Thessian First Contact War of 2175 (FT CLOSED)

[Taigawa]

The year is 2175. The exploding population of Thessia and her colonies have led to another age of colonialization, this time outside the M13 supercluster, the region of space in which Thessian Civilization evolved. Using The Mantle as their guide in dealing with other civilizations, the Imperial Interstellar Empire of Taigawa has slowly expanded it's influence into the main area of the Milky Way. Intervening in the affairs of weaker civilizations and uplifting them to where they could join the galactic community. Led by the Imperial Council and overseen by Empress Neyla, the near-immortal head of the Patalia Dynasty, Thessian Civilization entered a prosperous golden age the likes of which it had never known. As a colonial and exploration fleet entered yet another system, Thessia was about to learn that not all civilizations would be as cooroperative...

The Rules:

All NS rules apply
No godmodding/metagaming/etc
I am OP: My word is law

[Riysa]

Koloonia 57-29 (to be named "Jatha")
~30 LY outside the Rõhuv Surilina

Koloonia 57-29. A world located around 30 light years outside of of the Rõhuv Surilina and current VTA boundaries, and currently the only Voimus world located outside of the Surilina, other than the strategic gate world of Masälõn. Apart from being in the habitable zone and not necessitating terraforming to be initially settled, there was nothing special about this world to the Voimus Star Union that they had yet discovered.

Except its distance - 30 light years from Masälõn - made it an excellent location for marking the boundary of the Second Expansion, which was just coming underway. Colonizing a world already filled with life and suitible for human habitation was way more preferred to having to construct and tow a starbase to some lifeless rock, not to mention the fact that the colony could produce useful goods in the near future to support the Star Union. For this purpose, thirty thousand colonists had left their homes and volunteered to join the expedition, who were now setting up a town with the help of prefabricated structures and modular infrastructure. It was hard work, but it would hopefully be worth it, and plus they could rely on a ship from Masälõn arriving every week, bringing them whatever they needed.

In terms of security, several colonists had been chosen to form the Jatha Koloniaal-Planeetidekaitseväelast (KPK, Colonial Planetary Defense Force), starting up the 1st Jatha KPK Regiment along with volunteers from other VTA worlds. They were lightly armed however, having nothing heavy beyond a few man-portable missiles and armored cars, and they furthermore had many other duties beyond garrison; as Colonel Rion - the new commander - stated, the Jatha KPK was one-thirds military, one-thirds police force, and one-thirds slave labor. The low readiness and poor equipment of the KPK worried him a bit, but there hadn't been any rebellions in the Star Union in a while, and no intelligent life had yet been discovered or suspected to exist. There was nothing out there; nothing to hurt him or his colonists...right?

[Taigawa]

Koloonia 57-29 (to be named "Jatha")
~30 LY outside the Rõhuv Surilina

Koloonia 57-29. A world located around 30 light years outside of of the Rõhuv Surilina and current VTA boundaries, and currently the only Voimus world located outside of the Surilina, other than the strategic gate world of Masälõn. Apart from being in the habitable zone and not necessitating terraforming to be initially settled, there was nothing special about this world to the Voimus Star Union that they had yet discovered.

Except its distance - 30 light years from Masälõn - made it an excellent location for marking the boundary of the Second Expansion, which was just coming underway. Colonizing a world already filled with life and suitible for human habitation was way more preferred to having to construct and tow a starbase to some lifeless rock, not to mention the fact that the colony could produce useful goods in the near future to support the Star Union. For this purpose, thirty thousand colonists had left their homes and volunteered to join the expedition, who were now setting up a town with the help of prefabricated structures and modular infrastructure. It was hard work, but it would hopefully be worth it, and plus they could rely on a ship from Masälõn arriving every week, bringing them whatever they needed.

In terms of security, several colonists had been chosen to form the Jatha Koloniaal-Planeetidekaitseväelast (KPK, Colonial Planetary Defense Force), starting up the 1st Jatha KPK Regiment along with volunteers from other VTA worlds. They were lightly armed however, having nothing heavy beyond a few man-portable missiles and armored cars, and they furthermore had many other duties beyond garrison; as Colonel Rion - the new commander - stated, the Jatha KPK was one-thirds military, one-thirds police force, and one-thirds slave labor. The low readiness and poor equipment of the KPK worried him a bit, but there hadn't been any rebellions in the Star Union in a while, and no intelligent life had yet been discovered or suspected to exist. There was nothing out there; nothing to hurt him or his colonists...right?

Sector 3, Mughal System, Mughal III (To be named Illium) 1,578 LY from Thessia

A small fleet, consisting of a small number of civilian colonial vessals and a small number of frigates to protect them jumped in-system. A probe had been sent here from Trinity Station, the nearest colony a decade ago. It had activated here, penging a signal that could then be used by the engineers in charge of the Jumpspace Modulator to plot a course and arrive within minutes. Without such a beacon, travel there would be nearly impossible; The FTL tech of the Thessians could only work if the destination was known. The civilian ships, 4 in total, were of various sizes and carried but 23,000 people. The small frigates- there were two of them- were meant for defense only and had been stripped of their most powerful weapons.

They arrived at the planet first and began scanning it. The civilian craft were not far behind.

AI: "Scanning.....Warning: Signs of civilization detected.
Population: 30,000.
Technology Tier: 2.
Recommand protocol Alpha."

Protocol Alpha was simple: A drone would be sent to acertain the location of the main settlement, and then a First Contact team would be sent after it. An airlock opened on one of the frigates, and a triangular drone was sent speeding towards where the first signs of civilization was detected.

[Riysa]

Jatha City, Jatha

Jatha City - if it could be called a city - was the primary and only settlement on Jatha, consisting of prefabricated composite houses and shops, a small but comparatively impressive marble republican palace, a large plot of land set aside as the temporary spaceport, and the KPK headquarters. Generally unimpressive, especially compared to the glittering megacities of steel and crystal glass on Terra Võimus, or the Victorian towns and hamlets of Masälõn, but it got the job done.

