NationStates Jolt Archive

It was a quiet night at the Imperial Observatory on the grounds of the Imperial University of Ashertonopolis. Most of the student body was asleep, and members of it that weren't were hard at work in the university's many labs. One of which was the Advanced Astronavigation Lab, which pulled double-duty for the Hermes Alliance collecting stellar gravitation data to find out what areas to avoid when plotting hyperspace connections between hyperspace gates. It was a long, boring, tedious job, mostly because nothing exciting ever happened. The last time anything came remotely close to it, they almost lost the probe due to a dark comet at the edge of a solar system. They detected its gravitational presence just as it tripped the proximity alarm, forcing the probe to enter hyperspace in an akward manner (damaging the probe and racking up a bill the university had to pay back). Of course, this night they were hard at work for another tedious night.

"What star is next on the list, the last thirty were nothing but red dwarf systems with scattered asteroid fields," a post-graduate student remarked to his professor, Doctor Roy Meyer of the Astronavigation Department.

"A few of those rocks were solid platinum, we might get lucky if the government cuts us in on them," the professor jokingly remarked, noting the last time he found a solid platinum asteroid, the government seized it and just gave him an award for his discovery. "What system is up next?"

"HD 28185, it would appear," an undergraduate student remarked. "A yellow star, for a change of pace. This system has only been surveyed by telescope a few hundred years ago, and people kinda forgot about it ever since."

"No sense leaving it that way while our curiosity is peaked. Send the probe, and watch for comets this time!" The professor said, joking towards the end (seeing as the post-grad in the room was the one who almost lost the probe two months ago).

"Setting course for HD 28185, hyperspace transit will take about ten seconds," The post-grad noted. "Last transmission from the probe confirmed that its sensors and systems were fully operational. Fuel is down to 20% though, we'll have to call it back soon."

"We'll make one more jump tonight before we call it back," the professor noted as the probe dropped from hyperspace, its intuitive AI beginning its scan of the surrounding area and classifying objects as it went along. "Nah, fuel depletion is starting to pick up a bit. We'll probably have to get the robot repair majors to come out and fix it for the fifth time this month. I'll bet they'll be sick of this thing by the time they graduate."

"Umm... professor? I think you need to take a look at this..." The professor turned his head as he sipped his coffee, then spun his chair around, got up and promptly dropped the mug on the floor. On the screen was a gas giant marked "CONDITIONAL HABITABILITY", an Earth-sized moon reading "HABITABLE" and two Trojan Earth-sized planets reading as "HABITABLE".

"Gentlemen, we hit the jackpot tonight! Get the Hermes Alliance liason on the phone! Do it right the fuck now, I don't care if shes asleep!"

(Council of Hermes)

"At 0400 Ashertonopolis time, the Hermes Transportation and Construction Corporation received word from the Imperial University of Ashertonopolis that a major discovery had been made," The first New Haven delegate, Doctor Reginald Carter (developer of the Hermium Wavefront Mine and expert on hyperspace technology) stated. "We have reason to believe that we have come across a one-in-a-million shot, a system with not just one habitable bodies, but FOUR."

"There are two Earth-sized planets in the Trojan points of the gas giant planet we are currently referring to as Elysium Major. These planets are very close to being perfect for colonization. They have strong ozone layers, strong magnetospheres, are tilted just ten percent on their axis and are projected to be in stable orbits for the next billion years. This is a rather amazing find, seeing as we have never encountered substantial planets within a gas giant's trojan points!"

"The next body is the Earth-sized moon of Elysium Major, which we are referring to as Elysium Minor. This body is absolutely perfect for colonization, based on current surveys by probe. It's magnetosphere is as strong as Asherton's, able to divert the gas giant's intense radiation and magnetic influence. We are not quite sure how this strength of magnetic field is being attained, but we will conduct surveys nonetheless. Its atmosphere is optimal for Human life, as well as the animals and plants we require for sustenaince. The only problem it has is that it eventually drifts behind the planet directly and undergoes an eclipse for roughly three hours, among the fact that its tidally locked to the gas giant. However, seeing as its orbital period is 24 hours, it should be enough for life to not require massive adjustment."

"The last habitable body, and possibly the most interesting, is the gas giant itself: Elysium Major. While we don't know if life exists within this pocket of Terran conditions within its atmosphere, we are sure that the atmosphere at this level is in fact habitable. The layer contains habitable gasses between the 250 millibar and 1000 millibar levels and the proper amount of atmospheric gases. At the top of the layer, ozone is strong enough to shield against UV. We would have to explore this region and determine whether or not its gravitational pull would be too great for life."

"So ladies and gentlemen, how do we plan to proceed with this discovery?"

