[IC] Ashes to Ashes, a freeform Sci-Fi Fantasy NRP. (Always Accepting)

[Zadubadabu]

New Condia, UNRE Beast of the Moon

@duck55223
While the majority of the remaining Roa'marii ships departed back to Roa'marii space, a pair of ships made to follow the Dragon Rider's ship to Iscandar. The larger of the two ships was the flagship of Battlefleet Alpha, the Beast of the Moon. On the bridge of this ship stood the Nightmare Emperor and Generals Peltis and Kaisur. It wasn't long before the ship made the jump to Iscandar. Once there, the two ships entered orbit and waited for the arrival of the 93rd Legion Valkyries of Battlefleet Beta. They didn't have to wait long. Soon a group of 4 Roa'marii ships entered the system and joined the others in orbit. Soon a shuttle was sent out from the flagship carrying the generals and Emperor. They met in space with a trio of Valkyrie wearing dark suits and flying on wings propelled via a light blue glow. The Valkyrie all flew in formation to the transport shuttle and latched onto the hull before opening an airlock and joining those inside. Once the airlock was closed, the ship made for the planet below, being guided towards a military installation. Upon arrival, the six Roa'marii departed from the transport.

The first to exit was General Kaisur, followed closely by General Peltis. Next came the Nightmare Emperor. The last three to exit were the Valkyrie who had entered the ship in space. They had changed out of their Aether Wing suits and now wore standard Roa'marii armor, save for the one in the center. General Sta'falia Silvad was short for a Roa'marii, but what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in speed. Besides the Nightmare Emperor himself, she was the fastest Roa'marii you'd ever find. And unlike the Nightmare Emperor, she utilized that to its full potential. On her back were a folded pair of metal Valkyrie wings. Unlike those of her two chosen Valkyries, hers were made of a deep blue metal unknown to the Iscandarians around them. If any had seen General Kaisur's blade unsheathed, they'd recognize it as the same material, Arcadian steel. Were they to even so much as touch the metal wings, they'd feel their magic reserves quickly drain, eaten greedily by the metal which absorbed all magic it came in contact with. Only a few were able to wield weapons made of the stuff without succumbing to magical fatigue, and even then the resistance needed to be honed and practiced often to be able to affect the blades with a direct magical touch.

After disembarking from their transport, the Roa'marii turned to face an approaching group of Iscandarians. The Nightmare Emperor was the first to speak, his voice coming out in perfect Iscandarian.

"Hello, friends, I am Nightmare Emperor Nox Shade of the Roa'marii Empire. I have come as requested by your Immortals. Now, if you would be so kind as to show us to them so that we may meet in person, I would appreciate it."

[Durandal]

God-Smiter, Ducal House of Lhim, The Fastness Empyreal

God-Smiter floated through the void, engines undulating as their natural gravitational fields shifted slightly within their restraints. Firmly locking the engines would have resulted in eventual structural damage as the forces of gravity fought the restraints, which would have made the ship in turn more expensive to maintain. Instead, the engine blocks floated slightly, suspended by massive wires and fields of gravity. At the moment, the primary propulsion remained on the lowest power. Instead, the massive ship jetted out streams of plasma from secondary banks, driving forward at low sub-luminal velocities.

Duke Ngaro Lhim - one of the few gendered K'hlath in existence - tracked slender fingers across the left arms of his chair, making whorls in the dusky smoke that rose from the floor. Candles occupied numerous positions on the bridge, filling the air with heady scents, some of which were derived from highly intoxicating and sometimes dangerous substances. Yet the Duke would have his way and woe betide those who hindered his desires. Sucking in air through the slits in his face, a tremulous sigh escaped, sounding akin to a rustling. Approximately one light-second off lay his destination, the massive fortress known as the Fastness Empyreal. Jagged struts thrust out from the main body of the station, supporting hosts of armaments which could equal that of the best baronial fleets and most of the ducal ones.

A signal flashed on the display of lights arrayed before him, an indication from the Master of Sensors that a section of the shielding surrounding the defensive station had dropped. Minutes passed as the God-Smiter cut through the avenue left open by the structure, slowly closing in. The coordination-contact sequence initiated as Lhim's vessel ventured within thirty-thousand kilometers of the Fastness. Tremblings jarred the ship slightly as thrusters counter-acted the forward movement of the spacecraft, decelerating at incredible speeds. God-Smiter's own shielding faded once within a thousand kilometers so as to avoid accidental damage to the Fastness and because even the Baron's were not exempt from arbitrary destruction by the Commander Empyreal should they threaten one of the most important bases in Aramun.

"Akış kurulan bağlantısı, Rab Lhim," spoke one of the Duke's attendants. A human with a translator would have understand the phrase as "Stream connection established, Duke Lhim." Nodding, the Duke rose from the servo-chair before striding quickly through the confines of his ship. His quarters lay but a short distance from the bridge, a multi-room affair that contained a majority of Lhim's personal possessions. Slipping from the command armor which he wore to a ceremonial vestment, the attendants were dismissed as he stepped into the Stream Room. Activating the contraption himself, a procedure with which he was intimately familiar, Lhim exhaled a moment before a fold in space-time carried him into the center of Fastness Empyreal.

Rising from the floor as his body recovered from the arduous transportation method, Lhim surveyed the numerous soldiers and civil personnel flocking around the Commander Empyreal. "A pleasure to see you once again my friend," greeted the aged K'hlath to the duke, making a formal bowing motion to indicate the relationship they shared.

"And you, Commander Vrrm. Now, show me this person of interest you have 'discovered.'" Nodding, Vrrm side-stepped to reveal the captive. A curious creature.

Cocking his head, Lhim queried, "Tell me, lost one, from where do you hail?"

Standing with his head bow was a short human male, topping out at 5'3". His hair had been shaved until it was nought but a small, ruddy fuzz on the man's head. Green-brown eyes blinked rapidly in a sign of fear. Humans were, in most cases, prohibited from accessing areas deemed of critical importance unless given permission to enter by a K'hlath of important position who held some sort of authority over the area.

"My name is, uhm, Gregor Miran, my Duke of Lhim," Gregor croaked, doing his best to speak the K'hlath language and allowing a translation device to synthesize the speech into a recognizable format. "I never meant to arrive in this system. Baron Mgyar tasked me with exploring an un-charted planetoid in one of the outlying systems. I had overhead a set of coordinates and-and I-"

Lhim raised his right secondary arms in a placating manner, utilizing a more human method of bodily communication to soothe the obviously distressed man. Lowering the appendage once Gregor had quieted, the Duke looked at Vrrm in a contemplative manner. Vrrm's eyes shuttered closed momentarily before the slits on his face flared outwards slightly. Combined with a slight inclination of his head, it was an assent.

"No manner of harm shall befall you, human. It so happens I have need of one of your species. Follow me." Without waiting on the man's response, the massive K'hklath began to journey farther into the Fastness Empyreal, feet clicking against the metal floor. Swallowing, the unsettled Gregor followed hastily, sweat beading on his forehead. Reflecting, he should have simply gone to the planetoid. At least he was away from his harridan of a wife.

[MrFoxNews]

Stelicar System, Hocklyn Frontier

Balial smirked, his sharp Eldar features becoming smug as he imagined the surprise of the Hocklyn crew as they were ripped from the 'safety' of their vessel and flung into the void. What a wonderful surprise to discover the transfer logs of a fully loaded convoy aboard the pitifully supplied fuel station.

With only one destroyer capable of a formidable defense he turned to the nearby comms officer.

"Open comm frequencies, time to deliver our demands."

The leering figure of the comm officer tapped a few commands into his pulsing control panel before signaling to his leader.

Finch tapped a control rune upon his throne.

