OOC Note: This story was originally written by me, but somewhere along the line, it went astray and fell away from what I wanted it to. Please keep in mind that this story does NOT follow the Discovery timeline completely. The story is that of more than 500 years in the future. Any PM's requesting that the story be changed, will be ignored. Please enjoy the read.
For those interested in the original story, the link is here.
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Omicron Eta System
1377 A.S
62 years after the arrival of "The Menace"
"Sir! We've lost FTL drives!" screamed an officer from the front of the bridge. Sparks flew from the bulkheads as another volley of enemy fire struck the ships hull.
"Switch to backups!" yelled an officer from another comm station.
"They're down too!"
"Weapons! Throw me a bone here Anya!"
"We've got minimal weapons, not enough to do any lasting damage to their warships!...we're picking up the Suramar on long range sensors! They've entered the system and engaging the enemy!"
"Thank the gods. Get those systems back up and working while we have a few seconds to get our minds straight. Make sure the temporal shields are holding against the enemy! And get those FTL's back up and running NOW!"
A chours of yes sir's echoed across the bridge as the commanding officer on the bridge looked at the radar system with the hundreds of red dots across the screen now turning most of their attention to the Suramar who just entered the system. History said this was once an old battleground between the forces of the Outcasts and Corsairs, two groups now long forgotten. The inner systems had become overrun with the Nomads and their masters who returned to Sirius to find mankind. In their fury, they destroyed the bulk of the House systems. Ripped them to shreds, destroyed every non-nomad creature and structure. The elders still surviving outside of Sirius remember those days.
The admiral remembered the stories. The stories of the planets being bombarded with anti-matter weaponry, killing millions. Mankind was on the brink of extinction. But somehow...they survived, all of mankind managed to leave their homes as they had Sol, and a new era had begun, the era of survival. Once again mankind had managed to unite under ultimate destruction and annilhation and form the bond they had so many times in the past. In a brave final battle under a ragtag group of Navy, Rogues, and other criminal gangs, they held off what mankind became to be known as "The Menace", until the new sleeper ships could escape New York and jump to hyperspace.
They died that day, protecting the lives that the admiral and his crew now enjoyed, fighting the creatures that called themselves the Nomad's creators. Mankind thought the Nomads were bad, but they didn't have any idea. They didn't know the meaning of the word POWER that these creatures weilded. They could create matter from nothing, they were smart, infinitly strong. They made their creations even stronger than ever before.
He remembered the videos that existed on the still existing, but fragmented, Neural Nets. The videos of Manhattan being seiged by the Menace. The fear in people's eyes, the bravery in others as they stood up to the monsters. He still remembered the look of the Menace. 8 foot tall, in hav-suits. Monsterous creatures, murdering mankind as if they were no more than tinker toys.
The ship shaking brought him back to reality.
"Report!" he said.
"FTL's are back up. So are the temporal jumpdrives. Your orders sir?"
"Jump us back to the colony. Get us out of here. Inform Commander Jackson we are jumping and to follow suit."
"Yes sir. Jumping."
The space on the ship distorted...and they jumped.
"Unidentified ship. State your identification and ship name. Any suspicion will result in your vessels becoming anti-matter waste. You have 10 seconds to respond." a young man said. His name was Jack Munroe. He had been there when Manhattan was nuked by The Menace. It was no mystery that the Menace was actually the Damm'kvosh, but mankind had come to know them as the Menace because of a newscast back when the war started.
"This is the SS Starblight. Comm code Kingston-Alpha-Alpha-Zeta-Nancy-fourty-four-sixty-niner."
"Roger that SS Starblight. Welcome home. Drydock fifty-nine is open for drydock. Looks like you boys took a beating out there. We have matinence crews are on the way Admiral..." Jack paused and then spoke into the micrphone. "...how is Stacey sir?"
"She's fine Jack. Don't worry your little head about it. I'll send her to her quarters soon as we de-brief. Admiral Kingston out."
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since his daughter had volunteered to be on the SS Starblight, he had been worried. She was in her early thirties, and yet the man still worried about her day and night. After the attack on Manhattan, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to not be worried about his only daughter. His wife had sacraficed herself to that the Sleeper ships from New York could escape...she died bravely that day, and he wouldn't have the only thing left from her dying in space as she had.
"Unidentified contacts, bearing 66.23." Jack said as he watched over the board. "Unidentified ship. State your identification and ship name. Any suspicion will result in your vessels becoming anti-matter waste. You have 10 seconds to respond."
"This is the SS Suramar. Comm code Jackson-Beta-Uniform-Charlie-Alpha-twenty-two-Milo-eight."
