Stars divided: the Lanthirphen heresy [1ABT-2ABT]

[killermantiss]

Last night i dreamt
Of a world peaceful and happy
Where no blood was shed
And where Queltar’s wrath was long forgotten

In the dream i saw
The halls of valor’s gate locked
For no more would enter them
As quarell was long gone

I saw a world without sin
Where there was no hate
Everyone was equal
And united by comradship

There was no hunger
There ware no poor
No beggars going door to door
None ware suffering in this world

But i know it is not our world
As i awaken to the rattling of swords
As i hear the screams of the Innocent
And i see brothers burying their dead

what i saw was only a dream
And i am no prophet
The suffering will not stop
As long as we breathe

Oh gods why can’t dreams be real?

-A old calerostan poem, author unknown

[killermantiss]

12.2.1867. ERA OF UNITY
12:00 IMPERIAL STANDARD TIME

Operation macil, mirion’s master plan had just begun. It utilized a lot of assets previously held by the house of Lanthirphen and their allies. Thalion’s beacon network was taken down by a virus planted by the inquisition, a mirial torpedo launched from a ship taken into mirial space by the LNS Aegnir the great, the only starbreaker in the Lanthirphen fleet, destroyed the beacon in the Sain Miria system, the confederation and Heardil are fighting internal civil wars against his supporters. And he was on the strongest ship of the Lanthirphen fleet together with the duke himself, attacking Nenothrond. They outnumbered them heavily, 15 thousand ships against one and a half thousand. 10 to 1. The imperial rapid response fleet will take at least 2 hours to get to Nenothrond, and it was more likely they would first link up with the harthor fleet as they didn’t know the exact force he was attacking with thanks to the information blackout.

“I must admit it, admiral Mirion, what you managed to put together in a day is most impressive. I didn’t make a mistake by appointing you leader”

“Thank you, your grace. Most of this is your and the inquisition’s work, I couldn’t do much if i didn’t have the assets you gathered over the years.”

“But most men wouldn’t know how to use them this effectively, and the diplomats in the coalition meeting ware your assets. Tell me, what is the plan after Nenothrond falls?”

“We will leave a small grison, a hundred ships or so, here just to keep the system under control and pull back into the duchy. The ghost fleet will harass the imperial fleet their way to us, together with the mines. Hopefully we can buy enough time that Haedril and Sain Miria can be taken, after which we will be able to combine our whole fleet, giving us the best fighting chance. Sacrificing our allies in the confederation will hopefully be enough of a delay. Tell me, when will the proclamation happen?”

“Tonight at 22:00, in 10 hours, if everything goes to plan.”

"Perfect. See you then, my emperor"

[killermantiss]

12:05 IST
TARTIRION NAVAL HIGH COMMAND EMERGENCY ROOM

Ever since the emergency response fleet existed something like this never happened. A beacon blackout over multiple vassals, together with reports of hostile fleet movement in the whole north. No one could expect this, not to mention prepare for it. But a rapid response had to be ordered.

Three of the highest ranked people on the station, Archadmiral Osbion, who’s only outranked by the emperor himself in the navy, admiral Narthrandis, the once commander of the INS Spirit of Death, known best for leading the first contact with Kalgyul, and admiral Tangadon, heir to the duchy of Celianor and probably most famous admiral in the Calerostan navy after Osbion, known for fighting in both the Wormhole war and leading the calerostan forces in Trianar.

“This is insanity. Does Celebar actually think they can win here?!”

“We don’t know what they think, but we see what they’re doing. We have 20 thousand ships to respond instantly and threat warnings all around the north, we need to decide what to do in minutes. Any suggestions, admiral?”

“I’d advise for us to go tackle the biggest threat first. It is likely the main Lanthirphen fleet which is in Nenothrond. Sending in the whole rapid response fleet there via the closest beacon still active could save them from falling.”

“No offense admiral but that is a terrible and impulsive idea. We don’t know the scale of the fleet in the system. If it is indeed the whole Lanthirphen fleet, which i doubt, we would be outnumbered, and with hostile fleets behind our back. I would suggest to order house Tinnu to retreat into Thalion territory to regroup with their fleet. We need a stable position. We can send one flotilla, roughly 5 thousand ships, to the confederation to deal with the rebelling county. The rest can go to Thalion to join with their fleet.”

“We shall go with admiral Tangadon’s plan. We will send the ships over the Naurost beacon, closest one in function. Tangadon you shall lead the main part of the fleet, so quickly go to your ship and depart, i want to see the fleet enter mirial space in 5 minutes. Narthrandis go back to your post for now. I will go inform the emperor and send out orders for wider fleet movements. We need to get all available ships on the front. Dismissed.”

