Thought for the day: "Pain is temporary. Honour is forever"

Nouvelle, Space

The Lorca Prowler glided forwards towards the foreign ship, then paused some 250 kilometers away, slowly to a halt remarkably quickly. Although it was a stealth ship, it still had a small hanger that was capable of holding a Gaia dropship (and indeed, was) and as such wasn't too small a vessel. While it was certainly smaller than a combat vessel, it wasn't small enough that one might expect it to decelerate so fast. It turned and began a standard docking procedure, its shields shutting down. It was now close enough that one could make out the detail; it appeared to have two "wings" that were segmented and folded tightly against the craft, their presence betrayed only by small cuts along their perimeter, which were clearly designed to be deployable for some reason. It had several weapon ports and had an undermounted cannon of some sort. Regardless, it wasn't suited for combat. Notably, it didn't appear to have any airlocks; the only ways in appeared to be the hanger and two small circular doors on its top and bottom
Another message was returned to the ship. A stick figure exiting a craft vaguely similar to the alien one and then choking to death. There was a small flashing symbol over it. The stick figure was that of a Lorca, and as such was digitigrade and with stick mandibles. This was followed by a chemical breakdown, by electron number (at least it seemed that way) of gasses. Oxygen appeared to be the primary gas, the one they breathed. The symbol flashed again after it, an awkward enquiry as to whether they would choke the second they left the ship.

Facility A-1
The Archmage seem surprised, but his probe did not reach his mind, the Archmage was to well trained compared to the Aradite for him to be able to so easily repulse the magic, the Archmage put the probe back on track, sending it borrowing into the Aradite's mind. A message was broadcasted across the link that had been established between the two by the magic.

"So you are magic sensitives? However... You are untrained children, barely capable of controlling the gift that flows through your veins. You will be useless soon, but perhaps soon I can train your fellows and turn them into weapons to be used against your soldiers. But now, looks like I will need your own blood to power this spell...

The Archmage stepped into the casting circle, pulling out a silver dagger. He took and stabbed down into the Aradite's arm, taking it all the way across. He repeated the process for the other arm and his his legs. The Aradite watched as the Archmage returned to where he was outside of the circle, and he chanted something. The blood that was now pouring from his wounds arced over him, as he felt his energy and strength draining from him, as the new layer to the spell used his own blood to power the probe.

Facility A-1, Holding Chambers
Vahlen stepped back into the room as she looked at the Septonians/Aradites(not really sure what I am supposed to call them at this point) and smiled.

"Your friend will soon be nothing but a babbling mess, but I still have plans for the all of you." said Vahlen.

Falacia Asteroid
The Iscandarian soldiers, especially with the shields from the mage, were a lot more resilient then the Aradites had expected. In particular they managed to fell the soldiers shooting the 40mm grenades at them, but the Iscandarians did end up dying after all. The mage had retreated, likely to gather reinforcements.

The Septonians rushed in attempts to get to the 2nd floor where the communications were, as they were still in the entrance dome where they had come in and not on the floor where communications was. They were met with a extremely large blast door though, that could probably hold against most of the explosives the Septonians could throw at it. Behind them they heard a lot of clanking, and then they saw the mech that they had seen before guarding the entrance. The thing immediately began firing extremely powerful rail-guns, ripping through the Septonians. Behind a few Iscandarians appeared, but their visors were obscured. They moved faster then any sentient should be able to and it seemed extremely unnatural, they did not have guns but energy blades appeared from their gauntlets, which began cutting, stabbing, and chopping the Septonians.

New Alas
"The station directly above the planet is where we shall meet."

Nouvelle
The fleet watched as the rest of the Eternal Union ships moved out and away. They chased them out of their warp, they retook the space they had once occupied it, and swept the orbit of the planet as well as they could, ensuring that there were no surprises left behind by the Eternal Union. They received the unknown message, but put it off while it was translated, and they continued sweeping the space, all but a Varren, Explorer, and the two civilian ships moving to sweep the orbit. When the fleet regrouped, they took the proper time to review the message, and completely decipher it as best as they could.

After some time, a reply was sent to the "Lorca," containing the following:
"We are the Valk Nation, our people known as the Valkians. We are of three subspecies, known as what would be transliterated to "Engineer," "Tinkerer," and "Hunter." Our Engineers build, our Tinkerers think, and our Hunters protect. We have multiple special ships, classed "Super-Dreadnoughts," named Explorers. You will see two of these in orbit of the moon, Nouvelle, in orbit around the unnamed gas giant. The moon Nouvelle, populated by red-spectrum-colored hominids, and its star system is under Valkian protection. Any attempts for military operations within said space will be a diplomatic incident. If you would like to send an emissary or diplomat, please do so under maximum active sensors- make no attempt at secrecy. We have just had major incidents involving a native town being the site of a battle between a race with similar, positive, interests like our own, against a people who are powerful and unreasonable. Know them as the Eternal Union, and their people as Iscandarians."

"Come forward now, and reveal yourselves. Should anyone attack you, we will assist you in fighting off your assailants- it would not be right to do anything else. Vice versa- if you attack anyone, we will be your enemies, and you will have declared war. With such warnings out of way, would you like to have diplomatic meetings? Our race is eager for new friends and allies. May the ground quake at your passing."

As they did so, more in response to another message, they simply kept their distance.

Shortly afterwards, a message was beamed to the Terrans:
"Fellow protectors of Nouvelle, we are, as your diplomat have told you, the Valkians. Our apologies for being so withdrawn before- we were unsure of our place. Now, though, we know we are to be the protectors of Nouvelle and its star system. If you would like for our two fleets to share data to better cover this system, we would be very much obliged. Our people look forward to talking peace with yours. Refrain from military operations while in-system- to do so would be to severely hinder diplomatic arrangements and would be considered an evil and a wrong against ourselves and the Nouvellians. Our diplomat has a number of items he would like to discuss with you, as well, if you would like to relay the message to your own. May the ground quake at your passing."

