Chronicles of Sol: The Fall

VHS News:

The screen played images of a convoy warping out just before a massive wavefront struck. A female reporter shifted, "A ceasefire has been declared in the Vosk and Tamira sectors, following the outbreak of a category twelve Hyper-Ion Storm. The storm interrupted a number of skirmishes like this one with the Menace that terrorized New Valoria late last year.

"VHS has reached out to the military for comment on this incident, but they have so far not replied. Leaving the fate of the sole dreadnought seen in this footage and the menace vessel she was fighting unknown.

"Elsewhere we are sad to say that not all ships out at the time the storm hit were so lucky. Over six thousand ships, both civilian and military, have gone silent and are now presumed lost to the storm. Several colonies were also hit hard by the storm front and property damages have been calculated to be in the high billions....

Tika stepped through the door, yet she couldn't help thinking of the recent news. The recent storm front ripping through Vosk and Tamira was being covered on every channel, with new figures being reported every hour. Figures that were only going up, they'd been at six thousand ships lost an hour ago, and that was up to nine thousand now.

The fleet leader gestured her in, "I presume you saw the news, yes?"

"I worry for our friends, they were trying to capture a stolen Voskar cloak just minutes before that storm."

"I saw and with the kind of damage they took, I'm not sure they could have made the jump to warp before the storm hit."

Tika nodded, "Unlikely, that nacelle housed two of the warp engines they needed to make the jump to warp speed. While that hit was a shallow grazing shot It was a shot that tore along the length of the housing..."

"I figured, but we are talking a class 12 storm."

Tika sighed, "I'm sure they survived. Even with the damage she sustained, the Enterprise is a tough ship, her structural integrity systems would put most of our own warships to shame. Unsurprising given her lack of shields. It's just..."

"You're worried about the Isanir radiation? So am I, sadly I don't think we can really help them. By now that Hyper-Ion Storm has descended into hyperspace and likely won't emerge for another ten years."

She walked up to the table, and noticed a chart, "What's this?"

"Calculations, I've been trying to predict the course of that storm. Our friends don't have hyperdrives, so if they did survive and could handle the unusual radiation found in those storms, they'd likely attempt to break out in ten years. If they don't? Well, those storms last decades."

Tika shuddered at the thought of being trapped in hyperspace for a few years, and couldn't even imagine waiting decades for a storm to dissipate. Even then, they might not be lucky and still be trapped in hyperspace. "Is there nothing we can do for them?"

"I'm afraid a rescue mission would be a bit... difficult. That storm is massive, the wave front was wide enough to hit two sectors. Not to mention the storm is traveling at eleven hundred times the speed of light. We can match that and catch up, but then we would need a hyperdrive to enter the storm. Furthermore, we would require equipment to protect against Isanir radiation, along with supplies for years. As it would take years to search that storm for the Enterprise. As big as she is, the vessel is tiny compared to the storm."

Tika glanced at the storm, "So if we can't rescue them, is there anything we can do to help them when they finally do escape?"

"Actually, yes there is. Finding them in the storm would be next to impossible, but once they are out we could leave something for them." The fleet leader pulled something out, "So what do you make of this?"

Tika leaned over and looked at the item in question. It was an automated ship, but that wasn't what made it special. The thing had specialized cargo bays, and a hyperdrive. "What's this?"

"Something your sister designed at the academy. I was rather impressed and had my engineers refine it. I'm looking to recruit that girl the moment she graduates."

Tika smiled, "I'm glad she's got prospects, so what's this for?"

"A hyperspace probe, that would be attached to a carrier ship, we can send after the storm. In theory we could study the storm, and perhaps find some way to help them. Even if we do have to wait for the storm to break on its own, the carrier ship could be outfitted with a care package for them.

That was clearly a bit of an undertaking, but she couldn't think of anything better. "I guess we'll have to leave it at that."

"Right, now on a more immediate note. The Imperium council has finally passed the declaration of war. I'm pulling the Teketh off patrol duty, but your mission will be a little different."

'Hmm? Something up?"

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Nothing special, in light of the storm, the war council has decided that we will provide humanitarian aid to stricken vessels and colonies within the Vosk and Tamira sectors."

"Sounds like a bit of propaganda, but I can't say I'm surprised. Many of those people need relief, so it's solving two problems at once."

"Exactly. Now I have my people loading the Teketh with extra supplies. You are to take her into the Vosk sector..."

Valorian Starbase 9, 12 lightyears from the Valorian Krall Border; April 10th, 005 SDE:

The base commander stared at the latest message from fleet command. Late yesterday evening the Krall Imperium had declared war. She'd been ordered to put the local garrison on high alert and fortify the system. Fleet command had informed her to expect a squadron of Yinta IIs within the week, which would be welcome. Especially given the sorry state of the local fleet and defenses.

