NationStates Jolt Archive

Shift in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

A blinding light filled the room for just a moment. The scientists in the observation deck having to shield their eyes. It passed in a moment. The room was huge, encased in concrete. It was big enough to park half a dozen road trains in, and as tall as it was high. A huge disc covered most of the back wall... if indeed it was a back wall. It seemed for all intents and purposes to lead into a room of almost identical proportions on the far side, constructed of metal. A ramp led up and down on either side.

In a small side chamber Captain Haart was adjusting his harsh atmosphere suit. He had been told that it was new technology, an armoured suit that also insulated against radiation, had built in heating and cooling and had it's own air supply coming from tanks on his back... along with a huge array of sensors. It all seemed to be working, so with a sigh he pulled the visor down, locking it into place, encasing his head in a bubble, "Testing... testing." he spoke cautiously into the microphone.

"Reading you loud and clear Sir." came the reply in his ear. It was a somewhat disconcerting experience when Private Higgins was all of three feet away from him.

"Can everyone hear me?" he asked.

There was a chorus of affirmations. Everything seemed to be working so far.

"OK. You've all heard this before, but just once for good luck... The six of us head through the gate, myself and Private Llewellyn will head for the elevator which should lead to the bridge. Lance-Corporal Jones and Private Higgins will check the atmospheric conditioners while Corporal Bowen and Private Turcotte will search for the HMSS Aisling."

Another chorus of affirmatives.

"Off we go then boys and girls!" Haart punched the button on the wall that opened the door. Movement in the suit was surprisingly easy courtesy of the gears that powered it.

His other hand effortlessly held the SSA2801 rifle which had caused so much consternation among the troops when it was first issued. He had almost forgotten he was holding the weapon...

In front of them was the vast open space before the gateway. Haart set off at a brisk march, followed by the rest of the troop.

"Big isn't it." Turcotte commented. Turcotte was the only woman in the small team, "Wonder why they bother making it so big."

"Staging ground." Bowen grunted in reply, "This is going to be where stuff is moved to the Port, they're anticipating lots of stuff going in and out. I imagine they plan to build a fleet."

This caused silence to fall among the group. Haart placed his foot on the ramp, he really ought to be afraid of what might happen, but he wasn't afraid at all, he simply placed one foot in front of the other, marching right up to the window to what he assumed was another world. He was at the edge of it now, there was perhaps the faintest hint that something lay between the ramp he was on and the one in front of him. Cautiously he extended a foot through it. There was no drama, no pain, no feeling of hot or cold, his foot just passed through. Haart stepped through.

Everything felt the same as before, perhaps he felt a tiny bit lighter? He broke into a run, he had to see if this was real... The ground passed beneath him, behind him he could hear his troops racing after him, their own crashing footfalls dogging his own. There was a doorway large enough for about twelve men abreast. He punched the button, waiting as the two doors slowly dragged open.

Ahead lay a vast empty corridor with windows on either side... through them was space, the vast empty corridors and rooms of the port extending in all directions. Above, in front and behind, where he had come from. Through the left window he could see a huge purplish planet. A gas giant he had been told, with no moons. No nearby inhabitable worlds. Just perfect for the Dyellians to build on. It had taken 50 years but been done in the blink of an eye. At the far end of a corridor a squat tracked robot whirred past. This place had been entirely constructed by it's ilk, following a plan laid down by an architect light years away.

"OK everyone. Let's do what we came here for." Haart called.

The groups stayed together as far as the end of the corridor then split up. They had seen the plans too. Ahead lay a central with lifts to different decks. Haart and Llewellyn took one. The other pairs each taking another. There were 18, more than enough to go around.

"Kinda creepy here." Llewellyn muttered.

"I don't know." Turcotte mused, sounding as if she was in the lift with them, "It's well lit... and within the week it will be throbbing with people."

The lift stopped, opening out onto the bridge. It had been waiting here for years. The main control desk was just ahead. Haart strode up to it. Around him screens were displaying all kinds of information for troops who were yet to arrive. It was exciting. To the left and right of the main body of the Port were two huge corridors which extended in a huge ring around a central body of space into which slender docking bays protruded. On one to the left lay a small ship. It was shaped like a long tube. Big engines at the back, a little set at the front.

"Sir!" Bowen called, "We have a visual on the HMSS Aisling Sir. It's all here."

"I can see it Corporal."

Everything was working. Dyelli Beybi was in deep space. Within a week the Aisling would be out cruising the stars, hunting for other civilisations to trade with or conquer. The Universe was suddenly a very big place.

