"Instruments indicate that it is 10:14 AM, May 11th, 2296 UTC. I, Admiral Mark Perin of the Colonial Administration, confirm that the sixth fleet has established orbit over Delta Pavonis B. Stellar activity, atmospheric conditions, and system composition are 98.7% match to projections. I have authorized final preparations for landing. Today, man will bring another world into his fold."

Pausing, he looked around the cramped space. Only two men were observing this piece of history; a fresh-faced junior officer and the Daughter of Gaia's chief communications officer, Joe Kead. Alone among the crew, Kead had served alongside Perin long before he'd stepped aboard the Gaia. He offered a nod of reassurance.

The pause ended. Perin launched back into his report, but his fire was gone. History, the history he'd spent twenty years flying towards, had been made. Now the admiral dealt with dry business. Every minutiae demanded by the Colonial Administration was recorded, from the millisecond of arrival to the status of surface preparations.

And then it was done.

Within seconds, the record was on its way towards more than three dozen signal stations in four star systems. Travelling in the form of light pulses, it would arrive in the Sol system in just shy of twenty years.

"I wouldn't worry too much." It was Kead speaking, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. "You'll be dead when that arrives."

"Cheery thought."

Tired, but satisfied with his work, the Perin rose to leave. He was thinking of his bed, of sleep. Landing-week was a hectic time, but it was short. Soon, he'd sleep in a rustic lodge up in the hills, the house he'd pictured every day for the past twenty years. The struggles of command would be at an end.

These pleasant thoughts were jostled from his mind as he opened the door. One of his staff, visibly nervous with excitement, stood outside.

"I think you need to see this, Admiral."

...

The video reel played again in his mind. The camera had swung low towards the ground, borne on an unmanned probe. Foliage, startlingly earthlike, rushed by below. He, together with the command staff, had been engrossed in the world's beauty.

The angled shifted, and that's when Perin had noticed it. Smoke was rising on the horizon.

The drone had ascended to safely distant height before making a single pass. Far below, the trees cleared. Large, thatch-roofed houses dotted the landscape. Whatever had built them was no doubt intelligent and social. These were not small family shacks. They were communal dwellings. Dozens of humanoids could be faintly seen, milling around each.

Still lost in the shock of this discovery, Perin turned to technical questions to steady himself. "Indigenous?"

"Considering the lack of orbital activity or broadcast signals, it's safe to say they're local," responded the intelligence officer, Lieutenant Areli.

"How many? What's their distribution?"

"It's too early to confirm hard numbers, but we've identified cities across the central and northern continents."

"If we land we'll destroy them. It will be like the Americas. We will take their world and make it ours."

Concerned, Joe Kead chimed in, "Admiral, you can't-"

"If we land." Letting his tiredness seep into his voice, Perin added, "We can't do that anymore. I will not watch the destruction of the first intelligent race we've met."

Turning to his gathered command staff, he continued, "We're returning to earth." Over low rumbles of discontent, he went on, fast and in-command, "Baran, have your men secure the engine compartments and Nereids. Areli, recall all probes. Kead, open comms with the Saratoga and Ljus. Some presence must be left here. Inform all other Captains that we are reentering drive. Have them take the same precautions with their propulsion and landing craft."

As he turned to face another Lieutenant, he came face to face with a gun.

"What the hell is this, Baran? Drop the gun."

"I'm not spending twenty more years in this tin can. For what? Some other species, down there on that rock? They're smart enough to build cities, but not smart enough to build starships. They're subhuman, Admiral. Why let them have this world?" As his soldiers streamed onto the bridge, Baran paused. "Arrest Mark Perin and any who protect him."

"My crime?"

Cooly, he replied, "Treason against fleet, nation, and species." Done with the Admiral, Baran set about reversing his commands. "Kead, do not dispatch that order."

"Already have." He replied, full of defiance.

"Retract it."

He did not.

Baran knew the order must not be enacted. He reached to push Kead from his station, only to receive a solid swing to the chest in return. A fuse had been lit. The brawl spread throughout the room. The handful of loyalists stood and fought. In the chaos, Perin attempted to run. Shots rang out, followed by more.

It would not be noticed until minutes later, when the skirmish had come to a bloody end, but Admiral Perin was dead.

...

"This is Captain Baran speaking." Began the transmission. It was the first to leave the ship's arrays since the admiral had sent his final words off into space.

"I have assumed command of the Daughter of Gaia and the fleet. It is my regret to inform you that the Admiral and several of my fellow officers were involved in a treasonous attempt to subvert our colonization of Delta Pavonis. Garan paused as the drone's video played, letting the captains see what the admiral had.

"There is thinking life on this world. The admiral was unwilling to take this world for humanity. I am not. We have not travelled twenty-three years to travel twenty three more. Colonization will proceed as-"

Static swept over the transmission. In some far corner of the ship, Joe Kead had not only escaped capture, but managed to take control of the system he had operated for twenty years.

Barely above a whisper, he gave his own account. "This is a coup. This is the beginnings of genocide."

Banging interrupted the recording. Kead was discovered. Speaking loudly now, he added, "You never saw him. He wasn't your shipmate. But your admiral was a good man. Do not follow his killer. Take this ship and return to earth. Leave the barest vanguard, to protect and observe this world until relief arrives."

Loud shouting and struggle drowned out any speech. Static returned, followed by Baran's channel.

