SLASH-1

2157 years after Planetfall, the Inner Worlds were on the brink of collapse.

Leopard warred with Tiger, Rat with Mouse, Wolverine with them all, and Ermine lurked on the edges of the fighting, moving in to take what remained. The many races of the Core, drained by the perpetual conflict, began to fall one by one into civil war. Dozens of planets seceded from their failing empires, only to be ravaged by pirates and renegades.

Only the Ermine race prospered. But they, too, knew that once the other worlds were depleted, the confused armies would turn to their own.

One of their planet-governors, Emir Saurok, acting alone, planned a solution.

Hiring mercenaries from the different races, he paid them to ferry supplies to neighbouring worlds and set up hidden caches. Then, when he felt he had the advantage, his elite companies would move in for a quick, merciless coup d'état.

With the local militia thrown into chaos and all the resources in Saurok's white hands, the uproar was short-lived. Those who still rebelled were brutally cut out. Those who bowed to the new authority prospered.

In time, Saurok commanded enough planets to single-handedly dominate the Ermine Gulthad, their governing body. With the Gulthad under his control he siphoned resources from throughout Ermine territory, executing lightning-swift raids on multiple fronts.

The battered worlds crumbled in the wake of his surgical strikes. Many leaders surrendered on seeing his black ships rather than be slaughtered. His reach grew by the hour. The Saurok Hegemony was born.

Six years after his initial venture for power, Saurok had secured the entirety of the Inner Worlds. Those who were once sovereign now answered to his authority. Petty grievances were ordered to be set aside. The very forces which had driven the war were shredded into oblivion.

But peace was not gained so easily. There were many who sought the power they once had, if only for a brief time as independent world-nations. Others of lower station resented the intrusion of the pale Ermine. Still others had never bowed to any authority, and never would, choosing instead their predatory ways.

To keep these troubles isolated, Saurok established a force to blockade the star lanes, stable wormholes that were the key to interstellar transit. With the opposition isolated, Saurok's forces, though spread thin, were able to divide and conquer one pocket of resistance at a time.

The Star Lane Authority of the Saurok Hegemony functions even now, twelve years after Saurok's campaign began, as a sort of interstellar military police, called in when the local militia is unable to keep the peace alone.

One squadron of the Authority stands above the rest. They trace their days back to Saurok's initial bout for power. His finest officers and crew, the elite of the elite. Though in recent times new blood from all races has swelled their ranks, still they are unified in their devotion to their cause.

They have never been defeated. Not once since their inception have they failed an operation. Many have tried to challenge them; all have failed. They are the template upon which the Authority is based.

Where trouble comes, be it in the form of marauding pirates or fleets from the Outer Rim nations, SLASH-1 soon follows to wipe it out.

PF +2169

"Target in range."

Space was unimaginably vast, and even at the speed of light one could travel hundreds of years and find nothing but hydrogen and the odd rock. But if one looked in the right places, the chances of finding something interesting became much greater.

"It's definitely artificial, but it's not one of ours."

Sometimes, one might find someone else looking for something interesting. And their motives might be very different.

"Looks like it has a full load of cargo. Heavy metals and some very dense materials, possibly radioactives… Just found what appears to be an IFF beacon. Attempting to decode."

"Escort?"

At the sensor station, the golden-furred fox peered at her displays. "Minimal, sir. A fist of light fighters in close formation."

"Good," said the silver fox in the command chair. "Launch fighters. Ready the cargo tugs. Gunnery, target engines. Have you processed the beacon yet, Lieutenant Auris?"

"Only just. Lupine Commonwealth, sir."

A chill silence filled the bridge.

"Launch bays, report!"

"Two bombers, three assault fighters, and two interceptors in space and ready for action."

"Gunnery?"

"Mass drivers out of combat range, plasma cannon targeted and ready, missiles on standby. Target has noticed our intentions and is powering up shields."

The captain's eyes narrowed. "Fighters to knock out the cargo boom. As soon as the cargo is safely away from the vessel, shoot to kill. Gunnery, fire for effect!"

A fiery blue bolt shot through space, catching the freighter amidships and burning into the hull.

"Direct hit," Auris reported. "Their second port engine appears to be offline, and—" A siren wailed on her console. "Incoming missile," she gasped. "Behind us! Two-fifteen by forty, impact in six, five—"

"Brace for impact!"

Klaxons blared and lights flashed. The bridge crew barely had time to strap in before an explosion reverberated through the superstructure, making the ship lurch.

"Where in the nine hells did that come from?"

"A SLASH bomber has just uncloaked and is strafing out port quarter. Target freighter has changed IFF to a Hegemony military signal. It is launching fighters from its cargo bay. It's a trap!"

"Transmission from the bomber!"

"Main tank!"

A russet-furred, helmeted feline face appeared in the large cylinder at the centre of the bridge, the image becoming sharper as the tank's gravity field stabilised. A single crimson slice crossed the thunderbolt emblem of the Hegemony on his forehead. "Yee-haw," the tomcat was howling, his cockpit flickering from the muzzle flash of his punishing cannon. "Suck it down, foxes! You asked for it at Mobius Station, now you're gonna get it!"