That's what Trooper Joonas Avar of the Jatha KPK thought to himself, as he looked at the town from a nearby hill, waiting for his sergeant to give him a new set of orders. His squad was outside the city, selected for surveying work to help establish the initial farming plots, a necessary if tedious task. It was boring work, but it beat doing endless drills...plus, they got to ride in one of the precious few APCs they had brought with them. Well, it seemed today would be a exceptionally good day.

Then, the peace he was enjoying was broken, as if his most recent thought had jinxed it in some way. At around the same time he started to hear the distant wails of air raid sirens emanating from Jatha City, his comms-piece buzzed with life with the sound of his sergeant barking orders over the squad comms net.

"Everyone to the APC, now! We're being ordered to return to headquarters, its an emergency." Everyone sounded off in the affirmative as the scattered squad started running in the direction of the vehicle, parked on the other side of the hill.

"Sergeant Tahe, what's going on?" The youngest of the squad, 18-year old Johan Tamm of Kaskmägi, inquired after they had all returned to the armored vehicle and were underway back to Jatha City. "Quiet! I'm trying to listen." Was the only response he got, along with a stern glare as the sergeant talked back and forth with what was presumably a superior officer over a different communications channel. After several minutes of talking back and forth with whoever was on the other end of the channel, the sergeant signed off, and wiped his forehead, visibly shaken up.

"What's going on is that a fleet of unidentified ships tripped the tripwire and entered orbit over Jatha. The shapes and KAJO returns don't match any Star Force vessels, civilian classifications, or rebel ships."

The implication didn't sink in initially for the rest of the soldiers. "Well, sergeant, are we under attack from a new Separatist or Communionist fleet?" Avar asked.

The sergeant looked at him with a pitiful stare, then looked around to see if anyone would reply. When he was just met with blank stares, he sighed and sat back in his seat. "It means that we've got a front-row seat to the discovery of intelligent alien life, you voidskulls. Listen up. If we're not immediately needed once we return back to headquarters, I want everyone to start drilling at the firing range and assault course until you receive a contrary order. We need to be ready to fight in case they want our planet."

That shut everyone up for good.

A few minutes before,
Jatha Koloniaal-Planeetidekaitseväelast Headquarters, Jatha City

Inside a conference room in the KPK headquarters, Colonel Rion gave a briefing to the few high-ranking officers on Jatha, as well as the colonial governor and a major wearing the uniform of the Tähe Sõjaväeluure (Stellar Military Intelligence) - the colonial military liaison between Terra Voimus and Jatha.

"At precisely 0900 hours local time, the KAJO satellites of our early warning constellation detected six unknown ships entering the system at this gravitational point."

The meeting was serious; instead of wearing a typical officer's half-dress uniform, the commanders present instead wore fatigues, camouflaged with a digital woodland pattern matching the local environment of Jatha, as determined by the initial survey of the planet. They even wore body armor, and kept their gyrojet pistols loaded and ready inside hip holsters.

"The KAJO satellites sent out an IFF challenge, and having received no response, tripped the paarisaja. Without a doubt, these ships have never been seen before, after cross referencing NCTR KAJO returns, optical images, and emissions intercepts with known ship types, as displayed here. No Separatist could possibly have the resources, knowledge, and stealth required to completely build even a single ship from scratch, let alone a fleet of them, especially considering the differences in design principles between VTA-originating starships and these unknown bogeys. Thus, this fleet being of a xenobiotic origin is a definite fact."

There were no aliens on Jatha yet, so it may have seemed a bit excessive, but who was to say that these aliens could simply teleport into Jatha City or drop directly on top of the HQ? Science fiction had obviously dealt with a whole variety of issues regarding aliens and space travel, but in the end, science fiction was fiction - no one really had any idea of what an alien race was capable of or what it thought about, and any one who claimed otherwise was a damned liar.

"As we can not be sure of the intentions of these aliens, we have already taken the precaution of mobilizing the KPK and ordering civilians to underground shelters. KPK soldiers will have their hostile environment/CRBN suits at the ready. If anything, it might give us an advantage in that the aliens won't know much about what we look like, if they open up negotiations, or at least protect them if the aliens decide to unleash some weapon of mass destruction on Jatha. All heavy weapons, including anti-tank missiles and MANPADS, have been moved from the armory and given to the active and reserve squads for use, though the current TOE prevents their use unless the shooting starts." Colonel Rizon took a sip of water from a bottle before continuing.

"Now, I'm assigning each of your battalions to these locations...hmm?" Colonel Rion leaned forward as an aide whispered into his ear, who then sharply saluted and left. "Well, gentlemen. It appears that a vehicle has been launched from one of the ships, presumably a reconnaissance aircraft or autonomous vehicle. The Star Force command at Masälõn has already been alerted, and we expect to hear from them shortly. I've already detailed your orders. Dismissed." The officers stood up and saluted, then hurriedly walked out of the door to prepare for this world-shaking event. It could go anywhere, now...

[Taigawa]

Jatha City, Jatha

Jatha City - if it could be called a city - was the primary and only settlement on Jatha, consisting of prefabricated composite houses and shops, a small but comparatively impressive marble republican palace, a large plot of land set aside as the temporary spaceport, and the KPK headquarters. Generally unimpressive, especially compared to the glittering megacities of steel and crystal glass on Terra Võimus, or the Victorian towns and hamlets of Masälõn, but it got the job done.

That's what Trooper Joonas Avar of the Jatha KPK thought to himself, as he looked at the town from a nearby hill, waiting for his sergeant to give him a new set of orders. His squad was outside the city, selected for surveying work to help establish the initial farming plots, a necessary if tedious task. It was boring work, but it beat doing endless drills...plus, they got to ride in one of the precious few APCs they had brought with them. Well, it seemed today would be a exceptionally good day.

Then, the peace he was enjoying was broken, as if his most recent thought had jinxed it in some way. At around the same time he started to hear the distant wails of air raid sirens emanating from Jatha City, his comms-piece buzzed with life with the sound of his sergeant barking orders over the squad comms net.

"Everyone to the APC, now! We're being ordered to return to headquarters, its an emergency." Everyone sounded off in the affirmative as the scattered squad started running in the direction of the vehicle, parked on the other side of the hill.

