Sigma

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

Columbia
City of New Landing
Neon Tipsy Bar, Upper levels

Malcolm Talis, a tired and worn-out man in his early sixties laid against the wall of a moving elevator as it made its ascent to the classiest and most expensive bar you could find in this city. The occasion? Malcolm had just returned from a rather somber get-together, a real close friend, practically a younger brother, had recently passed away from complications. Attending his funeral with his family, friends and surviving members of their platoon, and after that depressing reminder of all their mortality, he needed one hell of a drink. So, Malcolm and the rest of the crew had decided to throw a little drinking party in his honor.

The aged Malcolm maintained his balance as he heard the "bing" sound from elevator. The doors sliding open to reveal bright neon lights, they really wanted to put an emphasis on the bar's namesake that's for sure. Malcolm scanned his surroundings, taking in the atmosphere, jazz-like music was booming in the air, followed by soothing scents of various strong drinks.

The bar was half-full, its patrons were a varied sort, ranging from "fellow" navy officers, though by the looks of them, they were a bunch of upper-class suits, city boys wanting to play soldier, to suits of the business variety, both shady and legitimate sat in another corner, all drinking to their hearts content. All the while, in the left corner stood a little stage of sorts, two young, quite attractive women were singing in soothing tones.

Malcolm continued scanning the room until he took notice of a Urkani man hand waving to him, turning to that direction to see a trio waiting for him, the aforementioned Urkani, and two humans, a woman and a slightly younger man. Malcolm walked over and sat down as he grabbed a glass; he was fashionably late enough to have his drink ready. "Glad you could make it, Geo." the aged woman, Isana Talis, his wife called him by his old callsign, bumping her shoulder against his.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Malcolm replied as he bumped back. "Love you too, darling."

"With that." Binat, the Urkani spoke, raising a glass. "A toast to Sanders."

"May he find peace forevermore." Gideon, the other human spoke.

"To the Gravemakers." Both Isana and Malcolm said, the four of them clashing their glasses together and begun gulping down their drinks. An hour had passed, the four, having been separated for a number of years had much catching up to do. "So, how's the family doing?" Binat asked the couple.

Malcolm and Isana looked to one another before turning their attention to their old friend. "Doing well." Malcolm replied. "Called Jade an hour ago, we were going to have a personal holiday together..." Malcolm paused, once more looking to his wife. "...but me and Isana agreed now wasn't the best time...the grandkids were mighty disappointed."

"Yeah..not in a festive mood either." Gideon said, gulping down another glass. Some more time passes as the Gravemakers took it all at a slowed pace, a large hologram screen brightened up as the daily news reports came in, a rather imposing Dhulrak Anchor appearing. "The Zetan War has reached a standstill as coalition forces-"

"Just like out of the old history books." Malcolm said, chugging down another drink. "As soon as we found each other, someone was bound to stir up some shit."

"I have to admit." Binat said. "Those Zetans...they creep the hell out of me."

"I wonder if the whole abduction story is true?" Isana wondered, twirling her glass. "Gives me the chills thinking about it."

"Personally? I don't care much to dig any deeper." Gideon interjected. "All I know is that I don't trust those cogheads."

While the Gravemakers were busy chatting some more, they had failed to notice a young stranger approaching from behind, having just arrived from the elevator. "Captain Talis?" the stranger spoke.

The four turned to see a human man in his mid thirties, wearing a fine suit. He extended his hand outward to the captain. "The name's Leon Severis." He declared. "Could you and your associates come with me for but a moment?" Leon requested of the group. "It won't take long."

---

Some time had passed, the group driving around the city in a rather spacious hover limo. The Gravemakers sat rather comfortably on one end of the hovercar. Facing them on the other end was this Mister Severis. "So, why'd you drag us out here?" Malcolm asked, honestly intrigued by this point.

"I suppose it would be fair, you've waited long enough." Severis said as he cleared his throat. "Are you familiar with the recent conflict occurring the Zeta system?" Leon asked rhetorically.

Malcolm had quickly shifted from intrigued, to confused. "...yes... Why'd you bring that up?"

"I'll get to the point, I've come on behalf of certain parties." Leon said, keeping his ties and allegiance vague, for now. “Parties who have a vested interest in participating in this rather historical conflict, and to see the culling the threat the Zetans pose."

"And that threat would be?" Malcom asked, not convinced.

