[HLD_Prophecy]

@crizza: I had my suspicions when the name White Scars came up. Next few sentences confirmed it. "Khan" was just icing on the cake. 
*************************
Guderian nodded.

"It is this, then: a ceasefire between our forces for now. A breaking of that bargain spells forfeit for either side. I am intrigued by the opportunity to investigate the Ross 128 node - I'm sure you realize by now that answers mean as much to us as they do to you."

"I make a final, brief request of you... as you can see we are without fighter support. You know as well as anyone the difference that a mere handful of strikecraft can make in regards to tactical flexibility, engagement options... chances are likely that I can find a few moderately capable pilots among my men. In return for our investigating the node, would you care to lend us one fighter, two if you can spare them? Understand that I am not requesting that you hand over your best hardware. Our pilots would only be trained on the Loki for certain, possibly Myrmidons or Zeus as well. A Medusa or old Hercules would be our next choice. Might you have a few dated spaceframes left? One fighter would serve well, a fighter and a bomber, perhaps two fighters or two bombers..."
*************************

[crizza]

19th Battlegroup, Delta Serpentis

Arvida was relieved that Guderian was finally in an agreeing mood. His offer and request however, that would be another question altogether.

“Commodore Guderian, we will honour that cease fire, but you must understand one thing: The NTF is dead and gone. Flying around in these ships will get you killed faster than you may think. Strikecraft or not.
The 19th is just one Battlegroup. While it doesn’t include the new Hyperion cruisers, this is standard GTVA tech by now.
Fenris is nowadays are used as a target or patrol cruiser. The Leviathan as a defence ship. Loki’s are no longer in active use by the GTVA, Herc’s likewise.
The Myrmidon is being phased out, but we have several frames on the Skiron, our logistic ship.”

Arvida paused in her monologue for just a moment.

“The Admiral will return shortly from the Nightfall, I will speak with him. But how will you service even a wing of Myrmidons? You have no support ship, no hangar etc. Your pilots would need to land them either on the Hecates or the Diomedes corvettes.”

She sighed, this would make things difficult.

“And there is another thing. I’ll forward you the current ship database of the GTVA, just descriptions and weaponry, so you can catch up.”

And realize how outclassed you really are, Arvida thought for herself.

“The 5th Battlegroup centred around the Agamemnon and Implacable are moving to this system. These are no Hecates or Orions, they are Erebus destroyers and Titan strike carriers. The Phoenicia and Vengeance have been upgraded to that standard, but these new ships outclass them. Additionally, the 17th is also transferring to Sol, so the Pallas, another Titan, and the Ilium, a Hecate are coming. This system will soon teem with ships.”

A signal informed her, that the shuttle of Christopher and Ramses had returned. The crew of the Nightfly had agreed to stay on friendly terms and agreed, that the Admiral had business on his own ship. To stress this, there was an incoming communication from Delta Serpentis HQ, most likely the GTD Messana or Requiem. For a squadron of outdated ships belonging to a hostile government, Delta Serpentis was not the safest place to be. Part of Arvida suspected the 5th Cruiser squadron would simply vanish to Ross 128, but that would find them facing the 1st Battlegroup.
However she looked at the current situation, their best chances would be to stick with the 19th.

“You should really come over and we talk this through.”

[HLD_Prophecy]

*******************************
Guderian sighed, the exhausted sigh of a man with just as much on his mind as the person he was facing.

"Ma'am. I respectfully remind you that the NTF is not 'dead and gone'. Not as long as we are here. If we are the last remnants of the rebellion, then be that as you say; but we are still neo-terrans."

"With that said and recognized on your part, your concern for our safety in or outside of GTVA space is appreciated but wholly unnecessary. Should you care if a flight of decades-old cruisers and their supposdely long-dead crew care to risk their lives? We will not harm you as you will not harm us."

"From your perspective," he almost spat at the feed with suddence vehemence. "From your perspective, wouldn't it be to your advantage for us to get ourselves killed?"

