UPDATE ONESolforce, Early chapters.
The planet we call home is Copernicus. Named after a great scientist of the long gone past.
We at first called it Earth, but due to the incredible amount of self-conscious beings in the galaxy calling their own planets Earth, though in their languages, Solforce High Command decided to rename it Copernicus.
This is the Milky Galaxy, in the far corner, it's us. The last arrivals.
We must never forget this. We are the last. We are the small. We are trivial.
But we are going to hurt them like hell. This galaxy will, be, ours.
Our scientists have incredible brains, and research, in the past, has brought forth useful and interesting...possibilities.
As the commander of the entire Solforce military, it is my duty to ensure the safeguard, and expansion, of the Human race thorough the entire system.
One of the scientists suggested we seek out easier to research techs, while I was in favor of shields Mk1, he confronted me about how 268 months were a bit too much.
So I opted for the Orbital Foundries schematic to be uploaded and charged in.
It's a reduction in cost of ships constructions, principally because in zero gravity metals are easier to move around, and to process. This also enables us (read the fine print, as always) to later on construct Refinery class ships. Which are cruiser ships whose job is the same as our Destroyer class ship Tanker; refuel our navy.
Speaking of which, I looked at the designs available to us, and decided it would be in our best interest to build up some colonizers. Just in case we got a lucky shot in finding an habitable planet near us.
The more, the merrier.
More people, means more research. More taxes, more soldiers. More resistance against enemy. More everything!
Space however is an unforgiving place. This much, the Nova Maria incident taught us. After the devastation it brought, peace stopped being an option with Hivers. Slavery brought by the Zuul made us bitter enemies. The rest, we don't know. The rest, we hope never to cross our path. Remember the dead, for we are out for their vengeance!
Calmed down, the commander simply uploads the plans for a medium Defense platform.
This is brought forth thanks to the guys at the ACM, it's basically a Cruiser class defense, but downsized to Destroyer class...and costly as hell.
We aren't building it any time soon, but it's good to know we can rely on heavy missile power were the need arise.
Missiles are the long range stuff. Point defense shoots them down like moths to a flame, but if there is no point defense...or not enough, they can hurt.
Their range is also way off the charts, they can stay in safety while barraging at a planet, or at other enemy ships, from far away, far from their lasers, their plasma cannons, or so on.
Problem is, the ACM guys got us two types of missiles: the normal flight ones, which while powerful against ships do naught against colonies, and the more powerful nuclear missiles, which while able to put a lot of *pressure* on colonies, also are extremely short-ranged.
They also increase bio-hazard. Which makes it tough to later on colonize a world already outside of your habitat area.
I ordered the construction of various Extended Range ships, but something was bugging me off.
I soon realized we had diverted part of our workforce to trade.
TradeWho cares about wallstreet? It's all just a game with cards. We needed those Philosophy teachers building guns and plying metal sheets, not speaking about this so called *socrates*.
Who the hell is he then? An old beard guy. Who knows that he knows nothing.
People don't need that. People need to know what end is pointy to stick it through the head of their enemies.
As you can see it simply -doubled- our industrial output (down right corner).
People need to work!
And to research how to work better and kill faster.
That's why they were moved towards research, and less towards economy.
In the Meantime the Alpha and Beta fleets were ready to depart.
The alpha fleet was sent forward, into the Spica system, while the Beta fleet moved towards Gienah.
Gienah was a surprise, by it's report it was just barely colonizable, but it's size was a plus. Furthermore we did need to expand, a single world can do just as much for the war effort. In the meantime the third Extended range fleet, the Euchre fleet to be more precise, reached for the third and final Nodeline destination.
****Narrative Interlude****
Space is silent.
This is a matter of fact, no air, no noise. Traveling through the nodelines is even more eerily so.
Because sometimes, while the spaceship moves, you think you're hearing...wails. Small children cries, maybe a creak or two in the metal scaffolding, and you get the feeling everything will break up into pieces, and you will die a painful, and slow, death for lack of oxygen.
Psychiatry is actually a boon to get hired on board, or a curse.
Captain Jack of the Euchre ship was at his place, on the command chair, watching the nodeline space fold and unfold like with sparkling colors, it was the same sight an lsd drug addict has in a disco, but without music. Without noise.
When the nodeline folded one last time, they were out. Watching a new world.
A Green world, with sparkling waters and...cities.
An alert sounded down below him, were the officers for the radar and the communication were.
"SIGNALS IN-BOUND! Low-wave and more on the count!"
"Raise code alert to Barracuda 1" Captain Jack replied simply, nervousness inside of him building up. The hivers? A human and forgotten colony? Pirates?
"Barracuda 1 alert issued!"
"EVERYONE to battle position!"
