NationStates Jolt Archive

The vastness of space was indeed one of many obstacles that faced space-faring civilizations in their pursuits amongst the stars. Many developed different types of drives to extend their control amongst the stars, to solidify their empires, to further their civilizations. For the Novus, however, that obstacle had been looked at carefully, analyzed, and solutions were sought for in a calm and easy manner. Within months, they had found a main system of travel, and a backup. The main system would work by a series of interplanetary nodes, which allowed them to traverse to nearby planets, even across entire systems. They had no intergalactic nodes, as they did not need to go across entire galaxies....yet.

The nodes worked by the same system it worked for transporting ground forces. The Novus ships would near the nodes and turn into energy, transporting along the invisible lines extending to the nodes around the beginning Novus nation. However, these had to be set up, put either in an asteroid, moon, planet, or in space somewhere. If they did not have so in advance, either due to colonization or attacking a system, they had to have a secondary system. This system was one of acceleration. Known as the "Inertial Accelerator", the ships picked up speed as they traveled towards their target, then the Accelerator increased their speed countless times, making them effortless move through space. Constant calculations would be needed, but for living machines, that was a task similar to breathing.

So it was that a fleet of eight Novus ships arrived, in a spread out formation as they bled off their momentum, and began working on slowing down. After a few moments, the acceleration had bled off and they accelerated to get over to the planet they had tagged for expansion of the Novus. The ships used their teleportation system to open a portal on the surface of the moon, as well as on the planet. It was a planet similar to Earth but more lush, with great big oceans.

One of the clearings was perfect for the first colonization team, consisting of OHM Robots, a squad of eight, with eight Constructors, that split off with an OHM to guard each of them. They each reached the eight clearings pegged by the probe sent in before to become the first eight cities of the planet. The next wave of colonization came, with the arrival of raw materials, which the Constructors used to start construction of the nodes. Once they were completed, the full colonization effort could begin, as the colonization force was back at Novus Prime, ready to enter the Node and go to the planet.

The eight ships, sleek and smooth, their white hulls gleaming in the sun of the system, as the light blue lights blinked, shone, and glowed all over their ships. Interceptors were launched, to begin patrols of the surrounding area, a squadron sent to investigate the local asteroid belt. Already, they were sending down a team of OHM and Constructors to the moon to begin construction of a Node there. The Novus moved quickly, every moment counted. The Hierarchy could come at any time; they had to be ready. Once they had the planet pretty-well colonized, they could move on to building defenses, assemblies, and military bases.

So they waited for the network of nodes to be built, and then they would claim the planet Isvl for their own. However, they didn't count on other nations coming in to check out this latest disturbance of what was once quiet space.....


OOC: Alright, this is going to be a colonization rp, so I want only peaceful contacts, and maybe some saber-rattling and some threatening, but if you want war, then we may work something out. Telegram me with what you want to do and we will go from there.

OOC: Universe at War much =P?

OOC: Shush you! ^^

Indeed, the sudden amount of activity was noticed. A probe, set up in the system some time before to monitor, reported back. Live feed showed the colonization by these strange new beings. While the system being colonized was nowhere near Xiscapian space, it was nice to know what was going on in other parts of the galaxy. So a scout came out of hyperspace at the edge of the system and cloaked itself. It moved in and settled down, setting up shop in the middle of space. It was fighter-sized, cloaked, and using very little engine or systems power, save those essential ones such as life support and the patch back to Xiscapia to feed the information it was recording. The pilot inside the cramped ship stretched and sunk into his seat, to watch and wait. He was humanoid, and looked very human, if one only glanced. He had fox ears growing out of the top of his head, white ones, with a bushy, silky white tail sticking out of the back of the pilot's seat. His eyes were orange and his "canines" were sharp and pointy. He was a kitsune, an Xiscapian, and, so far as they knew, the only ones like them in the known universe.

OOC: =D

IC: The probe, which had been sent millions of lightyears through the use of the propellant hyperspace drive in the Lorelei space system, sat silently...and watched. In it's short time in system (twenty standard years), it had noted no signifant activity other than a few stars in their death thralls.

Now, however, it activated. Using all of the known frequencies, and using it's high resolution camera, it recorded (and sent, using tetroid particles) the information it was now seeing. It was very...interesting.