The battle fleet of the Holy Emperor Kaelis Ra was flying past when the fleet admiral noticed the ship floating in space. Sank'eth, the spokesman of the Emperor, was standing in the bridge when they saw it.
"Sir, there is a ship floating in space. We have scanned it, 6 beings are in it at the moment, but the sensors have also picked up a large amount of power coming from somewhere there. It suspects a warp portal."
"Warp portal? It's been a while since I have seen one of those." said Sank'eth twirling around to look at the Admiral. "Admiral, bring it up on main screen." He muttered, and the Admiral bowed.
"Yes sir." The Admiral tapped the buttons and flicked a switch, and the main Holo screen appeared, blocking their view of the outside. It showed the hologram of the ship, and dots appeared in several areas of the ship, two in the bridge. Information slowly scrolled down the side of the holo screen, saying that the dots represented the life signs of things on the ship. The hologram automatically showed weak spots in the ship, in case of attack the ship would know where to attack. It also showed zoom in pictures of words on the side of the ship, HMSS Aisling. Sank'eth shuddered, he hated that language, he dragged the language from the vaults of his memory and strode over to the Vox communicator with his hands behind his back, and pressed the button on the side.
"Attention! This is the Battleship Kaelis Oros, we are the sacred race of the Star Inheritors, who are you, and what race do you represent?"

The Port was shielded, "Atmosphere OK Sir!" Jones called.

"Thats a bloody relief" Haart unbuttoned his helmet, flipping the bubble visor up and breathing in the fresh, conditioned air.

It was thst lights started flashing, "What in hell's name is that?" he bellowed.

Llewellyn was peering around the dials, searching for the source of the comotion, "I think it's an incoming communication Sir, press the green button on the left of the microphone then you should be able to reply. A screen will drop down from the cieling if they're using a video uplink as well."

"Glad someone was listening in briefing... Bowen, Turcotte, stop looking at the ship and get up here. We may need help manning the facility." Haart ordered as he pressed the green button Llewellyn had indicated.

Attention! This is the Battleship Kaelis Oros, we are the sacred race of the Star Inheritors, who are you, and what race do you represent?

"Bloody hell Sir, I think they're aliens." Llewellyn sounded in a half panic.

"OK, stay calm, we have shields up yes?"

Llewellyn steered himself to another desk, "Yes, Sir, facility is currently shielded."

"If they attack us, then you can engage the whatsit... the really big shield thing, but I don't think they will, otherwise they'd have opened fire already. Bloody HQ said this system was uninhabited and uninhabitable."

Haart held down another button, he remembered this at least would allow him to reply, "This is Port Facility 02, recieving you Kaelis Oros. This station represents those Djels, Humans, Orcs, Härdmandle and Ljósálfar collectively known as the Blessed Kingdom of Dyelli Beybi. Respectfully, please state your intention."

He flicked another button, this message for was HQ and HQ alone, "Welles, we have a problem. All systems are go, but we have contact. Please dispatch the remainder of the Company as well as a qualified skeleton crew for the facility ASAP."

The facility was designed to ultimately house around 2,000 workers and up to 1,000 'Fusilier Guards'. A skeleton crew to man all the systems would be around 120, with his Company being 128 strong. It would at least give them some ability to defend the facility if necessary.

The admiral looked at Sank'eth, who's face had remained neutral throughout the encounter.
"This is Port Facility 02, recieving you Kaelis Oros. This station represents those Djels, Humans, Orcs, Härdmandle and Ljósálfar collectively known as the Blessed Kingdom of Dyelli Beybi. Respectfully, please state your intention."

"Greetings friend. I have not heard of your people before, but I would be delighted to meet some of you. The sacred Emperor has launched an Oros Ilsard, which in your tongue means..Holy Crusade. We were on our way to look for sentient life, and it looks like we found it. We come from the destroyed Empire of the Star Eaters, and its been a while since we have used space travel, we were wondering if there was anything left. We do not wish to harm you, please tell us of your intention." Sank'eth said into the Vox.

"Our intentions?" came the perplexed reply. This seemed to require some thinking about. Haart wasn't really that high up in the food chain, wasn't part of the real decision making, although he had an idea, "We currently hold one planet and land on another. This is an effort to increase our capability to explore for places to house our swelling population."

"If you so wish you may dock at... well any of our docking facilities. We will lower the shields for you." This Port would probably hold about 50 odd vessels, provided they weren't much larger than 600 metres long, in which case they would take up more room. The HMSS Aisling was about half that length.

"Sir, we have the rest of the Company onboard Sir, along with 240 staff... and two lorries full of supplies." this was Jones reporting over the Section Radio, "We've powered down the gateway for now."

