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Perhaps A Harvest, Mayhaps a Drought (Beyond Earth Only)

A staging-point for declarations of war and other major diplomatic events. [In character]
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Perhaps A Harvest, Mayhaps a Drought (Beyond Earth Only)

Postby Jovian Coalition » Wed Dec 11, 2024 2:39 pm

Attention for Marimaia in patucular. This is an rp for Beyond Earth: A Future Tech Community. If you wish to join, you may apply in the linked thread.

Sol Star System
Jupiter, Europa's Gemstone
Head Councilor Aspen Vogel
December 12th, 2265


It had been a little over a month since Jupiter 'lost' Carpo to the hands of the United Nations and Serendipity Mining Incorporated.

A lot of that blow had been softened by a combination of the last Head Councilor's disappearance, the election of Vogel, and the sheer amount of locals Serendipity had taken under their wings for the task of extracting the Quantium-40 and prospecting more of the moon to see if there were any other deposits hidden underneath the crust of the Carpo. The law wasn't yet settled, but by all reports Vogel was getting, that executive that tried to land grab at Jovian territory was getting put through the wringer.

It was all going well.

Yet they were still unhappy. And by most of the reports they were getting, so was the Coalition. It was the small things, the ways the news reported things, the way the people reacted when polled, the whispers and rumors of representatives speaking in hushed tones in the passages of the capital. They didn't want to brag, but they'd always had a closer ear for the populations they served, knowing the lingo, hearing the news, understanding the frustrations. And even the generally happy people of Spot's Rest were unusually frustrated over a moon most settlements couldn't even see in the night sky.

The blow was softened, yet there was still a bruise. A cut to the ego that needed some tending before it became worse, infected with the frustration and resentment that had birthed their fine nation.

Which was why they were here in this conference room, a new Council to watch over a project that should restore the happiness of Jupiter while expanding its influence. A distraction for sure, but something that should only benefit them.

They look up at the people gathered for this project.

"Alright, I've given you all enough time to read the proposal. Thoughts?" They asked as they leaned forward.

The various representatives looked around at each other, a bit nervous. This was the first time their new Head Councilor had called on any of them, and they feared a possibly bad reaction.

"Come on, I didn't invite you all to be space fillers. Please, speak your mind." Vogel further prompted.

Military Council Head Rylan McTavish-Ganymede spoke up first. "Its might be asking a bit much from our fleet to protect such an outpost. Right now, Ceres is in a good spot as Jupiter and Ceres should be at their closest approach in like... what, a few months?" He glanced down at the notes before him. "So that means we'll be in prime position for a little while to exploit it, but Ceres has an orbital period of like 4.5 Earth years, while ours is around 11. We will probably fall out of sync with it fast."

"What do we even plan on doing with it?" Council member Marie Donovan spoke up. "I mean I was on the Voting Council for Jove's sake, I don't usually deal with stuff like this. Are we trying to find more ores or something? Don't we still have like 40 minor moons we could exploit for that?"

"This is a new Council." Vogel pointed out. "And representatives can be on multiple councils at once. You're a smart gal, why are these people here?" They motion around the table.

Donovan looked around at the people present, puzzled but obviously engaged. "We have the Military head, a former Resource Extraction..." She paused as she looked at the man sitting across from her. "Where are you from? I don't remember your election."

The severe-looking man grinned. "One of the only positions that isn't up for vote Ma'am. Intelligence. Call me Greg by the way."

The woman sat back, shocked. "Why I..."

Greg's smile fell off his face. "There are some things that work smoother if you pick people carefully. Intelligence is one of those sectors that can't risk the infighting inherent to our system. Trust me, I wouldn't be here in Mx. Vogel didn't think I was needed."

Donovan squinted at him before looking back at the Head Councilor. "Its a watch post?"

Rylan nodded. "Correct. We can always use more information on the inner system and while our sensors are quite well tuned... we are an outer system power. Spies and news collection can only do so much, having a posting roaming the border between inner and outer system can be useful."

"Not to mention it'll be far closer to the inner planets than we'll be when Jupiter reaches aphelion." One of the others down table spoke.

Vogel straightened. "And frankly, Jupiter needs a win of some sort. Carpo is effectively Earth's until we can get around to wrestling it from their control without starting a war. If we start making 'moves' in system, then this will appear to be Jupiter’s way of showing we are not allowing the UN to smother us."

The various council members looked at Vogel, a combination of hope and stress on their faces. They almost had them.

"That is why I am calling this Council the Jovian Harvest Council." They said, noticing the grin return to Greg's face.

"Harvest? We aren't doing crops!" Donovan objected.

"No, its a reference to Ceres, the goddess of the harvest, the place we are taking under our wing." Vogel replied. "Might as well bring the family back together, don't you think?"

Donovan looked a little confused for a second before the realization hit her. "Oh! Yes!"

Got them.
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Postby Marimaia » Sun Dec 15, 2024 9:42 am

December 13th, 2265
The Chancellory
Political District, Marinopolis
Mars, Martian Confederacy

Of course, the Martian Confederacy held a slightly different view of the 'Carpo Incident'. Due to the speed of events, the Confederacy had been unable to do much more than observe as the United Nations of Earth had expanded their influence within the Solar System, and it did not sit well with them. The Martian desire to compete with Earth as the preeminent power in the system meant that something had to be done, some form of action taken to show the rest of the Solar System that Mars was not so easily bypassed. To that end, Defence Minister Marshal Andrey Dvornikov had been devising the so-called 'Operation Reassertion'. He was now addressing the assembled Confederate Council about the specifics of the plan, inwardly enjoying every second of it. The Confederate Council was comprised of sixteen individuals (including Dvornikov), one representative for each of the fifteen territories of the Confederacy and one representing Hwaseong Industries, Mars's omnipresent single megacorporation that dominated the Confederate economy. Dressed in an immaculate black officer's uniform with gold and red trim, the six-foot-one Dvornikov cut a stern figure with his greying moustache and officer's hat firmly secured on his head. The sixty-year-old's numerous medals lightly jingled every so often as he gestured towards the ceiling-to-floor display screen that occupied one wall of the Council Chamber, while the other fifteen members sat at a long black conference table, First Chancellor Amelia Zhang naturally seated at the head of the table.

"May I present to you...Operation Reassertion. Following the UN's acquisition of Carpo in the Jovian Coalition, I think that we all agree upon the need to remind everyone that Mars is a true power and not one to be ignored or bypassed. If the UN can expand, then so can we." The display changed to show Mars and various celestial objects within the Confederacy's vicinity. "It is time for the Martian Confederacy to move into the Main Belt."

First Chancellor Zhang cocked an eyebrow at that. The sixty-one-year-old was dressed in a black trouser suit, her shoulder-length dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail that had been draped over her left shoulder. "Marshal, I suspect that you're not proposing grabbing a handful of the closest possible asteroids. Where exactly do you propose we expand to?"

"Ah, First Chancellor, an excellent question!" Dvornikov pointed to the display. "I propose that we begin by annexing Vesta. She's the closest of the 'minor planets' to Mars, and she would make for an excellent staging post. Oh, and of course, an excellent mining site that I'm certain Hwaseong Industries would be interested in." He gestured towards Minister for Commerce and Finance Milo Woodward, who was the megacorporation's representative on the Council. After receiving an affirmative nod from Woodward, Dvornikov continued. "As Vesta is uninhabited and Mars is the closest power to her, annexing her will be as simple as landing and planting our glorious flag. Once Vesta has been acquired, we can look to the true prize of the Main Belt...Ceres."

He took First Chancellor Zhang's leaning forward as a sign to continue. "Ceres would be a true propaganda coup. The largest minor planet in the Main Belt. A source of not only potential mineral wealth, but also an ideal base from which Hwaseong could expand mining operations throughout the Main Belt. Annexing Ceres would show the rest of the Solar System that we truly are a power to be reckoned with."

"Hmm." First Chancellor Zhang sat back in her chair. "It certainly sounds promising, Marshal. As they are both unclaimed, the Earthers cannot really oppose our interest in Vesta and Ceres, particularly because Martian acquisition of both would in no way be a threat to them. The Jovians, on the other hand...what would we do if they opposed us?"

Dvornikov chuckled at the thought. "What we do with anyone who opposes us, First Chancellor. Sweep them aside."

"I suspect that that would be easier said than done, Marshal. Even with our formidable military forces. Still, you have my initial approval to proceed. Vesta is unlikely to provide any real issue, but should there be issues regarding Ceres, I expect to be informed immediately."

Dvornikov gave a slight bow of the head. "Of course, First Chancellor. Your office will be kept updated at all times."

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Sun Dec 15, 2024 1:50 pm

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
JNS Skipped Turn
Commander Daine Forest
December 15th, 2265



Commander Daine Forest wasn't quite sure if she understood the entire idea behind why they were headed out here.

She was the commander of this little convoy, a couple destroyers (one of which was hers) and couple of the newer frigates that could survive out this far from Jupiter, and some civilian transports with the mining and base building equipment they would need to set up their base on Ceres. The little convoy had left Jovian airspace their course directly plotted to intercept the Asteroid Belt object here shortly.

When the Military Council had pulled her aside and given her the job, she was both pleased, as it meant they were considering her for promotion, and a bit of dread, as she had no idea exactly where she was going to be promoted to. The 10 normal cruisers were prized spots but Forest hadn't heard a single rumor about any of their Captains retiring soon. Taking over Advent would be one hell of a boon but usually you needed experience with an actual cruiser first not to mention the frustration of the position. Being in control of Jupiter's strongest warship only to constantly be looping the planet on a patrol that never really ended, never able to use the strength of the ship for anything but the enforcement of the Treaty of Mars and maybe a few small outliers. Was she really going to go to a desk job after this? Seemed likely unless they were building another cruiser somewhere Forest and the Fleet didn't know about.

"We're in visual range of Ceres now Ma'am."

Forest stopped her brooding. She could worry about her 'reward' for this job later.

