| Stardust Exiles: The Otane Incident |
The hulking, bullet-shaped mass entered orbit of the star, its immense size doing little to hide the damage splayed across its surface, one section in the lower decks briefly erupting in a silent blue flare as it began venting atmosphere and material, although the tunneler shields thankfully protected the remainder of the ship from the ravages of stellar radiation as it slowly drifted closer to optimal position.
In comparison to the scene from space that, to the glance of the distant observer could almost be described a graceful, the bridge of Kaidara, as with the rest of the ship for that matter, was close to complete chaos as the crew desperately tried to maintain the integrity of the ship's shields and hull while they prepared for their escape, people running from place to place in the yellow light, smoke, and debris that filled most of the ship, making up for the shortfall of people caused by deaths or the need for immediate repairs in other sections of the great machine, oddly silent for what one may expect save for the occasional shouted order required due to distance. The Command bubble was, in appearance at least, somewhat better, with only the captain, Seilu, the man who had reluctantly led this suicidal evacuation of their home when the rest of the defenders had been destroyed, seemingly calm and determined despite the situation, leading the remainder of his people through this impossible situation. Beside him was his first officer, Meina, risen to her position within the last few hours due to the deaths of most of the command staff, but who had already proven her great aptitude for command, organizing much of the repairs and services that had kept them alive so far, the recent issue notwithstanding. "Has the deck been completely sealed, Meina? What did we lose?" Seilu turned to his second in command, his even voice doing its best to not betray the emotion still shown as the spines along the edges of his face drooped ever so slightly. "Yes, the deck is completely cut off, although we've lost all but 2 of the drones, three cycles worth of food, 3 crew members and...23 civilians, sir" She started, his spines fell steeply and his body had tensed visibly, and she paused a brief moment before continuing "And the engine crew is reporting that the drive will be ready for a blind tunneling in 2 minutes, we will be able to leave well before the enemy is able to get within range." "Excellent, Meina" He said, any hint of happiness non-existent, his previous attempt at hiding the toll weighing upon him lost even in his voice as the hollowness subtly entered his tone. "Tell them to jump as soon as possible, and inform the Governor of the present situation" -------------------------------- Governor Neiguoji was busy tending to the injured as a makeshift nurse in a makeshift medical bay in their makeshift, borderline suicidal escape, the former governor of a small system on the edge of former Manoni space, the last outpost of her people that had just hours before been overrun by their treacherous enemy who had stolen their ships and from whom she and all who were left had fled. All in all she was coping very well given the circumstances. Just as she finished treating one of the survivors of their most recent disaster, a communication came in from the bridge, informing her that they would be entering a blind tunnel in under two minutes, causing he to start as she was once again brought to the implications, although she hadn't ever personally experienced a gravitational tunnel - almost no one had in this part of space for well over a century - she new very well the strains of even a charted one, blind tunneling being relatively rare due to the risks involved, and with a ship in this condition being considered suicidal. They could very easily lose shielding or be pulled in by their destination's gravity, or be pulled apart by the stresses, or...or...she forced herself not to consider it, putting on a face bespeaking determination as she had done so many times before, and made the announcement, her voice broadcasting throughout the ship, doing her best to prepare these brave and desperate people she had worked so hard to lead . As she finished her short speech, there was a brief popping sound, and the ship disappeared from its previous location, and reappeared over a new one someplace else, and the five ships that pursued them stopped, sent a brief communication, released a large spherical device from the lower decks, and waited. -------------------------------- The tunnel had, thankfully, proved successful. While some minor systems had gone off line, the primary engines heavily damaged, and many other sections suffering internal damage of some sort or another had caused a significant number of people to be injured, no one had died, and structural integrity was holding, although under great strain. Needless to say, most of the ship was still a constant scene of controlled chaos. As Seilu looked at his console, his spines shot straight up in surprise and shock, and the all-too-brief relief and hope that had come to him came to an abrupt stop, as while most sensors were either offline or highly damaged, and interference from the star made readings difficult, the signs were nevertheless unmistakable, they were in a system with technology. Someone else was here. The decision was unanimous, as soon as engines were repaired they would move to the nearest uninhabited planet in order to finish repairs and determine their next move. They released one of their last drones with stealth capabilities from the hold, despite the risks involved, and sent it to investigate and determine as much as possible of their new neighbors, hoping against hope that they had not yet been noticed. Unity, Order, and Freedom
-Motto of the Republic of Ubesii
The Ever Silent and Anxious Kiwi(Bird) of The South Pacific
Cuul, the governor of the Otane Mandate, turned off his office computer. He had heard enough. He had to finally confess, he was really jealous of Governor Looth.
