NationStates Jolt Archive

Time has passed since the final loss of the Kohr-Ah fleet. After the war, the Kohr-Ah had to face the facts: Their Eternal Doctrine was not eternal. They could not win against every spacefaring race in the Galaxy. For long, they were forced to live with their Kzer-Za brethren under constant supervision. But then, after quite some time, some of the Kohr-Ah wanted to leave and start their own "nation" in the stars, to rule their own fates once again, after so long.

They were closer to the Kzer-Za now in thought than to the old war crazed Kohr-Ah. And they wanted to live alone, to forge their own lives. Not all of the Kohr-Ah were like this, most of them were either untrustworthy, still wanting to wage constant war with others, or just wanting to stay where they are, content with their current lives. So, this still fairly large faction of leaving Kohr-Ah, took the technical readouts for the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za ship known only as the Dreadnought, as well as the prints of the Kohr-Ah Marauder. They had their own Marauders waiting for them, some of the ships revised into colony ships, some working fully as cargo ships, filled with factory equipment and such. Of course, there were several food supply ships and such, but the Kohr-Ah do not eat much. After getting back to their ships, they snuck into hyperspace, never to return to their former home.

They had chosen the Horologii constellation as their destination. Shortly after they had jumped into hyperspace, they detected weird fluctuations in the area of hyperspace they were in. They thought it was nothing, and started their journey towards Horologii. They thought they'd at least have to communicate with the alien fleets near the systems they were dropped off to. But nothing of the like happened. They thought it was weird, as they continued their movement towards Horologii.

The trip itself was quite boring. They saw nothing in their scanners during the whole journey, it was like the others had vanished somehow. The only thing that happened on their way there were the hyperspace fluctuations. They had expected something to happen, but nothing really did.

Once they got to the Horologii constellation, they started looking for a planet or two to settle on. They found some hospitable planets, and chose to settle a planet in Beta Horologii, but the planet's name shall not be disclosed for now. It was after colonizing that planet that they started looking for materials needed to make the once destroyed fleet a formidable one once again, but this time to defend themselves. They found many planets with great possibilities within the constellation, and they started several mining operations, but only within Beta Horologii.

After establishing their presence in Beta Horologii, they started sending scouts to regions close to them through true space, and through hyperspace as well. They soon realized that something strange had happened. It seemed like fluctuations had somehow changed their place, and now they are not "at home" anymore. They are on some other "level" now. Some freak space/time accident had made them to come into this reality instead of the one they lived before. They'll now have to start from scratch. This is what they had wanted, to have a fresh start as a society, as a civilization.

Truly, they will never be able to go back home again.

After unloading, assembling and activating the food processing plants, factories and the like on their new home planet, called Kahr-Zun, they sent their scouts to seek out alien lifeforms outside the Horologii constellation, which seemed empty of sentient life. During that time they had started to build more Marauders, some Dreadnoughts and a single space station, which blueprints they had taken when they took the Dreadnought's blueprints. It is rather difficult to build, but still, they thought, worth the effort.

They activated a shield called a "slave shield" around their home planet. It is a shield that needs a lot of punishment before it can be cracked open. Or then it needs a device that is within every Kohr-Ah ship, that deactivates it as long as the ship - or the device itself - is too close to the shield. That is a horrible flaw, but at least the shield keeps your casual intruders and meteors out of the planet. It has a sickly red glow, which takes time to get used to.

http://sensori.soldats.net/kuvia/kohrah/slaveshield.jpg

As it became awfully clear to them that they were not in their own universe anymore and there were many different lifeforms in this galaxy, they had to choose, whether to stay silent, or to make contact and join some alliance within this strange dimension. They chose to join an alliance, and that they did. They were amazed how easy it was to join one of them. The alliance was called the "Galactic Alliance", which is quite close to the one they had to join in their own dimension, which was the "New Alliance".

Now they are still having trouble with the space station project. They have already built several new Marauders and some Dreadnoughts. The mining operations around the planets in Beta Horologii go on smoothly. Their new life has begun.

Nice history post. Well done. :)

As the fleet grew, slowly but steadily, it became impossible to keep the look of the ships a secret. Some pictures of them got into circulation, before the intruders were intercepted. Even though the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah have been doing some minor trading, they have been quite secretive on their warships, trying to keep them out of sight, but now, they have been seen.

http://sensori.soldats.net/kuvia/kohrah/urquan1.jpg

http://sensori.soldats.net/kuvia/kohrah/KohrAh.jpg

And the Kohr-Ah, when making visual contact to these same intruders to ask what are they doing here and who are they, were "seen" as well:
http://sensori.soldats.net/kuvia/kohrah/korah-complex.gif

((OOC: Couldn't find an animated version without the bone pit, so you could always imagine the picture without it.))

As the Kohr-Ah had started colonizing their second planet in Beta Horologii, something horrible happened, as sixteen of the few followers of the Eternal Doctrine got free and attempted to steal ships. Some of them were successful, stealing ten standard Marauders, still on the planet. Their designated pilots were just going to the ships, when the warcrazed ones hijacked them. Six of them were stopped before gaining access to more ships.

After leaving the atmosphere, they instantly jumped into HyperSpace, with a group of Dreadnoughts and Marauders going after them. The Kohr-Ah tried to stop their insane brethren, but it was useless. It was obvious that they would never be able to take those rebels back. Their current location is unknown, and it is more than likely that they are not going to return to Horologii. The Kohr-Ah had failed in confining the remnants of their old selves. But they would now keep an even closer look on the final few that still are there.

During and after the incident, the Kohr-Ah continued colonizing the second planet. They knew their brethren were somewhere out there, possibly killing others, but there is nothing they could do anymore to stop them. Other than warn others of their existence.

As Ur-Quan scouts return back home for maintenance and to give deeper reports of what they have found, it became clearer that this dimension is quite different from the one they came from. Species, for one, are completely different, excluding the human race. Fleets are larger and ships are as well. Sol system is still controlled by humans and many other systems are controlled by them as well. There are those who call themselves "Eldar" and those who are not living tissue, but machines. And several other, smaller, or quieter species.

The Ur-Quan space station project picked up a whole new pace. They need larger Marauders and Dreadnoughts as "capital ships", which they never had before, but they cannot be built on planets, they need to be built in orbit. The swarming tactic might still work, and no one knows yet what Ur-Quan weaponry looks like or how they act. This gives them the upper hand if attacked.

As one such scout, a black Marauder, was returning to Beta Horologii, it detected an anomaly in both HyperSpace and TrueSpace. The lone pilot of the ship observed it, soon to find it to be a vessel of unknown origin. It was moving quite close to Ur-Quan space, but it was unidentifiable. The ship was large when compared to the 240 meter long Marauder, but that did not discourage the pilot. He then tried to contact the unknown alien ship. He thought that as he had only found dead planets on his mission, he'd finally get to do his job.

He used the Talking Pet to translate the voice only message:

"We are the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. Your ship is unknown to us, it bears no identification markings. Who are you, and what are you doing in Ur-Quan space?"

He knew this might be a possible first contact situation. He did not know if the beings controlling the ship were friendly or hostile, but as Kohr-Ah, he is ready to take anything that comes his way. His life means nothing to him. And this close to home, he was sure that the others would come to help him if things started going badly.

For a few moments, nothing happens. Then the marauder detects a series of power surges within the huge, box-shaped vessel. Although he is ready to react in an instant to any attack, the vessel makes no offensive move (indeed, no weapons are in evidence anywhere on the ship), and instead deactivates its temporal distortion field and comes to a halt.

Then the signal is returned. A sibliant, harsk voice speaks an unknown language.

For several minutes the two ships exchange messages, sampling each other's languages, and attempting to decipher communications methods which are not only from different species, but from different dimensions.

Finally, a form of shared communication is established. The alien vessel replies.

"This is Skala-Captain Neksenal of the Echeronian Empire. We are an exploration vessel. We were unaware of our intrusion. Please accept our apologies."

As this message is being sent, the marauder is able to make more detailled scans of the alien vessel. It appears to be powered by nuclear fission. Its engines, sensors, defences (or lack thereof, seeing as it has no shield and very little armour) are all primitive. It raises the question of how such primitive technology could have time-distortion technology.

As communications are exchanged, the alien vessel slowly turns to face, the marauder, and carries out scans of its own.

OOC: Any readers who are not Ur-quan Kohr-ah, you can get more info or the ship by looking at http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=66649&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20 but there is no point in me reposting it here.

The CSS Volgograd
Escort Carrier
http://pri.mgonetwork.com/thegateway/adastra/cronyl/escort_carrier_small.jpg

"Sir..."

Captain Ors looked up from his report, "Yes Ensign?"

The Ensign looked confused, "Uh... I'm getting some wierd readings. Something is gonna pass us at greater than light speed and it's still in Real Space!"

Ors stood up. "I thought that was impossible. The laws of physics-"

"It has a disortion field around it that is allowing the great speed."

"Who are they?"

"I dunno, but it's damn big..."

"Lay low. Call back the patrols and just try not to be noticed yet."

The pilot replies to the message with an apology, using the Talking Pet to translate his words:

"Your apology is accepted. My scans tell me that your ship poses no threat to us. We will monitor your movements, though. As to see that nothing happens."

As the ship attempts to scan the pitch black Marauder, they can only see the parts that are obvious. It has some kind of a huge opening in its front. Several red hemispheres can be seen on the otherwise completely black ship. The armoring on the ship is so massive that it actually conceals everything beneath it. It is impossible to say what powers the ship, as it is impossible to say how or where it came from so suddenly.

((OOC: The Talking Pet is the Ur-Quan equivalent for an universal translator. Only it is a semi-sentient, psionic species that can translate the words of any species to the words of any other.))

"Well? What the hell is it?"

The science officer scans the large ship again, "Nuclear Fission based drive by these exaust readings."

"What about the other one?" Ors asks as he steps up to the officer.

"I don't want to risk scanning it. They're sensors are more advanced than the big one, most likely."

"Alright. Compare the visual sensor readings to the databanks then."

"Aye, Captain."

"What is this?!" the pilot thinks, as his sensors detect another ship. He then sends another message to the alien ship, saying:

"We have detected another ship in the area. We do not yet know who they are, what do they want or what they are doing here, but others will take care of that. Now, let me ask you a simple enough question. How is it possible that your ship is equipped with an FTL drive? If my scans are correct, that is the only special thing about your ship."

He sends messages to other ships around the area, that he has detected an unknown ship in HyperSpace and it should be checked out. He himself has something to do already, so he cannot do anything to it right now. Some ships do reply saying that they are already onto it. A small fleet of 10 ships was coming back from a battle - in which they never actually had any action - and they are now going towards this other unknown ship.

OOC: Oooh, psionics..... The talking pet may have noticed it had some difficulty reading the aliens, then.Not impossible to read, or psychically defended or anything like that. Just... a little more strong-minded than most species, and with a bit of natural resistance to psionics. Like trying to read really tiny writing - possible, but more difficult.

IC:
"We are exploring the planets of this constellation, both for scientific interest and possible colonial and resource gains. If these planets are yours, we must reconsider our mission."
"We are greatly interested in contact with other races and nations. Yours is the only one we have so far contacted. This is our first vessel capable of transport beyond our home star."

IC: "An element occurs on our homeworld. We call it Ruhger. When certain electro-magnetic waveforms are passed through it, it alters time around it."
"Such a thing of course breaks the fundamental physical laws as we know them. Some of our scientists believe that the things called black holes are so powerful that laws of time and space break down at their centres. They believe that at some time long past, a black hole may have exploded or shattered somehow, and some of the fragments, landed on our planet, where they became the substance known as Ruhger. This is however only a theory.
"Others believe that the Goddess in her wisdom, created Ruhger on our planet, so that we might reach the stars and fufil a greater destiny than we could on one planet."

"Although it was a difficult process, once we had discovered the properties of Ruhger, we managed to find the wave-forms which could accelerate time for the vessel we are on, in comparison to normal time outside. Much more difficult was creating an inverse field, which would allow our crew to remain alive, and not age excessively quickly, while on such a ship. Meshing the two fields without disaster was the hardest part. We lost many unmanned ships, and one full crew, before we created this vessel."

"If this unknown vessel may attack us, we could deploy our fighters. We do not have many, but they are the only defence we possess."
"We would apreciate your help, should any attack occur. The Rugher field matrix is very delicate. Even minor damage to this vessel could render its Ruhger drive inoperable, which would effectively strand us, or force us to risk deeath by attempting to use the drive anyway."

OOC: You know that big hatch on the bottom of the ship? 'tis opening. It isn't facing you, since the front of the ship faces you and the hatch is on the bottom.

OOC: I'm not in Hyperspace, my ships can't stay stationary in it.

IC: "Sir... They know we're here. We just got scanned."

"Hmmph. Bring up the hull lights."

"Aye sir."

As the ship moved forward slowly, it's running lights and spotlights came on. Its appearance and the hull number 246 made it clear this was no space liner. It was made more apparent when four fighters launched and took up defensive posistions around the carrier.

"This is the CSS Volgograd. Part of the Crimmond 6th Strike Fleet. We send greetings from the Empire of Crimmond." A second message is sent tight beam(can't detect from where you are) to an asteroid, wher another ship is sitting, hidden from sensors. The CSS Crossbow sits in wait, should it's heavy weapons be needed.

The Crossbow was bristling with turbolasers and other weapons. It made the Volgograd look like a space liner by comparison.

OOC: The talking pet may have noticed it had some difficulty reading the aliens, then.Not impossible to read, or psychically defended or anything like thast.

((OOC: The idea is that they have been engineered to only use their power to translate other languages. They enslaved the Ur-Quan, spliced it into two separate species, the black Kohr-Ah being the workers, the doers, the soldiers and the green Kzer-Za being the thinkers, bureucrats and such. Finally the Ur-Quan were able to crush them, but at a horrible price. And then the Ur-Quan had their revenge, when they turned that evil psionic species into a submissive semi-sentient one. It doesn't *notice* anything anymore, it's just a living tool, just like the Ur-Quan were theirs once.))

"We are exploring the planets of this constellation, both for scientific interest and possible colonial and resource gains. If these planets are yours, we must reconsider our mission."

"We only have claimed Beta Horologii and have explored Alpha and Delta for their possibilities. There are still several systems for you to choose from. Had we bothered exploring all of the systems, we would have found you earlier, though. But Alpha, Beta and Delta are quite enough for us, right now.

"We are greatly interested in contact with other races and nations. Yours is the only one we have so far contacted. This is our first vessel capable of transport beyond our home star."

"We think that at your technological level we would have to suggest against contacting too many alien races. What would you have done if we would still be what we used to be? It is too early for you to take such risks, at least before you have bolstered the defenses of your homeworld."

--

"So it has something to do with matter from a black hole... That is quite interesting, but alarming as well. We never met any planet with such remnants. Just make sure you do not destroy your home planet with such research, as it is very dangerous. Very dangerous indeed. Something you do not want to meet might 'see' you."