Then another, to the two other entities that have been detected in some form or another (Sazkarjhia and Septonian), message was broadcasted:
"Attention foreign entities- we respectfully welcome your people to Nouvelle, on behalf of those who we are now protecting, the inhabitants of Nouvelle. Please note that any military operation or hostile action within this star system will be taken as a diplomatic incident, and firing against Nouvellian or Valkian units will result in the assumption that war is declared. Refrain from any military activities- the peace shall be kept here from now on. To fire against anyone will be met with grave consequences."

Communications between Salraun & various asteroid shipyard keepers
[i]
-"Messages and queries have been received, Yardkeepers of Asteroid-satellites 13 through 35. This is Salraun, Councilmember. Know that we need new prototypes of the new Droneship built as soon as possible- special parts as seen in the schematics have already begun production on planets C and D. Purchase the parts labelled on the schematics- otherwise, you won't have the right ones. Produce thirty droneships each, I know this is a great amount, and will take a few years to complete, but if you each get one out by the time we have the Victor Festival on the homeworld, you'll be granted a large bonus, in addition to my boosts to your funds. Understood?"
-"Received, Salraun Councilmember, this is Yardkeeper of A-S 33. Do we need to produce the drones themselves?"
-"Agreeing with, Yardkeeper of A-S 33, this is Yardkeeper of A-S 20. I agree with the question- must we produce the drones?"
-"Negative to the question, Yardkeepers of A-S 33 and 20, this is Salvaun Councilmember. Drones will be produced across multiple planets and A-Ses independently, and will be shipped to your completed droneships after they are flight-tested. Any more requests?"
-"Received, Salraun Councilmember, this is Yardkeeper of A-S 24. May we have more supplies in return for our support for you, and for the production of these droneships? My biodomes are becoming crowded."
-"Affirmative, Yardkeeper of A-S 24, this is Salraun Councilmember. Additional supplies will be sent both as provisions and for extended hydroponics. In addition, another sect of A-Ses have produced multiple colony ships- request volunteers for colonization mission to neighboring systems. You may tell them that two planets in the Nouvellian system will be colonized, in addition to an estimated dozen planets in neighboring systems. Colonization efforts will be sent out based on the progress of our new droneship fleets."
-"Received, Salraun Councilmember, this is Yardkeeper A-S 24. Are other overcrowded A-Ses or planets allowed to participate in the colonization selection process?"
-"Affirmative, but restricted to a select few, Yardkeeper A-S 24, this is Salraun Councilmember. Multiple planets and A-Ses have been selected, and yours will now be added to the list. Currently, no more must be added- predictions estimate that we might have too many volunteers otherwise. Any more requests, questions, or implorations?"
-"After waiting, Salraun Councilmember has decided to close communications. Three needed in favor, please speak now."
-"Agreed, this is Yardkeeper A-S 24."
-"Agreed, this is Yardkeeper A-S 13."
-"Agreed, this is Yardkeeper A-S 33."
-"Communications closed due to lack of further required discussion and no objections. Salraun Councilmember signing out."

New Alas

The Corvette drifted towards the station, and launching from its hanger was a Gaia Dropship. It was a bulky ship, and appeared to have one large circular entrance on the bottom, supported by a further four. Then, in position on the front, one could make out three weapon ports, the weaponry folded up into the craft at the current time. On its back there appeared to be a larger entrance port, presumably for carrying vehicles. The Gaia glided into the stations dock and paused, hovering above the ground. A faint, blue-purple glow appeared around the five hatches on the underside, which opened. Down from the front four drifted four Lorca. The first two wore non-decorative cobalt blue armour, though several dull symbols of various colours adorned it, and they seemed to vary for each Lorca. The next two wore similar armour, only the shoulder guards continued upwards a few centimeters and grew thinner, and their chest plate had a flew glowing lights on it. Again, symbols adorned their orange-red armour
Behind them dropped down the Shipmaster, wearing silver armour. He wore a headdress of sorts, "crowning" his head, which raised up and split into two parallel prongs, decorated with red markings. His shoulder pads were longer and broad, and the right one appeared to have a small sheet of parchment hanging from it, though from the way it shimmered when he walked it appeared to be a hologram projected from a small metal seal attached to his shoulder pad. On his right hip was a small hilt. It was traditional that those in command would carry their blade on their right hip, and those not in command would carry it on their left. Over his back was slung a long, metallic rifle. He was an "Ultra". They were sometimes assigned the title shipmaster on Corvettes, but generally didn't command anything larger. They were roughly the equivalent of a lieutenant.
The four lower ranking Lorca all carried a small, claw like weapon on their right hip, and the two Majors carried another weapon on their left hip that one could see a crystal of some sorts inserted from the back. There was a small shimmer of some sort over their armour as they walked forwards and away from their dropship

Nouvelle, Space

The Major redirected the transmission back to the Ministry of Contact, and awaited the translation, he received the translation for the first message nd sent a message to the Septonian Ship, "We are the Lorca"

Nouvelle
Somewhere in Space

The commander had her Cryptology officer working hard on getting a rough translation programed into the system. After a an hour or two enough of the language had been analyzed that a rough translation had been achieved. Now whenever the Lorca sent them a message, it would be translated, even it would be a bad one. The radar officer who received their latest picture message couldn’t help but laugh as he watched it repeat over and over again. The Aradites also breathed oxygen so there would be no problem with compatibility, but it wasn’t something they accounted for. The meeting with the Alarai was now common knowledge amongst ship captains and was a running joke for diplomatic corps officers. Although the outcome was positive it was not something anyone wanted to repeat.
“ Send them a message back, tell them we have compatible atmospherics” Vellais said as her command console beeped again, displaying the message they just received from the ship. “We are the Lorca…” she read aloud before copying the message into her log for the day “ Good, now we know who these people are. Lets prepare for guests shall we..” the commander said as she walked off the bridge, towards the airlock.

