[OPEN] The Invasion of Andromeda

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Meldon System

Horrifying screeches echoed throughout the enemy ships as the Stramstin constructs poured down upon those who opposed them. Waves and waves of horrifying creatures continued to advance despite suffering heavy losses, stepping over the corpses of their comrades to reach the enemy. Eventually, a few Scouts managed to reach the enemy positions and sunk their teeth into the necks of the defenders. More soon followed.

As more and more Stramstin constructs entered the fray, the defenders became less capable of fending off the invaders. The Regulars ran into cover before peppering the enemies with their Gauss rifles, while a few Raiders clashed with the enemy's melee units with their chitin blades. Meanwhile, Spiders and Beetles engaged the enemy vehicular units, blasting plasma at the armor plates of said machines while supported by the corrosive acid projectiles from the Chargers and Drones. At the rear of the battlefield, Stramstin Artillery launched blobs of plasma against the enemy units.​

The Sages, being the clumsy goats they are, were not keen on dodging, and two were killed as gauss bullets struck them fatal blows. Five more remained, but they then floated high above the battle and cast an eldritch storm against the front line of Stramstin constructs, frying their primitive brains from the inside out. The Sages then collapsed and were spirited away by Kirdoni Undertakers as they have expended their energy. However, the storm bought enough time for the defenders of the Taur to rally, and the T-150 super heavy tanks joined the battle. With shield generators coupled with 800 mm of armor, they were no joke. What creatures they could not destroy with their massive cannons they simply crushed and ran over with their tracks. Behind them, T-68 mediums and Kampaneya Battle Walkers strode forward and fired on and on, killing anything that moved.

The Kalrathi and Darrow, however, were not so lucky. Escape pods flew through the vacuum of space as their captains locked their ships into a crash course in a last ditch attempt to destroy their enemies. They blew into the first fleet's flagship, exploding with great thermonuclear fury.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

"That crazy bastard surely isn't looking well here." Sarituo said with a prominent frown on his face, as the said bastard's ship was busy repairing itself from the various thermonuclear explosions that happened on it's surface. Large chunks of irradiated biological material were shed off before they could further harm the ships and a membrane was being hastily formed at the various hull breaches across the ship, all while enormous amounts of air were leaking into the vacuum of space. As he continued to observe the battle, the commander noticed that some of the crew of the now destroyed ships had escaped their doom inside escape pods.

"I want those escape pods retrieved, or at least destroyed. None shall survive our might." said Sarituo with a cruel smirk on his face. A few fighters began moving towards the escape pods in hopes of retrieving them, with their weapons charged up in case the said pods needs to be destroyed.

Meanwhile in the Taur, more and more Stramstin constructs surged into the ship, not even showing a slight hint of fear upon noticing the piles of their own dead. A few Hardshells stepped out of their shuttles, easily shrugging off any small arms fire directed at it, while their plasma cannons scorched and even melted the armor plates of the unshielded enemy vehicles. Even those which are shielded still suffered from the heat of the plasma rounds. To make things worse, a few dozen of Ghosts joined the chaos, striking down the enemy troopers where they least suspect.

Back in space, the first fleet rallied around it's flagship, tanking any enemy shots directed at the said craft while it retreated through a wormhole.

​

 

[Drakorphobia]

Torvjar's fleet began the approach as the first Stramstin fleet retreated. The cruisers whirred ahead, and began to focus fire on the enemy fighters approaching escape pods from the Kalrathi and Darrow. The Predator, meanwhile, positioned itself at the edge of the Drathian fleet in attempts to cover fire the escape pods, and recieve the Altaran forces on board.

"Sir, opening broadside hangars now. Commonwealth pods ready for retrieval." Stated Torvjar's ensign. The admiral nodded, and scratched his chin as he observed the situation. He hoped his cruisers would be able to take out the enemy fighters before the Commonwealth pods took too many casualties. While he did have faith in their ability to do so, the Drathian admiral wanted to play on the safe side, especially against an unknown foe such as this.

