[hider=Alexander]

[center][h1][color=00aeef]Alexander Kherol[/color][/h1]

[quote][h3][color=00aeef]"You can send those men out there to death if you want to. But the Commonwealth would need men after the war as well."[/color][/h3]

~Alexander before the Battle of Proxima, foreshadowing the Commonwealth's devastating defeat~[/quote]

[img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/0af9e29f-0798-4dc9-a78b-fdba21f0ec11.jpg[/img][hr]

[b][color=00aeef]Full name:[/color][/b] Alexander Kherol

[b][color=00aeef]Age:[/color][/b] 34

[b][color=00aeef]Race:[/color][/b] Human

[b][color=00aeef]Affiliation:[/color] [/b]

The Imperial Commonwealth of Humanity - Grand Admiral - Head of the Commonwealth's Military Technology R&D[hr]

[quote][h3][color=00aeef]"I encounter people like you all the time. You vow to bring down the Commonwealth, but have you ever thought what you would do after it? No. You only wish to take revenge for what was done to you, to sooth your damaged heart. The Commonwealth is a government, keeping billions upon billions fed, clothed and educated. Day after day, on thousands of star systems. Imagine if all of that vanish into the thin air. Grow out of your own shell, and think. Not for yourself, but for those people around you."[/color][/h3]

~Alexander in a rare, unpublished and widely-unknown debate with subversive groups in the Outer Rim~[/quote][hr]

[b][color=00aeef]Armies and Fleets [/color][/b]

[b][color=bc8dbf]The 1st Fleet of the Commonwealth - The Royal Guards[/color][/b]

[b][color=00aeef]Personal possession:[/color][/b]

A pair of glasses: Thick and strangely non-transparent, it has served him for decades as the window to the world

Rau've Pistol (Unloaded): Obtained from a deceased Rau've soldier as memento

Picture: See Chapter 3 of sidestories

[b][color=00aeef]Weapons:[/color][/b]

A blaster handgun: Has two modes: energy and stun. The difference between each is that energy causes harm if made contact, while stun merely paralyze it[hr]

[quote][h3][color=00aeef]"You don't need a group of superhuman soldiers to change the galaxy."[/color][/h3]

~Alexander in an open letter to the Commonwealth's Technology R&D~[/quote][hr]
[b][color=00aeef]Skills and abilities:[/color][/b]

[color=6ecff6]Legendary Strategist:[/color] Behind the slim and seemingly unimpressive and shady figure is a mind of an unparalleled genius. Almost always two steps ahead of the game, his broad understanding of the overall knowledge of the galaxy and the gifted ability to quickly adapt and construct a counter-plan to a situation made Alexander an extremely difficult player to fight against in the long-term. Going for an ordinary and commonly used plan would simply be suicide, as thinking outside of the box may not even be enough. If one has the guts to actually clash with Alexander on the battlefield of maps and pieces, then that person must either go for a quick victory, and definitely with a wild plan in mind, because otherwise nothing will get pass this man as long as it is within his dictionary.

[color=6ecff6]True Patriot's Charisma:[/color] His soldiers have an unusual devotion and loyalty to the Commonwealth's youngest Grand Admiral. Through proper training and education of the Commonwealth's philosophy, each soldiers, instead of fanatically, followed and obeyed the Grand Admiral's orders out of free will, true devotion and patriotism, while not afraid to express concerns or, in rare circumstances, disobey them if they felt must be done for the greater good. Even some of those outside of his units are admiring of this young man's ability to command loyalty and respect in his ranks.

[color=6ecff6]Logistic Master:[/color] An army marches on its stomach. The motto borrowed from the legendary emperor served as a reason to master this essential skill, which is not simply the matter of getting food to every man's stomach. His ability to organize, coordinate, manage and maintain his manpower, material and facilities is efficient to the very far end of the digit. 
[quote][h3][color=00aeef]"If I hadn't been protected by that man during those early days of my life, I might have ended up in the ranks of those poor souls. I would have been fertilizers to the soil, or be commanding scums instead of a military elite"[/color][/h3]

~Alexander in a private conversation with his secretary~[/quote][hr]

[b][color=00aeef]Biography[/color][/b]
Alexander was born on Earth, one of the metropolitan planet in the Core World of the Imperial Commonwealth, and poetically the origin of humanity itself. Rumors, whether true or false, persisted in his city that the young boy was able to compete in local chess competitions for high school students by the age of two. Nine years later, the boy beat a chess grandmaster for the first time. By the time he was seven, he attended high school and as he reached the age of thirteen, he was able to think critically and conduct certain analysis at university and post-graduate level.

