Twilight of the Galaxy (IC, Open)

[Trotza]

-i do le snip-

The Newly refounded Colony of Hymenoptera

While the Assembly had been bickering over what happened, the Alates simply went back to work building the mound. As far as they were concerned, the threat to the Colony had been destroyed and they could return to their normal activities. Soon it was completed, and they were ready to set about their daily duties. The part of the city rising up into the air was just the tip of the iceberg. Chambers and passage ways spread out in a huge network far below the surface, for every possible function to keep them running.

The Mothership had long since rejoined with the Destroyer/Colonizer vessels and began the long voyage back home, floating through the vastness of space. There had originally been 4,500,000 aboard the mothership including 83,500 fighters, 83,500 infantry, and 500,000 on surface with 83 destroyers, 41,500 fighters, and 41,500 infantry. They'd lost 100,000 in the strike on the mound and 20,000 in the fighter battle, leaving 120,000 dead.

Now the Alates weren't particularly the type to be shocked, but the smarter ones knew this was not a normal incident. If anything, they'd never encountered a species that was able to do more than minimal damage to them. Anyway, a mothership never stuck around a built colony, it would travel back to the homeland for another queen to use to set up her residence. What had been left to defend the populace of now 4,880,000 was that they included 55,000 fighters and an equal number of infantry. The rest of the forces had been left to protect the mothership on its return voyage.

This was not their usual level of strength, so many of the workers were set to work in the facilities for production. Their goal was to return the colony's military numbers back up to 244,000, which would be a challenge considering that was twice what it was now. Arming infantry was easier, just provide them with basic small arms, but rebuilding the core of their military, fighters, took time. But they didn't consider this a problem, in the past all they'd had was time.

That was when they once again received a foreign communication from the UNS. They had been in the process of studying all the messages they had been sent before the battle or had intercepted on a open frequency and recorded in secret. This was strictly a task for a newly formed Secret Service the Queen independently made, for the sole purpose of finding more out about them. They immediately took the new communication and began to process it as well. From their understanding of them, they'd realized that human's idea of good interaction was members of different parties standing alone in front of each other and having a "conversation", or some sort of direct communication. So miles away from the mound they drew a big landing pad on the ground, before returning home and waiting.

The Home Mound Council Chambers, Isoptera

Although the average worker had no idea of what exactly had happened and how unprecedented it was, the Queen was educated enough to know something like this had never happened before. That was why, if only for a moment, she had to leave her children to return to the Homeland. On her way their she'd petitioned the Empress to hold the first ever meeting of the Council of Queens. It had never been brought into practice before because usually they had no need for collective action, and just left every colony and queen to themselves.

But obviously this time would be different. The Empress agreed, and every Queen was recalled to the Home Mound, the very first colony and home of the entire species for centuries. It was the grandest structure their kind had ever built, reaching high in the sky with symmetrical spires of their own fluid so old it had hardened to the strength of steel. Deep with it, miles under the ground was the previously unused Council Chamber. It had rows of seats arranged in a circular pattern surrounding a singular raised platform in the middle of the floor, which at this moment was projecting a hologram of the unofficial empire.

All 549 Queens were present, including the Empress in a larger and more project seat, for she counted as the Queen of Isoptera. There was also the newest Queen among them, direct from Hymenoptera. As she had been the one to call the Council together, it was she who had to speak and explain herself.

And she prepared to do so. None would be standing or walking, their egg sacks extending behind them would prevent that.

"My sisters, as we meet here and the Great Sun rises once again over the horizon of the Home World and our people, we have been faced with a new threat."

One of the audience snickered. "You're not coming here because you had a little trouble getting your Colony under control did you?"

Several others buzzed their mandibles, the Alate version of a laugh. Among the socialite Queens their was a lot of competition to determine one's skills at ruling, and one's status among them depended on their successfulness at colony building. But she simply steadied herself and continued.

"No, but I did encounter a species that was able to kill 120,000 of my children." The troublemakers quickly went silent.

"What do you mean, how is that even possible?" one asked.

"I'd discovered a settlement when we arrived on the moon, and while at first I thought nothing of it, some fighters sent on a recon mission were destroyed in an instant. There was a battle, but in the end after many were lost we defeated them."

"Well then they're gone right? Can't we just return to our normal business?"

She shook her head. "No, there are indications that they had contact with others of their kind. There are more out there, make no mistake. Not only that but, in conclusion, we could be on the verge of conflict with a large, technologically advanced race that doesn't stop to ask questions."

The room broke out into fervent chattering, as they all worriedly began clicking away at one another about their own sytems, the noise amplified by the hall's echo.

The Empress let out a low and fast humming sound, and the room went quiet.

"I've just received word from Hymenoptera, more have arrived, and are descended on their location." Once again the tension seemed ready to burst out into chaos, but talking now would be a direct insult to the Empress.

"We will not enact emergency protocol and create the Consolidated Imperial Military, but I advise all of you to be on alert, and find out as much as you can about these beings."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Then the Empress waved her hand. "Now go."

The chamber erupted into nervous noise, even louder than before, as each was carried out. Every single one began rushing back to their system as soon as possible to prepare, fearing that they would be next.

[Maljaratas]

Formic Space
Homeworld System

A brief humming along the philote network was all it took. There was a brief pulse of light, and the Colony Ship was off. Off to a new system, and the first full Colony Ship to test the philotic teleportation. On board the ship, all was abuze checking that the engine was working, and that it wouldn't just blow up in mid-flight (a very real possibility, and one that had happened before).

6 Months Later (in human time):

All was well as the Colony Ship reached the edge of the gravity well of the Homeworld System's star. And with nary a pop, it was gone. Outside and then back Inside. Instantly just outside the gravity well of a new system, one ripe for colonization. Of course, that wasn't the only good thing on the minds of the queens. The other was the successful operation of the philotic teleportation. This would bring vast new opportunities to the Formics, as previously systems far away took to long to get too weren't ever gone for, and Colony ships could only be launched from their last colonization point. But now, things would be different. Very different.

Yet more Time Later:

The first landfall on the planet went quite well, with no ships lost in the landing, which had also happened before. The landers begun their outflow of ships onto the planet, and those ships began their outflow of workers with their chemicals. All was going nicely, even if the strangely metallic wildlife was killing a few more workers than normally died in these operations. But such was life for a worker.

[The V O I D]

Hangar Bay
The Watchtower
Mordon System

Her point made, Elizabeth sat down and grabbed the pad, bringing it back onto her lap as she looked coolly up at the Xaei, trying to gauge its reactions. It's mandibles and, interestingly, its fingers were clacking and chittering and she wondered whether that was conscious or not. If she could only read those chitterings, understand their meaning, she would be much better placed to for their negotiations - certainly better placed than her opposite number. And having an advantage was always something she could use in negotiations as important as these would be.

The current of unspoken communication caught her attention. There was something being said here, even if she wasn't aware of it. But how were they doing it? Subsonically? Ultrasonically? Pheremonally? Something else? They didn't seem to be changing colour and the body language, although certainly different to the way it had been before, wasn't changing with the rapidity which Elizabeth would have assumed to be necessary for gestures to be an effective form of communications. Whatever it was, she thought, eyes narrowing, she was being deliberately left out of the loop by someone. At Ka'Del's words, Elizabeth's eyes leapt to the guard to impale him in a penetrating look for a few seconds as he looked with what could only be mournful eyes back.

So they had discipline problems of some kind. Something which even knowledge of the importance of first contact couldn't alleviate. If she could find some glimmer of what it was, she might be able to use that for leverage at some point. And leverage was something which could mean the difference between life and death in a more than figurative sense. Even in internal politics, the rules of which she knew like the back of her own hand, it could mean the difference between life and death and here? Here it could mean life or death for billions.

Which was an encouraging thought.

A reminder of her personal life and potential death was burned into her mind as the Ka'Del took an invertebrate of some form from a manservant (Xaeiservant?) and promptly proceeded to rip it to pieces and eat its innards in front of her. And, unsettlingly, without ever moving its head. It was all done by the mandibles, tongue and the almost-human mouth at the back of it all, filled with dozens of needle-sharp teeth which moved in disturbing in-out gyrations.

The scene raised more questions than it posed answers. Was that sheen actual metal? If so, how did it get into the superstructure of a crab-thing? Was it just some kind of camouflage? What kind of camouflage required looking like you were made of iron? Were there casual areas where the soil was actually made of ground-up aluminium? If it was made out of metal, how had the Xaei eaten it? Were its jaws strong enough to punch through iron? Was it considered a socially acceptable negotiation technique to rip someone's arm off in the middle of talks? When the offer of her own questions came, she grabbed it with both hands.

"I'll be fine for food at the moment." She said with a small smile, "We can compare biochemistry later, but right now I don't want something which might kill me. But you asked about questions, and I have eight." She said, slipping into a more businesslike tone, "The first five are the same you asked me. The sixth is: what are the codes of conduct which would be expected of me during negotiations, as an outsider. The seventh is: what would be expected of me during the negotiations were I a Xaei?"

And then her face became colder, her eyes harder.

"The eighth would be for me to ask what the guard was saying about me."

Mordon System
Rakahno Sector
Xaei Union Space

Ka'Del listened to her speak, as he began to eat the smaller forms of the creature - seemingly with effortless ease - in a bite or so. Ka'Del finished his eating, clicking his mandibles involuntarily with delight of the food. Ka'Del nodded to himself at her questions. Legitimate questions, good questions. Obviously, Ka'Del observed, they did not have psionics... or at least, not telepathy to any expanded extent. Ka'Del then prepared his answers to the questions, speaking after a long moment of silence to look as though he was digesting her questions.

"Well, to answer them in order... My species are the Xaei, and this is the Xaei Union, of course. As for our advancement, well, I am not quite sure relative to you. However, as for systems, the Union has proudly ruled over about fifty thousand systems for the last few centuries. The Mordon System was only added in the past few years, in fact. As for culture, well.

The Xaei are a proud people, Duchess. We also take great care for efficiency, consistency. We got rid of the hogwash that was the need for reproductive mates and the like long ago. We no longer have any differences, aside from maybe vestigial organs, between the sexes. Of course, we use identifiers still, as it makes things less... complex, I suppose. We are about the efficient and consistent manner of spreading our banner. The Union's government is quite simple. The Parliament is unicameral, with representatives elected directly by Xaei citizens. Xaei citizens also run for office to represent their brethren. However, the Parliament's legislative power is mostly suggestive and, ultimately, all power lies with the Empress.

The Empress is a hereditary position. She is our absolute guide; our leader. The Xen Dynasty has ruled for hundreds of thousands of years. The Planetary Courts are judiciary, but also suggestive; again, all true power lies with Her Imperial Majesty. We dedicate our lives to her, and she rules us fairly. Xaei live for about five thousand years on average. Why, I myself am about two-thousand-five-hundred-twenty-one. My birthday's next month on the Union Calendar, in fact! Ha, that's such a lovely thought. The Empress appointed me Governor of this system. Usually, Governors are elected into power by the people, but only after a certain population is reached and only if Parliament and the Empress approve.

As for codes of conduct? If you're an outsider, it is expected to show the up-most respect to Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Hae'Xen. You are also expected to be honest, and answer any questions Her Imperial Majesty may ask. If you're a Xaei, you have much higher expectations, for otherwise you will prove dishonorable. Dishonoring Her Imperial Majesty is a crime of unspeakable measure.

And as for what the guard said, well... he was thinking about how tasty your meat might be, as a Squishy-skin. I hope that answers all of your questions, Duchess.", he finished his long-winded speech. Ka'Del hoped that satisfied her curiosity and questions. He received word telepathically that the fleet would be arriving soon, and that meant he needed her to prepare to depart to Xae soon as well.

