Monkeypants

Era of Succession(Closed)

Added horde warships to my main ns on page 1.

I cannot remember if those designs were chosen by someone earlier but I don't see them in any ns so.. For the horde!

Era of Succession(Closed)

@POOHEAD189

I like your post, it gives me a lot to work with, but my delay is due to trying to decide on to answer now or when war starts. If I were to reply before the war, it'd be lackluster.

I'll see if I can figure out something that way you're not waiting too much longer. Likely though, you'll get a reply for sure when the war kicks off.

Era of Succession(Closed)

Just lol.

Era of Succession(Closed)

The Imperium

Streamers and confetti began to pile on the streets as the fireworks began in the quickly darkening sky. The celebration had only began but Uther had no intention of joining. There were so many reports, so many colonies with new needs and local leaders with issues. He did find time to crack an occasional smile at the triumphs he had somehow managed though, winning a binding alliance with the Confederacy and effectively countering Faust's immense military power. Inside his cozy room though, Uther found his fingers numb from typing and the constant flipping through reports. A welcomed distraction seemed to arrive.

Anisimovna Castlereagh was surprised at how quickly she was ushered before Uther. The battlecruiser RCNS Olympic had delivered her into Carina Prime's orbit less than two hours previously, and here she was entering the Grand Marshall's office. She was a very senior member of the Commonwealth's Diplomatic Corps, but still, she'd hardly expected such prompt reception. The first thing she noticed upon entering the room was how...comfortable it felt. The wood panelling reminded her of her father's office on Praetoria, where she'd spent so much time learning her trade. Being the boss's daughter was not quite as luxurious as most people thought. Castlereagh was twice as tough on her as any other diplomat, probably to avoid the appearance of favoritism. So it was with some pride that Anisimovna could say that her position today was entirely the result of her own abilities, not her father's tampering. The second thing she noticed was how tired Uther seemed, and yet not tired at all. His shoulders were slumped, his face seemed gaunt, but his eyes danced with energy and ambition. Anisimovna bowed deeply, since curtsying didn't work when one was wearing a pant suit.

"Greetings, Grand Marshall. On behalf of Her Imperial Majesty's government, allow me to convey both our deepest regrets and our most heartfelt congratulations on this day. The death of Regent Lawrence wounds her Majesty deeply, but she cannot think of a more suitable heir than yourself."

Uther nodded, "Well, thanks for the sentiment I suppose." He looked up at her and motioned towards a chair opposite him, "Please, take a seat. and may I offer you something to drink?"

"Yes, please," Anisimovna said primly as she took a seat. Then she looked Uther dead in the eye. "We have a shared problem, Grand Marshall. The Dominion."

"Ah yeah.. Faust. It seems everyone has come to me about that madman, and I suppose it's rightly so now." He took deep breath and leaned back in his chair, " So then I know you are not here to solely offer condolences and congratulations, Then what are you here for?"

Anisimovna looked down at her glass for a moment. "May I be perfectly frank, Grand Marshall?" <<<<<<<<<<<<Uther nodded or something.>>>>>>>>>> "Faust represents an unparallaled threat to the Commonwealth. The way we see it, the galaxy stands on the brink of war, and we are trying to establish diplomatic ties with nations that would stand against Faust's tyranny. I imagine you might have heard about my government's negotiations with the Confederacy. At this moment, envoys like myself are on their way to the Paradise system to negotiate a stronger relationship with the Confederacy. Faust has secured his allies, it is time to secure our own. I propose a full military alliance between the trrue heirs of the Imperium and the Imperial Systems Commonwealth."

Uther leaned forward in his chair. "An interesting proposition indeed but these.. propositions always come with stipulations. I know this from my time as a general that allies always comes with exceptions." He sighed, "This is no different. So let's say that the worst happens, Faust invades and a grand alliance stops him. What happens after that? what happens to his lands or the lands that the commonwealth are still actively procuring?"

"An astute question, Grand Marshall, and a concern for my government. Our quarrel with the Dominion is not over territory, but genocide. My government is willing to cede full control of Dominion territory to the True Imperium. As for the unaffiliated worlds the Commonwealth has...brought order to...well, that depends on how much you value them, Grand Marshall. I do not think things will ever return to the way they were under the Old Imperium, but I feel confidend that an alliance against Faust will provide excellent diplomatic framework for future negotiations concerning the fate of unafiliated worlds."

Anisimovna took her turn to lean forward in her chair.

"However, Grand Marshall, all that is talk of the distant future. What concerns my government most are the threats of the present. Surviving Faust is our concern; anything else, we will deal with later."

"Ah, but now is only a prelude to later. Nations survive not only by securing their immediate circumstances but also by planning for the next ones." Uther gave a concerned look, "Those unaffiliated worlds have no reason to be tampered with. Not by you or I. To constantly mettle in the affairs of all is being no worse than Faust. Granted, his faults are far more extreme and nothing short of execution befits a bastard such as he, The facts do remain, the future is what we plan for, the present is what we deal with."

Uther took a sip from a small plain cup of water. "Let us assume that your government decides to do the right thing and leave sovereign nations that have done nothing wrong alone, how does your nation intend to deal with Faust directly? Simple terms like defense pact have no meaning without a plan. Musashi for example had made concessions regarding securing safety on the second imperium, to which was never followed through."

