NationStates Jolt Archive

These events that have come to pass, truely are tragic indeed. I have seen many monsters, and destroyed them myself, but the greatest monster of all, was the one I found in the Mirror. - Rahegalhoff Mesquchoku, Legendary Paladin.

"And so tonight on International Mysteries, we bring you the story of the strange case of The Invasion from the mirror Universe." A strong male voice said.

*Images of The Constantine flicker on the screen. As the camera goes through the hallways, a diffrent voice comes on the screen, and begins speaking.*

"It begins in what was supposed to be a war-free Neutral Zone, aboard the Constantine Space Station. No actual footage is availible, however based on witness testimony, we have been able to re-construct the events of the past few weeks. Tonight we bring you their stories, their memories.

We begin at the beginning, here, in the engine room." A female Voice said.

Constantine Engine Room, Neutral Zone, Five days prior to the invasion...

General Howard Roy Harrison walks around the engine room, checking on his troops, and the general status of things.

Alarm sirens ring throughout the Station as General Harrison rushes over to a flashing moniter to see what's happening.

OH NO! the Engine lost its delicate balance between The Black Hole, and the White Hole/Particle Fountain. Even worse, the Temporal Core was breeched.

The Taijitu-Q engine both folded in on itself, and expanded outward at the same time.

Aquamarininians and scientists rushed around trying to fix it, but they could not, they could only buy a little time, for the station occupants to flee, and flee they did.

not a single life was lost as the station contracted down to a single point, then exploded outwards into a brilliant anomally.

It looked like a wormhole, but Probes showed it went nowhere, yet those who entered, disappeared. they returned, confused. It glowed many brilliant colors.

for the safety of all, The Zone was declared off limits to all. Even the ITH was asked to pack up and leave, incase something went wrong. no one really wanted a sudden attack coming on their nations.

Science teams and a few defencive ships from many nations stayed to investigate this once in a lifetime anomally.

Five days later...

The Wormhole opened of its own accord. the Ships backed off, as the Ri-anese warships took frontline, incase something unfriendly came through.

What came through, was almost the size of earth's moon. It looked, almost comicly, like a giant hamburger. It was marked with Ri-anese symbols, yet it was diffrent. One part emitted several diffrent shields. One Dark Matter Shield, one standerd Shield, One Mobieus Aperture Shield, and one Temporal Shield. These shields extended around the whole of the ship, and seemed to be extrordinarily strong varieties of these types of Shields.

Another section was armed with Phasers, Turbolasers, a Death Star's world destroying Mega Beam, and a weird sort of beam, that shattered Moleculer Bonds and scattered Atoms to the solar winds.

The Middle section looked like a Giant saw-blade, and was armed with the same blades Light Sabres were.

It was a Ri-anese Mobile Death Fortress, and one was more than enough, but six more came through, and behind them, many more Fleets from Other nations.

Wisely, the science ships fled to a safe distance.

"In MY name, The Lady of Fire, Ruler of the Supernatural Empire of Ri-an, This Mirror Universe is to be conqured, Subjugated, and summarily destroyed." A Firey Female Voice said. It had the hint of blood Lust to it.

"What? We're not an empire. Supernatural Maybe, but not an Empire, and we're certainly not Warmongers out to controll and destroy everything!" the Ri-anese Octopus Ships Protested. Yet both were right, which was soon explained.

"We come from the Normal Universe. This Universe is the Mirror Universe. We are you, but we are opposit of you, and thus, we are the Real you. We are Warmongers. I would have given my opposites the chance to join as one true nation, but obviously the Ri-anese of this universe are weaklings and deserve nothing but destruction." The same firey Voice said.

with that, the science ships fled, to carry word back to whomever would listen, whomever would believe them. Destruction was coming.

As the Fled, The Death Fortresses slammed into the Octopus ships, ripping them to shreds with the sawblades on their ship. the Death Fortresses moved aside to let the rest of the fleet through. A Beam of fire Shot out, headed for Earth.

OOC: So, this is the beginning. Come through, post fleet sizes and all that other good stuff, and ICly, tell the diffrence between your Normal Nation, and your Mirror Nation. Then of course, continue on with your coming through and moving to the side. With my next IC post, I will call for a meeting of the main Generals, to be headed by Deuce from the Mirror.

Kesshite, since I'm your Slavemaster, post them going about the normal sort of duties one might go about on a ship. You'll have your chances to escape later. Your nations leader, will be with Deuce, so make sure you describe her.

Now, to start the MT thread.

Approximately 40 ships they looked like extremely large arrowheads. On board half of the ships, humans and on the other half. Nasty, carnivourous Dinosaurs. The two groups within the one fleet constantly bickered. The lady of fire was the only thing that kept the two sides from attacking each other. But that did not stop the Trash talk.

The ships where armed with lasers and missiles shielded with a dimensional flux field. The ships laid dormant behind the Ri-anese ships showing due respect and obvious subserviance to the dreaded Fire Lady of Ri-an.

As the Ri-an fleet moved aside, another ship emerged from the inverse wormhole. A single black ship left the terminus of the aperture and came to a halt. The Hades slid sideways clearing the way for the next fleet to emerge.

The Hades (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/beldragos/HereIAm.jpg)

The Dreadnaught from Balrogga was over five kilometers in length and was one of the flagships of their navies. The single ship was all they had sent as part of the Invasion of the parody Universe. They did not need any other ships, that one was enough for The Hades was a fleet carrier and contained many ships inside her.

“The Ta’Nar are through the gate. You may send through the others.”


OOC:

This version of Balrogga is pretty much the same as the NS version except in a few ways that will become apparent as the RP goes on. I would also like to note anything that happens will only apply to the Mirror Universe Invasion setting and not outside these threads.

I plan on running this version of Balrogga without holding anything back. I will not lower any abilities or powers the Empire possesses.

Behind the Balroggans, came the ships of Greater Hakurabi, a proud, long lived civilisation. They superficially resembled the Battleships of New Oxford, but were larger and armed with larger weapons. Their Emperor class warships were not much different from the older Magister and [/i]Rutherford[/i] warships, though they were increasingly massive and enjoyed even more pompous names from their predecessors.

At the star helm of the largest one, the Magnus Imperium, surrounded by a helmfield was Lord Admiral Leonardo De Parrius, regarded as one of the most brilliant strategists of his time. Unlike his mirror counterpart, he had not come to his position through skill and recognition, and had merely outmaneuvered his opponents on the political battlefield. He was a fox, that was to be sure, but he was by no means brilliant.

"The mirrors are weak and have abandoned the teachings of their forefathers. We shall crush them beneath our heels and recreate it a province of Greater Hakurabi!"

After the Hakurabi fleet left the wormhole, Nine Mercury Class Battlestars of the Alliance of Kobal exited. Like their mirror counterparts, this was a new sect of humans that were just begining to expand their way through the universe.

The Nine Battlestars took up a wall formation. Their draidus was going through the roof. Multiple unknown vessels in the area. Before the Lady of fire found the Alliance, and presented them with the most enticing gift, to gather more technology and more planets for their ever expanding will to unify the human species together under one government, namily theirs, the Alliance had never heard of the Constintine Space station.

The Alliance symbols remained largely the same as their Colonial counterparts. The battlestars were equally armed and equipted with their mirror version. However this crew knew they could not take over the Colonies with only nine battlestars. Instead they had to weaken it, try to make it collapse upon itself. They knew just how to do it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The Alliance of Kobal is very similiar to the Twelve Colonies of Kobal. The battlestars have the same kenetic weapons, as well as the modification from the Alien technology on board, such as sheilds, new armor that was both Missle resistant and energy weapon resistant and a holocloak system. They were fully loaded with five squadrons of Mark VIII Vipers and three squadrons of Mark II Raptors. THey were also equipt with the newest EMB shells forthe main cannons, The Alliance/Colonies version of an Ion cannon (think the EMP from Serenity).

Unlike the Colonies, which usually negotiates for technology, the Alliance prefers to try to force or use covert methods of aquiring technology. Their government is more oppressive than the colonial government, under the rule of the Dictator for life. Every ship also had a political officer, to make sure the captain followed the orders and procedures of the Dictator.

One Mobile Deathstar lowered it's Shields.

"Come. It is time to finalise our plans." Came Deuce's Voice over the airwaves. He was Lawful, and involved with almost every aspect of government, unlike his chaotic, dancing counterpart. He was also not someone to be messed around with, much like his mother.

Deuce waited for them to arrive, in a conference room with enough chairs for each Fleets lead General.

OOC: Note that this is not my full introduction, which I haven't had time to write yet due to a test this morning. It's more of a placeholder, to establish my presence before I fall too far behind in the plot. I''ve got something more detailed and interesting planned, and will add it as soon as time allows.

IC:
Next through the wormhole came the Kendaryn armada: scores of deadly battleships and hundreds of lesser vessels, in addition to the massive Drone Control Platforms and other support ships.

The black-armored fleet glided smoothly out of the way, powerful scanners beginnning to map the area. The Kendaryns probably wouldn't need most of this information, but it was an automatic procedure whenever stealth wasn't required.

At Deuce's call, a scout vessel departed one of the largest Kendaryn vessels, carrying two passengers to the Mobile Deathstar. Admiral Jaleth Vrell strode confidently into the conference room and took his seat, practically dripping with arogance. While he knew better then trifle with the Ri-anese leadership, Admiral Vrell was sure that he deserved to outrank most of the other leaders involved in the invasion. The slender, six-limbed, lizard-like creature that slipped in at Jaleth's heels settled into a comfortable coil behind the chair.

Deuce and his mother were among the small group that would recognize the Yamiri leader as the true master between these two - and the much smaller group that could deal with him without fear of manipulation.

OOC: Feel free to write any details of their arrival that you wish. The Yamiri are about human size, by the way. A description of Alt-Kendari will accompany my full intro, along with fleet numbers.

-IC-
-Former Neutral Zone

With a scanner-shorting explosion of radiation, energy, and gravitational distortions, yet another force emerged through the wormhole, albiet indirectly. The screams of spacetime and the explosion of heat and light bloomed into being to the side of the wormhole, the FTL signature of a Mekantan transpace jump.

In clusters, ship after ship emerged into this new universe's Truespace. The smooth white hulls of the Mekantan ships gleamed in the glow of thier transpace wake, clear green patterns glowing to life on thier surfaces. Their barrier systems and meager weapons arrays went through their standard active mode tests, bathing the ships in crimson and orange as thier barriers flashed in and out. Alongside the alabaster ships, massive viridian vessels punched through the fabric of the universe, pulsing green hulls containing thousands upon thousands of Emerald Warriors, biological soldiers bred by the Theocratic Commonwealth to bring life to barren worlds through the power of thier diety, ready to come crashing down upon the hateful heathens holding thier hellish hovels here.

Finally, the blinding lightshow and gravitational distortions faded, leaving twelve hundred Mekantan Lightships, and fifteen of the gigantic Emerald Seedships... and a large hole in thier formations that was quickly filled when a final, enormous transpace jump sent shockwaves through the entire assembled armada. From the wake emerged a lumbering behemoth, ivory hull playing with the light from the wake as four domes on its surface glowed bright green. The Enateth'ze Koral was the pride of the Neo-Mekantan Commonwealth's fleet, a giant Worldship designed to defend entire starsystems and assist in rebuilding any damage they sustained.

Its goal now was simple. Repair this false Mirror Universe. At all costs.


-Commonweath Worldship Conflict's Death
--Command Core

"<Of arrival to confirm.>"

"<To report of damage-no.>"

"<Ship-eye of space to be.>"

"<Status to be of all clear.>"

"<Of orders to have?>"

Fourty-two pairs of eyes turned from thier consoles to look to the center of the chamber where four entities sat and stood. The first, a Mekantan man with long black hair sitting comfortably in his command throne stood, a smirk crossing his face. Clear green eyes, matching the bands that crossed his cheeks, turned to the violet haired young woman who'd been sitting next to him, tracing the bands down her cheeks, picturing those on the other parts of her body before his smirk faded. "<Of Tashreh,>" Kaenin math Torethal said, eyes locked on the firey crimson eyes of the much younger female Mekantan. "<To meet of being> RHEE-AHN."

"<To be.>" Tashreh math Zaril responded softly, standing and bowing before turning to a lower-ranking Mekantan officer. "<To ready of ship. Of fleet to inform of position change-not.>"

"<To be.>"

A sound similar to two sticks being rubbed together, amplified a hundredfold, interupted them. "<To go. Of> RHEE-AHN <to be of contacting-much.>" Kaethxal, a massive creature that looked to be made entirely of plant matter, stepped forward slightly, grumbling. His smooth form shined with moisture as he turned his four gloing crimson eyes to Tashreh. "<To go as well. To oppose-not?>" His long, sharp claws tapped softly on the silver floor, stopping when Tashreh nodded.

"<To be.>" She replied, nodding before turning to the final person and bowing deeply. "<To go of having-be your blessing, great God of Creation
...>"

U
pon a raised platfom sat the god of Neo-Mekanta, an entity composed of mechanical cells with the power to reshape the universe and alter matter to his whims. Long, bright crimson hair hung to his ankles as he stood, youthful yet wise face stretched in a wide smile as he placed a hand on Tashreh's head, the long sleeve of the loose white robe he wore hanging off the side of her face. "<To go of having-be blessing of me, child.>" When he removed his hand and saw the female, barely past childhood, give a rare smile and leave the command core, he sat upon his elaborate throne, nodding to Kaethxal as the Emerald left. Tsukuru, the God of Creation and ruler of the Theocratic Commonwealth, closed his avatar's eyes and rested his head against the back of the throne. "<To sense.>"

"<To be, great God of Creation. Of awareness, to have.>" Kaenin replied, taking a deep breath. "<To appologize. Of Tashreh to...>" his eyes drifted away shamefully, "<... have desired...>"

"<To feel-not shame. Of weakness to be Mekantan. To know, to accept.>"

"<... To thank...>"


-Conference Room, Ri-anese Mobile Death Star

In a short display of light a short gust of warm wind, Tashreh and Kaethxal were displaced into the room where Deuce awaited, both bowing politely. "It is good to meet you again, Deuce." Kaethxal ground, sincerity in what passed for his voice as he rose, eyes scanning the room.

