NationStates Jolt Archive

ASJ Constantine, Deep Space Exploration, Milky Way Galaxy

Rear Admiral Vilin Gitar, commanding officer of the Constantine, stood aboard the bridge of the massive Juggernaught and let her gaze wander from one display screen to the next. Each screen showed the same image, that of a vast and distorted swirl of blue surrounding the entire vessel, but it was a habit that she didn't want to lose. A good commander had to be aware of everything that was happening around their ship, and that applied in Nexus space as well as Real.

"Admiral?"

The call was tentative, nervous, and obviously meant to be unobtrusive. Gitar seemed rather absorbed by the images on the screen and the Lieutenant didn't want to simply barge in.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"We'll be dropping out of Nexus flight in approximately thirty seconds, ma'am, and will continue on standard G/TD propulsion."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. Return to your station."

"Yes, ma'am."

With a small grin, Admiral Gitar always took a small bit of perverse pleasure at the discomfort she inspired in her subordinates, she turned back to the screens just in time to see the blue swirl vanish and be replaced by the customary field of stars.

"Captain, our location?"

"Clear across the Galaxy, ma'am. A precise location is impossible to determine, we're to unfamiliar with these areas. Estimated.....83,700 light-years from origin."

"Further in-galaxy than any Corps ship yet. Captain, I think we just made history."

"Yes, ma'am. Engineering is reporting....our Nexus Drives operated at 98.36% efficiency, we can return to the Association whenever we wish. Our G/TD drives are ready and awaiting initiation."

"Give the order, orient us towards the nearest star. Let's see who lives our here."

"Yes, ma'am."

Outside, in the void of space, the Constantine seemed to shiver beneath the surface before it dramatically accelerated to Faster than Light speeds.

OOC:

Welcome to my half-assed knockoff of Star Trek!

Okay, here's the story. The Constantine (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Constantine_class_Juggernaught) is on a long-range exploration and diplomatic mission. They're in a previously uncharted (By Klonor) portion of the Milky Way Galaxy (Approximately 180 degress from Earths position) and will be trying to contact civilizations and nations throughout the area. For the Trekkies out there, we're pretty much right on the line between the Delta and Gamma Quadrants.

If you'd like to participate, either as a first-contact nation from this particular region or somebody else exploring from our corner of space, send me a TG and we'll see what we can work out. I'd like to make it clear that this is a rather critical part of this RP, I'd like a TG before you post, but other than that, the only thing I ask is that you at least try to have proper spelling.

I've been off NS for a while and I'd like to rejoin the community at large, and I figure an exploration RP is a good IC way to rebuild old contacts. If you're an old friend it's great to see you again, if you're new then hello, how are you?

Space seemed to explode as the probability drives of the CK-963 opened a hole into the real universe and dove out into normal space. One hundred and twenty meters long and one hundred and seventy wide from wingtip to wingtip, and obviously designed for atmospheric as well as space flight, she was sleek and graceful, her designation, 963, shows clearly along her sides.

Keff stood up from the commmand throne and arched his back. He moved over to the food processor and ordered his usual, a protien shake. At fifty-one he was in still in excellent physical condition, the result of healthy diet, a martial arts regime for conditioning and regular work outs on the workout bench in the corner of the main cabin. It hard to determine his age, and one would tend to guess far younger were it not for the increasing amount of grey in his brown hair, but his blue eyes showed just as much youth and enthusiasm as it had almost twenty-five years ago.

Therein lay the problem for Carialle. It had been just less than twenty-five years ago that they had paired up and the twenty-five year contract was due to expire in ... One year, one month, 2 weeks, 3 days, 14 hours, 26 minutes and 12 seconds. 'Not that I'm counting', Cari thought to herself, but what would he do? Would he move on? Retire? Extend the contract? He hadn't addressed it yet, and she didn't want to push it.

"Well, what next Lady Fair?", Keff asked in his usual good mirth. "Now the boundless and intrepid explorers are returning home once again."

"With news of nothing", Cari quipped, having been caught in a meloncholy mood. Thankfully Keff hadn't caught it.

"Yeah, I know. Been awhile since the Cridi, I was hoping for the discovery of another space faring race. This had been a sure bet."

"Apparently not, since all we found was an old transmitter from a lost colony ship. But at least we have the final fate of the 'Pathfinder' now. She must have ran right into a meteor shower to be holed like that. Crew of over 25,000."

