NationStates Jolt Archive

When a star dies, it is said, the gods cries a bitter tear.

In the system of Paulluxes, a small system about 54 parsecs from the Galactic Core, a great cataclysm was about to unfold.

The sun, now a red giant, was an old star. One of the oldest near the core. It's great, bloated corpse was burning what little fuel it had left; its great mass fighting to stay alive while its insides were litterally being eaten apart. It began to spasm uncontrolably: growing and shrinking over and over again. It's red skin glowing bright, then cooling till it was a dull magenta, then bright once more.

The time-bomb that was Paulluxes Prime was about to go off.

And off it went, with a bang.

It grew, uncontrolably, outwards: consuming planet after planet like it was some grotesque maw of flames and death. It surged outwards as it became a Red Supergiant.

The planet of Paulluxes IV was an old world; and there lived an old people. They were primative, simple, and relatively care-free. They lived in the great ruins of the Old Cities, in the great buildings of Metal. They watched in horror as Hell took the place of Heaven. The lakes began to boil, people became scorched by the sudden surge in heat. Animals, plants, people: all were dying.

The star approached the planet, ever-closer. There was no chance for them to escape. There was no way for them to stop it. The people of Paulluxes IV were going to die a horrible death.

That is, until it stopped.

As the flames of the sun lapped ever-closer, the sun changed. Suddenly, all of the red plasma flames twisted and turned, converging on one point in space about 500,000 km from the surface of Paulluxes IV.

The star looked now like an ellongated turnup; with its bottom stationed on the point in space. Its flames were litterally being dragged onto this point, seeming to disapear into nothing. There was no black hole, no dimensional disturbance, no cosmic fluxuation, no nothing. It just disapeared.

Then, with a great roar, the flames began to be drawn in with such speed that the star seemed to have its red outer-shell stripped off of it in seconds. The flames reached the point and began to swirl around it. Swriling ever-faster; making a small circle of flames. In a flash of light, the flames were gone...

...but something was left in its place.

A great space station (http://mods.firstones.com/buda5/iwar/screens/nop.jpg), about 18 km tall, 16 km wide, stood as a sentinel above the planet. It stood in a three-pronged formation. It seemed to stay motionless in the sky; save for following the movement of Paulluxes IV. There was one thing that was interesting about it: it didn't have a scratch on it.

If it weren't for a small unmanned probe on the outskirts of the system that saw this appocalypse, then it would simply have gone down in the astronomy books as another a-typical supernova. The probe had recorded everything, including the new satelite, and began to transmit it across the galaxy.

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And deep onboard, in the heart of the metal beast, it waited. It knew its time had come. It knew it would be free to start its madness once-more.

It knew that life was doomed.

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OOC: Yeah, I'm going to need to have a few nations (probably, like, three or four) to have science/scouting teams come aboard. The more people in each task force, the merrier! Just watch out, there's going to be very high-ended future tech stuff in here (boardering on god-modding), but it'll be okay. I've been a veteran of these boards (I've posted under a variety of nations) and I think I can make this work.

TAG for possible participation after I get my two mid-terms and my research paper done this week.

Tag: interest sparked by good back story. Will most likely send a SHADOW Special Forces team in. I am FT, but they carry MT weapons (preferences)

Tag: Possible interest..

((does not care for god mode tech, therefore will not get involved))

*Bump*

OOC: I'm going to need people to start to organize crews.

On Board the Polteva (Cappela-class Cruiser)

"Sir, sensors are indicating an anomaly bearing 179 by 43. It appears to be a non-standard nova."
"Bring ship to the heading and lets head out."

The LightningSword dropship soared gracefully through space. At the helm, Delta Team Leader Norm Hooten noticed a blip on the sensor screen,"See that?"

"Yessir!"

"Head for it. If we get warned off, keep your distance!"

As the Polteva entered the system the captain finished his drink and took his chair.
"Alright people what do we have?"
"The initial scans show a few planets and a mid-size station. The star appears to have fanished and we are working on determaining the cause for it."
"Alright, bring us in and continue the sensor sweeps."

Thousands of systems away, a man awoke.

He bolted out of bed. His back, his face, his neck: dripping and caked with cold sweat. The blue and red tatooes that covered his chest, back, and arms were glowing faintly in the darkness. He looked at one of them, a giant fang dripping with blood, right over his heart. It was pulsating with a sickly red energy, almost illuminating the small hut that was his room. He looked down at it and touched it.

He knew what it meant.

He knew that It had awoken again.

Quickly, he stood up, completely naked, and put on some clothes. He wore a high-colar grey trenchcoat, kakie pants tied with a piece of rope, and ankle-high boots. His hair, almost silver, hung down to his chin. He began to franticly gather as many supplies as he could, hoping that this was all some misunderstanding.

