The Second Age of the Coalition: Exploration

[Prizyetsa]

Luna Naval Yards, Luna

Ilanii stared at the Kauvaran ship laying in the Luna docks. The Coalition Marine Corps didn't make their ships like the Administratii did. The marine corps ships were more square, as the Administratii ships were curved and elegant, each one a piece of art. Thinking of this, Ilanii thought back to her own journey to Luna on board the Juno, a Löytyö class destroyer. She noted how that they were painted in a matte dark-grey with speacial attention to detailing the coat of arms. She also noted how the Administratii ships were faster. Ilanii's eyes drifted back towards the frigate, the Vulpes. The dock light, which was normally red when a ship was docked turned green, and the docking tube pulled away as the ship's supports retracted, leaving the ship to hover on it's own power. Down it's hull, dozens of seals and tubes were popped, isolating the ship from Luna's atmosphere and power. The Vulpes slowly drifted forward, before pulling up, out of Luna's atmosphere and into space...


CMCS Vulpes leaving Luna

Ilanii let out a sigh and turned around towards the monorail. She took line 18 to the Baltisk habitat, and got off at the "Alek Ilanson" stop, and walked into the Administratii headquarters. After checking in, and going through security, she entered a conference room, where two men were seated at a large darkwood table. "Good afternoon ms. Ilanii Ilanson." one of then said, raising to shake her hand. "Its been awhile, hasn't it?" he continued. "I'm sure you know of Erik Grothe?" Ilanii lied, and shook her head. "No, I've never heard of him." she told the two as the second figure rised and shook her hand. "Well now you do." he said. The three sat down. "Erik Grothe is the Octavian leader of the COCA. We have ms. Mette-Mari Kormo, they have him. He is here to discuss the expansion of the Coalition further into the system. Madam Mette-Mari will be joining us shortly...

[Charles Buckingham 2]

The Skies over Luna
0800 hours


The skies over Luna suddenly burst into light as a Krono class COCA frigate appeared out of no-where. Inside the ship, the bridge was buzzing with activity as the large ship prepared to dock. "All engines reduce speed, opening radiator flaps now" a young sailor spoke. "Perfect, set us in nice and easy" said the bridge officer. The radio crackled to life as the Luna Naval Yards Harbour Master came online. "Please state your ship I.D. number and reason for docking? "Yes, out I.D. is 158237 and we are transporting General Grothe to a meeting" The bridge officer said. "OK, you are approved to dock" said the Harbout Master. The bridge officer then looked to one of his Lieutenants. "Go and inform the General we are landing" "Yes sir" the Lieutenant replied. He walked through the bridge and too the elevator to the cabins. He pressed the button that took him directly to the Captain's quarters. The elevator creaked down and came to a stop on the floor. The COCA treated their men well, and kept all of their ship's cabins fully furnished and very comfortable. The Captains quarters were very well furnished, with leather seats and hardwood floors. When the Lieutenant went up to the door he spoke through the intercom. "Sir, we will be landing soon." "Alright, I'll be there shortly." Eric replied. The 62 year old General slowly rised from his chair where he was enjoying his afternoon tea. He had been with the Octovian Army since he joined out of college and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He had rosen through the ranks and had been a genius of military tatics and strategy. He quickly rose up to serve on the Octovian War Council and was the current chairman when Octovia left. He was the most obvious choice to lead the COCA. He got up and dressed in his Dress Uniform. He then left his cabin and headed for the bridge. It was abuz with noise as the ship was landing. "Sir, the ship has landed" The bridge officer said. "Good, is my transport ready?" he asked. "Yes, we can take you now" the officer said.

[Kauvara]

ROOM 84, DECK 2
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
00:01 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
ONE DAY SINCE JUMP, 179 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

The Marines enter subspace

"FUCK!"

With an indescribable sound, more felt than heard, the Vulpes broke free of the dimension the Marines called home and entered into subspace. All of the hatches were sealed, coordinates were locked in, and the 13th Infantry was bound for the Epsilon-Eredani System. "Are we...?" Kydno muttered.
As if in answer to his question, the PA system suddenly burst to life. "This is Colonel Peterson to all hands. Ladies and gentlemen, we've just made history. The first human beings to enter subspace, to go faster than light. In 6 months, we will be in the Epsilon-Eredani System, we're we'll then travel to the first of the mapped planets that the Device displayed. Settle in, folks. Gonna be a long flight. You are now free to move about the ship. Lockdown: cancelled. Peterson out."

"Ah, that felt weird..." Yamashi stated, standing up and stretching.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Tiberyon muttered. "I still have a tingle in the back of my-"
"Listen up, Foxtrots!" Gavenson called out. "Jump successful! We've had one hell of a day. 24 hours ago, we were evacuating the people of Kauvara. Now, we're in a place where time slows! I think we deserve a break. Split up, ladies and gentlemen. Time for a little R&R. As for me, I'm off to the Briefing Room on Deck 1. Gotta welcome three new recruits to the squad." Gavenson walked out, heading for the turbolift.
The squad all sighed with relief. Other than the 7-minute train ride back on Luna, Foxtrot squad had not had a chance for rest over the past 24 hours. "I don't know about you folks, but I'm getting some rest!" Federova called out, laying in bed. She was asleep before her head even hit the pillow. The rest of the squad dispersed, each of them going off to have a little personal time.


