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sachmo June 18th, 2002 11:25 PM

Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
First Steps of the Remorhaz Society

Authors note: This is my first attempt at writing a story based on a game, but I do know that I am having a bLast doing it. Please bare with me, and if you have comments/suggestions/praise/criticism I would love to hear them.
EDIT: Moved from "More Stories thread" which I hijacked earlier!

Bright lights shone down from the roof of the cavernous space yard and played across the sleek surface of the craft. Scores of technicians, scientists, and laborers packed the slip, watching and holding their breath as their creation hummed to life. Chairman Sachmo gazed down on the scene from the control blister. This was the culmination of the greatest scientific efforts ever seen on Remorhaz. Sachmo smiled. It was destiny. Sachmo was determined to push Remorhaz into space. The glory of Old Earth would be reborn.

After years of trial and effort, it was now beginning. As the final checks were completed, the throng of spectators filed back into the airlocks. Once all were safely inside, air inside of the space yard was bled out, and the huge airlock began to open. Soon, the RSS Eagle would launch. She was the first spacecraft in what Sachmo hoped would be the most powerful fleet ever created. She would discover new planets for Remorhaz to colonize, and defend these worlds against all comers. She would lead them into the future.

RSS Eagle lifted from her berth, and silently ignited her main engines. Slowly she guided her nose out of the space yard. After her initial 3-week shakedown cruise, she would head for the first of 3 wormholes present in the solar system. Radio telescopes confirmed that there were planets out there, but what (or who) would be on them was a mystery.
Still, there was no time for Chairman Sachmo to rest. He heaped praise on the staff of the space yard, for it was well deserved. They had been working at a feverish pace for the Last 3 years just to get Eagle together. Checks, simulations, and setbacks…they had overcome it all. It wasn’t over for them. Construction continued on the second Eagle Class System Patrol Craft, and soon after that the first Colony Ship would be built. No, their work had only just begun, but the Chairman had every faith in them. The Remorhaz were excellent builders, and they would turn out a fleet to meet whatever needs would arise.

The shakedown cruise was eventful for the crew of the RSS Eagle. On the second day out, at maximum thrust, the main computer core went offline. That gave Captain Jager a bit of a scare, as the ship had to maneuvered manually while the core was brought back up. Of course, the crew survived this, and came thru with flying colors. The test firing of the main gun was a bit nerve-wracking, as they compensators didn’t absorb as much of the recoil as they were theorized to, and the result was a cracked seal around the main gun housing. There were no major problems, however, and all of the decencies were corrected before the start of the mission. Captain Jager requested additional supply storage, and so they techs scrambled to make room for the extra gear.

Before Captain Gina Jager knew it, it was the night before the mission. She couldn’t get rid of the butterflies in her stomach. On thought kept going thru her mind…IN THEORY. IN THEORY the gravity wells should allow the ship to survive passage thru the wormhole. IN THEORY they should be able to return thru the wormhole thru which they had come. IN THEORY there should be no intelligent species within a million light years the solar system. Jager had dealt with theories before. The theory of the inVersion drive had killed her fiancé. The early theory of inertial dampers had cost her the lives of many friends. It was understandable that she was a little nervous. “Nothing to be done”, she muttered to herself. She decided to take a long shower, since she knew that she would not sleep tonight. In fact, she wasn’t sure when she would be able to sleep.

RSS Eagle slipped from the berth the next day, intent on making history with her crew. First thru a wormhole, first to see another solar system, first to spend an extended time in a spacecraft. How many firsts would the Eagle survive?
The crew settled into the routine of space travel. Most of the time, the crew’s main enemy was boredom. Out in open space, there weren’t many obstacles to worry about, so the crew spent most of the time monitoring a screen while Eagle sped them along for their date with destiny. Drills, exercises and simulations filled their days. Jager wanted to be sure that the crew was ready for anything. They were the best that Remorhaz had to offer, but they were green. For that matter, everyone was green!
At the end of the 4th week, the wormhole appeared on the edge of the scanners. The crew began the Last minute preparations for the trip. Jager could feel the sweat beading on her palms. Quickly she threw into any project she could find, to take her mind off the fact that she, her crew, and Eagle could be torn apart by the gravity of the wormhole.
Hours pass, and still the wormhole drew closer. All was ready…they just had to ride it out. Jager glanced at her XO. He was sweating more than she. “Good, I’m not the only one”, she thought. The XO flashed her a weak, but brave smile. 5 minutes to contact. Everything was in the green. The helmsman was calling out readings, as was the sensor station. Everything was as it should be. 30 seconds…Jager’s heart began to beat so hard it felt as if it would fly out of her chest. She took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm down. The wormhole filled the forward window. Before she could call out for a status check, they were in…

First steps

Captain Gina Jager knew she was dead. First, she saw a brilliant white light. Then, she felt herself floating and time seemed to stand still. “Well, I’m glad it didn’t hurt.” Only it did hurt. Suddenly and severly, everything hurt. Her entire body felt as if it had collapsed in on itself, and then just as suddenly felt as if it were going to burst. Just as suddenly as it had come, it was over. Captain Jager suddenly remembered to open her eyes. She could see the bridge, and her crew, and the inky blackness of space.
“Captain, we made it!” Gina heard her XO shout. He was right, they were alive. She struggled to regain her composure. Gina toggled the intercom.
“All sections, report. I want a thorough search of your entire section. Let me know about anything that seems amiss, no matter how small.”
Suddenly the bridge became alive with activity.
“Nav, I want you to be absolutely sure that this is the Koltan system. Helm, take us in on full ion.”
The navagation officer snapped to it. Gina smiled as she sat back in the captain’s chair. She checked her timepiece. The entire trip thru the wormhole took less than a second. “I’ll be a son of a gun”, she thought, “The damn gizmo works.”

Chairman Sachmo leaned back in his chair, gazing out of the window. Two hours since Eagle went into the wormhole. All that the scientists could confirm was that she wasn’t destroyed going into the wormhole. Other than that, they had no answers. He steepled his fingers on his chin, thinking about how much work would be lost if the gravity wells couldn’t withstand the stress of the wormhole.
“Mr. Chairman?” the com console chirped.
“Yes?”
“We received a communication from FSS Eagle, sir. They made it.”
“Thank God.”
“Sir, they found…eh, something in the system.”
“Explain, please?”
“Well, we are trying to confirm, but it seems the entire Koltan system is overrun with some sort of…organic infestation.”
“I don’t understand. How can entire solar system be…infested?”
“Sir, we aren’t sure of that, but it seems that the Koltan system is worthless to anyone but scientists.”
“Thank you, Major. Please let me know what you find.”
This grand step for the Remorhaz Society was off to a very poor start.

One month later, the second Eagle Class System Patrol Ship was launched from the Space Yard. The plans to start a colony ship were put on hold with the discovery of the infestation of the Koltan system. There were no suitable worlds found to colonize, so priorities were shifted to exploration.
Meanwhile, the Remorhaz scientists focused on Ship Construction technology. They felt a breakthrough iminant.
In 2400.2, the RSS Falcon became the second ship to travel thru a wormhole. Aside from the unpleasant physical effects reported by Captain Jager and her crew, there were no ill effects. Upon entering the Nekron System, the Falcon immediately set word back to Remorhaz of the discovery of two suitable worlds:
1. Nekron V, a medium rock planet with an oxygen atmosphere
2. Nekron I, a small rock planet with an oxygen atmosphere.

Neither planet showed any abundance of minerals or radioactives, but Nekron I did appear to possess excellent farmland, and would be used as an organics farming colony as soon as possible.
Also present in system were Nekron II and VIII, both rock world but with unsuitable atmospheres. If they were to be colonized, they would have to be shielded by a protective dome, thus limiting the usefulness of the planet.
Meanwhile, Captain Jager and the Eagle were continuing on to the next system thru another wormhole.

2400.3 saw the launching of the RSS Hawk, the Last of the initial line of Eagle Class System Patrol Ships. Immediately, the Remorhaz space yard began construction of a Colony Ship. The scientists also discovered how to create a larger hull size, and Chairman Sachmo immediately ordered Admiral Urian to design a Frigate to give the fleet some firepower. The result was the Nemesis Class Frigate, and production was queued up for immediate work as soon as the Colony Ship was complete. Chairman Sachmo “suggested” that Admiral Urian hold the command of the initial Nemesis for Captain Jager, in honor of her achievements. The Falcon became the first craft to explore 2 systems. The Yullado System was a poor star, with only one suitable planet for colonizing, Yullado II was a medium rock planet but had a methane atmosphere. On the upside, it appeared that the planet had an above average mineral content.
Meanwhile, Captain Jager finished the “jump” into the Zanthris System, which held nothing more than an asteroid field and 3 stars.

In 2400.4, Captain R.J. Brennan jumped into the Organtrix System. Immediately, the sensors on RSS Hawk screamed in warning.
“Sensors, what have we got?”, R.J. shouted.
“Captain, we have exited the wormhole right in the trail of a gas core. The sensors misread the cloud as a huge mass of foreign objects. I’ve compensated for the density of the cloud, but we might want to report this to the techies back home. It scared me to death.”
“You and me both, Sensors.”
Captain Brennan tried to calm his nerves. What a way to finish your first jump!
By the end of the day, sensors confirmed Organtrix as another useless system.

Back in the capitol, Chairman Sachmo went over the resource figures. Remorhaz possessed a good surplus of minerals, organics, and radioactives, but as the fleet grew, so did the demand for these resources. He considered rushing the production of the colony ship, but then decided to let the work proceed as planned. “We should be fine for the year.”, he thought. Meanwhile, the scouts continued exploring the galaxy, looking for a solid planet to colonize.

2400.5 saw the exploration of two new systems, a scientific breakthrough, and the construction of a colony ship.
Captain Jager and Eagle jumped into the Hollifax system, and beheld a sight which took their breath away. The system was empty of planets, as any matter within the system must have been swept up into the process taking place in the center of the system; the birth of a star. At least this system would yield valuable scientific information for the scientists back home to help them unlock the mysteries of the universe, but in pratical terms, the system was dead. Jager reported her finding back to Remorhaz, and continued on. She started thinking about home. She knew her crew was getting tired and restless, and the supplies wouldn’t hold out forever. With a sigh, she made her decision. A couple of more months, then we head back. She knew the crew would stick with her…at least she hoped the would.
Back on Remorhaz, the entire planet watched as the huge colony ship set out for Nekron V, which would be the first planet colonized by the Remorhaz Society. Also, the scientists had just discovered a more efficient depleted uranium cannon, with increased range and lethality. Admiral Urian wanted to get them on the ships as soon as possible. The scientists next task was to try and create a ship mounted repair bay. Also, the Naval Bureau decided to design a multi-purpose transport which could move people and supplies to the new colony, but could also deploy defense satellites if needed.

2400.6

Two new sytems explored:
Osshod
Lenoltris
Neither system contained planets with breathable atmospheres, but there were some large rock planets rich in resources. Chairman Sachmo decided that they may just have to resort to colonizing these places. It would be hard on the colonists, but they would survive. Possibly the payoff would be worth the trouble and expense. With the added resources, maybe the scientists could concentrate on terraforming. Meanwhile, RSS Eagle, running short of supplies, started for home.

Contact

2400.7
The colony ship brought itself into orbit around Nekron V and began deploying the colony modules. Once deployed, the craft brought itself down in a gentle decent. The entire colony ship was designed to deploy into usable resources for the colonists. The first colonists stepped off of the colony ship, and a Remorhaz flag was planted in light, frosted ground. The first Remorhaz colony was born.
They named the planet Glory.
Chairman Sachmo watched the replay on the com unit. A warmth passed thru his body. “This is our destiny”, he thought. “It’s all coming together.”
On Glory, the colonists set up their living areas and began assembling all of the facilities required to survive on this new world. They began building a Space Port to facilitate transport craft coming and going from the surface of the planet.
Back on Remorhaz, the fleet had a new flagship; the RSS Nemesis. Admiral Urian was extatic. In a grand ceremony, Captain Jager took command. There was much celebrating and eating of fruits, and vegetables, and antelope, and wildebeest, and or…never mind.
Meanwhile, in the newly explored Fezzran System, two small, oxygen atmosphere planets were discovered. Fezzran looked to be particularly rich in both minerals and radioactives. Remorhaz immediately began working on a new Colony Ship.

2400.8
“I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Pardon me, Chairman?” Admiral Urian looked confused.
“Nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about defense.”
“Sir, I have drawn up plans for a new defense satellite design, and General Werman has been tinkering with a weapons platform capable of defending the planet from the surface.”
Chairman Sachmo looked up from his plate. The light from Velocitas Prime shown down on the balcony where the Chairman and the Admiral were taking their lunch.
“Admiral, do you think that we are alone in the galaxy?”
The Admiral thought for a moment, started to speak, then paused again. After a few moments, he spoke.
“Sir, eight months ago, I would have told you yes, and I would have believed it. Since then I have seen entire systems infested with organic infestations, witnessed the birth of a star, and watched an entire gas giant hurl itself thru space. Sir, there is just too much that I don’t understand for me to believe that we are alone here. Who, or what they might be, I have no idea, but I hope they’re friendly.”

Chairman Sachmo laughed. “I feel pretty much the same way. That’s why I have this nagging suspicion that we should be preparing for our defense, in case they aren’t friendly.”
The Admiral straightened. “Then should we proceed with the construction of the weapons platforms and defense satellites, Sir?”
“Yes, but let’s not lose site of the main goal of colonization.”
“Understood, sir.”
The men went back to their lunch, making small talk and trying not to think about the uncertainties that were sure to come up.

Captain Jager smiled as the RSS Nemesis cut smoothly thru the darkness of space. Just a few days ago, Nemesis had accounted well for herself in a simulated hit and run attack by three System Patrol Ships. Nemesis’ missiles took out two of the SPC before they could get into guns range, and while the third got a few licks in, Nemesis was ultimately able to destroy her, too. It made Gina a bit sad, as one of those System Patrol Ships was her old command, RSS Eagle. They hadn’t been together too long, and her former XO, now Captain Hanks was a fine skipper, but she felt a bit out of touch with her new crew. They were promising, but as green as the plains of Glory. Currently, she was taking on a shakedown/routine patrol, and things were going well. She wondered how long that would Last.

2400.9
The scientists created the ship mounted repair bay. They began their next project; ground attack weapons. Chairman Sachmo was serious about preparing for anything. This month also marked the first production shortage of the empire. The reserves were holding, but they would not Last another entire year.

2401.0
Nemesis discovered the Wurtuy System, which was almost entirely filled with asteroid fields.
Glory constructed their Space Port, allowing the import and export of resources. The Society was running at a surplus again. The colonists began the work that they had been trained to do…mining. Who ever said that life in space was glorious?

2401.1
Captain Jager and the RSS Nemesis enter the Xillantha System and collect planet data. Five rock worlds, small, without breathable atmosphere. Captain Jager is discussing the next hop with her XO and Nav officers when she hears her Sensor Officer, in a very weak voice, call her over.
“C-C-Captain? I have an unknown contact just completing the jump into the system.”
The bridge suddenly got very, very quiet.
“Sensor, did you say unknown?”
“Yes Captain. Bearing 120. It’s definitely a ship, Cap’n. I just don’t know who’s.”
“Alright people, let’s get this in gear! XO, sound general quarters! Sensor, you let me know if that contact does anything, copy? Sparks, send a standard hail to that ship. They probably won’t be able to understand us, but it’s worth a shot.”
The bridge got very noisy, very fast.
Contact had been made, but who were they?
Also, as the Admiral and the Chairman had earlier asked, were they friendly?

A short-lived peace

2401.2

“How quickly things can change”, thought Chairman Sachmo.
In just under a month, the Society had been shaken from their ethnocentric view of the universe and been forced to deal with the reality that the Remorhaz were indeed only one of at least two species in the galaxy. The significance of this fact could not be understated. On one hand, contact with another race presented great possibilities for both races. The scope of things that both species could learn from each other was unfathomable. Each species could quite possibly learn things that would change the entire way of thinking of an entire people. On the other hand, this race might present an obstacle to the expansion of the Remorhaz Society. Which would it be? Was there any way to be sure?
Chairman Sachmo was willing to try the peaceful route, but only after ensuring a strong defense. So, from the moment Captain Jager had radioed news of interracial contact, the crews back home had been scrambling to build defense satellites to defend the important warp nodes. It would take time to protect them all, but it could be done. That is, assuming that both cultures didn’t completely misunderstand on another and instantly go to war.
Both sides had started the cultural exchange. While no official governmental contact had yet been established, scientists from both races had already exchanged information on the racial traits, behaviors and history of both races.
(Authors Note: How’s that for getting around the instant contact information the game provides? J )
Chairman Sachmo glanced down at the file containing the information which the scientists had learned of the other race…known as the Norak Continuum

They are Impulsive Zealots.
They prefer Rock worlds with Oxygen atmospheres.

Biology: The Norak are a semi-aquatic species that are amphibious by nature. Though they prefer a very damp climate, they tend to prefer land dwelling over water. The Norak stand approximately 2 meters tall and are tri-pedal. The average life span of a Norak is approximately 120 years. Also of note is their uni-sex nature. Their are no male or female Norak, merely a single neutral sex.
Physical Strength- pathetic
Intelligence- superior
Cunning- average
Environmental Resistance- average
Reproduction- impressive (hubba hubba!)
Happiness- superior
Agressiveness- non-existent
Defensiveness- impressive
Political Savvy- pathetic

Society: Historians believe that the trinary star system which the Norak homeworld resides is that cause of the deeply religious nature of all Norak. Their entire society is patterned after their polytheistic worship. The leader of their society is the current high priest. Their society once contained many different sects, but after a great "religious cleansing", only one sect remains. This has actually proven to be of great benefit, as the society is now coherent enough to devote its resources to space travel.
Mining Aptitude- Average
Farming Aptitude- Pathetic
Refining Aptitude- Weak
Construction Aptitude- Average
Repair Aptitude- Average
Maintenance Aptitude- Impressive

General History: Norak relations in the galaxy have been highly mixed. Their religion allows them to help one species while destroying another. If the Norak's religions finds another race faulting, they will attempt to wipe them out.

Also, the Norak excel at resource and cargo storage techniques, and they are deeply religious.

Chairman Sachmo placed the file on his desk, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Obviously, negotiations would have to be handled carefully. If the Norak found Remorhaz culture to be compatible with their religious ideals, then they could become a powerful ally. If not, they could quite possibly be the most determined, ruthless enemy in the galaxy.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the Chairman, biologists, religious leaders and the military finally decided on a course of action. The Chairman would present the Norak leader, High Priest Rakul, with a gift of the finest organics which the Remorhaz Society had to offer. Once this gift was made, it would allow the ambassador staff to get settled and report back to the chairman with more information on how the Norak viewed Remorhaz culture. Hopefully, this would give the military enough time to prepare to blunt any attack if things went sour, or give the Council staff more information on what might be required for a trade treaty. Also, Chairman Sachmo decided that they would push for a non-aggression pact as soon as possible. Orders were cut, and everyone went to work, hopeful for the future.
In the meantime, the second colony ship was sent out on course to colonize Fezzran I. The Remorhaz Society was expanding its borders.

2401.3-.4

“Chairman, I have excellent news!”
“Yes Yarboro, what is it?” The Chairman was very tired, and anxious for news from the Norak government.
“Sir, the report from the Norak government is favorable. They deeply appreciate our gift!”
Chairman Sachmo felt as if a weight were lifted from his shoulders. Many plans, possibly the future of the Society, hinged on the response of the Norakians to their diplomatic overtures. This gift would hopefully make future relations with Norak easier. The Chairman paged his diplomatic staff. They had a non-aggression treat to draw up.

2401.5

Remorhaz scientists discover a new, more efficient ion engine. This engine will help reduce the resource requirements of the fleet. Also, the fleet christened the first Multi-Purpose Transport, the RSS Loxias. She would immediately begin seeding the warp points with defense satellites.
On the political front, wonderful news. The Norak government has accepted our non-aggression pact. Thankfully, we won’t have to fight them anytime soon.
Of more concern to the Society, the colony ship bound for Fezzran picked up an unknown contact in the Xillantha System. The sensor signature returned fit no Remorhaz or Norakian design known. Hailing frequencies were met with aggressive maneuvers from the craft. No engagement took place, but the crew of the colony ship were definitely intimidated by the actions of the ship. The Remorhaz Society had made contact with another race, known as The Rage Collective.

The Rage Collective are Violent Warriors.
They prefer Rock worlds with no atmosphere.

Biology: The Rage is a race of organic machines originally designed for war. There is a limited shared intelligence across the race, with stronger ties to those units that are near by. For some reason, the Rage seem to only be able to thrive on planets with no atmosphere. The reason for this is not known. The most surprising aspect of this race is its emotional nature. This may be due to the fact that while their external appearance is mechanical, their processing units are primarily organic.
They are average in all physical characteristics.

