The Galactics UnionBoard

Utak wrote:

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

"Please though, tell me what your people are like. Nothing would make me more happy than to see our species make friends with our interstellar neighbors."

This of course was a white lie. Nothing would make him happier than seeing Nibenya saved, its astronomical amount of innocent lives and innocent animals and innocent landscapes protected from the cruelty of the universe. Or at least all his people safe, protected and cared for without fear of a moon intent on killing them all. But he needed to understand what these humans were like. He need to know if they'd be able to take in refugees if the Union failed in its mission. And in order to do that he needed to make them his friends.

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

"There are many places amongst the stars. They are simply much further away."

Riegel fell quiet for a moment before speaking again.

"If the moon is the problem, then there is not much the Collective could do other than to fund and assist in constructing your city arks. Unfortunately, I do not have the authorization to approve planet-disintegrator usage; if it were that easy, which it isn't, then your civilisation could be saved in a week."

Left unspoken was the ecological damage that would be caused by not having a moon at all. It would wreck the internal clocks of animals and eliminate tidal waves on the planet. The Eckans could recover with time from that, but it would be a long and gruelling process. In addition, most of the Intersystems Collective's planet crackers had been demilitarized by the Core Treaty. There were still a few of them hidden around, but using them would require revealing them to the galaxy.

The Admiralty would certainly not like that decision, even if authorized by the Administrator. Especially with the Collective under so much scrutiny.

"Lucky is right. As for stellar cartography, the frigate we arrived on contains a stellar map. I will be sure to send it to the Union upon leaving."

Tapping his fingers on the table, High Diplomat Riegel thought about this current situation. What could the Utakan Union reasonably give them? What did a primitive species have to offer other than fresh ideas and a new perspective? ...And even if so, did that even matter? Saving a nation from ruin was motivation enough for the Resurgents. It would not fly with the Old Guard, and the Homunculi would be less than pleased to have funds diverted from their esoteric projects.

"Trade will not be an issue. Haiken, I must not lie. At this very moment, the Utakan Union does not have much to offer the Intersystems Collective other than its existence as a jump point out to the galactic west. We are a nation that is more than capable of helping, and some of us want to help. I want to help."

Seve fidgeted uncomfortably beside them.

"But I need something to work with. A case that I can present to my superiors. A cultural and academic exchange would be a good start. That can be organized."

Riegel took a deep breath. It was more of a reflex than anything else; his face was still rather calm and impassive, even with his previous words.

"We are etherborn."

Ether translated to something that sounded like magic. Magic-born. A strange name.

"That is a branch of a species that goes by the name of human. Homo sapiens. We hail from a planet called Earth - which was destroyed by a coalition of aliens. These days, we believe that humans are the most numerous sapient species in the galaxy. There are many human nations, some larger than others, with the Intersystems Collective being a major power amongst the lot."

Dipping his head, he continued.

"Some of our nations are nice. Others hate aliens. Others are perfectly happy to stay in isolation. It is a massive spectrum, and there's no good answer even now for what a 'human' is like. Selfish is one of the descriptors used in ages past, perhaps. The Intersystems Collective is not just made up of humans, however. We count aliens amongst our ranks. I would like to believe that most etherborn of the Intersystems Collective are kindly, altruistic and nice. We knew what it is like to be oppressed, after all. But it is a spectrum."

The Intersystems Collective had a great many possible solutions to the Eckan problem.

The question was: how many of those were it willing to use? None? One? All of them?

Outbound Flight, Interlude: Jintarin
New Saharia
Balisi
Keres

The wind seems to only get sharper, but the long line of traffic seemed to be dispersing, at the least.

"Tch. Its easy enough to understand, I believe. There is the State, and there is the Party. The Party is the State, but the State is not necessarily the Party. The Party runs the state however, and there is no such thing as another 'party' as the Laikokomma already represents the will of the Mirdanni people. The Navy serves the Party, but the Army serves the State." He gives Norsam a humorless smile as he continues.

"Of course, this should mean that, unlike in your system, decisions are made rather quickly. But such simplicity wouldn't allow this great alliance to enjoy the worst of both worlds. So as soon as Saharia came to us with the idea, they formed a committee to decide how we would receive you. They revised the general route about one hundred and seven times, they had to invite the Jintari or they would blow up the coalition between the Left and the Moralists, and they spent their time trying to sabotage the whole endeavor. Eventually they started arguing about which pattern of uniform those Fusiliers would be wearing," he briefly gestured to one that was scratching at the neckline of his dress shirt. He quickly dropped his hand on observance and tried to look as if he was being more alert.

"Anyway, they wanted the Rector to meet you here and for Admiral Galanis to be your escort. Of course, the Rector had other matters to attend to and Galanis retired a few months ago. So they reassigned me from my post some ninety parsecs away, both because I'm apparently prestigious enough to receive you and I probably wanted this job the least. But the matter of who would command your escort caused another inane argument. Clan Sobot'ka caught wind of the whole thing and hash'va Sobot'ka simply insisted one of theirs receive this 'sacred duty.' That all of their qualified clan members in the Navy were already doing extremely important tasks critical to the stability of the Alliance did not seem to dissuade them."

He casts his gaze over to Mariam, who was in the process of dropping a handful of scrip into the statue's bowl. earning a wide grin from the old man tending to it. "They had to pull her off a desk job by the ankles. She isn't incapable, Clan Sobot'ka is a martial clan, after all, and she did leave Avayyan at the top of her class, but she is far and away the youngest Flotilla Captain under my command. If it was up to me, I'd put her back on whatever comms station she was manning on the Frontier and leave her in peace."

"But it isn't of course, and since I have made my distaste for party leadership quite public, I have very little sway in the realm of politics anymore. The only reason I haven't been shuffled off into an early retirement is my service in the Revolution, though I tire of whining about my own problems. What I want you to gather from this is that you are walking into a den of vipers, Admiral Norsam." The smile comes back, stretching across his face and looking far more rictus.

