Depths of Space (IC, OPEN, FT)

[The United Tributational Territories]

Cadian Gates

(Those are what the gates look like, but they're less extravagant, the entire Fortress is carved into the stone.)

"Pretty much," Rowan stated. "We have digs going on in the outskirts, but these are the only standing relics of New Hyperion before the Great Arcadian War. The gates are, in a strange way, a comment on the Imperium. We never forget the past, but we focus on the future. Hence, our motto: For the glory of a far dawn."

Dmitri sighed as he said, "That's very poetic, in a way. We don't really have anything that bittersweet in our history, except for the final battle against the UK. Legends have been passed down about it. They attacked our ports, and made a huge blockade. We, being an island nation, hid in caves as they ransacked everything we had. We rushed the ships when they weren't looking, and fired the cannons. They weren't expecting any resistance. The UK, after seeing this push, decided we deserved freedom. They didn't usually do that for colonies, but we were small and useless for them at the time. Now, they wish they had kept us."

[Delta Eridanus]

*throws red stamp out the window*

Cadian Gates

(Those are what the gates look like, but they're less extravagant, the entire Fortress is carved into the stone.)

"Pretty much," Rowan stated. "We have digs going on in the outskirts, but these are the only standing relics of New Hyperion before the Great Arcadian War. The gates are, in a strange way, a comment on the Imperium. We never forget the past, but we focus on the future. Hence, our motto: For the glory of a far dawn."

Dmitri sighed as he said, "That's very poetic, in a way. We don't really have anything that bittersweet in our history, except for the final battle against the UK. Legends have been passed down about it. They attacked our ports, and made a huge blockade. We, being an island nation, hid in caves as they ransacked everything we had. We rushed the ships when they weren't looking, and fired the cannons. They weren't expecting any resistance. The UK, after seeing this push, decided we deserved freedom. They didn't usually do that for colonies, but we were small and useless for them at the time. Now, they wish they had kept us."

"Hmm."

Rowan knocked on the gates and shouted, "ROWAN DAYNE, HERE TO SEE THE LORD OF CADIA!"

The gates opened, and they were lead into the Ironforged Fortress. As they were lead through the halls, Dmitri noticed paintings on the walls. These were paintings of the members of the Cadian Council:

Decius Lupercal, of House Lupercal. He had bright silver eyes.

Daenerys Argenteus, of House Argenteus, she had distinct platinum hair.

Marcus Fellhorn, of House Fellhorn, a gear tattoo on his cheek.

Dorian Martell, of House Martell, noted by his flame-red hair.

Allyria Dayne, of House Dayne, with midnight black hair, and purple eyes.

And last but not least, Darius Caridin, with golden brown hair and electric blue eyes.

[The United Tributational Territories]

*throws red stamp out the window*

Dmitri sighed as he said, "That's very poetic, in a way. We don't really have anything that bittersweet in our history, except for the final battle against the UK. Legends have been passed down about it. They attacked our ports, and made a huge blockade. We, being an island nation, hid in caves as they ransacked everything we had. We rushed the ships when they weren't looking, and fired the cannons. They weren't expecting any resistance. The UK, after seeing this push, decided we deserved freedom. They didn't usually do that for colonies, but we were small and useless for them at the time. Now, they wish they had kept us."

"Hmm."

Rowan knocked on the gates and shouted, "ROWAN DAYNE, HERE TO SEE THE LORD OF CADIA!"

The gates opened, and they were lead into the Ironforged Fortress. As they were lead through the halls, Dmitri noticed paintings on the walls. These were paintings of the members of the Cadian Council:

Decius Lupercal, of House Lupercal. He had bright silver eyes.

Daenerys Argenteus, of House Argenteus, she had distinct platinum hair.

Marcus Fellhorn, of House Fellhorn, a gear tattoo on his cheek.

Dorian Martell, of House Martell, noted by his flame-red hair.

Allyria Dayne, of House Dayne, with midnight black hair, and purple eyes.

And last but not least, Darius Caridin, with golden brown hair and electric blue eyes.

It is kind of ironic when you make a post yelling at me to post and I post seconds later

Dmitri said nothing, studying each painting closely. Allyria caught his eye, but he quickly decided it'd be best to leave the Lords and Ladies to themselves. He straightened his shoulders as he followed Rowan, and tried his hardest to not look at anything else with wide eyes.

[Delta Eridanus]

(Note: you can try to get Allyria, but she belongs to Darius, NOW AND FOREVER!)

(Ahem.)

Before long, they were let into the office of the Lord of Cadia.

The painting did not do Darius any justice, as his eyes were extremely piercing. Even more so than Rowan's purple eyes.

"It is good to see you, Rowan." Darius spoke. "But it is our guest here that I am interested in. What is your name, kinsman?"

(Extra note: Kinsman is a term of honor that can be applied to anyone in the imperium.)

[The United Tributational Territories]

(Note: you can try to get Allyria, but she belongs to Darius, NOW AND FOREVER!)

(Ahem.)

Before long, they were let into the office of the Lord of Cadia.

The painting did not do Darius any justice, as his eyes were extremely piercing. Even more so than Rowan's purple eyes.

"It is good to see you, Rowan." Darius spoke. "But it is our guest here that I am interested in. What is your name, kinsman?"

(Extra note: Kinsman is a term of honor that can be applied to anyone in the imperium.)

(Note: "He quickly decided it'd be best to LEAVE the lords and ladies to themselves.")

(Ahem.)

Dmitri bowed, trying to show the same respect he'd give to any higher up.

"My name is Dmitri Holstead, Captain of the UTT Argent Spire, and representative of our multi-racial nation. Our leader would be here, or his right hand man Shellist Frequent, but they are both attending an international summit about a threat concerning our nation. So, I was sent in their place to investigate the message sent from our ship. I am sure you know about the message, correct?"

[Delta Eridanus]

(That warning was for the entire UTT. )

"Ah, yes. The one concerning Ash- excuse me, Lady Dayne."

Darius sighed, Apparently, the memory is NOT entirely gone.

"I apologize, please continue."

[The United Tributational Territories]

(That warning was for the entire UTT. )

"Ah, yes. The one concerning Ash- excuse me, Lady Dayne."

Darius sighed, Apparently, the memory is NOT entirely gone.

"I apologize, please continue."

(Got it )

"I'm just here to investigate the message, and see who it was to and maybe get some information about it?"

[Spindle]

Situationalssesment:

lert: [Coolantlevels-87.42%]A

Alert: [Decoy3damaged]

Alert: [Decoy2damaged]

Alert: [Decoy3destroyed]

Alert: [Decoy4damaged]

Alert: [Decoy1damaged]

Alert: [Hullimpact]

Alert: [Hullimpact]

Alert: [Decoy2destroyed]

Alert: [Hullimpact]

Ceto was simply swallowed in the green tide, Florans latching onto the decoys and the Ophian, swarming over the outside and attempting to batter their way through the hull. And it was working. Somehow, they were clawing their way through the ablative and radiation shielding, even though the point defences must have destroyed hundreds of them already. Of course, that was where the second problem arose. Her coolant was currently running at almost ninety percent capacity, which meant she'd either have to shut down the point defence LASERs...or the cryo pods. If she had the choice, she knew which one she would pick.

Abruptly, almost as if a switch had been flipped, the plants ceased. Those on the hull simply froze in place and the pods burned and held position relative to the ship. She shuddered in her mind. That kind of synchronisation was impossible unless...she pushed the thought into corner of her mind. She could deal with that later.

Preparing-Maneuver1339Alpha

[Command-Radiators1-6-Extend]

[Commandprepare-Detonationbolts-Allsections-Detonate]

[Commandprepare-Fusionbottle1-3-Detonate]

[Radiatorsextended-Coolant pumping]

[Coolantlevels-82.03%]

As the radiators began to bleed off heat into space, Ceto felt some of the tension leave. If she could get some room to breathe with her coolant, she could crank up her firepower a bit. Of course if the Florans attacked now, she'd lose her radiators. Frankly, if the Florans attacked now, she'd have bigger things to worry about than her radiators. And so, she waited for agonising seconds as whatever it was the Florans had stopped for prepared itself. She locked her first six-shots of countermissiles into their tubes .

When it came the voice suddenly exploded into her head, bypassing the sensors straining for a sign of anything from the planets around and slamming through her system. She thought she saw her body screaming in the tank but it didn't matter at the moment. For that second, there was nothing but a sibilant voice echoing through her mind, a single message, simple and chilling.

[i]Who are you, and why are you here? Immediate anssssswersss are required if you wish to live.

As the voice receded, Ceto fought her way through the system updates to check that there had been no changes to the situation. Nothing. Still the same terrifying stillness as before. She lightly brought the comm LASER to bear against the wall of pods and flashed a startup before sending her return.

This is Ceto Eurytus, of Spindle. We're here to survey the system.

She hoped they bought it. After all, if they didn't...well, the wall of plant matter in front of her was reason enough to feel apprehensive.

---

Ophius allowed herself to relax slightly as the tension drained from the room somewhat. Perhaps this was going to end well after all. She sat back in the chair, eyes running over the people at the table. Of all of those sat there, it was the V.R.A.'s representatives that interested her the most. They had said little and heard much and Ophius found herself quite liking their idea. Still, it could become an issue later down the line if they learned too much here...