"Prepare broadside cannons. Take out those fighters, and dispatch our own. If we keep them close to our ship, then we should take minimal casualties." Within moments, Drathian fighters were dispatched from the Predator's fighter bay, engaging the Stramstin ships within the cover range of their host ship.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

Sarituo frowned as he watched a few of his fighters go down when attempting to retrieve the escape pods. "Well, if we aren't getting them, might as well make sure they are not getting them too. Shoot them down. Also, fire at the newcomers, we want that crazy bastard alive."

A wave of purple beams slammed into the ship on the edge(the Predator), its shield flickered before giving way. The beams bored through the enemy dreadnought. Explosions burst through the ship, causing it to drift listlessly through space.

"Well, that worked well. Repeat that strategy, until every single enemy ship is a hunk of scrap metal. Also, send some constructs onto that disabled ship and see what we can find on there," ordered Sarituo before he picked up his cup of niuwek (Stramstin equivalent of coffee) and took a sip.

​

 

[Drakorphobia]

A few retaliatory shots from the Predator managed to intercept a good deal of enemy projectiles, and prevented the complete destruction of the ship. Unfortunately, it was still left disabled. "Engines at 0% capacity. Major fuel leakage in thrusters 1 through 4. Broadside batteries disabled. Life support systems at 25% capacity." Said the ensign, looking over his screen upon the bridge. Flashing red lights dominated the scene, screaming their alarm as emergency blast doors shut around the ship to prevent oxygen leakage.

"Anything else?" Asked Admiral Torvjar with a frustrated sigh. His capital ship was disabled just a few moments after engaging the enemy. Their vessels were so incredibly powerful compared to Drathian ones. Even the fighters were just about as large as a Drathian destroyer. However, perhaps he could use this to his advantage.

"Yes sir." His aide replied. "Half of our escape pod hatches have been destroyed or disabled. It looks like enemy boarding vessels are approaching." The young Drathian looked frightened, with a bead of sweat running down his brow. He had signed up for the navy for a reason - he wasn't fit for physical combat. Now it seemed that his decision was in vain. Before the ensign could fully realize his panic attack, however, Admiral Torvjar placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Good. Let them come. Inform all other ships to enact evasive maneuvers. I've noticed that their vessels are rather large. We can use that to our advantage. Order them to fire light salvos only. Don't charge the main cannons, and keep energy focused on thrusters. I want to wear them down and give our allies time to recuperate. If they retreat, we do too."

"What about the boarding vessels?"

The admiral smiled. "Grab a gun."

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

A few dozen of Nightshade Fighters clung onto the disabled Predator under the cover of Hive Fleet Tra'anh, which continued their previous strategy of concentrated fire against the larger enemy ships. Within a few moments, the signature screeches of the Stramstin constructs echoed throughout the decrepit halls of the Predator. Endless swarms of Scouts flooded into the ship, followed by Drones, Chargers, Boomers, Artillery, Guardians, Regulars, Raiders, Spiders, Beetles, and even some Hardshells. Loud Gauss fire rang out as the Regulars start wildly firing their rifles at the enemy, supported by the incinerating plasma fire from the Artillery and the Hardshells, and also the corrosive acid from the Chargers.

While the Drathnians attempted to stem the flow of constructs ravaging their ship, they were struck down. One by one, they were picked off by creatures that seemed to have manifested from thin air. They sprayed their assailants with lead. Some dropped dead while most others vanished, resuming their campaign of terror.

Out in space, another enemy ship laid adrift, courtesy of the Hive Fleet Tra'anh.​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Meldon System

Rear Admiral Aleksandr was quite unwilling to allow the Drathians to fall. However, the enemy fleet was comcentrating their fire on the larger ships of his fleet. Undaunted, his ordered the Tigers to launch another proton collider at the enemy flagship. This time, it was against a damaged ship. In addition, the Darkseas and the Slavas also concentrated their rapid fire cannons against the flagship, bringing the full fury of the Silverwing Sentinels to bear. The Tigers charged the malevolent energies of the universe within them, bringing them to use as destructive weapons of war. They fired in unison. The first proton beam seared and burned the armor, the second managed to pierce it, and the third and final beam blew a hole cleanly through the Tyrant’s side. “I don’t think it is dead.”,Aleksandr though as he looked at the damaged Tyrant. “But that sure hurt a lot.”

