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Chapter Four
Space Outpost Beta Eight-Twelve
Outskirts of the Losaal Nebula
11:57 New Daiamid AHL 4.15.21

The Losaal Nebula was a small nebula, adjacent to the Kadiir Nebula. Hiigaran High Command had decided to establish a base there to keep an eye on the Imperialist base in the Kadiir Nebula, and as a staging area for the occasional harassment mission. Its other benefit was that there were plenty of resources near the base, so there were plenty of Providences and Workers harvesting the resources. That in turn made the base a prime target for Turanic Raiders and Imperialist Taiidan forces.

As Lightning Fleet along with Admiral Selquet’s task force dropped out of hyperspace in proximity to the base, a raid on the harvesting operation was turning itself into a full-fledged fleet-to-fleet engagement. The Imperialists had sent a carrier battle group, with 2 Carriers, four Destroyers, six Ion Frigates, six Assault Frigates, two Support Frigates, and assorted strike craft. The Turanic Raiders that were allied with them had sent six Assassin Frigates. It was clear that the Hiigarans were losing, with only an Imperator, two Revelations, four Firelances, and four Vengeances. The strike craft compliment from the guard fleet and the station itself consisted of thirty-six Blade Mk V’s, thirty-six Thunderbolts, twenty-four Defenders, and twenty-four Crusaders. While the firefight was continuing, the communications officer was hailing the base.

“This is the HNS Liberator to outpost Beta Eight-Twelve. Do you copy? We are in system with allied vessels. Repeat, this is the Liberator to outpost Beta-Eight-Twelve. Over.”

“Liberator, this is Beta Eight-Twelve, you have been confirmed as friendly. You couldn’t have jumped in at a better time, we have a rather large losing battle going on here, and we would appreciate your assistance. Over.”

“Beta Eight-Twelve, this is Commodore Edson speaking. My fleet just got hammered, but my ships are intact. We’re on our way. I’m sending everything I’ve got over at flank speed.”

“Copy that, Liberator, and thanks.”

“Liberator, this is Group Captain Loron, commander of the Destroyer Battle of Kharak. We are facing something like three to one odds here. We need you here ASAP, Commodore.”

“I’ll jump my super caps to just outside of visual behind the enemy’s current position, then launch from there. I’ll send my support vessels and my frigates over to help you out over there.”

“Thank you sir.”

Commodore Edson faced the crew pit “Ok, you heard me. Navigation, give a course that will land us twenty kilometers behind the Imperial formation’s rear guard as fast as possible. Transmit that course to our super capital ships. Communications, tell our frigates to jump to the base itself and assist. Weapons, charge up and prepare to fire as soon as the first target comes within range.”

HNS Liberator
Outskirts of Losaal Nebula
12:01 New Daiamid AHL 4.15.21

By the time that the Liberator had arrived, the battle had turned even worse for the Hiigarans. They had lost a Vengeance, a Firelance, and most of the Defenders. Lightning Fleet had arrived just in time to see an Assassin detonate under the concentrated fire of the remaining ships. As soon as Lightning Fleet had completed the transition from hyperspace, the carriers launched their fighters, which swarmed out towards to Imperialist Fleet. Lightning Fleet’s destroyers jumped out ahead of the two Heavy Cruisers and Dreadnought.

The Imperialists responded almost immediately. They sent the Assassin Frigates and two squadrons of Kaarks to counter-attack Lightning Fleet. But the Blades of Lancer Squad, the Triikors of Cobra Squad, and the ACVs turned Acolytes of Retribution Squad destroyed the entire formation in their first pass. This time, the Recons of Revealer Squad got the ‘baby-sitting duty’ of escorting the Republican Kaarks and Hiigaran Thunderbolts. As they entered the battle, the Recons uncloaked the Assassin frigates. All thirty-six Attack Bombers opened fire on the drives of the nearest Assassin Frigate. Even though all space-tight doors had been closed, it made no difference. The seventy-two plasma bombs punched a hole right through the hull, breaching plasma ducts and containment cells in the process, causing plasma to vent through the rear half of the ship. It exploded, but the Attack Bombers were far enough not to suffer any damage. They reversed course in formation, then chose their next victim, another Assassin Frigate. This time they targeted ion cannon systems in the front half. Once again, seventy-two plasma bombs slammed through the hull. The operators of the weapon tried to fire their compromised weapon at the formation of Attack Bombers. The negatively charged ions went halfway through the acceleration ladder. Then, with a hole there, they turned into a half powered ion beam that destroyed the front quarter of the ship. Crewmen stationed there were vaporized without knowing what had just happened to them.