Lorelei System, Intergalactic Space Federation of Theoroshia (ISFT)

The ensign stared at the feedback coming from probe A-76. It hadn't activated when it finished transit, and it was presumed lost, but the data port was kept open, just in case.

Now the ensign stared in amazement at what was unfolding before his eyes. There was a brief time lag (1.034 minutes, to be exact), but what he saw made him cringe inwardly. Another advanced species that the Federation encountered...

He picked up that krux, and it instantly connected him to Regional Fleet Command in the Alfreddo system, a couple hundred light years away. There was no time lag (due to the extensive communication satellite system set up), and that was good.

He spoke clearly and loudly, just to make sure. "Sir, we have a situation..."

The arrival of the ship via hyperspace was detected, as the Novus had their scanners honed for such things. They had been forced to retreat many a time due to Hierarchy fleets warping in, and if it hadn't been for their advanced sensors, they would have been wiped out. So, a squadron of Interceptors were sent to go investigate this signal, and ascertain if it was a threat or not. Due to the connected network nature of the Novus, the fighters would be able to using the scanning systems of the fleet back at the planet, in order to find this intruder.

So twelve interceptors detached from their patrol routes and began to head towards the Xiscapian ship. They spread out and their sensors were at the ready, sweeping over the space with their sensors.

As they began to increase their sensor scanning of the space, they soon came upon two anomalies in the system, which were the Xiscapian and Theoroshian probes. Another squadron was detailed to go pick up these probes and see if they were the same ones that the Hierarchy used. The Founder was informed and forces were mobilizing even as they initiated these actions, the messages moving instantly to their destinations, due to the Great Network that connected all of the Novus together.

While all this action was going on, the colonization of the planet had begun to speed up. The initial phase of the colonization, construction of enough nodes to establish the first eight cities, had been completed. The ample material had been enough to construct the interplanetary nodes and the Novus colonization force began to pour onto the planet. More OHM robots appeared, and began spreading out, investigating the ground to ascertain the resources the planet offered and to find more sites for building. The main Novus planetary attack aicraft, the Dervish (http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k308/Nirokasa/?action=view&current=dervish.png), was used, in squadrons, to scout from the air, as well as establishing patrols. The Novus sent many Constructors, as well as the pre-prepared raw materials for the Constructor's nanites to use in building the cities. The twin beams of the Constructors lit up the forest, showing as tiny pinpricks of electric blue on a sea of green from orbit. The buildings began to form, as the various assemblies were constructed, along with science centers, the recycling centers, and the command core for command and control for the operation on Isvl.

a pryoclasm class fast attack ship emerped from tras warp drive

the jem hadder first snapped arm all weapons raise shields

the 780 mettero inferno type pryoclasm class fast attack ships energy readings intensfied

coms from vorta talar i am the voice of the corpation i greet you in thier name

The Novus reacted to the blatant rip of space by the Shinran ship, and when it came forth, and proceeded to power up weapons, the Novus acted. Their group of ships, was a single Protector-class Destroyer, three Virus-class Cruisers, and four Particle-class Frigates. Two frigates and a cruiser broke off and headed for the ship, their own weapons powering up, with three interceptor squadrons deploying and more on their way.

When the message came, however, they paused, coming to an instant stop. Their fighters paused, circling around the fleet and the weapons and shields remained on. Finally, a message was replied back, in a clipped, metallic, very A.I. sounding voice:

This is the Founder, of the Novus. Why are you here?

we come to spread the will of the corporation replied the a.i Marcus stand down or i will call for my a.i brother zane the a.i of the the wrath of Zeus the second battle carrier and lest you wish for a war against the corporate defense force i would stand down.

depowwering weapons as a asign of good faith puting them in a self diaganostic cycle

There was a noticeable pause before the voice returned and it had the tones of laughter and scorn in it. "Are you seriously threatening us in OUR domain? We can quite easily take this as an invasion and have every right to attack you? The fact I have not is testament to the restraints my general has urged me to place. Now, I WILL not stand down until you do. Should you choose to continue this ridiculous bout of arrogance, I will be forced to other options. Now, power down or leave, else I will be forced to see you as an enemy. Choose wisely."

He watched carefully as the cruiser powered down its weapons and put them into self-diagnostic mode. The two frigates left, their interceptors returning to their hangars. All three powered down their weapons as well, and the remaining cruiser retracted its interceptor as well. The Founder's voice returned, back to its calm state. "Good choice, I might say. Now, what do you want that brings you to our space?"


