Alternate History - Gallia Triumphant!

[Capt. Henry Morgan]

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[8251123/INTERNAL] This is Plymouth Control. All readings normal, wormhole appears stable. You may jump when ready.

[8251123/COMMREC] LNS Gettysburg to Plymouth Control, roger that. We're entering the gate now. See you in a few moments!

[8251123/INTERNAL] Gettysburg is in the wormhole, we should see it short... Sir, I'm reading a massive energy spike from the gate. The wormhole is destablizing!

<<Sensor records show a plume of plasma ejected from the gate at the time the Gettysburg was expected to arrive in Poole>>

[8251123/INTERNAL] Can you get it under control?

[8251123/INTERNAL] No, sir. The hypergate isn't responding to commands!

[8251123/INTERNAL] Shut it down, now!

[8251123/INTERNAL] We can't! Sir, the gate's going to explode any minute. We need to evac....

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November 23rd, 825 AS. Bretonia's darkest hour. The destruction of the Alberta-Poole hypergate and the loss of the Libertonian reinforcements marked the moment when Bretonia's last hope of victory, or even mere survival, was snuffed out. The Bretonian Armed Forces barely had enough time to scrape together a last-ditch defense before the Gallic Royal Navy launched their offensive into New London.

Battleships Norfolk and Stirling were moved into New London to reinforce the defense of the planet, while the Harlow worked to secure the evacuation routes to Liberty as long as possible, with orders to fly to Liberty themselves when the situation became untenable and surrender the ship to the Liberty Navy. The Gwent would do the same on the Rheinland border. Every ship Bretonia had capable of fighting joined the defense in order to give the Queen, the Government, and as many civilians as possible a chance to evacuate. In the end, though, it wasn't enough.

The Gallic Royal Navy came in force through the Newcastle Gate, which had been redirected to their own Gate in Leeds. They destroyed Southampton Shipyard before advancing on New London itself. The battle that ensued in New London's orbit was the most valiant last stand Sirius had ever seen. Proud ships with valiant crews were reduced to flaming hulks, burning up in New London's atmosphere. The finest men and women who ever put on a uniform gave their lives that day for Queen and Country. The Battleships Essex, Suffolk, MacDuff, Norfolk, Stirling, Sovereign, Pendragon, and many others, along with countless destroyers, gunboats, transports, fighters, and support ships were lost that day. Though they made the Gauls pay for every ship they destroyed, attrition wore down the last of Bretonia's defenders.

As the Gallic fleet gained orbital superiority and landed marines on all the orbital facilities, panic reigned on New London. There was nothing left to prevent the Gallic Royal Navy from bombarding New London back into the industrial age. An Emergency Cabinet had been hastily assembled by the remaining Lords and MPs. They activated contingency plans to shift New London's ground troops from active defense to underground resistance, then gave the order to officially surrender.

Gallia, at last, stood triumphant. The war was over.