NationStates Jolt Archive

Knight Flight - Bravo One to Guardian Tower Odin

GTO here, go ahead Bravo One

GTO, Request Permission to Dock in Emerald City

Bravo One, Permission granted for Knight Flight to dock at East Bay #24. Welcome Home gentlemen

High in the sky, the dozen patrol airships of Knight Flight soared home. Their sleek shapes cutting through the clouds while their engines purred. As they passed the floating fortress , the small airships conducted a barrel roll for any of those watching onboard.

Bravo One to Knight Flight, reduce airspeed and clip wings. Prepare for landing in East Bay.

The airships flew into a single line formation as they approached Emerald City . The airships wings folded neatly into place as the Hawk Class airship began to float rather than soar. It was just after sunrise and it gave the floating city a warm glow as the airships landed.

The airships flew between the two watch towers of East Bay. The architecture of the city was Gothic in nature, with every possible detail built into the floating city. The cathedrals they were modeled after were lost long ago in the Great War that ravaged the surface world.

The bay doors opened, to welcome the Knights home.

::WELCOME TO HAVENSKY ::

OCC: Welcome to the World of Havensky. Havensky is a future tech republic that resides completely in floating castles.

HISTORY: The Republic Of Havensky was built during the Great War a few generations ago. The Great War was a nuclear war fought between the two superpowers at the time. The entire planet became a battlefield which destroyed many nations and ravaged the planet's surface. In order to seek refuge, several tribes joined together to build the first Sky Castle, a floating city which could stay airborne indefinitely. The Great War carried on for decades with the residents of Sky Castle isolated themselves from the sky bound havens. Only coming down to the surface to salvage raw materials so that construction could continue on other castles. When the Great War ended, the nations of the world had blasted themselves back into the dark ages. The Republic of Skyhaven continued in isolation above them determined to live in peace among the clouds.

TECHNOLOGY: The Republic of Havensky is a future-tech nation capable of spaceflight. However, space exploration is kept to a minimum as most research is dedicated to sustaining life in the air. (No warp drive yet)

Each SkyCastle holds approximately 500,000 people with the exception of Havensky which holds one million residents. The huge structures are kept afloat by a series of anti-gravity cells powered by redundant fusion generators. The cities pride themselves on their architecture, which range from gothic to classic Greek and Roman style structuring.


Airships are the only reliable means of transportation and are driven by a combination of anti-gravity cells and jet engines.

Mecha have a wide range of uses from defense to industry.

MILITARY: The Republic of Skyhaven has a modest military that acts more like a coast guard than real military. The mainstay of the Skyhaven military are the Hawk Class Airships that act as patrol ships. When venturing onto the surface, the military relies on Mecha to escort salvage crews. Cities are guarded by a number of floating towers that provide missile bombardment to any intruders. The cities rely more on the difficulty of attacking a floating city for defense rather than a strong military force.

GOVERNMENT: The Republic of Sky Haven is libertarian and relies more on the individual cities to govern. Each City gets two senators, which elects a Chancellor from among it's ranks to act as Head of State. The current Chancellor is Drake Skywolf.

With the launch of a new advanced communications satellite, the Republic can now receive communications from other worlds.

"Warp saturation at -.5 and falling...-.22...-.1...Warp saturation at zero. Prepare for re-entry.
With what would have been a resounding 'CRACK', had there been anything to carry the sound, the Procyion hurtled forth from subspace traveling a majestic pace, its degeneracy reactor straining to keep the tear in space open. The Luxion II class wasnt particularly large or impressive, but it had what was needed to go the distance and cross the galactic gulf to the inhabited regions of space away from the Earth called 'home' by its crew.
"Initiating system scan...scan reports artificial satilites in-system. Strong indications of intelligent life, sir."
"Prepping the RX-5's...prepare to scramble if theyre hostile."
"Engineering reports the reactor requires ten minutes to recharge. Minor coolant leak in block five..."
Captain Gray, an older man, although well respected by his crew, was nursing a mug of coffee, a habit which had aged him prematurely. A fringe of grey hair was visible under his cap and he was quite distinctly wrinkled.
"Eh? Ah...send out the standard greetings, then. Lets see if they have anything to say. Ah...I hope they have real coffee there. Cant stand this artificial stuff..." He downed the remainder of the mug and grimaced, "Another species to add to the catalouge...I suppose the xenobiologists will be pleased."

Having discarded the previous tradition of broadcasting prime numbers from experience with the various political entities already encountered, the Procyion leapt straight into the thick of things, broadcasting the same message in several known languages simultaniously, based on the hope that somebody would get the idea down below.

MESSAGE BEGINS...STOP...GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF THE REPUBLIC OF EARTH...STOP...THIS IS THE EXPLORATION VESSEL PROCYION...STOP...WE ARE ON A MISSION TO EXPLORE NEW SYSTEMS AND ESTABLISH FRIENDLY CONTACT WITH RACES NOT OF OUR GALAXY...STOP...WE WOULD BE PLEASED TO INITIATE DIPLOMATIC CONTACT WITH YOUR PEOPLE IN THE SPIRIT OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP...FULL STOP...MESSAGE REPEATS...GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF THE REPUBLIC...

Captain Stone walked out onto the deck of the Golden Eagle in his typical no-nonsense fashion and headed straight for the headquarters. His two officers following closely behind him. His dark black command uniform contrasting with the solid white uniforms of the enlisted men.

HQ was the normal hub of activity, the morning light now peering through the stained glass windows. Captain Stone gave a sharp salute to the Admiral who was standing next to the holographic map.

Admiral Talon, during the midnight run my patrol spotted a colony of approximately 4,000 survivors. They appear to be fairly stable, but besieged by a number of hordes. We're keeping an eye on them, but the Governor may want to consider a rescue.

Admiral Talon nodded continuing to look over the Holomap.

They just can't build them fast enough... We're running low on room here, but we could manage to keep them here until Dragon's Nest gets online. I know the Chancellor has a policy of accepting as many refugees as we can take, but we can't rescue the whole world. The surface is still lawless and god-forsaken. The poor bastards.

Admiral Talon continued on for a moment, until he noticed CPT Stone still standing at attention.

Good work Captain, Dismissed

MESSAGE BEGINS...STOP...GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF THE REPUBLIC OF EARTH...STOP...THIS IS THE EXPLORATION VESSEL PROCYION...STOP...WE ARE ON A MISSION TO EXPLORE NEW SYSTEMS AND ESTABLISH FRIENDLY CONTACT WITH RACES NOT OF OUR GALAXY...STOP...WE WOULD BE PLEASED TO INITIATE DIPLOMATIC CONTACT WITH YOUR PEOPLE IN THE SPIRIT OF PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP...FULL STOP...MESSAGE REPEATS...GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF THE REPUBLIC...

In the capitol city of Havensky, Communications Director James Kirk raised his eyes in astonishment.

Sir, I believe we're being hailed by....an alien race, claimed his first officer.

Kirk's feline eyes blinked a few times as he listened to the transmission.

It just keeps repeating over and over again... It's the same pattern, but different wording.

Kirk raised his hand and touched his screen a number of times. After a few moments he seemed to be able to pick of the gist of what the message was.

Incoming Vessel, This is Commander James Kirk of the Republic of Skyhaven. We accept your offer of friendship and look to forward to further communications

As soon as the transmission was complete, Kirk ran - full speed - towards the capitol building. The Senate must be notified right away.

…entering over moonlight shining golden, territory of High House Violet…
…formal hails and authorisations complete...
…continuing to allocated point, prepare ritual…

The Warcraft flew gracefully high above the shining gold meta-cornfields of the district, silver moonlight bathing everything beneath, save that within the glow of the cereal crop itself. Far below strange creatures with too many joints and barklike skin walked in their jerky fashion through the fields, inspecting the produce, and at a crossroads beneath the ship a single shining figure watched the obsidian vessel flying above it by the disturbance it made in the fabric of this place.

Whispers of singing voices echoed throughout the corridors of the ship, voicing a ritual long known to the Houses who ruled here.

…rings and rings of flowers…

The ship turned slightly in the air, making minor course adjustments as the flow between here and there changed.

…a passage full of whispers…

The singsong quality of the voices might put one in mind of a very similar song, a nursery rhyme upon countless worlds unaware of its meanings.

…Titania! Titania!...

Aboard a chamber within the ship its commander looked at the recordings made by a drone of their people of a certain system, recording the war that had been in progress years before. His catslit eyes read with anticipation the expected date of the war finishing – years before there, an entirely different length of time here.

…walls all fall…down…

Dark sky was illuminated as the Rings opened, energy bursting out above the district known as moonlight shining golden in the extensive lands of High House Violet, and the Parliamentary ship disappeared from view. A single figure, far below, stood at a crossroads. His shining eyes watched them leave, and then returned to watching the road. He waited.


…transition complete. Minimal disturbance in Their space, minimal likelihood of detection…
…transition brings us to anticipated location…
…scans-of-stars indicate a vessel not of the Realm…
…scans-of-stars beginning language analysis of unknown vessel…
…analysis incomplete, insufficient chatter, expect significant linguistic peculiarity…
…scans-of-worlds indicate a ravaged land, above the soil cities fly amongst clouds…
…scans-of-worlds beginning language analysis, focus upon cities-flying-with-clouds…
…analysis complete, approximately accurate, expect linguistic peculiarities until further analysis possible, translation ready…

The commander nodded and turned to his second. A brief conversation was had.

…transmitting to largest city-flying-with-clouds, using wave communication, also beam communication…
-]Greetings and salutations from those who govern the Boundless Realm,
We dwell aboard the ship Stars Lighting the Wasteland,
Being as your world lies within our area of exploration we would make parlay. A hand of friendship to mutual cultural advantage, rejection will be peaceably understood. We anticipate a response.[-

…transmitting to vessel, using wave communication, also beam communication…
-]Greetings and hails, of Realm without Boundaries, lords and rulers of,
Dwelling aboard Sky-lights Glowing on Desert-Soil,
Ship-unknown, dwelling in abyss of space. To you offered a hand without anger or hate, but mutual kindness for the advancement of those peoples of yours-and-ours. A refusal will be accepted-with-peace. A message returned is desired.[-

…setting messages to repeat…
…may They Who Have Gone Before allow them to understand…
…significant applause may await my noble lords if parlays go well…

The commander smiled faintly at the hob’s words, and leaned back in his seat.

It had been half an hour. The crew were starting to get worried, when suddenly...
Incoming Vessel, This is Commander James Kirk of the Republic of Skyhaven. We accept your offer of friendship and look to forward to further communications.
"We've got a message, sir! Theyre friendly!"
The crew breathed a collective sigh of relief. Reports where that while no other races had directly attacked RoE ships, as of yet, several had engaged in a rather nasty fight which the little exploration vessels had to escape very quickly unless they wanted their crew fried.
"The reply is from Commander James Kirk..."
"He hasnt made captain yet?" The captain chuckled to himself.
"Aha...no, apparently not," Few of the crew even knew the original Star Trek existed, "They say they look forward to future communications. Maybe we should send something back?"
"Ah, yes." Gray nodded in contemplation, "Maybe a Shatner skit? Heh...or not. Ah...tell them we would like to meet face to face, if possible."
"Aye, sir. Sending message..."

MESSAGE BEGINS...WE ARE GREATFUL THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT OUR OFFER...STOP...IF POSSIBLE WE WOULD LIKE TO DISPATCH A SMALL DIPLOMATIC TEAM TO CONDUCT RELATIONS FIRST HAND...STOP...IF THIS IS ACCEPTABLE PLEASE PROVIDE LANDING COORDINATES AND FLIGHTPATH...FULL STOP...

"Sir! One of the systems satilites is transmitting...its a message to us, sir!"
"Well, whats it saying, man? If somebody is coming to blow us up NOW then..." Gray was staring intently at the still dark tactical display that covered one end of the bridge. As was traditional for this particular generation of Earth ship, the large, clear, semi-cylinder above the bridge helped support the big-screen tactical display that could be seen by the entire bridge.
"...Its another offer of peaceful contact, sir! I dont think this has happened before...at least in our case. First contact to a first contact mission which has already made first contact?"
"Hah! Thats good, lieutenant. We get paid by-the-alien, you know."
That got a universal round of various chuckles and giggles from the bridge crew, "Send them a reply too. We dont want anybody feeling left out."