[killermantiss]

Soon enough fighting started. The rapid response fleet in a hour neutralized the rebelling count in the confederacy and the main part of the fleet was well on it’s way to Thalion. The emperor sent out a public message:

“People of the Gil-atarnië, the Ainarim Domain, and our allies all across the sector, the duke of Celebar, together with his allies and the sacrilegious inquisition, has taken up arms against us. This is a act of high sacralige and treason. Because of that, by the authority given to me by the gods, I, tararan o Gil-atarnië Calerost ar ráquen o mendë Ainariva, Edhelgil Belaith Oialë, strip him and all of his allies of all of their titles, epithets and honor, granting anyone the permission to kill them justly, may the gods curse me if it is not right. The imperial navy is bring mobilized and will mercilessly crush the traitors. I call to my vassals to join the battle, as well as our allies except the Galactyan empire and rest of the Coalition of united stars, because of the great insult they have delivered to my nation and people and showed no honor afterwards. We can easily handle without them and their ships will not be welcome in our territory.
Glory to Calerost, effírië ar quelmë!”

And the rift between Calerost and the coalition grows.

Soon enough all calerostan vassals declared that they’re joining the emperor’s cause, with most of them also mobilizing. The biggest exception was Naurost which is doing wide scale fleet reformation and modernization. In a few days the whole might of Calerost would be at the Lanthirphen’s doorstep, together with their allies.

[Flaming]

Calerost was Trianar’s major ally. Their first contact had shown their states had almost paralyzing similarities- it was like they were long lost brothers. Therefore, it was no surprise when Trianarö ships poured out of great white portals that distorted space, seemingly turning stars behind them red.

Trianarö ships dwarfed those of Calerost by a wide margin; and, to be fair, most ships in the Sector. Both Trianarö officers and Edhel officials knew this wasn’t just for show; Trianarö ships were like moving castles; with the defenses and firepower that came with. Knowing the specs of the ships only made the mass that Trianar had ownership of that much more imposing.

The speed of mobilization for Trianar was even quicker than usual, as they were coming out of the war against the Krekenai. an estimated ~76k Trianarö ships entered Calerost’s space, 45 Trianarö fleets, with the head ship being a 30km long Flagship.

An additional many ships entered the space too; these held elite soldiers that few had ever seen in battle: Izarattikai, the Ikaranarean War Priests. These soldiers were modified to the physical limit with Safarkran and Mosarkran, the metals that proved the Ikaranareans’ connection to the gods. This made them extremely powerful in ways that most other species couldn’t hope to reproduce.

The Admiral of the Advancing Fleet was an extremely high-ranking Ikaranarean; not ranking far below the Fleet Admiral. He was Tzuran Alkatrition; Penma’s brother. His coming here was no act of nepotism; rather, it showed how seriously the Trianarö government was taking the situation, being one of the top strategists in the nation.

The Trianarö were here to honor their alliance with Calerost; and they would help them crush the rebellion.

[Weisserstein]

Not long after the broadcast by the Calerostan Emperor reached the Kaiserreich, the heads of the Imperial and Royal Weissersteiner Reichswehr gathered in the Kaiserslicht Großes Hauptquartier. There, the Emperor, the Crown Prince and the Imperial Council, members of the Imperial General Staff, and the Imperial Civilian Government agrees to heed the call to arms of Calerost. Citing Calerost’s aid to the Kaiserreich during the Bitter Hundred’ Years as well as the longstanding friendship between the two states being the primary reasoning for Weissersteiner involvement, as well as similar stances with regards to honor and loyalty.

The Imperial General Staff chose the Fourth Fleet (better known as the Western Fleet) of the Imperial Weissersteiner Navy to lead the task force. It was the closest to Calerost territory, operating near Fort Beacon. Led by Hochadmiral Franz Joseph von Harzburg und Bremerstedt, a decorated admiral from the days of the Hundred Years’ War, the Fourth Fleet consisted of 34k ships and spearheaded by the flagship SMS Schwartzeschwert, a Nassau-Class Assault Carrier. Besides the Fourth Fleet, portions of the Colonial Sector Fleets have also been consolidated into the task force alongside several smaller task fleets. In total, Task Force Totenkopf has about 67k ships ready to be deployed.

Task Force Totenkopf sets off to the rendezvous point. Together with their allies, they will rid the traitors in Calerost. As they set off, Franz Joseph saluted his men.

“Gott mit uns!”