And the wine was excellent, she noted. The food was...less so, she thought as the last of the Schlange root disappeared, but she felt somewhat glad that she wasn't having the Viper. She didn't deny that it looked nice, but the idea of eating something that looked like it could easily bite your face off was...unappetising, for want of a better word. Although this wine really was very good. She'd have to take some back with her.

[The V O I D]

Euphemia panicked for a moment when she woke up with someone in her bed. Her mind frantically played over the past day's goings on before she remembered and relaxed again. She checked the time and winced slightly. Three in the morning. Not the time to wake Lyson, then. She softly slipped out of the bed, grabbed her portable holo and padded out to another room to go through the tasks she still had left. There were less then she had been expecting, but more than she had been hoping. Still, she needed to get the authorisation signed off for the crate of whisky Eris wanted fast. Her sister had just gone six months without anything to drink, and she needed something strong now. It wasn't what she'd expect from a new mother, but that was her sister.

She signed off the fiche and moved onto the next problem. Check, fill and sign. Check fill and sign. She didn't know how long she spent finishing off the logistics of keeping a staff here, but it felt like at least an hour and a half. She yawned and put the holo down, heading off to the shower to have a quick clean, preferably short enough that it wouldn't wake Lyson. Although the showers here were luxuriously decadent. Actually, she might have another one after Lyson woke up. A much longer one.

The Imperator's Might
Capital Dreadnought of All Remnant Fleets
The Taari Armada / Remnant

Lyson awoke with a start, jumping up out of the bed. He looked around and slowly calmed himself. Damn his former military training... he wasn't used to waking in a bed that wasn't his own, or apart of the barracks or at least something military related. Now that he thought about it, he realized just how dedicated he was. He gave no time to his private life. But that was going to change: starting with Euphemia. He saw Euphemia busy working, and she didn't seem to notice his abrupt awakening. So, he decided to make her breakfast.

This turned out to be a huge mistake. But he tried. He brought over two plates of breakfast... if only it weren't somewhat... overcooked. Lyson smiled sheepishly at her, as he placed the plates down. He obviously had no idea how to cook. That meant two things: first, keep him away from the kitchen. Second, assume any microwaves touched by him are now bombs. Lyson chuckled at himself.

"They, uh, don't really teach much about cooking in military training. Or if they did, I was too concentrated on the, er, fighting part.", he said just-as-sheepishly as his smile showed him to be feeling. Lyson had tried to cook breakfast and showed that he is not going to be the cook of this relationship. Lyson chuckled again as he began eating his somewhat burnt breakfast. It was good, at least... even if slightly overdone.

[Spindle]

Euphemia looked at the food for several seconds. She looked at Lyson. She looked back at the food. It was...black. Her eyes flickered between Lyson setting into the food with gusto and the food itself. Well, how bad could it be? It wasn't as if he'd put any of the ingredients together wrong, he'd just left it in for a bit too long. She speared a lump and inspected it for several seconds, before popping it into her mouth and chewing.

It wasn't what she'd been expecting. Somehow the outer layer had protected the inside, making it eatable. That was nice, but as she bit down, the outer layering shattered and the burnt parts coated the inside of her mouth. She swallowed before turning to Lyson.

"I don't know how you've made this." She said slowly, "But I have never tasted anything like this before in my life. Lyson...how have you survived this far without cooking? I mean, you can't just spend your life on rations, right?"

[The V O I D]

Euphemia looked at the food for several seconds. She looked at Lyson. She looked back at the food. It was...black. Her eyes flickered between Lyson setting into the food with gusto and the food itself. Well, how bad could it be? It wasn't as if he'd put any of the ingredients together wrong, he'd just left it in for a bit too long. She speared a lump and inspected it for several seconds, before popping it into her mouth and chewing.

It wasn't what she'd been expecting. Somehow the outer layer had protected the inside, making it eatable. That was nice, but as she bit down, the outer layering shattered and the burnt parts coated the inside of her mouth. She swallowed before turning to Lyson.

"I don't know how you've made this." She said slowly, "But I have never tasted anything like this before in my life. Lyson...how have you survived this far without cooking? I mean, you can't just spend your life on rations, right?"

The Imperator's Might
Capital Dreadnought of All Remnant Fleets
The Taari Armada / Remnant

Lyson processed her question for a moment. It was a good question. How had he survived? Then again, rations in the Taari military were meant to keep one alive, not one satisfied or even with a good sense of taste. That much, he did know. Lyson chuckled to himself for a moment as he finished eating his food. He was a fast eater, apparently. When he calmed down, he spoke.

"When you're as dedicated or loyal as I am, you tend to forget about your own needs, wants, desires... I was a slave to the fantasy of what I believed the people needed. Not what I needed. Not anything concerning myself. This is honestly one of a total of five non-ration meals I've had in my entire life.", he stated. It was stated with a neutral tone, although it was easy to detect his sadness in it and regret. Like he regretted not living life. Or perhaps he regretted blindly following his fantasy so loyally as to think it was the will of his people.

[Spindle]

Euphemia's face softened at Lyson's words. He'd had how many meals until now? She shook her head in disbelief at that. That was one of the things that made Lyson Lyson. He genuinely seemed to try and carry the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, regardless of what it cost him. That was the side of him that she knew she'd have to introduce Eris and Armillius to when she made the announcement...

She pushed the chair away and strode off into the kitchen, pulling her hair back behind her head and rapidly tying it off. She grabbed a pan, slid it onto the hob and quickly measured out a small amount of oil onto it before grabbing a pair of eggs and cracking them over the pan. As the hissing died down, she slid six rashers of bacon onto a tray and placed it into the oven.

"Alright, I'm going to give you a proper meal." She smiled over towards him, "It's time you started enjoying life, Lyson."

[The V O I D]

Euphemia's face softened at Lyson's words. He'd had how many meals until now? She shook her head in disbelief at that. That was one of the things that made Lyson Lyson. He genuinely seemed to try and carry the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, regardless of what it cost him. That was the side of him that she knew she'd have to introduce Eris and Armillius to when she made the announcement...

She pushed the chair away and strode off into the kitchen, pulling her hair back behind her head and rapidly tying it off. She grabbed a pan, slid it onto the hob and quickly measured out a small amount of oil onto it before grabbing a pair of eggs and cracking them over the pan. As the hissing died down, she slid six rashers of bacon onto a tray and placed it into the oven.

"Alright, I'm going to give you a proper meal." She smiled over towards him, "It's time you started enjoying life, Lyson."

The Imperator's Might
Capital Dreadnought of All Remnant Fleets
The Taari Armada / Remnant

Lyson stared at her and stood up, following her. When she finished speaking to him, he was shocked. Genuinely shocked. But... no, she was right. Lyson would enjoy his life with her. And if she wanted to do this for him, he'd let her. No, no. Lyson had to stop her. She didn't have to do this for him. She didn't have to do anything for him. All she had to do was love him and he was satisfied.

"Euphemia, you really don't have to do that. I don't deserve any spoiling from you.", he said. He was hesitant somewhat, as if unsure. It showed his thoughts in the moment. Lyson wasn't sure if he should let her cook for him or if he should stop her. Lyson seemed dumbstruck she could be this nice to him more than anything. But he understood she loved him... it just... seemed odd. Lyson was obviously out of his comfort zone, and yet he wanted to be with her. This was a lot more complicated than once thought.

[The Greater Gambia]

FTL Space
FIS "Archus"
Kandalla-Class Light Corvette
Operation: Twilight


Yandalle showed Temir and Kiiva to the Bridge of the ship. Like the rest of the ship, the bridge was devoid of crew except the Commander. While Tagali ships were known to have small crews, the crew here was almost non existent. Yandalle saluted to the Commander.

"Commander, I've brought these two aboard, just as you asked."

"You're relieved of duty, go get some rest." The Commander said. Yandalle nodded and left the bridge.

"Don't worry about him. While he may seem intimidating, get some Sornese mead in him and you'll see that all is just the famed Kandallan military discipline reinforced with programming. Now, I suspect you two will have questions for me?" Temir was the first to speak.

"That would be correct sir. First one would be who are you and why have you dragged us away from Kalchata?" The Commander chuckled.

"Oh, where are my manners, I'm Vorcha Ol-Garran, Commander of the FIS "Archus". I've done several Tours in the Todval Asteroid belt during the Anti-Pirating sweeps, served in Operations Stampede and Pikemen in the Fringe systems, and 3 highly classified excursions into the Khrysian Confederacy that if I told you the details, I'd be commiting treason and executed as well as you two." Temir and Kiiva were intrigued, but knew better than to pry.

"As for why I brought you aboard... While the Maug-Lai are bent on turning every world the Highbreed is on into a inhospitable wasteland, and the Consul and the Congress are content with allowing this to continue. But the Federal Intelligence Society isn't willing to just sit by and watch. Before we continue, I'd like to make it clear that your Articles of Covert Ethics Rights are being waived due to the nature of the Highbreed and the risk they impose on the entire Federation. It's not ideal, but I hope you understand." Temir and Kiiva simply nodded. They had seen what the Highbreed could do first hand. How they could devastate entire armies and planets within a couple hours.

"Good, this mission comes from the highest members of the Society. When the Highbreed contacted our forces orbiting the planet, it spoke of another infestation somewhere in the galaxy. Our job is to make contact with whoever awakened them. We are to make sure they have their infestation under control. After that, it's to the diplomats and higher ups to finish the job." Temir and Kiiva remembered the Highbreed's voice all too well. It infiltrated the deepest recesses of their minds, speaking with the voices of millions combined into one. It spoke with unity, but also pained. A sign of what to come if the Highbreed weren't stopped.

