History of the Galaxy, part 1-Story Thread

[Ragnarok]

Originally posted by Quikngruvn:

quote:

---

Heh, I am not saying it's ending for everybody....

Oops, misconception on my part. But it will have to end at some point.

Quikngruvn, feverishly taking notes from the Baron...

---

I dread the day when this story ends. It's been a great read thus far. I'm looking forward to more storys from both of you. Even if it's the beginning of the end for you Geo, I look forward to reading how you write the end of your empire. Sad to see ya dying off though. Hopefully you can pull through.

[Dead Meat]

...Praetorian Tea is made with only the best herbs and ingredients found on Jetanis 5. Our unique concentration of pyrite globules give Praetorian Tea its rich, fulfilling flavor and aromatic qualities that are enjoyed around the galaxy. Whether you're a Cue or not, I'm sure that you will enjoy Praetorian Tea during any occasion. If you haven't already tried Praetorian Tea, I invite you to try some today so that you too can enjoy this rich delightful drink that so many other begins have found.

Welcome back to Praetorian Prime News. Now a recap the latest developments for 2419.3:

The Praetorian Tea Company released its Fifth Quarter earning today with an almost 20% increase in intragalactic sales. C.F.O. Zek had this to say: "Billions are enjoying Praetorian Tea thanks to our increase in advertising and marketing outside of Praetorian Space. With the addition of our two new factories on Bizzet 1 and Wanduk 2, we have been able to expand our production and shipping routes. We also look to increase our consumer base by adding new flavors such as the new Cadmium Mint and soon to be released Dynamic Organic."

The Minister of Colonization was happy to announce the re-colonization of Last Kithra colony to be destroyed by the Jraenar Imperium. Bizzet 9 makes the 100th colony of the Praetorian Imperium. The Imperium now spans hundreds of light years, with colonies in 12 systems.

A new settlement has been reached between the Praetorian Imprium and the EEE Consortium, the agreement was reach between the two long time allies earlier this month. The lease on Rissil 6 & 7 has been extended to the EEE for 100 years. The EEE colonist already in Rizzil system are reported as to be "happy".

In other news, negotiations between the Praetorian Imperium and the Jraenar Imperium have ended, regarding the massacre of the Kithra Consortium over nearly two years ago. Admiral of the Fleet Poka'chew, located at the Bizzete Fleet Base, released the following statement: "It is a matter of Honor that we avenge the deaths of the entire Kithra race. With the withdrawal of the Nork mediator, and the Jraenar refusal to accept our fair terms, we are left no chose but to take action against the Jraenar Imperium. It is with a sad and heavy heart that I must order attacks against this otherwise honorable government."

This is the first time sense the Fazrah-Praetorian conflict that the Fleet will be used in more than a peace-keeping roll. Many of the Emperor's critics are not happy about the recent turn of events regarding the upcoming war. After the destruction of the Kithra Last colony, many of the Emperor's most out spoken critics noted that the destruction of the Jraenar fleet in Bizzet should be payment enough for the crimes against the Kithra. Many critics also stress the long traditions of Praetorians isolationism. While this has been true for the majority of Emperor Zarnak rein, the recent settlement with the EEE Consortium and the war with the Jraenar have shown that the Emperor intends to bring the Praetorian Imperium out of its isolationist period.

The Hyper Ball Tournament meet untimely end when an Amon'krie slug was let loose in the dome. Authorities are looking into the matter and have said that such actions are the ac...

[geoschmo]

Year 2419.7 The First Battle Of Narcisston

The Sallegan military strategists had analyzed the outcomes of all the previous fleet engagements involving the Norak. Their ships were larger, and more technologically advanced than the Sallgan ships. And the tailsman gave them a decisive advantage in combat. But their strategy had a glaring hole in it. If this could be taken advantage of, it could result in victory for the Republic. Or at least a chance at survival.

This weakness had actually been discovered after the first battle of Cephredi many years ago. While the Sallegans had been victorious in that battle, the Norak ships there were hopelessly outdated. Perhaps if the battle had gone against the Sallegans at that time, they would have taken more seriously the after battle report about the Norak weakness and preparations could have been made sooner to take advantage of it.

It wasn't until the Norak fleet annihilated the Sallegan fleet during the eastern rebellion that the Republic began to realize how deficient their technology was. The line given to the public was that the rebel fleet had been old ships ready for the scrap heap, or the museum. That the Norak ships had been bigger, and more advanced and naturally would have defeated them. There were even rumors spread that the Sallegan rebels had been led by inferior officers, and possibly even deferred to Sergetti masters.

But all this was, though not an out and out lie, certainly a half truth. The ships the rebels had commandeered had been older than the ships in Cephredi, but not that much. And they had a large numerical advantage over the Norak. Tactical reports received of the battle did not show any poor tactics at all. The officers in charge of the Rebels were after all highly trained Republic naval academy graduates, many with actual battle experience against the Xi'Chung and Sergetti. They simply couldn't get within range of their weapons and were blown out of space by the Norak from long range aided by their tailsmans.

