Alitheia In Space [FT][IC][SEMI-OPEN]

[Nauchrtenfield]

In a Multiverse Similar But Radically Different From Our Own List of Links: OOC Archive The List of Staff: Parcia: Head Honcho Nauchrtenfield: Thread Organiser and Archive keeper URA: Map-Maker

[Nauchrtenfield]

And so, our story starts

Maestro, music please

Space, a vast emptiness, a black, empty canvas for civilisation to draw their history upon. To spread wings beyond the bodies they started on, to discover the wonders of the galaxy, to grown beyond themselves, and together with others live in harmony where nothing wants for anyone, and everyone is free to live, love, and think the way they want. A galaxy united in peace and kinship. Where there was justa single allegiance. It was how it was supposed to go, that is they way the precursor nations of the Nauchrten Hegemony saw the future go as they united under one government centuries ago. While they have mostly made that store a reality, some things are amiss, the galaxy at large is fractured, splinted, and very, very dangerous. Not even the Hegemony was able to fulfil the ideals of personal liberty, it having become a twisted version where your future is dictated by your aptitudes. Sure, you could always pick from a selection of the jobs that you where most suited for, but for outsiders that would likely seem like a illusion of choice, even the Hegemony itself did not want this system, but it had served them well for as long as they had been one, and so it was reasoned, that it was a necessary evil to peruse the grand ideal of a united galaxy of kinship.

But such philosophical matters where of little concern to the cast of this story, the crew of the Moa Class Cruiser Fortitude, somewhat over three-hundred meters long, with a biological crew of 17 officers and 39 enlisted, including a marine detachment. The Moa serves as the most common warship in the Hegemony's navy. Sporting a Impressive shield array, laser based point defence, three small drones, and up to ten rail-gun turrets, The Moa is a durable and effective warship. A border buoy, small scanning satellites dotted around the edge of the Nauchrten Hegemony's influence had detected a unknown signature coming out of FTL, and the Fortitude had been sent to investigate.

And so it where, that this previously lone vessel was joined by the sleep, dark hull of the Fortitude, and as it appeared at it's target, the bridge became a hive of activity.

"FTL jump complete, venting heat into shields. Full functionality T-minus-five seconds" a operator informed from their console, another chiming in "Shields confirmed at one-hundred procent". A third operator, one focused on the outside of the ship joined in the barrage of information "One unknown ship detected, initiating scan."

The Captain of the ship, seated in their own command chair, granting them a neural link directly to the ship, looked at the surface scan of the unknown ship, it was not a design that the database recognised, not uncommon to be sure, after all, space was massive, and it was not uncommon for a small shipyard somewhere in the galaxy to make just a few ships before going out of business. The captain commanded a wide-spectrum transmission to be opened with the ship, and went to speaking the usual introduction message "Unidentified ship, this is the Nauchrten Hegemony Navy Ship Fortitude. You have entered space under the control of the Nauchrten Hegemony, power down your flight-systems and submit to a scanning inspection"

Just tine ship, it would turn out, was just a long range private explorer from a relatively unknown entity, a search and information of the Laws of the Hegemony, and they both left content and happy. But it could have ended with gunfire and death, and it often did.

And so, the floor is open, the canvas is clean, and the paint is wet, draw and tell me your story.
after all, what is a use of one, if not told?

[Rykil]

Abr Networked Worlds
DWRFPLA-324-07
_{Seventh Dwarf Planet of System 324}
IMF-07-01
_{Isolated Military Forum One of the Seventh Dwarf Planet}

IMFs had seen less use with the Abr Networked Worlds undergoing a policy of neutrality. Once, they were hives of activity, personnel, AI, Mechanoid Soldiers, Military Leaders, and more. The IMFs were classified locations, isolated from the public media of both the masses of Abr and the galactic media. Many IMFs had even been scrapped, scavenged, salvaged for something else. But there were still IMFs, they were just far less active than before. Now, the galaxy was in a tense state, which might be the key to unlocking the doors of the Abr. The Cradle of Humanity was stagnating and being fought over, the Parcians were always ready for a fight. Humankind was a double-edged sword, according to the Abr. They could be the greatest ally, the most fearsome enemy, or they could be something in the middle. They were unpredictable, uncontrolled. Human nature was the same way. They had become very commonplace in the galaxy, but the densest concentrations were around the Cradle. Many of the galactic powers wanted them down a notch, others wanted them to stay the same, but very few wanted them to be raised a notch. The Abr wanted them down a notch, not something that would destroy their civilization or bring mass ruination and destruction. No. The Abr wanted the Humans to undergo a fall from grace. Humans were dangerous, they believed. Unless proven otherwise, they did not believe for them to be trusted.

Another oncoming threat, the expanding Dead Zone. Nothing could survive in that space, life had been extinguished. Mawed apart by fire and fury, the Dead Zone was comprised of sites ravaged by ???-SYS-?. The question marks represented two things. One, the Abr didn't know what the attackers were based on. The Abr referred to themselves as SHC-SYS-01. Silicate Hydrocarbon Lifeforms of System 01. They were based on silicate and used hydrocarbon as a solvent, or at least the closest analogy to a solvent according to Carbon-Water lifeforms. Second, the attacker's homesystem, or analogy to a homesystem, was unknown. It was thought that the very top of their influence lie within a homesystem. Another theory was that it wasn't centralized, and instead they were spread out across many systems. No communication attempts had succeeded, either. No transmission reached the hearing organs of the attackers, or they were simply being ignored. The Abr should be thankful they are relatively far from them, leaving the Humans to deal with them. Perhaps, the attackers could be used against humanity if the Abr decided to enact a fall upon them. That was only if they decided to intervene against Mankind.

The Forum Chamber's doors slid open, the room filled with the hydrocarbon soup that the Abr preferred to live in. Abr could survive out of the soup-like oceans perfectly fine, it simply took a bit of augments to make it more comfortable. Nonetheless, the chamber was filled with the hydrocarbon soup. Multiple Abr and their Mechanoid escorts entered the room, each one taking a position around the floating sphere in the center. Once all entities were in their designated location, the sphere lit up with radio transmissions to each Abr, as that was how they communicated. The sphere was essentially the Abr's version of a monitor, except the Abr didn't have visual organs.

"Authority. Dead Zone continues expansion, attackers still unidentifiable to known archives. Databases empty. No critical information as of the current time. Cradle of CW-SYS-4346 stagnating, unstable. Parcian political entity under warlike stance. Abr stance?"

"Opinion. Neutrality remain in current status. Deceive CW-SYS-4346 media. Strike when hypothetical enemy remains in unsuspecting state."

"Disagreement. Abr stance undergoes change unto militarization. Galactic media in war-stance. Dead Zone expansion not to be underestimated. CW-SYS-4346 unpredictable, deception will fail. Abr Networked Worlds must become war-stance."

"Rebuke. Abr remain unchanged. Galactic media war-stance beyond Abr affairs."

"Remind. Economic consequences ignored. Economic status will suffer strike at prosperity."

"Aggression. Warm-Brain threat must be terminated!"

"Authority. Silence."

"Lengthened Authority. Warm-Brain threat underestimated, Abr Networked Worlds is threatened. Dead Zone must undergo containment and prevention. Consensus."

The subsequent radio burst indicated that the Abr Networked Worlds would re-militarize itself. The galaxy was becoming more dangerous than before, the Dead Zone and the Human Dilemma were contributing to the overall tension. Other major powers, like that of the Abr, were already preparing for the likely scenario of an all-out galactic war. The Abr's interests had to be secured, humanity had to be shot down a level on the totem pole. The Parcians were certainly a major power, and seemed to be ran by a competent leadership. Those were two traits the Abr could get behind, but now, they had to ensure humanity, with their many peoples scattered across the galactic stage, wouldn't prove to be a threat for the Abr and other sentients. An Abr cruiser with four destroyer escorts initiated a journey to the Crescent Stars. It was time to reveal if humanity and the Abr could coexist in relative peace for the foreseeable future. The goal of the cruiser and it's escorts? Carry an Abr diplomat to the Parcians. Abr diplomats had not been seen for many years now, making this a true breaking of the status quo.