Message to the Lorca Prowler

“ We breath oxygen as well”
( Picture attachment showing the chemical make up of oxygen and a green checkmark)

Above Nouvelle
Ardent Inquisitor
Docked

The Special Operation Major turned towards the pedestal that sat beside the command terminal. It flashed a dull blue and there was a hiss as it ejected a small cartridge. He reached up and slipped it into the side of his 'helmet'. For a second, the transparent eye pieces flashed with blue symbols, then settled. He removed the device and replaced it on the pedestal. A moment later, twi of the minors took up positions behind him. There was a shimmer as the trio engaged their shield, and then the minor activated their active camoflague, fading into transparancy. Sudden movements would cause distortion, generally breaking the illusion for any species with developed sense. These Lorca were trained for stealth, however, and were well adapted to the system. Some found such to be dishonourable or even a direct affront to the ways of the Warrior. Others embraced stealth and the ways of the silent hunter.

"Reveal yourselves only when I have confirmed that they harbour no ill intentions" The Major ordered, ensuring his equipment was correctly calibrated.
"Control, open the underside access."

That wasnt a mistake. The ship "docked" sideways, so that the underside access hatch was against an airlock access Generally speaking, most every Lorca ship exited through the underside and/or top. It allowed for maximum usage of space by cramming ships side by side into carriers (Not that many Shipmasters wanted to risk it...)

The circular hatch spun open, a thin shield visible. The Lance stepped through it and took up positiom beyond it. They examined the airlock tentatively, and only the Major spoke
"Already pressurised." He glanced to the readings on his heads up display "Hm. Gravity is lower than on the Inquisitor. Let us hope it does not, but should we be taken down the path of battle, they will likely be weaker than us..." A minor spoke next, out of turn. The Airlock had not yet opened, and their trusted position granted some minor privileges
"You assume they follow our codes of honour. They could have cursed themselves in any manner of ways" He commented, and the Major paused. That was true...
The airlock opened to reveal the room beyond and the major took a few steps forwards. The two minors slipped in with him. He could vaguely make out their shapes, his predatory instincts and armour assisted in that. In some ways, this was a test of perception. Aliens could vary massively, just the diversity on their own world taught them that. They could be as sharp as a Garg or as blind as El-Auro.
He turned to face the officer as she approached the airlock and he studied her intently, tracing her with his eyes and examining the features. There appeared to be variation between this ones build and the others. Different gender, possibly, Was there a form of address?
Did the officer expect that cloth to provide protetion? Even the most crude of weaponry would pierce the chest piece and the head gear. It must be... ceremonial? Or maybe she didn't expect combat. No, there was a battle going on outside, this ship could be boarded, surely she would have donned battle armour. Did they have some code of their own? He 'frowned' slightly and checked over his own jet black armour subconciously. Unlike the standard military, the Special Warfare branch generally kept their armour simplistic, it helped with the active camoflague.
He continued his examination... and couldn't help but feel remarkably shamed. It was a poor guest who knew nothing of his hosts customs... and yet there was no way he could know. It was an illogical shame and yet lingered. Children were raised according to the ways of the warrior, respect was major one. The Shaper in charge of his creche used to deny them food if they failed to show sufficent respect for one of the many sites they would visit or people they would meet. He glanced to the side of his head up display as symbols flashed across it. The Major let out a low grunt, then attempted to greet them in what patches of their tongue they had put together. He bowed his head slightly as he did, a polite greeting, though he did not avert his eyes.

Karboria, Sazkar Major; Secluded Office of the Sar Kartek de Sarwun (Grand Vessel of Zarwaun)
Urwan sat on a chair, looking through the bay windows that looked over the city of Karboria, and the peaks surrounding Mount Karbor in the distance. The powered doors to her study slid open with a hiss, and footsteps--accompanied by a loud metallic CLUNK every few seconds--as the doors eased closed. The young Grand Vessel swiveled in the chair, to see a well-built Sazkarjhit man in dark-gray robes with red trim, holding what seemed to be a large, and ornately designed, stone and carbosteel cudgel.

"Honorable Vessel of Mazdabar Pumar'kum, I trust you received my message." she remarked rather nonchalantly.

Vessel of Mazdabar Tumari Pumar'kum served for many years in the Peoples' Military, and yet something about the woman's actions still made him feel threatened. While Urwan Garama'kum was younger and by far much weaker, she still was imposing. A staff that adorned the five-pointed spear of right was resting near the chair, and it almost seemed to crackle with life.

"Well you certainly weren't subtle about it." Tumari chuckled nervously. Grand Vessel Garama'kum had sent him several messages with the same request: Meet me in my private study as soon as possible, we have very important matters to discuss.

Refusing a message from his superior, especially one with as much awesome and holy power as the Grand Vessel, would seem treasonous and, to an extent, suicidal in itself. Regardless, Vessel Pumar'kum put on his best poker face and asked, "What do you request of me, Honorable Grand Vessel?"

She chuckled slightly. Did something amuse her? Did she feel empowered? Tumari couldn't be certain. "You know...Tumari...when we first were able to sail the endless expanse of space, we had a simple goal in mind, it was something put out by one of our Kumello clansmen many generations ago, do you remember what it was?"

"Help develop the Sazkarjhit way of life and further our endeavors for the betterment of our species?" he asked innocently. He knew what she was referring to, and he was hoping he could derail the subject.

"Do not be so coy, Vessel of Mazdabar." her tone changed, she seemed annoyed.

Tumari sighed, and shook his head. "That if any race that had come to view of the Sazkarjhit regime should see the true ways of creation, and follow the Path of Divine Right to acquire transcendence to the holiest planes of existence. More or less." he croaked.

The Grand Vessel chuckled again. "Yes, something like that." she remarked.

"I want to assume you see something in Nouvelle, Grand Vessel."

"Indeed I do. I see a primitive race of ex-Terrans who need to be developed in some sort of way to help them grow."

"And what about the terms of the treaty put out by the Eternal Union?"