"And I do hope we see you off before the Party eats itself alive."

The light turns before the Saharian is able to respond, and the Admiral strides ahead.

---

The rest of their stay on Port Ramsa is rather uneventful. A walk through the well tended gardens of Naval Headquarters on the space station ends in a dry briefing on the general route through the Alliance and how the formation would be structured and would be moving around. They would be going in parade order, with the Saharian vessels in the center and flanked on either side by the heavy cruisers, with the Madame Selay at the front and the Suvari-class bringing up the rear. How they would be actually be getting around in the Alliance was of far more consequence, though.

As the Saharian expedition was technically a civilian endeavor, and were foreigners to boot, they would have to comply to Mirdanni restrictions on space travel, which banned the use of hyperdrives of a certain speed, and forced civilians to use 'skimmer' type 'warp drives', that moved through heavily policed warp-lanes. Unlike the hyperdrives used in Saharia and in the Mirdanni armed forces, the warp drives used by Mirdanni civilian craft moved at far slower speeds that relied on these warp-lanes for safe travel.

The Mirdanni obviously didn't expect the Saharians and their companions to sit in port for a month so their ships could be refitted, so the Madame Selay had been equipped with a specialized drive that could project a very large warp envelope that encompassed the entire fleet, housed in an unsightly box on the belly of the warship, though they would have to remain in close order. It was evident that this type of warp travel is fairly primitive compared to other examples of the technology, but that seemed to be on purpose. These regulations were carried over from the oppressive Viceroyalty that came before, after all.

With that established the fleet carried on. Their next stop was the Zenith system, which housed the once mighty world of Jintarin. They had stopped at one of the many more mundane void cities of the alliance, a boxy and utilitarian thing not dissimilar to those in Saharia, so the escort fleet could take on the rest of its crew and supplies. This was on the very edge of the star system. The yellow star in the distance, one nearly identical to old Sol, dominated the space around it, but hardly any of its half a dozen planets could be seen with the naked eye from here.

It was looking to be another day of routine, but this was interrupted when Admiral Norsam received a terse and somewhat stilted voice message from Captain Hallow. She had just recently been "encouraged" to offer the Saharians, including the strange foreigners from Keres and the even stranger "cultureniks" that were accompanying them, the chance to fly by the 'western jewel' of Jintarin. From her tone, it was clear that this wasn't something she would suggest, but it was ultimately up to the Saharians. This could offer some insight into why these Jintari were so obstructive to the Outbound Flight's passage through the Alliance, thought it could also cause even more tension with these strangers.

Still, its not as if the expedition would be intruding. The Party had essentially invited them to take a look at the planet, and if the Mirdanni extranet was to be believed, the sight alone would be enough to justify the detour.

Conciliar Instruments (Regulations and Orders)

A conciliar instrument is the main form of secondary legislation in Keres - that is, legislation not made by the legislature. In virtually all cases an ordinance (primary legislation) will delegate certain powers to certain bodies. Depending on the power granted, the relevant body, usually a government department, will lay a conciliar instrument before the General Council. Depending on the procedure, the instrument will usually become law within 14 days to a month, but it will be on a case by case basis.

Regulations and Orders: The Difference

CIs fall into two main categories, regulations - the most common form of CI - which are used to legislate on overly complex, mundane or insignificant matters for which the General and Perpetual Councils don't have time to consider, and orders - less common - which are used to exercise certain powers on a temporary basis, but are also used to confirm planetary constitutions and university charters due to historical practice.

Regulations and orders are distinguished in a number of ways, but it is usually clear to tell from the title. Regulations will often have a title such as:
>The Naval Forces (Procurement of Laser Weaponry) (Amendment) Regulations 3177 [CI 6969/3177]<
whilst orders will be titled:
>The Predentis (Constitution) (Confirmation) (Planetary and Colonial Governance Ordinance 2846) Order 3177 [OIC 117/3177]<
(this particular CI may also be cited as The Predentis (Constitution) (Confirmation) (No. 2) Order 4177)

Abuse and Criticisms

'It is trite law that no man may write law other than the Kererian Councils and the Regent acting together as the Estate of the Councils.'
- Principal Justice Watkins, in Procurator (Magnussen) & Outer Minister for Planetary Affairs [2669] 3 KPR 5361

The prosaic nature of CIs has rarely led to much controversy in the modern day, but the principal concern with them remains, as it has done historically, that they are undemocratic. The complaint is not too unfounded, as the packed conciliar schedule means that even government legislation can be hard to timetable, let alone the countless CIs that are tabled week after week, and as such there is fears that poorly draughted or downright harmful CIs may slip through the Councils too easily, and that the amount of scrutiny that CIs are granted is insufficient.

Potential for abuse was greater the past, where the principle of conciliar sovereignty was at the centre of the Constitution, and ordinances would regularly grant ministers the power to amend the ordinance through CIs. Magnussen [2669] was the landmark case which put a stop to the General Council's power to abuse the unwritten constitition at will, and affirmed that there are certain actions even outside of the reach of the Estate of the Councils. The case is essential reading for all first years studying Kererian law. CIs therefore can no longer be used to bypass the conciliar process and amend legislation, but still play a role in bringing ordinances into force (where that power has been delegated). It was also common practice to suspend ordinances through CIs (when the power is provided), but since the Magnussen case the General Council has been reluctant to do so, and thus the law on that area is vauge.

