Mankind's Story - RP

[General Deth Glitch]

Procyon Space
A small group of, what appeared to be, Pirates. They were more orderly and better trained then pirates and seemed to have a military like structure.The Captain picked up the Femians on his sensors as his small fleet settled out of the jump. "Damn it. Our orders are to ensure any conflict with the Femians is, if possible, avoided and, if not, causalities minimised. With that said I want the Valari, the Longbeard and the Silver to fire at the Femian ships once my own ship and the Cutlass have placed ourselves behind a planet. Once they lock on to you and chase you bring them on a goose chase through Luyten to Lelande. If you haven't lost them make your way to Lyra, I doubt they will follow through House Owned Space." He gave the orders to his ships, each named after something that history told them was 'Pirate-y'. With his orders made he placed his own ship, the Sail, alongside the Cutlass behind a nearby large asteroid. "Before you fire, remember we are to keep casualties on all sides to a MINIMUM. Now, fire away." he said as his other two ships turned off all systems outside of basic sensors and life-support to minimise their own visibility.
RIPSaidCone Shireling

Luyten IV, Luyten
"Gentlemen. We are to go under Gray Operating regulations for the next few hours. Ensure your staff are aware that most work will be halted until further notice. We have reason to believe there are Pirates in large numbers in a nearby System and they may pass back through. The Trade Security have it underhand but they want us to operate under Grey until all non-mission ships leave the system." Came the voice of Security Chief Haines over the various communication systems to the heads of different operations. He then turned off the the transmission and said to those around him "They want us to get this done swiftly because the bigger our footprint the better the claim yet they put us under a damned Grey Order. How long are we going to have to operate without the damned lights on?" Just as he said that the large lights that provided a near daylight warmth shut off to be replaced with a dim blue hue a few seconds later. "It'll be some covert Op I've no doubt" he muttered to himself.

Lelande, Luyten Jump Station
"Ok. Once the Luyten Sensors pick up 'unknown' vessels we are to jump into the system, but we will not give chase. We will fire at them and then continue on to Procyon to capture the Captain of the Sail. He is our prize and his Cargo belongs to us." Said Regional Cheif of Trade Security, Krytiou Ingstrom, the youngest son of the current Trademaster. He knew the gameplan in full. He was to wait so the Captain of the Sail could complete his plan to seize 'the goods' and then Krytiou was to capture the Captain and secure the goods. He was then told he should return to Lelande while the politicians then inform the Femians that they found some goods, stolen, and they wished to return them. The political efforts were a little beyond him but he understood the military operation and planned to execute it perfectly, completely unaware that the Femians had already secured the Cargo.

Institute
Gailian had to bite his tongue as the events that were unfolding in trade with the Femians were being updated to him. "They certainly wont hire quite so many soldiers but they purchase other products in... well larger amounts then you are currently offering. To top it off they dont request we cut deals with other nations. If you are going to insist of this course of action that I will insist we maintain our current relationship and I can only hope you seek to buy from us in the future." he replied with a sigh.
Fishman Lord

 

[Shireling]

Bridge of the Femian Flagship, Procyon
​

Shortly after the Femian ships had come out of their jump, an urgent communique flashed across the bridge of the flagship. The figure that appeared was a grizzled older woman in a navy blue uniform.

"This is Admiral Kola of the Procyon Provisional Navy. Your ships are in violation of Procyonian Sovereignty and their presence is not appreciated. Where do you get off thinking you can park your dreadnoughts wherever you please? I intend to speak to your commanding officer!"

The Agamemnon
​

The Skyre troops boarded the ancient ship to a chaotic scene. The pirates had mostly won, and driven the scavengers back into the unused medical wing of the ship. The bark of Curatorium combat rifles, however, signalled a turning of the tide as the Lorekeeper troops mercilessly gunned down pirate and salvager alike. Both parties retreated into the recesses of the ship, being slowly hunted down by additional squads of Lorekeepers who were clearing the ship in their heavy combat armor.

With his vanguard squad, Captain Fischer stormed the bridge. He was first confronted by Rickets the salvager, holding a nine-millimeter pistol. The salvager balked, pointed the gun at him, and fired. Unfortunately, the bullet ricocheted off of the Captain's chestplate and struck the salvager in the stomach, sending him to the floor to be filled with another four or five .45 auto rounds from the next Curatorium trooper. They wiped out the rest of the salvagers, with Captain Irons and Olphas retreating forthwith from the bridge across a raised catwalk stretched over the chamber with the cryogenic pods. From here, they and their pursuers could see Femian troopers entering the ship.

"Femians!" Fischer shouted to his subordinates. "Order the men to stand their ground, fire if fired upon." He turned back to the catwalk. "I'll take care of the pirates."

Across the ship, the Femians ran into Curatorium troops holding their weapons at the ready stance but not firing upon them. They were shouting for them to stay back.

Meanwhile, above the cryostasis pods, Captain Fischer pursued the pirates. He pulled out a plasma revolver and as he did so Olphas turned towards him and quailed as a plasma bolt melted his face and he clattered to the floor between the rows of nervous Curatorium and Femian troops shouting at each other in disjointed attempts at one anothers' languages. Running out of catwalk, Irons turned to face Fischer who had the revolver pointed right at his face. The pirate ducked right and missed the first shot, catching the second shot in the arm with a gasp. He felt his arm go numb as the plasma bolt scorched his skin, gouged his flesh, and burned his nerves to a crisp. He reached with his free hand and took hold of a loose metal bar, flinging it at his attacker and disarming him. While Fischer instinctively grasped his injured right hand, Irons stepped forward and launched a right hook, which Fischer caught with his left arm, flinging the pirate back into the railing.

With a groan, Irons shook his dead arm and confirmed that he had lost all feeling in it. He launched another punch and caught Fischer this time against the jaw and sent him reeling back. The pirate took this moment to reach to his left and draw his melee weapon, a small, short sword resembling a machete with a serrated blade. He swung, and Fischer turned his blow by grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him through the swing. He swung again, missing entirely and landing his blow against the metal railing that gave way and clattered to the floor below. By then, Fischer had drawn the naval cutlass that was sheathed on his hip. They traded blows, Irons parried, then Fischer, then the pirate again. Fischer broke the cycle by making a quick jab on his assailant and delivering a blow across his mouth with the guarded hilt of his sword. Irons hit the metal floor of the catwalk and spat blood and teeth. He looked up and squinted at the Lorekeeper captain, who had his sword held against the pirate's throat. Slowly, Fischer ordered him to rise.

"A worthy opponent among Procyon rabble. I have been surprised before." Fischer remarked. "Well, what will it be then, prison or Hell?"

"With respect," Irons said in his most exaggerated, poshest accent, "I choose Hell."

"Very well," Fischer remarked. He saluted then ran the sword through the pirate's throat. He died choking on his own blood. Casually, the Curatorium captain wiped the blood on Irons' clothes and sheathed his sword. He could see that the ship was abuzz with activity given the arrival of the Femians.

When Fischer reached the ground floor, between the cryopods, he went to the front of the Curatorium soldiers that were staring down the Femian troops and called out in an oddly accented, but passable rendition of the Femian language, "This vessel and its occupants are under the protection of the Lorekeeper's Guild, and by extension the House Skyre. Send forth your commanding officer for parlay."

RIPSaidCone General Deth Glitch

 

[Shireling]

Cargo Hold of the Chalcedon
​

The armored soldier went to punch Yeron in the mouth before the other man caught his arm. "Chill out. Go tell the men to keep away from that thing."

The soldier huffed and turned, ordering the security staff away from the dropship. They turned back to Yeron.

"We aught to take you to the Captain. Come on," the nurse muttered, and the soldier held up his rifle and pointed in the direction of a hallway with an open door.

"March." He ordered.

jole875

 

[Petroshka]

Aquarii System
Lady Radegonda
Javian Prime
​

"Ma'am! we're getting a transmission" one of the officers on the brig told Radegonda, "they're telling us to divert power to shields and for one weapon to be powered" As soon as the officer relayed this information to the captain the sensors picked up a fleet of small craft blip onto screen. "do as they say, at least until the fleet arrives, keep the torpedoes trained on the main ship and tell those knights to get comfortable" The captain put her hand on her head, she wasnt qualified for diplomatic talks, she was just a captain of a patrol ship. Stalling for her father to get there was her best option really, what else could she do? judging from the silence coming from the curatorium's ship she feared the worst may have happened."send them this transmission\

"you have threatened a allied ship, boarding it without permission from its captain. Your actions have forced us to intervene and you fired the first shot. You will answer to our court of law."
jole875 Shireling

 

[Crumbli]

Official Venerian resources, Variscite, Venus.
Petroshka

"If they wish to remain, there's no harm. Though they can not enter the facility." Hand waits at the second set of doors to open with the tube breathing a set of chemical gases onto everyone inside. The doors open with a gentle voice coming over the speakers within the room. "Decontamination complete. Welcome to Variscite, princess." Two of the droids remain in the tube with the guards while the last one follows close behind the party.

Hand rounds a corner before stopping, moving an arm in gesture to show the princess the way. Down this path stood a number of less intimidating droids all equipped with fire arms. They stood in front of most of the doorways in the corridor. On the left side of the hall was a large glass wall that revealed a strange floor where two very unique looking droids were engaged in a fight to the death. To the right appeared to be nothing by chambers or sealed off rooms.

The speakers of the combat unit speak in a similar tone to the voice heard in the tube, "Your gift was thoughtful but we have little use for such a thing. After all, what use is a sword if I have no hands with which to wield it?" As they pass by the glass window two men come into view. They spot the visitors and appear to lose interest in their match. The broader one of the two looks away to hide his face while the thinner framed one turns his head away as he grabbed something off the table before him, only to turn back wearing a rather odd looking facial mask.

