The militant prime wandered through his ship through a path he had wandered a thousand times aboard a ship that pre-dated much of the Empire's territory on this side of the galatic core. He was angry, old, and tired, when he took command of The Forsaken he promised himself that he would see real progress in the war before he died. This personal promise had haunted him more and more in the past few years with his advancing age, and he needed to fulfill it. Else he would be remembered as Boh-Dak the lazy or some such non-sense. He had made life for the empire difficult around the home system, sure, he had done nothing but maintain the status quo which only redoubled his resolve to make some real head way in the few years he had left before age claimed his life.

He stopped walking when he reached the vast hangar bay and looked out the huge blast resistant windows. He was in a pressure suit, the hangar was never pressurized because it was simply too vast and provided no aid to keep it pressurized. He stared out into the void, obsured by nebulae, when a thought struck him. The Mekhar, he almost shouted the name when he thought of it. They had been holding the Empire at bay for years far better than the Gargan ever had. The two xenos had clashed on a couple occasions, but the Gargan where always defeated when the two collided. It had been nearly 400 years since the two had clashed, a peace brokered due to the encroaching threat of humanity. He struck his comm-link to the bridge in his suit, "Find me a long range cruiser! and a few frigate escorts! muster them for extended travel."

The Militant walked back to the bridge while the forces where being assembled and supplied. He had pondered why the Gargan had never reached out to the Mekhar before, he really couldn't think of a reason... Well, other than the refusal of aid that spelled the doom of the last Grand Armada. Maybe that old grudge was it, he couldnt be sure but 308 years was a long time to hold a grudge. When he finally reached the bridge a small fleet had been assembled, long range ships designed to be on patrol for months at a time. He hailed each of the ships to relay their orders.

"captain, you are to take your fleet and make your way to Mekhar space, quietly if you can. You will not be found by Human patrols." Boh-Dak said "You will slip deep into Mekhar territory and broadcast an ambassador designation. You are there to meet with an official of theirs and make a deal."

"what deal is that sir?" says the cruiser captain

"Their shielding technology. They have been holding the humans at bay with it for hundreds of years. it must be a powerful we must have it"

"and if they refuse?"

Boh-dak hesitated at this, he wasnt sure what he would do if they refused, it hadn't even occured to him. Surely they would aid anyone fighting with the empire, if not... "if not, we are pirates. Capture one of their vessels that use the shielding technology and return it to us. Our scientists will take it from there. But do not do this until you must! Capture is a last resort."

"of course Militant. I request a unit of Heavy Marines if this turns into a pirate operationg."

The Militant waived his had dismissively. "of course, but again, Piracy of the Mekhar is a last resort."

"Understood."

The Militant closed the communications link and observed the fleet, For an hour various shuttles ferried supplies to the readied fleet, ammunition, food, water, fuel. Everything they would need for months in space. The cruiser was even granted a pair of Light fighter drones to occupy its launch tubes. Then the fleet fires up their FTL drives, making careful jumps to evade commonly patrolled parts of space. Arriving only at lonely stars or is the heart of nebulae befor firing the drives again to creep a little closer to Mekhar space, mostly moving 'up' in relation to the galactic plane, hopefully exploiting the Human tendancy to work within a flat plane rather than a 3D map.

---

Six Gargan battle suits stomped out from a cargo ship onto the concours of one of the smaller stations orbiting the planet. The Cargo ship was totally unmarked and was broadcasting a human distress signal, requesting emergency docking. Everything set to look like a routine Life support failure in system, and only drew the attention of a few security officers. The battle suits where follwed by two dozen battle droids, shoddy in make, several with exposed endoskeletons and wiring. The droids and battle suits opened up on any security or EOM forces on the concorse. The heavy rail rifles of the battle suits hammering security forces down in rapid sucessuion. The droids cutting them down with combined fire from many simple pulse lasers. Blast doors began to fall almost immediately, but it was an insignificant problem as one of the battle suits produced a heavy industrial cutter, one too heavy for most humans to carry let alone use, and began cutting through one of the walls near the door, leading to a different corridor than the one being heavily fortified with EOM forces. in a minute they had cut into an engineering tunnel, beraly large enough to allow the battle suits through. However, one of the battle suits and half the droids stayed behind covering the advance, keeping EOM forces pinned behind the doors with volleys of pulse laser and rail slugs.

The EOM scrambled to harass the boarding party, but having a difficult time in the cramped spaces of the engineering tunnels, the battle suit bulk shrugging off most fire and returning the favor with punishing volleys of fire. It was a short trip but the Gargan boarding party found their objective, the massive chlorine tanks used to supply Gargan breathing apparatus. two of the battle suits had been cut down by EOM forces, including every droid they had brought but with their prize in sight they pushed the EOM back. A dozen satchel charges where placed around the tanks and on walls connecting to major areas of the station.

The charges where detonated with the Battle Suits in the room, killing the whole team, but releasing thousands of gallons of Chlorine into the station's atmosphere, being pumped rapidly throughout the station. The security teams and commanders of the station had ample warning before the air became too toxic to breath but many did not. hundreds of civilians and any human too far from an enviro-suit all died of toxic exposure. Fully two thirds of the station population where killed and dozens of systems taking damage from being exposed to the oxidizing gas.

Adene
City Io, Market District

A human majority city, with only a ten percent Yorvian population. "Irritating." was Adene's only thought.

It was a cold morning, 9:00 AM with the sun shining down onto the city as the sky was cloudless. Birds hopped about in the town square, picking at food as people walked by carrying bags filled with fruit. The stalls and vendors active and alive as people would come and go, money in hand and quickly spent. In the middle of the square was a religious structure, cathedral-like in looks, with a stature of the Emporium of Man's leader- the holy 'Thorisan' gracing the city with his appearance in steel form -at the sides of the religious structure. It is here that the humans held much faith in their Emperor, selling goods from Human cargo ships, human workers gathering around and talking to each other, human youth waiting for local transport to move them back home...So many humans.

Never in her life had she seen a city of her own kind, Yorvians. They existed beyond her, out of reach and unable to be accessed. There were many times where the officers would assure that somehow, one day, she would. But it always got farther and farther away, every time she left that dreadful bunker it'd be right into a vehicle, then in a box, then mailed somewhere halfway across this hostile planet into a human city, killing a guard or two and hiding until she could walk about without suspicion. Well, any more suspicion then the regular human already has.

"Adene." Her earpiece buzzed.

It was the same voice of the same man who stayed the calm under every circumstance. A communications officer that was never seen, the guiding and impossibly intelligent voice that gave all orders and all directions, no more living than she was, just another person working towards the freedom of this planet. There was no room for friendship or small talk, nor even anything deep and philosophical.

"Go ahead." Adene replied emptily, watching a young human pull her mother over to a stall selling little toy soldiers, carved from wood by the vendor himself, who was happy to sell them. They were so innocent in nature. It hurt to watch. Adene would swiftly look away from the human populous and blankly ahead, moving through with her hands in her pockets, wearing a long coat that hid her body. The milita stationed at the square would be watching Adene and the few Yorvians that lived here undoubtedly, their hatred of the native populace knowing no bounds.

"Everyone is in position, plant the devices. When it commences, you know what to do." Her earpiece buzzed once more, a silent Yorvian who walked by her gave a light nod and kept on walking. Every Yorvian in this city held some sort of hatred for humanity, every week had its raid, every month had its executions. It wasn't hard to inspire a open rebellion, all they needed was a signal, a very big and loud signal that every news channel would focus on for views. Sure, the humans would deal with the propaganda that'd coat this event as a little mistake by construction workers, but the Yorvians in this city would know the truth...

Well, so the Liberation Front thought.

Adene kept moving on up to the walls of the cathedral, feeling the stone with a single hand as any human nearby would quickly begin to shift uncomfortably, moving away from the wall and glaring as Adene walked past. There were so many of them, crowds of them, varied in nature but all with the same disgust. Some spitting at her while others cursed insults. So common. Her hands would slip back into her pockets, feeling the metallic rectangular device covered in a strange substance. That substance was a perfect combination of chemicals that'd keep this device attached to stone, the same stone this cathedral was made out of. Once most of the humans had looked away and moved on, she'd place a single device on the wall, moving off to walk around the entrance of the cathedral.

Cameras adjusted and watched her carefully, the guards of the cathedral hissing and spouting insults loudly.

"Rat-faced mongrel."
"Ear-freak!"
"Snout-nosed bitch!"

The insults were not unexpected for quite a few reasons, though the most important was their 'glorious' carpet- a long red one that extended out from the cathedral, which she walked on to get over to the other side and around the corner. Some of the soldiers would chant and get joined by fellow humans, who were quick to back off once she disappeared again and was far from their sight.

Once around to the other wall, she'd plant the device and walk off toward the street right near the square, walking across once the road was clear of moving traffic and heading toward a nearby store on the corner of a building facing the square, owned by a Yorvian himself.

"So, how goes today?" the store owner asked, patiently waiting outside the entrance while another Yorvian managed the cash register inside.

"Pretty good." Adene stated calmly, lifting up a detonator in front of him, clicking it.

In a single second grey clouds covered the square, encompassing all that could be seen while stone debris flew around, smashing into the statues, cowering humans and nearby stalls. Nearby buildings would have their windows broken from the sheer blast, meanwhile the cathedral groaned loudly. Guards nearby would rush into the cloud, human civilians running the opposite, quickly bunching up under the shadow of ceilings and behind cars or pillars. It wasn't long before the cathedral itself collapsed in on itself, followed by an even larger cloud of debris pushing outward. Adene and the store owner would walk inside and quickly close the door while the outside was filled with panic...

In the following minutes a gunfight would ensue, between Yorvian rebels and the human defenders, which then would swiftly end in human victory thanks to a their superior firepower and weaponry. Those who could hide did, embracing the beginner of the soon-to-be war that'd kick off in Io, one of the largest cities on this planet.

The silence, the cease-fire between Yorvian and Human cities, and all that waiting. The suspense was finally gone, war had come back home.

