Novella Uncommon Crossings - Revision history

Sudazima at 19:18, 17 December 2025

2025-12-17T19:18:21Z

Sudazima: Sudazima moved page Fiction Uncommon Crossings to Novella Uncommon Crossings

2020-07-14T19:33:04Z

Sudazima moved page Fiction Uncommon Crossings to Novella Uncommon Crossings

Sudazima at 22:04, 9 September 2018

2018-09-09T22:04:14Z

Sudazima at 15:39, 18 January 2018

2018-01-18T15:39:37Z

Sudazima at 15:38, 18 January 2018

2018-01-18T15:38:53Z

Sudazima at 16:32, 17 January 2018

2018-01-17T16:32:16Z

Sudazima at 16:31, 17 January 2018

2018-01-17T16:31:17Z

Show changes

Sudazima at 14:46, 16 January 2018

2018-01-16T14:46:06Z

Sudazima at 13:47, 16 January 2018

2018-01-16T13:47:51Z

Sudazima at 13:47, 16 January 2018

2018-01-16T13:47:29Z

@@ Line 96: / Line 96: @@
 The stars themselves seemed to wink out of existence as Commander Torid Dietrov slipped the control receptors of the neuro-brace from a dermal-jack at the base of his skull. In the holo-screen that compromised the forward end of the command-deck of his vessel, Errant Virtue, the ragged line of the USN picket-squadron stretched out in front of him, bristling with deadly energy arrays and exposed missile and torpedo tubes. Though only visible through the highly magnified visual feed being piped to the command-deck’s view-screens, the sheer destructive power of the arsenal being leveled in the direction of his ships was enough to sober the usually jovial commander even more. Peering closely at the craft in the display (more out of nervousness then actual intent), he studied the Spartan, almost utilitarian design of the enemy warships. Even when compared to the sleek elegance of Antarean craft the enemy’s ships were still impressive to behold, swimming through the inky blackness of deep-space like prowling, stellar sharks. And oh what sharp teeth they had, he thought ruefully.
-His mission, challenging the defenses of Norway, seemed like suicide when it was first proposed to him. Taking a single heavy-corvette squadron into one of the most [[Location_Illuvian_Triangle||heavily defended systems]] in the star-cluster, and an important wormhole junction no less, was hardly appealing to the fifteen-year veteran of the Antarean Navy. The fact that his incursion was little more than a feint, and that he was under orders to stay away from the system’s core had done little to improve his mood, it would make no difference in the end as it only meant that the system’s defenders had to chase him down before they wiped he and his command from existence. And so his apprehension had only grown during the planning stages of the attack, that is, until he saw the specifications of the ships under his command.
+His mission, challenging the defenses of Norway, seemed like suicide when it was first proposed to him. Taking a single heavy-corvette squadron into one of the most [[Location_Illuvian_Triangle|heavily defended systems]] in the star-cluster, and an important wormhole junction no less, was hardly appealing to the fifteen-year veteran of the Antarean Navy. The fact that his incursion was little more than a feint, and that he was under orders to stay away from the system’s core had done little to improve his mood, it would make no difference in the end as it only meant that the system’s defenders had to chase him down before they wiped he and his command from existence. And so his apprehension had only grown during the planning stages of the attack, that is, until he saw the specifications of the ships under his command.
 The new Seshat class heavy corvettes were marvels of Antarean design. Sleek and beautiful, their curving, tan and mauve colored hulls were dotted with ion-arrays, kinetic point-defense clusters, and missile tubes. What made them even more exciting weren’t just the weapons outside, but within. Radical advances in engine technology and micro-technologies allowed the corvette’s to generate unheard of amounts of energy, not only tremendously boosting their speed, but allowing far more powerful weapons to be included both on and inside of the hull itself. Packed around a single, capital-class ion-beam cannon, a weapon usually reserved for the heaviest of cruisers and super-capital craft, the Seshat was a deadly opponent even by itself. But the marvels didn’t end there.

