Beyond the Horizon

[Dracus]

The year is 2411, The humanity is locked into a struggle for their very survival. Quickly built ships with rookie crews head from the ship yards almost as soon as the Last bolt is in place. Waves of enemy ships pound at the border systems. Were are they all coming from? No-one knows for sure, all that is truely known is that they come from somewhere beyond the Dalvvj system and Sigma Draconis were our outer most colonies lay. Alpha Fleet is moving from their home port at lambdra Dra to make the first incursion into an unknown warp point at the far side of Dalvvj. Not knowing they will find on the other side has the crews on edge. Most of the escort ships in Alpha fleet were orginally designed for space exploration with 10-11 year old systems and poorly maintained cannons. There are a few frigates in the fleet that were designed right after the war began. They have an added rocket launcher mounted. Their mission is to find the enemy bases and report back to the Empire.
John Dart looks out a port side window into the coldness of space. He is attack officer for the escort friendship, an escort class ship designed in the year 2400 to seek out new life and new places for colonization. Re-assigned in the year 2407 to lambda Dra VI as part of a defense fleet (the system were first contact with the enemy took place).

For years he dreamed of meeting new lifeforms that is why he inlisted orginally with the seekers visting and taking part in a number of discoveries. All that ended when the war borke out. he has heard tales that new colonies were being set up in new systems to supply ships as they seek out enemy systems, but each attempt has turned up with nothing. Were are these aliens coming from? John is torn between hoping they are the ones to find the answer and finding yet another empty system. "When this mission is over", John thinks, "I am going to request re-assignment to one of those new destroyer class ships that they are developing." As news comes over the speaker system telling about the latest battle in the Sigma Dranconis system. John peers into the dark void and starts to recap on how this all came about.

>>>The Start<<<

The Empire rose out of a past of war and dis-order.Clashs over land and resources left the planet in total dis-array. The conditions have deterated to the point were in time the planet would be un-livable if action was not taken. In 2055, a man of vision rose to the challege, seeing the planet was dying, he worked to unit the clans. The empire was born. He renamed the star system Wayland and the home planet was then known Wayland III.
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++++from the notes of Steve Rain, a colonist on Wayland VIII++++++++

'2400.2'

"I am scheduled to board the ship in 5 hours. They say that was designed to be taken apart and used in building the colony. We are not sure which planet they finally decided on as each is no better then the others. Studies showed that a number of planets in our system have large deposits of ore, none have breathable air and we will all have to live in a domed city.
I am a little scared as they have never had a successful test of the colonizer dome and the only real reports they have on the planets have been done by un-manned probes. If we make it, we will be the first to ever set foot on an alien world."

"well, I am now aboard the starship, I was told they did not even bothered to name it. There is a story going around that the engines powering this thing are protypes and this launch will be the first real test for them. This is getting scarier by the minute."

'2400.5'

"We are about half way to our new home, Which I have learned is called Wayland VIII. The 'Rusty Bucket', which is what we have come to call the ship, seems to be holding up, The noise from the engines can drive a man crazy. The ship shakes and the power systems fade in and out but never quite to the point of failure. Why did I decide to do this? Oh, yea it was either this or spend the rest of my live in a prison mine. Is this really better? I will still be mining but have been told that I will be free and I will be getting paid."

'2400.7'

"we have made it to Wayland VII! The ship had a number of minor problems but we maded it. They picked this planet as it was the richest in minerals, yet is at the far edge of our system, which means that they will have to build large hauling ships to carry the resources home. Scans show the planet be covered by thick clouds. Time to set up the colony and dig the mine. We also believe that we can grow food to help feed the homeworld. This could mean more credits for everyone."
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>>Expansion>>>

'2400.8'

"The success of the first colony ship as driven the Empire to build very quickly, a number of colony ships. With each construction, new developments in construction are being tested. With lack of work and harsh living on the homeworld, more and more people are deciding to take a chance and sign up for colonization. While there is still a 60% failure rate in the ion engine design, they mainly occur on the haulers transporting minerals from the mines to the homeworld. The population transports have been very lucky. The Empire now has 5 planets and the Last usable one will have a colony in 1 month. There is talk that they will also set up a colony on the moon in orbit around the gas Planet Wayland II. This will be the Last colony as there is no way for us to leave our star system. in a reasonable time frame."