Anisimovna smiled, for she was truly enjoying pitting herself against Faust. She leaned back now, idly running her finger over the rim of her glass. She'd been granted full Confidence of the Crown, meaning that anything she negotiated here would be accepted without varification, barring something outrageous enough that the Imperial Queen herself would intervene to countermand it. It was such an interesting situation, and exhiliration pumped through her veins.

"With all due respect, Grand Marshall, we absolutely view it as our responsibility to intervene in the affairs of those unaffiliated worlds. People of all many species, many bakgrounds, are suffering on so many worlds, subject to petty warlords and rampant nobles."

She could see Uther was about to rebuke her, and held out her hands placatingly. "But that is a difference in philosophy, in morals and other abstracts. I doubt I can convince you of the need for intervention, much as you will not likely convince me to leave them sovereign. What I would propose is this; a full conference, between the Confederation, the True Imperium, the Commonwealth, and the leaders of those unafiliated worlds, to discuss their fate, which affects us all. I feel such an important issue cannot and should not be resolved by two people in an office."

It was a rather good offer, Anisimovna thought, and it elevated responsibility beyond her shoulders. The best part was that it rang true in her own heart, such a rarity of modern diplomacy. She believed such a massive, sweeping policy should not be decided by the two of them. At home, such a broad change in policy would have to go through Parliament, the democratically elected representatives of the populace. It was simply not her place to decide the fate of so many people. It was, however, her place to discuss how to defeat the Dominion.

"With regards to your second point, Grand Marhsall, well, where to begin. The Musashi Empire is a tempestuous place; none of us could of anticipated Ryu Yammamoto would disown his own daughter for her negotiations with yourself. That is simply not how things work in the Commonwealth. I have been granted Confidence of the Crown. That means my government trusts me implicitly. Such a privilidge is not granted lightly, and unlike the Musashi, we value the value of our integrity. Now, as for Faust," Anisimovna's smile gleamed as she said it, "we are proposing a full military alliance. Not a mere defence pact, but rather integrated command and control of our respective fleets and war staff, with the objective of defeating Faust. I am not a military strategist, but I have been briefed on our top level plans. Simply put, it all depends on the Varangians. If they choose to involve themselves in a Imperium-Commonwealth-Confederacy vs Dominion-Musashi conflict, we would leverage our relations with the Alorians, and crush the Varangians in a two pronged assault. Should the Varangians stay neutral, the Commonwealth would fully commit to engaging the Dominion on its western frontier. Now, I must emphasize that I am not a military strategist, but I understand the Admiralty Board would releasee 14 of our CSC's for offensive operations. Does this plan pique your interest, Grand Marshall?"

Uther pushed a glass of water towards Anisimovna, "You better drink some of this after all of that." he said jokingly, "Thinking on your selling comments, I am confident that something along those lines would be beneficial but I still must stand by one stipulation, that any current action against the Unaffiliated systems is ceased. I know you feel we have moved past that issue but I must put my foot down regarding it. Unless that term is met and carried out by your government, I cannot agree to any such alliance, even if it is in the face of such a tyrannical empire like the Dominion."

"The main different between Faust and myself is the presence of eithics, ones that afford him a simple, narrow mindset that all is under his boot, all is to be crushed, no matter how large or small. Whereas my nation believes in honoring the sovereignty of any free nations. My own interdiction and more or less integration of the second Imperium into the core is due to a series of complex verbal and written pacts between not only lawrence and myself but with the two respective governments." He paused, taking a deep breath. "So there you have it, my stipulation. End the crusade into the unaffiliate space and gain an ally in this inevitable war."

Anisimovna sipped the water appreciatively. What did she dare commit her country to? How important were the unaffiliated territories? How imminent was the threat of Faust? She thought carefully over her next words.

"Grand Marshall, I'm sure you're aware of the...delicate domestic situation at home, since the Dubrovnik strike. We have spent decades building up our population's morale for this so called 'crusade', and it will not easily be diverted. What are your thoughts on a two year 'cooldown' period. The Commonwealth will intervene in progressively less territory each month of those two years. This will give us the time to, ah...re-allocate our citizens' fervor, and stabilize our domestic situation."

Uther nodded, "While it is hard for me to acknowledge Dubrovnik as anything but a retaliatory strike, I can say I am sorry for the innocent lives lost on both sides. That said, I can agree to a 'cooldown' period but the majority of the nations within that region that have not yet been touched by your forces shall remain untouched. Your people deserve what they would consider justice, regardless of the attrocities both sides have committed. I know that just pulling from a situation can be just as disasterous for a government than commiting to one." He rose from his chair and extended his hand, "If you can meet those conditions, then the Imperium will stand beside you in defense of our standing, not newly implied borders."

Anisimovna thought intensely for a moment. The two year cooldown should give Telemachus enough time to divert the population's attention. And there was always the vast unclaimed reaches of space to the galactic west. But should she push Uther, knowing how tenuous his situation was? That was the question. But ultimately, the Commonwealth wished to secure his help, not his hostility. Then it was decided. "Very well, Grand Marshall. These terms are acceptable. Let us hope that together we can halt Faust's insanity."

Era of Succession(Closed)

Strange Times

Strange indeed, At least that was what Morinth thought when the priority message symbol appeared on her communicator device. She stared at it with a piqued brow before slipping into the shadows. Confident that there was no one around, She pressed a few buttons and finally a voice verification. The Device, appeased with her entries, shown a simple message that left her breathless. "Trinity is in play." Her breathing was slightly heavy with anticipation as she crouched down and activated a map display of the galaxy. Faust had his generals uploading the plan in real time.

