The Galactics Union

New Saharia wrote:

Battle of Ninov - Introduction || New Cathen || Sakoor

The door to the station’s briefing room was wide, circular. Unnecessarily so. Stepping within, the lighting was noticeably dimmer. The room was circular, with a large dome in the center. At first glance, it seemed that this briefing room was on the ‘roof’ of the station, as the dome seemed to be made entirely of transparent glass. This was an illusion; this critical room was deep within the station. The glass dome above was an illusion; it was simply a live projector showing the scenery outside.

The table in the center of the large chamber was atop a raised platform. There must have been maybe thirty chairs, all arranged around the circumference of the table. Two of the chairs - opposite each other - had much taller backrests. One of these was occupied by none other than Rear Admiral Corram. Two spaces over sat Captain Talbert, whose position at the table had a small control panel jutting out from in front of him.

“Welcome aboard, Admiral,” Corram announced cordially. His voice was reciprocated by an echo, which helped to enunciate his words. He lowered his voice slightly. “My apologies for the lack of fanfare; as you know, time is of the essence. My forces have already identified hostile recon units lingering at the edges of the starsystem…”

Battle of Ninov - Introduction || New Cathen || New Saharia

Talsan stepped forward first. She was a Sakooran female of rather average height herself, standing at about 157 cm and had reddish-brown fur. She had the complexion of someone in her late thirties, being rather young for an Admiral. In fact, she was currently the youngest member of the Alignment Navy's Admiralty Board as a whole (there had been acting Admirals who were younger, but those haven't been heard of since the tyrannical Inara Era). Nevertheless, she held a calm and disciplined look, giving an affirmative nod to the Saharian Admiral before taking a seat.

The Adjutant took a seat right next to her, taking a few seconds to adjust her uniform. She was in her early 20s and, like many a Sakooran officer, had been rather overworked in the past few weeks, currently running on 5 cups of caf and a nutrition bar. However, she was still determined as ever to carry out her duties, holding a datapad close to record everything noteworthy.

The marines accompanying the Admiral stood just behind her, wearing white armor with black highlights, including a helmet with their ears folded back to fit inside.

All of the Sakoorans maintained a respectful silence, listening to what Admiral Corram had to say about the upcoming battle.

Sakoor wrote:

Battle of Ninov - Introduction || New Cathen || New Saharia

All of the Sakoorans maintained a respectful silence, listening to what Admiral Corram had to say about the upcoming battle.

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance Sakoor

Read Admiral Corram paused in return, before continuing. As he began to speak, Captain Talbert reached for the small control panel in front of him. “As you are certainly aware, this system is of strategic importance to the ongoing campaign. Although we have yet to ascertain the true scale of the enemy force, intelligence suggests anywhere from five-hundred to two-thousand starships converging on our location.”

Finally, the holoprojector in the center of the briefing-table came to life. The Ninov system was displayed in three-dimensional space; the planet itself was marked with a large, three-pointed star. Several other key locations were scattered about, indicated by smaller stars. Large red blips populated one side of the projection, no doubt representing hostile forces. One thing was horrifically clear - the enemy vastly outnumbers the Allies.

Corram couldn’t put into words how dire this dynamic was for the Allies. So he did not bother. He continued. “We can only assume the objective of the enemy force is to take the planet below. However, it is clear that they expect to be fighting a much larger force than we really are. A full-frontal attack would spell certain defeat for us. And that is putting it gently.”

“Until reinforcements arrive, our objective is to keep up the facade that the Orellian-aligned Trelisans are up against a vastly larger force than what is actually present. Although the planet’s security is our main objective, our immediate objective is to maintain maximum operational-presence within the system.” On cue, the projection shifted, swiftly zooming in on what seemed to be a small planetoid in the outer reaches of the starsystem. “This is Ninov VIII - a dwarf planet within the system’s only asteroid belt. There is a powerful sensor array lodged in an asteroid orbiting the dwarf-planet. We’ve been using this to accurately track enemy movements across dozens of nearby starsystems. The enemy is well aware of this - and they have marshaled a small detachment of ships to ensure its destruction.”

