Chapter 2
The Battle Begins
General Williams, commander of the Shanxi garrison, was stuck in a situation no military leader wanted to be in; a hostile power bearing down on him, with hardly a sufficient force to fight back with, little in the way of provisions and no naval support. In short, everything was about to go straight to hell in a hand-basket, complete with a pretty pink bow.
It had all happened so quickly; this morning, the scientists and arcanotechnicians were busy studying that oversized tuning fork, astounded that something so obviously advanced was not the product of arcanotechnology and didn't make them go screaming bonkers upon examination. Then, without warning, an alien fleet suddenly appeared, obliterating the research team and their escort before they knew what was happening. They barely had time to send an SOS out to the colony, which was then broadcasted to whoever might be listening. After that, all that could be done was to wait for the inevitable invasion. For now, though, the aliens seemed content to just hang about. If luck was with them, then the Federation would send in a relief force before things got too hairy.
Williams ground his teeth in frustration. He told High Command that Shanxi was too unprotected. A few frigates was barely enough for an escort, let alone defending an entire planet! Now they had another inimical alien race breathing down humanity's collective neck and Shanxi was ripe for the taking.
A little over six decades of relative peace and we're already getting sloppy, he thought bitterly.
"Sir!" one of his aides called. "The aliens have begun to move in towards the planet's outer orbit!"
The general sat bolt upright and immediately assumed the air of command someone of his station was supposed to exude.
So it begins.
#
Jorus watched from the main viewport of the Resolute Spirit as the other ships made their way to the planet and, once in position, began to open fire, raining down mass accelerator rounds upon the hapless world. A sour taste began to bleed into his mouth. This was wrong; attacking a new alien race that had no knowledge of Council decrees, and then invading them wasn't upholding the law, it was nothing short of warmongering, something more fitting for the Krogan, not Turians.
Worst of all, they didn't even know the aliens' military prowess. Despite the Admiral's conviction that they could easily handle some upstart species if they decided to get rowdy, if a fight was truly unavoidable, then they should first take the time to analyze the enemy and make note of strengths and weaknesses. As a rule, Turians disliked engaging in risky operations, which was precisely what Gallus was doing; they had no knowledge of how many planets the aliens might have, what kind of weapons they used, how big their entire fleet was, nothing. Nevertheless, he was ordering them to charge in, guns blazing. Off to the side, he could hear some crewmen talking about how they'd be in for commendations, and possibly even promotions, when they got back to Palaven.
For all that talk about wanting to never have a repeat of the Rachni Wars, we sure are going out of our way to start one, Jorus thought scathingly. The peacekeepers of the Council find a new race, and initiate first contact by shooting them. Then, to step things up, they go right ahead and assault one of their worlds, on the grounds that they might be dangerous. Would the Turians react positively if they were attacked because they had unwittingly violated some law? No, sir, they would not; any Turian who could hold a gun or even a rusty eating utensil would head straight for the frontlines. Why should that mentality be reserved only for them?
After a few minutes, the bombardment ceased, and dozens of shuttlecraft began to emerge from the fleet's hulls, bearing their cargo of soldiers and vehicles and supplies. The invasion was now in full swing; too late to back down now. All Jorus could do was watch and pray for the best. Deep down, though, he knew that there would be no "best," only bad and worse.
#
"Captain, we are about to enter realspace in ten minutes," the Nazzadi helmsman reported.
Hackett nodded. "And the Vesuvius?"
"Right behind us. We'll be able to establish contact with her the moment we both return to the physical universe."
"Good." Hackett steeled himself; this was it. Time to show these new alien aggressors that humanity was not easy prey.
Ten minutes later, the Xerxes reappeared in the mortal universe, the endless stark blue replaced by the comforting blackness flecked with glowing white dots. Shanxi was dead ahead, a placid orb that belied the violence that was already taking place on it. A number of vague shapes clustered around it.
"Reentry successful," the helmsman said.
"All systems green, Captain," one of the technical officers added. "Sensors and defensive systems are fully functional."