@Vecee

Chapter 2: Acts of aggression

---

---

Adene
Io City
9:20 Imperial Yorvan Time

"This is 3-1, there are more survivors here. We need emdical assistance." The radio crackled and the faces inside the ambulance frowned in simphony. Nothing had warned them of the events that ensued, and as men who swore an oath to save lives the couldn't bear to hear the news. Dozens of human and yorvan casualties and a historic architecture demolished into fine dust. The truck bumped on something and the light flickered for a second. Then the movement stopped and 2 soldiers opened the doors on the back. The paramedics grabbed their first aid kits, and jumped out the back as quick as they could. A few soldiers stood nearby, and each of them accompanied a medic to guide them around.

It was a narly sight. Civilians, most of them humans, formed a circles around the rubble that once used to be the cathedral, and a handful of soldiers tried to keep them back. Body parts could be seen hanging out from the rubble, and blood covered most of the square. A few heavely deformed Yorvan bodies laid on the stone tiles, the marks of the high speed bullets that shred them apart still visible. The moaning of the survivors accompanied the bustling of the crowd, and the Militia soldiers worked harder than ever to remove the bricks from the tortured souls caught under them.

But not the Yorvan survivors. The first gunshot was heard shortly after the medics arrived. The first offical Yorvan civilian to give their life for the rebellion. A paramedic clinged onto the hand of another soldier who was trying to shoot another Yorvan, begging to spare it's life. She was pushed away, and another casualty was recorded into the combat logs. The other medics stopped trying to help the xenos, but every time they heard a gunshot, their bodies shhok in agony. They were furios about the attack, but they were healers, not fighters. The rest of the avacuation went silently, apart from a few Yorvans in the crowd who had to be tazed for "unappropriate social behaviour".

2 hours later, Yorvan Imperial Embassy

The massive crowd of angry Yorvans was an overwhelming site. Even thought they only had stones and sticks, the damage they caused to the Embassy was already larger than the entire monthly paycheck of the building's staff. The guards in front of the place already jumped into their riot gear, and were sustaining the heavy blows of the rocks. A loudspeaker on a pole above them blared an automated message behind them. "By illegally protesting here, you are committing crime against the governement of the Emporioum of Man. Refrain from your current actions, or suffer the full consquences of your actions." It couldn't keep going on for much longer, as a rock hit in the side and it fell to the ground, breaking into many smoking pieces.

"Finally, that shit was starting to annoy me." Jill sighed in her suit as she saw the devide hit the floor. They are already taking a beating from the crowd, and they didn't need another annoyance to top of their day. Another rock hit her shield, and the screen on it cracked loudly, and the message displayed got distorted into something unreadable. "Son of a bitch!". She cocked her tazer gun, and shot a few shock bolts into the crowd. As the projectiles hit, Yorvans fell to the ground, violently shaking from the few million volts delivered to their bodies. As a response, more people appeared with rocks and other throwables and bombarded their lines.

It wasn't easy to notice in the masive array of sounds, but with the hearing assist of her helmet, Jill noticed something coming from the crowd. It sounded like repeated clicks from all directions, and they were eeriely familiar to a gun turning it's safety off, and readying the bolt to fire. "Watch out, we may have armed Tangos inside the crowd. Eyes on the faces, don't let those suckers shoot you. If you think they have a gun, shoot a couple of tazers into them until they turn into fried meat." And indeed, one of her temmates pulled up his pistol, and shot a few tazers bullet into a Yorvan standing nearby.

The response came in the form of a simphony of gunfire, as old gunpowder based weapons fired at the guards. Most of the bullets bounced off, but a much deeper sound occasionally accompanied the other guns, and a large caliber shell was fired into the defensive perimeter. It was enough to bend the shields, and crack the screens below them, and it allowed the other guns to put more pressure on the police. Jill and his squad members slowly started to retreat, their arms shaking in the gunfire that pelleted their shields. "We need support! We are under heavy fire!"

A few more steps back, and they reached an inner gate of the compund. Jill pressed a few buttons on the holopad next to the gate, and a finely woven metal net sprung up from the ground. The shells hitting them travelled for about another meter, stretching the net, but ultimately losing their momentum. But the large caliber shell didn't stop, and took one of the guards off guard as it pierced the net, and hit them on the helmet. He didn't die according to the display on Jill's holo, but he was knocked unconcious. "Where is that goddamn help?"

As if you only had to wish for it, a continous sound of gunfire erupted from behind them. In one of the windows of the embassy, a massive machinegu was set up, and it was now firing into the crowd at an insane rate of fire. Those who could flee did. But most of them couldn't. The Yorvan bodies dropped like flies, and the gunfire from the other side stopped in almost an instant. The machinegun fired a few more short bursts into the pile of bodies, and then the operators reloaded it foor god measures. Jill looked back at them, but could not say a word at the sight.

In front of the embassy, a few hundred Yorvan bodies lied, torn to shreds by bullets and bloodied by their fellow Yorvans. If this wasn't going to make the Yorvans rebel, then nothing would. It was a show of deterrance by the Yorvans, and they got their answer in the form of raw force, and a few thousand bullets.

In many other cities, protests have already broken out, similar to these, and all the EOM soldiers were instructed to use any force they deem necessary to end these revolts. The number of casualties rose with every second, and the planet headed towards a straight out war. The ships in orbit started to load their guns up, and fuel the dropships and fighters. The battleship above the capital fired a couple of bursts from it's autocannon into a Yorvan monument, near where a crowd of civilians were protesting. A show of force from the Empire, to deter all who would oppose them. Only time would tell how the Yorvans react to it.

The question rippled throughout like a wave. At first, silence. Then, repeats. The singular mind flooded with the question, a product of thousands of unique alter egos. All confused. All terrified. They all spoke in unison, a thousand mingling voices of the same origin. The trembling human was brought before the single mind. Their head rang with the accusation. “You. Butcher of worlds. Those ones. You.”

Silence.

“Your people’s hubris. The butcher’s breach of promise to extinguish the fire of the heavens!” came the cry. Again, a thousand voices in unison. An overwhelming sensation. A pain. A deep, terrible pain. A throbbing, unspeakable pain. Then, the embrace of sweet darkness. No more feeling.

Light. They had waited. They always waited. The singular mind always was and always will. The ones who wait. “You abomination,” they cried again, still in eerie unison, “you created creature. You let loose the king. Where is the crown of the heavens?” Again, the pain returned. But this time, the human could not pass out. The pressure in their head indicated how so desperately they wanted to. But they couldn’t. They did not respond to the mind.

“Seek the crown of the heavens. Seek the metal servant. The metal servant was designed to guard against the butchers. You. Seek the armor. Seek the writing. Heal the sun.” the pain continued in the human’s head, but yet they still could not pass out. It was unbearable. They were undoubtedly giving him commands.

He blinked.

Then, the human was on their old scout ship. Incredibly outdated to modern standards, yet still as new as when it entered the realm. He was being.. Pushed out? Excitement overtook the human. He was finally to be free. From where, exactly? He had long since forgotten. His only goal was to get out, and, swimming in the back of his mind, in distinct madness, was the command to find the crown, the armor, and the writing.

What sun? They didn’t know, but they were left with a compulsion to find out.

---

The humans at the research base had recently made a shocking discovery. Deep near the core of the planet, they had found a massive AI core. They had not yet explored it, but it was theorized to have replaced the outer core entirely. They had seen nothing living of Incident Lambda before, so the AI was a great surprise.

If only they knew how to interface with it.

There were a lot of questions following the creation of the Liberation Front, many of them could be answered with enough time, but where their base would be located was a matter of discovery. When the administration and military commanders had to make a choice, all agreed on a place of seclusion, one where neither friend nor foe could know, or where they'd never go. Fortunately for them such a hideout existed deep within the wilderness, one made long before Yorva fell under control of their new dictators. To repair it required much effort, but it was all the more worth it to have around.

A bunker buried within a mountain, one of the few military installations that their hedonistic society had thought of building many centuries ago. It's purpose was forgotten even then, with much of the place originally having lavish decorations and priceless artwork. It had all aged naturally, one of the many reasons to renovate the place into a full military fortress. But it not only withheld the brawn of the Liberation Front, for Tul Konstler himself watched over his developing nation from this bunker, regularly informed on the developments taking place on the ever changing world. Administrative, military and logistical staff alike lived and worked in this bunker, the people who were the most professional of all the Liberation Front's personnel.

It wasn't easy living by any stretch of the means, the grey walls and floors were incredibly dull, no one could leave unless there was a armed convoy or VTOL on station (which there rarely was) and constantly reading casualty reports was beyond depressing. Nonetheless they did their job with little complaints, especially the guards, men and women who were both disciplined and experienced, having seen their fair share of death in the past battles.

Tul gave a heavy sigh, there were going to be a lot more people like that once they were in a position to bargain with the EoM for independence. As if that time would ever come.

The door slid open, followed with the clatter of military boots, only a mere pair. The voice was familiar, that of stress and held back anger, Ja'la Uris, their military leader. "The entire operation was an unorganized mess!" he was entering the room before the door was even fully opened, carrying a document thick with papers, slamming it onto the table in front of Tul, causing him to nearly jump out of his chair. "A lot of people already died, civilians, the type you said that'd be able to "Storm the palace"- ridiculous!" Ja'la continued, his voice echoing throughout the hall, enough so that a guard peeked his head into the room before backing out again.

Tul adjusted himself in his chair, before him was a long and empty table where meetings would take place. He had sat here in hopes that the general wouldn't so recklessly assault his privacy, it didn't work. "Getting more violent with the humans wont work, how many times have we gone over this?" Tul replied, baffled.

Ja'la breathed inward, calming himself down with a loud exhale. "Open the documents, look at the documents, specifically our attempts in Io."

He complied, taking his thick fingers and looking through the document as the general loomed over him with a judging stare. In a matter of minutes Tul would look back up, any emotion from before had been replaced with a slight fear. "Call for a meeting, now."



