darkwolf687

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Kashyyyk

The detonation of the stealth talismans has resulted in many pissed off Savea Simius. The Collective forces have fallen back to the caves for the time being, dragging their captive wookies, a single captured pegasi, the bodies of enemy forces and local wildlife with them into the depths of the tunnels

The Corruptelae Insectum have taken to collapsing the entrance to the tunnels to keep out the hostile robots. The Overseer covered the hole above the launcher in the dirt in order to try and conceal it from the eyes of the enemy...

Presumably, those captives and deceased are to become food for the now hiding survivors of the tunnel collapse, though the truth could be somewhat more sinister...

A small group of Aru'Shumi have dashed for the outer reaches of the forest, attempting to stay hidden from the Equestrians and Wookies

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Kashyyyk

The Flayed Ones. That was the name given by the local Wookies to the Saeva Simius now. The Stealth Talismans didn't explode on Wookie flesh, even when dead, so what was the solution the Collective had came up with? They had skinned the wookies and worn their flesh, thus the Talisman would treat the Saeva Simius like something a Wookie was wearing and cloak them. The Saeva Simius spread terror using this, appearing out of no where near Wookie patrols, trapped in the skin of the Wookies and killing them. They always left a single survivor, generally with his arms and legs removed, in order to tell the tale of the monsters in the woods.

The Aru'Shumi, the evolving enemies. And now this planets branch of Aru'Shumi shared gene's with the Equestrians. You are what you eat, words that rang true with the Aru'Shumi for certain. The Aru'shumi had also consumed the native Mykals and sprouted wings again, letting their species take to the skies once more. Their devouring of the Mykals gave them a form of echolocation... and it was perfect for finding the cloaked pegasi. They had also began to consume other pieces of the local wild life, selecting their traits to adapt them to the jungle

The weapon fired... the pod arched through the air and then smashed into the tree top military outpost, opening up. The parasitics jumped out, hissing as they did. Two Wookies came over to attack them, but parasitics launched up at them, coupling with their heads. The remaining Wookies beat a hasty retreat, being chased by the parasitics and the now rising wookie necrotics. Weapons of terror...

The Lance Humans had, themselves, retreated to the tunnels to gaurd them from hostile incursion. The Overseer commanding the force, now finished constructing the launcher, was planning his next move. His soldiers were quick to bring back any intact bodies, they needed their nutrients.

Space Station

"This one can not say the same" The Officer said as he tapped several commands "The Collective would like to propose an coalition against the Equestrian Empire and thus possibly the destruction slash enslavement slash absorption of the races who refer to themselves as Equestrians. No restrictions on the destruction against their people, with but one request. The Collective prefers their princesses be taken intact, if possible, but not required. What says you? What terms would you put forwards?" The Officer transmitted, tilting his head slightly to the right

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

I'm not so much against biological weapons (hell, I use one, though not on the sort of germ warfare) it's when the biological weapons are completely unstoppable, 100% effective, are literally 'magic' so that there's nothing you can do to prevent it etc

Because Duck, considering you once said it was illegal to use and there are apparently only 5 samples (You never even said you brought it, were these samples just waiting above Kashyyyk this whole time incase they wanted to kill the Wookies with it or something?), they seem pretty fast to deploy it (Does it take no time at all to prepare it to only target a single type of species? Is it really that easy to do?) Has there never been an incidence when it's screwed up and killed all life instead of just it's target? Because you just launched it into a planet covered in life, if there was one mistake in that programming you could have just destroyed the Wookies homeworld easily given how quick it could spread

Hm, guess I'm gonna have to skin Wookies

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

duck55223 said
To deal with he Megarachnids they used a Dark Magic plague. The plague was spreading through the entire planet, and the megarachnid population, including the queen, would be dead within a few hours. Most ponies have withdrawn from the surface, with only Pegasi and battle mages remaining. The Lance Humans were simple to deal with, a few psi-blockers had been issued to elite pegasi and they had gone on hunting teams, quickly and easy dealing with them. Patrols are assigned to the treetops, slowing down the surprise attacks. The Saeva Simus aren't given any special conditions beyond wookie trackers being issued stealth talismans and hunting them down. Pegasi equipped with Short range but powerful EMP cannons as well as explosives are sent to hunt down mech warriors.Also to decrease the chances for the forces to escape all ship traffic to the planet has been halted, besides a few exclusive transports that have randomized routes with personnel equipped with psi-blockers and genetic readers.