His reputation spread far, but through a miraculous yet brilliant twist of fate, Alexander did not perish under the Commonwealth's policies of using young children. Before the Commonwealth could forcibly kidnap this young genius, one certain nobleman, governor and politician of his planet, someone whom Alexander would look upon with respect and gratitude later in his career, offered him the opportunity to enroll in the Grand Military Academy when he reached the age of twelve. Yes, voluntarily. There, young Alexander would be given special protection from all the overly-ambitious Commonwealth's leaderships who were looking to use prodigious children as tools of their own.

There, he received over-the-top quality education that only served to further his inhuman ability. By the time he was eighteen, the normal eligible age, he went into officer training. He became a ship's midshipman aboard a Cruiser by the age of twenty, and then a captain of a Corvette by the age of twenty-one. Things go uphill very quickly for Alexander. From the command of one individual ship, he rose to the rank of Commodore, commanding three light cruisers, then to Admiral, taking charge of a fleet of seven ships, consisting of cruisers and battleships, with his own capital ship. His finest hour was during the first years of the Rau've War. Alexander was the mastermind behind Operation Conundra, in which was a successful lightning military campaign against the Rau've important military targets. It is considered by most, if not all analyst, to be a spectacular tactical victory, as it disabled the majority of the Rau've's space fleet. However, some analyst considers it a strategic defeat, but most Commonwealth's military commanders see otherwise, as subsequent military actions were the prime reason for their defeats later on. Nevertheless, Alexander was promoted to the rank of Grand Admiral by the age of thirty-two for the successful strike.

That was the peak of his career, however. As the war progressed on, Alexander could see the Commonwealth's armies slowly stagnating in its track and entrenched. Foreseeing a long-term war, the newly promoted Grand Admiral proposes a more defensive plans, intending to play the game with them, the game that he excels at. However, the high command rejected this proposal, as they found it too passive. As a result, the scale of war gradually tipped to the Rau've, as things began to go downhill for the Commonwealth. With Alexander's effort, however, he manages to lure the Rau've forces into a decisive battle at Proxima. There, he was determined to crush the Rau've's forces with his superior ships. His initial plans for the battle was to entrench the Rau've in the defense line while destroying the backbone of the Rau've heavy ships and guns with field artilleries and carriers before steamrolling the smaller pawns with the dreadnoughts. This, however, was countered by the Commonwealth's high command, through lack of understanding of rules of warfare. This was the last straw for the Grand Admiral. He knew the Commonwealth was doomed, but didn't want his men to die in vain, so he counter-proposed to let his ships remain in reserve, ready to back up the troops at the front once the defense line was breached. His proposal was granted, but he did not keep his promise.

Before he knew it, the war was over. A peace treaty was signed, with the Commonwealth's army from a hulk of an army to a laughing stock. This was the wake-up call for Alexander, as he redoubled his effort to bring the Commonwealth's fleet back to its full power and glory. He campaigned for the Head of the Military Technology R&D, and developed new technology and new powerful weapons.[hr]
[quote][h3][color=00aeef]"We create hell when we think we're not."[/color][/h3][/quote][hr]
[b][color=00aeef]Personality:[/color][/b]

A subscriber of the philosophy of realism, Alexander is those who acts all accordingly and adaptively to the situation. He firmly believes that things exists despite the conceptual scheme or personal belief of a person. As a result, his decisions and reasonings are highly neutral in emotion, and always seem to focus on a particular goal he was aiming for. And logically equivalently, he is also highly critical of things birthed out mainly out of emotions or through personal bias and with little rationality for justification, claiming it to be 'the nest of unimaginable evil'.

As a person, the Grand Admiral is understandably a man of reason. He talks mostly with rationality and facts, and is usually accompanied with a calm and cold voice, and little facial expression. He is open to ideas and even criticism, something rare within the Commonwealth's high command, but does not open the gates to irrational emotions. Nevertheless, despite his impressive ability to suppress his own emotions for the sake of rationality, Alexander is still, at the end of the day, a human being, with emotions and feelings. He does feel sympathy to the child soldiers that were kidnapped from their family, often labelling himself as one of them as well. He loves his family, his parent whom he felt a little guilty for leaving them so soon and those who has the strength and desire to navigate through the complexities of his personality. Even though he may not be hesitant in sacrificing them if it serves the greater benefits of humanity, he still very much respects them, and will attempt his best to avoid such a fate for them.[hr]
[b][color=00aeef]Theme Song:[/color][/b]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbjKGs4WRbU[/youtube]
[/center]
[/hider]

[hider=Commonwealth's 1st Fleet - The Royal Guards]
[center][h1][color=bc8dbf]The Commonwealth’s 1st Fleet - The Royal Guards.[/color][/h1][/center][hr]
[color=bc8dbf]Motto:[/color] For the Army - For the People

