Driving off the Shadow: Week 1

OOC: This mission and subsequent ones follow the exact same mission format we know and love. Only one post per player, excepting the first poster. This thread will be locked at 11:00PM EST. Feel free to make threads and plan elsewhere. Keep in mind that there is a planning mega-thread in the planets section at the living stars. I will be at my sister's wedding that weekend, but will write up the results and the new mission on that Tuesday. Let me know if you have any questions.

EDIT: I am noticing that there are many posts, even though it has been only one week instead of two. Keep in mind that this thread locks on the 27th. If you were confused about this point, please feel free to edit your move as the week continues.

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The planning session aboard a derelict station at the very edge of civilized space had become chaotic. Almost all of the great factions which had carved up the galaxy were represented, and a number of plans had been proposed. There was a certain jovial tone to the proceedings, almost like a reunion. Under the boasts, jests, and laughter though...there was an edge of fear. The forces bearing down on civilized space were unreasonably large, and there was precious little time to prepare.

As the planning continued, Prime had been oddly silent. His projection was as still as a statue, to the point where those who knew Prime well had cause for concern. What was keeping his attention away from such an important meeting?

As if summoned out of his torpor by unvoiced concern, the projection of Prime began to speak once again after the soft attention getting ring of a chime.

"To those assembled. I have information to share which will assist in your planning. Not all is lost, as the numberless horde before us does have a number...Thirteen."

Before the Builder gently holding Prime's projection device, A massive image appeared, showing Thirteen strangely ornate ships. Each was about the size of a command carrier, and was constructed of interlocking plates instead of festering biological matter. Each of these command carriers had five huge antenna near the front of their hulls, and massive gun batteries reminiscent of ancient Earther sea-bound destroyers.

Prime spoke again, referencing these ships and the strategic map laid before the assembly of unlikely allies.

"The bloom ships we face are nearly without number, but their crew labor under the virus and starvation. Without commands they are likely to descend into cannibalistic fury, confusion, and death. Like those ships we fought in our last successful Great Culling; they will fall easily without a Magnavore to organize their movements. What are assembled before us are thirteen sub-tribes.

Further, we postulate these ships are the only ones capable of reporting to whatever waits beyond the planar shielding. If their crew can be destroyed with no escapees, we may be able to surprise the next wave. I will send along my generals, who are eager to."

Prime's projection halted speech suddenly, and regained a somewhat neutral expression. The builder who accompanied the technology, though, spoke.

"Greetings. We humbly offer our assistance. My brothers and I number fifty, and we would happily help you prepare defenses for the Iron Republic colonies. Each of the five systems the Iron republic have colonized have but a single planet, two moons, and three asteroid belts. We cannot assist you in determining what we should build, or where we should build, as all Unity tacticians are indisposed. We can help you quickly build defenses as you wait for the efficient Iron Republic board of directors to allocate...funds...to the effort."

The builder politely coughed. Did...did it just try humor? Maybe the Universe was doomed after all.

The map indicated that the forces assembled had but a week until the first wave of the Great Migration arrived. A week to turn five fledgling colonies and the intervening space into a bulwark to protect the Living stars and all of civilized space from the coming horde.

After the builders failed joke Lief laughed and said. "That was hillarious, hey which way is the head? I have to go drop a few louies and then wipe my general."

Using that as an excuse he ducked into the nearest latrine. When he returned his eye spy was no longer parroting his shoulder.
Lief dispatched the eyespy with orders. A short while after it returned to his fleet the orders were deciphered had. Lief had gathered the intelligence and science teams, as well as the captains from his ships. They were crowded into one of the Pits. Heavily shielded rooms deep in the Echinea heavies. It was one part science lab, one part communications relay, and one part intelligence and operations center.

The eye spy was connected to a holo projector. A ten foot tall hologram of Lief stood resting with one arm propped against a wall. He more whispered than spoke saying, "Alright, we know what we are looking for 13 bloom ships. They are the main control nodes. You guys are going to break down into teams for this one. Team one on each ship is going to be passively reading the Estrains legion traffic. figure out where the traffic is heading, where its choke points are. That will give us our thirteen but I also want network dynamics. When we hit the thirteen which ships will take over C2 caps?"

