Fiction:New Cyrandia Wars/Year One/Blood Before Expansion

A New World
Vakudaru stood over the edge of a massive thousand meter drop into a huge canyon that stretched for miles across the surface of the planet Venreviazure, an Avine word meaning pale shade of blue for indeed the planet was such. Well, actually it was grey, but the blue light of the home star (that which got through the thick layer of clouds) made it appear as such. The first Vanara Empire colony in the Cyrannus galaxy had been established here and from here they would expand further, their species survival demanded it, the Milky Way and Mirus galaxies were becoming far to turbulent. The wind whipped up stirring the thick layer of ash left behind by so many extinct volcanos into the air. Closing her ebony-black eyes, Vakudaru lifted her head into the air and smiled as the wind ruffled her blue-grey fur. This planet was beautiful, in a very stark and bleak sorta way, but beautiful none the less. Her musings were interupted by the sound of crunching foot steps. Vakudaru turned and saw the black-furred, orange-eyed Boyk military commander Romis Vulpix walking up to stand behind her.


 * Vakudaru - How goes it?
 * Romis - Well enough, there is plenty of minerals to be mined and many radioactive ones, also crops grow rather well in this volcanic ash granted you give them some light, but there is something else...
 * Vakudaru - Go on.
 * Romis - We're kinda close to Bygorian territory. Not boarder trouble close, the Cyrannian Waptoria clonies are in between us, but they have a polocy to let everybody that isn't an enemy pass through, so that isn't much of help. Alas, if the Ascendancy found us, it could very well mean trouble.
 * Vakudaru - Hmp, the Zarbanians should have kept a better leash on their dog, but tell the patrols to keep an eye out.
 * Romis - Will do.

The two were silent for a bit.


 * Vakudaru - Beautiful, isn't it?
 * Romis - If you're a goat.
 * Vakudaru - Cabbits seem to like it here.
 * Romis - Cabbits like it everywhere.

Romis turned and walked inside, leaving Vakudaru alone with her thoughts. Despite her nonchalant attitude the last thing she wanted was war with the Ascendancy.

The Build up
An excitement had been building up in Bygore since the unification was completed by Lord Kradik and the conquering of the Cyrannian Imperium of War, and of course, the succesful claiming of the former Cyrannian Drakodominatus Tyranny Space that hung in between the space of the Troodontids, the Cyrannian Imperium of War and their own brick of space. For months, the army and navy had building up, using the Precursor artifacts left on their world, restarting old Tyranny factory-planets, and researching these new technologies in the pursuit of becoming the new dominate power. Part of this task included fleets going out and finding planets with 13th tribe artifacts for them to use by their Seers and honored researchers. If there where natives, then they would just be included into Bygorian culture and society. Little would stop their march to power. Not even the Imperium of War. Not even.

Overseeing one of these search-and-claim operations, was Captain Grosha Vun Kastentherpe. A young Deutzalanian Commander controlling the Kaiser-class Starship Royal's Venegance, Kastentherpe was the first Deutzalanian Commander to graduate in Bygore, and was making quite a name for himself for his diplomatic and military abilities. Currently, he was tasked with overseeing the capture of relics of the 13th Tribe. While he did not believe they where godly in any fashion, the Seers of Bygore had insisted on joining him to handle them.

Aboard his ship, Grosha was traveling with a small, but deadly exploration fleet, made up from Bygorians, synthetics and robotic infantry from the late Tyranny obsolete for them but not for the Ascendancy, and species formerly from the Zarbania Powers and Imperium of War. Grosha's task was to seek out more relics to assist in the Ascendancy's war of expansion, and sooner, or later, the war with the Empire of Cyrannus. Secretly, Grosha was more worried about reports of Vanara colonization going on. The Ascendancy had signed non-aggression pacts with certain other races, such as the Waptoria and even the Mendel, much to the surprise of the old Deutzalanian Klunckers, like himself. Yet, Kradik had said that the Vanara where far to barbaric for such things.

Grosha was en route to a new planet, beyond Bygorian space, dangerously close to where the Vanara where said to be located. Grosha was slow to approach. He did not want a battle with the savages. His monsterous SKordi Petty Officer, Gruzhull, turned to him.


 * Gruzhull - Sir! We have arrived at location safety. Further 'rders?
 * Grosha - Send out survey drones to find any artifacts. Stay on guard. We are practically in Vanara territory.
 * Gruzhull - Yes sir, as you will.

Grosha robbed his fingers on the special necklace his father had given to him upon his graduating from the academy, a token of good faith, and good luck. He hoped it would work, in this savage corner of the galaxy.