Unfortunately for the Equestrians, while the majority of the megarachnids were dead and likely the Equestrians thought they had all died, a single one had survives due to a random genetic mutation conferring immunity to the magical plague. Hiding within the hole, she began her metamorphosis... If she produced offspring, they would invariably share this mutation: Survival of the fittest

The Lance Humans were seemingly easier to deal with than the Equines suspected, and they continued their push as the Lance Humans retreated... Only to feel a barrage of bullets from the tree tops, bringing parts of them down. Then they would feel a weight on them as the Aru'Shumi launched down on them
They struggled to toss them off, but the strange, carrion bird like alies slit the pegasi throats, sending them crashing to the floor as they buckled. The aliens did not stop there, they tore out the organs, devouring them and breathing in the rich stink of the bloody corpses. They were like hungry wolves around a helpless animal. The Lance human group they had been chuckled darkly.
This was generally the fate of these elite pegasi, put down by surprise attacks from above. Over confidence had been their downfall, expecting they would be able to quickly defeat a force that was entrenching its self in the jungle and being overly aggressive. Grave tactical errors were made, and it usually gave the Ari'Shumi a chance to drop in and mess up the Pegaso

The Saeva Simius were losing at first, but once they discovered the Wookies were using stealth talismans their tactics changed, relying now on placing traps and waiting for the Wookies to activate them, killing them. They would then attempt to salvage the Wookies stealth Talismans Regardless, it seemed the Saeva Simius, for now at least, were not seeing the success of their Aru'Shumi counter parts.

The mech soldiers put up a good fight, but unlike the others they were illadapted to hiding in the forests, and generally being more durable than the Saeva Simius didn't make up for being exposed versus a larger force. Eventually, they all retreated to the hole to hide away

The eyes of the Triarian glowed a dull orange as he assembled the machine before him in the newly constructed third chamber. The third chamber had more, and larger, holes than the first, pointing to the surface in various directions to allow for the weapons firing. It was more like a dug out than an underground chamber, so this one would be much easier to find once it started firing. Its connection to the other chamber was by a large, winding passage way which the Collective wished to ambush their enemies in should it be discovered.

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Duck, that sort of defeats the whole point of creating an infestation. Imagine if in Aliens the colonial marines could just drop down a vial and kill all the aliens. The Dark Magic plague is ridiculous: It is unsurvivable, spreads in mere hours, kills only its chosen targets etc. Its Syphon Filter on steroids, one could actually have immunity to that!
As its not a real disease, it completely bypasses the Corruptelae Insectums disease resistance and just kills them all. Why bother setting up an infestation? Hell, why not just use that plague on everything you come across, you seem to be able to make it and deploy it fast enough.
I think that, as the weapon can be tuned to a single species, and is just generally all round unstoppable... And can be made and deployed within a few hours of an infestation, that its kind of bullshitty

How have you easily eliminated the Lance Humans? How did you find the hide out? A foot wide hole in the entire jungle world and you just found it? Even if they were out of the hole, how did you just sneak up on them? Don't you think using a psi-blocker would have actually made them easier to detect? "Hang on a minute command, we have a zero energy blob..."Oh, and they would still have their abilities, just because they can't use their powers directly on Pegasi, they could still blast energy at them, launch rocks etc. Also, the Pegasi have the problems I pointed out with combat in the woods for their species earlier, giving the Lance humans an advantage (And they're lying in wait in a massive jungle world...) getting rid of them is neither quick, nor easy. Also, these units aren't alone, if you encounter lance humans generally you will encounter Saeva Simiu

On the subject of Saeva Simius, Ima capture those stealth talismans from the wookies, hehe.

Oh, and you ignored the Aru'shumi almost entirely, merely slowing their surprise attacks. Bad move, your forces are about to get set upon by the death before dishonour birds, who are going to have a great time eating them and absorbing their genes...

