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(6.5) Futures and Pasts collide
(6.5) Futures and Pasts collide
Generation Ship Narshana
Inbound Leg, Three Days out of M'Haeli
Expansion Rim
November 29th, 1936
Ogon stumbled down the corridors of the Med Bay like a drunken man. He attempted to brace himself by leaning heavily on the walls only to loss his balance. He knew that the vision was coming and that he could do nothing to stop it. While his control over the visions were still hit and miss, he was becoming better at holding on to his own mind during them. Despite every part of his being telling him that he was somewhere else, he knew that he was still aboard the Narshana. Even though the vision was so completely believable, he could still hold on to the fact that it was only a vision. The vision was as intense as all the others were in the past. It still demanded his full attention and focus just to remain in control of his mind. His learning path was flawed and he was starting to realize this. Only recently did he figure out that these hyper intense and highly focused visions were tied to his studying of the Teutonic Knights. A version of Jedi from another Galaxy. Unlike the Jedi, the Teutonic Knights focused solely on their powers of sensing and control. Now with no Master to teach him more able control, Ogon was forced to deal with these visions on his own.
As he was becoming more and more able to dive deeper in to the visions, the sensations of the visions become even more real. He knew that this was only an affect of his mind. However as he shifted back and forth between vision and reality, the lingering smell of the vision became all too real to him. The sounds echoed around him as even the shift in his position seemed to affect the vision and his perception within it. He knew that if he didn't gain some kind of control over the visions, that he might do something which could cause him serious injury. As the vision entered its complete viewing state, Ogon foolishly stood assumed that the vision could not harm him. He stood behind a groups of soldiers as enemy fire rained in on them. He took a flesh wound to the shoulder which seemed all too real than simple vision. Still wave after wave of the vision would not be denied. There was simply no delaying or stopping it. From the onset of the vision, he knew it was some kind of great battle fueled by desperation. He knew that it was one of those battles which defined the rest of a war. The fate of entire empires and the very war itself hung in the balance. Ogon could gain from the vision that it was not about the battle itself. There was something else within the vision. Something that the Force wanted him to see. Something demanding to be understood, seen, and maybe even avoided. Or maybe as events were meant to be. He was not sure of the what or whys.
Like never before, Ogon had so much more control over his perception within the vision. He looked up to the morning sky of where the vision was taking place. He could see a bright moon hanging low in the distant horizon against a off green sky. The moon was bright even during what had to be early morning hours while a orange-ish sun slowly rose over the other horizon. The smell of war filled the air like the morning dew. Bodies littered the valley floor as if they were leafs tossed by the fall breeze. The large wide valley had been cut by massive glaciers millions of years ago. Now a two forked river finished the landscape. Across the lush green landscape two massive armies are locked in mortal conflict. Ogon could see soldiers and robots on the ground already taking their own roles in a dance that is as old as culture itself. He could see flying robots, fighters and winged creatures takign their own parts in a dance within the clouds. High above the sky Ogon could see clear flashes of lights that could only be fleet on fleet battles. As his eyes shifted back to the valley below it was easy for Ogon to spot the forces of the Reich on one side. He noticed their traditional gray/black body armor. He also could see another style of uniforms among the Reich soldiers. While their armor and equipment were all the same as the Reich. These soldiers who the color of dark blue on their body armor and robots. They fought side by side with the Reich soldiers as brothers in arms.
Across the battle field Ogon could easily make out the forces of the Varl. This was clearly their battlefield. He could see wave after wave of slave soldiers pushing ever forward while Varl whipmasters continued to surge them forward. Behind the whipmasters were massive walking creatures. At first Ogon thought these creatures and the soldiers riding on their backs were providing support to the Varl front waves. He watched in horror as the mounted soldiers fired upon the slave soldiers when they turned and tried to run from the battle. It was clear to Ogon what the message was. Life and rest was just on the other side of the Reich lines. These waves of slave warriors slammed up against the Reich lines like a massive force of water. The Reich stubbornly held up against the massive force. Still, the Reich had to withdrew just a few feet with each new thrust by the Varl. Though the results were more due to the next surprise that Ogon saw. He could clearly make out the Black Dragon banners that could only be the Azgardian Warlord's personal bodyguards. He never thought he would see a day when such a elite unit would fight side by side with the forces of the Varl. While the Black Dragons seemed fresh to the battle, it was clear by the bodies and state of the soldiers on both sides that this battle had been raging for weeks if not months. A group of twin blasts rock valley as Ogon turned to see sets of paired bright white balls of energy rocketing up in to space. The point of origin was well behind the Reich lines, but Ogon knew what they were. Planet side antiship artillery! All the reason why this battle was taking place.
