AN: If you left a review with a question or criticism, check your PMs. Also if you see someone with a concern about/mention a certain part of the timeline/small detail/etc. only to find out that part isn’t there or is changed, it’s probably because I edited it.
Also in this chapter are some things I removed from earlier chapters, so if you’ve been reading this since it came out, don’t be surprised if you get deja vu, I remember I had Grievous chained up in an ONI blacksite in an earlier published version lol.
Also made the new cover image based off “Sins Of A Galactic Empire: Retconned” on DeviantArt by Zecorezecron. It took me like 5 hours to make.
UNSC PRIORITY TRANSMISSION 21313R-91
Encryption Code: Black
Public Key: N/A
From: Captain Valen Rico, Commanding Officer, UNSC Sturmgewehr (UNSC Service Number: 00589-52112-VR)
To: UNSC HIGHCOM
Subject: Republic Prisoners Of War
Classification: SECRET
Drastic action against POWs taken during the defense of Alpha Rendara. Possible Violation of the Third Geneva Convention of 2312. See attached files.
*Attachment 1: Video File
Description: Firing squad
*Attachment 2: Audio File
Description: Recorded communications between Admiral Gregory White (UNSC Service Number: 34307-24017-GW) and Major General Haoyu Hudong (UNSC Service Number: 83423-89531-HH)
*Attachment 3: Text File
Description: Transcript of Attachment 2
*Attachments 4-250: Image Files
Description: POW marching columns, executions, mass graves
0800 HOURS, MARCH 25TH, 2561 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ EPSILON ERIDANI SYSTEM, REACH, NEW ALEXANDRIA, OLYMPIC TOWER
Towering over the impressive skyline of New Alexandria stood the iconic black form of Olympic Tower. At two kilometers tall it would have been the pride of the city, if not for the Office of Naval Intelligence. Their presence, in the form of that tower, seemed to watch over the city all too closely. The tower loomed over the city of 55 million far more than its appearance would suggest.
The tower was covered in a nearly ridiculous amount of triple failsafe security measures. It was a fitting configuration, nothing less could be expected of the ‘official’ headquarters for the Office of Naval Intelligence on Reach. It was only fitting that such an organization specialized in secrecy would handle itself in such a paranoid manner. Not to mention, Olympic Tower was in the same impressive complex as Reach’s local FLEETCOM HQ, only adding yet another layer of security.
With the expansive backdrop of New Alexandria's skyline, host to mountains and three orbital elevators just off of the coast, the tower continued to be a symbol of ONI’s mysterious nature. Yet it was just as much a testament to Reach’s status as the crown jewel of the colonies.
Reach, as mankind's fortress among the stars as some say, would put most other planets to shame outside of the Sol System. It was massively fortified with 95 semi-mobile SMAC Orbital Defense Platforms, thousands of smaller defensive satellites, and the nearly 700 ship strong Epsilon Eridani Fleet. On top of this was the nearly 50 million personnel groundside and the defenses of the other Colonies in the system.
Its military capabilities aside, the planet was regaining recognition for its economic importance after the war. It was notable for being one of the largest of the colonies with 7 billion inhabitants, as well as the economic center of trade for most of the UEG due to its close connection with Earth. It was a hub for travel and commerce between Sol and the rest of the colonies.
Along with the other planets in the rather large Epsilon Eridani system, such as Circumstance and Tribute, Reach was the center of UNSC activity outside of Sol.
With war against the Republic having commenced, Olympic Tower seemed to radiate with constant communication and military movements as the UNSC began the very first motions of total mobilization. Wars always require planning, movements, supply chains, and a thousand other mundane considerations. All that planning needed somewhere it could be done.
Such a place was the highly secure room where the section heads of ONI were meeting. It had been nicknamed the ‘Chamber’. It was rare for them to be all in the same exact place at the same exact time, the Strategic Response Unit was only called together in times of emergency. In the room was a superluminal video link to the HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6 all the way back on Earth and another video link to Reach’s local HIGHCOM facility. For the time being, these three locations held nearly all of the top brass of the UNSC.
"Can you confirm that Alpha Rendara is entirely secured?" Fleet Admiral Lord Hood asked from his seat.
“Yes we can, our prowler in the system confirmed we’ve won the battle, any Republic assets remaining are under our control.” The head of Section I replied from the dark grayish room with the emblem of the UNSCDF logo emblazoned on a wall.
“Rear Admiral Dean reported that he’s finished his third sweep of the system, there’s not a trace of the Republic fleet unaccounted for.” Admiral Roland Freemont said.
“Casualty figures?” Fleet Admiral Cole inquired.