"But how are we to find them? No other worlds, within the Federation or in the Fringe, has reported a infestation. If the Highbreed killed them all before they were able to report it, surely they would have spread by now somehow? Also, the infestation could be anywhere in the galaxy. How will we be able to even get their within a reasonable amount of time, especially with such an undermanned ship?" Kiiva asked.

"The "Archus" and its 3 sibling ships are the culmination of Federation technological improvement, with the "Archus" being the flag bearer. Built with the latest Tactech, Tagali R&D, Yongmee engineering, Taani craftsmanship, Valonian scientific prowess, and of course "borrowed" schematics from the Khrysian Confederacy. The "Archus" is the most technologically advanced ship in the Federation Navy. This is also the trial run for one of the biggest technological leaps in Federation history. I'll let our good doctor explain." Commander Vorcha pressed a button on a console. Within a few minutes, a tall Valonian man walked onto the Bridge.

"Ah, Commander, so I see you've summoned me to bring our new arrivals up to speed. I am Sonus Kalcatto. I'll be be supplying you and the rest of the team on this mission with medical aide and new gear that may help you on any ground missions we may encounter on this excursion of ours. I'm also the creator of what you may call our "crew" here aboard the "Archus". Here, I'll introduce her to you. Come on out, Circi." Temir and Kiiva both had looks of confusion as a small hologram of a woman appeared. She shared the features of both a Tagali and a Taani.

"Ah, two new meatbags onboard. What am I not good enough anymore!?" Circi accused. Sonus sighed.

"Circi, you're being rude, introduce your self. " Circi scoffed.

"Fine, I'm Circi. AI Contruct II. I'm the pilot, Defense Officer, Systems Specialist, Comms Analyst, and when ever you meat bags press it, the button that release your excrement out of the ship and into the endless void of space. I don't like the lot of you, but I'll keep you alive, any way. Now, if you excuse me, I have to coordinate our exit out of FTL so we don't all face the horrible death of being incinerated by the star of whatever dead beat system we come into." Circi's hologram disappeared.

"She's a charmer, I know, but she can keep the ship running better than any crew I've served with." Vorcha said. Sonus interjected once more.

"While her attitude may leave a lot to be desired, she will do any task ordered to her, within reason of course. Just expect a little aggression when issuing it. She and her siblings our the first of their kind. The navy wishes to have them aboard every ship in the next 20 years." Temir dreaded the thought of thousands of Circi like constructs controlling the whole navy, he hoped he would either be retired or dead before that day came.

"Still, how are we suppose find whoever released this other Highbreed infection, they could already be dead for all we know."

"As soon as word reached the FIS about the Highbreed on Kalchata, the boys down at HQ in Tovela were already analyzing the footage from you Helmet cams. You two stumbled onto a map of the galaxy with one of the systems colored red. We figure that the structure that Okalar was claiming was a ancient temple wasn't a temple at all, but a Monitoring station for Highbreed activity. While we can't go back to verify this due to the structure either crawling with Highbreed or turned to melted slag, it's a clue, and we can at least estimate where that system was and investigate surrounding systems." Vorcha said.

"We are also in possession of a Gen V FTL drive, one of only four in existence. While the distance of such a journey would take months to undertake, months we may possibly not have. The Gen V will cut that down to about a week. Of course, with such new technology, there are bound to be set backs. The Gen V take an incredible amount to power and are prone to overheating issues. To avoid destroying the entire ship, we will need to stop in a system and cool down for a few hours before we can continue. The "Archus" is also lacking many of the weaponry of a standard Kandalla class ship to keep power to the FTL. While we're cooling down, we'll be sitting T'wazats." Sonus said.

"It's a risk that we have no choice but to take. The Highbreed has taken enough lives at it is, and will surely take more before this is over. Our job is to limit those casualties and keep this second Highbreed infestation out of our space. Whether it be through cooperation with the ones who released it, or by sacrificing them to keep our people safe. Now, I suggest you get to know your teammates. They're currently in the messhall." Vorcha said.

"I also have to finish adjusting Gol's stealth equipment. My lab is nearby the hall. I'll show you the way." Sonus said, Temir and Kiiva following him out of the room. As soon as they left, Circi appeared again.

"I get the feeling they won't survive the mission." Vorcha rolled his eyes.

"Classy as always, Circi. Now, you wouldn't come out here if there wasn't a problem, what is it."

"We'll be coming out of FTL in shortly, but there is a massive fleet in the system that we'll be entering. It's a First Contact, and their language is not in the Tacrax compendium. "

"So the Tacrax hasn't come in contact with them. We'll just lay low." Circi got uncomfortable.

"Well, about that, due to our extra jump into the Kalchata system, the FTL Drive is incredibly taxed. I've had to take power away from the stealth drive and multiple other systems. I took a gamble and I lost." Vorcha stared out into the void as the ship came out of FTL into the system.

"We'll have to make another gamble that they don't notice us then..."

[Delta Eridanus]

(That warning was for the entire UTT. )

"Ah, yes. The one concerning Ash- excuse me, Lady Dayne."

Darius sighed, Apparently, the memory is NOT entirely gone.

"I apologize, please continue."

(Got it )

"I'm just here to investigate the message, and see who it was to and maybe get some information about it?"

"If I remember correctly, that message was to Allyria, who then used it as probable cause to investigate Daggerfall, the city of the Martells."

Darius dug through his desk and pulled out a metal cylinder, the same one that was the cause of the shouting match in the Council room video.

"They found this, an encrypted message confirming that House Martell had hired mercenaries to kidnap Lady Dayne. If you want to see the message..."

Darius pulled out another metal cylinder, this one thinner.

"That is our decryption software."

"Um, dad? There's one more thing. The Martells have been called to Achernar." Rowan chimed in.

"Have they? Hmm."

At that moment, Dorian Martell's face appeared on a panel on the wall. "Darius! Good to see you." He sneered.

Darius looked at him, unfazed. "What do you want, Dorian?"

"Just to show you this..." The panel changed to show a nondescript cell containing a petite black haired woman with purple eyes: Ashara Dayne.

Darius suddenly rose to his full height of seven feet, or about two and 1/3 meters. "you lying bastard!"

Dorian Martell came back on screen. "And to tell you that House Martell is officially seceding from the Imperium. Expect retribution soon." Then he was gone.

Theta Eridani, the Forge World of Tribute

Horus Diocletian, Martell spy, evaded Fellhorn security and was now climbing the Citadel, base of Fellhorn operations on Tribute. He cleared the final few yards.

Horus was shot by a sniper, but not before he fired a golden flare into space.

His dying words were: "Achernar remembers."

And so, with two words and a flare, the Eridanus Constellation was torn apart, and the Rebellion of The Sun began.

The eagle fell in love with the stars, and shunned the day. - Cadian historian

[The V O I D]

FTL Space
FIS "Archus"
Kandalla-Class Light Corvette
Operation: Twilight


Yandalle showed Temir and Kiiva to the Bridge of the ship. Like the rest of the ship, the bridge was devoid of crew except the Commander. While Tagali ships were known to have small crews, the crew here was almost non existent. Yandalle saluted to the Commander.

"Commander, I've brought these two aboard, just as you asked."

"You're relieved of duty, go get some rest." The Commander said. Yandalle nodded and left the bridge.

"Don't worry about him. While he may seem intimidating, get some Sornese mead in him and you'll see that all is just the famed Kandallan military discipline reinforced with programming. Now, I suspect you two will have questions for me?" Temir was the first to speak.

"That would be correct sir. First one would be who are you and why have you dragged us away from Kalchata?" The Commander chuckled.

"Oh, where are my manners, I'm Vorcha Ol-Garran, Commander of the FIS "Archus". I've done several Tours in the Todval Asteroid belt during the Anti-Pirating sweeps, served in Operations Stampede and Pikemen in the Fringe systems, and 3 highly classified excursions into the Khrysian Confederacy that if I told you the details, I'd be commiting treason and executed as well as you two." Temir and Kiiva were intrigued, but knew better than to pry.

"As for why I brought you aboard... While the Maug-Lai are bent on turning every world the Highbreed is on into a inhospitable wasteland, and the Consul and the Congress are content with allowing this to continue. But the Federal Intelligence Society isn't willing to just sit by and watch. Before we continue, I'd like to make it clear that your Articles of Covert Ethics Rights are being waived due to the nature of the Highbreed and the risk they impose on the entire Federation. It's not ideal, but I hope you understand." Temir and Kiiva simply nodded. They had seen what the Highbreed could do first hand. How they could devastate entire armies and planets within a couple hours.

"Good, this mission comes from the highest members of the Society. When the Highbreed contacted our forces orbiting the planet, it spoke of another infestation somewhere in the galaxy. Our job is to make contact with whoever awakened them. We are to make sure they have their infestation under control. After that, it's to the diplomats and higher ups to finish the job." Temir and Kiiva remembered the Highbreed's voice all too well. It infiltrated the deepest recesses of their minds, speaking with the voices of millions combined into one. It spoke with unity, but also pained. A sign of what to come if the Highbreed weren't stopped.

"But how are we to find them? No other worlds, within the Federation or in the Fringe, has reported a infestation. If the Highbreed killed them all before they were able to report it, surely they would have spread by now somehow? Also, the infestation could be anywhere in the galaxy. How will we be able to even get their within a reasonable amount of time, especially with such an undermanned ship?" Kiiva asked.