MOTOR POOL, DECK 4
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
00:03 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
ONE DAY SINCE JUMP, 179 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

An Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle of the Twentieth Company

Sydney Dunn made her way through the vehicles of the 13th in the motor pool, a rare sight in the Marine Corps. She was a gearhead, through and through, ever since her days in Ember, back in the CDSP. Her father was a mechanic for the military in the Armored Corps, making sure the "Pride of the Provinces" kept running smoothly. Her mother a Kauvaran immigrant. However, when their government nuked and EMPed another nation, her mother insisted they return to Kauvara. She never felt truly at home unless she was amongst vehicles, just like when she was in the CDSPian tank repair shops with her dad. She ran her hand along the side of the ARV, it's nanite plating pulsing at the perceived light damage, repairing itself as her fingers traced along. She laughed to herself. "Such advanced tech..." she thought to herself. "Max would love to see this..." She sighed. "And he will. Some day. He'll see all of this. And I'll be right there with him. Max... I miss you... Please, find the Vessel first..."


FOX'S DEN BAR, DECK 2
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
00:03 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
ONE DAY SINCE JUMP, 179 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

A sailor on the Vulpes eyes Yamashi's drink

The rusted painting of a mother fox peaking out of a nest parted with a hiss as the steel doors to the Fox's Den Bar opened before Yamashi and Tiberyon. The duo made their way through the steel doors and into the bar itself. It was mostly empty, the recent launch into subspace requiring the lockdown of the ship.
"Damn, Haruka... You think this makes us alcoholics?" Tiberyon asked dryly.
"Nah. Just folks who know how to have fun, you big lug," she said back smiling.
The pair approached the counter. The pilot of Echo-382 was behind the bar. "Hey, you work the bar, Major-?" Tiberyon was cut off by the pilot.
"That's right, honey!" she responded. "I gotta make sure you folks is happy! Now what'll ya have?"
"Something strong, Major..." Yamashi answered.
"You OK, darlin'?" the pilot asked.
"Yeah, Haruka, what gives? You've been sullen ever since we came in here," Tiberyon mentioned.
"Hell, if the big guy noticed, it must be something important," the pilot joked.
"It... It's my brother, Keitaro. I'm worried about him, guys. I heard rumors he joined the Chinese Navy. He's going into Kauvara. Completely blind. He... I don't even know if he's still alive... For all I know, a Leviathan cracked his ship in half, and now he's stibbler-bait..." Yamashi answered, sullen. Tiberyon put his arm around her, and the pair sat, saying nothing as the pilot tended to other customers.


ENGINEERING SECTION, DECK 5
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
00:03 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
ONE DAY SINCE JUMP, 179 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

The engine room of the Vulpes

McGran and Kydno slowly walked through the engine room, finding an empty section. Most of the engine operations were automatic, or controlled from the bridge, so there were only a few maintenance staff ever on duty at any given time. Kydno sat down. His neck felt heavy. He knew it wasn't, but Letkov's dogtags always seemed to weigh him down. "Hey, Julius. You OK?" McGran asked. "What's eating you?"
"My penance..." he said, his voice dark.
"Your wha-? Oh... Sir, you can't... I mean Letkov would-"
"Would what? Huh? Would still be alive if we hadn't gotten separated back on Mt. Kaaltyr? Would have been alive if I had reached him faster? Would have been alive if I was better? Would have been alive if I... if I... if I didn't fail...?"
"Julius, you can't think like that. You'll tear yourself apart..."
"If I don't who will?" Kydno was on the verge of tears. "It was my failure, Sara... Mine..."
"Sir..."
"And mine alone... I... I need to be alone for awhile..."
"Of course, sir... But I'm one call away, if you need me..." McGran got up and began walking away. Kydno was left alone, with nothing but the hum of the engines and the roaring of his mind to accompany him. Little did he know, though, that McGran was right around the corner, sitting against the wall, watching over him.


BRIEFING ROOM, DECK 1
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
00:03 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
ONE DAY SINCE JUMP, 179 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

The briefing room

Gavenson stepped out of the elevator. "Great," he thought. "Time to welcome the greenies." He walked down the corridor. "Hey, Matt!" he heard a voice call out from behind him. He turned around, facing Captain Dominic Fenix. "What's up, Fenix?" he asked.
"I heard you're getting some new recruits, man! What gives?" Fenix queried.
"Well, we've been understrength ever since we left Kauvara. I'm getting three new recruits to even out the ranks. We're gonna have an even ten soldiers."
"Well, I'll be. Fair enough, Matt. Good luck with the greenies! My squad is headed down to Deck 3 for maintenance work. Catch you at the Fox's Den later?"
"Yeah, sure. See ya, Dominic."

Gavenson continued down the hallway towards the new recruits, entering the briefing room. His first set on Sergeant Manuel Bagasao, the Pilipino. He was looking out at the stars, making some quip or another. Next he saw Private Elizabeth Caswell, the daughter of a Marine Corps commandant. She was examining her rifle, ensuring the sights were set. Finally, he noticed Corporal Frederick Lazenby, an Armedlandian native. His eyes noticed him last for good reason; the man seemed to blend with the shadows, only the glint of his sharp eyes, and his equally sharp combat knife, even giving a clue he was there. "Recruits, my name is Captain Gavenson! I'll be your new CO! Welcome to Foxtrot Squad, 1st Company. I'll take you to your bunks. Room 84, Deck 2. Follow me please," Gavenson said, as he stepped out of the room, followed by the recruits.


BRIDGE, DECK 1
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
00:03 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
ONE DAY SINCE JUMP, 179 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

Sentia materializes facefirst

A navigator turned to face Colonel Peterson. "Launch successful, sir! We are in subspace, and the coordinates should be locked in!"
A small, white, 1-foot tall avatar of a woman with cropped hair and a body streaming with binary appeared next to Colonel Peterson. "'Should be?' With all due respect, Colonel, you should have allowed me to input those coordinates," proudly stated Sentia, the AI assigned to the Vulpes. "My margin for error is 8492 to 1."
"Well, call me old-fashioned, milady, but I prefer doing such things with human hands," Peterson responded.
"As you wish, sir. You may wish to know that we are currently 179 days, 23 hours, 57 minutes, and 21 seconds away from our destination," she stated.
"Thank you, Sentia. You do us proud. Ensure all systems are operating nominally, please?" Peterson asked.
"Of course, Colonel Peterson," she responded, happy to have something to do. She disappeared from the arm of Peterson's chair.