Society: The Rage society is a limited collective in which processing (thinking) is distributed across a network comprised of the individual units. The processing is organized into local Groups that are working on the same project. Therefore, while information is theoretically known across the entire network, in practice it is used in a more localized fashion. Overall strategic decision-making is controlled by the Primary Sequencer. This unit is the closest thing to a ruler that this society has.
They are average in all vocational aspects.

General History: There is not a lot of information on the origins of the Rage. Most scholars believe that they were originally created as intelligent war machines. They then out lived (or perhaps destroyed) whatever race created them.

The Rage Collective are experts in propulsion, and also storage techniques.

The Rage could prove to be trouble. The Society immediately went into a crash naval building program. War might come sooner than anyone thought…

2401.6

Happy day! The Remorhaz Society now spans three planets in three different systems. This segment saw the settling of the planet Cirius. This planet was abundant in both minerals and radioactives. Once a Space Port was built, this planet would be a vital contributor to the Society.
The Rage Collective accepted a gift, but with this message:
“Your gift has been accepted. Do not bother us again.”
Not the best hope for future relations with this race. Relations cooled.
On Glory, the first colonial Research Lab was constructed. It is hoped that the colonists might contribute some fresh ideas to the Remorhaz scientific effort.
Admiral Urian dispatched RSS Eagle under Captain Willas Hanks to take up patrol duties in and around Glory, and RSS Falcon to take up station off of Cirius. Glory began construction of defense satellites and Small Weapons Platforms. If time permitted, and a Space Yard was constructed, heavier defenses could be constructed.

2401.7

The com unit blared.
Admiral Urian looked up from his report, and stared hard at the unit. He was hoping to knock off early tonight to spend some time with the family. This was a call from the Chairman, however, and it would not do to pretend he had left for the day.
He tapped the pad to answer the unit.
“Good evening, Sir.”
“Admiral, thank God I caught you. Something has gone dreadfully wrong. Both the Norakians and the Rage Collective have declared war on us. I still don’t have all the details, but I need you to get the fleet rolling.”
The Admiral has to fight to keep from getting sick. How could this have happened? What went wrong? He didn’t have time to find out right now, he had to lead the fleet into battle.
“Sir, I will execute the defense plan. Thanks to your foresight, we are a step ahead of the game. We do need to shift priority to building some additional capital ships, sir. One frigate and 3 system patrol ships severely limits our option. We may hold, but we cannot take the war to the enemy without leaving our people wide open for attack.”
This time it was the Chairman who fought down his fear. There were so many things which needed to be done, and they Society was running low on minerals.
“We will do what we must, Admiral.” He paused, gathered his thoughts, and then spoke. “Admiral, we didn’t start this war, but we will finish it. Is that clear? We will win! It’s our destiny.”
Seeing the Chairman’s display of strength helped the Admiral regain his own.
“Aye, Aye, Sir. We will finish it.”

“Captain Jager, emergency message coming it.”
Gina turned away from the supply officer and looked at the communications bay. What now, she thought. Lately, the exercises had been getting a bit monotonous. Her crew was ready for some shore leave, not another missile drill.
“Right, Sparks. Forward it to my console.”
“On the way, Cap’n.”
Gina settled into the command chair of the RSS Nemesis. When the message came thru, Gina felt her skin crawl. She read the message again, just to be sure.
She looked up at the bridge, and at the faces of her crew. How could this happen? How many of her crew would die?
Gina took a deep breath. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be”, she thought.
Gina keyed the intercom. Pipes rang thru the ship.
“This is the captain. I have just received an emergency message from Admiral Urian. Both the Norak Continuum and the Rage Collective have declared war on the Remorhaz society. We are to proceed at best speed to Remorhaz, refit, and take up station at Glory. Folks, this is the real thing, but we’ve trained night and day for this. I know we will do our duty, and we will win.”
Gina heard the cheer echo thru the ship. That put her at ease somewhat, until she saw the face of the XO. Never before had she seen fear so plain on his face. She shot him a quick smile, and a nod. They would survive, or die trying.

2401.8

No action as of yet. A Rage Bytreon Class frigate jumped into the Fezzran System, threatening the colony on Cirius. Falcon was a couple of jumps away, and probably would not arrive in time to prevent a bombardment of the colony. The colonists began to dig in, but things were looking pretty bleak.

2401.9

Cirius was now facing 2 Rage frigates, but did manage to get a satellite into orbit, and Falcon was that much closer to jumping in system. Remorhaz launched another frigate, the RSS Furious, and sent her to rendezvous with Eagle and Nemesis. They would form a fleet at Glory and attempt to fly to the relief of Cirius if at all possible. There was still no sign of the Norak fleet. Mineral resources were at an all-time low.

2402.0

The New Year began very harshly. The colony on Cirius was destroyed by the Rage. They were able to launch missiles at the surface, and their superior propulsion allowed them to escape the missile fire of the single defense satellite before it could score a single hit. Falcon arrived in system just in time to answer the final distress call of the planet. Outgunned and outnumbered, she re-entered the wormhole and made for Glory. The fleet would make their stand here.
The scientists made yet another improvement to the Depleted Uranium Cannon. The System Patrol Craft would be refit as the situation permitted. With the frigates on station, Eagle started a patrol into the Wurtuy System. The huge asteroid fields in this system afforded ships good protection, but she spotted a Norak colony ship wallowing toward a jump point. If she came closer, Eagle would pounce.

2402.1

Eagle never got her chance. The colony ship slipped away. Meanwhile, in the Xillantha System, Falcon was following the movement of the three Rage frigates. They seemed to be heading for Glory. The fleet was waiting. Meanwhile, Glory was preparing upgraded Small Weapons Platforms, and the Multi-Purpose Transport was seeding the wormholes with defense satellites. Meanwhile, the RSS Justice was launched at Remorhaz. She would remain in system to protect the home planet. At the same time, the Rage task force drew closer to Glory, and Captain Jager was ready for the showdown.

2402.2

The fleet watched and waited. Glory continued to build Mineral Miners, and Remorhaz was forced to curtail production because of a mineral shortage. All they could do now was wait.

Losses...and Gains

2402.3

Another month, and still the Rage did not come. Admiral Urian flew to Glory with his staff, determined to gain the imitative in this war. After consulting with his staff and his line officers, he finally agreed to release one frigate to make a penetration run into the Fezzran System. The fleet needed to do something instead of waiting for a conflict to come to them. So, he picked Captain Jager and Nemesis to head out the next day.

Captain Jager was very nervous. She had every bulkhead checked, every access panel inspected. There wasn’t much chance that something had broken in the past two months as the only action Nemesis had seen was running simulation while parked in geo-sync orbit over Glory. Now they were heading into battle. Obviously, all the simulations in the world couldn’t prepare Gina or her crew for what they would face, but she knew they would do their best. Hopefully, that would keep them alive.
Gina reviewed her orders again as Nemesis cleared the traffic pattern over Glory.
Proceed at best speed to Fezzran System and engage any forces found there. Inflict maximum damage on targets and return to Glory at best speed. Extreme caution is to be exercised, and all efforts must be taken to return asset RSS Nemesis to Glory Fleet Command.
Gina chuckled. All possible effort to return “asset”. As if she had a choice.
Shaking her head, she went about the business of commanding her ship.

Gina was expecting to find Rage frigates present in the Xillantha system, but a sensor sweep revealed nothing. Cautious, she laid the quickest possible course for the wormhole to Fezzran. If the Rage were laying a trap, they would have to catch her before they could hit her. Reports from Eagle patrolling the Wurtuy System showed no sign of the Rage fleet. Where were they?

2402.4

Eagle came out of the jump into the unknown system. Immediately, sensors picked up a large target right off of their beam. Captain Willis Hanks immediately sounded general quarters, and took the ship into action.
“Sensors, what do we have?”
If the Sensor Officer was excited, he didn’t show it.
“Captain, we have a Norak Colony ship off of our bow. Very close…12.3K miles. She’s unarmed, sir.”
Hanks nodded. “Right. Sparks, send her a message. Come about for towing or be destroyed. Sensor, if they attempt to send a distress call, you let me know. Weps, warm up the DUC. If she tries to run, we open fire.”
A chorus of “aye, aye” echoed from the bridge.
The demand to heave to was met with the Norak colony ship quickly reversing course and firing her main engines. Hanks frowned.
“Ok, we can play that game. Weps, disable that ship.”
Weapons Officer Davis took aim and depressed the firing stud.
Eagle lurched slightly as her depleted uranium cannon fired a wave of shells at the colony ships engines. The DU shells tore thru the colony ship’s engine nacelles like a knife thru hot butter.
“Hit, Cap’n! She’s lost three of five engines.”
Hanks paused. “Hold fire, Weps. Let’s see what she does. Sensor, has she tried to send any Messages?”
“Negative, Captain.”
Hanks nodded, and rubbed his chin. Navy regs allowed officers to grow beards, but Hanks wished that he had taken time to shave before leaving Glory. His face itched like mad.
Suddenly the XO yelled out, “Captain! She’s sending out a distress signal! The signal strength is incredible! Every ship in the system must know she’s in trouble by now!”
And I’m a damn fool, thought Hanks. I should have known she wouldn’t surrender.
“Weps, take aim and fire. We need to take her out and get the hell out of here. In a stand-up fight, we lose.”
It actually took quite a while for Eagle to finish off the colony ship, only because of her sheer mass. Hanks would remember the worst part of the engagement being when the colony ship was in her death throes, hundreds and hundreds of bodies were expelled out into space. As they prepared to head back for Glory, Captain Hanks tried not to think about the fact that he had just killed 4 million Norakinas.

At the same time, Nemesis jumped into Fezzran. Sensors showed only a Rage colony ship, well across the system at the mouth of a jump point. Also observed was a Rage colony, which had been set up on Fezzran IV. Captain Jager did her duty, however, and rained nuclear missiles down upon the helpless colonists until the Rage colony was nothing but a glowing crater capped by a tremendous firestorm. Cirius was avenged, but Gina felt numb. This was war? Somehow, she hadn’t pictured bombarding colonists as an illustration of the honor of far. She didn't feel much like a combat officer.

2402.5

For now, it seemed Glory was safe. Nemesis bombarded a second Rage colony, which had been established while she was still in system. 35 million of the Rage died in nuclear fire. Yes, Cirius had been avenged, but the duty was hard on Nemesis and her crew. Captain Jager didn’t press her luck, and started the journey for Glory.
Meanwhile, in Wurtuy, Eagle spotted a Norak transport and moved in for the kill. Admiral Urian released RSS Justice from garrison and had her move in to assist Eagle. They would interdict this system for as long as possible.
Mineral resources were starting to build back up. Soon, Remorhaz would begin construction of additional ships, and the Remorhaz Society could take the war to the home systems of their enemies.
The scientists reported to the Chairman that research on improved missiles would be completed within the next six months. These missiles would give the fleet a range advantage over the Rage craft, which might help negate their advantage in speed.

2402.6

Glory continued their crash mining program. The results were showing as the mineral shortage lessened.
In the Wurtuy system, Eagle and Justice continued to hunt down the Norak transport.

2402.7-.8

Eagle and Justicepersue the Norak transport into the Turdan System, and spot a Norak colony. There are only two wormholes out of this system, with none leading to either Norak or Rage space. Admiral Urian orders this system to be taken, and for Wurtuy to be garrisoned by a modest force.
Remorhaz began production of a colony ship.

2402.9

Hooray! The scientists have discovered the next phase of the capital ship missile. The fleet would begin refitting all Nemesis Class Frigates as soon as possible. On Remorhaz, a rock colony ship was launched.
In the Tudran System, RSS Justice attacked a seemingly defenseless colony, and was blown to bits. Apparently, Tudran V was going to be a tougher nut to crack then originally suspected. This was a very costly lesson.

2403.0-.1

A Norak fleet was approaching Glory. We sent Nemesis and Furious to meet them, with Eagle backing them up. Opposing them would be 4 Norak Alagoa class frigates. The loss of Justice will be a big factor in the coming battle.
A large planet was colonized in the Neckron System. The colony was named Black Hills. Black Hills had a methane atmosphere, which would limit the colonists ability to utilize the planet, but it was rich in minerals, and another shortage could lose the war for Remorhaz.

2403.2

The Norak fleet decided not to try and fight thru the defense satellites around the wormhole, and instead headed for Rage space. Admiral Urian wondered at this tactic, but did not complain. Every day the enemy avoided attacking was a day for the Remorhaz Society to grow stronger.
Glory concentrated on building another mining facility and one more research lab. Then she would build defenses for the Society. After the resources were sufficiently built up, the fleet would concentrate on taking the Tudran system. In the interim, the cat and mouse game in the Wurtuy System would continue.

Moving Forward

2403.3

A new colony ship is created.
A diplomatic communication to the Rage, requesting an end to the conflict, is flat out refused. Their answer? “Sorry, but we must kill you first.”
The rock colony ship departed Remorhaz to colonize the Last known planet with a breathable atmosphere, in the Neckron system. The planet was very poor in mineral resources.

2403.4

Remorhaz was unable to complete construction of a new frigate because of lack of resources. No enemy attacks.

2403.5

Salvation is colonized in the Neckron system. The colony will concentrate on farming operations and research.
Remorhaz was unable to refit Eagle due to a mineral shortage.

2403.6

RSS Intimidator under Captain Lu takes up station at the Wurtuy-Neckron wormhole. The multi-purpose transport heads for the Wurtuy-Tudran wormhole to lay some of the new defense satellites, hopefully cutting the system off from resupply.

2403.7

The Wurtuy-Tudran wormhole is cut off with defense satellites. Admiral Urian plans to keep a constant patrol of frigates to back the satellites up.

2403.8

Nemesis began a refit at Remorhaz.
Intimidator entered the Tudran system and attacked the Norak colony Tudran VI. The colony was defenseless, and had 39 million colonists. The entire colony was destroyed by nuclear missile barrage. The Tudran Offensive was underway..

2403.9-.10

Intimidator approached Tudran V cautiously. Captain Lu was fully aware that this was where Justice had met her end. Lu had no intension of meeting the same fate.
The Captain scanned his readout. “Helm, take us in until we reach maximum firing range. If intelligence is correct, our missiles have about the same range. Of course, we have the advantage of maneuverability on our side. Let’s get our missiles off before they do. We can fire and move, and hopefully take out some of those bases…soften the place up a bit.”
“Aye, Aye, Captain. We will hold a maximum range.”
Now we earn our pay, he thought.
The XO called out. “Sir, we being hit with active signals. They know we’re here.”
Captain Lu nodded. This was going to be tricky, but he was confident. At least this planet could defend itself.
Minutes passed. Lu ran over the figures in his mind one more time. If their timing were off, they would become a ball of flaming gas, very quickly.
“Sir, we are at maximum missile range.”
“All tubes fire. Helm, as soon as the Last missile leave the tubes, back us out of here full power.”
Moments after all missiles were away, the ship turned on her axis and retreated.
The Sensor Officer, Lieutenant O’Brian, shouted, “Sir, I have multiple bogies coming from the surface of the planet.”
Hopefully their missiles had not been upgraded. “O’Brian, get me an ID on those bogies, please.”
“Aye, Aye, Captain.” His voice sounded a bit calmed. Lu glanced at his XO, and nodded him over to help reassure O’Brian.
“Sir, the bogies are ground based missiles, look like the same signature as the ones that got Justice.”
“Very good, Mr. O’Brian. Helm, continue on course, maximum power.”
Helm acknowledged the order.
O’Brian called out the range of the incoming missiles. “Sir, missiles closing. Estimated impact 1 minute, 30 seconds.”
O’Brian continued to call out the range. Lu watched his own missiles streak toward the surface of the planet. They ran out of fuel in the low atmosphere, doing no damage.
“Sir, estimated time of impact 45 seconds.”
The Captain nodded. “Helm, take us to 10% thrust, and head us back toward the planet.”
O’Brian spun around with a face whiter than a sheet. “Sir, missiles closing! Estimated impact now in 25…oh. Sir, enemy missiles have run out of fuel and are dead.”
“Thank you, Mr. O’Brian. Helm, we have to get closer before launching.”
The Intimidator reversed course, and the helm called out maximum missile range.
“Take us in another 1000 miles, helm. Once our missiles are away, turn us around and get us the heck out of there.”
The order was acknowledged.
“Sir, multiple bogies lunched from the surface!”
“Understood.”
Weapons Officer Hubbart spoke up. “Firing full spread of missiles. Right, missiles away!”
“Get us out of here, helm!”
O’Brian called out the closure. The missiles would not catch them. Unless Captain Lu made a mistake, they would pulverize the planet’s defenses. He didn’t, and the colony on Tudran V was destroyed. The Last Norakian presence in the Tudran system had been wiped out.
Back on Remorhaz, the news was piped thru the ship intercom on board the newly refit, upgraded RSS Nemesis. Cheers could be heard throughout the ship, but Gina Jager was more sober. She knew that the war was far from over. Unless the enemy paid a higher price, this war might never end. She was determined to do her part, whatever that was.
With the victory in the Tudran system, Admiral Urian decided to split the fleet to keep the Norakians from retaking the system. Defense satellites and at least two frigates would garrison the wormhole. Chairman Sachmo instituted an emergency order for 3 new colony ships to colonize the two worlds taken from Norak, and a third, previously uncolonized world.

2404.1

No enemy counter attack. The fleet was building up defenses around the Tudran system. Soon, it would take quite an armada to pry the system back from the Remorhaz Society.
The governor on Glory reported that the Glory Ship Yard should be complete within two months.
Chairman Sachmo decided to offer a non-intercourse treaty to the Norak.

2404.2

The Norak Continuum rejected the treaty proposal.
The RSS Furious finished her refit. Now all frigates were equipped with the latest generation of missiles.

2404.3

The Glory Space Yard is complete! We will now be able to repair, launch and upgrade ships from Glory. Admiral Urian believes that this greatly increases his strategic options in the forward systems.
On Remorhaz, the first colony ship bound for the Tudran System is completed. Her launching is vidcast all across the Remorhaz Society.
Chairman Sachmo gazed out over the city of Turian, capitol of the Remorhaz Society.
Things are starting to go our way. Once we colonize the Tudran System, our resource production will triple. We can then build up a fleet large enough to enable us to either destroy our enemies or at least bring them to the bargaining table.
The Chairman’s diplomatic staff had still not quite figured out why both empires had declared war at the same time. The most plausible theory was that the Rage and the Norak were in an alliance together. The thought froze the Chairman’s heart. If those two races would ally against us, how must they have perceived us? When this was all over, he hoped to find out. His biggest fear was that he would have to destroy both races to find his answers.

2404.4

While laying defense satellites outside the wormhole between Xillantha and Wurtuy, the multi-purpose transport discovered a Norakian colony. In orbit around it was a single Alagoinhaus class frigate. 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.
The diplomats felt that the Rage might be willing to discuss a cease-fire. An envoy was dispatched immediately. He was given a tremendous send-off, and was decorated with many medals. He was also given huge tracts of land on the next colony in the Tudran System. He probably wouldn’t live to enjoy his rewards, as all envoys sent to negotiate with the Rage since the war started had been cut up and used for scientific study by the Primary Sequencer. Politics can be a deadly business sometimes.

The Battle of the Rocks

2404.5
The ambassador did not return from the parlay with the Rage.
The Norak were on the move, and it was looking like there would be a showdown in the Wurtuy System.

2404.6

Gina couldn’t help but grin. Nemesis and Hyperion had cornered a lone Norakian Alagoa Class frigate in Wurtuy Asteroid Belt XII. This was what she had been waiting for, and knew it was what her crew wanted, also. Ship on ship combat was what they craved. They understood what was expected of them…if destroying a colony was vital to the war effort, then it would be done. In an engagement against another warship, there were no innocents. One side was trying to kill the other. This is how things should be settled.
Jager touched her command screen and brought up a com link to the bridge of Hyperion. Captain Walt Reed’s thin face appeared on the screen.
“Walt, we have the Alagoa at 500k. What do you think?” Gina was senior to Captain Reed, and had also seen combat (such as it was), but she wanted his input. He was a good tactician, and Gina wanted to use every advantage they had.
“Well, with all of the asteroids, maneuvering is going to be tricky. We might be able to fork him, and get him in a position where he can’t run from us.”
“Alright then, I’ll take the lead, and you try for the flanking maneuver”, Gina said. She looked at her chart. “I’ll hang back as long as I can, and if he goes for you, I’ll have a broadside shot.”
Captain Reed smiled. “Sounds good. Good luck, Captain Jager. I guess this is another first for you, eh? As far as I know, we are the first ships in the Remorhaz Navy to engage another armed capital ship. Let’s hope we live to talk about it!”
Gina laughed. “I guess you’re right, Walt. To be honest, I’ve been looking forward to this my entire career. Luck to you too. Jager out.”
Gina turned off the link. It was time to fight.