"I'm certain you have a lot of questions regarding this place, our people, us. Even myself. Please follow the corridor. There's a room waiting for you." As they pass by the less intimidating droids their vocal speakers begin to play the same message. "Might I ask how you enjoy your tea, princess?"

Official Venerian envoy, Federal house of consuls, Reed system.
doodleSM

"Then it's decided." The droid raises itself out of its chair and places a hand on the table. "We'll make movements into the Victoria system as soon as possible. This threat of yours is more pressing than our payment but we do expect you to help supply us with our ammunition. We'll send the appropriate information when we return." The droid begins towards the exit and looks back at the diplomats. "I pray for both our sakes that these rebels of yours yield quickly."

The droid is escorted back to its shuttle where it proceeds to meld with ship's interface. The flight back to Venus would be long but with the ship's signal boosting apparatuses, it could relay the message back to the archons with little risk of it being lost due to file corruption or attacks. The shuttle spends two hours or more in the silent zone before messages between the archons and the ambassador could be transmitted.

They interpret the agreed upon deal finding the negotiations incredibly short but certainly worthy of immediate action. Minerva is instructed by Veneria not to waste time. While defending holy Terra was important they came to the agreement that this rebel subjugation could be dealt with a lot faster if the blue raven was present. They agree and begin the preparations necessary with Dala, Biyu and Dianna all providing reasons why this course of action wasn't the best choice. Veneria over rules their input and follows through with the idea. It'd take some time to load the blue raven up with everything it needed.

 

[KindlyPlagueDoctor]

Gar'shal Yutzelhup and Veezkus Tutzpochtlu-Yirath

Veezkus tilted his head, the ornaments on his headdress jiggled and he did. He though the time for such gestures and diplomacy where over, but it seemed that that was not the case. he examined the stick that had been thrown at his feet and noticed the strangers lowering their.....weapons? he thought they must be important, after all they pointed them like you would a spear or bow and arrow.

Veezkus took a moment to think about the situation. Gar'shal had told him about the strange....magic these visitors beasts could shoot, perhaps these weapons did the same? And he knew the damage they could cause, so he opted to play along. He grabbed his spear and help it high before plunging it into the ground, crossing it with the stick. He hissed at his own men to lower their weapons in return, and he simply looked at the stranger and hissed.​

Petroshka

 

[jole875]

Unknown Sector 518
ISS Dreadnought Crypt | Honor Room

The captain snarled in disgust as the Overlord translated what the vermin leader had said. "Eow dol−lic nîeten âræfnan nealles forcunnian dôð tôdâl betwêonan sôðsagol verb staðolfæst eft!" the captain had begun yelling in his own tongue before he was stopped by the calm voice of the Overlord. Without warning a shimmering figure appeared behind the captain, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There were errors in translation, or so we believe," said the shimmering figure. After a few seconds of the shimmering growing in color volume it finally ended as the shimmering was revealed to be one of the Chosen, turning off his cloaking device. The Chosen stood a few feet above the captain, his suit making him almost into a tank. The Captain looked back and exchanged a few inaudible words with the Chosen before walking away.

"Like I stated, before I sent the captain away, there were a few translation errors. What you just saw was the recreation of the battle of Loktahm 7, in the Canis Dwarf Galaxy. The real battle lasted months, we had to fight the demons off the planet but it was still utterly destroyed, and the Hand of God was the only reason we weren't all killed. The real battle is designated to only be used for training purposes, billions of our people from many different races were lost fighting the creatures and many of us still bare the losses of loved ones. The captain did not correctly tell you what this was, he said the Overlord will show you. What he should have said is the Overlord will give you a show. Only a few of us speak your tongue fluently, I apologize for his errors. The captain spoke what he thought was right, I speak what the Overlord wishes to confer..." the Chosen paused as he removed his helmet revealing his pale skin, brown hair, and the same red eyes as the captain. "The Overlord does not want your people, as you say, brainwashed. He only ventures to our ancient home because he thinks more enemies of great magnitude linger here. The Overlord exists to protect us all from those who tread in the void, I know it's strange hearing words that make no sense to outsiders, so let me explain differently. The Overlord wants to make sure you understand that if an enemy comes that we must face, it is an enemy that you can not hide from or run from. We've lost before, and many civilizations were lost as we did." The Chosen had been speaking calmly with his eyes locked on the so called Captain Fayte.

RIPSaidCone

Unknown Sector 185
Unknown Craft

Yeron smiled as the security officer walked away,"A captain? Your kind are more civilized than I thought, I'll make sure to note that in the logs," Yeron said while pressing a few buttons on his wrist,"If you make sure my wounded survive it would be very much in your favor. Also, do you mind if I contact the frigate? I think they'd like to know that things are going.... well." Yeron questioned as he began walking towards the hallway.

Shireling

Unknown Sector 185
ISS Frigate Conrad

"Hah! Their court of law? Send word to the Overlord that we may require assistance." The captain had been very lax on the part of his ship but only realized once he sat at his chair that the boarding party hadn't responded in some time. With a confused look he began looking through his wrist console, seeing that no word had been received from the men he had sent, except that the pilot had set off the emergency door lock to the cockpit. Jumping to attention he began frantically going through the ship screens until he found the boarding ship screen.

"Command from captain, all ships listen, all ships listen. Prepare for offensive formation against hostile VS-2! All wings mobilize under the veil!" The captain had let the command go through his underlings until the entire ship was ready for combat. "I want all wings under the veil until we can confirm the death of the boarding party, send word to the Overlord that we demand reinforcements, casualties are unknown at this point." The captain commanded hastily as he paced back and forth, on the verge of panicking.

The fighters, interceptors, gunships, and bombers in the hangar of both the Conrad and the gunboats were on high alert, hovering close to the doors of their own hangars. While wing ships had cloaking devices they weren't able to hold it long enough to be effective in space combat, especially when not accompanied by large flagships like the Crypt.

Petroshka
​

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Procyonia, Procyonia Libertalis Space
FSV Sword of Luminara, 37th Fleet

"Ma'am, incoming communication. Local military forces." A comms specialist down in one of the data pits relayed up to the Sword of Luminara's commanding officer and leader of the 37th Fleet who went by the rank and name of Rear-Admiral Prie, the uniformed woman nodding as she quickly responds. "Let it through." The message plays, the angered older woman saying what she said to the Captain as the younger woman nodded understandingly. "Of course, Admiral. We meant no disrespect, our diplomats would be more than willing to explain our situation to your civilian counterparts in a more formal setting. However as of now it is a need to know basis and you, no offense intended, do not need to know. What you can know however is that our operation will not last long and our ships shall be out of your hair before you know it. I would highly recommend not engaging in any aggressive or provocational actions when in the presence of our fleet as it will needlessly complicate things. Thank you for your time, now if you don't mind--" Rear-Admiral Prie had been about to finish off her response with before being interrupted by one of her subordinates in the data pits on either side of her. Calling up in a rather surprised and urgent manner, "Ma'am. A group of unknown vessels in attack formation have just engaged the Trident of Pelissia. Her Captain is requesting orders." Prie's once formal and unfazed look turned to one of near-shock, some random group of ships had just fired on a Femian dreadnought? It was like something out of a movie, shaking her private thoughts off as she sternly gazed to the comms specialist and replied. "Put the Captain through to me, and I want a BDA on the Trident immediately." Prie demanded harshly, the anger now setting in of such an unprovoked and cowardly attack on her fleet. "Yes, ma'am. And the Trident has already sent their BDA, no damage recieved. They were able to reinforce their shields in-time for the initial assault." At least that was good news, but now she had to make a decision.

"Rear-Admiral." Captain Alkera of the Trident of Pelissia greeted her superior respectfully, though there was a look of some concern written across her expression. "Captain. I understand your ship recieved no damage?" The Captain nodded. "Fortunately. What are your orders, our dreadnought, the Kalava, Tasamore and Arrisian have all moved into attack formation and are ready to fire on your word. The enemy vessels are fast but they aren't out of range just yet." Prie smiled knowingly. "I believe you know my answer, Captain. Fire at will. I want those vessels turned to scrap. Chase them out of the system if you can't destroy them but don't follow them, we may need you here." Alkera nodded. "Of course, ma'am." Before her hologram faded away from the front of the command bridge. Turning now to face the windows as a section of her fleet was dispatched in the direction of the unknown vessels, pursuing fast enough to not catch them but to keep them in range so that their weapons would remain effective without the need to dispatch fighters and bombers--which would be needlessly putting pilots' lives in danger just for a couple of worthless pirates. Of course however the Captain of the Trident of Pelissia could be trusted to follow her Rear-Admiral's instructions in not pursuing the attackers out of system range, sure they had committed a crime against the Hierarchy but the current objective was much too valuable to the Hierarchy to warrant such a pursuit, every ship in the 37th was required even if not needed to secure the area around the Chopyards for the extraction of personnel with their cargo and to fend off any potential threats to the acquiring of said cargo. The Rear-Admiral had been put in a very fragile position, if she was successful in this operation then it was essentially guaranteed that a promotion would come up relatively soon, however if she wasn't--well Prie would've rather not busied her mind with such impossibilities.
General Deth Glitch Shireling

Procyonia, Procyonia Libertalis Space
Procyon Chopyards, Agamemnon

"Caeptus. Handor, this best be important, I have other matters to attend to right now." Rear-Admiral Prie spoke impatiently as she held her hands behind her back, looking towards the Caeptus with an expecting gaze, her holographic form overall seemingly displeased with the interruption as the Ground Corps NCO tried her best not to glare at her superior though given how angry she was this was becoming more and more of a feat to master. "It is, Rear-Admiral. My women have ran into soldiers belonging to House Skyre. They're claiming that the ship is theirs." The Rear-Admiral, who had previously been somewhat disinterested in her subordinate of another branch's update was immediately brought back into the conversation at that information. Pinching the bridge of her nose as she withheld a groan of irritation. "What are our orders, Rear-Admiral." Handor asked, clearly impatient though trying her best to remain professional. It wasn't as if she had the time to wait for a response, and it wasn't as if the Rear-Admiral had that time either. "Do you know what it is that they want?" Prie finally asked, Handor shaking her head. "Not entirely no, however we can assume that they want the ship given that they have claimed it. More importantly given the profile we have on them, it would appear that they're more interested in the passengers." Prie's hands tightened their grip over one another as her facial features grew closer in a similar fashion. "Caeptus, you are not to allow those passengers into Skyre hands under any circumstances. Retrieve the females and extract your troops, Skyre may have the males if they so wish. But we require at the very least half of those passengers." Handor nodded with a glimmer of determination in her eye. "Of course, ma'am." Though just as she thought their conversation had ended, Prie put in a last word. "If you fail, you will have to answer to a far less patient audience. Do not."