"We want answers. We will risk ourselves to get them. Ross 128 is as good a place to look as any; you know that is where we first encountered the Shivan race."

"I do not think we should meet in person yet, not in the interests of time. The clock is ticking at this point. As for the fightercraft, I thank you. Two Myrmidons should serve our purposes just fine. You should be aware that we have done this before. Long-haul operations usually necessitate fighter cover. My Argo transports have multiple docking ports, any of which can hold a Myrmidon. Exiting, boarding, and maintaining the craft is tricky and time-consuming but it has certainly been done. We have practice. I will also take advantage of that documentation you offered - my thanks again."


"So here you have it - a badly 'outdated' task force from a bygone decade made up of your former enemies. This task force has offered you a ceasefire and is fully willing to expend themselves to gather information that you can use. Is the choice really that difficult on your part?"
********************************

Servicing fighters through docking ports (usually of an auxiliary or cruiser) is done in certain campaigns. It's obviously time-consuming but not entirely implausible.

[Assassin714]

A Cain-class cruiser, accompanied by 4 Maras, 4 Astaroths, 4 Basilisks, and 4 Nahemas, emerges from the Sol Gate. The Cain charges its primary beam cannon and targets the nearest Terran warship. The Astaroths take a defensive formation around the Cain, while the Nahemas and Basilisks attack the Cain's target. The Maras escort the Nahemas.

Potential battle difficulty rating: EASY

[crizza]

Offtopic: So, no message from Steele then? I don't write this out this time. But the Alamut, a Bellerophon corvette has the range advantage, with the Ice Queen having a range of 8250m, doing 33k damage in one pulse and the two Aurora Wakes ranging 6750m and clocking in at 19800 damage per pulse. So a Bellerophon should vaporize a Cain without breaking a sweat.  The escorting fighters will hold. They will fire their Trebuchets at maximum range, Nahemas before bombs, Basilisks before Maras. The Alamut will turn to bring her defense turrets to bear, but only after the Cain is destroyed.

19th Battlegroup, Delta Serpentis

Arvida nodded.
“Very well, you shall have your two Myrmidons then. Standard weaponry as in Subach Hl-7 and Prometheus, with Tornados? Send an Argo to the Skiron, they’ll prepare the fighters. Good luck Commodore.”
Arvida was about to add something, when a priority message from Centaur Station cut through.

“Vice Admiral, something is coming through the node. If Sensors are trusted, it is shivan!”
Arvida punched a button on the console and sirens began to blare again. With Asasiyun having redeployed towards the jump gate, between them they were guarded by two squadrons: The 121st Green Knights, flying Atalanta-class space superiority fighters, armed with Balor/Kayser as primaries and a full bank of Harpoons, while the 365th Fighting Griffins flew Nyx class fighters, armed with Balor, Harpoons and Trebs. With three wings on each squadron on active duty, one wing of each had been ordered to run escort mission for the three corvettes. Standard procedure once again, but as it looked, a good choice.
After the NTF squadron had arrived, Arvida had actually ordered the battlegroup away from the jump gate and although the ships were redeploying, only Asasiyun where at the node, they and Centaur station. 2nd Corvette Division and Sardaukar Squadron were escorting the two logistic ships and an AWACs. While the rest was in formation around the two Hecates. The bow of the Phoenicia still pointed at the node, but they were at least twice the range of the Ice Queen arrays range out from the jump gate.

Arvida hated times like these. The moment before a fight began, time seemed to slow. She knew the enemy was coming but was damned to wait. Her own elite squadron of Sphinx class fighters, the 314th Black Knights were moving into position in front and above the battlegroup. Already the AWACs Norma had taken control of their huge missile bays, scanning for targets which had not arrived.
The Sphinx fighter was an oddity, even for herself. Christopher however loved them, yet they were station on the Vengeance and not the Phoenicia. In essence, the Sphinx was a huge block of engines and a cockpit, with rows upon rows of missile banks and a sensor suit. Designed to work with AWACs ships, a single Sphinx should in theory be able to kill an attacking wave of bombers. The fighter was a true missile boat, slaved to an AWACs, it could fire dozens of Trebs at once.

