Mankind's Story - RP

[KindlyPlagueDoctor]

Veezkus Tutzpochtlu-Yirath

Veekzkus kept his eyes on the strange object the stranger had thrown. It hit the ground lightly and he looked at it for a short while. He was about to turn back and face the stranger but the strange flying creatures scared the hunters for a while, they simply looked on as the things landed. They still kept their primitive spears up, and bows ready, but they didn't shoot yet, it seemed these creatures and the intruders were related.

Veezkus and his hunters looked at the creatures and the intruders within them before hissing at them. At this point he just wanted to know who these things were, and why they where here.
​

Axel The Englishman

Gar'shal Yutzelhup-Yarith

Gar'shal and his men kept inspecting the strange creature that seemed to be immune to their arrows and spears. It was a moment before they had made the decision to close in on it. The warriors clutched their axes and clubs, the hunters had their spears outstretched. They all hissed at the thing. The fact that the creature didn't react to them seemed to make it more tense. Gar'shal was close to it now, he thought that maybe it hadn't noticed them, and so slammed his shield into the ground and hissed loudly.​

Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[Petroshka]

Larissa Von Reichenau, Captian Safrax Sol, Venus.

Spoiler: Larissa

Spoiler: Clarent-Class Frigate

Spoiler: Evalach-Class Crusier

A small(ish) wormhole appeared near Venus's side that was facing the sun as three ships; a Crusier acting as transport and two frigates, slowly came out of it, at speeds that wouldn't leave much of a footnote on any sensors other than Venus's. Sighing Larissa cursed under her breath, she was tasked with establishing relations and trade with the people on venus, word has it that they weren't heretics like their neighbors on mars. Why her? Irisviellya was busy as always, Felicia was in Curatorium territories to gain favor for herself, Ägidius was busy with internal affairs and management, Bastian was off doing whatever he usually does leaving her, the youngest at age 20. She looked at the screen which was showing the planet of Venus, it was strange knowing they were in the solar system that is the birthplace of humanity and that Venus was the sister planet. She looked around at her escorts, Knights, trustworthy but ridged, She wondered if Iris grew up like them, she knew that Iris was a paladin before everything happened... Back when everything was studying about politics and governance.

Captain Safrax of the Maiden's shield was immediately hailed by the Venerian's below as his ship exited the wormhole, slow was the ships were going to mask their signatures in space he was quite surprised at the response time although they werent exactly attempting to hide from them as they were simply coming to essentially say hello. "This is Captian Safrax of this escort fleet." He assumed they got the message that they were coming, a message sent by an envoy days earlier. "We are preparing a transport to send our ambassador down to your planet soon, what say you?" He leaned back on his captains chair awaiting their response, glancing at the sensors occasionally, he didn't like being this nearby to heretics. Especially not with the princess onboard with only two frigates to escort his crusier.

Crumbli

 

[Shireling]

Canticle, Philemon​

"I would recommend the Indi Sangiovese," Minister Lobel said.

"Ah, excellent choice." The servant replied before wheeling swiftly on his heels and descending a set of stairs into the cellar. The Minister led them to his study, which was apart from the rest of the house. The room was hung with portraits of dead ancestors and the western wall was covered by a bookshelf filled with classics such as Paradise Lost, The Canterbury Tales, The Song of Roland, the Illiad, the Odyssey, the Aeniad, as well as other more contemporary books such as "Thomism in the 28th Century" and "Scientism and Its Fruits".

They were seated in two leather chairs by a fireplace. There was still some flame below the mantle, but the fire was quickly going on. The material that was being burned was some sort of synthetic coal shaped into logs that gave the impression of a real fire and gave off the aroma of burning pine.

In short order, the servant returned with their glasses and two bottles of wine. The merlot was poured into his glass and a similar red wine into hers. The label on the bottle read "Epsilon Indi Sauvignon, 2680."

"So," he began when the wine was passed out and the servant had taken his stance by the door, "I suppose now is time for business." He took a deep breath and reclined in his chair.

Petroshka

 

[Petroshka]

Princess Felicia Von Reichenau, Philemon, Canticle.
Diplomatic Busniess​

"hm, an interesting choice minster."
Felicia was busy over watching the servant disappear downstairs until a shelf of books caught her attention, such ancient books, some of them she didn't recognize. There was a moment of pause before she continued to follow the minister to a fireplace where she sat down in a admittedly comfortable chair.
"Ah, yes, i almost forgot why i was here for."
She leaned over to pick up her glass of wine, her metallic hand finally being shown as there was a tiny "tink" sound when they contacted the glass.
"I am where to establish a treaty which would make our nations trade go much more smoothly, less restrictions, more secure trade routes and the like." She took a sip of the wine before continuing.

"Also, we've been hearing whispers here and there about a few certain nations that we would label our neighbors getting into scuffles."
And although my sister would relish the idea of war being triggered by others i would like to keep the peace.
"We are concerned but as you know our ability to listen to galactic matters is, sparse at best." she internally sighed, thats the thing about these meetings without their ruler, the person you are talking to wouldn't know all the details.
"if trouble were to break out we'd like to be sure of the Curatorium to keep trading their raw materials to us, there are few trading partners if any with as many resources as yours, wars disrupt trade, and we do not want that to happen"

Shireling

 

[Shireling]

Diplomatic Business.
​

Lobel nodded. "I won't lie to you, we've heard whispers out of Mars. The Institute and the Femian Hierarchy seem to be on a collision course to war. Problem is, we don't know exactly whose side to take or if we should take a side at all."

He turned his head slightly towards her still watching the fire. "But you can count on our material assistance as you always have. Whatever the course of events, the Curatorium and the Order of the Crow will remain steadfast allies, I can assure you."

Petroshka

 

[Axel The Englishman]

Yerith / Clides D3GP Surface​

Staff Sergeant Alesky Sówka

Sówka circled the ground unit for a bit, maintaining a watchful eye upon the unidentified forces that had them surrounded with a formation that exclaimed "ambush" up to the very skies the Staff sailed. He awaited a sign indicating for him to land, or for him to engage those on the ground. At the height of the confrontation's climax, where the leader of the ground unit appeared to waste valuable goods with absolute disregard, these unknown creatures turned their backs and shunned Sówka. He took it as his cue to land.​

The Staff conducted his descent in the exact manner his training dictated him to do so. He extended the landing gear with his approach. With his landing, the shuttle was barely submerged in a layer of water. Though, water should never be this viscous.

The Staff watched on as the ground unity approached his craft. He wasn't sure what these potential targets were up to, but he was just as prepared to tack action as much as they were.

Chief Master Sergeant Ethan Bailey

Bailey and his element approached the downed remains of the vessel that had gotten a little too personal with the planet's surface. As they approached, the aerial unit separated, moving in to cover a different area each around the remains. Ethan took the position that yielded the most visible activity. A gathering of some sort, but not carried out by the surviving crew. They appeared to be natives, confused by the scenario that had just ensued.

Bailey decreased his altitude to obtain a better view. Whoever these lot were, they didn't appear to be the friendly sort. "Smit." Bailey barked informally over his craft's communications. "I got visual of multiple unknowns surrounding the crash site. Looks like wildlife. Need ya to scare 'em off."

One of the craft's weapons lined up in the direction of the infested ground. Soon, a volley of dispensed ammunition was unleashed, smacking the surface around the crowd as a means of sending them away. Bailey maintained a motion of circling the crowd to provide his crewmate with the best shot possible.

KindlyPlagueDoctor Wandering Grim Hollow
​

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Kara Māte, Inner Colonies, Femian Space
Femian State Shipyards

/>"FSS Hangar 20 Command, this is Thero-class Transport Shuttle, callsign G.A Prime requesting permission to dock in Hangar 20-AB, over."</ The imposing black spacecraft called in to one of many countless hangar entrances located around the Femian State Shipyards, a vast industrial ring of technology and construction that spanned around the entirety of the densely populated colony world of Kara Māte located deep within Femian space. These shipyards, being well hidden by the Hierarchy for reasons of state security being the largest of their kind in Civilized Space and for good reason as the Naval Corps would have one believe. The Thero-class shuttle itself despite its impressive size and design being rather sparcely populated within with only its two pilots and one passenger on-board. This being the case mainly due to the fact that the shuttle belonged solely to Grand Admiral Maye Aria. A member of the Board of Naval Superiors and one of the highest ranking officers in not just the Naval Corps but the entirety of the Hierarchy's Armed Forces. She was a rather young looking woman with dark brown hair, a request made to Elysium by her parents as dark brown was their preferred color, she wore a white upper uniform with black pants and gold accents emblazened on the side. A pure white cape clipped onto the back of her uniform that now sat draped behind her. The Grand Admiral staring out the window of her shuttle to see what could only be described as the usual sight above Kara Māte. The construction of yet another Destructor-class Super Battledestroyer, a ship so large it made even the already colossal sized Conquerer-class Battledestroyers look like small fleas in comparison.

