From the Ashes - The story of mankind

AdmiralMaximus

Join Date 01/2009

From the Ashes - The story of mankind

In 2175 the human race was in ecstasy. For over a century now, since 2054 to be exact, most human beings were living under some form of population control. the right to have a child was handed out to only select families. Some couples waited up to ten years for various governements to process their requests only to be denied after an eternity of painful and anxious wait. Our planet was only so big and with only so many ressources. We as a species had to develop mature and concrete steps to make sure our civilization, and our very existence would not be put in jeopardy! Though draconian these measures were vital and by 2097, the year the planet unified its most powerful governments into one overarching entity, deliberately breaking the Prime Natal Law resulted in capital punishment within 7 days of being convicted. All non-deliberate pregnancies were immediately aborted and the man subject to capital punishment. Overcrowded cities were not uncommon to have disease outbreaks, and sometimes the governemtn took far too long to respond and aid the civilians affected. Morale throughout our species was at an all-time low. Surely there have been episodes in the history of mankind where a certain people have been oppressed to the brink of losing all faith in life. Wars had ravaged our planet time and time again and yet we never seemed to quite learn our lesson, but at this point in our history things were different. The lethargy and decay in which the masses of our civilization had fallen into thanks to inadequate and ill-conceived gov't actions led to a progressive massive morale slump the likes of which history had never recorded. And while the people suffered, state media (for all media was state-owned) talked of summit meetings in which our great leaders pledged trillions of dollars to support the growing crisis...They were skilfull at throwing sand in our eyes while the real problems festered underneath.

But all of this was about to change. In 2170 a brilliant and enigmatic man by the name of Dr. William Allison descovered how to properly conduct cold fusion. This incredible discovery led to a vast array of public works and iniatives that quickly brought the standard of living up again. Energy was now affordable! Artists began recording music again, Intercontinental travel became available to everyone, the spark our civilization needed had finally come. The highest epitome of our pride and joy that every human had was revealed 5 years later in 2175 when the same Dr. Allison created what would become known as Hyperdrive.

Hyperdrive was a means of interstellar travel. For centuries humans had looked towards the stars and wondered, impotent to do anything else really. Over time we embarked on various projects to get us ever closer to the stars. During the period known as the cold war the Soviets had managed to build their very own space station in orbit of our planet. Mir was later brought down in the Pacific Ocean as a new space station began construction after the cold war ended. The ISS (International Space Station) served its purpose well into the 21st century eventually upgrading to a relay post between Earth and the moon research facility (known as Grey Rock). As humans continued to progress a small colony was established on Mars and by 2175 there were up to 3000 people living on Mars, most from the military.

When Dr. Allison died on december 5th 2212 a planet wide service was organized. Every country under the banner of the United Earth Federation had a day of mourning. People flocked to the streets to witness a funeral on the giant screens lining the large boulevards of the planet's great capital cities. Though humanity had lost it's greatest mind and scientific achiever since Einstein it would lose all that it had gained at far greater cost.

On decemeber 7th 2212 the independent governement of Russia declared that all people, not jsut those bearing the flag of the UEF, should have full access to cold fusion technology. Furthermore the Russian Ambasador to the UEF made a shocking statement when he accused certain elements in the UNA gov't (Union of North America government) of witholding certain aspects of the technology and not alowing other UEF states full control over the patent laws of the tech. UNA answered back saying such propositions were ludicrous and that the current UEF gov't could attest to that. The Russians countered by stating that all major power strutures within the UEF were held by UNA lobbyists and bureaucrats, and that an impartial jury could never be formed to put the matter ot a close. At the same time Russia secretly transported over 25 nuclear warheads and delivery systems to its closest economic allies in central America, namely Venezuala. When UNA spy satelites caugth the Russians red-handed they responded by saying that the nukes would only be withdrawn if the cold fusions patents were made available to a number of companies worldwide instead of the power-hungry UNA conglomerates. An emergency session of the UEF was immediately called but two days later negotiations were at a standstill. The UNA gov't met and decided that a unilateral plan of action was needed. Strike teams were assembled to go into venezuala and Ecuador to take out and nullify the warheads. They failed.

On decemeber 12th 2212 the first bomb went off (some say in Moscow, while others say in Washington) and all that we had worked for over the past 10 000 years as a species was gone. Flash after Flash of Brigth all-encompassing light shook our planet to its very foundations until, when nuclear winter settled in, we were but a shadow of our former selves.

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Alright so this is my first ever AAR.

I hope you guys like it, once i get the backsotry all settled up i'll give you some info about the game.

aars

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Muckler isn't a new character!

check out the post when the Genesis colonizes Ashlain 1.

Update to go up tomorrow as the Federation deals with pirate threat

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Terran constructor vessel Jaques Demers
Former location of Springfield Mining Station

The Jaques Demers hung over a large debris field. Her captain sat in his chair somewhat speechless at the destrucion visible on his bridge viewer. Salvage crews were already out to try and retrieve any type of useful materials. Large searchlights swam over the area to illuminate large chunks of what used to be the Springfield mining station. Illumination was bad since the site was in a remote part of space. So remote, in fact, was its location that simply getting to this site had taken well over a month at maximum speed. Echelon units had not been installed here yet and little did the captain know how important that would have been.

Because he had been out of Echelon range and in full hyperspeed he had been unaware of the attack, and all Federation attempts to contact him had failed to penetrate the warp field. When the Jaques Demers had emerged out of warp she had been greeted by a scene of utter devastation. Sensors indicated that there were no lifeforms or lifepods anywhere in the sector. The Captain had immediately sent out salvage crews. Though his ship had been initially commissioned to upgrade the barracks for workers on the mining station, she was now undertaking a very different mission.

Many of the crew had asked to leave at once and return to a more hospitable area of space and transmit their report to the Federation, but the captain had refused. There were too many valuable and salvageable pieces of debris floating around and perhaps even certain technological secrets. Until the area had been completely cleared of such debris he would not order the ship to return home. When the first small salvage ship exploded in a bright fireball that lit up the debris field his heart sank.

Immediately he ordered all salvage crews to make for the hangar and the hyperspace engines to spool up. It was too little too late...

Omega Squadron
On route to Springfield Mining Station
Wing Commander Isoroku Nakata Commanding

The three flights of SF-101 Helixs making up Omega squadron streaked across the void in hyperspace. Every member of the squadron was eager to test their abilities. This would afterall be the first offensive measure taken by the Navy since its creation and everyone sought to make it a successfull one. Isoroku Nakata had been given the priviledge and honour of leading the Navy's finest in this endeavour.

