NationStates Jolt Archive

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

OOC: It’s been a long time. Most of you either a) don’t know me, b) don’t like me or c) barely remember me. Either way, I’m staging a comeback. Somewhat. I have limited free time, and as such my posting frequency will be low. If you become involved in this roleplay (I don’t care how, think of a reason to be nearby), please bear in mind that I will not be able to post lengthy posts hour after hour. You’ll be lucky if you get one per day. If you do wish to join, please inform be beforehand, since I won't be able to keep up with dozens of participants. Anywho, onward…

Edit: Oh, Midna Beta is 14.5ly from Sol.

For backstory to the AI/Mindsetti war see here (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php?title=Echo01%3B&redirect=no) and here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=348430&highlight=echo01).


From the mists of time, an ancient power, long since forgotten, rears its ugly head once more.

The Empire was old. Forgotten, even. Where it once wielded power and authority like a bullwhip, it now shook its ancient fists in a feeble display of post-singularity vehemence. Gone were the days of multi-system colonial empires; its power gone in lieu of the sudden destruction of the Mindsetti Empire at the Battle of Midna Beta.

But those left behind, scattered across a dozen worlds, swearing allegiance to many and varied factions (all claiming to have inherited the vacuum left in the Empire’s wake) still clung like magnets to the memories; hoping that somewhere, out in the vastness of space, there lay the mythical Mindsetti homeplanet just waiting for the right moment to return.

The Battle of Midna Beta, of the last great civil war, devastated the Empire. Some three billion souls lost their lives that day, as rogue AIs born from the complex city management routines decided humanity did not deserve to exist. They turned civil defence weaponry on idle citizens in three compromised cities. Survivors who managed to make it to an evacuation ship in time remember the spectacular sight of their billion-plus population home beginning to burn in the dense atmosphere of Midna IV, a thousand kilometre trail of thick black death stretching up like a scar into the sky. In eerie silhouette against the massive gas giant it orbited, the entire Mindsetti fleet exchanged fire with the rogue AI-controlled ships, but were unevenly matched as their masers tore through their shielding like butter, and eventually they fell to the superior AI forces.

What happened next is unclear. The fleeing starships, pulling twelve gees in a desperate attempt to escape the effective range of the AI ships, claimed space behind them turned blacker than black. The effect was instantaneous, like a light being switched off. All sensors reported that the blackness behind them was void of anything – no radiation, no mass. Even the cosmic background noise disappeared momentarily. Then, as fast as the effect appeared, it was gone. And so was Midna IV. Eight minutes later, the star also vanished, as if it had been snuffed out like a candle. The entire planet, including the AI fleet, had vanished into thin air. The Mindsetti fleet, having no place to call home, swiftly followed suit – the ships were broken down and sold to fund the rebuilding of the crew’s new lives. Physicists had long since speculated that some unknown power had opened the largest wormhole ever recorded and deposited the planet somewhere far, far away. They still argued over the details but one thing they all agreed on was that the power requirements must have been inconceivable.

* * *

Martyn René hated freefall. The cramped shuttle was used to ferry passengers too and from the liner Prowler was too small and archaic to accommodate such luxuries as a gravity generator or inertial dampeners. Instead, he had to cope with the sudden and violent changes in acceleration wrought by the standard docking procedure. Martyn vomited for the fourth time into the little bag the steward had provided. It happily slurped up the foul smelling bile, preventing it from floating around to disturb the other passengers.

He cursed his boss. Jonsan was a good man, but assigning him to this report was nothing more than cruelty on his part. He was sure he’d done it to piss him off, he knew how much Martyn hated freefall and besides, where was the story in a big empty bit of space? Martyn couldn’t see one. Midna Beta (or rather, the space it once occupied) was almost revered by some, believing it to be the scene of a miracle that proved their faith; the Prowler’s main clientele were these sort of people. They just seemed like crazy occultists to him. A minority were nostalgic pro-imperialists who longed for a return of Mindsetti power. He didn’t much like the sound of them either. Martyn couldn’t help but draw parallels to the ancient colonial empires of Earth, their dissolution and subsequent ridicule by the historians of antiquity ringing in his ears. Would The Mindset, once so grand and powerful, fall prey to the same fate?

He activated his virtual vision, its GUI popping up in his peripheral vision. A timer informed him that the shuttle was preparing to dock. He groaned. He hated this part.

* * *

S’God Paula was a short woman whose prominent, blunt facial features echoed her steely personality perfectly. She nodded curtly as S’God Barry acknowledged her presence and began to speak.

“S’God Barry, I’ve been informed that our supplies have successfully been unloaded. Everything seems to have made it through, I can’t see anything missing that’s on the manifold.”

“Excellent,” she replied, tenting her fingers. The room they had booked on the flight was going to be cramped for the duration of the three-week voyage to Midna Beta, with their huge arsenal of weaponry and munitions. Not to mention eight people sleeping on the floor, half of which had been smuggled on board inside self-contained crates. “Inform S’God Scott that the ship should be departing soon. I believe the last of the passengers just boarded. Also, inform him I recommend he doesn’t blaspheme by mingling with heathens. Enlightenment has given me many gifts, do not give me the opportunity to demonstrate them.”

Her steely blue eyes flashed menacingly as S’God Paula grinned slightly.

“Yes, S’God,” she replied, and set off to search for S’God Scott. The liners internal sensors told her he was in the deck nine bar. She took the lift. It wouldn’t be long now, she thought. Not long until the second coming of the Enlightened God, the one who had halted the self-destruction and corruption of the Mindsetti that day, four hundred years ago. The journey had been a long and hard one – a test of wills by the Enlightened God – and they had survived intact despite being hunted as ‘terrorists’. Terrorists! Pah! The very thought was offensive to her. The word held connotations of ‘wrongness.’ Blasphemy! The Slaves of God could never be wrong. The Slaves of God weren’t going to let anything, or anyone get in the way of the Enlightened God’s triumphant return. Nothing. No one.

Least of all, some spacesick reporter.

* * *

Meanwhile, Midna Beta was no more than empty vacuum; nothing stirred on these shores anymore. Except one, tiny, insignificant and half-forgotten sensor drone positioned ten AUs from where the star should have been. It had been dropped centuries before, with the single instruction to record. No one had ever come to collect it in the intervening time; indeed, there would have been no point – the drone had recorded nothing of significance for over two hundred years.

Most of its sensors were recording nothing, yet its rudimentary expert system’s interest was peaked by a strange red glow originating ten million kilometres sunward. The visual image was strongest, and most informative despite its low resolution. There was no quantum signature; nothing was registering on the mass detector. It matched no stellar phenomenon in its database. Whatever it was, it was radically different from anything the old Empire had ever encountered.

Now its brain was left wondering how to respond. The causal channels to the colonies had died the day they’d disappeared, and it was not fitted with anything strong enough to broadcast ftl. There was no one left to warn, so, the drone decided to wait and see what happened.

