NationStates Jolt Archive

Outskirts of the Dreyfus System

They say plenty of things about Gurguvii, none of them particularly good. For a small star nation, the Gurguvii Star Union was rather well known for wealth, shipbuilding and unbridled arrogance. Not surprisingly, these traits combined to make the Gurguvii both difficult to deal with and impossible to avoid in their corner of the 'verse, and so one learned to put up with them.

The Dreyfus system was not the Union's capital, but it just about might be. Traders came and went, bringing goods and tales from across the wide universe to mingle and change hands in Pioneer's cavernous loading docks. The single habitable world of the Dreyfus system was the trade hub of the Union as well as its industrial mecca, home to the sprawling orbital shipyards that turned out cargo ships, tankers and cruisers alike. The planet's surface, a warren of artificial canyons, tunnels and skyscrapers, was a patchwork quilt of beige, grey and brown that spoke clearly to Pioneer's harsh climate and lack of natural beauty. There had been nothing to save, so the Gurguvii had paved it over and built a thriving metropolis.

But orbit was where things happened. Miners brought their nickel-iron asteroids to the Lagrangian points for stripping, deep space cargo ships too large to ever land offloaded their cargoes on great trade wheels and the ubiquitous cutters of the Gurguvii Space Navy plied the spacelanes, interrogating IFF beacons and detaining wildcat miners for permit violations.

Amidst this organized chaos, the Strikestar GSS Aeolus cruised on its solitary way. Designed from the core out as an exploration and patrol cruiser, the strikestar was designed to operate away from port for months at a time, her water and oxygen recycling systems needing to stop and restock only once every six weeks. She was not elegant to look at, two small hangar bays bolted to a ridged frame that bulged outward fore and aft in two wedge-shaped constructs. A creature of pure space, Aeolus lacked the aerodynamic angles of GSN fighters and the graceful curves of the battlestars. Her sole purpose was to mount a diverse array of weapons and sensors on a small, multipurpose hull that could outrun anything it could not outfight.

Her bridge reflected that ethos. It was dark, like all command decks of the GSN, and took the form of a well the centre of which was commanded by a situation table. Arrayed around it were various stations responsible for aspect's of the ship's activities, positioned so that the ship's commander could interact with his division leaders simply by rotating in place to face them. The commander did not sit while on duty, and though benches were available for long watches they were not particularly comfortable. The commander was obliged to stand, remaining physically and mentally ready to take charge in the event of an emergency.

Commander Elwyn Saunders was, then, a little sore on his feet. The cross-system trek from Pioneer to the outsystem jump point was a long one, going on six hours, and he had been standing for all of it.

"Time to jump point?" He sounded terse and tired, not unusual three-quarters of the way through his watch with a headache and a rather insistent hunger.

"T-minus six minutes." Saunders nodded and sat on the bench which ringed the command pit, thereby signalling that he would wait without giving further orders until they reached the jump point. He ran through his orders mentally once again.

The Aeolus was to proceed to the Wayfarer system, an empty one, and thence to Valerie's Star, a longtime trading partner and independent world that bordered both Gurguvii and Fenarine space. Reports had filtered back regarding unrest in the Fenarine Empire, and while the Union was not in the habit of fomenting rebellion the opportunity to safeguard the Union's borders against its larger neighbour could not be passed up. At the moment, the Aeolus would be restricted to scouting operations; Valerie's Star was an independent system, but if conflict was to come between the Empire and the Star Union, it could not remain so for long.

"We have reached the jump point, commander." Saunders stood up and crossed to the situation board.

"Rig the ship for jump. Pass the word and spin up the FTL. All stations, secure for hyperlight travel."

High Lord Nevez Juilan was somewhat worried. Only mildly, mind you. He had never really committed to the Fenarine Empire in the way Faralanor and T'velya had, and so his House was fairly safe. A few hundred ships, a strong fleet, and a decent force of soldiers, to boot.

His desires led him only into the arms of low-ranking women (and just as often into the unwilling arms of a bartender), in a supposed search to find a wife. House Juilan had no direct heir, and, unless Nevez fathered one, it was possible a thousand-year line would collapse into civil war. No doubt House Makassar would be there, to pick up the pieces.

However, there were others with desires that extended beyond that of Nevez's simple love of women and alcohol. Six men stood to inherit House Juilan when Nevez died, each with a fairly good claim on the High Lordship. Some had better claims than others - but others had more wealth, more backing. The political maneuvering that was undertaken around the drunk High Lord was remarkable. More remarkable, though, was that Nevez did not even notice.

