NationStates Jolt Archive

*One very quiet year later*

"The Med-Techs are complaining about the constant abuse of my arm you know!"

*...sorta.*

Lind just rolled her eyes. "Is that 'all' they are complaining about love? My own last converse with them seems to have done it's job."

"So did that last backhand yesterday. And WHERE are you dragging me anyway with such passion?

Uh... don't tell me you've finally..." ..at which point Lind stops and looks at her Excellency. "That date is still reserved for the formal wedding of after night. Rush not my passions to your peril, so wantingly."

A barely year old of Office Excellency just gulped. "Who's daring to rush?"

Lind just yanked Imaldris along again, as the more filled Palace Tree hallways parted in places as Lind allowed her own version of a surprise 'gift' to carry her grasp ironclad, with the recipient along for the painful, whinny filled ride.

A moment of revelry in a time where hard work and utter isolationism were bearing better seeds of fruit. The skies were more alive now, almost all citizen souls in stasis were awakened, save for a select few. The worlds of the new Core were well entrenched now. A sense of strained paranoia also permeated the civilization. No matter what else, few words could profess how much things used to be, no longer to be. The old cheer of a Gaian was much more lead pressed under this truth.

Even the stars above that shone at night, didn't seem as crisp.

A forced Lord Excellency of the Second, and a less as strained of prior Council that remained, had done their best to alleviate everyone our of these near permanent doldrums, but even the mood of the Council was bleak.

Which was why for this sudden, rather impromptu drag fest that led Imladris to recognize on a finishing turn. "Wha..? But I already did my physicals for nuptial requirements.. I..... ah....

Holia...."

Lind finally released her grasp, and let the emotions flood out. Imaldris just went into a daze as... "I thought you might have missed your old crew." ..Lind smirked out, as...

"Eh? Well look at the fancy pants robes you got on there bud?"

Imaldris looked down reflexively at his blue and silver trimmed on formal white Excellency robes and chuckled. "Ah... aye, some badge of Office I guess." ..this Imaldris joked back to his old Comm-Science Tech. "Did you expect grime covered armor, I`pa`thru?"

The angel-Gaian 50/50 breed just giggled under her breath. Imaldris gave comforting looks to his old Brewmaster/Tactics Commander and best friend of all from his Strategic/Synthetic Unit Command seat, this as all three of his eldest friends, back from the family Gene clutch days they went 'so' far back, each sat up as Med-Techs scanned them over endlessly as they looked on from their med-beds.

Imaldris smiled. "I`pa`thru. Arandus. Karl.

You've looked dead."

"Oh hardy har.. that all ye can say after a... how long HAVE we been in Regen?"

"A good year pup. Weren't you listening?" Karl retorted to Arandus. Imaldris chuckles, a sound Lind finds good comfort from. "Aye. Dying is a singularity to endure."

Arandus thumbs 'over' at Lind in the meanwhile. "Must have had a load of that for a year then, if we heard right." This Imaldris blushes reflexively at, as much as Lind beams. Imaldris just quips though a red face. "More than a few chances."

Lind 'actually' nabs Imlade's ear, quite painfully. "Oh? See that Refab unit over there? It's not being used right now!"

Imalde winces out, to the amusement of the others. (With a couple of Med-Techs growing exasperated.) "Actually... I've been in that one... twice I believe."

Lind grumbles and just shoves him by the ear to the others. Arandus catches Imlade, which quickly turns into a happy laugh fest of returned long lost friends. One Med-Tech complains when the three friends leave their beds fully, but none stop the needed moment of a promise kept.

This Yurika enters with Akito in tow. "Oh good, they came out of it."

Lind just smiles, about all that's needed for the moment.

Akito said it best soon after. "We need more moments like this."

---

It had been a long year. Quiet wouldn't be in the soon in coming though.

=====

((OC- Not sure where I want to take this just yet, other than the long term end in mind. Just need someone(s) to help keep me around more often. Don't care whom, just someone.

Probably going to keep the isolationist routine, though if someone wants to play an antagonist that 'tries' to destroy what's left of my realm, I'm game. Would need to really set ground rules in TG/IM first though.

If anything, just want to rp for once. =^^= ))

I am interested in being an antagonist but I have...no clue where to come in or what the backround is for this.

I can post a bit, but school takes up a lot of time!

"You look weird in that seat."

Imaldris just chuckled at Arandus in turn. "It feels weirder still ol friend." ..this as the seat of the current Excellency is used once more. A bit more readily than Imladris realizes anymore. "And not just the seat either."

"What does Lind think of it?" I`pa`thru asked, sitting down in a nearby empty Council seat. Imaldris just shrugs. "Just fine apparently. We've been a bit busy as it is to worry over such details."

"So we were updated on in reeducation stasis." Karl remarked. "Guess it's not been easy."

Imladris shakes his head. "It's been a strain to keep everyone's spirits up. We have resources, the Red Galaxy Zone resource gatherers are going overboard and all. We have most citizen souls out of Regen stasis, and finding ways to help us out of the hole were in.

Admiral Yurika reported three full Command Fleet Groups and seventy Droid Fleet Groups are standing, with ten more Command Groups in reserve. Ten Universe Army Groups, mostly Synthetics and Droids, are standing by, mostly loaded into the Fleet Groups. We should be able to defend this System now, with most cities and infrastructure up and running as well. We have a good economy and even some entertainment sectors going. Some old football and baseball teams are playing now as well. We 'should' be doing well for just one year.

Feels still we're barely off our collective backs. I dunno. Maybe we took it all TOO much for granted." ..a good smack of the Council table made Imaldris's friends jump. Not much was said that Imladris didn't immediately relate upon.

"We once commanded Universes. Entire Universes of citizen souls. Trillions of worlds of all kinds, we were living the Lord Excellency's True Dream. A Guardianship that was seemingly everlasting. Anyone who wanted could be nigh immortal, enjoy life anywhere they wanted. Not even technology seemed technology anymore. What was Ascendance to us if not everyone could enjoy what they wanted to enjoy under our care and guidance. It was better to be mortal, bleeding and all, if we could garner the good for all what we did.

What the Heavens did we do wrong?!"

It was I`pa`thru's turn to smack the Council table. "We didn't do it. The Dark Ascendancy wretches did all of this! We only have one blame to give!"

"And one to take back!" Imaldris all but roared back! "Somehow we're going to save our old realm, even if we lose our own 'current' version in so doing! I will NOT allow the death of Billions of Trillions to remain so in ANY timeline!

Still, it's not been easy keep everyone's spirits up. 'That' seems to be our biggest challenge at present."

"Not easy is it?" ..everyone looks up as Lady Belldandy enters, grace in her every motion. Imaldris rises instinctively, whit Bell raises a halting hand. This stops the others reflexive motion of the same, this as Belldandy then comes up and quickly hugs I`pa`thru. "Mi.. Mi... Milady!?"

Imaldris chuckles as Belldandy, ever into forever the hugologist, just gloms away. "It is very well to see my son's best of friends have returned to us. Every returned soul to the awakened is a victory for us."

I`pa`thru just looks helplessly at Imladris 'for' help. Imlade just shrugs. "Can't help ya, sorry." ..leaving I`pa`thru squirming to the weirded out amusement of the other two.

Just then Yurika bursts in, decently excitable for the news she clammors. Akito just gets dragged along as usual. "We got Rubicon Fleet up and running!"

Imalde just squips as he brings up a generic military holoscreen. "Swell. Only need a year from the accelerated Sibikos to get proper crews in place to spread out the Synthetics more."

Yurika just fumes "Stop whining. It's not like the Persocoms like military duty either." Imalde just snips. "I like whining!" Yurika.. "Like Lind likes it anymore than we do!" ..before both just growl wildcat at each other comically.

"How professional." Arandus quips, as he turns to head for a drink replicator wall unit.

Belldandy just looks on with I`pa`thru squirming more and more, as Yurika just remarks. "Well at least we should be able to put up a good facade against any vultures out there. We can't hid behind that duck blind forever, not if we want real help in getting resources to get back to Antara someday.

Besides, we are not the isolationist types in the first place."

Imaldris just nodded. "Aye. I suspect that may be our problem, social wise and what not."

Belldandy put it best. "We've evolved into a civilization that craves inter-civilization contact. We've even severed ourselves off from even the Ahb that helped us, such we may have been too reserved, even paranoid in our hiding.

Maybe the time has come to step back out into the Light."

Imaldris cocked an eye through the holoscreen. "And not follow the five year model from the ancient days?"

Belldandy just folds her hands away from around I`pa`thru, and across her own abdomen. "Resources are not our problem, plus if we follow through with the Nexis plan, we'll attract attention anyway. No, our problem is social contact.

To good and ill we must hazard our path once more amongst others."

Imaldris nods and then flicks another holoscreen to life. Karl notes as Arandus brings some simple juices for everyone present. "Nice monolith unit."

"Better be, I asked Washu to create this. A nice way to play the neutral party for 'everyone' else, while keeping ourselves into the mainstream, so to speak. Don't know how many other major civilizations will play along with this idea though."

Arandus places a juice near Imalde and easily reads his mindset. "Ah, the Universal Archive approach. Storing all data archives for all other civilizations, regardless of affiliation. I presume a Trade Post nexis will play a part as well in this, in some form."

Imaldris nods. "Aye. We can't play an active political role in this timeline, with our level of technology. Might as well ask for everyone to attack us in our weakened state, and cause a temporal fissure at best. At worst... er...

Anywho... Our place should be to be the peacekeeper at the basest neutral level, at least for now. I think we've had enough of war anyway for awhile. An Age of it at least deserves us a chance for a needed breath.

I think someone said I needed to work on my executive skills anyway."

"Lind is anyways good for such advice, is she not?"

"Aye mother."

Arandus just twitters an eye. "'That' is going to sound weird forever."

"Been so for a year now." Imalde quips, whit to Bell pensively reacts. "If you are still uncomfortable with.." ..whit Imalde STABS up and yelps comically. "No Mom no! I'm proud to be called your son. Always and forever!"

Imalde just endures some good natured laughs while Bell looks on happily. Yurika just quips. "It doesn't take much."

Imlade just looks at his holoscreens with a bad blush.

---

A bulkhead door swishes open. A Valkyrian Tacticta-Tech snaps. "Commander on deck!"

Commander Ras looks over behind her. "Ah, the blushing bride to be returneth."

Lind just growls annoyed at her Sister. "Just set us on course, git."

Ras just giggles and calls out. "You heard her. Let's head on patrol."

A vicious looking Valkyrian Class (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/GaianKnight/Midway/Valkyrium3.png) warship breaks out of Homeworld orbit and heads at sublight towards the Oort Cloud duck blind barrier.

=====

((OC- If anyone 'wants' a reason to approach my system, at least be a good one. Just expect a cool reception from the Valkyrian sentries. =^^=;;; ))

Captain James Lingun sat back in his chair in the Tactical Display area, or TacDis. Looking through the holodisplays, he stared at his crew, mostly the original crew he served with during the two year lost journey after the Exodus. He remembered that today was the anniversary of that experience, to which no normal man would have experienced in three lifetimes. Lingun's memory recalled his experiences, from running into crazed aliens to almost getting obliterated by a doom-bringing army of machines. It was a miracle that the crew had survived, to which many of them will remember clearly for the rest of their lives, much as Lingun had now.

Commander Silva Jilneas walked slowly by with he routine diagnostics reports. Writing into the PDA with a stylus, she began to finish up and handed the device to Lingun through the holodisplay. She began to smile at the captain nodding off to the other way, as if to hide her blushing. She coughed and began to get a hold of herself. Lingun smirked and eyed Jilneas as he grabbed the PDA from her hands, adding a "Thank you, commander" afterward.

"Everything seems to be in order. I think you should get some rest, you've been working past your standard hours." he winked at her insinuating about something.

"Um...yes sir," she smiled again. Jilneas walked over to the elevator and proceeded to head to her quarters. After the elevator doors closed, Lingun began to rise up, "I'm retiring to my quarters now, Lieutanant Piolle, you have the comm."

"Yes sir."

Lingun unbuttoned his tunic as he walked into his quarters. He climbed into his bed, only to find Jilneas under the covers, in a rather revealing attire. "Well hello you," he smiled leaning in for a kiss.

Jilneas began to kiss him back when suddenly a chime sounded. Jilneas looked over at the commlink at the bedside console. "You did remember to turn off the video right?"

"Um..."

"Right!"

"Shit!" Lingun immediately tried to reach for the console, as Jilneas quickly covered herself with the covers. "Captain we are picking up something." Piolle reported.

"Alright I'll be right there," the Lieutenant began to make some awkward reactions as if he saw something.

"Um sir, is there someone else in your bed?"

"Wha? Oh no that's my leg, old war injury you know, always acts up, literally."

"Oh I see. Okay well Piolle out."

"Gods be damned that was close." Jilneas said.

"Well," Lingun pulled the covers off revealing Jilneas as well, "duty calls."

Seli Grostin and Nisa Olgander were walking down the hall as a door began to open. At first the couple didn't recognized the two figures walking out, but as soon as they figured it out they immediately hid behind a corner and peered from it. "You don't suppose its the captain and Jilneas," Seli whispered.

"Yes, I think it is." she whispered.

Lingun and Jilneas were buttoning up their tunic and blouse, respectively, quickly and trying to look like nothing had happened with the Captain's quarters. Seli and Nisa looked at each other and began to laugh. Jilneas and Lingun walked out of the elevator and continued towards the bridge.

"Captain on deck!"

"At ease. Lieutenant, what is this about?"

"We have detected contacts within this system, updating your TacDis with the information now sir."

Lingun sat down and began to study the holodisplays filled with the new information. "Plot a hyperspace jump towards that location."

The three hundred meter destroyer turned about and began to speed off into the hyperspace. A few moments later it had came out of hyperspace dispersing a message.

This is Captain James Lingun of the Ganoxian Alliance Destroyer Belldandy. Our vessel is a peaceful exploration vessel, seeking out new or old civilizations to conduct a peaceful diplomatic process with. If you do not wish to go through with diplomacy, we deeply apologize for intruding and will leave immediately.

Moving deeper into the outer reaches of the System, they pass the large ringed gas giant, where a heavy concentration of orbital facilities, dock yards and star traffic passes in two distinct sets, one for civilian types with traffic rings of oin layered 'tubes' hold in specific patterns, the growing array of civilian traffic between all inhabited areas of the system. Civilian habitation even included heavily terraformed moons and every last patch of planetoid that had space for even a village sized habitation dome. The other set of 'traffic' was entirely military, with three A-SSD warships holding station now, a Sword and two Shield Classes, with a mix of various Gaian vessel types from the replete major class types, holding tight formations of either major fleet box holding-station keeping, or small Fleet Patrols that moved about with starfighters and mecha flitting about them.

Lind watched as they shot past a solar accumilator array that directed solar power from arrays that laid thick near the primary star. The blinding light alone made the viewscreen panes of hybrid glass dim over to reduce blinding glare, if only for a moment.

Lind looked towards another direction as a Resource Gatherer folded in with new resource material for the Molecular Foundries on Gray Core, the first planet in the system terraformed for massive industrial use. Surface and under ground foundries, along with deep well gravity foundries were going so hard since day one, that Lind wondered when the Synthetics would start complaining. They had a right, even if everyone knew what was at stake.

"I'm surprised we engender such trust in our own people at this stage of things."

Ras looked over at her jumpsuited equal, the gold trim epaulet on Lind's right shoulder the 'only' accouterments of Station, that set her blue lined white jumpsuit apart from anyone else at all in Valkyrium Command. Ras just quipped back. "You don't sound so trusting."

Lind just sighed. "Apologies. The situation just keeps pressing my brow."

"Maybe your future husband can press something else then."

Ras just looked away from 'that' glare of deep blush mode. The Comm-Tech then snapped up. "Patrol unit 107-3/L-2 approaching off port."

Lind 'and' Ras just groaned, as the former responded dourly. "If we must respond."

The holoscreen, the 'small' one used deliberately, pops up with a positively BEAMING Valkyrian Command of blue eyes and pink hair. ":: Commander Kurumi reporting. Howya doing gals? ::"

Lind twitches an eye. How did she get past Valkyrian Screening Advisory!? Ras just speaks for them both, not exactly enjoying this either. "We're fine Commander. Must we remind you of proper Command etiquette?"

":: Please. ::" ..an equally exasperated voice from behind Kurumi pipes up. Kurumi just snaps back at 'her' equal number. ":: Will you can it Karinka! ::" ..before spinning back with another weird smile. Lind just shakes her head. The Steel Angel Class were ever eccentric since they and the Angel God Class were merged into the Valkyrian Class, as newer stronger battle 'units' were developed during the DA War.

