Splintered Reclamation [FT | IC | OPEN]

[Garfunclia]

Empress Selene IV, Palace of Ravens
Selenian Order, Garfunclia

"National Security Council 119 is officially in session. Commanders, I ask that you present all information to this meeting now."

General Jainxgo stood first, and bowed to the Empress. He spoke.

"My Empress, unfortunately we have absolutely no information on anything at this point. However, given the recent actions of the Pavlostani government, it is very clear that something has caused tensions to raise, or, that they are attempting to raise tensions in order to fabricate a casus belli."

"Thank you General, but I will have you know that I could have inferred this myself. Is there anything else you have to tell me?"

"We have received a message from the Uhlvyar. A Pavlostani crew has attacked a Selenian. He is wounded, but is in recovery. They have stated that that they do not think the Pavlostani have any involvement with this, and they wish to confirm that we have had no interaction."

The Empress nodded. "Secretary, we must send them a message immediately."

Transmission to the Uhlvyar:
I, Empress Selene IV, speaking on behalf of the Selenian Order, thank you for informing us of this incident. I assure you that the Order did not have any involvement with this incident. However, recently the Pavlostani have been acting highly provocatively toward us, and I fear that it is only a matter of time before they launch an invasion of my nation. We thank you for rescuing our citizen, and will be sending a scout ship to return him to our territory, as we fear that if your great nation has any ties at all to this situation the Pavlostani may use them as an excuse to invade you also. The Order warns you that the Pavlostani are preparing for war, war that likely stems from nothing but a desire for vengeance. The Selenian Order thank your humble nation once again, and wishes you the best. May the stars shine brightly on your worlds.

The General and the Secretary both nodded. The General spoke.

"Is there anything else we should do, my Empress?"

"I want all staff members in our embassy in the Supremacy recalled immediately for their safety. I want all food exports to the Supremacy stopped immediately, and I want all merchant vessels to avoid travel anywhere near their territory. We cannot make any moves that risk the lives of innocent people. Also, we need to begin preparing for a wartime economy. I have no doubts that the Pavlostani will declare war on us. I want every fleet and defensive army on standby. Follow the plans we had drafted in an event like this.

"The General nodded, and departed the room.

The Empress spoke. "Secretary, I wish to send another message."

"May I ask to who, your majesty?"

"To the Pavlostani."

Transmission to the Pavlostani Supremacy:
I, Empress Selene IV, speaking on behalf of the people of Selenian Order, wish to inform you directly that we, our of precaution, are recalling our embassy staff and stopping the exportation of food to the Supremacy. We mean this not as a hostile act, but merely as a move to ensure the safety of our people. We do not know what has caused the increased tensions between our nations in the past few days, but we wish to solve matters peacefully, if the Supremacy wishes the same. I propose a meeting between our ambassadors in neutral territory. We will not bring any military personnel to this meeting, and we hope that the Supremacy will do the same, if it agrees to said meeting. Let our nations not get hasty, let us talk of our problems before things get out of hand. We offer our best wishes to the people of the Pavlostani Supremacy, and our best wishes to Alric Brecca, the Ascended One. Let our two great nations not take the easy road of violence, and instead seek to work together in solving this crisis.

[The system of Renis]

Renis, Republic High Courts, Trial of Selene Adralin
The courtroom was silent as Selene and her Clone Trooper escort entered. She was placed on the hover pad that flew over to the centre of the room. The judge was first to speak "Selene Adralin" he said with no emotion in his voice "You have been accused of committing 3 acts of treason against the Republic and committing terrorist acts as leader of the organization Shadow Watch. How do you plead". Selene chuckled to herself. Making sure it was inaudible. She tilted her head slightly as the judge and jury looked on her with no emotion "Not guilty" she said. The judge sighed silently to himself. He leaned over to the guard next to him and whispered orders in his ear. The guard stood up and left the room. A few moments later he had returned with a tall, bald man who was in his early fifties. He was dressed in a Medical Officers uniform. "Prosecutor" The judge said "Begin your statement".
The man nodded and said in a stern voice "Selene Adralin. You have committed acts of murder and treason. And I shall prove it. In my hand is a hologram of everything that happened aboard the Medical Station MV-12 A. Your honour. With your permission I would like to show this in front of the jury". The judge nodded and took the hologram. Plugging it in to a computer in front of him. A hologram flashed up. Showing the station in full working order. Then a ship docked with it. The hologram then showed security footage of Selene and four men in dark clothing step out. The men's faces were covered by a mask and hood. But Selene's face wasn't. It showed her fighting to the centre of the station. Planting a device. Then running back to the ship, which then detached. A minute later the station suddenly exploded. It was met by gasps from the jury. "As you could see" the man said "She planted a bomb aboard the station and it killed all aboard. I was lucky I had a shift change just minutes before the explosion". The judge took the hologram out of the computer and handed it back to the man.
"Defendant" He said sternly "Your statement please".

RSS Endeavour, Exploration Vessel, 150 AU from Republic Space
"Lieutenant, divert all power to thrusters and life support". The officer nodded and set about diverting power with his computer console. The captain however went to the large holo console at the back of the bridge. He activated it and said to the Admiral who appeared on the console "Sir. We are heading towards the unidentified signal now". The Admiral handed a pad over to an officer next to him. "Excellent" the Admiral said "Identify that signal and locate who sent it. That is all". The holo picture of the Admiral disappeared. The captain nodded and went back to the front of the bridge "Full speed ahead" he said "We must reach that signal soon".

[Icthyia]

Cyhis
Near Traxis Research Base

As The Ireni began pillaging and brutalizing the world, they began to actually scan the planet more thoroughly. As the initial bloodlust calmed down, Sirak's lieutenant had grim news.

As Sirak was enjoying the sit of slaves marching into a cargo ship, all healthy adults as the rest were killed, clad in shock-collars and drug pins, his lieutenant came to bear the news, cowering in anticipation.

"S-s-s-sir, I-I-I have some news..."

"What could you possibly want at this hour? Enjoy yourself! We do not have much opportunity to do this anymore!"

"I know, I know you had me scan the planet...but, in my haste, I seem to have neglected to consider there may be other lifeforms on this planet then the indigenous creatures...."

Sirak's eyes widened.

"There, there appears to be signs of a research base nearby, and some of the scouts have spotted Traxis symbols. They seem to be preparing for evacuation. If they get away..."

Sirak immediately stood.

"You pathetic fool! You incompetent weakling! This was your one job, your only job, and you failed! Get the men, we need to attack now! Order the Defiler to begins searching for ships and engage immediately!"

"Y-yes, sir."

Sirak ran out of his tent and began barking orders to his men, telling them insect was on the menu today.

Outside Traxis Research Base

Serial murderer and commander of the scouts, Tchiss flew with confidence only one who has taken lives can. His glider flew like a majestic eagle, cutting through the sky as delivered death to those below.

It was he who had reported sightings of the TRaxis, and it was he who awaited orders on what to do. His request was soon answered, as Sirak himself cut through the communication to order him directly.

"Tchiss, those vermin are going to escape. They will report what we've done here, and I will be punished by the Archon. Attack them now, and we will be there soon. Focus on the soldiers and evacuations ships, leave the civilians for afterwards."

"Yes, sir. I will tear the legs from their sockets."

"I hope you shall, Sirak out."

With the comms cleared, Tchiss gave a wide smile, his fungoid tongue escaping and licking his lips.

"Alright boys! Let's give these fucks good show. Armor up the launchers, kill the soldiers first, and blow those ships out of the sky! Leave the civilian critters alone, we'll have fun with them later..."

