The Orion Sector (FT-Nation/IC/OPEN)

[Skarten]

The Xarakh High Empire
Capital World Of Karathia
The Imperial Council Assembly Chamber
The 7th Year Of The Reign Of High Emperor Zihorius Karamanios LXVII

An cold breeze coming, from an air conditioner emanated in the large, richly decorated room. Sitting in the various ornate chairs of that room were fifty men, all Xarakh, in opulent clothing. Those men were the many members of the Imperial Council. Their role was to assist in the decision-making, taking votes on whether not a certain motion should be passed on. Their seats were in several diagonal rows, going in an diagonal direction and in forming an U-shaped turn. At the center stayed an table with ten seats, occupied by ten Xarakh in clothing even more elaborate than that of their peers. Those were the ten imperial viceroys, the highest-ranked governors of Xarakh Territory. Their role was, as obviously said by their name, to help govern the many systems of the Xarakh High Empire.

At the back of the room, looking at the rest of the chamber from above, laid the High Imperial Throne. It was truly a beautiful thing, with it's value alone being higher than anything an common Xarakh could ever hope to save throughout their entire life. It had been used by the first emperor, being passed down from generation to generation of rulers. Although the seat was currently empty, two guards in ostentatious, full body armor laid by it's sides, protecting the cultural icon of the Empire.

What was the reason to this reunion, you might ask? Well, it is an very important day. In this day, the Imperial Council will vote on a new motion promoted by one of the Imperial Council's most notorious members. Although the final word was still on the mouth of the monarch, it would be unwise to take a decision before first listening to the arguments of his subjects. Such is the duty of an despot of power as high as Zihorius's. The motion in question was not complex, but it would certainly affect the political scenario of the High Empire. The motion was, obviously, complex and long, but, it is, essentially, as it follows:

"1.Acknowledging his Most Powerful High Imperial's Majesty's decision to expand the border of our Glorious Empire,
2.Recognizing the estimated duties, state and size of the Most Honorable High Imperial Armada, after such rightful expansion,
3.Conceding that it's contemporary size is simply insufficient to do such deeds,

The Imperial High Council Motions Forward:

-To issue an 70% increase in the yearly funding of the High Imperial Navy, economically supported by the previously passed RFVC-7 Tax Reform.

The initial reaction to this proposition was, turbulent, to say the least. An seventy-percent increase? Was this man delusional? This would eat up nearly half of the revenue increase from the last reform. Such increase could surely assist the empire in other ways, could it not? The popularity of the motion began to sway to the positive side only when an oficially-confirmed estimation from the Imperial Forces's High Command confirmed the study that if the current number of ships in the navy was to continue the same after the planned expansion, fleets would have to become more sparse as to cover more territory.

Well, this would not do. An sparser covering of the territory meant a bigger chance of attacks from Pirates & other enemies of the state. And so, more and more Council members began to be convinced, seeing this as something the Xarakh Required to continue expanding at the rate they were. And that was the reason that this day was of such importantance, for the council would soon begin to vote. Word was that the Emperor would be there too, to finally take his decision on whether this motion would pass or not.

HALF AN HOUR LATER

The assembly was now completely full. Senators and council members alike, from every corner of the empire chatted, discussing about the upcoming event. As they continued to speak, suddenly, an ceremonial horn was played. An Herald, dressed in his cultural uniform, began to speak, as an
loud fanfare began. "All kneel before his Highest Imperial Authority, The Lord Of Lords, King Of Kings, Emperor of Emperors, High Empate of the Order, Protector Of Karathia & The Xarakh Systems, his Most Imperial Majesty, High Emperor Zihorius Karamanius LXVII!

All the Xarakh in the room knelt down as the man himself, High Emperor Zihorius, slowly entered the room, donning his imperial robes of the deepest red, purple and orange. His cape was embroidered in gold and other precious metals, and at his head laid the customary imperial crown, encrusted with large jewels of uncountable price. His mere appeareance both inspired and gave fear to those around him, who dared not to go against the wishes of this powerful man.

As he seated on his throne, the council got back up, and sit on their chairs, thus officially beginning the assembly. From that point onwards, the debate began, with each side giving arguments for and against, with the discussion raging on for hours and hours. Zihorius simply listened, thinking of what decision he would take in the end. To transcript the whole meeting would be asinine, as such would take far more time than it is necessary. Thus, we will now jump forwards to the end, as the emperor has his say.

The council had, in the end, agreed that the bill would be passed. Now, all that's left would be the confirmation from the High Emperor, whose word was law. If he wished so, he could very well veto this proposition, thus ending any debate. Pity the fool who dared to go against the wishes of the rightful high emperor. Luckily, no person insane enough to do that would reach such important position.

High Emperor Zihorius Karamanius LXVII, seeing the voting had ended, stood up. He had taken his decision, and he would now speak. As he began to open his mouth, every person in the room listened carefully. "I have heard your argument, and i have heard your votes, but now i say; I have taken an decision. It would be foolish to not recognize an increase of seventy percent is tremendous, even if such is covered by the last census, and would not launch us into debt. However,it would also not be wise of us to simply believe that our honorable armada is of a great enough size. No threat will destroy us, as long as we are prepared, for that is the way of life. And thus, i have decided to vote for the bill, and as my word is law, i now declare it to be officially passed.

