NationStates Jolt Archive

As part of a new wave of activity for the Eshirian Sovereignty, the Council for Scientific Exploration and Techrange Acquisitions (CETA) has authorized that nearly 3 billion Ki's (About 5 Billion USD) to be allocated towards assembling a fleet capable of long endurance, and deep space exploration, aimed at spreading Eshirian influence and knowledge abroad as well as securing more natural resources the Sovereignty's mining industries already struggling to keep up with increasing demand for Corrolium ore, a primary component in E.S. hull construction. The endeavour is also something of a publicity stunt, made to increase awareness of Eshirian power and technology.

The fleet is to be comprised of at least 500 elements of the Home Guard fleet, 2,000 trade barges and freighters and at least 3,000 smaller science vessels. The fleet will make it's first stop in the nearest system in the Unknown Regions of the Aphotic Galaxy. With only a few years till the set launch date, activity is feverish in the various forge worlds in the Sovereignty's core systems as they build up the extra ships needed for this grand expedition.

(OOC: Heh, I got the idea after reading up on ancient China's Zeng (SP?) expeditions sometime around the Ming dynasty. According to the history books, those ships dwarfed any western expedition at the time and since, in terms of both their ships' size, and the size of their fleet. If any one is interested in a peaceful exploration mission for once, please, sign right up, and your ships can be added to the fleet, under your control of course.)

EDIT: Just to drive things along, I'll be updating this tonight, setting things up without waiting for an actual NS year to go by. After all, time here isn't really set is it?

Tag. OOC: Please do note that several planets in the Unknown reagons have ancient/abandoned kirtir bases as well as newer Malkir bases. Perhapse some more truth about... the Kirtir's past could be reveiled during this exploration? Oh that and, the fact that deshoonde is about to be released by the darkness around his mind while he's in the deep center of the Unkown Reagons.

As part of a new wave of activity for the Eshirian Sovereignty, the Council for Scientific Exploration and Techrange Acquisitions (CETA) has authorized that nearly 3 billion Ki's (About 5 Billion USD) to be allocated towards assembling a fleet capable of long endurance, and deep space exploration, aimed at spreading Eshirian influence and knowledge abroad as well as securing more natural resources the Sovereignty's mining industries already struggling to keep up with increasing demand for Corrolium ore, a primary component in E.S. hull construction. The endeavour is also something of a publicity stunt, made to increase awareness of Eshirian power and technology.

The fleet is to be comprised of at least 500 elements of the Home Guard fleet, 2,000 trade barges and freighters and at least 3,000 smaller science vessels. The fleet will make it's first stop in the nearest system in the Unknown Regions of the Aphotic Galaxy. With only a few years till the set launch date, activity is feverish in the various forge worlds in the Sovereignty's core systems as they build up the extra ships needed for this grand expedition.

(OOC: Heh, I got the idea after reading up on ancient China's Zeng (SP?) expeditions sometime around the Ming dynasty. According to the history books, those ships dwarfed any western expedition at the time and since, in terms of both their ships' size, and the size of their fleet. If any one is interested in a peaceful exploration mission for once, please, sign right up, and your ships can be added to the fleet, under your control of course.)

EDIT: Just to drive things along, I'll be updating this tonight, setting things up without waiting for an actual NS year to go by. After all, time here isn't really set is it?

OOC: Can I Join?

Sector 3-3-20: Alpha Reach, 1600 hrs.

The first ships of the fleet descended upon their first stop in the large expeditions of the newly christened “Radiance” task force. Their mission had begun just a few days before, as most missions did, uneventful and mundane. Of course, that was all within Core space... out here, the rules were different. First of all, there were none. No rules, and no inhibitions...

Commander of the task force was Lin Yu, daughter of Xei’sui, commander of all E.S. military operations. Naturally, being the supreme commander’s daughter, she inherited many of the skills of her mother and quickly got a hold of her own command.

She fleet’s flag ship, the ESV Kitana, held near the mid section of the massive formation. Nearly 1,500 ships surrounded it in every direction.

