Space, The First Frontier IC

[Imperialisium]

Andromeda Galaxy

10 Years Prior

UN/B-270-6

The system was uninhabited, but home to the echoes of the past. On the seventh planet from the smaller of the systems two stars was what would amount to be 6 square kilometers of ruins. The entire ruin was made out of grey stone, and seeming to be host to no advanced form of technology. In contrast a single star ship was locked in geo-synchronous orbit. Its sleek black hull, running lights off, and silent like the space surrounding it.

The ruins were abandoned, had been for a long time. The stone blasted and worn smooth by the harsh elements from this desert planet. Fossil evidence reports that the planet was once pristine and full of life; however, that was ages past.

The yawning wind continued, interrupted by the crackle of ozone, and for the first time in a long time. The ruins were host to life. A trio of figures walked from their starting location, leaving heavy prints in the sand covered stone that was probably once intricately laid. Now uneven and cracked. The trio wore black armored suits, and two walked behind one. The back two carried modest looking staff weapons that ended in leaf blades. The leader just had a thin blade at the hip.

The group moved through the ruins, along desolate and dead garden lined boulevards. Reaching a yawning entry into a monolithic stone structure in the shape of a pyramid. Without pause the trio entered, and cautiously snaked their way to the center of the pyramid where they found a small antechamber. It was pitch black, and the only illumination from the suit lights brightly blazing on their collar guards. Taking a right, a left, and down several stairs they descended into a hall that ran for a kilometer straight. Terminating at a juncture where a circular room took up when the hallway left off.

The trio moved up to the square stone plinth at the center of the room. The leader pulled out a stone key, and placed it on the top of the plinth. For a minute nothing happened. Then the key seemed to phase through the stone slowly; followed, by the plinth cracking in perfect lines as it slid down into the floor. Revealing a strange rod like device ending with two crystal clear orbs.

The leader grasped it, and beneath the visor lips smiled, and spoke a single sentence, "Finally, after nine decades it is mine, and with it an Empire."

Armarz Space

The Imperial Expedition Fleet had arrived approximately eight priors. Seventy-Five ships, Nineteen being warships of the Imperial Navy in the form of Task Force 62, and the rest a collection of science and auxiliary vessels as befits a Fleet tasked with mapping out uncharted space in the idea of locating habitable worlds. The Raikite Illuma had been discovered several months prior by a passing probe. Close monitoring followed.

Finally, after a personal report to the Emperor himself a Fleet was dispatched to conduct an examination to see if the species was compatible to be members of the Empire. The Emperor himself was present to view the proceedings. It was an extremely intricate task, uplifting a civilization. Over the Empire's history other civilizations had been conquered or incorporated into the Imperial fold, but rarely did the Empire go out of its way to deliberately raise a civilization.

As the Fleet moved into Orbit over what was logically assumed to be the primary planet of the Raikite Illuma several messages were beamed to the planet. The Imperials having painstakingly worked to send a message the Raikite Illuma's archaic technology could pick up and use. The message was sent to the House of Demons and House of Snow, deemed by the Imperial's monitoring as they analyzed the species from their ships. Monitoring civilian messages, or what passed for them, and breaking the races encrypted messages.

Code: Select all

To: Patriarchs of the House of Demons, and House of Snow
From: Imperial Expedition Fleet

Do not be afraid, or alarmed. We come with peaceful intentions, to illuminate and lift your civilization from its primitive status. To one that can enjoy the fruits of our Empire along its current Citizens. Our only request, is that the leaders of these House's meet with us at a location of your own choosing. We await your reply.

Imperia
Imperial Throneworld

The Imperial Throneworld was pristine, beautiful, and its cities worked in the manner of art. Its crystalline towers, marble buildings, and broad avenues interlaced with sky traffic and lush gardens inter worked with green belts. Atalantys, was the capital city of the planet and home to the Imperial Palace. Natural waterfalls undisturbed and the city worked around them as clear blue water flowed forth to the sea a dozen kilometers distant. The city sat in a mountainous region on a plateau, and so the sea was distantly visible as a haze of blue. Rolling forests and snow capped mountains of undisturbed wilderness surrounded the city.

The Palace itself rose up with towers piercing the cloud banks. Its brilliance and polished surfaces an image of some cosmically heaven-bound structure. The Palace Outer Grounds were generally always open to the public, and the electrum clad warriors of the Legio Praetoria patrolled in ever vigilance along the colonnades, parks, lakes, and gardens. The only member of the Imperial Family present was the Prince. His father away on some Expedition and his sister meeting with various politicians a Sector away.

The Prince, more akin to his father militarily and letting his sister take after their fathers more civil side, was looking at dozens of reports from across the Empire. Reports on growing religious groups on nearly dozens if not a few hundred worlds did not abode well. More than one of these factions was aggressive, and though they so far have remained non-militant they were monitored. Running a hand through his black hair he signed before opening up another report.

[G-Tech Corporation]

"When before the throne of the Omnissah, consider the stars. Life-givers, first sons of the All-Sire, they are our sustenance, the tree of plenty from which all that crawls and breathes has been birthed. They are our forefathers, and our greatest friends. Now we embrace the stellar light, and step into the future." - Ascribed to First Voice Idrius Ameral, Dissertations on the Cosmos

BelowSpace Coordinates 1409:38Y:7802
Timestamp: 560:2010:111:679:22 MBA
Havanian Group, Milky Way Galaxy, System 89402-01a
First Generation Fist Eternality of Existence, Adrius Mas Ameral Commanding Chosen
Mainframe Upload warr. PT-CH. Cont.

The flicker of lightening lashed the void, sudden chromatic shatters of the glow of dead stars filling what was once black emptiness. As the seconds passed they intensified, growing into an inferno of light and soundless fury, and then into the material universe passed the immense bulk of the First, incarnation of the power of the Choir and the Chosen of the All-Sire. Spanning several central klicks from stem to stern, she was the avatar of the might of the Choir, not her greatest, but the most widely seen of the ships of the Vanished Empire. Here, within the confines of an uninhabited system, she had a job to do.

Adrius sat the heart of the metallic behemoth, his mind one mind with the ponderous bulk of the giant. Upon his throne of obsidian glass the wizened form of the Techsin reclined, taunt muscles shaped across fine-structured bones, burning eyes of violet and scarlet staring sightlessly at the darkness of the nexus around him. In the shadows silent figures moved, not a sound echoing in the vast chamber as his companions went about preparing the subsystems of the monolithic vessel. Within the hull of the Eternality and the two ships jumping in behind her, Hands of the Omnissah, the ransom of two systems in the form of iridium ingots was heaped. Worth more than kings, more than life, more than even the warmth of love, this fantastic treasury would be turned over the the party that nominally owned these systems.

Good times were ahead. With a flick of his mental fingers Adrius began feeding the dense iridium into the fabricant of the Fist, to begin the process of converting it into the titanium, silicon, and magnesium required by their contact. Away to the front of the twenty kilometer vessel a small ship broke free, bearing for the large rocky world nearby. Dive scans of the sector revealed no forms of life, and now was the time for the conversion to begin.

[New Armarzia]

Council of Snow
Ellyrarium Loyse
Andromeda Galaxy

A fire crackled in the middle of the large room as the Patriarchs of the all the Raikite Houses . The building that stood nearly fifty meters high and just as wide was nearly one hundred meters long made entirely of stone. The building was ancient, but still stood. The front of the building, was completely open with no wall save for the large rectangular pillars that were spaced out ten meters apart. The entrance of the building was covered in snow as ti was built in the snowy wastes of the North. The first fifty meters of the building was littered with pillars that had images etched in describing the history of the House of Snow that owned this building. The last fifty meters dipped down into the ground and made an amphitheater with a bare, stone throne at the center of the stage with a great fire before the throne. The building was the first house ever built to be used as a base for any of the houses and the House of Snow continued to use it to conduct meetings if only to remind its occupants that the House of Snow had not forgotten the traditions of the Raikite and neither should anyone else.

