[Episode One] Gateway of Hopes
Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 4:27 pm
The Planet Terra IV was so named because it was the fourth planet found to have Earth-like characteristics. As such, it had been turned into a Beautiful paradise, and had been the center of Terran trade and commerce, and, for a while, had been able to hold its own against what had once been considered a friend. For fourteen years, this Gem had been slowly turned into a defiant rock. From a glorious Metropolis, to a hardened military complex, it had become a symbol of hope for the Terran Peoples. After the loss of their Homeworld, the loss of the other two Terras, Terra IV had stood.
When, Fourteen years ago, the Drathonians had attacked, had turned on their greatest allies, had destroyed so many planets, demolished so many colonies, had murdered so many of their former friends, a single shuttle had been able to slip through in time to warn the Fourth Planet in the Terran Empire, and they fought back. They survived. For the few Terrans left, the few planets still clean of the Drathonians, it was a beacon. And it was under siege.
For Five of the last Fourteen years, Terra IV had been completely surrounded. It's gate, taken over. The few ships capable of making it there could not be spared, as they would be destroyed before they could help. Planetary defenses, so ensconced in armor as to be almost impenetrable, Orbital platforms covered in more guns than was strictly necessary turned the Planet into a veritable porcupine. A few ships, much beleaguered, had held the line firm for those five years. But, a single planet could only support this level of defense for so long, and time was running out.
They were getting Desperate, those left on Terra IV. They wouldn't tell the other planets and colonies, but time and again they had pleaded with the new Government- The United Terran Republic- To come and rescue them. But there wasn't enough resources. The Terrans lacked the power, they lacked the people, the tools. Until now.
A Flash appeared, far enough away that the limited Sensors could not likely see it as much more than a flash. Flashes were common enough in that area- Asteroids and other small celestial bodies often crashed into one another, some of them containing elements that could explode, so it was ignored. This flash, however, was a Starship. Most starships only carried one type of FTL travel, that being Warp. Warp travel was nice and safe, but, despite being faster than light, it was slow, only useful for traveling to destinations within a star system or two. Otherwise, the Fold gates were the method of travel. Instantaneous transport from one gate to the other, the Fold gates had revolutionized Commerce when invented, and been a staple of the economy for several hundred years. But Terra IV's Fold Gate was firm in the scaled hands of the Drathonians, though it had been locked so not even they could use it.
However, there was a third type of faster than light travel, One that was fast enough to make Interstellar travel possible for a ship on its own, but it was dangerous. One needed a Powerful ship for this third method, known as Hyperspace. And the Terrans had such a ship. That ship was the aforementioned flash of light. It was a new type of ship-class, a 'Cruiser' in that it was able to cruise the infinite abyss on its own. Few ships carried the title of 'Cruiser', and this ship was the largest of the type- It was a Battleship, or, as the naming scheme had been changed to for expedience- A Battlecruiser.
This particular ship had a name. The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Aptly named the Terra Class Battlecruiser, it in and of itself was the song now sang by Terrans around the Galaxy, a song of hope, of strength, of unity, of Power. And yet despite all its power and glory, the Hymn was all but helpless by itself against an entire siege force. But, it had something that could help, that would change the tide. Strategy.
* * * * * *
The first thing that this Battle Hymn of the republic did, was power down. Everything on the ship went into emergency status. The generator was toned down to the minimum output necessary to run the basic vital functions of the ship. A Hangar door was opened, and three ships set off, these ships also had special advantages- the best available Stealth technology. An Iroquois-class scout carrier, the class to which they all belonged, was essential for this operation, for its ability to hide itself in plain sight.
About half an hour after the Hymn had entered the system, the scout carriers had arrived at their destination- The System's Fold gate. The plan was simple- offload a small company of marines, and sneak aboard the Fold gate, taking control of it, and activating it, so that the Terran fleet, waiting at one of the other two gates Accessible from here, could jump in, and break the siege, freeing Terra IV, and dealing a heavy blow to the Drathonians.
The Scout carrier paused, just a scant hundred meters from the side of the gate, and opened its own hangar doors, revealing the Marine company, decked out in full Savior Combat armor, each carrying a Standard Gauss Utility Rifle.
One of the helmeted figures- somewhat taller than the rest, stood in front of the squads gathered there- next to him, other figures stood in front of other squads, each one giving one final rundown to his or her marines.
