Resistance is futile

Anarchy's Cradle aka Ubanea - "Super Earth is victorious"

Part 1

2185.06.29 - Draupnir, Xzar Sector

The Chaos Uprising resulted into the secession of three planets. Those are the formely known Tibit(Libertas Veil) and Ubanea(Anarchy's Cradle), as well as the recent acquisition of Draupnir, in the effort to form a wedge against Super Earth,  spanning across two sectors.

On the bridge of Super Battleship Liberty Supreme, Defence Minister Covington has given the order of rallying the Super Earth armada and Operation Hammer of Justice to commence once in formation.

The primary objectives include, the capture of all planetary bodies back to Super Earth's control and the destruction of the Chaos fleet. As well as the capture and consequent execution of the insurgency masterminds. Plus an oportunity objective, obtain the mysterious low frequency device which has the same frequency as the one SES Liberty Probe was supposed to survey back in 2184.

The Purgedivers under Chief Democracy Officer's Hellstein direct orders are hand picked after consideration of battle performance proven loyalty and high leadership capability.

Among them a task force is chosen for the last two side objectives, with leader the Death Captain Raiden Vankerk.

Death Captain Vankerk is a descedant of the legendary General Brasch, and a decorated soldier of Super Earth with many distinctions. He is truly the most suitable for the job.

Source of inspiration "Democracy Officer, Heinrix van Calox" by Raszard

Chief Democracy Officer Hellstein: "Alright gentlement, you are the tip of the spear, the iron fist of democracy, and you will strike those who dared to conspire against it.
The mission is simple, track down the Sons of Chaos and bring them to the bridge dead or alive. In addition, keep your eyes open for the signal coming from an unknown device near Nexus Umbra spaceport. Clear enough?"

Captain Vankerk: "Aye sir."

Officer Hellstein: "Outstanding Captain, you have two elite squads at your disposal. Be advised, navigating in the heat of the space inferno that will take place might make boarding on enemy ships, spaceports or planets complicated and risky."

Captain Vankerk: "Noted."

On the Vera Libertas side, Libertas Veil and Anarchy's Cradle are well defended and 100% under rebel control. However Draupnir is still contested on the ground and only the Spaceport is under full control.

All in all the whole Severin Sector is cut off and uprisings have been sprouting left and right in all surounded planets.

Part 2

At Nexus Umbra Spaceport the synergy for constant preparations and building planetary forttifications is non-stop. Everyone is walking with purpose at all times, and slow tempo walking is prohibited.

The manufacturing of new Chaos Exile Ships (CSS) is on fire and the rebel fleet is working on continuous expansion. Howecver it could never compete with Super Earth's production.

On the ground militias are being formed and all free citizens are receiving weapons training, first aid, drone piloting and AA Battery training.

The only viable hope for survival is indirect help from the Automatons who could block the FTL path to Draupnir by operating in contested sectors between the Libertas Veil and Super Earth. In the worst case scenario the Chaos rebels could give up Draupnir in order to fall back deep in the Severin Sector, however that would mean trading one authoritarian overlord for the other.

Chief Communications Deputy Lirael detected a major fleet signature on the radar forming at sounding the alarm coming from Emeria. Super Earth's major spaceport capable of hosting an Armada.

Newly promoted Commander Thorne, is ordering everyone to be to quarters.

Commander Thorne to Officer Lirael: "What do you see?"

Lirael: "Huge build-up, they are coming."

Parthuridax with a demonic expression interrupts: "Let them come, more blood for the revolution even if that blood is ours."

Lirael trying to keep her cool: "We can still broadcast an SOS signal to Cyberstan for help and offer to trade territory for protection, you know?"

Thorne: "No can do, it's liberty or death from now on."

Lirael looking at them in awe as they stride to embark the Flagship of the Chaos Armada.

The Chaos Armada moves to Draupnir Spaceport to defend the garisson and buy some time for Nexus Umbra to fortify even more before making a last stand in Libertas Veil, which would be the worst case scenario.

On the edge of the plaents systewm a massive Super Earth fleet is emerging, with battleships, destroyers, frigates, corvettes and gun boats while transport shuttles with SEAF Assault troops are awaiting for FTL once it's safe to jump.

"Space Battle" by Oleg Danylenko

The naval battle was colossal and would last four full days. Albeit the Chaos forces were outnumbered three to one, they had the Spaceport garisson providing shilelds and enhanced targetting, easing the outnumbered effect.

Red Skull Captain Parturidax looking restless: "Let me board in their Flagship and I'll cut off the head of the snake."