The room was filled with all the high ranking officials. They varied in ages, appearances and backgrounds, but all of them had the same exceptional dedication and unique experience of working out in the field for so long, or being so smart that they didn't need to be. In front of them was a large projector, showing an in depth image of Io city, eagles-eye view. Ja'la had been going over an elaborate plan of how'd they would take it over, using a wooden stick to point at every little street and building that he mentioned. After explaining it for a few hours, he'd turn about, the projector being turned off and the personnel addressed.

"In summary? Our priority is to destroy Io's communications facility, while simultaneously taking control of the gate into the southern-most section of the city. While we fill the city with reinforcements over time via our armed convoys, the casualties for the EoM will mount, causing more forces to be routed towards our concentration of military might, further causing casualties for the humans. In return, we'll be in a better bargaining position for an independent Yorva as this war becomes more and more costly for these bastards." Ja'la then took a breath, he had grudgingly mentioning that 'bargaining position' and passing a glare to Tul, before continuing "However, that'll all be planned by me, Sao and Tul. The rest of this plan relies on coordinated efforts from all of you, helping the rebels survive long enough to keep the Emporium from breaching through and forming an offensive of their own. We keep them on the defensive and keep harassing them, we'll win this easy. Any questions?"

Tul leaned back in his chair, hands placed over his stomach as the talking continued on. There was no listening from him though- instead, all that could be thought about is how costly this ambitious plan was. Sometimes, it seemed like rebelling against the Emporium of Man was a mistake in of itself, especially with someone like General Uris at the helm of all the Front's military efforts...



Since the door had closed there was non-stop packing.

The store owner and his employee weren't keen on sticking around considering it wouldn't be long before the militia stopped by. To say they were thorough was a understatement- they didn't leave much to be searched after they came around to a Yorvian business. Especially if said business was suspected of harboring sympathies to any anti-human organization, and had clear proof of working with such organizations, like the tunnel below their store.

This cathedral's bombing was all determined by that, single, tunnel. No other rebel group had such a nice way of getting out of a hot zone once things got explosive. So many other targets were worth striking- the barracks, the (now to be targeted) communications center, the embassy, landing pads...But of all places, only the cathedral had rebel sympathizers with a means of escape. High command had altered their expectations on Io right from the get go. Instead of starting their war with a bang, it'd be with a distraction- have the militia focus their forces toward the explosion, as well as the riots, then destroy the communications facility while the militia was too busy being distracted.

But even now were the plans still changing. Once Adene had taken the tunnel to the slums, she'd have to wait until a team could take control of the city's gate, then mount an assault on the communications facility while other rebel teams attacked their targets. It was so much more easier to do everything alone, she liked it alone, this was anything but alone.

The store owner then came out of the storage room while the employee pushed a large wooden box through the door. "Okay, we cleaned out the storage and have the tunnel open, your equipment should be back there as well, its been a while, so you might want to brush the dust off. We'll give you time to get prepped, just don't take long alright?"

Adene got up, already discarding her trench coat onto the table. "I'll be fast, you should be getting ready to move." she replied coldly, walking into the storage and closing the door behind her.

There was a square hole in the middle of the storage room, green walls, dimly lit light and cold grey floor tiles surrounding it, with a single rectangular wooden box at the end of the room. Adene walked over to it, pulling it into the light- there was a painted symbol on it, a circle with a fist rising through it. The Liberation Front. Blowing the dust off of it, the box would creak open as her hands lifted the top, revealing the high quality contents. A submachine gun, green jumpsuit with advanced flexible plating, fingerless gloves and military boots, as well as a harness, ammunition, numerous ammo pouches and a combination of miscellaneous equipment. It was meant for an ease of movement over protection, though the jumpsuit's advanced plating would at least assured stray shrapnel wouldn't kill her below the head.

Getting the jumpsuit over the width of her lower body would be the only issue, everything else worked and fit perfectly, as good as it was when produced and shipped out a month in advance. Discarding her old clothes into the box, she'd open the storage room's door, motioning for the two Yorvian rebels to start moving.

The travel beneath those tunnels would take forty five minutes at the least considering the length in which they'd had to go, so once everything was packed into their bags and all the boxes were smashed (though not too loudly) and the tiles behind them were put in place, they'd leave the abandoned store, moving on through the lit tunnels swiftly.

@Sophrus@Necroknight@Liotrent

---

---

Icarus Prime
Citadel One, Grandmaster of Vision's office
14:00 Icarus Prime Central Time

The door leading into the Grandmaster's office opened, and two Milita soldiers walked in. They took their positions on both sides of the doorway, and lowered their guns by their sides. A few seconds passed, and confusion started to fill the room as no-one entered. One of the soldiers peeked outside, and then quickly took his position again as if he saw a ghost. A small man walked into the room, his chest plaque adored with my rankings. The EOM Governor of Icarus Prime, Gallius was holding a large pack of paper documents in his hand. He walked up to the desk of the Grandmaster, and the soldiers closed the door behind him. When he reached the desk, Gallius threw the documents onto the desk, and then sighed in relief. "Alexius Harakam, Grandmaster of Vision. I am so happy to finally meet you again. It has been ages since our last meeting." His voice had no signs of sarcasm, and the usually arrogant human accent wasn't noticable either. He looked around the room, and then pulled up a chair in front of the desk. Hesat down, and reached for a terminal in his pockets.

"Your deeds didn't go unnoticed grandmaster. Neither did the sacrifices of your men." He pointed at the documents on the table. "This is all the administrative bullshit I went through just for you. But I am sure it was worth it." He cleared his throat, and opened a file on his terminal. The small holoprojector fizzled to life, and the text appeared in the air between the two men. "As of this day, on the 298th Imperial Year, on the fifth month's twenty fifth rotation, I, Emperor Thorisan, grant you the title of Primus General. With this title comes many responsibilities and - yada yada, whatever! You get teh gist of it." Gallius swiped the file over to the Grandmaster's own terminal. "In a nutshell, you are no longer auxilaries. After your participation in repelling the Vespen, the Emperor was notified about your actions, by me if I may add, and this letter is your offical recognition in the army." He leaned back in the chair, and crossed his fingers in his stomach. Gallius sat in silence for some time and then continued. "Not all of are xenophobiacs. If you keep helping the EOm like this, I am sure that you'll raise through the ranks quickly. You and your men could become prime examples of the Emperor's grace, and that co-operation is the only way to achieve your freedom. But don't go around waving that certificate. Most of the high-ups are still accustomed to xenophobic customs, and it certainly wouldn't help if you pressed them."

He stood up from the chair and palced his hands on the desk, leaning closer to the grandmaster. "Of course, I expect you to repay the favor on a later date. Whilst I beleive that I made the right choice, if it ever comes down to shit hitting the fan, I want myself to be no part of this whole thing. Let's just hope that doesn't happen." He took a deep breath and put on a more friendly face "Now go and celebrate with your men. You earned it." With that he packed the doucments together and picked them up once again. One of teh soldiers rushed to his aid, and grabbed the pack from his hands to help. Gallius replied with a simple nod and headed towards the door. Before leaving the room he turned back once more to adress Alexius Harakam. "Enjoy tonight. Tomorrow you are being relocated to Sector 17. You'll need your men's spirit to be as high as possible." Then the door slam shut.

---

Sub-Quantum Space
Inbound to Martine Kell's terminal

Incoming Transmission
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.
.
[CLASSIFIED INFORMATION]
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.
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[SECURITY CODE MATCH]
[ID MARTIN KELL]
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[DATA DECRYPTED]

<This material is highly secretive, and has been encoded with Level 5 security measures. Any attempts at decrypting the data by unathorized hands will result in the data being expunged. Handle with caution.>

To Spymaster Martin Kell

Since your departure from the Capital we've receiving troubling news from other spymasters. It is hard to reach our agents in such a remote location like Konev's sector, but the interference occasionally allows a few long range messages. As you may or may not have heard, rebel activity has been increasing in many ares of the Empire, especially in sector 17, YOUR sector. We cannot allow that to happen to the Crayven worlds, so you must press on Konev to reveal everything he knows, and extract every bit of data you can from the auxilaries. We are also sending the 87th fleet to Admiral's rest to form a defensive blockade in case rebel activity gets out of hand. I expect you to keep things in check whilst you stay there, and to possibly root out the rebellion in the system alltogether. You must also continue working on getting rid of Admiral Konev and his influence on the system, or we may have to use the local forces to seize control. I am hopeful that you can complete your task succesfuly, and that we will not have to resort to violent actions like that.

Inqirius Jol

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Gargan Homeworld
High orbit, orbital command station
19:46 Standard Imperial Galactic Time

A moment of silence. From the view of the command deck, the destruction of the EGS Commercial Hub looked spectacular. Spectacularly devastating. The thin lines of dust started to form a ring, any the dying station kept spewing out more and more particles or frozen water and chlorine. The orbital command looked as if it drifted on top of this debris stream. "Give the order to end the station. I don't like dying things." One of the operators nod, and sent a message to the battleships in orbit. Half a dozen railgun shells impacted on the station at the same time, and it gloriously exploded into a mass of broken metal and biomass that could be seen even from the planet's surface.

"Give orders to land all forces on the surface. We will tighten security in every area. No street should be left without a soldier in it." Militiantus Dominik gave orders on the bridge. His cold face betrayed his feelings: a burning harted towards the Gargans. The only thing that stopped him from bombing the planet into oblivion was the many human souls on the planet. He didn't want a massacre under his command, but the Gargans didn't give him much of a chance. "Also notify the carriers to deploy all the VTOL gunships, as well as the Police ones. Make sure to equip all with a machine gun: I want these bloody xenos to fear our machines of war. We perfected the art of murder for thousands of years, so lets put it to a good use."

He grabed his beard and started stroking it gently. It was his giveaway of thinking hardly before making a decision. "Also make sure to notify the populus about the curfew rules. Anyone owho isn't human looking enough that is out on the streets after 8 and before 6 should be shot on sight, no questions asked. This goes for the Militia and the gunships as well."

