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RVK Launched; Symbiots Mount Major Space-Based Offensive on Imperial Fleet
Jyut Texier takes command of the Imperial fleet just in time to receive very distressing reports indeed. The space-forms lying in low geo-synchronous orbit over hive Ambdicius begin spreading across the far continent, making extended contact with hives Ukobach, Prosperpine, and Uphir. Reports keep flooding in of potential imminent attacks by space-forms not previously encountered.
Thankfully the Symbiot attack takes some time to organize during which the long-neglected Relativistic Kill Vehicle is launched (causing a further surge in oil and energy prices across the known worlds) and the Imperial fleet attaches a number of high-explosives to the spaceward rim of the Stigmata jumpgate to act as mines.
Perhaps the Pancreator smiled upon humanity this time for the alien fleet did not mount its assault until sometime in E2s month of June when Jyut Texier, a brand new White-Sky cruiser and the returning Moons silver did return to guard the portal to humanity. Just in time too, because the great symbiot assault began early July.
On June 24th, the jumpgate begins to hum and purr to life; a warning goes up- the Symbiots are attempting to jump.
The novel spaceforms broke the planets horizon and achieved line of sight with the Imperium fleet on July 3rd at 4:02am local time, actually withdrawing considerably from the far side of Stigmata to achieve greater range before finally poking their silhouettes out from the shadow of the symbiot-infested planet. The first effects of their weapons were felt at 4:03am. Optics revealed a symbiot fleet composed of 7 larger ships resembling nothing so much as giant dried oak-leaves curled into a crescent and a multitude of smaller, frigate-sized ships that appeared as ribbon-like serpents, though these tended to huddle behind the larger forms. Many Imperium ships immediately began reporting massive temperatures spikes on their hulls and even penetrating within ships causing direct thermal damage to sensitive equipment, lighting fires, and burning, often severely, crew aboard. A high proportion of these attacks are directed against the heavy armor of the Imperium Monitor battleships which at first seems strange considering that their heavier armor does protect them that much better. Strategists quickly uncovered the symbiot plan, one very contrary to the usual symbiot method of closing to melee range and taking over the enemy ship; they would attack from range, targeting the only ships that could effectively counter and force the Imperium, for once, to come to them. Indeed weapons-system specialists begin revealing that except for the Monitors extremely long-range missile systems and the much less accurate orbit to surface bomb systems of the Valants and White-Skies, no fleet weapons were able to effectively reach the Symbiots at the far range they had opened fire at.
The monitors of both the Grace and Mercy begin returning fire, long range missiles gaining speed and quickly falling amongst the leaf-like capital ships of the enemy fleet. So too do the Valants destroyers and White Sky-cruisers, their slow bombs slowly drifting through space- meant to be propelled by gravity and their thrusters used for fine aiming.
As the propulsion systems of the Graces Monitors is downed by a lucky shot from the invisible thermal weapons, Jyut Texier realizes that at range, they will indeed be annihilated if he doesnt order immediate action. And so keeping the Valants, Monitors, Why-Skies and even the Spider in reserve to both provide distance bombardment and to guard the portal, he orders all other ships into combat.
The stingers race ahead of the pack, their speed and agility, it is thought, acting perhaps to screen the others and to draw off some of the thermal weaponry. But the symbiot thermal weapons prove highly accurate, even against the agile stingers and very quickly several of these are struck, their pilots roasted to charcoal and the avionics left a smoldering mess. And so the carriers are left screening the approach and this they do well, their empty hangers forced to face the enemy, the air within superheated but otherwise not too damaging. Meanwhile the long-range missiles of the heavier ships are beginning to take their toll upon the symbiots and one of the capital symbiot ships begins to spin lazily out of control and into distant space. This is perhaps fortuitous because the monitor that launched that barrage, the Palamades Sword, its propulsion system already downed, is also quickly taken out, several of the thermal weapon, still almost exclusively targeting the ranged imperial systems despite the point defenses leveled against the fighters and carriers, ripping through its armor, into its weapons bays and igniting many of its more conventional explosive weapons with destructive results. It falls from orbit, streaking in a blaze of fire into the think symbiot jungles of the northern portion of the central continent. Even amongst the reports and confusion, Jyut Texier is, but for a moment, hesitant. The Palamades Sword is the first capital-class ship to fall in a long, long time.