The actual battle didn’t turn out exactly like they had planned, but in reality battles never do. The Alagoa got off an early shot at Hyperion, and a bad range calculation sent her scrambling away from a barrage of rapidly closing missiles. The fork would have to wait. Nemesis fired a spread while the Alagoa was rearming. Jager kept the ships spread far apart, so they could be sure about who was being fired at. This way, one ship could close the range while the other retreated from the enemy missile shot. After that, it was simply a matter of time, unless something went wrong.
Something did go wrong. During the third exchange, Hyperion closed range and fired at the Alagoa. The Alagoa fired simultaneously. While Nemesis closed the range to fire, Hyperion again misjudged the range of the incoming missiles. She took the spread amidships. Thankfully, the damage was moderate. She lost an engine and one of her missile tubes, but she still could make way at 2/3 speed. On the next barrage, Nemesis took a spread in the bow, and she was reduced to 1/3 speed. Worse yet, the crew quarters had been hit. Thankfully, most of the crew had been at battle stations, but she lost some people. Now the Alagoa had the advantage in speed, and she had not taken a hit. Missiles flew back and forth, and eventually both sides lost contact with each other. Nemesis and Hyperion made for Glory for repairs, both ships hauling a cargo of very angry, very disappointed captains.

Gina knew that she could have performed much better. She had misjudged the Alagoa, and now twelve of her crew were dead, and [I}Nemesis[/i] would be off the line for at least a month. That Norakian captain had handled his ship beautifully, and used the asteroids to his advantage masterfully. Still, Gina felt she should have beaten him. Two against one…she should have won. She replayed ever step of the battle in her head, recalling her mistakes, and studying them. Next time, she would account better for herself. Next time, she would make Remorhaz proud.

She soon got her chance. Intimidator jumped in system from Glory before the battle started, to cover the wormhole in the absence of Nemesis and Hyperion. When she received word about the results of engagement, she immediately moved into the asteroid field to cover Nemesis and Hyperion in their withdrawal. As Captain Lu moved her into the belt, and was immediately greeted by a barrage of missiles from behind a particularly thick asteroid cluster. Intimidator tried to maneuver, but was caught near the stern with the barrage. She lost two engines and the right side missile tube. Luckily, the Weapons Officer had fired an immediate counter barrage down the bearing, which slammed into the Alagoa, knocking out most of her engines and crippling her. All three Remorhaz ships tracked and then killed the wounded Norakian ship. Captain Jager and Nemesis had the honor of having their missiles actually finish off the Norakian frigate, but it was a hollow victory. For the cost of one frigate, the Remorhaz Navy would have three capital ships off of the line for a month. That could not happen, so one of the three ships would have to take up a defensive position behind the satellites and become what amounted to a slightly mobile space station. The Remorhaz Society was once again on the defensive.

Two System Patrol Ships, 15 defensive satellites, and a crippled capital ship were all that were defending the Wurtuy wormholes. Three out of four frigates were damaged. Furious was almost to Glory, and another Nemesis Class C Frigate would be launched from Remorhaz next month. The Battle Of the Rocks, as this first engagement would be called, was a tactical victory for Remorhaz, but a strategic victory for the Norak Continuum. What momentum Remorhaz had gained in taking Tudran was lost.

To be continued...

Cylapse June 18th, 2002 11:29 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Heh heh heh, I haven't even finished reading it and I like it... muchly. (finally finished) Love the name Jager, I'll drink to that! *winks*

Keep kicken ***! We all need our fiction fix!

[ June 19, 2002, 02:06: Message edited by: Cynapse ]

Marvin Kosh June 19th, 2002 05:06 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Groovy fic, man.

I would so some of my own but I'm already kinda doing that with one of the writing Groups I'm in. It's kinda complicated for me to go into it here. You can probably just do a Google search on my name and read for yourself http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I'm just sayin' because I have a favourite race (the Astarans) who I use in my writing and also in one of my games on PBW.... I'm doing a ship set for them but it's a lot of work and I could really use better tools for it http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/shock.gif

sachmo June 19th, 2002 06:56 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Thanks, all.

Cynapse-thanks for following up and reading the whole thing!

Marvin- I will look your fiction up! I understand how it can be to have a favorite race...it will probably be hard for me to start a new one once (IF!) this game ends.

sachmo June 19th, 2002 06:57 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Shifting Gears

2404.7

RSS Artemis fired her main engines as soon as she cleared the traffic pattern around Remorhaz. Captain R.J. Brennan looked out of over the bridge of his brand new ship. She was quite a step up from the System Patrol Ship RSS Hawk, but Admiral Urian had every confidence that he would be able to do the job and be a credit to the Remorhaz People’s Navy. Everything had happened so fast, it was hard to take it all in, but now here he was, commanding the newest Nemesis Class C in the Navy.
He brought up his orders again on the command console. Aretmis was to proceed at best speed to Glory, resupply there and then take up position in the Wurtuy system.
Like everyone else in the service, he had heard about the Battle of the Rocks. One Norakian frigate had damaged three Remorhaz frigates before being destroyed. Brennan frowned. If he had been in command, they would have defeated the Norakian without incident. The entire situation proved just how hollow the accomplishments of Captain Gina Jager were. It was pure luck that she had been given command of RSS Eagle. That should have been his billet.
Captain R.J. Brennan firmly believed that Gina Jager was one of those lucky few that had just enough charm and grace to advance in the ranks without actual merit. Sure she had been the first to travel thru a wormhole, and the first to make contact with another race, but that was just a case of being in the right place at the right time. No, The Rocks had shown what Jager was made of. It was fortunate for her, and the Navy, that she didn’t get both ships destroyed. Brennan didn’t necessarily dislike Jager; actually he thought her quite nice and pleasing to look at. In peacetime, officers like her were always around. In war, they had no place. She would get people killed. Brennan was determined that he, nor his crew, would be one of them.
Brennan looked back out over his bridge and smiled. Her loss would be his gain. The recognition that he felt he had missed out on would soon be his.

Chairman Sachmo looked across the large table at Admiral Urian.
“Admiral, exactly what is our status in Wurtuy?”
The Admiral answered without hesitation. “Sir, we have two system patrol craft and one frigate holding the jump points. They are position behind a band of DSV-II defense satellites. In a month, we should be able to continue offensive operations against the Norak.”
“That is good. I believe that it would be better to hold what we have gained then to push a bad situation. What did we learn from The Battle of the Rocks, Admiral?”
Again, Urian answered without pause. “Chairman, I believe that the mistakes that our ships made during the battle had more to do with the close quarters created by the asteroid fields then with any fault in our officer’s training. Normally, in an engagement between missile ships, the tactic is to move into firing range, launch, and then head away from the enemy missiles, which by this time headed toward you. Our officers were affected by a number of factors while trying to complete the maneuvers required, which resulted in both frigates taking hits early in the engagement. Also, I believe that the Norakian captain had some definite combat experience, and the action reports seem to indicate that he was very comfortable in the asteroid field. We now know more of what to expect in the way of tactics from the Norakians, and also what their weapons are capable of. We should do much better next time.”
The Chairman believed every word of it. He had come to almost the same conclusion himself. He was also happy that the fleet had finally destroyed the offending Norakian. If he had escaped, the damage would have been much worse then just to the ships; it might have damaged the confidence of the crews of those ships. With the lack of any real experience that ran thru the ranks of the RPN, confidence was the one thing they could fall back on.
“I do believe we will, Admiral. We will do better next time. Is there anything that would could do to make the Navy’s job easier?”
The Admiral looked to his aide, who handed him a single sheet of paper.
“Chairman, our ship designs seem to be well suited to fight against the Norak. The System Patrol Craft could use a refitting with the latest DUCs, but I would rather channel the resources toward building more Nemesis C Class Frigates. Also, if we could ask that the Research Guild make a priority to research the capability to build larger craft. I feel that a few more larger craft could really help turn the tide.”
The Admiral went on with his list. The Chairman agreed with everything he could. Obviously, everyone was aware of the mineral situation. The colonies in the Tudran System should be up and running soon, which was good news.
The Chairman wrapped up the meeting after five hours of discussion.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I understand how you are feeling. This war has made all of us weary. Unfortunately, we are fighting for survival. Our offers of peace have been met with outright hostility. I hope and pray that by some miracle this war will end soon, but my heart tells me that we will probably have to see this war thru until the bitter end. We are not a violent people. Genocide is not in our nature. We don’t relish the thought of destroying innocents, wiping out cultures. By the same token, we shall not let the same happen to us. If the Norakians and the Rage will not talk reason with us, then we will fight. Make no mistake; we will wipe them from the pages of history if we must, but the Remorhaz Society will prevail. Thank you, that will be all.”

Over on Glory, Hyperion had limped into the Space Yard for repairs. Immediately, a swarm of workers began the repairs. Captain Reed left a skeleton crew on the ship, and released the men for some well-deserved R&R on Glory. Captain Reed rented a modest room at a hotel right outside of the Space Yard, sat down on the bed, and was asleep before he was able to disrobe. He slept for fifteen hours.

2404.8

Spitfire is the first Remorhaz colony in the Tudran System. The colonists immediately began constructing the all-important Space Port, to facilitate the exchange of resources with the rest of the Society.
In the Wurtuy System, the Norakians jumped a fleet of three Alagoinhas Frigates into the system. Their projected course put them on a direct course for the Wurtuy-Nekron Wormhole. There to meet them were Eagle, the freshly repaired Hyperion, and 5 DSV-II defense satellites. Furious was dispatched to cover the Wurtuy-Tudran Wormhole, in case the Norakian fleet decided to head in that direction. Back on
Glory, Intimidator pulled into the Space Yard for repairs. Captain Lu and his crew watch proudly as ½ of a kill star was painted on the ship by the bridge window. It wasn’t a pretty fight, hell, he had been bushwhacked, but they had slagged that Norakian frigate in the end. He and his crew tried to make themselves useful to the Space Yard staff, so they could get Intimidator repaired and back to the wormhole. They wanted another shot at the Norakians, and it was shaping up to be the biggest fight of the war…so far.
Admiral Urian decided to dispatch RSS Hawk to assist Eagle and Hyperion cover the wormhole. They had to hold the Wurtuy System, or Tudran could be cut off.

On Glory, construction began on the first ship to be built outside of the Remorhaz system, the RSS Glory. She would be ready for duty in two months.

2404.9
The second planet in the Tudran System was colonized. The colony was named Hera and it would begin life as a resupply depot for the fleet, and eventually be used as an all-purpose colony. Hera didn’t have any abundance of a particular resource, and so would not be specialized.
In the Wurtuy System, the Neckron fleet again fooled the planning staff, as they changed course for the Xillantha system. Seeing an opportunity, Admiral Urian created a fleet to harass the system. The fleet consisted of Intimidator and Artemis. The fleet was to concentrate on doing maximum damage but with the main goal being the preservation of assets, so basically the Captains were under orders not to get killed!
TR-MP (multi-purpose transport) RSS Loxias and RSS Eagle set out across the Wurtuy system to place defense satellites outside of the Wurtuy wormhole that lead to the Norakian home system, which had yet to be explored. This operation was launched to try and interdict Norakian shipping trying to enter the Wurtuy System. It should at least provide those Norakian captains a nasty surprise when they finished the jump!

To be continued...

sachmo June 20th, 2002 06:48 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
On the Attack

2405.0

“We made it.” Gina Jager said to herself.
“Captain?” the XO asked. She must have said that louder then she thought. God, was she tired!
Out of the bridge windows, she could make out the cavernous berth where Nemesis would spend the next month being repaired. She could also make out the outline of RSS Manticore, the newest addition to the fleet. Even shrouded in the darkness of her berth, Manticore looked dangerous. She was not an upgrade, but a true Nemesis C Class Frigate. Her lines were a bit less severe then those of her own ship. She looked more…deadly? She only hoped the Manticore was as dangerous as she looked. She would be in action soon.
Gina snapped out of her fog. Nemesis was on final approach, and she needed to have her wits about her. Everyone on the ship was tired, so she needed to be sharp in case someone dropped the ball. After the Battle of the Rocks, pranging her ship on the wall of the Space Yard would probably get her busted down to shave tail Lieutenant, maybe serving as nav officer on a colony ship.
“Helm, bring her in slow. Sensor, I need constant ranging marks.”
Nemesis fired her retros expertly, braking the ship to a safe approach speed. At the same moment, the ship executed a quarter roll, so that Nemesis would dock upright. Gina smiled, impressed by the skill which Helm Officer Dorland was displaying on the approach.
“Very nice, Mr. Dorland. Excellent approach.”
Dorland absently responded, “Yes mam.”
Gina sat back in the command chair as they silently slipped into their berth. One Last flash from the retros, and they were motionless. The harbormaster on the berth started moving the gantry into position. For the next month, Captain Jager would have nothing but time on her hands. Plenty of time to go over the Last cruise in her mind, over and over, and over…she was not looking forward to this respite at all.

2405.1

On Spitfire, the colonists finished constructing the Space Port. The Tudran System would now be able to export the valuable minerals to the rest of the empire. This was a huge step in the war.

In the Yullado System, Intimidator picked up a Norakian colony ship on radar. She was alone. Captain Lu was not. He had Artemis with him. It was over in moments. Chalk up another 34 million Norakian victims to this senseless war. Gamma Fleet continued on to the Xillantha system.

Nemesis finished repairs on schedule, and the immediately joined the ships on station in the Wurtuy System. It was time to win back the imitative.

2405.2

Operation Strangle was complete. Loxias and Eagle had laid a field of defensive satellites outside of the Wurtuy-Lapzooli wormhole. Lapzooli was the home system of the Norak Continuum. This move should allow the Remorhaz fleet to interdict any ships trying to come thru this wormhole, or at least make it a very costly voyage. Furious took up station off of the wormhole, with Hyperion moving to join her. Eagle had the grizzly duty of destroying a lone Norakian colony ship that appeared in the Wurtuy system. She made short work of it.

Hawk pulled into the Space Yard at Glory. She was to be upgraded to the new System Patrol Class Eagle C. In place of supply storage, the ship was given another Depleted Uranium Cannon. These third generation cannon had double the range and move lethality then the first generation. Eagle and Falcon headed for Glory for a refit also. Production on all ships was halted so that the Society could build up enough mineral resources to upgrade the mining facilities, assuming the Science Guild finished the project that they felt confident would improve the miners efficiency. It was a gamble the Chairman had to take.

In the Xillantha System, Gamma Fleet completed the jump in system. Xillantha VI held a colony of 66 million Norakians. A single frigate protected her. Gamma Fleet would give them all that they could handle.

2405.3

The offensive had begun. Gamma fleet approached Xillantha VI. For some reason that neither captain could fathom, the Norak Alagoa frigate that had been covering the planet left orbit to join another Alagoa. The planet was completely open to attack.
Captain Lu was the senior officer and would be in charge of the attack. Captain R.J. Brennan was in command of the Artemis.
“Captain Brennan!” the Sonar Officer called out. “I read at least five weapons platforms on the surface!”
Well, so much for undefended, Brennan thought.
“Ok, get that information to Intimidator ASAP. No one told us that this would be easy.” His command console rang. As he answered it, the face of Captain Lu greeted him.
“R.J., we are going to do this by the book. We move into optimal firing range and let fly. Then we high tail it out of range. It’s been my experience that this works very well against well-defended planets. They can’t dodge our salvos, so we have the advantage. The downside is that if a barrage catches us, there is no way our ship could survive that number of missiles. Be careful, and follow me in. Good luck and God bless.”
Brennan smiled. “We’ll be right behind you, sir. Just save some for us, ok? We can’t let you experienced officers have all of the fun, right?” Brennan laughed, but was puzzled by Captain Lu’s reaction. Was he…disappointed? Or was it fear?
“Don’t worry, Brennan, there will be plenty of action to go around today. Lu out.”
With that, the link went dead. Brennan liked Captain Lu, and hoped that he hadn’t gotten on his bad side. Otherwise it would be a long trip home.
They began their run. At twelve parsecs, on board Intimidator, the Sensor Officer called out. “Sir, I have multiple bogies coming from the surface. We have been targeted, Captain.”
Lu frowned. Twelve parsecs? “Nav, how far out are we?”
“12 parsecs, Captain.”
Must be a new type of missile, then. The intel boys back home would love to hear about this. “Right, that changes nothing. Move to 9 parsecs and fire a full spread.”
On the first run, Intimidator’s missiles took out one of the weapons platforms, but Artemis fired too soon, and her missiles failed to reach the planet.
Chalk on up to battlefield jitters, Lu mused. He opened the com link and reminded Brennan, as gently as possible, to hold fire until nine parsecs. To Lu it appeared that Brennan digested the advice.
On the second run, it appeared to Lu that he was right. Artemis held fire until nine parsecs, and both ships succeeded in knocking out another two weapons platform.
The next four runs took place with neither ship taking damage. The Norak colony on Xillantha VI was bLasted out of existence.
During the conference between Lu and Brennan after the battle, he spoke with considerably less bravado. Nuking colonies would do that to a man, and Lu thought that there might be hope for him yet.

In the Wurtuy System, Hyperion and Furious prepared to jump into the Lapzooli System. This would be the first raid on the Norak home system. The ships joined up, and entered the wormhole…

To be continued...

Atrocities June 20th, 2002 07:03 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
This is what people should read before buying the game. After reading your story, I know if I did not already have SEIV Gold, I would get it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Very nice work. Please keep posting the story. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo June 21st, 2002 07:26 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Fire from Heaven

As they emerged from the wormhole, the entire Norak system was laid bare before them. There were two ships on the sensors, but they were too far away to join in the fight. The closest target was Lapzooli V. The frigates closed in, intent on doing as much damage as possible.
Aboard Hyperion, Captain Walt Reed surveyed the battle plot. Lapzooli V had at least three weapons platforms, and they were all armed with missiles. Standard hit and run tactics, then. The battle plan worked, and the defense bases were systematically smashed. Roughly 100 million Norakian colonists perished in the firestorm rained upon them by the Remorhaz frigates. The very existence of the Norak Continuum was at stake.

Word of the Lapzooli Offensive reached the Chairman quickly. His pages and staff were around him, chirping about the end of the war and victory. Chairman Sachmo was not so quick to write the Norak off. He sat back in his chair, and rubbed his temples. No, but this was a time to offer them peace. As he had stated during their strategy meeting, he had no desire to destroy an entire race. There really wasn’t much choice in the matter. He punched up the com unit of the chief of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Sangi Mulatti.
“Ambassador Mulatti. Oh, good day, Chairman. I trust you have heard the news?”
Sachmo smiled thinly. “Yes, Sangi. We may have an opportunity here, but I don’t see that this thing is over.”
Sangi nodded. “I concur, Chairman. What can I do for you?”
“Sangi, I need you to offer the Norak a graceful way out of this conflict. If you and your staff can get me some idea of how they might receive such a proposal, we would have an advantage.”
“Sir, I have already taken the liberty of preparing a report on the mood of the Norakians. I will send it over to you immediately.”
Good old Sangi. Always one step ahead. That might explain why he had survived in politics as long as he did.
“Thanks, Sangi. Is there anything you can give me now? Maybe an overview?”
With a nod, and a frown, Sangi spoke. “Chairman, I am afraid that the only way to win this war may indeed be the destruction of our race or theirs. No matter what losses they take, or what setbacks we cause them, they howl for our blood. They are relentless in their hatred. I don’t think they will seriously entertain an offer of surrender. There is much we do not understand about their culture, but their complete devotion to their government doesn’t give the common man much room to think, and the religious hierarchy seems to equate us with the anti-christ. Why may be a question we may never have answered, but we can at least try.”
The Chairman let out a long sigh. “Well Sangi, let us hope they do come around. If we destroy this race, I don’t know how the people will feel about that. Also, what will the other races in the galaxy think of us? Will peace be impossible with the Rage? So many things we cannot know the answer to, but we have to try and end this.”
“Chairman, my staff and I will do everything we can to get thru to Norakians.”
“I trust you will, Sangi.”

2405.4

Combat in the Xillantha-Wurtuy wormhole resulted in damage to Manticore and two Alagoa class Norak frigates. Manticore headed back to Glory for repairs, while Gamma Fleet perused the wounded Alagoas.
The Research Guild had indeed discovered a more efficient way to mine planets, and all miners in the Society were gearing up to upgrade their mining facilities.
At Glory, Falcon began the upgrade process.
In Lapzooli, Hyperion and Furious attacked Lapzooli I. 105 million colonists were protected by two weapons platforms. The colony was destroyed. Their mission a rousing success, the two fleet withdrew, headed to Hera to resupply and rearm. Nemesis moved to the wormhole to cover their withdrawal, and to keep the Norakians penned into the Lapzooli System.

2404.5

Remorhaz built a colony ship, which was immediately dispatched to the Xillantha system to setup a resupply base in that system.