[killermantiss]

Around 9 hours after the broadcast there ware three people in the meeting room on Tartirion: grand admiral Osbion, Tzuran Alkatrion and and Hochadmiral Franz Joseph. Osbion welcomed his guests warmly, like it’s Calerostan tradition. Soon enough the door opened again, as the emperor came in. Osbion bowed low as a sign of respect.

“You can get up. Now, shall we begin?”

He says as he sits down at the table. Osbion turns on the holographic display

“the count in the confederation has been neutralized without any significant losses, a good chunk of his ships defected when they saw the rapid response fleet show up. Our reports say that the enemy has made further progress in the Sain Miria march, ornathirion’s defenses can’t hold up for much longer, and Haerdil has almost fully fallen fully. Tangadon is expected to engage in Nenothrond soon. The countess’ retreating fleet has met his and joined it. Long distance radar for now doesn’t show a large presence of ships, they have probably just left a small garrison and pulled back. We’re expecting mines in their territory.”

[killermantiss]

“Noted. Dear friends the plan for now goes like this: your fleets will be waiting here together with our fleets. We’re waiting for Tangadon to take back Nenothrond and activate the beacon there. When he completes that mission we’ll travel to the system in VIV (virtually infinite velocity) and start progressing to key points of interest like Celebar and Ornathirion station. We’re suspecting that captain Mirion is the main architect of the attack, all of this screams his tactics. That means that he’ll likely be able to predict our plans as for a time he served directly under grand admiral Osbion. But we outnumber him greatly, so it should not be a problem. Any questions?”

[Flaming]

AAF Alkatrition nodded. “I only have a few minor tactical considerations regarding the Trianarö fleet. From the information I’ve been given, Trianarö ships tend to be bigger and more sturdy than their counterparts in most nations, including all present here. We sacrifice some non FTL manueverability due to this, however. For this reason, I think it would be most advantageous for our ships to come in first when we initiate or expect combat. When we release corvettes and swarmers there should be considerable cover for your and Weissersteiner forces, allowing your ships to do the maximum damage while reducing the number of ship casualties all around. Obviously, tactics need to be tailored for each battle, but if we are ever in need of a pitched battle I think this very basic outline will give us an edge that the enemy cannot match.”

He paused before continuing. “I would also like to inquire about the nature of planetary combat, if it is necessary. This is an internal conflict, so we understand a main concern will be the limitation of casualties and critical infrastructure damage- are there any other things we need to consider? I would like to relay any relevent information to the Planetary Force commanders as early as possible to ensure our troops are prepared for any other unusual considerations.”

[killermantiss]

“The idea is more than reasonable, but i suggest that some calerostan corvettes be also present in the front line. We have some of the best point defense in the sector so it would allow for better missile protection, especially against mirial torpedos which to my knowledge you don’t have the tech to detect before they enter realspace.”

“but when traveling may i suggest they be most concentrated on the edges of the fleet. Both the Lanthirphen and captain Mirion are known for ambush tactics and guerrilla warfare. And considering we severely outnumber them they will definitely use them.”

“Yes that would be the wisest if our allies agree to it. And considering planetside warfare Calerost’s standard tactic is targeted orbital bombardment, aiming for only military targets, but that mostly won’t be applicable here as we’re talking about our own worlds. Precision strikes will be required. We plan on deploying orbital-atmospheric strike craft and drop power armor if planetside combat is necessary.”

[Weisserstein]

"Taking a lesson from the Hundred Years’ War, if I may, using a mobile armored corps to overwhelm key strategic areas simultaneously is among how we were able to break the 80 years of stalemate with the Dovians. Nonetheless, a guerilla campaign is to be expected, and we would likely suffer casualties.

Perhaps, if we could get local loyalists to help gather information and intelligence, we could counter any guerilla campaign much more effectively. My forces could help with the initial spearhead with armor if necessary, as many of the commanding officers were veterans of the Hundred Years’ War and have experiences in these sorts of fields and conditions. The Fourth Fleet would also help with securing space superiority with our assault carriers, including the SMS Schwartzeschwert."

[killermantiss]

“Yes, that could work. Securing space superiority should be a priority. Most planets in the north are not self sufficient and will likely surrender if cut off from the rest of the rebels, the only place major land combat can happen is Celeba…”

The display rings. A message from Tangadon.

“Seems Tangadon has entered the system, let me read the message. He says that there is no presence of enemy ships in the system and that… What.”

Osbion looks at the message in shock. He hits a button on the display

“Comms, give me a chanel with the INS Aernaul, highest priority.”

“Connecting you sir, it will take a minute for the connection to be established”

“What is it, Osbion?”

“Tangadon reports that the beacon in Nenothrond has been destroyed”

"What. How the hell ware they capable of doing something like that, destroying a beacon borderline impossible. Disabling yes, but a beacon hasn’t been destroyed since the miraline war."

