The Standoff at G832-905 (Beyond Earth Only)

[Orostan]

The Standoff at G832-905
Gliese 832 - 7.5 383 LY from Delta Pavonis
November 3rd, 2265

The two hundred meter mining cruiser LMC-A102 was one out of around two hundred ships of its class produced for prospecting in deep space built for the state owned Laconia Mining Corporation of the Republic of New Syracuse. It floated in space near a large irregularly shaped asteroid called G832-905, or 905 for short, that was part of a field of similar objects orbiting the red dwarf star of Gliese 832. The LMC-A102 was composed of two box like segments interrupted by a cylindrical attachment point for two rotating habitation modules that could sustain one G for the crew of the ship. The aft segment behind the habitation modules was twice as large as the fore segment and a number of spherical tanks ran down its flanks with pipe work and trusses connecting them to the ship's thruster system while keeping the tanks firmly anchored to the hull. The main thruster assembly of the mining vessel consisted of two Phrygian Spaceworks type 3 hydrogen fusion thrusters and was covered by a shroud that extended backwards over the nozzles for radiation shielding. The fore segment of the ship was devoted to sensors and the vessel's mining work. A radar system and other types of sensor occupied the front along with a space behind them where two mining drones were docked. Affixed to the upper and lower hull, the sides adjacent to the fuel tanks on the aft section, were a number of large containers for carrying mineral wealth. There were also facilities for filtering minerals in the LMC-A102's fore segment, a lab for analysis, and a powerful ship mounted mining laser as well. The ship's communications array projected from a position just behind the habitation modules on the aft hull segment. It's large radiator panels were folded up alongside the dormant engines.

Opposite the LMC-102 was the Earth based Pathfinder Exploration Corporation's "PEC-D310" - a ship not dissimilar in construction and purpose to the Syracusan craft. It was, however, slightly larger and designed for greater range with a more expensive but efficient and reliable single large fusion thruster for its main propulsion. Pathfinder and Laconia Mining had a number of overlapping mining claims and both refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the other's resulting in a legal deadlock as the PEC insisted on bringing the case to a UNE court on Earth (that would doubtlessly rule in their favor) while the Syracusans insisted on their own court (that would doubtlessly rule in the favor of their countrymen as well). The Syracusans did not follow the UNE's licensing laws and the UNE based corporations felt little reason to follow the Syracusan's laws especially when according to the Syracusans the mega corporations ought to be illegal or state controlled.

For two days the mining ships had stared the other down. The LMC-A102 had been dropped off by interstellar transport carrier only four days ago and begun work on cutting out the interior of 905 shortly before the Pathfinder ship had arrived and demanded the Syracusans leave what was their rock in perpetuity as registered at the UNE's International Stellar Object Authority which many states, the Republic of New Syracuse not among them, treated as the supreme authority in interstellar resource claims registration and disputes.

The Syracusan ship of course refused. With neither side willing to force a confrontation over an asteroid the ships sat across from each other and simply stared and waited for help to arrive for two weeks. Occasionally they would exchange a burst of radio waves which included the next moves of Chess games the captain's of both vessels were playing against the other. The crews of the ships may have been working for rival corporations and from rival governments but far from civilization political and economic differences mattered little to men who were just doing their jobs.

Captain Harry Barrett considered his next move in the thirtieth game of Chess he had played against the Pathfinder captain from the bridge of the LMC-A102. The command center enjoyed a comfortable one G of gravity due to its position on one of the habitation modules that revolved around the central hull modules of the ship. There was a large LCD screen at the front of the bridge compartment displaying a live visual feed of the PEC-D310 with a box in the corner displaying a thermal view so they could tell if the corporate ship was activating its thrusters or mining laser. Computer stations lined the sides of the compartment with crewmen in standard issue Laconia Mining Corporation uniform monitoring and attending to the needs of every ship system from this centralized control center. The harsh LED lamp lighting caused a reflection on Captain Barrett's specialized command tablet from which he could see virtually any data the ship produced, but at the moment only viewed the present state of his Chess game on.

His strategic considerations were interrupted by two sharp squawks from the sensor's station. He set the tablet down on his lap and turned towards the lanky crewman with short brown hair and sharp features at the station. "Cooper, tell me what's going on."

Cooper quickly gave voice to a reading from his station. "Hyperwave sensors report portal opening at the system's jump gate. The size of the portal indicates only one more ship. We are also detected an encoded hyperwave burst transmission from the direction of the jump gate and then from the Pathfinder ship."

The entry of a ship by the corporate owned jump gate no Syracusan ship used and an encoded transmission between the new ship and the Pathfinder miner could only mean the arrival of another Pathfinder Exploration Corporation ship - likely a security vessel.

"How long until we can get identification on the new ship and how fast will they be here?" Barrett asked.

Cooper didn't need to look down at his console again to answer. "The jump gate is five light hours away, so we will confirm identification by conventional sensors in that long. At good speed they could be here in as little as thirty three hours."

Barrett nodded and turned to his communications officer. "Kaur - how long until our back up arrives?"

Kaur was only of average height compared to Cooper with rounder features, and her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. "Three hours until a navy light cruiser comes through the jump gate. The cruiser could be here in just over thirty three after that. " she reported.

The captain adjusted himself in his chair to a more upright position. "At least we won't have to wait around this asteroid for another week."

[United Nations of Earth-]

Captain Dexter Schmitt, PEC
CSV Tradewind, Gliese 832
Friday 3rd November 2265

---

The mood aboard the Corporate Security Vessel Tradewind was grim as they emerged from the jump gate into the Gliese-832 Star System and began to make their way to the mining vessel that had requested reinforcement from Corporate Headquarters. The unarmed mining vessel had been in dispute with another mining ship from the Republic of New Syracuse, as a result of the overlapping commercial claims on resources in the Gliese-832 system, and an increasingly robust ‘enforcement’ of their claims by the Syracusan mining corporations. As far as the Pathfinder Extraction Corporation (PEC) was concerned the commercial claims it (and indeed its primary competitor, Serendipity Mining Incorporated), made across the frontier were effectively inviolable and that they ought to be respected. The United Nations of Earth had long made a standing commitment under the Geneva Declaration that it would not prevent its colonies from gaining their independence, so long as certain conditions were met, and that it would not claim a vast swath of star systems as its own sovereign territorial space. In return, the UNE had long expected that outside of sovereign borders her daughter states would not infringe upon the legitimate business interests of its citizens and corporations.