In Xillantha, Captain Lu took Gamma Fleet into battle against the two wounded Alagoas. Captain Lu had the battle plan worked out with Brennan ahead of time. They would fork the lesser-damaged Alagoa, and take her with missiles from both flanks. This should minimize danger for both craft, and allow them to hunt and kill the remaining. Lu was happy to confirm that the second Alagoa had both of her missile tubes knocked out, so she would be out of the fight. As soon as Intimidator and Artemis appeared on their scanners, the disarmed frigate turned and ran. The remaining Alagoa turned to cover his partner’s retreat.
“Brave.” Captain Lu murmured. He checked the tactical display. Intimidator was still out of missile range, but Artemis should be firing just about…
“Captain, Artemis has fired on the Alagoa. Full spread.” Lieutenant Merrik called out.
“Very well. Helm, continue into firing range.”
“Aye, aye, sir.”
“XO, what do you think? Will she stick around and fight, or cut and run?” Captain Lu looked to his XO. Lieutenant Commander Will Crowley was a very promising young officer, and Lu would recommend him for the next available command.
“Well sir, she doesn’t really have a choice. She can either try and run at 1/3 speed, or buy her friend some time. This way, maybe one of them can get away. I think she’ll fight, and try to take a piece of our *** with them.”
Lu nodded. “I concur. What say we not give her the chance?”
Lieutenant Crowley smiled. “I’m with you on that, Captain. Sensor, what’s she doing?”
Captain Lu sat back. Let’s see how the kid does with this, he thought.
The Alagoa fired a spread back at Artemis. Brennan turned her sharply and kicked in the main engines, struggling to get out of missile range. It looked to Gordon Lu as if combat had taught Mr. Brennan a bit of caution. The thought made him smile. Soon he would regain a bit of his swagger, but it would be tempered with knowledge and experience. That’s what made a good captain.
Intimidator continued to close the range to the Alagoa.
Captain Lu saw the firing solution on the tactical display. It couldn’t look any better than this. He was about to give the order himself when he heard Crowley yell out.
“Alright Weps, give him a full spread. Helm, get ready to take us out of range.”
The officers acknowledged the orders.
“Sir, we have been targeted. Missiles incoming!”
Lieutenant Commander Crowley remained calm. “Ok helm, get us the hell out of here.”
The ship turned as quickly as she could. There was the briefest of moments when Gordon was pushed back in his seat as the compensators adjusted for the change in momentum. It always made him feel like he was on an ride at an amusement park.
The missiles slammed into the Alagoa, and smashed it like a child’s toy. The ship split in half, gasses venting and fires burning out as soon as they hit the vacuum of space.
It took the better part of the day, but eventually Gamma Fleet hunted down and destroyed the second Alagoa. The system cleared, Gamma Fleet made for Glory to resupply. This was a very successful cruise for the crew of Intimidator and Artemis.

In the Lapzooli system, Captain Jager was given permission by Admiral Urian to move the wormhole defense into Lapzooli, to ensure the free passage of this wormhole. Nemesis was itching for a fight, and so determined that this would be the system for it. Loxias moved all of the defense satellites into the Lapzooli system, and deployed them at the wormhole. Now if a supply base could be setup in system, they might be able to knock the Norak Continuum out of the war.

In the meantime, the mining facility upgrades continued at a feverish pace.

2405.7

Black Hills completed the mining upgrade. Gamma and Delta Fleets headed back to Glory and Hera respectively to allow a resupply. Admiral Urian was determined that once strength was built up sufficiently, the Lapzooli Offensive would follow thru to it’s logical conclusion. He dispatched RSS Eagle to scout the system beneath Lapzooli. If there were Norakians in this system, they would be destroyed. Admiral Urian had no qualms about destroying the Norakians. War was hell, but those who refused to know when to call it quits deserved what they got.

2405.8

Remorhaz has completed their mining upgrade. Glory was the only planet left to complete the upgrade. Mineral supplies were rising again.
On the diplomatic front, the Norak continued to refuse a treaty.
The Diplomatic Corps reported that the Rage had warmed to us, but a non-aggression treaty was greeted with a negative, belligerent response. Of course, the ambassador sent was immediately killed.
Gamma Fleet pulled into Glory. The ships were greeted with a large crowd of civilians and military personnel alike, all cheering the Intimidator and Artemis. The total victory of the Remorhaz People’s Navy in the Xillantha system was a huge boost for morale. The crews of both ships need not have worried about buying drinks for themselves, as everything was on the house. After the debriefing, Admiral Urian gathered the press and the command staff of both ships. In a ceremony, the officers in charge were awarded the Golden Sun for duty above and beyond the call of duty. Certain members of the crews of both ships were also decorated. At the end of the ceremony, much to everyone’s surprise, Admiral Urian announced that Captain Gordon Lu was promoted to the rank of Commodore, with all of the privileges afforded that rank. Lu was the first officer promoted for combat excellence in the Remorhaz Society in over 100 years.
A week later, the ceremony died down as Gamma Fleet prepared to head into Lapzooli for the final offensive. Commodore Lu was given a choice of which ship to carry his flag on, and without hesitation he chose RSS Intimidator. His former XO, now Captain Will Crowley was given command. She would be the flagship of Gamma Fleet, and from her the attack on Lapzooli would be commanded. Extra communications gear was installed on Intimidator to allow her to function as the command ship. Commodore Lu sat in his cabin and watched the Space Yard slowly drift out of view.
“This is all on you, Gordo.” He thought. “If you screw the pooch, you’re going to take a lot of folks with you. Don’t fail.” He lay back in his bunk. I had better be ready, because this happening whether he was ready or not.
With a stretch and a yawn, he stood up and moved over to his desk. It was made from pure Glory choba wood, which gave the desk a slightly greenish color. It was very nice, and very expensive. “I guess this is the furniture you rate when you are a flag officer” Gordon mused. He pulled out his intel and charts on the Lapzooli system. It was time to plan an attack.

Admiral Urian stepped into the cramped room. General Gulman was already present, along with his staff. Chairman Sachmo sat at the table, looking haggard. He flashed the Admiral the best smile he could muster. The Admiral nodded, and walked over to the General.
“Gulman! You old ground-pounder! What’s got you in an office? You aren’t happy unless you are sleeping under a rock somewhere with a rifle in one hand and a sword in the other!”
The General smiled at the Admiral. Once upon a time, Gulman had been dead set on going the Navy route, but in the end the Army seemed a better fit. He and Urian had been friends since they were kids, though, and so were very close.
“Hi, Marcus. Come on in. I really want to get started, if you don’t mind.”
Urian took a seat and poured himself a cup of coffee. He opened his data file, and clicked it into the port imbedded in the table.
Chairman Sachmo stood up.
“Gentlemen, as you know, the war on the Norak front may be winding down. The fleet is getting ready to gather in Lapzooli, and once together they will attack Lapzooli II. It looks like surrender is not in their vocabulary. Throughout the Last few months, we have been able to destroy their colonies through fleet bombardment. While effective, it is brutal. If this war drags on, I want to be able to invade these worlds and capture them. This will allow us to take a planet that is already build up and populated and quickly assimilate it into the society. Also, it will drastically reduce the number of civilian casualties this war has produced. The General tells me that with our current technology, any attempt at an invasion would be suicide. We have no means of getting troops down onto the surface of a planet in a rapid enough fashion that would keep them from getting slaughtered by ground troops.”
He sat back down. “I realize that you cannot control these factors, but I need you ideas on what it would take to make surface invasion a reality.”
Admiral Urian cleared his throat. “Sir, the General and I and our staffs have come up with a proposal that would give us the most flexibility for a force of space to dirt infantry. They would have to be shock troops, sir. Once a planet is taken, regular army units could be brought in to keep the peace and garrison the planet. We have decided that this new force should be under the jurisdiction of neither the Army or the Navy, but be a branch of the service all to itself.”
General Gulman punched up his proposal onto the main conference wall.
“Sir, we propose that this new force be called the Remorhaz Space Marine Corps.”
At that table, in the eighth month of the year 2405, the Remorhaz Space Marine Corps was born. They would earn a reputation for themselves as one of the toughest fighting outfits in the galaxy, but that is a story for later.

To be continued...

Ragnarok June 21st, 2002 06:39 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
<Insert clapping>*Claps*<End clapping> Very nice story. Loving it so far!

sachmo June 21st, 2002 07:47 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Glad folks are enjoying it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif This really adds another element to the game.

Story Junkie June 21st, 2002 08:36 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Yay, Stories!

Atrocities June 21st, 2002 10:11 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

General Gulman punched up his proposal onto the main conference wall.
“Sir, we propose that this new force be called the Remorhaz Space Marine Corps.”
At that table, in the eighth month of the year 2405, the Remorhaz Space Marine Corps was born. They would earn a reputation for themselves as one of the toughest fighting outfits in the galaxy, but that is a story for later.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Do we have a Marine Author on our hands? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Very nice story, very nice. Thank you for writing it. I look forward to the next installment with great anticipation.

Atrocities June 21st, 2002 10:31 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
An after thought

Perhaps we should have SJ's story list marked as a Sticky called whatever he wants it named, but basically The Stories Thread or something.

A lot of people have dedicated a lot of time to write a lot of great fan fiction, and it would be tragic loss if they went un-read.

sachmo June 21st, 2002 10:54 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Not a Marine. I tried when I was a kid, but they don't take people with asthma. I just believe that Marines have to be present in a space story...if your plot slows down, they can always find some trouble to get into to spice it back up again! Thanks for reading!

Story Junkie June 22nd, 2002 12:40 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Perhaps my sig wasn't clear enough, but I do have a link to a full webpage that lists all of the forum threads that have stories.

sachmo June 22nd, 2002 01:18 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Yes, I had already marked it as a favorite. That's how I found the history of the galaxy thread. Really nice job, Story Junkie!

Atrocities June 22nd, 2002 02:47 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

Perhaps my sig wasn't clear enough, but I do have a link to a full webpage that lists all of the forum threads that have stories.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Oh your signature was clear, and thank you for having the web site. However, what happens if you don't post for a while? Or lose intrest in maintaning your web page. Or it goes down and all the links are lost? By making a sticky thread that does the same as your site, the chances of the links being lost will be reduced. Just my 2 cents, and I ment no offense by offering the suggestion SJ.

geoschmo June 22nd, 2002 05:31 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Oh your signature was clear, and thank you for having the web site. However, what happens if you don't post for a while?
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">SJ not post for a while?!? Hahahahahaahahahaahahahahaahaha haahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahaahahahahah ahahahahaha. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Story Junkie June 22nd, 2002 06:11 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
The one point that Geo didn't counter with his reply was the web site going down.

I've made myself a backup now.

Now that I think about it, I suppose I could also just post the whole pile of links as part of my message instead of as my sig... Not all that much more work.

Atrocities June 22nd, 2002 06:57 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif If there is ever another release of SEIV, it would be golden if many of the fine Fan Fiction stories were included.

sachmo June 23rd, 2002 12:20 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Eagle Down

2405.9

The upgrade of the mining facilities has been completed throughout the Society. Minerals are being mined at an unprecented rate. The abundance of raw materials will allow for a much more flexible and complete building program throughout the Remorhaz Society.

Once again, the Norak Continuum refuses to negotiate with our diplomats. Meanwhile, our ships gather for an assault on their homeworld. It’s only a matter of time now.
In the Lapzooli system, Nemesis watched as a Norakian Alagoinhas class frigate approaches the wormhole. If they come, we’ll be ready, Captain Jager thought. They will not run the barricade. Help was on the way in the form of Gamma and Delta Fleets. It was only a matter of time.

In the Xillantha system, colonists landed on the fifth planet of the system, and renamed the planet Fort Justice in honor of the crew of the first Remorhaz ship to be lost in combat. The colonists began setting up a spaceport as quickly as possible. Next on the list would be a resupply post. This system was now deemed vital to the Society, and so the Navy was making its possession a priority. Orbiting Fort Justice was the RSS Hawk, with Falcon making way at best speed to assist in securing the system. As soon as Manticore was repaired, she would also head to the system. When the defense of the system was secured, a scouting mission would be sent into Fezzran system, where Rage activity could be monitored.
Back on Remorhaz, the military was being restructured. With the creation of the Remorhaz Space Marine Corps, the corps of officers would have to be taken from both the Army and the Navy. Also, since the ranks of the Marines were based on the rank structure used by the Army, the highest-ranking officer in each branch of service was given a specific title. For example, the highest rank in the Army was previously General, with the senior-most General serving as the head of the Army. Now that the Marine Corps would also have their own Generals, each branch had a specific name for its commanding officer. So with this change in rank structure, Admiral Urian was “promoted” to the rank of Grand Admiral, and General Gulman to the rank of Field Marshal. The position of Commandant of the Marine Corps had yet to be filled. Grand Admiral Urian, Field Marshal Gulman, and Chairman Sachmo were interviewing prospective candidates. With a war on, such a decision was much too important to be entrusted to the Representatives. A creature of politics would buckle under the strain. The Commandant had to be an officer of vision, motivation, and patience. Building a service branch from the ground up, during a war, would be an almost impossible task at best. The Corps needed a warrior to lead it.

2406.0

In the Lapzooli system, Nemesis, backed by thirteen defense satellites, destroyed a Norakian Alagoinhas class frigate and sustained no damage. Her crew was ecstatic; and she hoped that would Last. It wasn’t their fault about the outcome of the Battle of the Rocks, but they felt that way anyway. On the positive side, because they felt that way indicated to Gina that they were coming closer together as a unit.

The Rage were on the move. While the Eagle was preparing for her jump into an unknown system, there was a massive matter disturbance detected on the scanner four parsecs from the wormhole.
“Emergency stop!” Captain Hanks screamed. He wasn’t sure what the disturbance was…it could be a gravity “riptide”, or an ion cloud (a big one!), or even something coming thru the wormhole. Whatever it was, Captain Hanks didn’t want to collide with it.
The small System Patrol Ship responded to the emergency stop quickly. The helmsman deftly stood Eagle on her stern, and then rolled her over, so that the main engines could be used to brake their forward momentum.
“Captain! I have multiple bogies completing jump from the wormhole. I count…six, no, five frigate sized craft and one larger. Sir, the frigates match Rage patterns, although they are types we haven’t seen before. Range to closest target…two parsecs!”
This was definitely a bad situation. If those Rage ships had missiles, there was no way Eagle could get out of range before they were hit. Captain Hanks made his decision quickly.
“Sparks, launch an emergency beacon. Attach the signatures of those Rage frigates for the intel boys to add to the database. Copy the message to Hawk and Fort Justice. I’m sure we’ll know what types of weapons they have soon enough.” Hanks had to smile at his own joke, even if no one else did. By launching the beacon, he was betting that they wouldn’t make it thru the fight, but at least the Navy would know what happened, and where.
“Missiles incoming. Captain, we have at least thirty missiles inbound!”
“Weps, target the closest Rage ship and fire at her. If I’m going to lose, I want someone to go down with me.”
“Aye, Aye, Sir. Firing.”
Eagle lurched ever so slightly as her twin depleted uranium cannons fired at the Rage frigate.
Captain Hanks looked at the tactical display. Only one way to run, and that was away from the wormhole. “Helm, stand on it. We have to open the range as quickly as possible, or we are in trouble.”
The helmsman acknowledged. Hanks looked at the display again. They were at 110% power on the engines, and rising. He really was trying his best to open the range, but Hanks knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference. Those missiles were fired at to close of a range for the Eagle to get clear.
The XO shouted with glee, “Direct hit with both guns, sir. The Rage frigate is venting gas. We hurt her, sir.”
They wouldn’t go down alone. Eagle ran for 2 parsecs before the missiles caught up with her.
The first spread hit her slightly aft of amidships, obliterating the crew quarters, mess, and medical bay in an instant.
The power went down, but came back up just as quickly. The XO hadn’t been strapped into a seat, and now he lay on the deck, his head bleeding from a nasty gash given to him by a console.
“Damage report!” Captain Hanks called.
Life support called back with the grim news. “Captain, the left rear quarter of the ship is gone. We are trying to close off sections now, but I think it may be more than we can handle. We lost Ingols and Rospero when the hatch was torn off.”
“Do what you can. Good luck.” Hanks frowned. That salvo had pretty much done them in, and there were at least 25 more missiles inbound.
“Weps, you fire at that target and you take him to hell with us, alright?”
The Weapons Officer acknowledged the order, and his voice cracked. Tears were streaming down his face. They all knew that they were going to die today.
“Sensor, where are those other missiles?”
“8000 mete…” The next salvo of missiles slammed into the bow, vaporizing the forward half of RSS Eagle. A few men trapped in the twisted wreck that had been the rear half of the ship lived another fifteen seconds before a third salvo turned what was left of the ship into a quickly dissipating could of debris.

Hawk had indeed gotten the message from Eagle. Lieutenant Commander Harry Norten stared at the tactical display as Eagle flared and died on the screen. He immediately called down to the colony and informed them that “if they wanted to live they would put all efforts into building as many defense satellites as they possibly could, and some weapons platforms, and they could do it right goddamn now.”
Governor Yuri Kalasnikov immediately had everyone quit work on the spaceport and begin assembly of defense satellites. By his estimation, they should be able to get three built and launched by the end of the month. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do. Yuri had seen video of the bombardment of Cirius. Now that nightmare might actually become a reality. He had those he could spare begin constructing bunkers. There would be no way they could protect everyone, but maybe some of the children could survive.

In Wurtuy, Commodore Lu decided to divert Gamma Fleet to protect the Xillantha-Wurtuy wormhole, in case the Rage decided to try and penetrate this system.

The scientists had finally finished the prototype for the next combat ship hull. This destroyer hull was 300kt, and so could pack more weapons than the frigate. On this hull the Navy Design Bureau created three new designs:
1. Glory Class DD- with 3 missile tubes and 2 DUCs, this ship can handle anything thrown her way.
2. AUX-R (Auxiliary Repair)- this ship would allow ships damaged in combat to be repaired while underway.
3. AUX-S (Auxiliary Supply)- this ship would join with a fleet to extend its range and decrease the need for resupply runs.
These craft would be build as soon as possible, but the Glory DD’s were obviously going to be the first off of the line.

The Research Guild, on orders from the Chairman, began researching methods of construction a weapon system, which could survive atmospheric re-entry, carry troops, and provide fire support for those troops. With this, the Marine Corps would have a weapon to fight with.

