Fox in the Den (FT, Closed, Attn, Xiscapia)

[Alversia]

"Captain, we are approaching the area now...still under cloak," The Alversian Officer in front of the Captain's chair reported calmly, typing easily on the multiple panels that were arranged easily around his chair in a semi-circle, all of them within easy reach. Above them were several holographic screens, all displaying complex information and symbols. Each and every single one of them related to a function within what was a very complicated operating system within a very complicated machine. The Lieutenant Commander's name was Michael Harrington, he was the Flight Officer aboard this Heavy Cruiser and he had made it his job to understand how each and every single one of those buttons and symbols influenced the lives of everyone who dwelled upon it. However, the blonde Lieutenant Commander, still relatively young despite his rank, now turned uncertainly turned to look at the Master and Commander of his vessel, Captain Ikito.

The Kitsune sighed and lifted her slight form from her Command Chair, feeling her First Officer, Commander John Murdoch, stand with her. He towered over her, seeing as she was a small Kitsune even by Kitsune standards, with pale, blue hair tied up into a neat bun, yellow eyes watching over the Flight console in front of her, using her own extensive experience in the military to make her own decisions based on the data she could see. A deep breath escaped her lips as she looked over the data. Silence filled the bridge. In front of her, stood the viewscreen and, in that, she could see nothing. She expected to see nothing. No planets of any kind were within range and no scanning equipment reached this far. It was perfectly suited for the task at hand. Ikito was not going to pretend she was nervous. It was an unnerving assignment. She could almost taste the tension, almost cut it with the silvery katana that hung by the side of her crumpled and untidy uniform. It should not have been so and, had it been peacetime, then she would have made sure it was perfectly neat and tidy. But this was war and no one would say anything if her uniform was a little battered, just as long as she kept her Ship in perfect condition, for such a thing was ten times it's weight in gold.

And the Gerrard had been very busy indeed during the war months. On a long scouting mission initally when the war had begun, she had returned home and entered service with the fleet at Wuin, from there taking part in a variety of long range patrols to counter Danaversian attacks. It was during these that she had been forced to destroy a Technonaut vessel encroaching on Alversian space. She had suffered no damage from that battle and had been relocated to the Battle to retake the Midas Array, coming through with relatively little damage thanks to a fellow Kitsune Captain and his bigger Dreadnouight. From there, it had been on to Gerral.

Gerral system was also known the 'Gateway to Alversia'. The system closest to the Danaversuan Empire and one of the most heavily defended. Since Havalia, it had been undersiege and the battering rams had been closing in steadily. Gerral's fleet was the third biggest of the whole Alversian Navy but it never hurt to have another Heavy Cruiser in the mix. The battles during the Siege had been tough and it had been long, four Alversian warships had been lost, including the Dreadnought Eagle, not including smaller Defence Corvettes and it had cost the Alversian Military nearly 7,000 Crewmen. The Alumina had suffered too, but, finally, they had managed to repel the Danaversian attack. For the moment.

The Gerrard had also suffered during the battle. She had taken quite a pounding in one of the engagements and could only spend a minimal time in Docks repairing her Weapons Systems before setting off again on this top secret mission. Ikito had been exhausted beforehand with the constant combat on the edges of the Gerral FTLi field and the last thing she had needed was a Level 10 transmission from the Grand Admiral herself. Ikito had had to sit in awe and listen to the Grand Admiral's wishes and nod to her requests, shocked by the youthful face of her Commander and saddened by the strain visible on her face. The order had been so odd, so unexpected, that Ikito had almost thought she had misheard the Halfbreed. But the Order was the order. She had been given information in detail and a strict command to inform no one. No one on her crew was to know, that was the Order, such was the secrecy.

Now the Heavy Cruiser was in position, the crew unaware, with only Murdoch and the Second Officer, Tactical Officer Lieutenant Commander Danny Powell in the know, for she felt she could not keep them dark as well and expect the crew to follow her commands. Ikito was waiting, waiting for the first signal. The seconds seemed to drag on before she finally got what she was waiting for,
"Ma'am," Her Operations Officer, Lieutenant Leona Capan announced suddenly, "I have another vessel on sensors...it's the Starrider."

"Shall I open hailing frequencies?" Natasha Duncan asked, the Lieutenant Commander in charge of Communications asked expectantly, finger hovering over the button.

"No. Maintain cloak. Continue radio silence." Ikito snapped at the Officer, the offending hand withdrawing just as quickly. The other Officers looked at one another.

"Ma'am..." Harrison was about to speak before he was quickly cut off by Murdoch,

"The Captain gave you an order, you are expected to follow it. Understood?" The Alversian, powerfully built with only one eye, the other being claimed by a Danaversian bayonet from a decade past, had a terrifying exterior that did not invite argument and so the Flight Officer fell silent once more.

It was only a few moments before a second beep arrived on the sensors. This time, no command was needed. Everyone knew the drill. The only stir came when a high speed burst of data flooded all communcations Channels, to which Duncan raised her eyebrows to Ikito, who very subtly shook her head, tail flicking,
"We do not decloak until the first shot is fired. Put weapons on hot standby and be ready to raise shields the instant we decloak. We are here as hidden backup only. We do not engage. Understood?"

The resounding but quiet chorus of "Ma'am" echoed across the Bridge and the crew ignored the beeping message, a pre-arranged Signal that Ikito alone recognised. She clasped her hands behind her back and waited, sighing again as the mysterious vessel finally came on screen and the breath caught in the mouths of every member on the Bridge.

It was a Boolean Scarab. It was signalling the Starrider.

[Xiscapia]

Xiscapian Imperial Starship Starrider...

Captain Genda was getting tired of signing Non-Disclosure Agreements.
Genda had taken over after Captain (now Rear Admiral) Lintel was promoted, and since that time the Starrider had received no outstanding assignments, her only missions under his command had been the taking on of some artifacts from Old Xiscapian to transport, a few minor escort missions, regular patrol and the latest one, the transport of a dozen or so scientists from the home world out to Old Xiscapia for some kind of top secret project, very hush-hush, Genda didn't know the details. The kitsune had been quiet, not making any trouble, though he had heard rumors about some sort of kinky night between a couple that had shared a room, not bad but all in all not an assignment appropriate for the ship of the Starrider's caliber. Apparently they'd been passed over to assist in the attack on Ferra because of the secret mission, which had made many of the crewmembers, eager to paint some Ternion hulls on the bridge bulkhead and practically salivating over the easy pickings they heard the Danaversian ships had made, grumble and moan. Genda was highly sympathetic; he knew the Starrider, a powerful Battlecruiser, should be participating in raids and harassing enemy shipping, not chauffeuring people and things around like some kind of heavily armed limousine.
But one did not ignore a direct order from the Grand Admiral.

Krystal herself had contacted him personally; it was unheard of, the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Navy speaking directly to a mere Captain, but she had. The details had been disclosed to him and him alone; he was warned that he was not to transmit them under any circumstances, and they came with a Dawning Fury Code, which meant that in the event that he was captured, Genda was to commit suicide to prevent the information from falling into enemy hands. It was a heavy burden he accepted by sharing the news with his bridge crew and having them inform their respective leading officers, who then told the rest of the crew. True, he shouldn't have told them, and he could have made them all sign NDAs, and that may or may not have worked, but with the mission the Starrider was now on, he knew he could count on them to keep silent. True, they would rather be blasting Danaversians and their scumbag allies, but this was just as, if not more, important.
They could kill Ternion bastards later.

"Boolean vessel detected," The Scanning Officer sang out. "There's also the Alversian Heavy Cruiser Sammi Gerrard, as reported."

"Scarab attempting communications." Murmured the Communications Officer.

"Patch them though," Genda turned towards one of the viewscreens, dull lights of the Starrider shining off his tawny fur, preparing to meet with his Boolean counterpart.

[Alversia]

Ikito watched as the two vessels moved slowly towards each other, almost hesitantly. She was not surprised by the reluctance to engage. After all, the two nations had been blowing the hell out of each other for several months now and that was long enough for the hatred to set in during such a conflict. Already, she knew that some of her own crew were glowering at the screen, remembering Havalia and the losses that the Boolean Stinger had inflicted upon them there. The Danaversians were stupid, numerous and most easily countered. They were predictable. The Booleans seemed to have more quality and more ability on the field of battle. It always paid to be cautious around them. However, Ikito remained silent and simply watched as the Boolean Scarab and the Xiscapian Battlecruiser went about their business, a risky business.

Meanwhile, the screen of the Starrider lit up to reveal a Boolean Officer standing in front of his own bridge. Although it was impossible to tell through the armoured facepiece that confronted them, the Being had to be nervous at what he was doing. Though many in the Confederacy would be sympathetic to his task, he knew it was treason regardless and they would be honour bound to persecute him for it, a crime which would end in death amongst his people. So he was understandably nervous.
"This is the Boolean Confederate Ship Charity of Hope. We are transporting cargo for your vessel and return to your territory. Information of this must not get out to anyone unless you want to jeopardise future deliveries. We shall be beaming them over now."

Almost immediately, beings began to materialise within the Xiscapian vessel, a combination on shaky Alversians, Alumina, Greali and other races, all wearing little more than scraps on their trembling bodies, for they were prisoners from the Danaversian Empire, taken by these Booleans and returned from their Slavery upon the honour of the Confederacy, who hated to see such a thing occuring. It had not been easy getting them here, over a thousands people in total. However, they had managed to do it and now, once the Boolean vessel had completed it's task, then it would return to Boole and the Smuggling Ring would begin it's work again, ready for the next encounter. The Booleans were trying to keep their honour and their Alliance to a non-honourable foe, but it was proving difficult in the extreme.
"You will find them in perfect health," The Boolean Captain explained, "some may have minor injuries, but there was nothing we could do with those."

