would be the biggest scandal ever.” He did not say it, but it would badly hurt Firaxis’ reputation, especially in the eyes of Sparta. At best, they would be dismayed at how easily the government had been infiltrated by a terrorist leader. At best.

“Tomorrow I’ll order him blacklisted,” the Prime Minister continued. “I’ll also put announcements on TV.”

“Right.” The spy paused. “We’ll get him, Michael.”

Hsiang nodded. He was not looking forward to the dawn.

[Lonestar]

"Interlude"








Alchemax Building, Nuevo San Antonio

"We got it."

Tyler Stone peered down at the jar of gray mush. It certainly didn't look impressive, but then, Nano-lath wasn't all that pretty.

"Hot Damn Garrison. You're worth something. You surprise me." Stone held the Jar up against the light. He was about to commit treason on a grand scale, the likes not seen since the New Europa Uprising.

"How much is Morgan Interstellar willing to pay for this?"

"1 Billion Solaris, plus several select technologies." Garrison whistled.

"Sir, we'll be rich!" Tyler Stone was more concerned about the promised Centaurian Tech. He was worth $79 Billion himself. Turning back to Garrision, Stone smiled.

"You came through for me Garrision, just when I thought I couldn't get a sample out of the Dosi Fab Plant up at Black Sands, you came through for me. Just one little thing though..."

Stone whipped out a PPG "Hold-out" and fired several times into Garrisions head. "You're too much of a chatterbox. If you knew what I was going to do with the Morgan tech...."

Stone sniffed the air. What the Hell was that?

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

Imperial Palace

The Rangers dragged Stone's body up in front of Lord Protector Ian McDiarmid. A medic ran over and revived him. After a small gesture, everyone left his office except for Dr. Pym. The two stood before Stone, who was gagging on the floor.

Very softly, Ian spoke. "Why did you still my Nano-lath Tyler?"

Stone looked up at Ian in horror. How was it possible it all came to this? After all his careful, careful planning! Quickly, Tyler regained his world famous Poker Face.

Ian gave a thin smile.

"Fine. We'll do it my way then."

Ian strode forward and grabbed Stone. Ian had the look of a man in his sixties, as far as Stone knew he'd looked like that since the end of the Spartan Uprising. Ian lifted him high in the air with one arm, and his pupils turned a dark red.

Tell me now.

Stone broke. He had been approached by a "Free Agent" that claimed he was from Morgan Interstellar. The agent wanted a sample of the Dosi Nano-lath the Protectorate used on it's newer vessels. In exchange, he would recieve a very powerful (and highly illegal) telepathic neuralizer. T-Neuralizers were very difficult to make, even the impressive resources of Alchemax couldn't do it.

"Why would you want that Stone?"

"Because..." Stone's eyes went to Hank Pym, who was standing back. "...I knew one of you was a Teep. I thought it was Pym. But...he isn't. And...you aren't either."

"Nope."

"You're something else."

"Yep."

"What?"

Ian sighed. "You kids these days, you don't know how easy you had it compared to the Original 15,000 settlers." Ian dropped him on the floor. Stone squawked.

"Take me for instance, I once had to have my appendix removed when I was a child."

Suddenly, a image flashed in Stone's brain. Men in odd, green clothing were standing over him. One of them lifted a sharp knife and began cutting...

Stone was writhing on the floor, screaming in agony. Several Rangers ran in.

"Take him to a cell. Give him the punishment of traitors."

The punishment of traitors was that he would be kept alive for as long as possible, all while having the most horrible images and sensations implanted into him by a Telepath.

It had been the fate of one Laurence Tarwater, who was still alive, having been brought back to the point of sanity and broken countless times over the years.

Pym turned to Ian.

"Well Ian, now what?"

Ian sighed. "Morgan's a industrialist, he really wanted that Nanolath, I guess."

"It's a pity we didn't stop it before the deal was made. The Dosi are going to be pissed."

Ian smiled. "Oh, don't worry about it. That Nanolath Morgan aquired? It's worthless. It's been programed to converte itshelf to vegemite after a few weeks, and the next MI Diplomatic ship doesn't leave for 11 days."

"So..."

"We have nothing to worry about. And the Morgan Embassy Chief of Station will be mightily embaressed. Man, I can't wait to share this joke with Morgan over a glass of Biltmore Wine!"

Pym shook his head as Ian walked back to his desk. He'd known Ian for Hundreds of years, and, as far as he could tell, this was the first time since 2130 he'd played a joke on someone.

Clearly, bringing the Protectorate in the greater galaxy was doing wonders for him.

[Lonestar]

"This Just in...."

The Palace, Nuevo San Antonio

"...so, Dr. Bucher and his team think the Stargate on Roving is our best chance for the program. The one here on BH4 is cracked and cannot safely maintain a wormhole."

Ian nodded and took a sip of his orange juice. It was 0730 local, and he was recieving his morning brief. The Director of Intelligence, Mr. Onate, spoke up.

"Uh, our scientists believe most of the nearby wormhole outlets lead rimward, although there are a few in the general direction of where we believe the UCS is located."

"Well, we can always send probes through first." Ian looked back at Dr. Pym. "No chance at duplicating the tech?"

"Nope. Far beyond even us. Hell, the Dosi say they have no idea behind the engineering principles. " Ian sighed and nodded. He must have asked the question a million times over the past few hundred years, and the answer was always the same.

Onate spoke again. "You'll be interested to know the United States had a Stargate in the early 21th century."

THAT got Ian's attention. "What?"

Onate continued."Yes sir. It was in one of the "safe" files in the Endeavor's computer system. We've only recently found it in the National Archives."

"Huh." Ian looked at Pym. "There an outlet on Earth?" Pym shrugged.

"Alright Gentlemen, that'll be that for this morning. Minister Kolasklar should be here shortly to brieg me on the Bree situation..."
--------------

Dallas, North American Directorate, Earth

Special agent Stone sat in the Bar drinking his beer. His operatives in the NA government had yielded immense information, but things had quieted down somewhat of late.

The Holonews anchor came up for the 6 o'clock news. "Tonight...on Fox Factor! The Mysterious Protectorate revealed! With a massive military, and connections with Unknown Alien races, can this nation truly be a friendly neighbor? An Inside look!" The screen showed the New Europa Yards, with dozens of Goliath battleships being built as the anchor spoke.

Stone look up. Oh, crap.
----------------

Nuevo San Antonio

Foreign Minister Grant burst into Ian's chambers, and grabbed the remote off his nightstand. Ian blinked his eyes and growled. "What the Hell...?"

"Shh. Sir." The viewscreen came to life, with an image of the Star Marine base on Roving. The angle indicated it came from orbit.

"--base near the GHE border. In the short few years since the Protectorate has made it's appearence known, it has acted with aggression, blithely crossing borders and punishing those who do the same. But this is not the limit of it's treachery."

Ian sat up straight. "What?"

"This is on the Earth holonet right now. Wait a moment."

"The Fox Factor has recieved information from a trusted source that the Protectorate has, over the course of a hundred years, captured several citizens from faactions affliated with the Spartans, Earth, the Bree, and, most recently, the Greater Hive Empire. These citizens are then put into camps where they are tested for the training.

"In the most recent case, the Protectorate actually crossed the GHE border, attacked a cargo ship, and left behind evidence implicating the Spartans. More after this, for Fair and Balenced News, the Fox Factor!"

Ian jumped up out of bed. "Call Ministers Onate, Kolasklar, Ved, and Dr. Pym here now."

[Frankychan]

Hive Prime
Emperor's Private Viewing Room

The soft glow of the viewscreen cast an ominous shadow on Emperor Yang's face as he watched the interview of the Spartan leader Marcus Kessel on the Firaxian media. The Colonel seemed to talk forever about the glory of Sparta and their dedication to peace.

Nothing more than placating the masses

The room that Sheng-ji sat in was veiled in complete darkness except the light that came from the viewscreen. Scattered across the small room's walls were various memento's from Yang's past.

Emperor Yang's ancient face leaned forward and furrowed his brow in concentration as he continued to listen to the interview...

The Firaxian interviewer spoke...

"Moving on to more inter-system issues, the representatives of different governments are here but the notable absence of the Greater Hive Empire has lead many people to believe that Sparta and her allies are perhaps sending a signal that the GHE is not welcome in the Human Sphere. What would be your response to that assertion?"

Kessel's response infuriated Yang,

"I would tell them that they are right. Yang and his followers are not apart of the human sphere any longer. The Hive stopped being human centuries ago. As long as they stay in their own territory I don't care what they do, but once they set foot in the affairs of Sparta and her allies they will run directly into our path."

How dare you threaten me with that veiled threat, Kessel.

The Firaxian and Colonel Kessel exchanged more dialogue and Yang's ancient face leaned in closer and furrowed his brow in concentration. That last comment made by Marcus was interesting...

"Sparta does not consider the Hive as a human power. They have been influenced by alien forces far too much to be treated as human. They lost their humanity ages ago. What you in Firaxis and many other governments fail to realize is that we know the Hive far better than you. To you, they are a long lost legend only recently come to light. We in Sparta are far too familiar with the Hive to go on some promise of good behavior. More importantly, I know Yang."

Sheng-ji raised an eyebrow to that remark as he continued to listen.

The Firaxian commented, "This sounds personal to both Sparta and you Colonel. Is this the case?"

Kessel smiled for the camera, something that sickened Yang, and responded.

"I suppose it is. You see Miss Oto, I don?t care what people do in Sol or Firaxis or Concordia. I do care what is happening in the Hive however. I care because I know how Yang operates and I have seen his handiwork first hand. We in Sparta do not want war, but if it takes war to remove the blight that the Hive represents, then that is what we shall endure. We stood against the Bree for years and the Hive will present no greater of a challenge."

Yang considered the Colonel's statement. True, the Spartan's did indeed have experience in Hiverian affairs. The battle between the Bree and Spartan's was seen first hand by GHE ships. However, the Emperor doubted the Spartan Federation could withstand a campaign with the Bree and the Hive Empire.

The two continued with the interview commenting on Morganic and Drone involvement should a war between the GHE and Sparta break out. They covered the Hive's involvement with the "independent" worlds. Merely unenlightened individuals.

The interview winded down with comments about Firaxis and events there...things that didn't concern Yang. They both concluded the interview and the image shut off from the viewscreen, replaced with the traditional Hive seal.

Sheng-ji leaned back in his chair and sighed.

Kessel knows we're up to something. He can't prove it yet, but he knows that we're stirring up the waters.

He tapped the armrest with his pointer finger in thought as he considered his options.

War is looming across the galaxy, Yang concluded. Sooner or later the Spartan Federation and my empire with have to meet on the battlefield. The Drone's and Nwabudike will have to be neutralized or else the scales wouldl tip in Kessel's favor.

A soft beep indicated that he had an urgent message. Yang pressed his communicator and acknowledged.

"My lord, there is news coming from the border. Apparently there is a Drone vessel that has been identified in Hive space. Three Patrol vessel's have been dispatched to intercept."

Sheng-ji nodded. Time to set the gears in motion.

"I'll be in the command center shortly. Inform Warmaster Kang that he will meet me there."

"As you wish, your Excellency." The voice confirmed.

The Emperor stood and headed toward the door.

Yes, the gears will defintely start moving now...

[GeneralTacticus]

“Major Lysander, we are approaching the destination you specified.”

“Excellent, pilot. Notify the base command that I am approaching, and fly through the doors when they open.”

As his transport plane angled down towards the spot where the doors to an internal runway would soon be opening, Lysander strapped himself in and smiled for the first time in seven hours. He finally had something to be happy about; his trip through a turbulent atmosphere in this utilitarian, comfortless cargo plane was coming to an end at last.

Rebel Bunker Complex, Iron Mountains

Commander Leto, this is Major Lysander, coming in to land at your base. Please open the hangar doors so we can pass through.

Leto stared at the words on his computer screen for a second or so before hitting the ‘Execute’ key on his keyboard and activating the command sent with the message. The command whirred through the base network until it reached the control systems for the hangar doors, which swung silently inwards as Lysander’s transport and it’s escorts came through, shutting again behind them once they had landed.

* * *

Lysander stepped out of his transport and into Base 79 to be greeted by a regiment of rebel troops standing at attention. As he walked swiftly toward the hangar exit, the troops fell in around him, along with the remaining Hive troops as they filed out of the back of place. Once they had left the hangar, Lysander turned and looked questioningly at one of the officers.

“Lieutenant, where is base command centre?”

“This way, sir.”

A few minutes later, they arrived at the door to the command centre, where they found the local senior officers, including Commander Leto, there waiting for them. Lysander, Felcheck, and a few other Hive officers seated themselves, and Lysander nodded to Leto to give a status report.

“Well, sir, the situation for us seems to have gotten a lot worse than it was a day or so ago. As you know, the loyalists have retaken Dienkes Base, and they seem to have gained the upper hand in Athena Nova. The Spartan fleet has arrived in orbit and blasted the Hive one into oblivion, means that Menelaus has orbital superiority again, so things don’t look good for us. Looking on the bright side, we have the whole northern continent, including it’s mines, and we also have the Trajan-class armour suits, for what good they’ll do us.”

“Thank you, Commander. Do you have any suggestions as to what we can do? Anyone?”

The room was briefly silent before one of the Hive officers raised his hand.

“Lord Lysander, while we were at Dienkes Base, I had some contact with some of the other officers there, and they informed me that we had a mole in Menelaus’ personal security force. While we were en route here, I came up with several plans for using this mole, including one to assassinate Menelaus and potentially the rest of his council as well.”

An evil smile spread across Lysander’s face. “Excellent,” he said, “it was worth Yang sending you all just for this. Put the plan into action.”

The officer stood, bowed, and hurried from the room to carry out his orders.

Cadre Command Nexus, Laekdaemon Central

“Very well, officers,” Menelaus said, standing, “Let us begin. On the agenda for this meeting:

1) What to do about Lysander’s escape from Dienkes Base when we captured it.

2) Arrangements for securing Spartan aid in our war.

3) General military strategy against the rebels.

Warmaster Leinin, I believe you have some information to present?”

The Warmaster stood and began to speak. “Yes, General Menelaus, I do. Firstly, on the battle between Spartan and Hive ships in orbit. The Spartans were almost completely successful, the only serious hitch appearing to be that one of the ships they captured self-destructed -”

He was cut off at that moment by a thunderous explosion. Fire and smoke filled the room, and shards of glass and metal were everywhere. There were voices shouting in the background, but they were lost against the dying sound of the detonation. At last someone could be clearly heard.

“Where is General Menelaus?” It was one of the guards outside the room, who rushed in as soon as he heard the sound of blast. Menelaus, scarcely remembering who or where he was, managed to lift a hand and wave weakly from behind a mass of shattered metal. Barely conscious of what was going on around him, he didn’t hear the sound of gunfire, and hardly felt the shattering pain as plasma bolts sliced through the pile of wreckage around him. His last memory before slipping into darkness was of a distant cry of pain and of hands dragging him out of the molten ruins of the command centre.

[Sovereign]

Planet "B", Wu235 system
UCSS Copernicus

Captain Jason Holland muttered something under his breath.

"Great, just great."

He briskly turned towards Kiran Ronso as Holland straddled his chair. He stared at the tiger-like Ronso and drummed his fingers on the back of his command chair.

"Kiran, what is the analysis of the fleet arrayed out there? I want numbers on strength, probabilities of attack from their weapons systems, their deployments, everything!"

The Ronso began to growl-speak, but was interrupted by Communications Officer Marlene.

"The admiral on the UCSS Solaris desires to speak to you, Captain."

Turning again, Holland was starting to fume, as the holo-screen opened up to display the garguantan bridge of the Solaris. The view zoomed towards the Admiral standing in the center of the activity going on around the bridge. The admiral is an imposing figure, standing at two meters tall, with icy blue eyes and black cropped hair. His pure white uniform with gold collars and wristcuffs signified him as one of the UCS's twelve Grand Admirals.

Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach made a simple statement.

"Catch you at a bad time, Captain?"

