The Gravestone Armada's Story

Three battle ships of Imperium make flashed into the sector they where soon followed in by ten ships of Aschen make the ships sent no hails and it was clear they where powering up weapons and shields.

On the Bridge of The Sacred Flame the largest of the Imperium ships a Lich named Kolvin watched "prepare to destroy this Aschen scum all imperium ships open fire...Aschen ships stand down make them think you are the help...for now."

The Imperium ships opened fire on the true Aschen with no warning or hail they ment to overwhelm the Aschen.

Commander Murios watched the approaching vessel quietly on her displays, when a communications officer turned. "They're broadcasting a ceasefire signal. I've also got confirmation that the first fleet is en-route."

Nodding slowly, she cleared her throat. "Send hostile challenge and ID, standard protocol."

With a curt nod, the Comms officer turned and picked up the communications receiver, broadcasting a hail on multiple channels.

"Attention unidentified vessel, this space is under the dominion of the United Aschen Empire; your unauthorized contravention of our borders is currently being construed as an act of aggression; identify yourselves and state your intentions, or we will fire upon you."

At that moment the Command Carrier shuddered from weapons impacts, her shields flaring brilliantly in protest as the unidentified ships jumped in.

"They're Imperial, but no valid IFF Signatures. The XO reported. "The others seem to belong to the Imperium of Man."

Growling, Commander Murios barked her next set of orders. "Bring us about! Full military thrust! Activate the recall protocols on those Aschen ships, and destroy the Imperium ships!"

Slowly, the Command Carrier reoriented it's position along with two of the Hastati class cruisers. The opposing Aschen ships, would likely suddenly begin to experience technical difficulties, glitches in firing control, shields fluctuating, until suddenly they would shut down, and refuse any inputs from their crew, like flipping a switch, the Aschen ships would shut down and become unresponsive to their crews, leaving them vulnerable.

The Imperial Ships were next, as the Command Carrier unleashed a volley of projectiles that were originally intended for the strange ship, each massive frag-slug careened through the void of space, and upon impact, would impart enough sheer kinetic energy to single-handedly overload void shields, as was demonstrated against the forces of the Crimson Slaughter when they attacked the Cosmora Archipelago.

Considering an entire volley was launched, the Imperial cruisers in the Command Carrier's line of fire would likely suffer withering damage from the initial salvo, while the Hastati cruisers jumped away, winking in among the likely now disabled Aschen ships, they were beginning to prepare Marine strike teams to retake the stolen vessels, and kill all those aboard.

Agarran blinked as what appeared to be an entire fleet shock jumped into the sector, and then opened fire on the aschen vessels. He peered closely at the screen, and in response to his will it zoomed on the new ships. Some of them are Aschen, but others are different.... A query came to him from one of his underlings, and he responded.

A new signal was broadcast, a message that sounded like nothing so much as deep resonant chords struck on several piano's at once, along with similiar musical sounds forming an orchestral piece that, if one was imaginative enough, quite actually sounded like a unique form of speech. Alongside this audible message was a text based one, in case the first message was indecipherable to the recievers. It read as follows.

I am Agarran Magthulia, Escion Commander of the Akorn Atru Van Dalu dor nakt Vashun. I mean no offense, nor do I believe it is necessary, but I offer assistance in dealing with your assailants. If you accept, we shall engage targets you indicate to us in the manner of your kind, if you do not, we shall await patiently to engage negotiations with you.

There... hopefully that won't be seen as too... rude, to them. In that same moment he gave several commands which, due to the psychic nature of the draconid species, were received and responded to at the speed of thought, near instantanously the forward motion of the Akorn ceased, and at the same time many gemstone like objects located across it's hull began to glow with a soft blue light, preparation of the weapons system to fire.

The Aschen would find that the recall protocols had no effect on the former Aschen ships. They may be dead but they weren't dumb enough not to have removed such systems years ago. So the Aschen ships that winked within them got the unpleasant surprise of being fired upon by the ships they thought disabled.
Meanwhile the Imperium ships pushed forward seemly not caring about damage as they increased to ramming speed guns blazing all the way towards the Main Aschen ships.
One of the Imperium ships opened to reveal it had been repurposed as a giant carrier. Swarms of fighters of all kinds launched forth using their speed to harass the Aschen ships and nick away at their shields as the larger ships closed in.