Meanwhile, Black Eagle frigates and Star Blazers decloaked all around the Predator before launching precise shots against the Nightshades clinging to its hull. Plasmatic flame and laser beam alike burned through the Nightshades with a desire for destruction.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

The flagship of Hive Fleet Tarans'Alu might be severely damaged, but it's systems can still hold on for a while. The ship made a last push into the portal before disappearing from the battlefield. Now, Hive Fleet Tarans'Alu is temporarily under the command of Sarituo.

The general immediately ordered what's left of Tarans'Alu, except for 5 Tyrants, to concentrate fire on the Drathians. Both fleets fired at once, each against a different Drathian ship. The 5 Tyrants are ordered to distract the Commonwealth fleets and delay time for the Hive Fleets to destroy the Drathians.

Meanwhile, a few more Fighters from Tarans'Alu were sent to board the Commonwealth flagship. This time, Sarituo was fed up with the previously failed invasion and sent some new units. However, as usual, the boarding was started with a swarm of Stramstin constructs running rampant through the halls of the enemy ship. A few Behemoths stomped through the ship, providing cover for a few slender figures who dashed towards cover. Meanwhile, a weird looking machine is raining down hellfire on the Commonwealth troops.

(Sarituo sent real Stramstin onto the ship, There's also a fucking Terrorgeist)​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Meldon System - The Hammer of Dawn

Aboard the flagship, the crew fought back against the boarders, but many died before a real defense force arrived. The flagship’s protectors were not to be underestimated. Composed primarily of the elite Tesla Troopers and Desolators, they fired bolts of concentrated lightning into the screeching constructs just as they sprayed corrosive acid unto them. Behind them were the Riflemen of Death, Aleksandr’s personal guards. Elite przyniki with sniper rifles that can punch a hole into thick carapaces, they supported their allies from behind just as their tanks rolled into battle. Mirage Tanks arrived first, belting punishing blasts of photogenic energy before concealing their allies within a cloaking field. Finally, Ares Mechs arrived. Humanoid piloted robots with the same grace and agility as a true human, these wielded railguns and missile batteries. They flew over the battlefield as the pilots gleefully blasted away at their targets. Still, the Rear Admiral sat on his seat, nervous that the Hammer of Dawn might fall.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

The swarm continued to advanced fearlessly towards the enemy despite the heavy fire from the enemy side. The slender figures began sniping down the enemy with their finely crafted beam lances, hiding behind cover immediately after they fired. Despite their armour being more than capable to take a shot or two, or even more, they are not going to take this battle lightly. The Behemoths, under the cover of the Beetles, Spiders and Hardshells, smashed into the enemy formations, crushing the unfortunately troopers into a mix of meat, blood and circuitry under their hooves. Immediately after doing so, they blasted the przyniki behind the formation with their plasma cannons, before the swarm reacted to the sudden opening and swarmed through. The weird machine would fire it's Beam cannons at any enemy that got too close to it, before darting away with surprising speed at agility. Once it darts away, ti would patiently wait for enemy tanks to reveal itself, before blasting them with it's beam cannons.

​

 

[Drakorphobia]

Meldon System - On board the Predator
​

"Enemies have boarded, sir." Torvjar's ensign said, holding his pistol with a tight, albeit shaky grip. The doors to the bridge had been closed, and its crew was working feverishly at their consoles to manage to Stramstin incursion. It turned out that they could fight rather well, even from their computers. By opening and closing blast doors or airlocks protecting habitable parts of the vessel, they were able to either eject some of the boarders into space, and leave them to the void. Some were locked in remote, damaged parts of the ship, where life support systems were not running at sustainable capacity. In these instances, life support was simply turned off, and the Stramstin left to suffocate and freeze to death. The Drathian crew themselves, however, were not about to be outdone by atmospherics. All members of the navy had undergone combat training, and with this ship being akin to a second home, they knew its layout well. They used this to their advantage, oftentimes leading the Stramstin to strategic chokepoints such as hallways or crew quarters, where they could use explosives to decimate large chunks of the invaders at once.