"The "Archus" and its 3 sibling ships are the culmination of Federation technological improvement, with the "Archus" being the flag bearer. Built with the latest Tactech, Tagali R&D, Yongmee engineering, Taani craftsmanship, Valonian scientific prowess, and of course "borrowed" schematics from the Khrysian Confederacy. The "Archus" is the most technologically advanced ship in the Federation Navy. This is also the trial run for one of the biggest technological leaps in Federation history. I'll let our good doctor explain." Commander Vorcha pressed a button on a console. Within a few minutes, a tall Valonian man walked onto the Bridge.

"Ah, Commander, so I see you've summoned me to bring our new arrivals up to speed. I am Sonus Kalcatto. I'll be be supplying you and the rest of the team on this mission with medical aide and new gear that may help you on any ground missions we may encounter on this excursion of ours. I'm also the creator of what you may call our "crew" here aboard the "Archus". Here, I'll introduce her to you. Come on out, Circi." Temir and Kiiva both had looks of confusion as a small hologram of a woman appeared. She shared the features of both a Tagali and a Taani.

"Ah, two new meatbags onboard. What am I not good enough anymore!?" Circi accused. Sonus sighed.

"Circi, you're being rude, introduce your self. " Circi scoffed.

"Fine, I'm Circi. AI Contruct II. I'm the pilot, Defense Officer, Systems Specialist, Comms Analyst, and when ever you meat bags press it, the button that release your excrement out of the ship and into the endless void of space. I don't like the lot of you, but I'll keep you alive, any way. Now, if you excuse me, I have to coordinate our exit out of FTL so we don't all face the horrible death of being incinerated by the star of whatever dead beat system we come into." Circi's hologram disappeared.

"She's a charmer, I know, but she can keep the ship running better than any crew I've served with." Vorcha said. Sonus interjected once more.

"While her attitude may leave a lot to be desired, she will do any task ordered to her, within reason of course. Just expect a little aggression when issuing it. She and her siblings our the first of their kind. The navy wishes to have them aboard every ship in the next 20 years." Temir dreaded the thought of thousands of Circi like constructs controlling the whole navy, he hoped he would either be retired or dead before that day came.

"Still, how are we suppose find whoever released this other Highbreed infection, they could already be dead for all we know."

"As soon as word reached the FIS about the Highbreed on Kalchata, the boys down at HQ in Tovela were already analyzing the footage from you Helmet cams. You two stumbled onto a map of the galaxy with one of the systems colored red. We figure that the structure that Okalar was claiming was a ancient temple wasn't a temple at all, but a Monitoring station for Highbreed activity. While we can't go back to verify this due to the structure either crawling with Highbreed or turned to melted slag, it's a clue, and we can at least estimate where that system was and investigate surrounding systems." Vorcha said.

"We are also in possession of a Gen V FTL drive, one of only four in existence. While the distance of such a journey would take months to undertake, months we may possibly not have. The Gen V will cut that down to about a week. Of course, with such new technology, there are bound to be set backs. The Gen V take an incredible amount to power and are prone to overheating issues. To avoid destroying the entire ship, we will need to stop in a system and cool down for a few hours before we can continue. The "Archus" is also lacking many of the weaponry of a standard Kandalla class ship to keep power to the FTL. While we're cooling down, we'll be sitting T'wazats." Sonus said.

"It's a risk that we have no choice but to take. The Highbreed has taken enough lives at it is, and will surely take more before this is over. Our job is to limit those casualties and keep this second Highbreed infestation out of our space. Whether it be through cooperation with the ones who released it, or by sacrificing them to keep our people safe. Now, I suggest you get to know your teammates. They're currently in the messhall." Vorcha said.

"I also have to finish adjusting Gol's stealth equipment. My lab is nearby the hall. I'll show you the way." Sonus said, Temir and Kiiva following him out of the room. As soon as they left, Circi appeared again.

"I get the feeling they won't survive the mission." Vorcha rolled his eyes.

"Classy as always, Circi. Now, you wouldn't come out here if there wasn't a problem, what is it."

"We'll be coming out of FTL in shortly, but there is a massive fleet in the system that we'll be entering. It's a First Contact, and their language is not in the Tacrax compendium. "

"So the Tacrax hasn't come in contact with them. We'll just lay low." Circi got uncomfortable.

"Well, about that, due to our extra jump into the Kalchata system, the FTL Drive is incredibly taxed. I've had to take power away from the stealth drive and multiple other systems. I took a gamble and I lost." Vorcha stared out into the void as the ship came out of FTL into the system.

"We'll have to make another gamble that they don't notice us then..."

The Imperial Supremacy
Lead Dreadnought of the Imperial Guardian Fleet under the Second Remnant Fleet
The Taari Armada / Remnant

The Imperial Supremacy, and its subordinate ships (Imperial Retribution, Imperial Authority, Imperial Vanguard and Imperial Victory) were on patrol at the edge of the newly founded Remnant territory, that bordered closely to Spindle's own territory. The commander of the Imperial Guardian Fleet, tasked specifically with protecting the First and Second Remnant Fleets (due to most royal blood being on those fleets), is none other than General Urgra Tor. General Tor had served with the Imperial Military for almost his entire life, and had never ceased service. He even honorably refused promotions, stating that he was to guard until death.

"General Tor, sir! Our probes have detected an unknown xeno probe. It matches no known Spindlean designs and it is definitely not one of ours.", a worried voice spoke suddenly. General Tor rubbed his chin at this - he didn't think he ever would, without an envirosuit in the way, but he was. Tor was curious. Immediately, three possibilities appeared in his mind: a small ship sent to lower their guard, and try to assassinate the Imperator, his wife, kidnap their child or worse. Or, it was a small ship sent to try and attack Spindle by proxy, which he could not allow - Spindle were extremely close friends to the Remnant. And finally, it was first contact. Tor considered each of these possibilities.

"Send word to the Imperial Vanguard and Imperial Victory. Tell them to prepare their weapons and stay behind. If something gets frosty, orders are to immediately contact the Imperator or any Admiral available for contact effective immediately. The rest of us are going in.", Tor spoke. The person he spoke to was the one who brought up this concern; the comms officer, obviously. But Tor wondered something. If these were enemies and this wasn't first contact, how foolish could they be to try and enter one of the most secure Remnant/Spindle border systems, the new Remnant capital system, as well as the one with some of the largest numbers; and expect to get away with an assassination or kidnapping? Nor could they get away with attacking Spindle by proxy very easily. It was an odd move.

The Imperial Guardian Fleet was unique in that the five elite ships were Stealth Dreadnoughts - specialized dreadnoughts built for extreme speed, but with the firepower and strength of a standard Remnant Fleet dreadnought. The two named ships stayed behind as ordered, and the three who went forward blocked the new ship's path easily, and began flanking it slightly. Showing that access into this system was not going to be given easily. The Stealth Dreadnoughts sacrificed threatening size for speed. But if these newcomers thought that meant it would be an easy fight, they had another thing coming. Tor had the comms officer send them the first contact package.

TO: UNIDENTIFIED XENO VESSELS
FROM: THE IMPERIAL SUPREMACY OF THE TAARI REMNANT
ENCRYPTION: NONE

To whom it may concern,
You are now entering the capital system of the Taari Remnant. This action wasn't authorized by any scout fleets. Communicate your intentions, and be they hostile, you will be fired upon. Make no mistake, a war with the Imperial Remnant Fleets is a war you are going to lose. However, we would prefer peace if possible. We also request that you identify yourselves and who you represent. Failure to respond to this message within the hour will be seen as a communications failure first. If we send this message again and you have not communicated back, we will assume it is purposeful and have no choice but to assume you hostile.
Regards,
General Urgra Tor of the Imperial Supremacy

Tor knew, of course, that attached was a set of translation codes. The codes would be - if this was first contact and the aliens used similar systems to the Taari's own - recognizable as such. If they were used after the message was received, then the Codes would automatically translate themselves in all known languages to the Taari. That being said, if they had a language that the Codes did not know or couldn't translate to, the Codes would, unknown to them, take a sample of their language and try to compare it to the known languages. A smart decoder for translation purposes alone. They wouldn't notice a thing - it'd simply look as though the codes and system were doing as they were supposed to. Regardless, the message was clear. And General Tor hoped a battle wouldn't occur so close to his people's new home... because the war to follow would surely target that home. And he would never allow for his people's new home to be taken from them.

[The United Tributational Territories]

(Got it )

"I'm just here to investigate the message, and see who it was to and maybe get some information about it?"

"If I remember correctly, that message was to Allyria, who then used it as probable cause to investigate Daggerfall, the city of the Martells."

Darius dug through his desk and pulled out a metal cylinder, the same one that was the cause of the shouting match in the Council room video.

"They found this, an encrypted message confirming that House Martell had hired mercenaries to kidnap Lady Dayne. If you want to see the message..."

Darius pulled out another metal cylinder, this one thinner.

"That is our decryption software."

"Um, dad? There's one more thing. The Martells have been called to Achernar." Rowan chimed in.

"Have they? Hmm."

At that moment, Dorian Martell's face appeared on a panel on the wall. "Darius! Good to see you." He sneered.

Darius looked at him, unfazed. "What do you want, Dorian?"

"Just to show you this..." The panel changed to show a nondescript cell containing a petite black haired woman with purple eyes: Ashara Dayne.

Darius suddenly rose to his full height of seven feet, or about two and 1/3 meters. "you lying bastard!"

