War & Peace

Updated Sunday 15 May, 2011 12:18 PM

Human Time Line 999 950 - 1 000 000

Cathartic Age

War & Peace

999 951 The Black Cloud Aliens, knowing that they had a successful tactic against BlackStar, once again advanced. From the location of where NGW Oracle was, the Aliens main fleet noted that the UDF gave little resistance. Admiral Zend, not too mention President Roberts, were somewhat depressed over the failure of the assault of the 9th Fleet. The result was a return to previous tactics of a fighting withdrawal.

On the side of the UDF was the distance of space. NGW Oracle was on the fringe of FGCP territory. Nothing was around the NGW base for many light years. Although UDF never liked giving up Commonwealth territory at any time, many hoped that it would take years before the invaders stumbled across the closest FGCP colony. Furthermore, the further the Aliens advanced into FGCP territory, the closer they came to more fleets of the UDF.

UPX once again reports that the Homo neo-luminous had continued to expand their territory. As previously, they recommend that Earth be declared a National Park Planet & it be evacuated accordingly. Naturally this would cost billions & somewhat difficult to achieve during the current period of warfare. Nonetheless, President Roberts agrees. The cultural & psychological impact that the Homo neo-luminous would suffer could be catastrophic if contact was made between the FGCP citizens living on Earth & the very young race.

When hearing that the President had made the "Earth National Park" official policy, Congress erupted in debate. Many, especially the corporeal members, could not accept that Earth was going to become quarantined for a very junior race numbering about 2 million. The Wazzen Representative, Conis Winder, exclaimed "I refuse to authorise billions on what is no more than a smart ape! You Humans may have been apes once, but then your specie tinkered with your own DNA. Is there nothing that you people won’t fiddle with? Even you’re damned dogs are still sacred to you: pity the Braggah were forced to stop eating them!"

Needless the say, the Humans were outraged; not at the argument over the cost, but over the eating of dogs. The Humans then dominated all further debate. The Braggah were not too happy about Winder’s comments either reminding all that dog eating had been banned on Braggah for eons. Needless to say, such practices are illegal throughout the Commonwealth. Although other corporeal races supported the Wazzen position, Human, Vargary & Unis numbers won the day.

9952 In a very moving ceremony, President Roberts declared Earth a Planetary National Park. The cities of the planet would be slowly dismantled & the environment returned to Earth’s "natural" state of over a million years ago. Many of Earth’s residences accept these changes, especially when the compensation packages on offer were extremely generous. Some corporeal residences refuse to leave & alas were forcefully removed.

Arguments, however, erupt again in Congress when it was revealed that non-corporeal species may remain on Earth provided they kept away from Homo neo-luminous & stay non-corporeal. Virtually all the corporeal species clearly saw this as discrimination. Old arguments were dredged up once again that the Humans were deliberately using the Commonwealth for their own purposes. Again Winder claimed "Give it time & the Humans will replace us with their ape cousins & dogs, for now they don’t need the rest of us to keep them company."

President Roberts could not believe the ridiculous arguments being carried on over the Earth Park. He did, however, take seriously claims that the Humans had tinkered with the DNA of a specie of ape which resulted in Homo neo-luminous. UPX immediately got DNA samples & declared that there had been no modification other than by nature. Homo neo-luminous was a legitimate evolutionary development.

All this fuss, however, made a significant impact on the Presidential elections. President Roberts stated that he was glad to be stepping down. If the war was not bad enough, the Earth Park issue certainly made life tough. And it was this issue, not the pursuit of the war, that became central to the election. In doing so, it polarised the citizenship. Conis Winder soon became the leading opposition candidate. The Humans were to have none of this stupidity & voted overwhelmingly for Edith Graffon from Utopia.

Thankfully, while the Earth Park fuss was distracting the Commonwealth, Admiral Zend resigned as his time was due. His deputy, Admiral Lysare a Lyonies took over command. Much discussion had taken place in UDF commands as to how to handle the Black Cloud Aliens. The current idea was to withdraw from the current positions & place as much distance between the UDF & the invaders. Admiral Lysare was of this mind set & thus issued the necessary orders. It was hoped that the 200 or so light years that would be between the two combatants, would ensure a number of years before combat would once again commence.

9953 Admiral Lysare’s new tactic appeared to be working. The Black Cloud Aliens, fearing a trap, decided to stay at their current locations & consolidated their conquests. Lysare was content to patrol & nothing more.

Yet the withdrawal brought criticism from a number of planets, particularly those that were closest to the invaders. This included Blurgiss Prime & Amerigo. Regardless of the reassurances from the UDF & President Graffon, billions of FGCP citizens demanded more action. Many were quick to point out that it had been the invaders who had been successful so far in the war & not the UDF.

In reality, these criticisms were correct, although it was not due to trying. UDF continued to pressure NGW for a successful weapon to counter the power of the Black Cloud Aliens. Although the UDF ships were far superior, when it came to close quarters fighting, the invaders had a clear advantage.

9954 After some years of absence, the Nazzer once again opened full communications with the FGCP. After the FGCP had walked out on the Ancients Council, little contact had been kept with them or any of the other Ancients. Although a number of the Ancients had threatened at various times to teach the Humans & others a lesson, the defeats suffered by the Wellous made these threats all talk & no action.

The Nazzer too continued to look out for the FGCP, but in doing so became more alienated as a result. Fearing that the other Ancients may turn on them, returning to full relations with the Commonwealth would lessen any threat. A few other Ancients, following the Nazzer lead, also returned to full relations. None of them, however, would help directly with the FGCP’s war with the Black Cloud Aliens.

That still did not stop President Graffon asking the Nazzer once more about the Delquin. Many in the UDF began to theorise that the invaders were the Delquin, but this the Nazzer denied. Alas all the Nazzer could state that the Delquin could not be found, although they would approach the other "friendly" Ancients about the Delquin.

As the Black Cloud Aliens remained quiet, the UDF continued to monitor the activities of the Essence Ancients in Cordah territory. Their activities had increased as their ships were busy going back & forth in the time stream. These observations thus suggested that the Ancients War had begun in earnest & that the old United Federation of Planets was embroiled in battle. Arguments broke out at once in the UDF whether to intervene. President Graffon was against any intervention, especially when such an action would require the weakening of the fleets covering the Black Cloud Aliens. Besides, history showed that the old UFP managed to fight off the Essence Ancients & survived better than ever.

9955 Congress erupted in uproar when the final figure for the Earth National Park was tabled. It had gone $50 trillion over budget. Those "front line" planets in the war against the Black Cloud Aliens could not believe that the Humans had wasted this amount of funds for Homo neo-luminous. An amount that large could have been given to NGW for research in weapons. Many were quick to point out that the miracle weapon had still not arrived & that $50 trillion would have made it happen.

Many others agreed, particularly among the Humans themselves. Although most Humans acknowledged the importance of Earth, most did not live there. In fact most Humans had never even been to Earth. Again it was one thing to help out the Homo neo-luminous, but not at the expense of the entire Commonwealth.

Although President Graffon tried to defend the situation, in reality it was not even her policy. The Earth National Park was her predecessor’s, but that did not stop the criticism. Soon, opinion polls clearly showed that she was in trouble. Nonetheless, the Earth National Park was a done deal. It was to be seen whether her re-election was the same thing.

9956 To further the woes of the President, Congress rejected this years Budget. Still annoyed by the blow-out in the Earth National Park expenses, Congress was in no mood to authorise what was considered to be a reckless economic mess. Senator Onot Quinton from Quotos basically summed up the political atmosphere by stating that "… the needs of the Commonwealth, that being the current war, means priorities must be set in order to win that war. Fantasies, such as the Earth National Park may be good & well during a time of peace, but not now. I have no faith, therefore, in this Administration. They will accept our responsible Budget - we will not accept their inept one."

Although this meant a constitutional crisis in some way, Congress was nonetheless within its power to reject the President’s Budget for one of its own. Needless to say, high on the list of Congress’s Budget was defence spending. It had almost doubled. Furthermore, so had defence research & development. NGW was given a blank cheque in order to develop a weapon to ensure victory.

The chairman of NGW, Kaitlan Madras, was thankful for the enormous increase in funding, but did not know whether anything would come of it. The basic problem was science. FGCP technology had advanced so far that improvements in many fields was now impossible. In other fields, improvements may occur, but the research effort was enormous - almost equal to that of the funding increase. Furthermore, the yields thus produced may not be all that significant.

9957 As had often been the case, various cultural festivals had continued to take place throughout the FGCP. These were one of the highlights in many citizens lives. Often most citizens would never leave their solar system, let alone sector. Thus the festivals brought the Commonwealth to them. Popular ones included the plays by Shakespeare. Others included the music of Beethoven.

Recently, however, a cult following had made the ancient science fiction movies of Earth popular. Top of the list was the classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was based upon the classic novel by the same name. Other movies were also keenly watched. These included various Star Trek movies, as well as the Star Wars series. The real fascination that attracted viewers, was how Humans imagined space & aliens was like. Many viewers laughed at the obvious mistakes, but most viewers were once again impressed by the imagination & creativity that was a central trait of the Human race.

