While the human race discovered and encountered aliens in the year 2137, they weren’t unified. Instead, the humans were at war with themselves. Nor did they realize that the aliens they encountered weren’t trying to eliminate them, but instead act as an interventionist group to stop the conflict and reduce human casualties. Mankind has always proven to be a stubborn race, however, and therefore they resolved to uniting and fighting the aliens. This is a detailed history of the events long before the alien encounter to after it.
The humans were just beginning to recognize their advances into technology roughly around the year 2040, when they launched their first colonization to what they simply named the Moon. Though there had been efforts to send manned expeditions to the satellite for nearly twenty years, conflict between planet-side governments as well as simple inability to successfully settle on the moon impeded progress. However, the first ship - named I.C.S. (International Cooperative Ship) Messenger - landed with little difficulty on lunar soil. Taking around six months, the first colony was established and to this day the humans maintain a steady and growing presence on Luna, the name of the city and moon.
This sparked steady economic growth and scientific researches. Yet, this also marked the beginning of a rivalry between nearly every nation. During a period of what the humans name the Second Cold War (for apparently there had been one more before it, estimated at ninety to a hundred years before), the nation-state of the United States of America and the collective of countries named the European Union competed for various colonization efforts. Proxy wars occurred on earth, causing massive casualties on the home-planet. Realization for an actual international effort on the new frontierfinally sprung up, and the U.S.A. and E.U. eased tensions and created the International Bureau for the Exploration of the New Frontier. A bit more symbolic than materialistic in nature, the I.B.E.N.F. was really only something to sooth the public’s hard feelings toward the Terran governments’ actions. It worked, actually, and the earth a entered brief era of peace.
During this time, which historians say lasted roughly from 2060 to 2080, the international community on earth worked cooperatively toward friendly colonization and frontier settling. They developed technologies which allowed them to traverse the bulk of their star system, the Sol System. The humans were able to settle half a dozen colonies on Mars, several more on Luna and erected satellite stations orbiting the planets of Venus, Jupiter and Pluto (these were more for scientific observations, as stations at the humans were still small in stature, housing only a few scores of people at a time). Technologies were advanced and in most cases built upon, with developments in the engine field, life support and various other operational systems needed for space flight. The humans were, in effect, well under way to making their first out-of-system space flight.
Back on Terra, however, there was still some nationalist resentment among the nation-states. The United States of America, together with several Central and South American countries, had formed the Organization for American Exploration, and in this case “American” did not just mean the U.S., but instead the entire population south of it. Canada, because of its heritage to the countries of the United Kingdom and French Republic, refused to join. This was a major push toward U.S. domination of space, as it allowed for higher and more efficient space-ship building because of the Central-South American population, joint-research programs and an increase in, simply, morale. By 2072, the Organization for American Exploration constituted about sixty percent of human colonization.
In response, the European Union came close to repudiating the treaty that established the International Bureau for the Exploration of the New Frontier. It already held very little power anyways, and even if the psychological affect on the Terran population was too profound to ignore, it didn’t matter. Literally monopolizing space (how you could ever do such a thing, it is beyond me, but nevertheless the humans used the phrase), the O.A.E. made it impossible for the E.U. and other nations to create successful colonies on other planets, as they claimed that the Americans used “bully-like tactics to overcome E.U. frontier settlements, by cutting off trade with neighboring areas or by naval blockades of the planet’s atmosphere.”
Technically - and actually - blockades are an act of war. But, as the O.A.E. wasn’t a representative body of the U.S.A. and its allies, as well as the fact that all U.S. ships bore the symbol of the O.A.E., the E.U. had no claim on the grounds that the Americans were attempting to insinuate a conflict. Therefore, little could be done besides either go back on the Treaty of the I.B.E.N.F., or instead create its own agency. The latter, being the much safer course, was selected by the Europeans. Soon, the O.A.E. would have to compete with the Euro-Asian Colonization Agreement.
Before either the O.A.E. or E.A.C.A. existed, it was virtually impossible to undertake the challenge of establishing frontier colonies for a single nation. The cost was unimaginable, and only increased the further you went. That’s the reasons why the bulk of human colonies at the time were kept more so on Luna, and to a certain extent on Mars. However, with nations focusing their efforts together, you can obviously assume that the task was much easier. The cost, the production and supplies were much lower, therefore allowing for mass colonization. That’s why the O.A.E., when it was first introduced, was so successful - that’s why the E.A.C.A. was just as successful.
