Chapter 1: Prologue

Several figures stood clustered together in a wasteland. The ground was charred, and pockmarked with recent craters. Ruined masonry and broken roads dominated the area, while a lonely temple stood not far from where they stood. It was the only structure to have survived the recent battle here. A battle they had all been participants in. Although to be more accurate only one of them really fought, the others ended up being mere spectators sheltering in the temple as they watched two powerful god-like beings fight it out. One of which, shockingly enough, had been their friend. A young girl they had grown up with. That same friend who goes by the name of Arlie had apparently been far older than they ever imagined, and at the end of the battle they had plied her with questions. Questions that had led to her making a comment that flipped their worldview on its head.

Arlie looked over her friends' faces. As the shock of her statement wore off, she noted they were brimming with curiosity. She smiled to herself, and considered where to begin. It was not a short story, not at all. It was a tale that spanned decades of time. A tale rife with conflict about a universe embroiled in war.

She sighed, “I guess I will have to tell you the story then. The fall of the first humans, and how that led to the rise of the gods was many eons ago. I’m not entirely sure where to begin, but perhaps a bit of background would be in order. First we should change the venue, my own home will be a more comfortable place for this”

Arlie changed the venue for them via portal before she began her story. Once everyone was comfortable, she smiled, and said.“Before our story begins there are a few events I should describe. The first humans had never been the most unified of people. Reaching the stars did not magically end old conflicts, those things took time. It took three world wars, and a century of fighting between Earth’s various colonies before a union was formed. In the final years of the colonial wars it was ultimately the fleets of the United Earth Federation that unified the colonies and brought an end to the conflict. For the first time in a century, Humanity was looking forward to an era of peace. One that proved ultimately not to be.

“On March 3rd, 2 BDE on the Solean Calendar, or March 3rd 156 CSD on the Old Calendar, humanity made first contact with an alien race. That race was the Cathamari, an aggressive warlike species that was seeking to expand its influence into humanity’s sphere. They were not interested in peace, and demanded humanity's immediate unconditional surrender. Humans were never the sort to just take things like that lying down. A battle broke out between the ships that made contact that day.

“On the Human side there was only the Torpedo Cruiser TFS Hammerhead, the namesake ship of the Hammerhead class. It was built by Titan colony and at the time had been on patrol near Titan when four Cathamari cruisers had warped out near it. Her sister ship TFS Mako was also already enroute to the site of contact, but she would not arrive until after the battle. It didn’t help matters that humans had not yet learned how to travel faster than light. So all of their ships were limited to sublight speeds.

“That doesn’t mean humanity was to be underestimated though. The Hammerhead was a very respectable ship. She featured a very sturdy and potent powered armor system and a formidable battery of high-yield fusion torpedoes.  In that first battle, she was able to prove that humans would not be the easy conquest the Cathamari expected. The Hammerhead’s formidable armor easily absorbed the first shots from the Cathamari’s feared Ravager Class Battlecruisers. Those ships featured potent plasma cannons, high yield plasma torpedoes and were protected by energy shields. Against a race limited to sublight speeds they thought a mere four of them could take the entire system. They were wrong.

“The resulting battle between the five ships lasted nearly fifteen minutes, and ended with the Cathamari losing three of those mighty battlecruisers, and nearly losing the fourth. Only a lucky hit saved them from defeat. One of their torpedoes had managed a lucky penetrating hit to one of the Hammerhead’s magazines. The resulting detonation crippled the TFS Hammerhead, but the Cathamari were not able to sink her. With the Mako due to arrive in about a minute, the last Cathamari ship took the opportunity to retreat. Limping back home on auxiliary power and severely damaged. That day Humanity proved itself, and the Cathamari learned not to underestimate them. It was the beginning of a war that would rage for the next two years. A war Humanity knew that it would not win unless it cracked the FTL barrier, but a war they would fight nonetheless.

“That war ultimately ended on May 23rd, 001 SDE or 158 CSD on a day that would later become known as the Day of Sorrows. After two years of war, humanity had been pushed back to her final bastion, Earth. For months they were able to repel numerous assaults against the Lunar Perimeter, while they worked on their most important project. A new, more advanced ship that would win the war for Humanity. On that fateful day, however, the Cathamari attacked in force, a massive fleet outnumbering the defenders ten to one attacked.

“The Lunar Perimeter was a formidable defense. The Star Tech stations, originally high-energy research stations, had been converted into an array of powerful defense satellites outfitted with an antimatter particle beam that could destroy most Cathamari ships with a single hit. Numerous torpedo platforms, hangers, and mines made up the rest of the defensive network. Combined with the remaining colonial and Earth fleet ships, it was not an easy bulwark to get past. The Cathamari lost over half their fleet punching through the barrier. Soon the skies over Earth were filled with intense fighting as the two sides fought. At some point in the fight Cathamari ships began to bombard the planet. A decision that would have consequences for both sides.”

She paused for a moment, “This brings us to the start of our story. On that fateful day in question, I was not the person I am today. At the time I went by the name Jac Countryman, and I was about to board the EFS Enterprise, back at Star Tech HQ...”

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