Cassius Xiloscient sat back in his seat, feet propped up on the table in front of him in the council chamber, picking his fingernails with a small dagger. With him was his good friend and the governess of the Forodren Annon system, Princess Season Amastacia. The King was off hopping the planes on some errand, and Cassius' two siblings, Prince Aseroth and Princess Kiari, were in important meetings with Bryn Shander's allies at Mathilde due to the war. Most of the other princes and princesses were also occupied due to war preparations, and so Cassius and Season were sent to the council together.

"Though the war and the threat of possible Concordat attack are tying up most of our military resources, I suggest that we move a military presence into the system immediately." stated Cassius as he examined a fingernail. "As Season can explain, Forodren Annon and Forodren Cormandor are quite protected, even with half of the local ships sent off to some backwater galaxy. I'm sure that we can spare the forces."

"Yes, Forodren Annon is well protected by the powerful FTLi that encompases the system and the mines and listening posts that guard the outskirts, but it would be unwise to send too much. However, I believe that the cruisers Helenus, Sugar, and Pepper can be spared. I echo the suggestion that we get a military presence within the system immediately, though I advise an armed scientific presence as well. If I remember correctly, the science vessels Coronado and Balboa have just been refitted with new systems for a possible future expedition to Sculptor, and I believe that both are available for a mission to this new system. Doctor Carter, your thoughts?"

"The Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger are away in the Sculptor Dwarf, so those two Galileos are out of our arsenal until the Sculptorese have finished with them. We have recently completed refitting of the Nicolaus Copernicus and the Hernando Cortez to their Sculptorese upgrades. They will make excellent companion ships to the Balboa and Coronado," Dr. Carter replied. "Because of this significance of these systems, I will have to agree that we must send warships to at least establish our claim. We might be able to spare about twenty corvettes, but with their limited FTL range, they will have to be sent via hyperspace gate and resupplied regularly by hyperspaced barge."

"I also recommend that we establish a sub-council designed to handle the various issues that are bound to arise from such a discovery, such as colonization issues, surveying, exploration, even possible foreign influence upon it. I therefore call a vote of the present representatives to establish the foundation for the Sub-Council for Elysian Affairs, by which we can begin negotiations into how we are to go about establishing it."

'I'm pretty sure that Aumanii Boarding Parties, with the help of Shandrese Marines, will be more than able to scout out the worlds for a good landing site for the first expeditionary outposts. Other than that, I can't say for sure what my government can do. Local interest in exploration and colonization is more or less focused on Ishtar at the moment and resources are stretched pretty thin. At most we can probably send a few Nominal Task Forces out to assisst.'

The Aumanii representative to the Hermes Alliance, General Falkenhayn, had just been relieved of his duties in MIDAS II...in fact, that post was left empty on account of it being completely worthless and a general waste of time.

"Are you perhaps implying that your troops are incapable of doing their jobs without someone to hold their hands and wipe their asses for them, Mister Falkenhayn? Surely the famed Aumanii armies should be more than capable of looking around a rock or two."

Falkenhayn was laughing, hard.

'No my friend, I was simply implying in the spirit of cooperation that we work together and share the responsibility in surveying these worlds for settlement. I wouldn't want my allies to think we'd be seizing control or laying a claim of any sort...My own personal experiences on Mars, and surely yours as well, has taught me well enough to value of sharing.

With shared cooperation between friends, who knows what one can accomplish?'

The Aumanii General didn't know what Xiloscient was upto, but he didn't like it. Why should it be Auman's burden to occupy New Haven's colonies? Furthermore, why would it matter so much to Bryn Shander if they had to deploy a few extra Marines?

"In the spirit of cooperation, perhaps it would be best to refrain from volunteering the forces of others in the future. While I intend to request the deployment of naval assets, I do not plan on landing any marines or soldiers on any rocks for the time being. No, I believe that private adventuring companies will be more than adequate for the issues at hand." retorted Cassius.

"As for claims, this is not the Duma. This council actually has full and binding authority over the member nations. We can decide on claims here, and I don't expect any mindless squabbling over even more mindless issues. To that end, I believe that we would all be best served by assigning the responsibilities of surveying the worlds to the nations that will be recieving them."

Falkenhayn nodded mindlessly for a moment, obviously disregarding Cassius' behaviour. The man was a notorious asshole, Falkenhayn was used to dealing with these folks...what with his assignments in the procurement department.

'Alright then, Cassius. I'll refrain from "volunteering" your forces. I'll refrain from volunteering mine as well. I too feel that the development of Elysium is not our problem. So, what's next on the agenda?'

The General took a cigarette out of a silver case he kept in his shirt pocket and placed it casually between his lips.

"Please gentlemen, if you'd be kind to put your penises away for fucks sake!" Doctor Carter exclaimed. "We have a rare opportunity to capitalize on an unspoiled star system! This system is not even claimed by New Haven, it was discovered by New Haven but we sidestepped our claim and handed it over to the members of the Hermes Alliance... therefore, it IS your problem if we vote to make it our problem. Shall I start the vote, or does Bryn Shander want the honor?"

