Liberate tuteme ex inferis (FT RP) IC (All Welcome)

[Engleberg]

Liberate tuteme ex inferis

Where we're going, we won't need eyes to see.

OOC

---

Aufklärungsstation G-9980
August 26, 2265
Dr. Heinrich von Kessel, Head of the Deep Space Reconnaissance Station G-9980

"BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRT!" Yelled the alarm in the room. It was a normal alarm, dated from about 2056. It resided on a desk that itself resided in a large room. The room was painted a light shade of grey, and had a white carpet covering all but the bathroom. At the far right of the room is a large window, with red drapes on either side; and looking through the window is the blackness of space. Dr. Heinrich von Kessel laid in the large bed in the center of the room, with his only bedmate being a small tablet. From 2253-2257, von Kessel was the lead scientist in the Englean Kaiserreich for research and development of FTL engines. One specific creation of von Kessel's was the ERFFP Sonderbarkeit, a vessel capable of "jumping" from one location to another at any distance; rather than standard FTL travel. His work had earned him praise from the entirety of the Englean government, and especially Kaiser Albrecht I. He was promoted to the honorary rank of "Reichsgeneral" in the Raumkriegsmarine, and was promoted to Head of the Englean FTL Research and Development. The Sonderbarkeit was a magnificent vessel, being larger than most ships of other nations' navies. Her captain and crew were originally those of an Imperial Merchant Vessel, but were transferred and trained for this new type of vessel. Her existence was heavily classified, to prevent any knowledge of her engine from reaching other nations. She was ordered to reach Alpha Centauri, and then return to Germania - the Englean homeworld. In 2257, she vanished from all radar and recon outposts. After 3 years of searching, the ship's existence and disappearance was immediately covered-up by the Raumkriegsmarine. Dr. von Kessel was stripped of all of his awards and titles that were given with the Sonderbarkeit build, except for those that were given from the creation of the "gravity drive." He was ordered by the Kaiser to never speak of the mission to anyone, and the High Command of the Raumkriegsmarine had stationed him to the farthest Englean Recon Outpost; near the Englean-Commonwealth Border. Since 2260, he has resided there alone; often attempting to create new inventions and improve on the technology in the station.

After the alarm sounded, Dr. von Kessel nearly broke it by smashing his hand against the top. He slowly rose out of the bed, and headed to the bathroom. He stared into the mirror, and a man of 35 years with a very "Germanic" face stared back. He finished his morning routine, and went to his closet. Inside was his ceremonial uniform, his daily uniform, and various "casual" shirts and bottoms. He chose the daily uniform, which was dark blue and had yellow trims - signifying his position in the "scientific" division of the Raumkriegsmarine. As he was walking out of the door; the onboard computer screen in his room began to flash red. He walked leisurely towards the screen, and investigated the problem. The computer brought up a holographic map of the universe; and slowly zoomed into a specific area far in the unknown areas of the final frontier. He thought to himself, "Why would it be showing me the far reaches of the universe? What could possibly be happening out there?" As he thought, the hologram continued to zoom into the area. Soon after, a star and surrounding area appeared. Near the third planet from the star, ULAS J0744+25, he noticed red lettering. He then realized what he was seeing. For about 2 minutes, he was frozen in place; unable to grasp the situation. After 8 years, the name "ERFFP Sonderbarkeit" appeared.

---

Hauptstation Germania
January 2, 2267
Kapitän zur See Karl Schlieffet, Captain of the ERKS Walkyr

Hauptstation Germania was the "capital" space port of the Englean Kaiserreich, orbiting Germania. Although colony planets had attempted to win over the Englean Government with their space ports, this had been the largest of them all for 45 years. Karl Schlieffet had been a member of the Raumkriegsmarine for most of his life, joining at 15 years old and being 30 now. He shared the same color uniform, but with red stripes and trim for being a commanding officer. His visor cap had a two gold wings in the center, and the peak having a black, red, and white "dot." His executive officer, Kommandant Johanna Pieckert, walked next to him through the crowds populating the main terminal of the station. As they walked, four men dressed in white uniforms stopped them. A man stepped forward to the two officers, and obviously appeared to be the commander. This man was obviously from Germania, for he had the obvious "homeworld" accent. "Kapitän zur See Karl Schlieffet and Kommandant Johanna Pieckert, I am Reichsoberst Konrad Heinstmann. My squad and I are here to escort you to your vessel, for the mission that you were briefed on before arriving. Please follow us, we are expecting the other members of the crew to arrive soon." These men were part of the Kaiserliche-Garde, who have become practically a seperate military from the Wehrmacht, and Kolonialwehr.

Traveling three levels up to the top of the station, the group reached the ERKS Walkyr. She was a long vessel, and was painted glossy white. She was one of the fastest ships in the fleet, and was chosen for the mission because of this. The Kaiserliche-Garde left the two officers in the bridge, and went off to greet and escort other crewmembers from other nations. Schlieffet learned never to act out against the Kaiserliche-Garde, and always watch what one was saying near them. He and Pieckert unpacked into their bunks and awaited the rest of the crew.

---

Hauptstation Germania
January 2, 2267
Kaiserliche-Garde "Greeter" Squad, Awaiting the New Crewmembers at Gate "8"

(Each of your characters, or group of characters, will be arriving at Gate 8; so you know for your first post. I will write my squad greeting your character(s), and you can continue from there in your posts.)

All four men stuck out of the crowd as easily as a sore thumb, dressed in their white uniforms. Nobody dared to speak to them, or even walk near them as they stood in the middle of Gate "8," waiting for the foreign crew. As the foreigners entered the gate, they could see many tricolor flags (black, white, and red), many people, and propaganda posters stating the glory of the Empire. As they walked from the shuttle they arrived in, the four men dressed in white walked towards them. The commander greeted them, "Guten Tag, und willkommen zu der Englean Kaiserreich. I am Reichsoberst Konrad Heinstmann, and my squad and I are here to escort you to the ERKS Walkyr. Please follow us, and step in the hovercart. I will explain everything as we travel to the top."

