Oribiting Thandio 2
Thandio System
Sector (5, -6)Nielsen's face fell as she saw the Romulan ships jump precisely onto the positions of their ships and begin firing.
Of course, she thought. The ubiquity of good warp drives and cloaks in the Romulan navy made that the obvious strategy.
Fortunately for the Wintreans, the damage was already done by then. Even a single Wintrean ship could carry out the destruction of all assets on a planet, given enough time. Nielsen did not have a ship; she had a fleet. Those precious few seconds it took for the Romulans to respond were enough to obliterate the most important factories and other facilities from the face of the planet.
Nielsen grinned in satisfaction as the Romulan ships began hopelessly sacrificing themselves, in an attempt to protect the planet below. Energy weapons were directed to either hit other, unprotected targets or attack the ships themselves, while projectile weapons simply went around them. Of course, the task was not easy, as the rest of the Romulans continued a relentless attack on the outnumbered Wintrean fleet. As damaged ships fell to the planet below, the Wintreans reversed their usual policy of avoiding population centers and instead aimed for maximum damage upon the inevitable impact.
As the battle raged on, Nielsen knew that they could not afford to completely destroy the planet. The Romulan fleets had already destroyed a significant portion of her fleet, and there was still the possibility of them firing another superweapon. The Romulans would be able to rebuild from the carnage; the question was whether it would be worth the cost. Once she assessed that enough damage had come to the planet below, Nielsen ordered the surviving ships to retreat. Warp-capable ships escaped beyond both natural and artificial gravity wells, then made hyperspace jumps to obscure interstellar space. The rest were largely consigned to their death, with some making suicidal attacks and others making mostly unsuccessful attempts to escape the interdiction field sublight.
Nielsen's ship exited hyperspace in the middle of nowhere, alone. The other surviving ships had jumped elsewhere. Slowly, they began limping north, away from the battlefront.
Frosthold Castle
Frostlake City
Sector (-3, 3)Monarch Wintermoot and his cabinet sat in the specialized conference room, receiving updates from the military engagements against the Romulans and Acarians. The battles in Dara, Varno, and Thandio raged on, while Trilia had surrendered without a fight. They had no confirmation that the small base on Trilia had been destroyed, but the crew there knew their job. The Romulans were now broadcasting propaganda footage of their victory on Trilia.
Wasn't really that big of a defeat, but the Romulans certainly are portraying it as such, the Monarch mused.
An aide entered the room, interrupting them. "Sirs, an Avonite from the diplomatic ship who identified himself as 'Ecstatic Sul Gravemind' is demanding a meeting with the Monarch," he said. "Claims to know something about the Romulans and that he can help in the war."
"Whatever his advice is, he can wait," replied the Monarch. "In any case, the Avonite ambassador Jensen already met is on his way to the surface." The aide quickly relayed the response back to the guard outside the castle.
Suddenly, a message flashed, alerting the cabinet of a new update:
Romulan superweapon destroyed all life on planet Thandio. Partial implementation of Scorched Earth retreat complete. Very heavy casualties, survivors will rendezvous back at base.
-Nielsen
Silence filled the room as they comprehended the meaning of the words. Finally, the Monarch spoke.
"Any news from the Acarian fronts?"
"None, other than the declaration of war," the Minister of Defence replied.
Wintermoot frowned. Usually, ambassadors would be exchanged through a neutral party. But Acaria did not have any ambassadors in Wintreath, meaning that Bergli was not safe... The last they'd heard from him was a progress report before the declaration of war.
"Jensen, do you have the messages prepared for our foreign representatives?" the Monarch continued.
"Yes," the Foreign Minister responded. "I have already sent it."
Outside the Castle"Mr. Sul Gravemind, you seem to be implying that you are the representative of a single person, not your government. Is this accurate?" Without waiting for a response, the guard continued, "In any case, I must once again stress that the Monarch is currently unavailable. Furthermore, I do believe that Admiral Innsmouth is currently making his way down to the planet, and unlike you, he
has gone through the proper protocols."
Science Institute at FrostlakeThe message from Frosthold Castle reached the Science embassy.
Trilia Scientific Research Station
Sector (5, -6)The Romulans herded Dr. Lajunen and the other scientists into the headquarters building. Sounds of gunfire could be heard in the distance.
What are they firing at? thought Lajunen.
The icebergs? The thought of Romulan soldiers seriously invading this desolate wasteland amused her.
Wintrean Diplomatic Convoy
Protheus, Allied States of Lernaea
Sector (-18, 1)The diplomatic mission soon arrived at the Lernaean capital. They broadcast a message asking for further instructions.
As they did so, a message arrived from Frosthold, informing them of the attacks by the Acarians and Romulans. Øye appended to their message, asking for a meeting at the Lernaeans' earliest convenience.
Diplomatic Convoy to Science
Vivaldi, Democratic Empire of Rationalist Science
Sector (-12, 24)After a considerable time of travelling, the diplomatic mission reached Science's capital. They opened communications with the local authorities asking for further directions.
Wintrean Diplomatic Mission to the Aesir Empire
AFS Jörmungandr
Sector (-16, 14)Lundgren took a shaky breath, and then responded, "We were devastated by the past war, as you know, but we have been rebuilding. Until recently, our government has been pursuing a rather isolationist policy. Under the leadership of our current Monarch, though, a more reform-minded faction is learning from our past mistakes and is seeking out to build ties with our fellow nations, whether they be former friends, enemies, or newcomers.
"Unfortunately," she continued, "there is also a considerably large portion of our populace and government that wants to reestablish the imperialistic policies of our past."
As they reached the Wintrean ship, Lundgren's comlink suddenly beeped, notifying her of a message from Frosthold. As she read it, her face paled.
"The Acarians and Romulans, under the guise of peaceful cooperation, have attacked us and are razing our planets," she said.