With that, the scouts all leashed a wild, horrifying yell, and began to load up their psy war messages. Each glider was prepared with a compendium of scream from different species, all acquired through the torture of prisoners and slaves. They loaded up the screams of the Traxis, and began to assault the base, the howls of the suffering echoing throughout.

[Spindle]

Outer Perimeter
Traxis Research Centre
Cyhis

Hyris swore to himself as he spotted a cluster of vulture-like figures in the skies above the encampment. Two of the soldiers with him raised their rifles in response, but he waved them back down. At these ranges, they hadn't a hope of hitting their enemies. It would be better for them to conserve their ammunition for later, when they could achieve a higher hit rate. All of the Soldiers were tense, as prepared as they could be for whatever would happen next.

A high, staccato keening ripped through the air as the figures dived onto the outer perimeter. From inside the Hive-resin compound, Hyris heard several of the scientists keening in response, sobs and screams echoing through the corridors at the horrific noises the Ireni were playing. Gossamer webs of fire traced up and soft phats erupted across the entirety of the defense line as the slavers made their first pass.

The slavers weren't equipped to deal with proper combat exoskeletons...but the Traxis weren't equipped to deal with actual attackers either. Their weapons were entirely composed of non-lethal firearms and close combat weapons, meant for use against the primitives should they have made the mistake of attacking the Traxis. And so, when the projectiles impacted against the Ireni they burst open into splodges of goo which would rapidly set and render the pirates immobile.

That was when the shots hit them, at least.

Hyris saw a flicker of movement in his periphery and his rifle was up, spitting at the Ireni which shot into view, crackling baton in hand. Two of the shots impacted, one against its chest and one against its left knee, and it fell gracelessly from its hoverboard and onto the forest floor. The men began to fall back, closer to the facility, where their lines of fire were clearer and they could spend more time on each target.

Overhead, one of the shuttles listed and began to spin, careening into the side of the facility before falling to the ground in three pieces, back broken and scientists spilling out among the Soldiers. Glancing around, Hyris could see the perimeter contracting further and further as lighting jabs forced the Traxis back. He must have lost around a third of his men already, he noted despondently, and there were few figures struggling on the ground. His mandibles flexed in despair, the real and artificial screams blending into one awful cacophony in his mind as the Ireni pressed relentlessly.

---

CIC
TVF Curiosity
Chyis

Kyris paced up and down on the bridge of the Curiosity. She knew that people were dying down on the planet, knew that Soldiers who were her responsibility - her burden - were fighting a hopeless fight, and yet...she didn't care. Not about them. She was terrified for herself, her fate should the pirates focus their attentions on her little ship. Every second drew out into an eternity and each minutes was an unbearable agony. Each sensation promised to be her last: or worse, not.

Glancing at the chronometer, the tension writhing inside her tightened a little. Twenty-three minutes until jump? But it had been twenty-four three minutes ag? Or had that been two minutes ago? She couldn't tell any more. Her mandibles were chattering together incoherently, her feeding-limbs crossing and uncrossing in agitation. Another glance at the chrono. Still twenty-three minutes? But it must have been at least a minute since she'd last checked it...

[Jaladristan]

Union of the Nuri
Nurin
Hall of Commons
Great Protector Scaran

The Protector looked at the screen in front of him. The numbers he saw were far from great. The great council had come together a few hours ago to discus what should happen to a recently discovered planet in the Unions territory. Uskion, as the planet was called, held large quantities of a material the Nuri needed to build the sails for their ships. But the planet was also home to a sentient species of large treelike people. And as with most things the council quickly split into three factions. The first faction proposed to not claim ownership of the planet and to not disturb it's inhabitants. The second faction was convinced that they should claim half of the planet and let the native inhabitants live on the other half. The third and most extreme faction wanted them to claim the whole planet and to exterminate it's native inhabitants before they could evolve into a potential thread for the Nuri. And it was this third faction that had Scaran worried. Their idea got nearly a third of all the votes in the council and it seemed that these violent solutions to problems got increasingly popular with every council meeting. The more neutral second faction still won the vote with over half of all votes, but Scaran had a bad feeling that the extremist would soon take the lead in the council. But now it was his task as official head of the council to end this meeting. He rose up from his chair and the table in front of him lowered itself into the ground to allow him to walk into the middle of the round hall. He stepped onto the platform in the middle and started typing on the little keyboard on his left arm. The words he typed appeared on the screens in front of each member of the council. “Respected members of the great council, I thank all of you for your opinions on this delicate matter. It took use some time but I am convinced that the solution we found today is the best one for the whole Union. With these words a declare this meeting to be closed.” He stepped of the platform and walked back to his seat while the other members of the council stood up from their seats. As he arrived at his table he turned around to face the platform in the middle. Then every Nuri in the room bowed his head as a sign of respect for his fellow council members.


A few hours later Scaran sat at a desk in his office. He looked at his face in the mirror above the door. His once bright green scales had turned grey and not a few of them had cracks in them. But his eyes were as bright as ever. His 85 years make him the oldest Protector in the history of the Union. The door to his office was suddenly opened which broke his gaze into the mirror. Standing in the now open door frame was his secretary, a rather young Nuri with light green scales. Her hands were at shoulder hight as she used the sign language of the Nuri. “Oh I’m sorry Great Protector, but this transmission here was just forwarded to me by the council of foreign affairs and the asked me to hand it to you as soon as possible.” Scaran now lifted his own hands.“Tsenu, we work together for 7 years now. You can just call me Scaran.” he signed her with a warm smile on his face before taking the tablet computer she reached him. His eyes darted over the screen. It was an invitation to a gathering of leaders and other important persons. He nearly told Tsenu to decline the invitation, but then he reconsidered. Maybe it was time for the Union to open up to the rest of the galaxy. At least a tiny bit. He handed the tablet back to his secretary and signed her: “Please send a response to the host of this gathering. Tell him that I am going to attend to his meeting.” Tsenu nodded and walked out of Scarans office to write the response the Great Protector told her to.

Answer to the Berj and the Outer Rim

The office of the Great Protector would like to inform you that we received your invitation and that the Great Protector of the Nuri has decided to attend your meeting.
We look forward to this meeting and hope to further the peace in this galaxy.
Tsenu, secretary of the Great Protector

Union of the Nuri
Over Uskino
Aboard the N.D.F. Nuricor
Fleet Commander Kardi

The fleet commander sat in his chair on the bridge of the Nuricor when the answer he waited for finally arrived. The great council had finally come to a conclusion. A complicated one but a conclusion nonetheless. He was to take control over half of the planet and to resettle the native species to the other half. In his opinion it would have been far easier to just wipe out these lesser creatures and take the whole planet, but he wouldn’t dare to question the councils decision. He looked at his arm and started to type orders for the officers under his command. They had to send down their colonization troops to the planet to claim the northern half of the planet. Their troops had to not open fire on the native inhabitants unless they attacked first. After he typed all his orders, which would appear on the wrist mounted computer that every member of the Unions armed forces was wearing, he leaned back in his chair and watched as thousands of dropships descended onto the planet below him.

[Pavlostani]

Stardock
Pavlostanus
The Pavlostani Supremacy

"Gentlemen, you all know why we are here." The Supreme One sat before his people. A hologram of the galaxy was projected from the table between the officers, and on a screen, the Colnora Attacks were shown with footage from various cameras.

"Spymaster Mavyn has submitted his report on the Colnora Attacks; there is no doubt. The Selenian Order is responsible for the murder of one hundred and forty Pavlostani men, women, and children. Downtown Colnora is still in ruins from the attacks and the people are openly demonstrating in the streets what we as the officials of the Pavlostani Supremacy are not." He declared.

