War and Marriage
By Kenneth Ho
Empire map
==========
mrrshan
PH | meks
sakra-------------------silicoids alkari
PH | klacks
bulrathi
Quadrant Distribution and combat grid
==============================
alpha | beta
----------------------------------
gammma| delta
PH archer, starfighters, dreadnoughts
mks warbird, penetrator, titan, shark,
In the year 2600, the galaxy is at peace. There has not been a war in
the last 50 years, economies of all the major powers, Psilon, Humans,
Mrrshans, and Darloks were all strong. The people were happy, and food
was plentiful.
In the last month of the year,the daughter of the Psilon Emperor Dynalon
(leader of the 2nd strongest empire), Calanda, and the son of Human
Emperor Alexander IV (leader of the 1st empire), Alexander V, announced
their engagement after 9 long years of friendship. Alexander and Dynalon
announced the union of their children, much to the cheers of their
respective empires. A subsequent alliance between the Psilon
technological ingenuity and Human productive capabilities would ensure
their mutual safety and defense for generations to come.
When the Psilon and Human ambassadors reported the news to the rest of
the galaxy, the Emperors of Meklon, Kholdon, and Cryslon all expressed
their disgust. 'They're conspiring to take over the rest of the galaxy,'
declared Kikitik of the Klackon Empire.
'An alliance between the Psilons and the Humans will threaten the growth
of the Meklar race,' declared NX-74205.
Emperor Granid of Cryslon said, 'An alliance between the Psilons and the
Humans cannot be allowed. Such a friendship could threaten the security
of the entire galaxy.
Envoys from these 3 powers told the Human and Psilon embacies not to form
an alliance, or there would be war. Incensed that other races would dare
interfere with their internal affairs, Alexander declared, Psilons and
Humans can do whatever they want, no matter what the 3rd, 4th, and 5th
powers of the galaxy say.
When the envoys went back to their respective governments, the S,M, and K
emperors held a secret meeting at Antares, a Silicoid world. 'We cannot
let the Psilons and Humans join forces. Such an alliance would threaten
all of us,' Emperor Granid declared. 'It is in all of our interests if
we join forces to stand against them.
NX74205 knew that Granid meant war. NX74205's Chief of Security informed
him that if was did break out, between the P/H and a K/S/M alliance,
there would be devastating casualties on all sides, which could
potentially leave the Meklar Empire vulnerable to a Mrrshan, Bulrathis,
or Sakkra (the small 3) attack.
Kikitik had the same concerns. He agreed that war would insure their
immediate survival, but wanted to secure non-agression pacts with the
small three before he committed his space fleets to a long and expensive
war.
In the year 2602, the KSM announced an alliance and secured non-agression
pacts with the small three. Later that day, the KSM declared war on the
PH empires.
Human spies had warned both the P and the H that an attack was likely.
Emperor Alexander and Dynalon had ordered their richest planets to begin
cranking out starships of the best possible design PH technology could
produce. Their ships were very fast, composed of 50% small ships, 10%
huge ships, and 40% large ships. Together, the PH had 16000 ships and 2
billion ground troops, pilots, factory workers, and scientists ready to
defend the honor of the PH.
Alexander chose Cryslon, the best general he had, to command the first
fleet. Dynalon ordered Shiva, his best fighter pilot, to leave the
Mentar squadron to support the Human first fleet. Within hours of the
declaration of war, Dynalon and Alexander authorized the first fleet (22
huge ships and 15 large ships, and 1000 Psilon bombers and small
fighters) to attack Draconis, a Meklar world of 150 million people, and
being ultra rich, it was one of the most productive planets in the
entire galaxy. Alexander said, 'Draconis will be an easy target. Being
in a gas nebula, they will have no shields. They will not be ready.
Destroying Draconis will be a profound blow to the productive capability
of the KSM, and the morale of our workers, pilots, and troops will be
very high after this victory. Dynalon agreed, and committed his Mentar
bomber squadron to the Battle at Draconie. When the PH fleet received
their final briefing, they cloaked and flew towards the nebula world.