[Xiscapia]

Genda simply nodded, not speaking; the quicker this was all over and done with, the faster the Booleans could get back to their own space and begin recovering the next round of slaves to transport to freedom, and the less of a chance the Charity of Hope or the Starrider would be discovered by the Danaversians. The Xiscapian Captain almost -almost- felt sorry for the Booleans, but he felt no real pity for them, their obsession with honor, far beyond that of even the kitsune, was proving to be their downfall. He knew the Confederacy was assisting the Ternion to preserve its honor in some way, but Genda had seen the things the Ternion had done and was doing, and he could see there was much dishonor there, so, paradoxically, ironically, the Booleans where dishonoring themselves as they upheld their honor. In the eyes of many of the Xiscapians they were no better than the Danaversians, they might not have been directly involved in the massacures and enslavements and seizures, but they had helped these atrocious actions become possible and so they were just as guilty as their allies.
You are judged by who you call your friends.

In the interior of the Starrider medical teams augmented auxilleries of regular crewmembers immediately began to care for the escaped slaves. The Starrider wasn't quite ideal for such a task, it had been designed as a combat vessel with excavation facilities, but it would do for the purposes of feeding, clothing, housing and caring for the thousandfold wretched beings who had slipped from Danaversian grasp. Hundreds of beings, the majority of them human, kitsune, or Aluminan, the vast majority of the former Alversian, were being led, helped and even carried onto stretchers, beds, bunks and anywhere else there was space, the Starrider's crew would sleep on the deck of the ship if they had to. Nanobot and cellular regeneration shots were given immediately, regardless of apparent condition, while medics examined orifices for damage and scanned for internal injuries. Almost none of them required anything in the way of major surgery or operations, it seemed what they needed most was clothing, food and a place to rest for a while.

"You have done an honorable thing today," Genda told the Boolean quietly. "It does not absolve your sins, but it proves that you are not carbon copies of your aquatic allies." He bowed. "I hope to see you, and your next shipment, soon."

The slaves would be repatrioted to their respective nations as soon as they were well enough to travel. In the case of the Greali, who no longer had a nation since the Intergalactic Empire fell, they would be offered citizenship in any Coalition nation that would take them, if they did not exibit xenophobic tendencies they might be accepted into the Kitsune Empire. Many of the crew were reluctant to inform concious, coherent Alumina of their final destination; after being captured, any Alumina who survived to return to their homes were dishonored, or so the rumors said. The condition of the slaves were bad, not as terrible as a forced worker, but their minds were scarred and battered, for these slaves had not been used for work...

[Alversia]

Ikito paced up and down on her bridge, eyes never leaving the two vessels that were being projected onto the viewscreen. Her sensors were reporting that transportation were taking place at this moment. The crew were still on edge, but for a different reason. They finally understood what was going on and the reason for all the secrecy. They were all on edge, the Siege and constant warfare in and around the Gerral system had worn away at the nerves of the Alversian Crew, already two Lieutenant Commanders had been killed in the battles, forcing the sudden replacement of them by two Lieutenants, both of whom were her Operations Officer and her Science Officer. They had been replaced by their immediate Subordinates. They had not been ready for the promotion but their training had allowed them to take the role easily enough for the moment. Once the transportation was over, the Xiscapian Cruiser would make a dash to Xiscapia while the Gerrard would return to Gerral, a planet that needed every single turboblaster it could find. The Alumina would find homes, either with their own people, or the Alversians.

On the screen of the Xiscapian vessel, the Boolean Commander simply nodded and cut the transmissions, leaving the screen blank. The transportation did not take long, shivering Alversians and rather more uptight Alumina were helped to their places by the Xiscapian crew. Some had been through hell, most had suffered trauma that would require extensive councilling at home once they returned. The Alumina would never speak of their experience, only return to their homeworld, if possible, and never make a note of their captivity, perhaps not even mentioning that there had been others, not lucky enough to get a place on this Smuggling ring, though the Booleans were doing all they could. However, once the transportation was completed, the Scarab turned and disappeared as it vanished into FTL, leaving only the two Heavy Cruisers. As soon as the sensors were clear, the Sammie Gerrard decloaked next to the Starrider, Ikito hailing Genta as soon as possible.

She looked more tired than she should, her eyes gaunt, exhausted from lack of sleep, long lines in her face betraying the deep stress she had suffered from watching old friends dying from agonising injuries and seeing new faces turning old and aching from war,
"Captain Genta," She had no time for anything other than a simple bow of the head, "That was relatively painless. Do you need an escort as far as Gerral?"

[Xiscapia]

XIS Starrider...

Genda bowed, nodding. "That would be nice, Captain Ikito, the faster this ship gets to Xiscapia, the faster these people get back to their families." And the faster this ship and her crew get back into action against the Ternion. He added silently, looking over to the Navigation Officer. The kitsune nodded in affirmation, and Genda turned to his APN counterpart. "We're ready when you are." Genda knew he would probably get some kind of medal for this, especially if these drops became a regular thing, but as much as he cared about forming an underground railroad for Danaversian slaves, he would have been just as happy slugging it out with a couple of enemy cruisers. But, he reflected, we all have to play the cards we're given. The Starrider will get her chance. I'm sure of it.

A few moments went by, and the APS Sammi Gerrand and the XIS Starrider entered FTL simultaneously.


Gerral System...

It wasn't so much a hole in space-time as much as it was simply a warped extension of it, a silently howling vortex that expelled the Gerral Task Force from its mysterious depths, closing as soon as the last of of the thirty-five starships that made up the flotilla were through. At the moment the XIN was finishing heavy fortification of all Imperial systems, every defense fleet had been bolstered now that the Expeditionary and Assault Fleets had been dissolved and new production brought online, more than doubling the number of warships in some places. All over the Kitsune Empire, dockyards were at work, refitting, rearming and repairing vessels before they were sent to their stations, or preparing newly built ones for their maiden voyages; most of them were bound for Old Xiscapia. The Sixth (otherwise known as the 'Salvage') Fleet had needed extensive refitting to be combat-ready, and as a result the majority of the VI Fleet was in drydock, the rest were deployed throughout Coalition space. The Gerral Task force, made up mostly of craft from the IX Fleet held in Reserve in case of further Ternion attacks, was fresh from these yards and, none of the ships having seen action yet, with enthusiastic, eager crews and competent officers, was sight for sore eyes.

Rear Admiral Murdoc stood proudly on the bridge of the XIS Legacy. With his black hair and tawny fur, sallow skin and a tall, lanky form, seeming to radiate casualness despite his at-attention stance, he seemed much younger than his forty-three years, like a man who had never quite grown out of boyhood. However, the katana at his side and the blaster with its well-worn grip dispelled any thoughts of naivety or boyishness; Murdoc had been places and seen things that he tried not to dwell on, even in the bright coolness of the bridge of his ship. It was Murdoc who had led the Xiscapian First Assault Fleet in the attack on Havalia, he who had pulled the fleet back from the jaws of destruction, leaving two of his ships, a destroyer and a medical frigate, burning hulks, who had watched in shock and horror as the Setulanite Eternal Pain Task Force and a number of other Coalition naval forces were annihilated by the Booleans and their terrible weapons. He didn't blame himself or anyone else for the catastrophic defeat, and he knew High Command didn't hold him accountable -if they did he wouldn't be here- but the experience had left him shell-shocked afterwards, shaking, suddenly in doubt. The XIN hadn't lost a battle since before the end of the Korr War, or at least they'd never lost without inflicting devastating casualties on the enemy, but here they, and their mighty allies, had been bloodily repulsed, no, routed, chased from the battlefield.
It had been a blow to his confidence in the XIN.
Now he was here to show his superiors, his men, his people, but perhaps most of all himself, that the Xiscapian Imperial Navy wasn't about to be beaten by these Ternion baldies.

The Gerral Task Force was larger than any previous deployment, but as Task Forces went, a small one. The XIS Legacy, a Wasp class Heavy Cruiser on which Murdoc had his flag, along with her sister ship, the XIS Luck, made up the nexus of the group, supported by the Annihilator Light Cruisers Divine Wind, Mallon and Franz Ferdinand, the Marchamp class Frigates Navras and Tsume and the Nova class Carrier Triton. Added to these were a dozen Destructor class corvettes, I-1 through I-12, the Protector class Medical Frigate Eye, twelve Crusher class troop ships carrying the soldiers, war machines and equipment of the Three Hundred Twenty First Division, and the armed freighter Blue Like Jazz, carrying desperately needed medical supplies, weapons, spare parts and energy sources to the Alversian defenders. High Command had seen fit to have the larger ships tow and the smaller ships carry the component parts necessary to construct a mobile back-up FTLi device, a weapons platform and a miniature dock, making it no secret that the Gerral Task Force was in it for the long haul. Over 20,000 Xiscapians composed the Gerral Task Force, and they were supposed to do their best to be assistants, rather than burdens, to their Alversian hosts.

As the thirty-five-ship strong fleet entered the system, having slipped though a gap in the Danaversian FTLi field surrounding the system, Murdoc opened up on general broadcast.

Greetings to the People's Republic commanders and garrison units of Gerral. I am Rear Admiral Murdoc of the Gerral Task Force, here to assist the defenders in repelling Ternion attacks. ORBAT is enclosed. To what coordinates should I send my units?

[Alversia]

Gerral System

At the moment that the Gerral Task Force exited their Jaunt Drive on the outskirts of the Gerral System, the Sensors were able to properly identify them. The moment of confirmation from Gerral Control on the planet itself brought about the deactivation of the dozens of railguns, turbolasers, ion cannon and missile launchers from a half dozen perimeter asteroids that had been trained upon the Xiscapian Fleet. The sensors had picked them up on their approach but, with the situation as it was, there was no garuntee that the Danaversians had not been disguising their own FTL approach under the same readings as Jaunt. They had tried the technique in previous wars and it never hurt to be prepared. Had the Xiscapians not been...well, Xiscapians...then they would have been confronted by storms of fire that would have eliminated much of the fleet, even before the Alversian warships could approach their position. Luckily enough, someone in Fire Control was awake and so the guns did not fill the space with their deadily projectiles. Instead, the Alversian defenders looked upon the ships with some measure of relief. The battles had been fierce in and around the Gerral system for several weeks now, already with a dozen defence Corvettes lost to combat along with four Naval ships, including Alversia's first serious capital ship loss. The Dreadnought Eagle had been overwhelmed with enemy fire, to the point where even a Dreadnought could not hold out against the barrage directed against it. The hulk was still floating in the edge of the system, the Navy unable and unwilling to send a ship to pick it up and Salvagers were not quite brave enough to wander into a warzone just yet to pick up their fortunes. So the Eagle just lay there, a silent memorial to the hundreds who had lost their lives on her, joining the carcasses of Cruisers, Destroyers and other such ships, Alversian and Danaversian that lay through the system.

