Rise of the Remorhaz Society [Archive] - Page 2

sachmo

April 19th, 2003, 09:18 AM

A plea for the People

The Chairman of the Remorhaz Society looked at the nervous Norakian standing next to him.
�Ready? It�s about time, Trilek.�
The Norakians eyes grew as big as dinner plates.
�Yes. Yes, I am ready, Chairman. I must tell you I am feeling very anxious.�
Chairman Sachmo smiled at Trilek, trying to put him at ease.
�I know how you feel. I get nervous every time I have to speak. I always have.� He shrugged.
�May I ask how you handle it, sir?� Trilek asked.
�Well, I pick one person out of the crowd, and pretend I am talking to them. It makes the numbers easier to deal with.�
�I will try that, Chairman. I hope that will ease my anxiety.� He paused a moment, absently straightening his tunic.
�I am ready.�
The Chairman nodded to his page, and put his hand on the Norakians arm for a moment.
�Just speak to them with the same conviction that you did to Governor Dison and I. If you can do that, everything else will fall into place.�
Trilek nodded as he stared at the curtain before him. On the other side of it waited the entire General Assembly of the Remorhaz Society, and they were here to listen to his plea. It was a daunting task.
He was vaguely aware of the Chairman stepping out onto the dais from between the curtain, and his body being swept onward by the Chairman�s staff and handlers. When he came out from behind the curtain, he almost froze. Before him was a huge auditorium, filled to capacity with representatives from all corners of the Remorhaz Society. Hundreds of them, all sitting in neatly arranged rows and all staring at him. Thankfully, a staff member guided him to the chair that was reserved for him, specially crafted to comfortably facilitate his Norakian body. When he was finally seated, someone he did not see handed him a glass of water, which he absently drank, all the while trying to remember who he was and what he was here to talk about. He could feel the anxiousness rising in his trunk, causing his blood system to pump faster and faster. He lifted the water glass once more, only to find it empty. He stared at it dumbly. He glanced left and right, but no one was paying attention to him. They were all watching their leader address the General Assembly. I will need more water, he thought. Whom shall I ask?
Just then, he became aware of the Chairman looking at him with an outstretched hand, beckoning him to come to the dais.
His legs surprised him and raised his body up off of the chair. He could see the representatives clapping and watching him. He took a step forward, then another, then another. The Chairman stepped back and let Trilek take the dais for himself. As he looked at all of his fellow citizens, a strange calm came over him. For all of the Norakians who survived the war, and for all of those who perished, he had to convince these people to hear his case.
�Greeting, honorable representatives of the Remorhaz Society. I am Trilek, a Norakian citizen of the Remorhaz Society.�
This brought clapping and even a smattering of cheering from the assembly. He waited a moment for it to die out and then continued.
�When the Remorhaz people and the Norakian people discovered on another, our relationship was doomed from the beginning. Norakian society was not structured to accept the existence of other races, and when that discovery could not be denied, you were labeled as a threat to our way of life. War was inevitable.�
A rumble of murmurs passed through the auditorium, and Trilek could see a few faces darken with anger.
�The war began, and people died. When the war turned against Norak, our leaders refused to negotiate. Our religion forbad the existence of other races, and so your race could not be bargained with. It was a fight which cost billions of Norakians their lives.�
�When the Space Marines landed on Providence, it was only the cowardliness of our Last surviving elder that saved our lives. Up until that time, Norakians followed the instruction of the elders without question, even to our deaths. When he surrendered the planet to Remorhaz, he inadvertently destroyed thousands of years of social rigidity, although at the time we did not know it. We expected enslavement, or torture, or whatever other fate a conquered people can expect. That was not to be, however.�
He stopped for a moment and glanced at the Chairman. He was listening intently, as was everyone else in the auditorium. The Assembly knew what the Chairman was asking for; the authorization to allow Norakians to enlist for military service. Thus far it had been a rather unpopular notion. All of the wheeling and dealing that the Chairman had been able to do had only secured about a fourth of the votes he needed. Trilek was his trump card, and the Chairman hoped that his speech would sway the votes needed to pass the measure. If not, the movement was dead. Trilek knew how many Norakians wanted to do their part for their new people. He just had to convince the rest of the universe that it would be safe. He took a deep breath and continued.
�The people of Remorhaz embraced us with open arms. We were not subjugated by harsh captors, but were given full rights and citizenship in the Remorhaz Society. We were allowed to come and go as we pleased. We were allowed to choose our activities and professions. We slowly learned the ideas of choice, individualism and freedom. While it may be hard for many of you to grasp, there was no word for any of these virtues in the Norakian language. Since the dawn of our time we lived for our gods and the leaders who represented them. The war taught us many things about how we had lived our lives before, but we knew that we now had the freedom to live as we pleased.�
�There have been struggles, to be sure, but most Norakians have embraced this new way of life. We have been allowed to continue practicing our religious beliefs as we choose. As we learned to live as Remorhaz citizens do, we saw news of the wars. We watched the vid programs as citizens gave their lives to protect the lives of many, and to protect the Remorhaz way of life. Soon, we began to ask if we could offer our lives to protect our new home. Sadly, we were told we could not.�
The auditorium was silent. All eyes were on Trilek as he continued.
�The Norakians are a proud people. We are a loyal people. We are a strong people. That is only part of who we are, though. We are now Norakians of the Remorhaz Society, and we choose to fight the enemies of our people.�
A few people began to clap and hoot. Even more tried to silence them.
� I realize how this must sound. Many of you must think the idea is preposterous. Why should the Society even take the risk of rearming its first enemy?�
Immediately shouts rose up, some dissenting but many agreeing with Trilek�s Last statement. That was the root of it. They were afraid, and he couldn�t blame them at all.
�I can tell you why. We are Remorhaz, just as you are. We have the right to fight for our freedom, just as you do. Since we know what it is like to live without freedom or choice, it means more to us than you could possibly imagine. Many of us feel that the old ways of our people led to a stagnation of growth and a terrible xenophobia that almost destroyed us forever. We will not let that happen again. We would no sooner stab Remorhaz in the back then we would give up our freedom. Let us, your fellow Remorhaz citizen, take up arms and stand by your side. Let us protect you as you have protected us. I thank you.�
Thunderous applause broke out in the auditorium. The entire General Assembly was on its feet, cheering and clapping. Trilek bowed his head in thanks, as was the Norakian custom. He then raised his arm and waved, as those of Remorhaz do. He felt the Chairman move to his side and put his arm around his back, smiling and waving to the assembly.
�Trilek my friend, I think you carried the day�, the Chairman said.
�I only spoke the truth, Chairman. I thank you for allowing me the opportunity.�
Chairman Sachmo chuckled.
�The truth? Trilek, I think you are going to turn the political world on its ear!�
Trilek stared at him, with a puzzled expression on his face. He wasn�t sure he would ever fully understand humans, but he was glad to be living among them. They were strange, but so very interesting.

The following day, the General Assembly passed the resolution authorizing Norakians to join the Remorhaz military. On Providence, open enlistment began for the first Norakian Space Marine Brigade. The response was overwhelming. The muster sheet for the brigade was filled in three hours.

[ April 19, 2003, 08:19: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Raging Deadstar

April 19th, 2003, 12:19 PM

I always had a soft spot for the norakians, glad to see the Remorhaz are treating them well http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Great Addition, certainly worth the wait! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

mlmbd

April 19th, 2003, 04:32 PM

sachmo, I agree with RD. Excellent addition, to your story. Well worth the wait. Indeed!

Only a couple of hours to muster an entire Brigade. Impressive!

mlmbd http://www.shrapnelgames.com//ubb/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif </font

CNCRaymond

April 20th, 2003, 08:20 AM

Bravo. I have enjoyed reading your story. When can you post an new chapter?

[ April 20, 2003, 08:01: Message edited by: CNCRaymond ]

Ragnarok

April 21st, 2003, 12:57 AM

Very nice addition you put together. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I certainly look forward to the next installment.

sachmo

April 21st, 2003, 04:29 AM

Originally posted by CNCRaymond:
Bravo. I have enjoyed reading your story. When can you post an new chapter?Hopefully soon! Things seem to be cooling down in my personal life, and I should have time to write a bit more.

Thanks for the kind words, all. I only hope that you enjoy the story. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities

April 21st, 2003, 09:51 AM

Great addition. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The FryeR K

April 21st, 2003, 06:39 PM

The epic continues...
Great story.

sachmo

April 21st, 2003, 11:58 PM

Originally posted by sachmo:
Ok folks, time for a map update.

http://home.attbi.com/~chrissachnik/pics/map.jpg

System Information
1. Velocitas- home system, this is where Remorhaz is located along with Vilnius and Remorhaz University
2. Neckron- home to Glory, Black Hills, and Salvation
3. Wurtuy- asteroid filled system with no planets. Was site of many battles with Norak
4. Tudran- first system captured from the Norak, planets Spitfire, Hera and Heden
5. Zanthris and Koltan- Empty systems.
6. Lapzooli- former home system of the Norak Continuum, now home to planet Norak and Harkness
7. Regotha- Last system of the Norak, now home to Providence and Prospect
8. Knoglam- asteroid filled system.
9. Lezzari- home to Nova, first planet captured from Rage. Other planets in system are Shadow, Golantha, Tyree, and Malisca.
10. Jethanis- site of battle of Cetarus where Last Rage offensive was crushed.
11. Lundra- asteroid filled system,
12. Xilantha- home to Fort Justice
13. Yullado- home of Deniper, small planet which mainly serves as a resupply base. Early in the war, a Rage colony in this system was glassed.
14. Organtrix- empty system with rouge gas giant traversing system
15. Fezzran- First system recaptured from Rage. Planets in system are Scorpio, Vengence, and Cirius. Cirius was first planet glassed by Rage
16. Lenoltris- Highrock is in this system. Has become most active front in war against the Ukra-Tal.
17. Ultrinox- empty system filled with organic growth
18. Yukra- Ukra-Tal controlled system which is home to former Remorhaz colony of Timerron. Here is where Peregrin met her fate.
19. Iolo- home to Correlia, lynchpin to right flank of Remorhaz society.
20. Devonshire- Ukra-Tal system. Not known if this is homeworld system or only flank.
21. Wanduk-former Remorhaz system, site of Cherek. Lost to Ukra-Tal. No survivors.
22. Aldan- home system for the Texrak Hegemony
23. Zekrat-former home system of the Rage Collective, colonies in system are Rage and Grenville. Rage is second most populous planet in Society.
24. Zezzis- sparsely inhabited by strategically important system, controls entire right flank of Society.
25. Bardron- Last remaining Rage system?
26. Vendrin- nebula system who possession could allow flank attack on Ukra-Tal system in Devonshire.
27. Sutran- former Rage system. Colonies in this system are Gordov, Sutran, Isla Bella, and Tolland.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the map. Actually, please let me know if you have questions about anything! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif It's been a while, so I'm moving the map back to the front page for easy reference.

SG-3

April 22nd, 2003, 12:13 AM

Sachmo,
I was looking through the document you sent and I was wondering why there are some chapters you didn't release like Test Flight.
**Edit**Sorry I found Test Flight.

[ April 21, 2003, 23:15: Message edited by: SG-3 ]

mlmbd

April 22nd, 2003, 02:52 PM

sachmo, Thanks, for the map update!

mlmbd http://www.shrapnelgames.com//ubb/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif </font

sachmo

April 24th, 2003, 03:55 PM

New chapter in the works...should post it by Saturday. Maybe tonight.

Gryphin

April 24th, 2003, 06:05 PM

Am I missing something or are is the Remorhaz in control of 3/4s of the quadrant?

sachmo

April 24th, 2003, 06:37 PM

Maybe 1/4 of them. Not all of the quadrents on the map are under Remorhaz control. The map below is not complete by any means. It only serves to hilight the important ones.

Gryphin

April 24th, 2003, 07:03 PM

Ok,
If you can send a screen shot I would be happy to do up a graphic for you.

sachmo

April 25th, 2003, 01:03 AM

You don't like my Word created map? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

I'll give it a shot!

Gryphin

April 25th, 2003, 01:30 AM

Sachmo, I like everything you do. Not sure if I stepped you toes. didn't meant to. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Happens I'm working on the map for the
The Challeng Match. I'm using a grapfics program to mark it up so I can remmber what I did.

Be happy to do yours. Do a screen shot of the Borders map. Just an idea.

[ April 25, 2003, 00:32: Message edited by: Gryphin ]

sachmo

April 25th, 2003, 04:59 AM

Originally posted by Gryphin:
Sachmo, I like everything you do. Not sure if I stepped you toes. didn't meant to. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Happens I'm working on the map for the
The Challeng Match. I'm using a grapfics program to mark it up so I can remmber what I did.

Be happy to do yours. Do a screen shot of the Borders map. Just an idea.NO!! No toe stepping whatsoever! I was just making fun of my map...apparently my audience is a bit more sophisticated than I thought... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

mlmbd

April 25th, 2003, 03:03 PM

Originally posted by sachmo:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Gryphin:
Sachmo, I like everything you do. Not sure if I stepped you toes. didn't meant to. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Happens I'm working on the map for the
The Challeng Match. I'm using a grapfics program to mark it up so I can remmber what I did.

Be happy to do yours. Do a screen shot of the Borders map. Just an idea.NO!! No toe stepping whatsoever! I was just making fun of my map...apparently my audience is a bit more sophisticated than I thought... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif <hr /></blockquote>Ouch! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif I never thought of myself as unsophisticated. Until, just now! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

mlmbd http://www.shrapnelgames.com//ubb/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif </font

Gryphin

April 25th, 2003, 03:14 PM

I do like to think of myself as sophisticated. I was just confused by the current one so I offered to do up a map as I would rather you concentrate on the story.

Just my little contribution to the Forum.

sachmo

April 27th, 2003, 09:04 AM

Gains in Bardron

2412.1

The Ukra-Tal came at Correlia again, this time with a mixed fleet of four ships. The minefield around the planet destroyed three, and the fourth was badly damaged. Iolo Defense Fleet made short work of the survivors. Two Ukra-Tal ships remained in the system but posed no immediate threat to the planet. Hitcher kept his fleet in orbit rather than giving chase, as he would not be able to return to the planet until months end and leaving Correlia open to attack. Once the colonists rebuilt the defenses of the planet, or they were reinforced, he could afford to be bolder in his operations. He knew that time would be months away.

The shipyard on Cetarus launched the first of the new generation of supply ships. RSS Filmore was a Cyllene D Class supply ship, the first generation of supply ships fitted with Solar Converters. These devices harnessed the solar energy of local stars and transformed it to useable energy with an efficiency Remorhaz scientists had never thought possible. This energy could then be transferred to the warships, thus extending the life of the power plant charge. A portion of this energy would also be used by the supply ship itself to power food replicators, water condensers, and manufacturing plants to create the staples needed by the crewmen of the warships to survive long periods of space travel. It was hoped that the Solar Converters would extend the range of Remorhaz fleets to an almost indefinite point, depending only on the natural solar energy of stars to replenish their stocks. RSS Filmore set course for Bardron to join Strike Fleet Hellcat.

Strikefleet Hellcat moved in and eliminated the defenses on Bardron II, taking no damage in the process. Brennan�s Strikefleet Avenger moved in a week later and dropped the 1st Space Marine Brigade, capturing the planet while taking light casualties. The planet was renamed Oleander. During the assault, all useable structures on the planet had been destroyed, and so construction began immediately on a supply depot.

In Zezzis, Velocitas, and Sutran, the first Remorhaz fighter squadrons were organized. They consisted of both the F-2 Thunderstrike interceptor and the FA-5 Warhammer ant-ship fighter. Grand Admiral Urian hoped that these squadrons would be able to help cover these vital systems and allow the capital ships to take the battle to the enemy. They had yet to be proven in battle, but if the trials proved to be anywhere close to the reality of their capabilities, they would give any enemy ship a good fight.

Atrocities

April 28th, 2003, 12:04 AM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Great addition. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

mlmbd

April 29th, 2003, 01:32 AM

Great stuff there sachmo!!!!! I like it!

mlmbd http://www.shrapnelgames.com//ubb/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif </font

The FryeR K

April 29th, 2003, 04:00 AM

ja, es is gute

good good

you keep write'n i'll keep read'n

Loser

May 7th, 2003, 08:27 PM

I just finished reading what you have so far, and man is it great.

more?

[ May 07, 2003, 19:33: Message edited by: Loser ]

sachmo

May 7th, 2003, 10:37 PM

Originally posted by Loser:
I just finished reading what you have so far, and man is it great.

more?Wow, that's quite a feat! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

More to come, soon I hope.

SG-3

May 8th, 2003, 05:46 PM

Yay fighters.This is what I've been waiting for.What are you going to call the first carrier?

Loser

May 8th, 2003, 05:59 PM

Originally posted by sachmo:
Wow, that's quite a feat! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif It has taken days, and only goes to show two things.

1. You are a good writer.

2. My position is overstaffed. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

sachmo

May 8th, 2003, 06:08 PM

SG-3: I'll know soon. I was thinking of paying homage to Wing Commander, but I'm still not sure. She's due to be completed next month (I think) and so whatever I name her, I name the class, so it has to be good. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Loser: Sorry to hear about your boredom, but these days just having a job is an accomplishment in and of itself. I'm glad I can help you pass the hours. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

More coming soon!

SG-3

May 9th, 2003, 12:25 AM

How about The RSS Tiger Claw.

sachmo

May 9th, 2003, 04:43 PM

Originally posted by SG-3:
How about The RSS Tiger Claw.That's what I was thinking, but I'm still not sure. *SHRUG*

SG-3

May 28th, 2003, 09:16 PM

Is it just me,or the Skydancer and the Shining Victory despretly trying to destory themselves.

sachmo

May 28th, 2003, 09:23 PM

Originally posted by SG-3:
Is it just me,or the Skydancer and the Shining Victory despretly trying to destory themselves.Nah, think of them as holding the point position. Someone has to lead the way, and they usually get the duty. Lucky for the fleet that the enemy likes to open fire on contact and not wait to engage! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo

May 28th, 2003, 11:04 PM

Dogscoff (and others) have inspired me to load up the old game again! I should have a new chapter up soon. Thanks for being patient, folks.

CNCRaymond

May 29th, 2003, 02:27 PM

You should understand that your story is like crack to many of us, and without our daily fix, we all star climbing the walls and going crazy. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[ May 29, 2003, 13:28: Message edited by: CNCRaymond ]

sachmo

May 30th, 2003, 06:23 AM

Fighter Patrol

Highrock was an ugly planet. It�s geology was made up of primarily one mineral; granite. There was no vegetation, nor was there any water. Only vast granite plains stretching as far as the eye could see. Also, there was dust. Highrock was a planet with an active core, which meant that the ugly granite continents were constantly shifting and grinding together. This seismic activity generated millions of tons of granite debris, and a good portion of the fine rock became dust. The dust swept through the methane atmosphere on the strong winds that blew across the surface. The dust penetrated everything. All of this made Highrock a rather dismal place to live for a Remorhaz citizen.
It was necessary for Remorhaz citizens to be there, however. Highrock was the first line of defense against the Ukra-Tal. The planet was slowly becoming a major naval base, and a prime target for Ukra-Tal offensives. There were colonists on the planet, about 24 million to be exact, but almost every industry on the surface of the ugly, cold planet existed to support the military and ensure the defense of the Society.
Ensign Ren Berton was a small cog in the large navy machine on Highrock, but today he felt like a king. The final FA-5 Warhammer anti-ship fighter in his element had been delivered, and now they were operational. Before the transporter had even rolled to a complete stop, his squadron commander had relayed the orders that had come directly from Rear Admiral Jager. They were to mount a continual patrol over the planet until further notice. That would mean that his men would have to rotate duty with pilots from other elements until the other pilots received their own craft, but Ren didn�t mind, and he knew his men wouldn�t either. They would finally be able to get out into space in the sleek new fighters. They had all been allowed to take a few test runs in the fighters as they were delivered, but flight time was severely limited until they were at full strength. It had given all of the men a stronger yearning for the freedom and excitement of piloting their fighters in space, protecting their comrades and fellow citizens from their enemies. They were very much looking forward to doing it for real.

Ren opened the door to the squadron briefing room and found all of his pilots waiting for him. Their eyes were as bright as Lenoltris Star as they watched him move to the front of the room. He decided to not keep them is suspense.
�The Last Warhammer is here. Since everyone else is already assigned to a ship, 006 will be mine.� He looked out at them and smiled.
�I�m going to take her up on the first patrol, which will also serve as her test run. Petty Officer Numier will accompany me on this auspicious mission.�
Numier perked up when he heard his name called. The other pilots clapped him on the back and cheered.
Ren continued the briefing.
�We will maintain a continuous patrol 10,000 miles behind the mine belt. When I say continuous, I mean twenty hours a day. Since there are only six of us, we will be sharing our ships with the other elements until they get their own craft. I know what a bunch of studs you guys are, but you are still human, after all.�
Everyone laughed, and a few flexed their muscles jokingly.
�Listen up, because this point is very important. If you encounter hostile forces, you are to radio back to base and await the rest of the squadron before taking any action. Under no circumstances are any of you to try to make yourselves heroes. Going up against a Gjovik alone will result in a very quick and painful death. Is that clear, guys?�
Everyone acknowledged his order. Ren felt the tug of action at his mind, also. If there were trouble, it would be hard to remember all of his training, but if he could recall the simulation results of unsupported fighters attacking an Ukra-Tal ship, that would remind him to call for help before running into battle. Attacking a cruiser alone resulted in death, plain and simple. Even attacking with the entire element would be a risky proposition.
He began again.
�Ok everyone, this is real now. No more simulations or check rides. We are a combat fighter squadron now. Remember your training and remember why we are here. Dismissed.�
The pilots let out a whoop as they surrounded Petty Officer Numier and followed him to the prep room. Ren gathered his data pad and followed them down the hall to get ready for his first real patrol.