[Free Empire of the Low Isles]

Deep Space, Near The Nuz Viscasi System
Unit Alpha 01-1 "Grand Marshal Maelstrom"

In the quiet realm of darkness that was Deep Space, there sat an Eternity-Class Star Dreadnought, known officially as a Masaki Worldship. While a ship of such magnitude would usually not be present so far from the Dynasties borders, Alpha 01-1, or Grand Marshal Maelstrom, the Primus Inter Pares or the First Among Equals in the revered Alpha Squadron, an organization of thirteen Masaki Guardians that was dedicated to the preservation of the Dynasty itself and even the protection of Grand Warlord Kazuko Masaki by whatever means necessary, and that also meant to obey the words of the Grand Warlord right down to the letter, and Kazuko had given Alpha 01-1 a mission, to investigate the high level of communications taking place on the world and to determine if these foreign forces would be able to establish relations with the Dynasty. In accordance with Kazuko's wishes to make a good impression, a Masaki Worldship would be sent into the fray on it's own without any form of fleet escort protecting the vast Star Dreadnought, but their nanite regeneration systems, durable hull, and even dense shields would assure that in the event of a battle breaking out, the Worldship would remain relatively intact.

On the bridge stood Grand Marshal Maelstrom, his robotic hands clasped behind his back as he stared out into the endless void that was Deep Space. Alpha 01-1 was nearly Sixty Five Thousand Years Old, living from the reign of Spera Masaki to Kazuko Masaki, he had seen barbarism and anarchism at it's roots, fought countless wars in order to rout the ruinous powers that had inhabited the Dynasties territories, and now he was tasked with overseeing a first encounter between two factions without any naval reinforcements, which would become complicated in the event that a battle broke out between the three. Turning to a nearby Masaki Guardian, which stood alongside him, he stated "Release the Probe Drones, let us maintain a small presence over that world as much as we can."

OOC: Just assume that the drone is entering the planet's space.

Just outside of the Pollux System

Admiral Talas of Carrier 39 was keeping an eye on the distant chatter of the Pollux system, as chatter seemed to be on an increase as of late. It wasn't until today that it reached more than triple it's usual activity. Upon using the scanners, they discovered the usual ship signatures and several others which had yet to be identified. As far as she could tell, no weapon fire was being exchanged, so it was likely to be a meeting of sorts. Of course she was told to make contact if she felt it was the right thing to do, and kept putting it off out of nervousness. Which was quite common for the species. "Activate the Wormhole generator." She ushered to her subordinates. "There seems to be a meeting going on between several species. If that's the case, then it's our duty to greet them."

They did as they told and tore a nice big gap in space-time and flew their ship through. Valan was busy making contact with a single empire, she was about to make contact with several. Ever since Talas was a child, she wanted to be a Volt. She wanted to be the symbol of a hope for a better tomorrow. But that moment never came. So she did her damnedest to prove that she was worthy of wielding a fraction of the Spark's power. Hopefully this was the moment that finally made her worthy. Their massive vessel entered the space of the meeting and they hailed all present ships with a greeting.

snip

snip

<Understood, Sargent. I'll stand by until--> she was cut off suddenly, a brief flicker of confusion and concern bleeding through the telepathic link before it was severed completely, leaving the alien to wonder what was going on. Captain Bin had just recieved a burst of information from her sensor officer that another object was entering the system, this one putting off a much different reading than the materials used in the station or on the planet below them. It was small, more than likely a probe, though it wasn't transmitting any telepathic signal that anyone on board could detect. Strange, certainly, but then it could be harmless. The uneasiness that permeated the bridge crew was palpable, however, and slowly spread to the thousands of Niktal currently awaiting word as to what was going on.

And then, just as she was about to order her sensor officer to flag the foreign object, another warped into the system, this one not so easily dismissed as the probe. This one was a ship, broadcasting some kind of signal that the Niktal could make neither heads nor tail of. It was in an audio format, that much was certain, but what was actually being said was about as clear as the muddy rivers on Firaxis II. Vapra momentarily wondered if they had stumbled onto a trading hub of some kind, or...

Or what if this was something more? What if this was The Way, showing her a path that could bring prosperity and happiness to the entire Federation? She had heard of such crossroads from her birthmother, moments in history when The Way exerted its gentle influence over their lives, showed them paths and crossroads that would mark important events in history. The most important had been the discovery of The Way by Golas Duhar, the prophetess who had shown all Niktal The Way and paved the path that led to the founding of an interstellar Federation that had known nothing but peace since its founding. This, too, could be the start of a new era, one that led the Federation of Jelaras to new heights on a galactic scale. There was only one way to know for sure.

<Open a telepathic channel to that ship,> she ordered her communications officer, who sent out a wave of acknowledgement before doing as instructed.

<Greetings, on behalf of the Federation of Jelaras. I am Captain Vapra Bin, of the FCS Gali Ma. Please, respond with thought. We cannot comprehend your audio transmissions,> she said, sending a gentle wave of amusement along the line to let them know that she did not intend offense.

Garrison Orbital Command, Nuz Viscasi, Jewar System

"What the hell are we!? A galactic truck stop!?" Commander Kutawt yelled at the lieutenant, shaking the woman by the lapels of her uniform. "I swear to Tivv, if one more damn alien pops up, I'm blowing my brains out!"

The temperamental commander let go of his subordinate and slumped down in the main chair, running a hand over his face with a great sigh. "Full report, Corporal. I want to know everything we have on these ships. Armament, shields, population, everything possible. And I want to know if we can blow them up, for Tivv's sake!" he ordered, looking at the man who was sitting behind the scanners.

"Uh, yes sir." the Corporal said, tapping at the console for a second before reading off what it said. "The smallest one seems to be a probe, sir. It does not have any identifiable life signs, nor would it be large enough to fit one of our species. The shielding is minimal, barely enough to block asteroids let alone our mass drivers. It does, however, seem to have transmitting capabilities that we've never seen before."

"Meaning, don't fire at it, because the enemy would be more advanced..." Commander Kutawt said, cutting the Corporal off. "Okay, I want some one to hail it with... well, since it's not telepathic like the Space Needle aliens, they won't understand us. Hail it with something positive looking, hopefully they'll understand."

Kutawt then gave a signal for the Corporal to continue. "The, uh, 'Space Needle', as you put it sir, is a colony ship. Their shields are better than we have, but if we wished, I believe we could destroy them with enough shots. But, since they seem to be friendly, I would, uh, not advise ordering that..." he said, coughing slightly. The commander nodded. "Wise. If this does turn into a battle, we could expect the Space Needlites to try and help us... If they have any weapons. What about the last ship?"

The Corporal tapped his screen a few more times. "They... sent us an audio signal, sir."

"Play it."

The greeting sent from Carrier 39 played over the speakers so that all in the command room could hear. Each Csilean listened with stony faces, as if they just heard the most sovering thing they had ever heard in their lives. Some put a hand over their mouths as if it had moved them to tears.

Commander Kutawt looked at the Corporal. "What did that sound like to you, Corporal?"

"Absolute gibberish, sir."

"Good, then I'm not the only one. Send them the same positive looking thing we're sending the probe. And hope to Tivv that the diplomatic envoy will be here soon... with a telepath." Kutawt replied, sighing and rubbing his face again. "I hate my job."

C.D.S Ch'acevi, Nuz Viscasi Outer Orbit, Jewar System

As the ship finally exited the wormhole, Elusi sighed and smiled. She was going to be the first Csilean to make contact with an alien species. The first Csilean to see, to talk to, to hear an alien. If that was not something to be proud of, to be elated by, she didn't know what could. The Rori clanswoman sighed quietly and took another sip of her drink, to calm her nerves slightly. The smell was calming, and indeed, that was the intended effect of the chemical cocktail. Elusi stretched her body out, and then relaxed every muscle in her until she felt like liquid flowing from the seat. Nothing could ruin this momen-

"Diplomat Elusi? There's a problem..."

Elusi shot up and looked at the person who spoke. It was one of her attendants, who was keeping her head down and her eyes looking at the tablet she was holding. Elusi took a deep breath, smoothed down her clothes, and asked "What is this... problem?"

"There... seems to be more than one alien vessel in the system. High General Thzeno would like to meet with you again, before we make contact with the... two species." the attendant said, a slight quiver in her voice.

Elusi nodded, stood, and then brushed past her attendant, heading toward the meeting room. When she arrived, she saw Thzeno sitting in the seat he had been before they left the Csillie system. "So? What do you want to brief me about now?" she asked, taking the seat she had before they left.

"I assume they told you about the current situation?" Thzeno said, looking at the screen and not her. The screen was showing the three aliens; one black probe, Carrier 39, and the Gali Ma.

"They have. Not in specifics, of course, just that there were some unexpected guests. Any indication that they know each other?"

Thzeno turned around and looked down at his tablet. "The smallest one appears to be a probe... no response or greeting from it yet. The Gali Ma has not attempted communications with the probe either. It seems to be focusing on the ship. The ship hailed all in the system with an audio transmission... it was in the alien's language, so we do not know if it was a friendly greeting, a war declaration, or what. We're sending the probe and the other alien ship an image so that they know we're friendly..."

"What's the image?" Elusi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"... You don't want to know. Anyway, we shall have our telepath contact the Gali Ma to ask them specifically whether or not they know the newcomers, and whether they would like to conduct First Contact on the ships, or on the planet." Thzeno replied, glossing over her question with a speed unknown of him.

"... What's the image?" Elusi asked again.

Thzeno looked up at her, and sighed, rubbing his face before showing her.

"... We're going to die."

Nuz Viscasi, Jewar System

Two ships came out of the wormhole near the planet, in full sight of the alien visitors. One was small and sleek, with no weapons nor shields. It seemed to have been designed more for aesthetic appeal than military. The second was the exact opposite of the first. It was nearly three sizes bigger than the small ship, and while still sleek and pleasing to the eye, it was obvious that it bristled with weaponry.

A message was sent to the Niktal vessel from the bigger of the ships.<Gali Ma, this is the C.M.S. Vohti, with it's charge, the C.D.S Ch'acevi. We are the diplomatic envoy sent from his highness, Bei-Csahn Mivaern III. We have two questions. The first, do you know the two other unidentified vessels? The second, do you wish to have First Contact upon the surface or in a ship?>

Meanwhile, the Masaki probe and Carrier 39 received a video transmission from the station in orbit of Nuz Viscasi. It was rather cute, and featured an alien animal such as this one doing flips and showing it's underside in a submissive gesture.

[The Orson Empire]

Reserdan, Masaki Dynasty Space
Aboard the CSS Tarsiss
Admiral Rona Mel'ne

On the overhead screen, another alien message would appear, but this time, it would be a bit more recognizable. "Sir, they have sent us another hail. It looks like they had tried to translate their language to ours, but butchered it in the process," an officer would say. The admiral was only able to make out a few words, notably the "WARNING" at the top of the text.

"It is just as I had suspected- a warning message," the admiral replied. However, the translation shouldn't have been butchered like this, as the scientists were supposed to send them an updated dictionary of the Covenant language so that the aliens could understand them.

The admiral would try to contact the research ship to see what was going on, but he could barely understand who was talking on the other end. "I repeat- have you sent them the updated dictionary yet?" he would ask. Finally, he was able to hear someone quickly.

"The communi...ray has m......we cannot...," and then, static.

"What is going on over there? How has your comms relay malfunctioned?" There was no response, except for static.

Just then, one of the bridge crew would say,"Sir, we have detected at least 130 ships at the edge of the star system!" On another screen, a map of the system would show the 130 ships at the far side of the system, while the massive flagship was at the center. Although the ships had been in low power mode, they were detected thanks to the gravitic sensors, capable of detecting the distortion of the space-time continuum caused by the mass of an object.

