The Galactic Stalemate

Sometimes its a matter of chance, and other times its a matter of choice that brings about catastrophe. However, when fate singles you out, both choice and chance come charging at your hand in hand leveling you with one wicked close line of very bad things.

After the "Great Integration", the Keepers decided that it was time to branch out and explore the galaxy, expand the borders of the Tera-Sphere, and bring the gifts of our advances to the rest of the world. Well... this was the public message. The real message was that we wished to move in closer on the Anakar. As of now, no star systems we occupied bordered the Anakar, or any other galatic organisation (we hate using the word "empire", since we are an Ogilarch...). We knew that we would soon run into other space faring civilizations, so we prepared for this as well.

With things going so well, the Keepers decided that it was time to improve the infrastructure of the Tera-Sphere. Medical Labratories replaced Cargo Facilities, Climate Control Centers replaced Supply Depots, and a minagerie of other technological break throughs appeared throughout the Tera-Sphere such as Robotic Workers and Great Civic Entertainment Complexes (known quietly to the Keepers as Pacification Centers). Also our ability to mine, farm and refine products greatly increased, but just enough to keep pace with our ever evolving fleets.

With addition of the Zigilak, and their star systems, the Keepers decided that three large fleets needed to be maintained. Alpha Fleet, also known as "Home Fleet", sat in the Sol System on the Neptunian ship yards, constantly being retrofitted with the latest and greatest technological advances. Beta Fleet and Delta Fleet we stationed at the two edge systems on opposing flanks (fortunately for the Tera-Sphere, there were only two access systems into it).

Beta Fleet and Delta Fleet were broken into three task forces each. Task Force 1 (TF1) is the faster moving, harder hitting ships used to pick off foreign scout and colony fleets. TF1 was ordered to stay no less than 2 generations behind the most current ship design for that fleet. TF1 is generally 5-8 Frigates, 3-5 Destroyers, 1 Light Cruiser, and 2 Point Defenders (Destroyers with Anti-Seeker capability). Task Force 2 (TF2) is the bulk of the offensive/defensive capabilities of the fleet, and consists of 12-20 Frigates, 6-10 Destroyers, 3-5 Light Cruisers, 2 Cruisers, 1 Battle Ship, 1 Carrier (roughly 50 fighters), and 5 Point Defense Destroyers. TF2 is to remain no less than 4 or more generations behind the most current fleet designs. Task Force Three (TF3) consists of support vehicles that are often seperated from the fleet prior to battle, or are the points of defense during an attack. TF3 usually consists of 1-4 Transports (Med Frigates), 1-4 Medical Support Ships (Light Cruisers with Medical Bays), 2-3 Supply Ships (Cruisers with all Cargo/Solar Panel), 2-3 Repair Ships (Cruisers with all Repair Bay).

Our massive fleets were also complimented by the fact that we had surpassed the Anakar technologically, especially in the fields of weaponry, shields, armor, and ship design. And lets face it, when it comes to war, superior civics isnt going to help.

With expansion on our minds, and the joys of recent technological advancements tainting our minds, putting the two together was simply a no brainer. We dispatched our scout ships and found plenty of suitable planets in unoccupied systems. Within the following six months, we established at least a dozen Tera-Prime, Tera-Pluto, Tera-Saturn planets. Each of these planets focused on increasing the ever present technological divide between the Tera-Sphere and the Anakar Consortium.

Unfortunately for us, the Galaxy was not strictly divided between the Tera-Sphere and the Anakar Consortium. To top that off, with our recent advancements, the Anakar decided that they wished to "improve" our treaty, by offering us not only tributes, but star maps, system maps, and recent technological advances, while maintaining our original trade agreements.

An offer a growing empire could not refuse.

That is... until we read the fine print... which was one month too late after accepting it.

The treaty also had claused in that the Tera-Sphere could not enter into diplimatic agreements with other empires, nor could we conduct any further research. Immediately following the agreement, our labratories shut down, as if going out of business. We sent our emesaries to the Anakar and appealed to them to change the Treaty and remove those restrictive, unproductive clauses of the treaty, but they refused.