To make matters worse, an appended message had a report of the Executus dead aboard a derelict Dominion cruiser, well within Imperium space. There was no body recovered but merely a few personal affects and the ships partially destroyed logs showing that he was infact on the bridge at one point. Morinth knew a formal declaration of war may or may not be announced, as she knew that Uther would try his hardest to dispute Faust's assumptions, He would want an investigation. Faust would want blood.

"Rong, I need your help." Morinth said after locating Rong in her room.

Kau Rong was sitting seiza style in the middle of her room, her eyes closed. She gave no indication of recognizing Morinth's presence. For a full minute the room remained in silence before Rong gave a long sigh and opened one eye to regard Morinth.

"I'm afraid you'll have to seek aid elsewhere" Rong said before closing her eye again.

"Why?" Morinth replied, in the most innocent tone she could muster.

"I still recognize Yuki-hime as my master" Rong said without opening her eyes. "This leaves me in something of an awkward position. I have a choice to make; neither option I can see before me now would allow me to be of help to you."

Morinth folded her arms, "Rong, how do you know that?" She said simply.

Rong let out a long sigh before answering. "I will either be here, doing what I can to see her will be done even after she is gone, or I will attempt to rescue her from her fate. Neither choice leaves me any wiggle room. Of course" Rong let herself smile "You could just tell someone in the Imperial Court about this conversation and have me arrested for treason."

"Is blackmailing you the only way I can get you to come along?" She said with a faint smile. "Your imperal court could have you carry out Yuki's wishes... Or.." She lowered her arms and knelt in front of Rong, placing a small silver disk on the ground. From it two very clear images appeared, one was from a Dominion probe taking clear images of Yuki's Fleet arriving at earth and the other, taken directly from one of the an orbiting cruiser, showed an extremely clear image of Yuki inside a fighter.

"Or you could save her."

Rong opened her eyes as Morinth placed the silver disk on the ground, raising an eyebrow as it began to show images of Yuki and her fleet. "It almost sounds like you would be willing to lend me a hand in doing just that. You realize that should your involvement in any such rescue attempt be discovered that it would become an international incident, right?"

Morinth smiled from ear to ear and with a genuine laugh, "Shit, I'm an walking international incident." Her smile gradually faded, "So what do you say? Shall we get outta here and save your princess?"

Rong let a wide grin spread across her face as she said "Alright. If you help me save Yuki-hime I'll pull you out of whatever fire you've managed to get your ass into. Just give me a moment to grab my things." She slowly rose to her feet, walking over to a corner of her room where a pair of bags had been discretely placed behind a table. She tossed one to Morinth before grabbing the other and walking to the other side of the room. "I was pretty much already ready to head out anyways." She commented as she walked over to an armoire, opening it to reveal a large number of weapons, many of them of the melee variety. She stuffed as many of them as she could into the other bag before turning to Morinth and asking "Shall we head out?"

Leaving Musashi wasn't easy for even Morinth's prized stealth ship, the Avalon, as military presence around the region were active. once done though, the southern core imperium was rather sparse save the massive out facing sensor arrays, which were easily passed by her ship.

After a mere three days of travel, the two were once more awoken from their slumber, something detected on the long range scanners. Rather than an SOS this time, it was an imperial signal beacon. One of the missing black boxes from the battle that ended the executus' life.

Morinth once more rolled out of her pod onto the floor.

She felt a chill across here near naked body. It didn't deter her from cursing at the ship's AI for ruining a nice dream. "I seriously need to adjust the priority settings on this system." She said casually before taking a seat and with a few simple console commands, Rong pod was set to open.

As Rong began to thaw out it became clear that something was wrong. She immediately began to hyperventilate. A sheen of sweat quickly covered her body and she began to toss and turn. Underneath her closed eyelids her eyes were rapidly moving.

At first, Morinth didn't notice the alert but after a long awaited yawn, a red blinking light caught her eye. Morinth shot up and started to run, getting her tank top caught on the one of her chair's bolts, pulling her back a few steps. Without any regard to the chair or her attire, she quickly rose, leaving the chair, and her top behind. Perhaps more awkward was her arrival at the pod, nearly plastering herself against the glss for a moment as she stretced for the manual release.

A cloud of white vapor rushed out as the door opened. She then pulled Rong out by her ankles, dropping her on the floor with a rather loud thud. The impact woke her up, her eyelids moving to reveal eyes that seemed unable to focus on anything. She seemed to stare at nothing before forcing her eyes closed, her hands reaching out towards Morinth. She opened and closed her mouth a few times as if to speak, but seemed unable to get a word out between rapid gasps for air. Instead she contented herself to grabbing onto Morinth as if she was holding on to save her life.

Morinth did not refuse but rather embraced Ring, her face showing nothing but concern for her comrade. "It's ok." She whispered, trying to get a grasp on what was happening. After a few moments of nothing short of cradling, Morinth gazed upon Rongs face, looking for any sign of calm.

Rong took a few deep breaths before forcing herself to at least assume a facade of calmness. "How..." She took another deep breath before asking "How long was I asleep?" She almost sounded scared to ask the question, her voice quivering.

"Its been maybe three or four days.." She said while still gently yet awkwardly petting Rong's head.

"Ok...ok" By now Rong seemed to be genuinely calming down. "I'm okay." She took another deep breath, a shiver shaking her entire body as she let the breath out. "I... thank you Morinth-dono. I apologize for showing you such an unbecoming display." A slight blush tinted her cheeks. She tilted her head as if to look at Morinth's face, despite not opening her eyes, as she asked "What happened? Four days isn't enough time to travel to Earth."