Beyond the massive battle in the valley, there were hundreds of smaller battles taking place around the mountain range. It was one of these smaller battles which was the focus of Ogon's vision. On a ridge top near the peak of the mountain chain stood a Reich unit that had become cut off from the main lines. Alone on this peak top, nearly two hundred Reich soldiers fought back wave after wave of Varl assaults. The leader of the unit was someone that Ogon felt he recognized but could put a name to the man. The looks on the worn faces of the Reich soldiers told of how the situation had to be in a state of desperation for some time already. Even the wounded were put to use along able soldiers to defend the ridge top. Runners hurried fresh supplies to other parts of the embattled unit from the latest supply drop sometime during the night. Ogon watched as Reich soldiers took what ammo they could from their fallen brothers and evenly spread them out. Along with the heavy weapons which cleared the skys above the valley, Ogon could see that the unit was well dug in. These soldiers dressed in dark blue held the line against all that hell could throw at them. Still the look in their eyes told the story of their heart. Remaining on this ridge top was by choice alone and not by force or situation. Their sacrifice in their eyes spoke of higher propose than the mere loss of their lives. He couldn't help but wonder what they choose to die for.
He watched the commander working with a group of men on one of the larger gun emplacements. They were hammering out some kind of pin from a group of gears near the base of the gun mount. Behind Ogon he heard the loud thunderous blast of what could only be a high rate of fire weapon. He watched as a pair of Azgardian fighters were turn to ribbons by the weapon on the Ridge Top long before they were ever a threat to the ridge top or the lines below. Cheers from the large gun emplacement were heard as a pin from the base of gun fell free. The four large barrels were now lowered by the operators so that the valley below could come in to aim. Soldiers loaded the weapon from the top of the rear of the weapon as the Commander directed fire. The four barrels started to firing in pairs and large puffs of black smoke blasted across the Varl and Azgardian lines. The slaughter now ensues as bodies fall like rain. The Azgardians and Varl valiantly pursue their charge across the valley. Ogon watched as they tried to reach for cover from the new attack. The large weapon meant to engage warships had now turned the valley in to the mouth of hell. The Commander gave orders to his men as he gave them the hammer while showing them what to do to the other guns.
Under the increasing fire from the ridge top, the Varl/Azgardian advance seemed come to a complete stop. Ogon could feel the eyes of Commanders on both sides taking notice of this small unit and its tipping of the scales in this battle. The ridge top became a point of importance for the entire battle. All the commanders knew this now as the line of anti-ship guns continued to rip the Varl/Azgardian lines to shreds. It was not long for both sides to try to get as much support on the Ridge Top. Sadly the Reich couldn't spare much more than a few already battle exhausted platoons. The Varl were much more able as their assault began a new on the Ridge Top. It was near afternoon when the sight of a number of massive beasts charged up the ridge side. On their backs were Varl slave soldiers. The gun crew made short work of the beasts but the troops survived. Ogon watched as the Varl soldiers leaped in to action once their leader cracked his energy whip over their heads. While there were two whipmasters with this assault, it was clear these were no normal salve soldiers. The large group of Varl soldiers fought hard pushing in to the Reich lines as the gun crews turned their fire on the soldiers in the valley below once more. They were clearly highly trained and motivated beyond those of the slave soldiers in the valley below.
The Commander of the Reich soldiers and his loyal soldiers fought the Varl soldiers back throughout the day. A whipmaster commanded a group of small fast moving creatures, he pointed to one of the large gun emplacements. The small creatures took off for the gun emplacement as they leaped over and around the Reich soldiers. Stopping them seemed almost impossible even for the Reich Commander. Their agility was used to the best effort as they ran and leaped across the battlefield. Ogon didn't know what small creatures could do in such a large battle, but he watched them rush up to the gun emplacement and attack the operators with their small claws and teeth. The soldiers were taken by surprise from the little attackers. Still, the little creatures seemed like hardly a match against armored soldiers. It was in that moment that Ogon watched the whipmaster lift up his left arm and activate something on his wrist. The small packs on the small creatures began to flash red before they each
exploded. The blast was so violent and powerful that the entire gun mount was ripped from its concrete pad and tossed off the ridge top.