"Death to Selene!" Azathi shouted. The Supreme One chanced a small smile.

"Selene has sent us a communique, requesting a diplomatic meeting in the Disputed Territories, and that the Selenian Embassy is being evacuated. I have not given any orders to detain their personnel. We live in a galaxy where leaders are idealistic dreamers, who rule in a fantasy world. As much as I hate to go along with them, prudent military action is offensive to their ideals." He growled.

"The brutal attacks of the Selenian Order would do far more to gain international condemnation." Admiral Vaqath pointed out.

"Indeed, and we will do everything in our power not to let the leaders of the galaxy forget the crimes of Empress Selene." The Supreme One replied. "However, a second report has arrived from the Cyris Collective. They have relayed a message guaranteeing the security of the Order." The Supreme One said.

"The Cyris Collective is no more than a rabble of merchants and aristocrats, with a military so robotic, a child studying basic algebra could graph their maneuvers." Azathi boasted.

"The Cyris Collective has a military nearly 23 times the size of our own, not even counting their newly gained privateers, and a powerful economy to back it. While our men and women would die fighting them, they would be constructing whole legions of new soldiers. And if that was not already a force to contend with, they are dangerously close to us and could have ships knocking on our door before we could say 'Colnora'" The Supreme One said sternly.

"Look there." Vathaq pointed to the footage of the Colnora Attacks. "We need to make this public, or else we are the aggressors." He pointed out.

"Agreed. Get that video to every corner of the galaxy. Tell the world of Selene's crimes." The Supreme One decided.

Message to the Cyris Collective

Attached to this message is footage of a brutal attack that occurred in our nation's capital this past week. Our action to authorize privateering in the Selenian Order is not provoked out of hostility, but of self-defense. Our codebreakers report that Selenian communications have dropped to complete silence, a common feature before a major attack, and long range IWACS cruisers have detailed major troop movements on their bottommost border. All evidence is pointing towards an impending Selenian attack on the Pavlostani Supremacy.
As for the Uhlvyar Incident, ranking officials in the Pavlostani Supremacy have no knowledge of any action inside the Republic of Uhlvyar. We condemn the crew of said vessel for breaching Uhlvyaran territory and law. We will be monitoring the situation and are happy to work with any institutions to help resolve the situation.

[Drakmah]

[Sergeant J’deon, Captured Ship]
[Just inside Selenian Territory]

“They want to do what?”

The Sergeant had been sitting around with the rest of his squad, the other half having returned to the ship which left only 10 members on board. The pirate captain was left tied up in the corner as they would only have use for him should the Selenians need proof of piracy. This new offer however, meant that they indeed were believed and that the pirate captain now served no use to them.

“I said, they want to purchase the ship from us.” Captain Haldros replied through the live transmission feed, having requested the conversation to keep the Sergeant informed.

“No no, I got that. It was a figure of speech.” He replied, causing the captain to sigh. J’deon shrugged it off and waited for the explanation to continue, his fingers twiddling with the bone toothpick in his hand.

“Here’s the deal. They are going to trade cash for the ship, you and your team will get a portion of it should the deal go well. You are going to have to sweep the ship to make sure there are no other enemies. I don’t need the Selenians asking me why people are hurt or dead because of a stray pirate. Make sure the ship is clear while I finalize the details and request them to board to finish the deal.”

J’deon nodded, reaching up and switching off the transmission.

“Alright, let’s get moving. We have to sweep the ship to make sure its clear for when the Selenians board.”

His soldiers groaned and he barked a few mocking comments, a flurry of helmets getting fastened and guns being primed that took the better of a minute. Soon the remaining squad members were ready and they split into several groups.

“... and Raeka and Frenk will take the tail end of the ship. Nemok, you and Wreallu stay here and take care of our pirate captain. Make sure he sleeps long and hard.” The two nodded, a smile under their helmets. The groups split off and J’deon went alone down the fourth hallway. As he left he heard a sharp crack and the muffled laughter of Wreallu, along with a comment that made even the Sergeant chuckle.

“Damn, you broke his forehead!”

[Captain Haldros, The Swords Peak]
[Just inside Selenian Territory]

“Relay the message to the Selenians.” The Captain then turned to one of his communications officers.

“I’m not quite sure why they would want to purchase that piece of junk, especially after what we did to it.” The captain said, his communications officer shrugging as he smiled.

“Sir, it’s quite possible that they are unaware of the many different… unadvisable acts of brutality that went on between the strike team and the pirates. They may change their minds should they agree and choose to come aboard the ship.” He said, quite sure that the amount of blood was more than the average Selenian was used to seeing.

“That’s quite true, however we shall see when Sergeant J’deon makes the deal. Now, send the message.”

“Yes Sir.”

Captain Haldros wishes you to come aboard the ship in question to finalize the trade and transfer the amount of funds you see fit for the ship. The ship should serve as neutral ground and allow for you to pilot it away with you as it is still in operational condition.

Should this proposal be acceptable to you simply send a small group of your crew to meet with Sergeant J’deon and a portion of his team to talk over the details before the final trade is made.

If you have any questions or concerns, Captain Haldros is happy to answer and rectify them.

[Lord Commander Baal Vaekenroth, Rakenishu Station]
[Over Nycenia]

The Lord Commander leaned up against the wall, waiting for the requisitions officer to return from his lunch break. After a few minutes the door shot open and a slightly smaller Darlashian walked through, pulling behind him a large box with his name on it. He wheeled it over to the side and sighed, looking back to the larger Darlashian with a smile and a chuckle.

“They always told me you were big, even for one of us. Never thought you would be this tall in person.”

Baal smiled, giving off a hearty chuckle as yet another person commented on his size. He stood a few inches over 8 feet, being just over a foot taller than the average Darlashian. While normally the extra height would not bode well for someone in his profession, he had the girth and the weight to balance it out, making for a death machine of a person, even by Darlashian standards. Because of his unique body shape he had to get his equipment specially made through the requisitions offices and pay the extra fees, however this was something that he was already required to do as he was the Lord Commander of the military. This came with advantages however, which included increased customization and access to weapons and armor that most military members could only dream of.

“Alright Vaekenroth, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, this is your order from Greyhawk Industries. You’ll have to sign here to acknowledge that you’ve received the order, so on and so forth. You know the drill.”

The Lord Commander nodded, a smile creasing his face.

“Yes, I indeed know the drill.” He walked over and pressed one of his abnormally long claws to the box, tearing it open down the side with one quick motion. As he began to unpack the box the requisitions officer whose office he was currently doing this in wrapped his hand down on the table.

“Ahem.. Do you really have to this here?” He asked, sitting down his chair as he pulled the up the program required to process the Lord Commander's order.

“No, but it’s quite easier this way.” He replied, systematically pulling things out of the box and shredding the casings around them. “I ordered a new suit of armor and a plethora of attachments for it. The effort needed to get the box back to the armory far outweighs the effort needed to unpack it here and wear it back to my chambers. Due to this consequential differences in work required, I chose to unpack it here.”

“You know..” The officer replied. “I really wish you were wrong, but you aren’t. That and also you are the Lord Commander, so just try and finish up quickly.”

Normally the title of Lord Commander would grant Vaekenroth a much higher level of respect, however he was not one for formalities and had informed the requisitions office of this a long time ago. As such, most of the officers treated him more like a client than as the leader of the paramilitary forces. The title itself placed himself directly under the Varken, however much of the nation had concluded long ago that Vaekenroth could take down Unothe in a duel to the death, and that he only refrained from challenging Unothe out of his friendship with him along with respect for his superior's position.