MESSAGE BEGINS...GREETINGS UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL...STOP...THIS IS THE REPUBLIC OF EARTH STARSHIP PROCYION...STOP...WE ARE ON A MISSION OF EXPLORATION AND PEACEFUL FIRST CONTACT...STOP...WE ARE PLEASED TO MEET TWO FRIENDLY RACES IN A SINGLE DAY...STOP...PRESENTLY ATTEMPTING TO INITIATE FIRST-HAND NEGOTIATIONS WITH THOSE ON THE PLANET...STOP...SUGGEST YOU JOIN US...FULL STOP...MESSAGE REPEATS...GREETINGS UNIDENTIFIED...

"Prepare to board!" shouted a rough looking man with a red sash tied to his right arm, above the elbow.

Port holes opened up on the side of the ship as grapple cannons were loaded and ready to engage. The crew moved about the air ship as a battle raged outside, high in the skies.

"Captain Ducard!" shouted his second in command. Captain Ducard turned around, hands behind his back, observing the takeover of a supply ship. He had a short beard, tall build, slight graying, and an eye patch. His face was stern, calm and in command. "The grapple cannons are primed"

"Launch the grapples right after he guns cease" Ducard ordered and the officer ran off. He then turned to the Chief Gunner and said "Cease fire on all weapons on my count."

"Aye Captain" The Chief Gunner replied.

The platform guns on the top deck took stratedgic shots at certain points of the supply ship which was now crippled and one of the anti gravity cells which caused the ship to list portside. The pilots at the helm of the pirate ship skillfully remained alongside, a dangerous game. The guns silenced and the grapple cannons let loose, shooting off titanium tipped grapples which shot out across the open air, striking four different points of the ship. each latched on and shook the supply vessel violently.

The boarding party stood in the loading bay, each man having seen his fair share of fighting. They carried an array of weapons as well as a few swords. The ports opened up and each man grabbed onto a special hand guard which attached to the grapples. hey each grabbed on, lowering their goggles to their faces, steeling themselves.

"Go! Go!" shouted the party leader and each man grabbed onto the handset and zipped across the grappling line. It was always an exciting yet equally terrifying experience. One false move or too loose of agrip, or a sudden wind burst could send a man plummeting to his death. These were men used to fear, acustomed to its' face. They feared their captain more than they feared death itself. A party of a dozen men climbed aboard the ship, forcing open the hatch while a few wrangled through holes made by the guns. It was a quick sweep through the supply vessel. Most of the crew gave up without a fight. They were rounded up and a green flare shot off into the air.

"Captain, the vessel is ours!" shouted a crew member and an uproar of cheers followed.

"Good, send their captain over, take stock of the goods not damaged and salvage what can be salvaged. That vessel isn't too badly damaged. We could barter it off. If their's anyone of importance, we'll get a handsome randsom." Ducard said and began to pace to a console and went over the intercom. "Now hear this...Now hear this...Stand down from battle stations, remain on alert." and released the button.

A ripple of radiation,nearly undetectable from the background of space, and the ship was there. 3 kilometers long, the Setian Destroyer Escort was a dedicated exploration platform, heavily armed, fast, and sleek, it was designed to survive the worst the galaxy could supply, and give backits share. But, it seemed unnecessary this time.

The leonine captain sat at the center of the bridge, as reports streame dover his suit screens.

<Well gentlemen. We have at last count 4 unknown classes and configurations of ship. All are being cataloged and recorded. Right?>

A chorus of affirmations greets his question, and he continues.

<Good. Activate the gate. We will deploy a team to the surface, and interrogate the planet holders from space in the meantime. Second of Charlie should be suited to this perfectly. Inform Lieutenant Jervaiss that his second squad will be deploying to the surface and conducting a survey, as well as a recovery operation if there is anything of interest.>

Five Minutes Later, Staging Deck, Destroyer Escort Terminal Pointe:

<We're detecting high levels of radiologicals and heavy metals. Keep your armor sealed and move carefully. Suit failure on the surface is judged as terminal with just 20 minutes of exposure. Anything hostile on the surface should be terminated, and kept intact as best you may. As such you are being issued with mass accelerators instead of your particle guns. If able, capture living specimens for study. You have your orders.>

A black mirror opens in the massive bay, and 3 11 foot tall suits of armor step through, appearing through a similar gate on the surface. They fan out carefully, and begin moving across the surface, recording everything they see of the blasted landscape.

Greetings. I represent the Anderman Empire. Your society and ways are foreign to us. I would like permission to dispatch one of my officers to meet with you, and send along a small escort. Your reply is much appreciated.

[@RoE vessel]

PROCYION, Permission to dock at Havensky granted. Please advise when you have entered our airspace and we shall escort you to Capitol Point Bay

[@Onarr]

Stars Lighting the Wasteland, Your offer of friendship is accepted

[@Kulikovia] [OCC: Who did you attack exactly? One of my supply airships? Where did you come from?]

-----

Havensky - Capitol Point

Chancellor Drake Skywolf was tall with silver hair that appeared in his twenties. Like all Senators in his party, he wore dark blue robes, but his robes had three strips of silver across his sleeve to indicate his rank.

He had listened to both transmissions that had come from the stars. He didn't quite understand why they had all appeared suddenly, but his communications staff had indicated that this new communications sattalite was much more powerful then their previous model. The thought was that they were always out there, we just couldn't hear them.

The Senate had gathered to discuss these new developments. The majority figured that they would continue to welcome these new neighbors with a message of peace. Nobody was ready to begin preparing for intergalactic war.

Nobody except Senator Drago. His scarlet red robes and booming voice reverberated in the hall.

They are ALIENS! ALIENS! We should not go blindly into the future thinking that they will leave us alone! That they bear no harm! That they come in peace! First it'll be a scout ship.... BUT YOU WATCH... We'll have an invasion on our hands. We MUST prepare for WAR.

Several senators booed.

I STILL HAVE THE FLOOR! But I see where this is headed.... BUT! Let it not be said that YOU WERE NOT WARNED!

Drake spoke, his voice characteristically soft, We understand your concerns Senator Drago, and we shall order all cities to undergo defense drills including testing the cloaking fields. However, all communications has been friendly in nature. We shall meet them soon enough though, they have requested to see us. But before they arrive, there is the matter of some refugees found on the surface....

MESSAGE BEGINS...ROGER...DISPATCHING SHUTTLE WITH DIPLOMATIC PARTY...STOP...SHUTTLE WILL ADVISE SHORTLY...FULL STOP

Procyion drew itself into orbit around the planet, maitaining a station above the shuttles landing site. Carefully avoiding the planets numerous satilites while trying to appear as non-threatening as possible, so far as was possible for a two hundred and fifty meter long starship could.
Preperations were rapidly made for the diplomatic party, which was assembled in the ships hanger. Its sole diplomatic shuttle, which was essentially a standard maintenance shuttle with a nicer paintjob and fewer utilitarian impliments, was packed with the ships diplomat, a small honor guard, a couple of xenobiologists, and a small rolling case containing what the xenobiologists refered to as 'cultural artifacts' and everybody else called 'DVDs and CD's', which contained some of the more tasteful aspects of Earth life.
Theoretically these were carried in order to show off Earth's fine culture and civilization. Of course, should the aliens happen to enjoy Bach or Godzilla, then Earth would be only too pleased to export it to them at great expense.

The shuttle, its somewhat cramped cargo trying their best not to get sick, entered the atmosphere as per regulations. As it lacked a degeneracy reactor, it did this the old fashioned way, fast and dirty.

This *crackle* Republic of Earth diplo-*SNAP* shuttle one! Re-ent*BZZZZZZZZZRT* successful. *Crackle* Begining initial approach...

((EDIT:
Sorry for the shortness, but allergies are killing me right now. I'll type better at night -_-))

After the attack by Reaver on the only Hobbeebian controlled milky-way galaxy, the Hobbeebian Explorationary Forces where hard pressed to continue its measures to reach out and find new life and establish communications. But luck would have it that a fairly new and highly advanced world had appeared and a macro-probe has discovered it after exiting a dime-jump about 2 light years away. it had taken as long to discover them...

" Macro-probe ID#: I>D>qq-9-9. Reporting.....
Connecting to nearest stations..... Failed
Connecting to nearest warship..... Connected.
Beginning Informational report.... sent"

Back over the planets surface, one of the carriers that where their repairng a few mechs after the battle picked up the report. The probe was old.... Very old.

" Sir I am receiving a report from a old Macro-probe... I thought they where all recovered." Said one of the Comms officers on the bridge.

The Captain of the vessel ported his way to the bridge and replied to the Comms officer.

" Most where, others could not be recovered as they dime jumped into random areas of the galaxy. I guess this one found something... Trace its location and dispatch a team to see what its reporting on. maybe its not lying."

" Aye sir."....


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

( 1 hour later ) over Skyheaven planet in high orbit.

If anyone was looking up they would be sighted with a beautiful display of cosmic- Lights as the team dis[patched to investigate the report arrived. The team consisted of little more then 3 fighters with no weapons, and a single battle ready frigate. A message was sent out...

" This is the Hobbeebian Explorationary Forces. If anyone is receiving this please reply...."

…receiving messages from unknown ship, cities-flying-with-clouds…
…transferring and translating…

The crew were silent for a few moments. A brief conversation took place and the commanding officer rose from his command seat, replaced a moment later by his second. He walked down a series of corridors many of which appeared to be infinitely long one moment, the terminus only a few short metres away the next as the Onarrím ship accelerated to approach the planet.

It is perhaps notable that attempts to scan the interior of the ship slide off its hull, apparently due to some form of half-active cloak. The ship does not appear particularly heavily armoured and these two elements would appear to suggest a more ‘elegant’ approach to combat than large-scale battles of attrition so beloved of human nations. Its smoothness and control of movement combined with speed of acceleration and size (about three hundred metres long) would appear to support this hypothesis.


…additional linguistic data factored, expect some variation…
…transmitting message along previous frequencies to Procyion, previously unknown vessel…
Once more salutations from we who dwell aboard Stars Lighting the Wasteland.
We accept your offer should those-who-dwell-among-clouds concur. In anticipation of their acceptance, delegation including our lord-who-commands descends to your position with retinue.

…transmitting along previous frequencies to cities-flying-with-clouds…
One more our salutations,
Our lord-who-commands descends toward your world with his retinue of Flower-scions bearing Parliamentary authority. We descend also to an orbit upon high, our intention to avoid causing fears within yours cities-flying-with-clouds.
Our lord-who-commands awaits instructions of location and protocol.

The hob ceased transmitting, and, without eyes, looked at the figure now seated in the vessel’s seat.

…more vessels enter, one speaks to those below, another generally…
…you wish parlay with they-who-speak-below? The other has insufficient chatter for even rudimentary translation…

“Nae, hob, do we not dwell in plain sight among the abyss? Have we not advertised ourselves?”

The hob was silent, hoping to itself the second in command would not talk too much. His House was known for speaking in questions, and question-statements were most vexing.


The lord-who-commands seated himself in the small craft, not even ten metres long, along with two of his retinue. At a word to the transports child-hob they slid smoothly out of the cargo-bay, through an exit that looked like part of the ship’s hull. Accelerating quickly with an almost childlike glee from the child-hob, the pilot having to actively reign it in, they soon reached a low-orbit as the Stars Lighting the Wasteland settled into high orbit.

They waited patiently for their directions.

[[OOC:
Kulikova: What/where?
Andermani: I assume you were sending to the planet?
…wow, it’s getting crowded…]]

ooc may i send a GUARDIAN squad in the guardians are an elite police unit with in the corpation

A black mirror opens in the massive bay, and 3 11 foot tall suits of armor step through, appearing through a similar gate on the surface. They fan out carefully, and begin moving across the surface, recording everything they see of the blasted landscape.

[OCC: I'll assume you're landing on the opposite side of the planet from Havensky City. Otherwise you'd alert our defenses and we'd react. Just so you know, short term exposure to the air isn't deadly, but the cancer rate is still pretty darn high for those who like on the surface. The surface dwellers are NOT citizens of the Havensky Republic]

IAN Terminal Pointe, you may send one shuttle and one escort fighter to dock at Havensky. Please advice when you are in our airspace and we will escort you to Havensky.

Procyion, we have your location and will rendezvous with your shortly.