“Incoming subspace signature!”
Arvida cut the feed off. Out of the Sol jump gate a single Cain emerged, escorted by 4 Maras, Astaroths, Basilisk and Nahemas each. Already the Cain was bleeding off speed and manoeuvring to bring it’s beam cannon to bear at one of the corvettes. Unfortunately, it chose the GTCv Alamut.
The skipper of the Bellerophon class corvette calmly gave the order. Keeping it’s escorts with him, which dutifully waited for the Maras, Basilisks and Nahemas closing in for the Alamut, the corvettes single Ice Queen beam woke. Outranging the Cain with twice the range, the beam fired as the Cain came into range. For four seconds the beam fired straight between the three arms of the Cain. Should the Cain survive this, which Arvida doubted, the two Aurora Wake beams would most likely finish it.
In the meantime, the Green Knights waited for the Nahemas to stray into the range of their Trebuchet missiles.

[Assassin714]

Offtopic: So, no message from Steele then?

Did you completely miss my last post?

https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=95244.msg1878452#msg1878452

I don't write this out this time. But the Alamut, a Bellerophon corvette has the range advantage, with the Ice Queen having a range of 8250m, doing 33k damage in one pulse and the two Aurora Wakes ranging 6750m and clocking in at 19800 damage per pulse. So a Bellerophon should vaporize a Cain without breaking a sweat.  The escorting fighters will hold. They will fire their Trebuchets at maximum range, Nahemas before bombs, Basilisks before Maras. The Alamut will turn to bring her defense turrets to bear, but only after the Cain is destroyed.

Battle Report: The Cain fails to get within range to fire its primary cannon before it is perforated by multiple beams from the GTVA corvette. As the cruiser begins to break apart, the Astaroths scatter and join the Maras in escorting the bombers. They head straight for the Alamut, ignoring the other corvettes. Two of the Nahemas are destroyed by Trebuchets before they can enter torpedo range. One of the Astaroth - class fighters maneuvers itself in between another Nahema and an incoming pair of Trebuchets, taking the hit for it. The Astaroth evaporates in a cloud of debris. The fourth Nahema evades the missiles. The two remaining Nahemas begin firing fast, but relatively low-yield warheads at the Alamut. The Basilisks join in by launching salvos of swarm missiles, aiming to take out as many of the corvette's defensive turrets as possible. The Maras and remaining Astaroths continue escorting the Nahemas, engaging the GTVA fighters guarding the corvette.

Battle still in progress.

[crizza]

Offtopic: So, I looked at the turret placement of the Bellerophon in FRED. Four of the five Pulse cannon turrets can engage the Shivans at range. Likewise two of the six AAAfs are placed on the broadside like I think three of the ten Terran Turret 2s. Note that the AAAf seems to have an upgraded range of 1800m.



19th Battlegroup, Delta Serpentis

As expected, the Cain didn’t last long. But where the White Scars had made short work of the Dragons, the Green Knights and Fighting Griffins struggled. Destroying two Nahemas and an Astaroth, the rest of the Shivan fighters came on undaunted.
With the Nahemas launching bombs and the Basilisks starting to fire swarm missiles at the Alamut, the Corvette turned to unshadow her defensive turrets.  Four of the five turrets containing pulse cannons open up at the shivan fighters once they come within their range of 2000m. At a range of 1800m the two Phalanx antifighter beams engage the enemies. Last but not least, at a range of 1650m the Super Houndtooth start firing at the bombs.
The four Nyx switched targets expertly towards the clumsy Basilisks, firing two Trebuchets at each of them, before engaging the Maras and Astaroths with their Balor primaries and Harpoons. All the while the four Atalantas dogfight with the Astaroths and Maras, alternating between their Balors and Kaysers as the opportunity arise, while chugging out Harpoons. Also, since the Balors are rather energy efficient, they divert energy to shields and engines.

Arvida looked at the unfurling battle, when Lt. Wilson spoke up.

