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Samuel Darkhammer narrowly escapes justice after breaking peace treaty

By our correspondent.

The Nova Empire is celebrating its victory over the villaneous Samuel Darkhammer, but the military high command has been scolded publicly for letting him escape and admonished not to be so gullible when forming peace treaties with other empires in the future.

Spokesman Ya'Leath says ".. it started out really well, the delegates from Darkhammer were really nice.. I didn't get a chance to meet the dictator, everyone kept their distance from him. I guess that was a warning sign we didn't heed."

Thanks to remote sensors set up at key locations IGN has been able to reconstruct the events that led to the former dictator escaping alone in a life capsule.

A survivor from the Marza dreadnought, which was the first to arrive at the planet, recalls: "It all begin when Darkhammer initiated an unannounced fleet exercise at one of our border planets.."

Darkhammers fleet on its way for a surprise fleet exercise

"At first, we welcomed the idea but wondered why they would pick an undefended planet. Then they retreated and came back.. definately odd behaviour, so our captain called out for reinforcements.."

Lt.Nova's fleet presence was not overwhelming before the exercise

"Then it happened! We were informed that our peacy treaty was void and Darkhammers ships made a pass right before our ships to flaunt their strength". This act of pride was to cost Darkhammer dearly as it allowed time for emergency reinforcements to arrive!

Reinforcements arrive!

Darkhammer definately had a strong fleet and when the valiant defenders on the planet were vaporized in an instant - victims of an experimental super weapon - things looked bleak for Lt.Nova's forces. However, white flashes dotted the night sky - reinforcements had arrived!

Lt.Nova's forces are quickly reinforced

In the meantime, trouble was brewing in the Darkhammer homeland. The national union of coal miners were demonstrating in the streets and the subjugated and suppressed Advent decided to make their stand against the few military ships left behind when the main fleet attacked Lt.Nova.

Darkhammer is facing a rebellion!

We can only speculate what went on in Darkhammer's High Command at the time the battle raged fiercely across both planets.

Chaos and destruction, ships locked in bitter combat

The Darkhammer capital ship Numenia is cut off from its escort ships

Eventually reports came back from the Admiral in charge of the main fleet. His ships were in disarray and his flagship - the Numenia - had been cut off and was under heavy fire.
Thus, the fateful order to withdraw the main fleet was issued.

Darkhammers forces run for it but are hammered mercilessly

The battle takes its toll

The Numenia and its sister ship exploded like miniature stars before the remains of the fleet could make it to safety.

Still a powerful fleet but without leadership

After the jump the Darkhammer main fleet is a severely beaten, but still a force to be reckoned with. The admiral in charge of Lt.Nova's forced wasted no time pursuing the fleeing ships.

Darkhammers weapon of intergalactic mass destruction is used again

A great disturbance was heard in the communication frequencies as millions of souls lost their lives in an instant. Samuel Darkhammer was still a very real threat and appeared to deliver on his promise to bring peace to the galaxy - the eternal peace of death!

Darkhammers Kodiak's exploding left and right

However, it was not to be. The uprising and the failed attack on Lt.Nova was too much to handle for the battered Darkhammer military. Further demoralized by their leaders flight, the empire collapsed when the great interstellar cannon was destroyed.

Lt.Nova called for an intergalactic peace conference and was appointed as the leader of the united races of the Outer Rim. Finally, there was peace ... and the hunt for the galactic enemy no 1 began...