"The threat of changing what it means to be human." Severis said, his eyes drifting to binat. "Or xeno for that matter." He paused for a moment, continuing. “Out of all the colonies discovered, the Zetans are by far, the most technologically advanced and how they used that technology scares the hell out of people.”

Fear of the unknown. The most deep-rooted, basic, and primal of human emotions, both a boon and a bane to all of mankind, and no doubt the catalyst of many wars and atrocities throughout all of creation. It is a fear that is well understood by the gravemakers and many others. Doesn't help that propaganda films the ECU shipped throughout the galaxy for months have fueled that unease and distrust. Malcom remained silent, having no means to rebuke, leon continued. "The Coalition may have won the battle but the war is far from over. The Zetans may have other plans up their sleeves."

"...And what does this have to do with me exactly?" Malcolm asked.

Leon smiled, possible progress was made. "You were considered a quite the maverick among your peers in the marines, men and women serving under you have commented on your unorthodox, but efficient command. Such an seasoned and flexible officer would be a...valuable asset to our cause"

"So...you want to hire us?" Malcolm asked, a little offend. "Son, I think you're terribly mistaken. We're no hired guns, and sure as hell don't plan on being such."

"Such a crude term." Leon replied. "I like to think of it as...one time contractors."

"Regardless. Why not look for real mercenaries?"

"My benefactors demand a more...creditable face for our little operation. Decorated war heroes such as yourselves would do just that, and they assure you, you will be compensated VERY handsomely."

Malcom looked to his crew as they silently deliberate on their next course of action. In truth, yes, Malcom never really trusted the zetans, many citizens within the URC thought the chancellor's actions were naïve and possibly foolish, opening the doors to Columbia to a potential threat, fearing a repeat of the Yulzan War.

Isana gripped onto Malcom's hand. "What do you say, hun?" She asked. "One last hoorah for the gravemakers?"

Malcom thought deeply further...and he and the rest aren't getting any younger, one last mission, for sanders. Malcom matched his eyes to Leon as he gave a confirming nod.

Leon smirked, mission accomplished. "Thank you." Leon said. "An Officer of your talent and skill will be of great use for the Volunteer task force to come."

"And what role will we play in all this?"

"Well, for you, captain, you'll be the Operational Commander." Leon replied. "You'll be giving a ship, crew and additional volunteers to assist you in your mission. You will be doing all of mankind and xenokind a great service in this endeavor."

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Dark Cloud The idea does have promise, of course it would need to be altered a bit since it's only been three centuries. We had vamps, and such, so cannibalistic ogre-like mutants is possible. Also I'll echo @Raylah, if, you like too, join us at the rp's discord server to discuss further details :D

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Creedmoor Welcome back! Looking forward to see new updates :)

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

Six Months Later

"We are the United Republic of Columbia. Like you, we seek to preserve our ties to Old Earth, yet we strive to be so much more. We seek to keep the old spirit of democracy, freedom, and cooperation alive in the stars and hope to spread this message, these ideals, to other worlds, to all of mankind. Columbia is home to many, both human and xeno alike, many of which were formerly our enemies, now are our brothers and sisters in arms. Together, we may reach a better tomorrow" A holographic image of a rather well-dressed young man announced on a loop in select parts of the Columbian portion of the Meeting Place. The interior of the Columbian embassy was designed with a strange blend of idyllic and brutalist designs, a bit of a boastful overstatement, but it was pleasing to the eyes, and rather calming. In the central office of the embassy sat the recently appointed Ambassador Vixril Ghask, the first Janari, let alone the first xeno, to be appointed such an honored position in the URC. He held a datapad, scrolling through as he kept up to speed on recent news. In bolded letters, the sentence "System Colonization Initiative in full swing!" stood out.

The aftermath of the gateways opening had led to a mass resurgence in stellar exploration, both throughout the galaxy and in their very own home system. The past six months saw preparations to establish a wider, permanent presence throughout the Americana system as whole flotillas of freighters, and construction vessels move beyond Columbia's orbit to establish proper infrastructure in preparation for future colonists.