'2400.4'

---From the New reports---

A discovery was made on the edge of our star system. Reseach claims that it is a gateway to another system that will cut the ravel time down to where we can once again seek out new worlds and set up more mining colonies. A new ship is being built to travel into this gateway.

'2400.8'

---From the logs of Capt. Rolen aboard the friendship---

"We have started our mission toward the gateway, which they are now calling a warp point. While the engines aboard the Friendship tend to hum quite loudly, the noise is stating to grow on me. Not sure what we will find but if we make it, we will be the first to see another star system."

'2400.9'
"We entered the warp point and while the shaking was intense with in a few seconds we merged from it. At first we were not sure if we made it to another system or if we had came back out the same side we entered. Our scanners were off-line. We soon discovered that we had enter a system with 9 planets and a orange like star. 4 of the planets would support dome colonies. We dropped a marker to help us determine how far we had traveled and headed back into the warp point.

Once again we shaken but survived the trip. Once back in our home system, we began scanning for the signal. It was picked up and we charted our course to have been to Lambdra Dra, the second closest system to our own. This discovery could mean that there are more warp points and command has ordred us to re-supply and to return to Lambdra to search for more.

'2401.3'

The Empire has been busy, it was discovered that our home system contained a second warp point alomost exactly across the system from the first. It lead to Rana, the closest system to our own. Another ship has been built and sent to that system were two more warp points were found. The finding of a small un-inhabited oxygen planet meant that there could be a planet with conditions to for us to live. The Empire has doubled the the number of explorer ships."

'2402.1'

"We have been out here a long time. The discovery of 3 systems containing planets and one system contain nothing but some floating rocks has helped the Empire's planned growth. Colony ships are on the way. We have also found that this is about has far as we can go without supply bases. We are heading back to Lambdra Dra VII to re-supply.

-2402.6-

We are traveling across a system call Beid, red nebula that can barely be seen from Wayland III. The fact that we have not found any life yet has been a dis-appointment for the Empire. While our scanners can not see anything in this nebula system, based on past experience, we feel that if a warp point exist; we should find it by traveling right across the system. With the discovery of Sigma Draconis VI, a Large planet that turned out to be like heaven to our people, the Empire is calling off any more colonization. If we don't discover life soon , they may call off any more missions beyond the colonies.

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>>>First Contact<<<

The stardate is 2402.7, Cepheus System turned out to be un-inhabited. There are usable planets but the Empire feels that traveling across the Nebula for six months would be hard on the transport ships and Haulers. Friendship is being recalled to the Texrek system for a engine refit.

In Sigma Draconis, A new warp point has been found. It did not follow the pattern of the others and occupyed a different sector. Everyone was calling for a ship to be sent but the Empire refused.

+++From the report of Frank Darren , Lambdra Dra II mining colony+++

"I was monitoring ship movements from Dra II to Dra V. I got tired of tracking them and decided to aim the scanner at Dalvvj System. No one ever goes there as it is a dead system, so the reads on the star should be quite clear.
After about 3 hours, I was going to take a break. As I started to leave the room, a signal was picked up. At first I thought that a transport had gotten off course but I was wrong.

+++From the News Wire+++

An alien race was discovered. They come from beyond the Dalvvj system. While we don't seem to be able to communicate with them, they don't seem to be moving into our system. Maybe they came in peace and are just exploring.

'2402.8'
++from the news wire+++

The alien ship as return back into the Dalvvj system. The Empire is thinking about sending a ship to try to make contact with them.

'2402.9'
++ From the statement by the Empire+++

All our ships close to Dalvvj are currently being refitted with newer engine designs. We plan on sending one to find the aliens again but it will take 2 years for a ship to be ready and arrive in Dalvvj.