As the Novus dealt with the Shrinians, the colonization continued apace. The cities were taking form quickly, and construction on the nodes that would transport the Novus from city to city was beginning amongst the forest, the invisible energy lines connecting them. Meanwhile on the moon, the interplanetary node was built, providing the basis for reinforcements to be called in. A military base was under construction, as well as important additions to the node, to make it more stable, and allow it to open a portal in which the Novus ships could enter.

we are here because i miscalculated the warp jump we mean you no harm we wish to befriend your peoples not conquer them we wish to bring a ship in to recover me
.
end coms


as that message was sent an other ship emerged from trans warp slowly the massive 3.5km form of the wrath of Zeus coms to local forces stand down i am here to retrieve my wayward brother Marcus do not fire up on me or i will be forced to annihilate you end coms encrypted a.i link Marcus you idiot! what the hell happened this is not the angel system your a freaking month late both me and the polar blade have been looking for you i could be playing rail gun pool but no i get sent looking for an idiot like you your lucky i don't wipe you.

Very well; we may discuss possible friendship. And you may bring in that ship, but any wrong moves, and we will be forced to other options.

The Novus stood by watching as the ship appeared and they did not say anything to the communication received, they merely continued watching. To ensure they didn't do anything against them.

"Hmmm...I thought there wasn't supposed to be too much activity in this sector, Eve. Yet here I am, picking up quite a few large ships on the scanner. You sure the Syndicates didn't follow us all the way out here?"

Rob Pulson watched the confrontion between Shinra and the unknown vessels carefully Shifting in his extremely comfortable captains chair, he toyed with his rather large pistol casually, wondering what he should do. Rob was a space cowboy, an old-fashioned bounty hunter. Well concealed thanks to Eve’s rather advanced stealth fields, he yawned loudly and took a big bite of a slice of half-eaten pizza lying on a expensive-looking control module.

No eating on the controls, Rob. How many times do I have to tell you? A soft, feminine voice suddenly filled the ship’s cabin accusingly. Rob sighed and threw the pizza into a receptacle. Ah, Eve. One of the most advanced ships in the galaxy, and she just happened to be a neat freak. Technically classified as a-and now the only-lightwave-class Ravean frigate, Eve was equipped with the best weapons, engines, and A.I. available. Rob had, of course, stolen it. Lucky for him, Eve was fully automated; he and the ship had been traveling space ever since; now, they were on the run from several galactic syndicates and governments for various offenses.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. What now, though? I doubt there are any bounties around here, and with those Shinra squares around, there's not much to do. Whose white ships are those?"

There are no records of such ships in my memory files. Perhaps they are explorers from one of the other galaxies.

Rob frowned; if Shinra did anything stupid, this could get ugly. "If that's the case, then these newbies should probably watch their step. Shinra tends to be a little...too direct sometimes. Just keep us hidden, all right?"

Affirmative, Rob. Eve drifted invisibly in space, carefully monitoring the situation.

The arrival of the ship via hyperspace was detected, as the Novus had their scanners honed for such things. They had been forced to retreat many a time due to Hierarchy fleets warping in, and if it hadn't been for their advanced sensors, they would have been wiped out. So, a squadron of Interceptors were sent to go investigate this signal, and ascertain if it was a threat or not. Due to the connected network nature of the Novus, the fighters would be able to using the scanning systems of the fleet back at the planet, in order to find this intruder.

So twelve interceptors detached from their patrol routes and began to head towards the Xiscapian ship. They spread out and their sensors were at the ready, sweeping over the space with their sensors.

As they began to increase their sensor scanning of the space, they soon came upon two anomalies in the system, which were the Xiscapian and Theoroshian probes. Another squadron was detailed to go pick up these probes and see if they were the same ones that the Hierarchy used. The Founder was informed and forces were mobilizing even as they initiated these actions, the messages moving instantly to their destinations, due to the Great Network that connected all of the Novus together.

