NationStates Jolt Archive

With a small burst of energy three ships materialize at the edge of a small solar system on a spiral arm of the Milky Way.

On the bridge of the largest ship the captain stands, "Sensors?"

"As we predicted sir, average star, nine planets. Energy readings and radio emmisions seem to be focused in a cloud around the third and forth planets and around the sixth planet." "Sir, should we proceed in or send out a message?"

"No, not yet." "Helm, put us 10,000,000 km out from the ninth orbit and hold. Sensors, scatter probes, and warn me if any ship gets within 200,000 km of our position. Comm, tell the Peregrin and Claymore to follow suit and maintain radio silence till ordered otherwise."

"Yes, sir!"

OOC:For anyone who didn't figure it out, the sytem the ships just jumped into is Sol System. This is my people's first visit to Sol System.

"Sir, we have the data from one of the in system sensor probes."

"Anything new?"

"Actually sir, yes. The high energy and radio signatures we detected from the sixth planet aren't actually coming from the sixth planet. They're from a large moon of the planet."

"Well, that's not too unusual. I mean, the planet's a gas giant isn't it."

"Yes, sir, but the moon isn't the only source of signatures. There are also readings from what appears to be a "ring" orbiting the planet."

"A ring?" The captain stood from his chair and paced to the sensors console. "Comm!"

"Yes sir!"

"Get in touch with the Peregrin and the Claymore, tell them we're taking the Fokker to check something out in system. They are to remain here and maintain radio silence. Helm, plot a course for this "ring"."

"Yes sir!"

"Shift three reporting in, sir. Duty officers all report systems nominal."

Flag Captain McEvoy nods and folds his hands behind his head, very pale fingers locking behind close-cropped blonde hair. Triumphant's patrol route in the outer planets mostly dealt with making cruise-orbit runs between Shogunate and SneakyB holdings around Uranus and Neptune, making sure that everything kept as quiet as it usually did. It was well outside what the TYCS brass liked to call the 'ring of fire' that ranged from Earth to Jupiter; those areas were always lit up by some sort of activity. Saturn was exempt only by being a fortress; Venus avoided it by being uncontested; no one wanted Mercury save the Sortadim and everything past Saturn was too far, too cold for most people with a regional perspective on things.

"Standard ops," he says casually, almost unnecessarily, "Sensors, report?"

The sensors officer shrugs, stifling a yawn. "Active navigational sensors, passives for ranged detect. Same as always, sir."

Another nod. "Heh. Yup, same as always."

On the spherical strategic indicator board hologram projected into the middle of the room lies an iconic representation of the local area. Neptune is barely visible, a small blue sphere slipping off of the 'edge' of the spherical navy blue cloud; its orbital path cuts through the sphere, and a few grey icons indicating potential navigational hazards--the occasional lone asteroid--are dotted about, their courses momentarily suppressed. Suddenly, along the edge of the sphere, three yellow dots blink into existence.

The ship's sentient machine core speaks next. "Gentlemen!" it announces in a gruff, theatrical voice, "behold! Sensor contacts!"

McEvoy quirks an eyebrow and the edge of a lip in a half-smile. "For a moment I thought you were going to say 'corn.' What are they?"

"Not too sure," the sensors officer replies, looking over the data. "They look kinda like jump traces, but not matching up with any we know." This is echoed by Triumphant's disembodied voice over the public address.

"One moving contact, range approximately five-fifty em-kilometers out, bearing three-twenty-seven inclination thirteen self-relative. Also... electromagnetic wash equivalent to three jump-points, out beyond Pluto being reported. Taking lightspeed lag into consideration, it seems about appropriate."

The flag captain remains unimpressed; this happened a lot but, most often, it ended up not involving Roving Cruiser Squadron Charlie. "Can I get a course projection on that?"

"Acting." The sensors officer taps his console a few times, then perks up his eyebrows with a slight smirk. "Looks like that blip's burning for Saturnian space."

"Well then... we'd best find their intentions, neh? Helm, plot an intercept course. FleetCom, put the squadron at AlertCon Two--no need to go in hot, but I want general quarters, at least." Flag Captain McEvoy straightens up a bit at his console as his officers acknowledge his orders with quick calls of "Acting." The squadron shifts course, eight ships moving as one, gravydrives accelerating a bit faster to meet the unknown contact beyond the orbit of Uranus.

"So, do we want to call ahead, or anything?"

McEvoy shrugs and puts his hands back behind his head, smirking. "No, not quite yet. No need to let 'em see us coming from too far away. If we get to within ten lisas*, then I suppose we can give 'em a hail."

* A "lisa" is a light-second (compare with "leech" for "light year"). Ten lisas would be about three million kilometers out.