Nonetheless, not one unit from any 'class' was inferior. Kurumi was as effective a Commander, as Lind was. The eccentricities however made for trying socialization. The attitudes between them didn't belie the real sister-in-arms mentality they all shared. A strange duality that played every day on patrol, as the two Valkyrian Class vessels of the 107-3/L Patrol Fleet began to move to the Security zone. Lind made light of this with.. "Alright, duty first before bickering."

":: Aye aye ol betrothed. ::" Kurumi winked at, which really irked Lind to no end.

Ras just sighed. (Underneath giggling.) "Alright. Form up and head for the duck blind."

The two made their way within seven minutes, from the Gas Giant, to the inner edge of the Oort Cloud zone. The actual duck blind was a massive series of automated cloaking patch screens that were fed power from a series of solar feeders combined with ZPC units. About half of the emplaced duck blind units cloaked a zone of some 100,000 km around it, a large amount of overlapping and frequency matching, enclosed the entire System in a sensor shifting 'blind' that not only threw navigational sensors off by a good AU at least, but also threw even visual sensory camouflage amongst the outer debris. The Oort cloud had been added too with various types of ice and rock type planetoids, not only as a material reserve for the foundries if needed, but also to mess with sensors and nerves even more.

And if not enough of this, about every other piece of planetoid debris was emplaced with heavy phaser and turbolaser hardpoints, along with many emplaced with momentum thrusters. With a number of large overseer stations and the Valkyrian patrols, the Gate-Shield Grid here was as lethal as any had been in the ancient Capital Zones.

Lind commented to her own accord at this thought. "If only for 'those' days back. Such power."

"Pardon?" Ras asked over, Lind shook her head. "Nay of mind. take of usual station. Alert the other pickets and Gate-Stations as needed."

"Roger." Comm responded.

Lind braced herself for a long duty day.

A boring one.

----

"Still not yet?"

Belldandy shook her head. "Almost time my son. Lady Isarra we are not certain of whom will take how current events are. I would not blame her for a mental breakdown when the truth is known."

Both walked somberly down the overwalks of Command Central, the abuzz activity, a passerby of official note was the only traffic. The two otherwise kept to themselves. Imaldris changed the subject with... "I wish Lady Seto was here. She would know best how to approach a reopening of our borders.

I'm still too keen on isolationism myself. I don't like how were in a place and time we don't belong. I just hope we don't have a backlash or anything for our part."

"Just trust in your feelings my son. I trust in them."

Imaldris chuckled at that. "Trust and experience are two different things. My experience is with battle, not the diplomacy table."

"I disagree." Belldandy remarked back calmly. Imaldris stopped and turned to look fully. Bell in her flowing robes, still more formal from her previous Lady Excellency post before Imaldris was essentially shoved the job, if ever kindly and needing all the same. She explained in her honoring voice. "More than once you had to discourse with planetary leaders during large campaigns. A few of them terse if I understood a number of your campaign holoreports properly.

The more people look for differences in facets of life, the more they find the same themes singing back to them. Divisiveness is mainly an artificial construct to simplify matters, there technology and knowledge is not fully tantamount. And even then, the delineations are fewer than one should expect.

As I said, I trust in your ability. Soon, others will. If needed, we can steer you as needed and wanted. A monolith of monarchy I do not expect of you in others dealings anyway." ..and said off she steps forward. Imaldris cocks his head and finds 'some' confidence to grasp from.

This Imaldris is suddenly torn away from in thought, as an Avian Ascendant suddenly rushes up. "~ Your Excellencies! ~"

Belldandy is handed the Padd from the Avian outright, whom hands it simply to Imladris, whom reads and suddenly has an AGHAST facade!

"Holia.... alert Yurika now and assemble what Advisory we have in ten minutes!"

The Avian makes a 'good' jump from the walk way to another working section, as the two leaders rush quickly to head to the Council Chamber.

----

Lind's day grew much more complicated. "Realign those sensors! That cannot be correct!"

Ras speaks over the Sensor-Tech's voice, as she stabs in. "It is! Three Sensor stations just confirmed it. Something made a gravitational Fold signature about 15,000 light years from our position! The gravitational wake is huge!"

Lind gulps. "Did the Dark Ascendancy find us? Is it another refugee fleet?

Or......" ..she gulped again. Very few civilizations had a capability to make a Fold signature of the size of a small moon, at 'least'. And that it happened outright with no warning made Lind's blood and code boil.

She leaned on the bridge railing and wondered. "I bet the quiet days just ended."

It gets better.

"Ma`am." ..the Comm-Tech suddenly snapped. "We're picking up a foreign contact signal that's transmitting."

Ras shouts out. "Where'd that come..." ..this Lind holds up a hand. "On it's own accord. Took someone long enough. Play it out trooper."

:: ~ This is Captain James Lingun of the Ganoxian Alliance Destroyer Belldandy. Our vessel is a peaceful exploration vessel, seeking out new or old civilizations to conduct a peaceful diplomatic process with. If you do not wish to go through with diplomacy, we deeply apologize for intruding and will leave immediately. ~ ::

Ras actually chuckled. "An interesting classification name at that."

Lind just orders. "Send both of us out the blind. Let's see em. Keep an ear on that other mess out there too."

"Roger."

Within moments, both Valkyrian vessels suddenly appear out from behind the duck blind, and within .3 AU of the alien contact. Lind immediately snaps on Comms and imparts.

":: This is Patrol Fleet 107-3/L, You've entered our security zone and have you on our screens now. Be advised our Council is currently enforcing an isolation policy at present time. Please hold station while we contact Fleet Command. If you wish to depart, please do so, but be assured further contacts at present will not be viewed with an open policy. The reasons are complex, as is our need for secrecy. Please respect this. Others that have not done so are no longer of the living. Please understand. ::"

Ras quipped over. "That should make them pause."

"We don't have a choice Sister. Not my call other than battle anyway."

Ras just gulped and waited.

----

*Said 15,000 light years distant, between galactic arms.*

An empty patch of space becomes the end point for a very large piece of hardware, an elegant swooning piece of gleaming white citadels that had the base look of an old Cylon Basestar, hinged upon a glowing 'star' of some form that acted both as a gravitational anchor, as well as the power source for the 100,000 km monster.

Such as how a Journey Sar`nor of the old mode made it's entrance. Gravitationally loud and blaring at that.

And it already had one 'crew' aboard.

":: This is Patrol Fleet 107-3/L, You've entered our security zone and have you on our screens now. Be advised our Council is currently enforcing an isolation policy at present time. Please hold station while we contact Fleet Command. If you wish to depart, please do so, but be assured further contacts at present will not be viewed with an open policy. The reasons are complex, as is our need for secrecy. Please respect this. Others that have not done so are no longer of the living. Please understand. ::"

Lingun (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/CaptainLingun.jpg) sat back in his chair, sighing with relief that the contact hadn't fired on his ship (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/KotorDestroyerMKIII.jpg), as previously some did two years ago when they were randomly jumping throughout their lost odyssey. He began to lean forward and keyed up on the comm.

"We understand your position on the matter as our people can relate with that issue. We shall await for a further response from your command structure and see if the we can still conduct a diplomatic process between our two respective nations."

Lingun keyed off the comms and looked at Jilneas, "So?"

"I think you did fine sir."

"Well...thanks."

"You're welcome."

Ras just shrugged, as Kurumi commented over Comms.. ":: At least these folks are polite. Not like those pirates from last year that we eradicated.

*Sigh* ...we need more of those to blow up. ::"

Ras shook her head. "Down milady." ..this as Lind commanded Comm-Tech to bring up a Holo-hardline. "Council will love this one."

--

Advisors Washu and Skuld just walked in as Imaldris commented. "Visitors? A banner day love."

Lind reflexively blushed, but then stated in business like manner. ":: Should we allow them access? I inferred you were looking for an excuse to relax our closed border policy. :"

Imaldris looked over at Belldandy. "Convenient to say the least there."

"At the very least, we would know someone new."

Urd sitting lazily as ever, just quips. "That's sister eldest for you."

Washu just cocked an eye. "This is what the fuss is about?"

"Hardly." Imaldris stroke a stiff tone and brought up Command Strategema Holo and pointed. "That's the fuss."

"A Journey Sar`nor." Skuld gasped. "I'd bet.... wait, we don't get paid."

Washu smirks. "Tell it to the food replicator and all that ice cream."

Skuld threw a fit.

Imaldris then started to rub his chin, as Akito related. "That's a LOT of hardware sitting out there now. Doubt we should wait to let someone else access it."

"Depends on how active it is." Yurika added. "That thing didn't come on it's own accord."

"You forget the older Synthetic AIs." Imaldris 'added' of his own accord. "They were still pretty capable. Assuming the report about lack of temporal wake particles indicates the unit is from this timeline.

But aye, we should not wait on this one." ..and looks at Admiral Yurika. "Prepare a proper boarding response team immediately."

"And of our guests?" Urd asked. "I'll go myself and meet them." ..Imalde looks up to Lind's holoscreen. "I'll meet you and our guests at Gate Station Three, I'll take Deania."

": Understood. :"

Urd just cracked. "Don't get too frisky in front of the guests."

Urd regretted the flaming stares Lind's holoscreen image and Imlade burned at her.

The meeting ended just like that, as Yurika told Akito. "We'll take Alpha Response Fleet. Inform Admiral Ruri."

Akito smirked. "Just like the really good 'old' days." Yurika just giggled.

---

Lind turned her ire away and focused on a proper response. "Open Comm!"

":: ~ Ganoxian Alliance Destroyer Belldandy. We will be escorting you with the acceptance of our Excellency, to meet you formally at Gate Station Three. Fall into escort formation inbetween us, unless you wish to decline at this time. Respond at your whim and expedience. ~ ::"

...and from there they waited a tic.

Once again Lingun sighed with relief, and was glad to see that the situation progressed further, but he thought to himself of why they keep asking if he would want to leave. Jilneas hid her smile with her hand, then immediately followed with "Ahem. Orders sir?"

"Come about towards those ships, match their speed and follow them."

"Yes sir, coming about at 45-35, matching speed sir." Lieutenant Reed acknowledged.

Lingun leaned forward again and keyed up on the comm.

"We express our gratitude in your government's acceptance of our diplomatic mission. We shall follow you towards the final destination and hopefully continue our progress."

The ship position itself in between the two ships.

Meanwhile in the mess hall Seli and Nisa were eating Nisa's fine cooking once again, this time she tried to cook Seli's favorite meal from Old Ganoxa, Yulian ribeye. Amazed at her culinary skills, Seli dug in and was immediately acknowledging her with sounds of enjoyment. "Mmm this is great!"

"Really? Anything different?"

"This is just like they made it back home. You're a wonderful cook."

Nisa began to blush and shrug, "Really?"

"Yeah," he took another bite.

"Um Seli?"

"Yeah?"

"You know when James and Silva walked out of that room? You don't think they...ah well...you know," she began to blush more.

"Well...um...well lets not get carried away here, maybe they have a logical explanation."

Suddenly at that very moment Captain Lingun and Commander Jilneas walked into the mess hall overhearing the last part of the conversation. They looked at each other and then looked at Seli and Nisa (http://randomc.animeblogger.net:8000/image/Nogizaka%20Haruka%20no%20Himitsu/Nogizaka%20Haruka%20no%20Himitsu%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2045.jpg), "What are you talking about?" they said simultaneously.

"Nothing!" Seli and Nisa laughed nervously, waving their hands in a negative manner.

As the Ganoxian starship falls in between the two Valkyrain escorts, two more Valkyrian vessels suddenly appear from behind the duck blind for a short bit.

"Patrol Fleet 405-8/X is taking up our patrol pattern." Tactica-Tech announces. Lind just remarks back to the matter at hand. "Guess we aren't scarring them off here." ..this Ras just shrugs. "We're just being as paranoid as our gene programming stated."

Lind just growls. "Too much so. I need to rip something apart here at this rate."

Ras just turns away 'with'... "At least your betrothed will be meeting us then."

Lind didn't argue that. Ras was a bit surprised nothing was growled back.

At that, the three vessel pass quickly by the covering Valkyrian Patrol, before they head through the duck blind, as a glowing 'portal-hole' appears. Karinka's voice plays over all open Comms. ":: Prepare for sensor blind effects. ::" ...just before all three vessels enter the blind.

For a moment, all sensors go blind, though the Valkyrian cruisers quickly readjust as usual. What greets the Ganoxian crew is the wonders of a Gaian system beginning to flex it's technological muscles once more. A large 'back-up screen' of a McKenna Class Battleship with a Munificent Class FrigateStar along side the Battleship's port side, come to view along with a tri screen of mobile suits flying pattern.

The three from here are redirected by Gate Control to a point .156 AU away, to a large Confederacy Class Starbase Type 4 with an additional circular ring for signal boosting to it's section of the gate Shield Array. Twenty further various Gaian vessels are docked/orbiting the facility as they arrive. A small stream of startraffic of civilian and supply/maintenance/etc come and go, as Gate Control announces over open Comm.

":: Welcome Ganoxian guests to the Gaian Core System. ::"

Ras looked up and quipped. "We still haven't settled on a formal name yet, have we?"

Lind just shrugs. "Guess a reminder should be given. Commander Kurumi, hold station once we have docked with our guests."

":: Acknowledged migal. ::"

Lind frazzled again. "Give me a break."

---

The Knightwing Class (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/GaianKnight/Midway/Knightwing2.jpg) vessel just flat out shot off from the surface.

"Time to play hospitality." I`pa`thru chimed. Imaldris just shrugged as he piloted his craft. "Hope so, haven't done a formal Contact since I got stuck with this job."

"We'll do fine milord." Arandus commented confidently. Imaldris nodded, needing the boost.

The passing three minutes from Coreworld to the Gate Station was otherwise silent.

---

"Welcome Admiral."

Yurika nodded and got to the point. "We set to go Admiral Ruri?"

Commander Hori just stated out. "Battlestar Igneous and our three escorts are ready."

Akito took spot next to Yurika as the Grand Admiral-Advisor stated. "Emerald Fleet is our backup. Lets get this one going quick folks."

Everyone took their seats quickly, knowing their jobs. "By the book Commander."

Hori responded off Ruri with.. "All vessels lock Fold bubble signature into the Navigational Suite. Off our mark."

It may have seemed an absolute forever, but their first real Fold Jump in over a year outside their refugee System was as routine an event as all the rest in their extensive history. Within moments, a small grouping of warships 'flattened' into gleaming two dimensional 'lines' and vanished.

---

":: ~ They are coming Goddess. ~ ::" ...a harsh, mechanical voice announced. Several Droid troopers looked up, as a lady in a gown of black space and gleaming stars, of long black in raven mane as deep as the same space her gown splayed, just held her slender arms of glowing silver-white to her abdomen.

"(~ Very well. Test them to my satisfaction. Just like the Ascendants once did.

A Dyson Sphere this may not be, but I think we will make our point. One way or another. Harshly if truly needed. ~)"

The Droid Command-General series unit bowed his head. ":: ~ Of course MiGoddess. I'm looking forward to this. ~ ::" ..and strode to the fore of the gargantuan command deck.

Meanwhile a forgotten goddess waited as patiently as the Universe as ancient.

After a short and enjoyable meal with Seli and Nisa, Lingun and Jilneas walked out of the elevator onto the bridge. Lieutenant Reed turned towards Lingun as he sat down in the TacDis. "Sir we are approaching our final destination."

"Great."

"Relaying a message to your TacDis sir," Jilneas reported.


":: Welcome Ganoxian guests to the Gaian Core System. ::"

Lingun keyed up:

"Its is our honor and we humbly accept your welcome."

OOC: May I add your MSN, just in case.

((OC- Go ahead, I'm not really an IMer other than of absolute need. Just my way I guess.))

----

Gate Control then asked.. "Do you wish to board our station via dock or shuttle? Or would you prefer to be met on your own vessel?" ..since the Gaians knew nothing of Ganoxian specifics. (Atmosphere or gravity requirements, biological worries, or other such unknowns between First Contact civilizations.

It didn't even occur to the Gaians to wonder about linguistics, since their translation nexis protocols were so blasted advanced, enough to take for granted.)

Not that such things were even on Imladris's mind as the Knightwing cruiser appeared from sublight into sight of the Station. Such was broadcast a bit too readily. ":: Excellency starcraft entering local control zone! ::"

Imladris twitched an eye within his vessel, for his own exasperated part. "I thought I said for everyone not to be too showy."

"Did you say such?" Karl commented. Imladris just left his mouth hanging open as he pondered that as Deania took over vessel controls. ":: Acknowledged Gate control. ::"

"What's the intent of our guests?" I`pa`thru asked. Lind replied over Holo. ":: Still waiting there one. ::"

---

The fleet arrived. Their gleaming Fold signatures bringing them into sight of a barely filled void of space. Only a sparkle of distant star light thousands of light-years off, and..

"Holia." ...Hori commented, on the 'other' detail of blaring note.

Akito just gulped. "Forgot how huge we made them even back then." ..as the Journey Sar`nor comes into dominating view.

Ruri looked back behind her command seat. "Now what?"

