[IC] From Stardust, To Stardust

[WilsonTurner]

Planet N-1
With the threat of the creatures subsiding, the slightly damaged Explorer shrugs off the scraps trying to cling to the hull with strange lengths of organic mass, and pulls towards the planet. As it put distance between itself and the wreckage, the Explorer fired half a salvo of swarmer missiles, small spears of explosives and penetrative warheads impacting what was left of the burning ship, tearing what little was left into molten slag, and destroying what organic mass was left. Despite the possible repercussions of destroying alien technology, the Hunter-Captain didn't think it wise to let anyone near the things inside.

As the Explorer pulled into a more stable, lower orbit, and began scanning the surface for survivors and what damage was done. As it did so, it beamed communications to the underground bunkers, stating that there had been an alien attack on the planet, and released an unknown biological or biochemical weapon on the planet, and that efforts were taken to contain. "In the meantime, secure yourselves in fortified cryopods, and brace for immienent surface wipe of sentients." Another message was beamed down to all above-ground broadcasting locations, ordering people in the undamaged, not-yet-contaminated cities to reach the evacuation centers or bunkers.

Shortly afterward, another cargoship from a nearby asteroid cluster, and a passenger ship that was already on its way to N-1's orbit. A couple minutes afterwards, two more of the Explorers came out of warp-speed, reporting that two more Explorers were being sent out to conduct investigations on nearby systems for sentient life; if there are hostiles, there can certainly be friendlies. Some will seek help of others to combat outside forces, and that's exactly what they planned to do.

However, the three ships, the slightly damaged one and the two new ones, had received new orders. Follow the enemy, find out where they live, and strike if the opportunity arises. Due to what has been witnessed so far, another two ships was being sent to come with them, more suited with planet bombardment than any Explorer. Two Varrens are being sent to act as escorts and battleships. While Explorers have much heavier armor, the Varrens have seldom-used railgun cannons and more particle beam cannons than Explorers.

They were sending a battlefleet, really.

[TehAlphaGamer]

Alas Prime

Yran'kum thanked and nodded off the guard as she stepped through, setting her portable holotank before the Immortals. The four escorts flanked her, rifles against their chest and pointing to either side facing the Ambassador, creating an imposing appearance. She tapped a few commands on the tank that linked to her wrist panels, and soon the machine whirred and glowed with a blue light. A small projector protruded from the top and began to shine a bright light, showing the five Vessels and the Grand Vessel standing before them.

Ambassador Yran'kum strode in front, bowing slightly.

"I greatly appreciate your call for diplomacy. Allow me to introduce the leading body of our nation; the Vesselage."

[Kyelin]

The last survivor of the failed recovery mission, the damaged Matron, had turned and bolted, feeling for the first time true fear and desperately trying to escape. But it was struck down by the dark energy, metallic screaming ringing throughout the halls as it was vaporized, it's Essence transported to a realm where no light could be found, and eternal damnation awaited it. The screech faded, and the other nervous Constructs bowed slightly, as the dark disk calmed itself slightly, and addressed them:

"FOOLS! Were you not capable of completing such a simple task as this one!?
Not only did you return empty handed, you allowed a Warden to escape...
Those foul and pitiful sentients who dared to stand against Me and My plan...
I should destroy your entire race for incompetence!"

The Ethereals gathered here trembled and backed away slightly, still terrified of their wrathful Goddess. No one dared to run though. Such an act was pointless and foolish.

"However, you are still of use to Me, and I offer you a chance of redemption...
Go forth to this point in space, and destroy all you find there...
We must set an example to all who would follow the Warden, before she rallies them against Us...
For I search for her now, and know of a possible hiding hole she may dwell in..."

---

Four cruisers warped again to their ordered location, being sure to be careful and avoid alerting their intended targets. The system was quite desolate, so the actual goal of this exercise was lost to those in command. Without hesitation, the ships released hundreds of Matrons, who began to seek out and recon the system for any clues as to what may be found here. Any sentient life forms or their ships found would be destroyed, with no mercy whatsoever.