"Good. Get me a close-up of the planet," Hackett ordered. A few seconds later, Shanxi now occupied the entire viewing screen. He could now clearly see the alien ships blockading the world; there were fifteen of them, as well as several smaller crafts, which were doubtless drop-ships, ferrying their forces onto Shanxi's surface.
"Looks like we got here just in time," he remarked. Unfortunately, until the Vesuvius joined them, the Xerxes was unable to advance too close. Super-carriers were big, but they had no offensive capabilities; only heavy armor, anti-ordnance mounts and drone fighters. Attempting to land troops without support was tantamount to suicide. Right now, all they could do was to provide recon.
"Lieutenant Talrava, scan the aliens' ships. I want to know what to expect from them."
Talrava, another Nazzadi, wasted no time in obeying the captain's order. As the sensors proceeded with their examination, he relayed what was found as the computer displayed it.
"Captain, the computer is detecting large amounts of Element Zero radiating from all the alien ships. As far as I can tell, however, their ships are not the product of arcanotechnology."
Hackett paled. "Do you think these are the ones that built that giant construct?"
The technical officer frowned as he consulted the screen. Finally, he shook his head. "Unlikely. Their ships do appear to be based on the same technology, but they're vastly inferior in comparison. They might utilize it, but I can pretty much guarantee that they did not build it."
Hackett let out a breath he did not know he had been holding. "Thank God for that. What about weapon systems? Anything we should be careful about?"
"Just a moment, sir." The Nazzadi stared intently at the screen for a moment. Then, he sat back and began stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Well, that's odd."
"Don't keep us in suspense here, Lieutenant, give it to us straight."
The Nazzadi gave a small smile. "Well, it appears that our new friends have weapons that are, to put it bluntly, unimpressive. From what I've seen, all they have are some solid munitions and missile systems with an Element Zero base. The only energy weapons detected were some lasers, but by the look of it, those are for defense."
Hackett allowed a grin of his own to cross his face, but his was more feral. "So there's nothing to really worry about, then?"
"I wouldn't go that far, sir," the technical officer corrected. "Each of these ships has what appears to be a main gun, mounted on their spines and run along roughly ninety percent of their hull's length. These are estimated to be capable of producing the rough equivalent of tactical nuclear munitions upon impact, though the exact magnitude is unknown. That's nothing to sniff at, even if they can only get off one shot every so often."
"Well, we wouldn't want things to be too easy, now would we?" Hackett remarked. A number of chuckles followed that comment.
Just then, another technician spoke up. "Sir, the Vesuvius has just come out of her dimensional jump."
"Excellent." Hackett turned towards the communications officer. "Patch them through." Finally, they could start this fight.
Within moments, a new hologram appeared in the bridge. This one was a Xenomix, the rare and exotic result of a human and Nazzadi pairing, with jet-black hair and silvery-gray skin. His lavender eyes were intense, almost glowing as they stared at Hackett.
"Captain Hackett," the hologram said, saluting. "Captain Karuma, master of the Vesuvius, reporting.Sorry for the delay."
"Good to have you here, Captain," Hackett replied, returning the salute. "We've just scanned the alien ships."
Immediately, Karuma was all business. "What have you got for me?"
"The aliens' ships all appear to be based on the same tech as the thing next to Shanxi, with substantial traces of Element Zero. As far as we can tell, they do not have any form of arcanotechnology."
"What about weapons? What can we expect?"
"A number of solid munitions guns, also using Element Zero, as well as some missiles. Though they do have some form of energy weapons, we've concluded that they are focused on defense rather than offense. Each ship also has what appears to be main gun, and our lowest estimates place their yield at the level of tactical nuclear ordnance."
Karuma frowned as he digested this information. "Any recommendations?"
Hackett nodded. "The main guns appear to be unwieldy; they won't be much good at close range. Closing the distance will render them unusable. Of course, that will also put us in range of their other weapons. And given that they outnumber us, we might not last very long, even with all the firepower you have."
From the look on his face, Karuma agreed. "Unfortunately, we can't just sit here. They're going to detect us soon enough and I'd prefer to deal with guns that don't fire off the equivalent of nukes."