Fifteen Raikite Illuma currently were within this ancient stone building. Every one of the Raikite there had four arms, save for three, signifying their strength and wore the colors of their respective Houses. Two of those without four arms were female and could not grow a second pair of arms, but the third was a male Loyse Junara who had rose in the ranks of The House of Dragons. Fourteen of them sat on the stone steps of the amphitheater while the fifteenth, who wore armor and a mask that was pure white with a cloak blue like a clear sky of the ocean dominated world, sat in the throne on the stage. Each Patriarch, the leaders of the Houses, was at this meeting. Usually the Archon of the House would go to meetings as they were the voice of the House, but when every House is called it demands the presence of The Patriarchs. None brought guards or attendants as doing so would be a sign of weakness as he cannot fight his own fights and it would also be an insult to the others as it would show that the Patriarch does not trust the others.

As the last of the fifteen found their seat one stood up, he was the Patriarch of Fire was wore a flamboyant set of armor that had hues of orange, red and gold in meaningless designs with a bright orange sash showing the flame that represented The House of Fire. The Patriarch of Fire, Mazar Arun, finally spoke when he saw the last sit, "We are all here now, why did Urnath of The House of Demons call us here?" The way he referred to Urnath was insult as it implied he was no leader. But Mazar Arun had hatred for Urnath and his House. When it was first deemed possible to colonize the moons of Ellyrarium Loyse the Fourteen Houses of the time feared the idea of living in the stars and especially on systems that could not support them without major changes, so none of the Houses pursued colonizing it, so Urnath who was originally of the House of Fire rallied the outcasts of the Houses who were primarily made up of a group of racket Illuma who attempted a coup of The House of Fire and create The House of Demons to settle the moons. The House of Demons was made up of traitors to the House of Fire and Mazar Arun would never forget that till the day he died.

"We are not all here yet, Patriarch of Fire," said Darkysis the Patriarch of Snow in a booming voice from his throne. Mazar started to ask who was not there, but then foot steps began to echo through the giant stone building and soon at the top of the amphitheater steps stood a female Loyse Junara with long black hair and pale aero blue skin in a flowing dress of white and silver. Flanking her was a Raikite Illuma wearing much more modern, but obviously not ceremonial armor that was a dull grey matching the color of the material made from his armor. On the other side stood the four-eyed variant of the female Loyse Junara in another exquisite dress of white and silver, but of different designs. She was the Archon of the Bride. Behind them were a group of eight male Loyse Junara, six of them wore heavy armor and carried rifles, but the last two wore expensively designed, lighter armor with hoods casting shadows over their faces and they carried no weapon. "My most righteous lady, it is truly an honor that you grace us with your presence, one that I daresay we have not truly earned," greet Darkysis to the woman who was The Bride of Armarz, the most holy figure in Raikite Illuma culture even though she was not a Raikite Illuma. "Please m'lady, sit here for I cannot imagine to sit in a throne within your presence." The Patriarch of Snow got up and took a few steps to the side as The Bride of Armarz walked down the steps and took the seat. The Archon and the Raikite Illuma guard continued to flank her on either side of the throne as the hooded figures took positions behind. The last six of her guardians took up positions at the top of the amphitheater looking down upon the Patriarchs.

"W-why is she here and with guards at well? Is this entire meeting designed to insult me, Urnath?" asked Mazar Arun to the Patriarch of Demons.

"I asked her to come to this meeting, Mazar," responded Urnath in his low raspy voice.

"This is a council for Patriarchs, how dare you-" began Mazar.

"Enough!" boomed the voice of Darkysis. "Would you deny The Bride of Armarz himself a presence in this council, Patriarch of Fire? Would you ignore the voice of the wife of your God? Show the respect she deserves or I will show you how those who are dishonorable to most divine being on this planet are dealt with!"

"I-I j-just," began Mazar before sighing. "Please forgive m'lady, I spoke most dishonorably." The Bride merely nodded in response.

"Very well, we are all here." said Darkysis. "I know the purpose of this meeting, but since you called it Patriarch of Demons, present it."

Urnath got up and walked to the fire, his red cape dragging on the stone floor and the reflection of the fire dancing upon his red and beige armor. "I called you all here today because The House of Demons and The House of Snow was contacted by someone within the great sea of darkness. And they wish to meet us and offer us a deal here today. And so I called you all here so we may face this choice together and choose how are future will unfold..."

[The Orson Empire]

Thernodaea, Covenant Space, Milky Way Galaxy

Thernodaea is a habitable planet located near the center of Covenant Space, in a star system located just 5 light years from Klandulor, the capital of the Covenant. The planet had been populated by Cho'Dosans for millennia, and was one of the first planets to join the Covenant when it formed. Thernodaea's surface was populated by 50 billion Cho'Dosans, and the surface was covered in various factories which produced everything from electronics to food to weapons. However, the planet was best known for its vast network of orbital shipyards, which circled the planet in giant rings. The shipyards were owned by Thernodaea Drive Yards (TDY), which itself was a government-owned corporation. Additionally, there were other large space stations in orbit around the planet that built and repaired ships and were able to hold thousands of people. The shipyards were capable of building and repairing tens of thousands of ships at once, and thus, the planet had the largest shipyards in Covenant space. Although other orbital shipyards existed, the ones at Thernodaea were vital to the Covenant due to they had the largest ship capacity. The defenses of the shipyards had recently been overhauled and expanded, due to the current war with the Dark Jedi Republic and its sister nations. Additionally, new military training camps had been set up on the surface to train new recruits, as Thernodaea was one of the largest contributors of soldiers in Covenant space, and many of them were currently fighting in Dark Jedi space.

As the war continued, the Covenant had begun to experiment with new weapons that would make it easier to win the war, such as new handheld weapons, new starfighters, and new ships. However, TDY had recently released a new weapon that, while simple, could potentially change the direction of the entire war and end the stalemate. The weapon was based on an ancient design that was used during the Covenant-Zorgon War, and it allowed the Covenant to achieve victory. Overlord Sian Niam (the leader of the Covenant) himself, along with a group of admirals that were currently on shore leave had arrived at the shipyards to see a demonstration of the weapon.

Looking from one of the shipyards observation decks, the group watched in the distance as the demonstration was about to begin. Outside of the shipyard, there was a decommissioned starfighter controlled by an AI that was flying in a straight line. Flying towards the decommissioned craft was another starfighter equipped with a very advanced missile that was capable of tracking its targets and even outrunning them. The starfighter released the missile, and the missile flew at an incredible speed towards its target. The missile then popped open, releasing 8 of the weapons- cluster drones. Cluster drones were small, peculiar robots that were equipped with drills, saws, plasma torches, prying hooks, and pincer arms. They were simple in design and incredibly cheap to manufacture, but they were frightening and deadly anti-starfighter weapons. Thousands of cluster drones could be deployed at once, and they would swarm an enemy starfighter and use their tools to literally rip it apart, disabling or destroying the craft. It could even penetrate enemy shields, thanks to its outer shell being coated with a heat dissipating alloy.

The cluster drones did just as they had been designed to do and absolutely devastated the decommissioned craft. By the time the demonstration was over, the craft had been ripped to pieces. The Overlord and the admirals were pleased with the results.

"I see much potential in this weapon," Overlord Niam would say to the admirals. "I would like to see it deployed immediately against the Dark Jedi forces."

[Ralnis]

Theomatius, Legion Space, Astrax Nebula Core Systems

Theomatius, a barren planet that is the size of Jupiter just missing the gas giant and multiple moons portions of Jupiter. This was, in a more accurate description, a wasteland and that is the way the Legion liked it. The big ball of sand was quite a sight with industry and automation being seen dotting the landscapes as various supply ships would come down to send down supplies from other worlds or refuel to go to the frontier systems out of the Nebula. Planets in the Nebula is usually seen within their system and at night they saw the nebula around them that covers up the rings of the Andromeda, even though it seem to be getting thicker and thicker since the rise of the Badlands Legion five centuries ago that made the Arbors believe that they have started to throw more gas in the air that make it denser, but that is not entirely a bad thing since they can collect it and recycle the gases in the Nebula to fuel their ships when they come in and out of the Nebula and the Core Systems.