Suddenly being taken away from her viewing pleasure of the orbital Shipyards, Aria was brought back into the present by the sound of the ship's intercom speaking up again. />"Affirmative, G.A Prime, this is FSS Hangar 20 Command. Requesting your docking code, over."</ And with that, Aria could see the two black-uniformed pilots at the front of the shuttle tap away at the consoles in-front of them as they replied. />"Roger, FSS Hangar 20 Command. Sending you the docking codes now, over."</ A small pause interrupting the fluent conversation between the two sides before one of the consoles in the cockpit of the shuttle had a small circular screen on it turn bright green, indicating that the docking codes had been accepted and their access to the Hangar had been granted. The Hangar Command ending the conversation with, />"G.A Prime your docking codes are all clear and access has been granted to Hangar 20-AB, fly safe now, out."</ And with that, all went quiet once more however for a longer period of time as the shuttle approached one of countless thousands of hangar entrances, the ship's harsh black matter phasing through the protective field of the hangar entrance without any difficulty as it deployed its landing gear and settled down onto the flat surface of the hangar's interior. Grand Admiral Aria getting up from her seat and patting her uniform down as she fixed on her regulation cap and stepped out of the now open side-door of her shuttle, a ramp deploying for her to step down due to the height of the Thero-class shuttle. The first thing of notice for the Grand Admiral being the two long lines of Naval Corps infantrywomen, deck crew and officers awaiting her arrival along with Admiral. Kara Xatia at the forefront of the welcoming party, Xatia being the commanding officer of the Femian State Shipyards' stationed defensive forces. An important job, and one that had been given to the small, blonde-haired woman due to the merits of her past service to the Hierarchy.

Black shiny boots tapping against the metallic surface of the ramp, the Grand Admiral gave an acknowledging nod to her subordinate officer as Xatia saluted in return, waiting for the Grand Admiral to walk past her--which she did before following at least one step behind, a uniquely Femian custom to show both an acknowledgement of the other person's higher ranking and as a sign of respect. The Admiral speaking up as the two walked the length of the incredibly large hangar, surrounded by lines of Marines and officers on either side, "Grand Admiral, ma'am. It is quite the honor to have you at the Shipyards. Although I must say that if you're here because of--" She was interrupted by her superior with that added on remark. "Admiral Xatia, you were chosen to defend these Shipyards and to ensure that they were running at peak effiency not because of your ability to make excuses and to grovel but because of your ability to produce results. Please do not offend my intellect by giving me the impression that I made the wrong choice when I proposed you for the job." Grand Admiral Aria warned with a brief but telling look towards her subordinate, who nodded meekly and continued. "Sorry, ma'am. Its just that the Board of Naval Superiors has been very persistent in their demands for Project Stellar's completion to be sped up. And I have to tell you, Grand Admiral that their demands are completely unattainable, they're giving me an impossible goal. If I had more women then yes maybe but I'm understaffed to be honest with you, ma'am." Xatia swallowed what felt like a rock with that, knowing that it wasn't the wisest decision to be so open about one's reservations when it came to the Board of Naval Superiors but knowing that it had to be done regardless.

The pair of high-ranking officers stopped in their tracks near the end of the hangar, just meters from the pair of automatic doors that would take them towards a series of elevators. The first one to stop being the Grand Admiral who was followed swiftly by Xatia, the lower-ranking of the two looking up at her taller superior in a mixture of fear and curiosity as Aria seemingly pondered on her response before delivering it. "How many more women do you need, Admiral?" She finally asked after what felt like forever to the Admiral in question, who played with her black leather gloves out of habit as she gave her own response. "At least a few thousand more, maybe even ten. If you want Project Stellar completed on the Board's requested timetable that is." Aria raised her brow. "Thousands more?" She asked, almost in disbelief. "Ma'am, you have to understand my situation here. This Project is something that has never been done before, its almost ridiculously huge in scale and is incredibly taxing on even the vast resources of these Shipyards, I need all of the support I can get from the Board if they want this Project completed on time. And given the current state of tensions in Civilized Space I would hope that they would be willing to provide me with this support." Aria nodded slowly, rubbing her chin in contemplation. "I believe I may have a grip on how this must be for you, Admiral." She let out a breath. "Very well, I will arrange a call with the Board and deliver to them your requests. However, in return I only expect that Stellar be completed, the Supreme Empress herself is very keen to see it. As is Grand Admiral Krenn."

With that, the two exchanged courteous smiles, a handshake and a departing nod before leaving one another's company, with the Admiral returning to her quarters to begin filing a list of requests for the Board and with the Grand Admiral travelling to the Officer's Observation Deck at the top of Hangar 20's command structure, now being accompanied by a squad of Terror Troopers for necessary protection as she folded her arms and looked out towards what was known to those within the Hierarchy's upper echelons as Project Stellar. Her piercing blue eyes squinting as two F/H NER fightercraft sped past on one of their usual patrols no doubt, focusing on the huge and numerous Conquerer-class Battledestroyers that made up the majority of the Shipyards' defense fleet and then of course the Destructor-class Super Battledestroyers, the largest ships of their kind anywhere, though these ones unlike their already active sister ships were still in the midst of being constructed however even these record-breaking ships were dwarved by the still yet to be completed Stellar. Even the Grand Admiral almost being taken aback by the sheer scale of it as the realization of just how badly Admiral Xatia must have needed those extra personnel and resources when put face to face with the task the young Admiral had been given. Turning around to one of her Terror Trooper escorts as she said. "Call Admiral Xatia, tell her I must see her." The fiercesome black-armored trooper nodding in response.​

 

[Crumbli]

Official Venerian resources, Venus orbit.
Petroshka

The space around Venus was one with little slow moving traffic. Its location in the sacred system and proximity to the cradle of the institute left it undesirable for idle craft and the reclusive nature of its inhabitants gave little reason for large scale tourism. Cargo vessels were the most common types of vehicles that darted back and forth within the system, locking into the docking rings to be refuelled and guided to the surface for deliveries.
Such was true of today, until the signatures burst around the quiet planet. Too large in size to be mere unannounced traders and much too close to be Institute vessels. The institute and foundling had come to comfortable terms where neither would interfere with the other in aspects beyond business. Whenever the mariners could, they'd overlook the activities and motions of the Institute navy in exchange for a similar liberty.

The archons were jolted into full alert. Minerva's influence guides a set of destroyers from their routine positions in the space around Venus across to the micro fleet, taking with them a total of 12 blue crows from the surface. They couldn't afford to take any risks when it came to damages upon the planet. They only had one and two desecrated planets within the sacred system was something none of the faithful could risk seeing.
Minerva herself was unable to attend this meeting as her vessel, the Blue Raven, was in orbit of holy Terra. Drones and recon lances had been deployed all over the planet to assess the atmosphere and study what remained of it. To abandon the drones and equipment would be much too expensive for a simple flex of security. Something the destroyers could handle easily.

The archons send transmissions to the micro fleet as soon as they can, having already consulted with one another in only seconds. Dianna was responsible for responding to these outsiders, as was she responsible for communing with all off worlders. It was easier to cure corruption if only one archon had to take the risk.
"Attention Captain Safrax of the unidentified escort fleet, please have your ambassador dock with one of our rings. As is standard of all official entries to planet surface, I will recite the following information for your benefit. No official party ambassador is entitled to have an accompanying force larger than eight men. No official parties may be allowed entry if they feel either ill or 'under the weather'. Official parties are allowed to enter with weapons, but ammunition for said weapons is prohibited. No official party is entitled to celebratory weapon usage while on Venus. No official party is entitled to enter the planet for longer than 6 hours without a medical examination. No official vessel may guide itself in and out of entry. No official vessel is allowed to have weapons above the standard debris clearing calibre. Please see the official documentation for weapon calibres and what is classified as debris clearing for further clarity regarding the topic. No official vessel can refuse a physical inspection once making contact with the surface.
For safety protocols we request you disable all weapons systems present and that all AI aboard your ships not entering the planet are placed on standby or rendered inactive until negotiations are complete. If your ship is incapable of running without an AI, we'd be honoured to attempt an echo link until leaving the Sol system."

