Milky Way Galaxy, Sagittarius Arm, 1,045 light-years along the curve from the middle section (towards the edge of the arm), the Confederacy of Jaegan, Jeo System, Jaegan, Continent of Jona, State of Proto-Jaen, Aller Station, Spacial Listener Tower 2.
March 20 1357 A.E. (After Exodus) 05:12 a.m.
News on the mounting tensions between the Federation and the People's Republic travelled fast, fast enough that even isolationist Jaegan could not claim absolute ignorance about the galaxy's political state of affairs. Barely a few days ago the first Jaeganite trading ship that had arrived from the Jas Point hyperspace gateway had arrived with word on the situation on the other side.
According to the Confederacy's most up-to-date sources war between the two power blocs was a near inevitability. A blockade was being decided over by the Gagiumian Senate, and judging from past records on the outrage regarding New Jackania's involvement in the pirate attacks on the Federation planet of Maglone. They wished to cut Miron off from interstellar trade.
At first Command Front (the name of the government of Jaegan) had been spooked. An emergency meeting had been declared between the different divisional departments as soon as the two hour radio signal delay had passed.
A declaration of a state of emergency had been suggested and the plausible mobilization of the entire Confederate Defense Forces. However, the original invasion paranoia level fear had diminished to a minor suspicion.
Since news normally travelled slow across the Confederacy, it had been assumed that a plausible war between Gagium and New Jackania may have already started and that the blockade had long since happened. However, the lack of any star system invasion fleets from Jackania entering the Jeo system to lay waste to Federation military installations across the system and the Confederacy for being such a Federation aligned nation seemed to prove otherwise.
As a result, the ordered deployment of all Internal Grid Forces out of their respective star bases had been recalled and business as usual continued... though, the Confederacy knew better than to trust that no attack would arrive.
No, now it was only a matter of time. As expected, the Jaeganite Confederacy would side itself with the Interplanetary Federation of Gagium. It really had no better choice.
Staying absolutely neutral would be at best delay a full-scale invasion on the Jeonar system - since thousands of Federation military space installations dotted the Jeonar starscape. Jaeganite neutrality would likely either sour its relatively friendly relationship with the Federation or delay a Republic invasion until the war dragged on long enough for them to ignore civilian casualties as collateral damage.
Siding with the Republic was plausible, but did not make much sense since the Federation already had its own bases in the system. It would be the equivalent of telling one's house guest who has paid his rent and never once broken any possessions of yours that have declared him an enemy of your home.
Such a scenario would not play out well. Rather, the Confederacy would side with the Federation on this... hopefully gaining itself some territory in Republic space that was rich in the extremely rare sceptium crystals - the materials that the Confederacy desperately needed to build additional faster than light starships.
Though, if peace was a plausible alternative, the Confederacy would not resist. Crystals that could manipulate the fabric of space-time were not worth a long and pointless war...
A detachment force had been sent toward the gate last night. It would take roughly a day and a half, but the EGFs (External Grid Forces) 01 and 02 - which included the 600 new Heamer IV battleships that had been equipped with hyperspace drives - would eventually arrive in Renia to declare its support for the Federation of Gagium in this difficult time. EGF 02 would keep watch of the gate, waiting for either EGF 01 to call for reinforcements or to combat whatever hostiles might arrive through it.
However, no matter how much the Confederacy attempted to prepare itself for any possibility of attack it could never prepare itself for the random series of space-time fluctuations it would receive. "Incoming space-time waves."
Technician Officer Harvy Jones was the first to respond to his subordinate's statement. "Communication or hyperspace disruptions?"
The military technician stared at the screen in front of him some more. Utilizing a sceptium graphite alloy, it was possible to receive and send faster than light communications through space-time wave fluctuations - similar to that of more conventional radio waves.
The highly sensitive sceptium graphite web radars at the top of the tower continued to vibrate along to the detected space-time ripples within their vacuum sucked chamber - to negate vibrations caused by external factors like heat energy and kinetic movement transfers from air particles. The tiny little lines acted like that of a spider's web, transferring the vibrations to a machine where they were recorded down for future reference.
From what the technician could tell from the screen the waves were sent in a planned and purposeful manner - not like that of a one-way hyperspace jump. "Communication waves, sir."
Jones nodded. "Get the message onto the main screen."
A series of prime numbers were listed on the main screen and then high definition maps of the Milky Way Galaxy and its surrounding galactic neighborhood. Jones got off his seat.
"Pin point the location of the waves." The technician obeyed.
"Outside of the galaxy, sir. Roughly a quarter of a million light-years below us."
The Technician Officer was seemingly stunned for a moment. Extra-galactic Aliens?
The Confederacy had always tried its very best to keep closed from most of galactic affairs, unless deemed absolutely necessary. First contact scenarios were often avoided, particularly since the first massive fail involving alien contact more than two centuries ago...
Everyone in the room who had been casually looking over to eavesdrop on the conversation exchange or focusing on their listening assignments now had their eyes on either the screen or Jones.
"What?"
"That shouldn't be right..."
"Something's fishy here..."
"Why now?"
The following comments all came about almost immediately after the technician's statement to Jones.
The officer quickly ordered that the technician have all of this saved and sent to the Office of the Confederate Division of Communications (CDC). In the meantime, he left his post for the nearest government landline, dialing the numbers for said departmental head...
A detachment from the CDC had been sent to Aller Station as soon as the call came through from Technician Officer Harvy Jones that they had received a commiqué from an extra-galactic sapient lifeform. As the detachment made its way there Jones had been ordered to attempt to make diplomatic contact.
As far as he could tell, the alien commiqué had been sent everywhere at once A broadcast. he thought to himself.
At best, they were surveying the galaxy for sapient lifeforms. At worst, they were preparing to invade or conquer and wanted to confirm the locations and territories of anyone who might oppose them... that was something the Jaeganite people could not afford to risk.
Jones looked at the screen before ordering the military technician to search up two different pictures, one of a starry night on Jaegan with Moer in full view and another of the galaxy core as viewed from Renia. "Have one of our far off rogue planet outposts relay this to them along with this message:
[Message to Extra-galactic Beings]
Requesting Identification. Please state the motive of your transmission.
This is a resident nation of the Milky Way speaking.