"This looks like a trap," the admiral would reply. "Have they attempted any electronic warfare attacks on our research vessel?"

"Unknown," one of the bridge crew replied. "We can't get any signal from them."

The admiral would then say into the comlink,"All ships are to move into a lower orbit around the planet towards that flagship. We must prepare for immediate combat."

Some time would pass as the ships moved closer towards the planet. Through one of the windows, the admiral would suddenly see several thin beams of plasma being fired from various heavy ships in the fleet at the alien flagship.

The admiral immediately picked up his comlink and yelled,"What the hell are you doing?! You are not yet authorized to fire!"

[The Greater Gambia]

Somewhere in the Perseus Arm
Federation 12th Exploration Fleet (160 ships)
"Song of Paradiso" Federation Sargassi Class Capital Ship



It soon became apparent who the new arrivals were. They were the none other than ships of the Cho'Dosan Covenant and the Orso Empire. Both of these were large nations neighboring the Federation, but they had little contact. Admiral Qa-Zaria remembered learning about them during her youth, but they were a simple footnote in comparison to other events of the era. It was a thousand years before the common era. While the Federation had already been established for around 900 years, it was not the power it is today. It was a time of unrest and strife as rebellions erupted in the newly conquered Khrysian Confederacy. To make matters worse, the pirate systems of the Scra'Shn Principalities had united under one Pirate King, leading them on a bloody charge through the Inner Systems. During this time, the Federation made first contact with the Cho'Dosan, then a fledgling group of nations that had potential and had already a great influence in the region, rivaling the Federation that was on the brink of collapse. If it weren't for the Zargon attacking the Cho'Dosan, driving their attention to stopping their own extinction, the Covenant most likely would have taken over the Federation species or replaced it as the reigning Power in the Galactic West.

The darkest time in Cho'Dosan history became the Federation's second chance. After decades of inner turmoil, the Federation put down the rebellions, conquered the Scra'Shn, and entered a Golden Age of expansion and technological advancement that is still continuing today. In recent years, there has been very little diplomatic contact between the Federation and the Covenant. Occasionally, there would be a trade ship that goes between the two or pirate raids coming from both sides of the border on unsuspecting border worlds. Other than that, the two nations have stayed out of each other's way.

The Orso Empire was a different story. Orso was a relatively new power in the region, but a frightening one at that. While the Cho'Dosan and the Federation attained their power over thousands of years, Orso had done in only a few centuries. Records from the Human archives showed that they arrived in the region around the same time as the edge humans in the Federation, but while the Edge Humans focused on technology and traded with local species around them, the Orso Humans went a different path and expanded their domain through the art of war. Very little trade has occurred between the two and reports from undercover FIS agents enlodged in Pirate gangs told of raiding parties going across the border, only to be completely slaughtered or returning with a mere fraction of the crew they came back with. This has led the Federation to leave Orso alone for the moment, letting sleeping dragons lie, as you will.

Admiral Qa-Zaria sat down in her captain's chair, crossing her legs. She ordered the the Comms officer to open a commlink with the other two parties in the system. On their bridges, a video of the Tagali Admiral sitting in her chair.

"Well, we weren't expecting this spot to be as popular as it is. We're here on official Federation business. We're searching for something planet side. I suggest you both stay out of our way."

Meanwhile, the presence of so many ships in the system activated a defense mechanism of sorts. On the planet, something large began to move around under the surface. Unknown the the fleets, all travel in and out of the system was inhibited as jammers had activated throughout the system.

[Equalsun Empire]

Famreal System

The Commonwealth-class Fleet Carrier Valiant fell out of Transition, FTL particles losing energy and converting back to the matter all sane species view and interact with. The gleaming white hull reflected the light of Famreal's 3 visible stars as the bow cut through the gases of the Modesian Nebula, towards the massive black form concealed within. Antimatter and matter collided in a righteous blaze. Gravity tore space asunder as the two volatile forces balanced the other out, each end of the ship pulling against the other in equilibrium to allow the current one thousand meters per second acceleration without reducing the biotic members of the crew to so many pancakes upon the stern of the vessel.

Ahead of the massive construct an even larger construct awakened. The great maw of the Modesian Eldenian Habitat groaned in the silence of space as an opening the size of a small moon appeared from nothingness. Now released, the blue hypergiant Modesia bathed the Valiant in a welcoming barrage of light that created an aurora across the shields of the vessel. The Valiant flipped end over end and bled velocity, accelerating back towards empty space to avoid the gruesome fate of being scraped from the Modesian Core. That was generally not a note wished for in a captain's epitaph.

Slowing to a stop relative to the Habitat, the Fleet Carrier slowly accelerated to starboard and settled into waiting orbital docks. Metal grated and restraints locked as an unstoppable force met an immovable object, and at long last the crew of the military vessel were released to some well-deserved shore leave.

Almost before the oxygen had finished filtering in to the airlock, Admiral Clayte Detke stepped upon the embarkment elevator. As the ship had docked within the Habitat, and gravity in the Habitat fell towards Modesia, the crew were forced to board pods lowered down to the the entrances of the craft and ride up to the Habitat proper. Not quite as dignified as walking out the shuttlebay ramps onto soil upon victorious return to the Core System, but the Eldenians had little sense of style.

That is incorrect, sir, Sub-Admiral Quasi Fantasia, a holographic representation of the Eldenian appearing upon Clayte's corona chimed in. The Eldenians took great care in adapting our technology to fit biotic appearances of elegance and beauty, as you well know. In fact, the city of Modesia has been ranked as the greatest cultural work of the Commonwealth for much of the past century since-

Quasi, how many times do I have to remind you not to eavesdrop upon my thoughts? That time you even overrode my barriers to make a remark upon my opinions, Clayte sighed, as the elevator doors before him opened to reveal the expanse of an ECN shuttle bay. Rows upon rows of Asteroid and Meteor-class dropships sat in perfect order, while a perfect chaos of ordinance and crew members sat scattered around the light vessels.

My apologies, sir, Quasi said. I simply didn't realize that your claimed barriers were there. You really must work on your psionic abilities, sir, so that I may recognize where my mind ends and yours begins. Otherwise I simply cannot avoid hearing your insults to the Eldenian race. Why, my people are widely regarded as- The Eldenian trailed off as he realized that his Menneske counterpart had begun miming seppuku to Captain Jane Rogers, the cute blonde captain of the ECN Forward Progression, a Fleet Cruiser carried by the Valiant.

Next time you order anything other than Ruuk-Hon Seaweed, expect a cyanide cocktail instead! the irate intelligence exclaimed, vanishing into the Habitat mainframe for a brief escape from these disrespectful biotics.

"Careful, Admiral. Quasi doesn't have a sense of humor, so you should probably have Jenkins taste test your food for the next three weeks," Jane said with a laugh, matching the larger Menne's step. "That man'll probably just complain about the cyanide not tasting as it usually does. Speaking of poison, is there any intel on our next deployment that you can tell me about?"

Clayte chuckled, flashing a wink at the captain. "You know I can't tell you specifics until we're briefed, Jane, but let's just say we'll be out on an investigative mission next time. Rumor is it's farther out than any Commonwealth ship has been yet, and we're getting some funky FTL particle readings. Some are even saying that it's aliens" The two Menneske shared a laugh, finally disappearing into the corridors of the Habitat.

The belief was widely held that the Famreal Five were the only sentient races in the Galaxy, for obvious reasons. For starters, if advanced life existed, how had the Eldenians not detected them in their years of gazing to the stars, listening for any and all signs of life. And then there was the proof beneath their feet. It was obvious that Famreal was an artificially created system: the odds for such perfect orbits of the stars about the Famreal Singularity were astronomical, not to mention the perfect distribution of the races among the systems in said orbit, and that's even discarding how it was ensured that all five races developed at the same pace. There was chance, and then there was impossibility. The widely-held belief of the Menneske, Ruuk-Hon, Kovaki... Well, everybody but the Eldenians and Garoth, was that the Famreal system and the galaxy at large was a single large incubator for their civilization. All was artificially created by the Precursors before Eldenians had gained sentience within the nebulae of Famreal. The great filters were behind: The Menneske Nuclear Threat, the Fringe Conflicts, and most recently the jump into FTL space.

Thus, it led to reason that intelligent life, themselves, were the inheritors of this great expanse. Their rightful claim now lay before them, ripe for the taking. The incubation of the Eldenian Commonwealth had ended, and there was no internal stife known to Menne that could prevent them from claiming their inheritance.

Jump Point 1, Famreal System, 1 week later

Gases parted like water as the Valiant carved through the nebula of the Famreal system, making best speed towards an inconspicuous point in-between the Famreal Singularity and Modesia. Inconspicuous to the naked or augmented eye, that is. If looked at with a gravetic lens, the area directly before them would appear flat, completely shapeless against the massive depressions of Modesia and Famreal. The inconspicuous area functioned as one of the few points where the Transition drive would safely work, as the gravity from the two stellar bodies canceled out and formed a plane of pure gravitational equalibrium. Even Eldenians didn't want to look at the math required to jump while under gravity. Transition simply didn't work that way.

Clayte Detke strode onto the bridge of the Valiant, standard-issue combat exoskeleton clasped tightly to the undersuit he wore. The bridge of the warship was ablaze with red light as the Transition Alert blared away, even the seasoned crewmen he'd served with for the last 10 years gazing longingly at the exit doors. The 8'4" giant Jenkins even made a halfhearted attempt to walk out, armed with an excuse that he forgot his personal articles on the Habitat. Quasi was having none of the shenanigans, however, and Jenkins was soon back at the security control station muttering about the merciless cruelty of the Eldenians.

"All stations reporting in, Admiral. Awaiting your command to enter Transition." Shaakek Freeai stated from the Valiant's command chair. The Kovaki captain had one claw poised over the communications button, though it simply functioned as a failsafe for if the neural network of the crewman failed to communicate for whatever reason. Beside the hand hovered the form of Sub-Captain Ventri Silmaril, the Eldenian assigned to the Valiant.

"Engage." Said Clayte, settling back into his chair. He hated this part. Leave it to the Eldenians to make space travel a study in misery.

The front of the bridge disappeared. Where there was once gleaming metal, shining displays, and a portion of the bridge crew, there was now naught but empty space. Nobody screamed, however, and the bridge crew simply gazed at the emptiness as one would gawk at a particularly vile beverage. Meter by meter the Valiant and the ships contained within it were eaten away, until finally the tips of the engines disappeared into Transition.

From an outside viewpoint, however, it appeared that the ship had simply disappeared instantly. No view of the pained looks upon the crew's faces, no slowly-evaporating kilometer-long vessel. No trace but a storm of FTL particles. The Valiant had vanished until it transitioned back to Famreal.

Unnamed system, Origin of FTL signal

The Valiant fell out of Transition space, FTL particles reasserting themselves as solid matter once again as the great vessel groaned into the silent black. Throughout the bridge gagging could be heard as the various members of the crew tried with varying levels of success to hold down their latest meal. Poor Jenkins... Clayte thought as he watched the massive menne empty what seemed to be the remains of his spaghetti dinner onto the floor. Thank the Stars for automatic cleaning. Quasi, status.

The origin of the FTL anomaly seems to be coming from an object off our starboard side, sir. Ventri is charging the tachyon traps for a ping of the system. The Eldenian Sub-Admiral said, running over the data coming in from the light-speed sensors. Alerts sprung up about him as he opened various readings, the artificial being very nearly overwhelmed by the implications of what he was seeing. Captain, you're going to need to run a diagnostic on me... You won't believe what I'm receiving here.