This had been codified into UN Law by the passage of the Ballantyne Act, or the Corporate Responsibility Act of 2190, in which the territorial claims of newly-independent states would be respected by all corporations, and that they would negotiate in good faith with the newly independent government on any preexisting commercial claims within sovereign borders. In return, the corporations would be able to expect the UN’s support if its other commercial claims were infringed upon by aggressive territorial expansion of a sovereign nation-state with no attempt to negotiate in good faith. Although it would rather not, both PEC and SMI were prepared to operate under the laws and regulations of another sovereign state, if they desired to expand their sovereign borders in good faith. Given that the UN’s foreign policy position was that territorial expansion ought to be down peaceably and through negotiation, not conquest or by fiat, neither of the two corporations were particularly inclined to take any sort of alternative stance.

Of course the PEC had recently been pinged by the United Nations for violating the Ballantyne Act in its actions on Carpo, which was put down to a rogue senior executive trying to salvage a legacy-destroying mistake he had made, but it was still happy to shelter behind its protections when it was to its benefit.

In this scenario, the Republic of New Syracuse was refusing to negotiate in good-faith about the overlapping commercial claims and Corporate Headquarters believed that this was partially ideological, as the Republic was staunchly socialist, and geopolitical as there was reason to believe that they had an axe to grind with the UNE. As such, the corporate response was simple; they would protect their claims and enforce them as best they could, as abandoning them would effectively cede them to the RNS. However, after the Carpo Incident the PEC was in no mood to get itself in any further trouble, or be messed around by a foreign state, and as such had responded in a measured way, dispatching the CSV Tradewind. Like other vessels like her, the Tradewind was operated by the corporation under the terms of the Corporate Security Act of 2120 for the ‘sole’ purpose of operating in the other reaches of Sol or in extrasolar systems to prevent attacks by pirates and other criminal elements. In general, CSVs were still civilian vessels as opposed to warships; their offensive armament was nothing to right home about, blunt and simple mass drivers designed to avoid the heavy regulations around more advanced weapons, but their defensive armament was significant; being armed with the same Dynatex WRK-1005 Phalanx Light Plasma Pulse Turrets carried by all Earth warships.

More than enough for pirates or criminals, and enough to give even light warships a bloody nose and make them think twice.

However, Corporate Headquarters was sufficiently concerned to have gone cap-in-hand to the United Nations to request their support in this dispute, as they were concerned about the chances of the situation escalating. As such, the UN Peacekeepers Corps had agreed to send a warship to the area which would linger in hyperspace a little off the bacon and be ready to be called in should the Syracusan’s decide to escalate the situation further. The Tradewind’s master, Captain Dexter Schmitt, was like many CSV skippers former UN Fleet, so although as a corporate officer he was reluctant to not deal with the situation in-house, he also trusted the UNPC to do the right thing in a situation like this. Unlike the Carpo Incident, this time they were all on the same side.


As the Tradewind cruised towards the confrontation, Captain Schmitt deliberately ordered his communications officer to maintain silence on their approach. The opposing vessel would be able to see him approaching, and it was a decent bet that they would be able to suppose his identity. In his view, it was best to allow them to react in whatever way they thought best; whether they backed down in the face of a PEC Corporate Security Vessel would give a great deal of insight as to how far they were likely to push this thing. The asteroid in question of the dispute was some distance away, some thirty-three hours by his estimate, so nothing was likely to kick off immediately, but he had nevertheless notified his colleague on the mining vessel of their arrival in the system and of their estimated arrival time; doubtless resulting in a few sighs of relief aboard the unarmed miner.

[Orostan]

Captain Owen Caldwell
Gliese 832
November 3rd, 2265

Only three hours after the Tradewind emerged from the jump gate another portal was opened by the light cruiser RNSNV Elbing. The Syracusan ship followed nearly the same course its Corporate counterpart did on the way to the asteroid.

The Elbing's body was generally cylindrical as this was the optimum shape to deflect incoming weapons fire. The cylinder was interrupted by point defense weapons emplacements and the batteries of plasma pulse cannons as it gradually tapered to a blunted and flat face that was dominated by crater like depression that at its center had the end of the ship's long range spinal laser system. On both sides the light cruiser had more squarish modules at around its rear half. These modules were bent around the hull and housed extra storage space for the supplies and fuel that were required for long range patrols. Just ahead of them were the habitation modules that at all times except during combat would be rotating to generate gravity for those within them. Ahead of that the hull was dominated by its tapering shape and the projections of the powerful forward battery of plasma cannons that made up two thirds of its short range firepower. The flag of the Republic of New Syracuse was emblazoned on two sides of the ship's front behind its name and hull number.

Unlike the mining ships the Elbing had to be commanded from a bridge buried deep in its hull under layers of armor. Only what in RNS naval terminology was called a "pilothouse" enjoyed gravity at the end of one of its rotating habitation modules and existed for navigation of the ship while not in combat. When the Elbing began to decelerate Captain Owen Caldwell felt himself pressed into his chair as did everyone else on the ship. The speed at which the light cruiser traveled necessitated reaching nearly one gravity of acceleration at its peak to slow. It was always jarring for the mind to suddenly identify itself as sitting parallel to the floor and looking up at the ceiling no matter how much times it happened. By the time the pressure began to disappear and zero gravity returned along with a proper mental interpretation of the bridge space Caldwell knew his ship was nearing the asteroid before the helm officer announced it.

"We are nearing zero velocity relative to the targets, should I turn to face the corporate security ship?" Asked the officer at the helm in front of the Captain's position at the center of the bridge.

Caldwell looked at the main screen at the front of the room which displayed a tactical map with the relative positions of the mining ships, the corporate security ship, and his own vessel next to the disputed asteroid. Labels with the IFF transponder data of the ships present told him he was facing the CSV Tradewind today.

"No. Martin, take us on a slow course towards the corporate miner. Let's push him off." He answered and turned to his communications officer, a clean shaven man who had not been out of the naval academy at Laconia for long and had neglected to grow some facial hair, as was the fashion in the Syracusan navy. "Send our standard greeting and assertion of our claims to the corporate ships. Provide a line to the LMC-A102's captain as well."

