Facility A-1: Awakening

Once secure in the suit, the armor glowed again, although this time their was no white light. Instead, his vision changed to a blueish hue, and the armor shrank, shifting panels and components to adjust to it's new operator, rising into the air a few feet. In his mind, a voice could be heard, monotone and unfeeling, as it began to speak in his mind:

"Scanning New Operator...
...
...
No infection detected. Authorized emergency user. Verification - Species 41-N-M. Link establish. Locking connection to user...
...
...
No Sage found. Entering Minimum Operations Mode....
...
...
Objective Back List Review - Install Sage. Eliminate Yss'Tkuld threat. Neutralize the Emissary. Preserve existence.
...
...
Current Threat Level - Moderate.
...
...
New User Species - Questions?"

Facility A-1
The researcher was amazed they had finally gotten it to work, he began thinking, and then spoke his many questions out loud in his mind.

"I am Tullus Tervno, a researcher for the Eternal Union, and a Iscandarian. For a while now we have been fighting a threat we call the Ethereals, who have attacked us on many occasions. We recovered this suit from them. Could you please inform me on the following, how you know of us as you do have a designation for our species, what the Sage is, what the Emissary is, and what the Yss'Tkuld are?"

facility A-1

After a pause, the voice spoke, in an informative matter:

"Unfortunately, I have failed to connect to any active Ol'Tiu databases in the area. So I do not have all the answers you seek. However, there is some relevant information to your queries,"

"Your species is one of hundreds catalogued Pre-Collapse. The reason for the categorisation, and what your species has to do with my Creator's plans are unknown to me at the present time."

The voice paused, enforce continuing:
"Sages are a mobile and sentient database, processing unit and power source all combined. Domesticated by the original Wardens, they are energy beings found in another realm. When that plane's existence was threatened, they traveled to this universe, and quickly became our allies."

"The Yss'Tkuld are our sworn enemy. Somehow, at the end of the conflict, they triggered the Collapse, and then..." The machine hesitated. "No data available. Also, the Emissary is said to be the Harbinger of the Collapse, though what it is exactly is unknown"

Uncharted world: A bridge to the past

The land scape was barren rock, and large metal (and as scans would reveal, infested) structures rose and fell is artificial ravines, clearly mines to retrieve materials for construction. In the distance were more infested structures. Including shipyards where the hive was apparently preparing to spread further.
The structures were beyond the capabilities of the primitives that had inhabited the world before hand, which meant that the parasite had built them... Which in its self might be a bad sign.

Then, everything seemed to halt when the ship was detected, as if everything on the planet suddenly died. It was hiding, waiting for the detected prey to investigate and fall into the trap.

It broadcasted an SOS, pretending to be the last survivors of a doomed mining venture who had become trapped under ground. It was likely a transparent guise, considering who they were trying to fool.

As much as the hive pretended to not be there, it certainly wasn't dormant.

Planet Nouvelle, Capital City Hollie
Royal Palace District, Royal Palace Midday

Queen Sabine strode across her antechamber to a small table, taking this time she did have to sit down and enjoy a meal that had been brought to her. She looked over various documents and scrolls, matters of state that would all have to wait, due to the rapidly developing situation that had unfolded in the early morning hours of today, and in the hours of the night before. She ate some sort of sandwich, chewing slowly as she thought of how best to proceed. A few advisors were in the room, but they were busy making preparations or going over their own work. Sabine thought of all the possibilities that could come from this meeting to come, and yet, she was apprehensive, for until today, all she had to worry about were the problems of her people on this world.

Having finished her meal, and calling for a steward to take it away, there came a knock at the door. It was strong, yet urgent, as though whomever was making it was in a hurry. One of her guards opened the door, to reveal a dispatch rider from the capital’s telegraph office. He was breathing heavily, and his uniform was askew, suggesting that after having ridden hard, he had ran to here as well. He looked at the Queen, bowing deeply before her, awaiting to be acknowledged.

“Come in, sit, please. You must have something very important to tell no doubt, for you to have ridden to the palace yourself. Steward, get him some water, and a towel, so he may relax, and tell me what he needs to tell.” Queen Sabine said in a friendly tone, smiling at the man, before ushering him in to take a seat at the table she had been eating at. Together they both sat down, letting the dispatch rider collect himself before he spoke.

“Your Grace… I… I am sorry for being so out of sorts, I sorely apologize, but this could not wait your Majesty. The telegraph lines are being overhauled within the city today, so, my commander sent me right away. He knew that you must be made aware of this.” The dispatch rider took a deep breath, before continuing. “It came from the frontier, one of your mining outposts at the edge of the mountains that separate the City of the Gods from the rest of Nouvelle. A town by the name of Cherac, Your Grace, another group of “Angels”, I mean, another object set down in the City of the Gods, and metal clad beings came and visited the town. They… they made contact with the local garrison and townsfolk, and the commander… a Captain Reynald, left with these new beings. He left to speak with their leader.” The young dispatch rider took a breath, pausing to let himself breathe, and to let the information soak in.

“He sent orders to have you notified with all due haste. His Lieutenant is in command, and awaits your orders. He said that these metal beings have ships that can travel faster than anything he has ever seen. He believes that these beings could come to the capital, if they knew where it was. Your Grace, there is another group of beings upon Nouvelle, and they landed in the City of the Gods.” The dispatch rider finished, taking another deep breathe before waiting for the Queen to respond.