[null123]

Outpost A-5
The guards rushed out of the armory, easily dealing with the L'Er forces as the armory was the only place in the whole station with weapons of any significant power. However the BCU had already deemed the station condemned due to the infection. Using there remote override codes they shutdown the shields of the station, and 4 Balefire Megaspells were fired, completely wiping the station from existence. And while the L'Er now had the names of the planets, they did not have the locations of it. The Navigation systems and charts the Eternals used were a complex thing, thus most citizens did not bother learning it. The only navigators who knew the systems were in the command center, which had yet to be infected. The citizens did not have the coordinates for the planets either, as they would require knowledge of the navigation charts themselves. The loss of the station was not that big of a blow to the Eternal Union, as it was easily replaceable. This venture for the L'Er however, was pointless, as they could not invade the planets of the Eternal Union, not having the coordinates or knowledge of the navigation systems.

Alas Prime
"The honor is ours. I am Prince David, and shall act as the spokesperson for the Council of Immortals. I assume you have a good reason not to have come to Alas Prime yourselves?"

Sol
Quite a few Iscandarians left the room screaming, or emptying there stomachs of there breakfast onto the polished ship floor after watching those videos. The Magnus managed to regain his cool after watching them and sent another message.

"The mistakes of your forefathers are not yours, but please avoid this in the future. The meeting on Earth's moon is acceptable."

[TehAlphaGamer]

Alas Prime

Grand Vessel Garama'kum spoke up. "We do apologize, Prince David, for our physical absence. The issue concerns the fact that Alas Prime is a fair distance away from our home system, and all of us leaving provides a great security risk. We have leadership to fill in the power vacuum--certainly--but we remain at great risk for piracy and invasions, no matter how heavily armed our fleets are. We're also going through some financial difficulties due to the expense of founding a colony, and the amount of fleet protection necessary would fiercely increase costs. Once we establish a safe, fast, and easily-accessed route will we be able to go to and fro."

She smiled sheepishly, then continued. "In the meantime I wish to introduce you to the Vesselage, from left to right as you see. Vessel Merana'bum is a prophetess of the Goddess of Nature and Maternity, Markura, and as a result takes care of environmental issues and seasonal growth of our crops, as well as being in charge of our medicinal research. Vessel Yarin'tum is a prophet of the Goddess of Wealth and Commerce, Markarapas, and takes care of most major finances as mentioned above as well as goods exchanged. Vessel Orak'dum is a prophet of the God of Fire and Metalcraft, Yuturata, and overlooks all industrial production and the exchange and research of our excellent metallugical centers. Vessel Ymar'gum is a prophetess of the Goddess of Fortune and Odds, Oparas, and overlooks citizens and also allows Sazkarjhia to remain healthy in terms of how luck befits her. Finally, Vessel Pumar'kum is a prophet of the God of War, Mazdabar, and is the head of our military cabinet and works with our commanders for strategical purposes."

She inhaled after the long introduction. "I am the Grand Vessel of the Supreme Being, Zarwaun. My name is Urwan Garama'kum and I am the leader of Sazkarjhia. If you wish, you can ask any of the Vessels or myself questions you may have."

[MrFoxNews]

Saturn's Orbit, Sol System

Captain Roberts face twisted in rage.

"You insult my intelligence! On my own ship! How dare you!" Robert blurted.

Robert drew his disintegration pistol and pointed it at the admiral. The guards within the hanger followed suit. The Admiral and his men were quickly surrounded.

"I wish to speak with your superiors immediately. I have had enough of you and your inept attempt at diplomacy."

The massive hanger doors slammed shut sealing the small vessel within the depths of the Sarens Hope.

[Keyguyperson]

Saturn's Orbit, Sol System
The Admiral kept himself collected, despite looking right down the (technically metaphorical) barrel of a pistol. His guards, however, drew their weapons. The bullets would probably bounce right off the Mandalorian armor.