In a Meklar missile base on Draconis, a worker talks to his supervisor:
'So what do you think of this war were supposed to fight TLK101?'
'This war will destroy us all. Politicians often win and lose the spoils
of war, but it will be us workers and fighter pilots who will lose our
live... all for the glory of the mighty empire....' Supervisor MXD231
responded.
An alarm sounded. All robots looked to the main screen, as a Meklar
reporter announced, 'The war has begun, and a PH fleet has decloaked in
orbit of our world and is......' The entire base shook at that point.
Someone yelled, 'Psilon spy!'. In the next minute, the entire missile
base and 5 surrounding bases exploded.
'Open fire!' ordered Cryslon. 22 Dreadnoughts locked onto the large
Meklar Titan's, and launched a missile salvo consisting of 430 Pulson
Missiles. The Meklar Captain of the Titan group ordered evasive action.
But it was too late, the 15 Titan group had suffered multiple hits and
only one ship survived, but with no power.
The planet locked onto the Dreadnoughts but 1000 bombers decloaked
directly behind them, and dropped 1000 anit-matter bombs, destroying all
planet’s defenses and leaving only 1 million meks alive. The human’s
archers flew in front of the remaining meklar titan and smaller fighters
and fired their fusion and heavy blast cannons, clearing the remnants of
the fleet. As the meklar reporter inside a burning building without a
roof looked up, he said, ‘o no.’ with that, the mentar squadron dropped
their second payload of bombs, and destroyed what remained of mighty
draconis.
In a meeting room, NX74205 slammed his iron fist into a desk and screamed
in agony, ‘150 million meklars killed!!!’ ‘How did this happen?! Where
the hell were my intelligence officers?!’ As Granid and Kikitik tried to
calm him down, NX74205 refused to listen, and rolled out of the room on
his wheels.
The next day, the Meklar pilots vowed revenge. NX74205 approved a plan
to send 10 Sharks to Gion, a weakly defended Psilon colony in the Alpha
Quadrant in hopes to destroy the colony and counter their previous loss
of Draconis, and to take revenge for the 150 million they lost the day
before. As the Sharks flew near the planet, the on-board communications
system reported that it appeared they had been spotted, and 4 Psilon
Krakens and 4 Human Dreadnoughts were detected heading to Gion which just
raised a planetary shield. Privately communicating that turning back
would have hurt morale, the flight group commander convinced the tactical
officer on the communications system to let them go ahead with the plan
and try to destroy or severely damage Gion. Reluctantly, the officer
allowed them to go and signed off.
‘Let’s show them what the Meks are made of!’ declared the Meklar captain.
‘Full speed ahead!’ When they arrived, they saw 5 Psilon Kraken’s in
the alpha grid, and 4 Human Dreadnoughts in the gamma grid. The planet
and ships were in a V pattern, ready for battle. The Sharks fired their
antimatter torpedos at the planet, which absorbed most of the damage at
the loss of 2 of 20 missile bases. Both PH flight groups moved
symmetrically toward the Sharks. The Dreads fired their pulsons,
destroying 3 Sharks. The Mek commander had his ships move towards the
Dreadnoughts and opened fire with their heavy phasers. 2 dreads exploded
when the psilons placed their ships in front of the humans who fell back,
and fired off their fusion beams. Only 1 Shark was destroyed. The Mek
captain ordered his ships to move to delta grid when his ship was jolted
by the planetary pulsons.
‘Damage Report!’ he ordered. ‘Its just us and Cpt YHK231’s ship left,
sir,’ an officer replied. ‘Retreat,’ the Mek cptn ordered. But as the
Mek ships moved to the max delta (all the way bottom right), 30 Human
Archers decloaked from delta and blasted the 2 Meklar ships away.