While all this action was going on, the colonization of the planet had begun to speed up. The initial phase of the colonization, construction of enough nodes to establish the first eight cities, had been completed. The ample material had been enough to construct the interplanetary nodes and the Novus colonization force began to pour onto the planet. More OHM robots appeared, and began spreading out, investigating the ground to ascertain the resources the planet offered and to find more sites for building. The main Novus planetary attack aicraft, the Dervish (http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k308/Nirokasa/?action=view&current=dervish.png), was used, in squadrons, to scout from the air, as well as establishing patrols. The Novus sent many Constructors, as well as the pre-prepared raw materials for the Constructor's nanites to use in building the cities. The twin beams of the Constructors lit up the forest, showing as tiny pinpricks of electric blue on a sea of green from orbit. The buildings began to form, as the various assemblies were constructed, along with science centers, the recycling centers, and the command core for command and control for the operation on Isvl.
The pilot of the scout muttered a soft gutteral curse and self-destructed the probe. Not that these beings could find anything useful on it, but better to be on the safe side. He barely breathed as the sensors reported the interceptors scans around his craft, as though their instruments were so sensitive they could hear him breathing. His life support and the tiny percent of engine power he was using was masked by background radiation and other system-disrupting things, but there was a number of other ways to detect a cloaked ship. Namely, he thought as one of the alien interceptors passed scant feet from his left wing, running into one.

Somewhere in the Colonyship: Liberation

Commander Jim was at the front helm, as part of the Recanic Honor Guard for the glorious deep space colonization. While former colonies were built under contract. This mission was different, it was to develop an actual asset of the Republic as the various colonies was paying "tax" for the main government. The Colonyship soon reached the planet where several factions will soon be in dispute over...

"All ACUs please get ready to sortie out. All ACUs will be landing and begin building infrastructure to establish an foward post. Once constructed I want an extractor division to begin extract mass from various places. I want at least a 20 to 1 energy generator for every mass fabrication unit and also...get some mass/energy storage just in case...We are a go!"

"UNDERSTOOD! MOVE OUT!"

The ACU and the Commander then began in atomspheric entry as the Liberation lands on the sector which 20 clicks of the initial contact. The Colonyship lands and deploys into a makeshift command post with a basic quantum gate relay, Construction center and a mass and energy extractor.

The Commander surveys his landing zone...He detects a huge collection of minerals which resembles element TM (Tiberium) But lacking its regenerative rates as the scanner shows which said it had a regeneration of 6 months. Several engineering robots was sent to mine the area and seal it off to all biological lifeforms attempting to enter the area...Also several Anti-Orbit/Air Batteries were in place...

One of the ACUs was building an agriculture post with Nanolathe when he detects several mysterious white robots...

OOC: Note that there is a very small human colony force despite being colonized as Quantum gates have difficulty transporting huge masses of people.

OOC: Uhh...where are you colonizing? On the planet the Novus are colonizing or somewhere?

OOC: Same planet...

OOC: Yeah, about that. I kinda don't see how you can just auto land on MY world without asking me. Ignoring the fact that the eight ships in orbit would blow your colony ship apart after warning it once to stop and state its purpose.

If you still want to continue, very well. But the Novus will take this as an act of war.

IC: As Eve and its pilot, Rob Pulson, watched the showdown between the Shinrain fleet and the Novus expeditionary forces, the Novus continued their colonization and exploration of the system around them due to the tears in space detected earlier. The squadrons going after the Xiscapian probe paused when it self-destructed, and seemed to consider their next move. One of the them rushed forward, and scooped up all the shards of the probe left behind from the explosion, before returning to its squadron as they flew back to their original patrol route. The ones around the Xiscapian ship unleashed their scanners, washing everything in a great radius around them with sensors able to detect anything on the EM spectrum, heat, motion, energy, and finally gravitics.

The Xiscapians efforts to hide were detailed and advanced; they managed to hide from all but one type, the gravitic sensors. Even if they dulled their heat signatures, their power signature, and didn't move, they still had an effect on the space around them. The radiation and everything in the system would have interfered with normal sensors if not for the fact that it was so close, and they were combining their sensors with those of the fleet. The squadron paused around the Xiscapian ship, and then turned towards the gravitic mass. A single message was relayed.

"We see you, intruder. State your business and nation, or be annihilated."