A small light on a comm unit in an office off the bridge of the Fokker suddenly turns green, "Sir?" The captain looks up from the fleet report, "what is it?

"Sensors, sir. I've got a group of ships heading straight for us sir."

The captain stands. "How far out?"

"About 5 million km sir."

"Keep an eye on them, but continue course. And raise alert level to three."

(Alert Level One=regular day-to-day, Alert Level Two=unknown surroundings, Alert Level Three=possible threat, Alert Level Four=known threat, Alert Level Five=imminent attack

"Three lisas, sir," reports the helmsman from his console near the apex of the officer's semicircle, referencing his own smaller spherical navigation holoprojection and the screens around it.

"Helm, maintain course," the flag captain says easily as he then looks over to the communications officer. "Comms, prepare to transmit, all EM frequencies. Target the microwave and... no, no need for laser tightbeams."

"Acting, sir," replies the communications officer, clicking the transmit switch closed with an audible click, McEvoy's cue to start. After the transmission comes the usual footer information, essentially signing and verifying the transmission--a simple blue screen with the TYCS logo, the ship's name, and the officer speaking in block text.

* - * - *

Unidentified vessel, this is Flag Captain Clifton McEvoy of the Triumvirate of Yut medium cruiser Triumphant. We read you as on a course that eventually intersects with Triumvirate territory; we greet you in friendship and request information as to your intent.

Flag Captain Clifton McEvoy
CO, RCS C
TYWS-MCR Triumphant

The voice of a young woman sounds over the comm as the ship's EI speaks. "Captain, we're receiving a transmission from the approaching vessels, microwave, all frequencies."

The captain walks from his office onto the bridge. "Microwave only, that's interesting. Play the message please, Aeryn."

"Yes John."



Unidentified vessel, this is Flag Captain Clifton McEvoy of the Triumvirate of Yut medium cruiser Triumphant. We read you as on a course that eventually intersects with Triumvirate territory; we greet you in friendship and request information as to your intent.

Flag Captain Clifton McEvoy
CO, RCS C
TYWS-MCR Triumphant

"Triumvirate of Yut? Is Yut untranslated Aeryn?"

"None of the message was translated John. It was sent in english."

John looks around at a startled command crew. "Well, that makes things a little more interesting. Comm officer, prepare to transmit."

Triumphant, this is Captain John Zier of the Republic of Shaum battlecruiser Fokker. We are on an exploratory mission to this solar system and are on our way to investigate the strange "ring" around the sixth planet. I would be grateful if you would be willig to arrange a meeting. We will hold our current position until your arrival.

Captain John Zier, Mission Commander
RSNF-ES Fokker

Certainly had been a bumper crop of first contacts as of late... the Cetagandans with the Rayverr, and now this. "Comms, acknowledge the message; Helm, maintain course."

The squadron leisurely decelerates and comes to full stop relative to the Republic of Shaum vessels a few hundred thousand kilometers away. The communications officer of Triumphant again flips the transmit switch, this time setting it to keep the audio-visual channels (still on all EM and microwave tightbeam) open for more natural communication.

"Sure, we'd be willing to establish a meeting." Flag Captain McEvoy is a cheerful looking fellow, undeniably a bit shorter than average with close-cut and spaced-out (but not sparse) blonde hair. "We can send a shuttle over to meet you halfway, or host you here, if you want to meet in person, or else we can just chat like this at first. Trade information about our respective cultures, that sort of thing."

Triumvirate first-contact policy is rather easy-going; it hadn't failed yet and a confident attitude seems to work better than outright blatant paranoia.

"Sir, the Triumphant has opened a comms channel."

"Thank you Aeryn, open it please."



"Sure, we'd be willing to establish a meeting." Flag Captain McEvoy is a cheerful looking fellow, undeniably a bit shorter than average with close-cut and spaced-out (but not sparse) blonde hair. "We can send a shuttle over to meet you halfway, or host you here, if you want to meet in person, or else we can just chat like this at first. Trade information about our respective cultures, that sort of thing."



"Hello, Captain McEvoy." John Zier stands average height with inch long jet black hair and a two inch jagged scar just behind the right eye. "I think I'd prefer a face to face meeting. So, I gladly accept your invitation for a meeting aboard your ship. I will be over shortly. Cut channel."

Stakri, ship's XO, stands. "Is that such a good idea sir?"

"Yes!" John steps for the door. "I don't like long electronic conversations. Besides, I want to see this ship in person. You're in charge till I get back and I'm taking Dr. Rogers with me. Aeryn?"

"Yes John."

"Feel free to listen. And if something goes wrong, you know what to do."

"Okay John."

The captain stops and turns. "Oh, and could you tell the flight deck to get a shuttle ready, thanks."