Rear Admiral Shaun Hunter walked into the conference room. A quick glance around the table told him that this was a serious interview. He had half expected his request to transfer to the new Space Marine Corps to be buried under a sea of paper. Some of the older fleet officers weren’t very fond of him.
Hunter was widely known throughout the Navy as being a brilliant, but pushy officer. He had written some excellent papers on tactics during his career, but he had never bothered to try and conform his ideas to those of his senior, whoever he may have been at the time. Often, this resulted in friction between him and his commanding officers. If it weren’t for his brilliant mind, he probably would have been mustered out of the Navy long ago, but where he had many enemies, he also had many friends. So, he advanced thru the ranks, moving from command to command, learning all that he could about the Navy, and applying it to what he already knew. This had created on of the most brilliant minds in the service, but none of that mattered now. He would never make Fleet Admiral, or anything after that, however. His enemies could easily see to that, and his friends could not get him past his current rank. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Naturally, when the creation of the Space Marine Corps had been announced, Hunter had jumped at the chance. Of the very few space to surface missions that the Navy had run over the years, Hunter had advised or participated in all of them. He had written at least five papers on theory and tactics of planetary invasion tactics. Unbeknownst to him, Grand Admiral Urian and Field Marshal Gulman had used his papers as a basis for their proposal for the creation of the Marine Corps. He thought he would be a natural fit, and maybe it might jump-start his career.
Hunter stepped into the middle of the room and stood before the assembled staff. He saluted crisply, and stood at attention when Urian returned it.
The Grand Admiral spoke. “Welcome to the review board, Rear Admiral Hunter. As you know, this panel is responsible for selecting officers for transfer to the Remorhaz Space Marine Corps. We are interviewing volunteers first, and then we will go thru and select officers whom we believe will fit in best and contribute the most to the Corps. Since the main mission of the Marine Corps will involve surface combat, the majority of officers and non-commissioned officers will come from the Army. That does not necessarily mean that Army officers will get the highest positions. Do you have any questions before we start?”
“No, sir.”
“Fine, then. Field Marshal Gulman, if you would start please?”
The Field Marshal cleared his throat. “Rear Admiral, can you tell me why you have been in your present rank for the Last five years?”
The question surprised Hunter. He hadn’t expected to have to defend himself so early. He figured that the Field Marshal would want to do his old cronies a favor and get him out of the Navy, and out of their hair. If that were indeed his intention, why would he try and disqualify him right off the bat?
“Well, sir…I would have to say that while I cannot answer your question with any more knowledge than I possess, I can probably answer your question honestly. I haven’t always made friends during my career sir. I tend to fight for what I believe in, often long after I should have given up the fight. I believe if I had been less stubborn on a number of occasions, I might have made Vice Admiral by now.” The cat’s out of the bag now, Hunter thought. I wonder if I’ve already killed my chances?
Next to speak was Grand Admiral Urian.
“Rear Admiral Hunter, can you tell me why, on numerous occasions, you would publish papers that you knew sometimes contradicted or even demolished the theories of your superiors?”
This is a damn firing squad, mused Hunter. Not what I expected at all. Well, if they want to humiliate me, I might as well give them something to talk about.
“Grand Admiral, I believe the problem here is not that I would publish these papers, but that some of my past superiors refused to even attempt to try anything new. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been some other officer. Tactics need to evolve, sir. If they sit stagnant too long, you might end up holding the short end of the stick before you know it. My job is to keep my people alive and achieve my objective, not to earn brownie points with my superiors.” Put that in your pipe and smoke it. Still, Hunter was disappointed. He had always thought of Admiral Urian as a free thinker. He thought the Grand Admiral was a friend.
Finally, the Chairman spoke. “Did you know that you are the highest ranking officer to request a transfer, Rear Admiral Hunter? How do you think that will look to your superiors? It smacks of desperation to me, if you want to know the truth. Is that it, Rear Admiral? Do you want to continue your career, since we all know that it’s pretty much over now in the Navy?”
Hunter was furious. From the Field Marshal he expected it. From the Grand Admiral, he hadn’t, but he respected the man, so it was easier to take. Now the Chairman? Had he really screwed up that bad?
“Mr. Chairman, with all do respect, I am not a politician, nor do I wish to be one. If my actions over the course of my career have cost me rank, then so be it. I worked very hard to get where I am today, sir. If this is the end of the line, then so be it. I will say this…I regret nothing. If one of my papers on missile tactics saves a ship, then it was all worth it. If the Marine Corp can benefit from my papers on Space to Surface combat, then it was all worth it. I stand by my decisions, because I am the one who has to live with them. I might not be the smartest officer in the Navy, or the most successful, but I think that I am the best that I can be. Nothing said here can change that, Mr. Chairman.”
With that, Hunter stood at attention, waiting to be dismissed. Now he wished they had just buried his request. He had sniped back at the Chairman of the Remorhaz society, the Grand Admiral of the Navy, and the Field Marshall. The Chairman was right. He could kiss any hope of another tour of duty. He was finished.
Hunter snapped out of his thoughts. The three questioners were still conversing, but they had their com units turned off, so no one could hear what they were saying. He stood at attention, hoping they hadn’t forgotten him…that they would dismiss him and end this farce. Maybe they want to watch me squirm?
After several minutes, Grand Admiral Urian turned his com unit back on. He had a smile on his face, and a bit of a mischievous look…maybe the eyebrows?
The Grand Admiral spoke. “Rear Admiral, thank you for your patience. We appreciate your honesty in your answers. While another officer might have…well, toned them down a bit, we had to be sure of what you were made of. If we approve your transfer, can you promise to continue acting the way you have conducted yourself here today? Will you wade through the junk, avoid playing politics, and concentrate on the mission at hand?”
Hunter was stunned. “Of course, sir.”
‘Will you continue to develop tactics and keep them from getting stagnant? Also, and most importantly, will you strive to keep your men alive?”
“Yes, Grand Admiral.”
“Well then, Rear Admiral Hunter, in accordance with the judgment of this review panel we would like to welcome you to the Remorhaz Space Marine Corps. We had a promotion in mind, also. How does Commandant of the Space Marine Corps sound to you?”
Hunter blinked. That had to be a mistake.
“Sir?”
“How would you like to be Commandant of the Space Marine Corps, Shawn?”
Hunter swallowed. This couldn’t be happening, but his heart took over his speech functions.
“Sir, this is not what I expected, but with every fiber of my being, I would be honored to accept the position.”
Urian smiled. “Excellent. Come on over here and shake my hand, Commandant. We have your five stars ready for you.”

At the end of the week, a press conference was held in Turian, the capitol of the Remorhaz Society. Commandant Shawn Hunter was introduced to the Society as the commander of the new Remorhaz Space Marine Corps. He briefly outlined the job of the Space Marine, and then answered questions from the press while the uniforms were displayed.
From the Lapzooli system, Captain Gina Jager watched the ceremony on the vid unit. So Rear Admiral Hunter was the head of the Space Marine Corps? She couldn’t think of a better choice. First, he was a Navy man and so she was sure that it got under everyone skin in the Army. Also, she had studied under him, and read some of his papers. His paper on effective damage control techniques had probably saved the lives of fifty crewmember on the trip home from the Battle of the Rocks. Hunter would make them the terror of the galaxy. She had to wonder, though, if his Marines would be ready in time for this battle?

To be continued...

sachmo June 24th, 2002 04:09 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Genocide

2406.1

The Rage, thankfully, did not press their attack. It certainly wasn’t because of our overwhelming naval strength, thought Governor Kalashnikov. He hoped the Navy was serious about holding this system, because it looked to him as if the Rage could take it anytime they damn well pleased. RSS Falcon arrived in system to assist Hawk.

At the Glory shipyards, a new ship was launched. The RSS Comet was the first of the Comet Class Attack Ships. Armed with nothing but planetary napalm bombs, she was well suited to surface attack duties. Grand Admiral Urian hoped that if the Norak saw a demonstration of what the Comet Class Attack Ships could do to a colony, they would surrender, or at least sue for peace. She set out for the Lapzooli system immediately.

With the immediate threat of the Rage averted, Gamma Fleet once again laid course for Lapzooli.

2406.2

Nemesis joined up with Hyperion and Furious in Delta fleet. Captain Jager was in command of the fleet until Commodore Lu was in system. The three captains discussed their options, and decided to make a raid on Lapzooli II, the homeworld of the Norak. She had constructed two defense Space Stations, and these defenses needed to be softened up before a large attack could be mounted. Also, the fleet would be able to gather intel on any other defenses the planet had. Delta Fleet left the wormhole behind, and began the month long trip to the homeworld of the Norak.

The Grand Admiral of the Remorhaz Navy stood on the platform of the Remorhaz Space Yard. Before him, lit up brilliantly in her berth, was RSS Glory, the first of the Glory Class Destroyers. She was a hybrid design, and a bit of a departure from the previous ship designs. She mounted three capital missile tubes, and two DUCs. Command was given to Captain Peter Winters, an officer fresh from a tour on the General Staff of the Navy. He was an excellent leader, and a good tactician. Glory was to proceed to Xillantha and join up with Manticore, Eagle, and Hawk On board Glory was Rear Admiral Shiro Sakazawa, who was to organize the fleet in Xillantha into an effective fighting force. This fleet would harass the Rage while holding the system. If an opportunity presented itself, Sakazawa had authority to authorize and action he deemed appropriate.

2406.3

Delta Fleet entered the system of Lapzooli II. Captain Jager was very nervous. She was leading the fleet into battle against the capitol of another empire. Resistance was expected to be fierce. Quickly she had her Sensor Officer do a sensor scan of the system. She didn’t want to run into anything unexpected, and if the Norak were going to spring a trap, now would be the time.
“Captain, uhhh, I’m not sure if I really believe what I’m seeing, but it seems that neither the planet nor the Defense Space Stations around the her are armed.”
Gina nearly choked on her coffee. “What? XO, can you confirm?”
Commander Svenson quickly moved to the sensor screen. “I confirm that Captain. Not one defensive weapon. We are clear for approach. We do confirm that the planet is inhabited by 2.4 billion Norakians.”
Her mission was clear. She was to probe the enemy defenses and do as much damage as possible while ensuring the safety of her ships.
“Right then. We attack the planet with nuclear missiles. God damn this war.”
Gina punched up her com link to both Hyperion and Furious.
The faces of Captain Reed and Captain Jennings appeared instantly.
“Well my friends, it looks like they left their homeworld undefended. We will move in and fire nuclear missile salvos for effect. Be ready for anything…I just can’t believe that they would leave Lapzooli II open like this.”
Captain Reed spoke. “I saw that too, Gina. We’ll be ready. We need to take advantage of this. If it’s a mistake, they won’t make it again, so we need to make this count.”
Captain Jennings nodded. “I concur, Walt, but we need to let Remorhaz know about this situation. Maybe just having us here in orbit will bring them to the table.”
Gina shook her head. “There’s no time. We attack, and if Remorhaz wants us to pull back, then we’ll do it, but we can’t let this chance go. I don’t like it any more than either of you, but it’s what we get paid for. Keep your heads up and be careful.”
Both captains cleared the channel, intent on commanding their ships.
“Helm, make full speed for Lapzooli II. Weps, load up the missile tubes and begin targeting the facilities on the surface. Let’s take out their Space Yard first.”
The orders were acknowledged. Gina kept a close eye on the tactical display.
In the end, there were no tricks. Delta Fleet nuked Lapzooli II, defenseless, and killed 255 million people. Both Space Stations were destroyed also. Now the homeworld of the Norak was blockaded. Would they come to the table now?

Gamma Fleet hunted down and killed a lone Norakian colony ship, and destroyed her. RSS Comet made it to the Lapzooli system, and moved to join Delta Fleet in the blockade of the Norakian homeworld.
Glory launched RSS Cyllene, the first fleet supply ship in the Remorhaz navy. She immediately headed for Lapzooli to extend the staying power of the fleet in system.

The Research Guild, in cooperation with the Space Marine Corps, felt that they were making progress on the trans-atmospheric craft, but that an actual prototype was probably about three months away.

2406.4

Gamma Fleet began an attack on Lapzooli II. After the bombardment, the Norak had been able to launch a new destroyer, the Amaro Class. She was armed with class three capital ship missiles, three point defense cannon, and two shield generators. It would be a tough ship to take down, but Commodore Lu wanted to concentrate on nuking the planet. That would draw the enemy ship into the fight, maybe cause him to make a mistake. A mistake might give them a chance at defeating the Amaro. Both sides maneuvered and fired, but the Remorhaz fleet had the advantage in that they had a large planet to hit, while the Amaro had to drive them off. He was not completely successful, and around 200 million Norakian colonists were killed. No spacecraft were damaged in the battle.

In the Fezzran system, Manticore and Hawk jumped in system. Their scanners immediately picked up a Rage colony on Fezzran IV. This was a colony Nemesis had destroyed in the opening days of the war. Next, they noticed eleven Rage ships, mostly frigates but also a few destroyers. The task force immediately headed back thru the wormhole and made full speed for Fort Justice. This was definitely going to be a holding action for a while.

Remorhaz launched the first fleet repair ship, RSS Icelus. She was sent to Glory for forward basing.

2406.5

Gamma Fleet, blockading Lapzooli II, was bolstered by the appearance of RSS Comet, a Comet Class Attack Ship. Her captain, Commander David Trinner, maneuvered his ship as close to the planet as possible. While Intimidator and Artemis lobbed nuclear missile salvos at the surface, Comet unleashed a hellish attack of fiery napalm against the installations on the surface of the Norak homeworld. The galaxy had not seen destruction like that done by the planetary napalm. Trinner tried to target military targets initially, but once those were destroyed by the awesome power of the bombs, he was forced to switch to civilian installations. Norakians died by the millions. In a second attack, the homeworld of the Norakians was destroyed. All of their cities were destroyed, afire, or just smoldering craters from nuclear attacks. Their leaders were killed along with everyone else on their home planet. Surely the remaining planets would surrender faced with this genocide. Wouldn’t they?

In Xillantha, a fleet of eight Rage ships perused Manticore and Hawk into the system. Both fleets raced for Fort Justice. Glory had made the transit, and Governor Kalashkniov had his colonists build more defense satellites. If the Rage came to Fort Justice, they would have a fight on their hands.

To be continued...

Atrocities June 25th, 2002 03:16 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Very nice read. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I truly enjoy reading your story.

Ragnarok June 25th, 2002 03:34 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Very nice read. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I truly enjoy reading your story.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ditto, it's getting better and better with each passing story. Keep up the good work. 5 stars for you. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

sachmo June 25th, 2002 10:22 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Thanks, guys. I hope my story can be as interesting as The History of the Galaxy! THAT is some excellent storytelling. The best thing about writing this way is the story tells itself, and I just fill in the cracks! Thanks for reading!

sachmo June 26th, 2002 02:38 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Consequences

2406.6

“Grand Admiral, Commandant Hunter is on com for you, sir.”
The Grand Admiral hoped that Hunter had good news. The destruction of Lapzooli II had effects that he had not been prepared to deal with.
“Ok, put him thru.”
Commandant of the Marine Corps Shawn Hunter appeared in the com unit.
“Marcus, they’ve finished the design for the assault craft. I can’t wait to show it to you. This baby is going to make the Space Marine Corps the most lethal attack force in history. With a ship full of assault craft, we can land a division of Marines in a matter of hours, and they will be hot and ready to go on landing. When can you come down? Oh yes, an unexpected side effect of the project…the eggheads in the Design Bureau believe that the miniaturization which was done on ship components for the assault craft will also be applicable to the construction of space mines and fighter craft! Can you imagine, Marcus? We could launch a wave of fighters at a Rage fleet before they could even deploy! Entire systems could be blocked off with defense satellites behind huge fields of space mines! This is going to give us the edge we will need to win this war!”
The Grand Admiral had to laugh. Commandant Hunter was still very new to this level of command. He was able to get excited about new things. A few years of the war would squeeze that out of him, but it was a refreshing change.
“Well, Shawn, when were you thinking about holding the test? I’m sure that the Chairman and the Field Marshal would also like to be there.”
Hunter looked off screen and yelled out the question to someone.
“Next week? Damn.” He looked back into the screen. “They say the prototype won’t be able to run the tests until next week.” He frowned. “Actually, they think it will take about five months of testing and design changes before they are ready for mass production.”
“Shawn, you still need to raise an army. We need some brave Space Marines to fill your assault craft” the Grand Admiral kidded.
“Yes, I know. I just want to get out there, you know? I’m ready to show everyone what we can do!”
“I understand, Shawn. We will be at the trial next week. Shall we have dinner soon? Now that you aren’t going to be lording over those poor scientists every minute of the day, maybe you can come and relax with me?”
The Commandant nodded. “Yes, Marcus. I’ve drawn up some preliminary plans for a troop transport design. I know it’s not exactly my jurisdiction, but I’ve figured out how to get the maximum number of assault craft based on the existing transport design…”
Marcus laughed again. “Ok, Shawn! Ok! We can discuss it at dinner tomorrow night.”
Someone off-screen call out to Hunter. Absently, he said, “Good deal. We’ll see you tomorrow night. For dinner.” The connection went dead.
Grand Admiral Urian shook his head. Yes, after the first time his Marines go into combat, he will lose a lot of that enthusiasm. It was sad really, but that was the burden of command.
With a sigh, the Grand Admiral went back to his reports.

As the speeder slowed for a vertical landing on the roof of the Senate in the city Turin, Chairman Sachmo looked out of the window. Crowds of civilians ringed the Senate, carrying signs and placards, and shouting. The Chairman could feel their anger even here, 500 feet above the crowd. This is going to be rough, he thought. All of those people are looking for answers, and the truth might be too much for them. The protests had begun as soon as the news of the destruction of Lapzooli II had been leaked by someone in the government. An “unidentified source” had handed the classified videos of the bombardment to Remorhaz News Network. Rather than checking the accuracy of the vid, they decided to run it. The resulting backlash was incredible. Ordinary citizens weren’t ready to see entire planets being glassed on their vids during dinner hour. Also, the people felt their honor had been besmirched. They thought that this was a cowardly way to fight a war. Lastly, they believed that if we could do that to them, then the Norak had every right to do it to us. The average citizen could easily see himself on the other end of that bombardment dancing across their vid screen.

Senator Harris was waiting for him at the elevator. “Good day, Chairman! How was the flight?”
Sachmo looked at him with a sour face. “Well, the trip from my residence was excellent. It’s amazing how fast a speeder can make a fifteen mile trip.”
If the Senator heard the jibe, he didn’t show it.
He talked as they walked. “Chairman, the citizens are restless, which means the Senate is restless. I know that you will placate them, but it’s important for you to know that your supporters are ready to come to your aid should you need it.” His smile was as big and fake as his hairpiece.
Subtle, Senator. If you think I’m not going to get thru this, you are sorely mistaken, the Chairman thought.
They made the ride down in silence. Well, to the Chairman it was silence, but Senator Harris was babbling about anything and everything.
As they stepped into the cloakroom of the Senate, Harris and his people split off to find their seats.
Yarboro cleared his throat. “Shall I get the disinfectant out now, Chairman?”
Sachmo chuckled. “No, don’t bother, Yarboro. Senator Harris has a few surprises in store today. Actually, I almost pity him.”
“Yes, sir, he probably has no idea.” Yarboro quipped.

The Chairman stepped into the entrance to the rotunda. The Crier nodded to him, and walked down the aisle, tapping his staff fashioned in the shape of a winged serpent, the symbol of the mighty Remorhaz. When he reached the platform he stopped and faced the gathered Senators.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the Honorable Chairman of the Remorhaz Society, Chairman Sachmo! May God preserve us all!”
The rotunda was filled with applause. At least they aren’t throwing rotten eggs, Sachmo mused.
As he walked briskly down the aisle, he tried to read the mood of the Senators. Some of his supporters looked at him, with genuine smiles on their faces, or so it seemed to him. Many of his detractors were also smiling. Sachmo spied Senator Harris grouped with a knot of his cronies. It would be interesting to see who stood with him at the end of the speech.
He walked over to the flag, touched the hem to his forehead, then to his lips, and Lastly to his heart. The ritual over, he turned and approached the podium. He paused a few seconds before speaking. Ok, you better make this good, he reminded himself.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Senators and citizens, I greet you. I am here before you today not to defend my cabinet, or myself but to bring to light the situation in which we find ourselves today. I also wish to make clear the heroics of our armed forces, and the exceptional job they have been doing protecting us all from Norak and Rage aggression.”
The Senate was on it’s feet, cheering.
Keep it together, Sachmo. As they old saying goes, the truth shall set you free. The Chairman smiled. The applause died down.
“Only six years ago, we of the Remorhaz society launched our first spacecraft. We all had theories as to what was out there, but we did not know exactly what we would find. The wonders that we have beheld since that first step are hard to put into words which would do them justice. We have discovered how to colonize other worlds, and how to navigate wormholes that take us across huge distances in space in an instant. We have witnessed stars being born, and even other races.”
Sachmo looked up. Well, I have their attention, now I have to give them the truth.
“As we all know, the contact with these other races offered us the opportunity of a lifetime. We would learn from the Norak about their ways and religion. From the Rage, we would learn how to view the universe from the eyes of a living machine. They, in turn, would learn of our values and customs, our history and dreams. It was hoped that we would all benefit from this, and each race would be richer for it.”
“This was not to be, however. No sooner had we begun to exchange ideas when both races declared war on us. There was no warning, or no rattling of swords, only a terse communication informing us that we should prepare to meet our doom.”
The crowd outside had fallen silent. Sachmo continued.
“In the early days of the war, some of our people did meet their doom. The crew of RSS Hawk arrived in the Fezzran system just in time to intercept the Last pleading cries of the colony on Cirius as the Rage fleet bLasted them from orbit. Justice met her doom on Tudran V. We hung on, and continued fighting. Eventually, our forces turned the tide on the Norak and Rage. We captured the Tudran and Wurtuy systems from them. We chased them into their home system. The difference between them, and us however, is that the entire time we were attempting to make peace. They chose to refuse. We destroyed many of their people. Still they refused to negotiate. We advanced to within one planet of their homeworld. They would not end the war. Finally, our fleet took up orbit around Lapzooli II, the homeworld of the Norak. They were blockaded. Our ships destroyed some of their key installations, and deflected the attacks that came at them. We tried to make peace, but they refused. The choice then was clear. We cannot continue to wait for the enemy to attack our colonies; our worlds. We cannot continue to hold out hope that they will eventually come to their senses and negotiate peace with us. Citizens, neither I nor anyone in the military wish to wipe out an entire species. We want peace as much as our people do. Everyday, the ships of Gamma and Delta Fleets risked destruction in the space over Lapzooli, trying to bring the Norak to the table. We have lost many people in this war, and will lose more before it is thru. I tell you now, I will do whatever is necessary to preserve our Society and our way of life. The tasks that have been required so far have been horrible. Billions of innocents died on Lapzooli II, and countless others in the engagements we have fought. If this is what it takes to secure peace, then it will be done. The enemy is leaving us without a choice. If they do not come to the table, we will destroy them. As distasteful as it sounds, it is what must be done.”
The Senate was on its feet again. The applause thundered through the rotunda, but even louder were the cheers from the citizens outside. They really understood the price that must be paid. Absently, Sachmo wondered if Senator Harris understood the price, too.
“Ladies and gentlemen, even with this resolve, we must still not abandon our efforts to negotiate peace. I have organized a new mission, lead by Senator Harris, that will approach the Rage once more, but this time from a position of strength. They will try to organize a cease fire.”
Sachmo looked up at Harris. The man had gone white as a ghost. Perfect.
“Will also attempt to get the Norak to end their fight against us. Citizens, we will win this war. It is a war that we did not ask for, but we will not waver in our resolve. If the enemy will not take the olive branch we have offered, we will take up the sword and slay them. Thank you.”
Sachmo stepped down from the podium. The applause and cheering was deafening. He made his way down the main aisle, with senators and staff alike looking at him in awe, and trying to touch him. Senator Harris pushed his way thru the crowd.
“C-Ch-Ch-Chairman, I received no word of this mission! I cannot possib…” Harris shouted. The crowd pressed in all around them.
The Chairman held up his hand, instantly stopping Harris’ stammering. He leaned in and spoke in the senator’s ear, “Harris, the next time you try to discredit me or my administration with a leak, make sure you understand the stakes. I have to thank you , though.. The leak upset our citizens, but my speech has won them back more strongly than it would have had they had been told the entire situation at once. Also, I have always suspected that you were playing against me, and now I know for sure. You see, you were the only one I allowed to learn the information about the destruction of Lapzooli II ahead of time. Now you are exposed. You are finished in the Senate, Harris. I will offer you this Last mission to parley with the Rage, though. At least this way, you will die a hero, right?”
With that, the Chairman released the senator, who stood there, motionless, as the crowd rolled past him, following the Chairman…the protector of the Remorhaz Society.

