Exert from personal letter of Lieutenant Hala Al-Juham bint Kalil ibn Berek Al-Esperi
Dated 5 Shawwal 2394
Dear Mother,
The fighting is over. We have secured Vox as our own again. It cost us dearly, but we have won. There were far more of them than what our initail reports said. For each of platoon of theirs we kill, they killed two of ours. They had personal shields that made all but the most accurate shots even wound them, and their flak armor was tougher than ours. They say that war is hell. I am inclined to believe them.
[...]
Forgive me mother, but our orders were to wipe the planet clean of Sakkran life. At first, I did this gleefully as the monsters did to Artemis two months ago. No Sakkran would survive, no matter what rock they would hide themselves under. It was not until I saw a small Sakkran wander out of a ruined building that I paused. It was crying and gurgling in its own language and clutching a leather toy animal. It came to a stop, oblivious to the fighting. The loud snap of a sniper rifle silenced it as it slumped to the ground. The streets were so quiet after that. I can't stand it any more. I want to come home. Please.
Love, Hala
Channel 16 News, Altair
13 Safar 2399
4:32
News anchor: ...I turn you over to our official Sakkran Reprisentative. Ssader?
Sakkran: Yes. Hello Alkari. I am here to offer the olive branch of peace. It was regretful that we killed your people in our efforts to give our burgeoning population room to spread itself. Those fleets were sent on old intelligence that stated they were uninhabited.
Reporter 1: But what about the so called 'Death Spores'?
Sakkran: Those were terraforming devices. We need a special enzyme that seems to only be found on few worlds. Those were an artificial version we have devised to avoid having to inject our colonists every few months. It is unfortunate that the same things that give us life, take yours.
*The crowd of Alkari new crews murmurs, growing louder and louder*
Sakkran: People, People! I... Quiet down. I assure you that our offer of peace is a true one. We wish only the enjoyment of life for all forms of intelligent life.
29 Dhu al-Qi'dah 2422
The Stand on Vox.
Ever since the Sakkran betrayal five years ago, we have been planing for this day. We have come together as a mass fleet of DreadStingers, equiped with the best weapons we have to offer. Now for the battle plans.
First, their Hydra designs hold the Death Spores, so those are a high priority. Other than that, they have Fusion Bombs and Nuclear Missiles. Next in their Armada are their Colossus-class ships. These are fully loaded with Fusion Bombs. They are also of high priority. Their two Juggernaut ships hold the advanced Mass Driver Weapons and Nuclear Bombs and their five Valkyrie ships have Mass drivers and Fusion Bombs. Theses are not as much of a threat as the first classes of ships. Swarming around all of these are their out dated Daemon fighters. Our ships are too protected and maneuverable to be hit by these anymore.
First, we will concentrate on taking out their Hydras. When those seven ships are down, we widdle down the Colossi ships. Once they are down, the Valkyries and Juggernauts are next. If we survive this, great pilots, the future of our race will shine in the darkness of this hellish universe.
[17 Hours later]
We have done it men! Though we nearly lost half the planet, we have survived. The sad news is, a new fleet comes in two years and we will have no missile bases to help defend the planet. Honorable pilots, we will denfend Vox with our last breath.
Journal of Yazid Ar-Ra'uf ibn Afif ibn Shadi Al-Mituhudawt, Oligarchy aid
16 Jumada al-thani 2429
A Message was sent to us that all alien races are to participate in voting on who should rule the galaxy. If one species gets a two-thirds majority, they shall be declared the Masters of Orion. Though neither I nor the Oligarchy have any idea the importance of Orion, we may still have time to find out about any other races that may help us from extinction.
The evil Sauron stands as one candidate and a strange alien that is mostly machine, given as INT-986, stands as his opponent. Sauron votes first, with 19 votes for himself. It seems that votes are tied with population. His votes are covered in the blood of Alkari. An alien representing the Bulrathi, the ones who were wracked with a plague a generation ago, gives its two votes for the Cyborg INT. The Cyborg himself votes for itself with 10 votes. A odd little being with four arms passes it's 3 vote to INT. The last alien, buried deep in purple robes, motioned to INT, with two votes. I resist the urge to cover the Scaled Abomination with curses as I pass our single vote to INT. 19-18 total means that the loathed Sauron will not be ruler any time soon.