The planet's capital was the city of Gomorrah, which was led by Janette" Titanium" Daisy. A Wild Heart who was known for being one of the most dangerous among the raider tribe during the founding of the Legion when the leader of the tribe, " Ironhide" Rudolf and started the expansion of the Legion 500 years ago. Because of her contribution to the war that begin the rise of the Legion, she was given the power over the planet of Theomatius and it became the " Gateway to the Abyss" because it is the closest to the end of the Nebula and towards the frontier worlds outside the Nebula and near the Emperian Empire's Astral Province Exertmis. They never go near the Empire for they know that it is basically a death sentence to those who are able to have those large, super empires. Though they have been always checking on their Imperial neighbors from the safety of their space.

The news that things were starting to set the fire of the Empire spread to the Legion's own ears. The commotion with that had started many people talking nonsense like trying to invade them, but it was ultimately up to the Red Legates and so far, they will take this as a sign of even more caution incase one of the many factions are going to try and gun them down and knowing the size of the Empire, a small fleet to them will be more then the Legion fleet by a large margin, which will be the death of the Legion. However, the people of Theomatius did not really care about trying to do any war in more about trying to fabricate more advance and crazy technologies to try and push the threshold further in the raider tribes that wish to push through the new, experimental, and commonly crazily brutal ideas that they slap on their weapons, vehicles, aircraft, and warships.

One of the things that have been happing is the spread of more improve Plasma engines, shock absorbers, and multi-phase shielding in the new cars that are being used in the frontline assault and invasion when it comes for the day that they will invade something for the Road Spawn work on their vehicles with high-speed, high-assault when it comes to how they normally do things, though they also handle the mechs and the tanks but they take a different touch all together. This is also how they train the kids who think that just because they are naturals behind the wheel means that they can just jump in a car that goes more then 200-350 mph and can actually be highly dangerous to those untrained in the art of wheel combat, even with the shielding and the titanium armor hull that encase them. How they do it is that they are driving with a veteran that already knows how to drive in these high speeds and also have a specially design vehicle that the kids think they are driving but the truth was that the veteran was really driving and only give the illusion of them driving but with computers installed in the vehicle and the veteran will make sure the kid does not die. When the driving was done, the kid usually is sent to the doctor to have no traumas or internal damage was done so that the kids are able to learn their lesson and they usually do.

Many things were coming around as they started to build their planetary network of shipyards and teleportation even though it is still interplanetary and quite moderated for the Legion still use interplanetary transports and they wish to try and advance the use of teleportation and more shipyards to place more of an importance on the shipyards between the Core Systems in the Nebula, though they depend on space stations for the mass automations and the use of sapient AI to make sure the automation goes well with the quality work the Legion does and keep up with the blueprints and stored in the Heart of the Titan. Even with everything going on around the Andromeda, the Legion has stayed the same as they tried to advance the workings or spread the workings of a balance between automation and rural farming and Human working so that it gives something to work on and it shows the balance between the tribes and it shows that each one is still as equal as the other and hope to keep doing so.

[Northern Arcadian Empire]

Arcadia, Milky way Galaxy-

Frederick looked at the latest planetary recon report, and sighed. Ever since the Wars, life has never been the same, both economicly and politically. The world was now looking toward the stars in search of new resources and new adventures, most of Arcadia was grasslands and mountains with some great forests and great lakes. It was truly a beautiful planet, but like all good thing they will have to come to a end. He looked at the report again and nodded "I think his might be the one, send a probe for more information" he said to the Trooper

"As you wish my lord" said the Trooper walking out

Launch site A
a small rocket was prepared, this was the canister for the probe that will find its journey on a new planet that would later become something more

[The Fallen Jedi]

"Some day, you mark my words brother, one day i will return, and when i do and you are dead, i will wreak my horrible vengeance on your future kin, they will see death far beyond your own eyes, i will make them pay for your weakness, and i will rule the Galaxy with an iron fist, you mark my words!

- Asumar Masaki, Following his Banishment

Unidentified Desert Planet
225th Desert Jumper Division (300,000 Men, 59 Armor Divisions)

On the planet that was lost to history, a desert planet, from its orbit, a graveyard of Republic Ship Remnants stood, the Covenant Fleet standing victoriously, although it was not at a cost, it was to be noted that this fleet had made an effort for the battle to be their final yet valiant stand to protect the planet, the planet was of some tactical importance as it was at an intersection of a somewhat minor Hyperspace Lane, and it was also a staging post for the Republic following the declaration of war by the Covenant, however, long ago, its true purpose was never known, the final resting place, of the exiled Asumar Masaki, a man of such immeasurable energy and power that with mixed in with his brutal tactics, he was said to be the devil himself in fighting.

According to legend itself, Asumar was the brother of The Founding Masaki, who Asumar very much considered his only opponent worthy to battle him, as during his life, Asumar held a title of being undefeated in battle, but this record was proven to be broken when Asumar fought and lost against his brother, along with being stripped of his title of Warlord and exiled, following this exile, Asumar would find this place to be his final resting place, now bitterly hating the Dynasty, in order for him to wreak his vengeance, Asumar had his body preserved following his death.

But to the Dark Jedi Republic, the Reich, and even the Covenant themselves, this planet was simply a desert planet with strategic importance as a Staging Ground for further assaults, the Clone troopers stationed on this planet was very much used to the environment of this planet, it was also helpful to the Republic since there was frequent sandstorms to jam the gears of Armor Divisions, and even the Covenant Starfighters, or any other starfighters for that matter, but this was also a detriment to the Republic since there were also Armored Divisions standing on this planet for the Republic.

At one of the open areas of the desert, there was a long line of trenches and even places where Armored Divisions and artillery were also positioned at, a long desert spanning for miles, where a Military Base would be located at the end of this trench, this was also the last line of defense for the Republic forces stationed here, fortunately, there was an incoming Sandstorm, which would be able to serve as a detriment for the Covenant Armored Divisions, while Artillery Pieces were safe from the sandstorm due to their cover.

A Sandtrooper would approach his Commanding Officer, coming in from a speeder towards the west, where a large Sandstorm was beginning to form on the horizon "Sir, the Sandstorm is about 6 Miles Out, i don't think we will be able to rely on it for awhile." The Clone stated, his Superior Clone Commander nodding "Very Well, but even so, we have to defend this area, if we must, we will blow this valley to bits." The valley he was mentioning was a Rock Formation that lied between the Trench, and it was also poised for minimal structural failure, but if given the proper push, the valley formation would crumble.

[The Orson Empire]

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
Dark Jedi Space

The Covenant had been locked in ground combat for days on the unidentified desert planet (which was nicknamed "UDF-1" for the sake of convenience). Initially, the Covenant managed to break through the planet's space defenses after a heavy battle that involved the 15th Fleet, which consisted of 750 ships. After the space battle had ended, only the scrap metal from the remnants of the Republic ships remained. The Covenant then launched a full scale ground assault. This was carried out by the 51st Systems Army, which was a field army that consisted of 500,000 soldiers that were divided into 20 corps. The soldiers of the army had been recruited from all over Covenant space, but the majority of them came from Thernodaea, a planet that was one of the largest contributors of soldiers in the Covenant. Many of these men and women knew each other, and some had signed up for the military solely just so they could fight with their friends and/or family. The soldiers had seen little combat, and many of them had never experienced a desert climate before, so they were sorely unprepared for the carnage they would face on the surface. Frequent sandstorms made it difficult to drop in supplies/ammunition and provide air support, so these soldiers often had to fend for themselves.

