The Gathering Storm

LeftHandofGod

At the edge of what remains of TIE space, odd sightings have been being reported in increasing numbers of late. There are rumors of some sort of massive shipyard facility much further in, and even more worrying - there are reports of starships gilded in purple and gold plying these space lanes.

In addition, FTL travel in the region has become difficult, with some sort of...tear in the very fabric of hyperspace drawing many ships off course. Trade lanes long since abandoned have also been sighted crammed end to end with merchant caravans, as if some sort of activity was happening...

RedAndCosmoteer

LeftHandofGod with some sort of...tear in the very fabric of hyperspace

good thing i don't use hyperspace

at least not yet

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yobeefjerky

LeftHandofGod
In an NH Patrol fleet, onboard a Dominion Class Carrier.
Group Lord Nepura was intently watching the large viewscreen dominating the bridge of his ship. An image from a Prowler group visible, showcasing a group of several purple/gold ships.
"So they didn't die with Contemplator." He thought aloud to nobody in particular. How exactly did the High Imperium survive destruction? This train of thought was interrupted as the ship's Navigator psionically prodded him, informing the Group Lord that his Prowler flight had returned.
"Connect me to the group's Psi-net" He ordered, the Navigator following unflinchingly as Nepura felt the familiar presence of the various Navigators in his small Group.

Psi-Net Link Engaged
Recognizing: Group Lord Nepura
Current Network Size: 13 Ships /out of/ 13 Ships

=List Group Details=
Patrol Group 13
2 Sovereign Class Frigates /OSV Foru, OSV Rela/
2 Dominion Class Carrier Frigates /OSV Nowa, OSV Mast/
3 Superiority Class Prowlers /P-133, P-134, P-135/
6 Dictator Class Fighters /OSV Decision, OSV Justice, OSV Pompous, OSV Adjective, OSV Reconsider, OSV Epic/
42 Mastery Class Strike Craft /Nowa 1-16, Mast 1-16, Foru 1-2, Rela 1-2, Decision 1, Justice 1, Adjective 1, Reconsider 1, Epic 1/

Update information across the network
Information updating...
...

LeftHandofGod

yobeefjerky
As the Overlord studies the reading, something odd makes itself known to him. While the ships appear to be purple and gold when viewed with the naked eye, when properly scanned they appear to be closer to a softer lilac with vivid green highlights. The small group drifted off to a nearby shipyard, docking in a large berth. Far larger in fact, than would be required by small patrols. Indeed the berth would be closer to something suited for a -

Just as Nepura comes to the proper realization of what exactly the shipyard is meant to service, reality tears open overhead and a vast warship emerges from the rift, vibrant blue tendrils of hyperspace energy curling around its hull. Attendant with it soared a larger host, with cruisers, carriers, battleships, and fighters aplenty. And with that, everything falls into place.

For this is no mere surviving group. Despite the hidden colors, the Circled Star gleams on the ships. The descendants of the Imperium mean to wage war against the galaxy once more. But even as the ships drift by, a ship with the distinctive profile of a Star Destroyer comes forth to meet them, a clenched fist etched on the hull...

image https://i.imgur.com/il7SQGo.jpg

yobeefjerky

LeftHandofGod
Nepura's mind instantly begins processing information at speeds equivalent to that of a computer, ordering the entire fleet into combat. The Prowlers cloaked, one of them leaving the system to report the occurrence as the other two fire their jammers at full blast. The local ten lightminutes of space suddenly filled with yottabytes of garbage information and random static. The 42 Mastery Class Strike Craft launched, preparing their weapons for an engagement. The four Frigates engaging their shields to full power as the six Fighters prepare their Torpedoes
"OSV Nowa, OSV Mast, sit back and get ready to retreat on my command. OSV Foru and Rela, prep Torpedoes and Missiles" He thought of how he could potentially destroy the ship in the center, maybe use Spatial Folds to superimpose something onto the vessel? That's a suicide run but it's likely they're about to die anyways.

(Your move creep)

LeftHandofGod

yobeefjerky
It's not until the Prowlers starts spewing garbage data into local space that the fleet notices the Hegemony ships. With lightning precision, the fleet splits apart, and the massive warship at the heart pulls around. Then it does something and all of a sudden the supposedly Imperial ships orient directly on the NH fleet.

