Ah yes, the old "UE vs. Voinian" thing...
Let's assume for a moment that the UE and the Voinians had no external help. That means; no Emalgha, no Hinwar, and no Miranu. What would happen?
As everyone probably knows, a Voinian Frigate is not a match for the UE Destroyer. Couple a UE Destroyer with a few fighters and then you really have a problem if you're the captain of a Frigate. However, what if the Frigate has help? Two frigates will very much spell doom for a UE Destroyer, as will a few extra Heavy Fighters thrown into the mix.
However, what of the Voinian Cruiser vs. the UE Carrier? If I am correct (I haven't played EVO in a while), Voinian Heavy Fighters are more heavily armed than UE Fighters, which means that the Voinian Cruiser has a slight advantage in the area of availible fighter firepower. It also has a very large amount of hull armor, but it is extremely slow. The end result is that if the Voinian Cruiser is far away when it engages the UE Carrier, Hunter Missiles will be a severe pain to the Cruiser. Frigates, Interceptors, and Heavy Fighters are all less vulnerable because of their speed and maneuverability, but Cruisers, because of their pure bulk and lack of speed, are extremely vulnerable. However, if the Cruiser can get close fast, then it will almost certainly win (if I remember correctly. I did several tests with this a while ago). Neutron Turrets, especially in mass numbers, are possibly the most deadly weapons in EVO. If a Cruiser were to engage a Destroyer, its firepower would quickly destroy the Destroyer whether or not it was nearby or far away.
But what of the UE Cruiser? Yes, it is quite a formidable warship; almost too formidable to be realistic. But can it really defeat a Voinian Cruiser? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Once again, it's all about Hunter Missiles. Voinians lack any sort of accurate long-range ordinance to counter the UE's guided missiles. The Voinians are too slow to do anything about them, and so the UE have an advantage in that area. The UE Cruiser has quite a lot of weapons, but it is still possible for a Voinian Cruiser to destroy one of them if it gets close enough fast enough.
And what of weapons? Voinian Neutron weaponry is deadly, but bulky and slow to fire if you don't have enough of them. The turreted rocket launchers can be quite useful and are very powerful. The primary weapon of the UE is the famous Blaze Cannon, which is inaccurate but fast firing. Each individual blast does little damage, but the power of hundreds of blasts streaming out can be devastating. Rockets are also powerful but not turreted, and Hunter Missiles provide a powerful advantage when dealing with Voinians at long range. UE weaponry seems totally built, as you would expect, around blowing up Voinians. Blaze weapons do heavy damage to armor, and Hunter Missiles have no counter in the Voinian Military. Voinian Neutron weaponry also have a bit of Anti-UE engineering as they do considerable damage per blast to shields. In long-range weaponry, the UE definitely have the advantage, as rockets can be quite inaccurate even if they are turreted. However, in close range weaponry, the Voinian Neutron Cannon and Turret, combined with the power of their turreted rockets, seem to have the upper hand.
And finally, there is the fighters. The Interceptor is about equal to the UE Fighter in firepower, but the Voinian Heavy Fighter has quite a lot of guns and room for lots more. The UE Fighter, however, has much greater maneuverability, and so I would have to say, fighter wise, the UE and Voinians are about equal.
In fact, the UE and Voinians are about equal in every respect. However, it has been my observation that there seems to be more Voinian Cruisers than UE Carriers. This would be expected, seeing as the Voinians lack very good fighters, and they probably know that, which is why they seem to concentrate on their warships more than the UE do.
Looking at the tactical situation, Outpost Theta (and later Outpost Omicron, if I remember the names correctly) are both rather remote and could be taken if a large Voinian fleet were to attack them. Reinforcements could be blocked with secondary attacks on Outposts Alpha and Gamma to divert UE fleets. Once Outpost Theta was taken, Voinian forces could capture Outpost Gamma simply by moving through Dogover into Eltor with a large fleet. Another large fleet would then move into DSN-114. These two fleets would effectively cut off any reinforcements that would otherwise reach Outpost Gamma. The main fleet would then move into Yandros, destroy the UE forces, and then have the other two fleets in Eltor and DSN-114 to move into Yandros for extra protection. The only way to effectively destroy and/or capture Outpost Alpha would be to create a diversionary attack. The Voinians would send large fleets against Saalia, Verril, Tulir, and Ariane. This would draw away considerable amount of the UE fleet while the main task force would enter Bakka and rapidly deal with the opposing vessels. Once Outpost Alpha was secured, the fleets would withdraw to Outpost Alpha or one of the others to reinforce for a UE reprisal. With these simple tactics, the entire UE frontier would be captured or destroyed, leaving the center of the UE open to invasion.