Many simulations had been done following that battle, and the results were not much better even with the Sallegans top of the line warships. It was clear that something had to be done to prepare in the event political talks broke down and the Norak started an all out war. It was then that the old report from the first battle of Cephredi had been dug out, and this time it was taken more seriously.

The weakness was simple, and glaring. The Norak did not use point defense cannons. It was known that they did in fact have the technology, it had been seen on their early ship designs. But about the time the first tailsmans started appearing, the Norak ships mysteriously stopped having PDC onboard. It was not known why, perhaps it was some sort of cultural or religious taboo. Perhaps the Norak considered it a lack of faith. If so it was an interesting dichotomy, because they did not have any such aVersion to shield technology, or minesweepers.

It was also entirely possible that they simply felt that PDC were unnecessary as few of the major empires made much use of fighters or missiles, and PDC were of little use against anything else. The Sallegans themselves had many years ago phased missiles out of service, and ceased further research and development on the technology. They did have a sizeable number of fighters for defense in the homesystem, but at the time the Norak could not have known this.

The republic went on a crash program to research more advanced missiles, to build ships employing them, and to retrofit older designs with them. With the armistice signed after the end of the trouble with the eastern rebels, the fleet in Cephredi had been split up over two colonies and work began on retrofitting them as much as possible.

The new top of the line Ahmadabad battle cruiser was designed and as many as could be built, were built. This vessel have seven missile tubes, and with the advanced missiles being designed they could fire from a distance outside of the range of the Norak tailsman controlled Phased Poloran Beams. However, it was a race against the clock, and the clock ran out.

When the Norak moved on the fleets in Cephredi, the fleet being split up and too many being retrofitted at once meant that they could offer little but token resistance to the Norak fleet. As it was a few Norak ships were actually destroyed, better than could be hoped, but not good enough. The Republic could not afford a war of attrition with the Norak. Their empire was too large.

When the picket ship watching the Ashadra system to the south of Narcisston reported the approach of a second fleet of Norak attempting to flank the home system defenses, things looked bleak. The fleet entered the Sallega home system and quickly glassed two planets. It was clear that this was to be a bloody war. The Norak were not even bothering to bring troops with them. It was obvious to the Republic that their very existence was at stake.

There was much discussion as to how best to defend the home system. They senate wanted the fleet kept close to the homeworld. But Grandow knew that was bad policy. He couldn't sit back while the Norak glassed the planets around him and hope for a miracle. He had to do something. And he had his missile ace up his sleeve. He doubted the Norak would take seriously the few that managed to be brought into action in Cephredi. And even if they did, it was estimated this new fleet had departed the Norak space about the same time as the initial suprise attack. They could not have done anything about it that quickly.

The fleet was sent to meet the new Norak fleet. They did battle in sector 6,8. The two fleets engaged each other, and the Sallegan ships let loose their missiles as soon as they were in range. The main force of the Norak dreadnoughts went quickly. They did damage in return, but their phased polaron beams could not pierce the phased shielding of the Republic Battle Cruisers.

The Sallegan fighters moved in next in "large wing" formation. Over five hundred fighters, spilt into two massive Groups. It was a risky strategy. Collected together, the fighters couldn't cover as many targets, and they were easier to hit by the enemy. But the damage they could do grouped together was considered worth the risk. They swooped into action and each destroyed a single Norak warship with their first volley. There was no return fire. The Norak as expected had no PDC, and the few phased polaron beams that survived the initial moments of the firefight were trained on the Sallegan capital ships.

Grandow almost held out hope of total victory after the initial success. But the Norak had a suprise of their own waiting. Included in the fleet were several light cruisers of a new design. The Huron had no standard weaponry, but instead was exclusively armed with ionic beam weapons. These could skip through the Sallegan phased shielding and armor, and immediately burned out the remaining engines. The Sallegan missile ships could still fire, but they were dead in space.

After a few brief and bloody moments, the Norak fleet was reduced to a toothless shell of it's former self. The only weapons it had left were the ionic weapons that were good only against engines. These could not target the fighters at all. While the Sallegan fleet had lost several ships, they still had many more, and most of them still had all their weapons intact. But they could not pursue the Norak fleet. The fighter wings did their best to chase the Hurons down, but they unfortunately did not have any more speed than the Norak ships. They managed two more kills, but the remainder of the Hurons, and all the minesweepers the Norak brought were alive. They moved on past the Republic fleet and resumed course for the Republic homeworld.

Grandow had almost nothing left to stop them. The Norak fleet could not do any damage to the homeworld with only ionic weapons, but they could blockade them. And the Norak still had another fleet in Cephredi waiting to pounce.