‘The war is going very badly for us,’ NX74205 said. On a communications
screen with Granid and Kikitik, the Klackon Emperor said, ‘We’re going to
even the score. I’m sending all of our bumblebees to Helos.’ ‘They’ll be
escorted by Silicoid Warbirds and Penetrators,’ Cryslon interrupted.
‘This time, we wil get them.’
Capitalizing on the tactic that the PH used against the Meks, this KS
fleet was headed for a nebula world that was unable to establish any
shielding. The next morning, a tactical officer on the bridge of a
warbird informed the captain that MKS planetary sensors did not detect
any PS activity. ‘With all the battle points on the map, the PH might
have missed us,’ he said. ‘…That’s not what I wanted,’ the silicoid
captain said to himself.
‘We’re nearly there,’ the tactical officer said. ‘Order all ships to
tighten formation and prepare for the worst,’ the captain replied. A
short time later, the KS fleet entered orbit. ‘Have the penetrators fire
their stingers. Order the bumblebees to stay back while we (Warbirds) go
ahead,’ the captain told the communications officer. 240 Stingers
severly damaged Helos’ defenses. All but one missile base were
destroyed.
Then, the operations officer stated, ‘Captain, the planet only has 1
million inhabitants!’ Realizing the PH evacuated the planet, he ordered
the warbirds and penetrators and bumblebees to link up at the center. As
the bees moved forward 60 Human Archers decloaked in front of them.
‘Now we’ve got them,’ said the Silicoid Captain. Before the humans could
launch their missile salvos, 400 Klackon destroyers decloaked in front of
the Archers and blasted 22 Archers into flying bits. The Human captain
ordered the flight group to switch targets and fire on the destroyers
ahead. As the Archers locked on with their energy weapons, the 6
Warbirds and 100 penetrators flanked them on either posterior side, and
destroyed the entire Archer flight group. ‘Move onto Guaradas,’ ordered
the Silicoid captain.
At MKS headquarters on Kholdon, a communications officer listening to his
headset rolled his chair back and turned 180 degrees to emperor-general
Kikitik, Granid, and NX74205. ‘Fleet 2 has successfully destroyed Helos,
Guaradas, and Paranar. 115 million Psilons and 200 million humans dead,
1,200 factories destroyed, 80 Archers, 3 Dreadnoughts, and 100 mantas
destroyed. Captain Carnax reports the loss of only 5 penetrators, and 30
destroyers.’ The 3 emperor’s smile, and return their eyes to a
holographic map of the galaxy.
‘Divide and conquer is the best method. We should attack Toranor, Sol,
Herculis, and Vox (planets located on the border of the Alpha-Gamma
quadrants). With communications hampered and starship activity easier to
monitor, we will end this war sooner,’ Kikitik stated.
‘I disagree. Trying to take or even destroy Sol would be difficult and
expensive. We would never be able to keep those planets, flanked on the
alpha quadrant by 4 Psilon planets and strong ships, and on the gamma
quadrant by 6 Human planets and fast ships,’ Granid responded. NX74205
agreed and worked with Granid to persuade Kikitik to commit MKS forces on
the border.
The Klackons sent 2,4000 bumblebees armed with bio terminators into
battle along with multiple Silicoid Warbirds and Meklar Titans and
Sharks. Suffering massive losses at the destructive forces of the
Planetary Pulson Missile Launchers, and Human starfighter autoblasters,
the MKS fleet took 50% losses in the next 8 months. The PH losses were
even worse.
Over 500 million humans and psilons lost their lives in 8 months. The
Psilon and Human fleets each suffered 30% damage to overall fleet
strength, and lost artifact and rich worlds. By 2610, the MKS had a
decisive lead over the PH.
‘We need help,’ a greyer Dynalon said to Alexander. ‘I agree Alex
responded. ‘The Sakkras have declared neutrality in the war. Even though
their fleet, technology, and production could shift this war back to our
favor, Guanar doesn’t want to get involved.’