Sensors caught a sudden burst of quantum field activity just as the visual image changed colour to hazy azure. Then something else happened: the drone’s visual sensors recorded dozens of mammoth ships exiting the phenomenon. Sensors found it difficult to focus on their hulls; they barely registered above the cosmic background base. The huge ships smoothly accelerated away from the wormhole terminus, just in time for the mass detectors to leap off the scale. Hell itself spewed forth, the plasma discharges burning out the doomed drone’s sensors in the process. Midna Beta had returned, and it had brought friends.

ASF Iceni, Ross 128 Military Installation, Associated Systems of Klonor

"Status on the Hydrogen loading, Lieutenant?"

"Engineering reports 98% complete, ma'am, with an estimated three minutes until completion."

"And the crew?"

"All aboard and accounted for, the ship is ready to assume standard operations."

"Excellent. Notify me once the loading is complete."

"Yes, ma'am."

With a slight smile on her face, Vice Admiral Lillith Miller leaned back in the command chair of the Iceni and relished the brief break in activity. Once the Iceni left its dock the odds were that she wouldn't have another break for several months. She planned to enjoy every second that she had.

"Loading is complete, ma'am."

So much for relaxation.

"Signal the Troia, retract all feeding tubes and lock off the pumping stations."

"Done, ma'am."

"Engineering, begin MiniStar channeling and bring the engines on-line."

A slight vibration in the floor of the command room informed the Admiral of the engines status before her subordinate needed to bother.

"Course, Admiral?"

"Out of the dock, nice and slow. Head to NB 1 at 10% thrust, let's see how she handles."

"Yes, ma'am."

Outside, in the noiseless vacuum of space, the engines of the Iceni began to emit a strangely beautiful blue glow; reactionlessly propelling the Frigate out of the dock for the first time since the official completion of its construction. To an outsider it might have looked like it was moving at a slow crawl, but its acceleration slowly built until even its massive size couldn't hide its speed.

Within the bridge, one of the few places on the ship with a large-scale real-time view of the outer hull, the crew could barely restrain themselves from leaping out of their seats in happiness; the view of the dock slowly falling behind was somewhat mystical, they'd wanted to be out in space for quite a while. Though Admiral Miller shared their joy, she'd been bound to a desk for even longer than the rest, she knew their celebration was a tad premature. The ships engines, though powerful, were nothing new; and there were more pressing tests of the ship to be undertaken.

"Control yourselves gentlemen, there's still quite a bit left to check before we're truly free from the shackles of spacedock. Engine performance?"

"One moment, please, I'm receiving a report from Engineering now...Engines provided an estimated 9.8% thrust throughout; Commander Evans claims it was a faulty lead which resulted in the .2% loss. He says it's been corrected, though he recommends further testing to make sure."

"Well, if Commander Evans says so...Lieutenant, plot a course for NB 3, 20% trust."

"Yes, ma'am."

The glow from the Engines increased and, accelerating even faster than last time, the Iceni was soon at the next destination.

"Engineering reports no power loss, ma'am."

"Good. Now, on to the Beam Cannons..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Within the empty void of inter-planetary space, hovering between distant planets within Ross 128, the Iceni seemed to be floating instead of propelling. However, accompanied by a flash of blue and a ripple of space, the Frigate lept forward into Sub-Space and reappeared several million kilometers closer to the systems sun.

"Ma'am, the Sub-Space hop is complete. The Cores operated at 100% efficiency, our Motivators are fully operational."

Letting out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding, Admiral Miller allowed herself a small smile as her crew let out a resounding cheer. The Sub-Space Jump-Drives were the heart and soul of a Klonor ship, and they were the sole technology responsible for the continuing union of the Associated Systems. Normally, with the final test of their operational status a ship was officially certified as operational. Not so with the Iceni.

"Lieutenant, contact the Troia and inform them that we have completed our tests of the ships standard operational systems. With permission from the General, we will test the new Knossos system."

"One moment, ma'am....the General sends his compliments on an exceptional first run, and authorizes a Knossos Jump."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Did he specify a destination?"

"Yes, ma'am. The Knossos portal within the Sol system is being sliced from the connection with Delta Serpentis temporarily for the purpose of this test, we'll be within G/TD range of other Association systems if our Sub-Space drives fail, and there will be other ships in-system if even the G/TD drives fail us."

"Very well, Lieutenant. Bring the Knossos Portal on-line and plot a course for Old Sol."

"Yes, ma'am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Iceni, the first Klonor ship constructed within the Frigate class, was a revolutionary new ship in the Klonor Space Corps. More than that, it was the personal ship of Vice Admiral Lillith Miller. It wasn't the biggest or most powerful ship she'd ever commanded, compared to the Constantine it was even smaller than a flea, but it had a significance all its own.

At less than half the size of the Orion class Destroyer, the Iceni carried more than 2/3 of its weaponry. Its hull could withstand the impact of a Harbinger Warhead and even its Subsystems, the most vulnerable portion of a Klonor combat ship, were particularly well shielded. More than that, however, it was the first ship that Admiral Miller had commanded in several years. Since the days of the Priam she had shifted from desk to Destroyer every few weeks, and now she was finally back in command of an Inter-Stellar ship all her own. It was invigorating and exciting, and the inclusion of a new technological breakthrough only made it all the better.

"Ma'am, the Knossos portal has been activated, with a course plotted for Sol."

For the first test of the new Knossos technology, incorporating the alien Jump-Node device within the very hull of a ship, Miller couldn't help but feel a beat of fear run through her very quickly. So many things could go wrong here, and her ship (Not to mention her life) could be snapped away in an instant. Oh well.

"Activate the Node."

Outside, accompanied by the usual flash of blue and ripple of space that signified the opening of a Sub-Space Node, the Iceni lept into Inter-Stellar Sub-Space and headed towards the cradle of humanity. Unfortunately, it never got there.

The ship noticeably shuddered and lurched to the side, members of the crew tossed out of their seats and the hull stressing as if it had physically impacted an object. Alarms were blaring throughout the ship and, for once in her life, Miller had absolutely no idea what the hell had just happened. An impact within Sub-Space simply didn't happen, it simply didn't work.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Unknown, ma'am, we've been prematurely pulled out of Sub-Space."

"Wh....what?"

That violated so many laws of Sub-Space physics that it would have made more sense to declare that the gravitational pull of a planet was repelling an object.

"Lieutenant, where are we?"

"Computers are determining that now, ma'am. Estimated 14 light-years Coreward from Old Sol...the Midna Beta system."

Speechless, the Admiral glanced at her sensor board and watched the sudden and mysterious appearance of countless ships, planets, and (oddly enough) a main-sequence star.

"Well...wow."

Martyn took a moment to steady himself in the wake of suddenly re-entering a gravity field. He was young – physically at least, rejuvenation saw to that – but his corporeal age of mid-twenties betrayed his centennial experience. Even so, the phenomenon encountered when entering an artificial gravity field was disconcerting to even the most qualified space farer. After gaining his space legs, Martyn walked up the short runway that led towards customs. A man in a trim blue semi-organic suit with the BlueStar Cruises logo emblazoned on his breast pocket smiled warmly.