"I had no intention of-" He paused, realizing that what he was about to say would likely anger the Mandalorian further. The last thing Terra needed was a war, clearly, Terran weaponry was completely inadequate for any sort of actual conflict. "My superiors are on Luna, likely engaged in peace talks with the aliens from what I know. I have a quantum entanglement transmitter implanted in my brain. These things can't be jammed and can't be intercepted. If you pull that trigger, the pain signals will be picked up by that transmitter, causing it to send a distress call straight to my cousin, leader of the Wings of Gliese. They've got a ship, the weapons on that thing makes the kilometer-long electromagnetic cannon on the dreadnoughts look like a pop gun. Do you really want to return home in a ship half ripped apart, carrying a declaration of war with you?"

[Kyelin]

Unknown Space

A single Ethereal Cruiser warped into the system, and was met with a spectacular sight, of a huge gas giant with vibrant moons and many other systems. This ship was a scout, for rumors persisted of Tier 2 sentient life having colonized most of this system, including the garden world. As such, it was important to assess this new enemy, and discover any weaknesses of any kind before they could become a threat. As such, the ship was largely outfitted for stealth, with an energy dampening system for masking itself on long range sensors and communication jamming equipment. On the downside, it was not outfitted for large scale combat and speed, not that it was intended to do anything of the kind in this scenario.

Silently as possible, the ship scanned it's nearby surroundings, and found artificial heat plumes, as well as structures and sentient life of several kinds. Moving slowly, it began to approach the source, eager to identify these creatures. While unlikely to be spotted via radio imaging at this range (the engine dampeners were very effective), there was no guarantee that it couldn't be seen out of a window or porthole when it got close. Hopefully, they would be slow to react, if it didn't act too hostile. It was unfortunate it came to this, but hopefully this element of the plan would fall into place, and begin their crusade.

[WilsonTurner]

Extreme orbit of Planet N-1
Three Varren WarCruisers abruptly appeared in extreme orbit, about as close as they could get to the planet without the gravitational orbit pulling the ships apart. One moved to a deeper orbit, to begin using orbital bombardment on both the infected city, and the infected jungle and desert. The other two ships accelerated towards the three waiting Explorer ships, with enough radio chatter going between the five ships to charge a battery. As the five ships convened in tactics, enemy tactic data, and battle plans, the first Varren began firing barrages down onto N-1, after firing probes to detect the edges of the infected area.

Once they pinpointed the rough area where the infection was, the began to fire in circles around the sector, isolating it with a rain of fire. Shortly after the area had been isolated, including the city, nuclear warheads were launched. Two, actually. Both were sent on high-efficiency courses, and when they struck soil, the two warheads detonated with a massive explosion, the two warheads combining at their meeting point to create a lengthy, oddly-shaped mushroom cloud, cleansing the soil of both nutrients and of otherworldly parasites and worms. Afterwards, continued railgun bombardment continued to hit any spots that appeared to have foreign particles, or had caves, tunnels, or any other possible shelter from the nuclear blast. If nuclear weapons proved ineffective, then antimatter and plasma research would have to be taken to a new level.

[null123]

Colony World New Alas, Beching
The city of Beching was the capital of New Alas. At 4 million residents at was the biggest city on the planet, and New Alas’s importance as a trade stop between the core worlds and the valuable mineral producing colonies near the core worlds made it one of the fasting growing colonies in the Union. It’s continued growth would soon allow it to apply for Core World Status, giving it much more political power in the councils, even if they could be dissolved at the Immortal’s whims.

Beching itself had unbelievable density, packing a lot of residents in with apartments that rose into sky, which were made out of a silvery material, and packed with large glass windows. The buildings were still well spaced out however, as helicopters flew across the city, landing on high-rises and skyscrapers The bright orange sun rising over the city, smiling down upon it. A beautiful day for the city.

On the ground it-self many people bustling across the paved roads and marble sidewalks. People from all walks of life could be seen, whether it would be hurrying to work or heading down to the local market to purchase from the vast selection of goods. Merchants could be seen coming in and opening up their stores and and stalls for the day, setting out fresh food and other products. From bread and pastries, to shining gems and jewelry, and flowers and other exotic plants, a wide selection was to be had at the market.

