[center][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2hRTLdvdnk]Some music[/url][/center] Kelsie tried to remain calm, as the ECU embassy around her turned into chaos. Why would the Zetans do that? They must have realized that kidnapping someone would be considered a hostile action and would directly lead to war. Or were they just so far from human beings they didn’t care anymore? Then the debates around her revealed that the man was in fact a scientist. That made much more sense. Kelsie shivered. Poor man, what are they going to do to him to get to ECU secrets? She used the time to inform everyone of the current situation, both her associates here on the station and the high command back on Ellara. So far she received about eight angry texts from the Reapers Squad members and other military personnel stationed on the Meeting Place, asking if they could go and kick the clankers’ asses. She gave a strict order on no hostile actions on the diplomatic grounds and recalled everyone back to their section of the station, just to be safe. There was no response from Ellara yet other than a message received confirmation. [hr] Oscar Pawlowski was enjoying his morning swim. It was too early and the pool was still closed to the public, but being the Grand General did have some perks. Along with a huge pile of responsibilities. But he was trying to not think about those now, his body moving in a steady rhythm, his head clear at least for these few precious minutes. He didn’t bring any communication devices with him. No messages, reports, debates, and speeches, this was his time of the day and his subordinates knew very well not to disturb him unless a disaster was on the way. That’s why he winced a bit seeing a nervous soldier on the side of the pool, just enough to kick him out of his rhythm. “What?” he barked at the soldier, treading water. “Sir, there is an urgent message from Guardian Blackwood.” Oscar frowned. It must have been something serious, otherwise they wouldn’t dare to bother him at this time of day. He swam to the side of the pool, jumped out, and grabbed a towel. “So?” “Apparently the negotiations with the ECU went very well, they seemed to be open to forming a defensive pact.” The man paused and the Grand General gritted his teeth. If this is all that he came with, he is getting his ass demoted to dust. “But during the talks, the ECU representative received a message,” the soldier quickly continued, seeing the look on Oscar’s face. “Apparently the Zetans have kidnapped an ECU citizen, a scientist.” Oscar closed his eyes for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, thinking about everything that needed to be done now. “Call all available Guardians to an emergency meeting. All personnel assigned to the ships will report on board immediately. Finish the resupply and get every available vessel to the Gateway. Code red, battle-ready. We are at war now.” “Sir, no war has been declared yet, we…” “There is no other possible action that the ECU can take in response to this,” Oscar replied, vigorously scrubbing his short hair with a towel. “Message Blackwood to tell the ECU we will stand by their side if they decide to take actions against the Zetans. Go! And bring me some clothes!” [hr] Claire was sitting on the ground near a shield generator installed on the Thorsten, running tests for what felt like the millionth time. Everything seemed to be in order, but will it actually hold in a real battle? She wished it wouldn’t come to that but already knew that those wishes won’t come true. It would be a miracle if the Undefeated didn’t get themselves involved in some conflict. If only they gave her enough time to figure out how to get the shield generators onto the smaller ships, like the one Kelsie had on the Meeting Place. Claire wanted nothing more than to protect her daughter. Not that Kelsie cared for it. [i] She almost didn’t recognize her. Her little girl had grown into an adult woman. Guardian uniform, short military haircut, and a stern look on Kelsie’s face, all those things tore Claire’s heart apart, although she did her best not to let it show. “Kelsie, I…” She spent years preparing for this moment, yet still didn’t know what to say. “I thought you were dead.” Kelsie interrupted her. “When Hamonga told me that they stopped you from blowing up the Citadel, I just assumed they executed you right on the spot. Maybe it would have been better.” Kelsie’s voice was cold. “Seriously, mom? After all that bullshit about saving lives?” Claire’s eyes sank. “I… I wasn’t in a good place after your father died.” “Don’t you dare to talk about him!” Kelsie leaped to Claire, hissing right into her face. “It was all your fault, you poisoned his mind with your insane ideas! Peace and love, we could all hold hands and hug the Screechers,” she snorted, pausing for a bit and stepping back to regain composure. “Only reason I am here is that the Grand General ordered me to, since you won’t finish your research until you see me. Well, you have seen me, mother, so get back to work. And do not contact me again.” Kelsie turned away and left, slamming the door behind her, leaving Claire alone in her world of remorse. [/i] The datapad on her lap beeped, signaling yet another successful simulation and mercifully pulling her out of the painful memory. Claire rested her head against the cold metal. It will work. It has to. Maybe if we put smaller converters in parallel? But how to deal with the feedback loop? There is no way to safely discharge the capacitors on a smaller ship, unless... The sound of the ship's alarm interrupted her thoughts. The signal lights started blinking red and a voice came out of the shipwide intercom. “Attention, all personnel. Code red. All assigned crewmembers will report to their battle stations. I repeat. Code red.” So they did it. Code red. War. Six months since meeting other humans, other civilizations. And there is a war already. Guess we should be grateful it didn’t come earlier. Claire hoped that the Meeting Place would remain neutral ground and Kelsie would be safe there, but she couldn’t be sure. Nobody really shared any tactical information with her. She was here just to keep the shields and new weapons operational. [hr] “Captain on deck!” one of the officers yelled as Oscar entered the bridge of the Thorsten. “At ease, people. So, how are we doing?” He turned to his Executive Officer, a young man named Alex Cooper. “All crew members are on board and everything is ready. We only managed to load about half of the designated food supplies, but our ammunition stocks are at 95%.” Oscar nodded and moved to one of the screens that showed the positions of the entire fleet. It was an impressive sight, especially given the fact that six months ago the only spacecraft they had were a few small space shuttles. Now, after a relentless effort of thousands of people, eight large battleships were floating near the Gateway, accompanied by a number of smaller vessels. Since several of the battleships still needed some more work to be done on them and the Gateway would still need to be protected against possible intruders, it was decided that only half of the fleet would go to support the ECU attack. Four Battleships equipped with the new deflector shields. Three of them were armed with a combination of projectile weapons, missile launchers, and new plasma cannons. The fourth ship, the Sonne, was designed as a fleet carrier, harboring dozens of small fighters. Several Destroyers, smaller ships carrying immense firepower but very vulnerable to attacks especially from enemy fighters, were safely hidden in the middle of the formation, protected by the Battleships and a number of Cruisers. Cruisers were essentially smaller versions of the Battleships, having decent shields as well as an arsenal of weapons. “They are all ready to go, waiting for your orders, General.” “Good. It shouldn’t take long now.” [hr] [right][sub][i](Addressing: [@Tortoise])[/i][/sub][/right] Kelsie stood up as Abadi returned to the office. She still couldn’t get used to the woman’s appearance, but the situation was too grave for her to start laughing. Still. Metal armor? That had to be incredibly uncomfortable. Not talking about the tall fluffy hat, clinging dangerously from side to side as Abadi moved. She nodded as Abadi gave her the news. An expected development. Still the word sent shivers down her spine. War. And this time not against some primitive creatures armed with spears. “I have already talked to my government and the decision was unanimous. We will support you. Our fleet is ready for a coordinated attack on Zeta-5.” God help us.