Sabine sighed, and stood up and away from the table. Her hands rested upon her hips as she slowly soaked in all the information she had just heard. Her face scrunched up in deep thought, before the tension in her face released. Her form turned away from the dispatch rider to a map upon the wall. Her right hand would move upwards to lie pointing to the farthest reaches of her kingdom. Cherac was over four thousand miles away, many days away, even by train, let alone the few air ships that her kingdom possessed. Her hand drifted farther still to a relatively unmapped region of the moon planet, the City of the Gods. A large northern region that had remained pretty much unexplored for all recorded history, a massive and for all intents and purposes, completely abandoned and uninhabited.

“Corporal, ride back to your post with all due haste. You will have much to relay, and we have little time in order to get my commands out. Whomever these new comers are, we cannot wait for them any longer less we offend our current guests. These new beings, be they Angels, or something else, will no doubt be coming to us. If they are anything like these other honored guests, then they will be able to get to us before we can get to them.” Sabine paused, moving over to the table the dispatch rider sat at, looking at him, before continuing.

“Mobilize the 1st Aero Squadron, and send them out to Cherac. Alert your commander to send out telegraphs to all frontier units, have them on alert status. Mobilize reserve units to alert status. Have the Northern Fleet put out to sea, and sail full steam towards the City of the Gods. They are to set anchor at the Mouth of Temp’lar, and be ready to support any of our settlements and the 1st Aero Squadron.” She moved over to the map again, looking at it closely, her hand tracing over its features, pondering what she wanted to say next.

A flurry of thoughts and questions flew about within her mind. Doubts and fears, hopes and dreams. She tried to think what would be best for her people, what would be best for Nouvelle itself. Her eyes looked to an old shield that hung upon the wall, the crest of a long dead knight upon it. She shook her head, trying to belay her fears, and turned back to the dispatch rider. “Send out word to all garrisons to be on the ready. Tell them to stay calm, and collected, and to not let fear nor hysteria overtake them, or the people they are protecting.” She sighed, a collective resignation that being Queen was more strenuous with each passing moment.

“That is all… ride Corporal, and make sure you get some rest when all this is done. Temp’lar be with you.” With that, the young man stood up, bowing deeply to the Queen, before about facing and hurrying out the door and to his awaiting mount outside. Sabine turned away from the door, consulting her advisors on the matter that was at hand. The Queen and her collection of studied minds and seasoned statesmen collaborated over what could be done, and what should be done. Their discussion lasted a few minutes, before they decided on how best to proceed.

Shortly thereafter orders were issued. A fourth table was to be set up, left ready for if and when these new beings might arrive. Runners were to be sent to the three parties already here within the palace proper, alerting them to an imminent meeting, and that a fourth group of beings had made contact with Nouvelle, but were far away in the distant frontier. The Queen also stressed that she would be meeting the diplomats, or rather, these beings whom wished to speak with her, unarmed, with only two guardsmen, who would also be unarmed, and humbly requests that they do the same.

Royal Palace, Quarters of the Teran

The humans had only to wait the time it took to cook their food, and for it to be delivered before it was at their door. The food arrived on a cart being pushed by two servants. They smiled, having politely knocked on the door to the room occupied by the Terrans before entering with the food selections that had been ordered. The men quickly and elegantly moved the dishes from the cart to a dining table, uncovering them to be revealed to their perspective owners. Each dish now sat before those that sat, and for those that may had been still standing, it became rather clear, these dishes were very, very similar to human cultural foods from 19th century France.

The servants bowed, and left as quickly as they had arrived. The food that they had brought left little to no doubt in the minds of the Terrans, some sort of kindred connection lay between the Nouvellians, and the people of Terran. This reason was no doubt of some contention, and could only be found out from the source itself. And yet, what if the source did not know, or, was no longer there? Either way, it added a sense of awed mystery to the relations between the Nouvellians, and the Terrans; how were they interrelated, where did they come from, how they got there, and so on. Perhaps the Queen may know, but, such questions would have to be asked first before any true answers.

The food itself was but a piece of a greater puzzle, one that would have to wait, as a new knock came at the door. It was Sgt. Caudill, standing patiently at the threshold to the Terran’s room. He bowed slightly to them, before speaking to them about what the Queen had asked of her guests. “Her Majesty, Queen Sabine, would be most honored if you would join her within the hour. Our preparations have been completed, and we shall be asking all those that have come to speak with our beloved Queen to come forth so that she may treat with them. It is our Queen’s most heartfelt request that you respect her wishes to come unarmed, as she will meet with you and the others without weapon nor with armed guards. She leaves the choice ultimately with you, honored visitors.” He stood awkwardly, thinking of how to relate what the Queen wanted him to say next.

“On the matter of your conflict with those of the Eternal Union; Such conflict is deeply saddening, and while we wish you and those of the Union a peaceful accord, such conflict is not recognized here. Nouvelle is a neutral planet, in a broader place. We do not mind having you here, as we wish to learn what all these great people’s have to offer, but, we ask that you treat each other with as much respect as you can muster, and keep hostilities from spilling over onto our planet. It is your right to petition our Queen, but for now, until she hears from you, and those of the Eternal Union, no conflict is recognized here.” Sgt. Caudill smiled, truly appearing amicable and sincere. He bowed deeply to the Terrans, and awaited their responses before he would escort the Terrans once they were ready to the throne room to meet with the Queen.

