[OPEN] The Invasion of Andromeda

[Nyq]

"You inferiors will all perish."
-General Dar'Tabum of the Stramstin Empire, regarding the local Andromedans

A massive fleet resides within intergalactic space, all of them glowing in a blinding white light as small holes were tore in the fabric of space. These ships all looked like what you would expect from horror movies, chitinous monstrosities with strands of flesh lining random parts of the spacecraft. Their sizes differ, ranging from only a few hundred meters large up to a whooping ten kilometers. However, one can be certain that they all have a common motive:they are going to war.

Within the largest ship of the mysterious fleet, a figure observed as his fleet establishes an Einstein-Rosen bridge towards their destination, what was once their dominion, Andromeda. Emperor Mas'tartara's insectoid features formed what could be called a grin as his fleets prepare to destroy whatever inferiors currently roaming their homeland. Similarly in other sectors of intergalactic space, massive fleets of similar size were also preparing to invade the Andromeda Galaxy, nothing would be spared by the invasion.

The activation of the bridges took only another hour, with the fleets pouring through their respective wormholes towards their destinations.​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Somewhere in the Andromeda, a rather miniscule fleet wandered through a broken asteroid belt. The 674th Explorator Fleet, commanded by Executor Heraldus Krolmnor. Consisting of several Adunir Battlecarrier and a few squadrons of Star Seekers, it was just meant for exploring for ruins and treasure, and was capable of carrying several cities' worth of treasures. However, this day will be different...

Heraldus stared through the space before him, as if in deep thought. He was pleased lately, with the fleet having prodded through several planets that had ruined civilizations on them as well making off with whatever treasure they had. His thoughts were interrupted when...

"Executor!", a phase smith shouted telepathically a short distance away. "Wormhole signatures detected at the starboard side! Energy signatures are unidentified!"

"Have the probes return to the ships immediately.", the Executor ordered. "And tell all ships to put full power to shields and weapons!"

"As you command, Executor.", the phasesmith replied, and began working on his orders. Just as the probes returned and the shields and weapons went to full power, monstrous vessels appeared out of the wormholes. Huge, chitinous monsters, unlike they have ever seen before. The Drathians had space monsters, but not like these ones. The Executor knew at once that they are hostile and gave the order to open fire. Hundreds of blue beams and shells flew towards the hulking space beasts, but the small fleet would have to flee soon.

"Charge the time warp engines. We are fleeing as soon as possible."

 

[Nyq]

Unknown destination

Waves of Stramstin ships poured out through the wormholes, ranging from Nightshade Fighters to Tyrant Dreadnoughts. As soon as they exited their wormholes, they were met with a small fleet of metallic ships.

Fleet Commander Dasu'tartrel watched in amusement as the small fleet of inferiors were terrified by their mere presence, that was until they opened fire. The features of the commander twisted in rage. How dare these inferiors defy the will of the Stramstin Empire? They shall receive the wrath of those that are superior!

"Open fire on those inferiors!"

With the command of the commander himself, the massive Stramstin fleet fired their beam weapons against the small fleet, destroying some of the smaller enemy ships in the process. Dasu laughed in glee as he watched the inferiors futile struggle against the superior Stramstin fleet.

"Surround them! Don't let them go FTL!"

@Death Korps of Krieg

Meanwhile, in NHE territory....

Numerous wormholes emerged in one of the Han's remote systems, with almost no activity other than a few occasional supply ships and patrols. Multiple chitinous ships varied in size poured through said wormholes, preparing to reconquer the system for the Stramstin Empire.

"For our glory, slaughter all inferiors that stand in our way!"​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

The Executor saw as a few Star Seekers went down, and he knew that the situation was dire. He needed a few more minutes before the time warp engines are ready, so he spoke one word in command to the entire fleet.

"Vaal'kulaseth."

To anyone versed in the Altaran language, vaal'kulaseth meant 'deep strike', and this was exactly what the order meant. All at once, the entire fleet moved with speeds that the larger and more cumbersome Stramstin ships would not match. They split up, and with terrifying speed began to attack at the undersides of the Stramstin ships. Explosions belted as the Explorators fought with determination for one thing. To survive.

Battlecarriers released their Void Stalker fighters, and the Star Seekers struck with their prismatic beams with unrelenting fury. All of this would probably anger the Stramstin fleet commander even further

 

[Nyq]

Unknown location

"Gah, inferiors don't know when to give up!" yelled the Stramstin commander in frustration, just as another prismatic beam collided with the surface of the ship he is in, leaving a scorch mark on the armor which was soon repaired. A few more of the small enemy craft were struck with the destructive beam cannons of the Stramstin ships, shattering them into pieces. "Send a breaching party to one of the enemy ships, and collect anything of use."