He did not know the Hocklyn native tongue so instead decided to use Terran basic as it was easily translatable.

"Greetings upon you people of Hocklyn. I am Belial Lord of Balor and Lieutenant to The Tyrant of Badeb. In exchange for your lives you will one at a time dock and exit your vessels leaving all cargo aboard. If you refuse these terms you will be boarded. You have 5 minutes to decide."

The vessel with which Balial commanded the small fleet powered to life it's leize xenos design appeared as if a bulky blade cut through the darkness itself.

Several other dark vessels powered to life their deep purple engines propelling them towards the convoy.

Balial briefly considered what a Hocklyn might taste like but decided it would have to wait for a more suitable time.

[null123]

Iscandar, Landing Site A-42@Zadubadabu
It was clear upon landing that the Roa’marii had already managed to upset the Iscandarians. The atmosphere was tense, with several members of the ISF, a special division of the army devoted to the defense of Iscandar, projecting a somewhat angry attitude. The Guards lined the platform, made up mostly of Sentinels and Earthens, with a few Casters acting as battlemages. An archmage with his own special contingent of guards approached the Roa’marii and informed them that their transport to the Stronghold was ready. He did note however the Roa’marii had already violated the security precautions laid out by the Iscandarians, explaining why they were angry. The archmage went on to say that in the message David sent he made it clear that the Roa’marii were only to bring a sole capital ship or a unarmed diplomatic ship and four frigates to escort it. It was said that an exception would be made this time due to the grace of the Immortals, but if the Roa’marii were ever to break these procedures again upon invitation to Iscandar, they would be denied entry.

As the Roa’marii followed the Archmage to a different platform they noticed the beauty of Iscandar. Vast forest and jungles could be seen with a lot of variety. Mountains tore well into the sky. Multiple Iscandarian cities could be seen being held up anti-gravity, rising well above the clouds of the planet.

It was not long before the Roa’marii arrived at a new platform. Two Dragon-riders sat, but unlike Augustus who they had met before, they were much more well armed. Each rider wore silvery armor, their Archnite blades and their energy swords attached to their sides. In contrast to Arcadian steel, the Roa’marii could tell the colored blades of the Dragon Riders which used Archnite boosted magic instead of absorbing it. The Dragon themselves were covered in the same silvery alloy, with the exception of their eyes, snout, legs, tail, and wings, with the wings using a different less shiny alloy for armor. One of the rider in addition to the melee weapons had a long rifle on his back, with one of the dragons also having cannon attached to his side.

The Archmage signaled for the Roa’marii to hop upon the dragons, informing them that the shuttle service was currently busy dealing with shipping recruits for the Dragon-Riders to their HQ, and that the only other method to reach the Immortal Stronghold was via the Dragons. When all of the Roa’marii were aboard the Dragons took off at unreal speeds into the sky, quickly speeding away and leaving the platform behind. After a hour or so of travel, the Roa’marii spotted the Immortal Stronghold. The vast structure was built into the side of a Mountain, and was heavily-defended. Huge cannons appeared to be able to defend the Stronghold from larger flying vessels and also acted as planetary defense cannons, with smaller cannons dotting the walls and towers. A large dragon, who appeared to be made of silver, rested on one of the larger towers, watching the Roa’marii come in. A shield also encircled the entire stronghold.

A hole opened up in the shield, allowing the two dragons and their passengers through. They landed in the courtyard, with the two riders and their dragons taking up positions on towers, watching the Roa’marii. A few guards in golden armor came and told the Roa’marii to follow them, and not to stray from the path they were following. They were lead through a few of the Stronghold’s gardens, which demonstrated a wide variety of flora and fauna. The interior itself was decorated with warm orange lights that helped lighten the atmosphere, and fine works of art coming from many different time periods in the history of the Eternal Union. A few works of Terran and Rakloid art were even displayed. They were finally lead through a grand set of wooden doors inlaid with silver, where they were to meet the Immortals.

It was quite clear that the Immortals were powerful, it was extremely difficult to not feel the vast amounts of magical energy emanating off of them. The one they recognized as David as well as one of the other ones wore the Royal Regalia, but the third wore full-plated armor similar to what the guards were wearing.

“Welcome to Iscandar, I am Immortal David, first of the Immortals and the Great Uniter.” spoke David.

“I am Immortal Ariane, fourth of the Immortals and the Great Inventor.” said Ariane, taking a small bow.

“I am Immortal Aaliyah, third of the Immortals, a dragon-rider, and the Great Warrior.” said Aaliyah, looking at the Roa’marii.

“I have been very keen to meet you, Roa’marii.” commented David.

The Dragos Mountains, the Dragon-Rider HQ
Master Oromis and Glaedr stood together in the wide open room that was the council room for the Grandmasters, the heads of the order that had been established by Vrael to help keep it under control. The chamber had been built big enough to allow space for all of the Grandmasters and their Dragons, so much so that the Grandmasters and anyone needed a specially enchanted amulet that increased the volume of everyone’s voices.

“The person that your apprentice describes is no other than Faust. If she has appeared before a member of our order and made a request, it is our duty to heed it.” boomed the Iscandarian Sentinel Detris’s voice across the room.

Detris was unique amongst the order, as he had lost his dragon in a accident. Most Dragons who lost their riders fled to live amongst the wild Dragons, with Riders who lost Dragons usually going elsewhere to seek their own path. However as a Rider still maintained their biological immortality as well as their vastly enhanced abilities even with the loss of their Dragon, Detris gained the willpower to overcome his grief and continue to serve the Order. His dedication led him to becoming a Grandmaster, as well as the main voice of the Council.

“An apprentices they are still, can we risk sending him on a diplomatic mission that the Immortals have asked us upon and said was vital?” spoke Silvia, a female human grandmaster.

“And do we risk defying the task of which Faust set this apprentice out to accomplish? No, we must take the risk. Master Oromis and Master Glaedr, due to the fact that this is your apprentices are the ones Faust has asked to do this, we wish you to embark upon this mission to guide them and be the diplomat. Do your best on the diplomatic part, but do keep an eye. There is more to this than simply finding one.” spoke Detris, looking at Oromis and Glaedr.

“I understand fully, Grandmaster Dertris.” responded Oromis.

“As do I, Grandmaster.” thought Glaedr.

“You are dismissed then. Faust’s blessings upon you.” finished Detris, watching the two leave the chamber.

[WilsonTurner]

@MrFoxNews
Stalicar System, Hocklyn Frontier
No response came from the small cargo fleet, though the destroyer continued on its course back to the station. Apparently, they heard them; as soon as the ship returned to the station, where the marines were still at, the ship docked. Nothing else came from the area; nothing but movement towards the ship, as the marines on-board received beamed messages to immediately start refueling the destroyer. At the same moment that the destroyer was trying to secretly refuel, a small pod ejected out of the destroyer's propulsion tube- it flew out several hundred meters away from the hostile ships, before vanishing in a momentary flash of light.

The aliens couldn't know whether it was or was not an FTL-capable beacon, even though it was actually just one of the emergency pods that was rigged with several missiles to detonate.

The other three cargo ships slowly maneuvered to be equidistant to each other, around the refueling station. Had the alien pirates seeded the area with signal-interceptor drones, they would've realized that the ships were talking to each other, planning, thinking, brainstorming.

And then the ship filled with unknown gases decided on its own course of action. The gas tanker ignored the closed-beamed messages, and ignored the now-openly-broadcasted messages from all three ships to cease, and desist. And then suddenly the ship was only half-there- the ship pumped its FTL drive full of unknown gases that were somewhat similar to the Hocklyn's FTL fuel, and jumped anyways, without any idea of what the gases actually were. The result was the majority of the ship 'porting away, but leaving weaker bits- radar, communications relays, remnants of most of the tanks that were on the ship, and sections of the engines, structural struts, etc., were slowly spinning from the sudden disturbance and detachment.

