Chapter 13: Battle of The Minds
Reviewers:
Joseph Rosario: The Voyager crew are in prison on Terra. Don't worry, the Tau and Eldar will arrive soon enough. Thanks.
Oblivionknight7: Except if they try to fight, but then the majority of the Federation is still safe.
Silvanas: That's a good idea, but the Nightbringer is one badass star god. That battle will happen soon, trust me. The Vulcans will probably be spared, you're right.
Sean: Good idea. Look for it in the next chapter, or possibly the end of this one.
Liljimmyurine: No they're not. Lemun Russ, Jagati Khan and Lion el Johnson all vanished mysteriously, and Guilliman and Sanguinus were revived by nano probes. Their bodies had been placed in stasis.
It had been a month since the destruction of the Borg, and the Imperium's foothold in this galaxy had been secured. Six groups of Imperium ships, each numbering thirty thousand, approached the captured Transwarp Hubs. The strike groups were targeting five of the Dominion's largest shipyards and bases, and the home world of the Founders. Leading that group was the Primarch Sanginius of the Dark Angels. He had been sent to deal with the most violent races in this new galaxy. He was accompanied by three Dark Angel companies and a single company of Grey Knights. The rest of the Grey Knights in this galaxy had gone back to fight in the Despoiler's Black Crusade. As the fleet groups departed, each man knew the end of the Dominion was at hand.
The Dominion fleet yards in the Tandis system consisted of hundreds of construction facilities, and had over seven thousand defending ships, including fifty five kilometer long Dreadnaughts. Which meant it was a sitting duck for the Imperium strike group.
A Vorta named Keevan was in charge of the shipyard. He made sure ships were produced on schedule. He enjoyed his work. No one other than a Founder could give him orders. As he watched the latest Dreadnaught being launched he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Suddenly proximity sensors began ringing. The Jem Hadar First came up to him.
"Vorta, a massive armada of unknown vessels has emerged at the edge of the defense perimeter. What are your orders?" The Vorta cocked his head and thought for a moment.
"How many ships are in the attacking fleet?" He asked.
"Approximately thirty thousand," the Alpha answered. The Vorta looked shocked for a moment.
"No enemy we know of had that many ships in their fleet. Send a call for reinforcements, and send our defending ships into battle. We must by as much time as we can," he ordered. The Jem Hadar nodded.
"Obedience brings victory."
"And victory is life," Keevan completed the chant.
The Jen Hadar fleet rushed to meet the intruders who had dared to invade the Dominion. The flagship of the Imperium attack fleet, the Revenge class battleship Foe Breaker, Fleet Admiral Contulas ordered his fleet to form up into attack formation. His ships outnumbered the enemy forces four to one, but that did not make victory a sure thing. He knew of too many battles where carelessness had handed a superior fleet defeat.
"Forward batteries fire! Target the largest vessels first." He ordered. Lance batteries and Nova Cannon shells smashed into the Dominion Dreadnaughts, tearing through their heavy shields and blowing them apart. Then the smaller fighters and cruisers were in among them. The Imperium ships could not use their main guns against them, so Phasers and Photon Torpedoes were used instead.
"Fleet Admiral, the small enemy ships are evading most of our fire. Ten ships have been destroyed and thirty more are reporting heavy damage." The Admiral remained calm. He had been in similar battle in his time.
"Launch fighters," he ordered. Throughout the fleet tens of thousands of Marauders and Lightnings leapt from their carrier vessels and engaged the small and swift Jem Hadar fighters. The Lightnings carried twin phasers, the Marauders the same but adding a torpedo launcher. Twelve fighters attacked each enemy. The fighters shielding could only block one Poleron Beam before overloading. Hundreds were destroyed, but the Jem Hadar were dying as well. The fighters were too fast for the Dominion ships to track, so all they could do was box them in and take them out. But the fighters were reaping a fearsome tally themselves. They swung into the enemy's read quarter and concentrated their fire. Phasers and torpedoes slammed into the fighters, destroying them in massive fireballs.
"Fleet Admiral, the enemy ships have begun ramming us," an officer reported. It was true. The Jem Hadar, seeing they couldn't win ship to ship, began ramming to try and take out as many enemy ships as they could. The fighters concentrated on the Renewed Valor, ramming it again and again. Its Void Shields were failing. Consoles exploded, throwing servitors across the bridge. The Fleet Admiral was flung to the floor. He regained his feet quickly, tearing a length of cloth from his uniform to seal the gash in his forehead.