The Covenant had designed a series of long trenches that faced opposite of the Dark Jedi trenches. The trenches were where the soldiers lived and slept, and they provided the soldiers protection from enemy fire. The trenches were very elaborate, as they had multiple levels and included fortified bunkers, pillboxes, and machine gun nests. The trenches at the front lines had electric fences in front of them in order to deter Republic soldiers from trying to assault the trenches. Armored vehicles such as hovertanks were present. However, there was also heavier artillery present in the trenches, such as the V1 Stalker, which was a mobile heavy weapons platform that included autocannons, missile pods, and anti-personnel turrets. The Stalker could act as an anti-infantry weapon, an anti-artillery weapon, and even an anti-aircraft weapon. The Stalker also had its own energy shield in order to protect it. Another armored fighting vehicle present was the V2 Hammer, which was an armored mech walker. The Hammer was armed with a huge plasma machine gun and missile launchers. It was effective against enemy artillery and especially infantry, as it could rip scores of soldiers apart at once with its machine gun.

As the battle continued, Stalkers continued to bombard the Republican trenches from a distance, while the Hammers and other defenses picked off any Clone Troopers that tried to come near the Covenant trenches. Most of the soldiers were currently in the lower levels of their trenches, as a sandstorm was about to pass over the area and they did not want to be caught inside of it. A few soldiers stayed on the surface to keep watch.

[Prusslandia]

New Paradise, The Ark

The Arch Deacon looked out at the 1 billion Fallen before him, the flock that he led. He had lived for millions of years, and was the oldest Fallen alive. Raising his hands, the mass of faithful quieted almost instantly, partially out of reverence, but also because of the subtle psionic command to do so. Activating a voice amplifier, the Arch Deacon spoke. " Praise be. " The crowd murmured back " Praise be. " Opening his mouth, the Arch Deacon spoke " My children, the Ascendant Vakt once said that in order to grow, one must be willing to take. This psalm has proved no truer than today, as I have decreed that a new age of expansion to begin. For too long have we laid slothfully, letting ourselves become complacent. This has angered the Creator, and he has sent upon me a fearsome prophesy. If we do not sacrifice a world unto him, a fearsome plague will be brought down upon us. Thus, the world of Renvas has been sacrificed to our Creator. " With that, the Arch Deacon ended the speaking part of the sermon, and begun the holy hymns.

Zithar Space

The Fallen cruiser exited slip space, Mecardian drones forming a buzzing hive of defense around the 8 km ship. Moving towards the only habitable planet in the system, the Cruiser broadcasted a message of peace.

[Harbertia]

New Paradise, The Ark

The Arch Deacon looked out at the 1 billion Fallen before him, the flock that he led. He had lived for millions of years, and was the oldest Fallen alive. Raising his hands, the mass of faithful quieted almost instantly, partially out of reverence, but also because of the subtle psionic command to do so. Activating a voice amplifier, the Arch Deacon spoke. " Praise be. " The crowd murmured back " Praise be. " Opening his mouth, the Arch Deacon spoke " My children, the Ascendant Vakt once said that in order to grow, one must be willing to take. This psalm has proved no truer than today, as I have decreed that a new age of expansion to begin. For too long have we laid slothfully, letting ourselves become complacent. This has angered the Creator, and he has sent upon me a fearsome prophesy. If we do not sacrifice a world unto him, a fearsome plague will be brought down upon us. Thus, the world of Renvas has been sacrificed to our Creator. " With that, the Arch Deacon ended the speaking part of the sermon, and begun the holy hymns.

Zithar Space

The Fallen cruiser exited slip space, Mecardian drones forming a buzzing hive of defense around the 8 km ship. Moving towards the only habitable planet in the system, the Cruiser broadcasted a message of peace.

Meanwhile, on the planet below...

The Zithar continued their daily lives. Lacking any form of technology past the bronze age, the Zithar did not receive the message of the Fallen. Zithar live ships where preparing for their next raid upon the stars, and in the Savannah bands hunted for sustenance while atop the spire the Queen Empress observed all, as the Supreme Leader reviewed recent star charts in preparation for their next assault.

[Prusslandia]

New Paradise, The Ark

The Arch Deacon looked out at the 1 billion Fallen before him, the flock that he led. He had lived for millions of years, and was the oldest Fallen alive. Raising his hands, the mass of faithful quieted almost instantly, partially out of reverence, but also because of the subtle psionic command to do so. Activating a voice amplifier, the Arch Deacon spoke. " Praise be. " The crowd murmured back " Praise be. " Opening his mouth, the Arch Deacon spoke " My children, the Ascendant Vakt once said that in order to grow, one must be willing to take. This psalm has proved no truer than today, as I have decreed that a new age of expansion to begin. For too long have we laid slothfully, letting ourselves become complacent. This has angered the Creator, and he has sent upon me a fearsome prophesy. If we do not sacrifice a world unto him, a fearsome plague will be brought down upon us. Thus, the world of Renvas has been sacrificed to our Creator. " With that, the Arch Deacon ended the speaking part of the sermon, and begun the holy hymns.

Zithar Space

The Fallen cruiser exited slip space, Mecardian drones forming a buzzing hive of defense around the 8 km ship. Moving towards the only habitable planet in the system, the Cruiser broadcasted a message of peace.

Meanwhile, on the planet below...

The Zithar continued their daily lives. Lacking any form of technology past the bronze age, the Zithar did not receive the message of the Fallen. Zithar live ships where preparing for their next raid upon the stars, and in the Savannah bands hunted for sustenance while atop the spire the Queen Empress observed all, as the Supreme Leader reviewed recent star charts in preparation for their next assault.

In Orbit Of The Zithar Home World

The Cruiser sent out a shuttle craft, containing a Mecardian diplomat and war party. They were prepared to slaughter the primitives leadership if necessary, but subjugation would be preferable, as the Revenant needs an army for proxy warfare against the Heretics. The party brought gifts, including some low level plasma technology, as well as useless jewels. However, the most important gift was the copy of the Fallen scripture.

[Utceforp]

Ascendancy Interstellar Forum
El
Ascendancy Space
Andromeda Galaxy

The Hegemon of the entire Ascendancy, while not the most influential figure on the Galactic Stage, still commanded the respect that the leader of almost four trillion sentients deserved. Hegemon Jammu Khae stood on the elevated platform in the center of the room, surrounded by beings of varying sizes. Almost three hundred Zok'nam, Kin'nar, Essog, Myrmidon and Emissaries were in the room with it, framed by the technological ruins of El beyond the transparent walls and roof of the room, but that was an insignificant fraction of the leaders that were watching or participating in the debate from other areas of the Ascendancy. Each sector had twenty-five or so governors, each system almost a dozen and each planet anywhere from a hundred to two thousand. Whether through video or cybernetic link with the participants in the debate, governors from across Ascendancy space listened to Khae speak and discussed its words.

"...while technically they are a separate form of life, hard AIs are more often than not psychologically very similar to their creator species. Yes, highly advanced AIs have thought processes incomprehensible to simpler minds, but so do transapients, which we have no issue with classifying as members of their origin species. While it is an interesting and justified proposal, the idea that we should give Artificial Intelligences their own interstellar government within our Ascendancy is an unnecessary one, as the line between AI and natural intelligence further disappears. Thank you." Khae said, finishing its speech.

The speech was the main event, but it was only part of the presentation. Thoughts, ideas and feelings, pure and uncorrupted by physical medium, were transmitted directly from Khae to the other debaters via their cybernetics as it spoke, augmenting its argument. The debate over AI governance, while an important one, had little emotional intensity - neither side would be particularly upset if they lost - so the imagery was somewhat underwhelming. Particularly heated debates could become so intense as to become health hazards.