“Vice Admiral, we have a response from Sol… you need to hear this!”

Arvida didn’t like the tone of Wilson. Normally composed, he almost sounded afraid, add to that the fact him playing the message on the bridge wide speaker spoke volumes.

"Syrgalla? Oh thank God! This is Rear Admiral Mitchell. We thought we had completely lost contact. There are goddamn Shivans here! Repeat, Sol is swarming with Shivans! They showed up out of nowhere just a few hours ago. We lost the Atreus to a shock jump tactic in the first few minutes. Admiral Steele is presumed dead.

We need any reinforcements you can send! We've agreed to a ceasefire with the UEF, but they're taking a pounding too. Word is they also lost one of their destroyers.

The Shivans seem to be striking random targets all over the system. So far, we've counted 9 Shivan destroyers, and there are even reports of a Juggernaut. We just repelled an assault on Mars, but we can't hold out much longer if they keep this up. We need assistance immediately!"

Arvidas mouth opened and closed several times. Surely that must be a joke? Shivans in Sol, how the hell had they pulled this off? Then she remembered the subspace fluctuation. Maybe they had somehow altered subspace to jump directly into the system?

Turning around as the door opened, she looked at the face of her husband. Normally composed and easy-going, his facial expression was grim and determined.

“Composure Lieutenant Wilson. Forward this message to Delta Serpentis HQ. Order the battlegroup to form up, 1st Corvettes and Crusader Squadron together with escort fighters and the Edric are to lead us in.”

Christopher had just finished getting out of his armour and as such his uniform was all crumpled.

“And someone kill these shivan bastards! I want that gate secured and ready!”

Relaying his orders, the Hassan-i Sabbah and Rashid ad-Din Sinan activated their drives. With their Nyx wings staying with them, the Atalantas shunted all energy to engines and raced towards the Alamut.
With a rumble, the massive engines of the Pheonicia woke.

“Arvida… you should return to the Vengeance.”

Looking at his wife, the Admiral saw the conflict in her. She was a strong woman, but right now she looked afraid. As she passed him, he grabbed her hand and gave her a hug.

“Stay save and we’ll be though this in no time.”

Arvida snorted.

“Seven destroyers and a Sath? We’ll be hailed as saviours of the GTVA!”

Still, Arvida seemed unwilling to break the embrace, yet knowing her duty, she pulled away and smiled at Christopher before leaving the bridge.

With the screen showing the Battlegroup lining up for subspace transit, Christopher watched White Scar squadron burning past the Phoenicia to join battle once again. Sighing, he opened another subspace comm channel, not even caring that the channel was not encrypted.

“Rear-Admiral Mitchel, this is Admiral Schulz. Hold the line! We are coming, but we need a safe haven. Is Neptune HQ still secure?”

Leaving the channel open, he hailed Delta Serpentis HQ, while noticing the 5th cruiser squadron.

“HQ, this is Admiral Schulz. We will leave for Sol once the gate is secured. Redeploy the Messana to the node at once! And inform the 5th and 17th of our situation. If Admiral Steele is truly gone, we need reinforcements ASAP! And these ships currently with me, they are not to be harmed until they turn hostile! Schulz out!”

Thinking what to do with the Nightfly and the 5th, he shrugged.

“Commodore Guderian, I fear you are on your own from here. I cannot guaranty your safety, but if you can link up and check the status of the 1st Battlegroup in Ross 128, I would appreciate this.”

Multitasking without even realizing it, he sent the Nightfly a short-written message, informing them about his next steps: Traveling to Sol, engaging the enemy. As with the 5th, he did not presume to give them orders, but left it to them to join them or remain in Delta Serpentis.

[Assassin714]

Battle Report: Two of the Basilisks are destroyed by the corvette's defensive turrets shortly after they begin firing. One more is destroyed by a Trebuchet salvo. The fourth Basilisk manages to take cover behind the Alamut, causing the two Trebuchets tracking it to instead impact and detonate on the corvette's hull. The Basilisk begins strafing the corvette with primaries and swarm missiles, but is soon dispatched by the defensive turrets.