Peterson turned to the rest of the bridge crew. "Ladies and gentlemen... Congratulations. You all do the Marine Corps proud. Hell, you're as good as an actual Navy crew!" The bridge staff laughed at the comment. "Communications Officer, are we clear to send a message back to Luna?"
"Yes, sir! What shall I send?" the Communications Officer responded.
"Send them an all-clear. Let 'em know the jump was successful, and the drive works," he said. The crew looked at him, astonished looks on their faces, realizing they were test subjects and very well could have died.

"Yeah..." he continued. "Let's keep that little secret between each other, shall we?"

The bridge erupted with laughter once more.

[Prizyetsa]

Baltisk Habitat, Administratii HQ

The conference room...

Mette-Mari sat at the large mahogany oval table waiting, along with other Administratii, Civil Services and Coalition Navy officials. Before each of space, filled or not, lay thick white folders labeled, “Proposal for the Unification of the Coalition Council Draft”. Mette-Mari sat up in her chair, and checked her communications pad, which notified her that the COCA frigate had docked, and the delegates would be arriving in a few minutes. She checked the docking pen that the frigate had docked into, and made a mental note.

She had taken time from her busy schedule to write up the draft in order to unify the Coalition more, and grant her people more freedoms, especially the freedom to choose their own colonial government, as long as it is in favor of the Coalition, of course. The whole idea around the proposal is to streamline things under a single council, and centralize everything else. Everyone profits. Of course not everyone would agree, but if Mette-Mari would have to, she would use extreme measures. Measures she hoped she wouldn’t have to use…

Arktik Habitat, Administratii Training Grounds

Memebers of the LSRP attempt to carry away their wounded...

Ilanii ducked behind a concrete wall, bullets flying all around her. Her new armor, while being a bit heavier, offered her more protection, and a new perk which she particularly enjoyed, temporary invisibility. Ilanii tightened her grip on her rifle, and motioned her team to get ready. She’d have Jaddar take out the first enemy, then the second, while the rest of Ilanii’s cloaked squad would split and move around them, slaughtering them all. There were two quiet chirps, and two cries of pain. Ilanii gave her signal, and her team seemed to disappear, and several shots rang out, followed by even more cries of pain. Ilanii grinned, turning the corner herself, and silently crossing the courtyard to another firing position. As she arrived, she caught a quick blur of movement in the corner of her eye, and turned her weapon to point at the Luna Special Response Police officer, who crouched behind a half ruined wall. She waited a moment, seeing what he would do, before finally squeezing the trigger twice. As she did so, two chirps were followed by the scream of pain from the officer, and a loud curse. Gotcha, Ilanii thought out loud.

All of a sudden, bright lights came on, showering the whole training area in bright light. Loud speakers came on, “All participants, safeties on, I repeat, safeties on. The exercise is over. Administratii, 0% casualty rate, LSRP, 100% casualty rate. All participants, please return to the briefing area.”

Ilanii flicked off her active camouflage and held her hand out to the LSRP officer. “You alright officer?” she asked, helping him up. He de-polarized his visor and accepted her help. “Damn woman, apart from the bruises, I think I’ll be fine.” Ilanii smiled and patted him on the back. “It’s the new armor. I assure you, you would have won otherwise.” The police officer laughed, and looked her in the eye. “Next time we’ll get you.” He said in an arrogant voice as he walked off. “Arrogant fuck…” Ilanii thought to herself as she walked to the briefing station…

“Ladies and gentlemen, you all did well today.” A young officer in a light grey science coat told everyone as they sat down in the semi-circular briefing space. “Obviously, the cloaked armor is a great advantage, although it can only be used for limited amounts of time, which we will touch upon later. In other news, it seems the new weapons have worked out wonderfully, any comments?” he asked the group. Several hands shot up, and the officer chose Ilanii first. “I liked the grip of the XSMG-24, but the molding action needs to set in just a bit faster. How’s progress on that?” The officer smiled. “Glad you brought that up. Like the armor, the weapons are still in development.” Ilanii nodded. “Will the battery time for the new armor be increased? How many sets do we have at the moment?” she added on. The officer picked up a TacPad from the table and scanned through it. “At the moment, the battery lasts for about 8 minutes moving, 12 minutes stationary. We are working on it. As for numbers, we currently have about 50, 12 assigned to your squad, naturally.” He smiled at Ilanii. “Are there any more questions?” He asked the group, and no one replied. “Good, then you are dismissed.” Everyone raised, saluted and then left.

Baltisk Habitat, Administratii HQ

Mette-Mari's TacPad...

Mette-Mari looked down at her TacPad and skimmed through the report on the new ACPA trials. The Active Camouflage Power Armor was one of the main scientific programs running on Luna at the moment, along with the replication and improvement of the new drive. That was going well too. So far, engineers had reached up to 170% efficiency over the original drive which was found in dig site SOL#Lu-0921, which was used on a CMC ship, with success. For now though, the drives would have to be used on unmanned barges for safety. So far, only 2 of the 239 barges had “disappeared”, which was well within the acceptable range. 0.8% chance of simply disappearing into the folds of time and space was an acceptable risk… right?

The doors at the end of the conference room opened, and a young Navy courier dressed I a black dress uniform walk up to Mette-Mari, bowed and whispered something into her ear. “Let them in then, please.” She replied politely, and the large polished wooden doors swung open, letting in the delegates of the COCA to the vast hardwood table.