Then the destroyers of Lightning Fleet arrived, with the Victory arriving slightly ahead of the Undertaker. She opened fire on a third Assassin Frigate, which fired back, along with the two remaining Assassins. The Victory’s ion cannons and energy cannons blazed away in sequence. The ion beams burned into the armor, but failed to penetrate into the ship’s vitals. But the ion cannons weakened the armor so that the energy cannon rounds punched straight through it, causing significant internal damage. The three ion cannons fired by the Assassins vaporized parts of the bow armor of the Victory, burning through and slicing through a few blast doors and bulkheads. Then the Undertaker arrived. The Undertaker targeted the same frigate that the Victory had, in the exact same spot. Her combined firepower blew out the entire front portion of the ship, with secondary explosions destroying the rear.

The Liberator, Dragon, and Justice showed on the battlefield, just as two Imperialist Destroyers arrived in formation, a response to pleas for help by the Assassins. They were not standard destroyers, with a third energy cannon turret mounted on the top of a slightly elongated hull. But that apparently cost them some speed, and the aftereffects were deadly.

The five Allied capital ships fired at the two approaching destroyers. The Liberator and Justice fired upon the starboard Destroyer. Their ion and energy cannon fire chewed away at the front end of the ship. Billowing explosions from missile impacts lit up the surrounding space. Through this constant pounding a single volley from its energy cannons emerged, hitting each one of the Justice’s missile launchers. Finally, the Liberator and Justice ceased firing, cooling down their weapons and recharging systems. The Destroyer emerged with its bow cracked open like a nut, revealing a giant hole that stretched to the midsection of the ship. The other Destroyer fared no better, with the Dragon’s, Victory’s, and Undertaker’s ion cannons burning away at the armor encasing the turrets, destroying them. Energy cannon rounds battered at the armor surrounding the ion cannon systems, punching numerous holes through them and badly damaging the equipment inside. The barrels of the ion cannons glowed as they prepared to fire, but produced only an explosion that badly damaged the bow end of the ship.

By this time, the Attack Bombers had destroyed the three remaining Assassin frigates, the frigates’ pieces scattered throughout space. A largely intact magnetic array that had been separated from its parent frigate hit the rear end of the first Imperial Destroyer. The array developed a large fracture starting at the point of impact, then cracked open into two large pieces and countless smaller ones. The pieces continued spinning through space.

With the force that had arrived to engage them cleared, Lightning Fleet moved towards the other battle, which had drifted into visual range as the Assassins were retreating. The strike craft of Lightning Fleet had already reached it, and the addition of over a hundred fighters and corvettes swung the tables further into the Hiigarans’ favor. The frigates of Lightning Fleet had already turned the tide, and the Imperialists were desperately fighting for their lives.

With the sight of over five more capital ships arriving, the Imperialists decided to flee. But outpost Beta Eight-Twelve had moved a gravwell generator within range as soon as Lightning Fleet had hyperspaced in. The strike craft retreated out of the gravity well’s range, and the base commander activated the gravwell generator. As the Imperialists attempted to engage their hyperdrives, the gravity well stopped them cold. Then four squadrons of salvage corvettes and marine shuttles from Lightning Fleet and the base latched onto the remaining ships. The salvage corvettes’ corruption viruses were used to disable any automated defense weapons as well as secure the decks from the possibility of a Naar Directive, and the marines were sent in to capture as many prisoners as possible, a job not envied by any marine.