"Put it on screen, lets take a look."

As the dwarf planet was thrown to visual, it was actually quite interesting. She knew Ceres didn't have anything quite as amazing as an atmosphere, but the angle at which they were approaching made the light from the sun reflect strongly off the Occator Crater, making for a bright shimmering spot on the dull rock. Forest thought it a fun feature, and she wondered if she could go take a look at it in person at some point once everything was set up. They wouldn't be too far from it, not only could she fly down from her ship but the initial base would be set up in a basin called Ezinu, with good access to the Hanami Palnum and the flatter areas of the Vendimia Planitia.

"What exactly is the Occator bright spot made of?"

"Brine Ma'am." Her tactical officer said.

"Thank you Lieutenant. Now, if the transport yell for help, we'll be here, but for now park us in orbit and keep an eye out for any trouble."
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Postby Marimaia » Tue Dec 17, 2024 7:23 am

December 16th, 2265
CSS Martinus, Expeditionary Force Alpha
Vesta, Main Belt

Captain Daimana Kandui swelled with nationalistic pride as her destination came into view. With a mean diameter of 525 kilometres, Vesta was one of the largest objects in the Main Belt (as Mars referred to the Asteroid Belt that existed between themselves and Jupiter) and constituted an estimated 9% of the Belt's mass. While being completely uninhabited, Vesta's status as the Confederacy's first target for expansion meant that a suitably impressive military presence had been deemed necessary for the operation. Even though they were highly unlikely to encounter any resistance of any kind, Expeditionary Force Alpha was a formidable assemblage of firepower. Led by the Orcus-class dreadnaught CSS Martinus, the force also included two Timor-class cruisers, four Huygens-class destroyers, and a small number of construction and transport ships. Overkill in its purest form, but an excellent sight for the imminent propaganda announcements and news broadcasts. The seven gunmetal-grey military vessels continued their steady advance until they finally arrived within orbital range of the rocky protoplanet, at which point Captain Kandui issued orders for the force to adopt their predetermined positions.

This is it, she thought to herself. The first conquest in Confederate history. She was not only proud of her participation because she was a true Martian patriot, but also because she knew that her name would now be recorded forever in the history books. She observed with satisfaction as the six other military vessels of the force adopted what appeared to be a defensive ring around Vesta, while the Martinus hung over the protoplanet like a bird of prey hovering before striking. "Any other vessels in the area?"

A member of the Martinus' bridge crew checked the scanner display before shaking his head. "Nothing, Captain. Landing can begin without any interruptions."

"Excellent."

A few minutes later, a Confederate Marine Corps dropship launched from one of the bays of the Martinus, taking only a short time to descend to the surface of Vesta. Upon achieving a textbook landing, the dropship's airlock opened and a squad of Marines disembarked, clad in their military-issue spacesuits. As one of them filmed their actions for posterity, the rest quickly located a prime spot and erected a flagpole with a rigid depiction of the Confederacy's flag. Thus, Vesta was claimed by the Martian Confederacy. The footage was quickly uploaded for transmission back to Mars, where it was certain to become a cause for celebration. The military vessels of the expeditionary force remained in place as the construction and transport ships began to move into position, intent on establishing a more visible and identifiable Martian presence on the Confederacy's newest acquisition.

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Tue Dec 17, 2024 9:51 am

Sol Star System
Ezinu Basin, Ceres, Asteroid Belt
Base ‘Fields of Gold’
December 17th, 2265



Base ‘Fields of Gold’ was currently a messy structure, half built into the side of Ezinu Basin. In order to protect the base from the radiation of space and generally make life easier for those that’ll be working here so far away from home, the surveyors had quickly decided a base mostly buried in the rock and ice would serve better than a habitat dome. While Ceres being mildly closer to the sun meant the dome wouldn’t have to work as hard as those on Jupiter’s moons, the gravity of Ceres combined with a lack of protection from even a giant gas planet would make it too vulnerable. Buried was better.

“First time I’ll be away from home for Christmas.” One of the workers said after they finished burying the support for this part of the cavern into the rock.

“Aye, first time for me too.” The foreman said as he scanned the support, making sure it was properly set and secure. “Why do think we set up the temporary quarters so fast?”

“Thought it was just SOP.” another one of the crew said as they moved to the next marker with their tools.

“It kind of is. We would have shuttled you up to the ships these first few days, but that’s often uncomfortable and cramped.” The foreman said, signing off on the support.

“Like it isn’t down here?” Someone said, to the laughter of the group.

“We got more room without having to worry bout the ship crew.” Their boss grinned at the quip. “Come on, it’s late, I kept ya at this a bit too long. Don’t worry, overtime pay for the extra time is automatic. Let’s go back and relax for the rest of the night.”

The crew chatted as they made their way through to where the front of the base of the base way. Intended eventually for a ‘greeting center’ and front lobby/ observation area of the basin, this area had been set up in record time (though in a fashion that probably meant it was prone to be shifted around day-to-day as further construction finished it off.)

As they stripped off work clothes covered in dust and grime, took small showers to make sure they didn’t carry in their work, and changed into off duty clothes they finally reentered the living area.

“By Father Jove…..”

The workers looked around their living area, the halls which had been bare when they went to work now covered in traditional faux-pine garlands, ribbons of purple and blue woven around them while strands of warm colored lights played colors across the walls, occasionally one or two would twinkle.

“Shit man, is this really why you kept us late?”

The foreman nodded. “Aye. It was surprise from the big boss, Commander Forest. She saw the time table and knew that going home for Christmas wasn’t going to be possible. So she hauled out some decorations and had some of crew send down today to put em up. They got a tree in the common area too.”

“It’s just like my station was when I was a kid.” One of the workers said softly. “It’s beautiful.”

“I’m not supposed to tell ya this, but we also got a feast prepped for the 25th too.”

“Do we get spiked Eggnog too!?” One asked, sounding excited.

“Yep!”
Last edited by Jovian Coalition on Tue Dec 17, 2024 9:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby Marimaia » Wed Dec 18, 2024 10:49 am

December 17th, 2265
The Chancellory
Political District, Marinopolis
Mars, Martian Confederacy

As far as the general Martian population were concerned, the Confederacy had just achieved something of greatness. The government-controlled news and information media heralded the claiming of Vesta as the 'first bold step towards further Martian greatness', playing up the efficiency and professionalism of the military personnel involved. Several news specials were broadcast to highlight the potential benefits of having Vesta under Martian administration, while various government experts were trotted out to explain precisely why the Confederacy had been completely entitled justified in annexing the protoplanet. Thus far, Operation Reassertion had gone exactly according to plan. Unfortunately for the Martian authorities, they then discovered that their all-conquering gloriousness had hit a slight snag.

As promised, Marshal Dvornikov arranged to meet with First Chancellor Zhang at the first sign of trouble with the operation. The pair were now in the First Chancellor's office, discussing the Confederacy's potential next move. The Defence Minister was understandably irritable as the operation had been his brainchild, and now it was finally hitting the awkwardness of reality. He leaned over the First Chancellor's desk, gesticulating loudly.

"Those damned Jovian rats! They snuck in, landed on Ceres, and are even now infesting rightful Martian territory. First Chancellor, I ask you for permission to sweep them off Ceres with the full might of the Martian fleet!"

Sat at her desk, Zhang raised her eyebrows and gestured to the seat opposite her. "Marshal, I suggest that you sit down. Please." After the Marshal emitted a loud 'hmph' and sat down, Zhang offered her best smile of understanding. "I realise that you are frustrated, but an all-out offensive against the Jovian Coalition would be too much of an escalation at this point. I take it that Expeditionary Force Beta is en route to Ceres as we speak?"

"Yes, of course. They should get there within the next day or so."

"Then I would suggest that they inform the Jovian presence of their intention to claim Ceres for the Martian Confederacy, and give them twenty-four hours to begin evacuating their position. If they refuse, then go ahead with landing and establishing our own position. Once we have our own position on Ceres, they will find us far more difficult to dislodge than they may think."

Marshal Dvornikov seemed placated with that proposal. "Hmm...while I would greatly prefer to drive them off before we begin landing, there is a great deal of merit to your suggestion, First Chancellor. If we bring up Expeditionary Force Gamma to assume position around Vesta, we can then relocate Force Alpha to Ceres in order to reinforce Beta and provide an even more intimidating orbital presence. If that doesn't work, then we can always bring in the big gun."

First Chancellor Zhang tutted softly. "I'm not particularly fond of the idea of sending Martis Hasta into this situation. The UN would likely take immediate notice and wade into the dispute, and that is precisely what we'd prefer to not have happen. Assuming, of course, that they are not already aware of things and planning something." She wagged a finger at Dvornikov. "Tread carefully with all of this, Marshal. I don't want an all-out war because somebody allowed their patriotism to override their common sense."

------------------------------------------------------------

December 19th, 2265
CSS Marzio, Expeditionary Force Beta
Ceres, Main Belt

Consisting of the same makeup as Expeditionary Force Alpha, Force Beta began their final approach towards Ceres, now fully aware of the Jovian presence that was already in place. Captain Maksym Avramenko was firmly belted into the command chair of the CSS Marzio, the Orcus-class dreadnaught and sister ship of the Martinus that led Force Beta. As they came into visual range of their intended destination, the Marzio broadcast a message to the Jovians on Ceres.

"Attention, Jovian citizens. This is Captain Avramenko of the CSS Marzio, of the Confederate Space Fleet. The Martian Confederacy hereby announces its intention to annex Ceres. You have twenty-four hours to begin the evacuation of your positions, and we are giving you notice that after those twenty-four hours, we will begin establishing our own positions on Ceres. Please take this time to consult with your political leadership, but be aware that we will have reinforcements arriving in due time.

"Again, you have twenty-four hours. Avramenko out."