[Charles Buckingham 2]

Bridge
Krono Class Frigate
0900 hours

Erik made his way from the bridge to the elevator that would bring him to his transport. The Administratii had arranged for him and his staff to arrive by Luna's extensive monorail system. He made his way to the elevator as he scanned the scene in front of him. He looked at all the faces of the young soldiers, some couldn't be more than 18 yet they were eager to make something of themselves. Help form our new world. He admired that about these men. It somewhat reminded him of himself, back on earth the day he graduated Banrich Academy of Military Arts and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Octovian National Army. He made his way down to the elevator which took him and his staff down to the monorail station.

Monorail Station A
Baltisk Habitat
0900 hours.

"The train is arriving". The mechanical voice continued for about a minute untill the train opened its sleek doors. Erik and his staff made his way into the monorail where he was greeted by an Administratii Lieutenant and a squad of soldiers. "Welcome to Luna sir, I trust that your trip has gone well." The young lieutenant spoke.
"Yes, my trip has gone according to plan" Erik replied. The lieutenant nodded and walked back to the rest of his squad. Erik looked at his assembled team. Present in the delegation was himself, Deputy head of the COCA, along with other assorted lawyers, doctors, and civil engineers. "A great crew for a great beginning" he thought to himself.
"The train is leaving, please stand by" The mechanical voice spoke again. The men started making their way to their seats. Erik started going over his notes and the agenda for the meeting. It would be long and strenenous but he knew it was for the greater good of the Coalition. The train started to slowly come to a stop and the mechanical voice came back online.
"The train is arriving. Please stand by"

Administratii HQ
Baltish Habitat
0925 hours.
The delagation made their way from the station the the Administratii Headquarters. They arrived in front of a tall sleek building that stood out from the rest. The passed through the sliding doors and headed up the large staircase. The made their way past security and entered the main part of the building. A man from the walked up to them and showed them to the confrence room. The building was luxorious on the inside with grand hallways and chandelliers. The navy man showed them up to a door where another man spoke into his earphone. A few moments later the doors opened up to a room full of men and women alike, some Civil Services and some from the Navy and Administratii. Erik walked into the room and walked to Mette-Mari. Erik smiled as they shook hands. "Ms. Mette-Mari, I am so glad we can finally meet to discuss the future of the Coalition. I am eager to begin" he said as he sat down.

[Kauvara]

ENGINE CONTROL SECTION, DECK 5
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
13:54 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
THREE DAYS SINCE JUMP, 177 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

Nilsson watches the reactor, checking his readings

"Well, check it again! Engines shouldn't be running this hot. We're barely three days out, I don't want to explode yet."

First Lieutenant Henrik Nilsson was rechecking his readings, making doubly sure what was happening. The engine was running at ~3,849,200°K, 849,200 degrees over what it should be. Once it hit 4 million, they would have to shut down the engines. And, frankly, Nilsson had no idea what a sudden deceleration like that would do to the ship. Would they even be able to stop? Sentia materialized over the console.

"I have rechecked the measurements, Lieutenant Nilsson. The temperature was in fact a miscalculation," Sentia stated.
"Ah, thank you, just as I thought. What it the proper measurement, Sentia?"
"3,849,298. The temperature has increased as we have been speaking. Suggest immediate action. Reactor will reach critical temperature in 128 seconds."

Nillson bolted upright. "Sentia, stand by to dump Rods 3 and 4. We're gonna do this the old-fashioned way."
"Lieutenant, we have no idea what will happen if we do this. 121 seconds."
"I'm not in the mood to argue right now, Sentia, just do it!"
"Understood, standing by. 119 seconds."

The reactor began to visibly shake. "Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Nilsson yelled as he ran across to the coolant control station. "Sentia! How much 'freeze-juice' do we have?" he called out.
"The Liquid Nitrogen tanks are at 78% capacity. 100 seconds," she replied.
"OK, got it! Dump out 39% of those tanks over the course of 90 seconds! We might even be able to save the Rods!"
"Lieutenant, it appears we agree on this. Proceeding with Coolant Application Procedures. 91 seconds."
"91?!? Oh, helvette! You realize that means I'll-?!?"
"Yes. You will have one second to engage in power redirection. Is that not possible? 85 seconds."
"Sentia, sometimes I wonder how much you really understand humans!"
"I believe my studies of humanity are quite satis-"
"Not now, Sentia!"
"62 seconds."

Nillson darted across the gangplanks, making his way towards the Rod Control station for Rod 3. "Sentia! I need you on standby on Rod Control Station 4! Get ready to combine the two! We're gonna draw off power from both, combining them into one section to reduce the draw, while simultaneously-"
"Diverting power to the others as well? Understood, Lieutenant Nilsson. Standing by. 38 seconds." Sentia had a habit of knowing exactly what engineers meant to do. Some appreciated her efficiency. Nilsson? He found it somewhat... taxing. He flicked a few switches on Rod Control Station 3, setting it for automation. "10 seconds." A massive holographic timer appeared, counting down from 10. Nilsson gripping the control switch on Rod Control Station 3. 9. "Get ready, Sentia!" 8. "We'll only get one shot at this!" 7. "If we fail, this ship'll explode!" 6. "Or worse," she said, "delay us further." 5. "Sentia, if we survive this-!" 4. "-you and I need to have a serious talk!" 3. "Then let us hope," Sentia began. 2. "That we survive." 1..

"NOW!"