The tired Alversian Commander, who was in charge of the Defence System for this area, leant over an Ensign's shoulder and pressed on a button with the tip of his finger, sent a reply to the Xiscapian fleet,

Code: Select all

Rear Admiral, this is Commander Jones of the Gerral Defence Grid, you have permission to proceed along heading 20.33.75 and to dock at Gerral. Be advised that this flightpath can be altered if the Danaversians attack again. It's good to have you here.

Daan's Club,
Ranus V, inside Danaversian Territory

The main room of the Club was dark, the minimal light offered by the wall-mounted bulbs further hindered by the thick black smoke being emitted from the large cigars being smoked by the variety of beings who dwelled comfortably upon big, green and spongy chairs arranged around circular tables, finished in a fine dark, deep, wood polish. The whole building seemed to just radiate old school class, of a long gone nobility which was now only a facisimile of what once might have existed. Where it had once held discussions of honour and morality, it now contained only sin and a legalised crime. The den of horrors.

One of those who proudly occupied this den was a certain Danaversian. He sat in one of the big chairs, lounging comfortably and staring at his guest across the table from him, taking occasional puffs from what had to be a too powerful cigar. He held the smoke from each puff for a moment before gratefully breathing it out again in a long, easy sigh. He was heavily set, powerful one could say, his slimy skin reflecting in the harsh light, big, bulbious eyes never leaving the shadow across the table. The being in front of him was quite the looker indeed and he was pleased that she had come to him. Her name...wasn't so important. She was from one of the nations that his own Empire currently waged a war with. From what he had heard, Deserters were rare and people of her employment were even rarer. From what he knew, people of their desposition were often killed. A pity. Without even knowing it, they were losing such a rich and potential market. It also offered certain...perks.

Even as he was thinking it, he turned over his shoulder to see one of the many Servers who staffed the thousands of Daan's across the Empire and beyond. He had ordered a drink and now this was it being brought to him. The Server was a tall being indeed, over 7ft in height, with her full, feline body on show for him, hips swaying rhymically beneath their thin, black covering of a see-through silk which only barely managed to obscure the backside of the creature, a set of ankle-cuffs prevented any level of escape while her high heels forced her to remain in the seductive position, even when simply standing still. Moving up over her exposed navel region and over the bikini top to her Slave collar, symbol of her imprisionment, her ears were pierced, further evidence that the Slave's body was no longer her own. At the end of her long, thin tail, were a set of bells, which twinkled every time she moved it in any direction. This being was an Alumina, now a Slave owned by Daan's Bars. The room was filled with Slavers enjoying themselves and Slaves performing the serving duties that Daan required of them. Most of the Slaves were Escans, Lupine females waiting upon their Danaversian conquerors, though there were a few human, Alversians serving amongst the tables and the prize exhibit, the female Alumina, worth ten times their weight in gold.

The Danaversian watched eagerly as the Slave placed his drink upon the table, not responding when he slipped his hand onto her toned rear. With her being so close, he could see how dilated her pupils were. It was the drugs, the medication all Slaves were given to ensure their continued submission, well, aside from the Escans, they were raised from birth for their role, feeding the Danaversian Slave Market.

"Amazing, isn't it?" the Slaver spoke in deep basic, his hand still on the Slave's rear, "ordinarily, a cat would rip my hand off for trying this, but the drugs make them as meek and as docile as kittens. Did you use the same methods at home or were you more...hands on?" He asked slyly, slapping the Alumina's rear as she slowly walked away.

[Xiscapia]

Gerral System...

It's good to be here, Commander Jones. We'll move in to the designated coordinates and set up shop, if you could send a liaison to brief myself and Major General Onishi, we would be appreciative. Murdoc out.

Led by the Legacy, the Task Force glided in and across to the world of Gerral, the main objective of every attack thus far. The planet had to be taken into consideration in Murdoc's war games and force division, it was unlikely to be attacked, so well protected as it was by Alversian platforms and ships, so it was a safe place to put vulnerable or important ships like the Carrier Triton and the Medical Frigate Eye, but it was also the site of the only docking and resupply areas in the system, outside, possibly, some of the larger asteroid outposts. Murdoc was not intending on putting any dedicated warships in orbit around it, and he knew for a fact General Onishi was not considering fortifying the world with troops, if the enemy made it as far as Gerral the battle was lost. No, Gerral would play a supporting role to the craft and kitsune deployed, the real fight would occur in the many, many asteroids between Gerral and deep space, which the enemy had to pass through no matter where he came from...hundreds of which were armed and garrisoned by the APN with the express purpose of blasting apart anyone who tried to get through unauthorized. Murdoc was aware that the space around Gerral and most of the asteroid field was protected by a FTLi field, once the Xiscapian unit was constructed it would overlap the Alversian one to act as a failsafe if theirs was destroyed. All the weapons and troops in the galaxy wouldn't make a difference if the Danaversians could simply jump right past them and hit Gerral.

The Triton, the Eye and the troop ships all took up positions in Gerral's orbit, the two big ships would only move to assist allies in dire need or if their position became untenable, while the troop ships were awaiting orders to be directed by Major General Onishi to their destinations. The Blue Like Jazz also stood by for authorization to begin her runs to the Alversian bases and garrisons to drop off supplies. For the time being the Heavy Cruisers and their Light Cruiser and frigate escorts remained outside Gerral's orbit, the corvettes still contained safetly inside one vessel or another, like the Three Hundred Twenty First Division they would need to wait for Murdoc's word before taking up any sort of position, it wouldn't do for him to simply send them to wherever he thought best without knowing the intricacies and nuances of the situation. Murdoc knew that, while his Task Force might not be the most powerful the Imperial Navy had to offer, it was competent and fresh, more than able to do its duty. Xiscapian lives would be lost, he knew that, they all knew that, and they faced death calmly and proudly, arm-in-arm with their Alversian brothers and sisters.
For the People. For the Emperor. For Xiscapia.

Daan's Club...

Xiscapian slavers were like black diamonds: Extremely rare, and potentially very valuable, but they tended to disappear quickly. Slavery was not tolerated in any way in the Kitsune Empire, slavers and those who associated with them were simply killed, no trial, no plea bargain, no probation, just a pulling of the trigger, the pulling of of a lever or the swing of a blade. Only the lowest scum of the universe condoned slavery, but to be a Danaversian, to combine the three Atrocities of Slavery, Rape and Murder under one roof was abominable. Most kitsune would rather die than become a slave, but it happened, rarely, quietly, sadly. Slavery was one of those ugly facts of life, slavers the dark side of sapient nature.
Asari posed as one of those rarities.

She had arrived a week ago on her ship, the Satan's Profit, bringing with her a guard android and her own personal slave, a cringing white Vulpes Vulpes male named Sanagi. Her vessel showed evidence of having barely escaped whatever part of the Coalition it had come from, burn marks and carbon scoring marred the stern and portside hull where weapons fire had struck it. In her time she had not interacted with the locals much, finishing up business in the Kitsune Empire remotely, but the few times she had been seen she had been no more lenient than any Danaversian master. Now she sat in the club, Sanagi curled up in a ball at her feet almost completely naked, a drink in one hand, looking amused at the vacant expression in the eyes of the Alumina. She idly rested her feet on the back of Sanagi, sipping the brew as she took another look around at all the slaves, not seeming at all disturbed by the amount of smoke in the air which would have choked most Xiscapians, used to breathing only the cleanest, purest air.

"The problem with drugs," she began with a slow drawl, "is that they wear off. Sure, you use 'em enough and sooner or later you'll be left with a mindless kitty or foxy or wolf or human or whatever else, but you'd better be damned sure you don't miss a dosage, otherwise they'll be chewing at the straps." She shook her head. "I brainwash 'em, nothing more effective or more permanent, like this one," she kicked Sanagi, who whimpered but did nothing, "he's my bitch now and all it took was a few sessions. 'Cor, some are easier to break than others, and it does take time, I gotta admit," she waved a hand at the assorted Escans, Alvesians and Alumina, "drugging them is probably the most cost-effective thing for you guys. I expect you don't much care 'bout how loopy they are, just so long as they don't scream too loud." She laughed cruelly, and licked her chops, exposing sharp, yellowed teeth. "Still...we gotta get some more males around this place, least now that I'm here."

OOC:

Asari: http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff28/greyknightghost/BlackOp-1.png
The Satan's Profit http://xenoside.deviantart.com/art/Small-ship-99466571

[Alversia]

As the Legacy docked at the Gerral orbital station, one of many designed and built to handle the extensive fleet of Alversian warships that often called the Gerral system home. It had always been an area of contention between the two nations, for Gerral had once belonged to the Danaversian Empire, marking the high point of her Imperial boundaries stretching into this sector of space. During the first Danaversian war, Alversian forces had liberated it from the Empire, driving away the Danaversian Fleet and successfully destroying the army on the ground in a brutal siege. The Danaversians had never forgotten their loss and, in every war since then between the two peoples, the Danaversians had always made it a key part of their battle plan to try and retake the Gerral system. It was perhaps a sign of the Danaversian's lack of imagination that their battle plans in every war always involved the same three things, the destruction of Alumi, the retaking of Gerral and the ultimate destruction of Alversia. This inflexibility always allowed the Alversians and Alumina to concentrate their strength where it was needed most and not string it out against the possible threat that the Danaversians would attack any number of systems.

The number of Alversian ships in dock at Gerral was small indeed. There were only a couple of Alversian Defence Corvettes were taking on more supplies, though they were not a part of the Alversian Navy but of the Alversian Defence Force, locally organised and recruited ship that performed basic patrol duties in conjunction with the Customs Forces and freeing up the bigger, more rare warships for more pressing duties elsewhere. The added benefit was that now, in war, the Corvettes of the Defence Fleet could be pressed into service as Auxiliary ships to help in time of need such as this. Alongside the relatively small APAS Velescoe and the APAS New Dawn was the much, much larger APS Inflexible, a nearly two kilometre long Battlecruiser that was in port as a reserve, awaiting the call to deploy to some threatened sector of the frontlines. Her Commander, the Alversian Kitsune Kwai, knowing who in charge of the Legacy sent him a welcoming message to the tune of 'What took you so long?'