Scores of razor-thin projectiles lash out in a rippling wave from the ships and gut the majority of the Strike Craft in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, small frigates accelerate ahead of the oncoming fleet, riding jets of plasma as they close in, odd turrets on their roofs locking on.

yobeefjerky

LeftHandofGod
The non Strike Craft ships in the group begin laying down suppressing fire on the approaching ships, destroying one of the frigates outright. The rest instead simply suffering shield damage. The remaining Strike Craft violently shift and warp as they suddenly appear mere tens of meters away from the approaching frigates, Disruptor Torpedoes launching as they try to escape their bombing run.
-[]-
Nepura observes his group's losses, 29 out of 42 Strike Craft lost, leaving 13 to do dirty work. He contacts one of the two remaining Prowlers, the P-134, to pull off a clearly insane plan only afforded though by way of war.
The sound of a ping alerted him to the Strike Craft flight having launched their torpedoes, now to hope they return.

DarkPearl

yobeefjerky
LeftHandofGod

In the midst of the battle, a ship leaves hyperspace, far away from the frontlines. Its wedged shape, complemented by 4 big bulbs on the ships front make it looks familiar for Nepura. Too familiar.
After a moment, the ship begins emmiting a interdiction field, but so far away, it barely reaches the NH ships, why would anyone send it...
NH sensors blimp as 2 more ships leave hyperspace less than 500 meters from the aft of one of the frigates, it open fire with turbolasers and phasers, followed by Photon topedos. A TIE Ship!
image https://i.imgur.com/s1BKLKb.png

LeftHandofGod

yobeefjerky
The surviving five MAC frigates close to range and open fire on the larger NH capitals, outright gutting the OSV Rela and dealing severe damage to the Mast.

The Disruptor Torpedoes wash across the main fleet, most of them simply causing shields to flicker and flash before fading away again. But for a few unlucky railgun frigates and one cruiser, they find themselves too close to the blasts, and their shields overload in blinding flashes as the ships go up in white blazes of light.

Undeterred, several larger cruisers push forward, swinging their railguns into alignment with the NH fleet as they charge to fire...

yobeefjerky

RedAndCosmoteer (MACs are a heavy projectile fired at extremely high speeds, this is crucial because the Fissi-Shields aren't a physical barrier, it needs to deconstruct the projectile as fast as it encounter the shield, so it's totally reasonable that the weak shields of a Frigate would be unable to deal with that.)

DarkPearl
LeftHandofGod

Nepura was outmaneuvered and outnumbered, there was no possible way he could win this fight. Knowing this, he orders the entire fleet to scramble and retreat.
-[]-
The Ship Commander of the OSV Mast watched the battle unfold, her ship's Navigator had been heavily injured. The ship would now be incapable of Shift FTL.
"Prepare the Spatial Fold Drive for a jump, forego all safeties. We die for the Hegemony."
The OSV Mast seems to bend and warp as it's Spatial Fold drive engages without safety, finally disappearing into a massive burst of radiation. The TIE Interdictor suddenly exploding in a brilliant white light as the two ships superimpose on eachother, the end result being mutual annihilation.
The remaining NH Ships suddenly drop off sensors, the wrecked corpses of the destroyed ships drifting dead in space. Technological remnants onboard erupting into nuclear hellfire.
-[]-
The remnants of the NH Group reappear in the protective embrace of a Shipyard System's defensive bubble, it's once majestic Frigates and Fighters now wracked with damage. Out of the 4 Frigates, 6 Fighters and 3 Prowlers, only the Prowlers escaped unscathed, two of the Frigates are now missing whilst the Fighters have been reduced to a mere 3 ships.
Remnant

RedAndCosmoteer

LeftHandofGod I would have liked to point out that the Fissi-shields could have prevented the Magnetic Accelerator cannon shell from gutting the Rela, but this is not the time or place for a lengthy technology discussion.

LeftHandofGod

yobeefjerky
As the Hegemony fleet flees to hyperspace, three figures watch them go from the bridge of the massive dreadnought. One of the figures is garbed in the paneled uniform of a high-ranking admiral, while the other two appear to be personal aides.

"So we hold the field."

"But for how long? In relative terms, we lost almost half again as many ships as they did. There's simply no way we can support an exchange like that in long-term conflict. No matter that we lay claim to the mantle of the Imperium, we are not they."

The figure on the left hums thoughtfully. "But we yet have the cradle that birthed their fleets...."

A roar of fury. "You would have us wake that abomination!? What next? Shall we unearth the Editors from their graves? Our forefathers swore an oath when they fled the Maw."

The figure on the left gives the admiral a long look. "And oaths mean little against the arithmetic of war, my lord."

"...Damn you. Damn you all to the blackest pits."