There was a moment of silence while Morinth contemplated what to say,

especially after considering the fact Rong was still laying against her bare chest. "I.." She paused and took a deep breath, "Four days with that distance? We'd have to be travelling a thousand times the speed of light!" She said as a vain attempt to lighten the mood.

"Mmmm.... Yea." Rong paused for a moment before asking "Why don't you have a shirt on?"

Morinth blushed that she had indeed been caught. "When you didn't wake up, I rushed down here. I may or may not have gotten... Stuck... On something."

Rong let out a soft chuckle. "Or you could be a nudist..." She grinned for a moment before asking "Seriously though, what are we doing out here in the middle of Remnant space?"

"Well, we were travelling slower anyway due to it being imperium space, and then.. Just like old times, the computer detected a black box and pulled us from light speed. Seeing as it is imperial, I'm considering just saying fuck it." She sighed as she looked down upon her, "But this is where the Executus was killed."

"Hmmm... Oh. James Conrad-dono, correct? A pity, he seemed like such a pleasant person." Kau Rong contemplated the situation for a moment. "Honestly I'd prefer if we just keep going. Every second that we are delayed increases the odds that Yuki-hime will be on her way back to Musashi in chains. But if you feel it necessary to obtain that block box..."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for that. we have far more important matters than investigating the dead. If you do not mind though, can we at least pick it up?" Morinth replied.

"Yes. Yes of course." Rong pulled away from Morinth. "Why don't you go on ahead. I'll join you at the... uh bridge in a bit. Ok?"

Morinth stood up and nodded before looking around for a top. After finding one and sitting back at the bridge, she maneuvered the Avalon over the box and retrieved it with outboard clamps. Satisfied, she started plotting a course for earth. "What a day." She said while propping her feet up on a console.

"You sure its okay to put your feet on that?" Rong asked as she stepped onto the bridge. She stood near the entrance, resting her wait on the sheathed katana she was using as a cane of sorts. Even though her eyes remained closed there was a sense about Rong that she was still somehow perfectly aware of her surroundings. "It wouldn't be funny if the ship's reactor was purged because you accidently pressed a button with your foot."

Morinth did a double take after noticing Rong calling her out with closed eyes, "What how.. nevermind.. Crazy psionic." She said while lowering her feet. "Alright. Well we have passed Vern's Expanse so I'm confident we can make good time now."

With a few simple key presses, the aft of the ship began to glow a bright white before disappearing into light speed.

Rong chuckled as she made her way to a seat. "Back in ancient Japan ninja where believed to possess actual magic" She commented as she sat down. "I suppose psionics are a product of science, but you know that saying: something something indistinguishable from magic." She shrugged. "Hmm.... If it makes you feel better you can think of me having a bat's echolocation or an eel's electrolocation. Its not quite right... but they are close enough I suppose."

Morinth chuckled, "There were stories of heroes using nothing but sound to find and kill their foes. Guess that's one more thing for our enemies to worry about." She went to a straight face and turned to Rong, staring her deep in the eyes. "Don't lie to me. Are you ok?"

"It's nothing to be concerned about" Rong said. "I always pull through." She had yet to open her eyes, but she still turned her head towards Morinth and gave her a small smile. "Because there is no alternative."

"Its nothing to be concerned about my ass.." Her look of disappointment would be obvious to the truly blind. "You were laying in my arms, pale as snow like you were going to die. That's not a 'I always pull through' situation."

Morinth just shook her head. "I said not to lie to me."

"It was just a nightmare. A moment of weakness." Rong said with a shake of her head. "I've... dealt with it before and I'll deal with it now. I just have to keep moving." She huffed before adding "So I didn't lie."

"I suppose you didn't." Morintb said with a fake chuckle. "So when my kid.." She paused, "so what nightmare could possibly send one to near death?"

Rong turned away from Morinth, letting silence fill the room. Finally she answered "Have you ever woken up, only to find that Everyone you knew was gone? That the world you lived in had changed to something so... alien that you felt out of place? It was that kind of dream."

Morinths cheeks grew red and the early signs of tears were showing. Luckily for her, Rong couldn't see her insecurity. After a couple seconds to regain composure, she presented a calm answer, "I can understand how that would shake someone. But even emotional weakness from things like Cryogenic sickness doesn't give people reactions like that."

"Its called stasis sickness in Musashi" Rong stated, "And its been known to cause panic attacks, temporary blindness, and worse." She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. "It's... nothing to be concerned about." She squinted at Morinth for a moment before letting out a soft sigh and closing her eyes again. "They gave me what is basically magical powers, yet they didn't bother to make me immune to stasis sickness." She gave her head a small shake at that thought. "Ridiculous."

A wide smile stretched across Morinths lips, "Fucking space ninja wizards." She huffed, "And then what do I get? Nothin'." Her attention turned back to the console and pressed a button bringing up a holographic display. "We have long range sensors locked on Sol. Still about a days flight out, I'd offer another round in the sleeper pod but I doubt you'd be up for that."

"Hmm... yea. I think I'll pass" Rong said. "And what do you mean you got nothing? That armor of your's puts main battle tanks to shame!" She flashed Morinth a smile. That smile quickly faded away as she commented "I doubt my psionics were worth the price anyways."