"As the honored doctor stated, the development of the system is your problem if we vote to make it your problem. Doctor? You may begin the vote. I believe that you already know how Bryn Shander's votes will be cast."

"Enlighten me, if you would please comrade," Doctor Carter replied as he reviewed a few articles of paperwork regarding the discovery. "We haven't all day to interject our own hopes and beliefs into the gaping hole you have left in the votes."

"I, on behalf of the King and the people of Bryn Shander, cast my two votes in favor of immediately establishing a military presence within the system in question and begining colonization as soon as possible."

"New Haven adds two votes in favor of the proposal."

'Auman votes in favour of the resolution...' Falkenhayn said, flatly. May'be they could all get on to more interesting things.

"With a vote of five in favor to no votes against or abstaining, the motion passes," Doctor Carter said as he logged the results in the central database. Within seconds of the vote, the Nicolaus Copernicus and Hernando Cortez left their moorings in Asherton, powering up their drives and hyperspacing to the HD 28185 system.

The Bryn Shanderan forces also moved out, but within days rather than seconds. Twenty one warships, a force consisting of the heavy cruiser Helenus, the light cruisers Sugar and Pepper, eight destroyers, six frigates, the ortillery ships Keuruu and Nivala, and the science vessels Coronado and Balboa, departed the ports at Forodren Annon and Axis. With them were scores of freighters and passenger ships packed with supplies and colonists that were originally slated to journey to Sculptor.

After gathering at Forodren Cormandor, the capital planet of the Forodren Annon system, the fleet of ships traveled together to Elyssium via the Project Hermes hyperspace gate parked high in orbit over the bustling planet.

In a flash the ships were in orbit over the gas giant Elyssium. From the bridge of the fleet's flagship, the heavy cruiser Helenus, communications officers began to hail the New Havenic vessels.

The Nicolaus Copernicus emerged in the Elysium Prime-Elysium Alpha L1 point while her sister ship, the Hernando Cortez, emerged in orbit of Elysium Alpha. The Copernicus launched a series of communications satellites into an effective orbit around the system to faciliitate communications.

"Helenus, stand by..." The Captain of the Cortez radioed as the ship began scanning the planet.

"Ample vegitation, strong ozone layer... probably a bit stronger than the one on the Homeworld," the chief science officer noted. "Oxygen reads out at 23%, Nitrogen at 76%, trace gases at 1% with variable water vapor between one and four percent. Climate ranges between desert wastelands and slightly larger-than-average tundra and polar zones."

"Begin mapping."

Aboard the Copernicus, the sensors officer pushed his headset against his left ear, trying to discern what his sensors were reading in an audible format.

"Conn, Sensors! Hyperspace jump detected! We're not receiving IFF codes or any clear sensor signals! Possible cloaked ships hiding amongst the inner asteroid field!"

"All hands to battle stations!" The Captain of the Copernicus called out. "Bring shields to full power, arm weapons and prepare for combat! Notify Cortez to prepare for combat!" Alarms went off, airtight doors closed, capacitors came online and the Copernicus began using its gravitic sensors to try and pinpoint possible enemy ships. "Contact our Bryn Shanderese counterparts, see what we can get from them."


TO: BRYN SHANDERESE FLEET
FROM: CAPTAIN NATHANIEL PIERCE; INHV "NICOLAUS COPERNICUS"

WE HAVE DETECTED FAINT HYPERSPACE SIGNATURES AMONGST THE INNER ASTEROID FIELDS. DO YOUR READINGS CONFIRM THIS?

Negetive. Our FTL sensors are not active at the moment due to cartographic activities.


Within the Bryn Shanderan fleet, the two science vessels were hard at work scanning the habitible bodies.

Captain Verker pinched the bridge of his nose tightly, he was crippled with a headache. The bridge crew of his Au-170 had been lazily working as they entered the Elysium system...there wasn't much to do yet.

Verker slipped a silver flask out of his inside coat pocket and poured a shot into a cup of caffeine that his Executive Officer brought him...it was the only thing he could think of, short of calling that butcher of a ship's surgeon, that would ease his pain. 'I'm gonna take a walk, I reckon...' groaned Verker, plugged nose affecting his speech, as he lurched from his command throne. You could almost hear him creak as he stretched out his back. He had the flu, bad. No one else on the ship had it, but they would soon...the thought made Verker chuckle as he wouldn't be the only one suffering.

The Captain leaned heavily on the armrest of his seat as his laughter turned into a painful 'bout of coughing. It felt like the sides of his head were throbbing, so hard that his brain might just pop out of his temples and he'd die right there. He tried his best to control it, but it only made it worse. After awhile it subsided and he was on his way to the observation deck.

His legs felt like they would give out at any minute, his knees were wobbling and his breathing got harder and harder the further he walked...it was lucky for him the Observation Deck was two minutes away...

Verker braced himself on the door toggle. The door slid open and he found that someone he had been avoiding was waiting for him.

