Abrubtly halted.

[El_Phil]

Well I guess people are reading it, the number of views keeps going up. Anyway time to bump it back to the front page with the next part:

“If ignorance is bliss I must be ecstatic” - Alice
2401.0
The month started with Ocelot launching the third coloniser, this one headed for the second oxygen planet in the Styris system. With the shipyard on Hope also completed Styris would soon be of greater importance to the Republic than many provinces on Ocelot.

"El Presidente we've just received a message from the Jraenar."
"Well Taunolin what does it say" Marks seriously doubted it was good news, but hoped otherwise.
"'You must immediately remove all your ships from the Cignus system' it came from a burst transmission through the warp point." Taunolin's voice was flat, during all council meetings he had been one of the leading 'Doves', stridently stating that any aliens they encountered would undoubtedly be friendly. Marks was impressed he'd held together so well after being proved so comprehensively wrong.
"Have the Admiralty and Ministry of Defence been informed?"
"Yes Presidente, they've put the Oberon defence force on high alert and ordered the Lively to the warp point to intercept any attack."
"Good work Taunolin, we'll have to discuss this at the next council meeting. See you there" Marks ended the call and leaned back. 'Have we got them scared?' he though to himself. 'Or is it a threat or a bluff to draw our forces away.' And that's what it all came back to; no-one really understood how the Jraenar thought, perhaps it was a great dishonour not to give the enemy a chance to run away, or perhaps they were stupid enough to telegraph their attacks.

In orbit of Ocelot Pioneer was crashed through her refit and despatched immediately to the Cignus system to back up Lively. Commander Wilkinson would have preferred a shakedown cruise before deploying, especially for his first ever command, but he fully understood that when you're at war a few corners have to be cut. As she left the system Pioneer passed Javelin heading the other direction for repair and re-supply at Ocelot. 'If I can do half as well as Delap has, that'll do me' Wilkinson thought to himself as he approached the warp point.

Pegasus reported back to Ocelot that the Paradas system contained no oxygen world, but several rock worlds and two more warp points. The Admiralty order commander Stensgaard to head back to Gamma and transit the remaining unexplored warp point. The Ocelot shipyards were ordered to start work on the next colonisation vessel, which was expected to be finished within the month, thanks to an improved design.

"Captain enemy craft just emerging from the warp point!" de Valio yelled at his captain
"Helm lay in an intercept course, full speed. Time to intercept?"
"27 hours captain, assuming no change in enemy course or speed." Her first officer de Valio replied.
"Threat assessment?"
"Seems to be an Azul class identical to the one engaged by Javelin captain, but detailed scanning is impossible at this range." The sensor officer called out.
"Then lets get closer and find out."

As the two ships closed the Lively's sensors confirmed that the Jraenar vessel was indeed an identical Azul class. Both ships raced towards missile range, but Lively got her shot off first before turning to try and open the range. This forced the Azul to enter the Hellstorm's no escape envelope in order to get her missiles away and despite her crews best efforts both missiles homed in and struck the Jraenar vessel, one in the stern destroying two engines while the other doing severe damage to the mid-section.
"She's down to 2/3rds speed Captain." de Valio reported
"PWO try and target her weapons with the next volley."
The second volley from Lively did indeed hit the Azul in the weapons section taking out her missile tube and inflicting heavy damage around her crew section.
"Good shooting PWO! Well orders are orders so let's see if they want to surrender. Comms send the message"
Vickers wasn't entirely happy about this, for starters she had no way of securing the enemy vessel and no spare personnel to guard any prisoners if the Azul did surrender. 'And spending the entire journey back to Ocelot having to watch for any sign of treachery is not top of my wish list.'
Luckily, from Vicker's point of view anyway, the Jraenar vessel didn't respond.
"That's a relief." Vickers commented. "Let's finish this."
"Yes captain."
Lively then closed in for the kill with her last Hellstorms fracturing the hull into sections with secondary explosions reducing those into even smaller pieces.

Presidente Marks and Admiral Watson were in the situation room watching the relayed reports from the battle. When the Azul was disarmed both men visibly sagged with relief as the tension flowed out. When the Jraenar vessel didn't respond to the call for surrender the Admiral turned and started to speak
"It's what we expected and it'll probably help take some of the flack of Captain Delap."
"Still I think it’s a bad sign. If an individual ship in a hopeless position won't talk to us then what chance of any negotiations? I think we're in this war for the long haul." His Presidente answered.

2401.1
The month was only a few days old when Pegasus reported that she had found two new oxygen worlds in the Benthan system, thus complicating the plans for the newly launched colony ship. Did she head for those tempting planets two system or play safe and set-up a domed colony in the home system. Finally the Presidente himself intervened and ordered that the safer option be taken. Until there had been adequate exploration in that direction no colonists were to be risked on the frontiers. With that issue decided Commander Stensgaard set course back to Ocelot to refill his depleted supply tanks.

The third colony of the Republic was founded in the second week of the month, Crofty was the first mining colony and the first task of the colonists, after getting over their hangovers, was to start work on a radioactive material refinery.

Lively re-entered the Balosnee system and reported that the Jraenar had build a second space station in addition to another colony ship and a vessel of unknown configuration, but seemingly unarmed. Captain Vickers was order to proceed with maximum caution and attempt a better identification of these vessels. Pioneer was order to follow Lively through the warp point then investigation beyond the other warp points to try and determine the extent of the Jraenar Imperium.