�Highrock control, this is Victory One. Element ready for launch.�
Ren keyed his com unit and awaited the order to launch from the control tower. His well-trained eyes swept over the displays, checking every reading for any sign of trouble. He glanced out of his canopy toward Victory Two and observed Numier doing the same.
He smiled behind his mask.
�Victory One, your element is cleared for launch. Be advised that we are showing five Ukra-Tal craft on very long-range scanners. None are inbound. Good luck, Ensign.�
Ren took on Last sweep over the displays as he prepared for launch.
�Roger, Highrock control. Victory Element rolling.�
Ren advanced the throttle to full power and released the gravity harness. His ship floated gracefully into the air. Ren allowed himself a brief moment to enjoy the sensation as his ship left the ground. It always reminded him of his childhood, when he would swing as high as he could, leaving his stomach far behind. He moved the directional pedals slightly, lining the fighter�s nose up on the optimum course plotted by his computer to get his fighter into orbit most efficiently. His display showed him that Numier was performing the exact same maneuver.
Once they had gained sufficient altitude and had their ships on course, Ren keyed the com unit and uttered a simple command: �Victory element engage.�
He pushed the throttle to the stops, and the Warhammer responded. The compensator was a microsecond behind the engines, and Ren could feel the acceleration press him back into the seat. He kept his eyes scanning his readouts and screens, but he allowed himself a little �Whoo hoo!� as the young boy inside him hung on for the ride of his life, enjoying every minute of it.
In seconds, there were in space. He and Victory Two formed up and plotted the course to their patrol station. On the way, he took the Warhammer through a series of maneuvers designed to test the systems of the brand new ship. Victory 006 came through the trials without incident. Once they reached the patrol area, the reality of war set in. They watched as the Ukra-Tal ships plodded along, heading away from Highrock. They never made an aggressive move, although what their mission was, Ren could not even guess. He and Numier flew in large figure-eight patterns for four hours, watching the enemy plod across the system, until they were relieved by the next element.
As he brought his ship down and settled it down into it�s docking collar, he wondered how long it would be before his men began to complain about the patrols. As he watched Numier climb down from the cockpit of his Warhammer, one look at his face told Ren that it would not be long at all.

[ May 30, 2003, 15:22: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Atrocities

May 30th, 2003, 06:55 AM

I wanted to tbe the first to say great addition. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Its been a long time. Thank you for this great read. Excellent as always. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Erax

May 30th, 2003, 03:34 PM

Excellent as always, I agree.
I should have done this a long time ago, but -> 5 stars !!

[ May 30, 2003, 16:34: Message edited by: Chief Engineer Erax ]

Raging Deadstar

May 30th, 2003, 09:17 PM

*Nods and Agrees*

Fighters i think can be a very important part of any story. You seem to have implemented them superbly. It's quite refreshing reading the other stories on the Boards! Everyone has a different style and it's great to read, especially yours. Keep up the good writing!

*Thought i'd done this ages ago but Rates 5 Stars*

sachmo

May 30th, 2003, 11:13 PM

*BLUSH*

Once again, I'm just glad you all are enjoying the story.

Atrocities

June 3rd, 2003, 08:42 AM

(*****) "Superb" - Members of Shrapnel Forums.
(*****) "Excellent" - Atrocities News Network
(*****) "A brillant story" - SEIV Today
(*****) "Astounding" - Universal Wire
(*****) "Five out of Five" - The Imperal Senate Tribune

Erax

June 3rd, 2003, 03:24 PM

This thread was started on June 18, 2002, which means its first anniversary is coming up. The first ROTRS post was on another, older thread but the date is the same.

We'd better start our preparations for ROTRS's first year celebration. Sachmo, what do you think would be more appropriate, champagne or beer ? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

June 3rd, 2003, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by Chief Engineer Erax:
This thread was started on June 18, 2002, which means its first anniversary is coming up. The first ROTRS post was on another, older thread but the date is the same.

We'd better start our preparations for ROTRS's first year celebration. Sachmo, what do you think would be more appropriate, champagne or beer ? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Neither. I quit drinking almost 5 years ago. How about punch and cake? I really like cake!

Erax

June 3rd, 2003, 05:46 PM

Originally posted by sachmo:
How about punch and cake? I really like cake!So do I, with lots of icing !!

sachmo

June 5th, 2003, 06:49 AM

Strike Fleet Dauntless on the offensive

2412.2

RSS Stormfront moved silently through space. The viewscreen on the bridge was locked on the planet Glory, and the shipyards orbiting high above the light blue planet. Commodore Walt Reed watched the image fade into the distance, and thought about his wife and family that he was once again leaving behind. He was thankful for the five months they had been able to spend together, but he longed for more. The war was entering its eleventh year, and he had spent most of that time away from them.
The Navy had seen fit to give him a promotion and five months of shore duty while his new command was under construction, but they needed him back in the war. It was the Navy way, and he accepted it, as did his family. Still, he hoped that they would soon be able to end this war, and that he would be able to go home for good. That was what he wanted more than anything else in the world, and the five months he spent with his loved ones have driven that point home.
With one Last unspoken prayer, asking the Creator to watch over his family while he was away, he toggled the main screen to the bow view. He and his crew would have to conquer what lay ahead before they could return home safely.

Strike Fleet Dauntless, commanded by Rear Admiral Gina Jager, now had the strength to begin interdicting the Ukra-Tal ships in the Lenoltris system. The fleet consisted of the following ships:
RSS Buffalo, a Rochester B class light cruiser and Gina�s flagship. The Rochester was armed with three heavy depleted uranium cannon, four point defense cannon, and two shield generators.
Three Glory C class destroyers, RSS Liberation, RSS Cherek, and RSS Triumph. The Glory C�s were armed with two capital ship missile launchers, one depleted uranium cannon, two point defense cannon and a shield generator.
RSS Firefly, an Olympia C class destroyer. She was armed with three depleted uranium cannon, two point defense cannon, and two shield generators.
Two Nemesis E class frigates, RSS Nemesis and RSS Intimidator. The Nemesis class was armed with two capital ship missile launchers and one point defense cannon.
RSS Melange was the first ship of the Melange class repair ships. She was capable of repairing a large amount of battle damage while the fleet was underway.

Long-range system scans showed a lone Ukra-Tal Hedenso class cruiser within range of the fleet. Jager left the newly arrived Catreus class frigate RSS Tholeus and the Highrock fighter squadron to cover the planet as she moved the fleet to intercept. There were no Ukra-Tal forces that would be able to attack Highrock without her being able to get the entire fleet back on defense before they arrived. In fact, the entire Ukra-Tal presence in system was only four cruisers and one light cruiser.

As Strike Fleet Dauntless closed in on the Hedenso, the Ukra-Tal captain turned to face his enemy. The Hedenso was a ship never before faced by the Remorhaz Navy, and a quick scan of her weapons showed that she was a formidable foe. The ship was armed with three seeking parasite launchers, four anti-missile projectile launchers, and it bristled with electronics. This data was relayed between the ships of Dauntless, and the battle plan was quickly drawn up. They needed to close with the Hedenso and crush it, since it had no close range weapons. Gina deployed the fleet in a standard wedge and closed in on the enemy ship.
The Ukra-Tal captain moved to try and take their flank, but Dauntless maneuvered to deny him the shot. Finally, the Hedenso changed tactics and made for the heart of the fleet. It seemed as if he planned to charge them!.
The Ukra-Tal captain locked onto Buffalo and launched a full spread of the living weapons that they used as seeker. The blobs raced through space, glowing and pulsing with energy as they streaked toward their target. When they entered threat range, Buffalo�s point defense cannons opened fire, knocking out two of the hideous weapons. Liberation opened fire at maximum range with her point defense cannon, destroying the Last of the seekers. The Remorhaz ships chased the Hedenso as he tried to open the range. It was able to launch another spread of seekers before Buffalo was in range to attack her. These seekers were also destroyed by the combined firepower of the fleet�s defense cannons. Then it was Buffalo�s turn. At maximum range, Gina ordered the heavy depleted uranium cannons to open fire. The ship lurched as the projectiles were fired from the heavy railguns mounted in the spine of the ship. All three shells exploded against the Hedenso�s shields, overloading them and knocking them out, but they had done their job. The ship took no damage.
The Ukra-Tal ship launched another seeker spread and it was destroyed. Buffalo scored another hit on the enemy ship�s hull, but the living armor of the ship �healed� the wound. Gina�s skin crawled as she watched it on the viewscreen. It was hard not to personalize the battle when the very ships the enemy fought in acted like living beings. Gina�s brain refused to acknowledge that they quite possibly were living beings.
Finally, the Hedenso fell to the guns of Strike Fleet Dauntless. Liberation scored the killing blow when her missiles slammed into the battered hulk, bLasting it into shards of organic material. With no further targets to engage, Gina turned the fleet to an intercept course for the next Ukra-Tal ships in range. Strike Fleet Dauntless was on the attack, and its commander was determined to take the fight to the enemy. Let them send reinforcements, she though. I�ll keep you occupied here while Hellcat cuts out your heart!

[ June 05, 2003, 18:19: Message edited by: sachmo ]

EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro

June 5th, 2003, 10:47 PM

Your Larry Niven, aren't you?

sachmo

June 6th, 2003, 03:23 AM

Originally posted by EvilGenius4ABetterTomorro:
Your Larry Niven, aren't you?No, not even close, but I'm flattered! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo

June 6th, 2003, 06:34 AM

A new hero and an unseen enemy

2nd Brigade, now fully equipped for zero-g combat, was able to take Bardron IV A and B in the face of minimal resistance. Multiple research centers and mining facilities were captured intact, along with over 200 million Rage colonists. Brigadier General McMasters immediately ordered the brigade to load back up on the transport for the next assault, and personally oversaw every phase of the process. He would be damned if his brigade found itself unable to fight because of another supply snafu. The quartermaster officers tried to keep as low of a profile as possible whenever he was in the area.

Strike Fleet moved against Bardron VII. The Rage defenses were light, consisting of one missile base and two fighters. The Remorhaz ships quickly silenced them, and Task Force Avenger moved in and dropped 3rd Brigade. The Space Marines took the moon with very light casualties.

2412.3

In low orbit over the planet Norak, the newest ship in the Remorhaz People�s Navy did a slow flyby of the shipyard. As she came into view, a spontaneous cheer erupted from the gathered spectators. RSS Prometheus, the first carrier ever built, was the pride of the Norak shipyards. That she even existed was the result of thousands of man-hours of work by the shipyard crews, the design teams, and scientists from all over the society. Many new technologies were crammed into her hull. She was as long as two light cruisers, and half again as wide. The hull was rounded as opposed to the tapered look of the other combat ships, and she bristled with open fighter bays. The island on top of the ship blended in seamlessly with the hull, and helped to give her a sleek design in spite of her size. She looked dangerous and capable of wrecking great destruction on the enemies of the Remorhaz Society. The power that Prometheus exuded gave all who saw her hope. The crowd continued to cheer as the big ship drifted past, and well after it was beyond visual range.
When the vid of the launch was broadcast throughout the Society, no one could have anticipated the effect that Prometheus would have on the people. Everywhere, people talked about the new ship, and what it would mean for the war. They were hoping that this was a weapon that would neutralize the advantages that the Ukra-Tal had in technology. They theorized that Prometheus, backed by the rest of the Navy, would be able to chase their enemies back into the dark corners of space that they had come from and avenge the deaths of their people. Almost overnight, RSS Prometheus became the newest hero of the Remorhaz Society, and she had not even fired a shot in anger yet.

In the command center aboard RSS Tarus, Rear Admiral Sakazawa and his staff were planning the upcoming assault on the Rage planet of Bardron VI.
Sakazawa stood in front of the system map displayed on the main view screen.
�I think we should hit them this month, Terry. We have to finish the Rage as soon as possible.�
Captain Terry Hall, Sakazawa�s chief staff officer, frowned as he looked at the map.
�Yes sir, but we are getting very low on supplies. If we run into something unexpected��
Sakazawa nodded. �It�s a risk, but I don�t think it�s a huge one. I really think that these are the Last few Rage planets. I�m still waiting for confirmation from Lu, but think of what it will mean to the people if we can finish the Rage off this year. Every month we drag this out is another month that we have people worrying back home. They could use some good news, and this would be it.�
Hall smiled at that. �I think we all could use some good news, sir.� He lifted his data pad and began to enter some figures for the next phase of the campaign when suddenly there were two muffled explosions. The ship shook briefly, and then the general quarters alarm went off.
Hall looked around the room. A few of the staff officers were on the deck, and everyone looked more than a little confused. Rear Admiral Sakazawa was on the com unit talking to Captain Tim Danvers, commander of the Tarus.
�I�ve got my people on it, sir. The computer shows one of the heavy railguns damaged, and a bay of point defense cannon. I just don�t know what happened yet, Admiral.�
�Was anyone hurt, Tim?� Sakazawa asked.
�I don�t know yet, sir.�
�I�ll let you get to it then.� With that he switched off the com unit.
Hall moved over to stand beside Sakazawa.
�Sir, our data matches Captain Danvers. It looks like one of the railguns and a bay of point defense cannons were destroyed by an explosion of some kind. Both sections were at minimum required crew, sir.�
Sakazawa sighed at the news. �Thank the Creator for that.�
The com unit chirped, and the Admiral flipped his com on. The face of Captain Danvers appeared.
�The Chief Petty Officer took one look at the bLast area and could tell immediately that it was a bomb of some sort, sir. This was no accident. It was sabotage.�
Even through the com unit, Sakazawa could feel the heat building up behind Danver�s eyes.
�You have no doubt it was a bomb, Tim?�
Danver�s face hardened.
�If the CPO says it was a bomb, I�ll buy it, sir.�
Sakazawa nodded.
�Were there any casualties?�
�Yes sir, there was one, but he�s going to make it. He was burned pretty badly but thankfully he was on the other side of bulkhead when the explosion happened. The bomb was encased in a fragmentation casing, sir. If he, or any of the crew had been in the room at the time that bomb went off, they would have all been dead.�
�Is there anything you need, Tim?�
The captain managed a weak smile.
�How about the head of the bastard who did this?�
Sakazawa stared hard into the com unit.
�Don�t worry about that, Tim. We�ll find out who is responsible for this, and we will deal with them accordingly.�
�Thank you, sir.�
Sakazawa switched the com unit off again, and turned to Captain Hall.
�Terry, I need to talk to the Grand Admiral, now. Set it up in my cabin. Also, I need to have an emergency meeting with the captain of every ship in the fleet in two hours. We need to have everyone sweep their ships and look for explosive devices.�
Hall began to carry out his orders. In minutes he had the link for the Rear Admiral set up and open in his cabin.
�What�s happening there, Shiro?� The Grand Admiral asked.
�Sir, we�ve had an incident of sabotage on board Tarus. We�re not sure who is responsible, but I though you would need to know this right away� Sakazawa said.
�I was afraid of this� Urian said. �Last month, the food stores on Honor were found to have gone bad. As you know, they were forced to abort their recon mission of the system next to Vendrin. What I didn�t tell you is that the Security and Intelligence boys were investigating the incident. They thought it might be sabotage, but they hadn�t gathered enough evidence to prove it yet. Now we know.�
Sakazawa nodded. He would have liked to have been informed, but he wasn�t sure what good that would have done. He wouldn�t have been able to alert his commanders until they had some proof of sabotage, and he wouldn�t have been able to search the fleet by himself.
�How would you like me to proceed, sir?� Sakazawa asked.
�I think for now, you should lock the fleet down until we know what we are dealing with. No leaves, and no transfers until we can sort this out. I�m dispatching some extra Security and Intelligence agents to Bardron, but they won�t be there for a few months. Until then, let everyone know to keep an eye out, but don�t allow the troops to panic. If people start chasing shadows, it won�t be long before they are shooting them, also. Just try to keep everyone on the ships and calm, Shiro�
Sakazawa typed some notes into his data unit, and suddenly had a thought.
�So you think there are some alien spies among my people?�
�I can�t rule anything out at this point, Shiro. Everyone is a potential threat right now, but my gut tells me that our enemies have some agents out there among your crew. So be careful, Shiro. Don�t go anywhere alone. If something were to happen to you, the whole Bardron campaign would fall apart.�
�Aye, aye, sir. Thanks for the advice, Grand Admiral.�
Urian nodded.
�Don�t worry, Shiro. We�ll get this problem taken care of. Rumor has it that the Ukra-Tal are about to experience what you are going through now. Turn about is fair play, I guess.�
Sakazawa frowned.
�It doesn�t seem very fair out here in enemy space, sir.�
With that he closed the link, and tried not to think about enemy agents hiding in the shadows.

Erax

June 6th, 2003, 03:17 PM

This is what I love about this game. Whenever you begin to solve one problem, another one shows up.

That Last chapter was great, don't stop now !

Loser

June 6th, 2003, 04:25 PM

It's back!

The FryeR K

June 6th, 2003, 08:31 PM

Another Brain Blowing Installment...
Please wait a sec while I put it back together...

I love your work..I'm always on the edge of my seat. Keep it coming. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities

June 6th, 2003, 09:12 PM

Great Reads. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif More more.

Raging Deadstar

June 6th, 2003, 09:49 PM

Very nice chapter, I've been waiting for fighters and now here they come. This could be the startegic advantage the Remorhaz need over the Ukra Tal. Great read as usual! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

June 6th, 2003, 10:50 PM

Thanks, everyone! I've been in quite a mood lately, and since we put tubes in my daughter's ears, she's been sleeping well so I've had more time!

Deadstar- Yes, I think I should have gone for fighters much earlier, but when I started this game, it was really is my first game...ever! \ I didn't realize their value early on. Having said that, the TDM AI loads their ships out with PD cannons. I think my fighters are in for some high casualty rates. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Atrocities

June 13th, 2003, 01:24 AM

My brother had ot have that done when he was a child, and both of his sons, (Twins) had to have it done as well. You can imagine how far behind they appear to be. They may not speak very well, but they are very smart. Too bad I don't get to see them that much any more. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif No good deed goes unpunished. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif Ahhh family..... you show them kindness, and they turn on you like rabid dogs. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon8.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

sachmo

June 13th, 2003, 05:02 PM

With the advances they have made in speech therapy, kids can catch up in no time. Since she was so young, she shouldn't have much trouble getting to where she needs to be. The good news is that when she went in for her checkup and hearing test, my daughter responded to the sounds better than anyone the test nurse had ever seen! Maybe those tubes were bionic?

BAM! Story inspiration!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

clark

June 19th, 2003, 02:47 PM

I must admit sachmo, it's your work that gave me the itch intially.

Now give us another one!

sachmo

June 28th, 2003, 06:39 AM

Hey! It hasn't even been a month yet! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I'll try to do some writing tomorrow night or on Sunday. There was a new Hearts of Iron patch put out today, and I HAVE to see all of the changes.

Loser

July 16th, 2003, 03:38 PM

You know, Sachmo, it's your style and quality of writing I come to this thread for ("for which I come to this thread"?), not so much the story of the Remorhaz specifically. If you would be more inclined to write the story of a different Space Empire, I wouldn't mind seeing this thread die to see more frequent Sachmo submissions to another, different thread.

I'd bet I'm not the only one who feels this way, but I'd also bet there are those that disagree. I just thought it should be said.

geoschmo

July 16th, 2003, 03:44 PM

Originally posted by Loser:
I'd bet I'm not the only one who feels this way, but I'd also bet there are those that disagree. I just thought it should be said.Well, I certainly wouldn't mind if he wrote other stories, but could I get by never knowing what became of the Remorhaz Society? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[ July 16, 2003, 14:44: Message edited by: geoschmo ]

sachmo

July 16th, 2003, 11:35 PM

Well, when I signed up (quite accidentally, I assure you!) for this second baby business, I didn't realize what I was getting into. You would think a guy would learn... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I don't think I'm ready to end this story. In actuality, it's still in the pretty early stages, and the future is still in doubt. When I reach the endgame, I might wrap it up early, but until then I will keep this one going. Albeit slowly.

And thanks for the compliments, guys. The fact that anyone wants to read it is reward enough.

CNCRaymond

August 1st, 2003, 11:10 AM

Ok, SG this is really annoying, understandable and all, but annoying none the less. You see it takes me about 5 minutes to load a page, beings I be on old fashioned Dial up using a pre-eights phone line. So when I see this thread at the top of the forum, I say "Ahhh Oh my, he has posted another chapter!" I then start the gruling process of opening the page. The anticipation mounts, and I become as excited as a school girl about to kissed for the first time when... fazzall, it is just a BUMP post. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif Like I said, I understand, I truly do.

I wish these writers would get back on the ball and start making additions to their stories. All of them. I miss reading this story, a few of the newer ones, and a few of the older ones like OUTS. Come one people START WRITING!

sachmo

August 1st, 2003, 03:54 PM

Guys, I apologize for the delay, but we are expecting our second child to be delivered very soon, and so I have been spending most of my time taking care of my wife and daughter. This story is not dead by any means, and I fully intend to continue it. It just might be a while.