"Report!" He ordered.
"We have full starboard shield failure. Fires on seven decks. Sickbay reports heavy casualties. Our fighters are moving in to cover us." No sooner had the words left the officer's mouth than a flight of Lightnings swept over the bow of the Renewed Valor, destroying seven enemy fighters that had been aiming for the bridge. Admiral Contulas saw the last surviving Jem Hadar Dreadnaught was moving in for a ramming attack.
"Navigation, plot a collision course with that ship. Activate the Energy Ram," he ordered. Slowly, the Renewed Valor began moving forward. Its massive bow ram lit up with a field similar to that of a power fist.
On board the command station back at the shipyards, Keevan watched as the dreadnaught and what he believed to be the enemy's flagship moved toward each other. "They're not going to dodge," he said. "They must be out of their minds." Then he saw the Energy Ram activate. "What is that?"
"Energy Ram at full power Admiral. Thirty seconds to contact."
"Full power to the engines. We will show these xenos the men of the Imperial Navy back down from no one." He watched the enemy ship grow larger in the view port before it closed.
"Ten seconds to impact…. Five seconds." The armored prow on the Renewed Valor smashed into the bow of the dreadnaught. Its shields failed instantly and the Imperium warship busted through the ships entire length before it exploded, engulfing both ships in a tremendous fireball. When it cleared, the Renewed Valor exited the blast cloud like a phoenix from the flames. The sight inspired awe in the Imperium forces, and put a look of horror on Keevon's face.
"Who are these people?" He whispered. The First came up to him.
"Vorta, our ships have been destroyed. The enemy vessels are moving in on the shipyards. What are your orders?"
"Prepare to repel borders. Our reinforcements will be here soon," he replied. He hoped.
As the Imperium fleet moved into shipyards, they encountered and destroyed dozens of static weapons platforms. After they were neutralized space marine boarding shuttles were launched, while Leviathan transports ferried an Imperial Guard army to the surface of the planet the shipyards orbited.
"All soldiers to stations!" The First ordered. He had been ordered to hold this station and he would do it if it cost him his life. Suddenly a section of wall exploded and a Terminator Assault squad poured through. They moved with speed to match the Jem Hadar. Lightning Claws disemboweled and cut off heads. Thunder Hammers smashed through Jem Hadar by the dozen. Within fifteen seconds the corridor had been secured. The squad moved on. Their orders were to secure the control room. Other boarding parties also reported success. There had been no casualties. Their power armor was impervious to the aliens' weaponry. AS they moved on they encountered several more defense squads. They were quickly dispatched. Soon the door to the control room was in front of them. The Sargent busted it down with one swing of his Power Fist. The Jem Hadar in the room died quickly. Keevon raised his hands. The marines took him. They had been ordered to capture the base command staff for interrogation.
On the surface of the planet, the Imperial Guard had things well enough in hand. The Jam Hadar's ability to shroud themselves was taken care of by infrared goggles and the use of flamers. Titans of the Ligeo Thantaris blasted a hole in the side of the main base on the planet, and a vicious fight raged for hours until the Guards' numbers finally one the day. With both the shipyard and the planet under their command, the Imperium had claimed its first world from the Dominion.
The assaults against the other targets went just as well. Casualties were light. The Founders homeworld had put up the greatest fight. Over fifty Imperium ships had been lost, but the planet had been sterilized with Cyclonic Torpedoes. Sanguinus had repeled an attampt by the Fonders to board his vessl. The fighting had been fast and merciless, but the changlings were no match for the Primarch. The leadership of the Dominion had dead, and their main production centers were under Imperium control. The Dominion was beginning to fall.
Back in the other galaxy, the Emperor's fleet moved to engage Abbadon's. The Emperor had ordered his ship to be disabled. Unlike the last time, this time he would board the ship directly instead of teleporting. It was time to face the man who dared to carry on the legacy of Horus. Abbadon would fight and he would fall.
In the warp, three minds heard the call of the Emperor. The moved towards the sound of his psychic voice. They would help the Emperor end this battle. They would help their Father.
How was that? Sorry if the battle was a little short. I promise the Emperor's battle will be much better. In the next chapter see who wins this time in the battle of the Emperor vs. Abbadon! See ya then. In the meantime leave reviews and get your ideas in the story.
By for now!
ENTILZA