The Great Victor! A real Treecuu! Conqueror of Yim-Lootuu! Every day, new superlatives. Cuul had graduated top of his class, Looth was a mere third. They had both advaned quickly and were given their mandates the same day. Cuul had celebrated, having been given the Otane Mandate, one of the richest and oldest in the Empire, while his rival only received the backwater Bicaan Mandate. Little had he known that was an express ticket directly into the history books. The door bell to his office rang. Cuul pushed a button and the doors slid open with a faint hiss. A man in a dark military uniform entered the room. "First Liaison Officer Yaam reporting!" "At ease." "News from the Command. Alien vessel detected at the star. Unknown origin and specs." Cuul raised his left eyebrow. "The star of this system?" "Yes. Command has requested your presence. Please follow me, Sir." Cuul stood up, and smiled. "Attention, briefing." Captain Locs of the frigate Dant watched the bridge officers turn away from their consoles and look her way. She walked over to the tactical console and pointed at it. What she was about to show there could just as well have been displayed on the large view screen, but she liked the more personal feeling of the smaller holographic projections of the tactical console. When all the officers had gathered she spoke up again. "StarSys has detected a large alien ship in the vicinity of Titha. Command wants to investigate the nature of its presence and threat assess it. The System Fleet has been scrambled, and the Dant will lead the campaign. More intel will be provided as we go." Symbols appeared by a large blue projection of the star. "End of brief. Decision. Dant approaches alien, the rest of the fleet surrounds the alien at a larger distance. Com will establish communication with alien, Weapons will maintain active lock. Orders. Helm, maximum speed towards Titha, then shuttle distance to alien. Weapons, all ready, and prepare to receive additional long range assets and to lead the fleet's fire. Com, upon arrival, start sending standard first contact protocol, standby to translate." Locs looked up from the holographic projection. "Questions?" There weren't any. "Execute!"
Neiguoji had come to the command deck following the discovery of the aliens, and now with the sensors essentially repaired, what appeared to be a large number of small ships were approaching them rapidly, and she found herself wondering just what she and her people had done to make the universe catapult them from one disaster to another with no chance for a reprieve.
Seilu and his First Officer had already made their points, without the engines being fully repaired, there was no way to outrun the ships, and Chief Engineer Dalia had already made clear that there was no way they would survive another tunnel. As such, their recommendation was to use the probe to scan the alien ships, arm weapons, and send another probe with first contact protocol to the fleet, at this point moving would simply be using too much power that could be better used for defending themselves and, while she had argued for the empathy of sentient life, she couldn't deny the logic of their previous experience, and she couldn't waste the precious little time they still had. As such, she gave the order: First, that they would move away to avoid appearing hostile while they armed what weapons were functional, and would launch another probe loaded with first contact protocols and a short description of their situation to contact the first alien ship it came into contact with, nothing to let them know of their weakness of course. Second, that they would use the stealth probe to passively scan one of the alien vessels. Her orders given, some particulars were quickly hammered out, the distribution of power being specified and what to do in case of either of the probe's being attacked, and were carried out. The great ship turned and began moving away slowly and yet another large sphere dropped from the hangar and began rapidly approaching the strange ships while the other approached to begin its scans. The Governor, her decision made, left to the lower decks to inform her people, the weight of responsibility hidden again as she left the lift, while in the back of her mind she just hoped that this wouldn't lead to an even worse fate than had already befallen them. Unity, Order, and Freedom
-Motto of the Republic of Ubesii
The Ever Silent and Anxious Kiwi(Bird) of The South Pacific
"Captain! Automatic target acquisition echo: 388!" The insectoid weapons officer yelled from his station.
