PROLOGUE

1305 Hours (Zulu), 9 SEPT 2418 (Military Calendar)

Interstellar Space, Along Bellerophon Demilitarized Zone

203rd Patrol Fleet, Aboard CCV-Myrmidon

The entire Command Deck shook violently as the enemy torpedo made contact with Myrmidon's port side armor. Commodore Damien Sutherland brought up vid-feed from an exterior camera just in time to see several unfortunate crewmen forcefully removed from the previously enclosed compartment.

He swore, "Weapons, get me a firing solution on that cruiser. And coordinate with CAP, we can't afford to get hit like that again."

Commodore Sutherland quickly checked the tactical display on his arm rest as his orders were acknowledged. Half of the 203rd was listed as 'Combat Ineffective', with more than a few listed as 'Total Loss'. He found himself cursing once more, this time at his own lack of preparation for such a brutal attack.

The 203rd had been tasked with investigating a sensors anomaly initially registered by Automated Monitoring Station C-3109. Analysts believed it to be a Kuar probing force, intended to keep Coalition assets tied up while a larger force maneuvered to bypass the Bellerophon DMZ. Gravimetric data gathered by AMS C-3109 only detected thirty-seven unique drive signatures, in response, NavCom allocated the sixty-two vessels of the 203rd Patrol Fleet to deal with the threat.

Damien had allowed his supposed numerical advantage and superior sensor data to lull him into a false sense of security. Because of this, he had ordered the 203rd to perform a close range FTL transition, without the benefit of advanced reconnaissance. He had done this with the hope of performing a textbook Fast First Strike. The aggressive naval strategy demanded the user exit subspace extraordinarily close to the enemy formation and fire immediately on enemy targets.

The strategy had several important advantages. Most importantly, when used against a numerically inferior force, similar to what Damien believed he was facing, it allowed the numerically superior force to utterly annihilate its foe while simultaneously denying them the opportunity to take their pound of flesh from the attackers.

However, any commander worth their salt knew the Fast First Strike had an Achilles heel. If the attacking force is unable to eliminate the majority of the enemy force, then they will quickly find themselves out-positioned and torn apart by enemy fire as they struggle to reorganize against coordinated opposition.

And that was exactly what Commodore Sutherland was experiencing first hand. The sensor data was faulty. Instead of a light probing force, the 203rd had stumbled upon three complete Kuar Battlefleets while they staged for an offensive. Damien couldn't believe how wrong the analysis had been. Whether he believed it or not, however, the results had been devastating.

"Comms!" Damien shouted as yet another blast rocked the ship, "What's the status on the alert to HighCom?"

"Courier drone is away, sir!" the officer replied, "It'll reach the closest quantum uplink within the hour."

"Targeting solution acquired!" Weapons shouted before Damien could respond, "Magnetic accelerator at one-hundred percent!"

"Load nuclear shell! Fire!" He roared in response.

On his command, the Myrmidon's Mk. IV Heavy Magnetic Accelerator Cannon discharged. The two hundred ton tungsten projectile, tipped with a sixty kiloton nuclear warhead, exited the eight-hundred twenty meter long barrel in an instant.

Damien watched as, moments later, it collided with the Kuar cruiser. The massive transfer of kinetic energy broke the cruiser's forward shielding instantly, allowing the nuclear tipped projectile to rip through the frontal armor unopposed. An inconceivably short period of time later, the fissile material within the round reached critical mass as the shell super-compressed during impact. Damien watched with grim satisfaction as nuclear fire consumed the cruiser from the inside out, before the ship's reactor core detonated in a brilliant fireball.

Damien didn't allow himself to revel in his victory, turning his view back to the tactical display even before the fireball was extinguished by the vacuum.

Things were not going well. Of the sixty-two vessels in the 203rd Patrol Fleet, forty-five were frigates. Forty-two were standard Phalanx-Class Heavy Frigates, and three were Erebus-Class Light Frigates modified to include enhanced ECM capabilities.

The Erebus-Class frigates Red Horse, Sun Blade, and Shimmer had served to limit the casualties sustained in the opening stages of the battle. Their advanced ECM suites had confounded enemy targeting and missile systems for longer than he would have dared to hope. But as the Kuar vessels had enveloped his formation, the protective ECM screen was defeated.
Within a six-minute time frame all three Erebus-Class vessels were targeted and destroyed. The Red Horse and Shimmer were swarmed by Kuar missile bombers, while the Sun Blade met its end as it was surrounded by three enemy destroyers and summarily annihilated by their close range rail gun batteries.

The tactical display listed nearly all of the Phalanx-Class frigates were also destroyed, with only fourteen remaining. A flash, still painfully bright even through the Myrmidon's auto-polarizing bridge viewport, informed him that that number was no longer accurate. The remaining thirteen frigates were supported by the Myrmidon, a Sentinel-Class Battlecruiser, her sister ship, the Montesombre, four Monitor-Class Destroyers, and a single Endymion-Class Escort Carrier.

His ships victory over the Kuar cruiser had bought his formation some breathing room. He knew it wouldn't last, more and more ships were breaking off from the main fleet, intent on ripping his flotilla to shreds. He needed to get his ships out of the enemy jump-interdiction zone they had erected around their fleet and retreat to friendly space. To do so he would need to punch through the enemy perimeter and make a desperate burn for open space.