So, if you will, let it fall and I will bump it back to the front page eventually...with a new chapter! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Thanks for your understanding and patience.

CNCRaymond

August 1st, 2003, 11:26 PM

Originally posted by sachmo:
Guys, I apologize for the delay, but we are expecting our second child to be delivered very soon, and so I have been spending most of my time taking care of my wife and daughter. This story is not dead by any means, and I fully intend to continue it. It just might be a while.

So, if you will, let it fall and I will bump it back to the front page eventually...with a new chapter! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Thanks for your understanding and patience.You are one lucky guy. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Wife soon to have two kids, and an SEIV player. Talk about having a good life. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Wait until the Forth kid or worse, twins. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo

October 5th, 2003, 07:26 AM

Clearing Lenoltris

Strikefleet Hellcat descended on the Rage colony of Bardron III like an avalanche. Reinforced by the bulk of Rear Admiral Brennan�s Strike Fleet Avenger, Sakazawa now had twenty-four ships under his command. For the first time in history, two Space Marine brigades were preparing to assault the same planet. Considering the resistance they had encountered so far, it seemed like overkill, but Sakazawa didn�t want to take any chances. The Rage were a clever and tenacious enemy. He expected the next few invasions to be very met with fierce resistance. If it turned out to be anything like the invasion of the Rage homeworld, the extra Space Marines would be necessary.
This was not the case on Bardron III, however. The fleet detected no ground or space based defenses. The 1st and under strength 2nd Space Marine brigades landed on the planet, eliminating the Rage forces and primary sequencer with minimal casualties. The planet was renamed Tovador, and the population integration process was begun. There were only two Rage planets left in the Bardron system, and Sakazawa intended on having them both neutralized by the end of the month.

In Lenoltris, the interdiction of Ukra-Tal fleet movements continued. In the lower quadrants, Strikefleet Dauntless intercepted a Hedmora class cruiser. Scans showed that the Ukra-Tal ship was packed with electronics, armor, shields and armed with two large acid launchers. With a numerical advantage of seven ships to one, Gina was confident in her chances, but was by no means sure of escaping the battle unscathed.
The fleet was deployed in a standard wedge formation as they moved to engage the Hedmora. The Ukra-Tal cruiser turned to face the Remorhaz fleet. It was a slow ship, but her guns outranged those of the Remorhaz cruisers. If they maintained their approach, her ships would get the critical first shot at the Hedmora. Of course, that was assuming that the Hedmora didn�t have a trick up her sleeve.
Gina watched the tactical display of the battle from her command chair in the combat information center aboard RSS Buffalo. She intended to let the individual ships captains run the battle, and only get involved if things began to get out of hand. She watched the two fleets approach one another. Over the communication network, the senior line officer, Captain Olaf Svenson, ordered missiles to be fired at maximum range. Svenson commanded RSS Nemesis, which was Jager�s previous command. With his greater numbers, Svenson was trying to force the Hedmora away from his fleet and hopefully damage the enemy cruiser before they had to close range and engage with direct fire weapons. The Ukra-Tal acid launchers had a longer range and bigger punch than the depleted uranium cannons on the Remorhaz ships.
The Hedmora continued to close the range, moving into firing range while knocking some of the Remorhaz missiles out with his ships strange anti-missile projectiles. Ukra-Tal ships resembled living creatures, and fired projectiles from their �snout� that were capable of destroying threatening warheads. It was truly an unsettling sight for even the most experienced Remorhaz crewmen. Having survived the initial missile strike, the Hedmora opened fire on RSS Buffalo, damaging her shields. Gina could see the hits reflected on the tactical screen, but knew that the shields had held. They would not be able to stop another strike, though. Realizing this, Buffalo�s captain fired his cannon at the Hedmora at maximum range, damaging her shields, and turned the ship to take her out of range of the enemy cruiser.
Seeing the waves of missiles streaking toward him, the Hedmora turned to open the range with the Remorhaz seekers. More projectiles filled the space behind the ship, and many of the missiles were knocked down, but two waves made it through its defenses, further damaging the shields. Seeing this, Svenson ordered the fleet to hold back until their missile tubes were reloaded.
The Hedmora suddenly reversed course as the Remorhaz ships lined up for another missile salvo, and before the missiles were fired, it hit Buffalo with two more acid salvos. The damage was superficial, but they had lost all shields. If they stayed in the fight, they would suffer serious damage. Svenson seemed to realize this at the same time, and ordered Buffalo to fall back and avoid engaging the Hedmora until further notice.
The Ukra-Tal defenses proved a constant source of frustration for the Remorhaz ships. Heavy radiation waves from the countermeasures suite on the Hedmora downgraded the effectiveness of the Remorhaz gunnery computers, resulting in many cannon shots missing their mark. However, the sheer volume of fire from the fleet finally brought the Hedmora�s shields down, with the final blow being struck by the depleted uranium cannon of RSS Liberation. RSS Firefly fired at the cruiser at close range, missing with two shots. The third struck the hull of the Hedmora, which immediately began to �heal� itself.
Again the Ukra-Tal ship turned to run while it�s acid launchers recharged. Now was the best chance for the Remorhaz ships to close range and do some heavy damage to the cruiser, since it appeared long-range cannon fire would be very ineffective. As Gina watched her fleet move in and close with the cruiser, she bit her lip and hoped that someone back home would see the difference the defensive electronics were making in the battle, and figure out how to get her ships some of their own.
Firefly was able to land some more damaging blows to the Hedmora, while the second salvo of Remorhaz missiles homed in on their target.
The Ukra-Tal captain again turned and flew through the heart of the fleet, locked in on RSS Buffalo. At maximum range, he fired his acid launchers even as the Last Remorhaz salvo overwhelmed his defenses and battered the cruiser�s hull. The acid globules smashed into Buffalo�s hull, eating away both shield generators, one engine, and two of her point-defense batteries.
As her CIC staff reported the damage, Gina wondered when she would stop being surprised at the tenacity of her enemy. One of the main duties of a Remorhaz ship captain was to ensure the safety of her ship and it�s crew. In her experience, their enemies did not seem to hold the same values. Where this Ukra-Tal captain could have maneuvered to escape and fight another time, or hold out for reinforcement, he instead chose to concentrate on one enemy ship and try to take them down with him. It was honorable, but futile. She just couldn�t see the logic in the alien�s thinking.
The Hedmora was a wreck, venting gasses and debris as she limped along toward RSS Buffalo. No attempt was made by her captain to surrender his ship. Gina watched stoically as her fleet sent the Hedmora to oblivion.

The only other combat in Lenoltris occurred when Dauntless moved into range of the Lenoltris-Yukra wormhole, where they found a heavily damaged Ukra-Tal light cruiser hiding. Gina presumed that it was waiting here for a rescue ship, as all of it�s engines were destroyed. She attempted to have the enemy captain surrender his ship, but again they refused. Buffalo finished it off with a salvo of cannon shells into her powerplant, causing a fatal explosion. For the moment, Lenoltris was clear of all enemy shipping.

[ October 07, 2003, 18:50: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Atrocities

October 5th, 2003, 10:37 AM

Hell of a good ready my friend. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif Thank you.

sachmo

October 5th, 2003, 02:31 PM

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Hell of a good ready my friend. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif Thank you.Just glad I found some free time. I'm glad you enjoyed it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Loser

October 6th, 2003, 02:24 AM

Great job!
Thanks Sachmo, it's good to get a bit more of this storyline.

sachmo

October 6th, 2003, 05:40 PM

Originally posted by Loser:
Great job!
Thanks Sachmo, it's good to get a bit more of this storyline.Hopefully there will be a lot more of it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities

October 6th, 2003, 07:55 PM

If the sci-fi channel had any brains at all, they would buy the story right from you, hire you as the lead writer and make your story into a series.

Then you could talk them into buying my story from me and hire me as a writer. Not that I am any good at that. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

sachmo

October 7th, 2003, 04:04 AM

Originally posted by Atrocities:
If the sci-fi channel had any brains at all, they would buy the story right from you, hire you as the lead writer and make your story into a series.

Then you could talk them into buying my story from me and hire me as a writer. Not that I am any good at that. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif Thank you for the praise, but maybe you could talk them into hiring me! See, I'm one demensional. You write, and create ships sets, and websites, and... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Starhawk

October 7th, 2003, 06:55 PM

Keep your story coming Sachmo I have been reading it for weeks even though I at first had no idea it was about a game.... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif now I just can't wait to see how it all turns out.

btw You should right a book get millions of dollars and there yah go instant college fund for those kids of yours http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

The FryeR K

October 13th, 2003, 05:30 PM

This is a great story can't wait to read the next installment.

sachmo

October 20th, 2003, 03:34 AM

Force Multipliers

The Naval Design Bureau was a misleading name. In actuality, the Bureau was in charge of creating new hardware for all of the branches of the military, but it had been created initially as a think tank to design the first Remorhaz warships. Since it�s creation, the workload had pushed the project of renaming itself to the bottom of the pile. As the war drew on, and the scientific community grew, that pile grew bigger and bigger every day. The scientists, planners, and engineers assigned to the Bureau persisted, though. Every new discovery and invention that they could get their hands on was studied as the Bureau attempted to find a military application for it. For example, the Hemdall Corporation on Harkness had created an improved guidance system for the robotic miners that their company manufactured. The Naval Design Bureau obtained a few samples, and discovered that the precision computer that ran the new guidance system was very similar, but superior, to the targeting system on the FA-5 Warhammer anti-ship space fighter. Adding these to the craft would increase their attack efficiency by as much as 25%, and the cost of adding the new system to the fighters would be negligible. With that, the FA-5B Warhammer was born. Without the work of the Naval Design Bureau, the improvement might never have been made, considering the illogical connection between the two systems. This scenario had taken place a thousand times before, and would continue until there was peace in the galaxy.

Strikefleet Hellcat converged on Bardron VI, intent on finishing the Rage presence in the system, and hopefully the galaxy. Rear Admiral Sakazawa, commander of Strike Fleet Hellcat, was expecting a rough fight. A quick scan of the planet told him that he might have bitten off more than he could chew.
The Rage defenses started with two belts of missile satellites. Behind that, the tactical display showed at least fifteen space fighters, armed with cannon and missiles. The surface of the planet was bristling with weapons. No less than sixteen defense bases were dug into the surface of the moon, half armed with heavy missiles and half armed with phased-polaron beams. A quick glance at the data scrolling across the display told him why this world was so heavily armed. Nineteen mining facilities dotted the surface of the mineral rich moon, making this planet one of the most valuable worlds remaining in the Rage dominion.
The figures told Sakazawa what he already knew; that would have to bomb the planet into submission. The missile bases wouldn�t present as much of a threat to his fleet as the heavy phased-polaron beams would. He didn�t have the firepower to take them out before they would be able to rip his fleet to shreds, to say nothing of trying to cover the Space Marines while they tried to land on the planet. It would be a slaughter. No, he would have to hang back and fire missiles, hoping to whittle away at the defenses and give his bombardment ships a fighting chance. He silently cursed himself for thinking he wouldn�t need the missile ships that Lu now had in Zezzis. He had been confident that the Rage wouldn�t have time to prepare layered defenses, and that Hellcat would be able to overwhelm anything that they came up against. He had been wrong, though, and until he was able to wear Bardron VI down a bit, he would not be able to take the planet without serious casualties.
He issued his orders to his staff to be communicated throughout the fleet. They were going to proceed on to Bardron IX and eliminate that threat while waiting for Lu to bring his three missile frigates to join them in the bombardment of Bardron VI. As the fleet changed course, he prepared a com message to send to Grand Admiral Urian explaining why Bardron would not be in Remorhaz hands by the end of the month.
Two days later, Captain Geoff Dillon of the Security and Intelligence Bureau had a report of Admiral Sakazawa. Sometime within the Last twenty-four hours, someone had managed to contaminate half of the fuel for the contra-terrene engines stored on RSS Cyllene. This meant that unless the fleet diverted to Oleander to resupply, they would not have enough fuel to support all of the ships in combat operations at Bardron IX, let alone enough fuel to return to attack Bardron VI.
Sakazawa sighed. He looked up at the captain and asked,
�Are you any closer to catching these saboteurs?�
�Yes sir. We�re closing in on them. It�s only a matter of time.�
�Meanwhile, they have met with spectacular success. Their attacks on our supplies have forced the cancellation of a major military operation.�
Sakazawa shook his head in disbelief.
�They probably have no more than five agents in our fleet, isn�t that your estimate, Captain?�
Dillon�s eyes darted around nervously. He began to fear that the admiral was going to hold him responsible for the enemy�s success.
�Sir�yes, sir. We think it�s a small cell. Probably no more than five.�
The admiral stared hard at him for a long second, and then smiled.
�I know you are doing your best, captain. I just need you to be as successful as they have been against us.�
The captain relaxed.
�Sir, you have my word. My team and I will find them.�
Sakazawa stood.
�Your word is enough for me Captain. Thanks.�
With that, the captain left, thankful that he hadn�t let the admiral down. Yet.

2412.5

Strikefleet Hellcat was on the move again. Once Commodore Lu joined up with the rest of the fleet, they quickly resupplied and left to assault Bardron IX. During the two weeks of travel, there were no incidents of sabotage. In Bardron Quadrant 32, next to Bardron IX, the fleet met up with reinforcements from Jethanis, RSS Goldmoon and RSS Ceto, both missile ships. Now thirty ships strong, Hellcat moved at full speed toward the Rage planet.
As the fleet approached the planet, sensors scanned the system for enemy spacecraft. Finding none, the computers scanned the surface of the planet, looking for defense bases, troop concentration, and the like. The Rage had two space stations in orbit around the world. They were armed with missile tubes, but they appeared to be mainly used as shipyards. They were a threat, but a low priority one. On the surface the Rage had more formidable defenses. There were no less than twelve phased-polaron beam emplacements, and six missile batteries. The scanners picked up no troop concentrations at all.
Sakazawa ordered the fleet to concentrate on neutralizing the surface defenses so that the Space Marines could land at the earliest possible opportunity. To avoid heavy casualties, the missile ships would close to maximum range and fire at the planet, and try to stay out of range of the phased-polaron beams.
At maximum range, the Rage missile batteries fired the initial barrage of the battle. When they reached optimal range, the Remorhaz point defense cannons opened fire, knocking them out without suffering a single hit.
At this point, three ships split off from the main force to eliminate the space station threat. Tarus, Hawk, and Ceto closed with the closest base, firing at maximum range. Tarus got lucky when one of the shells from her main gun penetrated the space station�s missile battery, exploding the entire emplacement and rendering it combat ineffective. A second barrage by the ship finished the base off.
Every missile barrage fired by the Rage was defeated by the concentration of firepower from the Remorhaz ships. Finally, the missile ships were in position. As one, they moved to optimum range and fired a massive barrage at Bardron IX. The Rage defenses succeeded in destroying one salvo, but 90% of the Remorhaz missiles found their targets. All of the missile batteries and three of the phased-polaron beam sites were destroyed in the first salvo. The captain of RSS Ceto requested permission to close range and engage the remaining bases with gunfire, but Sakazawa denied the request. He was content to knock out the remaining defenses with missile fire, and didn�t see the need to risk ships and lives needlessly. Time was still on the Remorhaz side.
Another barrage was fired at the planet. This attack knocked out the Last Rage defense base. Sakazawa ordered the Space Marines to prepare for a combat drop, but before the transports could move into position, every Rage habitat on the surface exploded. When the dust settled, the scanners could not detect a single Rage entity on the planet. It appeared that rather than get captured, the primary sequencer on this world had set up a planet-wide self-destruct network. The Rage did not want another world to fall into Remorhaz hands. Sakazawa took it as a sign that the Rage were almost finished, and he knew that the Last battle would be at Bardron VI. It would be bloody work, for sure.

Days later, RSS Faith exited a wormhole from the Vendrin system into the suspected Ukra-Tal system of Tyrik. Her captain, Lieutenant Commander Kilder Crutchley, half expected to be blown apart by mines upon exiting, but the scanners were clear for thousands of miles. The system was indeed inhabited by the Ukra-Tal, in fact, they had colonized every planet in the system. The only enemy warship detected was a Heinola class light carrier, but it was much too far away to make a difference in Crutchley�s life.
�Communications, prepare a data package for command and send it immediately, if not sooner�, Crutchley shouted. �If we get killed, I want them to have something to remember us by.�
�Aye, aye, Cap�n. Sending data package now�, the communications officer responded.
Crutchley quickly weighed his options. His mission was accomplished. They had scouted the system and found no Rage here, which meant that the Bardron system was probably their Last holdout. If that held true, then that phase of the war might be over soon. The thought made him happy, because one less enemy would mean that they could focus that much more attention on the Ukra-Tal.
His other option was to pounce on one of the Ukra-Tal planets close by, hopefully doing some damage to it before retreating. Tyrik VII was the closest, and it didn�t have any defenses that he could detect at this range. He wasn�t sure what to do, but he didn�t have time to get in touch with Commodore Lu. He decided to talk it over with his staff.
He looked over to his left, where his executive officer�s station was.
�Petey, what do you think? Should we bug out, or make some noise?�
Lieutenant Pete Ortega turned to face the captain.
�Sir, if we hit them unaware, we could do some major damage, but it would be localized to one planet. By the time we finished with one, they would be on us for sure.�
Crutchley nodded. �Go on.�
Pete shrugged. �I think if we do that, then they will be waiting for us the next time we come back. All alone, we can�t do enough damage to take that risk. Maybe if we slip out of here, they won�t notice that were here, and when we come back, we�ll bring friends.�
Crutchley shook his head.
�Pete, I do believe that you have the mind of an admiral. You should skip your own command and go right to flag country!�
The XO laughed, along with some of the crew.
�Just calling it like I see it, sir.�
�Hmmm. Well, I agree with you. Let�s get the hell out of here, before that carrier comes sniffing around here for us.�
He looked at the helm officer.
�Mister McKinney, take us home, all engines full.�
�Aye, aye, sir!� the helm officer cried.
Faith turned for home, with a promise to come back and extract a pound of flesh from the Ukra-Tal.

Although it�s original inhabitants had been slaughtered by the Ukra-Tal in the early stages of the war, there were still a few humans on Timerron in the Yukra system. The Ukra-Tal didn�t know they were there, though, and the Remorhaz intelligence agents were trained to keep it that way.
Agent 32 barely remembered his real name. He had been on Timerron for just over a year now, and had barely talked with anyone. The mission was his life here, surrounded by the enemy. Everywhere he went, he was forced to be on guard, while trying to appear to be an unremarkable Ukra-Tal laborer. With the help of the personal field distorter, he was able to create his disguise, albeit for short periods of time. There was no disguise for his habits, though. Everything a typical Remorhite would do had to be chased from his mind. If he did anything out of the ordinary, he could be killed at a moments notice. He had come close to blowing it a few times, but thankfully he had survived. Now he found it much easier, and he wondered if he should be afraid of that.
A week earlier, the mission was specified. He was to plant a bomb on a Hedmora class cruiser that was bound for Iolo. Upon completion of his mission, transportation would be arranged to return him to Remorhaz space.
This is a dangerous mission, he thought as he uncovered his weapons Cache hidden in the floor of his dwelling. I may not survive this.
Unconsciously, he began assembling the explosive device, testing the timers for functionality. His mind started to wander a bit as he worked. Home. What would it be like? Would he ever be able to relax again? Would he be the same person that he was before he left Shadow a year ago? He wasn�t sure that person still existed.
Suddenly he was aware of what he was doing. He had reassembled the explosive device incorrectly. Focus, he thought. Remember your training.
The next day, he readied himself for his mission. He gathered his tools, and booby-trapped his dwelling so that all evidence of his identity would be destroyed when they came looking for him. It was only a matter of time.
He activated his field distorter and left the dwelling. He walked to the tube station and boarded the public transport. No one noticed him, and he talked to no one. While on the tube, he ran over the mission in his mind one more time, but soon thoughts of home were intruding on his thoughts again. He should have a nice fat bank account when he got home. Maybe he would muster out of the Bureau and go back home to Hera. Or he could settle on Remorhaz. Maybe meet a girl, settle down�
He snapped back to reality and gave a slight jerk. One or two riders glanced at him, but otherwise paid no attention to him.
Keep your mind on the mission! He berated himself, knowing that a loss of concentration at any point could cost him his life.
The tube stopped by the shipyards, and he exited. A large group of workers exited with him, all moving toward the shipyards where they worked. He recognized some of them, but did not greet them. As they entered the shipyard, he moved toward his work berth. His job as a data entry clerk allowed him access to the records of his target. He had determined that his best chance for success would be at afternoon shift change. The Ukra-Tal are a very smart race, but when it came to security concerns, they left a lot to be desired. The entire mission should only take fifteen minutes, and then he would leave and head directly to the egress point.
He sat down at his work berth briefly, accessed his terminal and quickly scanned the work log for his target. No changes were scheduled for today, so the mission would go ahead as planned. He left his berth and headed for the Hedmora. As he walked down the access tunnels and workspaces, he was suddenly overwhelmed by nervousness. What would they do to me if I were caught, he thought? He had never considered it. There was no justice system in the Remorian sense of the word. Civil disobedience was a foreign concept to the Ukra-Tal. If one did break the law, he was fined. If he could not pay, he was forced to serve until his debt was paid. How would they treat a spy? The fear of the unknown welled up inside of him, and he fought the urge to turn and run away.
Before he knew it, he was at the checkpoint. A single Ukra-Tal soldier stood here, representing the entire security force for the cruiser behind him. Agent 32 was tight with anticipation, and forced himself to relax. He had access to the entire yard. He should be able to get through this checkpoint with no problem.
�Yourself has pass?� the soldier asked.
�I posses sufficient access�, Agent 32 replied, handing his access pass to the soldier.
The soldier scanned the pass, and turned to give it back. The soldier�s eye slits narrowed as he caught sight of 32, and his tentacles moved to grab his weapon.
Agent 32 was faster. In a heartbeat, he had his microblade out and jammed it into the soldier�s nerve bundle, ending its life instantly. At that moment, he realized that he could see his normal human hand, and not the tentacles that he was used to. He grabbed his field distorter and instantly knew what the problem was. The previous night, while his brain was wandering with thoughts of home, he had forgotten to recharge the field distorter. Luckily for him it had enough power remaining to get him this far, but he no longer had a disguise. He began to run down the access tunnel and into the ship. He saw no one as he ran, but with every step he expected to hear the alert sirens go off and the corridors to be filled with vengeful Ukra-Tal.
A few hundred feet later, he was outside of the engine room. He had to get inside and plant the bomb, and then get out alive, without being seen. He didn�t like his chances. The engine room was on of the rooms on the ship that was always manned by someone. Hopefully, it was just one crewman, and he would be able to take him out before he was noticed. He armed the dead switch on the bomb, so that it would go off if he were killed, and pulled out his microblade. Then he toggled the door.

