NationStates Jolt Archive

The UCS Spartan Wrath was in a bit of a situation. They had tested the new gravity drive, and it had been a stunning success. Well...too much of a success really. Some background is needed to understand the situation.

THe Spartan Wrath is a frigate of the Unified Colonies of Telros navy, or the Colonial Navy for short, that had been outfitted with the newest drive that had been in the works for some time. After the Great War, the Coalition had unified the entire human once into one governing body for the first time in its entire existence. It was an uneasy unification, with many people holding loyalties to the old Hegemony, despite its dictatorial ways, so they had to find something to unify them. And they had chosen space. They needed to relieve the overpopulation on Earth, especially with much of the world still being rebuilt. Their technology was woefully inadequate for traveling beyond their home system, so all efforts had been first concentrated in building a better FTL drive. They had done research into wormhole technology, and they had built the drive they had use in the war, but it wasn't enough. So billions of dollar was poured into the project and the world's scientists came together to work on the problem.

There were tensions and several fights, but after a while the group came together and began to put the puzzle pieces together. Finally, last year, they had done it. They had created the gravity drive. It worked by opening a wormhole in front of the ship and at the exit point it planned to go to. Then it would travel from their side to the destination. Several small scale tests had been done and it showed there was a delay over longer and longer distances. The longer the distance, the longer the delay. So, a test was planned. They would fit a military frigate with it, and have it jumped to an obscure coordinate out deep in the Milky Way and then come back. So, it was with great enjoyment and anticipation that the Colonies chose Captain Jackie Dynn of the Spartan Wrath to be the honorable participant. The prototype drive was installed, a large piece of work it was, and then they had gone to the edge of the system, and powered up the drive.

All went well. The gravitational field generated by the core experienced no problems, the generators supplied power aplenty and the coordinates were set. When the fabric of space-time ripped apart to show the gaping maw of inky blackness, Jackie had ordered the ship into the wormhole. Just as they entered, the long distance of the jump caused the gravitational field, which was not suited to dealing with this kind of pressure, fluctuated and then spiked. This caused a power surge that caused the ship to zip into the wormhole. A problem that could be easily fixed once they were back home, but the problem was...it had super-charged the drive, making it take them several light-years beyond their target.


So here they were, floating in space, letting the engineers look at the drive, which was currently blowing steam into every energy dispersal system they had and trying to cool itself from the event. Until it cooled down and the gravitational field stabilized, they would be stuck here. So, more to have something to do then anything, Jackie ordered for sensor drones One through Nine to be deployed and sent throughout the star system. She would let them collect data and bring it back to her. The scientists back home would have a fit once she brought it back. As per military regulations, due to their inferior status with alien technology, they had all three squadrons of interceptors out on patrol around the ship, ensuring they would get early warning of any hostile entries.

What they didn't know, was that they were about to initiate first contact with another race, which was inhabiting this system.

What the crew of the Spartan Wrath did not know was that they had stumbled into the outer edge of the Setulan system. And the welcome they were to recieve, while not hostile, was not exactly one to inspire confidence in ones health.

On the navy fiefdom Veto, the first of Setulan's three moons, a sensor operator was interupted from his bored day by a sudden, unexplained contact blipping onto his sensor screen. He sat up suddenly.
"SIR! UNKNOWN CONTACT ON THE OUTER RIM!" A call was immediately sent out to the nearest ships to move in on the new contact.
"What's closest, son?" Asked the senior officer present, a rear admiral.
"Ahh...Sir, Eternal Pain is moving in to greet them. They had been on exercises towards the rim with their Task Force. The rest of the TF is already docked but, well, you know the Admiral. He likes his extra training." The Admiral laughed.
"Those poor bastards..."