[Rhodevus]

HMV Bukantin
10.5 LY from Hauptstation Germania

Ivan Brown laid back calmly in his seat, sipping carefully from a long-thin straw which brought forth iced strawberry juice from a small clear plastic cup. It was like mother always said, 'have some extra vitamins before embarking, staves away from stomach cramps.' He always hated the Commonwealth's FTL system. The system continued to use the old antimatter drives instead of updating to the more modern "Jump" Drives, or even the new "Worm" Drives. He turned his head to the right, so that he could see out the small porthole-like window, out to the stars. If he strained his neck in his seat belts, he could glimpse at the planet far away, Kahala, the capital of the Commonwealth of Planets. From up here, it looked green and blue, with fluffy pink clouds in the sky. His family was down there, his loving wife and their 3 year old daughter. He tapped on his watch, a miniature hologram appearing, of his wife and daughter hugging each other and waving, both with big smiles on their faces.

"HMV Bukatin is full to go. We will be departing the Kahala Moon Port and travelling to Hauptstation Germania. Estimated time of flight will be 13 and a half hours. So, if you are going into stasis sleep, please do so now. For those in business and regular class, please make sure your seat belts are fastened and nano-pods are turned on."

Ivan Brown clicked a small button on the side of his seat. Immediately, small nanobots dropped from the ceiling, encompassing his seat from his head to his toes in a light grey pod. Pressing gently on the shell in front of him, a visual display appeared, listing movies for in flight entertainment. He looked down at his watch one last time, then clicked play. It was going to be a long flight.

---

Hauptstation Germania

Ivan Brown was woken by the flooding of light into his otherwise dark pod. He grumbled and fidgeted, as his eyes adjusted to the change in brightness. Clicking on the side of his seat, the nano pod deformed and he was able to stand up on the ship. Stretching out his back, he stood up and retrieved his small suitcase from over top his seat. Checking his watch to see if he received any messages during the flight, he stepped out onto the Germanic station.

He had been to Hauptstation Germania quite a few times before on business. Twice when he was a part of the Commonwealth Military Engineering Corps and once as a mid-way stop to other planets in the Englean Kaiserreich during his honeymoon. Good times those were. But now, he was back on business for the Commonwealth Interplanetary Government. It seemed like the Kaiserreich needed an engineer for their expedition. What sort of expedition, he was not at liberty to know until he reached the Kaiserreich itself, but they needed someone who was a highly skilled zero-G engineer and Sonic Expert. And, in all of the Commonwealth; whom was a universal leader in Sonic technology, none was better that Ivan Brown himself. Not that he liked to brag about it, he preferred to call himself a simple technical engineer, though his multiple degrees said he was anything but.

He walked through the crowds of people towards Gate 8, until he saw four men in the very noticeable white of the Kaiserliche-Garde. Walking up to them, he handed them his ID, as well as his hand, which they used to link his ID with his DNA. "I'm Ivan Brown of the Commonwealth of Planets." He replied to the commander, unconsciously fiddling with the old titanium-gold alloy wrench which hung from his belt. Right beside it was something he was been tinkering with for a while now, with some of his professors. It was a state of the art sonic metal cutter; no bigger than an ordinary non-sonic screwdriver, and according to their calculations, possible to use in an infinite number of situations. Of course, this was prototype number 284. Bugs would still need to be worked out. Something Ivan was planning on doing whenever he was not busy fixing up the ERKS Walkyr.

[Belantica]

BUP Government Shuttle 543
15 LY from Hauptstation Gremania

Preston Delaney and Lizze Pearson were both sitting back in their seats aboard the shuttle, which was assigned to carry them to the Hauptstation to embark on this mission, from order of Karen Pearson II herself, believe it was need to help the Engleans recover something lost of extreme importance. Preston checked his watch, which displayed a photo of his wife, and now deceased son, once he starred at it for a little while, he turned it off and engaged the seat into a "sleep mode", which allowed the occupant of the seat to rest comfortably without disturbance from the cabin.
Lizzie, on the other hand, had out her log book and had a glass of wine sitting next to her, occasionally taking a sip from it, she knew she wouldn't enjoy the FTL jump from Karenia, the capital of the Union, to Germania, since she got an uneasy feeling from going in and out of FTL. She was going through various messages and replying to them before she departed, since once she is out of Union areas, the logbook would not be able to communicate with much, but serve as a journal for her exploration of the far reaches of the galaxy. She ten finished her glass of wine, and decided that she too, would set her chair into Sleep Mode to deal with the long haul over to Germania.

"This is your captain speaking, we are now on course for the Hauptstation, which will approximately 20 hours, so if your are planing into Sleep Mode, now would be the time to do so, we will be jumping will be jumping into FTL shortly, as a reminder to those who may become uneasy during this time. If you are wanting to go into stasis sleep, please do so now, otherwise, please have your seatbelt fastened." The captain of the shuttle said over the PA.

Preston was already asleep and wasn't disturbed by the announcement, Lizzie used this time to select a movie from one of the various choices to pass some of the time, feeling that she was not tired enough to fall asleep just yet, knowing it will be a long flight before getting off the shuttle.

---

Hauptstation Germania
Once the shuttle came out of FTL flight, Lizzie was shook awake by it, since she did not find this from of travel any bit enjoyable. Upon a couple button presses on the seat, she got it out of Sleep Mode and into an upright position, so it would be easier for her to stand up and collect her belongings and adjust her distinctive dark-blue Union uniform before arrival. She got out of the seat, and begun to pit her hair back in a more respectable manner, and to make sure the Sam Browne belt was sitting to her own specifications to be prenatal, fumbled for a wallet that contained her UPA badge and ID, and finally, picked up her peaked cap and put it on. She was ready to present herself in the best way possible.

Preston soon awakened for his slumber, and was well refreshed. He then climbed out of the seat and began to collect his own belongings, notably being a small book with a collection of poems (being a follower of poetry), a small framed photo of his family, a Union scientist ID, and of course, his own peaked cap, a common issued item from the Union.

"You ready for this?" Lizzie asked Preston.
"I am madame, time to time take of businees and help a fellow space-faring brethern with a task." he replied.
"Alright, let's go out there and introduce ourselves and meet up with the Garde, witch will take us to our ship." She said
After you, madame, sine you are a higher rank than I am." Preston replied.