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Wed Dec 18, 2024 1:23 pm

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
JNS Skipped Turn
Commander Daine Forest
December 19th, 2265




It was hard not to miss the activity in the belt, especially when it consisted of sizeable fleets swanning around the asteroids, headed for prominently named features of the Belt. Forest and her crew, hanging over Ceres in what had once been a very good mood as the base below progressed with startling efficiency, had slowly lost their Christmas cheer as they carefully watched the progress of Mars taking over Vesta. It didn't help that after they seemed to have established themselves, the destroyer was picking up on fairly patriotic broadcasts proclaiming their ownership of the smaller asteroid. It worried her and the crew and the civilians were not exactly settled by the activity either. But up until recently, Forest had hoped that they were after only 4 Vesta in much the same way Jupiter was after Ceres. Simple propaganda work, stuff to make themselves look better, and they wouldn't bother their 'neighbors' on Ceres, who had not exactly been making as big a deal of their landing.

Except that pipe dream was up in smoke.

A Martian dreadnought, two cruisers, and four destroyers. That was the force headed for Ceres and Forest had no illusions that while she could probably give them a few papercuts, she'd die or the glory of Jove and leave the base defenseless. Ever since the activity from Mars had pinged on her radar, she'd sent a request home for reinforcements. As she was feeling woefully exposed and she was. Skipped Turn and Draw Four were not meant to be leads in a fight like this.

For now, she'd have to hunker down and wait for those reinforcements to arrive. 24 hours was more than enough for Jove to scramble something and get it out here. For now she'll have to play this carefully. Or risk either her own death, or those of the civilians below.



The two Jovian destroyers and frigates in orbit over Ezinu Basin shifted, covering the transports they'd brought with them from the massive threat that was advancing upon their territory.

"Captain Avramenko, this is Commander Forest of the JNS Skipped Turn, and I appreciate the fact that you have announced your intentions." The Jovian Commander's voice was sweet, understanding. Like a teacher talking to a young child. "It allows me to correct them. Ceres belongs to The Free Coalition of Jovian Colonies and has been such since...." A slightly dramatic pause, "December 15th, 2265, which is a date that occurred around four days ago and you nor Mars had any objections or agreements to this rock before this. I am not going to stop you from landing on Ceres, but we will not be leaving and an appropriate response will follow if you do not recognize our claim to Ceres. Forest out."
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Postby United Nations of Earth- » Wed Dec 18, 2024 2:43 pm

Captain Maribel Hernandez, UNPC
UNS Achilles, Approaching Ceres
19th December 2265




The increased activity in the Asteroid Belt had not gone unnoticed by the UN Peacekeepers Corps.

Given that the asteroid belt had been something of a free-for-all for as long as anyone could remember, with all of the solar powers and their respective private interests having access to the mineral resources within, it had also become one of the few places in the solar system where pirates had been able to be somewhat successful despite period attempts to dislodge them. As such, the UNPC regularly conducted patrols of the belt in an effort to both keep any remaining piratical elements suppressed as well as to respond to any attacks that did happen. Although there were arguably other solar powers that were closer and more directly impacted by the state of affairs in the belt, the United Nations generally saw itself as broadly responsible for the general stewardship of the solar system, and as a responsibility to its daughter worlds (even if they might not totally appreciate the parental oversight). Despite what the former colonies might think, the United Nations truly did not want to exert undue influence on them, as per the terms of the Geneva Declaration, but equally as much as they would be treated as independent states Earth still had some degree of responsibility.

The current ‘Belt Guardship’ was the UNS Achilles, a Hyperion-class cruiser.

The Hyperion-Class Cruiser is the workhorse of the UN Fleet, first commissioned in 2216 the Hyperion is arguably the quintessential Earth warship. The frame of the Hyperion is designed to be hardy and versatile, lending itself well to being adapted into a number of specialised variants, ranging from multipurpose weapons platforms to ground support. The Hyperion is the ‘swiss-army knife’ counterpart to the venerable sledgehammer that is the Nova-Class dreadnought. As such, the current Theta variant has proven to be well suited for service in the outer solar system as well as the outlying systems that have been settled. Due to its long and widespread service, the Hyperion has become one of the most refined designs and its construction, maintenance, and repairs have been optimised. Over time, proposals for a next-generation cruiser have been put forward (largely by Earth Orbital Shipyards, the designers of the Hyperion, but also its primary competitor Lunar Fleet Yards) however none expanded on the performance sufficiently to justify the cost of such a like-for-like replacement. Even the new Omega-Class destroyers being designed by Earth Orbital are not intended to replace the Hyperion in all roles in the foreseeable future.

The Hyperion has a varied weapons load out as standard, intended to provide the cruiser with a weapon for most circumstances, albeit at the expense of dominance in any specific area (such as the Nova with its unparalleled close-in firepower). The single most powerful weapon carried by the Hyperion is the SPP-01 Spinal Plasma Cannon, providing a significant close-in blast directly ahead of the ship, and backed up by a pair of single barrel Heavy Particle Cannons in the bows for a longer-range forward punch. The ‘main battery’ of the cruiser is in them form of three twin HPC-12 heavy particle cannons mounted on the dorsal hull and capable of all around fire (as opposed to the limited firing arcs of the ‘chase guns’). The ventral arc is covered by an RG-100 railgun that is also intended for use in the orbital fire support role. Close in protection, for itself and others, is provided by a quartet of twin Phalanx light plasma turrets, and heavy strike capability is provided by a small complement of Matador-II strike missiles.

In short, it was the well-armed, well-rounded, eyes and ears of the UNPC.

The Achilles had been tracking both the Jovian and the Martian squadrons over the past few days and reported the situation back to the Lighthouse, the UNPC’s headquarters on Luna. Since then the Command Staff had been monitoring the situation and deciding how best to respond. Initially it had appeared that the Jovians were going after Ceres, whilst the Martians were going after Vesta. It was an interesting development to be sure, after over a century of the belt being a free-for-all, and was likely something that the United Nations would need to contemplate its response to in due course, however the situation had considerably escalated over the previous twenty-four hours or so as a second large Martian force had been detected also heading for Ceres, and given that the UNPC was aware of the situation far further away there was no way that the Martians were unaware that their target was already occupied by the Jovians. In short, the fact that they were still approaching seemed to suggest that they were intending to continue pushing the matter.

This was a devastating development, as far as Earth was concerned. Although there had been pirate attacks, corporate incidents, and all sorts of private dramas across humanity’s early spacefaring situation, the efforts of the United Nations and multilateral agreements like the Treaty of Mars had helped to prevent interstellar war. Now, at one fell stroke by the fateful timing of two land-grabs, the spectre of interstellar war was truly raising its head in Sol. As soon as this was becoming clear, Admiral Thomas J. Winchester, a native of the United Americas Commonwealth, had been in discussions with the UN Secretary-General and other senior officials in order to decide how to respond. It had quickly been agreed that Earth could not simply stand back an allow conflict to break out in Sol, and yet at the same time would not want to wade in and escalate the situation by their very presence. As such, two actions would be taken alongside each other. The rest of Peacekeepers Naval Squadron ONE, from which the Achilles had been detached, would be deployed to the asteroid belt, consisting of a Nova-class dreadnought, another Hyperion cruiser, and four frigates, but it would take them some time to arrive.

In the meantime, the Achilles had been ordered to approach Ceres.

Her rules of engagement would be strict, she would not fire unless fired upon, and the orders to her commanding officer, Captain Maribel Hernandez, were initially to observe. It was hoped that the mere presence of a UN Peacekeeper warship would put a chill on any escalations to the current situation. If they could give the two potential combatants pause, then there was the potential for mediation and some sort of diplomatic solution to this manmade problem. That was the hope anyway. Ultimately if war were to break out it would probably be damaging to Mars, but it would be devastating to Jupiter, and as such the system was unlikely to be plagued by a major long-lasting war… but the prospect of setting a precedent by which Mars could throw its weight around was not one that was particularly desirable.

So, for the moment, the Achilles would approach the situation and monitor the situation. They would not proactively communicate with either party, in order to avoid being accused of favouring one side over the other, and they would keep at a safe distance, but they would be close enough for the point to be made.
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Postby Jovian Coalition » Wed Dec 18, 2024 3:40 pm

Sol Star System
Jupiter
JNS Advent of the Risen Moons
Captain Taylor Kawa-Io


"Captain."

Taylor Kawa-Io looked up from his desk where he was working.

Rylan McTavish-Ganymede, head of the Military Council, stood before the desk, arms crossed, expression that of barely contained rage.

“How can I help you Sir?” He asked, not standing or saluting as one might normally do. The definitely provoked the man, as he tapped a foot, head tilting as if asking why he wasn't respecting his superior.

When Kawa didn't bite, Rylan had to explain. “You were ordered to join the relief fleet Captain, yet you continue your patrol like your communications officer did not acknowledge receipt of the message.”

Kawa stared at Rylan. Just stared silently, emotions blank for long enough Rylan began to fidget nervously, trying to maintain the front of a displeased superior.

After Kawa felt he'd made an impression, he stood. “Is the Martis Hasta there?”

“I don't care if…”

Kawa leaned forward, bracing his arms on the table. “Answer the question Sir.”

“No.” Rylan said shortly.

“Is Omega there?”

“....No….” The second response from Rylan sounded like he'd force the word out from gritted teeth.

“Then you don't need me.” Kawa said, his eyes intent on Rylan.

“Captain, you are a commissioned officer in my fleet and when orders come from me, come from the Head Councilor, you follow them.” Rylan stalked up to the desk, looming over the shorter man threateningly. “If you can't follow orders then maybe you should be replaced.”

Kawa narrowed his eyes, seemingly unphased.

Rylan was no slouch physically, but when he next blinked and saw himself staring up at the bulkhead over him, pain radiating from his nose while a warm trickle of blood ran down his cheek… well it took him a few seconds to realize Kawa had punched him.

The captain came to crouch down next to him.

“Listen Sir, I'm not loyal to you nor Vogel, I'm loyal to Jove. It's why I got this slot in the first place. Treaty of Mars prevents this and if you force my hand I will make your life hell. You thought Carpo was bad, wait til I have to fight Omega and Martis Hasta while they work together.”