Toward the end of the 21st Century (as its listed in Terran terms), earth was on the brink of becoming a battleground once more - but this time between two main forces, not several. The O.A.E. transformed into the United American Collective - a relatively simple counter to the already monstrous European Union. When it came to the space-race for colonizing, the O.A.E. found that it was, in effect, beginning to loose. With the U.S. and the Central-South American nations literally pooling their assets to fund the exploration effort, they weren’t actually a single economy - but rather several assisting one another. The E.U. was a single economy, with aid from Asian nations, and therefore the E.A.C.A. was beginning to win because of concerted efforts from its member-states. By around 2105, the E.A.C.A. had tipped the scales in their favor, controlling an estimated fifty five percent of human colonized space - a rather slim majority, but still a victory.
To counter such an achievement, the O.A.E. realized that its member had to form into one nation - if not a nation, at least a collective or union like the E.U. Therefore, in 2110, the U.S. and Central and South American states merged to form the United American Collective. This immediately boosted their economy into the lead. It also credited them with discovery of the latest and greatest technology - the out-of-system space drive.
This development in space travel allowed, for the very first time, the humans to send their colonies out of the Sol System. Already around eight hundred thousand humans lived off of Terra (with seven and a half billion of them on it). Though at first timid, the U.A.C. was able to project its colonies to even greater limits. When jumping out of Sol, they discovered - to their very own credit - three systems with dozens of habitable planets. The E.A.C.A. quickly caught onto this information, and with a little spying and inventiveness of their own, they were able to get the new space-ship drive.
From 2110 to 2130, the humans entered a golden age, despite Western and Eastern hemispheric rivalry. Technologies were even better than before, ships could travel faster than ever and the human life was living longer. Its population exploded, increasing an unbelievable two billion. Because of that and advances into medicine, the humans were now an abundant ten billion strong (with nearly half of that living in colonies).
However, though it may appear a golden age, it was, like always, simmering with rivalry and competition. The militaries of the U.A.C. and E.A.U (Euro-Asian Union, formed in 2116 as a response to the U.A.C.) were pleading with their governmental leaders to recklessly test their new weapon systems. Military ships, so far, had had very little engagements other than to quell tiny rebel outposts, but those never included large ship-to-ship battles, orbital bombardments or orbital dropship troops. Also, as more systems were discovered, the U.A.C. and E.A.U. competed for more and more of the colonies, as those lead to not only symbolic power but as well as resources. In 2131, confrontations inevitably lead to a full-scale engagement.
U.A.C. and E.A.U. ships engaged one another outside of a newly established planet - named Xeno 6 - after what both sides describe as a “misunderstanding, that will be cleared shortly.” Though on the surface it appeared to the public that both sides wanted to avoid a catastrophic war, underneath all the shadows the coalitions desired a fight. After the U.A.C. claimed that the E.A.U. “was being uncooperative in interplanetary peace efforts, and as such the United American Collective will proceed to eliminate all Euro-Asian outposts to reduce their violent and irresponsible military operations.” The E.A.U. bit the bait, and responded with “The U.A.C. aggressively confronted our forces at Xeno 6, and if they urge on a war, they will no doubt receive one. The universe shall see that the Euro-Asian alliance shall not be trifled with, neither in peace nor war.”
In 2131, the First Interplanetary War began.
The First Interplanetary War - the named bestowed by the humans upon the massacre, as that’s what it truly was - absolutely devastated the human race. It didn’t set them back (ironically, it advanced them even further as the demand for newer technologies increased with the war), but it did very nearly extinct them. The first major battle - and theatre - of the war was at the colony of Xeno 6, where U.A.C. and E.A.U. first confronted each other. There was a total of forty ships involved in the first battle, and by the beginning of the war, nearly two hundred ships were involved in every single one after it. Thousands perished in each battle, because of humans were unused to the new, deadly weaponry they had created.
From the Battle of the Four Moons, to the Sixth and Final Siege of Xeno 6, the First Interplanetary War desecrated much of the human race’s accomplishments. Out of the eight score colonies they had possessed at the time, only fifty score remained. The U.A.C. and E.A.U. colonies were in shambles, literally unable to recover from such a strategic cost. The need for “successful exit strategies” became apparent, but even those were tossed away as the the U.A.C. and E.A.U. came up with new and inventive ways to kill each other. Advances in ground and space combat - from the behemoth-like armored vehicles to colossal-sized capital ships - only made war worse, and one U.A.C. politician remarked, “Not even all four of the World Wars of old could amount to such death and destruction.”