"Admiral White managed to destroy or heavily damage up to eighty percent of the Republic Fleet. There’s no telling how many of their ground units got mauled in their transports before they could make it planetside. His fleet suffered a similar casualty percentage, seventy percent, but considering he was outnumbered four to one, it's still a massive victory." The head of ONI’s Prowler Corps answered.
"Will we be outnumbered on the offensive?" Admiral Danforth Whitcomb asked.
"In the theaters where the Confederacy has requested assistance, no. Our intel confirms that we will at least be on equal footing in terms of numbers, if not possessing the advantage." Section I reported.
“Admiral White’s preliminary report says that the Republic ships have an effective engagement range of around 300,000 kilometers.” Admiral Hieronymus Stanforth said. “Our own ships can engage them at over five times that distance.”
"I do want to point out that from what intel we’ve been gathering, the Republic has enough ships and fleets to throw at us to make that advantage unnoteworthy." Section I said.
"Indeed. That is why you and the President have tasked us with stirring up trouble behind enemy lines." Section III replied, referring to High Command. "My Delta-6 operatives are ready to begin operations on key worlds where instability is present to draw off Republic forces and gain allies. We already are drawing up plans to arm rebels and incite civil wars on disloyal planets under Republic control."
“I already have my people at work dissecting their ships, they had some of their new models in that fleet. The ones unavailable on the black market.” Section III said.
"What about the CIS?" Fleet Admiral Cole asked.
"The CIS are mustering for a counterattack at the Eriadu system, an important junction for their hyperspace drives to travel through and military stronghold. After their loss of Geonosis they’ve regrouped around key systems, like their capital at Raxus and Fondor, a massive shipyard system." Section I replied.
Fleet Admiral Hood turned to the rest of High Command. “On note of our special forces operations, other than Delta-6, what assets do we have at our disposal?”
It was time for General Nicolas Strauss to chime in. "We have Army Green Berets ready to be deployed to Corellia, Jabiim, and Abregado-Rae." He answered as the room darkened to show a truly massive display of the map of Andromeda, with the planets mentioned briefly enlarged and highlighted in green.
The Green Berets were one of the top special forces units in the UNSC Army. When the UNSC was formed, the military of the United States (and later the United Republic of North America) was the most powerful of the superpowers and largely led the newly formed UNSC during the Interplanetary War until a more centralized military structure was created. One of the most prominent carryovers from their American traditions was the wearing of green berets.
Under the UNSC, the Green Berets were an elite special forces unit which specialized in operations such as training militias, counterinsurgency operations, and other black operations, generally the same role that they had before.
The UNSC strategy was to try and tie up the much larger Republic military, inciting as many rebellions as it could while using the CIS to draw off and attack as many Republic fleets and forces as possible. As such, the UNSC would be able to fully exploit one of the key weaknesses the Republic had.
“They are on standby and can be deployed within 24 hours.” General Strauss continued. “My airborne units are all on standby awaiting orders as well.”
“My ODSTs are also ready to go.” General Hogan chipped in.
The head of ONI’s Signal Corps spoke up. “My assets are already spreading false transmissions around their core worlds. We’ve noted fleet movements of theirs as a result.”
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Though the Republic was thousands of times larger than the UEG, its numerically superior forces were spread out across an entire galaxy. If the UNSC could draw off more of their fleets and armies, they would always be able to fight on its own terms.
"I have the stealth cruisers Point of No Return, Nightingale, Striking Thirteen, and Dark Watch on station in the Jabiim and Taris Systems. We can have them planetside in as little as an hour. Our contacts on Jabiim have put us in communication with the rebels under Alto Stratus for several months now. We can offload the first shipments of weapons at zero six hundred hours MST." Prowler Corps reported.
"What weapons are we shipping the rebels on Jabiim again? Certainly not our best, I hope." Lord Hood questioned.
Section I chuckled. "Don't worry, UNICOM gave us the stuff they keep in the shed. Enough MA5s to equip a division, half a million tons of ammo, BR55s we pulled from storage on Mars, SRS99 snipers, old BDUs, Jackhammer launchers, older M247 GPMGs, mortars, and medical supplies. We also are giving them 30 Warthogs, ten of them up-armored APCs, and the rest armed with the M41 LAAG." He paused to drink some coffee before adding. “And that’s just this week's shipment, a much larger one is due for next week. It’s much more hefty, including ten Shortswords, twenty AV-14 Hornets, six UH-144 Falcons, and two older Pelicans complete with simulators, spare parts, and a team to train them in maintenance. Also included will be towed artillery pieces and ATGM systems, all along with enough concrete to remake Hitler’s Atlantic Wall twice over. Not to mention what we are giving to the other Separatist holdouts cutoff from the Confederacy."