"Sir, the signature we've been monitoring just dissappeared. I'm not sure but I believe it was Terran sir." this was Nakata's navigator.

Nakata felt a sense of excitment come over him. It wasn't that he was cold towards the loss of Terran ship, but he knew that the pirates were still lingering around the site. They hadn't yet cleared out of there.

"See if we can't increase our speed. What's our present ETA?" Nakata asked

"ETA is fourteen hours seven-teen minutes. Incresed speed is not a possibility, our reactor is already close to the redline. We've been pushing it full tilt since we left Pearson."

Nakata cursed under his breath, his eagerness to engage in combat seemed only to increase with the fact that he now knew the pirates' exact location.

14 hours later

Nakata pulled up holo-imagery on his tactical display. His sensors showed multiple vessels congregated on a high point on the Y-axis on top of the most concentrated areas of the debris field. Imagery showed the ships to be larger than his Helixs and better armed, but there were fewer of them. Omega Squadron outnumbered them 3-1. Nakata smiled.

"Fifteen minutes out sir!" announced his navigator with barely concealed entusiasm.

"Order radio silence and inform all flight leaders to standby."

"Aye Sir!!"

Nakata studied his imagery closely and began to formulate a plan. Seeing as the pirate vessels were concentrated in one large chunk it was clear they did not expect any more visitors in this sector. Nakata guessed that they must have been salvaging. His mind raced at the possiblities that a surprise attack offered him. He weighed the information in his mind taking in every consideration; numbers, gunnery, speed, environment, and weapons yield. He planned to divide his forces in two with one large force attacking from up top forcing the pirates into a bottleneck with the debris field below them. His second smaller force would lay in wait under the debris field and pick off the enemy ships one by one as they emerged out after beeing forced through the field. Furthermore, depending on the sensitivity of the enemy sensors there was a slight chance that they would not detect the third flight. He keyed in the strategy on his projector and sent it out to his flight leaders.

"Coming out of warp in 30 seconds sir."

"Order Bravo and Charlie flights to their designated positions and arm all weapons."

Even though they were in warp Nakata knew that the pirates would probably detect his armed weapons but it would still be too late.

Nakata's Helix came out of warp a hundred clicks above the pirates with his and Bravo flights in tow. Charlie flight was held back until the fighting would start. The pirates' ships reacted somewhat quicker then Nakata had expected but still not fast enough.

"Aquire and prioritize targets" yelled Nakata. A chorus of affirmative answers responded.

"Weapons free, good hunting."

Nakata and two thirds of his squadron streaked down towards the pirates who seemed completely baffled. He had indeed achived the element of surprise. Tora Tora Tora he muttered to himself before unleashing a barage of rocket fire. Plumes of smoke left 24 Helixs at almost the same time and raced towards the enemy vessels.

"Switch to AI assist guidance missiles" Nakata calmly told his Navigator.

The first slavo of rockets that shot towards the pirates were not especially good at seeking and following targets and were meant mostly as a fire and forget weapon, but they achieved a very important objective. With almost 100 rockets coming towards them the pirates were forced to manouever and avoid getting hit throwing them into further disarray. As the rockets reached their objective some of them hit their targets and tore large holes into the hulls of the enemy ships. Nakata smiled when he saw multiple explosions light up.

"Pirate weapons are now armed sir."

Nakata cursed the fact that he had been given this mission without the newer Helix-Bs which were equipped with magnetic armour technology. The pirates were now resembling more of an organized force but they had been damaged and were trying to escape. Their only avenue however was to try to fly through the field below them as the Federation ships closed in from above. At this moment Charlie Flight emerged from warp and took up positions at their assigned spot below the field. Nakata closed in on a pirate vessel and flew the Helix in on his six. The pirate tried to escape his impending doom but Nakata let loose an AI assist missile and blew him to oblivion. Around him more explosions lit up as the battle reached its zenith.

"Bravo four watch your six, Alpha seven move to intercept!"

Though Nakata had his own ship to fly and do battle with he also had to make sure the rest of his squadron stayed intact. He winced as he saw two Helixs go up in flames as mass driver weapons tore through them.

"Incoming missile!" yelled his navigator

Nakata moved quickly. He released his chaff and made a hard turn to port. The missile streaked past the chaff but couldn't compete with the rate of turn of Nakata's Helix and exploded upon impact with a chunk of Springfield Starbase. The pirate heavy fighters were beeing beat back closer and closer towards the debris field just as Nakata had planned. Eventually the pirates decided they had had enough of battle and that their chances of getting out alive diminished with every passing second. The pirates began to withdraw as they attempted to move through the debris into the relative safety of the other side, but as they emerged form the field they were greeted by incoming missiles and weapons fire from Charlie flight.

Each and every last pirate ship was obliterated.

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After the battle Nakata congratulated everyone in Omega Squadron on a perfectly executed mission. The Federation fighters had managed to completely eradicate the pirate threat in this sector at the cost of only three ships. In the process they had avenged the destruction of Springfield Starbase and the constructor vessel Jaques Demers. After giving their respects to their fallen comrades Omega Squadron led by the victorious Isoroku Nakata left the debris field made just a bit bigger by the day's successful action.

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Very good Nakata et al

Sorry about forgetting who Mulkler was btw....

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WOW!!! KUTGW

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Pearson Naval Station
The Hub

Alan Bradshaw stood in his large office in front of a window and stared out into space. In his field of vision he could see the large shield components of the outer ring protecting the inner pyramid structure. The Station itself held a number of Helix Squadrons as well as numerous weapon platforms. It was undoubtedly the most secure and powerful structure in space protecting one of the most important sectors of Federation worlds. The station also had a top secret passive weapon in he form of its warp field disruptor. This disruptor would project negative effect on any ship not bearing Terran warp signatures and over the years it had been finely tuned to have maximum effect on Drengin ships. Any ship not Terran would suffer significant speed reduction and provide an important strategic advantage to the Galactic Navy in its area of effet.

Bradshaw was satistfied with the way things had gone for his Navy since its creation. Though he so far hadn't been able secure all the funding he had hoped for in order to construct all the ships he wanted, the latest action against the pirates made him confident his pilots, wing comanders, and admirals were capable of defending the Federation with furious vengeance. After GNN had reported the successful mission to the people Bradshaw had received a congratulatory message from Emperor Lord Kona. It was not lost on Bradshaw that the Drengin had followed the story with more than just an interest in the outcome.

After the numerous reports that the Empire had a larger military than the Federation Bradshaw had been given the go ahead for the construction of more squadrons of Helixs but not for the larger ships designed by his research and development staff. Bradshaw had cursed the lack of understanding from the higher powers of the central government. Though the Helix had proved itself useful and capable, the future of space based combat resided in larger ships able to bring more firepower to bear.

