Chapter 2 (Chpt 3 redux): The Battle Begins!
Completing his initial combat report Nihlus gazed upon the Council, and tried to hide his annoyance as Valern, the Salarian Councillor ignored him in favour of whatever was on his omni-tool, probably those sneaks in the STG. The rest sat in a stony silence, with Sparatus whose mandibles had seemingly kept from grinding in rage with great willpower.
Nihlus then watched with surprise as the honoured Councilor Sparatus of, representative of the Turian Hierarchy supreme, the unquestionable military power of the Galaxy stood up and for lack of a better term, fumed. "You mean to tell me that these unknown aliens who have long range laser weapons capable of annihilating a capital ship, can perform precision in system jumps and most egregiously have now taken the lives of six Turian crews!"
The typically animated burst of anger from the councilor, was much more appreciated when it was directed at the enemies of the Hierarchy and with respect to his lost comrades instead of in resistance to the Naval RNR bill.
"Well Vice Admiral?!"
'The question wasn't rhetorical?' "Indeed Councillor, my ship barely made its escape, we were outnumbered, outgunned and ill prepared for combat with such a force" Nihlus really hoped that the blame for this failure could be pinned on the force disparity between his task force and the new enemy rather than his own head, a quiet request was sent in his head to the spirits who had yet to do him wrong.
"Based on these recordings, Nihilus you were able to overwhelm one of the enemy dreadnaughts, how do you estimate their combat capabilities" Once again the spirits provided as Viticus cut in, turning the discussion to the enemy and in Nihlus' very humble opinion his great and incredible skill as a commander, if he spun this right that is.
Nihilus opened his omni-tool and opened up his hastily compiled combat report he had rushed with his staff into some semblance of usability. The sacrifice of his administrative staff's mental health shall be remembered and compensated. He would have to wing from here.
"Indeed, I had hoped to quickly cripple their dreadnaughts. We had only seen the beam weapon fired from the heavier ship class while our ships jumped out of system and by eliminating it we have proven that sufficient numbers of mass accelerator slugs are capable of overwhelming their shielding. I've had my gunnery department investigate its damage resistance, but by and large their dreadnaughts have weaker shielding than comparable modern Council space equivalents in said ship grade, at least against mass effect weaponry that is. Our analysts suspect that their shielding rather focuses on disruptive and reflective properties as seen by the sharp and unusual curvature in the firing arcs of our rounds upon nearing their 'disruptive zone'. The disruption appears random even in shots that would've struck the same place on any other ship body or kinetic barrier. However their hulls are far sturdier than any Naval equivalent and can take significant punishment, fortunately for us our mass accelerator rounds are well suited to piercing armour, even if repeated strikes would be needed to break their capital ship armour."
Continuing to go on end about the various deviations found in the smaller alien ships and their capabilities Nhilus gave his report with the appropriately dry and bureaucratic language beloved by council politicians and military administration alike. The formerly tense Sparatus seemed to relax slightly before shaking his talons wildly in the air. "fine work vice admiral, you have uncovered their weaknesses, not at all unexpected, we must use our new knowledge and strike back immediately! Avenge our fallen!"
'You've done it again Nihilus, my brilliance at work, a defeat turned into professional praise' Nihilus' mandibles quirked up into a pleased expression, now if only he could find a way to ensure he could get a cosy transfer back to Palaven after this ordeal. His thoughts were however cut off by the interruption of an up until this point silent Tevos, the influential Matriarch and representative of the Republics.
"Not so quickly now, Sparatus! We have just been faced by a force whose space it seems we have trespassed on, the wisest move now is to attempt some form of accord with these aliens. We can't just go blindly charging into a war with a force whom we have little information on beyond and who've potentially acted on a major misunderstanding!"
Viticus and Nihilus bristled at the implication, vengeance was definitely the mood, but it was Sparatus who, unlike mere subordinates, was unbound by such minor matters as propriety and not insulting the very powerful ancient biotic. "You mean to tell me we let them get away with this! How typical of you Tevos always with the appeasement never with the decisive action! No wonder the batarians are still a problem"
Indignant Tevos decided upon the course of verbal sparring "Stopping you from causing a massacre is not a lack of decisive action Sparatus!"
"No, it's just being indecisive on generations of slavery!" Sparatus spat
"You know that I don't like them either!, but violent action should not be our immedia-"
Valern who had been staring at his omni-tool took this moment to intervene, having likely kept the many spats between the two from coming to blows in his long (by Salarian standards) career. "Look, the Batarian question isn't what we're discussing right now, can both of you acknowledge we are now dealing with a now likely hostile power? One has shot first and has access to advanced unknown technologies. Besides, could we have some decorum in front of the help?"