Captain Jason Holland tried to suppress his fuming, and was fortunately able to. Devlin Yezprach wasn't a person to look at the wrong way, much less anger. Rudeness was unthinkable in front of Yezprach. The word in the fleet corridors has had it that several people who were excessively rude or insulting towards Yezprach had mysterious "disappearances" the next day.

Jason Holland recovered, and cooly stated, "We were able to 'preserve' the prisoners from the planet's surface during the initial incursion by the Mechanoid Forces. The prisoners are being held within our brigs, awaiting interrogation."

"Good. Very good. Now, I am assuming command of the fleet. Transfer the data from the ground battle, as well as any data garnered from the destroyed 'Believer' ship to the Solaris."

Holland could only nod, as the holo-display collapsed into the ground. He returned to his fuming, dwelling on thoughts of utterly destroying the invaders with only his strike force and claiming glory for himself and his command, and not the calculating Yezprach.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UCSS Solaris

"That went pretty well."

A Guado Empath with long and elongated fingers nodded at Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach. Veins pulsated on the Guado's forehead as he scrunched his face as he made one final mind-probe.

"The usual desire for glory. He still has complete loyalty to the UCS Empire."

The Admiral curtly stated, "Very well."

"Sir, we're being hailed by the unknown fleet."

The hail could only be heard over audio.

"University vessels, you have attacked Protectorate Service Men and Women, and you are in the process of absconding with Protectorate property. Power down your weapons, close your gun ports, and prepare to be boarded."

As the demand ended, the hailing frequencies closed with an barely audible beep.

Yezprach arched an eyebrow.

"So, it is the Protectorate. This has just got tenfold more interesting."

Tactial Officer Diana spoke up, "Sir, if I remember correctly, the Magellan had an ecounter with these Protectorates a while back."

"Indeed. Please elaborate."

Diana acessed several holo-panels and downloaded several information quasi-packets. She scanned several panels of information and then looked up to the admiral.

"The Magellan managed to send a data hyperstream boosted by the UCSS Enterprise's powerful communication arrays before jumping in Quantspace towards an undisclosed location. Information sent includes details of the ecounter and a brief rundown of scanned information off the Protectorate battleship Cold Harbor.

From the information from the battle near Roving, their technology appears to be equal to ours. In addition, scans of the current Protectorate fleet out there with the strobing lights reinforces this possibility."

"Thank you, Diana. That will be all."

Yezprach stood up to his full height of two meters, and motioned for communication channels.

"Protectorate Vessel, this is Admiral Devlin Yezprach of the Solaris Battle Group. A small strike force entered this system, and a lone vessel attacked them without provacation. The strike force destroyed the attacker, and occupied the planet as well as liquidating the resistance, therefore, it falls under our sovereignty.

We claim salvage rights on the alien vessel and the wreckage below on the planet. However, we have several dozen prisoners of war. Perhaps they are your men?

I offer the following exchange. We return the prisoners of war to you, leave the system or turn ownership of the planet over to you, and we keep salvage rights on the alien vessel and relics.

I will expect a reply within the next Terran Standard Hour."

The Grand Admiral sat back in his command chair, awaiting the reply from the so-called Protectorate fleet leader or admiral.

Fifteen standard Terran minutes later, klaxons began blaring throughout the Solaris and the ships of the battle group. A peculiar distortion, not too dissimiliar to a raindrop hitting a puddle of water causing ripples, appeared several million kilometers away from the Protectorate and UCS fleets. A garguantan ship, almost as large as the 6 kilometer Solaris herself, emerged from the ripple distortion. It looked advanced with smooth edges, as if it was organic.

Yezprach smiled.

"Interesting."

[Lonestar]

Planet "B", Wu235 system



"......I will expect a reply within the next Terran Standard Hour."

Admiral Soontir Fel scratched his chin. His mind ran rapidly, dispite the lack of a man-machine interface. The University Admiral was returning the Lord Protector's men and equipment, but not the vessel. Smart. The UCS Man was betting that the Protectorate would stand up for it's people, and he was right. If he were so inclined, he could try to run with both the Protectorate's men AND the Hferhin vessel.

Fortunately, Fel had a ace up his sleave. Part of the Dosi-Protectorate Agreement of Forces Treaty stated that the Protectorate would inform the Dosi upon discovery of Hferhin vessls and wreckage. Most of the Hferhin wrecks the Protectorate found were already old and marked in Dosi networks. This one hadn't been, so the Dosi were sending the Dreadnaught Emperor Starha III to aid in the investigation.

The communications crewman, a 19 year old E-3 on her first deployment, looked up at the Admiral.

"Sir?"

"Wait a moment young lady."

Fel got up from his chair and began pacing around on the deck. He walked over to the plaque on the Allegiance's bridge and wiped some imaginary dust off. He checked his chronometer and sat down.

Ten Terren standard minutes passed. Captain Lagnon, the CO of the Allegiance, picked up the phone from the CIC. He nodded and said "Good."

He turned toward Admiral Fel.

"They're here sir."

The massive Emperor Starha III entered realspace and began moving towards the opposing Battlegroups. The UCS forces began to manuever wildly briefly, but then turned into an orderly formation.

Interesting Fel thought. Whoever's over there has a cool head.

"The Dosi Vessel is hailing us sir."

"Put the Captain onscreen."

Fel got down on one knee and bowed his head. "I great you, Fleetlord Kassiquit".

The Reptilioid Dosi Moved into a position of respect amongst her people. "And I you, Admiral Soontir Fel of Arlington. Are you in need of aid?"

"Yes Fleetlord, if you would be so kind." Fel explained. Kassiquit hissed.

"I will handle this affront upon our clutch-brothers, the Protectorate."

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


"Admiral Devlin Yezprach, this is Fleetlord Kassiquit in service of the Emperor of the Dosi, and Sovereign of the subject Races, Emperor Harresh IV. You have greatly insulted our clutch-brothers by attacking them without provocation. You Further insult us by association, and by lying when we are well aware of Protectorate doctrine with regards to being approached overhwelming force.

It is highly recommended that you accepted these following offers of mercy;

[1] The return of all remaining Protectorate Servicepersons and equipement.

[2] The return of all Civilian scientists who may have been with the expedition.

[3] The hand over of the alien vessel to myself or Admiral Fel.

[4] A sincere apology for this dishonerable attack."

Kassiquit killed the communications. Her top communications male look up at his viewscreen, and his eye turrets began to swivle wildly.

"What is it?"

"Exalted Fleetlord, the Protectorate" he almost said big ugly, the Dosi nickname for Homo Sapiens, "vessels are recieving a high-priority message from the ansible. We are recieving one too."

Kassiquit bared her teeth inpatiently.

"What is it."

"There's been an explosion at the Imperial Palace in Nuevo San Antonio. Lord Protector McDiarmid is critically wounded and not expected to live. Dr. Henry Pym will be Viceroy for the time being."

[Mr. President]

Orbital Xenobiology Lab
Rigel system

Many people had the impression that all alien life was inherently dangerous and patently hostile towards humans, that space was crawling with parasitic life forms and germs waiting for an unsuspecting human host. Since, however, Commodore Franco had visited the xenobiology lab many times, he knew that much of alien life was so far removed from humanity that it might not even recognize him as alive, that most alien viruses would die instantly if they were exposed to his body’s homeostasis.

The Bree, however, did recognize that humans were alive, and usually took every chance they could to amend that state of affairs.

The ones Franco saw laid out on metal tables as he entered the room would be doing no such thing. Slain by Free Drone soldiers during the skirmish at MI-35, they had been cryogenically preserved and transported to the secret Rigellian laboratory for analysis. A team of xeno-surgeons and Thinkers had been puzzling over the corpses since then.

“Have you found anything interesting?” the commodore asked.

The lead surgeon, a tall woman named Allenby, replied in the affirmative. “The circulatory and respiratory systems were consistent with what we know about Bree physiology. So we decided to examine these subjects’ brains and central nervous systems. Ted?” She gestured at one of the Thinkers, who quickly interfaced with the wall monitor and called up a large image.

“This subject’s brain,” Dr. Allenby continued, “is normal in every respect bar one. The motor cortex - ” she pointed at the bottom left of the image on the wall “ – displays cell constructions not normally seen in the Bree.” The image enlarged to focus on the motor cortex.

Franco asked, “Why does it look like the cells are arranged in rows and columns?” His field of interest had always been astronomy, but the limited exposure to biology he had gained in high school had suggested to him that cells didn’t pack themselves into perfect cubes.

The Thinker, Ted, answered his question. “In short, Commodore, it’s because they are. Materials engineers would call the arrangement body-centered cubic. We use nanotechnology to place individual atoms in arrangements like this when we make super-tensile solids and the like. But the Bree seem to be able to place cells in these types of arrangements.”

“Any idea how?” Franco shook his head in amazement.

Allenby cast a glance at the floor. “None,” she admitted. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. I don’t even know what function this arrangement served in life, but I’d guess it was to improve reflexes or speed.”

“That would make sense,” Franco replied. “The Bree know that they’re inherently faster and more agile than we are. It stands to reason that they’d try to enhance their advantages.”

Silence fell over the laboratory, quickly broken by Dr. Allenby. “But you haven’t seen the strangest part yet.” At her nod, Ted replaced the image of the motor cortex with a full-body scan of a Bree soldier. His spinal cord was shaded light blue to distinguish it on the black background.

“This is a Death Knight who was killed at MI-35,” Allenby explained. “Not only does his brain have the same body-centered cubic cell growth in the motor cortex – you’re not going to believe this – his spinal cord has been replaced.”

Franco blinked. “Replaced?”

“Instead of a spinal cord, there is an artificial cable made out of a material we couldn’t identify running from the brainstem to the base of the spine. We tested the material. It’s superconducting.”

Franco transferred his gaze to the Thinker who had just spoken. “How could he have survived having a thing like that installed?”

Dr. Allenby shook her head. “I couldn’t say.” The commodore bit his lip and thought hard. Allenby interrupted, “I imagine this Death Knight would have had reflexes like lightning.”

“You know,” Franco said quickly, “people have noticed the Bree’s speed and reflexes since the very first encounters. Were we always fighting cyborgs?”

Allenby shook her head emphatically. “I don’t think so,” she replied. “We’ve recorded the Bree’s use of implants and drugs since the beginning, but never anything like this. This is beyond our science – I know we have spinal cord replacement procedures, but to use a superconductor? One that maintains its properties inside an individual’s body? It’s unimaginable. No, Commodore, these are brand new.”

“Brand new,” Franco echoed. “It was a test. MI-35. They wanted to see how their new soldiers performed.”

He recalled the casualty reports from the skirmish, in which he himself had commanded the space forces. One Bree transport destroyed; 321 Bree soldiers killed; 13 war machines disabled. One Drone ship crippled, one destroyed outright. Three hovertanks and a multiple rocket launcher lost. 407 soldiers dead, more than a thousand wounded. And the Drones had forced the Bree to cede the planet.

Franco took some comfort in the fact that the Bree-Gorn war was again heating up, and the aliens would be distracted for a while. He knew, though, that one day the Human Sphere would face millions of these new troops, and prayed that they would be ready.

[Lonestar]

The Palace, Nuevo San Antonio

Lord Protector McDiarmid sat at his expansive but simple oak desk. His cabnint had gone home for the day, and he sat there, alone in his office.

He knew what was coming. The Protectorate had recieved all manner of inquiries, threats, and pleads after that Damn Terren news special. Surprisingly, the GHE had yet to send a customerary death threat. Neither had the Bree, come to that.

He did not know about the GHE, but he knew...he saw the Bree coming for him. He had given a great insult, and in a recent spate of prescience, he had seen Bree Commandos storming the palace.


The Palace shuddered. Ian took a drink from his orange juice. Any second now....

"Sir, we have to get you out of here!" Shouted the Ranger who had been assigned to guard the office. The door opened, and a bolt of yellow light hit the Ranger square in the head. Ian calmly continued to drink.

There stood 5 Bree. The (obvious) leader stepped forward, and held up a PPG.

"For crimes against the Bree, you are sentenced to death."

Ian calmly stood.

"Why don't you fight me, man to man, as God intended. Or are you to cowardly?"

The Bree's face turned into a snarl. He dropped his PPG and pulled out a crysknife. The other 4 Bree sealed the doors to the office.

"Die, blight on life!" The Bree charged...much faster than any Alien Ian had seen. Still, it was nowwhere near enough. Ian was no longer quite human himself.

Ian moved as a blur. In less than a second, the Bree was on the floor, grabbing it's neck. The other 4 charged Ian. Ian moved as a blur again,dropping 3 before the fourth one stabbed him in the gut. With a twirl, Ian drove his ancient Texan Army K-Bar across the last standing Bree's neck.

There was some chuckling from the Bree leader. Ian turned to him, who was lying on the ground hanging on to his wrist.

"Truly, you are almost worthy to live! Almost." There was a mad gleam in his eyes before he tapped a button on his chronometer.

I didn't see this coming, Ian thought, shortly before the white, then darkness engulfed him.

[Lonestar]

Kennibucport, Beta Hydri 4

Dr. Henry Pym slept soundly on his large bed, his wife lying next to him. The kids..and Grandkids...and great grandkids, were all gone now, and only he and his wife shared the large house on the firgid coast of Nueva California.

Suddenly, he was jolted awake by a Ranger bursting into his bedroom and saying, "Dr. Pym, you're needed at the capitol."

Henry Pym never much cared for being jostled out of bed, especially at 0303. Damn, those extra two hours would have been nice.

"I'm sure the Lord Protector can handle it without me." Pym was the only person on the planet who could blow off Ian.

The Ranger cleared his throat. There was a dull sound outside. Pym recognized it as a Orca Transport.

uh-oh

"Sir, There's been an attack on the Palace. Preliminary evidence indicates it was a Bree commando team. His Excellancy is in critical condition. This leaves...you in charge."

Hank jumped out of Bed. "Wake up General McCarthy, Ministers Kolasklar and Ved, and Director Onate."

"Yes sir."
----------

War Ministry, Nuevo San Antonio
4 hrs later

Pym looked across the Table. No, he was now "Viceroy" Pym, a title he didn't particularly care for. Sitting down were The appropiate Ministers from the Cabinant, and General McCarthy from the General Staff, and Admiral Ealstan from the Admiralty Board.

"We sure it was the Bree?"

"Yes sir." It was Director Onate who spoke.

Pym cleared his throat. What he was about to say would plunge the Protectorate into a General War for the first time since....ever.

"Admiral Ealstan, General McCarthy, have your staffs drawn up a list of targets?"

Admiral Eastan spoke. "Yes Sir, We've had a fleet group with 3 MEU's out on exercise not far from the Bree border. Specifically, the Eoforwic system."

Ealstan pushed a button and a Hologram of a system appeared over the Table. Another button magnified the second planet to the sun. There were Red space Stations in orbit of the Green planet, with 10 large spacedocks, of which 7 were occupied with what appeared the be Bree Battleships undergoing routine maintenance. There were 2 Star crusiers drifting nearby, and a dozen or so destroyers ambling about the system.

"It's a forward naval base for the Bree, in addition, they have a colony of 200 mill on the surface. Planetary defenses are mostly umbrella theater shields and planetbased Plasma Cannons. Actual ground forces are believed to be minimal."

Pym walked up and stared at the Hologram of EoforwicII.

"How recent are these Holos?"

"The Ranging ship Faerun is transmitting these live via ansible, sir."

Foreign Minister Grant leaned forward and spoke. "This would match what we've seen from Bree...guests. They honestly think we'll stand by and twiddle our thumbs after they 'taught us a lesson'. You notice they haven't even bothered to Rush those Battleships out of Dock. This is...fairly typical."

"And if we attack them?"

"Arf'ria. The highest state of war whereby only our complete destruction is acceptable."

Pym pursed his lips.

"Do it."
----------------------

Within the Hour Fleet Admiral Vanai lead the 3rd and 9th Fleets into the Eoforwic system. In less than 2 hours the Bree Spacefleet there was destroyed, with the lost of a Battle Crusier and fleet carrier on the Protectorate side. After a 6 hour Plnetary bombardment, Dozens of Acclamator-class landing craft descended upon the surface, unloading 750,000 Star Marines. Although fighting across the surface would continue for a month, the Battle for the Eoforwic system was effectively over.