"Sergeant Tahe, what's going on?" The youngest of the squad, 18-year old Johan Tamm of Kaskmägi, inquired after they had all returned to the armored vehicle and were underway back to Jatha City. "Quiet! I'm trying to listen." Was the only response he got, along with a stern glare as the sergeant talked back and forth with what was presumably a superior officer over a different communications channel. After several minutes of talking back and forth with whoever was on the other end of the channel, the sergeant signed off, and wiped his forehead, visibly shaken up.

"What's going on is that a fleet of unidentified ships tripped the tripwire and entered orbit over Jatha. The shapes and KAJO returns don't match any Star Force vessels, civilian classifications, or rebel ships."

The implication didn't sink in initially for the rest of the soldiers. "Well, sergeant, are we under attack from a new Separatist or Communionist fleet?" Avar asked.

The sergeant looked at him with a pitiful stare, then looked around to see if anyone would reply. When he was just met with blank stares, he sighed and sat back in his seat. "It means that we've got a front-row seat to the discovery of intelligent alien life, you voidskulls. Listen up. If we're not immediately needed once we return back to headquarters, I want everyone to start drilling at the firing range and assault course until you receive a contrary order. We need to be ready to fight in case they want our planet."

That shut everyone up for good.

A few minutes before,
Jatha Koloniaal-Planeetidekaitseväelast Headquarters, Jatha City

Inside a conference room in the KPK headquarters, Colonel Rion gave a briefing to the few high-ranking officers on Jatha, as well as the colonial governor and a major wearing the uniform of the Tähe Sõjaväeluure (Stellar Military Intelligence) - the colonial military liaison between Terra Voimus and Jatha.

"At precisely 0900 hours local time, the KAJO satellites of our early warning constellation detected six unknown ships entering the system at this gravitational point."

The meeting was serious; instead of wearing a typical officer's half-dress uniform, the commanders present instead wore fatigues, camouflaged with a digital woodland pattern matching the local environment of Jatha, as determined by the initial survey of the planet. They even wore body armor, and kept their gyrojet pistols loaded and ready inside hip holsters.

"The KAJO satellites sent out an IFF challenge, and having received no response, tripped the paarisaja. Without a doubt, these ships have never been seen before, after cross referencing NCTR KAJO returns, optical images, and emissions intercepts with known ship types, as displayed here. No Separatist could possibly have the resources, knowledge, and stealth required to completely build even a single ship from scratch, let alone a fleet of them, especially considering the differences in design principles between VTA-originating starships and these unknown bogeys. Thus, this fleet being of a xenobiotic origin is a definite fact."

There were no aliens on Jatha yet, so it may have seemed a bit excessive, but who was to say that these aliens could simply teleport into Jatha City or drop directly on top of the HQ? Science fiction had obviously dealt with a whole variety of issues regarding aliens and space travel, but in the end, science fiction was fiction - no one really had any idea of what an alien race was capable of or what it thought about, and any one who claimed otherwise was a damned liar.

"As we can not be sure of the intentions of these aliens, we have already taken the precaution of mobilizing the KPK and ordering civilians to underground shelters. KPK soldiers will have their hostile environment/CRBN suits at the ready. If anything, it might give us an advantage in that the aliens won't know much about what we look like, if they open up negotiations, or at least protect them if the aliens decide to unleash some weapon of mass destruction on Jatha. All heavy weapons, including anti-tank missiles and MANPADS, have been moved from the armory and given to the active and reserve squads for use, though the current TOE prevents their use unless the shooting starts." Colonel Rizon took a sip of water from a bottle before continuing.

"Now, I'm assigning each of your battalions to these locations...hmm?" Colonel Rion leaned forward as an aide whispered into his ear, who then sharply saluted and left. "Well, gentlemen. It appears that a vehicle has been launched from one of the ships, presumably a reconnaissance aircraft or autonomous vehicle. The Star Force command at Masälõn has already been alerted, and we expect to hear from them shortly. I've already detailed your orders. Dismissed." The officers stood up and saluted, then hurriedly walked out of the door to prepare for this world-shaking event. It could go anywhere, now...

Unidentified city, surface of Illium

The drone hovered about the colony, scanning each structure. The drone was not armed and it's scanners could not see through the walls of buildings, so if the population were either inside the structures or elsewhere, the drone would not know. What it did determine however, was that the city's name was Jatha. After completing it's scanning of the buildings, the drone began to survey the rest of the planet.

"Send in the First Contact Team on a civilian dropship. No need to start fighting if we do not have to." said the commander of one of the frigates. Soon after, a team consisting of the five species that existed on Thessia were sent: An anthro feline, an anthro canine, a human, a kirran, and an asari along with two guards. The dropship landed in the forest near the settlement, a ploy not to frighten the civilians anymore then they already had with their drone...or at least, that was the general concensus.

The team and their escort slowly made their way towards the settlement the drone had identified as Jatha.

[Riysa]

Aerospace Control Bunker, Jatha KPK Headquarters

"Vulture, vulture, re-entry on descent, projected landing 30 kilometers distance." A KAJO operator droned off as he read his display screen, with a ground-based KAJO antenna tracking the descent of the shuttle. From visual and KAJO NCTR, the shuttle appeared small, looking more like a transport for an exploration or scout team rather than a full-sized military dropship; nevertheless, no chances would be taken. The dropship fell into Major Kokach's AOR, and so he delegated a platoon to investigate it, with the rest of the battalion on standby.

Outside Jatha City

Five APCs rolled along the open fields outside the city, heading towards the landing site of the alien dropship. They contained the 29th Platoon, sent to make the initial contact and escort any aliens back to Jatha City, or deal with any hostiles.

