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The sudden shouting from Under-Exec startled Moraz'kul slightly. Before he responded, the Enkithrian muted his end and spoke with Terros over the comms. "Is it a necessity to work with the Var?" Terros nods. "Afraid so. They're quite instant on taking out the Kal-Xoris, too, and don't worry. No one's going to try anything, now that they know Ithus's true capabilities." Moraz'kul sighs, "I hope you're right." He switches on the commlink to both the Alpicanis and Respite. "Er-Admiral Elana, Captain Under-Exec. Welcome to the Mahayid System. The Sakoorans are already here, so you're the only ones left. The two of you are cleared to dock." Once the message was out, he switched off the terminal and turns back towards the Command platform. "That's the last of them. Well...here's to hoping this doesn't start another Interstellar war..."
Urqiukgem, ancestral homeworld of the Sakoorans and their Sa'koati ancestors. Once the home of the great city of Sa'koas, it was abandoned after Messiah Sayyedina and her Sa'koati followers left Eleris over two millennia ago. In the time that they'd left, the Sakoorans have morphed from religious pilgrims to a full fledged cultured society within their new home system. Their Padishah Imperium had made numerous technological advancements since then with the help of their new allies. However, many Sakoorans were curious about home.
The Hajra Burhani, a worshipper sect of the Burhan Faith worshipped by the old Sa'koati, have always held the belief that the promised land was a lie and that they needed to return to Urqiukgem. However, the current Allamah of Harja was skeptical that the Seruti System was under control of Altura Irōs, or any successor of the nation. Padishah Imperator Al-Khalifa, the current ruler of the Sakooran people, agreed to send a scouting flotilla to scout out Urqiukgem before the Hajra Mosque attempted a second exodus.
On the way to the Seruti System was a small Skiff, outfitted for long range exploration missions, sent out by the rest of the flotilla holding position outside of Eleris. Onboard the skiff was Prof. Amanda Ibrahim, a Sakooran female. She had short blonde hair, light skin, emerald green eyes, slightly pointed ears (like all Sakoorans) and stood at 6'5". With her on the ship was her assistant, Afzal Hannan, who had brown eyes, light skin, and dark red hair tied in a pony tail, and Hajra Chaplain Abd-Al-Munin, who had dark skin, red hair, and short curly black hair. All of them were in the Skiff's bridge, about ready to arrive upon Urqiukgem.
Afzal was the first to speak up. "Type B blue star, 7 planets in the system, 4 planet's the only one habitable, ringed with 2 natural satellites, it's an exact match."
"Can you believe it?!" Al-Munin said, with a tone of excitement in his voice. "We will be the first to see our Holy World since the Diaspora!"
Amanda nods. "That's assuming we'll make it there and back. Still, coming to the home of my ancestors..." Her train of thought was interrupted by the beeping of a consle. "Right, entering realspace in three...two...one!"
And with that, the Skiff emerged from the Outer right into orbit above Urqiukgem.
(Sorry, the guy's name is actually Edgar Kalnin, Under Exec is his title.)
"Alright, that's good to hear." said Edgar.
"Uh, Exec Kalnin, it's good to be meeting you." a hologram of Elana appeared on the bridge of Kalnin's ship, the VRN Kara Celvi. Kalnin gave a whistle "It's quite fine to be meeting you too Coregirl."
"Please keep this professional Exec Kalnin. I'm not here for you to give me compliments. Noticing the hologram showed her entire body, at which Kalnin was looking up and down, she shortened the parameters to show only her face.
"He, watch-ya hiding there?"
"Kalnin, please dock with the Sakoor vessel, we will meet inside the asteroid with the rest of our fleet. And keep your eyes above my breasts, Varreb, they aren't a piece of Blue-Burst."
"H-hey!" he said back
The hologram cut out.
"hmm, was I too forward?" He asked his crew. All he got was a few snickers, giggles, and head shakes. His crew was used to this.
---------------------
Interior of Ithus
With the ships of the Republic and Technocracy docked, their crews meet in a large clearing within the asteroid. The clearing had a massive fountain in the middle, made of gold and spewing blue-colored water. Around it were alien plants of every shade of color, small tables and benches were situated around the fountain as well for rest.