--

"I think there is no need to worry, as even if it turns out to be hostile, the others should be able to take care of it. Of course, any attack against any ship that has been identified as friendly will be considered as an attack against us. Rest assured, we will help you if the ship attacks."

((OOC: I'll send another message to reply to Crimmond.))

A pair of fighters launch from the hatch at the bottom of the Echeronian ship. They are quite big, not very maneuvrable (in space, its all about inertia and acceleration/deceleration. since there is no air resistance, any ship can reach a high speed, it just depends how long it takes to do it), but heavily armoured with a material which is excessively dense (it is also unknown to Terran science, due to being the other xeno-element alongside Ruhger). However, the density of the material, combined with the primitve method of armouring (just big plates of it) put it about on a par with more advanced armour (e.g. chobhams multilayer armour) made of less exotic materials. They are armed with six missiles under the wings (they are shaped like stealth bombers, i.e. one giant wing, and about the same size, but not stealth and much more angular), and have a rack of three small tubes near the nose. They move to take up a position between the Echeronian ship and the new arrival, only about 100 metres from the Echeronian ship.

OOC: What language are you transmitting in? If it is anything other than the language that I was talking to Ur-quan Kohr-ah in, we won't be able to translate it.

OOC: What language are you transmitting in? If it is anything other than the language that I was talking to Ur-quan Kohr-ah in, we won't be able to translate it.Plain old english. If there is no response, they'll try other languages though.

OOC: I'm not in Hyperspace, my ships can't stay stationary in it.

((OOC: Very well, the other ships will just have to jump out of it then.))

[quote]As the ship moved forward slowly, it's running lights and spotlights came on. Its appearance and the hull number 246 made it clear this was no space liner. It was made more apparent when four fighters launched and took up defensive posistions around the carrier.

IC: As the ten ships had already jumped out of HyperSpace, it was obvious that five of them were black Marauders and the other five were green Dreadnoughts. As they continued scanning this unknown ship from medium range, they were able to see it. It was identified as a ship from Crimmond.

But when the ship launched fighters, the Dreadnoughts reacted to that by launching 5 fighters each, which then took similar defensive positions around the Ur-Quan ships.

"This is the CSS Volgograd. Part of the Crimmond 6th Strike Fleet. We send greetings from the Empire of Crimmond."

"We are the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. You have entered Ur-Quan space. State your business here." They were obviously not happy about having a ship of a strike fleet roaming around their backyard, even if it is acting friendly.

A second message is sent tight beam(can't detect from where you are) to an asteroid, wher another ship is sitting, hidden from sensors.

They did detect that the Crimmondian ship sent *something* *somewhere*, but they cannot say what and where. This made them quite suspicious about the ship. What is it doing here, anyway?

((OOC: I'm going to be away for a while, 30 minutes to an hour, so I'll continue then!))

OOC: What language are you transmitting in? If it is anything other than the language that I was talking to Ur-quan Kohr-ah in, we won't be able to translate it.Plain old english. If there is no response, they'll try other languages though.

Oh,. when I say we, I of course mean we the Echeronians. Ur-quan Kohr-ah apears able to translate anything. We really need to wait for him to reply, since we will sit there, ready to defend ourselves from the new alien we cannot translate, and wait until either we are attacked, Ur-quan Kohr-ah acts, or we manage to translate each other. Which will take ages, so likely the ball is in Ur-quan Kohr-ah's court.

"Exploration and patrol. We were unaware of your presence."

They then sees the other drop out of Hyperspace.

Onboard the carrier:

"Holy crap.... has the Crossbow signaled the Vladius? We may need a Battlecrusier if something starts."

"Yes sir. We confirmed it was sent on a Hyperlink(exclusive to Crimmond, near impossible to detect) signal."

"Good. That means they'll arrive within minutes. Hopefully that won't start off anything."

The channel opens again. "We have sent word to another nearby ship that we discovered another nations ships. The Fleet flagship is on it's way to make official contact, as per our First Contact Regulations."

A message was sent from the Echeronian ship to its fighters. While in no way endocded, this mesage was in their language, so would take a considerable time to translate (it will take a little while even for Ur-quan Kohr-ah, since Echeronians are not easy to read, and we had produced a form of pidgin that we could speak to this new race, rather than simply our own language).

The message read as follows:

"Brave pilots, if an attack develops we will be forced to activate our drive and flee. We cannot risk damage to our ship and our drive. There are now far too many ships around for us to risk battle."
"We cannot have you dock now, it would be to show weakness, which may be crucial."
"If we retreat, you will be left behind. The Ur-quan Kohr-ah appear to be to some degree friendly, side with them if you can. If not...."

"Salaaer ne Salass!"
(Duty and Honour)

Ors blinks at the message they picked up. "What the hell was that?"

"Their language I assume."

"Sounded like Gaelic..."

OOC: I always imagine it to be like a snake speaking Klingon.
Harsh, but also hissing.

Not that I've ever heard gaelic, though, so I can't comment.

OOC: I always imagine it to be like a snake speaking Klingon.
Harsh, but also hissing.

Not that I've ever heard gaelic, though, so I can't comment.It's an old joke from some scifi tv show. The guy always said the aliens sounded gaelic, no matter how they talked. lol

((OOC: As to reply to Crimmond's incoming ships and all.))

IC: As the Ur-Quans detect more ships coming in, the Dreadnoughts spread the rest (that is 15 per ship) of their fighters out to defend the Ur-Quan ships. That makes the amount of Ur-Quan fighters a hundred. They do not wish to fight, but will if forced to. This is Ur-Quan space, and the others are trespassing.

Using a Talking Pet, one of the pilots say:

"You say you are exploring. Why are you bringing MORE ships here then, to Ur-Quan space? We have already contacted several human civilizations and we have even joined an alliance that contains many of them. You should have known that we are here. We can understand why you are bringing your flag ship here, if your first contact regulations say so, but otherwise we must say that you are exaggerating. You have entered OUR space. Not the other way around."

And then one other pilot says:

"What he is trying to say that even though we don't mean any harm to you, you have entered our space without permission and without identifying yourselves. You should understand why some of us are quite annoyed. Especially if you knew our history, which you obviously do not. We do not blame you for that or anything. We are here to defend our space. That is all."

((OOC: And a reply to Echeronia's message to his fighters.))

IC: The Ur-Quan ship intercepted the message, and the Talking Pet soon translated it to the Kohr-Ah language. The Marauder close to the Echeronian ship does not reply to it, mostly because the pilot knows it was not directed at him. He stays there to defend the alien ship, if something was to happen. He changes the ship's position to a better one, and he keeps monitoring the situation as it goes on.

OOC: I'm afraid I will have to go to tea now. Be back in about 45 minutes.

If a fight develops, the Echeronian ship runs for it (faster than light, in realspace, so hard to follow unless you predict its location and jump ahead of it, in which case it dies really easily) and the fighters die for their Emperor.

I'll post more when I get back.

"We didn't even know there was life in thi-" Ors breaks off as the CSS Vladius drops form Hyperspace.

http://www.strategyplanet.com/starfleet/pics/sfc29.jpg

The flagship dwarves the carrier bieng ten times the size. As it scans the area and links with the other ships computer, they open a channel.

"This is Fleet Admiral Karr. What is the meaning of these warships all here looking like they are about to strike. As far as we know, this is an unclaimed, uninhabited star system."

"We didn't even know there was life in thi-" Ors breaks off as the CSS Vladius drops form Hyperspace. The flagship dwarves the carrier bieng ten times the size. As it scans the area and links with the other ships computer, they open a channel.


The Ur-Quans within their ships were not amazed nor moved. They know that their species has seen, fought and destroyed ships larger than the one in front of them with these same ships. The metal used in their ships is one not easily scanned through. The ships can be scanned, but their internal parts cannot be seen unless the armoring is surgically removed. And by that time the ship would automatically self destruct, so it wouldn't help much either.

"This is Fleet Admiral Karr. What is the meaning of these warships all here looking like they are about to strike. As far as we know, this is an unclaimed, uninhabited star system."

((OOC: We're not in a star system, outside one, yes, but not quite in it.))

IC:"It is obvious you have not heard anything from other alien races we have encountered. Nor have you patrolled this area for some time. We have been here long enough to establish our presence in these systems. As said, these are claimed, and partially habited systems now."

The Ur-Quan pilot thinks this is quite weird. They have not seen any Crimmondian ships in these parts ever before. Do they even really know where they are? This constellation is, for some reason, easily missed. And it is well out of harm's possible way. Why are they here *now*? What are they after?

"You are trespassing, we only reacted to that. This is Ur-Quan space now. We are *not* going to attack, unless you fire first. You have already identified yourselves. There is no situation to talk about anymore, unless you turn this into one."

The Admiral looks at the ships. "We have not patrolled this area for some months, but noticed the builup of movement. We have been fighting a long war with irates and thought it might be them. It has proven not to be, so... we shall be on our way."

A message is sent and the CSS Crossbow, the CSS Saber(Border Cutter) and a scoutship emerge and form up. The group prepares to jump as the fighters return to the carrier and the scoutship docks with the Crossbow.

Seconds later, the ships dissappear.

It was almost a miracle that none of the Ur-Quan ships had started firing. The Kohr-Ah are not known for their patience, but when needed, they can exceed themselves. There was no point to fight.

The fighters were recalled and they returned to the Dreadnoughts. After waiting a while, just in case, the Ur-Quan fleet entered HyperSpace and went on its way to Beta Horologii. The situation had passed, peacefully.

Now only the Echeronian ship and the Marauder scout remain.

OOC: Very sorry I'm so much later than I said I'd be. I was ambushed by my parents.

IC: With the withdrawal of all Crimmon ships and all bar one Ur-Quan ship, the fighters return to the Echeronian ship.

no use being militant though Neksenal. even this lone ship could destroy us easily, and it has friends nearby. I am just glad that violence has been averted. Starting our first contact with extra-echeronial life in the middle of a war would not be a good thing

"As we were saying before this other vessel emerged, we would wish to know your borders, so we can avoid further intrusion. Our own homeworld is located at [gives coordiates of Hirologii theta], and we have a view to colonial expansion. Thus, we request to know which nearby planets are yours, so we avoid encroaching uponm your territory."


Neksenal was a good choice to captain the explorer ship. While no less of a warrior than the rest of his race, he knew when to be agressive and when not to be. When facing a new race, which has more technology and more ships than you by a long way, it is never good to make demands. Some of those on the bridge, however, such as the fighter captain, did not see things that way. While Neksenal was in charge, though, their opinions were irrelevant.

"As we were saying before this other vessel emerged, we would wish to know your borders, so we can avoid further intrusion. Our own homeworld is located at [gives coordiates of Hirologii theta], and we have a view to colonial expansion. Thus, we request to know which nearby planets are yours, so we avoid encroaching uponm your territory."

"The whole system of <Beta Horologii> is ours [sends coordinates to it]((OOC: It contains seven planets, 3 of them habitable or semi-habitable for Ur-Quans, others just have mines in them)). IC: We have mining operations all over the place, and two planets colonized. We have further claims on <Alpha> and <Delta> systems, as they are closest to <Beta>. You can do whatever you like in the rest of the systems. Actually, we could help you explore them."

"That would be most advantageous, if you would be so kind."

"We also wonder if you would be interested in opening diplomatic channels. Assuming your planet has approximately 22% oxygen, and lacks certain gases toxic to our species, we could send an ambassador to your homeworld, to learn more about your people and culture, and discuss possible further cooperation betwen us. We would of course be glad to accept any ambassador you would wish to send to Echeronia."

"That would be most advantageous, if you would be so kind."

((OOC: Looks like you forgot to change from Dolphin-Lovers to Echeronia, so I just changed the name of the one to be quoted to Echeronia...))

IC:"Then it shall be done. We have ships to spare on such missions, as this part of space is quite peaceful, at least for the moment."

"We also wonder if you would be interested in opening diplomatic channels. Assuming your planet has approximately 22% oxygen, and lacks certain gases toxic to our species, we could send an ambassador to your homeworld, to learn more about your people and culture, and discuss possible further cooperation betwen us. We would of course be glad to accept any ambassador you would wish to send to Echeronia."

"We do not know if you would be willing to take such a risk. We are... Extremely territorial. Come close to us, and you will most likely face death. This does not interfere with our communications with other species who are on their ships. But it is something we cannot control that well. It is in our nature. We have our reasons to travel alone. We breathe oxygen, just like most other species seem to do."

"We acquired one such trait from our Kzer-Za brothers, that we now show the minimum length that any other being can be of us without the risk of getting brutally killed. But do you still wish to send an ambassador to our world? We prefer conducting business with other species offworld, in space. It is... So much simpler that way."

After receiving the latest message Neksenal looks at it, commands that it be translated again, is reminded that the Ur-Quan are now transmitting in the Echeronian language, then looks at the message again.

'Skala-Captain,' ventured the fighter captain 'they are an insane people! If they will kill anyone who approaches them on their planet, how is it different here? Why do they not attack us in space, but do on the ground?'

'While this is strange, one must not judge hastily. Would we permit anyone to enter the inner sanctum of the Temple, even of our own people, except a priest or the Emperor himself? Would not others find it insane that we act in such a way to one place, but not to others? Perhaps to them, all the ground they walk on is sacred.'

'Or perhaps they simply bluff. They wish to see if we fear them. they speak of killing those near them, because they do not wish us to visit their homeland.'

'If they do not wish us to visit their homeworld, they need simply say so. We are in no position to make demands upon them. This ship alone could destroy us.'

Neksenalc opens channels once more:

"We do not wish to put any strain upon your people, or risk upon our own people. There is no honour in a death like that which you speak of."
"However, would it be possible to arrange a meeting in space, or along electronic channels, of our leaders or their representatives?
Although I command this vessel in his name, I cannot speak for the Emperor, and I do not know if you can speak for your government."
"Many things should be discussed between our two people. I am sure that by sharing our knowledge, culture and biological information we can enrich both our empires. Your offer to help us shows that, despite your wish to often be alone, you see the value of cooperation with others."

"We do not wish to put any strain upon your people, or risk upon our own people. There is no honour in a death like that which you speak of."

"There would be no such strain even if you did come there, do not misunderstand me. This extreme territorialism includes even Ur-Quan. That is why we show the space we need for ourselves. That is why we warn others of coming too close. It does not mean that we would not converse or anything, it only means that you are better off being <a few standard human meters> away from us. There are only a small number of occasions in which an Ur-Quan can get closer to another. It is not our will to act like this, it is our instincts, ancient ones at that. Our original home planet was a harsh one. We still have that as a remnant from that age."

"However, would it be possible to arrange a meeting in space, or along electronic channels, of our leaders or their representatives?
Although I command this vessel in his name, I cannot speak for the Emperor, and I do not know if you can speak for your government."