They both stepped off of the shuttle while getting a salute from the crew of the shuttle. Both of them knew why they were here, to help the Kaiserriech with something of high importance, but neither of them knew the exact purpose, as both the Kaiserriech and Karen II herself would not give up that information. Lizzie went through the station several times before, mainly when she was on business trips to hunt down various criminals who evaded the Union's otherwise persistent police forces. Preston also was at this station once, despite mostly staying on Karenia to conduct his work.

The two made their way toward Gate 8, and saw the Kaiserliche-Garde in their noticeable white uniforms. Lizzie then presented her UPA badge to the guards, and Preston showed his ID to them as well. Both Lizzie's and Preston's uniforms stuck out for being a dark blue an carrying Belantic insignia, most noticeably the caps and the black Sam Browne belts.

"I am Colonel Elizlabeth Pearson of the Belantic Union and the Union Police Agency, this is Preston Delaney, head of biomedical research for the Union. We are reporting here for the assignment of which the Kaiserrriech has requested assistance from us"
She then waited for the commander to the Garde to give a response, and notice the Commonwealth man standing nearby, assuming that he was also part of this calling of various nations to assist the Kaiserriech in a currently unknown task.

[Zhaas123]

FCPF KELCEY
15 LY from Hauptstation Germania
Aethelric Butler looked at the photo of his old unit one last time before placing it back into his pocket. He tried to relax for a moment before the captain would announce that all on board would have to go to the sleep capsule. They were at Kahala capital of the Commonwealth, after that they to Hauptstation Germania. He closed his eyes to get some normal sleep before the jump. He opened his eyes he was in a room with three men dead, he couldn't move there was a fire spreading why couldn't he move. The fire touched him bruned him, he stil could not move as the fire overtook him he opened his mouth to scream.

"This is the captain speaking we are about to engage in an FTL jump shortly, all non-essential personal are to go to there sleep capsule and engage stasis mode immediately".

Butler shook awake he breathing deeply he wondered when the nightmares would end. He Stood up and made his way to the capsule, putting his inventory into the lock box next to it. the capsule opened up, and he steeped inside and watched it close. His final thought was how you never could get used to the cold.


Hauptstation Germania
Butler woke up with a jolt as the capsule opened up and his body stated to warm. He was helped out of his stupor by the doctor on standby. He was told to get his possessions from the box and report to the shuttle exit path.
He was briefed one last time on what he was to do when he entered the station and that he was in effect a Frieslend representative on the station so he had better not disobey the commands given to him.

He stepped out of the shuttle and almost immediately saw the white of the Kaiserliche-Garde. He gave them his ID and told them who he was "Aethelric Butler of the Frieslend Colonial Peacekeeping Force". He waited for there response.

[Rezua]

Hauptstation Germania
January 2, 2267
Kaiserliche-Garde "Greeter" Squad, Awaiting the New Crewmembers at Gate "8"

Laura Dreyen walked with an air of self-assurance. She had flown over to Germania as fast as she could. On the 12 hour trip, she had taken a cat nap for a bit before breaking open her leather bag and pulling out one of her relics. The books were very old, so old that she only handled them with her cybernetic arm, lest the oils off her skin ruin the book. Laura could read about these fantastic realms for hours on end, getting through page after page. Her cyborg eye never got tired, and there wasn't anything else to do while traveling.

The Rezuan captain surveyed the room and looked at the intergalactic team that was assembled. They were all so proper and proud in their uniforms. Laura chuckled when she thought of what they must be thinking, a short woman that looked more quiet librarian than war hero. Yet, her missing limbs proved otherwise. She wore a military uniform, but had dyed one of her bangs pink, leaving the rest brown.

Laura looked at the Englean who looked to have the fanciest uniform and said "I am Captain Laura Dreyen of the Rezuan Interplanetary Empire. I will be the pilot of this expeditious venture." Laura touched the inside of her right leg, allowing a panel to open up so that she could get to her tools she used to check controls. She said "Don't mind me, I'm just going to check through my tools again."

[Rhodevus]

OOC: I have some free time, so might as well write some more. I guess it is also time to introduce my mini-sub plot which has no relevance to the actual story in any way!

Ivan Brown
Hauptstation Germania

As Ivan waited for the whole expedition to truly begin, he could not help but look over to the Rezuan captain who would be piloting their ship. It was not how she truly looked that fascinated him, for he was a happily married man, wedded to the most beautiful woman he had ever found, but what he enjoyed about this woman was her machinery. He looked at her cybertronic eye and various missing limbs, watching as she moved them in various ways that he would have found disinteresting had her limbs been made from flesh and bone rather than steel and wire.

As she opened up her tool panel in her leg, Ivan looked bewildered. Although he had designed many, many parts it was so different to see them in action, inside a living, breathing person. Well, part person. Not that he truly cared one way or another. After fiddling one last time with the sonic metal cutter, he walked over to the Rezuan captain, as she was counting her tools and they were all waiting for whoever else was to arrive. "My, what an amazing piece of circuitry you have with you. My name is Ivan Brown, Technical Engineer from the Commonwealth of Planets." He held out his hand...

Ohtawa, Nebular Star System
750 LY from Kahala

It was not the constant smell of liquefied beetle which annoyed Breken, but the never ending droning and clicking made by the Workers. The Workers, unlike their name suggested did not come to the ocean planet of Ohtawa to help farm the wetlands and raise the animals, but to capture the world for their true leaders. It had been months since the buzzing and droning of the Workers began, as they descended from massive dark grey and green drop ships, onto the planet's surface, carrying the long spear blasters.

The empire of Ontardis, ruled from their seat of power in Ontiar; that is the Ontiar Nebula, some 4-8 thousand light years away, was expanding deeper into Commonwealth territory, in a war that had already lasted a decade. Breken was not sure how long it would last, but he knew that the Commonwealth of Planets was pouring every extra piece of wealth they had into this fight. Anything not being used to trade and expand the Commonwealth was used to fight against the Margothians.