Dorian Martell came back on screen. "And to tell you that House Martell is officially seceding from the Imperium. Expect retribution soon." Then he was gone.

Theta Eridani, the Forge World of Tribute

Horus Diocletian, Martell spy, evaded Fellhorn security and was now climbing the Citadel, base of Fellhorn operations on Tribute. He cleared the final few yards.

Horus was shot by a sniper, but not before he fired a golden flare into space.

His dying words were: "Achernar remembers."

And so, with two words and a flare, the Eridanus Constellation was torn apart, and the Rebellion of The Sun began.

The eagle fell in love with the stars, and shunned the day. - Cadian historian

Dmitri waited for everything to play out, and chose not to speak for a while. A moment of silence was mutually shared between them, and Dmitri broke the silence by saying, "I'll contact our allies to see if we have some available resources for your disposal."

[Aterrian Union]

"That's good to know." Replies Petrov. "Now please follow me, we are going down to the planetary surface."
Everyone teleports back to a shuttle bay, and Petrov leads them onto a shuttle, which quickly departs. As the shuttle enters the atmosphere, it is only then one can see the full scale of the city. Simply to say, many buildings are larger than the capital ships of other space faring civs. The shuttle lands at the Ministry of Public Relations. The grey building looks absolutely daunting in size from the ground up, as it could be comparable with Mt. Everest in height. A decently tall, well built man then approaches. As Petrov leads the cadians out of the shuttle, the man, president Markus Tyranus, salutes.
"Greetings Lord Decius of Cadia, I am Markus Tyranus, acting president of this world, and I am glad you have recieved our call for trade and assistance."

"Thank you, But my formal title is Lord of New Corinth; Darius Caridin V is Lord of Cadia." Decius gently corrected. "I am here to help in anyway I can."

"Ahh, good good." President Tyranus replies. "Now, will you please follow me inside."
As the two enter the building, they walk through a huge hallway, decorated simply, yet grand in its own way. 1000 political officers dressed in the old green uniform with russian styled hats (notable for the golden one headed eagle on them) salute. As the two enter a private meeting area, President Tyranus is first to speak.
"So, Lord Decius, do you have anything particular you want added to our deal?"

[Delta Eridanus]

"Thank you. Please, direct them to Epsilon Eridani. I'm not sure how long Theta Eridani can hold."

Rowan was about to escort Dmitri out of the palace when she was stopped by Darius.

"Wait, Rowan. I have something to ask of you."

"Yes, Dad?"

"Go with Dmitri, make sure his allies know the urgency of the situation. It's time to make our presence known in this universe, because we can no longer stand on our own, not against this foe."

Rowan, who was genuinely scared, choked back tears and hugged Darius, who hugged her back. They stayed like that until they realized that Dmitri was still in the room.

The two backed away. "Anyway."

---

Decius thought for a minute. "Perhaps a defense pact?"

[The Greater Gambia]

The Imperial Supremacy
Lead Dreadnought of the Imperial Guardian Fleet under the Second Remnant Fleet
The Taari Armada / Remnant

The Imperial Supremacy, and its subordinate ships (Imperial Retribution, Imperial Authority, Imperial Vanguard and Imperial Victory) were on patrol at the edge of the newly founded Remnant territory, that bordered closely to Spindle's own territory. The commander of the Imperial Guardian Fleet, tasked specifically with protecting the First and Second Remnant Fleets (due to most royal blood being on those fleets), is none other than General Urgra Tor. General Tor had served with the Imperial Military for almost his entire life, and had never ceased service. He even honorably refused promotions, stating that he was to guard until death.

"General Tor, sir! Our probes have detected an unknown xeno probe. It matches no known Spindlean designs and it is definitely not one of ours.", a worried voice spoke suddenly. General Tor rubbed his chin at this - he didn't think he ever would, without an envirosuit in the way, but he was. Tor was curious. Immediately, three possibilities appeared in his mind: a small ship sent to lower their guard, and try to assassinate the Imperator, his wife, kidnap their child or worse. Or, it was a small ship sent to try and attack Spindle by proxy, which he could not allow - Spindle were extremely close friends to the Remnant. And finally, it was first contact. Tor considered each of these possibilities.

"Send word to the Imperial Vanguard and Imperial Victory. Tell them to prepare their weapons and stay behind. If something gets frosty, orders are to immediately contact the Imperator or any Admiral available for contact effective immediately. The rest of us are going in.", Tor spoke. The person he spoke to was the one who brought up this concern; the comms officer, obviously. But Tor wondered something. If these were enemies and this wasn't first contact, how foolish could they be to try and enter one of the most secure Remnant/Spindle border systems, the new Remnant capital system, as well as the one with some of the largest numbers; and expect to get away with an assassination or kidnapping? Nor could they get away with attacking Spindle by proxy very easily. It was an odd move.

The Imperial Guardian Fleet was unique in that the five elite ships were Stealth Dreadnoughts - specialized dreadnoughts built for extreme speed, but with the firepower and strength of a standard Remnant Fleet dreadnought. The two named ships stayed behind as ordered, and the three who went forward blocked the new ship's path easily, and began flanking it slightly. Showing that access into this system was not going to be given easily. The Stealth Dreadnoughts sacrificed threatening size for speed. But if these newcomers thought that meant it would be an easy fight, they had another thing coming. Tor had the comms officer send them the first contact package.

TO: UNIDENTIFIED XENO VESSELS
FROM: THE IMPERIAL SUPREMACY OF THE TAARI REMNANT
ENCRYPTION: NONE

To whom it may concern,
You are now entering the capital system of the Taari Remnant. This action wasn't authorized by any scout fleets. Communicate your intentions, and be they hostile, you will be fired upon. Make no mistake, a war with the Imperial Remnant Fleets is a war you are going to lose. However, we would prefer peace if possible. We also request that you identify yourselves and who you represent. Failure to respond to this message within the hour will be seen as a communications failure first. If we send this message again and you have not communicated back, we will assume it is purposeful and have no choice but to assume you hostile.
Regards,
General Urgra Tor of the Imperial Supremacy

Tor knew, of course, that attached was a set of translation codes. The codes would be - if this was first contact and the aliens used similar systems to the Taari's own - recognizable as such. If they were used after the message was received, then the Codes would automatically translate themselves in all known languages to the Taari. That being said, if they had a language that the Codes did not know or couldn't translate to, the Codes would, unknown to them, take a sample of their language and try to compare it to the known languages. A smart decoder for translation purposes alone. They wouldn't notice a thing - it'd simply look as though the codes and system were doing as they were supposed to. Regardless, the message was clear. And General Tor hoped a battle wouldn't occur so close to his people's new home... because the war to follow would surely target that home. And he would never allow for his people's new home to be taken from them.

"They sure wasted no time in noticing us. Did they?" Circi said, commenting on the three alien ships now surrounding the "Archus".

"Well, looks like the two of us won't be going to the Sornese Moons now." Vorcha said.

"If you don't mind commander. Let me do the talking." Vorcha gave her a quizzical look.

"Why, you aren't exactly a people AI."

"Because you Tagali aren't the best at making new friends out of alien species. Kiiva's not an option because we both know how the Taani are a bunch of kiss asses. Do I have to say anything about problems with having Kalongi and Gol do this? Look, While I may despise you meatbags, I don't want these xenos to kill you all and ruin the mission. You all make some what tolerable conversation. A lot better than what I think the Highbreed could offer if they killed you all and took over the galaxy. And from what I've heard of the signals we've received, Synthetics are a bunch of pretentious assholes. Trust me, I have as much of a stake in all this as you do." Vorcha rolled his eyes.

"Sure you do. Fine, go ahead." Circi dissapeared for a few seconds before reappearing, now with multiple panels next to her.

"Looks like these aliens aren't as unknown as I thought. You know the Santaran index? The collection of alien languages that was the standard for translating xeno languages before the Federation switched to the more efficient Tacrax compendium. Looks like whoever built that were either these guys, some vassal state, or these xenos used to have influence ranging far out from here. It seems to be an older version of their language, but I think I can translate a message between that, their message demanding us to announce our intentions, and some old files I was able to dig out of their systems. And before you ask, no I didn't find anything useful. Their systems are rock solid. All I could get was something about the some marriage within their leadership, something about exo suits, and I might have been reading this wrong, but something about a baby that is something called a ..."Taatri" and a "Sprindlean". Though these might come in handy in making a reply. I'll have a rough translated message for them created in a second.

To$6D%&*$: Taatri Remnant
FR0!: Tagali Federation

We #$@#4 Tagali Federation, @$%^%@ $#@ %Intelligence #**($. Our mis$1on $$ $@$*&% Classified. $%@%$%#% Tang yola chazi Kanda No H@Rm. Dadoen We @#$%@ send Representative #$^%%&# your ship. #%#^@. Tantra tandal Tovrala sandja canata yo kuum sa $%#@ $%#%#^$&^*$#@ 5^$@#%3 Sashta.

Circi sent off the message, although Circi feared it would be unintelligible at best for them. Even for an AI, it was challenging to translate the message with such out of date information. The index that Circi was using was written in a primitive version of the "Taatri" language, what Taari translated into in Tagali. Some of the words in the Index had either changed meaning or had completely fallen out of use and was thus not included in the translation code that the "Taatri" provided. Circi decided to use Tagali translations for what words she could, others she found had no translation whatsoever and had to hope for the best. Some, if not a lot of it would appear only as weird symbols in the "Taatri" language.