Commander Thorne: "Patience brother, you will get your chance to shine soon. Head to the war room for the assault forces briefing."

There the top leutenants were synergizing on the next steps while the space battle was raging.

Red Skull Admiral Ezekiel, Chaos Admiral Azurbal, Chaos Commodore Vaal, Red Skull Marshall Krom among other known names and decorated heroes of the revolution, were in the room.

Since the Battle of Afobay bay, only the most radical and rough have survived, or they became more hardened during this time. It could be due to extended exposure to the Red Echo-09, who knows. All in all there was something perverse in their facial expression. War against unequal odds does this to a person.

On the fourth day, Top Commander Thorne ordered the retreat to Nexus Umbra. Draupnir has been recaptured by Super Earth.

Part 3

Communications Officer Lirael having the safety of Red Echo-09 device as her first priority, took the initiative to call her team for briefing. On what should the procedure be to protect the valuable piece of equipment in order not to fall in Super Earth hands. The scenario to communicate with Cyberstan and take a small group of asylum seekers there was also at the back of her head as a last resort. However for now she tasked her most trusted communication leutenants, Rico and Rhea to escort her to retrieve the gadget.

"Space Device" by Dmitriy Leonovich

Red Echo-09 had been upgraded to float in space and not require an operating crew rotation, which would risk their sanity staying in close proximity to the signal.

Second Leutenants Rico and Rhea were like Lirael's nepo children. They were promoted from Space Cadets  into having these relaxed and non-combatant positions, running errands for Lirael. They did not actively take part in the Liberty Probe mutiny but followed along as loyal followers, which was satisfactory.

The device was turned off and loaded on a medium shuttle and brought to Nexus Umbra's vincinity, ready to depart to safety if necessary.

Lirael patiently waited for Commander Thorne to return to the spaceport and assign new orders.

After the tactical retreat of the defending Chaos Armada, the damaged fleet returned to base to Nexus Umbra ie the second line of defence. Basically the garisson of Draupnir Spaceport was left to its fate, while the fleet retreated.

The command squad of Thorne, disembarked at Nexus Umbra, where a sense of urgency was dominating the Spaceport. They were walking like brutes and possessed a malevolent presence, some of the assault troop officers even had horns and crests attached on their helmets. Resembling something menacing and cruel. 

Officer Lirael approaching Thorne fast paced: "What would you like to do with the Red Echo-09 device? I'm assuming you wouldn't like it to fall to Super Earth's hands."

Commander Thorne: "I have totally forgot about that one. Listen, right now this gimmick is not our top priority. Right now we have to focus on the worlds that we have."

Officer Lirael: "I agree, but long term..."

Commander Thorne interrupts: "There is no long term Marjorie, just man a gun and fight, we need every last one of us, we're going to make our one last stand here!"

Officer Lirael realizing this is hopeless, stops following him and slowly goes to her quarters along with Rhea and Rico.

Second Leutenant Rhea: "So are we standing and fighting?"

Officer Lirael: "No, the survival of the device is more important. The command squad has gone mad. We are embarking to our shuttle and moving to the edge of the planetary vincinity, ready to FTL jump to safety once the Super Earth Armada attacks the Port."

Meanwhile at the war room the surviving commanders from the first naval battle where confering and strategizing their next moves.

Red Skull Captain Parthuridax(now leader of the assault troops): "Let's decide where to make our final stand!"

Chaos Admiral Azurbal: "If the Super Earthians establish a no fly zone, then the final stand will be between you and the Super Destroyers' munitions."

Parthuridax: "We need to take the battle to them somehow, small arms combat is our greatest strength."

Red Skull Admiral Ezekiel: "I'm sorry to disappoint you but naval battles are just a matter of numbers, preventing naval superiority is a prerequisite for effective defence."

Commander Thorne: "Let's tone it down a notch, we do not have much time. I have two plans already, which will be followed simultaneously. First of all I am reorganizing command, politics aside, our nation is a direct democracy. However we are facing an existencial threat, and the high command cannot be led by only one leader as at this point in time as there is high probability that I will fall and the second in command will fall too. Whoever stands with me around this table is my brother, and we are the Chaos Brothers, as Super Earth would call us. I am therefore establishing the council of the five, just like the stars on our Vera Libertas flag. Whenever one of us falls then the next in rank rises up automatically, plus in the very likely scenario that we have to disperse to multiple directions in the sector at once with smaller fleets, we can do that and still keep communicating or cease to communicate and act indepedently in a decentralized manner."

Red Skull Admiral Ezekiel: "Sounds like a desperate measure, but I see the use case."

