[IC] Void of the Stars II: Return to the Stars [Sci-Fi] [Always Accepting]

[darkwolf687]

The Overseers eyes began to glow dimly, before returning to normal. When he next spoke, he spoke int he tongue the Fleet Commander had spoken in "Understood. Identify" He said simply, tapping a few commands into his terminal and bringing up scans of the planet below in the holoterminal. It appeared that this contact was fighting some other creatures on the planets surface, but they seemed to primitive to have created the beacon, so he brushed that off and the planet was replaced by the hologram of an ai who had a quick exchange with him over archive records, ordering it to start a file for the new species.

[hacher5]

Krugor 4

"We simply messed with a console from the other species. They were advanced, very much so. However, we did not intend to send the signal, and we don't know what it says. It must be a distress signal if you came. Do you know of this race?"

[TehAlphaGamer]

LIS Terminator

Fleetmaster Hagris'kum looked at the images of the individual systems and hummed to herself calculatingly. "The problem is that Sylve has stations across several systems, and our stealth assault ships have occasionally picked up Sylve identifiers from a few of these systems..." she mentioned, clicking her finger on the interface to illuminate seven of the system images.

"One part hunch, one part investigative observation, we have determined that the Sylve leadership structure might be situated in the Rigel System, what many of you know as Beta Orionis. However, our closest major assault group, Hub Fleet 006, is still quite a ways away.

"I do not trust your form of FTL travel though, it makes me worry that if we used a similar jump it could cause major fleet loss. My suggestion, however, is using our standard warp engines, ones that create Slipspace tunnels, to send an outersystem reconnaissance outfit to that area to investigate."

[Keyguyperson]

LIS Terminator
"It has no potential for fleetwide losses if all vessels enter the system in a horizontal line, no radiation has ever been emitted from the sides of a vessel. Normally, I would respect your decision, but we have another ship of this same class nearby, and no weaponry we have seen matched the power of our antiproton streamers. This mission will require us to succeed, I'm absolutely positive. We cannot participate in the scouting mission, however. Our drives are too expensive. If we send ships to an area that may contain enemies, we intend to destroy those enemies. If the scouts find anything, we can amass a fleet at the closest friendly colony and launch a combined assault on the area. However, if-"
Right in the middle of her sentence, the Captain was interrupted by the comms officer running into the room.
"Captain! We have picked up a distress call from the Ortels system, it is requesting planetary defense assistance!"
"Fleetmaster, you may want to leave now." Said Kuuyi "We're going to enter a battlezone, and we could very well be destroyed. Unless you're planning to come with us, you should return to your ship and hail the planet, ask to be redirected to Exploratory Command. They handle interstellar military operations."

[darkwolf687]

Contact

"But of course. After our Overwatch subprogram translated the language it became apparent that it was a zonanese transmission, you are standing on the former planet number 434 of the Zonanese Empire."

Lakfakalle

The agent who had stolen the uniform had exfiltrated shortly after acquiring the food, while the other four agents had manages to set up a teleportation network after the guards and moved away to teleport both themselves and a large supply of food up to the orbiting ships. Deemed a success, they quickly leave space both to study the human weaponry to help determine tech level and best defensive measures to take should they go to war, and also transport their spoils back to a world to be put to better use.

[TehAlphaGamer]

LIS Terminator

"While I understand this onset situation, I will hope that my superiors will put trust in your form of intergalactic jumping. Anyways, I will return to my fleet as you must return to yours."

She smiled, shaking the commander's hand. "May we meet again someday, whether in peace or in the heat of battle--as long as we're both on the same side--it'd be a pleasure to see you once again."

Fleetmaster Hagris'kum strode away, her O.G.V.S. Special Operations outfit following her, she stopped, turning her head and asking, "Exploratory Command, was it? I'll see if I can head over to there for assistance. Thank you." and walked off. She returned to the small Peacemaker-Class Diplomatic Vessel, and zoomed out of the Terminator's docking bay. She returned to Undying Will, and organized her fleet before sending a message asking to land on Lakfakalle's surface.

[Keyguyperson]

Lakfakalle
"Lakfakalle Cooperative Federation Exploratory Command, you have been granted permission to land. Firing shield breaker... hole opened. Landing tractors one through fifteen online, landing bay online, armor deployed. We are prepared for your arrival."