"We have captured the last of the admiral's co-conspirators. This world is green and pleasant. There is no reason why we should not settle here. Do not follow your late admiral into his foolishness, his crimes, or his grave. Resume preparations for landing."

"What do you mean turn back?"

With the Saratoga's Commanding Officer dealing with paperwork regarding the fleet's arrival in orbit over Delta Pavonis B in her quarters, Commander Michaël Daniau had been left in charge of the warship's operations center. The tall, fair-skinned Marine Nationale 'Capitaine de frégate' was more often than not present in the Combat Operations Center, mostly due to his aspirations to one day become the commanding officer; it was the very reason he had ever signed up for the mission, after all. Before the mission had begun, his career had reached a dead-end: there were too many officers with the rank 'Capitaine de vaisseau' in the French Navy, and he only had a few years to acquire a promotion before being forcibly retired. Instead, he had requested a transfer to the Saratoga in the hopes that, with the Oberst's death, he would take over the blank spot on the roster.

He had barely even read through the contents of the printed message when he voiced his confusion, bringing his hazel eyes to the bottom of the document to check its authentication. For some reason, the colonization of the planet was being aborted: it was a nightmare scenario, and even though the size of the force being left behind to 'protect and observe' had not been explicitly mentioned, the Commander was fairly certain that it did not include an entire cruiser.

Without any actual explanation to give, the ship's communications officer, a Major Petro Zelenko from the West Ukrainian Air Force, simply tried to assure the Commander that the message was real. "That's what the message said, sir. The authentication codes check out, we double-checked them." The Major stood several inches shorter than his direct superior, so he had to look up to address him. "Should we abort the recon UAV launch?"

"No." responded the commander, passing the paper back to his Ukrainian subordinate. "Lets keep this quiet for now, it could be a clerical error. Hail the flagship for me."

"Already tried sir, nobody's picking up."

That last statement seemed to have stirred the hornet's nest that was the Commander's brain, and his eyes drifted to get a quick glimpse of the Sergeant of the Guard and the security staff on the bridge. Something bad had happened, that was for sure. "Alright, listen to me carefully. Have the Master-at-Arms report to the bridge, and have your staff keep quiet about that message, we don't need to cause a panic. Keep trying to reach the flagship."

The Major hesitated, but then nodded discretely. "Aye aye." And with that, the two men exchanged a brief salute before Petro disappeared towards the communications room. In the meantime, the Commander moved back towards the port side of the compact bridge, where the stations for engineering, the optical telescopes and ground operations were, and motioned for the intelligence officer to get closer. The latter, recognizing the gesture, removed her headset and heads-up display goggles, unstrapped from her seat and turned to face the Commander.

"Sir. How can I help?"

"Direct all optical and infrared telescopes to the surface. Keep this to yourself, don't let your crew see the feeds, just send them to my station. If anyone asks, we are looking for a suitable site for the shuttles."

"Yes sir, I will keep it quiet, but... Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Something spooked the flagship and they ordered us to abandon landing preparations, I want to know what it is. I don't know what the Admiral is thinking, but I am not about to have twenty three years of my life go to waste. Can I count on you?"

A mutual understanding was shared between the two officers as their eyes met. She was known for being one of the Commander's most outspoken supporters in the command staff, partly because the two shared mutual goals, a common nationality and at times a common hatred for the Oberst's clique of idealists: the chief engineer, the Marine CO, the chief medical officer and the Chief of the Boat being chief amongst them. After several moments of silence, as if conspiring with their eyes, the Major spoke. "Absolutely, for anything sir."

"Thank you Major, that will be all."

Having taken care of that issue, Michael had to speak to one more person: the Master-at-Arms.

---

Several minutes later, the Colonel had finally finished her paperwork and was present in the bridge. She had yet to be informed of anything more than a vague reference to conflicting orders, and had been given the assurances of the communications officer that they were trying to get clarification from the flagship. Standing at just over five foot seven, she was not exactly a short woman by any means, and had held up remarkably well with both age and the harsh conditions of space. Despite the sudden reluctance displayed by some of the bridge's officers to give her the information she needed, and no way to contact the flagship, she had reserved herself to watching the video feed of the Daughter of Gaia on her station. The bridge, like almost all sections of the ship, had no actual windows: it was buried deep beneath the armor so a decapitating strike against the ship's officers would be impossible, and most decision-making relied on a mix of RADAR, LIDAR, LADAR, infrared, x-ray and magnetometric sensor data.

It was only when the transmission from the Gaia begun that the Colonel became suspicious: that was not the voice of the Admiral, and he was usually the only one to address the fleet. Why would Baran, of all people, be allowed to make a public announcement?

"I have assumed command of the Daughter of Gaia and the fleet."

It was only then that she realized what was going on: it was a coup. The video embedded in the broadcast gave her the reason for the coup, and the voice doing the broadcast confirmed who had staged it. The bridge crew, most of whom were unaware of the events taking place on both the Gaia and the Saratoga, froze as the details about the coup were revealed to them in the most public form of exposure: it was only when the transmission ended that the Colonel begun to consider the situation. After several moments of deliberation, and a bombardment of questions by several junior officers, she decided to act.

"Return to your stations, people. This is an internal security matter that will be dealt with shortly. Zelenko, get the Marine CO on the phone, have her scramble the Marine Rapid Reaction Team with a fighter escort. We need to quell this coup before anyone starts getting any idea-"

"You will do no such thing, Major."