Thus, the room burst in applause. This was indeed an major change in the socio-political winds of the Xarakh High Empire. The High Command of the Imperial Armada could not be happier, either. With the bill passed, they would be able to massively increase the size of the fleets, aswell as invest in developing new technologies. Such was the size of the increase that even after the end of the planned expansion, there would be more than two times the fleet necessary to repeat the event before they needed to expand their numbers again.

Little did the Xarakh know, that an great event that would shake the empire to it's boots would soon be happening. Life would be forever changed for every single Xarakh, from even the lowest farmer to the council and the High Emperor himself. No words would not be able to express the magnitude of what was about to happen.

An small spaceship left hyperspace. It had arrived onto it's destination...

[Torchina]

"What were the contents of the message sent approximately 12 seconds after leaving superluminal speeds? Do not lie or stall, or I will open every airlock on this ship and cast you all into the void."

Fear ran through Juxius' brain, the assault upon his senses was not merely terrifying but offensive. It was as if his own ship had turned against him, the terrible alien figure that formed before him in the computer using its eery voice to not only threaten him, but his entire people. Through the corners of his eyes, he was distinctly aware that every single member of his bridge crew was staring at the closest monitor to them. Every single sailor was captivated by the onslaught on their senses, for the first time in kyperiot history, they had been bested by a life form more intelligent and advanced than themselves. Death was all but a certainty. A fact that was further cemented in the captain's mind by the presence of the gargantuans on the outside of the bridge windows, an explosive charged placed on the viewing port. Juxius shuddered and turned towards his officers, half were staring at their screens, others at the imposing monsters that were set to kill them all.

Instinct ripped through Juxius, every single molecule in his body acted as evolution had dictated to for thousands of years. To survive would be simple, tell them of the message he had sent to his father, and allow himself to be taken prisoner by alien creatures. However, to betray his lineage, to sacrifice his own honour in the name of self-preservation rather than in the pursuit of glory. The question posed to him had but a simple answer.

Juxius raised his sidearm and aimed it towards the bridge window through which he could see the giant metal figure who had placed the charge.

"Do it then."

[The Empire of Tau]

The Murasaka Conflict Pull-Out
Upon the General Secretary’s desk was a set of reports and orders sent to and written by the Secretary. The first report was sent by High Command planning for the actions for the 2nd in the Murasaka-zone. The first report writes,

“The 2nd Fleet has successfully launched all tactical, operational, and strategic aims, with minimal losses at hand. There is current prediction that the current alien government in power in active arms against the rebels will soon launch a tactical offensive against the 2nd Fleet. The next phrase of engagement is still in question, but has fully been planned out to our max extent - given our small time-frame of operational-strategic planning. The development of the various orbital marine divisions can go ahead as per your order, however the active threat against the 2nd Fleet is will be fully seen as the 2nd Fleet stays longer. Suggestion to pull out and leave the remaining rebels to the alien government is the next best route of action as spoken by sub-command.”

The General Secretary proceeds to write.

“Start to pull out. Stop any planetside plan to attack the rebels. The 2nd Fleet will be move out of the system as planned by your last report. Do not engage with the aliens at any cost, however if forced to attack then the 2nd Fleet will engage.”

Within a short-time, he 2nd Fleet gains a message from High Command. “Disengaged and return to Vol.” And thus, the 2nd Fleet start to prep their hyper-drives - getting ready to leave the Murasaka system. Their time here is done.

----------------------------------------------
The Imperial Union Aid-Package

The second report sent by the People's Commissariat of Industry and Defense on the aid to the Hshite Imperial Union is red next.

“The planning and acquisition of resources for the Imperial Union has been fully completed. 10% of total outputs from the current Ten-Year-Plan has been redirect for the aid-package. Cargo-shipments will be sent in the next following weeks the Imperial Union’s planets. The first phrase of the Imperial Union of its Five-Year-Plan will be reported in after a single mouth. That is all.”

The General Secretary does not write back.

-----------------------------------------
The First Meeting Between Aliens

The last, third, report sent by the Political Bureau is about the planned meeting between the current known contracts by the UU.

“Requests have been sent out to the Imperial Union, Thaelic Union State, and the R'havil Union. The meeting will be on Vol. Our message is the same across the board. ‘The Congress invites you to a meeting on our capital planet to host contract with various other aline contracts.’ The next report will be send after all 3 requests are sent back to us ”

The General Secretary writes back.

“Good, good. Remember to prepare the halls for the meeting.”

[The National Dominion of Hungary]

Solara News Broadcast - 5'th of Earths - Year 19 of the 43'd Age

The opening bars of Imyhathas´ Sixth Symphony plays as planets spin into view across the formerly dark screen, first is the Homeworld itself. Thaelit with the bright lights of it's great cities on the night side while an image of the capital city, Tashn'Var'Ishghan fades into view. The image fades and darts through space like a starship fixing on a view of the home system. The thirteen worlds danced around three stars that in turn danced with each other. The camera swirled through space once more passing the asteroid of Fellume, the great "Port City of the Kenuyais Belt". Then it passed Mythvahona, the great Gas Giant orbiting the main star of the system and home to nearly 500 million people spread out across the colonies built on it's moons. The planet faded from view and zoomed out into the nothingness of deep space until light appeared, each one a star in the growing domain of the Thaelic Union State as the music reached it's crescendo. The dance of stellar bodies ended and a newsroom faded into view with a sharply dressed woman seated at the glass desk. Her eyes meeting the camera with a warm, calm gaze.