Doctor Alexandyr Jarilov, Outpost 21-c, Venus

"Good morning, doctor. Are you feeling alright?"
Alexandyr staggered from his bed to the door, placing a hand upon the frame of the room's doors as they finished opening. He'd been awake for hours in bed but hiding beneath the sheets like a log trying to fall back asleep doesn't do much for the muscles of the clumsy, or the drinkers. Unfortunately for Alexandyr, he was both. He presses his forehead against the frame as the door makes a soft clicking sound indicating it was done opening.
"I'm fuckin' peachy, Miranda. Never better." The doctor's head pulses with the throbs of a hangover and dehydration. His skull was splitting and the one thing in the world he wanted more than a partner was a glass of water. He exits his quarters into the spotless corridors of the facility and runs a hand along the tinted glass of the tubular corridor's scenic side trying to find his study. The facility was on the larger side but he only used a handful of rooms there.

"You don't appear to be 'peachy', doctor. Did you drink too much last night." He finds his office and walks towards it, the door already opened. Inside upon his desk was a glass of water and a tube of dissolvable vitamin supplements. Miranda had already prepared his work for him to continue the moment he woke. He makes his way towards the chair at his desk and places two of the triangle shaped supplements into the drink. They fizz for a moment before turning the drink green in colour and shrinking rapidly into fine grit on the bottom of the glass.
"I think we both know the answer to that one."
He takes a pen from the desk and places the back end of it into the drink, stirring the solution around to help remove the last bits of grit. Once he'd assumed they were gone, he placed the drink to his lips and took a sip. It was minty in flavour and the smell was overwhelmingly strong. He takes a few heavy blinks before having more of the drink, beginning to scull it down. The speakers in his office crackle for a moment as if Miranda were clearing her throat.
Alexandyr slows his pace. He takes slow and steady amounts of the drink into his mouth and exaggerates the swallowing motions to appease the archon. He never understood why she was programmed to have human-like desires or why she was so obsessed with watching people do normal every day things. It made him uneasy at times.

Once finished with his drink he rises from his chair and leaves for the bathroom. It was a place he often hoped for privacy but given certain offhanded comments made by Miranda during idle conversation, he suspected she monitored that room too. He finishes relatively quickly and makes quick with washing his hands. Once done he leaves the room and returns to his desk staring at all of his research. Very little of it made sense to his throbbing mind. It was written in personalised slang and some of it didn't appear to even be a human language. "Who'd have thought growing organic droids would be such a task."
"Shall I acquire the list of members who advised against this course of action?" He waves his hand in the air with a smile across his face. "That one was rhetorical." he goes quiet to look over the notes and theories that had all fallen through with his research. Even with the assistance of what information he could procure from the institute it wasn't enough and very little of it made sense to him. It was as if they were speaking an entirely different language. "I don't get any of it anymore. I thought we were onto something during winter but now," He looks out towards the open door. "I just can't go on like this. I get so close and then it slips away or it starts off promising and it turns into a total mess. You remember t-72-p1."
"An intriguing specimen indeed."
"Intriguing? That thing'll give me nightmares until the day I die."
"Perhaps you should consider opening a line of communications with the femians. Their impure genetics and capability of selective child construction could provide us with the canvas you need." Alexandyr begins to laugh at the idea leaning back in his chair with a look of disbelief growing upon his face. "Please. If I wanted to talk to impure lesbians I'd open a line with the institute's porn industry. They probably know about as much regarding biology too."

 

[Petroshka]

Larissa Von Reichenau, Captian Safrax Sol, Venus.​

Safrax listened to the warnings with great care, he did not want to risk a diplomatic incident especially when said incident started with his commandment and especially with a princess on-board. "Put the Ai's on standby, weapons to manual fire and set to standby, forward the message to the princess and frigates." These venerians are, picky with what they want it seems, as long as it was within reason he was okay with it, and as long as the princess was okay with it will the plan go. Leaning back on his chair he sighed as he saw his crew talk to one another giving out his orders and the on-board ship ai giving him some passive readings about the planet, it was on 'standby' as it was connected to anything, yet, but it is still operational and able to do a few things without getting spotted by a sensor or anything of the such. apparently the world below seemed to be filled with life signs and not just buildings like he previously thought.

Larissia was reading the message was she was walking towards the transport in the small hanger of the Maiden's shield, with an expression only a mother would love, she cursed out loud. The eight Templar behind her looked at each other and tried to calm her down, but they got a data-pad thrown at their faces as she stormed into the transport ship. Her opinion of these people were dropping like a stone next to a neutron star that's about to get swallowed up by a black hole. "what is wrong with these people?! This is how they treat the first contacting of another?!" She sat down arms crossed annoyed and angry at these 'Venerians' Perhaps it was a ruse by the Heretics of Mars? An ambush to kidnap her? "it appears to be a show of order princess" one of her bodyguards gave his opinion, sighing she calmed herself down, it was time for work.

The transport was soon sealed with their precious passengers on-board and flew out of the hanger the atmospheric shield giving little resistance as it left. Larissia gripped her sword tight in a mix of emotions, she both wanted things to go smoothly, peace and informational trade deals. Or for things to go wrong so she can kill whoever made that message. The transport stayed beside the cruiser for a while until it was clear for it to go to one of the planet's 'rings.' She could see the planet with her own two eyes and make vague outlines of buildings. "Seems like a standard planet to me" but the view was soon blocked as the ship docked onto a ring and she with her escorts got up from their seats and waited for the hanger door to open.

Crumbli

 

[Fishman Lord]

Whispering Sagebrush was one of the higher-ranking officials of the Department of Commerce and Contact, working directly with other nations and assisting the High Council regularly. She was a female mars-adapted human, and like nearly everyone in the Institute she was genetically crafted to be near-perfect, though since perfection was subjective you couldn't satisfy everyone. She had just been informed House Skyre had something they wanted to talk about, and she was willing to bet it had something to do with that botched exchange that people were talking about, some screw-up in the espionage department. If they couldn't even talk with a contact she doubted that that bureaucratic mess could infiltrate the Femians, but she had been surprised before by seemingly useless government messes. Speaking of seemingly useless government messes, the Department of Commerce and Contact had met up and decided she would be the one to communicate with House Skyre.

Sagebrush turned on her holochip, projecting her face and voice through space and time. "Whispering Sagebrush, Master of Contact of the Department of Commerce and Contact of the Solar Institute, contacting a representative of House Skyre? We are ready for communications." Despite the fact that a physical representative was here, Sagebrush had to do this meeting remotely because the representative had baseline environmental needs while she was Mars-adapted.
Shireling

As the ship docked, a Councillor from the Wide Council of the Solar Institute greeted the trader. "Welcome to Cork Station." The surroundings were similar to a dark temperate forest, thick trees shading from the artificial sunlight above. "We believe our two nations can work together. We are willing to loosen restrictions on your traders and share several of our more secret medical advancements in exchange for an official, public alliance."
General Deth Glitch

Deep, deep in space, in the cracks between Femian systems, several disguised ships drifted through the endless night. "Alright ladies, one more quick rundown: these ships are designed in every way to look like ships from known Femian dissidents; anti-authoritarian groups and all that. If you get spotted, don't try to escape. Engage and try to get shot down. If for any reason you are still caught, a bionano payload located within your body will activate and infect you and cause a definite fatal heart attack, plus cause enough brain damage that even if they do revive you you won't be able to tell them anything. However, let's focus in the optimist side, what happens if you aren't caught. You'll be crash-landing on various femian planets in the wilderness. However, you will survive. Your biological enhancements should allow you to run into the wilds before anyone investigates. If not... well, we discussed what happens if not. Once you are in the clear, you need to find your genetic match, who should be in a settlement near your crash site. Now comes the dirty work: you need to assassinate your match and take over their lives. Keep in mind all our genetic info and personal life data on your matches is 20 years out of date, so your match may have moved, died, or something else, in which case you send us what little data you have and retreat back into the wilderness until further notice. If you're caught by authorities, the death payload will activate, but we'll try to rescue you, however be aware it may be impossible in some or most situations. But, if you manage to get through all of that without getting caught or something going wrong, congrats, you're a Femian citizen. Live your match's life and simply report on what life and culture is like. Also attempt to gather more profiles and genetic data, we might want to do this again in the future. LET'S GO!"