Prie's physically transparent form then disappeared, indicating that she had ended their conversation first. Handor taking a second to regain her composure after the threat of the unknown if she were to fail in her mission. She couldn't, it was of the utmost importance to the Hierarchy, to her sisters--Being taken out of her thoughts by the appearance of one of her troopers, she turned to face the white armored figure and bowed her head once in acknowledgement. "What is it?" She asked, the trooper replying through her helmet. "Their commanding officer wishes to speak with you." Handor again bowed her head, gesturing with her arm wide open for the trooper to lead the way as the two women disappeared into the tubing that led them to the ship, this Agamemnon as it had been named all those centuries ago. Soon entering the ship itself to the rather unsavory sight of a number of baseline troops and their leader, Handor held back her look of disgust at the thought of such primitive hands laying claim to such valuable genetic information. Her people had spent centuries improving themselves with information such as this and here these baselines were desiring to waste such great potential for advancement in their own genome because of some ancient book. It made the hairs on her arm stand up in discomfort at the concept of how such a large number of individuals could hold such a deluded belief. Shaking it off however as she approached the men, taking a look over at them in almost childlike curiosity as she.. Hadn't really seen a man before, only in pictures and videos, keeping her hands behind her back in a professional manner, she looks up at the face of their leader. The one who had called for her presence, her troops standing in an ordered row behind her, weapons at the ready, in-case they were needed to be used against those of House Skyre in justifiable caution.

"I am Caeptus. Handor of the Femian Ground Corps, a representative on behalf of the Femian Hierarchy and commanding officer of the ground element of this operation. I regret to inform you that the female passengers of this vessel are to be turned over to Femian supervision so that we may acquire genetic samples for potential advances in our genome. I am required on the grounds of ethics to inform you that these passengers will not be harmed and will be rewarded greatly under our care for their invaluable service to the Hierarchy and her people. I must also inform you out of necessity that my troops and the fleet overhead are not to leave this system until those female passengers are in our custody. So, to save time for both of our peoples. I would humbly suggest that you hand them over and we shall be on our way."
Shireling

Spoiler: Ground Corps NCO Uniform

Tios, Outer Colonies, Femian Space
Unidentified Vessel, 28th Fleet Blockade

The unknown commanding officer that stood across from the Femian troops snarled and began yelling in a tongue that none of the women understood or even had heard before, instinctively causing many--if not all of them to tighten their grips around their weapons and raise them only slightly, not knowing just how unhinged these people were when confronted with something such as this. It didn't take a FTL scientist to figure out that their people probably didn't take well to disrespect especially given how indoctrinated they seemed to be, the only thing having stopped this encounter from turning potentially violent having been the arrival of another figure, one who had drawn the Femians' attention from the more aggressive-acting captain of the vessel. Particularly the attention of Captain Fayte who had looked over to this new figure as he said that there had been some errors in translation. Causing the Captain to raise a holographic brow in curiosity. "And what sort of error might that have been." She asked, her tone indicating disinterest though her intent something more. Her foreign counterpart speaking briefly with this unnaturally sized man before leaving his presence. It appears as if the unknown party had changed the welcoming party.

And now there seemed to be a second rendition of the story, however this time being told solely by the man's voice instead of the elaborate CGI and cinematic shots of the movie they had just been shown. Fayte folding her arms on the bridge of her battlecruiser and her holographic representation following suite as she watched the armored man speak. A battle that took place in another galaxy? With billions of casualities on either side? She shook her head with disapproval, suspecting that her counterparts in the Diplomacy Corps also wouldn't be open to this kind of nonsense without some solid, undeniable evidence. The man removed his helmet and although clearly Human underneath it, there were some telltale hints of possibly extensive genetic modification, if one couldn't already tell from his sheer body mass alone that is, but he continued with his story--the one that had apparently been sanctioned by their leader himself, potentially one that they would repeat to any other foreigners that they encountered. And Fayte paid close attention, it wasn't as if she had any other choice, it was her duty and she needed all the facts available when she next spoke to her superiors, anything else would be negligance in the field. Though it did pain her to listen admittedly, she would never actually admit it to anyone other than herself out of courtesy and professionalism. "Though your story of intergalactic travel and battling demons with billions of casualities on either side was undoubtedly interesting, without hard, undeniable evidence I'm afraid our people will still choose the road of not believing you, my most sincere apologies for that." She said meaningfully before continuing. "I am curious as to what you mean by your ancient home, and I can say with confidence that there is no enemy, real or fictional that our people would flee from though our refusal to flee is not because of your apparent Overlord."
jole875​

 

[Shireling]

The Agamemnon
​

Captain Fischer watched uncomfortably as their commanding officer appeared, an NCO in a cloth uniform as opposed to soldiers in armored suits. He studied the lines of her face and noted the perfection of the geometry honed through dozens of generations of genetic engineering. She was unnerving in Fischer's eyes, human but not quite right. He backpedaled a halfstep with a mixture of fear and curiosity evident on his face.

"Well then, Caeptus, I'm afraid I cannot simply give you the passengers." He said after a few seconds of this silent interchange. "My orders are the retrieval of these people for safe conduct and interview in the Curatorium. We do not deal in horsetrading people."

He stiffened his chin. "Perhaps you would prefer to take the vessel by force. I assure you, my men will prevent you from doing so. My men have control of the ship's computer systems. They could easily open the radiation seals on the fusion reactor. Its an older model, leaks radiation everywhere. Even if you did extract the passengers, their DNA would already be exposed to unrecoverable levels of ionizing radiation."

He paused. "So here is my solution. You take a few blood samples, and you leave. That's why you're here right? For the precious DNA," there was an anger rising in his voice, "you want these people for their genetic code because your people have polluted their own with redundancies and missing genes after centuries of playing God? And you want to steal these people to keep making Frankenstein monsters like yourself? Why should I allow it?" The Captain balled up his fists in anger, knowing that what he had said would be provocative in the extreme. He could not help himself. He couldn't stand before Christ on Judgement Day and admit that he traded away people for political expediency.

Some of the Curatorium soldiers looked towards their commanding officer with worried expressions. They were much less invested than Fischer, a man who had spent his life in pursuit of history. Did he really plan to flood the ship with radiation? Was he bluffing?

RIPSaidCone

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

Atlus Space Force
Squadron Leader Astolfo 'Lancet' Davenport
Location: B7R​

"Direct. I like that. A pleasure to see a face behind that nice ship of yours." Astolfo softly chuckled as he studied the aged face of the Dominion Captain, noting the name of the fleet and his ship. "And to answer your request, I do indeed have orders to make peaceful contact with your fleet. Just give me a moment to patch you over to our Captain and hopefully you two may-"

"What's that?!"
"Lancet, we got fast movers opening fire on the unknown fleet!"

"Damn... Its one thing after the other! Command, this is Warlock 1! What are our orders?!" Lancet quickly requested as he piloted his plane into formation, skimming the edge of the battlefield. After a few tense minutes, there was a crackle on the radio.

"Warlock Flight, you are free to assist the Kestrel Fleet. Your planes are the only ones that will reach the unknown force in time. Good luck and Godspeed, pilots."

"So just like that we're gonna help them? Talk about lucky..." Hammer chuckled on the radio as Warlock Flight entered interception formation. Lancet himself barely hid a small smirk of anticipation. Finally, they get to test their skill with unknown fighters. The 4 planes increased their relative altitude to the Dominion Fleet as Lancet reopened his communication channel with the Dominion flagship.

"Worry not Captain Anderson. On our honor as RSF pilots, we shall assist you in dealing with these scum. Warlock 1 to all units, confirmed 10 hostiles."
"Let's have some fun then~"
"Warlock Flight, break!"

Kokurai Gaisgeach

Atlus Spacy
1st Sergeant Lydia Cartwright
Location: Yirath, 0.5 klicks from HMS Edelweiss Crashsite​

Lydia could only stare at the men in the craft with a twinge of worry. Glancing over at her biosensor, it was clear that they were surrounded and there was a small voice telling her to not leave them there. Yet they seemed adamant on her leaving so... Flipping a switch, the cockpit of her Strider opened with a soft hiss.

"Your choice. But if you ever change your mind..." Lydia lobbed a handheld communicator through the hole she made in the craft. "Contact us using that. We'll send you aid or whatever you need."

Satisfied with pleasing her conscience, the Strider's cockpit locked shut and she began piloting it away. Stopping to glance at the Tempus Knights who seemed to be doing... something with the native lizard people. Stopping her Strider, she decided to watch the exchange happen. It doesn't hurt to be a little cautious for an ally after all.