"Send a distress signal out." Admiral Torvjar groaned, sitting in his chair and rubbing his temple. This was certainly bad. Even if they could defeat the boarding party, the Predator was still stranded. He hoped either these unknown contacts would retreat, or help would arrive soon, as it didn't seem that the Drathian fleet could take them out by themselves.

Meldon System - In Space​

In space, things fared perhaps a bit worse for the Drathian fleet. One of the targeted cruisers was completely decimated, and exploded into a fiery ball of green and blue flames as its fuel caught on fire, and destroyed what little remained of the ship. The other cruiser, however, managed to avoid most of the damage. They had taken note that the Stramstin were merely focusing on one ship at a time, and had slowed their speed until an energy spike of charging weapons was detected. From there, they enacted evasive maneuvers to force the enemy to inflict either minimal damage, or recalculate.

Meanwhile, the twin battlecarriers in the rear of the Drathian fleet, the Gestator and the Queen, released their fighters to engage the enemy vanguard, mostly in attempts to intercept the Stramstin Nightshades.

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Meldon System - The Hammer of Dawn

Aleksandr began to break as reports came in of the ship’s quadrant five slowly falling into enemy hands. Looking over the bridge, he issued another command.

“All crew that are currently engaged in combat, fall back to quadrant four. We are jettisoning quadrant five to the abyss!”

A hush fell over the bridge as the crew all recieved on their recievers. The Stramstin boarders would notice their assailants backing up, falling back to what seemed to a long grooved line. This line, in truth, marks the quadrant of the ship, and without warning, a forcefield appeared on the line as the Quadrant Five began decoupling sequence. A chunk equal to 15% of the Hammer of Dawn’s mass separated from the ship itself, as those who unfortunate to be on it while it did screamed to be taken back. But there was no return as the penta barreled shock cannons of the battlecarrier pointed towards the floating chunk. 50 lasers shot out and obliterated Quadrant Five, killing everything and everyone in it.

“Thirty of our crew are confirmed to have been trapped on Quadrant Five, Rear Admiral.”

“Such is the fate of those whose time has come.”, Aleksandr solemnly said.

Meanwhile, the combined battlegroups have began to fall back. It was clear that their superior enemy will wipe them out if they remain, and so they all began to warm their hyperspace engines.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

"Sir, the enemy has adapted to our strategies."

Sarituo narrowed his eyes as he looked at the battlefield through a screen. It seems like they were using evasive maneuvers to avoid the damage from the mass fire, and the enemies had released their fighters to engage the Nightshades.

"Scatter fire, render their evasive maneuvers obsolete. Also, send some Nightshades, maybe 20 of them, to deal with the enemy fighters"

The Stramstin continued their mass fire strategy. However, every ship is targeting somewhere different. Some aimed a bit up, some aimed a bit down, some a bit left, and some a bit right. Regardless of where the enemy ships are dodging, a few beams will always find their way onto their shields. Two more of the enemy cruisers were subjected under said scatter fire.

Meanwhile, on the Predator, things aren't looking quite good for the Drathians, Despite them having taken out large numbers of Stramstin constructs through their rather unorthodox strategies, they had barely even slowed down the waves of Stramstin constructs pouring into their ship.
Meanwhile, a few invisible figures crept into the maintenance tunnels of the ship and popped out right behind a Drathian squadron defending a chokepoint. Their cloaks faded to reveal grotesque creatures with monomolecular blades strapped onto their arms. As soon as they revealed themselves, they attacked some of the unaware Drathian soldiers in the back. Their comrades reacted to their death screams and turned back, only to see the horrifying sight of their comrade's corpses being dropped onto the floor by said monstrosities with their necks bent in an unnatural angle and blood flowing non-stop from a large wound in their chests. They screamed in horror and turned their rifles to face the creatures, forgetting that they were busy fending off a swarm right in front of them. Before they could even pull the triggers, a few Scouts broke through the barricades and leaped onto their heads. A few squelching sounds and terrifying screams can be heard echoing through the halls before everything went silent.