The ships separated and flew into many different systems. 7-D's ship warped to a remote garden world, fairly populated but not overly so. Below her and rapidly approaching was the forest world she was meant to land on. Down, down, down, until it broke through the atmosphere's fiery cocoon and slammed into the ground. 7-D's support mechanisms saved her and she leaped out of the ship and ran as fast as she could, into a thick pine forest. She hoped to the All-Mind that she could make it away and serve the Institute.
RIPSaidCone

 

[Crumbli]

Official Venerian resources, Venus orbit.
Petroshka

Regardless of the compliance from the micro fleet, Minerva still controls the destroyers and demands their presence. These ships idle near by with their weapons ready and waiting to fire if needed. They were always defensive over new forces arriving at Venus and the destroyers were there to defend Venus as much as they were to defend the new fleet. If these people had hostilities with the institute or the trader's guild, they wouldn't allow them to be fired upon.

The docking ring clamps onto the ship tight, making sure it couldn't escape prematurely unless it was willing to try and jump with the ring still connected. Its sensors scan the ship from top to bottom as best they can, taking note of every little hull detail and the information regarding its ship model and registration. Once complete the ship is identified as having an AI on board. The ring begins to send a 'submission' signal and Dianna begins an echo link.
The AI aboard attempts to fight the link but due to the nature of the rings, fails almost instantly. Dianna takes control of the ship and addresses the crew to inform them of what was happening. It had happened in times before that crews often grew worried of their ship being puppeted or controlled by an AI other than their own.

Dianna utilises the holo-projection unit within the ship to produce an image of what she wants to look like out to the crew. The small woman who comes from the unit appears as most AIs do with an underlying green hue that stands out amongst the paler parts of her projection. She stands with a long flowing dress and a halo of leaves upon her head. Her hands are clasped together in front of her and her head is bowed towards the floor, revealing her projected hair to be done up in a twisted crown braid.
"Welcome to Venus, ambassador Larissia. You'll find that everything is ready and waiting for your arrival at our capital facility. If you're concerned about your ship AI don't panic, he's still here. He's just having a nap. Might I ask how you're all feeling today? Is there anyway that we could make your approach to the surface one more enjoyable?" Her voice was smooth and came through every speaker within the ship. Headsets weren't exempt from this rule.

 

[Shireling]

Office of the Foreign Diplomatic Ministry
Mars
​

It wasn't long after Aurelius Typhon had placed his call to his Institute counterpart that the hail came in over their hyperlink comms. For the purposes of accomodating Martian ministers who could not appear in person, the High Minister's office was outfitted with several state-of-the-art holographic projectors. The facsimile was really quite uncanny, and it much pleased the minister as he preferred personal meetings and this was as close as some of his Institute colleagues could manage. Inserting her holochip, the Institute diplomat's likeness was reconstructed for the minister in his office and visual and auditory information was broadcast back to her own computer from cameras and microphones in the office placed especially for the purpose.

Aurelius Typhon was a middle-aged man with streaks of silver in his light brown hair about the temples, a straight-edged face clean-shaven and hawkish, and a burgundy suit and black tie. Behind him stood a thin, older man who was bald save for tufts of white hair above his ears, who wore a stylish black and white suit, and whose most notable feature was his unnaturally iridescent blue eyes. He was a Mentat, one of the Curatorium's human supercomputers, studying the reconstruction of her likeness for every facial tick, every thought that flickered across her face. Even through a computer screen, his intellect seemed to permeate the room in the unnatural way that androids and supercomputers do not.

"Hello, ma'am." Typhon said, lowering the tea cup from his lips. "Sorry to trouble you today, but it has come to my attention that a mister," he picked up a paper, studied it, then put it back down, "Alvin Hensen was found dead this morning."

Fishman Lord

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Weylara, Outer Colonies, Femian Space
4.2 klicks from Tes Altera, Taeeca Region
Colonial Enforcement Sector 1180-B, Squad 992

/>"FEO-992, FEO-990A. Report. Possible civil disturbance in Sector 1180-B, Grid 540."</
/>"FEO-992. Report."</
/>"FEO-992. Report immediately."</

/>"FEO-990A. FEO-992 reporting in, apologies for the delay, confirmation on civil disturbance in specified Sector and Grid. Requesting permission to investigate."</
/>"FEO-992, FEO-990A. Permission granted on request to investigate, Sector Commander wants that crash site surrounded within the next ten Michi."</
/>"FEO-990A, FEO-992 recieving order. Will approach crash site on FGV-88 Speedbikes for maximum time effiency, expect to arrive within the next ten Michi."</

The usual tranquility of the Weylaran forest was soon after interrupted by the sound of fast-moving speedbikes zooming past with an Enforcement Officer riding on each of the total six bikes as they flew in-between and around the towering goliaths that were the native Weylari Big Trees, the bikes' non-reliance on wheels allowing for much faster travelling without needing to worry about getting bogged down in the thick local flora as they rapidly approached the crash site of what had appeared to be a Defiant-marked spacecraft, albeit an incredibly old model and design, the ship having been tracked by local Naval stations upon its arrival in the system to this relatively remote location. With Femian Enforcement rapidly descending upon the crash site from multiple directions as the towering pillar of smoke was now being clearly seen by the Officers in their slightly out-of-date Femian military armor, as they were essentially a police force after all and not the actual armed forces--who as one could expect did recieve all the latest equipment first. Squad Commander. Iana Tuva's helmet goggles zooming in on the crashed spacecraft as she was the first one to approach, her speedbike pulling up to a halt by a gathering of smaller trees as she hopped off of her hovering vehicle, white boots hitting the ground as she raised her rifle cautiously. Eyes skimming around her surroundings as she begun to make her approach on foot to the Defiant space shuttle, the rest of her squad arriving and following her in quickly after.

"Ma'am, the shuttle appears to be empty." Her Second-in-Command, Squad Sub-Commander. Eyva Antana called out from within the shuttle after a few more moments, the other members of the squad having taken up positions around the shuttle to ensure that they weren't about to be caught in an ambush as their two leaders checked out the crashed object itself. "Alright, Antana. I want that shuttle's Blackbox taken apart as soon as possible and the SPS scanned inside and out. If anything's been tampered with I want to know, understood?" She questioned, knowing the answer however as her Sub-Commander nodded and replied, "Yes Ma'am." before disappearing back inside the shuttle to begin with her work. Squad Commander Tuva tapping the side of her helmet as she reopened her link with her Civil Platoon Commander, holding her FWD-11E by her side as the sound of her superior's voice came in once more. The only other sounds nearby being the local ambience of the forest around the Squad Commander and the sound of her Second inside the shuttle messing around with its interior, attempting to find anything out of place as she done so.

/>"FEO-992, FEO-990A. What is the status of the Defiant shuttle?"</ Her superior asked, a tone of impatience clear as she done so.
/>"FEO-990A, FEO-992. Defiant shuttle has crashed and suspect has fled from the crash site, there's no sign of her so far but we shall begin a scan of the area immediately."</
/>"FEO-992, FEO-990A. Affirmative, make it quick, Sector Commander requests an immediate update and resolution on and to the situation respectively."</
/>"FEO-990A, FEO-992. Roger, will commence a search pattern immediately and will detain Defiant suspect on sight."</

"Officers, commence search pattern SSP-3 Catheena. Detain suspect on sight, if suspect resists deadly force is permitted." Tuva called out to her squad as the other armored officers nodded and hopped back onto their speedbikes, racing forward in multiple directions as other officers now approached from other squads to take the prior one's place in safeguarding the crashed shuttle until a proper investigation team could arrive to conduct a more thorough check. Across the Sector, Enforcement squads were put on a higher readiness level and public alerts were put out to the surrounding rural communities to look out for suspicious activity as there was a suspected Defiant spy lurking in the area and multiple shuttles were launched from the nearest Civil Defense Precinct to begin scanning the large forests surrounding these rural communities for any humanoid lifeforms. To outsiders it may have seemed like a bit of an overreaction, but this was merely an act of standard Femian protocol when it came to potential threats to the Hierarchy and its people's security.