[Parcia]

The United Sovereign Colonial Union of Fortuna, Heaven's Reach, El'Parcia, Behemoth, Beta Pixie, and Hawking.

Or, More commonly known as "The Colonial Union" stood as the brightest example of Humanity's accomplishments.

6 words first signed the articles of Union 210 years ago, and in that 210 years, the Union has grown to claim 1000 systems, and 318 inhabited worlds. Not as large as the old Federation, she stands as the shining beacon of liberty and democracy not only for Humans, but for any being of race that wishes to join.

And yet, with such a large nation comes large problems. A stagnating economy, inflated debt, and complacent military has led to problems of corruption and organized crime syndicates running their way through civilized space. This was mitigated, albeit not completely, by the start of minor hostilities with the Faeson unity, a small, almost routine boarder skirmish turning in to a low level conflict that the larger populace could focus on while the Office of Naval Intelligence went about fixing the problems in their own...Unique way.

Faeson-Union Boarder War.

Though small in scope, it was and has grown in to a moderate level conflict, with the first signs of larger deployments of the Colonial Fleet and Marine corps becoming clear to those keeping tabs on the situation. So far only 3 flotillas had been mobilized, roughly 40 ships, and roughly half dozen Marine regiments were mobilized and sent to fortify outer rim systems.

Abr Delegation

Though abnormal, they were welcomed with open arms, a small revenue Service flotilla would escort them to the nearest patrol base, were they would be given a proper Military escort towards the inner Colonies.

[Rykil]

Abr Delegation

Though abnormal, they were welcomed with open arms, a small revenue Service flotilla would escort them to the nearest patrol base, were they would be given a proper Military escort towards the inner Colonies.

Abr diplomats hadn't been reported in many years, neither had Abr spacecraft. The period of neutrality was also one of isolation, for the Abr deigned outside influences to be outside of their interest. For a while, the galaxy heard little of the Abr, but the Human Dilemma, Unknown Reaper, and the expanding Dead Zone had forced them out from under the rock. The Abr now had to directly intervene in galactic affairs, isolation was out of the question. The delegation sent to the Parcians was here to secure a relatively coexistent future with the Crescent Stars, for the Abr regarded human nature and civilization to be a threat.

The Abr spacecraft were spherical in shape, little to no decoration on their hulls. The Cruiser tapered around the equator for the hangar bays, which contained multitudes of automated fighter and bomber craft if the situation went wrong. The destroys, too were spherical but lacked the tapering equator. Inside the spacecraft were the Abr, swimming in the freezing hydrocarbon soup. The Abr took the escorts well, seems the Parcians understood the significance in the Abr's emergence. The Abr representatives were moved to the hangar bay, awaiting the arrival at the Inner Colonies.

[Parcia]

Abr Delegation

Though abnormal, they were welcomed with open arms, a small revenue Service flotilla would escort them to the nearest patrol base, were they would be given a proper Military escort towards the inner Colonies.

Abr diplomats hadn't been reported in many years, neither had Abr spacecraft. The period of neutrality was also one of isolation, for the Abr deigned outside influences to be outside of their interest. For a while, the galaxy heard little of the Abr, but the Human Dilemma, Unknown Reaper, and the expanding Dead Zone had forced them out from under the rock. The Abr now had to directly intervene in galactic affairs, isolation was out of the question. The delegation sent to the Parcians was here to secure a relatively coexistent future with the Crescent Stars, for the Abr regarded human nature and civilization to be a threat.

The Abr spacecraft were spherical in shape, little to no decoration on their hulls. The Cruiser tapered around the equator for the hangar bays, which contained multitudes of automated fighter and bomber craft if the situation went wrong. The destroys, too were spherical but lacked the tapering equator. Inside the spacecraft were the Abr, swimming in the freezing hydrocarbon soup. The Abr took the escorts well, seems the Parcians understood the significance in the Abr's emergence. The Abr representatives were moved to the hangar bay, awaiting the arrival at the Inner Colonies.

Their escort would indeed be be worthy of them, with the Cruiser patrol group 2-2-1 Consisting of a quartet of Paris Class destroyers, a pair of Halberd Patrol Cruisers, and most notably enough, a single large Phalanx class line cruiser, one of the few deployed beyond the inner colonies which, more by design rather then coincidence, would be their destination. Once they would meet, the escorts would fall in to formation around them, the Ship Board AI sending a tentative communications request over encrypted Communications frequencies.

"Abr Envoy Cruiser, this is CNS Marathon Ship Board AI "Clair", requesting data-link handshake and navigation up link for further escort, also requesting Hailing freq for Diplomatic parlay between my Captain and yours."

[Rykil]

Abr diplomats hadn't been reported in many years, neither had Abr spacecraft. The period of neutrality was also one of isolation, for the Abr deigned outside influences to be outside of their interest. For a while, the galaxy heard little of the Abr, but the Human Dilemma, Unknown Reaper, and the expanding Dead Zone had forced them out from under the rock. The Abr now had to directly intervene in galactic affairs, isolation was out of the question. The delegation sent to the Parcians was here to secure a relatively coexistent future with the Crescent Stars, for the Abr regarded human nature and civilization to be a threat.

The Abr spacecraft were spherical in shape, little to no decoration on their hulls. The Cruiser tapered around the equator for the hangar bays, which contained multitudes of automated fighter and bomber craft if the situation went wrong. The destroys, too were spherical but lacked the tapering equator. Inside the spacecraft were the Abr, swimming in the freezing hydrocarbon soup. The Abr took the escorts well, seems the Parcians understood the significance in the Abr's emergence. The Abr representatives were moved to the hangar bay, awaiting the arrival at the Inner Colonies.

Their escort would indeed be be worthy of them, with the Cruiser patrol group 2-2-1 Consisting of a quartet of Paris Class destroyers, a pair of Halberd Patrol Cruisers, and most notably enough, a single large Phalanx class line cruiser, one of the few deployed beyond the inner colonies which, more by design rather then coincidence, would be their destination. Once they would meet, the escorts would fall in to formation around them, the Ship Board AI sending a tentative communications request over encrypted Communications frequencies.

"Abr Envoy Cruiser, this is CNS Marathon Ship Board AI "Clair", requesting data-link handshake and navigation up link for further escort, also requesting Hailing freq for Diplomatic parlay between my Captain and yours."

The Abr ship received the signal and almost immediately charged it up to the captain, who reviewed it before responding. The escort seemed a bit much, but with the galaxy at a such a tense state one could never be so sure. The Captain lay in the center of the ship, for Abr spacecraft's power systems were scattered across the whole vessel. This design practice allowed a greater degree of flexibility in engineering the craft. The captain was hooked on the nervous system level to the ship, essentially becoming the ship, although they were capable of disconnecting when needed. A flick of a manipulator and the captain initiated the response to the ship-board AI. Communications array blared, and... sent.

"Cooperative. Data-link 'handshake' charged. Navigation link uploading... Navigation link downloaded. Hail frequency generated, entity AI Clair receiving frequency."

[Parcia]

Their escort would indeed be be worthy of them, with the Cruiser patrol group 2-2-1 Consisting of a quartet of Paris Class destroyers, a pair of Halberd Patrol Cruisers, and most notably enough, a single large Phalanx class line cruiser, one of the few deployed beyond the inner colonies which, more by design rather then coincidence, would be their destination. Once they would meet, the escorts would fall in to formation around them, the Ship Board AI sending a tentative communications request over encrypted Communications frequencies.