Meanwhile, the colonization was going rather well. The eight cities were halfway completed until they had the basics completed. The robotic and vehicle assemblies were already up and operational, deploying all the ground forces the Novus would need to secure the planet. Their node network on the planet was rapidly increasing, allowing them to move quickly over quarter of the planet now, the travel being almost instantaneous. They were already forming up new groups to go out and seek more places for the Novus to colonize. Harvesting was going on full swing, with the abundance of trees being used to fuel their nanites, but to match the pace they would soon reach, they needed minerals. Hard rock, that sort of thing. As such, they were going to go look for mineral deposits. The base on the moon was beginning to take shape as well, with the interstellar portal going quite well, and almost complete. With only one piece left before it was fully operational, they would soon be able summon reinforcements in record time, if the need came.

the sensors on the wrath of zeus picked up a cloaked ship zane automatically enacted protocol omega article five and powered up weapons and charged shields and ablative Armour and locked on to the cloaked vessel. coms to unidentified cloaked vessel drop your cloak or will be forced to purge you from from space

"Shit, you've got to be kidding me. How the hell did Shinra of all peoples pick us up? I've got a bad feeling about this...Do as they say for now, Eve; We'll be able to fight if we need to, but be prepared to make a jump to hyperspace if we need to run." Rob frowned as he flipped several switches on the control panel. He hoped those other white ships wouldn't jump to any hasty conclusions.

Eve dropped her cloak, revealing her shiny silver-blue exterior, bristling with both visible and hidden weapons. She slowly maneuvered in between the two small fleets of ships. Rob flipped the open Comm switch and began speaking nervously.

"This is Rob Pulson; I'm a professional bounty hunter and a former liaison to the Ravean government. I'm just passing through this area, so there's no need for anyone's trigger fingers to get happy or anything, eh?"

OOC: Yeah, about that. I kinda don't see how you can just auto land on MY world without asking me. Ignoring the fact that the eight ships in orbit would blow your colony ship apart after warning it once to stop and state its purpose.

If you still want to continue, very well. But the Novus will take this as an act of war.

IC: As Eve and its pilot, Rob Pulson, watched the showdown between the Shinrain fleet and the Novus expeditionary forces, the Novus continued their colonization and exploration of the system around them due to the tears in space detected earlier. The squadrons going after the Xiscapian probe paused when it self-destructed, and seemed to consider their next move. One of the them rushed forward, and scooped up all the shards of the probe left behind from the explosion, before returning to its squadron as they flew back to their original patrol route. The ones around the Xiscapian ship unleashed their scanners, washing everything in a great radius around them with sensors able to detect anything on the EM spectrum, heat, motion, energy, and finally gravitics.

The Xiscapians efforts to hide were detailed and advanced; they managed to hide from all but one type, the gravitic sensors. Even if they dulled their heat signatures, their power signature, and didn't move, they still had an effect on the space around them. The radiation and everything in the system would have interfered with normal sensors if not for the fact that it was so close, and they were combining their sensors with those of the fleet. The squadron paused around the Xiscapian ship, and then turned towards the gravitic mass. A single message was relayed.

[i]


Meanwhile, the colonization was going rather well. The eight cities were halfway completed until they had the basics completed. The robotic and vehicle assemblies were already up and operational, deploying all the ground forces the Novus would need to secure the planet. Their node network on the planet was rapidly increasing, allowing them to move quickly over quarter of the planet now, the travel being almost instantaneous. They were already forming up new groups to go out and seek more places for the Novus to colonize. Harvesting was going on full swing, with the abundance of trees being used to fuel their nanites, but to match the pace they would soon reach, they needed minerals. Hard rock, that sort of thing. As such, they were going to go look for mineral deposits. The base on the moon was beginning to take shape as well, with the interstellar portal going quite well, and almost complete. With only one piece left before it was fully operational, they would soon be able summon reinforcements in record time, if the need came.
OOC: He's right, Gyro. What you just RPed was a serious godmod. His ships would have blasted you into atoms before you got close.
IC:
Having recieved the message, and trapped between this and an unknown fleet, the little scout ship decloaked. The pilot was surprised to see another ship, closer to his both in distance and in size, decloak near him. Unlike the other ship, however, this ship was a glossy black, and was armed with only duel laser cannons, most of the ship being devoted to sensors, scanners and recording technology. It was really just a pile of equipment with a engine attatched. But it didn't look it. Slightly larger than your average fighter, and it's cannons were powered so that it could destroy your average fighter in a single hit. However, against anything large the scout was doomed to fail. The pilot carefully keyed in his response, wondering if the other race would be able to recieve his response.
I am an Xiscapian Scout craft. My government had noticed the build-up of ships in this system and we were curious. We mean no harm, as long as no harm is given.

coms we shirians have a protocol code named omega it sates any cloaked vessel near a shinrian vessel of war is to be classed as enemy and all offensive and defensive systems armed and powered up
lower your shields and prepare to be boarded by droid marines any cloaking device found will be rendered inoperative failure to comply will result in your vessels destruction just to show you i am not bluufing arming mac gun tandems 1 and two

"Look, I don't think you know who and what you're dealing with here. Now, I've been on the run from the Syndicates for a while now, so what's wrong with a little precaution, right?" No response. Obviously humor and sarcasm wouldn't win the Shirians over. Rob opened a side hatch on his command chair and pulled out a pair of pistols out, fitting them quickly to his belt.