"They're launching a shuttle, sir. Power output seems nominal."

McEvoy nods, steepling his fingers at the report. The old 'bomb-in-a-shuttle' trick had been tried before, but there was no sign that this was in any way hostile... so far it just looks like careful precautions all around. Still, one must always keep the unthinkable in mind. "Sensors, you know the drill. Keep a close eye on it. FleetCom, keep the fleet at extended formation."

Not like a single bomb could take out eight vessels in a billion cubic kilometer volume... but it's always good to make sure. The flag captain folds up his console and gets out of his seat, unconsciously brushing off his pants as he stands. "I'll go down to meet them in the port shuttle lock. Exec, you've got the conn."

Meanwhile, the hangar officer directs the Shaum shuttle on an approach and retrieval vector--come alongside, come to a full stop, then slowly crab sideways (or forward, if there's clearance) into the massive airlock that is the shuttle bay. Designed for Scarab-class utility shuttles around the size of a C-130, the bay could be considered a hangar unto itself with two doors, both thickly armored. Once the Shaum shuttle is well inside the bay, hangar control turns up the artificial gravity and closes the outer door before pressurizing the chamber.

Once normal atmosphere is achieved, a smaller personnel airlock to one side opens up to let out Flag Captain McEvoy flanked by two marines in light exoskeletal armor. Full-on battlesuits may be somewhat disquieting, and a two-man entourage can be dismissed to watch in ubiquity rather easily. Beside the flag captain is a woman in the sky-blue-and-black with silver piping of the Diplomatic Corps, quite a bit taller and darker than the officer. Given how short and pale McEvoy is, that's not saying much, but she looks to be of mixed subSaharan, probably Central, African descent.

When the foreign delegates make themselves seen, the captain steps forward, avoiding gestures. He makes greeting apparent in tone, demeanor, and word choice. "Welcome to Triumphant. I am Flag Captain Clifton McEvoy, and this is my advisor, Diplomatic Officer Khayriyya al Tangeri. So, what brings you to this part of the void, if we may be so bold?"

John steps down from the shuttle to the hangar floor closely followed by two people, motioning two guards to stay aboard as he exits. "Nice to meet you Captain McEvoy. I'm Captain John Zier of the RSNF-Fokker, 1st Exploratory Group." John motions to his left to an attractive woman of average height with blue-eyes and shoulder length blond hair. "This is Dr. Elyss Rogers, a professor of cultural study." And to his right to a slightly taller man with brown eyes and short spiked blond hair. "And this is Deryl Evans, my best pilot." "We're just doing a little sight seeing around the galaxy." John looks around the hangar at the craft to either side. "Shall we start?"

Flag Captain McEvoy nods, bowing shortly with a smile as each person is introduced. "Certainly," he replies, "we have debriefing rooms adjacent to hangars for situations just as these." Of course, the debriefing rooms are actually part of isolation quarantine chambers, most often used for decontamination purposes. They operate on independent life support and are accessable only via one airlock, the one leading into the hangar bay. Such things are generally standard throughout spacefaring cultures. The flag captain leads the group through a different armored airlock into antiseptically beige surroundings, utilitarian and simply furnished but comfortable enough. "If there are any special environmental conditions you'd like, please don't hesitate to ask."

The debriefing room consists of an oval-shaped conference table and a projector resting in the ceiling, everything in calm earth tones. After everyone is seated, McEvoy remains standing beside his seat, looking over the collected group with a smile. "Well, I'm not the expert in diplomacy," he says, nodding to Diplomatic Officer al Tangeri, "but I think this is the point where we share who we are as cultures, where we come from, and what we'd like." He sits down, visibly shorter than everyone else yet again; a quick adjustment of the seat helps a little bit. "Would you like to lead off or shall we?"

OOC: I'm sorry about the long wait, but it's been a very busy month for me.

IC: Exerpt from the Republic of Shaum/Triumvirate of Yut first contact, astold by Captain John Zier;

Shaum began as a colony gone awry. The U.S.S. Daedalus was a sleeper colony ship capable of just over 2 times the speed of light. It wa launched from the planet Earth carrying 500 colonists in suspended animation.

That's the last thing anyone in Shaum knows until the colonists were revived from their sleep some 150 years later. A malfunction in a coolant system caused a small explosion. The explosion destroyed a section of the computer's memory bank. Star charts, navigational and journey records, and target system data was all lost. The ship's computer, with no navigational data to continue on route, had scanned the surrounding area for systems and started seeking a habitable world. The world it eventually found was designated HIP-1.

