Fleet Combat of Aramus System

"*I got you now"*

*-*Admiral Shun Lin, seconds before the battle in Aramus system-

The **Fleet combat in Aramus system** was one of the last battles of the Aramathi liberation war , fought between the Commonwealth's forces of Task Force Manticore  and the Radiant Host of the Zracon Union in 2239/07/25. Ending in victory for the Commonwealth , it is considered to be the first real battle between one of its fleet and another from a different intergalactic realm.

## Prelude

### Dance between fleets

At the start of the war between humanity and the Zracon , the fleets of both nations began a game of cat and mouse, with the Radian Host playing the part of the hunter thanks to their much larger number of ships. During meetings with her force's captains, Admiral Shu Lin  came to the realization that, while the more advanced systems and weaponry of Manticore could bring the Commonwealth  a victory even against superior Zracon  numbers, they would be unable to do so without taking huge casualties which would leave the fleet crippled for years to come.

Admiral Shu Lin decided that, at least for the moment, Task Force Manticore would just shadow the moves of the Radiant Host, making a series of hit-and-run tactics against the Union's bases and also any fleet carrying reinforcements bound to New Sajar. While this happened, the Commonwealth's bases would increase ship production, sending more and more ships week after week so Manticore  would be able to face the Radiant Host if needed.

Shu Lin's strategy worked perfectly, her swift corvettes picking up a number of Zracon transport ships carrying much needed reinforcements to New Sajar, while her larger destroyers and Cruiser blew a number of orbital bases with minimal losses. Still to weak to face the Radiant Host in open battle, Shu Lin's fleet jumped out of the system every time the Zracon's main fleet arrived, thus carrying on with the dance and keeping the Radiant Host busy while General Branicki prepared his ground forces for invasion.

### New Sajar taken

Leaving the Radiant Host behind, Task Force Manticore focused its efforts on taking Branicki's army to the orbit of New Sajar. Once there, the fleet began a heavy bombardment of all fortifications and defences built by the Zracon defenders, turning whole lines of trenches and bunkers into ash.

Sadly, while they managed to provide support to the general's armies during the planet's invasion, Manticore could not remain over the planet's orbit forever. Reaching Aramus system just as the last of the Zracon forces were destroyed, the Radiant Host once more chased after Task Force Manticore, forcing Admiral Shun Lin to retreat and leave Branicki's forces stranded on the ruins of the planet.

The chase did not last long. While a new wave of reinforcements increased the strenght of Shu Lin's fleet, the Radiant Host began to bombardment of New Sajar, causing many casualties amongst the Commonwealth's land forces. Lacking in bunkers and fortified positions, many were forced to hide in mountains or those few trenches which had survived Manticore's previous bombardment. Sending a message to the high command, Branicki assured his superiors that his forces would be able to endure for some time since the Zracon still had not been able to rise an army to take back New Sajar. On the other hand, the army's supplies would not last forever.

It was time for the dance to end.

### Change at the top

While Shu Lin took her now-reinforced fleet to counter the Zracon's own, the Radiant Host experienced some changed in its command. Not satisfied by the lack of results brought by the admiral, the high priests of the Union  ordered him to step down so another could take the reins of the Host. Captain Hoblorgh, an inexperienced but fanatical officer known for his blind belief in the Zracon religion, was given command of the Radiant Host. As the Host's guns continued to fire on New Sajar, a lavish ceremony in the host's capital ship saw Hoblorgh's rise to the rank of admiral. Faced by a thousand of his officers and servants, the new leader of the Radiant Host promised that he would not continue the "dance". Like a hunter waiting amongst the trees, they would use the Commonwealth's ground forces as bait and then pounce the moment Task Force Manticore arrived to the system.

Just one week after gaining his rank, Shu Lin arrived, ready to fight the battle which would decide the outcome of the war.

## The Fleets

### Task Force Manticore

More advanced than their Zracon counterparts, the fleet admiral Shu Lin brought to Aramus was a foe to be feared. Well trained, but lacking any experience when it came to large engagements, most of Lin's officers and crews had never seen battle before. Some Akula  captains has taken part in skirmishes against pirates, or hunted down Zracon transports, but still none had ever taken part on a true space battle.

**Numbers**:

-Corvettes: 37

-Destroyers: 14

-Cruisers: 3

-Frigates: 1

### The Radiant Host

Less advanced than the vessels crewed by the Commonwealth's men and women, the Zracon ships seen at the battle of aramus lacked the variety or firepower displayed by Task Force Manticore. Numbers however, mixed with a fanatical belief in victory still made the Radiant Host a dangerous enemy.

**Numbers:**

-Corvettes: 52

-Destroyers: 16

## The Battle

### First shots

   Unlike other, future battles where the fighting began the moment one fleet reached the system, Task Force Manticore and the Radiant Host had plenty of time to analyze the other's formations and ships. Leading with her corvettes, Admiral Shu Lin presented a broad front for the Zracon, her larger ships ready to support and reinforce any of the wings when necessary.

In the meantime, Hoblorgh, lacking the experience of the Host's previous admiral, decided to send his fleet forwards as quickly as possible. Like a fist of many, metallic fingers, the Radiant Host moved forwards together, their voices singing in chorus as they thanked the Light for this chance to proove their worth.

Thanks to the longer range of their weaponry, Task Force Manticore was the one to score the first hits. Focusing on different parts of the Zracon's incoming fist, the shots mostly landed on those corvettes at the head of the formation, weakening their shields while those behind remained unharmed. Seeing this, Admiral Shu Lin ordered her wings to move forth and send their volleys to the Zracon's flanks. As this happened, Hoblorgh, following the standard tactics of most Zracon fleets, waited until Manticore was at close range to unleash a volley of laser fire. Focusing on a few, chosen ships, these volleys swiftly took out the shields of Manticore's vanguard corvettes, forcing some to fall back as the Radiant Host continued to close in.