Faye walked across this busy market. She wore a light pure white jacket, as the morning air of New Alas was chilly, with biting winds constantly blowing as well. She had long black pants as well, contrasting against her jacket. Her hair was a light blue, and relatively short. Her eyes were a light red, she wore a slight smile across her face. Her veins flow with a blue that mirrored her hair.

She headed to her favorite breakfast stall, smelling the fresh glazed donuts wafting across the air. She quietly picked out 4 donuts and two coffees, handing her money to the happy-faced stall-owner. Taking her purchase with her in a small bag and styrofoam drink tray. Taking her items she headed down the marble sidewalks to outside the city. She checked her watch every few minutes and began hurrying towards wherever she was going.

Gradually as she began leaving the busy city-center things slowed down. Less people were found wandering the streets as she proceeded. Tall apartments buildings turn into small sleepy houses. Noises quieted down, allowing Faye to hear the small background noises, like the chirping of birds, or the buzzing of insects. She finally left the city, no more houses could be seen, leaving it behind her. In front of her was rolling grass plains, and in the distance was a large green tree on top a lonely hill. A figure could be seen standing there, a instrument in hand.

As Faye got closer and close the figure came into clear view, and a light melody from the instrument, which had been identified as cello. The figure had long brown hair, drooping far down past her shoulders.Her eyes were a light purple, and her face was not smiling, but hung low as if in concentration. She wore a short skirt, and a fancy light brown long sleeve. The melody which came out of her Cello was sweet and beautiful, each note striking a chord that made a person thing of good things and good times. She paused upon seeing Faye.

“I hope you brought breakfast as you promised Faye, I’m hungry.” said the girl, setting down the cello gently in the grass.

“I always do as I promise, even if I can be a bit distracted by my DJing Ilse.” responded Faye, as she and Ilse took sat up against the tall lonely tree, each taking a coffee and a couple of donuts. They set there for a minute, taking a few moments to enjoy the sweetness of the donuts and the smell of the coffee. The sun was getting higher in the sky, the last rays of morning sunlight dissipating as the sky’s blue became evident. It was a clear bright day.

“Beautiful day isn’t it Faye?” spoke Ilse, standing up and going back to her Cello, beginning to play a soft sweet tune once again.

“I got a gig at a club in downtown soon, its gonna be a while so I’m probably going to miss most of the day.” responded Faye, removing the earbuds she had in her ears.

“Going to be late home again then?” asked Ilse.

“Yep.” was Faye’s one worded response, as Ilse focused back on her Cello, starting up the melody again. Faye relaxed against the tree, turning on some electronic music from a small silvery device to which her earbuds ran. The beats were fast and energetic, overriding the melody from Ilse’s cello, and pumping Faye up a bit. She stood up, waving a final goodbye to Ilse as she was deep in concentration on her cello. Stepping back towards the mammoth city of Beching, she prepared herself for her upcoming gig as a DJ.

Sol, the Moon
The Iscandarian diplomats stepped off there ship and into the Moon station, awaiting to be led to the meeting location.

[TehAlphaGamer]

Sol, Several Million Kilometers from Asteroid Belt

A vortex was ripped in central Sol, but it seemed to only remain open and close thereafter. There wasn't any detectable vessel or probe, but that was only as it appeared to the naked, inattentive eye. A slight, barely noticeable distortion could be seen moving past Jupiter but what it was couldn't be determined.

After about thirty minutes of flight and evasive maneuvers, the distortion warped and cleared as a black Sazkarjhit warship seemingly appeared from nowhere. Three vents in the midsection of the craft sprayed irradiated clouds of reactor coolant, which flash froze into a bright blue mist that drifted past the ship's engines, which lit up with a bright light (mostly concealed by reflective cover plates) as the ship lurched forward.