"Welcome dear viewers to Solara News, part of Union State Public Service Broadcasting Corporation, connecting our nation across the stars. The first story of the day regards the momentous events of the Second Leap. As part of the further extrasolar expansion of the Thaelic State, one colonization flotilla has recently been dispatched to the Ranagost System in order to expand the Emyaar presence on Hahemel, a total of 9000 colonists on three Seedling-Class Colony Ships accompanied by five bulk-haulers carrying tools, materials and other supplies will do much to significantly improve the infrastructure on the harsh desert world. Two new major settlements are being planned on the locations of recently discovered underground aquifers in order to expand the network of water extraction stations, especially important on a planet with a very small natural hydrosphere. These new settlements will further provide more opportunities for the organic colonies growth with the planned construction of a small spaceport to simplify civilian traffic and end the great reliance on surface-to-orbit shuttlecraft." Images of smiling colonists boarding their ships change with images of travelling starships and pictures of the colony and environment of the planet of Hahemel along with proposed settlement sites.

"As a colonization flotilla leaves toward the Ranagost System, two more flotillas are being prepared for other journeys in the Home System. Full control of the Greater Emeaara Cluster around the Kenuyais System has been recognized by the Celestial High Council in it's wisdom to be utterly imperative. Out of the five remaining systems without any permanent Emyaar presence in the region, two are blessed to hold naturally habitable worlds. First of these is the planet of Meenluna in the Inyranna System, a thaelic garden world of remarkable geological stability relative to it's young age. It is home to a rugged and harsh wilderness filled with towering mountains, deserts and weather-beaten forests, Meenluna's surface is pockmarked with meteor impact craters, some of these forming large seas and it has a strong aurora phenomenon. Many among the Celestial High Council including the High Celestial Supreme have in their boundless wisdom marked the planet for significant investment, according to a press release from the Grand Celestial Supreme, Meenluna offers a great opportunity for rapid large-scale colonization in order to ease the overcrowding on the Homeworld. Second of these two worlds is the wondrous world of Olsenora in the Yllothas System, the planet has captivated the Emyaar public ever since it's initial discovery with it's images of shimmering continents and shining oceans seen through the thick cloud cover. This rocky tropical world has an impressive ecosystem thanks to it's significant natural greenhouse effect that allows for life to flourish on the poorly lit surface where a large majority of both plant and animal species display bioluminescent traits. Many highly positioned Celestials have made statements committing to a highly careful model of the development for the planet to cause minimal damage and disruption to the ecosystem." Images of systems and planets come and go across the screen.

"The TUSS Esogroth, a recently commissioned by the Horizon Extraction Corporation and dispatched to the T'Olku Belt in the Home System just reported is first successful "rock-swallow." This new operation made possible by the top-of-the-line deep space mining technologies and equipment installed on the Esogroth and her sister-ship the Ehnora can use powerful tether-harpoons in order to pull asteroids rich in ores or frozen gasses into it's large collection bays using the so-called "scan-and-catch" technique". The success of this new kind of operation has been heralded as the beginning of a new era in deep-space mining and HEC stocks have gained significant value on the financial markets in the wake of the Esogroth's success. Soon, joyous announcements were released by the CEO of the Horizon Extraction Corporation, congratulating the crew of the Esogroth and thanking the members of the corporation's executive board for their confidence in the large investments made into the two mining vessels which are now the largest privately funded and operated starships to date in Emyaar history." Images of happy crewmembers are shown on the screen along with imagery of their work in the large collection and smelting decks of the ship after which images of the HEC CEO's speech are broadcast.

"This is all for Solara News this evening, for more news that we did not cover in this broadcast, check out our articles on our extranet page. Thank you for you time and good night dear viewers." The screen fades to black.

---

Reply to the Universal Union

Greetings and may this message find you in good health and prosperity.

The Thaelic Union State gratefully accepts the Universal Union's invitation to the summit on Vol. We will send a delegation to discuss the issues facing our species and region of the galaxy and foster a greater understanding between all our species.

Celestial High Councillor Siora Bidove - High Prelate of Foreign Affairs.

[Tagali Federation]

"Queen Elinor of the United Houses of Trespia announced today the mobilization of the Trespian Navy in response to the destruction of a Trespian vessel outside of settled space by an unidentified vessel. As of the date of this broadcast, no nation has claimed responsibility for the attack. Coincidently, settlements and frontier nations have reported a sharp decline in pirate activity coinciding with the attack. When pressed on the matter, Trespian High Command refused to answer.

Trisha Monroe, Luna International Journalism Network



Tau Ceti System
Constantine, 2nd Moon of Nova Constantinople
Three Kilometers outside of Jeremiah Outpost, Pan-Pacific Commonwealth protected settlement


Five military rovers drove over the lunar landscape of Constantine, protecting a supply drone in the center of their formation. Their crews were tired, exhausted after spending three days out in the wastes, hunting bandits and recovering their stolen goods. In the lead rover, 1st Lt. Faamoana was awoken by tapping on his visor by his second in command Sgt. Phya. "Hey LT. We're getting a distress signal from Jeremiah." Faamoana snapped awake, what could the problem be? Their patrols had brought up nothing as it seemed that most of the larger pirate bands had seemingly vanished. He brought up a holographic display. "Bounty-1 to Jeremiah, what's going on?"