When the humans discovered their first extraterrestrial species, they were still immersed in the Interplanetary War. By 2137, a billion and a half humans had perished, forty seven colonies destroyed, and the homeworld of Terra (it had been the experiment of the first orbital bombardment, even though its death was not an objective, in fact quite the opposite, but experiments do go wrong, as they say) was no longer habitable. A species known as the Morabians, a peaceful yet deadly group, had encountered a human battle - coincidentally the Sixth and Final Battle of Xeno 6 -after receiving reports that “mass action outside a terrestial-planet have been observed by scouting forces.” When happening upon the brutal skirmish, the Morabians were absolutely appalled. At first the Morabian ships were seen as a new invention by the U.A.C. and E.A.U., and the humans opened fire on the vessels. When the Morabians responded in self-defense, they wiped out a good portion of both the U.A.C. and E.A.U. fleets. Surrendering, the humans realized they had encountered their first alien race.
After the encounter at Xeno 6, the humans believed that they were the targets of a mass extermination by an alien race, as they hadn’t yet realized that they were the ones to fire on the Morabians, nor that the aliens were even there to destroy them. Systematically, however, the Morabians traveled throughout the human territories, inflicting crushing defeats on the U.A.C. and E.A.U. forces. Realizing that they had to unite in order to even possibly defend themselves - even though the Morabians, like it has already been stressed, weren’t wishing to exterminate them - the humans formed the Joint Defensive Group, which consisted of ships and ground forces from both sides.
By mid-2137, the First Interplanetary War had ended - only to pave way for the Great Invasion.
With the end of the Interplanetary War, despite the fact that the human race was on the verge of collapse, they managed to put together one last effort. The Morabians were putting together a large task force to eliminate the remaining human military forces and then send in a peacekeeping force. The J.D.G. perceived this fleet as an assembly of ships that would, in effect, perform the final invasion on humankind and then push toward the new human homeworld, Mars. Rallying, however, the humans used two fleets and several battlegroups (totaling around four hundred fifty vessels) to pushback an estimated three hundred Morabian warships. With this first victory, the humans hoped to force the fight into favorable terms. They wanted to stage the final battle at a star system known as Torin, a place that had been the site for eight major fleet engagements and countless ground conflicts.
The humans assembled all that was left to them: three hundred sixty five ships, with around two thousand support fighters, and three million marines and soldiers. The Morabians themselves realized that the humans wished to no longer negotiate, that they only wanted to proceed with war. They responded by sending a group of equal numbers, though they possessed a little less ships and fighters. They were confident in their superior technology.
In the Torin System, the Joint Defense Group would face off against the alien Morabians - and hope to win.
---
“Fire, fire! All units, converge on enemy objective located in grid 34A. I want support fire on those damn Blue Bellies!” Captain Alexander Hayes roared over the noise of gunfire, screams of dying men and the bellow of explosions going on overhead.
The soldiers followed his orders, using their HJ67 T.C.S.’s (Tactical Combat Suit) to propel their legs at an even faster rate than the normal human could run. The T.C.S. suit, a ballistic armor capable of withstanding dozens of bullets and, like today, a few laser bolts, was among the most advanced personal defense systems utilized by the J.D.G. It had a built in H.U.D., allowing the wearer to navigate several combat logs ranging from communications, troop movements and enemy positions (an interface that was updated almost every second from a shipboard positioning system that orbited the planet). The most valuable asset of the T.C.S., however, was the physical advantages. Speed was already mentioned, but strength was also an added bonus; J.D.G. Marines could often lift three times their body weight with ease. But, these add-ons took a toll on the human body, as the extra agility and power was obviously something that their bodies weren’t used to, so therefore there was a P.C.I. (Physical Combat Inhibitor) implanted in the suit, which literally let the user turn everything on, and then everything off.
Thus, with these clearly superior combat suits, the Marines were able to hold their own against the Morabians on the ground. Though they experienced heavy losses - and so too did the aliens - the humans readily enjoyed their T.C.S.
With lasers bolts spewing burning dirt and wood and brick in to his helmet, Alexander quickly took cover behind a destroy J.D.G. APC. “What’s the situation, private,” Alexander said - and rather calmly - over the comm-channel to his lead communications soldiers.
“Sir, it’s all gone to hell. Damn aliens flanked the right, sending in their armor in ahead of them. First, Second and Third Platoons didn’t know what hit them; they were expecting freakin’ light scouts. This is a damn ambush, sir, that’s all there is-” the private’s voice was quickly cut off, then it was followed by screams and then gurgles as the private drowned in his own blood.
“Shit…” Alexander muttered. He had lead his team right into a death trap. Reports from his H.U.D. had told them that, apparently, the way was clear and that light resistance would be encountered as they made their way through a backdoor to the Morabian frontal defenses. But, halfway through the op, the ship responsible for supplying Alexander’s company with intel was destroyed as a result of Morabian sorties. But, Alexander had a mission to achieve - destroy the enemy cannons, then provide a front guard for the Marines that were coming up behind them. But, his fellow soldiers - pinned down by Morabian air and armor assaults - had no where to go because of the cannons (which were supposed to be down by now). The whole operation, which was designed to spring the J.D.G. into a clearly advantageous position over the Morabians on the terrestrial planet of Stilent, was now a mishap.