In the lead APC, Trooper Avar sat, dressed in full combat gear and wearing a hostile environment suit (everyone had been ordered to use it due to some term such as "alien microbiome" that flew over his head). The suit wasn't too bad all things considering; it was light and flexible enough not to impede movement, and it even provided a level of intimidation factor with the dark crimson eye lenses (tinted and filtered for protection against nuke flash and lasers) and the filter/rebreather. The same couldn't be said about the body armor, however...a set of reinforced synthetic fiber fabric with heavy ceramic plates, covering everywhere from shin to helmet, worn over the uniform, or in this case the hostile environment suit. Add in the load-bearing assault vest, all the other odds and ends a soldier takes into the field, and you've got a pretty hefty system even before factoring in the weaponry. Looking around the APC, everyone else was dressed the same, resembling fearsome killer robots from science-fiction action movies rather than the men he served with. It was a truly surprising change, and he hoped that at least it would catch the aliens off-guard as much as it did him.

He noticed the APC slowing to a halt. "Aliens spotted, 800 meters out. Alright squad, out the hatch, just as practiced. " Ordered Sergeant Tahe in his typically cool voice over the. That meant that Avar, as a standard rifleman, was first out along with another rifleman by the name of Ivar Kata...great, he reflected, as he flipped the safety off of his rifle and lept out the hatch.

To the side of his APC were two others, camouflaged with digital grassland and fitted with camo netting like his own transport, lined up near each other at the bottom of a heavy field of shrubbery. He ran a few meters ahead of the stopped APCs, then flung himself onto the ground, crawling to a vantage point to observe the aliens with his weapon's scope. The portable groundwave sensor he carried recorded five contacts plus the dropship, and through his scope he saw...five. From the sounds of his comms-piece, it seemed that his squad came to the same conclusion, having hit the ground next to him. Sergeant Tahe had been talking on the platoon net to the lieutenant this entire time, reporting their findings in tandem with the other squads.

"Squad, be on the ready, the Lieutenant is about to make first contact." Came the warning from Tahe. Immediately after that, a voice amplifier from the command APC echoed in the direction of the aliens.

"Tähelepanu! See on Jatha Koloniaal-Planeetidekaitseväelast! Nimetage iseendid ja tilk tahes relvi olete ise!"
(Attention! This is the Jatha Colonial Planetary Defense Force! Identify yourselves and drop any weapons that you are carrying!)

And thus, Trooper Avar adjusted his sights, ready to open fire in case things went bad.

[Taigawa]

Aerospace Control Bunker, Jatha KPK Headquarters

"Vulture, vulture, re-entry on descent, projected landing 30 kilometers distance." A KAJO operator droned off as he read his display screen, with a ground-based KAJO antenna tracking the descent of the shuttle. From visual and KAJO NCTR, the shuttle appeared small, looking more like a transport for an exploration or scout team rather than a full-sized military dropship; nevertheless, no chances would be taken. The dropship fell into Major Kokach's AOR, and so he delegated a platoon to investigate it, with the rest of the battalion on standby.

Outside Jatha City

Five APCs rolled along the open fields outside the city, heading towards the landing site of the alien dropship. They contained the 29th Platoon, sent to make the initial contact and escort any aliens back to Jatha City, or deal with any hostiles.

In the lead APC, Trooper Avar sat, dressed in full combat gear and wearing a hostile environment suit (everyone had been ordered to use it due to some term such as "alien microbiome" that flew over his head). The suit wasn't too bad all things considering; it was light and flexible enough not to impede movement, and it even provided a level of intimidation factor with the dark crimson eye lenses (tinted and filtered for protection against nuke flash and lasers) and the filter/rebreather. The same couldn't be said about the body armor, however...a set of reinforced synthetic fiber fabric with heavy ceramic plates, covering everywhere from shin to helmet, worn over the uniform, or in this case the hostile environment suit. Add in the load-bearing assault vest, all the other odds and ends a soldier takes into the field, and you've got a pretty hefty system even before factoring in the weaponry. Looking around the APC, everyone else was dressed the same, resembling fearsome killer robots from science-fiction action movies rather than the men he served with. It was a truly surprising change, and he hoped that at least it would catch the aliens off-guard as much as it did him.

He noticed the APC slowing to a halt. "Aliens spotted, 800 meters out. Alright squad, out the hatch, just as practiced. " Ordered Sergeant Tahe in his typically cool voice over the. That meant that Avar, as a standard rifleman, was first out along with another rifleman by the name of Ivar Kata...great, he reflected, as he flipped the safety off of his rifle and lept out the hatch.

To the side of his APC were two others, camouflaged with digital grassland and fitted with camo netting like his own transport, lined up near each other at the bottom of a heavy field of shrubbery. He ran a few meters ahead of the stopped APCs, then flung himself onto the ground, crawling to a vantage point to observe the aliens with his weapon's scope. The portable groundwave sensor he carried recorded five contacts plus the dropship, and through his scope he saw...five. From the sounds of his comms-piece, it seemed that his squad came to the same conclusion, having hit the ground next to him. Sergeant Tahe had been talking on the platoon net to the lieutenant this entire time, reporting their findings in tandem with the other squads.

"Squad, be on the ready, the Lieutenant is about to make first contact." Came the warning from Tahe. Immediately after that, a voice amplifier from the command APC echoed in the direction of the aliens.

"Tähelepanu! See on Jatha Koloniaal-Planeetidekaitseväelast! Nimetage iseendid ja tilk tahes relvi olete ise!"
(Attention! This is the Jatha Colonial Planetary Defense Force! Identify yourselves and drop any weapons that you are carrying!)

And thus, Trooper Avar adjusted his sights, ready to open fire in case things went bad.

Landing site

The Asari stopped first, and not understanding a single word, uttered "We do not understand. What do you want?" Though the language was easily translated once the equipment was brought out and used to translate the request. She then replied "We are a First Contact team sent ahead by the frigate Dhama. Our team has security guards for in case you proved hostile. Our job is to determine the nature of your city and determine means of co-existing. We did not expect such hostile local reaction."

That was their mission directive. The Asari was not about to give away the fact that there were over twenty-six thousand civilian colonists waiting up above, vulnurable to attack by anything that managed to destroy the two frigate escorts. As she was the leader of the squad, she wanted to avoid conflict, and only the anthros of the group were armed, even then only with arc pistols, a standard energy-based sidearm manufactured for legal use by civilians.

The two antros, as security guards, wore light composite combat armor; such could stop bullets and lasers in the short term, but were not designed for extensive combat. They were there to protect the other three, the human scientist, the Kirran translator, and the Asari diplomat.