"Enable Computer autonomous analysis!" Locs answered immediately. Another officer, in charge of the science station, confirmed. "Receiving signals from 388. Communication. Automated translation follows." A synthetic voice provided what sounded like a fair translation of the message that the probe carried. "Interesting. Indeed..." Locs peered. "Com, relay the message to Command. Send our standard first contact message to the probe. Also, order the alien vessel to come to a complete stop, stand down, and await our arrival." "Message sent!" Acknowledged the communications officer a moment later. Locs nodded. "Has the probe relayed our message back to the alien ship?" "Likely, yes." "Good. Now, we can't let them think they can fly around in our space just like that. Weapons, enable Computer autonomous fire." "Enabled!" The computer rapidly assessed the tactical situation, and from the ship's arsenal hidden within its hull it chose to fire a burst of solid FTL projectiles. The choice of weapons implied the likeliest outcome of incapacitating the alien probe. The System Fleet continued its rapid approach to the star.
The reply had been something of a relief, but all too soon, the destruction of the probe had transformed that relief into an uproar. Before, the people had been tense but supportive, now, responses ranged from quiet acceptance or even fearful hope, to a small number or outright brawls with security forces on one deck. Many of the brown, low hallways of the great ship were filled with people - even more than they had been before - calling on Neiguoji, who appeared before them as a hologram, attempting to keep the peace, to do anything, be it risk another jump or even turn and fight, to save them.
The decision of the military council was unanimous and, over the protects of the civilian representative Neiguoji had sent, determined to, while complying with the ultimatum to stop, would remain armed, finally placating them somewhat at Seilu’s suggestion of directly sending the aliens a message now that communications had been more completely repaired. As the Kaidara came to a stop and turned its immense bulk to meet the alien fleet, excess power was routed to shields, and Seilu prepared himself for his message, his spines bristled, antennae straight and mandibles firm, and, gripping the arms of his seat, gave his message: “To you who are pursuing us, I am Seilu Mai, Captain of the ship you approach and Protector of Feicha. As you already know of our flight, I will not bother to remind you, and will simply say that, while we will comply with your wishes to halt our ship, it must be clear to you that we cannot stand down without any guarantee for our safety should we comply. As such, we have no wish to fight you, and will welcome any ship that does not first fire on us so that we may work out a solution, and we will comply with any reasonable requests. In the end, all we wish is to find a safe place to rebuild our home” The message was quickly translated as best as possible into the alien’s language, and the message was sent across the dark gulf to the coming swarm. -------------------------------- Meanwhile, far away, in the Feicha system, three more ships joined those near the star. A series of communications were sent between the newcomers and those already present, while numerous large metallic spheres left the bottom of the ships. The command was given, and, one by one, the probes approached the star and blinked out of existence, travelling to distant stars unknown. Unity, Order, and Freedom
-Motto of the Republic of Ubesii
The Ever Silent and Anxious Kiwi(Bird) of The South Pacific
To an observer just passing by, it all looked calm. The massive bullet-shaped ship slowed down and came to a complete stop by the star. For a few moments nothing happened. Then there was a bright flash. And another. And another. Soon there were dozens of flashes all around the Kaidara. The Otane System Fleet had arrived.
Captain Locs had already accomplished most of the orders given to her. The aliens had told them their purpose there and their peaceful intentions. If they didn't lie, of course, and that, she had to find out. Locs sat comfortably in her command chair in the middle of the bridge. She navigated through the menus on a small screen mounted on the chair, then she pushed the button a final time, initiating an open transmission to the Kaidara. "You have breached our borders, and your weapons are armed, a move that cannot be interpreted as anything but hostile. I will take any action to guarantee the safety of my fleet and the Treecuu Star Empire. Now, Captain Seilu Mai, the responsibility of a peaceful outcome is entirely yours. Stand down weapons. Immediately. Then I may accommodate your request to 'work out a solution'." Locs didn't wait for a response. Instead she closed the channel and initiated another, encrypted, transmission directed to the fleet. "Attention Otane Fleet, Commander Locs. Maintain current formation. Activate and maintain active and passive weapons lock on the alien ship. No fire, unless order from the Dant. Fleet, confirm." Locs waited to receive confirmation from all 18 ships under her command. Soon the small screen notified her that all ships had received and understood her orders. She turned to her tactical officer. "Their weapons lock warning systems must have gone crazy like the wildlife in a rainforest on Neec during the mating season. Report any change in weapon status of the alien to me immediately."