On board the stolen Ukra-Tal freighter, Agent 32 watched Timerron fade in the distance. He was going home, and his mission was a success. He had survived, despite his own stupidity and lack of concentration. His training had saved him, as it had so many times before, but he knew that he could never go back on a mission again. He had failed himself, even if he had accomplished his mission. He knew that he would never trust himself again enough to survive deep cover. As Timerron was lost in the blackness of space, he felt a weight lifted off of his shoulders that he hadn�t realized had been there for the past year. In that instant, he made up his mind. He would muster out of the bureau, move to the planet farthest from the war, marry a pretty girl, and try to forget about his year in the belly of the beast.

Atrocities

October 20th, 2003, 06:00 AM

Let me be the first to say, great job. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Fyron

October 20th, 2003, 06:01 AM

And it gets even longer... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo

October 20th, 2003, 02:18 PM

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
And it gets even longer... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif And still no end in sight. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Atrocities

October 20th, 2003, 02:35 PM

You have to just love those OMN http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif (Optical Masking Net) and PDF's (Personal Field Distorter).

I also had plans for the Identity Chameleon Net, The Chameleon Suite, and the Optical Identity Net.

Being a spy is such great fun.

I can't wait for you to re-use this character as a specialist for some increadibly dangerous mission that he alone is the only one that can complete it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Excellent job on this story Sachmo.

sachmo

October 20th, 2003, 07:11 PM

Yes, I really had fun with that part of the story. I think his nerves are shot, but he might make an appearance later.
Interesting that you were thinking of using the personal field distorter...I couldn't really think of a name for it, so I just sort of made that one up. I guess I really didn't though, but I like the way you think! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities

October 20th, 2003, 09:19 PM

Originally posted by sachmo:
Yes, I really had fun with that part of the story. I think his nerves are shot, but he might make an appearance later.
Interesting that you were thinking of using the personal field distorter...I couldn't really think of a name for it, so I just sort of made that one up. I guess I really didn't though, but I like the way you think! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Oh I had used it in my story, it was only logical given the fact that we are dealing with aliens and what better way to hide ones appearance than to have technology do it for us. I love the part about the battery running low, that was great.

The one I wrote about hid the wearer from view, yours gave him a new appearance. Great minds do think alike. We are devious sorts you and I.

narf poit chez BOOM

October 20th, 2003, 10:36 PM

the Last post was a 401 error!

um, bad thread post count joke.

sachmo

October 22nd, 2003, 05:19 AM

Innovations

The city of Turian on Remorhaz, capitol of both the planet of Remorhaz and the Remorhaz Society, was known for it�s beautiful architecture. From the regal government buildings located in the Quadrangle to the colorful, vibrant shops located in the Merchant�s Quarter, the city was packed with interesting sights. In the case of the headquarters of the Research Guild, form did not follow function. The building was long and gray, with a total lack of innovation in its design. Square and utilitarian were words that came to mind when people walked past. It didn�t fit in Turian at all, the citizens believed.
Inside of the building, innovation was the watchword. The main task of the brilliant minds that worked inside this eyesore was to coordinate the research efforts in all corners of the Remorhaz Society for maximum productivity. Without their efforts, many of the latest innovations would still be locked up inside the minds of their inventors.
Doctor Genoviv Mustali was the current head of the Research Guild. It was her job to oversee the coordination of the scientists, students, and thinkers in the Society, and also to emphasize the direction in which the research effort should be headed. The emphasis was not decided solely by her, but in concert with the Chairman, the military, and any number of other organizations. It was a job that threatened to pull a person apart at the seams, but thankfully Genoviv was made of stern stuff.
She reviewed her notes one Last time as Grand Admiral Urian and Commandant Hunter came into the meeting room. She rose and moved toward them, flashing them her widest smile. She shook hands with them both before offering them refreshments. Both men declined.
�Grand Admiral, I saw the latest vid from the Bardron front. It�s wonderful news. I can�t believe that we are so close to victory against the Rage.� Genoviv said.
Urian looked across the table at her. She was a nice looking woman, with a grace that always reminded him of a dancer, or of a forest cat.
�We think that Bardron VI is their Last planet. Hopefully, they will be out of the war by the end of the year, if everything goes well.�
She nodded. �I�m sure it will, sir.� She turned her head slightly to address Commandant Hunter.
�Your Space Marines have done an incredible job, Commandant Hunter. You must be very proud. They�ve had remarkable success.�
He glanced up from his data pad.
�We couldn�t have done it without you, Doctor. The efforts of you and your people have given my Space Marines the right tools for the job. We are in your debt.�
Genoviv blushed slightly. The Commandant wasn�t the type to waste words, and so she knew he meant what he was saying. The fact that he had said anything spoke volumes.
�We do what we can, sir. We�re happy to help.�
A few moments later, Chairman Sachmo and his entourage came into the room, accompanies by Admiral Hilger Ash, the head of the Naval Design Bureau and Field Marshall Fredrick Gulman, commander of the Grand Army of the Remorhaz Society.
Everyone stood as the Chairman moved around the room, greeting everyone present. When he finally got around to Genoviv, he shook her hand warmly.
�Doctor, I hear you�ve got some excellent news for us,� the Chairman said.
�I do indeed sir.�
�If everyone is ready?� She glanced around the room, and everyone began taking their seats. She moved to her data pad as the lights dimmed.
�Let�s begin.�
A hologram appeared in the center of the table, showing the schematics of a weapon.
�When the war against the Rage began, they held advantages in propulsion and missile technology. As the war progressed, we narrowed that gap. Because of this, we eventually countered their gains, and began to push them back. Our superior numbers and aggressive tactics seemed to be effective against them.�
�Once we reached Lezzari, we found that they had again leapt past us in the technology race. When the Rage unleashed their phased energy weapons against us, it was a nasty shock. They had a longer range and did more damage than our depleted uranium cannon. In fact, they almost outdistanced our missiles. This technology gap was one that we could not overcome, until now.�
The schematic was replaced by a vid of tests being conducted on captured Rage equipment. Genoviv began again.
�Thanks to the efforts of many scientists throughout the Society, we now have our own Version of the phased polaron beam. It�s not quite as powerful as the Rage designs, but we feel that the current model is more than adequate for fleet service. Admiral Ash? �
Admiral Ash tapped his data pad, and three different ship designs appeared in the hologram, along with a space fighter design, a defense satellite design, and a new Blazer design. There was also what looked like a service rifle for the Space Marines based on the new beam technology.
As Ash began discussing the new design proposals to incorporate the new phased polaron beam weapons, everyone in that room knew that the technology gap between the Ukra-Tal and Remorhaz had just become much smaller.
During the meeting, it was decided that the current research effort should remain unchanged, which was focused on next generation targeting computers for the fleet. Once this was completed, all effort would be put into increasing the effectiveness of the polaron beam. In the meantime, the new designs proposed by the Naval Design Bureau were approved, with the initial deployment being the phased beam battle rifle for the Space Marines. It was thought that this new weapon would increase their combat power by at least thirty percent, and would be the cheapest to implement quickly. Before long, the entire Remorhaz military would be armed with this new weapon, just in time for the offensive against the Ukra-Tal.

Atrocities

October 22nd, 2003, 06:38 AM

Congradulations on the discovery of the PPB. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Great read as always. This story defines SEIV for me. Thank you very much for continuing it.

Ragnarok

October 22nd, 2003, 02:29 PM

Ack! I'm falling behind in this story. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif
Rest assure, I will get it read. May end up having to do it here at work but I will get it read. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Actually, do you have the full Version of the story, Sachmo? If so could I ask that you be so kind to send it to me?
Matthew 'at' eislogan.com

I would greatly appreciate it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

sachmo

October 22nd, 2003, 02:43 PM

Atrocities- thank you very much! It's nice to be able to have time to write again.

Ragnarok- I'll update the Word Version soon and send it to you. It won't be tonight as the wife and I are stepping out, but soon!

Starhawk

October 22nd, 2003, 07:23 PM

Love the story Sachmo..keep up the good work.

geoschmo

October 22nd, 2003, 09:49 PM

Sachmo,

You really should look at submitting this to a publisher when it's done. For that matter maybe Shrapnel would publish it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

You are up over 80,000 words now. In paperback novel form you would be around 320 pages. Decent length already and you aren't even done yet. It's truely going to be an epic before it's finished. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Atrocities

October 22nd, 2003, 10:02 PM

The average page in a paperback book has about 400 to 500 words on it.

Lets say for arguement that each page requires about 500 words.

88,000 words divided by 500 = 176 pages. The average paper back is about 400 pages.

Sachmo you might have a series on your hands. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

To bad the rest of us who write don't get together and update our stories. Think of it, 5 or so seperate stories dealing with SE IV in general for Shrapnel to peddle as Books. Ohhhh that would be sweet, that is being published.

The thing is the market for stories like this is a nitch one. But I would buy your book. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

October 23rd, 2003, 04:58 AM

Thanks guys. I don't know what I'm going to do with this story, or even what I could do with it when it's done. Really I just like writing the story and hearing from those who are reading it. If Shrapnel wanted to do something with it, I wouldn't be opposed to that. But it would need some major rewriting if they wanted to use it to represent their product. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

narf poit chez BOOM

October 23rd, 2003, 05:05 AM

ok, first off, i don't want to be a critic. second, some of these stories could be sold. third, none of them are quite up to what i expect from something i'd buy. need more polish. fourth, i am picky. fifth, if you want real critisism, find an editer. sixth, the people doing the stories do have talent.

Wardad

October 23rd, 2003, 10:37 PM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

October 25th, 2003, 06:20 AM

New Tactics in Iolo

�It looks like they are heading for the wormhole, sir. Even if they try to double back to Correlia, we can intercept them before they come anywhere near the planet.�
Commodore Thom Hitcher tapped his chin with his finger. According to his sensors, two Ukra-Tal cruisers were trying to outflank Correlia and his fleet. After months and months of assaults on Correlia itself, for the first time they were trying to make it to the Iolo-Ultrinox wormhole. If they made it through, they could threaten any number of systems, including Velocitas and Remorhaz itself. However, if they did, they would find themselves in the midst of a Remorhaz minefield, but Hitcher didn�t want them to get that far. It would be a close fight. His task force consisted of three Glory class destroyers, one Nemesis frigate, and a Ganymede class light cruiser against one Gjovik and one Hedmora class cruiser, both which were well armed enemy combat vessels. The Remorhaz ships had a range advantage, but if the Ukra-Tal ships closed to within acid launcher, they would punish the Remorhaz ships. Hitcher had to decide whether to pursue them, or protect his fleet and let the minefield take care of them.
�Let�s go get �em.�, he told his staff.

Within hours, the Correlia Defense Fleet was cutting through space at full power, on an intercept course for the two Ukra-Tal ships. It took three days, but the Remorhaz ships finally closed to within engagement distance.
Hitcher ordered his screening vessels to fan out in the front arc, to allow their missiles to be brought into the fight before the cruisers could close range. With his eye on the tactical display, he watched his command fan out before him, the ship�s captains executing their maneuvers with precision.
The Ukra-Tal commanders, with their usual aggressive behavior, charged the Remorhaz ships. Hitcher watched the range tick down as both fleets flew toward each other a full speed. The computers compensated for the closure rate, and once the cruisers flew into the capital ship missile envelope, his ships opened fire.
Three destroyers and a frigate lit up their dark corner of space with a ripple-fired salvo of capital ship missiles. Their captains then reversed course, hoping to open the range between them and the horrible acid launchers that the Gjovik and Hedmora were armed with. Hitcher moved his own ship, RSS Orion, between the retreating vessels and the enemy cruisers. The missiles acquired their target, the Hedmora, almost instantly and accelerated toward it. Anti-missile projectiles filled the space around their ships, disabling or destroying almost all of Hitcher�s missiles, but one salvo broke through and exploded against the Hedmora�s shields, weakening them. By this time, the cruisers were able to close range and fire a few extreme-range shots at Orion, a few of which took down her shields and hit her hull. No major damage was done, but Hitcher was forced to pull back a bit. He fired a few shots of his own with his cannon, but missed. RSS Narvik was able to fire a long range shot with her lone cannon and the shell found its mark, weakening the Hedmora�s shields even further.
The Ukra-Tal commander decided not to press his luck any further and moved to open the range. Hitcher was a bit surprised, because this played to his ship�s strengths, but he wasn�t about to overlook the gift that his enemy had given him. He ordered his ships to again turn and pursue the Ukra-Tal ships while their missiles reloaded.
Seeing his mistake, or possibly counting on the pursuit, the enemy cruisers again turned to close with the Remorhaz ships. Once again, a heavy salvo was launched, forcing the Hedmora to retreat. The Gjovik fired at Orion from extreme range, missing with all her shots. The Remorhaz ships were able to return fire on the Gjovik, hitting her with four cannon shells. The shells tore holes in her hull, but the damage began to repair itself immediately. The Ukra-Tal organic armor was a huge advantage.
The enemy cruisers continued to close range. At long range, the Hedmora fired its acid launchers at RSS Narvik. The shots crashed through her shields, and slammed into the hull, burning a gaping hole in the ship. Compartments were disintegrated as the powerful acid burned through the ship. The crew that survived the barrage worked their way toward the middle of the ship as the acid continued to eat away at the superstructure. Narvik was out of the fight.
Now Hitcher was at a disadvantage. He could no longer afford to fire and sprit, because that would leave Narvik at the mercy of the cruisers. He watched as the Hedmora turned away to recharge its acid launchers and the Gjovik closed in for the kill. It fired at Narvik, hitting her once and wiping out her bridge. Thankfully, the entire bridge staff had already evacuated to the bowels of the ship, sacrificing maneuverability for survival. The Gjovik now faced the full brunt of the Remorhaz cannons alone. Shell after shell crashed into the cruiser, knocking out components. Both of her acid launchers were destroyed in the initial salvo, and were now useless in the fight. It turned to run, while the Hedmora turned back to save its partner.
Another Remorhaz salvo was launched at the Hedmora, and without the Gjovik�s protection, more of the missiles found their mark. She was still in the fight, but she was damaged. Now it was Orion�s turn to withstand another acid barrage. The Hedmora fired a full salvo at her, reducing most of her point-defense battery to melted slag. Still able to fight, Orion returned fire, further damaging the Ukra-Tal ship while the two remaining effective Glory class destroyers raked it with point-blank cannon fire. The damage to its hull was now such that the organic armor could no longer repair itself, and that allowed the cannon fire to destroy a few of its engines. The Ukra-Tal ship was very tough, though, and was still a dangerous enemy. On top of that, its acid launchers were still operational.
Orion was hit with another full acid salvo. This attack burned down the axis of the ship, destroying everything in its path. Weapons mounts, crewmen, anything and everything was destroyed, but the path of destruction bypassed the starboard weapons mounts, leaving Hitcher with one of the ship�s two heavy cannon. With it, Orion was able to land the killing blow on the Hedmora, which exploded as the shells found some vital component deep inside the stricken cruiser.
Narvik and Orion turned for home as the Gjovik was hunted down and destroyed by Shining Victory and Skydancer.

The trip back to Correlia was busy for everyone. Although the damage was extensive to both Narvik and Orion, some repairs could be made. For Orion, it seemed they would be enough to allow her to get home with the rest of the fleet. Narvik was not so lucky, because her damage was too great to allow her to keep up with the fleet. On top of that, there were now at least three Ukra-Tal cruisers within range of Correlia and all of them could beat the fleet back to the planet if they traveled at the highest speed that Narvik could make. With great reluctance, Commodore Hitcher allowed her to detach from the fleet and attempt to make it back to Correlia alone. All of the wounded and non-essential personnel were transferred to the rest of the fleet, and Narvik was left behind.

Hitcher watched Narvik fall behind on the viewer and shook his head. How did Naval Command expect him to interdict ships that were bigger, stronger, and technologically superior to his if they didn�t give him any reinforcements? Hiding behind a minefield and backed up by ground based weapons, they could hold their own against a fleet with many times his number of ships, but if the Ukra-Tal decided to bypass all of those weapons, like they seemed to be doing now, they would quickly grind his fleet into dust. If Narvik didn�t make it home, he would have lost one-fifth of his fleet, while he read reports of the fleet in Bardron assaulting the Last Rage worlds with thirty or more ships! The thought enraged him.
He got out of his command chair and growled, �XO has the con,� as he walked briskly toward his cabin. He was forced to travel two sections out of his way because the direct path to his cabin was open to space, thanks to the acid damage from the battle. This only served to infuriate him more.
He opened his cabin door and powered on his data pad. He began to type out a message for Grand Admiral Urian�s eyes only. He was going to tell the Grand Admiral the truth, and if he didn�t like it, he could come down to Correlia personally and relieve him of his command.

Grand Admiral Urian read the message with a grim look on his face. It wasn�t very often that a Commodore demanded things of Grand Admiral, but Hitcher�s blunt message made its point very clearly. The Ukra-Tal were stepping up their activity in Iolo, but they no longer seemed to be concentrating on Correlia. He had hoped that the Ukra-Tal would continue to throw themselves at Correlia�s defenses, diverting their attention from the other fronts while they prepared for the offensive. If Hitcher were going to have to leave the protection of Correlia to stop Ukra-Tal movements with his fleet, he would definitely need reinforcements, whatever delays that caused for the rest of the Navy. If Hitcher�s fleet were destroyed, the planet was doomed.
He immediately issued orders for two ships from the Home Fleet to move to Iolo and join the Correlia Defense fleet. The Ganymede class light cruisers RSS Xanthe and RSS Odysseus received the orders and changed course at once. Urian only hoped that they were able to make it to Correlia in time to save the fleet.

Above Highrock, Rear Admiral Gina Jager was just settling down for a nights rest when the com unit began to beep. Sighing, she rolled out of bed and quickly composed herself. Brushing back her hair, she keyed the unit to answer. The face of an Army sensor officer appeared.
�Good evening, Captain. What can I do for you?�
The Army captain looked nervous.
�Admiral, I�m very sorry to disturb you, but the duty log says to inform you in an emergency��
Gina waved him off. �Don�t worry about it, captain. A little lost sleep won�t kill me. What do you have?�
The captain was looking off-screen for a moment.
�Admiral, may I send you the long range feed?�
�Sure,� Gina replied, taking a seat at her desk.
The captain�s face disappeared as the image was replaced by a long-range scan of the Lenoltris system. Five sectors away, and closing, was a fleet of at least twenty-four Ukra-Tal light cruisers.
�Ma�am, we picked them up about ten minutes ago. They aren�t jamming, so we didn�t really notice them until they passed the outer passive sensors. They caught us a bit with out pants down on that one.� He laughed nervously.
Gina replied, �It�s alright captain. A few hours wouldn�t make that much of a difference. Can you show me a course projection?� She asked for the captain to show her where the computer predicted the Ukra-Tal fleet would end up, but she was pretty sure she already knew the answer. In the blink of an eye, the computer calculated their destination�Highrock.
�Thanks, Captain. Looks like they are coming for us again. Get the word to the ground base commanders. We�ve got a few days before they get here.�
The captain looked relieved.
�Yes, Rear Admiral.�
The link went dead.
Gina sat at her desk for a few moments, thinking. If the Ukra-Tal threw themselves at Highrock once more, she felt that she could defeat them. If she had to engage them away from the defenses of the planet, however, she didn�t think she would be able to stop such a vast fleet. They had switched tactics in Iolo, so why not here?
Until they came closer, she couldn�t be sure of what they were going to do. She would prepare to defend the Remorhaz Society, wherever she was called upon to do it.
She turned on the com unit again, and put a call into her chief of staff, ordering him to start getting the fleet ready for battle. Then she lay down to try and get some sleep. She wasn�t sure how much she would be able to get in the days to come.