Urwan scoffed, again sounding annoyed. "Regardless of how structured it is, their ways cannot be indoctrinated. They need to see a better way of life, and their own religious system will not help them. They thought our soldiers were angels for the gods' sake!"

Vessel Pumar'kum sat down in a chair nearby, resting the hammer-staff, he used his other hand to rub his temples in front of his horns, feeling them throb. "Grand Vessel, Nouvelle is currently becoming a hive for all of these warring empires, and with one fleet there already under pressure, attempting a religious crusade would cause even larger issues. Who's to say that this...Queen of theirs wouldn't organize her own army against us?"

The Grand Vessel laughed, or more so cackled, upon hearing his words. "Honorable Vessel, do you really find their military at all formidable? You saw from those reports, those videos from the marines. They still use gunpowder, compared to our military might their technology is a joke. That Queen can send soldiers en masse, but a single Trikolo-Class Destroyer could wipe out half of that land in a few hours. You are a vessel of the Belligerent One, you should be aware of this."

"I am aware of this Urwan, and excuse my vulgarity but I am busting my ass to prevent an interstellar incident and keep PNSS Might of a Thousand Suns from laying waste to that frontier region!" he was at first only tense, but he was barring his teeth, and had an iron grip on the hammer.

"And yet look how long it has taken for them to even get the damned thing off of the ground. But you have to understand, Tumari, if we can get a hold on Nouvelle, we have access to a pivotal joint that lets us be more powerful than these other empires. And to spread His word!"

The Vessel of the God of War scoffed. "Even for who I am, Urwan, if your father saw you like this he would be disgusted."

Urwan's annoyance had begun to evolve into rage. "Don't you dare bring my father into this! He would have done exactly what I am to do!" she shouted.

"These mass-conversions are barbaric, and behind us! Urwan, don't you understand what's put at stake if we go all willy-nilly and anger these other empires? We could be seeing catastrophic results, even the destruction of our homeland!"

The Grand Vessel held up her hand. "Enough! We are going through with this and that's final! By the power vested in me, I am taking executive action and commanding you to do as I say! Am I clear, Tumari?!"

Executive action. Very rarely does a Grand Vessel take such action (Even in a dictatorial oligarchy like Sazkarjhia) for their own whims. Pumar'kum realized that she still had an immense amount of political power, and there was little he could do. Defeated, he agreed. He rose from his seat, took the hammer and walked to the door, as it hissed open he cocked his head and whispered a quote from Declarations, one of the books of the Seven Divine Scriptures.

"Su Karakat yuran takon do Weran e Meran."

"For Tyrants always fall to Pride and Hubris."

Shaking his head, seeing the fire glint in Urwan's black eyes, he walked out the door.

STC Syren
Airlock

As the airlock door opened Vellais quickly caught on to what was going on, she saw the refractive shimmer of their cloaking devices as they slowly moved through the docking bridge and into the staging room. ‘Are we getting boarded?’ was her first thought as she considered the pistol she had in her waistband. Inviting an alien race on her ship was risky but she did take precautions, she had at least three special forces operators covering her as she stood there, hands clasped behind her back. Two operators were sitting against the wall, acting like they were talking to each other while one was all the way down the hall with a rifle trained on the door itself. To the untrained eye this would like somewhat normal but others would be able to see it like it was. The two operators talking were armed but only minimally armored, their rifles laid out next to them as they alternated talking and looking towards the shimmering creatures at the door. The marksmen down the hall was the only operator in full armor, throwing a sheet over himself to blend into the color of the hallway. Even the Commander was in tactical position, offset from the center of the door by a couple centimeters, enough for a round to pass over her shoulder if need be.

“ Calm……” she said though her earpiece as the Lorca made there way into the ship before stopping. “ Do they expect us not to see them?” the marksmen said over the radio as he eyed the shimmering through his scope. Velais shrugged slightly before bowing towards the Lorca “ Welcome to the Syren” she said in Demioi as the translation unit on her hip roughly translated it into whatever language they spoke. Smiling as the cloaked creature responded with his own bow “ I apologize for the mess out in the vacuum, we are a little cautious as of late, but diplomacy can never end”. Vellais let out a short sigh before calling off the anti boarding action, resulting in the obvious release of tension from the men in the room. The two sitting operators let out a quiet chuckle as they picked their weapons up and placed them against the wall before getting up and walking to the commander’s side. The marksmen down the hallway was by far the most obvious, furiously ripping the sheet off his armored body and slinging the sniper rifle over his shoulder as he walked towards the group.

STC Syren

The Major glanced to the marksmen and followed their gazed to his cloaked comrades. He let out a low growl "Reveal yourselves brothers, they have uncovered you!" He barked, and the air distorted again as the cloaking devices deactivated and the two black armoured figures materialised. One of the minors turned towards the Major
"Forgive us, our recent inertion must have dulled our skills"
"This transgression is unforgivable, in battle you would be dead. As your superior, your failings are mine; You have disgraced me." The minor averted his eyes. though the other turned his face towards the approaching marksman, staring at him.
The Major turned back to the alien officer "Your senses are commendable. Many creatures have failed to detect us." He hunched forwards to bring his head down to her level... and to reduce his size in case those marksmen decided to attack "Aah. My apologies, I do not mean to skip formality. I am Nhas Voroei, a Major in the Special Warfare group and acting shipmaster of the Ardent Inquisitor. I represent the Lorca Ghaj and you would be?" He asked, tilting his head inquisitively, running his reptilian eyes over the marksmen. The two minors glared to their weapons and one spoke
"Your weapons, what are they?" He said, taking a few steps in advance and staring at it

((For reasons, I am going to redo what was going on with the Septonians at Facility A-1 and the Falacia Asteroid.))