The same thing happened across the ship, with 3 or 4 squadrons falling silent as their corpses decorated the floor. The swarm proceeded to flow through said chokepoints unobstructed.

​

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

A soldier approached Sarituo and saluted him as he's drinking the rest of his cup of niuwek.

"Sir, inferiors are preparing to retreat."

"Let them, we already had done enough to this system. But not before we deliver a final present to them."

"Sir?"

"I want both Hive Fleets to give the enemy flagship one last farewell."

"Understood."

The soldier turned his back and left. A few moments later, the Hive Fleets in Meldon turned in the direction of the Hammer of the Dawn and delivered their farewell gift: a concentrated barrage of purple rays of light aimed at the ship.​

 

[Drakorphobia]

Meldon System - The Predator
​

Admiral Torvjar's eyes went wide as he saw the enemy fleets turn to the Commonwealth flagship, and clenched his fists. "Now! Now! That's our opening! Concentrate everything you have on them! Get all operational turrets on those fighters! Bomb them to hell and back!" He looked to his ensign. "Charge the engines."

Meanwhile, on the ship's interior, chokepoints that had been determined to be breached were closed off by blast doors to stem the Stramstin tide. The Drathians had taken inexcusable casualties, but thanks to the comms in their helmets, they were at least aware of cloaked enemy units. Orders were given to fall back to the front half of the ship, those who were trapped in the inhabitable pockets of the rear were ordered to divert all oxygen to the bridge and bow to starve the Stramstin out. Retreating soldiers, meanwhile, were given cover fire by their comrades to ensure that they were not followed. Despite the overwhelming numbers of the Stramstin, it was very clear that the Drathians would not go down without a fight, as even against this number, they struggled tooth and nail for their survival. Hope, was not yet lost.

Meldon System - In Space
​

All turrets on the Drathian cruisers and battlecarriers focused their attention to the Nightshades, while Drathian fighters, 60 in total number, attempted to intercept them. The remaining Drathian personal vessels, comprising of 40 bombers, used their opening to the best of their ability. With the Stramstin fleets focusing on the Hammer of Dawn, and one of their capital ships having already retreated, they tried to directly attack the bridges of as many Stramstin ships as they could, to wipe out their chain of command, and dramatically cut down the fleet size. The four cruisers previously under fire, now with at least some relief, also attempted to maneuver beneath the Stramstin ships, and fire up at their bellies with their top mounted batteries.

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

The Hammer of Dawn

The Rear Admiral looked on as the beams of death screamed towards his ship. In a split second, the helmsman attempted to evade the beams, but the ship was still hit. The concentrated beams slammed into the prow of the Hammer of Dawn, causing a chain reaction as one explosion after another gripped the Darksea Battlecarrier. Just as the Slava Battlecruiser Baikal struck down the last Nightshade Fighter attempting to board the Predator, the Hammer of Dawn disappeared in a flash of light as it entered hyperspace, but in its damaged state, it would leave hyperspace as nothing more than a derelict wreck. Shocked and appalled, the Silverwing Sentinels abandoned their initial plan of escape, and launched absolutely everything they had against the twin Hive Fleets, heedless of what consequences it might bring. Thousands of nuclear missiles launched out of the collective anger and rage of the Sentinels upon seeing their beloved admiral fall to a gift. Beams and shells flew across the void in greater numbers than before. At the same time, several Black Eagles cloaked, only to appear beside the other flagship of the Stramstins. They rammed into several sections of its hull before going to hyperdrive, cutting through it as 300 meter long projectiles hurtling at FTL speeds. The Sentinels determined to take away what was taken from them. It is only fair.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

"Sir, the enemy is attempting to attack our bridges, and we detected thousands of missiles headed our way, the inferiors are no longer retreating."

A shudder was heard as alarms rang through the ship.

