Dawn

[attack_condor]

2407.1

Zezzis system
Onboard CDS Southampton

Captain Harrison was still wary. The Sithrak frigate had warped out of the system much like the Sergetti fleet did earlier. The Phong had colonized the second rock world in the system. The fact that four separate empires either had colonies or had ships in Zezzis was an almost certain scenario for something bad to happen. Over the communication channels, the Sergetti made the first move.

“We are planning a massive offensive in the Zezzis system. Remove your ships or they will get damaged.”

Harrison couldn’t be sure if the message was sent to all ships, or just the Dawn ships in the system. His briefing showed the Sergetti at war with the Cue Cappa, and also with the Sithrak. And they were both in this system. That couldn’t work out too well. He was also still waiting on whether the empire wanted to try and blockade Zezzis XII, which was the huge ice planet with oxygen atmosphere. He had to find out.

“Mister Davis, still no word from the Navy on Zezzis XII?”

The communication officer shook his head.

“No sir. Nothing yet.”

“Very well, Davis. Resend the message and add…”

“Captain! On the sensor display sir!”

The sensor officer interrupted Harrison’s message and they both looked at the new frigate in the system.

The Norakians were now the fifth empire now in Zezzis. Their frigate had interspersed itself between the Toronto and Artemis guarding Zezzis V with its advanced technology and Southampton. Harrison had read the intelligence dispatches about the Norakians being the prime suspect in the intelligence leaks of this past year.

“That’s not all, sir. Look at Zezzis XII again.”

Harrison zoomed on the planet, and saw them. Forty fighters were orbiting the planet. They were too late.

[attack_condor]

2407.2

Zezzis V was now a Dawn planet. With its colonization, the Dawn empire had staked its claim to the system. The chance to colonize the huge ice planet was, realistically, nothing more than a dream in such a short time span. There were still planets waiting to be inhabited. While none of them had oxygen atmospheres, the strategic position of Zezzis made taking each planet, and thereby the system, a major objective for probably all of the empires that knew about it.

The colony on Dawn investigated the ruins and was able to learn the secret of a weapon that would deplete almost any shield in one shot. The data was transmitted back to the scientists on Nekkar, who would try to make use of the information. Meanwhile, the colonists began building a weapon platform known as a Hercules III. Armed with three anti-proton cannons on large mounts, it also had the latest shield technology. While it wouldn’t hold off a determined adversary on its own, it would be able to assist the ships above in defending the infant colony.

CDS Leeds and Northampton have entered and explored the Tilikanthua system. It is one system-wide storm, but there is a single small warp point leading out of the system.

[attack_condor]

2407.3

Tilikanthua system
...onboard CDS Leeds...

Sam Chase was never so happy to be at a warp point in his entire career. As the sensor officer for Leeds, the trip through this system was one headache after another. Storms of electrical and plasma discharges seemed to be everywhere. Now, with the warp point ahead, he and the rest of the crew on both his ship and Northampton had, for the past twenty-four hours been running full preventative diagnostics on their systems. With no permanent damage caused by the storms, the signal was sent for Sniper and Melbourne to follow to this warp point as the two frigates prepared to enter the warp point and begin the exploration of a – hopefully – more benign system...

The warp into the gate went off flawlessly, and both ships entered the new system. Chase was over the sensor display, and was waiting for it to resolve itself after the warp event.

'I hope we get these upgraded soon, the longer we wait on these the longer we’re blind to what’s...okay, here we go. "Sensors online Captain. Scans being run now, sir.’”

Chase began the process of separating the date each planet revealed about itself as it was scanned. He began the readout.

“Yellow star, five planets in view, sir. One asteroid field in view. Sir, all five planets are gas giants, and two of them are breathable.”

Chase looked again at the readout on Mentocka VII.

“Sir! Mentocka VII has ruins!”

Immediately, the captain notified Northampton, and they decided Northampton would orbit Mentocka VII, and Leeds would orbit VIII – a tiny planet, but it had oxygen – and get a bit more of the new system exposed to their sensor arrays. This was about to happen when Chase’s sensor display indicated a proximity alert.

“Sir, contact! Contact is a Xi’Chung frigate. Distance is ten sectors. She’s eight sectors from Mentocka VII. She appears to be headed this way."

Northampton immediately went into orbit around Mentocka VII, and Leeds held at the warp point to black any attempt to get behind them and into Dawn space unopposed. The Xi’Chung were supposed to be only interested in rock worlds, but no one was taking any chances.

Nekkar III
Report to the board

Upgrades to research stations now almost complete. Current research point generation is over 130,000 per month. Cloaking will be available next month, as will an upgrade to space yards (level 3), climate control facilities (level 2). Also available next month will be phased energy weapons.

Time to start thinking about building up a home fleet...

End of report