The flanking Hegemony fleet moved and swayed and swirled around the Federation ships they surrounded, and kept them contained as they maneuvered all around.
And though they exchanged weapons fire against each other with equal ferocity, the fact that the Federation ships were squeezed together and bunched up meant they took far more damage than they needed to.
Shots that missed their intended target often ended up hitting whatever was behind them.
The Federation ships struggled to push themselves out of the envelopment - no matter where the fleet maneuvered, Lucifer ensured that they were clamped down tightly. Ze punished them hard with concentrated fire every time they attempted to push out, and kept them in their place.
Every ship in the Federati
With dull orange lights and blazing klaxons, the bridge of the Federation cruiser was as panicked and awe-stricken as the rest of the intercepting fleet. Its grim-looking captain was aghast at all the reports he was receiving, and all the devastation he was seeing.All of the Federation ships around him were dismantled piecemeal by the enveloping Hegemony fleet - their armor was ripped apart, their guns were torn off, and their systems grew dimmer. Frigates and destroyers were exploding all around, even as the cruisers grew ever more fragile.He watched on the live feeds as a number of dead and dying frigates crashed into the cruiser next to them, and tore its armor open even wider.Alerts kept on blaring on comms as the various captains frantically reported their dire situations - many cut to black as their ships e
The cruiser’s bridge was now almost completely dark, with only a few deep red lights shining in the corners. There was just enough to outline everyone’s edges, but not much more. Every screen all around was completely blacked out and filled with the same error message, from the various wall screens to the technician terminals.Even the captain’s chair’s screens were filled with the error.—Authority Removed—“What in the nine hells is going on?” the captain cried out. “Can anyone explain what’s happening here?”“No idea, sir,” replied one of his techs.&ldq
The gargantuan thrusters on the 5th Fleet’s carrier flared out to the maximum as the entire ship flipped over along its length. Its top deck had been all but thoroughly torn apart, and every millimeter of its thick armor had been completely shredded.All of its emplacements and turrets had been reduced to useless scrap, along with all of the mecha and defense drones scattered on its surface.Almost nothing was left of the forces on that side, and so as promised, the admiral rotated it out. He showed the Federation the hangars they had previously busted, then flipped to the bottom side of the carrier.Absolute glee filled him as the hundreds of the fresh mecha and turrets peppered the Federation with their weapons fire the moment they were able.Cannon shells
And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.– Revelations 6:8The 5th Hegemony Fleet, or what was left of it, flashed into the Rylaren Gamede system with a bright flash. They were joined by the remaining mercenary fleet, evacuee ships, and whoever else they could get out of Conflict Sector 2.With them was every member of the Corvus Republic, along with the Federation cruiser and crew they had captured.In the space surrounding the beleaguered fleet were tens of thousands of ships of all sizes, from battleships all the way down to fighters and mecha. Though most were cru
Orbital Defensive Array, Feron System, Planet Alosine, Minor House: Ballistics, Inc.The array of defensive orbital stations hovered above Planet Alosine in all its glory. Numerous defensive platforms floated in space near each of the stations, which were patrolled by swarms of defense drones.More impressive than those however, was the large fleet near the center of the sprawling array. Though some of the ships were still re-equipping and refitting, the vast majority of cruisers, destroyers, and frigates were waiting patiently just to the side of the massive array.They were accompanied by a heavily armed and armored battleship, which was designed and outfitted by Ballistics, Inc itself. Powerful, deadly weapons were scattered up and down its hull, which easily reflected the House’s wealth, power, and status.
The Hegemony admiral was absolutely awestruck by the destruction that was heaped on his fleet. He was even more awed by the seeming chaos that enveloped all around him, and could only watch haplessly at the Empire’s expert use of their fluid swarm.It was nothing like he had ever experienced, certainly nothing like any Hegemony or Federation navies he had fought against. Every ship in the fleet was hit on every side, and whittled away as every moment passed.He could hardly see a tactical way out of their predicament, and had no way to reverse their positions.Worse, they were beaten out technologically, on every level possible.He cursed loudly to himself at the disparity between their forces. He knew the Empire was more advanced than them, but didn’t know i
Outside, the heavily ridged chitin plating on the topside of the Imperial battleship began to slide open in long sections. As they drew back, they revealed further chitin plating beneath, which also opened up.Once the final layer had been drawn back and out of the way, massive hovering guns floated out of the pockets that the chitin revealed. Each one was about the size of a frigate, and looked to be a deadly pair of insectoid-like mandibles.They spun in space towards the Hegemony battleship, which was still recovering its position. Similar to the rest of Imperial beam weapons, the very tips of these mandibles began to glow, and a bright orange ball of energy began to gather in between them.Each of the energy balls grew brighter and larger as they charged up. And right when they seemed to reach an absolute peak,
NeutroDrive Prime, Vaar’torin System, Great House de JardinThe First Feathers walked into the cruiser’s cargo bay along with Minister Mathilde, a few of her aides, and many ship engineers. They walked through and inspected every millimeter of it and made sure that everything was up-to-spec.Behind them were clusters of citizens of the Corvus Republic, who were coming in to move themselves from the Raven’s Refuge into their new cruiser.“You’re all absolutely sure this is the ship you want?” Mathilde asked. “That Federation cruiser was worth a great deal more than this.”“It’s perfect, Minister,” Claire answered her. “Of the three cruisers available, this one has the best city deck. Plenty of room for us to expand i