Their appearance was as vile as the sounds which they made. Standing on two large and muscular legs, their entire body was covered in an exoskeleton than was reminiscent of either the beetle or the grasshopper. They were tall, taller than it seemed possible for a bug-like creature to be, wielding their spear blasters in their four arms. He shuddered as he pictured their sight. How peaceful it had been so little ago. And now war was all he knew; all knowledge of anything else, pushed back in his mind. He had been tasked with the defense of Echo Base 1, the closest outpost to the Margothian invading army on the planet. It had been a ruthless and long war for the defense of this world, but Breken knew it would soon be over. So very soon. He looked up into the pitch black night sky, seeing only short bursts of light and silent yellow fireworks. He smiled slightly, knowing full well that the Commonwealth Armada was once again holding off another wave of Workers from landing on the Ohtawan ground. It was a devastatingly easy idea, switching fuel sources of military ships, so they blew in a unique colour. It was a scary sight so many months ago when all that could be seen in the night skies were silent turquoise explosions. But now, it was the yellow of Margoth that was seen up there. The Workers were running out of soldiers; not that they particularly cared, they had hundreds of star systems under their control. What was one?

But, everyday they came in for an attack. And every night they retreated back into the corners of the earth. Breken had faced off against 14 attacks in all. 14 was unheard of. But, it was his only job. His only purpose left in life; stop these creatures now, or watch as they pave their way through the civilized galaxy...

[Rezua]

Laura Dreyen
Hauptstation Germania

Laura straightened when the Commonwealth man addressed her. She put her plasma-cutter back into her leg with the rest of her tools. Before shaking the man's hand, she held up her arm. Her hand rotated into her arm and was replaced by a long, narrow, metallic tube. In an instant, the tip light up with a hot welder. Seemingly pleased this happened, she returned her arm into its normal mode.

She took his hand in her cybernetic one. It was unlike what would be expected, it was gentle, but firm. It was almost as it it were organic. Her silver ring gave off a metallic coldness, but the arm did not feel metal, although it was. Laura replied "This "hardware" isn't so amazing as it looks. The welder is always giving me problems, but I seemed to have worked out the bugs. It feels normal, and guess that's sad. It isn't normal, it is special, but I'm just so used to it." She released his hand and added "And it was expensive. Not monetarily, though I'm sure it was. Had to have those freaking bugs blow me up to get them. Another RIE strike fleet should be expelling them from another Commonwealth sector soon by the way. Fear not, we'll exterminate that horde soon enough. Call me anytime, I am always available to respond if you need me. Gotta settle the score between them and me."

Laura brushed back her dyed bang from falling over her eye and turned to the Engleans. She folded her arms and leaned back on her right leg, a casual stance. Glancing at some of the posters, the lithe woman smirked, apparently at some of the messages. Her eyes fell on one with a cybernetic soldier ripping one of the hated bug enemies in two. That one made her chuckle. She returned her gaze to the soldiers "So what kind of ship do ya have me flying? Please tell me its not one of those cargo clankers. If we're doing an international thingie, I expect to see some high-caliber shit."

[Engleberg]

Reichsoberst Konrad Heinstmann
Hauptstation Germania


The amount of arrivals was not surprising to Heinstmann, but seeing a cybernetic person was surprising. The men in his squad had been equipped with the latest cybernetics, but they were not installed within the men. Luckily he was prepared for anything that may happen, and subtly cocked his weapon just in case. After successfully identifying each member, he turned to Laura to respond. "Frau...Dreyen. Although you will be piloting for only a relatively short amount of time, I hope two forward gun pods with two cannons each; eight torpedo launchers; and four pop-out defense pods with four cannons each is suitable for you. The Walkyr is designed to be fast, and match any foreign naval vessel." He then turned back to the crowd, and his squad lowered their weapons to standard position. "All of you have been chosen by the Englean Kaiserreich to do a very important deed, and each of you have a certain set of skills needed to complete this deed. We trust that you will be able to complete it successfully, and to the best of your ability." Behind him, a large, hovering vehicle drove up. "If you all would please follow me onto the vehicle, and we will deliver you to your vessel. Afterwards, you will be able to see your bunks and stations. Then you will be briefed by the Englean crew, and you will head out of Germania and into FTL to your destination."

When everyone boarded the vehicle, one of the Kaiserliche-Garde and Heinstmann sat in the front; while the other three sat in the rear to guard the vehicle. The red eyes made by their goggles giving a deathly glare to anyone who dared challenge them. The group passed the crowds of people, traveling to the upper decks. The appearance of the sun and surrounding space gave a reddish-orange hue with a pure black background from the outer space. Appearing before a large elevator door, it opened relatively fast. Inside there was red lettering; "EINS, ZWEI, DREI: VERBOTEN." The group was heading to the third deck, which was the housing of important Englean vessels. The first and second decks were used for the commanding of the station. The ride was relatively short, arriving at the third deck from the fifth in about fifteen seconds. Arriving at the deck, many large doors were seen; each with different placards on signs above them. Three they passed said "EKS SIEGFRIED, EKS REICH, and ERKS TANNHAUSEN." The third vessel was able to be seen outside the window; a large, black ship that was nearly 20x larger than the shuttles they arrived on. It was lit up by lights on the hull, with one lighting up the name of the ship. Heinstmann turned back to the group behind him and said with a grin, "The ERKS Tannhausen. Kaiser class battleship, the class that has the pride of the Kaiserreich in their hulls. Frau Dreyen, you would certainly adore her armor and weaponry. Unmatched by no other navy, not even the RIE, Commonwealth, or Belanticans. You are the first foreigners from those nations who have seen one of these vessels." Three minutes later, they reached a sign stating "ERKS WALKYR." The vehicle stopped, and the Kaiserliche-Garde stepped off. "Ladies and gentlemen, here is your vessel." Outside of another large vessel was the Walkyr, a brightly white vessel. Heinstmann continued; "You are now free to board. We will now depart you, and the crew will be waiting at the entrance down the hall. Auf wiedersehen." Before they left, one of the soldiers silently watched the group; with his red eyes giving a slightly "evil" glare. He then hopped onto the vehicle, and the guards left. At the end of the hall, awaited 4 crewmembers in ceremonial Englean uniforms.