The Protectorate-Bree war had begun.

[Silence]

Our Lord is a Mighty Fortress
In transit to Sol

In the command center of what was the most expensive ship in the fleet, Marshal of the Holy Host, Dexter Mathews looked at the main viewscreen with a feeling of dread and excitement. The New Crusade was going to begin and he was going to be the one who was in charge of making sure that it would be a successful war. Even though he had fought against this action since the end of the Hammer of God Insurgency, however his former friend and leader of the Believers knew the hearts and minds of the people and played to fear of the new conditions. Ever since the first colony ship landed on Planet the Believers had known war and sacrifice, and peace by now was to much of a alien condition.

“Transit time 5 minutes, Marshal” said Lt. Col Christof McAnders, the aide scared face mirrored Mathews’s concern about the present operation as well. Mathews sighed and got up to stand at the great hologram tank that showed the fleet and its surroundings. Right now it was just battle-wagon that he was one surrounded by the off-color that the computer used to describe the FTL environment. The minutes ticked away in silence as the crews of the mighty fleet waited for the humming of the great engines that where propelling them through time and space to stop.

The view in the tank shifted and instead of a single ship, it showed the Our Lord is a Mighty Fortress along with the rest of the military might of the Conclave of Believers. There was the Fleet which had its ships bristling like angry flying bricks of metal, weapons, sensors and launch platforms. Destroyers, frigates, cruisers, battleships, carriers, pickets, fighters, tankers, hospital ships, armed merchants, there was one of every kind, though the years of the previous war had made the hulls of the ships unpleasant to look at, there was a certain aura of majesty left in them, especially when all the ships had transited in all the same relations with each other, showing the massive crosses erected on their hull all pointing in the same direction. In the middle of the formations where the massive troop transports that carried with it the majority of the Conclave Army in which thousands of men and women waited in their assigned areas for the navy to do their business so they get about to do theirs. It was the largest fleet of Believers' ships since the end of the last war, it had nearly every ship and army unit that wasn’t assigned with the Morgans, or staying guarding the Conclave possessions back home.

“Put me in on inter-fleet communications.” The Marshal said, the communications personal scurried to do that, and within a minute there was the image of the Mathews on nearly every screen. “Soldiers of God! We are about to embark on the greatest Crusade since Miriam launched her October War against the heathens back on Planet. For all to long since our forefathers left Earth those many years ago, we left behind our beloved Holy Lands to make one anew. Now we have tested ourselves against those who would deceive us, and now we seek to claim what is ours once again. God willing we will convince the Earth authorities to give up without a fight. But if such a fight occurs, we will prevail, just as we have always prevail. Pray now for peace, but prepare for War!”

Message sent to Earth
On behalf of Conclave of Believers, I Dexter Mathews, Marshal of the Holy Host, have come to this blessed system to inform the government of Earth that lands that we considered to be holy shall be transferred to our control immediately, or else a the rightful and blessed Believers shall take it from you with bloodshed

[History Guy]

Firaxis
Day 16 of the Peace Conference

“Oh, the Grand Old Duke of York! He had a thousand men…He marched them up the hill, and He marched them down again!” Morgan was singing to himself, and ignoring the faces of any of the delegates sitting near enough to hear him. As far as he was concerned, they could bug off.

It was another break in the action. The Terran chaps had gone off for coffee, or something very much like it. To be honest, though, the Firaxians were a bit more hospital than Morgan might have expected. Indeed, he felt somewhat at home here. It was a strange blend of green and commercial policies that dominated this little world. He wondered how it had managed to remain so untouched by the idiocy and madness that he saw all around him. The universe, as far as CEO Morgan was concerned, had gone insane. The world, if there was any longer one real world, was turned upside down.

“Upside down?” asked Siddiqui, quietly, while talking to Morgan. “I suppose so. The Terrans would say we are upside-down, and that they are right-side-up.”

“They are mistaken, I’m afraid. Something I’ve noticed lately is that the whole universe is upside-down, and that Morgan Interstellar is alone right-side-up. We’ve managed clear heads in all these matters, really. It is everyone else who seems so totally mad. Even our Spartan friends, obsessed with fighting, but quick to get this thing over and done with. What is the world coming to when the pacifists want to continue fighting, and the damn hawks want to keep out of it?”

“Here’s Stormhill, Nwabudike. He’s looking remarkably troubled this afternoon,” said Walker, pointing at the Terran striding into the round conference room through the ‘gold’ doors. He had an agitated expression, as though his entire world was crumbling around him.

“What a terrible stink he’s in. I’m afraid we’ve given everyone an excuse to go around blindly zapping people. The Believers are zapping the Earthers, who are in turn zapping the Terrans, who should in turn be zapped by us, but aren’t, because we are too afraid of an invasion plan that most certainly can’t work out now.”

“Walker, what do you propose we do, eh? The idiot Bible-bashers barged in on things – here comes their ambassador now – in the middle of this conference to go blasting the evil, wicked, sin-filled Terrans off to Hades,” responded Morgan. “I suppose we can’t jolly well kill the Terran bodyguard, and do some zapping of our own, now? Not good for business, you know, taking out your prospective partners.”

“Something tells me that they won’t be partners for too much longer…” responded Siddiqui.

“Hardly… - Good morning Mr. Hsiang! – No, I’m afraid they were fools to trust InEn and the Coalition. Oh well. Everyone’s here today. Stormhill, which is ludicrous. He should be out there fighting the wicked, intolerant Bible-bashers. The Bible-bashers themselves are making a pretense of getting along with everyone. Kessel is just sitting in a corner guzzling some soft drink. The Drones are somewhere over there. Everyone’s here, except the aliens. Yang wouldn’t be expected to send in someone when he loses,” continued Morgan.

Someone battered a mallet on the rostrum, and everyone quieted down, except for one sleeping Firaxian diplomat, who snored awfully until someone nudged him in the side.

Mr. Hsiang then ascended the rostrum, and announced that the conference was to continue. Today’s topic: assessment of military damages…and who would pay whom for everything.

“Understandably, Mr. Morgan,” began Stormhill’s diplomat, whatever her name was (Morgan never bothered to look up the name, though he liked the face), “you are adament where the bill is concerned, suggesting that you were fighting a purely defensive war…”

“I wouldn’t say ‘defensive’…but you can use it all the same,” quipped Morgan, with a grin. The moods of the Terrans had soured considerably after the Believers crossed the border, and shot up some tollways, so perhaps it was understandable that they did not quite appreciate his (albeit twisted) sense of humor.

“Admiral Kerensky reported that the recent losses his command suffered in our successful campaign in the Corporate Sector were heavy, though they were to be expected. However, the laws of our charter would ask that you, as an offensive party, would pay us reparation funds, which would run up the bill quite considerably.”

Walker stood up, his flashy (tasteless) red shirt glinting in the artificial light. “The bill you put forward to us is somewhat higher than expected, I must admit. But, as you were so compliant where prisoner exchange was concerned, please allow us to make some inquiries into the fairness of this total.”

“Ah…we can allow this, yes…”

The discussion continued, and Morgan finally lost interest. It wasn’t very hard, actually. Especially with the good looking faces about. Secretaries, and the like. He felt like he could use a good symposium about not. A hang-over would be preferable to hours of this drivel. As he wandered off into his own little world, Siddiqui gave him a little nudge.

“What?”

“Look at these guys.” Siddiqui gestured to several impeccably dressed individuals quietly walking into the room, and seating themselves near the rostrum, unannounced, and apparently unexpected. “Peacekeepers. Lal’s boobies, in a post-Lal world. Ever since Parfat’s assassination, they have been quiet politically. Internal troubles. The replacement has to be removed, and his replacement is, well, a Nazi. Lal might just pop back, they say. Oh well. They are old news.”

“What are they doing stumbling around here?”

“Keeping the peace, naturally. Can’t have one diplomat poking the eye of another, or other such wicked displays of violence. They have to maintain their archaic charter, so they say. It never ends. I’m surprised they don’t have protestors outside banging on the doors, and blue-bereted soldiers running around with rifles making sure that no one gets hurt.”

“God. I have to get out of this idiot place,” responded Morgan, rubbing his temples, wishing he could walk off and get drunk somewhere.

“Would you confirm that with Admiral Kerensky?” said Walker to the Terran, his voice waking Morgan up from his little trance.

“That can be done,” responded the Terran ambassador, turning around in a way that caught Morgan’s interest. Stormhill nodded, and reached for some sort of commlink device.

After a few minutes of waiting, his face turning redder than before, he stood up, and left the room, still jabbering into his commlink. “What do you mean? Why can’t you?”

“Damnation. This is getting entertaining,” said Morgan.

“Think we should give him our present?” asked Siddiqui.

“Yes, damn it. Go get him.”

Siddiqui removed a small parcel from his briefcase, and quietly made his way out the large, metal doors, in the direction that Stormhill had departed. The Terran was in the hall, speaking quite loudly into his commlink. “What is this? Raise him! How can his commlink be ‘turned off’? He is in constant contact with Terra! What is going on, damn it?”

He suddenly noticed Siddiqui’s presence, and gave a little snort that did not become him in the least. “This is embarrassing. I’m going to have to go in there and tell everyone that Kerensky is ‘unavailable’. Hell. I’m going to look like an ass.”

Siddiqui tried to ignore it, and handed him the parcel. “Compliments of the CEO.”

“What the hell is it?”

“Open it. We intercepted it via taps on the transmissions from Drecaille’s office. It is quite genuine, I assure you.”

Siddiqui then turned around, and strode back to the hall, catching only a low “Oh God” as he left the hall. He was sure, from the tone, that it wasn’t a prayer.

Morgan wasn’t quite so shocked and horrified when he received the news that Stormhill was making his way back to Earth, and was, therefore, unable to attend the last few days of the conference.

However, the conference ended later that day, and Morgan prepared to return home. Things had gone quite well indeed. In his own little way, he felt somewhat indebted to Elise Drecaille, and her murderers. They’d saved him an arm and a leg. If everything continued this way, there could only be continued profit, and that is all a Morganite should ever really be thinking about.
++++

TRANSMITTED MESSAGE
FROM: SECRETARY GENERAL STORMHILL
TO: COLONEL FESSEDEN, TERRAN COUNCIL SECURITY

Am coming home immediately. Terrible news. Drecaille is a traitor. Will be back as soon as possible.

D. Stormhill
Secretary General
++++

ENCRYPTED TRANSMISSION
FROM: PRESIDENT DRECAILLE
TO: ADMIRAL WAKASAZHI

As of now, the Earth Coalition regards Secretary General Daniel Stormhill of the “Terran Alliance” as a traitor to his country, and a public enemy at large. He is wanted for crimes against the community. Remove him from command immediately, and place him under arrest so that he may await trial.

Elise Drecaille
President, Earth Coalition
++++

[Lonestar]

Eoforwic System

Admiral Vanai strode into the briefing room on board her flagship, the Reprisal, a Goliath blk II Battleship. Sitting around a table were her staff, as well as General Sabrino and his.

A stern woman with blond hair up in an even sterner bun, she could and did intimidate nearly everyone she came across. Only a handful, the Lord Protector, Admiral Ealstan, and Admiral Fel (who happened to be her husband) didn't whilt when she tried to get her way. She wore the simple olive Green Uniform with 4 silver stars of an Fleet Admiral.

"Good morning Admiral, I trust you slept well?" That was General Sabrino.

"Probaly better than you Mark. How's the situation on the surface."

"I hate to use the phrase, but 'textbook' comes to mind. In the last 24 hours we've secured the mjor cities of the Eastern Continent, and the IV Corps are sitting across the Twegan River from the Eoforwic capital."

Vanai frownd. This didn't jive with what she'd read of Bree society.

"I would have thought they'd put up more of a fight."

"The Bree? The Bree military and civilians are fighting tooth and, uh, claw. But their slave caste, 'shamed ones', are welcoming us with open arms. There appear to be many hundreds of slave communities on the surface, and the Shamed Ones are gleefully telling us where bunkers are, barracks, etc."

"How soon can you take," Vanai looked at the name, she couldn't pronounce it, "Eoforwic capital?"

"We're going to enter the capital tomorrow, but it'll be a meat grinder. Fortunately, we got about 10,000 new 'Hyperion' Cybers from Black Sands that'll be the vanguard. It could be a lllooooooooooonnnngg fight though, with terrorist activity afterwards."

Vanai nodded. Well, as long as they were on the topic of making wild ass guesses....

Turning to her Intelligence Officer, she raised an eyebrow, expecting her morning briefing.

The Commander cleared his throat.

"Looks like the Believers are going to go off and try to kill the Terrens. We don't know the fleet strength, or when, but one of our Ranging ships noticed their fleet departing from a station not far from Sol."

"Any indication they're interested in us?"

"The Believers to this date haven't expressed an intrest in us, Ma'am."

Vanai nodded for him to continue.

"Hydrin Media this morning, ISN specifically, ran a series of stories from a Bree colony. As expected, the Bree have declared that only or complete and utter distruction, blah, blah, blah, but it's okay to have media there. The average FREE Bree is hopping mad, but interviews with Shamed Ones match what we're getting from the surface."

The Intel man took a breath and continued.

"Foreign Governments have been making calls which equate to the diplomatic 'what the Hell is going on?'. Information about the Bree Commandos hasn't got off world yet, and the Peacekeepers condemmed us in a resolution yesterday. Morgan Interstellar issued a statement to the effect 'We stand by the Protectorate, but don't expect us to provide help.' The Dosi, of course, are honoring their treaty and we'll be seeing a few Dreadnaughts making Port calls at Protectorate worlds. The GHE is being Charecteristically quiet."

Vanai smiled. "I bet Viceroy Pym has his hands full right now."
-----------------

Executive Office Building, Nuevo San Antonio

"No I don't have a comment." Commerce Minister Ved raised his hands to cover his eyes from the flashes of holocameras.

"Minister Ved, will these actions delay or change plans to grant Chairman Morgan an Executive Directorship in CHOAM?"

"Plans are unchanged." Ved was silently swearing as he marched up the stairs.

"Is our economy going to be mobilized for complete war?"

"Sorry, can't say." Ved opened the door to the huilding and hustled in. Foreign Minister Grant was in the Lobby laughing.

"Shut up."

"Don't feel bad, they kept on harrasing me about Ambassador Atvar's visit last night. I hear Senator Cruz, " The Senate Presiding Officer, " Didn't get more than an hour's sleep last night."

"That's more than what I got." Ved mumbled. Grant laughed.

The two entered the Executive briefing room, and stopped. Ved noticed that the room was unusually crowded, with Representitive's from Morgan Intersteller and the Free Drone's there. Grant scowled and quickly put on a 'happy diplomat' face. Ved supposed Pym had invited them without telling the Foreign Minister.

"Ambassadors," Grant inclined his head, the two responded with inclinations of their own. "Sir," to Dr. Pym. Hank motioned for everyone to sit.

The Day began with a short announcement from the Ambassadors re-affrim what they had said in public the day before. Then the two left. Ved wondered what the Hell that meant. Then the briefings began, going on and on for hours. By the end of the morning briefing, Ved was ready to drop dead.

Too Bad the Bree had declared that the Protectorate will be completely 'cleansed', which left only one option for the Protectorate, really.

Genocide.

[Mr. President]

Somewhere in OrionComNet

[Adams_K] Good afternoon.

[Protectorate7] Good morning.

Good morning? Ah, of course. I hope this isn't a bad time?

[Protectorate7] Viceroy Pym regrets not being able to speak with you in person. His meeting has run overtime.

[Adams_K] No, I understand. You know why I've called you?

[Protectorate7] I could guess.

[Adams_K] No need. My admirals are picking up the reason on their long-range scanners.

[Protectorate7] Ah.

[Adams_K] No human has ever faced arf'ria, did you know?

[Protectorate7] That so?

[Adams_K] Yes. The Gorn have, of course, for millennia now. Not even Sparta ever had that honor. But I digress.

Adams_K has uploaded an attachment: Bree.zip

[Adams_K] Happy birthday.

[Protectorate7] What is this?