"Sir! We are receiving communication from the planet"
"Patch it through"
When the screen in front of the Euchre's captain, Jack, flashed open, he wasn't ready. Well, he was ready for a human. Or a Hiver. Or a Zuul.
He wasn't ready for...for what? An oversized, scaled...salamander-monkey hybrid?
"mother of ..." The creature on the other side was surprised too.
They didn't pay him enough to be a diplomat for first encounters with other species.
Heck, he wasn't even payed enough to actually do his job.
They watched each other. In silence.
The screen sometimes flickered, but always came back to the same scene. From one side, Captain Jack, human of the Euchre.
From the other a Tarkas, still unkown to them, watching a fleshy pink humanoid thing on a chair.
"Sinfaopghepagnpadimipadnhgip" was uttered in a strange language by the humanoid.
"Close contact. Hold fire. Retreat" was the quick reply of Captain Jack.
HE wasn't pay enough to be the first diplomatic contact with such a species. Let the commander handle it!
****Narrative interlude finished****
First encounter with the Tarka went well. We held fire, they did so too.
They were an independent colony, so there wasn't an empire behind.
This does however bring forth an hassle.
The colony is costly, and cut off from the more cheap colonizer to reach, unless they pass through Tarka space. But would they let them pass? Would they ambush them?...For the moment, they had to wait.
As the commander saw, after looking through all the data... Something had to be done, and fast. Maybe a commercial alliance with the Tarka? Would it work?
In the meantime colonizer where built. They would sensibly help in the process of colonization, since they also brought forth infrastructure and people. More infrastructures would mean higher terraformation rates.
The Tarka language basics was finished, but still no progress was made.
Solforce colonists simply couldn't wait longer in those horrible conditions.
Thankfully some research was done to solve that problem
The Strafe section was finally available.
The basic armor class spaceship was put to rest, and the newest model, Armor Mk2 rolled into the field.
The old model got replaced with a newer one, with point defence.
Then the war fleet was assembled.
It's orders delivered...and it was sent.
****Narrative Interlude****
"First assault fleet Standing by for orders Commander."
The message was received perfectly. Communication was stable.
On the other side however, the defense platform operators held still. Those strange creatures were moving through? Maybe they had something to do.
Yet they weren't diverting their course.
They were getting closer.
Opening his book -Human for dummies- he spelled as clear as he could be:
"Divert. Around." "Around." "Around!"
The ships silently kept moving forward.
The captain of the first assault fleet, standing in his proud Armor Mk2 Class ship raised a hand.
"WE ARE NOW IN SABER ALERT! I REPEAT SABER ALERT!"
"SABER ALERT ISSUED CAPTAIN!"
"READY TO ENGAGE ENEMY FORCES AT MISSILE RANGE!"
"ORDER TRANSMITTED TO FULL FLEET!"
"AIM FOR THEIR DEFENSE PLATFORMS!"
Missiles were ignited, and rapidly consuming their small fuel tanks drove right through the first defense platform.
A barrage of twelve missiles shook the defense platform, alerts in Tarka languages rolled all through the screen, their point defense was weak; they couldn't stop all the missiles. Plasma fires burst open from the laser conduits, and then war was declared.
A war the Tarka had no hope to win alone.
"ALL SHIPS ENGAGE PLANET BEFORE RESUPPLYING!"
"Sir! Defense platforms are still up!"
"they can't scratch our hulls! ENGAGE PLANET"
The Captain was right. They couldn't. They could get lucky shots though. Which they did get. The fission engine of one Armor Mk1 class burst open, tearing apart the ship like a firework, killing everyone on board, without chance for the escape pods.
The second ship to be lost was an Armor Mk2. It did last long enough for half the crew to leave though, through the escape pods. During the resupply run they were taken on another ship, cursing the Fleet captain.
"I'm scared" whimpered a small Tarka looking high in the sky as strange fires burst open into the atmosphere, moving straight for the city.
"Hush little scale. Everything is going to be fine" replied her mother, though no, it wasn't going to be fine.
"Casualties in the enemy population estimated at around 119000000 imperials and 72000000 civilians sir!
We have lost two old Armor class ships and the lives of half the crewmembers to their defense platform"
"Have the report uploaded by tomorrow. I have happy news to deliver"
****Narrative Interlude Finished****
*Battle pics*
The commander issued more colonizers to be built. The Tarka colony was on the verge of destruction. A bit more, and it would fall.
So, better be prepared for planetfall.
Various for the lols comments:
Seems like planets can't be named.
:/ You've got yourself a fleet named after you Euchre.
Commander is actually what you get called when you give out orders, "commander! we're under attack" "commander!" and so on. ...we will be Commander Shepard, if everyone is fine with the lolz.
Author
Topic: Let's play SOTS with ACM. With shade. And kudos for narrative. (Read 7629 times)