Wednesday, 27 April 2016

The Kra'uul Invasion 2065 AD - Future Wars

The future looked bright for most of the population of the Earth on the morning of Monday 23rd August 2065 as they rose to go through their day, as they had the day before.

At 10:23am GMT the future changed. Three massive objects were picked up outside the orbit of Jupiter by orbiting satellite observatories, moving at colossal speed on a straight trajectory through the solar system. Their trajectory and speed would take the objects through the system with out incident in around two days. Scientific bodies around the world excitedly trained their eyes on the unexpected event.

At 10:37am GMT, the objects were noted to be decelerating and changing their trajectory as they passed the Jovan planet, apparently using the planetary mass to slow and redirect their travel. Around the world, alarm bells began to ring and Military and bodies politic trained their eyes on the unexpected event.

At 11:14am GMT satellite camera's relayed images of the objects to waiting worthies around the world. These images revealed what appeared to be three very large vessels of unknown origin. Calculations on the expected route of the vessels given their continuing deceleration and direction would place the vessels passing the orbit of Mars in two and half days. If nothing changed, they would arrive here by Friday, in time for dinner.


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As it turned out, we had less time to prepare than we thought. As the alien vessels approached the orbit of Mars, several objects, three from each vessel, were observed to 'break away' from each of the vessels and accelerated towards the Earth.


These 'objects' were some form of strategic missile which sped towards the earth at prodigious speed. Unable to intervene, the missiles entered the stratosphere roughly equi-distant around the globe in a line running a few degrees skew of the equator and 'detonated' releasing small arial vehicles which rapidly spread through and across the atmosphere. These vehicles, once in position broadcast an attack in the form of a massive and practically all encompassing EMP burst, effectively stopping any and all electrical, digital and electronic activity right across the globe, overbearing even the most hi-tech defenses.

This effectively blinded the planet and rendered almost useless, the majority of the most developed weapons and weapon systems that man had to date developed. The first blow had been struck in advance of the initial assault on the planet and there wasn't long to wait to see what would come next.

The first ships making planet fall appeared over north eastern China and immediately launched attacks on populated and strategic locations across eastern and south eastern parts of the country with devastating effect.

This attack was soon followed by another eight initial 'contact sites' across the globe, in Northern India, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Southern Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Northern Australia and the last landing somewhere in Antarctica.

At all these sites, the Kra'uul, as they were found to be called, immediately launched mainly land based assaults on any and all military and political points in those area's and surrounds with an obvious goal of conquest. Non-combative population in the area did not appear to be being targeted and the only deaths here appeared to be collateral damage.

With the taking-out of the planets operations and command and control capabilities at the out-set, the Earths' military forces were in a large part, initially in chaos and uncoordinated though some preparatory work had been done in the last hours before the Kra'uul arrived. Older 'out of date' systems were brushed down and what was generally considered not front line equipment was rushed to readiness where available. Ironically, it was quickly apparent that the less developed states and countries around the globe became better placed than many of the leading nations, to be in a condition to militarily resist the invasion on their home soil.


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The initial assault was, as was to be expected, over-bearing and extremely efficient in all the landing sites with the Kra'uul taking significant territory at each of the area's.

It was soon apparent though that since the energy and resources required to launch a planetary invasion across the reaches of space was significant, the initial number of the Kra'uul was fairly limited and they relied on artificial or robotic aids to a significant extent. Also, other than small one or two man vehicles, no major pieces of equipment had been spotted.




Reports began to filter in from various locations that the Kra'uul were successfully occupying territory, they immediately pressed into service any and all methods of resource and material gathering including minerals and ore's especially, often press ganging local populations into this gathering, though no intelligence sources indicated any noticeable mistreatment during these activities. No organised attempt at communication with the Kra'uul received any response.


The first seven days of the Invasion passed as the Kra'uul advanced outwards from their beach-heads, usually in quick, targeted assaults which seemed to come in 'pulses', and it was quickly noted that the Kra'uul liked to do things in three's. Three targets each utilising three assault teams appeared to be a favoured theme. Within the seven days, the Enemy had made significant gains in eastern and southern Asia, the Middle East and North America, but more modest gains in Australia, North Africa and South America. In Europe, the Kra'uul advanced up through eastern Spain, reaching the Pyrenees area after four days but stopped advancing here. In Eastern Europe the Enemy swiftly moved up through the Levant and on into Western Turkey after day six but once again halted at the Bosporus.

The Russian and Eastern European forces as well as Indian troops had some small success in combating smaller Kra'uul Assault Teams using old stock piled AFV's and some small civilian light aircraft , which were coaxed into the air and used for spotting but these were quickly disabled by the Enemy once exposed, but these successes were minor and only held off the otherwise inexorable advance.

At the end of the first week, around 20% of the Worlds Land Mass was effectively under enemy control, or at least not under Human control to any extent.

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The Second week of conflict started to see a change in the proceedings. By this juncture, a lot of the Earth's Armed Forces had begun to get their act together both in terms of getting their forces operational but also in terms of communication in the field and also with other Armed forces around the globe utilising analogue equipment in many places or adapting existing 'fried' equipment where possible.