A few seconds of silence was greeted by the voice of Colonel Addison Horner. "Good to see you're here, Bounty-1. Get your platoon back in the outpost. Outer System listening posts are detecting multiple contacts approaching the system. Whole Division is going on red alert." Faamoana grew uneasy, especially after looking around at his men. An air of uncertainty had been hanging around since that Trespian ship got blown away by a ufo. "I take it that it's not some Jovian excursion?"

"Their trails lack zorium." The Colonel replied with a solemn tone. "Get back to Jeremiah Outpost and take up defensive positions." The display closed out, allowing for Fammoana to get radio the rest of his platoon in the convoy. "Alright soldiers, listen up. No time for r&r, some ufo's are approaching the system and they don't seem to be humans. Once at base, get into defensive positions. Hopefully, E.T. is just stopping in to say hi, but don't hold your breadth."

Unknown to Faamoana and the Marines of the 12th Marine Division, a third first contact was happening simultaneously.


*Zorium: a rare metallic chemical element currently only known to exist on Mercury, Pluto, the Tau-Ceti Asteroid belt. Discovered in 2496, zorium is used in power generation and more importantly, the key ingredient to human FTL drives, as it is currently the only known resource to be able generate enough energy while still being able to be stored practically in relatively small and compact storage methods.

* Pan-Pacific Commonwealth Marine gear

---

Alpha Centauri
Nova Terra, Capital of the Republic of Alpha Centauri States
Lake Uwaezuoke City, Council Building


Lake Uwaezuoke was considered considered a natural wonder. The lake was at the bottom of an impact crater, formed from the water falls of the surrounding shallow sea. animals like the tentacle-mouthed Cthulhu, lurked the shallow sea, preying on the flocks of four-eyed primate-like "Flyer Monkeys" that lived in the many mangrove forests surrounding the lake. The water was a clear blue with bright pearl white sand at the bottom.

Uwaezuoke City itself was also seen as a model frontier settlement. Originally built on islands at the edges of the crater, a ring of human skyscrapers and native flora soon took hold on all sides in a harmonious mix of civilization and nature, based off of the designs of the reorganized "natural" cities of the late 21st and early 22nd centuries back on Earth. Nova Terra and the Alpha Centauri system as a whole had the lowest crime and poverty rates in all of Human occupied space. A display of what Humanity could accomplish.

The council meeting chambers was built into the side of the crater, trees and a large water fall obscuring their view of the rest of the city. reptilian flying creatures sat on the railings, waiting to ambush anything that flew by the waterfall. The Council members sat in a ring of chairs around a holo projector, displaying any important information for the meeting at hand. Today, it displayed a number of systems, including information on the reported fleet activities of the other powers of the Human Sphere.

"War is going to erupt!" Imran Olegovich, Councilor of Nova Terra's Red Plains province barked. "Without even showing themselves, these aliens have disrupted the status quo of the last 50 years. It has only been a week and the Trespians have already begun mobilizing their... "auxillary forces! The Jovians will surely be soon behind and the African Union has already begun to lock down their remaining holdings in the Asteroid Belt. If we continue on this path, it's only a matter of time that the spectre of war falls upon us once again. Only this time, our involvement won't be restricted to a few skirmishes in the Silinovich Rainforests or even our own system, but will engulf the entirety of the Human Sphere."

"What do you suggest then, Councilor Olegovich?" Councilor Andrews said. "Surely you don't mean that we too must mobilize? Are ancestors came here in the wake of the last war and forged the jewel of Humanity. You would have us throw away all that just to satiate your paranoia that we are going to descend into chaos?"

Olegovich shook his head. "And you would have Jovian Berserkers marching through our streets. We have always been on a powder keg and some outside force, knowing or unknowing, just lit the fuse. How long do you wager that the Earthborns and the Jovians can go without slaughtering eachother?" Andrews stuttered. "Well, I-" Olegovich continued. "And guess which factions have garrisons protecting various settlements and planets throughout the frontier, creating a web of alliances throughout occupied space? This upcoming war will end Sol's supremacy of Humanity. When the smoke clears, we will need to be the new leaders of Humanity, and we aren't going to be able to do that with a simple gendarmerie of planetary defensive guns and legions of drones and star fighters!"

Within the network connecting every computer on Alpha Centauri, an AI watched the meeting with annoyance. Despite all their advancement, despite a possible greater threat on the horizon, only one seemed to have some semblance of a view of the long term, yet still was only framing it as some tribalistic issue. However, a more pressing issue had shown itself. An unknown vessel had been detected arriving on the edge of the Alpha Centauri system. No transponder, no message, and no zorium trail. The AI quickly alerted the Gendarmerie to its presence, but it would take time for interceptors to scramble and secure the vessel. The AI quickly sent out a message to the unknown vessel.

UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL!

YOUR VESSEL LACKS A VERIFIABLE TRANSPONDER AND THUS IN VIOLATION OF THE ARMSTRONG STATION INTERSTELLAR CONDUCT ACCORDS OF 2105. YOU ARE TO HOLD YOUR POSITION AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS! ANY DEVIATION FROM THIS WILL RESULT IN HOSTILITIES!