Another soldier dashed into the commander's chambers.

"Sir, our hull is breached. The inferiors rammed their ships into our ship."

Sarituo's eyes widened before he slammed his cup onto his table with great force, sending the liquid inside everywhere and making a mess of the room.

"Cursed Inferiors! Order all ships to regroup and take cover behind that moon over there! By the way, take out as many of the crazies while on the way!" -He points at the moon orbiting Tertius, practically yelling at the moment.

"Understood, sir!"

Both Hive Fleets began moving towards the moon, while continuously firing upon the berserk Commonwealth ships. The flagship was surrounded with Tyrant dreadnoughts in a tight formation, making it virtually impossible to launch another suicide attack against it.

​

 

[The Governor]

Hamilton Spacedock, Andromeda, Drathian Space

In the black of space, thousands of lights gleamed from the colossal Hamilton Spacedock, the Confederacy's primary outpost in Andromeda. During the three years of conflict with the HCA, it had been the home base for hundreds of Confederate fleets as they'd travelled to the Milky Way for battle. Since then, it had become considerably quieter, maintaining only a medium sized standing fleet.

When the distress call came in from their Drathian friends, the Confederacy answered. In a matter of minutes, a fleet was en route to the Meldon System.

Hyperspace, Confederate Fleet, DCS Gehenna

Aboard the bridge of the DCS Gehenna, the lead Deathbearer (major Confederate capital ship class) in the 400 ship strong Confederate fleet, Commander Marius Dufrene waited for the ships to reach the battlefield. When they arrived, they would be on the defensive, but he also knew they'd have the element of surprise, and it would take the enemy at least a few minutes to adjust their strategy to deal with the Confederate ships. Not long, but long enough for the Confederates to take in the situation and begin to fight.

Dufrene said over an intrafleet comm system, "We're about to exit hyperspace. We don't know what we're dealing with just yet, just that we're responding to a Drathian distress call. Be ready for anything."

Moments later, the Confederate fleet exited hyperspace, and their White turbolasers began firing at the unknown ships nearest the Drathians.

 

[Drakorphobia]

Meldon System
​

"New contacts, sir. They look to be Confederate. The enemy has begun retreating behind that moon."

"Good job. Keep those bombers on them, target their smaller vessels. If we can take away their numerical superiority, then our chances at victory look pretty good!" Torvjar raised his fist with a shout, inciting a series of cheers and clapping from the bridge. "Alright everyone, get to work! We have limited time here!"

As the Stramstin fleet began its retreat, the seven Drathain cruisers began to follow it, targetting mainly their thrusters and any broadside armaments they may have, to effectively reduce the Stramstin's possible angles of attack. The bombers, meanwhile, kept close by, especially to the enemy's bridges and main cannons, which they attempted to either damage or disable to neuter the Stramstin vessels. It didn't look like the Drathians would at all relent, and if the Stramstins gave the upstart tribals an inch, they'd take a mile.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

"Sir, enemies are receiving....."

Sarituo immediately waved off the soldier with a frown on his face.

"I know, looks like I'll have to summon Dor'Xho to fix this mess. Mar'Meenh must be laughing right now. Set up a call to that prick."

"Yes, sir."

A few moments later, Mar'Meenh's face appeared on a screen.

"Greetings to you, Sarituo. I hope everything is going well for you," said Meenh is a sarcastic tone.

"Unfortunately, your wishes are not in line with reality, Mar'Meenh. As much as I would hate to admit, we need your fleet to.....resolve this tough situation we are in."

"Oh, I am always happy to help you, Sarituo!"

"You can stop it with the sarcasm already, Meenh."

The communication was cut off by Meenh while Sarituo sighed as collapsed onto his chair.

"Hopefully that bastard will come. Meanwhile, we have to hold out for ourselves. Send a few fighters at those pesky bombers that keep trying to bomb our ships. Also, divide 5 Tyrants and a couple hundred fighters from the group and have that taskforce boarding the enemy cruisers."

As Sarituo gave out his orders,a faint wormhole began forming at the other side of Tertius.