An officer walked into the bridge, and handed a small data pad to Dominik. The casualty report of the EGS station. The Militiantus clecnhed his hands, and angrily dismissed the offcier. "Make sure that the battleships above the cities keep live ammo loaded all times, and let them initiate lockdown mode. Martial law is now in effect in all cities. Keep the searching lights going on at night, and always have someone watch the heat sensors. Make sure the ships jam all communications going in or out. If the rebels want to play, then they must come out of hiding to communicate." Dominik smiled fondly at his master plan. He was sure that this would force the hand of the Gargan rebels to coume out of hiding and attack them head on. Or at least try to be even sneakier and as scuh reducing their effectiveness. "Yes, let them face us head on, when they stand no chance."

"Is that all Militiantus?" The officer looked up from his terminal, and waited for a response. "Yes, that is all. Give the order to mobilize. And keep me updated on the situation hourly!" With that, Militiantus Dominik walked away from the officer, and took his palce on the elevated deck that oversaw the whole room. He sat down in his chair, and tried to hide his anger by drinking whisky straight out of the bottle. he knew that it was going to be a long, long week for him and everybody else. But he will prevail.

Icarus Prime
Citadel One, Temple of the Order
15:00 - Icarus Prime Central Time

The Grandmaster of Vision had spend around an hour looking over the document - comparing the handwriting and holo-signature with that of the older texts that they had. Namely that this order in question had been written by the Emperor himself - he couldn't be 100% certain that this had been done by the Emperor himself. But the order itself was binding - and they were one step closer, to being awarded back their titles of Imperial Knights.

His eyes had stared at the back of the Governer. Leave it to shit to hit the methodical fan, before their 'representative' to the Imperial Court to arrive and try to fix things. Namely after - the entirety of Icarus Prime is overrun with hostile xenos, a good portion of the human population had to be relocated and the xeno population completely disappeared into thin air, and the local ruler had been lynched due to corruption. He hadn't much respect for Imperial bureacrats anyway - the only people whom earned his respect were the Empire' army (as anybody dying in combat, was people worthy to respect) and the Emperor himself.

He soon pocketed the letter and had activated the communincator for every last Order warrior on Icarus Prime. As he pumped up his chest and spoke with great pride and glory. "MY fellow brothers and sisters. Today is a day for celebration. Our Glorious Emperor has addressed us! Today! We are no longer, warriors of honor bound to guard a forgotten realm in the vastness of space! Today we have been given the chance to join the Empire of Man, in the Eternal Crusade above the stars!"

"Make ready! For today we spend our last supper, on this planet! Tomorrow! We march amongst the stars! For the Emperor!" he roared, getting it in reply. With several, regular humans on the streets suddenly curious - on why all of the Order' soldiers in question cheered 'For the Emperor' in unison.

@6slyboy6

@Vecee

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Yorvha
Io City
17:42 Imperial Yorvan Time

"Citizens! The curfew starts at 6 PM IYT! All citizens found on the streets after 6 will be taken into custody and released after the curfew is over at 6 AM! Any effort to organize meetings after the curfew is considered illegal, and an act of defiance towards your local governement. Bars and pubs will close at 5:45, and anyone inside will be forcefully removed." the loudspeaker blared on top of the armored truck. A searchlight lit up the shady streets of the city. The sun was still up, but only it's most determined rays of light managed to illuminate the small streets and alleys of the Io. 4 Militia soldiers carrying guns accompanied the APC, taking positions next to the corners of the vehicle. The truck featured many independant armor panels on it's side, clearly meant to protect the vehicle from one or multiple AP shells. The Black-Orange pattern of the EOM covered the entirety of the vehicle and gave it a fearsome gun. To finish the display of absolute dominance over the streets, an automatic gun scanned every corner of the street and turned around in seemingly random directions.

On the top of the vehicle near it's front, a crew member was leaning out of a hatch. She was looking around the streets, observing their eerie emptiness. Most of the people on the streets already left and went home, fearing that the soldiers may begin the curfew earlier than announced. Only the alcoholist occupied the streets, stumbling home in a drunken state that was miserable to look at. One such group of humans approached the convoy and raised the bottles high in the air as they shouted racist things into the night air. "Yeah boys, show these snot nosed xenos not to blow up our shit!". One of the soldiers giggled into the intercomms, and the rest of them seemed to be supressing their laughter at the sight of the drunkards. The Militia member closest to them replied with joy in his voice. "We'll do. You just make sure those bottles get empty!" The laughter finally filled the intercomms, and the convoy left behind the drunken group who gave the soldiers a discomforting look.

The woman on the top pulled a helmet out from the vehicle, and put it on her head. It was different from the helmet the other Militia members used, and it beared the insignia of the Imperial Military on top. She attached a large plastic tube to the back of her helmet, and switched on some things via the HUD. She was frowning inside, and muted the laughter on the intercomms. Her vision was filled with detailed information of every pebble and dust particle on the street, and the vehicle's sensors kept updating her HUD. Maybe it was too much information for one person, but the pilots and crew members of the Imperial Military were accustomed to filtering out excess data from their data feeds. You have to get used to it, or you've spent years of your life getting into the Military for nothing. She pulled up her jacket and looked at a small watch on her wrist. The clock's hands slowly ticked clockwise, and they finally hit 6 PM. "It's showtime boys. No radio chatter from now, we're going full blackout. Check your sensor link with the APC regularly and don't forget your gun on safety. if you're feeling triger happy then now is a good time to get into the back of the truck. Shoot only if you see a gun, we don't want this curfew to be an administrative disaster." She descended back into the truck and closed the hatch above her. The spotlight turned off, and a small red light replaced it on the side of the gun. An IR scanner to paint the terrain and possible hostiles. The other lights also wnet black on the truck, and the soldiers turned off their flashlights.

10 Minutes later

The HUD lit up with an incoming message. Bob looked around the convoy before opening the message. It was from Mike, the guys just in front of him.
-You think they'd send us outta here just for a curfew? *Mike*
Perhaps. It wasn't unheard of to put a curfew on worlds where the population was rebelling against the Empire.
-Whats so strange about it? How else are we supposed to keep the curfew if no one is patrolling. *Bob*
-No, I mean why send out a motorised patrol.
-Seems strange to me. *Mike*
He had a point. Why not just send a normal patrol of a few soldiers. Why would they need an APC against a few drunk people who forgot where they live?
-And did you see that chcik in the truck? She is from the frucking Military. *Mike*
-So what? *Bob*
-Have you ever SEEN anyone from the Military before? *Mike*
-We all have on the holoNet. *Bob*
-In real life. *Mike*
-No. Of course not. They don't deal with policing duty.
-Oooooh.... *Bob*
Mike really hit the spot there. Why would the military send resources here? Aren't they busy defending against the Mekhar and doing other interstellar military campaigns? Things escalated quickly.
-So what are you proposing? *Bob
-The whole city has been on a lockdown since the accident last night. I haven't seen a Glory battleship in action before, but ever since the terrorist attack they keep their searchlight switched on permanently. And all these gunships and drones don't fly around for no reason. Something is fishy about this curfew as well. *Mike*
-Like? *Bob*
-Apart from the Military APC, gunships and drones? I don't know dude, have you ever felt like you are in battle instead of patrol duty? *Mike*
-Yeah I can see what you mean. But seriously, tell me what you think. *Bob*
-Okay, here's the deal: I think this ain't some curfew. I think something is about to go down, but the HQ doesn't know when or where yet, so they decided that the curfew is the best execuse to mobilize troops around the city. And from the firepower they are bringing, it seems to me that they are expecting something big to happen. *Mike*
-You guys cease this talk immidiately or I'll take you back to HQ, and you can tell them your ideas yourself. *Sgt Misha*
<End of transmission>
Thought the lens of the helmet covered her face, the woman looked at Bob with a possibly angry look. Her body language showed nothing but anxiety, possibly to taze both of them for disobeying a direct order. A gunship flew past above them, the searchlights illuminating the street for a second. The insignia on her helmet gleamed in the light, and burnt into his retina. The Sgt looked up at the VTOL and then retracted back into the truck and closed the hatch shut again. In front of him Mike turned back to him, and used sign language to send a last message "Remember what I said. Ready the gun, finger on trigger."
-I can still see you with the sensors Pvt Mike. We'll have a chat about this later. *Sgt Misha*
Silence befall the convoy again as they marched through the dark streets of the Io, anxious about what's gonna happen now.

_{Mekhar space}

The cruiser makes a final jump from the borders of mekhar space, firing its jump drives at full power to push as deep into their territory as possible. The moment he drops from FTL he bigins broadcasting a long range message in hope that a Mekhar ship or station is listening.

This is Gargan Diplomatic Cruiser Wanderer
We come in peace
We seek an audience with the Mekhar
Please respond

The message repeates every few minutes, The cruiser sits with its weapons and drones powered down, although it has its FTL drive powered and ready to make an emergency jump if need be. The cruiser sits near a lonely star devoid of planets, although several ancient wrecks orbit the star frome battles long past. A small team of engineers and scientists are dispatched to one of the nearest wrecks to pick through the bones, but each of the wrecks where old Imperial designs, not worth salvaging and several designs out of date.

The cruiser waited for several days, the captain began to ponder if they should make another jump deeper into Mekhar space but he grew concerned with their safety if they encroached too deeply into their territory. Before the desision was made sensors picked up several FTL signatures. The captain called for battle stations, and the crew prepared to battle but the guns where never powered up so as to appear non-threatening to the Mekhar.

"Are the signatures Mekhar?" asked the captain
"I dont know sir. I believe so." said engineering
"what?"
"the FTL signature is coming from Mekhar territory, but i can not identify the signatures so they could be mekhar or Imperial designs we have not seen around the home world."
"that is not very informative... we will assume they are Mekhar and keep weapons offline, but spin up the FTL drive if we need to make a quick get away."

After only a few more moments of anticipation the ships Dropped from FTL.