The other two ships paused, and then decided to do nothing. The destroyer continued slowly 'offloading' its crew, and the marines continued to secretly refuel the destroyer, hoping that the combination of freighter half-porting and the fake FTL drone would be enough to scare the pirates away.

@Zadubadabu
Hostel System, Orbital Docks
Stehlruh and the FCXO glanced at each other, silently receiving a message from their respective ships. The FCXO glanced at the Queen and replied, "Queen Spear, I am the Fleet Commander's second in commandFor the moment, you will give us the specifications your 'Top Spear' Rorkay's fleet, since they're demanding- Hah!- that we hand you over. They are reportedly approaching quite aggressively, and knowing weakpoints, strengths, and weaknesses would be much appreciated if they decide to take you by force. Other than that, stand by. You're ours until we say otherwise, which can be decided shortly. You'll have a moment to discuss whatever you wish, while we take care of this."

Simultaneously, the two Hocklyns turned to each other and walked a short distance away, speaking in their foreign language, rapid, tense, giving and receiving information and orders.

~-+-~

The ships that weren't docked- all but three, really- shifted, moving to adopt a more defensive posture. Several large cruisers, escorted by a dozen destroyers, disengaged from the defensive formation and flew to meet the foreign fleet, matching their designs and hull compositions to that of the ship that they had just POW'd.

"Cease forward movement; match spacial stationary positions to that of our station. Disengage any signs of external warfare preparedness; cease major broadcasting. The launch or sending of an FTL broadcast, beacon, or other communication will be taken as a message to initiate an attack, and you will be fired upon and reinforcements will be ordered. Diplomatic relations will be severely impacted."

A moment passed, as the ships started slowing down again, taking up an equidistant position between the station and the foreign fleet.

"Foreigner demand: We do not give in to those whose honor and strength that is yet unproven. List reasons, history, and participants involved. We will consider, if you trade our hostage for information, technology, or other items of equal importance or value. Demands will damage diplomatic relations. Roamarri species not listed in database. Spear species only previously listed in database. Desist advances immediately."

[null123]

The Duchy of Mandalore, the System of Mandalore, the World of Mandalore
The Duchy of Mandalore was a 3-system nation that was composed of mostly humans. The Mandalorians use to be known for their often violent culture, having caused much trouble for the Terran Empire when it still reigned, as they were amongst the few human colonies to have escaped the Terran Empire’s reign. However in recent years the culture of war and honor had turned into honor through defense and peace, while still be comprised of some of the most fierce warriors in the galaxy, they upheld their peace and neutrality, although pressure was always growing to let go of that neutrality.

The Capital World of Mandalore, which was of course in the system of Mandalore, which was also apart of the Duchy of Mandalore, was a vast planet. Most of the surface was now covered in vast towering structures, rising well into the sky. The planet’s food supply was mainly supplied by the nearby moon with robots automatically growing and harvesting it, and underwater farms. As it was the capital, Duchess Satine, ruler of the Duchy of Mandalore, made her home here. The planet had many ships coming and going, as its location in the galaxy made it a valuable trade node for the many human and other alien nations still reliant off a warp drive.

On the planet itself, in the Duchess’s palace, awoke the Captain of the Royal Guard, Dagmar. He sighed, standing up from his messy bed and looking about. Being apart of the palace the room was luxurious, decorated with fine tapestries with the crest of the Mandalorian Royal family, and with plenty of gold and silver trimming. A door led to the room’s bathroom, as Dagmar moved towards the room’s dresser and mirror.

Dagmar looked at himself for a minute, long black hair tied back into a ponytail, and his green eyes. His chest showed that he was a muscular man. He quickly slipped into a vest and slacks. He turned towards the wall, where kept two things. One was a sapphire blue blade, the other the hilt of an energy blade. Relics of Dagmar’s time as a Dragon-Rider, he quickly let go of those thoughts. He had left the order after he lost her.

He opened the bottom door, containing the set of armor he wore as the Captain of the Royal Guard. While it looked more like Medieval Era plate-armor made of silver that had golden trimming, under the hood it was a set of Mandalorian Power Armor. He grabbed the other item in the drawer; his family’s mask.

Dagmar had come from the world of Char, the home of the Ashen Peoples. A human colony being one of the earlier colonization attempts, the Terran Empire had not discovered the colony till well after it’s founding as the attempt had been thought to have failed. The Ashen Peoples had developed a unique culture and believed in the power of the family, the mask which Dagmar now held being a ceremonial symbol said to contain all of the souls of his family members. After their rediscovery by the Terran Empire, the colony was quickly brought to its knees and forced into the Empire. It joined the United Federation of Sol after the fall of the Terran Empire as a means of defending itself and maintaining its growing economic power that had started towards the later eras of the Terran Empire. When the United Federation of Sol had joined the Eternal Union, most of the Ashen Peoples had subscribed to belief of Faust, but still believed that the masks held souls of their family members as Faust’s way of helping defend the family. When Dagmar was recruited into the Riders, his father handed him the mask as he was the sole child of his parents.

Dagmar began slipping on the mask, as he had sought to hide his identity from all but a few after he left the order, however as he did, a gentle hand stopped them.

“Hiding your face from me already?” said Duchess Satine, her sweet and gentle smile looking at Dagmar.

Dagmar had always been grateful, having met Satine when he washed up on Mandalore after leaving the order. Her father before her, Canderous, had granted Dagmar safe haven and position as head of the guard after he heard of his story and tested his abilities. This was also about the time Dagmar met Satine, who was an adult at the time.

“Of course not, your highness.” bowed Dagmar.

“The formality is unnecessary Dagmar, we are close friends after all.” responded Satine.

“It’s a hard habit to break Satine, the order drilled it into me.” said Dagmar, letting his tone drop from a serious and formal one to a friendlier one.

Satine smiled, however there seemed to be something she was worried about. Dagmar took the mask in one hand and followed her through the halls of the Palace, the morning light shining through many of it’s grand windows. Satine and Dagmar stood side by side, as Satine shared her worries.

“The Church of Faust influence continues to grow Dagmar.” sighed Satine, turning to Dagmar.

“Is a Church that preaches peace so much really cause for concern Satine?” asked Dagmar, also turning to Satine.

“It is not so much the Church that worries me as the fact that the political parties and the people who follow it are now advocating Mandalore drop her neutrality and join the Eternal Union in political and military alliance. I do not fear the Eternal Union, yet my family has always done it’s best to maintain our neutrality as it has been the best for Mandalore.”

“Perhaps the Eternal Union holds the best future for Mandalore, Satine, they only seek peace and prosperity. I did not run from the EU because of the EU, I ran because of the Order afterall.”
“Not all of the Independent Human States are aligned with the EU. Many see the EU as a potential threat to their growing power. Loss of Mandalore’s neutrality could mean loss of our position current position amongst the human nations, and loss of trade as many of the Anti-EU nations may see trading to a EU-aligned nation as potential threat.”

“If that’s the case Satine, then maintain neutrality. But if the Church of Faust continues to grow in influence, the people may give you no chance the in matter. You said it yourself, the Duchy of Mandalore is a democratic state.”

“Yet what the people want, is not always what the people need.” sighed Satine, as Dagmar slipped the mask on and the two entered the throne room.

//A bit of a look into a very minor NPC nation that will play a role in a few important plots.

[Zadubadabu]

Iscandar, Immortal Stronghold

@duck55223
"As have I. I am The Roa'marii Nightmare Emperor Nox Shade. It has been a long time since I've personally made contact with a race that didn't have the Roa'marii base species. Even longer since I've met one with such high magical potential like our own. I must apologize for bringing more ships than I was allowed, I regrettable forgot to inform General Sta'falia Silvad whom you see to my left about the limitations on her fleet to meet us here. If you wish, orders can be sent to call them back to Roa'marii space. But first I should allow my guards to introduce themselves."