Morinth shrugged, "Thanks, though I don't need armor to put a battle tank to shame!" she said with a smirk. "But that leaves me with one worry, are you sure you'll be up to what ever is about to happen? I seriously cannot have you dying or some shit on me again." She pat the console a few times, "This baby is better than any fighter out there but there are fleets blocking us, we can't rely on technology alone."

"I haven't failed before" Rong stated, "and I don't intend to start failing now. When it is time I'll be ready to go. I promise." She paused for a moment before asking "So just how many fleets are blocking us by the way?"

"Enough to warrant caution." Morinth said, "Hey, so it's rather obvious that you have this psionic stuff as did the Executus, and he was fuckin' crazy. His dreams were probably of taking foreign women hostage and ruling the galaxy with an ignorant fist. What sort of dreams could possibly send you down a road like that?" She gazed back at Rong, "It's been well documented in the Dominion that Psionic folks had higher potential of madness, a reason that Faust never really trusted them."

"Is it terribly surprising that an individual who can alter the physical world with her mind and peer into the minds of others is liable to lose touch with reality?" Rong asked. She shrugged. "I can't say whether your Executus was insane or not; you clearly knew him better than me. What I can say, however, is that the type of insanity you described, kidnapping women and conquering the galaxy, is one that stems from an evil mind not one possessing psionic abilities. Also... thanks for implying I'm crazy."

Morinth frowned, "I never meant to imply that but after thinking about it, I sure did. I'm sorry." A deep sigh followed, "I've had to deal with Psionic users before and more often than not it didn't turn out pretty. But I'm not persecuting you or your abilities, I am more so worried about what I saw. About how a waking dream could prompt such fears."

"A dream about something so dangerous as being truly alone. I hate to constantly relfect upon my own life but it's the only real experience I have, and I can honestly say I woke up and my world was different. It's something I really haven't shared with anyone except Faust, who was there when it happened." Morinth said grimly.

"Do you still feel alone?" Rong asked.

She looked about and then glanced at her rusted pendant. "I do."

Silence filled the room for a minute before Rong spoke up. "Let me tell you a story... to pass the time. So a long time ago there was a young girl, born and raised by an aristocratic family in Musashi. But this was no normal girl. Back then, as is still the case today, many in the aristocracy would genetically engineer their kids to have powerful psionic abilities. That way they could have the pretiege of having a child who was in the special forces."

"This girl, like so many others, never truly had a choice in the matter. It was determined before she was born that she would become a kunoichi. Her childhood was one of almost nonstop training. Her parents were determined that she would be the best. And they succeeded. By the time she was old enough to enlist she already a skilled warrior. She was so skilled in fact that it was determined that it would be a waste to utilize her talents in an era such as she was raised in."

A humorless smile spread across Rong's face before she asked "So do you want to know what they did?"

As Rong spoke, Morinth leaned towards her, clearly interested. "So, genetially engineered for military purposes? That's rather harsh to me. Did the children ever have a choice?"

"You bombard someone with a certain message enough and they'll eventually buy into it. And the younger they are the easier it is to get them to buy into it. 'It is your destiny to serve your country.' 'You exist to become a kunoichi.' 'This is the only existence worth living.'" Rong shrugged. "Were there some that resisted what their parents wanted? Probably. I suspect they had a harsh life ahead of them. It was better to serve in the military for a few short years and become a full member of the aristocracy. At least that's what many of them told themselves."

"Wow." Morinth said plainly, "That's incredible, fanciful.. I never thought something like that to actually exist." She shook her head, "So that skilled warrior, what did they do to her?"

"Hmm... Well not all eras are the same." Rong continued. "Some are peaceful. Others are marked with wars. And on top of all this the number of aristocrats who wanted to create superior children differed from era to era. This could all result in surpluses and shortages of shinobi and kunoichi. So what does a country do when it finds itself with a surplus of warriors? It takes the best and preserves them for the next shortage. Unsurprisingly the girl found herself to be among those who were to be preserved."

Morinth piqued a brow. "And when the next shortage happened, obviously they would be woken up. That does not apply solely to this girl though, What makes this one so different from the others?"

"Poor luck and circumstance." Rong answered. "You see there's something of an unofficial rule that once a person has been thawed out from a long period in stasis that that person is not put into stasis again. Its... partly ethical" She spoke the word ironically, "and partly in an attempt to prevent especially bad cases of stasis sickness. Unfortunately for the girl this 'rule' was conveniently forgotten. And she was put into stasis again." Rong paused for a moment before continuing. "Twice. Twice the girl woke up to find herself in an alien world."

There was another moment of silence as Morinth leaned forward to peer down the main hallway of the ship, one that ran right through the sleeper pods. "So I suspect this girl waking up in an alien world would be truly unsettling." She gazed towards Rong, "Though from how this girl's story sounds, the second time this girl awoke, things weren't quite as different?"

"You would think" Rong answered. "But they were quite different. The first time she awoke, the girl was one of many. Many of those who awoke with her were from the same era and those from other eras at least shared the experience with her. This was not the case the second time around. When she awoke that time she knew no one. And there was no one who had experienced what she had. No, she alone had had to go through that twice. But that isn't even where the story ends. Because once again a combination of luck and circumstance would have the girl put into stasis for a third time."

Morinth clasped her hands, "So what kept her from being put into stasis a fourth time? A military conflict? It'd be a true asset if this warrior was as grand as you stated."

"Maybe the girl is doomed to be put into stasis again." Rong said with a shrug. "Perhaps that's just her fate. Or perhaps she'll be determined to be too broken, too spent, to bother using again."