@@ Line 6: / Line 6: @@
 |by=Alex
 }}
 ==Chapter 1: Light Before the Looking Glass==
@@ Line 150: / Line 149: @@
 As the craft tried to dart around the bulk of his Knight, Dennis carefully lead his rifle along its path and pounded out a steady stream of shells. The leading wing of the sleek, angular ship was struck by his pattern of fire and the drone spun wildly out of control, its vertical exhaust ports struggling desperately to stabilize its course. Dennis triggered his lasers again and walked his shots into the out of control craft, which exploded with a satisfying abruptness. With that he accelerated off into the swirl of battle, looking for more drones to destroy.

@@ Line 97: / Line 97: @@
 The stars themselves seemed to wink out of existence as Commander Torid Dietrov slipped the control receptors of the neuro-brace from a dermal-jack at the base of his skull. In the holo-screen that compromised the forward end of the command-deck of his vessel, Errant Virtue, the ragged line of the USN picket-squadron stretched out in front of him, bristling with deadly energy arrays and exposed missile and torpedo tubes. Though only visible through the highly magnified visual feed being piped to the command-deck’s view-screens, the sheer destructive power of the arsenal being leveled in the direction of his ships was enough to sober the usually jovial commander even more. Peering closely at the craft in the display (more out of nervousness then actual intent), he studied the Spartan, almost utilitarian design of the enemy warships. Even when compared to the sleek elegance of Antarean craft the enemy’s ships were still impressive to behold, swimming through the inky blackness of deep-space like prowling, stellar sharks. And oh what sharp teeth they had, he thought ruefully.
-His mission, challenging the defenses of Norway, seemed like suicide when it was first proposed to him. Taking a single heavy-corvette squadron into one of the most [[[[Location_Illuvian_Triangle||heavily defended systems]] in the star-cluster, and an important wormhole junction no less, was hardly appealing to the fifteen-year veteran of the Antarean Navy. The fact that his incursion was little more than a feint, and that he was under orders to stay away from the system’s core had done little to improve his mood, it would make no difference in the end as it only meant that the system’s defenders had to chase him down before they wiped he and his command from existence. And so his apprehension had only grown during the planning stages of the attack, that is, until he saw the specifications of the ships under his command.
+His mission, challenging the defenses of Norway, seemed like suicide when it was first proposed to him. Taking a single heavy-corvette squadron into one of the most [[Location_Illuvian_Triangle||heavily defended systems]] in the star-cluster, and an important wormhole junction no less, was hardly appealing to the fifteen-year veteran of the Antarean Navy. The fact that his incursion was little more than a feint, and that he was under orders to stay away from the system’s core had done little to improve his mood, it would make no difference in the end as it only meant that the system’s defenders had to chase him down before they wiped he and his command from existence. And so his apprehension had only grown during the planning stages of the attack, that is, until he saw the specifications of the ships under his command.
 The new Seshat class heavy corvettes were marvels of Antarean design. Sleek and beautiful, their curving, tan and mauve colored hulls were dotted with ion-arrays, kinetic point-defense clusters, and missile tubes. What made them even more exciting weren’t just the weapons outside, but within. Radical advances in engine technology and micro-technologies allowed the corvette’s to generate unheard of amounts of energy, not only tremendously boosting their speed, but allowing far more powerful weapons to be included both on and inside of the hull itself. Packed around a single, capital-class ion-beam cannon, a weapon usually reserved for the heaviest of cruisers and super-capital craft, the Seshat was a deadly opponent even by itself. But the marvels didn’t end there.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 The command center of Cerberus Station hung heavy with tension. The lights had been dimmed to a level that made the large room appear empty save for the flashing gems of green, blue, and white lights emanating from the data terminal screens. Rear Admiral Leonidas Crichell stood with his arms propped against the huge holo-tank that dominated the center of the room. Within it swam myriad points of light; each labeled with unit designator tags and color-coded for threat and damage assessment. He paused from his ruminations to rub his hands over his face. His chin was covered in stubble, a sullen testament to the fourteen hours he’d spent staring at that same tactical map trying to make sense of it all.