[Riysa]

Landing Site

A tense several minutes passed as the aliens unloaded some electronics from their transport. Its purpose was unknown to the KPK soldiers, but they all shared one fear - that it was a weapon or bomb of some sort. Avar noticed the platoon's autogun section quietly setting up from the corner of his eye, and pointing their heavy weapon's barrels in the direction of the lander and the aliens. Finally, the aliens stopped moving equipment, and a voice emanated from the direction of the aliens, speaking (a very stiff version of) Inimenekeel - the language of the VTA. It was an electronic translator.

Lieutenant Jaan Laidoner breathed a sigh of relief; while it was still tense, the knowledge now that the aliens were not deploying a bomb made it easier. That, and the fact that any language barriers between communication were now overcome, at least temporarily. He looked back at the screen in his command APC, video conferencing with the company commander Captain Päts, Major Kokach, and Colonel Rion. "Well, sirs, we heard the aliens. I'm going to repeat my demands, I don't trust them."

"Ah, but be careful, we don't have a time for if or when we will be backed up by the Star Force. Even if its just five aliens on the ground, we still have six ships in orbit swarming with Almighty knows how many, who are probably armed as well." Major Kokach replied.

"I keep contacting the Star Force Command at Masalon over the FTL comms line, but it seems that most of the ships are out on exercises or are undergoing maintenance right now...ugh." Colonel Rion shook his head. "See if you can get them back to Jatha City, and we can interrogate them in the brig."

"Hey, Jaan, keep me updated also, I've got the rest of the company ready to roll out in case things get heated." Captain Päts smiled. "Best of luck, and congratulations on getting the honor of the first person to speak with aliens!"

Laidoner laughed. "Alright, orders acknowledged. First Lieutenant Laidoner out." He switched off the video chat and went back to the electronic map of the area and the voice amplifier.

"Attention, alien species! Place your armaments onto the ground in front of you and raise your hands over your head. We will come pick you up. I promise no harm will come to any of you if you comply."

[Taigawa]

Landing Site

A tense several minutes passed as the aliens unloaded some electronics from their transport. Its purpose was unknown to the KPK soldiers, but they all shared one fear - that it was a weapon or bomb of some sort. Avar noticed the platoon's autogun section quietly setting up from the corner of his eye, and pointing their heavy weapon's barrels in the direction of the lander and the aliens. Finally, the aliens stopped moving equipment, and a voice emanated from the direction of the aliens, speaking (a very stiff version of) Inimenekeel - the language of the VTA. It was an electronic translator.

Lieutenant Jaan Laidoner breathed a sigh of relief; while it was still tense, the knowledge now that the aliens were not deploying a bomb made it easier. That, and the fact that any language barriers between communication were now overcome, at least temporarily. He looked back at the screen in his command APC, video conferencing with the company commander Captain Päts, Major Kokach, and Colonel Rion. "Well, sirs, we heard the aliens. I'm going to repeat my demands, I don't trust them."

"Ah, but be careful, we don't have a time for if or when we will be backed up by the Star Force. Even if its just five aliens on the ground, we still have six ships in orbit swarming with Almighty knows how many, who are probably armed as well." Major Kokach replied.

"I keep contacting them over the FTL comms line, but it seems that most of the ships are out on exercises or are undergoing maintenance right now...ugh." Colonel Rion shook his head. "See if you can get them back to Jatha City, and we can interrogate them in the brig."

"Hey, Jaan, keep me updated also, I've got the rest of the company ready to roll out in case things get heated." Captain Päts smiled. "Best of luck, and congratulations on getting the honor of the first person to speak with aliens!"

Laidoner laughed. "Alright, orders acknowledged. First Lieutenant Laidoner out." He switched off the video chat and went back to the electronic map of the area and the voice amplifier.

"Attention, alien species! Place your armaments onto the ground in front of you and raise your hands over your head. We will come pick you up. I promise no harm will come to any of you if you comply."

Landing site

The Kirran operating the translator repeated those orders, to which the Asari replied "Our orders are stay with the ship untill civilian representatives arrive. I will not violate first contact protocol. If these people attack us they can expect a full response from our security guards. Only a truly hostile people would attack a civilian shuttle."

Orbit

"First Contact has been made Captain." said an electronic, female voice, which was the ship's AI, Alice.

A screen appeared, showing the shuttle with the team outside. Then a signal got through from the city below.

"This is Captain Shiva of the first Colonial Fleet outside Thessian space. To whom am I speaking?"

[Riysa]

Landing Site

These aliens were starting to get onto Laidoner's nerves. Who were they, barging in on a planet like this and demanding that they, the humans of Jatha, obey some protocol that they didn't even know existed? He'd show them.

"Charlie One Actual, this is Papa Three Actual. Request additional support. Aliens are uncooperative. Acknowledge." He transmitted.
"Papa Three Actual, affirmative. Wait." Captain Päts was watching it unfold from his own command post. "Papa Two Actual, this is Charlie One Actual. Move to position of Papa Three as indicated and hold. Acknowledge."
"Charlie One Actual, wilco. Over." Päts' second platoon would be moving up to help out Laidoner and cover his back.
"Papa Three Actual, request accepted. Over and out."

Laidoner smiled a bit as he saw 2nd Platoon move out on his battle management software. If things got sticky, he'd have help from them. He'd give the aliens one more time before he took direct action...

"Attention, aliens! We can not be sure of your intentions or the validity of the claim that you are civilian. It is not helped by the presence of armed guards. Drop all weapons and move in a straight line, and you will be taken to the local governor."

[Taigawa]

Landing Site

These aliens were starting to get onto Laidoner's nerves. Who were they, barging in on a planet like this and demanding that they, the humans of Jatha, obey some protocol that they didn't even know existed? He'd show them.

"Charlie One Actual, this is Papa Three Actual. Request additional support. Aliens are uncooperative. Acknowledge." He transmitted.
"Papa Three Actual, affirmative. Wait." Captain Päts was watching it unfold from his own command post. "Papa Two Actual, this is Charlie One Actual. Move to position of Papa Three as indicated and hold. Acknowledge."
"Charlie One Actual, wilco. Over." Päts' second platoon would be moving up to help out Laidoner and cover his back.
"Papa Three Actual, request accepted. Over and out."