“May I see your ticket, sir?”

Martyn made a big deal of searching through his numerous pockets. He was quite proud of the jacket he now wore. He’d found it in a dinghy second hand store some fifty years previously and he was quite sure it was more like sixth-hand. Eventually, he fished out the relevant paperwork and was waved past. BlueStar prided itself on being an “authentic 1800s cruise liner.” Except in space, of course. As such, it was lavishly decorated in Victorian English style (the neon Playboy signs were particularly historically accurate), and its archaic customs had issued paper tickets. So much for centuries of implant technology developments, then, thought Martyn. His thoughts were interrupted when a low tone resonated through the ship.

“BlueStar Cruises warmly welcomes you aboard the commercial liner Prowler. I am Brent Thonadi, and I will be your Captain for the duration of the voyage. We will be departing in approximately six minutes. I have been informed that observation deck two will have a spectacular view of Rana dockyards prior to our scheduled voidhole jump. Customary tea, coffee and various other refreshments will be provided. Please note, voidhole jump is currently scheduled at T-minus eighteen minutes. I would like to request that all passengers remain in the designated areas until told by a crewmember that the jump has been successful. That is all.”

Martyn took the lift direct to deck fourteen, and immediately dosed himself with twelve hours worth of sleep drugs.

* * *

S’God Barry gazed through her viewport at the expanse beyond. Of course, it wasn’t really a window, it was merely a display screen broadcasting images from a hull-mounted camera. She couldn’t even be sure that what she was looking at was what was really outside.

She hoped to use that to her advantage.

* * *

Hanging delicately in the void, the Prowler cautiously decoupled the umbilical cord linking it to the Rana dockyards and smoothly built in acceleration. After six minutes of forty gees, it slowly furled its heat dump webs and cruised to the legrange point between Rana and its small moon, Prolos. Here, where local gravity was weakest, it could apply the least amount of pressure required to break the fabric of space – to tear a dirty great hole – and slip through, emerging wherever it wanted. Within reason, of course. Energy wasn’t an unlimited commodity, especially upon a commercial liner not designed to military generation specs. Unlike the hulking great brutes of the expired Mindsetti navy, the Prowler was unable to open voidholes where significant gravity fields were in effect.

Which is why it couldn’t jump to safety when it emerged just ten kilometres from Midna IV’s surface.

"Lieutenant, we were headed away from Midna Beta when we engaged the Jump, how the hell did we go backwards?"

"Unknown, ma'am, I'm getting conflicting data from the sensor systems. SSS claims we're still traveling in Sub-Space, LORTAT is reading Jove knows how many ships are circling towards the systems interior, and the old RADAR systems have completely shut down. The Knossos system has been completely fried and the hull is regisering a sheering effect stronger than when the first Colossus detonated. If we're going to go anywhere it'll need to be on the G/TD drives, and I recommend our first trip be right back into spacedock. Half our sensor systems are dead and Sub-Space is out of the question."

"Forget the positional systems, activate the Ergometers and Massometers. Find out what the hell is out there."

"Yes, ma'am...ma'am, the Vid-screens are not malfunctioning. The Massometers are registering one stellar body and the accompanying planetary bodies."

"Lieutenant, Midna Beta has been gone for centuries."

"Its disappearance has never been completely explained, ma'am, and it appears to be back. It's possible that whatever dragged it back was responsible for our little stopover."

"Well whatever caused it, I want it undone. We'll dispatch a scoutship later and let them figure out the situation, I want us back in dock as soon as possible. This ship isn't prepared for this situation. Plot a course for Tau Ceti and activate the G/TD as soon as possible."

"Yes, ma'am, calculating now...course plotted to Tau Ceti."

"Very good, Lieutenant, engage the G/TD."

Tau Ceti, the closest Klonor system to the newly reappeared Midna Beta, would provide them with access to both other Klonor systems and the repair facilities to rebuild their damaged Sub-Space systems. It would take several hours to get there, true, but there weren't many other options present.

"Ma'am, I'm reading fluctuations within the MiniStar!"

This day was simply not turning out for the best.

"Containment fields?"

"Holding steady, ma'am, but the more power we drain the higher the fluctuation. It will take several ours to stabilise the reaction."

Well, it looks like we're stuck here.

Keying the small intercom within her chairs armrest, she connected to the Engineering section slightly less than a kilometer away.

"Commander Evans, is there any chance to stabilise the MiniStar at least temporarily, just enough to get us out of the system?"

"No, ma'am, we're stuck here for at least three hours."

"Is there any chance of even a localised Sub-Space hop?"

"Ma'am, the entire motivator section has been fried."

Bloody hell

"Thank you, Commander. Admiral out. Lieutenant?"

"Ma'am?"

"Can you make any sense of the LORTAT yet?"

"No, ma'am, we're still reading thousands of ships, but they're shifting to wildly for any type of identification or reclamation."

"Any incoming transmissions?"

"No, ma'am, if they're actually out there they're keeping quiet."

"Then it's up to us to make the first move. Open a Broad Beam Transmission throughout the system."

"Ma'am, Sub-Space communications are out as well."

"What do we have?"

"Radio broadcasting and Lightpad only, ma'am."

"Very well. Standard radio broadcast, all known frequencies."

"Channels open, ma'am."

"Attention all vessels within the Midna Beta system, this is Admiral Lillith Miller aboard the ASF Iceni from the Associated Systems of Klonor. Our ship has been damaged and we are seeking assistance. Transportation to an Associated system would be greatly appreciated, access to a means of FTL communication would likewise be helpful. Please be aware that we have no hostile intentions and are not here by design, it was a systems malfunction that resulted in our landing here and, if we have intruded upon sovereign territory, we do apologize. Our advanced communication systems are likewise damaged, and radio contact is our only current method of contacting other ships, if you can hear this message please reply in kind. Thank you."

"Channels closed, ma'am."

"Let's see what they do."

Time had not advanced for echo01;. Four hundred years after it, and the entirety of Midna Beta, had been sucked into a mammoth vortex of oscillating energy patterns it’d been rudely deposited back to the exact place it’d left all those years ago. It hadn’t even realised time had passed. It extended her delicate waves of sensor radiation, searching for the fleeing Mindsetti fleet it had been pursuing. Strangely, there was no ship of discernable Mindsetti design within the sphere of detection. Defences around its Sonne (OOC: specs here (http://illspirit.co.uk/sonneclass.htm)) class warships were raised to their full capability in readiness for a surely imminent surprise attack. But no weapons of any kind tested them. There was nothing. The Mindsetti ships had vanished.

echo01; was uncertain how to proceed. It had planned for what it considered every possible strategy in its plans to conquer The Mindset. It had been winning the battle, or so it seemed. That they would disappear without trace was confusing it considerably. Its most powerful sensors (located on the homeworld itself) were trained on the general vicinity of where the Mindsetti fleet had been. They revealed nothing; no quantum signatures, no radiation of any kind. If they had jumped to safety using a FTL drive, it was of a design so alien that echo01; could not detect it. That worried it greatly. The organics must not be allowed to continue corrupting the universe. echo01; had not considered losing to them a significant possibility. It was now being forced to re-evaluate its options.