"Team 2, you guys get to watch all the actual feed from our sensors. I know most won't be dick, but start looking for ways to refine it. I expect we will have a pretty good visual on them with all the ordinance heading their way. Look for patterns to locate the big thirteen as well as anything else they are guarding too heavily. The E-strain are like a body, you go after certain organs and the there will be an instinct to defend them, lets find deez crabs, shiny technomantic nuts."

"Team 3, guess what you guys have it easy. I just need you to crack the E-strain net so we can start listening to conversations as well as get ready to crash their system, when the time comes."

Lief looked around, off screen for a second before continuing. "Commanders, partition the ships computer drives. Get everyone who isn't actively tasked to start making up bullshit on fort lendill capabilities, battle plans, what we know about the Estrain, the midas arc, everything that would be of value to someone who calls themselves the chief of migration. I am going to guess the crabs are going to try and hack us. Once they find the data we want them too and start the download we hit them with everything our cyber security has. I want to pry the connection open and brain drain the Migraine in chief, I want his motivations as well as all Estrain capabilities."

"Majoris Wrenn, get on the horn to high command, get me the orbital defense systems like we used on San Martin's first battle. Have our planners figure out the best arrangement for the gun trucks on each of the planets. Its old tech but as long as the fire control network is intact it will do some serious damage to any Estrain trying to invade the planets."

"Until you are told otherwise standing battle plan. We deploy as rear guard. Let everyone else hammer at it from long range, we use our SS mechs to patrol the battle group. The variables will take mech form and along with the LITE marines they are going to patrol the outside hulls of our ships. Keep the sunfires on board this ain't their fight. This is Estrain they are gonna have a nasty surpise or two for us. Once the Estrain decides to launch the boarding teams or a mass fighter assault FLIERS push forward. Ya can't be hacked so it may save our allies some casualties."

"I want the ship commanders to note if our commo gets disabled and either one of those nasty surprises happens or the Estrain fleet starts to play the numbers game to overwhelm us you commanders are on orders to pull back. This is not the decisive engagement and I need as much combat power for final defense of the arc."

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(OOC: Miscommunication on timeline, knocking this post out because I have one thats three nay I say four times as good for the final defense)

Former Sectoral General Stark knew that the plan was convoluted but it required so many actions of other military leaders outside his chain of command that he truly worried if this mission would succeed.
All he could do was hope that the ambush involving the flesh was successful, and that phase 1 was handled by Captain Axis.

If the phase 2 began, his 100 Drop troopers in dirty nuke power armor would be slingshotted by Evo's Stilettos into the projector vessels. They would suicide themselves while hugging the hull of the projector ships or the vessels released if the projector ships are destroyed during phase 1.

At the same time 1000 quick grow clones in standard Brethren martian battlearmor would be slingshotted by Freemarks Stilettos carrying EMP bombs and more conventional explosives.

They would be affixed using tethers and the brethren would launch themselves as the Stilettos made their parabolic flight path by releasing the tethers. The Brethren would adjust midflight if needed using compressed gas spray cans.

Meanwhile the five Century Heavy Frigates would be sniping the fleet with focused fire from outside hacking and braincrab range, using their Starfighters as screeners. (Phase 1 and phase 2 for focus firing centuries)

If the allied capital ships were threatened by flanking vessels, Stark aboard his FoF Mothership would intercept them with the FoFs beam weapon.

Any Bloomships that made it to the five planets would have to face hundreds of IR spy satellites which would allow them to enter the atmosphere and the catch them in orbital strike crossfire from the rear.

Evo looked at the display and wondered why he should even bother with this plan. He had almost walked out on the talks but he had been informed that payment had been negotiated so they were locked in. Certainly not a job he relished but his part in this phase was rather small.

He sent the order to the stiletto pilots that they were to link with Starks people to tether the nuke armor brethren. They would boost their engines and do a sling shot, maneuver throwing the armor into the enemy ships.