“We must ensure the sensor array remains intact as long as possible. In addition, we must evacuate the personnel serving onboard. They have been making preparations to run the sensor array on autopilot while we have been organizing our defense.”

“Simple enough - destroy the hostile strike force, or force it to withdraw - and ensure our people get out safe.” Corram went silent, and the Captain took that as his signal to deactivate the projector…

“Additional details can and will be communicated to your forces as the situation develops. Intel suggests that the enemy strikeforce consists of no more than twenty ships. Light and fast. Akin to corvettes. It is unknown whether or not they are unmodified Trelisan vessels, and thus less advanced than their Orellian-modified counterparts. If you require assistance, I can promise a few ships. However, my forces have other objectives to pursue while you are on-mission…”

That seemed to be the Sakooran admiral’s cue to ask questions if she had any.

---

Primary objective: Defend Saharian sensor station
Secondary objective: Rescue station personnel

It is Rear Admiral Talsan’s choice whether or not to requisition any Saharian ships for this mission.

New Saharia wrote:

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance Sakoor

“Additional details can and will be communicated to your forces as the situation develops. Intel suggests that the enemy strikeforce consists of no more than twenty ships. Light and fast. Akin to corvettes. It is unknown whether or not they are unmodified Trelisan vessels, and thus less advanced than their Orellian-modified counterparts. If you require assistance, I can promise a few ships. However, my forces have other objectives to pursue while you are on-mission…”

That seemed to be the Sakooran admiral’s cue to ask questions if she had any.

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance New Saharia

Talsan's eyes widened slightly at the holoprojection. Admiral Corram didn't need to state just how dire this situation was. The Third Battlegroup consisted of dozens of ships...against potentially thousands. She knew the Alignment would be the underdogs in this conflict, but now she was getting a sense of just how much the odds were stacked against them.

Regardless, she managed to keep her calm. The Saharian Admiral's plan was a sound one, using cunning and misdirection to hold off the enemy until reinforcements arrive. Her attention turned over to Ninov VIII as she listened closely to the Admiral's description of the enemy force. She took a few seconds to process the information before replying.

"Hmmm...the Third Battlegroup should be able to handle this on our own, but we are lacking in firepower."

She motions to her Aide to bring up a projection of the Sakooran force, showing all of the ships including the newly constructed Sentinel Battlecruiser. A formidable warship by their standards, but sadly the only massive damage dealer in the Alignment task force.

"As you can see, the Resolute would be the best at dealing with corvette sized ships, but besides that, we don't have many other vessels capable of that sort of damage output. I won't ask for too much, since your forces are spread thin as it is, but if it's in the realm of possibility, a few bigger guns could go a long way into assisting us. We can have our corvettes and line support craft provide cover for them as well, so there shouldn't be a need to bring your own."

War for the Core - Operation Avalanche A Perfect Neighborhood || Coalition Remnants || New-Order2

As the Republic Navy races across the partition across Trelisa, the shape of the Eastern Front is about to shift.

Saharia could not hide the massive naval buildup in the Tamira enclave, a small patch of Saharian space in the Core surrounded on all sides by foreign nations. With one of the nation’s impressive Stargates as its lifeline to the rest of the nation, the disembodied enclave received a breathtaking number of starships as the Solarians and Orellians cut each other to pieces over their shared border. For some time, surely curious eyes in Orellia saw, thousands of ships. Thousands and thousands. More and more. Of course, it could easily be assumed that the Saharians were only acting defensively - ensuring that their holdings in the Core remain safe and secure as the conflict escalates.

Neither Orellia nor their Pristine compatriots were that naive. This wasn’t a defensive measure; Saharia was building up an invasion force. And as soon as that became evident, the declaration of war echoed across the galaxy.

Saharian forces stationed in Tamira had been preparing for months. Moments after war had been declared, hundreds of Tolnis-class assault ships materialized from the massive stargate at the heart of Tamira. Saharia would ensure that this system remained safe - a lightning offensive inspired by their trailblazing compatriots in the west should ensure that. Two Armadas - plus a third, which appeared on-stage hours after the declaration, left a colossal three armadas joining the Eastern Front. And the ground forces to match.