-[[System_Taurean_Norway|Norway]] was a relatively unimportant system in all senses of the word. No major factories to speak of and a limited import-export economy. Its only real important commodity was the rare choktu fish, a local delicacy and highly prized by interstellar connoisseurs of such things. However, since the secession of the [[Nation_AF_Antarean_Federation|Antarean Federation]] from the [[Nation_ULP_United_League_of_Planets|ULP, Norway’s proximity to the [[Tech_Terminals|Thriacia wormhole cluster]] had made it a bone of contention for both sides. The Defacto stalemate at [[Location_Orion's_Arm|Orion’s Arm]] had cost the [[Misc_United_Space_Navy|USN]] forces much though; losing even one-half of such an important wormhole junction to the Antareans made places like Norway that much more crucial to hold. And so the peaceful little star system was forced to become a fortress.
+[[System_Taurean_Norway|Norway]] was a relatively unimportant system in all senses of the word. No major factories to speak of and a limited import-export economy. Its only real important commodity was the rare choktu fish, a local delicacy and highly prized by interstellar connoisseurs of such things. However, since the secession of the [[Nation_AF_Antarean_Federation|Antarean Federation]] from the [[Nation_ULP_United_League_of_Planets|ULP]], Norway’s proximity to the [[Tech_Terminals|Thriacia wormhole cluster]] had made it a bone of contention for both sides. The Defacto stalemate at [[Location_Orion's_Arm|Orion’s Arm]] had cost the [[Misc_United_Space_Navy|USN]] forces much though; losing even one-half of such an important wormhole junction to the Antareans made places like Norway that much more crucial to hold. And so the peaceful little star system was forced to become a fortress.
 Missile batteries had been erected on the surface, as well as mine clusters and battle-stations placed in extended orbit. Cerberus Station itself was only a scant seven months old. In addition, the fleet assets that had been diverted to Norway were as massive as the fortifications. Crichell ticked the numbers off in his mind; thirty-seven destroyers, twenty-six battleships, eighteen light corvettes, even an entire cruiser division, and those were only that week’s arrivals!
@@ Line 91: / Line 91: @@
 He called up some additional information on the system through his [[Tech_Tactical_Neural_Network|neuro-link]] with the ship’s core data-brain. The mission-clock ticked down with an unfathomable slowness, it would be approximately twenty minutes before the second phase of the operation went into action. He smiled again; it felt good to finally be in action again. In the three years since the war stagnated he’d bounced around from command to command, always well-behind the front line, and always nursing a hatred for the elitist and wholly ineffective USN which had taken his  wife and son from him more than a decade earlier.
-Yes, he concluded, it felt decidedly good to be taking the fight home to an enemy which, for years, had boasted of its own infallibility. And to be doing it in an entirely Antarean-built command was nearly more than he’d ever dreamed possible. However proud it may have been, before the [[Fiction_Crowning_Day|“Great Betrayal”]] and the ensuing conflict broke out, the [[Misc_Antarean_Federated_Navy|Antarean Federated Navy]] had not boasted more than two-hundred native hulls to its flag. With the defection of the USN’s 2nd and 3rd Protectorate fleets to the newly reformed [[Misc_Antarean_Imperial_Space_Navy|AISN]], a vast amount of captured USN materiel was suddenly added to the Antarean arsenal and used to full effect in the following years. But as war began to grind through even those aging (if still solid) hulls, the need for new ships arose. A need which was addressed by the newly acquired manufacturing power of the liberated Imperial worlds, and so it was that Broslos was awarded the unique honor (and distinct pleasure) of being offered the command of one of the newly built squadrons and charged with the task of taking war to the enemy.