The ship was about 435 meters long, seemingly in two parts stacked in tandem. On top was the main section of the ship, two wedges seemingly fused together, then flaring out towards the rear to accommodate the engines and the low bridge that blended into the ship's smooth, jagged-plate contours. The front of the hull tapered downwards and made a connection to a lower part, which was shaped like a sharp keel that extended towards the back before flowing upwards, sealing the connection. The middle was hollow; but attached to hardpoints were modules for a small station; a reconnaissance post perhaps. On either side of the ship were boxy implements that had three holding tubes for antimatter missiles. On the keel was a Mark III HyperLance Plasma Emitter, which pulsed dully as it activated, and a single magnetic accelerator cannon, the coils extending its length lighting up.

While not exactly built for combat in the sense, Samani-Class Prowlers are still regarded as excellent warships serving in the People's Navy of Sazkarjhia. Their effectiveness in battle is questionable--they have a light armament compared to other ships and thus are better for hit-and-run strikes--they excel with their stealth capabilities. This particular prowler, the PNSS Reverence in Silence, is one of the finest ships of the line, with an efficient reactor capable of maintaining a stealth field for up to ten cycles, and High Marshal Turani'dum was one of the finest available captains for such a vessel.

When first given the assignment by High Command, the veteran sailor did not trust the information she received. Most Prowler captains did reconnaissance, sabotage, or assault from orders given by higher ups in the PNS, so when Marshal Turani'dum heard that her orders came from the Sazkarjhia Bureau of Clandestine Operations she was not happy.

But, an order is an order. she thought to herself with a sigh as she looked out the polarized glass window of the stealth ship's bridge, seeing large metallic asteroids drift lazily across around Sol as if they were the star's own rings.

"Ma'am, nearing target destination" her senior astrogation officer declared. She acknowledged the report and quickly brought up the mission manifest to her control panel for her to reread.

SAZKARJHIA CENTER OF CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS ORDER REPORT A009312
TO: [CODENAME] SPECTRAL APPARITION
FROM: [CODENAME] CORCAHN CORCAHN
DETAILS:
SPECTRAL APPARITION, you are to report to the following coordinates in System [REDACTED] at [XX,XX,XX] to establish an observation post. Keep in mind that if you're seen, you are under their government's jurisdiction and any revealing of Sazkarjhit operations are regarded as high treason under the Vesselage and the Empire; a crime we are certain you know the punishments of. You have been equipped with a garrison of PNS Deep Space Insertion Units among other technicians for maintenance and defense of the station.

This post will remain in use until we state otherwise. Make sure that where it's placed is on something suitable that will not face destruction or witness from any major group in System [REDACTED], as this can severely jeopardize our operations. You are not allowed to question any operator of the purpose of the station other than it is to be used for observation. Once your mission is complete you will report back to System [REDACTED] at NAVAL REFIT STATION 001 for debrief.

Are these orders clear?
[Y/N]

She had already input her response quite some time ago, before even journeying into Slipstream Space. However, she always felt it was good to review commands before she began them. No need to make unnecessary mistakes.

Reverence in Silence began firing turning jets as it maneuvered through and around asteroids and clouds of micrometeorites, all while making sure the ship was undetected. Once she approached the desired coordinates, she sighed with relief as a sizable asteroid moved right into view. She quickly ordered the deployment of the station.

The modules had rocket pods attached, which fired as they were released from their hardpoints. The modules formed together into a twenty man station and descended onto the asteroid, the lack of strong gravity making it somewhat easier to affix a place. Shortly later, Reverence was sent a notice that the station had settled. A shuttle carrying the workers and a Basilisk-Class escort followed. The shuttle landed on a designated landing pad and affixed an umbilical of sorts to the station. The Basilisk landed next to it, and the pilot in EVA gear stepped out after some time. If the station were attacked it'd make up for their general lack of defense.

After this, Reverence in Silence recloaked and powered down her engines, trying to conserve power as they awaited further orders.

