Story thread - chronicles

[Growltigger]

THE FIRST WAR IN THE STARS

On 15 September 2403, the Discovery transitted the warp point leading to Sigma Draconis. Its sensors showed no Centauri presence in the system, and the colonisable world, which had been christened Xanadu, sparkled on the sensor viewport. Discovery launched a courier drone through the warp point. Minutes later, the 3rd Cruiser Squadron, comprising the light cruisers Acheron, Argonaut and Bellerophon, appeared in the darkness of space, escorting the larger bulk of a Nova class colony vessel, crammed with 1 million Federation military personnel.

Operation Retro was a bold plan, but one which had nearly toppled the most powerful parties in the World Senate. The Federation had made repeated gifts to the Centauri Republic, and had offered numerous trade or non-aggression treaties. The gifts had been accepted with appropriate thanks and platitudes, but all treaty offers had been rebuffed. In addition, the Centauri attitude toward the Federation was moving from angry to positively murderous. Still no face to face meeting had ever taken place between a Centauri and a Human, and it was becoming doubtful that it ever would.

Operation Retro had been invented by the military hotheads at Battlefleet, who, following the Battle of Avalon, were enjoying a renaissance and surge to prominence in the war rooms at Federation Command. It was obvious that the Centauri claimed the Sigma Draconis system, but they had taken no action to colonise the mineral rich and valuable Earth-like planet christened as Xanadu., and therefore Earth would. A military colony would be landed on Xanadu, who would construct resupply and construction facilities. Battlefleet light cruisers would build up at Xanadu, and as this was the only known point of contact between the Federation and the Republic, any Centauri response would hit Battlefleet heads on. And if a science vessel like Discovery could take out a Centauri frigate, then surely several cruiser squadrons could thrash the whole empire.

Xanadu was established on 15 October 2403. The colonists immediately commenced with construction of the refuelling facilities, guarded by the ever watchful Federation cruisers in orbit. Discovery meanwhile boosted out toward the unexplored warp point in Sigma Draconis.

In the meantime, Avalon had constructed ship and fleet training facilities, and the 1st Cruiser Squadron, 2nd Cruiser Squadron and 4th Cruiser Squadrons (comprising Theseus, Odysseus and Ares) were in orbit, conducting wargames and increasing their experience. Repairs were also being completed to the light cruisers in the 1st and 2nd squadrons, as these ships had been refitted to include the latest armour and phased beam technology.

Earth, meanwhile, was continuing to construct light cruisers. The 5th Cruiser Squadron was finalising construction in geostationary orbit round Earth. The warships, Thetis, Atalante and Apollo, would be boosting out to Avalon as soon as construction was completed.

Colony ships had been sent to Sirius to colonise the habitable worlds there, although it would be another 4 months before they reached their destinations.

Mining colonies had been established on New California and New Arizona, mineral rich planets in the Epsilon Eridani system. A research base had been built on Artemis, and the scientists had discovered the remains of a huge shield generator, with apparently the ability to project an energy defence field around the whole of a planet. Construction of such a huge facility would be time consuming and expensive, but plans were made for these defence works to be constructed at Avalon and Xanadu. No remains of alien life forms were found, but the engineering designs of the ruins did not match those found on Asgard. This was obviously another alien race.

The Asgard Enigma deepened, and was augmented by what was called the Artemis Conundrum. Whatever had wiped out the warlike aliens on Asgard, may have lived on Artemis, but if it was them that lived on Artemis, what had the power to punch a whole through a huge planetary shield facility, and who had destroyed them? This implied that something more powerful was out in the galaxy.

Research on military projects, and the development and training of combat troops and mechanised vehicles, was continued.