And though the UE and Voinians seem rather equal, I would have to say that the Voinians would, in the end, prevail against the UE.
However...
Remember that I said that we will assume that the Emalgha, Hinwar, and Miranu do not exist or at the very least are not involved at all in the war.
What if they were involved?
Though the Miranu would probably not be much of a threat (phase weapons would do little to dent Voinian armor), they would (once the UE make contact with them) be able to support the UE in other ways. The Miranu are, after all, the greatest traders in the known galaxy, and thus could suppor the UE economically, bringing in supplies, resources, raw materials, etc. And, of course, they could share some of their technology; their powerful shield emitters, and pursuit missile guidance technology which would greatly improve Hunter Missiles. Other than that, however, their influence would be limited. Miranu Crescent Fighters are no match for Voinian warships, phase cannots are useless against them, and even the Gunship does not have sufficient firepower to put up any more than a meager fight.
The Hinwar are not a very big player, but they are useful. If properly supplied, the Hinwar could become somewhat powerful and dangerous, as was shown in the UE Mission string. However, alone, they are not much of a threat, and their power is limited, but they can distract Voinian fleets, which would hamper large-scale offensives.
The Emalgha are probably the biggest players aside from the UE and Voinians themselves, obviously. Their navy is powerful and is well equipped to deal specifically with the Voinians. If the Emalgha were to recieve technology from the Miranu and/or UE, they would become even more dangerous with enhanced armor and shields. However, they are weak in some areas, and their warships are not much of a challenge against Voinian Cruisers. But, the Emalgha and Hinwar combined could easily tie up many ships and perhaps even whole fleets, distracting the Voinians from their main threat, the UE, and costing them just enough to prevent a wide-scale offensive against themselves. If the Voinians were to place the brunt of their entire military soully against the Emalgha and Hinwar, it would be devastating for the UE. The Hinwar would then be silenced and unable to attempt another uprising, and the Emalgha would also be in serious peril. The best way to deal with them would be to make a diversionary attack against Emalghion while the main fleet attacks Kelmaon, as was done in the Voinian mission string. However, the next step would be for a three-pronged attack directly against Emalghion. Coming from Kelmaon, DSN-4743, and DSN-2061, the three Voinian fleets would simply overwhelm the Emalgha defense forces. Once the Emalgha and Hinwar were dealt with, the Voinians could then consontrate on the UE, and though they would find it much harder to conquer them, they might still win.
However, the concentrated attacks against the Hinwar and Emalgha would leave the Voinian-UE frontier vulnerable. The UE could attack the Voinians in a sudden lightning offensive, overwhelm the defending fleets, and do a great deal of damage before withdrawing back to the UE Frontier. The UE could also leave a fleet lying in wait in DSN-8209, ready to attack the Voinians the moment they jump into Kelmaon. With the Voinians in Kelmaon delt with, the attack on Emalghion would be in jeopardy. The two remaining Voinian fleets (plus the survivors from Kelmaon) might just be able to destroy the Emalgha fleets, but there would still be the issue of the UE fleet returning to Emalghion from Kelmaon. The Voinians would, in all likelyhood, be doomed. With the Voinian offensive against the Emalgha now crippled, the UE (during the actual battles) could begin a sudden offensive which would deal a lot of damage to the Voinian fleets on the UE-Voinian frontier. The Voinians would have to go into a defensive mode until their fleets were strong enough. During this time, however, the Emalgha could rebuild and even enlarge their fleet, while the UE also built up for another offensive.