The Predator

The Drathian resilience is indeed remarkable, but the Stramstin constructs are still roaming their ships in swarms. The advanced bio-technology of the Stramstin has allowed their constructs to continue surviving for a few hours after being deprived by air, which is proved by the fact that terrifying screeches and footsteps still rang out within the ship. The swarms had begun to use the maintenance tunnels, while Hardshells, Spiders and Beetles blasted away at the blast doors with their plasma cannons, to no avail. However, those blast doors might not be there for long with the constant plasma bombardment.​

 

[The Governor]

Meldon System, DCS Gehenna
Throughout the Confederate fleet, general power cut orders were given. Storage bays, hallways, and crew quarters all became dark as all power was routed to the shield and weapon systems. The bridge was mostly dark, except for the backlit panels of the many controls. Once the power levels were ready, the Confederate resumed their attack with renewed earnest, launching fighters towards the unknown fleet as salvo after salvo came from the turbolasers.

As the Confederate fleet made itself known, Commander Dufrene approached a communications console, and tried to open a channel with the Drathian ships, specifically, the one that seemed to be leading the attack.

"Greetings. This is the DCS Gehenna, Commander Marius Dufrene of the Dothvalian Confederacy speaking. This fleet that just left hyperspace is under my command, and we came to answer a Drathian distress signal. We've engaged the unknown enemy. Any information you have about them would be appreciated, and if you have any specific needs we can aid you with, we're standing by."

Once the message was complete, a subordinate asked, "Commander, shall we ready the transports? The Naval Assault Corps haven't seen action since the ceasefire with the HCA."

"No," Dufrene answered quickly. "We're not boarding an unknown ship until we have at least some idea of who we're facing. I dont care how long it's been since the last boarding op. Their orders are to stay put until further notice. Besides, they may be needed on their own vessels."

 

[Drakorphobia]

Meldon System, on board the Predator​

"Incoming transmission from the Confederate ship, admiral. Shall we respond?"

Torvjar nodded, and stepped onto the bridge's holopad before straightening his stance, and folding his hands behind the small of his broad back. On the Confederate ship, the crew may have seen his abberation appear before them. Though if holo messaging was not possible, on the Confederate vessel, Torvjar's message would appear only as audio.

"Greetings, DCS Gehenna. This is the FVS Predator. We are currently demobilized and unable to locomote. There are hostiles on board, but do not, I repeat, do not board this ship. The hostile contacts on board are extremely dangerous, and it would be a waste of Confederate lives to attempt to combat them. However, the enemy fleet is currently being pursued by the rest of our fleet, and is attempting to escape to the far side of the nearby moon." He cleared his throat. "We ask that you cut off the enemy, and ensure they can not escape." Torvjar looked at the staff on the bridge with a sigh. "If further enemy contacts enter the system, I will order my fleet to retreat. While I hold no control over your ships, I suggest you do the same."

Meldon System, in space​

As the Tyrants broke off, it was this group that the Drathian bombers pursued, focusing mainly on their weapons systems to turn the ships into dead weight. They were covered mostly by fellow interceptors attempted to push away Stramstin Nightshades, using their superior agility to their fullest extent. The cruisers and battlecarriers, meanwhile, used their superior numbers in relation to the larger Stramstin ships to their advantage. In much the same way that the enemy once focused on their own ships, the Drathians concentrated the fire of their main weapons on one Tyrant at a time, to overwhelm and capsize it, if at all possible. Their turrets were tasked with picking off enemy fighters, hopefully making sure that none managed to get close enough to board.

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

Hive Fleet Tra'anh

As the wormhole enlarged enough for a fleet to pass through, a transmission was picked up by Sarituo.

"Hello, Sarituo! It's me, Mar'Meenh, here to save your pathetic ass!" Mar'Meenh laughed maniacally as soon as he finished his sentence.

Sarituo's clenched his fist, but didn't make his anger visible for the other commander.

"Nice to see you, Mar'Meenh." Venom was dripping from his voice.