"Eve, don't power down anything, and have Swordfish ready for launch. Arm all weapons-er, no, don't charge the rails just yet, they'll shoot for sure if we do that-and plot a course towards those white vessels in case Shinra does anything dumb. If they fire at us, I don't want to be in the path of fire, got it?" Eve hummed in conformation. Rob opened the Comms back up.

"Look, Shinra, I don't want any trouble, I'm just passing through. Now, there will be no search of my ship, no shield-lowering, and CERTianly no vessel destruction, got it? I highly recommend not sending those marines." Rob paused. "Hey, white...things. Could you guys lend me a hand here? I'm just an innocent bystander, you wouldn't let me be vaporized over a simple misunderstanding, right?"

hostile vessel has failed to comply engage combat protocols target their engines for an rkv strike and fire 50 war phaser batteries i want thieir shields down aye said the a.i manning weaponry

As the Novus began to interact with the Xiscapian scout craft, trouble came as the Shrinaian ships detected some cloaked ship and immediately powered up weapons and shields. The Novus, already annoyed and irritated, got angry and sent five ships to go intervene. The Shinraians had overstepped their authority, and the Founder was not happy with their actions. The gate, which was just been finished, was given its first test, as they sent a call for reinforcements. The generators on the moon powered up, and the faint beginnings of a inter-planetary portal appeared.


As the Wrath of Zeus armed its weapons, and began locking its weapons on the poor ship with Eve and Rob, five beams of antimatter were fired over the bow of the ship. It made their anger clear. The five ships, a single Heavy Cruiser, a Destroyer, and three Frigates. As they approached the ship, they sent out squadrons of interceptors to cover the besieged ship. Two messages were sent at the same time.

Wrath of Zeus, you are hereby ordered to stand down. You have powered up weapons when we have told you not to, and you are preparing to initiate hostile conflict in our space. We will handle this situation, not you. Shall you continue on this path, we will not hesitate to fire upon you.

Unidentified vessel, explain yourself and what you are doing here? Why did you cloak yourself?

*************

When they received the message from the Xiscapians, a response quickly came.

If you don't want to cause harm, then why were you cloaking yourself? It looks more like you are trying to pry our secrets without our notion.

If you don't want to cause harm, then why were you cloaking yourself? It looks more like you are trying to pry our secrets without our notion.
There was a momentary pause as the scout moved itself very slowly and clearly away from where the other previously cloaked ship was located.
To be quite frank, most sentiants find it displeasing when a visitor or group barges into their newly claimed system unannonced. I came cloaked so as not to cause trouble. I would have transmitted my findings, reported back, and a diplomat would have been sent to speak with you, after your consent, of course. However, this has obviously not worked, as I have been detected by your scanners. Any secrets you hold here could just as easily be detected by that large fleet you have allowed to enter your system and is now preparing to destroy that other craft, no?

They are the Watchers. Old beyond knowing, yet mere years in age. Across stars, they serve the Unbroken Eye, hoping to avert cataclysm and destruction for all mankind. They are not as many supremicists of mankind are. They have no desire for man to expand his realm into infinity, merely that mankind survives is enough.

No prediction can be made without knowledge, however, and sometimes, to gain knowledge, it is required that one takes action. So it was that a single ship was dispatched, a messenger of sorts. They had only detected the buildup, and the occasional fleeting scan revealed less than they wanted to know. No, the Unbroken Eye was no omniscient.

As the Pelagiad slipped into the system, it did not bother cloaking. The entire concept of a cloak was outdated - even if you could remove electromagnetic scanning capabilities, there was no way to delete a gravitic signature. The whole idea of hiding was pathetic.

We are the Unbroken Eye. We have seen you, machine-life, and we would know more of you. We would converse with you, and give you warnings that are necessary for all to survive.