[GlobalControl]

The Murasaka Conflict Pull-Out
Upon the General Secretary’s desk was a set of reports and orders sent to and written by the Secretary. The first report was sent by High Command planning for the actions for the 2nd in the Murasaka-zone. The first report writes,

“The 2nd Fleet has successfully launched all tactical, operational, and strategic aims, with minimal losses at hand. There is a current prediction that the current alien government in power in active arms against the rebels will soon launch a tactical offensive against the 2nd Fleet. The next phase of engagement is still in question but has fully been planned out to our max extent - given our small time-frame of operational-strategic planning. The development of the various orbital marine divisions can go ahead as per your order, however, the active threat against the 2nd Fleet is will be fully seen as the 2nd Fleet stays longer. Suggestion to pull out and leave the remaining rebels to the alien government is the next best route of action as spoken by sub-command.”

The General Secretary proceeds to write.

“Start to pull out. Stop any planetside plan to attack the rebels. The 2nd Fleet will be moving out of the system as planned by your last report. Do not engage with the aliens at any cost, however, if forced to attack then the 2nd Fleet will engage.”

Within a short time, he 2nd Fleet gains a message from High Command. “Disengaged and return to Vol.” And thus, the 2nd Fleet starts to prep their hyper-drives - getting ready to leave the Murasaka system. Their time here is done.

Artemis Prime - UFFN Colonial Capital City of Myrskaa, The Semi-Autonomous Republic of the Palamok.
4:50 AM, 1230 [3/9/1230], Planetary Defense Forces High Command.

Chatter would begin to filter down from telescopes and observation companies, as well as the crews manning whatever satellites remained in orbit that watched their feeds and used their control network to watch over its orbit. The radio talk filtered down along the lines of command until it'd reach the colonials in charge of the defense of these sectors and cities, and then continue on until they reached the generals, and then finally it would reach the less than happy to be awake ears of the planet's current highest-ranking military official, the Captain. Captain Von Stratum had been in a relatively restless slumber and had only settled in for his rest an hour or so before, his eyes forced again to open and his mind dragged from a short-lived but relatively pleasant dream.

He would pick up the phone that ringed besides his cot, which he had placed into the biggest closet of which was also furthest from the command center, as he was more fanatical about being able to sleep when the time came, more so than he was about anything. A soldier came to learn that sleep was always important and that any sleep that can be acquired is sleep to be acquired. His legs stretched lightly as he shifted and swung them over the side of the bed, pressing the green button as the long cord connected to the auditory device, which twisted out under the door into the hall would be shifted, landing to rest against his naked thigh. He still wore boxers, but most of his right side lacked fur, his side covered in scar tissue with little left in the way of fur to cover it.

"What is it?" He'd ask, the irritation in his voice was breaking through his typically stoic tone, the product of the prior explained sleep deprivation. He'd have his eyes closed and his expression would reflect his irritation as well, eyebrows pressed down and a slight frown scrawled over his muzzle. There'd be noise, faint but audible from the hand-held electric line. It was an easy way to send signals from one part of a building to another without needing to use a radio, and it wasn't going to be picked up by enemy radio and code breakers, not that there was anything left of either to really manage such a task anyway.

His ear twitched slightly as his right eye would open up, the blue iris exposed to the dim light filtering in from the crack under the door before the other, milky white would follow, small red lighting visible in parts of the eye with a thin sheen of what looked like a sort of transparent plastic over it. It was an optical implant, which let him see and process the information, making him still capable of handling combat and such and removing what would have been a career-ending disadvantage from the equation. "..Are you sure they haven't left anything on the planet?" He'd ask them quietly. "No infantry, no more fighters..?"

As the rest of the report was delivered to him, his expression of irritation softened into one of relief, though it was short lived as he received the next part. "What now, sir?" He'd process that slowly, his mind not really ready nor willing to give orders but having too. He'd release a puff of air from his nostrils as his deadpan expression returned to his face, and he would quietly sit and think for a few moments. This was an opportune time to hit, the enemy was decimated and still disorganized from the alien's orbital strike. He knew that the navy was going to invade the orbit any time now, if they weren't already in position to do so they'd get to it soon, and handle the left-over wreckage of the alien starships, likely haul them to a starbase belonging to ONI somewhere in the system, if not deep space. They had now a duty to secure wreckage of alien craft, as well as to eliminate Bolo entirely and secure him a medal and a bit of long-lasting rest.

"Mobilize all forces for immediate combat duty, and prepare them to enter Bolo. Any remaining enemy positions we can immediately identity from orbit or with data from any forces in the area should be targeted for air strike. Conventional only, no atomics." He'd say. After receiving a reply, he'd simply utter a "Goodnight.", and set the phone down onto the table again. He'd rub his eyes for a moment, and then slowly lay himself back down onto the bed, his eyes barely open again and starting to force themselves shut again. Despite this, he had to get up. He couldn't sleep now, because in a few hours time he had to direct the recapture and pacification of Bolo. He'd lay for a couple of minutes as he tried to wake up fully, and he would soon be on his feet, getting into his blue and white fatigues.