Bradshaw turned away from the window and sat down at the head of the large rectangular table in the office. Around the table were assembled his most trusted admirals including newly promoted Isoroku Nakata. Also included were members of FISA (Federation Information and Security Agency) and scientists from Gray Rock.

"Gentlemen, thank you all for coming on such short notice" Bradshaw began. "As you can see from your holo units we have a large agenda to cover so let's get started without furter delay."

Bradshaw knew that this meeting would be critical in shaping the future of the Federation. The central government's policy of containment was failing badly and they were too blind to admit it. Bradshaw wondered if he had made the right choice in choosing his successor. Though Anderson had proven himself to be more than capable at diffusing volatile situations with both the Dregin representatives and noisy Terran governors, he lacked foresight. Drengin influence and territorial claims doubled that of the Federation's, yet he still clung to the policy of containment and increased colonization efforts on the outskirts of what was known as the border worlds. Bradshaw had been incensed at such a course of action. That funding should be used to increase Terran military preparedness as a deterrent, thought Bradshaw.

"First order of business is the growing food shortages on Earth which is nothing short of a famine. The central government has asked help from the military establishment to help with relief efforts. What are our options?"

Juan Lebedev was the first to speak up. "We at Gray Rock have developed a new strain of wheat seedlings capable of withstanding the harshest conditions. Though I shared with the rest of humanity the excitement of knowing that Earth was habitable again never did I think that so many people would flock there at once. Poor planning by the central government if you ask me. Either way we are ready with a large shipment of the grain all we need is heavy cargo haulers to transport it."

"Why haven't you gone to the guild yet for said ships?" a voice asked

"We have" replied Lebedev "but the Primero regretted to inform us that all heavy haulers were currently used in trade operations with the Drengin."

Bradshaw scowled. The damn guild and their profits. There were a number of facial expressions around the table which seemed to confirm what he was thinking.

"The Navy will dispatch a fleet of its heaviest supply ships to accomodate you Dr. this much I promise. Admiral Scheer see to it."

"Aye sir" came the automatic reply.

"Second order of business. Dr. Lebedev I give you the floor."

"Thank you Commodore." Lebedev got up and addressed everyone at the table, "As you all know the source for life in our galaxy are the stars. Indeed every single atom found in the universe is the result of an exploding supernova. After years of research by me and my team we have discovered a new untapped source of energy from our sun in the Sol system. The powerful solar flares which are usually harmful for Earth's atmosphere can be harnessed to produce massive amounts of energy. My team has developped large reflectors which we have dubbed solar slammers. These solar slammers would have the ability to reflect the sun's energy onto a specific point on the planet. In this case we would aim the rays towards the newly built research facility in North America. Captors at the facility would then harness the energy and utilize it to power vast amounts of power intensive research projects. As you know we have been developping new and improved magnetic armour for our ships in the form of what we call duranthium. In order to test durantihum however, we need massive amounts of energy. I believe that with the instalation of these solar slammers in Earth's orbit out power issues would be solved and we would ber able to increase our research output significantly."

There were a number of impressed nods around the table and positive murmuring untill...

"How do you plan to regulate the rays and their trajectory Doctor? For instance let's say the slammers in orbit make contact with an object and deviates the trajectory of the rays by a mere a half degree, what would the effects of such a mishap be?"

The ones who had been nodding and smiling before now gave Lebedev a concerned look and were eager for his answer.

"My team has not given too much concern to such an eventuality. We believe that by mouting a secure perimeter around the solar slammers we could prevent that from ever happening."

"But what about a terrorist attack or a covert operation by the Drengin? If they ever learn of the vast energy harnessed and the possibility to unleash it on the unsuspecting population of the planet..."

A number of dissenting voices now rose demanding an answer form Lebedev.

"Though we have not given it much thought we do indeed conceed that should the rays ever deviate their course they would cause some damage to the surface."

"How much damage!?"

It was obvious that this proposal was quickly losing its appeal around the table by the looks some people gave Lebedev, and by the way some shook their heads.

"Considerable" was Lebedev's barely audible answer as he looked down towards his notes trying to find a positive spin to this negative outcome. He was saved by Bradshaw.

"Gentlemen, before we condemn this proposition to the forgotten depths of our minds let us consider some of our options. I believe, Doctor correct me if I am wrong, that we can still use the solar slammers without harnessing the full poetential of the solar flares. By operating at less than optimal capacity we would thus reduce the chances of a mishap and of doing damage to our already scarred homeworld. Doctor?" Bradshaw motioned towards Lebedev for him to take up the argument.

"Indeed Commodore we can reduce the efficacity of the solar slammers to minimize the possibility of a mishap. My team and I are willing to reduce the overall output of the project if such is the will of this assembly."

The scientists accompanying Lebedev around the table nodded in agreement as the rest of those assembled began to discuss it among themselves.

Bradshaw continued the argument "Let's not forget Gentlemen that we owe it to all humanity to stay ahead of the Drengin in every aspect considering how much more influential than us they are. I can persnoally assure you all that in conjunction with FISA the Navy would guard the solar slammers as effectively as possible. Vice-Admiral Muckler, given that you are in charge of Terran forces in the Sol system I give you the task of coming up with the proper defensive measures. Your report is to be submitted within 48 hours at which point I will give the green light for the project."

Klaus nodded and made a note in his holo unit as a chorus of positive ayes went up around the table.

"Third order of business." Announced Bradshaw over the loud hum of the room "Echelon has received a message in perfect english emanating from an unknown ship, it's been confirmed that the origin is not Drengin. The new species are known as the Vegans." Bradshaw then turned to the representatives of FISA and said, "What can FISA tell us about them?"

The head of FISA stood up "The Vegans seem to be a pacifist race, they have colonized the planet Sauron II and have since not made any attempt at outward expansion. Their technological level comes nowhere near what the Federation has achieved, and for all we know they haven't yet discovered how to split the atom. If we wanted to we could obliterate their planet from above before they would even know what was happening."

This generated a number of confident giggles form the men around the table.

"Our industrial capacity dwarfes theirs and our monetary reserves could buy their planet ten times over. They can never compete with either us or the Drengin Empire and must be considered nothing more than a minor race. Considering their pacifist nature and their neutrality we should consider befriending them. We don't know what the Drenign may have planned for them but we should be prepared should they overtly commit offensive actions agaisnt the Vegans.

Heads nodded around the table and Bradshaw said "Thank you for your report."