Clayte pulled up the hologram before him, brow creasing across his forehead. "Ventri, ping the system to varify these readings, and Quasi, check our galactic coordinates. This can't be right."

Aye, Admiral, The AI chorused in unison, executing their respective tasks. With an audible *ding* to signal it the tachyon ping saturated the system, granting a real-time view of the system in its entirety. We're exactly where we should be, Admiral. The source of the FTL anomaly is 400,000 kilometers off our starboard side. Quasi proclaimed, projecting his telepathic voice to the rest of the crew.

Nobody acknowledged him, however. Every Eldenian, Menneske, Ruuk-Hon, Kovaki, and Garoth on board were gaping at the planet before them. The sprawling, infective infrastructure of a civilization, dozens of ships hovering in orbit, and sublight communications in an unknown language saturating the space about them. Caste remembered, just a week before, laughing at the very concept, and now here he was, staring it right in the face.

Aliens.

Q-Quasi- Caste began hesitantly, before stopping and collecting himself. Quasi, prepare a hail, all languages. How long until they detect us on lightspeed sensors?

Approximately 8 minutes, Admiral. Quasi said, composing the message. Within 8 minutes, the aliens will know as much about us as we do about them.

Greetings, Unknowns
This is the fleet ECN Valiant
We come in acceptance

Telepathic communication, with calming feelings and a questioning tone

[Plzen]

-snip-

UNSC 12th Fleet, 60 million kilometres from New People's Land
01:51 Earth Standard Time, 10th July 2341

"It's a landing pad, admiral, not terribly different in design from the ones built on Mars in the late 22nd Century."

Well, that was interesting, thought Admiral Jørgensen. Did they want the probe to land? Hmm...

"Do we have ships capable of landing on a planet surface?"

The artificial intelligence replied swiftly, after running through the list of ships in the 12th Fleet.

"The manned ships have atmospheric drives in their excursion vehicles. Otherwise, no ships in the 12th Fleet is capable of landing on a planet surface and taking off again without maintenance and refusal on the planet itself."

Manned ships only...

"I'm going down there, then. Prepare an excursion vehicle for me, please."

"Admiral, that is not advised. Standard protocol is to negotiate with junior personnel..."

Admiral Sigrid Jørgensen smiled and faced the camera through which, she knew, the artificial intelligence assistance that ran this ship was watching her.

"I do not care in the slightest, my friend. Prepare a vehicle for me. I'm going down myself. Who knows? I might be expected to negotiate high-level policy."

The artificial intelligence paused. That meant heavy thought. Probably just weighing the risk of the Fleet Admiral going missing in action to see if it was worth the benefits, concluded the Admiral. The fact that she gave it such a direct order probably helped.

"Of course, admiral," the artificial intelligence finally responded. "What are your orders for during your absence?"

"Keep the 12th Fleet in reserve," Admiral Jørgensen responded, "and keep an eye on the status of the excursion vehicle I'm going down in. If you detect certain signs of hostile action against that vehicle, open fire."

The artificial intelligence stayed silent. The admiral checked again.

"Are we clear?"

"Yes, admiral."

The excursion vehicle was a small sphere of barely two and a half metre in diameter. Admiral Sigrid Jørgensen could barely fit her tall height into the seat. It took a few hours for the dice drop to kick her down to the landing pad, but eventually she stood, in full life support gear, staring at the strange city built by the alien forces that landed on this planet a few days before.

Well, I'm here, the admiral thought. What now?

[The Orson Empire]

Unknown System, Perseus Arm
Swift-class Research Vessel

"As I said before, there is no way we could take on their forces," the captain of the frigate would say in his comlink, after the Tagali admiral finished speaking. "In addition to that giant capital ship, they have got a fleet of 160 ships backing it up. Now, we could call up High Command and request they send a fleet or two out here, but I highly doubt that they or the Council would be willing to escalate this into a full-scale war."

"If anything, an alliance with the Tagali would be beneficiary," Dr. Kai replied. "The last major contact our species had with them was before the Zorgon invaded; since then, we have basically avoided each other. And now, suddenly, there are three nations out here."

There was silence for a moment, until the captain said,"Well doctor, this is your call. Do you still want to go through with this?"

"Hold on." Dr. Kai decided to send a reply to the Tagali admiral. "Well admiral, I take it you aren't here for recreational drugs. You must be here for the same reason we are here."

Earth, Sol System, United Nations of Sol

Roughly 1,000 years ago, before formation of the Covenant, an expedition was sent by one of the Cho'Dosan nations to a star system now known as Sol, located to the galactic north of Cho'Dosan space in the Orion Arm. On Earth, the only inhabited planet in the system, the Cho'Dosans observed the humans from orbit, who at that point in time were still in the Middle Ages. Intelligent life was already rare in the galaxy (especially in the Orion Arm), so a civilization like this was quite an amazing discovery. The explorers were divided about their opinion of the humans- some believed they were savages that would amount to nothing, while others believed that the intelligence of the human race would eventually allow them to make it into space. It was debated on whether to help the humans advance, leave alone, or simply conquer them. In the end, it was decided that the humans were to be left to their own devices, as it was much easier to settle planets without an intelligence species. Shortly after this decision was made, the Zorgon invaded Cho'Dosan space, and the humans were almost completely forgotten.

Recently, Earth's location and the details of the human race were rediscovered, and with the Covenant now dedicated to making contact with other nations and expanding its own domain, with the approval of the Covenant Council, it was decided that a probe would be sent to the Sol System to check on how humans had progressed over the past millennia. The probe, which was the size of a small starship and equipped with an energy shield and an array of advanced sensors, was deployed by a Thorea-class Destroyer near the northern Covenant border. After some time in warp, the probe exited warp in a high orbit around Earth, and immediately activated its sensors to scan for any nearby ships and the surface of the planet and its moon..

[Spindle]

Hangar Bay
The Watchtower
Mordon System

At her questions Ka'Del finished off its food, mandibles clicking in what might have been some form of satisfaction? And then it did something which surprised her. It nodded. Such a human gesture seemed bizarrely out-of-place on such an inherently alien creature, yet there it was! In some way, she supposed it made some sense that there would be a similarity in gestures - the face of the Xaei was the only placed she'd been able to observe anything like body language - but she hadn't expected the gestures to be the same.

But after a brief moment of digestion, whether of food or questions she didn't know, it launched into a series of answers. First things first: they were big and they were old. They'd been stable for about as long as Spindle had existed and that said all that she needed to know about their Empire. Second: they'd built up this much orbital infrastructure in a few years. That indicated an industrial capacity which Elizabeth didn't want to think about thinking about.

Third: they were sexless. Yet they had an Empress. Was it just that the feminine was the automatic assumption in their language or was there a cultural reason behind it? Either one would be interesting. Four: assisted monarchy. The Empress seemed to be the big kahuna and everyone else either did as they were told or tried to influence her to do as they wanted to. She was going to meet that self-same Empress. That gave her more leverage than most of the political players in the Union and if she could get a good impression in, Spindle would have a much easier time than otherwise.

Five: lifespans. Prolong meant that Elizabeth expected to live to four hundred and fifty, which was good for a recipient of fourth-generation prolong and explained why she looked more like a sixteen year-old than a twenty-four year-old. But five thousand years indicated medical technology far in excess of what Spindle had, which in turn impacted on nanitics, robotics and genetics. Either that or they had evolved with a long lifespan already. While she wanted to believe it was the latter, it would be better to assume the former for now.

Six: emphasis on honour and respectability. That meant there were unspoken rules of etiquette which were meant to be as natural as breathing. That was bad. The rules of etiquette ingrained into her were likely different from those considered normal among the Xaei, possibly vastly so. She was going to have to pick up everything she could as fast as she could from her own observations. There was an automatic problem, of course. They had mandibles: if there was unspoken signalling she'd have to learn to approximate that with her jaws or else forgo it entirely. Either way was going to pose problems: it was just a matter of degree.

Seven: Squishy-skin. Oh, God. She managed to keep a straight face at the name for a few moments, before a giggle broke through and then she was laughing uproariously. Doubling over in her seat, she waited until the laughter had died away before straightening up, wiping a small tear away from her eye. Her cheeks were glazed slightly red as she composed herself again, face settling back into a businesslike mask with only a hint of joviality behind the eyes and in the slight upturn in her lips.

"I'm sorry, Governor." She said after a few moments, "'Squashy' was not a word I was expecting to hear during these talks. It has a...less than formal ring to it. But yes, that answers my questions quite satisfactorily thank you."

The pad buzzed in her lap for a moment and she glanced at it. The screen was lit up, the words: "We're leaving" displayed on it. Nodding to herself, Elizabeth closed down the message and looked up to the Governor.

"The ship is gone." She said simply, and for a moment a crushing loneliness threatened her soul before she dismissed it, "What is the next stage of these talks?"

[Plzen]

-snip-

High Earth Orbit, Sol System, United Nations of Sol
19:40 Earth Standard Time, 9th July 2341

Earth (terrestrial planet)
Population: 3,947 millions
Colony Established: Ancient
Net Economic Output: 1.58 quadrillion Credits per year
Garrison Size: 5,121 Divisions Robotic (total 6.2 million Combat Drones and relevant support), 8,645 Orbital Defence Platforms
The home and capital planet of the human race and the densest clot of humanity within the borders of the United Nations. Although the planet is covered in industrial and agricultural manufactories, those sectors are still dwarfed by the massive service sector of Earth's economy.

The first reaction to the confirmation that an alien vessel emerged from hyperspace near Earth was panic. Aliens? Here in the core of human space? Absurd!

Admiral John Davis of the UNSC 2nd Fleet was the ranking officer of the number of military officers present in immediate range. As such, he took immediate control. He - or more accurately, his AI assistance - opened a connection to the nearest communication vessel, then through it to the other fleets in the Sol System.

Unlike in New People's Land, the aliens here would face the full might of the United Nations Space Command if it tried anything funny. Admiral Davis hoped that they wouldn't. Now, above four billion people, he found himself sincerely hoping that the incident in New People's Land was just a misunderstanding.

"This is Admiral John Davis of the UNSC 2nd Fleet," he broadcast to all human forces in the system, "broadcasting as the ranking officer of all forces present. Potentially hostile aliens have been reported in High Earth Orbit."

"Admiral Smirnov of the 3rd Fleet, since your forces are closest to the unknown alien forces, you will be responsible for initial contact with the unknown forces. Do not open fire until you have confirmed the forces' hostile intentions. Admiral Kim of the 7th Fleet, Admiral Ramirez of the 9th Fleet, and Admiral Saanka of the 14th, please adopt defensive posture and prepare for combat at maximum range."

"Now, colleagues, let's show these folks that Earth is a tougher target than our outpost colonies."

And one by one, the swarms of fleets moved.

[The V O I D]

Mordon System
Rakahno Sector
Xaei Union Space

Ka'Del was surprised when the woman laughed, and then explained her laughter. He did see how it could be humorous. However, it was surprising that she wasn't angry or afraid. That was the usual reaction if a guard thought such a thing. Not that it was common, but if it did happen, at least in the past, that was the reaction; anger or fear. Squishies were always so sensitive. Maybe these ones were different. Ka'Del shrugged it off, as she informed him that their 'human' ship had left the system, leaving her isolated. Ka'Del thought that was... odd. Nevertheless, he answered her question.

"Well, next, we prepare you to be brought before the Empress. We know that our species' culture may be a bit... alien to your own. So, to the best of our ability, we prepare you to meet Her Imperial Majesty. It would be our honor to do so. What frequency does that... pad work on? I'll have relevant data sent to you. I am not quite sure what is acceptable for females in terms of formality. I haven't gone to many formal events in quite some time. I'll have my son, Ci'Del, attend to your needs in terms of clothing. If there is anything else you may need, ask her- ah. I've just been informed that the fleet has arrived to take you to Xae. They've given us two hours to prepare you. I suppose I'll send someone to get my son.", he finished rattling off, and looked to a guard who nodded to wander off.