Fishman Lord​

 

[General Deth Glitch]

"Cork Station"
Gailian and his son found themselves in a forest. As they entered, flanked by Trade Forces and with his personal servant to his left, they were greeted by someone who appeared to be dressed as one of their Councillors. The person made no introduction and go straight to the point. While Gailian found it refreshing he was annoyed as he knew it would be useless education for his son. Not that he really liked the current terms. "Sorry, Alliance? That's a word that can mean lots of different things. Personally I don't see how such an alliance is of any benefit to us. You have bad relations with a number of good clients and an official alliance will close those markets to us. While loosened restrictions and access to profitable technology is a fantastic offer I cant see it covering the profits lost to those markets." He then thought to himself 'Cork Station and a giant forest and they call us wastrels. Damn Techno Hippies are far too big of a market to piss off.' before adding "I really hope we can come to a better arrangement. You are good friends of the Solar Trade Alliance and we wish to ensure friendly relations continue. Perhaps we can come to another agreement to do with bringing our nations closer. Perhaps a special deal where we reduce our prices to your traders in return for lower tariffs or perhaps we attribute a small number of our forces to ensuring your trade is protected within the system. These I can see happening, a full political alliance however seems a stretch too far I am afraid. Fishman Lord

Femian Regional Office
A well dressed woman in a suit was talking to a small display on her wall "Understood, I shall try to arrange a diplomatic meeting. Its been a while since one of their representatives came to talk with us and its about time I touched base with them anyway. I will keep you informed of proceedings". After she ended the communication she stood up from where she was sitting, ensured she looked presentable enough for diplomatic talks and then headed out into the large buildings foyer. She swiftly walked from one side to the other, passing many people who were on break from their jobs managing the many small deals that were continuously happening throughout Femian space, while they may be incredibly secretive and restrictive people, they still needed supplies.She then entered the office of her head sales person. "Ah, Executive. How may I assist House Pearlman today?" he immediately chimed. "Send a message to the Femians, I wish to discuss possible trade deals. Inform them that we have large amounts of raw materials, weapons, circuitry and other technological goods and feel that what we have to offer could be a great benefit to the Femian government. Make sure to add all those diplomatic things that you do when your dealing with politics and not sales, you know the kind." "Of course Executive" he replied "I also wish for it to be delivered by hand." she finished, which made him a little lost for words. "Bu... well.. would it... would it not be more effective to send it with one of the female sales personnel?" he asked. She shook her head and sighed "Of course. Send whoever you need to. I thought I could expect more from you but perhaps not, maybe whoever you send should also get this office?" she added. "I will ensure it is delivered myself!" he retorted, standing and, with a deep breath, made his way to the lobby and requested an escort so that he may be able to deliver the letter himself, which of course, would require he be escorted by the Femians, if they let him leave at all.

Regional Executive Yalia Pearlman chuckled and muttered to herself "My sister left me quite a mess when she died. This lout is her head sales person and somehow the Femians are still on our side? Why couldn't she have had a child and let me get on with my life back in Sol." RIPSaidCone

 

[Petroshka]

Felicia Von Reichenau, Minster Lobel, Diplomatic Busniess.​

"Wonderful news!" Felicia clapsed her hands in agreement with a metal "ting" and smiled. "We would like for you to keep us up with current events between our two neighbors and perhaps we may work together to keep each of our nations safe." She resumed her neutral possition, "Although we've been hearing whispers of another nation that may be as large as the Hierarchy and institute beyond our charts. do you know of anything about them?"

"I can't say that I do." Lobel remarked. "Unless you are referring to the...uhm, the Purview I believe it is called? We don't have formal diplomatic presences in that part of space. Your own people would probably know better."

He straightened his tie. "Now, coming around full circle, I have proposed a reduction of the import tax to 3%, assuming you will also lower yours to three percent. Another thing that would be helpful if you were to begin basing your currency off platinum,
although that is not integral to the deal. Merely makes import-export exchange rates more stable, less prone to market fluctuations. These are the concessions that my government has extended to foster better trade relations."

"We will, however basing the currency off something else will be a slow maybe impossible process, tradition runs strong within the nation and my sister holds it firmly conviencing her might be a problem." sighing she looked around the room. "my other brothers and sister would be fine with it however, although this will give Ägidius a mightly headache."

"It is not, as I said, a requirement for the deal we are offering. Merely a mutual lowering of the import tax to 3%. At least for the next several years. Terran years, I mean." He sipped his glass of wine and turned towards Felicia. "I have the paperwork. It's symbolic, of course, not actually necessary, but the Ordo Libraria quite likes to have signed copies to file away."

He paused a moment. "I noticed you were looking at my collection," he pointed towards the bookshelf, "would you like to take a volume or two? Sometimes I meet delegates from the Institute that are gobsmacked and have no clue what a book is. They read everything on computers these days, so it's quite a novelty to them. I have a computer but I don't partcularly care to use it. It hurts my eyes."

"I would be glad to take one of your books minister, and don't worry, the treaty is signed, just give me the paperwork. I personally dont mind computers however i hear our peasants have a hard time working on them. Its simply much more convient than paper but the appeal of paper is certainly something i can understand." Taking a sip of the wine once again she rememebered something. "Ah! this other nation, no we have not heard of this 'Purview' i believe you called it? what do you think of them if anything at all?"

Lobel turned to his servant and gave him a curt order. He disappeared into the other room and reappeared with a leather-bound ledger with a sheet of paper sitting atop it. The servant had a fountain pen in his hand, and he handed both of these to Felicia. As she did so, Lobel spoke. "As far as I know, they are another warlike people. Similar to the Femians in that respect, of course unlike them in the most obvious respect. They have expanded fairly rapidly, but we have no knowledge of their true capabilities. Their capital lies at a place called Grik Vak, between Episilon Eridani and Cancri."

As Felicia was signing the paper she listened to the minister nodding at the information he was sharing. "Another war-like people, that may be problematic, or a boon if that keeps the Hierarchy in check." When she was done she settled down the pen on the paper and waited for the servant to hand it to the minister. "may i ask how you come to find their capital without knowing too much about them?"

"Well, to be quite honest, guildsmen and spies of the Curatorium roam the whole of Civilized Space, gathering intelligence and conducting trade. We have a baseline of accurate information on every nation of the Known 'Verse. But, we do not have any formal diplomatic arrangements with the Purview. Our leaders have never met, and trade is by small, Aparatorai common merchants which we don't really bother to keep tabs on."

The paper was brought to the Minister and he signed it, his signature a graceful collection of loops and arches. The servant put the paper neatly in the ledger and went to put it away.

"i see," it seemed the Curatorium has their hands in every pie. "Might i ask what your government or just you think about my ruling sister? some of the aristocrats are up in arms about her and others dont know what to think"

Lobel steepled his fingerrs. "I'm really not allowed to say if my government had a position or not, and I don't know your sister well enough to surmise whether she is a fit ruler or not." He said, somewhat cryptically.

Felicia nodded "i see" Drinking the rest of her wine she got up and set the glass on the table. "well, i suppose business is over." looking at the papers on his work desk her eyes narrowed. "It seems like yours isnt however."

"No rest for the governmentally-employed," Lobel replied with a mutter and a laugh. He stood and shook Felicia's hand. "My servant can take you back to the spaceport, or a hotel if you're feeling lagged."

"i would be very much obliged minister" Felicia looked at the servant then went to the bookshelf, "Which do you suggest?" Glancing back at the two"

"This one." He said, taking a hardback book off of the shelf and pressing it into her hand. It was, a medium sized book with gold lettering that said, "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman. "It's poetry. Old American poetry. I quite like it."

"hm" Felicia grabbed it and opened it up to the first page and began reading the first few sentences, satisfied she smiled at the minister. "Thank you minister, i shall take my leave now." she walked out the door and into the car where she waited her his servant to come and drive her back to the transport. She had a lot to think about when she got home.

Shireling

Larissa Von Reichenau, Captian Safrax Sol, Venus.​

The pilots of the transports stared in shock at the taking over of their AI however their training kept them calm, more than a little disgruntled they answered straightforwardly "We are fine, and you could give control back to our ai" The rest of the people in the transport ship were simply waiting, Larissa extremely pissed off at their treatment of an ambassador and clutching her sword tight to relieve some of the anger out. The Templars escorting her, simply switching to a private channel only accessible through their armor, they were having a conversation about the poor pilots that were being subjected to basically a light interrogation. Larissa couldnt really hear it nor did she care, she simply wanted everything to go smooth and fast. Anything to get her out and back as soon as possible. But of course those were just fantasies, ambassador work took time afterall.

