Slow and Steady
Coalition Factions seize assets as EH and RS tentatively lock weapons

After the combat-intensive ordeals of the war so far, Republic and Imperial commanders engaged in a battle of wits amongst the spaceways of the Elenian star system…

Almost twenty weeks into the war, known amongst the galactic community as the Cadrel Conflict, military action has slowed as both Republic and Imperial starfleets are forced to replace low stores and thinned ranks. A massive resupply effort has begun, and large freighter convoys have left Republic space bound for Cadrel.

Recent encounters with the Emperor's Hammer has shown RS commanders that they possess a great deal of military might. After the strong resistance to fleet advances in the Dia Pas and Elornia systems, High Command was more tentative in its scoping of the Elenian region.

A special detachment of RS ships was pulled from stardock two weeks after the successful conquest of Vectain. Under strict orders to scout and gauge enemy strengths in Elenian, the small taskforce was equipped with silent running systems and a large consignment of intelligence hardware.

Elenain itself is perhaps one of the most well-known systems in the Cadrel Expanse. Once a prominent trade nexus in the earlier days of the Old Republic, shifting spacelanes and material demand rendered its

facilities obsolete. It is now devoid of human life, though its natural beauty and awe-inspiring ruins could easily make the system a successful tourist attraction but for its proximity to Republic/Imperial borders.

Under the command of General Hanyen Tonne, the MC40 Calamari Light Cruiser Reign and two escorting gunships - Backlash and Myth - entered the Elenain system at 1500 hours and began long-range scans of the system. It was to the be the first step in a drawn-out battle with Imperial commanders.

Similary shaken by the Rebel Squadron's fierce counter-attack after Elornia, Emperor's Hammer had opted for a similar operation to High Command's own. A lone VSD had been sent to ascertain the RS presence already in-system.

It is not clear when the EH starship became aware of the Reign, but General Tonne was able to get a positive fix on its coordinates before the captain activated electronic countermeasures.

Further scans showed that both sides had paid a price for their unwillingness to act swiftly on the Elenian System. The divided Imperial factions - labelled together as the Coalition by RS commanders - (The Imperial Order, Last Starfighters, Antagonist Wing, Star Vipers and The Vast Empire) had already begun to assimilate the system. Reign detected a

large number of intersystem skirmishes between the forces of the Coalition groups before another threat presented itself.

Despite its silent running status, a Star Viper capital ship detected the Reign's long-range scan and traced it to its source. Backlash and Myth moved to screen their command ship as the FRG Blackday exited hyperspace and launched fighter squads.

Caught on silent-running status, a great deal of damage was caused before General Tonne's forces recovered in time to push back the aggressors. The arrival of the Star Viper's ISD Excalibur seemed to signal the end of Tonne's mission.

Help came from an unseen quarter as elements of the New Republic's 5th Fleet arrived to aid Tonne. Excalibur and Blackday were not easily dissuaded but eventually gave up the fight, having dealt a great deal of damage to Tonne's command.

Signalling the bulk of the RS forces to move in, Tonne directed the 5th fleet to begin scoping enemy fortifications. After completing repairs, his group moved off to hunt the Emperor's Hammer starship detected earlier.

While the Rebel Squadron's fleet moved in to engage entrenched Coalition forces and EH advance units, the Reign and the VSD Curse engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse amongst the

orbits and asteroid fields of Elenian. Both Captains dealt one another varying degrees of damage as they made lightning strikes upon each other in turn. After ambushing the Curse over the mid-system world of Excelsior, the EH commander fled into the wildly unpredictable gravemetric fields of Merlin.

Unwilling to commit his small taskforce to such treacherous space, Tonne established a perimeter around the distortion field. A day later, sensors registered a large mass moving at high speed out of the gravemetric fields. Reign investigated and located the blasted hulk of the Curse - gravemetric currents had ripped its hull apart and thrown it from Merlin's vicinity.

EH forces were unable to advance fast enough into Elenian - Rebel Squadrons ships and ground troops swept across the system and secured its planets against further attack. The Coalition Factions managed to seize several important assets, but the RS has once again carried the day.

- Captain Taosko Silev

Early Bird catches the Worm…

 

 

^ Dagger from the Hall of Warriors

The slow action of the RS and EH has allowed the Imperial remnant groups to secure some valuable treasures from the Elenian System.

While High Command and the military celebrate yet another victory for the RS, Republic Archaeologists and Sociologists have been driven to despair as they take inventory of the various artifacts and treasures removed by Imperial looters.

Chief among the raided sites is the Hall of Warriors on the planet Excelsior. In past centuries this planet was home to a thriving trade port - its hardy settlers were renowned for their determination and fighting

prowess, and some of the Republic's most famous naval commanders hailed from the world. The Hall of Warriors contained the preserved bodies of the ancient settler's most celebrated heroes, along with their personal possessions and numerous examples of literature devoted to them and their accomplishments. It is believed that Antagonist Wing agents seized the majority of the Hall's secrets.

The New Republic's 5th fleet clashed with Imperial Order freighters as they escaped Caelum loaded with hundreds of artifacts and examples of architecture from the planet's extensive ruins, but were unable to prevent them from escaping.