Ka'Del looked back at the Squi- damnit, that guard got him thinking about Squishies and their tastiness. Gods damnit. Ka'Del looked at the human. His mandibles twitched slightly in hope - perhaps hope things went well? - who knows. Ka'Del waited for the human woman to digest what he said, as it was likely a lot to take in that in two hours, she would be aboard a fleet taking her directly to the most powerful Xaei in the Union...

[The Republic of Atria]

Rhen Var

"You misunderstood me. We don't use nanotechnology because it's far too easy to weaponize. Something we simply don't want to do. Not because we don't understand it. It's quite simple really." Valan explained. "We do our best to refrain from using violence as a solution. As it's more often than not, costly, backwards, and inefficient. If absolutely necessary, we will defend ourselves, but conquest is something we abstain from. As it has no benefit for us. Your views are obviously different on the matter, but we understand. Some were not as fortunate as us." Just as he was a about to continue, a loud alarm sounded, signaling that something was going on in the Masaki territory. "How unfortunate. Please, do what you must to rectify this incursion. I will be in contact once you've finished. Please do not hesitate to ask us if you require resources or supplies." Valan finished. "I look forward to our next meeting Asumar. Door." He said as the bright yellow portal opened behind him and he went through.

"It was a success!" He exclaimed to his subordinates. "For the most part. We were interrupted by what appeared to be a hostile incursion on their territory, but they are very interested in forming an alliance with us. A momentous occasion. We shall celebrate! Return to the Capital." He commanded as all of his subordinates spent a few seconds cheering him on.


Pollux System

They wait for a few moments, but got no reply from their ship. This led to increased nervousness, but then something weird happened. The entire crew on the bridge heard voices in their head. "They're communicating by telepathy." Talas inferred. "Their auditory senses must be poor." It was a great relief for sure! "Greetings Captain Vapra Bin. This is Admiral Talas of Velocitus Empire. My sincerest apologies for the previous message. We had no idea you communicated via telepathy." The tone of the Jelarus seemed friendly enough, so she figured they were willing to overlook their mistake. "We detected a very large surge in activity in this sector, along with different ship signatures. So we decided that if everyone else was gathering, we may as well introduce ourselves.

While the first contact went a bit strange, the second one obviously was the stranger of the two. Instead of an audio or even video response from the crew, they got a video of a Frote running around acting like a playful animal. In their culture, Frotes were often kept as pets. "What on Velocitus..." Talas muttered. "What is the source of this video?" She asked one of the crew.

"Ma'am, it came from the other vessel. The larger of the two. They received our transmission, and I'm guessing that this is their response." He replied.

"Hmm." She thought for a moment. Their weapons weren't powering up, so it obviously wasn't a threat, and there were no viruses or other form of hacking code in the video file. So her best guess was that it was supposed to be a friendly gesture. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but find a video of a Frote playing, and send it back to them. It's likely we have a language barrier and communicating with these silly videos is the only thing we can do for the moment." She ordered. And what she requested was done. A video of the very same creature playing with a young Velocitian was sent in response.

[Spindle]

Hangar Bay
The Watchtower
Mordon System

It shrugged. The rolling motion of its shoulders was only partially similar to the human motion, but the nature and timing were too nice for it to be anything else. So...that was another similarity they had. This whole body language thing might just be easier than she was expecting. Or, she might be getting overconfident and making mistakes. She had nothing to support the idea that the shrug had been a human shrug and she wasn't going to base anything off of it until she had a more solid handle on their psychology and society.

But it was a start.

As the Xaei spoke, she filed everything away as best she could. Did they have some kind of...patronage system? Was she directly representing Ka'Del here, in some manner? That would explain the Governor's willingness to furnish her with what she needed so easily...or perhaps it was just a host-visitor thing. Either way, it was something she could use right now and she had every intention of doing so as she needed to. Plus, if she gave a good show here, and if that was directly reflected onto Ka'Del...gratitude was always a useful ally.

At the time limit for her to get everything she needed done done, Elizabeth felt her jaw clenching a little. Two hours. Two, short hours. That wasn't as much as she'd been hoping. Perhaps their FTL transit would give her some more time, but she couldn't count on it. She'd need everything ready by the time the Fleet arrived. And that meant that she had two hours to re-learn her rules of etiquette, pick out an appropriate outfit and read up on their internal politics.

It was just about doable, she supposed.

"Thank you." She smiled, "The pad operates on one hundred and twenty-seven gigahertz range. So...where will I be expected to be during our wait?"

[The V O I D]

Hangar Bay
The Watchtower
Mordon System

It shrugged. The rolling motion of its shoulders was only partially similar to the human motion, but the nature and timing were too nice for it to be anything else. So...that was another similarity they had. This whole body language thing might just be easier than she was expecting. Or, she might be getting overconfident and making mistakes. She had nothing to support the idea that the shrug had been a human shrug and she wasn't going to base anything off of it until she had a more solid handle on their psychology and society.

But it was a start.

As the Xaei spoke, she filed everything away as best she could. Did they have some kind of...patronage system? Was she directly representing Ka'Del here, in some manner? That would explain the Governor's willingness to furnish her with what she needed so easily...or perhaps it was just a host-visitor thing. Either way, it was something she could use right now and she had every intention of doing so as she needed to. Plus, if she gave a good show here, and if that was directly reflected onto Ka'Del...gratitude was always a useful ally.

At the time limit for her to get everything she needed done done, Elizabeth felt her jaw clenching a little. Two hours. Two, short hours. That wasn't as much as she'd been hoping. Perhaps their FTL transit would give her some more time, but she couldn't count on it. She'd need everything ready by the time the Fleet arrived. And that meant that she had two hours to re-learn her rules of etiquette, pick out an appropriate outfit and read up on their internal politics.

It was just about doable, she supposed.

"Thank you." She smiled, "The pad operates on one hundred and twenty-seven gigahertz range. So...where will I be expected to be during our wait?"

Mordon System
Rakahno Sector
Xaei Union Space

Ka'Del was about to answer her question when Ci'Del, his son, arrived. Ci'Del smiled at his father, walking over. Ka'Del stood as his son walked towards him. They bumped chests three times, and then banged heads once. And then they hugged. Was that a form of greeting? Was it a sign of respect for ones' brother or family member? It was hard to tell. Ci'Del looked over at her, and then at his father. Ka'Del nodded once.

"Hello, Duchess. I am Ci'Del. I shall be assisting you along with my cousins to get you ready to meet the Empress. Come, come. We must hurry.", Ci said, and Ka simply nodded at her. Ci pulled at her arm, rushing her quickly to go get ready. Ci was quite strong, but wasn't pulling so hard as to hurt her. He probably knew his limits and didn't want to hurt her by accident.

And then preparations began.

[Spindle]

Conference Room
The Watchtower
Mordon System

Glancing up, Elizabeth saw the new Xaei enter the room. It was hard to tell, but he seemed similar to Ka'Del. Similar patterns of carapace, similar colouration of the flesh, carapace and eyes. So was this Ci'Del? First-second naming system? Personal name and second name were used in the same breath under semi-informal conditions. Whether that indicated a more tribal, family-centric society or something else was anyone's guess, but given the fact that they used titles fluently, Elizabeth would have guessed the former was more likely.

The way the two greeted...certainly not a handshake. More like a fist-bump than anything else, which seemed oddly informal. But then, with those exoskeletons, they didn't need to worry about harming each other as much as they would need to with something without such protection. After a brief moment's thinking, Elizabeth's stomach plummeted as she realised that she was the one who didn't have that kind of protection. That could be awkward.

Ci looked her up and down before looking back to Ka, for permission maybe? Either way, once Ka nodded to give it the all-clear, Ki began pulling insistently on her arm. Following him down the corridor, Elizabeth felt the unreality of it all crash down upon her. She was about to participate in what would go down in history as one of the most important first contacts in Spindle's history. One way or another. Snapping back into the real world, they turned into an open room with a gaggle of other Xaei clustered around.

And then preparations began.

Selecting clothes. Oh, God, that was a nightmare. Xaei and Human cultural norms, and considerations of beauty and propriety, were close enough that they should have been easily grasped and different enough that it was frustrating to grasp. In the end, she'd ended up with a cream, dresslike garment which ended just after her knees and roughly echoed the exoskeleton of her hosts. Her hair had been the source of much attention and was piled on top of her head before cascading down her back in waves, something which seemed to bring the Xaei much pleasure.

Politics. Body language. Etiquette. Only marginally less frustrating. There were so many areas in which they were similar and yet so many ways they were complete opposites. It was infuriating. There were several times when she'd been tempted to hurl the pad away from her trying to grasp the labyrinthine manner in which seating arrangements were decided, stalled only by the knowledge of the importance of these negotiations.

History. The Union had been around a long time and she had nowhere near enough time to learn all of it. She had just about enough time to skim through most of it, although she had plenty of gaps in her knowledge, and pick out the key features of their history. Which seemed to be invasions of various other species and civilisations. Not the best backdrop to negotiations such as these, but something which had to be learned.

And then, in what could not possibly have been two hours, she was aboard on of the Xaein ships. Closing her eyes in her chair, she took a deep breath and practiced the greeting gesture she was supposed to do when she met the Empress. Her wrist didn't bend enough for her to go through it fully, so she had to twist her arm a little to get it done. Reverting back to a neutral position, she practiced the Xaein equivalent of waving goodbye. Oh, God. She was doing this. She was actually doing this.

[The V O I D]

Conference Room
The Watchtower
Mordon System

Glancing up, Elizabeth saw the new Xaei enter the room. It was hard to tell, but he seemed similar to Ka'Del. Similar patterns of carapace, similar colouration of the flesh, carapace and eyes. So was this Ci'Del? First-second naming system? Personal name and second name were used in the same breath under semi-informal conditions. Whether that indicated a more tribal, family-centric society or something else was anyone's guess, but given the fact that they used titles fluently, Elizabeth would have guessed the former was more likely.

The way the two greeted...certainly not a handshake. More like a fist-bump than anything else, which seemed oddly informal. But then, with those exoskeletons, they didn't need to worry about harming each other as much as they would need to with something without such protection. After a brief moment's thinking, Elizabeth's stomach plummeted as she realised that she was the one who didn't have that kind of protection. That could be awkward.

Ci looked her up and down before looking back to Ka, for permission maybe? Either way, once Ka nodded to give it the all-clear, Ki began pulling insistently on her arm. Following him down the corridor, Elizabeth felt the unreality of it all crash down upon her. She was about to participate in what would go down in history as one of the most important first contacts in Spindle's history. One way or another. Snapping back into the real world, they turned into an open room with a gaggle of other Xaei clustered around.

And then preparations began.

Selecting clothes. Oh, God, that was a nightmare. Xaei and Human cultural norms, and considerations of beauty and propriety, were close enough that they should have been easily grasped and different enough that it was frustrating to grasp. In the end, she'd ended up with a cream, dresslike garment which ended just after her knees and roughly echoed the exoskeleton of her hosts. Her hair had been the source of much attention and was piled on top of her head before cascading down her back in waves, something which seemed to bring the Xaei much pleasure.

Politics. Body language. Etiquette. Only marginally less frustrating. There were so many areas in which they were similar and yet so many ways they were complete opposites. It was infuriating. There were several times when she'd been tempted to hurl the pad away from her trying to grasp the labyrinthine manner in which seating arrangements were decided, stalled only by the knowledge of the importance of these negotiations.