It was at this time that we were introduced to the Kingdom of Fletz'ah, an insectoid race of warriors. It was our scouts that first came across them gaurding a warp point into the boundaries of their "Empire". As per the policy of the Teran Federation (thats what the people call it these days), our scouts immediately attempted to dis-engage, but was forced into combat. Scout ship... perhaps scout ship is a bit misleading. Our "Deep Explorer" (a lightly armed, but highly capable battle ship), made quick work of the 4 defending Feltz'ah frigates. With shield regenerators, and heavy phased energy weapons, the Feltz'ah's shields were useless, and their advanced Depleted Uranium Cannons were practically useless. The battle was over before it started.

Or at least we thought so.

Taking the initative to delve deeper into the borders of the Feltz'ah's empire, our Deep Explorer charted out at least 20 planets in only two systems alone. It appears our clacketd shelled neighbors were advanced as far as colonization goes, and each planet was populated to the brink. Without pressing much deeper and causing more stir than was necessary, our Explorer returned to the Tera Sphere, having maped out our connecting borders (two systems cross connected), and we moved our Beta Fleet into on of the two adjoining systems as a preparatory note.

The Keepers decided that this hostile little cove of bugs was of little threat due to their technological backwardsness. Yet the reports of their colonization efforts could not be ignored, and the Tera Intelligence Services were unleashed on the Feltz'ah Kingdom to bring back as much information as possible.

The intelligence initiative failed to say the least, and sparked a galactic war to say no more. The infurated Feltz'ah demanded that we remove our colonies from the two neighboring systems, and started to dispatch small colonization fleets into our systems.

Beta-Fleet was quick to respond, and peeled off several Frigates and Destroyers and sent them to the neighboring system as Iota-Fleet. Defending our borders would not be difficult, as mine and satelite laying ships were quickly re-routed to these bordering systems.

Three seperate colonization fleets were dispatched as they crossed the border into the Tera-Sphere. B-TF1 and I-TF1 had very little effort dispatching the five or six escorting destroyers, and returned to their primary fleets for resuply and repair. No sooner were these colonization fleets destroyed, three more appeared. It seemed that these bugs were more resiliant and determined than previously thought.

While Beta-Fleet battled the encroaching, yet barbaric Feltz'ah invasion, the Anakar grew more difficult to deal with. They had yet to relinquish the treaty they had snookered us into, and now they were pressuring us to give up space to the Feltz'ah, so that "both empires" could flourish. Of course this outraged the Keepers who immediately cancelled the Treaty which had bound our two civilizations for nearly 50 years.

Of course, this couldnt have happened at a worse time.

The invasion began to pick up steam, and Beta-Fleet commander requested additional aid. It was not that Beta-Fleet could not handle the dozens of frigates and destroyers that continiously crossed into the Terra-Sphere, but they simply did not have the time to resuply and repair the fleets after battle. Small damages were adding up, and three destroyers were already loss. These fleets needed to be reconstituted.

Unforunately that was not to happen. The treaty with the Anakar basically supplied the funds required to support the Teran Fleet. The Empire was now running in a massive deficit of resources. New ships could not be built, and with the treasury quickly running out, existing ships would need to be scrapped.

The Keepers decided that it would be best to take Delta Fleet and launch an invasion into the Feltz'ah Empire, and was quickly sent enroute. The Home Fleet was put on active defense to cover the quadrants left vulnerable by Deltas departure.

Delta entered into the Feltz'ah system and moved quickly onto the nearest system from the Worm Hole. Ground troops, outdated yet still effective, captured the system after a costly battle. Without the ability to construct new facilities, troops, or ship, the captured planet was left with only a few troops to occupy its revolting citizenry, and could not build a resuply depot to support the invasion. The fleet commander hesitated.

A second too long.

A fleet of 25 Feltz'ah frigates launched from near by Feltz'ah colonies engaged Delta Fleet. Numerically and firepower wise, Delta Fleet overmatched the oncoming enemy. TF1 fell back to guard TF3, while TF2 moved forward in an Artillery formation, to engage the laughible enemy response.

Delta Fleet commander, not wanting to slow mobility of the fleet, ordered the two Carriers in the fleet to send forth their fighters to deal with these enemy frigates. 100 fighters in all barrelled forth at the Frigates, and to our surprise were met with highly accurate fire. The fighters tore into the enemy fleet enough so that when engaged by TF2, not so much as a front line frigates shields were not even penetrated.

However, some lessons were learned, yet not quickly enough to really matter. In the battle against a fleet nearly half the size, and twice as out gunned as Delta Fleet, we lost half of our fighter capability, with the nearest fighter depot nearly 3 months out. These Feltz'ah ships were slow, but heavily armed, even if the armament was outdated and not nearly as hard hitting as our own weaponry. Perhaps it would have been better to reserve the fighters for bigger prey... prety that arrived shortly after the first battle.