"Alright. On the signal, we'll all launch the harpoon lines on our rifles, and attach to the Fold gate, then reel in until we've made contact, at which point, we need to find a way in, find the control center, and turn on the gate. Any resistance we meet is to be eliminated immediately, got it?" The Speaker was a young man, in his early twenties- a Sergeant by the name of Kai Nakamura. "You have exactly thirty seconds to ask me a question before we jump." he added, quickly.
When, Fourteen years ago, the Drathonians had attacked, had turned on their greatest allies, had destroyed so many planets, demolished so many colonies, had murdered so many of their former friends, a single shuttle had been able to slip through in time to warn the Fourth Planet in the Terran Empire, and they fought back. They survived. For the few Terrans left, the few planets still clean of the Drathonians, it was a beacon. And it was under siege.
For Five of the last Fourteen years, Terra IV had been completely surrounded. It's gate, taken over. The few ships capable of making it there could not be spared, as they would be destroyed before they could help. Planetary defenses, so ensconced in armor as to be almost impenetrable, Orbital platforms covered in more guns than was strictly necessary turned the Planet into a veritable porcupine. A few ships, much beleaguered, had held the line firm for those five years. But, a single planet could only support this level of defense for so long, and time was running out.
They were getting Desperate, those left on Terra IV. They wouldn't tell the other planets and colonies, but time and again they had pleaded with the new Government- The United Terran Republic- To come and rescue them. But there wasn't enough resources. The Terrans lacked the power, they lacked the people, the tools. Until now.
A Flash appeared, far enough away that the limited Sensors could not likely see it as much more than a flash. Flashes were common enough in that area- Asteroids and other small celestial bodies often crashed into one another, some of them containing elements that could explode, so it was ignored. This flash, however, was a Starship. Most starships only carried one type of FTL travel, that being Warp. Warp travel was nice and safe, but, despite being faster than light, it was slow, only useful for traveling to destinations within a star system or two. Otherwise, the Fold gates were the method of travel. Instantaneous transport from one gate to the other, the Fold gates had revolutionized Commerce when invented, and been a staple of the economy for several hundred years. But Terra IV's Fold Gate was firm in the scaled hands of the Drathonians, though it had been locked so not even they could use it.
However, there was a third type of faster than light travel, One that was fast enough to make Interstellar travel possible for a ship on its own, but it was dangerous. One needed a Powerful ship for this third method, known as Hyperspace. And the Terrans had such a ship. That ship was the aforementioned flash of light. It was a new type of ship-class, a 'Cruiser' in that it was able to cruise the infinite abyss on its own. Few ships carried the title of 'Cruiser', and this ship was the largest of the type- It was a Battleship, or, as the naming scheme had been changed to for expedience- A Battlecruiser.
This particular ship had a name. The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Aptly named the Terra Class Battlecruiser, it in and of itself was the song now sang by Terrans around the Galaxy, a song of hope, of strength, of unity, of Power. And yet despite all its power and glory, the Hymn was all but helpless by itself against an entire siege force. But, it had something that could help, that would change the tide. Strategy.
* * * * * *
The first thing that this Battle Hymn of the republic did, was power down. Everything on the ship went into emergency status. The generator was toned down to the minimum output necessary to run the basic vital functions of the ship. A Hangar door was opened, and three ships set off, these ships also had special advantages- the best available Stealth technology. An Iroquois-class scout carrier, the class to which they all belonged, was essential for this operation, for its ability to hide itself in plain sight.
About half an hour after the Hymn had entered the system, the scout carriers had arrived at their destination- The System's Fold gate. The plan was simple- offload a small company of marines, and sneak aboard the Fold gate, taking control of it, and activating it, so that the Terran fleet, waiting at one of the other two gates Accessible from here, could jump in, and break the siege, freeing Terra IV, and dealing a heavy blow to the Drathonians.
The Scout carrier paused, just a scant hundred meters from the side of the gate, and opened its own hangar doors, revealing the Marine company, decked out in full Savior Combat armor, each carrying a Standard Gauss Utility Rifle.
One of the helmeted figures- somewhat taller than the rest, stood in front of the squads gathered there- next to him, other figures stood in front of other squads, each one giving one final rundown to his or her marines.
"Alright. On the signal, we'll all launch the harpoon lines on our rifles, and attach to the Fold gate, then reel in until we've made contact, at which point, we need to find a way in, find the control center, and turn on the gate. Any resistance we meet is to be eliminated immediately, got it?" The Speaker was a young man, in his early twenties- a Sergeant by the name of Kai Nakamura. "You have exactly thirty seconds to ask me a question before we jump." he added, quickly.