Royal Palace, Quarters of the Eternal Union

It would have been roughly an hour of waiting before a knock came upon the door of the rooms the Eternal Union representatives were assigned. The rooms were connected to a central common room, furnished with quality handmade furniture, hopefully that was comfortable for the Eternal Union members to relax upon as they waited. Some fruit was sitting upon a table in the middle of the room, perhaps even having been eating if they had grown hungry. As the door would be opened, two palace guards stood before the Eternal Union members, bowing before them in respect, before addressing the honored guests.

“Honored members of the Eternal Union, we humbly apologize for any inconvenience this wait may have cause, and we ask for your forgiveness. The Queen is ready to treat with you, and our other honored guests. But, before we escort you, guests of the Eternal Union, our Queen wishes for us to convey a message from her, to you.” The other guard, who had not spoken yet, pulled out a scroll, and began to read it aloud.

“Honored members of the Eternal Union, it is a great honor to be hosting you in my people’s momentous meeting with the greater galaxy. I truly hope that we can learn greatly from one another, and that peace can grow forth from this meeting. It has come to my notice that your people, and those of the Terran, are at conflict with one another. While this is deeply regrettable, we ask that your conflict with the Terran does not spill out over onto our planet. We humbly request that for the time being, we are seen as a neutral ground, where both parties may meet peacefully without causing harm to one another, and to the peoples of Nouvelle.” The man finished, bowing gracefully to the Eternal Union representatives, before turning and leaving.

His counterpart smiled genuinely, allowing the Eternal Union members to respond, if they so choose to, before speaking what he still needed to. He spoke in politely, with his tone of respect and of awe. “Honored guest, my Queen has asked me to relay unto you that she will be meeting with you, and our other guests unarmed. Her guards will be unarmed as well. It is her wish that you will do her the same honor in meeting her unarmed, as a sign of faith that we’ve all come here on this day to meet peacefully, and to bring forth an era of understanding and progress. The choice is ultimately yours, whether or not you shall disarm, this is a choice that only each guest can make. Now, if there is nothing else, please, follow me to the throne room, where my Queen shall be awaiting our arrival.”

The guard would wait for any response from the Eternal Union representatives, doing his best to answer their questions if they had any, before leading them when they were ready to the throne room, where Queen Sabine would be waiting for them, and her other guests.

Royal Palace, Quarters of the Valkians

A solid knock came at the door to the rooms that the Valkians were residing within. A decent amount of time had passed since they were shown to these rooms, so, aside from a steward asking if they wanted any food, no other outside contact had been made. Upon the door being opened, if it were, stood three guardsmen, all of whom bowed before the Valkians once the door had been opened. The senior ranking guard spoke to the guests, his rank signified by him having more stripes than the other two. He removed his helmet before speaking to the Valkians.

“Honored Valkian representatives, allow me to apologize for the wait you had to endure in order for you to meet our Queen. We humbly apologize, and respectfully ask for your forgiveness for this. Such time was needed to prepare our people, and the Queen, in order to treat with some many new guests, all of whom are from different respective governments. The members of the Eternal Union, and the Terran are already on their way to meet with the Queen. We are here to pass on a few words from our Queen, before escorting you to the throne room to get the delegations underway.” The guard smiled, bowing his head, before continuing.

“My Queen asks a simple request of you, though it is ultimately your choice whether or not to abide by it. Her Majesty, Queen Sabine, will be meeting all of you, our honored guests, unarmed, and her guards will be unarmed as well. This is done in good faith that all those that have made contact with the Nouvellian people came in the hopes of peace and prosperity, for the betterment of all peoples. This request has been presented to all our honored guests, and they will ultimately make that choice for themselves as well.” The guard finished, awaiting any responses from the Valkians, before he would add in some more information.

“It has been brought to our attention that there is a supposed conflict between the Terrans, and the Eternal Union. While we cannot confirm this, as you can see we are a planet bound people, we ask that this planet of ours be seen as a neutral ground, where no conflict is recognized. We do not know what is going on in the greater galaxy, and as such, perhaps it is best that this planet of ours is seen as a peaceful place where anyone may come and be free of conflict. We will be seating you in-between the two, just to ensure that they are kept separate incase they are truly at war. We hope that this is not an inconvenience.” The guard finally finished, smiling respectfully, and allowing for the Valkians to respond in kind.

After the Valkians responded, if they did indeed do so, the guard would bow before them, asking, “Honored guests, if you would, please follow me to the throne room so that we may bring you before our Queen, and thus begin your meeting with her. Please, right this way.” He would move further out into the hall, beckoning the Valkians to follow him and his fellow guards toward the throne room. The guards all bowed slightly before their guests, before together, the group would depart for the throne room, and Queen Sabine.

PNSS Might of a Thousand Suns,
The City of the Gods, Northern Frontier

Captain Reynald was awed by the utter size of the ship the Sazkarjhians possessed. It literally dwarfed all of the ships the Nouvellians possessed, let alone could build. Their technology far surpassed his own, and what was more, was the fact that they were a far more war emphasized race than the Nouvellians. Reynald was highly impressed, even jealous of the power and might possessed by the Sarzakians. Each bit of their technology was fascinating, from the guns, to their tools. He could not help but marvel and think of how such technology could benefit the people of Nouvelle, and perhaps even bring them up into the stars above.

Captain Reynald looked about him, and one thing became very apparent, these beings could easily conquer the Nouvellians, and relations would need to be kept cordial at all costs. He politely followed the High Marshal, asking a few questions at times when his curiosity got the best of him. After the impromptu tour, he was lead to the ship’s bridge. It too was a marvel of technology, and security. It was clearly designed to be sealed off in the event of a security breach, or combat situations. He could not help but muse to himself that it would take forever for his men, even with their largest guns, to breach into this command center.