A Not So Routine Patrol
Romis paced around the control tower on the bridge of the Jithra-class cruiser the Usosorus, though this was just a routine patrol he felt a sense of foreboding like something bad was about to happen. Had he been a superstitious man he might have believed it, but as it was he wasn't and so he shoved these unnecessary feelings down, nothing bad had happened and nothing bad was going to happen. Indeed they had ran into a Waptoria patrol awhile back, the Waps had been quick to suggest that they patrol together, but Romis had pointed out that they were heading to quiet different parts of each others territory and so it would be impractical for them to stick together, to which the Waptoria had reluctantly agreed. It wasn't that Romis disliked the Waps, oh no he liked them just fine, but he was tried, grumpy, and wanted to get home to a hot meal and a warm bed. Not get stuck in a conversation with the fun-loving ecologists. It was just than a blip on the sensor screen caught his attention.


 * Romis - Get me an identification on that UO.
 * Sensor Operator - Working on it... its a UBA survey drone.
 * Romis - Damn! Pursue and destroy!

The drone must have figured out it had been spotted, because it turned and began to high tail it's way outta there. A Skeener-class fighter shot forward and broadsided the drone with a drill missile that bored into it's side and exploded finishing it.


 * Romis - Activate Accel drives and find these damn interlopers, we'll send them fleeing from her with their asses burning or destroy them utterly.

Grosha was waiting at the edge of Vanara territory waiting for the survey drones to return when Gruzhull alerted his attention to something.


 * Gruzhull - Sir, we are picking up negatively charged particle emissions.
 * Grosha - Whats the source?
 * Gruzhull - Its moving and growing bigger, its infinite.
 * Grosha - An infinite sea of particles with negative energy, Dirac Sea! Accel Drives!
 * Gruzhull - Only Vanara have Accel drives.
 * Grosha - Thank you captain obvious! Damn, we've been found out!

A flash of green and silver energy nearly blinded the two as the Vanara dropped out of Accel drive and cornered the Ascendancy fleet. The wolfish form of Romis appeared in a hologram.


 * Romis - This is not your territory begone!
 * Grosha - Don't speak to my like that foul tongued barbarian, your kind don't belong here.
 * Romis - Last I checked neither do Duetzalanian and look who I find running the show, tells me something about how Bygorian would be better off dominated by the Galactic Empire of Cyrannus.

At this Gruzhull lost his temper and slammed his fist down on the hologram, wreaking the projection device.


 * Grosha - Idiot, those things aren't cheap ya know.
 * Gruzhull - Sorry.
 * Grosha - Never mind its time to make these warped monstrosities pay dearly for their insult and prevent them from tainting Lord Kradik's home galaxy.

And with that the two fleets struck, plasma against plasma, maser against laser, missile against missile. The fighting was fierce, once a Skeener class fighter latched onto the Royal's Venegance and began to terr away at it with it's claws and fangs forcing them to blast it off, but the UBA had the advantage and Romis knew that if he didn't get his people out of here now, if he didn't there would be no one to warn the rest of the Vanara forces.


 * Romis - Retreat, get back to Venreviazure and gather the rest of our forces!

The Vanara ships turned and revving up their Accel drives fled at maximum speed. As they were fleeing Romis growled savagely, conflict was unavoidable now and blood would soon stain the blue ash of their new colony.

The Titan's wrath
Grosha slammed his fist on the arm rest of his captain's chair, glaring at his petty officer.


 * Grosha - We could've avoided that, at this stage in the plan, Lord Kradik cannot afford a race coming at him like this!
 * Gruzhull - What about removing their taint from the galaxy?
 * Grosha - Do you think we have the resources to combat 2 empires at once. Even when it's split between fighting the Imperial State, and the mysterious other zealots, the Galactic Empire could still destroy us. The Vanara would simply tax resources.
 * Gruzhull - What do we do, sir?
 * Grosha - I will contact The Titan-Lord himself.

Grosha typed a code in, contacting Lord Kradik at once. After a minute, Kradik's massive face appeared before, stern and almost impassive as he observed his Commander.


 * Kradik - What is it, Grosha?
 * Grosha - Sir, we have been engaged by Vanara ships, I need to know what to do.
 * Kradik - Did you attempt to talk them down?
 * Grosha - I tried, before a certain petty officer interrupted things.
 * Kradik - *waving his claw* Do not worry, track the ships, and find their colony. Devastate it. I don't want it being used anymore. I will send additional ships to assist in your "crusade". Do not fail, Grosha.
 * Grosha - As you command, my lord. None shall find us wanting.

Kradik nodded and closed the communications, as Grosha turned to his crew.


 * Grosha - All ships, this is your commander. Plans have changed. Lord Kradik himself has ordered the Vanara colony they are retreating to be wiped out, so as to send a message to the enemy. After this, we go back to finding artifacts. Prepare for war!

