[center][h3]Collab Between [@Raylah] and [@Kale19][/h3][/center]

As the Pathfinder swooped through the Gateway and appeared above Ellara, Commander Jim Harlowe couldn't be happier. Finally, he could leave New Hollywood and get away from the creepy ever-present holograms and all the weirdness of the ECU citizens. Reins insisted on showing him the true nightlife of New Moscow and when Jim refused to visit any more holo-suites, he dragged him from one party to another, forcing him to wear ridiculous costumes. He met a lot of weird people, listened to a lot of weird music, and overheard a lot of weird conversations. To him, these people were completely torn away from the real world. Their nation was waging war and they were dancing, eating strange-smelling food, and debating about who was the best performer at Woodstock. Jim didn't even know what it meant, he just smiled and nodded, afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would thoroughly embarrass not just himself but his entire nation. At last, the torture was over, his diplomatic mission concluded, and he was allowed to return home.

“Dock on the Hyperion,” he ordered the pilot, pointing towards one of the Battleships stationed near the Gateway. The Pathfinder, a tiny speck of dust compared to the huge vessels around him, smoothly turned and flew into an open dock. Jim grabbed his bag and headed for the door, waving the Pathfinder crew goodbye. “See you, guys.”  Hopefully never. His next ship should definitely have at least [i]some[/i] guns.

He headed to the bridge to meet Guardian Hamonga for debriefing. He always respected the man, not just his strength, but also his ability to remain calm even in the gravest situations. That was the kind of Guardian he was hoping to be if he got the promotion. When he gets the promotion. Eyes on the prize, that’s what the drill sergeant always taught them, and Jim was sure to remember it.

“Sir,” Jim saluted, admiring Hyperion’s bridge. Now that was a ship to command.

Hamonga turned to him. “At ease. So, son, what do you think of our allies?”

The Commander opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by one of the officers. “Sir! The Gateway just activated and an unknown ship passed through!”

Hamonga quickly moved over to the sensor station and Jim followed him. “The Zetans?” he asked doubtfully.

The officer shook his head. “No, sir, the technology is not in our database. It’s not even broadcasting any name or designation, just the number 35. It appears to be heavily damaged.”

The Guardian needed only a few seconds to wage the options and make a decision. “Deploy a squad of fighters, but do not attack the ship unless ordered. Or if they attack first. Broadcast on all frequencies. This is Guardian Hamonga. You have entered airspace controlled by The Undefeated. Please shut your engines down and identify yourselves or we will be forced to take appropriate actions to defend ourselves.” He paused for a moment to make sure the broadcast went out. “Let’s see if they answer.”


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	“Uh… Dudes! I think we got a message!” This shout came from Kfuu, the Abberian managing the communications. He had been getting increasingly worried ever since he lost communication with the surface of the dead drift, the underground systems were up and running, but no one was messaging on them.
	“What is it, Kfuu?” SGT Rodgers asked. “And do you recognise the signal?”
	“Nah, it’s alien, most likely from this planet. All I got was static.”
	“Should we stop our engines and see if we can communicate?” Asked SGT Jodie Scott, who had quite recently walked up from a very important talk with the newest crew members or rather, stowaways. “Plus we just got a few visitors from the dead drift.”
	“Stop the engines, Kfuu, and I’ll see about these stowaways.” SGT Rodgers paused. “SGT Scott, take Cibiv and try to communicate with these people.”
	“Incoming fighters!” Yelled Kefp, leaping out of the control room.
	“Kefp! Why did you leave your post?”
	“To warn you about the-” And with that “35” gave a sickening lurch. Too much damage had been done from the debris, and with no one keeping the ship in control the thrusters that kept the ship hovering in place were slowly shutting off. Soon they would go down, there was no stopping that, they could only hope that these strange people could help, or at least speak English.

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On the Hyperion, Jim moved to the sensor station, trying to make himself useful. Technically, he wasn't part of the crew and shouldn't even be on the bridge in an emergency situation, but it seemed like a good opportunity to gain some bonus points with Hamonga. "They still haven't made any attempts to communicate, but they have shut their engines down. The question is whether they did it on purpose or because their ship is malfunctioning."

Hamonga scratched his bald head. "Any life signs on board?"

"Several," Jim nodded. "Their communication array might be damaged, they might not be able to respond."

"True. Or it might be a trick. Tell the fighters to keep their distance and not attack for now. Get a boarding team ready on one of the shuttles and…"

"Sir, there is a problem." Jim hated to interrupt a superior officer, but the screen started flashing with warnings. "The alien ship is without propulsion and it is caught in the gravity well of the planet. Their altitude is already dropping."

"Can we do something for them?"

One of the engineers on the bridge shook his head. "If we had more time, we could launch a rescue operation and try to stabilize their orbit, but at this point we can't do anything."

Jim pushed a few buttons on the control panel. "According to the simulations, they will land on the northern continent, approximately 150-200 miles north of outpost Omega. If they survive the atmospheric entry that is."

"Well, if they will land into the red zone, there is no need to take any defensive actions. Commander Harlowe, take a shuttle to the Omega outpost and launch a rescue operation from there. Find and secure any survivors. By any means necessary. We cannot have potential enemy agents running freely on our planet. Even if all they will most likely do is get eaten by something."