"Roger that SS Suramar. Welcome home. Drydock Eighty-seven is open for drydock. You took less of a beating than the Starblight did, however we'll have matinence crews hit up your battlecrusier soon as they're done there."
"Roger Munroe, Commander Jackson out."
Bloody Menace. They never took a days rest from wooping the hell out of the survivors of Man. It was always something new with them. However, they never ventured out past Sirius as the fleet had, this was what made this system perfect for man to survive and hide. The system was surrounded by gamma particles, something the Menace and Nomads never came close to. We kept to ourselves unless we were hunting in Sirius for materials and resources, only the Battlecruisers ventured into Sirius. Any other vessels were bared from venturing too close to what was called "The Rim."
"Communication for Jack Munroe." said the comm specialist across the room. "It's on your line Jack."
"Thank's Jamie." he replied and picked up the reciever. "Munroe speaking."
"This is Admiral Kingston. You have a minute to talk Jack?"
"I do Admiral. What can I do for you?"
"First, is this a secure line?
"Yes sir, it is.
"Very well then...Before Manhattan. You were a hacker correct?"
"I was. What does that have to do with-"
"The U.S.S. Defiance. It needs someone for engineering...you're the man I'm coming to."
Jack paused. The U.S.S. Defiance? He'd never heard of it.
"Sir, forgive my question, but what is the Defiance?"
The Admiral laughed. "Only the most advanced battleship in the fleet. It's been kept secert for years now. Everything on it was reverse engineered from the captured Menace battleship we captured several years ago. She needs an engineer. I need an answer Jack, because you're the best damn one I know around here. She's leaving drydock in a few days and heading deep into Sirius."
Defiance System
"Survival" Orbital Community
April 8, 62 B.E. (1377 A.S)
0824 Hours
For the fourth night in a row, Christian couldn't sleep. The stories his grandfather told him of the destruction of Manhattan haunted him even years later. His grandpa told him that these stories would enable him to extract justice from the Menace and their pets.
Christian looked at the clock and groaned. He had gotten maybe thirty minutes sleep and had to be at work in six minutes. He crawled slowly out of bed and mixed himself a batch of coffee. As he drank the coffee, he began to get dressed for work. After four minutes, he was jogging down the cooridor to the elevator at the end of the hall. As he reached it, the doors closed and he slammed his hand on the metal.
"Damnit!" he screamed.
"Christian Wilder?" a voice said from behind him, he turned slowly to see a middle aged man with the rank of Admiral pinned on his collar.
"Sir!" Christian said and braced to attention.
"At ease. I'm in need of your skills...walk with me."
"O-of course sir."
The two walked down the cooridor in silence for a while, the Admiral looking out the window at the planet they orbited as he walked.
"You know this was only temporary correct son?"
"Yes Admiral, that's what my father told me. Said that this place was only for us to regroup. You and the other remaining starships were gathering intel on the Menace and their pets."
"That is correct young man. We've recently gathered some rather disturbing intel, both on the Menace and their pets. They're grouping up for a large scale attack along with some de-ionizing equipment."
"They're going to disrupt the particles in the gamma fields and come through to us."
"That's correct...there's also another thing...you cannot tell anyone about what I just told you, and what I am about to. The planet we are orbiting...the planet we named Salvation...there's something on the planet. Something very very valuable to the Menace...something that could answer us a lot of questions."
"But sir, the surface of the planet is a desert with very little oxygen, there's no gaurntee we could even survive the gravity of the planet either."
"Wrong again son...that has been a smokescreen to prevent those still in alligence to the Nomads from discovering what we truely know."
"The Nomad-"
"There are still infected among us, did you really think otherwise young man? The Nomads have had a strangle hold on us from the very first Nomad War in 800 A.S. , leading up to the second in 982A.S....and until 62 years ago when they called back their creators. But that's another topic...something is on that planet Christian, and you're the only physicist and geologist I know that's still young enough to bear the desert. You and a team will be heading down to the surface within a few days time. You will get some basic training of the environment, and then you will be heading out."
"Yes sir. It would be an honor." Christian replied.
The Admiral smiled and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder.
"Your father would be proud of his son...make em even more proud."
The Admiral turned and continued down the hall, leaving the young man to his thoughts.
Defiance System
Border Control Station
April 9, 62 B.E. (1377 A.S.)
0658 Hours
Five people sat at the front of the group in the briefing room, the rest were his crew of the Starblight, however the Starblight was under for severe repairs and wasn't going to be leaving drydock for a very long time. This is what made command give him control of the Defiance. The crew looked shaken up from the sudden call to the briefing room. A call on such short notice was a warning for a big mission, one that would not be told to anyone else.