Within the East Bay of Havensky, the Knight Flight was scrambling. 13 small airships launched rapidly. Their sleek silver airframes picking up massive amounts of speed.

Moments later, the Republic of Earth crew would see them. The airships cut through the clouds, the history of the young republic carved into the hull. The airships circled around the visiting craft, scanning them for weapons, then coming along side. Having determined that the craft were not a threat to the city, Admiral Stone transmitted to the ships.

Greetings, this is Admiral Stone of the Republic of Havensky. We will escort you to our landing bay where you will meet our delegation. Welcome to Havensky

ooc may i send a GUARDIAN squad in the guardians are an elite police unit with in the corpation

OCC: No. There's no RP reason for an elite escort unit to just show up at our doorstep.

"Would'ja look at that..."
The pilot, copilot, two bodyguards, one of the xenobiologists and the ambassador were all crammed into the tiny cockpit, straining to get a good view of the hovering castles.
"Its really quite astonishing, I dont believe we've ever encountered anything quite like this before." The Xenobiologist was in full flow. Apparently he was a part-time architect, "I should certainly like to see their methods for supporting such structures, indeed, that particular style would be quite difficult to..."
The man rambled on, generally ignored by the others, who were far too busy enjoying the spectacle to heed his explanations of...everything. Of course it was important to get it out of your system before you landed. Looking TOO impressed with the locals would only give them a sense of superiority.
The airships were impressive as well, although, having seen the seven kilometer bulk of Excelion and the huge, albiet skeletal, bulk of Eltreum one could establish some resistance to the wonders of naval design.

This is Republic of Earth Diplomatic shuttle, we're glad to be here. Trust us on that. If we're cleared for our final approach, we'd like begin landing procedures.

[OCC: I'll assume you're landing on the opposite side of the planet from Havensky City. Otherwise you'd alert our defenses and we'd react. Just so you know, short term exposure to the air isn't deadly, but the cancer rate is still pretty darn high for those who like on the surface. The surface dwellers are NOT citizens of the Havensky Republic]

IAN Terminal Pointe, you may send one shuttle and one escort fighter to dock at Havensky. Please advice when you are in our airspace and we will escort you to Havensky.

Procyion, we have your location and will rendezvous with your shortly.

Within the East Bay of Havensky, the Knight Flight was scrambling. 13 small airships launched rapidly. Their sleek silver airframes picking up massive amounts of speed.

Moments later, the Republic of Earth crew would see them. The airships cut through the clouds, the history of the young republic carved into the hull. The airships circled around the visiting craft, scanning them for weapons, then coming along side. Having determined that the craft were not a threat to the city, Admiral Stone transmitted to the ships.

Greetings, this is Admiral Stone of the Republic of Havensky. We will escort you to our landing bay where you will meet our delegation. Welcome to Havensky

OOC: No landing craft so worries about detection are negligible. Think of it as a very limited sort of teleporter. It's a stationary gate rather than Trek-style. And I'll be doing the same to join you, thusly...

Setians also have a much lower resistance to radiologicals than humanity does. What would just be mild radiation sickness to us is cancerous to them, and so on up the chain.

IC:

The three kilometer long ship comes in close, deep into the atmosphere of the planet, and once again contacts the floating castles.

This is Terminal Pointe, we lack any landing craft or fighters, if you would be so kind, we require coordinates of your receiving area. We will open a gate, and pass through to your location. I and several of my officers shall come, as soon as we get into armor. First contact protocols mandate all that come into contact with alien species must be armored, or maintain quarantine of one month to prevent the spread of unknown pathogens.

OOC: @Havensky- I was assuming the role of a pirate who comes from the surface, if that's alright?

After the attack by Reaver on the only Hobbeebian controlled milky-way galaxy, the Hobbeebian Explorationary Forces where hard pressed to continue its measures to reach out and find new life and establish communications. But luck would have it that a fairly new and highly advanced world had appeared and a macro-probe has discovered it after exiting a dime-jump about 2 light years away. it had taken as long to discover them...

" Macro-probe ID#: I>D>qq-9-9. Reporting.....
Connecting to nearest stations..... Failed
Connecting to nearest warship..... Connected.
Beginning Informational report.... sent"

Back over the planets surface, one of the carriers that where their repairng a few mechs after the battle picked up the report. The probe was old.... Very old.

" Sir I am receiving a report from a old Macro-probe... I thought they where all recovered." Said one of the Comms officers on the bridge.

The Captain of the vessel ported his way to the bridge and replied to the Comms officer.

" Most where, others could not be recovered as they dime jumped into random areas of the galaxy. I guess this one found something... Trace its location and dispatch a team to see what its reporting on. maybe its not lying."

" Aye sir."....


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

( 1 hour later ) over Skyheaven planet in high orbit.

If anyone was looking up they would be sighted with a beautiful display of cosmic- Lights as the team dis[patched to investigate the report arrived. The team consisted of little more then 3 fighters with no weapons, and a single battle ready frigate. A message was sent out...

" This is the Hobbeebian Explorationary Forces. If anyone is receiving this please reply...."

Bump my post...

[OCC: Sorry about the slow pace, it'll pick up this weekend. For the purposes of role play, Hobbs is behind your craft Dontgothere. Knight Flight is spread far enough to cover both vessels.

@Kulikovia: That's a negative. I have plans for the surface dwellers. They don't actually have airships. Think of the surface as a Mad Max kind of atmosphere. Very savage in comparison to the floating city.]

Chancellor Drake Skywolf stood in the receiving room of the Capitol Point Bay. An aide came to him with a puzzled look on his face.

Sir, there is a transmission for you. Captain Vakarian seeks to... open a gate...here. They won't be getting here by ship.... They don't have any landing craft... I don't...quite understand.

Drake's eyebrow raised, trying to understand the message. Before he could say anything, the aide spoke again.

Captain Vakarian also wishes to arrive in armor citing their own regulations. Something about preventing disease from spreading... I think he thinks we'll give him some disease if we get too close to him.

Drake sighed.. (Havensky sighs are always longer than normal human sighs due to bigger lung capacity.. The air is thinner here)

After a moment, he spoke. Please give Captain Vakarian our regrets that it is a breach of our protocols to allow them to arrive fully armored and without escort. We regret the any inconvenience, however it is our law.

The aide nodded and took off to deliver the message. They would be here soon.

As the ships moved closer to the city, it became obvious the size of the structure. Airships of all shapes and sizes flew in and out of the many bays in the city. As they circled the city, the large stained glass windows became visible. The outer ring of the city, shaped much like a roman aquaduct, collected and stored rainwater. As the ships flew past the outer ring, if they looked below they could see the Green Ring. A ring made up of greenhouses where residents grew food. The interior of the city boasted large gothic towers. The largest of which was Capitol Point, which soared into the air forming a dome and topped with a large bell tower.

As they made the final approach, the visitors would notice a rare display of Havensky's military guard. Four Guardian Class Mechas stood at their posts standing watch over the bay. As a rule, Havensky did not like to publicly display their weapons as they were a peaceful people. However, this was Capitol Point. It needed to be secure at all times. The Mechas were four stories tall and heavily armed. The mechas turned towards the incoming vessels, and raised their swords in a salute.

The doors opened, and the visiting ships flew in.

"They've got hardsuits." One of the guards spoke now, pointing, "A bit smaller than a Sizzler."
"Nothin' like a Buster Machine though. Heh." The other grinned, "Theyre pretty shiny. Wonder if they've ever been in a fight."
The ambassador glared at them, "Quiet. Youre not here to antagonize the locals. Besides, they managed to screw up the surface pretty badly. Didnt you take a look on the way down? Craters bigger than your home town."
"Eh...good point..." The guard winced slightly, "Guess I'll just be quiet."

The shuttled circled the platform once, a return to the mech's salute, before setting down on the platform, jerking somewhat unsteadily to a halt in the not-quite-the-same gravity of a strange world.
Despite the sub-par landing, the guards managed to look suitably important, stepping off the shuttle and snapping to attention at either side of the small ramp before the ambassador stepped cautiously off the shuttle, followed closely by the scientists, one of whom was hauling the rolling case.
The guards, decked out in ceremonial armor, generally designed to appear along the lines typically associated with 'futuristic high-tech awesomeness', and still maintain some vestige of practicality. After all, if you were going to throw yourself in front of bullets you wanted some chance of surviving the encounter. Each guard carried highly ornamental, yet fully functional, rifles. These were unloaded in the interest of fostering good negotiations, but a number of semi-concealed clips of ammunition were discreetly visible around their uniforms.
The ambassador wore something similar to an officers uniform, although it was a dark blue rather than the lighter khaki-ish shade the military usually used. It also had significantly more gold thread and ornamentation than would have been practical in something expected to be worn in a fight. It did, however, look good on almost any figure, especially one which might be expected in a 50+ year old man who didnt get much exercise and was forced by his job to partake of more high-calorie finger-food than was good for him. A pair of ergonomically designed, yet visually pleasing, boots ensured that long hours standing around at various functions were not unbearable, and a cap, slightly larger than the military uniforms, completed the uniform.

The first step onto a new world was always a small thrill. Several thoughts clammoured for attention, a certain awareness of the number of guns present, the strange taste of the air, the slightly different quality of light which came from a different sun and a different atmosphere. The guns warranted a second mention, usually.
The Republic ambassador glanced around, taking in these various sensations, then focused his attention on the reception.
"Greetings. I am Ambassador Robert Blaylock of the Republic of Earth. We come in peace."
The last sentence was spoken with a slight grin, hoping that the natives would have some similar cliche line to draw upon.

Admiral Stone was at the landing bay ready to greet the new arrivals. He was in his black command suit with white sash indicating his command over the Guardian Fleet. His chest was adorned with various medals from his storied career, and his shoulders bore four silver crosses indicating his rank of High Admiral.

At his side was his aide Master Chief Darkstone dressed in the white enlisted uniform. While Admiral Stone was tall and stately looking, Darkstone appeared gruff and rough...even in his ceremonial dress uniform.

Both men, and the Knights that were departing their airships wore sabers at their belts. The visitors wouldn't notice any other weapons inside the city.

Admiral Stone approached the visitors, "Welcome to Havensky, Capitol of the Republic of Havensky. We hope you've had a safe flight and if there is anything you need feel free to ask. We're waiting on one other ship to arrive and then we'll introduce you to Chancellor Drake Wolfsky."

[OCC: Sorry about the slow pace, it'll pick up this weekend. For the purposes of role play, Hobbs is behind your craft Dontgothere. Knight Flight is spread far enough to cover both vessels.

@Kulikovia: That's a negative. I have plans for the surface dwellers. They don't actually have airships. Think of the surface as a Mad Max kind of atmosphere. Very savage in comparison to the floating city.]

Chancellor Drake Skywolf stood in the receiving room of the Capitol Point Bay. An aide came to him with a puzzled look on his face.

Sir, there is a transmission for you. Captain Vakarian seeks to... open a gate...here. They won't be getting here by ship.... They don't have any landing craft... I don't...quite understand.

Drake's eyebrow raised, trying to understand the message. Before he could say anything, the aide spoke again.

Captain Vakarian also wishes to arrive in armor citing their own regulations. Something about preventing disease from spreading... I think he thinks we'll give him some disease if we get too close to him.

Drake sighed.. (Havensky sighs are always longer than normal human sighs due to bigger lung capacity.. The air is thinner here)

After a moment, he spoke. Please give Captain Vakarian our regrets that it is a breach of our protocols to allow them to arrive fully armored and without escort. We regret the any inconvenience, however it is our law.

The aide nodded and took off to deliver the message. They would be here soon.

As the ships moved closer to the city, it became obvious the size of the structure. Airships of all shapes and sizes flew in and out of the many bays in the city. As they circled the city, the large stained glass windows became visible. The outer ring of the city, shaped much like a roman aquaduct, collected and stored rainwater. As the ships flew past the outer ring, if they looked below they could see the Green Ring. A ring made up of greenhouses where residents grew food. The interior of the city boasted large gothic towers. The largest of which was Capitol Point, which soared into the air forming a dome and topped with a large bell tower.

As they made the final approach, the visitors would notice a rare display of Havensky's military guard. Four Guardian Class Mechas stood at their posts standing watch over the bay. As a rule, Havensky did not like to publicly display their weapons as they were a peaceful people. However, this was Capitol Point. It needed to be secure at all times. The Mechas were four stories tall and heavily armed. The mechas turned towards the incoming vessels, and raised their swords in a salute.