The Commander of the Reich soldiers engaged the Varl whipmaster in personal combat. The battle was just as epic as the larger battle in the valley below. As wave after wave of Varl troops worked their up to the top of the Ridge the Reich soldiers fought with valor and courage pushing the Varl back down. Ogon could hear the screams of death around him from both sides. Slowly as the sun reached the other horizon the Reich soldiers fought back the Varl back off the Ridge Top once more. He could feel their hearts as the this battle finally came to a close. With the last gun shot echoing in the distance, the Reich soldiers quickly gathered both wounded and supplies from the fallen Varl soldiers. As the Reich soldiers saw the larger mass of soldiers at the base of the ridge, Ogon could feel the Reich soldiers as they resigned themselves to what could only be the last final battle for the ridge top. Down the ridge the rest of the gun emplacements continued to fire in to the valley below. The ridge line still held its importance and was still a high valued target. Those wounded how could not walk were placed in fighting positions, those who could stood around making their final moments.
The air around the ridge was silent expect for the guns firing in the distance. In their hearts, Ogon could hear their battle song thriving. “The burden lies upon us, Surrender is not an option, We are the flank, and if we break, the line crumbles, we could lose the war......When up against all odds, we hold our line, For the cause that we so love, We must hold at all cost!!!” It was an unspoken song that each of their hearts sung in this moment. Ogon could see the strength of their unity binding the Reich soldiers to this moment, to this one goal. Ogon could see how each of them shared strength as their song played out. It was as if they were drawing on the Force to bind them to this moment, to this cause. The Reich soldiers rebuilt their defensive barriers and readied for the next assault which they knew was coming. Already the sounds of the giant walking creatures filled the air as tress were pushed aside. It was their last battle and each Reich soldier accepted their own fate. They looked down the ridge to see hundreds of Varl soldiers rushing up the side of the ridge. This time, there were Azgardians within their ranks. Ogon could easily make out their leader as he readied his mighty battle axe. Ogon knew it was Birgr and knew that this battle was not going to be an easy fight.
Many of the Reich soldiers shared what limited ammo they had left. A few took their last drinks of water before the final battle. Some checked ammo creates for any ammo that could be found. Bodies were sacked as the hurried search continued. The soldiers amassed one last time just as the Varls were nearing the half way mark. The Reich soldiers each gave a solemn nod to their brothers in arms. The Reich Commander walked among his troops one last time. Giving humble words to each of them. He even removed his helmet and Ogon could see his face. There was a look in the Commander's eyes that spoke of the grave moment that Ogon was witnessing. Still Ogon could not completely understand what was beyond the ridge that these soldiers would be so willing to die for. Still the moment bound each of them as the Reich Commander finished his speech and drew out his bayonet as he commanded, “fix bayonets!” Each soldier followed suit with their commander. The screamed out their battle cry as they rushed to their fighting positions to ready to the last battle. As the next wave charged over the ridge slopes once more, the battle quickly became personal as the Reich soldiers attempted to make every shot count. Birgr locked blades with the Reich Commander within moments of reaching the top of the ridge. It was clear that both men knew each other well as their epic battle raged. Once more the small Varl bombers did their job on the remaining large gun mounts and the two radar stations. Again the Reich soldiers were all but helpless to stop the suicide attacks. The battle was epic for those within it. The Reich soldiers fought and died with such honor that even the Azgardian warriors gave respect to their fallen foes before moving to a new target. Something Ogon had never seen before. Within the hearts of the Reich soldiers their song sang out in unison, “We must hold at all cost!!!”