Then the drill ships would wait for the signal to move. With the EMP shielding provided they should avoid hijacking. Sadly no one had volunteered commando teams so he would have to send his own people. The 20 drill ships would slam into the 13 primary command ships using the drills to carve their way inside. Then they would fire their plasma blasts into the breach to clear the way for his breachers. They would clean up any remaining enemies and start planting explosives. Hopefully they could bring down the ships but he wasn't sure. They would keep fighting their way in planting more explosives as they progressed.

With each task force holographic projectors will be activated making it seem that there are 3 times as many units. Thus it would seem to be 300 stilettos and 60 drill ships

If new orders came in from stark or the free systems they would take priority.

(OOC I was at work typing the above post on my phone on my 15 minute break so I ask permission for a little editing that i meant to do at the time, i will use Bold and Italics for the edits so if you don't want to include it it will be easy to see what was added...oh and i did a little spell check to make things clearer.)

The moment had finaly come. The first "phase" of the attack, and it was Axis's call.

There had been much talk of where spacificly the E-Strain would be attacking, also talk of why they were attacking (food had been the main understanding of this). The later didn't consern them. They were a race not held in the highest regards. If this migration was none threatning than t was there responsability to inform, not this counsle that Prime and Stark had assembled to to find out. As an Uth, he new far to well of this.

His first plan of action was to use his Uth, it had dawned upon him that using them through out the debate would have been very benafichal, but seeing that everyone knows what Uth can do and didn't ask, he figured it wasn't nessacary to use them.

His oracles would use their instant recall to pinpoint were the ships would go and intersept them. His abilaty as faith also gave him some precog knowladge of things to come, but this was not in all things. Yet, whatever knowladge he could gain he would use. From there, the quardanants would be given to Kamacazi's, 500 in total, all armed with a void bomb and a blits drive and piloted by a Nightmare. The ships whould use there burrowing tecnique to drill into the ships and detonate there wepons.

As a precaution of ships escaping the larger ones, clusters would be attacked by Nodachi's armed with void bombs and Acid mines. 100 of these would be deployed. larger clusters would be attacked by void bombs, smaller by acid. Also, the acid mines would be left scattered artificed with air leyas to fly and shadow for camo, to finish off any straglers.

The Sentinal Station, far away from the battle inside kasanth space would be pushing more Nodachi's and Kamakazi's as needed.

"Let The Fun Begin!!"

Su Maehl looked at the plans upon arriving back to Esiroh. They were a clusterfuck. A bunch of nods and understandings, but there were a lot of moving pieces that had to be put into place. As a precurser, he loaded hundreds of cargo boxes and filled it with all kinds of meat: the freshly "no longer available for sale" kind that included dog food, cat food, meat beyond expiration date but didn't smell funny yet, freshly dead animals, freshly dead bretheren that weren't sent to the cloning vats for "recycling", and any other carcass and/of food item he could muster. He then sprayed down the cargo boxes with blood, all kinds of it. These meats were gathered at every planet in the Free Systems and in the IR that he could muster in a week's time. Half of Maehl Holding's auxiliary fleet would be used in the endeavor to manage the logistics.

He would also produce the warheads (on Mani Obra 1 and 2) for the EEF and deliver accordingly.

Pre-Planning - Step 1: Send 10,000 Vespidae (and associate hornets as cover fighters) freighters to the part of space that appeared to flank the fleet on either side. Outside of attacking range, the cargo boxes, sealed, would be evac'd out of their bays and sent hurtling towards the rear of the Great Migration. It's trajectory would take it to be BEHIND the fleet, so that the migration would turn back to get it. The trajectories would be parabolic, be launched far away enough that it would take significant time (10 hours minimum, provided there weren't enough masses with gravity to draw them to it). The fleet would not make contact and would run if approached/engaged, but be armed with Nanite Artillery Cannons (1000), Anti-Cap ship disablers (1000), IR mach cannons (the rest). There will also be enough for 2400 freighters (the Free Systems ones).