"Of course sir" was the reply. "I'm afraid sir that we also have some disturbing news from the Theta Iota system." Heads perked up as this was sure to be important. "The governor of Theta Iota V and Theta Iota Pie have signed an exclusive treaty of mutual trade with the Drengin Empire. This not only violates Federation law but goes against the Guild principles. The central government has expressed their desire for the Navy to augment their disposotion of forces in that sector. They've also asked my agency to improve their subterfuge on the two planets but with the latest cuts in our budget my hands are tied. The Prime Magistrate has already called for the governors to overturn the treaty and has called for dire consequence should the planets ratify."

This generated concerned looks and grumblings around the table.

"Turncoats!" exclaimed a voice

"They need to be taught a lesson. After everything the federation gave them!" said another.

Bradshaw looked pensive and took his time before providing his reaction. "Although I don't believe a larger mlitary presence will actually make a difference this is a clear indication of the failure of Anderson's policy of containment. Furthermore it's my opinion that punishing the colonists will only serve to alienate them even more and drive them towards the Drengin. This is a delicate situation and we can't afford a misstep."

Heads nodded.

"This may very well serve as a catalyst for something much larger..."

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Thanks for the continued encouragements. I know so far I've been sparse on actual action but rest assured things will start to heat up, I doubt bradshaw will allow Drengin Influence to continue its outward expansion while Terran worlds begin to feel the inexorable pull of said influence.

Cheers

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Most excellent cliff hanger...you certainly know how to hold ones attention.

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Well done Admiral another great post-dont worry about the geopolitical stuff-I find it just as exciting as the action stuff not least because it gives me a greater feel for what is actually happening in your game

KUTGW Admiral!!

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Thanks gents

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Earth
Sol System
Capital City of New Johanesberg

"I want his ass here and I mean now! I don't care about protocol or defense initiatives, tell Bradshaw I want him here NOW! Send out the whole goddamn fleet if you have to!"

The yelling had been going on for the better part of an hour and even behind closed doors the aides to the Prime magistrate of the Terran Federation could hear everything being said. The news of the referendum held on Theta Iota V had rocked the central government. The governor of the colony had renounced Federation laws and had formely joined the Drengin Empire in a grand celebration held on the planet. The Drengin Crown Prince Dulgan Kona had even been there to sign the documents making the process official in the eyes of the Empire.

Amidst the confusion and above all the seething anger within the central government a letter had been sent directly to Lord Kona demanding that the Empire step down from the situation and let the Federation handle it as an internal matter. Kona had responded that since the colonists had made it explicitely clear through the much vaunted human invention of democracy that they wanted to be apart of the Drengin empire, and in order to protect the Drengin minority living on the planet, they would not back down and that any overt military action taken on or around the planet would be seen as action against the Drengin Empire. Theta Iota V was now part of that Empire. Anderson had immediately recalled the governor, but the response he recieved had bore the official seal of the Drengin and had remined him that since his functions were now in service to the Empire, he considered the recall to be void.

In a rare show of unity and strenght the Guild had also sent a loudly voiced protest and had demanded the return of all cargo ships stationed on TIV. When he received nothing short of an insulting refusal Primero Corrin had gone to the central government demanding military action. His demands were reflected by a large part of the population who also wanted the same thing. Across the Federation the people clamored for a strong military response to the growing Drengin threat. The defection of the colony was perceived as part of a master plan by the Empire to subjugate further Terran worlds.

The Empire's border claims now stretched to the next sector over from the one containing the Sol System. GNN had broadcast a report, with the central government's blessing, about the imminent danger to mankind's homeworld. Anderson, for the first time, conceded to his cabinet that the policy of containement was indeed failing and called for a shift in direction. The cabinet reminded him of the strong sentiments of the people about a military response.

A week later when Bradshaw arrived in New Johanesberg, he and Anderson discussed the possiblity of a military response but Bradshaw had suprinsingly argued against it.

"If you'll recall correctly Prime Magistrate, I believe I called for a military buildup months ago to deter this exact situation from developing. Your lapses have left the Terran Galactic Navy unprepared for such a course of action. Furthermore, regardless of what the people may be feeling at this moment you cannot strike at the Drengin without being able to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are behind the defection."

"The fact that the people willingly voted for this makes the situation very delicate indeed and leaves me with my hands tied. Do I order a mlitary strike against the will of the people of the colony even if seccession is illegal? If such is the will of the people and the governments prime function is to excercise and respect the will of the people..."

Bradshaw cut him off "But the government also has a responsibility to the integrity of the Federation. It cannot allow mankind's greatest achievements to slowly crumble and dissapear. Mankind has always thrived in the heat of competition, but up until now we've only had ourselves to compete agaisnt. Give me the tools necessary to compete agaisnt the Drengin, Prime Magistrate." urged Bradshaw.

Bradshaw and his trusted Admirals, along with Anderson and his cabinet discussed for a week about a sound strategy to counter Drengin incusion into Terran space. The green light was given to begin construction on the Damascus class gunship and plans were approved for three new frigates, the Concordia class, the Harvard class, and the Halifax class. The first two would begin contsruction within a few weeks while the Halifax class would await the development of the next level of armour plating to counter Drengin mass drivers. Military expenditures were increased by 19% and all Helix fsquadrons were put on high alert.

None of these steps, however, prepared them for the message annoucing the defection of Theta Iota Pie.

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Great stuff as usual Admiral

One thing though: I am not sure if it's just me but your pictures are half covered up i.e. are not showing the full picture.....

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Most excellent..looking fwd to the next installment.

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You have to improve this story. I just don't see how you can do so.

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@chancellor: thank you sir, the next one should be good, but it'll be a week at least before i release it.

@danielost: so the story is bad and my writing worse?

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Quoting AdmiralMaximus,

reply 14

@mambaman: pictures half covered up?? hmmm not sure but try clicking on them. I include a small caption to most of my pics to give extra tidbits of info. By clicking on it not only will the picture enlarge and you'll be able to see it all, but the text will be much clearer as well.

@chancellor: thank you sir, the next one should be good, but it'll be a week at least before i release it.

@danielost: so the story is bad and my writing worse?

no reread my post

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Yes i think i understand! lol sorry.

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I agree with Danielost-these stories are as near as dammit perfection

No joy with the pics but I have a slider so I can move the picture to centre (not sure what it is-maybe somethinhg to do with res)

KUTGW Admiral-you're a hell of a writer

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Hey fellas,

I wanted to post today but imageshack seems to be down at the moment.

Just a quick question about my pics. If you click on them will it bring up a seperate page with jsut the picture so tha oyu can view it at your leisure? I ask this because the captions I include in the pics are ver hard to read when the picture is reduced at 55%, but in ordcer to fully appreciate the picture the caption is kind of neat i find. Anyways let me know cause if not i'll simply forgo the captions on the pics.