Back onto the fleet Captian Safrax was keeping tabs on his frigates to make sure they dont do anything stupid and to only act on his say, he wasnt sure how things will go but he was sure the princess would be okay especially with her escorts. Needless to say He himself and his ships weren't exactly in the best of positions, they are practically surrounded and with the enemy having planetary support. The only thing keeping him comfortable is knowing that his ships are some of the most durable in the galaxy, being made to become projectiles themselves. If worse came to worst he'd have to abandon the princesses until they could get a large enough fleet to liberate the planet and search for her. Damage would be high but they shouldn't lose any ships.

Crumbli

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

Atlus Royal Council
Crown Prince Alastior J Branwen
Location: Atlus, Markova, People's Square​

"Your Grace, all preparations are complete. The people are waiting for their Prince." That aide calmly called to Alastior who stood gazing at a hand painted painting of his family in... happier times. His gaze stopped at one face in particular, that of his youngest sister. The only other survivor of the Royal Family's public execution other then himself. The beaming face on the painting is a far cry to the mentally broken girl under close watch by trained psychiatrists. Reaching out to touch the painting, he wondered if he was only quicker. If the Loyalists forces were just a bit faster, could they have saved more of his family or even everyone?

"Al..? Your thoughts troubling you again?" A gentle voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he noticed the gentle hand resting on his shoulder. Alastior chuckled and gently patted the hand before turning to the only person who can call him that. Captain Annaliese Bauduin, otherwise known as Ann to him and her close friends, his fiancee for 8 years and the officer in charge of his personal Royal Guard Company, the 8th Mobile Armour Company. The sight of her warm brown eyes alone always seemed to make him feel a touch warmer and could lift his spirits or calm his anger. Had she been smiling, his mental defenses would crumble then and there but she knew what was in his mind. He was nervous.

"Its nothing, Ann... Just musing about the past.... Are you sure you don't want to stand next to me when I address the Nation?" Alastior offered. Annaliese simply shook her head and smiled. There it was, her soft and gentle smile. Alastior could feel the butterflies in his stomach settling.

"You know how I feel about wide open spaces, Love. Now go. Be the leader the people needs. You'll do great." Annaliese gave him a small peck on the cheek and smoothed out his tie. Alastior sighed and nodded. Turning to face the open doors, he began his walk to the podium. His Royal Guard flanked him as he left the parliament building to the thunderous applause from the people gathered to view his speech. He beamed proudly and waved to the cheering masses as he stepped up to the podium. He let his people cheer for a moment longer before he raised an arm to call for silence. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, he cleared his throat and mentally recalled his speech.

"My people..."

Atlus Spacy
Commander Eirika Gunther
Location: HMS Edelweiss Bridge​

"What are they doing...?" Eirika mused before a beeping from the communication station and the surprised yelp from Mira knocked her out of her musing. Eirika watched with held breath as Mira adjusted some knobs and strained her ears, clamping her headphones tight over her ears. After a few shot moments, Mira cheered, leapt out of her seat, and promptly pulled a very confused Eirika into tight hug.

"I MADE CONTACT!!" Mira squealed happily, literally shoving her headphones into Eirika's hand. The Commander gingerly adjusted them wondering if Mira had officially snapped from crash trauma. But that opinion changed when a very static filled voice sounded through the headphones.

"Mein Gott... So you have. Have that signal cleaned up now! And someone get the internal communications under control!" Eirika ordered, as the bridge crew quickly resumed their work. Eirika muttered a silent word of thanks to whatever being or thing was watching over them before focusing her attention to Mira as she adjusted the various settings to clean up the signal.

"Alright, Ma'am. I did my best, try responding to their hails, Captain." Eirika took a deep breath to calm herself. She has to remain in control despite what sort of answer may come lest the crew panic. She pressed the button Mira pointed at earlier.

"This is Commander Eirika Gunther, Captain of the HMS Edelweiss. If you can hear me, please respond. We are in dire need of assistance. Any... Assistance..." Eirika waited for the reply with held breath. That was until there was the muffled sound of gunfire outside the ship.

"Sorry Captain, I just got the radar back online! There's an unknown VTOL outside and they just opened fire on the Reptilian Lifeforms!"
"Captain, we got word from CIWS station 6! They have the gun online and are ready to fire on your command!"
"Same from stations 5, 11, and 15!"

"Everyone calm yourselves! Mira, are the external speakers available?" Eirika ordered. The young Communications Officer numbly nodded and flipped a few switches. "I-It should be enough to be heard in a 200 meter radius.... I got you patched into the internal PA too so you may order everyone in the ship as well."

"Good work." Eirika laid a calming hand onto Mira's shoulder and reached for the mic. "All CIWS crew, ready weapons and wait for my orders..."
​

Atlus Spacy
Corporal Lance Irving
Location: HMS Edelwiess CIWS Station 5​

"Well you heard the lady, Kid. Keep that gun trained on the VTOL but hold your fire." Sergeant Lee advised the young man as he had his busted arm bandaged by a medic. Lance wiped the sweat from his brow as he kept his fingers off the triggers of the 30mm autocannons, its sights trained on the unidentified VTOL that just opened fire earlier.

"Steady there... Relax your shoulders a little, you might set the damn thing off by accident." The Sergeant advised again before cursing as the medic tightened the cast. Lance would only numbly nod and swallowed some saliva to wet his dry throat. The tension was almost visible as he kept the CIWS trained onto the VTOL. A moment later, the ship's external speakers crackled to life.

"A-A-Attention unknown craft. C-C-Cease fire and withdraw or else we-we-we will fire upon you." The damaged speakers distorted the Captain's voice to an odd metallic warble but it was mostly clear. Lance silently hoped the VTOL's pilot had some sense and would go away. This was one hell of a first maiden voyage alright.

KindlyPlagueDoctor Petroshka Axel The Englishman

 

[Axel The Englishman]

Yerith / Clides D3GP Surface

Chief Master Sergeant Ethan Bailey

Bailey followed a routine of circling the wreckage time and time again, awaiting a response from the vessel itself whilst simultaneously fending off a potential wildlife attack. His craft’s guns continued to be trained on the planet’s surface, maintaining watch over the bog and it’s inhabitants.

A few minutes following this dull pattern of protecting the perimeter, the ship itself decided it was finally time to bark out a response. Whatever it even was, Bailey didn’t know.

“Chief, it’s too contorted for the translators to make sense of.”
“Roger that. We’ll drop off the ‘cargo’ and let them get to work. This is their job now.”

The VTOL abandoned its coded routine and swiftly descended down to the surface. The craft’s peers had copied this illustration, mimicking the same action themselves. The craft came closer to the surface until it almost seemed as if it would eventually end up French kissing the bog.

Corporal George Vardy

Vardy - alongside his comrades - descended swiftly from a rope leading to the cabin of the VTOL until he smacked the waters of the bog. Knee deep in a parasite cesspool already, and it wasn’t even lunchtime. An excellent way to start the day, no less.

With these thoughts out of the way, V and his unit approached the smouldering hunk of space debris acquainted with the ground. Just like every other unit that had been dropped off for this assignment. It almost seemed as if the Corps had schemed a devious plan to take the ship for themselves. Though, it barely differed from the actual plan anyway.

Orders were to board the ship and secure the crew. That earlier broadcast made it clear people were still alive, and needed some not-so-average heroes to save the day. Well, here they were, ready and able.
​

Wandering Grim Hollow

 

[doodleSM]

Operation Broadsword
"I became everything I swore to never be." - Attila Gregoria, Admiral of Battle fleet November
​

The F.S.S. Bastion was en-route to the Federal system that was designated (by the Federal Committee of Interstellar Affairs) as Victoria. This trip was routine, and happened often. The Bastion's two escorts were missile frigates. In the captain's quarter of the Bastion, Brian Lancaster was having a very exclusive meeting with a interested party. "Send a message to Battle fleet November: tell them to get ready to enter the Highway and head towards Victoria so that they can crush the Federal Socialist insurgent forces." The captain was bitter and displeased with the politics involved with the secretive Hannibal Section. The Hannibal Section is a top secret organization within the Federal United Systems. The Section spokesmen responded quickly and rationally, his voice carried such gravitas to a voice "The Section is willing to aid only if the Secessionists are actually going to revolt. Several interrogations and raids have left very little in the way of evidence to the Council of Reed." The Captain was very flustered and agitated by the spokesmen secrecy. "Send in a sleeper agent into a Secessionist cell. Allow the agent to infiltrate the cell and destroy it from within." The spokesmen sighs. "The Section can spare an agent." Several hours later, in the highest command, the operation known as Broadsword was approved. An agent was already on the ground, ready to infiltrate a cell in the colony of Briggs-Villa in the Victoria system.