Defensive Grid set-up: 40 Space Stations (Banking Guild kind), setting up a defensive zone. All of which are armed to the max and set up with localized EMP mines designed to disable the station should be be boarded/hacked. All soldiers on board will EMP bombs and laser pistols. If overwhelmed, the inhabitants are ordered to evac the station and set to blow. Each planet will also be set up with Antares Strider Platforms (no less than 100 each), a dozen Juggernauts Striders, and whatever defensive platforms required for the EEF to launch their "E-Strain Neutering" missiles at (from either Juggernauts or other artillery silos). If the EEF does not come with their own, each planet will be set up the proper launching pads (per EEF specs as provided when manufacturing the missiles on Mani Obras 1 and 2).

Su Maehl's Fleet Actions (in obvious IR "colors"):
40 Horn Class Cruisers (with compliment of Chaos Starfighters and IR Frigates) will be the initial onward guard. They will brunt the primary force that is counter-attacked. Bretheren on board will be commanded to blow up the ship from the inside if it gets hacked. There will be plenty of conventional explosives on board to do the same. Imploding ones (don't want to take out neighboring ships). These will set up an initial front, from which Cpt Axis and the Stilletto rush will easily pass by. They will be in formation to allow rear guard fire to unleash hell.
2 IR Mother ships will be on the rear guard, unleashing cover fire
20 Starcruisers will be on the rear guard, unleashing cover fire
1000 Tridents will be part of the Screening Guard to protect the flanks, under the auspices of General Freemark. All fully loaded with EMP missiles.
300 chaos starfighters will accompany Evo on his journey as "guard" all will self destruct (Bretheren loaded with standard explosive) if hacked.

Once the two initial attacks are done, depending on what is unleashed, the rear guard will focus on the big ships while the Horn-Class Cruisers will focus on anything spitting out Brain Crabs or other hackers. Once the counter-attack begins, and the Migration is falling apart and whatever is coming out from subspace is unleashed, 1000 more Tridents will shadow jump from the rear and unload (it's nice to be cloaked) from afar, then skiddadle out before there is a chance to counter attack. If the rear is too clogged due to Pre-Planning success (hooray for crates of meat!), then they will flank instead. The Horn-Class Cruisers will also focus, if needed, on any world worms if they come into play, as they are made for destroying them.

Maehl will coordinate the attacks, to the extent to which he is allowed to do so, allowing space for Uloh/EEF to unload their communication jammers and neutering weaponry against the E-Strain.

General Freemark's Free Systems 13th Armada actions (in obviously Free Systems "colors", and per Su Maehl's orders):
500 Banking Guild Heavy Frigates in the rear, 50/50 domebusters and helios cannons facing in each direction.
1000 Stilettos for the initial "rush" with Evo's fleet, holding the troops that Stark gave him
10000 Stillettos running Screening duty, each with disabler cannons.
50000 Stillettos ready to unleash if needed for dogfights. They'll start in the rear, but will be unleashed if needed (in the defensive zone)
20000 Aegis, also with anti-starfighter disablers, will use local orbits to outdogfight ships if they make it into the defensive zone
500 Tridents, cloaked, with full missile load outs, also running screening duty, and ready to flank if the opportunity provides itself
100 Light Frigates on the d-line, 100 more on reserve, only to help stillettos to "warp out"
40 Drill Ships to join with Evo's ships (filled with crazy pirates with death wishes and/or foreign legion-style attitudes, needing "redemption.. or else"), with emp bombs that will be manually detonated if hacked.
2000 Kingfishers (fully loaded) will also be on call to flank beyond the defensive zone. If the fighting ever is localized in the defensive zone, they will not proceed as there is a destroy-on-sight for freighters within the d-zone.
400 Albatross (fully loaded) will also counter-flank.