Thanks guys hoping to post later today or else tommorrow.

cheers

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yes mine does i am using explorer

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6 Months Later

Pearson NS

The flatviewer on the far wall lit up. The bright image displayed contrasted sharply with the dark room and minimal light shining through the windows. Since Pearson NS wasn't in a star system per se the nearest star hardly allowed any natural light to enter the windows. The broadcast channel automatically turned to GNN.

"We interrupt your regular broadcast programming to present you this special bulletin"

Nolan applied pressure with his thumb and finger to the inside corner of his eyes to relieve the intense headache he had. For the past year and a half he had been attending class at the academy newly built within the starbase and was struggling to assimilate all of the military tactics and strategies his instructors tried to teach him. He had countless hours racked up on the training sims both for figthers and for the newer Damascus Class gunship. The relief lasted all of two seconds before the ache returned in force with the announcement of the anchorman.

"This is John Carl Denton reporting live and signalling through Echelon from the broadcast ship Flemming in the Andersen system. At ten hundred hours standard time this morning the governor of Andersen III announced that his colony would no longer pay taxes to the Federation. His announcement follows yesterays bilateral treaty signature with the Drengin Empire allowing Drenign goods to be traded on the planet without the usual tariff barriers that the law prescribes. Prime Magistrate Anderson has called the action unlawful and denouced the governor as a traitor and has since cut all federation ties with the colony. Commodore Bradshaw, ex-Prime Magistrate and current Commander-in-Chief of Federation defense forces has called the act treasonous and compared the situation to a naval mutiny which quote unqote 'always ends with the rightful deaths of the perpetrators'. The defection of Andersen III now leaves the entire Andersen sector in the Empire's hands. Since the first planetary defection to the Drengin over six months ago the Federation has lost two sectors and the total number of planets defected has risen to 6. The worst case still remains that of Theta Iota Pie. In that citcumstance four months ago the Empire took control of a grade 17 planet and bolstered their prestige by quite a bit by taking charge of the important industrial sectors built by the colonists there. Following this latest act of treason Commodore Bradshaw has put the entire Galactic Navy on Alert. This act, according to Bradshaw, serves as a show of force to the Drengin who still refuse to allow those still loyal to the Federation on the the defected planets to leave and resettle on a Terran held world. It is feared that this small percentage of population is beign persecuted by both Drengin officials and their treasonous human trustees. Prime Magistrate has called upon Tolerk Kona to release these 'political prisoners' and allow them to return to Federation space. Kona has already responded that such a measure is unnecessary since there is no such abuse ongoing. GNN has been repeatedly denied access to the newly turned worlds and therefore cannot verify this claim...."

Nolan shut off the flatviewer and let out an exhasperated sigh. The Drengin must be paying these governors a whole lot to take control of six planets. Six planets!?!? Nolan's head reeled at the thought. He remembered a time not that long ago when humanity set out on a united mission of colonizing and exploring the galaxy. A time of promise and peace. Now those times were far behind him as he attempted to recall all the planetary defections. First there had been TIV and the disaster at TIPie. Next there had been the two Webers, III and V, and then there had been Andersen I and now Adersen III. The Federation was crumbling like a castle made of cards.

Anderson faced increasing pressure from loyal colonies to pursue an aggressive policy towards the Drengin and demand the return of the defected colonies, but everytime he made the demand he met the same answer; the citizens had democratically voted to join the Empire. How hypocritical he would look if he took military action against a democratic act. The Federation stood as the epitome of justice and freedom after all. Plans had been drawn up by the central government to make secession illegal, but it had been dropped. Anderson had argued against it in the end. How could the Federation claim to be defending democracy and justice when it took military action against what was ultimately a democratically chosen decision. Nolan's thoughts were interrupted by his comm unit.

"Captain Nolan report to deck 17 A-2"

A-2, thought Nolan, Bradshaw's briefing room?

As he made his way up he witnessed the intense preperations taking place all around the station. Since Bradshaw's mobilization of the fleet the station was the center of much action. Servicemen ran around the station stocking their ships with supplies and provisions as Captains and Admirals made final preparations and system checks onboard to make sure their vessels were prepared for possible action. Nolan walked into a freight lift after seeing the regular ones filled to capacity at each level. He was pushed into the corner as a mechanic walked in with a suspensor rack of 4 nuclear tipped missiles. Nolan had never actually seen a nuclear weapon close up let alone touched one. He was somewhat in awe at the immense power held in the relatively small cone shaped tip of each missile. He held his breath as if the slightest mistep would set off the missile, yet the technician nonchalantly pushed the rack with ease out of the lift when his level came up.

Nolan eventually reached his destination amidst all the hubub and walked into Bradshaw's briefing room. Inside there were two others in addition to the Commodore himself. He recognized Rear-Admiral Latona Vavilov since she had been one of his first instructors when he joined the navy after his dismissal and revocation of his guild codes. The other man, who held the same rank as him of captain, he did not recognize.

"Ah Sebastian please have a seat we don't have much time." Nolan nodded and smiled to everyone as he sat down.

"I'm giving you command of the Tripoli." said Bradshaw without wasting any time. Nolan froze inches form his seat in mid action of sitting down.

"Sir?"

"You will be formed with the Tehran and the Harvard."

Nolan's head swam with questions and he tried to assimilate this considerable surprise. He was being given command of a military vessel, a gunship nonetheless, and being formed up with the most prestigious ship of the Navy the TFS Harvard.

"Rear-Admiral Vavilov here will command the Harvard and the action group itself. The group is being designated Fivel Action Group, and as you can guess you are to make immediately for the Fivel System and protect Logan Starbase located there. It is imperative to the Federation that Logan does not get destoyed or suffer damage from an attack. It is one of our most impressive starbases and the Federation's prestige would take a severe blow should anything happen to it."

Nolan fought to keep his composure and looked at the third man sitting at the table.

"Of course" continued Bradshaw "Where are my manners? This here is Captain Darryl Renges, he will command the third ship of the group the Tehran and is second in command of the group."

Bradshaw leaned back in his seat content with his instructions.

"Questions?"

"Yeah I do" said Renges leaning back in his chair and giving Nolan a nasty look "Why are you giving command of a ship to this unproven yellow. Tell me boy...you a yellow?"

Nolan was startled at his lack of discipline in front of Bradshaw and could do nothing but stare back at him wide-eyed

"Thank you for your incisive inquiry as always Captain, you're dismissed. Your specific instructions are already loaded into your shipboard AI and you're cleared to undock within the hour."

