With the order given along with a blessing, the Matriarchy made their move upon the Occhestians. Conflict was started by moving into position, the glittering in the vacuum of space, Lorath ships moved in a manner which was comparable to school of fish. Seemingly rippling about as they moved in several directions. Winking out of sight as they dipped beyond the barriers of normal space as they entered speeds beyond that of light. As combatants were sent to begin their assault on the Occhestian held systems by taking a route which swung to the far stellar east and west, a third force moved in from the stellar south, then they split as well, moving in two groups, one for each Occhestian held system.
Upon reaching a range of just over three-billion miles, or approximately forty astronomical units, the two groups which came from the south stopped their advance and began to spread out into a firing line. These groups had large scale combatants comprised of Zahl-Class, and Raptor-Class ships. However, the main backbone of this group were small combatants, Hawk-Class Fighter Bombers which stood in waiting. Beginning the offensive was a simple affair... it was started by the backbone of the LSDF fleet, the Zahl-Class.
------
“Target range reached.” Came the voice of the helmsman of the Zahl-Class cruiser 'Py't Iekci' as he worked the console before him, bringing the Zahl-Class to a stop at the designated location.
“Bring our forward section to the following bearing...” Came the voice of the tactical officer seated beside the helmsman as she fed the coordinate data to the helmsman through her console. Splashed across her tactical console were various displays and readouts indicating target locations, gravity effects, and other variables which would impact the role which her ship would play in the upcoming battle.
As the tactical and helm sections coordinated, the ship's commander sat in her chair with her hands settled in her lap. It was a bit of a somber moment for the New Tur'lista officer which now had the task of eliminating extremists which were once her kin not too long ago. However, it was clear to her from information reviewed that it was in her best interest to carry out the matter at hand. Especially considering that their target in the situation at hand were the Occhestian Separatists, and not the Republic which stood for the positive values of the Occhestian caste. Her somber moment seemingly continued, however, she did give her orders to the crew through the wires which were embedded in her neck, delivering data through the ship's ARIA and to the various sections which required direction.
“Quantum influence calculation complete, gravitational influence calculation complete, physical influence calculation complete, all targeting factors accounted for.” The tactical officer announced as she finished keying in the target acquisition data.
A few moments passed as ARIA units aboard each Zahl deployed communicated with each other in harmony, then, the order came from many commanders at once to their crews. “Begin.”
------
From the tips of the sweeping wing-like forms of the Zahl-Class cruisers came pure, blinding, white light. Light brought on by the tapping of energies beyond the current dimensional layer, tapped by the technology which had been taken and raped by the Lorath for their own needs. Aetheric energy, but in this case it was used with finesse, precision, care. Short pulsed bursts were fired by the ships, sending a flurry of white streaks of energy through space in such an intensity to where it appeared as if there were a snowstorm in space when viewed from afar. These bursts were sent in a calculated and pre-meditated manner, they were intended to pick off orbital defense platforms and defense systems placed along the system edges. Pulses of white energy continued to be expelled from the Zahl-Class ships for a solid five minutes... then, came the role of the Raptor-Class.
There were times where vacuum took from the awe of space combat, at this time it was a vehicle for the highest most anticlimactic view of a marvel of technology. Fifty Raptor-Class, twenty-five Raptor per group, began to fire their railgun weapons into the seemingly empty void of space. Pulses of disrupted light could be seen before the Lorath ships as shells packed with antimatter streaked through the blackness of the void. Flurries of metallic shot spewed from the cannons of the Lorath ships for nearly half an hour before the weapons fell silent. With that, the role of the southern battle-group was satisfied for this portion of the offensive.
Coming from the stellar east and west, the second and third Lorath offensive groups moved into range to conduct operations nearly identical to the first. This was the initial barrage, the artillery assault which would soften up the enemy and prepare the theater for the next phase of combat.
However, there was an issue in this approach, quantum based sensor systems allowed the Occhestians to gain some concept of what was transpiring in the space outside of their systems. It was the spark which set the Occhestian Navy into a blaze of action. Combat groups were scrambled into deployment, priority industrial and military targets were evacuated of civilians, and local militias were outfitted with equipment. Less than ten minutes was all it took for the Occhestians to react once their sensors picked up the onslaught. However, they did not react by leaping at their opponent, instead, they merely shifted their assets, moving ships and equipment to the relative safety of being 'behind' planets in relation to the incoming forces. Using the sheer mass of stellar bodies to protect their ships and equipment from the flurry of the Lorath artillery barrage.