@Sophrus

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Mekhar Space

The Mekhar ship silently observed the Gargan cruiser. For several days they've stayed in the same place, repeating the same message over and over again. They were an annoyance in this sector, something that only diverted ships from other sectors that defended against the barbaric hordes of the EOM. After quickly doing a background search on these "gargans", the Mekhar Illuminate found that the best course of action is to warn the EOM forces of the ship in this sector. It was just an empty sector, strategically unimportant, so even if the humans were to barge in it wouldn't really affect the Illuminate.

However, we didn't expect the flagship to arrive with a large task group. It seems like the humans expected something else in this sector, probably an ambush of some sorts. The first ship to arrive was a small light cruiser that started proing the sector as soon as it exited the warp bubble. In an instant the gargan cruiser lit up on their radar, and the EOMs encrypted data flow filled the Mekhar stealth cruiser's systems. And just as fast, the onboard computers started decrypting it and gave us the exact positions of the EOM ships. Bloody vandals, gangin up on a small diplomatic ship. Even if they were a rebellious species, it isn't right to attack a ship witout hostile intentions.

The first few shots bounced off the Gargan ship's armor, but more and more ships started to arrive and power up their weapon systems. Soon enough, the flagship of the humans arrived, the massive "Tarantula" that dwarfed the other ship in the fleet. Ever since it first appeared in the Mekhar sectors it has been a great contributor towards the EOM's victories. Rows and rows of guns mounted on the hull, multiple axial ralguns and a gigantic fusion lance that destroyed shield and armor alike. The black and orange camo truly resembled a large spider in space, and it was possible that their scanners would pick up the presence of the stealth ship.

Meanwhile, on the Mekhar stealth ship's bridge

"Divert energy from the guns to the optical jammers. Prepare the hypercoils for immediate departure. Turn off anything that produces excess heat! We are going in silent mode!" Commands like these and others were issued on the bridge of the small ship. It wasn't even a full fledged crusier, more like a destroyer, and with that came a smaller bridge and crew count. And stealth required a lot of things to go just right, so it was important that commands were issued in time, so the limited crew could act fast enough.

The captain turned to the comms officer beside him. "I need you to send a message via the lasers to the gargan cruiser. Make sure you aim for their receivers, I don't want the EOM goons to refracture our message." The officer nod, and powered up the laser comms on the ship. It was risky to use them in stealth, and if they used it right now, they would surely be shot down before they could escape. The giant body of the Tarantula inched closer by the second, and the Gargan cruiser was getting closer to it's doom.

23 seconds passed, and the navigator looked turned to the captain. A purple light lit up on the command screen, and indicated that the hypercoils charged up. The EOM fleet was right above them, still seemingly unoblivious of their presence. "Send the message now. We'll give the Gargans a chance. Jump immidiately after broadcast!"

A small pocket of space started to fade away, and it's shape soon resembled a mekhar ship. heat signatures rose through the roof, and every sensor in a 2 sector radius detected the sudden burst of heat that came from the stealth being disengaged. It sent a message towards the Gargan ship, and then it quickly warped the space around it, jumping away into a different sector before the EOm ships could fire a shot at it.

Meet us where the Triangulum origins, near the great abyss. We will be inspecting your actions from now on.

---

---

"Sir, it's a Gargan ship!" How is that possible? Who let them leave their sector? And what do they want from the Mekhar? Questions like this filled the mind of captain Inuius. But it didn't matter. They will be obliterated soon, and their doom will be a warning sign to the rebellious species of the Empire. Xeno scum who don't obey shouldn't be allowed to exist in the first place. Maybe when he finally ceases the last Mekhar world, he'll exterminate these "gargans" himself. For now, he opened an open channel to the gargan ship.

"Gargan diplomatic vessel! Your presence in this off-limits sector is the last mistake you'll make. By disobeying multiple Imperial orders, you are found guilty of high treason under article 3C-B12. Power down your engines and weapons, if you accept these charges, and you'll be spared from destruction in space. Comply and marines will take you aboard our ship where you'll have a proper trial. Fail to meet these demands and face extreme prejudice."

Yes, that should do it. this will bring him even more favor in the admiralty, and perhaps help the SDF uncover some dirty secrets about the Gargans. Scuttle their ship for intel about their plans, and resources to fuel the Imperial war engine.

But a sudden burst of energy from below the Tarantual distruped captain Inuius from his thoughts. "Sir, it appears a Mekhar stealth vessel was hiding in the sector! They jumped out of the sector immidiately!" All ships ceased to fire as the weapon systems were blinded by the energy burst. The Gargan vessel started to distance themselves from the rest of the fleet, and powered up their warp drives. There was nothing to be done. Without weapons, the xeno ship couldn't be stopped unless someone reammed him, but they were too far away. Maybe this won't be a great day for his reputation after all.

Chapter 2: Tradition

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(Mount Tamir)
After Karduke finally united the last independent clans under the impenetrable mountain the Rarians spared no moment in mobilizing the clan’s resources and manpower needed for Karduke’s grand plans and soon the great halls of the mountain were filled with Minotaurs, Animal morphs and remnants of the Naga that inhabits the vast underground lakes under the formidable mountain itself. Warriors stands side by side with past strangers, enemies, and friends for as of this moment they are brothers.

The warriors were decorated with armor and weapons found only within their clan, proud and ready for their lord’s call. Soon Karduke and his followers arrives.

“Warriors old and new!!!” Karduke begins his speech with a loud and commanding voice “I have summoned you all to remind you that we are still here!!!” He continues looking around the thousands that gathered before him.

“Children’s of traditions! Children’s of the dragon!” He declares getting louder with each word “We have forgotten what it means to be a Rarian!!!” He continues with the same tone and tenacity “But now we are here clad in the armor of our forefathers and blessed with the weapons of our ancestors!!!” He declared with all his strength “Now let us make them proud, march and show them that we have never forgotten!!!” He shouts with pride as he pulls out his weapon “Let us show them that we remember!!!” He yells out raising his weapon to the sky visible to all and with this the Rarians cheers out in celebration raising their weapons with their leader.

And with his speech over the Rarians disperse going back to their clans to prepare for the upcoming battles, soon the insides of the mountain were filled with activity from mining to manufacturing weapons and armor though not visible to the outside world the Rarian’s under the mountain are starting to build up.

---

(Inside the lower caverns)
(War council)
After Karduke’s speech, he and his followers started planning for their next actions, with his 7 followers Ren the cunning a Bunny morph the dragon of the silent hunters, tin the fierce a dog morph known as the dragon of the venerable fangs, Diy iron fist a Minotaur the dragon of the smoking fists, Jake the hermit of the rabbits, Shiya the silent a Snake Naga the fierce dragon of the sudden strikes, and lastly Shina of the cat morphs.

“Our total manpower is close to 5 million.” Ren says as she pulls out papers detailing all the registered Rarians inside the mountain” we have a million giants mostly Minotaurs and close to 4 million animal morphs mostly the dogs and a few thousand Nagas.” She continues as she finishes placing all the records in the table.

“A small war party then.” Karduke replies to her “Barely if you think about the past.” he continues as he recalls the past “how about reforming our armies to a more loose and independent group.” A dog morphs clad in armor that looks like knight “Commando squads?” Karduke’s asks in confusion but before he could finish a large bang catches the attention of the council.

“I want everyone’s attention.” Jake suddenly says as he places an old version of the weapon the EOM are using now grabbing everyone’s attention “This is from the first time the EOM invaded our planet.” He begins to explain his proposal “This is many years advance then anything our race can make today and because of this any frontal attack is useless against them.” He continues “So we can’t do anything?” Shina ask “As of now we can’t but this is my proposal. “He replies “Bring me EOM tech and I shall make our own.” He finishes explaining.

After his proposal Karduke and the others agreed, this is the path that they should take and with that the dragons and their selected elites sets out to find the weapons and technology.

---

Chapter 2: Surprises
(Teo’s mission)

Teo makes his way around the overcrowded city looking around for any place that can be of used to the resistance, a feat near impossible as most were either too exposed to the turrets above or too open to anyone near them, soon hours pass with no suitable locations, Teo and his squad decided to go relax inside a nearby tavern.

“How about this place?” One of teo’s men asks, “That depends on the owner.” He replied softly as he approached the owner “Gimme a tough one.” He ordered as he sat on one of the bar stool “having a tough time a see.” He replied as he grabbed a bottle from one of the selves behind the bar and poured the content to a small glass, giving it to Teo.

“Thanks.” He said as he showed a hidden dagger hiding in his suit catching the eye of the owner “Thanks for business.” He replied softly trying to not attract the few slavers that were drinking their hearts out in the corner.

After a few minutes of waiting the slavers went out of the tavern drunk with stupid grins in their faces “So what’s the hidden dagger doing here.” The owner questions clearly mad “We need more places to store our supplies.” He answered honestly “So you wanted to use my shop to keep your supplies.” He replied with the same tone.

“Yes.” He replied looking at the barkeep in the eyes which surprised him and with a small sigh he replied, “For the war against heaven.” A quote which caught Teo off guard “that quote he replied clearly shocked “You’re…”.

---

(Robin’s mission)
Robin and his men were searching around another part of the city for any kind of weapon or item that can be used by the rebellion but soon he and a few of his men soon arrived at a closed off factory on the side of the walls “You know I have always been curious what the slavers were doing inside that place, so what do you say we take a little look.” He says to his men getting a small nod in return and a few eager faces they make their way.

Though the factory was somewhat well guarded robin and his men what able to get inside unseen, soon he makes his way even deeper to the factory seeing Slaves, Rarians, Humans or even some Zenos working the mysterious machine that scatter around the place.

“What is this place?” He says curiously as he looks around, eyeing the strange machines “This people I haven’t seen them before. “He continues keeping quiet enough to not be heard or seen by anyone, after he starts to move soon after and soon arriving in what seems to be the overseer room, the room seems to be sealed off from the other sections of the factory with a large vault in the middle surrounded with a lot of scattered objects, files and junk.