The doors opened, and the visiting ships flew in.

<Are they suicidal, or just stupid, one must wonder.>

<Well, captain, I doubt we will ever know, unless you are willing to send one of the lieutenants, or perhaps Jervaiss. He can deal with running his platoon from quarantine for a month. And if he dies, we can chew out the locals for not letting us follow protocol.>

<Not the best outlook Chief, but adequate. Inform them that we will send across Lieutenant Jervaiss, commander of our Marines second platoon, the most high ranking officer with interspecies experience that we may afford to lose for a month. They will still need to provide us with coordinates for gate exit, but that is a bit easier to deal with. Ensure that the lieutenant is in full dress uniform, all the bells and whistles.>

<Aye captain. He is en route.>

Since I cannot have my entire command staff quarantined for a month, we are sending across the most high ranking officer that we may afford to lose. As such, we require coordinates for the transport of Lieutenant Jervaiss to your station, vessel, or preferred place of meeting. He will be escorted, as you require, by a pair of his Marines, drawn from the third squad of his platoon.

<Rather asinine isn't it, to require someone be escorted by their troops in your station. You'd think we didn't trust them.>

<Chief, they have their regs, we have ours, and we make do as we may. They may have a reason for it, that we don't understand yet. Perhaps dangerous wildlife, or an unstable political element. Or perhaps just tradition. Similar to the Council and The Watch. Whatever their reason, we have complied with their requirements, as they are not entirely unreasonable.>

<I guess captain. It's still fairly asinine.>

<And that's not your problem, is it chief?>

<Indeed sir, it's yours. You are welcome to it as well.>

ooc we send em on first contact im sending president shinra with 4 GUARDIANS

[OCC: Andermani, just so you know... The Havensky Republic has no idea what a transporter is. We're FT, but not that advanced just yet. So, we're going to have to RP a scene where you explain exactly what you're talking about. The other small problem we're going to have is that Havensky is very protective of their cities. (I mean, we went through all the trouble of building a virtual fortress in mid-air to deter attack.) When we request escorts, we mean that HAVENSKY airships have to guide you into the city. The idea being that if you pull any guest tries any funny business we can blast them out of the sky pretty quick. Not saying I don't want you in the RP, but it's going to be a bit of a challenge as there is no way they're going to let you teleport directly in the city. I'll RP a history class to kind of give everyone an idea of where we're coming from.

@Shinra Crop: I suppose that's ok. ]

[OCC: Andermani, just so you know... The Havensky Republic has no idea what a transporter is. We're FT, but not that advanced just yet. So, we're going to have to RP a scene where you explain exactly what you're talking about. The other small problem we're going to have is that Havensky is very protective of their cities. (I mean, we went through all the trouble of building a virtual fortress in mid-air to deter attack.) When we request escorts, we mean that HAVENSKY airships have to guide you into the city. The idea being that if you pull any guest tries any funny business we can blast them out of the sky pretty quick. Not saying I don't want you in the RP, but it's going to be a bit of a challenge as there is no way they're going to let you teleport directly in the city. I'll RP a history class to kind of give everyone an idea of where we're coming from.

@Shinra Crop: I suppose that's ok. ]

OOC: Well, normally I consider sending an assault carrier(the only thing that has parasites like fighters) as a first contact ship to be wrong. Or at least impolite. But, the Setians don't know you mean your escorts, do they?

We could teleport to an airship off the city, and you could ride us in. Everybody's happy. We get our guy in, you get your escorts.

The University of Havensky ~ History 264

The University of Havensky was founded the same year that Havensky was built. The city founders feared that precious knowledge would be lost as a result of the Great War. To prevent a second dark age, the University was established to keep every once of knowledge and to ensure a well educated populace.

The University was located in one of Havensky's larger towers and could have been mistaken for a Gothic Cathedral. Currently, the bell towers were tolling the time. Class was getting underway.

The Olsen Building was the history department. In room 327, modern history was being taught. Dr. Mellisa Ravenclaw walked into the room, gathering the instant attention of most of the male audience for reasons that would probably annoy her. Dr. Ravenclaw was in her mid twenties with dark hair and dark glasses and a fairly slim figure. Dr. Ravenclaw was dressed very professionally, in a white blouse and long blue skirt. She was all business and let her class know it. Any hint of a bubbly personality was laid to rest the moment she open her lips to speak. A commanding and business-like tone was set instantly.

Class, It's time to begin. When we ended class last we were discussing the ramifications of the Great War.

In 2035, the two superpower nations of Titanmount and Protronus was in full effect. Due to the Titan Cooperation's long reach many nations under it's influence joined the war. This in turn, forced The Kingdom of Protronus to seek allies. Eventually, the entire globe was swept in battle. Both nations had a full nuclear arsenal and were experimenting with fusion powered warheads. Despite pleas from The Church to settle a peace the war dragged on for a full decade.

There were several groups that were highly concerned that the all people would be doomed if the war ever went nuclear. (Which it did). Therefore, in 2045, the HAVEN PROJECT was born. The HAVEN PROJECT was the first group to attempt to build a flying city. The HAVEN PROJECT was a joint venture between The Church and the Kingdom of Protronus, however several Titan Corp scientists defected in order to work on the project.

In 2050, the foundation of Havensky was raised. However, Titan Corp had begun on an attack on the Haven Project base. The Kingdom of Protronus also began to divert troops in order to attack the base. The base was self-destructed to keep the technology a secret from both warring nations. Havensky would be clocked and kept hidden to protect it from attack.

In 2053, the Titan Corporation launched a full scale thermonuclear attack on the Kingdom of Protronus. The Kingdom retaliated, resulting in the complete decimation of the planets surface. Nuclear winter covered the surface for an additional 20 years killing billions. The planet to this day has not healed.

The Great War demonstrated that our kind is capable of mass destruction. As a result, the culture of this Republic is a peaceful one. While we must defend our borders against attack, our military is akin to the ancient knights more than the armies of Titan Corp. It is important for you to understand the consequences of war and warring peoples.

The surface holds many hordes that have survived the Great War by attacking those weaker than themselves. Havensky is protected because we are high above them in the air, and we take care not to expose ourselves to danger.

HOWEVER, it is our species that destroyed the planet. We did it to OURSELVES. For this reason, as a citizen of the Republic you must do all you can to settle our differences peacefully. Civil War in the Republic means death. That is why our democracy is so strong and our government so small. Each of us may do as we wish, as long as we do not infringe on the rights of others. The power of the free press, equal rights, power of assembly, the right of Habes Corpus... All of things exist so that it is unnecessary to settle a dispute with violence..

Class would go on... as would the Republic

[occ: That works]

The University of Havensky ~ History 264

The University of Havensky was founded the same year that Havensky was built. The city founders feared that precious knowledge would be lost as a result of the Great War. To prevent a second dark age, the University was established to keep every once of knowledge and to ensure a well educated populace.

The University was located in one of Havensky's larger towers and could have been mistaken for a Gothic Cathedral. Currently, the bell towers were tolling the time. Class was getting underway.

The Olsen Building was the history department. In room 327, modern history was being taught. Dr. Mellisa Ravenclaw walked into the room, gathering the instant attention of most of the male audience for reasons that would probably annoy her. Dr. Ravenclaw was in her mid twenties with dark hair and dark glasses and a fairly slim figure. Dr. Ravenclaw was dressed very professionally, in a white blouse and long blue skirt. She was all business and let her class know it. Any hint of a bubbly personality was laid to rest the moment she open her lips to speak. A commanding and business-like tone was set instantly.

Class, It's time to begin. When we ended class last we were discussing the ramifications of the Great War.

In 2035, the two superpower nations of Titanmount and Protronus was in full effect. Due to the Titan Cooperation's long reach many nations under it's influence joined the war. This in turn, forced The Kingdom of Protronus to seek allies. Eventually, the entire globe was swept in battle. Both nations had a full nuclear arsenal and were experimenting with fusion powered warheads. Despite pleas from The Church to settle a peace the war dragged on for a full decade.

There were several groups that were highly concerned that the all people would be doomed if the war ever went nuclear. (Which it did). Therefore, in 2045, the HAVEN PROJECT was born. The HAVEN PROJECT was the first group to attempt to build a flying city. The HAVEN PROJECT was a joint venture between The Church and the Kingdom of Protronus, however several Titan Corp scientists defected in order to work on the project.

In 2050, the foundation of Havensky was raised. However, Titan Corp had begun on an attack on the Haven Project base. The Kingdom of Protronus also began to divert troops in order to attack the base. The base was self-destructed to keep the technology a secret from both warring nations. Havensky would be clocked and kept hidden to protect it from attack.

In 2053, the Titan Corporation launched a full scale thermonuclear attack on the Kingdom of Protronus. The Kingdom retaliated, resulting in the complete decimation of the planets surface. Nuclear winter covered the surface for an additional 20 years killing billions. The planet to this day has not healed.

The Great War demonstrated that our kind is capable of mass destruction. As a result, the culture of this Republic is a peaceful one. While we must defend our borders against attack, our military is akin to the ancient knights more than the armies of Titan Corp. It is important for you to understand the consequences of war and warring peoples.

The surface holds many hordes that have survived the Great War by attacking those weaker than themselves. Havensky is protected because we are high above them in the air, and we take care not to expose ourselves to danger.

HOWEVER, it is our species that destroyed the planet. We did it to OURSELVES. For this reason, as a citizen of the Republic you must do all you can to settle our differences peacefully. Civil War in the Republic means death. That is why our democracy is so strong and our government so small. Each of us may do as we wish, as long as we do not infringe on the rights of others. The power of the free press, equal rights, power of assembly, the right of Habes Corpus... All of things exist so that it is unnecessary to settle a dispute with violence..

Class would go on... as would the Republic

Meanwhile, aboard the Airship Hex Master....

So, you mean to tell me that you'll just POP in here?!?!, the Ship's engineer was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He simply could not believe that one could transport something from space to his airship without some sort of transport. Much less teleport in here.

The matter had been somewhat complicated, and more than likely needlessly so. After explaining the Andermani that they couldn't just let fully armored men into the center of Havensky (much less without being escorted by HAVENSKY...not Andermani officers), they finally had figured out someway to get them there.

After years of seeking shelter in the sky to avoid war, Citizens seemed genetically wired not to like the idea of weapons in the city. Even the military took care not to display their weapons in public. They were also wired to be quite protective of the city. The thought of somebody popping into the city, past the Guardian Towers and the Knights, unnerved them. Scientists were on board The Hex Master to try to observe how they did it... and how to counter it.

Finally, Captain Oliver put a hand on the Engineer's shoulder. The Engineer looked up and realized that he was wasting time.

Captain Oliver pressed a small panel on the wall. Andermani vessel, feel free to come aboard at these coordinates. Welcome to the Republic...

Meanwhile, aboard the Airship Hex Master....

So, you mean to tell me that you'll just POP in here?!?!, the Ship's engineer was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He simply could not believe that one could transport something from space to his airship without some sort of transport. Much less teleport in here.

The matter had been somewhat complicated, and more than likely needlessly so. After explaining the Andermani that they couldn't just let fully armored men into the center of Havensky (much less without being escorted by HAVENSKY...not Andermani officers), they finally had figured out someway to get them there.

After years of seeking shelter in the sky to avoid war, Citizens seemed genetically wired not to like the idea of weapons in the city. Even the military took care not to display their weapons in public. They were also wired to be quite protective of the city. The thought of somebody popping into the city, past the Guardian Towers and the Knights, unnerved them. Scientists were on board The Hex Master to try to observe how they did it... and how to counter it.

Finally, Captain Oliver put a hand on the Engineer's shoulder. The Engineer looked up and realized that he was wasting time.

Captain Oliver pressed a small panel on the wall. Andermani vessel, feel free to come aboard at these coordinates. Welcome to the Republic...

The transport waited in low orbit, far above the world in which cities flew through the sky and far below its sleek parent ship. After a short while it spun slowly, delicately upon its axis and began descending toward the planet beneath it. As it moved downward it accelerated. Its entry was not the fiery blaze most used to make planetfall but rather a smooth, graceful downward movement more commonly associated with birds of prey than spacecraft.

