NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: Hey all. New here. Just trying to get my feet wet and get out into the community.

The Empire of Selesia is based loosely on the Imperium of Man of 40k fame. There will not, however, be any Space Marines. Just normal humans. I will try and get a factbook worked up soon. For now it should suffice to know that the Empire can be intolerant of other belief systems and is not above forcing the Imperial creed down the throats of weaker nations. :)

Please don't hesitate to get involved here and show me the ropes. I'm looking forward to roleplaying with some real experts.



Aboard the bulk transport Scathing Rebuke

The atmosphere aboard stank. Like engine lubricant, mold, ozone, and the brassy tang of unwashed bodies all rolled into a single, repugnant stench. That in and of itself was not surprising. This was a seventy year old bulk transport after all. No, the surprising thing was the fact that a senior emissary of the Adeptus Missionaria chose this vessel as his transport. His chariot. His engine of conversion.

The Rebuke was trundling through realspace in a star system that no citizen of the Holy Selesian Empire has ever seen before. They had left the Goring orbital dockyard thirteen days prior. Their destination; the unknown.

Nearly three months ago, a decree had come down from the God-king himself that it was time for His Word to go out amongst the stars. A great cry had gone up from the masses for it had been nearly a year since the God-king has spoken and when he finally had, it was to announce something that no one could possibly have imagined. For nearly four centuries, the Empire had sealed itself within its single star system, content to wallow in its own intolerance and stagnation. Something had clearly changed.

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The flickering lumestrips placed at regular intervals cast a pale, watery glow over the two robed adepts as they hurried along the dank corridor. Crewmen of the transport stood aside respectfully, heads bowed, as the men passed. A few muttered litanies could be heard and the taller of the two nodded and smiled at each person that they encountered.

“Hell’s teeth, this ship stinks. What could His Eminence possibly have been thinking when he chose this rat trap to carry the Word to the stars?” groused Adept Galen Fisk as he reached up to wipe sweat from his forehead. His straw colored hair lay matted to his head and his ivory robes strained against his girth as he tried to keep up with his taller companion.

“For frigs sake Galen, are you going to make a habit of questioning everything he does? How am I supposed to know why he chose the Rebuke? Maybe he felt it was the right thing to do. Maybe this ship was the only thing available. Maybe it was decided for him,” replied his companion. Quint Wollsey was dark haired and strikingly handsome and as the most junior adept on this Mission, was generally relegated to menial tasks and supportive roles. He was also thoroughly exasperated with his friend at the moment. “We are on a holy mission for the God-king of Selesia. It is his Word that we carry to the heretics among the stars. Have faith in the God-king and have faith in Father Intios. Please? For me?” Galen chuckled at Quint’s discomfort but raised his hand as if to surrender.

You’re too easy Quint. You know I say things like that to get under your skin, right?”

Quint nodded, a faint smile on his face, and increased his stride. Behind him, Adept Fisk groaned as he willed his chubby legs to move faster.

“You’re a sadist Quint. You really are.”

Aboard the bulk transport Scathing Rebuke

“Nearly two weeks in the Warp and nothing. The God-king was right…….this will not be an easy task,” murmured Father Litilus Intios, High Adept of His Majesty’s Holy Church. “What are our options, Shipmaster?” Shipmaster Nicodemus Varnius shifted on his command throne and raised one meaty paw to scratch at the graying stubble on his chin. The neuro-link feeds jacked into his neck and skull bobbed in time with his movements.

“We’ve no transmissions of any type on the auspex, Your Eminence. That is not to say there is no one in the system however,” he burbled in stilted Low Gothic. “Primitives may not have the tech to catch our attention. A pass through the inner system may produce results.” Varnius’s augmentic eyes flashed crimson as they turned to regard the cleric. “The God-king provides, Your Eminence,” he added dutifully. Intios nodded distractedly, a sudden feeling of dread suffusing his body. A cold sweat broke out on his wrinkled brow.