History. The Union had been around a long time and she had nowhere near enough time to learn all of it. She had just about enough time to skim through most of it, although she had plenty of gaps in her knowledge, and pick out the key features of their history. Which seemed to be invasions of various other species and civilisations. Not the best backdrop to negotiations such as these, but something which had to be learned.

And then, in what could not possibly have been two hours, she was aboard on of the Xaein ships. Closing her eyes in her chair, she took a deep breath and practiced the greeting gesture she was supposed to do when she met the Empress. Her wrist didn't bend enough for her to go through it fully, so she had to twist her arm a little to get it done. Reverting back to a neutral position, she practiced the Xaein equivalent of waving goodbye. Oh, God. She was doing this. She was actually doing this.

Mordon System
Rakahno Sector
Xaei Union Space

The ship she was taken aboard was the Dawn of War, an odd name for a ship, but considering the species she was interacting with, maybe it wasn't. She was taken by various Xaei to a room that looked similar to a bedroom for her to rest in for the long journey ahead. Once she was settled, the Xaei began preparing for their FTL jump, which according to them could make one 'a bit woozy', although one of them jokingly suggested it made one 'almost throw out their stomach the first time'. The Xaei continued preparing, and eventually, the ships were off, headed in the direction of Xaei space.

Once the ships were in an optimal position, other ships from the fleet began zooming off into hyperspace or some form of FTL. The Dawn of War followed suit, and it was a bit woozy. The ship felt like it was standing still and yet also moving extremely fast at the same time, all the while somehow not throwing off one's balance. It was an odd mix of feelings that could easily be overwhelming for someone's first go at it. Luckily, in the room, they gave her a trash dump. They probably knew the first ride was going to be rough, especially for a 'Squishy', as one guard so elegantly put it.

Off to Xae they went. Hopefully, everything turned out well.

Xae System
Xae Sector
Xaei Union Space

The Xae System was a seven planet system, with two artificial space stations built about the size of planetoids to defend the system's edge. Each individual planet had two sets of Ring Defense Systems around them. Xae was the most defended, with several artificial stations and moons, as well as a Watchtower built into the planet's real moon, were around it. There were several Watchtowers in the system, and what looked like two large fleets dedicated to the defense of the system. Apparently, they used Star Dreadnought-class ships as the lead dreadnoughts for the fleets, with regular Carriers and Dreadnoughts acting as the main battleships of Xae's defense fleet. Obviously, nobody came to this system without the Empress' expressed consent.

Once the Dawn was in closer proximity to Xae, she could see that the planet itself had been altered to suit the Xaei's needs. It, itself, had been weaponized... ontop of its defenses. This severely signified the Empress' importance to the Xaei. The system had a single star, and that star looked like it had devices around it that seemed to be... 'feeding it'. As if the devices were somehow prolonging the star's lifespan or keeping it indefinitely 'healthy' for Xae, so as to never need to move the Empress. After a long moment, the Captain, Ra'Talon was his name? entered Elizabeth's room.

"We have arrived. A shuttle shall shortly take you to the Imperial Palace on Xae. There, you will be brought before the Empress to begin negotiations.", Ra said simply, before leaving. And, now, Elizabeth was in the heart of the storm that was the Xaei Union.

[Zeon Refounded]

Famreal System

The Commonwealth-class Fleet Carrier Valiant fell out of Transition, FTL particles losing energy and converting back to the matter all sane species view and interact with. The gleaming white hull reflected the light of Famreal's 3 visible stars as the bow cut through the gases of the Modesian Nebula, towards the massive black form concealed within. Antimatter and matter collided in a righteous blaze. Gravity tore space asunder as the two volatile forces balanced the other out, each end of the ship pulling against the other in equilibrium to allow the current one thousand meters per second acceleration without reducing the biotic members of the crew to so many pancakes upon the stern of the vessel.

Ahead of the massive construct an even larger construct awakened. The great maw of the Modesian Eldenian Habitat groaned in the silence of space as an opening the size of a small moon appeared from nothingness. Now released, the blue hypergiant Modesia bathed the Valiant in a welcoming barrage of light that created an aurora across the shields of the vessel. The Valiant flipped end over end and bled velocity, accelerating back towards empty space to avoid the gruesome fate of being scraped from the Modesian Core. That was generally not a note wished for in a captain's epitaph.

Slowing to a stop relative to the Habitat, the Fleet Carrier slowly accelerated to starboard and settled into waiting orbital docks. Metal grated and restraints locked as an unstoppable force met an immovable object, and at long last the crew of the military vessel were released to some well-deserved shore leave.

Almost before the oxygen had finished filtering in to the airlock, Admiral Clayte Detke stepped upon the embarkment elevator. As the ship had docked within the Habitat, and gravity in the Habitat fell towards Modesia, the crew were forced to board pods lowered down to the the entrances of the craft and ride up to the Habitat proper. Not quite as dignified as walking out the shuttlebay ramps onto soil upon victorious return to the Core System, but the Eldenians had little sense of style.

That is incorrect, sir, Sub-Admiral Quasi Fantasia, a holographic representation of the Eldenian appearing upon Clayte's corona chimed in. The Eldenians took great care in adapting our technology to fit biotic appearances of elegance and beauty, as you well know. In fact, the city of Modesia has been ranked as the greatest cultural work of the Commonwealth for much of the past century since-

Quasi, how many times do I have to remind you not to eavesdrop upon my thoughts? That time you even overrode my barriers to make a remark upon my opinions, Clayte sighed, as the elevator doors before him opened to reveal the expanse of an ECN shuttle bay. Rows upon rows of Asteroid and Meteor-class dropships sat in perfect order, while a perfect chaos of ordinance and crew members sat scattered around the light vessels.

My apologies, sir, Quasi said. I simply didn't realize that your claimed barriers were there. You really must work on your psionic abilities, sir, so that I may recognize where my mind ends and yours begins. Otherwise I simply cannot avoid hearing your insults to the Eldenian race. Why, my people are widely regarded as- The Eldenian trailed off as he realized that his Menneske counterpart had begun miming seppuku to Captain Jane Rogers, the cute blonde captain of the ECN Forward Progression, a Fleet Cruiser carried by the Valiant.

Next time you order anything other than Ruuk-Hon Seaweed, expect a cyanide cocktail instead! the irate intelligence exclaimed, vanishing into the Habitat mainframe for a brief escape from these disrespectful biotics.

"Careful, Admiral. Quasi doesn't have a sense of humor, so you should probably have Jenkins taste test your food for the next three weeks," Jane said with a laugh, matching the larger Menne's step. "That man'll probably just complain about the cyanide not tasting as it usually does. Speaking of poison, is there any intel on our next deployment that you can tell me about?"

Clayte chuckled, flashing a wink at the captain. "You know I can't tell you specifics until we're briefed, Jane, but let's just say we'll be out on an investigative mission next time. Rumor is it's farther out than any Commonwealth ship has been yet, and we're getting some funky FTL particle readings. Some are even saying that it's aliens" The two Menneske shared a laugh, finally disappearing into the corridors of the Habitat.

The belief was widely held that the Famreal Five were the only sentient races in the Galaxy, for obvious reasons. For starters, if advanced life existed, how had the Eldenians not detected them in their years of gazing to the stars, listening for any and all signs of life. And then there was the proof beneath their feet. It was obvious that Famreal was an artificially created system: the odds for such perfect orbits of the stars about the Famreal Singularity were astronomical, not to mention the perfect distribution of the races among the systems in said orbit, and that's even discarding how it was ensured that all five races developed at the same pace. There was chance, and then there was impossibility. The widely-held belief of the Menneske, Ruuk-Hon, Kovaki... Well, everybody but the Eldenians and Garoth, was that the Famreal system and the galaxy at large was a single large incubator for their civilization. All was artificially created by the Precursors before Eldenians had gained sentience within the nebulae of Famreal. The great filters were behind: The Menneske Nuclear Threat, the Fringe Conflicts, and most recently the jump into FTL space.

Thus, it led to reason that intelligent life, themselves, were the inheritors of this great expanse. Their rightful claim now lay before them, ripe for the taking. The incubation of the Eldenian Commonwealth had ended, and there was no internal stife known to Menne that could prevent them from claiming their inheritance.

Jump Point 1, Famreal System, 1 week later

Gases parted like water as the Valiant carved through the nebula of the Famreal system, making best speed towards an inconspicuous point in-between the Famreal Singularity and Modesia. Inconspicuous to the naked or augmented eye, that is. If looked at with a gravetic lens, the area directly before them would appear flat, completely shapeless against the massive depressions of Modesia and Famreal. The inconspicuous area functioned as one of the few points where the Transition drive would safely work, as the gravity from the two stellar bodies canceled out and formed a plane of pure gravitational equalibrium. Even Eldenians didn't want to look at the math required to jump while under gravity. Transition simply didn't work that way.

Clayte Detke strode onto the bridge of the Valiant, standard-issue combat exoskeleton clasped tightly to the undersuit he wore. The bridge of the warship was ablaze with red light as the Transition Alert blared away, even the seasoned crewmen he'd served with for the last 10 years gazing longingly at the exit doors. The 8'4" giant Jenkins even made a halfhearted attempt to walk out, armed with an excuse that he forgot his personal articles on the Habitat. Quasi was having none of the shenanigans, however, and Jenkins was soon back at the security control station muttering about the merciless cruelty of the Eldenians.

"All stations reporting in, Admiral. Awaiting your command to enter Transition." Shaakek Freeai stated from the Valiant's command chair. The Kovaki captain had one claw poised over the communications button, though it simply functioned as a failsafe for if the neural network of the crewman failed to communicate for whatever reason. Beside the hand hovered the form of Sub-Captain Ventri Silmaril, the Eldenian assigned to the Valiant.

"Engage." Said Clayte, settling back into his chair. He hated this part. Leave it to the Eldenians to make space travel a study in misery.

The front of the bridge disappeared. Where there was once gleaming metal, shining displays, and a portion of the bridge crew, there was now naught but empty space. Nobody screamed, however, and the bridge crew simply gazed at the emptiness as one would gawk at a particularly vile beverage. Meter by meter the Valiant and the ships contained within it were eaten away, until finally the tips of the engines disappeared into Transition.

From an outside viewpoint, however, it appeared that the ship had simply disappeared instantly. No view of the pained looks upon the crew's faces, no slowly-evaporating kilometer-long vessel. No trace but a storm of FTL particles. The Valiant had vanished until it transitioned back to Famreal.

Unnamed system, Origin of FTL signal

The Valiant fell out of Transition space, FTL particles reasserting themselves as solid matter once again as the great vessel groaned into the silent black. Throughout the bridge gagging could be heard as the various members of the crew tried with varying levels of success to hold down their latest meal. Poor Jenkins... Clayte thought as he watched the massive menne empty what seemed to be the remains of his spaghetti dinner onto the floor. Thank the Stars for automatic cleaning. Quasi, status.

The origin of the FTL anomaly seems to be coming from an object off our starboard side, sir. Ventri is charging the tachyon traps for a ping of the system. The Eldenian Sub-Admiral said, running over the data coming in from the light-speed sensors. Alerts sprung up about him as he opened various readings, the artificial being very nearly overwhelmed by the implications of what he was seeing. Captain, you're going to need to run a diagnostic on me... You won't believe what I'm receiving here.

Clayte pulled up the hologram before him, brow creasing across his forehead. "Ventri, ping the system to varify these readings, and Quasi, check our galactic coordinates. This can't be right."

Aye, Admiral, The AI chorused in unison, executing their respective tasks. With an audible *ding* to signal it the tachyon ping saturated the system, granting a real-time view of the system in its entirety. We're exactly where we should be, Admiral. The source of the FTL anomaly is 400,000 kilometers off our starboard side. Quasi proclaimed, projecting his telepathic voice to the rest of the crew.

