Yet while this is going on, EX-01 discovers something disquieting: the World Annihilator Project.
The Yor Authority, an evil insectoid empire, is apparently rebuilding this station. Worse, the system in which it is located is positively infested with pirates, namely the Theta Pyxidis Gangsters, which is by far the most powerful pirate faction Olympia knows about, with 15 controlled colonies, 526 military vessels wielding a total firepower of 48,105. This is not good.
2140.02.28 Olympia agrees to a Mutual Defense Pact with the Tarapin Colonies. Within days, the Great Keskudon Group conquers a Quameno Ascendency colony very close to Olympia. The Keskudon are getting far too powerful--and belligerent. The problem is, their military is more than twice as large as Olympia’s.
On the other hand, their Goverment is the Way of Darkness. These guys are bad news and must be stopped.
The new fleet was originally being built to fight pirates. Perhaps they need to fight the Keskudon instead...
2140.07.18 The President meets with his Security Council, to discuss the situation:
- The Keskudon Group clearly wishes to conquer the galaxy.
- This must be prevented at all costs.
- The Olympian Way cannot do this alone.
- Therefore, it is resolved that:
- Mutual Defense Pacts must be forged with those threatened by the Keskudon Group
- The Olympian Way must undergo a military buildup to meet the threat.
- Hostilities will commence when the situation is favorable.
The Enton Coalition readily agrees to join the Great Alliance. They join the other two empires, the Kiadian Federation and the Tarapin Colonies. The other empires that border on the Keskudon Group’s territory prove more recalcitrant, but the diplomats work on them.
2140.08.27 Olympia makes a Mutual Defense Pact with the Tairoshan Federation.
2141.01.01 While preparations for war continue, the Navy sends 3rd and 1st Fleet to attack a pirate base of the Republic’s old nemesis, the Burning Claw Marauders. At first the attack appears to be going well, and then disaster strikes.
Devastator’s shields go down, and it as it withdraws to recharge them, its hyperdrive fails. The ship is swarmed by pirate troop transports, which swamp it with boarders, far too many to repel.
As the situation on Devastator becomes untenable, Admiral Thassun Zotri escapes in an escape pod and makes his way to the frigate Andromeda, which he reassumes command of the fleet.
The frigate Lyra explodes, but the pirate space port is destroyed as well.
2141.02.16 Cancer is destroyed, but by now the worst has happened.
The rest of the fleet attempts to escape.
Camelopardalis is crippled. Devastator’s hyperjump inhibiting field prevents the Republic ships from escaping, and so rather than flee, they all engage it. With their long range missiles they should be able to neutralize it.
Lepus is destroyed, and the frigates are damaging Devastator, but they just can’t seem to cripple it.
Devastator withdraws, and the frigates escape after retrieving escape pods from Camelopardalis What a disaster. Devastator was by far Olympia’s most capable warship.
Just before Camelopardalis goes offline, it reports that it is being boarded by the pirates.
A large number of Burning Claw Marauder pirate vessels are spotted heading towards a mining base in Olympian territory. 11th Fleet, containing Olympia’s newest and most advanced ships, is sent to the station to destroy and ambush any pirates that arrive.
2142.08.27 It has taken a while, but the newest invasion force has been prepared. The Keskudons are at war with two empires.
The plan is for the Invasion force to move to the Omicron Velorum system, which is populated primarily by Quameno, and once in orbit, conclude as many Mutual Defense Pacts as possible, and then declare war. The Quameno will likely be happy to join the Olympian Way, so the invasion should go smoothly. Once the invasion is complete, after a short consolidation period, the invasion fleet will proceed to Delta Sagittae and take it. That planet is primarily populated by Keskudon, so the invasion might not go as easily. After that, Olympia will hunker down and attempt to defend its gains.
2142.09.23 Attempts to forge Mutual Defense Pacts with the Keskudon neighbors fail.
This will be a turning point for the Olympian Way. It will either begin a time when the Way begins its expansion, or it will signal the doom of the Way as the Keskudons crush it. Time will tell.
2142.10.01 The Fleets close in.
2142.10.16 11th Fleet arrives. The troop transports are on the way.