Away from the clearing, a gold and white hallway lead towards a massive conference chamber. Originally Ithus's secondary observatory, the entire room was converted into a War Room that house the command structure of the Twilight Hammer. Inside, banners of the Technocracy, Imperium, and Republic were hung from the walls, with two massive Twilight Hammer banners hanging next to a holographic Star Map of the Verma Cluster. At consoles around the room, officers from all three factions with the help of Enkithrian drones were processing data. The crew were lead through the room to a smaller conference chamber inside, a circular room with chairs and desks facing a holographic display of the Twilight Hammer's sigil. Next to the hologram was Moraz'kul, who looked upon the new arrivals. "Ah, Admiral Elana, Admiral Terros, Exec Kalnin. Welcome to Ithus."
Terros smiles. "Pleasure to see you again, Moraz. Where's the Forgemaster?"
"He's away on business. He left with Xoluck after we moved Ithus. I am to carry out the briefing in his stead. Now, please, sit. We have quite a bit to do." With that, Moraz'kul stepped on a panel, which dimmed the lights of the conference room and sealed it, putting it into presentation mode. Drones guided the commanders to their desks and patrolled the area to keep the peace.
The hologram then shifted to a map of the Azul system. "Now as we all know, about a month ago, a battle was fought in the Azul System, annihilating the Kal-Xoris fleet, killing the Lich, and glassing the surface of their homeworld. Ever since, their remaining commanders fled the Core Worlds of the Verma cluster. Their new Messiah, Hella, controls the Cult from an unknown location, presumably somewhere within or beyond the Frontier Systems. We don't have any means of tracking their whereabouts right now, but we might have a possible lead."
The map zooms in on Palamecia. "18 hours ago, Twilight Hammer Operatives captured an infiltrator posing as a merchant in Var Republic space. The infiltrator sadly did not survive the interrogation, but her ship logs reveal that the Cult has been working on the moon of Palamecia."
Terros raises a brow. "It wouldn't be probable for the Cult to maintain command operations in Azul following the quarantine, but I can't imagine any other reason they'd be there."
"Well, Admiral, judging from reports, Palamecia is home to two sentient races, and the recent warming of the moon has resulted in its Vir'tha crystal deposits beginning to liquify. I would have to assume they're planning on mining the Vir'tha and making new converts out of the natives."
"That just seems unreasonable. They should know by now we have eyes on that system," said Elana
"They probably never left," said Kalnin
"Elana raised her eyebrow, "We destroyed their capital planet, wrecked their weapon, and blew a third of their entire fleet to bits. What reason would they have to stay?"
"Nothing makes a better place to hide than a place that looks like no one would hide in. We used to do this back on Vara during my minning days as a kid, wreck-living we would call it. Make a Blue-Burst mine look abandoned, slowly smuggle some high-grade crude Blue-Burst out of there, then sell it to anyone who wanted it, bypassing all those pesky government restrictions back on Vara."
"You were born on Vara?" asked Elana
"Born and raised. I fled with the Free Navy after the end of the war on Vara, been living in the Yolan-3 system ever since," Kalnin responded. "But anyway, it makes sense what they are doing,' he continued "They are trying to make it look like the system is abandoned when in reality they are still working out of it."
"If they have any generals in that system, we could learn of their base of operations and mobilize against them. What do we know of the natives?" Terros asks.
Moraz'kul brings up two holographic images of humanoid like beings. "Well, we don't have names for them, but based from reports, they're both similar to some degree: tall stature, no eyes, white skin from an evolution in the dark, and a large head with a cavity used to create and pickup even the faintest sounds. One of the races is a bit more slender and thin, while the other is taller and bulkier, also with a slightly darker skin tone. We don't know why this is, but based off of pre-Great War records, it is possible these races were genetically engineered by the Enkithrian people prior to the fall of the Empire."
"Another bio-weapon the Enkithrians intended to release on eachother I'm guessing," said Elana "what about the refineries we saw on the surface, are any of theme still operational?"
"They probably moved underground," Kalnin interjected "If they want to keep this a secret, which it isn't anymore, there is no way they will use any of the installations on the surface. It's what we did during the war. All those old caves that were dug out bellow the original colonies on Vara we used fo storage and transport."