Lord Kelen, one of the six, had recently seen two of his servants assassinated. To say that he was angry about this would be an immense understatement. However, the message was clear. Either he left the world, or he died as well. Of course, he had no intention of relinquishing his claim on the throne. But he had even less intention of dying.

Nevez sat on his chair on the balcony outside his window, sipping from a cup of Hulonian brandy. His eyes were bloodshot, but that, no doubt, was from the night before.

Kelen approached him, and bowed.

"Yes... Kelen? Whassit?"

"High Lord, I have come with you, bearing a plan. A plan to increase the wealth and power of the Juilin."

"Whassit?"

Kelen tried hard not to sigh. But, no, he needed this fop's approval. And Nevez had been a canny man, in his heyday.

"Lord, you know Juilin only controls one world. Our trade potential is lessened by this. And with all the other Houses opening up trade links with other nations, we are seeing a dramatic increase in the prices of many vital goods."

"Yish?"

Surely the man wasn't drunk already? It was still the first sixth of the day!

"The Gurguvii are a powerful trading partner. And, like us, their method of faster-than-light propulsion means they must cross every intervening star in any route, making their trade routes predictable."

"Yep."

"The nearby star of.. what we call Feitar, what they call Valerie's Star, is currently inhabited by a small, independent colony. Some thousands. In the past, the Fenarine Emperor forbade most trade, even with the Gurguvii. Feitar was a fairly useless star in such a situation. However, with the Empire dissolved.."

Nevez sat up. "We send a small taskforce, subjugate the colony, construct a trading post, including a spaceport with the capability for refueling and repair, and use it to profit off the newly-lucrative trade with the Gurguvii?"

So. He wasn't drunk at all. He was a crafty old man.

Nevez laughed. "I could see what you were angling for, Kelen. The question is, what do you want in return? You know I'm not going to anoint you my heir for one single idea, even if it is a good."

Kelen looked at him, and, after a moment, spoke. "I want to be Governor of the new refueling post and colony."

"Why? Won't that take your attention away from the High Lordship?"

Kelen grinned. "It will get me out of the way. While the other five men waste money and resources trying to win backers for the High Lordship, I will have a new Juilan world, with significant money pouring in, much of it for my use, which will increase the wealth of most sitting on the Council by quite a bit, and, of course, even if I lose, I'll have power enough from this new post, won't I?"

"Your logic is reasonable. You have your own ships?"

"Mostly, High Lord. I am assuming you would want to send a few of yours, to ensure it is a Juilan venture, and not one that will be attacked by my competitors."

"Yes, that is correct. The battlecruiser Proxima is yours to command. Take a few of your own frigates, and your destroyer."

Kelen merely nodded. Inside, though, he was jumping with glee.


Twelve Sixths Later

The small group, with materials enough to set up a single spaceport, as well as a contigent of Juilan troopers, let reality settle once more around them, preparing weapons to fire, from railguns to masers, missiles and torpedoes.

If the Gurguvii were to enter the system, well, they'd surely have to do it from the other side. That, at least, would make things interesting..

Edge of the Valerie's Star System

"Radar contact, bearing sixteen point oh nine by fifty three point two by four!" The tactical officer's startled tone cut through the air of the bridge, snapping the men and women of the Aeolus out of their reverie. Commander Saunders was on his feet in an instant, the fog of exhaustion cleared from his mind by the blinking readout screens showing a number of unknown contacts.

"Queries to the IFF codes show Fenarine registry," his communications officer said tersely, the other man's hands dancing over his console. "I'm showing major radio traffic between them."

"Radar tentatively identifies one battlecruiser, one light cruiser and a number of smaller ships. They look like they're on an aggressive profile." The tactical officer again, his face greenlit by his own readout screens. "I'm reading what could be missile launches or fighters... stand by."

"Sound general quarters throughout the ship," Saunders ordered. "XO, get a CAP in the air. Communications, get me on the horn with Valerie, let's see what they've got to say." He was greeted with a chorus of 'aye aye's and a bustle of activity. Saunders crossed to the situation table, noting the pulsing unknowns and the rapid sweep of his radar arc. "Helm, set course for the Fenarine ships. Chamber the railguns and bring up defensive systems."

He hoped there wouldn't be a fight. The Aeolus was the only Gurguvii ship in the system, and in addition to being vastly outgunned by the Fenarine ships it was also unable to contact the Dreyfus task force without physically travelling there, a trip that had taken it over two ship-days. That, or it would have to press a Gurguvii merchant ship into courier duty...

"Scan for any hyperlight ships flagged with a Gurguvii registry. We might need a courier. And someone get the Fenarine on another channel, I want to talk to them."