"Abr Envoy Cruiser, this is CNS Marathon Ship Board AI "Clair", requesting data-link handshake and navigation up link for further escort, also requesting Hailing freq for Diplomatic parlay between my Captain and yours."

The Abr ship received the signal and almost immediately charged it up to the captain, who reviewed it before responding. The escort seemed a bit much, but with the galaxy at a such a tense state one could never be so sure. The Captain lay in the center of the ship, for Abr spacecraft's power systems were scattered across the whole vessel. This design practice allowed a greater degree of flexibility in engineering the craft. The captain was hooked on the nervous system level to the ship, essentially becoming the ship, although they were capable of disconnecting when needed. A flick of a manipulator and the captain initiated the response to the ship-board AI. Communications array blared, and... sent.

"Cooperative. Data-link 'handshake' charged. Navigation link uploading... Navigation link downloaded. Hail frequency generated, entity AI Clair receiving frequency."

"Roger that, patching you in now."

With that, the channel would open to an older Human male, roughly mid 40s, graying hair and some wrinkles. Wearing a standard grey uniform with various CN insignia, rank, and ribbons as well as a peaked Officer's Cap. Shifting upright in his Captains chair, he put down a steaming mug of Coffee. Clearing his throat, and giving time for the AI to start the translator, he spoke. "Greetings, I am Commander Nathaniel McNamara, Colonial Navy, to what do I owe this honor to have an Abr Diplomatic envoy in Colonial Space." His tone would be warm, inviting, with a slight smile on his face.

Just off to his right, standing behind him with a Data tablet ready, stood a Younger women in a grayer uniform, with the distinctive ONI logo on the breast pocket.

[Tariga]

The Sound of Silence

The Void was silent for ages, only speaking up to eject the few Kentaru deemed necessary for removal and for trade in very rare cases. There was no real need, 18 Billion residents lived in a constant happiness, their lives managed by the "benevolent" Watchers. Their system coldly efficient with sole goal of the promotion of the happiness of the Kentaru. The watchers were uninterested in the outside stars; wars, crises, etc. all equally unimportant to them. It seemed for the few who cared to look into the void, that void would never looked back upon the Galaxy.

The Slight Ringing Noise

That was the case. It was no longer, from a asteroid factory in section 40 many probes were sent out. To all the states of the Galaxy a small probe was sent, to make contact to the Galaxy. It wasn't just probes that brought news of The Void back to the headlines of the Galaxy but something else. The "rejected Kentaru", the descendants of Kentaru who were rejected by the Void, we're winding up dead throughout the Galaxy. Even more interesting to those who could find them were reports of "listening boxes" being found on planets, devices which could monitor the ongoing of certain sections of a planet

[Rykil]

The Abr ship received the signal and almost immediately charged it up to the captain, who reviewed it before responding. The escort seemed a bit much, but with the galaxy at a such a tense state one could never be so sure. The Captain lay in the center of the ship, for Abr spacecraft's power systems were scattered across the whole vessel. This design practice allowed a greater degree of flexibility in engineering the craft. The captain was hooked on the nervous system level to the ship, essentially becoming the ship, although they were capable of disconnecting when needed. A flick of a manipulator and the captain initiated the response to the ship-board AI. Communications array blared, and... sent.

"Cooperative. Data-link 'handshake' charged. Navigation link uploading... Navigation link downloaded. Hail frequency generated, entity AI Clair receiving frequency."

"Roger that, patching you in now."

With that, the channel would open to an older Human male, roughly mid 40s, graying hair and some wrinkles. Wearing a standard grey uniform with various CN insignia, rank, and ribbons as well as a peaked Officer's Cap. Shifting upright in his Captains chair, he put down a steaming mug of Coffee. Clearing his throat, and giving time for the AI to start the translator, he spoke. "Greetings, I am Commander Nathaniel McNamara, Colonial Navy, to what do I owe this honor to have an Abr Diplomatic envoy in Colonial Space." His tone would be warm, inviting, with a slight smile on his face.

Just off to his right, standing behind him with a Data tablet ready, stood a Younger women in a grayer uniform, with the distinctive ONI logo on the breast pocket.

The Parcians didn't appear to have changed much, according to old and outdated databases requiring updates. The isolation had taken a toll on their overall knowledge on the galaxy at large. When the channel opened up, the captain was greeted to the analogous Abr captain. The Abr's dimensions were relatively unidentifiable, as was it's age. The captain was plugged into numerous consoles and nervous system connectors, allowing them at-will control of the ship. They could see the manipulators amidst the hydrocarbon, flicking occasionally to indicate some sort of action. The Abr activated the translator, initiated an autocorrection and adapting program, then charged a response.

"Contact. CW-SYS-43245, Nathaniel McNamara communing unto SHC-SYS-01, Ileti. The Abr Envoy entity travelling to engage in major diplomatic consensus with higher authorities."

The second half was caught by the translator, making it easier to understand for the Parcian captain. Seems the Abr needed to redo their knowledge on human language.

[Parcia]

"Roger that, patching you in now."

With that, the channel would open to an older Human male, roughly mid 40s, graying hair and some wrinkles. Wearing a standard grey uniform with various CN insignia, rank, and ribbons as well as a peaked Officer's Cap. Shifting upright in his Captains chair, he put down a steaming mug of Coffee. Clearing his throat, and giving time for the AI to start the translator, he spoke. "Greetings, I am Commander Nathaniel McNamara, Colonial Navy, to what do I owe this honor to have an Abr Diplomatic envoy in Colonial Space." His tone would be warm, inviting, with a slight smile on his face.

Just off to his right, standing behind him with a Data tablet ready, stood a Younger women in a grayer uniform, with the distinctive ONI logo on the breast pocket.

The Parcians didn't appear to have changed much, according to old and outdated databases requiring updates. The isolation had taken a toll on their overall knowledge on the galaxy at large. When the channel opened up, the captain was greeted to the analogous Abr captain. The Abr's dimensions were relatively unidentifiable, as was it's age. The captain was plugged into numerous consoles and nervous system connectors, allowing them at-will control of the ship. They could see the manipulators amidst the hydrocarbon, flicking occasionally to indicate some sort of action. The Abr activated the translator, initiated an autocorrection and adapting program, then charged a response.

"Contact. CW-SYS-43245, Nathaniel McNamara communing unto SHC-SYS-01, Ileti. The Abr Envoy entity travelling to engage in major diplomatic consensus with higher authorities."

The second half was caught by the translator, making it easier to understand for the Parcian captain. Seems the Abr needed to redo their knowledge on human language.

McNamara took a moment, the ONI women leaning in to speak in his ear. He Nodded and replied. "Roger that, more then happy to accommodate you, Right, so the plan is to escort you to the inner Colony world of...Therasa, roughly 4 Jumps from here, around 2 days of continues travel." He leaned over in his chair and spoke to his Navigations officer.

"Right, so hyper lanes have been cleared for us and we have priority rights. Therasa is the closest Diplomatic Station and were my commanding officer's have told me to escort you to. Once your drives are charged we will jump out in loose formation, this frequency is encrypted so we can go ahead and reuse it for further communications. Other then that, we should have a pleasant ride."

[Rykil]

The Parcians didn't appear to have changed much, according to old and outdated databases requiring updates. The isolation had taken a toll on their overall knowledge on the galaxy at large. When the channel opened up, the captain was greeted to the analogous Abr captain. The Abr's dimensions were relatively unidentifiable, as was it's age. The captain was plugged into numerous consoles and nervous system connectors, allowing them at-will control of the ship. They could see the manipulators amidst the hydrocarbon, flicking occasionally to indicate some sort of action. The Abr activated the translator, initiated an autocorrection and adapting program, then charged a response.