Tashreh remained bowing a moment longer, the quiet young officer showing no signs of nervousness despite her shyness. "May our victory be swift, and as bloodless as possible, honored ally."


-OOC-
Theocratic Commonwealth (Mirror Universe) Forces
Commonwealth Worldship "Enateth'ze Koral" ("Conflict's Death")
Twelve hundred (1200) Lightships
Fifteen (15) Emerald Seedships
Nearly a hundred thousand Emerald Warriors
One (and thus, one too many) Nanite Entity, "Tsukuru, the God of Creation"

Ri-an: I assumed the embassy would be mirrored as well. If you disagree or want it gone, I'll remove any references to Kaethxal (I think that was the Lord I sent. Either him or Xaethrial...) being a contact for Ri-an. Same goes for the displacement. ^_^

The Theocratic Commonwealth is a mirror of the Galactic Hegemony in values, methods, fleet structure, and social order. The innate cruelty and aggression of the Mekantan species is suppressed rather than encouraged. Hordes of small, weak Mekantan ships of a smooth, bright design asthetic are in place instead of the Hegemony's monolithic, rough, spiney, dark hulled nightmares. The Zircon are entirely replaced by the Emerald, plant-like organic flesh replacing rock-like bodies, smooth moist designs replacing the rough skin and spikes of the Zircon, four eyes instead of the one, and large powerful ships instead of being the cannon fodder of Neo-Mekantan fleet battles.

The mirroring goes as far as individual characters. (Damn my attention to details!) Especially noticable is Minagoroshi's counterpart, thanks to the New Achidna Project resulting in the development of a different persona for the nanite weapon. Destruction in "Minagoroshi," or wholesale slaughter, is replaced by birth in "Tsukuru," or to create. That, and the whole "pelvic nanites building outward rather than inward on the avatars" thing.

I'll post the Hegemony's reaction, or at least that of the characters I'm using, (heh heh heh) soon. Notice the "awareness" bit above? Ever seen Gundam? Know what a Newtype flash is? Want me to stop asking rhetorical questions? Aware that I'll tell you to piss off because I'm Neo-freaking-Mekanta? Good. ^_^

OCC: Well, here it goes... This is good for a start, I brain is fried currently...

IC: An old, withered old man rolled down the corridor in his mechanical wheelchair wondering about the future. He had semi-gray "I've been around that long" hair, old light blue eyes that screamed for moisture, skin that looked like it would flake off even at the slightest movement, and two legs that would never, ever be used again.

His name was Dr. Winston Cray.

He had only just recently learned of the entire scheme of things... He began to recall the events that led him here... The secrets he'd learned...

Cray shook his head Let's see here he thought

Life, life as I once knew it is entirely gone... My research... All this time I'd thought WE had discovered an alien race... but... it turned out to be quite the opposite.

Cray passed some shrouded "Blind" members, even though they could not see, they were still warriors and nodded to him as he passed. Cray nodded back, even though it didn't matter.

So this bug creatures, this Hetwan... originally founded the city that conquered all the others? And they just left? He shook his head. Alien behaviors are unusual.

Cray glanced down at the report that told the story.

TOP SECRET
HETWAN"S FOUNDING
The city of Hetwan was founded sometime 163 B.C.

The Hetwan (not to be confused with the citizens of the nation of Hetwan) somehow crossed the barrier between the two universes and established their religion in the growing unnamed city.
For reasons unknown, they left after a day. That was enough. The Citizens of the city adopted the religion and named their city after the creatures that gave them the "truth".

That city went on to conquer the rest of the continent.

<<TOP SECRET>>


The Hetwan... Cray thought of an description About 5.5 tall, long wings behind back (makes shoulders seem broad), moves on this, bowed legs that end in soft pads (they make a faint squishing sound, like someone with new sneakers), above the feet there were knees, and from the knees sharp, forward–aimed spikes protruded. The head is round, dominated by two large, flat insect eyes. But the single thing that caches the eye is the mouth. It’s almost human at the center, but three jointed, grasping claws ring the mouth. The claws work constantly, reaching, grabbing at nothing, then pulling in toward the mouth. They have a faint, fluttery, whispery voice. They have pale yellow blood.

This did not however explain the Grays involvement with the Hetwan.

The Grays were the definition of what most people would think to be an alien. They're small sized, with large heads that dwarf their bodies. Two large eyes, Black, all black as no pupils are present. They speak telepathically and using hand gestures. There are rumors of Grays being able to conduct energy shield and even create fully armed Black Ops members using their minds and energy.

Of course, they are only rumors...

After a gray research vessel crashed and was discovered in the Thesomanillian desert, The Grays and Hetwan agreed to come through the barrier between universes and exchange info and "help" the government.

They didn't show up...

The Grays were never late, Something big was happening in the other universe.

Cray was on his way to meet Mr. White, a higher up in the Blind and Black Ops, and also one of the Grays greatest human allies. Cray opened a door with his keycard and prepared to be teleported to the moon for the meeting.

OCC: Just want to clear some things up if you don't already know, There is an
advanced stealth system located on the moon. That hides the planet well, along with its "out of place" location and lack of useable resources. The general population knows nothing about anything and knows as much about the universe as we do today.

"Have done with sorrow;
I'll bring you plums to-morrow
Fresh on their mother twigs,
Cherries worth getting;
You cannot think what figs
My teeth have met in,
What melons, icy-cold
Piled on a dish of gold
Too huge for me to hold,
What peaches with a velvet nap,
Pellucid grapes without one seed:
Odorous indeed must be the mead
Whereon they grow, and pure the wave they drink,
With lilies at the brink,
And sugar-sweet their sap."

Vapor crystallized into icy patterns on the paper-thin plastaglass window. Outside the stars drizzled by, so close that Seuline imagined she could dip one velvet paw into the darkness of space and scoop an entire galaxy. Instead she tapped her stylus against the slick blackness of her cabin wall, causing a pulsating holographic 'wormhole' to form on the ceiling. It swirled, cool blue tendrils of artificial plasma fell endlessly to the heart. It looked like a sucking wound, or a mouth.

Seuline's almond-shaped pupils narrowed. She would be heading deep within that mouth soon. Not by choice, but perhaps by destiny. She wondered what the mirror Kesshii would be like. Were they still proud and free? Would she watch as their world was brought to its knees as her kin-mothers had watched their world brought low?

Her tail twitched in agitation, only the slightest flicking of the end though. Seuline was only a slave, and had learned in even as a kit to show little emotion. She must always be a most pleasing tool for that alone was the measure of her worth in the eyes of the Rianese. She tapped at the wall again. The wormhole slipped from existence.