A Message came from Victoria.
"Walk until we fall." - Barden Mave, Secessionist
​

On the planetside of Briggs-Villa, several factories were on strike against the Federal government. The Unions had little control, however, radical communist cells have came to the streets in riot and protest against the Nationalists. A loner was walking down the street, approaching a large crowd of communists and onlookers. He joined in the crowd, and looked up to a stand where a communist. Moments later, he was following the crowd that was persuaded to go to the factory so that they could burn it down.

The leaders of the cell where gathered in the slums of Briggs-Villa.
"Send a message to other interstellar powers... Perhaps they can help us?" The Continental General said
"I refuse to receive help from the interstellar powers, all of them are fascists!" The Continental Commander replied.
"Well, its either we get help or the National Federalists destroy the Revolution."
"Fine, get help." The commander was bitter and spiteful.

A message was sent to everyone in the galaxy. "The Revolution on Briggs-Villa requires military equipment and soldiers to assist us in seceding from the Federalists. We are willing to pay the costs."

 

[Petroshka]

Lady Geleswintha, Yirath.
​

Lady Geleswintha watched as the unknown aircraft carelessly fired and displaced the lizard-men from the downed ship, "Geleswintha, the ship has finally responded, they're asking for hel- are they shooting?" It was Gwalter from up above, obviously he just witnessed the unknown craft firing at the ship. "yeah they are, tell them my fire-team is coming over to help, aircraft seems hostile." Right after she was done talking to him one of her knights tapped her shoulder pauldron and pointed over to the aircraft. Seeing infrantry landing on the hull Geleswintha felt her adrenaline rush, were they hostiles attempting to take over the ship? A fort like that on this planet would be hard to assault and take out should the unknowns get a hold of it and she was damned sure the paladins would want to see some of that ships systems and technologies enough to not destroy it from orbit. "We cant let them take over the ship move! Gwalter tell them they have unknowns on their ship and that we are advancing to intercept. fire on the craft if you feel its going to fire" She got up from her perch and started moving toward the ship her brothers at her flanks, their shields at the ready.

Sir Gwalter Yirath.
​

Sir Gwalter messaged the ship as he was told. "Commander Gunther, we are sending a fireteam to your location to assist with any problems, the aircraft outside your ship seems hostile." The corvette was then set to hover in the air a little ways away from the crashsite with its weapons trained on the vtol aircraft ready to fire if it did anything. "Commander Gunther! The aircraft has deployed infrantry on your ship! The fireteam is advancing to intercept, i repeat the fireteam is advancing." he gritted his teeth, when he was hired to guard the count on this world he didnt expect anything like this would happen. "sensors on the aircraft, be ready to fire at a moments notice." he told his crew and was given nods.

Wandering Grim Hollow Axel The Englishman KindlyPlagueDoctor

Ägidius Von Reichenau, Aeternum City.
​

Ägidius was siting in the palace looking over documents and signing them like every other day, taxes, complaints, invitations, budget requests, trade deals, and a whole host of other goodies. sighing he leaned back onto his chair and looking over to the window which had a view of the capital city. He was good at his job of governance, better than the rest of his siblings he managed to pass laws and taxes that kept unrest to a minimum and made most people content enough not to throw a fuss about it. But it didnt mean he liked it, it was tedious and boring, unlike going to foreign territories like his sisters or being queen like Irisviellya. He was brooding in his private work quarters until his communicator ringed he slowly reached over to accept the call. "My liege it appears a faction of the Federal United Systems requests assistance for their revolution against their government." The news gave Ägidius a small chuckle, he turned around and the holo-screen showed the message, after a quick reading he was still his usual brooding self. "ignore it, it is of importance." he swiveled his chair around to the view of the city but glanced back. "Although the knights might want to choose a side" When he heard the communicator shut off he sighed once again, it seemed these were interesting times indeed, and he was trapped here.

doodleSM

 

[KindlyPlagueDoctor]

Gar'shal Yutzelhup-Yarith

Gar'shal and his men where scattered by the gunfire for some time, running around, away from the gunfire. Gar'shal could guess by the holes left in the ground, that being hit by one fo these things wouldn't be good. Once he and his men where back at a safe distance they had time to talk, most of which was just "What is that" just in their native tongue.

However, after a while, Gar'shal realized that this was a colossal show of cowardice, something he couldn't afford. No matter the cost, he had to show he was a strong and brave leader. He lead his men back out towards the....flying thing and ordered his men to fire arrows at it, hoping to bring down the flying beast.
​

Axel The Englishman

 

[General Deth Glitch]

Slums of Briggs-Villa
A small and rusted ship landed on the outskirts. While the ship appeared fairly inconspicuous the moment its doors opened eight members of Sedna Trade Security Force dressed similarly to workers on the planet yet armed with high tech weaponry. Once they had secured the landing site Vax Vega, Regional Executive of the Federal United Systems Region, stepped out of the ship. He had his 'companions' (three high and scantily dressed individuals, two female and one male) return inside, tossing them some of his 'product' as he left the craft. His assistant Maeli Jorx quickly got to work brushing him down and adjusting his suit so that he looked professional and presentable. Vax, unlike his guests, was completely sober and had business to attend to, potentially very, very profitable business. He knew, of course, that the Solar Trade Alliance had amicable relations with the local Federal Government and that it would not reflect well on his political ambitions if he ended up damaging those relations. This was somewhere in his mind, second to the more lucrative aim that lay in sight. Profit. The planet was in chaos and only two factions had the money to spare for him. The Government who had the money but not the desperate need, yet, and the Commie rebels who appeared to have secured large funds and were in dire need of 'assistance'. Now Vax, like most successful businessmen made it a rule to despise communism and those that practised it. However he knew that there were always ways to profit. In a capitalist government the people are who you sell you, In communist government, the government was who you sold too, while you charged the people 10 times the standard price for basic commodities that they wanted.
Vax began to make his presence known to the rebels and, heading to a bar with 2 of the security forces that were there to 'protect' him, awaited when a member of those Commies would approach him to begin the transactions. doodleSM

 

[Crumbli]

Official Venerian resources, Venus orbit.
Petroshka

"I'm afraid I can't allow that. Enjoy your stay on Venus." The docking clamps of the ring release, returning to their resting locations and allow the ship to fly down to the surface of the planet. Dianna takes but a moment to learn the controls of the ship before setting a course for the home of Veneria and most of the human population.
The descent appears to be an incredibly smooth one, gliding through the (lack of) air with blue crow escorts. The crew experiences a mildly rough entry into the planet's atmosphere but, once accepted by the planet, they return to a comfortable glide.

The lower they get to the ground, the more obvious it becomes that the planet surface is one teeming with life. Vibrantly coloured birds spread out awkwardly to avoid the ships, making sounds not loud enough to pierce through the hull of the ship. In a few minutes the ship arrives safely above one of the designated landing pads at the main 'city' of Venus.
The landing gears extend and the ship lowers even more. It touches the pad and the gears lock up, jolting the ship slightly. Dianna shuts off the ship's engines and gives everyone inside a moment to undo whatever safety harnesses they'd put on before arrival. Once everyone was up and on their feet, she extends the boarding ramp from the rear of the ship and opens the bay doors.

Waiting for their arrival stand a total of six droids in a tight rectangle formation. Two deep, three across. Five appear to be combat units while the droid at the front and centre was much thinner in frame. Where the other droids had head like units, this droid had a screen that displayed the Venerian flag and its hands were just that. Metallic hands.
The other combat units wore shields and fire arms. The three at the rear of the rectangle appeared to have their shields pressed against their chests with their weapons aimed upwards towards the sky. The other two at the front had their weapons by their sides and the shields left down, pressing against the floor. The wiley unit takes a step forward when he sees the ambassador's figure and offers a polite, though somewhat jolted, bow to address her. "Welcome to Venus."