Laidoner smiled a bit as he saw 2nd Platoon move out on his battle management software. If things got sticky, he'd have help from them. He'd give the aliens one more time before he took direct action...

"Attention, aliens! We can not be sure of your intentions or the validity of the claim that you are civilian. It is not helped by the presence of armed guards. Drop all weapons and move in a straight line, and you will be taken to the local governor."

Landing Site

"They repeat that order andd want to t ake us to their settlement in chains. And for what purpose? To kill us? Experiment on us? Inprision us in some hellhole for the rest of our lives? I do not know." came the voice of the Kirran. The two security guards now prepared to fight. Although the Asari had no weapons, she had, like the rest of her race, biotic abilities. Those abilities, which could be used to lethal effect, were why even an unarmed Asari could be a threat....though few in civilian operations were trained in their use.

The Asari spoke once more: "My people are not animals for you to experiment on, and by the goddess, I will not spend the rest of my life rotting in some hellhole! Radio the escort. tell them the people are hostile."

With that, the human scientist, who had been simply observing, entered the ship and sent this message:

New society is unfit to uphold The Mantle; Wants to detain us for unknown purposes. First contact mission is a failure. Recommand return order.

Orbit

"Adknowledged. Let's bring them home." Said the captain.

Landing Site

"Ambassador Rila, the mission is over. Help me load the equipment back into the shuttle." said the scientis as he returned to the hatch.

"Fine. Guards, fire if they attack. We are going home." She said as they began to pack in preperation to leave.

[Riysa]

Landing Site

After the latest message from the aliens, Colonel Rion and Major Kokach had just indicated to Laidoner that he should try to compromise, and that an government representative was on his way to the site. Fine, then. Fine. Laidoner's blood pressure continued to rise, but there wasn't really anything that he could to stem it. Instead, he heeded his commanding officers' advise, and hailed them again over the voice amplifier.

"Alien nation, a civilian representative of the government is on its way to this site. He will meet you half way between you and us; we expect no weapons to be taken to this initial contact. We will stay in our current positions, and we expect that of your armed guards as well."

[Taigawa]

Landing Site

After the latest message from the aliens, Colonel Rion and Major Kokach had just indicated to Laidoner that he should try to compromise, and that an government representative was on his way to the site. Fine, then. Fine. Laidoner's blood pressure continued to rise, but there wasn't really anything that he could to stem it. Instead, he heeded his commanding officers' advise, and hailed them again over the voice amplifier.

"Alien nation, a civilian representative of the government is on its way to this site. He will meet you half way between you and us; we expect no weapons to be taken to this initial contact. We will stay in our current positions, and we expect that of your armed guards as well."

"Rila....They seem to want no fighting. I will upload the translation software to your datapad so you can understand them. I also had that science dude open a channel to the fleet escorts so they can hear everything. Us two and the guard will stay with the shuttle. You're the diplomat...Try to tell them we do not want to fight if it can be avoided."

To this, she replied "I do not trust these people after that exchange, but in the interests of the inter-galactic media I will try to bring peace. Just make sure you defend this shuttle so the Escort don't have to start anything."

"Fine...just go Rila."

And with that, the Asari displomat seperated from the others and began to follow the instructions given to her by the seemingly hostile aliens.

[Riysa]

Landing Site

The soldiers remained in their positions, rifles and machineguns and all pointed at the dropship and the aliens beside. The situation was now even more serious, and so sometime in the next several minutes, a representative of the governor - or perhaps even the governor himself - would arrive.

And arrive, the representative did. The lack of roads precluded the use of a regular automobile, so he instead arrived in an armored car, bearing the planet-galaxy-wreath flag of the VTA. It came to a stop 400 meters away from the soldiers, exactly halfway as had been promised. The passenger-side door opened, and out stepped the delegate. As soon as he was out, the car drove back, hiding behind the protective line of Laidoner's platoon.

The delegate wore a CBRN suit like the soldiers, but the major difference was that his was a simple black, while the soldiers had camouflaged ones. He offered a gloved hand to the alien delegate. "On behalf of the Voimus Star Union and the people of Jatha, I, Georg Puusepp, Governor of Jatha, welcome you and your nation to the planet of Jatha, and apologize for any problems the soldiers have caused."

[Taigawa]

Landing Site

The soldiers remained in their positions, rifles and machineguns and all pointed at the dropship and the aliens beside. The situation was now even more serious, and so sometime in the next several minutes, a representative of the governor - or perhaps even the governor himself - would arrive.

And arrive, the representative did. The lack of roads precluded the use of a regular automobile, so he instead arrived in an armored car, bearing the planet-galaxy-wreath flag of the VTA. It came to a stop 400 meters away from the soldiers, exactly halfway as had been promised. The passenger-side door opened, and out stepped the delegate. As soon as he was out, the car drove back, hiding behind the protective line of Laidoner's platoon.

The delegate wore a CBRN suit like the soldiers, but the major difference was that his was a simple black, while the soldiers had camouflaged ones. He offered a gloved hand to the alien delegate. "On behalf of the Voimus Star Union and the people of Jatha, I, Georg Puusepp, Governor of Jatha, welcome you and your nation to the planet of Jatha, and apologize for any problems the soldiers have caused."

"I am Rila Sumunæ, Ambassador and leader of the First Contact Squad deployed after our survey and scouting drone found signs of civilization. I represent the First Colonial Fleet of the Imperial Interstellar Empire of Taigawa, current superpower on our homeworld, Thessia. Those...People had me thinking you were savages who brutally imprison and experiment on any other alien life you encounter, a practice abhorrent according to the beliefs of our people. I want to believe that is untrue."