Naturally Nihlus, and probably Viticus not that he was paying attention to him, bristled at the help remark. But good officers know when to keep their mouths shut, especially in such halls of power. Afterall for all the bickering of the council they were some of the most influential people in the Galaxy, those in the know, know the dangers of angering such folk. So they were silent, besides, Nihlus, despite his agreement with his councillor neither enjoyed the attention of STG deathsquads nor Asari assassins, actually maybe the Asari assassins would be a pretty good way to go.
Nihlus' train of thought was unfortunately brought back to reality when the conversation turned back to the matter at hand. "Perhaps then a show of force would be ideal, a quick strike and capture of their system may provide us a bargaining chip to bring our new neighbours to the negotiation table." Valern, voice like steel, stared down both his compatriots, unfortunately neither cared for his attempt at mediation.
"Ah good on you Valern, I see you at least understand the necessity of showing these trigger happy barbarians their place!" Sparatus threw his arms out wide in the traditional Turian show of great joy and friendship.
"'trigger happy barbarians' can you not hear the irony of everything you say" Tevos mocking brought a twitch of fury to Sparatus mandibles but his riposte was interrupted before it had the chance to escalate to an appropriately personal level. "And Valern, what is this absurdity, you're asking to further provoke a militarily superior force, what part of this speaks 'good idea' to you? Do your Dalatrass curated action plans also not consider the consequences of galactic war!"
Nihlus eyes the honoured councillor shocked, an insult to the Dalatrasses to a Salarian is the kind of insult that often devolves into the most vicious sort of bar brawls or the occasional murder. Valern's eye twitched, his long fingers cracking his armrest as they curl with rage, either the council skimps on seats which Nihlus personally found quite unlikely or the Salarian councillor is much scarier than one would initially assume.
Luckily for all involved, Sparatus chose now to invoke the supreme will of democracy. "Fortunately for us, and not for you Democracy has spoken! Valern agrees with me to attack, which is more than just you, so therefore we assault!" Sparatus' voice reverberated with the kind of smug satisfaction that can only be found in old Palaven politicians, and Nihlus could only swell with pride at the brilliant efforts of collective decision making.
"Viticus make haste for battle! Oh, and ensure that our brave Vice admiral here gets the chance to get into the thick of battle, wouldn't want him to miss out on getting some good and proper revenge hmm." It was then that Nihlus found he deeply despised democracy and that perhaps he should've been slightly more discreet about his accomplishments.
Viticus sat arms on his desk, talons clasped, a stony silence had enveloped him, once again he was called to the field of battle. The long and tedious cross referencing with his superiors in the Expeditionary Command and even the distant and all powerful council of Primarchs had sent an exceptionally encoded and terrifyingly direct order directly to his personal omnitool. The Council of Primarchs demand rapid control of the enemy position. You are to seize space superiority before the enemy can prepare for counterattack and await the arrival of reinforcements. Spirits with you Admiral.
So here he sat pondering on the eve of battle, like he had all those years ago onboard his little patrol boat faced with the wrath of a batarian slaver destroyer. Like then he was faced with uncertain odds, then to face an older if still vicious warship with what amounted to a gunboat, and now to strike with a fleet unsuited for battle against an numerically inferior if unknown and deadly opponent. Meanwhile his reinforcements in the 3rd and 8th fleets both three days to a week from arrival, their modern equipment and veteran crews would be sorely missed in the coming battle.
"Um, sir, you've been sitting there for thirty minutes now, uh… do we have any orders?" The shrill untested flanging of an adolescent signum, a ship's most junior of officers, cut through Viticus brooding, the silence of his office broken. He turned to glare at the lad, dearly missing his normal Volus orderly whom was happily enjoying his time on the rejuvenating ammonic baths of Irune.
"I have received our orders, inform communications to prepare for a fleetwide broadcast." The signum snapped a sharp salute and made haste from the
For all Viticus' distaste at commanding a fleet with mostly fresh officers, damnable transfer to less experienced patrol fleets, this was supposed to be his early retirement, not a combat scenario with a majority of his crews untested. Fortunately he had his core of veteran officers, unfortunately that included the damn glory hound Nihlus, an outsider should never have risen so high in the ranks, damn tolerants and their weak hearts. At the very least he had Korlus, Orbon and the Cadaman brothers among his key staff, though they all had their issues. Was he being too harsh on them, maybe, but these were no Pirates or pesky suit rat scavengers, these were an ostensibly technologically advanced alien power.
As he made his way to the bridge, he assured himself, no officer should enter an engagement expecting defeat, especially not one where he had such a superior numerical advantage and a dreadnaught of his own. A swift strike, that was all it would take, even the great speed of their tactical jumps could be accounted for with a proper defensive formation, let them break upon the bulwark of his fleet and crush them in counterattack. That was if they would be foolish enough to charge a full fleet head on, more likely it would be a brutal hunt across the system if they dispersed, best to pin them to the planet and crush them.