LS Carrier Tyrannical
Outskirts of Losaal Nebula
12:34 New Daiamid AHL 4.15.21

Privates Rade Taaran Soban and Virgil Wilson Paktu sat with ten other marines in their marine shuttle. Trigger happy eighteen and nineteen year olds, they were among the first of the Homeworld generation, as children born by the survivors of the Exodus were deemed. The flight from the Halo was a short one, and it was about to end. A metallic clanking noise announced the end of the journey, near the Imperialist carrier’s bridge.

Sergeant Ted LiirHra Mashburn, their squad leader, stood up. “Alright, people, you know what to do. Rade, Wilson, clear the left side. Second group will be Corey and the Gasman; you guys clear the right. Remember, we’re here to capture as many as possible, not kill them. So, once we’re past the initial welcoming party, set your weapons to stun. Don’t shoot up the stuff in the bridge, the intelligence pukes want to look over every sick drawing and love note they’ve been passing around.” The marines laughed.

The shuttle pilot’s voice came over the intercom. “We’ve cut through the hull, sending out the scout droid. Looks like the Imps haven’t rigged any defenses yet, you’ll want to get out now.”

“You heard the flyboy, lets get out of this coffin,” said Sergeant Mashburn. He hit a button on the wall, and the door to the extended access tube opened. Rade armed with a standard issue MI-R7 (Military Issue) automatic rifle with a fifty-round magazine fitted with a multi-purpose camera mount, launched himself towards the other end. Wilson, with a rotary three-barreled cannon, went down the tube a second later. The other marines stood by and waited.

Rade reached the other end of the tube. Before he poked his head out, though, he held his rifle out the left side and swept it around so the camera got a view of every corner of the hallway. He didn’t see anything. Rade waved his hand forward, and stepped out into the Destroyer, covering the left side. Wilson followed behind him. The second group moved in to secure the right side.

“Clear left,” said Rade

“Clear right,” said Corey

“Corridor secured. Bring in the rest of the boys,” said Wilson.

“Alright. We’re going in. Wilson, take point.”

A minute later, the marines were heading up the corridor leading up to the bridge, with Wilson in front. As they approached a corner that led to the bridge’s blast doors, a flash grenade rolled around from the other side and detonated. The marines were blinded.

“SHIT!” said Wilson. “Fall back to-”

He never finished his sentence. Six Imperial troopers armed with machine guns and riot shields stormed around the corner and fired into Wilson’s body. He was lifted off the ground by the force of the impacts. Multiple bullets had torn holes through his armor and body, and the remains of his head had been blown out across the corridor. The Imperials set up a line across the corridor at the intersection, and resumed firing. Three other marines fell.

The marines regained their vision, set their weapons to kill, and returned fire. Two of the six troopers were gunned down immediately; with the heavy bullets from the rotary cannons burning straight through the riot shields and blasting the troopers into the back wall. Their bodies slumped down, leaving a trail of blood. Rade made a dive for Wilson’s dropped weapon. The troopers fired at him, but miraculously missed. Rade hit the floor on his left shoulder, felt something give way despite the fact that he wore head-to-toe body armor, and grabbed the rotary cannon. By this time seven of the twelve marines and four of the six troopers lay on the floor. He set the cannon to kill and fired into the line of riot shields, killing the two remaining troopers.

Rade looked around. Ten members of his squad were lying on the ground. Of those, nine were clearly dead, lying in pools of their own blood with gaping wounds in their chest or head. The eighth marine, Sergeant Mashburn, had taken two shots in his abdomen. He managed to raise his arm and gestured Rade over. Rade took the man’s helmet off.

“How many...did...we lose?” asked Mashburn, in between his labored breathing.

“Eight sir. Everyone’s dead except for you, me, and Gasman-Parker,” said Rade.

“Damn...the fuckers.”

“Should we retreat, sir?”

Mashburn reached up with his hand and grabbed Rade’s neck, dragging him down. Mashburn glared at Rade, the rage in his fiery green eyes sending chills down Rade’s spine.

“We do...not retreat. You will...capture this ship...or die trying. That’s...what we came...here to do, and...we’re going to do it. Those...are my last orders to you.”