All but one of the Nahemas' bombs are shot down. The one bomb that impacts the Alamut does only minor damage. One of the remaining Nahemas is destroyed by anti-fighter beams, and the last one, heavily damaged, hits its afterburners to gain distance from the corvette and circle around for another bombing run.

Two Astaroths and two Maras are destroyed in the initial dogfighting. One Atalanta is destroyed by a Mara, while another Atalanta takes heavy damage and is forced to retreat. A combined laser and missile strike from an Astaroth and Mara manages to disable one of the Nyx fighters as well as reducing its hull to critical levels, before the two Shivan fighters are destroyed.

Remaining Shivan Forces:

1 SB Nahema (17% hull integrity, 32% shield integrity)

1 SF Astaroth (100% hull integrity, 72% shield integrity)

2 SF Mara (100% and 85% hull integrity, 45% and 30% shield integrity, respectively).

GTCV Alamut status: 91% hull integrity. 2 Pulse Turrets and 2 Houndtooth turrets destroyed.

Battle still in progress.

You receive a transmission from Sol:

"Neptune HQ is secure for now, Admiral, but the Shivans have a strong presence near the node, and they'll be waiting for you when you arrive. We'll spare as many ships as we can to try to clear you a path, but you should expect to take a few losses. One more thing - these Shivans seem to be disorganized. They don't seem to have a clear plan - it's sort of like the behavior they showed towards the end of the Great War after the Lucifer was taken out. If I had to guess, I'd say they're just as surprised to be here as we were to encounter them. Their ships and weapons are also nearly identical to what we faced in Capella - no noticeable improvements. Now that they've lost the element of surprise, we should be able to win this with the aid of your battlegroup. Please make haste, though."

[HLD_Prophecy]

Hey all, I'll be taking a break from the forums/Discord for now. Probably return a day or so after Christmas.  Won't be back to this topic until then!

Looks like things happened a bit fast. Let's assume that I picked up those Myrmidons in time before you really had to get moving.

*******************************

Guderian chose not to re-open the comms feed, seeing that the 19th was extremely busy. Instead he opted to send a final voice package to be received at Syrghalla's discretion:

"Rear Admiral,  let me express my fulsome appreciation for your most generous donation of strikecraft. We will move to Ross 128 and see what we can find. Our task group will maintain contact as necessary and report what findings we can. Godspeed."

"And, as a parting comment - I would recommend you cease playing with that throwing knife while on the feed. It makes you look like an angsty teenager - or someone who prides themselves on their mindgames. You have my regards."

Grinning slightly, Commodore Guderian sent the package over. He closed the comms console and sat down.

****************************

Guderian wanted - no, needed - a long, long rest. He wanted nothing mroe than to rest his head in his hands and drowse for an hour, dwelling on his concerns. With a monumental effort, he tore himself away. What his crew needed now was morale!

"Quartermaster, on deck!"

"Sir?"

"I want an extra ration of light beer issued to all hands at the conclusion of their next shift - and get the men something special for dinner!"

The quartermaster couldn't stop the grin from nearly splitting his face. He wasn't alone.

"And pass the word to the other vessels!"

Guderian picked up the comms chip again: "All crew of the 5th, this is the Commodore: I will explain the situation as it stands..."

The 5th prepared to jump to the Ross 128 node.

*******************************

[HLD_Prophecy]

PS: I'll take the Myrmidons armed as you suggested, thanks.  Hope you don't mind if I cheeze it a bit and assume that the Subachs are in the 4 mount, Prometheus R in the 2 mount? All Tornadoes?  Just for a little extra help.

[bomb3rman]

Fisher watched the ongoing second battle after his guests had left the Nightfly. As the shivans emerged from subspace, he shouted the ususal commands.

"All stations, code red! Prepare tertiary turrets for bomb and fighter interception! Give more power to the bio armor, in case we get hit by something!"  Fisher doubted that these few ships could make it through these gtva corvettes, but just to be save.