The entire bridge froze again as the Colonel turned her entire body to get a look at the source of the familiar voice: the executive officer. He was flanked by two members of the Naval Security Service, clad in combat armor and equipped with assault rifles, with the Master-at-Arms waiting a few meters behind them.

"Commander, what do you think you are doing?"

"I am stopping you from making a grave mistake, Colonel."

Ignoring the warning from the Commander, Erika turned her head to address Zelenko again. "Major, get Lieutenant Colonel Hansson on the line, now."

"Colonel, I am warning you, if you continue upon this course and insist on attempting an unlawful boarding operation on the Daughter of Gaia, I will be left with no choice-"

"MAJOR! ARE YOU DEAF?"

"Colonel, this is getting nowhere. I am left with no choice but to relieve you of command of this vessel under naval regulat-"

"Commander, you are relieved. Sergeant of the Guard, escort Daniau to his quarters and get me Lieutenant Colonel-"

"Sergeant of the Guard, the Colonel has been properly relieved, please escort her out of the bridge."

"SERGEANT OF THE GUARD! I gave you a direct order! Commander Daniau is under arrest on charges of mutiny!"

"SERGEANT OF THE GUARD, YOU WILL TAKE THE COLONEL INTO CUSTODY ON CHARGES OF HIGH TREASON, AND YOU WILL DO SO NOW!"

The back-and-forth conversation had escalated into a yelling contest within a few seconds, leaving a confused Sergeant of the Guard to stare at the two officers in disbelief. It was only when he felt a hand on his shoulder, that of the Master-at-Arms, that he realized that he actually had to make a choice. Reaching down to his holster, he unclipped the safety cover and reached for the rail pistol within. Both the Colonel and the Commander stopped yelling and glared at him expectantly as he unholstered the firearm, holding it by the side of his hip.

Several tense moments later, the Sergeant of the Guard's gaze was finally locked on the Colonel. "Colonel. Your sidearm please."

Erika glared angrily at her former executive officer: she recognized defeat, but seemed unwilling to accept it. "Commander, if you are doing what I think you are doing, you should just shoot yourself now. Do you think that the five thousand people on this ship will willingly become accomplices to genocide?"

"I think they will do as ordered. This is a military vessel. Sergeant, take her away. Major Lapierre, you are my new XO." he finally responded, and the Colonel was defiantly forced out of the bridge by the Sergeant of the Guard and two of the Marines; a coup had just begun aboard the Saratoga, and while there was a lot to do, the mutineers at least had control of the bridge. "If anyone disagrees with what I have done, feel free to relieve yourselves now." In response, several junior and petty officers stood up from their seats, walking out of the bridge voluntarily; these included the Chief of the Boat, the senior enlisted adviser and close friend of the Colonel. Before he could leave, however, he was stopped by the Master-at-Arms.

"Not you, COB." she exclaimed, making a hand gesture for a Marine to come closer. "You are under house arrest. Corporal Dietrich will escort you to your quarters. Please hand over your sidearm."

The Chief was not a particularly athletic man: in fact, he was overweight. Even though he had been a mere Petty Officer 1st Class when the Saratoga had left Earth, the more than twenty years of not seeing combat action and slowly abandoning his attempts at maintaining physical fitness had resulted in numerous health problems and left him unable to perform the simplest of physical tasks without struggling. He had even been prescribed pills to control his pressure by the chief medical officer. But if there was one thing he had not lost, it was his fiery spirit: he reached down to grab his sidearm, as if preparing to hand it over, but as he lifted it out he whispered a single phrase.

"Fuck you, Major."

Before anyone could react, the COB raised his pistol and fired a shot straight into the Master-at-Arms' chest, and then another at her vulnerable stomach before the Marine made a motion to disarm him: he too found himself with a bullet embedded into his upper right arm. Railguns used no explosive force to propel their projectiles, but the loud 'bang' sound of the projectile breaching the sound barrier was enough to create havoc in the bridge: the Master-at-Arms collapsed to the ground as the Marine struggled to deal with the intense pain, and the COB turned his aim to the Commander.

"Daniau, you are under arrest! Drop your gun to the floor, now!"

Instead of the move of compliance (or defiance) the Chief expected, however, another gunshot ringed out in the bridge; the Chief's body collapsed to the floor, lifeless, with blood flowing out of a massive wound on the side of its head. All eyes on the bridge turned to get a look at the shooter, the former intelligence officer who had been just promoted to XO, who slowly lowered her sidearm by her side without speaking.

Left to deal with the aftermath of the situation as the medics flowed into the bridge to take care of the Master-at-Arms and the shot Marine, Michael instead calmly turned around, picked up the handset from the commanding officer's station and made a gesture at Zelenko to connect him to the flagship.

"This is Commander Damiau, commanding officer of the Saratoga. I have been forced to relieve Colonel Wechsler and assume command of this vessel; we are standing by for further instructions, Admiral Baran."

---

"What do you mean the COB's been shot?! Damiau has done what? Right, call the CAG too, see if he's with us. I'll gather a few Marines I can trust and meet you at the small arms locker. Hansson over and out."

Life. Life was here. In so many ways, this was the greatest discovery mankind had ever made. We were not alone in the universe, and the greatest minds aboard the Ljus would be the first to document this next chapter in human history. So many things to be learnt: What is their biology? Their culture? Are they peaceful? So many questions, it would take years to gather and process all of that. Unfortunate, that there were now going to land advance teams and start tearing the planet to pieces, devastating these people.

