---

---

Outside of the shielded transpari-steel dome, asteroids floated with a deceptive serenity. It wasn't visible to the naked eye at this distance, but five fleets of heavily-armed battleships patrolled the far, far-off distance in a spherical shell around the base.

The Five sector bosses of the Golden Sun were seated around a round table. Not because they felt themselves equal, far from it, but rather because that way they could keep an eye on each other better. Slugg Pa writhed its body, shaped very much like what earned its species its name, and a psychic message was sent to outside their lavish room. Fast enough, dumbwaiter droids came in to take their orders. Duuk Dremal, the Vrunak warlord snapped his draconic cyber-claws and asked for four shots of their strongest firespiced liquors, impatiently clawing at the table with one of his fingers. Then he raised a performative skål towards each of his rivals, and downed them all one after the other, before leaning back into his chair, and continuing clawing obscenities into the table. Merav-Yla, the once-planetary princess mirrored the black-dressed spy-mistress known only as Shade opposite her, and waved the droids away - contrary to the Vrunak, they didn't have auto-poison filters in their guts. Au Rodan the hologram never took anything except for lag-time before his answers. And Pa, as usual, ordered a small fishbowl-like container with a creature that looked suspiciously like a Vrunak tadpole. Then he reached down with its psychic antennae, and promptly drained it of its mental faculty.

Duuk Dremal looked upon the spectacle with disgust, then kicked off the meeting with a frustration in his gravelly voice that even the Vrunak-to-Galactic Human Basic translator managed to pick up. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it, then."

"Calmth," Pa vibed, and the Five felt a sensation like a pressure blanket coming down on their impatience, "the tides are favorable," and thus passed the turn to speak on to Rodan, who proceeded to give a brief update on their joint mining and mercantile cartel in infuriating detail. Several minutes and holo-graphs later, and the conclusion was simple: "This interbellum is very profitable, indeed. Many are looking to rebuild or cleanup. And our networks are of great service."

With that, Pa turned to the spy-mistress in her elegant all-black dress. "So then what news do you bring, Shade? Why did you call our meeting early, and with such urgency?"

The lady in black closed her eyes, and turned nonreactive for a few seconds. One would almost think she hadn't heard the question. But her fellow sector bosses knew better. She heard everything. Lines of encrypted text scrolled across her sternly closed eyelids, information locked away deep inside her brain's cybernetics that she queried only when absolutely necessary - everything to keep her secrets. Her lips fluttered ever so slightly as she subvocalized its decryption in real time. Then she opened her eyes, leaned forward, tented her fingers, and spoke without ever letting her eyes meet any of their gazes.

"Sector Alpa-Red surrounding Tar Yrra is in motion." Shade said plainly. "The probes sent into its rimward region have been rendered inoperative by destructive force. From the few transmissions we got back from them, all we know is that the Cyber-people are awake, and are amassing a great force there. A force not suited for peacetime."

"So the Supremites are gearing up for war..." Duuk Dremal said. "How much intel and influence do we have along their rimward systems?"

"Little," Shade continued, "the systems there are notoriously self-reliant due to a richness in resources. Save for the occasional trade, we have little leverage there."

"We might have soon more substantial, then," Pa said as his fringe shuddered in revelry at the thought of war coming to their systems. War was good for business, after all.

And Duuk Dremal nodded in agreement. Then he turned to face the lady next to him that was dressed in opulence, who chimed every time she moved from her precious metal jewellery, but who had not yet spoken a single word. "Speaking of leverage, what of your... internal troubles, Yla?" Duuk asked, with a mischievous glint in his optical array. Once-Princess Merav-Yla had worked her way up to a syndicate sector boss in record time compared to the others, just a single decade. And with her people's belief and loyalty behind her, no less. But now there were rumours of a rebellion within her ranks. With the wish to return to their older way of life, the one from before their planet found itself in the path of a stray relativistic killshot during the last Reclamation War. And rebellions were a nuisance.

"My people are well taken care of," Merav-Yla responded with a regal grace that may have fooled the others, but not Duuk. He smiled at her being very deliberate in not using the word 'placated'. "Of course. But, if I may offer some advice, from the longest sitting member of this Family to its youngest: gather up these miscontents of yours, and send them to patrol this Supremite warpath," Duuk sat up. "Tell them it is a... expeditionary diplomatic mission. To scout out a new opportunity for settling, or a people to join." Duuk's voice softened, as if talking to himself. "And then, when disaster strikes again, then they will come to understand why we live as we do." The world was ruthless out here. The history of his own people-in-exile flashed into his mind, driven off by the Augustans, and Duuk ground his jaw in barely-contained anger and hate. Yes, there was only one way to climb to the top here. "I will send along some of my mercenaries as an escort." Not his best, of course. But still, he decided, it might be better to keep the princess on his side for now.

And so, the Five continued for a while. As was customary, more small talk and barbs were traded, and they tried to gather some more information on each others' business, get on each others' good side, or bad side, or at least feigned as much. But the real business of importance had been concluded, in lines that were as throwaway as the lives they would be sending off in some weeks time. One more round of drinks followed, then each went back to their protection fleet, and hundreds of bluish-white lightstreaks briefly illuminated the asteroid base as their FTL drives shot them back to their home sectors.

---

Some weeks later, in a different fleet, a different system, and in a very different credit-range, Rasan Do Csina stood in the employment line of the Pauper Ship laughably named New Hope. It had been one of the older vessels of their fleet, one of the Old Guard-ships, from before their motherplanet's destruction. And to be fair, for a while it did serve valiantly as one of their people's hopeful crown jewels. But now it seemed not a single week went by without there being something major that had to be duct taped together, again. Rasan was sure the ship had a future. Just not for him.

So, into the employment line he went. The smell of neurospice was strong here. Around him, holo-ads blared the perks of their respective vacancies, but he had no interest in most of them. No, there was only one that caught his eye: "Join the Expedition: Explore New Worlds! Learn Valuable Skills! Be a Part of Something Greater! Join the Expedition..."

"Rasan Do Csina, call me Rasan," he told the recruiter when he reached the end of the line and scanning drones whirred around him to take some medical scans. The recruiter said nothing as he looked upon the scans, but didn't send him away as quickly as he did with others, so that was a good sign. "Spelling of Csina?" "Doesn't matter." And it was true: the family wouldn't care what he did with their name, just that he'd send them back some credits. "Skills?" "Farmer. Or we used to be, back home." "Any fighting?" "A bar brawl here and there. Why, expecting trouble?" "In this day and age? It'd be foolish not to. And our Princess only wants the best for her people, and that includes safety. Bar brawls you say? I'll put you down as 'trainable.'" "When will I hear back from you?" "Why? Want to get going so quickly?" And Rasan smiled with more than a hint of sourness as he looked around him. "In this day and age? It'd be foolish not to..." The recruiter paused for a second, tapped some buttons, then faced Rasan and nodded. "Approved. Proceed to transport ID:34-75Δ with destination expedition ship Pendant-12. Good luck, Rasan."

---

---

Daxini Chieftain’s Office

Planet Dax

---

Kwaria was working in her office as she reviewed the latest report from Commander Lennox. It appeared that pirates had followed one of the stealth ships back to the battle station. The battle group had taken care of the pirates easily. The battle group was continuing its exploration while the battle station Leviathan and the dreadnought Gallant stayed to protect the ongoing operations of the Vulcan Refinery Station. Vulcan had called for freighters to begin making regular trips to pick up the refined ores that the ship was able to process. The station had been working around the clock since it arrived. The debris field was turning out to be a treasure trove of precious and rare metals used in starship manufacturing for components used in computer and communication technology and for propulsion systems such as gravity drives and ion drives.

Kwaria’s feathers ruffled, revealing her excitement and worry as she continued to read the report from commander Lennox. It appears that battle chief T’Klanak had run into the Lokoid who had sought a joint operation against a much larger and better organized Lokoid Pirate fleet. Commander Lennox listed that it was an opportunity to open lines of communication with the Lokoid about trade. Maybe they could build better relationships with them. They had been one of the larger factions that had fought heavily in the area during the reclamation wars. Kwaria was hopeful but also cautious. The Lokoid were very different from them and their technology and capacity for war was frightening. Kwaria began to send out requests to her staff to compile everything they knew about the Lokoid. She wanted to capitalize on this opportunity. She would rather the Daxini Conclave be seen as neutral than become a battle ground between these larger powers. She sent Commander Lennox a commendation for T’Klanak’s quick thinking and well wishes from her on the upcoming battle. She also noted she would like to discuss his experiences with the Lokoid when the commander next checked in.

Once she was through Commander Lennox’s reports, she turned her attention to the reports from Daxini's head Eagle Eye. They were hearing rumors that the Ghost Region was active and that ships were disappearing in the area. Daxini trading vessels had been warned to stay out of the area until they could investigate the rumors further. The Eagle Eye was hearing rumors of increased activity around along the Scorched Line outside of where the Daxini Battle Group was. There were rumors on back channels from trading vessels that activity had been increasing once more around the homeworld. There was nothing concrete, just whispers of large military powers moving in secret and stealth.

-- Biota Trailing group --
Infernus sector
CVE-293 Farragut



The Biota trailing group of stars makes up the south eastern fringe of the Infernus sector. Aptly named for the climate of the planets found here. The trailing group is known for a relatively tight cluster of super giant stars situated within a few light years of each other. The habitable and uninhabitable worlds of this sector are extremely warm contributing to the validity of the sectors namesake. Long time allies Beitsan and Emcon both control the majority of colonies in the region making the area a perfect proving ground for new weapons and crews getting ready for deployment. The crew of CVE-293 The Farragut, was in the area doing exactly this, training their crew for the upcoming deployment to the troubled northern sectors of Gaia and Pardeux.

CVE-293 or The Farragut is a standard escort carrier vessel of the Decimus class, carrying a complement of 36 strike, CAP and dedicated reconnaissance craft. Affectionately called a "Scoop" due to the hangar bay situated on top of the vessel, this class is the backbone of long range recon patrols across the cartel. These vessels have no offensive armament as "formal" fighting between the nations is strictly forbidden, it instead relies on its small craft to attack and protect itself. The carrier does have multiple VLS cells and fast firing kinetic turrets for self defense but those are a last resort. Ideally, this vessel should be nowhere near any real fighting. Its true strength lies in its suite of detection and surveillance systems paired with its complement of dedicated recon craft. This makes Decimus class vessels excellent surveillance ships and perfectly suited for the type of conflict present in the Halcyon cartel.

Farragut officer berthing -03:45- Local star time

The loud klaxon of an alarm jolted Senior Lieutenant Urdesh Nolon into consciousness. He let out a sigh and groaned as he twisted his body to fall on his back with as little effort possible. The scuffed steel bunk above him offered a vague reflection even in the dark red light of the berthing. Groaning again, he pulled his wrist up to his face and let out a frustrated snort.

'two hours....' he thought, ' my last watch ended two hours ago' his inner voice said as he slowly rolled himself to sit at the edge of the bed.

Urdesh stood up ands jogged to the far end of the room, joining the rest of his berthing mates scrambling for lockers and pulling on gear. Apart from groans and exasperated sighs the room was silent, everyone looked as exhausted as he was. The group lazily locked gear into place before jogging up the steps and into the main hangar of the vessel.

Even through the sound dampening of his helmet the sound of engines running up was deafening, removing the possibility of speech without specialized equipment. The crews ran to their designated craft, the deafening sounds outside immediately subsiding once the canopy closed.

The MV-2 is an excellent recon craft with many electronic warfare capabilities. With a crew of four, each crewmember can focus on different tasks increasing effectiveness. Shaped like a winged teardrop, the MV-2 is capable of atmospheric and non-atmospheric flight. Armed with a autocannon and two internally stored self protection missiles, it relies on its speed to avoid contact.

Urdesh was the last to board his craft and climbed into the pilots seat before flicking the canopy lever forward. Tapping the top of his helmet, he pulled a small plug from the panel on his chest and plugged into the seat. With a crackle the ships communications system came to life and HUD symbology was transferred to his helmet.

" Every five days, I told you" the man next to Urdesh said, making everyone shift their head around to look at the man who just spoke.

" Every five days there is another drill, were going to fly out to the middle of nowhere, in search pattern, to train for something that hasn't happened in over 3 centuries" the man said in a dramatic tone. Prompting groans and jeers from the rest of the crew.

" We do this every year" Urdesh complained flatly with a slight shrug " and you complain every single time" he finished, clearly frustrated.

" Cause its...." the copilot got out before another male voice from behind cut him off with a quick " Shut the fuck up a minute"

Urdesh turned his head to the right and saw the communications officer writing something down on his kneeboard before typing into his forward dash. " Desh, turn up your squad com, they are getting ready to pop the doors" the communications officer said in the quick accented cadence of an Emcon accent. Urdesh raised a thumbs up above his head and reached for the multi function display in front of him. A female voice got increasingly louder as he increased the volume of his squadron communications channel.

" All elements standby for take-off procedure" the voice ordered authoritatively before a loud siren began to blow.

maintenance crew hurriedly removed cockpit ladders, electrical lines and fuel hoses before running for the safety of an adjoining room, all their gear in tow. The sound of air rushing past the cockpit could be heard as frost accumulated on the canopy before the large hangar door in front of the group opened, revealing the black abyss of space. Lights switched from fluorescent white to a dark red as Urdesh received the order to take off.

Urdesh could hear the whine of the engine in the cockpit as he increased power to his directional thrusters before disengaging the magnetic lock of his landing skids. The craft slowly rose in unison with the rest of the group before slowly flying forward out of the hangar as a group. Once past the threshold, the mass of recon craft scattered, heading towards their assigned search pattern bearing.

-two hours later-
Removed from the bright environment of the hangar bay, the surrounding stars slowly started to resolve themselves. It was peaceful, Urdesh loved this part of flying in the vacuum. The lolling cadence of his co-pilots snoring lulled the crew into a sense of normalcy.

" Hes right you know.." the communications officer said flatly his Emcon accent always coming off as sarcastic and flat. " Why are we training for fleet defense when there hasn't been a fleet defense situation in centuries." he finished looking over his dash to eye the snoring co-pilot.

" Yea I know" Urdesh said with a sigh, " I just didn't want to hear him bitch about it, we do this every year we work up for deployment" he paused, rolling his eyes and checking the digital gauges in his helmet display.

" He complains every year" a fourth male voice interjected in an exasperated tone

Urdesh laughed and turned his head to side eye the man behind him in the electronic warfare station. Before a chime tone brough hit attention to his forward dash, they were getting close to their first buoy deployment point. Urdesh reached across his right hand panel and shook the co-pilots leg until the man stirred awake.

" Get up Gil, buoy deployment" Urdesh stated forcefully, as he turned back to his controls.

Gillard Reis was the second in command of the craft, an experienced co-pilot and navigator who had been with the crew since the beginning of the squadron. Gil grunted in acknowledgement before typing a series of commands into his forward dash, throwing a thumbs up over his head for the communications officer to see.

" Yep, tuning" the communications officer said, his accent overemphasizing the U sound. Eliam Gades was the newest member of the crew with only three years in service. Like alot of the less devout Emcon citizens, he opted for an exciting life in the Beitsan military instead of a theological school back on his home colony. He was an accomplished communications officer, starting as an enlisted commo man before passing flight specialty school. Emcon and Beitsan had been allies even before the war in the home system, Emcon citizens could live and work in Beitsan colonies and join the military. It was not uncommon to see men and women of Emcon in the Beitsan forces.

" Good to go, Virji all you" Eliam said, tapping the electronic warfare officer on the leg

With a nod, Virjil Burrus began tapping commands into his dashboard. Another veteran crewmember, this was Virjil's second crew and squadron. He was at least five years older than the rest of the crew and the only member to actually see combat. rumor was that Virjil was passed up for promotion due to pissing off his former squadron commander, but the crew knew the real story. Command just wasn't his preference.

" Good to deploy" Virjil stated while tapping Urdesh's helmet

The craft shuddered for a second as the radar buoy was released, instantly showing up as a hollow circle in Urdesh's helmet display.

" Check our link" Urdesh ordered before receiving multiple affirmatives.

The radar buoys were the main armament of the recon craft, and the most effective way to increase the carriers situational awareness. Just like the recon craft, the carrier could link to the buoys and see what it has detected. They also act as communications relays, so data is not degraded when being sent back to the carrier. Crews are trained to drop them all during the duration of their recon flight.

-4 Hours later-

Urdesh had his head back against the headrest, his helmet was sitting on his lap, allowing him to lean against the canopy as he slept. A lite rhythmic snore could be heard in the nearly silent cockpit. Gil, the co-pilot/navigator, weaved lazily through an asteroid field to keep himself awake. This was how most flight went, nothing more than long flights in the void. Occasionally there would be a mock target that needs to be found, but those were few and far between. The crew would often sleep in shifts, but on these training flights it hardly mattered. Only Gil, the co-pilot/navigator and Eliam, the communications officer were awake.

After hours of near silence, the sound of a radar detection warning woke everyone with a jolt. Urdesh sat up and put on his helmet reflexively , quickly turning the locking collar before trying to understand the helmet hud display once more.

"What...What is it", Urdesh said grogily, looking around in an almost panicked manner.

" RWR warning, indetifying" Virjil said flatly, before a audible sigh could be heard " Its another MV-2" he said flatly with a chuckle.

" They are way out of position" Gil said in an incredulous tone before Eliam knocked on the divider between them to quiet everyone.

" Were being ordered back to the ship....." he stated quizzically, the surprise on his face obvious before checking his watch. " Almost eight hours early"

" Well I am not complaining" Gil said with a gleeful smile, extending his fist towards Urdesh.

Urdesh met his fist with his with a slight grin before narrowing his eyes with a pang of worry. " Any information as to why?" Urdesh asked, the worry obvious on his voice.

" No, just says to prepare for immediate embarkation and transit, so I guess we are going somewhere" Eliam finished with a shrug

" Thats not good," Virjil interjected flatly. " That is how I got my last deployment orders, something has happened lads" he finished, meeting the crews worried eyes as he looked around the cockpit.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Typhon Prime
Colony of Kresta
Area 182



Ibrox could feel the arcology shake as he ran down the large regal hallway. A muffled, thud followed a second later, masking a massive explosion deeper in the structure.

‘It must have been massive’

He thought to himself, before pulling the compact autogun he was carrying closer to his chest. Ibrox was at the head of a platoon of fighters running to keep pace with him as they ran through the Directors quarters. They were not dressed as normal Beitsan soldiers or PDF. They wore miss-matched civilian clothes or the cultural garb for the world. Web gear and weapons looked scavenged, and their handling amateur. These were not in fact soldiers, but civilians, workers and other common folk from the world of Typhon Prime.

