Empire Divided: War on the Horizon

[Deviant]

cPvP; Death/Capture-disabled​

Years ago, Saleucami was ravaged and razed by the feared Warlord Zanhra, who called for the end to a corrupt Republic and a faithless Jedi Order. Cities burned, civilians slaughtered, and villages were wiped away clean off the map. Today, Grand Admiral Alexei Petrov, now the Emperor of his personal Imperial Empire, now seeks to make a similar claim— to end a corrupt empire and its own faithless Emperor. Forwarding a full-fledged assault, his forces now engage Malon’s personal fleet above the planet. With Admiral Sevchenko on one side and DuValle on the other, the winner remains unclear.

@Gamov @Insalius​

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[Insalius]

As happened to all impatient men, former Grand Admiral Alexei had decided to strike right at the heart of his greatest enemy, the true Empire led by Emperor Malon. What pained Kurtis, though, was the knowledge that all of his former comrades in the Inferno Squadron had gone to the traitor's side, and with the policies of the Empire there was no coming back from such a thing. The best that the Shistavanen could do now was give them a proper funeral, bathed in the fire of his fleet and with a salute to their valor. Anything less than victory was unacceptable, meaning he would have to pull out his strongest tactics for this fight. While his heart was heavy at having to fight former allies, it was also excited to finally put to test his tactics versus that of his former mentor, Admiral Anya Sevchenko.

With their backs to the planet, Kurtis' newly christened ship the Hyperion sat with two battlecruisers, named Conviction and Courage, and two corvettes named Adjudicator and Iudex. A powerful fleet on it's own, though in truth their power was bait for one of his main strategems, a pincer attack from the far side of the moon. Waiting in the darkness was another Star Destroyer named Terminus, a battlecruiser named Prometheus, and two more corvettes named Venerator and Imperator. When the enemy fleet had been drawn in far enough Kurtis would send a signal bounced off a nearby satellite to order their engagement from the rear. Caught between two fleets of near equal strength, Alexei's fleet would be crushed. Of course, rarely was such a plan so easy to follow, especially given how crafty his former mentor was, so in the even of a twist he had a few backups in place. For now, though, he waited for his foe to arrive with his hidden fleet already on standby. With how the enemy would have to approach from hyperspace, the moon fleet would be nigh invisible to them.

((OOC: Fleet compositoin:

2 x Star Destroyer - 500
3 x Battlecruiser - 300
4 x Corvetter - 200

Total: 1000/1000))

@Gamov

 

[Gamov]

"Preparing to exit hyperspace in thirty seconds."

The bridge of the Lusankya was bathed in shifting hues of blue, Anya holding her rightful place on the command deck, a striking vision of calm amid the bustle of her crew. Alexei had done exactly as the Admiral had anticipated. Not content to rest on his laurels following his declaration of a new Empire, he had pushed the offensive to the very doorstep of the Empire: Saleucami.

"Admiral, numerous craft detected along our vector."

"Proceed on course. Prepare for Alpha Strike on my mark."

"Twenty seconds!"

The swirling veil of hypnotic light gradually began to ebb as the navigation officer counted off every strained second. A palpable anticipation overcame the bridge seconds before the Lusankya lurched back into real space. Arrayed ahead of them, the enemy fleet stretched across Saleucami's rusty surface like a ring of steel. Anya watched as their silhouettes grew in the viewports, the reports coming in from her crew as the advanced guard of her fleet dropped out of formation around the Lusankya; a pair of Avenger-class battlecruisers immediately appearing to flank the Admiral's ship.

"All ships reporting in, ma'am."

"All guns, open fire!"

All at once, the three ships opened fire in unison. A brilliant fan of green erupted from their line, a hail of turbolasers raining down over the opposing fleet. Even as the Lusankya poured relentless fire down on the unaware defenders, a cadre of new warships would emerge in her wake. Off her port bow emerged a pair of Leviathan-class corvettes, which quickly began scrambling their squadrons of X57 Ziost Starfighters and X57/b Ziost Bombers. As the last of the Lusaknya's barrage withered, her fore hangar bays opened to unleash a wave of additional X57 fighters, supported by agile X58 Assailant Interceptors; which were quick to form an effective screen against counter attack.

@Insalius​

Spoiler: OOC

Sorry for the crappy post. I'm near brain dead from work. If anything needs addressing, just let me know.

As far as ships go:

2 x Star Destroyer - 500
3 x Battlecruiser - 300
4 x Corvetter - 200

NOTE: fighters are for fluff. The main fight is between the big ships.

 

[Insalius]

An Alpha Strike, a classic move that was a favorite of his mentor. Kurtis gave a small smirk as the turbolasers began to rain down on his fleet, shields taking a beating from the barrage. “Fleet one, full shields to the fore. Reverse, full speed. If it’s faster, let the planet’s gravity well pull you away.” He turned to his communications officer, the view from the transparisteel showing them moving back from the enemy fleet. “Signal the second fleet. Give them our tactical data and have them perform Maneuver Shotgun. After they are finished have them move to flank the enemy vessels.” With a nod the process began, the Shistavanen turning back to look at his former mentor’s flagship. "Return fire full, keep their attention."