+Yes, he concluded, it felt decidedly good to be taking the fight home to an enemy which, for years, had boasted of its own infallibility. And to be doing it in an entirely Antarean-built command was nearly more than he’d ever dreamed possible. However proud it may have been, before the [[Category_History_of_the_Universe#The Great Betrayal|“Great Betrayal”]] and the ensuing conflict broke out, the [[Misc_Antarean_Federated_Navy|Antarean Federated Navy]] had not boasted more than two-hundred native hulls to its flag. With the defection of the USN’s 2nd and 3rd Protectorate fleets to the newly reformed [[Misc_Antarean_Imperial_Space_Navy|AISN]], a vast amount of captured USN materiel was suddenly added to the Antarean arsenal and used to full effect in the following years. But as war began to grind through even those aging (if still solid) hulls, the need for new ships arose. A need which was addressed by the newly acquired manufacturing power of the liberated Imperial worlds, and so it was that Broslos was awarded the unique honor (and distinct pleasure) of being offered the command of one of the newly built squadrons and charged with the task of taking war to the enemy.
 And what a glorious war it shall be. He thought with finality. With the rest of his bridge crew interfacing with the core-brain, he simply needed to think his orders through his neuro-link for them to be disseminated throughout the rest of the squadron. It was time to move things along. Noting the proximity of the circling squadrons to the hypergrav-limit, he ordered Dietrov to cease his dancing and make pass at the picket squadron, a move that could largely be construed as forced suicide had they been traditional corvette designs. Broslos’ smile twisted into a grinning death mask in the dim red-light cast off by the command-deck’s neuro-interface station and adjacent holo-display. It was time to get things underway, and he had no intention of making the USN bastards wait any longer for justice.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 The command center of Cerberus Station hung heavy with tension. The lights had been dimmed to a level that made the large room appear empty save for the flashing gems of green, blue, and white lights emanating from the data terminal screens. Rear Admiral Leonidas Crichell stood with his arms propped against the huge holo-tank that dominated the center of the room. Within it swam myriad points of light; each labeled with unit designator tags and color-coded for threat and damage assessment. He paused from his ruminations to rub his hands over his face. His chin was covered in stubble, a sullen testament to the fourteen hours he’d spent staring at that same tactical map trying to make sense of it all.
-[[System_Taurean_Norway|Norway]] was a relatively unimportant system in all senses of the word. No major factories to speak of and a limited import-export economy. Its only real important commodity was the rare choktu fish, a local delicacy and highly prized by interstellar connoisseurs of such things. However, since the secession of the [[Nation_AF_Antarean_Federation|Antarean Federation]] from the [[Nation_ULP_United_League_of_Planets|ULP, Norway’s proximity to the [[Tech_Terminals|Thriacia wormhole cluster]] had made it a bone of contention for both sides. The Defacto stalemate at [[Location_Orion's_Arm|Orion’s Arm]] had cost the [[Misc_United_League_Navy|USN]] forces much though; losing even one-half of such an important wormhole junction to the Antareans made places like Norway that much more crucial to hold. And so the peaceful little star system was forced to become a fortress.
+[[System_Taurean_Norway|Norway]] was a relatively unimportant system in all senses of the word. No major factories to speak of and a limited import-export economy. Its only real important commodity was the rare choktu fish, a local delicacy and highly prized by interstellar connoisseurs of such things. However, since the secession of the [[Nation_AF_Antarean_Federation|Antarean Federation]] from the [[Nation_ULP_United_League_of_Planets|ULP, Norway’s proximity to the [[Tech_Terminals|Thriacia wormhole cluster]] had made it a bone of contention for both sides. The Defacto stalemate at [[Location_Orion's_Arm|Orion’s Arm]] had cost the [[Misc_United_Space_Navy|USN]] forces much though; losing even one-half of such an important wormhole junction to the Antareans made places like Norway that much more crucial to hold. And so the peaceful little star system was forced to become a fortress.
 Missile batteries had been erected on the surface, as well as mine clusters and battle-stations placed in extended orbit. Cerberus Station itself was only a scant seven months old. In addition, the fleet assets that had been diverted to Norway were as massive as the fortifications. Crichell ticked the numbers off in his mind; thirty-seven destroyers, twenty-six battleships, eighteen light corvettes, even an entire cruiser division, and those were only that week’s arrivals!