"Of course it would be possible for us to meet in space, or on electronic channels, which ever suits you. And no, I cannot speak for the governmental body of the Kohr-Ah Hierarchy, I am called number 5819. You would need at least number 100 to have someone who is connected to the governmental body. We have actual names too, but it is easier to work with our titles. Always has been."

"Many things should be discussed between our two people. I am sure that by sharing our knowledge, culture and biological information we can enrich both our empires. Your offer to help us shows that, despite your wish to often be alone, you see the value of cooperation with others."

"We do not have a culture to speak of, regrettably. Some traditions and rites maybe, but not a real culture. We did have one, once, long ago. Before the splicing of our species. Rebuilding it is hard... Harder than one would think. But your words contain certain wisdom. We truly do have a lot of things to discuss. We can cooperate with others quite well, as long as that certain distance is kept. You need not worry."

"There would be no such strain even if you did come there, do not misunderstand me. This extreme territorialism includes even Ur-Quan. That is why we show the space we need for ourselves. That is why we warn others of coming too close. It does not mean that we would not converse or anything, it only means that you are better off being <a few standard human meters> away from us. There are only a small number of occasions in which an Ur-Quan can get closer to another. It is not our will to act like this, it is our instincts, ancient ones at that. Our original home planet was a harsh one. We still have that as a remnant from that age."

"In which case an ambassador could be sent, and peacefully coexist, as long as certain respect for personal space is maintained. However, such is a matter to discuss with your government and mine.

"Of course it would be possible for us to meet in space, or on electronic channels, which ever suits you. And no, I cannot speak for the governmental body of the Kohr-Ah Hierarchy, I am called number 5819. You would need at least number 100 to have someone who is connected to the governmental body. We have actual names too, but it is easier to work with our titles. Always has been."

"We too have numbers, but they related to the date and time of our birth, rather than our seniority. We prefer to use or names and rank, but our birth numbers allow those of us with the same or similar name to be told apart."
"If you would deliver to your government our message of peace and request for an audience, we shall return to Echeronia and commuinicate with our government. Due to the advanced nature and great speed of your inter-planetary travel compared to us, it would likely be easier for you to come to us."

"We do not have a culture to speak of, regrettably. Some traditions and rites maybe, but not a real culture. We did have one, once, long ago. Before the splicing of our species. Rebuilding it is hard... Harder than one would think. But your words contain certain wisdom. We truly do have a lot of things to discuss. We can cooperate with others quite well, as long as that certain distance is kept. You need not worry."

"Very well. I must go and inform my government of events. Unfortunately our communications grid is not yet capable of supporting faster-than-light transmissions, so I must return in person. I hope to see or hear from you soon."

Slowly, the Echeronian ship rotates. There are a series of power surges within the ship, the pylons briefly crackle with green light, then the ship streaks off at an impossible speed, back the way it came.

((OOC: Guess I'll continue now.))

IC: The Ur-Quan ship was left alone. The pilot soon jumped into HyperSpace and left for home, as his ship needed some maintenance and the oxygen levels were dropping. Even if the others already knew of the incident, he would have to give a more detailed report when he gets back there. And someone would have to wait here for the return of the Echeronian ship.

His journey back home was quick and boring. He saw no new unknown ships within his sensor range when going back. But at least he had succeeded in making a first contact with an alien race, that is unknown to everyone else as well. He was proud of the fact. The leaders of the Kohr-Ah Hierarchy would be pleased of his efforts.

The Echeronian exploration ship flew through space. Despite the fact it was hurtling many times faster than Einstein said it should (or Haneksal, the Echeronian scientist who had discovered general relativity on Echeronia - Special Relativity and E=mc squared were developed by a different Echeronian), the ship still appeared to be barely moving, as there was nothing for millions of miles around to give a speed comparison.

In his cramped quarters, Neksenal pondered how he was going to phrase his report to the Emperor. Occasionally he looked at the warning sign on the door, and tried not to think about the fact that his life, and that of his entire crew, depended upon an electric current running through a crystal which all Echeronian physicists universally declared should not exist, could not exist, and yet did anyway. Some of the scientists believed that it was possible for Ruhger to simply pop out of existence, or spontaneously explode, without warning, so unstable was its very existence in a place where the laws of physics refused to believe it could be.

His feeling of helplessness was not helped by the dfact he could do nothing to influence the ship in any way. The ship was in a seperate timeflow to the crew, all communication between them was impossible. The ship had been programmed to fly home, ad it was now doing so. Any suprises, and it would automatically disengage the drive and alert the crew, a process taking a few moments, during which they were essentiall helpless.
he fact that, according to the ship's time, it was running for thousands of years with only automated maintenance, was not encouraging either.

Neksenal pushed away these thoughts, and tried to concentrate on his report.

While the news he bore was intriguing, and had great potential for gain, it could not be called wholly good. The Echeronian Empire was not alone, in fact it had contacted a far more advanced, far more powerful nation in the same constellation, and seen another nation of similar power and technology, which seemed not to be on the most friendly terms with the other.

He just hoped he would get back before the aliens took him up on his offer and sent an envoy to Echeronia. An alien ship turning up unannounced would not be best recived.

Neksenal opened the door to his left, which was not the one with the warning sign, and went to see the rest of the crew. Only he had a right to private quarters, the others occupied a mass dormitory. space was at too much of a premium for any more comfortable arrangement, the reverse Ruhger field had a very limited size.

They would get to Echeronia soon enough. Then he would be able to stop worrying about the ship, and start worrying about his report.

(OOC: I am avoiding describing my race until we have seen each other IC, physically or over visual communications. Feel free to describe your arrival at your homeworld first, or even to describe the arrival of an envoy at ours, if you are sending one before Neksenal gets back (which will take at least a fortnight of NS time). Alternatively, I will be posting Neksenal's arrival at his homeworld later tonight or early tomorrow.)

join the GA

(OOC: I am avoiding describing my race until we have seen each other IC, physically or over visual communications.

((OOC: I have only given a picture of the race, which only shows the face, there are several other things that need to be described later on, so...))

IC: As the Ur-Quan ship closed in on Beta Horologii, its pilot prepared to jump into TrueSpace. Soon would come his time to give a deeper report about his encounter. The Ur-Quan do not trust HyperWave Casters fully, as the messages could be intercepted by others, which is why these old fashioned debriefings are still used. Even if it would be easier to just extract the information from the subject's brain.

He jumped to TrueSpace and saw a fleet of Marauders, patrolling Beta Horologii. They did not react to the scout at all. They knew he was coming, long before the ship actually got into the system. He passed the fleet soon and went towards the first inhabited Ur-Quan planet in this multiverse. He was close to home now.

As he moved towards the homeworld, it was easy to see the eerie red glow of the shield that surrounded it. He passed other pitch black Marauder fleets on his way there. When he finally reached the planet, his ship cracked the shield open and as he slipped through it, the shield suddenly came back, turning the sky red again. He had gone through the atmosphere as well, without actually noticing it.

He landed on a huge platform, designed for the Ur-Quan ships. There are quite a few of them on the planet, the Kohr-Ah are frantic builders. They contain quite a few places for the ships, and many of them are stacked on one another, making the largest docking areas kilometers high. The security on such facilities had been upgraded quite a bit since the last incident with the rogue Kohr-Ah happened. He had to go through several security checkpoints when moving through the place.

Then he actually got to the place where he was to give his report, and that he did. The contents of the report are classified, so things about it will not be told here.

Now the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah know what he knew of this new species, and they started to keep a ship or two in the area, as to make sure someone's there when the others return. Kohr-Ahian sensor range was doubled as well. The pilots sent there will have the Hierarchy's authorization this time, to do deals and such. The Kohr-Ah knew that it would most likely cause... Unpleasant side-effects if they were to send ships there before the Echeronians returned. They chose to adapt a doctrine of patience on the issue.


join the GA

((OOC: Haven't you been reading the thread? He *CAN'T* join it, at least yet. The Ur-Quan are the first contact they have made.))

Eventually, the Echeronian ship arrived back at the homeworld. It had taken weeks to get back, and the six hour trip after the Ruhger drive was deactivated (dropping back to normal speed well away from the planet, since the effects of gravity upon the Ruhger field were still untested) had not helped Neksenal's mood. Although the sight, of Echeronia, two thirds desert, with polar swamps wreathed in cloud, and the mountains of Saarnel, Neksenal's homeland, clearly visible from orbit, would normally be soothing, Neksenal did not find it so today. He would not be seeing his homeland, there was no time. He was going to report momentous news to the High Council, including informing them that they were not alone, were outnumbered, outgunned, out-teched and outclassed by at least two new nations, one in the same constellation as them, and that he had given one of said races coordinates of homeworld. Neksenal wondered how the absolute ruler of an intensely militaristic race would take such news. He would find out soon enough.

Where the exploration ship was angular and ugly, the space station where it was built was a thing of beauty, gliding over the the planet on solar panel wings. The station was only a mile long, thus docking with its enormous offspring was a delicate procedure, the enormous momentum, weight and inertia of the exploration ship risked knocking its delicate parent out of orbit if handled roughly.

By the time the docking procedure was over, Neksenal was almost seething, and as he left via the top access hatch, his orders to the maintenance crew were terse and simple.

"Make sure we're ready for launch when I return."

Upon reaching the hangar, Neksenal got into a landing pod, and quickly launched it. There was no cargo ferry due for hours, and launching a station shuttle for the transport of one person would have been inefficient.

The landing pod was simply a one-person cocoon, launched from the station at an angle and velocity which would cause it to fall out of orbit. It was armoured and insulated against reentry, and had an automatic parachute for landing. Plumetting downwards in a cramped, dark pod was not fun, but it was efficient. Neksenal had not reached the rank of Skala Captain through having a state of fun.

Upon landing a safe distance outside the capital, Neksenal radioed for pickup, and a helicopter swiftly arrived. A truck was dispatched to retreive the pod and stow it on the next cargo ferry bound for the station. This ferry was also ordered to wait for Neksenal to finish his report, and then to convey him to the station.

As the helicopter headed for the Council chambers, Neksenal's mood began to improve. The desert sky was clear of cloud, and no sandstorms marred the horizon, allowing clear visibility for miles.
The Echeronian capital was laid out below like a chequered yellow tablecloth upon a sea of sand. To the west, the shimmering space runway broke the pattern of sandstone buildings, blurred by heat haze, it looked as if a knife had been carelessly dropped on the tablecloth. To the east, railway lines wended their way across the city like black threads, before striking out across the desert. Ahead, small groups of Echeronian helifighters hovered over the largest block of yellow, and it was towards this central mass of buildings that the helicopter now flew.

Rising above the sandy coloured blocks of housing was the core of the Echeronian government. The ‘Imperial block’, as it was called, took the rough shape of a pyramid, with higher buildings closer to the centre.
In the centre was the Emperor’s palace, its central tower curving upwards and forwards in the form of the sacred snake, the Echerskal, which had spoken the word of the Goddess to the first Emperor, and given him his divine mandate to rule. At the top the head of the snake seemed impossibly poised upon the neck, and despite knowing it had stood for over two hundred years, Neksenal could not rid himself of a feeling that it would fall.

The ‘emerald’ eyes of the snake were mostly green glass, but they had the second largest emeralds in the galaxy forming the pupils. These had been hewn from the throne of the Kalinech king at the close of the ancient war between the two races, and now watched over the city their lizard-like owner had sworn to destroy. In the mouth of the snake perched the royal shuttle, accessible by the famous curving elevator, which could run up the curved shaft of the neck while remaining upright.

Below the snake, the rest of the palace was far less beautiful, since it doubled as an impregnable fortress as well as a royal dwelling. Large, squat and square, the palace was half buried by sand from the latest storm. Special sand removers were hard at work, like giant vacuum cleaners they sucked up the sand, then carried it to the outskirts and dumped it. On the walled roof area, the four gun turrets at the corners were almost buried in drifts of sand, only their barrels visible, reminding the watcher of the strong militarism throughout the Echeronian Empire, miltarism which had outlasted the genocidal war between the two sentient races on the planet, and had endured for over a century, even while the Echeronians stood unopposed on their planet. With the news Neksenal was about to bring, it was a good thing they had retained a military.

Behind the palace stood the pyramidal monolith that was the high temple of the Goddess. Taller than the main body of the palace, it came to a point at half the height of the imperial snake. On three sides, doors allowed the faithful access to the outer chamber, where services were held. On the fourth side, which almost backed onto the palace, a covered passage allowed the Emperor to enter the inner sanctuary, where he was allowed to be ‘in the presence of the goddess’ in his role as ‘her warrior below’. As a divine ruler as well as a secular one, the Emperor stood at the heart of Echeronian society. The religion and the society had both begun at the turning point of the ancient war, and now there was not a single Echeronian who did not follow the Goddess, or serve the Emperor. The unity of the nation stood uncontested... at least for the moment.

The helicopter shuttle dipped down, following the main road that stretched from the city gates to the palace. There were no cars on this road, only pedestrians and trams thronged the streets. To either side stood tall office buildings, limited to five storeys to keep them below the height of the temple. These were the headquarters of businesses and industries throughout the Echeronian Empire. Ahead stood the Council chambers. Once two buildings on either side of the main road (High Council and Low Council chambers) they had since been linked by a curved causeway, then expanded, then expanded again, until it was now in an H shape, with an AA gun on each perpendicular, and landing pads on the crossbar. It was towards these pads that the shuttle flew. Six helifighters swung down from above, three on each side of the slightly larger shuttle. They kept pace with it for a few minutes, and then peeled off to either side as it landed. These amalgums of helicopter and jet fighter served as helicopters when they patrolled the city, but were capable of retracting their rotors, extending their stubby wings, and becoming capable if unwieldy jet fighters. This allowed them unprecedented flexibility, although they would never perform quite as well as true helicopter gunships or jet fighters. However, as vehicles for constant protection of the Emperor, staffed by the elite Imperial Bodyguard, they were perfect.

Neksenal left his helicopter and entered ther High Council building. The Chambers themselves were undergound, a place many Echeronians still felt most at home. A tunnel gave the Emperor access to the High Council, since they were his advisors. Neksenal was sure he would be there for this.

Several hours later, Neksenal was back on his ship and ready to leave, this time completely unarmed. The pair of A2 fighters carried by the explorer ship were to be left on the station, to be added to its complement of 6. These 8 fighters, supported by the nuclear torpedo battery on the station, made up the entirety of Echeronia's space force.

Neksenal was to continue his mission, and scan Zeta Hirologii, to ascertain its potential as a colony as well as gain scientific data. He wondered if the Ur-quan would meet him there with their promised support, or whether they would simply be transmitting their data on the planets to homeworld. Even if this were the cae, there was no harm in double-checking the veracity of the alien data.

Meanwhile, back on the station, the Echeronian engineers put the final touches to their new communication relay. This would allow the Emperor to personally communicate from his palace, both audially and visually, with any alien ship in orbit. After all, Neksenal had suggested the Ur-Quan visit, and who knew if this mysterious other race might appear?