"Good morning crew. Before I start I would like you to welcome five of our newest senior officers.
"Mr. Munroe, please stand." as he did so, he looked back at the crew. "This is Jack Munroe, you might know him being the control supervisor on board the border station. However Mr. Munroe here is one of the best damn engineers I know of. He will be supervising the engineering department. He's been spun up on the new equipement we're going to be using. Thank you Jack."
As he took his seat the Admiral moved on to the next person in line.
"Mr. Wilder, please stand." Christian stirred and woke up from his chair. Standing up slowly he rubbed his eyes. "This is Christian Wilder, he will be going to the surface of the planet in the system we are in. Contrairy to popular belief, the planet can actually sustain minimal life. It has been kept that way for years to prevent people from snooping on the planet. He will be going down with a crew of three to examine the things on the surface. Thank you Christian, you can sit back down."
The Admiral went to each person and introduced them to the crew. As he finished the last person, he turned to the screen and enabled the picture. The picture of the U.S.S. Defiance. An old Zoner Juggernaught, re-designed to hold all of the equipment of the Menace that they had reverse engineered. The Juggernaught was the largest ship ever built in Sirius, even until the arrival of the Menace. So, it was a no brainer on which ship would be used to hold all the massive equipment needed to combat the Menace with their own weapons.
"This is the U.S.S. Defiance, the largest warship ever built by man. In it, is reverse engineered Menace technology. The shields are of Temporal design, warping space and time around us. The engines are also of temporal design. The weapons are among the most powerful ever seen in Sirius, a combination of Human, Nomad, and Menace designs. We've combined all the technology we have stolen from these monsters over the years to create a ship so deadly they will tremble in fear. The Blightstar and many other ships are being equipped with the same technology on limited scale, they will be jumping into the warzone with us."
An ensign in the back raised his hand and he stood up as he was noticed.
"Sir, where are we heading to?"
"I'm glad you asked that son...we're heading into the heart of enemy territory, we are heading to the New York system, to Manhattan where we will rain such a destructinve force down on them that they will not know what hit them. As soon as we have re-claimed Manhattan we will turn our attention to the surrounding systems. Texas, Colorado, California, Alaska, and Virginia. Once we have these systems under our control, we will begin constructing warships within New York, and move on to the surrounding systems, fortifying as we go. Eventually, as we capture more of their technology, they will have no choice but to either surrender, or return to where they came.
"I'm sure the next question is, why now? The Menace and their 'pets', as Mr. Wilder likes to call them, are moving towards us with de-ionizers meant to part the Gamma clouds protecting us from their invading our new home. They have taken an interest in the planet in our system, enough to warrent them pulling 3/4 of their forces away from their home, Manhattan. We will move into that system, and destroy everything we come across, hopefully drawing their forces back, where we will be already fortified, and be able to wound them.
"I will not lie to you ladies and gentlemen, this could be a one way trip for many of us, but we do this a revenge for those loved ones that have fallen to them. We do this as a reminder that mankind cannot fall, that we stand together, that we cannot falter, and we cannot fail. We will make them remember who we are, we will make them remember that our bite is MUCH worse than our bite.
"We will fight or we will fall! Until the angels save us all!"
The entire crew stood up yelling and cheering. The menace would feel their anger, their pain...and they would feel their vengance.
The Admiral stood on the bridge of the Defiance as ensigns and other personel prepared for departure.
"Defiance, have you completed the equations?."
"Yes Admiral."
"Lets hear them."
"Sir...
Closest approach to Manhattan
34,600,000 miles
Mean distance from the sun
141,600,000 miles
Period of rotation around the sun
1.88089 years
Sidereal rotation period
24 hours, 37 minutes, 22.66 seconds
Mean surface atmospheric temperature
-23 degrees
Visual albedo
0.159
Pole star BD 52
Degrees, 2,880
Official magnitude at opposition
-2.01
Mass
0.01017
Density
3.5
Diameter
0.532
Inclination from equator
24.936 degrees
Gravitational escape velocity
3,121 miles per hour
...equations are completed Admiral. Awaiting further instructions."
"Log those to your primary memory buffers for further use. We may need them when we jump into the New York System."
"Completed sir."
"Roger that Defiance, standby. Are we ready ensign?"
"Yes Admiral, we are set to jump on your mark."
The Admiral picked up his handheld comm and paused before he pressed the button to transmit to the crew. He and all of mankind had waited almost a century to finally venture into their old home and extract revenge on the Menace. They had lost so much...he had lost his mother to the attacks, and so many others had lost loved ones...man had lost their home not once, but twice...