At the Gerral space station, itself bristling with more weapons than many warships, there awaited the Liason that the Xiscapians had asked for. She fidgeted nervously for a moment at her uniform, checking to ensure that it was presented properly and not in some inappropriate manner. She was nervous to be meeting the Commander of the entire Xiscapian fleet, but the task had been assigned to her and she would perform it to the best of her ability.
As soon as the Rear Admiral and the Army Commander had arrived, she offered them a salute, aware of her comparitive youth when matched against them,
"Rear Admiral, Major General, welcome to Gerral Station, I am Lieutenant Commander Lisa Monaro and I will be your Liason between the APN and yourselves." She licked her dry lips.

Daans Club

"Your Slave is very well trained, I must admit. As for brainwashing...ha," The Danaversian gave a long, guttering laugh that was common amongst his people as he watched the Alumina walk off, keeping an eye on her firm rear as she walked off, "Brainwashing is not quite as effective against the Cats. I don't know weither it is some kind of training, some kind of birth thing or if it's more to do with their hatred of us, but they will not let themselves be brainwashed. It is much cheaper and more effective to just drug 'em, especially in Daan's case." The Danaversian shook his head forlornly,
"If only Daan would repel his 'Touch only' rule. I understand it in the case of the cat though, he has one of only two on the whole planet, probably cost a total fortune to buy her. Speaking of which, I think it's time to set you up in somewhere proper," He rose a hand to stifle any protests, "Now, now, I've seen the place you're staying and it's not at all up to someone of your standing. I know someone who will house you, big manor house and everything. In fact, let's go now," He stood up, dusting himself off and throwing the cigar into the specially designed bin, "come on."

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

Rear Admiral Murdoc walked alongside a grizzled, tawny-furred Vulpes Vulpes kitsune in a green uniform who seemed to be of an advanced age, moving with a short cane on what was clearly a gimp leg, grunting every time he lifted it, face set in what seemed to be a permanent scowl, a long, white scar going from just beside his right eye down his cheek, neck and vanishing under the cloth to his chest completed his appearance. Major General Onishi was one of those commanders who simply did not take crap from anyone, not his own men, not his superiors, not civilians, not even the enemy. A veteran of the Korr War, like many Xiscapian officers, Onishi had taken part in the Jomstar campaign and commanded the Three Hundredth Twenty First Division in combat during the Battle for Korrillia, proving very effective both times. However, it had been well over a decade since he had last commanded kitsune in batte, and Onishi, never a lovely person to begin with, simply turned into a grumpy old fox, puttering around and remembering the glory days. The Thirteenth Danaversian War had rejuvenated him, for he knew he was back on active duty and would be called back into warfare to defend the Kitsune Empire once more.

Both commanders bowed to Monaro, straightening up after a brief period to salute. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander," Murdoc smiled politely. "I am Rear Admiral Murdoc, and this is my compatriot, Major General Onishi."

The other nodded gruffly, unsmiling, staring at Monaro.

"So, Lieutenant Commander Monaro," Murdoc kept the smile on his face, "what can you tell us about the situation?"

There was so much the two Xiscapians needed to know. Chokepoints, which asteroids were garrisoned and how heavily, Danaversian objectives in the system, average size and composition of Danaversian fleets, tactics which had been used successfully against them, new ideas related to repelling the enemy, anything relevant she could tell them would be helpful. Murdoc was well aware that the Alversians were old hands at fighting the Danaversians, they would be privy to information other members of the Coalition would lack, and thus they should learn from them.

Daan's...

"Đứng ngay bây giờ." Asari said sharply to her slave, and Sanagi stood up, eyes downcast, seeming much smaller than he really was. The female slaver rose as well, looking at the Danaversian. "Who's this generous friend of yours?" She asked, tail curling as they walked, eyes glittering. "Kind of him, to house me, what with the war on and all."

[Alversia]

Gerral Orbital Station

Monaro swallowed hard at the sight of the two Kitsune approaching her, eyes focusing on the limping General with the wicked gleam in his eye and the worrying scowl upon his visage. She wasn't going to pretend that this was just like any other appointment she had been given by her superiors, having to note that...between them, they probably had more experience than about ten of her combined. The Soldier especially looked as though he had seen and done it all in his time. The young Lieutenant Commander could not help but feel slightly...displaced...when she talked with them both. The Naval Commander was smiling and that helped to alleviate some of the poor Woman's nerves as she chewed over his question,
"Grim," She finally said, "the defences are stretched but holding for the moment. The Danaversians seem determined to attack in Sector 4. Two wars ago, it was identified as a weakpoint in the Defensive Grid but it has since been strengthed considerably. Wither the Danaversian Intelligence is out of date or if they're just being stubborn, most of the battle has occured in that area. The Asteroids Beta 3 and Beta 4 are the most heavily garrisoned in the area, each with a Company of Alversian troops from the 515th Battalion. Our tactics have been, for the moment, relatively simple. There is a distance of around 10,000 miles between the edge of our FTLi field and the Defensive Guns. We have always allowed them to close to point blank range with the Asteroids before sending a fleet to the edge of the field, effectively trapping the Danaversians and exposing their weak rear shields. So far, it has produced heavily casualties against the Danaversians with comparitively light losses ourselves."

Molda, Ranus V

Another laugh from the Danaversian as he walked through the streets of Molda, the town they currently occupied. It's narrow streets and small, but wealthy houses. Most of the people wandering about were the Escans but there also plenty of Danaversians amongst them, Civilians and troops alike. The Dealer was leading them past all of those and out of the town itself, into the green, rolling countryside. The house he was leading them to was a large manor house, clearly centuries old, with it's own extensive grounds and a variety of scenary under it's direct command. The Danaversian peeled off here, nodding up to the large, wooden, ancient double doors,
"She's expecting you," He said with a grin as he headed back into town, "I have...business...to deal with."

Once the door was knocked for a couple of moments, it would slowly creak open on it's hinges to reveal another surprise. Another Aluminan slave, wearing the same uniform as her Comrade down in the club, only the bells on the end of her tail had been replaced by a pretty pink bow and the bells instead formed a belt around her slender and exposed waist. The most curious things though, were her eyes. They were sharp, blue, intelligent and completely and utterly undilated. Whoever owned this Alumina had obviously decided not to keep her under drug control.

"Ah yes, come in. Mistress expects you." She said before turning on her heel and heading back into the house, evidently expecting her to follow the feline. She lead her into a large and open entrance hall, filled with marble pillars, magnificantly sculped figures of ancient Escans holding rifles, shields, swords and other weapons of war. Up a lavishly decorated staircase, through into a walnut and red carpeted library room, as great as any that could be seen in any Noble home. A roaring fire crackled in the leviathan of a heath and, just in front of them, sat three chairs, one of whom held an occupant, her face hidden by a large newspaper.

"Mistress?" The Alumina enquired respectively, head bowed slightly,

"It's alright, Nevia, I heard you come in." The voice said rather amicably, not putting down the paper, "you can return to your duties."

"Yes Ma'am." The Alumina inclined her head again and left the room, bells twinkling as her hips swayed forcefully, shutting the door behind her. It left them in virtual silence, save for the crackling of the fire.
"Sit." The voice was no cold and yet she had still not bothered to look over the paper.

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

"Knowing the Danaversians, I suspect their intelligence is out of date but even if it was as late as possible they would most likely continue to attack the same area, we all know they don't react well to change," Murdoc said. It was that, and the introduction of the other two members of the Ternion, the Booleans and the Zillars, that made the enemy organization as a whole so dangerous, neither of the allies of the Danaversians were so unimaginative and so the old rules no longer applied where they were concerned. Murdoc thanked Qonn that neither the Booleans nor the Zillars had thus far shown any interest in the Gerral System, though that could change.

After Monaro finished both the Rear Admiral and the Major General nodded solemnly. "We should prepare for the eventuality that the Danaversians may deploy a rearguard force to prevent the Coalition defenders from further exploiting the weakness in their tactics. We should also make sure we are ready for attacks in all sectors apart from Section Four, if they suddenly decide to switch tactics we don't want to be caught with our pants down."

Onishi spoke up. "Nơi quân đội của tôi sẽ được triển khai?"

Murdoc smiled again. "You must excuse my colleague, he never learned how to speak Galactic Common. Major General Onishi wishes to know where his troops are needed most, and I must ask the same for my starships, we are here to do everything we can to repulse the Danaversians until an offensive can be started."

Manor House...

Asari noted with interest the alertness of the Alumina slave, but did not comment on it, simply smirking at her as she led the kitsune into the living room. Once inside Sanagi immediately made a beeline for the fire, but Asari snapped, "Dừng," and yanked his chain roughly and the blue-haired white-furred male slinked back, head bowed, collar around his neck linking him to Asari and firmly restraining him with a series of metal links. Asari took her place across from her mysterious host and Sanagi curled up at her feet, firelight reflecting in his orange eyes as he looked longingly at the blaze, silently bemoaning the condition of his exposed fur in the dank, drafty conditions of the planet. Asari herself rested comfortably, hands folded behind her head, seeming uninterested in the situation of her slave or the concealment of the identity of the female across the room. Two could play the waiting game, and Asari, as though lulled by the heat, removed a hip flask from her side and drank some probably alcoholic liquid, fingering the cigarette sticks in her pocket.