Here is how things stand just before the initiation of hostilities:
Empire
|
Olympian Way
|
Great Keskudon Group
|
Colonies
|
4
|
27
|
Population
|
13716M
|
47707M
|
Tax Revenue
|
164K
|
328K
|
Annual GDP
|
336K
|
1092K
|
Strategic Value
|
1465K
|
5530K
|
Military Strength
|
6328
|
22182
|
Currently the Great Keskudon Group is already at war with the Free Shandar Paradise, the Lipid Confederacy, the Caleph Federation, and the Quameno Ascendency.
The Teekan Consortium is actually a Subjugated Dominion under the Keskudons, which has to be giving the Keskudon a lot of cash. This simply reinforces the fact that the Keskudons must be stopped before this gets any worse.
2142.10.17 Alea iacta est.
The Keskudon react to the declaration of war...unsurprisingly
Fortunately, the Enton Coalition, the Tarapin Colonies, and the Kiadian Federation all agree to declare war on the Keskudon. The Keskudon now have eight empires at war with them. Olympia hopes it is enough.
Hostilities begin.
The fleet battle is quick and brutal, and the Olympian forces defeat the Keskudon quickly. The battle for the planet itself is similarly one-sided, and Omicron Velorum 2 soon becomes part of the Olympian Way.
In preparation for the inevitable counterattack, Olympia begins building more ships.
11th Fleet prepares to move on to Delta Sagittae, but the Keskudon respond immediately. First a powerful destroyer arrives, but is blown away by 11th Fleet's guns. Almost immediately a more powerful Strike Force approaches, containing three of the same destroyers, each of which is as powerful as 2.5 Olympian destroyers.
Fortunately the ships come in piecemeal, and are no match for 11th Fleet.
5th Fleet proceeds to Delta Sagittae because long range scanners indicate few defenses are present in the system. It turns out the long range scanners were wrong--or rather, Delta Sagittae was at the limit of its range. Delta Sagittae does have several destroyers and a small space port. The troop transports gun their engines and move in.
Some of them take damage, but all of them execute their drops and escape without any losses. Very quickly the troops overwhelm the tiny garrison, and Delta Sagittae 2 becomes part of the Olympian Way. As an added bonus, assault troops take over the small spaceport in orbit, and immediately open fire on the Keskudon ships still in orbit!
2nd Fleet is dispatched to reconnoitre the Chi Equulei system, but as it departs a Keskudon Strike Fleet is observed attacking the system neighboring Nu Centauri, Kappa Piscium, which belongs to Olympia’s allies, the Quameno Ascendency. 2nd Fleet diverts to face the threat, and aids the Quameno in forcing the Keskudon to flee.
Yet the Quameno are not very grateful, as they demand that Olympia remove its military vessels from their territory.
2143.04.26 Delta Sagittae 2 Space Port will eventually be destroyed unless some Olympian ships rescue it, as one of the Keskudon destroyers outranges it.
Various fleets juggle to manage this.
11th Fleet leaves Omicron Velorum to defend the newly capture colony on Delta Sagittae 2.
4th Fleet at Olympia leaves to cover Omicron Velorum.
5th Fleet (Transports) heads to Reunion in the Upsilon Vulpeculae system to repair.
In the meantime, the Free Shandar Paradise take back their planet in the Chi Equulei system. Good work.
Also, at the Keskudon colony of Secura 4, the Caleph Federation attacks the Keskudons in force. This is what Olympia likes to see. This will bear some watching.
11th Fleet arrives to rescue Delta Sagittae 2 Space Port.
Delta Sagittae 2 is safe, for the moment. In the capture, two captured Keskudon vessels, an Iskenderun-class destroyer and a Baku-class escort, provide an opportunity for Olympian scientists to study Keskudon vessels and design. What they find is intriguing. First the armament of the Baku is pure rail guns, with no long ranged armament. The Iskenderun, on the other hand, is only armed with Shockwave Torpedoes, with no beam weapons or guns. There are no advanced technologies on either vessel, so rather than retire them, they will be put to use.
2143.07.01 The Gizurean Consciousness declares war on the Enton Federation, the Tarapin Colonies among others, and both empires ask Olympia to honor the Mutual Defense Pacts. Olympia does.
2143.08.20 2nd Fleet arrives in the Phi Tucanae system, and lures away the defensive fleet. The sides are approximately evenly matched.