Yurika just pondered and then tentatively answered. "Standard communication hails."

Hori turned and looked to the Comm-Tech to conduct.

What happened next.................

Lingun pondered about what decision he should make. In the past he had been the guest of the other party on board their ships, very rarely he had someone aboard the Belldandy not since that time he met with the Kilrany delegate a few months ago. He finally made his decision as he stopped stroking his beard, "Lets have them over for dinner."

Jilneas was a bit concerned, but she remembered her last concern with the Kilrany and that turned out fine. After all they were the diplomatic representatives of the Ganoxian people and council. She discarded her feelings and began to agree with Lingun, "Yes sir. It should be interesting to say the least."

"Thank you, Jilneas," Lingun leaned forward and keyed up the comms once more.

"We would be honored to invite your delegation to a meeting aboard our ship over dinner, would this be acceptable?"

Imaldris heard the response over Link-Comm. Lind responded at first.. ":: Understood. ::" ..and expected then next when Imladris ordered. "I'll take over.

Ah.. Ganoxian starship... (heh..) Belldandy. This is Lord Excellency Imaldris Kerenska speaking. Your choice is received and I will arrive personally. If you have an open cargo bay or teleporter station that can receive my party, please inform."

":: I'll be attending as well. ::" ..Lind's voice 'inferred'. Imladris just sighed. "Not unexpected I think."

A few stifled giggles probably managed to fritter through Comms at that point.

---

":: The ships are attempting to establish standard protocol. The signatures however are not standard known Ascendancy registry. ::"

":: ~ As she expected apparently.

Neutralize them ~ ::"

--

Hori just announced in shock! "The main weapon array just activated! We've been targeted!!!"

"OH CRUD!!" ..was all Yurika had time for before the Sar`nor main weapon array pulse charged a short 'burst', enough to Ionize a small moon on it's own, and fire!

The large beam of Ionizing blue was the last the vessels felt before they blacked out outright!

Lingun looked around the TacDis to see which hangar would be appropriate for the shuttle to land in. Hangar One was too crowded with crews inspecting the Arm Slaves for any defects, and were replacing their muscle packages, which would at least take them a couple of hours to complete. Hangar Two would have to do, although he had to alert the ground crews to get the variable fighters (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/ShieldClass.jpg) into their storage positions. "Alert Hangar Two to store the fighters to make room for our guests."

"Yes sir," Jilneas acknowledged.

Lingun keyed up on the comms:

"We are opening our port side hangar bay door, you'll notice it as your shuttle approaches it. However please allow us some time to clear the runway so-to-speak. Approximately fifteen minutes. Thank you."

He keyed off, "Oh and be sure to get a hold of Miss Olgander, so she can prepare the meals for our guests. She really made the last meeting really special for us."

Jilneas shot a stare at Lingun, telling him through her eyes, "Oh my cooking isn't good enough."

Lingun stared back, "Hey I didn't say that," Jilneas read in his eyes.

"Whatever."

The crew began to wonder what was going on, shrugged and went about their duties.

Imaldris just finished.. ":: Acknowledged. ::" ..and stood. "I'll go myself from here and keep it small."

Just as he stood however, a site-to-site teleport beam deposited Lind almost right on of him. Imladris even has to jump away to avoid being fused at the molecular level with his love! "HEY!! Don't you knock!?"

Lind slit 'level' eyes to her right. "What was that?"

"Oh nothin... nothin."

Karl just looked at I`pa`thru and made a 'whip' motion that the fem Gaian flustered off annoyingly. Lind then just pushed Imalde before her. "Come on. We have a dinner date."

"It's diplomacy, not dinner by candlelight!"

The cajoling soon left and Arandus just wrung his ears. "Blast they're loud as a turbolaser overload."

The two soon enough were in the tiny shuttle pod bay, with Imlade quickly noticing. "Uh... what's with the..."

Lind quickly snapped back. "You determine the fate of our universe. I'll drive."

The shuttle canopy sealed shut with Imalde quipping. "But I like piloting." ..which Lind responded by suddenly jerking the shuttle pod out of the hold as soon as she was able. Imalde's back wasn't thankful of it to be sure. =--=;;

---

*Command Core...*

"We've lost their signal."

"~ What? ~"

Another Avian Commander loomed over the Strategema Persocom and gulped.

"~ Ill omen. ~"

Lieutenant Reed took over the TacDis this time looking over the holodisplays of the approaching Gaian vessel approaching the Belldandy's open hangar. He looked over to his right and touched the comm button,

"This is GAS Belldandy to approaching vessel. Hangar bay is clear and awaiting your arrival. Captain Lingun and Commander Jilneas shall be awaiting in the hangar to greet you on board our ship, along with the rest of our crew. Please enjoy your stay."

Lingun waited patiently for his guests to arrive. Standing to his left next to him was Jilneas and to his right was Commander Frenck, chief engineer. Behind him about three steps away, standing at ease, was the members of First Platoon, assigned to escort the captain and by terms of convenience invited to the meeting. It includes Lieutenant Jim Torrison, a rather secretive man and leader of the platoon, Command Sergent Sarah Halenska, a very professional woman when it comes to her job, all work and no play, Command Sergent Lewis Lewis, a comedian of sorts who likes to screw around but gets the job done, mostly likes to mess with Halenska who pretty much severely beats him in return, and finally Sergent Seli Grostin. the relative newbie of the team.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Nisa Olgander was hurriedly trying to recall some old Iolian recipes to cook for the delegation for tonight's meal. In the past during a previous dinner arrangement she had performed well producing rather exquisite meals for guests, now it was time for her to do it again. Then she raised her finger and followed with a "I got it!"

The rather cramped looking shuttlepod soon landed simply enough before their waiting hosts, all of a simple white gleaming craft of Federation class base make. The hatch opens up conventionally, and two rather formal looking individuals actually have to hop out, their old combat form not quite diplomatically equative. Just looking at them both gives the Ganoxians a feels of a 'lot' of combat between them.

Lind of course, slender in her white combat jumpsuit number of the Valkyrian Order mode, displayed as crisp as her near rigid stance, the blue trim lines only interrupted by the gold lined white epaulet on her right shoulder. As said, the only demarcation between her as the CIC of the Valkyrian, and the rest of the replete Order's numbers. Her military cut steel blue hair lain down at her shoulders, has only an asymmetrical length off her right forehead temple. Her steel blue eyes glow as does her tri-dots on her forehead, as she is constantly updated with whatever Core Command feeds to her. (But not everything as would be apparent.)

Other than her own person, no armaments display, though not all tricks need be shown here.

For Imaldris's part, his formal Excellency robs adorn him in a full cloak mode, his arms hidden underneath where arm slits extend where they should extend when needed. The colors match Lind's uniform, a primary white with blue and silver accouterments trim, spartan but arrayed enough to give a royal flair. His own gray-green eyes are pressed within a stiff temple that's worn the look of war much. His long white hair give a seem of mystical age belie two truths, actual age, and technological amendment to the same. An almost angelic-elvish semi quality is shown off, if not for the obvious build decently 'thick'.

However both give confident, kindly looks, despite their previous tiffy flair onboard. Business demeanor with guests was well practiced with these two, as Imladris simply steps forth and bows, his right arm extending from his robe-cloak slits to gesture with.

"Greetings, and welcome to our Core System. Please forgive our lack of immediate hospitality, as I will explain readily." ..a gesture to his better half. "This here is CIC Commander Lind of the Valkyrian Order, our current main heavy combat arm of our military." ..whom bows to the hosts, hiding a slight blush of sorts. Imladris continues. "Of my part, Imaldris Endomiel Kerenska, Second Lord Excellency of our realm. Again it is my honor to receive you all."

---

The Avian just glowered. "~ What do you mean even the IFF transponders are jammed? There should be Orbs in the area to triangulate from! Vector fail safes never.... ~"

"Pardon sir." The female make Persocom of auburn hair stated. "But Orbs nearby do indicate a jamming field is in place. Someone knows all our frequencies. We may have been cut off."

The Avian just stabbed a Comm button. "~ I need to talk to Council Advisory NOW! ~"

---

":: ~ What do you wish to do with them? ~ ::"

"(~ Let the rest sleep. I have my hostages. ~)" ..the Goddess serenely quips, as the forms of Yurika, Akito, Ruri and Hori all hover before her in glowing blue stasis fields. She caressed each in turn as any caring parent to a child. A disturbing motion The Goddess Creation is all too willing to aware of.

She then comments to her Synthetic General, the same mode from that original Grievous model that Excellency Aleaic Kerensky fancied, but ten times more advanced at the base level, not including other narly 'extras', as well as the shiny blue-polymer diamond-tritanium finish that held with, blue power lines that ran to several glowing circular 'ports', including those for the piercing blue-white eyes that look almost organic of their own construction.

"(~ Prepare to bring the broadcast array to maximum power. I want no other civilization to mistake my message. ~)"

":: ~ Understood. ~ :: ..the General spoke, even with the same grating tone, turning, expecting some grand to use his own troops for. At this Creation then looks to the right where Hori hovers, Ruri to his right, but to the left, a glowing 'mass' of equal humanoid height, one of an aura of a Power left in stasis.

Such Creation did not approve. She caresses the 'cheek' of this one and calmly imparts. "(~ It is time to wake, and help me challenge this False Excellency, and the remains of a shattered Dream.

To their final Breaking if they do not subsist by strength. ~)"

She made one 'more' stroke with a glowing hand.

----

*Ascendancy Class A-SSD Stasis Regen-Units.*

Only a few hundred thousand remained to be awakened, as space for them was being made, as was supporting resources. Only one however was kept asleep for more than just resource concerns.

The reason, that she suddenly SNAPS her eyes open to.

She raggedly gasps, her long dirty colored blond mane, flailing about with her sudden panic. She smacks the inside of her shut Regen Unit and screams into the dusk unseen Complexways.. "Father! MOTHERS!!" ...said over and over as reality is shoved into her mind.

Terrible reality....

"Battalion! Attention!" yelled out Sergent Major Polis as the crew of the GAS Belldandy snaps to attention as the guests' shuttle lands. As the guests stepped out of their craft, Lingun, Jilneas and Frenck gave their salutes. Lingun walked forward with the other two one step behind, met with the delegation and shook their hands. "Welcome aboard. May introduce you to my left is my executive officer, Commander Silva Jilneas, and to my right here is Commander, Sal Frenck, chief engineer."

They both nodded and shook the delegation's hands, meanwhile in the rear Lewis was making some sort of comment, "Man they look like angels!" he whispered.

Halenska smacked him upside the back of his head, "Keep in line!" she whispered.

"Ow! What I do? What I do?"

Jim and Seli grimaced as the two continued to carry on still at attention. "Please, let us escort you to the meeting room so that we can discuss matters further over dinner. We have a fine cook that is preparing our meal right now. She is very gifted." he gestured. Jilneas than shot him a look of "We'll talk about this later", to which Lingun would have replied with a "What?!"

"Sergent Major Polis," Lingun yelled out.

"Yes sir?"

"Dismissed."

"Yes sir!" he saluted then did an about face, "Battalion! Dismissed!"

The crew began to march off to the sides and file out of the hangar, leaving only the Shield-class variable fighters left inside the hangar storage areas.

The two Gaians bowed their heads where appropriate. Lind however caught sharp ear of what Lewis said.

Wait till they know us better.

Imaldris just commented. "I am sure your cuisine will meet out palates."

Lind smirked over. "No replicated rations this day then?"

Imalde just eyed over plainly. "Lady Sasami was the better cook, not I. Heck, even Lady Belldandy outstrips me."

"By far." Lind just quipped. Imalde just sighed and looked to the hosts. "Um... after ye?"

Overhearing the guests' conversation Lingun paused for a moment and wondered about what they had said, could it be a coincidence or could this be a fateful occurence. Did they say Lady Belldandy? he thought, not sure whether he heard them correctly. He turned his toward Imaldris, "Lady Belldandy?" he asked, "Huh. That's quite a coincidence that we named a ship after one of your leaders."

Imaldris responded readily. "Lady Belldandy Morisato and her husband Keiichi Morisato are two of my highly honored Advisors. Lady Belldandy, my mother... (Still can't believe it.) ...was previously the Lady Excellency after our... Exodus, from the Antara Dimension.

We should sit and explain things better. Tis a long and complex story."

Lind 'slips' out. "Annoying long 'wait' to it as well."

Imalde just holds his forehead. "Beloved please." ..whit Lind betrays a rare chuckle. Imalde had to look before Lind stared at him to follow their hosts.

---

Belldandy for her part was shocked. Keiichi just looked aghast. "But.... why would something of ours even attack... us?!"

He then looked around. "Do we tell Imaldris yet?" ..still under the ancient mode of less wanting to lead, rather waiting for orders. However Belldandy remarked. "He is currently meeting with the Ganoxian arrivals. Plus we do not know all the facts yet."

Keiichi sighs. "Our First Contact back in this Dimension, and 'this' has to happen also? Blast...

Send Emerald Fleet as Yurika planned. I just hope they don't get shellacked as well."

Belldandy looks down, just before her Mindlink BLARES suddenly, enough to hold her head by. Keiichi notes immediately. "Bell?"

A moment later, Belldandy is shivering. "She woke up... somehow she woke up."

Keiichi peers into the Mindlink and almost gags, he gasps so hard!

---

"~ Fold immediately!! ~" ...the Ascendant Commander aboard the ISD-XXII Class orders. Thirty various warships suddenly Fold Jump.

Their fate is just as quick and severe.

This day just gets even better Lingun thought noticing, that they also said the name Morisato. Is it some strange cosmic coincidence that it was also the name of the Emperor of Genkai, Sousuke Morisato, a member of the Ganoxian council, but he supposes that it could wait and to be brought up at a later time. He points over to one of the Shield-class variable fighters, as they walk by towards the main doors, "Over here is our latest introduction to our defense forces, the Shield-class fighters. Able to transform itself from fighter mode to a Arm Slave mode and also an in between mode. Very adaptable in combat."

OOC: I'm also a big AMG fan and made several homages to it

Lind remarked to the level of technology presented. "Impressive. It would match up well against out OmniFighter series classes."

"We'll have to introduce them sometime." Imladris offered, looking for any opening. Probably trying too hard at that. Imaldris related to this. "This first meeting of ours hopefully will share more than just military tech. I am sure your cultural and historic achievements are just as impressive. Hopefully far less traumatic than ours has been."

Lind slowed as they were heading off, her mind kept angling her head a tic behind her, as if something was bugging her.

---

..it was worse so elsewhere...

":: ~ Our own tactics are too blunt when we blind ourselves. ~ ::"

Creation just corrected her Droid General. "(~ We've never fought amongst ourselves before. What better challenge than against a pure mirror reflection. ~)"

The General craned his head behind him, away from the large 'spread' of inert Gaian vessels that were displayed on the monolithic holoscreens. ":: ~ Would not have that been the Dark Ascendancy, before this vessel and I were deactivated into mothballs? ~ ::"

A slight grimace. "(~ That... was not a pure mirror. even I detest that version.

If only he hadn't decided to take is ENTIRE realm with him to fight that pointless war. Now look what is bequeath in the after mess. ~)" ..she grew a heavier sneer.

"(~ And now that they cannot easily ignore...

Activate the Transmission!! ~)"

The General SNAPS forward. ":: ~ Transmit!! ~ ::" ..several Persocoms and Droids do so. A few Angel Gods nearby wait even more tersely.

Including....

---

Belldandy and Keiichi appear via teleport near the proper area. "It was here." ..Keiichi remarked. The two barely take a step before a good crackle of glass makes them both stop. Both then see a figure emerge from the dusk, off a side hallway, a simple skirt gown clinging to sweated skin, as a long familiar facade turns almost on pure instinct...

Bell.. "Isarra..." ..more genuine worry in her voice at that moment. Why comes back as...

"Where...." ...demanding, low and grinding.

Keiichi just gulps.

As the delegation entered the room, they can see all about them the old relics and paintings from Old Ganoxa herself. Weapons used in ancient wars, works of art made during their renaissance periods and other pieces that represented the history of the Ganoxian people. One such piece was a 3D holo of the legendary sword Harbringer (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/Harbringer.jpg), below the image was a bronze plaque (http://z15.invisionfree.com/Ganoxa/index.php?showtopic=37&st=0#entry3321924) about the legend of this great sword.

Meanwhile in the mess hall, Nisa was hurriedly trying to make her special dish for the new guests and plan out the course of the meal. A bit nervous she began to pull through with her determination.

Imaldris 'had' to stop and look at the sword. Lind knew Imladris's penchant for the blade well. However the bronze plaque made 'both' of them stop.

Lind.. "Skuld?"

Imalde.. "A War God?"

They had to look at each other, before Lind remarked.. "Well, when she and Urd get their dander up I suppose."

"No argument there." Imladris left all that with the smell of cooking. His senses were well aware of that. "..or with that smell."