[color=bc8dbf]History:[/color]
[hider=]
The origin of the 1st Fleet could be traced back to the time of the intergalactic civil war, along with 4 other main battle fleet, forming the backbone of the Commonwealth’s army at the time. The head of the fleet at the time was an Commonwealth fanatic and a romanticist, who desired to realize the idea of an ideologically led group of elite soldiers, fighting loyally to the Commonwealth without question. As a result, the army takes in a lot of young, enthusiastic, easily manipulated but very inexperienced recruits. It was very easy to tell the soldiers what to do, but it wouldn’t be guaranteed if they could be done correctly or efficiently. And that was exactly what happened. Once deployed on the battlefield, their loyalty and fearlessness were never in doubts, but sometimes they were almost too eager. They were frowned upon by officers as reckless, not well-trained, and often took higher casualty than the other fleets. One example was a group of several naval cruisers digging too deep into the enemy lines resulting in them being surrounded and had to be rescued. While at the beginning of the war it may not sound too much of an issue, but overtime, the casualties began to mount, and the 1st Fleet became more incapable of operations comparing to the others. Nevertheless, the war ended with an Commonwealth’s victory and annexation of the vast territories on the five huge galactic system.

After the war, while the four major fleets remained in the light of the army, the 1st Fleet was demoted as a Home Guard, due to their reduced size and unreliability in the war. Technically still a part of the army, but the fleet’s task is now to patrol the area around their home territory, which persists for a few decades before being placed back on the front. During the time, officers among the Commonwealth tend to look down on the 1st Fleet as amateurs, much to the dismay of the chief commander of the fleet itself.

During the start of the Commonwealth’s period of expansionism, the 1st Fleet reemerged as an active combat unit, but their operations remained limited. Most of the units were still guarding the home flanks, and was not very up to their duties, growing soft from the mundane routine task. That is until a certain arrival of post from Alexander Kherol, one of the rising stars in the Commonwealth. Noticing the quick ascension in power of a certain young man that barely reached the age of 30 in the Commonwealth’s Officer Corp, he immediately placed the man in charge of the Commonwealth’s 1st Fleet the moment he reached the rank of Vice Admiral, for two particular reasons. The first is that he saw the potential and the pureness of the newer more recent generations of officers in the Commonwealth’s military. And the second reason is to keep the man himself, Alexander Kherol, under his direct command, keeping him close in check for any signs of disloyalty.

Under the command of Alexander, the army went from being a group of amateurish new recruits into one of the best military soldiers the galaxy has ever seen. Once taken command of the soldiers, Alexander, knowing the traits of these men as naive, easily indoctrinated, young but eager, immediately reorganized the army’s structure, policy and command entirely and sent the men back into military school. This time, however, they’d be trained under private training courses, designed and integrated by a few veteran instructors, supervised by Alexander himself. The recruits were initially shocked with the intensity of the new training course. It was hard, brutal and close to being inhumane. Initially, there were soldiers who wanted a way out, which of course you can, but the foundation of being the Commonwealth’s loyal troops had already been there for decades, so brutality was not entirely an issue to be called upon. By the time of the Rau’ve-Commonwealth War, the 1st Fleet was entirely ready for combat.

One of their moments of triumph is the Conundra Campaign, initiated by Alexander himself. Personally, Alexander requested that the 1st Fleet would be at the front of the assault, leading the charge against the enemy. And they did so with distinction, as they tore through enemy lines ferociously, and with almost laughable ease. It was the first time ever in decades that the Commonwealth’s military actually looked upon the army in a good light. As the Commonwealth began to entrench themselves and lose the favor in the war, the 1st Fleet’s reputation continued to grow, with many combat victories and display of bravery. During the Rau’ve’s first counter-offensive, known as Operation Zetadele, the 1st Fleet distinguished themselves once again, as they held their grounds at the left flanks of the Commonwealth’s invasion army for weeks following the operation, not losing a single piece of land to the Rau’ve, and in some units not a single man was lost. And during the second counter-offensive, they also held their grounds well, until the total retreat order was given.

The two exploits in the two Rau’ve’s offensive operations reversed the reputation of the soldiers from their counterparts. The Commonwealth, still trying to recover from the lost of the Rau’ve attacks, decided to hide the truth of the battle outcome and instead decided to focus on propagating the exploits of the 1st Fleet. That was how the title ‘Royal Guard’ was born, from the combat triumphs in the defense of the Commonwealth’s entire army, and poetically their homeland as well. They were looked upon as heroes, and, as the dreams of the former commander once wished, the 1st Fleet was ascended to become an elite combat unit. They were distinguishable by the insignia that looks like two letter Js that stands with its back against each other symmetrically, placed on either the side of the helmet or on the collar of the uniform. This was made specifically under the orders of the Commonwealth as propaganda. Recruitment now switched to volunteering, yet thousands of soldiers flocked to join the Royal Guards. Royal Guard soldiers were more well-equipped with more advanced weaponries and vehicles, but noticably not exhibiting much magical power, though there would still be a few genetically enhanced super soldiers here and there.