Among the audience to one such festival was Kaitlan Madras & NGW’s chief engineer, Vince Tresco. Both thought 2001: A Space Odyssey particularly impressive due to its realism. Star Wars, however, got a got laugh from both of them. Yet something from the movie stuck in Tresco’s mind. He could not, though, pin point what it was. Later he bought a copy of the movie to view at leisure. Maybe he could remember what it was some time later.

As promised, the Presidential elections were a bloodbath. Candidates from all over hammered it out with each other during the campaign. President Graffon, although defended her Administration well, in reality had little chance. The scandal over the cost of the Earth National Park was raised again & again in debates. Many of the voters too were quick to remember that fact & that a sizeable section of FGCP territory was still occupied by an invader.

Come the results of the election though & few were surprised that the President was defeated. They were, however, surprised when one David Howard from Earth scraped in with a handful of votes. It seemed that threats by many candidates to reopen Earth did not go down well with the Humans. Howard, it appeared, seemed to be more of a symbol than anything. That the Earth National Park would remain as would the FGCP.

9958 President Howard went to work immediately. His first task was to reassure the citizens that the UDF would stand. He issued orders that the UDF must not withdraw any further - that enough territory had already been lost. Although Admiral Lysare did not like the idea, he was reassured that the UDF would not be advancing to meet the enemy either. The current status quo would remain.

The next step by President Howard was to further warm up the relations with the Nazzer & the other "friendly" Ancients. Areas such as trade & travel were key areas as was academic exchanges. Furthermore President Howard again pressed the Nazzer about the Delquin. The Nazzer were happy to reply that the Delquin had been contacted in a round about way. The bad news was that the FGCP would have to prove to the Delquin that they were worth saving.

9959 It came as a rude shock. Just as everyone had started to become complacent with the activities of the Black Cloud Aliens, Nazzdorra strung to life. Having spent the last few years consolidating their gains, the invaders were once again on the move. Why the sudden change in their tactics was never known, but it was known that 100 small ships were heading across the 200 light year expanse towards Blurgiss Prime.

Admiral Lysare, although wanting to avoid any contact with these ships was overruled. President Howard ordered him to intercept & destroy the ships. As a bonus for the UDF, the Black Cloud Alien ships were small. Furthermore they travelled in small task forces of no more than five ships each. The Admiral, however, became even more convinced that the UDF should remain hidden. Clearly these were scout ships being sent out to find the UDF. Attacking them would merely alert the invader as to where the UDF fleets were & what they are prepared to do.

Nonetheless, all of Admiral Lysare’s arguments fell on deaf ears. The President was adamant that the invaders would advance no more. The destruction of 100 enemy ships would be good news for a worried FGCP citizenship. The UDF attacked. The Black Cloud Aliens had no chance. Their small scout ships stood no chance against the latest UDF battleships. But before they were all destroyed, signals were sent back to the main Black Cloud Alien fleets. The location of the UDF defenders were now know. The invaders, now armed with this knowledge, soon made their plans against the Commonwealth.

9960 Now that the Black Cloud Aliens had a good idea as to the whereabouts of the UDF fleets, the Aliens advanced en mass. It was exactly what Admiral Lysare feared. Frantic messages were sent to the President requesting that the UDF fleets employ the hit & run tactics of the past, but President Howard was adamant - the UDF must stand & fight.

Soon battle was given at several locations & the result was the same everywhere. The UDF fleets were defeated as the Aliens repeated previous tactics: that was to get in close as fast as possible where the superior UDF weaponry could not cope with the demands of the battle. Again the invaders would board the UDF ships & hard hand to hand fighting would then take place. Yes casualties were high on both sides, but the experience & expertise of the Black Cloud Aliens often saw them win the day.

News soon spread back to the President of the results of the various battles. Although disappointed, he now realised there was little choice but to withdraw. Before the President could issue the withdrawal commands, Admiral Lysare disobeyed the current orders & commanded the surviving UDF ships to retreat. In reality he had little choice & his position of Admiral was saved thanks to the President’s new orders.

The one piece of good news to come out of the horrendous battles was that the Black Cloud Aliens had also been hard hit. By the UDF standing & fighting, the losses to the Aliens had also been heavy. This shook the confidence of the invaders whereby they halted their advance. Although they did not know it, there would have been little that the UDF could have done to stop them. The Blurgiss & CIP Sectors could have been invaded - this being the beginning of the heartland of the FGCP.

Needless to say, billions of FGCP citizens in these two Sectors were screaming for protection. Although the UDF played down the defeats, the Joint Chiefs were quick to point out that the invader’s advance had been stopped. The President went further to announce that a massive counter-offensive would soon drive the enemy out. In private, there was no such plan, but once again the President called upon NGW for the victory weapon.

9961 Vince Tresco, after the pressures of another long & fruitless day, sat down to watch what had become his favourite old movie. Star Wars, although he thought rather comical, had nonetheless grown on him. For some reason his subconscious continued to harp on him about something in the movie. When the light sabre fight scene, which was his most favourite part came on, he finally saw it.

Tresco had read many of the reports of the battles with the Black Cloud Aliens. Unlike the UDF who tried to fight in a ship to ship encounter, the Aliens always fought at close quarters. UDF weapons were unmatched at the ship to ship level, but personal weaponry had virtually remained unchanged for thousands of years. Normally it would not matter, but now it was a different story. For Tresco, the ideal weapons for the UDF was an excellent rifle & a light sabre. The only problem was, lasers & plasma was virtually useless against the Black Cloud Aliens.

Tresco, though, ran the idea past his boss Kaitlan Madras. The idea was so simple. Everyone had missed it. Yet it was true, lasers & plasma would be useless, but BlackStar technology was not. The only hurdle was being able to control the energy of a black hole into such a confined environment - that being a rifle, & more importantly a light sabre.

Nonetheless NGW went to work. Surprisingly, the BlackStar Rifle was not too difficult to design. By taking what was well established with the BlackStar Beam Arrays, that were fitted to every UDF ship, miniaturisation ensured that a rifle version was possible. Although it would be rather bulky, it could be done. The BlackStar Sabre, however, was another story.

Another problem, though, soon developed for the rifle. Although in the laboratory major computers could do the necessary complicated computations required for the rifle, this would be impossible on the battlefield. The rifle itself would require a supercomputer, & such a miniature supercomputer did not exist. The same problem also hampered the sabre. Even if a stable BlackStar blade could be achieved, a supercomputer would be required to operate it.

The computer solution fell to MICC. The mega-computer corporation was the largest company in the Commonwealth. Their computers were second to none. It was not long before a MICC supercomputer was grown for the NGW team. It was based on the brain of a dog, albeit it was far from sentient. Man's best friend once again helped all mankind. Its size permitted it to be either fitted into the butt of a rifle or the handle of a sabre. Although numerous tests over the period were required, by the end of the year both new weapons were ready for production. And produced they were in their millions for the UDF.

9962 Unwittingly the Black Could Aliens, by consolidating their gains of the previous year, built up their forces to recommence their advance. The year they held back gave the UDF an ever important breathing space that, not only allowed replacements to arrive at the battered fleets, but also allowed all the UDF personnel to be fitted out with the new rifle & sabre. No one knew if these new weapons would work. But everyone knew the year would be dreadful.

President Howard was sceptical. He could not believe that by merely rearming the UDF with new rifles & sabres that victory would come. It was like "… shooting an elephant with a tennis ball", he said to the Joint Chiefs when they first told him about the new weapons. Yet the NGW position was logical & sound. The UDF had to defeat the Aliens hand to hand & not ship to ship.

Before much debate could erupt in Congress over the new weapons, again many members were as sceptical as the President, the Black Cloud Aliens started their next offensive. Admiral Lysare, however, was prepared to stand & fight it out this time. He, like the Joint Chiefs, realised the potential that the new weapons gave the UDF. Soon, everyone was about to discover whether the weapons would work.

Nazzdorra alerted Lysare as to the first objective of the invaders. Cutting across the CIP Sector, the largest Aliens fleet was heading towards Blurqin. Two UDF fleets, the 3rd & the 14th, immediately headed off to intercept them. Morale was good among the UDF personnel. For the first time in years, the fleets were off to intercept the enemy rather than merely waiting for the enemy to come to them.

The Battle of Blurqin (although fought 35 light years from the planet) was savage. As in all previous encounters, the Black Cloud Aliens closed the distance between themselves & the UDF ships as fast as they could. Sure several of the invader’s ships were destroyed in the attack, but most survived. Then the close quarters fighting, the real battle, commenced.

The Aliens suffered a real surprise. They had no knowledge or forewarning of the new personal weapons of the UDF. Now the Space Marines & other UDF personnel fought the invaders on an equal footing. Blasts from BlackStar Rifles vaporised the enemy where previously the plasma beams would harmlessly pass through their non-corporeal bodies. Likewise the BlackStar Sabres would vaporise anything they passed through. Although the energy beams of the Aliens also caused high casualties among the UDF, it simply came down to numbers & the UDF had much more.

