Furrelong
27-07-2005, 01:30
Space stretches as far as the eye can see, a neverending sea of twinkling stars, galaxies all shapes and sizes, races and species uncountable, peoples of so many forms, cultures, and differences that no encyclopedia could ever document them all. No nation, however vast its intersteller empire, could ever encompass all the universe, and no explorers, no matter what their boastful claims, could ever see all of it.
Yet they try. Empires expand, encroaching on and claiming new star systems as their own, and fighting for already claimed ones. Explorers probe the edges of the vastness, venturing ever further from the safety of inhabited, tamed worlds in search of adventure and discovery, and colonists just try to find a little more breathing room as they search for new worlds to inhabit and tame.
A million billion souls have devoted and continue to devote their existences to the goal of conquering space, of making it their own in some way, by raising their flags, by making their homes, or just by knowing that another world is out there. In this process, the myriad civilizations of Sol and its surrounding systems have found many others like them, other races and cultures with the same goals, the same aims and ambitions.
Then again, sometimes one of these others finds them first...
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The edges of the Sol system, near Pluto
Within sight of of the little ice ball that was the last planet in the Sol system, a series of massive ships abruptly burst into existence, lumbering into the galaxy and moving into formation as the fields of their jump systems dissipated and impulse drives took over movement. Each of the largest ships was easily four kilometers across and bristled with weapons of all shapes and sizes. They were vaguely oval in shape, with two wings thick enough to include structures inside them. Decorations on the sides included strange banners and writing in a language unlike any other in Sol. The ships were clearly built to hold as much as possible within their walls, and their impressive arrays of armaments spoke of their ability to defend what was inside. Surrounding the four massive ships that made up the core of the fleet were numerous much smaller vessels, none larger than three quarters of a kilometer in length, of the same basic design, and looking like an assortment of destroyers, cruisers, and defense ships, as well as almost as many lightly armed or completely unarmed noncombatant vessels. Lastly, hundreds of fighters, shuttles, motorized robots, and probes moved out from bays in the larger vessels and took up positions.
All the ships bore two flags: one displayed a swordlike weapon grasped by eight different nonhuman hands on an orange background, and the other showed a great black tree trimmed with silver on a green background. Other writings, probably names and designations, adorned the hulls, and a few ships sported unique designs probably put on by their crews.
As the ships formed up, communications began flying back and forth, and excited babble of orders, reports, and information about the system in which the fleet had just arrived. For now, the ships were just sitting there while they got themselves in order. The scout fighters had already discovered signs that this system was inhabited, and the fleet expected that the inhabitants would be paying them a visit fairly soon. Who the inhabitants of this system were, the fleet did not know.
Yet they try. Empires expand, encroaching on and claiming new star systems as their own, and fighting for already claimed ones. Explorers probe the edges of the vastness, venturing ever further from the safety of inhabited, tamed worlds in search of adventure and discovery, and colonists just try to find a little more breathing room as they search for new worlds to inhabit and tame.
A million billion souls have devoted and continue to devote their existences to the goal of conquering space, of making it their own in some way, by raising their flags, by making their homes, or just by knowing that another world is out there. In this process, the myriad civilizations of Sol and its surrounding systems have found many others like them, other races and cultures with the same goals, the same aims and ambitions.
Then again, sometimes one of these others finds them first...
**********************************************************
The edges of the Sol system, near Pluto
Within sight of of the little ice ball that was the last planet in the Sol system, a series of massive ships abruptly burst into existence, lumbering into the galaxy and moving into formation as the fields of their jump systems dissipated and impulse drives took over movement. Each of the largest ships was easily four kilometers across and bristled with weapons of all shapes and sizes. They were vaguely oval in shape, with two wings thick enough to include structures inside them. Decorations on the sides included strange banners and writing in a language unlike any other in Sol. The ships were clearly built to hold as much as possible within their walls, and their impressive arrays of armaments spoke of their ability to defend what was inside. Surrounding the four massive ships that made up the core of the fleet were numerous much smaller vessels, none larger than three quarters of a kilometer in length, of the same basic design, and looking like an assortment of destroyers, cruisers, and defense ships, as well as almost as many lightly armed or completely unarmed noncombatant vessels. Lastly, hundreds of fighters, shuttles, motorized robots, and probes moved out from bays in the larger vessels and took up positions.
All the ships bore two flags: one displayed a swordlike weapon grasped by eight different nonhuman hands on an orange background, and the other showed a great black tree trimmed with silver on a green background. Other writings, probably names and designations, adorned the hulls, and a few ships sported unique designs probably put on by their crews.
As the ships formed up, communications began flying back and forth, and excited babble of orders, reports, and information about the system in which the fleet had just arrived. For now, the ships were just sitting there while they got themselves in order. The scout fighters had already discovered signs that this system was inhabited, and the fleet expected that the inhabitants would be paying them a visit fairly soon. Who the inhabitants of this system were, the fleet did not know.