“Alright, soldiers. We’re sitting tight, provide clear lanes of fire and only shoot at what you can hit. The M.P.P.R.’s can only last so long,” Alexander grumbled. Following his latest directions, the few surviving Marines - which now only numbered around thirty against a Morabian force of at least two hundred with armor support). They brought about their M.P.P.R.’s along with their ballistic rocket launcher.
The HJ25 (manufactured by the same company who had created the T.C.S.) M.P.P.R. (Multi-Purpose Precision Rifle) was the only weapon serviced by the J.D.G. The HJ25 could take on several forms: a sniper rifle, close-range machine gun, assault rifle, long-range support machine gun, and a close-quarters spread gun. Each form was customized to the soldier’s preference, depending upon his job within his squad. The HJ25 was a projectile weapon, which was really its only limit. The rifle is incredibly accurate, even at long ranges, and rarely needs a repair or clean-up. But, in the heat of battle, it has been known to heat-up due to excessive firing because of its large magazine. Nevertheless, it’s a very effective weapon - even against aliens.
“We do our jobs, soldier, and the boys upstairs do theirs, then we’re good. We’ll make it out of here alive,” Alexander said to a rather frightened young man, who huddled behind cover, flinching at even friendly fire.
“Hopefully we do…” Alexander shook his head after he said his last words and went back to the fight.
----
Captain Markus Smith was pissed. That’s all you had to say to describe his mood. What was supposed to be an easy victory during the opening stages of the J.D.G’s offensive against the Morabians had now all gone to hell. Already half a dozen ships were destroyed from the opening salvo of the enemy fleet, and apparently the kids down on the surface of Stilent were experiencing heavy resistance.
Stilent was an out-of-the-way planet in the Torin System; it had rarely been visited. Thus the reason for no surveillance in the area. The Morabians had concentrated the bulk of their ships and soldiers toward the planet of Korilia, which was the same thing the J.D.G. had done itself. However, seeing the need for at least a flanking maneuver, the J.D.G. had placed Captain Smith - the leader the J.D.S. (Joint Defense Ship) Vista - in chage of a battle-group designated as Destiny, an assembly of four battleships, six cruisers, two troop carriers and twelve frigates. This small operation was supposed to be a distraction, to divide Morabian ships (there had also been a twin operation, going on in the other side of the system) apart so that the J.D.G. capital ships could enter a one-on-one battle with the Morabian capital ships. Apparently they had had the same idea, or they had hacked their communications, because the Morabians had placed several counter-op battle-groups to jumble up the human position. Now, what supposed to be a side conflict of the offensive operation was now a major theatre.
“Everyone, brace for hit!” Markus’s damage control officer shouted over the commotion on the bridge. The entire ship shook, then a thud was heard as it hit the heavy titanium-a armor on the J.D.S. Vista. The Morabians, superb in their ship-based weaponry, had already inflicted heavy wounds on the Vista. And this latest one obviously wasn’t welcomed.
The J.D.S. Vista was a Hawk-class battleship - meaning, it was in effect a over-sized attack cruiser. The Vista was armed with two nuclear-projectile Thor-class Heavy Cannons, with one being on top of the mile-long ship and one on the bottom. Also the Vista boasted nearly four hundred Spartan-class Anti-Fighter Missles, with a score AA guns as well. The Vista was armed with two hundred extra Viking-class Tactical Anti-Ship missiles as well, which proved highly effective in targeting crucial Morabian systems.
But the real mission of the Vista, apart from leading a battle group in the J.D.G. and defending the human race, was to test the new E.M.P. system developed by the J.D.G. to knock out the highly advanced - and highly annoying - Morabian ship-wide shields. If this technology worked, then it would be a huge advance in technology, and a huge saver of human life as it would allow the J.D.G. to eliminate the Morabians even faster.
“All hands, fire the Thor cannons. Two volleys!” Markus ordered from his command chair on the Vista.
“Two volleys, over!” the weapons officer repeated. Soon, instead of shaking from a hit, the Vista shook from its massive cannons as they fired four times. Each nuclear-projectile smashed into the already crippled Morabian cruiser, ripping apart its armor and causing massive explosions. The bridge crew cheered as they saw the explosion from several viewports; a small victory, however, as Battlegroup Destiny had several more Morabian ships to take on.
“Let’s just hope we can do it,” Markus muttered. And he continued the fight, just like his fellow servicemen down on the ground.
That’s all they could.