Nobody acknowledged him, however. Every Eldenian, Menneske, Ruuk-Hon, Kovaki, and Garoth on board were gaping at the planet before them. The sprawling, infective infrastructure of a civilization, dozens of ships hovering in orbit, and sublight communications in an unknown language saturating the space about them. Caste remembered, just a week before, laughing at the very concept, and now here he was, staring it right in the face.

Aliens.

Q-Quasi- Caste began hesitantly, before stopping and collecting himself. Quasi, prepare a hail, all languages. How long until they detect us on lightspeed sensors?

Approximately 8 minutes, Admiral. Quasi said, composing the message. Within 8 minutes, the aliens will know as much about us as we do about them.

Greetings, Unknowns
This is the fleet ECN Valiant
We come in acceptance

Telepathic communication, with calming feelings and a questioning tone

System Reference-2412, Fourth Planet

On the fourth planet of SR-2412, a lightly populated frontier world, mining is the standard human occupation. Million of workers extract an average of twenty-two million metric tons of ore per day out of the planet's crust. The ore is then sent to refineries in space via space elevator or mass driver. Some of the ore is shipped to other systems, but most goes to the military shipyard in orbit. There the clones build hundreds of ships per day, mostly of the light cruiser variety.

The adjoining garrison, under the command of Captain RHU-9589, is home to 100,000 clone soldiers. Inside, the clones are going about their normal duties.

In the command room, Captain RHU-9589 asks the shipyard's AI controller for a status report.

It says, "Sir, all function are in the green. Counting a total of 1393 ships, completion ranging from 27% to 84%. One hundred more completed ships have been folded to their designated location. The system's patrol ships report all clear."

The Captain replies, "Affirmative. Continue monitoring."

"Always, sir."

He begins to reflect on his life up to this point. Born ten years ago at Cloning Facility 65, he was assigned as an ensign to the Fifth Battlegroup. Superior intellect to his fellow clones got him quickly promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade, then Lt. Commander, and finally to Captain. But unfortunately for him, his skills aligned with management the most, though his combat and logic skills were as high as any clones'. So instead of the Attack Force or the coveted Exploration Force, he was assigned to the Defense Force's resource division. He was given command of this system, its mines, and its shipyard. He felt pride at this important duty, but it was a bit... boring.

He sighs, then decides to check what the cafeteria has today.
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Neo Musai-class vessel, B-3764, on patrol duty

Petty Officer ERY-8647, a newborn of a few months, yawned as he watched the readings of his sensors and comms suite. He thinks, This is EXTREMELY boring. I have been sitting at this console since I was three days old. He shifted as ran a high frequency scan. Nothing. He leans back in his chair and stretches, when suddenly his equipment all begins to chime alerts that an unknown ship had just appeared. Shocked, he sends a report to the system HQ.
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The Garrison Headquarters

Captain RHU-9589 was eating when he was alerted to the presence of ALIENS. Abandoning his food, he rushes to the control room and gets a status update.

The station AI controller informs the Captain that alien are attempting to hail them. "Sir, it appears to be a single communication repeated in five languages. None are registered in our database."

He orders, "All ships standby, reactors at full power and cannon capacitors fully charged. Do not instigate, I repeat, do NOT instigate." To himself, A first contact scenario?! I wanted my job to be more interesting, but this is crazy...

He then felt a presence touch his mind.

Telepathic communication, with calming feelings and a questioning tone

His apprehension dropped several levels, but he was still in shock. Telepathy. He activates the intercom, "Commander DYR-9777, report to control room."

Once DYR-9777 arrives, the Captain orders him to psychically communicate with the aliens.

"Affirmative, sir", the commander replies. He then reaches out with his mind to the alien ship.

Telepathic communication, with feelings of curiosity, wariness, and heavy inquisitiveness.

[Ironsbad]

Unknown System,
1st Bastion Exploration Fleet
Fleet total, 1 Carrier( ANS Rickenbocker), 30 escorts, 500 wings,
Crew: 88,000 on carrier, 10,000 in escorts
Commander: Admiral Jim Travis Daniels

The dark void of space. The great walls that block the various stars in the galaxy and the galaxies themselves. To some people, it is mystery, the never-ending search for knowledge and adventure. To others, it was a manifest destiny, a symbol of a nation's pride to conquer. The Humans of Namos just think it's pretty and are curious to see what's out there. It has been years since they had contact with the rest of Human Space in the galaxy, with one of their spires picking up lone signals from other systems outside of their colonial range that it was only a matter of time for a UN spaceship were to find one of the Alliance's myriad colonies. First contact was establish and the Concordant got its first taste on just what their other nations had in store with them.

The UN knew that the Alliance had AI technology and automated factories that would make them close to their standards that they shut down generally all "nice" communications and threw the Alliance with the rest of Human Space in a cold war. The Alliance decided to keep it a secret that the Ringworld was a giant AI megastructure that all their AI research came from after saving the Ringworld. If the UN were to ever find that out, then they would seek to destroy the Ringworld. Because of this, the Humans of Namos had kept to themselves in try to keep themselves from starting a "rock war" as they held no ties for either the Sovereign Colonies or the United Nations.

However, holding this stance won't do well for the people, ever fearing a strike from the other two nations and the Admiralty had focused on getting an exploration fleet out to go see if there was other life out there than just gun-toting Human nation-states. One of the colonial admirals was eager to go out and explore the known galaxy, mostly since the colonies were much to see anyway off the occasional pirate gang getting kicked out of their space.
He was to go through three star clusters and report back on the findings.

It was a simple task for a simple prepared fleet, all they need to do is to see some starts, update charts and comeback. The first system from the colony made a simple jump, nothing but a few planets and an asteroid belt, the second system had nothing, but the third was different. The third system was unique as the Blue Mercury Drive folded the light barrier, space, and time around them and make sure they don't get crushed by the intense gravity of moving as fast as normal ships would, they entered the system by "bending" the local system's pull against them and got them to move out of the effect.

The carrier started to search through the deep scanners on anything that could resemble an anomaly. The wide range of the scanners made it show that they can make their work quick unless they need to send a party down on a planet to search for anomalies. One thing that they had saw was what could bee seen as ships. " Hey Admiral, we got something strange on the ole' radar. Might want to check this out." Jim head perked up as he was about to fall asleep on his chair from the boredom." Alright put it up, but I swear if its just an asteroid belt."

The sub-admiral just roll her eyes," ensign, please put it up on the projector." The ensign nodded and put up the deep sensors on the projector. The images looked big, warship big, and the images were growing in number as they indicated just what they were. " Ensign, put on the heat measurements, see if there any life on them, at least we can see." The heat sensors came on with the next scanner blast in the system and found that there were trace signs of heat coming from the ships. " There is heat sir." The admiral lean forward in his chair," yeah there is, now lets see if the readings are true. Ensign, send the usual binary code burst and see if something or someone's goin' to pick up the phone."

The burst was sent to the ship within 3-second intervals of 1s and 0s to see if the alien ship actually has life or not.

[Spindle]

Bedroom
Dawn of War
Transit

Elizabeth lay on her back, limbs sprawled around her body as the dress fanned out around her. Gazing blankly up at the ceiling she heard the voice coming from the pad, propped up on the cabinet next to her, informing her about the conquest and integration of the Malgo into the Union. She wasn't listening to it. Her mind was elsewhere, on the ramifications of this for her and for Spindle. Whether she was about to die or, worse, sign the death warrant for billions. And yet, through all of the possibilities, there was that silver thread which connected her to her goal. She could still do this. She was well-enough equipped to survive this - not just for her.

The door hissed open and Elizabeth sat up, hair falling down her back once more. One of the Xaei - the ship's Captain, she thought - was at the door. Rising to greet him, her face drew back a little as she heard the news. She'd spent the first few minutes after the arrival on the observation deck, watching the planet draw into view before her. Even now, the thought gave her shivers. They'd dug a trench perhaps ten kilometres deep into the crust of their planet and filled it with some kind of weapon. Beyond that, it was surrounded by glinting satellites and Squadrons of ships which outmassed anything Sindle could bring to bear.

And now she was headed down there. The doors sealed behind her and she realised that she was in the shuttle. When had that happened? Her stomach was churning nervously and forcing her to press her lips together into a thin line and take a deep breath. The Xaei assured her that it was transition sickness, but Elizabeth had a different diagnosis. She was about to negotiate with the Xaei Empress, the being which had committed genocide more times than the entirety of Spindle. She was absolutely out of her mind with fear.

And yet, when the feel of the shuttle's motion ceased, her face became warm and open, a facade which hid the turmoil underneath. A bright smile on her face, she took a deep breath as the shuttle's doors opened and the exit ramp deployed and strolled casually down the ramp, head held proudly as she prepared for whatever she would meet in the eye of the perfect storm.

[The Empire of Pretantia]

Somewhere in the Perseus Arm
Federation 12th Exploration Fleet (160 ships)
"Song of Paradiso" Federation Sargassi Class Capital Ship



It soon became apparent who the new arrivals were. They were the none other than ships of the Cho'Dosan Covenant and the Orso Empire. Both of these were large nations neighboring the Federation, but they had little contact. Admiral Qa-Zaria remembered learning about them during her youth, but they were a simple footnote in comparison to other events of the era. It was a thousand years before the common era. While the Federation had already been established for around 900 years, it was not the power it is today. It was a time of unrest and strife as rebellions erupted in the newly conquered Khrysian Confederacy. To make matters worse, the pirate systems of the Scra'Shn Principalities had united under one Pirate King, leading them on a bloody charge through the Inner Systems. During this time, the Federation made first contact with the Cho'Dosan, then a fledgling group of nations that had potential and had already a great influence in the region, rivaling the Federation that was on the brink of collapse. If it weren't for the Zargon attacking the Cho'Dosan, driving their attention to stopping their own extinction, the Covenant most likely would have taken over the Federation species or replaced it as the reigning Power in the Galactic West.

The darkest time in Cho'Dosan history became the Federation's second chance. After decades of inner turmoil, the Federation put down the rebellions, conquered the Scra'Shn, and entered a Golden Age of expansion and technological advancement that is still continuing today. In recent years, there has been very little diplomatic contact between the Federation and the Covenant. Occasionally, there would be a trade ship that goes between the two or pirate raids coming from both sides of the border on unsuspecting border worlds. Other than that, the two nations have stayed out of each other's way.

The Orso Empire was a different story. Orso was a relatively new power in the region, but a frightening one at that. While the Cho'Dosan and the Federation attained their power over thousands of years, Orso had done in only a few centuries. Records from the Human archives showed that they arrived in the region around the same time as the edge humans in the Federation, but while the Edge Humans focused on technology and traded with local species around them, the Orso Humans went a different path and expanded their domain through the art of war. Very little trade has occurred between the two and reports from undercover FIS agents enlodged in Pirate gangs told of raiding parties going across the border, only to be completely slaughtered or returning with a mere fraction of the crew they came back with. This has led the Federation to leave Orso alone for the moment, letting sleeping dragons lie, as you will.

Admiral Qa-Zaria sat down in her captain's chair, crossing her legs. She ordered the the Comms officer to open a commlink with the other two parties in the system. On their bridges, a video of the Tagali Admiral sitting in her chair.

"Well, we weren't expecting this spot to be as popular as it is. We're here on official Federation business. We're searching for something planet side. I suggest you both stay out of our way."

Meanwhile, the presence of so many ships in the system activated a defense mechanism of sorts. On the planet, something large began to move around under the surface. Unknown the the fleets, all travel in and out of the system was inhibited as jammers had activated throughout the system.