As Viticus formulated his battle plan, he found himself by his command chair at the bridge of the Percussor of Dayut, a Velakken class dreadnought, an older model and by now a century out of date to modern designs. No matter, it still had a kilometre long mass accelerator cannon and a large fleet to back it up, that was the confidence boost he needed to address his fleet.
"To the crews of the 23rd Patrol fleet, we are to prepare for offensive action!"
Spirits help them.
Aboard the mighty Battlecruiser Batajun High Adept Boris Yulashenko chosen of Yuri sat with the boredom masterfully and petulantly refined by the only most petty of Yurian Aristocracy. The intruders had been dealt with mere hours ago and yet here he was, bored again, his crew still high and his report stuck in the long and complex transit to the War Guild. Being at the true ass end of human space was no less boring even if you were given a relatively modern battlecruiser to play with, as it unfortunately came with a job.
Honestly, he regretted having sent Vladevsky, Adept of the Battlecruiser Vana Tallinn to investigate the interloper ships. Here he sat with nothing interesting but to twiddle his thumbs and find distraction while awaiting the days of relaying his report up and down the Chrono-links. Hopefully his father would find the means to replace the Samane.
As he sat and pondered the Psychic signaller lit up in the mesmerising hues of shifting purple as the voice of Adept Vladevsky entered his mind. "Lord Adept, I apologise for the lack of forewarning, however I believe I have stumbled upon something of great significance!"
Damn, he should be sorry, one never gets used to voices appearing in the mind. "And what is this greatly significant matter hmm?" However Boris saw himself as a forgiving man, and any reprieve from the dullardry of guard duty is enjoyed.
"Their Aliens my lord, not simply unregistered to the Mental archive, but potentially a new species entirely! An incredible discovery!" Vladevskies excitement was palpable through both his voice and the empathetic nodes of Psychic signaller, Boris was thoroughly pleased, truly things had taken an interesting turn, though now much more serious. "Even the moo-"
"Indeed it is Adept, bring those ships to port for a more thorough investigation, Boris out" Cutting the connection before Vladevsky had the chance to expand upon his discovery, Boris rapidly took the chance to call upon his 'friends' in the system. A new species implied the infrastructure and development to raise large fleets and deploy them to his new station, exciting though problematic if they decided to come back with more ships, his command was still relatively minor afterall.
Messages were hastily written in request for reinforcements, enemy strength overestimated and potential profits implied to his peers in nearby systems and among his criminal contacts. The reports would take a week minimum to arrive at Pokrovskoye, the grand capital of the Free state of the Immortal Yuri. All there was to do now was await the response of his allies in the following days and gather support, hopefully the Aliens would take their time for any retaliation, if at all. If they hadn't appeared here earlier it was most likely their expedition would be weeks from arrival.
"Admiral, our fleet is ready to Jump into the system" The Comms officer relayed to his commander, the air of tension had swept into the room. Confidence had been shaken with the near total loss of a Turian section, for all their vaunted discipline and assured power, the loss of so many men both stoked the fires of vengeance and shook the absolute certainty of victory. Viticus would need to play into the fury of his men for any hope as his fleet's morale was so dependent on its mass of first tourers.
"We shall avenge our brothers and sisters now, engage drives, we jump in twenty minutes!" Viticus attempted to throw as much steel into his command as possible, if his time leading has taught him anything it's that a confident commander leads to confident subordinates.
He stood over the command table, his fleet arrayed and updated by the information department as the Mass effect cores shone with vibrant blue, the relay bursting to life as the full might of a Turian patrol fleet made ready for jump.
A flash, then a resounding thrum as ship after ship crossed dozens of light years in moments, charging across space to arrive in the lands of their latest adversary. Lo and behold the spirits were kind to him, the enemy fleet had returned to their moorings over the planet with one dreadnaught plumbing the tombs of his countrymen.
"Fire on that ship" The order was clear and the years of drill and sudden fair weather confidence of his fleet brough upon a crisp and absolute barrage upon the enemy ship. Dozens of slugs were diverted and warped in the strange shielding of the ship, but forty five ships firing together was the kind of barrage no ship could withstand. Outgunned, evidently unprepared and unable to escape the dreadnought was doomed from the start.
Boris jumped from his seat as he heard the psychic scream of a dying warship pierce his mind, an inbuilt system to ensure commanders were immediately aware of bonded ships. The Vana Tallinn was lost in but a moment, its distress signal the only message it could impart before its untimely demise.