The Setulanite Republican Vessel (SRV) Eternal Pain, was power incarnate. Admiral Marcus Grant stood on his bridge in his dress whites, uniform almost glittering in the light from the bridge. Very short for a Setulanite male (he was only 5'6"), he still managed to fill a room with his personality. But it was not he who would intimidate the new contacts...at least not initially. It was the ship itself which would do that.
Eternal Pain was a legend on all of Setulan. One of only two Annhilator-class battleships left, it was rumored that it was indestructible...and for the poor bastards on the alien ship, it would look that way, too.
All three thousand, two hundred and seventy eight meters of the Eternal Pain bore down on the aliens, weapons mounts rotating to point in their general direction. Regal in his uniform, Grant walked up to the vox radio and sent a message out on all bands.

Unidentified vessel, howdy. This is Admiral Marcus Grant of the Setulanite Republic, whose space you have just entered. Care to identify and state your purpose?

It was highly informal. But then again, who was going to reprimand a full Admiral on vox discipline?

It was a shock to the Colonials when they drones began to read heavy radio traffic in this system and large masses clustered around planets. That could mean only one thing; they had stumbled into another nation's space. This was quickly confirmed when one of the largest masses in system was dangerously close to the frigate and was bearing down on them. Weapon locks were secured and they were being targeted. The Captain felt adrenaline fill her blood as she bellowed out orders.

"Alright, bring us up to Combat Alert Alpha. I want all fighters to go into defense formation Tango 05. Helm, set a course for zero-niner-three-one, medium burn. I want shields up and weapons ready. They start firing, we will be retreating, but I won't hesitate to fire on these guys if we need to." The ship seemed to shimmer for a second and then an energy shield flared into being. They were still the kinetic shields they had already developed, since energy technology was still being looked into, but it had been greatly strengthened to make it a powerful shield system. The ship began to turn left, making its course turn away from the incoming battleship, making them look as if they were heading for the ship. This reduced their tactical profile and made them harder to hit. Suddenly, quiet hit the bridge as the comm officer spoke up.

"We're being hailed, ma'am."

The interceptors had quickly gathered around the Spartan Wrath, in a cloud that would allow the fighters to take the hits of any incoming fire as well as be the first wave of their point defense. They had turned to follow the ships course, their computers being read the data the frigate's computer was sending. Jackie narrowed her eyes and then nodded for the message to be displayed.


Unidentified vessel, howdy. This is Admiral Marcus Grant of the Setulanite Republic, whose space you have just entered. Care to identify and state your purpose?

She blinked at the tone and wording of the message. Was this guy...from the southern parts of America or something? She shook her head. She cautiously opened a channel and replied.

"Admiral, I am Captain Jackie Dynn of the Colonial Navy frigate, the Spartan Wrath. We were part of a test run of a new faster-than-light drive for the Unified Colonies of Telros and the drive, during the initial phase of the test, super-charged itself and shot us farther off the mark than we anticipated. We are currently making repairs and are not going to be able to jump for some time. We do not have any intention on causing trouble here. Unlike some space captains, the idea of playing chicken with that hunk of metal you have there is not very appealing, nor is having a nice granite gravestone either."

If he could play informal, so could she.

Grant had the message read out loud for the bridge. He laughed out loud at the reply.
"Spunky! I like that. Weps, safeties on all guns, turn off the active sensors. Power down shields, I'm not that concerned about them trying to start something. Send the following reply."

Captain Dynn, allow me to informally welcome you to Setulan. For now, I would be most grateful if you could indulge me and power your ship to the following coordinates. If you lack motive power, we will be more than happy to help you along. By the way, if my tombstone isn't marble, I'll be pissed at my kids. We'll escort you in.

He smiled.
"Send the coordinates for docking port alpha on Veto. Let's impress the pants off of them. Give me a link to the capitol."

Friendly contact made with alien civilization. Have directed them to dock on Veto. Kick the Council out of bed. Grant out.

"No worries, Admiral. I am sure if they didn't make it marble, you'd come back, kick their asses and steal someone's else marble gravestone. I am powering down weapons along with the shields, and calling back all fighters. Thank you for the offer, but we still have sub-light power. We will be moving to the coordinates now. Captain Dynn out."