LIV Terminator
"Send a message to all ships, order a jump to the Ortels System with military objectives!" Yelled Kuuyi to the bridge crew "Set course and activate warp drive!"
"Understood Captain! Negative mass shifting, particle-lever tractor system operational, weapons covered for transport! Apparent velocity is 0.1c... 0.5c... 0.9c... lightspeed! 2c... 3... 4... activating valves ten through fifty... we are at emergency response speed!"
The Terminator, Challenger and Starfire had been dispatched to investigate the distress signal. Despite the Starfire only being equipped with projectile weaponry, Fairlan had insisted that he and his crew come along. After a few moments of traveling at emergency response speed, the fleet had reached its destination and ejected their negative mass, releasing a truly massive cloud of radiation behind them as a result of having traveled so far. Being in a straight line to avoid any adverse effects caused by the warp drive, they maneuvered into a combat formation with the Starfire in the center back, the Terminator in the front left, and the Challenger in the front right. The Starfire broadcast a message to the rest of the system.
"This is Captain Miklan of the Lakfakalle Interstellar Vessel Starfire, we recieved a distress call from this system and have come to assist. However, we see no evidence of an invading fleet and no evidence of a currently inhabited planet. If anyone is picking this up, please explain immediately. If this whole thing has been a trap, I would suggest that you stay outside of ten light seconds of our fleet, antiproton streams are a very effective weapon."

Colonial Report
=Wormrad Transmission to Lakfakalle Cooperative Federation Expansion Office=
=Origin point: Thilin'Kahnthas'Thishtan, Planet Lakfanikolien, Nikolien System. Governor's Office=
"Good, we've finally got enough negative mass to make another transmission. We have named this system and its star Nikolien, after the inventor of wireless transmission and first Child of Lakfakalle to set foot on Terra. Of course, we have named the planet in Ancient Baronh just like Lakfakalle, the name Lakfanikolien meaning 'Companion of Nikolien'. A Boskop astronomer submitted the name 'Thilin'Kahnthas'Thishtan' for the Colony, meaning 'Greatest Endeavor' in Trilihanshisken. That same astronomer happened to find an anomaly orbiting the ninth planet in the system. We sent our defense ship to investigate, the anomaly is an expanding spherical object with a current radius of about ten kilometers, and it glows blue. It appears to give off immense amounts of energy, enough to power the entirety of Lakfakalle. We sent in a probe, but when it came back... it... its current state of existence is completely impossible. There is still somehow the image, but no light is reflecting off of it and it has no mass. As I'm sure you know, everything in that sentence is completely and totally impossible according to the most basic and inflexible scientific laws known by our people since the theory of gravity! None of our scientists can figure out how it could be possible even by twisting the laws of physics into figure eights using quantum physics theories! Everyone that has seen the probe in person has gone insane, and one simply collapsed right there... his heart beats no more. We have tried to fire on the probe, but nothing happened, our rounds passed right through it as if it were a hologram. Using robots, we have managed to take images of the remaining atoms of the probe. Yes, it has no mass, but also has atoms, impossible. Seeing the images results in death, always by suicide. We are requesting a warship equipped with energy shielding to investigate the anomaly, under no circumstances are you to allow knowledge of this to reach civilians, file all data under Anomaly 0001, Kosheck. Alert the Equestrian Empire of this discovery, they are the most advanced alien species we have encountered, perhaps they know something of this."

Message to the Equestrian Empire
"This is Conduit Aweyta Olok of the Hyacintho Mental Collective, representing the Lakfakalle Cooperative Federation. Our outermost colony has encountered an anomaly which they have described as an expanding spherical object with a ten kilometer radius as of the transmission, which glows blue. They sent a probe in, and it came back in a state that is quite literally physically impossible. They say that the image is still there, despite no light reflecting off the probe, which no longer has any mass. All who have seen the probe in person have gone insane, one just dropped dead. They used robots to take pictures of the atoms-yes, there are still atoms despite there being no mass-all who have seen those images have committed suicide. Nobody in the Federation has any idea how this is possible, we are requesting your assistance with this matter. Do not tell your citizens of this, it presents a danger to everyone. The anomaly and probe are in the closest system to the Kalle system, which we have named Nikolien. If you assist us, please take proper measures to protect your crew from the anomaly. Our scientists have used supercomputers to analyze the image of the probe's atoms, and have determined that energy or plasma shields would protect a ship from whatever happened to it inside the anomaly. Interestingly enough, argon plasma shielding seems to be the most effective. That is the same type of shielding the defense platforms of Lakfakalle use, so we believe there may be a connection of some sort between the anomaly and the ancient Aif Empire."