"Using again.." Morinth said, "I must ask again then, what truly made this girl so important as to be reused and then declared broken. It's quite difficult to break someone, especially if their life made them tough."

"It was just a single decision made by a man long dead." Rong said. "And the rest was an unintentional series of connected events." Rong opened her eyes and looked at Morinth. This time they focused on the other woman. "There was no real intent or malice behind these events." She shrugged. "No focus even. Just a ripple effect that continues to haunt that girl."

Morinth smiled at Rong, "So, What would it take for that girl to be relieved of this burden?"

Rong shrugged. "Perhaps I'll tell you the rest of the story another time. So what can you tell me about the situation around Earth? Anything new?"

There seemed to be a generally feeling of unease in the small bridge, at least to Morinth. "Well, Hmm." she said, pondering if she should learn more about the story but it was clear that time would force delay. "Earth seems to be in distress, imperial ships and Dominion ships are flooding the system. Something is strange here." She said while adjusting their trajectory on a holographic display. "We will be exiting near Mars. And we have been pinged by quite a few sensors."

"Doesn't sound odd to me." Rong stated. "Isn't Earth a war-torn world? What do you find strange?"

"Earth itself is war-torn, but space has been calm for at least a century. This is an actual military build up. We have to get to Yuki fast if we are to figure this out before.. well, shit hits the fan." Morinth replied, easing back on the throttle. The display showed a rapid decrease in speed before planets began to appear and one by one they passed beyond the speed of light until finally reaching the red planet.

But time was running out for the princess as Rong and Morinth were still so far, while the forces of the Dominion and Imperium were destined to clash over the blue planet.

Era of Succession(Closed)

@6slyboy6

I no longer expect a post from you!

Era of Succession(Closed)

Core Imperium

Dominion Warship, Axcavear,





It had not been but one day since leaving the nation of Musashi, a trip that was to be long and arduous as the Excavear travelled with its precious cargo, the Executus James Conrad. The bright azure blue lights of the engines made little impact upon the vast emptiness of space. This space was even more so empty, the old space lanes that were once bristling with activity was now a secret passage between the nations. Through the ship, crew members came and went as time just seemed to creep by.



The Silence was broken when James had been signaled by the ships captain, a young male named Captain Dirk Persing. "Executus, please excuse my interruption but I would be most honored if you joined my officers and I aboard the bridge."



James rather confused by the Capitan but had agreed to go. Having been somewhat shaken by the princess earlier he headed toward the bridge unsure of what was to come.



Inside the bridge sat a collection of officers, all watching their various displays. The Captain however was standing, staring out of the bridge. As the door opened, the entire bridge staff, as always, rose to salute a senior officer. "Ah! Executus. It is a pleasure to see you. I was weary that you may or may not be comfortable from your real lack of interaction over the past day."



James returned the salute back to the crew allowing them to get back to work before he focused his attention on the captain "I'm always comfortable in the company of Dominion loyalists forgive me though I'm not a social man." As James walked closer towards the captain "Now what did you want that you requested my presence up here?" He said as he raised an eyebrow curiously.



"Well, Sir, I have been detecting various sensor glitches, and our port engine operating at low performance for the last hour. I was debating on whether to attempt to dock at an Imperial shipyard as there is a port in the nearest system. Although it does bring us far off course. With your presence, I wanted to defer to your judgement."



"Captain, if something horrific were to happen without checking out the problems would there be time to fix it in space or do you truly believe the best course of action is to head to an Imperial Shipyard?" He asked as he looked out into the vast space.



The Captain shook his head. "If we were to shut our engines down, we would have to wait at a minimum of a day for them to cool down if we were to fix it ourselves. Docking at the shipyard could take far less time but given the tension that exists between our two nations.. I thought it wise to ask you."



James thought about it for a moment "Captain, how long do you think we have until we'd desperately have to deal with he engine?" he turned around to face him.



"Sir, that is the unknown we are dealing with. It could be fine for the next fifty years or it could break down before we even make another light-year. This is a situation where a diplomat would have to make that call as we are not in friendly territory."



James began to nod slowly "Very well bring us to the nearest Imperial Shipyard we need to get our sensors fixed anyways. Is that all captain?"



"Yes sir, thank you sir. I will inform you once we arrive." He said with confidence before issuing orders. Things seemed to calm down now as the crew resumed normal function. Ahead in space all seemed quiet once more until once again, James would be forced into a decision.



The sensors officer turned towards the conn "Captain! incoming Imperial ships, Three Ganymedes on a direct intercept course, they will arrive within moments. Nearest Dominion ships are in excess of ten days out."



Persing ran his fingers across his chin, "This could turn into a incident real fast sir, This is a warship, not a diplomatic vessel. What are your orders?"



"Hail the command ship let's see if they're open to chat." James smiled



"No response. We have them on long range view." the sensors officer replied, Persing turned to him, "Show it on screen."



The Image was not what anyone would expect nor want. The three vessels were travelling at flank speed, one still leaking plasma fire and another missing one of its side bays. "Sir.. what are your orders." Persing said, confused.



James began rubbing his chin confused "Seems like the three ships were damaged from a fight the question is who did they fight. Us or something else. Keep the shields up and continue hailing them for a response but press forward to the Imperial Shipyard."



The sensors officer turned his head, "This is the Dominion warship Axcavear to command, We are currently in a situation with three Imperium warships on an direct intercept course. Requesting any assistance.." He repeated the message before leaning back, "Well, that's it. Comms are jammed. Hopefully the message got out."