Renges snickered and gave Nolan one last look over before leaving the room.

Vavilov spoke next "Please excuse Renges Captain, he is always rough around the edges and I guess he doesn't share the Commodore's enthusiasm about your potential as a military captain." she said in her usual thick Russian accent. "I myself am somewhat apprehensive, but I am not one to pass preemptive judgement. Do your duty and obey my orders and you will do fine."

Bradhsaw continued the conversation. "Times are tense Nolan and I won't lie to you by saying a peaceful resolution is still possible. The only factor remaining is wether or not the Prime Magistrate is willing to risk war now. Not all of our colonies are protected by the Navy, but on the flip side neither are the Drengin worlds. They think us spineless and incapable of acting first yet it is us who command more numerous and mightier ships."

"War sir? After all mankind has been through?" Nolan asked

"Do we have a choice Sebastien? The total number of planets defecting never ceases to incresase. Should we just sit back and let it happen? Especially now while we still have the upper hand militarily and industrially. If we wait the Drengin will eventually catch on that we are becoming weaker by the day and take full advantage of it. The most we will be able to hope for will be a war of attrition, and that will only cost trillions upon trillions of credits not to mention the material and human costs of such a war. We must act soon and soon is now."

Vavilov nodded her agreement and looked at Nolan "The Damascus class gunship is still advanced in comparison to Drengin ships. It appears the Drengin are witholding installing defensive measures on their warships. Apparently they are still unsure what kind of offensive weapons we will be fielding, but this doesn't mean they haven't been stacking up their warships with the latest in mass driver technology. This gives us an undeniable tactical advantage as we will be able to utilize our weapons to their maxium efficiency. If we act with blinding speed and take out their forward posts we will be opening the routes for our troop transports to land safely and deploy their marines planetside."

Nolan began to understand the meaning of the mobilization "So just like chess you're positioning your pieces, taking your time and making sure everyone knows what to do, making sure everyone is in position to support others and when all is set..."

"Checkmate" Bradhsaw finished Nolan's sentence.

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Frakking superb Admiral-pics are properly sized now for me and can click on to get full size

Loving this story so much-can I ask though Admiral how you rename your Fleets and individual ships as you want to?

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I simply click on the rename ship button on the bottom of the screen. When you click on a ship or starbase or fleet the name comes up as starbase 1432 for instance. simply click or double click on the name and it brings up a small text box that allows you to rename the ship/starbase

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How annoying-I never knew that!!

Thanks Admiral-I will bear this in mind for future reference

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want more

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And more you shall have.

Here is the next update. Sorry it took so long, but to make up for it I've made it somewhat longer than usual. Things are somewhat hectic right now. Two new puppies, renovations, and a new job. Plus IM at the point where I have to play the game for a couple of hours to continue on with the AAR so don't be surprised if the next one takes another week or two.

Enjoy!

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Terran Third Fleet
Outskirts of Petroni Sector
Vice-Admiral Klaus Muckler commanding

Personal Log: Mission Day 12

I sit in my captain's quarter's with a sense of anxiety. The Baroque music flowing through my cabin does little to assuage the feeling. A first. It seems I've been feeling this way ever since my promotion, but I can hardly be sure, it's taken over my entire array of senses. It's three hundred thirty two hours standard time and I'm yet again experiencing a sleepless night. Tommorrow...or rather today in a couple of hours... will be another day of drills and excercises for the men onboard my ship, the Colgate, but also for the two other ships making up the Third Fleet. The difference with tomorrow is that all ships are, for the first time, engaging in a fleet exercise. I've already dispatched my worries to Commodore Bradshaw about the readiness of the men, but he assures me that when the time comes everyone will perform as they should. Perhaps it is the German blood coursing through my veins, but only endless drills will be enough to take away my uneasyness.

The Third Fleet was put together only three weeks ago and dispatched almost immediately to its assigned mission location. At first I hardly knew the two other captains under my command but after dinning with them on several occassions on the Colgate, the Cornell, and the St. Mary's I can say with confidance that they are good men who will not let me down. I can only hope the same will be true for the men onboard the three ships. Perhaps it is the fact that mankind is embarking on a journey the likes of which it has never undertaken before. Since the first great outward expansion so many years ago, everything is a first. Are we really ready for an galactic war? The Drengin are deeply militaristic and will fight to the very last man... so to speak. Their sense of honour and duty to the Emperor will guide them to fanatical fighting. I can only imagine the steadfastness that our stellar marines will have to display when engaging in hand to hand combat against the fearsome beasts.

There are other concerns that gnaw at my own steadfastness. Concerns for my beloved Federation. Will it be able to sustain the cost of the upcoming war? Will the people truly rally behind the cause like we hope? These are not idle questions but important matters for our survival The Propaganda machine is already in full swing and has been for quite some time. Though we've suffered no other planetary secessions since the last in the Anderson Sector the Prime Magistrate has been blasting the Imperial government about realeasing what he calls the human political prisoners trapped on the defected worlds. He's received nothing but negative replies. The Drengin are not easily intimidated, but let us hope our Harvard class ships will do the trick. Should it fail, the Federation is already producing two other classes superior to my Colgate. The Halifax Class, a number of which are in service but still in Federation space, and the brand new Sparrow class, still in its testing phase at the weapons facility orbiting Jupiter.

I cannot overlook our economic situation either. The Federation takes in almost 440 billion credits by simply trading with the Empire. I may be a military man but I know enough about history and hypocritical governments to know that this is the reason war has not yet been declared. It's clear the Drengin will not acceed to the federation demands about the political prisoners, and yet we are held from going in to do the job.

This must be the source of my anxiety. A deep sense of wanting to free my fellow human beings coupled with a sense that we are perhaps not ready to do so. The ship's doctor has already given me a number of pills, and has scolded me on more than one occassion for not taking them as he strictly orders... I am not accustomed to taking orders unless it is from a direct superior but I must say he scares me. Just thinking of his last outburst about my mental health and my "sacred duty to pretect it" makes me laugh a little inside so now I simply flush them in the waste unit to make as if I had taken them. We may be advanced and performing medical miracles in our age , but I still believe in the tried and tested method of good natural sleep. If only my body would agree.

It may be that we are truly in the middle of god-forsaken nowhere here on the edge of the Petroni Sector where Petroni shines not much brighter than any other star and the orbiting planets have long left us behind, but I have a deep feeling of seperation. I miss my estate in the Austrian Alps and I long to return to the snowy peaks and dark pine forests. If only I could fall asleep perhaps I would dream of it and for just a fleeting moment I would be home.