It was still in the process of doing so when it was rudely interrupted by a message broadcast throughout the system with archaic radiowave technology.

It immediately diverted three ships to intercept the intruders.

* * *

Brent Thonadi had died shortly after departing Rana dockyards. S’God Barry had seen to that. Her harmonic blade had swiftly burnt through the top of his spine, severing all the major nerves. Though his brain was technically still alive (if only for a few minutes, suffocating as his lungs and heart shut down), his body was dead before he hit the floor. It was S’God Barry, not him, who had announced departure.

“S’God Scott, prep for jump.”

A bleary-eyed Scott was still recovering from his binge drinking at the bar. Though the semi-intelligent healskin patch on his neck was filtering the alcohol in his blood, he still had to sip from a hipflask of water now and again to prevent becoming dehydrated.

“All systems appear functional. Viewscreens have been spoofed, they still display Rana dockyards and will until we’re ready to announce our capture of the ship. Even after jump no one should be able to tell we’ve left the system. I put jump at T-minus sixty seconds.”

“Very good.”

She tapped the icon marked ‘ship intercom’ that hovered in her virtual vision. It immediately broadcasted her voice to the entire ship.

“This is your Captain speaking. We appear to have a slight variance in the read voidhole generator. My engineers are looking at it and I expect it will be repaired shortly. However, I’m afraid to inform you that our departure from Rana will be delayed by approximately six hours. I would also like to request that you remain within the designated voidhole departure areas for the duration in the interest in passenger safety and to prevent repair teams being obstructed from their work. Thank you.”

She was just about to sit in the captain’s chair when a communication icon popped up in her peripheral vision, pulsating red and green to gain her attention. She waved her virtual hand at it and allowed it to open.

“A Klonor ship? Here? Wait, S’God Barry, have we jumped yet?”

He looked nervous.

“Uh, that’s affirmitive… Captain. We jumped as you were making the announcement.”

“What’s our status?”

He looked even more nervous.

“Uh… bad.”

OOC: Are the three ships echo01; dispatched to the Iceni also Sonne class, or something else?

IC:

"Ma'am, I am reading gravitic shifting towards the interior of the system! Massometer analyses reads ship movement!"

"Class? Numbers? Direction?"

"Unknown, ma'am."

There are times when relying on anti-cloak technology can really frustrate an officer.

"Have they made any transmissions?"

"No, ma'am, none that we can detect."

"Lieutenant, we need LORTAT systems on-line as soon as possible."

"I'm reinitializing it now, Admiral; unless there are serious mechanical issues it should be fully operational."

As if on cue, the large screen flashed to life and began flashing information. Unfortunately, the data was exactly the same as it had been before the shutdown.

"Lieutenant, I think an Engineering team should take a look at the console."

"Ma'am, I think this is an accurate display. I'm reading three capital-class vessels en-route, profiles match Pre-Loss Mindset ships (OOC: Klonor's big on applying really small words to really big events; the disappearance of Midna Beta is simply called 'The Loss')."

Glancing at the sensor display with new appreciation, suddenly aware that the system actually was as filled as it looked, the Admiral began to size up the situation.

"Are you sure there's been no transmissions?"

"No radio broadcasts, ma'am, though they could simply not carry the necessary equipment. Recently, even the General's been pushing to remove the technology from our own vessels."

"Very well, orient us towards the approaching vessels and approach at 10% thrust; if they can't receive our transmissions then this will at least let them know we can see them."

"Ma'am, if they can receive our transmissions and aren't replying...?"

"Bring the ship up to Tactical Alert Beta, there's no reason to lay out the welcome mat if they decide to turn hostile. From what I've heard, there were some pretty serious problems in the Mindset before the Loss."

"Yes, ma'am."

Rotating towards the systems interior, the Iceni began to slowly accelerate and approach the approaching vessels. Within its massive hull, the multitude of officers and crew began hurried operations to bring the ships various combat systems on-line. Weapons were charged, shields were activated, and Commander Evans kept a very concerned eye on the fluctuations within the highly volatile power core that was already acting up.

OOC: Yes, they're Sonne class.

IC:

echo01; was frustrated. The unexpected disappearance of the Mindsetti ships had driven it into a million-cycle loop of logic which it only broke with some reluctance. It wanted answers. Perhaps these unknown ships would provide them. They certainly seemed casual enough; happily accelerating towards its ships as if they had no idea what it had in store for them. Could they be so naïve? Three warships approaching, armed to the teeth, with shields fully activated and weapons powered up?

echo01; hesitated for a fraction of a fraction of a second. Perhaps, it considered, they were being so callous because they were more powerful than they first appeared? They were not yet within detailed scanning distance – they were still practically on opposite sides of the solar system and it would take several hours to reach them without resorting to FTL. Perhaps they had weapons that could pierce its best defenses effortlessly. In response, it enabled the FTLi fitted to the Sonne class ships, the overlapping areas of super-reinforced space expanding at near lightspeed for five-thousand kilometres in all directions.

She increased acceleration to fifty gees. It wouldn’t be long now, until she damaged the alien ship enough to infiltrate its computer systems and discover what it did to make the Mindsetti ships disappear like that. Perhaps it could even be used to her advantage in future; new weapons were always on its mind.

It turned a primitive radio disc towards the alien ship and broadcast a short message on all frequencies, repeating it twenty times, each time increasing in power until the spectrum was flooded with its artificially generated voice.

“Alien ship, do not run, we are your friends. Alien ship, do not run, we are your friends…”

"Well, that transmission is in no way menacing as all hell. Lieutenant, bring the ship up to Tactical Alert Alpha. Give me details on the approaching vessels."

"LORTAT reads three antique (Hey, it's been a while) Sonne-class warships approaching at an acceleration of 490 m/s. Approach profile suggests hostile tendencies, energy emissions are approaching weapon-levels."

Frantically calling up all the information she could on Mindset weapon statistics, which wasn't much after all this time, Admiral Miller glanced at the blinking lights with growing uncertainty. Just what the hell was going on here?

"Have they transmitted any identification or classification data?"

"No, ma'am."

"Accelerate to 20% thrust (52 g's) and bring the radio transmiters back on-line, transmit along the same frequencies they delivered."

"Ready, ma'am."

"Attention approaching vessels, this is Admiral Miller aboard the Iceni. We appreciate your offer of friendship and request that you please identify yourself and your intentions."

"Channel closed, ma'am."

Activating the Comm panel near her right hand, the Admiral again contacted her Engineering officers.

"Commander Evans, we have incoming ships with possibly hostile intentions, I'd prefer to be able to avoid confrontation if at all possible. When's the soonest we can have a G/TD flight out of the system? Forget traveling back to the Association, just get us out of the system."

"Ma'am. unless you want complete MiniStar destabilization we're going to be stuck here for at least an hour, it will take at least that long for even the smallest FTL jump."

"Commander, if you can shave any time off that I'll get you a 'thank you' from the Duke himself."