A few hours later, the mental connections between the debaters had been broken, and the governors who had decided to be present physically were filing out slowly. Khae stepped onto a government maglev, which silently but swiftly accelerated away from the large forum building. Most of the city's landscape was taken up by enormous metal semicirclular structures, where the circuitry and neurons of the uploaded minds within the Ascendancy lay. The rest of the landscape was taken up by the large skyscrapers and arcologies lived in by the non-uploaded residents of the city, and the horizon beyond was dominated in equal measure by computronium fields and the technological ruins that made El famous. The maglev arrived at one of the semicircle structures, and Khae entered through one of the many doors, roughly halfway up the kilometer-high structure.

Khae's location was not known, so thankfully it was not beset by large amounts of people wanting to see the Hegemon. After entering, a robotic arm descended from the ceiling and lifted its body into the air, smoothly and uncomfortably transporting it to a small chamber in the side of a wall. The walls stretched the entire length of the structure - comparable to a kilometer in length from floor to ceiling. Khae had gotten used to the heights, and others had altered their minds to no longer fear them. Beside, above and below the cubicle were preserved bodies identical to Khae's, aside from a few inevitable but minor deformities - backup bodies. The doors of the chamber closed around Khae, and it felt its mind leave its body. It had never truly been on El - its mind was simply controlling a clone of its original body through the Ascendancy's FTL network, and now it returned to its true form, as a decentralized series of connected satellites orbiting the Kin'nar homeworld where it was born. Now it could truly do work, free from the semi-biological body it had adopted to appease the non-uploaded governors.

[La Bandera Roja]

Milky Way Galaxy
On a lonely planet

The sun washed desert of the planet was inhospitable, but the dwellers of the city had already learned how to live with it. Stone buildings, some with domes, many with brightly colored paint littered the desert landscape. Lazy rivers that cut their way into the desert fed the thriving farming community and their large fields of green crops. Fruits and vegetables of many colors and tastes ready to be picked and enjoyed.

Bustling streets inside of the city were filled with inhabitants, chatter was heard in almost every corner of the city as people met with friends or traded what they could for the commodities they needed or wanted. Children played in courtyards, adults talked, even an adolescent or two trying to act smooth.

The planet was enjoying its peace.

[The Fallen Jedi]

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
Dark Jedi Space

The Covenant had been locked in ground combat for days on the unidentified desert planet (which was nicknamed "UDF-1" for the sake of convenience). Initially, the Covenant managed to break through the planet's space defenses after a heavy battle that involved the 15th Fleet, which consisted of 750 ships. After the space battle had ended, only the scrap metal from the remnants of the Republic ships remained. The Covenant then launched a full scale ground assault. This was carried out by the 51st Systems Army, which was a field army that consisted of 500,000 soldiers that were divided into 20 corps. The soldiers of the army had been recruited from all over Covenant space, but the majority of them came from Thernodaea, a planet that was one of the largest contributors of soldiers in the Covenant. Many of these men and women knew each other, and some had signed up for the military solely just so they could fight with their friends and/or family. The soldiers had seen little combat, and many of them had never experienced a desert climate before, so they were sorely unprepared for the carnage they would face on the surface. Frequent sandstorms made it difficult to drop in supplies/ammunition and provide air support, so these soldiers often had to fend for themselves.

The Covenant had designed a series of long trenches that faced opposite of the Dark Jedi trenches. The trenches were where the soldiers lived and slept, and they provided the soldiers protection from enemy fire. The trenches were very elaborate, as they had multiple levels and included fortified bunkers, pillboxes, and machine gun nests. The trenches at the front lines had electric fences in front of them in order to deter Republic soldiers from trying to assault the trenches. Armored vehicles such as hovertanks were present. However, there was also heavier artillery present in the trenches, such as the V1 Stalker, which was a mobile heavy weapons platform that included autocannons, missile pods, and anti-personnel turrets. The Stalker could act as an anti-infantry weapon, an anti-artillery weapon, and even an anti-aircraft weapon. The Stalker also had its own energy shield in order to protect it. Another armored fighting vehicle present was the V2 Hammer, which was an armored mech walker. The Hammer was armed with a huge plasma machine gun and missile launchers. It was effective against enemy artillery and especially infantry, as it could rip scores of soldiers apart at once with its machine gun.

As the battle continued, Stalkers continued to bombard the Republican trenches from a distance, while the Hammers and other defenses picked off any Clone Troopers that tried to come near the Covenant trenches. Most of the soldiers were currently in the lower levels of their trenches, as a sandstorm was about to pass over the area and they did not want to be caught inside of it. A few soldiers stayed on the surface to keep watch.

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
He Returns

In a small temple not even a mile out from the battle, a temple which stood over the Valley overlooking it, the structure itself looked as if it was created only a week ago, but on the inside of said structure, was an intricate set of hallways leading to a many abandoned rooms within the medium sized structure, all was quiet in this temple, but there was only a single room which had something akin to a stasis chamber within it. While there was no ice within the chamber of the Stasis Pod, there was a single man who sat on a throne within the Stasis Chamber, a figure in Red War Armor, long, spiky hair, and with his eyes closed as if in meditation.

Asumar Masaki

The man in the chamber, one who had slept for over 200,000 Years according to the time on the Chamber, was none other than the feared Asumar Masaki himself, the man long ago thought to be killed, not from his injuries, but from a natural death, sat in that throne within the Stasis Chamber, but as the Covenant and the Republic began to fight it out on the Desert Planet, Asumar's sleeping form would begin to twitch, a sign of awaking yet again from his slumber.

All around the Desert Planet, even atop the Covenant and Republic battlefield, with Thunder booming, and Lightning crackling across the battlefield, as if a terrible omen was coming upon both the Republic and the Covenant, the man of hell, the second brother, and even the one they called the Devil Himself, was slowly awakening out of his sleep, to wreak a horrible vengeance on everyone in the Galaxy.

He Awakens

As the Thunderstorms began to intensify with horrible power, Asumar's eyes quickly opened, a dark aura forming around him as within moments, the door to the Stasis Chamber was blown right off of its hinges, Asumar emerging out of the Stasis Chamber very constricted like, before merely cracking his neck, as if all his bones relaxed within mere moments, Asumar let out a dark sigh, before he used The Force to trigger a massive Earthquake, feeling the surface below him shake, he began to chuckle darkly, a smile forming on his face "Well Brother..." Asumar replied darkly as he began walking out of his Stasis Room "... you failed in keeping me severed from the Force." Asumar chuckled, as he began interfacing with his Command Gauntlet, sending out a command for all his Masaki Guardians to be activated, as if through the force he knew of the presence of both the Covenant and the Republic.

---

225th Desert Jumper Division (300,000 Men, 59 Armor Divisions)

Right as the Republic Clone Troopers had begun to attack, they were interrupted by a massive thunderstorm which had formed over the battlefield, something of which confused the Sandtrooper Commander, a thunderstorm like this never happened on this planet, there was no liquid to draw off of!, something very suspicious was happening on the planet, as if the Clone Commander had a feeling what was about to happen "Hold Your Positions men!, don't fire yet!"

[Northern Arcadian Empire]

Unknown planet, Procyon System-

The probe reached the planet and started to pass through the planets atmosphere, as it exited the atmosphere it began to scan the planet taking samples of the air and it's toxicity. Once it got all of the samples needed for the atmosphere it flew toward the planet to collect data on the planet and what it holds......

Later......
The probe began to fly back to Arcadia with its new data and results, as it flew through space it regrouped with a cruiser that was on patrol near the planet, and it had good news for the Emperor and the citizens of the NAE

[G-Tech Corporation]

"Why do we waste resources on barren worlds, denuded corpses swirling in the void? Why use countless rotations of the Prime to watch expired systems, to breath life into that which has never felt the beat of a heart or the touch of a hand? It is for art's sake that we do so, to nurture and cherish the possibilities of the cosmos. Where a thousand species perish before their time, we raise up the dead to grasp anew the potential of existence. Where Potentials destroy, we nourish. Before the eye of the All-Sire we are not slayers or usurpers, but caretakers." - From the Codex Astronimicus Aviatus

BelowSpace Coordinates 1109:37R:7835
Timestamp: 568:2010:111:679:22 MBA
Havanian Group, Milky Way Galaxy, System 89472-01a
Monitoring Station Dorwinat, Erasmus Jta Ameral Commanding Chosen
Mainframe Upload warr. PT-CH. Cont.

