Operation: AVENGER

Overview
Operation: AVENGER was an important operation carried out by the UNAC early in the EMPIRE Campaign. It was in fact, the first official battle and declaration of war against EMPIRE, setting the stage for the remainder of the UNMC's conflict with the organization. AVENGER was carefully planned for almost 3 months by UNAC command, and was to be a show of ability and force for the UNAC Fleet to cement their status as a truly capable unit.

Scouting
A month before AVENGER began, UNAC leaders dispatched several stealth capable starships into the Upsilon Andromedae System to spy on the still under construction EMPIRE space station hidden away in the system. Determining the station's defenses and gathering crucial data for the UNAC Fleet, the stealth ships monitored the station for a full 3 days until they were recalled by UNAC Command.

Operation begins
On November 6th, Command Lieutenant Sanders led a detachment of the UNAC's 1st Fleet consisting of 20 ships into the Upsilon Andromedae System to attack the station's defenses, with 250 UNAC soldiers ready to board the station once the defenses were down. Upon arrival, the EMPIRE fleet of 16 ships (consisting of modified ARC and UNC ships), formed around the station and engaged the UNAC fleet from long range, however the fleet was able to dodge almost all incoming fire. Thier return volley struck many ships in the EMPIRE fleet, which then fell back and took position behind the station, forcing the UNAC fleet to close in and follow. The Carrier UNS Alcutan stayed behind the fight and readied the dropships to transport the infiltration forces, led by Task Major Christian Green. The UNAC fleet hammered the defenders, using a series of complicated but effective maneuvers to dodge incoming fire. Eventually, the EMPIRE fleet lost integrity and was down to only a few remaining ships, and quickly retreated into I.T., leaving the station and its inhabitants defenseless. The infiltration force's dropships worked to blow a hole into the station's docking section, letting the soldiers enter. It took only about an hour for Green's force to scour the station, kill any EMPIRE security forces and even take several of the scientists and technicians as prisoners of war. After routing through many computer systems and downloading anything that was seen as helpful, the entire UNAC infiltration force and their prisoners were extracted by the UNS Alcutan and were rejoined with the fleet, which subsequently commenced their bombardment of the station and destroying it completely.

Aftermath
For their outstanding performance in the battle and the success of the operation, the UNAC 1st Fleet was praised for its tactics and bravery, specifically Sanders who received a medal for the brilliant commanding of his forces. The first official military action against EMPIRE had been a great victory, and renewed faith in the UNC population that their military would not let them down. In addition, Battlegroup-Overlord came out of the battle with not a single ship lost, only 6 vessels needed moderate repair after the operation. Green also received honors for his actions, as his unit also came out of the operation with zero casualties save for a few minor injuries. EMPIRE was dealt a hard blow with the loss of a significant research station, which the UNMC discovered was being used to try and crack the technology of Shock Cannons, this also denied EMPIRE any closer leverage in figuring out advanced UNMC technology.