"Men and Women of the Defiance and supporting ships...we have waited long for this day to come. We have waited long for the day of reckoning to be wrought upon these...these...Damm'Kavaash...Today...they will feel the rage and fury of an entire race. They will feel the sheer power behind our masses...they will never forget the day that we reclaimed our homes! They will never forget the day that we extracted revenge for those we lost in the exodus! THEY WILL FEEL OUR FURY!" With that, the Admiral slammed the reciever down on his armrest where he picked it up from.
So we over shot our goal and wound up in Bretonia...or what was left of it. Leeds was completely removed from the equation, the planet nothing but a dense asteroid field. The system itself was somewhat cleaned up. The debris fields were no where to be found, the polution that covered the system before was also, non-existant. As soon as the fleet jumped into the system, Kingston cursed his luck. Targeting lasers lit the ship up like a lightbulb in a dark room.
"Evasive actions, get those temporal drives back operational and prepare to jump to New York. Turns out we underestimated the power of these things. Get weapons systems up and powered, shields to maximum. Prepare to hold them off until we're able to leave these suckers in the dust. Defiance, give me a run down of the system."
"Yes, Admiral Kingston. The LEEDS system appears to be a drastic change to what it was 62 years ago at the beginning of our current era. All humanoid creations, baring the Jumpgates, have been removed from the system and replaced by Nomad and Menace relay stations and Hypergates. Planet Leeds has been reduced to little more than irradiated rubble. Scans indicate it was destroyed by a pure Photo-proton beam."
"You said that the Jumpgates are still active?"
"Sir, Nomads inbound! Carrying Menace weaponry and shielding! Time to entering weapons range - three minutes!" said the tactical officer.
"Defiance, status on the engines!"
"Engines charged to 82%...scanning Jumpgates...completed. Jumpgates appear to have been modified to extreme levels, allowing several system jumps with one dock...Temporal Engines - 100%. Jumping to New York. Badlands, jumping..."
The space on the ship warped, and jumped. But as the ship jumped, Kingston got a really bad feeling.
There's a Jumpgate in the Badlands...I hope this doesn't turn out like I think it will..."
Where the Badlands were, there as replaced with a giant planet, easily dwarfing any planet known to man. The gravity well of the planet alone was signfigantly larger than the damn sun. 30 klicks away stood the Magellan JG, now heavily modified with Menace and Nomad weaponry to prevent anyone unauthorized from using the gate. Planet Manhattan stood in the distance, human weaponry stood inbetween the huge planet and the small one.
"A-admiral..."
The admiral had never heard the AI stutter before. That was what scared him.
"Those weapon platforms outside of Manhattan...they're...human technology. They are offline, but they still exist. Heavily damaged with some extreme modifications to them as well. I'm picking up weapon signatures left on the platforms. Dating 58 years ago. Also-I'm picking up debris of Liberty class, Bretonian, and Kusari class cruisers."
"But no Rheinland class..."
"That is correct, Admiral. According to records, Rheinland was the first to be hit by the Menace via the Outer Rim of Sirius space. New Berlin was wiped out in a matter of seconds."
"Right, the 30 second battle."
"More like the 30 second slaughter." said someone.
"I cannot scan Manhattan...something is interfering with my scanners...I am also picking up several powerful and large vessels on an intercept course. They are charging-...sir. We need to get out of the direct line of those ships immediately. I am picking up two Nomad Battlecruisers armed with Sunkillers."
"So, they're bringing out the big boys...alright. I can respect that. Defiance, take us within range of Manhattan."
"Yes, Admiral"
The large fleet proceeded towards Manhattan with the Nomad ships on their tails. As soon as they passed by the weapons platforms, the ships stopped in their tracks and began pacing back and forth, waiting for their prey to re-emerge.
"Gamma Radiation. They can't come through it without losing their systems. That's why we couldn't get a scan, the platforms were a diversion by the forces on the planet, when they were disabled, they emitted gamma radiation, preventing the Nomads and Menace from proceeding past the barrier."
"I'm picking up signifigant life on the planet, Admiral...we are being hailed from the surface."
An old man popped up on the screen, he looked haggered and the ruins of the capital of Manhattan loomed in the background, along with a toppled Sleeper Ship. The two men stared at one another for a brief moment, trying to see a way to notice if this were a trick or a ruse. Eventually, the two men decided that they were both, in fact, real. The man from the surface spoke first, and left the Admiral speechless.
"Admiral Kingston, it's good to see you.
"Welcome to Manhattan, home of the Children of Conviction.
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