“Y-yes sir. Will do.”

Mashburn took an especially labored breath and fell backwards. His arm slid off of Rade’s neck and fell onto the deck beside him. Rade blinked back tears. Ten of his friends were dead. There and then, he decided that the Imperialists were going to pay-badly.

“Parker, take Corey’s cannon, we’re going in. I’m going to take a peek around the corner to make sure there’s not another ambush waiting for us. You get ready to cover me,” said Rade.

“Gotcha.”

Rade picked up his rifle and slung it behind his back. He then used the rotary cannon to peek around the corner. He only saw a security holocam and the bridge’s closed blast doors.

“Alright, grab some detonators, as well as a flash grenade. They’ve closed the blast doors, and right now I feel like blowing some stuff up. Rig the charges and take the left side of the hall. I’ll take the right. When they blow, throw in your flash, wait one second, and go in. Forget prisoners, though save the officers for last.”

Parker took four detonators and set them in a large rectangular pattern against the door. He pressed his back against the wall, held up three fingers, and readied his rotary cannon. Rade nodded, and three seconds later the charges went off. The detonators, designed to blast holes through armored doors, channeled their explosion at the heavy blast doors. While designed to take medium weapons fire, they could not withstand the power of directed high explosives. Four one-meter holes were created, combining into a man-sized entryway.

Even before the smoke cleared, Parker threw his flash grenade into the bridge. Turning their heads so they wouldn’t be affected, both marines still saw the light produced by the explosion through the smoke. They heard it as well. With their visor displays able to see through the thick smoke from the demolition charges, the two marines moved in. A pair of semi-blinded troopers that were guarding the door fired their weapons blindly, but managed to hit Parker three times. He fell to the floor with a gasp, and lay still. Rade gunned them both down. A lieutenant in a group of officers busy destroying codebooks looked up and noticed the marine. He yelled a warning while pulling out his pistol. Rade gunned him down before he managed to fire a shot; low velocity bullets from the cannon dropped the lieutenant like a sack of rocks. The other officers turned and were knocked out with a few short bursts.

At this time, Rade finally noticed a fierce firefight going on in the other side of the bridge. A group of six troopers were holed up behind some heavy communications gear. Four marines were scattered behind random pieces of cover, such as crew consoles, within eight meters of a second set of blast doors that led to the bridge. As he ran towards the troopers, a grenade arced out from behind the communications equipment; it exploded near the blast doors, where a marine was taking cover. He was killed instantly.

Rade crept ever closer towards the troopers. The fire being exchanged by the troopers and other marines kept him from being noticed as he made his approach. He finally reached a point in which he could see them. Two of the troopers turned, and Rade sidestepped to the left while firing his weapon, the high-caliber bullets toppling one trooper’s body into his comrades. The second trooper sprayed bullets in his direction. Rade suddenly felt an immense pain in his left abdomen. Collapsing onto his left knee, his return fire scythed through the second trooper.

Rade managed to pull himself up with the help of a nearby console. He poked a finger through the small hole in his body armor. It came out red and bloody, but his form-fitting uniform was not yet soaked with blood. Rade decided that the wound was not that serious.

Suddenly, a voice yelled, “Get down!”

Rade turned to look, only to get tackled by an unknown marauder running sideways with a shoulder lowered, firing a pistol towards the left. Rade was clawing for the combat vibroblade strapped to his left leg when he realized that it was a fellow marine private. Rade landed on his back, but his body armor absorbed most of the impact. The marine landed sideways top of him, and Rade finally realized that the marine was female. She got up, threw the pistol to the left, and began running in a zigzag course. Rade crawled to get a better view, and arrived in time to see the marine deliver a side kick that sent the trooper flying into the bulkhead. Rade struggled back to his feet, took off his helmet and hobbled over. He extended his hand.

“Rade Soban Taaran. Nice work,” said Rade.

The female marine took off her helmet as well, and gave a slight smiled. “Hey, same kiith. Rei Aareis. Thanks.”

“Which unit are you from? I thought my squad was the only one tasked with taking the bridge.”