[null123]

Alexandrian Contact
"Slavery is a terrible thing, but if it is the only way they can survive that I guess we must accept it."

LCF Request
"Of course, we are arranging for a science team now."
A few hours later a Equestrian ship, smaller then most, arrived. They said they wished to be left alone and were currently beginning to conduct tests via various scans on the object, including various magical scanners.

Colony World 02, Excavation Site
Two griffons were walking through a tunnel. It was discovered that this planet had been apart of the Aif Empire that the LCF had mentioned. The Anti-proton weapons had been taken away for study, although some were still left on the old orbiting defense stations. They had also discovered data archives, which the griffons were looking for more of, that revealed information about the Aif Empire. The LCF had been informed that the Equestrians were attempting to crack the archives, hoping to find more about the past.

[TehAlphaGamer]

Lakfakalle

Undying Will and the escort destroyer Steel Vigilance moved into the surface of the planet, the rest of the fleet following suit. They landed on the surface of the Exploratory Command Center, and Fleetmaster Hagris'kum, along with her fleet tacticians, went to the station. The rest of the ships were given shore leave for the time being.

Elbima a Yuturata ("Temple of Yuturata"), Mount Sevyllo Basin, Daramaska, Sazkarjhia

The Temple of Yuturata has remained dormant for nearly nine thousand years, ever since carbosteel was discovered there. But something in the ancient temple stirred. Massive channels that once laid "dry" began flowing with molten metal. Workers, suits of loosely-floating plates of armor bound together by life energy, began hammering at the forges, a rumbling echo thundered across the temple.

It was first seismologists in Daramaska that caught the rumblings near the temple, and once it was discovered that they were coming from there, the Archaeological Registry also jumped on the case. Along with scientists, theologians and historians, a large Peoples' Army brigade, many civilians checked on it to see what was happening. The normally thick, hardly-breathable smog that encompassed the industrial region's atmosphere was beginning to clear up around the basin.

Something there had awoken.

[WilsonTurner]

Equestrian Colony World 01, Orbit
Simultaneously, the remaining anti-proton defense stations powered down, removing themselves from their active state, and going into a dormant state. Moments later, several Supreme ships appeared in orbit, and began broadcasting a message to the Equestrian newly-inhabitants.
We see that you've finally found some of the past. Would you like assistance? We can open up those archives in a jiffy, mind you, much faster than what you will be able to manage at your current level. And we can direct you to your ancestor's homeworld, for something in return, of course.

Equestrian Contact
The diplomatic group continued walking on, and then reached the center of the inner courtyard, or whatever they thought of it as, and waited. And waited. And waited. During this time, they weren't impatient; aggravated, but it gave them time to analyze, well, everything. They even figured that the only difference between these ponies and the ones from Earth were that these were both smarter, and more foolish, had the ability to use some amount of their creator's power, and were physically the exact same. And that their armor wouldn't stand up to the Battlemasters of the Kilve. The Supremes oh-so-wanted to see the Equestrians reaction to the Kilve; they were certainly unique, like them.

[null123]

((you derped up, its 02))
Colony Word 02
"The Princesses have told us that they will wait to decide on whether or not they want your assistance after the diplomatic meeting on Equiis."

Equiis
It was obvious by the courtyard that the Equestrians took pride in two things, nature and there history. There wasn't any signs of civilization in the courtyard, besides the looming castle and cobblestone pathways. The courtyard was filled to the brim with a wide variety of flora and fauna, making it full of life. White marble statues also stood around, along with murals, they depicted people and times in Equestrian history. Within the garden alone it would have been possible to have gotten a basic crash course on Equestrian history prior to the Interstellar Era.

