[COMM-ID]: Commander Kingston, Alexander S.
[RECIEVER-ID]: Liberty Navy Primary Fleet Reporting Center
[SUBJECT]: Incursion into Nomad Space (Operation: Hidden Giant)
[DATE]: July 17th, 823 A.S.
[PRIORITY]: Alpha - High
[ENCRYPTION]: Iota - Medium Hello.. High Command, this is Commander Kingston reporting in once more...
Today was absolute hell, but I'll be the first to admit that this was a key blow against the alien threat.
The Navy's Operational Force gathered in front of Manhattan not even half a day ago. The force consisted of myself, Lt. Cmdr. Hirlerman flying for Papa Squadron, Lieutenant Dagnino, and Admiral Reaser aboard the L.N.S. Nevada. We also had a few pilots from the secondary that showed up to assist, as well as a few unregistered warships, that followed us through.
The anomaly opened up not far from the defense grid, and the force proceeded through. We appeared in a dark nebulonic cloud, and upon viewing my navigational map, reported us to be within the system of Omicron Major. Not long after we arrived, we received word over long range comms that there were vessels from the three other houses, as well as those from the Order.
We proceeded through the cloud, Dagnino and I being ordered to investigate the structures the Nevada was passing by, until we can across a huge alien installation, which looked like an alien super-weapon of some sort. We proceeded ahead, and eventually rendezvoused with forces from the other houses. The Nomads didn't take too kindly to our presence in their home, a brief spit of irony as they flew out of a nearby 'hive' and proceeded to engage us, as well as the house forces.
I didn't see any larger vessels, and I'm assuming there weren't any, as the capital fleet survived for quite the array of time. Admiral George Hall, commanding the Bretonian forces aboard the H.M.S. Dauntless, reacted quickly, at first attempting to rally the fighters, and when that failed, turned to the capital fleet with much higher success. The Nevade, Dauntless, as well as two Rheinwehr "Bismarck"-class battleships and two Kusari "Tokugawa"-class battleships, began to open up on the external structures dotting the rim of the 'hive' and the large crystal-like structures not far from the 'super-weapon'.
While the capital-class vessels engaged the structure in full, the fighter wings from the houses, as well as the Order, were engaged in an all-out brawl. Exemplary performance by many of the fighter squadrons took out some of the Nomad and infected vessels, but the more that went down, there were more that came in. The fight was long and brutal, and the passing ion storms didn't make it any easier. After the second Ion Storm hit, I had received word that Lt. Cmdr. Hirlerman had been shot down, his pod recovered by the Order Battleship Oathkeeper.
Once all of the capital targets were taken out, the fightercraft took the head of the fight, commencing in a large swirling dogfight around the capital vessels. Our primary objective completed, an exit had to be found. The jump holes the houses used to jump in had already collapsed, and time was running out. Admiral Hall had ordered one of his men, a Lt. Cmdr. Paul McKinley, to search for an exit to the system. He found one, very far above us, outside the nebula that layered the Dyson Sphere. The Dauntless made steam towards the exit, where on the way out, my ship's reactor was struck, and I was forced to eject. Thankfully, the Dauntless pulled me in, them still moving under impulse.
The Dauntless remained behind long enough to defend the jump hole that was effectively our exit plan, until she couldn't stay any longer for fear of losing her in the system forever. They proceeded through, and ended up in the system of Omicron Lost, on the very faint edge of the Edge Nebula. They took the route from Lost through to the system of Omicron Delta, where the Dauntless put in for emergency repairs at Yaren. It was around this point that the memories become fuzzy, and I think I passed out from either exhaustion, shock, or perhaps both.
I awoke on board Cambridge Research Station, where I, and the rest of the pilots recovered by the Dauntless, were treated and examined for signs of Nomad infestation. Clearly, I was spared the horrifying curse of infestation, and I returned to New York, where I'm recuperating from this operation. This fight took it's toll on the entire fleet, as well as myself. Whatever organic samples and technology were gathered from this, I've made sure that the boys on Willard have their hands full with it.
Regarding the other houses, and from what intel I have recorded, it appears that the Bretonian fleet, including the Dauntless, made it back from the fight, with only a self-imposed casualty in the form of Lt. Cmdr. McKinley. The Rheinwehr force that showed up made it back to Rheinland relatively unscathed, and the Kusari force that arrived hasn't reported back. I can only assume either they're lost, or MIA. The Order force was the first to be hit, them losing an Osiris-class battleship, the Talos within the first few minutes of the engagement, and several fighter wings in the minutes leading up to the Dauntless' escape.
It was a hell of a way to say 'Happy Birthday', but I suppose there's no better way to spend it than by leading my fellow comrades into battle. I am eager to see what this operation may hold for the future.
On guard, and on point.
Signed,
Commander Alexander Samuel Kingston, Liberty Navy Primary.