[King Solterra]

Just outside Planet N1

Moving in now at about half a billion kilometers from the planet N1, five Hive ships were entering the space, two more staying behind. They were attracted to the fighting here stronger than else where at the moment and they wanted to see what was happening. One of the Hive's veered for the moon N1-M1 and proceeded to land on it and prepare its nesting on it. It was the smallest of the others ranging about 1,400 kilometers. The other four proceeded to the planet where the fighting had begun. One of the Hives, however, also split off, ranging about 2,700 meters, approached the three Explorers in Orbit. It didn't attack, but it launched three carapace eggs above each Explorer. The Hive was still a good distance away, keeping caution. The eggs would hatch multiple Plaeriques that would scatter in space and grab onto the Explorers. They didn't attack or damage the hull and so far presented no threat to the ships. They didn't even attempt to damage the hull. This would go on for few more minutes, clings and clunks against the hull, the sounds of the creatures grabbing the hull to brace themselves or hold on, and the pattering as they walked about on it. They were searching for a way to enter the ship, and while they were cautious, they were docile, as if just being curious. Showing the signs of any harmless creature that was just curious about seeing something new. Plaeriques are blind, as they feel the hull to find what they were looking for.Eventually they would just create patters, like knocking. They would slowly and constantly knock every few minutes until they could find a way to communicate with the ones inside.

Meanwhile the other four Hives lined up to face the planet very slowly and appeared to just hover there, doing nothing, or waiting. It could be seen that the four Hives had mouths and were appearing to be anxious with their large mouth movements, but they didn't do anything.

[null123]

Alas Prime
"We understand, although we would have wished you appeared here in person. I have already introduced myself, but the rest of the Immortals are Princess Aaliyah, Prince Orion, and Princess Adeline" spoke David.

A female stepped forward, identifying herself as Aaliyah, speaking to the Vesselage.
"Greetings, may you have good fortune in all of your ventures."

Prince Orion stepped forward next
"It is a honor to meet you vesselage, I wish for lasting peace between our two nations."

Finally Princess Adeline stepped forward.
"Welcome to the Eternal Union, I wish I had more to say, but the other Immortals have already spoken what I would have said."

Prince David spoke up again.
"We refer to ourselves as Immortals as we will live forever, so long as we do not get killed in any other way, but old age will not phase us. We are a combination of all 3 of the sub-types of Iscandarians, and our abilities with magic are vastly expanded. We have become a Immortal, and and have ascended to the leaders of our nations due to our great contributions to the Eternal Union. I for example, was the one who united all Iscandarian Nations under one banner, thus forming the Eternal Union. Now, on the subject of magic, we can feel it coming through you. It is faint, but not because of distance." spoke David.

The magic of Alas Prime and the Immortals could be felt through the Vesselage's link. It was a greater pool of energy then they had ever felt before, a vast ocean of it.

Station Orbiting New Condia, Colony World
New Condia was a new colony, on the edges of Eternal Space. On a station orbiting it however, the crew saw the ships coming through.

"What the hell is going on? Nothing's picking them up, radar, sonar, or any other system of detection. Magical detection systems are but the signal is faint." spoke a officer, looking out the window.

"I have confirmed with other stations, there seeing the same thing. No system will pick them up and magical ones are only registering very faint signals. Command station is already beeping at them to confirm who they are, but they don't seem to be responding." responded another Cadet, looking at the officer.

"What have we got in terms of defenses?" asked the officer.

"Not much, most of the stations have some kinda of guns and shields, but the planteray shield has yet to be activated, and is to risky to active. We also got 5 new frigates that were built and sent here for some training missions, as the crew on board all 5 are mostly new graduates from the various academies." said the Cadet.

"Well, atleast High Command back on Alas Prime already knows, they said there preparing a whole fleet fleet ready in-case things go nasty." spoke the officer, ending the conversation.

[Kyelin]

Day one of the invasion of New Condia

As they approached the scenic world from inter planetary space, each cruiser registered various orbital platforms that were most likely defensive in nature, as well as critical ferry supplies from orbit to surface. Each one was targeted as priority one objectives, and the Ethereal ships began to accelerate towards the structures. All except one, which stayed behind to monitor the battle and request reinforcements. They would learn much from this first encounter, and weren't ready to take chances, though there was no way to know exactly how long it would take for other ships to arrive, nor how many would be cleared to support the invasion. For now, all this cruiser could do was fortify it's position, and await for further orders.