Regulations: Conciliar Procedures

Lets imagine that a minister must amend the minumum wage for a spacefarer. The Spacefarers Wages Ordinance 4100 grants the Home and Planetary Affairs Department the power to make regulations to determine the minimum wage for spacefarers. The outer minister for Home and Planetary Affairs, or one of his junior ministers, has regulations drafted to this end. On 1 February he makes (signs) the CI, and on 2 February the CI is submitted to the Conciliar Instruments Office in the General Council. The Ordinance provides that for this regulation to be approved, it must be approved by both Councils. The Joint Commission on Conciliar Instruments reviews the instrument and creates a report - usually very short - approving or disapproving of the regulation. Both Councils then vote on the regulation when they can. The General Council approves the instrument on 12 February, and the Perpetual Council approves it on 15 February. The instrument provides that it will come into force on 1 April, which means that the new minumum wage will take effect from this date.

In this particular case, the regulations amend the minimum wage by means of implicit repeal - a legally recognised, albeit somewhat controversial, procedure for secondary legislation.

Orders: Conciliar Procedures

Orders are rarely seen by most, and are only authorised to be laid by a few ordinances in a few situations, such as times of war. They are similar to regulations, but are signed by the Regent and countersigned by the relevant minister/official, and take a slightly different format. It is more common that these types of CIs come into force automatically, unless one of the Councils objects to it, at which point it is voted on.

Advanced Anti Shade System ||| Miao-Yu ||| New Saharia ||| FreeAmericanStates

A product from Feisen was being advertised heavily in various nations. The AA-SS, by the Green Fur Trade Company, a company as old as the Millworks, founded in textiles. They ran most grocery stores in Feisen, and now we’re working on this.

The AA-SS is a specialized lighting system for anti-covert ops. There are a few examples of shadow magic existing, where a creature can travel through a shadow. The AA-SS completely prevents this. Capable of use indoors and out, it is a tile system for floors, walls, and ceilings. Thin aluminum tiles, with a natural soft coating. They connect to each other in a grid, and contain photovoltaic cells and low output lighting.

A combined array of solid state batteries allows it to store several days of power for itself, so it works through a blackout.

But the real gem of its function was the lighting. Because shadow travelers require continuous shadows on surfaces to move through them, the tiles prevent this. Light emission that resembles a retro reflector more than a flashlight, the AA-SS can be used in a barracks and still allow soldiers to sleep. And because lights can be adjusted, outdoor tiles can have path lines.

The AA-SS was developed to counter Thestrals. Anker, of the GFTC requested something to stop shadow hopping horses, as he prepared to smuggle inside the order state.

And before beginning his mission, he put out some feelers around the shadier parts of the pirate networks. Other smugglers interested in the order state.

Trauma Sovereign wrote:

Iteration: Outsider Operation || New Saharia
Locale: Crossing[2] Planet Y.27 Sector.0316 [Arc. Crystallization Research Facility]

It was when Norsam came closer that he started feeling the constant stinging, not exactly uncomfortable but different, like small nibbles of a frail animal.
Only when he glanced at Darius that he would notice. The top-right half of his face was fragmented, with pieces hovering the dark void as small shapes of light formed. Like sorted pixels on a distorted screen, vibrant with tones of teal, blue and crimson red — They spawned and vanished as they drifted upwards from his face extremely slowly. They flickered, glitched. They seemed to float like liquid.
The Operator's eyes, or the pieces that remained, were focused on the tablet.

Operation: Outbound Flight - TRAUMA || Trauma Sovereign

It all felt like stepping into another dimension. Something about the aura of this room brewed a paleolithic fear within him - a tiny, biting anxiety which only seems to grow more determined as he wanders deeper into this forsaken space. And then that awful stinging sensation; the Admiral could only conclude that this crystal is bombarding him with some form of radiation. Any sane person with a hint of scientific understanding would put as much distance between themselves and this crystal as they possibly could if they also concluded it is radioactive.

But the Admiral stays. His mind reassures him that Darius wouldn’t intentionally be irradiating the leader of the Saharian fleet. At least, not as long as it’s treatable-

No; he doesn’t want to think about this any more.

When he finally looks up to see the distorted and pixelated face of Darius, he freezes like a deer in the headlights. He just casts a thousand-yard stare, mind going blank, as he wordlessly watches him. Everything in his mind is telling him to leave this room, but something holds him here, sealing the heels of his feet to the floor.

Utak wrote:

BRIDGING THE STELLAR SEA

Haiken offered one of his right hands for a handshake. He had learned that while the gesture had subtly different cultural meanings, it was a constant between Eckans and Humans, the major difference being that for Eckans the hand clasping was the traditional greeting for every occasion, not just formal. It was only unfortunate the humans didn't have more hands to shake with.

Bridging the Stellar Sea || Utak

Unlike an iconic Saharian naval officer, Admiral Yetu is beholden to his world’s own defense forces - and thus wears a white uniform unlike the dark bluish-gray of the national navy. Stylistically, it’s effectively identical; tall black jackboots, visor cap, officer’s coat…

Both the Admiral and his compatriots are all wearing neck-mounted translators, allowing for them to speak and listen to the alien without issue. ”I am Admiral Yetu, of the Etengari Defense Forces. Welcome to our starsystem, outsider.” Without hesitation, the Admiral returns the familiar gesture, having to stare up at the rather large, reptilian-esque xeno in order to respectfully address them. His escorts seem less willing to approach the shockingly unfamiliar alien form.

”I’m afraid I must temper your expectations somewhat, Haiken Bataar. I am not an official representative of the Saharian people; I am only an officer of this world’s defense forces. I can assure you that a proper diplomat is en route now. It will not be long before they arrive; I hope you can excuse our unpreparedness. Your arrival has been most unexpected and eventful.”