"So would I," Hackett responded. "I've got a full complement to unload, but we need to get past that blockade. To do that, we're going to have to neutralize the biggest threat, namely this ship here." He pointed to a ship which was at least three times the size of the others. "This one has the most firepower out of all of them. Concentrate your fire on it and bring it down, then focus on the others. I'll launch our drone fighters to harry them. Once we get a gap, the Xerxes will begin unloading all ground personnel. Maintain constant communication; we need to coordinate this thing perfectly."
And hopefully the 5th Fleet will show up before those ships turn us into Swiss cheese, Hackett thought.
The Xenomix captain nodded. "As good a plan as any. However this goes, those aliens are going to get a very bloody reception. We didn't survive the Aeon War just to be kicked around by another alien race."
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Hackett said, with no small amount of venom in his voice. He saluted sharply. "Good luck, Captain."
The Xenomix returned the salute. "To you as well. Time to give our guests a proper Federation welcome."
#
"Captain Jorus! Alien ships have just been detected!"
Jorus scrambled over to the Turian who had made the announcement, bracing himself for the worst. "How many?"
"Just two, sir."
Jorus paused in disbelief as an image of the vessels appeared onscreen. Two? That was all? A counterattack was to be expected and, granted, both ships were huge, at least twice the size of a dreadnought, but surely they didn't think that two ships would be enough to take on fifteen. At least he hoped that was the case. Given that these aliens apparently used an entirely different technological base, these two ships could be veritable doomsday vessels, packing Spirits-knew how much firepower. Jorus silently cursed Gallus; too many unknowns, and still he decided to pick a fight with these aliens.
"Should I open up a channel to them, sir?"
Jorus sighed and shook his head. "Son, we just attacked them and invaded one of their worlds. I highly doubt they're in a talking mood. Besides, we have no data on their language." Yet another thing our illustrious Admiral didn't take into account, he thought bitterly. Coming to an agreement was going to be a little hard without any means to communicate. It truly was mind-boggling how unprepared they were.
The screen flashed a warning; one of the ships had just shot off what looked like a missile. All across the bridge, Turian crewmembers began to shift nervously. Jorus took it upon himself to assuage their concerns.
"It's all right people, everything's under control. They're just testing us. The GARDIAN system will take care of things. We've got fifteen ships, they've only got two. It doesn't matter how big they are, they won't be able to—"
Suddenly, the Resolute Spirit was rocked to her core; all throughout the ship, klaxons blared and crewmen were violently knocked to the ground. Jorus, who had fallen flat on his back, sprang back to his feet and immediately voiced what everyone aboard was thinking:
"What the hell was that!?"
The technician clambered back into his seat and consulted the computer. His mouth, mandibles and all, soon sagged open.
"Captain, that thing they fired at us just detonated with a force of two hundred and fifteen kilotons! Kinetic barriers are down, we've got hull breaches on the entire lower portside and our engines are shot! Spirits above… frigates Hammer of Wrath and Solar Talon are destroyed too!"
Jorus stood stock still. "Are you telling me we just got hit by a nuke?"
The technician once more consulted the screen. "No sir, there's no radiation spikes."
"Then what the hell hit us?"
#
Hackett watched as the missile streaked towards the largest alien ship, carrying its fearsome payload. From the zoomed-in screen, he saw a laser beam lance out and strike it, only for a tremendous explosion to rip through space. The ship remained intact, but it was badly damaged; a couple smaller ships were not so fortunate and were reduced to little more than chunks of debris floating in the airless cold.
Such was the power of antimatter.
As he watched, Hackett was equal parts satisfied and chilled to the core. Satisfied that so much damage had been done, chilled because of the raw power unleashed. A single gram of antimatter, colliding with a gram of matter, produced an explosion that yielded no less than 43 kilotons of TNT; the missile that had been fired had carried five, making it almost fifteen times more powerful than the bomb that had been dropped on Hiroshima. During the Aeon War, the Migou had used antimatter extensively, from missiles to the much feared null rays that vaporized anyone and anything unfortunate enough to be hit by them. Now, its power belonged to humanity.