[Adams_K] Open it and find out!

[Protectorate7] All right . . .

[Protectorate7] It works with PowerZip, right?

[Adams_K] I don't know what that is.

[Protectorate7] Don't worry, it does.

[Protectorate7] Whoa. Lots of stuff here!

[Adams_K] I thought you'd like it. I asked Military Intelligence to compile it. It was hard because some of those files had been archived in MilitaryNet. Some poor Thinker had to search through a hundred thousand megabytes and pull them out. So now you are the galaxy's foremost scholar on the Bree. How does it feel?

[Protectorate7] Thank you very much, Madame President.

[Adams_K] Don't mention it. I always knew the Bree wouldn't be able to resist interfering in the Human Sphere. Have Marcus Kessel's people called yet, by the way?

[Protectorate7] No. Should they have?

[Adams_K] They will soon, then.

[Protectorate7] Fine.

[Protectorate7] Can I ask you a question?

[Adams_K] Shoot.

[Protectorate7] Why are we talking this way? Isn't the ansible better? And more secure?

[Adams_K] You really wanna know?

[Adams_K] I was a chat-head in college.

[Adams_K] I can't make head nor tail of the new Emoticons, though. It's all mental now.

[Protectorate7] Ah, nostalgia. I'd better go show Viceroy Pym what you gave me. Thank you again!

Protectorate7 has logged off

[Adams_K] .

[Adams_K] It's up to you now, Doctor Pym . . .

Adams_K has logged off.

[Lonestar]

Northern Forests, EoforwicII

The Second Planet of Eoforwic was signifigantly closer to it's primary than BH4 was, but because Eoforwic(PX-567384) was much less luminous, the lovely climate was mostly the same.

The Platoon of Star Marines tramped through the woods. The official reason was for a patrol, but most standard patrols didn't have Archeologists with them....

"I got it."

Elizabeth Bucher, Daughter of the Greatest Archeologist in Hydran History, just loud enough for the Lt. to hear. The Lt., and man named Konstantine Mironov, nodded. The PLatoon stopped.

Beth took three steps forward, holding out the strange deveice.

"That it Dr. Bucher?"

"Too much Narquedah to be natural, yep, it's buried here."

"Why would "it" be buried?"

"To keep demons away."

Mironov scratched his head, and shrugged. He didn't really know what the Hell she was looking for, but the order had come down to help Her. Mironov turned and said "Alright men, break out your entrenching tools."

"Don't worry about it Lt., now that I know where it is, a special team will arrive in a few days."

Mironov scowled. This would bother him for days. Oh well, an order was an order.

A PFC came running up, gasping.

"Sir, you have to see...sir, I don't know what we've found..."

"At ease son, why don't you just show us..."

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

The Executive Office building, Nuevo San Antonio

"How many?" Dr. Pym asked quietly.

"At the first location? At least 10,000. The city was very well hidden, but once we knew what to look for, we found hundreds others, so far, we haven't found any survivors."

"We sure they were HUman?"

General McCarthy nodded. "No doubt sir..."

"How did they get on Eoforwic?"

Dr. Matthew Bucher, the Sage of "The Graveyard" spoke up. "Hank, we told you, we know there was a Stargate on Earth for many hundreds of Thousands of years. We don't know what came of it. It may be that these humans were originally Egyptian Gods' slaves."

Foriegn Minister Grant scratched his chin..."If we publicized this, we could garner immense support in the HUman sphere."

"No." Admiral Ealstan snapped. Director Onate of Intelligence spoke softly "Grant, we would have to explain how those Humans got there, and, as far as we know, the USAF's Stargate Program's records are so far buried no one even knows of it. Our Agent in North America destroyed the primary records at the Federal Archives. We can't be giving the okay for a mad scramble for Stargate locations."

"This could cement a Human Coalition! I know folks like the Drones would give a lot more overt support..."

"Onate's right. " that was Viceroy Pym "We're just have to accept the Dosi defensive aid and the Spartans as..." He fumbled around for awhile.

"Co-belligerants. " Grant offered.

"Right."

"Fine, but I need to tell you, we're going into trouble. Our man at our Embassy on Earth has reported that the Hivian and Bree Ambassadors are very buddy-buddy. We think there may be an alliance in the works."

Pym looked at Onate. Onate shrugged, he hadn't heard anything.

"We'll burn that bridge when we get there. Alright, moving on, MinisterVed wanted to give a CHOAM report...."

[Sovereign]

Chronopolis
Sector 03, Area 087-6A

A man walked down an shadowed and filthy alleyway between the lowest level junction of a Dual Arcology, two ultra-dense intertwined residential towers with hundreds of thousands living within.

A hooded figure was laying under a blanket of old newspapers and discarded Crys-Fab plastic. The figure sat up as the ordinary looking man approached, and the newspapers flitted away in the light oceanic breeze.

"What do you want?" intoned the hooded figure.

"Liberation." said the man.

"Good. I shall give you a hyper-data transfer."

The hooded figure pushed back a sleeve, and the ordinary-looking man did likewise. The hooded figure's arm popped open and a tube slithered out towards the other man's arm. The man's arm popped open to reveal a data socket, and the snakish tube connected into the socket with a click.

Several seconds passed, then the hooded figure smiled. He withdrew the tubule, and walked in the opposite direction. The ordinary John Doe walked the way he came in.

The alleyway remained silent, oblivious to what just transpired. The breeze continued, and the newspapers kept flitting around, as always, since the day the alleyway was created. There were no signs of any presence of humanoids, save for a blotch of unidentifiable liquid in a corner.

A hour later, the alleyway and its contents ceased to exist.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chronopolis
Sector 00, Area 000-0A
Tower of Babel

A holoscreen outside of the massive tower were showing an advertisement for a vacation to Spira's Besaid Village Resort, when an explosion is heard in the distance.

Several hundred people stopped what they were doing and turned as one to stare at the gigantic 100 meter holo-display.

University Omni News

Breaking News

Citizens, there has been an despicable act of atrocity just committed in our capital city, Chronopolis. A residential Dual Arcology has been heavily damaged, and collateral damage is unknown at this time.

The situation is under control. Rescue teams are searching for survivors. Any family, friends, associates, or co-workers who might know of any of the residents in the Arcology may call this emergency QuanHolo-line displayed on the bottom of the screen.

(Reporter looks off-screen and then back to the holo-camera)

We have received some new information. The majority of the damage is in the center and upper levels of the Arcology. Due to the nature of ultra-dense Neutronium alloys inherent in our buildings construction, the Arcology wasn't destroyed, as an ordinary steel building would have been.

Rescues are already underway, thanks to instanetous communication and heightened emergency response teams.

(Reporter looks off-screen and then back to the holo-camera again)

More breaking news, citizens. Academician Randius Zakharov will make an announcement, after meeting with our Technocratic leaders within the hour.

Several groups claim responsibility for the attack. The names of these groups are the "Liberal Scientists", "Yevan Alliance", "Independent League", and "Christianity Union".

We will bring you more news as events develop.

(Camera pans to the burning wreckage and continues to show varying shots of the carnage)

The crowds next to the Tower of Babel were completely stunned. Several people had dropped their cups of Quik-Coffee and several others dropped their shopping bags or holo-newspapers.

The news spread almost instanteously throughout the University territories.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UCSS Chronopolis
Conference Room

Academician Randius Zakharov banged the table to get the attention of the assembled leaders, either in person or via holo-net.

"In light of this, we have to completely crack down on these terrorists, and enemies of peace. In addition, our enemies might take advantage of the chaos, especially the Protectorate of Man, and the Believers.

I propose that we change our society."

"What?!" spluttered Leila Anderson, the head of Education. "Are you suggesting we abandon our principles? The terrorists will win!"

"No." Randius glared at Leila. "I did not say we would do a complete about-face."

"Oh." Leila was chagrined.

Randius continued, "We have to increase security, and clamp down on rebels. We will use our intelligence services to their utmost abilities. We will use our Android Services Center to scan and analyze every android's programming waves. We will have the Guado Empath Guild brain-scan every suspect organic individual. We will squeeze these rats out for what they are."

The assembled leaders became quiet, until Leila spoke up again.

"You're proposing we change our ways to a fascist state?!"

"You're treading on dangerous grounds, Leila." Randius fixed Leila with another glare.

"Androids were afforded equality under our laws. Scanning their memories, data streams, or programming is immoral! Would you like to have your innermost memories run through a distiller? Displayed for all to see?

Don't get me started on the invasion of human minds by the Empaths. What's next, execution squads?! We have to keep our morality, because we are better than the terrorists!" Leila was practically screaming.

"Your concerns are noted." Randius replied coldly as if addressing a prisoner or an unwanted visitor, which sent chills down even outspoken Leila's spine.

Several ministers and leaders murmured agreement with Leila's comments, and a couple of senators loudly seconded Leila's outburst.

Randius abruptly stated, 'This meeting is adjourned."

The ministers become agitated and a little fearful as they left the room or terminated their holo-net connections.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 minutes later in the Press Room

Randius Zakharov stood at the podium and motioned for the live feed.

A click could be heard, as the feed hummed to life.

"Good afternoon, citizens.

As you might have already heard, there was an despicable act of terrorism against a residential Dual Arcology in our capital city.

We are looking for survivors with our rescue teams. Everything is in order, and there is no need to panic. I give my condolences to these who grieve, and I grieve myself at the tragic event. Why would anyone want to disrupt peace that we have enjoyed for over 80 years, since the Android Uprising of 2620 - 2627?

We have been living in equality and freedom since that time.

We will bring these responsible to justice, you have my guarantee. You will be able to watch as these responsible are tried and found guilty in our courts. You will be a part of the justice dealt to these despicable life-forms who would wish harm or death upon others.

I have dissolved the Ministry under the emergency Zakharov Act, since they do not sympathize. They do not want to take the steps necessary to find and destroy these infidels. The Ministers balk at the hard decisions ahead, and that makes for poor leadership. They would rather just sit and talk all day long. I fear if I hadn't taken the liberty of invoking the Zakharov Act, our ministers would practically give up our hard earned work and successes to the terrorists via inaction.

We are one people, not many. Let us unite against those who wish us harm. We shouldn't be merely called a Commonwealth of States anymore. It implies we are disjointed, or an assemby of competing interests. Let us be known by one entity, not of many.

I propose we are henceforth called the University Alliance!

Let us stand strong, in face of adversity. Let us defeat our enemies, whether it be external or internal, by our virtues and perservance!

Let us live long and prosper, while our enemies crumble into dust!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 minutes later

Randius Zakharov sat down in his private office, requiring some time to think.

The holo-display warbled.

Can't I have some peace of mind to think in these troubled times?

Randius wearily reached over to activate the holo-display. The display flared to life, and a man's head appeared.

The man had brown eyes, a head of blended black and graying hair, a slightly larger than normal nose, and a black moustache.

"Thomas Dewitt here. I have some grave information to impart."

Randius leaned forward, his interest piqued. His Head of Intelligence doesn't normally call over the holo-net, despite quad-security interlocks and encryption. This was an emergency call, with grave news.

"Yes, Thomas?"

Thomas whispered something, then his words were translated into a special frequency. Only Thomas and Randius's ears were capable of hearing the special frequency. The holo-display transmitted the special modulating frequency, and Randius "heard" the whispered message.

Absolutely perfect.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Planet "B", Wu235 system
UAS Solaris

"Admiral Devlin Yezprach, this is Fleetlord Kassiquit in service of the Emperor of the Dosi, and Sovereign of the subject Races, Emperor Harresh IV. You have greatly insulted our clutch-brothers by attacking them without provocation. You Further insult us by association, and by lying when we are well aware of Protectorate doctrine with regards to being approached overwhelming force.

It is highly recommended that you accepted these following offers of mercy;

[1] The return of all remaining Protectorate Servicepersons and equipment.

[2] The return of all Civilian scientists who may have been with the expedition.

[3] The hand over of the alien vessel to myself or Admiral Fel.

[4] A sincere apology for this dishonorable attack."


Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach smiled.

"These Dosi are pretentious, aren't they? Very well."

Tactical Officer Diana spoke up abruptly. "The 'Dosi' has some amazing power readings. Their ship generates more energy than several of our Carriers combined. They appear to have some advanced weaponry, by a order of magnitude above ours and the Protectorate.

They have similar nano-tech hulls as the Protectorate, but are very likely to be more advanced versions than the Protectorate.

Not much else can be distilled from the data streams coming in at this moment. I would need the Tactical Tank to further analyze the data telemetry."

Yezprach nodded. "Good. Open hailing frequencies to both this 'Dosi' vessel and the Protectorate Admiral."


"This is Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach speaking.

I will return the Protectorate men and equipment, as well as all Protectorate civilian scientists, as a gesture of goodwill.

They will be sent in two shuttle pods. I leave them up to you.

I will apologize for the attack. We were under the impression that the forces in this system were Believers. We did not learn that it was actually the forces of the Protectorate of Man until we secured the alien ship and rounded up the remaining forces.

Perhaps if your forces had identified themselves prior to attack, then we would have avoided this stand-off, and the tragic loss of life.

Good day to you."


The Admiral turned towards Diana. "Release the prisoners and equipment."

Diana nodded. "Done. If I may ask, you omitted a reply to their demand for the ship."

The Admiral smiled his cold smile again. "I have no intention of giving them this prize. The Protectorate can milk their 'clutch brothers' the Dosi for more technology."

"The shuttle pods are away."

"Warp to coordinates 013 by 277. Then warp towards the Solaris system." Yezprach instructed.


The massive UAS Solaris secured the alien ship with additional cables and tractor beams, and then in a perfectly timed maneuver, turned with the rest of the fleet, in the opposite direction from the Protectorate and Dosi forces.

At that moment, the space shimmered in front of the Dosi ship, as it fired an blue tinted electro-magnetic pulse at the alien ship attempting to destroy all information inside it. However, due to a targeting error, the pulse grazed the Hferin vessel, disabling its weapons and erasing several terabytes of weapons data on the ship, leaving most of the other data and systems intact on the ship.

Space groaned and exploded apart as a Quantspace corridor opened up, then just as suddenly, space swallowed the entire fleet. The planet rotated below, oblivious to the monumental happenings around it as it has been for billions of years.


"Quantwarp completed," the Navigator spoke up, "Arriving in the Solaris system."

One hour later, the alien ship was secured in the shipyards in orbit of Solaris, and several dozen battleships and battle cruisers were called in from the reserves to help guard the alien treasure. Another several dozen battleships joined Yezprach’s task force to replenish the UAS Ionic as well as upping the firepower, to be prepared for any further encounters with the Protectorate.

Diana looked up and spoke quietly to the Admiral, "I'm receiving a priority personal communiqué from the Academician."

Yezprach arched an eyebrow. "I'll take it in my Ready Room."

The tall admiral stood up and walked down the walkway to the back of the gigantic 50 meter circular bridge, then entered a brief corridor leading to his ready room.

The admiral went over to his private holo-console in his Spartan ready room, and activated it with a beep. The admiral listened to the message with a growing sense of anticipation, then shock.

Yezprach quietly returned to the bridge with an unreadable expression, which warned the crew that something was up. Yezprach had difficulty believing the new orders that Academician Randius just gave via the holo-connection.

Yezprach slowly turned around, taking in the curious stares of the crewmembers on the bridge. He then motioned for a fleet-wide hail.

"This is Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach. I have received new orders directly from our Academician.

Set a direct course for Earth."

[Silence]

Near Earth Space
Our Lord is a Mighty Fortress

“Marshall, Earth has rejected our demands.” said McAnders, the pale lights of the screens reflecting off his face illuminating the scar he had received during the long years of fighting the HOG. The Believers fleet had moved into postion while the politicians on Earth called together their fleet and delayed the matter. Now there was about half the EC fleet gathered there along with most of its slower then light warships that where used for defense. Arrayed behind their lines was a line of space stations. The Believing fleet was just outside extreme missile range, though both sides where launching their fighters.