Deep at the heart of the world, this glittering gem in the endless void, a silent signal was received. Traces of extrasolar flight, disturbances in the cosmic wind; these were the ripples of a pebble falling into the mirror-blackness of the ancient facility, and as they spread they lapped against more than inert rocky shores. Vacant halls, as quiet as tombs, soundlessly hummed back to life, the soft luminescence of glowglobes walking them as ghosts. Down one of the halls, over a deep pit bored into the depths of the planet, a single point of light bobbed. It pulsed with a deep mauve hue, a color not offensive to the eyes, but soothing. Beyond its feeble twining light the chasm fell away to nothingness, and on either side of the cylindrical shaft figures were carved in the shimmering blackness, faces as dark as obsidian and the walls of night made physical. Curious figures they were, of men, and women, fair of form and limb, but their faces were harsh. No smiles split the graven images in twain, nor did laughter soothe their chiseled features. They were resolute, strong, hard, and even as the light of the shifting globe fell on them they seemed to disappear with fell intent.

The light continued, passing into a single doorway cut in the immense chamber, where it passed on into smaller halls of dark stone and steel. They were tall, enough for two men to stand upon each other with ease, but narrow, as if they were made for only one walker at a time. Here and there the passageway branched off, glimpses of strange machines and empty corridors passed quickly by. But not all of these corridors were empty; from some more tiny luminescences appeared, each about the size of a fist. They were of other hues, some emerald, some scarlet, some even a radiant citrine. In a silent symphony they joined the first globe, one after another, until a veritable armada swarmed along the hallway, filling it with a rainbow of electromagnetic radiation. Into a single chamber they swept, high with a vaulted cieling. It seemed to have no roof, the inky darkness receding upwards beyond the reach of the eye. But that did not concern the globes.

About a slab they swirled, a slab of translucent silver like water, a slab that lay in the center of the chamber. Silently they assumed their positions, points of color in the gloom, ringing the poured metal about with bands of light. As the fireflies, the glowglobes, watched, a deep thrum filled the chamber. As unfathomable as the seas, as sonorous as the lament of the stars, it resounded through the earth, pounding between empty chambers and vacant halls, abandoned tombs and forgotten adjuncts. With each pulse of the wave of sound a small grain of the silver stirred, swirling as if it were not solid but liquid, and after a few stretched minutes the entirety of the mass was roiled. As a sea it turned and rose, waves of liquid metal turning hither and thither and crashing broken against another.

From this chaos a man emerged, as silvered as a mirror, his skin reflective radiance. Almost as a dreamer awaking in a bed he sat up, and the slab quieted suddenly, a storm abated at the break of day. He swung his legs over the side of the slab, and as they touched the dark ground fleshy tones suffused them, the deep pink and smokey orange of skin racing up from his toes through his form. Hair became a dark brown instead of white, eyes flushed with twin hues of orange and a sky blue, and a languid grin flashed in pearly ivory from his barely parted lips.

Erasmus stood up, stretching like a cat, and yawned. Placing his hands on his hips, which were resplendent in a coal-gray greatcoat, the Singer contemplated the glowglobes whirring about him. The mauve progenitor approached him, twining about a proffered hand like an affectionate cat, and the Singer nodded. Her color told him all he needed to know; Potentials had been spotted in this system, disturbing this Seeding. Turning on bare feet, he took several steps towards the archway, and frowned. From his calves a strange extruding took place, black leather flowing out like water until well-polished boots had joined his garb. Smiling now, Erasmus left the Awakening Chamber.

There was much work to do.

[Segmentia]

Andromeda galaxy, Dual Empire

The capital city/world of the Dual Empire had been precision built from the first structure. When the two nations that made up the Dual Empire had united neither side wanted to have the new capital in the others established space, as it was seen as a slight on their honor. So a new world had been selected, and the expansive cities and facilities had been built up since then. The principle city, Segmentia, was the grandest of them, a mix of both nations architecture, mixed with modern and classical. The center piece was the Palace, of course, home of the Empress, her court, and her personal guard legion. Upon being crowned the monarch could select their own legion from the Imperial Military to act as their guard force, rather then it being the same legion for every monarch. These legions were usually Xen'Karii exclusive or mixed species legions, as no one could really deny the martial prowess and warrior abilities of the Xen'Karii.

The monarchs themselves had been, for the last two millennia, been predominantly female. This was due to the fact that monarchs were almost always half-breeds, mix between human and Xen'Karii, which were rather rare themselves, though also had a higher population of females. That was not to say there hadn't been male rulers, or pure human and Xen'Karii rulers, half-breeds were simply preferred. The current monarch, Her Eternal Majesty Victoria K’Svahh-Lividivus was the eldest daughter of the last monarch, and had ruled for three decades so far. She was still seen as young, being eighty years old, though she had been tested well enough over her years. The young Empress sat on the throne looking bored. She gazed at her left arm, watching the nanites that it was made of swarm and swirl. She had lost her arm in battle, against the Emperians. Back when she was simply the princess, first contact had been made. It was chaotic, intense. A flash-point conflict that was short, but high intensity. It had been a shining moment for her, really. She couldn't really hate the Emperians, her new arm was quite an improvement in her mind. And now the aliens were close friends and allies. Still though, she did occasionally feel a pang of anger at them.


Syran vii

The landscape burned. Pillars of black smoke rose up to reach the white clouds above. Rock was charred, trees burned to a crisp, and bodies littered the ground. Or at least that's what the primary screen looked like. The command center of the Bolo tank was calm, but busy, the crew checking systems and reading off information. The screen was a holo-image, all the images of an actual battle imposed upon the image by the tanks AI, Victorious Arms. The military wargame with the Emperians had just started hours ago, five legions against an equivalent force of Emperians. It was also the first experience they would have of Bolo's, and if this initial battle was anything to go off of, the massive tanks would prove to be a significant challenge in these wargames, as orbital attacks weren't on the table for either side.

"Enemy forces have retreated from this sector, no doubt heading to better ground." A mechanical, but feminine, voice echoed softly in the command section.

Commander Robert Riggs frowned, looking up from his data-slate. "So it would seem, Victorious Arms." He said. He looked at the holo-display and saw a few platoons of Xen'Karii scouts weaving through some rock patters, the main force setting up a perimeter so the engineers could set up a base-camp. He heard the steady hum as the Bolo slowly moved, having to maneuver around the large rock formation, not wanting to possibly harm any allies, as well as not wanting to destroy such a valuable defensive position, as they may need it later.

"I've been in touch with infantry command, and have arranged for two companies of escorts while we move through this forest." A second display popped up, showing their route and the area around it. "They'll meet us at the forests edge." Victorious Arms informed him. Riggs nodded, as the AI technically was his superior, every Bolo AI having a rank of colonel, but they always worked with their organic crew rather then outright commanding them.

[Northern Arcadian Empire]

Procyon System, Milky Way Galaxy
NAE Holy Water-

"My lord the probe has returned and has brought great news! The planet that we have discovered is rich in titanium and other natural resources" said the Captain to the Emperor

The Emperor scratched his chin "Mmm, the reports look good send down a few Raptors to explore the planet"

The Captain bowed "As you wish" he said as the screen snapped off

Later-

Four Raptor gunships left the Cruiser and headed toward the planet to do some exploring and setup a small camp for the incoming colonist

[G-Tech Corporation]

"It is in the best interests of the Praternum to have our eyes in as many places as possible, our spies in as many systems as possible, and our ears pressed against the doors of the universe. Not only does such an attitude serve the Creed by teaching us more about the cosmos, but it serves our strategic interests amongst the stars marvelously well." - Ar-Techsin Vermassus Id'ameral, Address to the Praternum Techna M1449

BelowSpace Coordinates 1109:37R:7835
Timestamp: 582:2010:111:679:22 MBA
Havanian Group, Milky Way Galaxy, System 89472-01a
Monitoring Station Dorwinat, Erasmus Jta Ameral Commanding Chosen
Mainframe Upload warr. PT-CH. Cont.