The communications officer obeyed his orders, and a package of data outlining the legitimacy of the Republic of Syracuse's mining claims was sent to the two corporate ships while an encrypted communications channel was established between the Elbing and the Syracusan miner.

The mining captain's face appeared on the main screen a moment later in a window over the tactical map. "Boy am I glad to see you! I think the only reason they didn't try and push us off yet is because they saw you coming." he said.

Caldwell nodded and smiled. "It's good to see you. Captain Barrett, yes? I'm Captain Owen Caldwell of the light cruiser Elbing. We weigh a bit more than the CSV does so we can probably push them off this asteroid for you. We've already started with that. Do you need any other type of assistance?"

"Yes, that's me. Proud commanding officer of the LMC-A102. I'll be happy when the staring contest with these guys is done. We'll ask if we need anything, thank you." Barrett answered.

"I wish you good luck with the rock." Caldwell pressed a button on his armrest to close the communications line. The distance between the Elbing and the corporate miner continued to slowly fall on the tactical map.

---

2265-10-5

13:47

TO: Pathfinder Exploration Corporation vessels on the site of asteroid G832-905
FROM: Republic of New Syracuse Military Vessel Elbing

SUBJECT: ASSERTION OF SOVEREIGN RIGHTS WITH REGARDS TO MINING CLAIMS OF THE REPUBLIC OF NEW SYRACUSE IN INTERSTELLAR SPACE

Pursuant to section 3A of the 2235 "Resource Exploitation Regulation Act" of the National Assembly of the Republic of New Syracuse (henceforth abbreviated as the RNS), which is available in full to the public, mining claims registered in any jurisdiction over any celestial body anywhere carrying clauses allowing for exploitation in perpetuity by the claim holder, in particular over celestial bodies not at present exploited by the claim holder, are considered illegal and illegitimate in all cases by the Republic of New Syracuse.

Pursuant to section 4B of the aforementioned act of the National Assembly of the RNS, the RNS Navy is tasked with the enforcement of legitimate mining claims in the public and freely available registry of the Ministry of Interstellar Survey of the government of the RNS. This includes but is not limited to asserting the sovereign rights of the RNS to make and register its own claims and the prevention or removal of illegal and illegitimate mining operations belonging to a third foreign party both inside and outside what the RNS considers to be its own sovereign territory in space.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the RNS asserts that it is the sovereign right of any state to dispute and reject mining claims carrying clauses which allow for the exploitation in perpetuity by the claim holder, in particular claim holders foreign to that disputing or rejecting state.

Regards,
Captain Owen Caldwell of the RNSMV Elbing on behalf of the Republic of New Syracuse Navy and the government of the Republic of New Syracuse.

[United Nations of Earth-]

Captain Dexter Schmitt, PEC
CSV Tradewind, Gliese 832
Friday 3rd November 2265

---

Captain Schmitt’s eyes narrowed as he reviewed the sensor readings and came to the same conclusion as the computer, and confirming the transponder information, that it had been a New Syracuse naval vessel had entered the system and was approaching the stand-off. The arrival of a warship in the system certainly raised the stakes considerably. Schmitt knew from his discussions with corporate leadership that Pathfinder Extraction was aware of the disputes and that they would prefer to resolve the matter through legal channels (the mess over Carpo had resulted in a change of attitude from the leadership), and that the Tradewind was only present to protect the unarmed mining vessels whilst they conducted their lawful business. This was the approach that the UN Office for Resource Management expected both PEC and Serendipity Mining to abide by when they came up against potential claims by other powers; the entire United Nations was built on the principle of providing for a diplomatic solution to geopolitical problems after all. The decision by the New Syracuse Government to send in a warship was a significant escalation and would be seen as much, not only by the PEC, but by the UN Government more generally.

Truthfully, Schmitt rather suspected that the United Nations Security Council would have been expecting something like this for some time, even if the actual escalation was regrettable. By all accounts, the position of the Republic of New Syracuse when it came to respecting laws beyond their own, was taken with a very dim view by the UNSC. The United Nations had long advocated for a rules-based international order, where interstellar law was collaboratively decided upon and respected by all ; the only other option would be absolute anarchy. In the vast majority of cases, the New Syracuse attitude towards things like intellectual property had already discouraged most if not all corporations within the UNE from engaging with the RNS, whilst their general refusal, likely based on ideology, to engage in good faith with anyone who did not share it had meant that the UNE as a whole had largely disengaged from them as well beyond what was absolutely necessary for things like consular support for the view Earth citizens that made their way to the RNS. Some, even within PEC, questioned the corporations decision to get so close the RNS in the first place, however ultimately the board had been disinclined to cowtow to an extremist foreign power.

Still, no one had thought that they would escalate this far this quickly, and Schmitt was suddenly glad that Corporate Headquarters had requested that the UNPC provide support and that there would be a UNPC warship not too far away. A foreign state being this aggressive in their extraterritorial claims was likely to provoke a response from the UNE; as per the Geneva Declaration the United Nations largely took a hands-off approach and did not particularly want to get itself involved in the internal affairs of another state, but it would equally not stand idly by whilst another state flaunted interstellar law. The course of human history had showed that as soon as you allowed a criminal, whether a petty fraudster or a tyrannical dictator-in-waiting, to feel that they were above the law you were in for a world of trouble, and the UN had not spent over a century cultivating the rule of law to idly watch it fall by the wayside.

“Send the tachyon signal,” Schmitt ordered crisply, knowing that the Peacekeepers Corps needed to be informed of the escalation if nothing else, and would likely move to support the civilians. “Inform them that New Syracuse has thrown a light cruiser into the mix.”

His communications officer replied with a nod, and the message was sent as instructed a few moments later. It would not take long for the message to reach the UNPC cruiser, although as shown by their approach from this unusually far out jump gate it would take some time for the ship to reach them. In the meantime, Schmitt considered the message once again and could not help but roll his eyes; the RNS was clearly more than happy to ignore UN (and even interstellar) law whilst espousing their own in the same breath… the hypocrisy was astounding to say the least. Deciding not to waste any further time considering his response, he simply nodded again to his communications officer to dictate a response.