Back on Ocelot Captain Locke's work at trials command was nearing completion. The design of the Falcon class was complete and ready for submission to the council for approval. Hopefully it would be approved and be commissioned within the month.

2401.2
ORS Falcon, while based on the same hull as the Javelin class was radically different in her weapon load out. One of her missile tubes had been removed and replaced with a modified 'Goalkeeper' point defence system from the Rapier platform. Fitting a 'Goalkeeper' to the Javelin had been considered, but had been stopped by two problems. Firstly the weapons technology of the Jraenar wasn't known, if they had used projectile weapons their was no point having point defence and secondly the system had been designed to fire from a stationary or slow moving platform. In space speed wasn't life but it was very important, so slowing down in the face of enemy missiles wasn't an option. However trials command had convinced the Admiralty that this problem had been fixed and so the Presidente had authorised construction, on the condition that Captain Locke captained her. In his words
"You say it'll work perfectly, so it's only fair you're onboard if it doesn't. Good luck captain."
So with those words still ringing in her Captain's ears, Falcon headed for Oberon as a staging point to Balosnee and the Jraenar.

The mining colony on Medford was also founded that month, but wouldn't be able to ship anything out until the Hope space port was completed which was scheduled to take almost three months. Still that was no excuse not to work so construction of the first phase of the mining project started.

With almost impeccable timing the Ministry of Research announced that the project to upgrade the Hellstorm missile had been completed barely days after the Falcon left orbit. The Hellstorm Mod 2 had a 25% more destructive warhead and an extended range out to 10 clicks. The new missile launchers were integrated into all existing ship designs.

'Things are just going from bad to worse.' Captain Vickers thought to herself. The Jraenar had just launched two 200kT class ships within a week and a second coloniser had been launched only a couple of days later. 'If they come after me before Javelin arrives…" She rapidly stopped that thought and focused on the colony ship she had been ordered to pursue. The council had decided, after a very stormy debate, that enemy colony ships were fair game, provided they got a chance to surrender.
"Course and threat confirmation." She asked.
"It's confirmed captain she's unarmed and on a collision course with us." de Valio answered.
"Very well if they want to die lets make sure they don't take us with them. PWO open fire, helm keep us well away but within missile range."
During the following slaughter Vickers felt sick to her stomach, what kind of captain would try a suicidal ramming attack on a warship in a ship full of civilians? The battle may have been efficient and one sided but it wasn't quick, a 300kT ship takes a lot of missiles before it goes up and Lively expended a large amount of her magazine before the ship died. So much that Vickers asked the Admiralty if she could return to Oberon for re-supply, the request was granted and with considerable relief Vickers turned to leave the system.

2401.3
Development of off world resources continued throughout the month and the latest coloniser set course for the final coloniseable planet in the Ocelot system.

Pioneer discovered that the Gorn system adjacent to the Jraenar home system not only contained no enemy presence but also two oxygen atmosphere planets, as such it could be important in any future expansion plans. However with more than half her supplies expended Commander Wilkinson order the crew to set course for Oberon and a re-supply rather than explore further.

Javelin entered the Balosnee system in the middle of the month and got a nasty surprise to find a third 200kT vessel in orbit of the Jraenar home world. The Admiralty order Captain Delap to pull back and rendezvous with the Falcon. The two vessels were then to operate together, with Delap as senior officer. 'It'll be nice to meet Julia again, but even together we'll still be out numbered and out massed. This could get interesting.' Delap thought to himself

2401.4
Unlike the colonists of the other domed worlds, on Gobi the dome may well have been fitted even if the atmosphere was breathable. Gobi was the driest most arid world in the system and the dome structure had to be specially adapted to cope with the extreme temperatures. Still the vast mineral wealth beneath the planet's surface would make it all worth while or so Jamie Bell kept telling himself. He'd joined an off-world mining company as a chance to see the other planets for free, now he was realising what the price was. Gobi would become a prosperous place to live, but not until the mines were in full production and that was going to be months of hard work.

For the admiralty it was a quiet month with Pegasus returning to Ocelot for refit with Hellstorm Mod 2s, while Lively's crew managed barely one ten hour pass down to Oberon before their ship left orbit straight back to the frontline. Javelin and Falcon met up in the Cignus system and jointly proceeded through the warp point to find the three Jraenar ships operating together away from the planet. Naval intelligence had code named them the Bolivar class and they were completely in the dark as to capabilities or weaponry. Delap was ordered to hold position and wait for Lively to arrive, she would be followed by Sword the first of the Batch 2 Javelin's with the new Mod 2 Hellstorms. However he was ordered to engage any targets of opportunity without exposing his force to needless risk.

2401.5
Despite the situation on the Jraenar front the Presidente had personally ordered that the shipyards produce a colony ship, which was despatched to the Cignus system to set-up a research compound. The technology edge the Jraenar seemed to possess had to be cut back, so the Ministry of Research had been ordered to start its first colonial facility.

Despite the arrival of Lively Captain Delap knew that he was in trouble, while the numbers may still be equal those Jraenar ships were still 50kT each larger. All he could do was wait for Sword with her newer missiles to alive and hopefully give him an edge. Sword was still some two weeks away but when she arrived Delap had decided to go on the offensive, assuming he was still alive.

Hope colony had completed the Styris system spaceport and the merchant ships had started establishing convoy routes between the systems. The shipyards of Ocelot started on a new Javelin Batch 2 while the Hope colony laid down the hull of Pegasus Batch 4 as it could be completed in less than a month.