The Doom Spheres: Part Three - Destruction Incarnate

Doom Spheres vs Imperium | Tim v Gill | Gothic | 63 | 118.997.M41

Battlefleet Valorax was on full alert. 

Intel had been gathered; reports analysed and decisions made. The Doom Spheres had to be stopped at all costs. With such destructive might at their command their was no telling what destruction they might wreck on Valorax Prime when they reached it. One Doom Sphere had been bad enough. Two was a force that could not be ignored.

A new Battlegroup was formed with tremendous firepower, incredible levels of potential destruction that couldn't fail to bring down the approaching spheres: A Retribution class battleship, two Mars battlecruisers, a pair of Gothics and two Dominators as well as a squadron of flitting Cobra Destroyers.

 They drifted through the void, scanning for contact against the static feedback of the irradiated asteroid fields.

Of greatest fortune was the lack of Ork contacts. The invasion fleet had obviously splintered and fled but the chance that they were still lurking in-system, using the distraction of the Doom Sphere approach to sneak past the cordons couldn't be entirely ignored. 

The ships pinged out their long range scanners and when they were starting to doubt the Doom Spheres existed, they flicked into view.

Admiral Phantos on the bridge of the Battleship paled as the image focused on his screen. There weren't two Doom Spheres anymore.

There were three.

And the newest one was over twice as bigger as either one they had seen before.

It wasn't just a Doom Sphere. It was a Battle Planet.

The Retribution let fly with its torpedoes and continued to close, charging up its lance batteries, but before it was even in range the Battle Planet pounded it from the fore with its violet lightning, crushing its shields and ripping into its bulkheads.

The torpedoes impacted harmlessly against its armour and Admiral Phantos fully realised what was happening, how utterly they had underestimated this foe, even while classing them as an omega level threat. He shouted to turn about so that he could bring his weapon batteries to bear but the Battle Planet fired again and his ship was atomised beneath his feet.

The asteroids were blocking nova cannon fire so the ships were forced to weave through, coming painfully close to the Doom Spheres. The Gothics rocketed in close to one of the smaller spheres but even locked on, their lances failed to break down the enemy shields and they took tremendous damage on the return volley.

There was only one gambit that might give them a chance of success.

All three nova-armed ships remaining turned toward the asteroid field between them and the Doom Spheres and, ignoring all proximity alarms forged straight through it. Gigantic rocks impacted the ships but they emerged on the other side and let fire with all their nova cannons, bringing down the shields on one of the smaller spheres and damaging it finally. 

But it was useless.

They were now far too close for a second volley and the Doom Spheres were at their ideal firing range. There was nothing to do but disengage again.

The Doom Spheres could not be defeated.

The Cobra Destroyers put themselves between the Spheres and the capital ships and were blown apart for their sacrifice. But their sacrifice paid off. The capital ships were able to disengage, pulling away from the Doom Spheres and powering out of their limited range.

The third battle had been lost and now little stood between the Doom Spheres and Valorax Prime.

Their only chance was for a final stand to be made there with every ship they could possibly muster.

If not, there was little doubt that Valorax was doomed!

The Doom Spheres: Part Two - Things Get Worse

Imperium vs Orks | Gill v Tim | Gothic | 62 | 115.997.M41

Close to Valorax IX, at Chilltaste Station, an orbital space dock, once used as a docking point and relay point for mining shipments but now lying derelict, the remains of Battlegroup Myrmidon regrouped. 

The Gothic cruisers were joined by three more capital ships from Battlefleet Carrion, a Mars and two Dominators. Their message for reinforcements had been heard and a yet larger force, far more than would be required to crush any attackers, was on its way.

But they did not have unlimited time. Already the Ork fleet had consolidated its strength and was closing on their position, newly determined to break through to Valorax VIII and land their forces. This time the Imperial ships did not have the luxury of clear field of fire and long range. The Orks ships were almost upon them by the time they managed to bring their ships about.