She brought out a datapad, setup a small hologram generator, and activated it. The Holodisplay went through all the phases of development the Thessian People endured, ending with their fleet arriving there. "The Fleet above...Four of them are civilian colony ships sent from the nearest colony. 26,000 colonists mixed between the five races that live in our domain....the same five races that make up my squad. The two others are frigate class warships meant to protect them. Of Course being Asari meanns we'll be Matriarchs before any real major archologies are built. I ask promission to order them to land elsewhere. The Mantle dictates we help our neighbors. I can have said settlement trade with yours too.""

[Riysa]

Landing Site

Governor Puusepp looked on and nodded as the presentation finished. "Ah, but Miss Rila, we are still confused - why so far from the homeworld, and why specifically Jatha? Plus, what would you have to offer us that would make giving up our exclusive claim to this planet?"

Jatha KPK Headquarters

Colonel Rion watched the alien's presentation from the command bunker on the television, along with several of the other officers. Greorg had taken the questions right out of his mouth; the aliens had given them an excellent background to their species (as evidenced by the military intelligence officer furiously generating notes and data next to him), but they hadn't answered some of the stickier details.

"So its a colonial fleet, huh?" Major Kokach remarked as he sat next to him, bringing to mind the same fleet that had brought the human colonists to Jatha.
"That it is, major."
"With all due diplomacy, Colonel, I really dislike the idea of having twenty-odd thousand aliens in space above us. Any idea on when we'll be getting backup?"
"Me neither, and no. They're still getting things settled at Masalon, according to the last operator I talked to. Damn, even if most are civilian ships, there's still warships up there, and we haven't got any ASAT or even ABM equipment."
"So, we wait for Governor Puusepp to make out a deal and hope that the Star Force shows up in the mean time, Colonel?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Nothing else we can do, really."
Major Kokach shrugged and got up. "Well then, I'm back to my post, Colonel."
"Very well. Oh, wait, one more thing." Rion got up and faced the rest of the officers in the bunker. "I'm giving my authorization to prepare Indigo in case this all goes to hell, and the Star Force doesn't arrive in time. You all know what to do, so do it."

[Taigawa]

Landing Site

Governor Puusepp looked on and nodded as the presentation finished. "Ah, but Miss Rila, we are still confused - why so far from the homeworld, and why specifically Jatha? Plus, what would you have to offer us that would make giving up our exclusive claim to this planet?"

Jatha KPK Headquarters

Colonel Rion watched the alien's presentation from the command bunker on the television, along with several of the other officers. Greorg had taken the questions right out of his mouth; the aliens had given them an excellent background to their species (as evidenced by the military intelligence officer furiously generating notes and data next to him), but they hadn't answered some of the stickier details.

"So its a colonial fleet, huh?" Major Kokach remarked as he sat next to him, bringing to mind the same fleet that had brought the human colonists to Jatha.
"That it is, major."
"With all due diplomacy, Colonel, I really dislike the idea of having twenty-odd thousand aliens in space above us. Any idea on when we'll be getting backup?"
"Me neither, and no. They're still getting things settled at Masalon, according to the last operator I talked to. Damn, even if most are civilian ships, there's still warships up there, and we haven't got any ASAT or even ABM equipment."
"So, we wait for Governor Puusepp to make out a deal and hope that the Star Force shows up in the mean time, Colonel?"
"Unfortunately, yes. Nothing else we can do, really."
Major Kokach shrugged and got up. "Well then, I'm back to my post, Colonel."
"Very well. Oh, wait, one more thing." Rion got up and faced the rest of the officers in the bunker. "I'm giving my authorization to prepare Indigo in case this all goes to hell, and the Star Force doesn't arrive in time. You all know what to do, so do it."

"The wealth of technology and resouses we could have sent here could transform this world from a backwater to a self-sufficent colony in decades, and with both our civilizations pouring resources into the efforts here, It could also put you on the map for the authories back on Thessia. As for how we would keep up with said demand, or why we'd build a colony here, it it is to shorten the distances one would have to go to trade with the rest of the Thessian Colonies. Also it would allow us, through the peaceful dissemination of information, to learn about each other...where the best trading oppertunities are and such. And also if The Empress allows it, use of our near-instant FTL Drive, the Jumpspace Modulator would be shared as well. Also the Frigates have been stripped of their kenetic bombardment weapons so your military need not worry about annihalation from space."

[Riysa]

Landing Site

Greorg shrugged under his suit. "You offer an interesting proposal, but honestly, before we continue, I don't believe we can negotiate properly in the middle of a grass field. How about you come back with me to the seat of government in Jatha City and we can continue there?"

[Taigawa]

Landing Site

Greorg shrugged under his suit. "You offer an interesting proposal, but honestly, before we continue, I don't believe we can negotiate properly in the middle of a grass field. How about you come back with me to the seat of government in Jatha City and we can continue there?"

The Asari allowed her concerns to be abated and motioned to the others that a negotiation had begun. The security guards, while still nervous, declared they would wait for her return. "I will go, but only because we are in similar professions. Please do not let your security forces do anything to make me regret it."

[Riysa]

Landing Site

"The planetary defense force and military are as much of a part of the government as I am. But do not worry." He turned around and waved, motioning for the armored car to come back. "After you." He opened the rear right door of the car, motioning for the alien to enter.

[Taigawa]

Landing Site

"The planetary defense force and military are as much of a part of the government as I am. But do not worry." He turned around and waved, motioning for the armored car to come back. "After you." He opened the rear right door of the car, motioning for the alien to enter.

Rila did so and she began to boost the signal on her communicator so it would continue to work as a link between herself and the other four members of her team. "I bring only my arc pistol, and the biotic abilities all Asari have. No since in showing up will half an army and an entire armada. This was a colonial mission first. The fleet above does not expect any threats to their safely."

[Riysa]

Car

"What the bloody hell?!" The governor shouted in the back of the car, as the alien mentioned the presence of a pistol. "The deal that was made was no weapons at all! I'm not even wearing body armor! You accuse us of being barbarians, and yet you bring a pistol to an unarmed negotiation? Damn you, hand over your gun or the negotiations are cancelled." He stretched out his right hand, while the car maneuvered close towards the soldiers in case they would be needed.