Antimatter was one of the most dangerous weapons the NEF had at its disposal, not just because of its destructive power, but also its temperament. The phrase, "playing with fire" was a very apt description. Should the containment field holding the antimatter be breached, then the wielders, and a good portion of the surrounding area, would cease to exist. In fact, antimatter weapons were considered so dangerous that ground forces absolutely refused to use them, and even warships only used antimatter missiles, and never in large numbers, in order to minimize a possible breach.
Karuma's hologram smirked, clearly pleased at the devastation. "Well, that was a bit more spectacular than I thought it would be. Two ships are down for the count and the big one's dead in the water."
"A heavy blow, but don't get too cocky, this battle isn't over yet," Hackett replied. Though Hackett too wanted to revel in the crippling blow, he knew better. Often, when things seemed to go too well, something nasty was in store for later. Until they were sure that the invaders were no longer an issue, there wouldn't be any gloating.
The Xenomix's eyes hardened. "True enough, Captain. Time to get up-close and personal."
As Hackett watched, the Vesuvius surged forward, ready to take advantage of the chaos the missile had caused. He immediately began barking orders to his crew.
"Tail the Vesuvius, but be sure not to get too far ahead. Once we get close enough, deploy all drone fighters." Points on the enemy ships were highlighted in bright green. "Concentrate on their engines and weapons platforms, but if they send out fighters of their own, engage them first." The Xerxes lurched forward, trailing its heavily armed sister, and Hackett clasped both hands behind his back, his face screwed up in intense concentration. Now, he knew, was when things got messy.
#
Gallus, having felt the severe tremor ripple through the Resolute Spirit, ran out of his quarters and straight for the bridge. He was soon faced with panicked officers and shrieking alarms. His eyes quickly caught sight of his XO and covered the distance between them with lightning speed.
"Captain, what in the name of Palaven happened?!"
"We were just attacked, Admiral," Jorus stated, stress bleeding into his voice. "The alien dreadnought shot some sort of missile at us and when the GARDIAN attempted to take it out, it exploded with two-hundred and fifteen kilotons of force. We're down two frigates and the Spirit's been heavily damaged. The alien ships are advancing towards us as we speak."
The admiral gaped in stupefied astonishment. "That's not possible!" he declared, as if saying that statement made it so.
"Well, sir, given that two frigates are gone and we're crippled, I'd say that it is possible," Jorus snapped.
"Watch your tone, Captain," Gallus snarled. Before he could begin a tirade, another crewman called out, "The dreadnought is firing again! It's targeting the cruiser Steadfast Guardian!"
"They're going to fire another one of those missiles!" another shrieked, clearly on the verge of hysterics.
"Get a grip on yourself!" Gallus ordered. "Their ships are too close to ours now; if they were to shoot off something that powerful at such close range, they'd be caught in the blast too!" He pointed a talon at another crewman. "Get in contact with the remaining ships; I want all our guns pointed at those Spirits-damned aliens! We are going to teach these uppity bastards a lesson in how the Turian Hierarchy—"
Exactly what they were going to teach the aliens died in the admiral's throat as he happened to glance out of the main viewport. From several points on their dreadnought, beams of iridescent crimson light struck the targeted cruiser; its kinetic barriers offering no resistance, the beams gouged gaping holes in its hull. A few seconds later, the ship exploded.
Gallus's hand dropped limply to his side as Jorus moved up beside him. "Were…were those—?"
"Yes, Admiral," Jorus stated grimly, "lasers. They have energy weapons."
#
If Hackett was being honest with himself, the fight was going almost phenomenally well. The first strike had taken two enemy ships out of commission and hamstrung the largest one. Now, the Vesuvius was unleashing the full power of its weapons batteries, and it was spectacular to see. Dreadnoughts were built with one purpose in mind: overwhelming firepower. Though the alien ships seemed to resist the heavy rail guns and plasma cannons (though to a lesser extent in regards to the latter), its turbo laser and charge beam batteries carved them up as if they were made of paper. Some of the ships fired off shots of their own at the dreadnought, but they merely glanced off its five-meter thick Titanium-alloy hide, leaving only superficial blemishes. It almost seemed unnecessary to deploy the drones.