This time there were two Kill Kroozers and a Terror Ship backed up by yet more flitting escorts. Almost before they had chance to react the Ork ships blasted into close rang, coming too close to be targeted by the nova cannons, but they were still taking tremendous damage from the lances and weapons batteries of their enemies.

Then the Onslaught  Attack Ships powered close to Chilltaste Station and locked on, unleashing all the power of their weapons as Savage Gunships closed in behind letting fly their torpedoes. The impacts struck the space station and ripped it apart, blowing it to smithereens so that all the Imperial ships could do was avenge it.

Then not one, but two Doom Spheres came into range of the battle, drifting in from the flank, and Captain Lane of one of the original Gothics realised that their time had run out.

The other ships continued harassing the Orks, ignoring the pleas of Captain Lane to ignore them and turn their attention to the spheres, then the dark black ships unleashed their payload of violet energy.

The shields on both Gothics fell and all but one of the Ork escorts approaching them was wiped out in a string of fiery explosions.

"Turn about!" bellowed Lane. "Now! Ignore the Orks! You have to target the Doom Spheres!"

A split second later, first his ship, then the other Gothic, were obliterated in fiery death, utterly eradicated under the impossibly powerful lance fire of the Doom Spheres who moved inexorably toward the rest of the battlegroup. 

The Ork ships were already breaking off, running silent. They knew the power of these approaching weapons of total destruction and the remaining Imperial ships had no choice but to follow them, to flee before this slowly approaching enemy.

The Imperial ships broke off and fled and the Doom Spheres moved every closer to Valorax Prime. 

The Doom Spheres: Part One - Two Kinds of Impending Doom

Imperium vs Orks | Gill v Tim | Gothic | 61 | 113.997.M41

In deep space, at the outer reaches of the Valorax system, Battlegroup Myrmidon glided silently through the void, vast craft containing hundreds and hundreds of menials and technicians, many of whom had never set foot on any planet.

The Battlegroup was tasked with reconnaissance duty, skirting the outer reaches of the system close to Valorax X, one of two freezing mining worlds that had once been pivotal in the systems manufacturing capability.

Valorax Prime was already under attack from numerous extraterrestrial antagonists. It was this small battlefleet’s task to remain vigilant for further incursions; new threats: to engage and destroy if possible and signal for greater help if necessary. The Battlefleet was composed of three capital ships: a Dominator as the flagships, weapons batteries running down its flanks, and two Gothic class cruisers, heavily armed with lance turrets.

 

They had seen no recent fleet action but long range scanners were picking up ship movement at the edge of the system, sunside of the Vandberg Channels from the direction of approach a fleet would take if coming from the Hellslip Passage.

There were no records of planned approaches and no astropathic communication indicating friendly forces. This was reason enough to charge batteries and load weapons systems in readiness.

And then they came into direct scanning range and what had been indiscernible blips on-screen solidified into palpable and imminent danger.

It was Orks! A Kill Kroozer and a veritable swarm of attack ships! If the other blips closing on scanner were to be believed, these were the point ships of what was likely to be a massive invasion force. The Orks on Valorax already, laying siege to Mechlok Base with devastating brutality were only the beginning. This swarm of assault ships was the herald of a far larger force – a force that could devastate the planet and bring all opposition down before it. 

The Ork ships were still a long way off and this area of space was clear of celestial phenomena. This was the perfect opportunity to inflict as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. Admiral Yorvik put the order through to the other ships via subspace transmission to turn about and face the system intruders. Then he calmly ordered a message to be sent to his astropath that a message be sent immediately to the closest fleet relay base that more support was required from Battlefleet Carrion.

His first mate gave a nod. The Dominator’s nova cannon was primed and ready. The Ork ships had powerful but short ranged weaponry. At this range, the entire advantage lay in the ships of Battlegroup Myrmidon. Yorvik gave the command and the first nova cannon shot was unleashed, an immensely powerful missile capable of crippling a ship with a single direct hit.