The first to step forwards was General Peltis, standing directly left of the Nightmare Emperor. "I am Roa'marii Immortal General Rhe'deri Peltis, I will be acting as a diplomat for the purposes of this meeting. I am commander of the Roa'marii 69th Ambassador Legion, and generally the diplomat of the Immortal Generals."

Next was General Kaisur, to the right of the Emperor. "I am Immortal General Jer'rahd Kaisur. I lead the Elite 42nd Legion, Night's End. We are the ones called in to wage war, and while an all out war has been avoided for a long time, we are always prepared to fight."

General Silvad stepped up next. "I am Immortal General Sta'falia Silvad of the 93rd Airborne Legion. I lead the Valkyrie into battle for the skies. Behind us are two of my top fliers, Cyc'lonis and Typ'nola. Both are extremely capable and hail from Cirra, among the oldest of the United Empire member nations."

With the introductions out of the way, the Emperor spoke again. "Now that everyone has been introduced, we can move on to more pressing matters. I suppose I should ask now, with all of the precautions you've taken and the heavy defense of this Stronghold, why did you risk inviting me to meet with you in person in your home? I would have done the same, but it seems to me that this Stronghold of yours is far more secluded than my own Moonlight Castle."

Hostel System, Orbital Docks

@WilsonTurner
At the mention of Ror'kae, Queen Pes'tifero visibly broke. Her anger boiled through and it was only through all of her patience as well as the efforts of both her warriors that she kept herself from rushing out of the room back to her ship, not caring who got in her way. After a time she managed to calm down enough to speak rationally. Even still, the first words out of her mouth were:

"Kill that traitor. I want her dead. The fall of Searo was her fault. No, better yet, capture her alive. I want to see her face while I gut her and rip out her mana core. See her pain as I tear out her implants one by one. Let me board her ship personally so she knows how doomed she is. I will reclaim Searo, and I'll start by eliminating the traitorous bitch that burned it down in the first place."

As the other two Searonese Warriors tried to calm the Queen down, the fleet in orbit responded to the message sent to it.

"As previously stated, I am Top Spear Ror'kae of the Searonese. I am the true leader of Searo and have led it to join with the United New Roa'marii Empire. I was formerly the heir to Searo under Queen Pes'tifero who you currently hold on that station. She planned to recall all of the Searonese Bounty Hunters to Searo in order to wage a war against the Roa'marii Empire. Such a war would have inevitably ended in disaster for all of Searo, and as such I led another group against this. When the Roa'marii received word of this, they responded in force and Queen Pes'tifero got the war she wanted. In the process, I joined up with the Roa'marii and led a precision strike on Searo Hold, ending the war before it caused the complete destruction of my people and forcing Pes'tifero to run. We have been tracking her for a long time now and have finally caught up with her. We are asking that you simply release her to us and we will be on our way back to Roa'marii space. If you wish to make further contact with the Roa'marii, I can provide coordinates to a planet on the edge of Roa'marii space where you may meet with an ambassador from the Roa'marii Empire."

[WilsonTurner]

Hostel System, Orbital Docks
The FCXO turned sharply to the Queen, snapping, "You will not order us like your servants. Here, you are at our mercy, and you should think much more wisely and sagely if you wish to come out of this out on top, much less alive. You are a Queen, and yet the Slaver Empires' slaves have more sense than you." He leaned forward slightly, emphasizing his next words. "Shut. Up."

Then he whistled, long and loud, and a squad of soldiers burst out of a room down the hallway, weapons up and alert. The FCXO waved them down, but gestured vaguely towards them, in a military hand command. The soldiers obligingly took up positions along the hallway, making sure that the Queen and her two aides couldn't return to their ship, nor go deeper in the station.

The FCXO parted his conversation with her with a stiff, "You will stay right here, and you will not make any more demands of us. You belong to the Hocklyn Slaver Empire, now, and until we decide otherwise, you are going to have to take your place at the bottom of the rung, while we deal with the situation you are, no doubt, the cause of."

~-+-~

A message straight from the Fleet Commander came next:

"Foreigners, we don't care for your history. Stop wasting our time, stand down, and cease your aggressive approach. You now have five minutes before you entire extreme weapons range, and you will be considered hostile and treated as such. Currently, we do not care to be summoned like little servants to bow down before someone else. We do not care for your quarrels, we do not care for your wars, we do not care for your outstanding cunningness. If you or these Roamaries would like to negotiate for our possessions, such as the lovely ship that looks to have quite a bit of technology on it, or the entire crew on board, including Pestiforo or whoever, then you may do so.

But first of all, you will slow your course and cease making demands of us. You would not enjoy making the Hocklyn Slaver Empire your enemy, and aggressively entering our territory or demanding the release of a Vergas, or slave.

You are the leader of your people? Be the leader, then. You are off hunting a fugitive with a small fleet. Sparks, I could take you captive right now, and the only thing you could do is watch. And, until you stand down and back off a bit, any attempts to jump into hyperspace will be sabotaged by this device. The effect, I'm told, is very similar to trying to jump with only half-power. Half of the ship will be strewn about a hundred lightyears, and the other half will come out in some far off distance, in Deep Space or some such."

You couldn't, of course, hear the laughter inside the bridgeroom that erupted after the message was finished and sent. It was, after all, still a far-off technology to sabotage such a jump from such a distance. But, the enemy could either jump away and risk uncertain destruction by a nonexistent device, or stay. If they stayed, they could fight, which would end in their destruction, since they are terribly outnumbered, and the Hocklyns have an idea of their weakpoints and ship design from the ship that was in their grasp, and being scanned closely by several destroyers, or they could negotiate, which could equal in their enslavement, their freedom and their prize, or just their freedom.

[Zadubadabu]

Hostel System, UNRE Noble Jury

@WilsonTurner
Ror'kae listened to the transmission from the Hocklyns with an amused expression. So they were indeed a Slaver Empire. Well then, this would certainly turn out interesting. But first, the issue of a perceived aggressive approach needed to be dealt with. Orders were sent to stop the fleet's progress. If these Hocklyns wanted to be paranoid and believe that they were under attack then so be it. As for the Searonese/Roa'marii fleet, they would wait. If the Hocklyns wanted to play dirty then Ror'kae was happy to oblige. As such, a response was sent once the fleet had slowed to the pace of the Hocklyn ships, keeping outside of their extreme weapons range.

"It was not my intention to make demands, nor was I approaching aggressively as you say. But if it came across as such then that is too bad. I will slow my fleet as requested, but know that an attempt to capture us will not go well for you. You claim to have anti-FTL beacons in the system. I shall accept that, but know that any action against me will be recorded and responded to in force by the United New Roa'marii Empire once they inevitably receive word. As for the ship you currently hold, you can keep it. We have no use for that piece of junk. The ship is outdated as it is and was stolen before it was fully built. All we want is the Queen, do as you wish to the remaining crew. I doubt they will serve as good slaves, but I don't know the effectiveness of your empire's techniques. As I said, any meeting you wish to have can be done with a real ambassador in the system of Silvadel whose coordinates were sent previously.

"If it is your wish to enslave the Searonese people, myself included, then I must inform you that the last xenos empire to try that is currently extinct. Additionally, such an act will only fuel the fires of the Roa'marii Empire. It's been some time since a war between Empires of that size, and the last one ended in complete and total annihilation of those who fought the Nightmare Emperor's armies. I'm sure the Beast of the Moon would be happy to fight again. Now, will you negotiate as I have been trying to, or will you continue to threaten me and my people? The choice is yours."