Enemy ships surrounded him on all sides, with the location of the now destroyed enemy cruiser being in between him and the bulk of the Kuar fleet. A shoal of enemy frigates were already moving to close that gap, and Damien didn't much like the prospect of fleeing through the main enemy force. A desperate plan emerged from the depths of the Commodore's mind. He hated that he even thought of it, but a part of him knew it was the only way for any of the fleet to survive.

"Captain Reynolds" he said, keying the comm channel to the Huntsman's commanding officer, "Direct your away assets to sector x-ray three" he paused, "Huntsman Actual will follow the Myrmidon to sector alpha one"

An audible silence filled the channel before Captain Reynolds transmitted an affirmative code, unwilling or unable to respond over the voice channel.

Three space-combat wings flew towards the approaching frigate wolf pack as the rest of the fleet turned and burned for the far side of the enemy perimeter. Commodore Sutherland accessed one of the pilot's gun cam as he engaged an enemy frigate. The intrepid pilot managed to score a direct hit to the larger warships's bridge before he was swatted out of space by an automated AA gun. The rest of the cameras showed similar stories of heroism as the fighter wings exacted their blood price before being consigned to the void.

It had been necessary, Sutherland told himself, but he still didn't hate himself any less. He forced himself to focus on the present, on those who could still be saved.

An enemy destroyer group blocked the fleet's escape, and Sutherland's vessels were rapidly approaching the enemy's effective range. Damien gave the order to maintain course and speed, as well as distribute firing solutions.

The Myrmidon fired first, with the Montesombre following suit a moment later. Their targets were obliterated, to close to evade and not heavily shielded enough to withstand the barrage. Still, eight enemy ships blocked his battered fleet.

"Fire at will!" The Commodore gave the order as the enemy destroyers opened fire.

Thousands of missiles filled the void in between the two groups as anti-missile batteries struggled to prevent their impact. Hundreds were destroyed, detonating harmlessly in the void. Hundreds more struck true, the rapidly closing distancing increasing their effectiveness dramatically. Three human frigates detonated simultaneously as Kuar rail gun fire traced their hulls. A Kuar destroyer blossomed into a nuclear sun as hundreds of missiles overwhelmed its point defense grid.

For two minutes the exchange continued, as ships rapidly blinked off the tactical display. The Huntsman's shields failed under a sustained barrage from several destroyers, its running lights flickering off as power was lost. The once mighty vessel slowly drifted off course as secondary explosions vented atmosphere from her decks. Damien silently prayed the crew died quickly. Suffocation is a cruel end, being captured by the Hegemony is worse.

Combined fire from several frigates ripped apart another destroyer as the Myrmidon and Montesombre each score another kill.

As the fleet races over the remaining Kuar destroyers, they exact their toll, destroying two frigates and dropping the Myrmidon's shields.

"Nav!" Damien shouted, "Jump as soon as we are clear of the interdiction field. Comms, instruct the fleet to do the same. Get us out of here!"

The entirety of the Kuar picket was now pursuing the fleeing humans, firing any and all weaponry they had at their disposal. The sheer volume of fire was concerning, even given the extreme range.

"Sir we are clear to jump in ten seconds!"

"Do it ensign!"

After what felt like an eternity the Myrmidon's subspace drive began its activation sequence. A few more seconds and they would be clear.

"In three!" The ensign declared, "Two! On-..."

A massive shock wave threw Damien from his command chair, slamming him hard against the deck. Alarms rang dimly as his vision began to fade. His deteriorating consciousness managed to deduce a Kuar torpedo must have managed to catch them. Whatever the case, the alarms faded and his vision tunneled; a pool of blood slowly forming from beneath his head.

1530 Hours (Zulu), 12 SEPT 2418 (Military Calendar)

Sol System

Naval CentCom Headquarters, Beneath Eris

Fleet Admiral Jonathan Fletcher began to read the report displayed on his workstation carefully. His caution was quickly forgotten as he frantically read each line.

TRANSMISSION:/ NAVAL STATION CASSANDRA TO:/ HQ NavCentCom

CLEARANCE CODE:/ ZETA

PRIORITY:/ BLACK

SUBJECT:/ 203rd PATROL FLEET

BEGIN MESSAGE:/

Fleet Admiral Fletcher,

I will not waste time with formality. Three Kuar Battlefleets penetrated the Bellerophon Demilitarized Zone near AMS C-3109 at approximately 1015 Hours ZULU (NOTE: Preliminary intelligence suggested a much smaller Kuar force). As I know you are already aware the 203rd Patrol Fleet was sent to engage the enemy force. They made contact at approximately 1300 Hours ZULU. They were defeated and have suffered catastrophic losses. Commodore Sutherland's (Attached: Service File: Sutherland, Damien) vessel was among those lost. I have disbanded the 203rd and transferred any surviving assets to other formations. Requesting immediate reinforcement of the Cassandra Sector with the 5th and 7th Battlefleets.

I have begun fortification of the Aegean, Gamma Draconis, and Far Isle Systems, but without reinforcement I cannot guarantee we will be able to hold. I await your response.

God help us all.

V/R

Rear Admiral Elizabeth Kingston

Fleet Admiral Fletcher keyed the intercom, "Ms. Clark, please cancel today's meetings."

"Right away, Admiral" The secretary answered, "I'm sure your wife will understand."

The aged Admiral released the transmit button, "She won't."