Star Wraith 3: Shadows of Orion

10 years had passed since the Federation made their push for Earth and the Alliance successfully held back the invasion. We thought the worst was behind us, an unwritten peace existed between the two major powers for nearly 8 years.

Then in 2285, the Federation's flagship, the Richton, was mysteriously attacked and destroyed while on route to a peaceful colony establishment meeting. The ship was carrying many elite political and military leaders of the Federation.

Because the ship was so heavily armed making it nearly impossible to destroy and was so close to Alliance space, the Federation blamed Alliance forces for the ship's destruction. The Alliance denied the accusations and pleaded for an immediate investigation of the incidents.

War was immediately declared by the Federation and the forces of the Alliance were dispatched to secure the borders from attack. Mostly minor engagements took place over the next two years with little or no casualties, neither side seemed willing to fully engage in battle as what had been so destructive in the previous war. As forces from both sides spread into the Orion system, the Alliance battle carrier Becker approached from the nearby Rucker Asteroid field.

The Becker was attacked shortly afterward. It was apparently destroyed in a matter of a few seconds, something Alliance intelligence believed would be impossible for any Federation force to accomplish. Rumors began to spread about a 'super weapon' being used by one of the rogue clans, but no evidence could support the theory.

48 hours after the attack, several Wraith pilots from the Becker who were on patrol and survived the attack arrived at the nearby AH-104 starbase. They reported seeing a massive dark gray vessel that attacked the Becker from the side.

They also reported that the vessel fired a series of energy blasts before the Becker was destroyed. The weapon used was apparently powerful enough to penetrate both the shields of the carrier and the heavy armor plating. The end result was the Becker blew apart with no chance to respond.

The mystery of the Becker's destruction and continuing reports of Federation casualties has raised suspicions of a new race with advanced technology. The Lexington, flagship of the Alliance and veteren of the AF war, has been dispatched to the Orion system to investigate and hold back any advancing Federation forces.

If the Federation is truly behind these attacks, the Lexington has the capacity to protect our interests in the Orion system. Should the Lexington encounter substantial resistance, dozens of support ships will be standing by ready to lend assistance...