Nilsson threw the switch, and the reactor jolted with a thunderous clap. The entire ship shifted in subspace, alarms blaring, the engineering section glowing red as emergency lights came on. Nilsson was thrown across the room, slamming into the wall. "Nilsson, we are decelerating," Sentia stated.
"I KNOW! THROW THE POWER BACK ON, SENTIA!" he yelled back, his body mangled.
"Understood, Lieutenant."
The entire ship suddenly evened out, and things returned to normal operating capacity. "Ship secure, Lieutenant Nilsson."
"Sentia... Dammit..." Nilsson said, straightening out. "Ow..."
"Do you require medical assistance, Lieutenant?"
"No. Thank you, Sentia, but I just need to..." He groaned, cracking his back. "There we go."
"Lieutenant, I have Colonel Peterson on the communicator. He wants to know what happened."
"Uh... Right. This is gonna be fun..." Nilsson turned to the communicator. Meanwhile, the Vulpes continued onward, surging forth into the unknown, charting humanity's future.


CONFERENCE ROOM, ADMINISTRATII HQ
BALTISK HABITAT, LUNA
09:23 HOURS (LUNA STANDARD TIME)

A display screen with the Coalition Information Network was on in the lobby, outside the conference room. A Prizyetsi aide was watching the ticker on the bottom, passing the time.

--- NEW CN SHIPYARD CONSTRUCTED IN ORBIT --- COCA MINING EFFORTS ON VENUS IN FULL SWING --- CASUALTIES ON MARS MOUNT AS ANOTHER SETTLEMENT IS DESTROYED ---

The aide stopped, sitting upright and activating the third option, opening the news story. A CIN reporter was speaking.

"...agic news today from Mars, as the settlement of Del Soros was swallowed up by Dust Storm Tempestus, marking the third settlement to be destroyed this week. We go live to Munio Leviticus, live on the scene." The camera shifted, cutting to Mars.

Kauvaran rescue workers dig down into the sand to find survivors

A man with a microphone was standing before a group of buried buildings, only their roofs visible over the red sand. "This is Munio Leviticus, reporting live from the Kauvaran frontier settlement of Del Soros. Less than 24 hours ago, this was yet another bustling hub of activity, another town on the frontier of Kauvara's colonization efforts. Now, it lies buried under dozens of feet of sand. While casualties were light, the damage has been done. Following the loss of Del Soros, the average amount of settlements lost per week has risen to four. This tragedy is, unfortunately, all too common, as Mars is, undoubtedly, one of the most hostile planets in the Coalition."
"Why do the Kauvarans stay, Munio?" the reporter asked.
"I asked them the same question. A man from Del Soros itself said the following: 'It reminds us of home. Working to triumph over nature, to eek out an existence no matter what. Isn't that what we humans are made for?' The man was instantly followed by a resounding cheer."
"Sounds like those Kauvarans are intent on making Mars their new home."
"Indeed they are. This place is nothing like Luna, that's for sure!"
"I'm sure, Munio, I'm sure! Are the Kauvarans aware that there is a summit about to begin regarding the future of the Coalition here on Luna?"
"Uh, yes, they are. However, when I asked a representative, he had this to say: 'Kauvara regretfully must inform the rest of the Coalition that we will be unable to attend this meeting. Our hands are currently full with the Rynation talks, the raising of new regiments in preparation for colonization, and taming this hostile world. Whatever the other member states decide, we will endorse it fully for the good of Coalition unity.'"
"Are there any questions as to Kauvara's devotion to the Coalition? Is this seen as an insult to the High Council?"
"Well, I can't speak for the Octovians and Prizyetsi, but the Kauvarans are certainly devoted to the good of all of us. They have endorsed and welcomed their new position as the 'Shield of the Coalition,' going forth with such a zeal unseen before. I hope nobody doubts their devotion!"
"Well, thanks, Munio. Hopefully that clears things up."
"Of course. This is Munio Leviticus, reporting live from Del Soros. Back to you, Luna."
"Thank you. We go now to our next story: is there a potentially new class of ship coming? The folks over in Intelligence remain tight-lipped! Stay tune for more!"

The aide got up, and moved to relay the news to the council room.

[Prizyetsa]

Baltisk Habitat, Administratii HQ

“Well then, shall we begin?” Mette-Mari said picking up the white folder placed in front of her. “Gentlemen, what you see in front of you, is a draft written up by the leaders of the Luna colony as well as myself.” There was a momentary silence in the room as everyone waited for what she had to say next. “As you can see if you open the folder, the document is written in the languages of the coalition, however I will be reading out the English version to simplify things.” Mette-Mari opened her folder to reveal a neat stack of thick, light-cream colored papers. Every member flipped through the documents and read the main headers to the document until they came to the document which was titled: “Summery of Treaty”. The wording was well-arranged on the page, and the calligraphy was exceptionally beautifully done in black ink. “This document has the potential to change the way the coalition is run forever.” Mette-Mari said, standing up and walking towards the front of the room, taking her place in front of a small podium with the Luna coat of arms on it. “This document aims at reforming the way the coalition is run, from it’s very roots, and to establish a form of government which will give all member equal rights, as well as addressing the future problem of ‘nationalist’ movements in the colonies.” Everyone in the room was now watching and listening. This would be a historical moment for the coalition, no matter what the outcome, and everyone knew it. Mette-Mari turned to a projected copy of the draft treaty and spoke again. “This is the draft treaty document you all have in front of you. We shall now go over the fine details of the treaty.”

Code: Select all

Proposal for the Unification of the Coalition Council Draft
Written by:
Gunnar Hjallandson,   Else Kalaari,   Edgar Jennsen,   Mette-Mari fa Kormo,   Hedda Tesman,   Lena Hjofsted,   Elisabet Farrarak ,   Eljert fa Vos,  Mikhail Ennar,  Sif Yadarii

Establishing empires has never been a simple task, let alone establishing a fair and equal form of government to rule over the men, women, children and elderly. It for the exact reason that we embarked on our great exodus that we meet to discuss the future of the Coalition here today; to form a fair and equal form of government to rule over the Coalition for the ages to come.