As the war reached its conclusion, the Royal Guards fought valiantly against the Rau’ve forces, showing little signs of disloyalty despite the threat of looming defeat. The Battle of Proxima, the Commonwealth’s 1st Fleet was partially placed at the right flanks, guarding a Rau’ve’s attack, but the majority was either manning or guarding the carrier’s reserves, thus many of whom lived through the fight. After the battle, the Guards continued to fend off subsequent Rau’ve’s attack, helping the army to protect the Commonwealth from being annexed. Captured Guards were placed under trials, yet was not conclusive in terms of atrocities, as the Guards often fought alongside regular soldiers, and it is not easy to distinguish them between each other, especially for those who had never seen the battlefield even once. The total number of soldiers currently serving under the Royal Guards now number in the hundreds of thousands.
[/hider]
[color=bc8dbf]Exclusive Equipment: [/color]
[hider=]
[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/16048066-116c-4ae3-bc6b-1a538a756934.jpg]Projectile Semi-Automatic Rifles, Assault Rifles and Pistols:[/url] What may seem like a downgrade from the powerful standard laser or energy weapons, these projectile weapons are surprisingly deadlier than one may imagine. The weapon fires traditional high-velocity and armor-piercing rounds that can tear apart energy shields with ease, and in some case punch through armors that normal energy weapons cannot. The drawback is that the ammunition has to be manually inserted, in the traditional way not through recharge. Some variants have suppressor or/and bayonet attachment.

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/6096837a-9392-4d82-8b9d-13d95fb8af42.jpg]Projectile Machine Gun[/url] Same principle as the rifles, the MG is a flexible weapon that can be used as a stationary defense weapon, on APCs or as personal weapon. 

[url=https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/7223f6b5-e4e9-4964-a10a-9a2e037a0960.jpg]Recoilless One-Time Use Warhead Launcher - Tank Fist[/url] Developed late in the Rau've War. Commonly used in the 1st Fleet, but very rare in other armies. Flexible, light and deadly, the Tank Fist is a close-ranged anti-tank gun composing of a disposable pre-loaded launch tube firing a pointed shape anti-tank warhead. The weapon is short-ranged comparing to the Commonwealth's standard rocket launcher, can only be used once and then discarded, but is extremely deadly, one that can punch through almost any ground vehicle's armor, causing internal fires and explosions that kill crews and destroy equipment. While this can be used by a single soldier and relatively easy to use, the weapon can potentially hurt the user or kill allies around the operator due to the heat blasting back out of the other end of the weapon, and the short range means the operator has to be quite skilled and daring to use them effectively
[/hider]
[color=bc8dbf]Branch:[/color]
[hider=]
+Young Guards: Basically Royal Guards in training. Armed with standard Commonwealth's weapons.

+Middle Guards: The standard infantry in the 1st Fleet that evolves from the Young Guards. Armed with standard Commonwealth's weapons along with a couple of Tank Fists. They are the bones of the 1st Fleet, the ones that populate the most of the numbers in the army.

+Old Guards: The veteran infantry. The elite of the elite. Comparable to the Dragon's Brigade forces, sometimes even superior to them. Low in numbers but extremely high-skilled, very determined and fearsome in battle. Armed with multiple exclusive projectile rifles and machine guns, along with multiple Tank Fists and other personal anti-tank weapons. They are distinguishable by their camouflage all over their helmet and uniform.

+Red Guards: The paratroopers. They are tougher and more skilled than the Middle Guards, but not as the Old Guards. Also equipped with projectile weapons, though without Tank Fists, and usually seen employed in airborne operations. They wear camouflaged helmet for easy distinction

+Dragoons: Separated into Ground Dragoons and Air Dragoons, these guys are vehicle operators. They operate tanks, walkers and ships. They are not trained for personal combat with enemy infantry, but can hold off their own, and are normally equipped with standard Commonwealth weapons. They have their own uniforms different from the standard Guards.
+Special Service Guards: Basically commandos. They are usually employed in sneaky operations, like raids, sabotage missions behind enemy lines. They can work in conjunction with paratroopers and have their own camouflaged uniform. Armed a mix of standard and exclusive projectile equipment, with silencers and various attachment for special operations.
[/hider]
[/hider]

[hider=Alexander's side stories]
A collection of side stories about one of the Commonwealth's greatest generals. From his earliest day, through to his finest and his lowest moments, his most extraordinary and his most human. All separate stories.
[hider=Chapter 1: The Mind of a Genius]
"Alright, Alexander. How about you, can you solve this equation?"

The teacher said, as he gently handed his child the pen to the holographic board. A child of merely eight years of age. Among a crowd of thirty kids, all one head taller than him. The kid was reluctant to be called so suddenly, but at the gentleness and politeness of his professor, he found himself unable to deny his offer.