“He does indeed, Shipmaster. He ---, “ The agony that pierced his chest was exquisite, like a molten spike driven completely through his body. The pain left him breathless and his left hand spasmed automatically to his chest.

“Your Eminence? Are you well?” Shipmaster Varnius asked, his concern evident from his sudden, forward-leaning posture. Intios gaped at him, his mouth working soundlessly, tiny flecks of saliva flashing in the dim light of the bridge. The cleric’s body went rigid for what seemed an eternity before his eyes rolled back into his head and collapsed bodily upon the unforgiving steel deck.

“Medicae to the bridge! Medicae to the bridge,” Varnius shouted over the vox relay. Had the medical staff been standing on the bridge in that instant, it still would have been too late.

Two hours later

Fisk and Wollsey gazed forlornly down at the corpse. The medical staff stood to one side, hands folded behind their backs, heads bowed. Shipmaster Varnius stood opposite the two adepts, a loose leather hood concealing the now empty neural jacks that dotted his head and neck.

“It’s up to you now, Galen,” Wollsey whispered. “You’re the senior Ecclesiarchy official on this mission now.” Fisk’s head snapped up as though on a spring, his red-rimmed eyes fixing on his friend’s lips. They had been with Father Intios for the better part of a decade. He had been a demanding master, but a fair one. They had both learned much in that time and the sudden loss of his commanding presence had left both men feeling adrift.

“What? No! That can’t be,” Galen stuttered desperately. “We have to go back to Selesia. This mission can’t be headed by a mere adept!” Galen’s suddenly wild gaze turned on Varius. “Take us back, Shipmaster. Now!” Shipmaster Varius stood silently for a moment, chrome plated augmentics regarding first one adept and then the other then slowly, he nodded.

“Wait!” Adept Wollsey said, a bit more loudly than he had intended. “We have a mission to complete here. A mission to carry the Word of the God-king of Selesia to the stars. We can’t just turn around now. We must press forward in spite of this tragedy,” he stated vehemently. No one moved. Fisk stared at him as if he didn’t understand.

“You can’t be serious, Quint. This isn’t the way it is done. There must be a senior adept on board to head up the mission!” Quint Wollsey turned slowly and fixed his friend with a penetrating gaze.

“I am completely serious, Galen. The Word must go forth as decreed by the God-king. To return to Selesia now would be to fail in our calling. You can either help me spread the Word, or you can get out of my way.”

Fisk was stunned. This wasn’t the Quint he knew. Wollsey had always been the more dogmatic of the two but never like this. The sudden zeal in his eyes was foreign.

“Shipmaster, we will proceed through the inner system with all haste. Send a message via astropath back to Selesia Prime with word of what has happened. Let them know that we intend to press forward,” Quint ordered, his eyes never leaving Galen’s face. Shipmaster Varius straightened imperceptibly and suppressed a sudden urge to salute the young man.

“At once, adept.”

Within minutes, the Rebuke’s main engines lit with silent energy and the bulky transport began moving again with zeal as her fuel and faith as her guide.

OOC: What do you want to happen in this thread exactly? Also welcome to Nationstates. ^^

OOC: Well, this is just my clumsy attempt at getting out there and getting involved. A first encounter thread if you will. If someone were to encounter the Rebuke, that would be alright. If that is too far-fetched or too tired, I may have the transport encounter a small civilization which reject the Word. A crusade army would then be dispatched from Selisia Prime to pacify the populace. Surely that would draw someone's attention. :)

I am fine with either. *shrugs* It is up to you.

