Only those who fight evil promote true peace…

The settling of the Planet Nian spanned eight hundred years. The Nian settlers thrived in its extreme environment. Nian became a busy planet of underground and domed cities, with few areas open to the natural environment. The planet had been successfully developed, and the competitive culture of the Nian drove business and innovation. Competition for political, economic, and military dominance emerged along family lines within the most powerful factions. The descendants of the manufacturers controlled the money, while the descendants of the military controlled the people. The families who welded political power were those who helped to balance the relationships between the military, manufacturers and the general population. Several hundred years of sporadic civil war were commonplace, until three of the most powerful families united the planet under one cause, the reclamation of the planet Ycerri.

When T’kello Ncurrin boarded the warship, he knew the fate of his family rested in his hands. Raised in Nian military tradition his family had roots in every center of Nian power. He had been groomed since childhood to lead the war against Ycerri. By winning the war he would solidify the Ncurrin family's power to rule both Nian and Ycerri. The Ncurrin family had a reputation for being ruthless and T’kello carefully promoted opportunities to uphold that distinction. He had deftly neutralized or killed brothers and cousins in his family who might have challenged his authority. As a result, when the time came for his family to name the Supreme Commander of War his appointment came as no surprise.

T’kello had not seen the Planet Ycerri with his own eyes, but he knew it was his true home. Living underground and in covered cities, save for a few precious lush Islands, was no substitute for his indigenous environment. Retaking the planet from the backward religious zealots who ruled it would be his destiny.

When the Nian left the planet Ycerri, few of the political leaders took faith in their promise not to return. So, they set up industries and institutions to promote technology that would help them to defend themselves from any future Nian aggression. Also, following the departure of the Nian, Ycerri's leaders began to build their own ships to send spies to the Nian Planet, and to set up a secret defense perimeter within the Bochtin Asteroid fields surrounding Ycerri. Their efforts where successful, the Cerri based spy network infiltrated the Nian planet and established itself into key positions. The network was also able to steal key technology the Nian had invented. Ycerri scientists improved upon some of the Nian inventions, many of the improvements would prove to become pivotal in the war.

Before the war began, the Cerri spy network was exposed when a covert Ycerri ship was damaged entering Nian’s atmosphere it was intercepted while attempting an emergency landing. Knowing that the Ycerri had the capability to perform such a mission, the Nian launched its war fleet before news made its way back to Ycerri. The first attack of the Nian was devastating with more than nearly half the Nian Military Fleet engaged. The Nian ships used a special masking device that made their ships appear as asteroids within the Bochtin Asteroid belt. Before the Ycerri could realize the deception, all of Ycerri's capital cities were attacked and the planet invaded. However, for the Ycerri, the centuries of planning had paid off as the Ycerri land forces struck back. The Nian were unprepared for the strength of the land-based forces, and after nearly two years were forced to retreat back into space. As the Nian forces retreated, they were trapped between the defense of the Ycerri ground forces and a secretly based Bochtin Asteroid defense network.

The first wave of the Nian force was decimated, of those ships, which managed to survive and escape, few made it back to Nian. The second wave of the Nian attack came five years later. This time the Ycerri were better prepared, but so were the Nian invaders. The fierce battle lasted for years with no clear victor. Losses where heavy on both side, however, a young commander was rising through the ranks, and changing the tide of the war as he did. His name was Kine Ycer.

RATE THIS CHAPTER!

Click to View Author Guidance

Stick with me through this story its my first crack at Sci-Fi. Constructive Criticism is always good.
For those who see it ; forgive the "was" and
the word sleep, the second sleep should read "rest". Didn't catch that in my last edit.

updated Jul 18 by Becktemba