[img]http://img06.deviantart.net/2d32/i/2004/10/8/d/super_star_destroyer_and_earth.jpg[/img] [center][color=yellow][h2]The Dominion of Man[/h2][/color][/center] Near Luna, battle fleet Reclamation led by Faust's Titan, Maledict. On the bridge, a Female officer pressed a few buttons and then turned to Faust, "Archon, earth is within visual range. shall I bring it on screen?" Faust smirked as he lowered a small tablet. On the tablet, it wasn't obvious that he was playing a simple game from long ago, 'Angry Birds' but this trip was long and he didn't much care for screen staring. It ruins the surprise. "Yes, bring it up on the screen. I have to see this." He said eagerly. The sight that he beheld was one that was only seen in text books in the Dominion. The peaceful blue dot that his fleet was sailing to was in his grasp. To see it with his own waking eyes. The sight was beset by the Imperium Remnants though, a massive fleet rivaling his own was menacingly watching his every move. This was no matter though, he had attained passage from James Conrad and from what he could see, the Imperium was honoring it. "Sir, Hail from the lead Imperium warship." the female officer said. "Attention, Faust. I am Admiral Grafe of the Imperium seventh fleet. We have been given orders to clear your passage to earth. As per the agreement, my fleet will be watching your forces closely for any violations. My ships will be actively targeting yours as a measure but rest assured, if you follow the rules, we will not fire." It was a simple message that came as quick as it went. There was no time for Faust to reply but this is the way Grafe wanted it. It wasn't but an hour later did the planet come within view for one to see continents and swirling clouds. Soldiers and shipmen alike stared at it, in awe but also in respect, knowing the horrors that lay below. The Dominion of however, possessed horrors of its own. "Attention Brave soldiers of the Dominion. Today we embark on a journey none have ever walked in the history of our kind, the retaking of earth." "This will mission, this... crusade, will be wrought with peril, the peril of our race. But know this my brothers and sisters, that no matter what monstrosities our foe may try to block our way with, we will crush it down under our righteous heels." "These heels are not bound to one warrior but to all, as no one will fight alone. Your comrades bravery and the might of our war machine will win the day but it will take determination and will to accomplish this." "Know that through this great effort will be the ultimate victory as this is not a mere human world, it is not some back water station or a removed jungle world, this is our birthplace. This is earth, the very mother to our glorious race." "It is a well known fact that our race has been tarnished by the great effects of outsiders on our once prized planet. We will see that glory restored, the glory of our once shining might known as the Imperium," "What we seek to build though is not the Imperium, not a failed way a life that had its run but we will build a new Dominion of man, one free of the shackles of what was once the lower class. This land will be a safe place for all man kind from all foreign races or creeds. This will be a Dominion that will last the ages." "Now, Brave warriors of the Dominion, Knights of man kind I bid you rise! rise and retake the glory of your birthright. What we do here, today, will echo through the ages. Will it be the fall of man? or will it be, through your actions, the emergence of a new bright future!" "For Earth! For Humanity.. For the Dominion!" [img]http://img.big5.bg/images/2016-03/Rumyana-03/Planetearth.png[/img] [color=lightblue][center][h2]Earth[/h2][/center][/color] Earth... the birthplace of mankind. Once a beautiful world with clear flowing rivers, blue skies flanked by white clouds hanging peacefully above. Picturesque mountains and a civilization so diverse that it seemed nothing would ever unite them. Then the Empire came with a fury. It was a culmination of many powers that formed what was to be the Imperium and through war and peace, and war, did the realm of man gather under one banner. Decades? Centuries? a long peace followed as man spread from the pale blue dot but one thing was never forgotten how ever far man travelled, that earth. was [i]home[/i]. How did it come to this, a world beset with nuclear fire and littered with the graves of billions. Alien and Human like found themselves gunned down in the streets like animals, only to have their killers obliterated in a ball of fire. This was a place of war now, a place where gunfire seems to exist without pause and there was no end in sight. ---- What used to be San Francisco, "Just breathe, don't stop just breathe." Said a young red haired girl. Her arm had a patch with a