"Not to mention that's where most of the Vir'tha is, right below the surface." Moraz'kul stated. "Either way, we need to stop their operations on Palamecia. Destroy their refineries and turn the natives to our side."
Terros nods. "Alright. We should probably send a surveillance team to Azul to get a better view of the situation before we start deploying the Twilight Hammer forces. I'll call up a Ketch to transport us."
"Actually, I have a better idea." Moraz'kul interjects. "Over the course of several weeks, we have been putting together a new starship design, a combination of Sakooran Vermelly, and Enkithrian Technology based off of the Kal-Xoris bioships."
Terros raised a brow, rather concerned. "Bioships? Would it utilize Vir'tha?"
"It would, Admiral. However, do remember that while it is a volatile resource, the concept behind Vir'tha isn't fundamentally evil. In fact, it was originally used on Kal'oor to slowly restore its biosphere and construct colonies. Yes, the Kal-Xoris did weaponize it against us, but if used responsibly, and in very small amounts, Vir'tha can be a vital asset to our people."
"Hm . . . I think I'll take my own ship thank you. I've seen what Vir'tha can do," said Elana, her mind flashing back to the crude bioforms she had seen on Kal'oor.
Kalnin smiled in her direction "Aw, c'mon Elana. I'm sure the ship doesn't bite back, but if you won't take a seat on it I'll still go, maybe learn a little about this red goo yall keep talking about."
Elana Didn't want to get on that ship, remembering how Bio-ships had torn her fleet to shreds over Calumn only a few weeks ago and then the horrible monsters of Vir'tha back on Kal'oor. What she wanted even less, however, was the Var Republic to learn anything about Vir'tha. The Republic and the Technocracy might be making amends right now, but they were still rivals and enemies of Vermell.
"No, no . . . I'll go." she finally said.
"I would love to come with you guys." Terros remarked. "But I haven't been on a field operation in a while. As much as I hate it, I'd be better suited here, directing Twilight Hammer operations. Major Kylie Ibrahim will be representing Sakoor in my absence." He motions over to a toned built Sakooran female, with amber eyes, curly black hair, and a fair skin tone. She balls her hands into fists and crosses her wrists over her chest in the form of a Sakooran salute towards Elana. "Admiral."
Moraz'kul nods. "Very well. Terros, I'll brief you on current operations in the War Room." He looks over towards a familiar tripoded drone. "Carvier, take the Admiral, Major, and Captain to Hangar 5 to see the new prototype. I think they'll like it's design."
Elana and Kalnin got up from their seats at the meeting table, following the drone out of the large room and through a tall white corridor.
"Man, this place is huge, and far too bright," Under-Exec Kalnin said putting on a pair of white-rimmed sunglasses.
"What's with your eyes?" Elana asked
"Nothing but the fact that I was born on Vara," he said, "barely any light make's it through that planet's thick clouds. My eyes never got used to normal light levels."
"Hm, I have the same problem whenever I visit New Sakoor. That Bright Blue star of theirs burns both my skin and eyes when I'm there."
"Heh, Know you know how we feel."
The duo approached a large iron door, sliding open it revealed the new bio-ship.
(I'll let you describe the ship.)
The door opens revealing a bronze colored starship around the size of a ketch, sleek and bold in design. Her engines were already fired up as a docking ramp lead up to its airlock. The drone speaks in a low robotic tone. "We call it the Atlas, a stealth frigate with Vir'tha Augmentations. One of the fastest ships in Vermelly and Sakooran history." Major Ibrahim puts her hands on her hips as she examines the vessel from stem to stern. "May she stand as strong as our alliance."
(ship reference: http://www.tuvie.com/wp-content/uploads/spaceship-for-researcher2.jpg )
"Whooohohohoho! Now that is one hell of a ship!" said Kalnin "Sleaker than anything I've seen in our fleets."
"It is certainly a very . . . " a small glow of red emanated from between the ship's front panels before Elana could finish, a sign of the Vir'tha infused inside "a nice ship,"
Elana gulped, still not entirely OK with the idea of stepping into a bio-ship through her own accord. "What types of weapons does it have?" she asked.