The first shot fell short. The second exploded with nuclear force beyond its target. Admiral Yorvik quietly ordered his men to adjust their targeting and fire again, each ranging shot bringing their accuracy closer to target. 

The Orks were blasting all ahead full but they were still so far away, far too far for them to be able to fire – when the first nova cannon shell connected with the Kill Kroozer, ripping a massive gouge in its flank as gasses, air and hundreds of screaming Orks were sucked out into space.

The next nova cannon blast struck it in the prow, crippling the engine room and disarming its starboard weapons batteries. Still undeterred, the escorts and the listing but determined Kill Kroozer, kept coming, closing the gap.

Admiral Yorvik put the command through to the Gothic class capital ships to prepare a precisely calculated turn to expose the enemy to their broadside lances.

Then from the darkness from which the Ork fleet had come, a huge black sphere glided into sensor range. It was vast and unlike anything Admiral Yorvik had seen before and in those first instants he had two thoughts: the first that this was some kind of super weapon built by the Orks to rain greater destruction on the Imperium, despite it apparent elegance; the second that perhaps the Orks weren’t gunning their engines in attack. Perhaps instead they were rocketing through space away from this thing. Perhaps they were fleeing from it.

And then the Orks reach the outer range of their weapons and Yorvik had no more time for contemplation.

They let fly with their gunz at his ships as the Gothic returned fire with their lances. The Dominator lost the ability to use the nova cannon as the Ork ships dropped too close and it started to turn to level instead its weapon batteries.

Suddenly the void was filled with light and fire as the Ork and Imperial ships let fly with every weapon at their disposal.

And still beyond them, the dark sphere continued its slow approach.

The lances of the Gothics took out a slew of Ork attack ships, the shields of the escort craft insufficient to protect them. The Imperial ships took damage but the Orks had lost all initiative by taking losses early on. There were too many unharmed and powerful Imperial ships compared to their already beleaguered fleet.

They continued doing damage but it was too little and suddenly the Ork warlord gave the order for full withdrawal. Making rapid turns and dropping all external power, the Ork ships went dark, slipping away into the void, leaving only smoke trails, debris and floating squirming corpses.

But still the black sphere came.

Bringing his ship about, Admiral Yorvik put out a hail that remained unanswered. The black sphere kept coming but it remained transmission-silent.

Yorvik was a calm man but he was also a cautious one. He tried one final hail then ordered the nova cannon be readied once more.

It was a big and ponderous target. Accuracy was not a problem. The nova cannon missile streaked through the darkness and made a direct hit in the centre of the sphere – exploding harmlessly against its shields.

The missile should have done immense damage. Instead it did nothing.

Admiral Yorvik and his command staff stood gaping, motionless as the dark sphere moved ever closer.

Then its weapons activated and in less than a split second his ship was torn apart and scattered to the void.

The captains of the Gothic cruisers panicked. Weapons of that power were unheard of. There was no ship they had encountered that withstand and unleash combat potential like that. And now the Dominator was gone, along with their commander.

They came about as the weapons of the Sphere turned their way, raking the flank of the ship closest to it as it struggled to break off in its attack run.

Massive explosions tore out sections of the cruiser’s hull. There was nothing else for it. Their only option was to enact a full disengagement as the Orks had done.

Both remaining ships cut power and drifted, desperately hoping to break off the engagement.

The powerful object drifted on as though it had not even cared about their presence.

It drifted on in its path in-system. It’s path toward Valorax Prime.

The Doom Sphere had come.

The Black Flotilla!

There's a new background section in the Enemies of Valorax section that will interest all fans of Chaos: the Black Florilla, the Chaos Space Marine fleet I use in Battlefleet Gothic!

They are a nasty piece of spacefaring work and full detail can be found on their background and organisation.

I'd like to play Battlefleet Gothic more but sadly I no longer have anybody who is willing to give it a go.

Maybe one day...