PreGame Space Battle 2- The Kasanthian Positions

“This is Jenna Steel, reporting for IEN, your first source for EXTREME news in the Polar Expanse. I am here, live, on the bridge of the Proto-Vespa-class StarFreighter, IEN 101, which has been converted into a broadcasting ship and holo-camera ship for our reports. We are accompanying the Century-Class Frigate, Druzi's Salvation, fresh off the Iron Republic production lines with a brave crew under the command of Frigate Captain Marvin O'halloran. Captain O'halloran has promised us a quick story today, either a diplomatic breakthrough with the standoffish Kasanthian Federation near the planet Druzi Prime.
On the other side of the Frigate is our own StarFreighter IEN 102, able to give you the viewer a full 360% view of the battlefield.
Let me say how proud we at IEN are for being on the scene, able to document this diplomatic mission. While we must keep the coordinates of the site we are visiting confidential under I.R. broadcasting code 552 subsection 2110, I can say we are near Druzi's Moon.
As you can see out our windows, the Frigate is currently moving forward. Our cameras onboard Druzi's Salvation, show the crew working hard to keep the ship steady and its massive sublight drives functioning at nominal efficiency
We are getting this live, apparently five Destroyers, smaller but heavily armed capital ships that were escorting what appeared to be an EEF mail shuttle. The Mail Shuttle is approaching our position, and has stopped far enough out. Its deploying small robotic shipping containers which slid out of the mail ship and each approached both the EIN 101, and EIN 102, and yes I have confirmation one also docked with the Druzi's Salvation.
We are getting a report from our docking bay, that the package has been scanned for explosives and nothing has been found. Its now being opened and if you look at the camera image in the lower corner of the screen you will see we have found a large piece of...fruitcake in the bottom of the present wrapped package. It doesn't have a return address or a name.
The EIN 102 is reporting they received a cute fluffy teddy bear...Well we are not getting an answer from I.R. security when we asked them what sort of gift the Frigate's crew received.
The Mail Ship and its crew are now flying parrellel to us, as we approach the dismal looking moon. For all those interested viewers, Druzi 2 is a dead moon and has no native life. Breaking News everyone Captain O'halleran, has just demanded the immediate surrender and withdrawl of all non-local forces from the planet. He has ordered the crew of the Frigate to fire the minute any sign of enemy violence became apparent.
Now this is interesting, the Mail ship is still flying towards the planet, leaving its Destroyer escort here with us. It has just disappeared into the atomosphere of the planet.
Another ship is approaching rapidly from the surface of Druzi Prime. Our latest reports tell us that this new ship is being piloted by Su Maehl of Maehl Holdings. Apparently ten workers from Maehl Holdings are being held hostage by Kasanthian Forces. If you listen closely you can hear Mr. Maehl and Captain O'hallern fighting about the rights of these civilians.
Lets cut away from that verbal scuffle to some footage we've just recieved of some of the gun locations.
These robotic soldiers don't seem like the Nightmares we've been told the Kasanthians use. Oh my producer is telling me, these robotic soldiers patrolling these giant orbital cannons are not the actual weapon positions. These are the Unity Guardian platforms and their Praetorians who are guarding the approaches to the actual Kasanthian guns hidden in the ravines nearby. The Unity and the Kasanthian Federation have a relationship of mutual support. This reporter has to wonder if Druzi's Salvation really will be enough to take on such a formidable defensive force.
We are also picking up some strange alien-looking creatures prowling the Guardian sites. Oh my god, we are seeing the Unity Emissaries. We've heard rumors of these synthetic humanoids, but one has never been caught on a news camera before. This is a first people of the Polar Expanse. That scary-looking nosferatu-inspired monster has no discernible eyes or nose. And we're seeing three of them at this defensive site alone.
Still no violence on either side though, we will keep recording.

10 Minutes later

We are picking up a squad of some unknown army, led by what looks like a female child moving in on the Unity position from the East.
They are taking up a position on the hill overlooking the Guardian emplacement.
Maybe we will be showing you the first battle with an Emissary as well. Lets wait and see.

45 Minutes later

This live footage has been very interesting. We are happy to report we have full view of one of the actual Kasanthian positions. It looks like a modified rail launch system used for firing rockets and their crew from one planet to another in the days before FTL travel via Shadow Drives. My producer is telling me these launchers images have been analyzed and they are set inside the spine of a quadrupedal Nightmarish creature.
I have just gotten a report from the Bridge of Druzi's Salvation. The first of the positions is now within range of the Domebuster cannon aboard our Frigate. Captain O'halleran has an interesting choice now. Does he follow his commander's orders and wait until the Kasanthians make the next move? Or will he take saving the fate of Druzi's Fire Dome City into his own hands. You will find out when you return from a word from our sponsors.

