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Drakador_Chaos (ONI)
As the last man was carried out of the now unusually empty bridge, Stantine wiped of the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The fleet was now moving considerably faster away from the mist than previously, now that they had their main engines pointed backwards. Repairs continued. Right in front Stantine a cloud of nanobots repaired some secondary railguns that cast shadows over the hull. The docked ships split of from their supply ships and lined up in formation with the rest of the ships of the battlegroup.

The desperate information transfer had gone entirely smoothly. The fighters pulled around the mist. Sitting in their softly lit cockpits, they could see the mist pulling away. Soon their allies would emerge from behind it.

    23 days later

    KrankysFirebrand48
    A tense silence reigned on the GBE´s side of the battlefield, ships lying in wait at the longest effective distance, doing makeshift repairs and preparing for the re emergence of their enemies...
    Then , waiting and repairs were cut short, with trails of red mist the beasts emerged from the red cloud, opening artillery fire immedietly, the heavy shells fire patterns forming a ring around the gbe fleet, as the remaining smaller and medium beasts raced towards them in a slight curve, slithering and weaving to make target acquisition all the more difficult, considering some of the still trailed the red mist behind them, corrupting the sensor feed...
    Something... something seemed to be missing though.
    Then, a larger cloud burst out of the wall of mist, with a flash of red light the mutilated Warpriest emerged from the red mist, firing it´s apparently still intact eye in the center of the ring the heavy shells were forming, once more, directly at the center of the GBE fleet...
    The massive beast although damaged, continued to move though towards the opposite side of the fleet the other beasts were heading to...


    ONI As the cult forces close in on the UEG ships they begin to backup to try and put enough distance from them. They continue to launch Archer and Fusion missiles. The MAC guns of of the cruisers and carrier whose tungsten rounds have enough power to vaporize other capital ships try and target the largest of the beasts. The carriers ai prematurely Firestone dual Mac gun under its to more accurately hit the bigger beasts.

    UNSC Corbulo FFG-472 Strident-Class Heavy Frigate.

    With the ships bridge crew limp in their chairs the ships AI “Clancy” who’s avatar was a green diamond or rift of light used the ships main smaller coilgun batteries at the small cult beats as they swarm around. She removed the safety’s off of one of the ships nuclear missiles. Bringing its targeting lasers online and setting an encrypted countdown sequence she launches it out of the tube as it flys and waits in the projected path of the next time the cult beasts come around. She coordinates this with the main carriers AI letting them know of what she is doing and insists the other frigates in the group do the same.

    Whilst the missiles still seemed to deal mediocre damage due to how spread out they were, they seemed to be at the very least effective at controlling the crowd of beasts, keeping them at a certain distance as they tried keep off the missiles with their point defense, some of them still getting through, taking down some of the smaller beasts and damaging one of the midsized ones, loosing a shard of it´s armor and one of it´s turrets...
    The real threat however, would be revealed only seconds later, with a flash of red light, the massive beast in the other formation released an ominous red orb, heading towards the center of the UEG fleet, as the mid sized beasts fired another volley of heavy shells to restrict the UEG´s movements, the counterfire however was soon to become an issue, at this distance, although some of the larger shots were hard to aim properly at the fast moving beasts, those who were aimed properly were considerably harder to avoid, despite the agility of the beasts, mac rounds hailed into the fleet, as one punched into the turret of one of the medium beasts and then buried itself in the intestines, apparently crippling it considerably as it fell back, another couple hit the right wing of the largest beasts, tearing out one of the heavy turrets , some even punching through some of the thinner spots of the wing itself, although terrifyingly there were also those that plinked off the armor like small arms fire, displaying just how durable the beasts actually were...
    The beast on the oteh rhand however roared in defiance, like a scream on a distant mountaintop, slowly coming closer. The beasts of the group with the leading ship drew closer, they could hold both groups at distance forever...
    A new set set of weaponry came into action as the groups reached medium range, smaller version of the triple barreled artillery weapons as well as medium sized smaller cannons began firing away at the UEG fleet from both directions, adding to the hail of projectiles which was already surrounding them...