'Captain, how long did you think you could hide from me? I didn't appreciate you locking access to the bridge either...' said Chief Surgeon Hablek, his bushy eyebrows flaring dramatically...the man could've played for the Royal Shakespeare Company, if he knew what it was that is.

'God damnit...you're going to give me a shot aren't you?' wheezed Verker dryly, trying not to cough.

Hablek revealed a syringe which, to Verker, looked like a torture device. Hablek waved Verker towards him and he responded, stumbling his way to the fate he had accepted. 'Would you like to look at the stars while I do this?' asked Hablek, squirting a bit of fluorescent liquid from the syringe, making sure there are no air bubbles.

'Sure.' coughed Verker. Hablek lifted a remote control from the central table and activated the view holographic projectors of the observation deck. The deck didn't actually look out into space...instead, it allowed you to view the outside via holograms...

Verker rolled up his right sleeve and turned his head as far as it would go to the left, so there would never be a chance of him seeing this mutilation!

'Didn't you serve in the infantry, Captain?' asked Hablek cooly.

'Ye- Ah fuck!' exclaimed Verker as the Doctor jabbed him with the needle.

'See, it's all over...what do you know? It was easier then you thought after all, eh?'

Verker was rubbing at his bicep, frowning deeply.

"Conn, Sensors! I have isolated the hyperspace signatures, but somethings not right," The sensors officer signalled. The captain climbed down to the sensors compartment adjacent to the bridge and looked at the display as the sensors officer focused on one signature.

"The signal appears to be unrefined and confined within some of the asteroids within the belt," the sensors officer noted.

"How can you tell that its unrefined?" The Captain asked.

"If it were refined, we would be detecting a specific pattern encoded into the hermium as it was manufactured into a drive core or warhead," the sensors officer noted. "However, the signal is all over the place, like the natural magnetic field of an unprocessed piece of iron ore."

"Are you telling me that the hermium might be occurring naturally?"

"Yes."

OOC: This is a continuation from the previous post, which had to be wrapped up due to time constraints.

IC:

"I thought Hermium only occurred artificially?" The Captain of the Copernicus asked, now wondering what the hell was happening in the inner asteroid field.

"It could have formed naturally via the gravitational processes at work within the belt, the supernova that created the solar nebula that formed the system could've created the Hermium through near-relativistic collisions of higher elements... but all of those are speculation. It would require a much more detailed survey of the belt to determine its origin," The sensors officer noted. The captain picked up a headset lying on the table and signalled the conn.

"This is the Captain, cancel battlestations and return to normal surveying." He put the headset down and looked at the sensor readouts. "What can you tell me about the largest moon?"

"I'm reading a very strong magnetic field from the gas giant," the sensors officer noted. "The moon itself is generating enough of a magnetic field to divert the planet's field away, sparing the moon from much of the planet's radiation effects. I'm also detecting magnetic anomolies in spots near major rivers and waterways."

"Could they be underground cities?" The captain asked.

"Negative. We'd of detected large underground cavities which would read like hollow spots in the soil," The sensors officer continued. "I'd recommend surveying the sites ASAP."

"Then I'll send a survey team," The Captain noted. "In the mean time, keep an eye on everything you come across and alert me if anything looks out of place."

"Aye, sir."

As the scans of the trojan planet in the gas giant's L-5 point completed, the Bryn Shanderan fleet moved away from the gas giant and towards the trojan. When they arrived, they found countless rocks and captured comets in a long trail, trapped within the gravitational well of the Lagrange point.
In the center of the cluster of objects was a blue planet with well developed cloud systems, oceans, continents, and eleven moons ranging from 4000km in diameter to 250km. The planet, at around 12,000km in diameter, was much like Earth, though slightly colder due to less ocean to regulate temperature. One primary continent dominated most of the landmass, with much of it wrapped around a huge inner sea. Because there was only one path to the ocean from the inner sea, the currents within the sea were mostly isolated and prevented heat from escaping into the open ocean, keeping the land around the sea much warmer than elsewhere on the planet.

A site was quickly selected for the initial landing. It was an inlet from the inland sea on the far eastern coast near the equator. It was a narrow strip of land wedged between the sea and a huge freshwater lake on the west and east, and two mountain ranges to the north and south, but there was a large expanse of flat land on the southern end of the lake. All of the transports and a handful of warships, frigates most likely, would make planetfall and land in the sea near the coast. From there, several of the freighters would unload their cargo onto the shore, and the initial settlement would be constructed immediately. From that initial settlement, it was planned that further settlements would be deployed along the coast of the inner sea.



*Caution: Images are quite large.*
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/50398044/ - Climate map.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/50398120/ - Relief map.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/50398191/ - Relief map showing planned landing site.

"Firing thrusters in three, two..."


