[b][u]S’jet Exploration Carrier [i]Tor-Selim[/i][/u][/b] Ariel Manaan was in her element. The situation was chaotic, the ship was somewhere completely unknown, and they were surrounded by people on strange ships never before seen by Hiigaran eyes. Before this, she had almost been getting bored of her assignment. Idling in front of a Hyperspace gate for weeks was not her idea of fun, though apparently the scientists enjoyed it. This though, this was everything she had hoped for on an exploration mission. Aliens that were not enemies of Hiigara. That she could turn into allies. They had not yet received a response from the ships that had sent a signal, but that was a blessing anyway, as it gave them time to work out a translation program. The silence was hardly boring for her though, as the beginning of another exchange seemed to be going on between the signalling ship and another, spire like vessel. No signals were being sent that they could intercept, but the lack of shooting or offensive manoeuvres was quite telling. As she watched, the many small contacts around the spire-ship seemed to suddenly take on a completely different motion, no longer moving randomly, but moving in careful and precise formation. She only saw the beginnings of the shape before she was interrupted by Kira’s voice, which had taken on a tone that oozed condescension and impatience. “I’ve finished your translator [i]Captain[/i]. Can I go and do some real work now?” The question was asked sarcastically of course, and she was already descending the stairwell to the CIC at the back of the bridge. “Thank you Kira.” Saalen replied, evidently making an effort to keep his voice level. Ariel had to stop herself from smiling at the whole exchange. Kira’s self-righteous and superior behaviour always seemed ridiculous and amusing to her. The captain probably wouldn’t appreciate her bursting out laughing though, given he was usually on the receiving end. Just as she looked back to the hologlobe, however, another signal came through, immediately being relayed over the bridges speakers. --- [b][u]BS-14 Battlestar [i]Columbia[/i][/u][/b] Phillips turned quickly to glance as Lorne took charge of the SAR op, whatever going on it was probably a hellova more interesting that he was doing, but he’d do his job. Just as he was about to ask where the Tauron was an Ensign came into the CIC to the comm station and offered a salute. “Ensign Dunny reporting for duty.””All right son.” He handed over a headset that was connected to the comms system. “This message has played a couple of times from one of those unidentified ships out there. It bears resemblance to Caprican and the older Tauron Dialect, we need you to translate it.””Yessir.” Phillips watched as the Ensigns face screwed up slightly obviously trying to understand what was being said. He watched as the tape finished playing and gave him a second to process it. “Well, what does it say?””They’re something called… Hiigarans and they called their ship the Tor-Selim. They say they’re explorers and something about peace.””Well thats a lot of fraking good, what are Hiigarans? What does Tor-Selim mean?””I don’t know sir, they don’t translate.””All right, send the following message. We are the Battlestar Columbia of the Colonial fleet. We will not fire unless fired upon however we do [i]request[/i] our present coordinates as we appear to have jumped into uncharted space. Message ends.” The ensign nodded and then relayed the message. He waited listening to the faint static on his headset waiting for the response. --- [b][u]S’jet Exploration Carrier [i]Tor-Selim[/i][/u][/b] The message coming over the speakers held in a few places as the translation software worked, but it wasn’t long before Kira S’jets genius was once again proved. Once translated it told Ariel a number of things. These strangers evidently weren’t from this sector of space either, and their ship class was ‘battlestar.’ Ariel had never heard of it before, but if it was some kind of combat capable mothership, they definitely wanted it to remain friendly. The message sounded like it came from a military man, but it also sounded like they were open to peace. That was good. Ariel continued watching the situation around the spire ship develop as she thought it was interesting, and she admired the skill of the spires pilots. A sudden, terrifying thought occurred to her. What if they were Khadeshi? no, that was ridiculous. If they were, the Tor-Selim would probably already be so much space dust, and despite the slight similarity in some areas, there were too many differences for it to be likely. Shaking that disturbing line of thought, she looked over at the comms officer to begin another transmission. When he indicated readiness, she began to speak, hoping that the translation program would not distort her message. “Battlestar Columbia, this is Hiigaran exploration carrier Tor-Selim. We appear to be just as foreign to this space as you, and cannot provide coordinates or charts. We intend no hostilities to anyone, and would prefer peaceful collaboration to combat.” With the message away, she looked back at the holo globe and awaited a response. --- [b][u]BS-14 Battlestar [i]Columbia[/i][/u][/b] “Sir, incoming transmission.” He listened to it as it came through, and was surprised when it came through in pure Caprican. He nodded at the Ensign. “Return to your post.” The man saluted- “Sir.” before walking out of CIC. Phillips took off his headset and handed it back to the officer before walking back to the main central station in the CIC opposite the commander. “Sir, the first vessel to contact us is now transmitting in Caprican. They must either have found a way to translate it. They say they’re strangers here too.” Lorne noticed that Phillips didn’t mention it, either these guys were playing them or they had some serious computer tech on board, he didn’t like