“First ships are setting down ma’am.” Spoke the com officer.
“Have them send reports up by the minute.” Responded Lin.
“Aye, sir.”

From the surface of the lush, jungle planet, the sky began to twist and turn as the clouds swirled around and about, making way for the armada that was just touching down. The first ship to set down was an E.S. Marine Dropship, followed later by hundreds of science teams and smaller transports of varying sizes. The dropship deployed and a small platoon of marines jumped out, and set up the perimeter. While this was a peaceful mission, in the military’s eyes, there was no risk worth taking.

As the other marines moved out, the commander, who had stepped off first began issuing orders.

“Alright! Scans place a small settlement a few hundred meters east of here. Secure a perimeter and await the rest of the team. Remember, our job is to protect our scientists, not murder the locals. Let’s go!”

The marines formed up and moved towards the settlement. Meanwhile, another vessel touched down and a small science team stepped off.

“Jeez. Will ya look at those guys? They’re going to scare off whatever might be out there, there won’t be anything on this expedition if they’re going to keep doing that.” remarked one of them.

“Absolutely amazing… Sometimes I think the military offers more surprises than a single celled multicellular organism…”

The others turned and looked at him. “Wait...” One began. “It’s impossible, I know.” Cut the first.

“Yeah…” spoke another scientist, “Yeah, let’s just go.” He said, as he moved off into the brush.


At the local village…

A man and his son stand just outside of the villages council hut.
“Father, the strange lights just keep coming…” Spoke a younger child. “Yes, I know. Don’t be afraid. Our warriors are out there. They will defend us if they aren’t friendly.” replied the father.

“Okay…” Responded the child, not really reassured by his father’s confidence.

As the marines slowly moved up, and the scientists took readings, other ships continued to land, deploying more troops and moving out a few speeder bikes.

From the surrounding brush, the villages warriors were indeed “out there”. Silently observing the strange creatures and their loud flying things…

The Marine commander slowed down his advance. “Something doesn’t feel right…”

He turned around and looked at another marine beside him. “Run another scan. Are you sure there’s nothing sneaking up on us, and all the inhabitants are still in the village?

“Roger that sir. That’s what the logs say. Running second scan.”

{We’ve got enhanced Psi abilities, powered armor, advanced sensors, freakin space ships… I’ll be damned if these primitives found a way to sneak up on us.} Thought the commander.

With the Scientists…

“These plants are amazing…” Commented the first scientist. He pointed to his scanner, “It says here that these things have the same substance we use in the coolant in our engines!”

“Oh yeah, Shui? That explains why they’re all purpley like that…” replied another scientist as she took a sample of the ground soil.

Those damn “primitives”…

“Let’s go around behind them…” Whispered one of them. “It’s strange… They don’t seem all that harmful,” remarked another. “they seem like explorers to me.”

“Yeah, but those guys don’t.” Replied another as he directed his attention to the Marines encroaching around them. “Legend speaks of such beings, who carry such weapons, and fly around just like these.” Continued the second warrior. “we’re going to have to be on guard.”

Meanwhile…

“Oh, shit! They’re everywhere!” Shouted the marine who had just finished his scans. He stared at his readout as red dots moved all around his own teams blue.

“Calm down! How many and how far away?” Responded the commander.

“Uh, about 50 of’em sir. Closest is at 100 meters.”

{Right… Just outside of our thermal ranges. Damn trees!} Thought the commander.

He spoke into his PsiCommu. “All units, form up, and circle them. They don’t know that we see them yet, so their just going to stay out of our way for now.”

“Roger that sir!”

The troops moved into position around the villages warriors. “Keep quiet and don’t give them any sign that we know they’re there.”

“Roger that.”

With the scientists...

“Woah, take a look at that. It looks li… ahhHHH!” Screamed out one of the scientists.
One of the warriors jumped out and held a knife to his throat. “What the hell?!” Shouted another startled scientist.

“Aien, tu!” Shouted the warrior.

“Wha?” responded the scientist.

“Aien TU!” repeated the warrior, with a slightly scared look in his eyes.