"Ma'am, I'll do my best, but we're stuck here for a while."

Damnit!

"Understood, Commander. Continue working."

"Yes, ma'am."

S’God Barry’s composure faltered somewhat. To her immense credit, she caught herself and didn’t allow her fear to show long enough for her colleagues to notice.

“Give me a full status report!”

S’God Scott accessed his virtual vision, making his eyes unfocus.

“Starnav puts us in the Midna Beta system, but we appear to have jumped into close orbit around a planet. We were travelling around 100 gees before jump and since momentum is conserved… Uh…” He paused, nervously plucking at his cuffs. “Uh, we’re burning up in the atmosphere. Shields are already beginning to fail; I estimate that we have less than ten minutes. I’ve shunted our entire power output to them; it should buy us a few more minutes if I’m lucky. I can’t say for sure. I don’t recommend using escape pods until the atmosphere has slowed us somewhat – if we left now, we’d burn up instantly.”

“Well, shit. Paula, Scott, Neil, Arron, I want total lockdown. When bits start breaking off I want localised shielding erected at each bulkhead. Move all our equipment to the docking bays, I want us off this as soon as we’re able. Scott, any idea where we’re going to hit?”

“Sensors have already been burned up.”

“What about the pods?”

“What about them?”

“Can’t we launch a pod and use it to scan the ground, before it burns up?”

He hesitated.

“I guess so… but won’t that mean sacrificing some of the passengers?”

“Do it.”

He complied; he had no choice.

* * *

Martyn awoke with a start. He rubbed his eyes, trying to shake the sleeping meds out his head like an old dog with water in its ears. He staggered to the en-suite bathroom, and doused his face in cold water. Then, the lights flickered.

“This is your captain speaking. I’m afraid we’ve encountered some difficulties and will have to evacuate the ship shortly. Please make your way to the docks calmly. I have authorised my crew to use lethal force if necessary.”

Fuck. Today was not going well.

While wondering what the hell could have happened to make them have to evacuate while still this close to Rana dockyards, Martyn began hastily shoving his belongings back into his compression-case. Luckily, he hadn’t had much time to unpack, so it only took him thirty seconds. He lumbered over to the door, his compression-case neatly stowed in one pocket. It opened with a slight hiss.

Anarchy greeted him. The ship’s passengers seemed to have gone mad, some running along the corridor dragging their luggage behind them, others quietly pocketing the tasteful artwork dotting the walls. A long, shearing and incredibly loud screech echoed throughout the ship, causing everyone to scream and half-duck for cover. Then the floor lurched violently, and the viewscreens supposedly linking them to the outside world flickered then died. The distinctive fizzle-pop of plasma weaponry could be heard in the distance.

Fuck.

* * *

echo01;’s lead ship, the Carlsberg, extended delicate bands of sensor radiation in the direction of the Klonor intruder. Though it was unable to perform as deep a scan as it would like due to its shielding, it nonetheless reasoned that three Sonnes should probably be able to weaken, if not destroy it. It’d kept her more powerful warships in reserve, just in case.

“Alien ship, do not run, we are your friends…”

It powered up the Microwave Masers (http://wiki.esusalliance.co.uk/?title=Sonne_class).

Then it occurred that perhaps these aliens, in their ability to vanish the Mindsetti fleet, also had abilities and technologies that would prevent its weaponry damaging them. It fired a volley of super-heated plasma to test the shielding.

It would soon be in range of its point-defence weaponry. Then it’d see who had more firepower.

OOC: Come on, did you have to steal my name? Surely you could think up a better name for the Wiki page than 'The Loss'.

IC:

"Incoming fire!"

That one statement, screamed at the top of the sensor officers lungs and not even a complete sentence, was enough to send the bridge crew off on a dozen different operational tangents.

"Helm, orient the ship vertically 90 degrees, take us out of the systems plane and accelerate to 100% thrust. Engage evasive maneuvers and redistribute shielding, reinforce the area facing the weapons fire. Weapons, target the lead ship with concentrated Beam Fire, Turrets focus on the other two. Return fire."

Finally presented with a clear enemy, Admiral Miller was suddenly icy calm and unconcerned.

Outside, as the ship began to gain speed and shift upwards, the two Beam Cannons on the surface of the Iceni rotated and focused on the lead of the three approaching ships. With enough power to punch a hull in the armor of a Destroyer, two shafts of energy lanced out from the Frigate and struck at the distant enemies. The 16 Laser Turrets studded across the hull likewise began to fire, uncountable bursts of light emanating from the many Turrets and stabbing at the two flanking cruisers.

"Status on the incoming fire?"

"Impact in 7 seconds, ma'am...6...5..."

"All hands, brace for weapons contact."

"...2...1..."

The plasma burned against the shields of the Iceni, flaring briefly and fading away without scaring the hull (OOC: I'm gonna be honest, I have absolutely no idea how much damage 1.2 TW should do, but since they're listed as only 1/40 the power of the Masers I figure it really can't be that much).

"Minimal shield damage, ma'am, with no systems interruption."

"Continue firing the Beams, cut those bastards in two. Maintain Laser firing until we're out of optimal range, then shift all power to the engines. Get us the hell out of here."

"Yes, ma'am."

As it continued to fire, pouring enough energy into its enemies to hopefully dissuade any thoyghts of pursuit, the Frigate began to accelerate to impressive speeds as it flew out of the system.

Ryutan didn't like this at all. He was twenty one. Still a child, and in the middle of a madhouse. He'd wanted to get out into the universe, see the sights and the women, and explore like they did in the movies. Not end up in the middle of some ship that was apparently going to hell. That was insane. His father didn't pay for that kind of experience at all. He only even got to leave Pluto on the agreement that his father could arrange the destinations, for all the fun they'd promised. He was resentful at first, but he wasn't going to let that stop him having a life, and he made sure his father knew that. Now it looked like it really was. Terror shot through Ryutans body as the ship lurched downards, and he swung his arms out to regain some balance, heavy rucksack laden with party supplies hanging from his shoulder as he made his way down a curiously deserted hallway, the terrified screams of other passengers ringing in his ears. Looking down at his feet briefly, Ryutan noticed he hadn't even tied his trainers. He wasn't going to risk tripping up in front of anyone, nevermind anyone attractive, so he tucked the floppy laces between his foot and the shoes sole. Making his way to the docks would be much easier if he knew where the hell they were. The period-ship act was all well and good until something went wrong, Ryutan thought. Though what went wrong was beyond his reasoning. What sort of ship does this five minutes into a cruise?

Looking around for any direction markers, Ryutan spotted a flat map on the wall. Spying the docks through the maze of corridors, and cursing loudly at nobody in particular, he re-adjusted his bag and started running, trying to make as straight a line towards the docks as he could. He considered himself lucky at least that there was occasional signposting, then caught himself. What sort of luck would land him in this situation? He resolved to have Father sue someone when he got off this boat. They'd be paying for a whole new cruise - or even just a few nights he'd have trouble forgetting - or wouldn't want to. Smiling grimly at the prospect, Ryutan dashed through another double door and promptly fell down a flight of stairs, smashing his knee off the floor. Blood quickly began to cover the grazed surface, seeping through and staining his expensive, and new trousers.