“Captain Caldwell, this is Captain Dexter Schmitt of the Corporate Security Vessel Tradewind, operating on behalf of the Pathfinder Extraction Corporation. Under Article I of the the Interstellar Convention on the Rules of the Stars, of which you are a signatory, the sovereignty of your Republic only extends as far as twelve light-hours from your primary star… this system is considerably beyond that, so your assertion of sovereignty in this matter is invalid. Established Interstellar Law recognises the right for commercial entities to assert ownership rights over resource deposits without making a territorial claim in Deep Space, and in those circumstances any interstellar state wishing to make a territorial claim must negotiate in good-faith with existing commercial claims when doing so.”

“The Pathfinder Extraction Corporation has previously claimed extraction rights over the a number of sites in this star system which I note has not be claimed by your Republic. I would offer to negotiate with you in good faith as to our continuing rights in this system, however as you are asserting the right to dictate terms on the basis of your laws in Deep Space, whilst ignoring those of others and Interstellar Law, I do not believe you have either the right nor the legal standing to do so.”

“Furthermore, your presence in this system as a naval vessel is an unacceptable escalation of this mining dispute, and you must know that I have reported it as such back to the United Nations.”

[Orostan]

Captain Owen Caldwell
Gliese 832
November 3rd, 2265

The communications officer read off the corporate ship's message that was coming in. Captain Caldwell listened to it until the officer finished and looked up to him expecting a response to be dictated. The Corporate captain had made an appeal to international law and Caldwell was aware that what he and his government considered of the point of international law to be was very different than what Schmitt, his employers, and their United Nations of Earth backers believed. It was the position of the RNS that the UNE did not have a mandate to regulate the affairs of other states or de facto dictate international law. The relative weight of the UNE had made whatever international rules were established by it twist around it as light bent around gravity. Things like ICRS and Treaty of Mars were seen as impositions more than real multilateral agreements negotiated on an equal field and always happened to benefit the UNE's interests - although Caldwell was sure that the UNE would insist those were humanity's interests. The UNE's insistence that its corporations had the right to claim any part of the universe they wanted forever and monopolize access to all of creation was one of the more regularly contentious topics, as was their support of the ridiculous and outdated notion that one could own an idea and monopolize a certain type of thought. Today the crew of the Elbing only had to concern themselves with the former.

After a moment of silence he turned to his executive officer who was secured to the seat on his right, a man of average height but solid build.

"What do you think Caillat, should we respond at all?" he asked.

He briefly glanced at the main screen at the front of the bridge. "I would advise we accelerate on our course towards the foreign miner and tell the Corporate Captain that our position remains unchanged."

Caldwell nodded. "Good idea." He turned to communications. "Ramos, send an update on the situation via hyperwave to the nearest naval relay station and tell them we aim to push the PEC miner off and that the CSV Tradewind says it has reported to the UN. Then prepare to relay my response to Captain Schmitt."

There was typing and then two soft beeps when the hyperwave message had been dispatched. Ramos kept his hands on the keyboard as the Captain proceeded to respond to his corporate counterpart.

"Good day to you, Captain Schmitt. Our position on the issue remains unchanged and I do not believe either of us is authorized to negotiate and set a precedent on this issue. I intend to assert my government's position in accordance with my obligations and orders to support Syracusan citizens and entities engaged in legitimate legal mining activity. We ask for your ship and the PEC mining ship to withdraw from the area in dispute. My government views claims of extraction rights in perpetuity by any organization as illegitimate and in contradiction with any balanced interpretation of international law anywhere including in systems that are not part of the Republic of New Syracuse. The RNS does not consider these actions to be in violation of the I-C-R-S or any other international agreement it has signed, and considers the claiming of extraction rights in perpetuity for the purpose of monopolizing access to celestial bodies rather than actual extraction activity illegitimate and in violation of the spirit and letter of international law as well as its own laws. If the PEC wishes to avoid disputes in the future I would advise it, with the support of the UN, open negotiations on registering PEC claims in this region of space with New Syracuse in a matter that complies with a mutually agreed upon understanding of the relevant international law. In addition, we view our presence as a ship on regular patrol to provide security and support to space travel in this region of space as non-escalatory and in line with our rights."

Some more typing and then another two soft beeps signaled a successful transmission.

"Raise our velocity by ten percent towards the PEC miner." Caldwell ordered the helm.

[United Nations of Earth-]

Captain Dexter Schmitt, PEC
CSV Tradewind, Gliese 832
Friday 3rd November 2265

“Captain Caldwell, be advised that we will not be withdrawing, and intend to protect our duly-recorded extraction rights in this matter, as provided for by Interstellar Law. Your Government’s interpretation of Interstellar Law, and its contrarian viewpoints on related matters, are inconsistent with the Rule of Law as agreed by the rest of civilised space. We will act to protect our interests, and I must warn you against the dangerous course you are taking towards our unarmed mining vessel, which appears to be in violation of COLREGS. You have been warned; whatever happens next is on you. Schmitt Clear.”

Schmitt sat back in his chair as he completed his message. In truth it was pointless to keep arguing with Captain Caldwell, for the Republic of New Syracuse held a range of views that were in conflict with what had broadly been agreed by the rest of humanity. The United Nations was confident in the diplomatic consensus that it had built around the body of interstellar law that had been agreed to; God only knew that the likes of Mars and Jupiter, much less the Republic of Talamhùr and others who had actually left the Sol System, would have lightly agreed to something that they did not fundamentally agree with. The simple fact of the matter was that there was only one of Earth’s former colonies that was begrudgingly joining agreements like the ICLS, which did not truly contain any really objectionable clauses unless you considered respecting the cultures and politics of another sovereign state objectionable, or outright refusing to respect other aspects of interstellar law or the rights of other states in Deep Space. The fact that they refused outright to even acknowledge the right of the Martian Confederacy to exist, by not diplomatically recognising them, was yet another example.

So words, and exchanges of legal perspectives was unlikely to resolve matters here.