[Belantica]

Lizzie Pearson
Hauptstation Germania

Lizzie, before boarding the Walkyr and meeting with the regular crew, starred at the Tannhausen for some time, impressed by it's sheer size and design. She still was sort of creeped out by the guards and their "red eyes", as she was used to not seeing masks like that within the ranks of the UPA, or even in the Union Marines. She then decided that in order to make herself better known, she would go introduce herself to the woman with the cybernetic leg, which she figured out as the pilot, and the Commonwealth man. She thy en took off her black gloves and put them into a storage compartment on her belt. Preston was bust checking something on his watch, for whatever reason. Lizzie then walked over to the two and said in a distinctive Karenian accent (similar to a Texan accent), a dead giveaway she was from the Belantic homeworld. "Salutations," she said," I'm Lizzie Pearson from the Union, pleased to meet you! I saw you too talking while we were at the gate and I didn't get a chance to talk to y'all and give a proper introduction!"

Preston Delaney
Preston paid no attention to the ships docked or what Lizzie was up to, all he was concerned was the various messages coming through on his wristwatch, some from his colleagues back home, and a few from his wife, mainly stressing on how she worried for his safety and well-being, since he was far away from home. He read them, and let out a short sigh when all he could do is sit there and tell them "I'll be alright". Once he cleared up the messages, he looked up towards the ship he was going on, and squinted his eyes to the sight on the Englean crew standing there.

For a brief moment, he had a flashback of the time he was driving his hovercar through the tunnel he had an accident it that very day, with his son sitting next to him. But it went away in time for him to get back into his normal self. "Hopefully there's a doctor on this ship to deal with this flashback crap" he thought to himself.

He then saw Lizzie went over to the other crew members, and instead of following her over, he just stood at the side, looking at the vast emptiness surrounding the station, with the stars either steadily burning or flickered on the black canvas that is the universe.

[Rhodevus]

Ivan Brown
Hauptstation Germania

Ivan Brown smiled at the cyborg Rezuan woman. "If you need help fixing up that welder of yours, I have some tools I brought along that you can use. What is mine is yours, as per Commonwealth hospitality of course." He gave a slight grin, just as the Reichsoberst Konrad Heinstmann began speaking of their mission. It would be incredible to not only travel on one of the fastest ships ever built, but reach the destination of Sonderbarkeit. The ship was legendary, even among those in the Commonwealth. It was one of the first FTL ships ever produced and the only ship with the hypothetical Blink-Drive; as it was called in Kahala. It would be incredible to check out the engine of that thing. Maybe to even be the one to see where the mistakes lay; if there were any mistakes to begin with. Faster than Light Physics had a way of bending the physics of relativity. Scientists had hypothesized that certain FTL Drives could cause ships to pop in and out of existence, just like the Sonderbarkeit had, but other than that one ship, none had done so.

But, it was also the only ship to use the Blink-Drive. Ivan Brown looked up and saw the side of the massive Englean war ships. If only we had these in the armada, he thought to himself longingly, then Ontiar would be done with. He remembered back briefly to his time as a part of the Commonwealth of Planets' Engineering Corps. He had been a corporal in rank, yet still a fully trained and certified engineer. It was his duty and the duty of his team to fix up and patch up any of the ships found on Taharei and put them in fighting shape. Taharei was essentially the scrapyard moon of Ke'etunbits, where old and useless parts of housed until the next dump shipment into the star system's sun. During the beginning days of the war with the Margoth, those shipments had stopped, leaving huge quantities of parts to work with. As much as he hated the war, digging through piles of scrap metal and machinery all while in minimal gravity had been some of the best days of his life. Of course, he had just started dating Rikov back then, now his wife.

He turned his head to the Belantican who was speaking in a very abrasive accent. "Well, hello there Ms. Pearson. I am Ivan Brown, of the Commonwealth of Planets, specifically that of Kahala. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm the technical engineer on board this vessel, and what a beauty this vessel is gonna be."

[Esotana]

05766864
Hauptstation, Germania
05766864, that had been here name, her identity. A simple test subject to carry out experiments. For most of her life she lived in that laboratory, and was raised there. She was beaten many times, many experiments that would be far past inhumane had been carried out on her. She was scarred, destroyed as a person, she felt she was nothing. Nothing more than another test subject. But yet the UCSE had found she was amazing at espionage, she could easily find out information. Due to this the EFSB commissioned her to a spying operation on a Englean ship. She was currently in transport, unaware of what the future brings.
"Mayde Mayde we have made contact with the Englean spaceport, we will soon dock."

[Rezua]

Laura Dreyen
Hauptstation Germania

Laura smiled after Ivan offered to share his tools with her. The pilot said "Don't worry, I have all the tools I need to fix it if it misbehaves. I will not need to impose on you." Laura turned her attention back to the Englean ship. To be honest, it wasn't the biggest warship she'd ever since. Hell, RIE warships had more than just guns, they had missiles and torpedoes too. While it was impressive, she wasn't going to treat it like it was the greatest thing she'd ever seen. She'd seen many things.

The Rezuan pilot found it amusing that the Engleans were so anxious around her. Here they were, with all their proud guns and ships, yet they still considered a short cyborg with pink highlights a threat. Before her thoughts could continue, a loud voice interrupted and overturned her train of thought.

Laura spun around to see Lizzie Pearson and internally sighed. 'Salutations' was sooo corny. Laura smiled and put out her right hand "Captain Laura Dreyen, I'll be taking us to our destination." Then she added "That is, if the Engleans finally stop giving us a tour and let us get on this ship and go."

[Romaleus]

Michel Torellio
Hauptstation Germania

Michel Torellio had arrived at Gate 8 when everyone else had. He had taken a day space flight from Nova Pianterra [Nova Peen-terra], the capitol planet of Romaleus. Torellio had been up until this point been a galactic sailor for the Romalean Expeditionary Space Fleet, also known as the RESF. During the past hundred years, the Romalean Galactic Navy had seen a sudden decrease in funding and manpower. Due the fact that the Interplanetary Republic of Romaleus is surrounded by allied nations and empires, there was no need for such a large navy. The remaining Galactic Navy mostly patrols Romalean territory. the RESF was the new offspring of the aging Romalean space fleet. The RESF mainly deals with exploring uncharted and undiscovered space. Only few RESF ship remain near Romalean controlled planets. The ships are mostly outfitted with scientific equipment, but can be used for defensive purposes as well. Michel had been the chief scientist aboard one of these vessels before he was called for this mission.