Section II interjected. "Before we get ahead of ourselves gentlemen, we have to address the elephant in the room." She said.
Everyone present on the other side of the video feed began grumbling amongst themselves. A projected video showed hundreds of dead Republic Clones, all riddled with bullet holes at the bottom of a cliff.
"Admiral White was never known for being a nice guy." Admiral Stanforth said with a blank face, as if not affected by the carnage before him. “But I can’t say I’d be in a healthy state of mind after what just happened.”
"We’ll discuss his punishment at a later date. The Republic isn’t a signatory of the Geneva conventions, we all know the Covenant destroyed all meaning of that document anyway, but we’ll publicly reinstate it and reiterate the rules of war and how the war with the Republic is to be conducted. President Vladislov and the rest of the government will likely ignore it, or try to, considering what the Republic did." Fleet Admiral Hood declared. "For now, Admiral White is too valuable to put on ice. His skill as an officer and the moral boost he brings isn’t something we can throw away."
Lord Hood let out a large sigh. “I call this session dismissed. The President will be making his announcement soon.”
0900 HOURS, MARCH 25TH, 2561 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \ SOL SYSTEM, EARTH
The streets of humanity's homeworld seemed to always be busy with endless throngs of people going about their business with the calm and security that spoke of civilian ignorance common to most people.
In the streets of the Manhattan district, waves of people walked on the sidewalks going about their business below the towering skyscrapers that stretched miles in the air as the never ending traffic seemed to dance amongst them.
Times Square, where people from every human culture imaginable had set foot, seemed to be a singular mass of people. Gigantic holographic screens broadcasting ads and news reports illuminated the area for a mile in an endless sea of artificial light in defiance of the afternoon sun.
Suddenly, they went blank for a split second before displaying the unmistakable flag of the UEG, Earth surrounded with the old UN wreath of olive branches, and the UNSC, an eagle clutching Earth in its talons with dozens of stars under its outstretched wings.
Written in numerous languages under the flags were the words: President of the United Earth Government.
The image stayed on for several seconds as the masses all stopped and looked up at the screens. Others stole quick glances at the towering Capital Building if their view wasn’t not blocked by the cityscape, many people asking each other what was going on.
The screen suddenly changed to the image of President Reagan Vladislov standing at a podium in the UEG capital of Sydney. His eyes seemed to glare through the screen into the sea of an audience. He was standing up straight, dwarfing everyone else next to him.
"My fellow Terrans…"
The term Terran had only been adopted recently in light of the discovery of the other humans throughout the galaxy, as such the ancient Latin term for Earth was adapted to differentiate the humans of Earth and her colonies from the rest of them.
"Mere hours ago the forces of the Galactic Republic mercilessly attacked the outer colony world of Cienna."
People's eyes widened as they murmured to one another. Traffic crawled to a stop as drivers and passengers alike listened in. He had delivered a figurative punch in the gut to everyone listening, whether in person, or tuned into the broadcast.
An eerie silence had taken over Times Square and the other parts of Earth from Moscow to São Paulo and Mumbai, to the small towns of the American Midwest and Africa.
The screens switched to show images of the relatively little known world, a video of a fleet of UNSC ships firing their MAC guns in streaks of light at unseen targets off in the expanse. The image then switched to a video of the Republic fleet undoubtedly taken from a UNSC ship, a close up shot of a massive Imperator Star Destroyer before zooming out to show the dozens upon dozens of other enemy warships before spitting green fire from their main batteries.
The video continued as the comparatively meager UNSC fleet killed dozens of enemy ships before the enemies' own fire struck, obliterating several Terran ships and damaging a dozen others.
The screens reverted back to the face of the President.
"UNSC forces fought gallantly. Under the command of Admiral Gregory White and outnumbered four to one, the UNSC fleet managed to rout the Republic fleet."
People began to stir at this.
"However, our victory was not without sacrifice."
Images of disabled or destroyed UNSC ships in orbit above the world flashed by, switching to burnt UNSC ground vehicles on the dusty plains of the colony. The images then showed lines of body bags covered with UEG flags.
People began to clamor and chatter amongst themselves louder as the voice of President Vladislov spoke over the video.
"But each sacrifice made the enemy pay dearly"
Images of dozens of absolutely wrecked Republic ships drifting in space were shown. One video showed a Venator with its guns firing being struck by three MAC rounds, the first two being absorbed by its shields with the killing blow striking amidships, turning the ship into a fireball.