Never-the-less, as the smaller ships begin to close the range, their missiles systems begin launch and now there are hundreds of small explosions across the surface of the leaf-like symbiot capital ships. Stingers and dauntless break from behind the screening carriers, the stingers escorting the dauntless to the enemy ships. It is then that the symbiot ribbon-like ships return and these, at closer range, begin firing chemical polymers not unlike those of terrestrial spiders which soon begin to slowly flit through the battleground. Lighter imperial ships making the slightest contact with the filaments seem to trigger them and cause them to tightly wind around the ships, squeezing and tearing and breaking them apart. Meanwhile the ribbon-symbiots themselves reveal a series of tooth-rimmed suckers and they quickly attempt to intercept the imperial ships.
A raptor and an entire squadron of dauntless are lost to the ribbon-like creatures in the early phases of the melee as they are outmaneuvered and forced into direct contact but it is not a one-sided loss for the creatures prove very susceptible to the short-range cannons and missiles of the imperium ships and many are destroyed utterly by nimble stingers or raptors flying between their filaments and dodging their suckers. Additionally, from the outside flanks the crickets of the Moons Silver make hit-and-run strikes upon both the weapons systems of the heavier mother ships and ribbon spaceforms who present a ready target. Indeed the battle between the ribbons and the lighter imperium ships seem to be progressing in favor of the Imperium even as the heavier ships of both fleets continue firing upon one another, the imperium felling two more of the leaf-like ships and themselves losing a Valant to a series of shots aimed at the ships oxygen systems. Another ship, the brand new White-Sky, is incapable of delivering its ordnance after its targeting systems are destroyed and is forced to act as a screen for the weapons systems of other ships.
The leaf-like ships then reveal the identity of the third hives spaceforms as their dorsal sides disgorge yet another form of symbiot space-marine. Even one of the two newly felled capital ships is able to disgorge its marines prior to fall. These marines are not the bipedal, blade-wielding creatures encountered in the past, but tentacled squid-like spaceforms. Not terribly agile in the celestium, they are however well armed, two of their tentactles capable of generating the thermal pulses of the larger capital ships though on a much smaller scale and five smaller ones armed with telescoping blades. These quickly swarm around the carriers (who had sought some range and now served to coordinate the forward assault and deliver their relatively light weapons upon the slower moving symbiot capital ships), rabids and, to a lesser extent, the dauntless. Again the stingers and raptors are called upon, their mobility a great asset but their weapons are not nearly as effective against these marines as the ribbon-like creatures, which though larger are more lightly armored. A single company of Scarabeidae is launched and these do battle amongst the gently drifting corpses of ships and beasts, of strangling destructive filaments and of giant ribbon-like snakes. Many a scarabidae succumbs to the creatures but their guns and mobility do prove an asset and together with the few remaining dauntless and their stinger escorts they are able to make some headway. But there are perhaps too few of them and soon their numbers drop from one hundred and twenty to eighty to a mere forty. Meanwhile there seems to be no let-up amongst the squid-like creatures.
Jyut sees how this battle will end if he doesnt disengage his troops and yet he cant afford to just continue trading fire at distance with the leaf-like spaceforms.
He orders an all-out assault upon the leaf-like forms of the Symbiot mother ships, the smaller more mobile ships to specifically target the seven-to-ten thermal weapons systems themselves to disarm the enemy. This they do and a fourth of the seven mother ships is downed (a well-aimed shot from a lurking cricket firing upon a series of previous injuries to its armor) and several others wounded, albeit the second rabid is lost to the ribbon-like snakes and squids amidst the directed counter-attack, before a general retreat is sounded, the carriers again acting to screen the organized withdrawal.