He looked around at the crew that had been assembled. He saw shoulder patches of all different nations. He was really intimidated by the four Enlgean soldier in white uniforms as they stared him down. He was really curious what all this was about, he had not been briefed on any of the details of this missions. He wondered if any one of the crew actually knew the mission. He was interested about what might happen on this quest. He wondered if he'd be shot at. For all of his years as a scientist aboard RESF vessels, he couldn't recall ever being in combat. He was quite glad about that because any warship could destroy a puny Romalean scientific vessel with one blast. He overheard one of the conversations happening at the moment. He looked over to see a girl with both a robotic arm and leg with pink highlights in her hair. The person talking to her addressed her as captain. So, that is the captain, Torellio thought. Once the captain was done speaking with the person, Michel went in. It'd be best if he knew who his captain was before he left. Maybe they could form some sort of trust. Torellio took initiative and began to speak first.

"Hello, let me introduce myself. I am Dr. Michel Torellio of the Romalean Expeditionary Space Fleet. I will be one of your scientist aboard the ship. I hope I can be of assistance to you during this mission. What might your name be?".

[Belantica]

Lizzie Pearson
Hauptstation Germania
Lizzie then spoke up to Ivan and Laura. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Brown and Ms. Dreyen. I'm the Chief Security Officer on board this vessel, which I have to agree is quite a beautiful vessel, far surpassing the looks of most ships in the Union's fleet. And yes Laura, I do hope that they stop giving us this damn tour of their spaceport, I'm here to do my job, not be a tourist and waste valuable time. Over there is my colleague Preston, he isn't much of a talker, but is someone who dedicates his time to his work and is passionate in what he does. He is one of the scientists for our crew, which I also tend to dwell into. If you're curious, feel free to ask questions about myself."

She then shook both Ivan's and Laura's hands with a quick but firm handshake, signalling her acquaintance with both of them.

Lizzie then checked her watch, then looked up at one of the Engleans with a facial expression that has "you're wasting my time" written all over it, since she herself is tired of waiting around and playing tourist, which is not what she signed up for. She then thought to herself about Laura's cybernetic limbs, which she thought was very impressive.

[Esotana]

05766864
Hauptststion Germania
She was taking many deep breaths when she heard that. She knew what it meant, they had reached the port, everything was starting. Her job was to infiltrate Englean ships, learn crucial things about the Engleans. She was told to meet with her doctor, Dr. Losomal, the person that was responsible for her. "Hello, 05766864, welcome to Germania, the home of the wretched Engleans. Now that we are here I have some instructions to give you, you will act as an engineer, help fix the ship and steal crucial techs, you will be connected to me via the wormhole radio link. Don't name contact with ANYONE until I've told you. Understand? If you break any rules I've installed a shock device in your back, that will cause enormous passion.", she simply nodded in approval. After that he called for soldiers disgusted as Rhode troops to escort her to the ship. She watched as She left the ship and headed into the port. Her ears were under great strain, due to the chatter, it felt weird, as there was nothing like it she had heard in her life. He eyes were the same, all the color, diversity. Her brain couldn't comprehend this, all of this she had never seen. To some people it may have been like a normal port, but remember she had never lived real life. She lived in a lab, too be used for experiments for the UCSE. As they approached the ship, she received a message from the doctor. "It's time, 05766865, you will call yourself An, the troops will leave, now your by yourself". And with that call she was in the ship.

[Engleberg]

Hauptstation Germania
January 2, 2267
14:54
Kapitän zur See Karl Schlieffet, Captain of the ERKS Walkyr

Schlieffet stood at the end of the dock looking at the new crewmembers. He thought to himself, "Why haven't they done anything? They are just standing there..." After two more minutes of waiting, he decided to walk to them. He was wearing his standard port uniform, with the emblem of the Walkyr on his shoulder. He had read up on the backgrounds of each foreigner, and knew all that he needed to be able to run the ship. As he was walking, he had heard over his earpiece the statement by Laura Dreyen. He chuckled lightly, hearing the term "captain" being spoken. In the Englean Raumkriegsmarine, the captain was the commander of the vessel, not the pilot.

When he reached the crowd, he noticed them interacting with each other. It was good to see the crew being able to know each other before the 2.5 year trip. Clearing his throat, he began to speak: "Willkommen zu der Englean Kaiserreich. Ich bin deiner Kapitän, Karl Schlieffet." Realizing that some may not speak German, he returned to the international language. "Excuse me...I am your captain on this voyage aboard my vessel, the Walkyr. I hope that your travels here to Germania were pleasant, for we will begin this mission as soon as you step aboard the ship. If you wish to not partake in the mission, please leave now." After waiting and not seeing anyone leave, he spoke again: "I have read all of your profiles beforehand, and have agreed that the Reichstag had chosen correctly. You all have abilities that are perfect to being able to complete this mission. Now I know the Kaiserliche-Garde had given you a small tour, but I will not bore you with this. If you all would follow me, we have a scheduled time for you all to get acquainted with your vessel. You will all meet my crew and our VIP at 16:00 hours. Please make your way onto the Walkyr, and we can start our business."

[Rhodevus]

Ivan Brown
ERKS Walkyr

Ivan listened intently to the Belantican, Lizzie Pearson, as she described her role on the mission. When she told them about her colleague, the scientist Preston, he became much more intrigued. As an engineer, working along scientists was what he was used to. As they arrived to their location, the Englean commander of the ship spoke. Ivan tried to listen, but his gaze and mind kept looking over to the ship. It had a streamlined design and was no doubt built for the insanely high speeds of greater than light. Luckily, it was a short speech, which allowed him the chance to be the first one into the ship, the remarkable ERKS Walkyr. He nearly skipped as he strolled through the lighted hallways, that was reminiscent of the old FTL science fiction movies his grandfather had told him were the norm for his own grandfather.