And of course, even if number 5819 had no permission to do so, he had promised the Echeronians help on finding colonizable and minable planets from the other systems in the Horologii constellation. Even though he had exceeded his mandate, the Hierarchy chose to comply on this matter. One ship would be sent to Zeta, Kappa and Lambda systems each, supposedly the closest systems to Theta, where this new alien species resides. They would then either send the data to the home planet of this new species, or, if their ships are seen moving about, given to the them on the spot. The pilots of those Ur-Quan ships would be given extended rights to discuss things with this other species.

Number 5819 would be punished for his actions. It would take quite some time for him to return to space, if he would ever be given the right to do so again.

With a lot of vibration and an ominous creaking sound, the Echeronian exploration ship arrived at Zeta Horologii. As he sent the engineers off to make sure everything still worked, Neksenal made a mental note to keep an even larger safety distance from stars while using the Ruhger drive in future.

Zeta Hirologii had a relatively small sun, but even the limited scanners of the Echeronian ship detected no less than five planets. While two were gas giants, the remaining three were solid, and one was in the correct orbital zone to conceivably be inhabitable.

The scanners also detected one of the Ur-Quan ships, presumably the 'help' that Neksenal had been promised with his explorations. He wondered if the Ur-Quan had gone to homeworld and made contact with the Emperor in the last eight weeks, or whether he would once again be responsible for any negotiations. While he still lacked the authority of the Emperor or High Council, he had been told that, on the strength of his previous negotiations, he could make certain promises on behalf of the Empire if necessary. He had also had a visual display unit added to his communication system. What had been dismissed as a waste of space for communicating with fellow Echeronians had since been declared a useful tool in negotiatiating and learning about this new race.

"Should we contact them, Skala Captain?"

"No. They will talk to us soon enough, if they wish to. Move toward the likely inhabitable planet and prepare for a scan.We have a mission to complete."

The ship soon started transmitting data on the planets in this system:

First there are the two gas giants, which happen to be the ones furthest of the system's sun as well. Both of them have several moons, but only the one most remote had a couple of moons that were worth checking out.

While the moons were too far from the sun to actually contain any notable forms of life on the exterior, one of them seemed to have a less than solid interior, it being mostly some liquid, maybe even <water>. Some <fish-like> beings were detected in the liquid. Their hostility, edibility and possible sentience are unknown. Then there was one seemingly mineral rich moon, but still, it is only a moon. The diversity of minerals was quite low, and most of them were very commonly found ones, like iron, copper, aluminum and so on. The others were just uninteresting lumps of rock and space debris.

The planet closest to the sun is a hostile one. It is full of volcanoes, its atmosphere is toxic for most species, but it is especially rich on minerals. There are risks involved in mining such planets, but it might be worth the effort. Radioactives, precious metals - platinum, for instance - and such were abundant, and some more commonly found ones were found as well, but they weren't as abundant on the planet. One would need to go on the surface to get a more detailed report on these deposits, as it is hard to scan the planet.

The second planet has easily seeable animal and plant life. The most dominant species there seem to be reptilian ones. They are obviously not sentient, but they are hostile towards anything that comes into their territory. If one is going to build a colony there, keeping those reptilians out of the way would be the best thing to do. Exterminating them completely could be considered as an option, but the effects on local ecosystems might be severe.

The third planet is a boring one. It has an atmosphere but it is barren and lifeless. Living on it could be possible, though. No notable mineral deposits were detected in the scan, it is almost as if the planet has been used up already.

The Ur-Quan ship has received data on the other systems as well, but it is taking its time to send them.((OOC: But I'll tell tales about them later. I'm a bit ill right now, so bear with me.))

OOC: I am a little confused as to whether you are going to write more when you have the time and feel better (now the forum is no longer crashed), or whether the Ur-Quan ship simply transmitted a terse description of the planets in the system, without establishing any form of face-to-face contact, or negotiations.

If the former, I await the next post.
If the latter, then I will reply as son as this is confirmed.

OOC: I am a little confused as to whether you are going to write more when you have the time and feel better (now the forum is no longer crashed), or whether the Ur-Quan ship simply transmitted a terse description of the planets in the system, without establishing any form of face-to-face contact, or negotiations.

((OOC: I chose to do the first one. The ship is just sending data on the planets, and I was too ill to do anything better. You could always think them as high tech and cool reports of something, but... They don't exactly look like that. They look like something a kid who's in the elementary school would do, and for that I apologize. :-)

I STILL have the last bits of the illness in me, so I can't really do much better than that right now either. But the basic idea was that the ship just started transmitting data about the system, without actually establishing any communications. I was gonna do something much, well, planetary report-like, but that's all I was able to do at the moment. If you want to start a conversation, do that.))

OOC: :cry: It stole my message. AGAIN! I hate invalid_session!

Oh well, I'll write it all out again. :evil:

**********
TRANSMISSION: Audio and Visual.

The Bridge of the Echeronian ship is spacious, but rather primitive. Most of the controls, lights, and other fittings are no more advanced than one would expect to see on a 20th century earth aircaft, certainly not signs of the normal technology level required for faster-than-light travel.
The layout is somewhat Star Trek-esque, with the Captain's 'chair' central, while various officers and operators man stations around the walls, surrounded by consoles which pertain to different aspects of ship function.

Neksenal is 'standing' in the centre of the bridge. The presence of other Echeronians shows that he is a typical member of his species.

To call the Echeronian a snake with arms would go some way toward describing him, but in truth 'he' (possibly male, gender unspecific) is more like a humanoid lizard with a long neck and no legs. His skin is made up of small sandy-coloured scales, while his eyes are distinctly serpentine, slits of yellow on black.
His head is the most lizard-like thing about him, squat nosed and rounded, it clearly boasts a large brain cavity, something which a snake's tiny head could never support. His sharp incisor teeth also show him to evolutionarily be a lizard rather than a snake, which has only two fangs and nothing more.

(OOC: you will see why I am belabouring the 'somewhat snake-like, but actually descended from lizards' point in good time. For now, just remember it was made.)

The Echeronian 'stands' by rearing on his tail, and when he does so is around seven feet tall. When in this position, his arms are at about the same height and proportion of those of a human (when one allows for the eight inch long, fairly flexible neck) although somewhat skinny. The hands have three 'fingers' (or perhaps thumbs, there is no seperate thumb), all of which are capable of grasping, and may be double-jointed. On the palm side, the hand is covered with small dark circles, which may be suckers or rough/hairy areas for grip.
The Echeronian 'sits' by coiling his lower body around a short pole which serves as a 'chair'. when he moves, he slithers his lower body, and while moving is effectively only five feet tall.
There are some vestigal legs, but these are approximately half-way up the body of the Echeronian when standing, and do not touch the ground when moving slowly. These vestigal legs are only a foot long, very thin and end in a single, blunt claw. One can surmise than when an Echeronian is 'running' it will sink even lower to place more of its body in contact with the ground, and the legs will then have a minor function for providing imporved locomotion and grip. However their position when standing also allows the 'legs' to serve as secondary arms for manipulating a second layer of control panels, as is visible at several of the command posts.

Each Echeronian wears what appears to be scale mail, made from a dull grey metal.
This armour/uniform covers the Echeronian from just above the ‘shoulders’ (although the body widens where the arms join it, there are no shoulders per se), with short sleeves, to just below the ‘legs’.
The top row of scales on Neksenal’s armour are silver rather than grey, and each has the Echeronian letter ‘Sk’ carved into it (their writing looks somewhat like Arabic, hence my choice of flag). The lack of such a collar decoration on the armour/uniform of the other Echeronians suggests that this is a badge of rank.
Over his armour, each Echeronian has what can best be described as a utility belt. From each belt hangs two short-swords, or long daggers, about a foot long and curved, dangling one on each side within easy reach. Near to them are two metal compartments. These armoured ‘pockets’ have rudimentary catches on them which look like they can be operated by the ‘legs’, allowing easy access for the arms to whatever is inside.

“We acknowledge receipt of the scanning data” says Neksenal, glancing at a screen where Echeronian writing scrolls past an image of one of the planets,” and thank you for aiding us in our exploration mission.”
“Assuming your government emissaries have not visited our home world, we would like to make certain agreements and accords between our people, and have been empowered by the Emperor to do so. This is of course if you have the authority to do so, and wish to engage in such things.”

***TRANSMISSION ENDS***

“Your orders, Skala-Captain?”

“I do not know if the Ur-quan will respond, they seemed somewhat terse,” replied Neksenal. “Keep an eye on communications, and head towards the life-bearing planet. Firstly, I want to confirm some of this data. Secondly, want to find out more about these creatures. It looks like the universe contains far more life than we suspected. Besides, the Ruhger drive will take at least a few hours to recalibrate.”
“But Skala Captain, the Ruhger drive is showing no signs of error.”
“Yes, and it is also the only thing between us and a forty-thousand year trip home, or being converted into paste! So recalibrate it!”
“As you command, Skala Captain.”

“We acknowledge receipt of the scanning data” says Neksenal, glancing at a screen where Echeronian writing scrolls past an image of one of the planets,” and thank you for aiding us in our exploration mission.”
“Assuming your government emissaries have not visited our home world, we would like to make certain agreements and accords between our people, and have been empowered by the Emperor to do so. This is of course if you have the authority to do so, and wish to engage in such things.”

The Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah pilot receives the message. Although the look of an Echeronian might cause awe in humans or in other beings, the Ur-Quan is not moved by it at all. They have seen many different beings in the Galaxy and the Echeronians look similar to many of them. After a while, he realizes that the Echeronians might want a reply. So, he responds accordingly...

*Transmission: Reply: Audio/Visual*

http://sensori.soldats.net/kuvia/kohrah/kohr-Ah_01.gif
((OOC: Think that without the... Bone pit. Other than that it is accurate. Physically, the Ur-Quan resembles a huge predatory caterpillar, which just is 10 meters long and 2 meters high. And it has four tentacles. Its body is clinging to the ceiling, which is why it might look like it's hovering. That's the part you can't see from the picture. The Kohr-Ah are black in color, and so are their ships. Inside and out.))

IC: Using a Talking Pet as a translator, he responds: "We will send you our scanning data about the other systems later as well. And yes, I do have the authority to form any kind of deals. I am number 43. What would you wish to talk about first?", and he starts waiting for a response. He only wishes to hear what the Echeronians have in mind. He does not wish to make the Echeronians think of the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah as a threat, and thusly does not want to impose the Hierarchy's will on them. It would not be a good diplomatic move.

*END OF TRANSMISSION*

((OOC: Unlike in Star Control, the Kohr-Ah use the Talking Pet as a mean to translate other languages really, not because they would think that others are inferior and that's why they wouldn't talk with others. It's not likely every damned Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah would know every friggin language in the universe, which is what they seem to think in that Star Control.))

OOC: So can anything (control pads, chairs, other beings) be seen beside/behind/around the Ur-quan? Or is there sheer empty blackness?

Also, is the talking pet visible on screen, and if so, what does it look like?)

IC:

Neksenal's eyes widen somewhat at the strange creature he sees before him. The reactions of some of his bridge crew are a little more pronounced, but all in all, self-control is kept very well, considering how unlike their own form is the first sentient life the Echeronians have encountered (besides their ancient enemy, the Kalinech, but these were native to their planet, and physically somewhat Echeroid in appearance).

"Well, firstly our Emperor would like to suggest a non-agression pact between our peoples, as a first stage in better relations between us. While we obviously have no intention of attacking you, or you us, a signed treaty of non-agression will give us a solid basis for dealing with any problems that may arise diplomatically."

"Such a treaty should also contain clauses where we agee our positions regarding national sovereignity. For example, we are happy for Ur-quan civilians and traders to visit our homeworld, but would prefer that military personnel seek our permission before landing. We are quite happy for peaceful Ur-quan vessels, including armed escort if you wish, to fly in our space, but would not wish any permenant fleet, station or colony to be set up in our home system. I am sure you have similar concerns and beliefs regarding your own space and planets."

"Once such a treaty has been concluded, I am sure that further developments may develop in due course, such as trade agreements, alliances etc."

Neksenal briefly wondered if he was maintaining the correct body language. His teeth remained unbared, his hands were within reach of his swords, but not on the pommel. He was attempting to show neither threat nor weakness, but had no way of knowing whether the Ur-quan knew or even cared about such things. For all he knew, showing your teeth could be a sign of friendship where the Ur-quan were concerned. Do they even have teeth? He abandoned this pointless analysis and pressed on.

"We would also be interested in knowing about other races which you are aware of. We have already encountered another ship, to which you appeared somewhat hostile. We would like to know about the locations and approximate strengths of other nearby Empires, and most importantly, whether you are allies or enemies with any of them."

Right, that's that one out of the way. thought Neksenal. I only hope we haven't jst made contact with the losing side in some interplanetary war of attrition. That would be just my luck!

"Finally, we are interested in knowing a little more about the organisation, culture and history of your race."

(OOC: Yes I know it is all at the beginning of the thread. You just have say that you tell us IC, and I will assume it as known. If you tell me stuff, we'll then tell you.)

OOC: So can anything (control pads, chairs, other beings) be seen beside/behind/around the Ur-quan? Or is there sheer empty blackness?

((OOC: No. Only what is in the picture can be seen. Everything is either too high, too low or too near to the... Camera-sort. Other than the face of the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ahian pilot.))

Also, is the talking pet visible on screen, and if so, what does it look like?)

((Unlike in Star Control, the Talking Pet is kept unseen. It might offend someone if they were to know that the Ur-Quan isn't speaking to them directly. That's actually just because it would be impossible for them to know every language in the universe, and since the Talking Pet works just as a universal translator... No point giving any wrong impressions. But I can give a picture of one later on.))

IC:
"Well, firstly our Emperor would like to suggest a non-agression pact between our peoples, as a first stage in better relations between us. While we obviously have no intention of attacking you, or you us, a signed treaty of non-agression will give us a solid basis for dealing with any problems that may arise diplomatically."

...

"Once such a treaty has been concluded, I am sure that further developments may develop in due course, such as trade agreements, alliances etc."

"Agreed. A non-aggression pact would help us both not only as a means to give peace of mind for both of our species, but as a helping factor in possible and probable future dealings. We have almost no experience in having merchants, trading or any of the sort, but we are adapting, new doctrines are made." The pilot finds the thought about Ur-Quan civilians funny, as there are no true civilians in the Ur-Quan society, at least quite yet. His tentacles writhe a bit because of this.

Then he continues: "Yes, you are quite right that we have share the concern about our home system. We think that there is not a single species in the multiverse that would not wish to keep their planet or planets to themselves exclusively, even if there are different countries, cultures within that planet." He stops for a moment, just to start again: "We understand your wish, and we acknowledge it. It is obvious that no one would want troops, even friendly ones, to their home. Unless there is some dire need of help, but those are special situations."