[Alversia]

Gerral Orbital Station

"Họ sẽ được triển khai để Asteroid Beta mười. Đó là chỉ huy của một người đàn ông gọi là McConville. Các Danaversians đã hạ cánh trên hành tinh và tấn công đồn trú của chúng tôi ở đó. Nó cần tăng cường." Monaro answered immediately, without even thinking, stopping mid-talk as Murdoc began to speak, a little blush creeping into her pale cheeks. She was silent for a moment as both Commanders digested what she had just said. The silence was kind of awkward,
"Apologies Rear Admiral, I did not mean to interrupt, I took a Language Course at the Academy while I was undertaking my Lieutenant Commander Degree. I thought it would be a useful thing to have..." She was quiet again, "we have planned for the eventually that they start escorting their ships during these attacks. We plan for our larger warships, the Dreadnoughts, Battlecriusers and Heavy Cruisers engage the Rear Guards while the smaller, faster ships hit the Danaversians from behind. Funnily enough, they do not seem to have even a torpedo tube mounted rearwards on their ships." The blond Officer replied. She was still awed by their presense. The chance of meeting a General and a Rear Admiral in one sitting was rare indeed. Then again, she could get used to it. She would have to. She was now their Liason. She would be seeing more of them. A lot more.

Manor House

"Surely you don't mind if your Slave enjoys the fire?" The voice asked from the other side of the newspaper, "He will not be going anywhere soon and I can assure that he will not be harmed by it. He's cold. The least you can do is let him warm himself." The voice was cold, razor sharp and bitterly icy.

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

Murdoc smiled as Onishi blinked in surprise, impressed. Score one for the Liaison officer.

"Where would my ships be of most use?" He broke in. The Alversian strategy was sound as far as the tactics being used against them went, but with a set amount of warships and no reinforcements it could only last so long until the defenders simply did not have enough craft to make a successful counter to the enemy advance and their tactics would have to be modified. Murdoc's Task Force might only postpone that day, but the longer they could draw it out, the heavier the enemy losses and the easier it would be to set up an offensive force once that time came. It would be wise to have a fallback plan, in case the other members of the Ternion elected to get involved or the Danaversians finally decided to change their tactics, and Murdoc wanted his forces to be a part of it. His crews were not as experienced as those of the defenders, but they had enthusiasm and intensity the weary APN personnel here lacked. The invariable feelings across the Xiscapian Imperial Military was that the results of this war would not simply be another return to status quo antebellum, but the conflict to end all others, the one in which the Alversians and Alumina, with the help of the Coalition, smashed the Danaversian war machine so it could never again threaten any of them. The kitsune of the Gerral Task Force wanted to do their part.

"Bạn đang được khen, không phải không kitsune bận để học ngôn ngữ của chúng tôi, và bạn nói nó tốt," the Major General said. "Những gì bạn có thể cho tôi biết về bản Beta Asteroid Ten?"

Manor House...

Asari scoffed as she slung one leg over the arm of her chair, the other resting on Sanagi's back. "Luxuries and creature comforts make the body of the slave weak and lazy, hardship bends a lesser being to the will of their Master." She reached down, moving her foot to pin his head to the floor by his neck, scratching behind the ears like one would a cat, ignoring his grimace. "All pleasure should come from the Master; all pain should come from the Master. You need to be their entire universe, you decide what and how much they wear, what, when and if they eat, when, if and when they eat, how, where and who they fuck, every little aspect under your control. It paralyzes them, they become dependent on you, and then, after a while, they couldn't free themselves even if they wanted to." She bent down and bit the tip of Sanagi's ear, cutting through it and drawing just a few drops of blood before withdrawing back to her original position.

[Alversia]

Gerral Orbital Station

"Cảm ơn bạn Chung .Từ ngữ của bạn làm cho những nỗ lực của tôi đáng giá. Tôi đề nghị rằng một Lữ đoàn triển khai có để hỗ trợ quân đội của chúng tôi bảo vệ các tiểu hành tinh. Các Fortress có thể giữ hơn năm ngàn binh sĩ. Nó được xây dựng bởi Danaversians trước khi chúng tôi xâm chiếm hệ thống này. McConville bây giờ lính gác bức tường với công ty của mình. Tuy nhiên, cảm biến của chúng tôi đã ghi nhận rằng có lẽ Danaversians đã hạ cánh xuống mười lần con số đó. Hỗ trợ bọc thép cũng sẽ hữu ích ở đó. Lữ đoàn II sẽ được tổ chức trong dự phòng. Bạn có bất cứ câu hỏi?" Monaro addressed the General first, offering a slight bow of thanks to the grizzled Soldier. It was then a moment of consideration before she turned to Murdoc, pondering what she had been told by Admiral McBride prior to coming out to meet the two Officers.
"You're ships will remain here, Sir, like the rest of the Alversian ships. When we have reports of a Danaversian fleet approaching from any section then we can dispatch ships to reinforce that sector."

Manor House

Finally, after another long pause, the newspaper finally dropped to reveal their Host. She was an Escan alright, brilliant white fur soft and fluffy like all the Lupine Escans. Her large ears were angled towards the Kitsune while at the end of her long snout, there was something that could be mistaken for a frown. The only unusual thing was in her eyes. They were not yellow and slitted like a Lupines should be. They were of a brilliant blue, an intensely fierce colour that showed so many levels of depth that it was entirely possible to be lost in them for decades. She was wearing a sophisticated coat and a pair of trousers that illustrated the weath and power of the Nobility.
After a while, her gaze slipped up to Asari, the anger and disgust patently visible,
"Seeing as you must stay here in my home then I guess I should know your name." She did make it sound either inviting or friendly, but a resigned sigh, like someone who resigned themselves to looking after children for a weekend.

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

"Tôi không có câu hỏi. Cảm ơn bạn đã dành thời gian của bạn." Onishi bowed his head.

Murdoc nodded in answer. "Very well. Is there anything else we should know about?"

Manor House...

Asari stared, thinking this creature was definitely a hybrid of some sort, looking into those eyes like an abyss in a frozen sea. "My name is Asari," she told her, stretching a little, wondering how much this one would fetch at the auctions. Quite a bit, she mused, with features like that. How had she evaded the slavers? It was evident that she was rich and probably powerful, and while Asari had never known anything like great wealth or personal power to stop the Danaversians from taking what they wanted, especially from a native, there was a first time for everything. "You got a name?"

[Alversia]

Gerral Orbital Station

The Alversian bowed once more to the General before turning to attention to Murdoc, thinking about wither or not there was anything else that needed to be passed on to the Xiscapians prior to their first engagement of the enemy,
“No Sir, I don’t think there is anything else you need to kn…” She was interrupted as the lights in the meeting area dimmed down, to be replaced by a flashing red light and a piercing siren which filled the ears of everyone who heard it, accompanied by the female, robotic voice repeating the same words over and over and over again,
‘All Hands to battle stations, hostile forces incoming. All Hands to battle stations, hostile forces incoming.’

Monaro turned strode up the corridor, expecting the two Xiscapians to follow her through the corridors, running down a flight of stairs before finally reaching the Station’s Command centre, a massive circular room with every wall covered in panels, each housing an Alversian or so dressed in the uniform of the APN. In the centre stood an Alversian Female. She was pacing up and down, eyes on the large screen mounted into the wall. The screen showed a large circle, with small labels that represented the Gerral system.
“Come on sensors! I want info. What are they?”

“Six Arowana attack ships approaching the edge of the Gerral system. They’ll hit the Inhibitor field in three minutes. They are aiming for…Sector 7.”

“Gun Control, bring all perimeter defences online!” The Woman commanded, watching the screen while, behind and above her, various crew worked hard on something, pressing buttons in a frenzied motion for several moments before the report came back,
“Defences activated ma’am!”

“Ma’am!” It was the sensor Officer, “Ma’am, we have an unidentified Merchant vessel in the line of the Danaversian attack…it’s Xiscapian!”

Monaro turned to face Murdoc, the colour draining from her face,
“Orbital Control gave them permission to drop supplies at the Outer Bases…it’s isolated…”

“Get a fleet there now damn it!” The Alversian woman growled, “get me the closest ships, tell them to make full speed for that ship!”

Manor

“Ardelle.” The Being answered stiffly, as if she were seeing deep into Asari’s soul and could read every single thought she was having about her and her unique features, “Lady Ardelle to you. I am governor of this manor and the thirty-fourth Lord of Tyre. The title is now empty but it remains nonetheless. Let me make one thing clear,” She leant forward a little, blue eyes still locked upon Asari’s, as if draining them of every drop of warmth or courage, “you remain here because my Danaversian Masters demand it. I despise people like you, people who treat Slaves like Animals, humiliate and degrade them in every possible manner. I would not have such a thing in my Ancestor’s home, but I have no choice in this case. However, I do have limits and I would not push your luck. Nevia!” the Escan called, waiting for a moment before the door opened, revealing the Alumina slave again. She towered over Asari but was only marginally smaller than the Escan as her race were naturally tall. However, her normally imposing form was somewhat diminished by the revealing and embarrassing attire she had been forced into, along with the shackles locked around her ankles, ever reminding her of her servitude, if she ever needed another remainder. Ironically, she still seemed to possess that Alumina air of confidence, smugness and arrogance, none of whom diminished by her submissive state.

“You summoned me Mistress?” She asked, keeping her eyes off the Lupine Noble, remaining submissive despite the arrogance.

“Yes, show our ‘guests’ to their room. Then return here, we need to go over the plans for the Harvest.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Nevia replied, then indicated that Asari should follow her. The Feline led her through the grand, old, rich halls that made up the majority of the Manor. However, it was mostly silent, the only sounds being the slight ringing of the bells around the Feline’s slender hips and the clicks of her high heels on the stone floor. She eventually led the two Kitsune to their room, it seemed much simpler than the other rooms in the manor house and appeared to have once been a Servant’s quarters. She stood in the doorway, allowing the Slaver past,
“Any questions…Mistress?” The resentment was clear in her voice and, unlike with Ardelle, she did not bow her head but kept her eyes steadily on the Slaver.

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

Murdoc was already barking into his communicator, shouting orders to the Captains of his ships, all soft-spoken politeness gone in a whirl of military commands, eyes fixed on the displays. Onishi just watched sadly, suddenly seeming very, very old as he leaned on his cane; space warfare was not his forte, so there was nothing he, or his troops still stuck on their ships, could do. When Murdoc heard about the freighter, his lips drew themselves into a thin line and his orders became more rapid, dropping into his native tongue as the warships of the Gerral Task Force scrambled to assist. Murdoc wished he could have been on the Legacy, riding into battle at the head of his fleet, but the ship was already in motion, calling her back to pick him up would simply retard things. He would have to trust the Captains to display the competency they already showed on tests and in V.R. in a real battle situation.