"Hey, men! Send a volley to the inferiors please!" yelled Mar'Meenh at the top of his lungs with a smirk on his face,

A chorus of voices echoed through Meenh's chambers.

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

"Hahaha....! See you later, Sarituo. I look forward towards our meeting," the transmission cut off.

Sarituo facepalmed.

"That bastard......."

Space

Hive Fleet Dor'Xho made it's way out of the wormhole, passionately greeting anyone that wasn't Stramstin with a wave of purple light. Some hit the ships of the Silverwing Sentinels, some hit the ships of the Confederates, and some hit the Drathian ships. Unfortunately for Torvjar, Mar'Meenh is totally unaware that the ship is being boarded and sent a few rays at his ship. The commander was cackling all along as he delightfully watched some of the enemy ships exploding apart in a blaze of glory.

"CAVALRY'S HERE, BITCHES! HAHAHAHA!"

Meanwhile, Hive fleets Tra'anh and Tarans'Alu aren't really making it. A Tyrant suffered heavy damage to it's hull and a few other Tyrants moved in to support it while it repaired itself. Sarituo ordered his ship to open up a wormhole behind the moon, while his fleet moved out to both cover the retreat and to support Dor'Xho's attack.

The Predator

The plasma bombardment of the blast doors continued. However, with Mar'Meenh's arrival, a few explosions echoed throughout the ship as the beams tore apart the hull. Both sides suffered from the sudden bombardment, as some constructs and Drathians got themselves ejected into space as a result. However, the Stramstin main forces aren't really affected by the bombardment.

​

 

[Death Korps of Krieg]

Meldon System

As several Silverwing warships were destroyed and reducdd to floating space debris, they slowly began to have a hold on themselves. In the IS Battleship Taur, Commodore Vasily assumed control as soon as communications stabilized. He began to broadcast an order to every warship in the fleet.

“All Silverwing Sentinels! Fall back to a defensive line, and regroup with the Confederates and Drathians! Also... the gates of hell have opened!”

At first, the assorted captains of the various Silverwing warships were bewildered, but then got to work. The remaining one hundred ships in the fleet pulled away from the chase, fleeing back to the relative safety in proximity with their allied forces. But then, a load rumble screamed through the system as one of the moons of Meldon Prime cracked a 9 kilometer long line. A dock in the moon slid open its gates, and ever so slowly, a massive ship arose from it. Its white metallic frame was emblazoned with brilliant tracts of blue light, and it’s shield visibly activated as its one hundred tachyon based penta barrelled shock cannon turrets turned towards the incoming Hive Fleet.

“Commodore!”, the captain of the massive ship said over a comms link. “The Rear Admiral told us not to use this as it is only a prototype, and we aren’t sure if its completely fine tuned, but now that he is gone, well, that matters no longer, does it?”

“Be careful with her, captain. She is one of a kind!”

“Of course Commodore!”, the captain saluted as the link was cut off.

The rest of the fleet gaped their mouths at the sight of the prototype ship emerging from the moon. It slowly turned and flee towards the battle in full speed. It fired its first barrage, incinerating several Nightshades as the one hundred penta barrelled turrets fired their tachyonic beams.

“Are they sure that it won’t suddenly go offline in the midst of battle or something?”, the captain of a Stormwind Heavy Destroyer muttered as it flew past his face.

“What is the class and name of the ship again?”

“Good question Commodore. This is the Aragane Class Superdreadnought, Kirishima. The second of its kind.”

 

[Nyq]

Meldon System

While Sarituo's ship retreated into the wormhole, Mar'Meenh was cackling loudly at the antics of his rival.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! SARITUO YOU PIECE OF USELESS SHIT, IT ALL COMES TO ME TO SAVE YOUR ASS NOW! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

He then pointed at the Kirishima.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! INFERIORS HAVE A FANCY NEW SHIP! BLAST IT INTO SMITHEREENS, MEN!"

"AYE AYE, CAPTAIN!" shouted the soldiers in unison.

The Kirishima was soon greeted with fire from all three Hive Fleets, courtesy of Mar'Meenh.
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