[ October 29, 2003, 03:48: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Atrocities

October 25th, 2003, 06:53 AM

Thank you for another great read. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif You make me feel guilty for not posting a new chapter to my crappy *** story. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Erax

October 25th, 2003, 07:09 PM

I make Atrocities' words my own. This story just keeps getting better and better.

narf poit chez BOOM

October 25th, 2003, 10:12 PM

hey, when are we going to see more of yours? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ October 25, 2003, 21:13: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

The FryeR K

October 26th, 2003, 04:35 AM

In the immortal words of a comic master
" Woohoo "--Homer Simpson

Erax

October 27th, 2003, 01:17 PM

Narf : I should have had one up Last week, but RL got in the way. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif I'll try to have it by Friday.

Wardad

October 27th, 2003, 05:36 PM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

October 27th, 2003, 08:17 PM

Wow, 6 smilies!! New chapter will be up soon. If it's not up by tomorrow, it will be Wednesday. Can't miss the premier of 24!

sachmo

October 29th, 2003, 05:45 AM

Well, after I watched 24, I had to play for a bit, as some things just had to be dealt with. Coming soon...the Battle of Bardron VI!

Atrocities

October 29th, 2003, 05:48 AM

24 what a great series, it starts here in about 10 minutes. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Wardad

October 29th, 2003, 05:09 PM

what is 24?

sachmo

October 29th, 2003, 06:08 PM

It's a TV show on the Fox network. Each show in the season is one hour in a particular day, and all events occur in real time. The premise of the show is a counter terrorist agent working to stop some attack from happening.

Atrocities

October 29th, 2003, 11:02 PM

I was slightly disappointed by this seasons opener.

**SPOILER**

Where is my action, they promised me action and I don�t see any action! Did you see any action, I didn�t see any action. I saw drama, but very little action.

The President lives and is in a weakened state.

The President has a new love interest, a Doctor no less. (Who I think is deliberately keeping him sick.)

The office politics at CTU are thicker than ever, and now we have Kim Bauer to the mix as an employee and she is in love with Jacks aid.

Then we come to Jack. A drug addict now.

I am optimistic that the story will get good, but I would have enjoyed seeing or knowing a lot more about what happened in the previous 3 years since the Last "one of those days" occurred. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

What disappointed me was I was hoping for more action than drama, but what the hell, its 24, I will get my action soon enough. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif And the story line around the president that they totally abandoned his assassination attempt in favor of a few words in a speech.

What would have been cool is if the drug dealer was the guy who had originally ordered the nuclear bomb and the attempted assignation the president, and his brother was the one threatening to release the virus that thus far only the president was infected with.

sachmo

October 30th, 2003, 06:43 PM

Part of the new chapter is done. I may be able to finish it tonight, but it should be up soon.

sachmo

November 2nd, 2003, 07:37 AM

I had to write something...

Showdown at Bardron VI

Thirty-one fighters from the 3rd Fighter Wing joined up with Strike Fleet Hellcat for the assault on Bardron VI, possibly the Last Rage held world in the galaxy. Strike Fleet Hellcat was the most powerful fleet in the Remorhaz People�s Navy. The fleet consisted of one system patrol ship, twelve frigates, five destroyers, two light cruisers, one minesweeper, two repair ships, three supply ships, two landing ships, plus the thirty-one fighters that had just joined them. It was an impressive fleet, but Bardron VI had some very strong defenses. The previous reconnaissance of the planet reported at least sixteen defense complexes, armed with a variety of weapons, and fifteen space fighters. If the planet could be taken, it might end the Rage threat to the Remorhaz Society. Rear Admiral Shiro Sakazawa, commander of Strike Fleet Hellcat, knew that every month that they waited to attack the planet was another month that the defenses were strengthened, and that his fleet was tied down here. There were other battles that needed to be fought, and so the Rage threat needed to be eliminated. Bardron VI could wait no longer. Hellcat moved in for the kill.

Commander Philip Henderson checked his readouts as his fighter wing formed up around him. His entire wing was made up of FA-4 Thundercat attack fighters, which were designed for ground attack missions. Each of the thirty fighters was armed with two heavy space-to-surface bombs, idea weapons for knocking out hardened surface targets. The biggest problem for his fighters was that they had to get in very close to use the bombs, and to do that they would have to get through the Rage defenses. As he had learned during the briefing, that would be a very tough job by itself.
�Jericho flight, arm ordinance.�
He glanced at the status display as the weapons systems on all of the fighters changed from yellow to green in short order. No problems so far.
�Jericho flight, execute formation delta.�
Using his ship as the axis, his fighters maneuvered into their positions for the run in on Bardron VI, behind the capital ships. Sakazawa was sure that the Rage would send their space fighters out to intercept his fleet, and he wanted the Thundercats to stay behind the point defense umbrella. Their lack of ship-to-ship weaponry would make them an easy target for the Rage ships.
All that was left to do now was to hold formation and wait for the admiral to give the order to attack. He settled back in his seat and looked out of the canopy at the large planet ahead. Without an atmosphere, it looked like a dead world, but this was the type of planet the Rage preferred. Not much of a prize, he thought, but knocking out the Rage would be worth it.

In the combat information center onboard his flagship RSS Tarus, Rear Admiral Sakazawa kept a close eye on the tactical display. Thirty Rage fighters left their hidden base on the surface of Bardron VI and turned to intercept the Remorhaz fleet.
Sakazawa shook his head. If he were in command of the Rage defenses, he would have kept the fighters uncommitted until the odds had evened out a bit, or at least until the fleet was distracted by fire from the ground bases. As it was, the Rage fighters didn�t stand a chance. Hellcat was deployed in a phalanx formation, which allowed the fleet to concentrate its point defense fire and eliminating holes in the coverage.
Despite the knowledge of the Remorhaz firepower, the Rage fighters pressed on, while the fleet moved closer to the planet. Sakazawa�s plan was simple. The fleet would move just outside of ground cannon range and deploy for a massive attack on the surface defenses of Bardron VI. Since the Rage couldn�t hit everything at once, Sakazawa was hoping that a massive attack from the capital ships would allow the Thundercats to lay some of their ordinance on the defense bases, opening the way for the Space Marines to land and take the planet by force. His hope was that by overwhelming the defenses early, he would minimize his own losses, but the plan relied on accurate intelligence and no shortage of luck.
The Rage space fighters moved into maximum engagement range of the fleet. RSS Quasar scored the first kill of the battle as her point defense cannon locked onto a Rage space fighter at maximum range. The Rage fighter began to twist and turn, trying to avoid the cannon fire, but the computer was always one step ahead of him. Shell after shell hit the craft, tearing pieces from the ship and damaging components. As the ship lost maneuverability, more shells hit it, until a number of rounds penetrated its powerplant, causing it to explode. The crew cheered as they watched the target disappear from the tactical display, but quickly searched for a new target as twenty-nine Rage ships moved even closer, hoping to put their own missiles into the skin of a Remorhaz ship.
They would never get the chance. The closer the fighters got to the fleet, the heavier and more accurate the fire became. Within two minutes, all of the Rage space fighters were destroyed. The only threat they posed to the Remorhaz fleet was if their wreckage happened to collide with one of the capital ships. Having overcome the first line of Rage defense, Hellcat continued on.

This chapter will continue!

Atrocities

November 2nd, 2003, 08:55 AM

Go Hellcats!

Wardad

November 3rd, 2003, 05:55 PM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Atrocities

November 7th, 2003, 04:23 PM

Hey a while back we had a member who wrote a few books and I stumbled accrossed his web site today. He has a lot of very useful writers resource links there.

http://www.angelfire.com/mn/lawman704/books.html

and also a link to

http://www.bookpublisher.com/ads/google_01.html

I wonder whatever happened to the guy? A Cop if I recall correctly...?

The FryeR K

December 5th, 2003, 10:03 PM

Story...Need Story....please

Starhawk

December 5th, 2003, 10:19 PM

To quote a famous wise man.

ARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!! -Charlie Brown-

Need more story.....you can't leave me hanging like this, how did the battle turn out?

sachmo

January 29th, 2004, 05:14 PM

This ain't over. What happened to me? Dominions II, Civ 3 Conquests, and other distractions. But I'm not quitting.

[ January 29, 2004, 15:52: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Wardad

January 29th, 2004, 07:17 PM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif
need story fix soon...

sachmo

February 20th, 2004, 03:17 PM

This weekend. I promise.

Atrocities

February 21st, 2004, 04:23 AM

At Last something to look forward to in life. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

February 23rd, 2004, 05:44 AM

Weekend didn't go as planned, so it will have to be this week or coming up weekend.

[ February 23, 2004, 03:44: Message edited by: sachmo ]

The FryeR K

February 24th, 2004, 08:39 AM

Need story http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

P.S. Found a hilarous site for computer Users and computer support.
http://www.rinkworks.com/stupid

narf poit chez BOOM

February 24th, 2004, 08:57 AM

yes, that sites funny, but i've got to much cynicism as it is.

Atrocities

February 24th, 2004, 09:31 AM

Yes that site is indeed very very funny. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Shrapnel

March 22nd, 2004, 11:32 PM

Has this story come to an end as well?

So many good stories and authors, alas, so little time to write them eh!

sachmo

March 23rd, 2004, 05:31 AM

Atrocities

March 23rd, 2004, 05:59 AM

Originally posted by Shrapnel:
Has this story come to an end as well?

So many good stories and authors, alas, so little time to write them eh! "Time is the fire in which we burn. It is a preditor stalking us all of our lives. Oh sure you can out run it with doctors, medican, and technology, but in the end its going to hunt you down and make the kill." - STNG Dr. Soran

narf poit chez BOOM

March 23rd, 2004, 06:03 AM

Time is the only thing allowing us to progress.

sachmo

March 23rd, 2004, 08:30 PM

Atrocities, Narf...

I don't know about all that, but I really plan to write this week. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

March 24th, 2004, 05:38 AM

Showdown at Bardron VI-Part 2

The ships of Strikefleet Hellcat spread out in a line formation, covering almost two thousand miles of space. Each ship kept their electronic eyes and ears pointed at the Rage planet, always watching for new targets to come into view. The fleet was poised for an attack, ready to hit the enemy as hard as it could and try to soften the inevitable counterstrike. The only defensive installations that appeared on the Remorhaz scanners were the twelve phased-polaron bases, and six missile batteries. The information on these targets was broadcast throughout the fleet, and each ship was assigned to a target. The first strike had a good chance of totally crippling the Rage defenses.

The combat information center on Strikefleet Hellcat�s flagship, RSS Tarus was the heart of the fleet. The battle plot that was displayed before the commander of the fleet, Rear Admiral Shiro Sakazawa, displayed all of the data collected by the fleet so that he could have the most accurate and complete picture of the battle as possible. Nothing escaped his attention. He sat before the display tight-lipped as his fleet bore down on Bardron VI, his mind processing the data as quickly as it appeared on the screen. He had expected the Rage to build up their defenses in the month since his fleet had Last visited the planet, but all scans showed that they remained as they were. This could probably be explained by the fact that the Rage empire was down to its Last planet, and were probably incredibly short on raw materials. He made up his mind in that instant that there was nothing to be done about it now, anyway. His fleet would just have to keep their eyes out for any new targets, and deal with them if they appeared. He reached up and activated the com unit. The face of Captain Tim Danvers, captain of Tarus appeared.
�Yes, Admiral?� he asked.
�Tim, if you can, I want you to keep us in with the fleet. I don�t want the Rage to single out any of the ships, and I�m afraid that if we hold back, the Rage gunners will concentrate on Ganymede. Also, I want to maximize our firepower on the first strike, and this ship is a big part of that. Ok?�
Danvers nodded.
�Understood sir. We�ll be right in the thick of things.�
Shiro closed the link and looked back at the display. Bardron VI inched closer by the second.
Let�s get this over with, he though.

At fifteen hundred miles, the fleet stopped. On the right flank, the fighters continued to curl around the planet, followed by Mongoose and Badger and their complement of Space Marines. Once the first strike went in, this element was to charge the planet. If the initial attack by Hellcat failed to eliminate the defenses on the surface, the fighter�s would have to close with the planet to put their ordinance on the remaining targets. Since the Rage would probably concentrate on the capital ships anyway, the best tactic was for the fighters to head in as fast as possible. Since it was also hoped that the Rage would have too many targets to concentrate on at once, the assault transports would also head in, and get the Space Marines on the surface as quickly as possible. In space, they wouldn�t be able to do much, but once they were on the surface, they were lethal.

Mongoose moved into Rage missile range, to try and bait them into firing a salvo at them. The Rage obliged, firing half of their complement of missiles at the transport. Since it was the extreme edge of the missile�s effective range, Mongoose was able to quickly move out of range, ensuring that the missile strike would not hit them. With that strike finished, every ship in the fleet fired it�s main engines for a mad dash to maximum missile range.
As the ships closed in on the planet, in the combat information center on Tarus, one of the communication officers reported something strange.
�Admiral! There is some sort of unknown signal coming from�sir, it�s coming from us!�
Shiro snapped his eyes toward the officer, then to his assistant, Captain Terry Hall.
�Terry, check it out, please,� he ordered.
Hall moved quickly over to the officer�s station and looked down at the console.
�What have you got here, Lieutenant?�
The communications officer looked up at the Captain.
�I don�t know sir. I�ve never seen anything like it before, but it�s definitely coming from this ship.�
Hall looked at the data. �Get me Danvers.�
The com unit switched on.
�Danvers here.�
�Tim, are we broadcasting a signal of some sort?�
Danvers frowned. �We�re not supposed to be, but my com officer is looking at it. We can�t figure out what it is. I�ve localized it, and I�m sending a team to investigate.�
Hall nodded, and Rear Admiral Sakazawa�s face appeared on the screen.
�Have we figured this out yet, gentlemen?� he asked.
Danvers spoke up.
�We�re checking it out now, sir.�
At that moment, the Remorhaz ships reached firing range.
Sakazawa opened a new com channel to all ships in the fleet.
�Commence firing!� he shouted.
As one, the fleet opened up on the barren world.
Up and down the line, flashes of light winked into existence as depleted uranium cannons fired at ground targets and missiles were fired in massive salvos. It was truly and awesome display, which the news crews mixed in with the fleet eagerly recorded from any vantage point they could find.
On the surface, the effects were catastrophic. Gun batteries were smashed by missile and cannon fire, and missile batteries were silenced before they could fire their deadly payload. Enormous, burning craters pocked the surface of the planet as Rage defensive installations ceased to exist.
The Remorhaz first strike was just ending when the Rage sprung their trap. The communication officer in the combat information center had deciphered the signal. It was encrypted, but the source was clear. A Rage communication signal was beaming from their ship, sending information about the Remorhaz fleet to the defenders on the surface of Bardron VI. Moments after this discovery, at least twenty hidden Rage phased-polaron beam batteries activated their targeting electronics. All of these guns quickly locked onto RSS Tarus, and opened fire.

Atrocities

March 24th, 2004, 05:54 AM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif You are the greatest story teller on the forum. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Wardad

March 27th, 2004, 05:54 AM

nice... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The FryeR K

March 29th, 2004, 03:43 AM

Yeah story http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

... with a Twist http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Love it, thanks

Lord_Shleepy

May 28th, 2004, 10:45 PM

A memorable moment from the Remorhaz Society

2404.4
....The RSS Furious, on long-range patrol, would jump into the system from a direction the Norak wouldn�t expect our ships to come, and try and take her from behind....

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif Now now...is that any way to treat a lady?

How's the next update coming sachmo?

sachmo

May 28th, 2004, 10:46 PM

Originally posted by Lord_Shleepy:
A memorable moment from the Remorhaz Society

2404.4
....The RSS Furious, on long-range patrol, would jump into the system from a direction the Norak wouldn�t expect our ships to come, and try and take her from behind....

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif Now now...is that any way to treat a lady?

How's the next update coming sachmo? The ladies that I know would expect nothing less!
Update coming soon! It is a holiday here, after all! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

May 30th, 2004, 08:39 AM

Showdown at Bardron VI-Part 3

One by one, the Rage beams were fired at RSS Tarus. The first beam was thrown off by jamming, but the second one hit, severely weakening the ship�s shields. The next beam finished the shields off, and bit into the command cruiser�s hull.
Rear Admiral Sakazawa watched the battle display and quickly surmised the situation. At this range, the fleet would take a pounding from the Rage batteries, so the only option was to try to take them out before they did too much damage. He ordered his command staff to gather targeting data on the new targets and send the information out to the rest of the fleet.
The ship was rocked as another beam smashed into the hull. Shiro pulled up the com unit to address all of the fleet�s captains. A quick glance at the damage display showed that Tarus would not stand up to much more of this punishment. He had to make sure the fleet carried out their orders, and knew that to run now would be suicide.
Just as the display came up, the ship was battered again from another direct hit. Sparks flew from the computer consoles, and the data feed from the bridge of his ship suddenly died as the bridge status went from green to red on the damage display.
He tried to chase the faces of the crew from his mind as he began to speak.
�We�ve been fooled, everyone. The Rage have much stronger defenses than we previously thought, and we now have to go on the assumption��, the display died briefly as another beam slammed into the ship.
He began again when the display came back up.
�We have to assume that the signal broadcast from this ship informed the Rage of our force structure. We cannot retreat. We have to destroy them before��
Sakazawa and the command staff did not even register pain as the phased polaron beam vaporized the command center and everyone in it. The beam continued to burn down the hull until its energy was spent. Seconds later, another beam burned into the engine room, destabilizing the anti-matter chamber in one of the contra-terrene engines and setting off a chain reaction bLasting what was left of Tarus into atoms.

The destruction of Tarus sent a shockwave through the fleet. All fire at the planet stopped momentarily as the shock of the admiral�s death stunned everyone. Almost instantly, the commanders of the individual ships sought to carry out their orders and the fire rained down on the Rage planet once more. Rear Admiral Brennan, aboard the cruiser RSS Ganymede assumed command of the fleet.
RSS Ceta was the next target of the Rage. Her gunnery crew was delivering very accurate fire and had destroyed two of the Rage batteries, but it was not enough to help her survive. The beams quickly overwhelmed her shields, and methodically tore the destroyer apart. Her bow tore away as one Rage beam sliced the ship in half. Debris and gasses filled the space around the ship as another Rage beam tore into Ceta�s exposed compartments. This beam burned down the length of the ship, reducing the interior of the ship to molten slag. With no structure to contain them, the engines tore away from the shell of the hull and continued on their path toward Bardron VI, as if eager to escape the carnage. Only five of her crew would survive the battle.
Finally, the Rage turned their attention to RSS Ganymede, the only remaining cruiser in the Remorhaz fleet. The powerful beams quickly burned through the shields and battered the hull, tearing great rents in the hull and vaporizing compartments. Ganymede continued to return fire, bLasting battery after battery, until she could no longer return fire, all of her weapons having been destroyed. Rear Admiral Brennan ordered the ship to retreat, as she was no longer battle worthy.

With the Rage attention focused on the capital ships, Commander Henderson�s Thundercats space fighters were able to drop some heavy space-to-surface bombs, eliminating a number of Rage batteries with each attack. The Rage quickly recognized this threat, and opened up on the fighters with anti-missile lasers and a few phased polaron beams. As the lead element of Jericho flight turned to attack another target, heavy fire rose to meet them. The fighters turned and jinked to avoid the fire as they dropped their ordinance on their targets, but four of the six fighters were destroyed during the attack. Realizing the precarious situation that the fleet was in, Henderson ordered the fighters to press the attack.

The battle between the capital ships and the surface batteries continued. Hit after hit was scored against the Rage batteries, but they were taking a toll on the Remorhaz fleet. RSS Quasar, a Comet Class ground attack frigate, was destroyed as she tried to get close enough to deliver a devastating cargo of space-to-surface bombs. RSS Glory was also destroyed in a duel with battery of Rage guns. Brennan knew that the only option remaining was to get the Space Marines on the ground as soon as possible. If they survived the assault in sufficient numbers, they would be able to overwhelm the Rage batteries quicker than his fleet could destroy them from space.
He activated his com unit and Brigadier General Henry Townsend appeared.
�RJ, I�m glad to see you in one piece. You guys took quite a pounding,� Townsend said.
Brennan grimaced.
�I still don�t know how many we�ve lost, Henry. We�ve got to end this soon, or we�re in serious trouble, and I think your Marines are the best option.�
Townsend nodded.
�I was preparing for that already, RJ. We�ve re-plotted our landing zones, and are prepared to make a hot landing. We�re ready to go when you want us.�
�I�m glad you planned ahead, Henry. Let�s get this going.�
�Aye, aye, Admiral. Well commence our assault run immediately.�
Brennan nodded.
�Good luck, Henry.�
He switched the com unit to address the fleet.
�All units, prepare to support ground operations.�
Once the order was acknowledged, he switched the com unit off. It was up to the Space Marines now.