The child slid out of his chair, walked to the board and slowly, his hand holding the pen to which he would write with. As he neared, he simply stood still, silent. He inhaled, and exhaled. Again, and again.

And he wrote.

[color=6ecff6]"This is an equation that if you follow the conventional way of solving, it will resolve in a massive power number, which is technically very difficult to solve. But if you prove and apply this inequation to our main problem, it is possible to see that the left hand side of the verse can be reduced to this, which is always larger or equal to the right side of the verse, which is zero. So the equation only occurs when a specific condition is met in the left side of the verse. This greatly reduced the complexity of our problem, and it's quite straightforward from there."[/color]

The boy put down his pen, as he finished the last of his solution, as he slowly returned to the seat. But what he did not notice, perhaps too young to notice, were the eyes towards him. His teacher. His peers. Even the parents of some other kids who happened to be there at the time.
They were shocked beyond belief.[hr]
"...In my years of teaching, I've never seen a mind like your son’s."
[color=6ecff6][i]"The reason that Kobald failed on his conquest I believe was more to his own logistic than his enemy's tactical ability like you said teacher. The guerrilla soldiers did little in terms of combat, but it was the scorched earth policy done by the citizens that actually dealt the damage. Kobald's region was too far away for a reliable source of provisions, so he brought little and mostly lived off his conquered land, which was vulnerable to this policy"[/i][/color]

"He possesses the mind of a genius. One that many centuries we have yet to see again."

[color=6ecff6][i]"Castling on the king side is the most common move here, as it would grant the king additional protection against the enemy's knights and bishops, but if we play Queen to A4, it will block that Knight from going anywhere, while threatening the D4 pawn, so it's a more reasonable move."[/i][/color]

"He’s the only underaged student we have admitted, and yet he has already learnt everything we could ever hope to teach a child ten years older than him. There’s nothing more here for him to learn. Please, you have to let him go with us."

The teacher begged, again, as his parents began to feel more and more reluctant.

"He is too young..." His mother said, her voice full of indecisions.

"I am aware ma'am." The teacher responded. "But his reputation has already spread across the school. No, the district now. It is only a matter of time until the Commonwealth took notice of his unusual mind."

His mother's eyelids dropped, as if the dam was about to break. His father looked at his son, who was innocently reading the book inside his room, completely unaware of what was being discussed outside. They both knew the Commonwealth, and the rumors of those missing prodigious children in the Commonwealth wasn’t at all detached. It was perhaps the only situation when a parent would be in painful tears upon the discovery that their child was a genius.

It would be hard. For him to face reality this early. For his parents, to not worry about him. And for both of them, to say their goodbyes.

"I understand your concern. It's better to be voluntary early, than being forced out later. I know a person that can help him avoid that fate. But please..."

[color=6ecff6][i]"Teacher, what do you think?"[/i][/color]

"...you have to let him go."
[/hider]

[hider=Chapter 2: Finest Hours]
August 2374

Planet Wasa, Rau’ve’s Space Dock #3

The war had begun more than two weeks ago, but the Rau’ve had already been decimated. Their poorly prepared defense line made the once legendary Maginot Line to be considered effective. The Commonwealth’s space fleet sliced through their lines like a knife through butter. Their once mighty two carrier space fleets now two asteroid belts of metal. The third one, having managed to escape the carnage of Alexander’s lightning campaign, retreated to the orbit of Planet Wasa, one of their Space Dock deep in their home territory, initially for refit of armaments and space planes in order to counter the superior Commonwealth’s armor and firepower. Too bad for them that they would never be able to accomplish their original objective. For by the time the Rau’ve finally got together the tools to upgrade their fleet, the Commonwealth would have been at their very door steps, with bombs all over their vegetable heads. And six months later, the Commonwealth’s flag would be flying high at their capital.

Upon the news of the Rau’ve’s second line of defense being breached, the Rau’ve’s third carrier group had instead dug into their docks and made it their fortress. With the remnants of the broken second defense line rendezvousing at the once prosperous industrial planet, they were determined to halt the rapid advances of the Commonwealth’s Navy. But if only if they knew who they were up against…

[color=6ecff6]“4 Dreadnoughts, 6 Cruisers, 15 Destroyers and most importantly 3 Carriers.”[/color] Said the grey-haired admiral, wearing the standard dark grey Commonwealth’s officer’s uniform, sitting at the far end of the table. His eyes hidden behind the thickness of the glasses, adding another layer to the already present aura of mystery and chilliness. [color=6ecff6]“That’s our price for the taking.”[/color]

“But they are dug into their asteroid belt, with multiple stationary guns on the asteroids. And even though we have the same number of carriers, their number of ships in total are nearly twice our numbers” Replied one other commanding officer at the table, this one sitting right next to Alexander, his embellishment missing a star comparing to Alexander’s. His voice lowered. His eyes twitched as he kept his gaze on the battlefield being replicated in the hologram right in front of him on the table.