"Sally, I want every camera to film these shivans. Let's gather as much information about their combat behaviour as possible... I fear that we'll need it."

As the fighting went on, Fisher had to admire the effeciancy of this battlegroup. They knew how to position their capital ships, and as the Shivan cruiser went down without firing its own beam, he felt lucky that he had the chance to talk to Schulz without a fight.

He listened to the chatter over the comm channel. At one point, he became suspicious. The battlegroup seemed to be heading through the Sol node, while these NTF ships wanted to look at the Ross 128 node.

"If we want to find out whats going on with these subspace disturbances, we should have a look at the third node, Beta Aquilae.", he thought.

He opened the comm channel to send a message to both Guderian and Schulz. "Ok people, looks like you can hold out on your own here. We will heat up our engines, reroute the Power and see if there's something suspicious at the Beta Aquilae node. Good luck to you all, we will call you once we found out more. And thank you for your map, Schulz. We really appreciate it. Fisher out."
Then he sighted. "Marcus, tell me something positive. What's the status of the engine? Can we jump and defend ourselved after that?"

"Everything seemes normal, we're not at 100 percent and could still need some new alloys, but we're fine for now."

"Alright, people, prepare for a jump to the Beta Aquilae node!"

[HLD_Prophecy]

Hey all 

Just a quick update copy/pasted over from another topic: I'm racing to get a few different mod projects done. In addition I've come down with a bothersome fever and a typical migraine headache (I get those a lot! ). I'm a bit low on time and energy so I'm putting this topic on hold for a while until I can collect my thoughts. Sorry if this ends up delaying the story, although I think crizza, bomberman, and others can continue their sides of the story for a bit while I "get things sorted" at the Ross 128 node - in other words our dialogues diverge here so maybe we're all not waiting on eachother to reply so much. 

[Assassin714]

I can tell you what you'll find at the node if you like, as it's not really anything that requires immediate action.

[Autohummer]

-Phuur-Nan Expedition, Unknown System#2, Unknown Galaxy (Presumed)-

And, a moment later, as if after some deliberation, the mysterious interloper replied. The blinking cursor moved two lines down and began typing by itself.

WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE TEMPORARY DISRUPTION OF YOUR SYSTEMS. INTERFACING WITH YOUR COMPUTERS REQUIRED SOME TRIAL AND ERROR.

WE REPRESENT THE MAHASU COALITION. WE WISH TO NEGOTIATE A TRADE OF RESOURCES, TECHNOLOGY, AND INFORMATION.

AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL, WE WILL ALLOW YOU TO ASK US FOUR QUESTIONS, WHICH WE WILL ANSWER TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE, WITHOUT ANY PAYMENT. IS THIS AGREEABLE?

"The Mahasu Coalition.... This is the name they call themselves," Shaked said.

"From the looks of it, they are traders, like the Bentusi," Raonaid said. "And we met in almost the same circumstances the Mothership fleet first met the Bentusi, too. I don't want to read too much into it, but I am sure it'll be interesting to quite a few storytellers."

"I miss the Bentusi sometimes, it's hard to believe they're already gone," Ferdi said. "Half a year ago the Bentus was still hauling around the galaxy peddling hyper-advanced tech to upstart nations. But enough of that, we've got our four freebie questions to ask."

"'Where are we?' is the obvious thing to ask," Shaked said.

"Agreed," Raonaid said. "We'll want to know how and why they came to our galaxy all of a sudden, and in case they knew something that help us fight the Vaygr or solve the Progenitor mystery, let's ask them which races they know."

"That leaves us with just one more question, unless they treated how and why as two separate questions," Ferdi said. "If they're that stringy, though, I doubt they would have much goodwill for us."

"Don't worry, for those who were with the old Phuur-Nan, you know how we deal with shady, dodgy merchant types, right?" Raonaid said.

"I hope it does not involve shooting," Ferdi said. "They seem to have an edge over us at that regard."

"No, we just give them the silent treatment. Shooting and expending ammunition unnecessarily is bad for business, even if you were a merc.... Well, then I know the last question to ask, 'what do you do?'"