Mokhir

The Rector's ship was to respond to regular wellness checks as the small fleet made its way to the border of the aliens. Following the brief press conference on Cadell, two more frigates were added to the escort. Certain problematic patrol officers were cycled out of the fleet's path, while an extensive operation was launched to keep the convoy safe from any disturbances by reactionaries or pirates. They had pulled out all the stops for this to be a normal, routine visit into foreign space following a first contact. Yet many within the fleet's headquarters and the Party wringed their hands as they closed in on neutral space, and they were right to. The Alliance had not made a good impression on the aliens, but considering the circumstances of the incident, it was believed that they would recognize that the attack was not authorized by the Mirdanni government

Regardless, they would only know how the foreigners would react when they got there, though that was taking longer than they had planned. The most essential portions of the Alliance's frontier infrastructure had been repaired, but some sections were still out of order, and the pirates were still emboldened by their early success. Noone wanted the Rector to continue forward without complete assurance of his safety. He had to wait for these repairs to complete several times as he slowly passed through the sparsely populated outer sectors, occasionally meeting with colonial governors or military officers to directly coordinate certain actions or to "suggest" the implementation of policies. If he was going to be stuck out here for months, then he might as well get something done.

The pirates were no match for the reinvigorated patrol fleets, who knew exactly what the consequences of their failure would be. With their efforts and the efforts of hundreds of thousands of nameless technicians, engineers, and laborers, the rudimentary communications infrastructure of the frontier slowly came back online. Over one hundred days after he had announced this endeavor, the Rector made his last stop on the world of Braic.

He told the men and women of his expedition, and the people of the Alliance, to hold the memory of the Tolmi in their hearts. He told them how he would show the galaxy that their people could not only learn from their mistakes, but grow from them, and turn what could become a spark for war into a bloom of friendship.

He told them that he would see to it that they would see these aliens not as enemies, but as friends.

He would never be seen again.

---

The pendulum sways.

The dagger shaped constructs of blackened metal and hateful edges slashed through the forces of the Withered King like the talons of a great war beast. His vessels broke and shattered, his sailors scattered, bloated and dying, into the void.

He was gone in the first salvo. Hundreds followed. Then billions more.

But it was right. It was right and good and proper, that they should die. For the master of these killers had seen. Had seen what was to come. Had seen the skies darken, curdle and thicken under a blanket of murderous warships led by the butcher-lords of a dead god. Had seen the galaxy burn to nothing.

To do nothing in the face of this, and to do nothing after being shown The Path, would damn them.

It was necessary.

The pendulum sways.

Utak wrote:

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

Magic! Inconceivable and impossible. It would only be magic until it was understood, then it would become just another field of science. Even so, their "magical" immalleability disappointed Haiken, he had hoped the Utakan expertise in biology would yield at least one advantage he could negotiate with.

"Perhaps we could explore that lost art of body modification. My people regularly practice genetic modification to combat disease and enhance quality of life." He suggested.

Haiken continued listening to what Reigel had to say, listening intently. His antennae flicked downward for a brief second at the mention of a military outpost, betraying a brief flash of discomfort. Just as quickly, they returned to their neutral state.

"A... gateway sounds incredibly useful, but I cannot authorize something of such magnitude alone. I will have to speak to the rest of the Council but I must warn you that they will likely reject any proposal involving a military presence so close to Nibenya. I must admit I share their sentiment in that."

As Haiken spoke, he thought about how he had already angered the Defense Councilor Tyrax by forbidding him from attending the meeting. The leader of the military had grown tired of natural disaster duty and craved recognition through military action. Haiken had no doubt that the Councilor would do something stupid if the Etherborn actually did establish a military outpost. Feels like I'm being crushed by forces within and forces without, and I thought dealing with the riots at Rine were stressful, He mused, his thoughts heavy.

Haiken considered his next words carefully.
"I personally believe that a gateway could lead to great benefits for both of our peoples. That being said, before we can come to any sort of agreement I would need to know what sort of benefits the Union will receive in return, as well as the guaranteed ability to control and turn it off. Your people would likely be allowed defensive emplacements, but a military outpost would be met with both a resounding no and ridicule directed at me if I actually suggested it."

Haiken watches Seve, curious about the quiet human before speaking to them both.

"I trust you understand the delicacy of the situation. The idea of a gateway holds promise, but what assurances can you and your people provide that it will not be exploited? Perhaps there is a middle ground that we can achieve, I'm certainly open to ideas."

The Eckan leaned forward slightly, antennae twitching with curiosity.

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

"I'll include that in the list of possible resources the Union could provide the Collective."

Riegel himself didn't have much hope in a venture like that. He did know of some Party Managers that were, however, meaning that the Utakans would be of some interest there, if not outright approval. The problem with nascent spacefaring civilisations like these was that they were an investment. One that would only return a profit many years later, but a profit nonetheless.

The High Diplomat stroked his chin for a moment.

"No military presence it is, then. Unfortunate. It will be a bit harder to make my case in that scenario; but if defensive emplacements are allowed, then that would be more than enough. A simple stop for resupply and observation should be more than enough."

In High Diplomat Riegel's mind, a military outpost right here wasn't necessary. It was excessive. A neighbouring dead system worked just fine; there was no need for any sort of military installation near Nibenya. He knew that the Admiralty would disagree - but that was someone else's problem to figure out. As far as he was concerned, the Utakans saying no meant no. Unfortunately for them, the Admiralty did hold massive sway over the government's decisions.

"As for benefits, we will be the ones constructing the gate. This gate also lets you connect to the rest of the galaxy; it connects to our gate network, which in turn connects you to the Interstellar Forum and Free Economic Zone. The first is a council of nations, and the second is the galaxy's most central trade area. Of course you would be allowed to control the status of your gate. We would not take that away from you."

The next benefit was something quite enticing.

"In addition, you would have access to some of the largest shipyards in the galaxy."

Ah, yes. DOLOS AEC's yards. The Eckans needed massive shipyards to construct their colony ships en masse. That was a given. Fortunately for them, the Intersystems Collective had the infrastructure available to accommodate large swathes of their demand; the only obvious problem was the cost.

"If military access is allowed and an alliance is fostered - whether in one year or several - then we can construct arkships for you. Free of charge."

An investment.