As the High Marshall stopped, Captain Reynald stopped moving as well. After she curtsied to him, he bowed deeply before her, and then rendered a salute. He listened intently to what the High Marshall had to say, thinking carefully before responding to her. He was genuine and sincere, taking care with what he chose to say to the High Marshal. “High Marshal, you have shown me such a great honor by allowing me to come aboard your magnificent ship, to show me what your people have to their name, what you and your kind have built with your two hands. I would be honored to help you meet with my Queen, so that our two great peoples could better meet with one another, and that many things can be learned.” He pauses, as though he is pondering how to best address the next part of the High Marshal’s query, or rather, highly suggestive question.

“As to your fine and no doubt honorable crew, I myself can only give them permission to freely move about the town of Cherac, which I am assigned to. Their ability to further move freely about Nouvelle will be up to her Majesty, Queen Sabine. She is a honorable and just ruler, which I have no doubt will do her best to accommodate you and your men, but, I cannot speak for her. I do not wish to overstep my position of authority and power. I hope that this does not offend you High Marshal.” Upon finishing speaking, Reynald bowed deeply before the High Marshal, waiting for her response if she had one, before moving forward to help explain where the planet’s capital was.

If the High Marshal allowed Captain Reynald to somewhat use their technology, he could quickly point it out, as long as a skilled operator controlled whatever mapping device the Sazkarjhians possessed. If not, he would do his best to describe the lay of the land, and how a rail line cut through the very wilderness could easily be used to followed back to the Capital. Either way, Captain Reynald would paint a picture of where and how far the Capital of Nouvelle was.

The Royal Palace of Hollie, Throne Room

Queen Sabine sat upon her throne, one guard on either side of her. She smiled at each delegation as they entered the massive room. Before them would sit a table, specifically designated for each party, with the fourth being left empty, for the possible fourth party to come, if they so chose to, and if and when they did make it here. The Queen stood up as all her honored guests had entered the room, their escorts directing them to their assigned seating, before they would bow, and exit. Sabine curtsied before her guests, welcoming them warmly to her home, her palace, and her planet.

“Honored guests, it is such a great honor to finally meet with all of you. You have no doubt come from far away, from your own homes, to be here as we stand and talk. Whether or not this was intentional is no longer a concern, as it seems this meeting with the broader galaxy was destined for my people, and for Nouvelle. You all find yourselves in my home, the capital of Nouvelle, the crown jewel of Hollie. I meet you unarmed and with an open heart, in the hopes that through our discussions today, much will be accomplished. The Nouvellians are but a planet bound people, but you have done unto us great honor be revealing yourselves to us. If you are “Angels”, disciples of the gods, or something else, then, only time and our words shall reveal that. Please, sit, relax, and let us talk amongst ourselves, as friends, as civilized people, and enlighten not only myself and the people of Nouvelle, but perhaps even yourselves. I am honored to have you here today. Thank you.” With that, Sabine bowed before her guest, before sitting down upon her throne, dismissing all but her two honor guards, and the honored guests before her.

Queen Sabine smiled friendly at them all, pleased to have such an honor as to be the leader of her people, to be the one who would have the responsibility and duty to see her people into the next era, and treat with these beings from planets far off. She awaited their responses, curious to learn as to whom they each were, and where they had come from, and so on. The floor was theirs, and she, their attentive audience.

Uncharted Planet

They were everywhere. The Constructs halted their march, and looked on, using deep Geo-scans to reveal a catacomb of infected structures and organisms. What was more impressive was the fact that the Devourer was using a clever ruse to lure in prey. No doubt this organism was intelligent. And if it was intelligent, it could be reasoned with. It was sometime before the scouts decided to continue on, marching cautiously towards the larger structure.

Uncharted Space: Aftermath
Explorer Witch Situation
The three Hunters momentarily paused, stunned by the bolt of... whatever it was. They had been nearby when similar bolts had vaporized their mechanics, and were well aware of the survivability of the weapon. However, because it did not fire again, and vaporize them, they gained confidence, and advanced, cornering the floating intelligence. As they did so, a Tinker peeked through the door, rifle in hand, and fired at the Witch. Once he finished his short, 3-second burst, he ducked away, and the Hunters launched themselves at the Witch, intent on capture, or destruction, with bone-rending blades.

Nouvelle
The Valkians were... ill at ease, to put it simply. Nothing had been made to take into account for tails, and so they sat rather uncomfortably, if at all. The Hunter made himself at home, lying on his side in the plush carpet, tail absently waving back and forth against the softness. Carpet had never been thought of; they had hardwood floors and the like, certainly not clothing on the ground. The Tinkerer paced, too alight with ideas and anxiety to sit still in the foreign environment. They had closed all the windows; they found the sensation of sunwarmth while indoors unnerving, and the windows had been artfully and beautifully designed to let in as much sunlight into the rooms as possible... which aggravated the Engineer to no end. The Engineer was going about, messing with vases or furniture, seeing that while the outside may be rather nice, the interior wasn't quite so much. Simplistic, is what he thought, cheap. Their furniture was art, right down the frame and grain. Grain, of course, meaning the grain of the wood they use, or the metals.

When a servant stopped by and asked for food, the Tinkerer only asked for water, and for the local fruit, of whatever the servant's choice. Minutes later, he reappeared again with glasses, a pitcher of water, and of a bowl of fruit. The Tinkerer thanked him, and in a rather impolite, but not ill-meant way, closed the door. The idea of nobility or politeness wasn't much of a concept explored much; respect, yes, but as far as they knew, any leader was like anyone else, just harder working in the mental department. Servants were simply treated as they would treat each other.