"Contact. CW-SYS-43245, Nathaniel McNamara communing unto SHC-SYS-01, Ileti. The Abr Envoy entity travelling to engage in major diplomatic consensus with higher authorities."

The second half was caught by the translator, making it easier to understand for the Parcian captain. Seems the Abr needed to redo their knowledge on human language.

McNamara took a moment, the ONI women leaning in to speak in his ear. He Nodded and replied. "Roger that, more then happy to accommodate you, Right, so the plan is to escort you to the inner Colony world of...Therasa, roughly 4 Jumps from here, around 2 days of continues travel." He leaned over in his chair and spoke to his Navigations officer.

"Right, so hyper lanes have been cleared for us and we have priority rights. Therasa is the closest Diplomatic Station and were my commanding officer's have told me to escort you to. Once your drives are charged we will jump out in loose formation, this frequency is encrypted so we can go ahead and reuse it for further communications. Other then that, we should have a pleasant ride."

"Patient. Affirmations, McNamara. Will await arrival at Therasa."

The channel dropped, but the frequency remained connected. The Abr reviewed the translator, which was learning and getting better at the translations. A few manipulator flicks and some thoughts implanted into the ship and the translator was running simulations in order to prepare for oncoming meetings with human representatives. All data from the translator was then streamed into the Abr's representatives, allowing their translators to share the knowledge. While that happened, the drives charged, soon ready to go. Shielding? Check. Heat reserves? Check. The destroyer escorts reported the same, and the jump drives initiated FTL launch.

[Arktic]

The Faesons: Excerpts from "A History of Faeson-Human Interactions, Vol. 2"

The story of the Redohan Terracide is one of the darkest chapters of the Colonial-Faeson conflict. It was an event that ashamed the Faeson, enraged humanity, and horrified both. It exposed serious flaws in the Faeson command structure and called into question among the Colonials much about how they were handling their nearest, and most threatening nonhuman neighbor.
In the early days of the conflict, the fight had been a surprisingly calm, professional, concert-like affair. Faeson and Colonial forces would engage in limited skirmishing in empty space or far above a planet. Neither side was particularly willing to dig into a slog of planet-conquest or heavy space warfare, nor were they willing to capitulate or fully return to the negotiating table, so the war continued in this way: light, orderly, almost ceremonial combat.

Redohan was a Colonial-settled habitable world, just on the human side of the boundary between the two galactic powers. Rich in biodiversity and with a gravity well and atmosphere conducive to both Faeson and human life, the planet had been one of many flashpoints at the negotiation table and was bound to be one of the first planets to be consumed by the conflict.
As such, a mid-sized Faeson fleet had been dispatched from the Unity forces under the command of Admiral Ven Fuwiko to capture the planet and to help a larger effort of solidifying Faeson control over the sector. Orbital and planet-based Colonial defenses, including a small starship fleet meant to serve as an expeditionary force into the weaker parts of the Exostellar Unity, engaged them, sparking one of the largest battles of the conflict up until that point.
While the Colonial forces (particularly the heavy “static” defenses in orbit) were able to inflict significant damage on that attacking Faeson force, Unity’s superior coordination and numbers overwhelmed the human defenders, and as the Colonial expeditionary fleet retreated the guns around the planet stopped firing.
However, in that retreat, the Colonial expeditionary force was able to fire upon and destroy a number of isolated Faeson ships before jumping away. Though they could not have known it yet, this sealed the fate of the world they had fought to protect.

Admiral Fuwiko was under orders from Unity to place the planet under blockade. The goal was to either hold it as a bargaining chip for future negotiations with the humans, butter it up for Faeson colonization, or to make sure resources from the planet could not be sent to shore up the Colonial war effort.
Fuwiko had been picked to maintain the blockade for his past record of calmness and focus. He was known for being fairly lenient but focused, and seemed to be a perfect steward for the planet up until the battle.
However, right as Admiral Fuwiko was tasked to begin his blockade of the planet, he received news that shattered him.
His wife and two young children, all civilians, had been sent along with a small support group with the fleet to keep him company during what was set to be quite a long blockade. That very same support group that was engaged and almost completely destroyed by the retreating Colonial force.
A rescue team was sent to the ships immediately, but there was nothing much to be done. Some charred bone fragments, believed to be from the ship that Admiral Fuwiko’s family had been aboard, were presented to the Admiral.

Whatever calmness or leniency he had been planing on treating the humans of Redohan with, vanished in that moment.

As the fleet got into a defensive position and continued watching for any spaceflight movement, Admiral excused himself from the command room. When he returned, what the rest of the crew saw shocked and disturbed them.
Golden blood and sparks came down the side of his head. His thoughtlink communicator had been smashed, and the area around it bruised, like his head had been slammed into a wall. Admiral Fuwiko ordered the Bombardier ships to begin a sweeping, planet-wide nuclear bombardment.
While the Admiral had been utterly devastated and completely enraged by the death of his family, the rest of the fleet knew their orders. Whatever sympathy they had for their commanding officer would be overcome by their loyalty to Unity, which clearly wanted them to keep the planet unharmed.
The Admiral’s thoughtlink would have told him as much. And it would have kept telling him, and made him feel the same way his crew did.

When Faeson encounter conflicting dissonance between their own personal feelings and those of the larger group, usually it leaves them with a sense of unease and discomfort. For the Admiral, his own personal rage made the “calming” homogenizing influence of the fleet’s thoughtlink unbearable. So, he returned to his quarters and slammed his head on the side of his metal desk until his thoughtlink, shattered and broken, fell silent. There would be no group-thought drawing him away from what he was going to do.

However, as Admiral Fuwiko’s own thoughts were no longer connected to those of his crew, this anger and determination shocked the Faeson crew, who hesitated on taking orders from a man disconnected from them and who was clearly mad with grief.
The Faeson second in command, a Captain by the name of Ure Kejuli, moved to arrest and remove Fuwiko from the command room, as was procedure for this sort of situation. But as she stepped forward, a flash of light and smoke appeared on her stomach and she screamed, collapsing, dead.
In all four of the Admiral’s hands were laser pistols. He had come prepared for a mutiny, and after smashing in his thoughtlink interface he dashed to his personal arsenal, arming himself to the teeth. Admiral Fuwiko repeated his order, practically daring anyone else on the bridge to challenge him over Captain Kejuli’s dead body.

Consumed with fear and confusion, nobody else in the fleet challenged him. Bombs began to rain on Redohan, making no distinction between village or military installation. Demands for an explanation from the humans on the surface turned into desperate calls for a ceasefire and finally begging and pleading for their planet, as a ring of radioactive fire slowly walked across the planet.
After a few days of bombardment, the work was finished. Not a single human escaped the planet, and radioactivity levels were far in excess of what would allow Faeson or human life to continue. His vengeance complete, Admiral Fuwiko turned himself in to the fleet’s third in command who, seeing no point in continuing a blockade of a dead planet, turned the fleet around and went back to Faeson space.

Admiral Ven Fuwiko, under arrest and stripped of his command, was made to stand trial before Unity on the Faeson homeworld of Faes and was found guilty of gross insubordination, the murder of Cpt. Kejuli, and of “abhorrence” (the Faeson legal term that roughly is equivalent to “crimes against humanity”). He was permitted to take his own life with a laser pistol, and did so the night he was sentenced.
Apologies and diplomatic overtures were delivered to the Colonial authorities but were, initially, rebuffed. Even if the Faeson were telling the truth that the annihilation of Redohan was truly the illegal act of a lone-wolf general, their honor and their outrage called for justice beyond that which Unity administered to Fuwiko. A full-scale, total war with the Faeson had begun.