As the battle clearly turned toward the UDF, it was the Black Cloud Aliens that had to retreat. The retreat soon turned into a rout as the superior UDF ships gave chase. UDF casualties were high, however, allowing many of the Aliens to escape. Nonetheless, the Aliens had suffered over 60% loss. Furthermore, the other Alien fleets withdrew to their starting positions & waited for a possible attack.

President Howard was overjoyed, as was the FGCP citizenship. It was a clear & stunning victory for the UDF. Without doubt a major turnaround had just taken place in the war. But the President was quick to point out "… that a long road still lay ahead. The future is not certain & the enemy is still very powerful. Yet we must not give up now. There is much to do for ourselves & our allies & friends". Thus with this all important victory, President Howard was re-elected for his second term.

9963 Now it was the UDF the went on the offensive. On a massive scale, eight UDF fleets advanced on what appeared to be a single line. Operation Whisk called for a rolling back of the Black Cloud Aliens to the FGCP border. If any of the Alien fleets offered battle it would be attacked at once. Where possible, UDF ships would keep their distance & fight ship to ship, thus taking advantage of their superiority, but if the enemy closed the gap for close quarters fighting, then the UDF would have to slug it out. Either way, Admiral Lysare & the Joint Chiefs planed for the liberation of all Commonwealth territory within two years.

Foolishly, the Black Cloud Aliens gave battle everywhere. They clearly believed that the previous years defeat was only a minor setback somewhat akin to their earlier defeat at NGW Oracle. Time & again the battles would became boarding encounters whereupon the UDF BlackStar Rifles & Sabres would win the day against the Aliens. Casualties, nonetheless were also high for the UDF, but in this war of attrition, the UDF numbers could be replaced: the Black Cloud Alien numbers could not.

After realising the their precarious situation, finally the Aliens withdrew. This time it was they who tried to widen a distance of 200 light years between themselves & the UDF fleets. This, however, meant no security for them as Nazzdorra could track all their movements. Although the UDF fleets settled down to catch their breath, there would be little respite for the Aliens.

President Howard was clearly impressed. The UDF were clearly winning. The Battle of Blurqin was not merely a repeat of the Battle of Oracle. It was the beginning of the end for the invader. The President was not the only one impressed. The Nazzer began informing the other Ancients of the success that the FGCP were now enjoying. Soon a number of Ancients approached the FGCP to reopen relations. Now 12 such Ancients once again were in full contact with the Commonwealth.

Of cause none of this went down well with the Wellous & their allies. The Nazzer were quick to inform President Howard that the Wellous were stirring up trouble again in the Ancients Council. It was like old times. The President, however, was too busy conducting a war, so he left it to the Nazzer to handle. The Wellous were soon surprised to encounter opposition from the Nazzer & the other 11 Ancients. Soon other Ancients supported the Nazzer & the Wellous carefully refrained from any conflict.

9964 The UDF offensive recommenced against the Black Cloud Aliens. Unlike previously, however, the Aliens refused to give battle. Every time a UDF fleet arrived the Aliens fleet would withdraw. Clearly they had become concerned abut their losses. They were also aware that the damage that had been done to UDF numbers appeared to be negligible.

Important, though, the Aliens continued to operate six fleets. While others may have concentrated theirs to form grand fleets, this arrangement Aliens ensured that the UDF had to operate on a broad front. Furthermore, by keeping their fleet numbers high & withdrawing ensured that any encirclement by the superior numbers of the UDF would not take place.

Needless to say this was a headache for Admiral Lysare. The Aliens knew exactly what he was trying to do. Although withdrawing meant they were losing conquered territory, it also meant they survived. As far as Lysare was concerned, the Aliens could keep on withdrawing all the way back to Phillis space. President Howard, however, demanded the destruction of the Aliens fleets. He wanted to ensure that the FGCP would never be threatened by the Black Cloud Aliens ever again.

By the end of the year, Lysare had received his wish. The Aliens had, under the constant pressure of the UDF, fallen back into Phillis territory. All of FGCP territory had been liberated. This, though, only got the refugee Phillis population excited. Although the Phillis had not become FGCP citizens, they did have influence, especially with the Sassnorah representatives in Congress. Thus the pressure was on the President to continue the war.

President Howard somewhat agreed, especially considering the Aliens still had their fleets operational. The UDF could either be patrolling the borders with massive fleets for countless years to come, or they could continue the offensive against the Aliens into Phillis territory. It goes without saying that the Phillis were all for the liberation of their territory as where the Sassnorah. Total defeat of the Aliens would mean that the Sassnorah could return to their territory as well.

9965 The war continued with the full blessing of the Phillis population. Eight UDF fleets crossed the border & entered Phillis territory. As previously, the Black Cloud Aliens withdrew in the face of such an onslaught. Yet this time they left behind a few surprises. Although more than a hindrance than anything, millions of mines had been carefully placed in the path of the UDF fleets. These were detected in time, but it meant that the UDF advance was slowed significantly.

The Aliens also conducted other tactics. Small task forces tried to out flank the UDF line. These attempts were spotted by Nazzdorra, however, & interception took place. Although the Aliens were surprised by the ability of the UDF to intercept these flanking moves, battle was often avoided & the Aliens retreated.

It did not take long for news to get out about the UDF advance into Phillis territory. Security was next to useless as the Phillis population cheered on the UDF. The Wellous were the first to lodge complaints about the FGCP strategy claiming that their military treaty with the Phillis was still operational & valid. They claimed that the FGCP had no right to be, what they claimed, the invasion of an ally. This was besides the fact that the Wellous had deserted the Phillis decades ago to the fate of the Black Cloud Aliens.

9966 As the UDF advanced further into Phillis territory, the Black Cloud Aliens continued to withdraw. Their attempts at trying to outflank the UDF front was given up as clearly this was pointless. Likewise no opposition was offered by the Aliens as the UDF arrived at once what was Phillis colonies. Reports of total destruction flooded back to the FGCP which sobered up the population. It goes without saying the that Phillis refugees were furious & demanded revenge.

The Wellous continued to complain to the Ancients Council about the supposed illegal activity of the FGCP. The Nazzer & many other took little notice of these complaints as all data collected by the UDF as they advanced into Phillis territory was passed onto them. It was obvious what the Aliens had done & few could careless about the politics that the Wellous were trying to play. Furthermore, few took the Wellous seriously when they warned that they would intervene & fulfil their treaty obligations with the Phillis.

The 11th Fleet reported that the intensity of the Essence activity had dramatically increased. It now appeared that several Essence fleets were engaged in heavy fighting against the UFP of the past. For the first time the Joint Chiefs began to express their concern to the President. President Howard, however, clearly stated that any intervention against the Essence was clearly out of the question. He did, however, authorise that the UDF could send reconnaissance missions back in time to keep an eye on things. These would be strictly Ultra Secret & needless to say unknown to the Essence.

UPX announced that the civilisation on Neptune Prime had successfully sent their first probes, powered by a Nuclear Propulsion Engine (NPE). It is considered a major break through for the Neptune Prime species that have become known as Neptunian. Although NPE technology is extremely primitive, it is the first major step towards space travel. Congress, upon hearing of the UPX announcement enacts the ancient Protective Zone Act. Neptune Prime was now isolated from all contact. Only UPX may continue to monitor the progress of the planet. Once the Neptunians successfully develop Magnetic Space Warp Drive (MSWD) then will first contact be attempted.

9967 It was an act that surprised everyone & an act of sheer stupidity. As the UDF continued to push the Black Cloud Aliens back, the Wellous came out from behind their borders & invaded Phillis territory from the Inward side. Unfortunately for them, a handful of Black Cloud Alien scouts had been patrolling the border region just in case the UDF tried a flanking manoeuvre. They were pleasantly surprised to see it was not the UDF, but the Wellous attacking.

To be far, the Wellous had learnt a lot after their previous encounters with the Aliens. New ships with new weapons had been developed. Unfortunately they still relied on the old tactics of ship to ship combat. And this was their undoing.

In response to the Wellous attack, the Black Cloud Aliens dispatched one of their fleets to intercept the Wellous. Nazzdorra tracked the sudden change in movement of the Alien’s fleet not really knowing why the sudden change. UDF spy probes immediately went off in the direction of the Alien fleet whereupon they discovered the rapidly advancing Wellous.

Although Admiral Lysare thought the Wellous actions stupid, he nonetheless (& against orders not to communicate with the Wellous) sent warnings to the Wellous Grand Fleet as to the whereabouts of the Black Cloud Aliens movements. These warnings were ignored & the Wellous reminded Lysare that the UDF had no right being in Phillis territory. Admiral Lysare could only shake his head at the arrogance of the Wellous.

The battle between the Wellous & the Aliens was a savage one. Yes the Wellous new ships & weapons were impressive, but the tactics employed lead to disaster. Once again the Aliens boarded the Wellous ships & slowly took them over one by one. The surviving Wellous ships retreated as fast as they could leaving behind over 400 of their ships in the control of the enemy. Now the Aliens once more had an extremely powerful fleet. The problem was, what would they do with it.

