The Devil to Pay: The Sack of Saunders
04 Feb 2020Virtus Vrtra
The vast Leviathan Navy was assembled under Dalfuri sunlight. Its piercing rays glinting off the bows of one hundred heavily armed battle cruisers. Menacing Corvettes, sleek blockade Cutters, even the powerful yet unassuming Anacondas, all preparing their systems checks prior to the engagement of a lifetime. Their enemies would bow before the might of the Leviathan Scout Regiment. EXO wrote a check they couldn't cash, and now there was the devil to pay. The price? Their own capital system, Wolf 1301.Communications were in a flurry. Each commander was eager to inflict pain on the faction that had so recently declared war on them. The conflict had been raging for months now, but it was finally time to sever the head of the snake that had been plaguing them. As the Navy finished their discussions of battle tactics, muster points and escape routes, Vice Admiral Novy listened over the chatter with a smile on his face. He puffed his freshly lit cigar and chuckled, "Ooooh EXO is gonna catch Hell tonight!" He reached over to the control panel of his Cutter, (aptly named the "Landlord" ) and activated a fleet wide comms link.
"Gentlemen, we have worked hard for this. We have BLED for this! Tonight, we exact our pound of flesh, and honor those who have fallen to these EXO degenerates. They thought us pushovers. They thought us weak. Oh how we have proven them wrong. Here we stand, at the threshold of their homes, poised to take everything from them. EVERYTHING! Tonight, Saunder's Dive will fall. WE RIDE!"
As the impressive fleet charged their Frameshift Drives for hyperspace, the hardend commanders and their crew steeled themselves for the battle to come. Little did they know, the road ahead would be grueling. However, these men were about to make history.
Weeks prior to the Leviathan invasion, black ops were dispatched into Wolf 1301 to assist in destabilizing the system. Operations were led by a man known only as "The Hound." A humble, yet charismatic man, with a taste for the odd "exotic commodity," and a laugh that would bring warmth to even the coldest of hearts, he was perfect candidate for initiating a coup d'etat between EXO and the local rebellion. His various contacts with black market smugglers, illegal weapons distributors and narcotics suppliers would prove rather useful to support a growing rebellion inside the system. This rebellion had been gaining in popularity for months now, and they finally reached out to the Leviathan Scout Regiment for assistance. Through the use of advanced networking, black market trading and shipments of thousands of battle weapons, the Mantja Rebellion was at full strength, and ready to overthrow their EXO overlords.
The other cornerstone to this invasion lie in the hands of Leviathan's elite stike unit: Task Force 13. Their mission was to preemptively stike the EXO military force's flank and keep them occupied before the Navy began their initial assault. Though this time around, Task Force 13 was not alone in this endeavor. Over the past few months the number of factions with a hatred for the Exodus Coalition had grown. Now the 46th and 2nd Galactic Regiment along with the newly formed Star Mercenary Arms Corp. (SMAC) had sent their best pilots to to aid LSR in the total destruction of EXO.
Commissioner Virtus Vrtra led the strike into hostile territory hours before the Naval deployment. His unit had been equipped with the latest LSR Skunkworks technology including the experimental Mamba variant "Blitzkrieg." This loadout was intended to favor high speed maneuverability over raw damage to keep enemy forces occupied in longer combat engagements.
As he and his wing mates tore through the enemy ranks, the EXO body count grew larger. With each conflict their confidence swelled. These men were untouchable. Their goal was not to take the enemy head on, but to inflict casualties to stray ships returning from fights with the Mantja Rebels. One by one, EXO battleships crumbled under the Blitzkrieg Mambas swift and furious wrath. With the enemy ranks in complete disarray, it was time for Virtus to sound the main attack. He hailed Vice Admiral Novy via the ship's computer.
"This is Ogre Actual to Landlord. Repeat, Ogre Actual to Landlord. Do you read me?"
"Loud and clear Ogre Actual, hows the party down there?" replied the Vice Admiral.
"Operation Screaming Eagle is in full effect. Enemy is on the ropes. The Navy has a clear path into battle field. We'll provide escorts as needed."
What happened next was truly awe inspiring. As the entirety of the Leviathan Naval Fleet jumped into Wolf, the hundreds of hyperspace wakes outshone the twin suns at the heart of the system. The Vice Admiral had been busy. Task Force 13 flew into position to escort the armada of battle cruisers into the frey. Just then, two full wings of hostile commanders jumped into supercruise.
"Cools, give me a scan on that hostile wing!" Virtus cried to his second in command. "What are we looking at?
"Its not good Commissioner. EXO death squad coming in hot. Looks like its headed by the Pair of Aces. I'm reading mercenary signals in their ranks too."
The "Pair of Aces" was a notorious duo of pilots. Their piloting skills were unmatched amongst EXO ranks, and could strike fear into the most skilled of pilots. Something had to be done about this and fast. The rest of the enemy wings were filled with deadly mercenaries from the group know as Newton's Fusiliers. This was not going to be an easy fight.
Virtus opened a wide band communication link with the fleet.
"Leviathan Navy, I need you to press on to the battlefield, don't let the enemy catch you. We'll take the 46th and SMAC to head these guys off. God speed gentlemen! Oh and Vice Admiral, how about you bring the Landlord along and we evict these scumbags once and for all?"
"It would be my pleasure Commissioner" replied the Vice Admiral.
Task Force 13 moved in to intercept the enemy opposition with their freshly bolstered ranks. Blood was in the air, and the men of TF-13 were ready to feed. The resulting firefight would be one told for centuries to come. Virtus was first in the fight, and the enemy forces promptly sought to focus their efforts on him. Utilizing advanced thrust vectoring techniques, he kept the blood thirsty horde of enemies at bay until the rest of his wing could join the fight. As soon as the Vice Admiral joined the fight, all eyes were upon him. A grave mistake. the LCS Landlord was designed to withstand a heavy barrage for extended periods of time. While the hostiles were distracted with the Landlord, the newly outfitted "Blitzkrieg" Mambas and the heavy hitting Fer de Lances began to bombard the first of the two Aces with laser and Plasma fire. In an instant, his shields collapsed, leaving the Ace with two options. Run or die. He chose life, and plotted a hyperspace jump to a neighboring system.
The next targets were the mercenary wings. With a vulgar display of firepower, Task Force 13, the 46th and SMAC routed each target from the fight. Though there were a few unlucky commanders that couldnt escape the onslaught. As quickly as it began, the fight was over. The only remaining target was the other Ace, who quickly turned tail and ran. Though the fight was over, the war was far from finished.
As EXO morale withered, the following conflicts became less and less frequent. By the third day of the Sack of Saunders, nearly all of the mercenary groups had fled the fight. It was clear they were fighting a losing war, and their payment wasn't going to be an option. By the fourth day, Mantja Rebels had begun to lay siege to EXO's capital. Finally, on the fifth day, Mantja Rebels and the Leviathan Navy broke the final defensive line surrounding Saunder's Dive. Control of the system no longer belonged to the Exodus Coalition. After a crushing defeat, the remaining EXO resistance fled to various outposts and planetary bases.
Though the Sack of Saunders was a COMPLETE success, the war with EXO is far from over. Intelligence suggests an imminent counter-attack. Leviathan will remain in system and aid the Mantja Rebels as needed, while beginning numerous incursions further into EXO controlled space to further destabilize the once great faction.