Her transport sped to the where the Death Stars were assembling.

~~~

The /humanoid/ sprinted down the warm, muscular hallway. Sweat soaked his hair and slid down his naked form. There was a pain deep within his head. The shuddering, horrified fear of the sentient /explore-ship/ echoed into all of its occupants. The attackers had breached it carapace and seemed to have burrowed to a nerve center. As the /humanoid/ passed another wide, organic corridor, he heard a deep, inhuman screech. He slowed only slightly as he caught sight of the creature slithering after him. It was much taller than he, its body covered in natural armor, and its arms ended in two, cruel looking talons.

This was not the enemy, but a /bishop/ hurrying to the same nerve center he sought. It quickly outpaced him, and he could see its back as they headed downwards into the darkness of a nerve core.

The smell of blood was thick, his altered physiology allowed him to see the cooling remains of several of the bloated, octopus like /hierophants/ as he reached his destination. The /bishop/ had flung itself mindlessly into a cluster of /non-Kesshite/, thrashing out with talons that easily tore their exposed flesh. The /humanoid/ paused first, however, he noticed their bodies were giving off no heat. Necroids? Yes, that would explain how they had gotten so far.

Spit - he sent the message along the group consciousness of the Kesshite. The /bishop/ immediately reared up, unhinging its jaw, and then spewed out a thick, viscid acid on the group. Their already rotting flesh sizzled and began to quickly burn away. Satisfied with the result, the bishop began to spray other groups with his vomit as they tried to empty their chain guns at it.

"I have been called. It is my task to go." said a human Novaen, Admiral DesNipes, leader of the Human forces in the invasion of the Mirror universe.

Without a single word more he left the bridge and went towards the shuttles heading for the meeting with Deuce on the Ri-anese ship. However on another ship Vr'trk Kch'ych. The sauron, having his name in the Ancient Sauron language also left. The two arrived, not speaking to one another when they did both arrive at the conference, despite their seats not being assigned they took seats facing each other. Their hatred for each other was so strong it had turned into an attractive force.

As the old saying goes, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, you could almost see the sparks flying, no words where said but they were here because the idea of humans living with Saurons and vice-versa where so disgusting that such arrangements could not be stand. Even as the occasional inter-specie love affair came into being it would be quickly snuffed out, you can't love if you are dead.

As well as you don't mess around with the dreaded Lady nor her Son, they were there and ready to start, the two parties had one goal and for once had something to unite them, however it was their hatred of each that united them against, well, themselves.

A single shuttle launched from The Hades.

“This is Admiral Ga’Ton if the Imperial Forces requesting permission to land.”

After getting the permission, he brought his shuttle into the landing bay and met with the waiting representative to lead him to the conference.

Once there he quietly took his seat. Now was not a time to show how strong or weak you were. Now was the time to put that behind and let it show on the battlefield. Instead of introducing himself, he assumed the others would know who he was.

The shuttle left the Magnus Imperium, emblazoned proudly with the image of a golden gryphon on either side of the cockpit.

Onboard was Lord Admiral Parrius, holding a gold-embroidered informations pad.

"Under the Lady of Fire, we will crush the aberrants and achieve victory... And the Mirror will be ours to reshape in our likeness."

---

The Lord Admiral threw open the the doors to the meeting room, flanked by imposing looking powersuits holding large chainguns in both hands.

Before anybody could express outrage, he waved them away and sat down, resplendent in his dull yellow uniform trimmed with gold.

OOC: Monday I'll do the meeting, just wanna give everyone a fair shake at getting in.

On board the Alliance of Kobal's Flagship the BSG 32 Ares.

Commander Fisk is currently on watch. He was amazed at how many ships were gathered. So many uncatalogued species, in a region of space, both real and mirror. How could this have gone unnoticed by the alliance? However this was an advantage, as their mirror would not know of their arrival either. The stage was set.

Admiral Cain walks onto the CIC. Commander Fisk and the crew stand up and salute the Admiral.

She walks around the CIC, her hands behind her back, as she walked past every station. This was a habit of hers, to intimidate the crew into obeying her everyword with minimum resistance.

Admiral Cain, dressed in the standard black uniform of the Alliance walks up to Commander Fisk.

"Report Jack", she says.

"All ships accounted for Admiral. No unusual readings, besides the mirror and real vessels. No sign of our mirrors anywhere, it would seem they have explored very little of the outside solar system as we have."

Admiral Cain grins, "Good, this should make things a lot easier. Prepare a course to Caprica, and spion up the FTL drive."

Commander Fisk, nervously replies, "Admiral, the Lady of Fire wishes to have a meeting with all of the command officers before commencing."

Admiral Cain," Of course, prepare a Raptor and I will head over to the flag ship."

-------------------------------------------------------------

Outside the Alliance Battlegroup, a lone Mark II Raptor begins to take off heading to the Lady of Fire's ship.

OOC: K, I'm back-let's see if Jolt doesn't eat post #2.

IC:

The wormhole belched up another time, the aperture widening and warping space as a giant monstrosity jumped forth from the gate. The stars mutated, frizzled, then returned as the massive behemoth came forth. It was easily a quarter of the size of a small moon or orbital body, a giant spectrum of greens, yellows, reds, and violets dotting the "ship" as it moved into the former neutral zone, desecrated now by the forming of mirror ships for the invasion. The giant form moved forth, its shape fully coming into view. The thing was ovaloid in shape, large flanges coming off of the main body at points, small in context but still massive compared to the average spacegoing vessel.

Inside this monster, however, things were somewhat different. The thing itself wasn't particularly thick as a solid-the interior was dominated by a giant cavernous bay. Fleshy columns vertically stuck down from the bay's pulsating cieling, red and orange tendrils skewing off from the columns at quick intervals. Off of these sturdy, yet flexible tendrils, organic-looking things of all shapes and sizes-from kilometers to mere meters-stayed attached, floating in the void in equilibrium.

The truth was this was all a collective, yet all maintaining independence. It was all alive, a living, functioning mass of beasts and beings. The ships themselves were alive, as was the main behemoth, developing creatures. They did not move themselves, however, as sentients walked and crawled the halls made by the ship-creatures. They were the "Amazonian Collective", the dozens of species that made it up living and working inside the spacefaring creatures that served as an invasion fleet.

In the center of the primary vessel, a diamond shape sat, perfectly in the zone of balance of the ship's sectors. Inside it sat the Matrix, the supreme commander of this particular fleet. His eyes watched the interior of the bay, as the workers of the main ship entered in and out of the diamond-his "throne"-to heed his bidding and transfer those commands to the main ship workers themselves. The Matrix was neither good nor evil, yet it was hungry. It sought others, it sought to incorporate them through the Collective's Infectors-the workhorses of the invasion group, those that would do the mainstay of the converting of those of the real universe to the way of the Collective.

As the call of the Mirror Ri-anese spread throughout the Mirror fleet to meet at her ship, the Matrix issued out commands through speech.

"To these calls we will address
Send but those we know the best."

The Matrix issued, and the Collective obeyed. From the central command of the vessel, one of the Matrix's advisors-the elite caste of the Clairvoyents-moved towards one of the vertical spires, accompanied by three Seraphs-the elite combat units of the Collective. The Clairvoyents had once been the human-like analogies of the Collective, while the Seraphs were fairly close to the Amazonian Dominion's Sangheili-but centuries, millenia of the organic life led by the Collective had turned these creatures into something else-an almost-mutant form of flesh, muscle, sinew, and bone.

Upon reaching the center of the spire, the four entered into one of the tendrils, linking to a organic ship roughly thirty meters long. The vessel was overall horizontally tranigular in shape, but analogous to all the organic vessels-it was unique in appearance and had its own oddities of bumps, slits, and jars. The four walked into the vessel as another being-a drone, the pilots of the Collective and a rather weak race-entered behind them and stepped up to the "pilot's seat", a sitting area where the pilot linked into a headlink of sort that alloed the drone to communicate directly with the ship.

The shuttle took off, dislinking from the tendril as two cylindrical rear appendages shot out natural fuel, burning it into a bright blue shaft. The vessel turned quickly, than jetted forth, blasting past larger bioships analogous to battleships, frigates, corvettes, carriers, cruisers, fighters...all types. A small hole opened up in the worldship's hull, the flesh and meat pulling back as a natural energy field expanded in the inside of that flesh, capable of letting ships in and out but protecting the inner atmosphere of gases in the main bay. Another energy field had emerged on the outer layer of the hull, protecting against unwanted visitors. The outer field went down just as the shuttle went through, then returned up as the fleshy aperture closed.

The shuttle jetted towards the Mirror Ri-anese vessel of the Lady of Fire as the Collective Worldship settled to a stop, sitting tight.

* * * * *

The Clairvoyent-Ura Ty'alem-moved quickly to the conference room, accessing the door and opening it. The Seraphs followed him inside, carrying no weapons-they would need no external weapons anyway. Quietly, the Clairvoyent took a seat as the others mingled, the trio of Seraphs ringing him protectively.

OOC: On my finalized Mirror race, it's a combination of the aliens from Independence Day, the Flood and Covenant of Halo, and the Yuuzhan Vong from Star Wars. I'm primarily drawing on the Flood-my race's main goal is to infect and bring into the fold the real universe occupants-but I utilize the others too. Completely organic race, though they can use technology if pressed.

OOC: I've decided to use The Lady of fire in both meetings at the same time.

IC:

Once everyone had been gathered and seated.

Deuce turned to face those gathered in the meeting.

"right. So we all know why we're here, basicly, to conquer and destroy these unworthy fools that inhabit this universe, and we all want to take on out Mirror selves. I don't blame you. It will happen, exactly as you've stratigised earlier, in the taking and conquering of your Mirror self, but it needs one minor, important change. Each of us, must help each other, or surely we will all lose. We know our Mirror Selves well, and it would not take much, for them to figure us out too, and thus, it would either be a Stalemate, or Mutually assured Destruction, and anything less than victory is unnacceptable."

"We won't let you win!" said one of the two chained men on the floor, natives of this universe. Without even lloking Deuce backhanded the man so hard he decapitated the man, head bouncing off a couple walls and landing in front of the door, just as The Lady of Fire herself walked, hair all ablaze.

"You haven't been getting any trouble, have you?" she asked in a manner that hinted at what she could do.

"None at all, just some lip from the captives, can't have that now." Deuce said calmly.

"Messy messy messy. Go run and fetch some cleaning supplies Deuce, you got Blood on my Death Fortress." The Lady of Fire said.

Deuce nodded, and quietly left.

"So, I heard what he said, and continuing from where he left off, prior to the minor interuption, It would be unadvisable for us to all attack a single target at once, then our future Targets would quickly figure us out and, stop us. Weak fools they may be, it is still true that there is strength in numbers. Fools assume they are unstoppable.

So how to do it then? we have to help each other of course, so then, I leave it to you. all our fleets must attack all the targets at once, in a massive remarkable well coordinated effort. You know your own strengths better than I, so I want suggustions and opinions on how to go about this.

Oh yes, leave Ri-an out for last, it will require the entire Mirror Alliance to get around their defences. that means all of us up here in the stars, and all our ships, and all the Neandrethals I'm using to wipe out earth." The Lady of Fire said.

"Tell them of Ri-an's defences, of The mana fortresses, the space Shields, the Space creatures." TLOF ordered the other hapless prisoner.

"No." Was the last thing he ever said.

"WHAT! You don't tell me no! NO ONE TELLS ME NO AND SURVIVES!" TLOF yelled.

Then she glared at the man, and the temperature rose to the point everyone felt uncomfortable, but especially the prisoner. He was sweating profusly, then screamed in horror and agony as his flesh melted off his body. With nothing to hold them together, his insides fell to the ground and melted, then his skeleton toppled over and melted. Finally, the heat let off, leaving a pile of ash where once there was a man.

She turned with a deadly Glare.

"No one tells me no." She said quietly.

Calming down, and returning the heat to normal, she looked around the room.

"So, how about those suggustions I asked for." she said in a sweet innocent tone.

Deuce walked in with cleaning supplies and set to work sweeping up the ash.

"You set fire to the engine room again Mother. No damage, it was quickly contained." deuce said.

Admiral Cain wipes the sweat off her forehead. The temperature was intense in this room, and the fact that she was in full ceremonial uniform did not help It was a black Alliance uniform with the Alliance Emblem on it. 12 feathers of one bird stretched to the sky. Around her chest was a grey sash with many medals she had earned during her short yet productive career. She stands up, with a wicked grin on her face.

"The answer is simple," she responds.

"During our preperation stage for this conflict, our strategist on Caprica had found out many complications. First of all our mirrors have the advantage. They have planets for supply lines, they have more numbers in ships and weapons than we do. They even have access to many allies.

Our situation is infact grim, they have in fact home field advantage."

She pulled at her collar a second to let some of the heat out of her black uniform, and to wipe the sweat off her neck.

I suggest we move in sideways. Most of our mirrors do not know we exist, or even if they did they would have no reason to think we crossed into their universe. Our ships, language, our very thoughts are very similiar as you pointed out, my lady. Instead let us use that against them. We do not need 10,000 ships to win, we only need one. It is better to make a surgical strike with a knife, and no one knows than use a missle and allow everyone to know we are here.

The reason the Alliance only sent nine battlestars is simple. Attack our mirror's allies, and attack our enemies. Turn everyone against our mirrors. With this universe's social stucture in collapse, and the chaos that would ensue, victory would be assured. A house divided can not stand, so let's cut the house in half.

Admiral Cain then sits back down in her black leather chair. She hoped her comrads would see the wisdom in such a plan.

-Conference Room, Ri-anese Death Fortress

Tashreh shook her head when Admiral Cain finished speaking, eyes locking on the Terran woman as her perpetual frown deepened. The heat meant little to her, the increase in temperature being well within the rather high temperature tolorances of the Mekantan species. The tactical disadvantage made apparent to her, however, was not. "There are those who no doubt knowing..." She said softly, taking a moment to make sure her langauge was correct.

She brought a hand up to the violet band on her right cheek, slowly fading in the light of the Ri-anese warship.

"I felt a presence, as soon as entering this universe..."


-High Temple of Minagoroshi, Ihkasutare
--Thronecore of the Hegemony

Across the galaxy, a young Mekantan woman with three violet braids running down her back gasped softly, rising from her knees and interupting her prayer. Her eyes immediately went to the gold and crimson throne at the center of the rough black chamber she stood within, eyes closing. "<Of Goddess...>"

At her words, countless black particles swirled up from the ebon floor, a dark cloud that billions had learned to fear as a mighty destructive force. The Mekantans, however, knew it simply as the Goddess All-Consuming. It took only moments for the onyx cloud to condense, soft pale flesh appearing where but air was before. When all was finished, a woman stood before the female Mekantan dressed in a loose black robe, firey crimson hair hanging down to her ankles. "<To sense-being...>" Minagoroshi said softly, smiling at her devoted follower. "<To know.>"

"<Of presence, of Mekanta-being... Of brothers?>"

"<To be. To be of...>" The Goddess All-Consuming frowned, "<... interest... Of Xaenin-Overlord to know-being.>"

The woman frowned, shoulders dropping slightly. "<Of Mekanta-being-people, to sense many...>"

"<To smile-being.>" The nanite entity placed a hand on the young woman's chin, smiling. "<Of Tashreh to smile-not never. Of now to never-not-be.>"

The woman's usual smile slowly spread across her face as she nodded, breaking into the usual energetic grin she wore. "<To be, Goddess. Of orders-having?>"

"<To wait-be. Of Mekanta-being-people, to watch. Of allies, to watch. Of war to have-being-perhaps...>" Minagoroshi watched as Tashreh math Zarill bowed and walked out of her Thronecore, bouncing with barely contained energy and enthusiasm. Her avatar slowly dispersed, her cells scattering to the walls again. Something wasn't right... Not at all...


-Conference Room, Ri-anese Death Fortress

"A Mekantan can rare hide from another without masking their psychic profile..." Tashreh explained, eyes closing. "I felt the presence of other Mekantans when passed though the gate. It is possible they sensed us before our psychic barriers could be erected."

"Appologies, great Lady of Fire. This was not foreseen, but will pose no threat." Kaethxal ground, four eyes fading slightly as he bowed to the Lady of Fire. "Should the false Neo-Mekanta intervene, we shall stop them for the good of this world, soon to belong to your mighty empire."

"Admiral Cain's plan shows merit, but there will be those who have different militaries. Such actions would be noticed. If striking their agricultural worlds and supply routes, we shall weaken them. A show of power would then be enough to force a surrender. If not, direct force is an unfortunate but no doubt effective backup." The unenthusiastic tone Tashreh held was deepened as she closed her eyes. "The geographic layout of this galaxy is also similar to our own, though minor differences exist. We can establish a central base of operations and fortify this beachhead to discourage attempts to drive us away. By establishing a supply base here and adapting our existing knowlage, we can eliminate several advantages our enemies hold, nlya'kya'nlya?"

Vr'trk Kch'ych, hissed at Admiral Cain.

"One thing you forget Admiral Cain. How will our Mirror-self Allies recognise the differences. All our enemies allies will see is a Civil-war. No much how much protestation of the governments."

"Anothing thing that someon forgot," the tone undeniable, he was talking about Vr'trk Kch'ych.

"You will use my title when addressing me, Ape." retorted the Vr'trk.

The Admiral ignored the comment and continued.. "What I was saying he scowled is that before we attack. We infiltrate our mirrors gain their communication secrets and then we'd be unrecognisable from our mirror selves, to their Allies of course." DesNiles smiled until the Vr-trk announced.

"That would mean a Sauron and Human inflitrating our pathetic Mirror. Who would be incharge?"

"Us of course..."

As you might know the two of them started an insult flinging match a single word from the Lady of Fire would stop it however but until that happens the two will continue to bicker, about irrelevant things.

The show by the Lady of Fire did little to impress the Collective party. As a collective, the group was more than used to different temperatures, pressures, and other factors-natural means were somewhat useless at this point against the Collective that had adapted through nature for many millenia. The Clairvoyent, however, made a disdainful grunt at both the suggestions presented.

"The first has merit," the creature began, speaking through a universal translator to translate the Collective's low gutteral language, "yet it also has its holes. A simple campaign of directing them against one another would be nowhere near as successful as you make it out to be. Once our presented force showed a speck, they would unite, and unite all against us. It would be over before it started."

"The second finds realization, yet it presents weakness as well. Striking supply lines and backdrop is a good harrassing strategy, but simply coupled with a show of force will do little more than to solidify the fortitude of our opponents. Only the weak submit when they risk the danger of having their entire independence forever conquered."

"We must first solidify our holdings in this locale. The wormhole is here, and local defense has been cleared. We can transfer supplies and other commodities to our position through our own home. From there, we can begin leeching off the local systems," -the Clairvoyent used the word 'leeching' somewhat carelessly at that point- "and bolster our own offensive capabilities with some knowledge of the region and current affairs. From there, we can begin a considerably more successful intervention plan in the affairs of target governments and societies. While such infiltration occurs, we should make a hard hit at one stop, and make a concentrated push. While that point is strengthened by our opponents, smaller groups-perhaps a fusing of a few of our combined force-can strike at smaller positions, less defended critical junctions, of each enemy. They will need to redirect force to combat these minor pushes, depraving the main hold of strength, which will allow our main force to make a concentrated move against their weakness. With a main defense shattered, each can be broken down into their constituents."

The Clairvoyent stopped there, moving back in his seat for response as the Seraphs stood silent around him. He positied his three feet beneath his chair, in a steadying pose.

Vr'trk Kch'ych, hissed at Admiral Cain.

"One thing you forget Admiral Cain. How will our Mirror-self Allies recognise the differences. All our enemies allies will see is a Civil-war. No much how much protestation of the governments."

"Anothing thing that someon forgot," the tone undeniable, he was talking about Vr'trk Kch'ych.

"You will use my title when addressing me, Ape." retorted the Vr'trk.

The Admiral ignored the comment and continued.. "What I was saying he scowled is that before we attack. We infiltrate our mirrors gain their communication secrets and then we'd be unrecognisable from our mirror selves, to their Allies of course." DesNiles smiled until the Vr-trk announced.

"That would mean a Sauron and Human inflitrating our pathetic Mirror. Who would be incharge?"

"Us of course..."

As you might know the two of them started an insult flinging match a single word from the Lady of Fire would stop it however but until that happens the two will continue to bicker, about irrelevant things.

"Gentlemen, stop fighting with each other, or else."

DesNiles stopped haranging the Sauron part way through a sentence. For a moment the table fell deathly quite as the words "or else" echoed around the room.

The two of them sat and were only game to speak up for the rest of the meeting should they be directly asked a question, They didn't want to risk the ladies ire any more.

Admiral Cain smiles at Vr'trk Kch'ych.

My ships are quite effective at subterfuge. Perhaps your species will be able to see a minor difference, however after dealing with a race that we created that was great at subterfuge, we became quite adept. I am not suggesting that my plan is for you, especially with you having such a huge fleet, you should not do this. Your fleet may be mightly, however it is hard to hide.

I do agree with the Amazonian plan however. In order to have any chance of winning, we do need a supply line, and a planet or station to work from. Without such supply lines we are doomed to fail.

I believe that the Amazonian plan is a good start, but lingering too long to create a beach head can be the death of us. I suggest we begin to work on the beachhead, and any spareships that will not be needed, should immediatly be dispatched to enrage our allies and enemies. At worst case scenerio our mirror selves will be in a political tumble, too much of one to notice a slight build up in one tiny sector of space.

Admiral Cain smiles. One thing we need to do is speak civil of each other. If we do not treat each other with respect, then we have already lost, and I do not lose. If you continue to "hiss" in my direction then, may God have pity on you, as I will not. She smiles.

Greenbase

With a flash of light, Dr. Cray's body eventually appeared in the teleportation chamber. As the last of his skin fell in place Cray shuddered.

"Never can get used to that." he muttered. Cray rolled onto the platform where the scientists were readying another teleportation. A man Cray knew as Victor-5 same up to him.

"Uh... Is the doctor... Is the doctor ready?" he said in a shaky voice,

"I'm ready Victor-5, let's go already." Cray snapped, Annoyed that White had sent Victor-5 to lead him.

Victor-5 was a failed cloning of Victor, Dr. Cray's recently decreased lab assistant. Apparently, something in the brain cloning had triggered a form of autism. Leaving Victor-5 child-like and with a undesirable need of approval.

"Al... Alright... The doctor... The doctor wants to go..." Victor-5 muttered to himself as he placed his hand against the scanner to activate the lift to the command center of the moon-base (now called Greenbase after a radio message was intercepted by a civialian, the civilian met a strange... death...).

As the doors opened Mr. White stepped to greet them.
"Welcome Gentlemen." He said with an odd smile (even though all his smiles were odd). "This way please."

It was only after they began walking did Cray notice the markings on the back of White's head.

He's a clone. Cray thought with surprise. So White has already found out to make perfect clones...

The markings on the fake Mr. White's head was the numeral term in the gray's language for one. The first clone, and almost flawless... W1 lead them into the command center where several black ops, blind, scientists, security forces, and white clones were milling about, on one business or another...

The real Mr. White was in the center directing the mess.

"Move that equipment over there."
"Try to patch through an signal."
"Do NOT sound the alarms, do you want to start a panic?"

Suddenly as Cray went over to speak to White, The Gray research vassal they've come to know as The Border-crosser (in the gray's natural language of course) jumped into the space above them. In seconds five or six some Grays materialized in the teleporter used only by the Grays.

All work ceased.

"What is going on?" Mr. White asked the Grays.

"No Time." One of the Grays answered. (The grays were using all telepathic abilities to talk, it was almost impossible to tell which one.
"Something that may compromise our safety is happening. You
White, must with us.

"Fine." Mr. White snapped back at the Grays.

This is a very distressing situation. Cray thought.

White noticed Cray for the first time. "Dr. Cray, All of Greenbase's functions are yours to command until I return." Without waiting for a answer White and several Black Ops guards entered the Gray's teleportation slots and, with a flash of light, were gone.

A few seconds later the Gray's ship disappeared with a similar flash.

I wonder to where this will lead... Cray thought, and then began giving directions to a stunned personal.

Gray Research Ship

"We will have to travel through the void. A Gray said to White before they jumped. The void was a blank area of time and space. Nothing was there/here, no stars, no movement, no life. The Gray's had, apparently, discovered something out here. White found that hard to believe.

A few seconds later, they were outside of a large fleet of some sort.

"What is this?" White asked amused.

"They jumped through our universe into yours. A Gray answered. "They have already began to attack their others.

This caused White to pause and think.

That could be a problem...

"We are going to try and make peace with them. Another Gray said. "Before they decide we are enemies.

"And if they decide to shoot us out of space?" White asked.

"Then they decide to shoot us out of space. The Gray answered.

A message was sent from the ship to all the strange ships in the huge fleet.

We have come with an offer of alliance and mutual benefit. We hope you will let speak with you.

The Lady of Fire seemed to think.

She formed a ball of Green fire, and it whizzed through the air, sizzled down a hall, and brought back an Aquamarinian.

this was one from The Mirror Universe.

"Well our maps of Fluidic Space work for this side?" she asked.

"In theory, yes." Said the Aquamarinian.

"You live to see another day." TLOF said as the Green fireball took him away.

"Supplies are solved, right after we take one of the rare bubble worlds in Fluidic Space. A Bubble world is a world with an Atmosphere, and life like Earth. In fact, there's a system of them not too far away in Fluidic Space. If their still unclaimed, then we won't have to work up a sweat liberating them then."

Greenbase

With a flash of light, Dr. Cray's body eventually appeared in the teleportation chamber. As the last of his skin fell in place Cray shuddered.

"Never can get used to that." he muttered. Cray rolled onto the platform where the scientists were readying another teleportation. A man Cray knew as Victor-5 same up to him.

"Uh... Is the doctor... Is the doctor ready?" he said in a shaky voice,

"I'm ready Victor-5, let's go already." Cray snapped, Annoyed that White had sent Victor-5 to lead him.

Victor-5 was a failed cloning of Victor, Dr. Cray's recently decreased lab assistant. Apparently, something in the brain cloning had triggered a form of autism. Leaving Victor-5 child-like and with a undesirable need of approval.

"Al... Alright... The doctor... The doctor wants to go..." Victor-5 muttered to himself as he placed his hand against the scanner to activate the lift to the command center of the moon-base (now called Greenbase after a radio message was intercepted by a civialian, the civilian met a strange... death...).

As the doors opened Mr. White stepped to greet them.
"Welcome Gentlemen." He said with an odd smile (even though all his smiles were odd). "This way please."

It was only after they began walking did Cray notice the markings on the back of White's head.

He's a clone. Cray thought with surprise. So White has already found out to make perfect clones...

The markings on the fake Mr. White's head was the numeral term in the gray's language for one. The first clone, and almost flawless... W1 lead them into the command center where several black ops, blind, scientists, security forces, and white clones were milling about, on one business or another...

The real Mr. White was in the center directing the mess.

"Move that equipment over there."
"Try to patch through an signal."
"Do NOT sound the alarms, do you want to start a panic?"

Suddenly as Cray went over to speak to White, The Gray research vassal they've come to know as The Border-crosser (in the gray's natural language of course) jumped into the space above them. In seconds five or six some Grays materialized in the teleporter used only by the Grays.

All work ceased.

"What is going on?" Mr. White asked the Grays.

"No Time." One of the Grays answered. (The grays were using all telepathic abilities to talk, it was almost impossible to tell which one.
"Something that may compromise our safety is happening. You
White, must with us.

"Fine." Mr. White snapped back at the Grays.

This is a very distressing situation. Cray thought.

White noticed Cray for the first time. "Dr. Cray, All of Greenbase's functions are yours to command until I return." Without waiting for a answer White and several Black Ops guards entered the Gray's teleportation slots and, with a flash of light, were gone.

A few seconds later the Gray's ship disappeared with a similar flash.

I wonder to where this will lead... Cray thought, and then began giving directions to a stunned personal.

Gray Research Ship

"We will have to travel through the void. A Gray said to White before they jumped. The void was a blank area of time and space. Nothing was there/here, no stars, no movement, no life. The Gray's had, apparently, discovered something out here. White found that hard to believe.

A few seconds later, they were outside of a large fleet of some sort.

"What is this?" White asked amused.

"They jumped through our universe into yours. A Gray answered. "They have already began to attack their others.

This caused White to pause and think.

That could be a problem...

"We are going to try and make peace with them. Another Gray said. "Before they decide we are enemies.

"And if they decide to shoot us out of space?" White asked.

"Then they decide to shoot us out of space. The Gray answered.

A message was sent from the ship to all the strange ships in the huge fleet.

We have come with an offer of alliance and mutual benefit. We hope you will let speak with you.

The Speak from there or be destroyed. if we like the Premise, you live, and may board to further explain. If not, then we will be sure to mercifully kill you in one blow.

Several cannons aimed at the ship all at once.

Ga’Ton shook his head.

“I thought our objective was to destroy these Parody beasts, not subjugate them for labor camps. You are dealing with your equal in size. There is no way you can contain that many prisoners without completely evacuating your entire homeland and assigning the citizens guard duty. The only way is to destroy them; there is no other feasible option available.”

“We will not go after our Parody; instead we will assist those others who wish our assistance. Afterwards all those we helped will return the favor and destroy ours with our help. We cannot directly confront our opposite because out ships will not allow it. They have been designed to be incapable of attacking our own nation so they could never be used in that function. There is no way to reprogram them because it is incorporated into their very being. We can act as shields while you fire from behind them but direct confrontation is not possible. That part can be figured out later. The important is here and now.”

“We are willing to send enough forces with each of you to obliterate an entire system for the return favor. After we are done, we can all wipe out the Ri-an Parody.

"Destruction has been our objective, we have merely been discussing how to go about it. no entity can choke itself to death, merely, make itself pass out. In essence, the same is true for us and our mirror counterparts. Take both Ri-ans. True, our entire Military is comprised of only 10 Death Fortresses, and theirs is comprised of nearly 50,000 diffrent ships and space faring animals, but after removing the weaker things, we would both be evenly matched and stalemated, niether side having an impact on one another. Thus, we need other nations to come in and also attack. What is true for one, is true for others."

"That is the reason we offer to be the one who assists the others in return for their help afterwords. Who would like the aid?"