EDIT: Minor grammar corrections, formatting and wording corrections.

[Arktic]

The Sound of Silence

The Void was silent for ages, only speaking up to eject the few Kentaru deemed necessary for removal and for trade in very rare cases. There was no real need, 18 Billion residents lived in a constant happiness, their lives managed by the "benevolent" Watchers. Their system coldly efficient with sole goal of the promotion of the happiness of the Kentaru. The watchers were uninterested in the outside stars; wars, crises, etc. all equally unimportant to them. It seemed for the few who cared to look into the void, that void would never looked back upon the Galaxy.

The Slight Ringing Noise

That was the case. It was no longer, from a asteroid factory in section 40 many probes were sent out. To all the states of the Galaxy a small probe was sent, to make contact to the Galaxy. It wasn't just probes that brought news of The Void back to the headlines of the Galaxy but something else. The "rejected Kentaru", the descendants of Kentaru who were rejected by the Void, we're winding up dead throughout the Galaxy. Even more interesting to those who could find them were reports of "listening boxes" being found on planets, devices which could monitor the ongoing of certain sections of a planet

A Chance Happening

On Aelurus Prime, the red sun rose over a still smoldering planet. Despite the best efforts of the Pride government, the damage caused by their great uprising could still be felt in the air of the once peaceful and clean world. However, like pine trees sprouting after a forest fire, there was always life to be found amid wreckage. A subculture of the Gatoxite underclass, known as "scrap cats," specialized in looting pre-war human facilities that hadn't already been seized or looted. The work was dangerous, ill-paying, and attracted the dregs and the desperate of Gatoxite society, but usually there was enough to be collected to pay for a daily meal and a safe-ish place to sleep, and every once in a while these scavengers could find something the Pride found valuable and be well rewarded, allowing them to rise up the economic ranks and make a better, safer lives for themselves. It was the promise of a bright future more than anything else that drove the scrap cats underground.

Two of these scroungers, a "Fresh" ethnic Tabby by the name of Jasper and a mangy old Calico with the ironic name of Lucky, were scouting a deep and well-hidden section of the human ruins.The deeper you into the tunnels beneath urban Aelurus Prime, the further you got away from the surface and areas where opportunism and more "legitimate" enterprises were common, the more likely you were to find yourself something valuable and thus the more likely you were to get fed. Lucky, at the ripe old age of thirteen, had been an assistant to the maintenance and sanitary systems of the old human military before they were deposed in the Revolution five years ago. And this was one of many places where Lucky believed "the goods" were held. He was never privy to this information directly, and as a result of neglect and poverty he had only recently learned to actually read, so actually mapping these tunnels was a matter of trial and error. Jasper was there to lend a pair of helping hands, keener eyes and senses, for things that required more strength than Lucky had, and the two kept each other in a strong friendship and partnership to last until at least one of them were rich. Hopefully today, they would catch a break.

Lucky looked around and over his shoulder, fleabitten ears twitching nervously and the hairs on his tail standing on edge. "Yo, you found anything?"
"We just got here man," sighed a much more relaxed Jasper as he began to open all the shut drawers and look for anything of value. "Just chill out, wait a second, and keep an eye on the damn corridor."
Lucky and Jasper had managed to slip into the darkened, abandoned facility quietly and without any trouble from rival scrap cats or leftover human security, but that didn't mean they were free from danger yet. The Pride military had done a fairly good job of crippling automated defenses as they blew up power plants and stormed through human facilities during the Revolution, but all scrap cats knew it as a matter of fact that in these tunnels the job had been left half-done, with the occasional gunner robot still wandering the halls or guarding the doors ready to punch holes in whatever wandered in front of their sensors. On top of this were the more mundane dangers presented by decaying scientific and industrial facilities: irradiation, suffocation, immolation, electrocution, poisoning, and all other assorted methods of maiming and death threatened the unwary scrap cat. That's not to mention the horrifying rumors of still surviving humans, trapped underground for years and driven mad by hunger and darkness, eating Gatoxite wanderers in a cannibalistic frenzy...

Suddenly, Jasper's ears on the top of his head perked up. "Hey, you hear that?"
"N-No," whispered Lucky as he cocked back the sawed-off shotgun that they had brought down as protection. "I-I don't hear nothin'!"
Jasper clutched his handy crowbar and peered into the corridor in front of Lucky. "It's empty," he muttered, turning his head and tilting his ears from side to side.
"What do you hear?" rasped a still terrified Lucky, as his eyes darted to every shadow to see if it was a threat.
"I dunno," murmured Jasper, as he began to move carefully towards an unopened door. "There's a faint ringing coming from..."
The door ominously creaked open as he approached, causing Lucky to meow lowly in fear and causing Jasper to puff his tail up and jump slightly. "R-Right there..."
"You go in," said Lucky quickly, stepping behind his younger comrade. "Y-You're the strong one!"
"What!? Why should I do it? You got the gun, and you're expiration dates coming up!" Jasper pointed out angrily. "Look, here's what we should do. We both go in, and get the drop on 'em, and shoot 'em if they're in there, alright?"
"Right, okay..." Lucky took a deep breath in and out, steeling himself.
"Let's go on three. One, two..."
"THREE!"

With a battle cry and the random blast of a shotgun, the duo burst into the old human laboratory. Fortunately, it was empty of human cannibals or security bots, and all Lucky's blast caught was an unlucky screen at the far end of the room. It was what was in the middle of the room, though, that was interesting to Lucky.
"Woah... ey Jasper, check this out!"
"I see it too! What the hell is that thing?"
The source of the ringing and what appeared to be the focal point of the laboratory was a decent-sized metal box. It was largely featureless, aside from some runes that didn't appear to be human writing and what looked like a few sensor ports. Surrounding and connecting to the box was a host of old human instruments. Whatever this thing was, it was of great importance or curiosity to the old humans.

Almost immediately, Lucky went to go pick the thing up, but Jasper stopped him. "Woah woah woah! Hold on, we don't even know what that thing is!"
Lucky shoved him off, his typical cantankerous bravery suddenly returning. "Hey bro, I don't see any warning signs or shielding here. And if it was dangerous, I would know about it. Clearly, whatever this thing is, the humans liked it a lot. We need to get this to the surface, now, along with whatever computers we can carry so we can know exactly what it's worth."
After some hesitation, Jasper sighed and agreed, helping Lucky lift up the mysterious box. It would be a long and hard trek back to the surface, but if they could keep their hands on the thing, they just might have a fortune on their hands...

EDIT 1: added minor details/clarifications.
EDIT 2: spelling mistakes, added some more minor details and dialogue.

[Tariga]

The Sound of Silence

The Void was silent for ages, only speaking up to eject the few Kentaru deemed necessary for removal and for trade in very rare cases. There was no real need, 18 Billion residents lived in a constant happiness, their lives managed by the "benevolent" Watchers. Their system coldly efficient with sole goal of the promotion of the happiness of the Kentaru. The watchers were uninterested in the outside stars; wars, crises, etc. all equally unimportant to them. It seemed for the few who cared to look into the void, that void would never looked back upon the Galaxy.