------
Sirens blared throughout a subterranean compound, echoing through concrete and durandium walls which were bathed in red light. Automated responses were put into motion and a flurry of activity was put into motion. Announcement systems then came to life as a synthetic male voice sounded throughout the Occhestian Separatist held settlements.
“Alert, Alert, incoming energy weapon volley. Secure your stations, move assets into defend-able locations, evacuate civilians, non-combat personnel report to shelters, combat personnel begin responsive instruction thirteen.” The mechanical voice spoke at first, before lapsing into a series of various area-specific instructions and information.
Above the settled planets, Occhestian commanders were informed of the situation and soon acted as they moved their ships according to pre-arranged assigned tactics. Soon they were nestled behind planets and other stellar bodies in relation to the incoming weapons fire. Shields were raised, crews were in damage control preparation positions, and combat personnel were prepared for deployment. Now, it was a simple matter of waiting to find out the full scope of the situation at hand.
------
Occhestian defensive doctrine, it often was suitable to defend against an opponent in a ground-warfare campaign, or in a campaign in which the defender had the superior sum of assets, however, in this event the defensive doctrine was flawed even for that instant as the Matriarchy took advantage of the Occhestian tactic of bundling their forces behind their planets for defense.
Hawk Fighter Bombers from the first offensive group made their move at that point, bounding into speeds beyond that of light as they streaked into the systems, taking a route from 'above' the star systems. Once they were 1/10th of an AU away from the huddled masses of ships, they unleashed the heavy payloads within their structures and the heavier payload from their bellies. Lorath Type-M and Type-XL missiles streaked from the two large squadrons along with flurries of 30mm antimatter ordinance.
Flashes of light, like light shining off of a giant diamond shimmered above the planets which the Occhestian ships huddled behind as antimatter packed weapons slammed against shield and hull. A vast majority of the hits were mere glancing blows, aside from the twenty-five type-XL weapons. Twenty of the twenty-five weapons hit, scoring kills on five carriers and one cruiser, and damaging scores of others. Ordinance which missed however delivered a far worse fate. Streaking into the atmosphere, five missiles, two of which were entering the atmospheres of inhabited planets, detonated. Even from space the astounding release of energy and radiation could be seen as atmosphere was ripped away from the blast-areas, and a vast sections of the surfaces of the impacted planets were turned to glass and ash.
------
“Hit, hit, hit, scored hit with L-Mark-Two barrage.” Sounded one of the Hawk pilots as she steered her bomber away from the huddled mass of ships which were now behind her. One eye was set on the space ahead, the other stared at her work as several of her missiles still moved to target. Then, the flash.
Her pupil contracted as a white light flooded her display; she missed her target which was the 'Chiharu' type battleship, instead the missile impacted the planet below as the Chiharu moved aside to avoid the ordinance. Something churned in her gut as she realized what her missile did... part of it was regret that it hit the planet, the other part was regret that she had missed. It disgusted her that she had failed to kill her intended target, and instead killed countless other individuals which were not assigned to her. Soon, the regret of the slaughter fell completely to the regret of target elimination failure. That worry however became secondary quickly as she pushed her Hawk into FTL speeds to try to outrun what her rear sensors detected.
------
Once their payloads were delivered, the Hawk Fighter-Bombers tore away from the systems as fast as their modest engines could take their bulky forms. Soon though, replicas of the Yamataian 'Fox' aeroshuttle caught up to the attacking squadrons. Screaming into FTL travel, the Hawk class ships tried to make their escape but were quickly overtaken by the faster aeroshuttles using their continuum distortion drives. It was a contest of approximately one-hundred to twenty-five in these pursuits... yet as the Hawks were torn to nothingness by streaks of aether energy their assailants were met with the support for the skirmishing bomber units. Support, granted by a pair of Amaterasu-Class cruisers, stationed just outside of each system in the direction which the Hawk units fled to. It was a delicious trap set for the small combatants as 'Swarm' missile pods were put into action, sending hundreds of missiles streaking at the pursuing shuttles, easily decimating their numbers before they could break away back into their systems. A number of Hawk bombers were able to return to the larger battle-groups, piggy-backed on the Amaterasu-Class ships FTL drives.
At that point, the Occhestians were presented with two options... defend and be slowly picked apart by skirmishing attackers, or venture out and attempt to sever the attack at it's source, the origin point for the three pronged assault which undoubtedly housed the Matriarchy forward command base. Assault was chosen by the Occhestians, take the chance, push at the invaders and force them to retreat by removing their leadership, so they hoped.