“So what did you even order? That box is bigger than I am.”

“It should be bigger than you are, as it contains armor for someone bigger than you are.” Baal replied. The requisitions officer laughing and went back to his computer work.

“Thanks for the reminder.”

What Vaekenroth had actually ordered was indeed a suit of armor, but it was special in the sense that it had a passive state and an active state. In its passive state it acted much like an exoskeleton, taking up space on his back and parts of his sides, along with his shoulders. In its active state is was much similar to standard Darlashian battle armor, and would cover him head to toe in inches of armor that would help keep him alive long enough for him to kill whoever was shooting at him. It switched between the two stages at his command, and would allow him to go about his everyday duties with the ability to go to war in only a few seconds.

As for attachments for his armor, he had chosen to order a plethora of differing weapons and defensive tools, which would improve his killing capacity greatly. Firstly he had ordered himself a new set of shoulder mounted rocket pods which would sit on the backside of his shoulders while the armor was in its passive state. The next item pair he ordered were dual gatling kinetic weapons, which would sit on the underside of his upper biceps while in passive form before sliding down to the undersides of his forearms for use. Then he had purchased a forearm mounted hard-light shield generator, which would summon a tower shield size wall of semi-translucent hard-light to block weapon fire before breaking, in which he had to wait for it to charge back up before he could summon it again. Finally he had purchased lower rocket boosters, which would help him maneuver the hulking metal tank he would voluntarily put himself in should he need to move quickly. These would be pushed up against the back of his thighs in passive mode before lowering down when activated.

While the entire setup would never been worn during everyday menial activities, he would in-fact be using it for his upcoming trip to Berj. While he would be bringing with him a number of ships as an escort, he would be the only one attending the meeting. He wasn’t quite sure what it was about, as he wasn’t fully briefed on it, but he knew that Varken Unothe needed someone with authority and levelheadedness to attend the meeting, as conflicts between the nations attending was not allowed, meaning any aggression wouldn’t be taken lightly.

Once he was suited up in his new armor he demolished the box, causing the requisitions jaw to drop as he witnessed a fully suited Lord Commanded obliterate something.

“Fuck… That’s some badass armor.” He said, mostly happy that his job of disposing of the box was no longer his responsibility. The armor rescinded and the Lord Commander smiled.

“That was the idea.” He said, before walking off with the bit and pieces of the box, making sure to deliver them to the waste disposal area of the station before returning to his office. He disengaged the armor in the corner and walked over to his desk, finding a message for him on the console.

Lord Commander,

Varken Unothe has requested you prepare for departure immediately for the conference in Berj. The Falkon Clan will be accompanying you to the meeting, and they have instructions to not fire on or board any ships that have not attacked them first unless they have you explicit orders too. You will be flying in the Clans Capital ship, The White Inferno. You are expected in less than a half an hour and departure will be soon after.

Good luck Lord Commander,

Offices of Varken Unothe
Secretary Wenrey

“Well Alright then… Time to suit up.” He said, walking over to his armor and getting back into it, the Lord Commander walking out and making his way down to the docks where the ship would be waiting to pick him up and bring him to the conference.

The people of the Outer Rim were then notified by Secretary Wenrey of the Lord Commander’s orders to attend the conference, with a notice that while he was heavily armed he had no intentions of using said weapons unless they were needed, which was something the Empire strongly wished for.

[Taigawa]

Exploratory Fleet, just outside the western borders of the Ecumene

The fleet had just jumped into an area of unexplored space outside the boundries of the Ecumene. The fleet consisted of a number of research vessals, a few crusiers, and a couple corvette-classed warships. Not a true fighting fleet by any means, but not a pushover either. Out here, in territory clamed by no one, anything could happen. This was a fact not lost to the Lord of Admirals when he had sent the fleets outside the Ecumene looking for their original homeworld. He maintained communications with them at all times as they did what they had been told...their orders had been delegated as "Jump to unexplored region, look around, then jump again."

It was of course and oversimplifacation of what the empress wanted her fleets to do- Find Thessia. Neyla knew what her ancestors had been doing there, and wanted access to the alien ruins that she believed would still be there. No one, not even the Imperial Council denied her this....expecally with the empress funding most of the expidition herself.

[Garfunclia]

Recon Officer Aurlian, Scout Ship 118
Selenian Order, Southern Border

Recon Officer Aurlian read the Darlashian transmission. She looked over to her copilot and spoke.

"Head over to the ship, negotiate the details of the trade. Once that's finished, fly the ship back with me to the nearest inhabited planet. For some reason, I have not been able to detect any radio or tachyon transmissions from any government body in quite some time. We should finish this as fast as we can. I haven't been able to contact the Empress, and I have no idea how much we should offer for the ship. Personally, I think whatever gets it done fastest will be the best price."

The copilot nodded. He boarded the Recon ship's escape vessel, and flew over to the old Selenian Junco-Class. He waited for further instruction from the Darlashians.

[Icthyia]

Outer Perimeter
Traxis Research Centre
Cyhis

"Hahahaha! Look at them squirm! Look at the"-

The raider's delight was silenced when a shot hit him in the head, from some unknown soldier with exceptional aim. Though not military munitions, the goo still surrounded his face, slowly suffocating him, not that it mattered, as he careened into the wall, the unstable engine exploding and killing him instantly.

"Idiot."

The raiders kept launching salvos on the outer perimeter, until the Traxis began retreating inwards. One of Tchiss's men scored a shot on the transport, the blast exploding and drawing the attention of everyone nearby, as it slowly listed and collapsed into one of the residential houses.

As the Traxis fell, their blood pooling on the ground, Ireni reinforcements radioed in that they were almost there. Five more minutes, and the transports would bring in ground forces. Tchiss smiled, hoping he could enjoy the researchers before they even arrived.

Continuously, the Ireni launched round after round on the military positions, losing only one or two each round to the sniper that was terrorizing them. Some survived, flying at low altitude and hit in the arm or torso, but any driving too fast or shot in the head met their fates. Tschiss didn't care, a good third of the soldiers were dead already.

As Tschiss prepared another salvo, his comms broke out yet again.

"Tschiss, we can see the base. My men will be launching an assault soon, keep firing. They'll break as soon as we scale the walls."

Half a Mile from Traxis Research Base

The Ireni transport, a crude vehicle imported from who knows where, moved along treads, giving a sure but uncomfortable ride to the Ireni inside. The creatures within, members of the Flesh Raiders, had engaged in a drug festival while the vehicle was still moving. Their senses heightened even further, they were barely capable of controlling themselves, and the moment the door opened they would recklessly throw themselves at the enemy, ignoring pain or common sense.

Tir, the Flesh Leader of this group, had engaged in the same festivities. Not only did he grow in pleasure-seeking, but the uncomfortable ride had really been edging in on his psyche. His gun, a crude kinetic weapon, seemed like a heavy chunk of metal he could barely tolerate, so he tossed it to the ground. Despite the strange looks of his men, he unsheathed his sword - an Ireni ceremonial weapon - and prepared to launch himself as soon as the door opened.

A large smash gave news that they had broken through the gates, and soon, the door opened slowly, revealing the light of the world and all its plunders.

The Defiler

Captain Iren, hand-picked by the Archon to pilot his immense ship, began to sweat. He had just gotten word that Traxis were in orbit, something that had ignored completely in favor of other....enjoyments. Though SIrak was likely not thinking of him at the moment, if the Traxis escaped, Iren's head would need to find a new home.