More videos showed Army Recluse tanks firing their main guns at Republic walkers, helmet cam footage of Soldiers engaged in combat with Republic Troopers and winning, and burnt out shells of Republic war machines with dead Clones all around as Terran vehicles charged past while a Sparrowhawk shot overhead with its guns spitting flame at an unseen target.
"However, our own civilians paid the ultimate price as the cowardly fleet turned their weapons on the small and defenseless colony."
A flaming cloud of fire appeared on the screen before switching to show the husk of what once was the prefab colony, with 100,000 presumed dead written at the bottom.
Times Square was absolutely silent at this news before the image of President Vladislov reappeared.
"Citizens of the Earth and all her Colonies, we now exist in a state of war with the so-called Galactic Republic who brutally attacked us without provocation and murdered thousands of civilians. The General Assembly and Senate have unanimously agreed to declare war with the Galactic Republic."
Humanity was about to flip a chapter in its history book to another trial of epic proportions. This war had been in the making for eons. The Precursors had assured this, whether they were extinct or not, that humanity had to be forged through the fiery cauldron of war.
2200 Hours, 15:3:26 (GrS), Corellian System
Orbiting the heavily populated world of Corellia, amongst the dizzying number of ships whether civilian or military and Corellia's massive shipyards, was a massive Republic naval base.
Fleet Node 6 was built in the second year of the Clone Wars in response to CIS incursions into the space around the Corellian Sector. Ten Venators alongside their escort frigates were normally statically attached to the system in order to bolster its defenses, which operated alongside Corellia's own independent fleet of ships.
Inside the vast command center of the station, amongst the display screens and control consoles the station's sensor operator struggled to stay awake as he watched some civilian traffic make their way out of Corellia's gravity well past a group of CorSec corvettes to transition to hyperspace.
The young man sighed as he looked at one of the several Clones that worked in the CIC with the name Gabe.
Gabe was an older Clone. He had a mechanical left arm concealed beneath his white armor replacing the arm that he had lost during one of the battles in the Outer Rim.
"I wonder what’s on the Holonet right now." The sensor operator asked aloud.
Gabe took a second pause from his work before answering. "Probably more of those useless debates on the upcoming war with the UNSC. I can't stand to watch that poodoo. You’re no older than a youngling, so it might be weird to you that I’m saying this, but I’d rather enjoy some peace and quiet on my next leave, maybe drop by a few shops on Corellia."
"You check out the latest Terran music?" the sensor operator asked, changing the subject.
Gabe grinned. "Of course. Some of their stuff is downright awful to my eardrums, but that flip music, or ‘rock’ as they call it, I can't get enough of. In fact, I like it better than leap-jump."
The sensor operator chuckled before glancing to check if any of the officers were nearby. "Yeah me too. I picked up some of their older stuff. It’s from some band called ‘Metallica,’ several hundred years back. I can't get their stuff out of my head. You should see the nightclubs back on Coronet. Their music is almost all they play, when they can get a hold of it."
“Anything beats jatz,” the trooper chuckled. "But I don't think you’ll catch me in one of those anytime soon."
Suddenly, the threat board on the station lit up and alarms began to wail as roughly 70 contacts came on the screen, a mere few hundred thousand kilometers distant. They almost came out right in the middle of a civilian shipping lane over one of Corellia's moons.
"What the hell! I have contacts!'' The man all but yelled as the fleet went to battle stations. Several ships and starfighters moved to intercept alongside the Republic and Corellian fleet.
"What have we got?" The commanding officer shouted as he ran over to the radar station.
"70 contacts, profiles coming in… wait! I have friendly IFFs!" He exclaimed as the advancing Republic and Corellian ships slowed their approach and powered down their weapons.
"They lead ships read as the Imperator-Class Star Destroyers Accuser, Executrix, and Devastator, Venator-Class Star Destroyer Ashallia, and Victory II Duroban."
"The Executrix? What are they doing here? All of those ships were part of Admiral Tarkin’s force! It says their last deployment was classified, and before that they were at Taris, so what are they doing here?"
Civilian ships were scattering to get out of the way of the ships as more readouts came in on Gabe's screen. "Sir, a lot of those ships are heavily damaged, damn! That Imperator is almost falling apart. Wait, I’m receiving a message from the commanding officer."
"Put it on."
The image of a young and exhausted captain and a bridge in similar condition behind him came on the screen as the captain, Piett, saluted.
"What happened?" The station’s officer simply asked as the assembled crews of the station and the other ships present listened in.
"The UNSC, the damned Terrans... they beat us."
Next up: Boring politics and strategy