"And sent. If anything goes wrong and you all die. Take solace in the fact that I've implanted a copy of myself in a crack in their systems and will avenge your deaths in the most passive aggressive way for centuries."

"Well, hopefully it won't come to that. Ready the squad."

FIS "Archus" Mess hall

"And that pretty much is it. So, we've told you about us. How about you guys?" Barring the Commander and Sonus, the whole crew was in the Mess Hall. All getting to know eachother. In standard Tagali custom, the new comers had to introduce themselves first. After Temir and Kiiva introduced themselves, Yandalle was the first.

"Well, you know my name already. I served in the Kandallan Military during the Hundred Year Civil War. Joined the Death Troopers and had my body augmented. Perhaps you've heard of the Reapers of Todval? That was my squad. We were responsible for most of metal ship corpses in the Todval Asteroid belt. After the war, all of the Augment Soldiers on both sides were discharged. I worked with a construction firm that specialized in hiring Augment soldiers before being picked up by the FIS."

"Never thought I'd meet one in the flesh. You guys were heroes to me growing up." Temir said. Yandalle frowned.

"Really, being conscripted and going through a torturous surgery and forced to follow every order without a word. Sure, than I guess I'm a hero than." The room grew silent, Kiiva tried to move the conversation along.

"Uh... So what's your story?" Kiiva said, referring to the Maug-Lai sitting at the other side of the table.

"Me, I'm Kalongi of Clan Tokone. I served Highest Warlord Salog. I was what you would call an assassin. I killed multiple Rebel Warlords both in Federation space, and in the Fringe. For the past year, I've been on loan to the FIS. A gesture of good will from the Maug-Lai Kingdom."

"How come you're here and not with Salog burning Kalchata?" Kiiva asked.

"Highest Warlord Salog. Anyway, my brothers and sisters taking part in the Legolo-Sa have courage, but are misguided in how to deal with the Highbreed. My way will be much more fruitful." The Dalga man sitting next to him spoke up.

"Well, I guess it's my turn. I'm Gol Taz-Chakamee. I was born in Kagrenz keep, we were loyal to the Bloodied Sand, the infamous Dalga Assassin's guild. I was trained in the art of stealth and sabotage, paid by the many nobles wanting to rise above their station to kill their competitors. Eventually, the neighboring Keeps found out about Kagrenz's unsavory activities and burnt it to the ground. I was able to escape, going from keep to keep, taking jobs where I can find them. Soon after first contact, the FIS contacted me. One week later, I was killing a Tagali drug kingpin in the Asteroid belt by drowning him in his own vomit. So, you two. It seems you've worked with each other for a couple years now. So are you two together?" Temir and Kiiva became flustered. Temir began to turn as red as a Taani.

"Well... I... We...Uh... No...Yes?...." They both went on like this for about a minute before Circi spoke over the Comms.

"Alright, meat bags, looks like we might be going a field trip to an alien vessel. Suit up."

[Korhal IVV]

Fringes of the Orion Arm

Moving through the void of space,red and black, is a Tal'darim fleet, bringing with them legions of hybrids. They warp in the nearest system and assault it without warning, raining hellfire and destruction upon the planets they suprise-attacked. They then left and prepared to attack the next system.

Shakuras
"What?!"

"Indeed Executor, the Tal'darim are assaulting the Orion Arm. Their hybrid breeding program has finished and now they are have been ordered by their Master to unleash the hybrids. We can't stand here and let them destroy as much as they want!"

"Ready the Golden Armada. We will not let these heretics do garbage on the galaxy!"

OOC-All Orion Arm players, you are gonna get attacked sooner or later

[The V O I D]

The Imperial Supremacy
Lead Dreadnought of the Imperial Guardian Fleet under the Second Remnant Fleet
The Taari Armada / Remnant

The Imperial Supremacy, and its subordinate ships (Imperial Retribution, Imperial Authority, Imperial Vanguard and Imperial Victory) were on patrol at the edge of the newly founded Remnant territory, that bordered closely to Spindle's own territory. The commander of the Imperial Guardian Fleet, tasked specifically with protecting the First and Second Remnant Fleets (due to most royal blood being on those fleets), is none other than General Urgra Tor. General Tor had served with the Imperial Military for almost his entire life, and had never ceased service. He even honorably refused promotions, stating that he was to guard until death.

"General Tor, sir! Our probes have detected an unknown xeno probe. It matches no known Spindlean designs and it is definitely not one of ours.", a worried voice spoke suddenly. General Tor rubbed his chin at this - he didn't think he ever would, without an envirosuit in the way, but he was. Tor was curious. Immediately, three possibilities appeared in his mind: a small ship sent to lower their guard, and try to assassinate the Imperator, his wife, kidnap their child or worse. Or, it was a small ship sent to try and attack Spindle by proxy, which he could not allow - Spindle were extremely close friends to the Remnant. And finally, it was first contact. Tor considered each of these possibilities.

"Send word to the Imperial Vanguard and Imperial Victory. Tell them to prepare their weapons and stay behind. If something gets frosty, orders are to immediately contact the Imperator or any Admiral available for contact effective immediately. The rest of us are going in.", Tor spoke. The person he spoke to was the one who brought up this concern; the comms officer, obviously. But Tor wondered something. If these were enemies and this wasn't first contact, how foolish could they be to try and enter one of the most secure Remnant/Spindle border systems, the new Remnant capital system, as well as the one with some of the largest numbers; and expect to get away with an assassination or kidnapping? Nor could they get away with attacking Spindle by proxy very easily. It was an odd move.

The Imperial Guardian Fleet was unique in that the five elite ships were Stealth Dreadnoughts - specialized dreadnoughts built for extreme speed, but with the firepower and strength of a standard Remnant Fleet dreadnought. The two named ships stayed behind as ordered, and the three who went forward blocked the new ship's path easily, and began flanking it slightly. Showing that access into this system was not going to be given easily. The Stealth Dreadnoughts sacrificed threatening size for speed. But if these newcomers thought that meant it would be an easy fight, they had another thing coming. Tor had the comms officer send them the first contact package.

TO: UNIDENTIFIED XENO VESSELS
FROM: THE IMPERIAL SUPREMACY OF THE TAARI REMNANT
ENCRYPTION: NONE

To whom it may concern,
You are now entering the capital system of the Taari Remnant. This action wasn't authorized by any scout fleets. Communicate your intentions, and be they hostile, you will be fired upon. Make no mistake, a war with the Imperial Remnant Fleets is a war you are going to lose. However, we would prefer peace if possible. We also request that you identify yourselves and who you represent. Failure to respond to this message within the hour will be seen as a communications failure first. If we send this message again and you have not communicated back, we will assume it is purposeful and have no choice but to assume you hostile.
Regards,
General Urgra Tor of the Imperial Supremacy

Tor knew, of course, that attached was a set of translation codes. The codes would be - if this was first contact and the aliens used similar systems to the Taari's own - recognizable as such. If they were used after the message was received, then the Codes would automatically translate themselves in all known languages to the Taari. That being said, if they had a language that the Codes did not know or couldn't translate to, the Codes would, unknown to them, take a sample of their language and try to compare it to the known languages. A smart decoder for translation purposes alone. They wouldn't notice a thing - it'd simply look as though the codes and system were doing as they were supposed to. Regardless, the message was clear. And General Tor hoped a battle wouldn't occur so close to his people's new home... because the war to follow would surely target that home. And he would never allow for his people's new home to be taken from them.

"They sure wasted no time in noticing us. Did they?" Circi said, commenting on the three alien ships now surrounding the "Archus".

"Well, looks like the two of us won't be going to the Sornese Moons now." Vorcha said.

"If you don't mind commander. Let me do the talking." Vorcha gave her a quizzical look.

"Why, you aren't exactly a people AI."

"Because you Tagali aren't the best at making new friends out of alien species. Kiiva's not an option because we both know how the Taani are a bunch of kiss asses. Do I have to say anything about problems with having Kalongi and Gol do this? Look, While I may despise you meatbags, I don't want these xenos to kill you all and ruin the mission. You all make some what tolerable conversation. A lot better than what I think the Highbreed could offer if they killed you all and took over the galaxy. And from what I've heard of the signals we've received, Synthetics are a bunch of pretentious assholes. Trust me, I have as much of a stake in all this as you do." Vorcha rolled his eyes.

"Sure you do. Fine, go ahead." Circi dissapeared for a few seconds before reappearing, now with multiple panels next to her.

"Looks like these aliens aren't as unknown as I thought. You know the Santaran index? The collection of alien languages that was the standard for translating xeno languages before the Federation switched to the more efficient Tacrax compendium. Looks like whoever built that were either these guys, some vassal state, or these xenos used to have influence ranging far out from here. It seems to be an older version of their language, but I think I can translate a message between that, their message demanding us to announce our intentions, and some old files I was able to dig out of their systems. And before you ask, no I didn't find anything useful. Their systems are rock solid. All I could get was something about the some marriage within their leadership, something about exo suits, and I might have been reading this wrong, but something about a baby that is something called a ..."Taatri" and a "Sprindlean". Though these might come in handy in making a reply. I'll have a rough translated message for them created in a second.

To$6D%&*$: Taatri Remnant
FR0!: Tagali Federation

We #$@#4 Tagali Federation, @$%^%@ $#@ %Intelligence #**($. Our mis$1on $$ $@$*&% Classified. $%@%$%#% Tang yola chazi Kanda No H@Rm. Dadoen We @#$%@ send Representative #$^%%&# your ship. #%#^@. Tantra tandal Tovrala sandja canata yo kuum sa $%#@ $%#%#^$&^*$#@ 5^$@#%3 Sashta.