Duck de Steelhorn approached, and like the guards before he was disciplined. If he had any reaction to the battlemasters he did not show it. He merely told the Supremes that the Princesses were ready to see them. They were lead to a wide open chamber, inside waited the four Princesses, the alicorns. They sat in thrones that had there cutiemark emblazoned on it, and each throned matched the coat color schemes of the Princesses. The Thrones along with other more plane seats encircled a holographic projector, which was currently set to display Equiis. Duck de Steelhorn took a seat, and Celestia beckoned at the Supremes, having them take a seat. It was obvious that the Princesses were letting the Supremes speak first.

[WilsonTurner]

Colony World 02
"Acknowledged."

Equiis
Having followed the one known as 'Duck,' whom the Kilve glared at silently from their hidden hoods, the Supreme party was led into the room. The Supremes took it all in mentally, for physically, their heads nor eyes never strayed from Duck, nor from the Princesses. Once arriving, they both bowed deeply, simultaneously, while the hooded Kilve and the Supreme Battlemasters did nothing more than incline their heads in respect. The two Supreme diplomats, however, took notice of everything.

Either they are arrogant that they are the powerful ones, that they hold all the cards and it is our job to serve them and bow to them, or they are simply not gracious enough to be the first bow and show respect, one said to the other, telepathically.
Agreed, the other responded.

However, once finished bowing, the first one, for they both appeared to be exactly alike, turned to Duck, obviously ignoring the Princesses, and said, "While I am aware that we are guests here, would peace-loving, gracious rulers be the first to pay respects and greet? I wish to meet as equals, without having thrones or any of that business. You, of course, we respect, due to you coming to get us. Your past self, we think, may not have ever done that to my kind."

The other Supreme simply bared his teeth in a smile at the Princesses. While it wasn't hostile or threatening, the smile did have a bit of a cold demeanor, if judged by human terms. Of course, body language would do no good to judge them: the way they show emotion is very much different from the way humans do.

[Toaw]

Equestrian Contact
The head of research pointed at the chairs laid out for them, unsure if they could actually sit, and took a seat himself. "While most races would view slavery as a terrible thing, you must understand that over thousands of years it has become a way of culture, and life for our people." He then made slight pause for a few seconds, and then continued, "Now, we first would like to start off with what we know of the Supremes in hopes that you will tells us anything you know that we don't." He then cleared his voice, and had a small Victorian bring in a few glasses of Lisa, a well known, and expensive wine made up of the finest of herbs only found on Alexandria. "Care to join us in this fine wine, if you wish you can first inspect it to see if it is poisonous to your race, we wouldn't want a high ranking officer of another Empire dying on us while we discuss terms of trade." The Victorian then walked over pouring a glass for both the Archmage, and the guard who escorted him there. "In case he, or she would like to partake as well, do not worry though it is only 64% alcohol, nothing serious." He then took a sip. "Now on to what we know about the Supremes, we believe that they have telepathic abilities that go way beyond our owns, and are able to completely destroy ones mind, memories, thought, and feeling. We know this because a commander who went on board one of their ships to discuss peace, came back completely unable to remember things beyond that meeting, and refused to let us speak to his Victorians about the events." He then took another sip, and continued "Beyond this we know little to nothing about who they are, or what because apparently this tongue is not as rare as we thought it was."

[null123]

Equiis
Duck spoke
"In Equestrian Tradition it is a sign of honor and respect to let a delegation of diplomats from another nation speak first, the Princesses do apologize if that has offended you and normally the Princesses would have come to bring you here there selves, but your circumstances are unique ones. You claim to know of our magic, you claim that there was another version of us prior to the current incarnation. We had to setup extra security measure. The Princesses represent everything that the Equestrian Empire is. The choice of this room was also not because we think you are lower then us, it is merely because here we cannot be overheard, and we have quick access to information on the entire Equestrian Empire.

Alexandrians
Tullus merely stood, pushing a chair out of the way so he could stand around the table with everyone else. His guard stood in the back, watching over everyone. Tullus horn was surrounded by a blue glow as the wine glass he was offered lifted in to the air and became surrounded by the same glow. The wine changed colors rapidly before going back to its original color, as Tullus took a sip.
"This will be safe for my kind to drink. As for the Supremes we are currently in a meeting with them, but after what you said they do seem suspicious. They also claimed that a past version of our Empire existed. I don't think it will be easy to reveal much about them either, we will have to watch and observe."