Rylan sat up, cupping his nose in his hand, hissing in pain. Kawa must of broken it.

“Is there anything else you need Sir?” Kawa asked, his voice having a dangerous edge warning the man to be careful with his next words.

“No…” Rylan's voice sounded stuffy, frustrated.

“Then I recommend you get going to the med bay, Doctor Alma can tell you how bad that fall was.” Kawa rose to his feet and pulled Rylan up once he did, offering him a handkerchief for the blood dripping out his nose. “And send Dance Above the Stars, her captain is newer but spunky and worth her weight in Quantium-40.”

Rylan helf the handkerchief up to his nose. “Understood.” Before leaving.

Kawa watched the hatch close, staring at it. He let his shaking hands come up to wipe at the tears he'd had to repress during that discussion. He shouldn't have needed to do that, Vogel and Rylan were just as bound by the Treaty of Mars as everyone before them. Things were complicated enough without Vogel instantly going for the Big Red Button.

He loathed being this way, but if a broken nose meant Rylan wouldn't try to force his hand and thus turn Earth and Mars fully against the Coalition… it was a small price to pay all things considered.
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Postby Marimaia » Thu Dec 19, 2024 11:29 am

Jovian Coalition wrote:Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
JNS Skipped Turn
Commander Daine Forest
December 19th, 2265




It was hard not to miss the activity in the belt, especially when it consisted of sizeable fleets swanning around the asteroids, headed for prominently named features of the Belt. Forest and her crew, hanging over Ceres in what had once been a very good mood as the base below progressed with startling efficiency, had slowly lost their Christmas cheer as they carefully watched the progress of Mars taking over Vesta. It didn't help that after they seemed to have established themselves, the destroyer was picking up on fairly patriotic broadcasts proclaiming their ownership of the smaller asteroid. It worried her and the crew and the civilians were not exactly settled by the activity either. But up until recently, Forest had hoped that they were after only 4 Vesta in much the same way Jupiter was after Ceres. Simple propaganda work, stuff to make themselves look better, and they wouldn't bother their 'neighbors' on Ceres, who had not exactly been making as big a deal of their landing.

Except that pipe dream was up in smoke.

A Martian dreadnought, two cruisers, and four destroyers. That was the force headed for Ceres and Forest had no illusions that while she could probably give them a few papercuts, she'd die or the glory of Jove and leave the base defenseless. Ever since the activity from Mars had pinged on her radar, she'd sent a request home for reinforcements. As she was feeling woefully exposed and she was. Skipped Turn and Draw Four were not meant to be leads in a fight like this.

For now, she'd have to hunker down and wait for those reinforcements to arrive. 24 hours was more than enough for Jove to scramble something and get it out here. For now she'll have to play this carefully. Or risk either her own death, or those of the civilians below.



The two Jovian destroyers and frigates in orbit over Ezinu Basin shifted, covering the transports they'd brought with them from the massive threat that was advancing upon their territory.

"Captain Avramenko, this is Commander Forest of the JNS Skipped Turn, and I appreciate the fact that you have announced your intentions." The Jovian Commander's voice was sweet, understanding. Like a teacher talking to a young child. "It allows me to correct them. Ceres belongs to The Free Coalition of Jovian Colonies and has been such since...." A slightly dramatic pause, "December 15th, 2265, which is a date that occurred around four days ago and you nor Mars had any objections or agreements to this rock before this. I am not going to stop you from landing on Ceres, but we will not be leaving and an appropriate response will follow if you do not recognize our claim to Ceres. Forest out."


December 19th, 2265
CSS Marzio, Expeditionary Force Beta
Ceres, Main Belt

"Well, that's not entirely unexpected."

Avramenko chuckled to himself as he received Commander Forest's response to his message. It had been highly unlikely that the Jovians would actually clear out after their first warning, but as far as the Confederacy was concerned, they had been as honest and open about their intentions as they possibly could be. After pondering his response for a few moments, Avramenko transmitted a message back to the Skipped Turn.

"Hello, Commander. I'm afraid that the Martian Confederacy does in fact object to your claim over Ceres, as rather demonstrated by our presence here. As I'm guessing that your government will be sending reinforcements of their own, I'll do you a favour and give you a heads-up, officer to officer. You currently have Expeditionary Force Beta hovering over you, and Expeditionary Force Alpha will be en route soon enough. There are probably ways for this to be resolved without us unleashing our firepower on each other, if your government is willing to listen to reason. In any event, I would strongly recommend that you consider your options before deciding on an 'appropriate response' that might lead to a lot of unnecessary deaths. Anyway, I do appreciate your confirmation that you won't try to stop us from landing on Ceres. We still intend to wait before doing so, as I'm not in the habit of breaking my word or going against orders.

"We'll be here all day so feel free to get some sleep if you'd like, we're not going to make any sudden moves unless we're provoked. Avramenko out."

As the message was transmitted, one of the bridge crew turned in his seat to address Avramenko. "Do you think that they'll see reason, Captain?"

"I hope so, but I doubt it. Jovians are notoriously hot-headed." Avramenko shrugged before continuing. "The important thing is that we're doing everything by the book and according to orders. While we don't have explicit confirmation, I suspect that there are civilians down there, and they don't deserve to get caught up in a firefight because their government got greedy and reckless."

"Bunch of pirates trying to be legitimate, who do they thi-"

"Hey now." Avramenko shook his head and scowled. "Commander Forest is an officer, just like me. The personnel on her vessel are military personnel, just like you. Always show some respect for military personnel in peacetime, no matter which flag they fight for. In wartime, well, that's another story altogether. Keep an eye on them, and sound the alert if any more Jovian vessels show up. As much as I'd like to avoid a firefight, I'm not going to run away from one if it is brought to me."

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Thu Dec 19, 2024 12:44 pm

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
JNS Dance Above the Stars
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 20th, 2265


"Well it was nice of them to tell us their forces outright I suppose." Captain Mia Hyrb said as she looked around at the faces of the other commanding officers on the call, including Forest reporting on what the Martian on station had said. Normally, Mia would of loved to fly them all over and meet face to face, especially with a newly thrown together fleet like this one. Getting to know the people you would be fighting and working with was critical and every time she'd been in attendance to meetings between fleet captains, they'd always seem to run smoother afterwards, even if the captains themselves weren't best of friends.

There had been no time though. Ceres needed reinforcements and she was going to make sure the Martians didn't push them off their rock.

While outwardly she was projecting calm and confidence inwardly she was extremely distressed. Her reinforcement fleet consisted of four cruisers, six destroyers (to be up to eight once Skipped Turn and Draw Four link up), and the carrier The Mistress of Distant Storms. That was a considerable chunk of Jovian firepower, not even including the couple of frigates attacked to Forest's little fleet. (Which Hyrb did not want to send into battle against other warships.) But there were still one (soon to be two) dreadnoughts in the Martian forces. Considerable heavy hitters that swung this confrontation firmly into the Martian's favor.

There were ways to hit above your class. Mia knew. You didn't come from the Coalition without having that spirit of freedom and rebellion woven into every aspect of your life... but this was going to hurt if it came to blows. She supposed they could yield Ceres to the Martians but that would only prove exactly what Carpo had started. That the Coalition wasn't worth a damn and anything of theirs could be taken from them without any trouble. If she had to bloody the nose of a couple dreadnoughts to prove a point she would but damn she hoped she could get away with it.

The Peacekeeper ship watching over everything wasn't lost on her either and there was a great desire to call them up to tell them to fuck off, hanging in the general neighborhood of Ceres like a chaperone watching two kids on the playground. But until that ship acted, it was to be ignored and preferably not fired upon. Even Vogel's confidence in her had not been endless and while the Head Councillor spoke highly of Jovian strength and will, they had not seemed willing to punch up to the UN's level. (Which was fair, Mia would of refused those orders even if they'd given them. Going after the UN was suicide.)





Base 'Fields of Gold'
December 20th, 2265


With the arrival of the Jovian fleet, their trajectory keeping them well clear of the Martian fleet to hover over Ezinu Basin like the destroyers had before them, Base Fields of Gold (quickly becoming Base FOG) had quickly gotten itself reinforcements, the civilian transports obviously sent away from Ceres under the tiny escort of the frigates that had been attached to Forest's command. The Jovians were not going to tangle up fragile civies in the space battle if it happened nor were they keeping their frigates around apparently. (and as long as the Martians didn't touch the transports, they wouldn't budge from their spot in orbit. Not yielding but not acting either. Stubborn was apparently just the right word for the Jovians.

Below on the planet, the civilians that were left, miners and building crew, found themselves in the company of the Jovian Fleet Marines, soldiers that set up camp inside the half finished base dug into the cliffside of the Basin, taking over and supplementing what sensors the civilians had already set up. The cheery Christmas mood that had once been infecting the base had turned a bit sour as the decorations seemed more like mockeries put up to remind them all that their entire holiday was being ruined by the Martians.

"Do you have anything you can set up around the air circulation units?" Major Lamar Gee asked as he took off his helmet, glad to be inside the base rather than crawling around outside on the rocks.

The builders currently busy helping push a crate of ammo around stopped in their task to look at the Major.

"You mean the inside panels or the stuff buried on the wall outside?" One of the women asked, leaning against the crate. "This base wasn't built to be militarily defensible, so we don't have anything other than the rocks we dug out of the cliff for FOG right now. And unless you suspend that shit midair..."

Lamar winced. They were just going to have to camo them into the rocks then. "Alright, how bout the rest of you, how are you doing?"

"Poor." Another said. "We've been throwing up walls and supports as fast as we can with the other crews so we can hide further back and in the rock while leaving the front part to you. Its dark and cold, air circ is fine, we aren't lacking oxygen but to be frank its fucking depressing."