Having watched from the shadows long enough, Pristine Communities had wisely mobilized an equally-immense force of their own to balance the equation once again. While Orellia and Solaria would remain mostly distracted with one another, Pristine Communities is the only thing standing between Tamira and the Solarian lines. And their opponent, eager and fierce, was not going to keep them waiting.

The Saharians would meet a very different opponent than they expected.

Let Operation Avalanche commence.

---

Sakoor wrote:

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance New Saharia

"As you can see, the Resolute would be the best at dealing with corvette sized ships, but besides that, we don't have many other vessels capable of that sort of damage output. I won't ask for too much, since your forces are spread thin as it is, but if it's in the realm of possibility, a few bigger guns could go a long way into assisting us. We can have our corvettes and line support craft provide cover for them as well, so there shouldn't be a need to bring your own."

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance Sakoor

Rear Admiral Corram showed visible disappointment for a brief moment. Just before he could say anything, mouth half-open, Captain Talbert wisely interjected. “We can spare a heavy cruiser. The Integrity. My battlegroup will be pursuing other objectives in the meantime.”

His Admiral didn’t say anything in reply. Instead, he simply stood out of his seat. The Captain did so as well. “Good luck, Admiral. As I understand it, this day will mark Sakoor’s first military action against a foreign power in history. Make it one for the history books.”

---

The Sakoorans would once again find themselves back onboard their ships, preparing to launch for the edge of the system. A priority communication awaited Admiral Talsan when she returned to her flagship. From Captain Talbert.

“--The S.R.S. Integrity has been transferred to your taskforce. Captain Ramon is standing by for your orders; she should check in with you as soon as possible. My forces are moving to engage the enemy. If we complete our objectives before you complete yours, we will rendezvous with you in orbit of Ninov VIII. Fair winds and following seas, Admiral. ~ --”

The titanic Saharian battleship in the backdrop slips into lightspeed, a flash of dark blue as the vessel disappears in the blink of an eye. As moments pass, more ships vanish alongside her…

New Saharia wrote:

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance Sakoor

The Sakoorans would once again find themselves back onboard their ships, preparing to launch for the edge of the system. A priority communication awaited Admiral Talsan when she returned to her flagship. From Captain Talbert.

“--The S.R.S. Integrity has been transferred to your taskforce. Captain Ramon is standing by for your orders; she should check in with you as soon as possible. My forces are moving to engage the enemy. If we complete our objectives before you complete yours, we will rendezvous with you in orbit of Ninov VIII. Fair winds and following seas, Admiral. ~ --”

The titanic Saharian battleship in the backdrop slips into lightspeed, a flash of dark blue as the vessel disappears in the blink of an eye. As moments pass, more ships vanish alongside her…

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance

"Well, let's not keep our Saharian Allies waiting." Talsen stated before switched to a broadcast. "All ships, ahead full!"

Almost immediately after the Saharians departed, the Alignment forces went into FTL, ready to prove themselves in combat.

---

Close to the planetoid of Ninov VIII, the Sakooran vessels slipped out of FTL, immediately falling into a defensive position.

The Resolute, in all her pride and glory, flew alongside the Integrity. As the main damage dealers of the taskforce, protection of these two ships was of the upmost importance. The Light Carriers fell into formation as the group's second line, bolstered by the Nautilus corvettes for anti-fighter screening. The two fleet tenders fell in line behind the cruisers, with one assigned to each. Making up the outermost line was the Liberator picket ships and their gunships, being the first line of defense. Hornet and Saber fighters were immediately deployed upon exist, swarming across the flotilla like gnats. Most of them were on escort duty while some had been sent ahead of the main fleet to act as recon.

"Contact the sensor station." Talsan ordered. "Let's see what we're up against first."

The Third Battlegroup made a beeline towards the station as the Sakooran comms officer sent out a hail. "Sensor station, this is the A.S.V. Resolute leading the Third Battlegroup. We have come to assist in the defense of the sensor array as well as evacuate personnel."

The Colony of Newfont

If you've ever been to Keres, you'd know that the space it resides in is desolate. Newfont, then, is similar, but only even more empty.