"She has chain guns on the front, missile launchers near the middle section, and that weapon on the very front top is a proton beam, a weapon used by the Enkithrians eons ago." The drone says as it leads the three up. Inside, the ship's interior was a lot less foreboding, seeming to be a mixture of the luxurious Enkithrian design, sleek Sakooran design, and industrial Vermelly design. Upon entering, to the right was a door that looked directly into the cockpit, with two pilots at the helm of the red colored computer screens. To the left lead to the ships main hold, which included a star map, some furniture, and even a small galley.
"Well, this is certainly a nice mix of things," Kalnin said touching one of the strangely organic patters on the far walls.
"Has this ship been tested yet? We need to make sure we are taking our best to the Kal-Xoris." Elana asked.
"Several times, actually." The drone states. "The Forgemaster was very cautious with this ship utilizing Vir'tha as a resource." One of the pilots speaks up. "We're all fueled up and ready to go!"
"Very well." The drone remarks. "I wish you luck on your mission." The drone then departs as the airlock shuts and the engines get fried up.
"Alright let's get a move on. Oh, but first do you mind If we bring some of my crew on board? I never go anywhere without them." Kalnin said, "It'll just be 2 of my personal detail, a medic, and my new coms-officer." He pulled out a small glass phone, sending a request for the 4 crew members to join him.
"I could also bring a few of my guards." Elana stated.
Major Ibrahim nods. "Very well. We'll leave whenever you're ready, Admiral."
Iv'alus Maldoor, Palamecia, Azul System
Beneath the depths of the radiation-bathed surface of Palamecia lay airtight-sealed cave systems that went on for kilometers beneath the surface. Some of these caves were so massive, entire cities could be built within, which was exactly what happened in one of these caves. This massive city, known in its native tongue as Iv'alus Maldoor, was the beating heart for Palamecia's bulkier and larger natives. Massive spires of salvaged metal made up the buildings, many of which were strung with banners of the Kal-Xoris. Under the guidance of the Vir'tha-worshipping cult, these natives have begun to spread their influence around the networks, in a combination of lesser tribes forged into the 'Red Empire'.
The leader of this new Empire, a bulky built female known as Empress Atre'kona, made her way up the stairs of a balcony on the largest of these spires. Though she lacked the eyes of most humanoids, her cranial cavity detected her very benefactor right in front of her: Messiah Hella.
The Empress spoke in a raspy, witchlike voice. "The Ix-Corrino clan has refused the offer to join the Red Empire. We will not be able to access their Lifeblood reserves. We do not have the arms or manpower to face the Ix-Corrino. If you cannot spare the forces, then we will have to find another reservoir."
"Hu, it's funny to me," Hella said. She peered over the dimly lit caverns of Palamecia, natives toiled away in the dark caves, refining Vir'tha for her cause. Some light and warmth was provided by the small fishers and thermo-vents on the floor of the caves, giving the ecosystem below the surface needed energy from the moon's core. Hella looked back at the empress, her eyes glowing a bright red. "I have given you weapons and capabilities beyond any of the clans on this world, yet you are held back by a small tribe like the Ix-Corrino. Is it my belief that you underestimated the strength of these so-called crack-dwellers?"
The empress opened her mouth about to respond before Hella cut her off.
"No need to answer that question. We both know the answer. The pride of your race blinded you to the fact that others might be stronger than you." Hella stepped towards the empress, her hands on her hips and an annoyed frown on her face. "Don't worry, fellow child of the lifeblood, I once did the same. It cost our people and entire planet, howere its destruction gave this world a chance, warming it to a point where now, one day not far from now, your people may yet again live on the surface."
Hella put a hand on the empress's head, slowly tapping her fingers on it. The sensitivity of her cranial cavity made the taps feel like a punch on her brain. The empress winced, but Hella went no further. "You will have your troops. Just don't fail me."
"Very well, Messiah." The empress would've remarked on how Hella should not underestimate Ix-Corrino, but she did not want to press her luck. Besides, she had the forces now and soon the rivals would be theirs for the taking. She entered her throne room, which was no more glamorous or clean than the rest of the city. A hastily built 'throne' constructed from scrap and metal lay at the center of the dug out spire room. The Empress, formerly a slave, was all too familiar with these sights. However, it began to sicken her as the Kal-Xoris promised her prosperity, and yet all they have done is directed the Red Empire to do their bidding. As she sulked in her throne, Empress Atre'kona clicked towards her advisor softly, "When the Ix-Corrino are done for, prepare for war with the Kal-Xoris. The lifeblood will belongs to us."