1.   Establishes that every member of the coalition has the basic right to elect a governing body that represents their interests, given that the said governing body operates within the parameters set by the Coalition’s original session.
2.   Establishes, as an extension to clause 1 of the Unification of the Coalition Council Agreement, that a council is to be created, with it’s main seat in a location to be determined, to govern with elected representatives from every member of the Coalition over matters effecting every level of Coalition society in order to;
a.   Govern over the Coalition, her colonies and her military forces,
b.   Represent the will of the peoples of the Coalition in order to promote liberty and freedom to all,
c.   Limit the possibility of corruption and power struggles within the Coalition leadership,
d.   Further unite the members of the Coalition to promote and maintain the close ties established with the signing of the Treaty of Zephyr,
3.   Hereby grants the colonies the right to elect representatives to represent their interests within the Coalition Council however,
4.   Restricts the autonomy of colonies and their governments to establish the following;
a.   Establish basic laws in order to maintain civil obedience, however banning the creating of laws which interfere with the aims set forth by the Coalition and her administrative branches,
b.   Allowing the colonies to establish small militias, trained and lead by CMC or Administratii personnel in order to prevent the possibility of armed rebellion, in order to maintain civil order during times of emergency,
c.   Denies colonies the right to create their own naval vessels, of any size, as all duties needing ships will be covered by the Coalition Council including but not limited to: customs, defense,
5.   Calls for the establishing of a new capital world to house the new united Coalition Council and other administrative buildings as both a monument to the exodus, as well as a monument to the new path humanity has chosen among the stars, away from the tyranny and evils which plagued the altmen (no translation available, means “old men”, “old folk” in Prizyetsi) and will plague them until their inevitable fall,
6.   Gives the council 5 weeks to discuss the matter with their respective heads, and calls for an additional meeting to be held in Luna to conclude the treaty.

Mette-Mari stood in front of the hall, waiting for a response…

Kaspiansk Habitat, Shipyards, Dock 17b, New cruiser “CNS Errina”

The new ship was silent. The workers on the docks were just starting to evacuate the dry-dock for the Errina’s reactor warm up faze, and even the Errina had a skeleton crew. The newly chosen captain for the Errina was a tall man, with long strawberry-gold hair, which was tied up tightly to the back of his head. Unlike many new captains, he did not wear his captain’s hat, or even a barrette. He was the kind of man that didn’t need to wear a hat to show he was charge. Eirik Kalani was a kind man at heart, as were many nobles, especially of the Kalan line. He was honored to command the Errina, the Coalition’s newest and most powerful warship. With four heavy magnetic cannons, she could fire up to twenty-four three and a half ton rounds per minute without losing speed, thanks to her eight fusion reactors hidden deep within her superstructure. As with all Coalition Navy ships, she carried missiles. Unlike many ships though, she literally carried several thousands of missiles, which gave her the need to have four weapons officers on the bridge alone. Another new feature was the integrated Elstadt-Sasaki system, comprising of four drives, giving her the ability to travel between stars. The rest of the fleet was still being updated to be equipped with the Elstadt-Sasaki drives. In short, the Errina was the new backbone of the fleet, and the responsibility which came with commandeering her fell on Kalani’s shoulders. He reached into his shirt, pulling out a small cross made of gold, engraved “Forkjild meg, for jeg liver med du” in silver, and kissed it. Kalani looked across the bridge one last time, and took a deep breath. “Prepare to jump start reactors one through four!” he called out, tightening his grip on the railing…

[Charles Buckingham 2]

Baltisk Habitat
Administratii HQ
1000 hours
Erik watched as the Prizyesti stood up and gave her presentation. When she finished, an aide walked around the room passing out folders to everyone. "Ladies and Gentlemen these folders you are reciving contain the document we need to bind ourselves together." She said. Erik took out the document and started to examine it. He stood up, "Ms. Mette-Mari if you would allow my delegation and I to discuss this document for a moment before we give a definite answer on it, we would be grateful." She nodded and started talking to an aide. Erik pulled his chair around to where his s taff were sitting in a small circle. "Ok, Ladies, Gentlemen I want to hear your input on this document. Colonel Mathew Jalbert started to speak. "Well, I think section 4 sub section b should allow the militias of the colony to act as the colonies police force to keep the peace in the colony."The others nodded. "Do we have any other concerns about this documeny?" Erik said. The others just gave him a blank stare. They obviously enjoyed the Prizyesti document. Erik stood up and walked back to Ms. Mette-Mari. "We havd chosen that we will favor this document if, section 4, sub-section b changed to add that the militias of the colony will also act as a police force over the colony, keeping the peace and enforcing the laws." Erik said. He sat back down and awaited a responce.

Banrich, COCA HQ
Venus
1000 hours
Major Daniel Tello was walking through the newly built corridors of the Coalition Office of Colonial Affairs Headquarters. The overall headquarters had been choosen in the first location they landed and dubbed it "Banrich" after the former Octovian capitol. Venus had just recently been fully colonized after the nonstop work of the people at the COCA. He walked into his office, passing his secretary Rachel before slumping down into his chair. He had a stack of paperwork he had too do and had yet to make a dent in it. Daniel was still new to the Administrative life, since he had spent most of his carreer in the OSO. Sometimes he couldn't just stand sitting at a desk all day. During his lunch he spent his time down at the firing range hoping to retain the skills he had learned in the OSO. "Well, better get started" he said as he stared down his paperwork.

[Kauvara]

MAIN ASSEMBLY AREA, DECK 4
CMCS VULPES, DEEP WITHIN SLIPSPACE
12:00 HOURS (SHIPBOARD TIME)
13 DAYS SINCE JUMP, 167 REMAINING UNTIL DESTINATION REACHED

"Listen up, 13ers!" Peterson bellowed.