So the Tinkerer ended up drinking the entire pitcher of water, and examined each fruit carefully. Oranges, apples, and strawberries. Taking peculiar interest in the smallest, he very gently nibbled off the end of the strawberry, immediately being hit by the sweetness. After another examination of both the strawberry and his own body to check for any reactions, he decided it was safe to eat, and carefully put the entire thing in his mouth.

He chewed, and was struck by the fact that perhaps one should not eat the leaves with it.

Four strawberries and half an apple later, a single bite mark in the orange, another person appeared at the door. The Tinkerer was filled in, and he carefully nodded, copying the food servant's gesture. Then, he motioned for his brethren to follow, and they came with.

As they were seated in their makeshift tail-friendly seats, they watched the other two races very carefully. No doubt would one of them protest at the Hunter's bone blades, and the Tinkerer had already formulated a rebuttal, should it be so. Their tails waved behind them, curling, uncurling, waving and swishing in different patterns, occasionally wrapping around another and playing some kind of weird game. Then they would unwind and continue doing whatever they wanted behind their chairs. The Tinkerer also took in the fourth table; perhaps a fourth species, unknown to them, unknown to the natives, that had yet to arrive? The Tinkerer would sate his curiosity later; curiosity killed the kriltios, after all.

The Tinkerer had originally thought that he would wait for the others to speak; that would not be so after hearing, and somehow understanding, the Queen's speech. He stood, careful to keep his tail from getting stuck in his chair, and spoke in his quiet, different-frequency voice:
"Honored... host... hostess, on behalf of my people, I greet you as a possible friend or ally. Time will also tell what the relationship between our two peoples will become. In the meantime, I thank you for the enrichment our visit here has already brought. My people do not usually eat the fruit of planets, or any planet, nor do we have this soft fabric stretched across our flooring... we appear to live so much more simply, but so much more complex at the same time. We would not like to take any drastic steps, such as to install our own enforcers or any of power, nor give you technology. We would rather speed up your progress by a steady progression; giving you advanced technology, or even what would be primitive by our standards, may upset the balance of your economy and society, and possibly destroy the stability and peace that you have."

His soft voice paused, taking another moment to think, before taking another [rather small] breath [in comparison to everyone else], and continued. "I think you are the least advanced of us all, since myself and these other two races are very obviously much more advanced than you. Currently, I've no reason to talk to either of them, because their ships in orbit around your moon here have not responded to our own attempts to communicate. We have taken insult at their ignoring of our attempts, and so we have decided to talk to you first, and only you for the time being, until their people in orbit deem it worth their time. We were here before either the winged or the ones most similar to you were here, and yet they ignore us completely. You, on the other hand, has received us as soon as comfortably possible. For this, you have our thanks." He gave an unusual smooth bow, observed from the interaction between the General, and continued once more. "My people are eager to establish some kind of agreement between us. You are the first people that has been both friendly, and of bipedal nature."

He sat down, apparently finished, and obviously unaware of the proper title of "My Lady" and such. He did not appear to stare at the others, nor study them, though he was very closely. It appeared that they had eyes like the others, and while they were much more expressive, he figured they appeared quite cold and lifeless. He prayed to the Mother that he would not screw up in some way.

Kyelin said
They were everywhere. The Constructs halted their march, and looked on, using deep Geo-scans to reveal a catacomb of infected structures and organisms. What was more impressive was the fact that the Devourer was using a clever ruse to lure in prey. No doubt this organism was intelligent. And if it was intelligent, it could be reasoned with. It was sometime before the scouts decided to continue on, marching cautiously towards the larger structure.

Uncharted world

The parasite watched their approach slowly, examining them with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. Scans did not show organic beings within detectable range, this was somewhat off putting. It was easier to absorb organic constructs, just toss a spore form their way... Other constructs would require specialisation, more time, more effort...
With a small amount of luck, the scans might be incorrect or returning false data, this was their first use against the new prey. Either way, the parasite would attempt to ambush it. Forms moved throughout the tunnels, dashing to their positions as thhe mind commanded them

The structures doors remained locked tight for now, the L'Er being careful not to break their guise... Though the energy fluctuation unnerved the Mind, was it possible the prey had detected them? There had been no attempt to communicate... Would they take the bait.

Waiting was all that could really be done to see. The Mind watched the approaching constructs. It continued to cycle the SOS message, but as the constructs drew closer it began to doubt the chances of its plot working.

Nouvelle
The diplomat from earlier had come in, however unlike his two guards he did not have the same angelic wings. They all lacked weapons, but there was just something off about them. They took a seat, as the diplomat stood up after the Queen Spoke.

"Greetings your majesty, I am Archmage Cavenus representing the Eternal Union and Immortal Aaliyah. We are a peaceful and friendly nation and wish prosperity for all who value peace. And while as mentioned there was a conflict between us and the Terrans, it has already been settled, and the Tyrants responible for such decisions will soon receive punishment for their actions against the peaceful Terrans." spoke the Diplomat.

The Diplomat then turned to the Valkians, speaking to them.

"Apologies, our ship had suffered a computer error. Their communication systems were disabled as a result. The ship shall contact yours shortly."

Nouvelle:Orbit
The Eternal ship beamed a transmission at the Valkian one, after activating a translation spell.