← Older revision	Revision as of 19:33, 14 July 2020
(No difference)

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 |name=Uncommon Crossings
 |image=[[image:USN_cerberus_defense_station_by_strangelet.jpg|750px]]
-|by=Phifty
+|by=Alex
 }}
 [[Category:Novella]]

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Chapter 1: Light Before the Looking Glass==
-The command center of Pegasus Station hung heavy with tension. The lights had been dimmed to a level that made the large room appear empty save for the flashing gems of green, blue, and white lights emanating from the data terminal screens. Rear Admiral Leonidas Crichell stood with his arms propped against the huge holo-tank that dominated the center of the room. Within it swam myriad points of light; each labeled with unit designator tags and color-coded for threat and damage assessment. He paused from his ruminations to rub his hands over his face. His chin was covered in stubble, a sullen testament to the fourteen hours he’d spent staring at that same tactical map trying to make sense of it all.
+The command center of Cerberus Station hung heavy with tension. The lights had been dimmed to a level that made the large room appear empty save for the flashing gems of green, blue, and white lights emanating from the data terminal screens. Rear Admiral Leonidas Crichell stood with his arms propped against the huge holo-tank that dominated the center of the room. Within it swam myriad points of light; each labeled with unit designator tags and color-coded for threat and damage assessment. He paused from his ruminations to rub his hands over his face. His chin was covered in stubble, a sullen testament to the fourteen hours he’d spent staring at that same tactical map trying to make sense of it all.
 Norway was a relatively unimportant system in all senses of the word. No major factories to speak of and a limited import-export economy. Its only real important commodity was the rare choktu fish, a local delicacy and highly prized by interstellar connoisseurs of such things. However, since the secession of the Antarean Federation from the ULP, Norway’s proximity to the Thriacia wormhole cluster had made it a bone of contention for both sides. The Defacto stalemate at Orion’s Arm had cost the USN forces much though; losing even one-half of such an important wormhole junction to the Antareans made places like Norway that much more crucial to hold. And so the peaceful little star system was forced to become a fortress.
-Missile batteries had been erected on the surface, as well as mine clusters and battle-stations placed in extended orbit. Pegasus Station itself was only a scant seven months old. In addition, the fleet assets that had been diverted to Norway were as massive as the fortifications. Crichell ticked the numbers off in his mind; thirty-seven destroyers, twenty-six battleships, eighteen light corvettes, even an entire cruiser division, and those were only that week’s arrivals!
+Missile batteries had been erected on the surface, as well as mine clusters and battle-stations placed in extended orbit. Cerberus Station itself was only a scant seven months old. In addition, the fleet assets that had been diverted to Norway were as massive as the fortifications. Crichell ticked the numbers off in his mind; thirty-seven destroyers, twenty-six battleships, eighteen light corvettes, even an entire cruiser division, and those were only that week’s arrivals!
 He shook his head in disgust. Four years ago he’d accepted the call back into the service to fight the supposedly ‘short’ campaign against the reformed Antarean Empire and its allies, but what had once been thought to only be a short series of skirmishes had protracted into a drawn out and costly war. Long and pointless as far as Crichell was concerned, but his own personal thoughts meant nothing at this moment.
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 Since the initial visual confirmation of the enemy corvette group, the two closing squadrons had fallen into a dizzying spiral of long-range feints and jabs that had left his navigation's officer, Lieutenant Hartley, in a state of almost constant motion. Despite the speed and agility of the corvettes, there was no way the enemy commander could keep up this dance indefinitely. Eventually he would either be forced to settle into an attack run or face the reserves being called up from deeper in-system. As the latter of the two options would surely spell doom for the raiders, Nordstram was convinced that the enemy would eventually commit himself while he had a chance of winning. But winning what? While he still had no idea what sort of madman the enemy commander was, he knew just as well as anyone else that challenging the defenses in Norway was definitely not a good idea no matter how fast his squadron might be.