Which was why Schmitt was glad when a buzzing alarm notified him to the fact that they had received an update from the Jump Gate that a jump point had formed and a ship transited through. Quickly examining the status report, the Corporate Captain smiled as he recognised the transponder code of the UNS Scipio Africanus, a Hyperion-Class Heavy Cruiser. The Hyperion was One of the sub-classes of the UN ‘Standard Cruiser’ is the ubiquitous workhorse of both the United Nations Peacekeepers Corps and the United Nations Defence Force. Whilst the likes of the Nova-Class dreadnought and the newer Omega-Class ‘destroyer’ are more powerful, the UN Standard Cruiser is by far the most versatile and well-loved ships of the UN Fleet. The Standard-Type is actually a family of cruisers, built upon a common space frame with the weapons load out and other ship systems. Whilst not as physically bulky as Earth’s capital ships, the frame of the Standard is designed to be hardy and versatile, lending itself well to being adapted into a number of specialised variants. The Hyperion was the most numerous and best armed of the Standard Cruisers, designed primarily to engage and destroy enemy non-capital warships ship-to-ship, but was also versatile and capable of other duties as required.

The Scipio Africanus therefore carried a varied weapons load, intended to provide the cruiser with a weapon for most circumstances, albeit at the expense of dominance in any specific area. Like any other Standard Cruiser, the Hyperion variant was armed with a forward battery of a Dynatex SPL-01 Spinal Laser Cannon backed up by a pair of single-barrel plasma pulse cannons also in the bows, but the main battery of the Hyperion variant was in the form of three twin PPC-12 plasma pulse 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 was covered by a simple but powerful RG-100 railgun that was also intended for use in the orbital fire support role. Defensive capability was provided by four twin Phalanx particle pule cannons, a dozen Interceptor emitters, whilst long-range strike capability was provided by a small flight line of Starfury fighters and a small complement of Matador-II strike missiles (which were mainly used against stationary targets at long range, as missiles were typically too slow, un-manoeuvrable and susceptible to defensive fire against a ship underway at anything beyond point-blank range.

A message was soon being transmitted from incoming cruiser.

“Attention Republic of New Syracuse Naval Vessel, this is Captain Takano Masahiro, of the United Nations Ship Scipio Africanus. Our presence has been requested by the Corporate Vessels present in this system, as they are concerned for their safety. I have reviewed all relevant records, and I have confirmed that this star system is classified as territorially unclaimed and therefore ‘Deep Space’ and as such the Corporate Vessels, like any civilian vessel from any power, is entitled to the protections provided for by Article II of the Interstellar Convention of the Laws of the Stars. I have also confirmed that they have properly recorded and filed their claims for mineral extraction rights in deep space with the relevant authorities. I am aware of the your Republics… interpretations of existing interstellar law and Captain Schmitt has made me aware of your assertions of sovereignty in this system, which I must remind you are invalid under the terms of Article I of the ICLS. Are you asserting that the Republic of New Syracuse has territorially claimed this system?”

It was a trap question, Schmitt mused. If the RNS intended to territorially claim this system, then such a formal claim was largely subject to recognition and they were unlikely to receive that recognition from many states. The UNE certainly was unlikely to recognise a claim where the claiming power refused to negotiate in good-faith with existing commercial concerns. If the RNS did not intend to territorially claim the system, the under the ICLS it did not have the right to assert its own sovereignty and laws in Deep Space. In any case, making a territorial claim was far more than simply saying the words; there had to be adequate marking of said claim, it had to be diplomatically communicated, and it had to be enforced. The PEC commercial claim had been more formalised than that, with a claim beacon remaining in place during the small periods that a PEC mining vessel was not physically present. It would be interesting to see the position the RNS Captain came back with, and would likely dictate the likely course of this dispute. As far as Schmitt could see it could end one of two ways; the RNS could negotiate in good faith or they could stick to their ideological guns and that meant that humanity could be heading for its first true interstellar war.

In which case, Captain Dexter Schmitt might very well be back in UN uniform before he knew it.

[Orostan]

Captain Owen Caldwell
Gliese 832
November 3rd, 2265

As jump portal detection alarms went off the crew of the Elbing had assumed it to be more corporate ships. The UNPC ship's sudden transmission had smashed that assumption and a number of others about the nature of this encounter. The Hyperion class significantly outweighed the Elbing, although the RNS light cruiser was still competitive and exceeded the heavier ship a great deal in speed.

Despite the surprise the crew continued with their normal activity. Caldwell stared at the UNPC contact on the main screen as information verifying its identity was recognized by the Elbing's sensors and cataloged. The Hyperion class as a whole was viewed as a formidable combatant because of its size and multitude of capabilities in the RNS, but it was a jack of all trades and master of none. The Elbing's focus on pure anti-ship warfare gave it considerable combat power compared to the Scipio Africanus even though no light cruiser could match a heavy cruiser.

"They must have been waiting for this on the other side of the jump gate." He gave an order to his helmsmen. "We can't push him off anymore. Stop the ship in relation to the PEC miner and orient us to face the foreign ships."

A subtle feeling of acceleration indicated the firing of the RNS ship's retrothrusters. Another shift indicated the Elbing moving around its center of mass to put its front towards the corporate ship and soon its UNPC companion.

Caldwell shifted to communications again. "Ramos, inform command by hyperwave of the UNPC presence. Tell them that we need reinforcements or we will have to let the PEC have this asteroid."

"I advise we create a range gap between us and them sooner rather than later." Caillat said.

The captain shook his head. "No. We have to stand our ground. The UNPC ship hasn't directly threatened us yet and we would be letting them push us off the claim."

"And if they force the issue?"

Caldwell's eyes stayed on the tactical display. "Only then do we depart with the miner behind us. Can he keep pace?"

Caillat glanced at the control tablet on their hands and produced a window on the main screen that included the LMC-A102's maximum acceleration with an empty load. It was only slightly lower than the Elbing's. "If he jettisons any load he has he can very nearly do that."

A small amount of tension left Caldwell's posture and he turned away from Caillat to the bridge officers. "Good. Ramos, let's respond to Captain Masahiro then."

"Captain Masahiro of the UNS Scipio Africanus - the RNS asserts that the Pathfinder Exploration Corporation is acting in violation of article 2, clause 2 of the Interstellar Convention of the Laws of the Stars namely in its claims in perpetuity to extraction rights over asteroid G832-905 and other celestial bodies. These claims contravene the principle of the freedom of deep space and the RNS asserts its right as a sovereign state to dispute these claims in under its understanding of international law which it has codified as part of its own law with the 2235 "Resource Exploitation Regulation Act" of the National Assembly of the Republic of New Syracuse."