Newfont is Keres' only territory which isn't connected directly to it. The strange location was at one point reckoned to be an invaluable addition to Keres' possessions, especially for its scientific research potential. Political strife, budgetary disagreements and internal policy conflicts led to this dream never being realised, and instead of becoming a centre for intergalactic science, Newfont slowly became an obscure territory conducting work that the Astronomical Service didn't particularly care about.

Though some see it as an embarrassing failure of Kererian expansion efforts, Newfont today is not as much of a dump that some politicians want you to think it is. Today it is a largely self sufficient autonomous area of Keres, hosting research stations for physical and biomedical sciences, as well as a partially terraformed planet which is used by the Kererian Land Forces for training exercises. The territory is protected by the Customs Cutter Service, the enforcement arm of Customs and Excise Keres, with a small military garrison also being present. The name Newfont refers to the star at the centre of the system, with five planets orbiting around it. Newfont Charlie, called Char by the local scientists, is the partially terraformed planet, and features planetary bases and a deep-level mining and research operation. The planet itself is slightly larger than the Earth where humans originated from. In orbit of Char are five separate fully fledged stations, one for the central administrative apparatus, three which specialise in a specific field, those being virology, astrobotany, and high energy physics, and one for generalised research. There are also two midget stations, which are just smaller space stations, with one preoccupying itself with astrolithology and one with anomalous materials. In addition to this, many other artificial satellites orbit Char.

In more recent times, Newfont has been granted a unique constitutional arrangement, sitting inbetween a Planet and land administered by the Colonial Service in terms of autonomy. The sui generis body called the Council of the Star and Planets of Newfont was created, and is responsible for a number of devolved matters, although most continued to be the responsibility of central government bodies such as the Colonial Service and Customs and Excise Keres. In addition to this, all of the research and engineering stations are owned by the Astronomical Service or Astromedical Service.

And therefore today, Newfont remains a curious territory of Keres, toiling away on whatever research project they may be delegated this time.

Improper Classifications wrote:

The New Assembly [1/1] [Expansion]
Although the ruling Democratic Front didn't market itself as pro-expansion (in fact there was already a Frontier Expansion Party) many of the UDF candidates who registered for the April 25th elections identified as pro-expansion, signifying changing times in the Imperial Federation. Emperor Michael II was also thought to be anti-expansion, having returned expansion bills to the National Assembly multiple times, but a good sovereign knows when to change his mind, and so he publicly came out in favor of the expansionist candidates in the governing coalition. Thus the UDF, under the Coalition for Democracy, won 11 more seats, adding to an already stout majority. The very first bill passage after the reelection of the Prime Minister was a 183-43-13 vote to expand the borders of the Imperial Federation to unclaimed territories, and soon troops began marching out to new systems.
Number of Systems: 414 >> 581

=============================================================

A Disabled Derelict || The Breen

The captain was unfazed by the height difference and even chuckled a bit. "We've got a looong history of working with races we might otherwise ignore because it worked for the both of us." The captain removed a communicator from his pocket and began ordering his science officers to load even more information onto his device, while continuing talking with the Breen. "Though I have to ask - what made you expect noncompliance? It's not as if we approached with weapons blazing."

A Disabled Derelict || Improper Classifications

"My people have had a storried history of . . . conflict to say the least." The Breen said, his head tilting as if analyzing the man before him. At this closer distance, the size of the Breen was striking. The scientists would at this time notice the strange motions of the Breen, with the slight twitches and slow bumps across its arms, as if something inside was shifting.

"Recently, we have been fighting a war with several other species."

Sakoor wrote:

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance

"Contact the sensor station." Talsan ordered. "Let's see what we're up against first."

The Third Battlegroup made a beeline towards the station as the Sakooran comms officer sent out a hail. "Sensor station, this is the A.S.V. Resolute leading the Third Battlegroup. We have come to assist in the defense of the sensor array as well as evacuate personnel."

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance Sakoor

Ninov VIII, Graveyard Orbit

Lodged within the sole, undignified asteroid moon of the eighth planet was the sensor station. Characterized by a large, circular dish protruding from the oblong asteroid’s ‘pole,’ the artificial structure jutted from the asteroid somewhat awkwardly. Light-gray metallic architecture speckled with white-blue lights as windows, and a hangar bay which emerged from the surface of the rock, not quite perpendicular with the rest of the structure. Navigation lights flickered in the darkness. The station was still transmitting.