Ambassador Ghask smirked at the news, after decades of reconstruction and isolation, Columbia has finally begun reaching out to the stars once more, this time, with new comrades by their side. He continued scrolling down to much more troubling news, although he had already been made well aware of the situation going on in the Zeta System, thanks in part to Liason Tanaka's announcement. The recent Zetan conflict has grind the senate to a stand still, some senators calling to for war and to deal with the threat the Zetans could become. Others call for the opposite, demanding the ECU end their war and to hear out the Zetan's side of the story. Officially, the URC will remain a neutral party in the conflict, no doubt, much to the relief of the ECU and Undefeated, however, some parties on both sides are seeking to change that.

---

@Crusader Lord
Columbian Space
Space Military Training Grounds

Admiral Wilson watched from the command bridge of the CSS Argus as the training exercise commenced, admiring the maneuverability of the Xandalian Military-Frames, always seemed to be a step ahead of their Columbian counterparts. Granted, spaceborne frames was an entirely new concept to the Columbian military, before the gateway opened, there seemed to be no need to move the combat frames up in space. The reports provided by Captain Brywell, however, proved that it was both quite viable, and tactically sound. Impressive really that the R&D department managed to churn out the Serpah Driive prototypes(The official, fancy name of the spaceborne propulsion boosters.) in a few months.

He continued to observe the mock battle before his comm officer spoke. "Admiral, we're being hailed by the Cyclostro. They're requesting your input on the current mock battle."

"Tell them that so far, I'm quite impressed." Wilson said with a smirk. "Never seen combat frames move with such grace, and I do look forward for further cooperation in this new technological path."

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

Six Months Ago

Xandalian Space
CSS Tokyo
The message by the Xandalians was received, much to the relief of the crew of the Tokyo. Captain Brywell and her bridge staff were gluing their eyes to the rather impressive combat frames escorting them. "Funny, even thousands of lightyears away. The idea of frames found their way here." Brywell said.

"I wonder what led to that." The X.O., a Urkani by the name of Zon Rathit, said, impressed with the designs. Their moment of wonder was interrupted as the message from Xandalians came through. Brywell stood up, looking to her executive officer. "I'm leaving you in command while I fly over to one of their ships." She ordered.

"Understood, ma'am." The X.O. replied, saluting her. "Good luck" Brywell nodded back as she walked past the doors, making a small journey from the command bridge, all the way down to the hanger bay. A Razorwing dropship was prepped and ready for her departure, all the while, she was met with a pair of marines in full armor, as a safety precaution of course. "Ready to head out?" The captain asked her bodyguards.

"Ready as ever, ma'am." One of them replied. She nodded as the trio walked up the boarding ramp, the door shutting behind them as they took their seats, the room brightening up as the engines roared. "Preparing for take off." The pilot announced. The razorwing lifting up, its wings folding back as it jetted out of the hanger bay, approaching one of the designated diplomatic vessels.

---

Some time had past, about a good hour or so, X.O. Rathit, along with the rest of the bridge staff, awaiting with anticipation of what would happen next, the Tokyo herself was an impressive ship but recent scans had shown that Xandalian technology was something else entirely, using power sources that wouldn't even register right on the scanners. Of course, he held on to the hope it wouldn't have to come to fighting. Such thoughts were shoved aside as one of the bridge officers spoke up. "Sir, the captain's bird is returning!"

"Anything going on?" He asked, curious if the talks went wrong.

"Negative sir, no signs of pursuit or weapon discharge."

Rathit sighed with relief. "Good, good. I'll meet with the captain in person." He said as he stood right up and left the bridge. A short while later, rathit found himself in the hanger bay as the captain's razorwing slowly met its descent to solid ground. The boarding ramp lowering as the captain and her guards emerged. "Talks went well I assume?" Rathit asked,

"I would say so!" Brywell replied with a smile. "Nice enough folk. The brass and senate will be interested in further talks."

---

New Hollyword
CSS Overwatch
"Rean, I'm leaving you in command." Hans said as the two brothers strolled down the corridors of the Overwatch, crewmen saluting them as they walked past. "I'll head to the station and see who we're dealing with here." The two walked into an elevator. "Shuttle bay." Hans said, the elevator complying with his command. The doors soon opening to reveal a rather cramped space, two shuttle craft jammed.

"Just be careful out there, Hans." Rean said, a bit anxious of the current situation. This is all so new to him, him and everyone else on board, Hans was better at hiding his doubts. "Relax, pretty confident these guys won't start firing at us. We got this far, right?"

Rean nodded. "Right." Hans patted his younger brother on the shoulder. "In and out, promise."