At the moment when Chairman Sachmo was holding Senator Harris and telling him that he had been undone, someone had snapped a holopic. It was the Last known holopic that showed the senator alive.

2406.6

The second Glory Class Destroyer, RSS Triumph was launched from the Glory Shipyards. She was sent to join the fleet in Lapzooli.

At Fort Justice, the Xillantha Defense Fleet watched as the Rage fleet turned course and headed to the wormhole leading to the unknown system Eagle was sent to explore before her demise. Rear Admiral Sakazawa had a meeting with the commanders of the fleet. Between them, they decided that after a few more ships bolstered the fleet, they would risk another recon run into the unknown system, unless the Lapzooli Fleet was able to make a run sooner. Fort Sachmo began constructing a Space Port.
The colony ship was originally ordered to colonize Lapzooli VII was rerouted to Lapzooli II, in the ruins of the Norakian homeworld. Since this world had a breathable atmosphere, it would be idea for colonization. The colony ship should arrive in a month. By that time, all of the fires should have stopped burning.

To be continued...

Atrocities June 26th, 2002 05:04 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Have you ever read Brotherhood Of War series? If not, you might want to consider it. By the way, excellent chapter "Consequences" was. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

sachmo June 26th, 2002 07:01 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Atrocities:
Have you ever read Brotherhood Of War series? If not, you might want to consider it. By the way, excellent chapter "Consequences" was. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">By W.E.B Griffin? Sure have, but I liked the Corps a little better.

Ragnarok June 29th, 2002 06:29 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Taking a break here Sachmo? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif No new storys lately so I'm guessing that's it. Which is totally fine since you put out excellent storys. Just thought I'd post and check it out. Which if you read around on different story threads you'll see that I do that alot. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif I can't help it, I'm addicted to the storys on here! Help me!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

sachmo June 29th, 2002 09:37 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

Originally posted by Ragnarok:
Taking a break here Sachmo? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif No new storys lately so I'm guessing that's it. Which is totally fine since you put out excellent storys. Just thought I'd post and check it out. Which if you read around on different story threads you'll see that I do that alot. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/image...s/rolleyes.gif I can't help it, I'm addicted to the storys on here! Help me!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Alas, two days of my daughter having colic, and my wife needing a break(!) have kept me busy. I was able to put a few thing together, though, and so I was raring to go tonight. Story to follow...

sachmo June 29th, 2002 09:38 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Consolidation

2406.7

Governor Luciano Raillo looked out over the surface of the planet Norak. The world that the Norak had once called home was a bLasted, shattered land. Fires from the orbital bombardment still burned over the horizon. Great craters could be seen from low orbit, the only remaining indicator of the previous existence of a Norakian city. The scale of the destruction made him shiver. Maybe we should have named this planet Cinder, he thought.
It was his job to establish this planet as a Remorhaz colony. He was determined to rebuild this world, but on the bones of two billion Norakian corpses. How would that sit with the colonists? It was a good thing they had a larger than usual Army compliment with them. That should help keep everyone in line…for a while. He looked up into the night sky, and could see the bright stars that were actually Remorhaz ships. They needed Norak as a forward supply base, and so that was the priority. Raillo turned back to his work, and tried not to think about what the future held.

On the edge of the Lapzooli system, Nemesis and her fleet raced to intercept the Norak Ampara destroyer that was trying to run for the wormhole to Wurtuy. It would be three frigates against one destroyer. Gina wanted to take this ship down to atone for her defeat at The Battle of the Rocks.
As they approached the quadrant where the Ampara was, Gina worked out the battle plan with Captain Jennings and Captain Reed. Nemesis would try and hold the destroyer’s attention while Hyperion and Furious took up positions on his flanks. The Norakian had longer-range missiles, and flanking him might be their only hope of getting a hit in on him.
The Ampara fired first, locking up Hyperion at extreme range and firing off a salvo. Captain Reed kept his ship out of harm’s way as Nemesis and Furious closed range. The Norakian captain fired and moved, targeting whichever ship was closest. Gina got a wonderful surprise, as a flight of missiles from Furious approached the Ampara were knocked out of the sky by some type of point defense laser mounted on the ship.
We need get some of those! Gina thought. Suddenly, the Ampara fired at Nemesis. Gina moved the ship out of range while the other two Remorhaz ships closed. Suddenly, the Norakian closed within missile range of both Nemesis and Hyperion. Both ships emptied their tubes, and the Ampara now had four missiles streaking toward her. The flight from Nemesis struck first. The point defense weapons knocked one of the missiles down, but the other streaked in for the kill. Before the missile could hit the hull, there was a tremendous bLast as the missile struck some sort of shield surrounding the Ampara.
“Son of a *****!”
“Captain, the missiles from Hyperion are closing on the target!…Captain, direct hit with both missiles!”
Gina watched the tactical display that hovered before her eyes. The two shots from Hyperion had hurt the Norakian destroyer. She could see two holes in the ship where the engines had been, and a large hole in the starboard “wing”.
She watched the missiles from Furious bypass the remaining point defenses and slam into the destroyer, shredding her port side. The Ampara was crippled. Gina watched in horror as Hyperion turned into the Norak missiles and headed for her position.
She stabbed the com link. “Reed! You still have two missiles homing on you!” She came in on the middle of a frantic conversation on the bridge of Hyperion.
“Belay that turn, Helm! Damn it, Mr. Douglass, what were you thinking?”
The com went dead as the two Norakian missiles struck Hyperion on her starboard side. One missile crashed thru the thin hull and continued into the rear of the ship before exploding in the engine room. All but two ion engines were vaporized in the explosion, along with the entire engineering crew. The second missile exploded right outside of the hull next to “broadway”, the main corridor stretching the length of the ship. Ten crewmen were killed instantly in the explosion, and another two were sucked out into space before the section could be sealed off. Hyperion was out of the fight.
It didn’t matter much. One Last salvo from Nemesis finished the Ampara. The missiles must have struck the engine core, because an explosion started in the aft of the destroyer and tore thru the ship, finally splitting her into pieces before the fireball burned out in the vacuum of space.
Gina sat back in her command chair. “Nice shooting, Weps. Get yourself a cup of coffee. Sensor, let me know if you see any sign of survivors.”
She keyed the com unit again. Both Captain Reed and Captain Jennings faces appeared on screen.
“Walt, how is Hyperion?”
Walter looked haggard. “Most of the fires are under control, and the exposed areas are sealed off. I would like it if you could take my wounded, Gina?”
Gina nodded. “We’ll come along side, Walt. What happened?”
Captain Reed got a concerned look on his face. “My XO made a bad decision. He was trying to open up the range from the missiles, but didn’t get the intercept angle correct. Ahhh, I should have been watching closer. I take full responsibility.”
Gina shook her head. “Walt, we’ll get it straightened out back home. Right now, let’s get you to port, ok?”
Captain Reed managed a weak smile and nodded. He broke the link.
Gina looked at the com unit. “Rita, I need you to cover us while we transfer the wounded, alright?”
Rita nodded. “Anything else you need, Gina?”
“How about a month of shore leave and a nice bath?”
They both laughed. It would be a while before that would be a reality.

Remorhaz sent a colony ship to colonize the Yukra system. There was a large rock planet with an oxygen atmosphere there. Admiral Urian dispatched Falcon to escort her.

2406.8

Commandant Shawn Hunter looked over at his staff. They had been working at this for months now, and he believed that they had all of the kinks worked out. Since pretty much everything up until now regarding space to surface invasion had been theory, everything that they were working on was groundbreaking. Hunter and his officers had been up in orbit, dropped from a modified berth in the Space Yard that simulated a troop transport (none had been built yet, but Hunter had a design), and simulated a hot landing in the one prototype assault carrier that had been built. They had been running computer simulations and writing documents. They had been observing the training of the new Space Marines, ensuring that the Space Marine Corps doctrine was being instilled into these new recruits. Over the Last few months, these men had earned their pay, to say the least. All of that hard work seemed to be paying off, however, as it seemed that they had covered most of the bases.
Hunter picked up his data unit and glanced at the final unit structure. They would raise one complete division to start. The troops would come from all over the society, and each planet would have a training base established on it. The basic Space Marine Corps unit outline was as follows:

Platoon-the basic fighting unit of the Corps. The platoon could actually be divided into two squads, but most of the time would fight as a cohesive unit. The platoon was structured around a manpower goal of 20 men, as that was the troop capacity of the new assault carriers. A Sub Lieutenant commanded this unit.
Company-5 platoons made up a Company. A Captain or a Major commanded this unit. It consisted of about 100 men and the company staff.
Battallion-4 Companies made up a Battalion. This unit was 400 men and was commanded by a Major or a Lieutenant Colonel. This formation was the smallest formation to have heavy artillery integrated into it.
Brigade-4 Battalions made up a Brigade. A brigade consisted of 1600 men plus the commanding Colonel and his staff. The Brigade would have a complete staff and be capable of operation as an independent entity for extended periods of time. Most planetary assaults would be carried out in Brigade strength.
Divison-3 Brigades made up a Division. This was the largest Marine unit, and was commanded by a Brigadier or higher-ranking General. This unit would hardly ever be gathered in one place. It consisted of around 5000 men and a total of 330 assault craft. Also assigned to it were multiple transport shuttles, speeders, and other transportation mediums.
In an operation, the ranking Space Marine Corps officer would be in charge of the planetary assault. The basic doctrine for an assault was the assaulting of key points on an enemy planet by Battalion side units, or smaller. Only on rare occasions would an entire Brigade be dropped for an assault upon one objective.
The assault craft were an integral part of the Space Marine Corps fighting unit. Not only did it serve as the drop ship for the troops, but also once on the surface its guns would provide fire support at the platoon level. It’s high speed and rough terrain maneuverability made the Space Marine platoon a force to be reckoned with.
Some of the officers were toying with the idea of assigning Space Marines to ships, allowing them to act as boarders or become an extra security force for the ship. There was a lot more research to be done before this was even attempted.
Hunter wanted to instill esprit de corps into his men, and train them mainly in assault operations. At times the Space Marine Corps would act as garrison troops, but their primary mission was planetary assault.
The Space Marine Corps was coming together. Hunter listened as his staff gave him figures on the various training operations going on throughout the Society. It looked as if the officers and non-coms brought over from the other services were really building a team spirit, and believing that they were becoming an elite fighting unit.
As night approached, Hunter sent all of his officers home for a night of well-deserved rest. For him, there was no rest. He had to write up his findings for the Chairman.

2406.9

The Repair Ship Icelus moved into position to begin repairs to Hyperion. The fleet had been creeping along at a snails pace, but some underway repairs should get them to Norak sooner. Captain Jager watched in wonder as the ship mounted repair bay went to work on the damaged frigate. I sort of looked like a giant insect was feeding on Hyperion with all of the arms from the repair ship moving about, cutting something here, removing something there. Well, the Admiral was right, she thought. The fleet is definitely becoming self-sufficient. It was a good thing, too. They had to find out where the rest of the Norak worlds were, and eliminate or capture them. It made Jager uneasy to thing of Lapzooli as Remorhaz space. She kept expecting the Norak to come charging thru a wormhole with an armada which they had no chance of stopping coming to claim their birthright. Then again, maybe they were on the edge of extension.

In the Xillantha system, RSS Hawk jumped thru the wormhole where Eagle met her fate. Lieutenant Commander Harry Norton was expecting to find the Rage home system there, but instead was greeted by an empty system populated with asteroid fields. This system looked to be another key junction in the galaxy. If they could hold this system, they might be able to eliminate any Rage threat to the Lapzooli system. Commodore Lu requested a satellite field be laid in the wormhole as soon as possible. The more early warning, the better.

2407.0

Governor Kalashnikov woke to the sound of his com unit ringing. A full nights rest is all that I ask for, he thought. Every night for the past year it seemed as if something required his attention. Couldn’t anyone handle things by themselves? Imitative! That’s they key, boys! He told them that time and time again, and yet here he was, wiping the sleep from his eyes. Whoever it was had better have a good reason for waking him. He pushed the button to answer.
He was greeted by the face of Rear Admiral Shiro Sakazawa. “Sorry to wake you, governor, but I’m issuing a Class One alert for the colony. Sensors picked up a large Rage fleet, and it looks like they are headed our way at full steam. I think you should get your people under cover, as much as possible.”
“Thank you, Admiral. Shall I switch production to defensive systems again?” Honestly, Kalashnikov was getting a bit tired of this. He had been governor of Fort Justice for a little over a year, and he had put his colony on alert three times before. Each time, the Rage fleet turned away. This time, he honestly didn’t care.
“Do what you think is best, Governor. We will be up here protecting you throughout.”
Kalashnikov shook his head. More of the same non-committal chest thumping. These Navy types had a flare for the dramatic. Life didn’t work out that way, in his experience. Life was messy. It wasn’t some heroic epic to be sung for eons.
“Thanks for your help, Admiral.” With that, Kalashnikov broke the connection. He considered going back to bed, but decided against it. If the Rage did attack, hopefully some of his people would survive. He doubted very much that the “grand fleet” would.

On Norak, the resupply base was finished. Commodore Lu ordered an expeditionary fleet be organized to check out the wormhole thru which the Norak destroyer had appeared. For this mission he detached Nemesis and Furious. They were to check the system for Norak presence. If they did detect the Norak, they were to gather as much information as possible and await further instructions.

To be continued...

CW June 29th, 2002 04:44 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Well done sachmo! Keep it coming! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Atrocities June 30th, 2002 04:15 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
I have just started book VI, the Generals. Actually I am half way through it. The Corp is coming. I have all the books, a neighbor of kindred spirits loanded them too me. I must admit, They are a good read. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif I am glad that I am not alone in reading and liking them.

I also read the Clive Cussler "Dirk Pitt" series. Inca Gold is a damn fine book.

I am about to read Atlantis Found, as soon as I am finished with The Generals.

sachmo June 30th, 2002 11:46 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Norak Continuum in Check

2407.1-.2

The fleet was gaining strength. This month both Glory and Remorhaz launched Nemesis Class C Frigates, the RSS Gallant and the RSS Mercury respectively. Both ships were ordered to reinforce the Xillantha Defense Fleet orbiting Fort Justice.

In the Xillantha system, the planet Fort Justice was able to breathe a sigh of relief as both Rage fleets made for the wormhole leading to the Lundra System. This did not disappoint Rear Admiral Sakazawa, as he currently had a fleet consisting of one destroyer, one frigate and a system patrol ship. He believed he could make do with what he had, but as for guaranteeing the well being of the colonists on Fort Justice he was not sure. Any delay by the Rage was another day for the Navy to strengthen his fleet.
Commandant Hunter watched nervously as the first production M1 Blazer Assault Craft was hauled into the compound. This was the prototype of the actual production model, the final design of the assault craft his troops would be riding into battle. By the end of the month, he expected to have around 17 Blazers built, enough for almost an entire company. Meanwhile, the training facilities on other planets would be producing troops also, and the workers at Glory Space Yard were hard at work building the first production troop transport. They expected to launch her within the next two months. Then, his Marines would ship off to try and help knock the Norak Continuum out of the war once and for all. With the Blazer in production, Hunter believed that they could.
Time to suit up, he thought. Today would be the first actual combat drop of this final model of the Blazer, and Hunter intended to be along for the ride. He strapped on his combat armor and headed for the Blazer.

Captain Jager was ready for anything. They expected the jump to take them into Norak space. In fact, she half expected to run straight into a Norak fleet. As Nemesis and Furious finished the jump, they found themselves in a strange system. The Regotha system had three stars; a blue, a white, and a red star. Gina believed that it was the first system that they had found with three stars. The light given off by them was dazzling. All three stars mixed to give the system an almost purple glow, with green halos. The view was breathtaking. All of the planets were clustered in the northeastern quadrants of the system. Three worlds in this system had Norakian presence on them. The largest was Regotha I, a rock world with a carbon dioxide atmosphere. Sensors showed about 63 million colonists on this world. Second was Regotha II, a tiny rock world with a carbon dioxide atmosphere. There were about 61 million Norak on this planet. Third was Regotha III, a rock world with an oxygen atmosphere. There were only 14 million colonists on this world, with the majority probably on the colony ship parked in orbit over the planet. This planet would be a prime target for the Space Marines, whenever they were ready. Captain Jager sent all of the data back to fleet, and then made course for the asteroid field present in this system. Within hours, she was informed that all of Gamma Fleet less RSS Intimidator was headed for the Regotha system. Jager was to hold her fleet and observe until Gamma could join them, which shouldn’t take more than a month.

2407.3

The first company of Space Marines was officially deployed. The multi-purpose transport RSS Marne headed for Salvation, then Black Hills to pick up two more full companies. The full battalion would then be transported to a landing ship, which would head for the Regotha system, where the first ship to surface invasion in known history would take place. The men were in high spirits, and looking forward to the journey.

In the Regotha system, Commodore Lu ordered Gamma Fleet to make for Regotha I. Zeta Fleet, consisting of Nemesis and Furious were ordered to guard the warp point.
“Captain Jager, the Norak colony ship is within range.” Commander Olaf Svenson said. “We could jump her if you would like, and still be between anything the Norak could launch and the wormhole.”
Gina weighed her options. The XO was right, even if the colony ship slipped past them, they could easily catch her before she made the wormhole. If any other Norak ship tried to slip past, they would be in fine intercept position.
She looked at the Commander. “Alright, Mr. Svenson, set a course to intercept that colony ship. Sparks, radio Furious and pass the word along. Let’s get moving, folks. We don’t want that colony ship to get away.”
Gina watched as her crew jumped to the task at hand. They were getting very good. Everything went like clockwork. She smiled, thinking of the early days before the war, when she and her crew were getting to know each other. Now they were a unit, confident and deadly.

2407.4

Glory launched the RSS Mongoose the first troop transport in the Remorhaz Navy. She moved to rendezvous with Marne for the transfer of troops.

In Regotha, Zeta Fleet closed on Regotha II, determined to intercept any ship attempting to get to the southern wormhole. Across the system, Gamma Fleet headed inexorably toward Regotha I.

The Xillantha Defense Fleet received some much-needed reinforcements as the frigate Gallant and the destroyer Honor arrived and joined the fleet.

2407.5

The month opened with Gamma Fleet destroying the Norak colony on Regotha I. Zeta Fleet was also able to destroy the Norak colony on Regotha II, and scout out the wormhole from the system. The Knoglam system was devoid of any planets. Was it possible that Regotha III was the Last Norakian planet in the galaxy?

The Research Guild made a significant breakthrough in propulsion technology. The Contra-Terrene engine was discovered. This engine relied mainly on anti-matter to provide the locomotion. It was also discovered that an extra anti-matter “booster pack” could be added to the engines, to provide another factor of speed. Unfortunately, the process consumed the pack in the process, along with anything in a two-foot radius. So the Guild created an anti-gravity suspension mount for the “booster pack” which would allow it to be fitted on ships and activated whenever the crew needed extra speed. With the anti-matter drive, the scientists believed that they could create a weapon that would use that same anti-matter to overload and destroy an enemy ship’s engines. Of course this would require additional research.