Outside the station, the Heavy Cruisers Legacy and Luck spearheaded the formation, shortly followed by the Light Cruisers Divine Wind, Mallon and Franz Ferdinand as escorts, with the frigates Navras and Tsume on the flanks surrounded by the hundred starighters and the two corvettes, I-5 and I-9, which had managed to lift off from the Triton. Once underway the Jaunt portal opened and the force slipped through, headed for Sector 7.

Murdoc turned to Monaro. "What's in Sector Seven?" He suspected the attack had come because of the arrival of his Task Force, it could be a strike attempting to destroy it...or a feint to draw it to the sector while the Danaversians made their regular assault on Sector 4.

XIS Blue Like Jazz...

The Blue Like Jazz was in the middle of her run, at Asteroid Alpha Twelve in Sector Seven, disgorging Xiscapian supplies to the Alversian defenders. She was not an especially large vessel, one of the Hapkido class Light Freighters that were a very common sight in those nations which traded with the Kitsune Empire, there were much larger, much better armed merchantmen but the Hapkido class was quite fast, and her cargo bays were protected from just about anything the universe could throw at her. This particular ship was under Captain Kakura, a pale, purple haired Homo Vulpes kitsune with a bad attitude who swore like a Kel dockhand, carrying on a long family tradition of Captaining merchant vessels. Her First Mate was the quiet, brooding Takino, also female, a Vulpes Vulpes kitsune with dull orange fur and hair the hue of obsidian, a Xiscapian Imperial Navy reject due to excessive drinking. Working under the two was another eighteen kitsune, ten males and eight females, who oversaw the loading, unloading and maintenance of the ship and kept the logs and data relevant to the cargo. They were much like their 'officers', an unusually loud, unruly bunch of Xiscapians who spent a lot of their in transit partying. Probably the only reason they weren't criminals was because being the crew of a merchant ship paid better.
At the moment, however, they were all business.

Most of them were busy offloading cargo, so when Kakura shouted over the ship's intercomm, "Get up you useless bunch of tit-sucking children, we've got Dans incoming!" they ran inside, not for the protection the Blue Like Jazz provided, but for the weapons in her armory. The weapons were hardly top-touch, a mixture of penetrating slugthrowers, last generation blasters and a few vibroknives, but the crew of the Blue Like Jazz was going to fight, by Qonn and Bodom and whoever else was up there. None of those aboard save perhaps Takino were particularly patriotic, and they honestly didn't give a damn about what happened to a bunch of xenophobic Greali or arrogant Alumina at the hands of the Danaversians, but nobody was going to touch their cargo, not the Danaversians or anyone else. The Blue Like Jazz was grounded, and one might expect it should be clawing at space to try and escape, but Kakura was too prideful and too smart to try that; she knew the Danaversian fighters and small cruisers would catch up with her before she could initiate the jump sequence, and she intended to kill some of them anyway, protocol and regulations be damned. So the twenty kitsune of the Blue Like Jazz kept their ship where it was, a miniature stronghold on the landing pad inside the Alversian fortress, preparing their rifles and pistols and bringing the ships two aging AS guns online to point out into space. They might take down a few Congers with their potshots, but the gunners, Takino and one of the males, were positively relishing the prospect of preforming some AA.
They never consulted the Alversians; it was in the nature of the crew of the Blue Like Jazz to seek forgiveness rather than ask permission.


Manor House...

Asari just smirked at Ardelle, walking from the room with an air of amused disdain, pulling Sanagi along by his chain, following Nevia. The way they walked was interesting; Asari led Sanagi along, yanking him along every so often just for the hell of it, while he crawled on all fours, tail in the air, looking down. When they finally reached what was to be their quarters Asari looked at the Alumina, sneering at the slave.

"Yeah," her hand slapped against Nevia's bottom, "are you available for tonight?" She grinned wickedly as Sanagi slunk into the room, curling up at the foot of the bed, not looking at either of the them.

OOC:

The Blue Like Jazz: http://theorangeguy.deviantart.com/art/Sleipnir-Armed-Freighter-102495676

[Alversia]

The Alversian female looked across at the Xiscapian Officers, not saying anything but simply turning and gazing over the screen, pondering what information it was giving her. She looked battle-hardened, a long scar cutting right across her face, long blond hair thin and ragged. Her uniform was dirty and there were tears all through it. But then what was not surprising, several weeks of constant stress and pressure had done that to all the APN Personnel in the station and, indeed, throughout the fleet. There was simply no time to change or maintain uniforms in the heat of battle or during prolonged conflict. That was what they were suffering now. At that very moment, the Alarms were ringing out, Officers were shouting information to one another and, standing beside the two Kitsune, Monaro was silent, watching the action before the young officer realised the question had been directed at her,
“Nothing much,” She admitted, nodding to the large map that displayed, indeed, only a few names, “a couple of Outposts. I can only think that this is a probe from the Danaversians. They’ve done it in other sections and 6 raiders is not enough to do any damage on their own.”

“Control!” The Alversian female in command of the operation barked, “how long before the ships are in range of Alpha Seven?”

“They won’t be in effective range of the railguns for another five minutes.”

“Where are the nearest ships?”

The answer came from another section of the Command Centre, “Task Force Seven ma’am. The Battlecruiser Inflexible, the Heavy Cruisers Conqueror and Epsilon with the Cruiser Cerulean.”

“Get me Captain Kwai now.” She responded in turn, gazing out over the map. On a second, smaller screen beside it, there was suddenly the face of a rather effeminate-looking Kitsune, his own bridge was flashing red, crew members behind his ears could be seen rushing to their positions, “Captain Kwai, how soon can you engage the enemy?”

“It will be another ten minutes Admiral,” Kwai replied after a moment of consulting with his First Officer, “before we are in effective missile range. We’re already going at full speed. There’s nothing more I can do until we reach the Asteroid’s location.”

“God speed, Captain,” Admiral McBride nodded, “I know you’ll do your upmost. Gerral Command out”

McBride sighed and shook her head while Monaro swallowed hard. There was nothing more they could do for the Freighter, besides try to get to them and the base as soon as possible. Even then, it may be too late.

Manor House, Ranus V

Nevia was startled by the sudden impact of Asari’s hand on her firm rear, the jerk from her body bringing more ringing from the bells at her waist. For the first time, though her heckles were raised, she broke eye contact, eyes dropping to the floor in submission,
“I am always available for my Superior’s use, Mistress,” she answered in a more respectful tone, “though I must inform my owner first.”

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

Murdoc looked at the Alversian commander, wondering how she could have gotten into such a state. He might expect such from a weary ground commander, under constant bombardment and assault, but in space, especially aboard a station, you fought in controlled environments, the only way you yourself could be hurt or killed was if your vessel was breached or destroyed or the enemy managed to land boarders. He could smell her, smell them all, from across the room, no great feat considering his advanced senses, but it was evident none of them had bathed in some time. The fraying of the uniform was very disturbing to him, there was no realistic reason for it except that the job of the commander was so stressful it actually made her tear at her clothes. It was also clear they were all very tired, and he guessed that they had not had a rotation in several days at least, weeks more likely.
How much longer could they go on long that?

Suddenly, Murdoc was very grateful he had been given this assignment; the Alversians were badly in need of reinforcements in more ways than one.

"So attacks like this are common?" He asked Monaro.

XIS Blue Like Jazz...

Turbolaser fire was smacking the dirt around the freighter, blowing up cascades of rock and soil as the raiders bombarded the station, firing relentlessly. Kakura knew that, while her ship was safe from Danaversian intruders inside the base, the same could not be said of the shots now so near the Blue Like Jazz. The tough, tomboyish Captain decided that they had to move: Among her cargo the Hapkido class was carrying was tons of fuel for Alversian vehicles, if it ignited the Blue Like Jazz would be incinerated and no doubt take out most of the asteroid around it. As much as she hated to do anything that seemed like running, she initiated the launch sequence and the ship rose into the air, the crew finally settling into their defensive positions, Takino and her gunner mate swiveling their duel AS guns as the armed freighter lifted itself away from the safety of the garrison.
That was a mistake.

Almost instantly the Blue Like Jazz was set upon by all six Danaversian cruisers. At their size they were more like light destroyers or heavy corvettes, but they were just as fast as the Blue Like Jazz and much more heavily armed. The two AS cannons spat back at the ships as the shields flickered and hissed under the onslaught, the freighter curving around the asteroid as it led the enemy ships around, trading blazing fire. They swarmed around the Xiscapian merchant, and Kakura worried they were too close and two fast, but she shouldn't have given it any thought.

"For fuck's sake, our we even doing anything here?" Groaned the male gunner to Takino. They'd been shooting at the Danaversians, hitting them often, but so far with no visible results.

"Yes, just keep your fire focused like I said," Takino was looking at the weapon's readouts as she and the other kitsune concentrated on one of the enemy cruisers, rapid fire striking the shields midship constantly. They were being rocked by return fire, and Takino knew they were fighting a losing battle, but it wasn't in her nature, or that of any of the crew of the Blue Like Jazz, to just give up. She stared at the cruiser intensely, as if willing it to end with her mind, sneering-

"WWWAHHO!"

The other gunner let out an exclamation of jubilant victory as the cruiser he had been aiming at abruptly exploded, the blast starting in the middle and ripping the ship in half. "Did you see that? I burned that motherfucker!"

"We burned him," Takino corrected. She figured the cruiser's shields must have failed and a lucky shot penetrated their magazine, but she'd take her victories where she could.

It wasn't long until the shields of the Blue Like Jazz buckled and collapsed, exposing her to the enemy, and so the cruiser's guns fell silent. The kitsune gunned eagerly swiveled to target them again, but Takino quickly put a hand on his arm, stopping him and nodding at the viewscreen. He followed her gaze and grimaced.