Dated 5 Shawwal 2394
Dear Mother,
The fighting is over. We have secured Vox as our own again. It cost us dearly, but we have won. There were far more of them than what our initail reports said. For each of platoon of theirs we kill, they killed two of ours. They had personal shields that made all but the most accurate shots even wound them, and their flak armor was tougher than ours. They say that war is hell. I am inclined to believe them.
[...]
Forgive me mother, but our orders were to wipe the planet clean of Sakkran life. At first, I did this gleefully as the monsters did to Artemis two months ago. No Sakkran would survive, no matter what rock they would hide themselves under. It was not until I saw a small Sakkran wander out of a ruined building that I paused. It was crying and gurgling in its own language and clutching a leather toy animal. It came to a stop, oblivious to the fighting. The loud snap of a sniper rifle silenced it as it slumped to the ground. The streets were so quiet after that. I can't stand it any more. I want to come home. Please.
Love, Hala
Channel 16 News, Altair
13 Safar 2399
4:32
News anchor: ...I turn you over to our official Sakkran Reprisentative. Ssader?
Sakkran: Yes. Hello Alkari. I am here to offer the olive branch of peace. It was regretful that we killed your people in our efforts to give our burgeoning population room to spread itself. Those fleets were sent on old intelligence that stated they were uninhabited.
Reporter 1: But what about the so called 'Death Spores'?
Sakkran: Those were terraforming devices. We need a special enzyme that seems to only be found on few worlds. Those were an artificial version we have devised to avoid having to inject our colonists every few months. It is unfortunate that the same things that give us life, take yours.
*The crowd of Alkari new crews murmurs, growing louder and louder*
Sakkran: People, People! I... Quiet down. I assure you that our offer of peace is a true one. We wish only the enjoyment of life for all forms of intelligent life.
29 Dhu al-Qi'dah 2422
The Stand on Vox.
Ever since the Sakkran betrayal five years ago, we have been planing for this day. We have come together as a mass fleet of DreadStingers, equiped with the best weapons we have to offer. Now for the battle plans.
First, their Hydra designs hold the Death Spores, so those are a high priority. Other than that, they have Fusion Bombs and Nuclear Missiles. Next in their Armada are their Colossus-class ships. These are fully loaded with Fusion Bombs. They are also of high priority. Their two Juggernaut ships hold the advanced Mass Driver Weapons and Nuclear Bombs and their five Valkyrie ships have Mass drivers and Fusion Bombs. Theses are not as much of a threat as the first classes of ships. Swarming around all of these are their out dated Daemon fighters. Our ships are too protected and maneuverable to be hit by these anymore.
First, we will concentrate on taking out their Hydras. When those seven ships are down, we widdle down the Colossi ships. Once they are down, the Valkyries and Juggernauts are next. If we survive this, great pilots, the future of our race will shine in the darkness of this hellish universe.
[17 Hours later]
We have done it men! Though we nearly lost half the planet, we have survived. The sad news is, a new fleet comes in two years and we will have no missile bases to help defend the planet. Honorable pilots, we will denfend Vox with our last breath.
Journal of Yazid Ar-Ra'uf ibn Afif ibn Shadi Al-Mituhudawt, Oligarchy aid
16 Jumada al-thani 2429
A Message was sent to us that all alien races are to participate in voting on who should rule the galaxy. If one species gets a two-thirds majority, they shall be declared the Masters of Orion. Though neither I nor the Oligarchy have any idea the importance of Orion, we may still have time to find out about any other races that may help us from extinction.
The evil Sauron stands as one candidate and a strange alien that is mostly machine, given as INT-986, stands as his opponent. Sauron votes first, with 19 votes for himself. It seems that votes are tied with population. His votes are covered in the blood of Alkari. An alien representing the Bulrathi, the ones who were wracked with a plague a generation ago, gives its two votes for the Cyborg INT. The Cyborg himself votes for itself with 10 votes. A odd little being with four arms passes it's 3 vote to INT. The last alien, buried deep in purple robes, motioned to INT, with two votes. I resist the urge to cover the Scaled Abomination with curses as I pass our single vote to INT. 19-18 total means that the loathed Sauron will not be ruler any time soon.