‘We could attack them, take their rich planets, and quickly establish
some planetary Defenses before they can respond. They’re not expecting
an attack,’ Dynalon suggested. Exactly. They are not ready, so we
should honor our nonagression pact and leave them out of our fight.
Besides, in the long term, we will regret it,’ Alex said.
Realizing his pilots and troops needed a morale booster, Alexander V, son
of Alexander IV and husband of Princess Calanda (the couple whose
marriage started the war), offered a bold plan. Realizing they had to
hit Klackon rich planets to stop the onslaught of 2,400 Klackon
bumblebees, Alexander V, being the secretary of war, ordered 5 spies to
infiltrate Kholdon (which thanks to deep mining, was rich). Pulling
together Psilon and Human ships from many separate fleets, Alexander V
swore he would destroy Kholdon or die trying.
Amassing a strong fleet in a noninhabitable system under cloak, Alexander
V had 40 Archers, 10 Condors, 200 Starfighters, and 15 new experimental
ships called Cyclopses. Ordering his spies on Kholdon to hide until the
right moment to strike and continuing to boost the morale of his troops
on Kakata and Beta Ceti to prepare for hand to hand against the most
feared soldiers in all the galaxy, the Klackons, Alexander V still found
time to talk to his wife.
Calanda: ‘I hope you win Alex. Bring home news of victory.’
Alex: ‘I will win. I’m fighting for more than just our people. I’m
fighting for us.’
C: I always knew I married a hero when I said yes at the altar.
A: And I always knew I married someone with good taste. How is the
research lab coming along?
C: Very well. We are close to finishing an ion stream projector. If
successful, we can place this weapon on huge ships and dismantle enemy
armor right through their shields!
A: Excellent. I’m glad you’re on my side.
C: And I’m glad you’re the one who is leading this strike force. Good
luck.
A: I’ll capture enough technology for you to analyze for the next twenty
years Calanda. I love you.
C: I love you too.
With that, Alex V said a short good bye to his father a few minutes later
and headed off.
‘No MKS ships detected so far Captain,’ the first officer said. Alex,
remembering the Silicoid fleet that annihilated his brother’s fleet at
Alpha Centauri warned all of his ship’s crew and fellow starships to
beware of cloaked ships that could attack from any side. At the last
moment, he ordered his spies to do their worst. On Kholdon, the
explosion of 10 missile bases lit up the sky even the Humans could see a
turn away.
Close to orbit, Alex ordered the new Cyclopses to decloak and head for
the planet, with all other starships close behind. The Cyclopses fired
on Kholdon with their Disruptors, destroying 5 of 50 missile bases (MBs).
As Alex spotted Sharks decloaking, he ordered his flight group of
Dreadnoughts to decloak in front of the Cyclopses and fire on the Sharks.
With the first torpedo and Pulse Phasor Blasts, 20 Sharks only managed
to destroy 3 Cyclopses.
‘What the hell kind of shielding do they have?!’ Cried out a Meklar
gunner. The Cyclopses and Condors fired their heavy weapons, destroying
13 of 20 Sharks. The remaining 7 sharks fell back and shot from
desperation, with planetary defenses rocking 3 more Cyclopses. Behind
the Condors, 30 Sky Hawks decloaked and took out Alex’s engines with a
warp dissipator. Realizing without their range one weapons to help, the
Condors would be sitting ducks. On their own, 200 starfighters decloaked
and blasted the Sky Hawks to kingdom come. Alex turned his attention and
ordered all ships to focus on the Sharks. But the communications officer
reported the Cylcopses were hit by warp dissipators too and only the
Starfighters and Archers could fight. Having 40 large and 150 small
fight 7 huge was not his idea of a fight, but he had to order them
against them while his crew repaired the damage and focused their guns on
the planet. Then, the boarding alarm sounded.
