With the Armageddon, an Invincible class carrier, and the Apocalypse,
an Atlantis class carrier, both fully operational.
The Overwatch finally had what it required to initiate one of its most dangerous
and potentially rewarding endeavors since the original assault on the Dyson Sphere so long ago.
Since then the Order had come a long way, though it would be folly to deny the Nomad
had made further strides as well. The Nomads returned in force and with a new powerful
warshape at their disposal. But now the tides would turn once more.
Admiral Solandros stood proudly on the command deck of the Armageddon as it made its way in formation with the Apocalypse. "Thank the gods for cloaking technology" he mused,
staring at all the Nomad ships flying passing them without even realizing.
The silence was overwhelming as the two capital ships flew high above the Dyson Sphere in the Omicron Major system,
they'd only get one chance at this and every man, woman and technicolour mix inbetween knew it.
This plan had been years in the making, every step the Order had done,
ties it severed, bonds it strengthened, it all led up to this moment.
After a painstakingly long time they finally found what they were looking for;
a lone Ish'tar flying above the clouds.
Capture
With their target in sights both the Armageddon and the Apocalypse,
still under the cover of their sophisiticated cloaking devices, moved into position;
approaching the lone Ish'tar side by side from the front.
Admiral Solandros unfolded his arms and pointed towards the Nomad vessel,
shouting his commands as he did so. "There she blows lads! Drop the cloak, enter cruise speed and prepare the ankh!"
As the command was given, both vessels revealed themselves,
catching the lone Ish'tar offguard as it flew straight towards them.
With their shields down, one would think the Order had made a grave miscalculation.
But in reality it was all part of the plan. If their shields had been up,
they would have been unable to unleash their secret weapon.
A loud clang echoed through the ships as parts of the sides of the hull were jetisoned; revealing several unique looking turrets.
"This is the Apocalypse, engaging cruise engines and the ankh is ready to fire on your order sir!"
Solandros let out a laugh as both ships flew straight towards the Ish'tar, gunfire shooting past their exposed hulls as they raced towards it.
Right at the moment they were about to pass the vessel the Admiral grinned and shouted: "Now! Fire the ankh!"
With blinding speed several hooks shot out from both the Armageddon and the Apocalypse,
piercing the hull of eachother; forming a giant net. "Excellent work! Now lets drag that sucker out of here!"
The Ish'tar, unwilling go along quietly did its best to escape the net.
But much like squids back in the old days of Earth, it could but feebly struggle when faced with the pinnacle of Order technology; the Ankh net.
The Ankh net was made with technology stolen from the Core during the siege of Invicta and
further improved by Order scientists aboard Damascus Research Station.
Made of the finest hemp rope this side of Sirius and laced with the very same materials used
to produce Kemwer munitions, it truely was a terrifying sight to any Nomad large enough to be unable to slip through the nets holes.
With their prize captured, both the Armageddon and the Apocalypse activated their cloaks once more and
dragged their helpless victim home to a secret installation built under the Edge Nebula in Omicron Minor.
Training
It had been several weeks since the Ish'tar had been forcefully brought to the Order black ops site Duat, named after the egyptian afterlife.
At first it tried to resist, but with its connection to the hivemind severed and severe punishment each
time it disobeyed eventually it had no choice but to crack under the pressure.
Admiral Solandros had taken personal interest in the project and taken the lead in training the specimen.
With a smug grin he walked up to the reinforced glass and tapped against it before
tilting his side slightly to the side and asking a question to one of the scientists in the room: "Use the Scales of Anubis to wake it, I want to show it to our guest."
The scientist nodded and proceeded to prod the Ish'tar with several mechanical arms in its pen to ensure it was awake.
It was at that moment that the door to the operation room opened and none other than Grey Evans walked in,
escorted by two order operatives who remained at the door. "Speak of the devil, perfect timing my friend." the admiral mused. "We were just about to demonstrate the tricks we taught it. Care to do the honors?" Mister Evans, far too polite to refuse such an offer,
walked up to the panel next to Solandros and pressed the button that was shaped like a cartoon squid.
The moment the button was pressed a communication channel was opened towards the Ish'tar.
Grey Evans took a deep breath and cleared his throat, it felt like an unreal moment in the development of Mankind and Nomad relations.
With determination he glanced at the Ish'tar and said "Roll over."
The Ish'tar broadcasted a sound not unlike that of a cow, a loud moooooo if you will, in response and started rolling in place.
Solandros let out a laugh and said: "It did its trick, don't forget to reward it."
With a nod Grey turned towards the panel and pressed the button shaped like a dog biscuit,
as a result several were jettisoned towards the Ish'tar as a reward for its efforts.
"So, how long do you think until it is ready to be used in combat?" Evans asked, stroking his beard while pondering.
The Admiral simply grinned, not giving an immediate response, though it was clear it wouldn't be long.
Fighting with Fire
It had been several months since the Armageddon and the Apocalypse had been fielded together during an operation.
A large number of Nomads had been sighted near the damaged alien gate in the Omicron Minor system.
Early concerns the Nomads might be trying to repair the gate to get reinforcements warranted significant firepower to be deployed to quell their attempts.
"This is Admiral Solandros to the Apocalypse, we are in position. Please confirm you are as well."
Radio silence filled the command deck as they waited for the response. "This is the Apocalypse, we are in position."
The Nomads had indeed amassed a significant force, a large numer of gunboats, snubs and even a
few cruisers were all in position around the gate, doing...something.
At the sight of their sheer numbers Solandros could not help but rest his head in the palm of his hand, rubbing his eyes. "Right, unleash Dime. It will take of these things."
As the command was given a large Ish'tar decloaked infront of the the smaller Nomad vessels.
The Nomads, visibly startled by the presence of such a large vessel without having felt its presence in the hivemind,
started swarming towards it to investigate, only to be destroyed as it rained down divine fury.
The destruction of its former brothers and sisters proceeded near effortlessly, a true show of its new allegiance.
The battle was shortlived, Dime destroyed all the other Nomad vessels with ease thanks to its overpowering might and the element of surprise.
Solandros couldn't help but laugh and jetisoned out several dog treats towards Dime, a treat for a job well done.
"Excellent work Dime, you will serve the Order well."
With the Nomad forces wiped the Order vessels turned back home, faithful Ish'tar pet in tow.