Thorne: "Desperate measures, for desperate times, admiral. I have already ordered small groups of Chaosdivers to be placed in stasis in secret asteroid outposts across the sector, they will wake up after long periods of time or once our people find them, ready to take vengeance. Super Earth will never get rid of us! Plus there are other worlds in the sector where uprisings are happening as we speak. We have options."

Chaos Commodore Vaal: "Live to fight another day, I like the sound of that."

Commander Thorne: "IF we fail, Commodore...IF."

Part 4

After two days of both sides having been reinforced with new ships straight out of production, Super Earth Navy felt confident enough to commence the attack at Nexus Umbra.

The playbook for the Chaos forces was not exactly the same this time, as a tactical retreat and a consequent last stand would trap them in Libertas Veil, making it their grave.

Another colossal naval battle would take place, but this time Chief Democracy Officer wanted a complete purge to take place as the planet was an Anarchist hub. As the battle raged on, in the air, whole battalions of Helldivers landed to evacuate any remaining loyalists, and of course capture capital buildings. If resistance was too overwhelming, then orbital bombardment turning everything into rubble would fall like a hammer from the skies.

Many missions were taking place simultaneously for Super Earth, and Libertas Veil. Each on their own domain.

For Death Captain Vankerk the green light to board with his two squads to the almost indestructible gargantuan Spaceport of Nexus Umbra would soon be given. The Red Echo-09 signal was recently abruptly ceased, and the location of the device was unknown. Lirael's shuttle would be parked away from the action and standing by for the first chance to FTL.

After three days of relentless naval battle, finally the Armada could close in on one side of the Spaceport and it was relatively safe to commit boarding after a few drone strikes against the shield and hull.

"Drake fighter" by Dmitriy Leonovich

This could prove to be either be a surgical strike or a suicide mission for Captain Vankerk and his boarding party.

The whole operation would only last 5 minutes, which for them would seem like centuries.

Helldivers were not accustomed to space boarding missions, although as the name implies they dive into hell, no mattter where that is.

The first squad boarded in, taking out the first bystanders who saw their unexpected arrival and soon took firing positions at doors creating a bottle neck, while the second squad landed in search of the mysterious device, exactly where its last sitrep omitted the last signal trace.

As the firedfight was escalating with more and more reinforcements coming and casualities from both sides, the whole east side of the port was alerted.

After extensive search, it was clear for Vankerk that the device was no longer there or destroyed by incoming projectiles.

As the whole squad was wiped out and reinforcements also paused from the Chaos side, a tall figured emerged through the smoke. After he killed two Helldivers who did not spot him due to the smoke, one with his sidearm, executing them in close range, and the other with his spiked mace, a grotescue reconstruction of the morningstar.

Vankerk watching this, drew his ceremonial officer sword and Parthuridax dropped his sidearm away accepting the duel.

The duel lasted for a full minute, until a hull tremble shook them both to the ground. Vankerk with his left arm and leg broken by previous strikes, seized the opportunity to slay the brute with one hearty stab from the chest to the back. Liberty has prevailed over chaos.

Captain Vankerk desperately limbed back through the smoke in the hole where their boarding drone was hooked on, whilst the surviving squad members who lost him for the past minutes where awaiting him or also rushing him behind him.

Hooks disembark as he returned back to the Flagship to report his partial success to Democracy Officer Hellstein.

The naval battle continued with Super Earth's navy slowly gaining the upper hand. Indiscriminate bombardment followed on the planet after extreme resistance was manifested.

This time the tactical retreat happened in multiple directions, half of the force went to Libertas Veil to possibly fight to the last man there, while others dispersed to the Severin sector and attacked and took other poorly defended Spaceports who were cut off from Super Earth.

Super Earth's Armada also broke formation to hunt whoever they could, while the retreating fleet would FTL back to harass the Nexus Umbra port and interrupt bombardment.

Chaos forces would not seem to give up, and Democracy Officer Hellstein was outraged.

The Council of the 5's whereabouts became unknown and their presence in the fight and future skirmishes turned into legend. 

Some say thast some retreated to Libertas Veil and fought to the death there, others say that some were frozen in distand asteroids, along with their chozen Heroes of the Revolution, awaiting to wake up at a time when Super Earth will be weak again and the Vera Libertas cause will prevail.

In the end the strong will always dominate the weak, and in this case Super Earth was the stronger one

Media sources: 1. Pinterest, 2. Source of inspiration: Redditor @Raszard, 3. "Space Battle" by Oleg Danylenko, 4. "Space Device" by Dmitriy Leonovich, 5. "Drake fighter" by Dmitriy Leonovich