Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
So, this will take us back to the Milky Way, and to the other war going on in this story.
Let's get to it.
MR11: I don't think we'll see defectors away from the Alliance, biut I'm not ruling it out completely.
MatbeK01: Yes, they have. Her first two share her physical features with less pronounced skin colors and markings, while Anakin looks phyiscally like a Human with with Togruta colored skin.
Rico: Yes, they fall under the Starfleet. As for Jaina, don't worry, she'll return soon enough. She's still missing, but she'll be found soon enough. As for killing Jacen, we'll see.
Guest: Elves live 300 years at their longest, while a more standard lifetime is about 240-250 years.
Sectrooper: Hey man, glad to have you back. I took a look at them, and I really like 'em. Thanks for creating them. I'll start using them as the covers, if you are okay with that.
Chapter 42- Home Defense
(April 29, 2050)
A series of violent explosions rock the land outside the Torfan capitol of Tallonari. In fortifications built around the capitol, Torfan artillery crews fire back against the invaders. A handful of Grysk warriors are killed by the volley, but not many.
In a command center deeper in the city, outside the range of any Grysk weapons, a number of controllers are listening intely to radio messages coming in from all defending units. Most are Torfans, but there are a few Lortirians and humans mixed in as well.
One of the officers calls out, "General! Grysk warriors are advancing on the northern quadrant, supported by armored vehicles and their artillery. They are approaching within a mile of the outer walls!"
The chief of staff, a brigadier general, turns to look at his commanding officer. "General Alsakan, shall we commit the tank reserve?" he asks.
Across the threat board, General Alsakan considers this. His duties as commander of Torfa's armies are a far cry from his old duties as a Zulu Force commando, and it sometimes seems a task his mindset as a warrior is not as accustomed for. But he knows his people depend on him.
"Yes. Commit the tank reserve. This is where we will break them," Alsakan orders.
The Grysk War has begun to pick up in recent months, even as the war with the First Order had stalemated. The Grysk had begun to make some advances into Terran territory, but the Alliance was resisting them with everything they had.
Torfa had previously been thought safe, as it was far enough within Terran territory that it was thought the Grysk would not yet attempt an attack on it. However, that changed after a recent Grysk defeat that had cost them the most casualties they had ever sustained in a single battle. The Alliance had been fighting the Grysk for control of a star system codenamed the Kukulkan System, which had followed a tradition of naming significant star systems without sentient inhabitants after deities. The system was home to some very vital resources, and the Grysk had thrown serious effort into trying to take the system. They had taken the outer planets, but the Alliance still held the third planet, the most important.
However, when the Grysk had begun committing vast armies to finally take the planet, the Alliance begun detecting serious seismic activity on the planet, centered around a large mountain in the northern hemisphere. The mountain dwarfed anything on Earth, but was only about half the size of the famed Olympus Mons on Mars. The mountain was an ancient volcano, as evidenced by the massive caldera at its peak, but was believed to be long extinct. However, the tremors, which grew in strength and frequency over the course of several weeks, gave the Alliance a clear image of what was about to happen, and so the Joint Command had ordered a complete evacuation. The Starfleet evacuated all remaining Alliance troops, which numbered over 1.5 million at this point, and left the system. The Grysk, which did not realize the dangers of what was happening on the planet, moved more forces in to crush any remaining Alliance forces, not yet certain if the Alliance had completely left the planet.
The Grysk were caught completely off guard when, just three days after the Alliance finished pulling out, the massive volcano erupted in a massive supereruption so big and so violent it completely blew the mountain apart. The massive eruption was so large some scientists proposed that it deserved to be called something more than a supereruption, with some calling it a "hypereruption" or "megaeruption". The eruption was multiple times bigger than the infamous Toba eruption, ejecting an estimated 16,000 cubic kilometers of volcanic material. The ash and debris cloud was so massive it actually rose out of the atmosphere. The blast was so powerful it killed any living thing within a hundred miles of the mountain almost instantly. The Grysk were completely unprepared for an event of this magnitude, and the aftereffects hampered rescue efforts. By the time the Grysk were able to evacuate their armies, over 2 million Grysk had been killed by the eruption, and more were injured or suffered damage to their respiratory systems.
The loss of millions of Grysk and of control of the system was so drastic for the Grysk that they had decided to make an equally drastic move to regain their honor, and so decided to penetrate deep into the Alliance's territory and attack Torfa itself. Although there was not much of a fleet protecting it, starfighters and nuclear missiles were able to cause losses to the fleet, but the Grysk were still able to land large armies on the surface.
Alsakan, as Torfa's army commander, was in charge of the defense. Thankfully, the Grysk had suffered several defeats in other parts of the planet. However, the Grysk had responded by throwing the rest of their forces into the assault on the capitol. Although the capitol had extensive defensives, the Grysk were stretching those defenses to their limit.
"General Alsakan." Alsakan turns to the Torfan officer, who is the officer in charge of chemical weapons operations among Torfa's defense force. The officer looks at the general before he says, "The recent shipment of ammunition that arrived earlier today brought loads of the Red Dragon gas. With the position we have the Grysk in now, I think it's time to use it. Consider it the first real field test."