"Apologies, we suffered a computer error, our communication systems were disabled as a result. We are the Eternal Union, a peaceful and friendly nation."

The Matron
Tullus prepared himself again, asking another battery of questions.

{i]What is the Collapse? Who are the Ol'Tiu and where could we find one of their databses? Who is your creator? And where might we find a Sage?[/i]"

Message to Federal High Command
=Encoded: Standard 4, Standard 2, Zarmina, Beta 5, N-0=
=Suggested scrambling protocols enabled=
=Decoding=
=Process complete, displaying message=
"The Colony has been established, second generation colonists are maturing. Test subject 001 born 11/11/77, displays full knowledge of heritage, culture, and location. Extended tests began on 13/11/77, subject shows comprehension of basic mathematics, algebra, and calculus. Subject displays a 21.5% increase in comprehension of advanced quantum theory when compared with the Terran average. No mental disorders exist, and neurons fire in expected order. If you are reading this, then you'll be next on the ship out here unless you've been approved by the United Terran Federation Scientific Committee. If this data falls into the hands of anyone involved with a radical political party or a terrorist organization, they are to be put on the next ship. Any attempt to resist must be met with lethal force. I don't need to tell you how dangerous this technology is, the only thing that can justify it's use is the knowledge of it. Epsilon Indi out."

The Royal Palace of Hollie, Throne Room
The human woman responded, curtsying somewhat tensely in a plain yet elegant white dress. She quickly glanced towards the Eternal Union personnel, like a sheep in the presence of a wolf. Her face was tense, with fear obvious in her eyes. Seeing that none of them seemed ready to attack, she slowly became more and more comfortable with the situation. She nodded respectfully towards the Valkians, then to the Iscandarians.

"I am Captain Praskoviya Lovisa of the United Terran Federation. If anyone here puts significance on name meaning, my second name means 'Famous Warrior'. My first name means 'Preparation'. As you can probably tell, my people do not put emphasis on name meaning. However, my second name fits, as I am most well known for a battle I participated in when I was fourteen years old. To give you an idea of how old that is, my planet orbits 480 light seconds or so from it's sun. A second is about this long."

She was silent for about as long as it would take someone to say "one one thousand". Her cheeks become slightly red, and she decided not to tell anyone that what she just did in her head was nothing more than a way of helping young children figure out how long a second is.

"About that long, there are sixty of those in a minute, sixty minutes in an hour, twenty four hours in an Earth day, and 365 days in a year. An average lifespan for my people is two hundred years, though mostly due to medical technology. If we were stripped of all technology beyond fire, then an average lifespan would be around twenty years. We have settled all four terrestrial planets in our system, have developed it's only asteroid belt, and have cities on most of the large moons. As far as we can tell, life exists on only four bodies in our home system. Earth, the planet we call Venus, the moon we call Europa, and the moon we call Titan. The creatures on Venus exist only in the upper atmosphere, where temperatures are low enough to not melt the strongest of metals. The creatures on Europa all live under it's frozen shell of ice, in an ocean heated by the heat generated from the moon being stretched and crushed by the gravity of the gas giant it orbits. Life on Titan exists in seas of methane, an element we usually connect with respiratory processes. Only microscopic organisms have been found there, but on Europa there are familiar-looking lifeforms, and on Venus there are giant gasbag creatures. Intelligence has not been proven in any of these alien creatures, though many scientists suspect that Europa is home to an intelligent species. In the early days of space exploration, our people sent out probes carrying messages depicting us as a friendly and curious species of explorers and scientists. A few decades ago, companies began to beam messages to potentially habitable planets, letting people pay to have their message sent. Many asked for an invasion, you see, with the advanced in technology, people became more and more aware of global social and economic issues. Many wanted an end to them. In the 2020's, about fifty years ago, a major war broke out on our planet. It devastate an entire region, but police action was taken by nations formerly involved with it. The aggressor nation was dissolved, and is now refereed to as 'The District'. Both of the men accompanying me are from that region, you may notice the drastic difference in their skin color compared to each other's and to mine. Skin color is something that can change drastically from person to person, many, many years ago it was a great divide between our species. People with a different skin color were often considered the enemy, and in some places, you could be systematically oppressed due to it. A specifically large taboo was... how do I put it... mating with someone of a different skin color. After the war, people suddenly stopped caring. I suppose what happened was so much of a shock that we stopped thinking about things as 'Us vs. Them', but simply as 'Us'. Despite our regret over the war, we are still fiercely independent. Whenever anyone tries to take away our independence, it usually ends in war."

She looked over at the Iscandarians, appearing sad instead of hostile.

"Many lives have been lost as a result of one nation not knowing that."

Her tone returned to the calm and composed one that she had spoken in earlier, and she continued.

"As you may have guessed, my people talk about us as a whole quite a bit. However, that does not mean that we find personal questions uncomfortable. In fact, anyone trained in First Contact is specifically conditioned to not find any question uncomfortable, even if it is about a topic usually considered private or taboo for our people. We will inform you if you ask about one of those topics, but only for the purpose of understanding us better. I ask you to not see it as us saying we do not wish to talk about the subject."

Looking over to the Iscandarians once more, she spoke directly to them. She seemed suspicious, but certainly hopeful.

"If you speak the truth, then we thank you for resolving the conflict. If you are lying, then I ask you to speak the truth. Us Terrans are surprisingly forgiving when it comes to admitting a lie."

Sol
After thinking it over for a few moments, the diplomat responded.