"Sir, we have found energy signatures at these coordinates."

Iren let out a loud, happy groan.

"You know what to do. Head there immediately, fire up the weapons, aim for the engine if you can make it out. Prepare the boarding parties in case we are able to disable it. Close ina s fast as possible."

"Sir, yes sir!"

Creaks and moans filled the ship, as the vessel began lurching towards the target from its previous immobility. The ship was old and storied, but had been upgraded by the Archo for speed and precision. It was usually the match for any civilian ship.

[Spindle]

Outer Perimeter
Traxis Research Centre
Cyhis

Hyris was running almost on autopilot, his arms moving of their own volition to track the flickering ghosts which screamed out of the treeline like demented banshees. He saw, with startling clarity, one of the members of his section falling to the ground as miniature snakes of electricity coiled and writhed over his carapace, as if feverishly searching for a way in, each moment etching itself perfectly into his mind. The incessant screaming was muddling Hyris' thoughts, slowing his decisions as a loud clanking filled the air. Several clouds of black smoke drifted up from the forest and his speech-mandibles flexed in frustration. What was that?

With a roar, a ramshackle vehicle tore itself from the treeline and rammed its way through the gates with impunity. The poor framework, designed to stop primitive battering rams more than anything else, was pulled from its hinges and ground into the dirt underneath the vehicle. Reacting with a coordinated efficiency, the Soldiers flowed into the courtyard, taking up secondary positions and waiting hardly a moment before unleashing a fusillade onto the deployment ramp. For a moment, a sense of hope pervaded the defenders as they braced for the next wave to come.

Then another roar heralded another leviathan emerging from the treeline and carving a path to the now-breached gates. Another one arrived moments later: a fourth began to drag itself from the shadows before the third was fully revealed. With a quick burst on the comms, Hyris said what the Soldiers had known had been coming ever since the engagement had begun.

"Fall back into the compound."

With fluid maneuvers, the sections withdrew into the twisting, Hive-resin corridors of the research complex. Hyris didn't doubt that some of the Ireni would be in there already, but he also knew that staying out here would only condemn his men to death faster. Inside, they might survive a little longer, let a few more scientists make it to safety or else give them time to reach a suitable hiding spot. Or, if worst came to worst, they could still kill themselves...

---

Lab 13b
Traxis Research Centre
Cyhis

Xriis could feel her heart pounding in her chest. The sounds of fighting had come progressively nearer and nearer to the compound and now she could hear gunshots inside the compound itself. She'd been on the observation level, looking out over the planet, when the first of the pirates had arrived and she wouldn't forget it. The thing had drifted casually up to the window even as her shocked mind was still struggling to put the dots together, before somehow screaming at her and peeling off downwards as the shooting had started. It had been a few moments later that her fear had released her from its grip and she finally figured out what it had been.

Ireni.

A cold disgust flared up inside her at the thought of them. Creatures which had eagerly served the Zvydar as slave-masters and had only broken off their habit after pressure from the Alliance...or so Xriis had thought. But they were here. They were here and there was only one reason Xriis could imagine for it and the idea chilled her to the core. She didn't want to have to re-live the decades her species had spent in servitude to another race. She would let herself die before that.

Shaking hand closing around the scalpel, she lifted the glinting blade to her neck, finding the small chink in her Strasis' exoskeleton which would lead to both her jugular and her Strasis'. It would kill them both in moments. Cool metal pressed tenderly into soft flesh for a moment, before Xriis' shaking hands betrayed her and the scalpel clattered to the floor with a ringing cacophony. Desperately scrabbling for the surgical blade, Xriis looked around furtively. No-one seemed to have noticed, but the gunfire was certainly getting closer. Focussing solely on that small blade, her only salvation, Xriis bent with fumbling, clumsy hands and tried desperately to grab her way out as the shots rang out closer and closer.

---

CIC
TVF Curiosity
Chyis

Kyris felt an odd calm descend over her as the sensors informed her that a ship was moving towards them. It would make contact with them long before the drive ring was fully charged, whatever Kyris did. Her life was out of her hands now, something she no longer had any control over. She would live or die according to the whims of the Ireni who were currently slaughtering her men on the planets below and she could not influence their choice in any way. It was, in a way, a liberation. All she had to do was wait.

A small sobbing brought her back to attention as Reyis began to cry to himself. The boy had signed up as an excuse to hare off to new worlds and meet new people, but now he faced the prospect of never returning home and Kyris knew he was terrified out of his mind. After all, she was. But his sobs reminded her that there was more at stake here than just herself. She was responsible for the well-being of her crew, not just herself, and she knew their deaths would hang heavier on her neck than any other.

"Brood-captain?" A voice called, "We've picked up a transmission from...the Collective?"

"What are they saying?" Kyris asked wearily, half-dreading reply.

"They're willing to help us, but the bill is...huge."

"How much?" Kyris asked, head snapping around to fix the comms operator with a wild, hungry stare.

"Just over ninety percent of the budget we've got left." The comms operator said, "We'd be leaving immediately if we accepted their deal."

"We'll never be leaving if we don't." Kyris sighed, "Pay them. Half down, half once we're at a Fleet node. Let's see if they can keep us alive."

[Pavlostani]

Ventaurii

Ventaurii still shined through the blackness of space, though smaller than before from the trilithium testing. Billions of kilograms of light elements had been released from the star as it cast off matter. Yet, one would not see it, unless they viewed the collecting freighters around the star equipped with metaphasic shielding to defend from the solar energy.

Each vessel would collect its store, and warp off to a location in deep space. Captain Gharati was the captain of one such vessel, and was carrying his first load to the mysterious location.

"We're coming up on our location, bring us out of warp." He ordered. His small freighter dropped out of warp speed, to view a colossal... thing.

"A rogue moon?" His first officer stared at the rare phenomenon.

"That's no moon." The captain said in awe. They looked upon Starborn, a battle station the size of a moon, built from the ashes of the collapsed stars.

Stardock
The Pavlostani Supremacy

"Gentlemen. We are led to one conclusion." The Supreme One said gravely to the solemn officers at the table.

"Not since the Four Years War have we dared to do such a thing. But we are left with little choice. The Selenian Order has gone too far. We will have a vote here, among ourselves for the future of our relationship with the Order." He decided.

"General Azathi?" He asked. The general stood and wrote a tally mark on the board.

"Admiral Vaqath?" The Supreme One continued. The Admiral erased the tally mark.

"Admirall Vortas?" Vortas shook his head.

"General Harqi?" Harqi added a tally mark.

"Marshall Galenti?" Galenti stood.

"How many thousands of people died the last time? We finished that war with an entire sector devastated, eight hundred thousand soldiers of the Supremacy dead, and generations of hatred between us and the Order. Yet, we cannot abide by more murder or hatred. The war did not end with a treaty, it was a mere armistice that erupted in this cold war that has ravaged the quadrant. It seems that there is a sad truth to these afflictions; there can only be one. One way or another, there will only be one." And with that, Galenti cast his vote and solidified the decision.

"Gentlemen. As of now, we are at war with the Selenian Order." The Supreme Leader declared.