I must shake away thoughts of home however and stay focused on the task at hand. After deployment two weeks ago I opened my orders and read the following

To: Commanding Officer, Third Fleet
From: Central Navy Command, Pearson N.S.

You are to proceed to axis location 9.4 in Petroni Sector. Upon arrival you are to verify location of Drengin Starbase believed to be a staging point for Imperial Warships for a potential move on Terran held worlds orbiting Petroni. Once target has been verified and confirmedwith specs loaded onboard the flagship's AI, and that central command code has been sent, you are to engage and destroy the Starbase.
DO NOT ENGAGE THE STARBASE WITHOUT RECEPTION OF CODEWORD ELSA
DO NOT ENGAGE ANY IMPERIAL SHIPS WITHOUT RECEPTION OF CODEWORD IRENE
After reception of Irene wou are to consider any Imperial warship as targets of opportunity.
After mission completion you are to mesage central command through Echelon for further instructions
Good Hunting.

Simple enough instrcutions but I see flaws. Should we arrive at our location before the reception of Elsa then the Drengin will surely know what we are up to. They are not stupid or naive, and three heavily armed frigates entering close proximity to one of their starbases will be seen as a hostile action. The gig will be up as they say. I can only hope that their communication arrays are not powerful enough to transmit warning messages in time should our jamming procedures fail. Furthermore if we recieve Irene before Elsa and do indeed engage any Drengin ships prior to our arrival at the target location then they will have ample time to bolster their defenses. Drilling the men is key. It is the only path to assured success.

>>>

Kwilas System
4th Flotilla
136th Fighter squadron
Wing Commander Isoroku Nakata commanding

Isoroku Nakata looked out the port side window and gazed at the frigate hovering above his position on the left side. He had always thought the Harvard class was an ugly ship compared to her failed sister the Concordia class. The needs of the Federation had to be put before estethics however, and so the atmospheric capability of the Harvard made it indispensible in the Navy's arsenal. The large wingspan however made it an easier target for enemy ships, and Nakata's job was to protect the frigate at all costs. Not an easy mission.

The defensive formation his squadron of twelve ships maintained around the frigate was in impecable shape. Nakata looked down at his tactical display and was able to see the blips representing his squadron in a loose but effective perimeter around the York. He was still getting used to his new ship, the Federation's newest fighter; the SF-135 Executor. His new cockpit was a little more spacious and his HUD was much easier to read and work with. The ship itself handled like a dream and the massive influx of firepower over the Helix made the Executor a very lethal weapons platform. The ship, however, lacked any sort of armour whatsoever. This meant that Nakata had to modify his strategies somewhat when engaging the test drones at the weapons testing facility. He always knew that the best method with fast and powerful fighters was to hit hard and then use superior speed to leave the area. The Helix-B, with its light armour plating, allowed more leeway for dogfighting, but the Executor, with its heavy weapons, allowed the fighter to engage larger and more menacing targets.

The Kwilas system was an area of tension. Of the five habitable planets one was colonized by the Drengin; Kwilas IV. The problem was the passage of a main trade route through the system. Federation officials believed that, should hostilities arise, the Drengin would use Kwilas IV as a base of operations to raid Terran merchant shipping passing through. The Guild had been adamant about the protection of the said route and so the 4th flotilla had been created. The TFS York was of course the flagship since the only other ships were Nakata's Executor class fighters of the 136th squadron. Its mission was to protect the route and maintain Federation territorial integrity in the Kwilas System.

Though their mission was for now a strictly defensive one there was still the possibility of an offensive action. The 4th Flottila's orders allowed for the group to engage Drengin targets at will within the area of operation upon recieving a specific codeword; Irene. Nakata had met the captain of the York only once but already he felt that his squadron would be put hard to the test. The captain of the frigate didn't seem to think that hostilities would ever occur, and was not preparing his men to a degree satisfying Nakata. Isoroku could say nothing, however, since the captain was in fact the commander of the flotilla. The Navy, in a rare case of bad decision making, had decided that only captains of capital ships could be fleet commanders regardless of prior experience. So Nakata and his squadron were subject to the orders and whims of a non proven man in command of a larger ship.

Nakata recognized that there were not many people who actually had combat experience in a space based environment. During he cataclysm of 2212, when he was still actually just a boy living on Mars, he had heard of limited skirmishes in earth's orbit and especially around the Moon between UNA crafts and Russian Federation ships. The ships back then were nothing compared to what Nakata currently piloted, and if he wanted to with his single fighter he could probably take on the entirety of space battlecrafts of that age and come out unscathed.

Hanging just below the York and its protective perimeter was the FCH Lake Baikal. A large Guild cargo hauler destined for a Dregin planet and navigating the busy shipping lane of Kwilas. Nakata scowled. It had been his idea to erect a defensive perimeter around the Lake Baikal instead of the York but the captain of the latter had flatly denied his request stating that protection of military ships came first. Nakata had countered by saying that military ships were capable of defending themselves while the hauler was completely defenseless and that the mission was the protection of shipping after all. The capatain had been rude and stubborn and had replied that should the York be destroyed there would be no effective defensive capabilities left for the important shipping lane. A fool and a coward.

>>>

Fivel System
Fivel Action Group
Rear-Admiral Latona Vavilov commanding

Onboard the Harvard, the most prestigious ship in the entire Terran Federation Galactic Navy, Vice-Admiral Vavilov sat erect in her captain's chair and looked about the bridge with a stern look. Nobody dared let her down for fear of her reprimands or simply becasue no one wanted to be the first to let down their able captain. Under her command the Fivel Action Group had arrived at its assigned destination ahead of schedule and was already beginning training exercises.

"Port two degress"

"Port two degrees aye!"

"Banks one and three fire!"

"Wepons loose impact in twenty seconds"

"Speed up three quarter impulse"

"Three quarter impulse aye!"

Every one of her commands was carried out to perfection, a testimony to her work ethic and her training rituals. The Harvard was currently in a mock battle against the Tripoli and the Tehran, the fourteenth one so far, and it was winning it, yet again. Vavilov was proud of her crew, but deep down she wanted to be beaten by the two other captains who so far hadn't worked very well together. It wasn't that the new kid, this Sebastien Nolan, wasn't doing his job properly. He, in fact, was never the first ship to be mock destroyed by the Harvard's deadly precise missile strikes. The captain of the Tehran, Darryl Renges simply didn't seem to trust him and so instead attempted a number of near suicide runs alone on the Harvard. Folly for a Damascus class ship. They lacked the team work required to properly take out the Harvard.

Vavilov knew Renges was more than capable. Though she didn't know everything about the man rumour had it that he had been the officer in charge of the black ops operation known as the Venetian Reminder in the earliest days of the Federation. He was an able pilot and a tough commander, but his trust wasn't handed out like candy on halloween.