2143.09.01 Omicron Velorum 2 comes under attack, and there are only a few frigates available to defend it. 11th Fleet responds and head that way, but Keskudon troop transports drop attack forces on the planet. The first attack is repelled, but the second one is more powerful. 4th Fleet attempts to hold off the attacks until 11th Fleet can arrive.
11th Fleet arrives, but the battle on the planet itself is close.
Fortunately the attackers are repelled.
2144.01.01 With the new year, the fleets redeploy to meet the perceived threats. A large Keskudon Fleet is headed towards Mu Sextantis, which was recently conquered by the Free Shandar Paradise. Olympian fleets deploy to attack it should it change course and attack elsewhere.
At this time, this is how things stand:
Empire
|
Olympian Way
|
Great Keskudon Group
|
Colonies
|
6
|
25
|
Population
|
15553M
|
47118M
|
Tax Revenue
|
179K
|
253K
|
Annual GDP
|
376K
|
961K
|
Strategic Value
|
1670K
|
4879K
|
Military Strength
|
8688
|
25014
|
2144.02.15 The Mortalen Supremacy, a Protectorate under the Keskudon, had declared war early on, but has since tired of the war, and they propose peace. Accepted.
The Paratakis Collective, allies to the Keskudon, propose the same. Accepted.
2144.06.24 11th and 5th Fleets, at Omicron Velorum, prepare for an attack on Phi Tucanae, while the Keskudon 12th Fleet makes it way west across Olympian space on a course for the Free Shandar Paradise controlled planet system of Mu Sextantis. At Reunion (Upsilon Vulpeculae system), a new fleet is formed to defend against the Keskudon 12th Fleet if it decides to attack after taking Mu Sextantis.
Subsquently, it is clear that either the Keskudon 12th Fleet was chased away, or dumped its load of troops and then left the system. Either way, it appears intact. Now it is headed back to Phi Tucanae, presumably to refuel and reload with troops. The Navy decides to go ahead with the attack on Phi Tucanae. That system is too important to the Keskudon to allow to to remain in their hands.
2144.07.20 Apparently the Keskudon 12th Fleet was successful. Mu Sextantis falls into Keskudon hands. Olympia prepares to take it from them.
2144.08.27 Just as 11th and 5th Fleets close on Phi Tucanae, the Keskudon 37th Fleet is spotted approaching. This is in addition to the 12th Fleet which is supposedly en route but is currently out of scanner coverage.
2144.09.05 The Fleets arrive at Phi Tucanae 1 at almost the same time. 11th Fleet is probably outgunned by the Keskudon, but they just have to distract them until 5th Fleet can drop its troops. It appears that the planet has no facilities and essentially no garrison.
The destroyer Proserpina takes heavy damage, but the troop transports move in fast to execute their drops unhindered.
Proserpina and Thalia are both destroyed, and Phocaea is next.
Phi Tucanae 1 falls.
But the fleet has taken a pounding. Reinforcements are on the way, but the Keskudon will have the upper hand for some time.
The cruiser Avenger is destroyed, and with it, Fleet Admiral Thassun Zotri, but the newly captured spaceport and orbital battery makes good account for themselves.
Thetis is destroyed, but the orbital battery takes out multiple Keskudon ships.
The Keskudon 12th Fleet arrives, and it doesn’t look good.
At this point there are only three Olympian destroyers left in the fight. The orbital battery’s shields are at 50%, the spaceport’s at 10%. The good news is that it appears that there are no troops onboard the Keskudon transports. The loss of space control over Phi Tucanae 1 appears to be inevitable, but the planet itself may be safe until an Olympian Fleet is able to reclaim it.
Kalliope, Fortuna, and Themis are all destroyed.
Amazingly, before the spaceport and orbital battery are destroyed, most of the Keskudon fleets depart, presumably to refuel, leaving only a few destroyers behind to keep fighting. Unfortunately, it looks like it will be enough.
The Gizurean Consciousness wants to end hostilities, which were in name only anway.
Agreed.
2144.12.25 4th Fleet charges into the Phi Tucanae 1 system and destroys the attacking Keskudons, just in time to save the spaceport and the defense battery. 8th Fleet is on the way to provide reinforcements.
At Mu Stextantis, 12th Fleet prepares to invade, but it appears that the Keskudons have formidable planetary defenses, and so the fleet decides to merely blockade the planet instead.
No comments:
Post a Comment