To further protect itself. the support cruiser released dozens of Matrons especially outfitted to form a 'minefield' of sorts. Each one took a random position around the beacon ship, and extended it's panels to orbit fifty to one hundred feet from the center body of the Constructs. Then, each one activated it's equipped singularity field, and created specialized micro gravity wells to intercept incoming ballistic missile weaponry, which would detonate or be slingshot off course. While perfect coverage was not possible, it would help intercept any kinetic or physical weaponry from damaging the Conduit Ship, critical to the attack.

As this was happening, the other three cruisers had approached at top speed, ignoring the organic's communication hails as they extended three shield like plates over the front of the ships, which shifted color from silver to black, forming super ablative reaction armor to withstand any energy weapon hits. These plates utilized entropy resistant materials to boil off damage, protecting core systems and increasing the effectiveness of their shields. Combined, the cruiser could prevent any damage whatsoever, but only to the front. The plates could move slowly to cover the flanks or rear if need be, but that would take time to do. Ethereal military doctrine is to keep your ship facing towards the enemy and strafe to maintain this position.

Finally, hundreds of Matrons were prepped for deployment on each ship, fitted with Sisters to drop off, heavy anti vehicular and infantry weapons and various tactical sensors for increased battlefield awareness. Once past the stations, the Cruisers would jettison their cargo to begin ground operations. But that would require the elimination of the orbital defenses, of which could put up a fight. Once within four kilometers, the lead cruiser charged it's Mass Entropy cannon as they all slowed to a halt. Yellow wisps of energy orbited and swirled around the central 'eye' of the cruiser for almost 30 seconds, as it glowed brighter and brighter, before firing the deadly beam directly at the nearest structure and initiating the conflict.

[darkwolf687]

Several pings are picked up by Nakat, and a few moments later a single electronic message is sent to the planet. It is a basic, single word message followed by a name

Talk? -S'Ark

Meanwhile, a signal is sent in the direction of Planet N-1 from the retreating plasma ship, which is fleeing away from L'Er space

Truce? -S'Din

((S'Din are the minor Hive responsible for the raid on Planet N-1, just to clarify))

[TehAlphaGamer]

Alas Prime

"If you are referring to our divine powers, yes, our 'magic' is capable of emanating through the holotank. This was shown to exemplify our powers. Very rarely a Sazkarjhit is born with these powers, and given the rarity and resourcefulness of it we have determined that these are indeed children of the Gods. The Vessels standing before you, as well as myself, all carry this to a degree. It is not always necessary for day-to-day tasks but we can use it to great advantage."

[null123]

Alas Prime
"Every single Iscandarian has it, and according to our religion it was gift from the Eternal Mother, our mother, to us her children. Not all Iscandarians can use it directly, but all have it in some form. It has become the basis of our society, we use it for everything. Farming, weapons, augmentation, construction, ships, FTL, and even lighting. To us however your ability seems, faint. Perhaps we can help you expand it, not only helping the vesselage grow there own abilities, but spreading it to all Sazkarjhit..."

Battle for New Condia
The station was destroyed by the Mass Entropy cannon, having not had its shield activated. The other stations began activating there shields, and preparing there weapons. The first storm of weapons was mainly rail-gun rounds and other accelerated projectile weapons, something the Eternals had most likely encountered before. However the next wave was several magic-based laser beams. Most of the stations shields were fully activated now, as the 5 frigates that had been orbiting the planet earlier were shielding several unarmed ships that were most likely civilian ships. Communications were now rapidly going across the stations, as the coordinated the defenses of New Condia.

S'Ark
"What do you want?"

[Sukui]

Fserak, Border Colony
Among the purple, energy-infused atmosphere, orbs spectral rainbow lights rose up in circles all around the Spires. This was a sign of anticipation of the return of the evolutionary feeding trips, led by Tylskaremith-Ranech and Serthaskaroshim'vi-Atelesieralus, and of the next one to come soon. Over five expeditions simultaneously occur, with each being led by two of the Ten in the hierarchy.