At the orders of the commander, a few fighters flew to one of the enemy ships releasing the small,pesky crafts that has been troubling for the Stramstin to destroy, breaching it's hull with a lightly-charged beam cannon before a few shuttles went through the hole, releasing the Stramstin horrors into the unlucky craft.

Hordes of Stramstin Scouts rushed out of the shuttles, swarming the Altaran defenders within with their massive numbers, while Stramstin Drones, Chargers, Boomers, and Regulars followed, with the Observers and Harvesters coming out last.

Terrifying screeches could be heard originating from the Stramstin constructs as they slaughtered the enemy defenders.

Meanwhile, in Han territory

"發現未知艦隊，正前往探查(Unknown fleet detected, heading over to investigate.)"

Commander Li sat comfortably on his leather chair, taking a sip of maotai as he listened to the report of one of his patrol fleets. 'Probably just another supply fleet we didn't know about, or it might be the Resistance, nothign we can't handle anyway.' thought the commander as he poured himself another glass of the alcoholic drink. However, he didn't know that his fate is practically sealed the moment the Stramstin appeared in the system. A few minutes later, he would receive a distress signal, before all communications were lost with the said patrol fleet.

All Han ships in the sector became alert after that.
​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

"Thanaris, god of death, help us...", Heraldus whispered while hearing the defenders in the battlecarrier die.

"Executor!", a voice slammed into the psionic array.

"Wha... Captain Ferelon? What are you-"

"It has been an honor to serve at your side."

"No you don't mean-"

"Worry not, old friend. In these five centuries I knew you, I have known nothing but honor and glory. Perhaps I have lived long enough."

"No, Ferelon. We just need another minute-"

"If my ship warps in to our territory, the enemy will know the location of our homeworlds. I will not allow that to happen, Executor. Men! Overload the generators! The Sardaksis will beam all of you out as soon as you are done. I will remain behind to coordinate the automated defenses."

The crew of the boarded battlecarrier all heard his command, and some managed to retreat to the generators, which they overloaded with the volatile anti-matter. With their robotic servitors delaying the Stramstin constructs as long as possible, they then began to warp out of the ship in the warp pods. Within several moments, only the robots, Stramstin Constructs, and Captain Ferelon was left in the vessel.

"Lenurion, guide my to the thereafter....", he whispered as he heard the robotic defenders of the ship destroyed just at the door of the bridge. He then set the ship to a collision course with the nearest enemy ship before it would be too late. The Stramstin constructs smashed the door down rather quickly, and the captain fired his psionic attack at them, roasting the initial wave, but soon, they were too many, and he fell.

"Heh...", he thought while he lay on the floor, bleeding to death. "This is not too bad of an end."

The Sardaksis, Lenthres, and Huganor, which are the remaining battlecarriers of the fleet, soon began to shimmer in a blue light. With a breath, they were gone, with only blue mists to indicate their passing. But the Theron remained. None of the Star Seekers made it, but they were AI controlled anyway and were expendable.

As the Stramstin constructs hunted through whatever of the crew did not manage to escape, the generatorss gave in to the volatile anti-matter, and as the ship was locked in a collision course, blue flames erupted first from behind its hull, then spread towards it front. It then crashed to the nearest enemy ship, destroying them both as the anti-matter consumed them.

Meanwhile, the three battlecarrier dispersed to reach out the news that Andromeda is under attack. The Sardaksis went to the Acruani, the Lenthres to the human colonies, and the Huganor to the Drathians. All must know of this treachery.

 

[Nyq]

Unknown location

"Commander, the inferiors destroyed one of our fighter ships!" reported a soldier to the commander, which only served to further fuel his rage. His fist impacted the chitin surface of one of the ship's railings with such force that said structure vibrated for a few seconds after the incident.

"Cursed inferiors! When we find their lands, we'll glass their worlds for the lives we lost today!" yelled the commander in anger. After half a minute of panting, the commander finally calmed down and asked the soldier. "Have we found anything of use from the inferiors?"

"No, sir. At least not yet. The inferiors had fled."

"What? An Einstein-Rosen bridge takes longer than that to open, and other conventional FTL needs to be totally unobstructed! That's impossible, soldier!" rambled the command in confusion.

"But,sir. They just disappeared."

"Nevermind, the Stramstin will conquer all inferiors soon enough. Scour the battlefield for any enemy remains." commanded Dasu. The Stramstin ships began analyzing the enemy ship wreck for anything of value, completing their task only after half an hour.

"Sir, we found a some organic material originating from the enemy in the wreck." reported the soldier.

"Good, let's see what the scientists could do with it. But for now, keep advancing. We have a galaxy to conquer."

NHE territory

The Han fleets in the area rushed to the last location the patrol fleet is known to be in, only to be treated to a less than palatable sight of what is unmistakably the ruins of the patrol fleet, and the perpetrators of the destruction, huge chitinous monsters that is comprised of almost entirely organic material.

