The Defeat at Orion

The Terran Empire's great fleet had attained legendary status throughout the galaxy for both it's sheer size and it's record. It was a gigantic fleet: 60 Heavy Carriers, 60 Missile Battlecruisers, and all their escorts. All together, it numbered 180 starships divided amongst 10 task-forces.
It had been assembled at around the 100th Galactic cycle since the terrans began their ascension- armed with ultra laser-cannons and nuclear torpedos, it eliminated the remaining extraterrestrials and set about loosening the New Orion grip on the galaxy. Sending waves of 10 rocket and fighter swarms at a time, it eradicated the Antaran Guardians without casualty, untill all that remained to challenge was Orion itself.

Having fought an entire campaign without loss, the commanders of the great fleet gave their utmost confidence for the coming battle- from statistics to extrapolated scenarios, all predicting triumph despite the questionable age of the technology the great fleet had been constructed with. After demanding unconditional surrender from the New Orions, the great fleet entered the system.

They were within 5 million kilometers of Orion II, the New Orion fortress-world, when the call for battle was given. The enemy had amassed a mere 27 defense ships to combat our 180 highly-organized attack-ships. With numbers hugely in our favor, the order was given to assault the planet, and battle was commited. All over the fleet, battle-stations were manned and weapons powered up.

The first few minutes of it were silent. Orion II was in sight when, from nowhere, violet-blue beams lanced out from across the system, bypassing escorts and picket entirely, striking deep into the heart of a carrier taskforce. Blasting through the level-II shielding and Titanium, these beams poured enormous amounts of energy into the hearts of the vessels, instantly killing their crew. Unable to contain the sheer pressure and temperature, their hulls burst open, spewing molten slag into the picket lines. By the time the burst of long-range fire had ended, 11 of the 12 carriers in Carrier Taskforce D had been utterly destroyed, and the long-range cannons of the enemy were still out of sight.

Immediately the more-vulnerable carriers were ordered to launch their fighters and pull back behind the solid flank. Having done their part, the carriers hid behind the mighty Ships-of-the-Line (missile cruisers) and their escorts (90 ships in total amongst 5 IF task-forces). There they made their stand. As another blast of long-range fire tore into Carrier Taskforce E, a detatchment of two New Orion Short-range vessels, no larger than frigates, came into view. With something to attack, the order was given to fire and with that nine tremendous swarms of rockets and fighters were loosed, screaming towards the enemy.

Just as it had been when the great fleet had effortlessly destroyed the Antaran Guardians before, the missiles rached their marks first- blowing out the shielding and armor on the enemy vessels. The fighters, who had given the nuclear warheads much berth were then given the order to charge the two weakened Orion ships. They swatted at the fighters like giants swatting gnats untill they burst into flame. The Enemy Short-range taskforce was no more.

A third blast of long-range fire effortlessly holed Indirect-Fire Taskforce B, first reducing the picket to molten metal, then blasting the Ships-of-the-Line. The ultra-high-energy beams blasted through the cloud of liquid debris to hit the ships behind it, untill the whole area around the taskforce glowed a hellish yellow.

Having lost three taskforces, a quarter of it's strength, the formation which the great fleet was in began falling apart. Amidst the confusion, a single fighter-squadron was able to reveal the invisible source of the beams, clear across the system. It was a formation of 18 long-range destroyers. Before point-defense shredded them, the squadron was able to convey the location of the enemy long-range fire.

All hopes of standing their ground were lost as a fourth volley of long-range fire obliterated the command-ship of the great fleet, the battleship T.S.N. Mars. A charge was sounded and a hundred-and-twenty remaining warships surged forward towards the enemy taskforce, intent on silencing those long-range cannons. Another wave of fighters and nuclear missiles were launched, but in the process of traversing the distance, they passed a number of missiles travelling in the opposite direction. As our ordinance converged on the enemy long-rangers, the Orion missiles spread out, each packing enough punch to knock out any short-range capabilities the great fleet had posessed. Our nuclear weapons found their marks: two New Orion ships exploded.

Just before the remaining 100 ships of the great fleet had closed the distance between them and the New Orions, a fifth and sixth burst of long-range fire shredded three taskforces at point-blank range. The great fleet had charged, banners flying, into a New Orion Trap. The order to retreat from the system was given, but it was too late.

Four-by-four and five-by-five, the formerly 120 capital starships of the great fleet were blasted as another two enemy task-forces converged on our flanks. The ships-of-the-line were engaging the enemy at point-blank, atomizing themselves in the process, their attention shifted to taking out the enemy with them.

The defeat was utter and in a final, searing blast of violet beams, the last carrier blew itself open, spewing hot iron and slag everywhere.

The great fleet had annihilated itself at the footstep of the most powerful empire the galaxy had ever seen. All one-hundred-eighty ships lost, while the New Orion casualties numbered a mere seven.