[center][h2]Unknown System, Pantheic Space[/h2][/center]

On the outskirts of the system, a tiny dot of light appeared for a split-second as a fleet of starships suddenly appeared. There wasn't anywhere they seemed to have come from, they just appeared out of the interstellar medium. Anyone close enough to view the ships would see that they had been in space far longer than they were ever meant to, with scraps of metal haphazardly welded onto what must have been hull breaches. The vessels clearly weren't built for combat, with a giant transparent dome covering the top and bottom of what seemed to be the lead ship, revealing a forest underneath. If it was carrying a forest with it, then it wasn't a fleet that was meant to dock anywhere to pick up air anytime soon.

"Dive complete, we're in the Barerumēkā Belt of the target system. Formation deviation 2.09 percent, no anomalies."

"Good job, launch all resource collection craft. Ice has main priority, conductive materials have secondary. Activate all factory decks and dispatch atmospheric probes to all worlds in the habitable zone."

"Belay that order! Picking up highly active transmissions, the tech is odd, but they're definitely comms signals!"

"No... another species?"

"Yes! I have confirmation! Signal origin is intelligent life! Activating long-range antennae, transmitting standard friendship message!"

The fleet, which had been silent since its arrival, let out a great burst of radio waves. Anyone with the right equipment, or perhaps the right powers, would pick up a sequence of beeps corresponding to the prime numbers, accompanied by pictures of a distant star system and a humanoid alien species. Then, an alien voice spoke in an alien language, not sure if those hearing him could even guess what he was saying.

"This is Admiral Sanghuz Doriac of the 1st Imperial Starfleet, in service of the Eight World's Empire and the Na'brel Royal Family. We have entered this system in search of a habitable world, and were unaware of its habitation. We apologize if we have trespassed, and extend this greeting to you in the hopes that a misunderstanding could be avoided. We are not here to conquer, we are simply on a mission to seek refuge from those who would conquer us. If you can understand me, please respond."

[center][h2]Cathica, Arcadia[/h2][/center]

"Perfect." Said the Empress, seeing that the Naga had been distracted. She suddenly became stronger than ever, as if gaining her strength from something other than her body. "I can't read your language, and I certainly don't know the control layout of the tank, but I'm an Abh. Neither of those can stop me from operating it. These chips hanging from my ears aren't ceremonial, you know."

She bolted towards the tank, picking up the katana she dropped on the way. It was like she had been replaced by a completely healthy Abh, her wounds no longer causing any trouble for her. Coming in from the back, she managed to evade the Naga's sight until it was too late. A somersault later she was on top of the tank, not even waiting for her hair to settle before she kicked the Naga leader right in the back. He was sent flying like in a cartoon, the force of her kick far greater than any sort of logic would have allowed.

Anyone capable of sensing it could see it clearly: she was practically glowing with magic energy. Even so, she wasn't casting any spells, not even using it passively for simple telekinesis. It hadn't been there before either, just showing up without any warning or sign. Somehow, it wasn't giving her the ability to cast spells, it was just making her stronger. A swift movement of her katana plunged it deep into the skull of the driver, whom she didn't even bother to throw out before getting inside the tank and closing the hatch.

At that point, her actions seemed pointless. She couldn't operate an alien tank, and the Naga could likely control it remotely. However, there was something she had that nobody could have expected. She tore off the covering of an electrical panel, revealing the wiring below. Grabbing hold of one of the small metal chips that hung from her ears as if they were jewelry, she used its sharp edge to cut open the insulation on one of the wires. The rest was easy. She just placed the ship on top of the exposed wire, and it wrapped around it, somehow connecting her brain and the tank's system.

After a few moments of disorientation as she adjusted to the (to her) basic controls and sensors of the tank, she identified and deactivated its transmitter and receiver. Now locked off from any kind of outside influence, she moved the tank forward, sending the Naga scrambling for cover. A flurry of fire from the anti-personnel weapons on the tank shredded any Naga outside of cover, giving the Roa'marii soldiers a distraction of their own to take advantage of.

[center][h2]Hinansho System, Roman/Abh Border[/h2][/center]

On Roman and Triarii sensors, a huge mass signature appeared. accompanied by a giant distortion behind Abh lines. A stark white starship, encircled by two massive rings appeared, taking the place of the former Abh flagship. It had a name painted on its bow, along with an inscription. Neither were even close to the Abh language, in fact, they used the latin alphabet. A message was transmitted from the odd vessel to the Roman fleet.

"This is Empress Laidach Na'brel of the Eight World's Empire. As you can see, we have a new toy. The vessel you see in front of you is the warship [i]Excalibur[/i], the new Imperial flagship. It was originally designed by the ancients themselves to serve as the flagship of a second empire, the heirs to their legacy, not that any of that concerns you. What does concern you is the fact that this war will be over very soon, and the only thing I do not know about that end is whether or not we will win. However, with this warship and our new technology, the odds seem to be in our favor."