Persing stood up, offering the captains chair to James. "Alright, go to red alert. all shields and weapons to full." Klaxons sounded across the halls and with discipline and precision, crews did not panic but hurried to their designated positions.



As the Imperium ships drew closer, they showed no intent of slowing down and when they reached shortwave range, the Sensors officer turned to James, "They are broadcasting an SOS, stating that the station has been destroyed. It appears they.." The captain interrupted, "Magnify behind the Imperium ships.. Oh... my." he said, seeing an image that sent fear to his very core.



The Horde had arrived.



James ignored the seat and instead walked closer toward the wide view screen. "Captain, looks like we'll have to hope the engine will be fine. Plot a new course for Dominion space. Draw power from the weapons if needed but keep the shield on standby we'll leave the Remnants for those beasts."



"Yes sir." Persing said before issuing the orders. As power flooded the damaged engine, the entire ship began to shake. In engineering, the lead officer yelled, "no no no!!" as fuses began to short. "Damn." he said as engine three burnt out.



"Captain, this is Engineering. Our FTL drive is gone."



Persing took a deep breath, "Fine. Hail the Imperium ships, they wont make it as the horde ships are moving too fast. All crews man battle stations, as if they haven't already.."



Turrets aimed towards the barely visible horde ships as the three imperium ships took up position near the Axcavear. There was an dreadful silence across all three ships as the miasma of blood thirsty foes drew upon them. "Executus, Any advice?"



"Find the command ship, and if possible fire everything at it. Aside from that I hope everyone here was able to make final good byes." James then looked on as the horde drew ever closer.



The Captain stood tall with his fists clinched against the oncoming swarm. "Link our battle net with the Imperiums. Launch all fighters, load all torpedo tubes with wide area photon warheads. If we do fail here, it will be written that we took as many with us as we could."



It was as if the entire crew was thinking along with the Captain as fighters were already launching as he gave the order and soon thereafter the Imperium ships had launched theirs. "Keep all ships in defensive formations. Fighters target enemy strike craft and munitions. We will wear them down."



Less than thirty minutes later, the first shot was fired from the lead Imperium cruiser. The heavy Kinetic round flew into the darkness of space, failing to strike a target but completely disorienting various horde warship. The shot did its job as it forced the Horde into battle formations early, giving the Four ships a general idea of what all was coming their way.



As the Horde drew closer, large battleships opened their main guns in large volleys, sending shells right through the Allied ships battle lines. There were no hits as the distance between the ships enabled defensive movement. Even though the chance for a hit was low, The Allied ships returned the fire in kind, launching a volley of kinetic shots at high velocity into their lines.



An hour of cat and mouse seemed to go on as both sides lobbed heavy munitions back and fourth. A couple lucky hits struck Horde vessels as their formations were much tighter than the Allies Four ships. It was a true staring contest as both sides tested the mettle of the other with long range attacks.



The third hour was when the Horde blinked first, rushing a mix of fighters and light frigates directly towards the Allied ships. The Allied Excelsior and Trident fighters turned to an aggressive posture but did not fly off to engage, rather they targetted the incoming fighters with their longer range precision weaponry.



There was a awkward silence and anticipation as the two navies drew close but was rudely awakened as the order was finally given, "Fire! Engage Engage!"



As if they needed motivation.



All around the Four Allied ships, bright lights flickered as the many weapons fired into the horde lines, striking and destroying countless fighters and a large number of frigates. Not a single fighter reached the Allied ships lines, prompting the Horde to launch yet another wave.



Six hours into the battle, The fighters had finally met the Horde in combat, bright streaks of light darted all around the four ships as the defending fighters did their best to halt the destruction caused by the Horde strikevcraft. The Capital ships let loose in massive volleys, long range flak rounds outside the defending fighters range, as sort of a long distance shield and up close, rapid fire precision auto-guns and point defense lasers picked off ship after ship.



The Enemy frigates were smart and stayed just outside the lines where torpedoes were of any effect. and instead utilized mid range kinetic weaponry that for the most part were bounced from the four ships impressive shielding.



It had been seven hours of hard fighting before the Horde ships retreated to their long range lines. The damage they had done was irreparable though, the already heavily damaged Ganymede was dead in the water and taking direct hits from the long range shots. The other Allied ships did their best to deflect the incoming rounds but there were too many for them to absorb and with a flash that rivaled a star, the engine drive of the first exploded.



Fires rushed through the ship at such speed that it was impossible to escape. It was a sad day when nearly two thousand men and women died in a heart beat. It seemed that this was a beacon for the Horde as once again they rushed in, but as quickly as they rushed, they fell back. It was a test to see how much the ships had left in them. Persing was smart about it and refused to launch his still re-arming fighters. Giving the Horde no information.



Twelve hours, Twelve entire hours of long range slugging seemed to have no foreseeable end. The Engineers worked frantically to restart the drive core to enable escape but once more, the Horde struck and this time.. they brought their big guns.



Fighters dived and dodged while ships rolled off any conceivable axis as the three ships entered a knife fight with the enemy heavy ships. Point blank shots with the heavy range guns did tremendous damage, as the first shot blew open one of the Ganymedes side bays. Shot after shot was absorbed or bounced by shields on the Axcavear but time was running out, as strong as it was, it was only time before the heavy shots would bring its defenses down.