Fate was not with the Reich defenders today. Ogon was not able to see what happened within the battle between the Reich Commander and Birgr. The battle for the ridge top was too chaotic for him to be able to watch it all. His lack of control within the vision also made following parts of the battle hard. He felt like a piece of wood adrift on a large fast moving river, taken wherever the current was to lead. The Reich soldiers fought back hard against the combined Varl and Azgardian assault. Even the aid of a few Reich gunships didn't turn the tide of this battle. The Azgardians were going to take this ridge top and they would not be denied. In the end, a few surviving Reich soldiers were rescued by a pair of gunships as the battle came to a close. Ogon watched as Birgr cross the Reich ridge top in victory. The battle had taken its own toll on Birgr as the mighty warrior tossed off his helmet to see with his own eyes. The look on his face turned to horror as Birgr looked down on the other side of the ridge. Ogon could see Birgr's eyes as they widened in shock as if his own nightmares had somehow became a reality. Slowly Birgr dropped to his knees while his helmet and weapon fall to the ground. The shifting of Birgr's hair blowing behind him meant only one thing. A powerful shock wave rushed toward the Ridge top shifting the trees and soldiers alike. Even the light of the sun seemed to be dimmed by a new light in the sky. Still the look of horror on Birgr's face never changed as he looked on ward.
“Odin, please forgive me” were the words Ogon heard from Birgr's mouth as the vision faded. The memory of the vision still rested heavily on Ogon's heart. He could still smell the gun powder as well as the dead in the air around him. Hear the sounds of combat from the distant valley below. Once more he knew that the vision had passed. He still lacked the control needed to recover fully quickly. He continued to make his way to the med bay where Carissa had asked to meet him just a few hours ago. He had talked with Spoonie and found out that she had been working on a project in one of the Doctor's offices. It would appear that Carissa had been hard at work on something since they returned for Mearisa. He turn and noticed a pair of pirates walking out the office where Carissa was working. He was pretty sure one was the chief engineer and the other was a weapon's officer. His mind was still a bit under distress from the vision but he was able to put forth a normal face.
“Don't waste your time. She's not talking to anyone. Stuck up little....” the Chief Engineer was saying till the Weapon's officer cut him off.
“Watch it” she said giving him a good elbow. “He's, her father” she further explained.
“Oh” the man said as they walked past. “No disrespect, sir”
Ogon didn't return the looks or the comment. He knew that Carissa had a habit of rubbing people the wrong way due to her lack of engagement. Its not that she meant to be rude, she simply didn't bother speaking unless she had something to say. It was a quality that many claim, but she perfected. And when she did speak, she choose her words very carefully. It all gave others the impression that she was snobbish or worse. Still he had already figured the pirates had no manners and didn't care for their opinions. Ogon just walked passed them as he turned and walked in to the office. The lights were dimmed and the only sound was typing on a pair of keyboards. Ogon walked around a cloth isolation screen to see Carissa working hard over two keyboards and watching five different monitors. He had always been so impressed with her abilities. Her mind, her skills, and her desires to remain a person of peace. 'Person' he thought as a smile slowly crossed his lips.
Sometimes he forgets what Carissa truly is. Her flesh and other organic parts are all his DNA. He could easily see his own eyes in her soft brown eyes. Her long wavy hair matched his nearly perfectly. Outwardly it was easy for him to see his own daughter in every bit of her even though her body was that of a human female and his was a Bothan. However, under skin, she was every bit her mother. Carissa's mother was something very special, remarkable and unique. Her mother was the ISA Ka-riss-ah, a free independent thinking warship from a long dead empire called the Inter Stellar Alliance. The party had discovered Ka-riss-ah floating dead in space well beyond wild space a couple of years before the battle of Hothe. After they managed to bring the ship's powerful AI on line, they learned that she had been drifting in space from a distant galaxy. However, even the ships advanced AI was unable to identify how long she had been drifting. The party learned that in Ka-riss-ah's galaxy, a group called the Teutonic Knights roamed and kept the peace. The Teutonic Knights were a form of Jedi in many ways, though they only focused on sense and control. There was no mention of alter forms within the Teutonic Knights philosophies or teachings. It was from Ka-riss-ah's own libraries where Ogon learned to use the Force like the Teutonic Knights.