Axel The Englishman Petroshka KindlyPlagueDoctor

 

[Kokurai Gaisgeach]

-Somewhere in orbit above Morgawn B7R, aboard DS Rhongomyniad-
Admiral Nikolai A. Andersen
Kestrel Fleet Command
​

"Second wave of Fighters approaching! torpedoes inbound!"
The Operators scrambled with the rest of the crew, their eyes watching at the dots approaching at the DS Rhongomyniad's starboard side at high speed, its plasma pluse defense auto cannons unleashes a torrents of plasma discharge, lighting up the Combat zone at they try to shoot down the projectiles coming towards them.

"10 seconds until impact!"
"We can't hit all of them! brace for impact!" ​

The Admiral watched as the largest space battle that he has seen since the Berkan War erupt around him, his smile was erased as the Remnants of the Rogue Ultranationalist group attacks the Flagship of the Dominion Navy, with intent to cripple it. Soon, an explosion tore through the Hanger bay, detonating some of the ammunition and destroying some of the space fighters, sending shockwaves across the ship.

"Starboard side breach! Hanger Bay is damaged!"
"Damage Control!"​

The crew in disarray as the ship takes a massive damage from a Torpedo that managed to penetrate its thick armor plating, her damage control unit scrambles to the hanger doors in an attempt to contain the blazing inferno ravaging the inside.

"We've been hit by two Ship launched Torpedoes! The ship's Magnetic catapult has been damaged!" ​

"All hands. get the Catapult up and running. just concentrate on launching them. all hands not conducting aircraft launch man the Turrets immediately!" The Admiral bellowed out his order, despite the Hanger Bay in danger, he was taking a big risk.

"Those Flyboys must launch and support our allies." Adjusting his hat as he sits down on his chair before a transmission from the DS Valais gave them a sign of relief​

Wandering Grim Hollow

-Aboard the DS Valais-
Alberto Thompson
War Correspondent
​

"Don't kid yourself, this is B7R, Dead Men's words hold no meaning." That was what the fighter pilot said before he took off with Garmr 1. the so called Demon Lord of the Round Table. They were Mercenaries, replacing the losses of the 66th Air Division, becoming their 6th unit.

They went to battle in response to the Mothership's call for help, this is perhaps the last battle of the war... i hope.​

 

[Petroshka]

Aquarii System
Captain Amalindis Radegonda, Admiral Sunericus Radegonda
Javian Prime
​

Amalindis was sitting on her chair sighing while watching over her bridge crew operating the ship, her little break of relaxation was broken however as one of the sensor operating officers reported the defense fleet FTL-ing nearby. "finally" Amalindis smiled, "Open up communications to the admiral"
The officer nodded and did so and quickly the screen went from a live feed of the unknown ship to the bridge of the Alluvial Faith, it was much more spacious than her smaller frigate which was expected and held more personel controling dozens more sensors equipment's and logistics. But in the middle of it all sitting in his admirals chair, Admiral Sunericus Radegonda, her father.
"I am glad you are well captain Radegonda"
Amalindis nodded "The unknown ship appeared near my ship and the curatorium's, they did an unauthorized boarding action and the curatorium ship has not attempted to communicate back to us."
The Admiral was about to speak before Amalindis spoke up again. "The unknown ship and its escorting vessels have prevented us from boarding the ship to see what has transpired or if the crew is safe, it started making demands but we settled for a peaceful ceasefire, i waited until proper support came." She gestured to her father.
Sunericus put a hand to his chin and rubbed it, "i see... Contact the unknown ships!"

With a flick of the switch Amalindis's face disappeared and a screen showing the strange ship appeared, hailing them for a conversation on why they were doing here and what are they doing. "Unknown ship, you are within Concordat space, comply with your instructions and we will not fire upon you." The hail went through with instructions for a peaceful boarding action, their captain would have to board a transport vessel and come to his ship where the two leaders will meet.

jole875 Shireling

Sol System
Larissa Von Reichenau
Venus
​

Larissa watched as the Argents were slightly uneasy letting their princess go inside with only two of them and felt somehow guilty, of course all this was hidden under their helmets, they kept a posture that would only be seen as discipline. The Princess walked inside only to be showered in some sort of chemical gas, the two argents accompanying her flinched but Larissa herself stayed calm until the robot voice came over her ears telling her decontamination was complete. She wondered if the Human in this planet, if there were any could inhabit anywhere else, it seemed they lived in a sterile environment where these robots did everything. She followed the hand which led her around the building which seemed pristine with more robots everywhere, it was very clear she was getting a special treatment as most of the droids she had seen seemed armed in one way or another. Her train of thought was broken however as a droid spoke up asking about the gift.

"It is only a customary gift, not used for any practical means. It is to signify and show that our nations will hopefully get along and become allies sometime in the future." Smiling at the droid before she went into another room where there were, suprisingly. Humans beyond some sort of glass. It was very apparent to her that she had interrupted something of theirs and judging by their actions when they saw her that the humans in this world were rather inclusive.

Opening her mouth and about to ask a few questions about the two she was interrupted by the droid telling her to go to a set of doors into a room. Sighing she did as she was told, eyeing the not very threatening droids, the design was utilitarian at best, silly at worst. Sitting down in the room she was allowed a few seconds for her thoughts to be clear. If the humans were indeed inclusive that would make most communication with them a chore, the heavy use of robotics would indeed be a boon for the concordat but she doubt they'd simply lend their research in the matter.
"Might I ask how you enjoy your tea, princess?"
Her mind came back to reality as she looked up to where the voice came from, a droid. The two Argents slightly fidgeted as they knew Larissa didn't like her thoughts to be interrupted, remembering one time where an adept tried to get her attention when she was still sleepy and trying to wake up much to his, unfortunate incident.
"I'd like my tea smooth, please"

Crumbli

 

[adrian_]

Mercury, Day Side
Concilii Civitatem, Casterlands' Apartment

Spokesman Quril Casterland​

"Mr. Premier I kindly ask- no, that doesn't sound very good."

"Oh great Premier Ostedt...! What am I, an Aztec sacrifice?"

​

"Mr. Ostedt, tear down that wall!" Quril chuckled to himself wholeheartedly, staring into his bathroom mirror, the vote was in three hours, and he still had no idea as to what he was going to say.

"Maybe humour? Look, i know they could probably end our planet in point five seconds but hey, think of all the new tie patterns they could have! I know you guys w- oh fuck that. Why did i think that would work."

Quril left the bathroom and walked into his bedroom, putting on his jacket and moving to his kitchen he opened his refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water, then walked into his living room, a very large television playing a documentary that is seemingly centered on Mercurian wildlife, a small swath of grass showing a little brown rodent with a strange elephant-like snout appearing on the screen.

"The Tesca is a small rat with a distinctive trunk hanging from it's snout. Mainly known for it's rather annoying squeal of alarm."

The Tesca then made a noise much like a panthers meow, but with a strange guttural sound to it. Like a car starting almost.

☆ ☆ ☆​

Quril was hoping that the government would fund contact with the Venusians, something that has been debated for quite awhile. Although, it would be tough. Very tough to get the majority vote, impossible to get a unanimous one. Nonetheless, the day was here.

Checking his television's interface he noticed the time, 10:12 PM, eighteen minutes until the gathering, Quril got up and quickly ran to his car, the Parliament hall was atleast fifteen minutes away, he would have to be just on time.

He opened his car door and spoke into the steering wheel as quickly as possible. "Hey Zyntha, how long will it take for me to get to the Parliament hall?" After a moment of the car starting a female voice spoke to him.

"About ten minutes if you were to take the express way, six or seven if you went right now and took the tollway." Zyntha spoke in a secretary-like voice, with an Irish tinge to it. Comforting.

"Doing it now." Quril drove out of his driveway as quickly as possible, making sure not to skip any stop signs, then merged onto the tollway towards the downtown part of Concilii Civitatem.

☆ ☆ ☆
​

As Quril pulled into the parking lot of the Parliament hall he was greeted by a security checkpoint, letting him through automatically, and a large crowd of reporters from which he automatically pulled into a parking spot and tried to walk away from as quickly as possible, he didn't want to be caught in a crowd right now, he'd be the laughing stock of politics if he showed up late to such an important vote.

Checking his watch he noticed that he had five minutes spare and quickly speed walked to his seat towards the front of the Jury.

"Ahem..." The room fell quiet instantly as the Parliament representative spoke. "The vote is now in session. The topic is whether or not to establish contact with our Venusian neighbors. All choices are final, any complaint filed will be ignored and the vote must not have specifications. The Jury will stay on topic or face ejection. The Jury will introduce their party and reason for their opinion, thank you."

"Thank you representative Eisen." A blonde woman with thin lips and rather serious looking eyes got up four seats away from Quril, he recognized her as the Economists and Merchants Union spokesman, "I am the spokesman for the EMU, and as it has been for the past ten years, the EMU believes that it would be very profitable, trade could be opened up, we could buy much needed resources, and we could have a longstanding ally to protect us."

After the next two representatives who were highly against communication, (And rather vocal about it.), came Quril.

"Uh... I represent the Democratic Federation of Mercury, and we call for the communication of the UCSM with the Venusians. We feel that the UCSM cannot survive without the interference of another nation, we are running out of gunpowder to fight far off terrorist organisations, our firemen cannot save the people they love because we need to buy fuel for firetrucks, we are having trouble finding porcelain for sparkplugs for our own cars, and we can only get so many materials for car batteries for our own transportation, and how will Mercury survive without our strives in terraforming, we cannot self sustain ourselves this way." He was surprised in himself, he had not even practiced any lines before. Quril mentally gave himself a pat on the back knowing that he had to have made some sway. "Mercury begs of you to make contact. We need this. It's the only way to survive." Quril sat back down, he'd even worked himself up, he put his head down onto his desk and realised how dramatic that must have looked, sneering at how stupid and sappy he must has sounded.

