A War for the Stars

[Erax]

CODED TRANSMISSION
From: Chief Amassador Reima, Sector Diplomatic Corps
To: Admiral Wiers

Syned I, 2404.3

Admiral,

The Andarr have expressed a lack of interest in renewing their trade treaties with us. We arrived at this situation despite the best efforts of this Corps to maintain good relations with them. Acting on your orders, we had been sending them several shiploads of valuable goods every tenth, but our efforts were insufficient.

It is possible that some third party has been interfering in our relations with the Andarr, and perhaps with the Hutt as well. We will investigate this matter and present a full report in due course.

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2404.3:

Fyrine I has joined the Fleet and we are now just outside the unexplored wormhole. Fleet Command informs us that Fyrine II has been launched and is currently on course for Gesaril IX, where she will pick up half of the First Stormtrooper Brigade. She will then attempt to join us beyond Rela.

The Seeker's crew is used to exploring unknown wormholes. In fact, we've probably been through more wormholes than all other existing Imperial ships combined, but this one here will be different.

Scanning the other end of the wormhole is impossible from this end. We could be arriving behind the backs of the Yakrin or into the jaws of their trap.

We have our orders. The Fleet will go in.

[Erax]

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2404.4:

The Fleet has just emerged into a system called Aram on our star charts. Fortunately, there were no Yakrin defenses set up at this end of the wormhole. We have finished our scans of the system, which contains several planets around a twin star grouping. Two of the planets, Aram I and IV, are inhabited by the Yakrin. The volume of transmissions coming from Aram I, even at this range, suggest that this is their homeworld.

We have located seven Yakrin frigates in the system, each of them 50% larger than our Black Swords. There are defensive satellites in orbit around both inhabited worlds and outside one of the wormholes, which according to our charts leads to Gandle Ott. The Yakrin must have been expecting us to take the direct route. I can only imagine the look of surprise on their corpselike faces.

There is also an Alliance vessel in the system, a Cronus class light carrier. It is a huge vessel, four times as large as a Yakrin frigate. It is currently approaching several enemy ships, but we are too far away to assist.

We must use Yakrin surprise to our best advantage. While the Alliance carrier keeps them busy, we will strike Aram IV.

[Taz-in-Space]

...Ahhh, yes: "Cry 'HAVOC'; and let loose the dogs of war!"

[Raging Deadstar]

Yes war! I prophosise that the empire will subjugate this galaxy. I mean lets face it, the empire should have crushed the rebels. I will deeply be shocked if the Hutts manage to cause trouble! But this is SEIV and anything can happen, all i can say is get researching larger hulls! I want to see Star Destroyers soon!

[Erax]

Star Destroyers will take some doing, they require Imperial Ship Construction 13 (4 levels above an SEIV Baseship). They are HUGE.

Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate the shipyard design teams, hehe.

[Erax]

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2404.5:

The size of the Alliance carriers was an unwelcome surprise; they are far ahead of us in ship construction technology. We must upgrade our shipyards to build larger hulls. I will make that our next priority.

Nova IV is on her way to the Klozar system. Seeker II will explore the remaining hyperconduits in the Arkonne system.

Fyrine III has been launched. She will transfer some colonists from Virgillia to Gesaril before taking the second half of the Stormtrooper Brigade aboard and heading for Aram.

Our ISB covert ops teams will attempt to sabotage one of the Yakrin frigates, but it will take time to get an operative aboard.

Our ships are still untested against the Yakrin. The next few tenths may be decisive.

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2404.5:

We are just outside Aram IV, a few more days now and we will be ready to strike. The Alliance and Yakrin ships seem to have avoided each other. I can only attribute this to skillful maneuvers by the captain of the Alliance carrier.

Perhaps when this war is over we can meet up with the Alliance ships and visit one of those carriers, our technical people are curious to see what their fighter bays look like.

[ May 18, 2003, 14:41: Message edited by: Erax ]

[Erax]

Admiral Wiers' private log, SGY 2404.6:

Our starhip designers have been working around the clock to make larger hulls a reality. Virgillia was meant to be a major Imperial shipyard and therefore we have a full set of standard Imperial starship plans on file, but there are thousands of technical issues which must be resolved before any one of those plans becomes an actual ship.

Our progress so far is small but significant; we can now build Lancer Frigate hulls. The original Lancer was designed as a purely anti-starfighter ship, but we need something more flexible. Our designers used the larger hull size to create the next step after the Black Sword, a carrier with two fighter bays and enough space for thirty-two TIE fighters. The new design has been called the Black Saber; the Gesaril V shipyard will begin work on one next tenth.

Comet VI has been launched. She will colonize Gesaril VIII, a planet with rich mineral resources.

Captain Veren is leading his fleet towards the Yakrin colony. Our plans will soon be put to the test.

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2404.6:

We arrived at Aram IV a day too late. The Alliance carrier was here ahead of us and left nothing but a string of glowing craters where the Yakrin settlements used to be. Aram IV is now a dead planet.

Fleet Command has ordered us to remove all Yakrin defenses in the system. We dispatched two flights of TIE fighters to deal with the defense satellites at the Gandle Ott wormhole while the Fleet heads for Aram I. We lack the troops to invade the Yakrin homeworld, but we will attempt to eliminate their planetary defenses and then blockade them. There is also a lone Yakrin frigate between us and Aram I. We will attempt to intercept it.

Seeker I, Captain's log, SGY 2404.6 (later):

The Yakrin vessel turned out to be an unarmed satellite layer. They tried to evade, but our fighters were faster. Eight TIE fighters arrived at the enemy ship almost simultaneously and disabled some of its engines, but the Yakrin refused to surrender. They kept trying to escape until the ship was an unrecognizable hulk with two TIE squadrons flying around and firing at it. It was finally destroyed after the Seeker opened fire with her lasers. Not a glorious first battle, but at least a successful one.

Our fighters located the Yakrin satellites and destroyed them easily. It turns out that those satellites were armed with large anti-ship missiles and no anti-fighter weaponry. The fighters are now headed back towards the Fleet.

We will take up station outside Aram I to retrieve our fighters and allow Fyrine II to join us. Then we attack the enemy mainworld.

[ May 20, 2003, 20:18: Message edited by: Erax ]