"Business first."

Imladris nodded and conversed with their hosts. "So, I take it your people are explorers at some level, since we're not fighting each other right now."

"Actually," Lingun sat down gesturing everyone to do the same, "I am an admiral, Rear Admiral to be exact, commander of the 117th Exploration fleet and 22nd and 25th Battlegroups, the Belldandy is my flagship. The only reason I didn't really disclose my real rank before, was mostly pressure from our Council. Jilneas over there is really a Ship Captain and Frenck, well hes Frenck."

"Ass..." Frenck mumbled.

"This ship and crew are the most experienced explorers in the fleet, since it took us two years of randomly jumping from system to system without a working nav computer and a jury rigged hyperdrive."

"I did the best I could with the resources I have, and no one even gives my a goddamn thanks you. If it weren't for me..."

"Thank you Frenck," Lingun stared at him to shut up," Anyways so after experiencing many ups and downs during that odyssey, mostly very demoralizing events. We went from meeting crazed aliens that would rather play with us like their toys, to war bent machines ensuring that each world would bend to their master's will. It was miracle we survived at all, but we did and then became the spearhead for the exploration movement proposed by the council. A vast majority of my crew volunteered to stay with me, and this beloved ship of mine. I respect each and everyone of them for their loyalty. I still respect the decisions of those who had left regardless, after all they went to hell and back."

Imaldris appreciates what he's told. "Your achievements would easily regale in our Holo-archives. If not for our long war against the Dark Ascendancy, it would be our Exploration Arm that would have garnered most attention. We had to explore across twenty known Antara Universes to even attempt to conduct civilization scale affairs of any kind.

If it helps any, we can help upgrade your vessel systems to something far less clunky. If anything, a billion years worth of technology has given us far too many older version technologies to all but give away, since it's in the advancement details where we hold any security concerns.

If you wish, we have space in our dockyards to quite quickly refurbish your vessel to whatever specification you would wish, as well as offer technology assistance in understanding and applying any technologies you would like to utilize." ..Imaldris stresses this last.. "This is the Gaian Way. Trust is a hallmark, as much as it is a lifeblood of civilizations.

Such we ourselves are in need of more than ever."

Lind smiled. She hoped to hear such more confident words from her love.

Such easily shattered soon enough.

---

((OC- Kinda want to 'try' and hold off on the Transmission, since it'll be directed at everyone in NS FT, maybe even some PMTs if any decide to acknowledge it all. After that happens, it's just going to get ugly like Gaians had never seen before.

If the drift is clear enough. =^^= ))

Lingun had to think it over for a bit, not sure whether he would like to change his beloved ship. Even though it had been refitted several times over the past five years it was in pretty much the same shape. He looked up and was about to answer when Frenck spoke up first, "This is great! Finally I can get something useful around this cr--"

"Frenck..." Lingun sighed and looked over at the Imaldris, "I'll accept you offer, but please don't try to change to much of this ship. Call me nostalgic, but it holds a special meaning to me. My chief engineer will assist you where it would be needed,"

"Yes! I haven't felt this great since the I got those Dornie upgrades a few years back!" muttered Frenck.

Suddenly the a ring chimed through the room, "The first course is ready and will now be served. Thank you."

Several servers came through the door and brought out the steaming bowls of soup for the conference. "Ooh, Iolian clam chowder, Nisa's finest soup!" exclaimed Seli, who was sitting along with Jim, Sarah, and Lewis. Seli began to dig in first, not holding back his urge to try the soup.

Lind just pushes Imladris along from behind. "My beloved Excellency appreciates antiques. He's not going to mess with one right?"

"Oh aye. Aye. Retrofitting after enough scans should be no problem." ..as they headed toward the rather pleasant smells, taking their seats, (Lind being obliged by Imaldris first of course.)

Lind commented as they began to sample their own fare. "Of course... mmm, very nice... course it would be nice to have a jump and navigational system that can take you across the galaxy in a near singular instant. Quite accurately as well.

Maybe other galaxies with our database..."

Imalde just chided "Please miValkyrian, no need to exasperate our hosts."

Lind slit her eyes. "What was that?"

Imalde just slurped away. Lind kept staring anyway. (And she 'had' the ability to bore a hole in Imlade's head. Not that the hull would handle it much. Hence, she withheld...

...barely.)

Frenck, trying to contemplate on the luck he was receiving, just sat still not even touching the soup, while the rest began to eat. Lingun smiled as he ate the soup, with Jilneas feeling a bit of jealously bubble up, but proceeded to act professionally in front of the others. The First Platoon members were equally delighted and began to give curt nods. Lingun signaled one of the servers still left in the room, "Give my regards to Miss Olgander, keep up the good work." he whispered.

The server nodded and headed out of the room, as Lingun began to look over at delegation. "So...is there anything more you wish learn about our nation?" Lingun asked politely trying to at least change the mood.

((OC- I think now is the time to blow the lid off.))

---

Imlade and Lind weren't catching the inference from the body language that their Ganoxian hosts were giving off, since the soup was pretty danged good to ignore.

Imaldris looked up however when Lingun asked about Ganoxian history. Imladris was about to take him up fully on that, when his wrist Comm just went crazy all of a sudden. Lind shot a look over as Imaldris had to catch his spoon and put it down. "What the light?"

And the Comm popped an image of I`pa`thru. ":: Sire! We have a Situ... ::" ...just before her transmission was suddenly interrupted.. "Eh? I`pa`thru?! Commander!" ..this Lind's hairs started to raise on edge.

...and the transmission was replaced by a haunting image that Imladris somehow recognized, without ever having seen her physical form before. But it wasn't just there the Transmission stabbed into. The Ganoxian transmission sensors were also hijacked by this singularly powerful signal....

---

..as was every Gaian transmission and holo-unit...

---

..as was every transmission apparatus within the Milky Way Core Galaxy. Such was the utter power that was being poured from the Journey Sar`nor's Singularity and ZPC Cores, for this one galaxy shattering course of action.

It was an open transmission, no code, and no intent to hide anything.

Such power into simplicity that she demanded. As such, (depending on transmission medium,) an image of a lithe female, about 6'7", very long black in raven hair, at length we to her ankles, in a simple length gown of equal raven black, both showing depth of voids untold, which transposed against her pearlaescent, near glowing skin. Rather than looking anything albino like, rather it was like her skin held the soft glow of a stellar furnace within. This seemed to mesh with the fact her same hair and gown were sparkling very fiercely with the depth of very alive stars within. And depending on how efficient the transmission medium being received, the detail also would show her eyes, rimed by sparkling with void black tresses and eyebrows, of an even deeper midnight black, hued over with a gloss of moonlight reflected to give impression of corneas, and ones that were just piercing to behold.

Ones that looked like they 'were' looking at each and every soul that her Transmission was forced upon. Given how many Billions there were that the Transmission was forced upon, (And more beyond the Milky Way Galaxy as it would eventually turn out,) it very much 'did' seem like Lady Creation 'was' looking at everyone at that singular moment, such as how the first impression of the Transmission would forever come across as.

More interesting/frightening, was that there was no apparent language barrier. Her voice 'was' understood by all witnessing.

The intent of a wrathful Goddess intended no less.

Her Words would be worse.

---

Behind Lady Creation, the General watched intently, as did another female form of a former Council, her platinum mane as frayed as her mindset. This seemed to speak through in amendment as Creation began.

":: (~ Greetings. Only a few watching this, know of me.

However it is my words that should be heeded. Words of anger, dismay, and wrath. ~) ::"

---

Belldandy had to clutch herself onto Keiichi. The Council chamber was utterly rife with shock at that moment.

Aside from one very angry Princessa present.

---

":: (~ Fellow souls of the Stars, there lies a Falsehood within our midst. The Seat of a Power usurped by one that has no proper claim to that throne, a throne of honor, idealism, strength, and trust, Pillars that beheld a civilization that upheld ideals that were a beacon for any to follow, yet never forced as much as events would allow.

My blood kin of the Powers, whom many of you listening know of in even whispers, now is lost to the ravages of a war, removed from all sight, in a Dimension an utter mirror to this current own. The one I speak, of the Ones I Speak, were a friend and enemy, praised and loathed, shared and disdained, all of which were proudly earned in every facet of their making.

They are now as said, vanished. In their place, is a version that holds few of those ideals in the vein of the Earned. Amongst us all now, is a version from a Severed point in space and time, hiding from events of a Future make. And leading them is a False Excellency, bequeathed the Title without the proper make that the previous Lord Excellency earned my begrudging admiration for.

As such is the primary reason for a Trial I warned him in the now Coming.

Believe all ye of Hearing, that what ye wish, but the Gaian Ascendancy once know is replaced by a husk of a version, an Age within One Billion approximate years removed of a future timeline. My one proud friend, is now gone! This is the unknown fate of Aleaic Kerensky, whom another named Imladris Kerenska now fills the seat of a Power so woefully, whom I disgrace as the False Excellency, so I sayeth NOW! ~) ::"

---

...and said suddenly damned name went very cold of blood.

---

":: (~ Now come my Action, Warning the label to hold my intent by, in the severe short term.

I hold in my possession, an artifact of the Pre-Exodus, the first version where my current respected kin now reside in the present war against their Dark Ascendancy mirrors. Yes, I fully am aware and even see now their conflict, far larger a scale than ever could be understood in the here and now of the Alpha Dimension, as my respected kin respected. And where the War in Antara now rages away from you all now listening, their tools left behind by the auspice of my 'proper' respected Excellency, lends myself a tool to conduct this trail in the vein the False Excellency will understand.

The False understands 'only' War. Almost reveling in such, at a time that lend to Pride and the downfall of the future civilization now lain ravaged before our eyes. The tool in my auspice, they call a Journey Sar`nor, a one hundred thousand kilometer sized vessel with the purpose of transporting immense numbers of forces across this Universe and back with ease. And this is not even the largest of the Tools left behind by the Pre-Exodus version, that not even the current Ravaged have access to. As such, at least the False can understand that not even their five hundred kilometer 'colony' vessel cannot match the power I command, at the conventional level!

And aye, this vessel of incredible mass, is fully augmented and armed. The Gaians called it Brian Caching, such they were good at mothballing so much of their assets when not needed, or.. in this case, in case they ever had to return.

Such irony, that it 'could' be under their command, and such they attempted just moments ago with a paltry recovery fleet, that I had Ionized outright, and now hold the Commanders hostage in my clutch! ~) ::"

Suddenly the image shifts to show....

---

Imaldris shouts despite himself... "Yurika!!? Akito!!"

"Ruri and Hori too?!" Lind echoes just as stunned!!

---

The air in the Council chamber went even colder...

---

":: (~ And now my intent is made clear. I felt those reverberations of shock even here. A Goddess of the Powers makes no such mistakes, only threats in this mode!

Ones I make not only against the False, but to ensure this Message is not simply ignored by those 'also' forced by this Transmission, the threat of my assets and power, are aimed just as equally, in the name of the crime of the False Excellency, against any other star faring civilization I am fully and readily aware of.

Any civilization that has a current inkling of even basic warp capability, even sublight standard, is a Target of my Force.

Know this now! Ye children made from the kin of Stars, each and every that breaths the air of make from the eons of Universe unfolded and made over remade, is Involved in the trauma now to commence. Unless the False Excellency can somehow stop my power within the next twenty-four cycle standard hours of the ancient Motherworld vein, I will unleash my power in various form, against a random civilization as my Target. Whom I choose will have no warning, and the results will be tragic indeed!

If however, I can be stopped. If not, the results will be lain at the head of the False Excellency, as if he led the assaults himself!! I would expect the backlash to be sufficient enough to ruin the Ravaged in their remainder, to extinction. Not even their vaunted advanced technology will save them, not against the weight of an angry universe against them. This I will assure, even as I lead my same forces against them as well!

This is a War... This is a Trial... This is my Wrath!

The results will both conduct future history, as well as satisfy my Intentions.

The results are unknown. ~) ::"

---

The holo-image then suddenly from Imaldris's wrist-Comm then leans forward, absolutely separate from every other transmission wavelength in the Galaxy, quite deliberately at that...

":: (~ Correct? ~) ::"

---

At that, the Transmission ends....

...to what reverberation to the rest of the civilized Galaxy, Lady Creation cares not. She actually giggles a good bit off situational tone, as she quips. "(~ Now we find out where the Truth leads. ~)"

The General then spikes... ":: ~ The first Fleet Groups are ready to detach. ~ ::"

Lady Creation holds up her left hand. "(~ Beheld further patience my excellency Servant. The shock value must spread, the words of anger and disbelief fester.

Plus we must see my kin arrive and attempt to save us all. And then they will learn such a thing is not so easy to do. ~)" ...a look finally at the same platinum maned Angel God progenitor. "(~ Is that not correct my ally? ~)"

"Very.." ...said level... just as patient...

...but in a lot more emotional pain.

----

Imladris just stood there. Cold.... numb.... alone in pure feel.

The spoon he held long since clattered away from, he just whispered.. "But...... why? She.... she saved me at the end.... that battle the Ahb won... that Third Space fortress we helped destroy. I'd be dead now if she didn't save me that day.

What the Eternal Grace is she DOING!?!?"

Lind just looked up. "We can't stay."

Imladris looked up at his hosts. He hoped they wouldn't try and kill him at that very moment! "I.... I'm sorry... we need to go now."

Lind however, noting the condition of the Belldandy itself, tried to offer.. "We.. we don't know if we have a right to offer this. But we can offer a safe harbor, unless you wish to escape." ..she then looked incredulously at Imladris. "It... does she intend a Civil War?!"

Imladris turned, a hard tone to speak from.. "Aye. She's doing it 'now'!"

---

"If my Father only knew."

The few of the Council left, looked at an even 'more' angry Isarra.

Would the conflict start 'there'?!

========

((OC- Whew.. took awhile to do this one. And while I cannot control who decides to acknowledge the Transmission, the more that at least single post something to participate with, would help expand this all into something plain big and nasty. Anything further would be fun from almost any angle, for those that can accept my eccentric rp style. =^^= (Or worse depending. Anywho..)

Always wanted to try out a Gaian Civil War. And this won't be short either. Plenty of fighting for all for those that want to truly participate. Just be sure to TG me first so we agree to what will happen. Also respect things 'are' going to go in a certain direction, but the fighting will be freeform enough. As is certain salvage rights in the end. *wink wink*

Got a few good surprises planned along the way also, so button down those hatches. This ride will be violent at the minimum. =^^= ))

((OC- Bump for last post dramatic effect. Waiting on needed reaction post at least. =^^= ))

Lingun was a bit surprised at the notion of all space faring civilizations would be utterly destroyed by this Creation. Although he did face utter annihilation at least twice, it was still unnerving for him to hear that his home would become a potential target. He motioned over to the delegation who suddenly got up and excused themselves from the conference.

"Not at all. Obviously this is not a great time to have a dinner party. In fact I was hoping to assist in your defense efforts. Since I stated previously that I was commander of two battlegroups, I can have them here within the hour."

OOC: Sorry for the short post but I have to leave for work.

((OC- Cool, I just needed something to step off with here. Adhere to whatever you read with whatever you can. ))

---

Imaldris looked back in surprise. "Eh? (Wow..) Okay... didn't expect help and all that. Um.. might want to come with us first to Coreworld." ..and looks at Lind. "We'll meet back at the Council Chamber."

Lind nods.

The trip after is as short as sublight physics allows. (Save for one other option withheld travel wise.)

As it was...

---

...the trip could have been longer after what happened next. The sight of such as of arriving via various starcraft into the Gaian Palace Tree, unto a shocked myriad of native facades, and then within the Chamber itself to an UTTER shock..

"Oh my goddess....!"

Isarra just snapped her glare finally on the meek at first reaction recipient.

"I 'could' add devil in turn. Such is 'our' pure curse to use."

Imladris gulped but recovered to ask.. "How..?"

Belldandy and Keiichi, in full and in turn.. "We felt her, and found her awakened somehow from her Regen-Unit." ..and with a quick look to the Ganoxian guests without realizing better at present. "Greetings upon such a time most trying."

Keiichi then added. "I'd like to tell ya how it happened dude..."

Imladris just sighed as Lind rounded him to his left. "Lady Creation's hand I would bet."

Isarra just blinked. "Perceptive, for one not of us."

Imaldris in turn, trying not to step on Belldandy's original intentions.. "I did not ask for this Office. You're more blood kin than I and have the right."

Isarra however 'did' step over, looking at Belldandy directly. "This you gave the Office without my knowledge?"

Belldandy however used a tough enough tone. "It was your Father's wish and Command unto me. Forgive if I amend to a simple course as I have all these tens upon tens centuries, but I lain trust in the decision. I do not regret it, given the situation we are upon."

Isarra just sighed, an apparent confusion driving her emotional state. She just shot a look that didn't help Imladris's confidence. "And if this situation dooms us all."

Lind however struck up. "Gaians don't talk that way. Watch your mindset."