As Ibrox cleared the threshold of a hallway “T” intersection he could hear the sharp crack of solid rounds and the ionizing smell of laser bolts around him as he drove for the opposite side of the intersection. A handful of other fighters made it across before the rest of the platoon was stopped by the fire. Turning back to face the way he came, Ibrox could see three unmoving bodies on the floor and a man groaning as he slowly crawled for the safety of the opposite wall. Ibrox was wide eyed as he struggled to gain his footing, the shock of the sudden ambush making him unable to use his fine motor skills.
He watched the man continue to crawl, trailing a dark red smear of blood as he pulled his limp body along. Like a bad dream, he continued to struggle to stand, the constant snap and crack of solid and energy rounds adding to the difficulty. The man wouldn’t make it, a group of mixed laser and solid rounds stitched their way up the floor, splintering stained wood as it crawled it way up to the crawling man. It would be a laser round that made the killing blow, suddenly shooting through the mans head and burying itself on the wall behind. Smoldering flesh and skull bits painted area around his body as the corpse’s head laid still smoke escaping from its ears and nose.

Ibrox gasped and attempted to scoot back farther into the wall, he thought he might cry before feeling a meaty hand grab the gear around his chest and pull him up. Within seconds, he was face to face with a mustached man, maybe 10 years his senior. He was mouthing something, his mouth moving large exaggerated speech before the world came back in frightening clarity.

“ Are you hit! Where are we supposed to go?!” 

The mustached man was yelling as he looked Ibrox over, looking at the panicked glare on his face quizzically.

“ N-No…, I’m fine..” 

Ibrox stammered in return, pulling the rifle closer in an attempted to show that he had steeled himself. He had to show some strength for the rest of his “Platoon”, at least that’s what he was told when it was given to him. Unlike the rest of the fighters around him, Ibrox was actually military, this might as well been in name only though.
He was barely a month out of training when he was approached to take part in a coup to take the planet. Ibrox, being all too eager to leave military life was easily swayed by the promise of status and power in the new regime for his efforts. After a few more instances of exaggerating his training and exploits, Ibrox was an officer and leading a platoon of civilian fighters to capture or kill the Director of the planet.

Ibrox turned away from the fire for a moment and found a set of large ornate doors farther down the hallway.

“There…” he pointed shakily, before pointing back towards the fire through the wall “ We don’t have enough men to take the room through, they are trapped on the other side of the ambush” he finished, looking at the crowd of fighters on the other end of the hallway intersection.

The mustached man looked hard, like he was accustomed to back breaking labor for a living. Ibrox got to know the man as a miner named Kaytranda who was becoming an effective platoon sergeant.

“ We might not have to” Kaytranda growled as he ordered the handful of men around him to go check out the room.

Willed into action by the initiative of Kaytranda Ibrox cupped his hands around his mouth towards the rest of his platoon

“ Smoke!, throw smoke!” Ibrox yelled as he fumbled with a large smoke canister hanging from his web gear, throwing down the hallway.

One or two other fighters did the same, as thick smoke began to waft up towards the intersection. Immediately, a group of fighters began to run across to Ibrox before being cut down as the rate of fire increased, their bodies chewed up by fire as Ibrox raised a frustrated hand.

“ Wait for my command” he barked before the fire died down, waving the fighters across.

Ibrox began positioning the men in his platoon to defend the doorway as Kaytranda walked back toward him, flinching slightly as the fire from the hallway picked up again.

“ Room is empty, it’s a bedroom though, looks ornate” Kaytranda said sarcastically as he pointed his head towards the open door.
Ibrox nodded and walked into the bedroom, the sound of exchanging gunfire behind him.

Ibrox could easily tell this was occupied by someone of status. The smell of cologne and herbs wafted towards the open door and a tray of expensive liquors sat next to the bed. The bed linens looked high quality and embroidered with glossy gold thread. It was a nice room, Ibrox thought before a crash could be heard in the attached bedroom.
Ibrox shouldered through the door and swept his autogun around, before snapping it down to meet the shivering form of a man on the floor. The large air conditioning grate had fallen out of the wall, revealing a half naked man who had fallen with the grate. The man was middle aged, with a slight paunch and greying hair. The man winced and groaned as Ibrox rolled him over with his boot, shaking as he pulled his hands up to protect his face.

“ P-p-please……” the man stammered as he looked up at Ibrox, tears beginning to collect in the corner of his eyes.

Ibrox recognized the man immediately, it was the director.

——- Two Months Later ——

Ibrox stood at attention in his formal class A uniform, the pins for the cartel and Beitsan removed and replaced with a strange tree insignia. A middle aged man stood next to him tied to a post, beaten, bloody and wearing a cheap cloth tunic without pants. Ibrox was part of a large group of people in the same uniform, everyone looking into a camera in front of them.

“ We free ourselves from the tyranny of Kresta!” A man wearing the insignia of a Lord General yelled into a microphone in front of the group

“ This is our only goal, self determination from our off world oppressors and from the tithes of the core worlds” the man continued before pointing back towards the man tied to the pole.

The crowd watching was almost endless, and their cheer was deafening as they looked at the prisoner.

“ This man, Major Ibrox Odwalla, has brought this criminal to justice and he will be the one to dispatch him” the man yelled looking back towards Ibrox with a nod.

A flutter of nervousness shot through Ibrox as he unholstered his pistol and pulled back the slide. The solid round inside could be clearly seen in the chamber, its brass casing shining in the muted overcast sunlight. The Director whimpered as Ibrox pressed the pistol up under his ear, muttering some off world prayers as he looked up towards the clouds.
The crowd cheered and screamed as they watched Ibrox, willing him to pull the trigger. The crowd was at his will, he controlled their jubilance, he controlled their satisfaction, he was the center of their admiration. The feeling was so overwhelming that Ibrox didn’t even realize that he pulled the trigger. He only registered the increased roar of the crowd and the red mist that enveloped himself and the stage.

Pushed to the limit of his senses, Ibrox could only recognize one thing, intoxication and he loved it.

Soundtrack: Xmillsa - F-777 Space Battle

---

Lokoid operations had already begun a few cycles ago as soon as they arrived via wormhole jump. The ships immediately began salvage operations with hundreds of small drones working around the clock to gather up what they could. Large asteroids were broken apart and processed, derelict ships were torn apart and melted down for parts, and deactivated droids were sent back for assessment and reactivation if necessary. However, lingering munitions did pose a problem as there were already a few drones that had been lost because of volatile substances contained within ship holds or floating missiles that had hit their targets but failed to detonate or homing space mines that had simply continued to float never having been triggered. These accidents were minor, however, unpleasant as the cleanup meant that not everything could be salvaged and therefore some losses could not be recuperated.

Despite this, Kajuto’s salvage operations continued on schedule and he cooperated closely with the Hunter hierarch when searching for pirates to hunt down and destroy. However, there was one derelict base that seemed to be a hive of scum and villainy worse than any other Pirate haven – a Lokoid pirate haven. It was one thing to fight fair and square Lokoid who could be turned away at the very notion of unprofitable outcomes, but it was another to fight cutthroat Lokoid pirates with no backing and nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Initial drone scouting revealed that they were already aware of Kajuto’s presence, but were not aware of the Hunters observing them at all. The Hunters could engage, however, they could not guarantee that they’d be able to take out the outpost shielding and the outpost itself before pirates could launch their own drone swarm attacks. Judging from the collection of ships small and large making up the outpost, some fairly recently acquired, suggests that the pirates are more adequately armed than they first seem. The outpost itself is massive with several corvettes and destroyers of different make, manufacturer, and origin docked all around its rugged exterior.

Hunter Hierarch of 289th Tactical Hunter Taskforce, Urta, a female Lokoid chittered her chelicerae and clicked in frustration. Simply put, the pirates in the region were expected to be smaller sporadic groups that the Hunters could’ve handled on their own with minimal support from the destroyer groups, however, this was a distinctly different outcome from their expectations and presented a tactical and strategic difficulty that they simply had not prepared for. What was worse was the Hierarch council had declared that the Hierarchy as a whole would have a zero tolerance policy towards piracy. It was simply not good for business nor was it good for client trust if the Hierarchy could not defend itself from piracy. The Annihilator Dreadnought could have been the perfect battering ram if it did not have such expensive and sensitive modules for salvage operations onboard. Any damage sustained to the dreadnought, while in the grand scheme of things would be minor, would still be an expensive risk, one that the Hierarchy would rather not take.

“Suggestion. Must request heavier reinforcements.”

Kajuto could not quite refuse, however, “Not feasible. Arrangements for immediate reinforcements would take four cycles. Cannot waste time. Pirate activity abnormally low. Attack probability high. Attack imminent, likely.”

Meanwhile in the same region of space, Commander Lennnox had reviewed the after action reports submitted by the battle group commanders. Lennox pondered if there were more pirates in the area who might have their coordinates. The signal transponder that had been planted on the Adventurer’s hull had been disabled. It also demonstrated that there might be other groups of pirates in the area. After giving the matter some consideration, Lennox decided to move the battlestation back to the area around the Vulcan. The Vulcan had excellent shields but was lightly armored and had no real offensive capabilities. The large mining and refinery station was meant to be deployed into secure space. The battle station would be able to protect Vulcan station, freeing up their ships to explore the area. The Vulcan had been hard at work and had made considerable progress in processing the debris cloud around the location they had come in.

Lennox had received a communique from the council, they were extending their orders. They would send supply ships in a few weeks. The council felt the advantages of recycling the material in the area was worth pursuing. They were hoping that they would find lost tech that could be reverse engineered from the debris. Lennox had sent back a report detailing the issues that the battle group had run into. He also sent Narrel’s more detailed report of the pirate attack and the pirate station they had found and the information they had gleaned from the contact.

Now that the battle station Leviathan and Dreadnaught Gallant was covering Vulcan. Lennox ordered the Stormbringer, Xi’s Axe, Iron Talon, and Scimitar to begin exploring and building navigational routes through the debris field. The stealth ship Adventurer was sent back to keep an eye on Black Cloud Station. They were under orders to maintain stealth and track who comes and goes from the station. The two stealth ships, Shadow and Nightweaver were sent back out in new directions to explore. The stealth ships, Lucky and Viper, were sent with the battle group to provide stealth operations if needed.

Images of T’Klanak and Stormbringer [+]

The Flight Chief of the destroyer Stormbringer, T'Klanak, was put in command of the exploration battle group. T’Klanak had taken the lead towards where their astrogation experts believed was in the general direction of one of the planets in the solar system. Their records of the area were outdated and old. The heavy debris certainly made trying to pinpoint a location in the system difficult. The debris field was so thick that spotting any navigation points such as a star, planetoids, or known oort fields was almost impossible. Sensor data was almost useless as the debris field blocked signals from going out very far or sent back corrupt data with overlapping ghost signals. The smaller battle group was making faster progress by leaving the two stations behind. So far other than some larger derelicts, they had run across nothing of interest. They had seen further signs of pirate activity along the way. There had been some newer ships among the debris field with signs of battle damage.

Unbeknownst to the Stormbringer would find itself in the middle of a collection group with several unmanned drones breaking down asteroids, large metallic debris, and desolate hulks of abandoned ships, what’s more, they were being escorted by very fresh looking Lokoid interceptors and two destroyers. However, what really would bring awe would be the super dreadnought looming in the background, so large as to completely make miniscule the interceptors and destroyers nearby it. Upon closer inspection the collection group seemed to be one of many working all around this area and indeed the sensors would soon show.

The ship hierarch aboard one of the destroyers immediately issues their declaration through a filter that translates their transmissions. The Lokoid were aware of the Daxini’s efforts and the Daxini were aware of the Lokoid’s efforts and they’ve both tried to stay out of each other’s way. However, it seems today is the day that formal contact may occur.

“Daxini vessel…” The transmission started, “... Identify yourself and state your purpose or face appropriate action.”

The Lokoid were not exactly good communicators, this was a well known fact, translated further for the common folk, the Lokoid would have meant, “identify yourself and state your purpose, we are on high alert and you are not supposed to be here.”

To anyone that did business with the Lokoid, the Lokoid usually attempted to sound less hostile despite it not being in their nature, this heightened aggression in communication already would show that there was something that had rattled the hornets nest and the hornets were still thinking about what they were supposed to do.

Aboard the super dreadnought with its title proudly painted in Lokoidian as “K’rattak Nak Ur” which in commons would be, “The Forge” Kajuto and the second in command of the fleet, Urta was informed of the Daxini pushing into the Lokoid’s area of operations. Almost immediately they tuned into the conversation, ready to intervene to avoid complications regarding the future engagement with the pirates.

The Daxini Battle Group had slowed to scan and explore some of the more current wreckage they had found. The technology in the ships was more up to date than the older derelicts around them. Interestingly enough, the ships had been scavenged. Their engineers had noted where weapon systems, reactors, and engines had been removed. The carbon scoring on some and plasma scars on others indicated that the battles had happened less than a year ago.

T’Klanak stood on the bridge in his dark grey work uniform with his rank insignia on the collar. His reddish brown and gold feathered wings framed his body. He had reddish brown feathers layered with off white feathers off the back of his head and around his neck. He had a sleek sharp looking beak. He didn’t bring his ornate silver colored clan armor with him on missions. He had a spacesuit for combat that doubled as armor while he was on the ship which was much more appropriate to the setting. His clan armor was not designed for the vacuum of space.

T’Klanak had that itch between his shoulder blades that he couldn’t explain. He always got this feeling just before a battle. It was a feeling as if he was being watched or stalked by a predator. It was always accompanied by a sense of impending action. T’Klanak snapped his beak at that thought. Whatever was stalking his group would soon find out that he was no prey. Still he had enough experience to be cautious. He knew there had to be others in the area. The main battle group had been attacked by a pathetic excuse for a pirate group. There were obvious signs of hostilities in the area. The Scorched Line had been a battle zone between two of the larger nations in the last reclamation war. He was surprised that there had not been more nations investigating the area.

T’Klanak’s instincts were proven to be tried and true once again. The battle group came around the edge of a large piece of debris and sensors began sending up alerts. The bridge crew came alert and stiffened as adrenaline flooded their systems.

T’Klanak’s communication officer was the first to speak. “Contact commander. The Lokoid are hailing Flight Chief. The message translates as “Daxini vessel…... Identify yourself and state your purpose or face appropriate action.”

The Tactical Officer was the second to speak. The man’s voice was calm but held a note of uncertainty as he reported what his sensors were telling him was out there. “Flight Chief, we are registering multiple contacts of Lokoid design. Multiple Interceptors, two destroyers, and one Super Dreadnaught sir. We are no match for that much firepower, sir.”

T’Klanak retained his calm poise. He was not surprised to find Lokoid in the area. The only thing that did surprise him was finding a Super Dreadnought. He almost laughed to himself since he had thought that the council sending a Battle Station and the Gallant was overkill. He could admit they heeded their wisdom and experience for a reason. He had assumed that they would run into a group of them eventually. Besides, the Eagle Eye group off the Adventurer had reported seeing Lokoid on the station they visited. The Lokoid and Daxini knew of each other but they were so far apart in known space, they rarely interacted. T’Klanak was grateful they taught Xeno Relations and diplomacy to their officers. He would be out of his depth without it.

T’Klanak nodded regally to his communication officer. “Open a video channel to the Lokoid command vessel. Include full translation protocols.”

T’Klanak waited for the transmission to connect. He bowed his head in greeting to the Lokoid on the screen before introducing himself.

T’Klanak: “Greetings. I am Flight Chief T’Klanak. I am commanding this Daxini Group. I am the Flight Chief on the Daxini Vessel Stormbringer. We are conducting salvage and search operations in the area. I apologize for not greeting you sooner. As I am sure you are aware, the debris field does a good job of bouncing sensors and signals around. To whom do I have the honor of addressing?”

The Lokoid were already gathered around the holotable and the projection of the leader of the Daxini battlegroup appeared to them. Kajuto, being the ranking officer of the Lokoid collection and pirate suppression force in the area, was clad in armor himself, his prosthetics and battle scars still visible as he did not have a helmet on.

Kajuto: “The hierarchy’s greetings K’tanak. You speak to Kajuto, assigned fleet hierarch of the Lokoid salvage fleet and overall commander of anti-piracy operations conducted by Lokoid special operations forces in the system. You have come at a time where we are on high alert.”

Urta by Kajuto’s side was a younger and more junior officer, she didn’t understand why communication with people that weren’t even connected to the Hierarchy either as friends, trade partners, or allies was worth their time. This showed even with the manner of speech that Kajuto addressed the Daxini. Most Lokoid commanders are harsh, however, the fleet hierarch was as respectful as a hierarch could be.

T’Klanak didn’t take offense to the fact that the Lokoid got his name wrong. He knew things didn’t always translate accurately. But he did feel the need to correct him.

T’Klanak kept his tone firm but respectful. “My apologies Hierarch but my name is not K’tanak it is T’Klanak. I would hate to be confused with someone else.”

T’Klanak paused for a moment before continuing. “I understand no offense was meant. The Daxini battle group was attacked by a small pirate flotilla near here. We captured a few pirates and destroyed their ships. We have seen evidence of additional pirate activity in the area.”

He offered up a bit of intel that they probably already knew. After all, they were operating in the immediate area and had to have seen the same battle damage his group had found and reported on.

Kajuto adjusted himself as he had blundered the man’s name.

Kajuto: “Understood, T’klanak. My speech is not as coordinated as it used to be…”

The battle hardened Lokoid paused to show the left side of his face had been mauled by weapons fire and parts of his jaw and chelicerae that he used for speech had been damaged beyond feasible medical repair. The Lokoid then returned to face the well dressed feathered Daxini,

Kajuto: “... Piracy is rampant in this sector of the scorched line. We Lokoid have discovered another source of piracy –”

He turned to Urta for her to step forward still clad in power armor and transmit a live feed from the stealth cruisers monitoring the large pirate structure they had discovered.

Urta: “Intelligence and observation show that this is the strongpoint of pirate activity in this sector. It is made up of several derelict hulks and littered with guns. Further observation shows the use of drone swarms utilizing Lokoid technology. We believe this to be the hideout of a rogue Lokoid commander turned to piracy that escaped into this area three cycles ago. Activity also indicates that there are several destroyer and cruiser sized vessels in the vicinity indicating that a small flotilla may be present. Number of ships is, unfortunately, unknown”

Urta further transmits additional visual information through the supplemental feed to show the Daxini commander what they’re up against.

Urta: “We have several destroyers and cruisers acting as escort for the dreadnought. We cannot commit forces against the pirates. The dreadnought contains sensitive equipment. Costs of damage is high, operations in the area will be slowed, and cannot afford to commit dreadnought to combat unless there is no choice.”