---

Republic of New Syracuse Naval Station 08, Epsilon Indi

Like other space stations produced for the navy, Station 08 featured a large habitation ring slowly rotating in space to generate gravity around a long body that extended in one direction a way from it. Just below the habitation ring were zero gravity storage areas for supplies and spare parts. Underneath those rectangular and square modules were a series of large spherical tanks for storing fuel surrounded by debris shields that created a cylindrical shape. The main body of the station that was unencumbered by supplies and fuel storage was about one and a half times the length of the rest of the station and devoted to docking ports and refueling points for the ships that made Station 08 their base of operations for their assignments in the outer system of Epsilon Indi near the system's jump gate. Upon the receipt of the message that a UNPC ship had become involved in the Gliese 832 dispute orders were given to two heavy cruisers to prepare for launch.

The two ships were the RNSNV Hamilton and RNSNV Muntzer. The first was a Bolshevik class designed for anti-ship combat while the second was a Communard class designed as a light carrier with no spinal laser system but possessed good defensive systems and two squadrons of interceptor fighters and a squadron of attack craft. Both shared commonality in engine and other systems which resulted in the less massive Muntzer having slightly higher acceleration at best speed compared to the Haywood. They were also of a broadly similar shape externally. In line with RNS naval doctrine the two cruisers were less well armored than their UNE counterparts but were faster and had better offensive capability than other ships of their size.

The two ships set off for a meeting with the jump gate that would begin their trip to Gliese 832.

[United Nations of Earth-]

Captain Takano Masahiro,
UNS Scipio Africanus, Gliese 832
Friday 3rd November 2265

---

Captain Takano Masahiro smiled slightly as he reviewed the message from the New Syracuse ship and noted that they had declined his invitation to assert that they were claiming the system, and that fundamentally undermined the position that they were taking in his eyes. The United Nations was not interested in getting into competition with its daughter states over territory, there was plenty of space for all of them after all, but it was very much interested in upholding the laws-based interstellar order that it had helped to built over nearly two centuries. It was an political system that had ensured that humanity had been spared interstellar war and most Earth citizens saw that as the second greatest achievement of the UN, after ensuring that the scourge of war had been kept far away from Earth itself for centuries now. As such, the one consistent foreign policy position that the United Nations could be relied upon to take was upholding interstellar law, regardless of the changing opinions of it’s constituent member-states and their representatives on the Security Council. It was certainly a policy point that Captain Masahiro had absolutely no issue with predicting and standing his ground upon, confident that his actions would be endorsed.

As far as the tactical situation went, Masahiro also felt assured of his position. The Hyperion-Class was probably the most rounded ship operated by the United Nations, and whilst it lacked the all-out firepower of the Nova-Class dreadnought, or the advanced firepower of the Omega-Class destroyer, or the specialised excellence of the other variants of the Standard Cruiser, it was never the less the most heavily armed Earth cruiser with a varied weapons array designed with any situation in mind. As such, although the Office of Naval Intelligence suggested that the Republic of New Syracuse Navy might hold the edge in acceleration ship-to-ship, particularly when Earth’s ‘heavier’ (not that mass truly mattered all that much in space) that was unlikely to be an issue in this situation as the Scipio Africanus would not pursue the RNS ships if they withdrew from the system. Indeed, that was the optimal outcome; as much as the tactical situation had to be considered the fact remained that the heavy cruiser’s greatest asset in this situation was what she represented; the United Nations of Earth and as much as the RNS was known to be ideologically bound against them it was unlikely that they would push the matter here.

The UN Peacekeepers, like so many times before, would not even need to fire their weapons to make their point. It was their staying power that was their greatest attribute.

With his course of action clear, Masahiro nodded once again to his communications officer.

“Captan Caldwell, I do not recognise your interpretation of Article II, Clause II of the ICLS… indeed, if anything you are attempting to infringe upon the Pathfinder Extraction Corporation’s right to resource extraction in Deep Space. I have reviewed the relevant claim, and I have confirmed that the asteroid in question was not previously claimed at the time that the PEC made their claim, therefore the claim under interstellar law is valid. Moreover, as you conceded that this system qualified as Deep Space, your assertions of your own law in this system are equally invalid. As such, in my view the PEC claim here is valid, and I will be protecting the interests of Earth as is my duty. I invite you to withdraw, so that your government may lodge a diplomatic protest with the United Nations, should you so wish.”

[Orostan]

Captain Owen Caldwell
Gliese 832
November 3rd, 2265

Arrogance was something common to all powers which claimed to be the rulers of everything or representatives of everyone. It was something which even the greatest men could be driven mad by. Caldwell had known those who were so possessed by their self-assured attitude that they abandoned reason without realizing it. He supposed that arrogance was the most common and dangerous affliction that humanity suffered. His own people were aware of the danger of that and it was constantly drilled into him and every other soldier or sailor of New Syracuse in the military academies that they could not afford arrogance or other delusions. Even if the Syracusans transformed their society into one giant military camp they could not best a state ten times their size in a straight fight. That in no way weakened his people's will, instead it strengthened it. When a bear confronted a hiker, the hiker had to look large and strong and be fearless. A bear ten times his size could in this way be convinced to leave them alone. To run and show weakness invited the bear to attack and certain death. If he gave in to the UN bear here Caldwell believed it would encourage it to be more aggressive in the future.

Caillat looked over to him. "What are your orders, Captain?"

Caldwell's eyes remained locked on the tactical map at the front of the bridge. "Advance by ten kilometers towards the Earth cruiser."

The helmsman followed his orders and Caldwell felt acceleration gently push him into his seat. The captain looked over to Ramos at communications who looked back, ready to relay the next message to the UN ship.

"Captain Masahiro. The RNS does not recognize the legality of any claims in perpetuity to any celestial body including this one. As a sovereign state it reserves the right to have its own fair interpretation of what the law is and not be dictated to by a foreign power. If you believe the differing interpretations of the law and the right to extract resources in deep space are not reconcilable at this time then I would ask you to have the Pathfinder Exploration Corporation withdraw, and in return I will have the Syracusan miners withdraw as well. Our governments, I'm sure, would be happy to make their cases before a neutral body that can be recognized by both sides. Until the question is resolved neither side should pursue extraction operations anywhere in this system."