The distance from the target city was carefully selected – a good hundred miles from the floating fortress. The night-coloured transport smoothed out its landing in a long, gentle arc in a spiral pattern that would eventually reach the architectural marvel, apparently at pains to demonstrate non-aggressive intent. The ship moved smoothly alongside the escorting airships.


Meanwhile, aboard the deceptively delicate craft, slit-pupil eyes with an almost invisible white iris tinged with green examined a projection of the city.

“The architecture is impressive for this side of the Wall. It recalls the works of the White Christ followers on Terra, their stone temples, such as perhaps at Cantwareburgh*?”

One of his companions nods slightly; his eyes are a rich crimson with the same distinctive catlike pupils.

“On a far grander scale.” Almost as an afterthought he adds with a drawl; “And flying, Augustine would have liked to be able to do that.”

“You have been spending too much time with the Bubhall, you almost sound like one”

“Truly? I did not think I had become that sarcastic, my Lord.”

The white-eyed one turns back to studying the projection at his subordinate’s final comment. He examined the mecha carefully, curiously.

“Oversized biped combat suits. Reasonably elegant construction for this eilthir. Conservative, probably necessary, use of space. Still using relatively primitive methods of intensive food production if you like that sort of thing.”

His red-eyed companion nods very slightly.

“You would know more of intensive farming than I. We prefer the old ways.”

“Your House has the land for it”

A slight shrug as the transport touches down.


A previously hidden ramp slides down and the first of three steps out as the Havensky admiral and his knights, along with the Republican visitors, get their first sight of the Onarrím.

The first to step out is the red-eyed, slightly sarcastic one. He is tall, perhaps six foot and three inches, and impossibly slender. Close-fitting bronze-coloured segmented armour covers his narrow body from neck to toe and is impeccably worked with thorn-mazes and tiny roses, picked out with rubies, peeking out from behind gold-inlaid vine, thorns and emerald leaves. The armour is obviously incredibly sophisticated artificer work, but styled to look archaic. What appears to be a sheathed sword is fastened to his left hip. Over this intricately worked armour is worn a very simple white open-cut coat. It falls to the back of his knees, is perfectly fitted and has a bronze pattern worked into the sleeves. His dark red hair is carefully bound in three braids, held close with gold wiring, and falls to the small of his back. His skin is pale as parchment and seems to glow ever so faintly with an inner light. He bows at the waist, very slightly.

“I am named Æthelstan nas’Illúphændaion scio’vail of the High House Rose, called Æthelstan vail’Rose.”

He turns to face the transport.

“My honour is to declare for his grace, the Eald of Stars Lighting the Wasteland, Cynegils nas’Pændielas soán’vail of the High House Snowdrop, called Cynegils vail’Snowdrop, accompanied by his bondsman Leofsige chai’Pændiel Ealhelmson born of West Saex, called Leofsige.”

He bows from the waist again and the remaining two members of the delegation walk out.

The bondsman is clearly human and is simply dressed in tunic, trousers, boots and open-fronted coat all in a deep emerald green decorated with silver embroidery. A snowdrop is worked upon the left breast of both the coat and tunic. His neatly trimmed beard and tri-braided hair are a dark brown. An elegant rifle is slung over his shoulder. His hands are held out before him and hold a sheathed sword whose pommel is shaped to resemble a hart’s head, fashioned of some white metal, the forte of the blade is shaped as the head of a golden stag with sweeping silvery antlers forming quillons. The grip is tightly-wrapped fawn skin and the scabbard is a work of art, decorated with images of hundreds of flowers and other plants picked out with precious and semi-precious stones, metal and mother-of-pearl inlay.

Cynegils vail’Snowdrop is dressed in a very similar manner to Æthelstan vail’Rose, saving that his armour is inlaid with silver and platinum, bearing snowdrops rather than roses, which are picked out in diamond and emerald. His coat bears a different and more ornate design than that of his companion. He too bears a sword and also wears his hair in the three-braided style bound with the wire of a precious metal. His is a perfect white and his skin glows faintly. His attitude is respectful but utterly confident. He bows slightly, from the waist, to the admiral and then to the Republican representatives.

“Greetings. I am known as the Eald, Cynegils vail’Snowdrop and bring the salutations of the Parliament of Flowers.


[[*Canterbury]]

[[Hey folks, guess what? Turns out Havensky has been flagged for approval, so he can't post at the moment. Will let you know what's doing on when/if he TGs me again]]

the GUARDIAN ship the northern flyer emerged from warp drive new race detected said GUARDIAN trainee waber
the c.o on this flyer was non other then the commander general of the mobile defense force Ethan nova begin first contact protocols

this is flyer north wind carrying the president of shinra to greet your peopl

[[Hey folks, guess what? Turns out Havensky has been flagged for approval, so he can't post at the moment. Will let you know what's doing on when/if he TGs me again]]

((Tell him to go make about five spam posts on the 'Spam' forum. That'll get his postcount out of the red zone.))

[occ: That works]

The University of Havensky ~ History 264

The University of Havensky was founded the same year that Havensky was built. The city founders feared that precious knowledge would be lost as a result of the Great War. To prevent a second dark age, the University was established to keep every once of knowledge and to ensure a well educated populace.

The University was located in one of Havensky's larger towers and could have been mistaken for a Gothic Cathedral. Currently, the bell towers were tolling the time. Class was getting underway.

The Olsen Building was the history department. In room 327, modern history was being taught. Dr. Mellisa Ravenclaw walked into the room, gathering the instant attention of most of the male audience for reasons that would probably annoy her. Dr. Ravenclaw was in her mid twenties with dark hair and dark glasses and a fairly slim figure. Dr. Ravenclaw was dressed very professionally, in a white blouse and long blue skirt. She was all business and let her class know it. Any hint of a bubbly personality was laid to rest the moment she open her lips to speak. A commanding and business-like tone was set instantly.

Class, It's time to begin. When we ended class last we were discussing the ramifications of the Great War.

In 2035, the two superpower nations of Titanmount and Protronus was in full effect. Due to the Titan Cooperation's long reach many nations under it's influence joined the war. This in turn, forced The Kingdom of Protronus to seek allies. Eventually, the entire globe was swept in battle. Both nations had a full nuclear arsenal and were experimenting with fusion powered warheads. Despite pleas from The Church to settle a peace the war dragged on for a full decade.

There were several groups that were highly concerned that the all people would be doomed if the war ever went nuclear. (Which it did). Therefore, in 2045, the HAVEN PROJECT was born. The HAVEN PROJECT was the first group to attempt to build a flying city. The HAVEN PROJECT was a joint venture between The Church and the Kingdom of Protronus, however several Titan Corp scientists defected in order to work on the project.

In 2050, the foundation of Havensky was raised. However, Titan Corp had begun on an attack on the Haven Project base. The Kingdom of Protronus also began to divert troops in order to attack the base. The base was self-destructed to keep the technology a secret from both warring nations. Havensky would be clocked and kept hidden to protect it from attack.

In 2053, the Titan Corporation launched a full scale thermonuclear attack on the Kingdom of Protronus. The Kingdom retaliated, resulting in the complete decimation of the planets surface. Nuclear winter covered the surface for an additional 20 years killing billions. The planet to this day has not healed.

The Great War demonstrated that our kind is capable of mass destruction. As a result, the culture of this Republic is a peaceful one. While we must defend our borders against attack, our military is akin to the ancient knights more than the armies of Titan Corp. It is important for you to understand the consequences of war and warring peoples.

The surface holds many hordes that have survived the Great War by attacking those weaker than themselves. Havensky is protected because we are high above them in the air, and we take care not to expose ourselves to danger.

HOWEVER, it is our species that destroyed the planet. We did it to OURSELVES. For this reason, as a citizen of the Republic you must do all you can to settle our differences peacefully. Civil War in the Republic means death. That is why our democracy is so strong and our government so small. Each of us may do as we wish, as long as we do not infringe on the rights of others. The power of the free press, equal rights, power of assembly, the right of Habes Corpus... All of things exist so that it is unnecessary to settle a dispute with violence..

Class would go on... as would the Republic

Meanwhile, aboard the Airship Hex Master....

So, you mean to tell me that you'll just POP in here?!?!, the Ship's engineer was on the verge of a mental breakdown. He simply could not believe that one could transport something from space to his airship without some sort of transport. Much less teleport in here.

The matter had been somewhat complicated, and more than likely needlessly so. After explaining the Andermani that they couldn't just let fully armored men into the center of Havensky (much less without being escorted by HAVENSKY...not Andermani officers), they finally had figured out someway to get them there.

After years of seeking shelter in the sky to avoid war, Citizens seemed genetically wired not to like the idea of weapons in the city. Even the military took care not to display their weapons in public. They were also wired to be quite protective of the city. The thought of somebody popping into the city, past the Guardian Towers and the Knights, unnerved them. Scientists were on board The Hex Master to try to observe how they did it... and how to counter it.

Finally, Captain Oliver put a hand on the Engineer's shoulder. The Engineer looked up and realized that he was wasting time.

Captain Oliver pressed a small panel on the wall. Andermani vessel, feel free to come aboard at these coordinates. Welcome to the Republic...

Aboard the Andermani ship, the Lieutenant stood on the staging deck, waiting for the gate to open. Aboard the republic ship, for nearly 5 minutes, nothing seems to happen. Then, out of nowhere, a gateway opens, solid black, it is nevertheless reflective, a black mirror that seems to drink light.

<Boson linkage confirmed. Gate formation confirmed.>

<Very well. Captain. I will remain in contact. See you in a month.>

The lieutenant steps through the gate, and from the shimmering darkness of the portal, steps out into full view. The Setian is short and slim, standing no more than 5 feet tall at the tips of his tufted ears, and weighing maybe 75 kilos, fuly dressed and sopping wet. He wasn't an incredibly intimidating sight, but he was incredibly eye catching. The full dress uniform of a marine is an impressive sight, heavy robes, heavily accented with gold and embroiderings. The saber at his side is in scale with his height, but its design is slightly different from the human weapon of the same name, thicker in cross section and blade, it bears a resemblance to more of a large machete with a broad sweeping curve. The pistol is similarly almost human, but the design is still subtly different. Much of it is a result of slightly different physical characteristics. The long slender fingers of the Setian hand are set differently from a humans. Extra joints, and two opposable fingers set them apart. Most striking however, was the face. Deep set eyes and slitted pupils made them almost catlike, while a thick beard and mustache gave the appearance of humanity.

<Greetings in the name of Gustav Anderman, First Emperor of the Setians, Bane of Humanity, and Defender of the Watch. I am Lieutenant Almosis Jervaiss, Member in good standing of the Order of the Watch, and Guardian of the Race. I come in the name of my masters to meet with your masters and discuss matters of mutual interest.>

((This still alive? Anybody know when Havensky's gonna be posting again?))

[[I'm still here]]

[OCC: I'm back! (breaths big deep sigh of relief, then cracks knuckles) OK, I'm going to fast forward this just a bit so that we're all in the same room. The exception is Shinra Corp. I'm sorry, but if you can't post using proper punctuation and capitalization I'm going to ignore you. ]

The Admiral greeted each new visitor as he arrived. Aides rushed to meet other aides to ensure that the visitors had everything they needed. Coats were made available to those who needed it as it was cold in the sky, but since most guests were dressed formally, it wasn't much of an issue.

As the last guest arrived, Admiral Stone spoke a little louder just to get everyone's attention. If we're all here, Chancellor Drake is ready to see all of you. This way please.

Admiral Stone lead them through a large archway and up the marble stairs. Admiral Stone explained the architecture.

Gentleman, you will notice that The City of Havensky has a very detailed architectural tradition. In all, this city has fifteen different styles taken from civilizations now lost on our world. The Founders of the city wanted to not only save the last remnants from our race, but to save it's knowledge and art as well.

Once up the stairs, if the guests looked up they would see a large glass ceiling. One could easily mistaken it for the actual sky.

In order to prevent feeling trapped up here, we made every effort to make the city seem as open and airy as possible. The ceiling is 20 feet in thickness and designed to withstand attack. It is fortunate that it's never been put to the test.

Admiral Stone led them through solid oak doors and inside the Receiving Room of the Bay.

Chancellor Drake Wolfsky turned to face them as the visitors walked inside. His sky-blue robes looked very modest in comparison with the Admiral's formal uniform. The only indication of his rank where three white stripes on his sleeve and a unique ring. He could have easily been mistaken for another Senator.