As the ship's main engines fired a powerful, decellerating burst of thrust, the ship began to slow. She began to slowly lose altitude. Around her, the ships carrying the other colonists did the same. Each ship slowly began to sink into the upper reaches of the atmosphere, and each began to heat up as they collided with ever increasing numbers of nitrogen atoms.


"Burn successful. Atmospheric friction is taking over. Our altitude is dropping at the expected rate."


Below the ships, the inner sea shot past. Though it lacked a name at the moment, someone would eventually come up with something. For now, more pressing matters were at hand. Outside, atmpospheric friction was heating up the hulls. Edges began to glow orange as the ships plunged into the atmosphere. When they were deeper, all contact with the outside world was lost as the ships were each engulfed within a blanket of superheated air and plasma.

Several minutes later, the ships had slowed significantly, entering the denser, cooler air and begining to bleed off the heat that they'd collected during reentry. The air became denser and denser as the surface came closer. Eventually, the ships passed through layers of clouds, plunging through effortlessly. Eventually, the ships found themselves racing past flocks of sea birds. The coastline was getting close, and the sea was even closer.

One by one the ships began to make splashdown into the warm, salty inner sea. Though they were now much, much slower, due in part to their hydrodynamicly unsuitable forms, their engines were still producing plenty of thrust, and the flotilla of starships sailed towards the site that had been selected for the first colony.


Many hours later dawn was at hand. The ships were anchored near the shore, which they had arrived near earlier in the night. Preparations were underway as the system's star rose above the hills to the east. Huge doors opened on the sides of the freighters, each allowing a large hovering landing craft to make its way to the shore. Over the course of the day, the landing craft made many trips between the freighters and the shore, each trip resulting in more and more cargo on the beach. By the end of the first day, a massive tent city had formed in the grassland near the shore, and nearby a huge collection of materials sat, awaiting the formation of the first city.

Over the course of the next few weeks, those materials became stockades, buildings, roads, and utilities. As the new city grew, the stockades were moved further and further from the city center, eventually being replaced by the permanent walls that would mark the extent of the city's expansion. A port had been built, allowing the freighters to unload their cargos directly rather than relying on landing craft, greatly speeding up the pace of the city's growth.

Soon, the city had gone from a construction site to the home of hundreds of thousands of people. The city's infrastructure was now at a usable level, and the first industries and commercial institutions were in business. Schools started classes, and temples began services. Though everything was still a work in progress, things were begining take a solid shape. The only thing left for the first colonists to do was name their city and form the city government. Elections were held and ordinances were placed on the ballots, as were candidates for the name of the city.

The people of the first Bryn Shanderan colony in the system chose to name their capital city "Amoria"

The crews of the Copernicus and Cortez finished their orbital surveys in under a day, a record for an expedition of this nature within the Imperial navy. After carefully analyzing the data, it was decided that a fertile river valley near the equator on the largest landmass would be the best location for a permanent settlement. The rivers would allow for easy access upriver from the sea, and the fertile lands would serve as a new and unexploited breadbasket to feed the citizens of New Haven.

Freighters carrying supplies dropped from hyperspace, carrying supplies necessary to set up a temporary establishment. The New Haven freighters lacked colonists, instead carrying a crew of highly skilled engineers, scientists and military personnel. Their job would be to establish temporary reactors, a pedestrian hyperspace gate and an experimental freight hyperspace gate (somewhat larger than a pedestrian gate, but designed to allow large freight trains to pass through them at high speed).

A tent city was erected within hours of the freighters landing, followed by the raising of the appropriate gates and gear. By the end of the first week, the pedestrian gate was online, allowing thousands of settlers to arrive and set up camp along the coastline. Helium-3 fuel began to be pumped into the settlement, allowing the gates to remain active nearly the entire day, making it so the colonists came from all of the colonies already established by the Imperium.

The freight gate was finally brought online after a series of incidents at the end of the third week. The freight shipments brought supplies that began the decline of the tent cities. Streets, roads, apartment buildings, factories, storefronts... all of them began to rise from the ground in the downtown settlement, now referred to as New Londinium.

While the city was located very close to the banks of the Great Western River, it was raised upward by the Imperial Corp. of Engineers. Great stoneworks and seawalls were erected to keep all but those floods created by the gods themselves out of the city. Seventy-five meter tall steel and concrete walls, covered with stonework for aesthetics, would protect the city. Around the fledgling city, farmers struck their claims to the untamed grasslands. Their claims were reinforced by Imperial decree, the first act of land distribution to private individuals in the Imperial realm in centuries.

After half of a year, schools began to open, hospitals were transferred from tents to normal buildings, militiamen began regular patrols through the streets, and ground-to-orbital weapons platforms began to be installed in nearby hills and mountainsides. Orbiting warships now began to receive supplies from surface crews, rather than the other way around. The hyperspace gates were moved indoors into their proper terminals and facilities, officially marking the end of the initial colonization phase.