"Impact! confirmation target destroyed sir"

"Good, reset scenario, we start again"

TFS Tripoli
Captain Nolan commanding

"For Christ's sake what in the hell is that son of a bitch doing? How does he expect me to cover him when he doesn't let me know where he's going!?"

This was a very mild outburst compared to prior ones which had been filled with expletives and much more vulgar stuff. Nolan was tired of loosing and hated being made a fool of.

"Sir the Tripoli is hailing us"

"Forget him, shut off the channel"

Nolan was fuming in his chair and his bridge crew could see that this fifteenth consecutive destruction was taking its toll. They looked at each other and they knew they were letting down their captain. he was simply too soft of a man to be yelling at them and let them know it. He instead chose to vent his frustrations on Renges and his inneficient tactics.

"Do we still have my battle plan uploaded in the AI?" Nolan asked his tactical officer

"Indeed sir."

"Send it to the Tehran as a priority signal and let that bastard know that this time I'm in charge." Nolan didn't actually feel that his tactics would be foolproof, but he knew that as long as Renges refused to work as a team they would never have a chance of taking out the Harvard.

"The Tehran is hailing us again sir."

"Jesus H Christ! put the son of a bitch on" Nolan's eyes were fire and his temper was clearly deep in the red.

"Who do you think you are yellow!" Renges' voice came through on the bridge speakers.

"Someone who wants to win this shit and stop losing. I don't know what type of flowerpicking football team you played for as a kid Rnges but I'm here to win goddamnit now are you gonna at least try this time or are you gonna go ahead and kill your crew uselessly again?"

"Watch your mouth boy!"

"I've uploaded the plan onto your shipboard AI. Follow it and we might have a chance."

"I've seen it and it's crap! just like your piloting, Guild lover" The rivalry between Guild pilots and Navy pilots was a source of tension within the Federation, and Renges refused to let Nolan escape his past even if he was a Navy pilot now.

"Suck on it Renges, I'm going to follow my plan and attempt to win for once. They don't hand out medals for participation anymore, that's house league shit. This is the real thing, now act like you're part of the team dammit"

"You think you're pretty funny don't you boy..."

Nolan cut him off

"I don't have time for this. Prep your men and leave me the hell alone"

He keyed the kill switch for the comm unit on his chair and looked around. The crew on the bridge looked proud of their captain. He had stood up for them like a true Navy captain should.

"Harvard is signalling us. Scenario recommencing in 30 seconds."

"Alright gentlemen we have a battle to win." Nolan anounced "Put us in position and signal Tehran to follow on our tail in excution of the battle plan."

"Aye sir!" the crew was upbeat and eager. Ready to please their captain and win it for him.

"Tehran is following" announced tactical with an air of disbelief. Nolan smiled. "Alright let's do it."

The Tripoli and the Tehran streaked in from above Harvard and a little to starboard. According to Nolan's analysis of the Harvard class this was a blind spot for its weapon banks. As the ships came in Harvard began to shift its position to compensate for its innacurate firing solution. Nolan ordered Tripoli and Tehran to increase speed. They had to get into firing range before Harvard could fire its defensive salvos. As the gap closed Nolan fired a streak of non guided rockets to limit the Harvard's area of maneouver and Tehran did the same. Harvard still didn't have an accurate solution as the Damascus class gunships were proving to be too fast for Harvards turn radius. Nolan knew Vavilov would have to disengage or risk getting trapped once the rockets reached her position. Harvard increased her speed and headed straight for Nolan and Renges. Nolan hadn't anticipated this bold move but knew he could use it to his advantage. He fired off another round of rockets and signalled Tehran to do the same. Vavilov now had another deadly salvo of missiles heading her way plus two more restricting her movements to port and starboard. Moving up or down in her case would simply increase the effect of her weapons blind spot. Nolan smiled.

"This is it! load and arm harpoons!"

"harpoons loaded and armed aye!"

"Fire!"

Tripoli and Tehran fired off four harpoon missiles each and turned hard to port. Vavilov, understanding the predicament turned her ship hard to starboard and took in the full wrath of the first rocket salvo. Nolan's tactical officer reported damage oto Harvard's port side, but now she had a firing solution. A barrage of her own movement interdictor rockets fired both forward and aft of the two gunships as their harpoons were destroyed by triple A fire from Harvard's defensive batteries.

"Their hull is damaged but none of our rockets have done serious damage to their offensive or defensive banks."

Nolan cursed, much had depended on the first harpoon salvo rreaching the Harvard let alone damage her weapons system. He ordered Tripoli to turn hard to starboard and engage Harvard on her stern while Tehran was ordered to turn hard to starboard and keep engaging Harvard's port side at point blank range. Renges piloted the Tehran admirably and was able to dodge many of the incoming rockets with the ease of a fighter. He let loose another round of four harpoons and relentlessly dispensed his ammunition. As Harvard's Triple A batteries were occupied with Tehran's harpoons Nolan let loose his own salvo and watched as his (mock) streaks of smoke headed straight for the frigate's stern and vulnerable engines.

"Incoming nuclear weapon!" shouted his tactical officer.

This could only mean that Vavilov was feeling the heat and the tense situation surrounding her, litterally. Tehran's Harpoons struck at just about the same time as Nolan's own.

"Nuclear impact in twenty seconds" Nolan's tactical officer could not hide his nervousness.

"Fire remaining rockets and turn us around!"

As Tripoli turned after firing off its defensive rounds Nolan's tactical display indicated that Harvard's engines were offline and that her hull integrity had been seriously compromised. At the same time he watched with dismay as his defenvie rockets all missed their incoming mark and the warhead streaked towards his ship unhindered. The Tehran was badly damaged from its close up battle with Harvard and was desperately trying to limp away from the impending nuclear explosion.

When the warhead reached a distance of 100 feet to the Tripoli it detonated. The Tripoli was instantly destroyed and the shockwave reverberated all the way to the Tehran which was also subsequently destroyed. Vavilov's ship also, with its heavy damage was not able to withstand the blast. It was ripped to mock shreds in seconds.

Nolan sat back in his chair and let out a huge sigh. The excitment had drained him mentally and physically but for the first time he hadn't lost and that was something he was proud of.

"So how do we call this one?"

Nolan laughed and said "A draw I guess"

TFS Harvard
Vice-Admiral Vavilov commanding

As the ship's chief engineer reported that the blast had torn Harvad apart Vavilov sat in her chair and looked around. Her crew looked dejected. They had failed their captain and yet when they lkooked at her they saw a strange thing. Vavilov was smiling.

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