Before long, he was down the hall and the door to his closet closed, with a 'Keep Out' sign hanging from a nail he tacked onto it. Mostly meant for the janitor.

---

16.3 Hours later.

The re-conquest of Bolo was effectively over by now. Really all the army rolling in was, was a formality and insurance policy in one. The end of the fighting was marked by most of Bolo's remaining insurrectionist forces surrendering their equipment and such to government armed forces, while most of the civilian population began to reemerge from emergency bunker complexes and from the remains of the few damaged cities that sat in Bolo. More than once insurrectionist convoys would be found drowned in civilian rioting and lynch mobs, requiring a little more than a 'little' force to disperse them, and often MP that got involved took plenty more than just rocks. The downside to the abundance of 3D printers is that while they may not be able to produce much military grade equipment, it was more than enough to create a problem for the government forces trying to take control.

The fighting was over within eight hours and proper recovery units and survey groups were being deployed to assess the damage to the military installations that hadn't yet been immediately retaken by either the advance wave of paratroopers or the motorized infantry when it was deployed. Missiles silos were being examined, destroyed or presumed destroyed and intact alike to see if they could be salvaged or rebuilt for cheap or would need to be made or a more long-term objective. Some were damaged beyond repair and had to be either converted or would need months of work to properly rebuild and reconstruct to a point they were functional, though improvised launch pads for shorter-range missiles were being built back in government territories.

Recovery units had a different task. Corpses and Alien vessels, particularly alien corpses. They had little in the way of care for honoring their passing, they were as far as the Festria could tell, a potentially major opponent of which stood as a threat to them. Even if they had not hit government forces directly, there had to be something done to ensure that they had a way of defending against hostile forces. The near four hundred wrecks they could recover would be gathered up by the army and brought to large depots to examine them. Corpses were handed off to the medical corps of which handled them with care only because ONI dictated they had too. ONI agents on site began to arrive, and before long specimens considered to be 'intact' were being gathered by several agents from branches of ONI such as Special Warfare, Research and Development, and Materials Group, their goals disparate but all geared more or less to the same thing - finding new and innovative ways to kill.

The turtle-like creatures were called Specimens Of Alien Origins, SOAOs, and they would be sent to several facilities behind the government's lines, as would many of the wrecked alien craft. The fighter craft had a trait considered to be unique, and the material they were made from seemed to allow them to enter the atmosphere from space and perform combat operations. They had a similar type of fighter craft, but it was barely in use, no real reason to produce them, at least until now. Moreover, and infinitely more important to ONI, they had operated up until the pullout, which meant they had carried seemingly more than enough fuel or some form of fuel that allowed them to perform prolonged air combat and then return to space after. If this technology could, and it would be replicated if ONI got to properly dissect the good hundred they took, then it'd help to boost the military's space-to-ground capabilities. They might even be able to replicate the fuel.

Plenty other things were on ONI's agenda, and in space, the Navy's recovery efforts of the wreckage were being led by an ONI marked Corvette, one of the few in existence, and the only one operating in the Murasaka system. ONI was busily working to establish an idea of capabilities and technological disposition. They were looking to figure out the inner workings of their opponent's starships, with the purpose of harvesting technology and devising a way to destroy the vessels easily, quickly and efficiently without needing to sacrifice any large force or any major number of space fighters or ships for the task. They had a particular interest in the particle weaponry. Missiles were something easy to replicate and cheap to produce, a missile is a missile, but spaceborne particle weapons were something ONI had interest in, though mostly for close-range anti-ship applications. They wanted as well to dissect the ships for material reasons and to examine the tech more closely.

Tug-boats, civilian vessels typically meant to haul cargo across a short-range distance or for long-term slow journeys were being put to use, moving the wreckage away as smaller craft of mostly military nature collected anything else such as small plates of metal. They were ordered to a point of rendezvous centered near the system's largest asteroid belt, of which would be where ONI would have its corvette and then several military starships gather and establish a small starbase and then improvised shipyard that would be used to dissect the space ships and try to replicate their technology.

---

One Day Later, Aboard the ONI Corvette 'Vigilance'

Festria in black uniforms were typically either property of secretive organizations, soldiers of the Atlas Corporation and its paramilitary branch, or black operations in the Festria military. Moros Veker, captain of the Vigilance would be dressed in black, the marking of ONI clear on its shoulders, a pyramid with an all-seeing eye positioned over it, the eye split black and white and the pyramid white and black, with the Sun positioned in the background, 'shining' over it. He'd be standing at the center console, of which rested in the central bridge of the bird of prey, as it was called. He was in the direct center, surrounded by screens hanging from the ceiling and standing up from the ground, his hands resting on the railings around him as holographic displays around him continued to constantly pour in data.

He would release air from his nostrils. His fur was pitch black over most of his body, with white and greys only showing over his under muzzle and under his eyes, giving the appearance of the 'robbers mask'. He'd have one of his ears clipped, and the other would be physically shredded, most of its top being scar tissue with five missing portions, a long series of claw marks ending in a portion of missing ear that'd been entirely torn away. His age reflected his scars, and he had his fair share of stories to tell like most people above the rank of sergeant. He was a captain, though not for the Navy. Navy ships were under his command but he didn't really fit into the rank system of the actual navy - He was a spook, his authority was higher than all but the admirals of the board and even then, situationally he could override them.