Aboard RSS Mongoose, the Space Marines of 1st Brigade scrambled into their combat suits as the warning klaxons sounded. Mike Villers, correspondent for the Remorhaz News Network, watched in confusion as the Space Marines donned their equipment. Lance Corporal Jake Renton, Villers� �handler�, turned to him and frowned.
�Get your suit on, Mike.�
The reporter stared at him in confusion, but did as he was told.
�Why are we suiting up now, Jake? You guys don�t usually suit up until just before the drop, but we aren�t even approaching orbit yet.�
Renton checked to ensure that his oxygen supply was full, and then turned to help the reporter seal up his suit.
�That alarm that you heard a minute ago, remember it? I realize that you haven�t heard it before. It means were are going to have a hot landing.�
Villers struggled with is recording unit. Simple tasks became much more difficult in a heavy space suit.
�What is a hot landing, Jake?�
Jake frowned and grabbed the reporter�s equipment, helping him carry it as they hurried toward the Blazer.
�Usually, the fleet knocks out most of the heavy defenses for us before a drop. There is usually some anti-craft fire, but nothing that would threaten Mongoose. Where there are weapons that can knock us out before the drop, we call that a hot landing.�
The reporter�s eyes widened a bit. �I see,� he said. �So we�re in danger right now?�
Renton smiled. �Yes, you could say that. If the Rage fire on us now, there isn�t a lot we can do about it. That�s why we are suiting up.�
They reached the Blazer, and stood to the side as the troops of 4th platoon quickly stowed their equipment and took their seats. Once this was finished, Jake and Villers entered.
�I don�t understand, Jake,� the reporter said as he fumbled with his seat harness.
Jake snapped Villers� seat restraints, stowed his equipment, and then his own.
�The mission of this ship is the get us on the ground. If we take fire, and the captain decides that it is in danger of being destroyed, he make every effort to get the Space Marines out of this ship by the most expeditious means possible. That means he will open up all of the bays and launch everything as quickly as he can. If that happens while we are deploying, or the Blazer is open�well, at least with a suit on you have a chance. Make sense?�
He turned to see Villers staring at him with wide eyes. His face was as white as chalk.
Jake nudged him a bit and smiled.
�Don�t worry, Mike. We�re in the Blazer now. Our chances of survival just went up to around fifteen percent.�
The Space Marines around him laughed. Villers didn�t.

Two more Remorhaz ships were destroyed supporting the Space Marines as they made their landing run, RSS Flurry and RSS Olympia. Also, the Last of the Thundercat fighters were destroyed, but not after they destroyed a large number of anti-craft batteries and a number of phased polaron beam batteries.
Finally, the Space Marines landed. The Thundercats and the remaining capital had opened a wide corridor for the Blazers, and they made it to the landing zones with very little damage, with two Blazers suffering minor damage from missile attacks. The four remaining Rage phased polaron beam batteries were quickly neutralized by elements of 2nd battalion. Local defense was sporadic and the rest of the brigade was able to break through with light losses. Mines knocked out two Blazers from 3rd battalion, but they were able to capture their objectives. 1st battalion was tasked with finding and eliminating the Last Primary Sequencer. It was located deep underground in a mountain complex. The Space Marines battled their way inside, taking heavy casualties. The complex was too small for the Blazers to fit inside, so the combat was close and deadly. Finally, they were able to force their way into the heart of the complex, and the Last Rage Primary Sequencer was destroyed by elements of 1st battalion. With that, the Rage would fight no more. The Remorhaz Society had finally defeated the Rage Collective.

Atrocities

May 30th, 2004, 09:38 AM

AWSOME No I feel guilty that I am not posting updates for my story. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Great read and thank you a million for posting it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Raging Deadstar

May 30th, 2004, 12:19 PM

Woah what a read, the Remorhaz finally defeat the Rage, thats was great as always http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities

May 30th, 2004, 09:12 PM

Ya to bad they lost some good people and ships. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Suicide Junkie

May 31st, 2004, 01:31 AM

Ahh, good stuff http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I took the liberty of cleaning out the flagrant bumps while reading up, so the thread is a page and a half lighter now http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Atrocities

May 31st, 2004, 04:43 AM

Good call. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

The FryeR K

May 31st, 2004, 05:33 AM

Love the addition.
Keep up the good work & congrats http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon6.gif

Paul1980au

May 31st, 2004, 07:41 PM

Good story there.

sachmo

May 31st, 2004, 11:01 PM

Thanks for the support guys, and the trimming SJ!

Remorhaz sure took it on the nose here, but I suppose that is the price to pay for technology gulf. When we go against the Ukra-Tal, and I don't have minefields to hide behind, we might be looking at heavier losses than this.

Too bad about Shiro...I had big plans for him. We'll also have to see what happens with the vets. Some of these folks have been away from home for almost a decade.

sachmo

June 6th, 2004, 06:00 AM

Taking Stock

Transcript of Chairman Sachmo�s speech delivered to Remorhaz Society announcing victory over the Rage Collective.

2412.6

�Citizens of the Remorhaz Society, I come baring joyous news. The war against the Rage Collective has come to an end. Our forces captured the Last remaining Rage world, Bardron Six, and claimed it for the Society, eliminating all armed resistance against us. The Last of our original enemies has been vanquished.�

�Eleven years ago to this very month, the Rage and the Norak declared war on us, for reasons that are still unclear. It was a war that we did not want. We are a peaceful people, and we offered peace to these races, even after we had turned the tide of war against them. Peace through diplomatic means was not to be, however. Our efforts were ignored at best, and often met with violence. The only alternatives remaining were surrender, or peace through force of arms. The former was unthinkable, and so we were forced to arm and fight, and fight we did. The brave men and women of our armed forces, indeed, the very heart of our youth, answered the call and went out into darkest space and strange new stars to fight our enemies. After initial setbacks, we chased our enemies from our worlds and back to theirs. We conquered their worlds and still they fought on, but they could not best the Remorhaz forces. The Norak Continuum surrendered in 2408.�

�The Rage Collective would not surrender. We took their homeworld from them, and still they resisted. Finally, even with our forces divided and holding off the incursions of yet another enemy, we cornered the Rage in the Bardron system. We knew that the Rage would not give up the fight until all was lost to them. Our forces took all that they had, and now the fighting on that front is at an end.�

�This war has been costly for both sides. Millions of innocents have lost their lives. We should always remember these losses, and the losses to come, as we continue to fight against the Ukra-Tal and the Romulans. Let them look upon our recent history and ponder the wisdom of continuing a war against us. We will take their war, which was again thrust upon us for nebulous reasons, back to their systems, and fight them as long as is necessary to secure peace for our people. We will fight side by side with our citizens of Norakian and Rage descent, and defend our common way of life against these treacherous enemies. We will protect the lives of innocents, and where we can, even the lives of our enemies, only let them know that we will finish this war with the same resolve that we finished the war against our former enemies. There can be only one outcome, and the Remorhaz Society will stand victorious.�

For now, let us celebrate the end of this phase of the war. We must also remember the price that we have paid so far, and continue to live for peace. More days of war are still ahead, and there will be more losses. To win peace, we will pay that price. It is all that we can do.�

�Citizens of Remorhaz, we have won a great victory. Our future is that much safer, thanks to all of you. Enjoy the festivities of the next week, and prepare for the future. If we all continue to put forth this same effort, I know that soon the galaxy will know peace again. Thank you.�

End Transcript

Atrocities

June 7th, 2004, 12:49 AM

What a great read. Thank you. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I sense a series of books in your future. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

June 7th, 2004, 04:24 PM

Thanks Atrocities!

sachmo

June 8th, 2004, 05:33 PM

Planning

2412.7

Chairman Sachmo looked up from his data pad.
�I trust everyone has had enough time?� he asked.
There were no negative responses.
He stood up and leaned forward slightly over the large choba wood table.
�Before we begin, I wanted to take a moment to say thank you. Each and every one of you has done an exemplary job, overcoming every obstacle, adapting to each new situation, and improvising when all else has failed. Without you, I fear the Society would be lost. You are a credit to our people, and we are in your debt.�
The assembled officers voiced their thanks as he sat back down in his chair.
�Let�s start with the Navy, shall we? Marcus?�
The Grand Admiral of the Remorhaz People�s Navy pushed a button on his datapad, and a holographic map of the known galaxy appeared in the middle of the table. Every ship in the fleet was represented on the map, as was every planet, base, and a plethora of other information. Also represented on the map were known enemy systems and ships. Currently, the only known enemy forces in Remorhaz Space were two Ukra-Tal cruisers parked just outside of the Yukra-Iolo wormhole.
�Ladies and gentlemen, our plan is simple. We want to take the war to the enemy.� As he spoke, an organizational chart replaced the galaxy map.
�We want to divide the navy into two separate fleets. Romulan Fleet will initially be based here on Remorhaz. To command this fleet, we�ve decided on Rear Admiral RJ Brennan.� He looked at the Chairman. �With your blessing, sir, we�d like to promote him to Admiral.�
The Chairman brought up Brennan�s service record on his datapad and quickly scanned it.
�Brennan took over at Bardron VI when Sakazawa was killed?� the chairman asked.
�That�s correct sir. He did an excellent job keeping the fleet together. I think he�s ready for this.� the admiral replied.
�Alright, I�ll authorize it.� the chairman replied.
�Ukra-Tal Fleet will be based initially on Highrock. We�d like to promote Gina Jager and give her command of the fleet.� He looked again to the Chairman.
The Chairman smiled. �Done.�
Urian nodded.
�I�ll submit a list of other promotions needed to fill out the staff ranks, and those lists will be appended as Brennan and Jager send in their personal recommendations.� he said.
He tapped his datapad again, and the galaxy map reappeared.
�Before we can mount any sort of offensive, we need to bring both fleets up to strength. Minimum requirements for each fleet will be ten minesweepers, two Space Marine brigades, two light carriers, and five light cruisers.�
�We currently have four brigades ready for deployment, sir� Commandant Hunter said. �We are still running through the mustering out process, but we should be ready for combat at any time.�
The Chairman nodded.
Urian continued.
�The first phase will be known as Operation Reconquest. The target will be the Yukra system.�
A detail map of the Yukra system appeared.
�Our plan is to isolate the system and seed the approaches with mines. At the same time, we will break through from Lenoltris with the bulk of Ukra-Tal fleet, and take as many planets as we can before they can mount a counterattack. We plan on staying once we get there, so we are going to want to bring a number of weapons platforms with us to set up on captured worlds. We need to be ready to repel a massive counter attack, because intelligence suggests that the Ukra-Tal have a significant advantage in ship strength over us.�
The galaxy map reappeared.
�We should be ready to begin Operation Reconquest in about a year. In the meantime, we will continue to strengthen our defenses, seeding warp points with mines and building up fighter forces in the frontier systems. Hopefully, the Ukra-Tal will continue to use Iolo as a transit point, allowing us to interdict their traffic there. We hope to provoke another attack on Correlia so that we can give them another bloody nose.�
A few chuckles rose up from around the table.
�For the Romulan front, we need to step up our reconnaissance efforts. Other than the first contact with them, we don�t know anything about their strength or systems. Before we can make any sort of plans, we are going to do a reconnaissance in force. This force should be ready to deploy in about six months.�
He glanced around the room.
�Are there any questions?�
No one spoke.
�That�s all I have sir.�
The Chairman nodded.
�Thank you, Grand Admiral. You�re next, Commandant Hunter.�
The Space Marine commander keyed his datapad, and a number of figures appeared in the holographic display.
�As I mentioned before, we are continuing the mustering out process. We�re running at about twenty percent retirement, which is well below what we expected.�
The Chairman interrupted him.
�What were your estimates, Commandant?� he asked.
�Well sir, we anticipated fifty percent, with seventy percent being the high end, at which point we would have had to activate forced retention measures.� Hunter answered.
�What do you attribute the high retention to?� the Chairman inquired.
Hunter paused for a moment.
�Well sir, most of the men are saying that they want to see this through to the end. A lot of the marines leaving were the ones who joined up when they already had families back home. The one�s who joined up young don�t have any attachments to go back to, so they decided to stay in and try to finish the job.�
�I see,� said the Chairman, �please continue.�
Another display appeared, showing troop strengths.
�First and second brigades were the only two units to see combat action. First brigade suffered relatively light losses, while second brigade was mauled at the Battle of Rage. We have brought second brigade back up to full strength, and will mix the veterans in with the new recruits to spread the experience throughout the brigade. Consequently, there will be a disproportionate number of promotions in second brigade. Third brigade is deployed on Highrock, and the fourth brigade is on Norak.�
At this, some of the faces at the table frowned slightly. Fourth brigade was an all Norakian brigade, and not everyone in the government supported the though of arming the former enemies of the Society. So far, there had been no incidents, and all of the Norakian Space Marines displayed an almost fanatical loyalty to the Society, but there were still detractors. Hunter continued. �At this point, we think it would be best to assign first, third and fourth brigades to Ukra-Tal Fleet, while second brigade will be assigned to Romulan Fleet. We have more than enough recruits to raise two more brigades, and will assign these to Romulan Fleet, with the option of assigning one of them where the need is most pressing.�
He keyed the datapad again, and vehicle schematics were displayed.
�We are planning on upgrading the Blazer Combat Vehicle. The biggest upgrade will be the addition of the new generation of battle computers, which will allow them to fire more accurately. We will also be able to incorporate some of the improvements learned in the field into the new vehicles. Finally, we are going to retire the current assault rifle and introduce the new PPR-3 Phased Poloron Rifle. These changes should greatly enhance the combat power of the Space Marines.�
The Commandant finished his presentation.
Next, Admiral Ash of the Naval Design Bureau discussed the task of upgrading the fleet with the latest generation of weapons and battle computers. He estimated that all ships should be upgraded by the time Operation Reconquest was ready to begin.
Director Sangi Mulatti discussed the focus of the Remorhaz Security and Intelligence Bureau. Most of the intelligence and espionage were to be focused on the Ukra-Tal, but efforts would be made against the Romulans as opportunities presented themselves.
The various other ministers presented their plans for supporting the war.
The meeting was coming to an end. Chairman Sachmo stood again and addressed the gathered officials.
�Ladies and gentlemen, I will go over all of your proposals and get back to you with any suggestions that I may come up with. I can tell you that at this point, I don�t see many changes being recommended. As usual, your plans are visionary, precise, and well organized. Thanks to you all, the transition from a defensive war to an offensive war should be as smooth as possible. Does anyone have any Last minute questions?�
There were none.
�Alright then, let�s put these plans in motion. Thank you for your time.�
With that, he turned and left.

[ June 08, 2004, 18:31: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Atrocities

June 8th, 2004, 05:50 PM

Another fantastic read Sachmo. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Ragnarok

June 8th, 2004, 06:31 PM

Great additions to the story, Sachmo!

sachmo

June 8th, 2004, 07:28 PM

Thanks guys. I'm trying to set the stage for what's going to happen in the next phase of the game. At least, what I am going to try to make happen. I upgraded my TDM, so I may get my butt kicked across the universe...but at least I'll write about it!

Atrocities

June 8th, 2004, 08:15 PM

And we will read about it and enjoy it regardless. Long live the Remorhaz Society!

Paul1980au

June 9th, 2004, 08:52 AM

Their regrouping and next offensive push might yeild soem interesting story lines.

Atrocities

June 9th, 2004, 11:13 AM

What about a state funeral for the dead admiral and those who died? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

A space borne memoral station dedicated to the heros of the Battle of Rage.

sachmo

June 9th, 2004, 02:39 PM

Originally posted by Nostalgia For Infinity:
I can imagine a new Heavy Cruiser being commished, the Sakazawa Heavy Cruisers are a while off yet...but the next warship will definately bare the name of Shiro Sakazawa! They did launch a warship, but she was the lead ship in her class, and so had to carry the class name, RSS Javelin. Besides, she's not a Sakazawa-type ship; she's all missiles. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Atrocities,

To be honest, I hadn't thought about writing a state funeral, but I think I will now. Thanks for the idea!
It's going to take about six months for the bodies to get back to the core worlds, so look for this in the future.

Paul1980au,

I'm certainly hoping that the story lines stay exciting! Hopefully, I won't run out of ideas, but the Ukra-Tal are proving to be a very interesting enemy, and the Romulans will come sniffing around for sure, so there should be plenty of excitement!

Thanks for reading everyone! Please, keep the feedback coming!

Coming soon...

SPACE COMBAT!!

[ June 09, 2004, 13:48: Message edited by: sachmo ]

clark

June 9th, 2004, 03:52 PM

You know, just because a ship explodes into fiery debris, doesn't mean that the Hero dies...

They do have space suits after all. They might have a benevolent god that sees fit that the unlikely is made likely and they are picked up by a passing advanced scout of the Urka Tal, made a prisoner, only to escape/rescued later, after suffering some of the most heinous torture imaginable, and then lead a new fleet to victory...

I for one won't believe anyone in particular is dead unless/until I read about a body (but then, you might get around even that...) So maybe Sakazawa isn't out of the picture yet.

Just a thought. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Well done BTW.

sachmo

June 9th, 2004, 05:34 PM

Clark,

You are right about that, but I tend to let the chips fall where they may. When I played the Battle of Bardron VI, and saw them lighting up Taurus like a christmas tree, I briefly thought about ejection seats, or compartments being thrown from the wreckage, but decided against it. His number was up. The war continues.

Here is a mention of the lucky few that survived the destruction of RSS Ceta:

RSS Ceta was the next target of the Rage. Her gunnery crew was delivering very accurate fire and had destroyed two of the Rage batteries, but it was not enough to help her survive. The beams quickly overwhelmed her shields, and methodically tore the destroyer apart. Her bow tore away as one Rage beam sliced the ship in half. Debris and gasses filled the space around the ship as another Rage beam tore into Ceta�s exposed compartments. This beam burned down the length of the ship, reducing the interior of the ship to molten slag. With no structure to contain them, the engines tore away from the shell of the hull and continued on their path toward Bardron VI, as if eager to escape the carnage. Only five of her crew would survive the battle.
That's why I am happy that Gina is now a senior officer. She sits in an office now. Nothing less than glassing the planet (or an assassin!) would be needed for her to die, and even then, they would probably save a shuttle for her.

Sakazawa was going to take command of Ukra-Tal fleet formally after the Rage were defeated, and may have even replaced Urian. But, this worked out the way it did.

WhiteHojo

June 9th, 2004, 05:40 PM

hey - this looks like the same AAR that I'm reading over at the FOF Dynasty forum... is it?

if so, should I start reading over here or do both threads contain the same info?

I'm up to the part where the Norak surrendered...

sachmo

June 9th, 2004, 06:04 PM

Originally posted by WhiteHojo:
hey - this looks like the same AAR that I'm reading over at the FOF Dynasty forum... is it?

if so, should I start reading over here or do both threads contain the same info?

I'm up to the part where the Norak surrendered... This is the same, and they are both updated when a new chapter is written.

You have a ways to go, but it get's better as it goes. At least I think so! Anyway, hope you are enjoying it! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

WhiteHojo

June 9th, 2004, 07:30 PM

I should have said in my 1st post - Its pretty enjoyable so far -

clark

June 9th, 2004, 08:57 PM

Sachmo,

You are in the drivers seat, and really, my suggestion isn't born out of a great love for Sakazawa per se, just a general idea related to possible plot points. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

A fallen leader, in the hands of the enemy, unknown and forgotten, he is discovered by accident via some secret ops plan, which leads to either a special clandestine operation to save him, or the current one having to choose between success of the primary mission or saving the lost soldier- the people back home that never gave up hope, or maybe did and moved on with life, the return of the leader with the vital information that just might turn the tide, though broken, struggles to heal and deal with the inner demons that still haunt.

Suddenly taking this moon, or capturing a particular enemhy transport takes on new significance... or the returned leader exacting unpalatable levels of vengence upon the inncoent population that once tortured him, taking extreme risks with his men, or becoming too timid to act causing the threat of mutiny to loom overhead...

Just ideas to mull about, not that you need any help. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo

June 9th, 2004, 09:43 PM

Originally posted by clark:
Sachmo,

You are in the drivers seat, and really, my suggestion isn't born out of a great love for Sakazawa per se, just a general idea related to possible plot points. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

A fallen leader, in the hands of the enemy, unknown and forgotten, he is discovered by accident via some secret ops plan, which leads to either a special clandestine operation to save him, or the current one having to choose between success of the primary mission or saving the lost soldier- the people back home that never gave up hope, or maybe did and moved on with life, the return of the leader with the vital information that just might turn the tide, though broken, struggles to heal and deal with the inner demons that still haunt.

Suddenly taking this moon, or capturing a particular enemhy transport takes on new significance... or the returned leader exacting unpalatable levels of vengence upon the inncoent population that once tortured him, taking extreme risks with his men, or becoming too timid to act causing the threat of mutiny to loom overhead...

Just ideas to mull about, not that you need any help. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif Nice! Looks like you might be ready to write a story of your own, though!

[ June 09, 2004, 20:48: Message edited by: sachmo ]

clark

June 9th, 2004, 09:59 PM

I tried, The Trillian Empire. Got to the first warp point and I just couldn't keep it together.

I played for a few turns beyond that (well, several dozen turns, and my empire did not fare well in terms of neighbors and such).

I also think I may have set the parameters too high (I always play the max setting of 255 systems, which just becomes so tedious mid way).

Any suggestions on settings for the game? How many PC players? How many systems? Perhaps I'll revive the Trillians. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo

June 9th, 2004, 10:12 PM

I started with 10 empires, random.
Everything else was default, I believe.
Geez, I can't even remember what level I set the game on.

I'm using TDM mod, and my race has a few special abilities.

clark

June 9th, 2004, 10:20 PM

But how many star systems are there? Shape?

sachmo

June 9th, 2004, 10:46 PM

Originally posted by clark:
But how many star systems are there? Shape? I can send you the game file, if you know how to find the info. I don't remember, and I don't know how to find out what my settings are. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

Nostalgia For Infinity

June 10th, 2004, 01:04 AM

I can imagine a new Heavy Cruiser being commished, the Sakazawa

[ June 09, 2004, 12:05: Message edited by: Nostalgia For Infinity ]

WhiteHojo

June 10th, 2004, 08:50 PM

again, excellent story... You should get paid by the company for this - seems I'm not the only one who's forked out $45 plus S&H based on this story... and I already HAVE the old SE4 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif (just not Gold)...