It was a little extra bait. Both sides knew that the Utakan Union was currently on a time limit. Riegel wasn't sure of the specifics, but... he knew that they didn't have much time - especially if they were scrambling like this to get these rather makeshift-looking ships into orbit.

The Intersystems Collective wrote:

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

"I'll include that in the list of possible resources the Union could provide the Collective."

Riegel himself didn't have much hope in a venture like that. He did know of some Party Managers that were, however, meaning that the Utakans would be of some interest there, if not outright approval. The problem with nascent spacefaring civilisations like these was that they were an investment. One that would only return a profit many years later, but a profit nonetheless.

The High Diplomat stroked his chin for a moment.

"No military presence it is, then. Unfortunate. It will be a bit harder to make my case in that scenario; but if defensive emplacements are allowed, then that would be more than enough. A simple stop for resupply and observation should be more than enough."

In High Diplomat Riegel's mind, a military outpost right here wasn't necessary. It was excessive. A neighbouring dead system worked just fine; there was no need for any sort of military installation near Nibenya. He knew that the Admiralty would disagree - but that was someone else's problem to figure out. As far as he was concerned, the Utakans saying no meant no. Unfortunately for them, the Admiralty did hold massive sway over the government's decisions.

"As for benefits, we will be the ones constructing the gate. This gate also lets you connect to the rest of the galaxy; it connects to our gate network, which in turn connects you to the Interstellar Forum and Free Economic Zone. The first is a council of nations, and the second is the galaxy's most central trade area. Of course you would be allowed to control the status of your gate. We would not take that away from you."

The next benefit was something quite enticing.

"In addition, you would have access to some of the largest shipyards in the galaxy."

Ah, yes. DOLOS AEC's yards. The Eckans needed massive shipyards to construct their colony ships en masse. That was a given. Fortunately for them, the Intersystems Collective had the infrastructure available to accommodate large swathes of their demand; the only obvious problem was the cost.

"If military access is allowed and an alliance is fostered - whether in one year or several - then we can construct arkships for you. Free of charge."

An investment.

It was a little extra bait. Both sides knew that the Utakan Union was currently on a time limit. Riegel wasn't sure of the specifics, but... he knew that they didn't have much time - especially if they were scrambling like this to get these rather makeshift-looking ships into orbit.

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

Haiken couldn't help but find it ironic. Of course the Etherborn had the capacity to singlehandedly save a large portion of the Eckan race. And of course they had a seemingly simple request that would seriously divide the council and drive a deeper wedge between the defense councilor and him. He knew Tyrax would be livid, and that at least three of the other councilors were sure to agree with his xenophobia. At least at first. Even so there was only one correct answer to the suggested deal.

"That... is an incredibly enticing deal. I will do my best to make the rest of the council see reason. It will likely be a long process getting some of the members to agree, but I think it can be done. But you must keep in mind that it is not just arkships that are important, the ability to bring along or quickly build new infrastructure is equally important to our survival. If you can promise aid in understanding some of your technological advancements, especially anything related to manufacturing, construction, and anything that would help in the task of transplanting a civilization, that would give me more to convince the rest of the leadership with."

Haiken paused for a moment, considering the importance of his next words

"When making your case, you can tell whoever hears it that the Union will likely accept a gateway project, as well as allowing an outpost and the free trade of cartographic data. I am open to the idea of an alliance and allowing military access, within reason."

The Utak river flowed calmly as they spoke, the gentle sounds of its water below a distant constant, contrasting the desperate ordeal the rest of the world seemed to be locked in. This building had stood for over two centuries, and would likely only last another five, maybe six years before the tides were strong enough to rush in this far. The river itself would likely be poisoned in a couple of years by tidal bores pushing saltwater upstream and saturating the land around it.

Haiken watched Reigel and Seve closely, hating how he couldn't read their alien expressions or body language. Were they truly offering salvation, or was there more at play under the surface? The Intersystems Collective's efficiency and comparable strength was impressive, but also intimidating. He hoped that he wasn't signing away his people's freedom in exchange for their survival. On one hand, a gateway and the arkships would doubtlessly save most if not all of the Eckan people. On the other hand, that gateway could just as easily provide a foreign power easy access for military occupation, or lead the Utakan Union into a state of dependency on other nations.

Other things to consider were that the military agreement would easily become ammunition for Tyrax to siphon funds towards expanding the navy. The defense councilor would waste no time twisting the deal into a narrative of weakness, arguing that Haiken had indebted the nation towards another and taken the first step towards their loss of sovereignty. Haiken could already hear Tyrax rallying his supporters, stoking fears of foreign occupation to further his own agenda.

He shook the thoughts from his head, focusing once again on the present. The only thing that mattered right now was survival. No matter the cost.

Battle of the Shattered Belt
So this is it. War had come. As much as the council of fools (which were apparently rumored to be dissolved after their recent idiotic actions like pushing against the reaching out to other civilizations and declaring war) wanted to delay it, war had come. The experince decrease in pirate activity had been a blessing the first few years, and when years turned into decades, many believed pirates to be something of the old world. Of course, the council should've known that this was just a foreshadow of what was to come. The recent two skirmishes against the pirates in space and on world were clear indicators that they had increased in power and were organized, and finally, the United Systems declared war against all pirates. And that was when the pirates had declared war as well. By God they were organized, nearly on the level as the third strongest faction during the Faction Wars.

Within a few weeks, the front had been pushed into United Systems territory since the council had still been inclined to believe that it would take them years to amass anything to push the navy back, so a few corvettes should be enough. They were wrong. The couples of corvettes had been slaughtered in the face of battleships, advanced carriers (in terms of pirate tech), missile cruisers, heavy frigates, and there were even reports of a capital ship amongst the fleets. Now, after weeks of planets within pirate controlled territory sending reports of what was happening, the first true battle would commence. The Volturnus System was incredibily important now. Normally, it was a simple touristic system for people to enjoy their leave, but it was so popular due to its multiple ports and hyperlanes leading to different systems. It basically became the one-way-in point for the pirates since it was already close to the front. It's neighboring system, the Kaeloria, was already helping keep the pirates at bay.