---
“Whether you are a Marine or a Naval crewman, you are apart of this war effort. This effort to defend our very race. You are the bravest among us; the brightest among us; and the most honorable among us. May you win this race to victory.”
-Admiral Michael Johnson, leader of the Joint Defensive Group.
The humans were just beginning to recognize their advances into technology roughly around the year 2040, when they launched their first colonization to what they simply named the Moon. Though there had been efforts to send manned expeditions to the satellite for nearly twenty years, conflict between planet-side governments as well as simple inability to successfully settle on the moon impeded progress. However, the first ship - named I.C.S. (International Cooperative Ship) Messenger - landed with little difficulty on lunar soil. Taking around six months, the first colony was established and to this day the humans maintain a steady and growing presence on Luna, the name of the city and moon.
This sparked steady economic growth and scientific researches. Yet, this also marked the beginning of a rivalry between nearly every nation. During a period of what the humans name the Second Cold War (for apparently there had been one more before it, estimated at ninety to a hundred years before), the nation-state of the United States of America and the collective of countries named the European Union competed for various colonization efforts. Proxy wars occurred on earth, causing massive casualties on the home-planet. Realization for an actual international effort on the new frontierfinally sprung up, and the U.S.A. and E.U. eased tensions and created the International Bureau for the Exploration of the New Frontier. A bit more symbolic than materialistic in nature, the I.B.E.N.F. was really only something to sooth the public’s hard feelings toward the Terran governments’ actions. It worked, actually, and the earth a entered brief era of peace.
During this time, which historians say lasted roughly from 2060 to 2080, the international community on earth worked cooperatively toward friendly colonization and frontier settling. They developed technologies which allowed them to traverse the bulk of their star system, the Sol System. The humans were able to settle half a dozen colonies on Mars, several more on Luna and erected satellite stations orbiting the planets of Venus, Jupiter and Pluto (these were more for scientific observations, as stations at the humans were still small in stature, housing only a few scores of people at a time). Technologies were advanced and in most cases built upon, with developments in the engine field, life support and various other operational systems needed for space flight. The humans were, in effect, well under way to making their first out-of-system space flight.
Back on Terra, however, there was still some nationalist resentment among the nation-states. The United States of America, together with several Central and South American countries, had formed the Organization for American Exploration, and in this case “American” did not just mean the U.S., but instead the entire population south of it. Canada, because of its heritage to the countries of the United Kingdom and French Republic, refused to join. This was a major push toward U.S. domination of space, as it allowed for higher and more efficient space-ship building because of the Central-South American population, joint-research programs and an increase in, simply, morale. By 2072, the Organization for American Exploration constituted about sixty percent of human colonization.
In response, the European Union came close to repudiating the treaty that established the International Bureau for the Exploration of the New Frontier. It already held very little power anyways, and even if the psychological affect on the Terran population was too profound to ignore, it didn’t matter. Literally monopolizing space (how you could ever do such a thing, it is beyond me, but nevertheless the humans used the phrase), the O.A.E. made it impossible for the E.U. and other nations to create successful colonies on other planets, as they claimed that the Americans used “bully-like tactics to overcome E.U. frontier settlements, by cutting off trade with neighboring areas or by naval blockades of the planet’s atmosphere.”
Technically - and actually - blockades are an act of war. But, as the O.A.E. wasn’t a representative body of the U.S.A. and its allies, as well as the fact that all U.S. ships bore the symbol of the O.A.E., the E.U. had no claim on the grounds that the Americans were attempting to insinuate a conflict. Therefore, little could be done besides either go back on the Treaty of the I.B.E.N.F., or instead create its own agency. The latter, being the much safer course, was selected by the Europeans. Soon, the O.A.E. would have to compete with the Euro-Asian Colonization Agreement.
Before either the O.A.E. or E.A.C.A. existed, it was virtually impossible to undertake the challenge of establishing frontier colonies for a single nation. The cost was unimaginable, and only increased the further you went. That’s the reasons why the bulk of human colonies at the time were kept more so on Luna, and to a certain extent on Mars. However, with nations focusing their efforts together, you can obviously assume that the task was much easier. The cost, the production and supplies were much lower, therefore allowing for mass colonization. That’s why the O.A.E., when it was first introduced, was so successful - that’s why the E.A.C.A. was just as successful.
Toward the end of the 21st Century (as its listed in Terran terms), earth was on the brink of becoming a battleground once more - but this time between two main forces, not several. The O.A.E. transformed into the United American Collective - a relatively simple counter to the already monstrous European Union. When it came to the space-race for colonizing, the O.A.E. found that it was, in effect, beginning to loose. With the U.S. and the Central-South American nations literally pooling their assets to fund the exploration effort, they weren’t actually a single economy - but rather several assisting one another. The E.U. was a single economy, with aid from Asian nations, and therefore the E.A.C.A. was beginning to win because of concerted efforts from its member-states. By around 2105, the E.A.C.A. had tipped the scales in their favor, controlling an estimated fifty five percent of human colonized space - a rather slim majority, but still a victory.