They halted the course they had been going on and began to turn to the new heading provided by the Setulans. Their sensors would read the frigate powering down weapons and shields, as the red alert lights and klaxon's turned off. The fighters turned about and went into the hangar bay, relieved that they would not have to risk their lives. The hangar was closed and the ship's engines flared, the ship going at a good clip towards the docking bay. When they came within range, a channel was opened.

"Docking Bay Veto, this is Sullen Pride. Request coordinates for docking."

Grant shook his head in amusement.
"Let's follow them in. An escort, so to speak."
Upon reaching close orbit of the moon Veto, Eternal Pain left the Sullen Pride for a larger berth.

"Sullen Pride, this is Control Tower 4. You are clear to dock in Area 9. A ship will guide you in." The crew of the coallition ship would see a peculiar looking craft, something like a sausage with the top bent down, race out to greet them before guiding them in, lights blazing, to an empty berth.
All around them, they could see the frigates of Orange, Green, and Blue, and Red Squadrons of Task Force Reaver. Finally, it pulled into a berth, cutting off sight of the other ships. A tunnel was extended to what was thought to be the main entrance/exit bay of the ship, and atmosphere was brought into the tunnel.

A lone naval officer with ten Planetary Guardsmen marched down the ramp and waited for the bay to open.

"Control Tower Nine, we read you and are adjusting course. See you soon. Sullen Pride out."

The ship soon found itself guided by a strange looking ship with lights blazing into their berth in Area 9. The ship adroitly maneuvered into the berth, after it got a sight of the entire Reaver task force. It was quite a sight for the crew, whom gazed at the displays showing the outside, crowding around them as they gaped at the new sights. Such was humanity. The tunnel connected to one of several airlocks in the ship and as soon as the computer noted the atmosphere was stable, it opened the door and let Jackie out with her guard of four armed Marines.

They moved through the tunnel and then come out the door into the bay, where they saw a lone naval officer and his escort of ten soldiers. The marines tensed slightly at seeing the large escort but made no other move. Jackie stepped forward and saluted the officer, whom responded in kind, and spoke. "I am Captain Dynn of the Sullen Pride, part of the Colonial Navy."

The navy officer who returned the salute wore a simple uniform, devoid of anything except two stars on the epaulets.
"Rear Admiral (Junior Grade) Lucious, Setulanite Republican Navy. I apologize for the informal meeting, but we were not expecting visitors. If you will follow me this way, there are a few people who would like to meet you." He saw the tense marines and smiled at them.
"Fear not, soldiers. If you were in any danger, Admiral Grant would have let you know in no uncertain terms." He nodded at the Guardsmen standing behind him, and they slung their weapons. "If it makes you feel more secure," he added.
"I am afraid your crew must remain on board for the time being, though your escort is permitted to follow." Without further ado, he turned and started to walk towards the exit and deeper into the station.

She nodded. "Of course. I did not plan on letting them out anyways. That can happen once we establish relations or something." She nodded to the marines, whom after the soldiers stood down, they had followed suit. With their weapons holstered, they kept their continual vigil around the Captain, ensuring she was protected. They followed her as she walked after the Rear Admiral into the station. She was a bit surprised a Rear Admiral was meeting her, she must have surprised them pretty bad. Probably in the middle of something top secret.

The Admiral led them through a series of corridors without saying much one way or another. He wasn't a diplomat, and wouldn't even try to act like one. The procession walked on in relative silence as passersby stopped and stared at the strange new arrivals. After several minutes of what seemed like aimless wandering around a maze of hallways, he stopped outside a guarded door with two soldiers in ceremonial armor standing outside. He turned to Captain Dynn.
"This is where I leave you. You are about to enter more prestigeous company than mine own. I am afraid your marines must remain outside, however. Until we meet again, Captain," he said. He saluted and walked back the way he had come. One of the door guards opened the left hand door.
"Ma'am, if you would please enter, the Chief Executive and the Admiral are waiting,"

Dynn followed the Admiral, not speaking either. She didn't know what could or couldn't get her into trouble by a simple mistake, so she kept her mouth shut. For all she knew, she could say something innocent and cause a war that would destroy the Colonies. Their tenuous position in the galaxy was one that was to be protected. So she followed in silence until they came to a door. She listened to the Admiral and was surprised to hear of more prestigious company awaited her inside. She glanced at the door; this had better be something else then. She reciprocated his salute and watched him leave. Turning to the marines, she nodded and then moved off to stand by the wall, relaxing as they waited for her to finish the meeting.