where that could go with the possibility of the Cylons. However the voice while slightly distorted had still sounded human, or at least humanoid in nature. The Cylons themselves looked like walking chrome toasters and sounded nothing like a real person. He picked up the headset before speaking. “Put me through.””Aye sir.” The Comm officer flicked the relevant switches as he attached the line between the commanders phone piece and the transmitter. “You’re on sir.” “This is Commander Tyrell Lorne of the Battlestar Columbia. I would like you to inform me how your ship ended up here and whatever it did that brought my ship here. This ship should be engaged in a crucial battle against hostile forces however instead I am currently stuck here trying to fix hull breaches and my FTL engine. If this is some kind of Cylon trap spare me the monologue and get it over with.” --- [b][u]S’jet Exploration Carrier [i]Tor-Selim[/i][/u][/b] The response that came through was not quite what Ariel had hoped for. The man in charge of this ship, as she assumed the man calling himself commander was, was quite blunt and seemed to be expecting some kind of trap. Accusing the Tor-Selim of bringing them all through was not a particularly diplomatic move either, but she wouldn’t allow herself to be insulted by it. In the background she heard Captain Saalen co-ordinating damage control, and in particular noticed when reports that the corvette launch bay was cleared and ready. Unfortunately they didn’t have the secondary manufacturing facilities online yet though, which meant she couldn’t conduct this negotiation from a diplomatic corvette. Still, a pulsar corvette might suffice. “Keep me connected.” She said as she walked off the bridge and started heading for the hangar. “Commander Tyrell Lorne” She began as she walked. “We did not cause whatever event has placed our ships where they are. Our ship and its escorts were studying a Hyperspace gate not linked to the Eye of Aarran when we were pulled into Hyperspace. The drive was deactivated by the local gravity well and our ship sustained damage to a number of systems. I assure you if this is a trap, we did not set it. We don’t even know what a Cylon is. As a gesture of good faith, I am willing to board your ship via a Corvette and negotiate face to face.” --- [b][u]BS-14 Battlestar [i]Columbia[/i][/u][/b] He didn’t like the idea of bringing people on his ship. Though in the situation, it was probably the only way that he could stall long enough to get the FTL engines online. He put down the mouth piece. “XO.””Sir””Send two squads of marines down to the port hanger deck. Have the bow section cleared of crew and have the Marines ready and waiting.””Yes sir.””Once that is done, take charge of the operations repairing the vessel that released the distress call.””Yes sir.””You have the con.” He picked up the comm piece and spoke into it. “I’ll send a flight wing over to escort you into the hanger. Manual landings only, the pad for you to land on will be lit up and you will then be lowered onto the hanger deck. Any hostile actions and you’ll be fired upon.” With that he put down the speaker piece and left the CIC. Once he left two marines turned to tail him, as they always did tailing him everywhere. He moved to the cart that would move him from one part of the gigantic ship to another and stepped on it. The wind blowing right into his face as he stood on the platform. This was a hell of a fraking day, find themselves above an uncharted planet with uncharted ships and someone starts spouting about hyperspace gates? The first thing he did when he stepped off was move to the nearest phone, connecting himself to engineering. “This is the Commander, what is the status on the FTL drive.””We’ve managed to seal the leak sir, however we still need to re-pressurize the system. It shouldn’t take more than fifteen minutes.””You’ve got ten.””Yes sir.” He threw the phone back on the hook and continued. First bit of good news all day. --- “This is Turbo, acknowledge orders. Fly to nearby ship and escort envoy. Red wing, you’re on me.” A group of five Vipers turned sharply off heading towards the ship where the envoy was supposedly coming from, as they approached they stopped without getting too close. There was no telling how these guys would react to a low pass over the hull or even circling them. So instead they just hovered in space. “Tor-Selim this is Captain Anders, Callsign Turbo. I’m here to escort your envoy over to the Columbia. How copy?” --- [b][u]S’jet Exploration Carrier [i]Tor-Selim[/i][/u][/b] [i]The commander of this ship certainly liked to threaten firing on people.[/i] Ariel thought as she acknowledged the response. She was just approaching the [url=http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070518155912/homeworld/images/c/cb/Hiigaran_pulsar_gunship.jpg]pulsar corvette[/url] when Saalen’s voice came over the comm. “The Hyperspace Core is online. We need only recall the fighters and we can leave, find somewhere with resources we can use to repair the worst of damage. Are you still sure you want to go through with this?” She could understand the desire to take the ship away from potential threats, but it was also her job to make threats into assets. She still held out hope for this ‘Battlestar.’ “Yes Captain I’m sure. I believe we’d be better off finding out what happened with allies rather than alone.” As the airlock to the corvettes interior opened she noticed the angular, utilitarian form of Hiigaran powered armour already within, and a weathered, dark skinned face staring down at her from under the helmets visor. The captain's voice came through again in response. “Alright, but I’m sending Jakuur with you. He’ll keep you safe.” A weary smile crept onto her face as she replied. The Captain certainly cared for his crew. “Yes, they’re already here.” She stepped into the vessels cramped interior and made her way to the front of the vessel, climbing into the form fitting pilots chair. Once the ship was ready, it was detached from the massive cradle apparatus that held it in place in the hangar and transferred to the cavernous space of the carriers central bay. Ariel could see numerous spots on the roof of the bay where crews of men and women in eva suits were pulling away bent and broken material, and many more areas that had yet to feel the ministrations of the damage control teams. It was a very direct reminder of the damage the manufacturing facilities had taken, and she hated to see such a vital part of her ship in such a state. As quickly as she had noticed it however, her ship was whisked away to the corvette launch bay. She activated the engines and let the automated launch control guide the ship down the narrow, brightly lit corridor, taking control only as the ship cleared the bay edges. It was good to fly again, it had been too long. Outside the ship, a respectful distance away, the promised escort was waiting. Ariel approached the ships, taking note of their design. They were diminutive vessels, smaller even than a Vaygr scout craft, but Ariel knew that that generally meant a ship was manoeuvrable. “This is Commander Ariel Manaan, callsign Diirvaas One. Acknowledging escort. Lead the way Turbo.” --- [b][u]BS-14 Battlestar [i]Columbia[/i][/u][/b] “Well, that’s interesting.””What were your orders Turbo? I didn’t catch that.””Fall in behind and stick with your wing, I’ll lead the way.” He pulled on the stick, performing a 180 spin till he was facing completely the other way in a couple of seconds before kicking in the main engines however he kept the power low, having no idea how fast the larger ship was. He always thought a Raptor was a school bus but this was even bigger, and it had a great big cannon on the top. “Columbia this is Turbo. Just to give you a forewarning this ride has what appears to be a large cannon atop of it. Its also a fat ass bird, however so far it hasn’t made any threatening moves. Please advise.””Copy that Turbo, continue on your current heading. We’ll have heavy weapons shipped down to the marines in the hanger bay.”Affirmative.” “Diirvaas one. Follow us in, we’ll lead you in.” They were half way back when a green window opened in space, out of nowhere. “Break, Break Break!” He pulled up on the Yoke and kicked in the engines as he did a quick flip and then flew back over the more sluggish ship from the alien vessel. DRADIS beeped, indicating a new contact. He had long ago adjusted the settings due to the amount of traffic so that meant that this was close. “New Contact, bearing 451 carom 129. Right behind us where the window was.” He flipped his nose again only to see what was barely left off a ship falling through space, venting atmosphere as lights flickered and he saw a couple of bodies fall out into space. “Columbia, this is Turbo. New contact is heavily damaged, please advise.””Bring your contact in, then we’ll sort out this new problem. We’re stretching ourselves thin as it is. We’ll sort out this new problem soon.” Turbo continued on the heading he was on before as he looked at what could only be described as a derelict. [i]Gods be with them.[/i] was the only thing he could think as he looked at the chaos of the broken ship. He pulled back into formation as the approached the landing bay. “Viper wing, I have you on scope. You have priority clearance to bring our guest in.””Copy that Columbia.” He turned his head to barely see the ship he was escorting. “Diirvaas one. Manual landings only, we’re going to pass through the bay and rejoin the CAP. When we pass underneath slow and use maneuvering thrusters to land in the central strip. You’ll need EVA suits to pass through unless your Airlock is compatible with ours. The commander will meet you up there.” This of course had all already been relayed to the Commander who was standing waiting at the other side of the airlock. --- [b][u]S’jet Exploration Carrier [i]Tor-Selim[/i][/u][/b] Things seemed to be going well for her mission until some kind of Hyperspace portal opened right on top of them. Despite its size, the Corvette she was piloting was remarkably manoeuvrable, not quite as nimble as the smaller craft of her escort, but enough to pull away and avoid damage. The ship that came through was in bad shape, trailing atmosphere and debris. Ariels first instinct was to help, but that would all be up to Captain Saalen now. She simply kept following the escort, doing her best to shut the plight of the crippled ship out of her mind. “Acknowledged Turbo. It’s been a pleasure.” She said in reply to his approach instructions. It was unusual to have to land manually, Hiigaran ship all used automatic docking control on the final approach except when damage prevented it. Still, Ariel [i]had[/i] trained for it, even if it wasn’t standard practice. When her escort passed by, she followed them in, keeping the ships speed at a minimum. The bay of the alien ship was cavernous, even more so than that of the Tor-Selim, and from its profile it seemed to have two of them. That certainly explained the enormous fighter compliment it had launched, a formation to rival any Vaygr strike force. She deployed the Corvettes planetary landing gear, something not used in Hiigaran hangars where the berths held ships perfectly. She came down as slowly as she could, having shut off the primary engines in case the superhot plasma they spewed out damage the deck of their gracious hosts. A loud thud marked contact with the hangar deck, the ships stabilisers only barely compensating as flight systems shut down and the ship settled. As the airlock settled against the flat surface of the corvette, Ariel climbed out of the pilots chair and made her way to the airlock. With luck, this was the beginning of a wonderful new alliance for the Hiigaran people.