Echoes of Amaris Part 7: Checkmate
By Al Keller
Interlude
Unnamed Planet
Deep Periphery
2 October, 3127
Rafe spent the last few days in shock over hearing the horrors of the Jihad that happened decades ago. He wanted to know the history of where his people came from and got the extended horrific details from grandfather. With the promise of a grand ending to such a horrible account, Rafe anticipated the concluding tales of the Blakist Jihad.
After the chores were finished, he went and found Dawdi on the porch whittling a piece of wood into a currently unrecognizable shape as Dawdi was undecided what to make yet. Seeing Rafe he put down the wood block and knife and motioned Rafe closer to sit in the next chair.
“Now it’s time to end the sad tale, dear grandson,” he started as the story was picked up again where he left off.
Chapter One
Terra
Former Word of Blake Protectorate
27 December, 3078
Confetti rained down from skyscrapers in Geneva, Switzerland while a grand parade took place following the liberation of Terra from the Blakists and the Protectorate from them and the KRML. However, some Blakist pockets of resistance still exist on Terra and elsewhere requiring immediate attention from Devlin Stone’s Coalition. This was the first of several parades to happen over the next few years as the Blakist and KRML forces were still on the run from Coalition and other assorted forces. Stone sat in his car waving to the public as he thought about the past few years of battles and skirmishes that ended the terrible decade long conflict. Many changes happened over the years and many more would come to pass.
Gibson
Zenith jump point
Free Worlds League
21 December, 3078
Force Commander Tim Lahey stood next to the command chair on the bridge of his Warship, the Regulan Wave while the bridge crew set up for the orbital bombardment of Gibson. Chatter was heard all around the bridge as reports of incoming hostiles from planetside were being declared.
“Inbound Blakist aerospace sir,” the comm officer reported as weapons fire scored on the Warship’s hull. The Force Commander ordered a spread of point defensive fire. Tactical officer started the alert that a jump field was detected and a Warship was incoming. Seconds later the ship materialized with WoB markings on its hull. The two ships started trading naval fire as the communications raised another Regulan Warship at the nadir point for assistance. Tactical officer sounded another report that dropships were detected leaving Gibson’s atmosphere on route to the Blakist Warship to effect an escape. Lahey ordered a launch of all fighters he commanded to intercept the enemy until they get close enough to be totally savaged by the Regulan Warship’s weaponry. No Blakist must make it off Gibson, the thought was shared by every crew member through the ship. Flashes of light illuminated space as the distant fighters fought against much more massive dropships. As the fight loomed closer, the signs of minor damage was shown on the hulls of the dropships as they started to switch from point defense fire to trying to be Davids against the Goliath Regulan Warship. The Regulan Wave opened fire with her least powerful naval weaponry on the incoming dropships as they attempted to do a full burn past her prow to their awaiting rescuer. However one after the other sustained critical hull breaches or drive damage due to the hits sustained by the Regulan Wave. Meanwhile the Blakist warship continued to pound the Regulan Wave with distracting fire to protect its charges which became increasingly crippled. Soon the other Regulan Warship joined in the fray and started to fire on the Blakist ship as the incoming dropships started becoming burning, drifting hulks as the Regulan Wave finished off its job against them and started deploying its own dropships to land on Gibson and preparing to formulate an orbital bombardment. As soon as the dropships formulated their flight plans and started to undock, the Regulan Wave started to fire an orbital bombardment pattern down on Gibson. The formula included several atomic weapons, naval auto cannon and PPC fire with several conventional missile fire. Gibson’s atmosphere showed the signs of the resulting hits as they rendered most of the surface barren and sterilized. Seeing that there's no use in staying around for any more survivors, the Blakist Warship immediately jumped out of system to parts unknown before the Regulan ships could do anything else to it.
Stanzach
Ghost Bear Dominion
2 January, 3079
Albert Gronvold-Minami stood in the living room of his flat on Stanzach following a successful operation a few days earlier on Alshain. The Motstånd group existed to prevent an amalgamation of the Rashalhague Republic and Clan Ghost Bear but as of yet the group’s ultimate goal wasn’t any closer to being realized than when the group first started. The Alshain cell just escaped entrapment when they had bombed the Omni-Paradise Hotel which killed over 300 Rasalhagian and Clan Ghost Bear citizens and former First Prince Christian Månsdottir. Albert gloated over the otherwise successful operation as he joined in a toast with other senior members of the Motstånd.
“May the immediate future, in the wake of the darkness of the Jihad, shine bright as we rebuild the glory and honor of Rasalhague,” Albert’s voiced raised as he lifted his glass to the cheers of his supporters. A man peeked out from behind the curtained window at the street below and noticed something wrong about the traffic.
“Sir, we might want to leave right away, I believe we’ve been made,” the man quietly said as the others checked their arms and calmly proceeded to the flat’s door, preparing to exit the building. The group left the building without incident except for some stares and hushed whispers as people now recognized who they were. Stepping out the front doors, the group were immediately met with shouts of “Police!” and “Down on the ground now!” as everyone’s guns came up and started firing. Several shots had scored off six officers of the Ghost Bear paramilitary police force while an equal number of terrorists were caught in the counter fire. When the shooting stopped the officer in charge searched the eight that surrendered and found that Gronvold-Minami wasn’t among them. He then radioed the other officers within the cordon and then immediately ordered the execution of the eight. Minutes later the report came over the radio that Gronvold-Minami was found escaping in his car and was stopped and summarily shot.