The next step of colonization would include bringing mass transportation systems online throughout the city's predefined borders (defined with thirty meter high white marble walls that have exit points defended with reinforced steel gates (usually stored inside the wall until needed, and judging by the lack of local intelligent species worth a shit, the walls were really just for show). The main reactors would be online soon, life for the colonists would be rather close to what their lives were back home (except for those not used to orbiting a gas giant while sitting on an Earth-sized moon).

As night fell at the end of the first month, the gas giant eclipsed the moon, sending it into darkness for several hours. Children played in the darkness as the adults gazed into the crystal clear night sky. Thunderstorms that normally raked the area with torrential rains and dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning effectively took the night off as the night air took on a chilled attribute. When the eclipse ended and the star once again took center stage in the sky, life returned to normal as astronomers reassured the public that another such eclipse was far off into the future and not likely to occur any time soon.

The scientists attached to Captain Verker had come to many of the same conclusions as their Shandrese and Havenic counterparts. This system was interesting enough to Verker's uneducated self...his superiors agreed, vehemently.

Days before any sort of Aumanii civilian colonial ships were expected Gorgon Task Forces Medusa and Cyclops arrived, unexpectedly. Pressures at home undoubtedly influenced the move by the government to find more living space for a rapidly growing Aumanii population, one that wasn't so keen on getting along...let alone sharing an apartment block.

The overall commander of the Aumanii Fleet mission was lead by Fleet General Corregidor Haida, commander of the Medusa, and his second, commander of the Cyclops, Fleet General Malven Turok.

When the Fleets entered the system they spread out to cover as much space as they could and gather information, which was relayed as appropriate to the allies. Cyclops and an escort of destroyers moved towards a moon which was originally surveyed by Captain Verker and his crew, which they named Desh, where they would set up a rally point for the Colony ships which would arrive when a landing zone was located and secured by the Army.

With as large of a military presence as this, it would be impossible for any meddling foreigners to claim anything other than complete and total Vascilian Domination of not only this system, but this entire sector of the galaxy.

While New Londonium grew into a sprawling metropolis, a great tent city established itself on the Great Western Steppe. Its intention was not the establishment of a settlement, but the excavation of ruins buried deep in the Elysian soil. A great pyramid resembling that constructed by the Mayans on Earth was unearthed, covered in a strange and mysterious language that no New Haven citizen had ever encountered or studied before.

Deep inside the temple, archaeologists poked at a piece of equipment left behind by the former occupants. While the former occupants had built their temple out of stone, the bits and pieces of technology recovered indicated a civilization that was on par with the Imperium not so long ago.

"Here, I think this is the power switch," a scientist noted as he pressed a stone button just under the top of the pedestal. The stone pedestal immediately lit up, casting a giant projection above the scientists. Bright stars could be pinpointed on the projected image, as could the positions of well-known neutrons.

"Wow, a map of the Orion Spur," a scientist noted. "Obviously these people had undertaken survey missions throughout the Spur and collected valuable data. Too bad we can't translate any of it... maybe the Bryn Shanderese linguists can make heads or tails of it."

The radio crackled heavily as a transmission came through. "Copernicus to dig team, we've detecting a powerful transmission from your location. Can you tell us why that is, over?" The scientists looked at each other in horror as they scrambled to turn the pedestal off.

"Got it!" With that, the projection abruptly ended and the pedestal powered down. "Copernicus, can you describe the signal?"

The radio came in clearly this time. "Dig team, we detected a high-powered, repeating super-luminal transmission emanating from the temple you are in. You didn't activate anything, did you?"

"I'm afraid we did, Copernicus," the lead scientist radioed back. "We didn't think it would activate anything substantial. What are your orders?"

"Continue your dig while we try to figure out where that signal was headed and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING! Copernicus out."

The lead scientist turned to his team and said, "I really hope the people who built this place aren't still around."

While the New Havenics were busy meddling in things best left alone, the Bryn Shanderan colonists Elysium Minor B were busy spreading their civilization to more spots on the coastline of the inner sea. Several more cities had been founded, though their size and growth were pale in comparison to the capital. A number of forts and military bases were established to protect the settlements and transportation routes.

Above, in orbit, the original naval deployment was being reinforced by old ships from the mothball fleet. In time, these ships would completely replace the modern ships as the primary defense force of the Bryn Shanderan assets in the system. At the moment, only frigates and destroyers had been reactivated and sent to Elysium, but soon entire battlegroups would be crewed and deployed once again.

On the science vessels Coronado and Balboa, the Bryn Shanderan linguists were having slightly better luck deciphering the language than the New Havenites. The script was clearly ancient, a form of pictographic writing that seemed to be distantly related to the scripts of the mesoamerican and egyptian civilizations that flourished in the ancient world long before the more modern, classical powers. Whoever had created the temple had seemingly done it tens of thousands of years before the first Solar races were first probing the stars. Who they were, however, is another question altogether.