Alaskan considers this. The Red Dragon was the poison gas which had been developed specifically to attack the Grysk, which had been discussed by the Joint Command during the discussion on reinforcements for Andromeda back in January. The gas had finally begun mass production, but it was still available only in limited amounts.
Alsakan considers the option, knowing that using the gas, especially when they have so little of it, has to be carefully planned for it to be truly effective. However, finally, he comes to a decision. "Prepare our MLRS launchers to launch the gas. Concentrate the gas attacks on the north and west quadrants, and mass armor in those quadrants for an all out armored charge once the gas begins to take effect. Draw some tanks from the other quadrants if you have too."
"Yes, General," his officers say in unison.
Alsakan looks back down at the threat board. He had gained a reputation as a good poker player among the Army during his days in the Zulu Force, and that only grew during his days as a general. He knew he was taking a gamble, and betting the survival of the capitol on a pair of tens, so to speak. It was far from a royal flush, but the best hand he had. He can only hope that his opponent has a worse hand.
Torfan artillery bombardments continue as the gas canisters are loaded into rockets in MLRS launchers in the north and west quadrants and tanks are moved into position to make the armored charge once the gas attack is underway. Most of the starfighters engaged in the battle are working to either attack the Grysk fleet over Torfa or keeping Grysk fighters and landing craft away from the capitol. In his command center, Alsakan monitors the situation and the status reports from his forces, waiting with baited breath.
Finally, everything is in position, and for a brief moment, the artillery ceases fire. Then, after just moments, the rocket launchers begin to fire the rockets filled with the new gas. The rockets take only second to reach their targets at these ranges. As the rockets hit and release their deadly payloads, the Grysk at first think that the Terrans are firing dud rockets. However, it doesn't take long for the gas to begin taking affect.
The symptoms come slowly at first. Grysk nearest to the impact spots. They begin feeling pain in their nerves themselves, and their movements begin to grow more sluggish. Then, pain begins to creep through their bodies like ice is flowing through their veins as they breathe in more of the gas.
It becomes clear to the Grysk in only seconds that something is seriously wrong. As the rockets continue to land and release the gas, some even bursting in midair to expand the radius their gas can travel, more and more Grysk begin to feel the effects on their bodies from the gas. Some Grysk that inhale large amounts of gas do die, but most simply find themselves incredibly disoriented and often unable to grip their weapons as the poison gas targets their nervous system and disrupts it.
After a few minutes, the Torfans have expended over half of their supply of the gas. However, the gas has by now infected thousands of Grysk warriors, and is beginning to break up their front ranks and sow in chaos in their formations. At observation posts along the defensive walls surrounding the capitol, Torfan lookouts can see Grysk beginning to stumble as the effects of the gas take hold.
"Now!" several lookouts shout into their radios.
In seconds, formations of Torfan TK-4 Aldren tanks, named for one of the fiercest predators in Torfa's southern jungles, begin moving out of the city and charging straight for the Grysk lines. Throughout the Grysk War, tank charges were rare, as the Grysk had plenty of weapons that could disable or destroy a tank. Tanks instead advanced slowly in concert with other armored vehicles and infantry to ensure they were protected. However, with the Grysk disoriented from the gas, a tank charge was much less risky.
The tanks advance towards the Grysk armies at 40 miles an hour. As they get within 1,800 yards of the fracturing Grysk lines, the tanks fire their first volley of 125mm shells. The explosions tear through the front ranks of the Grysk and finish the job of the gas and fracture the front lines.
The tanks smash through the fractured front lines, continuing to fire their main cannons while beginning to pick off closer Grysk warriors with machine guns and laser cannons. Although very fierce and brave warriors, the Grysk, still reeling from the gas attack, begin to break into a rout and retreat away from the onslaught of tanks.
The Torfans realize the opportunity they now have, and immediately take advantage. Artillery resumes their bombardment, and infantry charges to engage the Grysk. At the same time, forces in the remaining quadrants renew their attacks. Word of the retreat in the north and west quadrants reaches the rest of the Grysk, who begun to pull back, only for the Torfans to press their attack.
In his HQ, Alsakan is watching this, and feels a sense of relief. His gamble paid off. He immediately gives an order for the last reserves still held within the city to be committed to the battle. This is the time to drive the Grysk off his planet.
And, I'll end the chapter there.
Hope you liked this chapter, and the return of another character from The Terran Alliance Strikes Back.
Also, hoped you liked my description of the volcano destroying a Grysk army. I've recently watched a few documentaries on supervolcanoes, and wanted to include something like that in a story. Also, for reference as to the size of the eruption, volcanic eruptions are generally ranked in power not just by powerful the initial blast is, but by how much material is ejected from the volcano during the eruption. For reference, the Toba eruption is estimated to have ejected somewhere between 2 and 6 thousand cubic kilometers of ash and debris. The largest eruption to have occurred at Yellowstone ejected 2,500 cubic kilometers. The eruption of the volcano in this chapter ejected 16,000 cubic kilometers, which is enough to bury the states of Conneticut and Rhode Island under a pile of ash and debris about half a mile deep.
Alright, next chapter will take us back the war with the First Order. Until it's up, please leave a review, and stay tuned!