Also, like the Reich, the ISA were a human superior culture. The had managed to conquer nearly all of their Galaxy and forced almost every other race under their rule. Those races not under their direct control learned to fear the ISA. While they were brutal and cruel, they were also evolving. Unlike the Reich, they were forced to change their cultural mind set in the face of an unstoppable threat. An enemy called the Chaos. The ISA scientist failed to learn the secret of the Chaos which ultimately led to the death of their entire galaxy. The ISA fought the Chaos just like all of the other races of their galaxy, like any other space faring race. However the Chaos were creatures of space itself. Their ships were not ships at all, they were living, breeding creatures of doom. Creatures that were force sensitive and highly intelligent. Ships like Ka-riss-ah were built to fight these creatures directly. However, even with ships like Ka-riss-ah the Chaos were simply too much to over come. In the end, the ISA's only hope was to prevent other galaxies from suffering the same fate as they did. They detonated millions of massive black hole bombs across their galaxy. It was a doomsday operation which wiped out trillions of chaos ships and killed the entire galaxy. Though a few escaped and followed Ka-riss-ah. These few would be faced off during the battle of Hothe and the fate of the entire galaxy would hang in the balance.
Ka-riss-ah's secret mission had two parts. One was to contact the First Ones, the ones believed by lore to have unlimited power and hopes of stopping the Chaos. The second was to be a ark ship carrying a DNA base of trillions of animal and plant life forms from her own galaxy. She also carried within her core the complete libraries of her home galaxy so that their culture would not be forgotten. What none of her designers ever foresaw was that ships like Ka-riss-ah had the ability to develop feelings and emotions. What Ogon didn't release was his own ability to develop feeling for the warship and to fall in love with her. Before he met Ka-riss-ah, he had loved the idea of artificial intelligence in concept. But druids never really lived up to Ogon's ideals of truly AI level of thinking. When he met Ka-riss-ah, she was everything he dreamed AI would be plus so much more. During their time together, Ogon develop such a deep routed love for the AI that he stopped seeing her as just a ship. He started to see her as a person within the ship. Ka-riss-ah returned that love and shortly before her death during the battle of Hothe, she revealed their child Carissa. Ogon learned that Ka-riss-ah had used his DNA to help create the off spring.
The effort was nothing short of a technological and biological miracle. Ka-riss-ah had enlisted the help of four allies of the party who were experts within their fields to create the child. In Carissa's face and smile, he could see her mother looking back at him. Her fair skin and soft touch was a sorrow reminder of the love that he lost during that battle. Surprisingly she did not take after either him or her mother in philosophies. Being the daughter of the most powerful warship in the known galaxy, she choose to followed the path of pacifistic. While he was becoming a very solid and able leader, she was happy taking the back seat to everyone else. For her, watching the interactions of others was enough. She was always there to lend advice or offer a thoughtful word. This was surprising as her programming lacked the same level to develop emotions. Not wishing to step forward and led, nor desiring to pick up arms troubled Ogon about her. Neither of these traits were dominate in either him or her mother. Still, he admired her. Still he loved her. Still she was his daughter.
One trait that she perfected that came from both her mother and him had to be her strong focus on details and understanding their complex relationships. Ogon looked at the back of Carissa's head as she worked diligently. He moved silently over to a desk as she continued to work. He knew that she had to know he was here. He simply didn't wish to interrupt her work. He could tell that she was looking for something within the files and images before her. She had a way of looking at two facts and see connections that others would over look. Each of her hands were typing away on its own keyboard while her eyes shifted between the computer monitors. She had told him before that she was in the mists of uncovering something important and urged him to meet her here at this moment. She was clear not to be late. He looked over the few screens in hopes of getting a better idea of what she was working on. Sadly, her eyes could read the data much faster than his could. All he could tell was that she was looking up news reports of some kind and data about energy. Finally without warning, Carissa stopped and turned around to face him. She wore that same emotionless face that she always had. It was something that Ogon found confusing. Ka-riss-ah had mastered emotions and developed them on so many other levels. Yet, she did not pass this on to Carissa within her programming.