Falacian Asteroid
Upon entering they found that their forced entry had triggered a alarm, as they heard heavy thunks from across the base, which was likely blast doors sealing to prevent them from going any farther. They saw a two separate squads of six Iscandarians soldiers each come down separate hallways, carrying large metal crates to act as cover from enemy fire. The Iscandarians fired first, using the same rifles that caused extreme pain rather then actually kill. It seems that Facility A-1 still wanted more Septonians for its experiments.

Facility A-1, Casting Chamber
Kacha was layed down in a circle, that could be best described as some kind of circle for summing demons. A archmage plus two other mages took positions around the circle, each with a gem in either hand to act as a magical amplifier. As the spell began the circle lit up with a strange red energy, as Kacha felt a probe begin burrowing into his mind. It was strong, and unlike the translation spell it was subversive, making it slightly more effective at penetrating mental defenses. It was unknown how long Kacha could hold, but the Archmage and the Mages were doing their best to get past his mental barrier.

New Alas Station
Upon entering the station the diplomatic party saw two different squads in the hangar watching the diplomats and their guards, in the black titanium armor used by the Iscandarian military. A diplomat, in simple sleek blue robes approached the party.

"Welcome to New Alas." bowed the diplomat.

New Alas, Station

The Majors and Minors took a few steps forwards and examined the guards, checking their weaponry and armour. The Ultra approached the diplomat, towering over him. "I am Ultra Waro Zukei of the Lorca Ghaj, shipmaster of A Latta O A Ada. Identify yourself" He said, examining the being before him. The being was almost certainly weaker and slowly than him, though he couldnt speak for their senses and accuracy

Airlock

Commander Vellais nodded and continued to smile “ You had us worried for a bit, nevertheless it is nice to meet your race and your nation. I am Commander Velka Vellais of the Septonian Concordant, I command this Blackhole class vessel the Syren. These Aradites next to me are my Special forces operators, I am glad to meet another nation who thinks like we do.” she said as the operators bowed slightly. This was up there on the lists of odd meetings but it could of gone a lot worse, both the Lorca and the Aradites could be dead. For her first diplomatic action this was going well, especially after what just happened “ We apologize for being so secretive, events as of late have forced us to hide out here in space for a few days”. The interior of the ship was rather cold, due to being unpowered for days, ice crystals had stared to form on the wall in some places. Despite the cold, a small feast had been prepared for the guests of the normal Aradite wine and meats. Despite the extreme circumstances, Aradite customs were still followed to the letter “ If you would like, we have a small feast for you and your guests in the Officers mess. There we can probably speak more of the affairs in this part of the galaxy.”

STC Syren

One of the minors scanned his eyes over the Aradite special forces. He wished put that title to test, both for glory and to right this affront to his honour. They would be a worthy foe, indeed, though he doubted fate would be cruel enough to set them on a field, at least within the foreseeable future. Fate however, could be a cruel master
The Major paused for a moment upon hearing the word commander. In the Ghaj, commander simply meant 'S/He in command of the operation'. He wasn't sure of her exact rank, but then he was certain that she wasnt either. The trio of elite warriors followed the 'Aradite' through the ship, and one of the minors paused and examined the icing walls. He tilted his head, then continued on, thankful that his armour was equipped with tempreture regulation. He whispered quite praise under his breath in the honour tongue.
The Major frowned slightly, before speaking again, in a quieter voice to the Commander "Commander Vellais, I would not wish to offend your peoples honour, how must we act at your table?".

Falacia Asteroid

Gul split the team in half so that both teams of six could cover both hallways, unlike the Iscandarians these Aradites were firing armor piercing rounds. What the Aradites needed to do was shoot, move and communicate around this force, ultimately killing them. To make matters worse was the time constraint they had to make, spend too much time fighting and another fleet would be called in no doubt. Maximum aggression and maximum speed was the only thing on Gul’s mind as he figured out how to deal with this engagement. “ Bangers out” he said over the Teamcom channel as two operators on each team pulled stun grenades off their assault webbing before throwing them down the hallway towards the EU troops. The grenades exploded, producing a blinding light followed by a loud bang that was supposed to disorient their targets. After the grenades had exploded the Aradites increased their rate of fire and shot 40mm grenades towards the open area between the crates. If successful the Aradites would move up the hallway.

Facility A-1

Kacha let out a another colloquial curse before letting out a loud scream as the magic was used on him. He felt the pain of his mind attempting to be probed but then quickly went silent as he focused his energy on keeping his mind whole. He seemed to repulse the magic, reflecting back towards the Archmage himself. This would be uncontrolled and dangerous, much like a baby snake bite, unable to control how much power he put into repulsing the dark energy. If successful the Archmage’s mages mind would be probed and ripped to shred by his own magic. Was this magic? or Psionics? no one could be sure but what was clear was that these Iscandaians were getting nothing from this Aradite.

STC Syren

The three operators left to attend to their gear while Velka led the three Lorca through the halls of the ship, stopping for a few seconds to key the intercom. “ Lt. Commander Hueschel and Lieutenants Ceaubluex, Naga and Golan to the officers mess.” she quipped before leading them towards the ship elevator. Blackhole class ships had three levels, the first level or the top floor was the bridge and weapons decks. All matter of navigation,communication, planning and weapons control were on the top floor. The second deck was cargo, mess and berthing areas for the crew, as well as weapons storage. In the event of structural damage the second deck would be insulated by the top and bottom deck, decreasing the probability of weapons detonation. The third deck was the engineering, hangar and docking area, which is where the Lorca were welcomed. Spec ops troops usually made their home here during deployments due to the proximity to the hangar and docking bridge, not to mention it is the warmest part of the ship.

The group was on their way up to the second deck as Velka heard the Lorca’s question, chuckling a bit as the device slowly translated the language. She was starting to get that honor played a huge role in their society, they might have a lot more in common after all. “ On the core worlds, I would of told you to act politely and eat in modest amounts. Here however, my crew could care less. Short of starting a food fight” (which will never happen again) she added under her breath “ There is really nothing you can do to offend our honor.” she said as the elevator reached the second deck. After another shot walk down the hallway they found their way into the officers mess and were greeted by a rather large spread of meats fruits and wines. Everything was laid out and ready to be consumed, except for the water which was still half frozen inside its synthetic glass pitcher.