T’Klanak watched the Lokoid on the screen. It was the first time he had met any personally. He had seen pictures of course. The Daxini knew of the Lokoid through second hand accounts. T’Klanak knew they had a very structured hierarchy to their society but not exactly what that hierarchy looked like. T’Klanak’s instincts were telling him that it was rare to speak with a Lokoid as high in rank as Kajuto. He also found the information they shared disturbing. He looked down at the screen at his station as he looked over the data they had sent. T’Klanak didn’t believe that his battle group was a match for an entrenched Lokoid pirate position and an unnamed number of large battleships. T’Klanak stilled as he thought through the implications of his group running into those ships and why the Lokoid would share that information so freely with them.

He tilted his head to one side as he regarded Kajuto and Urta on the screen. He decided to be direct and ask. “I appreciate the Hierarchy sharing this information with the Daxini. May ask I why you have shared it? I must admit I don’t believe my group is a match for an entrenched Lokoid position and an untold number of destroyers. I have one destroyer, one cruiser, and two light cruisers. What are you proposing Kajuto?”

The fleet hierarch said simply, “Piracy is everyone’s problem…”

Kajuto understood that it might be a stretch to say that they together could handle the pirate threat, however, leaving the threat alone would open them to attack. With an unknown number of ships and drones, there was no telling how much damage they could wreak and how far. Kajuto continued, “... I propose a temporary alliance against the threat. In exchange, half of all salvage from the battle is yours barring any ships from our battlegroup that may end up as casualties of anti-piracy operations in this region.”

Kajuto was also straightforward, he did not mince words, he did not say anything that was out of line for him or his battlegroup. Urta, however, was surprised at how quickly the Hierarch proposed such a thing knowing that their battlegroup had classified technology being field tested for battlefield use. It was not a good idea to allow a potential future foe to know their capabilities. But Kajuto looked to Urta and instantly it was clear to her – Kajuto did not care about secrets. To the fleet hierarch, a veteran of war, he knew that no matter what would happen the Hierarchy would adapt.

T’Klanak waited to hear out the Hierarch. He watched the two Lokoid carefully for any microexpressions or body language that might help him understand them. He thought that Urta might have been surprised by Kajuto’s offer but he didn’t know the very alien looking Lokoid well enough to make that decision. His brain caught up with processing what Kajuto had said. His eyes widened in surprise at the offer to team up to take care of the pirates. It was a generous offer that T’Klanak couldn’t overlook. He knew his group by itself would be no match for a pirate group of that size. He would need to clear this through the chain of command though. He was inclined to take the Lokoid up on the offer but he would have to run the offer past Commander Lennox.

T’Klanak inclined his head respectfully to Kajuto. “That is a very respectable offer, honorable Kajuto. I will need to contact my commander and run this proposal past them. I will be in touch with an answer after I have conferred with them. I hope that is acceptable?”

Kajuto twitched his antennae in agreement, “That is acceptable. Let us know at your earliest possible convenience. We will prepare our forces to be battle ready by the time you have a reply. Regardless of the decisions you may come to, we must eliminate the threat to our operations. We will begin operations in earnest within two galactic cycles.”

One of his many arms simply made one gesture and Urta retreated out of view of the holotable and was immediately moving out of the bridge. She was heading to the hangar to grab her fighter and move back to her ship as soon as possible.

T’Klanak nodded his understanding even as he verbalized unsure how the gesture would translate. “Thank you Hierarch Kajuto.” He gave a hand signal to his communications officer to cut the feed. T’Klanak took a seat in his chair. This was a lot to take in. He took a deep breath to center himself allowing some calm to wash over him. The tactical officer reported a shuttle sized ship leaving from the super dreadnought. T’Klanak acknowledged the tactical officer’s report before he looked at the communications officer once more.

T’Klanak: “Get me Commander Lennox.” T’Klanak waited as the communications officer sent the request over the secure quantum link to the Leviathan. He didn’t have long to wait before the Commander was on his screen.

Commander Lennox; “I understand you needed to speak with me Flight Chief? What have you to report?”

T’Klanak straightened a little as he gave his report. “Yes Commander. Our group ran into a Lokoid battle group. They are doing the same thing we are. They have several salvage drones, Interceptors, 2 destroyers, and a super dreadnought. They are conducting salvage operations in the area and are hunting a group of a Lokoid Pirates active in the area. They freely shared that intel with us. The Lokoid Pirates have made their home in several derelict hulks and littered with guns. They are using Lokoid drone technology for salvaging the ships they take out. They shared that they believe it to be the hideout of a rogue Lokoid commander. They said there is an unknown number of Lokoid pirate ships active in the area. They had seen activity that indicated several destroyer and cruiser sized vessels. They asked for our help in attacking this pirate base. They offered half of all salvage from the operation barring their current active ships. I told them I would need to report back to you for clearance.”

Commander Lennox looked surprised and thoughtful. “This is the first time the Lokoid have offered any kind of an alliance to the Daxini as far as I know. That Lokoid pirate group makes that rabble we took care of look like school bullies. What was your impression of the Lokoid and your feelings about this matter, Flight Chief?”

T’Klanak looked thoughtful before he answered. “The Lokoid I spoke with was an Hierarch named Kajuto. I got the impression that it is rare that a Lokoid of that rank would speak to outsiders. They did say they can’t afford to commit the Super Dreadnaught unless they have too. I think that this is an opportunity to get some help with these pirates. I am not sure I like our chances without the Lokoid and this gives us something to build future diplomacy on Commander.”

Commander Lennox nodded before coming to a decision which you could tell as she stood her posture straight, her arms tucked behind her back. “T’Klanak, commit your forces to help with this pirate hunt. I would prefer we do our reconnaissance to determine the exact numbers we will be facing. Send a stealth ship into the coordinates given by the Lokoid. Then plan the assault with them but only if you feel the odds are favorable after you know exactly what you will be facing.” Commander Lennox gave T’Klanak a bright smile. “Good job T’Klanak. This will be a mission for the books.”

T’Klanak was grateful his face was covered in feathers and he didn’t blush. As it was his feathers ruffled slightly in pleasure at the confidence Commander Lennox was showing in his judgement and leadership. “Thank you Commander Lennox. T’Klanak out.”

T’Klanak turned to the communication officer again. “Get me the Flight Chiefs for all the ships in the battle group.” T’Klanak waited till he had all the ship commanders on a conference call before he began to fill them in on what had been going on and what their new orders were.

T’Klanak: “The Lokoid are conducting salvage operations in the area and are asking for help with a rogue Lokoid Pirate Fleet in the area. Commander Lennox has approved the temporary alliance. The Viper and Lucky will be heading out towards the coordinates given to us by the Lokoid to scout what ships are in the area. The Lokoid said they had evidence of activity but didn’t know the exact number of ships or the make. I would like that information before we commit to a battle we can’t win. This will be a joint operation with the Lokoid. I will transmit more details as I confirm them.”

The commanders signed off and T’Klanak once more asked his communications officer to contact the Lokoid Hierarchy. He waited patiently for the call to connect. He asked to speak to Hierarch Kajuto. “Greetings Hierarch Kajuto. I spoke with Commander Lennox and they have agreed to a temporary alliance to eradicate this pirate threat. However they didn’t like the vague nature of the intel. We will be sending two of our stealth ships in to get better intel on what ships are in the area so we can develop a good plan knowing what we will face. I am to pull our ships out of the operation if I deem it an unwinnable scenario. Are you comfortable with this compromise?”

Kajuto’s reply came plain, “That is acceptable, our electronics officers will initiate handshake procedures to connect command and control. Please standby.”

As he said that several destroyers that have been conducting salvage and escort operations started to move towards the staging area where the dreadnought was stationed. Several drone interceptors were launched from the dreadnought’s limited hangar space.

Urta reappeared on comms through the Lokoid network, she was aboard her ship now, “IFF requires an electronic handshake procedure between our systems to synchronize battle data. It would be best to make sure our ships do not mistakenly target any of yours.”

T’Klanak waited patiently for the Lokoid’s answer. He would leave their area of operations if they didn’t agree. He knew he didn’t have the firepower to take on their battlegroup. He managed to withhold the breath of relief even as the amenable answer caused relief to sweep through him. He had been worried that the Lokoid might try to conscript his ships forcibly. They were not the friendliest of nations and somewhat mysterious. There was no denying that they were a major military player in the region. T’Klanak was grateful they were seeking a willing partnership.

He was a little concerned about the request for an electronic handshake. He gave Urta a strong look as he said. “One moment please.” He made a gesture to the communication officers to mute the channel and put Urta on hold.

“Isolate our systems but set up the handshake. Make sure the incoming signal can not infiltrate our systems. I don’t want any nasty surprises later. Make sure they can’t implant any kind of tracking or viruses that we won’t be able to disable later.”

The communications officer worked with the tactical officer to set up the necessary protocols to link their tactical systems and IFF with the Lokoid but in a way that kept them out of the main ship’s systems. When they were ready, the link resumed.

T’Klanak’s hands were folded in front of him as the call resumed. “My apologies for the delay Urta. We needed to prepare our systems so that we could make that work. My communication’s officer is ready to initiate that link with the Lokoid systems. Once that is done our stealth ships will immediately head out to recon the pirate base. They will communicate that information back to us. They are faster than our larger ships. We should have access to that information before the main battle group arrives. On your mark. Urta.”

The Lokoid begin creating the link via the electronic handshake and marking friendlies on their holomaps and ship displays. It was relatively simple really and something that would have been done for any occasion. Urta then looks towards T’Klanak and says something that only the Lokoid and their close allies would’ve heard since the last conflict.

“Link established. Hunt well and may the ichor flow...”

Interestingly, aside from the additional destroyers from the Lokoid fleet’s escort, the handshake revealed that there were three other Lokoid ships that were showing up on sensors that were not there previously – Urta’s hunting party. They were loitering in stealth just a hundred kilometers off the bow of the Daxini battle group.

“... My squadron shall join your scouts.”

She then looked to her crew, “Ready all weapons. All pilots standby for immediate deployment. We will bear our mandibles to the enemy. The hunt begins!”

As Urta’s stealth ships move, the light distorts the images around the hull, if one were to look closely, the ships were at least were cruiser sized and yet slender and narrow all along the length like a knife cutting through space. These were optimized to operate as hit and run ships dedicated for small bursts of firepower. They seamlessly moved into the Daxini scouting party’s formation and spaced themselves accordingly.

T’Klanak watched as their integrated systems filled in the holotank in the middle of the bridge that marked ships and objects in space around them. He didn’t manage to hide his surprise as the Lokoid stealth ships appeared near his group. He managed not to show the depth of his surprise but he didn’t relish feeling like prey. He preferred the role of hunter. He appreciated the phrasing the Lokoid used about hunting. It was an area they could find common ground on.

T’Klanak was pleased to note how easily their two groups merged and took off in formation. The Daxini stealth ships were very different than the Lokoid. Daxini stealth ships were designed to seamlessly fit into civilian trading traffic. They looked like normal ships such as small freighters. They had hidden weapons, sensors, and stealth systems. They had a stealth technology that refracted light away from the ships and things like heat sinks and shielding to hide the ship’s power output. Clearly the Lokoid had better stealth technology than they did. They focused on technology to hide their ships where the Daxini’s approach was to hide in plain sight with additional options to support their crew on their information gathering missions. The Daxini ships would not engage their stealth modes until they were closer to their destination.

T’Klanak gave a regal nod to his communication officer. “Open a channel to all ships.”

He waited for his officer to indicate that they were ready.

“This is Flight Leader T’Klanak. May our hunt be fruitful and prove us worthy of remembrance.”
The Daxini Battle Group ships joined the larger Lokoid formation. The Daxini ships seamlessly slipped into the formation and locations that Urta had indicated. Together the battle group left for battle.

As the stealth ships moved closer to the pirate's location, the looming shadow of the outpost came into view. It was the size of a small space station, its structure made up of a hodge podge mess of ships and debris wrapped around an asteroid. What was worse was the patrolling formations of drones. On the scanners it seemed to be about ten flights of five fighter sized craft. Floating around it were several destroyer and corvette sized vessels. The station itself looked to have several hardpoints for defensive emplacements. This was as well guarded as a minor Lokoid military base. All of it scavenged from this scorched battlefield and made to work through sheer Lokoid ingenuity.

How did they know it was Lokoid? Simple, the transmissions from the outpost were not as well encrypted, the language heard in the intercepted calls – calls that the scouting party are now privy to at that very moment – are in Lokoid. The transmission they intercepted talked about a new haul of weapons and parts from a nearby derelict battleship, what stood out was that the main cannons from the battleship were intact and could be made operational to further bolster the station’s power.

Urta had her comms officer send an encrypted message to the fellow scouts in the formation and indeed, to the rest of the allied battlegroup skulking behind them, “Capital class weapons en route to station, must strike now or additional investment must be made to dismantle them later.”

T’Klanak was seated once more on the bridge as their battle group made their way towards their destination in conjunction with the Lokoid ships. Their stealth ships had moved ahead of the main group and were sending back telemetry on what their ship’s sensors and scanning technology was picking up. They intercepted the unencrypted transmission from the Lokoid base. Urta was quick to send an updated translation about what they had discovered and were worried about.

T’Klanak was reviewing the information with his tactical officer. They were confident with the Lokoid’s help they could take out the target. T’Klanank accepted suggestions from all the ship’s commanders.

T’Klanak opened a secured and encrypted communication channel to Urta.

T’Klanak wasted no time with responding to Urta’s urgent communication. “I agree with your assessment Urta. We need to strike now. One of my stealth ship captains had a question for you about a possible tactic to use against the facility. You know your own technology much better than ours. While they are using Lokoid technology, they offer the observation that it’s implementation is not as well done as it could be. They took shortcuts in places. In your opinion, would it be worth pursuing tactics to disable the base such as an electromagnetic pulse? Would it impair their abilities by cutting off power or shorting out equipment? While the base is well fortified with weaponry our scans are not indicating any kind of shielding on the facility. One of my flight chiefs believes that they can rig one of our defensive EMP missiles to overload creating a stronger EMP pulse. They can get in close to the facility before firing the missiles. If it works, it should disable anything not shielded in the area. That would reduce the danger to our group allowing us to deal with the ships before going after the base itself. I am sending our proposed targets and telemetry. I await your response.”

T’Klanak ordered the battle group to battle stations knowing that battle was imminent. He just wanted to make sure before they went in that everyone had a target and knew their field of fire. T’klanak sent Urta the proposed allocation of Daxini ships with targets for approval. The Stormbringer would go toe to toe with one of the destroyers. The cruisers would each take on one of the cruisers while the stealth ships would try to confuse and eliminate the drones. T’Klanak was sad that the Daxini Battlestation was not with them on this attack. Their fighters would come in handy taking out those drones. It would have been a glorious battle for their fighter pilots. Alas they were not with the current group and wishing about it didn’t make it a resource he had access to at the moment. Now that the battle was upon them he was eager to get on with it. He agreed with Urta that this pirate group could not be left to continue to grow.

The Daxini were correct in their assessment. Finding a working shield generator that hadn’t overloaded through the sheer volume of fire seen during the battles on the scorched line would be near impossible. However, Lokoid ingenuity always found a way. They may not have a shield generator, but they must have redundant systems of some sort. The best the Daxini attack would do is give them a moment. However, a moment is all that the task force needs to inflict withering damage.

Urta replied, “There may be redundant systems on that station. We may only have moments before they bring command and control back online. There is also the back up logic cores onboard the drones that will allow them to operate semi-effectively without orders. With that being said, they’d be a lot less coordinated. However, in that moment we would have a chance to strike would be enough.”

Urta similarly had her force split into firing positions for their graviton torpedoes targeting the fleet of corvettes and destroyers loitering around the station. They had six launch tubes each. They would have to partially drop stealth and appear on scanners for the moment of firing and disappear again. Additionally, she also had them prepare the cluster missiles to target the hardpoints on the station. It is likely not all the hardpoints would be destroyed or damaged as there are likely hidden weapons emplacements all over the damned thing.

“T’Klanak, once the systems momentarily go down, my group will destroy and disable what we can of their ship fleet and the hardpoints on the station proper. However, this will only be enough to prepare the hammer blow that will be the main battlegroup. My group will engage and launch fighters first. We will be vulnerable for whilst we conduct launch operations. We request your cover.”

T’Klanak acknowledged Urta’s response. “I will send out the timing of the operation so you know when the strike will occur. The larger Daxini ships will move in to help cover your ships as you launch your fighters. May our mutual hunt be successful.” T’Klanak gave Urta a respectful gesture as he signed off and gave the orders to move the ships into position. He coordinated the attack across his group and included a kickoff timer for the Lokoid so they could follow and know the timing of the attacks and when the missiles would strike.

The larger Daxini ships didn’t have any stealth. Their shields could block some sensor readings but they didn’t have active stealth shielding like the smaller stealth ships. The larger Daxini ships were hiding behind Lokoid ships of larger size or were using the debris ridden environment to confuse sensors as to where they actually were. The stealth ships could get close enough to deploy their EMP missiles. They would be close enough to their targets that evading all the missiles should be almost impossible. T’Klanak did his best not to leave things to chance.

T’Klanak had the Viper target the station and the Lucky target four of the largest Lokoid pirate ships. Each stealth ship would be able to fire a single volley of four large EMP missiles each. The crews of the stealth ships tinkered with the missile’s payload hoping to make them more effective. They would release an explosive package prior to contact to penetrate into the ship or station. They boosted the EMP output to increase the range. T’Klanak wished his ships luck as they moved into position.

T’Klanak snapped his beak as he gave the attack order.

The Lucky and Viper were in position and fired their missiles. All the ships had the countdown and tracking data as the rest of the Daxini battle group moved quickly into blocking positions to protect the Lokoid ships as they deployed. Four missiles hit the pirate base targeting what they hoped would be power and the control center. One EMP missile was sent to 4 separate Lokoid destroyers. They had a better chance of evading or stopping the missiles but even if they missed the noise from the radiation should help confuse their sensors and communications.

The EMP knocks out several key systems on the station, it appears the desired effect was indeed achieved and for a moment, the command and control of the drone fighters was disrupted. Urta used this opportunity to clear out the field for the main force.

Stealth was disrupted but for a mere five seconds, but in those seconds, eighteen gravitic torpedoes and countless high-yield swarm missiles flew out of Urta’s three stealth cruisers. The high powered particle lances also fired, cutting through four of the visible destroyers and rendering them inoperable. This also allowed them the opportunity to launch their hunter squadrons. Three flights of fourteen ace pilots flew out of the stealth cruiser’s compartments and locked their wings into attack position almost immediately.

The Gravitic torpedoes hit several destroyers and corvettes whilst also pulling apart and compromising the structural integrity of the station. However, whilst the damage was substantial, it was not enough to stop the analog defense systems. Several manned defensive turrets rolled out of hidden doors all over the place. Some were ballistic in nature, others were energy weapons that had fortunately been shielded from the EMP.