Thirteen hours in, the Dominion ship had taken considerable damage, secondary plating had failed across many decks while the engineering bay had more or less vented into space by a well placed particle weapon. By the fourteenth hour, there were no more Allied fighters and the now two remaining ships were barely clinging to life. Worse though is that horde reinforcements had arrived and were entering the situation, with one ship being of an class equal to a Titan.



A perfect blast from the titans' main gun send the last Ganymede in half, with the aft end flying rapidly backward and the fore in a quick roll. Persing, now bloodied from an explosion that had sent the bridge crew to the floor earlier sounded across the ship, "All hands. All hands. Attention, Abandon shi-" Before he could finish, a well placed shot rocked the entire bridge crew to the ground again, killing over half from concussions.



"Executus, any last orders? is there anything we can do?" Persing said, watching as escape pods launched, only to be picked off by fighters and frigates that were now circling the drifting Dominion warship.



James barely heard the captain as he looked out into the open battle field before turning around "Well escape doesn't seem as much of an option. Try and hail the horde command ship and if our engines are online have the ship advance to the enemy fleet as fast as possible." James then turned around "At least make it your last order before you head to an escape pod." James narrowed his eyes into the horde fleet.



The Captain shook his head in desparation, "Our engines are offline and comms are out.. and if you haven't noticed, they are shooting our escape pods, they are relentless bas-.." He couldn't continue as his last gasp for air was followed a cold silence. There were few left alive aboard the ship as those who saw the pods launching were smart enough to not join them.



The massive horde ship completely overtook the Dominion cruiser, drawing a blanket of pure shadow upon it. The awe was cut short as various energy weapons cut the ships bow clean off, then the next section. Carving it into six distinct pieces. It seemed pointless to anyone but it was effective in killing all but those in the command super structure, which was rocked once more as massive clamps smashed into the sides of it. Glass shattered and air vented from sealed rooms and decks as the arms firmly held what was left of the Axcavear.



Knocking could be heard on the outer plates as well as the sound of metel being ripped open with heavy machines and high powred torches. The Dominion marines were taken completely off gaurd as the Horde warriors burst through the very walls. Then the heavy footsteps, clanking towards james.. until a pause and a loud huff was heard. There was various grunts before the main bridge door was slowly ripped open by giant claws.



There was nothing standing between this creature and the last Dominion life aboard the ship. A massive beast covered in tattoos and teeth dripping with anticipation. It growled, "One survived." Behind him, four Toxogondii snarled as they crept into the room.

James face clear of any expression turn around. "Indeed one did, though I suspect not for long." He said looking at the 5 beasts inside the room with him.

"Your lack of confidence does mirror your comment. Do you welcome death with such eagerness?"

James chuckled "You killed my crew, three other ships and a station at least I'm sure there were more. I'm just going off the facts. I'd love to live though that decision is up to you." James said as he narrowed his eyes on the leader.

The beast had no ability to smile, but if it could, there would definitely be one. "Pathetic" it said, now walking forward. The four Toxogondii lowered to all fours and climbed throughout the room, encircling James.

As James stood his ground as he looked around at the things "You're just going to kill a man who some how survived this entire thing and not even ask how?" James then looked back at the leader "I would think you'd be a little curious given that your battle tactics were equal if not better then the 4 ships that stood before you."

Bragga snarled, "No. I do not care." With that, he clinched his clawed fist and started heavily walking towards James. His right hand then reached to his waist where a one-handed Axe was positioned, it had obviously seen blood before as the blade was dark and stained, as well as chips in the edge as well.

"Tsk Tsk. Though if we are to fight. Can I trust that you'll honor me with one to one combat?" James said as he readied himself.

The Beast growled, "Honor is unimportant." it said before lunging with its clawed hand first, at the same time, two of the Toxogondii's reared and jumped towards James to attack, meanwhile, the other two crawled across the wall to achieve flanking positions.

As James dropped his form revealing his true alien self. Two of his arms held the claw away from reaching him. He used his pssonic power to pick up and throw equipment from the bridge at the two on the walls while he pulled the alien beast closer to himself as well as attempting to dodge the two behind him.

With James valiant efforts to throw off the first two Toxogondii successful, forcing them to dodge, the second two quickly recovered and shot back towards James. All the while though, James preoccupied with holding Bragga's one arm, was not able to defend against the other which held the Axe.

As the dust settled, Only Bragga stood and with an apathetic heart, he turned away. In space, the Horde reclaimed its many casualties and stripped many components of the Allied ships. Before long there were only husks of the once mighty warships. Only then did the Dominion fleet arrive, to see one destroyed Dominion ship along with three Imperial ones. All signs of the Horde being involved was long gone, only the realization that Fausts' second in command had died in combat.

This was a dark day indeed for the Galaxy as the seemingly calmed Faust was about to get a rude awakening.

Era of Succession(Closed)

Welp...ill join something else...because that's all I got...

@deathkiller

Sorry to see you go.

Best tip I can provide is to always be flexible in the future. One NS between many rp's will not always work.

as you've seen here.

So best of luck my friend! maybe I'll see you in another rp in the future.

Era of Succession(Closed)

@Monkeypants took, 8b hours...ill redo it

@deathkiller

Awesome, looking forward to what you make.

Era of Succession(Closed)

@Monkeypants Its from the Multiverse on roleplay gateway....a freeform NRPG....I made the skeleton myself.....but all the content took me hours to do...

@deathkiller

A tip for you, Always /try/ to follow the RP's character creation guidelines.

I know things take time but the sheets are created in such a manner to allow easy access to information. If I know all people have their important chars in one section of the ns, I can just go there without problems. Consistency ya know?