“Look around and grab everything you think is useful.” He says to his men, soon they carefully search the room for anything but other than a few gadgets and a few holograms, there wasn’t any items of interest, but as they were about to give up the door knob frantically started to move and due to desperation or surprised he and his men hid around the room before the figure entered the room.

Fortunately, the room was large enough and a mess that hiding wasn’t a problem, soon the figure enters, tilting one of the head of a statue and with it the large vault opened.

Inside the vault are series of blueprints and schematics, soon the figure in a panic droved inside the vault creating a mess as he frantically searched and in minutes’ schematics and blueprints began to fly creating a huge pile of blueprints in the middle.

Soon The man emerged from the mess holding a single piece of paper in his hand and charged towards the door leaving the vault open and the important papers open to those that wished claim them.

“Looks like we’re in luck men.” Robin says with a grin as he leaves his hiding place, walking to the front of the vault “Take everything in there.” He commands pointing at the vault, soon rushing inside, emptying everything, and putting everything inside their backpacks.

soon a backpack like object gets his attention for it was filled with ammunition, a gun, hidden bank account and documents all you need to start a new life whoever the man was he was readying to leave and start anew.

“Lucky me.” He said as he grabs it with him and after grabbing the last remaining blueprints and schematics the vault was emptied and with heavy bags they left, leaving in the same way they entered and with a lot of luck they were able to escape with the crowds outside.

"Imperial ships!" shouted one of the officers

"Evasive manuvers, full power to engines!" shouted the captain "Spin up the FTL drive! get us-" His sentence was cut short from a heavy slug slamming into the cruiser jarring the ship. Officers returned to their stations rapidly, well trained pirates who has been in many a fight. The imperial vessels hailed them but the captain dismissed the message, it was unimportant. "Engineering! Power!"

"76% use! FTL and Engines full!"

"ECM, And 1 rail!"

"yesir"

The Gargan ship began piping confusing signals into space, desperately trying to foul up sensors and comms of the imperial ships. It was a hopeless endeavor. The newer Imperial designs had no trouble sifting through the signals and finding their quarry. as the Gargan ship got up to speed the heavy slugs found their mark less often and the pilot making an irratic and unpredictable course managed to keep any hits to minor glancing blows. The one powered rail on the Cruiser fired on the faster interceptors making them keep their distance.

"FTL Drive!"

"55%"

He knew once the huge battle ship decided to lock their position and destroy them it would only take one volley and they would at best be crippled or totally destroyed. He knew they would not give them the time they needed to fire the FTL drive. he needed something, just something to give him a moment to get the edge. Just then the mekhar ship blasted the area with energy fouling any targeting they had.

"Sir the Mekhar beamed us a message! Target to Target laser."

The captain did not miss a beat, or exploit the advantage given to him. "full burn away, keep that FTL spinning" he said before directing his attenion to the message.

Meet us where the Triangulum origins, near the great abyss. We will be inspecting your actions from now on.

What the hell did that mean... He stared at the message for several long seconds before the Imperial ships began getting themselves back into the fight. Triangulum origin... Great abyss... Origin... center, abyss... black hole? Abyss... galactic edge? The captain ground his teeth willing the message to make more sense. They are too far from the Galactic edge, it must be the center.

"FTL 95%" shouted engineering "Destination?"

"The core" said the captain, it was a dangerous and chaotic place where the massive gravity of a black hole and millions of stars skewed calculations. Even the massive Gargan computer banks had great difficulty calculating jumps in the core. The captain hoped that maybe the Imperial vessels would have a more difficult time and hesitate to follow.

Before the Imperial vessels locked in their targeting the Gargan vessel dropped into FTL and left the Imperials in their wake on a long jump deep into the core.

[Yorva, Human Controlled System]

[Adene, Io Slums]

The walk between the two locations was longer then anticipated, it felt impossible to forget the entire dreary experience of walking forth in the dimly lit underground, as if they were walking towards the center of their planet rather then to the other side of the city. Surprisingly, no one had complained, the mere silence and tired breathing spoke much of how the other two fared during their journey, Adene remaining a borderline emotionless weapon awaiting to reach her location, as normal. The other end of the tunnel was a mere wall, with a wooden ladder attached, going all the way up to a floor tile above them. Adene would push it open while climbing the ladder.

Three pointed guns with blinding lights attached to them had been raised to fire, it was impossible to see anything more then the black shadow of those carrying them, they didn't cease in their hostility in the slightest. After another second of keeping their rifles up, they quietly began to back off, revealing the run down kitchen with looted cupboards and other rebels. While Adene and the other two would climb out of the hole, a Yorvian would approach and help her up. "So you're the weapon they kept talking about, Adene right?" he asked, pulling her up by the hand while she carried her weapon in the other.

He, like many of the other rebels was dressed in a combination of clothes which had much to do with surviving in their current conditions, thick coats, face masks and tough boots. Their conditions being that of the slums, which lacked heat, had a rampant sickness and plenty of glass, garbage and debris strewn across it's streets. The depressing houses made of easily accessible metals, each building small with three stories in height at most, packed to the brim with Yorvians who had no positions of worth in order to get higher standards of living. It'd be hard to believe if there was a lower part of society, and incredibly impressive any of them had lived so far- even more so that they were able to sneak a few weapons in for the rebels to use.

Not that such weapons would help in the long run, not against the full might against the Emporium for sure, but the rebel's ignorance on the more well equipped humans was worth keeping around, for morale.

"Yes, are you ready?" Adene wasn't hesitant in the slightest, cold as well despite being surrounded by nervous and concerned allies, all of whom barely took notice of her as they watched the windows, equipment or technological devices. A bit of a deviation then the norm since most groups had treated her like some sort of spectacular relic, or some sort of super soldier, but this change of behavior was more than likely due to the change of firepower in the Emporium's arsenal.

The rebel leader helped the store owners out of the hole as well before the tile was placed over it, resuming their talk shortly after. "Well you took longer then anticipated, so we've had a change in plans. You're good at sneaking, right?"

"Sneaking?" Adene squinted her eyes, the closest she could get to a baffled look "Why?"



It was the midst of night, with a disturbing combination of metal over an ancient brick structure being used as their cover. Resting their backs against the wall, the dozen rebels waited with an eagerness to shoot, Adene waiting behind their leader as he leaned out from the corner and observed the well defended facility. Defenses such as barriers, armed guards and regular patrols were of the norm, what they were armed with now was up to debate with all the escalating riots. Surrounding the facility was just the cusp of the slums, as well as small number of other rebels spread about awaiting the first shot.

The plan was for Adene to get in first, then assault the facility as a distraction and a way to divert forces from the gate. After that another rebel cell would assault the gate and open it for the Liberation Front's inbound convoy. It wasn't complex overall, thankfully, but if anything goes wrong- which it always does -they'd possibly end up all dead, or worse. So little thought was spent on considering the consequences.

"Okay, I have no idea what I'm looking at." the rebel stated, to which Adene leaned in over his shoulder to observe the facility.
She replied plainly "When you hear the alarm, start the assault."

"Yeah okay, but what-" the rebel turned about to look at her, noticing she was no longer there.

Chapter 2.5: Reform

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Somewhere in the swarms around Mount Ram, a small group of slavers makes camp for the day, accompanied by a sizable spider like vehicle equipped with turrets and an 105mm cannon in the middle, while the men set up camp the crew of the vehicle disembarked taking a beer with them as they sit in one of the crates near the vehicle.

“So, what we’re doing in this cesspool cap.” One of them asks as he drinks from his beer “Some time ago we lost some convoys near this location but other than that I have no Idea.”

” The captain replies as he empties the bottle “But still this amount of weaponry is a bit over the top.” He continues as he threw the bottle to the side “But as long as I get paid, drink beer and take the beauty for a ride then I have no complaints.” He ends as he grabs another bottle from the case.

Soon night falls and the camp falls silent, the Rarians that stalked the convoy went out of hiding, accompanied by beasts, and equipped with their new Rarian guns, led by Diy of the smoking fist, looking for a fight he entered the camp with his war hammer and as he entered his men open fired taking the guards out easily while those who were sleeping panicked by the sudden attack.

“I AM DIY OF THE SMOKING FIST!” He shouts as he walks right in front of the camp “WHO IS YOUR LEADER!” He continues as he looks at the panicking men who didn’t stop to listen to him.

Annoyed he slams his weapon to the ground crushing 3 of them in one attack “WHO IS YOUR LEADER!” He shouts out in anger as he lifts his hammer revealing the blood stain that was once humans “FIGHT ME!” He shouts out as he points at the spider like vehicle.

The captain while panicking before calms down as he sees where the giant was looking “I don’t know if you are stupid or not but I am the leader.” He says confident in his ability to pilot the mechanical spider “I’ll make you regret this.” He says as he powers up the war machine.

Soon they face one another ready to fight “I AM DIY OF THE SMOKING FIST AND THAT VEHICLE WILL BE MY PRIZE!” He says as he charges into it “IDIOT!” The captain says as he fires his 105-mm turret at the charging minotaur, scoring a hit at his sides blowing away some of his armor while throwing him to the ground, happy to see the canon works he repeatedly fires at the downed giant.

Soon the bombardment continues stopping only once he cannot even see him anymore due to the smoke “Idiot doesn’t even know the difference in power.” He remarks as he looks at the smoke.

Until he hears the war cry of the giant and from the cloud of smoke Diy comes out with blood shot eyes, bloodied, and heavily wounded he tackles the vehicle because the captain wasn’t able to move fast enough to fire a shot into his bloodied enemy.

Soon the spider vehicle capsizes and unable to aim properly at the approaching giant but as the pilot panic he was able chop off the left arm of Diy with one of the legs of the machine enraging him even more.
“I will enjoy this” Diy says as he lifts his Warhammer and slams it at the cockpit crushing the captain instantly with the captain dead the battle was won and with this the other Rarians starts killing off the other humans that surrendered back at camp taking everything with them while leaving the bodies in the opening.

