To:ALL FIRST FLEET OFFICERS CC:LIBERTY NAVY HIGH COMMAND Source: VADM LAMBERT, James Encryption:High Priority:High
Officers:
I wanted to report to all of you an event that occurred three days ago. The repercussions of what happened will likely affect our operational procedures over the next several weeks, so the rest of High Command has permitted me to lower this report and certain associated information to your clearance level.
At roughly 2300 on June 26, I received a request for assistance from Vice Admiral Baker in the Texas system. She was sparing with the details but requested I move to assist her at Cold Bay in Hudson. LNS Fearless was already on alert so I quickly boarded and we departed Norfolk. While in transit, we overheard the following on the secure unit comms:
[26.06.822 23:22:41] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Cohen and I are approaching the Hamburg gate.
[26.06.822 23:22:41] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Capital ships, stand by at Hudson Jump Gate
[26.06.822 23:22:42] Siara.Solatra: Tell me when you need me.
[26.06.822 23:22:50] LNS-Enterprise: Roger
[26.06.822 23:23:00] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Numerous hostile contacts, short range!
[26.06.822 23:23:45] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: I'm looking at a dozen nomad caps
[26.06.822 23:23:47] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Jump ahead.
[26.06.822 23:24:24] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: There's...some kind of anomaly here...near the gate.
[26.06.822 23:24:53] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: All forces retreat!
[26.06.822 23:24:56] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: Battleship Alma seems to have read it.
[26.06.822 23:24:59] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Stay away from the gate!
[26.06.822 23:25:08] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: The Capital fleet will remain at Cold Bay for now.
Moving as quickly as we could, we arrived at Cold Bay to find an unusual amount of traffic - several Libertonian capital ships and a number of freelancers. Vice Admiral Baker informed me that her command had moved down the lane to the disabled Hamburg jumpgate.
It was immediately obvious that something was different. There was a strange anomaly that had opened in front of the gate - one of the jump holes. It appeared to be unstable. We had no idea where it led. What's more, there were numerous Rheinlanders parked around the gate - several military vessels, a BDM, and our friend Oberst Klugmann. The situation was tense, with both sides maintaining their distance from one another.
[26.06.822 23:27:43] [LN]-Ben.Cohen: What are they doing?
[26.06.822 23:27:44] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: Don't jump!
[26.06.822 23:27:46] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Libertonian Forces stand down!
[26.06.822 23:27:46] VWA|Erich.Klugmann.: We have no idea where it leads, or if there's an exit -
[26.06.822 23:28:02] Thallia.Thorn: Lexi :: Destination is 'perfectly' safe::
[26.06.822 23:28:02] [LN]-Ben.Cohen: Get out of there you're gonna get killed
[26.06.822 23:28:05] The.Mysterious.Wanderer: it must be stopped
[26.06.822 23:28:07] RNC-Neubrandenburg: Gerhard: We have 3 Jump holes!
[26.06.822 23:28:10] Thallia.Thorn: Thallia: *blushes a little, and mutes Lexi*
[26.06.822 23:28:12] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: Someone has to go in there...
[26.06.822 23:28:13] RNC-Neubrandenburg: Gerhard: Which one is the right?
[26.06.822 23:28:31] LNS-Liberty_II: Steve: Weird.
[26.06.822 23:28:31] RNC-Neubrandenburg: Gerhard: Geoff... Orders?
[26.06.822 23:28:35] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: What are your orders, Admiral?
[26.06.822 23:28:42] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Stand...Stand by.
[26.06.822 23:28:47] BDM|KLt-Geoff.Enfield: Enfield: I... I don't know...
[26.06.822 23:28:57] RNC-Neubrandenburg: Gerhard: Geoff, orders now!
[26.06.822 23:28:57] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: Libertonian forces - hold position.
The anomaly flickered, and then visually stabilized. The Battleship Almawas in the vicinity, and her sensor techs indicated the hole was stable, and was leading to a location they couldn't determine. The aliens that Vice Admiral Baker had fought against prior to my arrival had come from the jump hole, so the theory was proposed that they were creating the jump hole through some artificial means.
Vice Admiral Baker and I conferred, and then decided to lead the Libertonian fleet through the jump hole, in order to hopefully close it and prevent further attacks.
[26.06.822 23:31:33] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: The Alma is telling us to jump through.
[26.06.822 23:31:43] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Do you...I mean, Lambert...
[26.06.822 23:31:45] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: Vice Admiral Baker, I say we go in. Do you agree?
[26.06.822 23:31:45] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Right.
[26.06.822 23:31:57] (SolarR[C]-Ashley.H: IT'S NOW OR NEVER!
[26.06.822 23:31:59] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: All Libertonian ships activate weapons and proceed through the anomaly.
[26.06.822 23:32:09] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: Roger that.
[26.06.822 23:32:13] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: Here we go... brace for jump.
We immediately encountered contacts. More of the aliens, and in numbers.
[26.06.822 23:32:23] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Holy...
[26.06.822 23:32:24] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: Contacts!
[26.06.822 23:32:28] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Evade, Evade!
[26.06.822 23:32:32] LNS-Enterprise: Vladimir: Oh my god...
[26.06.822 23:32:37] BDM|KLt-Geoff.Enfield: Enfield: EVERYONE, FOLLOW ME!
[26.06.822 23:32:39] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: What the hell IS this place!?
[26.06.822 23:32:41] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: What the hell...
[26.06.822 23:32:41] (SolarR[C]-Ashley.H: Hit the jump hole object!
[26.06.822 23:32:45] BDM|KLt-Geoff.Enfield: Enfield: WE'RE GETTING OUT OF HERE!
[26.06.822 23:32:48] LNS-Liberty_II: Steve: Nomad battleships!