He looked to a Kaiserreich soldier, "which way to the engine?" The soldier pointed to the left, not even giving him a proper response. Ivan did not care though, he rushed through corridors, past various rooms that would no doubt be important to look at later, and straight into the room marked Engine. It was one of the few German words he was able to read.

Ivan stared at the amazing piece of machinery in awe, as he listened to the light thrumming of the engine. He slowly walked forward onto the gangway platform, looking over the guardrails to the main engine piece. It was attached to the ceiling and floors by four large pipes, coated in a thick and extremely durable substance known as Carbonorate. He smiled at himself, knowing that a Commonwealth creation was being used on such a high tech vessel. The engine itself was only about as tall as he was, but it was quite long, being nearly double his own arm wingspan. He quickly pulled out his sonic metal cutters, using the butt of the tool to softly tap on various parts of the engine, keeping his head close to it. As soon as he heard the soft metal clang of emptiness, he got to work opening up a small section of the frame, giving him a nice look at the circuitry and the actual GTL machinery. While the whole ship would be moving faster than light; FTL, the engine and ship's computers would be monitoring the actual speeds in an engineering term known as Greater than Light. For every 1 GTL, the ship would be moving 10 times faster than the speed of light. Judging by the size of the engine, as well as the shear amount of connecting rods and cooling piping, he estimated that this ship could travel at around 50-60 GTL, so about 500-600 times the speed of light. Not a bad speed for a ship to go. Of course, this was only one part of the FTL Drive. He would need to ask the ship's computers how many Drives the ship would be using during their trip. It was rare that a ship would use them all, as most would be for emergencies.

He closed the small opening he had made, using his tools to weld the covering back together. He would have plenty of time to look in detail at the schematics of both the ship as well as its engine. For now, he would go get a bite to eat.

[Rezua]

Laura Dreyen
ERKS

Laura understood German since it was a language very similar to Revon and was taught in the RIE. She could also read German thanks to her cybernetic eye. It could translate the words into Revon in real time. It made things much similar for Laura when she was busy trying to stay on course.

Without asking where to go, Laura read the signs pointing to the control room. When she reached the piloting area, she was not amazing impressed. It was just a control room, like all the others she'd used before. She took a seat in the large -and rather uncomfortable- pilot chair and took in all the controls. Some were in different places then she was used to, but it would be easy to adjust to. Laura touched the intercom switch and said "Everyone please report in when you're ready to go. I'm getting bored."

After her announcement, Laura pushed up on her right earlobe. Though it would be impossible to tell, her right ear was also cybernetic, the original was burned off by the explosion. This new ear was superior, allowing her to hear better and also play music when she pushed the earlobe up. Now that her calm music was on, Laura opened her bag and pulled out a dusty, faded, book. It was called Silver In The Night and was one of the oldest she possessed. It was a lengthy book, longer than a thousand pages, and she was only 450 pages in. So, with a long time ahead of her, Laura began to read.

[Romaleus]

Michel Torellio
ERKS Walkyr

Michel Torellio stepped onto the ERKS Walkyr. Right away he stepped to the side as the crew bustled to get to their stations. He surveyed the hall by looking left and right. The size of the vessel was just about compatible to an RESF vessel, but the layout was much different. He hoped that the lab and the engine room were very close, because he believed that he might have to be going back and forth quite frequently. He started down the the hallway to the left. He began to curse himself for not asking directions before looking for the lab, but he didn't want to turn around. On the space flight to Gate 8, Michel had begun to start to learn German. He knew the words "hello", "goodbye", "laboratory", "engine room", "bathroom", and that was about it. He wished he had started learning German a long time ago, alas, this mission wasn't even a thought in his mind at the time. Finally, he came to the room that was labeled in German, "lab". Right behind the German translation was the international language. Maybe he would not need to know too much German thankfully. The doors to the lab were clear glass. When he stepped near them, they opened immediately with a satisfying hiss. He scanned the room. Though the scientific supplies were not as abundant as on a RESF vessel, they would do.

He set his luggage down the laminate floor and looked at each piece of equipment and inspected it. When he was done, he sat down in a comfy lab chair. He lay there looking at the ceiling and spinning in a circle. Michel almost had a heart attack when the intercom boomed. He listened to the rest of the message until it clicked off. He rolled over to the communicator and pressed the button for the pilot and spoke into it.

"This is Michel Torellio in the lab, I'm ready to leave this planet when you are", and then he clicked the button again. He rolled in his chair over to his bag again and opened it. He rummaged around for a bit until he pulled out a touchscreen tablet. He powered it on and flipped through options. He opened up the language application. The system would blare out a german word and Michel would try in vein to pronounce it. The words sound more like a dying animal than a word. He kept trying and hoped learning the language would help him aboard the ship.

[Belantica]

Lizzie Pearson
EMS Walkyr
Once on board the ship, Lizzie checked her watch, and flipped to an application that served as a translator, since she was not fluent in German at all, but fluent in Nisunese and Suivaati (both of these common languages in the Union besides English). She looked over the complex array of computers that seem to be everywhere on the bridge, flashing flights and displaying everything from the status of the engines to the trajectory of the route, even information on the little things. "Hopefully this app they gave me will teach be a bit about their language", she thought to herself," because I'd be damned to sit here and not learn it." She then took a seat in one of the chairs, waiting for the other officers to come along and introduce themselves. Luckily the seat that Lizzie took was close to an intercom, and decided to use it. "Pearson here, I'm ready whenever everyone else is, now if the other officers can get to the bridge, that would be helpful."

Preston Delaney
Preston made his way down to the science lab on the Walkyr. Once he got to the doorway, he stopped to stretch a little, and thought to himself "Now where the hell do they keep the coffee on this thing? They're bound of have some." He then walked through the doorway, and saw Michel sitting in one of the lab's spinning chairs, with a tablet in hand. "Hmm, I have a partner it seems, "he thought to himself," might as well introduce myself, no use just standing here, otherwise I'd be making Lizzie doing all the talking and wearing her out faster than a drillbit." He walked over to Michel, and extended his hand out. "Why hello there!, he said, "I'm Preston Delaney, I'm one of the scientists for this mission. Pleased to meet you!" He then took a seat in one of the other chairs in the lab and started sifting through his bag, looking for something not really important, but as a way to enterain himself while waiting for everyone to arrive and get ready..