simple red cross. The eternal sign of the medic, a position as dangerous, if not more so than the soldier on the field. Running from fox hole to fox hole moved this girl, maybe 18 years of age. Her heart raced as she slid from cover to cover, trying to respond to the constant shout she had trained so hard for. "Medic!" Ahead of her was a fire fight, a platoon of her comrades were trying to hold off an incoming force battalion. Automatic weapons, accurate snipers and remote turrets had pinned that huge force down. This was a war between two "nations" of this world, the upper Concorde Entente and the New California alliance. The Entente was adamant believers in a renewed north America. As to which it could invade what was left of central America and hold off the South American nations that in reality, posed absolutely no threat. Though media made them out to be blood thirsty Huns. The Alliance was a large group of alien and human militants that wish for nothing else than to leave for the fabled island of Hawaii, which was also in reality something far different. It was an irradiated wasteland due to the massive military space port that stood atop what used to be a massive naval port, A very juicy target for the then imperial defenders fourth-fleet, two hundred some years ago. Numerous attempts by the Alliance to grant them leave in return for leaving their territory freely for the Entente was ignored. Fresh soldiers was the reply, that north America must stand together against the evil in the south. The Entente had the big guns, monstrous tanks, and short range, but incredibly strong artillery. They even possessed a large number of aircraft whereas the Alliance had grit and resolve. Heavy weapons given to them from "the source" had given them a chance to survive the Entente's onslaught but it wasn't to last forever. Especially with this renewed Assault bearing down on the last obstacle to the Alliance capitol of August, a literal fortress south of old San Francisco. It had been quiet for the last week or so but spotters reported seeing tanks and towed artillery rolling through wooded trails. "Medic!" She almost couldn't hear it through the explosion but instinct carried her forward, dodging bullets and explosions as best she could. A loud metal clank sent her rolling onto the ground. She sat on her back for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. As she shook it off the realization that her rifle was now in two parts from a heavy rifles direct hit made her life much worse. Granted, the weapon did save her life, she was no defenseless in this dangerous place she was in. Her heavy footsteps brought her to a fox hole, the one that yell came from earlier. It was a gruesome sight inside, the remnants of a body blasted by a well placed mortar shell. On the severed forearm was a necklace, a necklace with a boys name etched along with a birth date. Only two weeks old and the kid is without a father. "Fuck this shit." she said angrily, drawing her pistol and leaning out of the Fox-hole. Ahead she saw her first enemy and with three rapid pulls of the trigger, a body fell. Was this redemption for the life that was taken beside her? Well as they say, what comes around goes around as a sharp pain shot through her body. The Entente soldiers weren't fearless as many were conscripts from a giant nation, comprising of nearly the entirety of old Canada, some northern old American northern states and some western states. Loudspeakers shouted for the Alliance to surrender but to no avail. This was a young Entente' soldiers time to shine and he was running quickly through the trees with haste. Ahead of him another soldier had been shot dead by the medic. The young soldier on instinct, fired four shots at the fox hole before hitting the ground himself. As explosions that rocked the forest started to subside, he finally started to crawl forward. As he reached the hole, he could hear a long winded gasp. After a moment to gather resolve, he peered over the edge to see the woman laying at the bottom. Her eyes were still wide open as blood poured from her mouth. three of his four rounds had struck her dead. Two in the upper arm and shoulder and one right through the neck. He could see signs of her struggle to live as one of her hands was pressed against her neck, an effort to stop the bleeding but it was too late. Part of him wanted to celebrate as this woman had killed one of his comrades but on the other hand, this person had a life, had dreams and aspirations and he had ended all of that. Reflecting wasn't good for soldier in the midst of combat as before he could even take in what was going on, his vision turned red, then black in seconds as a rocket exploded over him. War is hell. --- Hours later, August... Shining bastion of the Alliance, so imposing to the naked