As far as she was concerned the Krall timing was just terrible, with the Confederation fleet spread thin across three fronts, the opening of a forth so soon into the war was... unwelcome. Hell they'd already dismantled half her garrison, as numerous vessels had been reassigned to other posts following several disastrous engagements. New ship construction was being stepped up and recruitment centers were operating at full capacity, but the losses were not small.

Nothing too concerning when the war was limited to three fronts, the early defeats were hard on them, but the fronts were stabilizing. The current cease-fire with the Malora was a humanitarian agreement due to the storm, but it was also a welcome reprieve. Something that would help them properly stabilize the other two and in time properly reinforce the fleets. By every metric, the Confederation was favored in a prolonged engagement, but that was against the triple alliance of the Malora, the Voskar and the Toral. Adding the Krall into the mix made things look hopeless.

Very hopeless, the Krall were the most advanced of the Major Powers, while they had fewer vessels than many of their neighbors, what ships they did have were faster and far deadlier. Worse, she didn't have any idea how they would hold off the Krall.

Suddenly an alarm went off, "Alert! Inversion signature detected in grid 14. Alert Inversion signature detected in grid 15..."

She rushed out of her office and into central operations, her gaze falling on the tac plot as multiple inversion signatures popped all over the system. "Put everyone on alert, I want every ship in the system ready for combat, raise shields and deploy the planetary shield."

As the crew rushed to carry out the orders, she watched multiple Krall vessels jump into the system. Seeing them just appear like that was something else, even if she did have a little warning. She'd never fully understood Krall Inversion drives, but she did know the basics of what they did. They used something called a subspace inversion to traverse interstellar distances in a manner akin to teleportation. Those drives allowed the Krall to move between systems at incredible speeds, but an inversion jump did require a lot of power. Leaving the ship briefly vulnerable, something she had in mind when she gave her next order. Ordering what squadrons that were in range to open fire on the ships entering the system.

Unfortunately, they were too slow and failed to inflict any significant damage before the Krall ships got their shields up. A moment after that she watched a Krall Battleship open up with her beam arrays. A sustained stream of superheated plasma bore into the nearest vessel, her shields flaring, but it did nothing to stop the beam as it tore through the ship from stem to stern in the blink of an eye. A second and then a third ship followed in quick order.

Her comm officer looked up, "The Krall are demanding our immediate surrender."

Part of her was tempted but her orders were clear, there was to be no surrender. She approached the console, "All forces! We may fall here today, but we will die holding the line for our families!"

The sun was setting, and Arlie yawned. Getting out of her chair, she said, "I'd say that is enough for now."

"What!? What about the Enterprise? Did she survive the Storm? What about the Valorians? "

"It's late and we all need to sleep. I'll tell you the story of the Storm in the morning, but this chapter of our story is over. As for the Valorians? Well in summary, they will lose the war. The Krall will occupy Valoria before the end of the year."

"That fast?"

"They are in a four-front war, and already stretched thin. The Confederation stood little chance against the Krall, who had waited until they were at their weakest to launch their assault."

"So what happened after that?"

Arlie stopped, then said, "Well, following the end of the War, the Krall would install a new government, and claim the Valorian Confederation as their vassal. The Triple Alliance would take a number of territories from the Confederation and the war would end. However immediately following the war, the remaining border territories of the Confederation would enter into open revolt, and several opportunistic groups would attempt to seize territories from the Confederation. The Krall would move in forces to stabilize the region and over the next three decades, the Confederation would be dismantled. The Krall would end the rebellions and make several protectorates out of the border territories.

"The Confederation was rather large, but some of its territory was made up of colonies from races that had joined the Confederation back when her government wasn't corrupt. Following the dismantling of the Confederation, these groups withdrew from the Confederation.

"What was left of the Confederation following these events would remain as a Protectorate of the Krall Imperium for the next five hundred years and they would never regain their former power. In fact they would accidentally start a war with a seemingly planet-bound race in the year 575 SDE, and be conquered by them in just a few short years, due to underestimating that race."

"Seemingly? You mean they weren't planet-bound?"

"No, they chose to hide on their sole world, since they'd previously been bombed almost six centuries prior by the Cathamari who by then had become known only as Sky Demons. Naturally being imperialistic themselves and with a strong xenophobia due to the bombing, it was virtually inevitable that they would declare war upon being discovered. It didn't help that the Valorians had accidentally killed some seven thousand of their citizens."

"They never catch a break do they?"

Arlie giggled but didn't say anything as she headed down the hall to her bedroom. Leaving her friends to pack and head home on their own.