Ok, next update. Difficulty is actually rather low >.> Only whatever the level over beginner was. Seem to be getting a better handle on it as I go. As for screenshots, I can't figure out how
Printscreen didn't work, as far as I can tell. Otherwise I'd love to throw some in here. Also, no more updates for a few days, as I'm going to be out of town. Meanwhile though, more in the sstyle of the last, hope it's interesting:
N-1 was very busy. After a month or so of consolidating their new colonies, building more ships, and research, the Yor were almost ready to assault Acerea. This was fortunate, because tensions between them had been running high ever since the victory on Hammer II. While the Acereans were certainly no friends of the Jagged Knife, they were appalled with the wholesale slaughter of the colony’s citizens, and angry at the lost opportunity to take it back.
Numerous advances had been made during this month, including the development of practically sized deflectors and the first mid-sized ships built for war. The new
Optimal class cruisers, which were the first ships capable of packing decent firepower and the deflectors, were incorporated into the Reaper wings for destroying Acerea’s navy.
Unfortunately, a recent United Planets ruling outlawed sneak attacks and forced warring parties to move warships to neutral ground after war was declared. This meant the Yor had to adjust their plans. Rather then storm their homeworld before they could react, the Yor were forced to line up ships at the border and prepare to make an opening. In addition, Hammer II was still within Acerean borders, though not by far. What this meant was that war would have to be declared, and then a defensive line quickly formed around Hammer II before going on the offensive.
N-1 and his military specialists were monitoring the situation as the fleet made its first push into Acerean space. The war was publicly declared just a few days ago, and the first fleet had settled into orbit just beyond Hammer II. It had been quiet, so far, but the first wave of enemy ships had just appeared on scans. A few fighters had settled in around the homeworld, and single attack craft stared approaching the fleets. The second and third fleets rushed in and started engaging.
“Status report, second fleet”, queried N-1.
“Facing light resistance thus far, the
Optimal-class ships are performing as expe………Fleet 3 reporting trouble!” reported one of the comm-stations. This was especially concerning, as it was the only one
without one of the new cruisers. “Bringing up telemetry and visuals…”
Battle data for that group moved to the forefront of the displays, and showed a rather concerning picture. The Yor ships were battling two equal sized Acerean ships, with two smaller fighters closing in as well. The Yor were fighting had, but they were definitely outnumbered.
“We shall succeed. Our greater firepower evens the statistical odds,” encouraged the squad leader, ‘besides…we fly better then meat.” Pulling off maneuvers that would have strained an organic, the Yor succeeded in knocking out the larger enemy ships, though one of their own imploded and the squad leader had deep laser scars in his vessel. They had no time to relax though, as the fighters were on them soon after.
“The statistical odds are now even more in our……..” That is when the fighters bisected the squad leader’s cockpit. He did, however, get off a shot on one of them first, and this allowed the last Yor ship to outlast its smaller opponents, though not by much.
“Command to L5-X, status report.”
“Intact, though damaged. Enemies destroyed, heavy casualties sustained. Request return to base.”
“Affirmative. Return for repairs, we will have reinforcements for you when you return.”
On the war raged for a few weeks, as the Acereans threw their troops into the meat-grinder that was the Yor military machine. In a desperate move, they tried to rush a fleet of troopships around the Yor lines, but were unfortunate enough to run into the newly rebuilt Third Fleet.
The war ended rather anticlimacticly. N-1 ordered the troopships landing on Acerea to use mass drivers on the planet before invasion. It was less efficient in terms of infrastructure salvaging, but more efficient in terms of troop usage. In the end, The Acerean’s warrior tradition and fighting spirit was pounded into the dirt from orbit, most of them being denied the honorable deaths they would have been glad to die. In the name of beautiful, brutal machine efficiency.
“N-1, the last of the Acereans have been mopped up. Their only remaining hold is Kilwas II. Kilwas IV is occupied by the Iconians, but they have made no signs of coming to their aid,” reported the chief military advisor, “we can invade whenever we’re ready.”
“There is some risk, however,” chimed in the diplomatic liaison. His job essentially involved specialized knowledge of the soft, squishy organic masses that festered across the galaxy, and anticipating their moves. “Most simulations show that if we make an outright assault and cleansing, the other organics will react in a non-optimal fashion. While they can accept our actions thus far, any further aggression may spark a wider war. As of yet, the fleshbags combined strength is too great to risk it. If we hold off, and simply menace them and destroy anything they send into orbit, they will cave on their own, in the hope we don’t butcher them.”
“That assemsent,’ agreed the military advisor, “while I would prefer to be rid of them, it would be more efficient to allow the citizens of the colony to survive, if they can make themselves useful. We can simply dispose of them later, when we no longer need their labor. Till then, the short-sighted fools are likely to be cooperative.”
N-1 processed this. “Keep pressure on them. Meanwhile, we shall abstain from conflict to fortify our new positions and shore up our military.”
A few weeks later, the citizens of Kilwas II overthrew their leaders and sent transmissions to the orbiting Yor, promising their service and cooperation for their continued existence.