Commander Jaec Magaran walked through the Grey Palace, his footsteps echoing through the majestic, empty halls. Statues of ancient Zirzlan heroes stared down at him with cold, strict faces. Under each statue a warrior was buried, sleeping until the day the Lightbringer would wake him up to fight the Final Battle. Jaec thought he could hear them whispering in his mind, voices from bygone times. Be aware, warrior, they said. A storm is coming, one that threatens the very foundation of our civilisation. Stand fast, warrior, or Zirzla will fall, and the whole universe with it. Jaec shuddered. If the Ancient Ones had been awoken, something really bad was going on. No wonder the Grey Council was concerned.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached the massive bronze doors of the Council Chamber. A guard, dressed in black and with his head covered by a silver mask, opened the doors without uttering a word. Jaec stepped in and kneeled before the thirteen beings that were waiting for him, sitting on massive thrones of obsidian.
"I have heard your call, Grey Ones, and I have come, as a servant of the Prince of Darkness, praised be his name."
"Good", one of the beings said with a hoarse voice. Dark grey robes covered it's whole body, it's face hidden behind a hood. "The Grey Council has observed you loyalty. Rise, Jaec Magaran, servant of the Lightbringer. Rise, and listen to what I have to say. A great evil is coming, one that threatens our whole existance. The Ancient Ones are awakening, as they only do in in times of great peril. The last time was two thousand years ago, when Maecor Ghalaesh turned his forces against Zirzla itself, leading to the First Great War. I think you have heard of it, warrior. Believe me when I say that it nearly led to the extinction of our race. Five hundred million died in the flames. Then you might understand what a dire situation we are facing. Something is coming through the Way, something powerful. We must stop it, but first we must find out what it is. That will be your mission, commander. Take three ships and search through the Way. When you find out what is coming, you destroy it. It must never be allowed to reach Zirzla, or find out what we are guarding."

___________________________________________

Two days later
Ouside Zirzlan space


The Lightbringer's Sword was a Croateris-class light cruiser, one of five built for the Federational Navy. It was one of the most advanced vessels in the Zirzlan aresenal, fast and very maneuverable, if not as heavily armed as a heavy cruiser or a battleship. It was also stealthy, a trait that would be very useful on this mission, where speed and surprise were essential. Two of her sister ships, Jaeghara and Vhirilhaeja, were following behind her.

As Jaec walked through the magnificent ship, followed by two priests dressed in red robes, he felt the importance of his mission. The Federation would not risk three of it's most precious ships if the situation was not very solemn. The fate of the Zirzlan people was now in his hands, a situation he was not very comfortable with. He straighted up as he stepped into the command room. No matter how worried he felt, the crew would need a strong leader.
"Make the Jump", he ordered with a stern voice. "In the name of the Lightbringer, we shall not fail!"
The three ships disappeared from the physical world as they entered the Way, searching for the force that threatened their people.

[OOC: The Way, as the Zirzlans call it, is the same as your Warp. Feel free to encounter my vessels.]

OOC: Tag. Consider me very interested

((occ mind if i jump in im newish to this community but i would love to get involved))

((occ mind if i jump in im newish to this community but i would love to get involved))

OOC: By all means, jump right in. I'm working on my third installment now with Zirzla. I'm new and my nation is smallish so I'd like to avoid any major fleet actions if possible but I'm not opposed to it either. I'll roll with the punches.

OOC: Tag. Consider me very interested

OOC:

*Cue ominous music.*

Likewise <TAG> while I consider which of my nations might be fitting to use here, and watch for a suitable opening. To narrow things down, how do you feel about mixing a bit of magic into FT settings?

Very nice writing so far.


Altairan, did I miss something? As far as I can tell, both societies involved so far are religious. What transmissions did you pick up?

(OOC: tag!)

*Aboard the GSS Tory command ship 3rd exploration fleet Grioniese Protectorate*

(uninportant Pilot Officer) "sir Sky Marshall long range sensors have detected a medium sized vessel about 28 parsecs from this position"

(Sky Marshall Marcus) "lets take a look at them shall we, comms order the fleet continue to our destination under the command of Sky vice Marshall Ares, speed three quarters fleet velocity
helm drop us out to real space and spin up for a warp shunt closer to the objective
Command inelegance start doing the calculations for the shunt so we end up in the same galaxy this time"

((occ warp shunts are pretty inaccurate so have me jump in where ever you need me to be)

TAG
I'm interested as well, as much for my RPing benefit as yours

Also tag, though thats a bit outdated with the new fangled UI...