The problem with the Aschen recall having no effect on these ships, would require whoever managed to commandeer them, to dismantle key systems without triggering the self destruct, a tedious and often specialized process that required the skill set and the command codes belonging to those who originally constructed the ships. It was a system hard wired into every Aschen ship and impossible to remove without completely gutting the ship's systems and utilizing only the ship's hull and chassis.

Thusly did the recall system begin to take effect among the Aschen ships, and those that somehow didn't take to the recall, automatically began to self destruct, which meant these commandeered Aschen ships began to self terminate in brilliant explosions, as dormant code hard-wired into the very computer systems the ships depended upon came to life.

So the moment the Recall systems were somehow rendered inoperable, the Aschen ships among the strange fleet simply exploded in brilliant flashes of white, sending debris in all directions. This left the Imperial ships alone, to endure another withering salvo from the Command Carrier.

"Prepare the second volley! Be quick!" The Commander ordered.

"Sir! Incoming message from the aliens, they're offering to render assistance!"

Growling, Commander Murios nodded. "Send a reply, tell them to pick their targets and engage, we'll discuss their compensation when this battle comes to a close."

Nodding the communications officer sent a reply to the strange Tarragon vessel.

"You've been given weapons free, pick your targets and engage, if you assist us, you will be rewarded."

Agarran licked his chops as the response was received and projected across the mental link. He then smiled at the mention of a reward.

As ever, these primitives think of giving us gems and gold, never realizing the true bounty lays before them in all it's grandeur

At that, the blue glowing gemstones scattered across the surface of the Akorn lit up with a terrible bloody red light, and all at once a series of crystaline orbs, thousands upon thousands, were floating in the space surrounding the Akorn. These all flashed once, and then were rendered into a series of beams that lanced towards and through the imperium vessels, like needles and thread they wove about and through and among the imperium vessels. Void shields were completely useless against the attack, if any were even still active to speak of, as the beams that lanced through the vessels were not only weaving through the ships, but were weaving through the physical and nonphysical planes as well.

This attack, that tore through the thickest plates of armor, and what it couldn't penatrate it simply phased through, was coordinated, though it seemed little more than madness. The beams would first make their way through the weapon systems, obliterating cannons and launchers, before moving on through critical systems such as the engines, life support, hanger bay, and bridge.

After the beams had threaded themselves throughout the vessel, they would vanish, taking with them the surrounding matter as they deatomized.

The end result would be a quite satisfyingly disabled series of ships, which the aschen could board and deal with as they wished, should that be their choice.

As the former Aschen ships had years before been taken and striped of any recalls or self destruct systems and now ran on ghost power there where no blown up ships. But the Undead had wasted enough time here and their ships faded away almost as if they where an illusion gone forever from the system before the dragon beams could even reach them.

Lights and tech devices would start to flicker and act amok as if the power was about to shut of at any moment. A deathly chill would fall upon the colony as a dark shadow appeared over the moon it was once a large warship of some kind but now it looked like a mere derelict. The old warship ruin hovered over the colony silent and unmoving as if it had just drifted there. It stayed there unmoving as if it was waiting for something. Upon the ship a darkness woke...a hungry darkness...

The Colonel and The President were enjoying a spot of golf on a new course comprised entirely of astroturf and imported Mars rocks. The course was kept lunar-dust free via magnets or some crap, and an army of janitorial staff. Newly-built Stickistani atmospheric cruisers, protected from stray golf balls by nets, loomed in the distance. Occasionally, they lifted off and went to fight. There were also Corvettes, fighters, and the Pride of the fleet, the super-heavy battleship B-SUCC Monument. (B is the Battleship designation, and SUCC stands for Stickistani Universal Combat Command, the supreme imperial space navy. Though originally created to keep pirates and asteroid wranglers from becoming too prevalent, it has recently received a large funding boost, and have become a forced to be reckoned with, (Though not even close to being on par with Aaschen or the like)).

The president first noticed the looming Foreign Warship when a stray golf ball bounced off it's hull. "Colonel, is that one of ours?" "No, it's not, dumbass.", the Colonel responded. "Alert the SUCC, and go investigate, damnit."

At the Nearby SUCC airfield

The colonel boarded a personal aircraft, and took 20 of his best men to investigate the derelict warship. They're goal was to either contact whoever was in it and tell 'em to screw off, or to crashland it if it was empty so it could be turned into a city.