At the very same moment the Han ships are going to send a warning to the apparently alien ships, the aliens fired their beam cannons at them. A few Han corvettes and frigates were instantly obliterated by the enemy's weapon.

"操他媽的，這些東西到底是啥!?(Fuck, what are these things!?)" exclaimed a Han officer after seeing the carnage caused by the enemy weapons, while another officer reports the presence of a hostile fleet to High Command.

"管他媽的，把這些東西統統幹掉! (Fuck it, kill all of these things!)" Commander Li issued an order from his deck, causing all men to tense up and prepare for battle.

A battle is about to begin.

​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Alutroch Space Station, somewhere in the Andromeda

Above a dead, arid planet, a large, metallic space station floated in the darkness. Alutroch Station, one of the several Altaran space stations in the Andromeda Galaxy. Measuring around 5 kilometers long, the station was no ordinary station. Defense turrets lined its hull, and it had a port where small ships can dock. Near it, several battlecarriers and squadrons of star cruisers, elthras destroyers, and Star Seekers stood on standby.

High Keeper Mael Flamestrike stood on the station's command centre, beholding the vessels of the fleet and the dark void behind them. In his years as High Keeper of Alutroch, there has been nothing for him to fight other than petty pirates. Needless to say, that bored him.

"Higher Keeper!", a phase smith thundered. "Time warp signatures detected 75 space kilometers away."

"So someone finally decided to visit me.", the High Keeper dully replied. "Well-"

"High Keeper... the captain wishes to speak with you."

"Eh? Okay then..."

A screen opened, and appeared Heraldus Krolmnor. An old friend.

"Ah, Heraldus. It's been a long time."

"Indeed, Mael. But I bring dire news."

"Well, our race is literally dying. I don't know what could be worse than that, but sy your piece."

"Ferelon, and his ship, the Theron, has been destroyed. An unknown invader attacked our fleet. Huge chitinous monsters. Any idea?"

"Well, there is one thing I can do. I can inform the rest of the galaxy of what has trespassed this place, but that will take some time. In the meantime, my friend, dock in the station and have your rest."

 

[Nyq]

Alutroch Station

As if the Altaran haven't had enough bad luck for the day, another Stramstin Fleet appeared at one of their space stations. White light shone through the darkness that is space as Stramstin wormholes emerge at the space nearby the station.

The Stramstin fleets have arrived.

NHE territory

The Han fleet was both outnumbered and outgunned by the enemy, with more and more ships becoming fragments of metal floating though the void as time passed. Despite the apparent fact that they wouldn't win the battle, dozens of Han corvettes and frigates charged towards the enemy formation, with their weapons firing continuously on the enemy

However, the Han weapons proved too weak to cause serious damage to the Stramstin ships. Plasma rounds only burnt the armor of the enemy ships, while MAC rounds created a dent that was repaired in the next minute or so at most. The only weapon that even slightly worked is the heavy beam lance, which tore off some of the organic material of their smallest ships, which took quite a while to repair.

The feelings of despair filled the mind of Commander Li as he relayed the encounter with a Level 0 threat to Toth'Valai. If there are more monstrosities like these, how is the Empire going to survive the grim future?
​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

"Them again!", Heraldus snapped seeing the same ships attack the station. "Mael! Are you-"

"Oh, yes.", the High Keeper dully said through the screen in the Sardaksis' bridge. "Finally something worthy to fight. Strike now, commanders! Incinerate them!"

At the High Keeper's command, hundreds of beams slammed through the Stramstin ships, initially destroying several of the Nightshade Destroyers. Using their superior mobility, the Altaran cruisers and Star Seekers dodged many of the Stramstin beam weapons, all the while as Star Crusaders supported them from behind. But best of all, the warp gate that is connected to the station began to shimmer, and several more ships appeared out of it, this time a squad of Exterminati and a Tempestus. Red beams chained and balls of volatile energy flew through space as the reinforcements of the Altaran struck. Alutroch is one of their 5 holdings in Andromeda, and they can ill afford to lose it. Not again.

 

[Nyq]

Alutroch Station

"Sir, we are under heavy enemy fire. Our fleets has sustained some losses."reported a Stramstin soldier to his commander

"How much?"

"Not much, only 9, now 10 of our destroyers."replied the soldier. The soldier turned away from the commander, only to return after he saw something on his HUD. "Sir, enemy reinforcements have arrived. At least 6 of them are sighted."

"Then we must act fast if we were to win before that bastard Dasu seizes more inferior territory than me. No way he is going to impress the Emperor more." The commander laid back on his seat. "Order all Tyrants to distract the inferiors, while the other faster moving ships blitz in and take the enemy construct as soon as possible. If all else fails, call for reinforcements."

"Yes,sir."