Unfortunately many of the squids and ribbon symbiots are amongst the withdrawing ships and one of the carriers after several thermal strikes from the squid-like creatures at point-blank range, is breached and the squids quickly pour through the breach. The captain, sure of his vessels fate, and pure of faith and hope in the Pancreator, turns his engines upon the enemy mass and disabling the safety features of the ancient Republican engines, forces his power-supply into critical failure. The ships captain is a vassal noble by the name of Arnviðr Eekin. Later the church would sing praises to his name. The result is a massive explosion that directly destroys hundreds of the small squids and ribbon ships and causes extensive damage to one of the larger symbiot capital ships.
Of the two carriers, 3 stinger squadrons, 1 dauntless squadron, 2 rabid-class destroyers, 2 raptor-class frigates, 5 crickets, and the scarabedaie who went out, one squadron of stingers, the dauntless, the rabid, and the scaarbedaie and finally the carrier of Arnviðr Eekin do not return. And the battle is not yet done.
Withdrawing to range, Jyut orders all ships, and all weapons to continue a barrage of fire, even those meant for short or medium range are to engage. Their missiles may have to drift to target but the situation is desperate and they cannot afford to waste time while the enemys remaining ranged fleet continues to pound the Imperium fleet. The white sky who had lost its targeting computer is able to reengage now that no intervening friendly forces are in the way and this does seem to tip the advantage back to the Imperium.
It is then that the call goes up from the Imerial Garrison Fortress, Incoming forces on approach. Hive Mephistopheles assault carrier and Hive Malphass jelly-fish like forms ascending. And though their numbers were few, having had little time to regenerate since the battle two years ago led by Dante Labis, they did force the Imperial fleet into a second battle they could ill afford. Immediately all stingers, raptors, and other lighter ships beging targeting the Mephistopheles carriers and many are wounded, one even sent back into atmosphere in an uncontrolled fiery descent. But soon enough the globe-like dropships once again are disgorged and fired at the imperium fleet. Again a missile barrage is set to meet them and many fall but enough get through that soon enough the exterior of several larger ships are crawling with bipedal scythe-wielding space marines. The stingers go about blasting them away but really what is required are marines. It is then that the Fingers of Man truly do shine, bringing their stingers, dauntless and especially their much-needed marines to bear upon the symbiot marines. All the while the larger jellyfish forms drift towards imperium fleet, their cannon and missile fire mostly passing harmlessly through them, though the missiles that do explode do manage some severe destruction. The spider finally has its moment to shine, grappling with many of the jelly-fish forms, forcing their chemically active tendrils to trace helplessly against its heavier armor. Some jelleys do get by and one even wraps about an unwary cricket, perhaps not aware that it had been spotted and the ship is quickly digested by the jelly-form. None-the-less, the distraction is ultimately that, a distraction, meant to assist the distant long-range fire of the leaf-forms. It is here that the real damage comes from for before another of the leaf-forms is disabled, another Valant is lost.
Finally, long range fire and guided bombs manage to strike another of the symbiot thermal-weapon forms and with only two heavily wounded forms remaining, they withdraw, their assault on the jump-gate a failure in its objective but none-the-less causing more damage to the imperial fleet then has been seen since the time of St. Cleary.
When the nobility of man returns from Assimov, none cheer the successes of the fleet. The Symbiots may have thrown everything they could against the Imperium and been turned back but if they repeat that sort of assault in the next five to ten years, they might well succeed.