A short while later, Rean had returned to the command bridge, just in time to see his brother off as the shuttle departed, clearly visable from the bridge, approaching the nearby station.

---

A good hour had past since Hans' departure, the bridge crew going about their duties, if a bit bored. Rean on the other hand, had glued his eyes on the station for any suspicious activity, and so far, there was none, thankfully. Soon, Hans' shuttle was spotted leaving the ECU station by the ship's sensors. "Sir, the captain's ship is en route...no hostile activity."

After some time had passed. Hans had finally returned to the bridge, all eyes on him. "So..how did it go?" Rean asked.

"Pretty well, I think. The ECU are very...peculiar. They take cultural preservation very seriously. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing...regardless, the higher ups will want to hear of this, set a course home."

"Aye aye, captain!"

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Tortoise Now things will start getting wild :P

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Raylah
The chancellor thought over it. "They seemed...friendly enough." He said. "If rather unsettling. A fate I don't ever wish on my fellow man." He paused as he leaned backwards, clasping his hands. "But as it is often said, looks can be quite deceiving. They may prove to be valuable friends and allies." He paused as he shifted his chair to the right. "But they may also prove to be a potential danger. One can never be sure, I'm willing to risk it." He then shifted to the left.

“I’m awfully sorry to hear of your present situation on Ellra.” The chancellor said. “Before the Yulzan, we had a similar conflict with the natives, the Urkani.” He paused as he shifted back to facing the two. “But the arrival of Yulzan had forced both parties put aside any hard feelings to focus on the greater threat. I pray that you will find peace with the natives…and if not, perhaps we and others may be willing to help bring about peace.”

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Raylah
The chancellor chuckled. "We'll we had our own set of troubles before arriving to this point." He said as he motioned the pair to follow him down to a comfortable location to further discuss matters. The many eyes were drawn to the new arrivals as they walked down the Alamo's corridors, some stopping to salute both the captain and chancellor. Before long, the group had finally arrived to a small conference room, the doors sliding open as the lights flickered to life, revealing a round table. "Please sit." The chancellor said as he and the captain sat down.

"To follow up what I've mentioned earlier." He begun. "It would only be fair to share this with you, as we did with the Zetans." The chancellor paused as he cleared his throat, than continued. "Over three decades ago, our world was at war. A war for our very survival, against an alien intelligence of far greater technological level, the Yulzan."

"They were damned cowards." Captain jashi interjected. "They enslave and force other species to fight on their behalf. Mine and several others were sent to fight and die against the humans."

"For fifteen years, we've fought and struggled." The chancellor said. "It was truly a miracle when the Yulzan were beaten back. In their retreat, they had forsaken millions of their former slave soldiers." He paused once more, looking somber, his eyes drawn at the table. "Those that truly believed, fought and died."

"And others, like myself, surrendered to the humans." The captain said. "I hated the Yulzan with my being, and there was enough bloodshed."

"The short of it, we've made friends and allies, yes but it came at a great cost....But enough of that. Tell us more about yourselves! I'm quite curious to see how you've handled yourselves over the centuries?"

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Raylah
Earth
Aboard the CSS Alamo
Once the airlock bridge linked the two vessels, the chancellor, his guards and the captain were quickly pacing towards the meeting point with the Undefeated delegation, reaching the correct airlock just in time. "Decontamination in progress..." A feminine voice announced over the local intercom. The group standing ready to welcome their new guests, the chancellor making last minute prep as he fixed up his suit. "Decontamination complete." the computerized voiced announced as the airlock doors raised up to reveal Kelsie and Julianna as they stepped forward, two completely normal human women much to the relief of the chancellor's guards and the captain. The chancellor was the first to step forward out of his group, meeting them with a smile as he extended his hand forward. "Chancellor Constantine of the United Columbian Republic." He announced to the two women. "A pleasure to meet you!"

"And I'd like you welcome you aboard the CSS Alamo." The captain stepped up to add. "Safest place in the galaxy, I can guarantee you."

"And what do I call you, young ladies?" Julian said.

---

@Crusader Lord
Xandal
Aboard the CSS Tokyo
A few days had passed since the probe was detected by Sentinel Station, the message forwarded to High Command, soon after, the probe has self-destructed. The rather mixed message had raised concerns among the brass, leading to the dilemma of sending a warship to the colony of Xandal, the possibility of of a new war against an unknown power was quite distressing. For both as a safety precaution and a show of strength, it was decided that the CSS Tokyo, an Endurance Heavy Cruiser, be sent in.