Facility A-1
Kacha was able to send the probe back for a few seconds, but the Archmage quickly but back on track. Kacha did not have much mana in him to use, because he had not been trained in magic ever. Nor was he experienced enough to control something as unpredictable as Dark Magic. Kacha heard a thought come across the mental link established between the Archmage and him by the probe

"You are weak, untrained. Your magic is not capable of holding against ours. However... the potential that exists inside you is great. I am afraid however that I must finish what I started. Your fellow soldiers though... Looks like I will have the magical warriors I wanted to after all."

The Archmage stepped into the casting circle, pulling out a silver dagger. He took and stabbed down into the Aradite's arm, taking it all the way across. He repeated the process for the other arm and his his legs. The Aradite watched as the Archmage returned to where he was outside of the circle, and he chanted something. The blood that was now pouring from his wounds arced over him, as he felt his energy and strength draining from him, as the new layer to the spell used his own blood to power the probe.

Falacian Asteroid
One of the Iscandarian Soldiers slid across the floor and put both of the grenades under him, acting as a shield. When the explosion occurred he was thrown against the wall as blood and gore went flying everywhere. The other soldiers retreated oddly, even know the fight was not clear cut yet. However when they did the mech from earlier appeared, and began firing its rail-guns that were meant for taking down heavy fighters at the Septonians.

Nouvelle, Alien Contact
The Alcubierre sent a message back towards the alien vessel. It consisted of multiple images of the different human races and genders (all naked, obviously). The message then showed versions of the images clothed in white and gold garments, all of which had a circular patch on the shoulder that bore the image of the Alcubierre, implying a uniform of some kind. Images of primitive war were shown, going from ancient phalanxes to the musket. From that point on, videos were shown. Still, it showed war, war, and more war. Tanks appeared around the same time as stationary machine guns, and it wasn't long until primitive aircraft that used two wings were shown. Then, the stationary machine guns were put into the hands of the soldiers, tanks became faster and stronger, and planes got armor and dropped the second pair of wings. Cities were shown, turned into rubble as planed dropped bombs on them from the sky. A massive invasion was shown, with countless soldiers landing on the beach and being mowed down by enemy fire. Half-dead and half-naked inmates were shown, liberated, but showing no joy. Instead, they rushed for food instinctively, broken by what they had been through.

It all seemed to culminate in a giant detonation, resulting in a mushroom cloud. Any species with the technology would immediately recognize it, the humans had no idea what feeling it would invoke in the aliens, but they made sure to show that it invoked dread in a Terran by showing the aftermath. The destruction, the mutations, all of it. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. The message continued on to show videos of napalm, torture, and yet more battles. One video showed a few moments of an urban riot being subdued by live fire, and immediately afterwards, the message showed dozens upon dozens of missiles launching, then the resulting nuclear detonations. There were far too many to count, but the aftermath was made clear with a shot of a nuclear wasteland erased of nearly all signs of civilization. Whoever these people were, they seemed to have a fixation on war. Finally, an image of a man wearing the white and gold garments shown earlier appeared, apparently speaking to the aliens.

"I am Commander Sukarno of the United Terran Federation. What you have just seen is a short version of our history, do not take it as a threat, for we are ashamed of nearly all that we have sent you. What we are not ashamed of was necessary due to things that we are ashamed of. The nuclear detonations at the end are the most recent records of such a crime being committed during an officially declared war, and it was those events that made us finally realize what we were doing. We have vowed never to commit such crimes again, but do not think that we refuse to fight, for the truth is very much the opposite. We won't commit genocide, but we will still fight an honorable war, even if our enemy refuses to do so. I do hope that your people are here to make peace, because the Queen of this world has wished that no conflict occur here. We can only translate face-to-face due to the nature of our technology, so I can only hope that your people can translate our language. We will await your response."

Nouvelle, Valkians
"We too look forward to working together in peace. As for the item of diplomacy, any Terran in command of a starship has the right to speak for the entire Federation. It's an old tradition going back to when my people were colonizing the outer reaches of our system, ship commanders would be hours away from instruction, so they would need to make diplomatic decisions themselves. As the First Officer of this vessel, I can act as a diplomat."

The Last Hope
"No, there's been no sign. Frankly, I find it hard to believe that some kinda crazy magic stuff is involved here, nevertheless, our scientists are known to come up with some pretty crazy conclusions, so that's either here nor there. Either way, we're willing to provide you with anything you need and give you some space to live planetside. If things are as important as you say they are, then our Council should be the one talking to you."

Medi-Bay, The Last Hope
"By the gods." Was all Fairlan said, simply staring off into space. He lunged towards Emily, hugging her close as tears dripped out from underneath his visor.

"How... how could that happen?"

The District, Prefecture 12, 2016
"Would a man named Kevin Flaith be here?" Said the police officer, eyeing the man suspiciously. "He's wanted for destruction of police property."

The man smiled and picked up his umbrella, turning to face the policeman. They couldn't help but feel intimidated by the man, despite the fact that the only armament he carried was an umbrella.

"Yeah, sorry about that tank."

WHAT. Thought the woman, trying to figure out how some guy with no obvious weapons had destroyed an army tank. Meanwhile, the man who had been referred to as 'Kevin' continued speaking.

"I go by Kaguya by the way." He said, grinning as if he had already won.

"Ugh, one of you things." Replied the policeman, obviously disgusted. 'Kaguya' responded the moment he had finished.

"I'm impressed, most people here wouldn't know about that name. You're wrong though, I chose it because of mythological significance."

"Well then, 'Kaguya', you'll be coming with me. Destroying a police vehicle is a serious offense, no doubt you'll get a severe punishment." Said the policeman, drawing an electrified baton. "Go ahead and resist, I'd love to knock you out."