“What the hell is he saying?”

“I don’t know!”

“Well run the translator!”

“Ye, yeah! Got it.”

“Aien ni la tu!” Shouted the warrior again.

With the limited psi abilities that all Eshirians shared, the scientist could feel the emotions of fear, mixed with curiousness, and wonder. However, fear was immediately discernable as the overriding emotion. The scientist raised up his hands with open palms and lowered himself down slightly, to try and appear less threatening.

“Look, I’m not going to harm you…” He tried to get the frightened primitive to speak. The Universal translator only worked when it had a sizable library of spoken words to work from. A few garbled words that were most likely threats wouldn’t help much.

The scientist backed off, while the others watched from a distance. “Like, I said, I’m not going to do anything. What do you want?” He knew he couldn’t understand, but decided that saying something might coax him to speak a bit more. Hopefully, something different.

“Ien, ki nonta latu.” Spoke the warrior, still holding the scientist at knife point.

“Eh?”

“Ien, to tell, latu.”

The translator was finally giving something.
“Uh huh, say that again?”

“Ien, to tell me, what you’re doing here!”

“Ien… That’s got to mean, ‘I’ something.”

“I want you to tell me, what you’re doing here!” repeated the warrior.

“Alright, that’s it! Uh…We…we are, uh, explorers! Nothing more. We’re just here exploring”

What? Just explorers?”

Suddenly, a marine jumped out from the brush behind him. “Drop it!” He shouted.

The warrior was startled, and accidentally grazed the scientist’s neck with his knife.

“NO!!!” shouted the other scientist.

The marine raised his gun.

OOC: Where should my phantom exploration fleet jump in? Should I meet you head on, or have my own seperate Rp go on, colonise some planets, set up several bases, and what not? Or, do all of that and then meet your fleet head on?

OOC: Where should my phantom exploration fleet jump in? Should I meet you head on, or have my own seperate Rp go on, colonise some planets, set up several bases, and what not? Or, do all of that and then meet your fleet head on?

(OOC: This thread you mean? Well, it's up to you, but if you want to set up additional bases, that'll give me some time to work out this first contact, but... This exploration is to taking place far, far ,far from your forces, even for your scout fleet. The idea is that I land here, screw a whole lot of things up, work it out with the village elders, find some really cool artifacts, and then be on my merry way. That's going to take time, and I also can't have you having well established bases out my frontier.

So basically, wait for now.)

The troops moved into position around the villages warriors. “Keep quiet and don’t give them any sign that we know they’re there.”

“Roger that.”

With the scientists...

“Woah, take a look at that. It looks li… ahhHHH!” Screamed out one of the scientists.
One of the warriors jumped out and held a knife to his throat. “What the hell?!” Shouted another startled scientist.

“Aien, tu!” Shouted the warrior.

“Wha?” responded the scientist.

“Aien TU!” repeated the warrior, with a slightly scared look in his eyes.

“What the hell is he saying?”

“I don’t know!”

“Well run the translator!”

“Ye, yeah! Got it.”

“Aien ni la tu!” Shouted the warrior again.

With the limited psi abilities that all Eshirians shared, the scientist could feel the emotions of fear, mixed with curiousness, and wonder. However, fear was immediately discernable as the overriding emotion. The scientist raised up his hands with open palms and lowered himself down slightly, to try and appear less threatening.

“Look, I’m not going to harm you…” He tried to get the frightened primitive to speak. The Universal translator only worked when it had a sizable library of spoken words to work from. A few garbled words that were most likely threats wouldn’t help much.

The scientist backed off, while the others watched from a distance. “Like, I said, I’m not going to do anything. What do you want?” He knew he couldn’t understand, but decided that saying something might coax him to speak a bit more. Hopefully, something different.

“Ien, ki nonta latu.” Spoke the warrior, still holding the scientist at knife point.

“Eh?”

“Ien, to tell, latu.”

The translator was finally giving something.
“Uh huh, say that again?”

“Ien, to tell me, what you’re doing here!”