Neksenal briefly wondered if he was maintaining the correct body language.

The Ur-Quan only deliver threats through their "body language", but they know that is not the case with many other species. He is not sure what does the Echeronian body language mean, so he just does not care about it. It is not likely that Neksenal would speak and act completely differently. ((OOC: And no, they don't have teeth.))

IC:
"We would also be interested in knowing about other races which you are aware of. We have already encountered another ship, to which you appeared somewhat hostile. We would like to know about the locations and approximate strengths of other nearby Empires, and most importantly, whether you are allies or enemies with any of them."

"There are no other nations that we are aware of in this constellation. This part of space seems quite quiet. Only the Crimmondians have come here during our stay in this area. The reason why we were hostile towards them was an obvious one, we do not like to have unannounced military vessels going through our space."

He takes a small pause, and continues, "But we know of a multitude of human nations, and of several 'Eldar' nations. To us, they all look the same, but they seem to have some animosity towards each other. There are some others too, but they are quite insignificant in numbers when compared to humans and those eldar."

"Finally, we are interested in knowing a little more about the organisation, culture and history of your race."

"That depends on what do you want to know. Our history is quite... Different from the histories of many other species. Depends on whether you just wish to know how we came to this constellation - yes, this is not our original home -, what used to be in the ancient history of our species, or what. As I saw the report of what the earlier one told you, you should already know that our culture is almost nonexistent at the moment. True culture and civilization are hard to reacquire. Us if anyone should know this. We have no great achievements to talk about anymore. They were long lost, and we cannot remember them. History... History on the other hand is something we know a lot of. Of the Sentient Mileu, of the Dnyarri, of our dark age. And, of course, of our final awakening."

The pilot stops again, his tentacles writhe, and he continues: "We are organized as a simple hierarchy. Everyone has a number. Everyone *is* a number. Sometimes, one gets promoted. Usually, one's promotion happens when others die. Sometimes it happens because of one's great deeds, usually in combat."

"What could you tell us about yourselves? Which part or parts of our history would you want to hear? Be wary of what you want, parts of our history might haunt you forever."

The space station the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah started building almost instantly after they had colonized the planet they call Kahr-Zun was finally completed, and the station now orbited the said planet. After several setbacks and errors the station was now fully operational. The station, unlike the Marauder and the Dreadnought, contains several Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah as crew. Mostly it is run by automated drones and robots. Now the ships can be repaired on the station instead of the planet-based system that was the only way to repair them before the station was complete. It is also possible to build new ships with the help of the station, which might also mean the creation of larger ones.

The first of many is now ready.

IC: "We thank you for agreeing to the pact of non-agression. We shall keep our military forces away from your systems, unless granted specific permission from your government to do otherwise, and we shall expect you to do the same."

Of course, we would first have to have military forces capable of travelling to the home system of the Ur-Quan. Oh well, as long as they remain our friends and do not obliterate us, we will have an intersteller military soon enough.

"I will arrange an official document, giving precise details, once I return to homeworld. While by no means necessary, we would appreciate it if one of your number would sign such a document"

Can they sign things? wondered Neksenal. Do they even have a written language?

OOC: More later. I am afraid I must plead 'personal problems'.

IC: "We thank you for agreeing to the pact of non-agression. We shall keep our military forces away from your systems, unless granted specific permission from your government to do otherwise, and we shall expect you to do the same."

"Very well. You told us before that your military capabilities are quite limited, but by our honor, we will not exploit your weakness. If anyone else attempts such a thing, we will help you to defend yourselves, if asked to do so. We do not lie, as it is something we do not need to do."


"I will arrange an official document, giving precise details, once I return to homeworld. While by no means necessary, we would appreciate it if one of your number would sign such a document"

"When such document is done, send a message to these coordinates <sends the coordinates>. A high ranking Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah will then come to you, soon enough."

OOC: More later. I am afraid I must plead 'personal problems'.

((OOC: I'm having some too. Looks like the 'net works now at least, so I can come here sometimes.))

Soon, after the activation of the station, the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah started to build a single, huge Marauder, with several nondisclosed differences to the normal Marauder design. As it will be the one largest ship in the fleet, it will be considered as the flag ship. The Ur-Quan knew they needed to build something at least four times larger than their normal ships, and thus they had begun. It will be the next best weapon their species has ever had when compared to the Sa-Matra. They fully knew that the times of their own dimension are long past. They need this ship. More than ever.

As the ship's hull was already nearly completed, the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah started the process of building weapons never used in their own ships. Point defense systems for destroying missiles and fighters without the usage of the nova or own fighters was one of them. A rotating fusion blaster integrated to the Marauder was something completely new and unheard of. Even it will go under the intended massive armoring of the ship when not needed. Like in some custom Marauders, there will be fighter bays. And instead of having a single pilot, the ship will have a small crew of three Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. And of course, the main weapon of the Marauder will be changed a bit, into a more deadly version of the normal one.

They thought of placing other things into the ship as well, and what it will contain when it is ready is a partial mystery for all. Even for the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah themselves.

The ship was nearly complete. Only a few finishing touches, and the largest Marauder in the fleet would be ready. It would be a kilometer in length, about three hundred and fifty meters in width and two hundred meters in height. A normal Marauder is about 240 meters in length, 50 meters in height and 80 meters in width. The ship is one of a kind, and most likely it will stay that way. The Ur-Quan do not have a need for a large amount of these ships.

Horrible rumors had come up and the word "Sa-Matra" was the center point of them. The Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah leaders dismissed them as what they were, rumors, but the amount of Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah following the Eternal Doctrine had risen. More ships had been stolen, even with the added security. It might be possible that they could build their own ships by now, but it was impossible to track them down. They were always on the move, like the Kohr-Ah in their days of darkness. Something horrible was bound to happen. They knew it. They felt it. It would not take long until the first world would have to suffer the fate of so many.

The ship, on the other hand, had been complete for a while now. It was in the same orbit it was made in. Its crew had been already chosen. It was fully functional.

In a single, massive thrust into other systems, the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah colonized a planet in both Alpha and Delta Horologii, quite a while after colonizing all three planets that could be in Beta Horologii. The Ur-Quan expect great things to come from this.

Yes, it was highly unlikely that there would be so many planets instantly colonizable, so they had to be, more or less, terraformed, and in one such instance, the buildings had to be made airtight before the terraforming process could be finished. The needs of an Ur-Quan are somewhat different from a human, and so are the needs of terraforming.

As Number 85 was doing a routine check up on Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah databanks, he found something that should not have been there, but as proven already, still was there. It seems that they were hidden in the databanks, but it was unlikely that they would have stayed hidden forever. If they had not moved into this new dimension, reality, whatever one wishes to call it, someone would most likely have been successful in framing them for theft of alien technology. But now they have all they need to build those alien ships (and their various systems), and no one is coming to claim the ships as theirs.

The only big problem with all of those ships is that they are meant for humanoids, not Ur-Quan, which means that they could not be used by the Ur-Quan, unless heavily modified. The Ur-Quan are not even sure if they would want to use those ships. The Ur-Quan Hierarchy might just sell them, if the Ur-Quan were ever to build any of them.

Horrible rumors had come up and the word "Sa-Matra" was the center point of them. The Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah leaders dismissed them as what they were, rumors, but the amount of Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah following the Eternal Doctrine had risen. More ships had been stolen, even with the added security. It might be possible that they could build their own ships by now, but it was impossible to track them down. They were always on the move, like the Kohr-Ah in their days of darkness. Something horrible was bound to happen. They knew it. They felt it. It would not take long until the first world would have to suffer the fate of so many.

The ship, on the other hand, had been complete for a while now. It was in the same orbit it was made in. Its crew had been already chosen. It was fully functional.

OOC: Having just found this thread, I find it interesting that this post was made a few hours after a Kanuckistani Superfortress displaced into Delta Orion system (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=74747&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=100).

Any relation?

OOC: Having just found this thread, I find it interesting that this post was made a few hours after a Kanuckistani Superfortress displaced into Delta Orion system (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=74747&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=100).

Any relation?

((OOC: None what so ever. I'm referring to something else, more horrible and evil than any of those superfortresses you have. And it is "in the wrong hands". Of course, you do not know this, as this is all OOC, and this thread, even though I write into it ICly, no one would know anything about what's happening in Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah space, ICly that is. These are not announcements. More like... Very short stories about the happenings in the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah Hierarchy.))

OOC: Don't worry; I'm quite familiar with the concept of IC-OOC seperation.

And I've still got three Battleplates up my sleeve if things get too bad. :wink:

The Hierarchy chose not to build any of the alien ships. They only took the ships' weapons, so they could use them on some other, later projects, that might come up in the possible Doctrinal War against the rogue Kohr-Ah. Of course, such a war does not necessarily come up, but it might. It is not like the other Kohr-Ah even pose a threat to the Hierarchy. They have time, more than enough. More than they would ever need. They would have time to first solve at least some of their internal problems. This is what they thought.

But they did add these new found weapons to something at the first moment possible. The spacestation which orbits their home planet in Beta Horologii, was more or less defenseless without constant patrols in its area. They would put so called "zapsats" to orbit it, a weapon used by the Chmmr in their own dimension. The Kohr-Ah knew that they would be very effective against fighters, which seem to be very popular here. These are mainly defensive weaponry, but they will have to do for now. The station also carries a large amount of Ur-Quan fighter ships, but the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah do not trust those enough to leave the station's defense to them.

Once they had realized that everyone in these parts seem to use some kind of shield mechanism, they started to design one of their own. They had a system they could use already, but it would require massive miniaturization. Of course, they had started the project almost instantly after they had made this observation.

It would not take long for them to create the first prototype of this shield, which would be red and almost impenetrable... On both sides. It would be impossible to fire when you have the shield on, unless you wanted your weapon to backfire. This is why they started asking to buy similar but more penetrable systems from the so called "local" nations. They think that they are outsiders here, which is quite true.

Soon would their ships have the benefit of a shield system, just like the local ships.

They now had two prototypes of their own would-be shield mechanism. It creates a sickening, almost impenetrable red barrier, which lets nothing in and out. It is also a major energy user, using weapons would be next to impossible when it is on. The Ur-Quan were quite satisfied with what they had done. Only some massive doomsday weapon would be likely to penetrate the shield. It would of course take a small while for the ship to "recover" from using the shield, but that did not really concern them. The miniaturization project was a major success.

One of the prototypes was a prototype of a shield that can be refitted on older ships. The other, a prototype of a built-in shield. They would also implement the system acquired from a third party, which is a lot less powerful, but it also requires much less energy, and it also can be used with the ship's weapons online. The fact that they could add it to their very vulnerable fighter ships was a big bonus. It would make the figters' survivability much better. The first shot would not be sufficient to destroy them anymore.

They started refitting their older ships as quickly as possible with these new upgrades. All new ships would have these upgrades in them from the very beginning. Thóse were the first real upgrades on Ur-Quan warship technology in thousands of years.

Apparently a rogue Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah had hacked into a shipyard's database and had stolen the technical readouts of the new shield systems. Even though the database was still fully intact, it was easy to tell that someone had been there, copying the data. A similar thing had happened in a docking bay in which ships were being refitted. The security was looser than usual because of the massive refitting operation, which the Ur-Quan rogues apparently used to their advantage. When these incidents came to light, the rogue agents were long gone.

It was safe to assume that the followers of the Eternal Doctrine now had shields as well. This did not please the leaders of the Hierarchy, but there was nothing they could do right now. This could spell doom.

Nadir Point
Beta Horologii system

The bubble of a Kearny-Fuchida drive appears and then is replaced, as it dissolves, by the form of the ship that created it, the Lola class Inquirer.

"Sir? Jump successful. We are in the Beta Horologii system."

"All right. Scanners?"

"Still picking up data. It seems the system has planets... Sir... At least two of them are uninhabited. There is traffic there."

"Someone we know? Or is it a First Contact sit?"

"No match in the database... Wait... There is a match, in the secondary database... Sir, I think you are not going to like this."

"Spit it at once!"

"Ur-Quan, Sir, Marauders and Dreadnoughts."

The captain's eyes went wide.

"BATTLE STATIONS!! RED ALERT!"

"Sir... There is also a quasi match. It is labeled 'Mark II'."

"Quasi match? Explain?"

"The general form and size are almost match, but not quite. The computer gives it an 82.6% accuracy. There are additional ships, no match for them, but they seem cargo ships."

"Dismiss them for now. Are we facing Precursor technology here or not?"

"If it is a Mark II, it behaves in a most uncharacteristic way. It seems more an orbital fortress than a Precursor warship."

"Are they aware of our presence?"

"No, sir. With their technology they have no reason to look down here, but when the energy burst of the K-F bubble gets to their sensors, they'll notice for sure."

"All right. Deploy the sail. We need to get out of here fast. If possible, before they notice us. Recharge time for the drive?"

"With this sun, 181 hours. We can expect to have company here way before that. The K-F energy wave will reach the planets in around 10 hours. If the specs we have on their ships are accurate and they act inmediately, we'll have them in four days."

"Hmmm... Well, let's pray they don't notice us. If that fails, let's pray they react slow enough for us to leave before. And IF that fails, pray that they are not following the Eternal Doctrine, as the Emperor claims. I'd better not fight ANY Ur-Quan."

"Amen to that, sir."

(OOC: This ship was exploring space. The K-F energy wave is harmless, just as if someone turned a light on in a place where there should not be a light. Nadir and Zenith form an imaginary line, perpendicular to the ecliptic plane of a system, well out of any planetary mass, and the places most safe to jump with a K-F drive into an unknown system.)

"Dismiss them for now. Are we facing Precursor technology here or not?"

((OOC: And how would you know of the Precursors, if the Ur-Quan here came from an alternative reality? Unless ... Read below.))

"Hmmm... Well, let's pray they don't notice us. If that fails, let's pray they react slow enough for us to leave before. And IF that fails, pray that they are not following the Eternal Doctrine, as the Emperor claims. I'd better not fight ANY Ur-Quan."

((OOC: How do you even KNOW of the Eternal Doctrine? If you read the thread, you'd see that they're not "locals", thus supposedly rendering them unknown to all. Unless your empire has made an unpleasant contact with the rogues, which is almost impossible, because I'd know about it. ;) And they would have already ripped you apart, and the data would have gone with you to your grave. If it's the new SC region you're thinking of, I'm not from there. These are different Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah.))

IC: It was already too late. Several, already refitted Marauders started moving towards the ship. One would jump out of HyperSpace, right in front of the ship with enough space in between for it to stop its movement. They would never let an unidentified ship to leave, at least not without questioning. Who knows what it is doing here, what if it is scouting here, as a prelude for an invasion?

The Marauder in front of the unidentified ship sent a message to it, through the Talking Pet: "We are the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. You have entered our space without permission. Identify yourselves, or be destroyed."