She crossed her arms, and watched the feed again for the seventh time, as she thought furiously and tried to decide the best course of action: The reasoning behind this was sound. No doubt the other ships would just abuse and corrupt them entirely. The captain did not entirely trust her fellow commanders, and she knew for a fact that they didn't like her. Some were down right brutish, and couldn't wait to start subverting this poor creature's lands. On the other hand... There was simply too much to give up. Mankind's first contact, and they have to abandon it, simply because of the jar head natures of some of these ships? For all they know, this could be an isolated colony, separated form the rest of their empire. This could be the chance of a millennium to expand further, if they could ascertain what exactly the situation was.

The bridges intercom crackled into life, and the familiar intellectual voice of the Head of Scientific Affairs came into life. "Captain Vilda, this is Professor Jakobsen. There is no way in hell we can let the other ships just roll over them. There is too much at stake here, and we won't get another chance at this in a hundred years. Maybe never. What do we do?"

Captain VIlda stared a moment longer in thought, before replying. "I agree with you, Professor. We can't let the others land just yet, they will ruin everything. I'll attempt to change the Admiral's mind, and see if we can't get a forward team down there from the Ljus. The probes can only do so much, we need to set up a forward research camp."
"Comm officer Peta, open a direct link with the Gaia. We need to talk."

Once the communications link was open, VIlda cleared her throat, and spoke assertively, addressing them in a timely manner. "Admiral, this is Captain Vilda, of the Ljus of the Fleet. If we are going to do this right, you can't be the first ones on the ground, especially with such a drastic change in command. It will be a disaster. We have no idea what power they hold, and while it appears they pose little threat, we must be ready for anything. Also, we cannot afford for first contact to be a failure, and preparations must be made to ascertain what we are dealing with."

Vilda paused, and let her words sink in, before continuing. "Permission to send a research team down to the surface, to set up a forward data processing outpost. Our security staff is minimal, so we will also need some added firepower, if anything goes wrong, but they are under my command for the duration of the mission. We'll work as quickly as we can, and notify you as soon as we have more information. Over"

"Sir, incoming signals from both the Ljus and Saratoga," Cried out Baran's newly-minted communications officer, Lieutenant Commander Henry Shale.

"Patch through the Saratoga." The scientists of the Ljus might make trouble in the long run, but Baran knew that a warship full of marines demanded immediate attention.

The acting admiral's headset crackled to life, before quickly snapping into a clear connection. The first words over the line belonged to an unfamiliar voice. "This is Commander Damiau, commanding officer of the Saratoga. I have been forced to relieve Colonel Wechsler and assume command of this vessel; we are standing by for further instructions, Admiral Baran."

The Admiral waited to speak, taking time to consider this development. The Saratoga was the sole military vessel in the fleet, and with its loyalty he could keep a tight hand on the others. "Commander, I'm granting you access to all intership communications. You're to identify and intercept any who may attempt to desert or engage the fleet, but keep the fireworks to a minimum. Nerves are tight enough as it is." His earpiece rang once, reminding him of the waiting line. "Your service to the fleet will not be forgotten, Commander, but I'm pressed for time. Lieutenant Commander Areli will answer any further questions and assist you in identifying issues. Over."

"Shale, give me the Ljus."

"Admiral, this is Captain Vilda, of the Ljus of the Fleet." Baran, though he wasn't speaking face-to-face with the Captain, nodded in recognition. This one wasn't new. "If we are going to do this right, you can't be the first ones on the ground, especially with such a drastic change in command. It will be a disaster. We have no idea what power they hold, and while it appears they pose little threat, we must be ready for anything. Also, we cannot afford for first contact to be a failure, and preparations must be made to ascertain what we are dealing with." As the captain paused, Admiral Baran processed her words. She seemed to oppose his actions, but not strongly enough to take a true stand, for the moment. The silence dragged a while too long, but recognized that Vilda had more to say, and was more than happy to take the time to think out his words. "Permission to send a research team down to the surface, to set up a forward data processing outpost. Our security staff is minimal, so we will also need some added firepower, if anything goes wrong, but they are under my command for the duration of the mission. We'll work as quickly as we can, and notify you as soon as we have more information. Over"

"Vilda, I understand your concerns. But we have identified no artificial orbital bodies or even wireless transmissions. Whatever civilization is down there, they're proto-industrial or earlier. They do not have the capability to challenge us." After a pause, he added, "Permission granted. As for your second request... At this time I can only provide minimal support. The Daughter of Gaia can spare a pair of marine platoons, two air wings, and the Nereid to get them to ground. I will not, however, halt preparations for landing. They will take time, time that I suggest you use fully." Seeking to lighten the impact of this blow, Baran added, "I'll inform you of potential landing sites as they are identified. If you can raise a substantive complaint against any of them, we'll take all the time needed to investigate it."