"I know. We'll keep you all safe." Lamar promised. "I'm going to check on the Command Center, if you need anything, call me."
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Postby Marimaia » Sun Dec 22, 2024 1:41 pm

December 20th, 2265
CSS Marzio, Expeditionary Force Beta
Ceres, Main Belt

"That's twenty-four hours. Okay, inform the construction crews that they can begin landing. We've determined that the Dantu crater is the best site for us to establish a presence. The floor of the crater is smooth compared to other sites, so they can start setting down the prefabricated base sections without too much trouble." Avramenko 'hmmed' to himself briefly before muttering under his breath. "I really hope that I haven't just jinxed us."

Expeditionary Force Beta moved into position, establishing a geosynchronous orbit above the site selected for the establishment of the Martian base on Ceres. Named after the timekeeper and first god of planting of the Gã people of Accra, Ghana, Dantu crater had a diameter of approximately 124 kilometres. While the crater's walls were heavily eroded, with most of the northeastern wall having completely collapsed, it was still seen as a good position for a forward installation. Once their armed escort was in position, the construction vessels began to descend towards Dantu crater. Admittedly, their 'construction' capabilities were not as extensive as the name might've implied as the actual construction of the intended facility involved the positioning of prefabricated sections that were then connected to each other, so it was more a case of deploying personnel in environmental suits to the surface who would then oversee the positioning. This was Martian thinking in action, that it was best to establish a temporary base to plant the claim and then construct more permanent facilities once the dwarf planet was theirs. Admittedly, the Jovian presence was complicating matters somewhat, but the Martian forces were sticking to the plan.

Even with crews working extra shifts, it would easily take two days before Dantu Base was up and running. Captain Avramenko knew that it was highly likely that Jovian reinforcements would arrive before that, and Expeditionary Force Alpha would likely arrive after that. Avramenko really hoped that the Jovians were going to keep a cool head during all of this, as while he was fine maintaining a peaceful situation for as long as possible, he knew Captain Kandui. She was one of Marshal Dvornikov's favourites, and she would likely want to make a big impression on the Defence Minister by securing Ceres and demonstrating Martian might in the process.

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Mon Dec 23, 2024 1:11 am

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
JNS Dance Above the Stars
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 21st, 2265



Mia did not like sharing space with Avramenko's fleet. Space was big and her fleet could easily skirt the Martians except holding the orbit above Ezinu where FOG was located meant that she and her ships could keep an easy eye on the Martians progress and no doubt the Martian fleet wanted to stay close to their own location. They'd chosen a fairly degraded crater on the Vendimia Planitia to begin their own construction. Seemingly to be close in easy distance of FOG rather than something that catered to what they would actually want. (What exactly did these dorks want anyways?) It was frustrating and she didn't know how much harder she wanted to push. This was new territory for a Jovian Officer and the nagging little doubt in her mind that she couldn't pull off the miracle she'd need to bloody the dreadnought properly was ever present. She wished dearly that they could use Advent or that they had their own dreadnought to reinforce her.

She felt like she wasn't representing Jove by not doing something, Vogel had been pretty emphatic that she was to protect Ceres and they knew she could do it. So why was she content to just here and exist? Was it the dour 'ruined Christmas' mood? Or something else? She didn't know.



Base FOG
Major Lamar Gee


"Ya see anything?"

"No." Gee raised the scope of his rifle, staring out over the hills and valleys of craters that littered the 'passage' to Ezinu and FOG. Thankfully, nothing seemed to be making its way over here, but with feeds from orbit showing the Martians were landing he didn't know how much longer this was going to be true. They could attempt something by 'air' perhaps, and he'd hate them for it, but while FOG didn't have anti air (it wasn't supposed to need it damn it,) he had his soldiers and the guns to send most shuttles to eating dirt.

"Want to move up to gander distance?" The soldier at his side asked, peering down the slope.

"Absolutely not. The longer we go without poking the bear the longer we live. Ceres is supposed to be our but until topside says to start shooting, we stay here and guard our base." Lamar knelt back down to peer down the scope one more. "Just keep an eye out for me."

Aye Sir."



True to Forest's words, even the newcomers didn't attempt to do anything as stupid as open fire on the Martians positions or ships. Groundside the base was left very much alone. It seemed that the Jovians did not want to be the one to make that call that would inevitably lead to the two fleets and people below to coming to actual blows. For all the hot air Jovians liked using, they seemed content to sit there, watching their own claim, doing absolutely nothing to provoke the Martians. It was almost peaceful in a way.

Carrier- *The Mistress of Distant Storms*

Cruisers- *Dances Above the Stars,* *Skipping in the Rain*, *A Prayer for the Sun*, and *The Gardens of the Future*

Destroyers- *Skipped Turn, Draw Four, Draw Two, Wild Card, Change Color, Reverse Order, Draw Ten,* and *Wild Draw*
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Postby Marimaia » Wed Dec 25, 2024 4:41 pm

December 23rd, 2265
CSS Marzio, Expeditionary Force Beta
Ceres, Main Belt

"Captain Avramenko, this is Captain Kandui of the Martinus. Expeditionary Force Alpha is here to assist in the annexation of Ceres."

Avramenko nodded as Captain Kandui's features were displayed on the main screen of the Marzio's bridge, noting the severity of her expression. "Good to see you, Captain. Just to catch you up on the current situation, we are nearing completion of Dantu Base. A little behind schedule, but ultimately that's the least of our complications. We've still got that UN vessel hanging around. While the Jovians have reinforced their naval presence, they haven't engaged us, likely because of that UN vessel. Nobody wants to start the shooting and end up with the UN wading into this situation."

Kandui set her jaw and scowled even more deeply. "We have two dreadnoughts and their attendant groups present, but we can't fire a shot because we're afraid that the UN might not take too kindly to it? Perhaps if you'd been quicker to attack-"

"Nowhere in my orders did it say anything about engaging the Jovians in the presence of the UN, Captain Kandui." Avramenko sighed slightly and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I've relayed information on the current circumstances back to Marinopolis, and thus far I haven't heard anything that orders me to launch an assault. You know as well as I do that while the Martian Confederacy could defeat the Jovians, we wouldn't have the same outcome against the Jovians and the UN. No sane power deliberately starts a two-front war, especially when one of the powers outguns them on their own."

"Marshal Dvornikov wanted Ceres under our control before Christmas, but now we're going to be out here until who knows when!" Kandui swore under her breath. "If I'd been assigned to this-"

Avramenko's temper began to flare as he responded. "If you'd been assigned to this, we may well have been in the midst of a full-blown war in time for Christmas! I'm not out here for Marshal Dvornikov, I'm out here for the Martian Confederacy. If First Chancellor Zhang orders me to attack the Jovians, then I'll attack them. If they attack us first, then I'll attack them. Do I need to remind you that First Chancellor Zhang is the commander-in-chief, not Marshal Dvornikov?" Kandui's frustrated 'hmph' led Avramenko to conclude that he was making some headway. "It's far from a perfect situation, but it could be so much worse than it actually is. We'll have our established presence on Ceres, and then we'll see how things proceed from there."

------------------------------------------------------------

December 24th, 2265
Dantu Base
Ceres, Main Belt

Under the watchful eye of both Expeditionary Forces, the construction crews finally completed the assembly of Dantu Base. Before any military personnel descended from the combined Martian fleet in geostationary orbit, the crews proceeded to go through the final confirmation checks on the various pieces of equipment installed within the structure. As two crew members checked one of the oxygen generators and finally activated it, an alarm began to sound on their equipment.

"Christ, turn it off! It's going to-"

The resultant explosion blew a considerable hole in the east side of the base, and caused parts of the structure to begin to collapse. There were at least twenty construction engineers inside at the time, and the Martian presence in orbit began to frantically scramble into action upon the realisation of what happened. There was no possibility of the Jovians missing the sight of the explosion from their vantage point.

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Wed Dec 25, 2024 6:11 pm

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
Base FOG
Major Lamar Gee
December 24th, 2265




"Holy shit... Did you see that spike?!"

Lamar turned around to the marine hunched over the sensor console. "What?"

"Massive outgas of air from the Martian base."

"Air purge for construction dust?" The civilian woman which had been talking to Gee asked, interested.

"No, too much energy output for that. Registering some seismic activity too. Light of course, this planet doesn't have planet tectonics and spaceside would of warned us of big impacts." The marine turned a dial and switched screens frowning at the result. "Its...."

"Equipment failure." The woman somehow to evaporate from where she had been to beside the station with Gee having 0 recollection of her moving. "Something broke hard over there..." She squinted at the screen. "Yeah, if I had to guess, whatever they were using to generate oxygen went up. Its delicate equipment and you need to test that shit with care because Oxygen is volatile...." She hummed a little and turned around to the Major, staring down at her somewhat silently. "We're going to need to borrow your shuttle Major."

"And why is that?" He asked, already having an idea but needing to make sure.

She gave him a look, that of a teacher which had expected more of a student, and walked past him down the hall to where the rest of the civilians were.

For a second, Lamar wanted to deny the idea and he could. He had the power. It was a massive risk...

But Jovian custom dictated that when a neighboring settlement or station broke, you helped fix it. When there was trouble, you rallied. You can go back to the rivalry later, Jovians did not let other Jovians die the harsh realities of living off of a garden world.

"Shuttle 1 and 2, warm up your engines, we gotta go rescue the neighbors."



Within minutes of the explosion, two shuttles was leaving the protective cover of Base FOG and booking it towards Dantu Base. They made no attempt to conceal itself as they flew all out at speeds that were probably pretty uncomfortable for any crew they carried. It was only until the last minute did they flare out and stop, coming to stops that would have made any flight instructor watching them proud, settling down outside of the base and beginning to idle as their ramps open. Had this been an assault, one of the shuttles would have stayed aloft as overwatch, or the shuttles would of made a pass at the base itself to psyche out the inhabitants and do some damage. Down and idle on the ground they'd have to waste precious seconds getting back into the air and going, something that could be a death sentence to both craft.