[color=6ecff6]“They fight as one we’ll kill them as one.” [/color]

“They’ve chained up now, it’d be hard to break.”

[color=6ecff6]“Not with the right way.”[/color] Said Alexander, eyeing over the battle overview. [color=6ecff6]“The Rau’ve's position implies they are trying to counter our blitzkrieg strategy. We’ll present them with the unexpected, and watch them fall apart...” [/color]

And that was exactly what he did. And it all began with his explanation.

[color=6ecff6][i]“The Rau’ve have chosen the battlefield in a way that can maximize the strength of their numbers. Our forces will approach them just like we usually do. Like a nailboard…”
“Nawar and Rar, you brothers will be commanding this front.”[/i][/color][hr]
The next day, what was materialized on that holographic table was right there, on the space just a few hundred kilometers wide area of space, with the asteroid belt flooded with those heavy hitting anti-armor railguns. And that would be the thing the Commonwealth’s Navy would have to break in order to win this battle. Along with the lines of guns are capital ships, frigates and corvettes taking their cover behind these meteorites, ready to meet their adversary. And right behind those things would be the reserve fleet. And behind that the carriers. Those juicy target that Alexander was longing for.

The Rau’ve was certainly surprised by the speed of the Commonwealth’s Navy, but they were not daunted. Morales were high, and they were determined. But their pride had blinded them. For the Commonwealth approached the battle line just like how Alexander had told them, but with a single twist.[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]“But this time, our dreadnoughts will not be at the front anymore. Instead, the breakthrough will be made by the heavy cruisers.”[/i][/color][hr]
And indeed, they were. Right at the front, ready to charge into the thick. And they went under the blind’s eyes.[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”Before the charge, however, I want you, Lan, to destroy their air group.”[/i][/color][hr]
And so the battle began. The Commonwealth’s carriers immediately sent out hundreds of their star fighters, accompanied by other  ships in the fleet, though with lesser numbers. And in response, the Rau’ve also dispatched their entire fighter groups to the ensuing battle. The air fight opened the curtain for one of the most biggest battle the universe has ever seen. In the span of only a few kilometers, nearly five hundred fighters had slammed themselves against each other, greeting each other with bullets and metals, clashing with the others on a personal level. And those to come out victorious, could change the course of the entire battle.[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”If we win this air fight, we win the entire battle. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is. Even if you suffer massive casualties you must gain air supremacy.”[/i][/color][hr]
All of Alexander’s hope for this battle came in the form of a few hundred fighters. He normally despised relying on one single thing in battle, but this was the only time he had to put faith in it. On the grittiness, the well-trained pilot of the Commonwealth’s Air Force.
It was chaos. A birthplace of aces, but a cemetery for hundreds of young men and women. A clash of steel, of skills, of wits, but not without blood from either sides. But the ensuing 15 minutes battle had emerged the Commonwealth as the victorious side. Air supremacy had been achieved.[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”While the air battle concludes itself, our breakthrough forces will surge forward. The Rau’ve will definitely respond with a hail of fire from their asteroid guns.”[/i][/color][hr]
As the cruisers moved, the guns lit themselves up. Hell ensued for the heavy cruisers. Of course because the cruisers were not as heavily armored as the dreadnoughts, they were not as well protected as them. They would reach the belt faster than the dreadnoughts would, but in doing so, some began to burn...[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”Do not relent. Once your cruisers reach the asteroid belt, you will have time to repair, in which you must, because the Rau’ve will throw ahead their reserve, to push us back.”[/i][/color][hr]
And exactly that, they surged forward, frigates, corvettes and dreadnoughts descended upon them, taking the Commonwealth’s cruisers right on their faces. The Commonwealth’s advances had been halted.[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”At this point, the Rau’ve will think their plan worked.”[/i][/color][hr]
The cruisers slowly backed, as the Rau’ve poured down fire upon their invaders. Some unfortunate were left burning…[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”Give ground, and let them believe.”[/i][/color][hr]
Soon, the grounds the Commonwealth had gained were handed back to the Rau’ve, as fightings intensified. Guns blazed, star fighters answered.  The entire asteroid belt was lit up by a spectacular lightshow of fire and bullet. No ships were willing to relent, as they continuously hailed down fire upon anything that moves, until they could no longer

At this point, the Rau’ve had the reason to be proud. They held their ground, they pushed the Commonwealth’s back. They thought they may have ended the myth of Commonwealth’s invincibility. And they were led to believe, as their lines between the reserve and the front began to merge[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”It is then that we will mobilize our dreadnought reserves, and our remaining bombers, destroy their entire defense line.”[/i][/color][hr]
It was too late for them.