Did they not understand, or were these aliens simply too paranoid to care? Whatever the reason for their continued insistence, the Kaidara's damage must to some extent now be clearly visible to these Treecu, and it was unlikely that they would be able to defeat them in a battle, especially now that it had become clear that they were in fact part of a larger star nation.
That, at least, was Meina’s argument as she and Seilu discussed what to do with the alien’s ultimatum. With the unofficial council now fully gone, the decision fell to them two, Seilu, while he still didn't trust these Treecu and felt that a preemptive strike was necessary to protect his people, he couldn’t really argue with the ultimate futility starting a fight would likely be. As such, reluctantly and with a grave feeling over what this would mean for their people, he gave the order to stand down weapons and reroute all available energy to defensive systems, sending a short message to the lead alien ship, “Very well, we have complied with your request and will continue to do so for as long as your ships remain peaceful, and once again I request that representatives from the Treecu meet with us so that we may find a workable solution and we may leave your space as soon as possible and find a new home.” Unity, Order, and Freedom
-Motto of the Republic of Ubesii
The Ever Silent and Anxious Kiwi(Bird) of The South Pacific
Locs turned to her weapons officer.
"Confirm weapons stand down." "Confirmed" the officer responded immediately. Satisfied with the outcome, she decided they could afford a de-escalation to hopefully facilitate further interaction with the strange ship. She pushed a button on her panel, initiating a transmission to the fleet. "Attention Otane Fleet, Commander Locs. Stand down active weapons lock. Fleet, confirm." She soon received notifications of confirmation from all ships. She then opened a channel to the Kaidara. "Your weapons are standing down, my weapons are standing down. A far better setting for 'working out a solution', peacefully. Is it not?" Locs paused briefly. "Governor Cuul, a representative of the Treecuu government, will arrive shorty. In the meantime, prepare to receive a small delegation from this ship. I hope I do not have to remind you to send us the environmental configuration of your ship." Locs left the channel open, waiting for the aliens to respond.
“Your representatives will meet with Governor Neiguoji when they arrive, proceed to our central hangar bay, instructions and environmental data transmitting now”
--------------------------------
All but one of the bays were empty, and the wreckage of several probes still hadn’t been cleaned up and scarred the deck plating. Still, this hangar was the least damaged, and so here the Governor sat in her borrowed medical uniform, flanked by two armored security personnel, awaiting the arrival of these “Treecu”, her large, unblinking eyes staring at the hangar door. She had handed peacekeeping duties over to subordinates now that most of the population had been at least pacified, either by the latest news or by security forces. Only the most militant groups were now left, and likely wouldn’t last much longer. As such, the only task now left was to broker an agreement with the aliens, which would hopefully be relatively simple now that no one was actively threatening to shoot each other. After all, her position was fairly simple, they simply needed to leave the star to get required repairs, and then leave once they knew where they could go outside of Treecu territory. She just hoped the aliens would see it the same way. Unity, Order, and Freedom
-Motto of the Republic of Ubesii
The Ever Silent and Anxious Kiwi(Bird) of The South Pacific
"Officer on deck!" The young ensign's voice echoed in the the port shuttle bay of the Dant, and the soldiers that had been selected for the mission stood at attention.
The ensign approached Locs and handed over her personal armoured vest and then her handgun. Locs calmly put on her vest, then she inspected the weapon quickly. "Captain, Boarding Squad 11 ready" the ensign reported when she was finished, barely able to hide his pride and excitement. Locs inspected the squad. There were five of them, all dressed in the dark blue System Fleet uniform, and were equipped with the same vest as her. In addition to the handguns, they all had rifles hanging on their chests. She didn't know them in person, but she had seen them train on several occasions, and she trusted they would do a decent job. "Good. You may board" Locs responded. She followed the squad to the shuttle. When she was about to enter, she knocked on the hull, letting the pilot know he could start the engines. The shuttle soon sped through the environment energy shield and towards the massive alien ship. Seated next to the pilot, Locs closed her eyes to reflect on the situation. It would be the most important meeting in her life. It was bigger than her ship, the fleet, or indeed her own life. It could be one of those defining moments for the Empire. While she definitely hadn't received any formal diplomatic training, she was glad that the self-absorbed Governor Cuul wouldn't arrive yet, and she was confident she would be able to make a far better first impression. Anyone in the System Fleets would, if only... Locs was interrupted by the pilot. "Initiating landing procedures." |
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