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Kashyyyk

As it turned out, removing the megarachnid presence would be anything but a simple mop up operation. The creatures could hide and move through the undergrowth of Kashyyyks thick forests and swampland with each, the dangerous floor of Kashyyyk providing an excellent habitat for predators, scores of food for the megarachnids and ample areas to hide away from Equestrian and Wookie alike, though one had to admit that even the Megarachnids had trouble dealing with the larger predators, but they held a swarm mentality that allowed them to overcome these predators. It was a world they could thrive on... And a world the newly metamorphosed queen would not give up so easily.
The few Saeva Simius there were too posed a threat. The base species had adapted on their jungle world, and these adaptions were useful in helping to detract from the wookies advantage. The Equestrians were not adapted like either wookie or Saeva Simius, and the Collective was using this to their advantage. Firstly, being clearly an equine species, thick wood land such as this terrain tended to be adverse to galloping. Their structure did not allow them to climb either, nor operate as effectively in tight, confined spaces. Their bodies did not rotate as a humanoids did, meaning that attacking them from behind was much more effect, as the ponies would take longer to turn. Over the wookies, the Saeva Simius had a few distinct advantages. They were obviously stronger, faster, better trained and better equipped... Although they lacked in numbers compared to the vast wookie population
The Aru'Shumi that had been sent down to the planet similarly faired well. Their agility and powerful leg muscles allowed them to scale the tree's quickly to gain vantage points or to reach Wookie abodes and conduct surprise attacks, although their sense of honour often meant the Aru'Shumi would end up fighting longer than would be advisable before withdrawing, leading to higher casualties. Regardless, they, along with the megarachnids, made raids on the Wookie abides which leant to a spread of panic.
The Lance Humans faired worse, however. They did not have the numbers of the megarachnid, the strength of the Saeva Simius or the agility of the Aru'shumi. Their psionic ability was their only up here, given that there was but a single Triarian on the world, and he was almost invariably found near the Queen. Needless to say, many advocated various escape plans, but the chances of success were currently considered to low, though they continued to plot a method of escape from the world.
The mech soldiers had many advantages. Not only were they strong, but they did not require feeding, were immune to any form of disease, were durable, brave and tireless. However, they were mechanical and of course had the disadvantages which came with such.
The hive entrance was dug out at the root of a large tree by Megarachnids, and was about a foot in diameter, the first chamber had been dug out and the queen had metamorphosed inside. What supplies the forces had were placed inside to be guarded by the Queen, the Triarian and various other forces.
Hidden within the forest, from a hole which it was unlikely anyone would find without knowing it was there, the Battlegroup Remnant were preparing for a long, hit and run styled campaign, hoping to be a nuisance while they sought a way off the planet, or in the case of the megarachnids, attempted to claim their new hive world

It seemed even in death the battle group would trouble the world.

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

That moment when someone tries to intimidate an agent of chaos.

Well, I foresee this backfiring on the Equestrians horribly lol

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Space Station

The Triarian manning the station looked to the Terminal and shook his head quickly, muttering to himself "Insane Spectre, INsane deuscidium... if these illogical chaos try to blow up my station again..." He muttered, tapping a few commands and transmitting a message
"I request that you do not attempt to eliminate my space station during this encounter, it was most annoying" The officer transmitted, before pausing and continuing "The Collective would like to propose an coalition against the Equestrian Empire and thus possibly the destruction slash enslavement slash absorption of the races who refer to themselves as Equestrians"

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Kashyyyk

The dark energy ball that was formed from all the loses expanded, creating a silent, lightless void in the center where the ships had once been. A Triarian battle group had been defeated, but with it that battlegroup had taken the infinitely more valuable Equestrian Dreadnaught, Princess Cadence, Shining Armour, Archmages, a sum of Archnite, an Admiral and many crew members. For a force which had been expecting to destroy some primitive locals, they had taken a chunk out of the Equestrians.

Only the Triarian forces on the planet survived, trapped on the world and ready for the worse. But as they knew now there would be no escape for them, no surrender, no mercy... they would fight their own war... but for now, they would wait for the Equestrian fleet to leave, and then they will go to war.