​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

As the enemy dreadnoughts surged forward, the Star Seekers streaked past the massive enemy ships, leaving behind scorches on the chitinous armor with their prismatic beams. However, the Altaran maintained their deep striking attack. Blue lasers and balls of energy kept flying as the mobile Altaran ships flew in high speeds. To make things perhaps more annoying, the warp gate shimmered again, and this time two Adunir Star Crusaders surged forward, attacking the Tyrants headfirst. If the Stramstin are being observant, they will see that this shimmering gate will have to be destroyed in order to stem the Altaran reinforcements, though it is unlikely that they will allow it.

 

[Nyq]

Alutroch Station

The Tyrant dreadnoughts continued to fend off the more mobile enemy ships, while the smaller ships broke into the enemy formation, which was being reinforced by the same small, pesky enemy ships(Star Seekers) coming through the portal-like structure. The Stramstin ships struggled to continue pushing through the enemy formations, but only a few of them managed to reach the enemy construct, landing the horrifying Stramstin constructs on the enemy space station. Unfortunately, the majority wasn't able to reach the space station, as they were blocked by the enemy fleet. Some of them even floating through the void of space as unrecognizable wrecks.

"Enemy reinforcements mostly came from that portal-like structure." said the captain of a Nightshade Destroyer. "We need to take that thing down in order to achieve victory. Rally the captains of the other ships. we have a portal to destroy."

A few Nightshade Destroyers then grouped together and headed towards the portal-like structure, supported by their fellow ships within the enemy formation. Meanwhile, the majority of the enemy fleet was too preoccupied with the Tyrant dreadnoughts to do anything about the sudden enemy movement.

Meanwhile, scattered, but still horrifying screeches could be heard within the enemy space station, as the limited amount of Stramstin constructs run rampant within the station.

NHE territory

Within half an hour, the meager Han patrol fleets was all but destroyed. Scraps of metal scattered through the scene of battle, floating aimlessly as the victorious Stramstin fleet approaches the sole planet in the system settled by the NHE, Gaodian.

However, the battle was far from it's end, as bright slipspace portals came into existence in the nearby space. The Han 25th Imperial Fleet has arrived.​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

"Get them off! Get them off her!", the High Keeper ordered while striding atop a Colossus battle walker. "Incinerate these pathetic little creatures!"

At his command, a line of Colossus walkers fired their thermal lances at the Stramstin constructs that have just landed on their station, incinerating the entire front. Immortals and Death Stalkers fired their energy weaponry from the shadows in the now darkened station, as the High Keeper thought it better to off the lights when invaders landed on it. The constructs that did reach the Colossi were ripped to pieces by cloaked Night Haunters with their warp blades.

Meanwhile, outside, the same two Star Crusaders that have just come out of the portal turned around to protect it from the Nightshades, but someone else was already doing the job. Defensive weapon platforms on the station did their work, shooting at the enemy destroyers that sought to destroy the portal.

 

[Nyq]

Alutroch Station

"Enemy defenses are strong near the portal structure. We have to find a way to bypass it if we were to destroy the structure." reported a soldier to his captain.

"Cursed inferiors!" The captain slammed his fist onto his table. "Contact the fleet commander, we need a few Tyrants to destroy the portal!"

The few destroyers relayed their request to the fleet's high command, who dispatched two Tyrants to aid the operation. The powerful beam lances of the dreadnoughts slammed onto the defensive weapon platforms on the station and even the portal-like structure itself. Some defensive weapons platforms are even permanently silenced by the Stramstin beams of death. Meanwhile, the destroyers continued to engaged the two new enemy ships, firing their beam cannons at the enemy.

While the enemy fleets struggled to defend their portal, a few more Stramstin ships reached the station and landed more constructs on the enemy facility. Boomers surged forward towards the enemy, followed by a massive horde of Scouts and Drones, with ranged support from the Chargers,Artillery and even Regulars. A plasma barrage,supported with Gauss fire, was rained towards enemy positions, temporarily suppressing enemy fire. The Boomers took the opportunity to rush forwards towards the enemy mechanical constructs, overwhelming the cloaked defenders with their sheer numbers. Soft squelches could be heard as these creatures detonated themselves, spilling their corrosive contents all over the enemy. Those that did get cut down by the enemy splattered their acidic contents over their killer, delivering it's final retribution. The Scouts and Chargers immediately filled the place of the Boomers, rushing towards the enemy with their claws ready to tear apart the enemy defenses.

NHE territory

The Han 25th Imperial Fleet rushed forwards to engage the unknown fleet, firing their weapons towards the closest enemy ship, which is one of the smallest enemy ships. Fusion fire, along with MAC rounds, beams, and balls of plasma found their way onto the chitinous ship. Although most of the barrage didn't really harm the monstrosity, the fusion lance and beam lances tore away most of the enemy's chitinous armor, exposing the soft insides of the ship. The ship was soon destroyed with a MAC round.