“Ien… That’s got to mean, ‘I’ something.”

“I want you to tell me, what you’re doing here!” repeated the warrior.

“Alright, that’s it! Uh…We…we are, uh, explorers! Nothing more. We’re just here exploring”

What? Just explorers?”

Suddenly, a marine jumped out from the brush behind him. “Drop it!” He shouted.

The warrior was startled, and accidentally grazed the scientist’s neck with his knife.

“NO!!!” shouted the other scientist.

The marine raised his gun.


Blood flowed from the neck of the now limp scientist.

The marine had his rifle set on stun, but aimed for the head of the strange creature. While the warrior began to drop the body and make a run for it, the marine opened fire and with a few well placed Multi-phasic pulse shots brought the creature down. He then opened up a PsiCommu channel with the Marine commander.

“Sir?! We’ve got a serious problem here…”


In space…

Lin walked closer to the holo-monitor in the front of the bridge. “Beautiful…”

A few of the other officers took glances at each other in response.

“Yeah, yeah, I know I’m a bit more sensitive about these sort of things, but I can’t really help it.” Lin spoke while remaining fixated on the planet in front of her.

Ma’am! We’ve got some serious reports of things going wrong down there!”

“Wha? That planet only has primitives down there right?!”

“Ye, yes, ma’am, but I’ve got a report of someone dead down there!”

“Arrange an immediate medical emergency transport. Get the marines down there to fall back. I don’t want any of the natives killed, but we can’t risk any more casualties.”

“Aye, transporting…”


Back on the surface…

The commander stood near the transport that they had arrived in. “Keep that line!” He shouted.

The warriors of the village had begun an attack on the Marine forces, with no idea what they were up against. However, they fought with such ferocity, that they actually did manage to push back some of the E.S. marines. While they couldn’t get past the powered armour suits that the E.S. marines wore, they were successful at knocking a few unconscious…

{How the hell did so many of these guys sneak up on us?! They have to have some kind of strong mind or something that let’s them avoid our Psi abilities… We should have been able to sense so many…} Thought the Commander. “Keep firing!”


Back on the command ship…

Lin sat down in her chair, and rubbed her forehead. “This is getting way out of hand… This is a peaceful mission, and that is definitely not what peaceful means.” Lin muttered. She turned and faced the tactical officer behind her.

“Tac, arrange a shuttle. I’m going down there.”

"Yes, ma'am." Responded the Tac.

Lin closed her eyes, and using the Psi network built into the ship, she transported over to the fighter bay. The pilot was already in the shuttle, and a few fighters were prepped for launch to provide cover in the event that there were more unexpected surprises...

Lin walked in to the shuttle, and sat down in the co-pilot's chair. She was still and adventurer at heart, and liked to be where the action was.

"Let's go, Sim." She ordered. Lin always preferred to have someone she knew flying her or her ship around, and as such, was always on a first name basis with the pilots.

From outside the ship, the bay doors could be seen dematerializing, rather than opening up, and the shuttle flew out from the void, through the void shield, and towards the planet.

On the ground...

"Let's go! Let's go!" Shouted the commander.

"Fall back to the ship!" Shouted another officer.

One soldier paused and tried to asses the situation. The scene was chaos. All around bodies fell, and terrible cries of terror rose from the advancing Natives. All weapons had ben set to "stun" earlier, so there were actually no deaths. However, the Natives were too primitive to understand. Thinking they were being killed, the now charged with a thirst for blood.

With the scientists... (Minus that dead guy...)

Marine fired, and knocked him unconscious. While other scientists began to run back to their drop pod, Auin ran towards the limp body of the fallen researcher.

"Come one, let's, go. The others are back at the drop site, they've got a situation there..." Spoke the Marine.

Auin didn't move. Instead, she just held Shui's hand. Tears welled in her eyes, and her hair fell over her face.

"No..."


With Lin...

The shuttle now approached the main village. Lin hoped that this whole mess could be sorted out...

(OOC: Hmmm, time to continue this thread...)