'Let's take a break...' wheezed Colonel Falaise as his team crested a steep hill they had been climbing all morning. 'God damn it...it's not so much tall as it is long.' complained a Trooper who had been struggling to keep up, his words less eloquent than usual due to exertion, the weight of his plasma rifle caused him trouble.

Falaise discarded his tunic. The Colonel glanced beside him and let a grin break through his tacit features. The rest of the Battalion were managing to keep up, despite the rough terrain. Falaise drank from his canteen and admired the view of the grasslands ahead of them, letting the breeze cool him. In the distance he could make out the domed roofs of the settlement. Black uniformed men, who he assumed were soldiers, milled about the outskirts putting up defenses and doing other duties in preparation for their arrival.

Bloody civilians, always need defending... the Colonel thought to himself.

'Alright, we better get a move on!' shouted Falaise. Silently, and without complaint, his men returned to their feet and started the long walk back down towards the settlement of Hammermill

At Hammermill, the black uniformed men, who were in reality wearing a very dark shade of blue, were busy assembling stockades from pre-made parts that had been shipped from a supply base in Forodren Annon. They were Bryn Shanderan marines, and they had been sent to Elysium Minor A to work with the Aumanii to get the settlement up to par. The heavy machinery hadn't arrived yet, so the marines were forced to do things the old fashioned way. A large A-frame had been set up with an elaborate system of blocks and pulleys hanging below. Attatched to the pulleys was yet another prefabricated section of the stockades that would have to be placed above ground level.

When the Aumanii battalion arrived, afternoon had come and the marines were taking a break to eat. A small camp fire had been built and several local creatures had been shot and strung up to cook, as well as a large beast that had been impaled with a spit and left over the fire to roast. Near the A-frame that had been used for hoisting the stockade pieces was a large eighteen wheeler designed for off-road transport of equipment. Its grill was indented several feet and blood coated the cab's front end.

"Well met!" shouted one of the marines as the Aumanii troops arived. "We've been shooting these small rabbit-like creatures all morning, and Johnson hit a huge deer-looking thing with his truck on the way back from the supply dump. There's plenty of meat to go around if you guys are hungry."

Colonel Falaise shouldered his rifle, made a quick glance at the Shanderan truck's grill, and then cut one of the cooked rodents down. Falaise appraised the alien contemplatively.

'You guys name these things yet?' he asked in rough Unilac...the universal language!

The Marines looked around and almost as one, they all shrugged. 'Didn't put much thought into it...uh...' said the first Marine, squinting, trying to decipher Falaise's rank by studying the markings on his armour.

'Colonel Falaise. Well met Seargant.' Falaise extended his hand to the Shanderan Marine, which was briefly accepted.

'You should call this thing a Jackaltrope.' said Falaise jokingly.

'Jackalope?' said an anonymous Marine, to the agreement of his peers.

'Sure. Hey, you guys got some hooch?' Falaise said with a hint of desperation. There would be hell to pay if High Command sent them across the galaxy with out "recreational aids".

The Marines grinned like apes. The Seargant stood up eagerly and placed a friendly hand on the Colonel's shoulder. 'Sir, I believe we might have what you're looking for.'

The Colonel was lead by the Seargant to a fair sized shed and swung open a pair of doors which revealed a well lit floor space. An Aumanii Shock Trooper could be heard exclaiming 'Are you fucking serious?!' a few seconds before dozens of them swarmed around the entrance, taking flats of beer and cases of liquor. The men mingled with their Shanderan allies, struggling through the language barrier to tell jokes, talk about their families and exchange stories about the infamous girls of Arcturus.

As the Shanderans and Aumanii drank, three dozen half-tracks could be seen making their way across the terrain, followed by a convoy of deuce-and-a-half trucks: The Imperial Special Forces had arrived.

It was an entire company special forces troops, en route to lend the Aumanii a hand with establishing their presence on Elysium Minor A, seeing as nothing else interesting was happening that required their attention in the Imperium itself.

The half-tracks ground to a stop as the three platoons disembarked. The covers were thrown off of the deuce-and-a-half trucks to reveal field supplies, ammunition, and the entertainment: Almost a company's worth of clean, licensed and smokin' hot hookers from Ashertonopolis disembarked and made their way into the crowd of soldiers.

"Compliments of the Imperium! Welcome to the Elysium system, comrades!" Captain Thomas "Hawkeye" Miller called out. When the hookers disembarked, kegs of fine Elysian Ale freshly brewed from Elysium Major Alpha. "Be happy and drink up, men!"

While the Bryn Shanderan marines drank with the Aumanii troops and traded crude jokes and nationalistic banter, they paid very little attention to the hookers. Professional sex workers took all of the fun out of the hunt, and hunting was something that Bryn Shanderans were quite fond of and quite good at.

"You commies try too hard!" slurred one marines as he pushed a hooker aside.

"What are you, a faggot?" responded a New Havenic soldier.