[Taigawa]

Car

"What the bloody hell?!" The governor shouted in the back of the car, as the alien mentioned the presence of a pistol. "The deal that was made was no weapons at all! I'm not even wearing body armor! You accuse us of being barbarians, and yet you bring a pistol to an unarmed negotiation? Damn you, hand over your gun or the negotiations are cancelled." He stretched out his right hand, while the car maneuvered close towards the soldiers in case they would be needed.

"You never knew I had it?! All diplomats carry one. They're civilian-legal back where I come from and have to be activated to be used in any capacity....and removing it would do that. Of course if you really want to risk putting a lazer through the vehicle I won't stop you from getting it. Also while I am wearing armor it won't take much to breach it. I carry only what is civilian-legal on me because I was not exactly ready to relie solely on biotics for my own defense....so take it; I hope you do not get trigger happy with the thing."

[Riysa]

Car

"You've done nothing but make demands, and then during the one compromise we made, you broke it by bringing a weapon. How do I know that anything you've said is true?"His suit remained expressionless - not like it was capable of expression - but his voice conveyed a curious mixture of fear and anger, as his red lenses stared directly at the eyes of the delegate. "Are you threatening to kill me, alien? We don't take well to threats."

KPK Positions

Lieutenant Laidoner listened in along with the other officers, and then checked his battle management console for the positions of everything. "Sierra One Actual, move Sierra One to the location of the governor. Sierra Two Actual, Sierra Three Actual, Sierra Four Actual, maintain positions. Load dövasõjamoon. Out."

Sierra One

Sergeant Tahe motioned for the rest of squad to crawl over to his position. "Keres and Corporal Ots, secure the governor. " He whispered. "Avar, with me. We'll cover the alien. Tamm, Meri, Kühnert, and Tampõld, hold your current positions. Same goes for you two, Karp and Hippius, and load dövasõjamoon as the LT said. Alright, lets go."

The four crawled and crouched most of the way to the car, making use of the terrain to protect and hide them. As they got closer, they got up and broke into a sprint; Keres and Ots rushed for the left side of the car, while Tahe and Avar went for the right.

Military "Skyway", Masalon

The Starfire slowed upon approach to its designated dock, the first Tallinna-class to return from the exercises. He belonged to his own subtype, the Starfire block of Tallinna-class starships, of which there were a few. They were different from the original class in that they replaced a decent portion of their cargo hold with minelaying and minesweeping equipment, and so once it was done with all the basic exercises it was allowed to return back to its skyway.

"Starfire One, Starfire One, Masalon Command. You are to resupply with a wartime load and rendezvous at point Charlie. Mission briefing will be delivered upon landing. Over."
"Masalon Command, Starfire One. Wilco. Any advisories? Over." The Starfire's primary communications officer communicated back to Command.
"Starfire One, affirmative. REDFOR is an alien race of unknown capabilities. Advise caution. Out."

"So it seems that we have our first combat mission, eh?" XO Major Staprans remarked as he gazed on the two dimensional polar stellograph wall, marking the locations of nearby charted stars. "Against aliens, to boot!"

"Aye that it is, Staprans." CO Colonel Sabbe remarked as looked at his own monitor. The news about Jatha had filtered in quickly, even for the ships out on exercises. "All command staff, to the conference room at next 15."

[Taigawa]

Car

"You've done nothing but make demands, and then during the one compromise we made, you broke it by bringing a weapon. How do I know that anything you've said is true?"His suit remained expressionless - not like it was capable of expression - but his voice conveyed a curious mixture of fear and anger, as his red lenses stared directly at the eyes of the delegate. "Are you threatening to kill me, alien? We don't take well to threats."

KPK Positions

Lieutenant Laidoner listened in along with the other officers, and then checked his battle management console for the positions of everything. "Sierra One Actual, move Sierra One to the location of the governor. Sierra Two Actual, Sierra Three Actual, Sierra Four Actual, maintain positions. Load dövasõjamoon. Out."

Sierra One

Sergeant Tahe motioned for the rest of squad to crawl over to his position. "Keres and Corporal Ots, secure the governor. " He whispered. "Avar, with me. We'll cover the alien. Tamm, Meri, Kühnert, and Tampõld, hold your current positions. Same goes for you two, Karp and Hippius, and load dövasõjamoon as the LT said. Alright, lets go."

The four crawled and crouched most of the way to the car, making use of the terrain to protect and hide them. As they got closer, they got up and broke into a sprint; Keres and Ots rushed for the left side of the car, while Tahe and Avar went for the right.

Military "Skyway", Masalon

The Starfire slowed upon approach to its designated dock, the first Tallinna-class to return from the exercises. He belonged to his own subtype, the Starfire block of Tallinna-class starships, of which there were a few. They were different from the original class in that they replaced a decent portion of their cargo hold with minelaying and minesweeping equipment, and so once it was done with all the basic exercises it was allowed to return back to its skyway.

"Starfire One, Starfire One, Masalon Command. You are to resupply with a wartime load and rendezvous at point Charlie. Mission briefing will be delivered upon landing. Over."
"Masalon Command, Starfire One. Wilco. Any advisories? Over." The Starfire's primary communications officer communicated back to Command.
"Starfire One, affirmative. REDFOR is an alien race of unknown capabilities. Advise caution. Out."

"So it seems that we have our first combat mission, eh?" XO Major Staprans remarked as he gazed on the two dimensional polar stellograph wall, marking the locations of nearby charted stars. "Against aliens, to boot!"

"Aye that it is, Staprans." CO Colonel Sabbe remarked as looked at his own monitor. The news about Jatha had filtered in quickly, even for the ships out on exercises. "All command staff, to the conference room at next 15."

Car
"No, I am warning you that if I remove it from the hoster, it will activate the mechanism responsible for powering it, making the now inert weapon a dangerous threat to everyone here. And by the Goddess, I have a name human...It's Rila Sumunæ, and i'd appreciate it if you would use it. Now...If you want to take the weapon away now and risk our lives with the probabillity of it accidentally going off due to you not heading my warnings about the weapon, so be it!" She said, beginning to lose her patience.

Space

"If the Asari delegate is attacked, Prepare to send the colonial vessals back to our territory. Pick a random Jumpspace vector so they do not find our colonies."

AI: Aye sir.