The ships slipped into hyperspace, heading straight for Venreviazure.

The Zarbanian ships dropped out of hyperspace, watching the colony closely.


 * Gruzhull - Scans have been done, sir. There is no way anything could live on that rock.
 * Grosha - A Vanara could. Move forward, blast the colony, but first, make sure there are no enemy ships near-by.
 * Gruzhull - Yes sir. Running scans, again.
 * Grosha - There should be a fleet, this is where we tracked them.
 * Gruzhull - We detect nothing sir. Though the asteroid fields give us trouble...
 * Grosha - Cowards! They leave their own colony unprotected. Head to the colony, target any military and economic installations, but leave the civilians alone. I will not have their blood on my hands.

The Fleet headed towards the planet, as quickly as could be allowed, when suddenly several Vanara vessels appeared, seemingly from no where, from the asteroid field, ditching their cloaking and going after the ships, maser weapons firing, and reinforced with other ships. They quickly adopted a typical Vanara strategy with parts of the fleet engaging before suddenly, quickly, and seeming randomly pulling out as those who had been holding back swept in to replace them, before repeating the same process. The tactic was actually quiet effective since it kept the Ascendancy forces switching the focus of their attack and slowly pushing them towards the planet. Grosha snarled the Vanara clearly had no intention of letting them get escape, but why push them towards the planet? It was like asking to get bombarded from orbit, then he realized why.


 * Gruzhull - Sir, scans indicate the Vanara colony is located in a massive cavern underground.

Grosha swore, he didn't want to get civilians killed and if he bombed the colony from orbit it would cause a cave in and that would most certainly get many if not all civilians killed. But maybe he could bluff them into surrender, it wasn't likely but at least it was something. The ships fired onto the planet below, but it soon became apparent the Vanara didn't have much to worry about when it came to enemy fire power causing a cave in. The ash in the planet's atmosphere was so thick that projectile weapons burned up on entry and energy weapons were diffracted and missed their mark complete, anything that did hit the ground had it's energy absorbed by the equally thick layer of ash on the ground, in other words it was an almost perfect natural defense. Sending ground troops would have inevitable, but he would have rather sent them down to an already weakened colony to minimize casualties on both sides. That was obviously not possible.


 * Grosha - All right here's how its going to go down, half of this fleet will land and attack the colony that way, the rest will stay and fend of the Vanara fleet it should suffice until reinforcements arrive and if anyone intentionally kills a civilian they won't be getting a ride with us, but walking home via the airlock.

Blood on the Surface
The ships carrying the Ascendancy ground forces touched down on the planets surface and the soldiers lead by Field Commander Roudt Shilwitz leapt out ready for action. The first thing they noticed was the terrain, these troops had been on some strange planets before, but this one was right up on the list of bizarre landscapes. The whole thing was covered in pale blue ash and on either side of them were massive mountains, valleys, and ravines, but where they were was a plain with multiple trenches and pot marks winding their way through the surface.


 * Shilwitz - Come on men, lets get moving...

Suddenly a thin needle like chunk of metal imbedded itself in a chink in one of his men's armor, killing him.


 * Shilwitz - Get down in those trenches!

They scrambled down as several more shots flew over their heads. The soldiers fired from down in the trench and cry was heard from the other side, Shilwitz smiled, pay back. He took out a pair of binoculars, and scanned the horizon, looking for any foes. He picked up no heat signatures, or radiation spectrum. It appeared there was simply one man guarding the outside. Strange. Shilwitz turned to his senior Commissar.


 * Shilwitz - Commissar Tlic, I want you to lead the charge against the enemy cavern cities. It will be a tough slog, and I don't want anyone retreating.
 * Tlic - I will make sure the men fight to their fullest. Or die trying.

Shilwitz nodded, and lead his men out of the trenches, as he was followed by his routine, a Communications officer, and 2 Stormtroopers. He followed behind as the Commissar lead his Guardsmen.


 * Tlic - Remember, Lord Kradik's eyes are on you today men! Fight with courage and do not give them enemy a single breath! Do not step back! We are the warriors of Ascendancy, and we will defend it from any threat!

The Guardsmen shouted in praise, moving quickly towards the assigned locations, Sniper going ahead and taking down any Vanara soldiers who would slow them down. Finally, they got to the cavern opening, leading down to the Vanara colony. It was dark as the eye could see, and even snipers with their enhanced vision and goggles could see nothing.


 * Tlic - Alright, War-scions! Down the hatch first, eliminate threats, and establish a position for our forward command post.
 * Scion Leader - Aye Commissar. Lord Kradik shall not find us wanting.