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>>>THE WAR<<<

+++ stardate 2403.1+++

From the logs of the Capt. Rolen, Friendship...

We are on our way to Dalvvj. Since the Aliens were discovered. They have not been seen again. We hope to find them and become friends.


++ Stardate 2403.2 +++
From the News Wire----

The aliens have been seen again. This time in Sigma Draconis. We have sent them Messages but they still do not respond.

++Stardate 2403.3+++

From the News Wire----

The aliens have sent us a message, They have declared war on us!!!Their ship has left Draconis system. We do not know why they have declared war. We do know what they call them selves as it appears they have studied us and learned how to communicate, They are called the Fazah.

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>>>Another Race<<<<

In 2408.4 another race became known to the Empire. They came from a unstable warp point in Rana. We thought Rana was safe and had put all our forces in Sigma Draconis and Lambdra Dra. The Fazah had been heavly attacking Draconis system. This new race came from a unstable warp point, that we could not go through as the damage would distroy our ships. Their ships were larger then any we had ever seen the Fazah use.
As soon as they came they left. We did not even get to see who they were. This scared the Empire and fleets were being pulled from the front to prepare for another war with this new race.

2408.7 Once again ships appeared from the warp point in Rana, this time they sent a message....The Phong as they called themselves wanted to make a trade pact with the Empire. This was good as now all forces could be resent to the front lines.

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<<<<The dark times>>>>>

The war with the Fazah has been a deadlock. We can not go on the attack as this would draw needed forces from defending Sigma Draconis. For some reason they only seem to attack this system. We have never seen them again come from the Dalvvj system. The friendship never got to do it's mission. as soon as it entered the Dalvvj system, the war started and it was re-called to the nearest base for defense. The Fazah have never been able to get close to a planet, but we do fear that if our ragged fleet is defeated, they would not stop until every colonist was killed.
We decided to send a lone scout ship into the warp point to see if we can find the enemy planets. The freedom was called up and sent through. As soon as it reached the other side, It turned into a ball of flame. Did the engines explode? Was the Ship torn apart by the warp point?
"What the hell happened to that ship" demanded Raven Darkwater, Commander of Sigma forces.
"from the data we got, it looks like they hit something. Some sort of space mine." reported the war department.

"Well, it really is going to upset the plans of the Empire to finally take the war to them;" yelled Raven, " If we can't get that field cleared, we will never know where they come from. Send all ships to block the warp point. I do not want them putting these mine things within our border and I want to more information on how to get rid of these things."

++2408.8+++

"sir, Research has found a way to take down the mines and they have also found a way for us to build them ourselves." Raven smiled and ordered all resources to build the mines and find a way to deploy them on our side of the warp point. "We will mine our side for defense, we will then take down their mines and send our fleet through. Yes, Finally we can take the war to them."

++2410.1++

The mine field has been holding strong against the Fazah attacks, 10 of their ships have been distroyed.Draconis V has been working overtime to keep the mine layers supplied. The Fazah appear to have increased their attacks but the mine field has keep them at bay. The first Distroyer ships have been built and sent to join Beta Fleet in Draconis.
Within the year, Alpha fleet will travel into the Dalvvj on their mission to find the Fazah systems.

The Beta fleet under Raven's command will mass on the warp point and prepare for an incursion once Alpha fleet is in position.
Command hopes this will draw the Fazah away from the alpha fleet.


+++2411++++

John turns from the window; "why could they just leave us in peace?" He heads for the command deck. The warp point into the unkown is just 3 hours away.


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To be continued-----------

Will the alpha fleet find the Fazah planets? Will the Fazah mine field take out the Beta Fleet and open the way to invade Sigma Draconis? What about John and the Friendship crew---will they ever see their homes again?
Only time will tell.

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I will continue this if the response is good and you all want to see what comes up with my next turns.



[This message has been edited by Dracus (edited 07 November 2001).]