In the Yakura System, Remorhaz colonists landed on the planet Yakura II, and renamed the settlement Timmeron. This colony was now the furthest Remorhaz colony to date. The System Patrol Ships Falcon and Peregrine were already in orbit around the planet, but low on supplies. The colonists started constructing a supply base. This base would expand the frontiers of the Remorhaz Society.
The Marne and the Mongoose met up over Black Hills. All of the Space Marines were transferred, and Mongoose headed for Glory to pick up the Last Company of Marines. Before she left the system, Mongoose would be loaded with a full Regiment of Space Marines.

Remorhaz launched another frigate, the RSS Midguard. She took up garrison duty in orbit around Remorhaz.

The Rage front was still quite. Other than their unexplained movements into Remorhaz space, they had attacked no Remorhaz world since Cirius was destroyed. The Admiralty began running scenarios, trying to find the best course of action to pursue against them, once Norak was taken out of the war. They had come up with nothing concrete yet, but Grand Admiral Urian always had something up his sleeve. Depending on what Zeta Fleet found on their next jump, the Navy might be able to come at the Rage from three sides, depending on the wormhole configuration. Time would tell, but the Grand Admiral had to smile. Yes, the Navy would make the Rage pay for starting this bloody war. It was only a matter of time.

To be continued...

Ragnarok July 1st, 2002 06:41 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Wow, I just now got done reading this Last "installment" of your story. Due to lack of time I had to wait till tonight to read it. But excellent job that's to say the least. Loving how this story is developing. The episode b4 this Last one was great too. All newbies should read this and History of the Galaxy thread. By far the 2 best story threads I've ever seen. Keep it up!

sachmo July 1st, 2002 04:42 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Thank you... *BLUSH*

I'm glad people are enjoying it!
I too am enjoying The History of the Galaxy thread. The different points of view make it an incredibly interesting story. I wish I was part of that game!!

geoschmo July 1st, 2002 07:52 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

Originally posted by sachmo:
I too am enjoying The History of the Galaxy thread. The different points of view make it an incredibly interesting story. I wish I was part of that game!!
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Really? Well, that could be arranged if you are serious. There are still 4 races being controlled by the AI in that game. I left them closed because I didn't figure anyone would be interested in controlling them because they are so small. One is a Neutral, which really wouldn't allow much because you would be hardcoded into not ever leaving your home system. The other three are the Amon'krie, the Cue Cappa and the Sergetti. I don't recommend the Sergetti as they are about to be the target of a serious revenge war on my part http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif , but the Amon'krie and Cue Cappa would allow for some creative role play for someone. They are pretty small and boxed in between the Norak and myself, but they would allow you to get involved in the story. The point of the History game isn't to win anyway.

Geoschmo

sachmo July 1st, 2002 08:07 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
YES! I would enjoy playing in the history game and being a part of...history! A couple of question, though, as I have not been in a multiplayer game before:

1. How much free time would I need to have to take part in this type of game?

2. Is it PBEM?

3. Will my relative lack of experience hinder the game in any way?

4. How do I sign up?

If I can provide enough time to join the game, and I can figure out how it works, I would love to join. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

geoschmo July 2nd, 2002 02:18 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Ok, well it is a PBW game. Since you aren't that familier with multiplayer maybe it's best to hold off for now. This game appears to be working towards a conclusion in the not too distant future. We have talked about doing another history type game with more players. The people that stepped into the game late have done a great job, but I am sure all of them would appreciate a chance to show what they can do frmo the beginning.

That would give you time to get familier with the PBW format and then be ready to go when the History 2 starts in a couple months.

Geoschmo

sachmo July 5th, 2002 12:48 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Discoveries

2407.6

Another Rage fleet appeared in the Xillantha system. Fort Justice, still on alert, prepared once again for an assault that may or may not come.

In Wurtuy, Hawk met up with Mongoose and the Space Marines aboard her. The 1st Space Marine Regiment, plus an extra company, were on board. They would move to Norak and pick up another brigade of Marines before assaulting Regotha III. In the meantime, Gamma Fleet moved into position to blockade the Norak planet.

2407.7

Zeta Fleet entered the Lezzari system, and found one Rage colony within, but no Norak planets. Any further recon would have to be done in force by the entire fleet.

In Xillantha, there were once again two very large Rage fleets threatening the system and Fort Justice. Vigilance was maintained.

2407.8

Yarboro waited patiently for the Chairman to finish his vid call. He could feel the energy crackling from outside the Chairman’s office where Dr. Harkness, the head of the Extraterrestrial Studies Group waited. So the news was important enough for the doctor to come down for the university in person, was it? Yarboro allowed himself a brief, hidden smile. God help the doctor if it isn’t, he thought. Lately, the Chairman had been in a horrendous mood, and when people wasted his time, it made him absolutely livid. The Chairman ended his call.
“Sir, Doctor Harkness is waiting for you outside.”
A very tired Chairman looked up at his assistant. “Damn. I’m really not in the mood for him. He can prattle on so. Well, there’s no avoiding it, I suppose. Send him in.”
“Very good, Chairman.”
Yarboro moved quickly out of the Chairman’s office and back into the entryway. “Dr. Harkness, the Chairman will see you now.”
“Ummm, oh yes! Very good. Thank you!”
The doctor stood up and straightened his tie, then followed Yarboro to the door. The door was opened after a knock and a brief pause.
“Doctor Harkness, how good to see you! Please, won’t you sit down? Thank you, Yarboro, that will be all.”
With a bow, the silent Yarboro left and closed the door behind him.
“What brings you all the way down from the university, doctor? Your message said that you had important news? I hope it is good news…I can use some.”
The doctor laughed. “Mr. Chairman, I think it is wonderful news.” He cleared his throat.
“Would you like a drink, doctor? I have a wonderful fruit juice made from dachenberries. We discovered them when we colonized Norak. Extraordinary taste.”
The doctor nodded, and the Chairman poured them both a glass.
“Mr. Chairman, based on the public reaction the destruction of the Norakian colonies, my staff and I have been concentrating on trying to understand the psychology of the Norak. With the inception of the Space Marine Corps, we now have a viable alternative to complete colonial destruction by orbital bombardment. However, with military conquest there are inherent issues. Namely, how does on control a hostile population without incurring tremendous loss of life? Also, since our troops will be in contact with the conquered population, we risk the loss of lives of our own troops.”
The Chairman listened. “Yes, we have discussed this many times. The Norak are so devoted to their religion, that our projections show that it will probably require a four troop to one ration to pacify the population, assuming they don’t fight until the Last Norakian is dead. History shows us that religious fanaticism can bring out such behavior.”
Doctor Harkness nodded. “Yes, Chairman, but I believe that we have found a way to pacify the Norakian people which would require only normal troop levels to successfully occupy a planet.”
The Chairman’s eyes widened in surprise. “If this is true, then it is indeed good news, doctor.”
The doctor smiled. “Chairman, we have discovered that, theoretically, we should be able to build an Urban Pacification Center on the captured worlds which would allow us, over time, to turn the Norakians into productive members of the Remorhaz Society. These centers will allow them to continue practicing their religion while at the same time subtly training their minds to begin thinking for themselves. There is still some work to be done on the actual psychological methods involved, but we believe that with these Pacification Centers, we will be able to save millions of lives in the long run.”
The Chairman was smiling now. “Yes, and more. It was always the dream of the Old Earth Republic that all races would be given equal rights within as long as the people wanted to be part of it. The Remorhaz Society will be the same. We will accept the Norak people as full members of the Society, and not as a conquered race. Doctor, you and your staff have done very well, please keep me apprised of your progress in this matter.”
The doctor smile seemed to cover his entire head. “Yes, Mr. Chairman, I will.” He took a sip of his drink. “Mr. Chairman, you were right. This really is excellent juice.”

On Timmeron, the resupply base was finished. Work began on a small Space Port. RSS Falcon moved to one of the unexplored warp points, and Peregrine moved toward the other. It was time to push back a bit more of the darkness.

In the Regotha system, Zeta Fleet moved to take up position around Regotha II while Gamma Fleet started the return journey to Norak. Once there, they would perform a recon in force mission to try and gauge the perimeter of the Rage Collective.

2407.9

At Remorhaz, the destroyer RSS Virtue was launched. She immediately made course for Timerron, where she would be the flagship of the defense fleet in the Yukra system.

Lieutenant Commander Harper Douglass was a quiet man. In command of RSS Flacon, his crew knew what was expected of them. They also knew that he would rarely say anything, unless they were performing below their capabilities. Normally, they would have been surprised to hear him cry out, but they were seeing the same thing he was, and they were just a surprised.
“Good lord!”
The Sensor Officer regained his composure, and called out his reading.
“Commander, I have 17 unknown ships, ranging in size from frigates to destroyers. They are locked in orbit around Devonshire V. They appear to have seen us, but are making no hostile moves.”
He nodded. “XO, a word please?”
Lieutenant Jim Billings walked over to the command chair. “Sir, I think this is a race we’ve never seen before. I think we should initiate first contact protocol.”
Harper rubbed his chin. I wish I had shaved, he thought. I’ll be the first Remorhaz these beings see, and I’ll look like a slob.
“I concur, XO. Let’s get moving. Sparks, send out the first contact hail on all frequencies. All spectrums.”
“Aye, aye, sir” the Communication Officer shouted. Everyone seemed excited. Harper could feel it in the air.
A few minutes passed, when the Communication Officer excited yelled, “Captain, they’re responding!”
The message can thru the communications bank in Galactic Standard.

Chairman Sachmo woke up to the buzzing of the com unit. Lately, it seemed that being woken up in the middle of the night was the norm, and not the exception.
He hit the key to pick up the message. Yarboro’s face appeared on the screen.
“Sir, pardon the disturbance. The Falcon has made first contact.”
“How long ago?” Sachmo could feel his heart beating. A thousand thoughts ran thru his mind at once. He beat them back, and tried to keep focused on the issue at hand.
“Sir, we received the message ten minutes ago. Falcon transmitted it 12 hours ago. Apparently the Lieutenant Commander in command made quite an impression on them.”
The Chairman started pulling on his clothes. “I’ll be down in a minute. Please have Ambassador Mulatti meet me as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Chairman. At once.”
The Chairman hurried to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. As he looked at himself in the mirror, all of those thousands of thoughts assailed him again. What if they were hostile? Could we survive a three front war? Would we have warning this time? How advanced were they?
All I can do is take this one step at a time, he thought. First, he would carefully gauge their intention, and then take it from there. Hopefully, they had learned something from their first dealings with the Norak and the Rage. Hopefully, this time it would turn out better than the Last.

Across the system, Peregrine warped into the Iolo system. This system had two rock planets with Oxygen atmospheres. One, Iolo IV, was huge and possessed a great amount of mineral and radioactive resources. Iolo VI was a tiny planet, and was very poor in mineral resources, but possessed average organics and radioactives. No enemy presence was detected here, and so Admiral Urian put in an immediate request for two colony ships to be placed into production.

Also on Remorhaz, 242 million people boarded the RSS Marne and prepared to begin a new life on Spitfire.

To be continued...

sachmo July 6th, 2002 03:21 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Well, I feel better. I actually started posting this story at another website (front office football actually) because the site has a very active dynasty section. I'm happy to find out that at least two people have decided to buy SEIV after reading my story. So now I can tell my wife that I'm making money by writing this story! Of course, it's money for someone else, but hey, she doesn't have to know! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Ragnarok July 6th, 2002 03:42 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Quote:

Originally posted by sachmo:
Well, I feel better. I actually started posting this story at another website (front office football actually) because the site has a very active dynasty section. I'm happy to find out that at least two people have decided to buy SEIV after reading my story. So now I can tell my wife that I'm making money by writing this story! Of course, it's money for someone else, but hey, she doesn't have to know! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">haha that's great man... We'll be happy to have some more SEIV members. Keep up the good story.

sachmo July 6th, 2002 11:21 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
A New Front

2408.0

Ambassador Mulatti was not pleased with the look on the Chairman’s face. Even thru the vid phone, he could feel the exasperation.
“Explain the situation to me again, ambassador. How did this happen?”
The ambassador took a deep breath. “Mr. Chairman, we were met at the mouth of the Devonshire wormhole by two Ukra-Tal destroyers. They immediately ordered us to heave to, and they boarded us. It was a very crude show of force, but an effective one. We had no choice but to comply. A diplomat came on board with a squad of heavily armed soldiers. They demanded to see me immediately, which I did. The diplomat hardly looked at me as he tossed down what looked like an ancient scroll case. He then told me to take this message back to my superior, and to leave the Devonshire system at once. I tried to inquire about the diplomatic meeting we had arranged on Devonshire IV, but he cut me off with a wave of his tentacles. He told me that there would be no meeting, and that we could return from where we came, and to take our gifts with us.”
The Chairman looked into the vid screen, not quite believing what he was hearing.
“Ambassador, what the hell happened? Could we have misinterpreted the initial contact so badly?”
“Chairman, here is what I believe happened. When the Hawk first warped into the system, and broadcast the hails in galactic standard, the Ukra-Tal was friendly enough. It seems that the especially reserved Lieutenant Commander Douglass displayed the type of demeanor that they found pleasant. It appears that the Ukra-Tal are a race of scientists and merchants, and not prone to displaying emotion. Hence, they believed that this was the way of all of the Remorhaz people. So when they learned that we a much more emotional race, they were taken aback. Our xenologist Dr. Hartman believes that it may have been more than a shock to them, and that they may have actually felt betrayed by this revelation. He thinks that they may have believed that we tried to deceive them.”
The Chairman’s face seemed to sag. He was a professional politician, and knew how a bad start to a relationship could often ruin any chance of future harmony.
“That can’t be everything, though. There has to be something else, ambassador. Tell me everything.”
Ambassador Mulatti wiped his brow. He had tried to think of a delicate way to put this, but there was just no way around it. He would have to read the message to the Chairman in its entirety, and let him judge for himself.
“Chairman, I think you need to hear the message delivered by the ambassador.” He opened the scroll case, and unwrapped the message, and began to read. It read as follows:

From the Enlightened One, Imperator Weshra-Tal of the Ukra-Tal Collective,

Ourselves, the glorious race of the Ukra-Tal, were disturbed to learn of the war being raged by the Remorhaz Society against the Rage Collective and the Norak Continuum.
Ourselves have learned of the tragedies wrought by this war. What is most disturbing to ourselves is that in this war, yourselves of the Remorhaz Society have repeatedly and purposely destroyed colonies belonging to both the Norak and the Rage. Ourselves find this shocking, and cannot understand how a race as barbaric as yourselves could have survived even this long without destroying yourselves. This disregard for the innocent lives of other beings, whom it should be noted are different from yourselves, will make it impossible for the Ukra-Tal to ever have any type of relationship with the Remorhaz Society. Ourselves present this message as a warning…if yourselves attempt to enter any system populated by the Ukra-Tal, it will be considered an act of war against ourselves and will result in the swift and total destruction of yourselves. Further, if yourselves continue this barbaric behavior and destroy any more colonies of any race, ourselves cannot be held responsible for the result. This is something that ourselves will not stand for, and it will be the will of our people to cleanse the galaxy of such a barbaric people. May the Most Knowledgeable One take pity on your heathen souls.

The Chairman looked about as shocked as the ambassador thought he would. Best to let him collect his thoughts before I offer my opinions, the ambassador thought. The Chairman sat, obviously gathering his thoughts. Suddenly his face turned angry.
“How in the bloody hell did they find out about the war? Are they in contact with the Rage or the Norak?”
The ambassador shook his head. “Sir, we cannot be sure how they learned about it. Lieutenant Commander Douglass made mention of the war, but only in passing. He has assured me that at no point did he elaborate on any of the operational details. Our best guess is that they did some investigating of their own about the war and were passed some very biased information. For all we know, this could have been supplied to them be a third party.”
The Chairman looked absolutely defeated. “Ambassador, I need your honest assessment. Is there any hope of normal relations with the Ukra-Tal?”
“I think the best course of action right now, Sir, would be to back off and give them time to observe us. I think if we slowly put out diplomatic feelers and don’t do anything to alarm them, there is always hope. From the information they have given to us, they seem to be a peaceful race. They love to trade, and hopefully we will be able to exploit this in the future. Interracial trade would be a great boon to the economy.” Mulatti smiled.
The Chairman looked back at him. “Yes, it would ambassador. Now if only we could keep from getting into wars, we might get a chance to enjoy the benefits.” With that he ended the transmission.

Over Norak, the RSS Mongoose loaded up the Last of the Space Marines called up for the assault on Regotha II. Their strength was roughly 2600 Marines, and about 130 Blazer Assault Craft. The ships were loaded with supplies, and the fleet made for Regotha II.

RSS Peregrine warped into the Wanduk system. One planet appeared to be idea for colonization. Wanduk IV was a Medium rock planet with an oxygen atmosphere. Of interest was a reading coming from the surface of Wanduk II. The sensors showed what appeared to be a derelict spacecraft, but no other details were known. Their findings were reported back to Naval Headquarters, and Peregrine made for another wormhole, and another system.

2408.1

Grand Admiral Urian sent out the emergency action message to the fleet. This morning, the ground station on Timerron received a terse communication from Ukra-Tal space. The communication read as follows:
Although ourselves are not a violent species, you have left us no choice. Ourselves declare war on yourselves.
Urian was not really surprised that this happened, after all, the Ukra-Tal had made it pretty clear what they thought about the Remorhaz Society. Still, the news concerned him. He had hoped that once the Norak were out of the war, the Rage might reconsider continuing the war one-on-one. Now, the Remorhaz Society was right back where it had started. It was only a matter of a couple of months before the Norak were eliminated from the war, but Timerron was not very well protected. The Ukra-Tal fleet strength, Last time it had been seen, had been significant in the Devonshire system. If they came thru the wormhole, Hawk and a few defense satellites were all that stood in their way. The destroyer Virtue was a few months from the planet. Hopefully she would get there in time to make a difference.
There was good news on the research front. The scientists at the Research Guild had made a breakthrough in Applied Physics, and had the theories in place that would allow advanced sensors, shields, energy stream weapon, and energy pulse weapons to be designed. Hopefully, this would put the Remorhaz fleet on a bit more equal footing with the Rage fleet. Of course, right now the priority was the final design of the Urban Pacification Centers. If all went well, they would be able to be constructed on Regotha III after the Space Marines captured it, and they would begin attempting to integrate the Norak into the Society. If they captured it, he thought. The entire concept was still a theory. He hoped and prayed that everything worked the way it was supposed to.

Gamma Fleet took up orbit around Norak. Commodore Lu spent two weeks consulting with his officers and Navy Staff about their options for an offensive against the Rage. It was known that they possessed a substantial fleet strength in the Fezzran system, and possibly the asteroid-filled wasteland that was the Lundra system. The first objective was to recon in force both of these systems. First, Gamma Fleet move in force into the Lundra system, with RSS Loxias attached to deploy satellites. This would give them an eye in the system to observe possible Rage fleet movements. Meanwhile, a belt of defensive satellites would be laid on the Lapzooli side of the Lundra wormhole. It was hoped that Gamma Fleet could draw a Rage fleet into a trap this way, but so far no one felt that they could rely on the Rage to act in any certain way. Since the recon was the main objective, along with laying the spy satellites, it was a risk they were willing to take. Once the Marine Assault Fleet was finished in the Regotha system, the Artemis and Furious would remain in the system to protect the wormhole, and possibly conduct some assaults on the known Rage colony in the Lezzari system. This might succeed in drawing some of the Rage fleet strength away from the Fezzran system. Their next course decided, Gamma Fleet left Norak orbit in the third week of the month. They would reach the wormhole, and find out what the Rage had waiting for them, by the beginning of the next month.

To be continued...

Atrocities July 7th, 2002 04:32 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
BUMP

What did I say? After reading this, people would be compelled to buy SEIV. Your story brings out the best the game has to offer. The excitement of exploration, conquest, and general empire building. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

I hope many more people read your story and buy SEIV.

[ July 07, 2002, 04:19: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

sachmo July 7th, 2002 10:33 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Strength

2408.2

Captain Will Crowley watched the tactical screen as the Sensor Officer ran a scan of the Lundra system. Nothing but asteroid fields and the lonely blue star that held the system together. Commodore Gordon Lu was also present on the bridge of his former command, RSS Intimidator. He had expected to catch a glimpse of a Rage battle fleet. On all of the other occasions, when a Rage fleet would enter the Xillantha system from the wormhole in Fezzran, a supporting fleet would enter from Lundra also. Sure enough, Rear Admiral Sakazawa reported that a Rage fleet was detected in the Xillantha system. It had indeed warped in from Fezzran. Commodore Lu believed that he would spot a Rage fleet transiting Lundra, and that fleet would give chase as he took Gamma Fleet back thru the wormhole to Lapzooli and Norak. At the end of that chase Gamma Fleet would make a stand, supported by defense satellites protecting the lip of the Lapzooli-Lundra wormhole. Now that there was no Rage fleet detected in the system, he could not spring his trap. At least Loxias would be able to deploy the spy satellite in the system. Commodore Lu made a decision to wait for a few weeks, and see if a Rage fleet appeared. The problem was that the Rage never seemed to do anything the way he wanted them to.