Lorath Matriarchy Offensive Staging Point
With the operation well underway, there were a minimum of ships huddled around the twin Nu'Fei and the lone Wh'ki which served as a forward base of operations for the Lorath offensive. Despite the lack of apparent ships, there were still a number of Gallus-Class system defense drones present. Even with the defense drones, there was a lot of space to cover, and only so much that could be done if something came the way of the rear line.
Surely enough, the Occhestians which had sustained the first hits of the battle had sent a counter-offensive against the Matriarchy's rear line. Two dozen Yui-Class replicas, twenty-five Kyoto-Class replicas, and ten Ayame-Class replicas made by the Occhestians approached the system, along with a lone Chiharu-Class replica which served as the flagship for the counter-offensive battle-group.
On their approach, there was a snag met as the lead ships, a pair of Kyoto-Class and an Ayame-Class met with the first line of the Lorath Matriarchy's fleet defense. A series of flashes of bright light cut through space as a number of anti-matter warhead equipped DESU mines met their targets. Quickly the remaining Occhestian ships began to fire off their weapon pods in an attempt to decimate the minefield. Their attempt however advertised their presence.
------
“Sir!” Called out a Lmanel sensor technician which served in the command-station aboard the Wh'ki yard.
A sigh was the first response which came from the armor-clad Heartbreak, she was in the process of preparing to eat dinner with her comrade. “What is it?” She asked simply as she stepped behind the sensor operator's station, her armored body causing the deck to clatter slightly as she stepped.
Quickly, the sensor operator made his report; “Sensors are detecting high energy reactions, and our DESU line has been breached.” As he spoke, he brought up a display of what the sensors had picked up on a quantum level.
“Heartbreak to rear-line commanders and forces...” The Vice Admiral spoke, opening a communication line to the specified recipients. “We have an enemy counter-offensive incoming, establish a defensive line and charge weapons. Target information is being relayed from the DESU mines, ARIA units will process and make information available... Nu'Fei yards, launch fighters now, have them move to three AU distance from our station... Rear defense Amaterasu and Raptor, prepare to counter when the enemy moves in range... Gallus stations, open fire in the direction of the enemy approach.” Came the Admiral's instructions as she watched the Occhestian approach.
------
There was not much time between the minefield being breached, and the Occhestians making their advance. Only a few of the lead ships had sustained crippling damage, or were destroyed. That however was quickly about to change as a flurry of missiles and anti-matter containment slugs cut through the space between the Gallus defense platform line, and the Occhestian advance.
Shimmering flashes of light dotted the Occhestian fleet as their shields were impacted by the ordinance, causing varying degrees of light damage, quickly the Occhestians went about adjusting their course to evade the incoming munitions, then once they were in range they unleashed their own weapons, punching through several Gallus, and creating a hole for them to enter beyond the exterior of the Lorath lines.
Streaking through the space between the defensive line and the Lorath assets within, a number of Yui-Class scouts charged at the Matriarchy position, their aether cannons charging to fire and vanquish the attackers... until a surge rushed through the dimensional layers beneath. Aether generators suddenly choked, cannons failed, and a bulk of the power for the Yui-Class ships were taken from them. Just as sudden as they approached, the six Yui-class were torn asunder by a series of beams launched from Sunfury cannons carried by Raptor-Class ships posted on the rear line.
At that point, it was made clear to the Occhestians that they needed to take the Matriarchy forces from afar, and to facilitate this the Chiharu-Class replica moved into position to fire it's payload of weapons at the intruding Lorath... that is until an explosion rushed over the shield of the ship, followed by another, and yet another.
Hundreds of Hawk Fighter-Bombers launched from the Nu'Fei yards rushed at the Occhestian group and the Chiharu from above, leading the attack with their massive ship-killing torpedoes which tore at the flagship's shields. However, this assault was met by a flurry of relatively small positron weapon discharges from the Striker arrays embedded on the Chiharu's hull.
Like leafs on the wind, the Hawk fighter-bombers scattered in various directions, presenting far too many targets for the defenses of the ship to counter. At that point, the Kyoto-class carriers came into play as they spewed their payloads from their launch bays, sending thousands upon thousands of LAMIA units from their launch bays, generic imitations however which were also limited by the Occhestian inability to produce Zesuaium. These LAMIA however did have a trick up their sleeve; Nerimium-coating and an improved gravity manipulation system which allowed the machines to function as they normally would, even with the added weight of the ultra-dense armor material.
By sheer numbers, the Matriarchy's Fighter-Bombers were quickly put on the defensive as they entered an almost archaic style of combat, dogfighting. Limited by their bomber-role ordinance, the Hawk units struggled to maintain superiority over the LAMIA which were designed with flexible deployments with mind. Within moments, dozens of Hawk units were lanced through by aether, an obvious sign that the battlefield between these two groups was beyond the sphere of influence provided by the Raptor-Class anti-aether field technology.