It would of a been a very bloody fight if the Believers would play fair. But spread out throughout the EC fleet where the hunter-seekers who had entered the system on the outskirts and had coasted towards Earth, using tiny chemical jets to get into what they hoped to be a good postion when the fighting started. About half the hunter-seekers where out of combat range and but the others where in places where they could get a clear shot. It would be murderous on the Hunter-Seekers to use them in their current way, since they had such minimal defenses, but the first strike would be of the up-most
importance or so had the planners back in mountain command center of Masada thought, a new plan came to mind of Dexter Mathews.

“Marshal, Earth’s fighters are moving on a attack vector towards our fleet. We should ordered the strike now!” McAnders said. Mathews looked at the plot and said, “No,
ordered the 1st fleet to form a skirmishing line, lets us give the other HS’s more time to get into postion before we launch our all out effort.”

“Sir, that is a deviation from the plan, the risks of that would be quite devastating, it would mean more deaths on our side.” McAnders pointed out, Mathews shrugged and said, “Just means there be more souls ascending to heaven in service of their Lord and nation. Carry out my orders.”

The colonel went silent, frowned a bit and then turned and began to bark out orders brining the Marshal’s wishes to life. As Dexter Mathews thought back to his childhood, long ago where he first saw the slain bodies of young men and women who had given themselves to cause of Believers. There their bodies laid in the capital church of the province that he had grown up in. The congregation for a single Sunday had their bodies in the see-through coffins near the alter where after communion the congregation would be forced to walk by the coffins. The hymn that was playing the service came flooding
back into his mind.

This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The fighters of the escort carrier Brother Paul Watson launched, the bright orange craft speed through the depths of space, though for many of the pilots the battle wouldn’t be their first one, they where in awe to see the blue and beautiful sphere of the Earth floating lazily in the background. With a deeper conviction in their hearts of why they where fighting they accelerate even more pushing their fragile craft beyond the limits. Already the Earth Coalition small craft supported by smaller ships where moving towards where the 1st fleet was arrayed. The mission was simple to stop the attackers and allow
the bombers of the fleet carriers to get through unmolested to launch their deadly wares on the enemy ships. The fighters didn’t have to wait long before they where engaged in a furious melee of close ranging fighting, a battle where they where outnumbered by 5 to 1, but they kept on fighting. Every time an EC craft try to leave the furious dog-fight it would seem to be hit, a warning to those who would be foolish not to stay focus on the highly fanatical trained killers weaving their fighters with such abandon. However even the most sturdiest faith couldn’t hold out in against the waves of EC fighters coming into the battle. As the bombers and their escorts where dropping their wares on the first line of enemy ships, the last of the fighters from the small carrier had been destroyed. Learning that they no longer had any pilots to service the carrier moved out from behind the protective bulk of the main battle line and went to join the light combat ships in the front.

The first fighter attacks where minimal on the sides of the Believers, and the EC’s first feint had been utterly destroyed. Despite still outnumbering the Believers by a
comfortable margin the EC command was shaken. It was seeming to be Capella all over again. But they remained shaken, not broken and the numbers where simply to great for even these religious fanatics.

Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.

The destroyer Slayer of Sins took a missile hit and simple vanished in a explosion of cataclysmic fury. The ships of the 19th Destroyer squadron where bearing the brunt of the long range missile fire aimed at this section of the two fleets. That was the plan and on board the destroyer St. Thomas the Wise , Commodore George Gridely intellectually understood it, but even after all these missions as being missile bait, he still hated his job. The destroyers in his squadrons, while being from the brand new with the latest fusion lasers, to being of the very old with the old fashion impact turrets, where all
short range vessels designed to engage light cruisers downward. Not fight some battle where there missiles being thrown around the size of a small frigate, especially with enemies thinking that small but effective ECM decoy broadcasting that his ships where nice and fat capital ships. But nobody asked his opinion and he wouldn’t give it anyway, he was a veteran Believer commander and appearances had to be maintain.

“Commodore, we got another wave, coming for us, but its dramatically less the one then before, I think our missiles ships may of hit their mark.” said the sensors officer, Gridely responded, “I hope so, though with all the bloody jamming going, I think it would be hard to tell what was going on 50 klicks away from us, let alone 500K or even more.”

“True, but we are piggy backing data from the fighters and probes who are engaging the enemy. Oh blessed Miriam, I was wrong, they where just staggered their salvo, but it still at least is smaller.”

The commodore grunted and looked at his own squadron of destroyers which was dwindling and hoped that he outlast the EC. Shrugging at his own lack of power to stop the carnage he turned his attention back at looking at Earth which was shinning closer now.

This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

“Marshall the 1st Fleet is now engaging the secondary defense line of the EC ships. Though we are also detecting EC ships coming in and converging at Jupiter’s L4 point. I think they plan to out flank us so to speak.” said McAnders. Dexter looked at the main plot and saw thousands of tiny dots both red and blue shooting tiny little arrows, boxes and other icons that represented men and women, and missiles and weapons fire at each
other. Every once and while one of the dots would burn out of the screen, and so far thankfully since the long range missiles fire had stop it was mostly the red dots forever leaving the screen and reality.

Though after pointing out the threat of the EC fleet gathering on the other side of the system (and determing that he would at least have a couple of more days before they would get involved), Mathews looked once again at the location of all of his forces and said, “Have the rest of the Hunter-Seekers moved into postion yet?”

McAnders looked down at his own personal noteputter and said, “Not all of them, but enough of them to take down the stationary defenses sir.”

“Good, ordered them to strike, on my mark. Communications open up a channel to whoever is command of the EC ships.”

“Coms open.” Mathews took a breath and said, “This is Marshall Mathews, I once again demand the surrender of the EC forces and our rightful land be given back to us.”

“Enemy flagship responding.” communications said, Mathews grinned and said, “Cut channel, give the strike orders, Colonel.”

Power, riches, wisdom, and strength, and honor, blessing, and glory are his.

“Its a valid code, skipper.” said Lt. Young to Commander Jerome Blake, master of the Hunter-Seekers Silent Blade

“Good, we have a lock on our alpha level targets?” asked Blake, the Hunter-Seeker had slowly crept through the arena, through the rear guard and there and here where ECM buoys that the Believing missiles had placed in the area. So far the EC had only dispatched a small force to get rid of them, since it didn’t jam their sensors at all, just
made them wavy in a pattern much like a HS class vessel would make on full stealth in such a close range.

“Yea, we got an enemy battleship, on our aft launcher, and 2 carriers on fore launchers. Helm’s got a plan to get us out of Dodge, by using Earth to slingshot us. I think we are in good shape.” said, Lt. Commander Harper his XO, a man who had came aboard after the battle of LV 120.

“Then we will proceed, how much time do we have left before we launch our opening strike?” Blake said, scratching the stubble that had been accruing on his face since the Silent Sword had first crept into the system.

“We got another two minutes. Just long enough for a prayer to God sir.” Blake smiled at that remark and said, “You put in a good word for me, right now it gives me 2 minutes of agony to worry about.”

With that said the, bridge crew buckled themselves in postion and activated their emergency space suits. The timer that some worm dog had put on the main screen
counted down and then it hit zero.

This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

It was then to the crews of the Earth Coalition ships that all hell broke lose. Not only did they have to deal with the Believers who where pushing through their lines, they had the pleasant surprise of loosing their stationary defenses in 3 minutes of hellfire as missiles from the Believers ships among their mists had crept up, also there was the attacks on several of the EC command and control ships. By minute 5 of the post strike environment, with command and control for them shot to cinders, the Believers reserves in came accelerating bypassing the battered 1st fleet, and like a spear pierced the shocked the EC defenses.

There had been a theory in warfare that militaries had used cycles for orders situations to be reacted to and orders to be passed through to deal with them. In the past militaries that had been successful where ones that managed to do things faster then their enemies and in
effect get through their enemies cycle. With the loss of the command and control throughout most of the EC defenses and the opening of the planetary defense, the
Believers amarda like their predecessors in other battles just began to rout the enemy. However in such a opening gambit the Believers lost over 90% of their HS ships used in such a role and it would be years before they could build enough of them to replace their current loses. But none of this was the matter to the ground pounders who had been thrown around in their transports like cattle as they dealt with the occasional missile heading their way an enemy ship creeping through the lines.

With the Believing navy obtaining for now at the very least temporary space dominance it was now relatively safe for the troops to began landing.

Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation: Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen

The dropship landed with a heavy thud, the doors opened up to the countryside of Iowa and the First Templar Armored Cavalry Regiment landed, the Believers had come to take back their land. The armored vehicles began to leave the drop ship and form up. In the sky it seemed to be a flood of heavy dropships from the large transports in orbit. Within seconds the first tank blew up as an EC copter detachment began to attack the Dropship.

The next tank pushed the flaming wreck off the ramp and rolled down and had its secondary weapons firing at the nasty nuisances. Then the drop ships weapons fired and
within seconds there was five flaming wrecks in the middle of the farmer’s fields. The next dropship brought with their the aerospace detachment for the regiment which launched their craft and which warned of a large column of old fashion tanks from last remnants of the old fashion national guard that the North American Directorate had.

The Believing copters began to attack the column only to be forced back when another flight of EC fighters came towards them. Within minutes the Iowa National Guards where exchanging fire with the Templars. The National Guards where destroyed and after assigning a garrison to their first LZ base, the first and second battalions of the Templar regiment moved to secure Des Moines. The city surrendered and as the day in that part of the world closed the cross of the Lord's Believers was flying high in the sky of the city building.

This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The Israelis where putting up a fight. For five miles surrounding Tel Aviv there was a ring of steel and blood. The EC equipped Israelis along with help from their Arab neighbors where trying to push the invaders back to their ships. They where secured when they where in their defenses, but every counter-offensive ended with more litter and debris in the no-mans land between the two forces. For General McAllister, this was quickly turning into a disaster, the ops-plan had him to be in Tel Aviv 5 hours ago, and he was stuck in the same place as he was 50 hours ago. Sure the 3d Corps made by making headway breaking through the Iranian lines, but none of the supposed relief from that new front was helping him. Though perhaps he was thinking about this the wrong way. The EC defenders in this part of the world didn’t have a good time attacking, so, perhaps if he could lure them into a trap of his he could wipe them out and then take the city, and he knew just the way to do it. The General smiled content that he had figured out a way out
this quagmire. He was about to tell his second in command, a general who raised through the ranks on being tough and loyal and fanatical, not for his brains, when he felt something pierce his orange body armor and hit his heart. Slumping to the ground he found he couldn’t speak, everybody else in the command tent jumped to the ground and listen to a large gunfight ensure outside, it was when a major outside yelled, all clear, when the second in command rushed over to McAllister, who had died with a look of horror on his
face. The others in the command staff rushed over and said to the general and said, “Sir, your in command now.”

For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign. Alleluia. This is the feast of victory for our God. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Our Lord is a Mighty Fortress
Marshal Dexter Mathews woke from his chair with a shake, he had fallen asleep on the flag bridge. He saw his aide standing near a large map showing the Middle East campaign. The Colonel looked up and said, “Sir, aside from loosing some more men then expected taking Tel Aviv, we have completed our operation plan near the time table that you had predicted it would take.” Mathews smiled grimily, his predictions that he had used where the worst case scenario’s and in some instances not even his most depressing thoughts could keep up with reality. The Colonel’s scarred face contorted into a smile and said, “You won the Forces of the Lord a great victory sir.”

Mathews mind traveled back to the caskets of the dead soldiers and then thought about the latest KIA list and shuddered and said, “Well if not then at least I prevented a defeat.”

[Lonestar]

The Ozarks, North American Directorate

"Dear God in Heaven." Stone murmered as he watched the battle in orbit with his electronoculors. Then he chuckled at the funny he had made.

It looked as if the EC was geting the stuffing knocked out of it, and the Believer Forces were begining what could only be landings. The calculations on the HUD indicated the trajectory for one large group was a couple of hundred km north of the Ozarks.

"Damn." Stone murmered again. Iowa. And his ride out was at the Des Moines Spaceport. He'd have to figure out a way to contact the Agrippa, which was observing the battle from Mars orbit.

Unbelievable. Earth, Terra, Home! Falling to the Chironians! He knew he was the only remaining Protectorate Agent on Earth (besides those at the Embassy).

Stone frowned. Planetary defenses should have been taking more than just a few potshots at the landing. In fact, he'd only seen one Fusion Laser battery hit a assualt vessel. Special Forces already attacked? Maybe.

"Right." Stone said to himself. He hoped back on his Jeep. He needed to get back to town.

After a few hours of driving he made it back to civilization, or at least what passed for it in southwest Missouri. He walked into the Hotel he was staying at and into the Bar. The Holonet was reporting that Des Moines had been taken, and a "Fierce resistance" was occuring in Tel Aviv.

The EC government was never particularly forthcoming with combat information. Stone could only assume it must be worse than what was reported. He went back out to his jeep, and stared at his listening equipment in the back. Should he go ahead in slice his way into Military comms?

He had to know.

Stone picked up his earpiece and started listening. So far, reports were that most of Iowa, and parts of Missouri and Minnesota were occupied. airstrikes were occuring All over North America and concentrated in the Midwest and Southeast. So far, the Most proficient of the Directorate Guard Units appeared to by the Lonesar Republic Guard, whose fighters were reporting high amounts of kills on Believer forces.

Stone put his earpiece down. If Texas was mostly clear of Believeing Forces right now....The Dallas Metro Spaceport might be his best bet.

It would be good to go home again. He'd been born in Ft. Worth, back in 2032....

[Lonestar]

Roving

"Another one is entering realspace. It's broadcasting...the Madrid."

Admiral Soontir Fel whistled. "That brings the total up to 13 warships, including two battleships. I think the EC got beaten around more than what they said." He turned to Captain Lagnon. "Give Governor Chan a call."

"Yes sir."

In the past three hours over a dozen EC warhips, plus two Conestogas filled with refugees, had arrived at Roving. So far, it seemed as if the Believers had launched and attack on Earth. The Agrippa was reporting troops on the ground in the Middle East and North America, although the Israelis were putting up an outstanding fight, as were the Protectorate's distant cousins, the Texans.

Fel shook his head. "I'll be in the wardroom captain." He left the bridge and walked down the passegeway to the Officer's Wardroom. There he sat down and started going over reports from the Eoforwic system. His wife, Maria, was the Admiral in charge of the attack. So far, it was actually going smoother than what Plan "Crimson" called for.

Fel sighed as he stared at his orders to stay put and guard Roving. When would he see her again?
-----------------

The War Ministry, Nuevo San Antonio

"The main stage of battle on the ground on Eoforwic is over Sir. As you know, Admiral Vanai repulsed a Bree Counter-attack this morning. 130 Fighters were lose, as well as 3 destroyers and a frigate. Part of the problem with the loses is that we haven't reconstituted planetary defenses yet, so the 3rd fleet group will remain in-system for the time being. The 9th is meeting up with the 7th for our next target, which will be a somewhat harder shell to crack."

Admiral Ealstan pushed a button and the Hologram shifted to another system 12 lys more inside the Bree Empire than Eoforwic.

"This, is Sluis Van. The Bree have a large shipyard there, and as of this morning, had no less than 117 capital ships in transit. As you can see, There are 2 skyhooks in orbit, and nearly 300 orbital batteries. While we have no doubt at all that we can attack and destroy the yards and fleet in orbit, as well as the orbital defenses, we don't know too much about Planetary assets. General McCarty?"

The Chief of the General Staff stood up and took Admiral ealstan's place. After clearing his throat, he spoke.

"A brief scan of the planet revealed at least 500 Planet-based Fusion Laser batteries. Each Battery consists of 3 guns. Further more, we now know that the Bree have tunnels spread all through the mountain range of the Northern Continent."

Viceroy Pym murmered "My God. How do you intend to take this?"

Ealstan and McCarty looked at each other. McCarty spoke. "Sir, these are actually amoung the least defended worlds of the Bree Empire. All of the impossible planets are facing the Gorn. Well, except Sab Abar and the Throneworld."

McCarty cleared his throat again. "We have 1.7 million Star Marines allocated to the Invasion sir, plus another 70,000 Cybers since they performed so well at Eoforwic. The attack is scheduled to begin in two days."

Pym nodded. "Alright, fine. Projected Casualties?"