After everyone had given their opinion the Parliament got up and typed their votes into a large machine in the middle of them, a projector above them turning on with a vote counter, one for, one abstain, one for, one abstain, and after five minutes of waiting and praying the last vote had finally come in at 39 - 21, the UCSM was going to contact Venus, hopefully bringing years of prosperity and mutual aid. Quril was amazed, the fact that anyone was even voting for this was a one in a lifetime accomplishment. He smiled, looking down at the rest of the jury, multiple angry faces mixed with a few relieved ones here and there, this was a hallmark in Mercurian history. His children's children would teach their kids about this part of history, if Mercury survived that long while being stranded out in interplanetary politics.

The spokesman of the EMU shook his hand out of nowwhere and he mumbled an ensnared: "Thank you, well done." While thinking about what this could do. After about twenty minutes of formalities Quril drove home, and went to bed, he was going to have many different things to do by the time it was morning, and it was going to be an extremely busy day for him.

Mercury, Nearby Airspace
Close to Venus, The UCM Hessen

Captain Henefur Monagen​

"Navigation, we are authorized, cruise towards Venus and fire an unarmed probe, equip it with a voice recorder and record a friendly greeting, weapons will not be authorized unless fired upon, no matter what."

Henefur was terrified of anything that could happen here, sitting on the chair within his cabin. He took his hand off of the intercom.

"This better go well." He took a sip of his coffee and walked out onto the bridge, a hopeful looking guard smiling at him.

"Are you ready Captain?" He looked at a Communications Officer to his left, "Is the message ready?"

"Yes, sir." Henefur was stuck contemplating this, but he knew his job.

"Make contact." He automatically noticed the two and a half meter long probe drifting towards Venus.

"What does the probe say?" Henefur hoped it wasn't corny.

"Hello, this is Captain Henefur Monagen of the UCM Hessen, Mercury is making contact at this point to ask that our leaders contact eachother, we do not wish to attack, but would love to know more about your society." The young woman smiled at him afterwards, trying to push him into getting ready.

"Okay. Sounds good, let's go home."

"Yes sir, spooling engines." He heard the familiar blare of the engines and hoped he had a quiet warm bed waiting for him when he got back to base.

Crumbli

 

[Shireling]

Interplanetary Spaceport, Secundus Reed
​

The two guild men were tall, swarthy gentlemen in modern-cut suits in the popular Curatorium style one in a burgundy coat with an upswinging double-breast, khaki slacks, and a charcoal grey fedora. The other wore a long sport coat with a grey waistcoat and tie, matching slacks, and a black fedora. Each carried a metal briefcase handcuffed to their left wrist. Inside were manufacturing schematics both for the weapons they wanted manufactured and the machines that would be needed to mass produce them.

"Interesting place," one mused as he took in the planet's sights and sounds. "Now where is our contact?"

"Relax, Thomas. He's running a tad late is all." Replied the other in a lilted, Indi accent.

doodleSM

 

[Shireling]

Bridge of the Chalcedon
​

Yeron was led under armed guard down a hallway and up an elevator. While walking past, he would have noted the numerous freight containers, and the omnipresent symbol of a three-masted sailing ship superimposed over a set of trade scales. It was evident that the Chalcedon was indeed a freighter and not a warship. After a short walk, they arrived at the bridge. Yeron beheld a large room with two raised platforms to the left and right with computer monitors and in the center a control pit with several more consoles and a large starmap on a holotable. At the far end of the room was what looked to be a large window but was actually a holoscreen displaying the space outside the ship, as the bridge was located deep in the ship's interior.

He was brought before the captain, a tall and lanky older man with white hair and mustache that wore a red utility jumpsuit with a long black leather coat adorned with epaulets. His nameplate designated him: Captain Otto Vinver.

"What is the meaning of this unprovoked attack on a vessel of the Curatorium?" The Captain demanded of him sternly.

jole875

 

[jole875]

Unknown Sector 518
ISS Dreadnought Crypt | Honor Room

The Chosen who had taken the reins of speaking with vermin listened carefully as the creatures spoke, of course they would not believe anything that he said, they did not know the power of the almighty Overlord for they had yet to be eradicated. While it spoke he looked the soldiers up and down, they were definitely more organized that most of the simulations but he was more than confident that they were simply canon fodder. When the creature finished speaking he had to snap himself out of a trance.

"And you are right to be wary of strangers giving claim to intergalactic war, I understand that most species are held within the tight grasps of their own galaxy. As for the hard evidence you seek, it will be presented to you when an enemy comes forth threatening the life of this galaxy's inhabitants." The man paused as he looked back at the statue of the Overlord then looked back at the hologram,"He tells us that centuries ago he came to us and offered our people a place at his side for the battles to come, we took the offer and left this galaxy for some time. While none of us that were originally born here still live, it is our ancient home." once more the man paused as he pointed to himself and to the people in front of him. "I can see that the Overlord was telling the truth when he said that we would be different after so many years apart, but nonetheless you are our blood. Now that its been explained as best as I can do so, can you tell me about the recent history? Have there been any mass disappearances in colonies or outposts, are their any hostile forces to be feared..... What's the state of our race in whole?"

RIPSaidCone

Unknown Sector 185
Unknown Craft

Yeron had been smiling the entire time as he walked through the ship, it was true that the standards for a vermin's ship were far under the basic standard for his people's ships. When Yeron came into the large room he looked around like a child in a playground, so much to look at. While Yeron noted that the creatures used some sort of hierarchy, obviously throwing anarchy and barbarism out the window. When the white haired man spoke Yeron snapped to attention, staring at the man like a beast seeing injured prey.

"Unprovoked attack? What attack actually are you talking about? I know for a fact that I did not initiate hostilities, maybe you should take that up with who ever gave the order to open fire on neutral forces. Then again.... I do believe that there may have been an error in our communication's translators.... still, when you see a ship that is not responding to communications and seemingly dead in space, you board it for survivors. I honestly expected dead bodies."

Shireling

Unknown Sector 185
ISS Frigate Conrad

"So.... they have more ships.... that makes things interesting. Open the hangars at once, we have three Chosen onboard, yes?" the captain looked over and questioned a woman manning a console,"Yes sir, what orders do they have?" The captain smiled before typing at his wrist console, issuing direct commands.

With out a reply to the unknown ships another boarding ship left the hangar as it opened. This time the boarding ship was going at an obviously reduced speed, slowly approaching the leading ship. As the boarding ship would come into visual distance five different shimmering shapes would come into existence, after a second of glistening the shapes turned out to be wing craft of a strange design. As the wing craft tightened a trianglular formation around the boarding vessel a message was sent to the ship it approached. "Preparing for landing, please lower any shields you might have and open your hangar." The message had been a robotic voice over, for translation purposes.

Petroshka
​

 

[Fishman Lord]

Endless Perplexity, Solar Administrative Division of Therek
Endless Perplexity was a gigantic space station where every component possible was alive. Air filters, buildings, even transportation were all living beings made from advanced engineering. Igulan hated it. A bunch of nature goddess assbackwards hippies. Fortunately, he didn't have to spend long here: he was only waiting for the greatest ship in the Solar Forces to arrive: the Silver Lining. As he looked out the window, he saw it: a behemoth almost the size of the station itself. Armed with literally thousands of weapons, the inside was as large or larger than a city, every aspect tuned perfectly to bring ruin to all its foes.

It was also basically the only major flagship controlled by the Solar Forces.

Now, that wasn't to say there weren't other deadly and massive ships fighting for the Institute. The Queen of Snakes, the Goldjack, the Cortez, and the Axe of God all were forces to be reckoned with. However, they were all members of mercenary fleets and not actually controlled by the Institute itself. These mercenaries had been loyal for centuries, and it was Igulan's job to keep them in line. He needed to bring the Silver Lining to Salvador Dali and unite the mercenary fleets. Councillor-Admiral Ajax was going above the authority of the rest of the council, stating that the escalation with the Femians was getting to a state of emergency and that something had to be done. The Solar Forces had prevailed and so the military and all its followers were gathering around the holy planet of Salvador Dali. Igulan only hoped that Ajax wasn't too late in forcing action.
RIPSaidCone

Solar Forces Special Administration Colony, Coordinates: [REDACTED]
The creature twisted around to look at Ajax. It gurgled something out of its mouth, totally incomprehensible, but the translator did its job. "What... what am I? Where is this? Who am I?" Ajax smiled ever so slightly. "That will be clear in a moment." A device extended from the ceiling and stabbed into the creature's head. It let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed to the ground, the device not letting go. This went on for a few seconds until the device retracted. For almost half a minute the creature layed on the ground until it finally got up. It was more stable, and there was something colder to it. It did not speak, but the translator began talking anyways. "What is my objective, Councillor Ajax?" Ajax's tiny smile grew into a full grin. "Kill them all." A door in the back of the creature's chamber opened to reveal several Femians chained up and screaming. The elephant-sized monster advanced towards them and followed his orders.

Meeting with Sedna
The ambassador sighed, also rather dissappointed. "Very well. We will not require any cut in trade with the Hierarchy. However, we'd like everything ordered to be delivered in as timely a manner as possible. Sol may be in danger. Mars and Venus are united against this threat to everything that our ancient system stands for. We hope that when the time comes, your people will be with us and preserve Sol."
General Deth Glitch

 

[General Deth Glitch]

Luyten System.
"They ain't chasin' us, damnit" said 'captain Jazz' of the Longbeard as the burning wreck of the Valari appeared in the system. They nearly made it with their full number but one was critically hit just as it was jumping out, took it a couple more seconds to jump and, just as it did the Femians wrecked it. "Alright, orders is orders. We need to get into a small scuffle with some Sednian vessels and allow them to capture us. No one here wants to kill anyone so lets just ensure that we don't. Brass will be upset with events as they are, lets not elevate that." Just as he finished saying that the Sednian fleet jumped in to meet them. "Alright. Theres a colony down there, they don't know whats going on but lets make this believable. SHOW TIME!" Just as he said it a communique asking them to surrender sounded over their comms systems and in response his two ships open fired. The firefight was breif and the Longbeard was nearly scuppered by the time they actually surrendered. One of the soldiers remarked "I don't like all this deliberate losing" under his breath as they were brought in. They might have been able to take on a good portion of the hunter fleet provided they were actually trying. It wasn't exactly a fleet designed to take on highly trained covert troops.