Drake was the most powerful person on the planet, and he was the most modest looking person in the room. Which was the point. The government was designed to have the least amount of power possible, so that there would be nothing to fight over. The only thing the government did was provide for the common defense and keep the cities in the air. As the Chancellor, Drake was still a member of the Senate but he had no vote. His main job was simply to ensure that the ministries had everything they needed and to act as head of state.

Drake turned to the guests and opened his arms wide

Welcome to the Republic of Havensky

ooc i was over tired when i typed that and i am dyslexic


ic
coms WE ARE WAITING PEONS DO NOT ANGER THE CORPORATE EMPIRE BY MAKING US WAIT

ooc i was over tired when i typed that and i am dyslexic


ic
coms WE ARE WAITING PEONS DO NOT ANGER THE CORPORATE EMPIRE BY MAKING US WAIT

PEONS!! PEONS!!!, shouted Communications Officer Hammersmith his Patronian hair turning scarlet.

Republicans were a free people and very independent by nature. The word peon implied that they were indentured servants, slaves...

Something less than a free person.

To a Citizen freedom was a virtue greater than life itself. To call one a slave (or anything close to it) was the ultimate insult.

The officer in charge came over and tried to calm his commo man down.

I'm sure it's just a mis-translation. In any case, Chancellor Drake wants to meet with every visitor.

The Commo Officer responded with a look... his hair going from scarlet to amber... Spoken words were superfluous in this case.

The officer picked up the microphone.

Shinra Vessel, please repeat that last transmission. We had some difficulty in translating your last message. Be advised, you've been approved to enter our airspace. You may send one shuttle and an escort will rendezvous at these coordinates.

Hammersmith's hair was flaming scarlet again.

Don't worry, said the officer, We'll be doubling the escort and we'll order each airship to conduct separate scans for weapons and soldiers. I'm not too pleased with their attitude.

OCC: In case you haven't gathered already... Havensky citizens are generally pacifists. However, this does not mean they are incapable of losing their tempers. (Hint, Hint)

Citizens of Patronian descent (from the Kingdom of Patronus) have hair that will change color in times of intense emotion. Some have better control over this than others. Patronians are very empathetic and do not always need words to express themselves. Colors associated with hair color are what you would expect. These flashes are temporary and hair reverts to it's normal color once the person has calmed down.

<I apperciate your welcome. I bear greetings from my emperor, Gustav Anderman.> The Setian Lieutenant bowed slightly to the Chancellor, and pulled forth a 18 inch dagger of exquisite craftsmanship, presenting it to the Chancellor.

Drake, returning the bow, took the dagger and admired it for a few moments before handing it to an aide.

Thank you very much for your gift. Now come, we have much to show you

The two Onarrím and the human bondsman followed the admiral through the halls of the floating city, their eyes surveying the architectural marvel with blank, expressionless features. Their eyes flick up to the open-seeming ceiling and the two armoured representatives speak softly to each other.

“Interesting style of ceiling. Apparently the population suffers from fears of enclosure, unusual trait amongst those who choose to isolate themselves.”

“They chose to fly, rather than dig…it makes sense”

The two cat-eyed beings walk with an easy grace, almost as if unlimited by friction and gravity while their companion moves in a manner much like a dancer – still human, but trained and conditioned by proximity to creatures whose grace is beyond human.

The Chancellor’s appearance provokes a wry twist on vail’Rose’s lips as he considers the difference in culture between the two societies. The High Houses decorate their formal gear with great care and attention, each artificer-crafted work denoting rank and societal position. Only those formal garments signifying unity of purpose – such as within the military organisation or within the Parliament itself are kept simple.

The two slender beings bow slightly from the waist, while the bondsman remains immobile, still holding the elegantly crafted sheathed sword in his hands. The red-eyed armoured representative speaks.

“I am named Æthelstan nas’Illúphændaion scio’vail of the High House Rose, called Æthelstan vail’Rose, the son of Ædanis vail’Rose, son of Ædaryn lor’Rose.
“I declare for his grace, Eald of Stars Lighting the Wasteland and Ealdorman of Sun Ascends Over Ivory Blooms Province, Cynegils nas’Pændielas soán’vail of the High House Snowdrop, called Cynegils vail’Snowdrop, the son of Cynewulf lor’Snowdrop, son of Cynedan lor’Snowdrop, accompanied by his bondsman Leofsige chai’Pændiel Ealhelmson of the peoples of West Saex, called Leofsige.”

Leofsige steps forward and presents, in the absence of any obvious servants, the sword he carries to the Chancellor. Hilt first.

Cynegils vail’Snowdrop speaks.

“We offer a Hunter’s Blade as a token of friendship. May it safeguard you from your enemies, and may it never be drawn at need. We extend the greetings of the Parliament of Blooms”

As the men from Onarr introduce themselves, the Chancellor can't help but notice how eloquent - and long - the introductions are. For a breif moment, he wishes he could trace his family history that far back. Regrettably, most Republicans had very short family histories due to the Great War.

Drake returns the bow and graciously accepts the gift, Thank you most kindly, we are humbled with your gift.

As before, an aide takes the sword. Before he goes Drake whispers something in the aides ear.

See about getting some Dreamspheres for our guests

In the window of the waiting room, several flashes of light shot out into the sky like comets. They were to quick to be recognized by the casual observer, but those in the know knew they were the 12th Switchblade Fighter Wing. The Switchblades were being sent in addition to Knight Flight and Raven Flight to escort the Shinra President to the city. It was a bit much for a simple escort mission, but the visitors had been rather rude. The orders given to the control room were to let all visitors through....but that didn't mean the navy couldn't take a few dozen extra precautions.

Across from the waiting room was 1st Green Street. Every city in the Republic had various streets that were different from the others. Green Streets were streets that were right above the Ring of Green. The Ring of Green was a section of the city used to grow trees, food, and flowers. It was the cities greenhouse of sorts, and it helped feed the city and supply it with wood and oxygen. Green Streets were made of thick glass and were built above the Ring of Green. This enabled more sunlight to enter the trees while giving a spectacular view to those walking the street.

Blue Streets ran from the center of the city to the edges, like spokes on a wheel. These streets were made of thick glass and built above man-made rivers. When it rained, water would wash down the ceiling and be collected at the cities edge. From there, water would wind it's way to the center of the ceiling where it could be purified. From there, it would flow back to the edges of the city proving water to both people and the Ring of Green. When rain wasn't enough, the collectors could also draw moisture from the air. However, being in the sky, it was easy to maneuver the city towards favorable weather patterns. Water was not always this available, and so most residents were conservationists out of cultural expectations.

Walking on a Blue Street was a little strange for those first visiting. It almost gave the appearance of walking on water. And even though it was physically impossible to feel the water flowing beneath the glass, people often thought they could feel it all the same.

Drake, returning the bow, took the dagger and admired it for a few moments before handing it to an aide.

Thank you very much for your gift. Now come, we have much to show you

<Your graciousness is appreciated. I will follow your direction. A question though. May I have samples of your food products sent to my ship. It is a matter of our protocol. Non-compatible biologies have caused problemsfor us in the past, and we are more careful now.>

ooc: the ship looks like this only without the big bird

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a354/nihongaz/pioneerclass.jpg

ic:The Neo-Kirisuban Pioneer class starship 'Sakura' was on its routine mission of exploration.

Captain Aiko Sayaki and her all female crew were 6 months out of their home system. This system had been picked up and naturally they wanted to investigate. This was a fast exploration ship but all Neo Kirisuban starships had a cloaking device as well as weapons.

They didn't shoot first but if battle was needed they fought to the death.

The Captain looked over the display on her arm of her chair and she gave the order to drop to impulse and give her a visual of the planet on her viewscreen.

This was done and the readings started to come in.

<Your graciousness is appreciated. I will follow your direction. A question though. May I have samples of your food products sent to my ship. It is a matter of our protocol. Non-compatible biologies have caused problems for us in the past, and we are more careful now.>

Drake's head tilted for a moment, as if processing the idea that food that would normally be healthy for himself would be poison to another. He shrugged it off quickly, and introduced one of his aides Mr. James Portsmith.

Mr. Portsmith will be glad to assist you. Mr. Portsmith, could you please send them some of our favorite dishes? Thank you.

The group was walking towards a large cathedral. This particular cathedral was known as the Temple of the Eternal Tears. It was the memorial site for those who fell during The Great War.

-----------

Admiral Stone was back at the Command Center. He watched as the scanners picked up another contact.

He hailed them, Incoming Vessel, this is Admiral Stone of the Republic of Havensky. We send you our greetings.

-----

Hearing the signal come through the comms officer Aiko said "screen on."

The admiral could now see a fairly attractive oriental woman on a all female bridge her uniform being a red wrap over jacket, a crossed katanas comm badge and fitted black trousers. She had long brown hair and dark eyes.

"Greetings Admiral Stone. I am Captain Aiko Sayaki of the Neo Kirisuban Starship 'Sakura'. We are peaceful explorers and would ask your permission to enter your space" she gently replied in fluent English which seemed to be the universal language.

Hearing the signal come through the comms officer Aiko said "screen on."

The admiral could now see a fairly attractive oriental woman on a all female bridge her uniform being a red wrap over jacket, a crossed katanas comm badge and fitted black trousers. She had long brown hair and dark eyes.

"Greetings Admiral Stone. I am Captain Aiko Sayaki of the Neo Kirisuban Starship 'Sakura'. We are peaceful explorers and would ask your permission to enter your space" she gently replied in fluent English which seemed to be the universal language.

Admiral Stone responded fairly quickly, dispatching Mercury Flight to meet the new guests.

Captain Sayaki of the Sakura, permission to enter our airspace has been granted. You may send one shuttle to rendezvous with our forces at the following coordinates. We will then escort you to the City of Havensky

Aiko smiled slightly and after the co-ordinates were relayed to her comms officer she gently replied "Admiral, I will be there in one off our shuttlecraft along with another officer and thank you for your kind welcome.

Sayuki out."

The screen blinked out as the comms line was cut and making a quick decision she ordered them to change course to the co-ordinates given and to drop to impulse power.

She ordered her just as good looking science officer Lt. Ayumi Nakamura to come with her. She doubted she'd need any security people but she entered the shuttle with her katana anyway as did the science officer with her ceremonial dagger. It was a matter of honour to wear blades for them.

They had very compact phasers in their pockets as well as Lt. Nakamura flew out the much smaller twin of the Sakura out of the shuttle bay and they flew at 1/2 impulse towards the approaching welcoming committee. The shuttles twin phaser cannons were powered down as were the shields as it gracefully cruised.

http://www.ffcompendium.com/misc/hildagarde1-9.jpg

Mercury Flight scrambled to meet the new visitors. Like Knight Flight, these airships acted as coast guard vessels. One main rail cannon was hidden inside the hull and was used as an artillery piece. (Although it could be used as a main weapon in ship to ship combat) It was also armed with several dozen air to air and air to ground missiles. Across the deck were several machine guns which could target enemy personal and enemy aircraft.

They were not formidable craft alone, but when operating as a squadron they were more than enough to protect the skies around Havensky.

Aiko and Ayumi seen the piston engined craft approach and had seen nothing like this before. The Neo Kirisuban captain knew not to underestimate these craft since they looked heavily armed judging from the scanner readings they were getting back.

She hit a button on the console and spoke softly again in English keeping it in voice only for now.

"Greetings. This is Captain Aiko Sayuki of the Sakura. My ship will hold position for now until it is allowed in. I'll follow you in if you can supply me with a heading."

They were ready to follow Mercury flight and were eager to see what awaited them when they got to the city. The Sakura had held a standard orbit as per procedure so they weren't out of touch.

The lead ship of Mercury Flight slowed down and pulled itself to a halt in front of the shuttlecraft as the other airships formed in an echelon formation around the shuttlecraft.

"Captain Sayuki, this is Captain David Ravenclaw of the Airship Whisper. On behalf of the Senate and Chancellor Drake Wolfsky, we welcome you to the Republic of Havensky.

If you will follow us, we will lead you to our capitol to meet with our leadership. We will be landing in Capitol Point Bay approximately twenty miles from here.

The airships picked up speed. Several Mercury Flight airships ran scans on the visiting shuttlecraft as was standard procedure. Seeing that the shuttle wasn't loaded with hostile soldiers, the visiting craft was deemed safe to enter Havensky. As the airships picked up speed, their props folded into the hull and the jet engines took over increasing the speed significantly. Havensky airships were filled with redundant systems.