With Lin's shuttle...
Lin looked down, and watched in horror as countless bodies littered the ground. {I ordered no natives be killed!}. "Land in that clearing, right in front of that structure."

"Yes ma'am."

Lin's shuttle made a sharp approach, and touched down gently. Around the shuttle, the native xeno began to pelt its hull with spears and arrows, and savagely beat the doors and windows with axes and anything else they could find. Their faces gave that death was on their minds, but their emotions were something quite different. {These people are just scared...} Thought Lin. She sighed, and dispatched a message to the retreating ES forces. <All units continue withdrawal, Marines, change of plans...>

With the Marines...
"We're going back out there?! These guys'll slaughter us!" Cried a young trooper.

"That's right, Commander's orders. She's going to try and negotiate with these Xeno to stop this slaughter and we' need to clear her way. Now complain again, and I'll show you a slaughter!" replied the leader.

He reset his rifle to stun, and slammed the door switch. "Alright now let's move!" {Damn Home Guard greenies...} He thought to himself as he charged out the door.

The ES Marines inside the shuttle with Lin couldn't risk opening the door lest the flood of Natives make it inside. Marines from the last shuttle to leave were recalled to try and clear the path to the shuttle nearly a mile away. There couldn't be any drop pods, or closer drop offs simply because the hoard was now so large, and any closer to Lin's craft meant risking the hoard swamping the Marine Drop Ship as well. That and with the orders for no additional Native casualties...

The Marines made their way down the first 200 meters, tossing stun grenades everytime the natives seemed to swarm on them. Within 3 minutes, the shuttle was in sight. and a trail of unconscious Natives marked their path behind them. Wtih one hand signal, 3 marines set up their larger MPMs, and opened fire, "Pacifying" enough natives to clear a way to the shuttle.

"It's clear!" Shouted one Marine inside. The door hissed, and quickly slid open. "Look..." Whispered Lin as she made her way out of the shuttle. The natives were now backing away, their fear over coming them as they now found hundreds of their brothers lying seemingly dead beside them.

Lin walked in front of a large structure. It looked to be a primitive hut of wood, and vines. Dense growth covered the roof, and a small archway led inside. <Scientists get the Universal Translator to work their language yet?> The Marine Leader nodded.

Lin turned around, and looked among the Natives, with their faces drenched in sweat, and their expressions unsure yet stern. "Who leads you?" Lin asked loudly.

"That...would be me." Lin spun around, and out of the archway, large man strode out. His body enormous. His face, defiant. "Now let me ask you," he began in a furious tone. "Why have you come to kill my people?"

Lin looked at the man...

"You lead these people?" Lin bowed her head. "This was all a mistake. I can not say how sorry I -"

Lin's gesture came as a surprise to the man, who was expecting something much... different. However, his surprise was short lived. "Don't try to deceive me with your lies!" He shouted. "I see my people, dead before me, on this holy ground! May Quen'a damn you to eternal suffering!” The hoard of Natives around them beat the ground, and chanted. Rak’sha! Rak’sha! Rak’sha! they cried. The universal translator couldn’t decipher the chant. Lin’s confused face prompted the man to translate. “They speak a ceremonial chant. It means, ‘Death to the murderers of my brothers.’” His tone was slow, and foreboding.

Lin’s heart sank. This was not the mission she had planned for, not the fate she had hoped for. {What can I do…} her mind raced, and she desperately needed to do or say something right that would put the mission back on track.

“I can’t express my regret in words, I am sorry. We were not on a mission to murder, but rather a mission of exploration! My soldiers we-“

“Your soldiers, murdered my people! I see them before me, how can you not say you came here to kill!?” The man’s face was now a deep red, the shadow of death darkened his eyes.

“But they are not dead; they are only… sleeping…”

The man’s expression shifted for a second. If what this strange woman said was true, then… He began to speak more calmly, though his expression was still wild with emotion. “They lie still, after being struck by your lights of fury. You say they are not dead?”

“No, they will awaken soon. Our ‘lights’, were only our defense.”

The chanting faded, then stopped. The crowds of the Natives shifted, and stirred. Hushed whispers could be heard from the still frightened people.