((I can't believe I didnt see it before, but Tullus is a male Toaw XD))

[WilsonTurner]

Equiis
The first Supreme inclined his head in recognition of the forethought, and turned to the Princesses.
"In that case, Princesses, we apologize. Or at least, I do. My companion is not so inclined to... stop it!"
This last phrase was directed at the second Supreme, who was now smiling evilly at the Princesses. However, at the command, he immediately became the picture of Supreme solitude and inner-peace, having a faint smile [in Supreme terms] on his face, eyes twinkling with an inner kindly light. Immediately, the second Supreme spoke.
"So... conducting a meeting with the Alexandrians. We admit, we do not have much knowledge of them. They are new to us. You, however, well... we have known all of you before. Let me show you a very real place, that we currently hold as our own."

A moment later, nothing changed. However, to the Supreme Diplomatic party, and to the Princesses and the High Archmage, the very place they were standing changed. By manipulating the nerve system, the Supreme had allowed them to see, smell, and feel the old, magnificent throne room on what has become Old Equiis. They could see several Supremes, wrapped in a protective armorsuit, restoring the chambers, the massive chambers, pillared and tiled, more magnificent than the one that they had previously been in. Moments later, the real-time manipulation that let them see across the stars let them see as the Supreme-installed Supreme holographic installations start: all between the pillars that flank the deep red carpet that lead to the thrones, the exact same thrones that the Princesses sat on, with the exact same color scheme, were major planets of the old Equestrian Empire, with information with strange symbols lining them, Supreme Symbols.

After a minute watching the throne room being restored, the Supreme ended the manipulation, returning them to their actual location.
"We are restoring Equiis. The one before this one. All your technology was destroyed, of course, from some plaque that destoryed anything magical, which, we admit, was very disappointing. But the Old Equiis is very much more suited for inhabitations, now. We have restored many cities, and while most Equestrian digital history was lost, we have found a great deal of information in libraries, and have taken liberties as to restoring it.

We have your past, your ancestors' legacy. But, it is not yours anymore. To see it yourself will require a great deal from you, so that we know you will not eradicate another race to reach such a golden age."

The first Supreme was, well, startled, and looked at his brother in profound and distinct astonishment and shock, and just a little awe. No one else has been able to manipulate a mind without invading, or having any real study. The other four had simply taken a battle stance, legs spread out, obviously disoriented and confused.

[null123]

((Um, I don't see how thats possible on Old Equiis. It was literally obliterated into nothing but rubble. That and any books remaining would have been in the Castle on Old Equiis. There literally be nothing on Old Equiis to recover, because its just rubble.))

Supremes
"We do not see of what you speak of Supremes, we are still in this chamber." said Celestia. Her tone indicated she was rather confused, and the other Princesses were as well, they did not seem to see or even feel what the 2nd Supreme had done.

The voice that spoke next was not the Princesses, or Duck's, infact it also seemed like only the Supremes could hear it.
"I'm not as distrusting of you as I was before. Coming out of a God War can put me in such a frazzled state. But I have plans for the Equestrians, I cannot let you show them what you have managed to restore from the cultural information that I sent to the AIF, well not yet anyways, maybe in time. The Princesses, and Duck, will gain there memories and knowledge of the old Empire overtime, but for now they need to stay on the track I set for them."

[darkwolf687]

New Habitat world

They had arrived the day before yesterday, selecting this planet. Scans had deemed the planet perfect for Saeva Simius colonisation , being 3.8 times the size of Earth
Something had been found here though, left among the planets intricate system of tunnels and caverns that ran amok under tall mountains
It was believed to be an Ark, which was thought to be an ancient device of the Aetherii which was designed to provide a safezone of sorts. It was believed that its interior contained genetic samples of life forms for cloning and the facilities to do so.
But getting inside... It had been locked securely and nothing they did seemed to open it. The remaining handful of Aetherii themselves, when consulted, seemed to have little knowledge of the device itself, which was unsurprising given its age.
What secrets lay within this locked sanctum...