They left taking everything even the camp materials making the scene look like they were ambushed, though mortally wounded Diy personally carried the vehicle with him back to the mountain, using an old Rarian tunnel system they disappear without a trace.

Mount Ram

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As the raids continues and brings about weapons, equipment, technology and vehicles inside the mountain, Jake and his followers starts working day and night to create weapons, technology, and equipment for the growing armies of Karduke.

While the Rarians continues to raid convoys inside the surrounding swarms the economy inside the mountain improves as new weapons, equipment and technology are introduced with every second, due to the increase in demand the first major trade company in the empire was established.

With the increase in demand for equipment and weapons almost impossible satisfy to the trade company led by Ren together with Diy banded together to create the first Rarian industrial complex, accompanied by Diy’s blacksmiths and their knowledge about metalworks and Shina’s logistical capabilities and influence they were able to buy off the large caverns in the mountain and materials needed to start their ambitions project.

Chapter 2.5: Start

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After Robin’s heist the hidden daggers starts working on the weapons that would soon equipped them with their fight against the slavers and the EOM but without space and limited resources the resistance was only capable of equipping a handful of their most elite men.

Though they could make much more than a handful guns and equipment, Nene decided to direct most supplies into making the first vehicle that the resistance would be using the battle truck despite looking more of a tank with small turrets in its side the battle bus is designed to be a transport vehicle designed to take hits while keeping the cargo inside safe and intact.

As the resistance grows bigger and bigger the once separated tunnels started to connect with one another making it easily to travel between staging areas and with the battle bus operational supplies are easily and more accessible than ever before, the resistance grows more efficient and larger.

Somewhere in the farms inside the city

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Near the farms Luke and his men were able to blend in with the other slaves working the dead land desperately trying to make something grow but to no avail, he scouts the area looking for the cause.

“The land is poisoned no one can grow anything with it.” He said to the farmers nearby making them stop as they all knew he was right “When did this start?” He asks the farmers “about a week ago the grass died off since the slavers started building some sort of factory nearby.” one of them replies “thanks for the info.” he thanks them showing a small dagger hidden in his clothes and getting a nod as they started to leave going back to their futile work.

@Wildman13

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Unknown Location

"It seems like equipping the Militia won't do us any good. The our walker tanks are rushed by mythical creatures." A man whose face was shaded in darkness spoke up on the large screen. Other faces, also hidden, nod in agreement as they conversed through the holoscreens. In the middle of the dark holohub stood a single man whose figures were visible, but his identity was unknown. He bear similarity to a human, but his face was hidden by a holo-emitter. He turned to the man who spoke before, leaning on the railing of his platform in the middle of the room. "That is right. The Rarians have been mostly peaceful up until now, but it seems like they are underestimating our power. We show signs of weakness."

More nodding on the screens, and one of the shaded figures speak up. "So what are you going to do about it Praetor? Have you made any plans?". The loaded question silenced the room, and the buzzing of the holoscreens seemed to stop. The man in the middle scratched his face, and looked at a tablet in front of him. Loads of details about recent losses in Sector 17. Red and yellow bordering, marking the highly secretive nature of the documnet. Imperial propaganda usually hides the losses from the public. The Praetor put the tablet away and looked up at the screens again.

"This is a full blown rebellion, not just generally unstatisfied xenos. If we let the Militia handle them any longer, we may end up with a serious problem on our hands. Perhaps a threat that is bigger than Sector 17." Disbelief and surpise quickly encompassed the faces on the screens, their chatter becoming somewhat cacophonic to the ear. The Praetor meaningfully cleared his throat, and spoke up again. "Gentleman, calm down. We need not to worry. The Military is perfectly capable of handling the situation. I shall reinforce the planets in Sector 17 with an ample amount of our Military in the sector. Maybe the xenos will learn their lesson if they fight against soldiers whose equipment is not 2 decades old, and their training more than a month in a bootcamp. For now, rest at ease for there is nothing to worry about."

"You better handle this Praetor, or we will ahve to find a more suitable candidate for your positions. Someone who can deal with a few unruly xenos." With that, the screens turned black, one by one, and left the hub illuminated by only the signle tablet. "Competent they say. I'll show them that I know the universal 'language' that these aliens understand."

Mercer inspected the different papers all lined with descriptions and different readings and data handed to him by Spymaster Martin, of course highly classified however it allowed him to design quite unique weapons and countermeasures. And unique readings from rebelling fronts, high powered munitions, weaving missiles, energy based weapons, of course Mercer did what he could to 'reproduce' these readings but with the current technology impossible. He needed tech from the field to reverse engineer and improve upon, the most recent being from one of the Empire's Xeno populations, Drone tech.

Though useful it has many flaws due to the cost and its inherent vulnerabilities towards hacking, EMPs, and communications Jamming, it was far better to just have pilots who could directly interface with controls rather than to redesign the Drone to make it autonomous or trying to design features to counteract it's weaknesses.

Mercer's designers did create something useful, an energy weapon that can destroy the bonds between molecular and atomic particles, experimental gas based plasma, what the tech's call a Purifier Beam, and several missile countermeasures.

Admiral Langerhan's ship 'The Crecy' has been outfitted with these technologies, in fact radically so, the large Main Line Battleship had very heavy modifications, controlled weapons testing and countermeasure tests were to be conducted.

The entire front of the ship was replaced with a large mechanism that can emit a high powered energy beam similar to the smaller beams weapons on the ship in structure but on a much larger scale, it was made to emit the beam so that when the beam meets resistance it will radiate outwards and cause damage in city wide area, perfect for a rebellion deterrent.

The weapon emits an energy that excite and break molecular bonds essentially making the material break apart, it has a chain reaction effect in a small area, however when magnified that area increases as the energy released is greater.

It required a lot of energy, however the test proved it was well worth it.

Though the energy consumption is large we are pleased to report that the extent of the damage is well within acceptable Military range, the damage was described as the target materials crumbling to dust, of course different damaging parterns were observed for different materials that could be used for ship construction and armor however it was still quite effective against those targets only varying a few shots per.

it is more reliable than our tungsten based steel rods that we use as Railgun ammunition, and it is rechargeable, we've given the Crecy a larger reactor, thicker armor, and larger compartments, most of which are built from scratch with new designs from our shipyards, gravity would not be the Crecy's friend however it would allow it to use the weapons systems effectively.

The counter measures however were quite interesting, one being a microwave pulse that messes with missile tracking, these emitters were deployed all over the ship, missiles even with the most advance targeting the Empirium could offer hit off target by five meters, some as far as eight.

The counter measures only work at long range to ensure maximum loss of target, some missiles at closer range will stray towards the ship, in which case traditional countermeasures such as anti-missile Flak and auto cannons will take on the role of taking down missiles.

-Edmund Rorik, Head of Development and Research.

The countermeasures worked with an 86% success rate against a wide variety of missiles except dumb-fire missiles.

Mercer was glad that the data and some of the wrecks of past Xeno ships reversed engineered helped him get this far, however in terms of tech this is all experimental yet to be battle tested, Langerhan's ship The Crecy the lead ship of its fleet would be the perfect test bed.



He read through all the data files, he saw all the documented pictures, all the statistics, and what ran through his mind was skepticism, this tech needed battle testing, Mercer, Martin, and himself needed this weaponry, Mercer hid the fault in the design quite well under more obvious problems such as the power consumption. A cleverly designed flaw that would reveal itself if the experimental weapons were mass produced.

Mercer was also working on infantry and mechanized weapons for the Empirium, he was in his groove, Langerhan on the other hand as a strategist and tactician alongside Martin felt as if this was risky at best and would advise against it, however Martin is a bold, cold blooded commander, his risk taking is very high reward and if anybody could pull off this sort of work it was Martin.

Martin headed this secret weapons program for the Empirium under the guise of equalizing the odds against the Mekhar, only a select few were allowed to know about the Mekharan front, with the Mekharans so ahead in technology it was vital that the Empirium closed up the gap it was of course easily approved, anything that could end the conflict quicker and with less casualties is always something the Empirium wants, and it benefits in new ways of displaying its military might to the entire Galaxy.

The careful Admiral pondered the thought while smoking his pipe looking across the stars from the Bridge of the Crecy thinking about his distant colleague who took up a different path as a Spymaster, and his alternate persona, The Watchman, always watching over the different events in the Empirium, he wondered what he could see from his position of power and influence.

@NecroKnight

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Icarus Prime
Citadel One, Military Platform 17B
12:53 Icarus Prime Central Time

"Get those ammo boxes in the VTOLs! Takeoff in 15, so move your asses." The pilot of a large cargo and transport ship shouted commands at lazy EOM workers, whow were clearly thinking that their job sucks. But in low threat planets like Icarus, most of the Militia helped out the local economy, or provided logistics services instead of fighting battles. Then again, the Vespen danger and their attack 2 days prio left most of the recruits itching for another fight.

A large group of EOM soldiers and battle-ready Order troops arrived at the ship, and took the pilot off guard. Shee almost dropped the datapad she was carrying, and had to take a few deep breaths before looking directly at the group. "Grandmaster! I wasn't expecting you for another 10 minutes. The ship is not ready for takeoff yet, and we're still..." She was cut off by an EOM officer who stepped forward from the ranks of the other Milita members. He wore a large trench coat adorned with large epaulettes. From within the large coat, he grabbed another datapad, and handed it to the pilot. He didn't say a word, but he gestured at the datapad before walking away from the Order troops towards the end of the airfield, and leaving with the rest of the EOM troops.

The pilot watched the officer leave, before looking back at the Grandmaster with an embarrased look. Before saying anything else, she quickly opened up the only file on the datapad. As soon as she tapped the file, the red and yellow bordering of top secret files appeared on the sides of the screen. She never saw one of these before, and she didn't know if she was allowed to read it at all, but her name on top of the message said otherwise.

Lt Greeta, these are your new orders.

We changed the plan due to last resort security issues, and we expect you to handle the information with utmost secrecy.