Back on Hera, the research guild had completed a number of tasks. First, they had perfected the design of the Urban Pacification Centers. They now had the proper psychological tools that would be required to indoctrinate any Norakians captured into Remorhaz Society life. Already, the xenopsychologists were experimenting with effective way to deal with Rage worlds, and possibly Ukra-Tal worlds also. Two other discoveries were also made which would be of particular use to the military; the Anti-Proton beam and the Ionic Disperser. The Anti-Proton Beam was the first military energy weapon designed. This beam had a shorter range than the DUC, and over range it lost power. However, it required no physical ammunition to be supplied, and could be powered by radioactives.
The Ionic Disperser was a much more specialized weapon. It had a very short range, but the beam would attack the core of the engines on the ship it was fired at, attempting to overload and destroy them. This weapon would be especially useful against the Rage, with their advanced engine designs. These weapons would be fitted on the Glory B Class Destroyers. All ship designs were updated to use the anti-matter drives, and both the Nemesis D Class Frigates and the Eagle D Class System Patrol Ships were outfitted with the emergency propulsion boosters. The ships of the fleet would be upgraded at the earliest convenience, but on a rotating schedule to keep the fleets at the highest strength possible. Immediately, the research guild began work on shield technology.

2408.3

Grand Admiral Urian was impressed. The shields held thru the test flawlessly. It had taken two hits from the depleted uranium cannon before the shield generator had given out. While the protection was light, it could make the difference between a killing blow and a damaging one. He turned to his counterparts from the other service branches, Field Marshal Gulman and Commandant Hunter.
“Well, gents, that gadget is going to save a lot of lives.”
Commandant Hunter nodded and smiled, “I need to get my eggheads working on scaling that thing down. If I could shield the Blazers…yes Marcus, it would save a lot of lives. I wish we had discovered this Last year. I’m sure it would have been welcomed by my boys on the way to Regotha III.”
All three flag officers nodded in agreement.

On Timerron, construction began on a new Space Yard. The transit time for new ships built at either the Remorhaz or the Glory shipyards was just too great to allow for an effective defense of the Yukra system and the colony of Timerron. It would take five months to complete the facility and a small hoard of resources, but the flexibility it would add could not be easily measured.
The same principle held true for the Lapzooli system, and so Norak also began construction of a Space Yard facility.

2408.4

Once again, the Rage fleet that had invaded the Xillantha system floated around and looked menacing, but did no actual damage. The people of Fort Justice had been obligingly fearful, but frankly the whole thing began to take on a sort of macabre humor to them. The Fort Justice Broadcasting Company began running a weekly serial play called “Spare Parts”, in which the actors portrayed members of the oft seen Rage fleet. The premise was that the commander of the Rage fleet was actually malfunctioning, but since he didn’t want to be “recycled” by the Primary Sequencer, he tried everything to keep it a secret from his crew. The Rage commander kept the fleet in Remorhaz space to avoid being discovered by the Rage “quality control druids”. The writing was brilliant, and the show quickly became a hit. It was even exported to the other worlds of the Remorhaz Society, and “Spare Parts” kept the plight of Fort Justice on the minds of all citizens. Soon the name Fort Justice became synonymous with tenacity and strength.
The stress of living under constant threat of nuclear annihilation had given the residents of Fort Justice a different view of life, to say the least. Governor Kalashnikov had noted to the Chairman that while the people worked as hard as they could, once they were back in their homes, things tended to get a little wild. The alcohol imports of the colony were 35% greater per capita then any other colony in the Society. The sale of recreational items was also very high compared to the other worlds, while less than 2% of the population had any personal savings to speak of. However, the exported resources from mining were usually around 101%-108% of projections. Live for today was the motto of the citizens of Fort Justice. The rest of the Society began to look up to them. Soon the more adventurous (some would say stupid, also) of the Society began packing up and heading for Fort Justice. The strength of this world began to become a symbol for the fighting spirit of the Remorhaz people.

On Remorhaz, the RSS Midguard was the first ship to be upgraded with the anti-matter engines. The engines preformed flawlessly, as did the emergency propulsion packs. The engineering crew was a bit uncomfortable with the whole process in which the component devoured itself, but it did no damage and did indeed fulfill it’s purpose.

Glory launched the RSS Apollo a Nemesis D Class frigate. She was to join the Xillantha Defense Fleet. Upon her arrival, Glory would detach from the fleet and head back to Glory Ship Yard for an upgrade.

The Space Marine assault fleet would reach Regotha III by the beginning of the next month. The first planetary invasion in Remorhaz history was about to become a reality.

To be continued...

sachmo July 11th, 2002 04:32 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Invasion

2408.5

In the Remorhaz system, a new domed mining colony was founded. Though not as efficient as a colony with an oxygen atmosphere, the short distance from the shipyards of Remorhaz more than made up for the cost of the new colony, which was named Vilnius. The colony immediately began building mining facilities, although it would have been best suited as a refining colony. However, the war effort required mostly minerals, and so that was the priority.

In Yukra, the RSS Virtue was able to join with Falcon and Peregrine and form the Yukra Defense Fleet. The Ukra-Tal sill had not made any movements into the system. If they could hold on for 3 more months, the space yard would be complete, and the fleet would grow in strength much quicker.

The Naval Design Bureau was excited to hear that in only a few short months, the Research Guild had been able to improve on the existing shield generator technology, doubling the strength while only increasing the size of the generator by 1/4th. The new shields were put into the Glory B Class Destroyer design. One missile tube was removed, but the extra shielding and a depleted uranium cannon were a fair enough trade-off.

In the Xillantha system, RSS Mercury arrived to join the Xillantha Defense Fleet, as all Rage fleets had vacated the system. Rear Admiral Sakazawa detached the frigate Manticore and the destroyer Honor and ordered them to Glory for refit. This refit was scheduled to take roughly 3 months to complete. Sakazawa hoped that the Rage decided not to press any attack while he was short of the two ship’s firepower.

In the Regotha system, the Marine Assault Fleet moved into orbit over Regotha III. Captain Jager brought all of the ship commanders from Zeta Fleet and the commanders from the Assault Fleet over the Nemesis for a strategy meeting. Also present was the senior Space Marine Officer present, Major General Steven Brooks. While he was the highest-ranking officer in the room, while the Space Marines were on board the transport, the senior naval officer was in command. That officer was Captain Gina Jager. Once everyone was seated, Gina began the briefing.
“Well folks, here we are. We are about to assist Major General Brooks in capturing the Last planet in the Norak Continuum.”
Laughter rippled around the table. Everyone seemed to be excited, which made Gina relax a bit.
“As all of you know, this is a first time operation. Everything up until now has been done with simulators and mock-ups. In 72 hours, the Space Marines are going to do this for real.”
Gina tapped some keys on her data unit, and a holographic image of Regotha III appeared. Multiple colored displays appeared on the image, marking potential targets, population centers, the drop zones, and other information.
“The Marines have brought along 135 Blazer Assault Craft, which represents an over-strength brigade. The entire force will be deployed in one combat drop. Zeta Fleet, along with Comet, is going to provide fire support for the Space Marines. The red triangles represent troop formations that we have already bombarded with missiles. The green circles…” Gina continued to brief the officers present.
The Navy was to remain in orbit, in direct contact with the commanders on the ground. They would provide instant fire support for any commander who called for it. Also, the ships could provide a picture of the battle that might not be readily available to the ground commanders. Major General Brooks be in overall command of the entire fleet and ground operations until the planet was secured. Brigadier General Henry Townsend would be the ranking officer on the ground. The brigade was actually under the command of Colonel Pedro Marquez, but Townsend was the division commander and wanted to be present for the actual combat drop.
“Ok, folks, that’s it for me. General Brooks?”
The General stoop up, and moved to the front of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I have the utmost confidence in each and every one of you. We all know what we have to do, and we know how to do it. I firmly believe that we will be able to overcome any obstacle that stands in our way. Good luck and God bless.”
The Major General turned to leave. Everyone stood up and came to attention. When he left, the other officers left in small Groups, discussing various issues that had come up during the briefing. Gina watched as the room cleared. She noticed Captain Brennan, commander of RSS Artemis, watching her as he walked past. He nodded to her. Brennan had always given her the creeps. Even back when they had attended the academy together, he had always looked at her with that same cold stare. She knew he was a motivated and capable officer, as well as an excellent tactician. He was also incredibly arrogant. He always seemed to hold those who he deemed inferior in contempt. It made him come off to others as cold and unfriendly. She didn’t know him very well, but she did know that he seemed to view her as one of the “inferior”. Good, she thought. I hope it eats him up inside to have to take orders from me.
Another thought struck her. Would his feelings about her drive him to cause problems? So far, he hadn’t made any trouble for her, and in fact had been a model officer. Their days at the academy had shown her that Brennan could be a vengeful son of a gun, and she had been given command of RSS Eagle when by all rights it should have been his billet. Could he be holding a grudge against her still? Was it possible that he would do something intentional in the upcoming invasion to put her in a bad light, and take her down a notch? Was he capable of such a thing? The more she thought about it, the quicker she chased it from her mind. Brennan was a professional officer in the Remorhaz Navy. He was above letting his personal feelings get in the way of his duty. At least, she hoped he was.

Captain Brennan glanced at Captain Gina Jager as he walked past her on his way out of the briefing. He flashed her the most sincere smile that he could manage. So far, she had managed to not get all of them killed, a circumstance that made him eternally grateful. He was surprised by her performance in the operation so far, but he fully expected the pressure to get to her as the invasion progressed. Once things started to get hectic, everyone would see that she just wasn’t up to leading a fleet into battle.
It wasn’t that he so much wanted her to fail, as that would put people’s lives in danger. He just knew that she wasn’t a very effective leader. Not every officer was up to the task of commanding large-scale operations. He had watched her performance at the academy, and while she was not unintelligent, it wasn’t quite up to par with what he considered essential to becoming an effective officer. His greatest fear is that she would make a major mistake before he and Major General Brooks were able to avert it, and that mistake would be big enough to get a lot of Space Marines killed. He really did hope that nothing went wrong, but his gut feeling was that it would. When it did, he would be there to take her place as commander of the fleet.

PFC Jake Renton looked up toward the ceiling of the cavernous drop bay that made up the bulk of the Landing Ship RSS Mongoose. High above him, the bay was segmented by catwalks and platforms. Resting on each platform was the open troop ramp of a Blazer assault craft. Each Blazer was held in place by a series of electro-magnetic clamps. Once the Mongoose was in drop position over the planet, and her huge drop bay doors were opened, the clamps would release, and the Blazers would free fall into the upper atmosphere. Once free of the landing ship, gravity would take over. The Blazers would enter the atmosphere are the maximum possible angle, coming down at high speed to hit their drop zones in the minimum amount of time, while at the same time reducing the exposure time of the Blazers to enemy anti-aircraft fire. Just before landing, the retros of the landing sled would fire, and the Blazer would touch down. It would then detach from the sled and fire it’s own hover engines. From here, the Blazer would transport the Space Marines as close to their target as possible, until the troops were ready to assault, in which case they would disembark from the Blazer and attack on foot. The Blazer would follow along and provide fire support with its three depleted uranium cannons.
Renton had been thru one actual drop. When Mongoose had pulled into Nora to pick up the Last of their brigade, they loaded all of the troopers up into their Blazers and dropped them en masse upon the heads of the unsuspecting wildlife that inhabited Western Norak. The ride was like sitting in a runaway elevator as Renton had remembered it, but it was over pretty quick. Actually, now that he thought about it, it was more like sitting in a runaway elevator that was being smashed on the outside by thousands of hammers, and all the while someone was kicking you in the rear with a steel-toed boot. Yes, that was the sensation. Once they were on the ground, his training took over. They captured the mock objective, and their projected casualties were “only” 40%. Renton had hoped at the time that when they attempted a real combat drop that the experts were proved wrong about those casualty figures.
“Renton! Get your butt in gear!” The gravely voice of Sergeant Chuck Williams cried out. Williams was always mad about something. He was the guy who kept the platoon moving, though. He raced down the line, eyes locked on Renton. He was beside him in seconds.
“Renton, I was wondering if you noticed that we were deploying for a COMBAT DROP TODAY?”
Renton shouted, “Yes, Sergeant!”
“Then could you kindly get your thumb out of your butt and deploy to the Blazer? Am I asking too much, Private?”
Renton shouted again, “No, Sergeant!”
Sergeant Williams started to pull away from him. “Good. Thank you, Private First Class Renton. I guess I won’t have to kill you. The Noraks will still be able to do it for me! Move it, 4th Platoon! Get your butts into the Blazer! Move! Move! Move!”
The 20 marines of 4th Platoon, 1st Battalion filed into the Blazer and quickly took their seats. They secured their gear under their seats, and their rifles in the clamps beside their seats. Then they strapped themselves in for the drop. Sergeant Williams prowled the left side, and Platoon Sergeant Jefferson inspected the right. The sergeants inspected each Space Marine, and ensured that everyone was locked in correctly, and their equipment was stowed. A loose pack could turn into a missile during a high-g drop. After a few adjustments, everyone was deemed secure. Sergeant Williams stuck his head up into the crew compartment to inform the loadmaster that everyone was secure. Then Williams took his own seat, while the loadmaster double-checked everyone. Once he was satisfied, he headed back for the crew compartment.
Renton looked over at the Sub Lieutenant. His face was white as a sheet. He’s going to lose his lunch again, Renton mused. When someone's stomach empties in free-fall, it’s not pretty. During the Norak drop, Sub Lieutenant Mike Diamato had emptied his. Renton though that just having that experience would keep someone from doing it again. He imagined that his theory was about to be tested. He looked across the troop compartment, and watched the light display near the ceiling. It was still red, which meant that they weren’t ready to drop yet. Suddenly he could feel the Blazer shudder. He glanced at the light display again, which was now burning bright amber. The Blazers on the lower tiers were dropping.
Sergeant Williams shouted on Last time, “Remember to deploy in formation, troops. When that buzzer goes off, I want weapons in hand and your butts on that ramp. Got it?”
They responded in unison, “HOO RAH SERGEANT!”
The light turned green, and a muted clang was heard. Suddenly the world fell out from under them.

“Captain, all Blazers have been dropped. Mongoose is now beginning her climb out of orbit,” the sensor officer reported.
Gina didn’t look away from the tactical display floating in front of her captain’s chair.
“Weps, I want you ready to knock out anything you see. Pay particular attention to the mountain ranges. If we’re going to have trouble, it will come from there.”
“Aye, aye, Cap. I’ll hit whatever you tell me to.”
Gina’s mind whirled a mile a minute. She was trying to access threats from whichever quarter they may appear. Nothing so far, but the invasion had just begun.

PFC Renton opened his eyes. The entire drop was just almost a distant memory. He had just felt the sideways tug as the landing sled’s retro engines fired, braking the Blazer. In a few moments, they would be on the ground. He was half expecting to wind up scattered across the atmosphere, but that was not to be his fate today. Absently, he wondered how the other platoons were faring.
Suddenly there was a thud. That would be the sled touching down. The pilot of the Blazer was loose from the sled in moments. The hover engines of the Blazer began to whine, and the pilot moved her forward a bit. He then pivoted the Blazer on its axis, turning a full circle and scanning the horizon. No buzzer meant no enemy close by. After a few tense minutes of waiting, Sergeant Williams held up the ok sign for the sub lieutenant. That meant that the entire company had survived the drop. Then Renton remembered that the lieutenant had most likely been sick all over himself. He turned to look, and saw nothing. The sub lieutenant sat in his seat, attempting to get his headset back on. He looked a little beaten up, but he hadn’t lost his lunch. For some reason, Renton felt proud of the sub lieutenant. Enlisted men weren’t supposed to like officers, but maybe this one would turn out ok. He gave the sub lieutenant the thumbs up. The sub lieutenant, having gotten his headset back on, smiled warmly and gave Renton’s thumbs up right back.

On board Mongoose, Major General Brooks watched the battle unfold from his command center. The tensest moment had been during the actual drop, when the Blazers were sitting ducks falling thru the atmosphere. The Blazers had made it down in one piece, every single one of them. Since the planet only had one major landmass, the entire brigade moved from the three drop zones and converged 10 miles from the main city. Brigadier General Townsend ordered the entire brigade to assault the city. General Brooks watched closely, expecting troops to come swarming out of their hiding places to try and overwhelm the Space Marines. It never happened. The planet of Regotha III was taken without a shot being fired.

PFC Jake Renton was up before and standing by the ramp as soon as the buzzer went off. Sergeant Williams was the first in line, and shouting orders to the platoon.
“DO NOT fire unless you are fired upon. General Townsend has reported no resistance to our assault, and he doesn’t want any if he can help it. If you fire without provocation, you will be brought up on charges. Is that clear?”
As one, they replied, “HOO RA SARGEANT!”
Sergeant Williams turned around. “Ok, get ready…”
The ramp opened with surprising speed. Renton was out and on the ground before he knew it, his rifle pointing ahead. It wasn’t until he had a moment to access the situation did he become surprised. Choking the streets, lying prostrate before them, were millions of Norakians. They were chanting something, but they did not move from their positions. One Norakian moved from out of the crowd, his three legs making his move with a curious gait. Renton aimed his rifle at the Norakians head, and tensed. Suddenly the Norak stopped and shouted in a strange, lilting voice, “We wish to no more fight. Norak surrenders! Norak surrenders!”
A cheer rippled thru the brigade. Regotha III was theirs, and the Norak were out of the war.

Grand Admiral Urian and Commandant Shawn Hunter entered the Chairman’s office. He was sitting on his balcony, drinking what looked to be dachenberry juice.
“Out here, gentlemen. Join me outside and help me to enjoy the day.” The Chairman was sitting at a table, his uneaten lunch sitting before him.
Hunter cleared his throat. “Sir, we have news from Regotha III. We have taken the planet, sir. There were no casualties on either side. It appears just before the Space Marines dropped, the High Priest had a vision from their goddess. She told them that it was their destiny to join with us in harmony, and that we would form one society that would rule the galaxy. Sir, the Norak no longer oppose us.”
Both men saw the Chairman’s face flush with color.
“Gentlemen, this is a great day. You can’t know how happy this makes me. Also, it makes me happy that we did not have to wipe out their entire race. Thank you both for this. Without you, this would never have happened.”
The two officers beamed with pride. The Chairman invited them to stay for lunch. He had suddenly regained his appetite.

The people were buoyed by the bloodless victory. While there was still a long way to go in this war, the victory over the Norak was a sign that they might be able to come thru this war intact. Chairman Sachmo had Regotha III renamed Providence, in honor of the bloodless end to the conflict with the Norak. The 1st Space Marine Brigade secured the planet until regular Army troops could be brought in to keep the peace. Also, construction was immediately begun on the first Urban Pacification Center. The Chairman was determined to bring the remaining Norakians into the Remorhaz Society.

Artemis, Hawk, Mongoose and Comet were docked at the newly captured Providence Space Yards, and a refit was begun. Comet was to be refitted as a Nemesis Class Frigate. If there were a need for it, another planetary attack ship would be built, but Chairman Sachmo wanted to avoid the destruction of colonies, and so wanted to avoid using them, and specifically planetary napalm, if at all possible. Nemesis and Furious were ordered to rendezvous with Gamma Fleet at Norak.

2408.6

This month was spent mainly in consolidating gains and redirecting forces. Once Gamma Fleet had most of it’s assets reattached, they would attempt to access the position of the Rage forces. Since the Rage had a rather large fleet patrolling the Lundra system, Gamma Fleet would have to be very careful not to get caught in a bad situation. Once again, it was hoped that a Rage fleet could be lured into the defensive system outside of the Lundra-Lapzooli wormhole, but that couldn’t be counted on.
In the Yukra system, once the shipyard was constructed on Timerron, more ships would be added to the Yukra Defense Fleet. Once sufficient asset strength was built up, offensive operations could be considered, but the General Staff decided that the Rage would have to be knocked out first. After gaining more intelligence on the Rage disposition, the main offensive would begin. The target would be the Fezzran system, and the liberation of Cirius. It was time to turn the tables on the Rage.

To be continued...

[ July 11, 2002, 15:35: Message edited by: sachmo ]

Atrocities July 11th, 2002 07:43 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
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 more please. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

dumbluck July 11th, 2002 11:25 AM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
I wouldn't want you to think that Atrocities was your only fan http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

sachmo July 11th, 2002 04:40 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Thanks for reading, guys. I'm glad you're enjoying it almost as much as I am. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Ragnarok July 11th, 2002 10:52 PM

Re: Rise of the Remorhaz Society
 
Dang, just finished reading the latest sotry. Great job.


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