Swearing loudly with pain as he gingerly bent the knee, he stood up and folded his trouser leg up above the wound. Limping on, through the bottom doors, Ryutan emerged into the docking bay, which was swarming with civilians. Advancing further in, Ryutan looked for an evacuation area amid the crowd - or even a member of staff to direct him.

The diffused, pleasant lighting cast by the ship’s primary systems flickered as the floor gave yet another lurch. Then it too died, leaving only the monochrome red of the emergency lights. It drained all colour from Martyn’s face, giving him a ghostly complexion. It darkened the many corners of the ship, lengthening shadows to the point where lit areas weren’t much brighter than their pitch counterparts. Regardless, he pressed on, his compression-case stowed safely in his breast pocket. The tang of sulphur had begun to fill the air, and he was beginning to worry about the toxicity warning his inserts were displaying in bold typeface across his vision. The edges seemed somewhat blurrier since he left his deck, and moved down into the underbelly of the ship in search of the docking bay.

The ship had descended into a battlezone; a storm of confusion and panic, of particle lances and plasma bolts. The air seemed to become mistier as he descended. It was only with a stunned jolt that he realised it was the dusty remains of evaporated passengers: it seemed the crew had upheld their promise, and turned on them. He’d proceeded more cautiously after this revelation; his audio implants on full amplification. Chances were that if they were using weaponry this high in calibre, they’d have sound-nullifiers, but he reasoned it couldn’t help to be reckless.

The crowd he’d left above had dispersed once they reached the main stairwell – some had broken off into groups, looking for crewmembers to guide them to the docking bays, and their escape pods. Others had taken it upon themselves to go vigilante and attack the same crew, stealing their weapons. Eventually, Martyn was left alone. Not by choice; his last companion had died in his arms as a bolt of searing plasma ate through the back of his skull. He hadn’t stopped to look back since, instead choosing to take his chances sprinting through the darkened corridors until silence engulfed him once more.

* * *

A scared and lonely child, sitting, looking up into the nightside sky observed the destructive melange echo01; had so skilfully orchestrated. The shining hairlines of kinetic harpoons streaked through the air, glowing an eerie green and leaving bilious black contrails in their wake. The ghostly afterimage superimposed over his vision was now criss-crossed with such phenomena. echo01; had not taken the term ‘planetary bombardment’ lightly. From his hilltop position, on the outskirts of M-3, he had a front line seat in its deadly orchestra: another harpoon punctured the sky, delivered its payload of billions of joules of energy, the fireball rising from the horizon high into the atmosphere. A few seconds later, the mini-earthquake he’d grown used to since the beginning of the attack struck, shaking the ground once more. His parents had died in the first attack. Their isolated retreat, so far from the central district of the sprawling megalopolis had only protected them from the direct heat blast of orbital punishment. The shockwave of an unfortunate strike just down the valley from their home, however, had levelled their farm, and their lives. Their son had been in the basement, and so was spared long enough to enjoy the show.

He watched in growing horror as in the distance, the sky changed hue from bluish-black to brilliant orange. A few moments later, a new and deadly sun erupted over the horizon, casting long and hideous shadows across the valley floor, illuminating for the first time the true destruction wrecked by the AI above. His parents weren’t the only casualties. The roadways had practically become rivers of blood, shattered glass glittering in the foetal sunlight. The air quaked with a thunderous roar, reaching a triumphant crescendo that ruptured his eardrums the moment before the searing heat flash-cooked his flesh, as the huge behemoth craft skidded overhead, engulfed in brilliant slivers of flame. The entire event had taken less than ten seconds; the new sun swiftly traversed the sky and set in the distance, leaving a canal of raging hell – along with several huge chunks of malformed metal - in its wake.

* * *

The ship’s angle of descent was almost zero degrees. Consequentially, it had spent a great deal longer in the “re-entry” phase than most orbitals ever would in a lifetime. A ship that huge, travelling that fast for that long wouldn’t last long in the dense atmosphere of an Earth-congruous planet.

The fragment of the original hull that had survived this far was now travelling at terminal velocity, and nothing could save it from the inexorable pull of gravity. The ship was going to die. Martyn didn’t want to die with it. He’d made his way, successfully, to the docking bays. There were far less passengers there than he’d expected. The culling must have been more brutal than he’d initially suspected. Regardless, the crew seemed to be being benevolent for the time being – the lady with the piercing blue eyes, seemingly their leader, was almost casually holding a five foot long particle lance with the ease of someone wetwired for combat. She couldn’t be, could she? He tried to hastily dismiss the reporter instinct in him to investigate, instead opting for a comfy (compared to a grisly death, anyway) seat in an escape pod.

It launched with streamlined precision, just in time for a massive hunk of twisted metal to pass perilously close to its path.

“Where the fuck are we?!”

His fellow passengers seemed more concerned with their current status of well-being than the night sky visible through the small porthole. Martyn knew there weren’t any Earth-congruous plants in the Rana system. Unless…

The eleven foot tall gentleman in the corner sneezed loudly. He’d hastily stuffed his slightly humungous body into half a dozen seats, much to the dismay of those waiting behind him in the evacuation queues. Martyn did his best not to oogle. His Mindsetti average of five feet suddenly seemed rather short.

The escape pod’s systems deployed a parachute once they were a few hundred meters from the jungle canopy below, further slowing their descent. They touched down, and opened the hatch, just in time to see the ship break into thousands of artificial meteorites, each brightly shining as it traversed the night sky. They could hear voices in the distance; other survivors? The jungle was oppressive; a sickly heat had already caused beads of sweat to form on Martyn’s forehead, and his clothes already felt damp and heavy. He’d hear tales of jungles like these; tales from his childhood, of the ancient Midna Beta continent-spanning rainforests filled with beats too grotesque to imagine.

He wondered if he’d survive to find out if the stories were true.

* * *

echo01; noted that the plasma cannons seemed to have little effect on the alien ship’s shielding. Regardless, it pressed on, the Sonnes swiftly approaching prime engagement range. The ship seemed to be fleeing, and it took that as a sign that it was unsure of its odds of surviving this encounter. This knowledge emboldened it, even as harsh beams of radiation sliced at its approaching ships. The lasers were concentrating a great deal of energy into their shields, but their erratic firing pattern prevented any breach from occurring.

It primed the forward masers.

Simultaneously, all three ships unleashed a barrage of coherent energy – space in the immediate area filled with blinding blue flashes of light, lashing out against the enemy. They began to adjust their flight trajectory so that one ship pursued from the rear, attacking them with ion cannons and masers, and the others increased velocity to flank it from above and below.

The enemy ship swiftly built speed, and the Sonnes were having difficulty keeping up. echo01; considered the problem for less than two petaseconds. It jumped five more ships in the direction the alien ship seemed to be heading.

“Alien ship, do not run, we are your..”

Static interrupted the message. Communications were being jammed.

