Elysium-Psi had become the most violent place on the planet over the past six months. Ranked near the bottom of the Elysium sectors, although it 'flourished' with life when compared to Asphodel or Tartarus sectors, most of it was the kind of large, angry life that Zetans viewed as more trouble than worth to engage with and drive out. The latest initiatives, however, had changed all this. A modified anti-predator form, now simply being referred to as 'light warform,' was stalking across the sand. Its form had been clad in thin, treated leather clothing to keep the exterior somewhat protected from the sweeping sandstorms that could strip layers of skin off like sheets of paper... Not that its prey was having any trouble with the inclement conditions.

At approximately four foot tall from foot to shoulder, and around six foot long, the beast was Ladon- and one of the largest land predators on Zeta-5. Despite its size, its hide had the impressive ability of acting as both ablative and reactive armour. Initially, the thick, rock-like outer layer could keep the Ladon safe from initial strikes, and when that was penetrated its body would immediately 'bloat' out a surge of tissue development in response to the damage. Such a mechanism drained a lot of energy from the creature, but also meant that they were renowned for their toughness...

Until today. The warform brought its gun up to its head- a by-product of its organic inhabitant being trained to do so, and not an actual need to line up sights. Pins on the warform's foot grounded it and steadied it in the whipping air, and then a finger curled down onto a trigger. When it was depressed, an electrical signal rushed up into the weapon's stock and a small ball of steel was dropped into a long, internal groove. Electromagnets on the device briefly flickered on and off, and then, with the [i]crack[/i] of a small object breaking the sound barrier, the same ball was sent flying, whistling through the air to carry out its purpose.

The gun itself let out a long hissing noise, jets of steam rushing out of grooves along the gun's barrel. The Ladon, having not heard the 'shot' until far too late, had not moved, the warform approaching it cautiously. The beast's rocklike form had a single, delicate hole in it- punched neatly all the way through and to the other side, where the payload had spiralled through and laded somewhere else. Although the Ladon stood upright still, it was quite dead.

"Reporting weapon test successful."

[hr]

Above Zeta-5's skies, a different sort of weapon was being devised. News of alien empires, domineering and powerful, and the threat of new human colonies attacking them had meant that Zeta had begun to build its naval forces up once more. The gateways offered a unique tactical challenge- Zeta itself had to become a hardpoint, whilst their navy needed to be a spearhead capable of shattering through an opposing hardpoint and delivering ground forces onto a planet. Troop transports then, needed to be small, fast, and as heavily armoured as they could be without compromising on speed and size. As plans for that had been drawn up, work on the hardpoint had begun.

The usual stations Zetans built would not suffice for such a measure. They needed something that could resist and return large amounts of fire, whilst also supporting point-defence and drone/fighter combat- the Aegis ring. Then, on one of the many, many, many, many moons of Zeta-4, a work had begun. The skeleton of what would become the Oistos defence system had been erected- a great hulk of metal and workers. Working on similar, if greatly magnified, version of the electromagnetic systems their ground forces used, the Oistos was a gigantic rail cannon constructed in the low-gravity, no-atmosphere environment of a tidally-locked moon, and thus, as the weapons system was mounted on a rotating plate, could continually maintain overwatch on the Gateway. Unfortunately, such a large device required tremendous energy, and there was only so much they could store in its batteries. After only one or two initial shots, the Oistos would need to spend precious time rebuilding its banks back up to fire successive shots. 

These were, of course, still works in progress. Oistos looked to still be several years from completion, and although the core of the Aegis ring had been rapidly put into place, it was a shadow of what the designers had intended- enough to delay an initial assault perhaps, but no more. Zeta's fledgeling navy was in a similar shape- when combined with the embryotic Aegis ring, the Consciousness could likely just about hold their own system from attack, but could hardly launch a counter-strike. Still, progress had been made, and it had been made just in time with the ECU directly threatening them. It would not stand, and Zeta could not be seen as a mindless aggressor. Luckily, the Meeting Place stood ready for diplomatic posturing.

[hr]

Sigma-Devi strode out confidently, and with her, the other star nations got a first glimpse of Zetan militarisation. The warforms that flanked her were uniform white metal, and carried ballistic weapons designed for station combat. Humanoid, yes, with the familiar digitigrade legs and individually articulated fingers, but it was bulkier, moved less lightly... And, of course, wore visible military equipment. To standardise the small warforms with regularly augmented Zeta soldiers, the warforms carried their ammunition in chest rigs and had sidearms on their hips... Although, their electrical defence systems had not been removed. 

Sigma-Devi herself looked particularly prim and proper today. Taking to a small podium, cameras having been set up previously to record the message as an introduction to other nations, she cleared her throat properly, then began.

"Kindred of the stars." She began, voice warm and filled with emotion. "We are the Zetan Consciousness, a nation that is unequivocally dedicated to the furthering of mankind's knowledge of the universe, and the ability for each and every individual to reap the benefits of such understanding. We stand upon the shoulders of the giants that once inhabited the planet below us, and build on their knowledge and learning, to push back the darkness of ignorance and hatred, and to overcome any obstacle that stands before a brighter future for us, and for humankind!"