Relentlessly ignoring the other nations there, the Realm vessel moved in-system, inertialless compensators working furiously as so it could arrive near the Novus in scarce minutes. Time-dilation, of course, was always a factor, but provided one did not travel too close to the light barrier, it was bearable.

@Xiscapia:

"That is why one comes to the edge of the system, if they cannot send a message beforehand. I am not speaking of the secrets on our ships, but most nations who do cloak have something to hide from. Be it good or ill, we are used to it being on the ill side. So, we expect the bad and are pleasantly surprised by the good. Very well, if you'd like, you can go land on the planet, and a representative will be with you shortly to speak with you.

As for the ship, we are not preparing to destroy it....yet. It has been warned, plenty of times, that this is OUR space, and we decide the rules here. He has chosen to break it and is coming close to causing war on our doorstep. This we will not abide. However,t hat is our concern, not yours. We will take care of it.


**************

The power levels and the rupture caused by the Pelagiad was quickly detected by the Novus sensors and a frigate was dispatched to go meet the ship, and do the task of informing them of the ground rules for their space. It annoyed the Novus to no end that they HAD to actually do that, but it was obvious it needed to be done.

The Novus frigate, already a small and quick ship, quickly met the Pelagiad as it was working to meet it as well. They quietly listened to the message and a reply was promptly sent back.

"We welcome The Unbroken Eye to our system. We ask that you follow our rules, which are all the things common sense should rule over. No attacking each other, causing wars, etc. As you can see, we are having a problem with one such nation, and we may have an...altercation soon. We feel obligated to warn you, and if you want to come at another time, we can make an appointment right now. If not, we can begin talking. As soon as we get to the planet, of course. We'd rather you not get caught in the crossfire, if it happens."

"That is why one comes to the edge of the system, if they cannot send a message beforehand. I am not speaking of the secrets on our ships, but most nations who do cloak have something to hide from. Be it good or ill, we are used to it being on the ill side. So, we expect the bad and are pleasantly surprised by the good. Very well, if you'd like, you can go land on the planet, and a representative will be with you shortly to speak with you.

As for the ship, we are not preparing to destroy it....yet. It has been warned, plenty of times, that this is OUR space, and we decide the rules here. He has chosen to break it and is coming close to causing war on our doorstep. This we will not abide. However,t hat is our concern, not yours. We will take care of it.

I understand fully. However, I am not authorized for contact with another race, so I must decline your kind offer. I will send for a delegate to arrive in-system in due time. If you will allow me, I must leave, to report back to my superiors and give my message. Also I am rather not attracted to the idea ofbeing hit by a stray plasma bolt or missile.
The pilot fidgited as his sensors detected yet another ship arriving. Getting crowded in here...and we all know that when bodies group together, they create friction, which creates heat...

A pause. And then a message.

We shall not dally here long. Let it merely be said that to challenge mankind is to condemn yourself to annihilation. We are a race not given to tolerance. Be warned, machine, but know that we do not desire your destruction. Rather, your survival is useful in many ways.

It was enough. Knowledge was power, and to reveal anything about the Eye was to grant power to those who might become enemies.

The Pelagiad was gone in a blink, as if it had never existed.

OOC:Ok, I will consider my landing retconned

Unidentified vessel, explain yourself and what you are doing here? Why did you cloak yourself?

Glad that the white ships had intervened, Rob breathed a sigh of relief, carefully watching the squads of small ships outside his own. At least this would hopefully put an end to Shinra's shenanigans. Rob flipped the comms switch once again, speaking to the white ships.

"I already told you, I'm a bounty hunter on the run. I didn't know whether your ships were friendly or hostile; for all I know, you could have been Syndicate. There's not much out here normally, you know; i had no idea anyone would be around. Seemed like a good place to hide out, you know?"

standing down battle alert powering down all combat systems except mac gun tandems

coms to the novus you dare much I AM THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS fleets tremble before me

@Ravea:

"We understand. You are granted permission to access our space on the condition that you do not mention our existence to anyone and you never show, talk, etc, of anything you see or hear here. Do you understand?"


**************


you dare much I AM THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS fleets tremble before me

The message sent by the Wrath of Zeus was rather deflated when a fleet of ships exited the portal above the moon. A Battleship, two Carriers, and three Heavy Cruisers. Augmenting the seven ships already in the system, this brought their force up to thirteen ships. They moved to intercept the Shinraian ship as a message was sent on all channels.