eye. A city sized high-walled fortress with concrete trenches flanked by what could be described as nothing short of battleship turrets. The fields leading to this bastion housed Machine gun nests poke out of well placed earthen work hills and steep cliffs. To make matters worse, pre sighted and accurate artillery positions littered the field, from mortar to heavy guns. Direct fire Anti-air and ground cannons dotted the landscape, hidden by hills and shrubs. And below all of that, simple flat fields with barbed wire and mines of all types. This place was designed to withstand the ages. Internal farms would last defenders years if not longer. Aquifers allowed for an untainted water supply and various hazardous safety points would shield she unprepared for chemical and biological warfare. General Bradley of the Entente wasn't wavered by this obstacle though, perhaps the reason his commanders chose him. His forces had taken what was known as the low-lands, north of August. The Alliance had mustered half of their remaining tanks, numbering just seventy. To make matters worse, nearly half of those were relics dating back to the early 21st century. Bradley on the other hand, possessed some six hundred more modern battle tanks. Above the fortress, Bradley had the opportunity to use considerable air supremacy but the missile systems of August were long range and highly advanced. Care had to be taken with artillery as well, as August's guns out ranged his by far. "Alright men, We have an opportunity here. The enemy is still occupied by our diversionary assault to the east as well as the fleet making itself seen to the west of the bay. We believe the enemy does not know we are here so make it count!" Bradley said to his commanders. It wasn't the most eloquent battle speech but he knew half of his army would likely be etched onto a wall of remembrance. He was always the one to not grow attached to his men. All around his Strike group 7-B, leading right through the center was comprised of heavy armor. The sound of powerful engines starting up was glorious for a tank commander and at the lead was a fifteen battle veteran, Captain Jones. His [url=http://i.imgur.com/vJeoGhB.jpg]Battle tank[/url] was a well oiled machine, tested in many scenarios. He led a group of five tanks, all led by veteran crews. The blonde haired Jones wiped sweat from his forehead before raising from the tanks hatch. Above him was a cloudy dusk. The ground was damp from a light rain only a few hours ago. "Alright, full speed ahead. Keep the turret scanning for targets." he said before lowering back down. The vehicle started moving along with ten others. Further in the distance he could see more tanks just like his starting their advance as well. Behind him, flashes of light from an allied distant artillery barrage signaled the advance. Nearly twenty minutes passed before the gunner shouted those words that no cautious commander wanted to hear, "Enemy spotted. Light armor APC." "Load HE, set range and fire at will." Jones said, gritting his teeth as adrenaline started to flow. "Scratch that Boss, 2-2 already shot him. AP round right through the front. No other targets on the scope." the gunner replied "Well damn. Must've been a scout. Alright. Lets keep moving. Just hope they didn't report us." "Enemy spotted ahead! three quarter mile away. Damn that's a big formation. At least ten enemy tanks supported by mechanized infantry." the gunner announced. Jones got on his radio, "Formation halt. Got a group ahead and they haven't spotted us. Lets creep into that tree line ahead." He received simple affirmatives from his tanks as they slowly crept through the trees. At the edge of the line his tanks were nearly invisible to the naked eye as adaptive camouflage began to kick in. It wasn't perfect and thermals would show bright white but these enemies had no clue they were there. "Pick your targets, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4 start at the second to lead tank. 2-5 load HE and target the first wheeled APC." Another affirmative was followed by precision turret movements and an eerie silence. "Alright, target that first tank. Wait for optimal range then fire at will." "Shot!" followed by something akin to shattering glass signaled a high velocity slug bursting from a high velocity, stabilized rail assisted cannon. The round pierced the [url=http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/halofanon/images/5/57/M6A1_Raider.png/revision/latest?cb=20100905182436]lead tank's[/url] turret ring and the resulting explosion sent the turret some sixty feet into the air. Not even a full second passed before three more Alliance tanks fell silent. Soldiers had no warning when 2-5's HE shot blew the first APC to pieces. wheel pieces and parts of the hull were sent in all directions. The