We have Meklar troops on board. Alex looked very surprised and grabbed
his fusion rifle like everyone else. Then a Meklar commander
materialized in front of him. Alex kicked the robot’s cannon and sent
the robot spinning while Alex’s bodyguard blasted him away. Alex turned
and opened fire on 20 other Meks who boarded his bridge and were fighting
with his officers. He heard a materialization behind him, spinned, and
fired, though he was hit in the leg and fell, dropping his rifle. His
bodyguard stepped over him and blasted Mek after Mek away. Then, the
entire ship exploded when planetary missiles destroyed his ship.
The remaining human ships destroyed the remnants of the planetary
defenses and the 7 Sharks, but Alex V was dead, and the war had changed.
One turn later, 200 Psilon Transports landed on Kholdon. Armed with
fusion rifles and personal barrier shielding, and neutronium armor
Psilon troops met 220 plasma rifle, adamantium armored exoskeleton,
personal deflector shielded klackons.
When the battle was over, 4 million psilon troops held Kholdon and 1,000
factories with prototypes of class 20 planetary shielding, improved
robotic controls 4, mauler device, and improved terraforming +60.
Realizing their hold was loose, the Psilons sent 100 transports to
Kholdon as Alex IV and Calanda, chief Psilon Scientist, had to put off
their greiving.
Realizing, they had to strike before the PH could maximize their
planetary production, raise shields, and put mauler devices on ships that
were already unstoppable, the MKS threw everything they had at the PH in
the next 2 years. Taking great risk by leaving most of their planets
without fleets, the MKS acted out of desparation and had to act against
the clock.
The strategy worked. Killing over a billion PH over the next two years
with neutronium bombs and bio terminators, the MKS ships destroyed many
colonies, all in efforts to end the war quickly. With the invention of
thorium (?) drives that could give their ships unlmited range, the MKS
were unstopable.
Human spies managed to start a rebellion on Cryslon. Secretly supplying
the rebels with neutronium armor, Psilon soldiers and human spies
installed a military pacifist, and pulled the Silicoids (50% of the MKS
fleet) out of the war.
But this was not enough. Meklar scientists develooped combat
transporters. Landing on multiple planets even through Hercular
missiles, Meks and Klacks took much of the PH empire. The Humans sent a
huge fleet of their best ships 9 parsecs away to attack Meklon, but when
Klackon troops took all the planets between Meklon and Mentar with combat
transporters, 40% of the human fleet was left out of range even after
destroying a large Meklar fleet and its supporting missile batteries.
The next year, Meklar magicians raised 13 Pulson missile launchers and 2
Kraken’s that destroyed 300 Human transports that tried to land on
Meklon. With no ships to clear the way, 300 human transports exploded
and 300 million dead humans fell to the ground of Meklon.
Quickly developing subspace interdictors to prevent further landings,
Humans and Psilons soon found themselves with 10% of the galaxy going
against a fleet 3 times more powerful than theirs. They asked for peace,
even offering 6000 BC, but the MK would not deal. They did not feel safe
until all humans and Psilons were gone. For the rest of the war, the PH
limited their fleets and technology to defense. The following years
annihilated all but two PH planets.
‘I never thought we would lose,’ a much older Alexander IV said. ‘We
gave it our best. Though we may not be able to defeat the Alliance, we
have fought with the last… dying breath… of the last man,’ Dynalon
responded. A young communications officer who looked 13 rolled his chair
back to announce, 6 Meklar Panthers and 9 Klackon Hydras are entering Sol
space.
Alex looked at Dynalon, who showed in his face that the end was near.
Turning to his daughter Calanda who held the don she had with Alexander V
by his hand, Dynalon told Calanda to leave Sol and request asylum with
the Sakkras. 30 years of war had left the MK battered and beaten. Even
if they wanted to attack Sessla and betray their nonagression pact, the
MK could never take Calanda and Alex VI prisoner.
