The Dhitol - Leva Trade War
Two enter, one leaves...
War in space is special. When dealing with such a massive scale, things get complicated with a quickness. Borders are undefined and only determined by what you can control. There are no masters of empty space, no fancy maps with colors filled in to make it easy. It's all about attrition, asset management, and time.
Consider this: You control a region of space with any number of worlds to exploit. You have a fleet to defend it, but how? How many ships do you commit to one system over another? The further away one system is, the less likely it is you can reinforce it if the enemy drops an armada at your doorstep. Few can even communicate at superluminal speeds, anyway. That means the ships you commit are on their own.
Most systems produce their own militia fleets but not all systems share the same technological progress. This can weaken a flank in your territory. Every system lost is resources lost; assets lost. How do you manage that? Keep in mind, while you're making these decisions it takes time to implement them. Information changes by the second. One moment you know where the enemy is and the next you don't.
Selling the salvage was easy enough. I refuel The Solitude and make long-overdue repairs. I'll be needing it. When I make it back to my ship, I take my meds and pour over the data on Gibraltar's movements. My findings point to a random patch of space. That's where it will appear next, screaming its black signal into the void. Based on the intervals of each signal pulse, I can estimate Gibraltar's progress. It's a toss-up, but If my math is right it should appear before I run out of supplies. I have enough food and water stored for a month or so, maybe two if I ration well enough. I've been out here searching for so long and I still don't know what I'll do when I catch it. The new particle ram should pack a punch. If I attack without being sure, I could die. Mom still needs help. I can't leave now, I'm not done yet. When I leave the planet, Viritine is long gone. I wish that had gone differently. Then again, I almost feel relieved. No need to worry about it if I'll never see them again. I crunch the numbers and prepare my ship for the first of five trips at warp. Before the lights flicker out and the warp drive kicks in, I eye the wall next to the kitchen. It's blank, a canvas for my next piece...
A war on all fronts
We've been talking about what happens in space, but let's not forget what matters here: control. You may have an iron grip on the system and think that gives you power but there are potentially hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the surface of the planets in that system that beg to differ.
Warfare in the void also includes warfare on land, air, and sea. Corvettes are the only ships that can enter the atmosphere from orbit. Others are too big, but they can bombard the planet. Having even a single ship in orbit can win the planet in most cases. I mean, it's a big gun that can hit anything, anywhere on the surface.
Now while dealing with everything going on in space you have to allocate resources for ground troops, outfitting, air support, armor, and transports. Oh, and I should also mention that you'll be responsible for the planet's recovery upon assuming control. That's a thing.
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This is a good teaser introduction to this conflict. I'm eager to find out more about it.
Thanks so much my friend. I appreciate it and sorry it took so long to comment.