Ealstan cleared his throat. "Maybe as many as 70 Battleships alone. I can give you the exact numbers..."

Pym scowled. "I'll read it in the full brief. Dismissed. Wait." He said as the Flag Officers began to leave. "Where have I heard Sab Abar before?"

"It's a cluster of Neutron stars and pulsars, sir. As you know, the Bree use Hypermatter for propulsion, which is actually superior to Singularities in a lot of ways. Their primary facility for mineing and refing Hypermatter is there. There's only one inhabitable planet withing 20 ly, because of the high background radiation, but it's also the best source for Hypermatter in this part of the Galaxy."

Pym nodded. "Thank you Admiral. I'll see you two later for the evening brief." The two flag officers left.

Pym stared at the Hologram.

Sab Abar

[Sovereign]

It is believed, based on strong evidence that the second Golden Age of the University began after the incidents of 2702. The incidents include the tragic terrorist attacks in Chronopolis in the Universalis System, the priceless salvage of a Hferin Scoutship and its technology at the Wu235 System, the attack on Terra by the Believers, the rising tensions between the University Alliance and the Protectorate of Man, and the solidifying alliance between the University Alliance and the Greater Hive Empire.
“Univeralis” by Grand Historian L’Neer, circa 3367.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sol
UAS Solaris

‘Quant-warp completed. All 255 ships in Task Force C from the Universalis System report they are in optimal condition, the two of the 177 ships in Task Force B report minor problems with their Quant-Drives after an emergency speed-warp from the Eden system, and our 201 ships in our Task Force A, including the UAS Solaris herself report excellent conditions. Several subsystems in some of our Task Force A ships are slightly over-exerted or damaged from either the rushed warp, or the residual after-effects of the Dosi’s rushed electromagnetic pulse. We will have these systems repaired by the time we arrive within the range of Mars or the asteroid belt, well before arriving at Terra itself.

I’m receiving telemetry that indicates there are several squadrons of Believing forces in orbit, and around Mars. Some of these vessels appear to have varying states of damage, from minor hull breaches to unpowered subsystems. It seems to be apparent that the damaged vessels were the ones that suffered the most casualties during the initial fighting with the Earth Coalition fleet. The other half of the fleet appears to be in somewhat good condition, probably reinforcements.”

Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach nodded, “Very good, Tactical Officer Diana. Set direct course to Mars, and instruct Task Force C to warp out of Sol around to the dark side of Mars, and inform Task Force B to warp in between Mar’s two moons, Phobos and Deminos.”

Diana spoke up, “Pardon me, sir. Wouldn’t that be suicide for Task Force B? They’d be warping in between the groups of Believers in Mars orbit and slightly beyond the moons. The Task Force B would get ripped to shreds.”

Yezprach listened stoically. He finally looked Diana right in the eyes, “Your concerns are appreciated. This is exactly what we want the Believers to believe, pardon the pun.

The Believers value morale, and morale is their strongest asset. They will do anything and everything to achieve their goals, and morale is a powerful tool for them to use to do just that. Even the smallest victory boosts their morale by a significant amount. If we were to make them believe that I’m an incompetent commander, by placing Task Force B between Phobos and Deminos, they would get fanatical at the prospect of an easy victory.

Then when we bring Task Forces A and C into their unprotected flanks, their hopes of a victory will evaporate, thus dealing them a crippling morale loss. Therefore, their morale machine will be an impediment, rather than a tool.

After we clean up the Mars forces, we shall proceed to Earth. I am certain that the Believers at Earth are the veterans and elites of the whole fleet. That alone will provide an enormous morale boost, along with the awe-inspiring sight of the jewel of Mother Terra turning beneath them, thus motivating them to fight even harder. Earth will be much more challenging to liberate than the dusty red rock that is Mars.

Instruct Admirals Pellaeon and Andrea to make the appropriate deployments and attack vectors.”

Understanding dawned on Diana’s face. “Relaying your commands, sir!”


Task Force C turned and appeared to flee the Sol system in a haphazard formation, near Neptune, much to the confusion and delight of the Believers stationed at Mars. If the Believing sensors were as advanced as the University Alliance’s then they would have detected a slight curving in the changing of course as the Task Force C’s ship Quant-warp drives engaged.

Task Force A spent several minutes forming into a standard wedge formation, then began to lazily progress towards Mars at impulse speed. Task Force B maneuvered into an spherical formation then glided in front of the slow moving Task Force A. Task Force B warped into Quant-Space directly at Mars, and then an instant later, the Believers got a rude surprise when they found Task Force B explode into real-space right halfway between Phobos and Deminos, Mar’s two moons. The Believers ships with their Coptic crosses wheeled around to engage Task Force B, believing that they would destroy Task Force B quickly before Task Force A with the UAS Solaris arrived at Mars.


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

UAS Alchema
Flagship of Task Force B

Admiral Andrea had a predatory smile on her young face with cold green eyes. Her long crimson and auburn hair was styled in a long triple French braid.

She calmly motioned to her tactical officer to have several Relativity class battleships attack a lagging group of Believing frigates slightly out of formation.

Several minutes later, three battleships angled down on the small frigate squadron, while the other three battleships angled upwards in a double angle attack. The Believing frigates exploded one by one, until two were left. The two remaining frigates did a kamikaze run into one of the battleships, critically damaging it despite its dense triple layered Neutronium armor.

Andrea swore. “Damn savages.”

The tactical officer spoke up, “The UAS Bauxite reports critical damage. Approximately 70 percent of all systems are down or destroyed, and it reports that it is unable to continue the fight. They are attempting to disengage and retreat.

Several dozen remaining Believing Fighters from the destroyed carrier-frigates strafed the wounded Bauxite, causing even more damage. The Bauxite exploded into shimmering fragments as its antimatter reactors imploded, releasing its stores of antimatter, killing all 3,000 aboard.

“Damn savages.”

A Believing battleship charged two University Alliance heavy cruisers in a suicidal attack. The two heavy cruisers fired all their weaponry at the Believing battleship the Glory of God only to damage and anger it further, like a wounded animal. The two heavy cruisers, the UAS Tipit and UAS Luzen were sheared into pieces as the missiles from the Glory of God slammed into them, killing 4,000 crew total.

“Damn savages.”

Three University frigates, the UAS Atoi, UAS Dreva, and UAS Revere converged on the Believing battleship Glory of God ripping it to pieces, avenging the fallen heavy cruisers.

Another Believing battleship, the Christ’s Sandals made an assault vector straight for the UAS Alchema and managed to damage several gun turrets and destroy a couple of missile bays. Promptly, the offending ship was shredded by support fire from several Relativity and Einstein class battleships surrounding the UAS Alchema. A mid-sized fragment of the Christ’s Sandals exploded, striking the port side of the UAS Alchema causing moderate damage.

“Damn savages.”

Admiral Andrea then shouted to her tactical officer, “Where the hell is the two other Task Forces?! We can’t take much more of this!”

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

UAS Chimera
Flagship of Task Force C

Admiral Pellaeon grimaced as he watched the casualty reports from Task Force B mount.

“Prepare the Alpha Strike Protocol. We shall do the Alpha Strike right on top of the Believing ‘undamaged’ fleet group, and aid Andrea and her Task Force to mop up the remaining Believers out past the moons.”

The Chimera’s tactical officer furiously tapped her holo-board, inputting the necessary commands and instructions.


Several minutes later, space tore open a dozen thousand kilometers above Mon Olympia, the tallest mountain on Mars. Space itself was bruised and abused even further when dozens of University battleships fired their missiles and heavy tachyon beams just seconds after exiting from Quant-Space, right in the back of the undamaged Believing Task Force A advancing on Andrea’s beleaguered Task Force.

Hundreds upon hundreds of missiles tore into the battleships of the Believers. Dozens of Believing battleships were instantly destroyed, while a couple hundred were damaged severely. In the space of several seconds, a well-off fleet was reduced to panic and shambles.

Pellaeon grinned, “Die, savages.”

A wall of University battleships, supported by long range strike cruisers with massive Yamato ultra heavy fusion cannon blasts moved through the shattered Believing Task Force A, eliminating opposition.

“Die, savages.”

In the chaos, several dozen surviving Believer battleships and heavy cruisers managed to run a gauntlet of University fire to escape towards the main Believing battle group at Earth. The remaining ships that were too damaged to make a risky retreat wheeled around and attempted to mass kamikaze the University ships.

“Die, savages.”

Over twelve capital ships in Pellaeon’s fleet were destroyed, while the number was considerably higher in Andrea’s fleet.

Devlin Yezprach’s Task Force A arrived at Mars just as the Believing forces retreated or attempted suicide kamikaze attacks on the other two task forces.

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

UAS Solaris

“We have the casualty reports, as our ships report in their status and condition, after routing the Believers in the Mars theatre of operations.

Task Force B suffered the most, as can be expected. Out of the 177 ships in Task Force B, approximately 22 were destroyed, 40 in varying states of damage from moderate to severe, and 50 have slight damage, which can be repaired by the time we arrive at Earth. That leaves 65 undamaged ships in good condition.

Task Force C lost 12 ships, while having over 63 moderately to severely damaged from the kamikazes, and the rest are in good condition. That leaves 243 surviving ships in Task Force C, out of 255.

Task Force A was relatively untouched, other than our minor troubles that were reported prior to the engagement.

All in all, I believe it was a resounding victory, considering the numbers the Believers had. We apparently destroyed or seriously damaged at least four hundred Believer ships. That includes the kamikazes and suicide ships.”

Grand Admiral Yezprach smiled. “Excellent, Diana. Order the seriously damaged ships to maintain orbit around Mars, effecting repairs and landing troops to secure order on the planet.

The moderately damaged ships shall proceed with us to Earth in several hours after we regroup, pending repairs. That leaves us with over 500 serviceable ships to liberate Earth.”

Diana nodded then added, “Sensors scans indicate that there are approximately in excess of two thousand Believer ships in the vicinity of Earth, along with the retreating Mars Believing forces. Shall I request reinforcements from our territory?”

Yezprach replied, “We have enough warships. However, we might need more troops and troop transports. Request troops / troop ship reinforcements, along with several more warships to escort the transports.

Let the Believers make the next move.”

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

UAS Chronopolis
Near Univeralis System


Academician Randius Zakharov sat in his office, staring at the datapad with two intertwining dragons. The datapad was brought to him personally by a cloaked high-speed scoutship from Drone Mound, in Hive territory.

He read the words.

“I must be brief. I have given your delegates on Planet Drone Mound a datapad. The contents will be revealed once you personally open it. To open it, you will need this code:

Wang-Di-Alpha-7-X-2

Consider the contents a gift.”

Ah, my old colleague, Chairman / Emperor Yang.

This is interesting. A proposed personal meeting and a map of Hive territory, along with some historical and cultural data. In addition, there is a quad-encrypted direct communication link to Yang provided.

I shall send Yang similar data on the University Alliance, but instead of a courier, I shall bring it to him in person.

The Academician sighed and thought of how to reply to Yang in a discreet method, to indicate that he received the secure datapad. Several minutes later, Zakharov produced a communication on the quad-encrypted frequency.

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

To the esteemed Emperor Yang

The Academician smiles broadly.

“I have received the package. Is the Blue King ready to proceed? The White King is already willing to proceed.”

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

The Academician pressed several holo displays. The face of the navigator of the Chronopolis appeared on the holo-display.

“Navigator, I would like you to set course for the coordinates 120 – 30 – 87 on the galactic map. Proceed there under maximum cloak after the stop-over tomorrow in the Univeralis system.”

The navigator nodded, “Done, sir.”

As the holo-display dimmed and turned off, the door to Randius’s private study toned, a greeting/warning sound which is reserved for only a select few individuals in the entire University empire.

“Come in.”

The door opened and Mina, Randius’s personal assistant and best friend for almost three centuries entered.

“Hi there, Rand. I have some excellent news!”

“The battle of Mars? I already know about that from my direct holo-feed from the UAS Solaris.”

Mina playfully punched Randius’s shoulder then looked at him with a serious face.

“Not that at all. Do you remember the breakthrough in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Power several months ago?”

“Why, yes I do. After all, I ended up spending hours with the military and research AI’s debating, discussing, and rigorously planning the benefits of these new technologies.”

Mina smiled broadly. “The first quantum power based Mako reactor is ready to go on-line tomorrow at Chronopolis. Two months ago, after a month of rigorous testing and bug-ironing, the prototype Mako reactor in Deep Space Lab 01, in the Oort cloud of the Univeralis System, met all safety standards. Thus, the first commercial / civilian Mako reactor was constructed in Chronopolis last month. It has finished construction and is ready to power up tomorrow at the ceremony.

Also, the first military Quantum cannons and ‘Mako Cannon’ modeled after the Yamato ultra heavy fusion cannon are entering the prototype phase, after the success with the Quantum Reactor at Deep Space Lab 01.”

“D’oh! I knew I was forgetting something. I knew I was supposed to do something at the Univeralis system tomorrow. It’s difficult to keep track with all the events, especially with the Earth Crisis, PoM standoff at the Wu235 system, the terrorism against the Dual Arcology, and a million and one other things going on in the UA! Thanks for reminding me Mina! I’ll be at the dedication ceremony tomorrow!”

Mina grinned, “No problem. It’s my job.”

She then gave Randius another serious look. “Speaking of terrorists, thousands of AI’s and suspect individuals were placed into interrogation camps. We predict with the information provided, cross referenced with brain or electronic patterns of organic and artificial life throughout the UA empire, we will have this terrorism uprising squashed within a week or two.

After all, we have the best in scanning, monitoring, and sensor technologies in the human sector of the galaxy.”

Randius nodded. “That’s true. I’m glad things are starting to work out, despite all the chaos that is occurring in the galaxy right now.”

The two chatted as best friends and confidants long into the night.

[Lonestar]

As the University and Believers struggled for supremacy in the Sol system during mid 2702, the Tyrant's Protectorate was shaking the Orion arm with the first Sucessful human offensive against the "Old Races".

The Collpse of Sluis Van was brought about by Bree social mores that demanded Ground vehicles resemble their operators. The Bree fielded over a dozen types of Mecha at the Battle, when the Protectorate only fielded one, the Goliath Infantry support Walker. The Tyrant's conventional main battle tanks ripped the Bree forces to shreds, sealing the Mecha-MBT debate once and for all.

With the Fall of Sluis Van, the Gorn began a major new offensive of it's own. For the first time in it's history, the Bree found themselves assailed on all sides.

“The Rise of the the Tyrant” by Grand Historian L’Neer, circa 3362.
---------------------------------------------------

Sluis Van

"Alright Rogues, tallyho!" Rogue Squadron and Indigo Squadron can pouring out of the elderly Santa fe-class Battleship's bay. As they sped towards the globe and it's moon, all of reality seemed to erupt with fire.

Tha massive Particle Cannons of the Protectorate's fleet opened up at 600 km, well within range of the cannons fireng capability. For weapons designed to blast targets from orbit, 600 km was a cake walk.

Rogue Squadron's leader, Brabu Diema, was acutely awary of the thousands of starfighters, both Bree and Protectorate, crowding his sensors. He was temporaryily blinded as a Bree skyhook went up.

"Rogue leader, this is Rogue two, we have squints inbound, coming from behind that satillite." Two dozen Bree starfighters seemed to be appear out of nowhere, Indigo and Rogue veered towards the enemy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Fleet Carrier Lubbock explode.

The Sluis Van Planetary defenses opened up. As he herded a squint away from the fleet, he noticed the doznes of Accalmators fighting through the Fusion Laser cannon fire....
---------------------

Iwo Jima

In the CIC of the landing ship Iwo Jima, Lt. General William Chiu surveyed the battle with the Holo-battleboard. 48 Accalmators were forceing their way down onto a planet, without even the orbital space secured yet! This was one Hell of a gamble.

"Reaching Stratosphere, deploying Orca Gunships and Nebula atmospheric fighters..." The Operations Specialist intoned.

Chiu took a deep breath.

Here we go...

