Empire of Man (continued)

[Starhawk]

The Empire Goes on the Offensive

The debates and arguments finally came to an end 8 months ago when the Manticore launched a devestating offensive that effectively destroyed the 10th fleet as an effective fighting force and inflicted heavy losses on the civilian population in Adin.
Still several senators complained and bickered about the planned offensive claiming that the ships and troops planned to take part in that operation should be better used protecting the three systems surrounding the main Manticore system in Imperial space.

During those months of bickering, Admiral Clara Duane and Marine General William Sherman continued planning the offensive in the Prozhi system, which had been the source of both the fleet that devestated the 10th fleet and another fleet which had just Last month inflicted heavy casualties on the 6th fleet which resulted in the deaths of nearly 10,000 men and women. The Emperor had decreed months ago that the blockade fleets would not be enough but with the devestation wrought on the 10th fleet the opponents of the offensive had managed to stall for months claiming security reasons.' However when the clearence came through Duane and Sherman's plan had already been completed and the Battlefleet designated (Battle Fleet Alpha) was mobilized, and in their midst a cruiser of unusual configuration sat silently, waiting for the orders that would change Imperial history forever...
But now all that was finally moot, and Admiral Duane sat proudly on the bridge of her flagship the Super Monitor INSS Warhawk and looked out upon her fleet with a sense of awe, there were over 45 super capital ships in her fleet and the largest grouping of Super Monitors outside of the 1st fleet, but more then that even there was the expermintal cruiser that would "Change the future of warfare forever" or so the tech had said when she asked him what exactly this cruiser would do for her.
"Captain Flanders, inform all commands, my compliments and prepare to leave Imperial space." Clara folded her hands in her lap as she often did when she was nervious dating back to when she was a young Ensign aboard Unrelenting during the Goa'ould wars all those long years ago. As the orders were relayed to all commands a single small cruiser began slowly winding it's way through the fleet of giants around it and moved away from the gravity field of Phillidelphia, slowely a blue energy field began emanating from the hull and began twisting and expanding, as the field grew larger it began to swirl and twist until a warp point formed in space and every member of the battlefleet stood in stunned silence for several moments, as did the population of Phildelphia which for the first time in memorable history a warp point was visible from a planetary atmosphere.

After allowing her crews a moment Clara snapped "Take us out mister Omar!" to her helmsman, the crew snapped back into action as they approached the first warp point ever created by a sentient species in the history of the galaxy.

Moments later the battlefleet was in the Prozhi system and the warp point faded and closed in on their targeted world, the system's space port was deemed the best target because the need to stop resource flow from at least one entire star system within the manticore kingdom was deemed top priority by the Admiralty and Congress of Lords.

The target world had a population of 480 million and a large defense force consisting of 200 heavily armed soldiers and roughly 1,000 militiamen on the surface plus 180 space born interceptors which had already begun launching form the surface and heading at full thrust towards the approaching battlefleet.

"Admiral I am reading 180 enemy fighters I repeat one-eight-zero targets approaching fast, orders?" Ensign Mullin was a green officer but it was still a rather stupid question as the other ships in the fleet had already begun launching their long range missile batteries into the swarms of incoming fighters.
"Well mister Mullin unless you plan on snapping your fingers at them perhaps you should open fire?" Captain Flanders barked as the gun crews continued asking for targeting data frin the bridge.
Mullin turned red with embarassment as he punched in targeting data and the glow of missile trails finally rippled away from the ship.

As space lit with dozens of explosions the Super Monitors of the battle fleet continued their advance and within minutes beams tore across space and into the massed fighter formations destroying every enemy fighter in only a single volley. The space battle ended as the massive form of a Super Monitor sized troop transport named General Patton began deploying it's thousands of heavil armed marines to the surface of the enemy world.
The first target to fall was the spaceport and within hours the entire world had been so totally overwhelmed that the land battle was hardly worth mentioning in Clara Duane's final report. However the battle was just begining and 6 worlds remained in Prozhi alone.

OOC: The land battle really would not have been worth mentioning because it was just such a one sided battle that Lasted one little explosion.

[Starhawk]

OOC: I am going to try and have a starmap up soon so that you guys can see what is going on okay.

[Intimidator]

Great story again...........

[Starhawk]

Defense of Zekrat
As the invasion of Prozhi was underway another important battle was begining as 32 Manticore starships came through the warp point and engaged the 6th fleet, taking the blockade squadron by suprise.

Fortunately for the Imperial navy their extremly disciplined crews of the Imperial ships went streight into action, as the heavy guns of the fleet went into action several Manticore ships turned into expanding balls of plasma and wreckage as their reactors went.
The Imperial fleet was arrayed in a wall formation but due to the way the Manticore fleet came through that formation was broken in half with most of the heavy ships were too far away to be useful against the enemy heavies and the first few Manticore ships destroyed were just carriers and only a handful of the enemies own dreadnoughts.
The return fire by the enemy super dreadnoughts quickly destroyed several of the smaller Imperial cruisers and killed hundreds of their crewmen, a dreadnought too was soon destroyed by the enemy fire as the Imperial heavies feverishly tried to get into firing range of their counterparts in the enemy fleet. Cruisers and battleships opened fire on the superior ships and actually managed to inflict some damage, killing three enemy dreadnoughts.
For nearly twenty minutes the Imperial ships and Manticore ships struggled to gain the advantage, both sides suffering losses but all the while the 6th fleet was gaining ground using their superior combat experience to make up for their lack of numbers and ship sizes. In the end the 6th fleet finally destroyed the Last of the Manticore ship but they had paid the price in lives and ships.

Imperial Losses:
King Arthur
Class: Dreadnought
Crew: 2,500
Status: Destroyed

Vanguard
Class: Battlecruiser
Crew: 1,000
Status: Destroyed

Cobra 0026
Class: Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

Cobra 0016
Class Heavy Destroyer
Crew: 50
Status: Destroyed

Moriarti
Class: Battle Cruiser
Crew: 1,000
Status: Destroyed

Ankorage
Class: Heavy Cruiser
Crew: 800
Status: Destroyed

OOC: Minor battle but it was a close call and if that enemy fleet had made it through it would have been the end of it for the entire Zekrat system as the nearest fleet would be three months away at least.

Oh and go ahead and click my link if you'd like to help me out with a game .

[Raging Deadstar]

Great Writing as usual, I quite like the new way you've began to piece this story together, And the Manticore are always an interesting enemy. I look forward to more

Your Story is updated to the latest chapter at SpaceEmpires.Net