Re: Dawn - Awakenings
2409.1
Mentocka system
Mentocka VII
Once again, the colonists were spared having to defend their lives. With three weapon platforms now online the colony switched to building and launching more mines in their planet’s orbit. There was still no word from the fleet, and some of the colonists began to wonder if they on their own, and whether or not choosing to live under Abbidon rule wouldn’t be better than annihilation...
Tilikanthua system
...onboard CDS Lugosi...
The second of the Dawn empire’s cloaked ships took up a position two sectors away from the Tilikanthua-Mentocka warp point. Assuming no one came through on their way to Ushphada, Lugosi would warp into Mentocka and cloak. Her mission would be to feed reports of the Abbidon and Cue Cappa forces and their intentions...
Ushphada system
Ushphada-Tilikanthua warp point...
Seventy-two fighters now patrolled the warp point. They were supported by Northampton and Sniper, with her newly upgraded shields and regenerators. Also making her initial visit to the warp point was Conquistador, who stayed long enough to lay forty-seven mines. She was already on the way back from Ushphada VII with twenty-four more...
Ushphada III
...onboard CDS Shelly...
The system would switch from producing fighters to producing satellites. Ushphada III would build the first. A new generation of Tripwire satellites, it would have an anti-photon cannon on a large mount. It would also be shielded, with its own regenerator. The initial deployment would be on the Tilikanthua side of the Ushphada-Tilikanthua warp point to give notice of incoming vessels...
Ushphada I
Ushphada space yard...
The light cruiser Vancouver and the new frigate Cardiff were receiving upgrades before joining Northampton at the warp point. There was just one more piece of the puzzle required for the ships of the Dawn empire to return to Mentocka...
Pantrissa system
...onboard CDS Beagle...
Captain Cabrerra was happy to see Dawn space again. He celebrated the first successful voyage of the Beagle with a toast of the Sithrak ale left to him upon his “ascension” to the captaincy of the Beagle. He de-cloaked well after clearing the warp point to avoid any mistakes in identity. Beagle was getting some new technology on this stopover.
At the same time Beagle was headed into the yard for a refit, the first of the new generation frigates, CDS Weymouth, had completed her weapon upgrade and joined the ships at the Sheliak warp point. The frigate Dover and the point defense ship Longbow left the warp point for refits of their own...
Zezzis system
Zezzis VII...
The captured Phong space yard was working overtime. Its repair crews, along with the recently arrived Alice Springs, were completing upgrades on six ships. Both Artemis and Bowhunter were receiving the latest shields and shield regenerators, and weapon upgrades were underway for Montreal, Southampton, West End, and the Chaney - who was having her toxic injectors removed and was being refit as a standard England class frigate. She was renamed Dunwich. The other toxic injector ship, Karloff, had just completed its update and was back at Zezzis IV. She had been renamed Norwich. And while all of this ship work was being accomplished, the space yard was being modernized and brought up to the same standards as Dawn homeworld space yards.
At Zezzis I, life was beginning to return to normal for the Phong now under Dawn rule. One of the damaged radioactive extraction facilities was already repaired. If this rate of acceptance continued, the occupying forces could be removed fairly soon.
At the warp points to Fezzran and Lezzari, the minefields were complete. 185 mines guarded the point to Fezzran and the Norak/Phong system there, while 130 mines guarded the Lezzari system, where the Abbidon tried to penetrate the system. Mine production was halted, and – for the first time since the war started, the planets began to build non-military improvements. The Sergetti were still in the system with their three colonies, but with seventeen Dawn ships now in Zezzis with the Sergetti, the risk was slight that the Sergetti would try anything, especially since the three colonies were locked inside the mined warp points and essentially on their own.
Nekkar system
Nekkar III shipyard facility...
She almost forgot there was ever a ship called West End.
The ship she was looking at was that impressive. Christened Bulldog, the idea had been put forth years ago before the accident at Praxis II. The war with the Sergetti and now Phong and Abbidon had slowed the project down some, but not completely halted it.
The ship was a cruiser, and dwarfed her predecessor, the Canada class light cruisers. With three shields, a regenerator, a solar sail, ECM, and five anti-photon weapons, the class was aptly named.
Katherine O’Rourke would be in command of the first of these new ships. It would be undergoing trials for the next month, but it would be ready to head into Ushphada and be the centerpiece of the Dawn’s return to Mentocka. In the meantime, she had to endure another round of media sessions and questions, but this time it wasn’t as bad. Harrison thought it was because she was handling the media better, but O’Rourke knew the real reason.
She was returning to space...
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