To counter such an achievement, the O.A.E. realized that its member had to form into one nation - if not a nation, at least a collective or union like the E.U. Therefore, in 2110, the U.S. and Central and South American states merged to form the United American Collective. This immediately boosted their economy into the lead. It also credited them with discovery of the latest and greatest technology - the out-of-system space drive.
This development in space travel allowed, for the very first time, the humans to send their colonies out of the Sol System. Already around eight hundred thousand humans lived off of Terra (with seven and a half billion of them on it). Though at first timid, the U.A.C. was able to project its colonies to even greater limits. When jumping out of Sol, they discovered - to their very own credit - three systems with dozens of habitable planets. The E.A.C.A. quickly caught onto this information, and with a little spying and inventiveness of their own, they were able to get the new space-ship drive.
From 2110 to 2130, the humans entered a golden age, despite Western and Eastern hemispheric rivalry. Technologies were even better than before, ships could travel faster than ever and the human life was living longer. Its population exploded, increasing an unbelievable two billion. Because of that and advances into medicine, the humans were now an abundant ten billion strong (with nearly half of that living in colonies).
However, though it may appear a golden age, it was, like always, simmering with rivalry and competition. The militaries of the U.A.C. and E.A.U (Euro-Asian Union, formed in 2116 as a response to the U.A.C.) were pleading with their governmental leaders to recklessly test their new weapon systems. Military ships, so far, had had very little engagements other than to quell tiny rebel outposts, but those never included large ship-to-ship battles, orbital bombardments or orbital dropship troops. Also, as more systems were discovered, the U.A.C. and E.A.U. competed for more and more of the colonies, as those lead to not only symbolic power but as well as resources. In 2131, confrontations inevitably lead to a full-scale engagement.
U.A.C. and E.A.U. ships engaged one another outside of a newly established planet - named Xeno 6 - after what both sides describe as a “misunderstanding, that will be cleared shortly.” Though on the surface it appeared to the public that both sides wanted to avoid a catastrophic war, underneath all the shadows the coalitions desired a fight. After the U.A.C. claimed that the E.A.U. “was being uncooperative in interplanetary peace efforts, and as such the United American Collective will proceed to eliminate all Euro-Asian outposts to reduce their violent and irresponsible military operations.” The E.A.U. bit the bait, and responded with “The U.A.C. aggressively confronted our forces at Xeno 6, and if they urge on a war, they will no doubt receive one. The universe shall see that the Euro-Asian alliance shall not be trifled with, neither in peace nor war.”
In 2131, the First Interplanetary War began.
The First Interplanetary War - the named bestowed by the humans upon the massacre, as that’s what it truly was - absolutely devastated the human race. It didn’t set them back (ironically, it advanced them even further as the demand for newer technologies increased with the war), but it did very nearly extinct them. The first major battle - and theatre - of the war was at the colony of Xeno 6, where U.A.C. and E.A.U. first confronted each other. There was a total of forty ships involved in the first battle, and by the beginning of the war, nearly two hundred ships were involved in every single one after it. Thousands perished in each battle, because of humans were unused to the new, deadly weaponry they had created.
From the Battle of the Four Moons, to the Sixth and Final Siege of Xeno 6, the First Interplanetary War desecrated much of the human race’s accomplishments. Out of the eight score colonies they had possessed at the time, only fifty score remained. The U.A.C. and E.A.U. colonies were in shambles, literally unable to recover from such a strategic cost. The need for “successful exit strategies” became apparent, but even those were tossed away as the the U.A.C. and E.A.U. came up with new and inventive ways to kill each other. Advances in ground and space combat - from the behemoth-like armored vehicles to colossal-sized capital ships - only made war worse, and one U.A.C. politician remarked, “Not even all four of the World Wars of old could amount to such death and destruction.”
When the humans discovered their first extraterrestrial species, they were still immersed in the Interplanetary War. By 2137, a billion and a half humans had perished, forty seven colonies destroyed, and the homeworld of Terra (it had been the experiment of the first orbital bombardment, even though its death was not an objective, in fact quite the opposite, but experiments do go wrong, as they say) was no longer habitable. A species known as the Morabians, a peaceful yet deadly group, had encountered a human battle - coincidentally the Sixth and Final Battle of Xeno 6 -after receiving reports that “mass action outside a terrestial-planet have been observed by scouting forces.” When happening upon the brutal skirmish, the Morabians were absolutely appalled. At first the Morabian ships were seen as a new invention by the U.A.C. and E.A.U., and the humans opened fire on the vessels. When the Morabians responded in self-defense, they wiped out a good portion of both the U.A.C. and E.A.U. fleets. Surrendering, the humans realized they had encountered their first alien race.