But that wasn't why they were here.

The marines, led by Major Gee, were the first to exit, cautious and alert for any signs of danger. If there was none, the civilians that had instantly rallied to the cause, throwing their repair and rescue gear into the shuttles for the trip, would come out and get to work as though they were rescuing Jovians. If there was a greeting party... well thats why the marines went first. No guns out, but obviously armed. A risk they were willing to take.


JNS Dance Above the Stars
Captain Mia Hyrb


The call to Avramenko came from one of the cruisers, with the upgraded fleet came at the very least an officer of some parody to the Martian.

The woman had short brown hair and olive skin, while her expression was mostly controlled, her eyes obviously kept flicking off to the side, where no doubt data of some kind that she wanted to keep an eye on was projected. It betrayed a sense of nerves she probably didn't intend to project.

"Captain Avramenko, I am Captain Mia Hyrb, I can see that your base has suffered massive damage. Base Fields of Gold have already picked up on this and have sent a relief team to help with repairs, rescue, and medical emergencies." That wasn't even asking permission, it was simply a statement of what was happening. Had it been any other context it might of been seen as an insult, but the Jovians were acting fast and efficiently, instincts long drilled into a nation that born from fires like this. A base had experienced a malfunction, and now they needed help, so the Jovians were coming to aide them. Simple as that.

Mia paused for a second, her eyes once again flitting over to look at the off-screen data. "All I ask is that this team not be engaged while doing their work." Slight pause. "Please."
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Postby Marimaia » Thu Dec 26, 2024 9:29 am

December 24th, 2265
CSS Marzio, Expeditionary Force Beta
Ceres, Main Belt

For a less experienced officer than Avramenko, the current situation would've been a nightmare in progress. Not that Avramenko's experience made the situation any less worse than it was on the surface of Ceres, but it meant that he was better able to cope with the fast-moving elements that were quickly developing. As data came in from the surface regarding the catastrophe that hit Dantu Base, the call came in from JNS Dance Above the Stars. Initially cautious about the timing of the call, Avramenko had the call put through the bridge screen. As he listened to Captain Hyrb and observed her demeanour, he realised that the call was actually good news.

"Captain Hyrb, rest assured that your relief team will not be engaged while you are attending to my fellow Martians. Our own relief teams will be en route to Dantu Base shortly and they will be under strict orders to cooperate with your people. The priority here is to save lives, not argue over political affiliations. That can easily be saved for another time. The assistance being rendered by you and your people is greatly appreciated.

"Thank you, Captain. We will liaise with you as and when we have more information of our own. Avramenko out."

-----------------------------------------

He then contacted Captain Kandui aboard the Martinus, failing to be surprised by her initial reaction.

"Was Dantu Base attacked?!"

"No, Captain. Information is still coming in, but it looks as if it was technical failure of some kind. A catastrophic technical failure. Get as many relief personnel down there as you possibly can, and order them to avoid hostilities with the Jovians that are already on site. They're there to help our people, which should be our top priority as well."

Kandui seemed somewhat taken aback by that, and she paused momentarily before finally nodding. "Understood."

-----------------------------------------

The Jovian relief team on the ground soon found themselves joined by the handful of Martian engineers who had not been caught up in the collapse of Dantu Base, desperate to help rescue their compatriots from the wreckage of the facility. Twenty minutes after the Jovians had started their relief operations, two Martian construction vessels began to descend towards the surface of Ceres, sending down six drop shuttles ahead of them. Each able to carry ten passengers, the drop shuttles bore construction engineers who were understandably eager to get to work. The shuttles were accompanied by two large cargo lifters, each featuring two remote-controlled crane arms that would likely prove invaluable in the rescue and relief attempt. Just as Captain Avramenko had promised, there was no attempt by any Martian to engage the Jovians in anything but a cooperative manner.

There were Martian lives at stake, and rescuing them trumped any current political concerns or disagreements.

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Postby United Nations of Earth- » Thu Dec 26, 2024 2:42 pm

Captain Maribel Hernandez, UNPC
UNS Achilles, Holding Position Near Ceres
24th December 2265




The arrival of the rest of UNPC Naval Squadron ONE was entirely overshadowed by the crisis that was taking place on Ceres, and to the minds of the Peacekeepers both on-scene and observing from the Lighthouse was the entirely predictable outcome of this entire mess. Doubtless the desire by the Martians to get their physical presence on the dwarf planet established had led to someone cutting corners and paying the price for it; something that was likely inevitable to have occurred to either the Martians or the Jovians given enough time. It was somewhat comforting to see that the Jovians had quickly scrambled to sent rescue crews to the Martian base and that the Martians had allowed them to do so whilst also responding with their own rescue parties from their now sizeable flotilla. The Achilles had likewise offered her assistance to the Martians, but was likely far less equipped to support not to mention out of position to do so, but the offer was made and if accepted the UN cruiser would provide all the support that it could, given the circumstances, and would continue to do so until the crisis had been brought to an end.

Until this point, the situation had been acceptable to the UNPC, given that hostilities had not erupted around Ceres despite both rivals putting down their own physical holdings on the planet. Doubtless this had been due to the presence of the Peacekeepers, as although clearly not powerful enough on their own to physically prevent a conflict, everything that they represented would still give anyone pause before breaking the longstanding peace in Sol. The efforts of the UNPC had ensured that there had never been an interstellar war in Sol; there had been anti-piracy operations and police actions, but full-scale war was something that Earth had proudly worked to avoid for nearly two centuries. It was partially for this reason that they had involved themselves in the Ceres Situation in the first place; doubtless both Mars and Jupiter would see it as yet another case of Earth involving itself in events that ought not concern it, but for Earth it was a matter of principle. Whilst the Geneva Declaration had committed the United Nations to allowing colonies to go their own way if they so choose, this only meant that they would be treated as ‘adults’ and adults had responsibilities.

Nevertheless, Captain Hernandez had thought wryly, it was nevertheless a daunting task to stand alone between two parties who had every reason to start fighting.

Of course the Achilles had not truly been alone, as the rest of there squadron had been slowly making their way from Earth, led by the Omega-class destroyer, UNS Charlemagne. Although not equipped with a jump drive like the class leader, as per the Treaty of Mars, it was still nevertheless the cutting edge of Earth warship; which was not surprising given that the Peacekeepers got the first bite of the apple when it came to new equipment. As far as the UNPC was concerned the situation was now the primary concern of Commodore Vasily Karkov, from aboard the Charlemagne and truthfully Captain Hernandez was more than happy to have the responsibility off of her shoulders. It would now be up to Commodore Karkov to try and bring this entire crisis to an end; he would wait for the opportune moment after the present crisis to abate and then he would offer his services as a UN flag officer to mediate their dispute, in the time-honoured traditions of the United Nations. The simple, and unspoken, difference between how it had been and how it was now was simple; the UNPC now had the ships and the firepower to force the matter, if the need arose.
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Postby Jovian Coalition » Thu Dec 26, 2024 3:54 pm

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
Dantu Base
Major Lamar Gee
December 25th, 2265


With the hostility over the rock they were on currently put aside, the Jovians were quick to put their expertise and equipment to work. What they couldn't move could be cut through and discarded. Given the nature of the Martian base it was more practical to worry about the people over the walls, especially on an airless rock like Ceres.

The work was hard, and even with the arrival of the cranes to move chunks too big for human muscle to handle in this low gravity, it took time. Long enough for it to tick over from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day.

The Jovians, a mix of their Marines and the civilian crew that had been stuck on Base FOG, set up a small portable structure of their own to serve as a break area and medical tent, to take off the helmets for a breather and eventually serve to make sure the medical personnel on hand had a safe place to check over the people that would be pulled from the wreckage.

And they would find them. Jovians were persistent in their help at least. As people were pulled from the wreckage and bundled to the tent, they continued their work, and would until every last Martian trapped in the base was found.


JNS Dance Above the Stars
Captain Mia Hyrb


"Its going well." Mia said, rubbing her eyes to try and clear some cobwebs that refused to leave them. The little bit of rest she'd gotten since the start of the Jovians heading over to help Dantu Base had not been fruitful. She was worried about them, about the now much larger Martian fleet and about the overhanging presence of the Peacekeeper fleet. The Peacekeeper ships were not enemies, and the first one, the Achilles, had even offered to help. She was in no position to accept the offer on behalf of the Martians, but she really didn't feel like they needed the ship’s help for this in particular. They had it under control. Another faction coming in would only upset the ground crews in her mind.

"Here."

She looked up as one of her officers passed a pouch of something to her, and not even rrading its label she opened it and began to sip at it.

It tasted awful, like fake kiwi and tropical fruits, abd she looked down at the label to see it was, in fact, exactly as she thought. Energy drink. Disgusting.

"Thanks." She said, taking another long sip trying to ignore the part of her trying to figure out what that weird swet aftertaste was. "How's our buddies doing?"

"The Martian Fleet? They're just sitting there, other than the relief tram from the Martians they've stayed put." The tactical officer said.

Mia hummed. Considering.

"Spin up the comms, I'd like to have a chat with Captain Avamenko."
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Postby Jovian Coalition » Sat Dec 28, 2024 2:28 pm

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
Captain Maksym Avramenko
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 25th, 2265



Captain Avramenko was thankfully keeping his cool in spite of the various complicating factors that had reared their head in the course of his mission to secure Ceres for the Martian Confederacy. The Jovian presence and their subsequent reinforcement, the arrival of the UN Peacekeepers and their subsequent reinforcement, the catastrophe that had taken place during the final checks on Dantu Base and the cooperative relief effort that had quickly been established between Jovians and Martians. The offer of assistance from the UN had been graciously noted and just as graciously refused, with Avramenko explaining that it was probably best not to swarm the site with too many people and too much equipment as it could inadvertently cause more problems than would be solved. He was also quietly thankful that Captain Kandui had toned herself down in the wake of the disaster on Ceres, as she was far more focused on helping their surviving countrymen.