Using the LAMIA as a distraction, the Chiharu-Class replica began to lay into the distracted Hawk units with the striker array system, causing the missile laden bombers to erupt into plumes of antimatter fueled explosions. Massive explosions, large enough to take out combatants surrounding the unit for miles. Bleak, was the best description to give to the situation at hand for the Matriarchy forces, at least at that moment.
Momentary advantages however had a way of changing, especially when the advantage was urged to happen in the first place. Deployment of the Fighter-Bombers first was an excellent bait to urge the armor units out of the Kyoto-class carriers... and soon the Matriarchy made their plan apparent as a swarm of several thousand Cardinal-Class fighters flew into the battlefield at break-neck speeds. Their first strike was a simple one, a high speed pass coordinated with the remaining numbers of Hawk units. Some Hawk and Cardinal units passed within mere inches of one another as the Cardinal units took on the role of guardians to the slower moving bomber craft. All the while, the entire affair was guided by ARIA nodes embedded into each fighter, communicating with one another, coordinating every movement, every attack option, and more importantly every target.
Streaks of antimatter weaponry glittered through the battlefield as the Cardinal units began to pick apart the slower moving LAMIA, even the units which attempted to enter into FTL maneuvers to elude the incoming Cardinal units were chased down and slaughtered by the once slower Hawk units which now had the advantage with their missile payloads that were capable of simply disrupting these attempted jumps, leaving the LAMIA to flounder about and be picked off by L-Mark-Two fire.
In the chaos of the dogfighting between the LAMIA and mixed fighter group of the Matriarchy, a selected group of Cardinal and Hawk advanced on the original target; the Chiharu-Class replica which began to spew out its own load of power armor units. Pairings of Cardinal and Hawk moved to each armor bay opening and began to open fire with rapid-fire weapon systems, turning the armors which attempted to launch into clouds of metallic vapor, and the launch bays they came from into caverns of molten slag. Weapon pods danced about, firing lances of energy which cut through several ships... producing the questionable result of massive antimatter explosions which rocked the Chiharu-Class due to how close the fallen ships were to the hull of the vessel, close enough so the bursts of radiation made the hull the ship glow and bubble under the effects.
Of course, there were targets to be hit by the attacking fighters, as the small combatants skimmed along the Chiharu's hull and fluttered about in unpredictable jagged and swaying patterns, dancing out of the way of incoming fire and simply outrunning the limited LAMIA units. All these actions took place in a matter of short seconds as the Cardinal units spared a burst from their respective Gammatron cannons, targeting the torpedo tubes of the Chiharu, disabling them and preventing the ability to launch the devastating missiles which would be fired from the ship. Hawk units targeted the more imposing positron cannons which were settled on the exterior of the ship. A splattering of L-Mark-Two fire, and a flurry of missiles from the bombers quickly handled the imposing cannons. Effectively, the Chiharu-Class replica was left useless, maimed, and vulnerable. Leaving the Chiharu in the wounded state, the squadron of fighters tore away and advanced on the Kyoto-class replicas, setting them in their sights for a devastating flurry of missile fire, exploiting the fact of the LAMIA units being kept too busy to defend their carriers.
When the first three carriers fell, the LAMIA deployment strategy was rapidly altered. Quickly the machines broke away from their respective combat engagements and assumed a phalanx-like deployment pattern around the remaining twenty carriers. When the LAMIA moved, the Lorath fighters did as well, breaking away and assuming a position out of range of the LAMIA weapon systems.
This stand off left a question however, what of the Occhestian Ayame-Class? These units were left to move in a little further, closer to the Matriarchy's assets... but just close enough to fall within interdiction range as the Ayame's main weapon, the transposition cannon, was rendered useless. This left the ships to rely on their weapon pods and striker arrays as they attempted to back away from the interdiction field. Such an escape however, would not be permitted by the Matriarchy as another wing of Nu'Fei launched assets made a rapid approach, carried by the FTL fields of a single Amaterasu Cruiser, and a duo of Raptor-Class.
------
“Kyoto-Class units are suppressed and on a defensive deployment pattern, Chiharu-Class flagship threat has been neutralized, Yui-Class threat is neutralized, Ayame-Class is being subdued by ranged combatants.” Came the report from the Lmanel technician to the ever so watchful Fyunnen General, and Defense Force Vice Admiral.
A soft and thoughtful sigh escaped Heartbreak's lips. She did not have many rear-line assets available to simply crush the opposition. She was forced to subdue them, rob them of their combat capability before being able to destroy them. Her mind lingered on what she had learned over the past few years; and reviewed the data.