Meanwhile, back outside, away from the Empress's earshot, a young and somewhat timid Xan made his way past the bulky natives and up towards the balcony where the Messiah was. He tucked away his datapad and spoke. "Lady Messiah, our sensors have detected an outer rupture nearby. The IFF recognizes it as a vessel of the Twilight Hammer. They know we're here."
"Ugghhhhhhh!" She groaned. "After having out planet destroyed and a full two-thirds of our fleet destroyed here, you would think the Dawn Hammer, Star Hammer . . . Twilight?" she signed "or whatever they call themselves, would maybe not suspect this system anymore."
"Well, It may have not been them. One of our undercover operatives was captured a few days ago, They may have somehow disabled her Vir'tha overdose injectors, taking her hostage."
"What should we do?" Xan asked.
"Something they won't expect," Hella said with a smile "A few orbital defence platforms are still in orbit around Kal,oor, right? Get one of them online and target the ship. Have the other set on a collision course with it."
"Yes my messiah," Xan said as he left.
Representative Anatolias nodded to the Vermelly official in agreement. “As I said before, I am Glafkos Anatolias,” he began. “I speak with the voice of Anassa Omonoia II of the Achaian League. In the last several galactic standard years, my Anassa has endeavored to make contact with whatever nations and civilizations might be surrounding the Achaian League, in the hopes of establishing lasting friendships with those who are most likely to interact with our people. The Verma Cluster is perhaps not an obvious candidate for the title of ‘neighbor’ to the League, given the considerable distance between our territory and your own, but the Verma Cluster’s position on the northwestern galactic arm means that Vermell’s future is of great interest to the Achaian League by default.”
Meanwhile, in orbit, the Atlas slipped out of the Outer. It's red glow slowly died down as it begun to orbit Kal'oor. The once beautiful planet teaming with life had been reduced to a molten hellscape, with the little vegetation left on the world soon to be consumed in the inferno. As the Atlas orbited the super planet, the Scourge Caldera, the massive flaming volcanic crater where the Black Scourge impacted the world. Major Kylie Ibrahim, however, felt no sympathy for the planet. She had seen pictures of its pre-Scourge surface, which reminded her too much of Calumn. She remembered the screeching of metal and the twisted Vir'tha bioforms clawing through her allies. The sight of seeing Vir'tha burn on such a massive scale pleased her.
"Approaching Palamecia." The female Sakooran pilot announced. Next to her was a Vermelly male co-pilot, who looked up as the irradiated moon of Palamecia came into view.
"Y'know. I talked with Moraz'kul yesterday." The Vermelly stated. "He said that Kal'oor's sterilization is slowly increasing the planet's magnetosphere and might allow Palamecia to maybe recover some of its atmosphere."
The Sakooran chuckles, "Hey, we might not be around to see it, but just imagine the bastion of our enemies becoming a vacation res-" However, before she could finish, her sensors lit up. "Wait a minute! We're getting locked on by an orbital platform above Kal'oor!"
The Vermelly looked over in shock. "I thought the Twilight Hammer disabled them all!?"
"Looks like the heretics brought them back online...by Khala, they've opened fire! Evasive maneuvers!"
(At Sakoor’s request, we’re starting again so that this meeting can take the new Sakooran history into account.)
Achaian Yacht Dancer, Belaros (Nova Archia) System, Verma Cluster, Tip of the Northwestern Galactic Arm
In the five standard years of Achaian interaction with the civilizations of the wider galaxy, the Void Fleets’ exploration teams had met with a number of successes, some greater than others. Achaian representatives had made long-lasting friendships with nations such as the Haban Conchordate, Onorus, Formerland, and the United Frontier Worlds. They had also met with representatives from nations such as Azurius, Grustan, and Marialas, where Achaian diplomacy came to nothing when the nation in question, newly revealed to the rest of the galaxy, fell into anarchy and irrelevance immediately thereafter. Achaian diplomats had rarely suffered an outright failure—though every new diplomat in training was taught about Paledros Anabainis’s disastrous meeting with the Jerns of Ingos Tenum—and so the League’s representatives had come to see the prospect of establishing contact with a soon-departed nonentity to be the biggest obstacles to their career advancement. Given the chances of even discovering a new civilization, would-be ambassadors understood how lucky they could be to find even a single nation out in the reaches of space; finding a second would be asking far too much.