C: I cannot leave you father. Alex died defending the PH empires. For
me to leave and teach Alex VI to be a coward…
Dynalon pulled out a hand laser and said: He may be a coward to the MK.
But one day, when he grows up and you lead the next generation of
Psilons, you will succeed where your parents have failed.
He pointed the laser at his daughter’s head and exclaimed, ‘Go!’
With tears, and a young Alex VI not knowing what was going on, Calanda
lifted Alex VI into her arms and ran for the turbolift.
Underground, a factory worker dropped the last exterior plate he was to
put on a stingray, and asked the princess to get in. The Stingray had no
shielding, no weapons, and didn’t even have full plating, but it was
small, ion speed, and was outfitted with a new cloaking device that would
get her and Alex VI to Sessla. With that, Calanda said good-bye to the
factory worker who chose to stay behind as he picked up a fusion rifle
and joined his other workers in bracing for an invasion. As the stingray
afterburners burned their fuel, Calanda cloaked the ship, and set course
for the Sakkras empire.
Up above, Dynalon, tearful that he had lost his daughter and was soon
going to lose his empire that stood for 300 years, gave a last speech to
his troops:
‘We have been through the best, and the worst. 200 years ago, my father
stood here as Sakkras starships entered our system and prepared for
battle. But good pilots and strong Psilons on the ground fended off the
attack and lived on for another 100 years. We have been through much
worse, and will always be the best. Now go to you ships, get to your
missile bases, and prepare for the fight of our lives. For today, we will
show the galaxy what the Psilons and Humans can do!’
Both realizing they needed everyone to participate in the fighting if
they were to live through the next attack, Emperor-General Dynalon, and
Emperor-General Alex IV took to the landing bays of their flagships.
With their bodyguards beside them, the two leaders shook hands, looked
each other in the eye, and said, ‘Today, we fight for honor.’ With that,
the two leaders separated, took to their bridges, and flew into Orbit to
prepare for the last stand.
The Panthers rolled through the small little fighters and medium ships
the humans and psilons threw at them in number. With only the huge ships
left, Psilon and Human starships grouped next to planet Sol and planned
to shoot to kill. Hydras destroyed all planetary defenses with their
advanced torpedos, and closed in on the psilon and human flagships.
Destoying one hydra and one panther, the PH fleet suffered from
incomplete ship constructions and insufficient numbers. The Panther and
Hydra group targetted the human flagship when, out of nowhere, Sakkras
ships flew in from nowhere and blasted the Hydras to bits.
‘What?!’ Dynalon, Alexander, and the Meklar captain exclaimed.
Captain, we have a message from the Sakkras flag ship: Hello Alex, this
is Selia. Your daughter in law tells me you’re looking for a few good
pilots, mind if I join your team?
With this, another Sakkras flight group flew in front of the Panthers and
took our 4 of them.
‘This is general Selia of the Sakkras Defense Force. We will not let the
Meklars and Klackons commit genocide. On this day, we fight for life!’
The 2 remaining Panthers, realizing they were seriously outnumbered, and
now may have been in a war with a far superior enemy, were desperate to
save all the ships and lives that they could. The two Panthers
retreated.
The next month, face to face negotiations occured between M,P,H,K, and
Sakkras emperors. The MK realized the PH had every right to live
(especially in light of the fact that if the Sakkras entered the war,
the MK would lose), and made high reparations. In return, MK and PH
would equally receive all the bombed out, uncolonized worlds that were
destroyed in the war.
Dynalon stepped down the next year to let his daughter rule, and Alex VI
took his father’s place 10 years later. NX74205 was satisfied with the
new planets his people had captured. Kikitik was very angry that the
Sakkras stopped his alliance from taking all of the PH empire, and
installed a xenophobic policy from that point on. As for the Silicoids
who left the war billions of lives and 5 years before the end, no one
knows exactly what they are up to. But rumors of new planetology
techniques and advanced cloning have lead them to a productive life.