[Silence]

A solider of God must never lose sight of these important things: Love of God and what he stands for, love of country and faction, but in-between love of God and country, there must be love for one fellow man. Killing should be the last resort, but if you must use violence, use it for as long and as hard as possible. To do else is to invite more pain and suffering.
Marshall Dexter Mathews, Address to Sampson Academy

Sol System
Our Lord is a Mighty Fortress
Colonel McAnders stood over the table that showed the current disposition of all Believing forces in the system. There it showed the maps of North America and the
Middle East, which various colors and markings to show control. The orange of the Believers had grown quite a bit.

The ground offensive was doing well. Most of the Middle East had surrendered after what they saw happen to the Israelis and Palestinians in Tel Aviv when they tried to fight a guerrilla war. Right now the troops of that campaign where being poised for defensive operations while a armored division and along with infantry was preparing for a voyage into heart of Europe to oversee the European neutrality. The Believing attacks had
shattered the EC’s government, leaving at best nation state governments who didn’t want any part of the Holy War that the Believers where promising to those who got in their way.

However the American sphere was taking more time then and only know where the Believing army units dislodged the last of the Lonestar and Eastern seaboard defenders.
They where now going to be reforming up and move onto to the still independent West Coast.

But that wasn’t Marshal Mathews main worry. It was the University Fleet that had appeared out of nowhere that tore up his repair and rest area that he had left over Mars. Now he was forced to divert pressure orbital support to defenses operations. Already there had been vicious dogfights as both sides try to recon each other. Mathews did however have an advantage, the unter-Seekers, they had so far remained unseen and
they been seeding any possible combat zones with enough ECM buoys to choke a horse, or a University Fleet.

Right now the plan was to stay sharp and wait for the University to get in range and then attack with everything the Believers had. He heard a gasp come from McAnders and the Marshall looked at the aide and the staff that was around him and saw that the screen was focused on a mushroom cloud.

“The North Americans managed to launch a fission warhead against a division of our Templars. The city of Denver is no more sir, along with the 5th Templars.”

“Dear Lord? A fission warhead? Where did it come from?”

“A old military base in North Dakota, Minot.” said McAnders, Mathews looked down and gave a silent prayer to God to watch over the new arrivals and looked up and said, “We are not barbarians like the Hammer of God, we only kill when we need to. That being said, target the launch area with our fusion warheads. They will be cleaner and it should take out any more fission weapons.”

“Aye aye sir.”

The war for Holy Terra had gotten much more darker.

[Lonestar]

History will determine that today began the ascendance of Humanity. Not the Unity and Endeavor missions. Not the colonization of dozens of worlds. Not even Homo Sapiens Sapiens leaving Africa and begining exploration. No, today, the first occupation of a "Old Race" Core planet, will signal the change of history
- Dr. Matthew Bucher, Chairman of the XenoArcheology department at the University of Nova Albion, Protectorate
------------

Gyongos, Sluis Van

The Mjolnir Main battle tank shook as another Bree Mecha opened fire with a particle impacter on it.

"F--king Mecha scratched my Camo!" Sergeant Channels of the Star Marines growled. He leaned forward and aimed the 140mm railgun at the source of the fire. The Mecha turned and tried to skedaddle. Not fast enough, Fugly Channels thought. It only took one shot, and the Bree piece of mechanical engineering wonder was on the ground.

His had been the first calvery regiment to enter the Sluis Van city of Gyongos, a sprawling city of 20 million souls. So far, they had occupied the "Shamed Ones'" ghetto with relative ease. Once they began entering the other Caste neighborhoods....

His radio cackled. Captain Alveraz came on. He was the company's new CO, and had fought the University before, so he was no stranger to combat.

"Sergeant, I need your platoon to head north two blocks. There's a squad of 'Ghosts' who are pinned in a apartment building by 3 Mecha's and a company of leg Infantry. 2nd Platoon will be coming in from the SW."

"Roger that Sir." Channels said. He flip on the Platoon comm. "Alright Fuglies, head north two blocks, we need to rescue some Teep special forces." The Mjolnir tank roared up the street, turned right, and saw a Mecha and a bunch of Bree infantry firing into a building. Building must have been built outta neutronium Channels though. PPG return fire was coming from it. Every now and then a Plasma Shard buckshot would wreck havoc on the infantry. He could see another Mecha just around the corner. There was a crashed Orca not too far.

Then the most visible Mecha exploded. From the Southwest. Channels thought. Two more Mechas appeared and started firing downrange toward 2nd platoon. His Mjolnir was in "kneeling" rest position behind some rubble, so it looked as if the Mecha couldn't see him.

The last of his tanks drove up. The turret "stood" and fired a shell at a Mecha. Other tanks in his platoon followed suit. Soon, all visible Mecha's were destroyed and the PPG rifles on the exteriors of the tanks were working voertime.

There sure seemed a lot of them....

The Radio cackled again. "1st Platoon! We got a battalion's worth of leg infantry running down here! Hang tight, we got some support on the way in..."

The tank shuddered as more and more Bree blaster fire impacted it. A few ATGMs slammed in. Channels wiped the sweat from his brow.

A White Phospherous rocket, "Willie Pete", came down from the sky as a A-5 Intruder II roared on. Nearly a hundred Bree were wiped out. The thumping of a Thropter came, and a Pegasus Transport landed in the middle of the intersection. The Ghosts who had been in the building ran out towards the Pegasus.

"Damn Teeps are running off while we're fighting! ******..." One of the Ghosts turned towards his tank and flipped him off as he ran into the 'Thropter. It took off.

Channels flushed.

"Damn telepaths."
-------------

War Ministry

Director Onate, War Minister Kolasklar, and General McCarty were sitting around a Table. Mr. Boggs of the Metasenory Regulation Administration was there also.

Kolasklar spoke.

"Well?"

Boggs took a sip of his tea. "The raid was a success, we destroyed Planetary Ion Cannon HP-5 and pulled information on the Sab Abar system."

McCarty cleared his throat. Boggs sighed as if he were making a great concession.

"And of, course, a Star marine armor unit aided in the escape, after they got, uhm, delayed by a few Mechas."

Kolasklar nodded. "Speaking of Mechas...."

McCarty spoke. "Proving easier to kill even in the simulations. Most of the MBT kills the Bree are getting are from man-portable ATGMs, not heavy units like Mecha."

Boggs frowned.

"I would have thought Mecha wouldbe more effective than that..."

"Nope. They don't move as fast, carry as much, armor is weaker, and can't swing turrets as fast as a Tank. Thank God His Excellancy killed my predecessors program." McCarty rolled his eyes.

Kolasklar turned to Onate. "When will your people's analysis be in?"

"On, in a few days."

"Good." Kolasklar looked down at his files. "We need all the information availible before we begin the biggest offensive in the Orion Arm in a thousand years...."

[Frankychan]

Hive Prime
War Room

The obsidian-black doors slid open to reveal Emperor Yang, who strode into the dimly-lit room. The soft glow of the computer monitors illuminated the various faces of Hive technicians.

Warmaster Kang stood at the main viewscreen, arms folded in quiet observation. The Emperor approached his underling without a sound.

"What transipires in my empire, Lord Kang?"

The Bulwarks massive frame turned toward Yang's voice and bowed deeply.

Kang's deep voice replied, "My lord, there was an apparent breach of our border by the Drones. Our ships intercepted and destroyed the vessel, along with its accompanying probes."

Yang's face flashed with anger, but was quickly dissipated.

"Furthermore, your Excellency, two out of the three ships we sent were destroyed. The remaining ship holds Drone survivors...it is headed toward Homeworld as we speak."

Yang turned to think about this most recent news.

Kessel spouting veiled threats and now THIS?

A shout from a farther terminal down the room drew Sheng-ji's attention away from his laments.

"My lord! You must see this, it is urgent!" The technician backed away from his monitor apprehensively.

Yang stalked toward the display and froze....the armored plated face of a Bree filled the viewscreen. Before Yang ould reply, the resonant, bass voice of the Bree spoke.

<" Yang. The Bree will speak with you. Now." >

"Of course. We will speak in the designated area."

<"No. We will meet here." >

Sheng-ji locked his jaw and turned to address the room.

"I want everyone out. Wait in the hall until I tell you otherwise."

As everyone filed out, Yang gazed at the Warmaster as he passed. Kang blinked in response. When the last man left the room, Sheng-ji turned toward the display.

"Everyone is gone. What is it that you want?"

The viewscreen winked out and a holo-projection of the same Bree shimmered in fron to fthe Emperor.

<"Yang."> The Bree's audio-box echoed. <"The Bree have begun our expansion plans. > The Bree's holo stood at perfect attention. <"Protectorate ships have attacked Bree bases. The timetable has been accelerated.">

Sheng-ji stood with his arms crossed as he glared at the Bree.

"The deal was that Hive forces would sow dissent and confusion in the galaxy to pave way for your people's invasion," Yang began. "In return, the Hive would be exempt from Bree incursions and would receive a sizeable portion of the galactic arm."

The holo shifted its stance and pointed at Yang.

<"High command has changed the deal. We are impatient and you are taking too long in your conquests.">

Sheng-ji lowered his arms and clenched his fists in anger.

"I have run into complications. We cannot rush things, Ambassador. My agents have already plunged the Spartan offshoot faction into a civil war, the Morganites and Terran's are weakened by war, and the Hive is cementig an alliance with the University."

Unfazed, the Bree responded.

<"The Bree will cut our relations with you unless you act now. Even you will not be immune to our forces if we ended our relationship.">

The holo image dissipated, leaving Yang standing alone amid the background moise.

Sheng-ji stood there for a long time, performing calming rituals and contemplating his next move. He then reched toward his comlink and connected with Warmaster Kang.

"Get in here."

The room's doors opened and the towering Bulwark entered.

"My lord?"

Yang took a deep breath, "The Hive is going to war."

[Silence]

Sol System
Victory at Lab 3
Admiral of the Fleet, Joyce Harper looked at the tactical plot with a predatory grin. The University had begun their operations send 50 ships in two 25 ships task forces towards her command. Situated between Earth and Mars it was keeping a stationary orbit to stay in its postion. The enemy course would take them right through the ECM field and into the hands of Harper’s 7th fleet.

“Admiral, UA ships have entered the outer edges of the ECM field, we are powering up the buoys, we be at full operation status with in 2 minutes.” said the sensors officer at her station. Harper nodded and said, “Communications, send a order to our HS’s that to be ready to deploy marines once the buoys go up.

With that ordered acknowledge, the flag bridge of her ship once again became quiet aside from the soft hum of the ship’s main drives. Harper took the time to look at the plot again and saw that she was the only one of the 7 groups that had split off from the main fleet that the UA was going to be attacking. Shrugging, she grinned again as the Hunter-Seekers began to move on a intercept course with the UA fleet.

The UA ships had by this time began to drift apart, out of their tight battle formation as their sensors where being spoofed. Already some sporadic fire from their anti-fighter ordinance lit up as they where trying to hit the jamming devices. The Hunter-Seekers entered the field and their icons became wavy as they shut off all but tight beam laser contact with the main fleet. Her more standard ships where forming two walls of battle as they know accelerated behind the Hunter-Seekers. All ready long range missiles where firing at the UA who up till know saw everything better then what the Believers could. The first of this newest battle with the ship Lord is My Light , the enemy cruiser took the destroyer’s missile amidships. The destroyer then fired a long range fusion laser shot which manage to penetrate the area that the missile had damage and ruptured the AM containment of the cruiser.

Aside from the loss of the cruiser and damage to some of the screening elements, the UA came out of the engagement intact, in the counterfire they mauled a escort carrier which had been pulling duty as a picket ship leading the advance task force. Then the Hunter Seekers fired. In the modified missiles there where marines being accelerate as their boarding torpedoes rammed through the hulls of the UA ships. Though unfortunately for a platoon their entire company aside from them had been shot out of the sky as the UA point defenses began to figure what was happening. Within minutes only the ships that had been boarded in the first salvo had any Believing marines on board. The UA didn’t have time to deal with their ships that where falling out of formation due to the infighting on the ships decks, since the 7th fleet had just engage in the battle.

On the bridge of the Victory at Lab 3 Captain Arther Vaudeville was having the time of his life. Leading the wall of ships into the UA fleet the superdreadnought was firing every weapon it had and taking fire that would of reduce lighter ships with relative ease. The bridge was a mass scene of chaos, “Target Beta 3 took a hit from five C-Beam shots, its listing, target Alpha 8 destroyed.”

“Damage control sent to missile 5, repeat damage control teams to missile 5.”

“Its confirm Admiral, Major Dallas has just taken over the bridge of the newly renamed, Victory at Sol and is pulling back the ship. That makes 5 UA ships we captured.”

“ Lord’s Grace is a code omega, dispatching SAR teams.”

The big ship shuddered as it took another missile hit, tearing of the large cross. Several of the turrets on the ship swivel and fire, several chaos beam shots driving right through the offending cruiser. It was with that the UA began to pull out. The Believers however not forgetting their long standing feud and the humiliation they had caused at Mars wouldn’t have any of that. By the next hour, only one heavily damage, heavily radiated destroyer made it back to UA lines, it had been let go as frigates that had been chasing it had entertained themselves by using low intensity lasers to carve a large cross port side.

Though tactically the battle was a success, the deployment of so much of the fleet to its individual components had left a way open to the surface of the Earth as the generals saw to their dismay as the first of the UA transports that had sneaked in during the fighting showed. The Believer’s Amarada reformed itself and quickly took a Lunar orbit to work on a new offensive.

[Sovereign]

The victory at Earth would have been much more bloody than it originally was if not for two crucial factors.

If the Believers hadn’t made an crucial mistake, setting up a trap for several University Alliance ships, the University would have had a much harder time digging out a niche above North America for the troop transports to land on Earth.

Also, it can be argued that if Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach weren’t the commanding officer of the whole University Alliance offensive in Sol, then the University would have lost at Mars.

It has always been said by the Academician that Devlin Yezprach had an unsettling calmness around him, which enabled him to think and plan five steps ahead of whatever the enemy was currently doing. Foresight and careful logic enables us to defeat odds once thought to be impossible, or at the very least, create valiant heroes.

“Univeralis” by Grand Historian L’Neer, circa 3367.

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

Sol
UAS Solaris, orbiting Mars

Grand Admiral Devlin Yezprach stood and stared at several tactical displays in the expansive bridge of the largest class of warship in the University Alliance. The UAS Solaris stood at 6 kilometers, making it one of the largest known vessels in Human and possibly Bree and Gorn space. The Fraal Motherships and the UAS Chronopolis, the Academician's Bastion fortress class ship, are among the few classes of ships larger than the Solaris.

Tactical Officer Diana stabbed several holodisplays with her long and slender fingers and then glanced at Yezprach, making eye contact.

“We are ready to advance on Earth. What are your orders?”

“Dispatch two squadrons to these sensor blips. They may be either Believing ships, or a trap. Either way, have two squadrons from Mars investigate the blips.

The rest of the fleet will advance onto Earth, and establish a safe zone over North America to insert our Mechanoids and Marines.”


As the five hundred ship strong University main fleet approached Earth, two squadrons of 25 ships each proceeded to split off and follow the sensor blips, under total sensor silence.

One hour later, a crippled destroyer approached the main University fleet, and broadcasted what had befallen its 49 other comrades.


Tactical Officer Diana looked up from her displays with concern on her face.

“We are receiving information from the survivor destroyer, the UAS Ferrarite. Its squadron, as well as its sister squadron were eliminated from a Believing trap.”

Admiral Yezprach merely smiled.

“Right on schedule, just as I planned.”

“Pardon me, sir? The loss of 49 ships is on schedule?”

“Diana, look at your tactical displays again. The Believers made a grave error by committing the seven groups to lay a trap for the 49 ships. The trap has essentially cost them Earth. A portion of space next to Earth is vacant of Believing ships. The groups that unleashed the trap were the ones that were guarding this now empty space next to Earth.

Make a course correction, and warp to Earth at the vacant space above the south pole, 10,000 kilometers above Antarctica. We will then proceed to charge up South America, and execute another Alpha Strike, clearing any and all Believing ships remaining above North and South America.

Upon completion of that, we shall land our Mechanoids and marines at these coordinates.”

The Admiral pointed at two regions with names under them on the North American map.

Two names glowed.