The enemy fleet immediately reacted to the destruction of one of their own, firing their superior beam weapons at the Han fleet. Several corvettes and frigates took the brunt of the barrage, becoming scraps of metal floating in the endless void of space. The Han fleet retaliated with it's own barrage of fire, which turned out to not be as effective as the first barrage since it was not directed at a single enemy. However, some enemy ships were slightly damaged, with pieces of their armor melted down by the fusion lances, with the smaller ones even suffering serious damages. Unfortunately, the largest of the enemy ships remained intact, as they were shielded by their smaller comrades.

Meanwhile, the forces of Gaodian were struck by a terrifying enemy. Seemingly endless swarms of organic monstrosities rushed against the local PDF, penetrating their defenses before they could even react. Thousands were butchered within the first minutes of the invasion, with screams and screeches echoing throughout the atmosphere of the planet. To make thing worse, flying enemy creatures engaged the local airforce for aerial superiority. Balls of burning metal fell from the skies every minute, as the Gaodian airforce slowly lost their ground against the numerically superior enemy.​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

"And they presume to bring in some giant ships? Very well, they will get what they want!", the Phase Smith overseeing the warp gate said as he looked at a few Tyrants entered the fight. "Even if they destroyed it, we could simply warp this station out. Our time warp engines are ready, no?", he turned around to a nearby technician.

"Yes, Phase Smith.", he replied to his superior. "Just a few more minutes and we will be able to get out of here at the High Keeper's command."

"That is assuming that he and his forces don't die down there," the smith replied while watching the live footage of the battle within the station. "It looks like they need back up. Bring in the Star Gazers."

"As you command."

Outside, the battle continued furiously, with a few more Tyrants appearing. 8 Elthras Destroyers appeared out of the warp gate, blowing their prism beams against the destroyers that were attacking the two new comer Star Crusaders. 6 or so Star Seekers overloaded their anti-matter cores and rammed the Tyrants, blowing off large chunks of armor and flesh. The fleet continued to defend the station whilst its engines were being readied.

Inside, the High Keeper was nearly overwhelmed by the swarms of enemies. "How many of these creatures do we have to kill?!", he thought. That is, when he gazed upon several Star Gazers joining the defense. Specially designed to wipe out massive swarms of weaker foes, the Star Gazers unleashed a ring wave of deadly radiation and heat upon the initial Stramstin constructs they encountered, obliterating the ones that were trying to charge towards the Death Stalkers and Immortals in the backlines. However, there was still much more to slay.

 

[Nyq]

Alutroch Station

"Sir, several dreadnoughts are reporting heavy damage." reported a soldier to the fleet commander. "The enemy is using suicide bombing tactics to damage our ships."

"Damned inferiors!" yelled the commander angrily as he made the Stramstin signature move:slamming the table with his bare fists. "I want fighters over there and get those suicide bombers the fuck away from the dreadnoughts!"

With the order of the commander, several fighters circled around the assaulting Tyrants, especially the damaged ones, providing support against the more agile enemy suicide bombers. Meanwhile, the sustained fire from the Tyrants eventually proved too much for the stations defensive weapons platforms, which were slowly silenced by the concentrated fire from the Stramstin ships.

The battle between the destroyers and the enemies continued, with the Stramstin ships trading fire against their enemy. However, with the Tyrants already shooting at the portal-like structure, it seems that the enemy might not receive anymore reinforcements now.

In the station, the Regulars, and the newly landed Spiders had finally joined the fray, Gauss fire echoed through the battlefield as these units unleashed their terrifying weapons on the enemy. Chunks of grey flesh flew in all directions as several Night Haunters were blasted into smithereens by the powerful Gauss cannons of the Spiders. Some of the enemy Death Stalkers even perished in the sudden barrage. Terrifying screeches were released as the Stramstin constructs took the opportunity to rush the enemy

NHE territory

The skies of Gaodian were lost to the enemy. Although the local airforce fought valiantly against the unknown enemy, even striking some of them down from the skies, they were nothing but piles of scrap metal littering the ground of the planet now. Horrifying screeches came from the victorious flying monstrosities, further demoralizing the ground forces resisting the said enemy.

The stench of ozone filled the battlefield, as the swarms of Tunusi troops fired their plasma weapons at the incoming Scouts. Tunus Elites barked out orders as the Tunus Regulars rushed through the concrete jungles of the capital city of Gaodian, positioning themselves to provide the maximum advantage towards the fight. Terion marksmen gunned down the leading Scouts while the Tunus Regulars positioned themselves, with Dachar and Degosin units rushing to support the frontlines. However, this is their last stand against the enemy. Within hours, most of the planet's surface was already lost to this terrible enemy, with the last bits of effective resistance pocketed in military bases, major cities, and the wilderness. They are just not organized enough to fight the enemy