### Chaos amongst the stars

Leading from the front on his destroyer, the "Everlasting Light", Hoblorgh tried to lead the attack and encourage his fellow Zracon to give their all. This choice however proved fatal for him, as the "Dark Wanderer", Cruiser of Task Force Manticore and the largest ship created by the Commonwealth at that moment, aimed its main guns at the incoming destroyer. Its shields already weakened after a number of volleys from corvette squads, the Everlasting Light was an easy target for the heavier ship's ordenance. Volley after volley of las-shot and missiles impacted on Hoblorgh's ship, the first one crippling the ship's communication systems and engines. Before any other ship in the Radiant Host could come to save their Admiral, the second and third volleys arrived, obliterating the Everlasting Light's command bridge and all Zracon in it.

Headless but unwilling to surrender, the Radiant Host continued their attack with twice the savagery. Only a few kilometers from their foes, the ships broke their previously-tight formation to strike at Manticore's wings. Such a sudden and swift attack came as a surprise for the fleet, forcing many captains to break formation until not a single combat line remained.

   At the board of her command ship, Admiral Shu Lin, seeing the destruction of her combat line, ordered her captains to change tactics. Moving in smaller, more independent combat squads, they would focus on hunting down other corvettes and provide support for any nearby ships in danger. Manticore's larger ships would be their fall back position and provide massed, heavy fire whenever requested.

In the meantime, Manticore suffered its first losses. Surrounded by a swarm of seven corvettes, the Akula-class corvette "Venomous" suffered so much focused fire her hull was nearly split in half. "Errant" and "Arrow", both veteran pirate hunters with years of experience, managed to cripple and destroy three Zracon corvettes and a destroyer before to much damage to their hulls forced the crews to abandon ship. Anotherr Zracon destroyed was shattered after the corvette "Aurelian" rammed into its side, its guns and most of its crew annihilated by well-aimed Zracon fire.

The captain of the "Spitfire", the oldest corvette in the Commonwealth's fleet, managed to rally a few other small ships and come to the help of the cruiser "Theseus", its shields already gone as it tried to fend of a swarm of Zracon ships. While the captain did not manage to save the ship, he still distracted the Radiant Host for long enough for the cruiser's whole crew to evacuate. Sadly, the "Spitfire" alongside two other corvettes, the "Arrow" and the "Errant", were lost in the following battle, blown to pieces by a volley of laser fire at close range.

### The darkest hour

While more and more ships of Task Force Manticore were crippled, abandoned or destroyed, the Radiant Host also saw its numbers decrease, thanks in no small part to Manticore's larger Cruisers and the heavy guns of the "Dark Wanderer". Eager to counter this, and maybe turn the tide of the battle, most Zracon corvettes changed tactics and focused their fire on the much larger vessels. "Theseus" was only the first one to go, with "Thor" and "Lazarus" following shortly as the Zracon focused all their guns on the two cruisers, ignoring as best as they could the corvettes and destroyers chasing after them. Stationary and unable to focus on the horde striking at them from every direction, they were soon turned into wreckeges.

CSV Thor, flagship to Admiral Shu Lin herself, literally fell apart after a shot from one of the Zracon destroyers hit its main superstructure. As the ship's communication systems went silent, panic began to grow amongst the ranks of Task Force Manticore, as many believed the admiral to be dead. Only a few moments after her ship's destruction however, Shu Lin's voice reached the main channels of the fleet, ordering all vessels to keep fighting. Knowing that "Thor" was about to be destroyed, Shu Lin had ordered the evacuation just in time to allow nearly twenty ship crew and herself to escape alive.

### Retreat

As a nearby destroyer picked the admiral up, the remains of the Radiant Host, now surrounded and with very few functional ships, made an emergency jump out of the system. With a sound like thunder, all ships still able to, dissapeared from the sights of Manticore's guns, leaving them alone in Aramus to repair and help out those survivors still floating around amongst the battlefield's many wreckeges.

Thus the battle in Aramus system ended. A clear victory for the forces of the Commonwealth, but also a costly one.

## Consequences

### Commonwealth Loses

Like the battle on the surface of New Sajar, the fight over the planet was a bloody one. Nearly 3500 thousand men and women died, many of them being those serving on Manticore's heavier ships. The loss of the frigate "Dark Wanderer" was also a heavy blow for the morale of the fleet too, being an alien ship found by the Commonwealth years ago and what was thought to be the last remain of a long-extinct race.

-Corvettes: 17 (Nearly half of Manticore's Corvette fleet)

*Spitfire*

*Kolovrat*

*Aurelian*

*McDuck*

*Gemini*

*Vigilance*

*Myrmidon*

*Battleaxe*

*Hotspur*

*Faithful*

*Errant*

*Redoutable*

*Arrow*

*Cavalier*

*Taciturn*

*Venomous*

*Reaver*

-Cruisers: 3 (All of Manticore's Cruisers)

*Thor*

*Theseus*

*Lazarus*

-Frigates: 1

*Dark Wanderer*

-Support and Refueling ships

1 destroyed

7 damaged

### Zracon Loses

Aside from the death of their admiral, the Radiant Host lost all of their destroyers and half of their corvettes, leaving the bloodied remains of their fleet to weakened to keep fighting. The number of those ships lost during their jump out of the system is unknown, as is the number of Zracon crews lost during and after the battle.

-Corvettes: 23

-Destroyers: 16

### Peace

After the Fleet combat in Aramus, the Zracon Union finally began talks with Commonwealth representatives, thus marking the end of the Aramathi liberation war.