“Third squad, Platoon B. We took the construction facilities on this carrier without a hitch, and the squad leader decided to send a fire team up to assist at the bridge, without orders. Dumbass decision got two wounded and Bunwe killed. What happened to the rest of your unit?”

“Wiped out by a not so clever ambush, but we fell for it anyway. Parker and I were the only survivors. We came to the bridge, and then he bought it too. Damn-” Rade tried to say more, but his voice cracked, and tears came to his eyes once again. Unable to restrain himself, Rade broke down sobbing. Rei, seeing his discomfort, moved over and embraced him. Rade kept on crying, into her shoulder.

He managed to whisper, “Thanks.”

Space Outpost Beta Eight-Twelve
Outskirts of the Losaal Nebula
12:43 New Daiamid AHL 4.15.21

Commodore Edson sat at a conference table with the other senior officers in Lightning Fleet, Admiral Selquet’s task force, and base Beta Eight-Twelve.

“Damn, you mean that there’s a reborn Imp emperor?” asked Captain Loron.

“Yes. I’m assuming that the reason the clone took so long to emerge was because they had to age and mature the clone. But now that it’s done, we have a crisis that rivals the Rebellion,” replied Commodore Edson.

“So,” said Captain Niesun, “the question now is how we can stop this thing from progressing into another galactic wide war.”

“I’ve got an answer to that. I had a chat with High Command as soon as the battle was over about the new Emperor. They are thinking about it. But I have an idea. We could send this task force to hunt down the Emperor and assassinate him. After all, we have accomplished our original mission, haven’t we?” said Commodore Edson

“What? That’s impossible. Even with an entire sector patrol fleet and ten thousand marines, his forces will still outnumber yours. And there’s no telling what kind of new technology that the Emperor has. We’ve already seen the triple turreted destroyers, but there could be countless different advanced ship designs that even our combined forces can’t match,” said Admiral Selquet.

“Good point. Well, so much for that idea.”

“Now, I’m not one of you barge drivers, but I’ve got common sense. We don’t know what we’re up against yet, besides the fact that it’s the next clone of some lunatic floating around in a tank of jelly. So, I think that we should let High Command decide. They have access to information that we don’t have. What we think of here probably won’t matter now, anyway, as the Emperor has already begun his offensive,” said Commander Jensen.

“Good point. Anything else? No? Well, I guess this meeting is adjourned,” said Commodore Edson. The various officers began to move towards the door when it hissed open. An ensign entered the room and approached Commodore Edson. He gave an apologetic look to the other officers.

“Sir, we have a casualty report from the battle, as well as a few high points,” said the ensign. He handed over a small datapad.

“High points?” asked Captain Saborn.

“Yes, ma’am. The Commodore can brief you further.” The ensign withdrew.

Commodore Edson read over the contents of the datapad. The other officers looked at him, watching in silence. Finally, he looked and spoke.

“Saborn, Niesun, Jensen, Gerceffi, stay here. The rest of you can get out of here,” said Commodore Edson.

“How bad is it?” asked Captain Niesun.

“Actually, its pretty good. Casualties were pretty light considering how many ships we lost. Out of seventy-five downed strike craft, we only lost thirteen pilots and crew. Also, twenty-seven more killed from the various capital ships,” replied Commodore Edson.

“How about the boarding parties, sir?” asked Major Gerceffi, commander of Lightning Fleet’s two companies of marines.

“That’s the interesting part. We lost twenty marines. Fourteen of those were killed on one of the Taiidan carriers. Apparently, one squad walked right into an ambush and lost ten men. The remaining two moved onto the bridge, where one more was killed. The last man single-handedly captured seven officers of lieutenant rank and above, as well as many documents.”

“Not bad. Anything else?”

“Hm, a fire team from another squad was sent up without orders. One was killed, and two more were wounded.”

“That squad leader’s going to get his ass busted down to private.”

“Wait. That fire team kept seven troopers busy, and that let our marine private to capture the officers and papers.”

“Humph. That was luck, but its not going to get that squad leader out of the woods. Who is the dynamic duo?”