The Colonel and The President were enjoying a spot of golf on a new course comprised entirely of astroturf and imported Mars rocks. The course was kept lunar-dust free via magnets or some crap, and an army of janitorial staff. Newly-built Stickistani atmospheric cruisers, protected from stray golf balls by nets, loomed in the distance. Occasionally, they lifted off and went to fight. There were also Corvettes, fighters, and the Pride of the fleet, the super-heavy battleship B-SUCC Monument. (B is the Battleship designation, and SUCC stands for Stickistani Universal Combat Command, the supreme imperial space navy. Though originally created to keep pirates and asteroid wranglers from becoming too prevalent, it has recently received a large funding boost, and have become a forced to be reckoned with, (Though not even close to being on par with Aaschen or the like)).

The president first noticed the looming Foreign Warship when a stray golf ball bounced off it's hull. "Colonel, is that one of ours?" "No, it's not, dumbass.", the Colonel responded. "Alert the SUCC, and go investigate, damnit."

At the Nearby SUCC airfield

The colonel boarded a personal aircraft, and took 20 of his best men to investigate the derelict warship. They're goal was to either contact whoever was in it and tell 'em to screw off, or to crashland it if it was empty so it could be turned into a city.

Colonel opened his Nokia and dialed Awi's number. "Awi, we've got a situation. Meet me at the SUCC airfield in 5 minutes."

It was the moon, airless, and beautiful all at once. So there was a pretty thing.... looked like she belonged on the moon or blended too well with her surroundings as she sunbathed, until unwanted shade blocked the sunlight. No it wasnt Terra. But something else entirely

Seeing the dead in space drifting hulk of a ship the spirit.... thingamajiggerwhatitiswithwheels simply stared a brief moment thinking "Spaceship" before her pucket vibrated madly, upon answering she heard the Stickistan Airlines pilot on the other end. She didnt even have to reply either. She simply nodded, yeah, she'd meet him there.

Something didnt feel right about the strange dead in space drifting hulk of a ship. It felt.... very wrong.

The hanger or the ship was dark save for the flashing of lights that seemed to be trying and failing to come on in those brief moments the Colonel and his men could see clearly the name of the ship painted on the wall in bold letters HMS Moonbeam A ripped and faded Union Jack flag clung barely to a pole under the name.

The ship creaked and a sound like moaning could be heard deeper into the ship. The old ship making strange sounds? Perhaps something far worse?

And then another sound drowned out the moaning the sound of the ships systems coming to life. Red lights began to flash and a robotic female voice with a British accent spoke "Red Alert! Red Alert! Hull breach! Enemies in Hanger bay two! All hands battle stations!"

As the voice repeated sounds of something rushing down the hall came followed by a hail of gun and laser fire. The shots where aimed badly and would be lucky to hit anything but they gave cover for what came. Twisted and decaying bodies wearing combat armor colored black with the Union Jack on the right shoulder and a skull and cross bones on the left. On the chest plates where the words Royal Marines.

In this wave there was only ten zombie Royal Marines but more where coming... a lot more...

The Colonel's 14 troops stormed into the hall. 4 of them shouldered their rocket launchers, while the rest set up a machinegun nest. The Colonel wouldn't have any more of the stinky British space zombies. The SUCC is a clearly superior fighting force. The Colonel tossed aside his Ithaca, put on his power suit, and grabbed his belt-fed Shotgun. The belt-fed shotgun was fitted with Dragon's breath rounds, to burn any Xenos on board.

"That does not sound good" The Maiar thought as she withdrew a sword of eldritch energy, stick thin, if not thinner, and also withdrew a coil of energy in her other hand. Whip and sword, the perfect way to fight. If things got too bad, she could overmagic herself. Save the colony in doing so

But she didnt think that far ahead, no, she only planned for the there and then

If there was air in space, it would reek of lead. The abominations of nature assuming the forms of space marines were a stain upon our universe! There can be no peace if these abominations exist.

The filthy Xenos met their fate. Those who managed to survive machine gun fire and missile barrage met their end at the hands of The Colonel. When his 2,000 shotgun shells managed to run out, he pulled out his pistol and fell back to the defensive line 20 feet behind him.

Meanwhile, on S-Colony, citizens were ordered to stay inside or in bunkers, and the glass domes were reinforced. Many SUCC fighters were scrambled, and were on their way to their first sortie.