President Howard was sad that he had to retire. He had overseen an extremely difficult decade for the FGCP. Yet, his Administration ensured that victory against the Black Cloud Aliens took place. Many critics, have pointed out that the policies of the Howard Administration had little to do with victory. Rather, the stand & fight war policy in his first term saw only defeat. Rather it was NGW that the full credit should be given. After all, the President was sceptical of the BlackStar Rifle & Sabre. Having said that, the citizenship was pleased with the progress of the war. For the first time in decades, continuity was sought. The result for the elections was that the Vice President Bernie Kaska was elected President with a comfortable majority.

9968 President Kaska was determined that the Black Cloud Aliens would not have there new fleet for long. The President was determined to continue the war to a successful conclusion. This, combined with the continuing pleads from the Phillis & the Sassnorah ensured there would be no stopping now. There was also other issues at hand. The successful conclusion of the war would see the total alienation of the Wellous. Their loss of the previous year would become manifold in a few years time.

Thus before the Aliens could do much with their new gains, the UDF continued their advance. Admiral Lysare made the destruction of the new Black Cloud Aliens fleet a paramount objective. Accordingly, the 4th & 6th Fleets were given the task. The Aliens, however, were still not keen to offer battle. They appeared satisfied with their victory over the Wellous the previous year & as before withdrew in the face of the UDF advance. It appeared that the Aliens were prepared to continue to withdraw until an opportunity arose whereupon they would attack. The UDF had not offered the Aliens that opportunity.

9969 Now that much of Phillis territory had been liberated, many of the refugees demanded the right to return to what was theirs. Few, however, where aware as to what awaited them. The destruction was tremendous. About half of the planets of the original Phillis Union were now totally uninhabitable. The only way that these planets could support life again was if the FGCP would terra-form them back to life. All the remaining planets had suffered significant environmental damage, although two were thought to be safe.

Nonetheless, the UDF did not want anyone, especially civilians, wondering around liberated Phillis territory. Although there was nothing to loot, a number of Black Cloud Aliens had hidden away on planets & asteroids. These Aliens then would attack without warning any ship that was vulnerable. These attacks had become such a problem that an entire UDF fleet, the 15th, had been given the duty to patrol liberated Phillis territory & hunt down these rouge Aliens.

9970 The last of the Black Cloud Aliens withdrew from Phillis territory. Although many celebrated the event as liberation, the UDF now had two fleets conducting counter-insurgency missions against those Aliens that had hidden behind. What was particularly difficult was that, being non-corporeal, the Aliens could travel at the speed of light themselves while not being detected by Nazzdorra.

These concerns did not both the Phillis refugees who now demanded to be returned to their old territories. President Kaska finally agreed to the demands of the Phillis; only if it meant that she would be rid of their constant bickering. By the very nature of the destruction, the Phillis would be resettled on the only two planets available. Thus, through a quirk of fate, security was ensured for the refugees.

The UDF, prior to resettlement, established bases at both Illonis & Soph Minor to provide security. In a similar response, the Commonwealth Health Commission established medical & research services on both planets to provide health services for the refugees. Likewise other FGCP agencies readied the planets for occupation. By the end of the year the first Phillis refugees returned home.

If President Kaska thought giving the Phillis permission to return to their territory would make life a little more quiet, she was mistaken. Having given the Phillis what they wanted, now the Sassnorah demanded that their old territory be liberated. The President gave vague promises, but had little intention of keeping them. Her position was somewhat supported when the Joint Chiefs expressed their concern over entering Sassnorah territory to chase after the Black Cloud Aliens.

9971 As the last of the Phillis refugees were resettled on either Illonis or Soph Minor, the realty of the destruction around them made life terribly difficult for them. Support was on offer from the FGCP, but little could make up for what was destroyed. Yet to work many of them went & included in the rebuilding program were many FGCP ideals.

Having seen, what appeared to be, the successful resettlement of the Phillis, again the Sassnorah demanded more then mere vague promises from the President. Many of the Sassnorah noted that "If the FGCP will resettle a people that are not citizens, then how can it hesitate when dealing with its own citizens". If this did not move President Kaska into action, then the next statements did.

The Sassnorah Congressional Leadership announced that "… the entire Sassnorah, having the right to vote in FGCP elections, will vote as a block against the President if she continues to refuse to liberate, what is essentially FGCP territory". It was a clever political ploy equating the old Sassnorah territory as occupied Commonwealth territory. Soon, public opinion began to back the calls of the Sassnorah. The President was given little choice. If she wanted a second term, Sassnorah territory, now defacto FGCP territory, would have to be liberated.

9972 After a lull of two years in the war, once again the UDF advanced. President Kaska had given into the threats of the Sassnorah leaders & ordered the UDF to once again attack the Black Cloud Aliens. The new Admiral of the Sassnorah theatre was the very capable Zargah Jozz Seczer. Admiral Seczer was not, however, very keen on the idea. Not only were two UDF fleets still trying to suppress the Aliens still hiding in Phillis territory, but little planning had been conducted to carry on the war to liberate Sassnorah territory.

Furthermore, Admiral Seczer’s orders were somewhat confusing. Although he was to destroy the Black Cloud Alien fleets, more emphasis was placed upon forcing them to withdraw from occupied territory & discover any remaining habitable planets. All this had to be achieved with only six UDF fleets. The previous numerical advantage that the UDF enjoyed had now narrowed.

The Black Cloud Aliens were not at first aware of these problems faced by the UDF. Their long term strategy, however, was working. By leaving behind small numbers of insurgents in Phillis territory they had managed to divert two UDF fleets from the real war. Similarly, the Aliens left behind more insurgents at the Sassnorah border. Also, millions of mines had been placed in the path of the UDF fleets. Again the UDF had little trouble from the mines, but they did slow up their advance.

This was important, because it permitted the Aliens hiding along the border to observe UDF fleet movements & numbers. This important data was immediately communicated to the Black Cloud Aliens leadership. For the first time since the successful UDF advanced began in ‘9962, the Aliens had better intelligence on the UDF than they did on the Aliens. Thus their plans were laid accordingly.

The Presidential elections were a spiteful affair. Several candidates claimed that President Kaska was weak & was easily influenced by minor groups. The President counter by rejecting these allegations & pointed out that the FGCP had to defeat the Aliens once & for all - otherwise the war could go on for ever. She further pointed out, as the Sassnorah Congressional Leadership had, that FGCP territory was occupied by an evil specie. Thus the war should only end when that territory was liberated & the enemy vanquished. Many voters, however, disagreed with their President. But because the vote was split among several candidates, thanks to the Sassnorah vote & preferences, President Kaska was returned to office by the slimmest of margins.

9973 The Black Cloud Aliens along the Sassnorah border began their next mission. Out of hiding they came & began insurgency operations. Like in Phillis territory, the UDF suddenly discovered that their rear areas were no longer secure. It became so disconcerting to Admiral Seczer that he ordered the 3rd Fleet out of the line to secure the border area.

This was exactly what the Aliens were waiting for. Now the numbers were about equal. Now they could go onto the offensive. The first signs that something was up came from Nazzdorra. Several Black Cloud Alien task forces were tracked trying to outflank the UDF line. These were intercepted, but this only spread out the UDF fleets even more. To his credit, however, Admiral Seczer saw the warning signs. Relying upon Nazzdorra, the UDF scanned space frantically looking for the main attack.

And then it came. The large 400 ship Black Cloud Aliens fleet, the one made up of the latest Wellous ships, attacked where they thought the 4th UDF fleet was located in the centre. The 4th, however, had withdrawn in anticipation of the attack. When the Aliens fleet arrived all they found was empty space. Again thanks to Nazzdorra, the 4th UDF Fleet observed the movements of the enemy.

Regardless of the demands of the President, considering that the Aliens had regained the initiative, Admiral Seczer ordered a withdrawal of the entire front back to the border. But this was not to be a retreat. Knowing what the Aliens were up to, he was determined to crush the insurgent Aliens along the border. It would be six UDF fleets against a few hundred Aliens.

These manoeuvres surprised the Black Cloud Aliens, especially the insurgents. It came down to sheer numbers. Hundreds of UDF ships scanned all along the border hunting the Aliens who were in hiding. By the end of the year, none were left. Although the main Alien fleets threatened to attack on several occasions, Nazzdorra provided plenty of warning & the appropriate UDF response was waiting.

9974 Having secured the Sassnorah border regions, Admiral Seczer once again advanced into Sassnorah territory. The Black Cloud Aliens, however, were prepared to offer battle, but no longer along their old tactics. Taking the example of the UDF itself, the Aliens would stand off at a distance & fire off everything they had at once. By the time the UDF ships would reply in kind, the Aliens would quickly withdraw to their next defensive position. This would be repeated time & time again. It ensured that the UDF advance turned into a crawl.