During the faction wars, or rather, near the end, a weapon was developed to help protect systems until help arrived. The Star Lances were created, originally only have the range from one side of the system to the other but were finally upgraded to reach to other systems. Two such star lances existed in Kaeloria, and they were to provide cover for the 8th fleet warping into combat. The battle group seemed small and in truth, in terms of numbers it wasa. It only had 8 ships to fight the 16-stronge pirate fleet in Volturnus, but it was not numbers that would help, it were the ships. Two carriers, two battleships, a heavy dreadnought, a superdreadnought, and two heavy-arsenal ships. As the 8th fleet gathered near the edge of the Kaeloria system, the captain of the flagship, the battleship Spear of Autumn, radioed in to the crews of the two star lances.

"Star Lance Alpha, this is the captain of the Spear of Autumn. Remember, you will be providing support for the duration of the battle. As soon as you fire your first rounds, do not stop until it is over, clear?"

"This is Star Lance Alpha, we hear you. Prepping rounds. Good luck and give them hell, my family lives in that system." The Star Lance's warning system rang out as the parellel rails opened up in quick succesion on the inside of the barrel. They began glowing a bright red as energy cursed through them. Within seconds, the two Star Lances were the most powerful things within the system, and they were still rising in power. Inside Star Lance Alpha, measures inside the screens were slowly rising to the max as the Lance prepared to fire. An automated female voice spoke throughout the station, echoing down the halls.

"All personal, the Star Lance is preparing to fire. Please brace." The last measure on the screen filled up as a quiter voice from the moniter spoke up.

"Star Lance ready to fire." In front of the moniter, a small, holographic map revealed the system they were in and the system they were shooting at as well as the targets that were colored red. They had spent hours targeting the dreadnought and the carrier in the fleet, now here's to hoping they don't have better warnings systems than the fleet. The course was checked one last time as the captain slapped the red button.

"Star Lance Alpha firing its round."

"Star Lance Bravo firing its round."

There was a brilliant flash of light as both Star Lances fired, almost at the same time. The projectile moved incredibly fast, but one could vaguely see a bright orange beam as the projectile moved through space. The second it was out of the system, the warp engines of the 8th fleet powered up and the exited the system. They would arrive seconds after the first hits of the rail guns, in the midst of chaos and confusion. On the holographic system map, it had zoomed in to cover the Volturnus system. The dreadnought sat still, unsuspecting as the orange-colored projectile moved on the map. As it got about 3 quarters of the way through its journey, the shell broke open, revealing hundreds of massive needle-like objects moving at the speed of light. A robotic voice announced the succesful break of both shells as they neared their target.

Inside the pirate dreadnought, the outdated and worn warning systems let out a small beep as something entered the system. Before the "officer" at the moniter had a chance to react, the dreadnought was ripped to shreds. The pirate fleet hid inside the Shattered Belt, a rather famous asteriod belt that was particullarly full and hade made targeting difficult. Smaller asteriods exploded as the dreadnought was effectively reduced to wreckage and debris. It had no glorious explosion, no last stand, just a simple reduction to nothing with a few small explosions to boot. The warning system on the targeted carrier had also picked something up, but, as luck would have it, a large asteriod took its place in front of the carrier. As the hundreds of needles sped through space, the smashed into the asteriod, eradicating it. Nearly all needles were destroyed in the process.

Debris from the asteriod flung out, smashing into the pirate carrier. The crews quarters and two hangars of five were heavily damaged. Back in the Kaeloria System, the captains were sending in their reports.

"Target one, splashed."

"Target two is a miss, damage unknown."

The 8th had no time to pull back now, the were already within the system. The pirate fleet were now panicking, wondering were the attack would come from, when the first ship of the 8th fleet exited its warp with a bright flash of blue. The U.S.N.S. Goliath arrived first. The heavy dreadnought seemed to be a laughable thing. Was this all that the might of the United Systems had come to? This was surely a joke. Then, another bright blue light as the U.S.N.S. Spear of Autumn exited warp, pratically shaking the area with its presence. The U.S.N.S. Orion's Arrow, the sister battleship of the Spear of Autumn, warped in right beside its sister. Then, at nearly the exact same time, the U.S.N.S. Aegis and Dauntless, the carriers, warped in a ways behind the front of the fleet. Finally, the U.S.N.S. Thunderstrike and Cataclysm warped into the battle.

The Pirate fleet was made up of a mixture of frigates, cruisers, destroyers, two carriers, and another single dreadnought. Without another word, the captain of the Spear of Autumn gave the order. "Fire the cannon at will!" The Spear of Autumn, along with its sister, were one of four ships that had been outfitted with a special cannon. They hadn't been given the specifics, but they knew this cannon was capable of destroying ships in a singular shot, although they could only use it once every five hours, so every shot had to count. The cannon fired its bright yellow beam into a frigate nearby. The beam focused on the frigate for nearly three seconds before it shut off. The frigate exploded from the point of impact, sending large and small pieces flying around.

The Orion's Arrow fired its cannon at the dreadnought. It nearly missed but at the last second and in a likely fit of panic, the dreadnought drifted in front of the targeting system. The beam focused on it for three seconds before it shut off and the dreadnought exploded in half, the back part erupting into pieces while the front slowly drifted away. Now the real fighting began. The destroyers and frigates were moving in first. The Cataclysm was the first to engage the enemy. With its dual double-barrelled cannons capable of destroying anything smaller than a frigate and armed with enough missiles to empty a medium asteriod, it fired at the first frigate it set its sights on. The frigate's front exploded partially as the high-powered shell exploded. The second shell missed, but the second battery took care of that. Firing, the two shells slammed into the side of the frigate. It tipped to its side as fire and smaller explosions sprouted out from it.