After a few minutes, the massive Stramstin army has finally reached the city. Endless swarms of Scouts rushed towards the nearest soldier they could find, tearing them apart with their claws while it's victim screams in terror. Boomers rushed into the Han barricades blowing them apart along with the soldiers defending it, creating large openings for it's fellow constructs to enter the city. Stramstin Artillery units suppressed the fire of the Han units, giving it's comrades more time to rush their enemies. Chargers and Drones provided ranged support, spitting balls of acid towards their enemies. A few Regulars and Stalkers even joined the fray, pelting the enemy with Gauss fire. To make things worse for the defenders, the Bombers didn't stay idle either, raining down plasma fire on heavily fortified positions. Eventually, the defenses broke and the defenders were slaughtered. Fleeing civilians were tore into pieces by these creatures, and the last of the remaining guardians were hunted down like animals. Screams and cries echoed throughout the city as it's residents were mercilessly slaughtered.

The aftermath of the battle wasn't pleasant. The buildings of the city were painted with blood, red, blue, purple, and orange colours decorated the city's buildings, with bits and pieces of flesh scattered on the ground to further illustrate the slaughter that happened prior. The victorious Stramstin forces let loose a terrifying howl, while Harvesters were vusy gathering the biological material scattered around the now dead city. Gaodian has fallen.

Meanwhile in space, the Han 25th Imperial Fleet wasn;t doing any better either. Although 8 of the smallest enemy craft now decorated the void of space as bits and pieces of chitin and flesh, the Han fleet has lost all of it's ships below cruiser class. The enemy was simply too strong. Fusion lances and their beam counterparts proved to be the only effective weapons against the enemy. However, things aren't looking good for the Han fleet. The hydrogen and helium gases required to power the fusion lances were nearly depleted on all ships, while beam lances aren't powerful enough to even damage the tough armor of the larger enemy ships. With the destruction of yet another battlecruiser, the commander of the 25th Imperial Fleet had finally made the decision to retreat.

A few destroyers were left behind to delay the enemy while the other fleets fled the battlefield. The crew of those ships knew that they weren't returning alive, but they have no regrets, for their deaths are for the greater good of the Empire. The Han national anthem echoed through the interior of the ships, as the crew prepared to face their doom. The weapons of the ships discharged towards the enemy, doing relatively minor damage towards their tough chitin armor. However, the crew weren't willing to give up just yet. With a look of determination, the captain in charge of the small fleet ordered for the ships to ram into the nearest enemy ship.

"諸位，大漢帝國今日被一個未知敵人襲擊了。無數戰士今日為了大漢而壯烈殉國去了，而我們也將跟隨這些勇敢的戰士一起為了大漢而亡。把所有船隻都往敵艦上撞去！讓他們知道他們或許可以打到我們，可是他們永遠，永遠不能征服我們！大漢萬歲!!! (Everyone, today, we were attacked by an unknown enemy. Countless brave warriors had sacrificed their lives today for the Empire, and we're going to follow these brave warriors into the path of death for the good of the Empire. Ram the ships onto the enemy! Let them know that they can defeat us, but they will never ever conquer us! Long live the Empire!!!)"

Cheers erupted throughout the crew members of the destroyers as the captain finished his speech, never dying until the moment the ships collided with the surface of a slightly larger enemy ship(a Voidstar Destroyer), exploding into a ball of flame. The armor of the Stramstin ship was stripped away by the resultant explosions, with it's internal systems damaged beyong repair. The crew members of the Stramstin ship were doomed to death as they suffocated from the lack of air, and the ship soon withered away without sustenance from it's life support systems.

However, one thing was made clear at this moment, the Battle of Gaodian was lost.​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

The High Keeper raised his right hand, as if to say, "Halt." Instead, the entire Altaran force present in the battle were warped out to somewhere else in the station. The swarms of constructs might have thought that the inferiors have cowardly retreated,but not so. Moments later, bolts of psychic electricity swirled through a large portion of the swarm, creating a deadly maelstrom of psychic energy. 40 Grand Templar, or to be more exact, all of the Grand Templar present, have channeled their psychic power together, creating a psionic storm large enough to effectively obliterate half of the enemy swarm. This, however drained their energy, and soon enough a Warp Prismite came to pick them up hastily before flying in supersonic speeds. The High Keeper's forces soon warped back and counter attacked, this time with 5 Strathirite constructs with them, as well as squadrons of Dire Avengers and a troupe of Void Spectres. The Star Gazers surged forth and sent out their ring waves of radiation, and thermal lances and plasma shots poured out of the Titanic Watchers and Immortals. Death Stalkers attacked from the ceiling, and the Strathirites crushed heads and blew up bodies in their relentless fury.

Meanwhile, the Phase Smith saw the warp gate begin to fail against the Tyrants.

"No...", he said. "If it is destroyed while it is not deactivated, it will cause damage to the station due to the space time being warped. Deactivate it, now!"

"Ah, ye."