The contrails of the gunships traced lines of white in the sky as they descended to earth, metallic hulls glinting in the setting fires of the last hours of the day. Journey, as Erasmus had named this world so many rotations ago, was a beautiful and volatile world, still bearing the marks of her ascent from ignominy in ages past. Her core was stable, but her atmosphere unsteady; here, high on the sheer face of the mountain overlooking the valley the outsiders had landed in, the Aviat contemplated the weather. Thick fat raindrops fell on his skin, icy and stinging with cold, refreshing. It was so pleasant, to emerge and experience once more, instead of to merely dream. That was why he was an Aviat, at least. Too young and enamored of the wonders of the Omnissah's handiwork, he was not stolid enough for the uplink to satiate him forever like so many of the Choir. Before him the tableau of the storm unfolded; a great tumult as tall as the roof of the atmosphere was brewing to the north, shutting out the radiant pinks and reds of the dying day. Gray and looming it stretched to the south, a weather system as large as a continent, jagged shreds of black cloud clawing fingers to strangle the world. The rotation of Journey was still too fast, despite her lush vegetation and habitable day cycle. Time though, it would seem, was not on his side.

They seemed... normal. These Potentials that walked the virgin soil of his world, they were as he and his kind had been in the vanished past. Bipedal uprights, primates. The cosmos was a strange mistress, and the All-Sire in his wisdom had bestowed a natural form on so many of his sapients like unto his favored children to which he had revealed himself. Oh some of them had what appeared to be interesting adaptations; the ears of a feline, perhaps, as he could discern from this distance of several kilometers. But that was not his concern. They were interfering with the Seeding, and their every breath spread micro-organisms he had not adapted this web of ecosystems to accommodate. They would have to be dealt with, one way or another.

As the storm struck, lightening lashing the earth, hurricane winds tearing at tree and beast, Erasmus descended through the storm. The tumult carried him as a leaf, his internal gravitics guiding him unerringly towards the landing sight, his garb whipping about him as the pale hues of the Dive kindled in the depths of his eyes.

[The Orson Empire]

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
Dark Jedi Space

As a sudden, violent thunderstorm erupted over the battlefield, the Covenant soldiers simply watched in awe. Storms were very rare on UDF-1, so they knew that this was no coincidence. Then, all of the Cho'Dosan soldiers began to sense a very powerful psionic presence, but it was unusual since it appeared to be coming from the thunderstorms.

In one of the front-line trenches, a vice-general who was in command of the 7th Corps was viewing the scene with his electric binoculars in order to see if he could find anything that was unordinary.

"What in the hell is going on?" he asked his subordinates, who stood nearby. "Not once during this battle have we seen a storm of this intensity!"

"Many of the soldiers also sense a psionic disturbance," an officer would reply. "We are not sure what is going on, but whatever it is, it is extraordinarily powerful."

[The Fallen Jedi]

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
Dark Jedi Space

As a sudden, violent thunderstorm erupted over the battlefield, the Covenant soldiers simply watched in awe. Storms were very rare on UDF-1, so they knew that this was no coincidence. Then, all of the Cho'Dosan soldiers began to sense a very powerful psionic presence, but it was unusual since it appeared to be coming from the thunderstorms.

In one of the front-line trenches, a vice-general who was in command of the 7th Corps was viewing the scene with his electric binoculars in order to see if he could find anything that was unordinary.

"What in the hell is going on?" he asked his subordinates, who stood nearby. "Not once during this battle have we seen a storm of this intensity!"

"Many of the soldiers also sense a psionic disturbance," an officer would reply. "We are not sure what is going on, but whatever it is, it is extraordinarily powerful."

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
Asumar Masaki: The God Awakened

Within moments, the Thunderstorm would then begin to create a massive mist all around the battlefield, allowing Asumar to slip in undetected into the battle, even the Clone Troopers, who watched in awe of the destructive power of the thunderstorm dared not to make a move in the battle, fearing that something bad was about to happen, even the Clone Commander shook with awe, before turning abruptly to his Clone Troopers "Quickly!, fortify the positions!, whatever is coming can certainly not be good." And how right would the Clone Commander be, as all around the planet, Tombs belonging to Asumar's Masaki Guardians were slowly and silently activating, allowing Masaki Guardians to begin marching out and walking towards the central battlefield.

He Arrives

While Asumar, who used the Force to fly towards the Battlefield would stop almost before the cliff side of the valley, using The Force to lift the fog up from the battlefield, and making the thunderous clouds dissipate, sunlight beginning to beam off of him as he would stare down at the opposing enemies, the Cho'dosians, and the Dark Jedi Republic, he knew who they both were, and what they did, the Dark Jedi Republic had copied his brothers ideals of peace, something of which disgusted him, and looked towards the Covenant Soldiers, Asumar smirked and chuckled, the Covenant should have been killed off entirely in his own opinion, he thought of them as lower than him.

Asumar would slowly part his lips, before stating to the opponents, these two single words "How..." Asumar's eyes would change from obsidian and black, to Blood Red "Unsightly." Asumar stated, his eyes and face showing signs of disgust at both combatants.

[The Orson Empire]

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
Dark Jedi Space

As the fog cleared, the Cho'Dosans looked at the menacing figure who was standing on a cliff. Asumar's psionic strength was so powerful that the Cho'Dosans could sense it, and it had overwhelmed them. The soldiers were stunned, and they did not move at all. All of them focused their attention at Asumar. Finally, the soldiers began to snap out of their trance once their officers began to order them to prepare for battle. The soldiers scrambled, manning their positions.

As Masaki Guardians began to activate, Cho'Dosan Psionists began to group together. The Psionists were an elite spec-ops unit of the Covenant Military that was trained to use psionic powers. They were fast, tough, and vicious, and not to be taken lightly. They wore their own customized armor and had their own customized weapons. They were generally envied in Covenant rank's due to their power. They had been sent to UDF-1 in order to do various operations such as sabotaging enemy trenches and espionage.

The Psionist groups moved forward through the trenches and took their positions.....

---

Unidentified Star System
Outside of Dark Jedi Space
Theme Music

For countless months, Covenant High Command had been planning and preparing an offensive so large and unprecedented that it would change history forever. Overlord Sian Niam also directed the planning, as he was commander-in-chief of the Covenant Military. Nothing like this had ever been attempted before in Covenant history, not even during the Covenant-Zorgon War, which had been the bloodiest war in Covenant history up to this point. Most, if not the entire Covenant Military would end up participating in this offensive (thought not all at one time).

The offensive in question was codenamed Operation Apocalypse. The operation began with a gigantic attack on Kamino, which was where the Dark Jedi produced their Clone Troopers. If Kamino was successfully taken, then the production of Clone Troopers would cease, giving the Covenant a massive advantage in the war. The attack on Kamino called for a staggering 80,000 ships, making it the largest invasion fleet ever assembled thus far in Covenant history. After Kamino was taken, Operation Apocalypse would begin to pick up speed, as fleets from the Covenant-occupied portions of Dark Jedi space began blitzkrieg-like movements and devastated the Republic. This would finally put an end to the war's current deadlock. The operation would finally culminate in an attack on the Dark Jedi capital of Reserdan from all sides.

Hundreds of fleets had already begun to assemble weeks before the date Operation Apocalypse was supposed to begin (which would happen soon) in an unidentified star system outside of Dark Jedi space. The system had not previously been owned by either the Dark Jedi or the Covenant, and was barren of any intelligent species. The Covenant had decided to use it as a staging base for their attack on Kamino in order to avoid detection by the Dark Jedi.

