[b]For it lived cold and alone, its heart became cold and alone.[/b] Hyginian bedtime story [center] [img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/a8c27c28-3055-458e-bf35-37025f19ba63.png[/img] [/center] [center] [h2]Seventh Warden Ship ‘Custodian’[/h2] [/center] Cutting through the immense nothingness a small vessel maintained its usual route, an uneventful sequence of inspectional tasks while circling the dead ruins of an equally dead civilisation, ever watchful. Inside the floating tin-can a private was running around the halls to deliver a message. “Lieutenant-Commander, the Captain has called for you on the bridge.” [i]Great[/i] thought Ortiz, wondering what the Captain might want during what was little more than a regular exercise. Ensuring each team was doing its job, or to be more accurate ensuring they were not creating any trouble, was for Ortiz more important than watching the sensors fail to pick up anything new, but his opinion didn’t matter right now so he hurried to the bridge. [color=006400]”Lieutenant Ortiz, ready and on duty sir!”[/color] The command bridge looked as usual, monitor lights flickering as they hit the cold grey walls and as the doors closed the roaring of the engines became silent, while it can usually be heard from everywhere else in the ship. But something was off, everyone in the room, from the common privates relaying information to the captain himself, was unnaturally attentive and seemed almost worried. [color=000080]”Lieutenant you’re here, you might want to take a look at this.”[/color] Bringing himself to the main desk Ortiz realised what was going on. [color=006400]”Wha… did you check the secondary spectrometer? Perhaps the primary is malfunctioning.”[/color] He asked hoping for a second whatever was happening wasn’t actually happening. [color=000080]”Afraid that’s not the case, take a look.”[/color] The Captain flipped over his personal terminal showing the main camera feed. Under normal circumstances, sharing classified information in such a casual way would lead to the court martial and possibly imprisonment, even for a ship captain. But these were extraordinary circumstances and the context of the images was plain for all to see, the Gate had opened. [center] ---------- [/center] [center] [h2]Senatorial Assembly[/h2] [/center] Thousands of high-ranking officers had arrived at the assembly, admirals from their massive motherships, generals returning from putting down rebellious colonies and governor-commanders from the bustling underground metropolis. Everyone had docked at the orbital station, passed by one of the only four green gardens in the whole system and finally arrived at the large, blocky building that comprises the Senate, on top of it is inscripted [b]Only United we are Free[/b]. The assembly halls had not seen this many people since at least a whole century, and still the Second Star Admiral was nowhere to be seen. [color=663399]”Did Avetien answer yet?”[/color] “Sorry ma’am, we received no further communications from the Second Star Admiral after he arrived at the possible rebel hideout.” The assistant responded. It was typical of him so Reecka was not at all surprised, after all very rarely had a Second Star Admiral been more important than the First and Avetien probably took it that he shouldn’t get in her way, even if his absence was a hassle in these situations. Looking at the mass of people in front of her Reecka knew she couldn’t freely speak her mind, when it comes to speeches there was a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it and even one of the two Star Admirals would be made mincemeat for suggesting the wrong thing to the wrong people. [color=663399]”Fellow Hyginians, a third light appeared in our skies, one less comforting and much more abnormal.”[/color] She spoke, finally addressing the crowd. [color=663399]”The Gate was made by the same wretched people that destroyed Earth as we barely managed to escape. We don’t know if the terran demons are behind that portal or whether they all died in their filth, we also don’t know if anyone else survived the collapse.”[/color] Some officers cheered while others clapped their hands, most of the crowd seemed exultant of the new state of affairs. Perhaps they wanted to get back at the earthborn demons the old stories warned about, but it was much more likely they only wanted a diversion from the internal issues that permeate the politics of Hyginus, using the possibility of war as deflection for their corruption, [i]Disgusting[/i]. [color=663399]”We’re preparing defenses for the Gate, nuclear weapons are already pointed at the entrance and more projects are being devised to boost the defenses. To everyone, Hyginus must prepare, for war is not a possibility anymore, it is certainty.”[/color] Applause erupted once again. [color=663399]”But it is still too dangerous to check back on Sol, for the moment two ships have been sent to survey two different systems and determine the extent of our possible enemy.”[/color] The few that might disagree with this exact course of action were overwhelmed with the still ongoing wave of applause and cheering, also the plan was sound so it would not have been a problem regardless. As the speech was over Reecka realised why she had a minister of speeches. [center] ---------- [/center] [center] [h2]First Survey Ship[/h2] [/center] The small ship sailed closer to the Gate, now bright after centuries of silence. “Approaching target, requesting permission to jump.” “You’re in the clear, remember to send the encoded signal before jumping back or you will be met with a couple nukes.” The ship was nothing more than a repurposed Warden ship with few modifications for long-range exploration and limited diplomacy. A radio message had already been sent at least an hour before the ship arrived. “Hopefully we’re not going to get blown to pieces by whatever is on that side. Jump target, RADX System.” “Good luck and remember, for Hyginus we live.” In an instant the ship passess the event horizon of the gate, in a blink it was gone. In less than five minutes a similar ship would go through the same procedure, their destination the Elysium System. [h3]Message sent to the RADX and Elysium Systems[/h3] “To all entities that receive this message, we are explorers from the Hyginian Federation. We don’t desire to instigate conflict, only to explore and establish diplomatic relations. Please receive this warning, DO NOT enter the system we arrived from, our system is defended and unauthorized vessels will be destroyed.”