[The Greater Dutch Republic]

Uhlvyar Prime, Uhlvyaran Republic:

"Cut off all diplomatic ties with Pavlovstan. Embargo on all Pavlovstani and Uhlvyaran goods headed between the two. No Uhlvyaran good to to Pavlovstan, no Pavlovstani goods go to Uhlvyar. On top of that, we need to get working on Operation Glorious Sword. Now."
The rest of the Council stared, jaws-dropped, as the President stated his opinions and actions on the matter. The CEO of Uhlvyar Trading Incorporated stood up.
"Madam President, while we can agree that Pavlovstan is the agressor, we simply cannot do this. Putting an embargo on an entire nation will rock the economy!"
The President looked at the CEO with disbelief, starting to talk again.
"Really? Because the last time I checked, UTI and HEC only recieved 5% of all their imports from Pavlovstan. It would hurt them more than it would hurt us. I'm going through with it."
The CEO sat down, a grim look on his face, as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces stood up.
"Madam President, with all due respect, Project Glorious Sword isn't even past the thinking stage. The power to drain entire suns and aim that energy to obliterate an entire solar system simply is beyond our technological capability."
The President nodded, contemplating the situation. An idea came to her, however risky it may be.
"What if the sun in question were smaller? What if we maneuvered a space station towards a solar system with, say, a white dwarf. We would absorb it, then move the station to the outer rim of the system we want gone. Then we fire."
The Supreme Commander thought, the rest of the room looking around nervously. If the Supreme Commander said yes, the Uhlvyar would begin construction on a weapon that could obliterate entire systems.
"Well, Madam President, we wouldn't be able to obliterate the entire system because of the weakened power of a white dwarf, however we could scorch planets and rip chunks off of them. If we were to strike, say, aim all our power at the Pavlovstani Home System, we could wipe out Pavlovtan itself and do significant damage to other planets in the system."
The President, nodded, grimly. She knew it might not ever come into play, however it wouldn't hurt to be sorry. If not the Pavlovstani, then maybe another nation would come for Uhlvyar. This massive weapon was neccesry for Uhlvyar's survival.
"Do it."

Orbit of Uhlvyar Gamma, uninhabitable dwarf planet:
In the orbit of Uhlvyar Gamma, the first beams of a massive ship were layed, the outline of a great ship that would take years to build, but once finished would strike fear into the hearts of Uhlvyar's enemies and make the galaxy respect Uhlvyar. This ship, the Glorious Sword, would be the pinnacle of Uhlvyaran engineering, and the weapon to end war once and for all.

[Senkaku]

Chapter Two: Typhoon

---

Lak System
Bada
Capitoline Zone
Palace of the Grand Assembly

---

"You have overstepped!", the chief delegate of the Vermilion Banner shouted, waving her hands at the stone-faced delegations across the room. "The people will not stand for this... this cabal of oligarchs and elitists and dynasts. This unprecedented and illegal power-grabbing coup will not go unpunished!"
Through the vast glass dome above them, they could see Bada's deep blue sky, studded here and there with bright stars that shine through the thin atmosphere. There were smaller stars too, moving around in orbit- warships, nearly all of which belonged to the newly-declared Pact of Steel between Aiji, Bahi, and the newly installed Gunjin puppet government of the Lamshar Emperor.
Lo Nor himself stood, staring down the red-clad delegates on the other side of the room. "Speak a little more softly, comrade," he spat. "It is you who have overstepped, in your meddling attempts to gain influence over other members of the Front. It is you who have forced us to take drastic measures to remedy the damaging results of your own conspiracies. I would respectfully council that the Vermilion Banner swallow its hypocritical and wrong-headed shrieking about the legality of the more assertive measures you have forced us to take and henceforth be more respectful of its fellow coalition members."
Kuul Yeje bristled at this remark. "You dare to accuse us of hypocrisy while-"
"Silence, please!", called the Premier, his voice hoarse. "Please, we must have a respectful discourse and-"
"No, Premier Sor, the time for that has come and gone," Yeje fired back, cutting the elderly premier off and speaking over him. "Aiji and Bahi have overthrown the legitimate government of Gunji simply for being interested in pursuing beneficial popular reform to help the proletariat. The hypocrisy, slander, lies, violence, corruption, and conspiring of the great Azori powers can no longer be tolerated, and-"
"The great Azori powers are the lying conspirators now?", shouted Lo Nor. "What of the assassination of Prince Yershan of Gunji and the aluminum smelters' strikes the Banner orchestrated to bend Gunji to your fucking ridiculous proletarian reforms? What of the terrorist attacks in Sahaliyan and Chansai when you did not get your way at first? What of the riots in Carcosa, and-"
"Your vulgarity may only be matched by your corruption, Grand Secretary, but-"
"-ought to know your rightful place, bloody barbarian peasant-"
"-flayed by the wrath of the proletarian masses-"
"-hate to ruin your lovely red uniforms with bloodstains-"
"-turn Carcosa and Chansai into a sea of fire-"
"-kill you all-"
"-burn in Hell-"
As his deputies rose in fury around him, Lo Nor took a seat, took out his data slate, and began to type.

---

The shouting match had continued for nearly an hour, though after a short time Sor Sul-ah had retreated, his voice broken by trying unsuccessfully to regain control of the meeting. The aging premier was fairly quivering with fright in his office, with a stream of the continued yelling playing on his console.
"This has gone on for long enough," he suddenly whispered as loudly as he could to his chief of staff. "Tell Security to remove them all. We will hold a second session when emotions are riding a little lower."
"I've sent the message," his chief of staff said a moment later. "Also, sir, external comms are still down for some reason."
"I'm sure IT will fix it soon enough," Sul-ah said unconcernedly.

---

Kuul Yeje slammed her data slate down in frustration. There was still no connection to any of the ships they had in orbit, where a number of senior Party members were anxiously awaiting news of how the conference was going. The connection had gone down a while ago, and she couldn't seem to get it back up.

The Grand Assembly security officers appeared like pale ghosts at the doors, and Lo Nor, who had briefly sat while others traded blazing tirades with the Vermilion Banner and the Outers, suddenly looked up from his data slate and smiled.
Yeje, across the room, felt a cold shiver run involuntarily up her spine at the sight of that grim, predatory smile. His eyes had gone from impenetrable, frosty chips of steel to dark pools that seemed to suck her gaze towards them, filled with soulless flames.

A young Amyr in a white uniform, with a gold pin, hurried in the main entrance.
"Honored delegates, I must regret to inform you that the Premier has called to end this session immediately. A second meeting will be held to resolve the issue in a few hours, at the pleasure of the Premier, and-"
The security officer was cut off by a loud bang. There was suddenly a series of the same explosive cracks, and security officers everywhere started going down before they could even reach for their sidearms. Yeje dove for cover as gunshots sent dust and bits of debris flying, and she heard screams echo throughout the huge dome. There was suddenly a noise as if the air itself was ripping- some sort of heavy assault rifle firing a long burst. She herself screamed as dust and chips of plastic and concrete and steel went flying, though she couldn't hear her own voice over the incredible din.
Yeje began crawling down the row of seats, her mind switched off, focused only on getting to an exit and out of whatever was happening here. The gunfire, however, suddenly tapered off, and in the sudden, bloody silence she found herself freezing up to avoid making any noise. Slowly, carefully, she sat up a little ways, peering in between the rows of bullet-pocked seats.

Lo Nor was standing on the central dais, where the Premier usually sat, looking around the room impassively. Around her, delegates from the Banner were dead or dying, and the Banner's security officers had been killed as well. She felt her breath catch as someone in red suddenly stood up and tried to dash for an exit- but an iridescent blue shape suddenly stepped out, and the figure dropped as a gun went off.
The soldiers who were massed around the exits wore the same iridescent blue- the uniform of the Aijin Imperial Guard.
This is a crime beyond words, Yeje thought to herself. When the Presidium hears of this- a horrible notion suddenly entered her mind, and she looked up.

There were a number of beautiful new nebulae blossoming in Bada's orbit, where the Vermilion Banner's ships had once been.
Kuul Yeje noticed she was bleeding from the foot, and realized that she was going to die in this room.