"We agree to your terms. However, we will require compensation for the damage done to our forces and our planet. Our people will likely forgive any soldier that takes part in the revolt, but there will be bad blood. I'm sorry, but after that battle, forgiveness could be impossible. Most of the prisoners are currently being transferred to Mars, we'll send the orders to release them to you."

Hive World

As they approached the door, One Matron moved forward. Before it could attempt to open the door, it projected a 3D Image of several interesting visuals. First, a Star Map, though nothing was highlighted or marked on it, it was more of a aid to help them in communication. They had found difficulty in speaking to the mind via their usual methods, and so used this back up contingency to carefully show what the Constructs intended.

Next, was a projected image of several species the Gathering had encountered, including markings to show they were organic and thus consumable. This part was the most dangerous in their plan, as they needed to be careful in not giving away the entirety of their fuel source, hence the vagueness of the map. Finally, a brief moving image of Amazons flying through space, meant to show what the intended delivery platform was. With luck, all this would be enough to show that the scouts both knew what was here, and what they promised to give the Devourer.

The Explorer: Witch Hunt

As the Core prepared to fire again, three rounds smashed into it's front, causing it to howl and shudder. As this had happened, one of the bone blades sliced along it's front, shearing off a section of panel and causing the weird smoke substance to vent, and the Witch to shake uncontrollably. It was losing cohesion, and could not maintain it's reactor, and began to float higher, screaming and howling with rage. It's front split open and glowed bright, before it exploded, sending debris and streams of black fluid shooting off around the room, spraying walls and some of the Hunters. The blast itself had little effect, and no one was gravely injured, just a few bruises and scratches from being knocked back from the blast.

Matron

"The Collapse was a cataclysmic event that wiped out many civilizations at the time, including the Ol'Tiu and, most likely, the Yss'Tkuld's original forms as well. This was triggered by the attackers, almost certainly unintentionally. The Ol'Tiu, meanwhile, were defenders of the galaxy, and my creators, who had controlled much of galactic space. I do regret to inform you that, being unable to connect to any Sage, that I cannot locate any exact database locations. However, they should be somewhat frequent around the galaxy, as they were intended to be found by future people's. That being said, it is likely that many have been looted or destroyed by Yss'Tkuld raiding parties."

"Sages tunneled through to this galaxy at key locations around various systems, though I have reason to believe that this slowed or altogether stopped when the Ol'Tiu were defeated. Wardens would have knowledge as to the whereabouts of these entry destinations."

Hive World Luk

The door cracked open and the SOS stopped broadcasting, the Hive apparently realising that the constructs were here for a different purpose entirely. A voice beckoned them from the darkness in an alien tongue, and the room beyond the door slowly lit up, revealing the horde of spore forms that had been clinging to the roof. They scuttled away quickly.
For a few minutes, there was nothing, until a small ball like object dropped zipped out from the shadows into the center of the room. Lines of orange lit up as it produced the same images the constructs had projected, confirming that it was interested in the proposal. As far as the hive was concerned, they were being offered the location of their newest meal
It then blinked to a holographic image of an Iscandarian, then a spore form attacking it. Apparently the hive was interested in attacking the Iscandarians. The hologram changed to a childish rendition of a home, then a planet, an obvious proposal asking if the Gathering would direct then to the Iscandarian capitol world. The hives were under the impression that the EU has a wealth of knowledge (which was in many ways true) and they were interested in acquiring it. And what better place to look than the EU's capital world...

Hive World: L'uk

As they observed the images, the scouts noticed that they had grown an interest in the Union, which meant that somehow, they had made contact with them at some point. It was quite likely that the Devourer had more world's than this one, and was a sign of how inefficiently the Ol'Tiu had handled their extermination. The Iscandarians were their greatest threat, after all, and needed to at least be preoccupied so as that they didn't meddle with anymore of their plans. It was unfortunate, then, that the Gathering couldn't give them the location of their home world, as the Ethereals hadn't encountered it yet.

The Matron projected more images, this time of New Condia, with a slash through the little house visualization. Hopefully, they understood that this was the only world that the Gathering had encountered. They then projected a stream of digital information traveling from a Spore Form to a Matron, indicated that the Ethereals were also interested in any information the Hive discovered. They stood motionless, waiting for a response, as a small group of foraging Spore Forms ran between their legs into the structure.

Hive word Luk

The hologram paused for a moment, before repeating the images shown by the gathering. There was a rumbling sound of sorts as one of the ships launched in the distance, moving slowly away from the planet before jumping away, presumably to infect some other unlucky world. The lights dimmed again, apparently lighting no longer being of considerable importance, and the hologram turned off, awaiting a response. It was an annoying consequence of this communication that it was entirely possible neither understood what the other meant, and the hives were playing by ear here as they clearly had the least information available about these races; the galaxy was a large place and it was plausible to fight several battles with a species and not encounter them for centuries after.

Hive World Luk

There was little more headway to be made here. In the end, the Scouts were originally intended to make contact with the Devourer, and be destroyed in it's wrath. The fact that it was communicating back was perplexing: It was unusually cooperative. Most likely was the fact that they were quite inedible lent to this conclusion, but still... The scouts were never expected to be diplomats.

When all was said and done, the lead Matron turned to observe the launch of their space craft, and watched. It then decided that it would be best to just get this entire operation rolling, and signaled for the Amazons to begin landings. The Matrons bowed, and faced the ground, showing respect for their ancient-enemy-turned ally. Even if it was for the briefest of moments. No Ethereal could possibly remember, but this Devourer had consumed many of their worlds as well. Even this planet may have been an Yss'Tkuld colony, or even their home world.