Chiharu-Class units are dealt with by neutralizing their positron weapons, torpedoes, and armor deployment bays. Kyoto-Class are dealt with by forcing them to assume a defensive posture with their armor units to protect the deployment platforms. Yui-Class are neutralized when aether power is interrupted. Ayame-Class are virtually useless in interdiction, but power armor units must be dealt with... Heartbreak recalled as she brought up a volumetric display and played her hand over it, seeing that the Nu'Fei launched AMX-102 and Whirlwind units were in position to engage the Ayame, along with their large combatant escorts.
“Heartbreak to Ayame-Engagement group, Amaterasu and Raptor units neutralize the enemy striker arrays, follow up with swarm missile and solid munition barrage to neutralize weapon pods. Send in Whirlwind and AMX-102 units to finish off the enemy. Out.” She closed the channel, then switched to another wing of assets. “Heartbreak to Zahl-Class Defense Units one and two of five, deploy to Kyoto-Class engagement zone with Wayfarer close-range support. Upon entering engagement range, finish the Chiharu-Class and then engage the Kyoto-Class and fighters at safe range. Heartbreak to ISFB wing, move to the retreating Yui-Class and neutralize them before they can adapt to our aether interruption systems. Out.” A soft smile crossed her red-painted lips as the assets moved into position.
Heartbreak saw the clear unfair advantage which she had, it made her feel disgusted with herself... yet triumphant as she saw the flaws of the Occhestians. Sensors, and combat data revealed that they had sent their stock-equipment units to try to destroy the rear-line. Defensive deployment strategy was obvious... the modified units which reports had informed her of were deployed in their rear line, to defend their assets. Meson weapons, they would have made all the difference in the battle which took place, even then, she still had a number of spare assets which could have been used if they had been needed. It was a slaughter so long as the Occhestians did not learn how to commit to an offensive.
------
Golden streams of luminance, light which glowed as bright as a star, gas and plasma energized to the point of fusion... that is what streaked from the forward gun ports of the Raptor-Class ships and Amaterasu which were tasked with dealing with the Ayame-Class threats. Shields went first, then went the striker arrays. First line of defense was dealt with... then came the flurry of missiles and projectiles which peppered the ships. Deployed weapon pods burst into pluming explosions as they were impacted by antimatter shells. Then, the barrage halted as a swarm of large machines circled in on the Ayame-Class, Whirlwind units closed in before they used their repeating missile launchers to decimate the ships under a barrage of missile fire which devastated the imitation Ayame, clad in mere Durandium.
Still under the protection of their phalanx, the Kyoto began to slowly move into a position to regroup from their initial flawed attack, along with the battered Chiharu imitation. Their retreat however was interrupted as a brilliant lance of white energy simply cut clear through the fake Chiharu, followed by another, and another. The last hit was the one which sealed the Chiharu's fate as the positron array capacitors were damaged, spilling their payload of antimatter into the interior of the ship; and causing it to explode in a plume of radiation and light. Zahl-Class delivered these blows with their aether cannons, and soon they shifted their targeting sensors to the LAMIA phalanx protected Kyoto, and the LAMIA units themselves.
Like a butcher let loose upon a head of cattle, the Kyoto were cut apart and reduced to rubbish. Some where vaporised, others were so brutally assaulted that they had no ability to recover what so ever, nor retreat. This slaughter however was interrupted by a series of explosions which took place several AU away... and were announced shortly before static washed over the communication lines of the Matriarchy.
------
“ISFB wing to rear-line! Incoming combatants! Chiharu, a real Chiharu! These Yui have Meson cannons! Repa---” The alarm was raised, and just as quickly it was silenced by bursts of energy which tore the ships apart on the atomic level.
Heartbreak's face became a bitter scowl as she quickly re-evaluated the situation. Ayame-units were dealt with, the original fake Chiharu was eliminated, the Kyoto-Class were devastated. She had assets, she just had to deploy them properly and quickly.
“Amaterasu, Raptor, Zahl, regroup with small scale combatant assets, move to intercept from twin sixty-degree offset vectors! Sensor station, do we have a reading on the incoming group?” Heartbreak asked, with a snap to her tone which indicated she wanted an immediate response.
“Y-yes Admiral! Sensors detect one true Chiharu, two fakes, and the original Yui-Class wing, and... fifty-thousand legitimate Mindy units moving in on a direct route from 250 AU on the Z axis.” Spoke the sensor technician quickly.