Admiral Seczer was unusual for a Zargah for he had much patience. Although the UDF advance was slow, it was also low in casualties. It also worked against the Aliens insofar as the slow advance meant that the UDF could consolidate their gains. Furthermore, it meant that the advance could be conducted in a conservative manner ensuring that the fleets could conduct their business in a methodical & professional manner. This merely meant that the UDF fleets operated as efficient as ever, & those mistakes that the Black Cloud Aliens were hoping for, would not occur.

9975 "And just when we didn’t need them, they arrived", so Admiral Seczer wrote in his personal diary. President Kaska probably said it better: "They’re just like a bank, they’ll loan you money when you don’t need it any more". Thus was the typical sentiment towards the Delquin when they arrived to give the FGCP a helping hand in the war against the Black Cloud Aliens.

The first meetings, however, were amazingly fruitful. Finally the Aliens were finally identified. The Delquin had known them for eons. They were an aggressive specie from the Andromeda Galaxy. For a million years they dominated & eliminated inferior species in their own Galaxy & when none were left they headed for ours. The Delquin, even though they were powerful non-corporeal species themselves, never dared to battle it out with the Andromedans. But now that the FGCP had proven themselves, the Delquin were here to ensure the end to the unwanted guests.

Unfortunately, negotiations over the future conduct of the war were short of disastrous. The Delquin refused to operate under the command of the UDF. As far as they were concerned, because they were the elder specie, it was the FGCP who should operate under the guidance of the Delquin. After many years of battle with the Andromedans, the UDF considered this ridiculous, especially considering that the UDF was now winning.

It was not surprising, therefore, that the Delquin withdrew their offer to join & lead the war against the Andromedans. Immediately they returned to the Ancients Council. Soon the Wellous, hearing of the split between the Delquin & the FGCP, were happily informing the Delquin of what the FGCP, especially the Humans, had gotten up to over the last few centuries. Although the Nazzer were quick to counter the Wellous, the Delquin were listening carefully all the same.

The UDF, although concerned by the arrival of the Delquin, still had their hands full with the Andromedans. As last year, the UDF fleets advanced. Again like last year, the Andromedans conducted a fighting withdrawal. This, combined with the reaction of the Delquin, was terribly frustrating for President Kaska. Within the inner circles of government, debate began as to whether the Andromedans should be pursued if they withdrew from Sassnorah space. If the UDF analysts were correct, the Andromedans planned to withdraw to Homer Sector: back to where it all began.

9976 As was anticipated, the Andromedans skilfully withdrew from all Sassnorah territory. Admiral Seczer, although he tried, could not execute the successful encirclement manoeuvres that would have ensured final victory. But enough had been done for now. The UDF was still in a very strong position to continue the war, while the Andromedans were now at their most weakest.

Concerns, however, for the next step of the war were put on hold as many FGCP citizens celebrated the liberation of Sassnorah territory. Leading the celebrations were the Sassnorah themselves who wanted to return to their territory as soon as possible. Alas, like in the Phillis region, few planets survived the occupation. In fact only one, it was considered by UPX, could sustain advanced life forms such as humanoids. Like with the Phillis, major terra-forming programs would have to be introduced in order to open planets once again for habitation.

For now, though, the Sassnorah were happy to celebrate that the Andromedans were no longer occupiers. Although no plans had been set yet for resettlement, surely it would only be a short wait of a year or two. President Kaska announced nothing on this subject, but then again she did not have to. Such issue would have to be seen to by the next president.

9977 The Andromedans thought that they were safe. Having noticed that the UDF fleets had halted at the border the Andromedans withdrew further into Homer Sector putting as much distance as possible between them & the UDF. They were, however, mistaken.

Out of no where it seemed came the Delquin. With them came the Wellous. Although the Andromedans still had hundreds of powerful ship, they had made the mistake of joining their forces into one grand fleet. The Delquin, having monitored the Andromedans situation, realised it was the time to attack.

Supported by the Wellous, a massive battle took place near the planet Homer. The initial Delquin attack witnessed 20% of the Andromedans fleet destroyed. Although the Andromedans counterattacked, there was little hope. They were surrounded. The Wellous did rather well. Clearly revenge was a motivating factor here for them & they were intent on ensuring they received it in full. Soon the battle was over. The Andromedans were eliminated. None survived save for a few still on the loose in Phillis territory.

The Delquin victory was both welcomed & objected to by the FGCP. Although it ensured that the war was over, the UDF felt cheated by being left out of the final victory. Furthermore, the Delquin & Wellous proclaimed themselves the victors without any acknowledgment to the Sassnorah, Phillis & above all the FGCP. The Delquin attack also announced that a new & powerful specie had announced its arrival in the politics of the Galaxy.

Yet few of these concerns effected the Presidential election. If anything, the successful Delquin attack was seen as positive in the public’s eye. Issues, though such as aid for the Phillis & resettlement of the Sassnorah, were considered the leading concerns. Some tough bargaining, however, would have to take place regardless who won. Alas for the Commonwealth, the popular retired Admiral Lysare was elected President promising much aid for the Phillis & Sassnorah. Little did they know the payment the he would demand in return.

9978 President Lysare’s first major act of government was the annexation of what was previously Sassnorah territory. This action brought a hail of complaints from the senior members of the Sassnorah people. Yet the President was quick to point out that the Sassnorah for years now were FGCP citizens & that the Sassnorah Congressional Leadership stressed the point that all Sassnorah territory was defacto FGCP territory. As far as the President was concerned, he was merely recognising the reality of the situation.

Most of Congress agreed with the President’s annexation. Many Members accepted President Lysare’s argument that Sassnorah territory had become FGCP territory when the Sassnorah had become FGCP citizens. Other Members furthered the argument that the UDF had fought to liberate this territory & the Sassnorah should not expect the Commonwealth to now hand it back to an independent Sassnorah society again.

But it was the majority of the Sassnorah who accepted the President’s decision. Only a small minority of the Sassnorah could remember the old days when they had their own independent region of space. Most of the newer generations, however, knew nothing but life as FGCP citizens. And regardless of the grand stories that the senior generation told them, they had no intention of leaving behind the great advantages that being a FGCP citizen offered them. Yes many of them were happy to be resettled on the one planet Ansess that was habitable. Few, though, wanted to leave the FGCP.

Of cause even the senior generation understood the benefits of remaining in the Commonwealth. Chief among these benefits was security. The UDF continued the patrol Sassnorah space (now Sassnorah Sector) & on hear that Ansess would be resettle established a naval base there. The 15th UDF Fleet was given the task of protecting the latest addition to the FGCP.

9979 After hearing of the successful annexation of Sassnorah territory into the FGCP, debate erupted within the Phillis as to their future. Although they had been refugees for years within the Commonwealth, all had come to accept that their once grand union could never be again. Furthermore, the years of living in the Commonwealth, even if they were not citizens, gave great benefits. Few of the Phillis were thus surprised when the majority of Sassnorah accepted the annexation of their old territory.

The debates became stronger & it was evident that a majority of the population were in favour of joining the FGCP. Although it is up to the Commonwealth to invite a new civilisation to join, this formality did not stop the Phillis. In a referendum quickly held, 72% of the population voted yes. It was very clear what the Phillis wanted.

Upon hearing of the results of the referendum, the Sassnorah Congressional Leadership immediately raised the issue in the FGCP Congress. No one really knew what to make of the situation as no one had thought about asking the Phillis to join. This was besides the fact that the FGCP & the Phillis had fought side by side for decades against the Andromedans.

President Lysare, though, decided to act quickly before the politics of the Congress got too out of hand. It was President Lysare who, then as Admiral, liberated Phillis territory. He had thought about including Phillis territory being annexed as well as Sassnorah territory, but considering he had no legal grounds whatsoever decided against it. But now he was given that opportunity by the Phillis people themselves. Thus, without reference to Congress, the President accepted the request to join the Commonwealth by the Phillis.

Integration of both new Sectors went smoothly thanks to the high level of FGCP activity already established in both regions. Only the Phillis had began an embryo of an infrastructure, while several FGCP institutions had already been well established to help in the resettlement.

9980 Upon hearing the expansion of the FGCP, the Wellous were furious. Furthermore, it meant that the FGCP had grown closer to their own territory that was Inward of the Phillis. The Wellous feared that the UDF could now station their large & powerful fleets along the border & invade at any time.

Thus the Wellous strongly objected to the "takeover" of Phillis territory & tried to stir up trouble in the Ancients Council. To this extent, the Delquin also raised objections. As previously, the Nazzer & their allies stood up for the FGCP & pointed out that it was really the FGCP that had done the hard work against the evil Andromedans. Naturally the Delquin rejected this statement & had some cause to do so.

Of cause President Lysare, in a reply sent via the Nazzer delegation, refused to withdraw from either Phillis or Sassnorah space. The President remained the Wellous & Delquin that the Phillis had voted overwhelmingly to join the FGCP. It was a free & democratic decision by the Phillis & the FGCP had no part in the outcome of the referendum. This, obviously, the Wellous rejected, even though the Delquin offered no reply.