The Hierarchy had left the so called Galactic Alliance, to prepare. Reports of what the followers of the Eternal Doctrine are doing were coming in daily. They knew that the rogues already had their shield technology. Even if they thought they were too weak before, it would soon be time. Time to stand for their own doctrinal beliefs. No one would come in between the two sides, they had made sure of this.

Neither side had allies now. Whenever it was to start, it would be a honorable fight. Which ever side would lose, would be either exiled or absorbed by the other faction, as in the end, they all were Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. They were the same, unlike the Kzer-Za they had waged war with so many times before. The only thing that separates them is their point of view. Their "doctrine".

They would now build more ships, more than ever. Unlike the followers of the Eternal Doctrine, they were less wasteful when using resources. Their techniques did not require blatant strip mining of star systems. They could do more with less. As such, their ships were of better quality than the ships made by the other side.

One might wonder what brought about this massive change in policy. Of course, there were many different reasons, but some of the more pressing ones were:

1) The war was inevitable, now it is also imminent.

2) During the war, no one from either doctrinal side could pledge allegiance to the other one, thus making ship losses lower.

3) The rogues had stolen something from their brethren, which is despicable in the eyes of a proud Ur-Quan. Such acts shall not go unpunished.

4) The pity they had felt towards their rogue brethren had turned into disgust during the years. They also knew that the rogues would make it harder for them to do diplomacy in the future, that is, if they are not stopped.

5) The existence of the neo Sa-Matra had been confirmed. As before, it would act as the Grand Prize - as the name suggests - of a Doctrinal War. Without it, the rogues would be much less dangerous.

Etcetera.

The Hierarchy had already called all of its scouts back to strengthen its war fleet. Several ships would be sent to find the followers of the Eternal Doctrine. They would then bring about the first Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah Doctrinal War.

(OOC: Excuse me, I had a long post, but it was eaten by the NS demons.

First, this is a puppet of DarkSith. One of the colonies.

Second, regarding the knowledge I ICly claim, I have a technology that lets me jump between realities. I first included it as an antigodmodding weapon, but afterwards I realized the RPing potential it had. The Burroughs drive lets me get in a reality and gather information about it. Of course, the information obtained is coherent with the "local" reality, and not with NS reality, and that could lead to mistakes like the one the Emperor made when talking about the Eternal Doctrine in another thread you might remember.

As per the SC2 info I have, I gathered it from the Arilou and the Melnorme. So I have most of the info regarding Ur-Quan and the Precursors. The fact the Ur-Quan here can replicate Precursor tech is another divergence point. Precursor tech in SC2 could not be replicated. Thus the Sa-Matra was unique and the Captain's service ship was too, and could not be reproduced, only repaired and refitted.

The thing I identified as a Mark II is, of course, your fortress.

)

"Sir, those huge Marauders are not exactly like the ones we know... That red glow..."

"I am aware if it, but what worries me is that possible Mark II. One of the reasons of our journey is precisely try to locate Precursor technology here. See if they existed here too. At least the reports claiming the Ur-Quan here don't follow the Eternal Doctrine seem right. We haven't been blown up at first sight. But that ship... Did they find it or they built it?
Let's find out. Open a channel."

"Open, sir."

"Greetings. This is the spaceship Inquirer from KaiBurr, a colony of the Empire of DarkSith. We are on a peaceful mission of space cartographing and diplomacy. We are sorry to intrude into your space. If you want us to leave, we need to wait for our drive to recharge, about four days. If you are so kind to tell us which area of space is claimed by your people, we will mark it as so, and stay away from it. Just one thing though, we have picked in our scanners what it has been identified as a Precursor Warship Mark II class, but the match is incomplete, could you enlighten us about it?"

(OOC: Of course, we expect a "mind your own business" answer or ignoring the question altogether.)

The mobs of Thunderstraat have only recently thrown off an alien government that looked a lot like the Ur-Quan. They'd better be cautious if they go near my territory. I can't control my people very well.

The fact the Ur-Quan here can replicate Precursor tech is another divergence point. Precursor tech in SC2 could not be replicated. Thus the Sa-Matra was unique and the Captain's service ship was too, and could not be reproduced, only repaired and refitted.

((OOC: On the contrary, the player's ship was brand spankin' new, straight from a Precursor factory, just like the Sa-Matra that's controlled by the rogues. The idea is that they stole a whole bunch of Precursor related things to recreate a factory that could build the battleplatform and smuggled those things in the Kohr-Ah ships that came here. The problem the humans had were related to the lack of materials, and I'm quite sure they could've done a new Precursor vessel if they just wanted to. And these Ur-Quan don't have any Precursor tech anyway. The rogues on the other hand do.))

The thing I identified as a Mark II is, of course, your fortress.

((OOC: The "fortress" is identical to the space station that orbited Earth in Star Control 2. Well, this one's armed and dangerous, of course, and built for the Ur-Quan instead of humans. There are two separate Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah factions, and you bumped into the ones who are trying to keep relatively peaceful relations with others.))

"Greetings. This is the spaceship Inquirer from KaiBurr, a colony of the Empire of DarkSith. We are on a peaceful mission of space cartographing and diplomacy. We are sorry to intrude into your space. If you want us to leave, we need to wait for our drive to recharge, about four days."

IC: The Ur-Quan responded to the message: "Understand, you are not safe here. We are preparing for a ritual war. Leave while you still can, or it will be too late. When we have won, we can start a dialogue between our peoples. But now is not the time."

"If you are so kind to tell us which area of space is claimed by your people, we will mark it as so, and stay away from it.

"Horologii/Horologium constellation. Stay away from it, at least until the war has ended. Then you may come back."

"Just one thing though, we have picked in our scanners what it has been identified as a Precursor Warship Mark II class, but the match is incomplete, could you enlighten us about it?"

"We have no Precursor technology here. You are mistaken. Now, leave. Before it is too late."

Two ships would stay with the vessel, to see it is safe. The rogues should be coming here, soon. How soon depends on how much they put weight on the old customs. This would be different from all earlier wars. That is why both sides will refrain from attacking the other side until the war has been formally declared. Both are, in the end, Kohr-Ah.

The mobs of Thunderstraat have only recently thrown off an alien government that looked a lot like the Ur-Quan.

And why would this concern us? We have no ties to your nation.

OOC: Spiffy. Mind if I try and intervine on your behalf once things get hot? Kanuckistan has something of a fortune-telling device at the 'Oblivion' Mass-Singularity and High Gradient Gravitational Field Observitory that Intel uses to produce somewhat cryptic but always acutrate info; they could easily know you stood to single-handedly confront a potentily-major threat to the universe, tho the nature of the threat would be somewhat sketchy, and as former allies(you were in the GA; I was allied with the GA), would feel inclined to help.

At the very least, that Rouge Kohr-Ah attack on the Fuzzy Kitten could serve as a pretext for a visit.

(OOC: Peaceful relations was what I was looking for, even if they where of the "stay on your side of the fence, and I'll stay on mine" kind.

Respecting Precursor tech IIRC, the people at Unzerwalt uncovered a Precursor factory, but only had resources for building one. And the Ur-Quan found accidentally the Sa-Matra. If you have a Precursor Factory better not let fall in the hands of the Rogues.

To Kanuckistan: As you have expressed OOC interest in helping the Ur-Quan, I'll give you this OOC piece of advice: DON'T. Ur-Quan are highly territorial and furthermore, a Doctrinal War is a very serious matter for them. Butting in guns blazing is the most sure way of having both sides firing at you without questions. But you don't know this IC, if your nation's character is butting in where are not wanted, please do so, but get ready for a major beating or a very fast retreat, if you still have ships.)

IC:

The words "ritual war" struck a chord in the captain's memories. Without closing the comm link, he searched the computer. The answer he got from it made him pale.

"We will leave as soon as possible. Recharge will take four more days. By ritual war, do you mean you are fighting a Doctrinal War? Are you implying that there is a chance of having the Eternal Doctrine reinstated?
Excuse me, but that can change quite a lot of things, and I hope you understand that is a grave matter that concerns all of the sentient races in a lot of lightyears around. As soon as we recharge the drive we will get back home, to warn of this event. I am fairly sure that our government will bring ships to observe this war from afar, ready to take action in case of the Eternal side wins.
I am also sure any help we would offer would be rejected, so we will refrain from stepping into your territory.
Please, be also aware that we might have to treat any Ur-Quan outside the borders of the Horologii area as hostile to any sentient form."

(OOC: Even though the Kearny-Fuchida FTL drive really needs about a week to be recharged, we can use this time to include further information for people that don't know the Ur-Quan or the Star Control Universe. Or, if we choose so, simply say that the recharge is done and we jump out of there. I'd like to leave before any rogue appears, of course.:) So try not to bring them, even though I am OOCly aware you have "traitors" in your side that could warn them about us and the fact we cannot leave immediately.)

We will leave as soon as possible. Recharge will take four more days. By ritual war, do you mean you are fighting a Doctrinal War?

"Yes. Soon."

Are you implying that there is a chance of having the Eternal Doctrine reinstated?

"No."

Excuse me, but that can change quite a lot of things, and I hope you understand that is a grave matter that concerns all of the sentient races in a lot of lightyears around. As soon as we recharge the drive we will get back home, to warn of this event. I am fairly sure that our government will bring ships to observe this war from afar, ready to take action in case of the Eternal side wins.

"That is your business. We won't stop you."

Please, be also aware that we might have to treat any Ur-Quan outside the borders of the Horologii area as hostile to any sentient form.

"We will send information on the War before we start it. We do not want others to suffer because of it. You will then know which systems are warzones and which are not."

If you have a Precursor Factory better not let fall in the hands of the Rogues.

((OOC: The idea is that the others had no idea of the Precursor stuff being smuggled in some of the ships. Like, there were followers of the Eternal Doctrine in their midst from the very beginning. It's not likely they could have only chosen sane ones for this expedition. They can pretend being as sane as the others, as they're not going to kill other Koh-Ah.))

(OOC: So try not to bring them, even though I am OOCly aware you have "traitors" in your side that could warn them about us and the fact we cannot leave immediately.)

((OOC: I was going to bring them just so that you could see them, but could get out as soon as possible, or something. It's not like it couldn't wait a while.))

OOC: At the very least, that Rouge Kohr-Ah attack on the Fuzzy Kitten could serve as a pretext for a visit.

((OOC: I don't mind OOCly, but it's just that I might have to mind ICly. The Doctrinal War is a sacred thing for the Ur-Quan, although DarkSith seems to be misinterpreting it a small bit. You can help them as much as you want, but you might get your ass fried in the process if you're not careful.))

The followers of the Eternal Doctrine were close. Soon would they jump out of HyperSpace, and the final preparations for the Doctrinal War would be done. There was not much time left. Soon a war would be upon the Ur-Quan, once again, as it had been before. This time it would be different: It would be fought solely by the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. Only time will show which side is going to win.

((OOC: DarkSith/KaiBurr, if you're going to post something, do it within a reasonable period of time. Thank you.))

At the edge of the system, well away from any planet, ship, or station, space apeared to distort; for a moment unobservible. At some unknowible point during that moment it gave birth to form of ebon curves and angular surfaces; three hundred and fifty meters of the latest, most advanced warship Kanuckistani engineers could envision, she was easily a fair match for the toughest of battleships or dreadnaughts.

Another moment passed befor FTL sensors light her up; broadcasting her presence to all who could see such, while scouring the system with a proverbial fine-toothed comb; her IFF beacon clearly proclaiming her the Kanuckistani High Gaurd Vessel 'Avatar of Death and Pain'.

Seconds pass now, as she hovers, unmoving, in the blackness of space; watching, befor a powerful broadcast declares her intentions on hyperwave, radio, subspace...

"This of Captain Akara of the Kanuckistani High Gaurd Vessel Avatar of Death and Pain to local space traffic control or equivilent," a female voice declares herself, "We are here on behalf of our people to investigate a recent attack on the Kanuckistani Thunderhead-class Superfortress Fuzzy Kitten by vessels of similar design to your own."

Suddenly, a swarm of pitch black ships, Marauders and Dreadnoughts, started closing in on the Kanuckistani vessel. One of them sent a message: "We are the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. Your presence here is premature. Our traitorous brothers are on their way here. We are preparing for our ritual war. We cannot guarantee your safety once the war has begun. Leave. Come back when the war has ended." The transmission was cut off. The Ur-Quan can tolerate many things nowadays, but interfering with their sacred rites is not one of them.

(OOC: What am I misinterpreting? The original Doctrinal War was a fight between the two sides, not to destroy each other, but to see which side should prevail. The Sa-Matra acted more as a symbol of authority than a real fighting weapon. The losing side simply would step aside and let the other implement their doctrine. Hence the name of "Doctrinal".
IF the misinterpretation is IC, we can dismiss it as a divergence. The information obtained through alternate realities travel is prone to error when applied to a different reality.
If the error is OOC, I'd like you to point it to me, to either correct it or use it ICly as divergence.
Oh, and we are leaving the system now. Fast. Very fast. So, IC: )

The four days have passed. The Kearny-Fuchida drive was fully loaded and ready to engage. The Inquirer was still surrounded by Marauders, though not all of them were the same that came to greet them.

"Comms, open a channel."

"Open, sir."

"We are about to engage our FTL drive. We'd like you to retreat about 2 km, as the warp bubble can destroy a ship. Good luck on your fight. Over."

"Helm, set a straight jumping course toward home, and get us out of here as those ships are clear."

"Aye aye, sir."

"Sound Jump stations. Ready to jump."

Klaxons started sounding all around the ship. The crew disciplinedly (disciplinately?) went to the predesignated positions, different from the battle stations. As soon as the Marauders and Dreadnoughts surrounding the ship retreated to the safe zone, the navigation officer, announced through the ship's PA system.

"All stations! Jump in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Zero!"

The warp bubble appeared all around the Inquirer. When the bubble disappereared, the ship was no longer there. It was 30 light years closer home, and unfurling the sail for a new recharge.

The rogue fleet had returned, it had grown in strength and power. It was truly a horrible sight as they jumped out of HyperSpace into Beta Horologii, the home system of their brethren. The fleet was greeted by several Dreadnoughts. Rules for the war would be now set. The war would be quite different from the Doctrinal Wars of the Kzer-Za and the Kohr-Ah. Certain precautions would be taken. Only Kohr-Ah lives would be lost in this war, and even the rogues wanted to keep that in minimum. No fighting would be done above habited, shieldless planets.

A portion of the rogue fleet jumped back into HyperSpace, Alpha Horologii being their destination. The Sa-Matra, the Grand Prize, slowly moved towards the Kohr-Ah homeworld. The reserves of both fleets would stay there and protect the prize. The Doctrinal War was about to begin, nothing could stop it now.