OCC: For a better description of Havensky, check out the first few posts in this thread.

"thats understood Captain Ravenclaw. We'll follow you and thank you for your welcome" Aiko gently replied into her comms system.

As the journey continued they scanned the surface to find a completely different level of technology. More like feudal Japan in the middle ages than a modern standard of living.

This was another puzzle to solve later on as they approached the floating capitol city. It was certainly impressive and she cast her mind back to old Earth fiction. Here these ideas had became reality.

They were able to keep up with the jet engines easily as they kept formation.

As with the other visitors, The airships escorted the visitors into Capitol Point Bay. Captain Ravenclaw quickly exited his airship in order to greet the new arrivals.

A small hovercraft was waiting to take them to the Temple of the Eternal Tear, which would catch them up to the rest of the group.

The shuttle docked successfully and the two women got out after adjusting their blades.

In Captain Sayaki's case it was resting in a black silk belt sash and Lt. Nakamura's rested on her left hip hanging from a similar sash and in a leather scabbard.

The dagger had an oval hilt and was 12" long in total. Unlike the sword it was a straight single edged blade and a traditional weapon for a Kirisuban lady.

They stretched their legs and the rest of Lt Nakamura's equipment could be seen. Her tricorder also rested in a belt pouch and her comm badge was two silver atoms circling each other.

Captain Ravenclaw bowed slightly to both ladies as he approached.

"On behalf of Admiral Stone and the Havensky Navy we welcome you to Havensky. If there is any way we can assist you during your visit feel free to ask. I apologize that we must move quickly, but the Chancellor is currently giving a tour of our city and we'd like to catch you up to the rest of the visitors. The Chancellor is eager to meet with you personally.

The Captain motioned to the small hovercraft and opened the passenger door for the two ladies. We will be meeting the Chancellor at the Temple of the Eternal Tear. It's a memorial for those lost in the Great War.

Both women bowed in return and Captain Sayaki did the talking for now.

"Thank you for taking care of us Captain and I am also looking forward to meeting with your Chancellor. My companion is Lt Nakamura, my science officer" she said as they entered the hovercraft and made themselves comfortable.

She also added a soft friendly smile and Lt Nakamura also had a friendly smile for their guide.

It was then the Lt. spoke and she softly asked "Captain is this great war anything to do with the vastly differing levels of technology in these floating cities and on the surface of the planet?"

Captain Ravenclaw scoffed, "Differing levels of technology is putting it nicely. There's nothing really left down there. But, yes, The Great War was the cause of it. The War destroyed everything. Lives, cities, nations, and entire civilizations were wiped off the face of the planet.

Ravenclaw shook his head, his hair turning a slight shade of blue as he gave a long sigh.

"These cities were built as a haven from war. The Founders thought that we would be safer in a place that was difficult to get to. Havensky was the first city to be built. Well, the platform for it anyway. The platform barely got off the ground before the base where it was constructed was nuked. Hell... every city that showed even the slightest threat to either side was bombed to the ground. The city was attacked a few times, but by that time most of the warring nations had collapsed. When the war ended there was no governments left to surrender. Just us....up here.

The hovercraft turned onto a green street. Treetops swishing beneath the glass street. The gothic skyline of the city came into view, their white surfaces shining brightly in the daylight. Stained glass windows reflecting different stories as they passed by. Up ahead, a large cathedral was coming into view.

The only thing left down there is ashes, ruins, and hordes. They take the old war machines and rule over areas that the gods have forsaken. Occasionally, we'll spot a village trying to live in peace. We rescue them if it looks like they're not going to make it. We'll keep accepting refugees as long as we keep building cities.

Lt. Nakamura listened carefully as did her Captain to the tale Captain Ravenclaw told them.

It was tragic and even these hardened spacers hearts were touched by it.

"We had a major disaster in our history as well and it cost us our old homeworld. A viral infection swept through our cities and brought the dead back to life and only a few thousand people got away to rebuilt the rest.

When the infection contaminated the wildlife and the water we had to leave and the planet was destroyed to prevent the plague spreading.

That was 30 years ago and although we have recovered it explains the major population inbalance we have" Lt Nakamura replied. This was a sad story even now and a black period in the Kirisuban's history.

The hovercraft pulled in front of the giant cathedral. Captain Ravenclaw stepped out of the craft quickly and held the door open for the two ladies.

The cathedral was situated on the edge of the city. It towered above it's neighboring buildings at almost 2,000 feet above the 'ground' level. It was unique in Havensky as most buildings tended to get taller towards the center. Because of the large structure, it had to be balanced out on the opposite side of the city.

The cathedral had three main towers that seemed to tilt slightly. The top of the central tower actually peered out over the edge of the city. Stained glass windows told the history of the planet. The ancient past was at the ground floor, the present at the top.

"Thank you Captain" Captain Sayaki softly replied exiting the hovercraft with her science officer.

She trusted her own senses while her science officer ran her tricorder using that to record the scene in front of them. When slowed down later this moving footage could be used to examine the windows in more detail but it was obvious that this was a place where history was recorded in pictures.

Since all they could see right now was the ancient past this was what they would work with for now.

Drake's head tilted for a moment, as if processing the idea that food that would normally be healthy for himself would be poison to another. He shrugged it off quickly, and introduced one of his aides Mr. James Portsmith.

Mr. Portsmith will be glad to assist you. Mr. Portsmith, could you please send them some of our favorite dishes? Thank you.

The group was walking towards a large cathedral. This particular cathedral was known as the Temple of the Eternal Tears. It was the memorial site for those who fell during The Great War.

-----------

Admiral Stone was back at the Command Center. He watched as the scanners picked up another contact.

He hailed them, Incoming Vessel, this is Admiral Stone of the Republic of Havensky. We send you our greetings.

-----

<Consider it in this manner Chancellor. There may have once been animals on your planet that ate foods that you could not. Why would sentient life be any different? Different protien sequences, different amino acid complexes. Even different sugars could be fatal if they are different enough.> He had noticed the chancellors pause, and sought to clarify to some extent. <This building ahead. What is it? It's so incredibly...sad...>

The Surface:

The suits have been groundside for nearly an hour, and seen nothing living. Scans from the ship indicate a nearby settlement of some description, and a trio of suits splits off to investigate the primitive housing, and possibly secure more information, from both sides of this conflict.

The Temple of the Eternal Tear:

Chancellor Drake answered the question to the whole group. "This is the Temple of the Eternal Tear. It is a memorial for those lost in The Great War. I know you must be curious as to why we live up here and the surface looks so different.

Drake's hair turned a tint of blue.

At one point in time this planet had a population of 6 billion people. As of now, The Republic has a population of 36 million. We estimate that only 90 million people still remain on the surface, trying to survive in poverty and desolation. There are no stable governments. Just warlords and their hordes. Entire civilizations were wiped away in a matter of years. This Temple is their monument and memorial.

The hovercraft carrying Captain Sayaki arrived and Chancellor Drake took a moment to welcome the newcomers.

The Kirisuban officers bowed again and with a soft smile on her face Captain Sayaki gently said "Chancellor Drake, I bring greetings from the Neo Kirisuban Federation. My colleague is my Science Officer Lt Nakamura."

They had arrived in time to hear about the state of affairs on the planet and Aiko made a mental note not to go down there. If they did she figured any technology they left behind could well threaten their hosts in the long run.

Surface:

On the opposing side of the world from the City of Havensky, the world was dark. In the distance, a few fires were burning. Ruins of what was once a small city littered the area.

The Andermani approached what looked to be a few small homes. It was one of the few shattered buildings that looked occupied.

A few steps closer.... unknowingly just passing a rat hole.

Jack Blade sat in wait with his men, holding a machine gun close to him. He didn't seem to recognize these guys. Didn't matter. They looked like they had some shiney things on them.

Blade was one of the captains the local warlords used to rob passers-by and terrorize the remaining populace. It was a simple thing really. Blade brought the warlord treasure and fuel, and he kept them well fed and kept the alcohol flowing.

Blade was unshaven and unclean. He had no helmet, but he was wearing some old Titan Corp battle armor. He looked to his left and right and signaled to the dozen men in his rathole that they would be attacking.

A few steps farther... the trio started to split up.

NOW!

The ground opened up behind the Andermani as Blade's men lifted the panel off the rat hole. About 10 raiders fired their machine guns at the suits. One raider even managed to fire a rocket propelled grenade at one of the men. The men were screaming something primal.

OCC: The dozen men are armed with basic 7.62 machine guns. They are untrained and not very disciplined. However, there are 12 of them and they do have the element of surprise. They arn't part of The Republic in any way, but you are wandering about in no-mans-land.

Inside the Temple, the group would find it open and cavernous.

The center of the Temple was open reaching from the bottom floor all the way to the ceiling 2,000 feet above them. Several dark marble pillars were spread evenly across the temple, keeping the superstructure stable.

Glass beams connected the pillars. The beams were flooded with blue light giving the interior of the cathedral a deep blue glow.

At the main entrance, there were several rows of benches and a large pulpit. Behind the pulpit was a choir loft where the chorus was signing somber melancholy songs. Their voices reverberating in the hallow building. Glass spheres rested in the walls, emitting the same blue glow helping to light the areas.

The four main towers had staircases built into them. Drake explained the the four stairs were named Sorrow, Regret, Remorse, and Remembrance. Each Republican citizen at one point or another would make the grueling climb up these steps, in order to pay tribute to lost loved ones.

Every 500 feet, a deck stretching along the walls from one tower to the next provided resting places for those making the climb. Stained glass windows were built into the walls at eye level to these decks portraying the history of the world.

The Kirisuban's took careful notice of the layout of the staircases and it seemed more like a taking a pilgrimage that anything.

Given what had happened to this world it was understandable why it was very necessary. The Kirisuban's had a disaster of their to deal with and every settlement on the homeworlds had its own memorials to the dead.

ooc i was over tired when i typed that and i am dyslexic


ic
coms WE ARE WAITING PEONS DO NOT ANGER THE CORPORATE EMPIRE BY MAKING US WAIT


WE REPEAT WE ARE WAITING EONS DO NOT ANGER THE CORPRATE EMPIRE BY MACKING US WAIT
we will deploy one stryker shuttle containing the presdinet and 4 SOLDIER firsts

[[Shinra: He’s already replied to you (see post #38). And please take some more time over your posts! Seriously, I’m having difficulty reading them (and yes, I know your dyslexic, I also don’t care). Try using MS Word and the spellcheck function, trust me, it really does help.]]

The two Onarrím had obviously enjoyed walked over the Blue Street, a polite approving comment made from the more talkative vail’Rose had expressed admiration for such elegance of design “without the advantage of the Realm”, whatever that might mean. The two armoured emissaries had spoken amongst themselves about it bearing “primitive similarities to the gardens of Silent Crystal Waves” owned by someone described as the third soán’vail’Lily. If anything, they seem quite impressed by the similarities, and appear to consider the practical application of a thing of beauty quite admirable.

At the mention of the war the two nodded with understanding and sympathy, mentioning nothing of the long conflict between the two major factions within their own realm, before the establishment of Parliament following a particularly bloody victory by one side, led by certain of the nine High Houses.

The two tall, pale officers step into the temple and looks around with expressions of mild curiosity. Their companion walks quietly behind them, no expression upon his face and speaking no words.

The white-eyed vail’Snowdrop speaks softly, looking up toward the ceiling high overhead.

“Chancellor, you have no pillar for joy at salvation? Surely there is something to be said for rejoicing that some at least survived, rose above the destruction below? Pardon the observation, but you seem a very mournful people.”

[[Sorry about the delay folks, busy-busy-busy]]

Drake smiled slightly, I assure you that not every place in our Republic is a memorial for our lost ones. But yes, there is no stairway named after joy. However, there is some light at the end of the journey. This way...

The Chancellor walked over to the center of the room. The circle had a glass floor that seemed inserted into the floor. Beneath the glass circle was a map of the old world.

Everyone into the circle...unless you'd rather take the stairs

Any confusion the guests had was quickly sorted out as the glass circle lifted and carried them upwards. The outer ring of the circle was actaully anti-gravity cells.

The preists use this lift to get around the temple. Otherwise it would take hours to clean and mantain the temple., explained the Chancellor.

