Chapter 1

As the Repair Corvettes ran across the hull of the lead carrier, the Khar-Toba II, General Kiirt Sjet reflected on the recent skirmish with a small Turanic Raider attack fleet. The Raiders had 5 Ion Array Frigates, and a squadron of Standard Corvettes, which were completely decimated within minutes of their return to real-space. He knew that his pilots were getting a bit restless with the complete lack of battles, and that this gave them some much-needed practice. Yet at the same time, even though they were the enemy, he still felt a pang of guilt at the loss of life.

General Kiirt was a well-built man in his late thirties. He had slightly graying hair, and a neat, trimmed mustache. In Kiirt's 20 years with the Hiigarain Navy he was onboard the Mothership when it transversed the galaxy to their Homeworld, from the distant dust-ball of a planet named Kharak. The general had learned to hate the races: the Imperialist Tiiadan, and the Turanic Raiders, for their use of the Atmospheric Deprivation Device on Kharak, and to trust species like the Bentusi, and the Tiiadani Republic.

"What is our status?" General Sjet asked the nearby officer.

"Hull integrity is at 97%, sir."

Great, soon we can return to our mission, thought the general.

Our mission is to scout out likely locations for a hidden Imperialist Tiiadan shipyard and destroy it.

Our fleet consists of 3 carriers, the Khar-Toba II, Kharak's Revenge, and the Blue Nebula. We also have a Heavy Cruiser, 2 Destroyers, 4 Support Frigates and 3 Ion Cannon Frigates, as well as 2 squadrons of 12 Interceptors, Multi-gun, and Heavy Corvettes. In the way of non-combat ships we have: 2 Resource Collectors, 3 Repair Corvettes, and 5 Salvage Corvettes. In my opinion, it was way too much over-kill when we were only going to find and destroy a defenseless dry-dock station, but that's what the Hiigarain Fleet Command commissioned us. Maybe they know something we don't, I don't know.

We have already searched several places that were so far out of the way, that most people would have to be insane to go out there. But there were still many more spots that have not been scouted by probes, or manned craft so we have absolutely no Intel on those areas. But there is one system that looks promising; it used to be the site of a research station that the Mothership and its fleet destroyed on their exodus to the Homeworld. The reason it is a likely place for a hidden shipyard is because the local star has gone super nova, and the radiation disrupts long-range communication and sensor data.

"Repairs are completed, sir. And the other carriers are reporting the same."

"Excellent, give the coordinates to the rest of the fleet, and prepare to hyperspace on my mark. All ships, hyperspace in 3… 2… 1… MARK!"

And with that, the familiar blue quantum wave front engulfed each vessel as they all entered hyperspace one by one.