"Good luck on that one." Said Kaguya, yanking hard on his umbrella's hold, revealing a sword. Pulling off the hold, he revealed an oddly-shaped hilt with a crossguard that was bent towards the blade. It suddenly became obvious to the woman why he was drenched despite possessing an umbrella, though everyone else in the bar acted like they expected it.

"A sword? Pathetic. I'm in full riot gear you imbecile, that thing won't cut through me!" Replied the policeman, almost laughing at the apparent stupidity of Kaguya.

"This isn't just a sword."

Kaguya lunged at the policeman, a move he fully expected, and thus brought his baton down hard towards Kaguya's head. However, it only bounced off of the sword, which he had somehow moved to block the baton in less than a second. The sword itself was almost reminiscent of a saguaro cactus, and had a copper star embedded in the center of it's hilt. Copper was also embedded around the blade itself in a spiral, which was almost a yard long (the fact that the man could use it so well in the modern day was itself a miracle). The blade also had writing on it, but it was nothing that anyone there could read. It seemed to be a character-based language, but it certainly wasn't Asian. It was more primitive, something you would expect to see scrawled on a cave somewhere. The policeman dropped towards the ground to roll away, moving a meter to the side in the action. However, Kaguya changed direction in the middle of his lunge, as if the sword was pulling him.

"Not yet!" He yelled, and a moment later, the sword plunged into the policeman's foot as he let out a high-pitched yelp.

"How did you-?" He started, only to be cut off by Kaguya.

"I serve but the good of life and liberty, that's what those runes say. In other words, I'm doing exactly what you're supposed to."

Standing tall above the policeman, Kaguya held the sword at the man's neck. To the policeman, it almost glowed, but it didn't glow in any color. It was something else, not something you could get by mixing colors. No, it was a completely alien color, a color that would not be found anywhere else in the universe if it could even be called a color. Nobody else seemed to take notice of it but the policeman, and Kaguya was either used to it or oblivious.

"Go ahead, Arizona." He said, apparently directing the statement to the sword. The policeman looked at Kaguya as if he were insane, and so did the woman. However, the others in the bar just looked on with anticipation. When nothing happened, Kaguya shook the sword, then seemed to be pushing it towards the policeman's neck, though it didn't budge an inch.

"Really? You choose to spare this man, of all people?" Said Kaguya, looking at the sword with a quizzical stare.

The sword fell out of Kaguya's hand, clattering onto the floor. He looked at the policeman, seeming to know that the would not attack him.

"You obviously know my name, so what's yours?" He said, in an almost friendly tone.

"Stellan, Solomon Stellan. What's it to you?"

"I might be seeing you again. Now you'd better leave, and remember: You are supposed to support justice like pillars, not like the ropes from which it is hung."

STC Syren

Major Voroei rose up from his somewhat hunched position and spoke "Very well". The trio approached the table and took up their positions. A Minor reached out towards the half frozen pitcher of water and lifted it, examining for a moment. He raised his hand, and from his gauntlet projected a small, energy dagger. He carefully held it near the pitcher for but a second, then disabled it. Carefully, he replaced the now melted (and, truth be told, now warm) water upon the table. The Major spoke, but he had switched tongue, which to the Aradites would sound as though he spoke another language entire (Which truthfully, he was). The language was calmer and more rolling than the previous one, the words smooth though carrying authoritative tones. He spoke only for a few seconds and then lowered himself into his seat. The minors remained standing for the moment. The major turned his head back towards the Aradites, switching back to the black tongue for the Commanders translator.
"Forgive me for the imposition of my prayer, Commander. It is..." He paused a short moment "Ah come, we shall not bore you. Tell us the state of your corner of the galaxy!" He raised his hand then lowered it and the two minors sank into their seats. The minor took the wine and stared at it for a moment before pouring it into the Majors cup and handing it to the major, who poured it onto the cups of both minors. There was a shimmer as the trio lowered their shields and began to feast upon the meal, with a paticular taste for meat. They ate somewhat noisily as their mandibles snapped and crunched bones, their large predatory teeth tearing the food apart in their mouths. Whenever one of the Lorca finished the wine, the Lorca sitting next to him would pour another drink. It was a sign of great trust of the part of the receiver.
The major sat back slightly and held the cup in one hand, drinking from it. Then he turned his head to the side, as if listening to something, and spoke
"Conduct it as you feel, Lance Minor, only disturb me should the situation be grave."
He returned his gaze to the commander "Forgive me, I am making a poor guest" He bowed his head slightly to look at the floor, then raised it again "Please, tell us about the affairs in this part of the galaxy. My people are as ignorant as a young Garg pup of these going ons. Our knowledge is to our own sectors, where the dead walk and those who are not dead trust us not."

Nouvelle, Alien Contact.

The Minor frowned as he watched the information play, then tapped a command and spoke to the Major
"We are recieving two more contacts, one from the Terrans and the other from... Valkian. How should I respond?"
"Conduct it as you feel, Lance Minor, only disturb me should the situation be grave."
The Minor tapped a control broadcasting back to the Valk Nation and the Terrans in butchered English
"Operating procedure demand two men with the vessel. Lack available warriors for two meetings. Suggest three way meeting at coordinates on Nouvelle. Transmitting. Will arrive in dropship. Come, know us better!"
The port exit from the hanger slid open and the dropship turned around, exiting through the shields. The bulkhead slid shut behind it, and the dropship began to fly down to the planet, heading for a patch of the counctry side a short distance away from the capital city...

New Alas
"I am Archmage Tullian, and I have a offer for you, but before I make it I am sure you heard the Terran's message. What dirty liars! We would never do such a thing. Now for my offer though, we are in a bit of war, and we would like some assistance. If your proud and mighty nation is willing to help us, we will give you many metal resources that we have stored, plus we will allow you to pick a few worlds to take, for the glory of your empire."

The tone Tullian was using seemed very charismatic, and very suggestive. His voice was powerful, and if the diplomat would not accept the offer before, surely he would now.

