Pan-Scandinavia Separatist

The year 2138 was the year the ESU will look back upon with
dread. Since the days of being earth bound and shortly after
the territory grab after the northern European conflict, the
Scandinavian states have been under the ESU rule.
Once the jump to space happened the ESU thought that the
cries of freedom would have been quieted by giving the Nordic
states of Earth their own small system to inhabit. For years the
Skane system near Gamma Sepentis made ready to push out
their ESU overlords.
The five planets which make up the Skane system were under-
estimated by the ESU as to the wealth it contained. Skane was
self-supporting and soon began producing ships on their own.
The first of these ships were small raiders called Roskilde after
the first longship discovered in 1997. The Roskilde were used
much like the longships of the past and raided nearby ESU
planets and shipping. The Roskilde were never given Skane
markings so ESU admiralty believed them to be pirates and
continued to send out patrols toward known pirate enclaves on
nearby systems.
If the admiralty would have investigated the battle damage
from the raids they would have noticed that the damage was
not caused by beam weapons, but rather Pulse Torpedoes
which was now the weapon of choice by these Neo-Vikings.
In 2121, gama rays from a nearby system flooded the normal
trade routes into Skane from the ESU controlled systems.
These rays would kill any crew which traveled through it and
so Skane was cut-off from ESU for 17 years.
During this time the Skane system drew up a self-sufficient
government which centered on the richest planet in the
system Scania. The shipyards which had been hidden were now
expanded and new trade routes were established between
Skane and a few NAC colonies and some independent planets.
By the time the gamma rays softened to allow the routes
between the ESU and Skane to open, Skane was prepared to
keep it's independence.
Swedish ships of the line range from larger and improved
Roskilde:Svenska class which have three pulse torpedoes
instead of the original, one.
Three Gustav battleships were produced, but at the time of the
reentry of the ESU into the Skane system, only one of fully
functional. Engine issues plagued the larger ships those first
years, but now the battleships rival all the larger systems. Do
to the cost and lack of population to fully support a large navy,
only one battleship is fully commissioned for combat at any
one time. the two others can be brought up to battle stations
in 10 hours time.
Battledreadnoughts are in the future for the Skane shipyards,
but cost and proper engines are still in shortage for the larger
ships.

Great War of 2138

The first ships of the ESU came in March of 2138 much to the
dismay of the Neo-Vikings of the Skane System. The ESU came
not as friends, but as barons looking for their indentured
servents. Little did they know that Skane was ready for them.
The first conflict came as a surprise to the ESU commanders.
The Voroshilev battlecruiser Irkuste and her four escorts
approached the ocean planet of Jamtland. Initial scans showed
small bases orbiting the planets that were not there 17 years
prior. The moon also had bases on it and mining facilities that
were not on the charts.
Then from behind the moon the ESU captains saw strange
ships of varying sizes coming at them. Several hails went
unanswered then the flashes came from the lead vessel.
Torpedoes ripped into the front of the Irkuste. Then the
smaller ships released their torpedoes with all hitting the
Irkuste and ripping through the armor and taking out the four
large batteries and the FTL. Fighters began pouring out of the
moon's bases and soon overwhelmed the ESU fleet.
In the tradition of their Viking ancestors, Skane ships freed
one escort to allow it to limp home and tell the ESU
government that they were no longer welcome. The rest of the
ESU fleet was taken to the industrial moon of Norrkopping
where they were reversed engineered to see how to make
their own engines more powerful for the battledreadnoughts
on the drawing board.
The ESU would not take the bloodied nose lightly.
Admiral Maxile Tupolev let the next fleet into Skane with
hopes of crushing this rebelion and setting back to order the
system which was the ESU's 17 years prior.
His fleet consisted of two battlecruisers, three heavy cruisers
and several smaller escort ships. Dozens of troop transport
ships followed the fleet readying for the taking of each planet.
He believed he would take this fleet through to Jamtland and
pay it back for the insurrection.
As the ESU fleet approached Jamtland, Tupolev began hearing
com chatter from the troop transports trailing the fleet. video
feeds showed small ships firing torpedoes into the transports
and tearing them open with just a few shots. It was like a
swarm of bees attacking the transports.
Tupolev ordered his fleet to turn and help the thousands of
troops who were quickly dying at the hands of these raiders.
At the moment Tupolev's flagship turned it was jarred from
explosions of torpedoes slamming into the rear of the ship. As
he turned his fleet around to face this new threat he couldn't
believe what he was seeing. A battleship of a shape he had
never seen before. It unleashed a volley of torpedoes which
again ripped through the ship.
The Neo-Vikings destroyed the ESU fllet with the exception of
one troop transport, which again was sent home with the tale
of destruction.
The ESU government next sent a diplomatic party to Skane to
talk peace and trade. These, too, were destroyed with one loan
ship sent back to warn the ESU to stay away.

Aftermath
Skane still has no diplomatic relations with the ESU and
remains an example to others who wish to cast off their yokes
and become free.