As the first fleet began to fire back their own turbolasers and missiles, a series of satellites that had been deployed before the battle relayed the orders and tactical information around the moon to its back, where the second fleet awaited. If Anya had been a bit more slow and cautious with her approach she may have noted that irregularity, yet it was Kurtis’ knowledge of her tendencies that had him take this risk. The Commander of that fleet nodded as he received his orders, giving each of his ships their directions. Maneuver Shotgun was yet untested, yet even a moderate success should shock the enemy enough to launch an effective counter-attack.


Maneuver Shotgun involved firing proton torpedos and assault concussion missiles on a trajectory that made them bend their path due to the gravity well of the moon. An inexact science, the best they could calculate for accuracy was the general vicinity of the enemy fleet. While only a few of the barrage would hit, a timer would be assigned to all missiles so that even if they don’t connect they will still explode amid the enemy ships. While some damage would be done, the chaos and possible destruction of the fighter craft was the true goal of the attack.


In short order, two volleys of the missiles had been launched. Without lock-on signatures, there would be little besides optical discovery that could be done to detect them coming from behind. The second fleet then began to move at full speed to flank Anya’s ships, their full contingent of interceptors and other starfighters screaming out to meet the enemy from behind. As the ships crested the horizon of the moon, Kurtis’ ships would launch their own fighters as his former mentor’s own had almost reached him. His main fleet was hurt, shields holding but with some bleed through on hits to his hulls, but his second fleet was fast approaching her rear and his maneuver should have caught her off guard. His next moves would be determined on her reaction.

 

[Gamov]

"The enemy fleet is pulling back."

Against any other commander, Anya might have sensed panic in retreat. But against a former commander of Inferno Squad, she knew better. Having hand picked every officer in her fleet, she was keenly aware of their individual capabilities; but none more so than Kurtis DuValle. His efficiency was matched only by his cunning, and she had little reason to suspect that the the hero of Ziost would be cowed so easily. Anya surmised his retreat must be a deliberate ploy meant to draw her in.

"Reduce speed and maintain heading. Forward shields to full."

The order went out to the other ships, each complying with the order to continue the advance even as they returned steady fire with Kurtis' ships. Damage reports began to bleed through the chatter as the enemy salvo pounded at their formation, but Anya had concerned herself more with trying to spot DuValle's trap. Almost as if on cue, the first frantic messages from the other commanders of her fleet came pouring in just as the barrage of missiles and torpedoes slammed into their formation.

Explosions and shrapnel ripped apart fighter formations and threw their ranks into chaos. Missiles detonated among their flanks like a deadly fireworks display even as sensors picked up the first signatures of Kurtis' reserve fleet cresting the lunar horizon. This was his hand, Anya was certain of it. While her crew wrestled to maintain order amid the vicious counter attack, the Admiral stood as calmly as ever, issuing her orders without the slightest hesitation.

"All craft ahead full. Initiate Uppercut."

As the Lusankya and her retinue of battlecruisers and corvettes - bruised and bloodied from the barrage - pressed forward to close the distance with Kurtis' fleet, Anya's own reserve fleet would emerge on the flanks of Kurtis' secondary fleet. Uppercut would involve the remainder of Sevchenko's fleet dropping out of hyperspace to engage Kurtis' reserves with another Alpha Strike. Led by the remaining Empyreal-class and Avenger-class battlecruisers, their guns would prioritize the Empyreal in Kurtis' formation, pouring a relentless hail of turbolasers over the ship as they emerged from hyperspace.

Even as Uppercut was executed, Anya would continue drawing her own fleet closer to DuValle's.

@Insalius​

 

[Insalius]

It was typical that Anya would one-up his own strategy, having half of her fleet still lying in wait to drop from Hyperspace behind his reinforcements. It was simple yet incredibly effective, a brute elegance to the whole maneuver. Even how his secondary fleet was being pounded by another Alpha Strike, their shields beginning to reach the critical point to where they would begin to fail. If something wasn’t done quickly, they would be left at the mercy of a surprise pincer attack and destroyed. If this worried the Commander, he didn’t show. No, in fact, he felt excited. This was exactly what he had expected from his former Mentor and he had just the devised stratagem to turn the tables on her.


“All fleets, flank speed ahead! Initiate Delta Strike!” It was an improvement on the basic Alpha Strike that Anya used to ensure an initial advantage, a show of how the Shistavanen would improve on the tactics of the past to gain an advantage in the future. The secondary fleet would keep rushing towards the first force that the former Admiral had arrived with, firing their full payloads at the smaller ships working up to the biggest. During this time Kurtis’ original fleet would also charge ahead, their course recklessly close to the enemy ships to pound them from the front. The point was to utterly devastate her front line and swap out the moderately damaged back line with the more critically damaged middle one that had been hit by her pincer maneuver. If this was pulled off correctly then nearly half of her forces should fall and her flagship would be heavily damaged.