“Both privates. Rade Taaran Soban and Rei Aareis Soban.”

“They’re getting medals for that. As for that squad leader, he’s gonna get a reprimand.”

LS Flagship Revenge
Regasar System
20:07 New Daiamid AHL 4.15.21

“My lord, we have received confirmation from our reconnaissance units that our attack on the station on the Losaal Nebula has been defeated.”

“Our force three was times the size of the defensive garrison.”

“My lord, the scouts report that there are additional ships, not part of the garrison, there. One of them is the modified heavy cruiser that was in the fleet that we attempted to ambush.”

“Very well. Send Pillager and her fleet to attack it. Even with the addition of those ships, they don’t have a chance.”

“Yes, my lord.”

HNS Liberator
Outskirts of the Losaal Nebula
11:42 New Daiamid AHL 4.16.21

High Command had sent over replacements for the ships and men lost during the battle, as well as reinforcements. That meant that Lightning Fleet could leave its temporary assignment of protecting the station.

Commodore Edson prepared his fleet to leave the station, having been repaired and restocked. The strike craft were loaded, and the hyperdrives were charged. He gave the order to move out.

“Engage hyperdrive,” Commodore Edson said. With that order, the blue gate of hyperspace entry appeared, and in moments Lightning Fleet disappeared.

Space Outpost Beta Eight-Twelve
Outskirts of the Losaal Nebula
12:19 New Daiamid AHL 4.16.21

The Pillager and her fleet dropped out of hyperspace right next to the station. The defenders didn’t stand a chance. With a fleet numbering 10 super capital ships and twenty frigates, the small defensive force was devastated and forced to retreat. But their actions let many of the station’s crew had managed to escape on the carrier and several troop transports.

HNS Liberator
Somewhere in Hyperspace
16:36 New Daiamid AHL 4.17.21

“Commodore, we’re picking up a wide-frequency transmission. Its header and code indicates it comes directly from the somewhere inside Imperialist territory,” said the communications officer.

“What? Put it on the main screen,” replied Commodore Edson.

“Yes sir.”

A small, two-dimensional image of a man appeared on the personal view screen on Commodore Edson’s chair.

“This is Emperor Riesstiu IV speaking. All of you fools in the Exile and Traitor nations think that I’m dead. I was, but for only one day. For as soon as your fleets eliminated my former body, a clone was activated. I am that clone. I have watched your petty battles against other Imperialist factions, having former officers and lords that used to be loyal to me at their heads. I have witnessed all of galactic events over the past twenty-one years, and have decided as any good Taiidan would, that we, the superior beings of the true Taiidan, must bring order to the chaos of this galaxy. The so-called Republican Taiidani are only traitors that left the true essence of Taiidan civilization, which is to rule the Empire. We had done so for three thousand glorious years, until my previous self lost control and allowed the Exiles to return. Your brief rebellion interrupted our rule for a mere twenty-one years. Now, the true rulers of the Empire will return. I hereby declare war on all former nations and systems formerly governed by the Empire. If you surrender, I will contemplate keeping you alive. If you fight, there will be no mercy. The choice is yours. That is all.” The image on the screen flickered out.

The bridge was very quite, as the entire crew was stunned. Commodore Edson regained his composure, and reacted.

“Okay, comm., tell the fleet to drop out of hyperspace now, and set course for Hiigara. Navigation, plot the quickest course to Hiigara. Transmit that course to the rest of our fleet. We have going to inform High Command that the message is not a fake.”

“Yes sir!”

HNS Liberator
Somewhere in Hyperspace
09:43 New Daiamid AHL 4.19.21

Lightning Fleet had spent two days in hyperspace, but those two days were filled with very bad news. Just hours after the Emperor had made his broadcast, news networks all over Hiigaran space and indeed the galaxy began broadcasting unclassified combat reports and losses sustained by each side. Most of the losses were either Republicans or Hiigarans.

Commodore Edson was sitting in his command chair when the vista of hyperspace faded away to reveal the hazy yellow space surrounding Hiigara. Almost immediately, the rest of Lightning Fleet began to appear. As soon as the last ship had finished the transition to normal space, the Liberator was challenged by a vessel of the Hiigaran Home Guard.