Circi sent off the message, although Circi feared it would be unintelligible at best for them. Even for an AI, it was challenging to translate the message with such out of date information. The index that Circi was using was written in a primitive version of the "Taatri" language, what Taari translated into in Tagali. Some of the words in the Index had either changed meaning or had completely fallen out of use and was thus not included in the translation code that the "Taatri" provided. Circi decided to use Tagali translations for what words she could, others she found had no translation whatsoever and had to hope for the best. Some, if not a lot of it would appear only as weird symbols in the "Taatri" language.

"And sent. If anything goes wrong and you all die. Take solace in the fact that I've implanted a copy of myself in a crack in their systems and will avenge your deaths in the most passive aggressive way for centuries."

"Well, hopefully it won't come to that. Ready the squad."

FIS "Archus" Mess hall

"And that pretty much is it. So, we've told you about us. How about you guys?" Barring the Commander and Sonus, the whole crew was in the Mess Hall. All getting to know eachother. In standard Tagali custom, the new comers had to introduce themselves first. After Temir and Kiiva introduced themselves, Yandalle was the first.

"Well, you know my name already. I served in the Kandallan Military during the Hundred Year Civil War. Joined the Death Troopers and had my body augmented. Perhaps you've heard of the Reapers of Todval? That was my squad. We were responsible for most of metal ship corpses in the Todval Asteroid belt. After the war, all of the Augment Soldiers on both sides were discharged. I worked with a construction firm that specialized in hiring Augment soldiers before being picked up by the FIS."

"Never thought I'd meet one in the flesh. You guys were heroes to me growing up." Temir said. Yandalle frowned.

"Really, being conscripted and going through a torturous surgery and forced to follow every order without a word. Sure, than I guess I'm a hero than." The room grew silent, Kiiva tried to move the conversation along.

"Uh... So what's your story?" Kiiva said, referring to the Maug-Lai sitting at the other side of the table.

"Me, I'm Kalongi of Clan Tokone. I served Highest Warlord Salog. I was what you would call an assassin. I killed multiple Rebel Warlords both in Federation space, and in the Fringe. For the past year, I've been on loan to the FIS. A gesture of good will from the Maug-Lai Kingdom."

"How come you're here and not with Salog burning Kalchata?" Kiiva asked.

"Highest Warlord Salog. Anyway, my brothers and sisters taking part in the Legolo-Sa have courage, but are misguided in how to deal with the Highbreed. My way will be much more fruitful." The Dalga man sitting next to him spoke up.

"Well, I guess it's my turn. I'm Gol Taz-Chakamee. I was born in Kagrenz keep, we were loyal to the Bloodied Sand, the infamous Dalga Assassin's guild. I was trained in the art of stealth and sabotage, paid by the many nobles wanting to rise above their station to kill their competitors. Eventually, the neighboring Keeps found out about Kagrenz's unsavory activities and burnt it to the ground. I was able to escape, going from keep to keep, taking jobs where I can find them. Soon after first contact, the FIS contacted me. One week later, I was killing a Tagali drug kingpin in the Asteroid belt by drowning him in his own vomit. So, you two. It seems you've worked with each other for a couple years now. So are you two together?" Temir and Kiiva became flustered. Temir began to turn as red as a Taani.

"Well... I... We...Uh... No...Yes?...." They both went on like this for about a minute before Circi spoke over the Comms.

"Alright, meat bags, looks like we might be going a field trip to an alien vessel. Suit up."

The Imperial Supremacy
Lead Dreadnought of the Imperial Guardian Fleet under the Second Remnant Fleet
The Taari Armada / Remnant

The Comms Officer finished reading the message. These aliens apparently had somewhat incompatible systems. The Taari were able to decode their language, but the xenos were unable to decode the Taari's language. General Tor was glad this was first contact, at least. It was less... messy that way. General Tor thought a moment. He decided to activate the ANQ. The ANQ, or Artificial Neurosystem Quantumizer, was essentially an AI given the power of a Quantum Supercomputer. Quantum Supercomputers communicated via lasers in the past, but now communicated via FTL wireless systems. Essentially, ANQs were AIs with brainpower that could outmatch even the most advanced AI at chess, and only because it was within a Quantum Supercomputer. As the ANQ started, a holographic form appeared before General Tor. It was humanoid in shape and had an orange glow.

"General Tor. I was awakened. I already know one of the reasons. Xenos. Care to explain any other reason?", the AI stated. The AI was designated Negotiator, simply because It knew how to negotiate the best. It was probably the only thing the Taari had that could cause more of a political nightmare in negotiations than some of Spindle's best politicians. And that terrified General Tor, hence why he let Negotiator sleep most of the time. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Negotiator continued waiting for Tor's response.

"Negotiator. You were awoken because of the xenos, yes. The reason is we want you to be the one who deals with them directly. You know you've been given Imperial authority to negotiate treaties, alliances, etcetera for decades, even before Imperator Vorr took command. I was lucky enough to have you assigned to my ship before the current Imperator came to power. I'd rather not have any... mess. Do you understand?", Tor finished. Negotiator understood completely. It was to negotiate with these xenos, see what they wanted and why they were here, and then decide their threat level as well. It was also to, if they allied themselves with the Remnant, ensure that politically speaking the xenos couldn't possibly betray the Remnant. Negotiator understood those goals very thoroughly. It nodded, sending a message to the xeno ship as It did.

Negotiator then waited in the Briefing Room, as that would be where the meeting would take place. It sent the message translated to perfection in the xeno language. Honestly, Negotiator didn't know how the Taari still used Quantum Translators anymore. They were efficient and fast, yes, but efficient and fast is only good when speaking of an AI like It. The message was simple enough. Their diplomats would be welcomed aboard and were to meet It within a designated meeting room within the ship that the diplomats would be led to. Of course, It gave It's "Taari" name, meaning It's secondary name. That was Ordin. Ordin/Negotiator didn't really care as to what It was addressed. It never understood the need for names or designations, much. Then again, It only ever spoke with other ANQs. Now, for Ordin's least favorite part of It's mission: the waiting.

[The Greater Gambia]

The Imperial Supremacy
Lead Dreadnought of the Imperial Guardian Fleet under the Second Remnant Fleet
The Taari Armada / Remnant

The Comms Officer finished reading the message. These aliens apparently had somewhat incompatible systems. The Taari were able to decode their language, but the xenos were unable to decode the Taari's language. General Tor was glad this was first contact, at least. It was less... messy that way. General Tor thought a moment. He decided to activate the ANQ. The ANQ, or Artificial Neurosystem Quantumizer, was essentially an AI given the power of a Quantum Supercomputer. Quantum Supercomputers communicated via lasers in the past, but now communicated via FTL wireless systems. Essentially, ANQs were AIs with brainpower that could outmatch even the most advanced AI at chess, and only because it was within a Quantum Supercomputer. As the ANQ started, a holographic form appeared before General Tor. It was humanoid in shape and had an orange glow.

"General Tor. I was awakened. I already know one of the reasons. Xenos. Care to explain any other reason?", the AI stated. The AI was designated Negotiator, simply because It knew how to negotiate the best. It was probably the only thing the Taari had that could cause more of a political nightmare in negotiations than some of Spindle's best politicians. And that terrified General Tor, hence why he let Negotiator sleep most of the time. But desperate times call for desperate measures. Negotiator continued waiting for Tor's response.

"Negotiator. You were awoken because of the xenos, yes. The reason is we want you to be the one who deals with them directly. You know you've been given Imperial authority to negotiate treaties, alliances, etcetera for decades, even before Imperator Vorr took command. I was lucky enough to have you assigned to my ship before the current Imperator came to power. I'd rather not have any... mess. Do you understand?", Tor finished. Negotiator understood completely. It was to negotiate with these xenos, see what they wanted and why they were here, and then decide their threat level as well. It was also to, if they allied themselves with the Remnant, ensure that politically speaking the xenos couldn't possibly betray the Remnant. Negotiator understood those goals very thoroughly. It nodded, sending a message to the xeno ship as It did.

Negotiator then waited in the Briefing Room, as that would be where the meeting would take place. It sent the message translated to perfection in the xeno language. Honestly, Negotiator didn't know how the Taari still used Quantum Translators anymore. They were efficient and fast, yes, but efficient and fast is only good when speaking of an AI like It. The message was simple enough. Their diplomats would be welcomed aboard and were to meet It within a designated meeting room within the ship that the diplomats would be led to. Of course, It gave It's "Taari" name, meaning It's secondary name. That was Ordin. Ordin/Negotiator didn't really care as to what It was addressed. It never understood the need for names or designations, much. Then again, It only ever spoke with other ANQs. Now, for Ordin's least favorite part of It's mission: the waiting.

Aboard the "Archus", the crew was gearing up to go aboard the alien ship. Yandelle had the least to prepare, as he was permanently in his armor at all times. He simply grabbed his Titanium sword and a Tagali SP-1 Pistol out of his locker. The rest of the team had more work to do. Kalongi suited up in his gear, adjusting his mask until it made a slight hissing noise. He grabbed a upscaled version of the Tagali KA-33 Assault Rifle. A rifle that first saw use during the final years of the Tagali Civil War and continues to be the standard Infantry Rifle of the Federation even to this day, with slight technological upgrades.