What these debates in the Ancients Council though did show, though, was that a clear split had occurred in the ranks. About a third grouped themselves around the Delquin, another third took a neutral stance, while the remainder grouped themselves around the Nazzer. Needless to say, the FGCP, albeit absent, supported the Nazzer.

9981 Both the Sassnorah & Phillis began pressuring President Lysare about terra-forming their old dead planets back to life. Although vague statements had been made on this issue before, nothing had been set in motion. The President, as was Congress, had been concentrating on the integration of both Sassnorah & Phillis territory into the FGCP proper. The President was even more interested in keeping the UDF up to strength.

Yet the Sassnorah & Phillis would not go away. The cost, however, of what they were asking was unimaginable. Altogether, 29 worlds would have to go through terra-forming. This was more than what had been done in a million years within the old UDF & previous societies since the first world was terra-formed. Hence a compromise would have to be met.

Although the Sassnorah & Phillis where not overly happy about what they got, nonetheless some planets would be terra-formed. The first two, selected for political & sentimental reasons, was Phillis Prime (the home planet to the Phillis), & Sass (again the home planet to the Sassnorah).

9982 Although relations between the New Territories Federation (NTF) & the FGCP remained excellent during the Andromeda War, the economic welfare of the NTF had witnessed a major downturn. The FGCP own economy, however, thanks to the enormous amount of capital spent on the war effort, had risen dramatically. This improvement was seen to increase further with the massive rebuilding programs occurring throughout the Sassnorah & Phillis Sectors.

The leadership of the NTF were also aware of the recent expansion of the FGCP & debate began within the NTF Congress of a possible reunification with the great Commonwealth. Needless to say, debates were hard fought, but if certain guarantees could be gained from the FGCP, especially in the area of economic support, then many thought it well worth while coming back to the fold. Needless to say, a referendum was the final arbiter on the subject & one was hastily arranged.

Although the result was not as supportive as the Phillis referendum, 59% of the NTF population supported reunification. Two issues appeared to be the key. One was defence. Even though the Mardon were behaving themselves, there was always the fear that things may change. As the FGCP had recently displayed, it appeared that the UDF could handle any enemy. The second issue was as stated: economics.

President Lysare jumped on the request by the NTF for unification. It would certainly make him very popular in the forthcoming Presidential elections. Up until now the President was in trouble with the opinion polls, not everyone like his big spending budgets. But the reunification with the NTF changed all that. Although there was some opposition to letting the rebels back into the Commonwealth, support was higher & that meant votes. President Lysare was thus re-elected with a comfortable majority, thanks mostly to the populations of the Sassnorah, Phillis & NTF.

9983 President Lysare, having been extremely successful with the expansion of the FGCP, decided, without reference to the Congress, to continue this rapid growth. Without warning he announced the annexation of the Homer Sector. Although no other civilisation laid claim to the area, the FGCP had no real valid reason for this territory. The President claimed that "… by the very nature that the gallant crew of the UPX Homer sacrificed their lives, giving their very name to this region of space, is the very reason why it is FGCP territory."

Congress was not impressed. Nor was the UDF. Yet Congress did not veto the Homer Annexation. Although there was nothing in the Homer Sector, now that it was officially Commonwealth territory meant that the UDF would have to establish a base there & patrol the new territory. Even though the UDF was at its most powerful than ever before, the rapid expansion of the FGCP meant that the UDF was stretched to the limit. Needless to say, this concerned the Joint Chiefs.

9984 The annexation of the Homer Sector came as a rude shock to the Delquin & above all the Wellous. The Wellous in particular protested loudly at the Ancients Council. They even threatened war. As far as they were concerned, the FGCP was deliberately trying to encircle them through either conquest or alliances with other Ancients. Again the Nazzer were quick to defend the FGCP, but it was obvious to them that the Wellous were not sabre rattling.

It was clear that the Wellous were taking their mark by the reaction of the Delquin. Although the Delquin had no territorial claim to the Homer Sector, they did consider the region as of importance to them. This was the location where they had finally defeated the Andromedans. This was their holy grail. Now the FGCP, & more importantly the Humans, had dared to take it away from them & keep it unjustly for themselves.

Although the FGCP could ignore the protests of the Wellous, those of the Delquin were a different story. President Lysare was quick to reply to the Delquin, via the Nazzer delegation, that nothing had been stolen. The FGCP were more than happy to keep the borders open to the Delquin. The Delquin could thus visit the Homer Sector & the location of the final battle anytime they wished. This, unfortunately, the Delquin rejected. They wanted the FGCP out of the disputed Sector. As far as they were concerned the Homer Sector was to be owned by no one.

9985 Negotiations surprisingly had continued between the Delquin & the FGCP with the Nazzer as messenger. It appeared that, unlike the Wellous, the Delquin were reluctant to got to war with the FGCP. Admiral Jones, the new Chief of Staff, was likewise thankful. The UDF was stretched. Considering the current tensions, most of the fleets were patrolling along the Inward Sectors. It was a big task. Only Epsilon enjoy the protection of a full fleet, that being the 1st Home Fleet.

UPX, meanwhile, dedicated a monument to the long dead crew of the UPX Homer on the planet that now shared its name. It was a deeply moving ceremony that was telecast live around the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, the Delquin also got to see the ceremony & they were moved in another direction: that being outrage. As far as the Delquin were concerned, it was an obvious attempt by the FGCP to keep Homer Sector for themselves.

It goes without saying that the negotiations failed to reach any satisfactory conclusion. What it did signal was the cutting of relations between the Delquin & the FGCP. Furthermore, the divisions within the Ancients Council were as deep as ever. In protest to the deplorable behaviour of numerous Ancients in the pro & anti FGCP camps, those Ancients that were neutral withdrew from the Council. It appeared that the Zargah Ambassador’s promise of the past was coming true: the Ancients Council would be split to pieces.

9986 On the eve of what appeared to be Galactic Armageddon, an unnatural calm seemed to spread across the known reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy. Numerous Ancient civilisations prepared themselves for war. If it came, it would be the most horrendous & destructive event in history. Admiral Jones wondered if it would be the actual end of history. Plans were made accordingly & alliances made.

The hot spot appeared to be the border shared between Phillis Sector of the FGCP & Wellous territory. The UDF stationed no less than eight fleets in Phillis Sector. A further four were stationed in Homer Sector. It was thought if the Delquin-Wellous forces attacked it would be in either of these regions. The Nazzer & allies likewise prepared their fleets to defend their territory. Everyone was on the brink of war.

9987 It was the Nazzdorra sets of the 11th Fleet along the Cordah border that detected it. Three massive explosions were recorded where the three huge bases of the Essence Ancients were known to be. Immediately the UDF sent spy probes to these locations to investigate further.

The UDF were not the only ones to record the explosions. The Delquin likewise detected the explosions not knowing what they were. At first they thought that the UDF were testing some new weapon, but noticed that the location of the explosions were well within Cordah space. Knowing the behaviour of the FGCP reasonably well, UDF involvement was ruled out. This, however, only raised their concerns as it appeared that an unknown force, possibly hostile, could be moving unknowingly against them.

Again it was the 11th Fleet that detected the next event. LookingGlass, which had virtually been forgotten as no Vale Gateway activity had been identified in decades, immediately sprung to life. The locations of the Vale Gateways were recorded & they were somewhat similar to the locations of the massive explosions. Considering the UDF had spy probes in the area, they went looking for what may have caused the Gateways to open.

To Admiral Jones’ horror, the spy probes recorded everything. Two of the Essence Ancients huge bases had been destroyed. Little had survive & that which had was useless. The third Essence base survived with little damage, but a massive ship, believed to be one of their infamous planet killers was clearly operational. Admiral Jones immediately accessed all his files on the Ancients War & came to the conclusion that the explosions were the results of the "bomb ships" that President West had ordered the UDF sent forward "… to send those Ancients a message".

This intelligence paled into insignificance when the real discovery was made. A few Delquin scout ships were also identified scanning the wreckage when they left, presumably to report their own findings. However, unlike jumping into warp, like all FGCP ships do, regardless whether it is a military or civilian ship, the Delquin scout ship opened a Vale Gateway & disappeared from view. The Gateway was confirmed by the 11th Fleets LookingGlass sets.

This discovery caused all sorts of defence concerns & Admiral Jones knew it. Although the UDF had LookingGlass to detect a Vale Gateway, they had nothing to track ships how where travelling Beyond The Vale. Defending the borders may keep the Wellous at bay, but it was totally useless against the Delquin: they could merely use the Vale to by-pass UDF fleets & attack at random any target they wished. If the old UFP thought they had it tough against the Essence Ancients, it was nothing compared to the FGCP’s current situation.

President Lysare was pleased to be getting out of politics. Although still popular, he had been blamed for the current tensions between the Ancients. It was probably unfair in may respects, because sooner or later some major war would have broken out between the FGCP & the Wellous alliance again anyway. Yet the public took their concerns out on Vice President Longnoh who was a candidate. The eventual successful candidate was Paul Essex from Eden.