Danaversian dropships were coming in and attaching themselves to the hull, no doubt ready to spill forth soldiers to try and take the vessel. Takino turned her own weapon on a Danaversian dropship only a dozen yards away, just now settling onto the side of the merchant, and let out a single blast. With no shields up and such close proximity, the craft had no chance: It was blown apart, what flaming debris remaining spiraling away into the void. "Scratch thirty or so fish," Takino grinned, then pulled at the controls, frowning.

"It's no use, they've frozen up," the other gunner stood, disgusted. "They must've hit our power supply."

"C'mon then," Takino tore off her headset and rose out of the seat. "If they're coming over we'd better make sure they feel welcome."

"Typical Xiscapian hospitality," He nodded dourly as they strode out.

As soon as the main boarding party smashed through the primary airlock they found themselves under attack, the crew had had time to fortify their positions and were heavily entrenched, having killed the lights and increased the artificial gravity to make things more difficult for the enemy. So while the kitsune moved slower than they normally would have, the Danaversians, with their huge bulk and heavy armor, plodded along, not able to return fire or take cover as quickly as they were used to. The halls were soon full of smoke from blaster discharge and the deck littered with Danaversian corpses, but in the manner so common the the defenders now the Danaversians just kept coming, sending wave after wave of intruders. The crew of the Blue Like Jazz was forced back, slowly giving ground, dragging their casualties with them. As this happened Kakura started to notice something distinctly debilitating to their efforts in fighting back.

"I'm out!"

"Somebody get me a new power cell!"

"I'm dry, toss me that clip!"

She knelt behind a hastily erected barricade of barrels and crates, checking her own power supply. The blaster read-out told her she had roughly thirty shots left before it was depleted, and she knew the other defenders couldn't be faring much better. "Fall back!" She called, nudging one of the crew beside her. "Leapfrog, cover your buddy until his or her tail reaches cover, we're going for the bridge!"

A few kitsune had already fallen, and Kakura noted the enemy was using stunners, not lethal weapons. None of them wanted to be captured, they had all heard what the Danaversians did with their prisoners, but they were all determined to fight as long as they could still hold a weapon. At that moment the merchant Captain was intensely proud of her crew, they were giving the sons of sea urchins a run for their money, she estimated that at least thirty of the intruders had fallen so far...but they were running out of time.

The bridge became their stronghold, the crew reduced by this time to fourteen, six kitsune having been knocked out by the Danaversian blasts. They continued to battle adamantly, but several of the crew had run out of ammunition and they had no replacements or extra. With a grim nod and a witty remark ("It could be worse...it could be raining!" "Pretend I said something clever." One stripped off his footwear, explaining that he'd never wanted to die with his boots on) they hid in siderooms and lockers, jumping Danaversian soldiers with vibroblades flashing, killing perhaps one or two before they were shot. And now the Marines advanced on the bridge, more kitsune, out of ammunition and too far away to make use of their blades, falling, unconscious. Soon it was just Kakura and Takino, standing together with their backs to the controls, nearly used-up weapons grasped in their hands.

"Cover me," Kakura handed Takino her SMG and turned to the helm, sitting down calmly. "They might take my life, but everything be damned they're not getting my ship or cargo."

Her First Mate just nodded silently, squinting down the hall, lifting one weapon and letting loose, being rewarded by a scream and a form falling back, purple blood leaking out. "We're running out of bridge..."

"Just give me a few more seconds," a return shot smacked a nearby monitor, shortening it out, "almost done-"

Abruptly the Blue Like Jazz lurched, shuddering, and began to descend, falling back to the asteroid. The artificial gravity failed and suddenly they were floating, and there was a great black mass coming at them, the enemy was screaming and Takino was going full-auto and Kakura was yelling something at them and purple blood was floating in drops and globes around the bridge and everything was spinning and she was a blaster pointed at her and her last thought, absurdly, was That damn fish blood's going to be a bitch to get out of the deck and then Kakura knew no more.

Manor House...

"You do that," Asari licked her chops and ran her eyes down Nevia's form. "I expect you in here tonight, or there'll be hell to pay." She cupped one of her breasts with her hands, examining it, looking at Nevia's face before she stepped back into the room, eyes mocking her. "Give your 'Superior' my regards..."
And she shut the door.

[Alversia]

Orbital Station

“Yeah, they’re pretty common,” Monaro admitted after a little thought. She had been watching the screen with an eager eye and had been as concerned as the rest of the Control Centre that none of the Xiscapian crew would be taken as prisoners to Danaversia to suffer their brand of capture. However, the raid and the location of the Freighter had caught them on the hop. They had been prepared for an attack into a quiet sector and the young Alversian knew that McBride was blaming herself for what had happened. She should have dispatched an escort of some kind to go with the Freighter, rather than allow it to go on alone. Even a Destroyer could have seen off the attack.

But then Monaro knew differently. She knew that the Admiral was attempting to rest the crews of the warships in preparation for the battles ahead. The combat had been almost constant for the past few months and no matter how controlled space combat was, there was only so much of that kind of strain that the body could take. Monaro knew that for herself. She had been aboard one of the many Cruisers in the fleet, enduring the constant stress of waiting for battle, the nerves in the lead up, the adrenaline in the middle of combat and then the long, depressing climb down afterwards. Not only that but there was also the problem of damage. Most ships, at some point, were going to suffer a degree of damage during combat and then, depending on the extent of that damage, the race to repair the vessel before the next engagement began and wouldn’t finish until combat began again. It was a vicious cycle and it was almost never-ending. On one or two days, they might get some respite to themselves but it was almost constant action. A lot of the crew on the Station had not slept in days, plotting weak points in the Alversian line, taking long lists of casualties or damage to all the ships that made up the fleet, working out provisions for those vessels that no longer had replicators or the power to run them on top of the Defence Forces and maintaining all the hundreds of little outposts that made up the defensive grid. It was an exhausting job and that the defences had held at all was testament to these people’s skill, dedication and training.

“Admiral McBride, Sir!” One of the Crewmen reported from a beeping console, “the Dans have engaged the Freighter now. Close Support is still out by five minutes.”

“Come on, come on,” McBride muttered to herself, hands now planted on the rail directly in front of her, “hold them off…just five more minutes…Control,” She turned to one of the workstations to her far right, "I want constant updates.”

“Ma’am, they have destroyed one of the Raiders,” the calm voice of a veteran reported back to her, then a pause, “the Freighter’s shields are down…they have been boarded.”

“The fleet?”

“Three minutes.”

“Admiral, the Danaversian ships are moving off, the Freighter is out of control. I detect no life signs aboard.”

There was a dejected silence on the bridge, as the Alversians looked at one another and the Xiscapians. McBride licked her lips, “How long before they’re outside the FTLi field?”

“They’re just crossing it now.” A sigh.

Monaro also sighed next to Murdoc,
“I’m sorry for your loss.” She stated.

Danaversian Station

It would be a while before Kakura awoke from her involuntary slumber and when she did, she would realise that she was a long way away from her little Freighter in the Gerral system. The room in which she had been placed was colder, much colder, a thin mist hung in the air like it was a fresh, winter’s morning. However, the room was unnaturally dark, the walls green and slimy, the floor of the same consistency. Once she had fully regained her senses the Kitsune would gather two things. First of all, that she had been removed from her clothes and was wearing instead a miniscule black bikini and black high heels, accompanied by a collar around her neck and shackled around her ankles. Her top ears had also been pierced and gaudy gold chains placed in them.

The other thing she would notice was the raucous laughter of Danaversians, yelling something in their own language at her, laughing at her and the other members of her crew, dressed and restrained in a similar way behind her, even the males. Two powerful Danaversians had grabbed her by the arms and were restraining her, preventing movement of any great degree. Standing in front of her was a triumphant Danaversian Captain and, to his side, on her hands and knees and totally naked, dressed only in a collar and chain, was Takino,
“You have been taken in battle,” He explained to the Kitsune Captain in deep basic, “and you are now prizes to be sold by me for the profit of my crew. You’re first mate will stay here as my reward for taking you all. The rest of your crew have been informed and no opposition has been raised. Isn’t that right?” He grinned and nodded to where the rest of the Freighter crew stood, eyes wide and pupils dilated. They all nodded eagerly as one,
“No Master.”

“Very good. And now, for you, I just wanted you to see how your days will end,” he indicated to another Soldier who advanced on her with a needle, a gleam in his eye, “Once you too, have agreed, then the sport can begin.” He laughed.

Manor House

Despite her best efforts, Nevia was blushing as the door was shut, and it was not long before she returned to the room in question, hands on her virtually naked hips,
“My Mistress gives her approval to you.” She said dully, eyes avoiding the Kitsune’s, “but she insists that I be fit for work in the morning and thus not to be too rough.” This was all said in the same, dreary monotone.

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

Murdoc gazed at Monaro, voice bland but eyes blazing with anger and hatred, not at her, but at the actions of the Danaversians. "Not as sorry as they will be," he said morosely, turning on heel and walking out of the silent bridge, boots clicking and echoing against the deck. Onishi took a moment to look around the room, mute and unreadable, before he too hobbled out, limping as usual. There was a great sense of sadness, of disappointment, a sense of unmet expectations from the kitsune commanders, for both their Alversian counterparts and themselves. The loss of the crew of the Blue Like Jazz would be a blow to morale, not necessarily because any of the kitsune of the Gerral Task Force knew the merchants well (though some did) but because it broadcast a message, as if the XIN could not even protect the civilians which aided it and its allies from harm. In the same vein, it appeared as if the Gerral System was open to attack, like the defenders could not even prevent the abduction of anyone the enemy wished to take, like the defenses were ineffectual.
Not a good way to begin a campaign.

The Blue Like Jazz, which had suffered superficial damage, was recovered and commandeered by reserve crews from the Gerral Task Force. Aboard her they discovered the corpses of no less than thirty five Danaversian Marines, along with a number of dropped weapons apparently from the crew. Between the destroyed cruiser, the drop ship that had fallen prey to the armed freighter and those killed in boarding action, it was estimated that the Blue Like Jazz alone had killed two hundred and seventy of the enemy, an astounding number for a civilian vessel armed with only AS guns and a an untrained crew. The ship made the last of its rounds, dropping off the supplies to the other garrison bases, before returning to Gerral's orbit, to be held there until someone figured out what to do with it and the belongings of the crew left behind: It was much too dangerous for it to attempt to leave the system, and the Task Force could not afford to sent ships to escort it. It hung in space like a sad elegy to the brave kitsune who had fought for it, a constant reminder to those of the Task Force and the Defense Grid of their failure, to the point that Murdoc eventually ordered it to dock on the planet to avoid plunging morale any lower than it already was.