Official Venerian resources, Venus.
doodleSM

The archons appraise the validity of the message recieved from the relatively quiet sector of space. They rarely recieved calls such as these and from a faction so far away, it seemed almost pointless. They could dispense troops for a lengthy campaign, most certainly, but the quantity wasn't anything to call home about. With one another they find the message to be valid, the coordinates genuine, and the faction asking for assistance to be unregistered.

They agree that this so called 'people's movement against the tyranical system of the NATFEDs' is one that diverges from the call of the raven, and thus is opposed to the fundamental rulings of ravenism. These beliefs and goals, socialist in name and communist in nature, aren't something that can be allowed to propogate in the systems lest it evolve into another union of heresy. The institute and the femians already stood out against the purity of humanity like a sore thumb and they'd be damned to allow another to join them.

The archons prepare an emissary for departure within a small shuttle, accompanied by four combat units. The shuttle leaves the planet, passing the rings and going past the micro fleet before jumping to the system of Reed with an accompanying message requesting an audience with the council regarding an official meeting and a duplicated message of the insurgents. If these so called 'NATFED's were tyranical, and kept their rights under tight watch, then perhaps they also kept impurity from spreading. Anyone who stood against the impure was already an ally in the eyes of the archons and their people.

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Bethan, Middle Colonies, Femian Space
Kax Terata, Sednian Embassy, Caressa Tower 195th Floor

The deep thudding of smooth red boots sounded down the hallway towards the Sednian man as a pair of Military Police troopers approached, rifles in hand as one held the side of their helmet briefly before murmuring something incoherent to who one would assume was their superior and the other lifting her hand and pulling her fingers back in a gesture for the man to come over. The MP officers being distinguished to their infantry counterparts by the unique red markings that covered parts of their usually white armor. They had been informed that the Sednian ambassadors had wanted to arrange a meeting of sorts to propose something, but of course due to the secretive nature of the Femians they couldn't organize a more casual meeting, requiring an escort to be present in the proceedings. As the Sednian man stepped up to the two MP's, one of them, the one who had been on the horn with her superiors took off a small white rectangular looking device from her belt and held it over his face, quickly scanning it as they confirmed his identity, Saelic Marks the man whom the Sednians had sent to deal with them. The MP nodding approvingly as they turned on their heels and begun strolling off, it being implied that the man was to follow as the now-group of three left the main lobby of the Sednian Embassy and out into the courtyard of Caressa Tower's 195th floor. The courtyard presenting a more than picturesque view of Kax Terata, Bethan's largest and only city--this being due to the fact that Kax Terata took up the entirety of the colony, it being what Earth's ancient Greeks would call a Ecumenopolis. Bethan itself being a rather small moon orbiting a much larger and already colonized planet by the name of Aantan Prime thus making the full urbanization of its entire surface comparatively easy. Regardless of the city's nature, it was an impressive view nonetheless, with a clear line of sight towards the Bethan Trade Exchange thus making it in the minds of the Femian officials who had designated the 195th floor as the Sednian Embassy the most suiting place for it to be, especially given Bethan's reputation in Femian space as a bastion of economic freedom.

"This way." One of the MP troopers said as the trio turned a sharp corner connecting the large, well-decorated courtyard to a smaller alleyway like area that in turn led to a landing platform for Aircars and other air or spacefaring vessels, a Thero-class transport shuttle sitting there with another, large group of MP troopers standing guard outside of it and a tall woman donning a military uniform however one with black bottoms and a white top, similar to that of the Aerial or Terror Corps but with red lines darting up the side of the white upper half of the uniform, showing the woman's status as an official of the Commerce Corps and the colored squares on the left breast of her uniform revealing her rank to be that of a Sub-Planetary Director of Commerce, a more official sounding name for the assistant of the Planetary Director of Commerce, again an official sounding name for the highest ranking commerce official on Bethan. The Sub-Director not wasting anytime with a brief and firm handshake before leading the Sednian representative into the shuttle behind them, the MP's following in line formation as everyone sat themselves down and the shuttle took off, bypassing the usual civilian lanes of sky-traffic due to their government authorization as they flew over the cityscape of Bethan and in-between the taller skyscrapers that littered said cityscape en-masse. Sub-Director Mateia leaning forward in her seat, her fingers interlocking with one another as she looked to the Sednian man curiously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Marks although I must admit your Boss' request to send a representative such as yourself to see us was unexpected. As you may already know we here in the Hierarchy aren't all that used to arranging meetings with foreign representatives, however we also are not against such actions. Out of both curiosity and a more official requirement, I must ask what exactly you have to offer us in terms of commerce? Or would this be more of a... Military matter?"
General Deth Glitch

Spoiler: Femian Military Police Trooper

 

[Shireling]

Aldwain Fortified Monastery
Cygnus Magnus, Cygni System​

From the plasma-glass windows, Proctor Peter Kalomire could see out over the expanse of the upper clouds of Cygnus Magnus, the largest planet in the Cygni System. About the size and makeup of Saturn, the planet was habitable with the right equipment at the surface cloud level. Before him stretched the floating complex of the Aldwain Monastery. Skybridges connected the various portions of the facility across dozens of kilometers that were often criss-crossed by rocket-propelled monorails. At the far end of the facility, a giant deuterium synthesizer was sucking in great mouthfuls of air in such a fashion that it swallowed the pink clouds of Cygnus Magnus's upper atmosphere like a man ingesting cotton candy. It was the main way in which the monastery kept itself in craythors to fund its military and religious ventures. Immediately below him, a crowd of Ordus Templaris initiates in their dull red fatigues, kneeling on the platform out in the open air with rebreather masks on, praying. Above them, a corvette bearing the livery of the Ecclesia Solaris soared in the yellowish-pink tinted sky of the planet.

"Proctor Kalomire," came a voice from behind him.

It was Father Leonidas, one of the chaplains for the Ordus Templaris. To be frank, Kalomire detested him. They had gone to seminary together, but whereas the Proctor had put on the full armor of God and fashioned himself into a holy warrior, Leonidas had, much unlike his namesake, taken to philosophy and a sort of quasi-pacifism. They were both forty-two, but where Kalomire was in peak physical shape for a man his age, Leonidas had showed a disturbing lack of restraint and reminded him of a hog, the way he sweated even in amiable temperatures.

"Yes, Father Leonidas, what is it?"

The fat priest took a letter from his parcel. "A letter, from the Office of the Holy See."

"Give me that," Proctor Kalomire said irritably and took the letter. The Holy See? What could they want with him?

He opened the letter;

Proctor Kalomire,

If you remember rightly, we have spoken twice before. I am Father Patrarchus, Head Scrivener of the Holy See, Ministerium of Records. We have been scanning the rosters of the Ordus Templaris for a proctor we feel can be trusted to lead a mission of the utmost importance to a rebel outpost in Yerunik. We are not concerned with gold and treasure, nor do we seek to reconquer the system for the Church's Benefactors. It would be far too costly in blood and treasure. Instead, we seek the recovery of Mother-Superior Grandeis from the convent in Trussel, a small village north of the planetary capital. We have reason to believe that she is being held captive, given recent communications. Although the rebellion occurred some years ago, some of our facilities have remained unmolested in the countryside up until now. We suspect that the mission will be dangerous and will require a great degree of prejudice and stealth. Be that as it may, we have a duty to rescue her and any sisters who may still be alive. You will be briefed in more detail at a later date. God bless.

Father Patrarchus, Office of the Holy See

Proctor Kalomine looked up from the letter at Father Leonidas then back at the initiates on the platform. "Call my men to mess," he said glancing at his watch, "and tell Astrophil, Roberts, and Peterson to convene in two hours in my quarters."

​

 

[doodleSM]

In the Heart of the Revolution​

The representative of the Revolution came, eventually. The man approached with a plain mask, and sat down next to the three. The masked man raised a glass to them after purchasing a drink and spoke plainly to them "Your presence is known, sir. We are intrigued by any offers you have to the Revolution on Briggs-Villa." Several men would be spotted in the background, with the same mask. The masked men were observing the other patrons of the bar. "I am Edin Creed, the Socialist representative." he looks to the sides and says "I assume you are selling us equipment?" General Deth Glitch

​