Behind them the door from the elevator shaft opened, Bowen and Turcotte were present along with a man in his mid fourties, small and dark haired (like most Djels). He was wearing a Field Grey uniform with black jack boots and webbing. The rank insignia indicated a Commodore of the new and rather small 'Space Navy'. Haart saluted, a salute which the Senior Officer returned.

"So." the Commodore smirked, "I heard we have contact already, what's the status?"

"What to talk." Haart explained briefly, "I've offered to let them dock."

The Commodore shrugged, "Far be it from me to say anything, well since you're the garrison Commander I suggest you come with me to meet them... if they dock. Otherwise I have my men en route to deffensive turrets, so we'll at least put up a good fight... if they try to board, that will be your job."

Sank'eth nodded "Thank you in your co-operation. I will board your ship, please do not be alarmed with my bodyguards."

A small ship docked with the Aisling, and after a minute, Sank'eth stepped out. He was over 10 feet tall, and wearing huge golden plates of power armour. Following him, his bodyguard entered the ship. They also wore huge golden plates of power armour, bu they also had large red capes on their backs, and carried massive Halberds with guns attached. Most of them also wore helmets the size of a mans arm, but the one in front had his helmet off. "Greetings, I never got to hear your name?" Sank'eth smiled

OOC: The Aisling is a small exploration vessel docked at a larger Port facility which they are simply calling Port Facility 02 for want of a better name. I'll assume for now you've docked at the Space Port.

The 'Djels' as they had identified themselves were short, slender people with nearly universally dark eyes and black hair. They were indistinguishable from humans of Iberian origin (until you tested DNA at any rate). One had appeared at the docking bay in a Field Grey uniform with black webbing and jack boots, a peaked hat on his head, "Commodore Harris." he introduced himself, "Although you have been speaking to Captain Haart of her Majesty's Fusilier Guard."

The Commodore also appeared to have bodyguards in powered armour, which made the guards appear somewhat larger than they actually were. It was coloured a russet brown colour, not camouflaged, but not exactly bright either. One stepped forward and saluted at this point, presumably Haart, "I am in Command of the Guard contingent on the Station."

They were remarkably calm for people being faced by giant aliens, which almost certainly meant they had met some before. There were in all 6 others beside the Commodore and Captain in the passage, all with the same powered armour, all carrying a big assault rifle with a wooden stock and side clip apart from one who was carrying something which looked like a double barreled shotgun with one barrel beneath the other fitted with an onboard computer. Universally the troops carried a shortsword, a weapon that was almost certainly useless in modern combat, but which the Dyellian High Command, in it's wisdom, had decided to issue anyway. The Commodore appeared to have some kind of small energy weapon holstered in place of a pistol.

"How may we help you?" the Commodore asked lamely, "We can offer you and your guards water, food, drink?"

Sank'eth smiled, "The power armour of the Kaelis Custodes issue my guards with recyclable food paste, so thank you, but I decline, and I expect they will too." he turned to them, and they all shook their heads. "So, our sensors have picked up large amounts of power, you don't happen to have some sort of portal here do you?"

There was some muttering among the Guards that might have been picked up if Sank'eth had particularly good hearing, "Paste?" one grumbled, "-ing aye. Hope High Command isn't listening in on that."

"I don't even want to know what 'recyclable' means." the other muttered back.

The Commodore looked shifty for a moment, he probably wasn't supposed to say anything about it, "Yes." he said eventually, "Yes we do, to move workers and supplies from the motherland."

"Interesting." Sank'eth muttered, and his bodyguards behind him seem ruffled by the Commodore's guards. "May I have a look?"

"You wish to have a look?" the Commodore seemed nonplussed by this request, "May I inquire as to why you wish to inspect this piece of machinery?"

"One might also be tempted to inquire as to how you come to speak English." Haart put in on the back of the Commodore.

"Please forgive our trepidation." Harris added, "However you must understand that this machine is our lifeline. We do not yet have a trained crew for our vessel. Were we to lose the gateway we would be marooned in space."

The Adeptus Custodes around Sank'eth looked up when the Commordore gave away the last piece of information. "Is it now?" Sank'eth muttered. "As for your soldiers question, all Star Inheritors are powerful psychics, when we come into contact with a species our language switches over to the other races language, but we can control that, so it isn't so interfereing."

OOC: Sorry, been away for a few days, trying to catch up on threads now.

"Uhuh." the Commodore nodded, "We on the other hand are not psychics. What is your interest in our gate technology? Surely you are in possession of something similar?"