Fiction:Jarzo Assault

This is the tale of the Jarzo Assault, the first war the Fordan Empire fought against an alien race. It's a rather 300 spartans tale, but there are no exaggerations here. Fourty-two Fordans battled an army of five hundred in a bloody melee that lasted three days. By the time it was over, not a single Fordan lost their lives. It was this assault that first got the attention of the Vartekian Empire, and led to a strong partnership that could easily prove the bane of the galaxy's East Fringe.

The Assault
When the Grand Council decided that the Fordans must prove their prowess to the galaxy, they chose the Jarzo Empire to be their first victims. This empire followed the philosophy of Faith, and their overly zealous pursuit of the worship of Spode had to be silenced before their words poisoned the star systems around them.

To this end, the Council sent Ja'Dan Fleetfather, Blademaster Hel'Bre'K and Kin-Groups 249 and 250 to take the planet Skilooc in the Lania system. This planet was only two parsecs away from Forda, and proved an immediate threat. Initially the Fordans were concerned, as only forty-two individuals were to make planetfall, but on reaching the planet their fears were put aside: the planet had no defences.

Skilooc
A T-1 world, the sole city of Gokkera could not afford to put up turrets, instead focusing on spice production. Thus when the Fordans arrived in force, the workers had no choice but to surrender. This came as a blow to the Fordans more than any, for they felt cheated of the glorious battle they craved. This was not to be their only chance, though, as the escaping citizens sent requests for aid to the Jarzo homeworld Driteea. Within the hour, a response fleet was dispatched, seeking to reclaim the fledgeling colony and then destroy the upstarts that had taken it.

Setting the Trap
Well aware of this possibility, Ja'Dan had the Bladewings under his command cloak themselves on the dark side of the planet, ready to destroy any fighter escorts that could attack Hel'Bre'K. The latter had taken his most trusted kinsmen to the ground, and had prepared an ambush of their own. The remaining thrity-five warriors took up positions of their own, and waited for their chance to attack.

Ja'Dan's predictions soon came to fruition. A dozen blips soon appeared on his Bladewing's RADAR scope, and he relayed this information to Hel'Bre'K. They would have their fight. What he did not realise was that he was only detecting the fighter escorts. Instead of a dozen small ships, Hel'Bre'K's warriors were facing four hundred soldiers out for blood.

Landfall
This critical error became apparant when not a dozen but fifty-two ships entered the atmosphere. Hel'Bre'K's response was a slow and cruel smile. His adversaries had come for Fordan blood, but they would drown in a river of their own. Schooled well in the arts of combat, he kept his warriors back until every transport had left the ground. He then ordered Ja'Dan to attack.

Howling like a banshee, Ja'Dan tore into the enemy fleet at hull throttle, using the sharpened wings of his customized craft as a weapon. Gunning the engines, he had bisected seven fighters before the enemy fleet realized they were under attack. By that time, Ja'Dan had pulled his craft around and came in for another pass, claiming the last five fighters and one lander. A swift storm of missiles then saw the tightly-packed emeny ships crash into each other and plummet to the ground around 10 kilometers away from the city.

The Hunters Strike
Sensing his chance, Hel'Bre'K and his warriors lept from cover just as the ships crashed. With their foes disorientated, scared and outskilled, there was little trouble in dispatching the force. Lashing out in groups of two or three, each Fordan carved himself a bloody swathe in the foe, heedless for their own safety, reacting to every clumsy strike and punishing every mistake the enemy made with death. Hel'Bre'K cemented his name in legend that day, cutting to the heart of the force on his own and challenging the enemy commander to a duel. Not waiting to respond, the Jarzo lashed out with a glittering Lightning Striker, parried by Hel'Bre'K's warblade. Every time the General struck, the Blademaster blocked, proving himself worthy of the title.

Quickly the General realized that his foe was toying with him. No matter what ploy or trick he tried, despite his years of training, the Fordan was simply to good. The fight ended with the General pinned to a wall by Hel'Bre'K's blade. Caught up by the sudden agony, the General dropped his blades and begged for mercy. Hel'Bre'K's response was to kill him and