Onboard, the anxious crew of twelve men and women made their last-minute preparations. Tapping away ceaselessly on consoles, with a pair of men removing a panel from the wall in order to gain access. The group leader, Second Lieutenant Noble, could hardly wait another moment onboard this coffin of a station. He could watch diligently as the enemy force approached their defenseless station. Megameter by megameter.

A jolt of excitement struck him as the station received a hail… but, even after blinking several times, he could see it wasn’t coming from a Saharian vessel. A.S.V..? What the hell kind of designation was that supposed to be for? ‘Whatever,’ he easily convinced himself, ‘this is our one-way ticket out of here.’

---

“--Resolute, this is Interstellar Subspace Array Outpost SS-NIN-08. Receiving you clearly. We’re ready to depart ASAP. Transmitting active-sensor data to you now.--”

And there it was. No doubt the Sakooran fleet and their accompanying Saharian cruiser had picked up the enemy force on active-sensors as well by now. But the track and data provided by the station was impeccable; number and size of enemy ships, their direction of travel, formation… all was revealed before the battlegroup even got close to the eighth planet. Twenty ships exactly, thankfully none of them particularly large.

That was the end of the good news. Surely the hostile fleet spotted the Sakooran force, and were preparing for a fight. There was no good cover to hide behind (other than the sensor station itself), no potential for ambush or underhanded maneuver. Rear Admiral Talsan was now being asked to take her fleet into a head-on confrontation against a technologically superior force, with a minimal numerical advantage. Fortunately, the hostile ships were revealed by the sensor array to be unmodified Trelisan ships; this meant that the gap in technology wasn’t as severe as it could have been.

The rest is now up to Talsan. The Sakooran force will arrive on-site mere minutes before the arrival of the Trelisans. She will have precious little time to prepare her forces and organize an evacuation. No doubt that the sensor station will be fired upon should it pass within range of the enemy. No obvious solutions, no easy way out. Baptism by fire, and nothing less.

---

New Saharia wrote:

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance Sakoor

The rest is now up to Talsan. The Sakooran force will arrive on-site mere minutes before the arrival of the Trelisans. She will have precious little time to prepare her forces and organize an evacuation. No doubt that the sensor station will be fired upon should it pass within range of the enemy. No obvious solutions, no easy way out. Baptism by fire, and nothing less.

Battle of Ninov - Aggressive Reconnaissance New Saharia

The size of the Trelisian force did not bode well for the Admiral. The lack of Orellian Modifications was of some relief, but they were still ahead of the Sakoorans in both firepower and technology. This wouldn't be an easy fight. However, Talsan was determined to push through. The Third Battlegroup had mere minutes to prepare for the invaders and she intended on utilizing every second of it.

First was the utilization of the Saharian ship. The Integrity had a ridiculously long range compared to the Sakooran vessels and could even hit the ships the moment they exit lightspeed. Their priority targets were the three Cruisers. These would give the most problems for the Sakooran vessels and needed to be taken out as quickly as possible.

The Resolute, by comparison, would focus on dealing with the smaller vessels, especially those with anti-fighter capabilities to give the squadrons some breathing room. The carriers weren't an immediate focus due to the Sakoorans hopefully being able to match the fighters with their own, but Captain Ramon was encouraged to focus on them after the Cruisers are dealt with.

The fleet as a whole was positioned close by the asteroid, with the idea of being able to use it as cover in case any take excessive damage. Of course, that wouldn't bode well with the crew still onboard, but that solution was quickly being taken care of.

---

From the Resolute, a single Valkyrie Dropship, along with a fighter escort, made a burn for the station. Their goal was simple, quickly evacuate the station before the battle gets to heated. Fortunately, the crew of the station was a bit smaller than expected, and the dropship (which had a carrying capacity for 20 souls other than the pilots) should be able to evacuate the entire station in a single trip.

"ISA Outpost, this is Forerunner 2, we'll be landing shortly. Admiral Talsan wants you out of here ASAP to make sure everyone's ready to go the second we land."