After the encounter at Xeno 6, the humans believed that they were the targets of a mass extermination by an alien race, as they hadn’t yet realized that they were the ones to fire on the Morabians, nor that the aliens were even there to destroy them. Systematically, however, the Morabians traveled throughout the human territories, inflicting crushing defeats on the U.A.C. and E.A.U. forces. Realizing that they had to unite in order to even possibly defend themselves - even though the Morabians, like it has already been stressed, weren’t wishing to exterminate them - the humans formed the Joint Defensive Group, which consisted of ships and ground forces from both sides.
By mid-2137, the First Interplanetary War had ended - only to pave way for the Great Invasion.
With the end of the Interplanetary War, despite the fact that the human race was on the verge of collapse, they managed to put together one last effort. The Morabians were putting together a large task force to eliminate the remaining human military forces and then send in a peacekeeping force. The J.D.G. perceived this fleet as an assembly of ships that would, in effect, perform the final invasion on humankind and then push toward the new human homeworld, Mars. Rallying, however, the humans used two fleets and several battlegroups (totaling around four hundred fifty vessels) to pushback an estimated three hundred Morabian warships. With this first victory, the humans hoped to force the fight into favorable terms. They wanted to stage the final battle at a star system known as Torin, a place that had been the site for eight major fleet engagements and countless ground conflicts.
The humans assembled all that was left to them: three hundred sixty five ships, with around two thousand support fighters, and three million marines and soldiers. The Morabians themselves realized that the humans wished to no longer negotiate, that they only wanted to proceed with war. They responded by sending a group of equal numbers, though they possessed a little less ships and fighters. They were confident in their superior technology.
In the Torin System, the Joint Defense Group would face off against the alien Morabians - and hope to win.
---
“Fire, fire! All units, converge on enemy objective located in grid 34A. I want support fire on those damn Blue Bellies!” Captain Alexander Hayes roared over the noise of gunfire, screams of dying men and the bellow of explosions going on overhead.
The soldiers followed his orders, using their HJ67 T.C.S.’s (Tactical Combat Suit) to propel their legs at an even faster rate than the normal human could run. The T.C.S. suit, a ballistic armor capable of withstanding dozens of bullets and, like today, a few laser bolts, was among the most advanced personal defense systems utilized by the J.D.G. It had a built in H.U.D., allowing the wearer to navigate several combat logs ranging from communications, troop movements and enemy positions (an interface that was updated almost every second from a shipboard positioning system that orbited the planet). The most valuable asset of the T.C.S., however, was the physical advantages. Speed was already mentioned, but strength was also an added bonus; J.D.G. Marines could often lift three times their body weight with ease. But, these add-ons took a toll on the human body, as the extra agility and power was obviously something that their bodies weren’t used to, so therefore there was a P.C.I. (Physical Combat Inhibitor) implanted in the suit, which literally let the user turn everything on, and then everything off.
Thus, with these clearly superior combat suits, the Marines were able to hold their own against the Morabians on the ground. Though they experienced heavy losses - and so too did the aliens - the humans readily enjoyed their T.C.S.
With lasers bolts spewing burning dirt and wood and brick in to his helmet, Alexander quickly took cover behind a destroy J.D.G. APC. “What’s the situation, private,” Alexander said - and rather calmly - over the comm-channel to his lead communications soldiers.
“Sir, it’s all gone to hell. Damn aliens flanked the right, sending in their armor in ahead of them. First, Second and Third Platoons didn’t know what hit them; they were expecting freakin’ light scouts. This is a damn ambush, sir, that’s all there is-” the private’s voice was quickly cut off, then it was followed by screams and then gurgles as the private drowned in his own blood.
“Shit…” Alexander muttered. He had lead his team right into a death trap. Reports from his H.U.D. had told them that, apparently, the way was clear and that light resistance would be encountered as they made their way through a backdoor to the Morabian frontal defenses. But, halfway through the op, the ship responsible for supplying Alexander’s company with intel was destroyed as a result of Morabian sorties. But, Alexander had a mission to achieve - destroy the enemy cannons, then provide a front guard for the Marines that were coming up behind them. But, his fellow soldiers - pinned down by Morabian air and armor assaults - had no where to go because of the cannons (which were supposed to be down by now). The whole operation, which was designed to spring the J.D.G. into a clearly advantageous position over the Morabians on the terrestrial planet of Stilent, was now a mishap.