Surveys and scans by the colonists revealed a small indigenous population of intelligent bipedal lifeforms with almost birdlike genetic make-up. The lifeforms, it was discovered, called themselves Leht and the planet Lhittan. They were a dying race and they welcomed the colonists as a chance to pass on their knowledge and continue their legacy. Over the next 50 years the Leht jumped the colonists' technology and understanding of the universe ahead almost 200 years. In A.L.(After Landing) 63 Kahlan, the last Leht, died.

With the Leht gone the Republic of Shaum was formed. The Republic is a democratic oligarchy based upon the United States of America on Earth and drawing heavily from the council ideas of the Leht. The government is led by the President-Elect, the head of the 10 member Council and the commander of the military. Below the Council is the 250 seat Senate.

We built a small fleet of exploratory vessels and began contacting Lhittan System's neighbors. Most knew of the Leht and were friendly. Trade and immigration arose and Shaum soon became a pwerful nation. Some of the races we met just wanted to be left alone. None were openly hostile, until the Shenak. For two years Shaum and the Shenak maintained a fragile peace. We ignored them and they ignored us. The peace ended in A.L. 221 when the Shenak began attacking Shaum merchant vessels heading for nearby systems. Shaum retaliated and began a war that would last 3 years. The war ended in A.L. 224 when the newly constructed Fleet Victory annihilated the Shenak navy over their homeworld, Shaum accepted the Shenak's surrneder and then left them be. We keep tabs on them and check in every once in a while.

In A.L. 237 we testd our fisrt jump drive and ten years later we launched our first fully jump capable starship, the Phoenix.

For the next 92 years we had peace and tranquility and we set our navy against nothing more than raiders. It would not last. In A.L. 339 an obsolete ship on an exploratory mission for a private company was destroyed by the Luxans. Shaum first learned of this when a Luxan merchant vessel jumped in system. The crew of the ship represented a minority faction in the Luxan society. They had been persecuted and abused by the government for years. Finally, 250,000 had fled to a colony on the outer edge of the Luxan's home system. The Council and Senate both voted unanimously to offer these exiles a place in the Republic. The Luxans accepted and within a year all 250,000 had migrated to the Lhittan System. AS soon as the migration eas over in A.L. 240 the 1st and 3rd fleets jumped into the Luxan home system and wiped out almost all of their interplanetary capable vessels and space ports. Within 5 years the Luxans had fallen to civil war. The survivors of the civil war united as one and made contact with Shaum. They asked to join their brethren as a member of the Republic. Their request was granted. The Luxans established themselves a permanent place in Shaum's society. They are very tactical thinkers and many serve with distinction in the military.

The current year according to our calendar is A.L. 476. The Republic of Shaum currently spans two solar systems and a major mining and resources asset in a third. The Republic encompasses 6 biological races and millions of EIs.

My task force was sent out on a long overdue mission. To find Earth.

"Fair enough. Looks like you've pretty much found it; third planet in this system. No guarantees it's the one you were looking for--some strange things have been happening while you're out."

The colonel and the diplomatic officer exchange glances momentarily before Khayriyya continues the narrative. "Reality has gotten somewhat more... complex. As far as we've been able to make out, space and position has been affected obviously while time somewhat less so. It doesn't matter for each individual's continuity, but more often than not things don't seem to mesh up well. For that reason, we've really gotten out of the habit of being specific when it comes to 'objective' dates and instead use generally accepted references based on relative personal experience. It's usually easy to put things in order; defining exactly the time inbetween them has become quite a bit more difficult."

"Yeah," Flag Colonel McEvoy adds, "things are kinda weird. I'd give you a fifty-fifty chance of finding whatever antecedent culture you're looking for. I know we haven't found ours; in fact, I helped watch it disappear in what we call The Break. We're willing to help however we can, though."

Khayriyya nods. "Still, our organization--the Triumvirate of Yut--is a mutual defense and trade alliance which acts as a sort of confederation of smaller nations. It was created before The Break by the nations of Suunto, Karmabaijan, and Scolopendra to combat aggressive motions from destabilizing economic and militaristic superpowers on Earth-That-Was. They colonized the Saturnian satellite system, and Earth-That-Was promptly disappeared during The Break to be replaced with its fractal equivalent now. From there, the colonies survived and thrived. The Triumvirate eventually expanded and, with expansion, met conflict; from conflict, persevered and grew stronger. We have done our best to oppose genocide and counter oppression over that time; we are known rather well for it.

"Now the Triumvirate has over eighty billion citizens of over nine distinct species. We're a relatively open oversociety and quite interested in learning more about other cultures. If you'd like, we can arrange a summit so you can learn more about the Triumvirate member states and arrange closer relations with them."

"Earth! The people back home will be throwing parades."

John looked to Dr. Rogers "Why don't you carry-on the talk Doctor."

He stands up. "If you don't mind me Captain, I think I'm going to go contact the brass and see about this summit idea of yours."