    6 days later

    Drakador_Chaos @ONI
    Stantine felt confident as the smaller beasts finally emerged but to his horror the massive shape of the warpriest flew out of the mist.
    ”Computer, how did this happen?” he said horrified.
    There are multiple possibilities. The enemy may have altered the course of the missiles, intercepted them, used countermeasures or evaded. Warpriests jaw shows signs of torpedo impact indicating it was hit.
    The ring of fire with the eye in the center was most alarming though. Assuming it was to stop the fleet from escaping the eye he quickly ordered the AI to order the fleet to maneuver outside the ring while doing as little damage towards the fleets ability to fight. Power was immediately shifted away from the guns into the engines and shields. The more agile ships would turn in various directions and try to fly outside the ring of fire before it reached them, such as the Coventry destroyers, frigates and corvettes. Valuable but tanky ships such as the Sunrise’s would attempt to escape the ring by themselves while taking a few shots on the way. Shield heavy ships such as the Colony-class destroyers would fly in front of slow ships shielding it from enemy fire. Lastly the battlecruiser HMS Fortune would have three Colony destroyers shield half of it’s profile while its own, now recharged, shield took the other half of its fire. Instead of flying in separate directions, the ships split into two directions to account for the two seperate directions the bloodcult were coming from, one to the left and one to the right. The HMS Fortune was in the group closer to the smaller beasts. This time the fleet were using their main engines to escape and loosened their formation a little extra.


    The UEG fleet came out from behind the mist. The lead fighter transmitted the information.
    /Message
    ”The mist is blocking our communications. This message will transfer all the data from this encounter. Noteworthy information: fight at long range, the largest beast has a central weapon which you must evade at all costs.”

    files on bloodcult weaponry
    files on bloodcult defensive capabilities
    files on bloodcult tactics

    The files explain how the eye of doom weapon will suck in and destroy all ships close to it, how the optimal tactic is to flee from the beasts backwards while firing, how the beasts will try to flank you, adapt to new tactics and more. The GBE details how the noticed smaller weapons will not penetrate their armour, how even the large beasts can evade tracking fire and to prioritize evading the projectiles from the larger turrets.
    The fighters stay to wait if the UEG has any information they’d like to share.

    21 days later

    KrankysFirebrand48
    @ONI


    The GBE fleet was in understandable disarray, trying to get out of the ring of fire with the eye in their metaphorical neck.
    As the larger ships were still shielding the smaller ones, there was a sudden flash of light amidst the ring...
    An eerie, harrowing silence ensued, as the flash of light grew brighter, debris, wreckage and any ship unfortunate enough to be too close, were being pulled back.
    The light grew brighter, until even the light from the explosion itself was drawn back into the well...
    Luckily for them, they had at least known what to do, even though the sudden reappearance of the mutilated warbeast out of the mist had been a terrifying view, apparently catching the fleet off guard, redirecting the power to evasive and defensive measures seemed to have been the right call...
    The well broke, debris, light and wreckage, converted into raw energy, rushing outwards after having been compressed, erupting into the surroundings in a both awe and terror inspiring epxlosion, waves of destructive light extending beyond the ring of fire, although, not by far...
    The eye had taken its grim toll once more.


    However, the GBE fleet was not the only one that was struggling, whilst the starfighters sent to deliver the information were already heading back, what they saw in their backs made their hearts sink.
    A horrifyingly familiar flash of red light, a moment of silence, stretching to eternity...
    It seemed, for whatever reason, the supporting fleet of the UEG had not made it completely out of the target area in time,
    The eye detonated infront of the fleet, it's gravitational pull like a greedy maw, dragging in everything in the vicinity, not differentiating between debris, wreckage or ships...
    A second flash of light, a second moment of terror, a wave of destruction, this one, considerably Stronger than on the GBE side due to how much matter it had devoured within it's short lifespan, wreaking incomaparable destruction amidst the fleet, vaporising anything it's immediate vicinity which it hadn't devoured already...
    The fleet, was...
    The eye had torn a large hole into the formation although due to all that was going on, the fighters couldn't determine how much damage had been dealt exactly, the sheer scale of it made clear they likely would not recover from this hit, not here and not today...


    Then... as each of the fleets was trying to reaarrange or still trying to get out of the firing line, some more some less successful...
    There was an odd sensation.
    Then, another roar rolled over the battlefield, reaching every last ship and crewmember in the surroundings, hitting them like a wave...
    ...but oddly enough, without causing them any excessive harm.
    Suddenly, the beasts... shuddered, they stopped firing and simply...
    Veered back in direction of the mist and tear?
    Each one of them in unison, beast by beast, without any apparent reason or tactic behind it, as if they were just... leaving?
    As if some overarching dominant will, called them back, as if they were done here, as if all this had just been... a horrifying display of their power, an example to be made for the sake of it?
    The beasts went into full burn without any regards to returning fire or firing themselves, heading in an elegant curve back to rift...
    It would take them a bit to head back given the distance they had made...
    ...but were they actually just leaving?