[TehAlphaGamer]

Sazkarjhia Archaeological Registry Aural Logbook, Codex 901A5, Dr Helim Telamar'gum, recovered inside of Elbima a Yuturata

Log Entry 1, 1900, 09/05/2290:

My research team moves into the temple. Since it's been closed for so long what we find here is absolutely astonishing. Massive forges with workers slaving at anvils, thankfully, none of them noticed us; or at least we hope they didn't. Massive channels of coolant and molten metal flowed around an antechamber that followed into a huge workshop, scaled at at least seven kilometers by ten. There was a maze of hallways, and all the documentation in the world couldn't capture the majesty of the place.

Log Entry 2, 2000, 09/05/2290:

One of my research associates, Dr Belma'dum, tripped some sort of alarm. She stepped on a flagstone, and once she lifted her foot off of it, it depressed. A siren blared through the complex, and we dodged into a small workshop under a couple of tables. We heard many footsteps but it appeared that we had evaded them. We tried taking pictures of the security force, but all we got were images of legs. They were plates of armor flowing around light, it was...fascinating.

Log Entry 3, 2100, 09/05/2290:

Dr Belma'dum's clumsiness cost her her life, something we are still mourning greatly. She set off another alarm, and this time we could not right away get to hiding. The security force came, and they looked ferocious: they were like knights, with lustrous silver armor that was held in place by energy inside. Their eyes burned like fire and they have fascinating weapons in their hands; rifles also held together by energy. They fired, and bolts of molten metal soared over our heads. We tried scattering to drive them off, and a larger guard that carried some sort of hammer swung and struck Sylna Belma'dum in the side. Once we heard several cracks we realized that she would not be able to stave off another blow, but she wouldn't have had to anyways. The blow swung her off her feet, careening her into one of the channels of gooey molten metal. Her screams of agony are still resonating in my head.

Log Entry 4, 2200, 09/05/2290:

More research associates have been killed by guards. I'm now thinking that it's less of us setting off a security alarm and more of us being hunted. Whatever's down here they don't want us going further, and it's going to stop at nothing to keep us out.

Log Entry 5, 0100, 09/05/2290:

More associates are being killed, there's only a handful of us left. We've gone so far into this temple that runs so deep underground...I don't think we'll ever get back out alive. We've reached some sort of massive central chamber with a pulsing bulb of entwined metal in the middle. It's pulsing out bright light and loud vibrations, and...oh my gods no!

Log Entry 6, 0200, 09/05/2290:

The...the rest of the team's been killed, I'm running away. I've taken a hit to the arm, I...I don't think I'm getting out here. I managed to evade the security but now this bulb in the room is glowing even brighter. Oh, oh my...it's-it's-it's splitting open! What do I do, what do I do? Umph! Augh...oh my leg, it's...wait...wait what are you?! "I...am...[Unintelligible]..." No...no you can't be... "I...AM...[Unintelligible]"... No, no, no STOP AUGH [Unintelligible]

The logs were recovered near the door, how they were brought so far forward from that room is still trying to be comprehended. However, after the logs played, there was a new voice. A deeper, darker, more distorted voice. It only ominously remarked the following:

"There is now...a god...amongst man..."

[Keyguyperson]

Ortels System
Having recieved no response, the LCF fleet jumped out of the system, believing the distress call to be the remnant of some ancient civilization going through its death throes. On the way back to Lakfakalle, the crews mourned those who had died fifty thousand years ago, having no idea who they had been or who they were fighting.

Negative Mass Production
A new negative mass factory has been completed on Lakfakalle, along with part of the moon that is being converted into one huge factory. This will allow the LCF to support twenty new standard size space vessels.

Lakfakalle, Exploratory Command
"Welcome to Lakfakalle." Said an Abh woman, wearing blue and purple military uniform much different than that worn by the crew of the Terminator "I am Admiral Spoor of the Abh Imperial Space Force. That might sound official, but we don't have any vessels dedicated to it, since we're a military organization. I was assigned here as director of military operations. I hear that you are here to discuss the Sylve threat, and also that you believe you have found their HQ."