"Why, do you want to fuck me?" spat the marine in return.

"You're both cocksuckers if you ask me." commented one of the Aumanii troops.

"Fuck you!" shouted the Bryn Shanderan and New Havenite in unison.

"Fuck me? Fuck me?! That's what your fucking Grandmother was saying last time I was in town." shot the Aumanii.

"That's it!" yelled the marine as he got up and took a swing at the Aumanii sergeant. With a loud crack, the punch connected with the sergeant's jaw, shattering it. The Aumanii sergeant fell to the ground immediately, but his squad stood up and tackled the Bryn Shanderan marine, pounding him into the ground.

The Bryn Shanderan marines all got up and rushed into the Aumanii squad, kicking them off and helping the bloody marine up. More Aumanii squads got involved and the fight was on. Somewhere in the fray, someone hit one of the New Havenics and brought them into it too. Within a minute, the arguement was an all out, drunken brawl.

'Jak, I can't see...where the hell are you?!' said a panicked Shock Trooper who suffered a serious kick to the head. The poor bastard was just playing his guitar when the brawl came out of no where. Jak, the Trooper's friend, was in a death lock with a Havenic Special Forces Operator that had him pinned on the ground, a knife pointed directly at his heart, he wasn't in any position to get his buddy to Doc Geisman.

Shock Troopers from across the camp came to the sounds of the fight and some of the more sober officers started to organize their squads and platoons into phalanxes...though other, more eager, Troopers simply rushed into the fight either to "Break it up" or simply kick some asses.

Colonel Falaise was all the way on the other side of the camp, having dinner with the other senior officers when an exasperated Trooper Drummond came running into the tent and fired off a quick salute. Falaise glared at the panting Trooper and asked 'What?'

'Sir, a Marine busted Seargant Reznok's jaw and I think Herberte killed a hooker, sir!' said the Private, wild eyed.

'Prostitutes?' said Doc Geisman, confused. Falaise threw on his body armour and drew back the hammer on his .357 before he and his senior officers set out, in vain, to stop the brawl.

The first sign of real trouble came to Captain Miller as he saw a half-crazed Corporal running past with the severed head of a hooker in one hand and his service Falcata in the other as he ran from the fight covered in blood. Miller drew his service pistol and shot the corporal dead... not for killing the hooker, but for deserting his comrades when they needed him most.

"MARAUDERS!" Miller yelled out. "FORM WEDGE!" The men slowly began coalescing into a wedge shape in the middle of the chaos, using their advanced hand-to-hand combat skills to try and defeat anyone who got in their way. Of the 349 men in the fight, only 300 were able to make it with their comrades to where the wedge was forming. The men were now best arranged to take advantage of their combined forward-facing force, as well as their wide range for attack. The 300 men pushed their way into the crowd, fighting as a cohesive force weighting 27 tons, punching and tossing their opponents (whether they be Shanderan, Aumanii or their comrades unlucky enough to be outside the wedge) aside. Some of the soldiers used the blunt edge of their service Falcatas as a bludgeon, others used brass knuckles or steel-toed boots to make their presence felt.

At the front of the triangle-shaped wedge, like any good officer, was Captain Miller, who bludgeoned opponents with the Falcata in his right hand and used brass knuckles to attack with his left. The ambidexterous commander was capable of fighting offensively with both hands, and with the force of the wedge behind him pushing forward, was making short work of the soldiers in front of him.

When the wedge broke through one end of the fight, it reformed into another wedge and began to make its way into the fray once again, its soldiers bloodied and bruised, but ready for more.

It wasn't long before the formations and organization within the units completely broke down and turned the battle into a brawl. Bryn Shanderan marines, Aumanii shock troopers, and New Havenic special forces fought each other as combat devolved to its most basic form. After many minutes, the fighting began to calm as more and more combatants were rendered unable to battle. Stab wounds, broken bones, and blunt force trauma left hundreds upon hundreds laying on the ground and unable to do much more than groan.

The last thing Captain Miller remembered was being hit on the back of his head with the butt of someone's pistol. He woke up in a pile of New Havenics, Shanderans and Aumanii alike. He tried to pick himself up with his left hand, but a sudden jolt of pain let him know that he should try and use the right hand instead. After standing up, he realized why: the ring finger on his left hand was dislocated, misaligning the finger. He reached over with his right hand and forced the dislocated segment back into alignment, barely noticing the pain as his brain slowly came to.

The pile groaned from its wounds as medics tended to them. "Captain Miller, lie down... you probably have a concussion!" a medic cried out when he saw his Captain wandering about.

"Fuck that, I need to go back to my tent and get plastered," Captain Miller noted. "Tell Sargeant Major Yates that he is in charge until the officers are all patched up."

"Yes, sir!" With that, Captain Miller wandered back to his tent, grabbed a bottle of distilled potato spirits that he kept in his foot locker, and proceeded to get trashed as he started to feel a major headache coming on.