The soldiers and crewmen of the 13th Infantry were assembled in dress uniforms. It was the thirteenth day of the jump, and it was decided by Colonel Peterson that some sort of parade was in order to keep morale up. After all, they were the 13th Infantry.

"Today marks the thirteenth day of our voyage. We've made history for thirteen days, ladies and gentlemen. I am proud of all of you. Will the following soldiers step forward?" He opened up a holodocket. "Private Acerbus, Titus, of J/7/13. Captain Fenix, Dominic, of D/1/13. Sergeant Francowiak, Steven, of V/12/13. Chief Petty Officer Gundersen, Yohannes, of Communications Team Secundus. Captain Gavenson, Matthias, of F/1/13. First Lieutenant Nilsson, Henrik, of Engineering Team Tertius. Second Lieutenant Wylde, Henrietta, of K/17/13. Tech-Sergeant Yamashi, Haruka, of F/1/13. And Corporal Zamov, Grigori, of G/20/13."

Nine people stepped forward, assembling in a line. Peterson proceeded to open a box of medals, Stars of the Fox. "Esteemed members of the 13th Infantry, it is my honor to award you based on the following citation: for valor, merit, and courage in the face of odds never before seen by humanity, I award thee the Star of the Fox. Francowiak, Gundersen, and Nilsson, you are citizens of Prizyetsa. You are also being awarded with a Foreign Service Ribbon for your efforts in assisting us. I thank all of you for your contributions to our success." He turned to the rest of the Marines and crewmen. "Take heed, fellow soldiers and sailors! These men and women have shown exemplary service to our Coalition! We must all honor them for what they have done! Follow their example! Excel in your duties, not for shiny metal or well-sewn pieces of cloth. These medals mean more than simple duty to the Coalition. They symbolize duty to you, their fellows. Return their favor! Excel above and beyond the call of duty, not for me or your Coalition, but for the human standing beside you! Dismissed, soldiers. Back in formation."


Colonel Peterson hands out the medals

Peterson made his way back to the podium. "We are forging our future, people. We are going forth into the unknown, plumbing the depths of what was once thought impossible. When we come out the other side, we will again have the honor and duty of exploring the treasure-troves that are the holdings of a long-extinct race. When we finish in Epsilon-Eredani, we will return to Sol, and share what we have learned with the Coalition, bringing humanity even further into our potential! Further into our future! Further into our destiny!"

The 13th erupted into thunderous applause.

"As thanks for your contributions to our success, you now have three days of leave to do as you wish, rotating between teams to ensure this ship still runs. That's three days each, people! Each Company will get three days, rotating out. First Company is first, and Twentieth is last. Dismissed, Marines."

The Marines all dispersed, going about their duties or leave.

"We got leave! Boo-yah!" Tiberyon called out.
"Yeah, we did! Where do you wanna go, big guy?" Yamashi called back.
"Fox's Den! I owe you a drink for that shiny new piece of jewelry!"
"I know! Yatta ne!"
"I owe all of you a drink," Gavenson interjected. "This medal isn't just mine. I couldn't have gotten it without you. We're all going!"
"What about us?" Bagasao asked. "We're the new meat. What'd we do?"
"Hey, don't deny free drinks!" Caswell said happily. "C'mon, let's go!"
"Such entintled little soboka..." Federova teased. "I will drink you under table!"

Foxtrot Squad, First Company made their way to the Fox's Den, ready to enjoy their three days' leave, laughing happily.

[Prizyetsa]

Administratii HQ, Baltisk Habitat, Luna

Mette-Mari smiled. “Of course that is possible, in fact, consider it changed.” She replied to the diplomat. “Anything else?” she asked the group, waiting for a response.

Prizyetsi Administratii Research Labs, Kino, Luna

Lieutenant Anders sat back in his swivel desk chair. His desk was covered in TacPads, and mugs that had once been filled with coffee, leaving circular stains when he occasionally cleaned them up. Anders wore one of the Administratii’s charcoal colored lab coats, his breast pocket filled with pens, and in Anders’ case, a half-eaten breakfast bar he couldn’t be bothered to finish. Although Anders seemed like a disorganized and seemingly random individual, Anders held the rank of Hog-Kapitan, High Captain, a special rank reserved for the Administratii, and the Administratii only.

Anders pulled up his sleeves and let out a long sigh, brushing back his hair. He rested his arms on the desk, and started up his laptop. The screen lit up, and his unit’s symbol was displayed. The black shield with its red stripe down the middle was adorned with the famous Prizyetsi quote, “Y’in sar a tikomst’ar”, We must stride into the future, the motto of the 18th Administratii Division. The 18th was the Administratii’s R&D department, doing research into everything from weapons ergonomic to civil theoretical research, together with the University of Luna. Anders himself was doing research into the original “artifact”, especially its origin. Since its discovery, he’d been fascinated by it, and wanted to know where it was from and how it had gotten to Luna.

So far, he had learned many things about the artifact, even aside from the obvious assumption that everyone made; it wasn’t human. Anders was the first specialist to examine the more physical aspects of the device, especially its material. What he found most intriguing was its physical make up, and power source. Emediatly after the artifact’s recovery, and activation by what he liked to call, “lucky” brutes, a strange substance began to flow throughout the artifact’s ‘circuitry’, as the other scientists refered to it as. This fluid was made up of billions upon billions of structures, barely visible under a nano-microscope. Strangely enough, as Anders expected, there was more to it than that. After a lengthy study, the structures turned out to be organic, a kind of hive-driven organism. Luckily, their role could easily be replicated by simple electronic circuits, although the circuits would be less efficient until further research was done. Finally, after weeks of continuous work, Anders had replicated the drive, and handed it over to madam Mette-Mari to be fitted onto the CMCS Vulpes to test its effects on humans. Even though Anders disagreed with Mette-Mari on this, he went along with it anyways. “It wasn’t his job to worry”, he was constantly told.