3 squads of War-Scions pulled out their Cutlasses, shot cables out from the anti-grav packs on their hips, and swung down, landing, and immediately getting to work, leaping about, as some shot down the Vanara soldiers, and other cut them down without mercy. The Vanara, however, would not accept surrender, and fired upon them, cutting down many of the War-scions, before being called back to retreat. The Scions held position, allowing their prey to escape, as the Guardsmen units and Stormtroopers grappled down, Guardsmen engineers opening open communications arrays, turret defenses, and other important pieces to construct their base, as Shilwitz and Tlic arrived on scene.


 * Tlic - Excellent work, War-Scions. Any of them escape?
 * Seargant - Yes, Commissar. We did not want to walk into a trap, or leave your position exposed, so we held position.
 * Tlic - Excellent choice.

Tlic turned towards the Commander, pulling out his sonic pistol.


 * Tlic - Sir, how are we to deploy vehicles down here? A walker could cause a cave in.
 * Shilwitz - This will weaken our advance, but we will only deploy 2 tanks, and a few Bygorian Titan Suits via drop pod. It will weaken our ability to clone more units.
 * Tlic - Yes sir, we will do our best.

Tlic turned towards his soldiers and junior officers.


 * Tlic - Alright, you dogs, you're not gonna let these glory hounds steal all the kills will you!?
 * Guardsmen - No sir!
 * Tlic - Good! Move out. Your squads are being assigned locations now.

Lellay got out of bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. When she looked around she saw her mother loading up her positron rifle and sharpening her smash hawk.


 * Lellay - Mama whats going on?
 * Azuria - Shhh darling, were being invaded, I'm going out to fight.
 * Lellay - Can I come, I'll kill them all.

Azuria chuckled at what most parents might have found disturbing, but for Vanara children this was a perfectly natural. Azuria knelt down and pressed her fore head to her daughter's.


 * Azuria - Your a brave girl and one day it is my biggest dream to see you grow up big, strong, and show these runaway Zarbanian dogs what real fear is. But today is not that day, you must go to the shelters with the other children. Make sure you take Phage with you.

Lellay nodded and ran over into her room to grab the ratty, stuffed wolf named Phage, her only possession. Azuria sighed, her daughter had been born on the way over to the colony and Azuria wished she could give her daughter a better life, one more deserving of the great hero she hoped she would grow into, then again most great Vanara heroes like Seerkar and Akanri had grown up in far worse conditions, so maybe it was the mark of a hero. Azuria chuckled at her silliness, it was what hero's did not where they came from that made them such. Just then her daughter came out carrying Phage, the two said goodbye and went their separate ways for what they hoped wasn't the last time.

Blood in the Colony
When the Ascendancy forces entered the colony they were quiet struck by just how bizarre it was. The strange twisting fusion between metal and flesh so that the border between the two was almost nonexistent was certainly like almost nothing they had ever seen before.


 * Guardsmen - How did they build this all so fast.
 * Tlic - They only built half of it, the rest they grew.

They continued further into the city when suddenly the came under fire from above.


 * Tlic - Get to cover now!

The group ducked into an alleyway and looked around for their now silent enemy, one of Tlic's soldiers tapped him an the shoulder and pointed to the window above, Tlic nodded. They left the ally and fired into the building above, a burning body fell to the ground. However they soon found themselves under fire again. The two groups exchanged fire before the Vanara suddenly and inexplicably fled. Tlic growled he knew of this tacit, the Vanara were experts at it, attack, vanish, strike somewhere else unpredictable again. It made for long, tedious, often demoralizing conflicts, it also didn't help that when it came to Vanara someone who might seem like an innocent farmer was just as likely to shove an ax blade into your skull, Grosha could say what he wanted about not hurting civilians with Vanara there really was no such thing. To many in the Powers and now in the Ascendancy Vanara were creatures of nightmare who had taken on an almost bogeyman like persona, with mothers telling their children horror stories to make them behave. They continued marching forward firing on any Vanara combatants that showed their face felling quiet a few more, but also taking quiet a few losses themselves. Off in the distance they could hear other fire fights going on. Turning the corner they suddenly found themselves staring at the hideous, blue, dragon like from of Bizuruz Chaos Head Sucroid. With a roar the beast charged electrical arcs shooting from it's body killing several soldiers before they manged to take it down, but not before several shards of energized glass pelted them from above.


 * Tlic - Run!

The group ran firing above at the Phantons taking a few down. Slowly they began to relieze they were being forced together with the others and it soon became apparent why. They had been forced together where the majority of the Vanara forces had amassed. A dark brown female Vanara shouted over to them.


 * Azuria - Leave this colony now and we will let you leave alive.
 * Shilwitz - Lord Kradik has ordered you heathens forced from here.
 * Azuria - Never.

Both sides readied their weapons, the real fire fight was about to begin...