“This is the Destroyer HNS Zealot. You have entered the Hiigaran system. Approaching vessels, please identify yourselves. Over.”

“This is Commodore Edson of the HNS Liberator, commanding Lightning Fleet. Over.”

“Sir, High Command has a shuttle standing by to transport you, Captain Saborn, Captain Niesun, and Captain Jaquel planet side to the Military Headquarters Building. Please enter low Hiigara orbit on heading one-niner-zero at an altitude of five hundred klicks. The shuttle will arrive in five minutes. Zealot out.”

Lightning Fleet entered orbit at the appointed vector. Five minutes after the exchange with the Zealot had ended, a shuttled appeared. It docked at the Liberator’s airlock, and Commodore Edson and Captain Saborn stepped onboard. The shuttle proceeded to pick up Captain Niesun and Captain Jaquel, and then headed back for the surface.

Military Headquarters Building, New Daiamid
Hiigara
10:06 New Daiamid AHL 4.19.01

After arriving on Hiigara’s surface, the four officers were escorted by marines to a briefing room inside the Headquarters Building. There, two commodores and a rear admiral were waiting. After an exchange of salutes, the officers sat down and began their briefing. The admiral spoke up.

“As you know, two days ago a Taiidani claiming to be Emperor Riesstiu IV sent a broadcast declaring his existence and war. Almost immediately after, a full-scale invasion began, with the first battle at outpost Beta Eight-Twelve. You stopped the original attack force, but the Imps sent another one with over thirty capital ships, and the base was destroyed in less than ten minutes. But the carrier, a few other capital ships, and several transports got away, and they sent us images. Along with others recorded by various forces, we have been able to determine several new ship designs,” said the admiral. On the conference table, several holographic images of ships filled the air.

“This ship here is a modified ion frigate, with a point defense energy cannon mounted right in front of the bridge. But it seems to be just slightly slower, and a deep penetration scan revealed that the frigate has gained some armor. Battle recordings suggest that the frigate has an improved ion cannon system, with a slightly faster recharge time and a more powerful beam. All of this is combined with a more powerful drive, which lets it operate with only slightly reduced speed, which has been reduced to around two hundred ninety-five meters per second.”

“The ship shown here is a new class of destroyer. Instead of two twin turrets, it now has three. It also appears that the ion cannon systems were upgraded along with the frigate. It also mounts heavier armor. Speed has been reduced to approximately three hundred five meters per second.”

“Another new class of ship is this. It’s a carrier, but with guns and ion cannons. It takes the idea of the assault carrier to a new level. It mounts an ion turret and four assault frigate energy cannons. Strike craft capacity has been reduced to thirty-six fighters and twelve corvettes because of this. Speed has been improved with the addition of a fourth drive. It is now estimated to be at three hundred five meters per second as well. We know this because this was the only carrier in a fleet that attacked one of our border listening posts.”

“This is a large, heavily armed, command ship class vessel. It has four ion turrets and ten energy cannons that are believed to be on par with a heavy cruiser’s ion turrets and energy cannons. It also has room for at least one hundred twenty fighters and sixty corvettes, along with the ability to build anything up to a cruiser class vessel. A Recon was instructed to take a deep penetration scan during a battle, which revealed significant armor. Its top speed is one hundred ten meters per second.”

“The final Imp vessel is this. It is a Mothership class vessel, on par with the original Taiidan Flagship, but this one has weapons and armor. It has at least five times the amount of armor that the original one had, and it also mounts eight ion turrets, eighteen energy cannon turrets, four missile launchers, and at least thirty point defense guns. This vessel is still under construction. A probe sent by a scouting task force managed to scan the vessel before it was destroyed. The task force was annihilated right after sending these images.”

“Now, as you know, we have already lost several key bases, three defense fleets around their respective worlds have already been defeated, with the Imp marines defeating the worlds’ ground forces in battle after battle. This means that Lightning Fleet is going to be changed.”

>> Chapter 5>>