    Drakador_Chaos
    As the feared eye of doom detonated you could see the strain that was put on the royal navy ships as their engines all went into emergency burn. Thruster nozzles expanded and plasma rushed out in long streaks as they pushed against the strong pull. A few remaining Moonlight cruisers, some close destroyers and one damaged Sunrise cruiser, that had taken a hit to its engine started falling backward. The bow started tilting upwards. The entire ship rotating up and not being able to resist anymore, falling into the explosion, dwarfing the debris and unlucky frigates also doomed by the blast, and being annihilated. The ring had done significant damage to the shielding of the vessels, especially the battlecruiser HMS Fortune. At the sight of the bloodcult turning around Stantine could suspect nothing but a trick, but he would not let the warpriest get away.
    "Turn the fleet around and pursue them."
    Stantine looked at the fleet display as even more warships, and even supply ships were destroyed.
    "Prepare firing sequence for particle lance's at the warpriests propulsion. Power to weapons and engines, I want all available batteries to destroy the warpriests propulsion systems."
    The shattered fleet redirected their bow towards the fleeing bloodcult ships with their turrets always turned in the direction of the enemy. The gates and the nose of the ships with spinal weapons opened and the lance's point started heating up. The ships did not hesitate to focus fire into the back of the warpriest with nuclear railgun shells. The HMS Fortune did however not prepare to fire its spinal weapon as it had not finished charging.
    "How long will this take?"
    Gates opened. Preparing firing sequence. Protocols active. Targeting warpriest propulsion. Volley ready in 7 minutes.

    10 days later

    Drakador_Chaos The fleet tries to take out the large orb while the smaller ships manoeuvre out of its way as it bears down on them. The larger cruisers and carriers begin to move as well. They concentrate their main coilgun batteries at the orb.

    However, it was too late. A handful of the frigates and other smaller craft as well as a cruiser get pulled into the orbs. The ships detonate seconds after as the orb draws them in. The light from the blast causes those ships who managed to escape, their standard polarization for the bridge viewports to dampen instantaneously.

    On the main carrier fleet status readouts begin appearing. More than half of the fleet's smaller craft are gone and the heavy cruiser Hollis was vaporized. No escape pod launches were detected.

    KrankysFirebrand48 The UEG fleet came out from behind the mist. The lead fighter transmitted the information.
    /Message
    ”The mist is blocking our communications. This message will transfer all the data from this encounter. Noteworthy information: fight at long range, the largest beast has a central weapon which you must evade at all costs.”
    files on bloodcult weaponry
    files on bloodcult defensive capabilities
    files on bloodcult tactics

    The files explain how the eye of doom weapon will suck in and destroy all ships close to it, how the optimal tactic is to flee from the beasts backwards while firing, how the beasts will try to flank you, adapt to new tactics and more. The GBE details how the noticed smaller weapons will not penetrate their armour, how even the large beasts can evade tracking fire and to prioritize evading the projectiles from the larger turrets.
    The fighters stay to wait if the UEG has any information they’d like to share.

    The information package had come a second too late as the large orb fired from the blood cult attack hit the UEG fleet. After a minute or two of disarray, the remaining ships continue to get back while the remaining smaller ships act as defence ships to watch for flanking,

    As the cult ships begin to retreat, the UEG fleet continues to put distance between them and the cult. Back on the main carrier, the request for more reinforcements is sent out but it will take days to arrive. Days they do not have.

      KrankysFirebrand48
      ONI
      Shells rained down on the back of the massive beast, although it was still heavily armored the focused fire of the fleet began tearing chunks of it's flesh out and more importantly some of it's engines, the beast in turn did not even seem to react, while they stoppped it from accellerating further it hadn't slowed down either, only a number of hidden manouvering thrusters still keeping it on course.
      Notably even the smaller beasts seemed to disregard the fire on the Warpriest heading directly back to the portal, as if their reatreating order, or whatever it may have been that roared through the tear, was paramount to their objective.
      The other notable things was the now even the mist seemed to be slowly retreating, being pulled back into the rift...

      Drakador_Chaos The fire continues as the beasts retreat. The UEG reports to GBE command that the mist is being pulled back into the rift and the first wave is finished.