The Sa-Matra was targetting the Kanuckistani vessel, and it was preparing to fire. Both reserve fleets would attack the ship as well, soon after the Sa-Matra has shot its first shots. Their time was growing shorter. A message was sent to them, by the less malevolent Kohr-Ah: "Leave. Now. Or your ship will be destroyed. The war has almost started now. You must leave if you wish to live. This is your very last warning."

Suddenly, a swarm of pitch black ships, Marauders and Dreadnoughts, started closing in on the Kanuckistani vessel. One of them sent a message: "We are the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah. Your presence here is premature. Our traitorous brothers are on their way here. We are preparing for our ritual war. We cannot guarantee your safety once the war has begun. Leave. Come back when the war has ended." The transmission was cut off. The Ur-Quan can tolerate many things nowadays, but interfering with their sacred rites is not one of them.

The Kanuckistani vessel continued to sit motionless, the voice replying, "We've heard rumours that something of that ilk may be iminent in this region of space; intel also belives it was they who attacked our vessel," a pause, then, "We will not be leaving until this matter is resolved. Do not concern yourselves with our safty; analisis sugests their weapons pose little threat," another pause, "Also, as former allies, we are honour-bound to offer our assistance in this coming conflict; the battleplate Jagged Razor of Methodical Dismemberment is on standby, should it be needed."

OOC: Don't ya love it when two people post at practicly at the same time? How about we assume the Avatar of Death and Pain's message was sent just prior to the rouge's arrival?

OOC: Don't ya love it when two people post at practicly at the same time? How about we assume the Avatar of Death and Pain's message was sent just prior to the rouge's arrival?

((OOC: Acceptable. But you are forgetting, instead of having only those ships, they have the Sa-Matra, Dreadnoughts and they weren't even trying to destroy your battlestation last time. And somehow I don't believe that you could stop hundreds of those bladed discs, which would hurl against your ship in no time. The Ur-Quan are honor bound to destroy your ships.))

OOC: Don't ya love it when two people post at practicly at the same time? How about we assume the Avatar of Death and Pain's message was sent just prior to the rouge's arrival?

((OOC: Acceptable. But you are forgetting, instead of having only those ships, they have the Sa-Matra, Dreadnoughts and they weren't even trying to destroy your battlestation last time. And somehow I don't believe that you could stop hundreds of those bladed discs, which would hurl against your ship in no time. The Ur-Quan are honor bound to destroy your ships.))

OOC: Actually, a Dark Valor-class frigate has 72 point-defence cannon, each rated at 5 gigatons/sec and capible of hitting a maneuvering target at a range of several thousand kilometers(limited only by the lightspeed-induced delay on beam-propigation; we have FTL sensors). She could quite nicly hold off a sizible fleet of standard Ur-quan craft, as your weapons fire can be intercepted and is quite ballistic in trajectory. :wink:

The Sa'Matra on the other hand... maybe not :shock: :)


BTW, the reason my ships may seen over-powered is because, well, they are; atleast on a 1vs1 scale. I ballance by having a very small fleet; only 151 ships in total, of which only 11 are actual capital ships(90 are little more than patrol ships, 18 are aging destroyers in desperate need of modernization, and 32 are those kick-ass frigates).

IC:
The Kanuckistani captain took only moments to respond, "Very well, we will leave. A battleplate will be arriving shortly to continue our investigations, and exact payment from the ones who fired upon our other vessel."

And with that, it was gone; disapearing as it had arrived. A small probe, no larger than a child's fist, was left in it's wake; IFF identifying it as a Kanuckistani comms relay drone befor it cloaked a moment later and shot off in a random direction under reactionless drives; passive sensors watching.

The Sa-Matra's highly advanced sensors detected the probe, even while it was running silent. It is a nightmare, and no such tricks could help anything to avoid it. It moved slowly towards the homeworld's orbit, being guarded by a large fleet of Ur-Quan ships, both Dreadnoughts and Marauders.

It shot a single, relatively small beam on the probe that it was still able to detect. It detected it on such levels that the humans did not even know of. The Sa-Matra is truly a horrible machine in the wrong hands. It might seem almost unarmed, but that is not the case. Not by long shot.

((OOC: The Sa-Matra:

http://sensori.soldats.net/kuvia/kohrah/samatra3.jpg

It is huge. A Kohr-Ah Marauder would almost look like a fighter in comparison. When it shoots, even a small beam, it is really a quite large one. It's a battle platform, not of Ur-Quan origin. If you're wondering why it is so huge, it's because the species that first built it is... Well, giant sized. If not even larger.))

((OOC: The Doctrinal War has started (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1877214).))

OOC: I know; have SC2 and 3. You might want to better define it capibilities and size, tho. A Kanuckistani Battleplate like the one preparing to follow up the frigate is also quite the monster

IC:
The probe was summarily vaporised.

((OOC EDIT: Issue reconsidered and revoked. The War shall continue.))

OOC: Mayhaps they should consider that it was the rouges following the Eternal Doctrine that brought about the Kanuckistani interfearance; that this group of outsiders was responding to an attack on their kin with determination not entirly unlike that with which the Ur-quan themselves persued their Doctrines.

((OOC: Kanuckistan was IGNORED in the end, so everything in this thread by him did not happen. My replies to his messages did not happen as well.))

The Doctrinal War (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=83579) had ended. The Hierarchy had won, and the Rogues were beaten. Even so, the losses were high, and it will take quite some time for them to rebuild their fleet and return to normalcy. Their largest ship had been destroyed as well, but now they had the best of all: The Sa-Matra.

Apparently the Rogues had recreated a Precursor factory with bits and pieces stolen from archeological dig sites in the other dimension, and had been able to recreate the Sa-Matra. After that, they had broken most of the equipment, so all one could be able to build with those now are weapons, fighters and such, but warship building capabilities were lost in the process. This means that the current Sa-Matra is, and will be, one of a kind.

Scavenging of the area where the second battle took place in Delta Horologii was well under way. It was not likely that they would let the perfectly usable materials there go to waste. They will recycle the materials used, of course, but they are very good at this, as they have done this for quite some time.

They thought that they might as well use the added capacity of the mobile rogue ship factories to build some of those alien ships which technical readouts they had found from their databanks some time ago. As only ships were involved in the Doctrinal War, it shouldn't even take that long to rebuild their fleet. They had realized that the one large ship they had used in the War wasn't quite as good as they had hoped when it actually saw some action, so there most likely won't ever be another.

As for the Rogues, they will now stay quietly in Alpha Horologii. They are now very tightly monitored, so all ships they might have (and have) built will be boarded and taken by the Hierarchy.

The limited Precursor technology they got from the Rogues will be used to refit some of their machines of war, but which ones, it shall be kept a secret.

The confiscated Rogue factories worked quite well even when used to build alien ships, and they had now spewed out their first ship, which marked the beginning of a new Ur-Quan military doctrine. No longer would they only use their own ships to defend their systems, no. It was deemed too risky, their ships are vulnerable to things that these other ships they can build are not. They will fit the fleet perfectly, even if most of them must be AI controlled.

It did not take long after the War for the Ur-Quan to advance on their chosen path. They were given the right to form a colony within the Sol system, despite the fact that they had assumed it would be a lot harder than this. The War had disrupted their earlier projects, but now the time was ripe.

On the planet of Mars was formed the first Ur-Quan colony that was not within the boundaries of the Horologii/Horologium constellation. By doing this, they finally had a presence within human territories. Yes, it would be much easier to observe them from within than from a distance, and it would be much less arduous to explore this area of space with a colony to refuel in there.

As they had started the building process of their colony on Mars, they had chosen to use the few green Dreadnoughts they had. These were special, as they were closer to freighters than warships. They were modified Kzer-Za Dreadnoughts, built for doing something the Kohr-Ah had never even thought of before: carrying cargo. As a bonus, they thought, those ships would cause a less dramatic effect on the locals than the pitch black Marauders would.

The Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah that was supposed to be the supervisor of the colony had gone to the site earlier with the first built prototype of an alien ship. Of course, its cockpit had to be remodelled completely to fit an Ur-Quan, but it was still quite a formidable warmachine. These were the things that were used to annihilate the Ur-Quan fleets after the destruction of the first Sa-Matra, the "Avatar" of a strange hybrid (part crystalline, part machine) species called Chmmr.

Apparently the modifications to build these ships for the Ur-Quan had been done quite some time ago, not that long after the readouts had been found on the Ur-Quan databanks. They were, after all, going to use these in the Doctrinal War, but the War came upon them too quickly as the rogues had become too active, too destructive. But those are still quite usable in After War conditions.

There were some equipment meant for the colony on the Avatar as well, and the supervisor was supposed to put them into use before the first real shipment comes in. The very first things he did was that he placed something right next to the small, now drained lake within the site of the upcoming colony. As it went online, it was obvious what it was: an Ur-Quan slave shield, a modified one, of course, as it only surrounded the area in which the colony is supposed to be built.

After which he activated several automated systems, that would take care of the initial building phases of the colony. Those automated robotic machines burrowed into the ground, and started to create a very dark complex into the land itself. They placed some simple supporting structures within it to keep the ceilings from collapsing. The first real shipment, that is supposed to come any day now, will contain more equipment and many vital supplies that are to make the colony operational. In its current state, for example, it lacks great amounts of oxygen. After that, the Ur-Quan who are to live here can actually come there.

The area where the lake is... Was will most likely be used as the main hangar, as in the area where the ships come when they land. But that still is something that will be done in the future, and right now it is not very high on the list of priorities.

The Ur-Quan factories were now starting to add their pace, and they were closing in on their Pre-War capacity. During the Doctrinal War, building new ships was forbidden, both sides had agreed upon this, so they were directed to build other useful and vital things, and redirecting all of them to their original purpose took a while. Soon would the sky of the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah homeworld be black of their Marauders and Dreadnoughts once again.

But as they had now started to build their colony in Mars, they also needed more freighters to carry more supplies and equipment there. It would take quite some time for it to become independent on these things, and it was quite likely that it wouldn't ever be fully independent anyway. Thus, some of the factories were diverted to create freighter Dreadnoughts.

The Ur-Quan project to build a colony on Mars had been halted and cancelled. Apparently the Ur-Quan there was attacked and insulted by a hostile alien nation. The freighter Dreadnoughts had turned back to Horologii, and the prototype Avatar had left Mars, and all Ur-Quan equipment there had been properly dealt with. This only strengthened the common Ur-Quan belief of aliens being untrustworthy.

Violent debates ensued on the issue of what should they now do. Let this pass as a random event and attempt to build a colony on some other planet, stay as they now are, adopt a doctrine of isolationism or even follow the ancient Eternal Doctrine? It would take time for them to choose, but this one incident might have grave consequences on the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah society.

The mobs of Thunderstraat have only recently thrown off an alien government that looked a lot like the Ur-Quan.

And why would this concern us? We have no ties to your nation.

Sorry, that was a long time ago and I RP better now.

Sorry, that was a long time ago and I RP better now.

((OOC: Bah, and THIS was all you came to tell me? ... And here I thought I actually got a reply to my thread. :-/ ))

IC:

Delta Horologii was already almost emptied of ships destroyed in the Doctrinal War, and soon would they go to Alpha Horologii and do the same there. Not a single bit of usable materials would go to waste. The Ur-Quan know very well that the resources in the universe are limited. You cannot expect to have an infinite supply of resources, and you must get them where you can, even if it means scavenging warzones.

The mass production of Ur-Quan ships had begun right on schedule. This can't be said about the alien ships, though, as most of the modified systems are still in different testing phases. Only the Chmmr Avatar and the Shofixti Scout ship had been tested thoroughly enough to actually start producing them. There are several ideas in the air how they could use AI controlled Shofixti Scout ships, but the Avatars are to have Ur-Quan pilots in them.

((OOC: Sorry, I've never had much to contribute. I may jump in once I get the time to read all your posts.))

The very first prototype Avatar had returned to Beta Horologii. The Dreadnoughts had returned some time ago, and their cargos were unloaded onto the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah homeworld for later use. Maybe they would attempt to build a colony on some distant world in the future, but they had no such thoughts at the moment.

They had not yet chosen which path to follow, although many were now ready to dismiss the incident and continue on as they had since they came to this place and built their very first colony on this planet, in this dimension. Even the one that received the insult was ready to dismiss it, after reflecting upon it. They had progressed since their coming here, they now controlled three systems in this one constellation. They should not throw everything away just because there are some hostile aliens here. They, if anyone, should understand this. This requires patience.

The anger they had felt had subsided, as it was, after all, a single human faction that had attacked them, and it was quite possible that it was just a mutual misunderstanding. They hadn't done much damage to the Ur-Quan, and they apparently did not follow the ship as it had left Mars. The Kohr-Ah are xenophobic, but would not let this single incident discourage them. Maybe they had just jumped into hasty conclusions. The Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah, already equipped with a larger freighter fleet, chose to attempt colonizing Mars once more.

The reasons for building such a colony are still the same they were before, even if they must build the colony to some other place on the planet to avoid any further conflict. They would bring all the needed cargo at once this time, instead of bringing a single ship to start the process. They are to build that colony into an underwater crater, and as such, it will be built in moderate secrecy. All of the ships that are to go there are of Ur-Quan design, mostly Dreadnoughts, and unlike the prototype Avatar, they are modified to be cargo ships.

The freighter fleet was on its way to Mars already, steadily moving through HyperSpace. They had everything they would need to build the colony with them this time, nothing would be left to chance. They had to make some... Special arrangements, as they are building the colony into an underwater crater which took some time, but as said, they were already enroute at this point. They will most likely build the colony high enough for it to be partially above sea level, so they should not have any problems of getting rid of the water that is in the said crater.

The ships kept moving towards Sol in HyperSpace, it should not take too long for them to actually reach their destination. The Hierarchy has given them a tight schedule. They are not going to give in this time. No matter who comes to harass them, they will build that colony. That place is rightfully theirs, and no one will take it from them.

They were there, at Mars now. The ships started jumping out of HyperSpace, close to the planet. They went in in small groups, and dumped their (water proof) cargo into the crater. The process had begun. The crater would soon be teeming with "life", although the "life" there is mechanic.

The last Ur-Quan Dreadnoughts that dropped their cargo there stayed there, close to the upcoming colony. All they can do is wait now, as the machines do their job. The first thing they would do is bring the place above sea level, as it would then be less affected by things happening in the ocean. The water would be taken care of, but only after the colony has all the intended floors built. It would be a lot harder to do in air, as the water can carry the machines to places where air could not.

The colony was forming quite nicely. The strange, metallic black alloy used by the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah could be seen as it came above the sea level, and it did not reflect any sunlight at all. The construct looked like a black, "rocky" dome-like structure, in which no point of entry could be seen. The Ur-Quan have no seafaring vessels, and their space ships do not fare well under water, in which light this seems at the very least, weird.

The interior still needed much work and it was still full of water, but the said water was not connected to the ocean itself anymore. It would not take long until everything would be ready.