"Watch your own tone."

Imladris just snapped.. "ENOUGH!" ..and ended the whole fracas with enough looks of surprise to let the uncertain leader press.. "However She decided to conduct this, it was with an intent we do not fully know why in." ..as he walked to the seat he was still reluctant of, but knew better than to run away from it now. he stood aside to the left of it though, as he spoke. "Lady Creation saved me at the end of the battle the Ahb had with the Third Space forces that came through a TS Subspace Gate. If this is why she saved me, to only see us annihalated and ruined in all manner before the rest of the Galaxy here, I intend to find out 'why' she is so intent.

What happened to Yurika?" ..with mind on the military situation. At least one facet he 'was' confident with at the moment. Washu, standing passive all this time, just hits a few buttons on the Advisor console near her. She offers.. "As far as we can tell, that Journey Sar`nor we discovered is compromised. Both the fleet Yurika led, and the backup Emerald Fleet to investigate, were Ionized. Likely the Sar`nor just cut them down cold.

We 'did' extrapolate it's current approximate position, despite a total communications blackout the Sar`nor has employed. Cutting off even Comm-Orbs within a light year radii."

A large blue-white holo-projection globe, elongated, showing a blinking green 'projection' of the Sar`nor, and the tiny blue dots near it that should hopefully still 'be' the Ionized fleets. Imaldris looked at it, and then considered the Transmission along with it.

"She waiting."

Looks just traded all everywhere as Imaldris then brought up a special Stratagema Holo-console. His Mindlink then compiled the available active fleets remaining inSystem and within a few moments, six distinct yellow orbs started to surround the Sar`nor on the Tactica Display.

"Sapphire Fleet and Droid Fleets Seven to Thirty-Seven will deploy about these spots. The rest here will assume Alpha Alert Standing for a likely attack. Creation won't hold back. Somehow I feel 'that' much."

Isarra started to snip.. "If you can..."

Imaldris deliberately stepped over that with... "I 'am'. Enough somehow. I'll be asking more of her directly. I'm going myself 'now'."

Lind quickly snaps. "So am I.." ..and looks to the Ganoxians, while Imaldris looks to Belldandy and Keiichi first. "Hope you both can hold the fort here."

"We'll manage." Keiichi nods. Isarra then is looked sternly next.. "With me." ..as both she and Imladris head off to the Living quarters area behind the Council Chamber, while Lind imparts to the Ganoxians. "If you can, if your forces arrive in time and if needed as hoped not, you can coordinate with Lady Belldandy and Lord Keiichi with the defense.

Again, we hope such won't come." ..despite a tone imparting a lack of hope that an attack wouldn't come.

Washu meanwhile turned.. "I better get Skuld to tend to the Dornalian vessel agreement for us. One of us can at least survive." ..and heads off.

---

They didn't go far. Imladris turned as they reached the center of the Living quarters common area. Isarra swore she could see the haunting memories of family lost. Isarra stopped in time to be asked decently calmly.. "What are your intentions?"

Isarra almost felt insulted. "I'm not a pawn. But it's rare I lay such distrust upon you."

"Agreed. I feel no less of myself." ..he turned at. Looking away, Imladris added. "I will not attempt to lament the loss you feel of your own blood family. If possible, I would lay down this Office back to whom it utterly belongs.

I know I'm not a Power. I can guess what is all is truly about. But I need to at least be certain of one thing." ..and turns back to ask in a stronger tone. "What are your intentions?"

Isarra gulped a tic. "To not see what is left die with me. The Regen-educator unit function let me know what was going on till a bit ago."

"Which was why I wanted to wait till things were less uncertain to revive you. This was the reason why, and Lady Creation knows it too somehow.

A fractured Council in the midst of this would be an effective ploy."

"I won't do that!! And how DARE you not trust me like that!"

"Again with what you lost, I had enough fear of mindset. I know!" ...he turned and spoke dragged of tone. "Damned of divine I know. When Preen went inert, for a time, I felt so alone, I thought the Universe meant nothing to me anymore. If that was what it was like to be a Dark Ascendancy agent, then it was a basis of worry where loss would cause in damage.

Trust is a commodity to me, I'm still learning it's meaning away from the battlefield."

And then of all things, Isarra outright kicked Imalde in the butt! "OW! HEY!"

Isarra had a decent attack stance ready as she grinded. "That is not the Gaian Way."

"Man, I thought Lind kicked hard."

"Keep up that tone and I'll kick harder. Yes I lost a lot. Father and Mothers, my Sisters as well. But give me some trust and give Spirit in me to do less of what you fear.

I won;t hurt your situation for now. I might change that tone however if you don't rectify whatever is going on here. Especially if you end up with us at war with the rest of the Core Galaxy! It's your job, so do it right!"

Imladris rubbed his hiney and sighed. "At least one front won't be a problem."

"For now."

"Okay okay. Just realize I am 'not' your Father. As is also part of the Gaian Way, we all walk individual paths. And my path leads to the resurrection of what we all lost. Our 'past' selves' still are all alive and well you should know."

Isarra held her head at that. "That's another matter. Somehow... I feel unsettled knowing that."

"One step at a time then." ...came the stern yet level voice of the Valkyrian CIC. Lind and Isarra traded a strained look, as Imladris recognized. "Everything ready?"

"Aye. you wanted quick, and such we shalt do."

Imladris and Lind traded a good nod. Isarra then finally let off a more common facial expression... "One other thing to deal with when the time comes." ..with a smirk.

Imlade and Lind just looked back blankly, which Isarra just shook her head, then prodded. "Get going already."

"Right." ..and hit his wrist Comm. "Deania, teleport us up."

Words finally ended there as Lind and Imladris vanished. Isarra then turned and whispered.. "Wish Ryo-kun was here right now."

---

Belldandy and Keiichi were still in the Council chamber as they watched the local Tactica globe show a much larger concentration of Gaian vessels begin departing.

Keiichi just held Bell's hand. "Trust in him. It's what we were told to do."

Bell didn't hold that wish back. She however had a reservation.

---

":: Finally. ::"

Lady Creation nodded, sensing. "(~ Indeed. Finally. ~)"

OOC: Tag until I think of something to do with the transmission...know that I am watching...

Also, I will be gone from 1-16 December so I need to contemplate whether I really want to jump in this.

((OC- Eh, might not want too then if you have that long and all. Don't want to weigh this down too much yet, though I need to catch up the trigger plot here anyway. ))

---

It seemed out of place to have the Excellency Flag on a Knightwing cruiser, but Imladris had a plan. This as he Folded in alone, decently close to the deep well gravity line of the Sar`nor.

The crew, Lind included, held their breath.

Karl meanwhile imparted.. "Emerald Fleet and the Nadesico are still out of it."

Imladris just nodded. I`pa`thru responded. "The other fleets are in position, though..."

"I know. Outgunned we 'are'." Imaldris just agreed. Seeing the sight of the gleaming white behemoth (http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a346/GaianKnight/Midway/JourneyStar.jpg) just dominate all utter view to their fore. Even the glare of the white diamond composite hull structure just cast it's own ethereal glare, taking all sight of stars possibly seen away.

Lind quickly turned Imladris's mind away from the fear he was feeling with.. "We need to find a way on board."

Arandus then noted. "More than that. We're not Ionized."

The others didn't take long to guess at the meaning. Deania just 'helped'... ":: ~ I do believe we were expected. ~ ::"

"Stellar." Imladris just groaned, before the Comm holo-button on his left console. His voice boomed and echoed across the immediate communication waves with.. ":: ~ Journey Sar`nor. This is the so called 'False'. state your terminal intentions. ~ ::"

A 'voice' played back across all their mutual minds, the whole fleet combined, in kind... (~ Come to me and discover to your peril. If dare you unto. ~)"

Imaldris rubbed his chin, then felt a stiff hand on his shoulder. As 'kind' and 'supporting' Imaldris expected from Lind. Imaldris stood at that point. "We will, my Lind and I, teleport directly. It's still 'our' territory after all."

"But.." I`pa`thru stammered as expected, as was the stiff hand Imladris used to stop the same.

"I need to know for myself. Others might become further hostages as such stands.

Keep a cordon in case other civilization forces arrive. Warn them even we are outgunned a hundred thousand to one here. Never mind all those A-SSDs.

Just trust me." ..he finished with a calm look.

The others wished they could believe in it.

Lingun and Jilneas greeted the Gaian leaders, after their somewhat short trip. The two Ganoxians afterward began to step back into a sort of observation mode not wanting to step in unless attention turned to them, after all he didn't want to intrude on their argument. He noticed however that they were pretty much throwing almost everything they had at this Lady Creation. Probably he would defend the world while they were away at the front. At that very moment they turned their attention towards him.

Lind quickly snaps. "So am I.." ..and looks to the Ganoxians, while Imaldris looks to Belldandy and Keiichi first. "Hope you both can hold the fort here."

"We'll manage." Keiichi nods. Isarra then is looked sternly next.. "With me." ..as both she and Imladris head off to the Living quarters area behind the Council Chamber, while Lind imparts to the Ganoxians. "If you can, if your forces arrive in time and if needed as hoped not, you can coordinate with Lady Belldandy and Lord Keiichi with the defense

Lingun nodded, "We shall do our best in defending this system," he turned towards Belldandy and Keiichi, "My force is due to arrive in approximately twenty minutes. With your permission, I will place the artillery ships as a shell around the world and provide immediate defense from all fronts. The rest of the battlegroups will concentrate on each of their own respective fronts."

((OC- Hold over post, need to do a full one tomorrow/later/something... ))

---

Belldandy bowed. "We appreciate most honorably your assistance. We only hope your own world won't be attacked for helping us." ..this while Keiichi looked over the remaining defenses. Forty Starbase grade Gravity Cannons, thirty various other myriad defense measures, not counting the Gate-Shield planetoid grid, and other 'inventive' defenses.

They still held over eighty percent of their fleet inSystem, though most were still in drydock berths.

Course against the Sar`nor assets, a full force assault was a 1000 to 1 affair at best.

They just hoped their 'best' defenses would equalize things efficiently enough. If the Third Space battle data was any help, Keiichi held hope.

They just had to wait, and.... hope.

A quiet enough teleport over.

"Too quiet." Lind quipped, Imaldris nodded. "Was expecting a violence gratuitous filled fight here."

The two, weapons produced at the ready, Imaldris's robes replaced with his more knightly combat version, look around within the wide open, brilliantly lit interior of the Command Core Sector of the Sar`nor. Around them was essentially a Command Core central that made up every large scale Gaian asset, from Palace Trees on worlds and Dimensional Fortresses to A-SSDs and Sar`nors.

Walkways leading to massive Sector Control Platforms and Stations of all kinds, holoscreens and hologlobes floating everywhere in every size imaginable, the sight of the stars beyond where locational view allowed through all of that hardware, where the titanic viewpanes, seamless extended for kilometers beyond all sight. The colors of brilliant white, striking points of blue, green, red and more shone everywhere, a pearlescent aura permeating everything. It all made for an environment that seemed to want to defeat the dour mood that was of this arrival.

Lind just remarked. "A Class Ten version, the largest Sar`nor class we have."

Imaldris nodded, looking around for the one thing missing. "Lord Excellency Aleaic must have Brian Cached this doozy before the War Exodus. Must had been prepared in case they failed in the early going. Wonder what else was left behind, considering how large even the original Guardianship was before the same Exodus."

"One exodus for another in the end."

Both said little else, until Imladris growled. "Okay, these things are usually chalk full of citizen souls."

"(~ They are on the lower levels. Away from our Trial. ~)"

The voice just came from all around, as if right next to them. The author however was not as acquiescing in presence. Imladris just clenched his blade grip, the conventionally formatted Blue Diamond blade shaking just enough for Lind to impress. "If she wishes a confrontation..."

Imladris just stepped off and headed towards a 'sense' he had, expecting the Primary Control Platform Section would be the apprapo place. However the next thing he hears is a shimmering teleport sound. He spins around in time to see... "LIND!!" ...vanish!

Arch-Commander Serene just watched the scanners. ":: How no one else has arrived yet is either fortune or purely strange. ::"

A Valkyrian of blond hair just asked.. "You think the warning is real?"

Serene just looked away. If that had to be answered, they'd all be in trouble.

A galaxy's worth.

---

Lind simply was teleported into the midst of about two hundred various droids, even a few Spider models and one MS-Droid automated type.

She just sighed. "Please."

---

Imaldris walked ahead calmly. After seeing Lind teleported, he realized what a mistake that probably was. The thought of some trap being probably ripped apart made Imalde chuckle some.

Entering the Command Sector, denoted by the sight of all the walkways starting to centralize towards a fore section with far more starscape readily visible, as well as extra large holo-projections in the immediate area...

...one he recognized. "Core."

"(~ Your new homeworld was easy to find. ~)" ..still nearby, yet not with sight of accompanying. Imaldris looked around as if he could discern. "Do you intend harm to others, fully knowing this is against everything Gaians stand for?"

"(~ Am I such a one? Events seem to determine differently.

Welcome to one of your own. ~)"

The next thing Imaldris hears, is a good and heavy stride of mechanical feet. One head turns left to the sight of a less than heartening sight. Something eleven feet tall with a metallic and snarly attitude just dropped it all another notch.

"Hmm... an older model. Much so."

The Droid General just snips back. ":: ~ Do not be so superior. Lady Creation was kind enough to enhance all my capabilities. ~ ::"

A right mechanical hand reforms into a very lethal energy blade. The left along with quickly after.

Imaldris just snaps out in the open. "I did 'not' come here to fight!"

":: ~ You do not have a choice. ~ ::"

Imaldris just sneered and shoved forward his hand, a good Hikari Burst push throws the General back a great distance. Imaldris then sighs. "Why does this feel refabricated." ..before a heavy trample hears the Droid General returning with a great fury! Before the droid reaches, he leaps a great distance.

Imladris manages to avoid a severe double over swing slash that severs the walkway they were on in a split X cut! Landing on a intact section further behind, he reforms his blade while avoiding a number of swift blade swings, before finally parrying another double thrust.

"Whatever happened to plain old fashioned talking amongst friends?"

":: THIS! ::" ..with a good side kick!

OCC: are you ascneded beings?

((OC- Mostly. Obviously not the Droids or Synthetics, but the organic ones essentially are with all their high tech and knowledge exposure over the thousands of centuries. The higher Powers beyond that and the Council up that one 'better' of a sort.

Just don't expect all that pacifist hand off stuff all the Sci-fi shows try to press. Course most of the time, even with the Ascendant Avians and Angelics, one might not really notice since Gaians try to act as common as anyone else in the Universe. (Not sure how other civilizations would treat that though.)

Sorta like ascended acting like they really don't need to be, until it's required, and all that. Hard to explain I guess. =^^= ))

I was goign to ascend my charecter(hes evil and has replaced most of his peple with clones of himself) So i wnted to have him interact with other ascended beings.

((OC- Well, depends on who else in NS 'ascended' as well. For my part, being embroiled in this War won't give much time for chit chat unless you had an ulterior motive in mind. =^^=

Need to save next post for plot, if ye don't mind. ))

Flares of energy blades clashed with severe sounds of battle, as Imaldris kept falling back due to the literal weight of the Droid General's saber blows. The height advantage the General had didn't help either. Nor the limited walkway space, among other concerns.

Imaldris however used one advantage to use, as he blocked one parry, and then roll thrust forward barely clipping the Droid's left leg apparatus, but not much else as the General sidestepped in time. Imaldris ran back to where they started, leaping back over the gaping hole in the walkway to try and buy time.

Hardly.. "Dang it!" ..as he spin rolls backward to avoid another leaping high double over slash. The General just snips.. ":: Not outmatched yet are we? ::"

Imladris just looked and then took stance for the next assault. The General complied and started a new parry sequence. Imaldris this time however went with two smooth motions and blocked each blade before sliding down and cutting off both blades in swift succession. The General stamped backwards in surprise, but then snipped again. ":: Nice tactic. But you should know better. ::"

Imaldris watched warily, as the General then snapped the arms into two pairs, then disconnecting two 'more' arms from his leg structures, which slide up to the low abdomen, while retroactively replacing the two cut blades with two new ones! Imaldris gulps.. "Well that's annoying."

Imaldris then leapt back and reformed his blade into a double energy version, and had to use all his speed to keep up with THAT many blades at once!! This lasted for a good way, before Imaldris just got fed up and double burst forward with his palm, Hikari Pushes that hit the General's chest cavity, and lower chin, almost throwing the General all the way back to the cut walkway section, before the Synthetic snaps his 'toes' down and drags to a screeching stop.

Imaldris didn't wait this time and was starting to rush forward. He however soon sees the General react to another humanoid form, one that just WHACKS the Droid clean off the walkway, even as her own teleport beam finished reforming her! Imaldris screeches to a stop.. "Lind! About time."