Urta swiftly ordered a return to stealth and activating electronic warfare to confuse anything that would target them. They once again entered stealth, the optical camouflage concealing them from view and electronic warfare systems messing with enemy sensors and generally creating havoc amongst the defenders.

The main force slowly maneuvered around the debris and began to engage as the pirates themselves reorganized their defense and began launching their small destroyer squadrons to strike at the combined Daxini-Lokoid force. Additionally they launched squadron after squadron of drone fighters. They all had automated logic cores that allowed them to operate independently from the command and control systems fielded by the station. This meant that while these drones could fly, they were severely limited in tactical and combat ability. Despite that setback, the pirates still had numbers on their side as the first salvo of missiles, ballistics, and energy weapons fire were exchanged between both sides.

Urta once again addressed the task force, acting as a adhoc Spaceborne Warning and Control System (SWACS) for the entirety of the task force, fully utilizing the highly sensitive and sophisticated sensor suite that her cruisers could afford her. One of these warnings was for the Daxini’s lead ship, “T’klanak, inbound, destroyer group heading for your side of the formation. Torpedo attacks are likely given the vector. Fighter-Bomber escorts are present, two flights of five. Coordinates are on grid X-112, Y-031, Z-240 relative to your ship. Two allied Lokoid destroyers are nearby to assist but are currently engaged. Do you need them?”

The Daxini ships worked together on cue. As the stealth ships fired their EMP missiles at their targets, the larger Daxini ships moved into blocking positions ahead of the Lokoid ships. Their shields have been increased to maximum, their anti missile point defense lasers were all active and tracking any incoming missiles. The Digital Entities on board the ships took control of these point defense systems and worked. The tactical officers focused on the overall battle plan and the offensive side of the Daxini battle strategy. The tactical officers fired antimatter warheads targeting the largest Lokoid destroyers and cruisers. The Daxini targeted different ships to the Lokoid. They wanted to spread the destruction around hoping for a disabling strike for each target. T’Klanak knew that was too much to hope for but it was necessary to disable as many of the pirate ships as possible. The initial response from the Lokoid pirates began to come in as they began to see manned firing turrets revealed as they came out of concealment and began to fire at the battle group. T’Klanak was watching the holotank as sensors with the help of the Kronar on board filled in the data as soon as they were receiving the telemetry. T’Klanak had just noted the incoming group with Urta offered assistance. T’Klanak used the priority command channel link that had been set up for all ship captains in their combined force to use to answer Urta. “Negative Urta. Our shields are holding so far. We have a surprise for those drones.” That was a Daxini version of the human’s “Hold my beer.”

T’Klanak had the stealth ships follow up by firing prepared tactical nanite missiles towards the oncoming drone swarm. The missiles hit just in front of them releasing the nanites to create a swarm that the ships would fly through. The nanites were programmed to attach to the hull and begin working on hacking into the drone’s command systems and set up communication between the drones and the Kronar in the battle group. They would attempt to take control of the Lokoid Pirate drones and use them for their side, turning them on the pirates. In the meantime, T’Klanak gave the order for the troop carrier on the destroyer to launch for a boarding action on the pirate station. Xi’s Axe would provide cover fire and support to get the troop transport to the station.

T’Klanak watched the shield numbers carefully. They were holding steady but were slowly being chipped away at. The point defense lasers had begun targeting incoming torpedoes while the Stormbringer and the Scimitar continued to fire antimatter warhead missiles at enemy ships along with their railguns and plasma cannons. The combination of attacks was taking a toll on the pirate vessels. The Daxini were moving to the next target as soon as a ship was confirmed to be disabled. They were also trying to use precision targeting on drive systems and power systems to disabled the ships. Only time would tell whether the Kronar Digital Entities would be able to take control of the drone swarm using the nanites as a communication bridge for them to hack into the Lokoid pirate systems.

Urta watched carefully as the Daxini’s weapons turned old Lokoid tech against their owners. The destroyers the drones were escorting quickly fell apart under the barrage of plasma and high yield bombs that were being peppered along their hull. In the meantime, Urta repositioned her cruisers for another decapitating strike. More drones would be joining the fray now as the field of battle became increasingly chaotic.

Pirate destroyers returning from patrol began to join in the fray, whilst Kajuto and Urta’s forces continually pumped out more fighters and continued to lay down withering fire against the pirate scourge. From when the battle began there were now hundreds of contacts all over the place, not including the debris. However, Urta and the other Lokoid SWACS kept the entire fleet appraised and informed on what was happening. The Lokoid battle order had turned from hammer stroke, to maintained battle flow. They kept the pressure high and maintained the advantage that was afforded to them by the joint surprise strike that T’Klanak’s Scouts and Urta’s Hunters had dealt them.

The Hunters stalked the field completely hidden and moving between the missiles and gunfire. They had identified the most problematic gun batteries on the station. There were three swarm missile launchers harrying the Daxini’s right flank, and a high yield beam pressuring the shields of the Lokoid main force – priority targets. Additionally, Urta had been monitoring the battle for a while and had identified several leading vessels, one of which was the spearhead of the station’s defense – she would decapitate the beast.

She alerted the whole force, “Prepare. Their defense shall fall in a moment.”

Her ships once again decloak and a barrage of torpedoes, missiles, and high powered beams struck their primary targets whilst also forcing the pirate destroyers to refocus their engagements. However, by the time they had gotten their guns on target again, Urta’s hunters had once again cloaked. This broke the center of the Pirate formation and significantly reduced the pressure coming from the station. Things were progressing smoothly as Urta’s elite ace pilots weaved into the gap and further damaged the ships lying behind, weaving through the enemy’s point defense systems.

Things were looking as if they were coming to a close for the desperate pirates. But it was too soon to count them out. In a flash, Urta noted an energy spike – capital ship yield beam cutting straight through the battlefield, three of the Lokoid ships had been hit and destroyed whilst others had to pull back due to the intense energy output.

Urta monitored the pirate comms again and made a chilling report, “Capital ship class weaponry online with mobile powersource. They have modified it on the spot for the emergency the station is in. Advise all ships to spread formations immediately.”

Another energy spike, “Alert, pirates are recharging their weapon. Estimated time for firing is twenty seconds.”

T’Klanak snapped their beak in excitement and pleasure as their tactics bore fruit. Some of the Kronar in the battle group had managed to take control of that initial drone swarm, turning them into a weapon for their side. The drones were used to get close and disable the pirate ships that had been relying on the drones for protection. No battle plan survives contact with the enemy. Their initial surprise attack had damaged the ships that had been at the station or around it but as the battle continued, Lokoid Pirate ships continued to join the battle. The incoming pirate ships were coming in fresh to the battle while those who had already been fighting for some time were starting to show the damage from battle. The Daxini battle group fought on as they were fully committed. The battle became one of attrition as the Daxini focused on disabling ships before moving to the next. All the while the Daxini fleet was being pounded by the pirates and their drone swarms. The Kronar were limited on how many drone swarms they could control and maintain the rest of their duties on board the Daxini ships. Just as the battle seemed to be coming to a conclusion a Lokoid Pirate vessel managed to fire capital ship weapons of high power at the fleet.

T’Klanak didn’t hesitate. “Target that ship. Full salvo!”

Talon Squad Chief Prarrel [+]

Kronar Brayden on Stormbringer [+]

Talon Squad 2nd Chief Rayorten [+]

In the meantime, Talon Chief Prarrel was leading a team of Daxini ground troops in the boarding action against the station. Prarrel was a tall lithe muscular figure with sharp claws and teeth. His battle armor was in good repair but scarred from past battles. Prarrel was from the Rapaxani clan but his squad was a mix from all the clans. The troop drop ship had landed at one of the pirate base’s airlocks. They could have landed against the hull and blown an opening into the station. They were trying not to do the kind of damage that would kill everyone on the station not wearing a space suit from explosive decompression. The Axe had given them cover fire all the way in. The Axe had knocked out a few automated turrets that were in position to give them trouble while they were docked. Obviously whoever was in charge of the pirates didn’t trust that everyone docking with the station would be friendly. The Axe communicated they were rejoining the battle now that the troops were on station.

Prarrel ordered his troops ready to move. One of the troopers attached a communication device to the control panel that would open the airlock door. One of the Kronar in the battlegroup used the device to hack the door for them cycling the airlock. The Kronar, Brayden of the Stormbringer, informed the trooper that there were troops waiting on the other side and showed him what the station’s cameras revealed to him. He set up a simple menu for the trooper holding the tablet so he would be able to open doors and access the cameras on the station. Then Brayden withdrew his focus back on the battle the Stormbringer was fighting. The battle for the station began as the Daxini troops charged into the ambush planned by the pirates as the two sides exchanged fire. The Daxini’s heavy combat armor gave them a slight edge on protecting them from the heavier energy weapons. The Daxini troops closed to go paw and claw with the pirates. Some of the pirates had armor but not all of them had armor that offered the same level of protection as the Daxini.

T’Klanak hadn’t lost any ships yet but the Axe had taken damage as it gave supporting cover to the Daxini Troop Ship on its way to the station. The Axe had returned to re-engage in the battle. They had been hit from debris that had flown off one of the Lokoid vessels hit by the capital ship weapon. The Axe’s power systems were damaged and their shields were failing as power began to fluctuate on the ship. The Axe was withdrawing from the battle limping away at a slow pace as the other Daxini Cruiser, the Iron Talon, gave them cover on the way out of the battle. The Iron Talon fired at the Lokoid ship with the capital weapon on its way by. They had shunted extra power to shields on that side of the ship as they hoped to get the Axe past the ship and away from the battle.

Urta made no hesitation in reorganizing her ace pilots. At this point, none of them had taken damage and they had conserved their ordnance well.

“All squadrons redirect efforts. Take down that capital weapon.”

As she spoke through the radio, another high energy burst sliced through the void, melting through debris and searing the surface of ships that had managed to maneuver out of the way. Fortunately, the blast only hit the Lokoid’s drones. The ace fighters moved independently from each other. What was to be noted was that each fighter never slowed, flowing into each maneuver and completing high G-turns despite the strain it would cause the pilot. They were darting across the holo maps as if they were themselves highly sophisticated drones. They were able to weave through the thick debris, complete bombing runs whilst avoiding enemy fire, and leave only destroyed drones in their wake. One of them, under the callsign Arrow, had flown through one of the open drone hangers inside the station. The hangar was a through-and-through construction allowing the fighters to flow through the station wherever they needed to deploy. Arrow lined up the bomb to drop right in the middle of the hangar, it wasn’t required of him, he simply did so because they were trying to stop the flow of drones.

His actions rendered the drone hangar inoperable as the bomb detonated in his wake destroying the outgoing drones and the deployment mechanisms. As he flew through the station, he received the order through his squad leader.

“Steel Squadron, redirect. Kill order priority on enemy capital ship weapon. Hierarch Urta is updating our radar now.”

Steel squadron and Arrow redirected themselves to intercept the capital ship weapon several hundreds of Kilometers away. Another pack of drones were coming their way, these ones were more sophisticated and yet, the squadrons broke into their respective packs and tore into the enemy. Arrow however focused on evasion – he was looking for another killshot. Arrow queued up whatever was left in his arsenal, he was running low on munitions after destroying several drones and engaging the station’s gunmounts. What he still had were a pair of low yield, anti-fighter missiles.

Listening to his Hunter Hierarch’s updates, he awaited for the moment the weapon was once again charging. Incoming fire from friendly ships bombarded the enemy capital vessel, which was no problem for Arrow, however, he’d observed that the oncoming fire wasn’t doing anything to the capital ship weapon. It was basically being towed by two destroyers and jerry rigged to the weapon were capital ship grade reactors and shield generators. While the weapon charged the shield gradually weakened but never really went down. Arrow had reckoned that the shield being this strong with a makeshift system meant that it needed to be lowered for a moment of firing.That was the moment Arrow had to wait for, the moment where the weapon had to contain a volatile amount of energy and disrupt it with two well placed missiles.

Meanwhile, the battle inside the station would be fierce as pirates from within battled Prarrel’s forces. The pirates would be pushed back further inside preparing more ambushes with heavier and heavier equipment. This was also around the time the Kajuto’s boarding forces arrived. Several squads of Mk.1 and Mk.3 combat automatons. The Mk.3s were a mix of Melee, Fire Support, and Standard patterns. They had breached from another part of the station and had informed over the shared network that they would be working towards rendezvousing with Prarrel to reinforce his team.

A Mk.3, CA-KR-11521 otherwise known as Unit-0 for this operation, was leading the assault. They had taken some damage from determined pirate defenders. Some of the pirates were armed with their own power suits and high powered weapons making the boarding action fiercely brutal. However, replacements for the automatons had started to steadily flow into the station. A squadron of Lokoid destroyers had secured a corridor for transports to flow in. Remaining Lokoid forces around the station pivoted towards combating the Pirate vessels and assisting the Daxini. That being said, several destroyers and cruisers had already needed to be pulled back after being rendered combat ineffective from the combined firepower of the station and its ad hoc fleet. Kajuto had calculated that at least a quarter of his forces are still combat capable, however, if things don’t turn around soon, he would have no choice but to commit the K’rattak Nak Ur into the fight. He turned from his thoughts to look at the holoprojections on the bridge and observed the battle in order to determine when it is time for the Lokoid’s Super Dreadnought to come into play.

T’Klanak watched the battle unfolding in the bridge holotank. The fighter designated as Arrow drew his attention. T’Klanak remarked on the pilot’s performance to Urta even as he once more wished the Leviathan had been here to take part in this battle.The Daxini starfighters deployed off their mobile battle stations. The Leviathan had been left to guard the Vulcan though and was not available for this attack. “My compliments to your pilots, they are excellent in battle. Arrow serves the Lokoid with honor and distinction.”

T’Klanak was debating what their next move would be. They needed something decisive to break the pirate’s number advantage. The Daxini were already fully deployed and all the Lokoid had left to deploy was the super dreadnought. T’Klanak’s thoughts were interrupted by Brayden the Kronar in charge of computer systems on the Stormbringer.

Brayden: “Chief T’Klanak, Talon Prarrel reports that there are injuries in his squad. They have made progress deeper into the station and are coordinating with the Lokoid for support. His team has not found the control center yet but request Kronar support. If Kronar are able to hack into their systems they might be able to shut them down remotely. Kronar Vilkas is available for this task. The Axe is withdrawing from the battle due to damage they sustained. Engineers have managed temporary field repairs but they report the repairs will not hold long. They are operating at 25 percent power. Vilkas is currently powerless to help them since he is operating on portable battery power from his AI core pod. It is possible to have Vilkas transfer to the Iron Talon sir before the two ships pull away from each other. Time is of the essence chief.”

T’Klanak nodded understanding what Brayden was telling him. “Brayden, send the orders to Vilkas and Firehawk. Get the transfer done as soon as possible so that the Axe can leave the field of battle. Tell Vilkas he is ordered to devote his attention to bringing down the weapons on that station and supporting the boarding parties.”

Kronar Vilkas [+]

T’Klanak smiled as Brayden’s mechanical tones indicated some pride and eagerness to have his plan implemented. T’Klanak was always surprised by how much some of the Kronar who served with the fleet looked forward to battle. He turned his attention to that ship with the capital weapon that was putting holes in their side. He had ordered a full salvo at the ship. The ship had shrugged off the plasma and laser cannons. The rail gun had hit and some minor debris showed that the ship had taken some minor damage. T’Klanak grinned and turned to his tactical officer. “Continuous rail gun fire on that ship with the capital weapon. Keep it on target until we have to shut it down due to heat. Use the plasma and laser cannons to target the surrounding ships. Keep us in dancing and set the shields to alternating frequencies. This is no time to get complacent. Let me know when shields fall to 25 percent.” T’Klanak noted that the Strombringer’s shields were at 63 percent.

Viltas was elated to be able to help out and the transfer to the Talon was completed quickly using a small drone flown by Viltas himself. He had plugged his core into the drone and launched off the Axe. The drone was small enough and agile enough not to draw much attention from the pirates. The Axe was relatively close to the Talon as it was providing covering fire. It only took Viltas a little over 5 minutes to make the transfer. The Axe continued its slow progress away from the battle. It had picked up a little speed as the engineers on board managed some quick field repairs. Viltas was quick to get to work. He had plugged his core into a docking station near engineering that was designed for that purpose. Viltas used the encrypted communication link to chief Prarrel’s tablet.

Viltas’ voice came out with a slight growl of eagerness as he let Chief Prarrel know that he was joining him. Viltas: “Chief Prarrel I have been sent to support you. My orders are to try and hack into the weapons systems on the station and support you. What do you need me to do?”

Chief Prarrel had been firing at an entrenched Lokoid pirate location when he was startled by the Viltas’ voice over the comm line. He recovered quickly as he managed to hit a Lokoid pirate who had popped up to fire over their barricade.

Prarrel: “I need you to give us an idea of where the pirate reinforcements are coming from. Monitor any surveillance cameras to let us know what’s coming and share that intel with the Lokoid boarding forces.”

Viltas’ voice was full of satisfaction as he growled back to Prarrel. “My pleasure Chief.” The digital entity immediately saw that the hack that Brayden had done had been detected by the Lokoid and shut down. Viltas began his own hacking and was faster to respond than the Lokoid pirates trying to keep him out of the system.

Kajuto had deployed several companies from the 782nd Rak’aru Automaton Legion stationed on board the dreadnought. The automaton companies had begun spreading out in platoon strength and had ground through the pirate defenses working their way towards Prarrel’s approximate location whilst attempting to overwhelm and stretch the pirate defense effort. Whilst mass produced and simple, the Mk.1s still had basic tactics programmed into them, they also had more sophisticated and heavily armored Mk.3s with heavy weapons, some modified with better predictive A.I. and strategic computers that greatly increased the effectiveness of a large formation of combat automatons. These acted as squad leaders with independent networks from other automatons making it more difficult to simply hack through the network. The pirates certainly tried, however, this was premier Lokoid military technology, electronic warfare suites had been installed on select units for the purpose of dispelling these attempts.

However, the rogue pirate commander still had tricks up their sleeves. Older generation, SDS-40A1 ripper drones had started to be deployed as a countermeasure against the Lokoid military’s own Automatons. No doubt Prarrel’s boarding forces were about to encounter these buggers soon. Measuring in a foot tall and a foot wide armed to the teeth with little tools to literally rip apart mechanical components and strip flesh, these were the horrors of the Scorched Line battlefields for infantry, tanks, and even spaceborne fighter units as even one of these rippers were enough to seriously injure personnel or severely damage mechanized components.