"There we go then captain, no need to wait for us to nod our heads, this isn't a democracy."

"This isn't a monarchy either, besides, the more heads the merrier. All right...."

Raonaid put her hands on the keyboard and typed:


Sure, that sounds good. We would like to ask:

1) Where are we?
2) What do you do?
3) How and why did you send ships to our galaxy?
4) Which races do you have knowledge of?

and waited for the cursor to move.

[HLD_Prophecy]

I can tell you what you'll find at the node if you like, as it's not really anything that requires immediate action.

Sure, if that's ok! I'd assume I would find a GTVA task force, although whether or not they're engaged fighting off Shivans? Can I know what's in Ross 128 yet, if anything?

[Assassin714]

I can tell you what you'll find at the node if you like, as it's not really anything that requires immediate action.

Sure, if that's ok! I'd assume I would find a GTVA task force, although whether or not they're engaged fighting off Shivans? Can I know what's in Ross 128 yet, if anything?

Well obviously the GTVA does have a presence at the node, but the node itself is currently inaccessible, and has been since the subspace anomaly that isolated this system. However, according to the GTVA science vessels studying, it is steadily regaining stability and will be safely traversable in under 12 hours, at the current rate.

In about four hours it may be possible to send a small unmanned probe through.

[HLD_Prophecy]

I can tell you what you'll find at the node if you like, as it's not really anything that requires immediate action.

Sure, if that's ok! I'd assume I would find a GTVA task force, although whether or not they're engaged fighting off Shivans? Can I know what's in Ross 128 yet, if anything?

Well obviously the GTVA does have a presence at the node, but the node itself is currently inaccessible, and has been since the subspace anomaly that isolated this system. However, according to the GTVA science vessels studying, it is steadily regaining stability and will be safely traversable in under 12 hours, at the current rate.

In about four hours it may be possible to send a small unmanned probe through.

Cool thanks! I will return to this topic when I have a moment to do so.

[HLD_Prophecy]

Please see the following topic: https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=95403

I'm sorry for the abrupt cancellation, I hope things can continue all right without me. I wasn't planning to continue my part in the thread, I might consider returning later? but for the moment I'm out. Enjoy! 

[crizza]

Edit: I've updated and will continue to update my post at the starting topic to include Strikecraft wings/squadrons.
https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=95086.msg1875778#msg1875778

19th Battlegroup, Delta Serpentis

With the rest of the Green Knights burning hard to reach the skirmish at the node, the eight fighters with the GTCv Alamut finally engaged. With disbelief Fighting Griffon lead watched one Basilisk getting blown to smithereens by his Trebs, while the last managed to hit his burners in the last second, narrowly evading the Trebs which detonate on the Alamut’s hull.

The comm was alive with chatter of the pilots.

In her cockpit Green Knight 2 watches a Nahema getting shredded by Anti Fighter beams, but realising too late, that a Mara had lined up behind her. Evading one missile, her Atalanta is being hit repeatedly by the Mara. With shields failing, hull integrity dropping and another missile alarm screaming, Green Knight 2 remembers the words of the Admiral upon welcoming his air wing:

“Each of you is a skilled fighter but make no mistake: While you fly very expensive crafts, you’re worth more than your ships. A Fighter can be replaced, a pilot not!”

With the alarm growing more urgent, Green Knight 2 punches the ejection mechanism.

“Green Knight 2, ejecting!”

Time seemed to be slowing down, as first the canopy gets blown away and afterwards, Green Knight 2 is being propelled into the cold void. Engaging her emergency thruster, she begins putting distance between herself and the combat, heading for the Battlegroup.

Fighting Griffon 3 and 4 however are fighting for their dear life, as Green Knight 4 is breaking off to retreat, heavily damaged. As Fighting Griffon 3s Nyx is taking a severe beating by a Mara and Astaroth, being disabled in the process, Fighting Griffon 4 manages to destroy the Mara with primaries and the Astaroth with secondaries.