He reached the door of his hut, a straw and mud patched thing, and opened it.

Only to find an old woman, wide-eyed and terrified, holding a small bundle in her hands. Outside it was raining, and the rain fell off of her balaclava mixed with her tears.

"Please, please! You have to help me!" she cried in fright, running in without an invitation.

"Ms Cole," the man started, watching as she spread the little bundle out on the bed. It was a small boy, no older than ten, who was coughin histericly. "I really need to get going, Ms. Cole. I thought Avignon was in the Hospital."

"He was, but...but," Ms Cole began, cradeling the frail, coughing figure, "the doctors said there was nothing they could do about him! I couldn't affort the medicine to save him! Please, please! Kalva, I have known you for so long! I have never told anyone your secret, nor did my father, nor his father before him! You must help me, please!"

"I...I..." Kalva said, his hazel eyes gazing upon the boy, "I...will help him. But you must never speak of this again. Ever. You cannot tell Avignon what happened. Say you simply dipped him into the Red Crock stream, and he suddenly became well again."

"Yes! Yes!! Thank you, Thank you!!" Ms. Cole cried, practicly dropping to her knees as she shouted with relief.

Kalva looked upon the boy. Avignon had become still. He was no longer breathing. Ms. Cole looked as though she would scream out in grief, or pull out her hair in sorrow. But she did not.

Kalva calmly moved his hands over the boy's chest and head. He placed one hand above his heart, the other he placed on his head. Kalva closed his eyes and concentrated. His tatooes began to glow fiercly as the air around him began to blow in thick gusts. Red and blue cracks of energy surrounded the room, causing Ms. Cole to dive into a corner in fright. The rushing sound was met only by the rush of the rain falling outside.

Kalva's face remained unmoved. He did not grimice, or shout, or even twitch his mouth. He remained like a stoic statue.

Then, suddenly, Avignon surged upwards with one long, deep breath; as though he were hit with a defibrulizer. He energy faded, the tatooes died, the wind returned to normal.

And Avignon was lying on the bed, soundly asleep. His lungs were clear, his breathing steady.

He was alive.

Kalva stood without looking at Ms. Cole or Avignon and exited the hut. He walked towards the nearby city, where Ms. Cole and Avignon lived. He knew he had to get to the Lost Place before humans did. Otherwise, what would happen if It were to get out...

Kalva shuddered as he thought about it, and with a flash of lightning, he was gone.

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Sensor Sweeps from a variety of ships returned the same results. Although the station was present as an object, there was something wrong:

ALL SENSOR SWEEPS: INCONCLUSIVE
MASS: UNKNOWN
COMPOSITION: UNKNOWN
GRAVITY: UNKNOWN
ENERGY OUTPUT: UNKNOWN
POSITION: UNKNOWN
RADIATION: UNKNOWN
LIFE SIGNALS: UNKNOWN

As some ships neared to get a better scan, the outside of the Station began to change:

Great boarding platforms, almost maws, suddenly curved and solidified across the ship: each one corresponding to one of the ships that neared it. Each boarding platform specificly designed for each ship; as though the Station had scanned the ships beforehand.

It was beckoning for them to come inside...

The Polteva, having scanned the station as well as the system transmitted a message to the station on all frequencies and channels,

This is the Polteva, please provide information on station ownership, defense systems, crew, ammenities and any other related information.

ooc: assuming for gravity and radiation you mean internal
For mass it would be fairly easy to figure it's mass by measuring it's gravitational pull in relation to it's size.

The Polteva, having scanned the station as well as the system transmitted a message to the station on all frequencies and channels,

This is the Polteva, please provide information on station ownership, defense systems, crew, ammenities and any other related information.

ooc: assuming for gravity and radiation you mean internal
For mass it would be fairly easy to figure it's mass by measuring it's gravitational pull in relation to it's size.

There is no response, simply the hangars gaping open from the twisted metal of the ship.

OOC: No, I mean there is no gravity or radiation detected from the object at all. In other words, it is so advanced that even advanced sensors cannot detect its mass, gravity, or radiation. It litterally is just a "hole" in space, the size of which is read by the sensors. Mass cannot be determined, gravity cannot be determined, nothing can be determined.

Don't worry, though. Technology isn't what' s going to be important in this RP.

"Sir we are getting no response as well as little useable data on the station."
"Launch 3 close survey drones*, as well as prep the shuttles, with load-out AP3, RT9 and SR2."

ooc: I expect them to be destroyed or somesuch.