The connection is established

“Admiral Tangadon Fendassothar reporting in to high command.”

“What do you mean they destroyed the beacon?!”

"Exactly that. There’s only a debree field remaining. The system monitoring station is also gone, so we can’t confirm how they achieved what they did. A FTL impact seems most likely. I’m moving to secure the system. We can not count on beacons in our advance. I think we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way. "

“So it would seem. Tangadon take a defensive position around Nenothrond prime. As soon as the fleet is prepared we will come to reinforce you. Do not atempt to push further alone.”

“As you wish, my emperor. Tangadon out.”

“This is… very concerning. We will have to do without beacons which will make supplying slower. Also calerostan ships are slower as we’re limited to the maximum speed of realspace ftl, except for starbrakers. They’re using scorched earth tactics, which is bad. Hopefully they won’t practice it on civilian infrastructure.”

“We can only hope. We should start moving then as soon as possible. I will need to go to Ilanor to hold a speech to the troops and watch over the embarking, so i will fall a bit behind you. Tzuran Alkatrion, Hochadmiral Franz Joseph, if you have any further suggestions now is the time to say them. If not we should go prepare the fleets to move. We will take a VIV jump to naurost and from there travel to Nenothrond via mirial space. Got it?”

[Flaming]

“All I have to say is that in the case of ground combat, Trianar is very capable. Our forces are designed for the forceful capture of planets and not their destruction, so in the event that it is necessary we have brought all needed resources. There is nothing else at the moment that comes to mind.”

[killermantiss]

“That is good, and will definitely come in useful. Calerostan troops are mostly trained for on ship combat but are also capable on the ground, especially the mechanized legions. They…”

A officer urgently enters the room. He bows before the emperor

“My emperor you should urgently connect the display to public broadcast. The Lanthirphen have hacked in and are broadcasting”

“What? Osbion please connect us.”

Osbion connects to the broadcast and puts it on display. It shows the inside of the temple of Celianor, with duke Estaron sitting on a throne.

People of Calerost, my brothers and sisters, do you see in what kind of times we live?! The ancient and frail emperor, who is supposed to be picked by the gods themselves to rule, has been for his whole rule acting against our sacred people and the gods for his own interests!!! A alliance with the heretical Galactya, blocking the inquisition’s will multiple times, and now flat out overthrowing it so people of his dirty, evil Soarim blood do not need to fear rightful punishment! He is nothing more than a Miraline usurper to the throne! House Haerlben has lost it’s devine right to rule and the Edhel peoples are suffering because of it, making the whole empire a illegitimate demonstate! A second Miraline Hegemony!"

Usually well contained the emperor was obviously boiling with rage. A inquisitor comes on screen carrying a crown, obviously initially ducal but heavily modified, with gemstones and decor added on quickly.

“That is why I, duke Estaron of the house of Lanthirphen, declare reestablishment of the old legitimate empire, under the name the Holy Edhel Empire of Calerost, with myself as it’s emperor! Glory to Calerost, glory to the holy edhel people! Effírië ar…”

As he was saying those words the inquisitor lowered the crown onto his head. The emperor slams the table, cracking it and turning the broadcast off. Or making the projector not work anymore, it is hard to tell. Rage was emanating from him in a dense could, filling the room with a aura of rage. One would guess that Queltar himself was on the station. Half of it could feel the emperor’s anger. After a few moments of deafening silence the emperor spoke:

"How does he DARE TO VIOLATE AND BASTARDIZE THE WILL OF THE GODS, MYSELF AND MY FAMILY LIKE THAT?!! DOES HE WANT FOR HIS SOUL TO NEVER LEAVE THE FIRE?!! I. Will. Rip. His. Skull. Open. With. My. OWN. TWO. FUCKING. HANDS!!!"

He slams the table again. He takes a look around and quickly calms down.

“Excuse my burst of rage brothers. This is now more than a simple rebellion. It is a civil war and a offense against the gods. If no one has anything more to say I’ll recommend to go and prepare your fleets, tomorrow we’re moving for Nenothrond. It is more than time to show those bastards what they have done.”

[Flaming]

AAF Alkatrition gave the Emperor a full Trianarö salute; A fist to his heart to a salute with two fingers, before bringing the hand back down to his side. “The TIF will ensure that this Heresy remains only a blip in your nation’s great history. I will go.”

[Weisserstein]

“Such… dishonor, coming from someone hailing from the nobility, a group that should’ve been set as an example for the people. The Fourth Fleet of the Reichsmarine will, henceforth, be at your disposal, Your Highness.”