[United Nations of Earth-]

Captain Takano Masahiro, UNPC
UNS Scipio Africanus, Gliese 832
Friday 3rd November 2265

---

Captain Masahiro shook his head in slight annoyance; dealing with an ideologue was always tiresome at best. The simple fact of the matter was that the Interstellar Convention on the Laws of the Stars was very clear on this point; in the absence of a territorial claim on the system then the system was classed as ‘Deep Space’ and in deep space everyone had the right to extract whatever resources they wished, and by longstanding convention once made those claims were inviolable. No nation had the right to impose its own domestic law on deep space, and that seemed to be the point that the RNS Captain was missing… whether deliberately or intentionally. Moreover, whilst it was obvious from both this exchange and their previous diplomatic positioning that the Republic of New Syracuse did not particularly agree with the body of interstellar law that had been drawn up and developed over the past century and a half, pretty much everyone else did, with disparate signatories ranging from the Martian Confederacy to the Republic of Talamhùr. The United Nations Government of the era might have leveraged its diplomatic weight and influence to shape the ICLS, amongst others, but it could not be said that it had forced anyone to sign through threat of violence.

As such, the UN’s position on this matter was clear, and would not be up for debate or discussion down the barrel of a gun, as it was already settled interstellar law and one nation could not be allowed to flaunt it with impunity. There were specific and well-detailed protocols for amending or repealing the Interstellar Convention on the Law of the Stars. Doubtless, UNGOV would resist anything that it did not believe was in its best interests, or those of the human interstellar community at large, but the discussion could be had diplomatically and if the RNS could build a coalition against them that even UN diplomatic pressure could not change. But this was not Captain Masahiro’s concern at this point; his duty was to enforce interstellar law as it was currently written… anything else was for the diplomats. Right now his concern was the ship slowly advancing on his own; he was not overly concerned as every kilometre close brought them deeper into range of his weapons, and he was confident in the toughness of his ship to resist any attack.

Masahiro nodded once again.

“Captain Caldwell, the Interstellar Convention of the Laws of the Star is very clear on this matter; this system is deep space beyond the territorial claim of any state, including your own. This is not a matter of interpretation; in the absence of a territorial claim the rights provided for in the Convention must be respected. However, should your Government wish to make a change to interstellar law, and believe that it has the diplomatic support to do so, there are the appropriate channels through which you can do so. But I am not prepared to debate the finer points of interstellar law whilst in a military stand-off. As it currently stands, I cannot compel the PEC ships to withdraw, however I will instruct them to cease any attempts to conduct mining operations. In the meantime, I once again request that you withdraw and report to your Government, and impress upon them the need to resolve this issue through the proper channels.”

[Orostan]

Captain Owen Caldwell
Gliese 832
November 3rd, 2265

Caldwell listened to the UNE captain's message. He remained silent for a few moments and the air was only occupied by the sound of technicians at their stations and a few words passing between them.

He took his eyes from the screen at the front of the bridge and looked over to his executive officer."What do you suppose he means by 'not a matter of interpretation', Caillat?"

"I would guess he means to say that he doesn't view it as a matter for our interpretation. Only his." They responded.

Caldwell smiled. "That sounds about right." he said and then called on the communications officer.

"Ramos - transmit the assertion of sovereignty we sent to the corporate cruiser to the UN ship, and then tell Captain Barret on the LMC-A102 to withdraw when we pass the UN cruiser."

He worked on his computer console for a moment. "It's done." he flatly reported.

The captain once again fixed his eyes on the tactical map at the front of the bridge. "Martin-" He began, addressing the helmsman, "-I want us to pass the UN cruiser as close as you can safely bring us at a constant 5Gs of acceleration. After exiting plasma pulse cannon weapons range we will then head for the jump gate."

He acknowledged the order and almost immediately an alarm for imminent acceleration sounded across the ship. Caldwell and everyone else on the bridge including the helmsman braced themselves in their seats and a moment later they were pushed back into their seats by the force of the Elbing's powerful engines fusing Helium-3 to drive the ship forward. While 5Gs was not near the top acceleration of the ship and would not reveal what the RNS considered to be sensitive information about the ship's capabilities to the UN it would result in an intercept in about two minutes at a velocity of nearly six kilometers a second. Such a speed would result in the RNS cruiser passing the UN ship in a fraction of a second. As the force pushing Caldwell and his crew into their acceleration chairs became a constant force he could see Martin adjusting the course of the ship with the help of the guidance computer. The firing of maneuvering thrusters created other forces on the crew than those which pushed them backwards into their chairs that only a trained sailor usually could notice. Caldwell watched the distance to the UNE Hyperion class decrease increasingly rapidly on the bridge screen, each subtle adjustment to the course of the Elbing reflected by changes to its heading and projected course.

[United Nations of Earth-]

Captain Takano Masahiro, UNPC
UNS Scipio Africanus, Gliese 832
Friday 3rd November 2265

---

The Scipio Africanus remained stationary in her position; she did not take any evasive action in response to the dangerously close approach by the RNS warship. Captain Masahiro watched with narrowed eyes as the other ship made its approach, keeping a close eye on his tactical repeater showing the course they were taking, keeping his composure and refusing to be drawn into a knee-jerk reaction. As an institution, the Peacekeepers were very familiar with being under fire (or very close to it) and not being able to respond until certain Rules of Engagement had been met, in order to avoid escalating a situation themselves, and as such a close fly-by (one the navigational computer confirmed it wasn’t a collision course) was par for the course and the UN Cruiser didn’t flinch. The UNPC would doubtless lodge a formal diplomatic protest at the ‘dangerous’ manoeuvre conducted by the RNS Warship, but that was about it the point had been made and Interstellar Law had been successfully enforced with the New Syracuse ship leaving the ‘field’ with its own point made and doubtless their pride intact, which was probably what a great deal of this whole incident was about.

Captain Masahiro settled back in his chair thoughtfully as he watched the RNS warship departing, their miner following. For now the situation appeared to have been resolved; as per his word he would now allow the PEC to continue mining operations for some time, until it became clear whether New Syracuse was going to make any diplomatic actions. The Corporation would not ignore his instructions on this matter, after he had just made a stand in their defence, and would doubtless report the situation and the exchange back to their Corporate Headquarters.