[sachmo]

Yikes! Nice job by the intel boys...too bad no one listened at first!

[geoschmo]

Originally posted by sachmo:
Yikes! Nice job by the intel boys...too bad no one listened at first!

Ain't that how it always happens though?

[Jmenschenfresser]

2419.7
Raeghar's Demise

The great metal bLast door to Governor Pellwain's inner office slid open silently. A face she knew well walked solemnly into the room holding a disk before his person as if it were holy or royal. Pellwain looked up at her personal guard and lover, Gulkar, knowing full well her face looked hollow and pale.

"Have you seen the latest reports?" Gulkar asked?
She just nodded.
"The remnant of the Guarding Fleet is heading to rendevous with the incoming Moon Templars. Surely their combined might will not let this...this horror remain."
"My brother is dead, Gulkar. What is left is only the dream before death. Is that?..."
"Yes, Pellwain. Your brother's book, incomplete, The History of the Norak."
"My brother would never leave anything incomplete."

He handed her the disk and left the office. Now was the time for sober, independent thought...not tearful remorse. He left and headed straight for a barrel of booze.

Pellwain set the disk into the read and within seconds her brother's manuscript popped up before her eyes. He'd sent it to a friend on Xiban with the instructions to send it to her in case of his death. She quickly flipped to the Last page and began reading.

"We've passed into Sallega space. I smell death. Our fleet quickly dispatched an aging guard standing over the warp point his teeth revealed like a primitive unaware of his certain death. Of course the poor crew knew they were going to die, but they fought for their homeworld. I watched from the bridge, and after it was over I returned to my quarters and balled my eyes out. Their death, not the thousands in Cephedri, a system stained from end to end with blood, was the turning of a key to a door that cannot be closed. 'The belly of the beast,' he's said. The heart of the Sallega empire was not the reference, but the heart of the Norak empire. The closer we come to ultimate destruction, the bloodier our right hand becomes, the closer our left is to pricking the wall of our own black heart.

"We had little information coming into Narcisston. Apparently, there's a large fleet stationed over a distant planet. I am not sure if it is headed this way. I sit most of the day in my office talking to Elgart, my assistant, praying and meditating.There's little to do. Few of the crew come to see us. The Tribunals have taken the salt out of our religion. It is more a law of government than spiritual volition and obedience.

"Jumping quickly from planet to planet our fleet destroyed two of their worlds. I again watched from the bridge as our beams ignited their atmospheres. There was little resistance. As the fleet then began its journey to the third Sallegan world, the distant fleet was now just two sectors away and on an intercept course. Fleet commander Igar-Fil decided it best to try and flank the fleet, so we redirected to the Sallegan homeworld near the warp point leading into Organtrix.

"That night I had a dream, and in my dream I relived the ancient Plain's Wars of Xiban our homeworld. I saw as we rode great terara beasts into battle. We rode for their center. I listened and heard the might of our force as it rumbled over the rolling hills. Dust covered the size of our onrush. Primitive cries roared above the thunder of our attack. I felt that were we to stop we might well carve a gorge into the country side. I saw then the front lines of the enemy...yards back from where they were just minutes ago. We rode into what was effectively a corral of guns and cannons. I saw then the wings of our mighty calvary veer off and flee, and that brought me great distress. I watched as those brave idiots who rode into the trap fell in waves, their great beasts howling from the triple digit wounds they received before their thick hides and outer layers of bone could protect them no more. And the great attacker. The conquerer. The Kings of the North dwindled and warred amongst themselves to the point of chaos. No one lived but those who fled. And I saw them grow old and die in lands hewed by their own hands.

"I awoke and knew our time was at hand. I ran straightway to Elgart's bed and woke him. The Sallega fleet was not far off when I finally got him into a shuttle pod. In the two months I'd known him, I had grown fond of the young monk. Perhaps this was my Last deed. The Order was on the verge of extinction and I knew someone had to see and survive. Someone had to lead the Order and the Faith into the era beyond. I, Raeghar, having given two decades to the expansion and population of the galaxy must stay the course and ride in with the great warriors. With me dies the old order.

"So I gave Elgart a faked transfer and an excuse that one of the mine sweeper's priests had taken ill. I knew there would be no time for him to return before the battle. I pray I have done the right thing.

Pellwain closed the file. The words of her dead brother left her eyes dry. 'There's nothing to lament' she thought. She stood and looked out of her window at the city below. Her brother was right. The Continuum and the Sallegan Empire would not survive this. All that mattered was protecting the future. Deep inside Farzah space, she knew here they could hide. She could hide her millions from the destruction of the 'old order.' She turned quickly, hit three keys on the comm pad and waited for the ever grumpy voice of the Lord of Knoglam of the Farzah.

[Ragnarok]

Good story. Keep it up.