Now, how the heck do you go about writing these things? that is, how do you keep all the information & personalities straight while playing the game?

sachmo

June 10th, 2004, 09:18 PM

Originally posted by WhiteHojo:
again, excellent story... You should get paid by the company for this - seems I'm not the only one who's forked out $45 plus S&H based on this story... and I already HAVE the old SE4 http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif (just not Gold)...

Now, how the heck do you go about writing these things? that is, how do you keep all the information & personalities straight while playing the game? What works for me is playing a turn, and seeing if anything interesting happens. If it does, I'll ALT+TAB over to a Word document and write a paragraph or two about what is happening. At the end of said document, I have a list of personalities I've used in the story...some may or may not ever make another appearance, but I never know for sure so I jot them down. I also keep track of ship losses, milestones, rank structure, or anything else I need handy. It really saves me time when I'm writing to be able to quickly reference who is doing what at a certain time.

If you read the whole story from start to finish, you can see how it evolved from sort of a turn by turn account of the game into a continuing story. That just happened naturally...I don't really know why, but it did. I'm at a point now where I can fill in a chapter or two without playing the game (which has been the case with a couple of recent chapters), but it's not necessary to write this way.

There have been...errr...large gaps of time where I haven't played or written anything, and so I have to go back sometimes and reread the story and find out where I am.

Even with all of this, there are inevitably holes in the story. Thankfully, I'm just writing for fun, so it's not a big deal.

As far as motivation, it is twofold.

1. Pratice my writing skills - sure I'd like to write something for publishing one day, but to get there, I need a lot more pratice. This is a great way, and I get to entertain at the same time.

2. Entertain friends - most people who bother to come and post on this board have at least one interest in common with me: a love of science fiction! If my friends read and enjoy the story, then that makes me feel good when they stop and say something, which in turn makes me want to write more, which entertains more...you see were this is going!

That's about it. The key to the whole damn thing is to have fun.

sachmo

June 11th, 2004, 05:44 AM

[duplicate]

[ June 11, 2004, 04:45: Message edited by: sachmo ]

sachmo

June 11th, 2004, 05:44 AM

[duplicate]

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[ June 11, 2004, 04:46: Message edited by: sachmo ]

sachmo

June 11th, 2004, 05:44 AM

An old fashioned butt whuppin!

2412.8

The com unit chirped.
Gina Jager�s eyes snapped open, waking quickly from a fitful sleep. She glanced at it, and considered ignoring it.
It chirped again.
With a groan, she sat up and glanced at the id. It told her that it was a secure channel from Fleet Headquarters. That got her attention.
She quickly wiped the sleep from her eyes, ran her fingers through her hair, and cleared her throat. Whoever it was would just have to deal with her appearance.
She keyed the com unit, and was shocked to see the face of Grand Admiral Urian.
�Gina, did I wake you?� the Grand Admiral asked.
�Yes sir� she answered before thinking, �I mean, I was up sir, just resting.�
He smiled. �I see. The Ukra-Tal have been keeping your pretty busy.�
She ran her fingers through her hair again. She couldn�t believe he was seeing her in this condition!
�Yes sir, they�ve been active, but not really pressing us. Did you get my report, sir?�
She began to wonder where this conversation was going.
�I did�, replied the Grand Admiral, �and I agree with your conclusions. I think we�ve hurt them worse than they expected. I don�t think they will be mounting any more large scale offensives for a while.�
Well it�s always good when your superiors agree with you, she thought.
�That�s why I want you to come back to Remorhaz for a while, Gina. We need to discuss our strategy now the war against the Rage is over. I also thought you might want to be here for the funeral of the Bardron VI casualties.�
Gina processed the information. Why was her pulling her off of the line? She knew that she had been at war for years now. Maybe he thought she had lost her edge.
The Grand Admiral continued.
�We�re reorganizing the Navy into two main fleets. Ukra-Tal Fleet will be based on Highrock. The other fleet will be Romulan Fleet and will be based here on Remorhaz. I�m giving Romulan Fleet to R.J. Brennan. Ukra-Tal Fleet is yours, if you want it.�
Gina�s heart skipped a beat. Fleet command?
�It won�t be official until you get here, but consider yourself promoted. Congratulations, Admiral Jager. I know you are the right person for the job.�
Fleet command? As reality closed in on her, she felt her mouth turn up into a huge grin.
�Sir, I�d be honored� she managed to squeak out.

The next few days were a flurry of activity for the Remorhaz People�s Navy as the reorganization took place.
In Ukra-Tal Fleet, Gina chose her commanders from those she personally knew to be exemplary officers.
Task Force One, which was her previous command, was the easiest choice for her. Walter Reed was an officer that Gina strived to emulate throughout her career. Through a number of circumstances, she had earned the lion�s share of the glory and promotions, but she considered Reed to be the best officer in the Navy. She pressed Grand Admiral Urian to promote Reed to Fleet Admiral, which he did. His flag would be his former command, RSS Stormfront.
Task Force Two, presently based in the Bardron system, she gave to Gordon Lu. Gordon had been a prot�g� of Sakazawa, and Gina knew from personal experience that he was a brilliant tactician and an excellent leader. Lu was promoted to Rear Admiral. Lu chose RSS Ganymede as his flagship.
Task Force Three was the Iolo Defense Fleet renamed. The heroic defense of Correlia by the tiny fleet against incredible odds was one of the more celebrated stories of the war, and the name of the fleet�s commander was known by all of the children of the Remorhaz Society. Thom Hitcher retained command of his fleet, and was promoted to Rear Admiral. He retained his flag on the legendaryRSS Orion.

For the only task force in Romulan Fleet, Brennan chose to promote Will Crowley to Rear Admiral. Crowley had been XO to Lu while they served on RSS Intimidator, and he had a sterling reputation as an aggressive officer with a great head on his shoulders. Brennan wanted an officer who could plan on the run, since much of the war effort against the Romulans would be improvised as intelligence was gathered. Crowley had proved to be exactly the type of officer he was looking for.

While the reorganization was taking place, the war still raged. In Lenoltris, just days after Gina left in a shuttle for the four month trip to Remorhaz, long range scanners picked up two Ukra-Tal cruisers that had made the worm hole transit from Yukra. Fleet Admiral Walt Reed ordered Task Force One, with fourteen ships and twenty-four fighters to lay a course to intercept the enemy ships. One week later, they met in a quadrant adjacent to Lenoltris III.

At a range of almost three thousand miles, the two fleets deployed into battle formation. The Ukra-Tal ships continued to head right into the heart of the Remorhaz fleet, and so Reed deployed his ships to maximize point defense fire. The Ukra-Tal fleet consisted of a
Hedenso class cruiser, armed with three seeker launchers with very long range, four anti-missile �organs�, and advanced computers and shields. The other ship was a Hedmora class cruiser, with a main armament of two heavy acid launchers, advanced computers and anti-missile �organs�, also. As with most Ukra-Tal ships, their ships were part organic and, given enough time, could heal any damage suffered.
The range closed quickly. Reed pulled his wedge into a tight box, with the fighters out on the flanks.
The Hedenso opened fire on Stormfront at a range of one thousand miles. They would cover that distance in minutes if the Remorhaz ships reversed course, but the intercept time dropped exponentially as they moved to get into guns range of the Ukra-Tal ships. Warning klaxons sounded on the bridge as the seekers locked onto the flagship of the Remorhaz fleet. Reed watched the tactical display as the two fleets continued toward each other. He was confident that his own point-defense fire could knock down all of the enemy seekers, but he wanted to get the first shots in on the Hedmora, and hopefully knock it out before it could bring it�s powerful acid launchers to bare.
Finally, the enemy ships moved into range. At nine hundred miles, Reed ordered all ships to go to flank speed. If they could get the range down to five hundred miles quickly, they would get the first shot.
RSS Liberation was the fist ship to get into range. She was a Glory C Class destroyer, and her main armament was two missile launchers and one heavy cannon. At a maximum range of five hundred miles, she fired, missing with her cannon shot but targeting the Hedmora with a salvo of missiles. RSS Binghampton fired and hit once, damaging the Hedmora�s shields. RSS Hecate also hit once with a cannon shot, damaging her shields even further, but not doing much to slow the Hedmora down. RSS Firefly missed with all of its shots, but Stormfront hit it and brought its shields down to half strength. One of the elements of fighters entered the maximum range of the Ukra-Tal ships anti-missile launchers, and instantly a huge cloud of projectiles was ejected from the Hedenso. The projectiles caught the fighter squadron head on, shredding nine of the craft. The other three were able to avoid the attack.

The Ukra-Tal ships turned to make a raking pass at the Remorhaz battle line. The Hedmora fired another projectile cloud at the fighters, destroying all of them. It then opened fire on Binghampton, hitting with two heavy acid salvos. Fortunately, her shields held, barely, and she escaped the attack unscathed. The anti-missile clouds knocked down most of the Remorhaz missile salvoes, but two still sought their targets.
RSS Hercules now found herself three hundred miles from the enemy cruisers. Her captain was Lieutenant Commander Kahlid Pedram, an aggressive officer in his first command. He closed the range to within one hundred miles and opened fire on the Hedmora with a three cannon salvo. The Ukra-Tal countermeasures spoiled his shots, however, and only one found their target. The cruiser�s shields were down below half strength, but she still had suffered no structural damage. RSS Hecate also closed with the Hedmora and delivered a heavy salvo of cannon fire, hitting with all three shots at very close range. The Hedmora�s shields were almost down.
Binghampton fired and hit the Hedmora once, and then away turned to open the range with the Hedmora to preserve her shields. They would not survive another attack. Firefly closed and attacked, bringing down the Hedmora�s shields and bLasting a furrow in the ships outer skin. No significant damage was done, but the shields were down. Fleet Admiral Reed ordered all ships to continue firing on the battered cruiser, even as Stormfront closed range. Her cannon salvo damaged the organic armor on the port side of the ship so badly that it would be unable to �heal� damage to the ship. RSS Triumph gave the armor on the starboard side the same treatment.
At this point, the Hedmora and the Hedenso split up. Reed would not be fooled though, and continued to hound the enemy cruiser. Hercules remained at point-blank range, hitting the cruiser twice and destroying the ship�s shield generators and opening the crew quarters to space. Ukra-Tal bodies escaped the hole along with gasses and other debris. Buffalo moved into range and delivered a heavy cannon barrage, ripping the port side of the Hedmora open with great explosions. From bow to stern the Ukra-Tal ship was bleeding atmosphere and debris, and the crew of Buffalo watched as one heavy cannon shell ripped open an acid launcher, it�s contents streaming out into space from an ever-widening tear in the hull. Hecate and Firefly surrounded the Ukra-Tal ship, determined to destroy it before the single remaining launcher could launch another salvo of acid. Their combined firepower was more than enough to destroy all weapon systems on the Hedmora. The ship still lived, but would pose no threat to the Remorhaz fleet. Reed immediately turned his attention to the Hedenso.

Stormfront, Liberation, and Triumph brought the ships shields down with one combined salvo of heavy cannon fire. Binghampton bLasted its organic armor down to about half strength before the ship could return fire. Reed ordered all remaining capital ships to attack the Hedenso and leave the Hedmora to the remaining fighters. Hercules continued her relentless attacks and bLasted the remaining organic armor off of the Hedenso. Liberation attacked with a missile salvo and a cannon shot, which hit the cruiser amidships and destroyed two of the anti-missile cloud launchers.
The Remorhaz ships continued to pound the Hedenso with cannon fire, turning it into a twisted wreck. On the tactical display, Reed watched as the Remorhaz missile salvoes overwhelmed the crippled cruiser, bLasting it�s remaining superstructure into a cloud of small pieces.

Ensign Berton watched the Ukra-Tal ship slowly limp through space. Most of its engines were destroyed, its hull was holed and venting gas. Not ten minutes before, it had killed half of his squadron mates, and so it was with singular joy that he ordered his flight of FA-5 Warhammers to commence their attack runs on the Hedmora. Victory 2 rolled in to the attack, executing a prefect rocket attack. The heavy projectiles arced lazily through space, and then struck the ship right near it�s engine room with spectacular force. Quickly, the remaining engines of the Ukra-Tal ship went up as the warheads of the rockets carried on through the hull deep into the powerplant. The explosion consumed the ship in a huge fireball, rocking the fighters with concussive force. Berton watched impassively as the fireball quickly consumed itself, removing all evidence that a warship had even existed in this patch of space. He ordered his element to form up on him and set a course for Highrock, but as he turned he kept his eye on the spot where the Ukra-Tal cruiser had died.
�There�s more where that came from, you slimy bastards.� he whispered to the ghosts as he continued his turn for home. �We�ll be waiting.�

[ June 11, 2004, 13:25: Message edited by: sachmo ]

The FryeR K

June 11th, 2004, 06:48 AM

I love your work, just got caught up...
Your story is lively, with vivid imagery for both characters and action.

Keep up the good work.

P.S. You will become a great author someday http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Atrocities

June 11th, 2004, 08:46 AM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif You make me smile from ear to ear when ever you post a new chapter. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif This one was espeically pleasing to read. Thank you.

Paul1980au

June 11th, 2004, 09:13 AM

GOod work

Nostalgia For Infinity

June 11th, 2004, 12:12 PM

It seemed to take a lot of effort for your fleet to take down the Ukra Tal cruisers. I'd hate to think how desperate the fight would be, if they had parity with your forces, they seem to have a big tech edge!

Enjoying the read very much, since it is a work in progress it could still all go wrong as well. Very much in suspense!

sachmo

June 11th, 2004, 02:01 PM

Paul, Atrocities, FryerK: Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind words.

Nostalgia: Yes, they have a big edge in technology, and so far when a larger enemy fleet has attacked us we've had to rely on planetary defenses to turn the tide. Having said that, Remorhaz has just started deploying Phased Poloron Beams and targeting computers, which should help even the odds us and help us take down their big ships. At least I hope, but skipping shields would make a HUGE difference!

sachmo

June 12th, 2004, 05:44 AM

Battle of Highrock

Task Force Three was the first task force to complete full refit. All of the ships in the force were armed with the newest phased polaron beams and battle computers. When a lone Fredrikstad class Ukra-Tal light cruiser was cornered in quadrant sixteen, the first combat test of the new weapons systems began.
The Fredrikstad was a minelayer, and had no offensive weapons of her own. Knowing this, the Ukra-Tal captain turned away from the task force and made a run for the wormhole. Hitcher�s ships had a speed advantage, and so he gave chase, confident that they would be able to catch and destroy the enemy craft.
At six hundred miles, RSS Orion opened fire. Hitcher watched as the blue beam streaked through space to impact on the hull of the enemy ship. Of the three shots, only one missed. The Fredrikstad was visibly damaged, but continued to run. RSS Shining Victory was the next to attack. Her beam hit at the bow, and then burned a huge gash in the hull as the beam continued to burn down the hull.
Even at three hundred miles, Hitcher noticed that the gun solutions were generating hit probabilities in the nineties, which was unheard of accuracy with the old computers and depleted uranium cannon. The Remorhaz ship fired, mangling the stricken hull of the Fredrikstad. RSS Shining Victory moved in and finished it off with a well-placed beam into the weakened midsection of the ship, bLasting it in half.
Hitcher looked at his assistant.
�Have the data and a vid of the engagement beamed back to Fleet HQ immediately� he said.
He knew that the scientists in the Research Guild would be ecstatic to see that their weapons were as effective as advertised.

2412.9

Surtran completed construction of another Scorpion Class Minesweeper, RSS Boar Beetle. On Cirius, another was launched, RSS Dagger Moth. The ships left port as soon as they were provisioned but with skeleton crews. The bulks of their crews were training on Highrock, and would join with their ships when they arrived. The minesweepers were vital to the success of Operation Reconquest, and without them the fleet would take massive casualties before a shot was even fired in anger. One of the lessons of the war so far was that well prepared minefields were a great equalizer.

2413.0

The shipyards at Cetarus completed construction of another Scorpion class minesweeper, RSS Aphid. A new Comet Class planetary assault ship, RSS Quark, was launcher from Surtran in the Surtran System.
RSS Mount Thunder and RSS Xanthe arrived in Iolo to join Task Force Three. Both ships were immediately docked to be refit. These two ships would greatly increase the combat power of the task force.

In Lenoltris, Fleet Admiral Walt Reed watched as an armada of forty-three Ukra-Tal ships appeared from the Yukra wormhole and was headed straight for Highrock. They had come this way before, and the Last few times had turn back after accomplishing some unknown mission, but this fleet seemed far too large to him to be anything other then a full assault fleet, coming to destroy them.

The Ukra-Tal fleet did come, but apparently learned nothing from the experiences of previous fleets. As the fleet passed the asteroid belt just inside Highrock Quadrant, the Remorhaz minefield was triggered. The ships were devastated. The mines homed in on their ships, bypassing defenses and slamming into hulls. Finally, the enemy ships punched through the minefield, but only after losing twenty-seven ships. Of the remaining sixteen ships, ten were heavily damaged. Against this reduced armada, sixteen Remorhaz ships were deployed around Highrock, in addition to the ground defenses. The odds were fairly even, thanks to the mines.
RSS Loyalty was the first to fire, launching a missile salvo at an Ukra-Tal cruiser. Reed pulled the rest of the fleet back toward Highrock, so that the fleet and the surface batteries could support one another.

The Ukra-Tal ships deployed in a line, standing off and launching seekers at Reed�s ships. One of the enemy ships, the Heinola class, turned out to be a carrier. It launched fifteen fighters, then turned away from Highrock.
The waves of Ukra-Tal seekers came at the Remorhaz formations, and waves of anti-missile fire rose to meet them. The ships knocked down most of the parasite seekers fired by the capital ships, and the ground-based batteries totally destroyed the Ukra-Tal fighters. A Hedmora class cruiser was able to get into range to fire its acid globules, and targeted RSS Triumph. Two out of three shots hit the destroyer, knocking out two of her engines. The Remorhaz line returned fire, damaging the cruiser�s shields. Reed continued to pull his ships back, drawing the Hedmora into range of the surface batteries, which destroyed the Hedmora�s shields and battered her armor. At the same time, he ordered the remaining Remorhaz fighters to flank the enemy line and go after the damaged enemy ships that were trying to stay out of the fight.
The ground batteries severely damaged an Ukra-Tal light cruiser, and Buffalo and Stormfront finished it off. Hecate took heavy damage as a Hedmora closed range and bLasted her with acid launchers. Reed ordered the ship to retreat from the battle.
Triumph was lost when three undamaged Hedmoras pressed then attack and battered the ship with acid volleys. Most of the crew was able to escape the ship after the second Hedmora attack crippled the ship. Captain Villareal ordered all hands to abandon ship before the third Ukra-Tal cruiser was able to close range, and about 350 of the 400 men on board were able to escape. Captain Villareal was among the lost.
After the surface batteries severely damaged another Hedmora, Reed ordered his fleet to go on the offensive. Binghampton and Buffalo pounded another Hedmora from close range, and the destroyers helped to cripple it.
The remaining Ukra-Tal Hedmoras turned back to face the Remorhaz charge, but instead of facing the cruisers head on, they maneuvered past the line and went after the damaged Hecate. They opened fire from extreme range, and Hecate dodged the best it could, but the heavy acid fire finally caught her in the missile magazine. The explosion tore the destroyer to pieces. None of the crew survived.
The Remorhaz ships now had the Ukra-Tal between them and Highrock. The combined firepower from the fleet behind them and the heavy planetary batteries took a toll on the Hedmoras. Every ship was heavily damaged in the resulting exchange. At this point, the Ukra-Tal ships began to turn away from Highrock, apparently in an attempt to withdraw.

Reed would have none of it. He pressed the attack, leaving every Hedmora crippled. Every remaining Remorhaz ship destroyed at least one enemy ship. It was over in minutes. Reed continued on, determined not to let a single Ukra-Tal ship escape. At six hundred yards, Binghampton and Stormfront fired on the Ukra-Tal carrier, tearing it to pieces. Once the carrier was destroyed, the line fell on the remaining crippled Ukra-Tal ships. None survived.

The battle was over. The Remorhaz People�s Navy had lost close to five hundred men and two ships, with minor damage to a few others. The fighter group had lost another five of their number, but had destroyed another enemy ship. The Ukra-Tal losses were total. Every one of the fourty-three ships in the fleet was destroyed. Reed was staggered by the number, and also by the implication that the Ukra-Tal could sustain this magnitude of loss and still continue to sustain offensive operations. If Remorhaz had taken that big of a loss, over half the navy would be space debris. Just how many ships did the Ukra-Tal have? If they decided to come with all of them, could Remorhaz stop them?

[ June 12, 2004, 04:47: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Paul1980au

June 12th, 2004, 09:10 AM

Good update - will be interestin to see if the can deal with the ukra - tal on an ongoing basis - im assuming you are using a real game as motivation for this story which is getting interesting. Will give them food for thought for an invasion (reconquest)

sachmo

June 12th, 2004, 02:44 PM

Originally posted by Paul1980au:
Good update - will be interestin to see if the can deal with the ukra - tal on an ongoing basis - im assuming you are using a real game as motivation for this story which is getting interesting. Will give them food for thought for an invasion (reconquest) Thanks, guys.

Yes, the game dictates the story. I just fill in the blanks. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities

June 13th, 2004, 01:33 AM

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Big big smile. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Awsome read. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

June 14th, 2004, 05:36 PM

Coming soon...espionage!