9988 The discover that the Delquin had Vale Gateway technology started all sorts of debates within the senior ranks of government & military. No one really came up with a successful strategy in dealing with this alarming situation. Ideas from attacking the surviving Essence Ancients & stealing their Vale technology to attacking the Delquin now were discussed but rejected.

The soundest plan was to withdraw most of the fleets to important locations within the FGCP & if the war came to react as best as possible. Thus all but the 14th UDF Fleet were withdrawn from the Wellous border, while all four fleets were withdrawn from Homer Sector. Only a few UDF & UPX ship were left in Homer Sector in order to have some token presence there.

The selecting of strategic defence locations was Admiral Jones next headache. Clearly every planet wanted to have a fleet protecting it. However, there were no where near enough fleets for this purpose. Only Epsilon was guaranteed a fleet, while others were not. Even Earth, considering it was now a Planetary National Park & had no strategic value, missed out being awarded a fleet. Furthermore, the planetary defence systems of Earth, combined with Venus, Mars & Ganymede, were thought enough to hold up any attack, while a fleet would arrive from Eden to engage the enemy.

9989 It appeared that the war had started. The Wellous crossed the border into Phillis Sector en mass. The Wellous had gathered six fleets along the FGCP border over the previous year. Noting that during this same period, that the UDF had withdrawn all but one of theirs, the Wellous decided to take the odds for they outnumbered the UDF 14th fleet six to one.

The UDF 14th Fleet, knowing that they were greatly outnumbered withdrew. Admiral Sinclair, the commander of the 14th Fleet, did as best he could to slow the Wellous down. Even though the UDF ships were much more powerful than anything the Wellous had, numbers told. However, distance was on Admiral Sinclair’s side. It was close to 400 light years before the closest Phillis habited planet, Soph Minor, came under the threat of the Wellous. Besides the UDF 6th was based there.

The reaction of Admiral Jones was to reinforce the 14th Fleet. To this end the 6th Fleet was ordered to rendezvous with the UDF 14th Fleet, while the 12th Fleet patrolling Sassnorah Sector was ordered to Soph Minor. Furthermore, the 7th Fleet based at Essence was ordered to support the 14th Fleet by harassing the flank of the Wellous advance. This would mean that the Wellous would have to deploy one if not two fleets to protect their flank, thus making life much easier for the 6th & 14th Fleets.

During all these manoeuvres, nothing was seen of the Delquin. It was as if they had simply vanished. This was more of a concern than a blessing & Admiral Jones was convinced that the Delquin were behind the attack by the Wellous. The Admiral concluded, after much analysis, that the Wellous invasion was merely a diversion.

The Delquin strategy, Admiral Jones surmised, was to draw in as many of the powerful UDF fleets into the Phillis Sector, while the Delquin would then attack at their leisure. By the time the UDF fleets could withdraw to defend the heart of the Commonwealth from the Delquin, there would be little left to defend. The rest of the UDF would stand were they were. The four fleets in Phillis Sector were on their own for now.

9990 Admiral Jones had gotten the Delquin strategy right, but he missed their intended target. Ironically, the Delquin had the right strategy, but made Earth the wrong target. Here the Delquin assumed that Earth was capital of the FGCP. They had confused the Humans political position with the actual political structure of the Commonwealth. The Delquin thought that the Humans were the senior political rulers, as was often the political structure of other Ancients civilisation were the Ancient specie ruled over the others. Thus they assumed that the Human home planet was also the Capital of the FGCP.

The Venus LookingGlass station raised the alarm. Vale Gateways, thousands of them, began opening up around Earth. Immediately the planetary defence grids in the entire solar system went online. Frantic calls were sent to Eden where the 3rd UDF Fleet had been stationed. The 3rd Fleet sortied as fast as they could hoping to make it to Earth before the Delquins had their way.

It soon became evident, however, that the 3rd Fleet may not make it in time. As Earth’s outer defences began to engage the leading Delquin ships it merely slowed them down. Time was the essence here, but not enough time was being used up. Suddenly, the Homo Spiritous populations on Mars & Venus lifted off these planets & literally flew at the speed of light towards Earth. Due to the orbital alignment of the three planets, the approach of these swarms of white mists would be covered by the Earth. 10 billion Homo Spiritous were coming to Earth’s rescue; or so it seemed.

The Delquin continued to push through Earth’s defence grid. Now on the planet blow, 7 billion non-corporeal entities, mostly Homo Spiritous, began to raise from the surface into a low orbit facing the Delquin. This action somewhat took the Delquin by surprise. It was not that none of the Homo Spiritous were armed, but that the Humans were prepared to commit mass suicide.

The slight delay thus caused in the approach of the Delquin allowed those few precious minutes for the reinforcements to arrive from Mars & Venus. Now some 17 billion Humans in non-corporeal form, spread out in unison across the planet forming a golden shield. What was left of the defence grid was overcome by the Delquin & their fleet moved in for the kill.

Monitoring satellites relayed, to UDF headquarters & elsewhere throughout the Commonwealth, what appeared to be mass murder & the destruction of Earth. On the planet below, the Homo neo-luminous were terrified & hid were they could hoping that the caves would save them. Little did they know they the caves would offer no protection if the Delquin succeeded.

The Delquin opened fire with their entire fleet. Unbelievable firepower, unprecedented in UDF’s experience, was unleashed upon the souls of 17 billion Humans. The rest of the Commonwealth gasped in horror at the scene before them. Many cried. Many demanded revenge. The golden shield, however, did not begin to disintegrate under the Delquin‘s weaponry. Rather at first it became brighter. Then it began to grow in size. The Delquin, though, continued to fire upon the golden shield of humanity until it had reached three times it original size.

No one could explain why the golden shield was not destroyed at first. Furthermore, few could even comprehend what happened next. Various statements & phrases were uttered at the time, but it was probably President Essex’s comment that summed it up best: "It was as if the Light of God came forth". From the centre of the golden shield, the most intense & brightest white light shot out. The beam of white light then hit the Delquin ships. Just a short touch of the beam destroyed massive battleships in the blinking of an eye. Nothing of the Delquin fleet survived: it was over in a minute.

While, however, the white beam of light shot forth, the golden shield began to shrink. Over the course of the minute, the golden shield had reduced back to its original size. Before anyone viewing this event could say a word, the gold colouring began to fade. And it continued to fade until it vanished from view. In its place the Earth once again appeared & it was free from any damage. It appeared that 17 billion souls had sacrificed themselves so that Earth could live on.

As the 3rd Fleet arrived it missed the Battle of Earth. Scans showed nothing of the Homo Spiritous that had made up the golden shield. Likewise nothing, apart from wreckage, was found of the Delquin. None of them had survived the battle. Some peculiar data was, however, collected. The LookingGlass sets aboard the ships of the 3rd fleet recorded innumerable Vale Gateways operating. Yet clearly there were no survivors capable of operating such equipment. It was thought that it had something to do with the destruction of the Delquin ships.

The FGCP population went, what could be only considered, mad with rage. This was certainly true of the remaining Homo Spiritous population. The Humans in the UDF led the way in seeking revenge. No one could stop them. The four UDF fleets in the Phillis Sector, battling the Wellous, began a sudden violent counterattack that overwhelmed the enemy. The few surviving Wellous ships escaped back to their territory as fast as they could. Well over 2 500, however, never made it.

Now that it appeared that the Delquin War was over, President Essex called for mourning. And mourning the peoples of the Commonwealth did. It was believed that 17 billion fellow citizens had been killed. Few wanted to celebrate the victory & destruction of the Delquin. The cost of victory was far too much.

9991 But for many Humans the destruction of the Delquin was not enough. Even though President Essex ordered the four victorious fleets to hold at the Wellous border, he was ignored. Admiral Jones likewise ordered pursuit of the surviving Wellous to cease. Their orders were ignored. The four fleets were joined by two others: the 13th Fleet (which was patrolling the Essence Sector) & the new 20th Fleet (which was patrolling in the CIP Sector).

Across the border this UDF armada brought havoc upon the Wellous. Civilian populations were left alone, but the Wellous military was slaughtered. No prisoners were known to be taken while the rouge UDF ships pressed on their attacks. Finally sanity prevailed, but not before the Wellous home planet had been attacked causing many casualties, even among the civilian population.

Needless to say, President Essex was put into a difficult situation, as was Admiral Jones. Both knew exactly why the rouge UDF fleets attacked the Wellous. In fact it was a sound military strategy to counterattack the enemy when they were at their weakest. It was just that, considering the circumstances, the President was content to stop further bloodshed & resort to diplomatic efforts in dealing with the Wellous.

Now the President was served a major military victory that ensured that the Wellous were now out of the galactic picture. Their military was destroyed. Their government captured. Their population shattered. Thus President Essex could not court martial the entire personnel of six fleets considering what had been achieved. Admiral Jones agreed, but thought that by transferring the six fleets back to UDF & replacing them with more disciplined ones. Needless to say, only two UDF fleets, the 4th & 9th Fleets, were required for security duties, albeit in reality it was an occupation.