I will send ahip with about 32 siecnce driods to probe the satelite to gain info about the teachnology inside.

Research Vessel Ramoraz

“Doctor, we have detected a Class 7 Nova.”

The elderly man glanced at the aide and waited. Reporting of a Class 7 Nova was not required so he knew there was some other reason.

“Yes?”

“The readings are a bit strange. The long range sensors detected the event. As soon as it was detected, the AI began to scan it…”

“I know the procedures. Please get to the point.”

“Um, sorry… As I was saying, the reading just stopped 7.88 minutes into the event.”

“What? Did you check the instrumentation?”

“Yes, everything is working at normal parameters. We examined the area with the Gravimetric, Dimensional, and every other sensors we have available. It appears as if something stripped the outer layer away from the star as it was erupting. We also seem to have multiple contacts converging upon one of the planets. The planet is interestingly about 8 light minutes from the star.”

“Either there is a war going on or something strange is happening. Forward the data to the Imperial Navy. They would have the authority to act upon this.”



20 minutes later


Commander DelPhon read through the report that had just arrived via the Space Minus Transmitter. Using his Neurolink, he accessed the data files concerning the locations of all ships in this sector. He then contacted Control.

“This is Commander DelPhon. Get me The Seeker immediately. Top priority.”



Three minutes later

The Captain aboard The Seeker was dreaming of home. He was watching his host relaxing in his childhood when the voice intruded.

“Captain, Priority Message. Captain, Priority Message.”

Sitting up and rubbing his eyes he addressed the computer.

“Put it through my Neurolink”

With his inner eye he saw the image of Commander DelPhon.

“Alexander, we have just received a report of something I want you to look into. After reviewing the data, you will agree with my assessment. This could be very important to the Empire.”

“Yes Sir. What is going on?”

“The Research Vessel Remoraz detected a nova that was stopped. There are also reports of other vessels in the area. We want you to be sure nobody has the technology to accomplish this. If this is the result of a interstellar war, then we need to know what is going on before it reaches the Empire. If it is some sort of new technology, then we need to find out as much about it as possible to prevent it from being used against us. If there is a counter-measure, we need it. If it is Alien technology, then we may need to acquire it. If it is lost Ta’Nar, it is ours by birthright.”

“Yes Sir. I will be there ASAP.”

“Thank you Alexander. I knew I could count on you. DelPhon out.”

The image faded and a data stream was sent with the information. After reviewing it, Alex understood why he was being sent. He quickly got out of bed and dressed. Within two minutes he was entering the bridge. The AI announced his presence.

“Captain on the Bridge!”

“Navigation, take us to these coordinates, Maximum Speed. When we get there, remain deep within T-Space and enter Stealth Observation mode. There is something funny going on there and we have been asked to check it out.”

Alex sent the coordinates to the Nav Computer.

The Seeker faded from the Universe and entered T-Space. Minutes later it entered the system. From within T-Space (the 7th dimension) the crew began to investigate everything.

“Sir, there appears to be a station of some sort where the ships are converging. It seems several are launching some sort of objects, probably probes. The station seems to be detectable in the visual spectrum only. It reads negative in the Energy Spectrum, Gravimetric, and passive systems. We have yet to receive data from the Dimensional Sensors. The data is being compiled at this moment.”

“Good, let me know as soon as you get something or if anything changes.”

“Yes Sir.”

OOC:

I will let you know what I can detect with my Dimensional Sensors. They are pretty advanced since this is my nations speciality. I can easily scan all 11 dimensions within our normal universe and some of the ones above that...

Tag, although I probably won't participate. Not that I don't like the quality of the writing, it's that my nation would probably ruin the RP if they participated, given the level of technology present in my nation.

Don't worry, though. Technology isn't what' s going to be important in this RP.

Come on and join in if you have the time.

I have High Tech too, but I sent an Explorer Class ship instead of a Battle Ship or Carrier that would have the High Tech Weapons. Explorers have better sensors than weapons.

Besides, I think he means this to be a Character RP...

Come on and join in if you have the time.

I have High Tech too but I sent an Explorer Class ship instead of a Battle Ship or Carrier that would have the High Tech Weapons.

Besides, I think he means this to be a Character RP...

I can always try, but I'm not confident of being able to have the time to do this one properly, so I'm not making promises I can't keep.

I know what you mean about time!

I have work, college, family, and sleep to deal with too.

We can only try our best...

.