The aging Irish man stood on the bridge of his ship as he listened to the communication of the coup that played through the speakers on the bridge. "Close all bulkheads leading to the bridge and shuttle docks. I want this ship under my control and don't let anyone get any ideas. Our mission remains the same no matter who is in command, we are here to provide medical aid to whomever needs it and that is what we will do." Commander McDouglas told all the officers and medical crew on the large bridge as he looked around at each and every one of them. The Savior's bridge was giant compared to most ships with an two entire walls being covers with digital x-rays, vital signs and monitoring video of all the patients that were being treated on board the medical vessel. The commander stood on a raised podium that gave him a view of all the personnel that scrambled around trying to get all the information straight of the developing situation as well as doctors hovering over the vital signs and x-rays and scientists that watched ground footage over and over again as they tried to determine what the footage actually showed.

"Bring us out of fleet formation. I don't want us anywhere near any of these other ships when inter-fleet fighting begins, we must remain safe for the good of our passengers." The helmsmen acknowledged and the engines of the massive ship rumbled to life as they pulled out of their orbit and began to maneuver around the others ships as they rose. "Lt. Flynn you have the helm. Summon Dr. Svec and Bayar to the meeting room and get a line from to the Daughter of Gaia, I want to talk to whomever is in charge there."

Not ten minutes later the three leaders of the Savior sat in a small private room just outside the bridge in front of a large screen that was used for audio and video calls. "Sir, trying to connect now." The voice belonged to an assistant communications officer that was assigned to the meeting room at that time. "To who may command the Daughter of Gaia. This is the Savior and we demand to know what has happened to Admiral Perin. We shall not open our docks again until we feel that our position in this fleet is safe nothing will happen to us." This last part did not sit well with the Chief medical officer and Head engineer as they know the importance of having a dedicated medical ship to the fleet, but trusted in the Captain's decision so they did not say anything.

The multi-leveled command bridge of the Demeter was in a flurry of activity. Captain William Bellamy stared at the forward viewing screen from his command chair, a look of disbelief on his face. His first officer stood at his side one hand covering her mouth.

Inhabited.

It was the only word his mind seemed to remember at the moment. The images spat back from the Daughter of Gaias probe played over and over on the screen. A small village amidst lush green forests. A community of bipeds...

"Unbelievable.." stammered Rebecca. "I'll inform the colonists sir."

Captain Bellamy nodded wordlessly. A blip on the command console read URGENT.

"Captain, a message from the Daughter of Gaia on all channels. The authorization is Admiral Perin's but-"

"..is Captain Baran speaking.."

"-that's not Perin," finished Bellamy. "Who is that man Rebecca?" The bridge had grown silent.

..assumed command of the Daughter of Gaia and the fleet.It is my regret to inform you that the Admiral and several of my fellow officers were involved in a treasonous attempt to subvert our colonization of Delta Pavonis...

"This doesn't make any sense," blurted Rebecca. The bridge flew into confusion, several officers speaking at once over Baran's transmission. Suddenly a swell in volume of feedback, some static and a new voice:

..is a coup. This is the beginnings of Genocide..."

"Turn that off!" shouted Captain Bellamy. "Rebecca put security on full alert, and send the following message to Daughter of Gaia:

"This is Captain William Bellamy of the independent ship Demeter. My loyalty is to my ship and crew Baran. If you men are landing on that planet I urge you as a scientist to do so peaceably, without alerting the inhabitants to our presence if at all possible. There is no more need for bloodshed. We have come too far for too long for it all to end in violence."

The captain looked around his bridge. Junior officers stood wide-eyed at stations. The viewing screen flashed.

"The Savior is moving off sir. Not sure what they are intending..." said Rebecca.

"The Saratoga?" asked Bellamy. He knew the fleets strongest ship would be a deciding factor in the coming minutes.

"No change in position sir. I'm reading inter-ship transmissions though."

"Helm take us to the perimeter of the fleet. I don't want us to get hit if there is a fight."

"Permission granted. As for your second request... At this time I can only provide minimal support. The Daughter of Gaia can spare a pair of marine platoons, two air wings, and the Nereid to get them to ground. I will not, however, halt preparations for landing. They will take time, time that I suggest you use fully."

There was more that Vilda wanted to discuss, and she wasn't fully satisfied with the Admiral's decision, but with a respectful nod, she saluted him. "Understood, sir. We will begin preparations immediately, and we'll have a team down there in 12 hours. This is the Ljus. signing off." The comms link was terminated, and the captain turned to the others in the bridge. Moments prior to the change in command. Vilda had ordered all division leaders to assemble on the deck, bar Jakobsen excluded. His priority had been to form a quick think tank of scientific minds to discuss and debate on what should be done concerning the natives, and had been largely influential on Vilda's final decision to prepare a landing team.

."As you can see, time is short, and we're going to have to do this now. Doctor Eriiks, you will coordinate the investigation from up here. I want you to pick your best researchers for the task, and we'll ensure you have all the equipment you need. We know nothing of the types of fauna and flora down there, so I'll send a small security detachment to provide light fire support. But under no circumstances, are they to open fire on any natives unless I deem it absolutely necessary. Is that clear?"

Eriiks chimed in with his familiar peppy voice, and spoke directly to the captain. "I know we can't risk putting me on the ground, but still... Are you SURE I can't go with them? I'll be on my best behavior, Captain..."

"This is serious, Doctor. Don't worry, you'll be dodging alien wildlife and maybe even spears before you know it." Vilda and Eriiks had always been close, and these were the only times you'd hear the captain actually be informal towards any of her crew. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, The Xenobiological genius was very intelligent, and demanded a lot of respect from all the crew, Vilda included.

"Very well, Captain. Let's get to work, eh?"