Lind just eyes over plainly. "Well sorry. It was only a Trinary's worth of Synthetics I had to fritter off."

Imaldris then stops and plucks a Droid sprocket of some kind from Lind's hair. "You got Synthe-fluid on your suit." ..before Lind wipes at Imaldris's melon. "Yeah, good going blocking those blade shots with your head."

"Har ha.... EH!?!?"

Before they can react, Lind is suddenly SHOVED by a compeltely unexpected form from goddesses knows where, as Lind is seen falling into the depths with a form Imaldris recognizes!!! "...wait.. that was...!? ACK!!" ..just before the Droid General is seen leaping back to have at him!!

":: Keep your focus on me False!! ::"

Imaldris catches two blades but then body blocks into the Droid, and literally body wrench roll throws the General over him to a hard backside landing! Imaldris snaps in kind.. "The name is Imaldris Kerenska! Learn it!!" ..and shoves down his own blade!!

Lind meanwhile can't believe.... "But.... but where did.....!?!?"

The new foe just sneers back through her platinum tresses.

Her eyes began to flutter open, the last thing she remembered as her mind woke from a fuzzy....

...wait... why am I hearing energy blades? Sounds like.... fighting..... I...

Yurika's eyes SNAP open, though a few moments of focusing are needed to see the sight of a very lethal looking energy blade battle. She looks around and sees..

"(~ You have awaken to an opportune time. ~)"

Yurika... "How are we on... the Sar`nor...... eh? GASP! Akito!?"

Imaldris afar hears the sudden screech and looks, and gets clobbered in the ribs for it, landing a good few meters away, a heavy blade scar on his white of gleam battle armor.

The General stomps menacingly untoward.. ":: You find distraction all too easy. Please continue for my sake. ::"

A new Hikari Push stuns the General into a body spin, before crashing to it's back, with Imaldris clashing his fore blade into three of the General's blocking own. Imaldris growls.. "Exploit away then."

The walkway to the mutual right of them suddenly EXPLODES, throwing both clear to the far left edge of the same walkway!! Through the debris shoot two forms, as Lind chases after an ENTIRELY unexpected foe, both landing about ten walkway-stories up, Lind landing to a knee, as she fights through her disbelief.

Her foe just snips.. "As violent as ever."

"You should know. Student and Master and all that."

The platinum tressed, white on blue bodysuit, flapping, shredded robes about her from ages of battle, all of which was never repaired from her cloth, save for sake of decency, such as how Makoto complained one time after one invasion mission. She wished to hear that voice again.

Lind saw the semi-far off look on her Master's facade and gulped. That's not a good sign. She then asked.. "How long have you been here Ifurita?"

The Advisor of the Grand Tactica just remarked all too coolly. "Five years."

"A longer temporal jump than ours?"

"Long enough alone."

Lind gulped more. Ifurita just clenched her ancient Key Staff, her bloodline the apex of the Angel Gods, and the further progenitors of the current Valkyrians, a steel gaze that barely hid a terrible pain of loss. One Lind knew was driving her brutal attacks, not with abandon, but with too much focus.

Ifurita just snarled.. "Five years. Three more as it turns out, no word. Of you?"

Lind shook her head regretfully... "No. Makoto is not amongst us."

Lind BARELY got her guard up in time as Ifurita showed that wrath as her Staff and Lind's Axe clashes hard enough to pulse wave the very air visibly!! Lind gritted her teeth and managed out.. "Why?"

"I found this place! I found a directed purpose! I am no less or more convinced as Lady Creation is! Your love has his own test. Yours is with me!"

Lind's next living minute was one of the hardest fought of her existence!!

As more than one area above exploded in great gamuts, and Imladris managed to flip himself over the walkway edge, and flip further away at that in time to keep from being a paraplegic! The General didn't halt there as the fight finally grew close to the Command Platform, a good football field sized Sector that acted the same, as the far smaller versions on the A-SSD's did, save for needed operational space due to the Sar`nor's mammoth size. The four hostages were held in shimmering blue null fields, their heads barely moving enough to recognize each other, as Akito, Ruri and Hori started waking up from Yurika's scream!

Akito.. "Man Yurika.. you could wake the dead from... HOLY $#!%!!" Akito blared off a rare curse, as Imaldris blocked unintentionally, a blade shot from the General, that could have cleaved the four outright if left alone! Imaldris just managed a chide.. "Poor lingo form bud." ..before grunting off the General's blades, and leaping away to give the hostages some breathing room!

Ruri by now was as aware as everyone else of the immediate situation! "It would seem we've seen better situations."

"Quite." ..the other three managed.

Creation meanwhile knew it was about time.

Lingun waited by the viewport in the Belldandy's bridge, looking out into the blackness of the empyrean looking for any sign of the two battlegroups traveling. Lingun sighed, he was once again commanding the two battlegroups during a hostile situation. He pondered on why such circumstances had to happen but concluded it can't be helped. Such as the way of the universe he supposes to himself mentally. Lingun can be considered one who grows weary of war, much like most of the Ganoxians that lived through such times of turmoil. For hundreds of years wars had ravaged Old Ganoxa until one force its very inhabitants off in a mass Exodus. Yet the people were determined to survive, even if it means they were to fight in more and more wars, they would press on. Now Lingun just waits. And waits.

Soon the two battlegroups began to enter the system. Lingun walked back to the TacDis and was met by the two group commanders, Mid Admirals Esteed and Mishina, who saluted as the Lingun sat down. Lingun saluted them back and explained the situation to them. Both acknowledged and entered their own suggestions towards the plan. Lingun considered some of their suggestions and began to work with them on the defense plans. First and foremost the Keitaros would be deployed in a spherical grid around the planet. The two battlegroups will provide support for allied forces in the area, supporting their flanks.

With that concluded the Artillery ships began to maneuver around the planet and began to shore up defenses.

"Captain Lingun to Lady Belldandy. My force has arrived and will begin to shore up defenses against a possible attack. Your advice on our placement will be greatly helpful if you have any."

":: Captain Lingun to Lady Belldandy. My force has arrived and will begin to shore up defenses against a possible attack. Your advice on our placement will be greatly helpful if you have any. ::"

Belldandy heard the Comm from the Advisory console, with Keiichi just responding for her with a simple holo-button touch. "Uh... just place your units as you best see fit. Hope we don't have to use them."

"I fear we may." ...this Keiichi looked up from, as Bell looked down somberly. Keiichi... "What....?"

Belldandy only responded. "I feel.... cold. The flow of things feels stifled...

Almost an emotionless thing. Describing it...."

"He's going to fail...." ...making both look to Isarra's form, as the despondent finishes... "...isn't he?"

Belldandy just responds.. "I don't know. And while I do not wish the same of my son..."

The air became ever more uneasy in that chamber.

----

The twin duels looked ready to ruin the Sar`nor Command Sector in it's immense entirety! But as this continued, two of the combatants being challenged began to tire of all this very readily!

Lind started first...

Her Axe blow the catalyst. "Is this anger unto no end!?"

Ifurita just snarled. "I've little else to tide me!"

Lind saw that the fight would just wear them both down to some dire end. She tried to belay that with a strange tactic, as she shot out her Soul Partner to try and catch Ifurita off guard!

She however found her Soul Partner matched, as Ifurita's Soul Partner matched Lind's wrestling grip! Both were clutched at the hands, Lind's atypical one, save for one glaring omission, verses Ifurita's platinum winged, and steel hair colored version...

Ifurita and Core just stared down Lind and Cool Mint direly! Ifurita with her Staff locked to Lind's Axe just snipped.. "You still haven't done it yet."

Lind for 'once' felt unhinged enough, for Ifurita to recognize and use this into a body throw of disappointment! Ifurita slammed her voice along with... "AFTER THIS LONG!?!?"

Imaldris, still locked in battle with the Droid General, almost gets creamed by this act, as Lind crashes right behind him! Imalde as expected.. "LIND!?" ..before the General tries 'again' to push... ":: Join her!! ::"

Imaldris blocks one more parry, but throws his own fury into first a Hikari Burst, and then as the General screeches to a stop again, Imaldris explodes out his own Soul Partner Evolution and immediately chants... ":: Bind in pull of Crush!! ::"

The General tries to move, but just is smashed down to his armored belly, as an intense gravity field just smacks him down like a tritanium weight!

Before Imaldris can react further... ":: Beads of the primordial puncture!!! ::"

Lind manages to leap up in time for her part to have her own Spell! ":: Ice of deflection!! ::" ..and has Cool Mint throw up a strong ice shield, in time to avoid her and Imladris being cut down by a torrent of chrome-iron 'bullets' of a sort! The Walkway below them becomes crackled, making Imaldris grab Lind and leap them both clear of another ruined walkway section! They land just a few meters before the four captives, as Ifurita lands before them.

Imladris feels a deathly chill... "But...... why?...... you too?!"

Ifurita just looks level unto back. "Impressed I am not."

A General SLAMS back near, the spell not enough to cream the advanced droid unit to shatters.. ":: Nor I. ::"

"(~ Nay as well, says of I ~)"

The last makes Imladris look, as Creation finally appears before them all, an eye only lain on one present. One of contempt if description holds. Lind looks up, trying not to let her broken rib complicate matters, as Cool Mint holds her up next to a stunned 'False'.

Imladris just snaps, almost begging.. "Please stop this!"

Creation just keeps eyeing him.

For a moment it is all it seems She does.

The next shocks everyone, moreso Imaldris himself, when the goddess uses some kind of immense force to yank Imladris to her right hand, and essentially hold him in a grip, well above the deck floor, a strength that outstrips her lithe form to a struggling effect!

"(~ You really do not understand do you? ~)"

Lind watches with a growing panic, as Imladris struggles out.. "What.... urk... am I.... gurk... not.... gccckkkhhh..."

Creation holds him just long enough, for Lind to lash out, Yurika yelling.. "Lind! No wait!"

Creation does nothing, as Ifurita shoots in and smacks Lind into a side Command console station with strong effect, nullifying Lind's attempt!

"Release me!!!"

Ifurita says zilch.

Creation returns gaze fully on Imaldris, considering...

Imaldris however acts as his eyes flare for a split second and a large Hikari Bubble like Burst lets him break from Creation's grip! Everyone is surprised enough to allow Imladris a gasping respite for a second.

"(~ Potential. ~)"

"WHAT THE GLORY OF ALL BLAZES DO YOU WANT OF ALL THIS!?!?!"

Creation just weathers the torrent before slitting her eyes. "(~ My Transmission told all you need know. ~)"

"Not enough to unravel an intent to harm apparently so many. Is that the 'potential' you seek?"

Creation looks away to the starscape beyond. Imaldris finally stands as She imposes. "(~ To find one in place of another, so similar to the point, yet dissimilar that I cannot blame for. Your predecessor had might, but not foresight. Not enough to heed me.

Not enough to an end you 'False' now represent. The death of dreams. ~)"

"We're not dead yet. If you want to blame me so much, go ahead. Just save all of that for 'me' alone. Do not involve anyone else, even if my life means no more pain for 'our' kin."

Creation looks back over her shoulder. "(~ Just them? ~)"

Imaldris just looks downward. "You know of our ways."

Creation's response. "(~ You presume so much of my allegiance. ~)" ..this Imladris looks up in shock, as Creation impresses.. "(~ I am a Power, not a Gaian. A true Power would know better.

To think one not properly of one would sit in the seat not fit for him. ~)"

"Is that what this is about!? A title of such that becomes a threat to others FOR!? If that is so, I can abdicate all easily if that is what..." ..the response is cut brutally short as Creation smacks Imladris telekinetically across the face!

"(~ An easy method of escape that would be. No, your fate is sealed as it is, and I intend to ensure it's final cast is palled over all you hold dear.

Until you understand what it is I summoned you here for, you are 'not' proper in my eye. It is enough reason for me to see this galaxy burn in 'your' name! ~)"

Imaldris held his breath. Not because of what he was hearing, but because something in the voice plied under all that. Something too clear. The others watch in various waiting states. Even Ifurita was suddenly uncertain...

This made seeing Imladris suddenly lunge at Creation doubly shocking! Imaldris's energy blade however is caught directly in Creation's left hand, with no apparent harm whatsoever.

Which was not the intent, as Imladris looks into Creation's eyes.

He sees.... something.

Creation snaps at this act with.. "(~ I take this, as your declaration after all. ~)"

Before anyone can react further, Creation then uses her formal powers to outright displace not only they, the hostages, the combatants, save one other present...

..but the very fleets Imaldris sent with him...

---

Ras shoots her head forward! "What do you mean they are all back!?"

A Comm-tech Valkyrian just repeats.. "The missing fleets, Imladris's own as well along with... they..."

Ras has to let the thought just settle in...

---

...as does, when Belldandy yelps.. "Son?!?"

Imaldris looks around, as he, Yurika and her group, and Lind all stand formally in the Council chamber. Imladris however just quips.. "This.... is bad."

---

":: You let them go? ::"

Creation just remains still, staring blankly it seems. She then responds..

"(~ Send out the first wave now. Prepare to fold this vessel to the prearranged coordinates.

Let there be a War. ~)"

The Droid General sends the first orders.

---

Keiichi just BLINKS... "If... IFURITA!??!"

Lind stabs over a look as the said Advisor just eyes over. "Your voice is as tenored as ever."

"And of your loyalty?" Lind asks, harsh enough to not let an idea of a joyful reunion even entrench. Ifurita just eyes back. "To none."

She then 'thinks' and suddenly teleport vanishes. Belldandy raises a hand, but Imladris stops with.. "Let her go."

Keiichi asks.. "To where?"

Imaldris doesn't have time to guess on that. First, comes the trample as I`pa`thru leads fore of Arandus and Karl into the Chamber! "Sir!!"

Imaldris raises a hand. "Calm. We're fine." ..not that he looks it.

Karl looking over at Lind of particular note.. "Are you sure?" ..as Lind leans on an Advisor seat, her head halting from it's earlier bleeding. "Worry not please. The nanites are catching up."

And then.....

...the klaxons....

Everyone in the chamber looks up as voice of Command Core spikes in.. ":: ~ Council! Several large fleets just popped into the System! They... what... they're our ships!!! They... ~ ::" ..just before a shudder is felt way to the planet's surface, into the Council Chamber, enough to make the Advisors grab onto something to keep from falling! Then adds... ":: ~ CRUD! Foundation torpedoes just hit the Primary and secondary docks! We... we're taking fire all over the System!! ~ ::"

Keiichi gulps.. "Not a good trip I take it."

Imaldris.. "Worst ever.

Activate all Defenses!!!"

---

In space, the Ganoxians barely had enough time to get into position, before the first C-faction forces, twenty fleets in all of about thirty approximate vessels each, two-thirds droid controlled from massive Kushan type Motherships leading, begin a protracted initial surprise strike, several Foundation torpedoes taking a good chunk of the still heavily loaded dockyards!

All over the system in short order, the stars turn aflame!

Lingun looked at the incoming torpedoes baring down on his fleet, some of the destroyers were caught off guard as their shields were beginning to power up, obliterating them in glorious fireballs. The rest of the fleet just got theirs up in time and began to return fire at the enemy ships that entered the system. Lingun observed that his Keitaros were in position to fire. He looked over at Jilneas, "Artillery is to fire at will."

"Yes sir," Jilneas began relaying the orders to the rest of the fleet. Keitaro artillery ships began to turn their large creation cannons towards the enemy fleet, charging up their creation engines, drawing energy from i-space. A ambiance of bluish white light began to form at the edge of the cannons, increasing in magnitude until the energy was released, forming into a wide beam (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONqzSPN0HAE)lancing out into the void. This process was performed simultaneously amongst the near two hundred units of artillery.

((OC- Ah, Star Ocean was one of my favorites. =^^= ))

---

The first few moments of the war was chaos incarnate. The main problem was Gaian type craft firing on Gaian type craft and assets. essentially everyone was firing at random, not sure what target was what! The Ganoxian fire semi-helped, though the Dimensional Shields of the older force brethren was still a tough nut to crack, having been used to the Eternal War in the first place, not to mention the opening days of the Dark Ascendancy war.

Worse, three more enemy Fleet groups Folded in at the edge of the System, to begin bringing invasion grade forces.

Civilian star traffic just ran to the nearest Starbase or planetary station, anywhere that seemed neutral, as the amount of fire only increased. Too many already were caught in the initial volleys, as Home CAG Command scrambled everything they had to fend off the first attack wave!

--

For Imaldris's part, this time he just went right to the one ship that mattered. The A-SSD Ascendancy warship.

Lind of course was all but stitched right beside him as both reached the Command Platform. "The Foundation weapons did some extensive damage, twenty percent of the dock is..."

"We need to change the IFF Command codes quick."

Lind nodded as she quickly read Imladris's mind. "On it." ..as both started racing over Command Consoles.