Simultaneous attacks on Vorik, Obron, and Avann would distract the Voinians while a combined UE and Emalgha Task force could make attacks on Niot and Fridion. While the attack on Niot would be more of a diversionary attack, the assault against Fridion would be the main prong of the offensive. With Fridion captured, the Emalgha and UE task force in Fridion could then aid the attack in Niot, capturing that system as well. While consolidating their borders in the north, the UE could make concentrated two-pronged attacks against Avann and Vorik. Obron would be a bad choice for an assault, as it is hard to get to (there is only one availible hyperlink into it without straying into Vorik as well), and it is close to other major Voinian military bases. Depending on where the Voinians shift most of their weight, the UE would bring in their main task force of Destroyers and Cruisers and capture Vorik or Avann. Vorik would be the better choice, because fleets could then move through unfortified Mihal and attack Avann, making it possible for a three-pronged attack against the enemy defenders. Once the captured base was fortified against reprisal, the UE could then concentrate against the second base. Once that fell, the UE and Emalgha would then build up their fleets again.
Romit would be the next logical choice for an assault. The refueling bases on the way to Tientu could be delt with easily or simply ignored. The attack on Romit could then be supported by a second thrust from Avann. Meanwhile, a detachment of Destroyers and Cruisers could be sent off to deal with Isled, either capturing or destroying the cut off station. The UE could then send in a large task force into Gamur. This would hopefully draw some of the enemy forces away from Obron. At this point, two UE fleets would attack Obron. One fleet coming directly from Yandros, the other going through Gamur to create a pincer against the Voinian defenders. Obron could then be taken, and UE forces would then concentrate on taking Gamur. Once Gamur fell, Hinavar (did I spell that right?) would be the next target. The Hinwar would then be free and able to aid in the war effort.
However, the Voinians could defend against these moves as well. Depending on how they used the Dreadnought, the Voinians could use it more logically against the UE, or first to deal with the Emalgha. A Dreadnought supported by just two Voinian warfleets would be unstoppable even if the Emalgha had some help. With the Emalgha gone, the entire northern campaign would fall apart. Now, of course, the UE could counter this (if they someone found out about the Voinians plans) by sending a large task force of Cruisers, Destroyers, and Carriers to destroy the Voinian fleet. But this would be costly for the UE, especially if the Voinian went for overkill and sent three or four fleets to escort the Dreadnought. And even then, it is not a guaranteed win for the UE.
There are also many other things which you must consider. What of Huron? This leaves doubts about the stability of the UE government. And what of the Renegades? They seem to able to amass large and powerful fleets to attack either Independents or the UE. At the Battle of Pariah the UE lost a considerable number of destroyers. What if, during the offensive against the Voinians, the Renegades see that the UE is weak on their southern frontier, and proceed to launch a wave of devastating raids against the UE. This would be costly for the UE navy, and would force the UE to divert more ships to the southern frontier with the Renegades. This would not only weaken the UE's offensives, but also possible delay it, providing the Voinians with more time to build up their own forces. There is also the possibility that the UE would loose one of their colonies, hampering their ability to construct ships and support their navy. And what if the Igadzra suddenly and inexplicably decide to conquer the UE?
However, the Voinians have their own issues. The Voinian defector incident leaves doubts as to the loyalty of Voinian scientists and officers. And then there is the very basis of Voinian government. They are an empire, a dictatorship bent on conquering and/or destroying other worlds and people, and enslaving them to do their bidding and to fuel the Voinian war machine. Throughout history, it is these kinds of governments that fall apart and crumble. The Voinian defector incident was an example of this.
So, basically, it's a standoff. It all depends on which side makes the right decisions, and the circumstances which may benefit or hamper a side. If the war were simply to continue as is with no major offensives, it will remain a standoff. There are a variety of different moves which can be used in different ways. Timing and coordination is essential. In conclusion, I believe both the Voinians and UE have a good chance of winning.
Now was that a long post or what? 
-Captain Carnotaur
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If at first you don't succeed...Hit it harder! - Me
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Millennium. Its coming, prepare for it.
Coming to the (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiaSW.com/games/ev/chronicles.html")EV Chronicles(/url).
(This message has been edited by Captain Carnotaur (edited 02-11-2003).)