Matron
"I only have three questions left, unless your answers raise more. What would be the minimum distance needed for you to connect to one of the databases, what kind of weapons and systems do I have access to in this suit currently, and how do I operate this thing?"

Sol
"I do not feel as if this is a good idea, reparations at this point in time would create more bad blood between our two nations. While damage was done to your ships you did much more to ours, and no damage was done to your planet as our soldiers never actually engaged. The aggressor is not the people of this nation who worked hard to dig up those metals and refine them, but the other three Immortals. And I can assure you they will pay dearly." said Aaliyah.

((Disregard currently, forming better post later. Too ashamed to leave this up.))

Nouvelle
Orbit________________________________
The communications team on the Explorer were thoroughly confused. It felt like something was trying to dig into their brain and tell them something, in a voice that was half foreign, and half familiar. They rubbed their heads and took some meds to try and make it go away, failing to do so. After some time, two of them just went ahead and locked themselves into a cryopod, sending them to sleep for two months, or until emergency and/or battle. The other four tried desperately to just ignore the strange sensation, and after quite some time, they sent another binary message, coded to resemble a chemical agent that, when inhaled, would confuse and disorient the inhaler. Their intent should be clear: you're confusing us.

Queen Sabine's Meeting_____________
The Valkian grew alarmed at the idea of a 'conflict,' and even more so at the 'Terran's dialogue. He sat for a moment, then asked, "I would be informed of this conflict if possible. I am not comfortable conversing with a species who may have started unnecessary military conflicts in the name of taking independence. However, before requiring an answer, I must think it fair to reveal my own people, and provide a warning." He turned to look at the Eternal Union diplomats, continuing:

"We are a race of three subspecies. There are those like myself, who would be translated into "Tinkerers." I believe the General had named me as "Lord Tinkerer," for we do not label ourselves as you three races have. My companion here is an Engineer, and my other is a Hunter. Tinkerers think, Engineers build, and Hunters guard. The term Hunters is simply a reference to a time long ago, when we had eyesight and had to fight for our lives every day. In response to any future questions about what I meant about eyesight, we do not have any. At all. We lost it during what we know as the Great War. An alien race on the closest planet took our attempts at diplomacy as an act of war. In the end, we lost the majority of our people, were driven underground, and evolved into what you see now. We later finished the war, and were able to re-colonize our planet, and theirs. After that, we expanded across the solar system so that we could properly flourish again. We would wish the same for anyone, except those who fight and battle for no reason other than to conquer or steal." With this, he turned to look back at the Terrans.

"If either of you, Terran or Eternal, start conflict and it applies to any who we consider a friend or ally, we will retaliate against as if we were personally attacked. We have caused... I think the word is mass genocide against one race for immediately starting war. We do not wish to do so with another. This is my warning, this is my call. We care not if one regrets it afterwards- anyone who attacks ourselves or our friends will be considered a permanent threat. My job was not originally to be a diplomat; I have taken it upon myself to act as both a diplomat, and a warning." Here, he looked at the Queen, and added, "My race are not able to assist you in any way but in planetary defense. I was blessed, and so I speak languages that I do not know. My companions have no idea what I say, nor what you say. They are simply here, for the time being. Personally, which includes both my companions, we do not wish to conduct close contact with the Eternal Union. We were present when they disembarked; they influenced the crowd, a mental nudge, I would think." Turning to the EU diplomats, he said very sternly, at least with his small voice, "I do not want any of your people on any of my people's ships or planets. I do not want any of you near any of mine, except unless I am present. I do not want your peoples to influence my own. My race's biology may be different enough to defend against your... unnatural powers, but I will not take unnecessary risks. Powers like that will not be allowed anywhere near our leaders, either, nor will I ever be allowed to directly contact my own leaders."

He looked the speaking representative of the Eternal Union right in the eye, intentionally turning his head and lining up his own eye with his. "Others may not realize the implications of your power. I do, and I will continue to. Step carefully, Winged Ones."

Kyelin said
There was little more headway to be made here. In the end, the Scouts were originally intended to make contact with the Devourer, and be destroyed in it's wrath. The fact that it was communicating back was perplexing: It was unusually cooperative. Most likely was the fact that they were quite inedible lent to this conclusion, but still... The scouts were never expected to be diplomats.When all was said and done, the lead Matron turned to observe the launch of their space craft, and watched. It then decided that it would be best to just get this entire operation rolling, and signaled for the Amazons to begin landings. The Matrons bowed, and faced the ground, showing respect for their ancient-enemy-turned ally. Even if it was for the briefest of moments. No Ethereal could possibly remember, but this Devourer had consumed many of their worlds as well. Even this planet may have been an Yss'Tkuld colony, or even their home world.

S'Luk awakes

There was another rumbling noise, which grew louder... A wave of forms swarmed up from the crevasses in the ground, sweeping over the once fertile dirt towards the ships. The hologram disabled and the small ball hovered back into the blackness. The planet came back to life, the machinery clattering away again.

Nouvelle
"For any of our telepathic spells nothing is forcefully taken from the person affected by the spell, it can only impart knowledge or take it away if the person affected consents. Such spells exist that do bypass the consent, but they are banned and require a powerful mage, as the mind is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, parts of a sentient. We also request that everyone here refrain from mentioning the conflict between us and the Terrans, as the Queen requested. It is done now, and the tyrants responsible will meet there punishment soon."