"I don't even want to think about it", Keff replied and took a seat at one of the terminals. "Let's just see what else we can get into."

"We need to return to Central first. Protien vats are low, atmospheric and manuevering thrusters fuel low. Pretty soon we'll be 'running on fumes', as Simeon likes to say."

"What does that mean anyway?" Keff asked.

"In other words all the liquid fuel is used up, leaving behind the residual fumes buildup and that's what's being burned."

"Can you do that?", Keff asked, he had turned to look straight at her as he always did. It wasn't necessary but it was always his gallant way.

"I don't think so, but I don't want to have to find out either", she replied as she checked thier location and scanned the area for any other ships, not that she expected any this far out from Central.

OOC: Keff and Carialle? I haven't seen them since The Ship Who Won. A meeting between Klonor and a shell-ship should prove interesting.

IC:

"Ma'am, we are approaching the first stellar system...designation PLJ-343 in Association starcharts. No previous exploration, including former Nexus-operational ships, and there has been no contact with any vessels claiming to originate in this system."

"System configuration?"

"The systems star has gone Nova, likely several thousand years ago, and the interior planets show themselves unlikely to have been able to maintain any life that might have existed prior to the nova."

"Any stations or large-scale equipment in orbit around the planets, anything to suggest that the systems inhabitants migrated into space to escape?"

"Screening the orbit of every planet will take several hours, ma'am, but preliminary information doesn't give me much hope; I'm not detecting any strong energy or signal emissions that would indicate the type of large-scale habitat that we're looking for."

Admiral Gitar sighed briefly, her hope of stumbling upon a shockingly advanced species right off the bat and being able to return to the Association in a week tumbling down the drain, but quickly moved past her disappointment.

"It's entirely possible that it's something low-tech, perhaps trying to slip by under the sensors, and our long-range scans passed over it. Give the entire system an Ergometer check, just in case, then begin detailed analysis."

"Yes ma'a---Ma'am! We have an Ergometric signal! FTL craft are present within the system!"

"Interesting. Location?"

"Several AU in-system, ma'am, and heading deeper."

"Well, maybe this system will yield us fruit after all. Lieutenant, are we close enough in-system for a Sub-Space hop?"

The ships navigator, quickly glancing at the sensor data forwarded to his console by the sensor officer, nodded his head.

"Yes, ma'am. We passed the system boundry approximately thirty-seven seconds ago."

"Very well, Jump us in-system and bring us to that vessel. Not too close, though, we don't want to spook them."

"Yes, ma'am."

Beyond the hull of the Constantine there was a flash of blue and a ripple of space, the tell-tale identifiers of a Sub-Space Node, and the Constantine lept through Sub-Space to a point several thousand kilometers beyond the hull of the CK-963.

"Open a broad-beam communications channel."

"Channel open, ma'am."

"Attention unidentified vessel, this is the ASJ Constantine on long-range exploration from the Associated Systems of Klonor. We have only just arrived in this portion of the galaxy and wish to make contact with the civilizations present in this corner of space. This system seems unable to sustain life on its interior planets, are you likewise exploring?"

(OOC - Woo Hoo! Someone who read the series, or at least that book. Yes, Central Worlds is largely based on the series. There are a few changes, or additions. One being the military, since they never really went into it in the series. The military is based on the legion of the damned series, have you read that? Plus a few other non-associated cultures. Magic using and archaic but struggling to deal with advancing to the modern age.)

"I'm not picking up anything, I'll make the final jump calc ..." Carialle began. "Keff, I have contact."

Keff stood, tossed his shake into the recycler and leapt for the command throne to look over the data.

"Lost them. They ... OFF THE STARBOARD BOW!", she said loudly, then adjusted her nutrient flow. "They just appeared there."

"Got them", he replied.

"Incoming message."

"Attention unidentified vessel, this is the ASJ Constantine on long-range exploration from the Associated Systems of Klonor. We have only just arrived in this portion of the galaxy and wish to make contact with the civilizations present in this corner of space. This system seems unable to sustain life on its interior planets, are you likewise exploring?"

Keff turned toward her column, surprise and glee written equally on his face. "Explorers", he said, unnecessarily. "Quick, Cari, reply."

*"This is the CK-963 out of Central Worlds. Confirmed, we are an exploration vessel. We are seeking other spacefaring races. This system has already been explored. Archeological evidence has shown the existence of non-indigenous space farers having been here, but no existence of indigenous life forms. We are an unarmed, I repeat, unarmed exploration vessel seeking peaceful contact."*

OOC: Oyah, read the books (Though not all of them). I don't know the Legion of the Damned series, but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume it somehow involves the damned (And legions, of course).