Arch-Commander Serene's voice then came over Comm.. ":: ~ What's the plan sire? ~ ::"

Imladris didn't have the time to doubt the semantics of that. "I'm changing over the Command IFF codes for the whole of Command. Might as well be firing blind at each other at this point. As soon as the IFF changes over, go to Pattern Defense Grid One and Two simultaneously! And arm the Nanites that Washu developed from Preen's data matrix.

It's our only chance."

Lind looked over as Serene.. ":: ~ Acknowledged Excellency. ~ ::"

Lind then responded.. "At least you haven't shut down on us."

Imaldris just stopped for a second. "It's not her."

Lind blinked at that, before a heavy explosive tremble makes them all look, with Lind gritting her teeth. "We do have furious assault tactics." ..as no less than six Droid Control Battleships Fold, comprising the remainder of overlap of the First and Second waves. Imaldris hits a Comm button.. "All forces expect planetary invasion! All forces comply!"

Imaldris then added.. "At least the Foundation missiles have that required waiting period between uses. Foundation over ripple Schisms would be bad for this whole Galactic Quadrant."

Lind asked the obvious then. "Why not hit the Star? Or overwhelm us on the inital strike? It's our tactics after all."

Imaldris nodded. "Yes. It's 'our' tactics. We aren't that overpowering like 'that'. Plus... they held back."

The sight of a Gaian SSD starting to head their direction though made them both cringe. Lind alluded.. "If you say so."

---

Everywhere one had the courage to look, Gaian military hardware was just flooding out as C-faction forces tried to overwhelm their new 'foe' on the immediate stroke.

Not that one very war lusting Order faction was going to have at 'that'!!

---

Ras just glimmered her battle eye as her Valkyrian Class warship just screamed into the blazing wave!! "HAVE AT THEE OF WHOMEVER!!!"

This as her cruiser raced past a now badly damaged Duck blind control station. Automated planetoids raced by to find targets as a C-faction ISD kept pummeling away at the station.

The Duck blind started to fail.

Lingun watched the TacDis as the first moments of the war unfolded. The creation cannons, the best the Ganoxian Navy had to offer, was rebuffed. Lingun tried to console with the possibility of launching a missile strike but those shields made him withdraw that consideration, he eyed the Carriers as they began to launch fighters from their bulkheads and Shield fighters poured out of the rest of the fleet. He looked over to Jilneas, concentrating on the tactical display in front of her, fiddling with the stylus on the PDA. He looked over at the artillery ships on HoloDis 4. "Concentrate all creation cannons on that large vessel. If we can't get past those shields with just a few then we'll try all of them," he pointed at the ship closing in on the Ascendancy.

"Relaying orders now sir!" Jilneas yelled out leaning over to the techies at comms.

Keitaros ceased their fire and synchronized with each other, turning their large cannons towards the rather large vessel. Like clockwork, they fired simultaneously, sending wide beams, towards the greater part of the ship. From afar it could be noticed that the beams would form a crude spider web as beams seemed to crisscross each other as the artillery was spread out.

It did the trick. The older Gaian tech base had enough of a flaw to allow being overpowered, even Dimensional Shields had enough limitation. The future generations that faced them now saw the SSD get cleaved through with a deadly lance. The blast caught several of the ZPC main conduit feeds and cascaded it into severing much of the ship, the rest causing an internal ionic pulse that nulled the remainder of the SSD.

Lind saw this.. "Nice shot."

Imladris saw however the hull was still heading towards them. He reactively raised Evolution out from himself and chanted.. ":: Defeat the bonds as if the day of Genesis held Gravity in the Four Rings. ::"

A shimmering 'warping' field then encapsulates the massive vessel, and takes it's momentum away, before the field collapses. Imaldris has to grab the console before him for a moment. Lind grabs reflexively...

"Nay nay, Soul Spells take something out of a host, pushing it we are as it is."

Lind gulps. "We can't lose you at a time like this. Got me?"

Imaldris just stares.. "Get those Shields up meanwhile."

Lind looks over and then STABS a Comm button.

---

Keiichi reacts to the following message.. "Get the planetary shields up!" ...this Belldandy just mini-teardrops. "A calmer voice works just as well Keiichi dear."

"Sorry." ..an ancient mode character trait still ever present.

---

*Equatorial Coreworld Shield Coordination Center*

An Avian of bright gold feathers just smacks out.. "~ Raise the Planetary defense shield! Coordinate with outgoing defensive traffic of this status!! ~

As a result, the main Coreworld, and the two supporting colony effective worlds, raised an interlacing system layering of Dimensional Shields, massive white-blue Shield screens that rise to the high atmosphere border with space, blocking all effective traffic, with only those with the next augmentation, allowed through.

All others were fodder to the stellar wind if they collided with it. The C-faction invasion forces saw this and had to pause their attack.

---

Imladirs finished tapping into his console, after his Soul spat. "And... there... we.... are!" ..a final holo-button sequence to lock it in. "IFF Command Codes changed. Uploading now."

Lind responds.. "It'll take a couple of minutes."

":: ~ The torpedoes are configured. ~ ::"

Imaldris responds to the Comm.. "Wait till the IFF change over, or we'll hit our own ships."

Just then a series of bright flares takes their vision, the first the sight of a C-faction McKenna warship slamming into a Home force High-Mobile Cruiser, both ZPC cores rupturing into an implosion cascade, before both dumped inert, and the Hikari Seed teleporting from the H-M Cruiser, before then two Fold signatures dump on top of the A-SSD, with the sight of two A-SSD Emperor Ascendancy Class warships making good on standard Gaian doctrine.

Lind quipped.. "This is going to hurt."

The Ascendancy-refugee ship started getting pounded at by the two one hundred kilometer behemoths. Even the 500 km 'target' was going to have a bad time 'here'!

About ten or so Forellia-class battleships (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/ForelliaBattleshipMkII.jpg) began to move in flanking the two ships, along with their cruiser (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/Morisato-classCruiser.jpg) and destroyer escorts, which was at a 1:2:4 ratio respectively, and firing their broadside guns, with their main turrets facing their enemy. Streams of slugs began to pour from the 1200 meter battleships and company into the two gigantic ships. Lingun hoped this would pose more of a diversion then an actual offensive as the creation cannons were prepping up for another salvo this time dividing their numbers evenly to attack the two ships, a hundred a piece. As the beams shot out little by little they seemed to be converging into two very wide beam, of which each maxed out at about a kilometer wide when hitting the ships.

Orelas-class carriers (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/FinishedOrelasTop.jpg) were still streaming out fighters into the battlefield, as well as simultaneously retrieving some for repairs, refits, and reloads. A couple squadrons of bombers began to make their way towards the group of battleships to assist them in assaulting the gigantic ships. Colonel Liona Terestal, wing commander and Halberd squadron leader, was setting up her attack run in her Mace bomber (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/HeavyBomber.jpg).

"Look at the size of those things!" her gunner, Alex Carrel yelled out.

"Calm down, already. Their not going to be that impressive when their smoldering wrecks. You fucking ready or what? If not I could just tu--"

"Yeah, yeah I'm ready, don't get your panties in a bunch, but that would be a lovely sight," he snickered.

"Aw, shut the fu--"

Klaxons began to ring through the cockpit, causing it too flash red, as Liona looked at her scopes to see that the creation cannons fired once more. She watched as the beams began to pass by her two squadrons.

"Well damn, their goes the party!" Alex yelled out.

"Orders are orders."

"We're still going to attack it?"

"Yep."

The squadron began to close in with the two ships despite the impressive attack by the Keitaros (http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/GeneralZhukov3333/KeitaroClassAP.jpg).

The Creation cannons indeed did impressive damage to where they struck the closest A-SSD Emperors, but unlike the SSD, the outright mass of the two 'lesser' A-SSDs were just too large to take any extensive damage, moreso due to shielding compartmentalization that all A-SSDs had standard.

Gaians were no fools against superlaser class weaponry.

Instead, the Gaian way was using A-SSDs for everything of every bit they were designed for. Such was after the latest Ganoxian volley was the superseded by an ENORMOUS dual broadside firing from both C-faction superships, against their even larger target!

The only thing halting an outright gutting, was a billion years in shield advancements. Not that it did much for teeth, as ALL those turbolaser and gamuts of angle laser shots just slammed away!

---

Lind almost had to hold onto them even. "Blast we armed them too well."

Imaldris wrenched himself back to his feet, a new head cut upon his brow from the same console. "Blame the ZPCs, we made them too effective even moreso."

Lind just hit the Comm button needlessly.. "Tell us those BLASTED nanites are firing already!"

":: ~ Almost, though we keep having to orient to get a shot even, the weapons fire keeps disrupting... ~ ::"

Lind hears Serene's voice stop, then snaps out.. ":: ~ Forget that crud! They're read... WHOA!! ~ ::"

"Commander Serene!"

Just then, despite the heavy, heavy barrage, both of them note the IFF codes finally are switching over. Imaldris grunts out.. "Thank the light they didn't target the Command Cores first." ..he then turns around. "I need a Stratega-Sitrep now!!"

The main super holo-globe viewer flicks over despite static from the pounding, with a relatively quick situational disposition report. Enough that Imaldris saw... "Invasion and A-SSD with starbase buster support near our assets. Two 'rings' of assault out from the fourth planet to the duck blind. If it still works.

The Planetary Shields made them halt their invasion tactic, probably saved them from further Foundation assaults."

Lind however remarked.. "I.. whoa! Dang it.. I don't think the planets would be hit like that. The invasion transports and warships indicate that much they want intact enough.

It's a standard shock and nullify attack we've always used to overwhelm enemy defenses. Some things don't change over the Eons."

"What isn't broke..." Imaldris remarks, and then sees part of the Dimensional Shield grid buckle finally, before it reforms dynamically, taking energy from other sections. Imaldris just hoped the refugee sections still not released from Regen units were alright.

"...before we are..." ..and yells out to active Comms.. "Target in mass spread patterns, whole using Ionics only. I want those Gaians on 'our' side. NOW!"

Lind looks over, but Imladris looks over despite a sudden background plasma arc-spark forth... "Hey, they're still us in the end."

":: ~ We're ready. ~ ::"

Imladris nods. "Standard Op. Standard Op Commanders."

---

Ras of note, was in a sort of Heaven. This was what MADE a Valkyrian, as her namesake Class cruiser waded through 'that' much firepower. The crew kept enough focus to fire where an obvious enemy vessel was firing on one of their own, since the C-faction didn't have Valkyrian warships.

"Keep showing them what for!!"

"Aye!" Responded from all around the Commander.

":: ~ Belay from too much. Prep for Nanite insertion. ~ ::"

Commander Ras knew Arch-Commander Serene was responding to the Order. Ras just remarked back over Comm.. "COMMON!! We're in a groove here!"

A holo-screen of the Angelic Commander pops up before Commander Ras. ":: ~ Just follow Ops already lady. ~ ::"

Ras just grunts and smacks her console. "Fine. Whatever. Comply ladies."

The mix of despondent replies around her told an unusual amount of 'reservation' of said orders. Of course after two years it was natural, for them anyway.

After observing the initial volley on HoloDis 3, Lingun turned over to Jilneas who was relaying more orders to intel. "Spread out the artillery's attack. I want those shields down to begin boarding with the Arm Slaves."

"Sir we have two squadrons of bombers beginning their attack run!" she replied.

"Once the bombers release their payload reroute them to another area, then unleash the artillery."

"Yes sir."

Liona cracked her knuckles and her neck, and pressed an on button. Music (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCHD5Qudqc0) started to fill the cockpit, as Liona began to bob her head as the guitar kicked in.

"Hell yeah!" she heard Alex yell out.

"Well as the Dornies say, Leeeroy Jeeeeenkins," she dipped the stick and accelerated the throttle, speeding to the large ships firing on the even larger one. All around her, Ganoxian naval vessels fire more and more armament into the large ships, flak bursts appearing everywhere. She tightened the formation lining up for the attack aiming for what appeared to be a bridge of some sort. "Target is locked, arming nukes."

"Roger that," she confirmed

The bombers began to close in, one by one unleashed their payloads upon the ships. Liona pulled up and sped off towards the carrier for reloading, hoping that the others had an easier time.

Meanwhile creation cannons were firing simultaneously once again, this time spreading out their attacks across the mass of the ships instead of one point like in the previous attack.

The Ganoxian vessels and star craft were getting noticed soon enough, as the bomber attack run ran into heavy shielding, as well as nullification defenses that dealt specifically with nucleonic weaponry.

A few warheads that managed to get past the powerful shields, hit an ejection dispersal field that accelerated nuclear decay, as well as dispersing the shockwaves back into the Dimensional Shield arrays that dispersed the attack further. What effects that managed through all of this, only blistered the hull, as further shields 'among' the viewports and within the habitable hull kept all such high energy particles from affecting much at all.

The need of many mellenium of fighting near very active stars to keep DA forces from annihilating Solar Stars and accompanying Star Systems, demanded such a need from such a long time horrid enemy. Here the effect dealt with something Gaian just viewed as a crude form of warfare.

The Nucleonic and Creation cannon fire got too much attention, as a number of C-faction warships began bearing down on the Home-faction ally. Almost everywhere at once, such were the sheer numbers. Enemy ISDs, High-Mobiles and Clan-SLDF hull makes just bore away, though this gave a bit of breathing room, as Home-force vessels were making approach for their own unique assault. As this was happening, enormous Ionic cannon shots came in from several points across the Star System, as Heavy Cannon StarPlatforms began responding at last.

This while a good three Star Wings of droid starfighters began bearing down on the Ganoxian craft.

"We have incoming!" Jilneas yelled out.

"Creation cannons are to fire at will!" Lingun ordered, watching the artillery on the TacDis performing his command, each grouping up into twenty five units each firing simultaneously at the ships coming towards them. He was a bit concerned that the initial volleys from the creation cannons have not even made a dent in the shielding, wondering what the hell he could do other than being a distraction at this point.

"Sir, we are detecting enemy fighters. A whole mess of them heading towards us."

Lingun looked at another holodisplay looking at the position of the fighters as they began to close in. That really didn't bode well with him, "Have the carriers open fire with a missile barrage send in interceptors to mop up. Recall all bomber squadrons and refit them for anti fighter combat. Move the destroyers and cruisers into screening positions."

"Yes sir."

A few seconds later all thirty carriers began to open their missile tubes for a launch. Each carrier had about 864 missile tubes capable of launching a multitude of missiles such as micro-missile pods, Diamond Boron missiles, or MDBMs. At this moment due to the target rich environment, the carriers have selected the micro-missile pods, with each pod carrying about a hundred each. Simultaneously the carriers (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxml4TtIX2I) fired their missiles towards the three wings of fighters, of which soon the hundreds of pods turned into hundreds of thousands of micro-missiles.

The carrier missiles did a better job than the ones targeting the capitals, as quite a number of Droid fighters were destroyed in the onslaught...

...which were replaced by 'more' of them, as new, successive waves kept coming, as the C-faction forces in the area decided to make an example of the Ganoxian allied force. Mopping up however wasn't the Gaian tactical way, as more mowing down with a near literal wall of firepower in effective force was how Gaians won their battles, especially during the ancient Eternal War, when ejecting enemy Dark Eternal forces from whole Galactic Sectors became standard need, before follow on forces finished enemy Dark Eternals off.

The tactic was used more 'heavily' in the successive Dark Ascendancy War. The tactic hadn't changed much as did few Gaian tactics did. And the amount of C-faction forces nearby meant the Ganoxians were 'not' going to like the result. Ganoxian firepower did an effective job where they 'could' cause damage, as one C-faction ISD took a massive firepower brunt at one point, however the end result seemed to be looming down their throats.

And this was only a bare fraction relatively as even Home forces struggled to get a footing. This before the sight that came next, would end this battle severely quick!

---

Imaldris watched out the massive viewport, as a tri-formation of Valkyrian cruisers came at a hard pass, and started firing torpedoes with a weird green-red glow mix to them. They aimed at both Emperor Ascendancy A-SSDs, before one was hit by angle laser fire. Lind reported as she held on to her console. "Nanite torpedoes are firing."

Imaldris nodded, just before the Command Sector seemed to EXPLODE all around them!

---

In static patterns, lacing through all that weapons fire, Valkyrian lead vessels along with surviving Home force patrol screens, started firing their Nanite Insurgent torpedoes. A wide spread weapon technology that was refitted after the information after the Ahb Third Space battle, in case another nation tried to take advantage of the Gaian's inherit current weaknesses, to fall in line with the Ionic nullification weapon standard, the Nanite were encoded with supremely invasive algorithms that would all but 'cover' the original vessel's computer programming, no matter what version, with the Gaian's own imperative version, essentially rewriting all codes to make the enemy vessel inert.

The only catch was either time, or if the enemy knew what was coming. And since only the Ahb possibly knew of the technology, the key of surprise was paramount.

Again, it was time as the problem.