      Since the battlefield is now clear, dropships begin ferrying wounded crew and other crew members between ships to bring them back to battle readiness. Damage assessment is made again and the ships that have the most damage are given time for what repairs that can be made to be made via their small repair drones.

      The prowlers that were a part of the group begin to be used. They lay their hornet nuclear mines around the entrance of the rift at random vectors. The mines are cooled to absolute zero so thermal detections cannot be used. Once they finish laying the minefield they move back into positions to watch and record the battlefield.

      Drakador_Chaos
      Since the beast was not maneuvering it would make the move that Stantine was planning more viable. He ordered the AI to synchronize all the spinal lances and railguns to fire at a single point in the beast to penetrate deeply through the entire thing and lastly hitting the eye of doom in the front. The AI positioned the ships to allow it. The bow gates opened up. The lances fired one after another into the exact spot as armour penetrating shells rained into the same spot. As the lances had fired he ordered the fleet to reverse the thrust and slow down.

      KrankysFirebrand48
      After a short break regarding the signal, the screen comes back to life.
      //Transmission: GSR Code//
      "It obviously is not. Ve have returned and are growing stronger in numbers zhan ever before. Over zhe last year ve have built up both in economy as well as military. Now zhe question remains to be asked: Vhat side are you on, and is zhere any interest in renewing old bonds?"
      //Transmission End, awaiting answer//

        boombox
        The minister of foreign relations spoke, "If we are to re-establish our bonds we must make an official government investigation of your nation. You must understand that there are many conditions, some of which may have changed, to being a military partner to our nation. Certain grudges must also not be held. I believe our positions have been switched from the last time we initiated our alliance, for now we are the ones who do not want to be dragged into your wars, considering the GSR was wall know for its militaristic nature and bonds we have with some former nations that contributed against us in the war of the third coalition."

          KrankysFirebrand48
          There was no response for a while, then a short transmission arrived back:
          //Transmission: GSR Code//
          "Ve vill under no circumstance allow your nation to "investigate" us, vhatever zhis may entail. Ve are who ve are and you know exactly who ve are. A peace offer is a peace offer, and you refused it."
          //Transmission End//
          With this the German ships swiftly turned and FTL'd out of sector, maybe never to be seen again..

          @KrankysFirebrand48
          A shuttle devoid of any markings appears near GBE space, it repeatedly attempt to hail the nearest station, while also maintaining some distance from the figurative border.

          • ONI likes this.

          boombox
          The minister of foreign relations looked at the others in the room. "how undiplomatic." he uttered, "Are you certain these were members of the actual German Space Regime? I refuse to believes these were nothing but trolls to waste our time. They didn't even try to negotiate!"
          One of the men started sweating.
          "Sir, all identifications showed that it was them."
          "Well, did you get a gene confirmation? I thought not! Everyone in this room is dismissed."
          .


          .
          Dumb
          They get contact with one of the communications station around the defensive fleet centered around the cruiser HMS Lancaster.

            KrankysFirebrand48
            "eyy....wait, this is on?"
            The screen shows Dasha in a rather...untidy suit, sitting unpolitely on a beany which seems to be composed of metal parts. The graphical transmission is immediately cut off, and promptly restored back to normal, showing a clean and mechanical interior of what seems to be the shuttle.
            "Ahem, hello there, this is Dasha from the Forge of Babel, hereby seeking a private meeting with...someone who can at least be in charge of diplomatics."

              Dumb
              In return she hears a scrambled voice. "Who are you and what do you want? The ministry of foreign relations is very busy and strangers cannot request meetings, especially from outside our borders."

                KrankysFirebrand48
                "tsk civilian grade stuff don't always work eh?....."
                A series of aggressive patting later, Dasha shouts through the comms with relatively loud voice.
                "This Is Dasha, Owner of the Forge of Babel, Seeking official first encounter procedure!"

                  Dumb
                  "First contact? Well then, Ma'am you will have to choose between the digital interaction or the in-person procedures. Note that the latter option is a lengthy process where your privacy, body and biology will be completely violated and your ship will be put under surveillance if you are a private person. Should you be a representative of a country or corporation, you must have negotiated and made an agreement outside our territory."

                    KrankysFirebrand48
                    "huh...Does the referral from the Prime Minister of the United Earth Government helps shorten the wait? or else I will simply go to the Embassy and knock over there."

                      Dumb
                      "Do you have proof of said referral?"