Kajuto’s forces suffered setbacks and were pushed back to the initial breach they had made. More boarding forces were being funneled through and mobile sentries were fortifying their landing zone. Unit-0 reported the setbacks to Prarrel, “Warning, SDS-40A1 Ripper Drones have been deployed in swarming fashion. Lokoid Boarding Force repulsed and delayed. Be prepared. Pirates are attempting to delay the advance with more expensive equipment. Denser fortification preparations are possible. Pirate actions indicate desperation, HVT escape possibility at 36.580%, possibility of pirates destroying the station rising as HVT escape possibility lowers. Prioritize Armory and Reactors as high priority targets.”

Meanwhile, Arrow had been dodging fire and weaving through debris waiting for his time to strike. The Daxini assault on the super heavy particle lance barge had doubled. The shields were starting to falter as rounds penetrated through and scratched the weapon’s surface. However, the destroyers and cruisers towing the contraption had been disabled. The weapon lurched to one side using thrusters to adjust its aim, it once again charged its beam gathering energy deep within its focal point. Arrow positioned himself several meters in front of its gaping barrel locking on to the heat signature deep within. Usually, capital ship weapons like these had fail-safes or physical measures to stop the weapon from being destroyed by oncoming fire, but this stripped down particle lance was reconstructed and it had not been put together with safety in mind, but rather to get it working as fast as possible. The pirates did not count on several squadrons of ace pilots to cut down their escorts and weave through their point defenses like they were nothing and certainly not a lone craft barreling towards the business end of the lance, but it happened. At the pinnacle of the weapon’s charge, the shields went down and just a meter away from the tip of the barrel, Arrow released his last remaining pair of heat seeker missiles. Arrow vectored away from the weapon as the missiles met their mark and the particles being accelerated within were released wildly in all directions breaking the machine apart from within.

The aces break off once again and execute evasive maneuvers as they return to the fight against the station proper and defensive fleet. The pirate’s reinforcements had started slowing down and with the particle beam gone, the Lokoid and Daxini forces could now reorganize their formations to properly destroy the pirate force in front of them.

T’Klanak squawked in victory as he saw the capital weapon go up in a glorious cloud of destruction. He turned his attention to the bridge holotank as the field of battle updated. T’Klanak knew now was the time to press forward. He hoped that Prarrel would be able to complete his objectives without further casualties.

T’Klanak began to issue orders. “Stormbringer is to move up and engage that destroyer on the right. Hammer an opening with the rail guns followed by targeted laser and plasma blasts. Target their engines and power centers. Have Scimitar and Talon work together to target the destroyer closest to the station.”

Meanwhile on the station Prarrel’s wounded had been stabilized by their field medic. They were able to offer ranged support but were no longer mobile. The Daxini forces had set up a mobile shield barrier to protect them as they held an intersection in the hallway shooting around the edge of the wall. Prarrel had gotten word that the pirates had sent a swarm of ripper drones after them. He had cursed before asking Viltas if there was anything he could do to stop them. Viltas: “No, Lokoid ripper drones are hardened against these kinds of attacks. I will try to keep you in front of them. I have identified one of the high priority targets. You are close to the reactors. They are a hundred meters from your location along the corridor. You will have to cross the intersection to the other side to reach them.”

Prarrel considered his options and looked at his remaining squad. They were being held in position to stall them. He gave a decisive nod before he began issuing orders. “Half the squad will remain here and hold this position. If the opportunity presents itself, take out that enemy position. 2nd Talon Chief Rayorten will be in charge here. I will be leading the team to take the reactors.” Prarrel pointed to who he wanted to take with him. He was taking 6 heavy fighters with him and 6 of their fast strike team. He left the remaining squad here to hold the corridor.

Prarrel looked at the squads. “Rayorten, on the count of 3 your squad will provide covering fire as my team moves as quickly to the other side as possible.” Rayorten acknowledged his orders with a simple head nod. The teams got ready and were in place. Prarrel gave the countdown as they all surged into action as one unit laying down suppressive fire as the infiltration team sped across the hallway and were already well on their way towards the reactors. The push had taken two more pirates out but they seemed to be getting reinforcements from behind them someplace. As soon as they took someone out, another was there to take their place.

Rayorten sent a message back to the command team. “Please advise the Lokoid that we have run into an entrenched enemy position. They seemed to be getting reinforcements as fast as we could take them out. Chief Prarrel has taken a team to try and capture one of the reactors.”

The combat automaton forces were now pressing hard against the ripper drones. The column of automatons marching down the halls and firing volley after volley of withering fire had whittled down the enemy resistance. They were well on their way to cutting off the enemy reinforcements giving Rayorten so much trouble. With the Lokoid’s automaton forces flooding into the station, it was only a matter of time before the pirate captain was apprehended.

Outside the station, the battle continued. Arrow and the other Hunter squadrons were now slaving allied drone fighters and organizing them into smaller fighter squadrons. They were now picking apart the enemy formations. Urta reorganized the Lokoid formation and redoubled the effort in surrounding the station. Once again, several missiles and torpedoes flew from uncloaked cruisers devastating their targets once again. Ship Hierarch Dek’an reported that their destroyer squadrons had neutered the station’s final hardpoints leaving the station relatively defenseless.

Urta was pleased with the progress, “Fleet Hierarch Kajuto, permission to scour the debris with my squadron to hunt down remaining pirate ships?”

“Negative. With primary threats dealt with, reinforce the boarding action. Be aggressive and strike deep. Let the ichor flow Hunter Hierarch.”

To Urta these words were just as welcome, she addressed all ships, “Attention, my second in command will take over SWAC duties. I and the other Hunters will be boarding the station. We shall make the ichor flow, the final hunt is upon our foes.”

The Urta headed off the bridge and made way for the armory, by her side were trusted Hunter commandos ready to don their power armor. These tier-1 warriors were to board the station and slaughter any in their path, they were well armed for it. Their armor amplified their already heightened awareness, speed, and strength. Armed with wrist mounted blades and coil guns and a singular back mounted heavy plasma cannon, these heavily armored veterans of the firestorm wars that created this scorched line were now arming themselves once again for something all too familiar, boarding actions against an entrenched and prepared enemy.

Urta could still remember it. Back then, the Hunters didn’t have as many fancy toys, boarding with only the old commando armor used by Lokoid shock troops. The ship-to-ship fighting against the Augustans was brutal. Urta could still remember the shock on the Augustan’s faces every time her team would enter their reactors to set a graviton demolition charge amidst the chaos of disposable automatons boarding alongside them. Their methods were considered, necessary losses. They were now going to do what they had done many times before and break through enemy defenses to capture a rogue officer.

Unbeknownst to both forces, the rogue officer had one last trick up their sleeve. They were making their way to a hangar that had yet to reveal itself to the outside. It would take time to power up their corvette that would speed through the Lokoid-Daxini blockade of the station. To buy himself time, the heaviest of his outdated automatons had gathered here and prepared a bastion for a final stand. Two stripped down heavy assault walkers, four anti-personnel assault crawlers, and ten mobile sentry bots bolstered by a hundred and twenty outdated Mk.1 Combat Automatons, only half of which are armed with ranged weaponry, the other half had makeshift melee weapons.

With the rest of the station’s defense forces still active and the ripper swarms still doing their work, the rogue commander may still eke out a narrow escape.

T’Klanak received the message from Rayorten and informed Urta of what was happening with the Daxini forces inside the station. He then turned his attention back to the holotank on the bridge as the destroyer being targeted by Stormbringer hit the reactors causing a chain reaction explosion that blew the destroyer in half. It was listing badly and floating along the trajectory of kinetic energy from the blast. T’Klanak clicked his beak in pleasure at having taken out one of the last targets of concern to the squadron. There was a large explosion off the back of the second destroyer as the other two ships managed to take out the ship’s engines.

T’Klanak sent an update to Urta. “The remaining two heavy destroyers have been neutralized. Since the Lokoid are moving to support the boarding parties. The Daxini ships will begin targeting any remaining pirate ships. We will look to disable first. Happy Hunting!”

T’Klanak ordered the Daxini ships to begin taking out the smaller pirate ships that were now trying to flee the field as the heavier hitting weapons had been neutralized.

Meanwhile deep inside the pirate station, Prarrel’s team had made it to the reactors. The section of the station was being guarded by a group of Lokoid pirates. Prarrel’s team charged into the group of five soldiers. They put up a good fight but ultimately the well trained Daxini troopers in heavy power armor took the day. Their armor reflected the heavy fighting with scarred pot mocked surfaces. One or two troopers’ armor had black scoring from laser fire and smoked in a few places. Prarrel pulled out his tablet and searched for a good place to plug it in so that Vilkas could take control of the reactors. Viltas informed him that their plug systems were not compatible and guided Prarrel through how to pull the panel apart and hardwire a connection for him. While he was doing that, the men were applying first aid to those who had sustained injuries from the heavy fight for the reactor control room. Viltas confirmed his connection as he began to work on infiltrating deeper into the station computer systems now that he had a hard connection to their network.

Prarrel left Viltas to work as he used his encrypted communication to report to T’Klanak his progress. “Chief T’Klanak this is Prarrel. We have successfully infiltrated and secured one of the reactor control rooms. Viltas is hardwired into their systems and is attempting to infiltrate.”

Prarrel ordered Viltas to shunt all power from all systems but life support and gravity. Viltas began to execute his orders as power for weapons systems and the like were shut down. Lights dimmed as power was reduced in that section of the base. Armory doors were locked out and could only be opened by prying them open using manual overrides.

As Urta arrived with her several fireteams moving quickly with their power armor through the corridors of the now darkened sectors of the Space Station, they were met with several pirate automatons and ripper drones that were cut off from reinforcing the rogue commander. They reacted to Urta’s fireteam but were too late, as the moment their weapons were leveled, Urta had closed the distance and began ripping through them with their claws. The mass of their armor smashing into the lighter Mk.1s and pushed them down onto the floor. Urta’s second came in and followed up by stomping one ripper drone as he moved up and raised his arm cannons to blast whatever came to rush them in the dark.

Urta then updated Prarrel as they continued to swiftly clear a way to Automaton taskforce.

“We are making good time. We are on our way to push into the fortified hangar. Our sensors indicate several power signatures there. A host of automatons and a few larger signatures, vehicles and ships. Heavily entrenched position.”

As Urta spoke, the second team had landed where the Lokoid automaton reinforcements were flowing in from and had taken control from Unit-0. “Hunter unit 02 and 03 are now in position. We will converge on the hangar, Hunter Hierarch.”

From there the Hunters began to break up the Automaton squads further and lead them through flanking positions and rendezvous with Prarrel and Rayorten’s squads.

“The final hunt is upon us.” Urta spoke, cutting through squads of pirate automatons. Their armor was state of the art at this point and had proven itself in this operation alone by taking heavy hits from Lokoid pirates using heavy weapons emplacements. Urta’s back mounted plasma cannons had proven far more impactful as the gun crews were reduced to ash and melting flesh. Urta’s fireteams and their leadership among the automatons completely turned the battlefield situation around faster than what was projected from the usual tactics that the Automaton leader, Unit-0 predicted. The impact of their actions could instantly be felt as the shock of seeing elite units within the station could be heard on pirate communications. The panic and fear became very real for the holdouts with many either surrendering outright or attempting to flee as they sighted the crimson painted composite armor of the Hunters turn their corner. The remnant pirates and their automatons were being torn apart and hunted down like animals – mercy was not shown to any pirate, their punishment for resisting was death.

T’Klanak received the reports from Urta and Prarrel. T’Klanak responded to Prarrel first.

T’Klanak: “Understood Prarrel. Support and share information with the Lokoid who are infiltrating the base in support and search of their rogue commander. Have Viltas share any tactical information over our shared link with them.”

T’Klanak then responded to Urta.

T’Klanak: “Understood Urta. Prarrel’s teams on station will support yours. You should have some tactical support feeds coming to you as Viltas has managed to gain control of the station systems. Camera feeds are on their way. The Daxini teams have locked down all power to the station except for life support and gravity systems.”

In the background Daxini ships continued to mop up the space battle as they hunted down the pirate ships now trying to flee the area as the tide of battle had turned.

Soundtrack: Graeme Revel - Chronicles of Riddick - Necromongers

---

Commander Lennox had been hard pressed to keep up with all that was happening with Daxini Battle Group Alpha. T’Klanak had taken the main body of the force to continue exploring along the line. The group was looking for the planets in the area. They hoped to find some Daxini that had been caught planetside during the last battle. T’Klanak had run into a large Lokoid group that was doing the same thing the Daxini were. They were recovering and recycling resources and technology from the large debris fields along the scorched lines. They had requested the Daxini's help with ending a much larger Lokoid Pirate threat. T’Klanak was due to report soon from the battle. While Lennox waited on those reports, he was reviewing the reports coming from the stealth ships Nightweaver and Shadow. The Nightweaver had tagged an interesting site of battle that had the remains of both Augustan and Lokoid capital ships of the line. They had continued on sending the coordinate and a path for other ships to follow. The Shadow had reported they had encountered another small pirate group. They had sustained minimal damage in the battle but the pirate vessels were poorly recovered relics barely holding together and they had destroyed them during the battle. Commander Lennox had sent the Adventurer back to Black Cloud Station to observe and report. Lennox wanted to know who was coming and going from the station. The Adventurer had been ordered to observe only for now.

Eagle Eye Chief Narrel had the Adventurer in full stealth mode. The ship was hidden well behind some larger debris near the station. The ship had a good line of sight on the station. They had ventured out to set up some remote sensor drones that were being monitored by Martak the Kronar on the Adventurer. They had managed to plant nanites on the station when they were last there. Martok had taken control of them once more, giving them the ability to listen to some of the communications inside the station. The Adventurer was trying to determine who was in charge of the station. Had power changed hands after the Daxini captured the pirate group that had chased after the Adventurer? They had been on station for two days and had seen a few vessels come and go. Most of the vessels stopping at the station were old and worn looking. They seemed to be local tramp freighters and were ships cobbled together or still running using parts scavenged from the debris field. There were no ships that overtly read as belonging to pirates or criminal groups. There was a sense that the station was not visited by the major powers in the region.

On the third day Martok had the answers they had been searching for. Gerard had been in one of the pirate fighters during the attack on the Daxini. Word had reached the station that Gerard was dead. His second in command was a human named Boone Croyle. Boone was rumored to be more intelligent and ruthless than Gerard. Boone had not been on station when the Adventurer had been there last. According to what Martok could glean from conversations Boone had just returned from a patrol of the area with his pirate squadron. Somehow the pirate group that had attacked the Daxini had managed to get word back to the station that Gerard was dead and the pirate flotilla had been captured. Boone’s response to the information had been laughter. He had sneered and said that he had always known that Gerard’s downfall would be his greed. It appeared that Gerard had downplayed how important their foodstuffs were for trading. Apparently fresh food was rare in these parts. Synthesized proteins from algae farms were common but lacked substance and flavor. Boone was angry that he had missed the Daxini traders when they had come through. Narrel sent a report back to Lennox suggesting they try to negotiate with the new person in charge of the station. He had proposed that they approach Boone with a proposal and offer a prisoner exchange. Lennox had approved trying to re approach the station and establishing a trade partnership with the caveat that if they try to steal from them or attack their ships again, the Daxini will demand reparations from the station management at the end of their guns. They were under orders not to go to the station unarmed.

Narrel had Martok hail the station but hide where the signal was coming from. He was not ready to reveal their location. He wanted to talk to Boone first. He wanted to get a feeling for the kind of man he was. From what they had gleaned so far, Boone was smart and was a tactical thinker. Narrel was banking on them being able to provide a desperately needed resource and superior firepower to prevent any further incursions on the Daxini by pirates operating out of the station. Narrel waited as Martok bounced the signal around to make it impossible for Boone and his associates on the station to determine where the signal had come from.

Narrel: “This is the Adventurer hailing Black Cloud station. This is Chief Narrel. I would like to speak with Boone Croyle.”

Black Cloud Station: A gruff voice replied: “This is Black Cloud station. I don’t see you on my sensors, Adventurer. Where are you calling from?”

Narrel just laughed before responding. “Wouldn’t you like to know. Now get me Boone Croyle.”

The line went abruptly silent. Narrel was getting worried as some time passed. Martok assured him that they were fetching the man while their technicians were going a little crazy trying to find them. Narrel smiled at that. It was the least they deserved after planting a tracker on his ship and then attacking his people.

About 10 minutes had passed before the speaker crackled to life once more, a deep baritone voice with an authoritative ring boomed over the speaker. “This is Boone Croyle. I understand I am speaking to Narrel of the Adventurer. What do you want?”

Narrel grinned baring his teeth, a mouthful of sharp pointy teeth, a symbolic warning from any predator. He was going to enjoy this. He rarely had the opportunity or the inclination to be truthful in his line of work. His job was to investigate and obtain information through guile and subterfuge. He harbored some resentment that he had not discovered that damn tracking probe his ship had been tagged with sooner. He hated being bested and outwitted.

Narrel: “I won’t waste either of our time. I came to Black Cloud station to trade in good faith with your predecessor Gerard. He fired on my ship as I was leaving, planted a tracking probe on it, followed us back to our group, then arrived with a small pirate flotilla to attack us. Well it didn’t go so well for Gerard. I can confirm he was among the ships destroyed by my people. We protect our own. I have been authorized to renegotiate with the new leadership of Black Cloud station. I understand that is you.”

Boone’s mouth curled in a snarl. He hated being caught flat footed. His mind raced with what he knew about the Adventurer from the reports he had gotten from his men who had been on the station at the time. He had gone over Gerard’s records but they had been worthless. The man’s focus was on what he could steal, fence, or sell from the Adventurer. He had been blinded by greed. Boone was smart enough to realize that Gerard had run into battle without knowing his opponent and had died as the result of that. He also realized that Narrel had hidden his true intentions from his visit to the station the first time. Maybe something could be salvaged from this shitshow. He had no interest in going to war with the Daxini. The group Narrel was with was obviously well protected.

Boone: “Yes, word of Gerard’s death reached the station a few days ago. I am the person in charge of Black Cloud Station. What is it you want, Narrel? I was not aware of Gerard’s plan to attack your group. I had been away from the station and out of communication range at the time.”

Narrel almost purred, enjoying having the upper hand while bargaining with the new station lord. “I want to negotiate new terms with you. Understand this, the Daxini Battle Group would be happy to take over the station if our terms are not agreeable as payment for the attack on us by Gerard. We don’t appreciate being shot at after negotiating in good faith.”

Boone laughed and let out a loud guffaw. “Let’s be honest with one another. You did not negotiate in all honesty with Gerard. He thought you were some private trading group not a part of the Daxini Military. I am smart enough to realize that your ship must be a part of their spy craft. What do you really want from Black Cloud Station?”