Inside the Aegis, alarms were blarring as a male automated voice gave orders throughout the ship. "All pilots, head to your designated hangars and prepare for combat immediately. Heavy bombers, head to hangar 7 to prepare for support missions. Fighters..." It continued talking, but the pilots were too busy prepping their systems. They walked into the hangar, helmets in hand. Almost immediately, they broke off and headed to their bulky fighters. Sure, the United Systems fighters weren't pretty, but they were some of the best fighters ever made (that they knew of). The pilot tossed his helmet to the side as he flipped on four switches, one after the other. Systems came on as the engine roared to life. The helmet-mounted displays showed the temperature, targeting, and the main four components of the fighter powering one. The pilot flipped a few more switches, removing his brakes and hovering above the ground. He brought in his landing gears and with a push of the thrust, zoomed out of the hangar followed by tens of other fighters.

They were met with a chaotic battlefield. Small tracer rounds from secondary armaments flew through the void, popping harmlessly against the hulls of massive ships. An old, almost ancient cruiser moved above the Thunderstrike as it fired missiles at the cruiser. Seven missiles twisted through the void, finding their targets with ease. The bottom of the cruiser exploded open as bits and pieces were sent scattering. The enginers fluttered off one by one as the systems failed. Soon, the cruiser was drifting in the void as the battle raged on. The flight leader, a man who had nearly no experince and was in the position because of his father's money, was noticeably silent until now.

"Gold Flight, listen up. Form up on me and-" he was cut off as his fighter was ripped apart by anti-air guns, exploding in flight. The flight broke formation as the pirate fighters engaged them. Meanwhile, onboard the Goliath, the situation was becoming somewhat worrisome. Four pirate destroyers had focused fire on it. The captain, a reptillian species known as the Lucari, grabbed the side of his panel as the ship shook from another explosion.

"Sir, the corridors leading to the medical bay have been destroyed! Any injured are going to have to take the long way, and we don't-" He was interuptted by the alarms of a boarding party. "Sir, a boarding ship landed in the rear end, inside the engine room! The engineers there will hold them off, but if they get access to the engines we'll be sitting ducks!" The captain sighed, his mouth clicking as parts of it moved and rattled.

"Send our combat teams to the engines. We need those to stay up, and that's our most vital position." He ordered, his translator nearly loud enough to drown out his actual language. It was a series of clicks that sounded like noise to humans. The officer nodded as he started barking orders into the transmitter. Inside the ships, the crews were scrambling to counter the invaders. One of the combat teams were running, their group of ten reduced to seven after two had been injured and one was killed from an explosion. The captain, another android, turned the corner and saw that the corrider was burning. Some damage control teams were trying to put out the fires to no avail. The andriod turned back to his team.

"Stick close together and don't stop running until we're out of the fire." and with that, they charged into the fire, ignoring the heat and the pain. Across the void, the Spear of Autumn was surrounded by the debris and carcesses of enemy ships. Small fires were burning on it and some of its systems were down, but that was fine. The captain was standing over a holographic map of the battlefield as the ship rumbled, firing its heavy cannons. Of the 16 ships in the enemy fleet, 7 were already down and two had scattered, leaving six ships.

Outside, in the void, the carrier of the pirates was struggling to provide support. Two of it hangars had only been able to produce 25% of the expected support since it was heavily damaged by the rail guns, and another hangar was completely ruined. Red Squadron, the heavy bomber squadron, had finally found the opportunity to strike. With the help of the fighters, they had an almost perfect path to the carrier. The 5-strong squadron picked up speed, forcing their way through the fight. The targeting system inside the bomber began locking onto one of the hangars while the back gunners were firing at any fighters chasing them. One bomber's back gunner fired wildly as high powered bullets broke the glass. He barely had time to gasp before the glass broke completely, sucking him out of the seat and into the void of space. The pilot struggled without his gunner and before he was able to fire his payload he took a critical hit to the engine, burning out the core and sentencing him to an explosive death.

The other four bombers were cleared, however. The first bomber fired its two cannons, destroying one of the anti-air guns as it fired its two bombs. The bombs zipped through the air, seemingly dodging the fire it was under as they smashed into the top of the carrier. A massive hole was ripped open as the lights flicker. Two other bombers navigated their way to the entrance of a hangar and the explosion that escaped the gravity field told the pilot the job was done. Parts of support fighters and even bombers flew out as the hangar burned. As one of the bombs missed the bridge, the other hit the side, sending God knows how many "officers" and "officials" into the void before it was stabilized. The last bomber decided against firing his bombs, instead going into the last functioning hangar and arming his guns.

The panicked pirates had nothing to defend themselves from the ruthless fire of the heavy bomber. It hovered above the ground, firing at docked fighters and bombers. The fighters were engulfed in flames as they erupted into fireballs and one bomber's wing exploded, rocking it off the hooks it was on and sending it falling from the roof. It crashed in a fiery explosion, crushing a group of pirate "engineers" and killing more with its explosion. The pilot gave them one last little burst of fire before leaving the hangar to burn with its dying ship. As the squadron left, they saw that three more ships had been destroyed and the fleet was being routed.

Within minutes, the fleet had left leaving only the carrier and debris of what was once ships behind. The carrier seemed to sink, the gravity of an asteriod pulling it in. It was estimated that the total crew remaining was 13%, but things on the U.S.N.S. ships were more pressing. The medical bays of the Thunderstrike and Calamity were over crowed so the injured were being transported to other ships. The systems of the Goliath had been hit by a prototype EMP torpedo, disabling its oxygen. They were losing a percent every hour and a half, and they had no idea where to begin to repair it. The engines of the Dauntless were struggling to stay on, and the Spear of Autumn had almost 10% of its weapons damaged or destroyed, which normally asn't a lot, but considering it was a battleship, every weapon counted.

