(FO) The Order Central Communications (inRP)

[Jeremy Hunter]

The Order

"What do you do, when there is an evil you cannot defeat by just means? You must needs become the greater evil."
Battlegroup Commander Natsumi Hideyoshi, The Order Overwatch

At 1835 Sirian Standard Time, Corinth Research Station sent out a distress signal indicating it was under attack by Nomads. As I was in Mu at the time, I flew out to meet the Svizra and took command. The battleships Horus, Isis, the venerable Seeker, as well as multiple cruisers of the Reserve Fleets - such as the Vizier, which arrived late and helped guide us home - were part of the provisional battlegroup. Alongside us were multiple Zoners of the Velvet Wing, as well as the Legacy of Orillion Cell's battleships Apollo, Savior, and cruisers Ubats....Ubaotae? Something with a U, and the Sphinx. We headed for Omicron Kappa with all due haste, and we found the Core already heading for the station. I immediately ordered all allied vessels to not engage any humans and focus on the Nomads.

The first few waves were nothing major, but then the Nomads began to retreat. Following them, we discovered and uncharted system and were almost at once set upon by an Ishtar class Warform. The Svizra took a blow to the side, but damage was noncritical. We managed to pull out of range and leave it to the Core as we linked up with the rest of the battlegroup, which was bolstered by a handful of snubcraft and other vessels of varying sizes. We discovered something in the atmosphere of a gas giant and risked entering the planet's gravity well.

Upon arrival, we discovered a Nomad Shrine in a decaying orbit. The Seeker immediately enacted a combat breach of the station and began searching for anything they could find while the fleet - now numbering in the dozen or more, as both Maltese Exiles, Maltese, and Corsairs came together with the Core and began to ward off the Nomads.

It was clearly a trap, and we sprung it. Holding the line, the Svizra provided artillery support after a few blows from friendlies, and used the Shrine as cover to bombard the enemy warforms - both Marduk and ishtar classes - with our main artillery mortar. Eventually the Nomads stopped coming, and the Shrine's main hangar bays were breached. We sent in what we could and got what we could, but the Core could not for one day decide to cease being dishonorable curs. I would not even insult the wild dogs by comparing them to the Core. They set upon everyone like ravenous locust, and began to shoot down anything they could. While the Core devolved to their true nature, the Legacy....of Orillion chose this dangerous time, in a system with a rapidly closing jump hole...to worry about a Canaan vessel holding Nomad remains. And thus decided to engage it, right after it assisted us in securing space.

What is it the Libertonians say? "I cannot even?" I believe? There is a time, and a place, and this was neither. With the Shrine decaying orbit and breaking apart, and sensor readings showing the Jump Hole to Kappa was destabilizing within half an hour, we needed to evacuate everyone we could. With Doctor Schultz's fighter being hit by the Core, we had to extract her escape pod on it's escape vector, where the OCV Vizier had arrived to assist. The Svizra held as a rear guard, but the numerous Core contacts forced me to commence an immediate retreat. We barely managed to enter Kappa and engage cruise engines before enemy forces arrived. The Ubatae was disrupted and set upon, and I can only pray Amaterasu guided their escape pods to safety.

Svizra has returned to Omicron Epsilon with multiple Nomad Warform remains and have moved them to the Seshat for storage and quarantine. The crew is going into normal medical checkups, and I will return to the Oathkeeper. In all, many Nomads were slain, including a few of their elder warforms. Even with losses, this was a victory. OSD will be analyzing everything that the Seeker managed to find during it's combat breach and have a report ready next week.

That is all.

Natsumi Hideyoshi
4th Battlegroup
Last Scion

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May you ever walk in the Light, Shizune.