Boston and Los Angeles.


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

Chronopolis
Mako Reactor 01

A blue crystalline bottle of champagne rolled over and over, until it smashed against a smooth green tinted Neutronium wall.

As the camera panned upwards, a giant number reading zero-one could be seen emblazoned on the wall, which turns out to be a tapering circular structure.

The camera zoomed down then through several corridors inside the structure, then it zoomed back outside. It pans towards a raised platform with several people on it, then the focus zoomed onto Academician Randius Zakharov, then held its position.

The Academician smiled and looked right at the camera, and announced, “I hereby declare this moment a dawn of a new age of energy generation, thanks to our brilliant engineers and scientists.”

I present to you, our first commercial quantum reactor, Mako Reactor 01.”

The Academician pressed a ceremonial button, a small handheld black box with a green button in the middle. Mako Reactor 01 roared to life, with greenish, white, and purplish shards of light flaring and shooting out the top of the circular structure. The structure turns out to be a smokestack of sorts for light particles, instead of traditional smoke.

Mina stood next to the Academician, and described the historical significance of the first Quantum Reactor in mankind’s history.

“For the first time in a millennia, mankind has finally created a reactor that achieves what mankind has dreamed for almost a thousand years. A reactor that is perfectly reliant, has an infinite fuel supply, and is completely environmentally safe. It doesn’t require expensive clean-up, or complicated logistics with material such as burning ores or fuels.

Some may argue that solar and hydroelectric power is harmless and environmentally sound. This is true, however, solar power is unable to meet electric needs in large quantities, while hydroelectric power requires inefficient turbines.

The Mako reactor is the first large scale power generation that has no environmental impact and pollution. The reactor doesn’t need outdated turbines, nor does it require delicate operation or clean-up for dangerous by-products such as nuclear radiation, waste, and volatile anti-matter particles.

The byproduct of the Mako quantum reactors is leftover light particles that are harmless to humans, animals, and the environment.

Besides, Chronopolis could use the pleasant light show at night-time.”

Laughter and applause could be heard as Mina said her last line.

The camera zoomed out, then focused on the erupting light particles at the top of the reactor structure.

After approximately thirty Terran seconds, the camera view dimmed to blackness, and the University Omni News logo appeared, along with the date of 02 / 09 / 2702.


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

Several hours later

The Academician opened his communication frequency to the Navigator of the Bastion class fortress ship, the Chronopolis.

“Proceed to the coordinates under maximum cloak immediately, as per my orders from yesterday evening, upon my return to the Chronopolis.”

“Yes, sir.”


Half an hour later, the Academician’s private shuttle, carrying the Academician and Mina, arrived in the hangars of the Chronopolis, capable of housing three destroyer-sized ships comfortably.

All the crewmembers and the captain stood up and gave the standard greeting fist salute as the Academician and Mina arrived in the two hundred meter bridge.

Randius spoke directly to the captain and the Navigator.

“Proceed to these coordinates I provided yesterday evening, immediately.”


The Chronopolis shimmered and literally disappeared above the planet Univeralis IV, as the transphasic cloak engaged. The now invisible and phased ship banked in a steep curve, away from the glowing star Univeralis, towards an unknown destination. A quantum conduit opened up, and the ship disappeared inside the group of fluctuating white tendrils.

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

Sol
UAS Solaris, orbiting Earth

“Diana, fire.”

Space exploded as the entire University Alliance fleet warped in several thousand kilometers above Antarctica, and raced northwards to the space above the Americas. The fleet opened fire with hundreds of missiles, dozens of Yamato ultra heavy mount fusion cannon shots, and thousands of standard Tachyon pulse particle shots.

The two hundred Believing ships stationed above Earth, watching over their ground invasion like guardian angels, never stood a chance.

Literally dozens of Believing ships were shattered or sheared apart as hundreds of terawatts of energy tore into them, from the energy based weapons and the kinetic impact of the Xaos Multi-Warhead missiles. Most of the destroyed ships kept receiving missile and energy beam hits on their shattered remains, long after the ships ceased to function as battle capable entities.

The remaining hundred were severely damaged, and were torn to pieces at leisure as the enraged University commanders sought delicious revenge for their lost crewmates in the Believing trap.

Only two Believing ships, the Lord’s Wrath and Christ’s Goblet managed to make it back to their main fleet located at the far side of Luna, Earth’s moon.

The Alpha Strike assault was similar to an unstoppable tidal wave, but it had a great cost. The University fleet used up over one fourth of its missiles at Mars, then half of the remaining stock in the Alpha Strike over the Americas at Earth. Several ships had their energy reactors burn out from firing all their weapons at the same time.

A little over a dozen University Alliance warships had to shut down their reactors completely, and switched to auxiliary power for life support. They were sitting ducks if the Believers chose to counterattack at that moment.

Most of the ships in the University Fleet lost power to at least several subsystems, such as enviromental control, artifical gravity generators, nano-food replicators, amongst others. Several dozen other ships had to take their weapons off-line temporarily to maintain energy levels for life support until repairs and bypassing burnt out circuits could be made.


“The space above the Americas is secure, Admiral.”

“Diana, commence orbital bombardment of anti-aircraft and planetary-to-space batteries around Boston and Los Angeles.”

“What about the civilians, sir?”

“Diana, I appreciate your concern, but if we don’t destroy these batteries, our troops won’t be able to land, therefore allowing the Believers to massacre or commit more atrocities on Earth.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

“Understood, sir. However, I don’t have to agree with it.”


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

Los Angeles
Earth

A hundred University Alliance ships took up positions over Los Angeles, and pin-pointed several Believing batteries, and fired dozens of Tachyon flak bursts and several Space-to-Ground Tomahawk missiles.

Most of the city, landmarks, and infrastructure remained intact, due to precision bombarding. However, a Believing battery was located behind the ancient and famed Hollywood Sign hill near Sunset Historical Boulevard. The battery was destroyed, but the impacts shook the Hollywood Historical Preserve, causing the two L’s and the Y in the Hollywood sign to topple. The sign read “Howood”, but fortunately, the three toppled letters weren’t shattered or damaged severely.

The citizens of Los Angeles, Hollywood Historical Preserve, Beverly Hills Arcologies, and people as far as San Francisco and San Diego could see and hear the massive Beaker class troop transports glide from space, into the skies above California.

The Californians were initially confused, angered, and fearful, as they thought the transports were either bringing more Believer troops, or dropping pirates.

However, when they saw the giant University symbol on the sides of the Transports, they began to realize something was up. Every human being in the Human Sector knows that the University and Believers are long standing enemies, on opposite sides of ideology, culture, psychology, morality, sociology, and in short, practically everything except belonging to the same species.

The Beaker Transports disgorged hundreds upon hundreds of Mechanoids, and thousands of either cybernetic-enhanced berserkers, or non-cybernetic University regular Marines.

After ten hours of fierce urban fighting, the Believers were on the run from Los Angeles, due to the morale loss of their protective batteries and heavy weaponry, in addition to the sheer volume of troops being deployed in the city.

General Bill Fox, the commander in chief of the ground forces of the University, invited Terran reporters, as well as several University Omni News correspondents to the Hollywood Hill.

The general spoke as University engineers restored the two fallen L’s and the Y back to an upright position, mending the Hollywood sign.

“Citizens of Earth, this is General Bill Fox, the University’s commander in chief of ground forces. The University Alliance has made it a goal to free the oppressed people of Earth from the fanatical Believers.

Thousands of University men and women have already sacrificed their lives to liberate Earth, so that Earth may once again be free. The University has already liberated Mars, and a provisional government is already in the process of being established on Mars.

The University will ensure that Earth will be liberated, even if the University has to sacrifice another thousand, or even a million soldiers to see that it happens.

Some of you may be thinking ‘He’s talking the talk, but when does he walk the walk?’ I can assure you that the actions over the next few days or weeks will prove the University’s dedication to liberate Earth from similar extremists that almost destroyed Earth six centuries ago.

The University will not fail. I will not fail. We will succeed!”


As the scene played out in Los Angeles, a similar scene was occurring in Boston. The Believers were driven out of Boston after an eight hour struggle, mainly since Boston had considerably less sprawl than Los Angeles.

Several historical landmarks in Boston experienced minor collateral damage, such as Faunheil Hall, the State House, the University of M.I.T, the Prudential High Rise, and the Museum of Science.

However, with the University Alliance’s advanced construction nanotechnology, virtually all the damage would be fixed within the next several days. The landmarks in both cities would show absolutely no sign of being damaged, and in fact become more resistant to damage, corrosion, or vandalism.

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

Four days later
General Bill Fox’s camp, at the base of Hollywood Hill

“Sir! You have to take a look at this!”

General Bill Fox regarded the visitor with mixed contempt for interrupting his work, and curiosity at what the private had to say.

“Yes, what is it, Private Sean Donnell?”

“We were surveying the terrain north of Las Vegas, where several Believing detachments were reported to be fleeing, hoping to get through the mountain passes to get through to the other side.

We discovered a large underground bunker system half a kilometer under the desert. It doesn’t look like the Believers constructed it. It would have taken them considerable time and resources to build these bunker structures, and they haven’t been around this long.”

“Interesting. I will investigate with two full division of Mechanoids, a division of Marines, and a battalion of Corps Engineers.”

“Sir, why all that firepower and numbers?”

“Corporal, I have a hunch.”

“I see… Corporal? You’re promoting me?”

“Yes. Keep up the good work.”


The next morning, the desert sands north of Las Vegas tumbled and skittered, as hundreds of treads, hovers, feet, and locomotion devices went over the ground.

Several concentric fences were either trampled or vaporized as several Mechanoids fired their energy and ballistic weapons at the fences. Shortly thereafter, hundreds of marines marched over it, along with several Wraith hover-tanks.

A sign off to the side, unnoticed by the majority of the Mechanoids and marines read two words.

AREA 51

[Lonestar]

Even as the University tested it's first Singularity drive, the Tyrant's Protectorate was following a parallel course with two dreadnaughts, the Harbringer and Thunderer. It was entirely fitting with the times that the Tyrant's first Q-ship was christianed Harbringer. Soon, The ground campaign on Sluis Van would be over, and the meat grinder of Sab Abar would begin.

The Rise of the the Tyrant” by Grand Historian L’Neer, circa 3362.
---------------------

Harbringer, RE123

The RE123 system was a brown dwarf that was considered the 'little sister' to Beta Hydri. Far enough away that the sudden creation of, say, a black hole wouldn't cause (too much) damage, but close enough to far within the vast defenses of the Beta Hydri system.

Admiral Ealstan, the Chief of Naval Operations stood on the bridge of massive dreadnaught with a revolutionary propulsion system. The design was 6 years in the making, with aid from the Dosi and recovered alien spacecraft the Rangers had found.

Ambassador Atvar of the Dosi skittered up to Ealstan.

" I hope the, hmm, propulsion unit meets your satisfaction Admiral."

Ealstan grinned. He felt like a wet-behind the ears midshipman again!

"We certainly couldn't have done it without your help, Superior Sir. If you'd mind sitting down, Protectorate Interial dampners have never been tested to these stress levels." Atvar sat down at a chair designed for his reptiliod phisology. Ealstan sat down next the the Captain, Balton.

"Well, lets see what she can do, Captain!"

Balton nodded, he was a singular humorless man. He turned to the ship's Command Master Chief and said; " Everything ready Master Chief?"

The Salty spacedog grinned. "You bet skipper!"

Balton nodded again.

"Helm, energize Q-drive, set course for the coordinates set in the computer.....enage."

Realspace disappeared, and a whirling tunnel appeared on the view screen. The ship was shuddering slightly.

"Better stability than on our own ships, I think." Atvar mused, then swung an eye turret towards Ealstan. "I think the Emperor's engineer's would like to look at your interial dampening design."

Ealstan kept grinning.

" I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Entering realspace in three...two...one.." A star field appeared on the screen, with a rapidly approaching (although slowing down) Green Goliath Battleship visible.

"Matewan hailing Harbringer," Came the voice of Captain Parada. "Looks like you didn't even scratch the paint. Recording the time as 4 minutes, 12 seconds, a distance of .25 light ye.."

The bridge errupted in a roar. 15 ly in 4 minutes! And they didn't even bring it up to full power! Of course, the Harbringer would return to New Europa under it's Matter/anti-matter drive so as to conduct stress tests, but...

They had done it! The Harbringer would have to return to Beta Hydri under it's Matter/anti-matter drive so it can be stressed-tested, but they had done it!

"Captain, we're getting a transmission from Nuevo San Antonio..."

Admiral Ealstan took the call. "Probaly Dr. Pym asking how his baby is doing." He flicked to switch to visual. The bridge let out a collective gasp.

A Tried but healthy looking man in his fifities appeared. "My friends, let me be the first to congradulate you on this historic accomplishment..." Lord Protector Ian McDiarmid began...

[Lonestar]

The fall of Terra, first to the Believers and then to the University signeled and exodus of refugees to other systems. EC warships packed with civilians arrived at Chiron, Roving, and Morgan Intersteller. Naturally, each collection of EC forces claimed to be the "True Free Earth" government.
History of Terra by Grand Historian L’Neer, circa 3358.

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

Roving

Admiral Soontir Fel looked up as Fleet Captain Sven Christensen of the local EC forces walked in.

"Ah, Captain, please sit. You wanted to speak to me...?"

The dark burly man with the unlikely name scowled. He was the defacto commander of the EC forces and refugees at Roving, and most civil authorities groaned and ran when he appeared. He was singularly unfriendly, with a haughtiness that came from the Homeworld of Humanity.

"Thank you Admiral. I will come straight to the point. As commander of the Free Earth Forces, I demand to know why the Protectorate is not doing anything to liberate Earth."

Christensen crossed his arms. Fel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had better things to do than to listen to the whines of a Terren Fleet captain who took his force and ran instead of standing and fighting.

" First off, I'm not entirely sure you would qualify as leader of "Free Earth", the collection at Chiron is 3 times larger and has chunks of the EC government with it. Second, in case you haven't noticed, what with living in the barracks we so kindly gave you and your refugees, that there is something of a war going on. Even in Peacetime we wouldn't be ready to fight a foe like the UA without knowing the extent of their alliances."

"Yes, about your barracks..." Christensen leaned forward. "Why did you choose to place us at a base with That name?"

Fel was bewildered.

"The Presidio de las Cruces?"

"Yes! Do you know what those words mean?"

Fel shrugged "The Fort of the Crosses?"

"Yes! How dare you insult us like this!"

"What the Hell are you talking about Christensen?"

Christensen's scowl became darker. He seemed to be geninuely angry. "Is we had known your people had a similiar faith along the lines of the Believers, and chose to throw it in our faces, we would have never came here."

Comprehension dawned. "You're serious? You think we'll turn you over to the Believers or something because we're a fairly religious soceity?'

"You allow Religion and state to co-mingle. Why, I've even heard your Leadership invoke, " Christensen spat it out "God in their speaches!"

Fel blinked.

"You do know that our War Minister is Hindu, right?"

Christensen stood up.

"Admiral, I merely came to visit to see what you would about the situation. Since it is obvious that you will not so respect to us, I am taking my squadron and the refugees to Chiron. We will be leaving in a week."

Christensen turned to leave. A predatory smile grew on Fel's face.

"Oh, no you won't Captain. I have been authorized to intern your squadron, with or without your cooperation. And since you have decided to be ingracious towards our hospitaliy, I am going to make the recommendation that your warships be used for the war effort. I expect in a week you'll be in the camp on the surface, while the Madrid is helping secure Sluis Van. Good day."

Christensen grew purplefaced.

"You can't do this! We have rights! We..."

"Are no longer part of a functioning government, so you don't have any 'rights'. You're lusky we didn't slaughter you for presuming to enter our territory without our permission. Good day, Captain."

"You..."

Fel sighed.

"Security, escort Mr. Christensen to the Brig."

Two Master-at-Arms walked into the office and dragged Christensen away, who was screaming epithets at Fel. Fell shook his head.

"You Terrens just got too comfortable, Christensen. You need to learn, most other Human nations couldn't care less about your status as the Homeworld, least of all the Protectorate."