As communication of sorts was resumed, Intel on the enemy began to be collated and quirks, or weaknesses became known and which could be exploited. The most telling issue was that the Kra'uul seemed unable (or unwilling) to cross substantial bodies of water, lakes, rivers etc. The concept of boats and ships seemed alien to them and they seemed only able to cross these 'obstacles' by air, otherwise going round them. Likewise, the more extreme desert area's appeared to be likewise avoided though with less certainty.

The second week also saw the first of the larger Kra'uul vehicles and armed/armoured battle suits being sighted, with these being deployed against Russian, Chinese and other local Militia forces south of Lake Aral in Kazakhstan with devastating effect in the generally open terrain. The number of these vehicles remains unknown but they appear to be mercifully few in number.

After the initial successes of the Kra'uul in the first week of the invasion, by the end of the second, their advance had visibly slowed and their limitation on numbers and resources began to show.

The Kra'uul then changed their tactic's of a general advance on all fronts, to a more targeted 'most gain' philosophy and several area's including South America, North Africa and Australia appeared to be put on hold and consolidated and forces relocated.

Early in the third week a concerted assault came on Western Europe and simultaneously through the Caucasus into southern Russia.



Within days of this attack the various European Federation forces withered in the face of a concerted assault and France, western Germany, northern Italy and into the Czech Republic quickly were over run but this assault cost the Enemy it's first noticable casualties especially in southern France and around the Alps where particular stiff Human resistance caused significant damage to the Kra'ull advance and there still remains significant pockets where the Kra'uul have not pushed subsequently.

In southern Russia and the northern China, the push had also been sporadic with the Asian forces trying to keep mobile and refusing to give the Kra'uul a Hard Target where possible but the Kra'uul have still managed to occupy signifcant strategic areas in the region.

On the twenty-third day of the conflict the Kra'uul launched a significant aerial force into main land Britain and landing in the area south of Oxford, and commenced an advance east and northwards. On the same day, the Kra'uul launched another arial task force from eastern China into the North Western seaboard of the United States who had so far been mainly untouched by the alien invasion other than some minor skirmishing around the Mexican border area 

The Americans had had a reasonable time to prepare though the location of the attack did throw them off strategically and so lost a reasonable amount of territory before mobilizing resistance to the alien threat.

Likewise in Britain, the alien landing had a strong push initially and occupied the West Country and most of the Home Counties with relative ease, but unlike the Americans who had pooled forces to cover populated areas, the British forces including large number of other European Federation troops and some Russian League Elite forces from Scandinavia had withdrawn to a more defensible line in the Midlands with a holding force in Ireland.



Over the next ten days the Kra'uul forged ahead utilising strong ground based assaults with heavy air support and managed to take most of mainland England but with increasing difficulty and several pockets of resistance remain with human strongholds being present around Liverpool and York in particular. The Kra'uul forces seeming to loose steam, resources stretched, and their advance peters out just north of the Scottish border. The European Federation forces still presenting a viable force around the Central Belt and begin to receive Federation and League reinforcements from Scandinavia in small but useful numbers.


In the States, the Kra'uul advance is initially strong, primarily over mainly uncontested areas in the north west but as they quickly advance south towards California and East into Montana the Federal forces reinforced by Canadian troops begin to stall their advance and after four or five days the Kra'uul halt and re-order their forces. Two days later, new reinforced numbers of Kra'uul assault the Federal American forces in Nevada with unprecedented numbers of drones and previously unseen fighting vehicles backed up with a small number of heavy battle suits with the Federal forces being forced to hastily withdraw following heavy loses.


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By the 1st of October 2065, the Kra'uul had effectively occupied around 60% of the land mass of the planet with a further 10% disputed or under conflict. Only central and Eastern north America, most of the Russian League territory and part of Northern Europe and Scandinavia remain free of the alien invaders. Scattered parts of South America and South East Asia remain totally unmolested but the conditions in most of Africa and Australia are unknown though the desert areas of these territories appear to present a problem to the Kra'uul so are likely free at least.


The Kra'uul have obviously been surprised by the strength and stubbornness of the Human defenders and are extremely stretched across the globe and do not appear to expect any off world support soon. The Kra'uul make their first communication with Earth governance approaching Russian/Chinese League forces South of Kazan and simultaneously Federal Forces occupying Boise, Idaho and European forces near Cologne and requested Human surrender and 'co-operation' stating that great good  for would be had if Earth joined the Kra'uul Empire. Further conflict being useless and destructive, the end inevitable. The response from all the field commanders was unanimous and impolite.

On the 2nd October, the Human forces launched their first counter-attacks on the Kra'uul invaders. The Enemy now had a fight on their hands....



5 comments:

  1. I like my sci-fi and a good story!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great science fiction story! Like it a lot!

    Greetings
    Peter

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks all, just a bit of a back story for my Future Wars campaign and I thought I'd jot it down. Glad its of interest.

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a very good novel. I wished it was a book. I'm hooked

    ReplyDelete

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