“Redeploy Gallus to close range positions, place them in anti-torpedo formation along with Finch-Class units. Offensive group, maintain high speed and engage in mobile combat.” Heartbreak ordered as she watched the volumetric display closely, and gave precision commands to each unit through the glowing three-dimensional display.
------
Forming to a reverse V-like formation, the Occhestians placed their lead genuine Chiharu in the rear, Yui-Class formed the length of the V, and the tips of the V were made up of a pair of fake Chiharu-Class. It was an imposing scene as they moved in on the Matriarchy's position, and the first volley of torpedoes were released.
Torpedoes presented a distinctive advantage when assaulting a target, the ability to deliver a large sum of damage to a target at a long distance without presenting the launching ship to much harm. This advantage was a cornerstone of the Chiharu-Class design, and so the advantage was put into action as the launched torpedoes streaked through the space between the launching ships and the targeted Matriarchy staging area. A full on dozen torpedoes tore through subspace, breaking the light barrier several times over before they dropped out of FTL and came at the converted Wh'ki from different vectors.
As the torpedoes made their final approach, the deployed Gallus did their part in stopping the weapons as best as possible, filling the space between the shipyard and the torpedoes with enough ordinance to create a nearly impenetrable cloud of destructive force. A flash, and another, and another, torpedoes exploded in the vacuum like fireworks on a holiday. Despite the flurry of weapons fire, several of the torpedoes made it past and entered a final approach on the shipyard.
------
“Torpedoes seven, three, two, still en route.” A sensor operator called within the command center.
With the report, Heartbreak took a seat and grasped tightly to it in preparation for the impact. “Countermeasures! Move defense units into position! Damage response teams prepare for mobilization!”
------
With the order, a dancing plume of orange and purple hued energy crackled from vent ports over the hull of the Wh'ki. Highly energized plasma lanced out into space at seemingly random, yet the emissions were not entirely at a whim... they longed to arc against a target, and vaporize it, that was the design of the weapon, a weapon meant to defend against the very situation which presented itself. Reaching and longing for the torpedoes, the tendrils of plasma soon seized upon two of the torpedoes, ripping through their casings and breaching their antimatter containment chambers, causing the torpedoes to explode prematurely and fail to fulfill their purpose.
A last torpedo managed to weasel past, a lone streaking cylinder of destruction closed in upon the shipyard, closing in at a high sub-light speed... that is until a pair of grasping metal hands latched onto the torpedo and tore at it. A lone AMX-101 valiantly struggled against the force of the weapon which dragged it through space as it continued on course... but soon, the course faltered and the torpedo veered ever so slightly. Enough, so as it slammed against the shields of the Wh'ki, the blast failed to penetrate as the bubble of combined electromagnetic, plasma, subspace, and dimensional distortions held against the unfocused blast of antimatter.
As the shipyard faced its struggle, the deployed Lorath ships faced their own as they closed in upon the assault group which approached the shipyard and prepared yet another volley of torpedoes as they charged their Occhestian designed Meson weapons to finish the job.
------
Aboard the bridge of one of the two defending Amaterasu, a Fyunnen commander stood ready to take full control of the situation as he opened a communication line to the other ships assigned to the defense group. “This is Commander Orchid, forward command has been placed in my care by the ARIA units of our wing. Instructions are as follows...” A tense feeling washed over his shoulders as he stood upon his ship's bridge, and eyed the display of the formidable group of ships before his battle group. “Activate aether denial, interdiction, and communication jamming fields. Leave subspace channel Beta-Crown open, use that channel for encoded coordination communications... encoded transmissions starting now.”
A hue of fuzz descended upon the subspace transmissions which were transmitted through the area of several AU, just as the same fuzz stood between the enemy fleet and their ability to go to FTL speeds. As the haze fell over the battle field, the voice of the young Fyunnen commander sounded again. “Amaterasu will remain on station at sixty degree vectors in relation to their lead Chiharu. Zahl-Class will move to ninety degree vectors. Raptor-Class will engage in high speed maneuvers at close range against the enemy large combatants. Wayfarer and Hawk units, form into ARIA assigned three-ship teams. Cardinal units, defend our large combatants. AMX-Units, engage in anti-armor operations and ship-boarding operations where possible. Whirlwind units, support the AMX units and provide covering fire. ARIA units, maintain coordination with all deployed units and tie into my neural interface for further directions.”
As the orders were given, Orchid brushed his long silvery hair aside while he crossed one leg over another as he sat back in his command chair. A probe extended from the command chair and embedded itself in an interface port upon his neck, and as it embedded his gaze seemed to stare into the deepest depths of the vacuum beyond. His mind was coddled in the grasp of his ship's ARIA, yet also was linked to every ship in the battle group as he went about coordinating the finest details of the defense.