~~~Earlier~~~

Nolak Diriim fled in terror. At first he hadn’t known why; a wave of fear had simply washed over him and sent him running. The moment the Nertar slave heard claws clattering on the deck behind him, though, he knew what his fate would be. Nolak had no hope of escaping. He knew he might as well just wait, and get the dying over with… but he couldn’t make himself turn and face his doom. Besides, if he gave the Yamiri hunter a good chase, perhaps he would be rewarded with a quick, relatively painless death. Now that he had been selected as prey, that was the best that he could hope for. So, gasping for breath, Nolak ran.

Nertar are not good at long-distance running. Before the humans had come, their art, joy, and way of life had been to hunt by stalk-and-pounce, approaching the target silent and unseen, then capturing it in a single burst of speed. Nolak was the hunted now, though, and his pursuer was too close to hide from. He raced around a corner, bruising his shoulder as he bounced off of the wall, then dove out of the path of a group of human soldiers and rushed into a narrow passageway. Then, seeing what lay before him, he skidded to a halt.

The passage was a dead end, leading only to a few small storerooms, but that wasn’t what filled him with dismay. There was another slave here – Kala, lovely (at least to his eyes) despite her swollen belly. He started to turn, but heard the approaching claws at the end of the passage before he could flee again. Nolak realized then that he had been driven into a trap; this end had been planned for the hunt at the moment it began. The hunter would kill him right before the eyes of his beloved, as if forcing her to bear a half-blood child wasn’t bad enough. Knowing how much seeing his death would distress poor Kala hurt Nolak more than his awareness of his own approaching demise; after all, with death would come freedom. Anger rising above the fear that had been placed in his mind and shining in his slit-pupiled eyes, he crouched to face the Yamiri.

It was one of the four legged, leather-skinned kind, as he had known it would be. They, much more than the others, enjoyed running down fresh meat. Nolak saw that the monster’s hands were in killing position, with their two thumbs folded out of the way and their three long claws ready for action, and he waited for it to strike. He had seen how fast those hands could move, but perhaps…

Instead of striking, the Yamiri spoke.

“You have served here on Deathbringer for several years. I’m sure you’ve overheard mention of the Mirror Universe now and then… a vile parody, populated by twisted mockeries of the true cultures. This place is no mere legend, nor is it hypothetical; it is very real, and I am one of those who have been studying it. For some time now, I have been watching the degenerate alternate of Kendari itself. The Yamiri there are lazy slugs with no ambitions beyond Yamir, crippled by their foolish notions of honor. The weakling humans fear the sight of blood and are filled with insane ideas about freedom and equality. They treat not only Nertar, but even their robots as actual citizens of their wretched kingdom!

“It is to this place that our fleet now travels. I suppose we’ll have to destroy the machines, but it should be quite amusing to teach your cousins their proper role in life…”

With a wordless scream of rage, Nolak flung himself at his tormentor, extending his own claws as he hurtled through the air. Instantly, the Yamiri hunter’s hands became a blur of lethal motion. Three razor talons slashed Nolak’s throat, right above his collar; three more jabbed under his ribcage. The last thing the Nertar slave saw, as the world went dark around him, was dagger-toothed mouth of his murderer… coming for him, as its fleet came for his unsuspecting cousins.

~~~~~~

Cheltrad wiped the blood off his mouth with one arm and looked up at the female Nertar who was still cowering in the passage nearby.

“Get back to work, slave! Or perhaps you are weak from hunger? If that is the problem, I suppose I can spare part of my meal…”

He laughed quietly as she slung the bag she had been carrying over her back and staggered off in a rush, weeping silently. There’s nothing like a little emotional torture over lunch to put one in a good mood for beginning the conquest of a new universe. She would have to be taken off duty soon, though, the Yamiri reflected. Nertar tended to be noticeably smaller than humans, with a slimmer build, and half-blood babies were larger than those of true Nertar. Furthermore, this one was carrying twins; Cheltrad could feel the tiny minds beginning to develop within her. The two new servants were more than worth the temporary loss of work, however, and Yamari are good at taking the long view.

On the whole, Cheltrad was glad for the medical discovery that had made the half-bloods possible. They were considered better then slaves, but inferior to true humans, and the complex emotions caused by this borderline status made them especially easy to manipulate. The subtle Yamiri overlords used this fact without hesitation, just as Cheltrad had used the human views of racial superiority to goad his current meal into attacking. It was all a lot of nonsense, as far as the Yamiri were concerned. There were only two groups that mattered – the weak, and the strong, and nobody whose mind could be crushed like an eggshell at a Hunter’s whim fell into the latter category.

Lifting the carcass, Cheltrad stalked off toward the Deathbringer’s control chamber. Although he was willing to indulge the instinct that urged him to taste a fresh kill, he really preferred his meat cooked. In the control room would be the equipment to do the cooking, and friends to share the meal. Humans, for all their vaunted superiority of blood, were strangely squeamish about eating other intelligent beings. The Yamiri, products of many millennia of war between the several intelligent species that had arisen simultaneously on their home world, had no such qualms.

~~~~~~

No human ever entered the Deathbringer’s control chamber, and most believed that the great warship was run purely from the bridge – though this term is somewhat deceptive; like most inhabited portions of the vessel, it was actually buried deep within the structure, well away from the armored hull. Great view screens built into the ceiling and forward walls gave the illusion of windows into space, however, and the large room did contain controls. As long as the Deathbringer’s computer did not receive an override from the control chamber, the bridge was not just for show.

