The Den of the Dragon
Posts: 290
  • Posted On: Jan 17 2006 5:12pm
Kessel

The shuttle folded it's wing and began it's final descent from the Imperium cruiser Draconis, approaching the space station orbiting the spice world of Kessel. It's sole passenger, the Black Dragon Commodore Vincent Harker, looked out from the shuttle's vieport windows at the swirling blackness of the nearby Maw cluster, and shuddered visibly, not that anyone would notice him doing it. The leaders of Dameo were not pleased, to say the least, of the military debacle that had occured above Teth. Harker gulped as he recalled the memory of the battle. The armed forward escort had deployed into the system, raising shields and launching starfighters. Then, before the medium cruiser with the diplomats and envoys aboard were allowed to jump into the system, the Coalition fleet had launched an ambush from seemingly all directions. The Dragons had no choice but to defend themselves accordingly. By the end of the battle, the Dragon fleet had lost about a fifth of it's strength, including the medium cruiser with the diplomats and envoys aboard, which, while attempting to sneak past the enemy fleet, ended up jumping direclty into the midst of it. The capitan of the cruiser had panicked and opened fire, causing the Coalition ships to immediatley engage and destroy the cruiser. Seeing the loss of the diplomatic envoy, the Black Dragon fleet had immediatley effected a withdrawal. The Dragons had suffered, but so had the Coalition, losing a number of large and slow battleships that contradicted their main fleet of highly fast vessels.

The shuttle reached the station, and now Harker knew that his time was at hand. He picked up his naval cap from the seat next to him and placed it on his head. Then, standing and checking to make sure all of his other items are in place, he headed aft torwards the ramp from the shuttle, which was lowering to the ground even as he walked torwards it. Striding down the ramp, he met the reception that he was expecting, the General in charge of the world's garrison, Gryx, and his typical honor guard of four soldiers. Harker saluted him as he approached, and the general returned the salute. They then began to walk together torwards the command room of the station, a Dragon Nest platform. The station bristled with weaponry of all kinds, and had strong hull and shield strengths too. This station is obviously meant to inflict large amounts of damage upon enemy intruding fleets while defending it's self and it's empire.

The general turned his head to speak to Harker while they walked the solemn chamber.

"I heard the speech made by Regrad. What are your thoughts on the declaration?" asked the general.

Harker took a moment to compose himself, then replied, "First, they fire upon and take down a diplomatic envoy and it's strong military escort, then they declare war on us. I was right from the start. The Coalition is interested in gobbling up as much as our territory as possible. First they take worlds under our sphere of influence from us, then they ambush and destroy our envoy's response team, and now they are using it as an casus belli, an excuse, to declare war on us and take even more of our worlds. Those slimy Azguardian scum have forgotten the last war, and what we did to them. Well now it's time for a reminder."

"I agree fully, Commodore. I think you will be pleased by how much progress we have made on Operation Isolation." said the General.

"We will see, won't we, when we get to the command room." said the commodore as he and the general continued marching through the corridor.

Posts: 290
  • Posted On: Jan 18 2006 8:02pm
Aboard the Dragon Nest Platform orbiting Kessel

The Commodore Vincent Harker finally arrived in the war room, and looked out in breathlessness to the ring of displays that showed the positions of various Dragon Nest Platforms spread throughout Imperium space. Besides him, the general in charge of the whole operation smiled.

"Now you know why you haven't recieved any fresh ships out of the assemblers lately." said the General.

The Commodore could only agree numbly. Stretching from space to the bottom right of Honoghr to the top and right of Quermia, stood a vast array of Tion Dragon Nest Platforms, space stations bristling with armament and starfighters. And these were not the only stations present with the hegemony. There were also platforms at a number of worlds, some worlds containing one or two platforms, other worlds like Chandaar and Lianna, even more platforms were present. But as Vincent glanced at the displays, the ones above the planet of Chandaar began to blink red, indicating that enemies were present in the system. He frowned at this, and then ordered a dispatch ship sent to Dameo to bring news of this event to Dameo, just in case their own platforms some how missed the alarm. He then turned to the General, a silent inquiry about how the enemies could penetrate the blockade they set up around the empire's borders.

"I'm not sure how, doubtless some new technology. You would know, you encountered their ships first hand at Teth." replied the General.

"Yes, I'm sure that that's the reason. Not that it would do them that much good. Is the scoutship away?" asked the Commodore.

"Preparing for intergalatic transition now sir." replied one of the officers seated a console in the complex.

Vincent looked out the viewport to see Arbiter T-43, began spinning, opening up the wormhole that lead through the network to the planet of Dameo. In addition to the dragonest platforms sited at each of the planets, there was also at least one arbiter located at each world, providing an unparalled means of quickly funneling reinforcements in no small capacity to a world under attack or under siege. Before the Coalition would know what happened to them, their forces would be besieged by the enemy at Chandaar, their campaign stopped before it could even properly get underway. The tiny courier ship entered the wormhole, then the Arbiter stopped spinning, allowing it to collapse behind the scoutship.

"Well, my tour is completed here then, General. Keep up the good work." said the Commodore.

"Very well then, good to see you again Commodore. I need to get back to work as well." replied the General.

With that the Commodore proceeded back down the corridor to his shuttle. When he had reached the craft, he boarded it, and the shuttle lifted off from the platform and headed back to the cruiser from which it had come. An hour later, he was seated back aboard his cruiser, as it lifted out of orbit from the spice planet.

"Where is our next destination, Commodore?" asked the chief navigator of the cruiser.

"Take us to Honoghr, capitian. We will review the defensive measures there." said the Commodore.

Ten minutes later, the cruiser entered hyperspace.

Posts: 290
  • Posted On: Jan 23 2006 11:53pm
Honoghr orbit, Dragon nest platform Romeo Twelve

"Very well General, I am very pleased with your progress." said the Commodore.

"I am glad you appreciate our hard efforts, Commodore." replied the General.

"I am now to take my leave, farewell sir." said the Commodore.

"Have a safe return trip sir. And don't worry about us. We'll more than be able to hold our own." replied the General.

Returning to his personal space cruiser, Vincent felt something was amiss. But he dismissed it as he proceeded to the comm stations and glanced at the message awaiting his eyes only. Keying in his decryption code, he skimmed over the message. He typed in a brief response, an acknowledgement of the new orders, and leanded back in the comm chair to think a while. He had just visisted the last planet in his journery across Imperium space, and they all had their assigned defenses up and in running order. In addition, the ring of Dragonest platforms surronding Imperium space and protecting her borders were also up and running.

And now he had a new assignment, already. He was to proceed to a certain destination and conqueror a certain planet for the Imperium. And he had to do so with a minimal exertion of forces as well. He sat back, brooding. He would probably have to draw on some the older ships and divisions to take care of this takeover, and leave the fresher troops and more seasoned combat ships to serve in the front lines against the Galatic Coalition. He made up his mind.

"Navigator." called the Commodore in a subdued voice.

"Yes sir?" replied the midshipman.

"Set a course for the planet of Caluula. We'll leave immediatley." ordered the Commodore.

"Aye aye sir." responded the navigator.

The docking collars were re-tracted, and the manuevering jets on the cruiser slid it away from the space station. When they were far enough away, the main drives fired, and the cruiser was propelled away from the planet of Honoghr, and torwards open space.

"Ready for hyperspace on your mark sir." said the navigator.

"Commence jump." replied the Commodore.

The stars expanded into long lines, and the cruiser rapidly accelerated into hyperspace, bound for Caluula.