The Equestrians would never forget, that was for sure. The Battle group, paticularly the Velites "Sanguinem patrum nostrorum" had marked the name of the Collective into the Equestrians, they were sure of it. That was a victory in it's self

Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

Kashyyyk

"We must withdraw!" One of the Bridge Officers commented, but the shipmaster ignored him
The weapons may have been torn from their sockets, but none can stop the greater good! The Shipmaster stared off for a moment, his eyes glowing orange, before he tapped a few commands, and took over his ships controls manually. Just a handful of seconds after their weapons had been removed the velites ship jumped into slipspace, and appeared so quick one could not distinquish the time passed. Overwatch read the time as about 10-19 seconds... For comparison, light would have travelled about 14.95 centimetres in that time, the Collective ship had travelled just over 384450 kilometers in that time, which was, in turn, just over the distance from the former Sol-3 to it's satellite. For those unaware, this meant that the secondary universe had a scale factor of 25715.7191, give or take (At least, over short differences...)
And the Collective had just used it to drop the ship right on top of the source of the devastating magic. In about than 3.1000000000000000001 seconds (Maybe give or take 10-20th of a second) the Shipmaster had turned his ship into living ammunition against the stealthed enemy ship, detected from the flare of energies
The Overseer stood, watching in shock from the bridge as the Velites exploded in dark energy as it emerged with the Equestrian stealth ship INSIDE IT. The result? Devastation of both ships, the Equestrian ship as it's hull was twisted and contorted, merged into the same space as the Velites... and then the Velites as the Equestrian shields scathed the section of the ship where it had arrived... unfortunately for both vessels, the Equestrian ship had emerged inside Section DERC-A2. As a result, the Dark Energy core was compromised... and the two ships became consumed as a result of the unstable core, consuming all. There was no sound, only a black ball blasting out with the diameter of 2.4 miles or so. The second core added energy to this, and the ball expanded by another mile. It then collapsed in on it's self, leaving nothing behind

"Sir... I believe they just..."
"Code sacrifice... They must have predicted a force like that was strong enough to cause further damage and wished to prevent such... whatever that thing was, it's power readings were off the charts to have emerged from no where... but a single stealth ship having done that... Damn magic"
"Honour?"
"Honour, move forwards, ready out point defence weapons. Jump forwards! We shall give them a bloody nose. Detonate all loose weapons. All ships, sacrifice upon threatening damage. For the Greater Good!" He barked out orders to the fleet, which entered space and came out among the Equestrian ships, firing their point defences wildly. No, the point defences would likely not destroy the Equestrian ships, but this seemed to be a display of honour and bravery rather than one of reason. The battle seemed lost.

Or maybe it wasn't. The ships launched their fighters and forces and aerial synths, now that they were close to the Equestrian ships they could get to them more easily, dropships launched out and warp cannons were fired from Marchers and Gunships in an attempt to break holes into the Enemy ships.
The two carriers came out over the dreadnaught, and dropped their two assembly and habitat walkers onto the top of it, which proceeded to fire all their weapons. The Assembly walkers fired their dark energy casters at the dreadnaught, while all of them fired their warp cannons and hardlight weaponry. They deployed their forces onto it, all fighting and blasting. "Bring down the dreadnaught!" Was the cry "Show them what it is to know no fear!"
Elite Lance Human teams attempted to break their way inside through any holes that might appear, aiming to turn the ship on it's self
While the Aquilifiers launched their assault on the dreadnaught, the other ships did what they could with their fighters to attack the other ships. If damaged, they had orders to either crash or jump inside the larger enemy ships, clearly with the intent to make the Equestrians lose more than the Collective. Assembly walkers, habitat walkers and Carriers worked over time with their teleporters, trying to deploy some forces down to the planet to cause chaos, mostly in the form of megarachnids
Should the ships be damaged further, they had orders to launch themselves into enemy ships and bring them down with them. Whether they would have the time to conduct such orders was unknown, though they hoped their close proximity to Equestrian ships might make the Equestrians refuse to open fire on them.

Behind them, alone in space, their weapons self destructed in a beautiful display, leaving nothing behind, no sad testament to the wasted resources above the world.

Unknown

"Find me that Chaos ship, strike it's amputated verdict, I want it contacted immediately. Start galactic scans, get the watchers on it, get psionics on it. I want it located, war may now be unavoidable, we will need allies."
"Can we trust them?"
"No. But that's the beauty of it, they can be trusted to be dishonest..."
The watchers begin scanning for the Chaos ship of Lord Nihilus, and trying to transmit out messages to get it's attention and convince it to come to the same space station it attacked before (which now has only a skeleton crew and is at least capable of supporting life" so that they may negotiate with it concerning what they have reffered to in the message as an "upcoming war with the pony races"