When humanity had once more began exploring the far reaches of space, new problems emerged, particularly in regards to warfare. Contrary to what the old sci-fi movies had shown, star fighters were not plausible. In space, there was no air resistance, so a craft which emphasized speed would pose a danger to a pilot by accelerating to lethal velocities. A drone, however, would not require one, and so could go as fast as it liked. Enter the M1-Quicksilver; with multiple A-pods mounted on its chassis, the Quicksilver could not only fly forward and backward, but in just about every direction possible and so fast it'd make your head spin. An advanced VI allowed it to pinpoint targets, from weak points on enemy ships to other fighters, and to take evasive action when in danger. Given that the Vesuvius was tearing through the alien fleet, sending out the Quicksilvers would be almost overkill.
But if the Aeon War taught humanity anything, it was that the best kill was overkill. One command later and squadrons of self-guided drones were launched into the fray.
#
Jorus watched with disbelieving eyes as the situation for the Turian fleet steadily deteriorated. They were now down five ships and the Resolute Spirit remained out of the fight. Now, the other ship, which had just stood by while its companion blasted away at their ships had just released several dozen fighters. They zipped amongst the Turian ships, striking at engines and weapon platforms with their own laser cannons. GARDIAN systems were able to take out a few of the fighters, but they quickly homed in on the obvious threat and proceeded to eliminate them.
It had become clear to the captain that the fight was a lost cause. Even if they managed to somehow defeat the two alien ships, this was obviously a prelude to an even larger force. The Patrol Fleet would be annihilated, if their firepower was anything like the dreadnought's. As loathe as he was to admit it, there was only one option.
Jorus looked back at Gallus, who still looked on in stupefied horror as the alien dreadnought continued to bombard the fleet, and said something he'd never thought he'd have to say:
"Admiral, we have to retreat."
Gallus, however, did not seem to hear him. He just continued to stare at the battle, murmuring to himself, "Energy weapons…they have energy weapons….we're all doomed."
"Admiral, did you hear me? We have to withdraw!"
"Doomed…I've killed us all…"
"Spirits-damn it!" Jorus snarled. He pointed at one of the bridge security personnel. "Escort the Admiral to his quarters; he's unfit for duty. As the most senior officer present, I'm taking over command." As the security officer pulled the still-muttering Admiral off the bridge, Jorus faced the communications officer. "Get a line to all remaining ships. Tell them that we are pulling out."
While the transmission was being sent, Jorus contacted the engineering bay. "Chief Appius, what's the status of our engines?"
"Shot to hell, Captain," came the gruff response of the Chief Engineer. "Same with the FTL drive. We'd need access to a repair station to fix them. Sorry to say this, but we won't be going anywhere."
"I was afraid of that," Jorus said. "Do what you can, Chief." For what good it'll do. He turned back to the communications officer. "Has the remainder of the fleet received the order to retreat?"
"Yes, sir," the Turian replied. "But what about our soldiers on the planet?"
Jorus sighed miserably. "We can't do anything for them. If we try to evacuate them, the aliens will just pick off the shuttles and then go right back to blasting us to oblivion. The only way we can help is to warn the Council. Hopefully, they'll be able to clean up this mess we've made."
"What about us? Have the engines been fixed?"
Jorus noticed that everyone was suddenly focused on him after that question. He also noticed the look of desperate hope that crossed each face. The captain felt his heart sink, knowing that he was about to rob them of that hope.
Straightening himself up, he said, "Men and women of the Resolute Spirit." Instantly, the flicker of hope that had affixed all on the bridge was gone, replaced by nihilistic acceptance. They already knew what was going to happen. Nevertheless, Jorus continued; he owed them that much. "The damage we sustained was great, and our engines and FTL drive are out of commission. Retreat is not an option for us.
"However, we still have a part to play. The fleet needs time to escape; we will give it to them. The alien dreadnought must be kept occupied long enough for our remaining ships to get to safety. After that, our fate is in the Spirits' hands."