other APC's quickly evacuated their personnel as the second shot from 2-5 detonated in the aft of another APC. Further explosions led to the quick decimation of the Alliance's tanks and APC's. The remaining soldiers were gunned down by the .75 heavy machine guns but a lucky soldier managed to get an anti-tank rocket launcher to effective range. He raised the weapon and aimed at 2-1, Jones own tank. Dust kicked up as the AT rocket burst into the sky. The rocket flew high into the air and started to head back down, targeting the weakest point on any tank, the top of the turret. The soldier smiled thinking he was to succeed but before the projectile hit, it exploded in mid air. "Boss, the ML just fired. we got AT somewhere nearby." Jones turned around to check the anti-missile laser's thermal gauge, as they sometimes had a bad habit of overheating depending on the height and angle of an incoming projectile. "Boss, thermals spotted him. Firing." Perhaps a fitting end for that tank hunting soldier was not death by a hail of bullets from a machine gun, but the full might of the tank. The Cannon of 2-1 had quite literally splattered the soldier from sheer impact force. The surviving pieces being no larger than a finger. The battle lasted a mere twelve minutes before 2-4 reported surrendering soldiers. It was an hour later before the next move order was given, one that would place 2-1 in visual range of August. His tank crews were all anxious to see this sight for themselves but all knew the dangers ahead. There was no resistance along the path as the Alliance had recalled its remaining low land forces. Bradley had planned perfectly, striking from so many angles at once. Before long, there it was, bright and shining in the distance. The crews all popped their hatches to see the monstrous city with waking eyes. There was a moment of silent awe and respect as the faint outline of heavy guns could be seen at the top of various towers. "Alright 2's, we got a job to do. We can get this and end this war." Jones said in an attempt to bring focus to his men. Jones noticed that his men were still unbuttoned when massive bursts of anti=air fire started. "Guys! ready up!" Jones shouted but it was obvious that his words were completely ignored. There was a strange sound he had not heard before which prompted him to raise back out of the tank. The [url=https://vjj1jq-dm2305.files.1drv.com/y3mMj5JBeNEjgDwmR6F3Lwi2qEaXq8gH1taUPmPBGMhXOPMg2qE2PWtEmiDCwIYf3A5Y6EhKbXdsuwHwMkgktM5XLs_09MZtvW70i515peF3ZvTO_-qX-rbYqwlEtRNcABTsgDxXXAPChtEoajkvpLb-A/SW54.jpg?rdrts=141717278]sight[/url] was more than he could ever hope to imagine. The massive machine bore down upon the helpless fortress as shells just seemed to disappear harmlessly into the sky before reaching it. At the bottom of the vessel, a strange bluish yellow ball of light formed that grew more bright and intense before it shrunk into a small flashing point. With a blinding initial flash and a near deafening blast, the once mighty August was swallowed by a glowing yellow array of pure energy. Huge plumes of fire rose high into the air as the beam slowly swept across the fortress. Towers collapsed before being removed from sight by the ray of light. As quickly as it started, it had ended. The light was gone, revealing a white hot crater where August once was. "Alright! we got a situation, radio command and lets get this tank backing up. we cannot hope to repel that things fire." His crew was no longer awe struck but were now serious. Life preservation instinct kicked in which led to an even more ready crew than before. The tank made precise movements to avoid obstacles in a mad dash to escape what was now hovering ominously over where August once sat. "Incoming aircraft!" the driver shouted as low flying unidentified space craft buzzed over head. Things went from bad to worse as all the lights in the tank began flashing rapidly for a moment before going dark. The engine shot off grinding the tank to a halt. Jones rose from his hatch to see the other tanks had stopped dead as well. "Emp?" he said as his gunner slammed his fists against the cannon periscope. Jones was once again filled with awe as thousands of black dots shot through the clouds. These drew in fast then slowed rapidly before touching down. He didn't know what to think when the nearest one landed and hatches opened on the sides, revealing soldiers that rushed out into combat positions. Over head he could only stare as the second massive warship broke through the clouds, then the third... and in the distance, even more. Then the voice came, loud and clear. "Attention people of earth. Do not seek to bar our way onto this world. Aggression will be met with consequence. For those who accept us, fear not. We are bringers of peace and solidarity." [i]"We are the Dominion."[/i]