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“This is Jenna Steel, reporting for IEN, your first source for EXTREME news in the Polar Expanse. I am here, live, on the bridge of the Proto-Vespa-class StarFreighter, IEN 101, which has been converted into a broadcasting ship and holo-camera ship for our reports. In the time you've been gone viewer, the attack has begun. Luckily here at IEN we got the first images from the horrific attack.
An unknown Kasanthian weapon struck our sister ship IEN 102 and ripped her apart. I am sad to report that all hands onboard were lost. The same weapon struck Druzi's Salvation, and ripped a hole in the side of its hull.
The Domebuster on the Salvation fired, and turned the first position into a crater.
A huge asteroid has charged straight towards us from the dark side of the moon. It appears to have been converted into a warship by the despicable Kasanthian soldiers. Its now pouring forth purple and blue flames into the sides of Druzi's Salvation. OMG, people of the Iron Republic, I have just lost all communication with our Frigate, we are now alone and defenseless and at the mercy of the Kasanthians.
My producers have given us great news, the Starfighters aboard the Frigate were able to deploy before their capital ship was shut down. We have some defense. We are currently turning about and fleeing the battle with a fighter escort.
We are getting reports of evacuations beginning across the Fire Dome City of Druzi Prime. Some are fleeing via Maehl Holdings Starships, others are fleeing through what appear to be some sort of flaming portals.
Good News we've just got a report that our Frigate is up and running again. Its fired its Domebuster again and cracked the Kasanthian Asteroid warship, which our military contacts are calling a Kasanthian Behemoth Starcruiser.
The Kasanthian Positions are beginning to fire, Oh the humanity, their projectiles are slower moving than I expected. Gunpods piloted by our brave Brethren defenders are moving to intercept the projectiles. Sleeker Starfighters have just shadow jumped into view and have literally cut the Gunpods apart. Our military contacts have referred to these as Nodachi Starfighters, also serving the Kasanthian Federation.
--
Druzi's Salvation moved into position to intercept the shots with its bulk. It took two of the shots in its lower decks and nothing happened, no great explosion, no giant light, just a few holes in the side of the Frigate.
Three other projectiles were out of the Frigate's range and continued on their way to the Fire Dome City.
The projectiles launched their second stage nuclear rockets to cross the gap between the moon of Druzi 2 and its planet. They finally dispersed all nuclear fuel as it neared the atmosphere, and was clean by the time it slammed into the Fire Dome City. Its warhead was obviously barely modified from the Angels of Desolation style Claw Boarding pod.
Cameras showed a shadow-filled interior. And from the three ran hundreds of soldiers dressed in black uniforms. They didn't look alive, they were pale, and hungry looking. The Dome was never pierced, and non died in the assault.
Up in space the Frigate turned and began to launch drop pods towards the surface of the Druzi 2 moon. Though filled with Iron Republic Drop Troopers, many were simply shot out of the sky by the Unity Guardian Weapon platforms.
A few squads of Drop Troopers landed near the northmost position and quickly wiped out the Guardian and its defenders when one of the suit's nuclear reactors went into critical and exploded.
Another squad of Drop Troopers took out another of the Guardian positions, but were killed by the Emissaries guarding it.
The Frigate was strafed by four Nodachi's which launched their void bombs. The annihilation bombs killed all onboard and left little more than a debris field.
However with the Northern approach now open, Blackheart Security Space Assault Vehicles (SAVs) launched from Druzi Prime and took assault teams in direct assaults. They landed near three of the positions and destroyed the guardians but took heavy losses to Unity Emissaries. Their assaults on the Kasanthian Positions were able to destroy the guns, but except in one squad, all Blackheart Security agents gave their lives to accomplish the mission. That one squad was backed up directly by a Terra Nova Industries wetwork team who discovered the Emissary's extreme weakness to unexpected silenced sniper shots to the head.
This allowed the Blackheart Security officers to deploy their magnetically propelled grenades against the Praetorians, and light artifacts against the Nightmare defenders of the position. In a battle that lasted twenty minutes that position was finally cleansed of enemy presence.
Through bravery and sheer heroism, Admiral Nikki, and her teams of special forces succeeded in taking the final two positions for the Druzi defenders. And they detonated the guns at their positions, before escaping back to the EEF mail shuttle and rendezvousing with her Dusk-class Destroyers. Once in formation with them, they moved to jump away and came under attack by Kasanthian Satellites which fired off Solar flares into the less protected stomach of the ships. Two Destroyers were ripped apart before the remaining Destroyers were able to destroy the cloaked satellites, and jump away with Admiral Nikki whose bears had really started the violence, unknown to all but herself at this time...

The Battle of Druzi 2 was a complete success for the Iron Republic and their IRLC allies, the Kasanthian positions were destroyed, but entire squads of Praetorians led by Unity Emissaries are hiding in the wastelands of the moon. There are also sensor readings of some large cybernetic worms underneath the surface of the moon since the Kasanthian invasion.