“We are approaching the wormhole.” Deathbringer’s AI announced to the group currently assembled on the bridge.

“Bring us through!” Admiral Vrell commanded. “We have work to begin.”

The AI, which was representing itself with the image of a barbaric-looking human warrior, simply nodded, and the Kendaryn flagship plunged across into the mirror universe. As Deathbringer’s avatar produced a spyglass and began scanning the surrounding area, and the ship moved aside to make way for the dozen heavy battleships that were following it through the wormhole, one of the slender Yamiri uncoiled and stood.

Stepping forward, he said, “We should board one of the Ravens, Admiral. No doubt the Ri-anese will wish to hold a meeting shortly, and it would be well if we were ready to depart when the call arrives.”

“Of course.” Jaleth agreed. “Let us be off.”

Flanked by two robotic bodyguards, the Admiral and his master left the bridge.

OOC:
Alt-Kendaryn Invasion Forces

-The Deathbringer, a 3.5 km super-battleship containing every upgrade and trick Kendari can build into it. This is the only vessel in the Kendaryn fleet with sufficient size, power, and structural integrity to mount Type V turrets. It is a pure combat vessel, unlike other Kendaryn heavy battleships, which have a secondary role as support ships.
-6 ‘Conquest’ class heavy battleships (4 km long, though less massive than the Deathbringer)
-14 ‘Exterminator’ class heavy battleships (2 km long, but otherwise similar in size to a Conquest)
-20 ‘Terror’ class battleships (800 meters, intended to destroy numbers of smaller ships)
-30 ‘Dread’ class battleships (400 meters, intended to take on large, tough opponents)
-Accompanying cruisers, frigates, destroyers, scout ships, etc.
-120 ‘Sniper’ class long-range missile boats
-25 assorted Delvar energy-artillery vessels
-15 drone control platforms
-Various medical vessels, supply transports, repair ships, and such
-6.5 million soldiers
-1 million marines (mirror of NS Kendari’s Royal Guards, equipped with power armor)
-100,000 war robots (humanoid in size and shape)
-Accompanying tanks, artillery, mobile command posts, etc.

The Kendaryn invaders are also unknowingly carrying a rebel, the mirror of one of my villain characters.

Now, about Mirror Kendari…

The most important change, in many ways, is the nature of the Yamiri. The Great War on NS Yamir was ended by a series of skilled diplomats who gradually quieted the conflicts and convinced the assorted factions and species to cooperate with each other. They are intensely honorable and fairly good-natured, though they have been known to be harsh with unwanted visitors, and most of them just want to be left alone to enjoy the peace of their world. On Alt Yamir, however, the Great War ended when one alliance of Hunters and Climbers (rough translations of the Yamiri species names) gained enough of an edge over their rivals to crush all opposition. They are aggressive, ambitious, and grimly practical. When the first Kendaryn exploration ship landed on Yamir, the natives seized control of the minds of its crew without hesitation; within a year, all of Kendari was theirs.

Because the Yamiri and the true masters of Kendari, they make their weapons freely available to the Kendaryn military, instead of providing a tightly limited supply. The Yamiri themselves are also present on most vessels, and use their mental powers and physical skills to help with the fighting. Additionally, and traditions that they considered inconvenient were simply removed.

The other biggest shift is in the attitude of Kendaryn humans toward slavery. NS Kendari is an almost fanatical opponent of slavery, to the extent that Kendaryn warships are not controlled by AI programs because making a battleship with complete free will is far too dangerous (and expensive, if it decides not to join the military), and creating an intelligence that is compelled to serve is considered too close to slave-taking. Alt Kendari reverses this view. The Nertar, who had little better than stone-age technology when humans first found the planet Kendari, are all enslaved. The handful of other intelligent species found on planets in Kendaryn territory are treated similarly (with the obvious exception of the Yamiri), though the Nertar enjoy the ‘honor’ of being considered the highest of the slave species.

The government of Alt Kendari is a pseudo-Republic with fixed elections and conspiratorial ‘rival’ parties (not that it matters much, when all of the politicians are puppets of the Yamiri overlords), as opposed to the firmly democratic Kingdom of NS Kendari. It is also totalitarian, with all aspects of Kendaryn society under varying degrees of Yamiri control.

Technologically, the two versions are similar, although Alt Kendari has focused somewhat less on improving shield strength and somewhat more on weapon size and accuracy. Almost all Alt Kendaryn warships have Yamiri turrets, however, and they are controlled by AI. Alt Kendari also has a stronger army, partly because of its standard issue Yamiri guns, partly because volunteering for the military is 'encouraged', and partly because the Yamiri didn’t have to argue with traditionalists who dismissed the value of such equipment as tanks and artillery.

The Nertar of Alt Kendari are not as much a mirror of those in NS Kendari as the other species. I figure that generations of slavery has probably had a considerable impact on their current culture, and the Nertar don’t have many traits that are easily reversed, anyway – at least, not without drastically altering their fundamental nature.

It is worth noting that the military capabilities of aggressive, imperialistic Alt Kendari would be better known to other nations than those of the relatively peaceful and often isolationist NS Kendari. If one of my characters says something like “You all know how useful Yamiri weapons are in a land battle.”, that is because such information would be fairly well known in the Mirror Universe. Considering my activity level, however, I’d be surprised if even the players of Kendari’s closest allies know more than a bit about Kendaryn technology. If you have any questions, be it about what you would know IC or purely for OOC information, don’t hesitate to ask.

IC:

Through the beginning of the meeting, Admiral Vrell simply sat and listened quietly. He showed little reaction to the Lady’s execution. The black overcoat of a Kendaryn naval officer may look hot and uncomfortable, but the dark red uniform beneath it is quite efficient at preserving a comfortable temperature in any but the most dire of conditions. With his helmet off, the Admiral’s face felt the heat, and his short, light brown hair was slightly damp from sweat by the time the demonstration was over, but aside from that he was comfortable. Having served most of his life with Yamiri Hunters, Jaleth was certainly no stranger to sudden and violent death. As for the Yamiri, he gave no sign of discomfort at all. An insectivore* from a planet where fireflies don’t just make pretty lights handles extremes of temperature well or dies, and Tvordal’s species had arisen in an equatorial region where the temperatures routinely approached the upper edge of survivability for humans.

Finally, though, Admiral Vrell spoke up.

“We of Kendari would certainly appreciate your assistance,” he said, nodding to Ga’Ton, “and we would be glad to lend you our aid in turn. I believe that our first priority, however, should be defensive. We cannot afford to delay our attack too long, but this position is critical. If our enemies capture the wormhole, they deny us access to the vast majority of our manufacturing capacity. I know some can fuel a war effort with raw materials alone, but for us, at least, that would be a severe blow. I propose the formation of a small joint fleet tasked with guarding this location, disposing of minor incursions, and holding against any true threats long enough for us to return. To this end, I will contribute eight of our drone control platforms, including the five largest we have present, along with a heavy battleship and its supporting fleet. Our combat drones are most useful for defense, since they can be positioned in advance.

Glancing around the room at the others, Jaleth asked “What say you to this thought? Will anyone else contribute to such a fleet?”

OOC: He’ll begin speaking about the attack on NS Kendari after people have had a chance to respond to those questions.

*Well, technically not an insectivore, since insects are a Terran classification. However, Climbers mostly eat tiny life forms quite similar to insects, along with a bit of fruit.

*snip*

DesNiles "For indeed a large fleet is hard to hide... but perhaps we could discuss some... tactical arrangement."

and Vr'trrk added in. "Ga'Ton. It seems we have excess forces, perhaps we come to the aid in destroying this insipid Parody of yours?."

The tension still boiled away but never again will it errupt in the prescence of the Lady.

Admiral Cain smiled. My parody will be of little consquence. If it is anything like us, it has few alliances, and has only recently come to know that alien life exists outside of it's own universe. However they can be cunning, and do come up with unique tactics to any battle. I suggest she says that we focus our attention on a major player first. If however the Lady would like we can begin our focal point on my parody. They will not be expecting us. They should prove to be easy targets.

The Clairvoyent clicked slightly at the Balroggan's proposal-though the Collective was dead set on taking on the false Amazonians one-on-one in a path of assimilation, the Collective could surely do with absorbing the knowledge of another client race of this universe.

"Though we require no assistance in our own crusade against our Parody," the translator spoke through the Clairvoyent's talk, "we would be more than willing to attack the Balroggan Parody, and we can pledge part of our force for the attack. We have gained limited intelligence on our Parody, and they should not be ready for our biological-stemmed attack-we should be able to wipe through them quickly, certainly so when we acquire their knowledge through the conversion of a few of their higher orders. We can assist however you would prefer a manner of your Balroggan Parody."

The Clairvoyent knew his proposal would probaly be scrutinized, but the knowledge that the entire Collective could gain as a whole-and pass to the Balroggans for their own genocidal quest. The Collective wasn't looking to completely destroy the Amazonian Dominion-partially, perhaps-but instead "integrate" it-take the best qualities and infect them with the common Collective genome that linked all the species of the group. Such knowledge could have enormous benefits for the Collective-though they were not innately greedy, they would share some of their learning. But other information had to be contained for the betterment of the Collective itself-it was a way of the group's life, their infestation process at its finest.

The Speak from there or be destroyed. if we like the Premise, you live, and may board to further explain. If not, then we will be sure to mercifully kill you in one blow.

Several cannons aimed at the ship all at once.

We will Comply.

There was a slight silence from the Gray's ship.

Most of us on this ship are from your universe, over time we were able to destroy own Mirrors and take over their universe. However, we had to abandon our original conquest to not attract attention. We were able to take a small planet as a base for our tests. We have been creating genetic mutations to reclaim our old holdings. We think you will be able to help us and in exchange, we will give you use of our resources.

(resources being weapons, soldiers, the mutation, and anything else you require.)

We will send info on the mutation if you request it.

At the Meeting...

"I require that we hold for a moment. The problem of a base of operations and supplies was raised. I believe it has just been solved, by an outside force that wishes to help us. They have done what we plan to, and destroyed their mirrors and took over. We can use their world and fortify it.

As for the Wormhole, a few ships left here to guard it should be more than suffecient."

To the Hetwanese ship...

"You may board. You will explain it to the entire alliance."

"How do we know we can trust these 'Mirrors'? We are engaged in the wide scale conquest of this realm - what is to say they would not simply break and join our enemies? They do not have a strong leader like yourself, no?"

"We can...ensure...their loyalty through a variety of means," the Clairvoyent responded. "There is always an option for such questionable people, and always many answers..."

"Either way, it is an easy break that we can take this offer, even if they do want to side with our enemies. Let them-we will keep it in our minds. Besides, we have use for these people only until we solidify our hold on another mirror realm, which we can then exploit and...finish...these people."

At once

The Ship* slowly rotated towards the apparent flagship of the large fleet.

The Grays on deck were cataloging the fleet size and some of the visible weapons.

The Main command ship dwarfed the research vessel, however the small vessel continued at a steady pace towards it.

Where would you have us land?

OCC: *I forgot to post the dimensions of my ship, It's in a stereotypical flying saucer shape, with a slightly larger top area for the command deck. It's a bright white with light green coloring. Sorry.

"That is the reason we offer to be the one who assists the others in return for their help afterwords. Who would like the aid?"

The Admiral looked at the Balrogga commander, and replied. We do not need assitance in order to take out our mirror, at least not initally. In the meantime however, we are more than willing to grant you the bulk of our force to aid in the disabling of your mirror. This offer goes to anyone.

She then grins, We need not worry about these new allies. If they prove to be hostile, they will be dragged down the same road to Hades as our mirrors. Surely they would not be that foolish.

The Admiral looked at the Balrogga commander, and replied. We do not need assitance in order to take out our mirror, at least not initally. In the meantime however, we are more than willing to grant you the bulk of our force to aid in the disabling of your mirror. This offer goes to anyone.

She then grins, We need not worry about these new allies. If they prove to be hostile, they will be dragged down the same road to Hades as our mirrors. Surely they would not be that foolish.

"Rather, why not use them than drag them to hell?" inquired the Clairvoyent. "Death of the enemy is a needless waste that can be avoided-instead, we can gain power from our own mirrors, and became a stronger unified front-a great advantage, to have the numerous powers of the conquered at our advantage as we launch our final assault on the false Ri-anese of this heretic universe!"

"Rather, why not use them than drag them to hell?" inquired the Clairvoyent. "Death of the enemy is a needless waste that can be avoided-instead, we can gain power from our own mirrors, and became a stronger unified front-a great advantage, to have the numerous powers of the conquered at our advantage as we launch our final assault on the false Ri-anese of this heretic universe!"


Admiral Cain paused a moment to consider the Clairvoyent's statements.

"Your idea is quite novel, however I do see the point in it. Why deplete our own resources, when we can deplete that of our mirror. Weaken them, while we gather strength. I like your plan. Please indulge me how do you plan on gaining the trust of your mirror, to use them in this action?"

Hetwan:
"The docking port is open, or are you blind? Once inside, you will be escorted to the meeting."

At the meeting:

Lady Ri-an drew in a sharp breath and seemed to freeze, wide eyed.

"Gloriousness." She whispered.

then she resumed her usual Malevolent demeanor.

"The Wall has fallen, that which seperates our Universe from The Mirror! That means sooner or later more ways of crossing universes will open." She said by way of explaination.

OOC: I am Temporarily without Internet. Continue on without me, making of course, your own threads for your individual fights. post links back in this thread, I will return A.S.A.P. I authorise Balrogga and Balrogga alone to use my Characters as neccessary to move things along, since we know each other well enough to at least ballpark the right responses. Anyone can use The Mobile Death Fortresses if they want. Their chock full of the most dangerous weapons from nearly all the FT tech bases, and the best shields and defences.

RL sucks sometimes.

While waiting for the new arrivals to reach the conference room, Jaleth glanced at Tvordal.

"See to it that the ships I mentioned are put on guard duty. Admiral Velrüth is to be put in charge."

"An excellent choice, Admiral." replied the Yamiri. "He has the skill to handle such duties well, and the experience to take them seriously."

