Power is a game, but the end goal is not. For while power is played with, ultimate victory is not. Grand Admiral Zake Slonae of the often thought on this as he planned his strategies. He had been a career officer of the United Colonial Alliance Navy for nearly all his adult life. He had risen through the ranks for his superior strategies and the way he won battle. Now serving as head of 3rd Fleet, He was on the eve of battle once again.

The Grand admiral, of stern countenance and erect postures for man in his 80's looked out the bridge oculus and beheld the planet positioned beneath Councilor, flagship of 3rd Fleet. He looked upon the verdant surface of Tallarn, its cities lights evident on the dark side of the planet and pondered the on the fate of its inhabitants. Would they remain a proud member world of the United Colonial Alliance? Or would come under the oppression of the despotic, snobbish Federal apparatus?

The yoke of Terra had been harsh since the coming of the Federation. They had sought to subvert the already existing power of the UCA when they had become the new Earth government after the disjointed Empire began to break up. The Empire and the Colonials had shared an understanding. They had managed the outer colonies of the Empire in exchange for a pact. The Empire was to recognize the Colonial's sovereignty and in exchange they agreed for mutual defense for shared success is a hostile and unexplored galaxy. Originally, the UCA had been nothing more than a rebellion before the formation of the High Council, a destructive war in its own right had been waged against the Empire for freedom to do as they, not Terra, wanted.

Now, nearly a hundred years after the Federation of Terra took control of Earth and the Old Founding's, mankind's earliest and greatest colonies, they waged war on the Alliance for a chance to reclaim the worlds Earth had originally claimed, revenge for the initial colonial rebellion and greed.

The Federation had originated from a military coup that had ousted the Emperor and the Empire with him. They had reformed the Imperial apparatus into a federated government and placed military service as the one of the top ways of advancement in Federation society. Their President, Jules Engovar, had begun the war with the UCA, after half a century of planning. When they stuck, it had been like the Blitzkrieg of the old Germans, only on a galactic scale.

Now a tendril of that vast military machine was descending on Grand Admiral Sloane's forces, and it was his duty to defend the Colonial Alliance.

" Vox, get me direct hololithic link with Ground Command at once, display it on my personal projector." said Sloane into Shared Tactical Interface. Head of Vox Jenna de Olay moved to comply. Within seconds, the hololithic projector mounted on Sloane's wrist sprung to life, displaying the image of General Kwame Mandlenkosi of the Colonial Marines.

Mandlenkosi and his marines, of which 90% were clones, the remaining 10% being natural born men and women, the higher ranking officers of the Marine Corps 10th Army Group currently deployed upon Tallarn. These men were the veterans of the Rim Wars against Vargoa Raiders and the Battle of Zyngan, where the Federation had them outnumbered two to one. They were crack troops and would fight well, to the death if need be.

The General had a dark complexion and a neatly trimmed grey beard. He regarded Grand Admiral Sloane for a moment before beginning their conference, which both men knew could only be about the current status of their respective forces

"How goes it sir? Is the fleet positioned as we planned?" asked Kwame

"It is. I assume that you men have secured the ground-to-space anti-orbital defenses of the planet, including the graviton cannons?" spoke the Grand Admiral in a cool tone

"Yes. We have their systems integrated to your STI systems, they await your command" stated General Mandlekosi.

"Good, my Fleet's current locus and the orbital defaces we have will force the Federation to land outside the capital, rather than in it .In addition it will make orbital bombardment difficult for their ships. Nuke their landing forces once they have gathered in sufficient strength, tacticals only"

"Do you expect to be able to hold your current orbital positions as the battle develops? If your ships move too far out of orbit , it will be a lot harder to deal with Federal movements here on the ground, they be be able to hit us with those drop pod assaults . It would make holding a cohesive battle line together more difficult." responded General Mandlekosi

Sloane knew it would come down to who owned the space around the cosmopolitan world, the Marines presence merely bolstering the people of Tallarn. Sloane had deployed his fleet around the Ramillies-class starfort Rock of Tallarn, one of 3 that were geosynchronous orbit around the major cities of Tallarn. The battleship Councilor was grouped with two Heavy Cruisers, the Adjudicator and Freedom. A screen of destroyers and frigates dozens strong provided defense against smaller craft, such as star fighters and bombers. Sloane also had a carrier, the Cry of Valor, kept close to his flagship so the two could provide mutual defense

There was no doubt, this battle would prove difficult, but should his plan work, the one that took into account the positioning of the rest of 3rd fleet, then victory war theirs. So all he said to The Colonial Marine before terminating the holoprojector in his wrist and making ready for battle was "I have no doubt we will hold, but so too must you General. Sloane out"