TAG! Hey, I'm based on Warhammer 40k too! WE CAN BE EMPEROR BUDDIES!

Bookmarked with post forthcoming.

Aboard the bulk transport Scathing Rebuke

The anemic glow cast by the single sodium lamp in the cell threw a panoply of shadows onto the chamber walls. Adept Quint Woolsey kneeled in quiet supplication before a tiny effigy of the God-king. The eyes of the tiny statue appeared to gaze impassively down upon the crown of the young man’s head. His lips moved slightly with the words of his whispered prayer and his slender hands were clasped before him. A sudden hiss of static brought Woolsey’s head up, cerulean eyes narrowed.

“Bridge to Adept Woolsey.”

Shipmaster Varnius’s voice sounded tinny and irregular is it issued from the vox relay. In spite of the shipmaster’s normally phlegmatic nature, there was a real hint of anxiety in his voice.

“Woolsey here. What can I do for you, Shipmaster?” Quint asked as he stood, gaze fixed for a moment longer upon the frozen features of the God-king.

“We’ve detected something, Adept. A vessel of some sort. It approaches from within the Warp,” came the stilted reply.

“A vessel? Selesian perhaps?”

“Unknown but not likely. There were no other Ecclesiarchy vessels dispatched to this sector and it is doubtful that even His Divine Majesty’s Navy would send someone simply because the High Adept has passed away.” Quint could almost hear Varnius pursing his lips in thought. Astropathic communication through the Warp could be problematic at the best of times. It was a distinct possibility that this was another Selesian vessel. Perhaps even a naval taskforce. Varnius seemed to think otherwise. “No. This vessel is………foreign.”

Woolsey felt a thrill of holy zeal go through him at the shipmaster’s words. A foreign vessel. A vessel upon whom the light of the God-king did not yet shine.

“Does Adept Fisk know of this development?” Quint asked.

“No, Adept. I came to you first,” replied Varnius.

“I’m on my way to the bridge, Shipmaster. Have we any way of knowing from where this ship will emerge from the Warp?” Quint asked.

“Not with any degree of certainty,” Varnius answered.

“Very well. Best guess, Nicodemus. Move the Rebuke into position. The God-king smiles on us this day.”

“It would appear so, Adept,” was the noncommittal reply.

The scarred and pitted bulk of the Scathing Rebuke shuddered as her attitude thrusters lit and pushed the unruly transport through a series of minor course corrections. Her engine housings flashed as the ratings in the enginarium fussed and prayed over the vessel’s plasma reactor.

Quint emerged onto the bridge ten minutes after leaving his chamber. The ornate laspistol at his waist looked out of place belted on over his cream and purple adeptus robes. His face was flushed and his eyes shown with an inner fire. The purifying fire of his faith in the God-king. Varnius turned immediately, augmentic eyes clicking and whirring as they focused on the adept. The corners of his mouth were turned down in what could only be described as a frown of consternation.

“There has been a development, Adept. Another vessel has jumped in system. Class unknown. Definitely not Selesian. She is holding approximately one hundred and seventy five thousand kilometers astern of us. One minute there was nothing. Now there is one vessel in system and another approaching in the Warp. Have you any orders?”

“Orders? We show them the light of the God-king’s Word, Shipmaster. Those are my orders,” Woolsey replied breathlessly.

OOC: New Giron, yours is the vessel that jumped in suddenly. If I misinterpreted your warp shunt, feel free to correct me. I decided that my technology would not allow me to detect a sudden movement such as that.

Zirzlan, it is your ships that are on approach in the Warp, or the Way as you call it. ;) Again, technological limitations on the Rebuke keep them from realizing that there are three vessels.