The beast awakens

Ravensburg would have none of that. The Empire knew neither nation well, but what Chromesthesians and trihumans said about them. A few times in the past some trihuman kingdoms tried pushing into the Near South where the Federation resided, long before the Orso Empire began conquering them. Their records on the wars were well-kept, from formations to strategy; both theirs and the Federation's. Every recorded campaign in the Near South was a disaster for the Kingdoms, with the defeated belligerents returning home full of holes in their mechs and their egos. Every report described the superiority of Tagali battlesuits to their own armor, and they defeats apparently left such a dent that captured soldiers often asked grenadiers if they were using Tagali technology. Outside of freelance traders, the Orso Empire hardly spoke to the Federation, only sending and receiving a mission every now and then. There was no point in making enemies of them, since expansion into the Near Frontier would be easier than trying to wrestle for worlds in the Near South; but there was also no reason to stay out of their way. What were they going to do if the Order followed, start a war?

For both the Covenant and the Federation, Ravensburg didn't really care if they didn't want to be followed. They would might as well try holding an elephant back. The Order would see what they were up to, whether they liked it or not.

"Make no mistake Admiral, I won't inhibit your mission here so long as it doesn't work opposite to my duties. However, I insist your teams be watched by a knight of our Empire. I don't trust you enough to let you conduct suspicious endeavors right under my nose, and regardless of the issue of trust a grenadier is a good shield in case you run into anything larger than you."

[The Orson Empire]

Earth, Sol System, United Nations of Sol

On the Thorea-class Destroyer that deployed the probe, the captain and various naval personnel would observe the data being sent in from the probe in the destroyer's war room, which was on the level below the bridge. On various screens throughout the room, live images of Earth were shown, the number of ships and stations in the local area around Earth were shown, and even the comms chatter from their ships.

After a long silence as the data came in, an officer would be the first to speak. "We have detected 8,645 orbital platforms, likely used for defense of the planet. It is unclear if we have detected any large vessels or not, but scans from the probe reveal that they have millions of small combat drones in the local area."

"These humans have come quite a long way since we first made contact with them," a female officer would say as the captain viewed images of Earth, which showed that there were numerous cities across the planet.

"This is somewhat shocking," the captain would say. "1,000 years ago, we were debating whether or not these people would amount to anything. Now, they have discovered space combat."

"Captain, I am sorry to interrupt, but they appear to be preparing their forces for combat! There are swarms of those drones heading towards our probe!"

"Send the message out immediately!"

A few minutes later, the probe would begin broadcasting a comprehensive message on various frequencies to the human fleets in orbit and to the surface below. Included in the message was an updated dictionary of the Cho'Dosan language (so that the humans could understand them), images of Earth, its cities and inhabitants taken during the first expedition some 1,000 years ago, and images of the Cho'Dosans and their own society.

[The V O I D]

Bedroom
Dawn of War
Transit

Elizabeth lay on her back, limbs sprawled around her body as the dress fanned out around her. Gazing blankly up at the ceiling she heard the voice coming from the pad, propped up on the cabinet next to her, informing her about the conquest and integration of the Malgo into the Union. She wasn't listening to it. Her mind was elsewhere, on the ramifications of this for her and for Spindle. Whether she was about to die or, worse, sign the death warrant for billions. And yet, through all of the possibilities, there was that silver thread which connected her to her goal. She could still do this. She was well-enough equipped to survive this - not just for her.

The door hissed open and Elizabeth sat up, hair falling down her back once more. One of the Xaei - the ship's Captain, she thought - was at the door. Rising to greet him, her face drew back a little as she heard the news. She'd spent the first few minutes after the arrival on the observation deck, watching the planet draw into view before her. Even now, the thought gave her shivers. They'd dug a trench perhaps ten kilometres deep into the crust of their planet and filled it with some kind of weapon. Beyond that, it was surrounded by glinting satellites and Squadrons of ships which outmassed anything Sindle could bring to bear.

And now she was headed down there. The doors sealed behind her and she realised that she was in the shuttle. When had that happened? Her stomach was churning nervously and forcing her to press her lips together into a thin line and take a deep breath. The Xaei assured her that it was transition sickness, but Elizabeth had a different diagnosis. She was about to negotiate with the Xaei Empress, the being which had committed genocide more times than the entirety of Spindle. She was absolutely out of her mind with fear.

And yet, when the feel of the shuttle's motion ceased, her face became warm and open, a facade which hid the turmoil underneath. A bright smile on her face, she took a deep breath as the shuttle's doors opened and the exit ramp deployed and strolled casually down the ramp, head held proudly as she prepared for whatever she would meet in the eye of the perfect storm.

Imperial Palace, Xae
Xae System
Xae Sector
Xaei Union Space

The first thing she'd notice when she stepped out is that it was somewhat hot. The planet felt like it might be eighty degrees fahrenheit. The Imperial Palace, based on where the shuttle landed, was some miles away from the equator and their weapons. So, the equator was likely over a hundred degrees. A set of Imperial Guards walked over, greeting her, as she was escorted into the Palace. She was brought into what looked like a large Throneroom. The Imperial Palace itself was beautiful; aesthetically pleasing on the outside and the inside. Bright colored banners with the Union's symbol draped down on columns and walls. Everything was... marvelous. After being brought into the Throneroom, she was brought to up the stairs to the Empress' throne. She was brought to a chair across from the Empress' throne. The Empress' throne was about three steps up, however, it was a minor height difference, it would force the Duchess to look up to the Empress, and allow the Empress to look down upon her.

A moment later, the Empress entered. She was dressed in a very large, fancy dress; it was beautiful, multicolored and complimented her every feature. Her eyes were oddly a bright orange color in compliment to the usual yellow of a Xaei. This was Hae'Xen, the most powerful alien in this civilization. Empress Hae'Xen walked up to her throne, sitting down. As she did, the Imperial Guards of the room knelt down, bowing their heads, and began clicking their mandibles loudly. The Empress raised her hand, and they ceased, but did not rise. The Empress' hard eyes, all six of them, finally focused upon Elizabeth. Her undivided attention focused on her, her eyes piercing through her like plasma beams.

"Greetings. I am Empress Hae'Xen of the Xen Dynasty, ruler of the Xaei Union.", she said formally, her voice elegant and smooth. She then waited for Elizabeth to introduce herself.

[The Greater Gambia]

Ravensburg would have none of that. The Empire knew neither nation well, but what Chromesthesians and trihumans said about them. A few times in the past some trihuman kingdoms tried pushing into the Near South where the Federation resided, long before the Orso Empire began conquering them. Their records on the wars were well-kept, from formations to strategy; both theirs and the Federation's. Every recorded campaign in the Near South was a disaster for the Kingdoms, with the defeated belligerents returning home full of holes in their mechs and their egos. Every report described the superiority of Tagali battlesuits to their own armor, and they defeats apparently left such a dent that captured soldiers often asked grenadiers if they were using Tagali technology. Outside of freelance traders, the Orso Empire hardly spoke to the Federation, only sending and receiving a mission every now and then. There was no point in making enemies of them, since expansion into the Near Frontier would be easier than trying to wrestle for worlds in the Near South; but there was also no reason to stay out of their way. What were they going to do if the Order followed, start a war?

For both the Covenant and the Federation, Ravensburg didn't really care if they didn't want to be followed. They would might as well try holding an elephant back. The Order would see what they were up to, whether they liked it or not.

"Make no mistake Admiral, I won't inhibit your mission here so long as it doesn't work opposite to my duties. However, I insist your teams be watched by a knight of our Empire. I don't trust you enough to let you conduct suspicious endeavors right under my nose, and regardless of the issue of trust a grenadier is a good shield in case you run into anything larger than you."

The Admiral rolled her eyes. She hated the idea of having foreigners making demands of her, and his insinuation that their soldiers were better than the men and women of the Federation didn't help matters. However, she didn't wish for a diplomatic incident and the chaos and paperwork it would bring, so she decided to play along for now.

"Fine, we'll allow your Knight to land planet side. Here are the coordinates to our landing point. Just remember that this is unclaimed space and you have no authority here." A set of coordinates were sent to the Orso fleet, as well as the Covenant. Meanwhile, a Neograd Support Vessel separated from the fleet, along with its escort of TFSS-1 "Kitsunes". They landed on the planet in a large grassland in the southern hemisphere. They quickly established a small base of operations on the planet, unloading equipment and vehicles to scout out the planet. For security, Federation Marines had been deployed to secure the area, along with the Kitsunes.

[The Orson Empire]

Ravensburg would have none of that. The Empire knew neither nation well, but what Chromesthesians and trihumans said about them. A few times in the past some trihuman kingdoms tried pushing into the Near South where the Federation resided, long before the Orso Empire began conquering them. Their records on the wars were well-kept, from formations to strategy; both theirs and the Federation's. Every recorded campaign in the Near South was a disaster for the Kingdoms, with the defeated belligerents returning home full of holes in their mechs and their egos. Every report described the superiority of Tagali battlesuits to their own armor, and they defeats apparently left such a dent that captured soldiers often asked grenadiers if they were using Tagali technology. Outside of freelance traders, the Orso Empire hardly spoke to the Federation, only sending and receiving a mission every now and then. There was no point in making enemies of them, since expansion into the Near Frontier would be easier than trying to wrestle for worlds in the Near South; but there was also no reason to stay out of their way. What were they going to do if the Order followed, start a war?

For both the Covenant and the Federation, Ravensburg didn't really care if they didn't want to be followed. They would might as well try holding an elephant back. The Order would see what they were up to, whether they liked it or not.

"Make no mistake Admiral, I won't inhibit your mission here so long as it doesn't work opposite to my duties. However, I insist your teams be watched by a knight of our Empire. I don't trust you enough to let you conduct suspicious endeavors right under my nose, and regardless of the issue of trust a grenadier is a good shield in case you run into anything larger than you."

The Admiral rolled her eyes. She hated the idea of having foreigners making demands of her, and his insinuation that their soldiers were better than the men and women of the Federation didn't help matters. However, she didn't wish for a diplomatic incident and the chaos and paperwork it would bring, so she decided to play along for now.

"Fine, we'll allow your Knight to land planet side. Here are the coordinates to our landing point. Just remember that this is unclaimed space and you have no authority here." A set of coordinates were sent to the Orso fleet, as well as the Covenant. Meanwhile, a Neograd Support Vessel separated from the fleet, along with its escort of TFSS-1 "Kitsunes". They landed on the planet in a large grassland in the southern hemisphere. They quickly established a small base of operations on the planet, unloading equipment and vehicles to scout out the planet. For security, Federation Marines had been deployed to secure the area, along with the Kitsunes.

As the coordinates were transmitted to the Covenant ships, Dr. Kai smiled while the other scientists would make preparations for landing. "That was easier than I thought it would be," she would say over the comms.

"It's not over yet. You still need to figure out a way to secure the technology cache," the captain would reply. "If you need additional security, just tell us and I will send a transport full of marines down."

"We just have to get there first. And don't worry, as this isn't our first time doing this."

The research vessel's engines would be shifted 180 degrees in the opposite direction, and the engines, along with the ship's gravity/anti-gravity generators would slow down the speed of the ship just enough that it could de-orbit and enter the planet's atmosphere. Some time would pass, and the ship would eventually enter the upper portion of the atmosphere. The ship would continue flying until it had reached the designated coordinates of the Federation's landing point, and the ship finally touched down.

As the ship's engines powered off, several of the doors would open and Dr. Kai and some of the scientists stepped out onto the grassland, while others would begin unloading various equipment and vehicles for exploration purposes. Dr. Kai was initially surprised at how clean the air was on this world and how pristine the environment was; the planet she came from was crowded with dense cities, and smog was always present in the air. Even after all of her missions, it still shocked her.

The scientists would look up and watch as Federation vessels touched down near them.