The lift carried them to the top of the tower, passing by the blue beams and stained glass windows that told the story of thier history.

The founding of the Kingdom of Patronus.... Sailing on the world's eight oceans... The grand Titianium Empire...

The age of machines... the first airship...

Further up, it told of the war.. of battle... of death...

Then, the construction of Havensky Base.. The first flight of the city... The founding of the new nation in the sky.

The lift flew over a platform and gently landed at the top floor.

The Chancellor walked off the lift and took a few short steps to two large doors. He opened them with some effort and bright light filled the darker room.

Welcome to the Eternal Tear, announced Drake.

The doors actaully led outside. A long glass platform led out into the open sky. The platform was located on the edge of the city, and so it literally looked like you were walking on thin air. The glass was tinted blue to avoid the feeling of vertigo, but it was quite a site to walk out....into nothing but open sky.

The walkway turned into a circular platform with large silver railings. In the center of the platform was a large floating teardrop. Around the teardrop was a railing with a small glowing sphere in the center of the railing.

Scientific minds would note the floating teardrop wasn't that hard to produce. It was just water being manipulated by anti-gravity cells in the floor. Artisitic minds would not fail to see the beauty in it though.

WE REPEAT WE ARE WAITING EONS DO NOT ANGER THE CORPRATE EMPIRE BY MACKING US WAIT
we will deploy one stryker shuttle containing the presdinet and 4 SOLDIER firsts

[OCC: I already responded to your post. It's a ways back there but it's there. I would defenitily re-read it, because it does give a number of character reactions to being called...peons]

Admiral Stone was not amused. They had already responded, giving them premission to enter the airspace. In fact, due to the derogatory terms used by the Shinra Corperation in an earlier transmisson, the Navy had deployed two additional airship flights, a Switchblade Fighter Wing, and a few cloaked ships just in case Shinra tried any funny buisness. Stone did not like these guys.

He had read the report about the 'peon' remark. It made his blood boil despite the fact that it could easily be a mistranslation.

[OCC: There are four cloaked ships in the vicinity of the rendevous point. I will not reveal the exact specs of the ships, suffice to say they are a more muscular varity of airship compared to the small coast gaurd ships I've shown so far]

The Neo Kirisubans weren't scanning anymore but were concentrating on the diplomatic aspect of the mission.

So when they exited the lift to see the eternal tear they could see the beauty and symbolism very clearly.

"Chancellor Drake we can clearly see the need to remember the past so the mistakes made there won't be repeated. We have had our own tragedy which almost wiped out our nation and cost us our first homeworld" Captain Sayaki gently said not wanting to interrupt the tour too much.

Drake nodded in understanding.

We are sorry for your loss Captain., Drake always hated to hear of more death and destruction.

But now it's time to show you what makes this particular temple special.

Chancellor Drake walked over to the sphere in front of the teardrop and placed his hands on them. Upon touching the sphere, it began to glow a bright blue.

The floor of the platform began to glow as well, with small circles forming around each guest.

Drake spoke, Queen Ezmeralda of the Kingdom of Patronus

The floor turned a shade of green, and then the green glow seemed to gather together in one place. A life size hologram of the queen now stood next to the Chancellor.

The hologram was dramatically life-like. She stood about 6 feet tall and had long blue hair and pale white skin. Her face seemed saddened. Her gown was emerald green and flowed down to the floor and was made of a silk material. A crystal crown was placed on her head. A large emerald pendent was around her neck.

A female voice began to speak

Queen Ezmeralda of the Kingdom of Patronus was the ruler of the once powerful nation when the discovery of fusion power was made. She was the mother of three children Prince Derek, Prince Tybalt, and Princess Juliet.

Queen Ezmeralda was a key figure in the creation of the Havensky, authorizing funds to help develop Havensky Base.

A strong advocate for peace, the Queen refused to develop weapons which used fusion technology. The Titan Corporation had long accused the Kingdom of trying to develop fusion weapons and demanded that the Kingdom share the technology or cease development.

The Queen refused both demands and struggled to keep diplomatic relations open. Her brother, Prince Howard, sought to declare war on Titan Corp in order to eliminate the threat.

The Queen was assassinated on 4/5/2194 by agents of the Titan Cooperation. Her death triggered the Great War she had so long fought to prevent.

The female voice paused.

Drake spoke again, Not only does the Queen have such a profile. Every citizen that we have record of has a hologram and a history. When mourners complete the journey up here. They have the chance to remember their loved ones. The temple reads their memories and creates a holographic image.

If you mention any name and touch the sphere, it will bring forth a hologram.

Drake stepped away from the sphere and the queen faded away.

When your ready, we'll go to the next stop on our tour.

Captain Sayaki nodded in thanks when Chancellor Drake give her his condolences. Z-day was the turning point that had made the Federation what it had become.

It was also the main reason why their menfolk weren't allowed to leave the new homeworlds.

She was also patient enough to wait for the others to declare they were ready to move on. She had listened carefully to the Queen's bio and took note of these facts.

this is assault shhutle bladeof awe DECLOAK OR WE WILL FIRE UP ON YOU PHASERS LOCKED ON PHOTON TORPEDOS LOCKED ON WE WILL OPEN FIRE TO PROTECT OUR CARGO DO NOT TEST US IN

OCC: Look Shinra, I'm not really wanting a war in my very first introductory thread. I'm not done telling the story yet. And if I did want to get into a war this early it's going to be a war with a good story to it. Which means that I won't be going to war with you.

First, you shouldn't be able to automatically tell that I have cloaked ships unless you've role-played some intense scanning. We're a society that tries very hard to remain hidden from the world below. We have entire cities cloaked as a safety measure. (stated earlier in thread) You also wouldn't have a reason to suspect a cloaked ship seeing as there are 24 Airships already surrounding you. (If you look back at the first time you called us peons, the command center sent two flights of airships plus a wing of fighters) I told everyone about the cloaked ships to avoid being accused of god moding later on if I needed to decloak them.

I'm going to give you a chance to leave the thread in character without blood drawn. The idea that you're going to attack me while surrounded by 24 airships, a fighter wing, plus four cloaked ships is a bit silly.

IC:

Admiral Stone was afraid of this. Not all visitors were friendly.

Admiral Stone grasped the mic...

Attention Shinra Corporation shuttle Blade of Awe. We will decloak our battleships as requested. They should appear within moments.

However, you are no longer welcome here

The air around the assault shuttle shimmered and four airships the size of a football field appeared within 50 feet of the shuttle on all four sides. The Knight above the shuttle, The Paladin below, The Cavalier on port side, and on starboard was The Soldier. These airships were shaped like a long dagger, with eight 125mm Rail gun turrets positioned along the hull of the airship. 3 missile banks were on each side, and these opened up in sections of the hull. Each missile bank carried 50 air to air missiles and 50 air to ground missiles. Although, at this range the only difference between the missiles is that the Air to Ground missiles would make a bigger explosion.

And there were four of these airships. .... surrounding the shuttle...at point blank range.

We highly encourage your immediate departure from the area. You will not be followed.

Knight Flight and Mercury Flight began shifting formations, creating a shield formation to the front of the shuttle to discourage the shuttle from flying further into the city. While not as heavily armed as the four battleships, they were more than enough to create a wall of fire.

However, if your continue on your present course we will defend our city at all cost. You are outnumbered, surrounded, and in our airspace. You are highly encouraged to take this opportunity to leave peacefully. A sudden increase of speed or firing on our vessels will also result in your immediate destruction.

Several Switchblade fighters from the 125th Fighter Wing buzzed the shuttle.

Please leave the area at once. We will not follow. If you want to keep your cargo safe leave the area.

Meanwhile, in Havensky City

Alarms sounded... great big ugly sounding alarms.

Red lights flashed everywhere.

Civilians rushed to the shelters deeper into the city. Powerful cloaking devices hid the city. Mechas, normally hidden from view of the public, now emerged from the city floor reading their cannons for the defense of the city.

Guards rushed towards Chancellor Drake and the visiting guests.

Quickly, we must get you all to the shelters. shouted the guards.

Drake's eyes widened, What's happening!? What's wrong?!

The Guard spoke as everyone was loaded into the hovercraft.

The Shinra Corporation, one of the newer visitors, is threatening to fire on us if we do not uncloak some of our ships.

Drake looked confused, But we have 24 ships that they can see clear as day. They didn't think we would let them just fly in here without some sort of escort now did they?

Admiral Stone has asked them to leave. He's uncloaked the four battleships. With all the firepower that's surrounding them, hopefully they'll take the hint. We've got 24 Patrol Airships, 4 Battleships, and the 125th Fighter Wing surrounding them so there isn't much chance of them getting to the city.....or surviving if they do something foolish.

Drake's hair turned deep blue... a hand reached his forehead....

So stupid he muttered... There's no reason for this.

To provide a little incentive to act quickly, the lead Mercury Flight Airship Hammerhawk maneuvered itself directly in the flight path of the Blade of Awe. The Blade of Awe would collide with the Hammerhawk in 45 seconds unless it adjusted course. The resulting collision would heavily damage the airship, but that was something the crew was prepared to do in order to protect the city. The Airship was about twice as long as the assault shutle and wasn't afraid to play chicken.

It's Captain ordered a full stop and directed all power to the froward shields. The Captain also ordered the crew to pray to the Sky Goddess that these guys had enough sense to turn around.

full stop fire a warning shot asalvo of 20 photon torpedoes across thier bow snaped nova coms stand down or i will be forced to call in corprate fleet assitance and i dont wish to involve the fleet they are rather occupied

sir torpedoes down to 50 percent read the mac guns they want a war they got one
coms you leave me no choiuce under corpratelaw 332 alpha i mus t kamaiakazi your ships engirining overload the war drive mr prisedent beam out to the northern wind we shall die with honour sir die with honour the prisedent said nova reipled live free navigation set colision course with the Hammerhawk

FOR SHINRA UTTERED THE CREW

Captain Sayaki was ready to follow the Chancellor but first she tapped her comm badge and gave orders to her first officer Samurai-Commander Nomi Ito.

These were to monitor the situation but only to fire if fired upon. There was no way she'd let a rogue barbaric visitor ruin a diplomatic mission. Her ship had enough firepower to defend itself if it did come to that.

She also said she would contact her later but it looked like their hosts had this matter under control.

OOC: Just then, the rhythmic sound of Havensky's head hitting his desk echoed across the galaxy...

XD

Admiral Stone watched his screen intently, praying to the goddess that these guys wouldn't be as stupid as they seemed and would leave quietly.

full stop fire a warning shot asalvo of 20 photon torpedoes across thier bow snaped nova

Stone did not have to give the order to fire. It was understood. It didn't matter that the torpedoes weren't aimed directly at their vessels as the order was to fire the moment they opened fire. The fleet didn't really even notice the direction of the torpedoes. The launch of 20 of them was enough to trigger the defensive procedure.

Exactly .5 seconds after the first torpedo left the assault shuttle, the four battleships that surrounded it opened fire. The battleships were at point blank range to the shuttle. Each battleship was armed with eight 125mm rail-guns; five of which faced the shuttle. Each battleship also had two missile banks that were facing the shuttle, each armed with 100 warheads.

So, calculated destruction would be like this.

(5 Guns X 4 ships) = 20 125mm shells hitting the shuttle at 1000rps simultaneously at all points on the small shuttle. + (2 Banks X 100 Missiles Each) X 4 Ships = 800 missiles firing point blank range into the shuttle.

Given the destructive force unleashed on the shuttle in a matter of seconds, it was highly unlikely that the Blade of Awe would even have a chance to finish it's own sentence, much less make another threat, power up her war drive, say goodbye and beam anyone out.

Admiral Stone shook his head watching the fleet firing upon the shuttle.

All they had to do was turn around. That's it. They could have just walked away. How could anyone be so arrogant as to think they could go firing away while surrounded like that??

OCC: Third parties and any non-participants are free to comment on the previous action. It's my belief that all that firepower directed at one small shuttle results in it's destruction within seconds and doesn't give the Shinra President enough time to beam out considering all the actions they were trying to do before they beamed him out.

ooc: A beam out is possible but only if the shields are down and it still takes time. They might need a new president after this..

<Most efficient. Chancellor. If I may suggest that Terminal Pointe would be an effective deterrent against any continued agression from these incoherent things. Will you release us to use our weapons against them if they attempt to engage?>

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