While Fighting Griffon 1, 2 and 4 gang up on the two remaining Maras, chasing them down with Balor and Harpoon fire, Green Knight 1 and 3 take on the Astaroth with the same weapons.
All the while White Scar squadron is racing at 210ms to join combat, ready to take a clear shot at the remaining Nahema with their Trebs. Likewise, the eight remaining Atalantas of the Green Knights are closing in at 170ms, ready to engage anything with Harpoons and Balors.

On the bridge of the Phoenicia Admiral Schulz had watched the combat in grim silence. Ramses and his life warden had joined him, with Ramses being busy with long range communications, most likely with the Emperor himself.

As Green Knight 2 explodes, Christopher winced, dispatching a SAR ship to pick the pilot up.

Lt. Wilson, having come to terms with the situations, informs him of another message from Rear Admiral Mitchell. Nodding towards Wilson, the message is relayed to his own comm piece in his ear:

“"Neptune HQ is secure for now, Admiral, but the Shivans have a strong presence near the node, and they'll be waiting for you when you arrive.
We'll spare as many ships as we can to try to clear you a path, but you should expect to take a few losses.

 One more thing - these Shivans seem to be disorganized. They don't seem to have a clear plan - it's sort of like the behavior they showed towards the end of the Great War after the Lucifer was taken out.
 If I had to guess, I'd say they're just as surprised to be here as we were to encounter them. Their ships and weapons are also nearly identical to what we faced in Capella - no noticeable improvements.
Now that they've lost the element of surprise, we should be able to win this with the aid of your battlegroup. Please make haste, though."

Nodding to himself he thought for a moment.

“Rear Admiral, I need to know what I will face. I need either a GTVA or UEF stealth wing to scout the node, failing that, I’ll send my own Pegasi. Besides, do you have anything able to vector in subspace strikes? The Phoenicia can soften up enemy targets.”

Closing the channel, he opens another one.

“99th Warring Amazons, prepare to deploy. I want two wings of Pegasus out of the hangar bay ASAP. Two Pegasi will swap their second missile bank with a targeting pod. You will recon the node and are to not engage any enemies. Once confirmed, I need you to vector in Eos torpedos at shivan beam cannons.”

Closing this channel as well, he nodded to himself. The 99th Warring Amazons had been handpicked by their Captain, for skill and ability to follow orders to the letter. Having demanded the squadron name, their captain had created an all-women squadron.

The targeting pod was a recent addition to the rooster of strikecraft systems. Being installed into a secondary weapons bay, once activated the fighter just needed to point a tight beam at a target. The Eos Torpedo had been upgraded to home in on the endpoint of the beam, thus being guided to mission critical targets. Besides, the targeting pods transmitted targeting data directly to the Eos via subspace communications.

Christopher just hoped that the rumoured Sathanas was not blockading the node.
Nine destroyers with attendant capital assets would prove a challenge, but he trusted on his own battlegroup to pull this off.

[Assassin714]

Battle Report: The remaining Nahema launches a salvo of twin warheads at the Alamut, but they are both intercepted by the corvette's point defenses before impact, although the bomber manages to score several hits with its primaries. The Nahema is shortly thereafter destroyed by a Trebuchet strike from one of the Dracos. The Astaroth and one of the Maras are destroyed by primary cannon fire from the Nyx fighters, while the remaining Mara suddenly hits its afterburners and begins a suicidal run at the Alamut, firing all of its weapons at the corvette. It is destroyed by a combination of defensive turret fire and a pair of Harpoon missiles from an Atalanta.

GTCV Alamut status: 90% hull integrity. 2 pulse turrets and 2 Houndtooth turrets destroyed.

Battle Result: GTVA Victory

You receive a transmission from Rear Admiral Mitchell:

"Long range sensors show that they have at least one destroyer at the node, and at least half a dozen smaller warships. Unfortunately, we can't spare any assets right now, as we're too busy holding down the fort here. As for the Feds, they don't exactly take orders from us, but they did indicate that they are going to send something to help out at the node - they weren't clear on exactly what, though. We'll keep you posted."