From this system, spy drones were also sent to Kamino in order to observe its defenses.

[The Fallen Jedi]

Unidentified Desert Planet (UDF-1)
Dark Jedi Space

As the fog cleared, the Cho'Dosans looked at the menacing figure who was standing on a cliff. Asumar's psionic strength was so powerful that the Cho'Dosans could sense it, and it had overwhelmed them. The soldiers were stunned, and they did not move at all. All of them focused their attention at Asumar. Finally, the soldiers began to snap out of their trance once their officers began to order them to prepare for battle. The soldiers scrambled, manning their positions.

As Masaki Guardians began to activate, Cho'Dosan Psionists began to group together. The Psionists were an elite spec-ops unit of the Covenant Military that was trained to use psionic powers. They were fast, tough, and vicious, and not to be taken lightly. They wore their own customized armor and had their own customized weapons. They were generally envied in Covenant rank's due to their power. They had been sent to UDF-1 in order to do various operations such as sabotaging enemy trenches and espionage.

The Psionist groups moved forward through the trenches and took their positions.....

Asumar Masaki
Planet UDF-1
The Power of a Demi God

Asumar chuckled noticing at how the Covenant had sent its own Psionists to fight against him, it was pitiful in his eyes to see such an effort be made against him, maybe now he could show the Covenant and the Republic a small, yet powerful fraction of his own power, the power of a Celestial, even though he was only a Human-Celestial Hybrid, Asumar studied in the Celestial Secrets to further increase his powers to make him much more feared, and now Asumar, after 200,000 Years was going to show it to his latest victims.

Asumar would allow the Storm Clouds to form overhead above him, and smirked as a Blood Red Aura began to surround his body, the aura continuing to grow at a great and rapid rate, the Storm Clouds beginning to shoot out lightning all around the battlefield, but this was nothing in comparison to Asumar, whose body started to let out frightening amounts of Force Lighting which shot out all around him, Asumar did not say or do anything as he stood, his arms crossed as this power continued to emit from him.

Asumar would then jump down from the cliffside, standing in between the two opposing forces, although not in the middle, he knew that most eyes were on him now, he looked disapprovingly at both sides, smirking as he felt his Masaki Guardians stealthily approach from all sides of the planet, even feeling the silent earthquakes under the planet, knowing that the fleets hidden within were warming up.

225th Desert Jumper Division (300,000 Men, 59 Armor Divisions)

As Asumar had jumped off the cliff side of the valley, the Clone Troopers were eying both him and the Covenant, but the Clones were considering their options with the Covenant, either fight alongside them to take this Asumar on, or fighting the Covenant, the decision was tough to make, but eventually, the Clone Commander, who had shaken his head relatively quickly shouted "Open Fire on that man!!!" He shouted quickly, some of the Clone Troopers starting to fire at Asumar.

Asumar started laughing as he pulled out his Gunbai, which was made out of an unidentified material that allowed it to take almost any force thrown at it, to take the brunt of the Rifle Blasts, before Asumar would send a orb of Force Lighting towards the Covenant Troops.

[Ralnis]

Legion Outer Systems

There is a saying that goes to the galactic powers of the Andromeda and it goes" if you want take risk, then make sure you don't kick the beehive to much". It was true that they raided the other galactic superpowers, that goes without saying for they will probably want to experiment their new nasty weapons or try to get tech they are interested in. However, their have always been more time that they want to rise to power via conquest of all sorts. It makes feel more like a militaristic nation then a raider state, though no one knows in the Legion what they call themselves, they just call themselves the Legion and like it like that.

One of the things the Red Legates had tried before was trying to invade the frontier border of the Ascendancy before but that was to no avail, practically because they did not had the troops that they had at the time and the massive QE-FTL communication that allowed them to have quick response against the slow tactics of the Legion at the time. However, things had changed and so had their goals. The Red Legates of course wanted to expand the Legion's reach into new space through invasion, but they wanted to know how to build their own network to increase their expansions of a vast communication network for better organization in the Legion and complete communication between the Core and Outer Systems.

This alone had started getting the war drums going as everyone was preparing for a second attempt to go into the Ascendancy frontier space and try their hand again at taking what they wanted and with this they started their war machines and started to send forward stealth scouts at the frontier to see where the weakest defenses are at and then exploit. Normal fighting tactics will be used and everyone knew it, they just hope that they are able to accomplish something this time.

[Northern Arcadian Empire]

"It is in the best interests of the Praternum to have our eyes in as many places as possible, our spies in as many systems as possible, and our ears pressed against the doors of the universe. Not only does such an attitude serve the Creed by teaching us more about the cosmos, but it serves our strategic interests amongst the stars marvelously well." - Ar-Techsin Vermassus Id'ameral, Address to the Praternum Techna M1449

BelowSpace Coordinates 1109:37R:7835
Timestamp: 582:2010:111:679:22 MBA
Havanian Group, Milky Way Galaxy, System 89472-01a
Monitoring Station Dorwinat, Erasmus Jta Ameral Commanding Chosen
Mainframe Upload warr. PT-CH. Cont.

The contrails of the gunships traced lines of white in the sky as they descended to earth, metallic hulls glinting in the setting fires of the last hours of the day. Journey, as Erasmus had named this world so many rotations ago, was a beautiful and volatile world, still bearing the marks of her ascent from ignominy in ages past. Her core was stable, but her atmosphere unsteady; here, high on the sheer face of the mountain overlooking the valley the outsiders had landed in, the Aviat contemplated the weather. Thick fat raindrops fell on his skin, icy and stinging with cold, refreshing. It was so pleasant, to emerge and experience once more, instead of to merely dream. That was why he was an Aviat, at least. Too young and enamored of the wonders of the Omnissah's handiwork, he was not stolid enough for the uplink to satiate him forever like so many of the Choir. Before him the tableau of the storm unfolded; a great tumult as tall as the roof of the atmosphere was brewing to the north, shutting out the radiant pinks and reds of the dying day. Gray and looming it stretched to the south, a weather system as large as a continent, jagged shreds of black cloud clawing fingers to strangle the world. The rotation of Journey was still too fast, despite her lush vegetation and habitable day cycle. Time though, it would seem, was not on his side.

They seemed... normal. These Potentials that walked the virgin soil of his world, they were as he and his kind had been in the vanished past. Bipedal uprights, primates. The cosmos was a strange mistress, and the All-Sire in his wisdom had bestowed a natural form on so many of his sapients like unto his favored children to which he had revealed himself. Oh some of them had what appeared to be interesting adaptations; the ears of a feline, perhaps, as he could discern from this distance of several kilometers. But that was not his concern. They were interfering with the Seeding, and their every breath spread micro-organisms he had not adapted this web of ecosystems to accommodate. They would have to be dealt with, one way or another.

As the storm struck, lightening lashing the earth, hurricane winds tearing at tree and beast, Erasmus descended through the storm. The tumult carried him as a leaf, his internal gravitics guiding him unerringly towards the landing sight, his garb whipping about him as the pale hues of the Dive kindled in the depths of his eyes.

Procyon System, Milky Way Galaxy

"Damn we got a storm inbond!" Yelled the Pilot turning his head to the cargo bay of the lead gunship.
It was suppose to be a easy land and plant mission not a ride form hell itself, the gunship shook as the winds battered against it. Finally Captian Himer have his orders "Land us near those mountains over there!" He said pointing to a towering mountain range "That should protect us for this storm"
"Copy, all gunships divert to Coordiantes Bravo Charile 1685" said the pilot as he pointed the gunship to the mountains.

Soon the gunships landed in a circle formation, Troopers ran out with tarps and other wind and rain resistant equipment, then setting up a large cruel structure. The Captian walk out and ordered everyone to take shelter and wait out the storm, before he went inside the structure he whisper "Damn this storm, why god?"