She heard the guard open the door and tell her that the Chief Exectuive and the Admiral were waiting. Her eyebrows raised, a curious look on her face. This was going to be interesting. Preparing herself, she nodded to the soldier and walked in.

Upon entering, she was faced with a comfortable feeling, though hardly luxurious, room. A heavy oak desk with a large chair behind it, several comfortable chairs placed in front of the desk, and a mantle that two men were leaning against talking to when she entered. They stood up straight.

The first was Admiral Grant. Short but spiky, his flaming orange hair and broad chest made him seem like a viking straight out of a history book, though he was better groomed. His dress whites dazzled the eye, an effect that was enhanced by an impressive display of medals that adorned his chest. A beard ran down his jaw line. He came off as a personality who filled a room, but for the second man.

Significantly taller (6'7") and just as broad was Jonathan Tempes, Chief Executive of the Fiefdom of Veto and one of the four members of the Council of Leaders. An older gentleman, he was almost 120, with silver hair cropped closely to his skull. If one had to describe him with one word, it was usually inspiring. Though getting older, his eyes still burned with the passion they had possessed when he commanded Maxellian's fleets during the Great War. His motions were animated, his speaking easy, and he gave off an almost visible aura of command.

Tempes smiled as she walked in.
"How do you do, Captain? My name is Jonathan Tempes, Chief Executive of this moon. Not to be mistaken with the entire Republic, of course. This," he said, waving to Grant, "Is Admiral Grant, who you have spoken with already. You made quite the impression on him." Grant nodded in her direction.
"Please, may I offer you some refreshment? Water? Food? I am afraid that Veto is a 'dry' fiefdom."

Jackie walked in, her eyes quickly adjusting to the lighting and she felt the comfortable aura the room seemed to give. She quickly focused on the mantle and the two people whom were talking as they leaned on it. Her arrival was quickly noticed and they immediately straightened as they faced her. She glanced at them both. One was a red-haired giant of a man whose "presence" threatened to bowl over anyone whom was in the same room. The other was a quiet, elderly man...although he seemed to have lost of the fire of his youth. The old man smiled as she moved up to them.

She listened to him speak and then gave him a small smile. "Greetings, Mr. Tempes. As I am sure you have heard, I am Captain Dynn. As for the Admiral, I have spoken with him. The discussion on marble tombstones was most enlightening." She paused at the offer. "Water would be nice. The water we keep on board does tend to get kind of bland after a while."

Grant grinned at the reference to tombstones as Tempes arched an eyebrow at him.
"Your informality is stunning, Marcus. Do you know that?" He shook his head.
"Of course, of course. Water it is." He walked over to his desk and pushed down on a button.
"A glass of water for the Captain, if you please," he said into it. A moment later, a well-disguised side door opened and a Navy steward entered, holding a tray with a glass of water. He offered it to the Captain and left.
Tempes saluted her with his own glass.
"To friendly contact, Captain. You see, we have had some less fortunate encounters out in space...though you are the first to ever enter our home system."

Jackie watched as both men bantered back and forth over the issue of his informality and the glass she asked for was brought to her by a Navy steward. Nodding to him, she took the glass and sipped the cold liquid. She saw Tempes raise his glass and she responded in kind, listening to what he said. Gulping down more water, she replied.

"To friendly contact. I can understand you have had less happy encounters in space, we encountered alien races during the Great War and it was scary how strong they were and how arrogant they were towards us. It's a constant worry to us that one will decided we need to be wiped out/conquered and we will be swept away.

We did not mean to enter your home system. We were testing a new drive and we overshot the mark when the drive supercharged. Again, I apologize for that."

