Age of Destiny
Epilogue
Deus Ex Machina
Book One
Twilight of The Empire
Chapter One
Epilogue
Deus Ex Machina
Book One
Twilight of The Empire
Chapter One
In the eventful two hundred fifty first year after the formal formation of the Imperial Terran Empire and its spread across much of the Milky Way Galaxy, the Empire stood at the break of destruction. Massive armadas of a mysterious and brutal race simply called The Horde marched upon the Imperial Capital, Arcends. The once thought to be invincible noble fleets and legions were slaughtered and broken. Her loyal outer colonies declared independence, or simply stood by to watch the onslaught. Even her mighty Imperial Armies, Legions, and Fleets were routed in a last ditch effort to hold the line at Syrus (second planet of Kappa-Orion System). Now, all that stood between the merciless Horde and the blue jade of the Empire was a meager fleet of 6000 ships, and three Army Groups formed of untested soldiers as well as tired legions just arrived from the outer core. On December 28th, A.F. 1498 the Horde and its armada of 72000 ships as well as an uncountable army hive jumped from Syrus and arrived at the high orbit of Arcends.
The timing of the Horde's arrival could not be worse. News of the massacre at Syrus had already spread throughout the Capital City, Solaris, and all across the planet. The panic stricken citizens, who were already ordered to evacuate if possible, now could only wonder what will be the fate of their lives as the Horde armada began its slow descent upon Arcends itself. In Solaris, the citizens and nobles alike took to the streets to hope that they could catch the last shuttles or medical ships before the space docks are closed. In this chaos, thousands perished to traffic accidents as well as city wide looting. The nobles who knew they could not escape, barricaded themselves or joined friends who had such barricades, and prepared for the worst. However, even before the chaos ensued, the lower levels of Solaris were beginning to accept refugees. These levels were built upon the ancient city itself, but reinforced with large layers of concrete and steel. They were essentially bunkers, built for the very purpose of prolonged defense against an overwhelming enemy. Unfortunately, for those who were outside of the city, such defense structures were rare to none.
Meanwhile, the Planetary Guards were drafting entire city blocks for men, women, and often even children. Anyone who could carry a laser rifle was given one and formed into ranks that at time were as large as fully provisioned divisions. The massive factories of Solaris were ordered months before to convert all operations to produce supply, ammunition, or weapons. Even as the Horde was beginning to move planetside, these factories and their workers steamed on through night and day. This combination allowed the Empire to form 25 divisions on Arcends overnight. However, the lack of combat effectiveness as well as discipline of these divisions were all too clear to the commanders who fielded them. In addition, even with these divisions combined with the elements of the Imperial Army, and the Imperial Legions, the total ground forces the Empire could muster for the entire planet was a meager 45 divisions. It became all too obvious that the only objective that was defensible was Solaris itself.
The city of Solaris in A.F. 1498 was a tough place to defend or invade. It was built vertically rather than horizontally because of the mountains that surrounded it. Therefore, the city was by that time almost a mile tall. This meant that an invader could choose a series of city levels to enter and pass through, making each city level a possible front. However, Solaris like any other city in need of land was also extremely dense. On most city streets, only two transport vehicles could pass at the same time, and any maneuver was close to impossible. This made any effort to occupy the city slow. Street to street fighting would become the only battles seen in the Defense of Arcends. However, early on in the battle, four objectives clearly emerged for both sides of the conflict. The Crystal Palace, the Halls of Admirals, the Centre of Defense, and the Factories District were all crucial to the continual function and fighting capacity of the Empire not only on Arcends, but also across the galaxy. Even if one of these were to fall to the hands of the Horde, the Empire could be brought to its knees. Therefore, after hours of planning and consideration, the commanders of the Imperial Terran Empire set out for one last bloody defense for their survival.
The timing of the Horde's arrival could not be worse. News of the massacre at Syrus had already spread throughout the Capital City, Solaris, and all across the planet. The panic stricken citizens, who were already ordered to evacuate if possible, now could only wonder what will be the fate of their lives as the Horde armada began its slow descent upon Arcends itself. In Solaris, the citizens and nobles alike took to the streets to hope that they could catch the last shuttles or medical ships before the space docks are closed. In this chaos, thousands perished to traffic accidents as well as city wide looting. The nobles who knew they could not escape, barricaded themselves or joined friends who had such barricades, and prepared for the worst. However, even before the chaos ensued, the lower levels of Solaris were beginning to accept refugees. These levels were built upon the ancient city itself, but reinforced with large layers of concrete and steel. They were essentially bunkers, built for the very purpose of prolonged defense against an overwhelming enemy. Unfortunately, for those who were outside of the city, such defense structures were rare to none.
Meanwhile, the Planetary Guards were drafting entire city blocks for men, women, and often even children. Anyone who could carry a laser rifle was given one and formed into ranks that at time were as large as fully provisioned divisions. The massive factories of Solaris were ordered months before to convert all operations to produce supply, ammunition, or weapons. Even as the Horde was beginning to move planetside, these factories and their workers steamed on through night and day. This combination allowed the Empire to form 25 divisions on Arcends overnight. However, the lack of combat effectiveness as well as discipline of these divisions were all too clear to the commanders who fielded them. In addition, even with these divisions combined with the elements of the Imperial Army, and the Imperial Legions, the total ground forces the Empire could muster for the entire planet was a meager 45 divisions. It became all too obvious that the only objective that was defensible was Solaris itself.
The city of Solaris in A.F. 1498 was a tough place to defend or invade. It was built vertically rather than horizontally because of the mountains that surrounded it. Therefore, the city was by that time almost a mile tall. This meant that an invader could choose a series of city levels to enter and pass through, making each city level a possible front. However, Solaris like any other city in need of land was also extremely dense. On most city streets, only two transport vehicles could pass at the same time, and any maneuver was close to impossible. This made any effort to occupy the city slow. Street to street fighting would become the only battles seen in the Defense of Arcends. However, early on in the battle, four objectives clearly emerged for both sides of the conflict. The Crystal Palace, the Halls of Admirals, the Centre of Defense, and the Factories District were all crucial to the continual function and fighting capacity of the Empire not only on Arcends, but also across the galaxy. Even if one of these were to fall to the hands of the Horde, the Empire could be brought to its knees. Therefore, after hours of planning and consideration, the commanders of the Imperial Terran Empire set out for one last bloody defense for their survival.
Chapter Two
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