Quin Continue Push into Xyall Highlands
Pushing into the highland jungle of the Xyall territories, the Quin continue to come under heavy attack by the native creatures, losing many of their comrades to extensive traps usually involving the strange sticky polymer the Xyall harvest from the cocoons of the filter-feeding insects but also guns taken from fallen rangers and even marks left upon horribly wounded but not killed Mark Rangers. The battle is fought by both sides as assymetic raids; it being just about impossible to fight an open battle for territory in the three-dimensional world of the Assimov jungles. At one point an entire flank of rangers and their ilk are overrun by a well-planned Xyall ambush that relied upon launching Assimovian ant-hives that overrun the local rangers and some gas-weapon previously not encountered that was able to act upon the nervous system of the attacking rangers.
Xyall mounds rise even above the Jungle canopy
Other assaults go much better and the Quin secure a massive number of the floating filter-feeding insects from a Xyall plantation and using Xyall-like technology, set them up in similar plantations deep in Quin territory. Indeed, several mounds of the Xyall fall to the heavy weapons of the Quin Heavy Rangers and in one case a live Xyall queen is captured and shipped back to Quin territories.
Perhaps most surprising of all are reports of rangers, who while under attack, report that the Xyall speak to them in their own language. Is it possible for the Xyall to speak and to be negotiated with? The Quin know them to be intelligent, but are they truly sentient enough for actual communication? Perhaps soon the Quin will know for sure for already the eggs from last years raids are hatching and baby Xyall, a mere nine feet long, are already squirming about their artificial hive and clicking at each other and at their handlers.
Independent Nobles of Former Klorin House on Clarke Assimilated Peacefully into Tsedeq and Query Houses
Tsedeq Chapels brings Once-Klorin Nobles, Fearful of the Pancreators Wrath, to Obedience
While the Query focus on winning the loyalty of nobles in the southern portion of the island through financial favoritism and support, the Tsedeq focus on developing the fiefdoms, building churches and chapels and appealing to the nobles who once declared independence for fear of the Pancreator and its church.
Klorin Bomb House of Winter Peaks
The thinking amongst Klorin strategists regarding the House of Winter Peaks is that they respect power, and air power in particular so the obvious answer is to bomb them. And so Anthony Callier undertakes to win over coastal fiefdoms and from there, develops airports in their fiefs to project force into the new lands therefrom. He then pours the entire Klorin military into the small fiefdom (leaving his homeland completely undefended).
Klorin Bombers Prior to Payload Delivery
Soon enough bombers are flying over the mountains of the House of the Winter Peaks and winning the hearts and minds of the rebel house. A short-lived counter-attack by the Winter Peaks, upon reaching the heavily defended airports are easily repulsed and ultimately the Winter Peaks are incorporated into the Klorin house.
Query Establish New Colony on Clarke
When the new Query V-Kip arrives from Errovus Secondus with tens of thousands of colonists, Alex Black of House Query takes command of the colonization effort and despite orders to settle them in the north of their island, she directs them to a northern island not far from the main fiefdom, reasoning that the northern reaches of the current island are relatively harsh mountaineous terrain and will not easily support a new city of refugees.
And so, in August of 2305, the Query expand their holdings to an island north of their main fiefdom, founding the city of Lamben after the first man to step from the ship into the island forests. Within a few short months, some forests have been cleared, their timber harvested and new homes and farms developed.
The Killgore Western Lowlands Forced to Acknowledge Killgore Mastery; Desert Scythes Resettled in Hyppean Lands
While the Hyppean are able to secure the loyalty and exodus of nearly half a million minor nobles and their direct serfs from the former Klorin fiefdom on Arrakis, the Killgore move in successively larger and larger numbers of their own soldiers including armor, an airforce and newly trained infantry IV, the design for which they are said to have purchased from the guilds. This overwhelming force they quickly bring to bear upon the poorly armed rebels of that province in a lightning war that confirms Killgore martial training and experience. At the end of it, the Killgore stand as sole undisputed lords of the new The Killgore Western Lowlands fiefdom.