From outside the radar range of Delta Fleet, another Feltz'ah fleet had appeared. This time, with several light cruisers, dozens of destroyers and scores of frigates. This was going to be one hell of a battle.

Before the enemy could arrive at our newly conquored colony, the fleet commander broke TF3, and set TF2 + TF1 out to engage the enemy in Deep Space.

The enemy fleet came engaged Delta Fleet in two unusual configurations. One grouping of ships was equally balanced with Destroyers and Frigates, about 40 in all, the second configuration (its hard to call them fleets), was a half destroyers, a fourth frigates, and a fourth light cruisers. Their formation was awkward... a flock formation at best.

The enemy fleets circled and approached Delta Fleet from both sides. Delta Fleets admiral ordered the fleet into a Diamond formation, placing our long ranging, heavy hitting Battle Ship and Cruisers in the middle, while the Light Cruisers made up the left and right flank of the fleet. The Destroyers made up the front half of the diamond, as they are heavily armed, but slower to move, and the frigates formed the rear to react as a counter attack force, because of their speed and agility. The Carriers held back their remaining fighters in case the enemy got close enough to where their weapons would not be able to concentrate on the smaller, less durable craft.

Delta was now out numbered, but much better armed and armored. The enemy fleet approached, frigates and destroyers floating side by side, in the formation that approached from the left, and Light Cruisers, frigates, and destroyers all globbed together and attacking from the right.

As the enemy ships entered our farthest range, Battleship opened fire, targeting the enemy light cruisers as doctrine dictated. The fleet cruisers targeted enemy destroyers, and our frigates held their fire awaiting the closing of the enemy lighter crafts, or any sign of a push from one side.

To our surprise, the enemy Destroyers increased in speed drastically, while the enemy frigates circled to the rear of the fleet to engage our frigates. Our destroyers fell back to compliment to enemys adjustment and began firing directly onto the incoming destroyers, which returned little to no counter fire, but continued to move forward, directly towards our battle ship and carrier.

The fleet commander ordered the fighters to dispatch and engage the destroyers, but it was two late. Two of the 20 enemy destroyers had breached the line and smashed directly into the Battle Ship, destroying its shields, penetrating its armor, and smashing its engines.

As the Frigates engaged in a dog fight with the superior frigates, another foe came uncloacked before the fleet. This one launching drones directly at the ungaurded front of our capital ships. Our point defense weapons could only do so much to stop the incoming drones, but even more damage was poured onto our Cruisers and Carriers, our Battleship reduced to nothing more than a skeleton.

The uncloaked drone transport was immediately destroyed by the heavy weaponry of the Cruisers and the Battleship before they were damaged, our frigates and destroyers obliterated the remaining enemy frigates, and our fighters made short work o the enemy Light Cruisers.

The damage had been done however, and our fleet was immobilized. The fleet commander had ordered TF3 to come and recovered the damaged capital ships, but he changed his mind when off in the distance two more enemy fleets appeared on the horizon. Forty more frigates and destroyers appeared from a warp point and were approaching our crippled fleet. We had no choice but to abbandon a Battle Ship, a Carrier and a Cruiser. As the fleet split off, the ships self destruct devices were activated, and Delta Fleet returned to the Terra Sphere for repair.

The battle had proven that the Terra-Sphere fleet was not as invincible as it had believed it was, and now with no funds in the treasury, lost ships could not be recovered. One battleship, one cruiser, one carrier, three destroyers, 50 fighters and five frigates were lost in the battle. Most of our frigates and destroyers suffered signifcant damage, but fortunately our Light Cruisers did not. Albiet the enemies losses were by far much greater, being driven from the Antaris system was more damaging.

Fortunately, during the fighting in the Antaris system, our Mining and Satalite ships have arrived and left some nast surprises for the Feltz'ah Fleets should they decide to continue into the Tera-Sphere. Anough mines and satelites to cripple their fleets entirely have been placed at intersecting warp points. Hopefully enough to slow them down while our empire redevelops our infrastructure to support our interests without the need for foreign trade.

It appears that the Anakar is not happy with our recent advances in both size and technology. I can imagine that they are about to become much more unhappy when we are able to support our fleets on our own.... but thats another time.

For now, its time to deal with the Feltz'ah Empire.