The gate began to fade its glow. Soon, it was no more than a round arch in space.

At the same time, the ALtaran fleet continued fighting. Their mobility has been a great asset in this fight, and now, they were near to exit. Only a minute remained before the time warp engines are ready.

 

[Nyq]

Alutroch Station

The constructs within the station were slowly inching towards defeat, with their forces too disorganized due to the earlier psionic storm. The Regulars screeched as their Gauss Rifles made a last attempt to turn the tides in their favor. However, without further reinforcements, they are sure to fail.

Meanwhile in space, the Stramstin fleets were dominating the fields. Several enemy ships turned into wrecks as the Stramstin began adapting to the enemy mobility and changed their tactics accordingly. However, the enemy is still too fast to be utterly crushed.

Without further reinforcements, the Altaran fleet was slowly losing ground to the technologically superior Stramstin fleet. The Tyrants concentrated their fire on the portal one last time, before it fell apart into giant chunks of metal and circuitry. With their primary target destroyed, the Tyrants shifted their fire towards the enemy ships, some even directly firing at the space station itself.
​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

The Altaran ships were losing numbers one by one, but they have no intention of allowing the station to fall. With the constructs inside soon utterly destroyed, the High Keeper then sent out a message to the fleet to activate their hyperspace engines to make a quick escape once the station warps out.

"Heraldus!", Mael telepathically spoke unto him via telepathy. "Delay them for 30 more seconds. Assume a defensive formation!"

"As you say, Mael.", came the reply.

Soon enough, the Altaran ships assumed a defensive formation in front of the station. 30 more seconds. Just a little bit more.

 

[Nyq]

Alutroch Station

30 seconds

Unfortunately for the Altaran, the Stramstin doesn't want them to have an easy escape. The entire fleet rushed towards the station as the weakened enemy could no longer hold against the superior Stramstin fleet. Beam lances collided with the Altaran ships and the station itself, with a few fighters closing towards the station within the chaos to once again land their horrifying constructs on the station. The defenders are not able to do anything against the sudden move as they were too busy dealing with the Tyrants.

20 seconds

Horrifying screeches once again echoed through the halls of the space station as the Scouts rushed out of their respective craft as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, the Stramstin fleet were picking off the Altaran ships one by one as the enemy slowly crumbles without further reinforcements.

10 seconds

A few drones had mixed within the hordes of Scouts rushing into the ship, spitting balls of acid against the enemy. The Altaran fleets could no longer hold against the Stramstin fleet as their formations were tore up by their enemies.

5 seconds

More screeches could be heard as more Stramstin constructs rushed towards the defenders, aiming to make a one last push to seize the station.

4 seconds

The Altaran forces within the station fired their weapons against the waves of constructs, incinerating the ones leading the charge. They just need to hold off for a few more seconds now, but would luck on their side?

3 seconds

The Stramstin fleet proved victorious as the once formidable enemy was reduced to nothing but a few small ships struggling to even land a shot on the chitinous monstrosities. A few ships moved to deal with the last of the fleet, while the rest approached the station with the intention of bringing it down, firing their beam weapons on the station as they do so.

2 seconds

"Just two more seconds, hold the line!" yelled the High Keeper as waves and waves of weak Stramstin construct were decimated by the defenders. However, the majority of the fleet is now only a few hundred meters away from the station itself. The Stramstin seems close to achieving victory now.

1 second

The last of the constructs struggled to reach the defenders, as the two sides of the battle continued to exchange fire. Stramstin ships are now only a few meters away from their destination.

0

After a perilous battle against the unknown enemy, the station has finally vanished in a flash of light, leaving the Stramstins bewildered, and most importantly, furious.

"Cowardly inferiors, they couldn't even face their death with dignity!" yelled the fleet commander with rage. "I want this race purged from the face of the galaxy, no matter where they are, and how much men they have!"

Toth'Valai

Meanwhile in the capital of the New Han Empire, a heated debate is ongoing within the Imperial Palace.

"我們應該把我們所有艦隊拋向這些,(We should just deploy all of our fleets against these,)" General Dai took a moment to come out with the words to convey her message. "他媽的東西!(whatever the fuck they are!)"

However, he words earned her a glare from Admiral Zheng, who responded with ire in his words. "老戴，你果然是个莽夫啊.我們連他們的身份都不知道，更何況是他們的能力了.(You surely are a brute, Dai. We don't even know who they are, not to mention their true capabilities.)"

Before the Admiral could continue, the General interjected. "你又在那兒嘮叨了，老鄭。我們還能做什麼，坐著等死嗎？ (You and your nagging again, Zheng. What we are going to do then, are we going to just sit back and die?)"

The Admiral's eyes widened in anger, while the soldiers within started to worry that the two are going to have yet another fight in the Palace. Even the Emperor himself is displeased, and would intervene soon if not for a soldier barging through the doors of the chamber.