Later

On the bridge of Kryton, Krytiou's ship, "The fish didn't bite Chief. I think Cheif Jowls is going to remain dark in the system and see if he can pick up any information as to what is happening and report back once he can get out. Thats what I would do at any rate." The young Ingstrom was annoyed but he understood, plans like this were chaotic and couldn't be expected to proceed as planned. "Alright. We have organised your transport back to Sol, fairly usual prison ship. Your going to be operating in Sol, possibly taking a tactical position with the Institute. Looks like they are actually going to make good on their deal to buy soldiers."
RIPSaidCone Shireling

Meeting with Institute
"Alright. I am going to lay down the deal right now. We supplement 10% of your forces, you pay us the normal fee, we retain neutrality. You want us on your side in a Galactic war I am going to need more then a deal to buy Mercenaries and weapons. If we are, and as a historically neutral nation I cannot promise anything, but if we are to side with you we are going to want access to some of your tech and we would need to see it begin arriving before any such war. Its clear, not just to us but to most of the galaxy, that you and the Hierarchy want a war. A war like that, with the deals we have, may result in us needing to invest in a victor. But an investment like that requires big returns, I hope you understand." Fishman Lord

Luten IV, Luyten system
"Looks like they are done with their problems, back to normal operation. We need to get these mining facilities up to peak A.S.A.P. Is that understood? Once we are being as productive as possible here and have the majority of the 'cultural colonies' set up to claim the system then I want us to start digging our claws into the less valuable surrounding systems. We are going to need them all to sate the Hierarchy's deal. That said, start collecting the first shipment, the rest of what we can spare of our other stockpiles will arrive soon and once we suppliment it we can assure the Femians that we intend to pay out." Said Haines as the entire system lit up with activity again now that the big wigs had completed their intrigue. "LETS GET THIS DONE TO SCHEDULE PEOPLE." he screamed over the system wide intercom. These people were being paid fairly well, they had to be to encourage them to leave the ease of life on Sedna, sure it was monotonous, but so was their new job, only this time they had the risk shut down and, if that happened, docked pay. Because of this no one wanted this to succeed more then the people working at the bottom of the ladder. For their ability to survive on food that they didn't have to steal.

 

[RIPSaidCone]

Salvador Dali, Gateway, Solar Institute Space
FSV Battlehammer, Femian 10th Fleet

The invasion had begun. Years of preparation and over-militarization and months of endless planning and replanning had all led up to this. A clear provocation and act of aggression on the Solar Institute's part, a largescale mobilization of naval forces to their sacred colony of Salvador Dali, the closest Institute world to Femian space had alerted the Board of Naval Superiors and with a swift signature from the Caesar herself, the grand forces of the Femian Naval Corps had been deployed at once. Not until now had any noteable Femian display of strength been shown to the rest of Civilized Space and for many foreigners from all spectrums of Humanity and animal scum this would be the first time they had ever encountered a Femian ship any larger than a corvette or freighter or more likely one at all. The 10th Fleet was to lead the initial charge into Institute space, with the 8th and 9th fleets in close pursuit. One might have wondered why the more superior fleets of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd hadn't been sent first but they were to be kept in reserve if the dogs proved too much of a nuissance for the first three fleets to handle, which most of the Femian admirality doubted sincerely given their subpar military capabilities. Of the three fleets that had been deployed, they each boasted a numerous number of ship types, with the most impressive of course being their assortment of Dreadnoughts and Super Battledestroyers which both dwarved even the most impressive of ships in sheer scale and firepower, though the Dreadnought model was considerably smaller in size when compared to the Super Battledestroyer, it boasted nearly an equal amount of firepower when one included its Siege Cannons which were designed to suppress entire planets if need be and had been given the nickname 'Fleet Killers' though whether or not that was translatable into reality was yet to be proven.

"Admiral, ma'am, Grand Admiral Kren is requesting a communication link." A young officer said to her superior, the older woman nodding a single time to indicate her response without words. Moments later a holographic projection of Kren appearing on the deck of the Super Battledestroyer FSV Battlehammer. "Admiral Yali, how goes your invasion?" She asks though in a greatly impatient tone, it wasn't clearly evident to the untrained ear but any high-ranking Femian naval officer could hear it. "We haven't encountered any resistance as of yet, Grand Admiral and our ships are quickly approaching their sacred world. Though Naval Intelligence has picked up large Institute signatures elsewhere in the system, they're attempting to mask their presence but we'll find them." Kren nodded, folding her arms and looking out over the bridge as other naval personnel worked quicker than they usually would, they had to given the circumstances. One of the perks of Femian communications being the ability to see the surroundings of the person one was talking to. "I would congratulate you, Admiral but until their fleets are drifting lifelessly through their own territory I do not deem this invasion worthy of my praise. Now to the reason for my request to speak with you, as much as I would prefer to just wipe their pitiful little planet out of existence, my peers on the Board have instead chosen to occupy the planet given its immense religious and cultural value to the people of the Institute, if you can call them that. We shall hold it hostage and demand that their fleets stand down, if they decline then that gives us the excuse we desire to escalate our approach to the war. You have been put in-charge of this spearhead for a reason, Admiral Yuli, do not fail us." And with that the holographic figure of the Grand Admiral disappeared and Yuli let out a tense breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding until now.

"Vervitor on deck!" An unknown voice calls out, all of the not immediately occupied bridge crew members standing to attention as a black-robed and masked figure made their way down the main slice of elevated deck between the two submerged data pits where communications and surveillance crew worked constantly. Some of them only stopping momentarily to look up at this rare sight in the Femian armed forces, a Vervitor. One of many mysterious servants to the Caesar, an order of unquestioningly loyal and highly-trained agents that were dispatched to oversee military operations when need be or to conduct their own more covert missions. Regardless, this Vervitor in-particular's stride alone was enough to intimidate all of the bridge, Admiral Yuli included who was well aware that Vervitors had the authority to do whatever they pleased regardless of the rank of anyone else around them with the sole exceptions being members of any of the military branches Board of Superiors and the Caesar. "Admiral." The masked figure spoke, her natural voice hidden away with a deep vocoder. Yuli stood at attention with her hands behind her back. "Yes, Vervitor?" She questioned curiously. "The sacred world is within range, your women have targeted the orbital shielding systems and defense platforms." Yuli nodded, turning around to face the data pits. "Open fire on all orbital defenses!" A gathering of yes ma'ams being her response as not even a minute later the numerous Dreadnoughts of each fleet fired their goliath-sized siege cannons, destroying the orbital defenses of the planet that were currently facing the fleet's direction, huge balls of burning bright light flaming through the vaccum of space before hitting their targets. "Admiral, position your fleets in defensive formation around the world. General Vaar, prepare your troops for a surface attack." The Vervitor turned and said to a Ground Corps officer who now stood a short distance away, having arrived moments prior. The Veritor turning around and taking off in the direction she had come in as the General turned to face Admiral Yuli. "Admiral." The two nodded politely as Vaar departed also.

Down in the deeper reaches of the Battlehammer however, the General's order had already come through and a massive invasion force was being prepared. A similar sight of mobilization and preparation taking place on many of the other ships of the three fleets as transports picked up countless hundreds of thousands of ground troopers and navy troopers alike alongside their heavy-duty ground equipment. Whilst their space and air cover/superiority would be handed out both by the fleets in orbit themself and the fighter, attacker and bomber squadrons they had hiding within their hangar bays. With no orbital defenses to resist their initial push towards the planet, the first bulk of the invasion force arrived on the ground with light resistance, establishing beach heads all across the planet, most noteably on the outskirts of major population centers where they would then push inwards, with the plan being to surround them and force them into surrendering via siege tactics, if any cities refused to surrender then orbital bombardment would be the next solution, the Board of Ground Superiors much preferring the civilian collateral damage of destroying an Institute city as compared to risking dozens of Femian lives when it was unnecessary. With the three fleets in orbit any additional support would now be provided by them and all along CentRoute a supply line had been established by dozens of other fleets to ensure a steady flow of reinforcements and supplies if needbe though the already present Femian forces were more than equipped for a war of attrition, not that they expected to be having one. On the ground Femian forces advanced steadily, their superior numbers, equipment and readiness prevailing in conventional warfare though the Terror Corps back in Femian space had been ordered on high alert in the event that unconventional warfare was required though even the Femian admirality was iffy on that order given the sheer brutality of those within the psychopathic little sister of the main branches of military.
Fishman Lord

Procyonia, Procyonia Libertalis Space
Procyon Chopyards, Agamemnon

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice. My orders were to acquire the females aboard this vessel, I am not to return without them. A fellow soldier and patriot like yourself surely must understand the impossibility of one returning from a mission as a failure. I can most assure you that the Hierarchy does not deal in horsetrading people either and we have no reason nor desire to cause any harm to these individuals, in-fact quite the opposite."

The expression on the Caeptus' face was one of contemplation, serious contemplation. Keeping her hands in an ordered fashion behind her, she looked around the ship and bobbed her head up and down once, the thoughtful look on her face holding up without fault. "If you did that you and all of your men would die, I too would most likely die before aid could be given but my troopers are protected from such dangers, at least for some period of time depending on the severity. So essentially you would be failing your mission, killing yourself and all of your men in exchange for what.. My death and to deny vital advancements to the field of genetics?"