In truth, Masahiro was of the opinion that the RNS making a diplomatic stink out of the entire affair might be the best outcome for all concerned. The Interstellar Convention on the Law of the Stars had been signed in ****, in a very different geopolitical era, and had largely been based on the International Convention on the Law of the Sea, its maritime predecessor. Broadly speaking, in those early days of space exploration and travel this had been more than adequate, but as humanity had explored further and space civilisation had evolved there were starting to be areas that were overlooked. Indeed, in Masahiro’s professional opinion as a Fleet officer, this particular situation was one where there was scope for clarity, and the influence of corporations could be rolled back. However, the fact remained that unless and until the ICLS was amended using the proper diplomatic channels, it remained a foundational piece of Interstellar Law and that meant that the UNPC and the United Nations in general would enforce it; which was the point that he had made in his conversation with the RNS Captain; it was not for them to decide matters of this nature, it was up to Governments to go through the necessary channels to try and change it… if they had the interstellar backing to do so.

For now, Captain Masahiro and Scipio Africanus would enforce Interstellar Law as it was currently written.

[Orostan]

New Syracuse
Palace of the People, Archias
November 7th

New Syracuse was not a planet known for its great skyscrapers, but it did possess a few monumental buildings. The finest among them was the Palace of the People, the central headquarters of the Syracusan government. The style of architecture it was built in was called "Syracusan Neoclassical" and blended modern materials with ancient building styles. Arches that would have been too great to have been constructed with the materials of past centuries could be used as structural elements even though their exterior resembled masonry. The Palace of the People was shaped like an eight pointed star with three principle divisions in its structure. The first was the widest and the shortest, comprising the bottom few floors. It was lined with a colonnade that projected from the structure with tile roof slanting downwards from where it met an upper colonnade that also projected from the structure on top of the bottom floor, but less than it and with a more enclosed design where instead of large columns there was a series of arches. Unusual for architecture of this style and perhaps unique to New Syracuse, the columns and other features of the building were painted or highlighted in the way the ancient structures really were. The bottom third of the columns was painted with an orange-red color while the entablature was highlighted in certain sections with a brighter red. The majority of it however remained bare marble.

The levels above this one were where the large structural arches became prominent and leaned slightly inwards. Inside them, occasionally set back, were more modern looking glass window fixtures nestled in surroundings that looked like brick. Some of the areas behind these arches were reserved for semi-enclosed balconies or masonry walls with smaller glass windows that were used for office space with a view. These levels terminated near the top of the structure where the inward angled arches had drawn the structure back to let it end with a series of slanted tile roofs. The center of the eight pointed star structure was occupied by a dome that blended itself with the larger structure with a series of eight supports rising out of the roofs of the star-points of the structure. These supports also provided additional space that could be lit with natural lighting and were distinctly more modern in style than the rest of the structure even though they were built of similar materials. The dome while small relative to the structure was actually just more than a hundred meters across and under it was where the Syracusan National Assembly and State Committee met, although today it was unoccupied.

A conference room in one of the adjoining support structures to the done was however occupied. At midday when the sun was nearly right overhead due to New Syracuse's only ten percent axial tilt light bounced off of the tile roofs and the glass and other surfaces of the city beyond the grounds of the Palace of the People. One would not have known that thirty years ago none of this had existed and Archias had been a ruin blasted by repeated atomic and kinetic bombing.

Around the table of this conference room were the President of the Republic Theodore Williams, the Defense Minister Edwin Briggs, Foreign Minister Abel Lafaille, and CEO Edmond Rochefort of the state owned Laconia Mining Corporation who was somewhat nervous to be in a room with so many more important people.

Williams held his elbows on the table and his hands together in front of him. "It is regrettable that the UN sent a heavier ship than we did. At least we stopped extraction for now."

"Yes. But we must continue to assert our claims. I have already suggested to you that patrols be increased in areas we plan to frequent with our mining ships. We don't want something like what happened to Carpo happening to us." said Briggs, glancing from Williams to Rochefort who nodded.

"That-" began Lafaille "is a needlessly escalatory thing to do. We must respond asymmetrically to avoid agitating the UN and drawing their attention in our direction. Pressure in one area can be balanced elsewhere."

Briggs was not convinced. He answered Lafaille with characteristic Syracusan directness. "You are speaking about the Jovian plan? We can't rely on a state ran by anarchist children as a reliable partner."

Rochefort suddenly interjected, and the heads of the two arguing men be turned to him. "We can't mine with the military everywhere. The miners wouldn't like the extra attention, and they'd fear being used as bait for another encounter with the UN."

Briggs seemed indifferent to the CEO's concerns. He was about to say something to him when President Williams cut him off. "I lean towards Lafaille's position. We cannot project strength we unfortunately do not have. Lynn-Io was very recently put out of power, anyways. The new leadership will probably not make the same mistakes she did, we should at least attempt engagement."

"And that engagement is most likely going to be a bad investment. If Rochefort's mining ships don't want to risk confrontation they will not have to, that's what more patrol ships will be for. All I am asking for is more resources to back up our words." Briggs said.

Williams continued to hold his hands in front of him and stare at his subordinates. "You will have those resources. But we will have words to back them up first. I am in agreement with the Foreign Minister that our immediate response must be to draw attention away from our own sphere of influence. Recent events on Jupiter create the ideal circumstances for a potential response that will focus UN attention in its own backyard rather than ours. If our investment fails we will make sure the Jovians take the hit rather than us." He looked at Rochefort. "Do you have the ability to extract resources on Carpo if Jupiter chooses to give a contract to you rather than Serendipity Mining?"

Rochefort adjusted himself in his chair but still looked uncomfortable. "You mean Quantinium-40?"

Williams nodded.

"We, uh, have some procedures for handling potential Q40 deposits. Nobody outside of the Earth mining corporations has done it before though, and Jupiter's attempt last month didn't go too well."

Briggs and Lafaille shared a glance. Both of them and the President were aware of the secret Syracusan extraction operation in Epsilon Indi.

"Could you do it with some extra help, then?" Williams pressed.

Rochefort hesitantly nodded. "I think we could. We can do better than the Jovians did for sure if you can hire experienced labor from the UNE somehow."

"We can get you what you need. Have a basic plan prepared by one month from now." Williams answered.