And so it was done, the Tokyo had emerged from the other side of the gateway, was met a fleet of xandlian warships. Captain Ophinna Brywell and her bridge staff were anxiously approaching the fleet. "Open channels." She ordered. "No need to start a war here."

"Aye aye, captain." Her comms officer said as he pressed down a few keys. "Patching you through."

"This is Captain Brywell of the CSS Tokyo of the United Columbian Republic, we've received your probe's message and have come in peace, do not open fire. I repeat, do not open fire."

Through the Gateways: Humanity [Closed] [Soon to be Concluded]

@Raylah
Earth
Aboard the Alamo
A short while has passed since the successful talks with the Zetans, the chancellor and his entourage having since returned to the Alamo, greeted by the XO of the ship, a woman named May Oliver. "Captain on deck!" An officer announced. "A success I presume?" she asked, standing at attention, saluting both the captain and chancellor, along with several other officers. "I would say so." Captain Jasi replied.

"First Contact with our first "human" colony went smoothly." The chancellor added, their rather frighting appearance still lingering in the back of his mind. "Although...I would hardly call them human anymore."

"Sir?" May inquired, the chancellor’s comment very eye-catching. "I'll fill you in later." Captain Jasi said.

"Nonetheless, they proved friendly enough, and are one step towards uniting all the colonies." The Chancellor said with grandiose in his tone, he certainly had a grand vision in mind. "But enough about that, have the other ships contacted us?"

"Yes, your excellency." XO Oliver replied to the Chancellor, tinkering with a personal datapad she brought along. "The ship under the banner of the "Earth Cultural Union" sent a small message of goodwill but had soon left system."

Julian frowned. "Huh, a shame." Julian said. "Would've been useful to hear their take on the Zetans. What about the other ship?"

XO Oliver was quiet for a moment, pressing down on the pad. "The vessel under the “Undefeated” has sent their greetings and have requested that their delegation board the ship."

"Of course, give them the all clear. Once we settle talks with the Undefeated, we'll set a course home."

---

@Ekreture
Sentinel Base
Grant and most of his command staff, along with a small squad of marines, had assembled at the docking ports of the station, seeing the trader ship slowly docking. Grant chuckled, garnering the attention of his second-in-command, Kazon. “What’s funny, sir?”

“Well, I never expected to be actually welcoming aliens to our home.” Grant said. “For ten years, I’ve thought we’d be at the frontline of new war against the Yulzan.” He added. “Guess that ship has long since sailed.”

Sentinel base initially was made for the purpose of both as a border outpost, and as a weapon against any future Yulzan attacks. Now, it seems Sentinel may serve as an interstellar port for future visitors from across the galaxy. Which in truth, would be a preferable alternative, the Yulzan forgotten as a bad memory, this new era taking precedence.

The Trader vessel was soon caught in the docking clamps, the airlock or whatever it was, slowly lowering down to revel the occupants of the ship. A mixture of human and xenos, not too dissimilar to grant’s little group, something they can find common ground in. Grant was the first to step forward and approach the new visitors, the first man in the system to shake hands with aliens and humans from outside. “Name’s Dennis Grant.” He stated his name. “Commander of Sentinel Base, and let me be the very first to welcome you to the United Republic of Columbia.” He extended his hand towards the lead man of the group. “And you are?”

---

@Tortoise
New Hollywood
CSS Overwatch
Hans and the rest of the bridge staff looked in awe, another world like Columbia, countless light years away from home. “We actually made it.” Hans said to himself.

There wasn’t much time to fully adjust to their surroundings, the natives of this world already responding to the Overwatch’s arrival in a timely matter. “Captain, we’ve just received a message from the colony, an automated message.” The communications officer said.

The ECU message begun to rang out over the ship’s intercom. “Orders?”

“Set a direct course for the nearest space station, tell the E.C.U. we come in the name of peace and that they can send whomever they wish to speak with us.”

“Aye Aye, Captain.”

“These folks sound pretty interesting.” Rean commented.

“Sounds that way.” Hans said, the message sent gave a certain impression of the ECU, both good and bad. Preserving cultural ties to Earth is not bad in itself, although, how fanatical is this devotion? Would it prove a detriment to future relations or merely a quirk that can be worked around? Only time can tell, and to actually hear the ECU out.