"This is the captain of the Spear of Autumn speaking. We have secured a victory in the Volturnus System. The Shattered Belt will be off limits as scavanging crews head out to salvage whatever is salvagable. This is the first victory in a hopefully short war. I will be sending a report to command. Good job ladies and gentlemen, we have won."

Starreach: Expansion

The nation’s border defenses continue to receive large reforms and sweeping upgrades despite the endurance of peace. For too long, the superpower’s border has been woefully inadequate for a nation of its size, and the theory that simply maintaining a massive navy will deter attacks has been proven dreadfully wrong. As the navy continues its major reforms, the old ship classes deemed unfit for roles within the Grand Navy are not decommissioned, rather they are granted to local defense forces at little to no cost to them.

Although these ships have waned in their effectiveness in major modern fleet actions, they are more than capable of addressing small forces of raiders and marauders with extreme prejudice. Having produced them in huge volumes for years, the local defense forces of the nation’s many border planets are about to be inundated with naval surplus warships…

Systems: +750

Utak wrote:

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

Haiken couldn't help but find it ironic. Of course the Etherborn had the capacity to singlehandedly save a large portion of the Eckan race. And of course they had a seemingly simple request that would seriously divide the council and drive a deeper wedge between the defense councilor and him. He knew Tyrax would be livid, and that at least three of the other councilors were sure to agree with his xenophobia. At least at first. Even so there was only one correct answer to the suggested deal.

"That... is an incredibly enticing deal. I will do my best to make the rest of the council see reason. It will likely be a long process getting some of the members to agree, but I think it can be done. But you must keep in mind that it is not just arkships that are important, the ability to bring along or quickly build new infrastructure is equally important to our survival. If you can promise aid in understanding some of your technological advancements, especially anything related to manufacturing, construction, and anything that would help in the task of transplanting a civilization, that would give me more to convince the rest of the leadership with."

Haiken paused for a moment, considering the importance of his next words

"When making your case, you can tell whoever hears it that the Union will likely accept a gateway project, as well as allowing an outpost and the free trade of cartographic data. I am open to the idea of an alliance and allowing military access, within reason."

The Utak river flowed calmly as they spoke, the gentle sounds of its water below a distant constant, contrasting the desperate ordeal the rest of the world seemed to be locked in. This building had stood for over two centuries, and would likely only last another five, maybe six years before the tides were strong enough to rush in this far. The river itself would likely be poisoned in a couple of years by tidal bores pushing saltwater upstream and saturating the land around it.

Haiken watched Reigel and Seve closely, hating how he couldn't read their alien expressions or body language. Were they truly offering salvation, or was there more at play under the surface? The Intersystems Collective's efficiency and comparable strength was impressive, but also intimidating. He hoped that he wasn't signing away his people's freedom in exchange for their survival. On one hand, a gateway and the arkships would doubtlessly save most if not all of the Eckan people. On the other hand, that gateway could just as easily provide a foreign power easy access for military occupation, or lead the Utakan Union into a state of dependency on other nations.

Other things to consider were that the military agreement would easily become ammunition for Tyrax to siphon funds towards expanding the navy. The defense councilor would waste no time twisting the deal into a narrative of weakness, arguing that Haiken had indebted the nation towards another and taken the first step towards their loss of sovereignty. Haiken could already hear Tyrax rallying his supporters, stoking fears of foreign occupation to further his own agenda.

He shook the thoughts from his head, focusing once again on the present. The only thing that mattered right now was survival. No matter the cost.

SECOND CONTACT - THE WESTERN VOID

Riegel was also entirely aware of the rift that this might cause within the Utakan government. Unfortunately, he could see no other way to guarantee that the Collective's government would listen to the Eckan plea. As it stood, the Intersystems would still rather isolate themselves from the galaxy. The High Diplomat disagreed. They needed friends in the galaxy.

Saharia was a good start. So was Feisen. The Zerg were questionable, as was Trauma.

And here and now, the Collective had got to the Utakans first. If he was being entirely practical, then they were an untapped resource just waiting to be exploited. It was even more of a fortunate coincidence that the Admiralty had slowed their rearmament procedures, allowing for DOLOS AEC's shipyards to be freed up for civilian production.

"Please do make sure that they do. An alliance with the Intersystems Collective would grant security against whatever may still be out there. In fact, north of Utakan space stands a galactic superpower by the name of Kinmoon. If they had gotten here first, things would be far different."

He nodded at Haiken.

"And of course, all of this would be within reason. We do not plan on invading the Union or committing hostile actions against it. If we are unable to procure military access, then we will at least guarantee your independence as is right. That is something that my government should agree on."

A success. A gateway would allow for more outposts to be spread within the galaxy's west. An ally would allow for the Intersystems to widen its projection of power and gain a future powerhouse, if nurtured correctly.

Once the Utakan homeworld of Nibenya fell, the Collective would then have free reign over the Neighborhood's ashes. There had to be more secrets hidden within. Even if the Neighbors themselves were gone, they could not have had found everything or taken everything. Not within such a short amount of time.

"The arkships we construct will have all the onboard equipment needed to create another civilisation, perhaps identical to the one you have now. As for technology... we can teach your kind the ways of ether. Or magic, as it is so commonly called. It forms the basis of all our machines. And even then, if your kind are not willing to undergo the surgical process that would give you the ability to harness it in the first place-"

Riegel gestured to Seve, whispering a few words in the other etherborn's ear before turning back to the Eckan.

"-Then we can call foreign experts. The galaxy does not just consist of the Intersystems Collective; there are sure to be experts out there with knowledge. We can help you."

Seve turned his eyes up at Haiken to look at the alien for more than a few seconds. Though he did not speak, he stretched out his palm and summoned a wisp of heatless fire from his palm. Riegel shrugged at the display, as if it was normal, as if this was what nature intended.

"Magic."