“Irste Kan” Pub,VIP section, Kaspisk Habitat

It is well known in Prizyetsa that everyone celebrates the anniversary of the end of the Aldard war in their own way. Or grief for lost friends. Even on Luna, this is the case. Jaddar sat alone at a table for four, looking out into the expansive nothing that was space. Each of the places on his table were occupied with a full glass of beer, apart from Jaddar’s, who’s beer was empty. He sat silently, staring out over the rocky planes and bright green habitat domes of Luna, into space. For Jaddar, this was his way of celebrating the dead. Each and every name was etched into his memory, their faces, their stories. There would be no festivities for him tonight, only pain and anguish.

Private Apartment, Medi Habitat

Ilanii lay on the couch in the modest living room of her apartment. She hadn’t slept in a few days, since the Vulpes had left Luna, and finally, she was starting to tire. Slowly but surely, her eyes drifted shut, and Ilanii sunk away into a deep sleep.

All of a sudden, Ilanii was shot awake by the sound of an explosion. “Get up!” a masked soldier yelled at her, “The enemy is advancing up third street, we need to plug the hole!” Ilanii shot to her feet, and grabbed rifle which lay next to her on the blood stained pavement. All around her, Prizyetsi and Kauvaran troops ran to take cover behind the make shift barricades defending the port. Ilanii crouched behind one of the barricades and aimed her rifle down the street. Through the thick smoke, she could barely make out figures running towards them, armed and firing. Taking a deep breath, Ilanii’s finger instinctively squeezed the trigger, sending tears of lead down the street, dropping one figure after another. A helicopter gunship swooped in from above, blowing away the smoke, revealing the bodies which lay scattered on the street. The crumpled bodies of women and children lay there, laying in unnatural poses, a mother holding her child, trying to shield her from the onslaught, an old man holding on to his cane in a death grip, as if it even had a chance at saving his life. Ilanii stared in horror. “What have I… What have I done…” she whispered, dropping her rifle as she stood up in disbelief. All of a sudden, she felt a sharp pain in her leg, and dropped again, her head hitting the pavement. Everything went black…

Ilanii shot awake on the floor, this time in her living room again. She curled herself into a ball and wept, her make up running down her face staining her smooth pale skin…

“This is the price of saving humanity. This is why we left our home planet for the stars.” The words of Mette-Mari echoed in her head… Was saving total strangers really worth giving your own for? Ilanii shook her head. These thoughts would only lead her into darknes…

[Charles Buckingham 2]

Baltisk Habitat
Administratii HQ
1000 hours
Erik examined the document one last time, and smiled. "I think our work here is done Mrs. Mette-Mari." Eric said.

Banrich, COCA HQ
Venus
1000 hours
Major Tello was going through his paperwork at a sluggish rate. The majority of his paperwork came from scientists who observed "Strange rock formations" and thought it would be necessary to send in a report. Daniel finished up one report and went to the next one. "Oh, great these rocks moved a half a centimeter since the last satellite photograph was taken of it. Call the press!" Daniel said mocking the report. His assistant, Rachel who usually spent most of her time at her desk walked into the room, with a bit of a nervous look on her face. She just kind of stood at the door, waiting. "Yes, do come in Rachel." Daniel said. She then seemed to snap out of it, but it still puzzled Daniel. "What's going on" he thought to himself.
"Uhhh, yes Major.....here is a incident report that just came in....brass want you to look at it immediately." She said, stumbling over her words.
"Sure, just set it on my desk" Daniel said with a smile trying to cheer her up. She walked out of the room and Daniel got up to grab the report. He started glancing at it as he headed back to his desk. He quickly started reading it, then said outloud, "Hell, that sure ain't rocks." He read the report over again, making fully sure that he knew what he was reading. The report entitled, "Strange disturbances in southern district, 3 dissappearences, strange figures noted. Send directly to Major Tello." He quickly shoved the report into his breifcase and started heading down the massive cooridors towards the Colonial Guards barracks. He walked in to be greeted by a young lieutenant, who seemed to be the only officer on duty while the rest where at the officers club. The men immediately snapped to attention.
"Major SIR!" The lieutenant said.
Daniel saluted back. "Lieutenant, gather up a squad of your men and load up a transport. Be ready to leave for the southern district in 20 minutes."
"Yes sir!" The lieuteant said back. He then headed back through the cooridors towards one of the various labs the COCA had in the building. He went in to one particular lab. Daniel saluted, "Colonel"
"Yes Major?" The colonel responded.
Daniel handed him the report, "Sir, I need a few scientists to examine the evidence there may be there. Who can you spare?
"Take Dr. Lunsford, I'm sure he will be capable of examining anything you may need." The Colonel said.
"Yes sir" Daniel said as he headed towards Dr. Lunsfords office. He approached it and realized it was merely a cleaned out closet. Daniel knocked on the door,"Dr. Lunsford?"
"Yes...come in" He replied.
Daniel walked inside to see Dr. Lunsford sprawled out on his desk, half asleep. "Dr. Lunsford, we need you to come with us down to the southern district, there have been unusual sightings and we may need you te examine them."
"Ehhhh, unusual? Probably mars men, I knew they were real. Ok, lets go." he replied. Daniel and the doctor then headed down the hall and preceded to the motor pool. There, the small squad of six men were waiting, all holding there Kauvaran made Mk.18 7.62mm Multi-environment Assault Rifles. "Alright men, lets go catch us some aleins!" Daniel said as he followed his squad to the transport.