A few minutes later, the vessels in question departed from the bulk of the Kendaryn fleet. The great DCPs moved out slowly and began distributing their cargo in a wide ring around the wormhole.

OOC:
Ouch! That's too bad. I know how much of a pain it is to go without internet access. Good luck with speedy restoration.

Mr. White groaned inwardly. The Grays had been careful, too careful. They were operating under the assumption that these were a group that told you what exactly to do. Like the last ones. They weren't...

Plus the Gray's ships weren't exactly built for docking...

The vessel hovered a few feet above the flooring of the docking port. Instead, the bottom circle of the hull opened and landed on the metal. On it were two Grays, their large blank-looking black eyes searching around, White, and one black ops guard.

They followed their guide to just outside the conference room. White mentally prepared himself to view new types of life forms, aware that all eyes in the room would all be at him and the Grays.

The doors opened and they stepped inside.

OCC: Yeah I know what you mean. My internet has always been a little fritzy... that's why my posts sometimes don't show up, or just close out halfway through typing.

Bump?

The eyes of the human and the Sauron Novaens in the room fixed upon the new entrants, interesting, they both thought. Exactly what they meant would take psychoanalysts years to work out but. They just sat and watched, taking the odd time out to glare at each other before returning to looking at the Het delegation.

They weren't particularily hostile to the Hetwanese but neither were they particularily friendly.

The Lady of Fire turned as the aliens entered the meeting.

“Ah, there you are. It seems these guests of ours came to offer their support. I turn the floor over to them so they may explain themselves.”

The Lady of Fire returned to her comfortable seat and allowed Mr White and the Grays to bring their proposal to the room.

------

The Ta’Nar remained where he was sitting. He scanned the newcomers passively to see if they were telling the truth as well as to any abilities they might possess. He was not concerned if the Clairvoyants would have detected him since it was common knowledge the Ta’Nar are pure psionic beings.

Admiral Cain paused a moment to consider the Clairvoyent's statements.

"Your idea is quite novel, however I do see the point in it. Why deplete our own resources, when we can deplete that of our mirror. Weaken them, while we gather strength. I like your plan. Please indulge me how do you plan on gaining the trust of your mirror, to use them in this action?"

"We do not need to gain their trust," the Clairvoyent responded, "simply to control their actions. Many have their own ways of doing this-of turning a race into a subordinate faction. Rather than cooperate, we should assimilate them-bring them into our own fold, conquer their lifestyle and make them little more than our own puppets. Through this, we could spread far faster than we could alone, and accumulate their own knowledge of the surrounding areas that they have learned through time."

"Thank you"

"As you may know, In our original explanation. The Gray's stated that they had effectively destroyed their mirrors. This is not entirely true, their mirrors have been driven out of their universe, into the space between universes. It has many names, I believe the most popular is "The Void"."

White paused a moment and continued.

"The mirrors were lost in the void and have only recently shown themselves. I will return to them later. Before the mirror's exile, they tried a method of guerrilla warfare. They would set up a planet as a major base and the Grays would have to move most of their forces to combat them. It was successful in bleeding the Grays out for a while, until the Grays discovered our planet. Apparently we as a people were taken from some other ancient world and placed on the world we reside currently."

"After some research of their own, they contacted us, secretly of course, and we discovered a way we could defeat the mirror-Grays. Using Biological based weaponry, we systematically began to eliminate the planets the mirrors could use. After their planets were unusable, by their standards, the mirrors made the choice to cross into the gray's/your universe."

"Something stopped them halfway, trapping them in the void."

"After a long interval, which the Hetwanese and the Grays created the pact, The mirror-Grays made small attacks using suicidal attacks against the Grays. They continue this on and off. This means they may have a base, somehow, in the void."

"We would let you use our bases on our planet to set up your invasions. We would even let you use our... weapons if you will, if your mirrors revert to the type of behavior the Gray's mirrors did. In exchange, we would like you to help us find the remaining Mirrors that yet live."

Mr. White finished and looked around the room, waiting for a response.

-Conference Room, Ri-anese Death Fortress

Kathxal hissed quietly when Mr. White finished speaking, turning to 'look' at the other representitive with the dangerous blood-red orbs on his head. "I believe Mekantan scanners, while simple and inelegant, may help you to track your Mirror-Grays. The Commonwealth's spacial engineering technology is considered by some to be high grade, though I know not why. However..."

"To be scanning will reveal positions of scanning ships to the other Neo-Mekanta." Tashreh finished, shaking her head. "If the risk is no concern, we would be happy to devoting Lightships to locating your Mirrors. There is other problem. To locate other Grays, we must place ships where they will attack. Compounded with other problem, this means others will know of your worlds." The Mekantan woman looked to her Emerald companion, nodding once.

"We ask for support, in case our mirrors make aggressive moves against our operations, assuming noble Mr. White accepts our humble offer of aid."

"I see..." White tilted his head in thought, then answered.

"Your plan, however well thought out, has some flaws. First off, the attacks are random, as in we don't know where the attacks will be, when they will be, or what will be their target."

"Second, the worlds where we are stationed are very ill-defended. We relay mainly on stealth. The world the Grays reside is mostly barren, the livable areas being underground, away from prying eyes. The world where the Hetwanese live is stuck in a sort of old-tech purgatory. The public is left in the dark. They believe such things like, that space technology is a new field, planet colonization is far in the future, and are in debate whether alien life exists."

Mr. White tried to suppress a grin.

"We usually talk a few of them "away" for our research. Our space-faring vessels are mostly for research purposes but can hold their own in a fight if need be."

I wonder... White thought.

"If you were to give me an estimate," White began. "How far do you think your scanning equipment can analyze their surroundings?"

"I see..." White tilted his head in thought, then answered.

"Your plan, however well thought out, has some flaws. First off, the attacks are random, as in we don't know where the attacks will be, when they will be, or what will be their target."

"Second, the worlds where we are stationed are very ill-defended. We relay mainly on stealth. The world the Grays reside is mostly barren, the livable areas being underground, away from prying eyes. The world where the Hetwanese live is stuck in a sort of old-tech purgatory. The public is left in the dark. They believe such things like, that space technology is a new field, planet colonization is far in the future, and are in debate whether alien life exists."

Mr. White tried to suppress a grin.

"We usually talk a few of them "away" for our research. Our space-faring vessels are mostly for research purposes but can hold their own in a fight if need be."

I wonder... White thought.

"If you were to give me an estimate," White began. "How far do you think your scanning equipment can analyze their surroundings?"

"All we really will need will be a captured one of their ships," the Clairvoyent chimed in, "or a few of their highest ranking officers to determine some of their worlds. Their ships will have some sort of navigation computers in them, and their higher officers will contain some sort of direction to their own worlds. All that woudl require would be to either assimilate their officers or capture on ship intact-a relatively easy procedure-in order to track their bases."

Ga'Ton smiles and spoke. "Well, if you cannot predict their seemingly random attack pattern, conform their attacks to one you devise. Create opportunities of attack for them to fall for. Allow a few to succeed with your normal response to a surprise attack being employed so they do not know they are being led. Then set up the one they cannot refuse."

"Of course you will have to sacrifice a few ships and some personal but the end justifies the means, doesn't it?"

From her seat, The Lady of Fire watched the exchanges with a smirk on her face.

~~~Earlier~~~

Admiral Vrell simply glanced dismissively at the newcomers, doing his best to show no interest, but Tvordal was more open about his curiosity. The Yamiri uncoiled part way, leaning on his second pair of limbs, and rotated his head to focus two of his three eyes on the Grays. Tvordal also focused his senses on the minds of the newcomers, watching for traces of dishonesty and also trying to get a general impression of how the Grays thought. He was more subtle about this examination, though. While the psionic abilities of the Yamiri were not precisely a secret, they usually did their best not to advertise these talents.

~~~~~~

Jaleth turned to the Emerald.

“We can provide ships to assist you against your counterparts, should they decide to interfere. It is certainly worthwhile, if it will help us acquire a decent base of operations in this universe.”

He turned back to address the rest of the representatives.

“Our vessels can also help with laying an ambush. We have our share of weapons that are reasonably effective at capturing an enemy more or less intact.”

Tvordal smiled slightly at Ga’Ton’s suggestion. This was the sort of ruthless practicality he respected, and it pleased him to hear it from the psionic Ta’Nar.

The Grays, while giving no indication of activity save the increased beat of their primary hearts, blocked the attempts to see into their minds. Mr. White knew his mind was being accessed, but thought it was only a Gray.

Silent orders were given to the Black Op. No words. No signs. Just a small burst of energy. Only noticeable by a life-form with a heightened sense of psionic abilities. The Black Op understood the "command" and looked around the room with its green-tinted eyes for any anomalies in behavior.

"There is one target they've been trying to get for years, even before we drove them out of their old systems." Mr. White said.

"What energy-type are your weapons? Or do they use a form of energy?"

As an entity of pure Psionic energy, Ga’Ton was able to detect the crude psionic pulse easily enough but did not allow it to show on his projection. He instead answered Mr. White’s question.

“The Empire uses primarily Dimensional weaponry along with conventional ones like Gravimetric and other common forms. Why do you ask?”

Ga’Ton set aside one of his minds to watch the strangely acting Black Ops of Mr. White as well as ones for those little Greys of his. He preformed whatever passive scans there was possible to determine their intent.

Hmmm, it seems the Greys have a rudimentary ability to shield themselves and the strange one reacted to the Psionic Pulse. It seems they are possible Class C minds. This must be noted for later usage, Ga’Ton thought to himself.



OOC:

The Ta’Nar classify psionic minds into four classes. Each more powerful then the one before.

Class D = Corporeal weak powers
Class C = Corporeal strong powers
Class B = Incorporeal weak powers
Class A = Incorporeal strong powers


Passive is only examining the presence or lack of presence of natural emanations all beings project. An example is when you speak, you also project the words you are speaking. Your strong surface thoughts are also projected. That is the clutter of “voices” commonly used in movies to show a Psi becoming active and hearing the rush of thoughts of the others around them. A Psi would be trained to block the chatter as their first lesson. Secrets cannot be discovered this way unless you want them to be. It is just a tumultuous clutter of “voices” The lack of said voices would show an individual is capable of blocking their thoughts and show them as possibly psionic. It would be like watching someone’s body language to figure out what they are thinking.


Again, this is only my method and may not apply to any of yours.

Admiral Vrell added "As for us, Kendari uses thermal and kinetic weapons, along with a selection of the other common types and a wide range of more exotic forms of energy. It would be much easier to tell you if we possess a weapon that can fit a specific purpose or manage a particular task than to give you anything approaching a detailed overview of our arsenal."

Tvordal noticed the psionic signal as well, of course. Such means of communication were used by many of the more social animals on Yamir, and failing to notics those sent by predators could easily have cost his distant ancestors their lives. He gave no sign, mental or physical; were he not able to hide his thoughts and feelings effectively, he would never have reached as high a rank as he held among the Yamiri.

He did not try to force the issue with the Grays, simply noting their ability to shield for future attention. He directed only enough of his mental attention toward them to notice if they maintained their blocks or released them, something only the most sensitive of psionic entities would be at all likely to notice. The Yamiri also lightened his touch on Mr. White's mind, doing his best to avoid notice. Yamiri Climbers are much better at subtlety than Hunters, and Tvordal was among the most skilled of them.

Most interesting... These Grays will require careful study. I wonder how that guard of theirs operates - is it naturally sensitive, or controlled, or something else entirely? Probably best not to pry at this point, though. It wouldn't do to risk antagonizing them before their status as allies or otherwise is firm.

OOC:
What Tvordal was doing was slightly more active than Ga'Ton's passive observation - sort of like the difference between inhaling deeply to try to catch an elusive scent and simply breathing while paying close attention to smells. He is quite skilled, and can 'sniff' very quietly, but it might reasonably have been noticed, especially if he was somewhat careless. Now that he knows he is dealing with beings that have at least some psionic ability, he is doing his utmost to avoid further detection (by the Grays).

I am a fan of James H. Schmitz's work (see online library selection) (http://www.webscription.net/showSection.aspx?Sectionid=89&CategoryFilterID=1&ManufacturerFilterID=0), and it is the primary inspiration for my system of psionics. The abilities of the Yamiri don't work exactly like psionic powers in the Federation of the Hub and Agent of Vega settings, but they are reasonably close.

"The reason is that the mirror-Grays use a newly designed type of vessel that we just can't seem to crack, so to speak." White said. "Their ships are coded in a reflective-type metal that absorbs most of our weapons fire and shoots it right back at us."

"They've been aptly named "bouncers" by some of our more creative flock, their ships also play anti-gravity technology that disrupts the path of our attacks." Mr. White continued.

"We have used concentrated-energy lasers, large groups of small metal projectiles launched at high speeds, which we call grapeshot, and we have even tried to use a specially designed nuclear missile."

"It didn't go so well..." Me. White said sheepishly.

"The Gray's specialty is boarding enemy craft and taking over, or boarding and destroying the main systems of the craft and then leaving it for later action." Mr. White explained. "The vessels we have encountered have moved too swiftly for acts such as that."

"We've tried to disable the engines from a distance using E.M.P.s... but... The craft's reflective surface negates that."

While Mr. White was explaining the situation, the lone Black Ops continued to look around, taking note of every life-form and, more importantly, their expression and stance.

The Lord Admiral gave a balked at the widespread use of such teckno-crap as weapons of energy.

"Bah, such petty toys are no match for our mighty solar cannons!" proclaimed Leonardo, crossing his arms and looking quite disdainful. "Nothing can stand against their might!"

This was both true and an exaggeration. The Solar Cannon was the pinnacle of projectile weaponry, literally creating a small sun upon impact - a lethal situation for all but the most specialised of ships. It was the end result of millenia upon millenia of refinement of what was truly a mediocre design, and the end result was a weapon against which little could hope to stand against.

That, and egoistic inertia. Why else would a hideously outmoded form of weaponry be developed to such an extent?

"I think we can circumvent those reflectors on your 'problem' ships," the Clairvoyent spoke up, shunting his head forward somewhat over the table. "We specialize entirely in biological weapons of various forms...and I'm sure that we have the solution to this issue likely within our arsenal."