[Romaleus]

Michel Torellio
ERKS Walkyr

Michel had been so engrossed in his tablet, he had not realized someone had entered the room. However, he realized at once that there was a soul in the room as the once distant sound of clacking shoes grew closer. Michel immediately looked up and instantly had a hand thrust towards his chest. Michel took the man's hand and gave a firm shake. The tablet, that was still activated randomly shrieked out another word. Michel quickly used his free hand to power down the tablet. He gave the man an embarrassed smile. The man continued to explain who he was. Once he finished, Michel spoke up, still quite embarrassed from the situation that just unfolded. What a terrible first impression made, Michel thought. He gathered his wits and straightened himself up in the chair.

"Sorry, I was just trying to practice some german, hoping that it'd help me on this trip. Anyway, pleased to meet you too. I'm Dr. Michel Torrellio, also one of the scientist", as Michel concluded, Preston sat down in a chair nearby. When the two men settled in, Michel commenced speaking again, this time a completely irrelevant topic. "I wonder if the food aboard this vessel is good?".

[Rhodevus]

Ivan Brown

"We are not ready to depart. I repeat, the engineer in the engine room is not ready to depart. *crashing sound* Okay, bye." Ivan turned away from the speaker towards the engine's secondary coolant system which was leaking noxious fumes of white and blue gas into the air with loud wisps. Darn ship couldn't even hold it together for a little look over. He thought to himself as he covered his mouth and nose with his shirt. He knew it was not the best method of inhalation prevention, but it was all he could do at the moment. Because of course, the anti-toxin masks were on the other side of the room, right through the gas leaks.

"Well Ivan, like your father always told you. Do it now so you won't need to do it later." Tapping on a wall panel, the wall opened up to multiple rows of pristine, polished and well-made tools. Picking up a common hydro-heater and spark plug, he went about finding the vent which controlled the gas distribution, turning off the gas, so no more would leak into the room. Following that, and of course, grabbing a mask, he went about fitting new piping to the secondary coolant system so that this problem would not happen again. It only took about 10 minutes to reorganize the piping. He would get the ship's built-in AI to do most of the actual welding for him. It was only a secondary coolant system, so not the most important. But, a redundant system could be a lifesaving system in the near future.

He tapped back onto the speaker system, "Engineering is a-okay. Ready to leave whenever you guys and the Captain give the word."

[Engleberg]

ERKS Walkyr
Kapitän zur See Karl Schlieffet

As the crew entered the ship, he scanned them to see who he would be working with. "Seems to be a good lineup," he thought to himself. He followed the crew into the ship, and headed to the captain's quarters near the bridge. The Englean crew was already permitted to enter cryostasis, for they would not be needed until they reached the Sonderbarkeit, and were already briefed of the mission.

As he made his way to his quarters, he heard the pilot announcing an order to prepare for departure. Although he was hoping for a small amount of time before this, he started making his way towards the bridge. "That pilot is quite a quick one. That'll be good if we have any difficulties at the Sonderbarkeit site; I don't feel like being a sitting duck." Not even 1 minute after the announcement, the small computer on his arm started beeping. "ACHTUNG! MOTOR UNDICHT!" it flashed on the screen, with a small diagram of the coolant levels of the engine. The secondary cooling system of the engine had blown a leak, most likely because the engine hadn't been used in nearly 2 months. He immediately instructed the ship's AI to attempt to stop the leak, and hoped that an engineer was assigned to the post. He continued to the bridge, to get further control over the leak.

After nearly running into the door to the bridge from sprinting, he rushed to the engineering console. After a few minutes of twiddling, the system returned to normal. Seems whoever was down there fixed it, which was excellent. He exhaled in relief, and then turned around to the pilot. "Dreyen, if we are prepared for departure; engage impulse power to get us out of the station. Then proceed to the coordinates in your console, and we will have the crew meet here." He stated to her, then going to the intercom. "All crewmembers, once we reach our coordinates outside of the station, please meet on the bridge for briefing."

[Rezua]

Laura Dreyen
ERKS Walkyr

Laura heard the Englean's order in her left ear and nodded. She wasn't really paying attention, such was her nature. It was probably an order to start the ship. Probably. Gently, Laura closed the ancient book and set it down beside her. Laura clicked her music off and secretly double checked to make sure the engine problem was solved. It had been.

The pilot sighed with relief "Finally! Let's get a move on!" Laura turned to look at a smooth orange button. It was a circle, with a partial triangle in the middle. Using her left hand, she pressed down on it and smiled as the impulse power hummed to life. The control panel blinked to life and a glowing keyboard asked for coordinates. Laura looked into the console's per-recorded location point and entered in the coordinates. Laura pressed a few more buttons and watched as the ship blinked into space.

[Belantica]

Preston Delaney
"Hard to say, chances are the food isn't the best, because Engleans aren't renowned for their cooking abilities like others are." Preston hinted at Michel. He then got himself comfortable in the chair, which wasn't the most comfortable place to sit, but it was better than sitting on bare metal or nothing at all. "But, what I want to know is if any of the coffee on this vessel is good, because I'm used to drinking the fine stuff from a distant planet called Evena, which to describe it quickly, as essentially one giant rainforest, the perfect conditions for coffee plants."

Preston already like Michel, not for being a scientist, but for also preferring to be less energetic than a majority of the crew on board. He then ehard a the call to the bridge, and thought to himself "I'll get there eventually, even if I waste a few minutes down here. They give you practically no time to settle in."

Lizzie Pearson
She was already on the bridge, and to pass time, she played a game on her wrist computer. This game is an ancient game, called "SimCity", where the goal was to build a city as large as possible without it caving in on itself. Not many people know about it anymore since it was made all the way back in 1998, which to many people in the 22nd century, would be considered "ancient", even if it was only made about 160 years ago. Heck, even cars fueled by gasoline were considered "old tech" since most vehicles within the Regency either were powered by batteries or by nuclear fusion. The old game was a good time waster, but when you have nothing else to do besides wait for everyone else, it helps to keep her occupied and not become bored or losing patience.