Kalle System, Hyphelia
A Delphan clad in foreboding dark black uniform looked out into the turbulent orange expanse below him, the atmosphere of Hyphelia. The planet was a gas giant, but even in its turbulent and inhospitable atmosphere life survived. Its atmosphere was made up of heavy elements, allowing oxygen and carbon dioxide to float above the thicker part of the atmosphere. In that oxygen lived alien creatures, huge biological blimps floating in the heavy gravity of Hyphelia. Algae covered the thick clouds below that tiny pocket of atmosphere suitable for life as we know it, floating on top of nothing but thick gases. All life was somewhat photosynthetic, as creatures could spend weeks without meeting any other being due to the sheer size of the planet. However, most of the time small groups of about a dozen creatures floated through the air in search of brighter areas and other creatures to eat. There were rumors of beings with hands, using the hollow bones of dead creatures as weapons for hunting and tools for building. However, any construction would require a flotation device or else it would pierce the cloud/algae layer and sink to the bottom of the planet, where it would be compressed to become part of its super dense core suspected to be made of diamond. And such a flotation device would require gas from a living being, and one close by... the implications were not something anybody wished to discuss.

The facility floating through the alien atmosphere, ancient symbols confirming it to be a construction of the Aif Empire. It was one of thousands of Aif building found on the planet, kept afloat by negative mass. The creation somehow manipulated the gravity within its walls, allowing species from lower gravity planets to survive. It was a little known fact that Hyphelia was the center of all fuel collection. Massive scoops protruded from the bottom and top of the floating stations, descending and ascending into the other levels of atmosphere to collect gases such as xenon, hydrogen, and even oxygen. There was simply so much there that taking it away for rocket fuel had no effect on the local life. However, along with all of this fuel was a much more exotic substance collected at certain points in the planet's magnetic field; antimatter. Hyphelia had extreme amounts of the substance trapped in its magnetic field, perhaps caused by the arrivals of ancient Aif Empire starships slowing from FTL velocities using antimatter engines with slight leaks just like all other antimatter propulsion devices. Whatever the case, due to the dynamics of Hyphelia's gravity field the antimatter settled above the poles in a geostationary orbit, allowing easily collection using specialized vessels.

However, this facility had been built with something other than fuel collection in mind. Instead of huge collection spires, it had a massive drydock attacked to it. Inside was an interstellar vessel, rusted over the thousands of years it had laid inside the drydock. Markings identified it as Aif, but the design was completely different. It was completely grey, and had a long spire protruding from the stern. The vessel also had a central rod running the length of the ship, connected to it were four modular constructions that continued up until the engines and the spire. It had ten antiproton streamers, and dozens of missile launch ports. In the place of a warp drive it had two cores similar to the device used to keep the gravity inside the facility at reasonable levels. After many years of study, it had been determined that the device was capable of generating a space-time bubble, a mini-universe that encased the structure it was installed on. One of the cores was most definitely for use as a gravity generator, but the other generated a much more intense field. Since it had no apparent FTL propulsion system, the scientists assigned to study it came to the conclusion that the vessel used another universe with compressed distances and a higher speed of light for interstellar travel. The universe must have been inhospitable for life from our own universe, and thus the vessel required its own universe within a universe.

The only question was, how did the vessel enter this alien universe? It had no device that could be used for such a measure. The only theory that the scientists could come up with was that there was once some sort of gate system, allowing passage between the two universes for the purpose of interstellar travel. They seem to believe that this form of FTL would be much faster than warp drive, but just like the defense platforms, nobody has been able to cut into either of the cores to figure out how they operate. Unless the Equestrians figure out a way to break the protective material, the secrets of the ancient Aif Empire interstellar transport system will never be revealed.

[Toaw]

Equestrian Contact
The holographic image of the Emperor then started to speak up, "I guess we shall have to wait, and see, I trust in the fact that you have nothing to hide." He then reached out to grab what seems his own glass of wine. "Now as for trade, are there any specific goods you are looking for, perhaps even this fine wine? Or would you rather set up an automated shipping route that will transfer general goods? We are fine with either, but only if you promise to protect any goods shipped to our worlds, and we shall do the same with yours." He then paused for a second to take another sip of his cup, "Nothing serious of course, but some defensive measure against pirates is all that we ask, because space can be a cold, and cruel place." He then took another sip, waiting for the Equestrian to speak.