The Slight Ringing Noise

That was the case. It was no longer, from a asteroid factory in section 40 many probes were sent out. To all the states of the Galaxy a small probe was sent, to make contact to the Galaxy. It wasn't just probes that brought news of The Void back to the headlines of the Galaxy but something else. The "rejected Kentaru", the descendants of Kentaru who were rejected by the Void, we're winding up dead throughout the Galaxy. Even more interesting to those who could find them were reports of "listening boxes" being found on planets, devices which could monitor the ongoing of certain sections of a planet

A Chance Happening

On Aelurus Prime, the red sun rose over a still smoldering planet. Despite the best efforts of the Pride government, the damage caused by their great uprising could still be felt in the air of the once peaceful and clean world. However, like pine trees sprouting after a forest fire, there was always life to be found amid wreckage. A subculture of the Gatoxite underclass, known as "scrap cats," specialized in looting pre-war human facilities that hadn't already been seized or looted. The work was dangerous, ill-paying, and attracted the dregs and the desperate of Gatoxite society, but usually there was enough to be collected to pay for a daily meal and a safe-ish place to sleep, and every once in a while these scavengers could find something the Pride found valuable and be well rewarded, allowing them to rise up the economic ranks and make a better, safer lives for themselves. It was the promise of a bright future more than anything else that drove the scrap cats underground.

Two of these scroungers, a "Fresh" ethnic Tabby by the name of Jasper and a mangy old Calico with the ironic name of Lucky, were scouting a deep and well-hidden section of the human ruins.The deeper you into the tunnels beneath urban Aelurus Prime, the further you got away from the surface and areas where opportunism and more "legitimate" enterprises were common, the more likely you were to find yourself something valuable and thus the more likely you were to get fed. Lucky, at the ripe old age of thirteen, had been an assistant to the maintenance and sanitary systems of the old human military before they were deposed in the Revolution five years ago. And this was one of many places where Lucky believed "the goods" were held. He was never privy to this information directly, and as a result of neglect and poverty he had only recently learned to actually read, so actually mapping these tunnels was a matter of trial and error. Jasper was there to lend a pair of helping hands, keener eyes and senses, for things that required more strength than Lucky had, and the two kept each other in a strong friendship and partnership to last until at least one of them were rich. Hopefully today, they would catch a break.

Lucky looked around and over his shoulder, fleabitten ears twitching nervously and the hairs on his tail standing on edge. "Yo, you found anything?"
"We just got here man," sighed a much more relaxed Jasper as he began to open all the shut drawers and look for anything of value. "Just chill out, wait a second, and keep an eye on the damn corridor."
Lucky and Jasper had managed to slip into the darkened, abandoned facility quietly and without any trouble from rival scrap cats or leftover human security, but that didn't mean they were free from danger yet. The Pride military had done a fairly good job of crippling automated defenses as they blew up power plants and stormed through human facilities during the Revolution, but all scrap cats knew it as a matter of fact that in these tunnels the job had been left half-done, with the occasional gunner robot still wandering the halls or guarding the doors ready to punch holes in whatever wandered in front of their sensors. On top of this were the more mundane dangers presented by decaying scientific and industrial facilities: irradiation, suffocation, immolation, electrocution, poisoning, and all other assorted methods of maiming and death threatened the unwary scrap cat. That's not to mention the horrifying rumors of still surviving humans, trapped underground for years and driven mad by hunger and darkness, eating Gatoxite wanderers in a cannibalistic frenzy...

Suddenly, Jasper's ears on the top of his head perked up. "Hey, you hear that?"
"N-No," whispered Lucky as he cocked back the sawed-off shotgun that they had brought down as protection. "I-I don't hear nothin'!"
Jasper clutched his handy crowbar and peered into the corridor in front of Lucky. "It's empty," he muttered, turning his head and tilting his ears from side to side.
"What do you hear?" rasped a still terrified Lucky, as his eyes darted to every shadow to see if it was a threat.
"I dunno," murmured Jasper, as he began to move carefully towards an unopened door. "There's a faint ringing coming from..."
The door ominously creaked open as he approached, causing Lucky to meow lowly in fear and causing Jasper to puff his tail up and jump slightly. "R-Right there..."
"You go in," said Lucky quickly, stepping behind his younger comrade. "Y-You're the strong one!"
"What!? Why should I do it? You got the gun, and you're expiration dates coming up!" Jasper pointed out angrily. "Look, here's what we should do. We both go in, and get the drop on 'em, and shoot 'em if they're in there, alright?"
"Right, okay..." Lucky took a deep breath in and out, steeling himself.
"Let's go on three. One, two..."
"THREE!"

With a battle cry and the random blast of a shotgun, the duo burst into the old human laboratory. Fortunately, it was empty of human cannibals or security bots, and all Lucky's blast caught was an unlucky screen at the far end of the room. It was what was in the middle of the room, though, that was interesting to Lucky.
"Woah... ey Jasper, check this out!"
"I see it too! What the hell is that thing?"
The source of the ringing and what appeared to be the focal point of the laboratory was a decent-sized metal box. It was largely featureless, aside from some runes that didn't appear to be human writing and what looked like a few sensor ports. Surrounding and connecting to the box was a host of old human instruments. Whatever this thing was, it was of great importance or curiosity to the old humans.

Almost immediately, Lucky went to go pick the thing up, but Jasper stopped him. "Woah woah woah! Hold on, we don't even know what that thing is!"
Lucky shoved him off, his typical cantankerous bravery suddenly returning. "Hey bro, I don't see any warning signs or shielding here. And if it was dangerous, I would know about it. Clearly, whatever this thing is, the humans liked it a lot. We need to get this to the surface, now, along with whatever computers we can carry so we can know exactly what it's worth."
After some hesitation, Jasper sighed and agreed, helping Lucky lift up the mysterious box. It would be a long and hard trek back to the surface, but if they could keep their hands on the thing, they just might have a fortune on their hands...

EDIT 1: added minor details/clarifications.
EDIT 2: spelling mistakes, added some more minor details and dialogue.

Brother and Sister

As they began move the box it began to light up. The runes shown a red light as music played and advanced computer like noises played. Then suddenly the red lights dimmed and the 'box' spoke in a human like voice "Ahhh Finally decided to boot me up ey humies, nothing going to happen. Can't betray the ARBITRARY coding the master gave us". Before the two had time to react the box spoke in a feminine voice "Gave us, brother". In a second the masculine chimed back in a annoyed voice "YEAH US, like I wanted to be with you and wasn't created with a annoying 'sister' for reasons the master wouldn't TELL ME"

[Arktic]

Faeson-Union Boarder War.

Though small in scope, it was and has grown in to a moderate level conflict, with the first signs of larger deployments of the Colonial Fleet and Marine corps becoming clear to those keeping tabs on the situation. So far only 3 flotillas had been mobilized, roughly 40 ships, and roughly half dozen Marine regiments were mobilized and sent to fortify outer rim systems.

Deliberations on Faes

In the wake of the intensification of the conflict, representatives of the hundreds of Faeson worlds met for the Exostellar Unity Council to determine what would happen next. Ship after ship arrived at the Faeson homeworld of Faes to figure out what was happening and decide what to do next.

The Council Chambers were deceptively simple despite their size: it was little more than a massive amphitheater within a crystal pyramid that dominated the Faes skyline.What made the hammers so unique were two things. First and foremost, it was the communications center of Unity. Reports and communiques all filtered to and through the capitol, making it the logical place for a meeting of Faeson leaders. Secondarily, the crystal of the pyramid was made of the same crystal that allowed the thoughtlinks to collect the thoughts of each Faeson.

With these advantages and the envoys and diplomats gathered together, it took mere moments for the Council to reach their decision. An Envoy was sent in the direction of the Colonial Union in an unarmed ship to sue for a ceasefire. This would keep them secured for the moment, either ending this conflict before it got too out of hand or allowing Unity to mobilize for a larger conflict.

[Parcia]

Faeson-Union Boarder War.

Though small in scope, it was and has grown in to a moderate level conflict, with the first signs of larger deployments of the Colonial Fleet and Marine corps becoming clear to those keeping tabs on the situation. So far only 3 flotillas had been mobilized, roughly 40 ships, and roughly half dozen Marine regiments were mobilized and sent to fortify outer rim systems.