Once the transmission was sent, another, encoded in mana for instant transmission was sent straight to Arcadia, the Mana-Link arrays located there focused and prepared to fire a shot should the need arise. Additionally, a Firing Portal was prepared among the Roa'marii ships, but not opened. Should the Hocklyns respond in force, they'd receive a nasty surprise from Arcadia. Of course, there was no way the Hocklyns could know this. Without an innate magical ability, they would never even be able to tell how much power was being prepared against them.

Meanwhile, on the Orbital Docks, Queen Pes'tifero was having a hard time refraining from attempting to decapitate the Hocklyns before her. Were it not for the fact that they held all the cards, and she had no chance of escaping the station, she would've had all of them thrown into the arena with no weapons or armor, probably naked too, against the biggest and hungriest monster she could find. Of course, that would require still having the arena, something her other source of anger had taken away from her. Said source likely talking to the Hocklyns as she sat there waiting for their judgement. But for now, she would remain quiet, biding her time. Should she get the slightest hint that she was to be sold off to the traitor in chains, heads would roll. But first she would try for her revenge against her former Top Spear.

[Commodore Robot]

Hyper Dreadnought Bitter Work, 2nd Fleet of Recalcitrant Justice Flagship
High orbit of Luga IX, Luga system, Chelonian Dominion.

The night sky of Luga IX was alight with actinic fire as giants clashed high above. Orbital fortresses, weapon satellites, and a squadron of beleaguered light cruisers found themselves in a doomed battle against the forces of the 2nd fleet of Recalcitrant Justice. From his crash couch aboard the Bitter Work Dominator Brosh-Vataga saw the battle, or massacre, unfold in real time and felt a deep melancholy. His duty was an unfortunate one, but it was needed to preserve the rule of law. The planetary branch of the Ministry of State had incited a revolt against Dominion authority on Luga IX 180 hours prior, they claimed that the current Vaata-Kreg was leading the Dominion towards disaster and that their only hope of survival was to break away from the Home Office on Chelona and start anew. It was unfortunate that their words had gained such traction and that they had managed to sway all orbital defense forces. If they had remained loyal then perhaps the Dominator would not have been needed. Many innocents would die for their transgressions, but that was the way it had to be.

The Bitter Work shuddered as another volley of missiles left their Gauss launchers. The battle had lasted a little less than an hour, most of it spent maneuvering into firing positions. 2nd Fleet had more than one hundred combat ships at her disposal, but even without the massive numerical advantage space war always favors the attacker over the defender. The rebel cruisers had been turned into pincushions by invisible beams of coherent radiation from dozens of sources, and weapon satellites were little more than disposable missile clusters, without ammunition they were no longer a threat. The orbital forts had fared slightly better, two of them had miraculously managed to survive the first volley of fire from 2nd Fleet in fighting condition. This was not to last of course, the latest spread from the Bitter Work and the other warships in the fleet put an end to their fruitless rebellion.

As the dust settled, the part of these operations that Dominator Brosh-Vataga hated the most was set to begin. Under normal circumstances the rebellious leaders would have been made example of. Were this a normal insurrection they could have simply sent down ground forces to wrench the capitol from the traitor's hands and keep the infrastructure intact. Unfortunately the Luga system was home to one of the Dominion's precious antimatter worlds and letting any potential traitors live with something so important on the line simply would not stand. For the sake of the Dominion, Luga IX would have to be made example of. Bitter Work would handle the duty of purification alone as was only right. The flagship was the avatar of the Vaata-Kreg, it alone would put the world to the sword.

Brosh-Vataga motioned for his comm officer to patch him into Luga IX's public broadcast network. The people deserved to know the crimes for which they were to be punished. Clearing his throat, Brosh-Vataga began, "Citizens of Luga IX, your planetary leadership has been found guilty of the most heinous of crimes. They have deceived you through their lies into rising against the rightful authority of the Dominion and for their crimes I am afraid you must all suffer. Those loyal few of you who spoke out against these traitorous vermin and alerted us take heart, you shall be martyrs to the cause of peace and security of our glorious Dominion. For those who stood in open opposition know this; your names will be forgotten, your fleeting accomplishments shall be stricken from history, all that will remain of you and your legacy shall be glass and ash. You threatened that which is most precious to the Dominion and for that there will be no recourse, no mercy, no hope for you and your ilk. Make peace with your gods for you will find none with me." The Dominator severed the connection to Luga IX and nodded to his tactical officer as he sank back into his crash couch.

A trio of massive warheads began to descend onto Luga IX from the belly of the Bitter Work. As they entered the atmosphere they began to divert course from one another to focus on their respective targets. At a height of 100km they unfurled like steel blossoms, splitting apart and casting dozens of seeds down onto the surface. Each weapon unleashed a total of sixty self-guiding submunitions from their bodies down towards the surface of Luga IX. Each submunition was a 2MT fusion warhead, their simple targeting AIs were programmed for continental denial. Primary targets were population centers, followed by arable land, and finishing with military bases as the lowest target priority. As the emissaries of death fell their simple AIs came to a consensus on target placement and which bombs were to fall where. The simplicity and smoothness of the operation was beautiful in a way that was lost on the terrified citizens of Luga IX and the traitor soldiers who remained at their posts waiting for an enemy that would never come even as the bombs found their mark.

Luga IX had been a garden world with a population of 4 billion pre-rebellion. After Rebellion it was estimated that 180 thousand had survived the initial attack, but would not survive the next year without outside assistance. Assistance the Dominion had no intention of sending.

[null123]

Iscandar, Immortal Stronghold @Zadubadabu
David continued to show no emotion, yet thoughts started developing in his mind. It was clear to him that the Generals of the Roa’marii were powerful political figures along to their military power. He now held the question if the Roa’marii’s adherence to war as they so far had demonstrated was just a warrior culture that did not necessarily want war, or a nation looking for a new conquest.

“This Council had deemed the the potential reward of meeting you and the knowledge compared to the risk presented by letting you come here worth the risk. You are very unique to us, while we have discovered species with magical abilities before, you are the first to be on the same level to us and have developed it to the degree we have.” spoke David.

However, before the Roa’marii could respond, Immortal Aaliyah began speaking.

“While David believes in you Roa’marii, I have more doubts about your intentions. You first came to us at New Condia with a entire warfleet, armed to the teeth, for what was a diplomatic mission? And know that you stand before me, I see that most of your political figures are Generals. I need reassurance, Roa’marii, that you have only peaceful intentions towards my people.”

David and Ariane turned towards Aaliyah, and while it was not obvious, the Roa’marii could tell that they were displeased with Aaliyah.

“If you could excuse our comrade’s outburst…” quietly spoke Ariane, looking at the Roa’marii.

[WilsonTurner]

@Zadubadabu
Hostel System, Second Exploration Fleet
The Fleet Commander moved to bring his hand down, to order another reply to be made and sent, angry. But his fist didn't make it all the way down; another's hand grabbed his arm, halting his progress. Growling, he whirled to the offender, ready to tear the disrespectful Hocklyn apart. But no- it was his adviser. Advisers were agents of ONI- Office of Naval Intelligence. They kept captains in check, and reported everything straight to ONI to keep records of every event.

Before the Fleet Commander could berate the agent's disrespect, the Hocklyn said, "Wise, they are, to cease approach and demand, and to offer negotiate and listen. But wise we are, to cease insult and offer a hand, until they can be gauged for what they are, instead of what we assume they are."

The Fleet Commander continued growling, and wrenched his arm away from the agent. He turned back to the bridge, and waved dismissal to the agent. Like any other Hocklyn, he backed away, allowing the Fleet Commander to remain in command, reputation unhindered. The Commander paused for a moment, before waving at communications.