When they had realized their mistake, they had nowhere to go. Any form of retreat would mean giving the Commonwealth the means to break their line completely. But staying would mean no different. The Commonwealth do not intend to play a fair game here. They only have one objective, and that is to obliterate the Rau’ve’s naval fleet completely.

From above and below, Commonwealth’s dreadnoughts approached, like the hammer and anvil. Their huge battle cannons turned, strangling the Rau’ve with every angle. Bombers from the carriers accompanied them in the violent purge. Once they had locked on their targets, it was when chaos descended. It was the same for the killed and the survivors. When they opened their eyes, it was a scene right from the depths of hell.

The Commonwealth blew up the entire asteroid belts. They buried the Rau’ve alive.[hr]
[color=6ecff6][i]”The rest of the fleet will charge forward, cutting down any stragglers.
There will be no mercy…”[/i][/color][hr]
The winner had been decided in the first fifteen minutes of the fight. And the tide turned in just less than 5 minutes.

In those 5 minutes, the Rau’ve’s forces went from solid confidence and discipline into a complete riot. Those who were courageous enough to remain in the fight were cut down without mercy, their corpse dissolved in the flames of burning ships. If one still valued their very lives, then he must strip away their weapons, armor and gave themselves in voluntarily, for they may find the Commonwealth’s prison having a higher chance of survival. Those foolish enough to run away from battle, the Commonwealth spared no moments of hesitation. The lighter ships charged forward, unleashing barrages of rocket fires, disintegrating the Rau’ve’s armors in seconds.  Screams echoed, as panic settled into the ranks of the Rau’ve, until there were no more organization, no more resemblance of a military forces, just a massive hulk of crowd running fearfully for their lives. And then, there were no more…[hr]
[color=6ecff6]“It was the greatest battlefield victory of the age. Their entire fleet was destroyed or captured. Not one single ship made it back to their home for any form of resistance. And above all, over thirty thousand Rau’ves, including three high-ranking generals and many officers had been declared killed in action. Our road to the capital had been opened.

Today is a victory greater than any victories the Commonwealth could have achieved throughout its one hundred years of rules. A victory that would solidify me as the greatest Commonwealth’s military commander of all time.

And yet I felt no sense of triumph…”[/color]
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[hider=Chapter 3: Proxima]
What happened to the glorious days of the Commonwealth? After the battle of Wasa, there was nothing. Nothing…

In the mind of the Commonwealth’s youngest and most feared general was full of melancholy. He did not work so hard for his entire life for this moment. He did not leave the comfort of his home, the warmth embrace of his mother and father for this. Nor did he work his entire way up to the rank of grand admiral, ignoring the brutality and hostility of where he was raised. Nor his effort to bring the Commonwealth to the doorstep of the Rau’ve capital. For this. For the Rau’ve to reorganise, counterattack and inflict deaths upon the army. For them to push the army the entire way back, reversing all of the effort Alexander had grinded through. All thrown into the bin in the most ungrateful manner by the colleagues he worked with.

He saw this coming. With those eyes behind the thick glasses yet saw far better than those perfect visioned so-called generals. He saw the slow decline, and he tried to stop it. But once glory had been achieved, these men and women decided to toss him aside, threw him into the sidewalk because they didn’t want to miss out on the glory that they craved. [color=6ecff6][i]’Glory my ass.’[/i][/color] Was always his thoughts. If they were his direct subordinate, he’d have their head taken, or in his procedure, stripped of their ranks and booted back to being a common soldier. Anything glory driven was always a waste of time, manpower and resources. But like his old teacher once said, his mind was far few in between. Only he could see it. No other could. And when stupidity plus ego, here he was.

Sitting in the tall-backed chair in the private quarter of his huge battlestation, the capital dreadnought Aegis, he, for once, took off his glasses, revealing his true colored eyes for the very first time, though unfortunately no one was there to witness it. He took out a small handkerchief from his pocket as he wiped the layers gently. A long sigh escaped his lips, his breath held weight, and it was pulling him down, also the rare moment of human emotion he displayed ever since he was stripped away from his parent. From his normal life.

His only work for the moment was to wait. In the hours that seemed like an eternity to the grand admiral. It had been a few hours since the last strategical meeting had concluded. The high command had decided against his military advice. Not far-fetched from what he expected, but this time it was the only decision that he very much feared. He had called for a reconsideration, and they were discussing it. If they did reconsider, then he’d be informed of another meeting. That was the message that he was expecting to receive for hours.

For he knew if they went forth with their decision, it would be a massacre.

The silence was just unsettling. The silence that he once enjoyed, from the stillness of the bookshelf to the solemnity of the chandelier. He couldn’t sleep. Nor could he do anything either. He normally hate idleness but today he couldn’t help but be so. Doing anything would be useless right now.

