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The bridge of the EDFS Andromeda was filled with activity, senior officers calling in reports from their stations as the ship prepared to enter Warp and for the battle to come. Above it all, in the command post of Bridge 1, sat Vice Admiral Ryu Hijikata, presiding over the coordinated chaos, barking orders when needed, and otherwise letting his men do their work. They were all competent, well trained, and he knew he could trust them to do their jobs. After all, only the most distinguished or promising officers would have made it aboard the crew of the Flagship of the Earth Defense Forces.

At the moment, the Andromeda sat in the void of space between Earth and Mars, surrounded by the EDF main battle fleet, preparing to Warp to Saturn. They had received their orders from HQ, knew the risks involved. The forces of the Comet Empire were approaching Earth, and they would have to be stopped before they could reach the planet. So Admiral Hijikata sallied forth with the fleet under his command to engage them near the rings of Saturn, to face the enemy and strike him down.

Checklist complete, all stations reported manned and ready. Soon, they would be thrust into the biggest conflict they had ever been in since the height of the Earth-Gamilar War. Hijikata got on the internal ship comm "Now hear this. All hands, prepare for warp. We don't know how close the enemy will be when we emerge, so I expect you all to acquit yourselves as befitting of Earths best and brightest. We will not fail, not here, not today." He looked down from his command post to where Brandon Richards, British, sat at the helm. "Lieutenant, take us into Warp."

"Yes sir," Brandon replied, looking back at the Admiral before his attention returned to the dials and gauges in front of him, specifically the one that showed a sine wave, the Andromeda, and their destination. He had to line things up perfectly, even with shipboard automation to help him, or they risked being lost in the fourth dimension. It was a task that had his full concentration.

"Sir, I'm detecting a mass of unknown exotic particles headed directly for it," called Flynn Hart, Australian, from where she sat at the sensors section of the bridge.

That grabbed the Admiral's attention and he looked over at her. "Can we maneuver around it?"

Brandon looked back for a few brief moments to answer. "There's no time sir. If we do ,we risk missing the Warp, and then the Comet Empire fleet will have passed by when we arrive."

Hijikata frowned, growling under his breath. "Fine then. Continue." He hit the comm. "All hands, brace for impact. This may be a more bump ride than normal."

"Entering Warp in 3...2...1...Now!"

The Wave Motion Engine fired to full, a hole in space opening up as the Andromeda entered the fourth dimension, allowing them to travel great distances in a single bound. Colors shifted into multicolored rainbow as time seemed to stand still, which would be headache inducing if they could comprehend it. Then just as suddenly they were free and clear, another hole ripping open to disgorge the Andromeda, but far from their intended destination.

The ship rocked in space, shuddering from the stress it had been put under, subject to exotic particles as it went through Warp, and warning klaxons went off on the bridge to signal this distress. "Get me a damage report, now," roared Hijikata. He did not want to go into battle with a damaged ship.

The bridge scrambled to activity, searching for the damage, and preparing for combat just as they had been before.It wasn't long until they got something back. "Sir, I'm not picking up any friendly contacts," called Flynn.

"What, are you saying that we lost the fleet," Hijikata replied.

""Radar confirms. I'm picking up unknown vessels of types and configurations never seen before, but nothing of the main battle fleet."

Hijikata growled, resisting the urge to slam his fist onto his armrest. What the hell was going on here? How could they have lost the fleet? If these unknown ships were Comet Empire attack forces, then they were finished! "Come on people, I want some answers here." Frantic minutes passed by as they worked to understand what was going on, each minute lost another minute that the Comet Empire's forces had to near.

Youssef Toma, Egypt, perked up as he received a report. "Sir, I'm getting a report from the engine room. No significant damage, but the capacitor for the Wave Motion Guns was burned out by that unknown energy. We can't use them." That earned a muttered curse from Hijikata. The Wave Motion Guns were their most powerful weapons. Without them, they would practically be sitting ducks for the Comet Empire.

But he quickly took charge. "Launch all Cosmo Tiger squadrons and place them in a defensive formation around the ship. Prepare all weapons to fire on my command. We will not be taken unawares." Outside the ship, weapons perked up and moved, preparing to fire though there was no energy buildup yet. All they needed was a target.

"Sir, I can confirm, astrogation doesn't recognize any of the stars we can pick up."

Another matter that drew the Admiral's attention. "So, you're saying we're not in the solar system anymore?"

A shaken head. "No sir. In fact, I would say we're not even in any of the galaxies we've explored before. We're a long way from home."

"I see," Hijikata replied, bowing his head as he clasped his hands together. "Alright then, comms. I want you to broadcast on all general and emergency frequencies, rotating through every Earth language, as well as Gamilar and Iskandarian."

"Yes sir." And so the message went out, in a hundred different languages. This is the Earth Defense Forces Ship Andromeda to all unknown vessels. please identify yourselves immediately. We have no desire for conflict but will defend ourselves against aggression. Please respond. Dies ist der Earth Defense Forces Schiff Andromeda....

"Alright you slackers, let's go, let's go, get those birds in the air now." Vince Mortini, the CAG aboard the Andromeda, ran for his fighter as he strapped his helmet into place. The hangar bay was a bustle of activity as the flight crews worked to get out the Cosmo Tiger squadrons as rapidly as possible. He practically vaulted into the cockpit, looking over the readouts to make sure everything was in order. Fully loaded with fuel, ammunition, good. With the Andromeda having been about to go into battle, they were well off for supplies.

He had to wait his turn until the catapult was clear, maneuvering himself into place on the launch ramp. There was a countdown, and he hit the throttle, engines firing against the backstop to throw the ship forward, out of the bay, and into space, where he peeled off left and moved into formation. And already he could hear the chatter over the comms at the strange ships that seemed to be blinking into existence, though it was hard to tell form his viewpoint. "Okay, you guys know the drill. Defense formation, no one touches the Andromeda, got it? We're not facing the Comet Empire here, so don't get cocky. We don't know what the enemy's capable of."

He settled into a growing bubble formation, the Cosmo Tiger II fighter squadrons deployed protectively around the ship in a manner that would let them respond quickly to attacks. If there was gonna be a battle, they would be ready.

And still the message went out, waiting to be answered

Valtare followed close behind Serena as she moved through the castle to the main hall, standing a few paces behind respectfully, so she could converse with others, yet close enough to protect her if an assassin should try something. Not that anyone ever had, but with her as the only daughter of the royal family and heir to the throne, one could never be too careful. Fortunately, there was no guard quite like a dragon, and that was even something of a major rumor amongst the suitors that arrived, beyond the usual stuff about the beauty and intelligence of the Princess.

"Yes, I'd say so," he agreed as they entered the fresh morning air outside. It was days like this he wished he could fly, but he didn't usually. There was no need for an accidental friendly fire incident with some anxious guard. as they walked, he noted her subtle physical cues, frowning slightly at the sight. Something was up with Serena, though he didn't know what it was. They had known each other long enough for him to be able to pick up on things like that, yet he still didn't know what the matter was. He was slightly saddened that she didn't tell him, and yet at the same time he couldn't fault her for having secrets when he had his own.

Arriving at the stables, he stood quietly by as she was prepared for her riding lessons, making sure to be there, but not to hover over her.

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