-Even though Nordstram’s picket squadron was a strictly ad-hoc affair consisting of his own light cruiser Imperator and her sister-ship Narwhal, a pair of aging Ranger class frigates previously belonging to Norway’s in-system patrol before the establishment of Pegasus station and its defensive batteries, as well as the corvettes Rapacious, Shining Path, and Gryphon, it was still nothing to be taken lightly. The cruisers alone had seventy-two separate missile and torpedo launchers between them.  In addition, destroyer elements of the 38th Heavy Assault Division had been recently introduced to fill out the ranks. Each of those ships added another dozen launchers to the mix, nearly doubling his offensive throw-weight. Admittedly, the half the destroyers were of the older Perseus class and lacked the newer and much smaller Harpoon 7c launchers, which meant that the actual recycling time of their individual salvos would be more than twelve seconds longer than the rest of the squadron’s. The heavier energy armament destroyers of that class enjoyed more than outweighed this deficiency. In particular, the inclusion of a large bore rail-gun as the ships main offensive weapon.
+Even though Nordstram’s picket squadron was a strictly ad-hoc affair consisting of his own light cruiser Imperator and her sister-ship Narwhal, a pair of aging Ranger class frigates previously belonging to Norway’s in-system patrol before the establishment of Cerberus station and its defensive batteries, as well as the corvettes Rapacious, Shining Path, and Gryphon, it was still nothing to be taken lightly. The cruisers alone had seventy-two separate missile and torpedo launchers between them.  In addition, destroyer elements of the 38th Heavy Assault Division had been recently introduced to fill out the ranks. Each of those ships added another dozen launchers to the mix, nearly doubling his offensive throw-weight. Admittedly, the half the destroyers were of the older Perseus class and lacked the newer and much smaller Harpoon 7c launchers, which meant that the actual recycling time of their individual salvos would be more than twelve seconds longer than the rest of the squadron’s. The heavier energy armament destroyers of that class enjoyed more than outweighed this deficiency. In particular, the inclusion of a large bore rail-gun as the ships main offensive weapon.
 Giving them the short-range offensive punch of a warship many orders of magnitude larger than them.
@@ Line 120: / Line 120: @@
 It was a lucky thing that the enemy was unaware of Norway’s relative weakness by comparison to the somewhat more threatening systems in the sector (for which Crichell was ostensibly charged with the defense of). The mere fact that a majority of his ships were locked into a strictly defensive formation around the orbital and sub-orbital construction-plats and could not stray too far away from Nor Alpha meant that any attacker would have run of the system, mainly because he could not afford to uncover the fragile, orbital assets. Coupled with the weakness of the existing forts, this severely hamstrung the responsiveness of Crichell’s units. Still, if the plots were to be believed, the corvette-squadron had chosen to dash itself against Nordstram’s picket before the mixed assault-ship and destroyer units he’d summoned from in-system could completely encircle them. He wondered briefly just what made the enemy commander so confident, or suicidal to attempt such a thing. Given the USN’s superiority in torpedo and missile systems, he doubted if many of the corvettes would survive the opening salvos from they’re cruiser opponents.
-At any rate, Nordstram was now piping his squadron’s sensor data to the techs of Pegasus Station via FTL grav-pulse, so at least they’d have a good grasp of just what sort of improvements the Antareans had made to their systems. And maybe afterwards I can get some sleep. He smiled to himself briefly wished Janice were here to remind him of his duties, but she was buried much deeper in the complex then he, operating the secondary command-post at the very heart of the station. He watched as the corvettes slowly slid into torpedo-range and waited for the fireworks to begin.
+At any rate, Nordstram was now piping his squadron’s sensor data to the techs of Cerberus Station via FTL grav-pulse, so at least they’d have a good grasp of just what sort of improvements the Antareans had made to their systems. And maybe afterwards I can get some sleep. He smiled to himself briefly wished Janice were here to remind him of his duties, but she was buried much deeper in the complex then he, operating the secondary command-post at the very heart of the station. He watched as the corvettes slowly slid into torpedo-range and waited for the fireworks to begin.
 Jonathan Nordstram eyed the small mission-clock built into the arm-rest of his command couch. Never having been a man of aesthetics, he could not quite appreciate the view being offered to him from the forward display when he gave the order for his squadron to fire. Sitting in the rough “center” of the firing line formed by the heavier elements of the picket-squadron, Imperator and Narwhal blossomed fire as their combined seventy-two torpedo-batteries fired in unison. They were quickly joined by the aging Rangers who added another two-dozen torpedoes a piece. The corvettes, destroyers, and assault-ships which made up the picket’s screening elements wisely held their fire. Should the corvettes survive the long-range duel which the squadron’s heavier ships were more partial to, they’d close the distance fast and try to engage separately and from different angles, making the slow-moving torpedoes far less effective.