Most of the freighters were on their way back to Ur-Quan territory. The Ur-Quan would then start a constant, if not a too frequent flow of shipments of supplies that cannot be produced in the colony itself. This would include spare parts for the ships and different materials. Food, oxygen and the like can be made on site from the very beginning. It is their objective to make this colony as self sufficient as possible in time.

The colony closed completion, but would still require some time to be declared fully operational. The so called colonists were eager and anxious to start their life there, as it was something the Ur-Quan had not yet done. Ever. It was the first time they willingly went to build a colony on a planet that wasn't fully theirs. They hope that no one would bother them this time, at least not before the colony is fully done.

It was already done, the colony had been drained of water and it was now operational, and it was only lacking the colonists. Unlike during the first time, they had now succeeded in building the colony and they were done well before the time the schedule had set for them. Apparently it was not as tight as they had thought after all. They were quite pleased with the outcome, as it reminded them of home. A red light filled the dark corridors of the colony, and a massive hangar dominates it. Everything had gone according to planning, and even beyond. A red, glowing slave shield was put over the emerged parts of the colony, so no one could damage it from above.

Some of the freighters had not yet brought their cargo, as their cargo were the colonists, who were few in numbers - at least in human terms -, but there were more than enough of them to keep the colony working. More would come in the passage of time. The first few ships that would come here from Ur-Quan territory would hold things needed to reinforce the armoring of the colony, as it was deemed a bit too weak on Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah standards. Other than that, everything seemed to be of acceptable levels.

By now the colony had been reinforced and some of its fighters had been brought. The defense grid was also operational, and it would be a nasty surprise for anyone who attempts to close in on the colony by water. The colony now had everything it needs to be mostly self sufficient, only its resources and supplies must be replenished from time to time. That is the kind of control the Hierarchy must keep over the Colonial one.

There is a small community of Kohr-Ah that have Kzer-Za DNA in them. They could not be noticed from the main populace, not until now, as many of them went to Mars. They are a failed project started by the Kzer-Za, which was brought upon a group of consenting Kohr-Ah. These are their offspring, and they are partially green. They differ from the main populace, but not as much as real Kzer-Za would. They are the closest they have to their cousins, and unless they keep to themselves, their genetic material will most likely disappear, as it would be absorbed by the mainstream of Kohr-Ah.

The fleets were growing steadily, and they already had a nice number of Marauders, Dreadnoughts and Avatars. They had found a good way to use the Shofixti Scout ships. They had made progress in their attempts to take advantage of other ships as well, they already had a prototype of the Thraddash Torch and the Earthling Cruiser, although their usage of nuclear warheads was something that might stop the Ur-Quan from actually using them.

The colony now had all what it needed to run for quite some time. It had a lot of fighters within it, ready to be launched from the colony to defend it whenever needed. Something was built outside the colony within the Ur-Quan territory, and the shield was modified a bit. It would be the defensive mechanism against underwater attacks. Apparently, what information reached the Hierarchy, the Colony was attempting to join a Martian treaty of defense of some kind which seemed quite reasonable, as the Hierarchy could not come to its defense in the times of need.

Scouts were once again, for the first time after the Doctrinal War, sent to explore the unknown space around the Ur-Quan territory. Now that they had a working colony in the far away system of Sol, they could explore much farther than they have before. Everything was going as planned, even the Rogues seemed content enough. Their attempts to leave the planet had been lot less frequent than before, maybe they had finally realized the folly of their ways. The fleets were growing quite quickly. The Hierarchy just continued on the path it had chosen, and everything was going well.

Not much was happening in the Hierarchy at this point, they mostly just built more ships. They had chosen to stay out of alliances, even if the colony on Mars was trying to join a defensive one. The Hierarchy does not need protection, or that is what they felt. Nor do they wish to join those pointless wars which the humans fight quite frequently. They do not need any alliances that would hinder their progress.

Unlike said before, the colony was still receiving more fighters and materials to reinforce itself. Minor setbacks had occured, and schedules were turned up side down, but other than that, everything worked quite well and was moving as planned.

The Earthling Cruiser was removed from the list of possibly usable ships, as the Ur-Quan chose that they would not use nuclear weapons. The Torch, on the other hand, was already in minor mass production, although it is quite weak, but it is fast, thanks to its afterburner system. Without it, it would just be a bit larger variation of the Shofixti Scout ship which lacks the massive set of explosives, which the Shofixti called a Glory Device.

((OOC: Guess this is as good a time as any to ask if someone could take part in this, so we... I could get some RPing in here too. The current Ur-Quan status is stable and a bit boring, so I would like some change. No prior knowledge of the Ur-Quan is needed, if just a ship or two were to accidentally pop in or some such. Or maybe an Ur-Quan scout bumps into someone/something? Any takers?-) ))

IC: No aliens had been seen scouring the area for quite some time now. Even the Echeronians had been quite quiet. The only connection they had to other, more alien lifeforms at the moment was the Martian colony, and it's not as directly under the control of the Hierarchy as the ever growing colonies in Alpha and Delta Horologii. Information came from there, but quite sluggishly. The scouts brought new exploratory data to be put on the Galactic map the Ur-Quan had been forming, but they had been told to stay away from others as much as possible, but if hailed, they are to respond - unless the one who hails is deemed hostile.

The ITN Privateer Maria skipped through the spaceways, looking for ships to rob and sailors to impress. The half-mile long asteroid glistened with weaponry, as one of the best-armed asteroid vessels in the fleet.

Captain Rooi Sevenstraat awoke from his long nap. He glanced at the screens to see a ship. He cracked his knuckles and prepared to wake the rest of the crew when he noticed the output on the "ship-type" monitor.

It was like nothing he had ever seen.

Am I making contact? he wondered.

Captain Sevenstraat opened up the general-communication band.
"This is Captain Rooi Sevenstraat of the Thunderstraat privateer Maria. Identify yourself."

The word privateer echoed through the dark cockpit of the Ur-Quan Marauder, as the pilot received the message and the Talking Pet translated it for him. It did not take long for the pilot to consider the ship as hostile, and quickly the ship jumped into HyperSpace through a blood red jump point. No contact with hostile aliens was one of the orders given to him. Pirates, as the humans call them, are considered hostile. No one would learn Ur-Quan secrets.

As the alien vessel disappeared, Captain Sevenstraat stared in dismay. "What the..."
After a moment, he shook off his surprise. "Follow that ship! I don't care what you have to do to the Maria, just don't let the alien out of my sight!"
The Maria leaped into hyperspace...

((OOC: The Ur-Quan use a different kind of HyperSpace. The one they use is an alternate dimension, an alternate reality, and it's different from the hyperspaces used by other nations. A minor side effect that came to being when they found their way to the NS multiverse. They use a "different" HyperSpace altogether.))

IC: The Ur-Quan had experimented with the Torch, and had found a use for it. They had once again started using many technologies they had deemed obsolete in the days of old, as it is apparent that they need those here and now. They also had modified the shield mechanism they had acquired from an alien nation, it was now more powerful than it had been. They thought that their new doctrine was now proven worthy, as they had been in relative peace and they had been able to rebuild their fleets with no interruptions.

Nothing much had happened in the Ur-Quan territories once again, they had only received several reports of pirates from their scouts as they had explored the Galaxy. The warfleets still grew, as more Marauders, more Dreadnoughts and the like were built. The only thing that could stop them would come to be when the resources are utterly and completely depleted, and that was not even close yet.

They had received disturbing news from their Martian colony, and because of that, an expedition of sorts was sent there, to make sure that nothing happens to the colony. Fighting had broken loose quite close to the planet, which was quite unnerving for the Ur-Quan.

The alien vessel entered a bright red... thing... and dissappeared. Captain Sevenstraat stared in surprise.
He jolted out of his reverie. "Get the charts! Get the records! We are going to find where that ship came from!"
The ansible link the the archives in the Poxint system came to life. The public records began to be thoroughly searched for anything remotely related to that kind of ship.
After more than five hours of searching, only one record was found. Five years previous, a hydroponics engineer testing the effects of the light of a remote star on his plants had sighted a ship that looked like the craft. He had not reported, being half-insane after twenty years of isolation.
Captain Sevenstraat roared in desperation.
"Go there!"
"But sir..."
"GO THERE!"
"Yessir..."

The alien vessel glowed in a bright red light ((true?)) and dissappeared.

((OOC: More like entered something with a red glow.))

IC: The situation on Mars was very tense. The war the aliens had been waging there was only escalating. The fleet sent to protect the colony might have to stay in that area of space for quite some time. The colony must be protected, no matter what.

The cargo ships were on their way back with their escorts, which was thought to be a good thing. The Hierarchy itself was reconsidering its position in the galaxy. It was quite apparent that nothing, no one, could be trusted. Humans are too warlike. And their "gods"... The Ur-Quan would have laughed if they could, but they only pitied the foolish humans.

They had left Mars a second time, this time permanently. They now knew that it was no misunderstanding, no coincidence that they were driven out of Mars the first time. The Sa-Matra was coming back quite soon, and when it is back in the Ur-Quan territories, they would reconsider their position in the galaxy once again. This time they would be more serious than ever before. The humans AND the self proclaimed Eldar had proven themselves to be Filth on Mars. Their actions had proven this.

--

There had been some unusual activity, mainly of Ur-Quan origin. Apparently some followers of the Eternal Doctrine had not been in the War, but they did not care much. They had other things to take care of now, and a few rogues weren't high on their list of priorities.

Sa-Matra and the fleet had returned, but only to find most of the remaining fleet gone, and the followers of the Eternal Doctrine had broken the agreement. They had left the planet they were put on Alpha Horologii. They had apparently come to realize that the followers of the renewed doctrines were not going to leave any time soon, and that the agreement had been absolutely unfair to them.

There were almost no ships in the Ur-Quan territories, unless the ships that came back with Sa-Matra are counted for. Most of the fleet had left with the rogues, and many of the mobile shipyards were gone. Who knows where they are by now and what they would do. It was quite likely that they would restart their process of cleansing the Galaxy. They would not care this time. The Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah in Horologii would isolate themselves from the others.

Thusly, the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah became isolationist. Only things that happen in the Horologii/Horologium constellation would interest them from now on. They now knew that many of the species out there are, in fact, not worth saving from their brethren.

The fleet had been mostly restored after the followers of the Eternal Doctrine had stolen a lot of ships. Defenses around the planets have been reinforced, and the Ur-Quan Hierarchy stays isolationist. They had heard nothing of the rogues since they had left, and they preferred it that way. They had broken the tradition that is the Doctrinal War, and they were nothing to the Hierarchy now. Even if they continued their slaughter, it would not matter.

The fleet had grown larger in size, larger than it ever had been. The Ur-Quan still continued their isolation from the rest of the space faring species, as they had been proven untrustworthy quite some time ago. There had been some talks about following the Eternal Doctrine once again, but all of those had reached the same conclusion. They would not continue on their ancient path as those who still followed it had also proven themselves unworthy of the Hierarchy. What they do is irrelevant, as the Hierarchy had concluded before.

The amount of alien ships from their own dimension, reality or whatever one wishes to call it, in their fleet, was almost as high as the amount of their own ships. They knew that they would not be able to defend themselves against more balanced fleets unless they balanced their own fleets as well, which was why this was done. Their war strategy had changed dramatically in the process.

As the Ur-Quan sphere of influence grew in the Horologii/Horologium constellation, they found out that the Echeronians had disappeared as quickly as they had appeared. They thought this to be alarming, but in the end, did not care much. At least it would leave more of the constellation for them to mine. It would only mean that their fleets would grow even larger, which was something they would only think highly of.

They had begun sending scouts all over the galaxy once again, although they were to contact no one. If the ship were to be incapacitated and boarded, towed or anything of the like, they were to self destruct.

They had gone to see for themselves what had happened to the Echeronians. They did not especially like what they saw there. The planet was destroyed. Yes, much in the way the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah themselves did it in the days they followed the Eternal Doctrine. It was then that they realized that the rogues had completely broken their oath to the Hierarchy, and destroyed the Echeronians as they left the Horologii/Horologium constellation.

The Ur-Quan debated much because of this, but they chose to remain isolated from the rest, once again. Nor would they still care about the rogue element. They had lost their honor when they cowardly escaped from the prison that the Ur-Quan of the Hierarchy had made for them. Things would continue as they had till this point. Only one thing had changed, and that was that they now knew the followers of the Eternal Doctrine to be dishonorable scum, ones which they would stay away from as much as possible.

And that they would do.

They had followed it for so long... So long. They had wondered whether they would ever be able to claim what is theirs. And to bring death to the insolents.They were not following the Eternal Doctrine, but they knew that they had been betrayed quite some time ago. They had never let it go, never. It was quite possible that their time was soon to come. Soon they would exact their deadly vengeance.

They still remembered the time when their fighters were stolen by the people who took over the ships of the now-dead alliance they were once in. They never returned them. Luckily, the Ur-Quan had placed homing devices upon their fighters, as they had known that something like this would happen. And it did.

This would be the first time in a very long time they would openly strike upon someone, and they knew that they would have to choose the perfect time to do so. Maybe when the ship is already fighting? Yes... That is a possibility, as the aliens never gave them a chance to take back what was theirs. Maybe they would go in moments before the fighting would break out, and demand what is theirs... Yes, that is also a possibility.

But there was... A problem. They had not waged a war in ages. They had not spilled blood of the aliens for too long. They wanted to fight at last. They wanted it to spiral out of control, into a full blown war. Yes... That is what they would do. They would let their insatiable need for death to take them over and destroy those who had betrayed them or die themselves in the process. They would not return to the path of the Eternal Doctrine, but they would exterminate, or at least expedite the destruction of those who dared to betray them so long ago.

Their fleets had been forever ready to wage a war, and it had only grown larger and larger during this time of peace. That is their priority when they are not in war. Building more and more ships. It is for their own security.

The time is coming...

During the long years, they had built two military bases, one into the system of Zeta Muscae, and the other to Gamma Luyten. Both of them were desolate, untouched, dead. They had prepared for so long, and the time of vengeance was drawing ever closer. For so many long years had they waited, and soon would their dark wishes be granted. This was something they had to do. Had to. Nothing would stop them anymore, not at this point. They had forgotten their hatred towards the rogues, towards the ones who still followed the Eternal Doctrine, but this would be the very last time they would go forth on that path which followers they had loathed and pitied for as long as there had been them. They saw that sometimes it is necessary to cleanse the Filth, but not all non-Ur-Quan species are Filth.

They had brought more and more ships to both systems. They had had more than enough time to build up their fleets to almost inhuman levels. Yes, there were so many of those black ships there, in such small area in both systems, that they practically blocked the sun from the planets the bases orbited. There were hundreds upon hundreds of them.

But the time to attack was not yet upon them, no. They would wait until the enemy would do its move, and begin wars against others. Then they would be on their weakest, and the Ur-Quan would get their revenge.

Dishonorable Filth. Robbers. Extermination shall be their sentence.