---

2044 Hours, May the 11th, 2296
The Ljus of the Fleet, orbiting Pavonis B

Because of the time constraints imposed on the research party, they had decided upon sending down nearly all the equipment in one go, aboard a single OtS (Orbit to Surface) civilian shuttle. While this effectively meant they could get to the ground and almost start immediately setting up the outpost, the whole operation would be carried out by a skeleton crew of sorts, picked out by Eriiks (who also tried to elect himself several times, unsuccessfully). Most importantly, the lead scientist for the field operation was Kaska Rudnicka, a young woman of Polish origins who was an expert at theoretical language composition and syntax formulation (her official qualification is Linguistical Analytics). Assisting her was Sven, a microbiologist, and Bertil, specializing in medical biology and antaomy.

Next, were what most of the crew referred to as 'The Twins': Walrad and Katrin Bering. While actually not even related, they were essentially the same person, right down to appearance and even sharing the last name. Both were from Dortmund, Germany, had both studied Engineering in university (Walrad had studied electrical, while Katrin was a mechanical systems engineer) and both were assigned to the Ljus, all while never even having met each other. They were inseparable, and got on really well. Finally, four security personnel were sent as back up forming a fire team of sorts, commanded by Security Vice Chief Gerrit-Jan Ossen, Gerit for short. All in all, it would make for a cramped trip to the surface.

The team boarded the craft, one by one, some chatting excitedly, while others simply walked on silent. Their gear (which included various scientific equipment, supplies, rations, sturdy tents and two assistant drones), had been loaded on prior, and some last minute flight checks were made, giving the green light for the mission. All that remained was confirmation from the Admiral.

"Admiral, this is the Ljus. All preparations have been made, and we are ready to begin our descent. We are just waiting to be given a landing zone to proceed. But before we do, we would like to ask if there is anyone you would like to elect from the Gaia to join us? We have one more seat available, and considering this is a momentous occasion in human history, it may be a good idea to have a representative from the flagship of the Fleet to join us."

EUV Saratoga, Command Center

In the few minutes that had passed since the change of command, the crew of the bridge had remained mostly silent. Most were still in shock at the arrest of their commanding officer, a woman who had been in that position for twenty three years, but they had no other option than to carry on with their work. Legally speaking, the entire situation was a gray area. The Saratoga was a military vessel, subordinate only to the commanding officer of the flagship, and there was no name attached to that role in the orders. The Admiral may have been ousted by a coup, an illegal act, but the chain of command itself dictated that Baran had to take over in the event of his death.

Major Anne Lapierre, the ship's former intelligence officer and current executive officer, had been hard at work monitoring intership communications using the encryption keys so kindly provided to the Saratoga by the flagship. Her staff, mostly Naval Intelligence personnel, also included several advisers from some of the most prominent intelligence agencies in Europe: British SIS, German BND and MAD, French DGSE, Swedish MUST and Italian AISE had all sent representatives on the mission, primarily to assess the new colony's security against rogue raider elements and other external threats. They made up the majority of the civilian staff on-board, along with some retired soldiers that had been granted the chance to start a new life on the colony in exchange for their experience.

It was one of these retired men that had moved swiftly to fill the vacuum left by the Chief of the Boat's demise: former Capo Di 1 Classe, or Chief 1st Class, Lazare Ansaldi was a special case aboard the ship. He had been the Chief of the Boat for the first decade of its operation before retiring from active duty, and was a ruthless man known for how strict he was with the crew: unlike his later replacement, he had kept the crew on its toes all the time, maintained a strict physical exercise routine, even in his retirement, and his leave had been blamed by some of the hardliners aboard for the decline in discipline aboard the warship. He was also a close friend of Commander Daniau, which was in part why he had shown no hesitation in returning one of the Commander's many favors.

Dressed in a very official-looking ceremonial uniform, the new COB had already turned the bridge into a citadel of discipline, in coordination with the Deputy Master-at-Arms. Armed Marines loyal to the latter had been posted at the only entrance, doubling the security detail, and a checkpoint had been established at the next bulkhead to prevent unauthorized entry to the command section. So far, the Commander himself had been busy making phonecalls to the various departments: the chief medical officer had feigned ignorance of a change in the chain of command, despite the fact that the Master-at-Arms and the injured Marine had both been moved to the medical bay for treatment. Regardless, Daniau did not expect the CMO to be a problem: she was an idealist, and despite being a close friend of the former CO, she would do her job. The engineering department had begrudgingly given up after armed Marines waltzed in and arrested the chief engineer, although the requests were taking longer to fulfill than usual.

'Weps', the officer in charge of the ship's weapon arrays, and the only one with the necessary code to release the nuclear warhead safeties, was a hard case. He had agreed to not cause any trouble, insisting that he took orders from the bridge and the bridge only, but had refused to hand over the password for the small arms lockers. The Master-at-Arms was too injured to speak, and the Marine CO... Well, that was the most concerning fact: the Marines couldn't locate their own Commanding Officer, or the Air Group Commander. Neither one was answering any calls over the radio.

Daniau, after finishing his call to the brig to confirm that the Colonel was in custody along with her closest allies, finally found time to ask for a status report. "XO, how are we doing?"