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Sensor Sweeps from a variety of ships returned the same results. Although the station was present as an object, there was something wrong:

ALL SENSOR SWEEPS: INCONCLUSIVE
MASS: UNKNOWN
COMPOSITION: UNKNOWN
GRAVITY: UNKNOWN
ENERGY OUTPUT: UNKNOWN
POSITION: UNKNOWN
RADIATION: UNKNOWN
LIFE SIGNALS: UNKNOWN

As some ships neared to get a better scan, the outside of the Station began to change:

Great boarding platforms, almost maws, suddenly curved and solidified across the ship: each one corresponding to one of the ships that neared it. Each boarding platform specificly designed for each ship; as though the Station had scanned the ships beforehand.

It was beckoning for them to come inside...

The LightningSword swooped into the open hangers. As the ramp fell to the ground, Delta Team spread out, covering all angles. From what they could tell, they were the only ones here. Hooten signalled to his men, and they began to move through the passages of the station, ears and eyes open for any sign of intelligent life...

One of the drones, following the LightningSword, began scanning and generally being an annoyance to the delta team.

ooc: I'm sort of trying to get it blasted so go ahead.

Hooten grimaced at the drone, and motioned to Jackson, the heavy weapons operator. Jackson smiled, and brought his M249 SAW to bear, unleashing a stream of bullets into the drone, casuing it to become highly damaged. The whole incident left a ringing in the otherwise empty corridor. Up ahead, Wolf led the way. The grizzled sniper cradled his MSG-90A1 DMR in his arms, and crept forward...

OOC:

Awaiting to find out details of scan

"Sir, one of the drones was destroyed."
"Are the shuttles prepped?"
"Yes they are."
Alright tell the crew to load up and get ready to move out."

5 shuttles launched from the Polteva and headed toward the Station.

In the belly of the LightningSword, Pilot Officer Ramano looked at his screens,"We've got incoming unknowns Major Hooten," he called over the comm system

"Roger that. We think we destroyed their drone. Keep weapons prepped"

"Will do"

The shuttles land in the dock, once there a panel opens and booms out a request, "Who are you? Do you own this station? Why are you here?"

"Sir, we detect landing parties boarding the station. The results of the scan is still inconclusive."

The shuttles land in the dock, once there a panel opens and booms out a request, "Who are you? Do you own this station? Why are you here?"
We are here on a survey mission. We do not own this station. We are a strike team on return from assignment, and we decided to investigate. Who are you?

"We are an exploration force, we are also the people who had one of thier probes destroyed." A walkway opened on one of the shuttles.

We did that. The probe was percieved as a threat

"And how exactly was it percived as a threat?", as a few men in full powered armour walked out of the first shuttle.

ooc: one shuttle powered armour, 2 marines, 2 science teams, total personel 50

Hooten interjected over the commlink,"When something is buzzing around following you and recording your every move, you get tetchy"

"I guess you have a point, but a shoot first policy on an unknown station isn't that great an idea."

The science, marine and armour teams had fully disembarked form the shuttles. The science teams began setting up science equipment, the marines had formed a defensive perimeter and the armour teams had also assumed a defensive postition except for one* which headed toward delta team.

ooc:* to talk

OOC:

Still waiting for a responce regarding my scans.

I will move forward with my plan once I get an answer...

"I guess you have a point, but a shoot first policy on an unknown station isn't that great an idea."

The science, marine and armour teams had fully disembarked form the shuttles. The science teams began setting up science equipment, the marines had formed a defensive perimeter and the armour teams had also assumed a defensive postition except for one* which headed toward delta team.

ooc:* to talk

You'd be surprised. The one who shoots first is almost always the winner here.

"Unless your up against either more than you can shoot or some one who can take the fire and keep coming." The armoured suit popped the helmet off, a stream of nannites flowing up and into the helmet. "I'm Captain O'Neal, who are you?" she said as extended an armoured hand.

Hooten stared, then extended his hand to meet the Captains,"Major Norm Hooten, Snake Eaters"

"May I ask your interest in this 'station'?" she asked as the scientist continued setting up scientific equipment.

We were passing through a nearby system on our way home, and we caught it on sensors. Decided to check it out. You?

"Same." She replied, "Care to explore it together?"

May as well. Just a second*turns away, and seems to say nothing*"Pilot, keep the bird hot, but we should be ok. Just be ready to leave in a hurry if needed"

With that done, he looked back at her,"Alright, let's go"

"Alright." She slids the helmet back on. "Oh and if we get shot at you can use the suits as cover, except for those two," points to two highly bulky looking suits, "Thier onboard munitions tend to blow if shot, and while not dangerous to them, its very deadly to unarmoured people." The scientist wheeling their equipement and the marines followed after the suits.

We should be ok for now. Our armour is a kevlar/titanium mixture, and can absorb a number of things. Hopefully, it's not going to be used at all.*Follows after the suits as well, weapons at the ready*