AUTHOR'S NOTE
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In "Horus," space battles are fought by fleets of warships, also often referred to as armies. A fleet is made up of a number of balanced units, called corps, which are generally equivalent in strength and role to one another.
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Each corps is made up of several ships of different types. They are usually intended to be balanced, general-purpose combat units, though there are specialized corps for specific tasks.
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Larger fleets contain greater numbers of corps, but are careful to make sure their corps are balanced with one another within the fleet. During the upcoming battle, a standard corps is made up of one hundred ships of varying types.
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For space battles, the starting positions of a participant's fleet can be roughly described in two-dimensional terms, ignoring the up/down axis. Two opposing forces can be imagined as though they were ordinary armies facing one another on a battlefield.
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In this model, each army is made up of a left, right, and central flank, each of which is made up of multiple corps.
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Each corps is commanded by a high-ranking officer—admirals for Federation corps and warlords for Orc Empire corps. Each fleet is also controlled at the highest level by a commanding officer. Grand Admiral Azerof commands the Federation forces in the upcoming battle, while Great Warlord Regnier commands the Orc forces.
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Happy reading!
CRONOS I
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The two Geoil children who had first witnessed the coming battle now sat with their parents on a hill outside their village.
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Night had just fallen. Above them, hanging in the darkness of the night sky, a breathtaking spectacle could be seen.
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Over fifteen thousand warships were stationed above their heads! Normally, at this altitude, one or two ships would be completely indistinguishable from the darkness.
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However, the size of the opposing fleets was so vast that it was now impossible to miss them. They seemed to form a single mass, so that the fleet which was supposed to be protecting Cronos I was indistinguishable from the fleet which was supposed to be the Geoils' enemy.
***
CRONOS I PLANETARY ORBIT
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The two huge fleets loomed in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, facing each other.
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All the major galactic media companies were spreading every detail of the new war like wildfire. Despite the probable millions of deaths which would result from this battle, it was pure gold for the media.
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In fact, a famous journalist was even covering the event live.
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"Hello! This is Kent Brockman, and I'm in the Cronos system, near the planet Cronos I. The tension is quite strong as the two fleets stare each other down! Let's review the composition of the two fleets. The Federation fleet is commanded by Grand Admiral with Azerof, of course, the rising star of the Federation, who is famously taking righteous vengeance against the savage Orc Empire for the genocide they perpetrated on Tyo.
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"The Federation fleet is composed of five thousand and one hundred warships. These make up fifty-one army corps and, by our estimate based on Federation records, about one million and one-twenty-five thousand astronauts. Nineteen of these corps come from the Federation's allies, the Lizardman Commonwealth and the Holy Elf Empire.
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"However, impressive as those numbers might be, the opposing Orc fleet is even more terrifying! The Orcs have fielded ten thousand warships, crewed by two million and three-fifty-thousand astronauts, commanded by Great Warlord Regnier.
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"It seems that, for the moment, neither side wants to risk making the first move, due to the diplomatic and political fallout which this action would provoke. This was Kent Brockman, live from the Cronos system. Stay calm and stay informed!"
***
Great Warlord Regnier was confident, without even the barest hint of worry in his heart. His military experience stretched back for centuries, and there was surely no commander in the Federation who could outmatch him.
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Combined with his numerical superiority and the divine blessing of Khorne, there was no way Reigner could lose.
***
In his flagship, Grand Admiral Azerof stared at the holo display before him, a stern look on his face. He knew very well that he was gambling his military and political future on this battle. He could not fail.
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'Would' not fail!
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The entire galaxy was watching his next move, so it would need to be a calculated one. He connected to an open radio frequency which the Orc fleet would be tuned into and then spoke in an authoritative tone.
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"This is Grand Admiral Azerof of the United Federation of Planets! You are currently in Federation space. I order you to return to your territory or face retaliation!"
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Regnier responded in only a few moments on the same channel. "This is the Great Warlord Regnier, Lord of the Qorus, Oairas and Quitiras systems, Viceroy of the Orc Empire! I have been looking forward to meeting you, Admiral Azerof, from the moment of your infamous lie concerning our people and our glorious armies!
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"We are here to bring you to justice for your slander, your despicable lies which have brought our two peoples to the brink of war! I call upon you now, admirals of the Federation! Deliver the criminal Azerof so that he might face trial and judgment, and we will leave this system immediately! Refuse, and you will die here."
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The Federation admirals certainly didn't like Azerof... but they had no reason to doubt the Grand Admiral had spoken the truth about Tyo. To give their commander up simply to save their lives would be mutiny, deserving of a traitor's execution.
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After this exchange of formalities, the two fleets faced off, silent and unmoving, for over an hour.
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Azerof had his back to the wall. He'd made the order to leave the system, as was protocol, but now he had to follow up on his threat. If he didn't, the Federation would look weak.
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So, without any better option, Azerof sent a message by a secure radio frequency to Chancellor Souley, announcing that he would soon begin his offensive against the hostile Orc fleet… and thus ignite the war.
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To counter the numerical superiority of the Orcs, Azerof immediately arranged his corps into a careful offensive formation.
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Twenty corps formed each of the left and right flanks, while a mere eight corps formed the center, overseen by Grand Admiral Wesley. Azerof himself remained at the back of the fleet, surrounded by three corps held in reserve.
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Regnier saw this maneuver and ordered his subordinates to prepare for the impending battle. As the Orc fleet was so much larger than the Federation force, Regnier took a balanced approach to their formation. He fielded twenty-five corps in the left, right, and center flanks, and also kept twenty-five in reserve at the back.
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The moment the Federation fleet moved into position, it attacked! Thousands of warship reactors flared at once, sending a spike of exhaust radiation into the surrounding space! The Orc sensor arrays caught this information and warned of an incoming attack, and soon the two fleets sped towards each other…
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While the people of Cronos I looked up in terror, helpless to do anything but watch.