---

"Lo Nor!"
The Grand Secretary turned towards the other side of the room, where Banner delegates and staffers and security officers still lay sprawled in a bloody carpet. He could hear Kuul Yeje- but as to where exactly she was in the morass of seats, he could not tell.
"Kuul Yeje."
"You will pay for this crime dearly."
"Will I?" Nor felt rather amused.
"If you release me, perhaps you will not be executed when your corrupt bourgeois oligarchy is overthrown. There are still ways to mitigate this."
"Yeje, I'm going to kill you now, and there is nothing you can say or do to stop me," Nor called back cheerfully, and turned to a soldier next to him. "Give me your laser pistol."
"Excellency?"
"I said give me your laser pistol."
The soldier stared for a moment, then unclipped the weapon from his belt and passed it to Nor.

Yeje suddenly emerged from the row of seats, leaning heavily on one leg for support.
"Long live the-"
"No." The Grand Secretary shot her in the head.

---

Three minutes later, in the bloody, silent mausoleum of the great hall, they received word that the Premier had slit his throat in his office.

---

POST SUMMARY:

-At the meeting on Bada, Lo Nor interrupted communications to the Grand Assembly complex and then had the palace stormed by Aijin soldiers, landed without the knowledge of those inside. The Vermilion Banner's delegation has been murdered, including their ships in orbit, making civil war all but inevitable. Sor Sul-ah, when he realized that the coup was under way, chose to commit suicide.
-Both sides in the impending civil war are beginning mass mobilization of their forces.

[The Greater Dutch Republic]

Sector N/A
Above Uhlvyar
Narels was having an extraordinarily bad day. Her target had escaped her clutches and she was now being pursued by what felt like have the Uhlvyar Navy. Frowning she strode across the deck blaster in hand. She took quick stock of the situation and lowered herself into a state of warriors calm. The ship jolted as a few blasts careened off the shields, but they held firm. Frowning she knew they were outnumbered, out gunned, and probably outmaneuvered, even if Hyperdrive is faster. As far as she was concerned this was going to be tough but not impossible. She thought about what was going on and sat at the helm chair. A Norgan sergeant spoke up as another wave of shots glanced off the shields, ore forcefully this time.

"Ma'am they are targeting our main impulse drives. They seem to want to immobilize us." Another blast flickered the lights and jolted the ship hard. Narels grinned. Their mercy would be used to her advantage. She barked orders, suddenly sitting straight.

"All personnel attend boarding stations EXCEPT the skeletal maneuvering crew. MOVE" The deck scrambled and the orders were relayed across the ship. She braced herself as the ship did a barrel roll to avoid another volley. The crew was scrambling to get into positions. An armor chest piece was tossed her way and she slipped it on. Another volley hit this time and the lights went out for real, flickering onto emergency mode. Red pulsating light showed exit and entrance lanes to the deck. She waited patiently while the ship continued to dodge and weave while under heavy fire. Finally she got the ready signal and she sprung into action. Her crew was ready.

"Next volley don't dodge! Let it hit us, but right at the volley fire the trash and wasted compartments. Hopefully they will get destroyed. If they blow up then lower the shields and cut the engines IMMEDIATELY as well as cutting all power to make it look like we lost critical systems." Without question her Norgan crew nodded. A tense silence followed until an explosion raked the ship directly behind them and the ship jolted as the engines shut down. Navels felt naked without the shields. This better work. Please supreme one, let them take the bait. The plan was simple. The Uhlyvars would see the cut power and what appeared under quick inspection to be a crippled ship and would attempt contact. When they couldn't even get a contact link they would assume that the crew had lost power and couldn't communicate. With that the Uhlyvars would board, and find a very compliant crew, until they fully stepped forward. Then the ship would spring into action, leaping forward and blasting into hyperspace with high end hostages ensuring no chasing shots. Brilliant, simple and Narels hoped perfect.

Sector 1
Berj, Unofficial Capital of the Outer Rim

The 4 ships, 3 foreign, and one domestic de-hyperspaced just outside of Berj's gravity well. Bine gulped nervously as the ships impulse drives fired up. She tried for a com link, but nothing came from the Extra Galactics. She inspected their ships more closely now. They were small, each around the size of the 90 person mining ship she was standing in. They were clunky and seemed shoddy. But they crossed galaxies clearly, since I have never seen a race that looks anything like them. They were approaching Berj now. The brilliant blue of the planet's oceans called out. She tried again with communications. This time the aliens picked up. They seemed to be more relaxed now, almost... in control.

"That's Berj, our capital. I was born there" Bine smiled. "I think its the most beautiful planet in the galaxy." The creatures smiled, showing sharp pointy teeth. Mine resisted the urge to shudder. They were above the planet now and a single ship approached them. Mine recognized the chancellors ship. It approached and stopped short. A video conference was established and Bine could now also see the Chancellor of Berj, Ansgar Fleischen.

"Greetings outer galactics!" He said generously. He was wearing his best robes. Ansgar was one of the only warlords who were not into fighting, preferring to rule with a benign smile and a powerful fleet in his back pocket. He had a red garment this time, and had a magnanimous banner in his background with the sigil of himself, which he had created when he usurped power from his old commander. "I am Ansgar Fleischen, the commander of the mighty Berj and foremost representative of The Outer Rim. I am of the Cyrian people, but cannot claim to represent them." Bine snapped out of the daze she was in for actually seeing the chancellor and glanced at the outer galactics just in time to see him hungrily lick his lips. There was a ton of movement in the background, A chill went down her spine. She shook her head though, they come in peace, that is clear. Ansgar had kept going though and she tuned back in to hear him finish up. "And that is why we have sent for all the leaders and important people in this galaxy to attend a ceremony in your honor wishing 2 days. It will mark a new era of peace and prosperity for our Galaxies!" Bine could swear that the movement behind the aliens stopped. He gave the toothy and spine chilling grin again and nodded profusely. He then raised his right arm and held two of the many digits aloft and the others down, a Berj symbol of respect. How does he know that? Bine wondered. Ansgar smiled broadly and the transmission shut down. Mine received a notification, a formal invite to the ceremony introducing the Outer Galactics to the world leaders. For some reason she didn't want to attend.

Greetings and Salutations!

I Ansgar Fleischen of the mighty Berj am pleased to invite you to my humble planet for the greatest spectacle every witnessed. The joint of Galaxies! Yes, for the first time ever we have made contact with other galactic aliens and we invite all people of importance, clearly you being one, to attend the ceremonies! All luxuries will be provided and we can accommodate any species. Be warned however, this is a ceremony of peace. All conflicts must be put aside once you enter Berj space. You cannot bring more than 20 ships as an escort and none larger than a cruiser. I hope to see you there. Until we meet in person, I Ansgar Fleischen wish you victory in battle and happiness in peace.

Uhlvyar StarcruiserRisen from Ashes, Uhlvyaran Space:

"IT'S A TRAP!" Shouted the First Mate at the top of his lungs. Admiral Ackboar, commander of 30 ships of the Uhlvyar Fleet, agreed. "It's probably a trap. I want an engineer team to get on the back of the ship, disable the hyperdrive and engines." He then opened a closed channel to all other Uhlvyar ships chasing the vessel. "I want a ring around this ship. It even twitches, blast it into bits." Turning back to the crew, he opened up the ships overhead speakers. "304th and 716th Marine Detachments in Hanger Bay 4, calling Marine Detachments 304 and 716 to Hanger Bay 4."