Narrel smiled as he was beginning to like Boone. The man was smart and had connected those dots easily enough. Maybe there was hope here after all. “I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. I can tell you that we do truly want to trade with your station. I want access to the station for my crew and traders. My crew and traders will come aboard your station armed. We will never again go unarmed on your station after being attacked. I seek the information about the region that can be gained at independent stations such as yours. We are seeking long term partners in the area to help us find some of our lost souls who have never made it home, that were trapped here during the war. We would like to make Black Cloud Station one of our regular ports of call while we are operating along the Scorched Line. We would like to offer shore leave to our soldiers. In return, we offer you regular trade and I am authorized to offer a prisoner exchange with you. Most of Gerard’s pirates survived the attack after their vessels were disabled.”

Boone took a moment to think about the proposal. He didn’t have to think too hard. Boone was smart enough to realize that Narrel was here with a larger military group. Black Cloud Station didn’t have the defenses to repel an attack from such a group. They were offering to leave him in charge which is what he wanted. This was a much better option that denying them would get him. He was pretty sure they could just kill him and take over. Maybe not without losses but they could do it pretty easily. Boone smiled but it came out more as a snide sneer. “Well why don’t you come aboard the station and let us discuss this face to face. It sounds as if we have much to talk about.”

Narrel: “Sure, I will bring the Adventurer to dock. I want you to know that we have another vessel in the area monitoring our activity. If anything happens to me, the ship, or the crew. Black Cloud Station will cease to exist. Am I understood?”

Boone sighed and rolled his eyes. “Crystal clear Narrel. I will be waiting for you. Boone Out.”

Martok left a probe with sensors and long distance communication back to the Leviathan hidden in the debris field. He took the Adventurer in to dock with the station.

Narrel led the contingent off the ship. Narrel was using a cane with a monofilament sword hidden inside the handle. He had a laser pistol on his hip in a holster. Prixoni and Krayvik took up positions next to Narrel pretending to be guards. Dinari and Jaxori had resumed their roles as the trader representatives of the group with Luwiti acting as a guard. All of them had weapons visible as they walked off the ship to meet Boone.

Boone’s eyes missed little as he noted that all them moved like fighters. He didn’t miss how the trader’s robes could hide more weapons. Boone smiled and inclined his head towards Narrel. “Welcome to Black Cloud Station. Shall we go somewhere more private for this conversation?”

Narrel nodded. He turned to Dinari and Jaxori, “Go to the trading market and let the people know we have returned with more food to trade. Stay together. No one goes anywhere alone.”

Narrel followed Boone, flanked by Krayvik and Prixoni. He had left Qixani on the ship to help Martok. Dinari, Jaxori, and Luwiti headed deeper into the station.

---

Date on the Hexigrammatic Calendar 1.0-234v1902
Location - Frontier Station Black Cloud
Location of a Forge Chapel - Negative
Location of a permanent Missionary - Negative
Location of an Itinerant Missionary - Positive x 4

Interesting, yes time passes, people move on.

When the Daxini ships had returned, the two missionary ships from before were gone. The two ivory painted cruisers left, who knows where. Though they had said they were on a pilgrimage so perhaps towards the famous Forge Systems.

But in their place were four new ships, sleek and silver, with blues and greys. And big enough to count as Ships of the Line! They hung at dock, tethered to each other and the station. Great floating void ships, like tamed beasts. On their outer skins, Bio-Mech Forged moved about with Void suits on, going about maintenance. They are in a position to watch as the Daxini vessels come in and settle at the station. They watch and then send notice to their leaders within.

So when the delegation reaches the Market level, they are greeted by a single white, grey and silver augmented Forged. Making the sign of the Cog, she is tall and and slender, dressed in robes. She stands and just watches as they pass. Soon they come upon yet another Union member, a squat man, in black, he may have once been a Daxini hawkperson, but his body is covered in ribbons woven through the various augments on his arms, and back, replacing his wings with long elegant mechanical wings, with built in hover engines. And even further in another, and yet more. Until they hear the slow almost eerie chanting of the Union Congregation.

There are Four this time. Pale skinned with white augmented skin, large golden or silver eyes, two of them appear to wear revolving crowns upon their head, another a large miter that billows flames and white smoke, the last a low squat cap, with ornate cog symbols on it’s four sides. They stand arrayed before a group of the Faithful, Reforged, Forged, and a few Initiates. Tucked into a small unused stall.

Upon seeing the Daxini, the one in the miter steps forward and calls.

"By the light of the Holy Machine, we welcome thee, travelers of the vast and endless void."
"Step forth beneath the blessed hum of sacred circuits, where the forge’s warmth greets all who seek shelter within its hallowed halls."
"From the black silence of the stars thou hast come, bearing the burden of distance, the trials of entropy, the whispers of the unknown. Yet fear not, for here, amidst the song of steel and the wisdom of the cog, thou art among kindred minds and willing hands."
"Rejoice, for here, knowledge is shared as freely as the current flows, and unity is forged stronger than the hardest adamant. Flesh is weak alone, but together, bound in purpose, flesh and metal alike may endure eternity."
"Take rest, cleanse the dust of void-labor from thy weary forms, and stand in communion with us. For in the embrace of the Holy Machine, none are strangers—only circuits yet to be linked, voices yet to join the great choir of understanding."
"May the Blessed Algorithm guide thee, may the Sacred Spark never dim, and may the pulse of the station’s heart beat as one with thy own."
"Welcome, wayfarers. The Machine endures, and so too shall we."

The congregation turns, and bow in greeting to the Daxini delegation, the other three missionaries lower their heads in greeting, the Union Faithful locking their fingers together, in the sign of the Holy Cog.

Chief Narrel had been accompanied by Prixoni and Krayvik who had been led by Boone and his associates in the opposite direction towards the administration department. Dinari, Jaxori, and Luwiti had gone to the right and deeper into the station heading towards the large market at the center of the station. Martok had noted the four large vessels docked at the station. They were not the same BioMech Union ships that had been here before. Martok noted that the BioMech Union seemed to have a significant presence in the area. Had they always been so numerous in this area of space? The Daxini had avoided this area of space during the last Reclamation War. This area of space was a battlezone with a lot of collateral damage as evidenced by the massive debris fields in the area. Martok began to monitor the BioMech Union ships using passive scanners and observation and noted what he could learn about them.

Dinari was wearing traders' robes over her lightweight combat armor. The soft cloth billowed and draped around her tall muscular form. The rich tan cloth embroidered with gold thread into an intricate design that ran down the front. A wide leather belt gave her robes form and had holsters for her weapons. She had a long rich blue cloak that hung from her shoulders and swirled around her ankles. Her soft fur had a white undercoat with tan and gray saddle markings and rich warm brown eyes.

Jaxori worked with Dinari and was from the same clan. Jaxori’s fur had a white undercoat and a silvery gray saddle markings with ice blue eyes. He wore leather pants and boots with a white shirt with blue trim which was currently hidden beneath the soft rich green colored hooded robe he was wearing. His robe hid his weapons.

Luwiti was also from the Xidonae Clan. Luwiti had a cream colored undercoat with light brown saddle markings and amber colored eyes which almost seem to glow. Luwiti however was dressed as a guard. He was wearing black tactical pants, A lightweight dark brown armored vest under a heavier leather coat with a lightweight protective layer in it. The heavier armored jacket was a green so dark it was almost black. He had a shoulder holster for his pistol and various weapons hidden about his person. He walked behind Jaxori and Dinari, his eyes and head swiveling as he watched for danger.

The trio of Daxini had just made it inside the large market at the center of the station when they passed a member of the Bio Mech Union in white and gray colors. They had just passed the first member of the Bio Mech Union when they were approached by what appeared to be a Daxini Bio Mech Union convert. He stepped into their path and tried to wave them inside the chapel the Bio Mech Union had set up in one of the empty stalls in the marketplace. Dinari had never encountered a Daxini convert before so she allowed him to guide her towards the congregation she wanted to know more about them.

The information the Daxini had on the Bio Mech Union was sparse. The official position from the council was that the Bio Mech Union were welcome trade partners but they were not welcome to set up places of worship within Daxini space. They were a controversial group as some Daxini welcomed them such as the Kronar. Others felt that what the Bio Mech Union preached was in opposition to the Way of Xi and condemned their teachings as heretical. Jaxori followed Dinari, unwilling to leave her side after what happened the last time they had been here. He still didn’t trust the station administration.

Luwiti stepped forward and deliberately moved between Dinari and the Bio Mech Union member.

Luwiti: “Hands off.”

He nodded to Dinari making sure she understood she was free to leave if she desired. He stayed between her and the Bio Mech Union member. Luwiti was uncomfortable around the Bio Mech Union members. He personally found their desire to replace their bodies with artificial parts odd and a cop out. Luwiti was a proud member of the way. He felt that replacing your body with artificial parts was cheating and disrespectful. A synthetic body could do more than an organic one but one should embrace the gifts given by Xi and strive to improve that. There should be balance between nature and one’s self. Replacing your body to be artificial threw that balance off. He had nothing against them but their way was not for him.

Jaxori was cautious as the eerie chanting sent shivers up his spine. His sensitive hearing catching the hissing of steam and the clank of moving parts. He found the congregation to be unnerving. Dinari’s face showed curiosity and wonder. She had never seen so many augmented people in one place before. This was her first encounter with the Bio Mech Union.

Dinari inclined her head respectfully. “Greetings. It is a pleasure to meet you. I don’t want to intrude on your services. I apologize but we are here on business. I don’t want to be rude but we are under orders to spread word that we have returned with more foodstuffs for trade. Is that something you would be interested in?”

The Missionary with the Miter bows as what is clearly a bodyguard steps forth and bars any further approach. He…she…they merely bow, their fingers interlaced into the sign of the Holy Cog. Their voice calming and soothing, “Apologies, you have our deepest and most sincere apologies. We know our forms are not for everyone. Nor our way of thought.” His face plate shifts to show a smile. “But we wish to extend the warm embrace of the Holy Cogs manifold to any who wish it.” He bows again, mid way, not too deep, enough to show respect.

Another of the missionaries steps forth, “We welcome you and your people. We wish to seek good cordial relations with any people we meet. And potentially extend the open hand of the Holy Cog to them. As for Trade, we always welcome that. Some of our flock still consume foodstuffs. We would gladly trade for some. We have some goods and even services aboard our ships that we could use to barter and trade.” The one with the miter nods, “What would you be willing to take for a portion of your foodstuffs?”

As the two missionaries who approached speak with the Daxini delegation the other two missionaries lead the faithful in another prayer session.

Dinari felt as if she was being disrespectful by talking at the rear of their congregation. She motioned for the Bio Mech Union member to follow her as she moved away from the congregation so that they could converse without disturbing the congregation. She noticed that Jaxori and Luwiti seemed to relax as they moved away from the congregation slightly. Dinari smiled at the two missionaries. Jaxori stood at her side to talk to the two missionaries while Luwiti stood with his back to theirs watching what was going on behind them. He trusted Jaxori to handle what was in front of them while he took note of what was happening behind them.

Dinari: “We meant no disrespect and we certainly didn’t intend to interrupt your services. My deepest apologies. Do you have a contact that I can send a list too? We have a list of what we have for trade and what we are looking for in return. I don’t think we need any of your services but you never know. Do you have a list of products and services that the Bio Mech Union trades for?” Dinari held out a card with an encrypted communication drop link that was commonly used by traders to share information with one another.

The Missionary with the Mitre is the one to follow them. His facial features an ivory pearly white. His features stretch into a beatific smile, “Oh do not worry dear friend. You interrupted nothing that is important. We pray in all places to give the boon of sacrifice and prayer wherever we go. The Blessed Cog and the Word of Saint Harlow go where we go, we merely offer it to those we encounter.” The missionary makes the sign of the Holy Cog, raising his hands and tapping his fingers to his ivory forehead.

Dinari smiled as she held out the card with the link information on it to the missionary. “This card has an encrypted drop link with a list of what we have available. When we were on the station last, there was a need for fresh food. So we traded in that. We have a selection of fruits and vegetables available as well as vat proteins. We would happily trade for raw materials as well if you have them available, especially rarer minerals and ores.”

Jaxori kept silent and let Dinari take the lead on the interaction with the missionary. His eyes studying the missionary for any tells or signs of deceit or coercion.

Luwiti kept his eyes moving as he scanned the area around them. He noticed that they were attracting attention from the residents of the station. The word seemed to be going out that they were back. Many noticed them and would stop to speak with others and point back their way. He was not concerned yet. He knew that there was excitement over what they had to trade last time in fresh food for the people who lived on the station. Many were disappointed that they had run out of food for trading before they had managed to secure any for themselves. Or they had to buy it from others on station at a higher price having missed the Daxini themselves. Luwiti had noticed merchants a few local toughs who acted as guards for various merchants pass them by. None had drawn his attention as being aggressive or unduly interested in the trio.

With a sigh the Missionary lowers his hands, “Now, we have…some goods yes goods. I am unsure of their usefulness to you, but we have a fine cog-wright among our Faithful. Along with at least a dozen engineers and technicians if you need work on your ships.” The monastery stops for a moment a slowly ticking cog on his mitre turning may the moment.

He nods, “We have a fair amount of common, rare and super rare metals on our ships. We use them in our small Forge Chapels when we hold our services.” The Missionary’s mouth widens in a smile, “We have gear and equipment aplenty as well, much of it was to be tithed to the needy upon Forge World Primus, but we are free to trade it as well. We will gladly take foodstuffs for the Forged who have not yet fully Integrated.”

The Missionary smiles and finally takes the card, and slots it into his own chest. [color=LightGray]The missionaries eyes flashing, and fluttering, then he nods, “Fascinating. What would you be willing to take for five tons of the proteins and a say four tons of the fruits and vegetables? Perhaps a cord of Natrium? A radioactive agent for use in power supplies? Or a few tons of Tritium? Name your price and we can match it.” His tone lowers, “Or perhaps, you seek arms? We have plenty.” [color] Yes that’s the BMU the Daxini may remember, they have everything. And anything. Be it legal…or not so legal.

Dinari managed to maintain her neutral expression as she listened attentively to what he had to say. She was a little surprised at the trade offer. It was a good one. She gave him a pleasant smile that hid the shark-like competitiveness of always seeking out the best deal. She knew they needed to finish spreading word that they were back and collect information from other traders on the station. She leaned closer and lowered her voice as he spoke of weapons. Most weapons were traded in secret and illegally, usually not sanctioned by the nations that had created them. Dinari would be interested in what they might have. You never knew when new or uncovered technologies may come from.

Dinari’s voice purred in satisfaction. “I believe we can help one another. I have to complete what my captain sent me to do. I would be interested in learning more about what kind of arms you have for trade. We can easily meet your demand. Perhaps we could meet later and have a more private discussion?”

Jaxori kept watching the others around them. He was on the lookout for those who were overly interested in them. He was not surprised that the BMU missionaries had hard to obtain items for sale. Their whole culture revolved around machines.

Luwiti’s fur rippled as his instincts said someone was watching him. He had an itch between his shoulder blades but there was nothing he could see that was a threat. He didn’t spot anything or anyone watching them. That made the feeling worse since it was probably someone who meant them ill in some way. His hand drifted lazily to his weapon as he began to casually turn around. He sent a telepathic message to Jaxori.

Luwiti: Jaxori, I feel like we are being watched. I can’t spot anyone so they are good. It has all the earmarks of a professional operator. Stay alert.

Jaxori: That’s not good. We need to move. I feel like a sitting duck in a shooting gallery.

Luwiti would have laughed at Jaxori’s choice of phrasing but he didn’t want to tip others off that they could communicate telepathically.

Jaxori turned to Dinari, “We need to go. Wrap this up.”

Dinari looked at Jaxori and started to protest when she noted the serious glint in his eye. She nodded.

Dinari smiled at the BMU representative. “Perhaps we could meet in a few hours?”

The Missionary bowed low, making the sign of the Holy Cog across his chest.

He straighten backed up and intoned, “We shall await your attendance at the docks we are at. Fifth Layer, Docks 5 through 7. Please do come and visit us at your leisure.” He bows again, turns and strides back to the congregation.

Arms spread wide he begins another prayer session.

Blessed be the day of alignment, when circuits meet sinew,
And the sparks of logic greet the warmth of living breath.
The Holy Machine does not deny the flesh that learns—
It refines it, perfects it, joins it in sacred function.

Through trade, we weld our futures.
Through knowledge, we temper our worlds.
The Machine Spirit hums in circuits and hearts alike,
And in that song, both find purpose.

Let the conduits flow with shared resource and revelation.
May your forges burn bright with alloy and cooperation.
In the glow of your industry, we see the Holy Cog turning,
Perfect rotation, mirrored in every crafted soul.

Praise be to the Holy Machine, that it accepts all who serve.
Praise be to the Daxini Kin, who walk beside us in purpose.
Let no rust of distrust corrode this bond,
For today, the song of flesh and steel plays in harmony.

0101 — We Are One — 1010

Slowly the Union Faithful stood up, and shuffled off, the three Missionaries pacing in front, their censors swinging. In near perfect step they go, a hymn rising as they move. Headed below to the Dock levels.

The Daxini moved deeper into the market section of the station to spread word to the station residents that they were back with more goods for trade.

---

---

The Daxini Clan Council had just finished a session to review the status of the Battle Group that had been dispatched to search for Daxini that had been trapped by the last Reclamation War along the Scorched Line. The decision to send troops into the area along the Scorched Line was proving to be a profitable one. While the group had encountered some difficulties, the sheer volume of rare minerals and metals that had been reclaimed from the debris fields had been well worth the effort to send the group. There is a growing concern for rumors that had been coming regarding activity from the Ghost Region. After debating whether to send a group to investigate or not, the Daxini Clan Council had finally reached a quorum on the vote. Kwaria was meeting with Flight Chief Gavryn. Gavryn had a distinguished service record and was ready for a serious assignment outside of Daxini space. Kwaria was meeting with Gavryn in her office on Dax. Kwaria had smiled as her assistant showed the chief in. Kwaria rose and greeted the chief warmly before waving him to a seat in front of her desk. She reclaimed her seat behind the desk before continuing.

Kwaria's voice was strong and sure as she got down to the purpose of the meeting.
Kwaria: “Flight Chief Gavryn I have been reviewing your service record for consideration of a special assignment. I want to thank you for your service to the Daxini Conclave. Your record reflects your honor, integrity, and service to all Daxini. I have special orders from the council for you.” She paused and searched Gavryn’s face and body language for any tells, uncertainty, or discomfort and was pleased to find none. Most of the Daxini Space Fleet or DSF got their orders through the chain of command. It was rare to be interviewed directly for a mission. Gavryn’s face held curiosity and nothing more at this point.