Sivylla Peloponnisou had all but resigned herself to irrelevance as a result of those odds. The diplomat had been responsible for negotiating a friendship with the nation of Zuletzt, and the eagerness of that nation to establish ties with the Achaian League had boded very well for the ambassador’s career prospects. Zuletzt had requested and obtained reasonably-impressive Achaian investment to develop its space technology and industries that could bring profits from interstellar trade, and initially it seemed that those investments would bear fruit. Unfortunately, Peloponnisou herself had made it clear to the Megaron that Zuletzt’s expansionist and military ambitions were extremely concerning, and Anassa Omonoia had instructed her Commission, which was responsible for approving any and all international agreements between private Achaian companies and the xenoi of the Erviadus Galaxy, to be very selective about what kind of investment and trade would be permitted with the government of Zuletzt. Sure enough, the Zuletians turned their attention toward aggrandizing themselves in the eyes of their neighbors, Achaian investments slowed under the Megaron’s watchful eye, and the Zuletian government, which had apparently sunk its entire budget into projects that required Achaian cooperation, subsequently collapsed. Peloponnisou was recalled to the Megaron before the Zuletians could decide to treat her as a hostage. As far as the League was concerned, Zuletzt from that point on no longer existed; certainly it had made no further attempts to contact the League, via QEC or otherwise.
As a result, former-Ambassador Peloponnisou had been forced to bide her time, waiting for another opportunity to join an exploration team in the northwestern stretches of the galaxy and the space beyond. She was not confident of any success; however, even years of pointless exploration in uninhabited space would be better than sitting still on the Megaron, she thought—or rather, she hoped. As the months passed, Peloponnisou began to despair of getting a second opportunity to even depart from the Thrake System, as the improved range and capacity of the now-ubiquitous Nisaia-class carriers ensured that they very rarely had to return for resupply or reassignment. Only a few had arrived since Peloponnisou’s arrival on the Megaron, having discovered a new civilization and left their newly-named ambassador behind, but Peloponnisou had had to watch enviously as newly-trained representatives ahead of her on the assignment roster took their places aboard those precious few Nisaias and made their way out into the stars. At that rate of discovery, Peloponnisou believed, she would not be dispatched again for at least another year, and more likely two, by which time there was almost no chance that there would remain any more nations in the northwest to discover.
So Sivylla Peloponnisou was extremely surprised to be summoned to the Megaron’s hangars by order of the Anassa, where a Thrakian officer had handed her a written brief and ushered her onto one of the Anassa’s luxury yachts, which had become the primary diplomatic vehicle for those representatives with known destinations that had already been vetted as reasonably safe for Achaian travel. The Dancer had departed the Thrake System within the hour, and Peloponnisou had spent the next several weeks reviewing the brief that had been provided, as well as consulting via QEC with her colleagues already in the area of her destination: the Verma Cluster, home to the two nations of the Vermelly and the political capital of the formerly-nomadic Sakoor. With the introduction provided by Achaian diplomat Glafkos Anatolias, who had opened negotiations with the Technocracy of Vermell and had requested assistance to establish Achaian relations with the other nations of the region, Peloponnisou knew that the people of the Verma Cluster already expected further Achaian diplomatic interest. Her instructions were to meet with the Sakoor specifically, and see to it that they remained as interested in friendship with the Achaian people as the Anassa was interested in friendship with the whole Verma area.
As such, when the Dancer arrived in the Nova Archia System, Peloponnisou was already prepared to send a message of intent to the Sakoor authorities of the system.
“In the name of Anassa Omonoia II, the Biotian, supreme commander of the Void Fleets, and ruler of the Achaian League, I bear greetings,” she began. “I am Sivylla Peloponnisou, my Anassa’s representative. From my colleague Glafkos Anatolias, who has spoken to the government of the Technocracy of Vermell, my Anassa has learned of your Republic of Sakoor, and she desires that our two nations establish friendly ties with one another if at all possible. For that reason, I have come to meet with your government’s empowered representatives. Please respond.”
(
Sakoor)
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