"We need more men, sir. We have secured the hangar bays, but there's just not enough marines to guard the dozens of small arms lockers, the vehicle bay, the nuclear weapons storage and... Well, every department on this ship. Not now that we can't use most of them because they are untrustworthy or of unknown allegiance. Oh, and... The CMO just called, the Master-at-Arms is in critical condition. That shredder bullet made a mess of her stomach, kidneys, liver and a dozen of other stuff I can't even pronounce, and she's also going to need a dedicated neurosurgeon if she's ever gonna walk again. She needs a hospital."

Instantly, the Commander's eyes were on the RADAR tracking screen: the Savior had maneuvered itself away from the fleet, possibly in fear of being shot down or becoming a collateral casualty of in-ship fighting, and the encryption keys the flagship had sent had allowed the Saratoga to listen in on the conversation: the medical ship was refusing to open its hangars. And yet, it was the only one that could save the Master-at-Arms, who besides being a valuable asset and a very competent officer was also a very close friend of the Commander and most of his co-conspirators. "Right, have a Siren prepped for medical transport and get the Master-at-Arms stabilized for transit, I don't care how, just get the CMO to do anything she can. And get the damn Savior on the line, they better have a good explanation for this."

Within seconds, the Savior was hailed by the Saratoga as one of the petty officers spoke into her headset: "Savior Savior Savior, urgent, this is the European Union warship Saratoga. Requesting permission for emergency medevac, patient condition critical, please respond."

---

EUV Saratoga, Deck 8, Small Arms Locker

The Marine CO, Lieutenant Colonel Hansson, originally an officer of the Swedish Army and later of the 17th European Colonial Marine Battalion, was perhaps one of the youngest officers on board precisely because she had been very, very young when she joined the crew. Having enlisted at just sixteen years old, the legal limit in the European Union, her reason for joining the Swedish Army had been stated as 'got lost on the way to college', citing a classic 21st century movie. It was for that same reason, apparently, that at eighteen years old and fresh out of the Officer Academy she volunteered for the mission, going as far as to call in a favor and have her application considered despite the fact that she legally became an adult a few months after the ship's departure.

In the twenty-three years on-board, she had ascended through the hierarchy: the nature of the Marines' job meant that the commanders had to be exchanged as the aged, and it was that very protocol that gave her a shot at command. The declining number of Marine officers had been a problem after the first decade of the journey: the Saratoga did periodically accept recruits from the other colony ships, mostly those from industrial vessels looking to get a chance at a better life through the military, but it was no secret that that model was simply unsustainable. It was why many of the Marines had sided with Daniau in the conflict: they knew that given a few more years in space, the Saratoga's command structure would just fall apart.

Over the course of several minutes, the Lt. Colonel had assembled a small force of men and women loyal to her. Most of them were Marines, both active and retired, while the rest were pilots lead by the Air Group Commander (and ironically, Hansson's husband). The two had become married several years before, after the birth of their daughter, and could best be described as workaholics: the ship's counselor devoted most of his time to getting the two to achieve a proper work-life balance. Their daughter, and the several other children aboard whose parents had refused to retire to a vessel with proper childcare facilities, had to be ferried to the Ljus every day to attend school there at a considerable expense of fuel. That very fact was the reason the two parents could even consider the possibility of a counter-coup: their daughter was safe from a power-hungry Daniau, but if the Ljus became an inconvenience or a threat, the new CO would certainly shoot it down. And they couldn't accept that possibility.

"Jesus christ, this is a nightmare. Is Daniau insane?"

"I told the Colonel that he had to be replaced, but noooo, she was so blinded by his 'outstanding performance' to judge his character. And now we've got a damn dictator-wannabe in our hands."

The 'revolutionaries', less than twenty in total, had entered the small arms locker undetected thanks to a lack of Marines to guard the entire ship. Each small arms locker included enough weapons to organize a fighting force against hostile boarding parties, but most importantly, there were explosives there. Explosives that could be used to cripple the Saratoga, if it became necessary. Most of the counter-mutineers had put on combat armor and ballistic vests, and grabbed assault rifles and SMGs, but the Air Group Commander had worn only a light plate carrier. His task was a very different one.

"Alright, so here's the plan. We can't storm the bridge, because Daniau's entrenched in there, so we gotta do this the hard way. Team A will secure the engineering deck and attempt to shut off power to everything but life support. As long as Daniau can fire the weapons, thousands of lives are at risk. Team B, which will be lead by me, will assault the brig and get the Colonel, the chief engineer and anyone else that's been imprisoned. Team C will assume control over the auxiliary bridge. The chief of the computer systems department's with us, so once we are in place, he should be able to transfer control of the ship to us. Team D, the pilots lead by the CAG, will secure the hangar bays and if possible launch in fighters to cripple major ship systems should our attempt at getting control of the Saratoga fails, along with intercepting any missiles Daniau fires at civilian ships. Now, remember, these people are our shipmates. Shoot them if you need to, but try to limit casualties. That is all."

The acting captain of the Savior was making his rounds behind each station of the bridge when one of the communication officers yelled out to him. "Sir, there is an urgent call coming in from the EUV Saratoga." Flynn know the Saratoga was the only military ship in the fleet and knew if they were sending a hospital an urgent call than nothing good was going on over there. "Patch it through the loud speakers."

"Savior Savior Savior, urgent, this is the European Union warship Saratoga. Requesting permission for emergency medevac, patient condition critical, please respond."