Tempes nodded gravely.
"Indeed. We have lost contact with one of our ships, and recently we have been recieving reports of an attack on our colony. A Task Force was sent to relive them...we hope it is not too late." He waved his hand dismissively at the second comment.
"No need to apologize. We understand that these things happen. Besides," he added, "we want to meet peaceful civilizations out in the void." He sipped the water from his glass.
"I'll cut to the point, captain. We want to have more formal contact with your people. I know you are just a captain, and therefore can no more influence policy than any other member of your navy. Therefore, I request that you return to your home system, and return with a diplomat or some other higher ranking official."

Jackie winced at the mention of the lost ship and the attacked colony. They seemed to be in a situation like they were, struggling to expanded and better themselves but were in the worst case scenario, under heavy assault by aliens. She sighed as she took another sip. She paused when she heard him speak about the request and that she return with a diplomat or some other high-ranking official. She nodded. Seeing as they had not FTL communication, drones were being designed and built for the day when they expanded outside their own home system for communications and news.

"I will do that, sir. As soon as our drive is repaired, I can go and report this request. I should return with an ambassador within a couple days, thanks to this new drive. Now, I am not allowed to say anything too confidential, but I can answer most questions about the Colonies, if you wish to ask me them. If not, we can move on to whatever is next in this meeting."

"Excellent," Grant said. Tempes arched an eyebrow at him, and he gave a mock bow. Rolling his eyes, Tempes turned back to Jackie.
"It is indeed excellent. Please, take a seat." He beckoned her to one of the comfortable chairs in front of his desk. He sat in his massive backed chair. Grant remained standing, but leaned against the lintel.
"If you would, Captain, tell me about your people. A brief history, if you would."

Jackie cupped her glass of water as she began to speak, her eyes going blank as her memories came in. "The history of the Colonies is much of the same as many human nations out there. Humanity finally realized we had a problem on surviving on Earth as things were, so we worked to fix things and get into space. China, having fallen back into Communism, started a civil war that threatened to cause all of humanity to fall under Communisms shadow. It was only through the perseverance of our citizens, the efforts of our forces and its heroes and alien allies that we triumphed. We, then, united into one nation. It's tentative, but its there. After noticing how inferior we were the alien nations whom aided us, we have begun a fierce program of research and colonization, as well as rebuilding all that has been destroyed. It's a long process, but we are working on it.

As of recently, we were referred to the Extra-Solar Union of Systems alliance and have joined, thus increasing our chances of survival greatly. And as you know, our recent test of a new drive have caused us to meet you." She paused and took a drink. "Any questions about that or is there something else you'd like to know?"

Tempes had a dozen questions, each relating to the war, but he didn't ask them; despite being retired, he would always remain a Navy man at heart.
"What kind of leadership do the Colonies have" he asked instead. If they were going to deal with them, then it would help to know in advance just what they had to deal with. Finding out late would be a rude surprise.
He also wondered what this "communism" was, but decided to hell with it. He would find out later.

For once, Jackie seemed a little confused, as she tried to figure out what way Tempes meant that question. Deciding to give it her best shot, she began to run the ideas through her mind as she spoke. "Well, during the Great War, the Coalition was led by a single President, Arthur Kerrington. His leadership and sheer determination to not be forced to give in allowed us to come through in the end. And it was the agreement of all nations that he be the first president of the Colonies.

He is at the the top, and there is a planetary senate of sorts, which has the Inner Core, which holds the Senators from the various provinces of Earth, and the slowly expanding Outer Core, which holds the Senators from the Colonies we have established in our system. Since colonization has been slow in recent days due to a focus on research and military build-up, we do not have many Senators in the Outer Core. With this planetary senate, and the President, we have retained most of the democratic structure existing in the 21st century and continued it on. It has its flaws, and there is plenty of dissent and corruption, but we do our best with what we have."

"As do we all, Captain. What kind of shape is your home system in after your war? I know that Setulan is still recovering from the Great War, and that was fifty years ago." That was Tempes once again. "And I would like to meet this Kerrington. He seems like my kind of man."