The 13th Armada will begin its battle by unloading Stark's 1000 Bretheren Troops, running parabolic routes that do not slow down or engage. Their superior speed will allow them to fly without engaging/slowing down and getting caught.
The rear line will shoot from afar.
Screening duty will consist of high speed Stilettos with disablers screening the flanks. Constant runs back and forth will call to attention anything that is required. Their pilots are free systems "pirates," a significant number of which will have their demon visors on. Tridents will be cloaked and running duty. If freighters (non-Drill) are seen, KOS (kill on sight).
The Aegis will be used for suborbital defenses, all with disablers. If they are hacked, they will emp their ship (this is getting expensive!) and smear colored grease on their cockpit so that their peers will know they've been hacked.
The Drill ships will be lead by Evo, as per his orders (add 40 to his attack).

The freighters (Kingfisher and Albatrosses) will only be brought to bear if the "hidden" fleet is released beyond the defensive zone. They will flank after the initial two charges, avoiding the d-zone. Hopefully, they'll draw ships. As they escape, they'll unload their "meaty boxes", which will hopefully distract any chasing E-Strain. Their trajectories will avoid friendly fire and other ships. If other ships are too close and they don't have a clear path towards and away from the fighting, they will not engage. If hacked, they'll use the "colored grease" paint to advise their peers.

Su Maehl sent a message to his peers (at lost arc) about the "colored grease" trick. The planets, while important, were defensive in nature. More important than saving them would be not allowing them to be used against his own troops. If overwhelmed, the order would be to carpet bomb the planet until it is dead. It's a horrible tactic, but the IR has been using it to efficacy for millenia. There would be no allowances for break of defensive formation, nor any lack of discipline. If any singular point was "rushed", then there would be a tactical retreat to draw in and destroy. EMP missiles would be used liberally, and domebusters and helios cannons would destroy the rest. Focus is always on the ships that hurl troops (i.e. brain crabs.. like bloom ships), and then take out standard ships. Heavy ships would focus on the large ships first, fighters would immolate smaller ships (for both armies). On the battlefield, Freemark would coordinate accordingly with Maehl, but command his fleet separately. The line in the sand was the living stars. They would tactically retreat if overwhelmed, but always fighting back, scorched earth style (destroy what you leave behind).

Freemark prayed, and hoped this proverbial hail mary would work. Maehl did too.

As Lief got back on board his red with flame motif patterned stiletto he sent a communications. The to command. He requested Bruiser Khan, Duke Perrywinkle III, a squad of Sephir Leyborgs to act as their PSD (Personal Security Detachment), as well as a clutch of Planetary grade EMPs, for his own plan.


Lief landed at each command ship and briefed the ship commanders on each. His intent was to preserve combat power not be a hero, Lief made sure that was extremely clear to all commanders.


The Echinea (1 per planet) would be at the rear collecting data on the battle and more importantly the E-strain network. It would be guarded by 3-4 FLIERS.


The remaining wolf cruisers (5 per planet) and FLIERS (10 per planet) would be spread around the outer edges of the main fleet. Variable star fighters and LITE Marines will be on the outside of the hulls patrolling the ships for Estrain boarders. The variables SS mecha would be patrolling the fleet looking for king fishers, albatross, or any other ships getting ready to ruin the joint fleets day.


Lief also made sure the dummy systems were in place, and each ships computer security team were ready. If they got hacked hopefully they could turn it to their advantage and probe the hell out of the network.


Lief gave another order which surprised the normally aggressive commanders, “Don't fire unless you receive effective fires. If we go unnoticed for most of the battle I will be happy.” Most of Fort Lendils ships had leyas based weaponry which was limited only by line of sight, many of the commanders had wanted to be a part of the long range engagement force. “When you do engage, cripple their ships. An Estrain ship that's dead in the water and drifting into deep space is more of a win than a destroyed one. The bus driver in chief will have to make a judgment call about stopping to collect his limp dick ships or push on. If they leave them then we can turn that to our favor.”


Lief had given another order, “If communication completely breaks down or is jammed among the fleet, get in contact with your ships and get out of dodge. If the E-strain starts lobbing WMD grade weaponry around with the frequency we will, pull out. If a general retreat is called, get back to Arc and prepare for the next stage of the defense. If the Estrain fleet is able to close to medium range guns and are attempting an envelop maneuver call the retreat, go no matter who listens.”