You are to take the Grandmaster to Fleet 173, hiding behind the asteroid BD-73HD. Your transcode through the blockade is "Proper-Appointement-Study-Spelling". Fleet 173 has been already informed about your arrival, and they are waiting in blackout mode for your arrival.

The Grandmaster is a VIP, and he should be taken aboard the main ship of the detachement, named "Shadow Gleam". You are to disable any sensors during your docking procedure. Your ship's databank will be wiped upon landing, and you must delete all backups before takeof.

Furthermore you are now a member of the 173th Fleet detachement, and your job is to ferry the Grandmaster. We trust you for your loyalty to the Emporium for the last 12 years, and we sincereloy hope that you will not fail us.

When you close this message, hand the tablet to the Grandmaster, and proceed with your routine.

Glory to mankind!

The world took a 360 turn, and she was right in the middle of all the shitstorm it seemed. She didn't expect to be the personal pilot of the Grandmaster, but it was a elcome change from ferrying troops and and weapons. She closed the message, and handed the tablet to the Grandmaster in front of her. She took a step back and nod before leaving to the VTOL.

The tablet showed a message that was differnet from teh previous both in content and colouring. The shimmering purple borders were of an unknown marking, and most people wouldn't know what it means. But those working with integrated xenos, would notice this marking from the messages of the SDF.

Grandmaster Alexius

You will be transported to your own fleet by Lt Greeta. The 173th fleet detachement is already staffed with necessary crew members, but you may appoint your own officers.

The detachement is composed of 2 destroyers, 7 cruisers, 20 corvettes and 14 torpedo frigates. The destroyers and cruisers are equipped with troop transport capabilities, and you will find that the flagship "Shadow Gleam" has been stocked with standard Military grade weapons and vehicles. Use these resources wisely.

Your assignement will be to provide the 35th fleet with escort, and be ready to deploy your troops for peacekeeping purposes at any time. You will be in Sector 17 for a total of 5 months, or longer if the situation escalates further. If you haven't already, I suggest you appoint someone to take your position in the governement.

Your deeds for the EOM shall not be forgotten upon your succesful return from the mission, Grandmaster.

Glory to mankind!

Chapter 3: Picnic

In one of the cliffs in mount tar

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As the Rarians slowly reclaim their swamps back the unthinkable happened. the skies darken as iron ships descended from the heavens above. ships known with a hundred names the arks of evil, Takers, Corrupters, Seed of man, Darkness, Conquerors, Nightmare, and countless others all meaning the same thing the end.

Karduke watches from the cliffs of his fortress mountain alone as he ordered his men back to the safely of their homes for he knows they are still weak to counter such a foe, he watched with mixed feelings as he sees them land freely unloading men and equipment.

He hated the feeling of such helplessness, a feeling he never wanted to feel ever again, a feeling that brought back memories of that day, a day known to all Rarian, the day they had lost everything, the day they lost the meaning of the word Rarian.

“I knew you were here.” A feminine voice said behind him, it was his old friend Shiya feeling the same kind of restlessness “I told you all to hide.” he answered with anger “We did but we got sick of it.” He care-freely answers back but only got a growl as an answer “Here have a drink.” She offered as she hands him a small ceramic cup filled with grey liquid “Do what you want.” he answers back as he takes the cup and drinks from it.

“So, what’s the plan?” She asks as he sits besides him “We wait.” He answers clearly Irritated “You know I feel sad for the next generation” She jokingly says as she looks at the numerous ships and soldiers that continues to pour out from their ships “Like where are they going to find a worthy opponent once we’re through we them” She cheerfully says as she waves her cup to the air lifting the mood.

Soon laughter and cheers erupted behind them as Rarians gathered behind them, bringing along food and drinks with them, and armed with glass they start drinking up, emptying the Rarians wine reserves, reserves dedicated for epic battle.
Soon the Rarians exchanged stories with one another and soon the once fractured races are all care-freely chatting and having fun with one another, a scene which Karduke convinced himself to never see again.

He smiled, happy to see his race united once more, drinking away all of the sadness and anger that once filled him, and on that day instead of cursing the EOM he thanked them as he and his men drank to their hearts content only to resume after they returned back to their homes mountains.

The day that should have been celebrated by mourning was celebrated with cheers and food, a day they soon remembered as the day of looking back or the day of the dragon tear.

Chapter 3: Trouble

Underground HQ

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Nene and the other resistance leaders held an emergency meeting as they’re seen the ships descended from above, all nervous and pressured by the sudden escalation of the EOM ships and troops.

“WHO WAS IT!” one of them shouts “calm down.” Nene said as she sits in her sit “We’re not a treat, because if we were then they should have secured this city or they would have sent most of their men here.” She explained.

“THEN WHO WAS IT THEN!” He shouted demanding to know who it was that brought the EOM’s wrath “I believe it’s not a rebellion cell like ours” She calmly answered, “Then it must be a Rarian empire that somehow.” She continues shocking most of the council.

“A clan doesn’t have the capabilities to be a threat but a united clan empire is.” She said finally finishing her explanation.

“So, you’re saying a backwater clan with no access to guns was able to damage the EOM enough to make them send these much soldier and ships to one planet?” Robin sarcastically replies.

“And where is Luke?!” He continues irritated in the fact that the resistance most powerful warrior is still nowhere to be found.

(Luke’s location)

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Luke and his squads were working in the plantations when suddenly numerous well armored vehicles suddenly stopped near them with the words of UAE engraved in their sides.

Without delay rows of well-equipped men stormed the farm taking crates of unknown origins and the Rarians that worked there loading them up inside the vehicles taking Luke and his crew.

After taking everything of importance they burned down the farm before they rode off to a secret facility deep underground.

But as he peeked out he sees ships descending from the skies, landing outside of the city walls, soon darkness consumed them making it impossible to see anything from their place, giving up he patiently waits.

Slavers Reaction

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The blockade of the planet Ram made the Slavers extremely furious demanding the blockade to stop or face the consequences.

@NecroKnight

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Icarus Prime
High Orbit, Asteroid BD-73HD
18:26 Icarus Prime Central Time

The white dust of the asteroid shines with a blinding shine as the light of the reflectors hit the fine surface. But the transport passes by the vast desert of dust, and approaches the edge of the asteroid's dark side. The pilot begans broadcasting the passcode and slows down to approach the hiding fleet. Within a few seconds, the passage is granted for the transport, and dozens of lights turn on, illuminating the hulls of the spaceships covering in the shadows. Without delay, a few fighters accompany the transport, and guide it to the main hangar of the flagship, the "Shadow Gleam". The hull of the massive warship is painted with an imposing black and orange livery, truly aimed at striking fear in the hearts of the enemies. A large section of the hull opens up, and reveals the airtight hangar bay behind it. The other cargo ships have already landed, and the Grandmaster's transport is the last one to arrive. The ship slowly touches down on the steel floor, and blinking orange lights warn the crew about the pressurization of the hangar. Soon enough the lights fade and the massive door closes behind them. Dozens of mechanics appear from the doors of the hangars, bringing with them refueling and rearming equipment for the ship. The pilot signals for the Grandmaster, and the hathc on teh back of the transport opens, marking the end of the flight, and the offical touchdown on the new flagship of the Order's fleet.

Some time later

"Ah, Grandmaster, we've been expecting your arrival!" A handsome young man in a simple uniform approaches the Grandmaster's entourage. He has a broad smile on his face, and his eyes radiate with hospitality. He quickly approaches Alexius and shakes the hands of the Xeno firmly. "I am VS* Jack, at your disposal. I will be your personal assistant during our trip to Sector 17. I will be monitoring your actions for the region HQ, and help you in acquiring EOM resources for your campaign. If you feel lost at anytime, you can always ask me for standard EOM procedures." Jack then opens a holodisplay that projects the floorplan of the ship into the air. "I will be gudiding you to the command bridge now, where you'll be staying for most of your time in the coming months. Now, follow me."

The long illuminated corridors of the ship are filled with crewmembers who are finishing the preparations for the ship's launch. This asteroid ain't exactly a military shipyard, so it takes time to get ready. After dodging a large group of engineers, Jack continues to guide Alexius. In front of them is a large door guarded by armored marines on both sides. As the group approaches the marines nod at them and the doors open to the command bridge. A large hall filled with many rows of terminals in different elevations and a central platform suspended above them where the captain has his own terminal. Displays line the walls to imitate the effects of actual windows that would be on older ship designs. "And this should be our destination. Your personal quarters are also located right here, just to the right of the platform." Jack points at the door, then continues his sentence as he walkes towards the captain's terminal. "The ship, Shdaow Gleam, is a state of the art Military warship constructed 5 years ago as an answer to some of the ship designs we have encountered in the more rebellious sectors. Thick interchangable armor casings protect against enemy attacks and are further reinforced by dozens of CIWS flak guns. It is equipped with 12 400mm railgun batteries that form it's main armananent. It also has an axial ralgun that shoots tungsten rods with a diameter of 1,2 meters, just in case you have to get rid of an asteroid or a space station in one hit." Jack wins at Alexius and friendly remarks "I wouldn't use it too much thought. You may short circuit the other systems if you fire it too often. Anyways, enough of the technical details, I don't want to hold you up with my banter." With that, he turns around and signals for another soldier, who has been following them ever since they left the hangar. He is carrying a big briefcase which he opens now, revealing it's content to be black and orange armband, lined with a thin row of glimmering purple metal on the edges. "You must understand that this mission will be your first test in a line of many that aim to determine just how loyal you are to the EOM. For security purposes, I must ask you to put on this armband. It will monitor your activities and collect information about your physical state." He grabs the suitcase and holds it up in front of Alexius. "I would advise against taking it off. It may save your life if you go MIA, but it may kill you if you forcibly remove it. Oh and a friendly reminder: not taking it is not an option in your current situation. It may not be fashinable, but you should at least make yourself used to it right away if you're gonna wear it for the months to come."

*(Virgam Servus) - A rank Equal to Staff Sergeant, used in the formations of the SDF.