OOC: I call all Igadzra space into strict-time.
(- Novish -)
As forty Igazras and one hundred and twenty Igadzra Aradas appeared in Novish, a lone Azdara patrol several lightminutes away quickly scanned the ships, keeping its already vast distance, confident that despite their numbers, they could not catch the Azdara.
The ships pilot smiled faintly. The bear has finally taken the bait. Outpost Rai is under attack. Communiques were immediately sent off following a design already set up. A message to Outpost Rai, informing them of the situation, and to the patrollers in DSN-9041. A message straight to the highest representatives in the Assembly and the four most prominent Azdgari in the Council of War - Hyaishi, Yain, Sai-Varitair and Hyaanl. Other messages were sent too, to warbands recently set up.
The pilot never thought the attack would come so soon after Hyaishi had set things in order. This was going to be very interesting - shame he wouldnt be there to participate in what was coming...
----------------
(- Chak, four days later, two days before the Battle of Apert -)
A warning message appeared on the Zaarishas pilot display, and Hyaishi regarded it coolly. Dzotar in Novish had been passed by an Igadzra battlefleet - forty Igazra and one hundred and twenty Igadzra Aradas. Hyaishi quickly recalled the latest estimations of Igadzra numbers. Scan revealed that there appeared to be a standard defence complement of twenty Igazras and sixty Igadzra Aradas to each system, and Hyaishi believed this held for core systems as well, as it seemed only reasonable. It met with everything he knew about Igadzra behaviour. Scans of Mark had detected fifty Igazras, however... That was the only system defended heavily, and with good reason. Likely, there was more defences on Zidagar borders as well.
This left him to estimate there were approximately three hundred Igazras in total, give or take about fifty. Forty in one position wasnt a major mistake on the Igadzras behalf, indicating that they had guessed Apert wasnt defended heavily.
Its too early, but perhaps this will work to our benefit, Hyaishi wondered. The new technologies were not outfitted on Azdgari ships, excluding the new hyperdrive, but that wouldnt matter too much. Besides, it meant that when he finally retaliated properly, it would be even more difficult for the Igadzra to coordinate an effective defence.
Lives sacrificed for the common good, in the end.
Hyaishi quickly revealed the situation. In two days, the Igadzra battlefleet would reach Apert, but they would find nothing there. Not even Outpost Rai. One day after that, Notil would fall, by jump-strike. Unfortunately, Tollbs forces wouldnt be able to participate as, by the time they received the message, Chaks would already be fighting.
Diudir will be next, Inys voice murmured from behind. He read my private message over my back... not surprising.
Yes, it will. And for Diudir, we will exact a much more fitting price, Hyaishi replied.
What do you have in mind?
Hyaishi turned then, to regard his protégč. Only one thing. For this, it is all out. The Igadzra Scimitar.
You intend to cut out the bears heart, then? Inys inquired coolly.
In a few weeks, once we are ready. For now, let us show the Igadzra we are not to be trifled with. There is no time to waste. Outpost Rai by now has already been dismantled.
----------------
(- Apert, four days before the Battle of Apert -)
Not an hour before the message was received from the Novish patroller that an Igadzran battlefleet was enroute, Azdgari technicians began putting into practice the existing protocol for dismantling the station. It was laced with explosives in case they lost such warning, but the standard protocol was to dismantle the important parts of the station and ship them off on Freight Aradas, of which enough were stationed in Apert - and indeed, every Azdgari system, about sixty on average - to do the job.
It would take the better part of six hours, even practiced as they were, but by the time the Igadzran fleet received Apert, there would be no Azdgari base there. The Azdgari were to flee immediately to Diudir.
While not all of Outpost Rai could be dismantled and taken with them, everything of any worth of difficult to build would be taken, leaving only a tiny task to replace it. The parts of the outpost that could not be taken with them were to be sent into Apert itself. There would be residue, nothing to indicate to the Igadzra what had happened.
------------
(- DSN-9041, three days before the Battle of Apert -)
The two Azdaras patrolling 9041 had already been alerted of the bears fleet approaching, and hovered lightminutes away. As it entered, their pilots were relieved that things had proceeded exactly as predicted - forty Igazras, one hundred and twenty Igadzra Aradas. They did not leave the system, just as the patroller in Novish had not left. They had nothing to fear - these Igadzra could not catch them.
If all went to plan then, in another six hours, Outpost Rais defence fleet, and Freight Aradas hauling the dismantled outpost, would enter the system, en route to Diudir and then to Azdgari.
The two Azdaras would not be moving far, though. Except that once the Igadzra fleet returned, one would head back to Apert to continue patrolling that system. Might as well keep up a proper patrol. Hyaishis warband would be doing the rest.
----------------
(- Apert, the Battle of Apert -)
The Igadzra ships had entered the system, but to their surprise, there was nothing there. No Outpost Rai, no Azdgari ships on the defence. Nothing at all. What the hell had happened here?
Try as they might, there were no energy signatures, no residual signals. Nothing to tell them what had happened.
----------------
(- Mark, the day of the Battle of Apert -)
The formidable Igadzra fleet was caught offguard when five hundred and sixty five Azdaras, and one hundred and ninety Azdgari Aradas entered the system. They quickly took up defensive positions, but...
The Azdgari fleet entered hyperspace immediately, using their new hyperdrives to do so without giving the Igadzra any opportunity to attack. They were heading for Notil. And they would arrive there before any reinforcements could...