Shortly afterwards, a response was broadcasted back to the alien fleet.

"Your former Queen is within our grasp. You will not receive anything from us, including your former Queen, until we have decided that whatever you give us is equal in value- the fact that you are chasing a single outdated, half-built ship with a fleet says the Queen is very valuable indeed. More so, since she is obviously very clever, to have evaded you for so long."

"We will not move against you or yours. If you so wish it, you may send one ship forward with a diplomatic figure, or negotiator. If you are part of this Roa'marii Empire, then we will require a similar figure from them. We may be slavers, but we would not wish to step on toes by dealing with you directly, without Big Brother present. Your queen may be able to escape in a nation of her, but in a nation the likes of mine, she will get nowhere. She will be turned over to our Naval Intelligence, and taken deeper into our territory. You and your emissaries, diplomats, or negotiators will later be taken to her, if you so insist, where we can all deal together. From what I hear, she's quite a fire. It seems that the fact that she'd be dead if she took a wrong step is keeping her from strangling all of our necks."

"We await your response. No significant military presence will be accepted, and if we hear news of any weapons that you did not make us aware after we are conducting negotiations, we will have to cast yours out, for you to deal with."

[Zadubadabu]

Iscandar, Immortal Stronghold

@duck55223
"It is quite alright. Your comrade is right to be wary of us. Immortal Aaliyah was it? I'll admit, even for diplomatic missions we usually send an over abundance of firepower. I suppose the practice developed as a result of our past issues. We were once a people bred and trained for the sole purpose of warfare and genocide. It was admittedly my fault completely that we fell so far. I was unable to control the power I seized. Effectively, I stole my power and subsequently my immortality from another Roa'marii god. It was my intention to lead my people out of effective slavery to our conqueror. I was successful, but at the cost of my sanity. Once you've committed mass genocide on a large portion of the Galaxy, many of the species you encounter lash out upon seeing us.

"As to my generals being my highest political figures besides myself, it has a good amount to do with that same past. I gave them their power and immortality so they could command my armies in our war for independence. Over our long period of genocide, they held all authority under myself. Now they retain these roles although we do not wish for war. We spent our time murdering the innocent, and we do not wish to repeat such a past. Our armies have turned to defense now and while we will fight with all of our strength to defend our borders and those of our allies, we will not actively seek conquest."

Turning now to David, the Nightmare Emperor finished off his speech about the Roa'marii by changing the subject somewhat.

"To finish on the point that you brought up, Immortal David, we have gained a great degree of our magical control from the aftermath of these times. While we had always had some magical potential, it was the result of my experiments and search for power that corrupted our entire race. At the time, our magic was far more powerful than even now due to this, but it tore through our minds and corrupted. When I finally regained a measure of sanity and realized this I took it upon myself to purge this and foster a far greater degree of control and restraint than I had previously. The level of power I now possess is but a shadow of my former ability, as is the way with all of my Roa'marii. All five of my generals used to be on the level I'm at now, but I purged them along with all my subjects. The loss of power was a small price to pay for freeing my people from the corruption I caused. This is why I'm equally interested in your people. While I know not your history, I doubt you achieved your magic power through dark rituals and corruption. This is why I'd be honored to learn more of your ways and the past that formed them."

Hostel System, UNRE Noble Jury

@WilsonTurner
Ror'kae thought on the words of the Hocklyns before preparing her response. They obviously didn't trust her, and she couldn't blame them for that. She wouldn't trust herself either were she in their position. But of course, a measure of delicacy was needed in these negotiations. Something she was not good at and likely never will be, even if she was arguably the most level headed of the Searonese. No, she would take the Hocklyns up on their offer to accept a Roa'marii diplomat.

"I suppose I shall have to accept those terms. Personally I'd just be happy with Pes'tifero's execution, but those higher than me have other plans for her. Very well, I shall call for a diplomat of the Roa'marii to come here. In the meantime we will wait here. Now, if you'll excuse me I have business to attend to."

With her message sent, another encoded one was sent back to Arcadia asking for a small diplomatic team to be sent. With luck, they would arrive in system after an hour or so. After such a wait, they did indeed arrive. With a flash, a small group of Roa'marii ships exited FTL and quickly joined the Searonese ships. Then a message was sent out from one of the new ships.

"I am General Ble'reu Escal of the United New Roa'marii Empire. I received word from Top Spear Ror'kae that an additional Roa'marii diplomat was needed in negotiations for the release into our custody of Searonese Queen Pes'tifero. I shall be that diplomat for the sake of these proceedings."

[null123]

Iscandar, Immortal Stronghold @Zadubadabu
As Nox finished speaking, David floated into the air, his arms opening wide. Golden beams of magical energy floated out of his hands and lined the chamber, as ruins on the floor began to glow.

“Our mother, Faust, the Goddess of Harmony, appeared before all of us when we accomplished the deeds that granted us the title of Immortal. The story which I am to tell to you now is one known to all those who follow Faust.” boomed David’s voice across the chamber. The spell which he was casting was an illusion spell of sorts, but made those affected, such as the Roa’marii, well aware of what was happening. The chamber and the Immortals melted away, as the Roa’marii found themselves in the vastness of space, seemingly standing far away from a vast field of stardust.

“From Stardust, Faust created us, our homeworld, and the Star which now glows upon Iscandar.” spoke the voice of David, now disembodied and coming from all directions. The field of Stardust glew a bright light, as a Star and Iscandar formed from the field.

“It was then that she granted us her children magic, so that we may advance forth evermore and use the ability to help us. Not only us, but those we were to meet in the Stars that back when we were first born, seemed so far away.” said the voice.

The Illusion slowly faded, the Chamber and Immortals appearing before the Roa’marii once again.

“This is where we gained our magic, from Faust. I do not expect you to believe in the story, nor do I expect you to begin following Faust, I only ask that our beliefs on the matter be respected, at least when you travel in our space.” finished David, awaiting the Roa’marii’s comments.

[WilsonTurner]

@Zadubadabu
Hostel System, Second Exploration Fleet
The Fleet Commander was taking a nap when he was shaken awake by one of his bridge crew. Being the Fleet Commander, he had enormous amounts of work to do, from paperwork to giving orders, and so sleep wasn't a luxury he often had. No matter if they had tablets that tricked the body into thinking it just had twelve hours of sleep, real sleep actually revitalized.

Yawning, the Commander stretched, and slowly got to his feet. If an important matter was at hand, he'd already be in the bridge, but he didn't consider the aliens to be too terribly important.

He nearly tripped and fell, from shock, when he saw one of the Council member standing in front of him. But no; as the form turned to face him, he realized he could see through it. Thank Caelrath it's just a holo, shot through the Commander's mind.

"Fleet Commander Dreth, how nice it is to see you. Report." The Fleet Commander snapped to attention, firing off in sequence, "Sir, contact has been made with an alien warship, damaged or unfinished. We took the ship as a prisoner and brought it to refueling base Denizon Farthar 96 Alpha 2. As per standard procedure, we offered foreign vessel chance for diplomatic negotiation, but we were interrupted by multiple warships of the same foreign origin, claiming they had usurped our prisoner and were coming to execute her. Based on data given, they had joined with a larger empire to overthrow the current monarchy, which then went on the run. Having found their target, they are now requesting talks for future negotiation, and for possession of our new prisoner."

The Fleet Commander kept cool under the piercing gaze of the Council member, before they both relaxed, their apparent staring contest finished. "Continue on with negotiations. However, you have one order: move alien ship and prisoners to Routing Point Code Thirgan, and ensure their safety. I want their ship transferred to the same Point, where a fleet will be waiting to dismember, dismantle, and study the alien technology. And if you can- get a bargain with the foreigners. I want something to dangle over their heads by the time you're done, besides their "queen." Do you not think it is amusing they still refer to her as their queen first, rather than an exile or traitor?"