Jorus watched the crewmen for their reactions. To his pride, he saw that they were standing up straighter; though defeat was all but inevitable, they had a duty to perform, and like good Turians, they would see it done.
But then, as if to counteract this sense of duty, the computer screens began to blip madly. One of the crewmen soon reported the cause with numb recognition.
"Captain, we're getting readings that more alien ships are arriving."
Even as he watched, Jorus saw that it was true. All around their fleet, ships began to appear through portals of vivid blue. Soon, they were surrounded.
Jorus swallowed hard. He wanted to do something; weep, pray, something, but he didn't; the bitter knowledge that none of that would do any good prevented him. All he could do was stand on the bridge and await the inevitable.
The reckoning he feared had finally come.
Codex: New Earth Federation Astral Navy
This branch of the Federation's Armed Forces officially began in 2087 in order to take the fight to the Migou in space and has expanded over the decades. More commonly known as the Astral Navy, or AN, it oversees all modes of interstellar combat and peacekeeping. Warships are heavily armed and armored and designed with peak efficiency in mind. Produced in massive shipyards via nanotechnology, such crafts are constructed to have minimal crew requirements, relying predominantly on advanced LAIs to carry out most functions.
Frigates: In the past, frigates, like most other military vessels, were focused heavily on durability and firepower. Today, they have sacrificed much of their resilience in exchange for greater speed and maneuverability, though they still retain formidable offensive capabilities. Frigates occupy the role of light escort and scouting vessels, topping out at roughly 400 meters long.
Standard Armaments: Hull-mounted Vacuum-Tuned Charge Beam, 2 Vacuum-Tuned Linked Laser Cannons, 2 Vacuum-Tuned Plasma Cannons, 2 Rocket Pods, 2 Missile Racks.
Cruisers: These vessels provide the bulk of the Federation's naval forces. Both well-armed and armored, they are the mid-level tier between frigates and the massive dreadnoughts and carriers. Its cargo capacity can house between 30-60 Quicksilver drones or 30 0-G mecha, in addition to its own weapons mounts.
Standard Armaments: 4x2 Linked Hull-Mounted Charge Beams, 8x2 Linked Laser Cannons, 2 Hull-Mounted Missile Racks, Hull-Mounted Plasma Cannon, 2 Linked Railguns, 4x4 Linked Rocket Pods.
Destroyers: A unique type of vessel, destroyers are less of a ship and more akin to a giant mobile cannon. Their entire function is to inflict ungodly damage at either enemy ships or planetary targets. The sole weapon of these ships is a 500-foot arcanowave cannon which has been fitted with an immense D-Engine to provide the power requirement for such an armament. At full power, a destroyer is capable of unleashing a ray of eldritch energy that produces the rough equivalent of 50 megatons of TNT. This singular focus on dealing damage and low rate of fire leaves them vulnerable to enemy counterattacks, particularly from fighters, and so they are always stationed well away from the action. Destroyers are named after mythological creatures, such as the NSV Chimera, Oni, and Garuda.
Carriers: Dreadnought-sized craft, these ships are responsible for ferrying troops and supplies from one place to another. Unlike the rest of their brethren, carriers have no offensive capabilities and must rely on self-defense armaments, thick armor and their own complement of drone fighters. Its cargo bay can hold a maximum of 24,000 tons and can provide for a total of 100,000 fully-equipped soldiers in addition to its crew.
Dreadnoughts: These are the largest and most powerful warships the Federation has ever made, combining terrifying firepower with incredible armor; even the Migou took pause when facing these mighty ships. At two to three kilometers long and armed to the teeth, there is little that can stand in a dreadnought's way. These ships come in two classes: the Mountain and Volcano. Volcano classes focus on broadsides and mount no less than 312 of them (156 on each side), each one as long as 40% of the ship's width. They also carry a payload of the tremendously destructive Antimatter Missiles; even the ones containing small amounts of antimatter easily reach triple-digit kiloton range. The Mountain classes forego most of their broadsides in favor of an arcanowave cannon more than twice the size of destroyer's, with a yield of 100 megatons of TNT.