The Desert Scythes themselves are relocated into newly settled fertile floodplains west of current Hyppean lands in a massive undertaking involving the use of new Hyppean railroads, military and assistance from the church. Finally the new serfs and their nobles are established and provided with early stages of industry including farming (with the aid of seeds and fertilizers from the farmers guild), and glass-industry from some particularly fine silt in the area. Local nomads, seeing the massive incursion of Hyppean military and industry into their lands flees into the desert, not eager to do battle with the military juggernaught.
Inflation Threatens Arrakis Economic Miracle
The recent improvement in Hyppean, Xicier, Vanari and now Als transport infrastructure both within the planetary trade market and without has brought unprecedented wealth to these houses with many reporting annual growth greater than 10%. The recent jump in oil prices due to the successive needs to restock all fuel aboard the Stigmata space fortress and the launch of the massively fuel-hungry RVK also helps bring wealth to these oil-exporting houses. This jump, along with the rapid drop in commodity costs for manufacturers even as income for commodity producers jumps, all due to massive spending on transport infrastructure by Hyppean, Als, Vanari and others had created the perfect (economic) storm.
While food is in plentiful supply, its price puts it out of reach of many and some minor vassal houses are failing to feed their serfs
In the short run houses involved witness massive economic growth, with the Hyppean and Vanari first affected but the Query and even the smaller Sanctiousals, who do not produce oil but whos goods are in high demand by the suddenly richer houses leading the way. But as a multitude of lesser vassal nobles suddenly found themselves with much more wealth, well, they spent much more wealth, which is quickly driving up the prices for everything from a loaf of bread to a Courtesan lap-dance. The result is a rapid strain on the status quo as the moneyed houses who depend on ancestral wealth suddenly find that their wealth is worth much less are suddenly being eclipsed by the business houses who are reaping massive rewards from the successful economic models and ultimately driving the inflationary spiral. Already amongst the Hyppean and Vanari, who have so far most felt the effects, at court there have been duels amongst nobles precipitated directly by these factors and in the streets, the freemen and lesser nobility are agitating for price controls on things like flour and water. Ultimately, the thriving economic boom of Arrakis may well have within it the seeds of its own collapse if the out-of-control inflation cannot be brought low with some sort of economic cooling effect.
In more recent times, new rail-lines connecting the Sanctiousals to Hyppean via the Blossoms of Mercy, while helping push both economies further, has also done much to export the larger inflationary problems of the Hyppean to the smaller Blossoms and Als.
Patriarch Barbatos Recalls Archbishop Eleanor Church
In a surprise move that apparently did not require consultation with the Curria, Patriarch Barbatos has recalled the venerable archbishop (orthodox) Eleanor Church head of the Universal Church of Celestial Light on Arrakis, providing no explanation for the highly unexpected maneuver. The curia is already scrambling to choose a new archbishop with the names of Bishop Miral Akbar'Al, an avestite and major noble of the SanctiousAls, Cardinal Glory Herinus, the head of the Blossoms of Mercy, and Wevern Jilorn, an orthodox and bishop of the Query fiefdom on Arrakis as the fore-runners in the competition. Despite what the curia decide, the battle is no doubt greatly based on the response of the various houses to the Churchs call to crusade and may ultimately be based on the sole decision of the churchs patriarch, Saint Barbatos the Undying.
Hubbard Refugees Given New Hope
While Tenith Erona continues to preach to the Imperial Garrison soldiers on Hubbard (often challenging traditional religious opinions while she does), Sir Hellwind Eekin arrives to direct the reconstruction of the towns, pastures, aerospace port, barracks, and generally repairing the damaged infrastructure, and the Blossoms of Mercy help in resettling the refugees who lost their homes, a return to light industry and pastorialism. Additionally they set up small hospitals and tents to help maintain morale and health.
Meanwhile, many of the irradiated, once though to be bound to death by their march across the stigmata wastelands, are continuing a slow painful process of recovery and some are even returning to useful employment, often as trainers or bureaucratic support (though obviously their illness means they will never fight again).