Moros stared at the screens around him, watching as the wreckage of four alien starships was towed into place and the remains that couldn't be towed would be brought in via bags of micro-netting that contained all these various pieces of metal. It was going to be his task to organize the construction of the starbase and the shipyard with it, which would be used to start the process of dissecting the alien wreckage. His ensigns and other bridge staff meandered about, nothing to really do while the pilot flew the ship and the tactical officer slept at his station, with the comms officer just monitoring communications traffic and the engineer sitting at his station, watching the readouts. The majority of the crew was relaxed. The ship had some of the most advanced technology ever created by Festria minds and hands, and maintenance was less a focus thanks to the generous use of nano-technology, primarily nanite based repair tools as well as the first edition of 'perfected' nanite fog.

"Sir, last wreck is in position. Ships are standing by to start bringing in the modules for starbase construction, sir." The comms ensign, a white and grey-furred Festria with red hair would say, their figure reflecting their age, a small and petite woman with a bit of.. emaciated, at least seemingly, figure.

"Give them the go ahead." He would say them in reply, though his mind is a bit unfocused, the reply given more as a result of the auto-pilot he was running on.

The ensign nods her head, and turns, typing up a quick response to the message and sending it off. The captain's eyes drifted down a moment later to the screen ahead of him, DRADUS displaying a 3d projection of the AU around the ship, watching several blue dots and black ones appear, tug-boats carrying modules for starbase assembling. A quiet hum left him, and he'd then turn.

"I'll be in my quarters." He'd say, heading off of the bridge. "Inform me via the comms if you require my presence, otherwise do not disturb me." He'd tell them, before he disappeared from the bridge, making his way out of the room and down the hallway. He made his way down the path leading to the crew quarters, a short walk for him. When he finally reached his door he would open it, close it when he got in, and then turn the light to dim as he went to his desk and sat down.

ONI was going to be riding him hard when he got back. A member of the board, as all members of ONI that commanded a ship were, so one of six other men and women, he would have to provide a report to his colleagues and from there, they'd have to formulate an effective strategy to either present to the president or use as ONI's operational playbook and plan of action, as well as try and mesh or make a long-term plan for how they might deal with this problem. His headache returned full force at that, suppressed only hours ago when he learned the crisis was effectively over.

If he was lucky his recommendation might be taken up by the president and board of the armed forces, and if he was doubly blessed, they'd actually follow it. But he wasn't going to pretend the chances weren't half in half, and to him, anything less than total assurance led him to feel that Murphy's Law remained a dominant factor in everything to come. Better he figured to try, however, because a chance is a chance regardless.

He felt off. Tired. He was tired, very tired. He'd sigh, before then resting his head onto his forearm, which lay on his desk. He'd barely manage a last thought about when he had to go back to work before he ended up being pulled into the abyss of sleep.

Artemis Prime - UFFN Capital City of Trayruu, The Semi-Autonomous Republic of the East Adanzia.
4:50 AM, 1230 [3/25/1230], Home of the President in Ruvo Heights.

"No Half-measures, take it or leave it." The president would say, the slightly effeminate male crossing his arms.

"Mister President, with all due respect, if we have to railroad the proposal through we're going to do it. We're trying to ensure the future-" The representative of the colonial authority would be cut off by a loud "Bah!" from the president, as he would turn and shake his head.

"The navy had a better proposal than this, by damn far!" He'd say, standing up and waving a hand. "And it would take far less money and cost a lot less political capital to do."

"The navy is nothing but-" "Unlike you, the Navy recognizes the gravity of the situation, and isn't droning on about giving colonies that will abuse the power of it, MORE autonomy. They're proposing something that'll allow for these colonies to develop their infrastructure, and for new outposts and colonies, defense bases and so on to be built across the expanse of colonized space. It'll boost the damn navy, it'll grow the armed forces and in the long term, it'll grow the economy. All you're telling me is that I have to sign off on a constitution altering deal to provide colonies that don't even meet the threshold for national representation on the Homeworld autonomy they'll abuse and use to create problems in the long term for US."

"If we don't give the colonies greater autonomy, Bolo will happen all over again!"

"If we give the colonies greater autonomy, Bolo WILL happen all over again, and it'll be a dozen times worse and a lot more people will die. The Homeworld has all the military might in this relationship, all the infrastructure and technology. half of those colonies aren't developed enough to match Murasaka alone nonetheless supply themselves with their own food. Might I just add as well, Oriter," he'd clear his throat "Bolo was the largest bastion of Colonial Authority command in the entire colonial jurisdiction, and 60% of participating rebels during the initial wave had CLA Ident tags."

The man would sit silently for a moment, visibly growing uneasy, staring up at the president before he would try and speak, though he is cut off again.

"The navy's proposal is my choice, I'm not changing that. Get out. Don't come back in." He'd say, pointing to the door. The Oriter would after a moment, sigh and stand up.

"You're making a mistake, mister president.."

"Out."

He'd turn and make his way out, before disappearing out the door after it slides open. In the moment of time of which they could, four Admirals would slip inside of the room, and then several generals with them, and a black-suited man, with the Secret Service in tow, trailing the men. Being of course drastically outnumbered these two men were wearing combat armor over their suits, powered exos and such for situational reasons. There were no hostilities between the groups, but the guards were naturally, because of the presence of several trained tacticians and killers, nervous.