Forty three lightseconds away, echo01; which had established a local cluster, lost contact with the ships it had dispatched to intercept the alien ship. It was perplexed. If the aliens had the ability to jam its communications so readily, why hadn’t they done so before now? It now had to rely on sensors in excess of forty lightminutes from the scene. Its ships would have dropped to isolated-mode, clustering their computational power in an effort to maintain a semblance of sentient integrity. It doubted it would be enough.

Its sensors detected a curious warp in spacetime forming near the alien ship. Was it preparing to FTL? If they ran now, it would have difficulty tracking them. The singularity initially registered zero-mass, but as it fully established itself a mere ten-thousand kilometres from the alien ship, it suddenly lurched towards the billions of tonnes.

“Iceni, this is the MSN Planetsmasher ( http://wiki.esusalliance.co.uk/?title=Battleforge_MkII_class). I am Captain Carthage. I believe you require assistance?"

Interstellar Space

If one could see an Iluvauromeni Explorer-type vessel performing a string of Transitional Hops towards it's destination - a feat impossible with white light observation - one might well see a rainbow-flash at each Translation point.

Iluvauromeni FTL technology being relatively new, it was not as refined as that of other states. Yet, as with all Iluvauromeni science, it had it's own neat elegance. Rather than engaging massive amounts of energy required to tear open a full ID-rupture, the Transitional Drive used an exotic and difficult to describe interaction with a theoretical boundary point between two dimensions. The angle of return dictated the exit point into normal space. The T-Drive made it possible to perform such an action, but the computational requirements were phenomenal. Only the newest vessels could perform long-range, instantaneous translations.

IDSS To Seek, To Find was one such vessel. Even so, the greatest depth of a single translation was never greater than a measly three light-years. At fifteen Hops, computational projection became impossible, requiring the vessel to halt, re-evaluate it's position in relation to local gravitational influences, and then continue again.

Naturally, a sudden change in local conditions is not condusive to a successful, safe Transition.

And when a whole star system suddenly pops back into being, one can safely say that such an event has presented itself.

As a result, To Seek, To Find exits the ID-boundary line at too sharp an 'angle', emerging inside the Midna Beta system.

There are no dramatic shakings for the crew.

But there is a thunderous roar of x-rays emitted from her position as she arrives, screaming the news of her arrival to any who listen to the songs of space - far greater an emission than normal for a neat, careful Hop. The white-light flash is also significant.

[OOC: Hullo. The Mindset, I'm halting the post there rather than switching to an internal on the bridge simply because they could've translated in-system to any point whatsoever. Therefore... it should really be up to you to decide whether that would happen to be near any, uhhh, risks. Feel free to decide their position when you post. If not, I'll just plonk the ship in relatively near the primary (which should, after all, have the greatest g-influence).]

RMF Serenity, Serpentine Class Battleship (http://www.esusalliance.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=487)

"Captain, we are en route back to Cadia Prime, eta 50 hours at crrent volecity" said Jenna Armson ship navigator whilst wheeling around in her hover chair. Her light brown hair was fluffing and bouncing all over the poor cadet next to her. He could hardly stand sitting next to such a vixen.

"Thank you lieutenant. Though is there anyway we can maybe shave some time off this journey. I am eager to see my husband after this whole year in space looking for the Equinox business" said Captain Raul Hernandez with a pleading tone. He knew he had the best pilot out of the academy in decades, if there was a short cut, she would find it.

"Sure sir, looking right now" Jenna said in a very informal tone, were her skills not what they were, such a tone would be rewarded with demotion, but she was the best.

The holo-map popped up over Jenna's worsk station. The whole display was blue, their current course was red,if there was a better route, it would come back in pink. After about 30 seconds there was a pink line. Though it took them through a forbidden zone highlighted by green, it was Mindsetti space. There had been no contact from that empire in hundreds of years.

"Well, we could say that we picked up a possible blip on deep space scanners..." Hernandez suggested slyly.

"Sir, plotting course to intercept deepspace anomoly" Jenna said with a grin.

***

30 minutes later

Alarms began to blare as they passed by the Midna Beta system.

"Sir! We have massive amounts of energy Ementating from the M-3 plaet orbital area. The deep space caners are detecting multiple contacts and a fuzzy reading on the planet is giving us massive tectonic failure. I can't get a good reading unless we are in the system" Jenna rapidly fired out as the readings came in.

HErnandez thought of his husbands Deep Fried Steak and moaned. "Take us into the sytem, this is too important to pass up", he slumped into his chair.

ooc: I want to fight echo01, I will accpet the loss of this vessel. but this is the best way for me to get into the conflict.

OOC: Okay, I know you guys are gonna hate me since you've just joined. I have exams starting friday and lasting until the following wednesday. Therefore, I won't be able to post anything significant (if at all) until after. My apologies.

OOC: Okay, I know you guys are gonna hate me since you've just joined. I have exams starting friday and lasting until the following wednesday. Therefore, I won't be able to post anything significant (if at all) until after. My apologies.

[OOC: Absolutely no problem. Not like I, with my previous lengthy disappearances, could complain anyway, but Exams > NS regardless!

Good luck with your exams!]

[OOC: Absolutely no problem. Not like I, with my previous lengthy disappearances, could complain anyway, but Exams > NS regardless!

Good luck with your exams!]
OOC: Thanks :)

echo01; was forced to revise its plans. It had not expected more alien intruders to arrive, never mind two, barely ten minutes apart. None of the ships seemed to be communicating with each other in any way it could detect. On top of this new worry, it was still unable to contact the jammed ships. It was forced to wait it out, cursing the sluggishness of lightspeed. It had concluded that these new intruders were not of Mindsetti origin, nor were they the same as the other alien ship. One had arrived with a flash of ultra-hard radiation that screamed its location to all with sensors pointed vaguely in its direction, and the other arrived with barely a pop. The ships themselves were of very different design schools. They were quite obviously as alien to each other as they were to it.

She decided to open wormholes near the two intruders, and shunted an anti-matter warhead through each of them, to better judge their defences.

The optical sensors on the ship furthest from the primary that still responded to its commands began to pick up a fuzzy image. It enabled complicated compensation and image enhancement routines, scrutinizing the ever increasingly clearer image until it became obvious what had happened.

If echo01; had had a body, it would have recoiled in shock; and, perhaps, a little fear.

Mindsetti.

* * *

The mammoth Battleforge had emerged gracefully from its voidhole – all thirteen kilometres of it. It's electron lattice shielding gave its outline a slightly fuzzed glow, but it's shape was distinguishable to even the most laymen of Mindsetti. It was a Battleforge; pride of the Empire, conqueror of worlds... and very fucking expensive. The sudden appearance of several hundred billion tonnes of metal beside the jammed echo01; ships had caused chaos for their highly crippled processors. They'd decided that fleeing was now the only option they had – they knew they stood little chance against a ship of this calibre without significant backup. Backup they did not have.