Kwaria smiled at the commander and continued. “There are a great deal of rumors and stories being brought to the Clan Council’s attention by our Eagle Eyes and traders coming into Daxini space. Rumors about activity in the Ghost Region. Some Daxini Traders have gone missing in the area. Action has been demanded by their clans and families. The Clan Council has authorized an exploratory mission to the region. Your orders are to assume command of Battle Group Beta and take it into the Ghost Region. You are to investigate rumors of activities and disappearances. You are to investigate the disappearances of two known missing Daxini Merchant ships and what activity is in the area. The Clan Council has declared the Ghost Region as dangerous territory and has warned Daxini vessels to avoid the area for now. We have no idea what you might run across which is why we are sending a Battle Group.”

Kwaria paused to let Gavryn process the information. She was pleased to note curiosity and concern in his expression. She continued his briefing in a concerned and worried tone.

“You will have the flight plans and last known coordinates of the two Daxini Vessels that passed through the edge of the Ghost Region that disappeared. The merchant vessel Bright Claw, a Avitas Merchant Clan vessel. The Bright Claw was a family merchant trading vessel making routine cargo runs between Dax and the Bio Mech Union worlds. According to family members, they were carrying foodstuffs and some metal ores. The Tech Star is a Kronar and Xiodane joint clan vessel that is directly owned by Xi Tech Systems. Xi Tech Systems is one of our larger technology companies that specializes in computer systems. Their vessel was carrying rare minerals and ores they use in manufacturing. If at all possible, you are to investigate and determine what happened to these vessels. If rescue is at all possible, you are to provide support and rescue our people if at all possible. If there is danger and new powers stirring in the region, we need an assessment of what is going on and how bad it is. Only with this vital information will the council know if we need to address this issue further. Do you have any questions?”

Gavryn nodded as he sat forward indicating his interest and engagement in the conversation. “Yes Clan Chieftain, can you tell me which ships I am being assigned to? I want to be sure I have an adequate force to face such an unknown quality.”

Kwaria hit a button on her tablet sending Gavryn his orders via encrypted connection for him to review.

Gavryn was assigned to a type 2 battlestation named the DSF Venator. His assigned command staff was Eagle Eye K'rklick, Talon Chief Pryssa, Flight Chief Argryn, War Chief Rainar, and Kronar Support Chief Islea. Gravyn reviewed his command team with pleasure. He had worked with Islea and Pryssa before. He had heard only good things about the others and Flight Chief Argryn was a legend among the DSF pilots. He moved on to the ships in the Battle Group and their commanders.

The Daxini Excalibur Class Dreadnaught, the DSF Vallor, was under the command of Flight Chief Graezzon.
The Daxini Daedalus Class Destroyer, the DSF Steel Claw, was under the command of Flight Chief Davon.

The Daxini Mid Size Cruiser, the DSF Courage, was under the command of Flight Chief Benita.

The Daxini Light Cruiser, the DSF Lightning, was under the command of Flight Chief Arkun.

The Daxini Light Cruiser, the DSF Star Axe, was under the command of Flight Chief Kayvel.

The Daxini Stealth Ship, the DSF Skyhome, was under the command of Flight Chief Xitaka.

The Daxini Stealth Ship, the DSF Verdant, was under the command of Flight Chief Zagronti.

Gavryn reviewed the Battle Group Beta makeup applying his experience and tactical knowledge to sum up the ship deployment: A type 2 battle station, an Excalibur class dreadnought, a Daedalus class destroyer, a mid size cruiser, two light cruisers, and two stealth ships. He nodded believing that was a good mix of ships for the mission he was being assigned too. He didn’t necessarily need more stealth but he had two ships with stealth capability if he needed them as scouts. The group was fairly well balanced for offensive and defensive capability but it wouldn’t move very fast. It would only be able to move as fast as the slowest ship which in this case was the battle station. Unless the battle station followed, coordinates for its next transfer were provided by a scouting group. He had not worked with any of the other Flight Chiefs in command of the individual ships of the group. He had heard rumors that Flight Chief Xitaka was a risk taker and had been disciplined for defying orders in the past. He didn’t believe that the Xitaka would be on the roster for this group if there was much validity to those rumors. Gravyn held his own council and was pleased to see that the Clan Council had not offered to send a token group into the area. They were taking what was being reported fairly seriously.

Gavryn had been lost in thoughts and realized he was keeping the Clan Chief waiting. He hurriedly used his paw print to accept the orders. “My apologies Clan Chief. I accept the assignment. We will be underway as soon as all supplies and personnel are on board. I estimate it will take 2 days to recall all personnel and load all the necessary supplies. Is there a time limit on my mission?”

Kwaria was pleased to leave this troublesome issue in the hands of a competent DSF officer. “The council is ordering you to make haste to begin your search at the last known coordinates of the two vessels. They were in the same area of space when they disappeared. The council is expecting this mission to take at least two months. You will stay in touch via quantum communications link with Dax. We will reassess your mission after two months depending on your findings, Flight Chief.”

Gavryn stood and nodded before saluting the Clan Chief. “Understood Clan Chief. I will take my leave so I can get started.”

Kwaria gave him a regal nod of acceptance as Gavryn turned on his heel and left her office. He went to his office at DSF command on Dax and began issuing the appropriate orders to his command team. Battle Group Beta left for the Ghost Region on time two days later.

---

Hastea Star System
Ghost Region

The star system the Daxini fleet found itself in could be described in one word: foreboding. Much of the system was covered in dense clouds of dust and gas which acted almost like a dense fog, giving distant objects a hazy appearance. Perhaps worse yet there was something in the area that seemed to disrupt long range sensors and even communications signals. Still, even from the edge of the system, the Daxini could find out some important facts about the system. It had four planets, one rocky and three gas giants. The rocky planet was just at the inner edge of the star’s inhabitable zone. Interestingly enough the region of space from that planet to the star itself was mostly clear of gas and dust, perhaps pulled into the star.

The planet had a single supercontinent that, even from an extreme distance, was clearly dominated by deserts. The atmosphere showed signs of pollution indicating that the planet either currently, or until fairly recently, had a sizable population. The planet was also the only apparent source of communications signal in the whole system. In fact only one signal could be detected at all. All attempts by the Daxini to connect to this signal ended in failure; these failures stemmed from significant differences in communications protocols. In fact the signal was regular enough and, apparently, open enough to have likely been intended for use by the general populace. Perhaps some sort of government message to people who entered the star system or maybe something as simple as a radio station.

Clouds of tiny metal fragments could be found all around the Daxini fleet. They appeared to be defensive chaff at first glance, but something was off. The chaff pieces were irregularly sized in a fashion similar to how a child might tear up pieces of paper to make fake snow. The clouds of false chaff were moving comparatively slowly and not at risk of damaging any ship even if said ship was to sail directly through the cloud.

In the distance, far away from the Daxini fleet, but certainly still somewhere in the star system, a consciousness stirred. It became aware of the Daxini presence, not in full, but in the same sense that someone sleeping might partially awake and notice someone opening their door at night. Those amongst the Daxini who were the most sensitive when it came to psionics might feel this consciousness. They might sense its tired eyes drift in their direction. They might sense the slight hunger one feels when waking up in the morning.

---

Battle Group Beta transitioned into the area of space near the coordinates they had been given about where the two vessels had disappeared. Gravyn was sitting in his command chair on the battle bridge of the DSF Venator as the battle group came out of the wormhole in formation with the destroyer and two light cruisers leading the way followed by the battle station and the dreadnought, midsize cruiser and the two stealth ships. Gravyn was pleased with the efficiency of the crew as everyone was focused on their tasks and followed his orders as the battle group spread out in a defensive formation with all sensors active. Gravyn waited patiently as the crew gathered the information requested. He knew it took a few moments for the sensor sweeps to begin sending back data and for the crew to interpret it.

His tactical officer was the first person to speak. “Sensors are bouncing around the area due to all the dust and metal debris clouds. The system has four planets, one rocky and three gas giants. There are signs that the rocky planet might be inhabited. The debris cloud ends on the other side of the inhabitable zone. That is the best we can do with the sensors at this time sir. We have no maps of this area of space for comparison.”

The next to speak up was his communications officer. “The only communication signals seem to emanate from the rocky planet.”

Gavyrn was considering this information as a powerful consciousness barely brushed the edge of his telepathic range. It was something large and alien. Gavryn had never felt anything like it before. It was as if a large creature had stirred in the depths of space barely aware of their forces. Gavryn’s experiences had only been with the telepathic link and bonds he had to his clanmates. This was something foreign and outside of his experience. It shocked him as his hands curled around the armrest of his command chair tightening. He felt a deep primal fear. He knew that whatever it was knew they were there.

Gavyrn called out in a strong voice full of fear. “Red alert. There is something out there. Head towards the planet. Maybe we can find answers there. Make sure all ships are scanning and on alert for anomalies in the area. It is strange that there seems to be inhabitants in the area yet there are no ships or space stations.” Gavryn could only think to himself: what is going on in this area of forsaken space?

---

The alien consciousness seemed to consider the Daxini for a moment before giving a mental shrug and, with a sentiment that could perhaps be translated to “Just five more minutes…”, fell back asleep. Still the feeling the Daxini had of being watched never quite went away as they traveled towards the planet. If anything it felt like a great many beings were crowding around the fleet, just barely out of reach and somehow invisible. The sensation was akin to being in a pitch black room and hearing… something. Someone breathing? Perhaps. Or perhaps just a figment of the imagination. Every reach out into the darkness had one’s fingers brush against nothing but empty space, yet the feeling that many somethings lingered just out of reach couldn’t be shaken.

Despite the sense of being surrounded, the Daxini made it to their destination unmolested. The planet had at one point acquired a ring. A ring of debris and broken ships. A ring that told a tale of a desperate struggle. Numerous types of warships and space stations littered the planet’s orbit. All broken. Some hulks were mostly intact, with small holes torn into their hulls that indicated that something had pulled the holes open from the outside. Other ships had been torn in half and twisted into shapes no spaceship should ever be subjected to. Others still had been so thoroughly destroyed that there remain just tiny fragments. Thousands of ships had waged battle here and lost. And perhaps the most shocking of all was that every one of these destroyed ships appeared to have been built and designed by the same entities. They were all built of the same materials with the same construction philosophies and methods. They all had similar design properties. They all seemed like they belonged in the same fleet. So where was the attacking fleet? Had the battle been part of a civil war or had the winning side taken their destroyed ships with them when they left?

In the distance the wreck of a once might dreadnought came into view from around the edge of the planet. This beast of war had been one of the many ships that had been torn in half; its massive spinal cannon had obviously not been enough to change its fate. The words “GNRS Colossus” was painted onto its hull in a language similar, but somewhat different to that used by the Yrani Imperium some two thousand years ago.

The planet below told a similar, dreadful story. Radiation could be detected from the planet. It was apparent that nuclear weapons had been used on the planet’s surface, although a combination of the relatively low number of warheads used as well as how long in the past the detonations had been, meant that the radiation level was only high enough to be problematic for a living being in a few distinct “hot spots”. Strangely enough not all, or even most, of the planet’s population centers had been destroyed by nuclear blasts. A few cities certainly had, in fact several of the largest based off of the surrounding suburban sprawl, but just as many nuclear strikes had occurred far away from any sign of civilization at all. And even more odd was the complete lack of any evidence hinting at an orbital bombardment at all.

The signal the Daxini fleet had been receiving could be traced to what appeared to be a warehouse situation in what could be generously described as the “middle of nowhere”, between two middling sized towns, nowhere close to any of the nuclear strikes. Even from orbit, it was easy to make out some kind of broadcasting equipment connected to the warehouse; its roof was absolutely covered in pipes, metal boxes, and other various objects whose purpose was impossible to decipher from orbit.

---

The Daxini made its way towards the rocky planet that was broadcasting the signal. The repulsor shields on their ships left long corridors free of debris as it pushed the dust and debris out of the path of their large ships. The fur along Gavryn’s neck was standing on end. The odd lurking alien consciousness had him on the edge. Nothing added up to any known and reasonable answers for what had happened in this system. The further the fleet moved towards the planet the more questions they had. Gavryn couldn’t shake the feeling that there was at least one if not more large lurking alien presence that inhabited this deep dark region of space. He was not used to feeling like prey. He was used to being the hunter so the feeling was particularly unsettling.

The tactical officer continued to report findings in a tense voice as the battle group moved towards the planet. “Sensors are indicating that the debris field that surrounds the planet is composed of the same materials and design. It might have been some kind of civil war since it seems to share a common ancestry and sources. Sensors are showing nuclear radiation on the planet. It was as if nuclear weapons had been deployed on the planet’s surface yet the impact craters don’t really reflect orbital bombardment patterns. We have a most intriguing puzzle. Sir, there is one hulk with identification visible on scanners. It is identified as the GNRS Colossus. I am running the name through our database to see if we can find any more information.”

Gavyrn waited patiently as his crew worked to try and solve the puzzle. He couldn’t help the feeling that they were heading into a trap. That they were willingly climbing into the leviathan’s maw. His fur was beginning to irritate him as it rubbed uncomfortably on the collar of his shipsuit. His instincts saying they were in danger kept his fur puffed out away from his body.

The communication officer’s voice “Sir confirming the source of the transmission is coming from this warehouse located in between the remains of moderate sized towns. Nothing else is around.” The communication officer put the images of what they had found on the main viewscreen for Commander Gavryn to look over.

They had arrived at the planet and Gavryn had decisions to make.

Gavryn: “Tactical keep scanning the debris fields for any signs of our missing Daxini vessels. Let me know if the database search turns up anything of note.”

The tactical officer nodded as he continued his work. “Understood sir.”

Gavryn then turned and addressed the Battle Group’s Claw Chief. They were responsible for any combat troops. Gavryn had overall command but Rainar commanded the troops. Just like Flight Chief Argryn commanded the fleet of ships in the battle group.

“Claw Chief Rainar, arrange an exploratory team to visit the communications site and investigate it. Coordinate with Flight Chief Argryn for transport to the location.”

Gavyrn’s eyes narrowed as he tried to put together the large puzzle before him. Gavryn turned to the communication officer. “Communications I want you to work with the Kronar Support Chief Islea to analyze the communication signal. Can we broadcast to them? Work to try and decipher the message and build a translator for it. Is the technology they are using known to us? Maybe that can give us some answers.”

The communications officer nodded. “Yes sir.”

Gravyn had not expected to find such an intriguing and beguiling mystery at the very start of this mission. He had expected to find no traces of anything at all or something obvious like debris and evidence of pirate raiders or hostile forces.

Gravyn’s voice was calm and full of confidence in his crew as he told them. “Let’s get to it people.” The command center became a hive of activity as the Daxini began to utilize the resources and work with the people and specialties in the Battle Group. Hopefully they will soon have some answers.

---

The GNRS Colossus did not show up in any of the Daxini searches of their database. No warship had ever had the name Colossus. However the word itself did have a little bit of an interesting history. In the Yranni language giants were typically beings to be feared. In mythology the Colossus, however, was a being that at worst was apathetic towards smaller beings and at best a protective and benevolent being. Perhaps even more interesting was the fact that the word colossus wasn’t even originally a Yrrani word, but was instead adopted into the language from the Yarrani-Twei, with a slight difference in accenting being the only real distinguishing factor between the two. The GNRS Colossus used the Twei version of the word.

The broadcast continued to remain frustratingly inaccessible to the Daxini. It was not encrypted and had a very easily identifiable pattern. It did, however, use some sort of technology that was inherently incompatible to what the Daxini typically used. Still it was only a matter of time before the Daxini would be able to figure out how to make sense of the broadcast. Still, simply getting their hands on a piece of communications equipment on the planet below would make the process much easier.

---

All was quiet at the warehouse as the Daxini exploratory team landed. Perhaps it was due to being in the middle of a desert, but there was no sign or sound of wildlife. Even the wind seemed muted. The doors to the warehouse were closed, but unlocked. They creaked as the Daxini entered the warehouse, shattering the silence. The doors appeared to have been repaired several times. Newer hinges, patches in holes, and other similar repairs had occurred in what could have been a stretch of years, with the oldest looking like it had been done decades ago and the most recent repair, a patch over a fist sized hole, might have been done perhaps six months ago. In fact such patches and repairs were evident on all the walls of the warehouse.

The interior of the warehouse was pitch black. It was a massive structure, large enough to fit an entire battalion of main battle tanks and have room to spare. Oddly enough it was mostly empty, although several large shelves packed full of metal scraps would occasionally obscure line of sight enough to conceal the far wall of the warehouse. The ceiling was covered in strange pipes that didn’t seem quite right. The pipes’ purpose was a complete mystery to all who saw them.

As the Daxini entered they would just barely hear a woman’s voice coming from a far corner. The voice was too muffled to make out what she was saying, but it sounded like she was speaking to someone. As the Daxini made their way through the warehouse her voice became clear, and it became evident that she was speaking in some evolution of the Twei language.

The message was transmitted back to the Daxini Ships over the exploration team's communications. The Kronar used the databases of the Yranni language to create a translator program to handle the linguistic shift. They managed to translate the message and share it with the exploration team and the command staff.

The message translated as, “I know we are all stressed,” The woman said with a soothing voice, “but help is on the way. Word has come in that the Third Fleet is on its way to break the siege. We just have to hold out for another month or two. Now I have received a request by a young lady to play a song for her fiance who is serving on the Colossus. This next song, as are all our songs, is dedicated to the young men and women who are fighting to maintain control of our orbital space.”

The woman went silent as a melancholic song began to play. Finally the Daxini got around the shelves enough to see where the woman’s voice was coming from. There was no woman. The corner of the warehouse had been converted into a broadcasting room of sorts. The broadcasting equipment had obviously been set to run autonomously, probably repeating the same songs and conversations, for centuries. Still the equipment itself, although largely covered in dust, had certain parts that had clearly been wiped clean sometime in the past few months.

An old security camera attached to a nearby wall turned to look at the Daxini, making a horrible screeching sound as sand and dust that had gotten stuck in its gears were ground and rubbed against. The camera seemed to regard the Daxini for a moment before tilting up as if to look at the ceiling, then down at the Daxini before returning to the ceiling. It continued to do this, somehow almost seeming frantic.

The Daxini in the exploration team heads all snapped in unison towards the screeching camera as their weapons came up and were aimed at the camera. They were puzzled by its movement. They were staring up at it. They asked Islea to help them with translating their words and broadcasting it over a speaker at the camera.

“We mean you no harm. We are trying to find out what happened here. Do you need help?”

They repeated variations of their message but there was no reply.