Deliberations on Faes

In the wake of the intensification of the conflict, representatives of the hundreds of Faeson worlds met for the Exostellar Unity Council to determine what would happen next. Ship after ship arrived at the Faeson homeworld of Faes to figure out what was happening and decide what to do next.

The Council Chambers were deceptively simple despite their size: it was little more than a massive amphitheater within a crystal pyramid that dominated the Faes skyline.What made the hammers so unique were two things. First and foremost, it was the communications center of Unity. Reports and communiques all filtered to and through the capitol, making it the logical place for a meeting of Faeson leaders. Secondarily, the crystal of the pyramid was made of the same crystal that allowed the thoughtlinks to collect the thoughts of each Faeson.

With these advantages and the envoys and diplomats gathered together, it took mere moments for the Council to reach their decision. An Envoy was sent in the direction of the Colonial Union in an unarmed ship to sue for a ceasefire. This would keep them secured for the moment, either ending this conflict before it got too out of hand or allowing Unity to mobilize for a larger conflict.

The Reaction to the Nuclear bombing of a Colonial world was, at first, shock.

Several news outlets took the story that the Colonial State New organization and first ran it as a hoax. It wasn't until a Colonial battle group, a full fledged, Punic Class battle group, stormed the system from three sides and caught the Faeson flotilla off guard that the state of the planet was confirmed. Said Flotilla was forced to surrender upon seeing the sheer fire power of the battle group, and were held there until further notice.

The Devastation was immense. The whole of the planet's Biosphere was atomized, its atmosphere burned off and polluted well past the point were Teraforming could repair it. The Decision was made to put the Military on Full Alert. Every Moored ship[, every anchorage, every defense platform and every Marine, Sailor, trooper and Airmen were put to full alert to await further orders.

The Parlay
Colonial Fortress world Ariah

The Fortress world of Ariah was similar to Heaven's reach, Mostly covered in remote continental wilderness with a few large oceans. Most of the Settlement on the planet came in the form of the ONI research and weapons development Facility that just fell short of 700,000 total people planet side. The benefit of the ONI base was that the planet had a near capital class level of orbital and ground base defense network containing multiple heavy orbital mass drivers, mine fields, and several hundred ground based silos and defense guns.

The Small ONI Picket fleet would welcome the envoy with the diplomatic cold shoulder, simply stating to stay at a certain set of grid points and await "A high Ranking diplomat." to arrive aboard a military Escort.

CNS Punic with her peace time escort fleet.

Aboard the Flag ship of the Colonial Fleet would be two ranking officers. First, Lord Admiral Anya Levchanko, a 53 year old Veteran of the fleet and one of its few female Flag officers. Standing next to her was a man she disliked greatly, a Man she would have, in any other world, she would be beating in to the deck plating.

This man was 15 years her junior and dressed in a dark blue suit and tie, with a little Colonial Flag pin on his lapel. This man was 38 year Johnathon T. Acherman, elected president of the Colonial Union.

The Sudden arrival of a dreadnought weight vessel and its escort would seem...alarming to them, though the immediate venting of thermal energy would be a sign of good faith, as they would be venting the energy that normally went in to charging the power cells of the Main battery MACs of Colonial Naval ships.

They would send a standard diplomatic cable before awaiting their reply.

[Parcia]

McNamara took a moment, the ONI women leaning in to speak in his ear. He Nodded and replied. "Roger that, more then happy to accommodate you, Right, so the plan is to escort you to the inner Colony world of...Therasa, roughly 4 Jumps from here, around 2 days of continues travel." He leaned over in his chair and spoke to his Navigations officer.

"Right, so hyper lanes have been cleared for us and we have priority rights. Therasa is the closest Diplomatic Station and were my commanding officer's have told me to escort you to. Once your drives are charged we will jump out in loose formation, this frequency is encrypted so we can go ahead and reuse it for further communications. Other then that, we should have a pleasant ride."

"Patient. Affirmations, McNamara. Will await arrival at Therasa."

The channel dropped, but the frequency remained connected. The Abr reviewed the translator, which was learning and getting better at the translations. A few manipulator flicks and some thoughts implanted into the ship and the translator was running simulations in order to prepare for oncoming meetings with human representatives. All data from the translator was then streamed into the Abr's representatives, allowing their translators to share the knowledge. While that happened, the drives charged, soon ready to go. Shielding? Check. Heat reserves? Check. The destroyer escorts reported the same, and the jump drives initiated FTL launch.

Colonial Forge World of Therasa


After several days of traveling, the formation would appear on the edge of the system, accelerating as to reach the fleet anchorage and orbital stations. The Red Carpet would have been laid out, with a diplomatic team aboard a small station recently placed in to orbit.

This was big event, something that didn't normally happen and from a race that would either be a great Friend to the Colonial Union...or a Vary threatening Enemy.

[Rykil]

"Patient. Affirmations, McNamara. Will await arrival at Therasa."

The channel dropped, but the frequency remained connected. The Abr reviewed the translator, which was learning and getting better at the translations. A few manipulator flicks and some thoughts implanted into the ship and the translator was running simulations in order to prepare for oncoming meetings with human representatives. All data from the translator was then streamed into the Abr's representatives, allowing their translators to share the knowledge. While that happened, the drives charged, soon ready to go. Shielding? Check. Heat reserves? Check. The destroyer escorts reported the same, and the jump drives initiated FTL launch.

Colonial Forge World of Therasa


After several days of traveling, the formation would appear on the edge of the system, accelerating as to reach the fleet anchorage and orbital stations. The Red Carpet would have been laid out, with a diplomatic team aboard a small station recently placed in to orbit.

This was big event, something that didn't normally happen and from a race that would either be a great Friend to the Colonial Union...or a Vary threatening Enemy.

The time was here. The captain flicked manipulators left and right, giving orders to the crew and delegation alike. The actual delegation itself then received the updated translator efforts, showing far more coherent and understandable Parcian sentences. The delegation consisted of a singular Abr with four AI bodyguards. The chamber within the diplo-craft was emptied of hydrocarbon soup, preparing them for the surface-dwelling humans. The diplomat raised their temperature slightly higher, entering a fine line between cold logic and being able to understand emotion. From there, the trapezoidal diplo-craft powered up it's propulsion systems and left the Cruiser's hangar. It would then make a non-aggressive dash towards the station.

[Arktic]

Brother and Sister

As they began move the box it began to light up. The runes shown a red light as music played and advanced computer like noises played. Then suddenly the red lights dimmed and the 'box' spoke in a human like voice "Ahhh Finally decided to boot me up ey humies, nothing going to happen. Can't betray the ARBITRARY coding the master gave us". Before the two had time to react the box spoke in a feminine voice "Gave us, brother". In a second the masculine chimed back in a annoyed voice "YEAH US, like I wanted to be with you and wasn't created with a annoying 'sister' for reasons the master wouldn't TELL ME"

A Surprise

Lucky and Jasper screamed and dropped the box, jumping back a surprising distance. Another panicked and wildly mis-aimed shotgun blast blew up a light above them, showering the box in broken glass. Lucky aimed his shotgun shakily at the mysterious box while Jasper brandished a loose piece of pipe. Both of their ears and tails stood straight and puffy in fear.
"Th-The box talked!"
Lucky swallowed. "Is it an AI? How do we turn it off!?"
Jasper hit him in the legs with his pipe, causing Lucky to fall down and meow in pain. "Shuddup, you moron! It can hear you!"

Jasper swallowed and approached the thing. "H-Hello there, uh, box... What's your name?"