“How do you expect me to believe you?”

Lin thought for a moment. This was her chance. If she showed a willingness to trust them first, then maybe they would see that she was speaking truth. After all, if she wasn’t speaking the truth, why would she do what she was about to?

“You can test my word however you wish…”

“We shall let the Gods be the judges.”

A few Native Guards rushed over, and grabbed hold of her. The Marines, raised their rifles, but Lin motioned them away. “Stand down…” She said to them. The Natives brought her inside the building. As Lin expected, it was quite primitive. Even more vegetation grew on the inside. A large alter stood far inside. Smoke rose from several bunches of smoldering leaves placed at the feet of a large statue. Ornate decorations made from carefully twisted leaves, and twigs lined the walls behind it, and several people who appeared to be the leading religious figures kneeled on either side of the statue, humming, and whispering obscure prayers. Lin was led right before the statue. She looked up, and with her PsiCommu, began relaying video back to the Marine commander outside. <If anything goes wrong, you have your orders.> <Yes ma’am.>

Lin continued to observe the statue. Something wasn’t quite right… The Man moved close to the statue, and began to whisper quietly.

Suddenly, the statue began to glow…

<Do you see what's going on?!> Lin cried through the com circuit.

In a sudden burst of confusion and cries of attacking Gods, PsiCommu transmissions suddenly filled the airwaves. Filling the skies with so much interference that every Eshirian (who all had the PsiCommus implanted into their brains.) gripped their heads in pain before the transmissions calmed and began to organize into distinct cries for help. In orbit, a massive armada of strange vessels materialized from the void and began to attack the Eshirian vessels in orbit.

<Their...us up!...need support...half...fl...gone!> The garbled transmission barely made it through the Xeno jamming, and upon reaching Lin, filled her eyes with dread. {We just weren't ready for this...} She thought. With a shake of her head, Lin shouted out, "Are these you Gods?!"

The man only smiled... "So they have decided..." he said with a chilling expression that froze Lin for a moment before she snapped back, "They haven't decided anything, they're only here to get rid of us!"

"It is their will." The man said simply.

Lin shook her head. "Enough! This ends now!" The Natives watched in amazment as Lin dissapeared in a flash of light, back to her ship through the transporter.

Lin appeared in the bridge, and quickly took her seat. "What are those things?" She asked out loud.

The tactical station replied, "I don't know, sensors say that they aren't really even there, but their weapons are punching though our sheilds like they aren't there."

"Phantoms?" Asked Lin. A third Phantom war at this point would be devastating. Eshirian forces were thinly spread throughout two galaxies, and the Huntaerians, the only other race to have dealt with the Phantoms in the first war, was apathetic to say the least, about the fate of the Sovereignty.

"No... These, are...I don't know what they are..." laughed the tac officer in defeat.

Lin squinted her eys at the central HoloMon. The nearest vessel dwarfed even the Preamisus class carrier, and glowed with an unearthly light which shimmered, and rippled like water around what appeared to be its hull.

http://img496.imageshack.us/img496/601/station2b4uy.jpg

"Where's the rest of the fleet?" Lin demanded.

"We don't know. The ships fired some sort of energy beam at our vessels. we fired back with no effect. Our ships that were hit vanished from sensors."

Lin looked back out to the alien fleet. Strange lights danced from their watery hulls and struck Eshirian vessels with terrifying speed, and rapidity. A few vessels fired off their seige guns, yet the beam went straight through without effect. It seemed hopeless...

"Get the fleet out of here."

"Aye!" answered the nav officer with some degree of relief.

The entire Eshirian fleet reduced to only a few thousand ships of various types, quickly jumped to their next system.

"Stay in hyperspace for the next few hours, zero travel..."


(OOC: To any who may be wondering just where I intend to take this. The fleet will be heading to the next systems on their list, all the while being chased by these aliens, until this one man RP ends. At which point, true contact is made with these new aliens, the Sovereignty makes a powerful new ally, and we expand out territory 10 or 20 systems.)