“Alright, soldiers. We’re sitting tight, provide clear lanes of fire and only shoot at what you can hit. The M.P.P.R.’s can only last so long,” Alexander grumbled. Following his latest directions, the few surviving Marines - which now only numbered around thirty against a Morabian force of at least two hundred with armor support). They brought about their M.P.P.R.’s along with their ballistic rocket launcher.
The HJ25 (manufactured by the same company who had created the T.C.S.) M.P.P.R. (Multi-Purpose Precision Rifle) was the only weapon serviced by the J.D.G. The HJ25 could take on several forms: a sniper rifle, close-range machine gun, assault rifle, long-range support machine gun, and a close-quarters spread gun. Each form was customized to the soldier’s preference, depending upon his job within his squad. The HJ25 was a projectile weapon, which was really its only limit. The rifle is incredibly accurate, even at long ranges, and rarely needs a repair or clean-up. But, in the heat of battle, it has been known to heat-up due to excessive firing because of its large magazine. Nevertheless, it’s a very effective weapon - even against aliens.
“We do our jobs, soldier, and the boys upstairs do theirs, then we’re good. We’ll make it out of here alive,” Alexander said to a rather frightened young man, who huddled behind cover, flinching at even friendly fire.
“Hopefully we do…” Alexander shook his head after he said his last words and went back to the fight.
----
Captain Markus Smith was pissed. That’s all you had to say to describe his mood. What was supposed to be an easy victory during the opening stages of the J.D.G’s offensive against the Morabians had now all gone to hell. Already half a dozen ships were destroyed from the opening salvo of the enemy fleet, and apparently the kids down on the surface of Stilent were experiencing heavy resistance.
Stilent was an out-of-the-way planet in the Torin System; it had rarely been visited. Thus the reason for no surveillance in the area. The Morabians had concentrated the bulk of their ships and soldiers toward the planet of Korilia, which was the same thing the J.D.G. had done itself. However, seeing the need for at least a flanking maneuver, the J.D.G. had placed Captain Smith - the leader the J.D.S. (Joint Defense Ship) Vista - in chage of a battle-group designated as Destiny, an assembly of four battleships, six cruisers, two troop carriers and twelve frigates. This small operation was supposed to be a distraction, to divide Morabian ships (there had also been a twin operation, going on in the other side of the system) apart so that the J.D.G. capital ships could enter a one-on-one battle with the Morabian capital ships. Apparently they had had the same idea, or they had hacked their communications, because the Morabians had placed several counter-op battle-groups to jumble up the human position. Now, what supposed to be a side conflict of the offensive operation was now a major theatre.
“Everyone, brace for hit!” Markus’s damage control officer shouted over the commotion on the bridge. The entire ship shook, then a thud was heard as it hit the heavy titanium-a armor on the J.D.S. Vista. The Morabians, superb in their ship-based weaponry, had already inflicted heavy wounds on the Vista. And this latest one obviously wasn’t welcomed.
The J.D.S. Vista was a Hawk-class battleship - meaning, it was in effect a over-sized attack cruiser. The Vista was armed with two nuclear-projectile Thor-class Heavy Cannons, with one being on top of the mile-long ship and one on the bottom. Also the Vista boasted nearly four hundred Spartan-class Anti-Fighter Missles, with a score AA guns as well. The Vista was armed with two hundred extra Viking-class Tactical Anti-Ship missiles as well, which proved highly effective in targeting crucial Morabian systems.
But the real mission of the Vista, apart from leading a battle group in the J.D.G. and defending the human race, was to test the new E.M.P. system developed by the J.D.G. to knock out the highly advanced - and highly annoying - Morabian ship-wide shields. If this technology worked, then it would be a huge advance in technology, and a huge saver of human life as it would allow the J.D.G. to eliminate the Morabians even faster.
“All hands, fire the Thor cannons. Two volleys!” Markus ordered from his command chair on the Vista.
“Two volleys, over!” the weapons officer repeated. Soon, instead of shaking from a hit, the Vista shook from its massive cannons as they fired four times. Each nuclear-projectile smashed into the already crippled Morabian cruiser, ripping apart its armor and causing massive explosions. The bridge crew cheered as they saw the explosion from several viewports; a small victory, however, as Battlegroup Destiny had several more Morabian ships to take on.
“Let’s just hope we can do it,” Markus muttered. And he continued the fight, just like his fellow servicemen down on the ground.
That’s all they could.
---
“Whether you are a Marine or a Naval crewman, you are apart of this war effort. This effort to defend our very race. You are the bravest among us; the brightest among us; and the most honorable among us. May you win this race to victory.”
-Admiral Michael Johnson, leader of the Joint Defensive Group.