Aboard The Lightbringer's Wrath

The commanding officer's cabin aboard the ship was small and spartan, like everything else on the Lightbringer's Wrath. Jaec did not care, he had been a soldier for fifty years and was used to far worse conditions. He was laying on the bunk with his eyes close, silently praying for guidance. He could hear the Lightbringer as a voice in the distance, see him as flickering images on his eyelids, a calm, comforting, handsome face.
Be strong, Jaec Magaran, the Prince of Darkness whispered, his voice filling Jaec with strength. Dark times are coming, but you will prevail, my loyal warrior. The servants of the false god will fall. Their filth will never reach Zirzla. And you will strike back, Jaec Magaran. You will throw down the false god from his thrown, and you will show his servants the darkness that comes before the light. And they will kneel. The Lightbringer laughted and suddenly he was gone, leaving just a faint echo in Jaec's mind. Right then, the communication systems came to life.

"Bridge to Commander Magaran." The voice that came through the lightspeakers was calm and emotionless. It belonged to lieutenant Kaesh Mhaerahjan, the watch officer. "We have a foreign vessel approaching. The energy signature does not correspond to anything we have encountered before. Must be the one we are looking for."
"Understood, lieutenant", Jaec responded, standing up. "I'll be there in a moment. Get the red priests up there too and alert the marine detachment. And inform Jaeghara and Vhirilhaeja that we have a Code Two alert."
"I hear and obey, commander", the officer said formally, before closing the transmission.

A minute later Jaec walked into the bridge, nodding approvingly to the efficient work. Mhaerahjan saluted his superior before gesturing to the map that showed on a screen on the wall.
"They are in the Kharaenjal System, commander. Another ship jumped into the system a moment ago, but we suspect that it is a mere coincidence. What are your orders?"
Jaec's green eyes blazed with fury.
"So these aliens think they can defile Zirzlan territory without consequense? By the Lightbringer, I'll teach them to keep their filthy hands out of our systems! Order the Jaeghara to intercept the other vessel and escort it out of Zirzlan territory, or destroy it if it becomes necessary. The Vhirilhaeja will stay in the Way and prepare to attack the enemy from behind. We will draw their attention to us so they will forget the others until it's to late. Then we will board them and crush them like the insects they are."

The Lightbringer's Fury exited the Way and returned to the physical world, a dark, menacing shape blazing with righteous fury. A single message was sent to the enemy, more as a challenge and a distraction than as a serious attempt at a peaceful solution.

Unknown vessel, this is ZFN The Lightbringer's Fury of the Zirzlan Federational Navy. You are trespassing on territory belonging to the Zirzlan Federation. Turn back now, or you will be exterminated. This is your first and final warning.


Further away, the Jaeghara jumped out and approached the Grioniese vessel, transmitting the same message.

In times long ago, the remote Kingdom of Mythrandir sat complacent with its idea of solitude and exclusion from the rest of the universe. However, not even the pillars of creation could hide them forever. The walls surrounding the multi-race's realm were thrown down as invading hordes flooded in. Since then, the ways of isolation were thrown aside and the Myths were forced to find a new way of life on a galactic stage.

Before the battle of tyrants and knights, Mythrandir had guarded itself by sending its eyes and ears far and wide across the universe. From there they watched and listened as other nations fought amongst each other and bore one another into ruin. All of which only reinforced the Myth view of isolation until such a time as the whole of sentient beings could find peace amongst themselves.

Now those same eyes and ears moved through the Warp not in search of knowledge but for those that might pose a threat to the Kingdom. And so it came to pass that a probe from the same Kingdom stumbled upon movement in a region not far from their own walls. The frequency of travel through the Warp in this particular land was enough to warrant attention.

Back in the marbled halls of the White Tower where the Elders were frequent to sit and converse with one another, this particular day found the Tower rather empty. Only Elder Sebastian walked the halls as the morning light spilled through the glass windows in a small study he had claimed as his own. The young human sat behind an oaken desk as he poured over several old history tomes.