And then, for some mysterious reasons, his hand suddenly reached for his drawer. He opened them, and inside was a small picture. A paper-back picture. Not very commonly seen nowadays. And in it, it was a picture of a young boy, gray-haired but without glasses, smiling prettily. The boy was barely even six when this picture was taken. And next to him, crouching and holding onto his shoulder was another person with the gorgeous silky platinum hair, tied into a side bun whilst the rest left hanging down to her waist. Her smile perfectly matched her beauty. And standing right next to the two mother and son was the final puzzle to make a happy family. The man did not have any resemblance in terms of hair-color, but he was well-tuned, well-dressed, smart-looking. And that passed on well.
A picture of a happy family. Of a loving mother and father, one that would pull them into their warmth everytime they fell into a dead juncture, one that would cheer them on from the back as they march on the long road that is called life. Alexander spent a few minutes without lifting his eyes. And then he turned around to the back, to see a beautiful feminine handwriting on it.

October 23rd, 2349.

An outing with my darling and my sweet child…

…

…

But before anything, a notification suddenly appeared in front of Alexander in a form of a hologram. Incoming call. From Admiral Damon. It must have been it.

Alexander had no hesitation in pressing the receive call button. As the image of the admiral appeared in front of Alexander, he quickly re-adjusted himself, put away the picture and put on his glasses again.

[color=6ecff6]“Yes, Admiral Damon?” [/color]

“Grand Admiral, I’m here to inform you about the high command’s decision of your request for a strategy reconsideration. The President has decided to refuse your request. You will proceed to execute the plan according to what had been given in the last meeting.” Damon quickly informed.

Alexander’s expression was unreadable.

That’s it then…

“Is there anything that must be clarified, Grand Admiral?”

[color=6ecff6]“No, thank you.” [/color]

Alexander briefly replied, as he looked at Damon one last time before his image disappeared. He knew that this would very likely be his last time speaking to him. Damon was the commander of the ambush task force. And he was certain that the ambush would turn out a spectacular disaster. And Damon was definitely not a righteous man. He had committed numerous atrocities against Rau’ve’s prisoners and civilians. There is no way the Rau’ve would let this go unpunished. If he did not die with honor on the battlefield, he’d rot in the Rau’ve’s prison, or had his neck broken in a noose, or his chest made into cheese in front of a firing squad. He definitely felt he deserved it, but nevertheless, Alexander could not help but feel bad for him. He had yet to realize his fate.

Nevertheless, Alexander stood up from his chair. His eyes now completely clouded behind his thick glasses, unseen from the outside. He immediately called one of his admirals under his direct command over to the bridge.[hr]
The days after the final order had been given, the atmosphere surrounding the Aegis was the polar opposite of Alexander’s private quarter. The Dragoons were running around in the ship, trying to reach for their station. Sounds of boots clattered with the hard floor on the ship, echoing into deep space.  In the midst of it all, standing in the middle of the room was Alexander and Admiral Faro of the 1st Fleet. Facing each other, their brows furrowed.

[color=6ecff6]“I’d say it, we’re done for.”[/color] Alexander said. [color=6ecff6]“They’ve decided against my advice.”[/color]

“No disrespect sir, but what do you expect from a band of circus clown, kidnappers and sadists?” Faro replied, making an unimpressed face.

[color=6ecff6]“Be serious, Faro.”[/color] Alexander adjusted him. [color=6ecff6]“I’d have to take matters into my own hands. Proxima will be lost in the next few days. When they do, who will defend the Commonwealth’s homeland from those Rau've?”[/color]

“Are you sure you can hold against them, with just our reserve fleet?” Faro asked skeptically.

[color=6ecff6]“Once they knew who they were against, they’d be having second thoughts. The Dragon’s Brigade, the Old Guards, and me. A man with any quality of brain cell would decide for a peace treaty over a slaughter. The Rau’ves are no different. They aren’t crazy.”[/color] Alexander replied

“Be careful, that can be interpreted as treason.”

[color=6ecff6]“Ha, Faro. Don’t worry. If it saves the Commonwealth, they will overlook it. Besides, I’m the only one capable of saving the Commonwealth from being annexed. He wouldn’t be so crazy to kill me off.”[/color] Alexander said. [color=6ecff6]“Now is all ships in position?”[/color]

“Yes sir. We’re all set.” Faro replied.

[color=6ecff6]“Very well.”[/color] Alexander gave a short sigh. [color=6ecff6]“Tell the other grand admirals that we’re ready.” [/color]

“Yes sir.” He nodded as he turned on his heel to leave.

[color=6ecff6]“Oh.”[/color] Alexander suddenly called him just as the bridge’s door opened. Faro turned around, curious. [color=6ecff6]“Tell those admirals to visit by the Laichstarg sometime.” [/color]
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