“Thank you for waiting, Father” she said without a trace of emotions in her voice. “Sometimes I wonder why Mother gave me this limited form.” She questioned as she held up her human hands. Karissa had chosen her avatar to be that of a human female in most situations but she had taken on other forms as well. Ogon recalled how she changed her Avatar to that of a Bothan female. He recalled just how lovely of a Bother her mother had been. Carissa looked up from her hands and back at Ogon as she changed the subject. “Do you recall that transmission we intercepted back on Fra?” She asked then continued, “within the transmission the speaker told of flaming cloud attacks. It was a report that we all assumed was talking about nuclear or atomic attacks”
Ogon nodded as Carissa continued, “then there was the musical group from Po'lash. They performed a song called Nuclear Attack. The song was about the story of how the Reich crushed their military during the invasion of Po'lash. The two separate attacks which brought their military to its knees. Than the attacks on Mearisa. We had first hand wittinesses that gave detailed accounts of what the attacks looked like and did. Lastly we have the report of the attack on the Petershaw. The explosions were so massive that it rocked the super ship and was able to cripple and destroy it in short order. On the surface, it all seems like nuclear attacks. That is if they are nuclear attacks, which is generally more likely than anything else. So I asked myself what kind of weapon could this be, if the obvious, likely answer was wrong. Let's go back to Fra. I played the transmission over and over again till I was able to rebuild the event through the eye wittiness reported. At first I dismissed the entire event because of what could only be mistakes in size and descriptions.”
Before Ogon could ask her to get to the point she continued, “back to my first question. If the obvious answer was wrong, what was the weapon. I spent days rebuilding the event piece by piece given from the transmission and other eye wittiness accounts from Fra. I wrote a cgi program based on what they all reported to have seen.” She explained as she turned and played the program for Ogon to see. “I would say at best, these programs are about forty percent accurate based on the reports. I had to put all the eye wittiness statements in to sync with the others. There were four total attacks on Fra which could be cataloged as flaming cloud attacks. In each attack, I found a discrepancy between the weapon delivery system vs the size of of the explosion. One eye wittiness claimed that the weapon was no larger than a brief case. The blast of that explosion would have been much smaller if the weapon was in fact that size. This only meant that the weapon we are looking at is no normal nuclear weapon. There was no usable recorded data recovered from Fra to analyze. So I could only base these findings on the eye wittiness statements of the blasts which they survived. Many of these statements come from soldiers and officers. People who have skills in taking and giving reports. So this does offer some credibility to the reports and the findings. Some credibility.”
She paused to take a breath even though she didn't need to breath. It was something that she was working on to not seem so, inhuman. “I moved next to Po'lash and the events there. The Po'lash refugees took detailed notes and some scientists even took a great deal of readings while their world was consumed in fire. The level of data and records was surprising. I mean its really amazing their devotion to science. Here they are having their world being blasted and over run right around them....” she continued off subject.
“Carissa” Ogon said softly.
“Sorry Father” she replied and nodded as she continued on subject. “The first thing I noticed was again the ratio between explosion and delivery system which I discovered on Fra. The same ratio seemed to be taking place. Also the data taken seemed to ensure that the reports from Fra can be mostly trusted. There was something new on Po'lash I discovered. A scientist named Gug'ran Jlu noted in his findings a clear and evident lack of nuclear fuel at two blast sites he investigated. When a nuclear explosion occurs there are trace elements of fuel used to power the explosion. Rather it was Uranium or Plutonium, or whatever there are always trace amounts left behind after the explosion. On these two sites he did not report any amounts of fuel remaining. It was as if, the nuclear fuel was completely consumed by the explosion. While this is possible to have happened, it is simply unlikely. Then I looked at medical reports from survivors. I have seen evidence of genetic damage which is conducive with a nuclear attack when you remove all other factors. However some of the genetic damage again doesn't match the nature of the blast. See the genetic damage from a normal nuclear blast is driven by the radiation of the blast. Here we see the damage on scales never see before in any report of nuclear attacks. The attacks on Mearisa were also much like the attacks on Po'lash. I discovered nothing new, but this did allow me to further authenticate my own findings so far.”