Anger, that was amusing. Not to imply that Femians didn't feel emotions--but in the Caeptus' own opinion her people were far less likely to let it intrude on their professional business, and by that she essentially meant that Femians were better at hiding their emotions which proved little advantage in most cases but gave them a more.. Formal air around them. Though admittedly Handor was feeling her own blood rise in temperature as the baseline continued with his decadent ranting. The ranting that was to be expected from a religious nutjob. "We have not polluted anything, we are better than you. Our people are cleaner, purer, we do not suffer from the same genetic defects as your own corrupted and imperfect cavemen that you call countrymen. We have improved on your God's design because his design was a failure. And you should allow it because I suspect your superiors would have your head for destroying relations with another galactic power over your own pride and ego, I want to speak to your superior. To someone more... Levelheaded." There was a slight smugness in her tone when she said that last part, a clear insult wrapped in a diplomatic dressing.
Shireling


Tios, Outer Colonies, Femian Space
Unidentified Vessel, 28th Fleet Blockade

The Captain withheld a sigh into herself, knowing that further visible skeptism would no doubt sour relations between their two nations, something that although of little value to herself personally she suspected would be of great value to her superiors. Despite the differing levels of isolationism that the Hierarchy practiced over the course of its history, it did not actively seek to worsen its relationship with the baseline sections of Humanity, knowing that it would be of no use for anyone. So Fayte held back any further negative comments and simply nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Fine." Was her only reply to the topic of requiring hard evidence, their conversation thankfully moving onwards after that.

Fayte had been at least somewhat listening to the man's continued story of the fables of his people and their beloved Overlord when she had been interrupted by a voice 'off-screen' of her holographic projection to the Femians and unknown man alike on board the dreadnought, it was a communications specialist informing her that the invasion of the Institute had begun and that first contact between Femian ground troops and Institute planetary defenders had occured. Finally, they would put those animals in their place and repay them for the humiliation her people had suffered at the inception of their existence. The failure of their coup de tat centuries ago. "Yes, it would seem we are both of Human descent. And no I cannot say there have been any mass disappearances, not in our territory at least otherwise we would have addressed the issue." She paused momentarily. "As for hostile forces.. There is one--not to be feared, at least not by my people but a hostile force indeed. One that represents a threat to our collective species, they go by the name of the Solar Institute and meddle in changing themselves and uplifting animals to Human like intelligences. They have provoked my people into a war we cannot ignore, very recently in-fact. As for our species, we have expanded far and wide and divided into many differing nations."
jole875​

 

[Fishman Lord]

Stapledon Cluster, Sol
The council convened in their chambers, all in a dark mood. "Ajax, you fucking moron, we all knew this would happen!" Shouted Akiki. Ajax shook his head. "It would have happened either way. At least with my order we're actually prepared for it." Tagisor, always the voice of reason, stood up slowly. "It no longer matters. It has happened. We must make an announcement to our people. The only one of us who can break this news is Ojahn." The deer's translator let out a sigh. "Tagisor is correct. We are at war. I will make the address if I must." The council quickly agreed and made their way to the Mind of Bvalltu, equipped with one of the most powerful transmitters in the galaxy, able to reach the entirety of known space instantly.

Ojahn faced the recorder, took a breath, and began to speak. The studio translated it into thousands of languages as it went out live. "People of the Institute, Children of Mind. The Council of Five of the Solar Institute has dreaded this moment since the day the militarist coup of a century ago failed and its architects fled across space to form what they called the 'Hierarchy'. For decades, we have tried to teach them the way, show them the beauty of Mind and the potential of the power they misused. Today, they showed us that they could not learn. The Femian race is sick, bred to kill and to be ruthless. We must cure them and show them all that is in the universe. We must respond to hatred with serenity. If the Femian Hierarchy will retreat from the holy world of Salvador Dali and pay reparations for all innocents slaughtered, there can be peace. If the sickness in their minds prevails, and they continue this folly..." Ojahn paused before speaking. "There will not be war. There will be obliteration of any trace of the Hierarchy from the universe, so that a wiser and kinder successor can guide the Femian people into the world they deserve and the darkness bred into them by their overlords can be removed." Ojahn finished with the motto of the Institiute in the Holy Tongue. "Darnekodum. Agracelsum. Ascensium."
RIPSaidCone

Meeting with Sedna
Something came through the ambassador's earpiece. She remained calm on the outside, but on the inside she was screaming. "Well, the time for those negotiations seems to be now. The Femian Hierarchy has attacked in an unprovoked act of aggression. We have little time to lose, so here's our offer. We can offer our uplifting tech and the templates to two viruses known as 'Zachary' and 'Madman'. If you agree to the deal, the basic uplift tech for advanced creatures will be provided instantly. As soon as you commit actual troops and ships, the rest will be delivered."
General Deth Glitch

The Oort Cloud near Salvador Dali
The majority of the fleet of the Solar Forces had been gathered in the system. They were awaiting further orders, to see if the Femians would stand down or if war had truly began. If it really was time for conflict, all that remained to do was to wait for the ships purchased from Sedna to arrive and for potential reinforcement from Venus, who had been called into the war. If Sedna chose to fully commit itself to the war, the fleet would wait for their ships as well.
General Deth Glitch Crumbli

 

[General Deth Glitch]

Luyten IV, Luyten System
The first shipment to the Femians had been sent by the time the war broke out. It had already jumped into Femian space. Sure they could wait and see if it returned before committing to anything but the deal they were being offered was good so the order 'Silent' was sent to Luyten IV. Based on its proximity to Femian space and its role to steathily set up operations to support the Femian trade deal it was to be scaled down to a more manageable level and also run silently so as to not risk any unforseen attention. Mining would continue but all windows were shut, all sources of light that could been seen shut off and all large heat-signatures deactivated in the hopes that they will be ignored by passing vessels. As this was happening the fleet that was out 'hunting' pirates leapt back toward Sol to regroup. Their orders were currently 'Defend Sol' and they would carry that out. RIPSaidCone

Sedna Prime, Sedna, Sol
"We have to step carefully gentlemen. Two of the largest nations in the galaxy look to be at war and we are right in the middle of it. We must step carefully and look to defend our own assets. You have been briefed on the Ingstrom Plan and I expect you to ensure it is successful. This is war. I am sure both sides will dance around each other for a few hours, perhaps even a few days, but it is clear, at-least I hope it is, to all here that War is inevitable. We are to take the path of least cost and greatest profit. With the return of the Institutes deal we have sent off the 'Private' Security Forces they paid for to join their fleet. For now we are going to keep the rest of our fleet in reserve in case this is a diversion. The Institute seem willing to put their entire fleet into the battle and so someone must look after our Assets and ensure the system is kept safe. With that said, once battle has commenced, and I have informed the Institute of this, and no attack is made on Sol we will quickly jump the remainder of our spare forces, those not engaged in defending vital trade, to reinforce the battle. The Ingstrom Plan is currently on track and we can look at playing with this new Uplift technology we have been given. I am sure the Muds will find some profit in its usage. Only those willing to follow my plan and allow me to co-ordinate our forces will be given the technology freely, let that incetivise you to win a war!" Was the end of the speach given by Trade Master Ingstrom after he had agreed to the Institutes deal and sent off the required troops to support and take up roughly 10% of the Institutes fleet.

Oort Cloud, Salvador Dali
"Alright, here we are. We will respect the Institute chain of command, I am Regional Chief Jowls, I have been tasked with overseeing the Mercs you requested and ensuring seamless integration. Tell me where you want us and who each group will report to. Once this is undertaken and our troops integrated with yours I will offer my services as a tactician and strategist." At this point he stifles a laugh "I can't tell you how many successful missions I have had profiting off your mistakes. However we are on the same side now so lets keep this professional. My job is to win a war so point me in the right direction." Fishman Lord

 

[Petroshka]

Aquarii System
Admiral Sunericus Radegonda
Javian Prime
​

Admiral Radegonda left his bridge for the hanger bays requesting a few dozen Templar on board to be there to meet their guests, he had a holopad with him showing a live feed of the star-crafts approaching his ship they seemed rather bulky even more so than his ships. upon arriving in the hanger bay he was met with the sight of a battalion of heavily armed Templar awaiting him and his orders, Sunericus himself was wearing a lighter version of their armor. "Attention!" The Templar all stood straight up with their heads held high, the admiral walked over to the front of the large unit. "This is a previously unknown civillization we are coming into contact with! i trust you all to act with digression and caution. Any sign of trouble and you shoot." Turning around just in time to see the unknown ship fly through the atmospheric shielding and landing onto the hanger floor he waited for their first move.
jole875

Lady Geleswintha,
Yirath.
​

Geleswintha couldn't really think of what to do next after she threw the "spear" down in-front of the chieftain and he did the same which she guessed meant that he didn't look to fight either. There was a period of an awkward stare between the two before she looked over to her fellow knights. "i think we're done here?" They all responded with shrugs and walked up next to eachother to think about what exactly to do and to see what the lizards were going to do while they did this.
KindlyPlagueDoctor

 

[Shireling]

Aboard the Chalcedon
​

"You think you're cute, huh?" The captain of the freighter said to Yeron through gritted teeth. "Well, no matter. I am Captain Otto Vinver of the Freighter's Guild of the Curatorium." He reached out his hand. "I will convince the Tempus warships to stand down and let us speak in peace."

jole875 Petroshka
(Guys, let's tie this plot up here, kay?)

The Agamemnon
​

Captain Fischer screwed up his face. He balled up his fists as if to strike the Femian officer, but paused. Perhaps it was the chivalry and the resemblance of the officer to a woman he knew, perhaps it was just better judgement. But as he lowered his fists, a private came up behind him.

"Navicularis, an urgent communique."

"Not now, soldier."

"No, sir. From the High Curator himself."

There was a round of looks from all the soldiers about him. Was the situation so important as to attract the attention of the High Curator himself? He turned and looked towards the Femian officer. "Here's your chance to talk to my superior." Was all he said in a cold, harsh tone.