The Clairvoyent clicked a syllable to one of the guards around him, who dropped a fair-sized, snuffling fleshy being on the table.

"This is the land version of our infectors. We have a space-borne version that instead of trying to assimilate instead uses a specialized acid to burn through armor of ships. It is obviously fairly useless against shields-which is why we do not deploy them unless a shielded ship is dropped of its shields first. Then, the infectors become deadly."

OOC: I'm back!

IC:

"What good is a reflective hull against a solid weapon? I'm not saying ram them, but the Ri-anese of this universe, they have ships capable of physicle attaching themselves to anything, like an undersea octopus, and pulling it apart. Its exclusivly on their octopus class ships. Since it uses a special high power tractor beam with just enough phase varience to mkerge two solid objects, a similar feat should not be too hard here. We have enough scrap from their ships." The Lady of Fire said.

Meanwhile, the psions from the other nations felt the familier touch of The Aquamarinian Hive mind. It had felt the other psions, and moved in to investigate.

Meanwhile...

Fluidic space, Oceanus, the Aquamarinian homeworld.

Others have been felt. Investigate.

The thought rippled through the hive mind, piquing curiosity. Lady Ri-an was informed, and the psionic equivalent of a tenticle reached out to where the mirror invaders were gathered.

Back at the gathering...

The lady of fire tensed, and her fire went completly out. she held a hand in front of her, and she rippled and wavered. A very strong Psionic shield was suddenly erected around her.

The others could feel why, the Aquamarinians of THIS universe had found them.

Leonardo shot up and drew his sidearm, backing towards a wall reflexively. "Are we under attack?" he asked, suddenly feeling an uncharacteristic sense of hostility.

The Novaens where not psionic but they were psionically aware and realised what was happening. "It seems like time is now is of essence..." said DesNiles.

"Yes, and anyone interested in helping us rid ourselves of our parodies is welcome, but stay back for now, see how we go in infiltrating...."

They waited for confirmation.

Ga’Ton immediately felt the intrusion and simply blocked his existence from being detected, as was the standard procedure in this type of situation. To psionic sense he simply disappeared although there was no change to his appearance.

Ga'Ton nodded, "You will have us at your back. We are willing to help any who will accept our assistance. You only have to say the word and we will be there.”

The Grays noticed this new development with some curiosity. None the less, they followed the example of the others and tried to make themselves scarce. They silently conversed with each other (using their native full-talk, purely psionic conversation).

Their entire conversation however, lasted only a few seconds.

“Perhaps, we should continue this elsewhere.” Mr. White said “We will follow any instructions you give us.”

Admiral Vrell began looking more interested as Mr. White described the problem ships. Although he recognized the importance of such matters as diplomacy and logistics, it was in the area of tactics and strategy that Jaleth's interests lay.

"Reflective armor... It is definitely a property of the metal itself, and not some energy shield that surrounds it? Also, when you say it it shoots your weapons' fire back at you, do you mean that it returns along its incoming path, or is it actually aimed at the attacking ship's new position?

"However it works, I think we can find a way to crack it if we can get them in range long enough. If we can get close enough, we should be able to catch them, too, and keep them from running."

He listened carefully as the others spoke, filing away the information they provided about their weapons.

Meanwhile, Tvordal felt the touch of another mind, and reflexively tightened his shields.

The Lady knows about us - our allies would have no reason to be probing me now. If this is an ally, the matter can be sorted out later.

Instead of erasing his presence completely, however, the Yamiri hid all of his mind except for an artificial surface layer. Designed carefully over a period of many years, this false mind would seem perfectly ordinary to any but the most careful of examinations. It was that of a low-ranking human servant, not very bright, but possessing a trace of natural psionic talent. It would also provide no information at all about where this alleged servant was from, who he was serving, or what they were up to - at least, not without digging that would be easily detected.

The tip of Tvordal's tail tapped Jaleth twice on his left leg, a signal the Admiral instantly recognized. Tapping a small button concealed in his uniform, the Kendaryn fleet commander activated his own mental shield, a technological device provided by the Yamiri. It did not block the surface thoughts detected by a passive scan, but would block any deeper psionic probing.

"We will also be happy to provide assistance." he said to the Novaens.

"Kendari is prepared to send out three fleets to help with the initial assault, along with our own campaign. If needed, we can split each of these in half, and contribute a seventh of this smaller size.

"We would be glad for any help we can get, especially if there is a need for all the forces we are able to provide."

OOC: Apologies for the delay. I'm working on an essay, with a second to do when it's finished.

The probing Tenticle slipped away.

Junk, was the result of the probe. Junk and a few junkers out to claim the ships.

-Conference Room, Ri-anese Death Fortress

Tashreh cast a glance at Kaethxal as the psychic tentacle retracted, growling lightly as her perpetual dour look turned into a menacing scowl. "<Of others to past-see-being!>" She hissed in Mekantan to the humble Emerald. "<Of this to be! Of problems to join!>"

"<Of Tashreh to calm. Of others to withdraw.>"

"<Of being seen!>"

"<To much-worry. Of allies to be mighty. To meta-shield of meta-skills. Of safe-being.>"

"Hmph. <Of good-thinking to not-share.>" Tashreh turned from the four eyed creature, eyes locked on the Lady of Fire. "Again we may be compromised. If our nations are in contact here, they may be put together facts. I suggesting we act further under the assumption that our presence is known to some enemies..."


-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

A cold azure light washed over bare lands and isolated plant life as twelve Zircon eyes flared to life. Pulsating rock-like material suddenly stiffened, as the small, dome-like Zircon hive that served as a Hegemony embassy with Ri-an seemed to tense up. The creatures of the hunting ground, from the powerful Volracks to small creatures like the Zickwick rabbits, had no doubt seen the light that radiated from the Zircon structure, given that creatures that tried to cross the bridge often found themselves the target of the heavy firepower the hive itself wielded. Such behavior from the hive only came when something tempted its wrath, its master was tense, or there was a higher power in the Hegemony involved...

Inside the structure, a single, massive Zircon Hivemaster's avatar stood, one of many bodies such an entity possessed. The single sapphire orb that rested in its "head" normally darkened, and covered by the four broad spines that protected the Zircon eye. Some entities would mistake it for sleeping.

It was simply preoccupied, as a psionic exchange took place between its controller and the entity known as Minagoroshi...

Hivemaster...

What do you wish of the mighty Hivemaster Kaethxal, o Goddess? Do the rebellious and stupid Ferans wish a creature of my perfection and might to grant them death? Do the cowardly and dishonorable Tsthathi require a colony devestated in mere moments to keep them in line? Shall I challenge that insufferable Hivemaster Xaethrial to battle so as to crush him for your enterainment?

Not today, my proud child. You felt the others, no doubt.

Indeed I have, o Goddess All-Consuming. Shall I rally my swarms to wipe them from the universe?

No, Kaethxal. I sensed a familiar presence. I wish you to contact Lady Ri-an and her minions. I want to know if the meta-skills of her people can find what has been shielded from our talents.

As you will.

The Hivemaster's eye flashed to life, the four protective spines snapping back as a feral screech issued from the Zircon's body. He sound of rock pounding against rock followed as the creature stomped out of the hive, its tail and spines twitching. The eye turned to any creature that remained around the hive, glaring at them a moment with the deadly head-mounted weapon and sensory organ, before looking up at the sky.

"LADY RI-AN!!" The creature bellowed, the telekinetically generated vibrations causing the hive behind him to vibrate with the sheer volume. "I bring word from the Goddess All-Consuming! Entities have been sensed, and we seek cooperation!"


(OOC: Sorry for the delays. Internet trouble, and trouble with NS when I was connected.)

-Conference Room, Ri-anese Death Fortress

Tashreh cast a glance at Kaethxal as the psychic tentacle retracted, growling lightly as her perpetual dour look turned into a menacing scowl. "<Of others to past-see-being!>" She hissed in Mekantan to the humble Emerald. "<Of this to be! Of problems to join!>"

"<Of Tashreh to calm. Of others to withdraw.>"

"<Of being seen!>"

"<To much-worry. Of allies to be mighty. To meta-shield of meta-skills. Of safe-being.>"

"Hmph. <Of good-thinking to not-share.>" Tashreh turned from the four eyed creature, eyes locked on the Lady of Fire. "Again we may be compromised. If our nations are in contact here, they may be put together facts. I suggesting we act further under the assumption that our presence is known to some enemies..."


-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

A cold azure light washed over bare lands and isolated plant life as twelve Zircon eyes flared to life. Pulsating rock-like material suddenly stiffened, as the small, dome-like Zircon hive that served as a Hegemony embassy with Ri-an seemed to tense up. The creatures of the hunting ground, from the powerful Volracks to small creatures like the Zickwick rabbits, had no doubt seen the light that radiated from the Zircon structure, given that creatures that tried to cross the bridge often found themselves the target of the heavy firepower the hive itself wielded. Such behavior from the hive only came when something tempted its wrath, its master was tense, or there was a higher power in the Hegemony involved...

Inside the structure, a single, massive Zircon Hivemaster's avatar stood, one of many bodies such an entity possessed. The single sapphire orb that rested in its "head" normally darkened, and covered by the four broad spines that protected the Zircon eye. Some entities would mistake it for sleeping.

It was simply preoccupied, as a psionic exchange took place between its controller and the entity known as Minagoroshi...

Hivemaster...

What do you wish of the mighty Hivemaster Kaethxal, o Goddess? Do the rebellious and stupid Ferans wish a creature of my perfection and might to grant them death? Do the cowardly and dishonorable Tsthathi require a colony devestated in mere moments to keep them in line? Shall I challenge that insufferable Hivemaster Xaethrial to battle so as to crush him for your enterainment?

Not today, my proud child. You felt the others, no doubt.

Indeed I have, o Goddess All-Consuming. Shall I rally my swarms to wipe them from the universe?

No, Kaethxal. I sensed a familiar presence. I wish you to contact Lady Ri-an and her minions. I want to know if the meta-skills of her people can find what has been shielded from our talents.

As you will.

The Hivemaster's eye flashed to life, the four protective spines snapping back as a feral screech issued from the Zircon's body. He sound of rock pounding against rock followed as the creature stomped out of the hive, its tail and spines twitching. The eye turned to any creature that remained around the hive, glaring at them a moment with the deadly head-mounted weapon and sensory organ, before looking up at the sky.

"LADY RI-AN!!" The creature bellowed, the telekinetically generated vibrations causing the hive behind him to vibrate with the sheer volume. "I bring word from the Goddess All-Consuming! Entities have been sensed, and we seek cooperation!"


(OOC: Sorry for the delays. Internet trouble, and trouble with NS when I was connected.)

"Well, you don't have to bellow at the top of your lungs, Kaethxal. I hope The Goddess all-consuming is in a condition she considers to be good.
Anyways, You sensed something too?" Lady Ri-an said. She was ready for battle.

She had come in riding a small twister that in no way harmed the environment. She banished the twister.

OOC: No problem.

-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

"A lungs comment. How heartless a thing to say to a creature without them." The mighty Zircon jested, eye dimming. "Indeed we have sensed the others as well. Strangely, we sensed Mekantans, and a faint tug on the psyche of we Zircon as well, as though a similar race to my own was present."

Kaethxal turned the azure eye toward Lady Ri-an, making sure to keep it angled away from her lest he seem hostile.

"You said you had found something as well?"

-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

"A lungs comment. How heartless a thing to say to a creature without them." The mighty Zircon jested, eye dimming. "Indeed we have sensed the others as well. Strangely, we sensed Mekantans, and a faint tug on the psyche of we Zircon as well, as though a similar race to my own was present."

Kaethxal turned the azure eye toward Lady Ri-an, making sure to keep it angled away from her lest he seem hostile.

"You said you had found something as well?"

"The Aquamarinians sensed a Hivemind much like their own. The initial thought was that it was nothing more than Junkers collecting some junk. But, no, it couldn't possibly be. Then again, it sounds silly to me, but you might be able to understand the concept behind this and fill in the missing pieces.

They looked over maps, and the place this is coming from, is the location of The Constantine, an international space station. the Aquamarinians think its an anomaly, placing us here, and there, at the same time. But, I'm not in two places at once. The Aquamarinians aren't in two places at once. So, something's not right. I've sent a Stargon to investigate." Lady Ri-an said.

-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

"Interesting..." Kaethxal mused, four plates snapping shut over his eye. "Xaethrial, Hivemaster of the Ghyagan Swarm, said that we too had reflections in the same area, as do the Mekantans. However, we've detected no spacial distortions in our region that would account for this."

The sapphire light behind the behemoth slowly faded as the hive calmed itself, resuming its usual pulsing and twitching as a low rumble issued from the dome.

Kaethxal's spines began clicking against the surface of his body as his eye "opened" again, the light dim. "There is also the matter of thier formation, which matches no fleet structure the Hegemony has ever used." He stopped there, not wishing to bore his host, in both the diplomatic and parasitic senses, with irrelevant details. "With your consent, I would like a striker of my Ihkasutaran Swarm to join your scout, to see through my flesh what trickery this is..."


-Conference Room, Ri-anese Death Fortress

"Jeh nlya'chya'gah'ze doe'M'k'ta'kya'zekeh'ze kir'nlya." Tashreh whispered to her companion, making sure to keep up her mental defenses while conversing in her native tongue to thwart auto-translators. "Doe'Mekanta'kya'zekeh'tza shaa'ena'zekeh..."

Kaethxal just glanced at her with his four eyes, a trait he picked up other beings, before four fluidic covers slid over the crimson orbs. Tashreh just glared at him, knowing he was ignoring her.

A moment later, Kaethxal's eyes opened, the massive Emerald looking to Ga'Ton. "We seem to have many psychic entities looking for us. What say you to the creation of a psychic beacon to throw our persuers off? You seem a powerful wielder of meta-skill. The same offer, of course, I extend to others with meta-skill..."

-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

"Interesting..." Kaethxal mused, four plates snapping shut over his eye. "Xaethrial, Hivemaster of the Ghyagan Swarm, said that we too had reflections in the same area, as do the Mekantans. However, we've detected no spacial distortions in our region that would account for this."