Ragnarok

June 14th, 2004, 07:06 PM

Originally posted by sachmo:
Coming soon...espionage! Oooo, do I sense that we will soon find out how many ships the Ukra-tal have by means of Intel? I can't wait to see! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

Raging Deadstar

June 14th, 2004, 07:14 PM

Great Writing so far Sachmo!

As for espionage...Why can i picture this Remorhaz citizen in a giant slug costume sitting in on the Ukra Tals board meetings http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo

June 14th, 2004, 08:00 PM

Originally posted by Raging Deadstar:
Great Writing so far Sachmo!

As for espionage...Why can i picture this Remorhaz citizen in a giant slug costume sitting in on the Ukra Tals board meetings http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

"Hello, everyone! I am an average Ukra-Tal. Please, continue with your spilling of military secrets. You have nothing to fear from me."

sachmo

June 15th, 2004, 05:09 AM

Shadow War

The music thumped loudly, a deep heavy beat. Lights flashed in hypnotic patterns in time with the music. All around the club, masses of people swayed to the beat.
Crewman Yancy Slotnik turned to his new lady friend and shouted something obscene in into her ear.
She smiled a very professional smile, put her arm around him, and kept her mind on the money she would get when this dreadful evening was over.
Slotnik pulled her toward him and gave her neck a sensual kiss. The fact that it felt to her more like a slug had latched onto her neck was lost on him. Tonight, he was the king of the world.
He smiled as he turned to address him other friends.
�Are you guys having a good time?� he shouted.
His shipmates looked at him.
�Sure Slotnik. Sure we are. You just keep buying the drinks, and we�ll keep enjoying ourselves,� grunted the biggest of them.
The others laughed. The big one picked up his drink, and held it up in toast.
�To Bardron Six!� he shouted.
�To Bardron Six!� the other sailor chorused.
Slotnik did not raise his glass to this. He hated the Navy, and counted the moments until he could get out. He frowned.
�Come on, baby,� he said to his date, �let�s go somewhere more private.�
She smiled again, hoping that he would do his thing and she could be on her way.
As he stood, he lost his balance and spilled his drink on one of his crewmates uniform blouse.
�Hey!� he shouted as the cold liquid ran down his back. He turned to see Slotnik standing over him with his half-empty glass dripping the offending liquid. The sailor snapped up from his chair.
�Because you bought the drink tonight, Slotnik, I�m going to give you some advice instead of smashing your face in. We,� he gestured to himself and the other sailors at the table, �don�t like you. No one does. The only reason we are here is because you said you were buying the drinks. I can�t figure out how a goldbrick like you got your slimy little flippers on all this money, but don�t let fool you. We aren�t friends. We aren�t buddies. We�re barely even shipmates. Now, why don�t you pay the bill and get out of my face before I smash you?�
The other sailors burst out laughing.
Slotnik felt the heat rise in him, but he wasn�t dumb. If he hit one of them, they would all beat him to a pulp. He knew when to cut his losses.
�Screw you guys!� he shouted, and grabbed his date by the arm.
�Hey Slotnik!� one of the sailors called, �I hope you know what to do with that twist when you get her alone!�
He picked up the pace. He was determined to have a good time tonight. He didn�t like those guys anyway.
As he worked his way through the club to the exit, he tried to make sense of things. The alcohol didn�t make that any easier.
Why did things always have to turn out this way, he thought. I can�t catch a break with these guys. Every time I try to do the right thing, I end up screwing it up.
Suddenly he smiled. They�ll learn soon enough that I can do something right.
He pushed the girl out of the door into the street as he struggled past the sea of humanity trying to get into the dance club.
Once out, he put his arm around her.
�I know a place where we can get a room,� he slurred. �This is gonna be the best night of your life, baby.�
�I�m sure it will,� she said, with just enough emphasis for Slotnik to believe her.
They turned to walk up the dark street when she saw shapes moving in the darkness in front of her. Instinctively, she started to reach for her purse to grab for the blade she kept in there. Before he hand was halfway to it, she heard the distinctive sound of a pistol being cocked right next to her ear.
�Don�t move!� a voice commanded. She obeyed.
Suddenly, she was up against a wall with her hands pinned against her back. She was scared, but she knew that with a pistol on her, the best thing to do was to just go along.
Slotnik wasn�t as wise as the prostitute.
�Who the hell are�� he started to shout, but the words died in his throat as a hand clamped down on his windpipe. An instant of pain later he was on the ground looking up into a face obscured by a battle mask.
�Shut up and don�t move� the face told him.
He tried to shout, and began to jerk his head from side to side, trying to break the steady grip on his throat. Instead of loosening, he fingers tightened.
�Don�t move� the voice said, slower this time but with infinitely more malice.
He decided to stop. His heart was hammering in his chest, and began to beat harder as he realized who these men were.
Two very strong arms grabbed him by his shoulders and lifted him up from the ground. He saw his date being placed in restraints as the masked men began to guide him toward the street. He saw the outline of a dark speeder before someone put something over his eyes, blinding him. The hand released his throat as he stumbled along with the masked men. He could make out the door of the speeder opening, and he was forced into a sitting position. He felt restraints go around his arms and legs, and panic set it.
�Who are you?� he shouted. �I�m in the military! You can�t��
Something very hard and very heavy smashed into his mouth.
Pain shot through his brain as he let out a cry. The heavy thing smashed him in the mouth once more.
His face felt like it was on fire, but also numb at the same time. He could feel liquid, probably blood, pouring down his chin.
�Ahh�� he began, but he was hit a third time.
�Shut up� the voice commanded again.
This time Slotnik did as he was told, at least for the few moments that he was conscious.

He jerked his head up from his chest.
The pain returned, threatening to put him out again.
A moan escaped his as he ran his fingers over his teeth. They all seemed to be there, but he though one was broken. His tongue ventured out to his lips, but he wished it had not. Fresh pain seared his brain as the cuts and cracks in his lips reacted to his probing. It felt as if the lower half of his face were split in half.
He gingerly tested his lips again. Yes, there was definitely a gash there, and they were swollen as hell. He moaned again.
He could hear a door opening, and footsteps. He stopped moaning instantly.
Someone chuckled.
�He learns quick, doesn�t he?� someone said.
�Yup. He�s a genius,� another voice responded.
He felt something next to his head, and his blindfold was removed.
The bright lights of the room shot spears of pain into his skull. He snapped his eyes shut to keep his head from exploding, but he didn�t cry out. He didn�t want to get his face smashed anymore.
�See? Nothing! I tell you, I don�t understand the jacket on this guy. He can learn. He just needs the proper motivation,� the first voice said.
The second voice began to laugh again.
�Sit tight, sailor,� he heard, then footsteps and the door opening again. The door shut.
Slowly, Slotnik opened his eyes. The light was blinding, but after some time he was able to see a bit past it. He was in a room, roughly six feet by six feet. The walls were bare, except for multiple vid cameras that were trained on him. It was very warm in here, and it smelled of sweat. Slotnik knew where he was, and he began to cry.

�Wow,� the Captain said, �that didn�t take long.�
�No sir,� agreed the second man.
�Let�s give him some more time, then we�ll press him. He�s going to fold like a house of cards,� the Captain said.
�Yes sir,� replied the second man.
�I�ll play savior for him. It works best with his kind.� With that, the Captain turned and left the room.
The second man continued to watch the vid as the their prisoner did their job for them.

Slotnik didn�t know how long he had been out, but when he woke up, the pain had returned, except it had also claimed his neck as a casualty. He tried to move his arms again, so that he could rub his neck, but they were secured firmly to the chair. He tried to move his neck a bit, but that caused him even more pain. With no better options, he began to moan again.
After what seemed like hours, the door opened again. This time, he could clearly make out the face of the man who entered.
He was a tall man, about six foot three, and had broad shoulders. He was dressed in the uniform of the Remorhaz Security and Intelligence Bureau. He produced a chair from one of the corners of the room and sat down in front of Slotnik.
�Mister Slotnik, I am Captain Shrake Winborne of the Security and Intelligence Bureau. I�d like to ask you a few questions, if you don�t mind, but first, do you require medical attention?�
Slotnik�s eyes bulged in wonder. Medical attention? He didn�t know what to do!
He stared at the Winborne with fear in his eyes.
�Well, I�ll go ahead and get the doctor in here for you, ok?� the captain asked.
Slotnik nodded, then sobbed.
Winborne keyed the communicator that was on his shoulder, and asked that the medic be sent in.
�He�ll be here soon, Yancy. May I call you Yancy?� he asked.
Slotnik nodded again. �Yes.�
If I play this right, Winborne thought, I might get everything on the first try.
He looked at Slotnik for a few long moments, and then spoke.
�Yancy, we know about the money, and we know what you were planning to do.�
Slotnik began to cry in earnest now, great heaving sobs and a torrent of tears.
Winborne stood up and moved over next to him. Slotnik flinched away.
�Don�t worry son, I�m not going to hurt you,� Winborne promised. �I want to help you.�
Slotnik continued to sob.
�Yes sir. I need help. I�m so scared.�
Winborne put his hand on his shoulder.
�All you have to do is tell us the absolute truth, and we�ll do what we can to get you out of this. How does that sound?� Winborne asked.
Slotnik began to nod vigorously.
�I�ll tell you everything sir. Please, I don�t want to go before a firing squad. Please!� Slotnik pleaded.
Winborne squeezed his hands tightly, trying to reign in his emotions. This man was pathetic, but he had to get the information from him before he threw him to the dogs.
At that moment, the medic came in. He opened his kit and began to access Slotnik�s injuries.

After about ten minutes, the medic was through, and Slotnik had calmed down considerably. Winborne knew that he had given the sailor plenty of time to decide just how much the Bureau knew about his illegal activities. If he were smart, he would figure out that they probably didn�t know much, but Winborne had seen enough to be sure that Slotnik wasn�t smart, or if he was, his cowardice would outweigh his instincts. No, this guy is going to crack.
�Ok, Yancy, let�s hear it. Remember, the more truth you give me now, the more I can help you later. Got it?� Winborne asked.
�Yes sir,� the sailor answered. His eyes were glazed over.
Got him, thought the captain.

Three days later, three teams of SIB agents surrounded a small, dingy dwelling in the civilian quarter in Highrock port. Inside were four Ukra-Tal agents, probably armed with small arms, but possibly a high explosive device, also. As one, they stormed the house. Shots range out, and in moments, three of the four Ukra-Tal agents were dead, and the fourth was taken prisoner. Hidden inside the dwelling were a number of listening devices, weapons, and monies. Most telling of all, however, was the discovery of an operational plan to sabotage a number of ships in orbit around Highrock. All of the attacks were scheduled to be carried out in three days, with Yancy Slotnik as the delivery system. He had no way of knowing that he would have been destroyed along with the Last bomb he was paid to deliver, but that was irrelevant. The man had sold his people out for a paltry sum. An example would be made of him.
Winborne immediately sent a communication to Director Mulatti, letting him know that the plot had been stopped.

The trial Lasted two days. Yancy Slotnik was shown no mercy by the military court on Highrock, and he was sentenced to death by firing squad the next morning. In the end, he found his courage at Last, telling the people he had betrayed that he was sorry for what he had done and hoped that there would be no reprisals against his family. There were none

Atrocities

June 15th, 2004, 07:04 AM

Oh man what a good read. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif Thank you, I needed some cheering up and you provided it.

Paul1980au

June 15th, 2004, 07:15 AM

We await the next turn update to this story - good intel introduction though.

Ragnarok

June 16th, 2004, 07:53 PM

Yet another great read, Sachmo!

I almost felt sorry for Slotnik at first. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo

June 19th, 2004, 06:19 PM

If anyone is interested in reading a Dominions II AAR, I've started one. It will be less of a narrative than Remorhaz, but sort of like Remorhaz was originally intended! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

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Atrocities

June 19th, 2004, 07:13 PM

I take it you like Dominions II?

sachmo

June 19th, 2004, 07:38 PM

Originally posted by Atrocities:
I take it you like Dominions II? Nope. Love. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities

June 23rd, 2004, 12:46 PM

Well I guess I can understand that. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif From what I have read it is indeed a great game. Very inovative and highly regarded by fans and reviewers alike. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

WhiteHojo

June 23rd, 2004, 07:57 PM

update! update! update! update!

anything in the pipeline?

sachmo

June 23rd, 2004, 08:58 PM

Yes, in fact there is. I was planning on doing some writing tonight, and was leaning toward Remorhaz rather then Dominions II.

Alari

June 24th, 2004, 11:37 AM

Great story so far, just finished reading all that's been posted. ^.^ I know others have sung your praises here too but I wanted to chip in mine. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

sachmo

June 24th, 2004, 02:24 PM

Originally posted by Alari:
Great story so far, just finished reading all that's been posted. ^.^ I know others have sung your praises here too but I wanted to chip in mine. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif Thank you so much! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Sorry I didn't get another chapter up Last night. I played a turn, saved the game, and went to the next turn...and the game kept crashing with a File not Found error! Apparently, I'd lost one of my Settings files somehow.

A reinstall and repatch fixed the issue, and I was able to advance the turn, but did not have time to write. Hopefully, I'll have time tonight or tomorrow. Whew!

Alari

June 24th, 2004, 07:24 PM

Ack! O.o; Talk about bad luck. Glad you didn't lose your entire game!

I had a question but forgot to ask earlier. In the most recent posting, what species is (er, was...) Yancy Slotnik? (OK, thought he was Norak for some reason)

Also wondering why all the other empires keep declaring war on you, but I know you have no idea either. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif It definitely makes for an interesting read though.

[ June 28, 2004, 23:19: Message edited by: Alari ]

sachmo

June 24th, 2004, 09:37 PM

He's human. Or rather was. Some would argue that he is more closely related to fungus, or the weasel family.

[ June 24, 2004, 21:27: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Nostalgia For Infinity

June 24th, 2004, 11:02 PM

I feel sorry for Slotnik, it was obvious that nobody liked him, it seemed that he did try to be socialble. I would have removed the tab as soon as those saliors were rude to me!

What have the Remorhaz done to earn his loyalty!

sachmo

June 25th, 2004, 02:40 AM

Originally posted by Nostalgia For Infinity:
I feel sorry for Slotnik, it was obvious that nobody liked him, it seemed that he did try to be socialble. I would have removed the tab as soon as those saliors were rude to me!

What have the Remorhaz done to earn his loyalty! Interesting question. My vision for him was as an oppourtunistic, lazy person who has no idea that this sort of behavior rubs most people the wrong way. He's the type of guy to blame everyone but himself for his problems, but now that you mention it, I feel sort of bad for him too. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

sachmo

June 27th, 2004, 06:53 AM

Immortalizing Heroes

2413.1

The people of the Remorhaz Society loved their heroes. When the dedication ceremony of the newest Rochester Class light cruiser was transmitted around the society from the shipyards of Vengeance in the Fezzran system, it became one of the most watched programs in history. Ordinarily, a new ship dedication would not be a major event, but this ship was special. It was named for the hero of the Rage war, the architect of the Battle of Rage, and the embodiment of the sacrifice of the men and women of the Remorhaz armed forces. The ship was christened RSS Shiro Sakazawa.

The ship�s captain, Captain Steve �Duke� Williams, was the Last to come aboard after the Governor and the assorted officials wrapped up the dedication ceremony. Duke Williams marveled at his luck as he walked through Sakazawa�scorridors.. First, he was given command of the newest and highest-profile ship in the fleet. On top of that, he was promoted to Captain six months before he should have even been considered for promotion. He knew that Fleet Admiral Hitcher, a firm supporter and good friend of Duke�s made all of this possible. He and Hitcher had become friends when Duke succeeded him as commander of the frigate RSS Hyperion. They fought side by side in a number of the battles of the Rage War. With Hitcher now in command of the First Task force of Ukra-Tal Fleet, he was in a position from which he was able to reward his friend for his loyalty, and what a reward this was!
Duke marveled at how big this ship was compared to the cramped quarters of Hyperion. The hallway was big enough to allow an eight-foot loader to travel up and down its length. In fact, there was ample space everywhere. Everything on this ship seemed to have its own place, and avoided feeling cluttered. On his old ship, equipment was often jammed into whatever space was available.
�This will definitely take some getting used to,� Duke muttered to himself as he stopped before the lift that would take him up to the bridge. Two security crewmen scanned his badge and when they were satisfied with whom he was, they saluted him.
�Welcome aboard, sir,� they said in unison.
Duke saluted them back. �Thank you,� he said.
As he stepped into the lift, a thought occurred to him. He stopped and addressed one of the sailors. �Crewman, what is your usual duty on board?� he asked.
The crewman stared at him blankly. �Beg your pardon, sir?�
�What is your normal job on board? What do you do every day?�
The crewman looked bewildered.
�Sir, I�m a security specialist. This is what I do.�
Duke nodded. �Thank you, crewman. Carry on.� He stepped into the elevator. As the door closed, he whistled. Damn, I feel like a yokel, he thought.
Dedicated security crewmen? This was defiantly going to take some getting used to.

Minutes later, RSS Shiro Sakazawa silently slipped from her berth and maneuvered away from the space yard. Once they made it to open space, Duke Williams ordered the ship to increase to maximum speed and plotted a course for Highrock, were he would join the fleet of his old friend Thom Hitcher.

2413.2

In Lenoltris, a new colony was established on the planet of Lenoltris IX. The planet was named Guardian, and would be purely an outpost planet. A basic civilian infrastructure was set up, but the planet would serve as a fortress between the Ukra-Tal and the rest of the society.

�Sir, Odysseus has arrived,� the Lieutenant said.
Rear Admiral Hitcher breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It looked as if they would be able to get RSS Odysseus upgraded and back into action before the Ukra-Tal fleet was able to make it to Correlia.
�Thank you,� he said.
He turned back to the holographic system display floating in the center of his command center. A fleet of nineteen Ukra-Tal cruisers and light carriers was headed for Correlia. At their speed, the predicted arrival was in less than two weeks. It would be close, but Hitcher was confident that the shipyard crews could get the newly arrived light cruiser into shape before the fight.
His own forces backed up by the ever increasing defenses of the planet should be enough to stop whatever enemy ships made it through the minefield, but in the meantime, lone Ukra-Tal ships were passing through Iolo uncontested. He couldn�t afford to send any ships out to intercept them for fear of an attack on the planet. It was a good strategic move by the Ukra-Tal. Hitcher knew something that the slugs didn�t know, though. Remorhaz was quickly closing the technology gap, and would soon be able to come out from behind their defenses and meet the enemy in open space, then take the war into enemy territory. All he had to do was stay alive until then. Watching the mighty Ukra-Tal armada bear down on Correlia, he knew there were no guarantees.

In the Ultrinox system, RSS Eos took up position in the minefield outside of the Osshod wormhole. The ship prepared to make it�s mine laying run but noticed that one of the mines in the existing field had been detonated at some point in the past three month. Something had tried to come into Remorhaz space through that wormhole. The captain of Eos immediately reported his finding back to Remorhaz. Romulan Fleet would have to keep a closer eye on this system.

RSS St. Margaret, an Eos class minelayer, was launched from the Glory shipyards at the beginning of the month. It was to join Task Force 1 of the Ukra-Tal fleet. During Operation Reconquest, it would mine all of the approaches to Yukra that the Ukra-Tal might use to send reinforcements into the battle. Speed would be of the essence, so St. Margaret�s crew was made up of the most experienced mine crewmen in the fleet.
Glory began work on another minesweeper.

2413.3

The Ukra-Tal did not press the attack on Correlia. Hitcher surmised that once their ships had completed transit of Iolo and made it to the wormhole to Wanduk, their job was finished, and so the nineteen-ship Ukra-Tal fleet withdrew back into Yukra. We�re going to have to recon the Yukra system one of these days soon, he thought as he watched the enemy enter the wormhole. How to do that without tipping them off was another question.

Four new capital ships joined the navy at the start of the month.
RSS Conquerant was a Glory F Class destroyer, completed at the Glory space yards. The new Glories had the latest targeting computers and electronic countermeasures suites, as well as a phased-polaron beam to complement their double missile magazines. She was assigned to Romulan Fleet.
RSS Arrow, a Javelin B Class light cruiser was launched from Rage. Armed with five missile magazines, she would be vital during planetary assaults as well as ship to ship combat. Her electronic suite was upgraded to the latest models, including the new multiplex tracking system, allowing the ship to target multiple enemy craft with her ample missile loads. This ship was attached to Task Force One of Ukra-Tal fleet.
RSS Bill Elliot was the newest Ganymede G Class light cruiser launched from Fort Justice. This ship was named for the head of the Remorhaz News Service who had recently passed away. Under his guidance, the people of the Remorhaz Society were able to get accurate, timely and honest news from the frontline of the war, and from all corners of the rapidly growing society. A tireless worker, he was respected by all who knew him. To his friends, he was known as Mumbles. In honor of his achievements, this ship was named for him. He was the first civilian to have a ship of the line named after him. The Ganymede G was had a main armament of three heavy phased polaron cannon as well as updated battle electronics. This ship was also assigned to Task Force One of the Ukra-Tal fleet.
RSS Perrysburg was a new Rochester D class light cruiser launched from Sutran. This class was almost identical to the Ganymede class, only with a different hull design. This ship was also tagged for Task Force One of the Ukra-Tal fleet.

In Lenoltris, a single Ukra-Tal Hedmora sat silently near the Yukra wormhole, watching the activity on Highrock.