“Lastly, I looked deeply in to the attack on the Petershaw. Daz's accounts of the attack seem to support my unfolding opinion. The blasts which ripped the Petershaw apart so quickly along with the two Corvettes simply can not be that of a nuclear weapon. The battle footage was surprising. Look at the explosions on the Petershaw compared to those against the corvettes. There are noticeable differences between the two blasts. Yes it is possible that they fired two different kinds of weapons. However looking at the energy signature of the explosions, it is my belief that these are the same kind of anti-mater weapons. Because these types of weapons can be charged up or down to be used on an intended target. See a nuclear weapon is built for a set yield regardless of what the target is. However a anti-mater weapon can be ramped up or down so that the charge is not wasted on smaller ships or too light for larger ships. It is highly unlikely that these weapons were nuclear in nature. All of my findings simply don't support this finding. These inconsistency can only mean that the Reich has on some level weaponise anti-mater. It might not be too much of an assumption that the Reich has even managed to turn it in to a power source.” she finally rested her findings and waiting for him to think it over a bit.
Ogon nodded as she finally added, “this is all only theoretical though. As most of my data is hear say from refugees, battle footage from substandard sensors, or scientists whom truly believe their own findings support a nuclear attack.”
Moving from the desk, Ogon walked over to the computers as Carissa presented her data for his review. He couldn't deny the facts as she laid them out for him. He also couldn't deny her statement about it being only theoretical. Much of her own facts came from witnesses who believe that the Reich is using nuclear weapons. Even the best scientists believe that the weapons are nuclear in nature. While her work was thorough and detailed, it did lack solid evidence. But he knew something she didn't. For all of her brilliant mind, nothing could replace eyes and ears on the ground behind enemy lines. The kind of work that spies do. A chance encounter put him in contact with the very source of information which would prove her theory correct. “What if I were to tell you that one of their leading scientists was working on something like this.” He said showing her the image of a formula left for him by the Bothan Scientist on the Reich world of Acatmen. He had his assumptions about the formula, but needed a bit of reassurance regarding his belief.
She looked at the formula for only a moment before speaking once more, “then I would have to say my opinion is more factual than I first feared.” Turning to one of her keyboards as she continued, “however the formula is not complete” she said as she entered in parts of the formula and continued to finished it. Within moments a energy pattern showed up on one of the monitors. “This is not weaponise anti-mater. Notice the change in the pattern. These are more stable with higher energy output than those used on Po'lash or the Petershaw. These notations are concerning anti-mater as a power source” she explained softly. “If both lines of thought are indeed true, than the Reich would have a clear advantage over their enemies” she said as she turned to face Ogon once more.
Ogon nodded at the statement as he recalled his fringer days. Anti-matter engines were pretty common during the days of the Republic. They were horribly under powered compared to the energy cell engines of the day. However they were very reliable and offered steady standby power. Because of this, anti-matter engines almost always found on nearly every ship as power supplies for back up hyperdrives. He recalled helping their engineer once time to repair one. They were pretty complex but compact and the difference between life and death should your main power die on you. He also knew they needed a special focusing crystal for the reaction. “Okay so explain to me what we are looking at in terms of comparison.” He had ideas but he also knew she could easily cover all aspects that he didn't consider.
She blinks for a moment as she gathered her thoughts before starting, “the most powerful engines currently being fielded are in use by the Free Worlds' Council. If what we suspect is true. Than the FWC's engine could be out preformed by a ratio of three to one. However if the Reich's research is further along than we suspect, it could be a ratio as high as twelve to one or even more. Based on my findings I feel three to one is a safe assessment at this point based on our current information. I have noticed that all the major powers have been fielding energy shields for over two centuries. The current shield systems in use by all factions suffer from lack reliable of power during combat.”
“This was most noted during the last major war between the Reich and the FWC. The main ships of the line used a timing cycle called Line Fire for their tactics in regards to their shields. The ships would come in to line with their shields at full. Then lower the shields to transfer power to their main energy weapons. They would then fire their weapons and return the power back to the shields. This is a direct result of limited power which the fusion engines can produce. It is a clear fact that the anti-matter engines would resolve this problem. More over is that the added power could easily power other systems during combat. Such as a clocking device which Daz was able to witness during the Petershaw attack. The weight of the engines would be cut by nearly half. However some components of the engines would require more space but this would not affect the overall weight of the engine. Considering the power requirements, this also means that these engines could be fitted on craft as small as fighters or walkers.”