The hologram flickered, and disappeared. Letting out a small sigh (along with everyone else in the room), the Fleet Commander started giving orders.

:

Inside the Orbital docks, Stehlruh's face paled (for a Hocklyn; it'd be unrecognizable for an alien), while the XO took in the information stoically. Turning, the destroyer Shipmaster addressed the Queen and her two aides.

"Diplomacy with you and your new faction will begin elsewhere. Due to orders from people higher than my Fleet Commander, we are moving you to another, safer location. Your ship will be attached to my own, and I will... accompany you to your bridge. Attempts to take me hostage will lead to both yourself, your ship and crew, and myself, and my ship and crew, being destroyed by escorts. Your ship will be taken apart and studied, and your people will tell us how to do so, and tell us anything we need to know about your technology. En route to our new destination, you will also inform me of anything in particular unique to your race, such as implants, psionic abilities, et cetera. Otherwise your enemies will probably use that against us to get to you, so I'd recommend full cooperation. Any edge we can get would be useful. Refusal is not an option; go quietly or go unconscious. Lead the way, Queen Spear."

Shortly therafter, the Stern-class Cyrus reached out with clamps, attaching itself to the alien ship as it undocked, and tugged it away from the docks, the alien fleet, and the planet's gravity well. After several minutes, being closely escorted by a small fleet of several cruisers and destroyers, and multiple refueling drones dumping their load into the ships, the small fleet disappeared, leaving the large, still very substantial exploration fleet, and the not so substantial foreigners.

"This is Fleet Commander Dreth. I have received word from my... superiors, who wish for further diplomatic negotiations. If you want your traitor Queen, you'll have to talk to myself further within my own space. You may bring one medium cruiser and two destroyers, or the equivalent of, but no more. If we detect any attempts to jump without permission to coordinates we cannot identify, you will be fired upon.

Send your diplomatic negotiators in on your cruiser. Your destroyers will not be allowed anywhere near anything of importance, nor will they be allowed to land. If you run out of any sort of FTL drive fuel, portal will be provided for transportation, rather than giving you fuel that may or may not be able to run. You have three hours to make your decisions, rearrange your crews as you see fit. Your diplomatic envoy will then be under diplomatic pardon, and diplomatic restrictions. You will be allowed to enter our space as long as a fleet of equal size to your own is present and giving you permission, and you will be expected to maintain a cease fire. Any firing of drone, unauthorized communication, energy weapon, tractor beam, kinetic weapon, or extra shields will be taken as a possibly hostile action. If we detect any attempts at deception, we will immediately open fire.

If you detect drones moving towards your ship, you will not fire on them. They are there for observation and to ensure that you do not activate anything before you do anything against us, such as readying a weapon to fire. Your ship group will not be allowed to come forward."

[null123]

The Fastness Empyreal @Durandal
Three ships jumped into the space surrounding the station, all of Eternal Union origin, representing the diplomatic party that had come to establish more formal relations K’hlath and the Empire of Aramun. The three ships were lead by a smaller frigate, it had no weapons, only a powerful shield, as most Eternal Union diplomatic vessels were. The ship itself had a silver coloring, with golden trimming. The two frigates following it were eerie, straight long vessels colored purely black, with only a few glowing lights and silver trimming to indicate that they were there. These vessels were amongst some of the most powerful frigates in the fleet, being brought along as the EU was unsure of the Empire’s capabilities, so they had taken a few more liberties in the defense of their diplomats.

The three slowly guided towards the station, the frigates deactivating their weapons and partially lowering their shield power to indicate that they were peaceful. After assuming a position, the lead ship broadcasted a message out to K’hlath.

“This is Master Oromis of the Dragon-Rider order, here with my Apprentice Aiden acting as diplomats on behalf of the Immortals. We are ready to begin proceedings.”

[Durandal]

The Fastness Empyreal@duck55223

Within the confines of the fortress station personnel moved with haste as the envoys of the EU appeared. In the command center, calibrations of weaponry and defensive countermeasures took place, ensuring they would operate at full capacity if needed. Although the information as to the ships was distorted from traveling through the communication bore, a one meter wide hole in the shielding of most ships that allowed information to travel through, codifiers restructured incoming data to a legible state. A massive gear-chain, aided by gravitational fields, began to lift door plating on one of the larger hanger bays, revealing the inside. To anyone outside the station, only a fuzzy, warped light would be apparent, the gravitational shielding scattering the waves.

After several minutes, a ten kilometer square opening appeared in the Fell Barriers closest to the EU ships, although such would not be apparent if one did not look specifically for gravitational fluctuations. From the station departed a Navigation Lighter, a small ship designed to lead larger ones through the confines of a Fell Barrier. Accelerating quickly, it would escape the zone of the shields before halting. A message beamed out to the EU ships: "This is Navigation Lighter Gjashte. If you would follow us in your vessel or with a small shuttle, we will escort you to the Fastness Empyreal."

---

On the station, Lhim had just reached the opened hanger bay. A field ions swept across the opening, containing the atmosphere of the station. Although partially damaging to electronics in certain cases, most K'hlath vessels were hardened against the effects. Behind him in the command tower stood Gregor, still hesitant as to his role in the dealings. Lhim clasped his primary hands behind his back while the secondary arms worked on a small blacksmith's puzzle, turning the pieces in an attempt to untangle the metal bars.

"Mister Miran," the Duke started. "Your purpose in this encounter is to stand in this room. That is all. You will watch from the viewing panes and will have a listening device. What I want, however, is for you to feel. Not in a tactile manner, but simply focus on the surroundings. I will question you afterwards. Men, make sure he doesn't leave this room. Do not threaten him." With that, he strode from the room, heading down to the hanger where he would meet the envoys.

[null123]

The Fastness Empyreal@Durandal
The EU’s diplomatic ship followed the ship through the Fell barrier. It slowed down it’s speed as it approached the station, proceeding into the docking bay. It’s shields protected it from any damage that the Ion barrier might have caused it. The ship finally landed within the bay itself, deactivating it shield’s and lowering a small loading ramp onto the cool metallic floor of the station. Master Oromis and Apprentice Aiden were the first two to step off the ship. Oromis wore more ornate plate armor, while Aiden wore a more simplistic design.

Four power-armored soldiers of the EU’s Special Forces followed the pair, acting as a defense. Each held long silver balefire rifles and closely followed behind the pair. A few of the Kh’lath noticed that Aiden seemed to shiver for a brief moment, as if sensing something of great importance.

Oromis stepped forth, Aiden and the guard following in suit. Oromis placed his arm over his chest and bowed as he saw the Kh’lath diplomats.

“I am Master Oromis of the Dragon-Rider Order, here on behalf of the Immortals. The EU has awaited a long time to establish more official relations with your Empire and is glad you have accepted this meeting.” spoke Oromis.

[Zadubadabu]

Iscandar, Immortal Stronghold

@duck55223
The Nightmare Emperor listened to the story, the illusion magic involved was quite potent, even if it was so obviously an illusion, and easy to see past had he been trying to do so. Still, the story was quite interesting, and the theory behind the Iscandarian magic was sound.

"That is indeed quite the story. I wish our coming across of magic had been as easy as yours. We gained our magic through chaos. Over time we learned to control it and brought order and as you say harmony out of it. As a result the corrupting powers of chaos and dark magics is somewhat lessened on my people, though some would say that's a bad thing seeing how the reason for it is that our senses are simply dulled to it. But regardless, the fact remains that we have become excellent at finding and containing chaos. Perhaps this could lead to some form of agreement between our people. Through the differences in magic we can do what you cannot, and yet we both seek to end corruption and disharmony. Us through containing what we unleashed, and you through spreading your power. It's an interesting idea to think about at least.