The soldier threw a small object on the floor and a holographic message popped up. It was a very lifelike image that blanketed the hole of a small, round area around the object and had a very odd, unnatural feel to it. The image was very lifelike and existed in three dimensions. In the center sat a middle aged man in a brown tweed suit, green waistcoat, and a red tie with a gold pattern on the front. He had a kindly, wisened face with a handlebar mustache and a well-trimmed beard. He sat in a classically-designed, stiff-backed armchair holding a cup of tea on a saucer. Behind him was an open set of french doors which led out to a balcony. Outside in the blue sky was the towering spires of the Cathedral of Light in Canticle, and in the air the gold and silver ornithopters flew past with a buzzing that sounded much like bumblebees in a garden. Away off to the left was a desk with an old fashioned oil lamp and to the right was a lit fireplace. The old man stood, holding the tea saucer and swishing a bit of the liquid around in it to cool. He turned promptly to Fischer and then glanced in the Femians' direction with the calm and calculated air of the wise king Solomon. He turned to Fischer first.

"Navicularis, you have served your nation admirably, yet when I was informed of your handling of the situation I grew immediately concerned."

"Yes, your grace." Fischer crossed his right arm over his heart and rested it on his shoulder, bowing at the waist ever so slightly as he spoke. "We came to recover these Earth people, but these Femians have ambushed us and demanded that we turn the female passengers into their custody."

The High Curator threw a wary glance at the Femian officer, knowing for what purpose this had been done. "And so," he came back to Fischer, "you decided to bluff, I see." He tutted and poured the tea back from the saucer and into the cup. "An admirable strategy, but a failed one. I admire your tenacity, Mr. Fischer but you are no negotiator." He smiled a bit. "We can't all have every in great supply. I commend you for your duty, Navicularis." He turned back to the Femian. "If I may propose a solution; surely some of these passengers are married to one another, this being the right and natural state of things, especially for a colony ship such as the Agamemnon." He looked up, seemingly admiring the rafters and tech of the ship. "Therefore I propose my men take you to the ship's computer, we locate the female passengers who are not married, and they may be turned over into your custody. Is this a fair agreement?"

"But sir," Fischer began to opine.

"My captain, your spirit is most appreciated, but the issue is done and settled. I have done all I can do. Human lives are more valuable than history." The Curator turned back to the officer. "Well, is it a deal?"

RIPSaidCone

Militarium Solaris High Command, Rosso, Philemon
​

"Signs of Femian military aggression towards the Institute are confirmed. We have an entire Heirarchy armada coming down on them." Shouted out a yeoman on the switchboards.

"How many ships?"

"At least a hundred. Dreadnoughts, cruisers, siege capitals. Everything. It's a full-scale assault." The yeoman yanked a printed radar report sheet out of the machine and handed it to his superior, Praefectus Rold Lorrison, as he walked past on his way to the main server bank for the hyperlight observatories. He read over the radar reports and confirmed it with the optical data they had back. A large Femian fleet had been assembled, likely for the purposes of waging war on the Institute.

"We must contact the High Curator."

"I will get him on the phone. In the meantime, ready the navy for defensive protocol 4 and would someone please get me a bloody bottle of gin!"

The HMS London
​

The HMS London was the oldest and most storied battleship in the Curatorium's fleet. It lay in port above Philemon taking on food and fuel when the raise in defensive protocol came across her bow and reached the instrumentation cluster. Ensign Emily Boggs was sitting cross-legged on the observation deck with her boots off eating a corned beef sandwich. When the ship was on the move, they would lower the blast doors over the windows, but right now she could see the beauty and majesty of the planet below.

"Oi, Em." Came a voice from behind her. She turned and it was her friend Benjamin in engineering fatigues carrying a toolbox. "What are you doing?"

"Eating my lunch." She muttered through a mouthfull.

"Blimey, don't you know that there's a war on and high command is itching to drag us in it?"

She swallowed hard. "What?"

"Yeah, bleeding lesbians are gonna overrun the 'Verse. We're to report to stations, Captain's orders!"

She frowned and put her lunch away. "I'll be with you, Ben. Don't wait up." She said, struggling into her boots and slipping her engineering coveralls back over her arms, joining the flow of engineers down into the engine levels.

 

[Crumbli]

Official Venerian resources, Variscite, Venus.
Petroshka

"Why of course, your highness. Please sit and we'll have a droid deliver it to you shortly." The doors to a rather secluded room open wide revealing a wall of couches and a floor covered in cushions both large and small. Though such a room wasn't designed for ambassadors it was designed as a recreation room and one of comfort. The need for an embassy or official meeting room seemed unnecessary to the original founders of the facility and thus Variscite never obtained such facilities.
Waiting for the princess and her compatriots to be seated, Veneria picks up where she left off with them. When the princess had first entered the planet's atmosphere she expected her to be more talkative than she was. If not for the sake of small talk for the sake of diplomacy and understanding. Be it from awe, confusion, disdain or habit that the princess had been rendered relatively mute she couldn't say. Though she didn't wish to risk disdain being the cause. Once they'd grown comfortable one of the less intimidating droid models enters the room carrying a tray in front of it with three cups, a bowl of sugar cubes, and a tea pot.

The droid makes a beeline for the centre of the room where there appeared to be a glass table. The table appeared to be made out of a thick glass with the bottom exposing the surface beneath them and its many smaller plants. Upon closer inspection it would seem that the table itself was nothing more than a sealed off glass cylinder and that the world below them was exactly that. Veneria begins to talk once more, confirming the comfort of her guests.
"How do you like your tea, princess. Is it satisfactory?" A small brown lizard crawls its way along the bottom of the glass table on the outside of the facility looking up at the room of people with its four green eyes, blinking out of sync from one another. "If it's not too great a hassle, your highness, I wish to know the intentions of why you came. I believe establishing a diplomatic foothold within our foundling is a likely answer but I doubt it to be the case as you could just have easily requested a diplomatic passage of establishment through the institute's avenues. It would have saved you the trouble of arriving to our planet and sacred system with so little protection. Non?"

Official Venerian fleet, Oort Cloud, Salvador Dali.
Fishman Lord General Deth Glitch

Bursting through a ring of bright energy the Venerian fleet drifts into the scene. A total of twelve battleships, their Blue Raven, and countless fighters prepared to engage at a moments notice. It was clear from the moment they arrived they hadn't planned on taking the distant cannons approach but instead would prefer an intimate dog fight between woman and machine. Minerva would personally oversee this confrontation as if there was any chance they could capture or even salvage a femian ship it would prove instrumental in their understanding of ship AI and future AI based attacks on the ship systems. The Venerian foundling still had ships at its disposal but they were located elsewhere either to keep peace on foreign worlds, support the FUS in their civil war, or to protect holy Terra in case of a deeper assault.
Minerva was quick to contact the Institute commander in charge of this conflict. The Venerian foundling had no experience with the femians and any form of military knowledge regarding them came directly from the Institute itself. The archon wasn't prepared to lose these ships out of foolishness but losing them for the greater good of Sol and humanity was a different story entirely. "Attention commander of the Solar institute forces, this is the Venerian Archon Minerva reporting in. Our forces are at your disposal and our guns tracked and ready. In the name of our union and holy Terra, we await your orders. Don't make us regret our contributions."

 

[Axel The Englishman]

Salvador Dali, Gateway, Solar Institute Space​

P.N.V. Grimshaw, 15th Fleet​

The very fabric of time and space was warped and contorted, as dozens upon dozens of naval ships soon appeared within the proximity of Institute territory. Their distinct architecture swiftly gave away their identity. They were ships of Purview origin, no doubt. With word of the Femian Hierarchy actually launching an assault spreading across the galaxy like a wildfire, Central Command saw no better opportunity to reclaim the home system of humanity than now. Aligning themselves with a force equal in power would only heighten their chances. Besides, their mutual resent of the Institute would surely bolster a temporary alliance between them.

Leading the attacking assembly of vessels was the Grimshaw herself: the personal ship of Captain Matthew Lodge. The marvel of naval engineering was a typical carrier by appearance, but its years of service have surely seasoned the crew into skilled individuals, ready to carry out their mission on behalf of the greater good for their countrymen. Accompanying the Grimshaw was a diverse cast of alternating warships. Destroyers, frigates, assault carriers, and the odd battleship that stood out and presented itself now and then. Hopefully a large enough force to take on the forces of the Institute and its potential allies. The Captain was confident that he could win over the Femians this day, and that their combined might would surely wipe out the Uplifted and their ilk that dared pollute the surface of Mars.

Fishman Lord RIPSaidCone Crumbli Shireling General Deth Glitch ​

P.N.V. Borrowsworth
Private William York, 22nd Air Assault Division

York had just finished emptying his personal locker of what he deemed valuable for the mission. Operation: Homebound, as the higher-ups deemed it. York thought it fitting. It was practically the first time in Purview history since citizens of such a fine nation returned to the home system that saw the development of their species. An honour only a few would experience this day.

Once done, the rifleman regrouped with the rest of his unit. He kept his helmet close to his waist and pressed against his armour. The exoskeleton fused to their suits lightened the burden of carrying such vast amounts of equipment, and thus York could dive into battle without the fear of a survival pack weighing him down like a paper weight against freshly filed reports. The private travelled alongside his fellow soldiers until they arrived in the main staging area for their attack. An assortment of tanks, AFVs, MWPs, aircraft, and other personnel were scattered throughout the open space. The sight was something to truly be proud of. A parade of the technical might of the Purview, assembled in a single room.

The unit of men took up position within the vast metallic cavern, patiently awaiting for the go-ahead from those high up in the chain of command. The soldiers were already excited to see combat. To see a world that their ancestors wished to walk upon.​