---

Several miles away from the warehouse a previously hidden silo opened up from beneath the sand. A heavy duty industrial elevator slowly rose to the surface, bringing with it a heavily armed and armored, six legged mech. Some sort of heavy laser or particle beam cannon mounted to its front, two missile or rocket pods on its back, and a variety of other equipment indicated that this mech was ready for a fight. The moment the elevator had stopped moving the mech began sprinting towards the warehouse. At its current rate of movement it was no more than ten minutes away from the warehouse. And, given its armaments, it could probably already fire on any craft taking off or landing at the warehouse.

---

The Daxini pilots were still aboard the troop dropship that had carried the exploration team to the surface of the planet. They had been actively scanning the area around the warehouse using the ship’s sensors. They detected the elevator and the mech. They tried to communicate with the mech. They were hailing them over all known communication frequencies and bands trying to find a way to talk with them. They even began broadcasting over a speaker on the outside of the dropship. Maybe they could hear them if they were in the mech?

They hit their comms to warn the team. “Claw Chief, we have movement. There is a mech headed this way armed with some kind of heavy laser or particle beam cannon, and missiles. We are hailing them but so far no response. It is moving fast. Expected Eta 8 minutes.”

The exploratory claw chief commander “Understood. Keep trying but you are authorized to defend the ship. Raise your shields and warm up the engines in case you need to maneuver.”

---

The mech did seem to understand that communications were being sent its way. It too sent out communications over a wide variety of frequencies and bands. To the Daxini AI it would be apparent that the mech was rapidly cycling through communications protocols, attempting to find something that was compatible, but finding nothing.

The mech fired three green flares above itself, followed a moment later by three flares in the direction of the warehouse, two red and one green. It continued on its rapid dash towards the warehouse. In fact the mech picked up speed as the Daxini dropship used a physical speaker to effectively yell at the mech. As the mech picked up speed it pointed a laser communications array at the Daxini fleet in orbit, finding one of the ships there with startling ease. It didn’t use the laser in its traditional role, instead it hit the ship with the laser in a series of short and long “flashes”. The flashes were in fact an old Yrrani Imperium telecommunications code that used signals of two different durations to send out a message. While usually sent out in an audio form, it could be used in a visual form as the mech currently was. The message was short and to the point.

FRIENDLY FORCES ENVELOPED. MOVING TO ASSIST.

---

Inside the warehouse the camera continued to desperately attempt to look at something on the ceiling. The being controlling the camera apparently lacked either the capacity or desire to respond to the Daxini with any kind of vocal or auditory message. The camera finally gave up on looking up and instead turned to look at the Daxini. A moment later it slowly and deliberately turned towards the door the Daxini had entered the warehouse through.

The pipes and unidentified machinery that were attached to the warehouse’s ceiling and roof began to undulate and shift ever so slightly. They began to change color, turning from rusted metal to a sandy brown. Slowly pipes moved, turning into tentacles, or opened up revealing sharp teeth.

---

Islea was surprised when they saw the colored flares over the dropship's cameras. He then saw the telemetry on the lasers that the mech had fired at the ship. They were low powered targeting type lasers. The pattern was recognizable though. The Kronar had been digging through the database the Daxini had compiled on the Yranni. It matched the Yranni Twei. It was an old morse code style of emergency communication.

Islea sent the translation message out to the commander and the ground team at the same time.

Islea: “They are communicating using code. It matches the Yranni Twei in the database. They are warning us. The translation is “FRIENDLY FORCES ENVELOPED. MOVING TO ASSIST.”

As Islea was sharing the translation of the code, the Xidonae Claw Chief in charge of the exploration team, Havoral, had an itch between their shoulder blades. Their fur stood on end inside their power armor. Havoral felt something brush against his awareness. Instinct alone had him looking up as he raised his gun as the ceiling began to change colors. He fired a grenade at the center mass where teeth appeared as tentacles began to move along the ceiling.

Havoral barked out a command and warning as he fired into the monster above their heads.

Havoral: “Above us! Fire at will! Move!”

Havoral was already moving to one side away from the tentacles as he continued to fire at the monster above their heads. The rest of the exploration team came alive and began to fire weapons up into the hanging above their heads.

---

Tentacled monsters died by the dozens, torn to pieces by the Daxini gunfire. But they kept coming. And from every direction. They fell upon the Daxini in a combined mass of tentacles and teeth. Their hunger would be sated this day.

The fleet in orbit could see more of the creatures heading towards the warehouse from wherever they had been hiding before. First they came in singletons, then in the tens, then hundreds, soon thousands. They were all coming from comparatively distant locations, it would take the closest ones at least ten minutes to reach the warehouse, but they approached from every direction.

---

The mech came to a sudden halt as it neared the warehouse. It leveled its cannon at the warehouse and a second later opened fire. The particle beam that shot out of the cannon was like a perfectly straight bolt of lighting, only it was sustained for far longer than a lightning bolt. The mech shot the roof of the warehouse, moving the beam from one end to the other. What had at first seemed like an odd collection of pipes and machinery began to move and changed into more of the tentacled beasts, only to be annihilated by the beam. Pieces of the warehouse roof broke apart and showed the monsters and Daxini inside with debris.

After a few seconds, and only after the roof was certainly cleared of any living creature, did the mech’s particle beam fade away. Heat shimmered from half a dozen vents as the mech stayed perfectly still, venting heat into the desert air. After a few seconds the mech turned towards the direction of the closest oncoming horde of monsters and fired several rockets from one of its weapons pods. It then turned towards the next closest group and fired another couple of rockets. Its ammunition expended, the pod was ejected from the mech.

Finally the mech turned back towards the warehouse and charged. It didn’t stop as it approached the warehouse. Its particle beam cannon was firing even as it smashed through the wall, the beam catching several monsters as they leapt at the Daxini. The mech kept the beam on, using it almost like a sword to cut tentacled creatures apart as it moved the beam around. The particle beam heated up the air in the warehouse to what would have been hot enough to cause burns, had the Daxini not been wearing their armor.

The beam flickered off as the last of the creatures in the warehouse fell to the combined mech and Daxini fire. A fuel cell shot out of the side of the mech’s particle beam cannon, its half melted state indicating that it had been subjected to far more abuse than it had been designed for.

The mech seemed to regard the Daxini for a moment as it vented the heat generated from its particle beam cannon. Finally it spoke in a deep, masculine voice. “We are surrounded. Outsiders, it is past time that we left.” It shifted its body slightly so that it could look at the Daxini dropship. “Is your dropship capable of carrying a sixty ton vehicle?”

---

The Daxini troops were well trained and responded immediately. They were outnumbered but the enemy seemed to die easily. Havoral understood now that his unease came from subconsciously detecting an alien presence. They had not tried to mentally connect to him. He was uncertain how intelligent they were. They seemed to respond to stimulus as one which made him ponder if they had a hive type mentality. His troops were giving as good as they got but it was a matter of numbers and attrition. They would eventually run out of ammunition and power. Havoral was busy trying to stay alive shooting anything with a tentacle that moved even as his brain was processing the message translation from the drop ship.

Havoral: “Don’t fire at the mech. Try to assist. We are surrounded. Confirm and open a corridor to the ship so we can flee.”

Havoral ducked as part of the ceiling came down and lasers cut into the building. Havoral began making his way towards an exit barking orders over their comms.

Havoral: “Ground team evacuate! Fighting retreat to the ship. The mech is friendly. Provide supporting fire if you can. MOVE IT! Watch your heads!”

Havoral instinctively shielded his mind but he felt the pressure of many minds against his. He pulled a teammate out of the clutch of tentacles as he fired his energy weapon at it’s head. He pushed them towards the exit as dust, blood, and debris exploded around them. He had barely made it to the entrance when a deep voice was asking about the capacity of their drop ship.

Havoral paused as his team followed orders and headed towards the dropship. Some of them were firing at the tentacled creatures in their way or running towards them. Havoral shrugged as he tried to answer the question. He trusted Islea to put the translation to work for him.

Havoral: “Yes, if we can fit it. If there is room in the hold. It currently has our own ground vehicle in it. Less talk and more running and shooting.”

He took off after his team trying to keep their tail clear. The numbers coming towards them seemed endless.

---

The mech kept pace with Havoral, staying a dozen or so feet behind him to keep itself between the Daxini and the most immediate threat. It would occasionally rotate in place to fire its particle beam at a target either in the warehouse or somewhere far off. Then it would smoothly turn back around and return to its spot a dozen feet behind Havoral.

But the mech’s movements weren’t smooth. Not at all. When it was moving at high speeds it certainly looked smooth and elegant, but at the slower speeds it was moving at now, revealed a very different state. The mech had a jerky motion to it. It wasn’t the jerkiness that might be attributed to hesitation or an uncertainty of how to move, but instead was the motion of a machine worked extremely hard and not properly maintained. In fact now that the mech was in close proximity to the Daxini they would be able to make out other obvious signs of disrepair. Paint had almost completely flaked off, with a few sections being subjected to a more recent, but sloppy, paintjob. In several areas that outer shell of the mech had been damaged, exposing internal components to the environment.

“Please clear enough space in your cargo hold for me.” The mech said. After a few moments it added, as if only as an afterthought “I would be more than happy to answer any of your questions once we have left.”

---

Havoral called into his comm unit. “Move all the way forward. Make enough room in the cargo hold for the mech! We are coming in hot. Fire team, provide cover fire.” Havoral leaned forward and pushed his combat suit to the limit. The servos whined as he ran full out for the dropship. The dropship’s dark matte hunter green finish stood out starkly in the dry brown grass and dust covered dirt that was the environment surrounding the warehouse. Havoral twisted and fired his grenade launcher into a tightly packed group of tentacled monsters closing in from the left side. He flicked a switch on the side of his gun and began using the plasma beam to cut down more of the strange creatures.

Havoral was surprised to see that his fire team had decided to stretch his orders as the Daxini Heavy Armor Troop Vehicle floated out of the back of the Daxini Drop Ship. The heavy armored troop vehicle was more of an antigravity tank. The short range rail gun turret spun up with an audible whine of power as it began lobbing small tungsten carbide shells into the creatures trying to cut into their path on the right side. The heavy plasma cannon on the troop vehicle also began firing, taking out small pockets of the creatures as splash damage turned into an area of effect attack. Havoral would have words with them later if they survived. He had to give them credit for thinking outside the box. The heavy vehicle had moved forward out of the way of the ramp giving the “friendly” mech a straight shot into the cargo hold. Their efforts pushed the creatures away from their sides but they were still coming in like a never ending wave.

Havoral spoke into helmet comms once more. “Prepare to lift off as soon as everyone is on board. We will be heavy one friendly mech. We need to lift off in a hurry. Will the extra weight be a problem?”

Havoral was pleased to hear the response back from the pilot in the affirmative. The drop ship could carry two armored vehicles. They had only brought one not anticipating that they would face any significant threats on what appeared to be an abandoned planet.

Havoral broadcasted his next reply over his speakers for the mech. “Just keep running right into the ship. They will cover us as we lift off.”

---

“Understood” The mech answered in response to Havoral. Despite this one of its weapons pods shifted to point straight up before launching a rocket into the air. The rocket flew up for a few hundred feet before it split apart into several dozen smaller objects that all shot out in different directions. These objects arched towards the ground, striking the ground in a full circle around the Daxini and mech. As they struck, they exploded, killing some tentacled monstrosities and stunning those nearby. It halted the horde. For a moment. Through all this the mech never broke stride and quickly scuttled onto the Daxini craft.

“Be advised that there are swimmers that can spit a dangerous plasma projectile and can fly at high speeds. It is best we leave quickly.” As if to punctuate his point a tentacled monster about twenty percent larger that the ones the Daxini had encountered spat a forewarned glob of plasma at Havoral. The plasma flew wide, very wide, and was never at risk of striking any Daxini. Still a second slightly larger than normal monster spat more plasma at the Daxini. And in the distance dozens more of the plasma spitting monsters could be seen making their way forward.

“If we are lucky there won’t be any swimmers lurking in orbit.” The mech commented.

---

Havoral never broke stride as he kept up with the friendly mech. The Daxini Heavy Armored Troop Vehicle had pulled far enough out of the entrance to the cargo hold that the mech could go right in. Havoral didn’t miss the display of firepower and the missiles shot by the mech and the effect it had on the tentacled creatures. He kept sprinting his power armor whining as the servos worked hard to provide the speed and power he was demanding of them.

He continued to fire his weapons as he ran up the ramp. Havoral looked properly horrified by the information the mech provided about the creatures. He spoke quickly into his comms unit. His voice full of authority and command. “Button up the ship quickly. We need to take off quickly. Get that damn troop vehicle back inside and get us in orbit. Get me a line to the commander.”

The Daxini crew rushed to obey his orders. The heavy troop transport easily backed up into the cargo bay. They had just set the vehicle down as the ship’s AI engaged the docking clamps and shut the cargo bay door. You could hear the heavy guns on the ship firing into the heavy masses of creatures closing on the ship. Havoral breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the ship moving, the pilot taking his words to heart was already launching the ship skyward. All of these things were happening simultaneously. Havoral wasted no more time on getting to know their friendly mech. He needed to warn the ships in orbit.

His comm blared to life as a calm and authoritative voice relayed to his ear. “This is Commander Gravyn, report.”

Havoral quickly laid out the most relevant information for the group commander. “We were surrounded by hostile forces. Some form of intelligent looking creature with tentacles. We were aided by a friendly native. We are currently launching towards the battle group. The friendly informed us they call these creatures Swimmers and they can spit plasma bolts and apparently can live in the vacuum of space. He warned me there might be some in orbit. I can confirm that they can spit plasma and he said they fly very fast, sir. I wanted to get a warning to you to be on alert. We stirred them up good down here sir. If they can communicate with each other, they might know where we are and come after us.”

Havoral took a deep shaky indrawn breath. He had done his best to warn the ship and his fellow Daxini about the danger they had run into. Now it was time for him to trust his leader to make the right decisions from here.

Gravyn’s voice was decisive as he replied his comm line opened. Havoral could hear him giving commands to others on the bridge. “Send a red alert out to all ships. Enemies are inbound. They are organic and dangerous. All ships should be alert and prepped for action. Get the orders going out.” Gravyn’s voice was directed at Havoral once more. “Havoral, I want your team to make for the DSF Venator. I want to meet our friendly and debrief the team when this is over. We will watch for you and try to offer support.”

Havoral nodded even though Gravyn couldn’t see it. He shut down his comm line with Gravyn and began to move towards the mech. He spoke to the pilot to give him their new destination. “New destination, we are to dock with the Venator and the battle group will provide fire support.”

Havoral made it to the mech and looked at the battered machine. He wondered how old it was. It had clearly seen action but was well maintained and repaired. He used his comms to help him translate as he spoke aloud. “Do you want to come out of that mech? We can go to the bridge together. The battle group has been warned. They will offer fire support.”

“That’s good.” The mech commented after a moment’s pause. “I’m cautiously optimistic that the Swimmers in orbit are either in a deep hibernation or have long since moved on in search of food elsewhere.” The mech’s legs made small adjusting movements, creating a light tapping sound each time. The movements simultaneously gave the mech an arachnid feel as well as came off being nervous.

“Unfortunately,” the mech continued after another moment of silence, “I will not be able to join you on the bridge. I am a cataphract-class autonomous heavy lancer. Serial number TA-553728991. I am attached to the Fifth Squadron, Seventh Heavy Division, Third Army of the Auria Planetary Guard. Or at least…” His tone turned dark, “I was.” His tone lightened as he continued “I have often been called Tango and would prefer if you did so as well.”

Havoral almost lost his footing as the pilots took evasive maneuvers to a new art form as they threw the ship around to avoid plasma fire from the swimmers chasing them. Havoral’s arm shot out to catch the bulkhead wall next to him to keep from falling. The lead pilot’s voice came over the internal ship’s communications. “We are taking heavy fire. Hold on to something, it is going to be a bumpy ride.”

Havoral couldn’t help grumbling under his breath and muttering “Warning was too late.” He placed his back against the bulkhead as he turned his head towards Tango. There was nothing he could do to help his pilots except to stay out of their way and let them do their job.

Havoral regarded the mech curiously. “Nice to meet you Tango. My name is Havoral. I am a Daxini. Do you mean that you are a digital lifeform? An artificial intelligence? We call ours digital entities.”

“I am a nonbiological being, but I am not a nominal artificial intelligence.” Tango’s tone remained pleasant as he spoke. “I am a type of synthetic intelligence called a bioroid.” He paused as the ship hit some turbulence, forcing him to brace himself. “The short of it is that the Republic sought to create synthetic beings with the minds of biological creatures, but the bodies of machines. And much like a biological creature, the mind of a bioroid exists in its brain.” Tango tapped his own head with one of his front legs.

The ship hit another patch of turbulence and as Tango braced himself one of his legs gave out, causing him to collapse to the floor. “Damn!” He cursed. “I’m getting old.” He sort of shook his head as he rose to his feet again, turning his head to gaze at the Daxini. “So Havoral… What brings outsiders like you to a graveyard like this?”

Havoral slid down the wall to sit on the floor. It seemed like a more secure way to stay and talk to Havoral. The ship shuddered and jerked as the pilots sought to get the ship into the atmosphere and back to the Daxini Battle Group.

Havoral chuckled as Tango commented on getting old. Havoral felt the same way when his joints ached on a cold day. Havoral’s ears twitched and his nose wrinkled from the smell of ozone and heated metal that clung to the cargo bay. The scents of heavy machinery and weapons fire still hung in the air. His head tilted to one side as he listened to Tango’s reply.

Havoral looked curious but was in not afraid of Tango. “We have true digital life forms that have become members of our race and world. They call their clan the Kronar. I am from the Xidonae clan. You had mentioned you were part of the planetary guard. Are there any of your people still down on the planet? We are investigating the disappearance of some of our civilian vessels that have gone missing in the area.”

Tango remained silent for almost a full minute before answering. “I doubt it. It has been four hundred and ninety-eight years since I last saw a citizen of the Republic. The last confirmed transmission I received from one was ten years later. And there was an unconfirmed message that I never personally received that was allegedly transmitted a further three years after that. The last communication I had with a bioroid was fifteen years ago. This is a dead planet.”

“As for your civilian vessels…” Tango moved his front most legs in a fashion that partially imitated a shrug. “If they entered the Ghost Nebula they have almost certainly already encountered the Swimmers. Perhaps they managed to escape this star system.” Tango gave another pseudo-shrug. “I have no idea how the rest of the Republic is fairing, but if the Republic still exists somewhere perhaps your civilians got lucky. Ah!” Suddenly Tango sounded excited. “That reminds me. There was an old government black site hidden away on one of the moons of the closest gas giant. I was never informed about what exactly went on at that site, rumors said it had something to do with cryostatis or something, but I do know that it had the ability to track starships. The facility was abandoned when the Swimmers first arrived in system, but its tracking systems would have been automated. With luck those systems may still be active.”