They did not stand a chance. Energy coursed through the metal veins of the Battleforge as it began to power up its point defence weaponry. Terajoules flooded the capacitors of the masers, which began their warm-up phase. Before the Sonnes had even managed to reach their maximum acceleration, it had opened fire with all the fury of ten hells.

Superheated plasma brushed lazily against their shields, scorching the hulls. Had the ships been crewed, the internal temperature would have risen tenfold were it not for dozens of thermal dump panels. echo01; had no need for such implements, and instead shunted more power to the stl engines. It had attemped a ftl jump, but the Battleforge was effectively jamming all ftl travel within a limited radius. Their only hope was to outrun it.

The masers completed their warm-up phase and opened fire, tearing holes straight through the shielding as if it were not there. The hull turned molten where it struck, leaving long, eerily glowing gashes that spewed forth the contents of the ship as it underwent sudden depressurisation. The Sonnes were in definite trouble now; they had begun to slow, their rear engines giving off a bilious grey smog. The echo01; confined to the ships resigned itself to death, as the Battleforge took out all three ships simultaneously with well placed heavy gravitic cannon pulses.

The jamming ceased.

“Klonor ship, are you there?”

* * *

The jungled loomed omniously, enveloping the survivors in a thick shroud of oppressive heat. Strange catcalls could be heard in the distance. The survivors had huddled themselves into a clearing and contructed a makeshift refugee camp – all two hundred or so, some with young families, were now looking towards one who called herself S'God Paula for guidance. They did this, not because she seemed a good choice as their new leader, but because she had the most guns.

“Listen, people. We're on an alien planet. We're in the middle of no-where. We don't even know if this place is occupied with sentient life. We don't even know what kind of life is here. For these reasons, I'm going to take some precautions. You and your families can rest safe tonight knowing that I, along with my compatriots, are patrolling the area. You need not worry about wild animals attacking. We have sufficient weaponry to take out a small city; one lion analogue should be no trouble. Now, if you'd be so kind, I'd appreciate you all taking your emergency kits – which you should have retrieved from the lifeboats by now – and inflating your tent. The humidity here is almost unbearable, so I suggest we all try to work as fast as possible in case it begins to rain.”

She finished her speech to be greeted with various nods of approval and the crowd dissipating obediently. Martyn wasn't so convinced by her faux air of authority. S'God Paula definitely had some secrets. This time, his investigative senses were piqued. He began to advance on her, his semi-organic boots barely coping with the sludgy mud the clearing was composed of. Metres from her, and her “compatriots”, he walked directly into a mountain of a man. He loomed several feet above his head.

“Oh, please excuse me... uh, what's your name?”

OOC: Just to clarify, echo01; has at least 30 Sonnes in-system, quite possibly more. Also, this was written (hastily) after 23 hours without sleep – please forgive me!

Ryutan wiped his face, thick droplets of sweat splattering into the muddy soil below, leaving a smear of mud lining his forehead. His knee was itching terribly beneath its thin glaze of blood, and he did not like the chances of it becoming infected in this humid patch of hell. Stretching into the escape pod as it lay on the ground, Ryutan grasped one of the emergency packages from beneath a seat. Glancing around vacantly at the disaster area he took stock of the situation, seeing the people wander around aimlessly, as lost has he was. Many of the survivors had gathered round one person, who appeared to be the source of authority, so, closing into the group, Ryutan listened to what she had to say. After she finished, Ryutan glanced down at the kit he was holding in his arms, and feeling the muddy moisture accumulating in his trainers, muttered a curse. Splitting off from the crowd, he found a relatively quiet space, and laying the tent on the ground, let it unfurl and set itself up. As it done so, he removed one of the small bandages from a medical kit, and wrapped it round his wounded knee. Standing, he turned round to walk directly into one of the small humans. Stepping back quickly, Ryutan glanced down at him, hearing his apology, and trying his utmost to keep the look of anger from his face, though he could not keep the slight twitch as the pain of having his grazed knee struck from emerging. His trip had been ruined enough without careless people running into him.

"My name is Ryutan." He said flatly. "And yours is?"

Midna Beta
The Serenity pulled into outskirts of the system. The system was full of vessels, hundreds in fact. This was the buzzing topic on the bridge of the Serenity.

"Sir, you are not going to believe this" said a scared voice from the back of the bridge.

Captain Hernandez's glare was fixed on the panoramic view panel. "Let me guess, one ship performing an orbital bombardment on a civilian world, and a whole shit load of ships in reserve" the captain inquired.

"That about sums it up cap" the voice retorted.

"Can we get a line open to figure out what the hell is going on here" Hernandez said relaxing into his chair to think.

"Sir, I am reading some sort of advanced jamming equipment on all levels of communication. Who ever this is wants this to stay quiet." the nameless voice said. "Wait, this is odd" the voice trailed off.

"I don't like odd commander" Hernandez said quietly.

"There is a spatial anomaly to starboard, it resembles a void hole" the voice said.

"As in Mindsetti void hole?" Hernandez said, his voice changing.

"Yes... sir! Munitions coming at us fast!!" the voice said becoming alarmed.

"All hands, brace for impact, and try some evasive action" Hernandez barked sternly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Serenity pulled up hard and rolled. The first few warheads flew by harmlessly. The last 3 on the other hand found their mark.

The hull hugging shield of the Serpentine Class flared an iridescent purple as the energy was absorbed.

The Serenity came about to the vessel attacking the planet.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Regen-Shields at ninety percent sir. No hull damage to speak of. Weapons read to fire." said gunnery sergeant Xian Hanso with a twinge of anger in his voice.

"I want a full scan of these vessels now, cross reference them to the database, specifically Mindsetti manufacture" Hernandez hollered gruffly.

After a few moments a voice chimed over the klaxons, "Sir they are Sonne Class Battleships, Mindsetti manufacture".

"Why would they fire on their own citizens?" inquired Hernandez.

"I am not reading any life signs on those vessels. Sir, those are ghost ships." said Hanso. "I think we should at least attack that one bombarding the planet. The readings on the surface aren't pretty; I am reading massive tectonic failure. Those Kinetic Harpoons are really doing a number on the surface".

"We can't do anything. They are allied in the ESUS, we cannot fire on our own allies" Hernandez said reciting protocol.

"With all due respect sir, I don't think they are choosing to follow that procedure." Hanso said.

Hernandez ground his teeth. He could not in good conscience sit by and watch the planet be wiped clean. Millions of lives are being extinguished right now as another nuetronium pellet streaked through the atmosphere of Midna Beta. "Okay, we are going after the asshole attacking the planet. No other target Hanso, I know how you are. Just give him enough of a jolt to make him see the error in his ways" Hernandez ordered. He would face a court martial for this one.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Serenity moved in attack position on the vessel bombarding Midna Beta. When they were in range, they fired a Salvo of 10g Anti-Matter war heads. 2 Dozen missiles screeched towards the vessel at .99c.

Once the missiles finished their job the Serenity rolled gracefully to bring her Starboard arc into range. Dozens of plasma blobs hurtled towards the Sonne Class vessel. They rocked into the vessel with a searing purpose of deterring the vessel from continuing its barrage.