While study the old texts, all his surroundings were often lost on the Elder as his sole focus was put into the runic writing. Only a loud knock at the door shook him from his studies. Shaken from his stupor, Sebastian surmised that the person had been knocking before. "Enter."

A metallic click sounded as doorknob was turned. Standing in the doorway was a provocatively dressed dark elf with her arms crossed just below her breasts. War Mistress Shizra was a stunning creature with striking features with her dark skin and long white hair cascading down her back. Though with that beauty came a cloaked perception of danger as her elbows rested on the pommels of her twin scimitars.

Sebastian stood from his chair and held out his hand to one across from his desk. "Shizra, have a seat. What can I do for you?"

Their conversations tended to be friendly and lighthearted but this day business propelled the dark elf's steps. Once she was seated, Shizra dropped a rolled piece of parchment onto Sebastian's desk. Unrolling it, the paper was penned so that the lines represented the various regions of the galaxy surrounding them.

"We've detected activity in this sector of space recently." Shizra's painted nail traced the encircling line as she spoke. "So far no transmissions have been sent but a number of ships appear to be gathering here."

Sebastian studied the map for a moment then looked up at the dark elf with a puzzled look on his face. "And why is this a concern to warrant the War Mistress's attention?"

Easing back into her chair, "With everything that has been happening as of late, I judge that some discretion is necessary. That and the relative proximity to our own borders."

"Do any of the ship's match our archives?"

The War Mistress shook her head. "No. So this looks to be another alien race."

"Or a first contact situation which would require that Luthien handle the matter."

Shizra conceded the point with a nod though was not willing to let it go. "Still I must urge that this be investigated and if a little force is needed, then so be it."

The human scratched at the stubble that was growing on his face as he thought over the matter. It was tradition that an unarmed ship was sent to deal with any diplomatic events but enough attacks in the recent years have caused a shift in thinking. Still, Sebastian was not one to throw away tradition so easily. "Very well. I will agree to a ship being sent but I want one of the diplomats to go along."

"Fair enough. What ship do you want to send?"

Standing up to stretch his stiffened back, Sebastian took the moment the think through a list of candidates to lead the mission. Unfortunately most were busy which left his options down to two, between an elf and a dwarf. "Have Captain Frylann and her ship ride out to meet these new comers."

"Very well. I'll have her orders put in and a diplomat sent to accompany her."

Some time later, Captain Frylann aboard her Avenger Battleship, sailed through the chaotic realm of the Warp towards their destination. Her mission was simple, to ascertain the motives to the gathering vessels and to either pursue diplomatic talks or to return to Mythrandir to rally her forces.

*the lights flicker and go dark as the quiet drone of the engines and subsystems of the ship lose power and the gut wrenching hurtling comes to a stop*

(sky Marshall Marcus) "ah good work flight lieutenant most accurate jump ever"

(ft lt on cint) "thank you lord"

(sky Marshall Marcus) engineering get our subsystems back up and running i don't want to stay this vulnerable for long

(eng) "aye sir resetting power couplings to all systems"

(coms) "sir we are receiving a transmission from one of the unidentified starships but the power is still offline so i am unable to reply or decipher the language"

(sky Marshall Marcus)"very well it should only be a few minutes until we can read what they have to say in the mean time while we only have the engines and zero point reactors online begin moving towards the freighter looking ship to get a scan of it as soon as we have sensors online"

*the dreadnought shudders as its 400 meter bulk begins to move*

(( occ np you got it exactly right heres a pic of my ship its about 410 M long and about 100 M tall and about 150 M wide 24 anti-matter laser turrets that are recessed in to the hull along with a diffrent assortment of weapons that are not in turrets /occ))
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn219/caemsg/drediescrennies.jpg

bumpity bump its been a couple of days now anyone still here or just a dead thread?

OOC: I'm waiting for Selesia to answer.