[26.06.822 23:33:01] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Libertonian Forces lock targets and attack!
[26.06.822 23:33:02] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: Capitals, hit those battleships!
[26.06.822 23:33:11] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: All Liberty Warships, concentrate your fire on the Nomad battleship.
[26.06.822 23:33:17] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: For The Republic!
[26.06.822 23:33:30] Kmd.Johns: For Humanity!
[26.06.822 23:33:33] Kmd.Johns: For Sirius
[26.06.822 23:33:35] Kmd.Johns: Yes...
[26.06.822 23:33:38] Kmd.Johns: Even for Liberty!
There was an alien structure there - the likes of which I'd never seen before. Unfortunately, my logs did not contain a clear image or scan of it, but we ordered our units to focus fire. Its location near the jump hole indicated that it likely had something to do with the creation of the anomaly. The capitals poured their fire into it while my crew and the snubcraft set to holding off the small, quick alien craft.
[26.06.2015 23:34:36] [LN]-Ben.Cohen: Nomad fighters incoming!
[26.06.822 23:34:55] Kmd.Johns: Taking to much damage to assist...
[26.06.822 23:34:56] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Hold the line, Libertonians!
[26.06.822 23:35:00] BDM|KLt-Geoff.Enfield: Enfield: We die here, we die as legends!
[26.06.822 23:35:00] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: We fight for humanity!
[26.06.822 23:35:04] Kmd.Johns: Just keep on firing at the construct
[26.06.822 23:35:24] RNC-Neubrandenburg: Gerhard: Come on, for the humans!
[26.06.822 23:35:26] VWA|Erich.Klugmann.: Gottverdammt - Behind!
[26.06.822 23:35:26] LNS-Enterprise: Vladimir: More Cruisers!!
[26.06.822 23:35:35] VWA|Erich.Klugmann.: Those aren't - Cruisers.
[26.06.822 23:35:33] LNS-Liberty_II: Steve: Nomad Battleships closing!
The alien capital ships opened up on our ragtag group, causing immediate damage. We shifted formation to meet them - beginning to drive them back when something even more bizarre happened. Our cockpits reverberated with a strange sound. An odd musical tone. Then a voice - distorted and alien - speaking threats.
We sustained a few losses, but we fought back the onslaught. Our attention renewed on the construct, it collapsed in upon itself - destroyed. My ship received a distorted priority comm from the Alma. The hole was fluctuating, as if it were about to collapse. At the same time, a second alien force appeared, a fleet of at least triple the number of capital-class ships we had just fought off. I ordered the civilians and Rheinlanders out first, and Vice Admiral Baker, Commander Reaser aboard the Cloverfield, Lieutenant Cohen, and a freelancer named Siara Solatra prepared to hold the line.
[26.06.822 23:38:08] RNC-Neubrandenburg: Gerhard: Code red, move out
[26.06.822 23:38:09] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Through the hole, now!
[26.06.822 23:38:10] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Hold the line!
[26.06.822 23:38:11] (SolarR[C]-Ashley.H: Oh god..GO!
[26.06.822 23:38:14] LNS-Liberty_II: Steve: We will deal with these bastards!
[26.06.822 23:38:19] Siara.Solatra: I am -not- running from this.
[26.06.822 23:38:20] [LN]-LNS-Cloverfield: Reaser: Alert! Nomad Fleet incoming! All Warships fire at will
[26.06.822 23:38:32] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Hold the goddamned line, Libertonians!
[26.06.822 23:38:46] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: We fight, then.
[26.06.822 23:39:02] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: We fight or we die!
[26.06.822 23:39:08] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: -this- is what we've prepared for!
[26.06.822 23:39:42] Death: [LN]-Rachel.Baker was put out of action by a hostile vessel.
[26.06.822 23:39:45] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Lambert: We can't hold...
[26.06.822 23:39:49] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: E-Ejecting!
[26.06.822 23:39:51] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: Get my pod!
[26.06.822 23:39:55] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Siara, get out!
[26.06.822 23:39:56] Siara.Solatra: Rachel!
[26.06.822 23:40:03] Siara.Solatra: No, not without you!
[26.06.822 23:40:03] [LN]-Rachel.Baker: All Forces retreat! Go now!
[26.06.822 23:40:04] [LN]-LNS-Fearless: Pod tractored.
The fleet was right on top of us, but fortunately I was close enough to the Vice Admiral's ship to pick up her pod. We survivors slipped through the hole amidst a torrent of fire. Except for one, that is.
The Cloverfield entered the hole just seconds after us, after bearing the brunt of the fire from the oncoming fleet. Reports indicate the hole spun shut on that end before she cleared the maw, and it cut through the last section of her hull. Survivors from the bridge report that the sudden loss of most of the engine compartment caused an immediate explosive reaction through the ship. Fortunately, the bow half of the ship was blown clear of the jumphole in the process.
We sprung into action on the other side, gathering as many lifepods as we could. Final tallies are still incomplete, but it appears that over 100 of her crew perished. They gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect us all from this alien threat.
Though the losses of so many of our best and brightest hang over my head, I am officially making some recommendations for awards for those who defended Liberty with distinction.
Medal of Honor for Vice Admiral Rachel Baker, for the highest valor, outstanding leadership, and willingness to sacrifice her life to protect those of many others.
Silver Star and Purple Heartfor Commander Natalie Reaser, for her actions aboard the Cloverfield.
Presidential Unit Citation for the crew of Cloverfield, for extreme sacrifice in the line of duty.
Navy Gallant Unit Citation for the crews of Fearless and Alma, for courage under fire.
Bronze Star for Lieutenant Ben Cohen, for courage under fire.
We will fight, and we will overcome.
Regards,
Vice Admiral James Lambert
CO LNS Fearless
Liberty Navy First Fleet