The bridge was silent while the message played out and everyone looked around as they knew what this meant. There was a fine balance on the ship that had been maintained on the ship between military command of the ship which fell on the role of the chain of command of the ship as well as the medical nature of the ship being patients coming first over anything else. Flynn knew this as he looked around at the doctors and officers on the bridge knowing full well that there was a lock down on the ship ordered by the commanding officer but he was off talking to the Daughter of Gaia at the moment which left Flynn with full control. "Give me a line to the Saratoga. Saratoga this is acting commander of the Savior. We are opening our hanger bay for you, but your medivac will not be fast enough to get you here in time we will scramble our fastest shuttle to come pick up your wounded. The one condition is that you do not have any military personnel of any kind set foot upon this ship. Also send over all information pertaining to the patient or patients."

While this was all happening in the bridge three men ran out to their small shuttle while other men scrambled to get into environmental suits as bulkheads sealed shut before the large hanger bay started to vent out oxygen. The shuttle followed the flashing lights until it faced the large hanger doors which were slowly opening to the void on the other side. A green light flashed and the shuttle shot out into space before banking hard and started making its way toward the Saratoga while avoiding the other ships of the fleet. While this was going on a team of doctors was being pulled together as they prepared a surgical room and hurried to get a few cloning tanks ready as even with their current technology it still took an hour to clone an organ.

As the medical shuttle flew into the Saratoga's hanger bay they hit the reverse thrusters until they came to a complete stop before touching down. Three men in pitch black flight suits with red crosses on their arm and chest walked out of the back of the shuttle with two of them carrying tube between them which was designed as a temporary cryo chamber which could keep a person in critical condition alive long enough to get them to surgery. The three men hurried over to a man in a military uniform who had been watching them and seemed to one of the few in a surprisingly empty hanger bay. "We are here to pick up your critically wounded. If you would please give us access to this ship so that we could do our job that would be great as time is of the essence."

Even as the Daughter of Gaia's line to the Ljus was fading into silence, the shipboard line crackled to life. "Sir, incoming signals from the Savior and Demeter."

"Seems everyone wants to hear from their new Admiral. Playback each, don't patch me through yet." Baran fell silent with a rapid cut as the Savior's audio message began.

"To who may command the Daughter of Gaia. This is the Savior and we demand to know what has happened to Admiral Perin. We shall not open our docks again until we feel that our position in this fleet is safe nothing will happen to us."

As the unfamiliar voice faded, another one rose. This one he recognized.

"This is Captain William Bellamy of the independent ship Demeter. My loyalty is to my ship and crew Baran. If you men are landing on that planet I urge you as a scientist to do so peaceably, without alerting the inhabitants to our presence if at all possible. There is no more need for bloodshed. We have come too far for too long for it all to end in violence."

"Can anyone in this fleet simply cooperate?" Letting his tiredness into his voice, Baran added, "Shale, ensure the Savior is informed that no harm is meant to it, so long as it does not engage in subversive activity, and provide, and answer their questions- within reason. And give me a line to Captain Bellamy. Not his ship, not his communications officer. Bellamy."

Baran's order trailed at the end, and Lieutenant Commander Shale and his subordinates moved quickly. Baran had scarcely paused when the reply came, "Done, sir". He suddenly found himself with an open line.

His tiredness, at least outwardly, disappeared. Baran spoke with strength as he reprimanded the Demeter's commanding officer, "Captain, let me remind you that no ship in this fleet is independent. We are come to establish one colony, not two or three. You need the heavy industry, military might, and economic services of this fleet and her people. Do not forget that." His voice softened a degree as he went on to his next reply, "The Ljus, not my men, are overseeing the first landing. This mission is scientific, and will leave a minimal footprint. In time, however, full landing procedures will begin. Then we will leave a footprint on this world, the very colony we have come all this way to create. This is not up for discussion, Captain." He caught his breath before again launching forward, this time slowly and deliberately. "I have allowed the Ljus access to my Field Intelligence Office's ongoing identification of potential landing sites. I will extend the same courtesy to you. And I'll tell you what I told them; this mission will proceed. That is beyond a doubt. But if you can raise a serious objection to any site on that list, it will be examined appropriately."

---

Meanwhile, in the Field Intelligence Office, Lieutenant Commander Areli was receiving a transmission from the Ljus, redirected to him by the comms office.

"Admiral, this is the Ljus. All preparations have been made, and we are ready to begin our descent. We are just waiting to be given a landing zone to proceed. But before we do, we would like to ask if there is anyone you would like to elect from the Gaia to join us? We have one more seat available, and considering this is a momentous occasion in human history, it may be a good idea to have a representative from the flagship of the Fleet to join us."

With a crisp, military delivery, he replied, "This is Lieutenant Commander Keith Areli speaking." Even as he spoke, a Nereid launched from the Gaia. "The," he paused to look at a readout of the name, "The New Orleans will touch down in," he paused again to confirm, "8 minutes, twenty-odd seconds, offshore of the central continent. We have identified eight potential sites in the coastal plains nearby, at the far western fringe of the continent. Air recon will be carried out on each. Upon confirmation of the site, the Nereid will proceed to location, establish a secure firebase and signal you directly." A long pause began as he examined his computer for any other relevant bits. "Lieutenant Harrington is the ranking officer aboard." Still audible, he turned from the mic and ordered that she be added to the call, before concluding, "This is a field intelligence mission, and I'll be your contact aboard the Gaia for it. Best of luck."