"Listen to me, you pretentious swine! This is NOVUS space, as in WE control it, not you. We have the jurisdiction, the political rights, whatever to this area. WE decide the rules; you do not. If you do not want to become vapor, I'd highly suggest you shut up, or leave. I WILL not have a ship, whom we have ALLOWED to stay in our space, to try and buck MY authority. Follow the rules or leave. If you try again, we will not hesitate to make you into scrap for our colony.

Rob smiled; this was the perfect time for a little negotiations, and possibly a hefty payoff. He pressed the comms button once again, speaking on a direct channel to these "Novus."

"That depends, mate; see, I could easily divulge this rather valuable information to a number of nefarious sources. The Ravean Interplanetary Defense force would be pleased to know about all this, and if I was in a bad mood, I could draw the Space Syndicates to this sector, savvy? You'd have to find a new planet to colonize pretty quickly, I'd say. So, I'd like a little...bribe, you could call it, to keep me quiet, if you catch my drift."

Rob held his breath for the response. He could either be blasted into oblivion, or perhaps the Novus were not so keen on caving in so easily.

@Ravea

"Oh really? Well then, we can simply just give you up to the Shrinaians, if you'd like to take your chances with them? Or we can always rip you apart and use the scrap to fuel the colony. Your choice, of course."

The interceptors moved in, as if to prove the point that they weren't broking any bullshit from this guy.


@Xiscapia:

"You have our permission to leave. We will be waiting."

"You have our permission to leave. We will be waiting."
I thank my guests for their understanding, generosity, and hospitality. You may expect to hear from an Xiscapian Ambassador anywhere from the next hour to the next fourty-eight hours, Standered Time.
Crisis averted, the scout turned and jumped into hyperspace, bound home for Xiscapia, where the pilot would report back to his superiors and an ambassador would be preped and sent.

"Hehe...well, your argument is very convincing when you put it that way. Of course, I doubt that your ships even have the ability to turn my ship into scrap metal, and Shinra is just laughable." Rob was grossly exaggerating his capabilities, of course, but not by too much; he could put up a decent fight, but not when he was so outnumbered. Negotiation was much like a game of chess, however; one needed to bluff accordingly to win. “Of course, all I'd have to do is to reactivate the tracking transponder on my ship to give the Ravean fleet my location. You'd have destroyed me by then, I'm sure, but the Ravean navy would be quite annoyed by your actions, not to mention furious that they didn't get to kill me. All in all, I’d say that the whole thing isn’t worth the effort thought; that said, how about we strike a profitable deal? Do you have any annoying bounties that need to be taken care of, or anything of the sort?"

coms to novus from a.8i zane of the wrath of Zeus

you have proved your worth to my battle form we wish to be friendly

encrypted coms to rob puslon you imperesed meyou are not affaid of one of ourmost heavily armed warships

"The Novus have nothing a single hunter could take care of. Unless you have some species-destroying devices, I doubt you'd be of much help. And as I mentioned to the Shinrains over here, I will not hesitate to turn any and all hostiles to scrap to feed our colony. I have many more ships ready and willing to come to our aid. I suggest you cease with the threats, Ravean. I do not react well to threats. Now, if you wish to stay in our space, that is fine. But no funny business, and no pulling tricks. We find out you betray us in any way, and you will be hunted down mercilessly killed. If you choose to decline our offer, you still will be bound to not reveal our location. You do, and we will hunt you down."

As the message from the Shinrains came in, the ships backed off somewhat, though they stayed and continued to watch the Wrath of Zeus.

"Good to see you have common sense. I don't care about proving my worth to you. I care about keeping my space as safe and protected as possible, while we work on the planet below. Now, what do you want with the Novus?"

While all this was going on, the planet and moon continued to be colonized. If anyone was paying attention with their scanners, they would see the eight cities had already connected themselves via the Flow networks and had already developed over a 1/4th of the planet. The moon base was already a full-blown place, with defenses being constructed, and the beginnings of an orbital shipyard was underway.

A Cruiser (http://www.moddb.com/images/cache/mods/82/8237/gallery/thumbmoty_53379.jpg) pops into existance just inside Novus space, moving slowly and then stopping so as not to alarm anyone. A message transmitted from the ship:
Greetings, we are the Xiscapians. One of our craft was here some time before, and promised you a diplomat. We are here with him, and await information as to where his shuttle should dock.