As The Shipyards Go 'Chunk' [FT, Intro]

[Parivrtta Niraamaya]

⁵The Philistines assembled to go and try to beat the fuck out of Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and so many soldiers they would have covered the distance from here to the moon if this book had any semblance of logic. They went up and camped at Micmash, east of Beth Aven.
⁶When the men of Israel saw that their situation was critical and that their army was hard pressed, they pussied out and hid in caves (just like their enemies would proceed to do a few thousand years later) and thickets, among the rocks, and in pits and shitholes.
⁷Some Hebrews even waddled across the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead in fear of their damned epic army. I mean seriously, could you blame them for pussifying?
-Samuel 13:3-7
Official Aretecracy Modern Christian Bible
853 A.T. Edition
Written by AI Kulosi
Mortal Perspective by Jaya Urvara

After the Preemptive, the resources of the military were somewhat diminished. 20% of the military had been destroyed in that engagement, at least on a ship basis, and the shadow of the Templar fleets was looming, if the reports were to be believed. So the Aretecracy began to build. Build like maniacs. The Aretecracy's orbital shipyards were pumping out Revelations quicker and more consistently than the ancient politician Sarah Palin was believed to have pumped out babies. (The ISF Sarah Palin itself was being converted into a carrier-titan) The asteroid mining operations began firing up, and the already-existing ships began to be fortified.

A new shipbuilding ethic began taking over, spurred by the failure of smaller designs in the latest war. Titans, not corvettes, now filled the sky. A new class of ships was being invented; the Apocalypse-1s, also known as the Leviathans. Apparently, they were made to focus PUC through non-shielded objects- in other words, things that could credibly be called core-burrowers.

The Aretecracy would, in a few months, have a space force twice it's current standing army's size; and thrice as deadly.

As well as itself, the Aretecracy wasn't very keen on facing the probable Templar threat alone. The cowardice exhibited by the Axon during the Preemptive showed that a large amount of alliances were needed, not just a few. The Supreme Aretecrat tapped out a general broadcast.

[Parivrtta Niraamaya]

Interstellar Aretecratic Union of Sapiency
Public Tachyon Relay System Transmission NPZ.7457201
Subject: An Invitation
5/10/855 A.T.

Fellow denizens of the Universe, I, Amitabho Chattopadhyay, the Supreme Aretecrat of the Interstellar Aretecratic Union of Sapiency, invite you all for a diplomatic summit on Niraamaya Prime within the Niraamaya system in the Sagittarius Spiral Arm in the Milky Way.

This summit is being held in hopes of building relationships with the rest of the galaxy- and beyond. The summit will be held in the newly-built Relations Hall, the pinnacle of modern comfort. It possesses enough facilities to cater for a hundred people's housing, dining and conferencing needs.

Administrative details are embedded into this letter via attachment. The summit will run for three days. All necessities asked for will be provided to the best we can manage. Please send notice prior to your arrival as to any requirements that could be unusual or allergies among your species. We will do our best to cater to any needs.

[The Downcast Remnant]

The Warsong; Location: Roughly 120 Light Years outside Niraamaya

It had been some time since The Warsong had fought alongside the Aretecracy, however briefly, at the Axon engagement. Between then and now, however, The Warsong had been on a transport mission, shuttling vast deposits of minerals and scrap ship carcasses from around the galaxy to the drop-off location dictated in its command archives, as had the other exterminator fleet The Arm of Eternity. The smaller Brethren fleets were engaged in diplomatic missions to various galactic powers while simultaneously contributing to the vast wealth of unused metal which never failed to vanish from the drop off point.

To put it bluntly, the Remnant was extremely busy preparing for something.

Fortunately for the Aretecracy, The Warsong had since been freed from this duty and was now slipping through space towards Niraamaya at phenomenal pace. The Holocaust class war vessels shimmered and blinked, their forms barely constrained in realspace as they passed entire sectors of space in a heartbeat. Within their hulls, the small army of The Warsong awoke: humanoid, silver and faceless the Operatives prepared for war with the cold efficiency of their breeding, loading the Faceless war drones into their delivery missiles, ensuring the Nanite Darts were operational. Piece by piece, the singular entity of The Warsong was preparing for war.

Although, it was always preparing for war. So this time was no different in the grand scheme of things. And with The Heartbreaker currently occupied along with its brother in Cryogen Second, The Warsong was the only fleet of the Remnant which had made any contact with the Aretecracy previously. As such, it was the one chosen for the diplomatic mission.

And to provide extra security should it be needed.

To ensure their arrival was expected, a brief transmission was sent ahead of the fleet, the voice speaking as though a thousand whispered as one, and yet louder than a chorus of screams.

++TRANSMISSION: The Warsong is en route to Aretecratic orbital space. Prepare for arrival of The Warsong.++

[Parivrtta Niraamaya]

Interstellar Aretecratic Union of Sapiency
Public Tachyon Relay System Transmission NPZ.7457202
Subject: An Invitation
To: The Warsong
9/11/855 A.T.

We await your arrival with anticipation. Note that due to your inability to touch organic matter, we request for you to wear protective gear to prevent any problems from arising due to this condition.

I hope that this summit will be constructive for both you and us.