One hour later:
The engineering crew silently got to work disabling the enemy ships engines and hyperdrive, as the Uhlvyar Seventh Fleet formed a ring around the vessel, prepared to destroy it. As the Uhlvyar Marines set out to take the Vessel(around 30 Marines), they were fully aware that their lives were at risk, and that the Uhlvyaran ships had order to fire on the ship whether they were still on or not. The risky plan wasn't the best, but it would have to do.

[Equalsun Empire]

[Southeastern Galactic Arm
ECN Terminus]

The hull of the survey vessel ECN Terminus gleamed in the light of the violet alien pulsar, tachyon scanners pulsing FTL particles into the planet every few seconds. Set to best deflection, the reflective plates of the survey ship gleaned brilliant white against the black void of darkness that surrounded them. The planet of interest below them, in contrast, was dark as the great space around it. An awe-inspiring ammonia sea roared upon the surface, black waves almost touching the ship as they rose in tidal waves topping 3 kilometres above the obsidian continents. It was amazing that anything lived upon the world.

Then again, perhaps the inhabitants of the Terminus should not wonder quite so much. Many of them were little more than energy held together by personal gravity fields, after all, miniature stars in their own right. However, they had not been born upon a planet, leaving the title of most impossible planet-dwelling life form to the amoeba beneath them. Several specimens were already located within the storage bays of the survey vessel, bound for the intensive-study labs orbiting the stellar forge of Modesia.

The survey vessel- well, maybe that was not the correct term. The ECN Terminus was a Skirmisher-class corvette, based out of the Commonwealth-class fleet carrier Luminary, and the only reason they were able to collect this data was the fact the Luminary was currently drawing matter from the pulsar to refill it's depleted planetary mass reactor. The massive ship had been tasked with a long-haul voyage in the Inner Rim for a reason known only to the Council, and even they were sceptical of it.

Find the Imperical Remnant.

Two days ago, proximity alerts had pierced every starbase guarding the Famréal system, something which should never, ever happen. When a civilization was this far from the Galactic Core, visits should be accidental, if not nonexistent. This, however, was certainly not an accident.

[Two days previously
Outer Famréal Nebula
Task Force 7]

Gleaming bows cut through the blue gases of Famréal as the 26-ship TF7 rocketed towards the proximity alert, already in standard Rebbelion battle formation. Defence Station 153 had gone dark ahead of them, no longer transmitting signals not seen in decades. Signals that were not even remotely welcome here, of all places.

Fleet Admiral Veris Eldenian stood behind the captain's chair of the ECN Heart of Modesia, glowing eyes scrolling over the feed transmitted from DS153 moments before it was destroyed. In all honesty, there was not much for it to work with. The Nebula blocked most signals as effectively as any cloaking device, made worse by the gravetic anomalies known to spontaneously impact the clouds of gas and energy. All it could make out were the thrice-damned particle beams of the former Empire slicing through the main sensors, killing the feed and isolating the incredibly powerful station from the main command in Modesia.

What do you make of it, Captain? Veris echoed, the psionic communication piercing directly into the mind of the individual targeted. In front of him, not quite lounging in the command chair of the most powerful vessel in the Commonwealth, Captain Cole Ferguson winced as the worming sensation twisted his neurons in ways they should not be twisted, an incredibly uncomfortable sensation to say the least. I was certainly not meant to talk to Eldenians, he thought, closing the feed that he had been watching in favour of focusing on the conversation.

Indeed you were not, Cole, but that does not change the need to speak with your commanding officer, Veris mused, its tone shifting in an attempt at amused.

Cole scowled at the energy being behind him, though his eyes did not lose their inner warmth. Can't you just pluck what I think from my mind, Eldy? Or did you suddenly grow a conscience?

Veris rolled his eyes, no easy feat for an Eldenian, before replying. You know that I can only hear specific words, Norgan, cease your games and report. Time is of the essence, after all. We close with the defence station in 2 minutes.

Cole hesitated for just a moment before replying, but not to Veris. "Navigation, give us a tachyon ping, wide burst. Time to see what we're dealing with here."

"Aye, sir!" Ensign Tiamura exclaimed, hands deftly navigating the holographic controls. The woman may have just graduated from the Stella Academy on Norga, but she knew her way around the advanced interface, and within moments a piercing ding swept through the ship, signalling the ping. Everywhere crew members made last-minute preparations, anticipating an order for general quarters. They were not disappointed.

On the bridge, the holographic projector in the center suddenly lit up, the ping highlighting the real-time positions of everything within 100AU of TF7. Everybody froze, and Cole was even sure that he heard somebody drop their holopad in shock. He was too busy gaping at the projection to glare at them.

The threat board was now lit up with what was left of DS153, the scattered remains of the great station interspersed with distress beacons screaming lightspeed signals back towards Famréal. "What in the Stars..." Tiamura whispered, while simultaneously running calculations on her tablet. Her face fell and she handed the device to Cole. "Material analysis shows 5 Empire ships hiding within the wreckage, sir. They were planning an ambush." Cole nodded. It made sense, after all. The old Modesia-class frigates wouldn't have been able to detect those ships, and the Empire didn't know about the Commonwealth-class, it seemed.

All ships, this is Fleet Admiral Eldenian, Veris interjected, it's echoing voice piercing into the communication systems of the entire flotilla. It appears the fears of NavCom were correct. There are Empire ships in the debris ahead. Ping and engage with energy weapons, 2 volleys. Link battle net to the Modesia.

The fleet hurried to respond, targeting systems linking and ships staggering into a firing line even as the vessels burned delta V and engaged basic defensive maneuvers. When in position the fleet flipped as one, engines stopping their burn long enough to fire a wall of blue energy into the void before the spinning ceased and they were once again accelerating away from the station, rapidly bleeding velocity in order to engage the enemy ships at non-relativistic speeds.

On the bridge of the Modesia the command staff waited with baited breath, watching the projected courses of the lasers and mentally calculating how long it would take the lasers to reach the station and for light to return to the visual sensors and let them know the result of the strike. After seventy seconds the fleet was rewarded, cheers roaring through the ships as three of the enemy vessels were sliced to pieces before they could activate their shields, the 1c attack hitting them before they knew it was coming.

The celebration was short-lived, however. The two remaining enemy vessels, both dreadnaughts, rose in a cold fury at the atrocity befalling their brothers, shields establishing a red glare over the black metal of their hulls. Fire streamed from their weapons ports as they returned fire, but the fleet remained secure; evasive action had caused the enemy vessels to miss by multiple thousands of kilometres. Opening shots consumed, the opposing fleets closed to knife range, and the real battle began.

Present Day
ECN Terminus
Unidentified System

Captain Josephine Lewis snapped back from her daydreaming as the soft ping from her control panel signalled the end of the survey, the shuddering of the Tokamak reactor deep within the ship seeming to quiet. That was certainly her imagination, however; there was no way to hear the Tokamak from the bridge, no matter how small a vessel it was. As a Skirmisher corvette the Terminus measured at 250 metres in length, and was 100 metres at its widest point. Still not small enough to hear antimatter/matter reactions from the engine, at any rate.

Signalling for the rest of the 24-man (or machine) crew that they were moving out and seeing nothing but green acknowledgement lights, Josephine fired up the VASIMR/Gravetic sublight drive and pulled away from the ocean world, accelerating back towards the Luminary at a tame 100g acceleration. It was high time to move to the next system. Surveying didn't have quite the same thrill as the most recent Battle of Famréal, but at least she didn't have particle weapons attempting to cook her crew to shrivelled husks and drifting energy patches. It would do.

Next stop, the Galactic Core.