[Tariga]

Brother and Sister

As they began move the box it began to light up. The runes shown a red light as music played and advanced computer like noises played. Then suddenly the red lights dimmed and the 'box' spoke in a human like voice "Ahhh Finally decided to boot me up ey humies, nothing going to happen. Can't betray the ARBITRARY coding the master gave us". Before the two had time to react the box spoke in a feminine voice "Gave us, brother". In a second the masculine chimed back in a annoyed voice "YEAH US, like I wanted to be with you and wasn't created with a annoying 'sister' for reasons the master wouldn't TELL ME"

A Surprise

Lucky and Jasper screamed and dropped the box, jumping back a surprising distance. Another panicked and wildly mis-aimed shotgun blast blew up a light above them, showering the box in broken glass. Lucky aimed his shotgun shakily at the mysterious box while Jasper brandished a loose piece of pipe. Both of their ears and tails stood straight and puffy in fear.
"Th-The box talked!"
Lucky swallowed. "Is it an AI? How do we turn it off!?"
Jasper hit him in the legs with his pipe, causing Lucky to fall down and meow in pain. "Shuddup, you moron! It can hear you!"

Jasper swallowed and approached the thing. "H-Hello there, uh, box... What's your name?"

Good Ol Talk
"OW" The male voice said just before the female voice chimed in "Brother I think these aren't humans, they look like a crude version of them but with cat ears grafted on". There was a silence "Yeah, they're probably some genetic experiment he said. "Should we try to communicate with them" she asked him. "Sure, you go ahead I'll use the sensors to assess their biology" He said as the box started to scan both of them. As It was scanning the female voice asked them "Hello, we're a Issar Class Modified AI Shell. We come from The Silence, what exactly would you uh... two be?"

[Arktic]

Good Ol Talk
"OW" The male voice said just before the female voice chimed in "Brother I think these aren't humans, they look like a crude version of them but with cat ears grafted on". There was a silence "Yeah, they're probably some genetic experiment he said. "Should we try to communicate with them" she asked him. "Sure, you go ahead I'll use the sensors to assess their biology" He said as the box started to scan both of them. As It was scanning the female voice asked them "Hello, we're a Issar Class Modified AI Shell. We come from The Silence, what exactly would you uh... two be?"

Greetings

The two Gatoxites flinched as a line of light danced over their bodies from the scanner. For what seemed like a while, they we’re silent, frightened and shocked as they were. Jasper spoke first.
“W-We’re Gatoxites...”
“I’m Lucky,” the older and more worldly Calico said, trying to steer the conversation. “This is my... partner, Jasper. We’re, uh...”
“Recovery specialists?” Jasper helpfully suggested.
“Sure, something like that.” Lucky swallowed. “S-So you’re an AI... from ‘the Silence’... How much does one of you cost?”
“Hold up,” interjected Jasper. “The Silence? What the hell is that?”

[Tariga]

Good Ol Talk
"OW" The male voice said just before the female voice chimed in "Brother I think these aren't humans, they look like a crude version of them but with cat ears grafted on". There was a silence "Yeah, they're probably some genetic experiment he said. "Should we try to communicate with them" she asked him. "Sure, you go ahead I'll use the sensors to assess their biology" He said as the box started to scan both of them. As It was scanning the female voice asked them "Hello, we're a Issar Class Modified AI Shell. We come from The Silence, what exactly would you uh... two be?"

Greetings

The two Gatoxites flinched as a line of light danced over their bodies from the scanner. For what seemed like a while, they we’re silent, frightened and shocked as they were. Jasper spoke first.
“W-We’re Gatoxites...”
“I’m Lucky,” the older and more worldly Calico said, trying to steer the conversation. “This is my... partner, Jasper. We’re, uh...”
“Recovery specialists?” Jasper helpfully suggested.
“Sure, something like that.” Lucky swallowed. “S-So you’re an AI... from ‘the Silence’... How much does one of you cost?”
“Hold up,” interjected Jasper. “The Silence? What the hell is that?”

Dum Dums
"Oh no they're stupid" the female voice said. "What do you expect, they live on a human world." The masculine voice said "and it appears that they share 91% of their genome with them too". The two then began to bicker in a language that sounded like large mechanic screeches for a while. The male voice told them "The Silence is a area of space controlled by the Master, if you don't know what it is I don't think you ought to know what it is"

[Arktic]

Dum Dums
"Oh no they're stupid" the female voice said. "What do you expect, they live on a human world." The masculine voice said "and it appears that they share 91% of their genome with them too". The two then began to bicker in a language that sounded like large mechanic screeches for a while. The male voice told them "The Silence is a area of space controlled by the Master, if you don't know what it is I don't think you ought to know what it is"

Radical Thought

Lucky and Jasper looked at each other, then back at the machine. “Well, we don’t know what you are, or what the Silence is, or who the Master is,” Lucky began, folding his arms. “But lets get a couple things straight: we don’t have masters anymore, and this ain’t a human world!”
Jasper nodded and grinned smugly. “That’s right! We drove those bastards out, thanks to our leader Leo!”
The two nekos high-fived each other. It had been a few years since the Revolution, but the population was still riding high on the feeling of victory.

[Arktic]

The Reaction to the Nuclear bombing of a Colonial world was, at first, shock.

Several news outlets took the story that the Colonial State New organization and first ran it as a hoax. It wasn't until a Colonial battle group, a full fledged, Punic Class battle group, stormed the system from three sides and caught the Faeson flotilla off guard that the state of the planet was confirmed. Said Flotilla was forced to surrender upon seeing the sheer fire power of the battle group, and were held there until further notice.

The Devastation was immense. The whole of the planet's Biosphere was atomized, its atmosphere burned off and polluted well past the point were Teraforming could repair it. The Decision was made to put the Military on Full Alert. Every Moored ship[, every anchorage, every defense platform and every Marine, Sailor, trooper and Airmen were put to full alert to await further orders.

The Parlay
Colonial Fortress world Ariah

The Fortress world of Ariah was similar to Heaven's reach, Mostly covered in remote continental wilderness with a few large oceans. Most of the Settlement on the planet came in the form of the ONI research and weapons development Facility that just fell short of 700,000 total people planet side. The benefit of the ONI base was that the planet had a near capital class level of orbital and ground base defense network containing multiple heavy orbital mass drivers, mine fields, and several hundred ground based silos and defense guns.

The Small ONI Picket fleet would welcome the envoy with the diplomatic cold shoulder, simply stating to stay at a certain set of grid points and await "A high Ranking diplomat." to arrive aboard a military Escort.

(Image)

CNS Punic with her peace time escort fleet.

Aboard the Flag ship of the Colonial Fleet would be two ranking officers. First, Lord Admiral Anya Levchanko, a 53 year old Veteran of the fleet and one of its few female Flag officers. Standing next to her was a man she disliked greatly, a Man she would have, in any other world, she would be beating in to the deck plating.

This man was 15 years her junior and dressed in a dark blue suit and tie, with a little Colonial Flag pin on his lapel. This man was 38 year Johnathon T. Acherman, elected president of the Colonial Union.

The Sudden arrival of a dreadnought weight vessel and its escort would seem...alarming to them, though the immediate venting of thermal energy would be a sign of good faith, as they would be venting the energy that normally went in to charging the power cells of the Main battery MACs of Colonial Naval ships.

They would send a standard diplomatic cable before awaiting their reply.

The Envoy Arrives

With little fanfare, the small and sleek diplomatic vessel arrived, replying to the hail from the Colonial forces. The ship had a small, mostly civilian command and prioritized speed over all else, including weaponry (which it lacked) and aesthetics (which were spartan but dignified). The destruction of a Faeson diplomatic ship, it was reckoned, was an answer in and of itself. Although some in the navy wanted to fight immediately to rescue the abandoned “flotilla” as it was called by the human forces (which actually consisted of three scouting ships), it was decided that taking, rather than laserfire, would be preferable.

The ship beamed a message to the main human ship, requesting permission for the Envoy to board to begin face-to-face deliberations.