“Good luck, to all of you. Keep equal eyes on our allies as the enemy. They lack my uncanny diplomacy and tact and may try something fishy. If our allies betray us that's also retreat criteria, however you should probably cripple their ships. The aggressor will feel our wrath when the time is right.”


The rest of his forces were staging at a high state of readiness at the Arc. The last thing he wanted was the invasion to be the ruse and a small force to be able to easily take it.


When the battle turned, and it surely would the Fort Lendill ships would organize and pull back internally, regardless of other fleet commanders orders. They would rally at the Arc leaving behind eye spies and other recon means. Once the enemy fleet had passed the Echinea and their escorts would go back and conduct battlefield clean up, making as many more echineas and GELPORS as they could.

The EEF fleet will deploy with the joint fleet. Ten Kalino class ships with engage in long range fire support of the fleet using EMP and anti-ship and sterilization missiles to support the two fighter rushes. after that they will engage targets of opportunity to further disrupt the migration. Priority will be on disabling ships as opposed to outright kills for the sake of neutralizing as many targets as possible.

Ten gunships and ten dusk class destroyers along with 50 (arc light upgraded) fighters and 50 cats paw drones (deployed as trip wires in passive mode) will provide a security screen for the fleet from any possible flanking ships or inflitrating AoD or other hostile vessels.

A group of 100 Arc light gunpods will provide escort for Ironsbane's drill ships. They will be tasked with getting them to their targets and escorting them back out after the teams drop off their explosives.10 New Vorik shuttles will accompany the drill ships to provide further security and deploy Onis to support the raiding parties (warg and hermetic armored troopers). A wing of 40 Leyas gunpods armed with acid weapons will follow this wing in and attack targets of opportunity to take pressure off the raider ships.

Sterilization nanites will be distributed to everyone to destroy e-strain eggs on the ground and in space as needed. The fleet will act in concert with the rest of the joint fleet to react to whatever other surprises are waiting.

Colony General Malthus lifted up a small data pad with data streaming from the different battlefield stations manned around him by his small core of VLAD Ops.

He watched Field Marshall Strykker's plans begin to form. A deep feeling of pride welled in his black heart.
A true leader knew that it was not him being great that brought success, but it was the greatness of the commanders who he had placed into these positions of importance.

There were no flaws in Strykker's plans but Colony General Malthus did want to know more about their foes.
Four Wings of three Hermetic Power Armor soldiers (armed with LADS Swords and Leyas Ace Rifles that reverse metal useing the Leyas and have onboard Leyas Generators and can hurl acid using the Leyas) and one Warg Power Armor (with Multi-missile launchers with EMP Missiles and Mach Cannons) for a total of 16 Power Armored troops scouting deep into the fleet hoping to find what was inside the hyperdimensional phasic shield that the Estrain were using.

They would be deploying 32 Space Combat Drones with IR-style EM Forcefields to act as screening units to defend the Power Armored Pilots. They would also boost the encrypted signals from the Drones and Pilots as they entered the heart of the fleet.

Orleos watched as the hangar bay was abuzz with activity as last minute tests were run on ships and cargo was loaded into the respective vessels. Of the 100 Yr ships, Harvesters containing Legions of the Wretched were being loaded into 30 of them. They would be trailing closely behind the main fleets that were taking part in the battles so as to ensure the souls of the deceased would become a part of the growing collective.

They would broadcast a Unity signal to the main fleet, marking them as friendlies on FoF (Friend or Foe) trackers, so as not to draw unnecessary attention and suspicion from the fleet, the EEF forces specifically. If they came under fire, the ships that contained the Legions would unleash their ethereal horrors in droves to overwhelm their antagonists.

As the final cargo was loaded, he felt a sense of foreboding and giddiness as he thought of the other task at hand, 'It's time to add new souls to my collection'

Father Inido sighed to himself, such a horrible bout of violence, however a demonic spawned horde couldn't be ignored. He gave the order for two of the new Keeper Class Carriers were to deploy at the final line of defense. They would each launch their 60 Redeemer class fighters to help screen the allied warships. (120 fighters total)

It was a small contribution but little more could be done at the moment.