IC:

"Do we have any record of contact with Central Worlds?"

"Usage suggests a title or identification rather than physical description, ma'am. One moment....apart from multiple spatial areas which are referred to as the central worlds, usually by their indigenous inhabitants, the records list no contact with a national organization with such a title. The Association has not encountered these people before."

So, not locals, but still somebody new. Interesting.

"Re-open the channel; broadcast visual as well as audio, there's no reason to keep things so impersonal."

"Yes, ma'am."

"CK-963, I bring greetings from the Association and the Duke Klonor. We likewise extend a wish for peaceful contact, our mission is the friendly exploration of this section of the galaxy. It's always good to encounter fellow explorers, a First Contact rarely goes smoothly without them. Our home-systems are approximately 83,000 light-years from this location, 180 degrees across the galactic plane. Where do you hail from?"

"CK-963, I bring greetings from the Association and the Duke Klonor. We likewise extend a wish for peaceful contact, our mission is the friendly exploration of this section of the galaxy. It's always good to encounter fellow explorers, a First Contact rarely goes smoothly without them. Our home-systems are approximately 83,000 light-years from this location, 180 degrees across the galactic plane. Where do you hail from?"

The screen showed a male, rather than the Female who contacted the Constantine.

"Greetings from Central Worlds. Our main world is Rigel", he said and turned to look back.

"15,640 light years from our present location bearing 192 by 36 positive inclination", came the woman's voice, though the image was that of the man as he turned to face the screen again and spoke.

"We're a grouping of sentient beings. So you'll be happy to know that you'll be able to meet a number of races. If you wish to follow us in that is. First contact protocols will require us to stop at 'The Pride of Albion'. It's a medical station. To be certain no foreign organisms are brought into Central Space."

"First", the woman's voice came again, "We'll need to check in with the closest picket ship, though I think the 'Victorious' is in the area we'll be heading to. At least we know them, so things will go smoothly. As you said, it's better for explorers to meet first, but any ships entering Central Worlds space will have to check in with the military picket ship."

"By the way", the man said, sounding a bit embarrassed, "I'm Keff. The protocols are as much for your protection as ours. We're not without enemies. But we are a peaceful people."

CNAS-234 Endurance

In the Captain's quarters of the Five Civilized Nations Armory Ship, the Endurance, the ship's commissioned officers, aside from the more junior ones, sat in quiet discussion. They were confused, unsure of themselves. Their ship was several million of light years from known territory and far from any help in the event of trouble.

"Why the hell did they send a bloody old armory ship so far out?" murmured the executive of the Endurance, an aging Lieutenant Commander, serving out the last years of his military service, an odd look on his face. "We're underarmored and underarmed for a warship, we don't have the sensory and tech equipment of a science or exploration vessel, we don't have the speed or the hyperspace system to escape, and we most certainly are not trained for whatever the hell we're doing."

"Calm down, Carl," stated the commanding officer of the warship, addressing his subordinate by his first name. "None of us have any idea why we've been given this difficult task by Command, but from what I know about this old girl's capabilities, we should be able to pull this mission off without a hitch."

"Oh, Dan, we've worked together for what? Eighteen years now!" retorted Lieutenant Commander Carl Averam, his face flashing with anger, "And for twelve of that on this old girl. We know each other and the ship well enough to know that if anything goes wrong, we're screwed."

Captain Dan Tucker stood with grave dignity and spoke with great finality. "Carl, you are out of line. We're here to test out whatever that new weapon is. And by God, I will do so." He signaled the end of the discussion with a gesture. Sitting down behind his desk, he sighed heavily. This new weapon better be worth it.

The Endurance quietly kept its position, maintaining a low, barely detectable orbit near the sun of the system. The crew of the armory ship ensured that any sensory signatures emitted were carefully shielded by the sun's own emissions. In the main docking bay, a group of scientists and technicians worked on a large black object in the center. It was clearly the 'weapon' discussed by the officers. The docking bay's crew observed the preparations with much curiosity and a sense of apprehension. Whatever it was, it would soon be ready for a test.

(OOC - Won't be posting for awhile. Going to Alaska for vacation and won't be back until Sunday the 15th.)

(ooc- back from vacation)