9992 As the Wellous occupation became common knowledge, the Ancients Council exploded in uproar. Even the Nazzer did not really know what to do. Yet it was the Mangalois, who had mostly in the past kept quiet over such issues, which took the lead in defending the actions of the FGCP. This only stirred up further trouble as war was threaten against each other. At this point the Mangalois walked out of the Council for good, as did several other Ancients.

The FGCP threat that the Ancients Council would be smashed to pieces finally took place. After the Mangalois left, so too did the Nazzer & several others. Not long after, this group formed a new institution known as the League of Ancients. The first invitation to join was given to the FGCP. President Essex waisted no time in accepting the offer. Soon, those Ancients who had left the Council earlier as "neutrals" also joined the new League. The old Ancients Council was, for all intents & purposes, no more.

UPX announced that their monitoring teams on Earth have identified that the Homo neo-luminous have developed a religion based upon the events of ‘9990. Known to the Luminous as "The Battle of God", they have made the day of the battle one of major celebration. It is one of thanksgiving, for according to their legend, their lives were saved by God over evil.

Considering the success of the last few years, & the sadness of that success, the Presidential elections were rather routine. President Essex was ahead in the opinion polls & this support was transferred to the election results.

9993 As the League of Ancients began to consolidate & define its new role, the Essence Ancients approached the Nazzer & Mangalois about their problems with a rather barbaric civilisation that had stolen their time travel technology. Even though the Essence Ancients had not joined either the old Council or the League, the Nazzer nonetheless were prepared to listen. They became even more open to helping them when the Essence Ancients provided evidence in regards to the "bomb ships".

Having been convinced that intervention should occur, the Nazzer approached the FGCP & the Mangalois. President Essex politely rejected the Nazzer’s request for help in the matter by pointing out that the Commonwealth was recovering from the loss of the Battle of Earth & its population would not support another conflict so soon. This was true. It was also a lie. President Essex, as did the Joint Chiefs, were well aware of who the barbarians were & they had no intention of joining in an attack upon their own ancestors.

The Mangalois, however, agreed to go along. Soon, the three Ancients sent a combined fleet back in time. The President & the Joint Chiefs all held their breath hoping history repeated itself. It did. The Nazzer & Mangalois fleets returned from the past. There were no changes to the time continuum. Surprisingly neither Ancients said nothing to the FGCP on their return. Then again President Essex asked no questions about their mission either.

9994 At the annual Commonwealth Science & Future Convention on Ganymede, all went as these academic conferences usually go until UPX Professor Neil Bronowski gave his paper. Before he had finished the lecture hall erupted in debate. Most thought he was insane. Others thought he was disgusting. Some thought he was brilliant. Unfortunately most missed his theory.

Bronowski theorised that the 17 billion Humans, who had sacrificed their lives while saving Earth, had not been killed. To put it simply; they had been transformed into the next step of existence, thanks largely & ironically to the Delquin. The 17 billion thus had evolved, albeit through artificial means, rather than the million or so years it would normally take. Unfortunately he had no firm evidence, just a number of facts that supported his theory.

Although most people rejected Bronowski theories, in fact most universities & research institutions would have sacked him on the spot for making such statements on the public record, Bronowski was lucky by the fact he was on staff with the University of Ganymede & UPX. Both had a long reputation for dealing with the weird & strange. Yet even these two institutions found it difficult to believe that Bronowski was serious with his theory.

9995 After Bronowski became common knowledge around the FGCP, millions of citizens started flocking to Earth in search of evidence of the 17 billion. Many were also relatives who thought that they may be able to meet once more with their loved ones. The visitations became so numerous it became a major problem, especially for keeping the Earth Planetary National Park free from external interference & thus contamination.

President Essex decided to take the very unpopular decision to ban everyone from around Earth except for UPX staff that were monitoring the development of Homo neo-luminous. This even included NGW, who since the Battle of Earth had been sifting though the wreckage of the Delquin ships search for any technology that maybe of benefit to their programs. In particular was Vale Gateway equipment.

At first the police did what they could to enforce the ban, but they were simply outnumbered. Eventually the UDF 3rd Fleet had to be transferred from Eden & was based in the old naval dockyards at Venus & Mars. Soon, the 3rd Fleet spent most of its time enforcing the Earth ban. Although no one was killed during this period, Congress questioned the wisdom of deploying an entire fleet for what was in reality a policing operation.

9996 The Wellous, under FGCP supervision, were permitted a limited form of self government. Part of the arrangement was that the Wellous could have no military for the time being. A police force was permitted to ensure law & order prevailed, but this would be lightly armed. For the time being, the UDF would provide military support.

It was a new experience for the Wellous. Full democratic elections would be held for the first time. Until now, the Wellous had a corporation type structure were an oligarchy of "directors" would appoint the Regent & Cabinet. These would run the Wellous until replaced by the "directors". It had proven rather efficient, but there was little input into government by the masses.

This had now been radically reformed. Like the FGCP, the entire citizenship would elect representatives to a Parliament who would form a government. Voter turnout at this first election was an impressive 86%. Only a small majority refused to have anything to do with the FGCP occupation government. Most, however, appeared to endorse it.

On Epsilon the Earth Museum was finally completed. As part of the Earth National Park, all the great wonders of the past had been painstakingly removed & rebuilt on Epsilon. Among the great exhibits were the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, the Empire State Building, & the Sydney Opera House & Harbour Bridge. Tourists from around the FGCP visited the museum in their millions; so much so that new passenger ships & hotels, not to mention new spaceports all had to be rapidly built in order to meet the demand.

9997 UPX announced that the Homo neo-luminous population had reached 200 million. Their numbers had spread out across the planet & now they could be found living on three continents: Asia, Africa & Europe. UPX hoped that the expansion of the Homo neo-luminous would remain peaceful, as it had until now. No one knew, of cause, if this would continue into the future.

In the Presidential elections, all seemed rather quiet. A few candidates raised the Earth ban issue, but few citizens took any notice of that. President Essex’s Administration had government rather well, considering the nature of the events that occurred during his decade in office. The citizenship were in a mood for continued stability & continuity of current policy. Thus Vice President Marie Molony was lifted one level higher to become President of the FGCP.

9998 The next announcement by UPX was rather spectacular. The terra-forming of both Phillis Prime & Sass had been completed. Both planets were, once again, ready to be home to the Phillis & Sassnorah peoples. President Molony was quick to announce that resettlement grants would be available to any FGCP citizen would wished to immigrate to either planet.

This announcement brought some criticism from Phillis & Sassnorah individuals. They argued that only their peoples should receive such grants & not everyone. Needless to say, these arguments were rejected in that such grants have always been available to all citizens & not restricted by specie. Having said that, few citizens other than Phillis or Sassnorah took up the offer to settle on either of the two new planets.

9999 Professor Bronowski, after remaining quiet for a few years, announced that UPX monitors on Earth had witnessed "dancing lights". UPX, although not overly happy that Bronowski beat them with the announcement, nonetheless acknowledged the "dancing lights" phenomenon. No one at UPX had an explanation for them; except Bronowski. The professor claimed it was the next piece of evidence in his theory. Once again, most fellow scientists rejected his claims.

1,000,000 The UDF 11th Fleet issued the warning. From what Nazzdorra was indicating, a large Essence Ancients fleet, one that appeared to be their last, was preparing for jump into the time stream. This information was immediately sent to UDF headquarters & to the President. Admiral Jones, now more concerned about Essence Ancients activity than ever before. Without authorisation, he had already issued orders for the 2nd "Gallant" to be in position for an attack. The following copy of the official UDF log clearly demonstrates what occurred next.

"Ms President", the human figure states, "we have just identified the last Essence fleet. They are ready to jump at any moment."
"Yes Admiral Jones. We have just been discussing the matter. What have your people determined?"
"Analysis strongly suggests that they will hit Earth. Furthermore, this attack will succeed & Mother will be destroyed. Needless to say, her population of 7 billion will die. Damage to the time continuum will be catastrophic." The UDF Chief of Staff was notably concerned.
"I see Admiral. And I gather your recommendation is to intervene?"
"Yes Madam President, without hesitation. It’s time we put a stop to them or we will no longer exist."
"For once Admiral, Congress & I agree with you. See to it." With that the holo-phone shut down.

In parts of the UDF Control Centre, numerous white mists could be seen condensing into corporal forms. They represented several races including Humans, Vargary, Zargah, Lyonies, Nazzernich & so on. Beside Admiral Jones, a female Unis formed.

"So Jack", she said to Admiral Jones, "we finally do it."
"Yes we do Clare. Make it so." Jones replied to his deputy Admiral Macbeth.

Turning to another holo-phone, Macbeth gave the order. "The Gallant 2nd is to engage. I repeat, the Gallant 2nd is to engage. Engage at once, I repeat, engage at once. 11th Guard is to hold until support is required."

The remaining Essence Ancients fleet never knew what hit them. It was all over in minutes. The Gallant 2nd Fleet suffered no casualties.

Forward to A New Heaven & A New Earth (1,000,001-1,000,045)

Back to The War To End All Wars 999 901 - 999 950)

© 1997-2009 This creative work is the property of David Mark Atwell.
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