Battle of Mirach Part 1: Adar Falls

Mirach System: Union of Worlds space

They came just like everyone said they would… The alarms had blazed harder than usual, we were used to the practices but we all knew that this time it was the real thing. When the sirens had sounded the city had stopped, nobody moved for what seemed like an eternity. Even the soldiers walking around the city stared blankly at one another. Then everyone ran, to the shelters and designated safe zones.

We watched the vid feeds of course from inside the shelters, showing the battle above. We were located on the planet Adar. We were closest to the enemy fleet, and while we were far from defended nobody expected us to last. I remember the vids showing the small Union force stationed around Adar conducting hit and run strikes, trying as they might to do damage to the massive force arrayed against us. That was the day they entered orbit, and the battle truly began.

For a solid 12 hours the heavens boiled and moaned, as the massive forces contended with the fearsome planetary defences in orbit, occasionally the burning comet of a warship or defence platform would come crashing through the atmosphere to explode in blossoms of light. By this point I had left the shelters, snuck out to watch the battle above. I knew this world was gone, that I was probably going to die, but I wanted to watch all the same.

I sat for many hours watching the flashes, then after a while they grew silent. I knew the defences had been destroyed and all across the savannah like landscape from the hill away from the city which I had come to I watched ground based defences swivel into position. Of Union columns of forces readying for the inevitable assault. Just as the fire had scorched the heavens it now came again… But this time I fell like avenging angels from the heaven. That was the opening of the orbital bombardment.

By this point I had cursed my earlier self, the nuclear munitions which now impacted the land exploded into fantastic mushroom clouds, their blasts flattening the already semi barren landscape, and smashing against the blue hued shield generators of the cities and defences. I however was out in the open and I remember screaming in pain as the bright lights of nuclear fission and fusion burnt my skin and knocked me flying.

After a while I had stopped crying, and the bombardment had stopped… I had stared at the heavens and despite the fire and beams which thrust upwards into the sky to engage the invaders the first of the drop ships now descended. Capitol had finally come home… I decided I had to go back… to heal myself and to fight back. I knew this world was doomed, and that I was going to die. But I guess…

I had decided in myself that this was my time, and that I would face it with a defiance found in my people. And defy the enemy I did.

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Hargun now watched the read outs from the command room of the Avenger, he had taken command on his hallowed Dart class, and while his rank denoted him to command dreadnoughts and higher he had never wished to command anything other than this ship.

But this attack… Had been brutal. Capitol and their allies had smashed through the outer defences, and while they had taken casualties from the mine fields, hit and run attacks and defence platforms they had not flinched. Adar was now under siege, with troop forces from the enemy now descending onto the planet the enemy main fleet was now leaving Adar and now making their way towards Votan. It seemed they were content to destroy this system one planet at a time. While the main Union fleet sat behind the massive asteroid belt and its defences a smaller fleet had been performing constant raiding strikes on the enemy, but even now smaller Shadowblade elements and Capitol hunter killers were moving to intercept. Out of the enemies 3000 odd ships they had barely inflicted more than 200 casualties… The main fight was yet to come of course but with no chance of reinforcements with the Quantum gate destroyed… Hargun knew there was only one option. With Eos engaging the north of the Union and this massive strike to its heart he knew smaller attacks would come. The Union needed its allies. He booted up the long range communications channel, and patched in to as many of the Unions allies as he could find.

“This is Admiral James Hargun of the Union of Worlds. This is a call for help, our capital is under heavy siege, and the enemy is here in force and currently trying to subjugate our worlds. Send all help you can, I repeat send help” He sent the message… He didn’t know who would come, he was sure the Eramons would come and he knew other may do too, though with the CAE contended in the Histirion system and the USM pinned down in their own territory hope looked slim.

All he could do was wait now, the Emperors daughter had gone down to the surface of Mirach Prime, to both inspire and co-ordinate the troops ready for a big assault. Hargun hoped whatever forces would arrive in support could then join up with his own fleet and make a daring spearhead into the enemy, crush their command and heavy units then try and relieve the worlds now under siege.

It was a desperate plan, but it was their only hope.