Gol put on his traditional Dalga assassin armor, now upgraded with more technological improvements besides being a simple hood and cloak. It now came with a module Emulator, allowing his suit to use Federation made Combat Modules, improving his performance by give him powerful abilities. He filled his suit to the brim with an assortment of hidden knives. The only visible weapons on him were the two Dalga scimitars he had on his back.
Temir and Kiiva wore the FIS VARIANT BDU, a more specialized variant of the Tagali Infantry BDU. The newest iteration of the battle armor the Tagali had been wearing since their early tribal days of hunting the colossal beasts that roam their homeworld. They were both equipped with the Standard CQB-Kelgar Rifle. A favorite of FIS Operatives everywhere and any poor soul that found themselves fighting a charging Maug-Lai in a cramped space. The gun has two modes of fire, a semi automatic burst fire mode, and a shotgun mode. Like most Tagali made weapons, the Kelgar Rifle rounds can switch between Thermal, Cryo, and Armor piercing rounds, but also has the addition of Radioactive rounds that slowly poison large Organic targets with high doses of radiation.

Once the team was suited up, they made their way to the Hangar. The hangar was particularly small for a Kandalla-Class, where most were able to hold a 2 dropships and a 3 fighters. This one, however, only had room to carry a single dropship and one hover APC, in case the team needed to cover large distances. Vorcha and Sonus were waiting for them.

"Good, you finally arrived. Kiiva, you'll have to be the one to carry Circi. Your suit is the only one with a compatible Uplink system." Vorcha said, handing her a SD card like chip. Kiiva put the chip into the port in the back of her helmet. Circi began to talk through the speakers of the helmet.

"Ah, finally more space than just that shit card. Don't worry, this won't be long if they have a hologram projector. Think of this, if everything goes wrong, I'll be able to monitor your vitals before your demise."

"Calming..." Kiiva said sarcastically. As they boarded the dropship, Sonus stopped Gol.

"Before you go, Gol. I fixed your Stealth Module. I made some upgrades to the stealth components, increasing camo mode for up to five minutes. I was going to put in the FTL Teleport drives, but I still haven't gotten the kinks worked out. I figured you'd rather not have your body parts scattered throughout time and space."

"Thanks I appreciate that, Good Doctor." Gol followed the rest of the team on board the Dropship, strapping themselves in. Yandalle got in the pilot seat and made the proper preparations. As soon as he gave the all clear Vorcha gave one last word of advice.

"Remember Circi, tell them as much as they need to know. Don't divulge any classified info." Circi scoffed.

"You wound me, Commander. I'm an AI, I think I know my limits better than any of you. The dropship door closed and pressurized. Yandalle turned on the engines and flew the ship out of the "Archus" and towards the meeting place. Kalongi activate the helmet cams of the whole team. He could see the face of Temir inside his helmet, looking like he's gonna throw up.

"What's the matter, Temir? Not a fan of Yandalle's flying?" Yandalle chimed in over the speakers.

"Hey, this dropship is easy compared to flying a bomb loaded Sornai-Class Heavy Corvette into a major Inner System Alliance Asteroid mining facility. These were back in the days before reliable space autopilot." The whole team chuckled except for Temir who just bent over in his seat. They soon arrived at the hangar of the Taari ship they were meeting at, As they all got unstrapped from their seats, Circi gave them one last word of advice.

"Now remember, while I've been able to set up a reliable translation for their language, I haven't had enough time to send out a patch to all of your systems. You'll have to let me do the talking. It's not like you meat bags would be able to add anything of value to the conversation." Yandalle came out of the Pilot cabin.

"I'll stay here and protect the Dropship. It's our only way out of here and I don't think we'll need both a Cyborg and a Maug-Lai to intimidate them if we need to." The group nodded in agreement and prepared themselves for what was to come. As the Dropship doors opened to the alien hangar and they walked out. Circi spoke through the squad channel.

"Remember, let me do the talking."

WIP

[Spindle]

Euphemia rolled her eyes at Lyson's protests. Typical. She grabbed a tomato from the fridge and sliced it in half, placing it onto a grill and sliding the grill into the oven. A tin of baked beans appeared and disappeared into the microwave, a low humming filling the room as Euphemia turned back to Lyson. He was so...thick sometimes.

"Lyson, of course I don't have to do this." She said, shaking her head slightly, "But what's the point of just doing the things that we need to? If I can do something for someone why shouldn't I? Now go and sit down. I can handle this."

She turned back to the kitchen, popping two slices of bread into the toaster and turning it on. She wheeled around, grabbed a spatula and an oven glove and pulled out the bacon, turning it over before she put it back into the oven.

---

"Cheat." Medusa said, her face perfectly impassive.

"Damnit!" Stheno yelled, picking up the pile of cards in the middle, and angrily tucking her raven hair back behind her ear, "Your go."

"Three fives." Euryale smiled, putting down three cards face-down. Her emerald eyes twinkled as they glanced into the staring eyes of her sisters.

The three of them were triplets, with an interlink potential high enough to make each of them a viable Captain, but Echidna had decided to go down another route with them. For the past rwelve years the three of them had been used in Echidna's cutting-edge interlink prototypes. None of them really knew why, although Echidna had babbled something about redundancy whenever they'd asked.

But now they were being used for field-testing some of the newer mass-production interlinks. Although they were far lower quality than the triplets were used to, they were still a cut above the older types, if less stable, at present anyway. That was why they were running the field tests. As for why they were running them near the Taari...well, they weren't entirely sure, although Medusa had a sneaking suspicion they'd been sold off as the best Captains in Spindle. It technically wasn't wrong, although she felt that there were plenty of Captains who could match her...if they could use the seventh generation interlinks.

Stheno jerked bolt upright, as if she had been struck by lightning. She sat there for a few moments, her eyes wide and unseeing before she came back to reality with a blink. Medusa already knew what it meant and was packing the cards back into their pack. Stheno had been connected to a secondary interlink for situations like this, which was one of the reasons she'd been playing so poorly. Euryale was also moving, pulling her hair into a bun before moving over to her tank. Within a minute, all three of them were all fully interlinked and checking over the data the ship had picked up.

Combat log-The Gorgon-18/12/26-13/12/36

Stheno: Are we going in? [attachment:combatvector18zulu]

Euryale: I hope so, cheat was getting boring. Twenty-one next?

Medusa: Would you two stop it? Euryale, I don't even know how you downloaded emojis onto this, but stop using them. Stheno, we can't go in. This is Taari space, any contact here has to be made by them. We're just there to observe and help out if they need it. [attachment:vector93kilo]

Euryale: I'm certain they'll appreciate our three escort squadrons we're going in with there, sis. That's going to be sooo much help if anything goes wrong.

Medusa: And you'd rather what? We've got...thirty seconds on them so far, but if they were going to start shooting I'd have expected it done now. We can't go in too heavy-handed or else we could panic them. Three escort squadrons should be more than enough.

Stheno: Yeah. Three escort squadrons and us. That's at least a battleship and three escort squadrons.

Euyale: You two are crazy. All right then, let's go get ourselves killed.

Medusa: Oh, what are they going to do? Fight three Stealth Dreadnoughts and us at the same time? They're just one ship!

Euryale: I'm fairly that's what the bad guys say in every film right before they get their arses handed to them.

Medusa: Euryale, stop doing that or I'll put a virus on your holo so that whenever you phone Jason it has a random chance of phoning mum instead.

Euryale: Alright, alright. Stopping.

[The V O I D]

Euphemia rolled her eyes at Lyson's protests. Typical. She grabbed a tomato from the fridge and sliced it in half, placing it onto a grill and sliding the grill into the oven. A tin of baked beans appeared and disappeared into the microwave, a low humming filling the room as Euphemia turned back to Lyson. He was so...thick sometimes.

"Lyson, of course I don't have to do this." She said, shaking her head slightly, "But what's the point of just doing the things that we need to? If I can do something for someone why shouldn't I? Now go and sit down. I can handle this."

She turned back to the kitchen, popping two slices of bread into the toaster and turning it on. She wheeled around, grabbed a spatula and an oven glove and pulled out the bacon, turning it over before she put it back into the oven.

The Imperator's Might
Capital Dreadnought of All Remnant Fleets
The Taari Armada / Remnant

Lyson saw no room for argument, and understood immediately that Euphemia was not the woman to be argued with. She'd probably gut him. Lyson gulped at that thought and went to his seat. He watched her cook the breakfast. He felt so spoiled, and yet he was grateful for it. For her. Lyson wished he'd been less cruel to her. But at the same time he wished he'd stopped himself completely. In fact, there was so many things going on in his mind that he didn't really notice Euphemia almost finishing up with her cooking. He sort of almost zoned out. When he paid attention again, she was almost done.

"What are you making, anyhow?", he asked. Lyson felt like it was a stupid question, and kind of asked bluntly. But he was curious and well, he wasn't really sure how else to ask. Lyson continued to watch her as she did what she did. He was glad that she wanted to be with him. And then a thought dawned on him but he hid it well from the look on his face. He had to confront her family again, if they were together. He'd have to face her father. Lyson cringed slightly and his skin crawled. That was bad. It meant he was going to have to deal with scorning and mistrust, on top of dealing with other negative feelings aimed at him. He'd had those emotions aimed at him before, yes, but not by his... lover's? family. He kept a straight face, or a smile, rather so that Euphemia wouldn't worry.