"On another note, I congratulate you on the illusion. I'm something of a specialist in the art seeing as it is my main method of combatting threats to my people. You'd be amazed how many battles can be completely averted through the right amount of nightmares brought to life in one's mind. The tactic is what earned me my name. Now, as much as I'd love to stay and talk about magic, I believe we have more pressing matters. I would like to extend an offer of peace and non-aggression with you. Eventually it may turn to an alliance of sorts, but for now a first step is enough to set us on the path. Now, what do you say?"

Hostel System, UNRE Noble Jury

@WilsonTurner
Upon receiving the transmission from the Hocklyns, it was decided that the lead cruiser of the Searonese fleet, the Noble Jury would be used as the diplomatic ship with two more destroyers sent from the Roa'marii Fleet. General Escal would be the lead negotiator from the Roa'marii with Top Spear Ror'kae representing the Searonese. Each would be taking two of their own guard to meet in person with the Hocklyn commander. By the time the three hours allotted time was up, all six Roa'marii to meet with the Hocklyns were aboard the Noble Jury and the ship along with its two escorts went forwards to follow the Hocklyns. At the same time, General Escal sent a transmission to the Hocklyn fleet.

"We are prepared to meet with you. Send us the coordinates to the location you wish to meet and we shall follow you there. We will follow those rules which you have set out for us, as well as any others you make us aware of. I trust that in the end of these negotiations we will be able to agree on a compromise that releases Pes'tifero into my custody to be dealt with according to Roa'marii law. The Nightmare Emperor will judge her himself and deal her punishment. Now, please lead the way."

Meanwhile, aboard Pes'tifero's ship the UNRE Spear of Searo, Pes'tifero herself stood on her bridge, the Hocklyn breeder standing across from her. His presence on her ship only served to enrage her more. Yet there was nothing she could do. She had seen the mines attached to her ship's hull herself and she knew the Hocklyns would not hesitate to set them off should anything happen to their representative. They wanted her to tell them about the systems and defenses of her ship so they could combat anything sent against them be the Roa'marii. Reluctantly she had to agree that there was some logic in telling them these things. So she got one of her Daughters to divulge the information.

"Roa'marii ships are run off of Mana, typically this is harvested through the natural reserves of the crew themselves and stored in large mana batteries that massively amplify the output. This energy is used for most systems on the ships and generators aboard it can replicate more once they have enough to run. Even if they were to completely lose all stored power, they can restore power to self replicating levels after around an hour of drain on the crew, depending on the ship size, number of Roa'marii onboard, and level of power of those on board. With a General aboard that ship there is almost no chance of out matching them in a battle of endurance without a similarly massive power source. Their weapons generally use this mana as well, performing much like plasma.

"On the ground, Roa'marii soldiers use as their primary weapons Mana Rifles which once again draw on the natural mana in each soldier. This prevents scavenging of the weapons from the battlefield. In addition many carry mono-molecular edged swords. As for the Searonese, as you can see we are one with our armored suits. They are attached to our bodies. We also run off mana, our hearts replaced with mana cores once we finish our training and bring back our first bounty. These amplify our suits tremendously and allow for complete synchronization. We move as fluidly in our suits as if we were wearing nothing. One on one no normal Roa'marii can stand up to a Searonese Warrior, but their numbers and mastery over magic led to our defeat. Is there anything else you need to know about the Roa'marii or ourselves?"

[Keyguyperson]

Noel, New Washington

The barely-audible hum of the monorail's engine permeated the car, itself full of plenty of people on their way to one place or another. The antique skyscrapers of the capital city rose up into the sky outside of the windows, piercing the clouds like the lances they resembled. Circular holes were carved into most of them, allowing the wind to blow through the ridiculously tall structures. It was a classic building style long since abandoned in favor of block-like, rectangular buildings that barely reached a quarter of such heights. Superskycrapers still existed, but had taken on an entirely new design. They were now encircled by rings, pumped full of negative mass in just the right way so as to bend space-time around the building, keeping the wind from pushing it over. Expensive, yes, but the doctrine of Noellian architecture was "aesthetics over practicality".

Monorail tracks connected all of the largest buildings, with a few exceptions such as the gigantic tower in the bay. It was the highest building on the planet, stretching ten kilometers into the sky. The massive construction was the end result of the original colony, with new buildings continually being built upon each other over the years according to an overarching plan. The sides of the building were covered in holographic projectors, displaying advertisements and propaganda that most of the city would never actually see (the vast majority of the tower was far above the clouds). If one wished to be technical, the tower reached straight into space thanks to the fact that it acted as the base for the orbiting station's space elevators. For obvious reasons, however, they were never counted. After all, they hung down from the sky more than they reached up to it.

"So, how goes the search?"

Fergus' face was projected directly into Dmitri's retina, the message being transmitted across the hundreds of light years thanks to the wonders of quantum entanglement communication. Before they'd left Earth, such a conversation would have costed trillions of dollars. Now, it was commonplace across the League.

"Terribly." Said Fergus, sighing heavily. "The closest thing we found were the ruins of some civilization on the third planet from their sun."

"Are you sure that's not Earth?"

"For one thing, the fourth planet has some stone-age xenos on it, and all the surviving skeletons had three legs. Have you come across any records?"

"No, I don't think we ever plotted a starmap anyways. All you find on Earth are historical records, and half of those are on the Second World War because you founded this place."

"Well, Emily's setting us up for another jump right now. There's some kind of odd energy, according to her."

"I'm just going to assume that's why half the Chiheisen ships left orbit."

"What? She called for more ships? We've got the entire Noellian fleet, not to mention both out flagships! I'm gonna go upload my neural pattern before we throw ourselves into some fucking interstellar incident."

The call ended, and Dmitri looked out onto the bay, sighing.

Dammit, I really don't want to see if God transfers souls to cloned bodies.

Sol System, Earth Orbit

The calm of the void was suddenly broken by hundreds of brilliant flashes, which lit the night side of the Earth as if it was day. Plumes of blue plasma flickered in the darkness afterwards, bringing the innumerable number of ships into orbit around the planet. Old satellites and space junk hit their shields, disintegrating instantly under the heat of the plasma. Drones fell out of the fleet's carriers like bats from a tree branch, flying in formation around the fleet to ward off any attackers.

Beneath the bright glow of their shielding giant turrets moved about, moving into positions that offered optimal coverage for a defensive battle. Each ship launched a flare, then sent a radio transmission to each of the two flagships to confirm their safe arrival. An electronic warfare ship was the first to send a message afterwards. Though made for electronic warfare, it was more commonly used as a science ship for scouting new systems and, in this case, providing intel for a fleet.

"Atmospheric profile is an 89% match with records, system configuration is identical. Geography is consistent with all archived images. There are multiple orbitals, the surface seems to be inhabited given light pollution levels, though there is a high probability that it is mutated bio-luminescence due to historical records. We have arrived at the homeworld."

The ships turned their turrets away from the surface, not wanting to accidentally bombard their fabled homeworld. The lead ship transmitted a message across the system using simple radio comms, the only system which they would likely have in common.

"Fami ti Domila Emily lasi la Falasoli lasi la Fafare Sirere, dore fasol mimiresi ti fasidore fa resol silasila remifala sirere lasi Terra. Fami sirere titi resol simisido lasi dofa mifare soldofasol, midomisi dore fadosi misolmi dofa?" Said a female voice, pausing before repeating the message in a different language. "This is Immortal Emily of the League of the Twenty Worlds, we are here on a pilgrimage to our lost homeworld of Terra. This planet fits our records of it, please tell us, have we finally arrived?"

((Oh God this is bad sorry sorry sorry))