It didn't matter though, because the military's highest heads were there to hear a response, rather than to cause problems.
Admiral Dante, highest ranking official in the navy, the 'SUPREME COMMANDER' as it would be called over a chat-line would step forwards, with General Adama stepping up beside him, both of them holding back smiles but seeming hopeful visibly, their tails frizzling about behind them.

"Well?" The admiral asks, his tail moving faster, as would all the others.

"The proposal is approved. Now please get out of my house." The President says, turning and exiting his study/office through a side door.

Silent smiles of elation appeared across the muzzles of the room's occupants, save the two agents of the secret service who were stoic, unaware why the others were smiling. They'd be as well, uncaring as the cluster of high ranking officials turned and evacuated through the door, back out into the hall, retreating into the passage on the outside. Adama would be the last out, holding in his hand a manila folder with several copies of the same proposal in it, of which they had taken the time to compile and copy over. There would soon enough be stone tablets of it, books, digital copies and so on.

---

[Skarten]

The Xarakh High Empire
The Kazetny System
Outer Reaches Of The System
Close-Range Recon Ship "Zaryat"

Life Support System Working. Defensive Shield Working. Battle Station Working. Research Station Working. No Damages To The Engine. Hyperspace Jump Was Succeful. You have arrived on Kazetny System.
An small ship floated in the depths of space, in the outer reaches of the Kazetny Star System. This ship was simply an recon vessel among many others in the High Imperial Armada. They had been sent to that system to investigate the bizarre signals that the Xarakh satelites had been capturing. Furthermore, they were to set up an research station on the surface of the planet, as to more easily allow research to continue. According to their data, this system, the fifth one in the planned expansion area, was full of planets with great conditions for Xarakh Life. The terraforming process would be quick, without a doubt, and soon a colony would grow.

The crew of this ship was an skilled one. They had over fifteen members, counting the leader, with four being security, and the rest researchers, operators or engineers. As soon as they had left hyperspace, their work was to begin. However, large events were about to take place. As the Artificial Intelligence of the ship was ordered to complete an reading of the system, it was soon found. They could see it with their own eyes, even if it was unbelievable. All those in the ship who were not in an essential duty quickly flocked to the bridge. In no way this should not be possible, but there it was.


Lights.

Artificially Made Lights.

And this could only mean a single thing.

Alien Life.

Again and again, the system was mapped, as the crewmembers looked for errors, but again and again, the same result appeared. Not one, but multiple planets, their dark sides lit by many, many lights, clearly showing they were occupied. This discovery was no small deal to the members of the Zaryat. Their whole lives, not a single one of them imagined this could be true. Of course, there was no doubt that there was foreign life in the universe, but sapient beings, capable of creating lights, so close to the borders of the empire? No living thing could expect that. But there was no denial of facts, because they were right into their faces.

The Leader of the ship, Third Captain Zirius, knew what was to be done. He ordered one of the ship's operators to send an encrypted message back to the Xarakh Territory, describing this discovery. Yet, just as the report was sent, suddenly, an signal was captured by the ship. As the AI began to process it, the signal turned out to be an..message? Detected to be an form of text, the machine soon displayed it for the crew members to see. An strange writing, unlike anything cataloged before. To the Xarakh, these letters had no meaning, they were but an random assortment of scribbles. But it was an message. They had, thus, to answer it.

UNIDENTIFIED LIFE FORMS!

THIS IS THIRD CAPTAIN ZIRIUS NARATIVAI ZERIOT, COMMANDER OF THE CLOSE-RANGE RECONNAISSANCE SHIP #232, "THE ZARYAT", OF THE MOST HONORABLE HIGH IMPERIAL ARMADA. IN ORDER AND NAME OF HIS HIGHEST, MOST POWERFUL HIGH IMPERIAL MAJESTY, YOU ARE TO IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFY YOURSELVES.

The only thing that they could do now, was wait. In these minutes, only a single thing was on the mind of the crew of the Zaryat: what would these life forms be like. Would they be friendly? Would they be savage beasts, impossible of intelligent thoughts? Were they civilized, or even organized? These queries, among many, many others, would be hopefully responded soon. Albeit unknown to them, These Xarakh, these lucky Xarakh, were about to witness the first contact between two civilizations. Life would never be the same. If for better or for worse, it would remain an mystery, at least for the moment. The event of the century, perhaps even of the millenia, had began...

[Tagali Federation]

Nelson-23 System
The Migrant Fleet



A fleet of large ships arrived in the system. Fortunately for both sides, they weren't a reprisal strike force of Trespians and pirates, but a simple fleet of refugees, unaware of the events that passed in their week of FTL travel. Only a few of them were equipped with any meaningful weaponry, the rest being freighters and other civilian crafts jerry-rigged to better accommodate large numbers of people living in the limited space of a space ship. Within a short amount of time, the Antivarian forces would receive a message followed by what could be assumed to be universal symbols for peace and to hold fire. Hopefully, this would lead to a less hostile encountered than the one with the Trespian Recovery Vessel.

"Hold your fire. This is Captain Talia of the New Damascus Migrant Fleet. We mean you no harm. We only wish to salvage the derelict colony vessel identified in this system. We have families to feed."