What a lovely Christmas, Avramenko thought to himself. He was drawn out of his thoughtfulness by the voice of one of his bridge crew.

“Captain, we’re receiving a contact request from Captain Hyrb. Shall I put her through?”

Avramenko nodded. “Absolutely, go ahead.” He had to admit that he had never expected to be talking so civilly with a Jovian officer, but then life was often full of pleasant surprises in the worst situations. He offered a smile as Captain Hyrb’s features came up on the bridge screen.

“Captain Hyrb. Let me just say once again how much we appreciate the help of your people in this situation, it’s refreshing to see such cooperation. Now, what can I do for you?”

Mia didn't seem as antsy this time around, just, perhaps, a little tired. “I wanted to ask how things are going from your side, Captain.” She paused for a second, checking what she had on hand. “Latest update from my people says we've found… 10 of your people so far, and I believe we should find the rest by the end of the day today… that's by Earth's UTC 00:00 day.”

The clarification probably came from a lack of knowledge of how Martians measured the Earth Year. Jovians had their own times for their own moons, a mess of different schedules across the whole Coalition, but the only way they measured dates was by aligning the Earth calendar with that single timezone. It was completely possible Mars did things differently, or used a different timezone as their basis. Measuring time in space outside the confines of humanity's cradle was an inexact science at the best of times.

“Things are going…well, about as well as you can imagine. I’ve received the same updates as you, it would seem.” Due to a standard Martian day being less than an hour longer than a standard day on Earth, the Martian Confederacy tended to use the UTC system for their own day length. They also used the same yearly calendar, despite the Martian ‘orbital year’ lasting about 686 days compared to Earth’s 365. This meant that some years on Mars were considerably different in terms of planetary conditions to others. “If it hadn’t been for your quick response then we likely wouldn’t have found those 10 people by now. I will say that we’ve politely acknowledged but ultimately refused the UN’s offer to help, the offer was certainly appreciated but we have enough moving parts down there already, if you get my meaning. No need to complicate an already complicated situation even further.”

“Since it was your base I decided it was best to let you choose how to respond to the offer.” Mia gave a small smirk, amused. “We both seemed to come to the same conclusion. Too many people from too many places was likely to cause problems in some way.” She wondered if it was too forward to mention the fact she didn’t appreciate the way the UN ships were hanging over both of them like a parent looking for an excuse to put them in time out. She didn’t feel it was proper conversation to have over comms. Maybe in person, with less likelihood of being recorded or overheard by the crew. Doubt that would ever happen.

“But Jovians aren’t the type to let people suffer their equipment failures. That’s a long-standing tradition of ours, rooted in past troubles. At the end of the day space will try to kill us all in a heartbeat, so you help your fellow humans above everything else…” She looked over as her tactical officer made a motion to get her attention and they flashed up two fingers with a smile. “Got two more it seems.”

Avramenko couldn’t help but smile at that news, and it was confirmed by one of his own bridge crew a few moments later. “Confirmation on our side too, twelve is suddenly my favourite number. Until the next update, fingers crossed.” He sat with a thoughtful expression for a few seconds before continuing, a smirk developing as he spoke. “You know, there are those who would say that perhaps Jovians and Martians aren’t all that different. Both have had to put up with difficult conditions in our development as a nation…different difficult conditions, but still difficult. When Mars was first being colonised, stepping outside a settlement was guaranteed death. Not that any of us would openly admit to Jovians and Martians having a lot in common, naturally.”

He chuckled at the audible laughter from members of his bridge crew. “We are, of course, relaying regular updates back home to keep the Confederate government in the loop about all of this. We’re also making sure that they know that you’re helping us. Credit where credit is due, and all that.”

“Space tries to come for all of us, so the best we can do is punch it in the nose before it manages to.” Mia said with a smile, amused at the joke Avramenko made. “But reports back home to the Coalition are a bit more spaced out on my end, but I will make sure to include details about the cooperative nature of our efforts. I was put in charge so I get a lot of wiggle room on how decisions go down.” She sighed, her glance off to the side coming across more like a person who probably shouldn't really want to say what she wanted to.

“You know groundside isn't gonna fight after this, right?”

The camaraderie between the Jovians and Martians as they pulled out the engineers from the wreckage was not lost on anyone on the Jovian side at least. If there weren't some fire-forged friends down there already they were definitely at least friendly. Sharing the break tent and helping treat each other's injuries would do that to a lot of people. Mia seemed like she didn't want to outright say ‘I don't think I could fight you now’ but the deflection to the ground and the mannerisms spoke to an obvious reluctance towards what they had been headed for.

Avramenko nodded in agreement with what Mia was saying, as in all truth, his appetite for conflict was not exactly high and he recognized that the situation had developed in a way that nobody had been expecting at the beginning. “It would be a genuine shame for this catastrophe to end up leading to an even bigger one. I don’t think that we could, in good conscience, fight against the very people who just helped us save our fellow citizens. There’s enough scum in the galaxy as it is, we shouldn’t go killing some of the good ones.” He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair as he thought. “I think that it’s safe to say that construction of our intended forward base on Ceres has been, at the least, delayed due to far more pressing priorities. Casualties will need to be taken back home to Mars. We’re also going to need to talk with the higher-ups about a potential new construction timetable, and that’s going to take some time. Maybe, while they’re considering a new timetable, they might try talking to their opposite numbers in the Coalition. Maybe. Possibly.”

“I can't speak for the Harvest Council, but I do believe we all have embassies with each other. So it can be talked out by those above our heads. I hope.” Mia knew Jove wasn't leaving Ceres as Base FOG was half built and while the civilian ships with most of the gear had been bundled away from the warzone, they would eventually be ordered back to finish off FOG. “Going to have to leave that for people more qualified than me I suppose… you got any family back home Captain?”

“Indeed, let’s hope that the embassies actually get some use.” Avramenko gave a slight smile in response to the more personal questioning that followed. “As a matter of fact, yes, I do. My wife Katerina, and our children Olena and Danylo. We hail from Viknogorod, a small city near Khrystograd…if you’ve ever heard of Khrystograd, of course. Think of it as ‘mining country’, for lack of a better term. Viknogorod isn’t the most glamorous of cities, she’s certainly no Marinopolis, but she’s home. How about you, Captain? Anybody eagerly awaiting your return from deployment?”

“Sadly I only know where the capital is. That and Olympus Mons. Martian cities were not an important subject in school.” A slightly embarrassed tone at the admission of such a lack of knowledge. She rubbed the back of her neck. “But I only have my parents and the extended family back on Themisto. I got…. Somewhat unceremoniously snatched back to work right before I would've left.” Mia didn't sound resentful at least, just amused. “Any traditions you Martians have for this holiday?”

“One of those things, Captain. I guarantee you that if an Earther asked me about their cities, I’d only be able to name the ones that Martian cities are named after. Well, those and Geneva. We all have to know where Geneva is, and we don’t, they’ll tell us.” Avramenko gave a grin before continuing. “We each regard our home as the centre of our universe, so it’s natural to focus on home. As far as Christmas is concerned, well, every Martian home puts up green and gold decorations. Those are our Christmas colours. Each of the fifteen territories has their own traditions, my home territory of Tazkharia has a strong Slavic heritage so our children go caroling and we have our own dishes that we eat on Christmas. Of course, if you want something that every Martian does at Christmas, it’s the Christmas tree. The really wealthy people manage to have real trees, but the vast majority of us are perfectly happy with the artificial trees that Hwaseong Industries provides. Every home gets a free tree, it’s voice-activated so you can change the colours and frequencies of the lights, it plays music…what can I say, when the surface of your home planet is a weapon in its own right, you come to appreciate things that help you forget about that.”

Avramenko smiled warmly at the thought. “Any Jovian traditions for Christmas that differ from ours?”

“The trees are always fake unless it's one already growing outside in a dome or a pot. Don't really want to make space for growing real trees just for Christmas. And our colors are generally blue and purple.” Mia took a second, trying to scrounge up what Jovian traditions she had beyond her own family ones.

“Just like your territories, every moon and station tends to have different ideas on what they do for the day. Themisto hasn't picked up any Coalition wide practices that I know of. The settlements do have dome wide decorating contests to see which habitat dome can do the best… mine got their hands on a snow machine this year so my home has an unfair advantage.” The idea of missing seeing her home covered in snow like the way northern hemisphere Earth cities dream about did make her have a pang of homesickness. She'd undoubtedly get images soon once they were cleared to be sent out here but it wasn't the same. She tried not to let it show, it was the sacrifice she made when she signed up to serve.

“Other than that, good food, good company, and presents today. You know, from Santa.”

“Well, Captain, at the risk of seeming presumptuous…in the spirit of Christmas and goodwill, you’re more than welcome to come over for dinner. It won’t be a traditional Christmas dinner but my ship’s cook is pretty decent, so perhaps decent food with acceptable company would help in some way. I’ll get Captain Kandui of Expeditionary Force Alpha to release some of her food stores, I’ll release some of Force Beta’s stores as well, and any Jovians who want to partake will be welcome to do so.” Avramenko offered a fatherly smile to his Jovian counterpart. “As for presents, well, maybe the fact that we’re not shooting each other is a good present to start with. Maybe we’ll impress Santa enough for him to have left some presents for us when we get back home.”

Mia laughed at the joke. Several of the crew working around her startled, not expecting their captain to actually laugh like that. Especially while talking to their ‘enemy’.

“Well considering the jolly man was supposed to come at midnight, it might be a little late for that.” She sat back in her seat, smile still bright, looking off camera. “Do we still have any of the supplies from before all this went off?”

“Most of it went with the transports, but I do believe Skipped Turn was carrying most of the drink supplies specifically because Forest didn't trust the civies.” Someone off camera said, their voice faint, if audible.