------
Mere seconds after Orchid's orders were given, lances of blue-white energy were spewed from the Yui-Class Occhestian ships, cutting through the vacuum in the direction of the Zahl-Class ships which peeled away just as the beams passed through where they once were. In response, the Zahl-Class ships fired back with the positron cannons which were mounted onto the topsides of their hulls. Just as easily as the Zahl evaded, the Yui did as well.
As the Zahl and Yui made their exchange, the Chiharu-Class ships made their move as their modified turrets fired the same blue-white beams from the turrets which were once heavy positron cannons. These beams cleaved through the vacuum and aimed to tear through the large combatants of the Matriarchy's group. Most of the ships managed to evade the assault, yet a single Raptor found itself unable to reach a safe position as it was cleaved in half by one beam, and then vaporised with a second.
That was a cue for the Raptor-Class ships as they screamed at the Occhestian group, their sub-light engines forcing them across the vacuum and into ranges so close that the Chiharu-Class weapons were rendered virtually useless. Striker arrays went into full swing, only to have their positron packets neutralized as they met with the Raptor emitted electron fields which were meant for the very purpose of denying the effectiveness of such weapons.
As the four remaining Raptor-Class ships danced between and near the Occhestian ships, they fired flurries of solid munitions and missiles. Poking holes in the enemy shields, and generally being something of a pest. Enough of a pest to cause the Yui-Class ships to break formation and enter into a dogfight with the Raptor-Class. As the ships engaged one another, it became a contest of their main weapon systems as bursts of super-accelerated subspace encased plasma rocketed from the Sunfury cannons of the Raptor, and beams of atom disrupting mesons were shot from the Yui. Beams were dodged and evaded as the ships involved spewed out their support craft in hopes of their smaller combatants being able to turn the tide of their dogfight.
It went according to the plan of the Fyunnen forward commander as he set his gaze upon the Chiharu-Class which continued forward, and again firing their meson weapons. Simply by watching their turret positions, the ships coordinated their movements to evade the incoming fire, which they soon responded to with their own Sunfury and positron cannons. It was not going to be easy however as the modified Chiharu kept their shields intact for the most part, aside from minor breaches. A stalemate formed between the more nimble and balanced Lorath ships, against the modified heavy combatants presented by the Occhestians.
Both groups knew the stalemate's implications, and so the small scale combatants of the respective groups entered into the fray. Occhestian fielded Mindy, LAMIA, and Kylie swarmed out, only to be met by the Hawk, Cardinal, Wayfarer, AMX, and Whirlwind of the Lorath. Like oil and water the two repelled each other and danced about as mesons, scalar, plasma, antimatter, and solid munitions glittered in the vacuum.
Wolf pack tactics were needed by the Occhestians as they fought against the AMX units with their smaller power armor, groups of three or four tried to isolate the AMX units and force them into a position where they could simply overwhelm the more resilient and faster units. In response, the AMX units stayed as mobile as possible, entering a constant run-and-gun battle which left the small PA fluttering about behind the AMX units as they cut through space in jagged zigzags as they evaded their opponents.
Mindy, Kylie, and LAMIA which were not attacking AMX units were in the hot pursuit of the Hawk units however as they tried to keep the threatening torpedo-bombers from the Chiharu, with varying degrees of failure though however as Wayfarer units stood watch over the Hawk. Simply put, the Wayfarer carried far more firepower than the PA could bring to bare. All which the PA could do was to intercept the torpedoes before they could reach their marks.
As the PA were kept busy by the AMX and Wayfarer-Hawk groups, the distraction was exploited by several Whirlwinds which set down upon the hull of the genuine Chiharu, weaseling in through a breach provided by a flurry of countermeasure missiles which made a hole in the continuum based shielding. Once settled onto the hull, the trio of Whirlwinds went to work, two stood watch with their heavy shields out, taking hits from the weapon pods which danced about and attempted to pry off the intruders with raking weapons fire. The third Wayfarer, went to work upon the Chiharu's hull, slashing at it with its massive plasma blade. At least a dozen firm swings were needed before the thick layers of Zesuaium were breached, revealing the innards of the ship to the vacuum of space. From the hips of the three Whirlwind came AMX-102 units, which soon descended into the guts of the Chiharu.
Once the AMX were in place, the Whirlwind broke away from the breach and raced over the hull of the ship. Flurries of L-Mark-Two fire and plasma blade swipes were presented to the Chiharu's weapon pods, and in response the Chiharu simply released more and more as the Whirlwind units attempted to make their way to the primary weapons of the ship to neutralize them.