The sapphire light behind the behemoth slowly faded as the hive calmed itself, resuming its usual pulsing and twitching as a low rumble issued from the dome.

Kaethxal's spines began clicking against the surface of his body as his eye "opened" again, the light dim. "There is also the matter of thier formation, which matches no fleet structure the Hegemony has ever used." He stopped there, not wishing to bore his host, in both the diplomatic and parasitic senses, with irrelevant details. "With your consent, I would like a striker of my Ihkasutaran Swarm to join your scout, to see through my flesh what trickery this is..."


-Conference Room, Ri-anese Death Fortress

"Jeh nlya'chya'gah'ze doe'M'k'ta'kya'zekeh'ze kir'nlya." Tashreh whispered to her companion, making sure to keep up her mental defenses while conversing in her native tongue to thwart auto-translators. "Doe'Mekanta'kya'zekeh'tza shaa'ena'zekeh..."

Kaethxal just glanced at her with his four eyes, a trait he picked up other beings, before four fluidic covers slid over the crimson orbs. Tashreh just glared at him, knowing he was ignoring her.

A moment later, Kaethxal's eyes opened, the massive Emerald looking to Ga'Ton. "We seem to have many psychic entities looking for us. What say you to the creation of a psychic beacon to throw our persuers off? You seem a powerful wielder of meta-skill. The same offer, of course, I extend to others with meta-skill..."

Volrack hunting Grounds.

Lady Ri-an shooed off a Volrack.

-Confrence Room

Lady Ri-an nodded.

The others could feel The Aquamarinian Hive mind take steps towards this measure. All they had to do, was add in whatever they wished.

Meanwhile, Orders were relayed to prepare to leave.

Volrack Hunting Grounds---

"Sure. Its leaving in just a few minutes, from not too far from this world. So, you'd better hurry." Lady Ri-an said.

-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

"Confirmed, Lady Ri-an. The EM-BAH-SEH will project a transpace beacon to assist my ship's arrival."

True to the Hivemaster's words, the small hive that served as the Hegemony's embassy to Ri-an roared, all twelve eyes flaring to life as the spines tensed up. A great pressure radiated from the structure for a moment before suddenly lifting, the eyes dying down to thier normal faint glow.

-Ri-anese Space

Almost immediately afterward, a small Mekantan jump signature bloomed in the void, a storm of gravitational distortions and radiation heralding the arrival of a single ship: a small vessel made of the same Zircon flesh as Hivemaster Kaethxal, and covered in spines. Several Zircon eyes, large enough to generate beams capable of damaging capital ships, were set into its surface, which glowed to life as the warship's spines twitched.

Arrival. We shall follow and confirm. The small Striker transmitted to the Ri-anese, gliding toward its allies.

-Volrack Hunting Grounds, Ri-an

"Confirmed, Lady Ri-an. The EM-BAH-SEH will project a transpace beacon to assist my ship's arrival."

True to the Hivemaster's words, the small hive that served as the Hegemony's embassy to Ri-an roared, all twelve eyes flaring to life as the spines tensed up. A great pressure radiated from the structure for a moment before suddenly lifting, the eyes dying down to thier normal faint glow.

-Ri-anese Space

Almost immediately afterward, a small Mekantan jump signature bloomed in the void, a storm of gravitational distortions and radiation heralding the arrival of a single ship: a small vessel made of the same Zircon flesh as Hivemaster Kaethxal, and covered in spines. Several Zircon eyes, large enough to generate beams capable of damaging capital ships, were set into its surface, which glowed to life as the warship's spines twitched.

Arrival. We shall follow and confirm. The small Striker transmitted to the Ri-anese, gliding toward its allies.

A Stargon circled The Vessel a couple of times.

Follow Me.

It was transmitted on uper frequencies.

Then, it leaped into Warp.

OOC: I want them to arrive as everyone else is leaving.

"We are going to get final preperations anyone interested, will meet us at these co-ordinates, where my plan." Vr'trk Kch'ych spoke to all before he was interupted by a couch from Admiral DesNiles. the Vr'trk rolled his eyes. "Fine, Our plan will be explained in a brief."

"Now, I believe that is all we have to discuss. Please excuse me to undertake final preperations." said the Sauron.

"me too" added the Admiral.

They waited for the permission from the lady before actually doing anything.

"We are going to get final preperations anyone interested, will meet us at these co-ordinates, where my plan." Vr'trk Kch'ych spoke to all before he was interupted by a couch from Admiral DesNiles. the Vr'trk rolled his eyes. "Fine, Our plan will be explained in a brief."

"Now, I believe that is all we have to discuss. Please excuse me to undertake final preperations." said the Sauron.

"me too" added the Admiral.

They waited for the permission from the lady before actually doing anything.

She clapped her hands once.

Cold fire surrounded them, and they were on their ships.

Two mobile Death Fortresses broke away to follow them.

Ga’Ton looked over to Kaethxal and nodded.

“It would be best if I were to just emulate the ships of my Parody Clones and pretend to be them. If your clones were to appear, it would be normal meeting of allies. If they get suspicious, then I will eliminate their existence and the Parody Balrogga gets blamed for the ambush.”

“We will just say we are here to take our turn investigating the wormhole and to see if it can be closed. The Ta’Nar are known to be Psionic so they would be easily explained that the probes mis-identified us as their own due to distance distortion or simple mistakes of those who made the probe.”

“I have the feeling you don’t have much time to decide before bugging out and we will meet you at those coordinates.”



OOC:

When we do speak using Psionics, I suggest we use BLUE color to show they are Psionic ramblings in future posts.

Ga’Ton looked over to Kaethxal and nodded.

“It would be best if I were to just emulate the ships of my Parody Clones and pretend to be them. If your clones were to appear, it would be normal meeting of allies. If they get suspicious, then I will eliminate their existence and the Parody Balrogga gets blamed for the ambush.”

“We will just say we are here to take our turn investigating the wormhole and to see if it can be closed. The Ta’Nar are known to be Psionic so they would be easily explained that the probes mis-identified us as their own due to distance distortion or simple mistakes of those who made the probe.”

“I have the feeling you don’t have much time to decide before bugging out and we will meet you at those coordinates.”



OOC:

When we do speak using Psionics, I suggest we use BLUE color to show they are Psionic ramblings in future posts.

"Your Plan is acceptable. You will proceed. The rest of us, We shall depart and scatter. Let us meet at those coordinates." Lady Ri-an said, closing the matter.

She clapped three times, and everyone was on their perspective ships. The Ri-anese ships vanished in spurts of fire.
OOC: I will give everyone a post to get things going before I bring in NM's ship and my Stargon.

Ga’Ton immediately accessed the records of the probe results they had made months ago of the Parody Fleets of Balrogga and passed the schematics on to the host of Kythons. They swarmed out of The Hades and began to devour all the surrounding rock and debris from the eruption of he wormhole. The chunks of the planets and star were plenty to achieve his goals. He also sent a single Kython vessel along with all the ones that wished assistance. The seeder ship would convert local materials into the fleets needed for their individual actions.

The swarm multiplied at a frightening rate and they collected in groupings of hundreds. Each individual swarm of black writhing creatures seemed to contract in on themselves and melted together forming the components of a structure. As more Kythons joined in the construct, the ship began to take shape until a full Kython vessel was formed. Frigates, Destroyers, Cruisers, Destroyers, and Carriers took shape as the populations needed for each was reached. The ships took formation around the Dreadnaught posing as its escort. Several ships took position as if they were running sensor scans of the wormhole and patrols were launched to secure the perimeter. After everything was done, it looked quite genuine.

Ga’Ton gave all the crew specific instruction using the Link, a connection to the group consciousness they shared. Each of the crew carefully erected a false persona to pose as the Parody crew of the fleet. The only ship that was actually crewed was The Hades itself. The Shipminds controlled themselves as if they possessed a crew, being the sum consciousness of all the Kythons making up the structure. In turn, the Shipminds formed a controlling intellect called Fleetmind that was the total of all the Shipminds. The Avatar of the Fleetmind appeared next to Ga’Ton in his control center.

Well, it’s good to be back. What are we doing?

It seems there are some visitors approaching. They are allies of our Parodys so we are going to pretend to be them so they will go away. Meanwhile out real allies will scatter and we will meet them at other coordinates. I am sending seeder ships with them to create their own fleet so they are helped.

Yes, I was wondering why there were ships that were part of me but not here.

They will make their own Fleetminds when they arrive at their destination You will probably evolve into our version of Overmind here. I want you to remain by my side so we can properly control the Horde.

Yes Father, as always.

OOC dam thread move to fast for me to do a thing

OOC: Novaen Mirror Invasion Thread (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=524377)

The Grays noticed this new development with some curiosity. None the less, they followed the example of the others and tried to make themselves scarce. They silently conversed with each other (using their native full-talk, purely psionic conversation).

The entire conversation however, lasted only a few seconds.

Later, On the Hetwanese ship.

Mr. White watched the large Ri-anese ship disappear in a brilliant display of fire. Fire in space, amazing. The Grays had already left White and were conversing with other Grays.

The Ship moved silently to a farther location from the remaining vessels and jumped back to the space outside Greenbase. White went over the coordinates the allies of the Ri-anese had given them.

OOC: Grr, apologies for the delay - a combination of lack of time and an internet breakdown, mostly.

IC:
Most of the Kendaryn fleet set off at once on a round-about course that would bring them to the appointed meeting-place, Deathbringer's powerful portal drive opening the way for each jump. One group was sent off to the coordinates provided by Vr'trk Kch'ych, to aid the Novaens in their campaign.

Velrüth's guard fleet also moved out, though they travelled only a few jumps away. There wasn't time, however, to gather the slow moving DCPs, and the Control Platforms did not carry portal drives of their own. Unable to retreat, the eight vessels instead hid, employing every means of stealth they had available. A cloaking field made each of them all but invisible to conventional sensors, mass suppression devices concealed them from gravitic scanning, and other equipment hid them from more exotic searches. A determined examination of the area could still reveal their presence, but the intruders should have no reason to carry out such a search.

One of the Yamiri aboard the largest DCP sent a quick, carefully controlled thought to Ga'Ton.

-Ally, we cannot depart the system quickly enough to be sure of avoiding our visitors' attention. We are well prepared to hide, and will do so as best we can, but it may still be useful if you can keep them distracted from searching the area too closely.-

From out of Transwarp dropped the Stargon and Neo-mekantan scouts.

OOC AT ALL: Using Fluid Time, I'm doing my part of the invasion. I'll still take part in all other invasions, as planned, when you get them up. Meanwhile, here's mine:

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=525822

When the Ri-an and Mekantan probes arrived they found there was a full fleet basking in the bizarre colors of the wormhole. The majority of the ships were clustered in a general area with a large dreadnaught centered in the formation. Carriers, Battleships, and Cruisers floated in escort formation while several Destroyers patrolled the area accompanied with Frigates. Around the wormhole itself, were about a dozen or so Frigates. Some were seen launching probes into the aperture while others were assumedly receiving the signals from the probes.

The immense gravitational shadows of the ships and the power readings from sensors unmistakably identified them as being from Balrogga. There were very few nations who had ships who matched those readings. The visuals of the ships themselves showed they were all black and spines. Another dead giveaway as to the identity was a few roving swarms of three meter objects twisting and writhing as they investigated debris, usually devouring the debris before moving on. These were obviously Kythons, another aspect unique to Balrogga.

The psionic buzz in the area between the ships and Kythons was almost annoying. The Ta’Nar minds within the ships were easily identifiable as strong clear signals while the Kythons were the droning buzz. The Shipminds also communicated with each other across the distances relaying information to each other.

From the cluster of ships with their overpowering gravitational signatures (theoretically making the cloaked stations they positioned themselves near undetectable) a Destroyer was dispatched to approach the two alien creatures. As it neared it slowed to a stop and held position. Its Shipmind contacted them.

Hello, is there anything we can do for you?

When the Ri-an and Mekantan probes arrived they found there was a full fleet basking in the bizarre colors of the wormhole. The majority of the ships were clustered in a general area with a large dreadnaught centered in the formation. Carriers, Battleships, and Cruisers floated in escort formation while several Destroyers patrolled the area accompanied with Frigates. Around the wormhole itself, were about a dozen or so Frigates. Some were seen launching probes into the aperture while others were assumedly receiving the signals from the probes.

The immense gravitational shadows of the ships and the power readings from sensors unmistakably identified them as being from Balrogga. There were very few nations who had ships who matched those readings. The visuals of the ships themselves showed they were all black and spines. Another dead giveaway as to the identity was a few roving swarms of three meter objects twisting and writhing as they investigated debris, usually devouring the debris before moving on. These were obviously Kythons, another aspect unique to Balrogga.

The psionic buzz in the area between the ships and Kythons was almost annoying. The Ta’Nar minds within the ships were easily identifiable as strong clear signals while the Kythons were the droning buzz. The Shipminds also communicated with each other across the distances relaying information to each other.

From the cluster of ships with their overpowering gravitational signatures (theoretically making the cloaked stations they positioned themselves near undetectable) a Destroyer was dispatched to approach the two alien creatures. As it neared it slowed to a stop and held position. Its Shipmind contacted them.

"We just thought there was something strange going on here. That's an unusual wormhole, how did it develop?" asked the easily fooled Stargon.

The Shipmind seemed delighted that the large organic could talk mentally so she answered back in a cheerfull voice.

"This was the location of Constantine Station before it's core imploded and caused it. We are trying to determine the wormhole's properties. We don't know if it is a danger so we brought enough ships to make sure noting came out. So far it's been rather boring."

The Shipmind seemed delighted that the large organic could talk mentally so she answered back in a cheerfull voice.

"This was the location of Constantine Station before it's core imploded and caused it. We are trying to determine the wormhole's properties. We don't know if it is a danger so we brought enough ships to make sure noting came out. So far it's been rather boring."

"Well, that's good to hear." said the stargon.

It looked at its companion giving and waiting for it to speak.

OOC: I won't be posting much, if at all, for about a week. I'm rather busy with final exams. After this, however, I'll have actual spare time! Apologies for the delay, and feel free to move my fleets as needed to prevent delays to the storyline.

OOC:

Still waiting for Mekanta to post