"皇上，不好了! 玉符被襲了！(Your Majesty, I have bad news! Yufu is under attack!)"​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

"Thank the gods you got away...", the High Keeper said, slumping on his seat. "Just another second and we would have been-"

"High Keeper Mael.", a Phase Smith interrupted. "The defense fleet has been destroyed except for the Exterminati, a Tempestus, and the Elthras Destroyers. The rest..."

"Oh, Heraldus.", the High Keeper began to leak blue energy from his eyes. "Rest in peace.."

"Any further orders. High Keeper?"

"Proceed to Aiur. The Four must be informed of this."

"And...?"

"You know what they will do. WE must avenge them."

"As you say, High Keeper."

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the Andromeda, a fleet enters the Meldon System. This system is not much, having a single colonized world, an arid desert planet, an arctic planet, and a jungle world. Here, the Sigilites, a somewhat independent faction under the Kirdoni Commonwealth, has made their home. Consisting of independent merchants as well as corporations, the Sigilites are a cash minded kind of folk. As of such, they have gone as far as hiring a substantial number of mercenaries to protect their interests.

These mercenaries are not just any kind of mercenaries. They are professionals, having good training and experience, as some amongst them fought in the Second Battle of Terra Nova. They now have access to the new ship classes the Star Navy has built, such as the Darksea Battlecarrier and Shadow Stalker corvettes. With these in mind, the Sigilites gave them quite a fortune and hired them to be their protectors.

Rear Admiral Aleksandr Ivanovsky sat on the chair of the modified Darksea Battlecarrier that he commands as the flagship of the mercenary fleet, twirling a coin on his hand.

Aleksandr was soon boggled by a crew member informing him of something.

"Admiral! Einsten=Rosten bridges detected 500 space kilometers away!"

"Oh, hell be damned!", the Admiral said in reply. "Prepare for combat!"

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

A Stramstin fleet has arrived in the system, preparing to bring terror to the local populace. These huge chitinous monsters immediately fired their beam weapons on all nearby ships that aren't theirs as soon as they have arrived, with their deadly beams tearing apart some of the weaker enemy ships.

"Kill all of the inferiors!" yelled the Stramstin commander as more and more Stramstin ships descended upon the small system.

Yufu system

Merely hours after the utter defeat at Gaodian, the Han were once again under attack by the Stramstin. This time, it was at the agricultural and trading based system, Yufu. Three colonized worlds, Wendian, Fuyong, and last but not least, the system's capital world and namesake, Yufu, and two other mining worlds with minimum garrisons, Tianci, and Huangqi.

The normally quiet sector had it's peaceful activities disturbed when a large Stramstin fleet suddenly entered the system, mowing down the defenders with their beam weapons before they could even react. However, the system also had more JINYIWEI platforms than Gaodian, which fired green rays of death that tore apart some of the attackers. But it wasn't enough, the enemy was simply too strong and numerous.

The disorganized system defense fleet mobilized to face the new threat, but were put down with little effort by the Stramstin ships. At this moment, Yufu finally reacted to the situation and activated it's distress beacon, while preparing it's ground forces for any potential invasion. However, it is not as lucky as Gaodian, which has the Han 25th Imperial Fleet stationed in the system right next to it. Yufu will have to hold for at least 10 hours before the nearest Imperial fleet responds.

​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

"Defend Meldon!", Aleksandr ordered through an open comms link to at least 4 entire battlegroups. Quickly, the defense fleet of the Meldon System moved towards the alien incursion. Aleksandr then opened two more comms links to two different battlegroups.

"Battlegroup Sentinel, prepare to commence glassing of Tertius. I am guessing that these enemies are using biological mass to nourish their bio ships, so deprive them of that! Battlegroup Epsilon, evacuate Meldon Prime of the Sigilites. That should not be too difficult considering there are just a dozen or so thousand of them there. The rest of us will engage the alien fleet!"

The reply was swift and decisive. "As you order, Rear Admiral."

Meanwhile, Battlegroup Sentinel moved towards the aforementioned jungle planet, and prepared their anti-planetary weapons. Back into the inner portion of the system, Battlegroup Epsilon utilized all of the arks in order to evacuate the population.

At the system's outskirts, a battle has begun. Battlegroups Alpha, Delta, Sigma, and Beta engaged the Stramstin. Beams and kinetic shells left the barrels of the defense ships, dealing substantial initial damage. The Darksea Battlecarriers released their Vostok Fighter squadrons, and Slava Battlecruisers struck with their shock cannons from behind. Black Eagle frigates cloaked themselves, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Stormwind Heavy Destroyers and Super Andromeda Heavy Cruisers took the the brunt of the attack, all the while attacking relentlessly with their shock cannons and nuclear missiles. A single IS battleship led the defense, followed by a group of Risen Battleships. By fire, be purged!