This was a disaster, the Vana Tallinn was the only Battlecruiser armed with a light lance and his own crew were suddenly panicking, he would have to act fast. Boris did as all good officers of Yuri's navy would do and turned the mind control systems to combat overdrive. The gears were pushed to maximum and the crew, psychically linked to their commanders will, acted as one, aware yet beholden to the absolute will of their superior.
Boris became the Batajun and the Batajun was head of the Shanxi Star Guilds 16 remaining subordinate ships. Seven gunboats, three nuclear armed, three destroyers, three frigates, two cruisers and an Assault ship with a full cloning suite.
At once three gunboats of the fleet warped the functioning of time, accelerating forward to a future position unaffected by normal frozen present. Normally limited by inbuilt measures to best protect the crew from the effects of time entanglement and the many consequences wherein, they are managed via specific machinery. The charging an effect of the complex computations needed to manage a jump at certain distances, speeds and injection of energy for jump limit its capacity, accuracy and safety.
The Shanxi Star Guild had no need for the consequence of safety, speed nor distance, only calculation, the least intensive part. In an instant three gunboats, the Katachrik, the Eanlake and the Lofthouse Steward appeared in key points on the Alien line and unloading a first salvo of missiles. The Aliens reacted with respectable skill and discipline, rapidly deploying relatively advanced laser point defence systems with great gunnery and a skilled fighter escort. Their spinal kinetic cannons thundered in a mighty shared volley, Katachrik was annihilated, faced with the main gun of the enemy battleship and its colossal acceleration and power, the Katachrik was obliterated after unloading its entire salvo. The Eanlake escaped crippled barely shunting its heat before a stream of slugs punched through its shielding, the distortion and its slim profile saving it from total annihilation, able to jump away before a deathblow could be dealt. And last the Lofthouse Steward a local Shanxi militia ship was unable to unload its entire salvo as it quickly jumped back as it had rapidly shunted its heat during the firing stage, sacrificing a total salvo while increasing jump speed, only damaged by a severe blow from a cruiser round, piercing through its superstructure before it escaped the battleline.
Missiles of the guild gunboats were simple things, the Katachrik being built in the core systems was armed with by now two decade old nuclear warheads and a sleuth of simpler munitions. Designed to swarm enemy defence systems to allow the nuclear weapons to cripple ships of much greater scale, here it would not come to pass. The barrage supported by both gunboats arsenals was subverted as enemy fighters cut straight to the nuclear warheads knocking them offline, while the laser arrays and shielding of the aliens would tank the onslaught. In doing so however the Batajun observed a fascinating phenomena, one of the slower armoured missiles one of the few to make it to the enemy fleet, phaseding through the shielding of a picket ship at its damaged lower speed before being finished off by the ships laser array. Boris had discovered a new weakness and he concocted his surely brilliant plan.
Sacrifices must be made for the cause of victory and Boris, well he was always happy to sacrifice someone else for victory. The Aswarat activated its chrono-jump drive rendering time locally inert as it powered onwards to its target, a suicidal attack unleashing its nuclear warheads within the enemy fleets flank, ideally taking out its large battlecruisers.
A chrono-jump is generally considered much safer than the older versions of chronosphere technology that warped reality in all manner of surreal or horrifying consequences. When ships utilising warp come into close contact, or worse, collision, a Chrono Vortex event may occur. It was in this first battle that collision with an Alien FTL system could be observed.
Whatever means of FTL the aliens used, it was unlikely to be Chronosphere based, but the consequences of collision nonetheless devastating. The Aswarat and what must have been an Alien ship of similar size, in a moment, in the space between where both fleets initially stood a vast explosion of Cherenkov radiation and dazzling electric blue and black waves cut through space. In doing so both ships were utterly annihilated, and ten of the alien ships were knocked out of their FTL jump, lifeless and crippled, their hulls glowing a blinding white.
Boris could only watch flabbergasted, that had not been the plan, but it had still gone brilliantly, if not much better than he expected. Unfortunately, he was now faced with the full wrath of the Alien fleet boring down upon Shanxi and his fleet. And so he played his next brilliant move, the Staliyut, the fleet's only Assault ship launched its vast payload, manned pods guarded in a sense by the following vast salvo of every missile within the fleet distracting and hopefully overwhelming the Alien point defence.
Nihlus watched as the newcomers launched what in some senses was a comically large amount of missiles towards his flank of the fleet. Orbon and the fleet's left flank were dead or lost leaving him to appreciate a much more focused barrage.
'Spirits, I ask for only one more favour' as Nihilus prayed, the battle entered its second phase.
AN: Yo, got a bit carried away with this one but I'm pretty chuffed with it, not sure what I'll do with the older version, might repost it, might forget. I was pretty stoned when I wrote some of this so I hope you forgive any goofs that might've slipped in, or don't it's a free country after all (assuming you live somewhere where that phrase is applicable).