------
Within the Chiharu, three squads of AMX units were put into action. Engineering, weapons, and the bridge. Those were the three objectives between the boarding party. Skimming along the carpeted floors, passing scenes of luxury and greed the Lorath armors raced to their objectives within the ship. Work crews and personnel which ran into the intruders were promptly dealt with by flurries of linear cannon needles which ripped through flesh and light body armor as simply as a bullet through paper.
With a resounding thud, blast doors slammed shut between the AMX units and their objectives, and in response, the AMX units ignited their respective plasma sabers. White hot torches of plasma then cut into the plating between the neighboring deck, and soon the armors escaped from their confinement and moved on, repeating the same procedure with efficient precision. Leaving the Kylie units which were internally deployed to negotiate their way through the blast doors left behind.
Mere minutes were all it took before the first team reached the engineering section. Seconds, that is how long it took for the squad to execute every man and woman in the engineering compartment before they set to work on rigging a number of mini-missiles to a timed detonation near the power systems of the Chiharu. Almost mirroring the event, AMX units in the ship's weapon magazine carried out the same slaughter as they rigged their own ordinance to devastate the positron storage systems of the ship.
One squad was left, and soon it reached the doors to the command center, which were quickly dealt with through a quick burst of their forearm cannons. Bursts of antimatter explosions flash cooked the Occhestians adjacent to the door on the other side as the AMX units entered the bridge. In a pathetic display, the ship's commander ordered the sub-deck and pit crew to attempt to fight off the intruders... This display however, was short lived as the squad of AMX units spread through the command center and ignited their plasma vent strips. Within moments, the entire bridge was washed with a flood of superheated particles which simply vaporised the lavish carpets, and flesh alike... the fiery display within the bridge was not the only one which was taking place however.
------
Bursts of light soon screamed from the hull of the Chiharu as planted charges detonated. As the ship was gutted from the inside out by the explosions, the AMX units remained on station to ensure their job was done as they were enveloped by the explosion which was strong enough to utterly devastate the entire interior of the ship. Palace-type corridors which were built into the flagship served as channels for the explosions to coarse through as key sections were reduced to molten slag. Zesuaium blast-doors were useless as the framework that they were mounted onto were vaporised, causing the blast-doors to be pushed through the corridors they were meant to block. Scraping through the lavish wood paneled halls the blast doors turned anyone caught in their path into a fine paste as fire washed over the chunks of gore to broil the flesh.
When the explosions ended, all that was left within the Chiharu were ruined skeletons of decks, and molten metal. All that stood even slightly unharmed was the thick hull of the ship which stood as a monument to the poorly deployed Occhestian forces.
What was left of the Occhestian forces were dealt with by bursts of Sunfury cannons as fake Yui and Chiharu were quickly dealt with. The Occhestian attack fleet was defeated... and all that stood between the Matriarchy and success now were the weak defense forces left behind in the Occhestian systems, and the planetary populations themselves.
------
A sigh escaped from Heartbreak as she acknowledged the all-clear. A somber shake of her head was all it took for her to clear her mind of the near blunder which took place, and was dealt with so well by her command, and the guidance of the forward commander which she would award with a medal as soon as the battle was over. Taking her leave of the command center, she left to the below decks of the Wh'ki to meet her fellow General for dinner, where she would tell the tale of what took place which would undoubtedly earn her some envy.
Meanwhile; Outside of the Occhestian Held Systems
System defenses stood in ruin, defense fleets were forced to break formation and enter into a hit-and-run style defense pattern. What was once the Occhestian Navy was now an insurgent space force as they retreated to the outposts which dotted the space between their two held star systems. This left the Matriarchy to begin their advance as their initial barrage of solid munitions met their targets... antimatter explosions rocked planetary installations and reduced a bulk of the ground-to-air defenses of the Occhestians in rubble leaving them unable to conduct long-range defense operations and leaving them to simply defend the sphere of influence around their respective planetary systems.
Now, began the portion of the battle which the Lorath enjoyed most... the pacification of the planets, and the destruction of their populations as demolition crews were sent out to destroy what bases evaded the initial artillery barrage, battalions were sent out to subdue city centers, and platoon sized groups roamed the countryside seeking out what remained of the Occhestian ground fighters and what assets the Occhestians had hidden away.
While it seemed easy enough, what was left of the Occhestian military assembled for what they hoped would be a drawn out insurgency. Power armor were circulated to militia groups, weapons were hidden away, and combat cells were formed with civilians and professional soldiers working side by side.
With the landing of the first Longboat-Class transports, and Harbinger pods, the ground war began.