“Well at least that's something.” Mia said. “I'd be more than happy to join you for a Christmas dinner if you trust me bringing over some of the eggnog and alcohol that goes along with it. I can lend the rest of it to the ground crews for their work once this whole rescue operation is done… It was intended for the civilian workforce of Base FOG but most of ‘em beyond a small set went with the transports, so we have extra we can share.” She paused. “Does that sound like a fair trade?”

“That sounds like a very fair trade, and I think that I can trust you, Captain.” Avramenko chuckled loudly at the thought of the whole situation. Initially he was tasked with taking Ceres, but now he was going to be breaking bread with the very people who stood in Mars’s way of owning the dwarf planet. This universe certainly has an odd sense of humour, he thought. “I suspect that my children will enjoy hearing about how our Jovian cousins really aren't as different from us as some people like to think.”

He turned to relay a few orders off screen, then turned his attention back to Mia with a warm smile. “Let us know when you're ready to come over, Captain. I look forward to hosting you.”
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Postby Jovian Coalition » Tue Dec 31, 2024 12:35 pm

Sol Star System
Ceres, Asteroid Belt
JNS Dance Above the Stars
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 27th, 2265


Mia had to take a second. Gazing into the mirror at the black and red uniform she’d pulled out of storage for this. She felt like the last time she’d worn this was her swearing in ceremony for the Fleet. She could not recall many instances of needing to wear it, as the Jovian Fleet often did seem more on the casual side. Not that they were all slobs, more that they’d rather get to business in a working uniform than wasting time getting ‘tarted up’ as some of the younger officers would probably say. Which was a shame. The deep space black and bright red accents and rank markings were honestly stunning. Reminded her of the photos from when the Peacekeepers were around trying to help the Coalition when it was founded.

She placed the cap on her head, studying the pearlescent white leaves on the brim, patterned off some plant from humanity's cradle. It was strange sometimes to considered how much they borrowed from Earth. Even if they didn't want to acknowledge it.

Time to go over and hopefully not make a fool of herself.



The ground operations had finally wound down. The Jovians making sure that what was left of the Martian structure was secure, electricity and all devices off and placed in storage mode. The pop up tent which had served as a break room and place to store the victims of the explosion before they were lifted back up to the ships for transport home was cleaned up and stowed away, with the Martian rescue crews invited back to Base FOG to enjoy some food and the alcohol/eggnog offered by Hyrb.

The small Jovian fleet, with permission from the Martians, shifted their orbit to be closer to the Martians to make the shuttle flights needed easier.

Once the ships were settled, Mia of course told Avramenko when she was able to come over (with the aforementioned gift of alcohol and Christmas drinks) and a shuttle took the flight over to the Marzio.
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Postby Marimaia » Tue Dec 31, 2024 1:40 pm

December 27th, 2265
CSS Marzio, Expeditionary Force Beta
Ceres, Main Belt

Captain Avramenko smoothed down the front of his grey dress uniform as he awaited the arrival of Mia's shuttle. If someone had said to him just ten days ago that he would be having dinner with a Jovian captain in a spirit of friendliness and cooperation, he would've thought that they were drunk at best. However, reality could often be stranger than imagination, as recent events had demonstrated. On the surface of Ceres, Martians were going to be dining...no, likely partying with Jovians as a way of letting off the steam that had undoubtedly built up through the rescue operation. The victims of Dantu Base's explosion were shortly going be en route back to Mars for more comprehensive medical care than could be offered onboard the Martian fleet, and the tensions that had previously existed seemed to have completely dissipated. While the territorial dispute had not actually been resolved, it was certainly safe to say that the dispute was now for the diplomats and leaders to settle, as the people on the ground currently had no desire for conflict.

He chuckled to himself as he considered the UN fleet out there, which had obviously observed the situation unfold with curiosity. Maybe it's finally time for Mars and Jupiter to remember that they're siblings, Avramenko thought. Two siblings being observed by the ever-present parent.

As Mia's shuttle began docking procedures, Avramenko patted the officer's cap that sat atop his head. For all he knew, dinner with Captain Hyrb could be the start of a new era in Martian-Jovian relations. Above all though, Avramenko wanted to express his gratitude to her in person. By doing the sensible thing and talking instead of automatically shooting at each other, the pair may well have saved far more lives than those rescued from the wreckage of Dantu Base. Once docking had been completed and Mia disembarked from her shuttle, Avramenko greeted her with a salute that was followed by a broad friendly smile.

"We meet in person at last, Captain. Welcome to the Marzio."

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Wed Jan 01, 2025 2:18 am

Sol Star System, Ceres, Asteroid Belt
CSS Marzio
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 27th, 2265



Mia returned the salute. “Thank you for the warm welcome Captain, she looks like a lovely ship.” One she was endlessly grateful she didn’t have to try to kill. She never had expected to be setting foot on an Orcus-class dreadnought, but life was just full of surprises. While she had called home to tell her superiors of the plans to celebrate, she had so far had radio silence beyond some much more normal and low priority updates. She wondered if they actually trusted her to handle this or were just letting her do things without micromanaging to better throw her out of the tower if she put her foot in her mouth.

Unless this was the world’s most complex trap, she doubted her nation would get more than a feel-good Christmas story.

Who knows, maybe she could set these bootlickers down the path to breaking glass… though she doubted she would ever be such a crucial figure in that uphill battle. Alas, Mia was terrible when it came to corpo politics, she’ll have to remember to keep her mouth shut on that point.

“My shuttle does have some crew on hand to help with the goods, though I’ll completely understand if you’d prefer most of your own crew for that.” Sparing a glance back at the shuttle where a couple of its crew seemed to be hovering about nervously, like they didn’t quite understand how they should be acting in this situation, on what had recently been an enemy ship up until a few days ago.
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Postby Marimaia » Wed Jan 01, 2025 9:40 am

Jovian Coalition wrote: Sol Star System, Ceres, Asteroid Belt
CSS Marzio
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 27th, 2265



Mia returned the salute. “Thank you for the warm welcome Captain, she looks like a lovely ship.” One she was endlessly grateful she didn’t have to try to kill. She never had expected to be setting foot on an Orcus-class dreadnought, but life was just full of surprises. While she had called home to tell her superiors of the plans to celebrate, she had so far had radio silence beyond some much more normal and low priority updates. She wondered if they actually trusted her to handle this or were just letting her do things without micromanaging to better throw her out of the tower if she put her foot in her mouth.

Unless this was the world’s most complex trap, she doubted her nation would get more than a feel-good Christmas story.

Who knows, maybe she could set these bootlickers down the path to breaking glass… though she doubted she would ever be such a crucial figure in that uphill battle. Alas, Mia was terrible when it came to corpo politics, she’ll have to remember to keep her mouth shut on that point.

“My shuttle does have some crew on hand to help with the goods, though I’ll completely understand if you’d prefer most of your own crew for that.” Sparing a glance back at the shuttle where a couple of its crew seemed to be hovering about nervously, like they didn’t quite understand how they should be acting in this situation, on what had recently been an enemy ship up until a few days ago.


"I have absolutely no problem with your crew helping to unload, Captain. If I'm trusting you to come aboard and not poison me, it would be odd for me to not trust your crew with unloading goods." Avramenko gave a somewhat cheeky smile before returning to a more diplomatic demeanour. "I appreciate the kind words about the Marzio, she's the best ship that I've ever had the privilege to command. The Dance Above the Stars looks to be a formidable vessel, especially when commanded by a wise and capable captain."

He turned to gesture further into the interior of the Marzio. "My galley cook is putting the finishing touches to dinner, so when you're ready, we can head to my quarters to dine."

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Postby Jovian Coalition » Wed Jan 01, 2025 11:03 pm

Sol Star System, Ceres, Asteroid Belt
CSS Marzio
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 27th, 2265




"I'm not terribly sure about the wise label, but I know better than to argue with my host." Mia said with a smile, turning back to motion to the crew hovering. They seemed relieved to have permission from their captain that things were apparently going as planned and began to move out the crates of food and alcohol for the Martians to take. She did hover for a second, her gaze trying to figure out if there was going to be trouble or maybe even someone holding a stupid grudge she didn't clock when they were headed over here. However, her people were behaving themselves and even as she watched there was obvious joke exchanged between Martians and Jovians and a good chuckle shared all around. She was worrying for nothing, it seems. "Please, lead the way."

After a little bit of walked she decided to ask. "How long have you been in command of Marzio,Captain? And what does the name mean, if it had one. I do not believe I've heard of such a name before."
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Postby Marimaia » Thu Jan 02, 2025 7:36 am

Jovian Coalition wrote:Sol Star System, Ceres, Asteroid Belt
CSS Marzio
Captain Mia Hyrb
December 27th, 2265




"I'm not terribly sure about the wise label, but I know better than to argue with my host." Mia said with a smile, turning back to motion to the crew hovering. They seemed relieved to have permission from their captain that things were apparently going as planned and began to move out the crates of food and alcohol for the Martians to take. She did hover for a second, her gaze trying to figure out if there was going to be trouble or maybe even someone holding a stupid grudge she didn't clock when they were headed over here. However, her people were behaving themselves and even as she watched there was obvious joke exchanged between Martians and Jovians and a good chuckle shared all around. She was worrying for nothing, it seems. "Please, lead the way."

After a little bit of walked she decided to ask. "How long have you been in command of Marzio,Captain? And what does the name mean, if it had one. I do not believe I've heard of such a name before."


"Oh, she's been mine for just over three years now. Getting the promotion to commanding officer of Expeditionary Force Beta was one of the proudest days of my life, almost on a par with becoming a husband and a father. As for her name, I must admit that we're not terribly inventive when it comes to naming our Orcus-class vessels. It's one of many names derived from the name 'Mars', just like the Martinus of Expeditionary Force Alpha out there."

He smiled warmly at Mia as he responded with his own questions. "Dance Above the Stars is a rather poetic name, I like it. Is there any particular meaning behind Jovian naming conventions for your ships? It's not really a question that we'd think to ask under other circumstances. How long have you been with her?"
Last edited by Marimaia on Sun Jan 05, 2025 3:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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