The warships of the Task Force returned to the Gerral Station for the time being, waiting impatiently for the enemy to attack, the crews both sorrowful about the loss of the merchants but eager to strike a blow back at the Danaversians, to avenge, somehow, the kidnapping of their brothers and sisters of the Motherland.

Danaversian Station...

Goose bumps had appeared up and down the skin of the Homo Vulpes kitsune, the fur of the Vulpes Vulpes rising and poofing against the chill, breath hanging, like the expulsion of steam from ancient machines, in the air. Between the slippery floor, which smelled to her like somebody had shit all over it, and the high heels, footwear which Kakura could not remember ever having worn, the Captain was having trouble keeping her balance, and she gladly sagged against the Danaversians restraining her, letting them hold her up, as it she were relaxing in a reclining chair. Her new clothes, or lack thereof, didn't bother her so much, she was more concerned about the controlling chains and stupid earrings that adorned her now, symbols, she knew, of servitude and slavery. It did not take her long to piece together what had happened, and what was in store, and so her eyes met Takino's and, more than anything else, what she saw there scared her. The First Mate looked humiliated, low against the slimy floor, bare breasts pressed against her arms, compacted as if trying to make herself as small as possible, tail wrapped around her rear. Takino, beautiful, hard, no-nonsense, world-weary Takino, was keeping her expression carefully neutral, but Kakura knew her better than that.
Takino was afraid.

Kakura looked over at her crew, stripped, bound and drugged, at Takino, quietly terrified, at the leering Captain and the jeering Danaversians and sneered at her foes. "May Qonn give your mother search for your remains with a Geiger counter!" She snarled, spitting on the floor. The needle went into her arm and she allowed herself to slacken, as if falling under its effects, but her eyes were still bright and sharp. The soldier saw this a stepped back, but her right leg, unrestrained, hit directly on target between his legs, making the alien's eyes cross and him crumple to the floor, groaning in pain. "There's more where that..came...from..." Kakura said groggily, feeling dazed, like she was floating, detached from herself, before her head lolled onto her shoulder.
Kakura let go.

Manor House...

"You'll be just fine, hun," Asari assured her with a smirk, taking her by the arm and pulling her inside. The lights had been dimmed a bit and Sanagi was already lying on the bed, sheets pulled up to his chest, hands folded behind his head, staring at the ceiling, looking zoned. Probably the kitsune slave had been under her care for so long he was losing the ability to do much more than react when she spoke or moved. Asari was missing her grubby slaver gear and now wore a simple kimono-like robe, long patterned sleeves giving her a regal look. One hand moving over Nevia's shoulders, tugging at the silk, puling it off while she pointed to the bed with the other, seeming to take great delight in the wordless order. When the Alumina had crawled in with Sanagi Asari dropped her robe, leaving her nude, and joined them, her bright, mischievous smile the last thing Nevia saw.

[Alversia]

Gerral Orbital Station

After several moments of silence in the Station, the familier alarms began to ring out, the red lights flashing all along the corners of the corridor. Several Marines ran past heading for their Battlestations while Monaro dashed after the two Kitsune Officers. She bowed deeply to them both,
"Apologies," She puffed, out of breath from dashing after them, "Danaversian ships are approaching Sector 5, the Admiral would like your heavy Cruisers to deploy with the Alversian ships heading to intercept them." She looked from one to another, "this is no raid. This is a big attack, forty two ships, including twenty Barracudas." The concern was evident in both her eyes and in her voice. She was not scared, just concerned.

Danaversian Station

The Danaversian grinned as Kakura's pupils slowly increased in size and her voice trailed off until she was silent. She was standing like all the others. Silent, unable to resist,
"More eh?" He licked his lips slyly, "somehow I don't think there is."
He turned and grinned down at his own Slave, jerking on the chain a little that connected them. The other members of the crew were in total silence, standing and waiting for orders in their revealing and humiliating costumes,
"So you're the last of your crew," he licked his lips temptingly at her, "that makes you quite valuable. You're mine though. I deserve a little reward for my trouble and you ARE that reward." He laughed, "shall we go and have our reward then?" He jerked the lead again and her further into the ship.

Manor House

When Asari woke in the morning she would find the bed devoid of one person. The tallest of them all was already gone. Nevia having put on what were classed as 'clothes' and was in the Breakfast room, preparing waffles and other such dishes, laying them on the table, a light blush creeping into her cheeks when Asari appeared,
"Mistress Ardelle has gone to town for business reasons," she explained, not looking up, pacing around the table to ensure that everything was in order, the ringing of the bells around her waist echoing throughout the hall.

[Xiscapia]

Gerral Orbital Station...

Murdoc looked around at the warning bells, surprised. Again? Already? The sit-rep wasn't kidding. For his part, Onishi's expression was inscrutable.

"Understood," the Rear Admiral looked over at the Major General, "we'll deploy immediately. See you on the other side, Liaison Officer." With a pair of quick bows the two Xiscapians strode off, walking much faster now.

On Murdoc's orders he was taken aboard the XIS Legacy, while Onishi went to one of the troop ships to be with his soldiers. Turning in space, ponderous as though aware they had done this before, the Legacy and the Luck pointed themselves in the right direction and sped off for Sector Five, Murdoc on the bridge of his flagship, preparing to meet the enemy. Six of the Crusher class troop ships, along with an escort of Annihilator class Light Cruiser Mallon, the Marchamp class frigate Tsume and the launched force of one hundred fighters and the corvettes I-5 and I-9, made haste for the Asteroid Beta 10, racing to deploy the five thousand XGA soldiers and their accompanying five hundred Light Assault Mecha, hundred Heavy Assault Mecha, one hundred Heartbreaker tanks and six hundred MLRS platforms. Upon reaching it the leading troop ship dispatched an encrypted message to General McConville:

Major General Onishi extends his greetings to you. Force composition is enclosed. The Major General wishes to know where his units should be deployed.

The remainder of the Task Force, two Light Cruisers, a frigate, a carrier, a medical frigate, ten corvettes and six troop ships hung back, most of the ships disappointed at being left out of combat while the Triton scrambled her fighters and corvettes, already having launched another portion of her compliment which would hang back until engagement to strike.

Manor House...

Asari came wearing the same clothes she had yesterday, evidently not having bothered to bathe or shower, Sanagi crawling behind her as usual. When he saw Nevia he looked down at the floor, as if abashed, still not wearing anything that would be, in the common sense, called clothing. Asari didn't seem to notice, securing him by his chain to the table leg, digging in ravenously to the food without even asking, grabbing everything in reach and tossing the scraps down to her slave.

"Guess it's just you and me." She winked roguishly at the Alumina, grinning around her breakfast, remembering the night before.

[Alversia]

Gerral

The Legacy and the Luck, once they've reached the area of the Alversian Defence Grid known as Sector 5, would find themselves surrounded by warships of Alversian make, many of them considerably bigger than the two Heavy Cruisers. The defence of this sector was being lead by the Alversian Dreadnought Goshawk, supported by the Battlecruisers Independance and Ferral. They were in turn supported by the Heavy Cruisers Sammi Gerrard, Victory, Royal Sovereign and Belisarius. Of course, they were backed by the long lines of Alversian defences, rail guns, missile launchers and large ion cannon were lining up against the approaching ships, laying on their targets, getting ready to fire. The Alversian ships were the same, lining up their ion cannon and massive number of missile launchers in preparation for the Danaversian ships that would be, even now, droning through the FTLi field on their way to attack the Alversian fleet and try to force their way through the Coalition Defences.

Silence for several moments. Several agonising moments before, finally, the first Alversian Targetting Computers beeped their signals to report that the Danaversians were in range. Without hesitation, the Alversian ships opened fire, adding their hundreds of missiles to those launches from the surface of the various asteroids along with the rail gun shots and ion shells. All were aimed at the Danaversians while the first red flashes of Danaversian missile fire were also evident. The battle had begun.

Meanwhile, on Beta 10, a message was sent to the Transports

Code: Select all

Land your ships at the following co-ordinates. Land quickly, as you will most likely be under fire during your descent. We wish you god speed.

Danaversian Station

It was several hours later on the station before anyone else from the crew dared to open the door and see if the Captain was ready to return to duty. The younger Warrior opened the door tentatively to see his Superior lying on his side, snoring heavily. What else was there made him grin. That Kitsune he had captured was lying in his arms, him holding her like a child would hold a teddy bear, one hand wrapped around her shoulder and the other between her legs. He could not see if she was asleep or not...he simply grinned and shut the door. The noise woke the Captain, who grinned and moved his second hand from her shoulders to one of her breasts, cupping it in his hand and going back to sleep.

Manor House

The Alumina was still brushing furiously, standing beside the Kitsune, avoiding eye contact still with either of them, simply muttering something about her guess being correct. She was not looking but her ears had drooped, causing the earrings to clink and rattle while her tail was sad and limp. It was hard to tell if her emotion was sorrow, or shame or both.

Ranus V

"They are prime property, recently taken into servitude by our warriors on the Frontier. They are of fine quality, the only ones of their kind on the planet. Very expensive, but for you I think I can make a small cut." The Escan grinned as he led Lady Ardelle through the red silk curtains and into the buying area of the Slave Shop. The front area was filled with Escans sitting in cages, sitting or kneeling and gazing up at the Escan Noble with big, wide, curious eyes. They were not terrified as most Foreign slaves tended to be, raised from birth for servitude they simply did what they had always been told to do. No opposition, no complaints.
Ardelle had already picked two for purchasing but was here for a much bigger buy. She waited patiently before the Kitsune were carted out, dressed in the attire of Slaves. They were still drugged and so stood like soldiers while Ardelle inspected them, picking the one who seemed to have the proudest posture, despite her enslavement perhaps she had been the Captain of these poor crew,
"What is your name?" She asked the Kitsune.