After probably twelve hours of the planet has passed, there loomed in the distance directly upward the shadows of two great figures and the lesser beings that had benefited from the journey. The orbs burst into a bright blue wave that spanned all across the planet, The place darkened, as Ranech and Atelesieralus hovered over the Spires. Immediately, wisps of newborns and the lessers flowed into the spires and onto the ships and the two.

And immediately afterwards, a chant rocked the entire place.

"Asfie, ozh faak rel fir zol! Omoz aric na'frik o'scha!"

A beacon of light rose up, pointing to a randomly chosen planet that was listed in the locations that are possibilities for the harvest. And with a massive sphere of energy surrounding them, they rose up from the soil of Fserak, and traveled among the stars towards their next site of cataclysm.

The chosen world was a human colony.

[WilsonTurner]

Planet N-1, Battlefleet Alpha
All ships moved into a seldom-used battle stance, each of the Battlecruisers showing their bellies to the planet, their rows of heavy turrets lined up on the top, aimed away from the planet, ready to fire an inaccurate but deadly hail of projectiles. Each Explorer turned its knife-like prow to face the newcomers, and began slowly advancing, ready to fire on a moments' notice. However, they didn't fire on the pods that came at them, and instead let them deploy the strange creatures onto the ships. Sensing that they may simply want to get in and destroy the crew, the Swarmer missiles retracted inside the armored hull, and plates of armor re-sealed the turret back inside.

Meanwhile, as the creatures worked their way up from the bow to the stern, seven figures emerged from an airlock, closer to the engines than to the bow of the ship. Two hunters led the way, sparse anti-vacuum breathers and armor covering their torso and the lower half of their face. With them was a single Tinkerer, crystal spikes raised in alarm, and four Engineers, each armed with a single energy handgun and an energy carbine. The Tinkerer was armed with a handgun and a long-range rifle, which he carried in hand.

Weapons in hand, with the Hunters leading the way, the seven made their way with magnetic boots towards the nearest creature. As they approached, the Hunters' two shortsword-like extensions extended out slightly, the flexible, tough material hardening and lengthening, a result of evolution, serrated edges at the ready. Each Engineer raised their weapons as they approached, though the Tinkerer began to quicken pace to step forward, rifle lowered. When they were close enough to begin picking out the creatures' innards, about at the same range as the length of a schoolroom, the procession halted. The Tinkerer stepped forward, and stamped his foot on the floor of the ship, making a soundless thud, and sending a small vibration. Then, he waited.

[King Solterra]

Planet N-1

The Plaeriques sensed casually at the beings that crawled out from their ship. Their heads twitched and they stretched their necks upward, focusing on the sounds. When one of them stomped their foot against the hull they all perked up, slowly scurrying towards the stomp. However, they kept their distance. While none were acting cautious or prepared to enact self defense, they seemed friendly; the only thing that could be aensed was that they were curious. One of the Plaeriques closest to the being suddenly moved forward, not alarmingly or fast, just casually approached the being and made a low howling sound, as if it was trying to communicate. It's body language also changed, showing it was friendly, approachable, and carefree. It didn't rear its claws, but it did start to slowly creep towards the being with its head, brushing up against it to get a feel for it. (Essentially acting like a dog).

The other Plaeriques stood still, as if closely observing the being now, watching to see what it would do. The other Plaeriques had changed their behavior, but still not prepared to fight. They were now under direct control of a Praefectus, and the beings could sense there was something different, they were being watched, tested.

Slowly, but surely, a fair distance from N-1, one of the two hives that stayed back started to approach. It's size much greater than the others and traveling much slower than the othera had been. At 3,000 km long and 2,000 km high, it was the largest hive out of all of them. But it was different, there was intelligence inside it, but separate... And it also was not preparing to fight, but observe like the Plaeriques were.

The nuzzling Plaerique looked up at the being, waiting for its next move.