The secondary fleet blazed ahead, their shields to the full behind them as they fired turbolasers, torpedos, concussion missiles, and ion cannons at the smaller ships before moving to the larger ones. The main fleet did the same, though with shields full to the fore, as Kurtis’ Hyperion flying close enough to the Lusankya to where he could see into the enemy’s bridge. He gave Anya a solemn nod, grateful for the bout yet remorseful that he had to fight her. Then he sped past, his fleet switching targets to fire on the newest arrivals with a full volley of ion cannon fire followed by a torpedo and missile barrage. Hopefully the ion fire would create enough holes in their shields to let the other ordinance cause decent damage, though the rain of turbolasers afterwards would help in keeping them off balance. The Secondary fleet would keep firing on what ships survived on Anya’s front line, though the Empyreal would begin to drift farther ahead due to the damage it had sustained. It was out of the fight, yet the Avengers and Leviathans were still operational to take out whatever managed to survive, using all their cannons and missiles to do so.

 

[Gamov]

The battlefield seemed to shift with the blink of an eye, the enemy fleet enveloping her own like a relentless tidal wave. Missiles and lasers blazed from both sides as Anya's forces put up a valiant fight, but there was little they could do to turn the tide of the battle. The panicked reports began to filter in, a trickle at first, then a flood as the smaller ships in her fleet fell prey to the enemy's withering barrage. Then the larger ships followed suit, the Avenger poised off the Lusaknya's starboard prow breaking apart beneath a devastating hail of missiles and turbolasers. The ships at her rear were likewise reporting significant damage, pleading with their Admiral to fall back before their voices too were silenced by the enemy guns.

Amidst it all, Anya could only watch as the catastrophe unfolded before her. Like a train wreck playing in slow motion, she was both awed and horrified by the results. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the destruction, even as her XO begged her to order the retreat. Yet Anya just stared... a dull, listless expression painting her features. She had failed, completely and utterly. She had turned her back on the Empire for the sake of one man's insanity, and for a brief moment she cursed Alexei's name. That foolish man and his ridiculous ambitions had led them to their deaths.

As her fleet lay in ruins, Anya suspected the killing blow would come to her any moment. The Lusankya was all but crippled, heavily damaged in the barrage, her crew keeping her alive just enough to limp along. It was a pitiful show, one which almost made Anya beg for death, if only to reclaim some meager shred of her former dignity in defeat. She could hear her crew speaking to her, yet their voices seemed so distant, like the far off din of a television. The world around her suddenly felt more surreal as the gravity of her situation finally began to sink in.

Casting her sullen gaze out onto Kurtis' waiting ships, the Admiral almost welcomed the final salvo that would finally put her out of her misery...

 

[Insalius]

The only flash that awaited Anya was from the forming of a hologram, a signal beamed directly into her bridge from Kurtis' flagship. He stood there, head hung yet with the posture she had browbeat into him during his time as her protégé. A Commander must always look like one when in command, otherwise the morale of the soldiers under their command will suffer. Despite those words, he couldn't seem to muster the full stance under the heaviness in his heart. He still respected Admiral Sevchenko, even though he had defeated her. He couldn't see or hear what was going on, so this was a one-way message meant just for her.

"I want to thank you, to start, for picking me up from the multitude of officers and seeing talent where many just saw a beast. If it wasn't for your mentoring, I'd never have made it this far. It'll be a debt that I can never repay, and I curse that we had to end up on opposite sides like this. Saying that, I don't blame you for your decision. I had a similar reason for mine in staying with the Sith. I respect your choice even as I lament it." He looked over, the muted words of his XO not quite making their way through. "In truth, if it weren't for the tactics you showed me during my time at your side, I would never have been able to devise the ones I used today. At the very least, your name will go down in history as one of the facilitators of the advancement of military strategy."

He sighed again as his attention was diverted, now the other voice coming in faintly. "The Lusankya has lost all combat functionality. It seems only their engines and hyperdrive remain fully functional. Should we finish them off, sir?" Kurtis glanced behind him, out the bridge and towards Anya's damaged flagship. "No, we have other priorities. Begin tending to the wounded and picking up any escape pods, from either fleet. All prisoners are to be treated with respect until their trials, is that clear?" An affirmative was heard as the orders rang out across his bridge. The Shistavanen looked back at the recorder for the hologram, hoping that Anya had heard what he had said.

"Please, go. You'll probably hate me, and it's another sin I'll bear until I die. Just like Coruscant, and Ziost. At the very least, I'll continue on your legacy." From his pocket he produced the insignia he had gotten from Admiral Sevchenko so long ago, the emblem of the Inferno Squadron. He fixed it to his chest, prominent and proud. "If it is the Empire's fate to fall, then at the very least I'll make sure it goes out as an explosion instead of a fading wisp. As always, everything I do is for the glory of Inferno Squad. Please, leave and watch where the galaxy goes from here. I'll do my best to make you proud." With one last, crisp salute, Kurtis DuValle turned off the hologram as his ship began to leave the proximity to hers. The way for her escape was now clear. All she had to do was give the order and she could leave with her one remaining ship and crew.