Hunt for the SJ Sathanas

The Hunt for the SJ Sathanas was a series of missions which resulted in a direct confrontation between the GTVA Colossus and the Shivan juggernaut.

The First Sathanas Encounter

With the Neo-Terran Front defeated, and Admiral Aken Bosch's escape to the nebula, the GTVA was now able to focus solely on neutralizing the Shivan threat from the nebula.

The GVD Psamtik led an assault against Shivan gas miners and sentry guns in the nebula. The other ships that assisted were the GVCv Tatenen, a Sobek-class corvette, and the GVA Junit, a Setekh-class AWACS. The fighters of the 203rd Scorpions carried out their task and destroyed all the gas miners and sentry guns in the vicinity. Shivan bombers then jumped into the area and attacked the Tatenen, and the Scorpions pulled back to protect the Tatenen. Right after the Shivan bombers were neutralized, however, SJ Sathanas 01 jumped into the area and destroyed the Tatenen in seconds.

In order to determine the threat that the GTVA was facing, Alpha 1 of the 203rd was sent to scan Sathanas 01's subsystems while the Sobek-class corvette GVCv Maahes and its wing of escort fighters engaged and distracted the Shivans. Alpha 1 managed to scan the Navigation, Sensors, Communications, and Weapons subsystems and (possibly) destroy a few small turrets on the Shivan juggernaut before it left the area.

Luring the Sathanas

Alpha 1's scans revealed several weak spots on the Sathanas. However, Allied Command surmised that these flaws could only be exploited by larger warships in the fleet. Command ordered a simultaneous coordinated strike on Shivan targets across the nebular theater in attempt to draw out the Sathanas. Had the Shivan juggernaut fallen for this ruse, the GTD Aquitaine, GVD Psamtik, and GVD Toeris would have jumped in within the vicinity of the Sathanas and engaged it. As it turned out, however, the Sathanas had other plans, and headed for the Gamma Draconis node instead, so the plan to lure it out within the nebula was aborted.

Contingency Plans

Because Gamma Draconis was only one subspace jump away from the heavily populated Capella system, the Sathanas, despite still being in the nebula, was a direct threat to the 250 million civilians living in Capella. As Command began evacuating Capella and the GTVA Colossus was stationed in that system, most of the Allied fleet was pulled back to blockade both sides of the Gamma Draconis-Capella jump node.

However, a small task force remained in Gamma Draconis, near the Knossos portal. They were given orders to destroy the Knossos device, which linked the nebula to Gamma Draconis.

Destruction of the Knossos Device

The GVCv Renenet, a Sobek-class corvette, and a wing of fighters from the 203rd Scorpions, were deployed near the Knossos in Gamma Draconis. The plan was to destroy the portal by detonating a Meson Bomb in the middle of it. Computer simulations predicted only a 40% chance for a single Meson Bomb to demolish the portal, so two additional warheads were placed on standby.

As it turned out, the first detonation did not succeed. While the Meson Bomb achieved a clean detonation at the portal, the Knossos still functioned. Command then ordered the two Meson Bombs on standby to be deployed and detonated simultaneously at the node. This second attempt was a success, and the Knossos device was destroyed.

However, the Sathanas still entered Gamma Draconis, even after the demolition of the Knossos. Scans revealed that the Knossos portal had been activated for too long, thus stabilizing the subspace corridor between Gamma Draconis and the nebula. It was theorized that the corridor could remain open for centuries before it collapses again. The demolition team, having failed in stopping the Sathanas at the edge of the nebula, scattered and pulled back to the Allied forces waiting at the Gamma Draconis-Capella jump node.

The Handicap

As the Sathanas drove through and decimated the Allied fleet blockading the Gamma Draconis side of the Gamma Draconis-Capella jump node, Command deployed multiple bomber wings to disable the four main beam cannons of the Sathanas. It was hoped that disabling these beam cannons would turn the inevitable battle of the Colossus against the Sathanas in favor of the Colossus.

The mission was a partial success. Despite the numerous Shivan fighters escorting the Sathanas, the bomber wings managed to disable two of the Sathanas's main guns before it reached the Gamma Draconis-Capella jump node and jumped out. In the aftermath of this battle, the Sobek-class corvette GVCv Thebes destroyed the Shivan Demon-class destroyer SD Beleth with some help from the bombers originally tasked with destroying the Sathanas's main guns.

Capella

As the Sathanas emerged on the other side of the Gamma Draconis-Capella jump node, it engaged and obliterated the Allied fleet that was blockading the node before pushing deep into Capella. The Colossus, stationed in Capella, was then deployed and confronted the Sathanas directly.

Ultimately, the destruction of two of the Sathanas's main beam cannons gave the Colossus the advantage it needed to win the battle. The confrontation ended with the Sathanas destroyed and the Colossus moderately damaged from taking some beam fire, as well as overcharging its own beam cannons beyond their limits.

Nevertheless, the Colossus was victorious. However, its hull suffered considerable damage which would take months to fully repair.