“There is a down side, these engines would require a need of highly advanced skills to maintain them. Plus a much more developed support crew for these systems. Should the Reich go to war without these support crews or the skills to maintain these engines, it could prove to be tragic for the Reich ships. Without knowing when the Reich started their research in to this technology, it is unclear to gauge how far along their education and training are with these engines” she finally finished explaining her key point. It was clear that Ogon didn't like what he saw or what she explained. The Reich had a clear advantage and he knew that they couldn't be allowed to keep it.
On that note Ogon realized that there was a key component of the Anti-matter engines. He knew that they used matter and anti-matter which is channeled to a focal point and created a powerful reaction. That focal point is a special crystal which gets burned up at a rapid rate. He remembered days having to check the back up drives and emergency power to ensure that the crystals were still usable. “The focal crystals used during the Republic were artificially created. Do you know if they are using artificial crystals or natural occurring?”
She listened to his statement carefully before answering. “To create the focal crystals requires a level of industry that I have seen no evidence of within the Reich or anywhere else in the galaxy. Based on this, we must assume that they are using natural crystals”
He nodded, almost grateful for that bit of luck. He was starting to come up with a plan but needed some more information. “Where are these crystals found within the Core worlds”
She turned around and worked her computers once more. A map of the core worlds came up and within moments a overlay of gold colored dots covered over twenty worlds. Ogon couldn't help but noticed that Mearisa was one of those worlds. There were so many worlds deep within the Reich space and others along the boarders of it. Luckily, these worlds had limited deposits meaning that the Reich had to find them outside their domain. Denying the Reich of the Crystals would be hard but not impossible. It all banked on how long that they had been stockpiling them. With that fact unknown he needed a better plan to even the odds.
He nodded as he took in all the information. “Expand the map to cover the entire galaxy.” Another plan started to take shape as to how he could even the playing field with the rest of the galaxy. However as she expanded the map he noticed that Fra was now covered in gold. “Wait!” He snapped “when we were on Fra, I recall the rebels were backed by a mining company. Shain'hof Mining, I think was the company's name. They backed the rebels and pushed the war to its conclusion. The Reich has a powerful grip on the world now due to this war. I wonder. Show me any other locations where Shainhof operates.”
She continued to type away at her computer and the map changed just slightly. Ogon saw something very disturbing. The mining company had been busy during the past twenty six years. They seemed to have moved outward from the Core worlds expanding their operations. It seemed to appear that they only set up major operations on worlds which were rich in BernzChi crystals. “Now show me changes in government to becoming Reich friendly.” It was just as he suspected, each world where Shainhof had been operating and BernzChi crystals were discovered, the Reich vested heavily in the world to change their opinion of the Reich. If the world was in a key shipping line, the results were the same. If the world offered no strategic value and did not have any BernzChi crystals, Shainhof simply moved on regardless of the needs of the world. “Okay give me a time table of Reich military expansion, Shainhof operations, and worlds turned Reich Friendly. Cross reference it with the locations of these crystals and cover all the Galaxy."
She changed the map once more and continued to type. Within moments the map reflected just what he was looking for. The Reich became interested with worlds where these crystals can be found just over fifty years ago. During this time, they invaded, annexed, got the worlds to warm up to them, or simply had the governments over thrown and replaced with a Reich friendly government. The findings were pretty clear and easily understood. The Reich has been building up a stockpile of these crystals for decades. 'This only means that any war with them will have to be either a very short war or it would end up being a very long one' Ogon considered at he looked over the findings. There were some bright point to these findings. There were many worlds that the Reich hadn't reached yet. It was clear that they had a number of mining companies searching the galaxy for these crystals.
The FWC had a world which had large deposits of BernzChi crystals across it. However it was close to the Reich boarder. And more impotently, a Reich funded mining company had visited the world some two years ago. They didn't set up shop, which told Ogon that this world would be one that would be targeted very early on in any war. The Dorins according to Carissa's maps had several worlds that were clearly out of the Reich's reach. Also, the Varl had many large deposits on a number of their worlds. Looking across the galaxy and based on the Reich's past actions, it was a safe bet that their next major operation would be targeted right at the FWC. Still something didn't seem right with that assumption. If he was to level the playing field, he would have to act quickly. Mining these crystals would take time. And refining them would take even longer. He turned and looked at the energy signature of anti-mater. It pulsated around and twisted and turned. The nature of the signature was steady and even as it pulsated.
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