The Last Hope, the Medi-bay
"I do not think any of knew how it did happen Fergus. We have arrived in another universe, the best we can do now is help the people here prepare. We already detected Chaos, if we do not hurry this universe may receive the same fate as ours."

The Last Hope, Sol
"We do not need bunk space, this ship has been operating at minimal crew capacity and we have our own food production facilities. However we would like a meeting, preferably if you have three individuals named Robert McClain, Fergus McClain, and Emily. "

Station orbiting Sol
Basil rushed to Fergus.

"If you can pull any strings, I need you to try getting us into a meeting with that dreadnought. They could help us on our quest." said Basil.

STC Syren

By the time the Lorca sat at the table Velka had procured a small cigarette and brought it to her mouth. Looking past the tip of the cigarette she could see the Lorca begin to eat, drinking down wine at alarming rates. She stared with wide eyes for a minute with her lighter in hand, surprised by how much they were actually drinking. Most Aradites didn’t even drink like that, those who did had built up a tolerance over many years. It wasn’t that she was afraid that they would run out of wine, they had more the enough to share with the population of Nouvelle. It was the effect on the Lorca she was worried about, this wine would have to kick in sooner or later. Velka finally got around to lighting her cigarette when her officers entered, more then ready to decompress after a shift. Without much more then a courteous bow and greeting the officers sat around the table and began picking pieces of meet and fruit from the table. Others either pulled out pre rolled cigarettes or began rolling their own, producing a large amount of different colored herbs.

“ Could I trouble you for some wine sir?”

a officer said towards the Lorca with the jug, holding out a glass towards him. Soon the room was hazy with sweet smelling smoke and everyone was either eating or talking amongst themselves or to the Lorca, before Velka got up to begin the informal briefing.

“ The current state of affairs in this part of the Galaxy is…..complicated to say the least. A month ago we encountered another alien race when one of our vessels crash landed on their planet. After diplomacy failed rounds were exchanged and the ship scuttled, we suffered some casualties there.”.

Velka pulled a small floating probe over to her as she finished, tapping it once to activate the holographic screen. Soon video from the just before the engagement and the following battle played

“ You can make your own decisions about what occurred there, but for us this was a cause for war. This is the Eternal Union, they seem to be a large military power in the galaxy and have their hands everywhere. Not to long ago we deployed a special reconnaissance team to the planet were orbiting, We found evidence of them there as well”.
Velka sighed as she thought of the next part, taking a long drag on her cigarette before continuing

“ As of 0440 this cycle we haven’t heard anything from the team, they were supposed to radio for extract three hours ago. We expect they may have been captured or killed with all the combat occurring around the planet and we will investigate when the situation allows. Currently, there are two other nations in orbit around the planet the Valkarians I believe and the Terran Federation, acting as protectors for the people down below”. Velka paused to pour herself a glass of wine before bringing the cigarette to her lips again, looking to see the Lorca’s response.

New Alas

The Ultra paused for a moment to read the data flowing over his HUD, then spoke. "The true devotee honours their cause with actions, not words". He took a few steps forward, examining the Archmage. "And what are your deeds? Are you an honourable warrior? What reason do with have to trust your word above the words of the others, 'Archmage'? They acuse you of much dishonour and treachery, why do you not defend your honour against them? Are you scared, or are their accusations true, 'Archmage'?" The Ultra said, towering up and letting out a low growl

STC Syren

The Minor paused for a moment to stare at the officer, as if stunned and then turned to him and pouring the drink. Major Voroei turned his head towards the video and watched it intently, before glancing to what he could best describe as a burning stick in Commander Vellais mouth and back to her face before speaking
"Those are ill tidings indeed, Commander. I pray that if your warriors are dead, that their demise was an honourable one. If they are alive, I pray you recover them before the inevitable end... Though with what you say, it seems the Eternal Union is much better equipped to fight you. And this planets species, are they space capable?"

The other Minor stared at the drink in his hand (Or at least it seemed that way, in reality he was staring at the information on his head up display) before placing it down and leaning somewhat unsteadily to the side and whispering to the Major. Major Voroei turned back to him and nodded shortly, then looked back towards the Commander. He reached up and there was a quick swishing noise as the mandible guards released their grasp on his mandibles and retracted back into the helmet. Not a moment later, the armour surrounding his neck retracted down into his chestplate. This was followed by him removing his helmet and placing it upon the table, revealing his mottled greyish-black head and his slit nostrils. Without the eye pieces covering his eyes, they were noticably brighter. The Major stood up and walked away from the table, and there was a marked shift in the Minors actions. They stopped eating and drinking entirely while the Major was away from the table.

"As for this 'Eternal Union'... My superiors inform me that we have made contact with them. We are in diplomatic proceedings with them as of this day, as measured on by the turning of Riellealasil. They deny everything the Terrans alledge. Which brings me to a point; This-" He gestured to the hologram "-Is illuminating and certaonly casts doubts on the honour of the Eternal Union. But I must ask more of you." Major Voroei took another step forwards and straightened up to his full height, the markings on his chest plate fully visible. Just above the end of his chestplate was visible a thick scar on his neck which curved around his neck and ended slightly above where it started, as though something had wrapped around his neck and cut through it. "To reach my positition, I have slaughtered hundreds. My weapons have destroyed parasite, criminal, traitor and foe alike. I have developed, or like think I have, developed a good judge of character. But I am but a member of the Special Warfare group, my word means little and now the Ghaj is receiving offfers from the Eternal Union to intervene on their side. Profitable offers. But there is more value in honour to the Lorca than any metal or world can bring. We do not wish to side with anyone as dishonourable as the Terrans claim the 'Iscandarians' are. Would you agree with the Terrans accusations that the Eternal Union threatened to use dishonourable methods to destroy their enemies, or that they butchered their allies and 'Civilians?" The Major paused for a moment, before asking "What are 'Civilians', Commander? The term is alien upon my tongue.