As more fighters came at them, more pods flew out, with even more missiles flying out of them. Replicators were working non-stop to actively produce the pods ensuring a steady supply for the carriers launchers. Some fighters began to slip through only to be caught up in the massive flak walls put up by the cruisers and destroyers. Lingun sat back in his chair however noticing that every enemy ship was bearing down on his fleet. Suddenly the enemy began to take fire from somewhere, as Lingun noticed a group of allies coming in. He sighed with relief and began to wonder why some of the ships began to stop firing.

"Cancel the bomber refit, revert back to Anti-Ship weapons. Send in all squadrons into battle. Arm Slaves are to be prepped and ready for battle."

Thousands of fighters began to stream out into the enemy fleet engaging whatever they could. Bombers made their attack runs against the ships while interceptors and superiority fighters began to engage fighters. Missiles still poured out from the carriers to cover the fighters approach as well as creation energy being poured into the capital ships. Lingun didn't expect that this would do much but it was all he had to work with. If anything they could at least cause more distractions among the enemy fleet.

Ras's cruiser ran with two others as the passed through two Home faction VSDs and one ISD pounding upon pounding away against four C-faction ISDs and one Droid Mothership, as the two sides kept pounding and pounding, intermittent with some Nanite Torpedoes find way past breached shields.

Ras hoped the effect would get to their area soon, just before she saw a C-faction Angel class Starship SLAM into one of the other Valkyrian cruisers! "HOLY PRESERVE!!"

Just as her shock wades a tic, she notes.. "A.... abo.... ABOUT TIME!"

The capital ship fire from the C-faction side starts to taper off about the same time the Ganoxians noticed it. Ras then sees the shields falter on the same vessels one last time. She then sees an opening on one of the ISDs and takes it. "Prepare top board on the starboard side of that ship!!"

The two Valkyrian cruisers remaining angle to make an assault landing!

---

Arch-Commander Serene watched as the tremendous amount of fire slackens. Her view from a heavily damaged Nebulon starship was finally hopeful for that moment.

":: Hope keeps kindled. ::" ..she then yells into open Comm. ":: It's working sire! The nanites are taking over! ::"

She waits for an answer that isn't forthcoming.

":: Sire? ::" ...just before her ship got hit by another heavy blast. A Engineering-Tech shouted out. "ZPC breach in progress!"

":: Emergency crew teleport now!!! ::"

---

The explosion wasn't seen from other vectors, one where a leader found sight taken away within the bosom.

"*muffled* Strange way to die."

The pain of being shoved off just comes with a harsh.. "Only if you remain on me!"

Both soon manage their knees, as they crest off debris off them. Imaldris looked below at the charred remains of a lower section. "Fortunate the Navigational Section was nil used. I hope."

Lind looks back at the now heavily shielded viewscreen, where panes were broken open to space, atmosphere shields covering them. She ignored even more cuts to her head and arms, as she noted. "The nanites are working."

Imaldris looked at the scene and then remarked. "We need to know who's on board."

Lind somehow looked to the sight of Valkyrian craft heading to do just that. What the Ganoxians would do was her guess, but.. "I think we're way ahead of you."

Imaldris recognized and gulped. "At least leave someone alive to talk to?"

"No promises."

---

The first Valkyrians that all but crash land into C-faction warship hangars, along with a few Palladium 'vessels', find their own, if older anti-boarding defenses waiting for them.

Angel Gods and Droids start rushing out while they can, as anti-boarding lasers start firing. War cries, Key Staffs, Axes and blasters start having at each other as furiously as the space battle was. This was repeating across many C-faction warships now.

Battleships began to follow suit of their allies and close in with the enemy fleet, taking some punishment along the way. A few began to collapse among the constant firepower imposing on them essentially exploding, with escape pods being flanged out amongst some glorious fireballs. The battleships, once they assumed point blank range opened a full broadside of railguns and massdrivers against the unshielded vessels, while their hangars were fully opened unleashing hundreds of fourteen meter tall Arm Slaves down into them. Many Arm Slaves were destroyed by the initial volley of anti boarding lasers, which in turn would be soon taken out by bombers or the landing Arm Slaves carrying their gauss 40mm assault rifles, paving the way for future waves. Squads of mechs began to take out their mono-molecular swords and cut into the hulls of the enemy ship, placing nuclear weapons inside them then jumping out into open space for safety, even though a few were gobbled up by enemy fighters and ship defenses.

Shield-class fighters began to assist the Arm Slaves in boarding activities switching from fighter mode to Arm Slave mode, albeit using their cutting lasers to cut larger sections from the hulls and fill the insides with massive missile barrages. Creation energy beams still loomed overhead creating more destruction upon the ships.

Ganoxian Mechs that managed to reach Gaian hulls and cut through, (not an easy feat,) found through the droid and crew bodies they ejected into space, a hornet's nest of vehement Angel Gods soon right on top of them. The short of it all was just as brutally gruesome as Gaian martial tactics ever were.

About as brutal as when one C-faction Recusant Droid frigate suddenly slams into A Home faction Venator, still with Ganoxian and Home force boarding parties still on board, even just as it's computers were almost taken over. This showing the C-faction force recognized the computer slaving actions, and some vessels taking the 'honorable' way out, rather than be captured.

Two droid Providence C-faction destroyers meanwhile close in on the Ganoxian flagship, pounding away, in the final moments of this first battle, as Nanite control began extending into the C-faction Command and Control Nets. The last moments therefore became the most desperate!!

The Arm Slaves that soon found the wrath of the Angel Gods soon detonated the nukes with them still in the radius. They had figured that they were dead anyways and decided to at least take a few with them. Interceptors began to swoop in providing some support for their comrades, engaging whatever came their was. Shield fighters were able to hit fast and hit hard, pulling away before anyone had a chance to engage them on the surface. Fighters everywhere were engaging enemy fighters, bombers strafing and bombarding the hulls. Arm Slave and fighter husks and slags floating through space. Countless bodies drifting lifeless. A total hell, but the Ganoxians have been through hell many a time.

Lingun spotted the two destroyers coming at him on the TacDis, "Brace for impact!" The bridge shook a little, "Move the ship in between them. Ready Arm Slaves and Shields! Guns at the ready!"

As the Belldandy began to fall in between, the two destroyers would notice that the hangars were opened on both port and starboard sides, filled up with the mechs and fighters. "Full broadside! Fire!"

Missiles and gauss fire began to pour from the hangars, as the broadside cannons fired into the destroyers. Secondary guns tried to provide much support as they can firing into the two ships.

The port droid destroyer's shields were already more damaged, and fell quicker, though it gave just as well as give before a rupture cascade sheared the vessel in two! The starboard destroyer met a different fate, as soon after the crossing fire started, the nanite control program got to the vessel and literally dropped it's rate of fire to zilch. The loss of shields however meant it met a final similar fate as the other destroyer.

This started the final cascade of C-faction vessels shutting down, though a couple of screening vessels at the very edge of the System managed to Fold jump away to report the sudden end of the battle.

Within a couple of minutes, it was over. A System's works lain mauled in only one battle.

---

Commander Serene watched from Palace Tree Command Core, her flash burns slowly healing as she watched the Stratega Globe quiet down. ":: Start compiling damage and losses.

We need to know how bad we were hurt. ::"

"Yes ma`am." A solemn, quite shaken Persocom Tech responded.

Lingun sat back into his chair, sighing with relief that his ship pulled through that attack. He looked over at his crew to see them repeat his action, cheering as the two ships were smoldering. Lingun looked over at the TacDis to see that the battle was soon to be concluding, with the last remnants either fleeing or being destroyed. He looked over at Jilneas, "Casualties?"

Jilneas looked over with a straight face, "Forty-two ships are KIA. Seven battleships, ten cruisers and the rest destroyers. We have nearly a couple hundred ships damaged, ranging from minor to completely disabled."

"That is a lot of letters," Lingun nodded his head down, pinching his brow, "Send out repairs teams immediately, ships that haven't suffered much assist with others not so lucky. Salvage teams are to be dispersed to collect bodies and other debris. Tell the carriers to switch mission parameters to patrol duties for their fighters."

"Yes sir."

Lingun switched on the comms and sent out a message to his friends.

"This is the Belldandy, we seemed to have survived, miraculously. Our fleet has taken a beating and will perform repairs in orbit as we speak. Any assistance will be gratefully accepted and welcomed."

":: Repair droid replicator units are heading to your area. Patience will be a virtue for us all, as you can see. ::" ..a random Gaian Controller responded, rather than the Palace Tree Command Core. Everything was too chaotic at the moment for proper diplomatic channels.

Bad enough as Serene's first damage reports came in.

------

Serene's blood went cold.

All the docks took damage, the worst the Primary docks. Most Platforms were hurt too. Seventy vessels were badly damaged. Another twenty-four destroyed. This included six Valkyrians.

The C-faction lost eighty vessels, most to the nanites, though a third had heavy combat damage or worse.

The System was a wreck.

Worse...

"We've confirmed there was three escape Folds detected. The Duck blind is down as well, we've lost a tenth of the Gate-Shield planetoid net, most to enemy fire. Automated and Synthetic systems are trying to compensate, but...

":: They know they failed. Heck with the blind anyway, they knew how to hit us, in too much detail. ::"

An Avian afar shouted.. "~ His Excellency is responding finally! ~"

":: SIRE! ::"

":: ~ Prepare for a Second Wave Assault. Standard Op. ~ ::"

Serene wanted to ask, but realized that this 'also' was a Gaian Tactica ploy. Losses just witnessed were nothing to what used to be. Attrition was as much a backup tactic as the primary shock tactic was, that they all just went through.

":: Acknowledged. ::" ..she only remarked. She then looked up at the Massive Stratega Holo-globe in the Command Core super chamber. She noticed and then looked over at her staff, most from the vessel they lost.

She quietly informed. ":: Inform all commands, and the Ganoxians, to expect another assault at any time. Within fifteen minutes if our standard tactics hold. ::"

A Persocom just nodded, the fact the war already was going to be long, settling in. "Aye milady."

---

The Ganoxians were warned. This time Rubicon and Emerald Fleets were positioned, as Imaldris took command of a Shield A-SSD Class, and waited for the next likely point of attack.

And then the first long range subspace Fold envelope sensors saw them coming.

Lingun stood up immediately after hearing that a second wave was imminent. He looked sternly at the holodisplays, reviewing the positions of his fleet. He saw that some of the disabled ships were achieving some mobility and were retreating behind the main force hopefully able to repair themselves and form a combined shield bubble with some of the other more heavily damaged ships. Meanwhile he directed the more active ships into a defensive screen in front of the damaged ships artillery and carriers.

"If the remaining disabled or heavily damaged ships do not achieve in the next ten minutes, give them the order to abandon ship. Inform our allies that the crews and equipment from those abandoned ships will be making their way down onto the surface of the planet. At least there they can provide a ground defense, if they do not mind."

"Yes sir." Jilneas acknowledged.

"As soon as the second wave comes through pound them with artillery."

Lind held fast to Imaldris's side, as they watched aboard SSD they had still active in their fleet. The ones nanite-captured needed time to be 'refitted', crew and all. With the Gaians still uncertain if the Angel Gods and the C-faction droids had been brainwashed, or blindly loyal for their own reasons, they were limited to themselves and their Ganoxian allies, the latter left to planetary defense.

Lind just heard the Sensor-Techs call out the incoming 'enemy' formations, enough gravity wake particle flux to indicate.. "Three more full fleets. Not even twenty minutes."

Imladris just huffed a bit. "Five minutes too slow. We did learn 'something' over the past age. I think it's time to show them why.

Arm all available nanite probes and Ionic mass weaponry active, fire at will on arrival."

Lind however worried on the outset. "We're going to be swamped with nanite reconversions at this rate, if that Sar`nor is as loaded as Intelligence worries. The repair units are already taxed, with all the Stellar Assets that were damaged."

Imaldris looked as the first C-faction Folds start incoming, and Gaian Home forward fleet units began fire already, the torrent soon as heavy as the previous battle, if incredibly short and vicious all the time wise same.

"We'll need to buy time. I fear sleep will be a luxury for the time being as well, if we want to survive. I'll ask the nascent Hikari Trees for their added assistance to help us remand from sleep and rest for now. We'll then need to push the invasion points as far away from the System as possible.

What enemy units that get through, will have to be handled as they come, by the Reserve Droid Fleets, with Valkyrian Fleet leading them."

Lind cocked her eye over. "We should be at the front as well."

"And they can react faster over all. Save for special duties, I need them to prevent invasions of the Coreworlds until we can devise a way to attack that Sar`nor and subsume it away from Creation. That's our only chance to shorten this war at the objective optimum."

Lind didn't like hearing things so reserved, but knew to object meant stretching her Order's forces thin. "That mission Advisor Skuld is going on to Dornalia. I'll send Commander... Saki, and her detachment in support. A backup of a few vessels should suffice there.

The rest..."

Imaldris nods, as he sees several C-faction warships start succumbing already to nanite fire. He knew not even Creation could speed up firewall programs aboard all her vessels, so the Home faction had a great advantage, in addition to quickly learning any attempt to prevent assimilation, and counter that.

"The only chance we have now, is to buy time. We also need to see if Creation acts on her threat of attacking other civilizations, and.. well.. that bit of ugliness, we ill can afford. We'll need to allocate some Droid Fleets, as well as Quick strike Nanite groups, to counter any assaults."

Suddenly a shout from Tactica Section.. "Several Droid Battleships just Folded inside the planetary shields!!!"

Lind spun and shouted in shock! "That's impossible!"

Imaldris however suspected to his dismay. "Creation must have done this." ..and started to worry about the previous thought about the Nanites. He however also knows even Powers have rules. "At least the land based Valkyrians and defense Synthetics will have a time of it. Rebuff as best we can, this and any future assaults.

Stick to the fleet plan otherwise. It's our only chance."

Lind looked back, semi-torn of her own regard, before Imaldris puts a hand on her shoulder. "Go on, I'll handle the fleet actions. Just tell washu to stay on top of the nanite programs in case of countering."

Lind nods simply, if gratefully, and then 'nods' to herself, and activates a site to site teleporter, feeding her to Coreworld directly, from the Palace Tree, a word with Washu quickly before meeting up with Defense Units, including some itching Mech units that hadn't fought yet.

Imaldris in the immediate turn, then orders. "Prepare assault parties. Board and capture any commanders we can. I want to know Creation's mind if I can."

"Yes Milord!" ..a persocom acknowledges.

Imaldris then braced himself. "Where do we go now indeed."

Back into the galaxy is seems. ...he heard himself echo.

---

The first days alone, prior to Skuld's mission, were filled with battles, most of them in the Coreworld System. No less than seven further assaults managed past defense screens, before nanite and Ionic weaponry shut most of them down. However the C-faction fleets had too many vessels, and many escaped to bring new tactical information for Creation's Droid General to feast upon. As a result, C-faction attacks from the eight assault to the sixteenth focused on close in invasion support, while drawing the Home defense fleets into spreading themselves out.

As a result, Imaldris changes his own tactics, and begins intercepting C-faction fleets incoming, by utilizing the Comm-Orb network by false feeding locational vector nav-data into enemy nav-comms. As a result, a form of Grav-Null well is created about a parsec away, around the System, creating battles in deep space. C-faction forces find the Comm-Orb network shutoff to them, against this tactic, and are forced to short Fold a second time, by which time few make it to the inner defenses.

But the sheer numbers the C-faction utilize keep wearing at the Home defenders, as despite the Nanite and Ionic weaponry, the Home forces aren't treated so 'kindly'. Losses are terrible on both sides, where both C-faction fire and last ditch kamikaze ramming runs cause the most damage. The effect is worse as Valkyrian Order forces try to stop Short Fold assaults that try to support C-faction invasion beachheads that fight as hard, as the defenders do. This as both sides dig in, prolonging things out. As a result, all four Core planets are stuck with at least two enemy beachheads each. Another as two of the main dockyards have space invasion assaults pushed against them. Raids are rampant across the System as pockets of C-faction units also prolong fights.

Casualties are in the tens of thousands, by the time of the Dornalian battle. Ganoxian forces are informed to either support their land based forces, or escape as best they can, and... to great reservation of the Council, ask for aid.

Another result of the first week and a half of the War, is the inability to recover all that C-faction 'material', leaving large numbers of whole fleets, left in the middle of space. This includes bioforms, as crews try to recover from battles. Losses to after effects of these battles, leave many to die from wounds, or even starvation and the ilk, many hoping to wake up someday in a Regen Unit. This leaves incredible amounts of Gaian material, floating in space, in many places around the Nebula Complex of the Core System. There is little the Home forces can do to recover them with their own recovery resources stretched at the zenith. Their own forces even suffer as a result, as Home forces are forced to triage and prioritize recoveries. And C-faction forces seem more intent on throwing themselves enmasse at their future brethren, than take care of themselves.

A clue for later in fact.

By the time of the (literal,) forty-first battle assault of the war, things were grim.

And that is when Creation made good on her threats.

(End Chapter)