----------------
(- Notil, the day after the Battle of Apert, the day of the Battle of Notil -)
The Azdgari warband, under Hyaishi, entered Notil at maximum velocity and immediately took action. Amongst the fleet was Hyaishi in his Zaarisha , as well as Chyi-Azhars squadron, sans Azhaurai who was mysteriously away on other business. Zosen had recovered quickly and insisted on returning to action, and he now flew with his mentor, Ka-ruul, Isa and Runar.
Confident of the amount of time they had, Hyaishi had given very specific orders. The fleet was to begin on full defensive, and begin with an SAE draw strategy, observing the response of the far outnumbered Igadzran fleet (while spiralling, so not decelerating). Observations would be immediately taken and due to full defensive attitude, SAEs would not strike - Aradas would stay out of range to start, Azdaras staying just in SAE range but far too fast to be hit. The SAE draw would last until SAEs were no longer fired, as the Igadzra grew wise to the tactic... Almost certainly enough time to waste half of their ammunition, at least on their Aradas, as ammunitions were relatively low. However, when they finished the brief SAE draw (of likely about 20 seconds), the Azdgari fleet were to strike from the other side of the Igadzra fleet, away from the hyper-exit.
Azdaras were then to go in octa-squadrons of 48 Azdaras - eleven such groups - which would strike Igazras one at a time, annihilating them almost immediately. The remaining 37 Azdaras consisted of the superior Azdara pilots, as well as Chyi-Azhars elite squadron and the elite squadron under a talented young Azdgari called Ipvicus. These other Azdaras were to support the Aradas, which were performing similar attacks against the Igadzra Aradas - three Azdgari Aradas to each one Igadzra, with the exception of ten left over.
The battle would be fought cautiously, keeping at maximum ranges. The octa-squadrons would form spheres at maximum phase range to allow all 48 Azdaras to hit their target at once, dispatcing of Igazras in a matter of seconds.
Hyaishi had arranged everything to minimise Azdgari losses. It was clearly their victory, all that was left to be determined was a question of how many Azdgari would die this day.
There was one more proviso. The moment something went wrong, Hyaishi would personally communicate with every single ship in the fleet, to change the entire strategy at a seconds notice. His fleet were ready for this, expected it even. If things werent turning out right, they would waste no time at all dying. At the sign of anything unexpected, the entire strategy could change. The Igadzra fleet would be virtually passive... this battle was to be controlled by the far faster Azdgari, just as it always was.
----------------
(- Chak -)
About the time Hyaishis warband struck Notil via a jump-strike through Mark, ships from Tollb moved to reinforce Chaks defences, while ships from Molar moved to reinforce Tollbs defences, which all moved to Emnin. If the Zidagar were to strike now, patrols would call Emnins defences back towards Molar again. Whoever might strike in this time, the Azdgari patrollers were still out, and there would be plenty of warning.
Also, six Azdaras were assigned to a stagger scan on Mark, every hour after Hyaishi's warband passed through, for six hours.
----------------
R &D
Phase-Arada Refit
0/2 days.
Graviton Impulse Drive (Model: I-1)
7/8 days.
Phase Stealth Field
4/9 days.
Subdimensional Research, Stage One: Hypercube Project (12/12, complete 23/02/05.)
Azdgari Hyperdrive (5/5, complete 16/02/05.)
Level 4 Phase Shielding (7/7, complete 18/02/05.)
Phase-Arada Refit: 20 Azdgari Aradas will have their rocket launchers removed and replaced by dimensional phasers. These Phase-Aradas will be Azdgari Aradas stationed in Tollb. See OOC thread for some explanation of the dimensional phaser specifically, as it was only briefly mentioned in the Hypercube Project and people may have forgotten.
Azdgari Fleet
Fleet: 2860 Azdaras, 726 Azdgari Aradas, 150 Azdgari Warships, 600 Freight Aradas.
Production: 140 Azdaras, 23 Azdgari Aradas.
Notil: 565 Azdaras, 190 Azdgari Aradas.
Emnin: 1194 Azdaras, 257 Azdgari Aradas.
Molar: 190 Azdaras, 117 Azdgari Aradas, 80 Azdgari Warships.
Chak: 800 Azdaras, 200 Azdgari Aradas, 70 Azdgari Warships.
Muid: 30 Azdaras, 10 Azdgari Aradas.
Diudir: 30 Azdaras, 10 Azdgari Aradas.
Raigar: 75 Azdaras, 32 Azdgari Aradas.
30 Azdaras, 10 Azdgari Aradas, from the Apert defence fleet, are... somewhere. By normal 1 RTD = 7 game days rules, they would be in Tinar by now, but as the entire region is in strict-time, where they are depends on what day youre looking at.
66 Azdaras are said to be involving in scanning and patrolling.
Patrolling... DSN-2298, DSN-9041, Novish, Racet, Karra, Funit, Reban, Kacca, Calb, Elridi, DSN-2143, DSN-1273, Elder, Dafi, Emnin, Dirach, Lontri, Toi, Plate, Kade, Tinar, Meagh, Azdgari, Leka, Kelmaon, Marafey, DSN-682, DSN-2189, DSN-8204.
Scanning... Qerid, Fluron, Plogok, Terapin, Mark*, Mordus, Nujja, Norhis, Motif.
- Scanning every hour for six hours on the day of Battle of Apert, before returning back to the normal once per seven game days/1 RTD.
This post has been edited by SilverDragon : 23 February 2005 - 04:15 PM