Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived The Northern Frontier

[Tiko]

as written by barney_fife

AHSC Intrepid Class Cruiser
Marathon
Commander Iyana James
Exploration beyond the Aurora


The small, but sleek Intrepid class ship had long since left the confines of the United Aschen Empire, dispatched on a long range exploration and mapping mission, carefully made it's way through the black, velvety emptiness of space. The IAN Marathon as it was called was tasked, along with the rest of the Aschen Empire's intrepid line of ships to boldly go where no Aschen has gone before. They were sent out to map the Galaxy, scout out new worlds for the Empire to exploit. The Marathon, along with her cousins in the Imperial Fleet was gifted with a highly advanced suite of sensors, in addition to cutting edge shields and weapons to make her more than capable of defending herself.

Commander James was a newly assigned Commander, given the best of the best, having had proven herself to the Imperial Navy as a capable leader. She sat in her position in the main Command bridge, watching the black backdrop of space on the viewscreen.

The crewmen sat silently, the soft music of clattering keys and chiming holographic notifications filled the bridge as Commander James looked on.

"Sitrep." She ordered, a Helm officer turning to face her.

"Dust and echos, Commander. We've completed our FTL Jump and all systems are reporting nominal, shields are charging." He reported, while James nodded.

"Chart the star patterns into our computer, compare them with the coordinates pulled from the Isirian archives; if there's aliens out here... I want to know who they are and if they're a threat." She commented, and the Executive Officer nodded.

"AI's not reporting anything yet, so far it's quiet."

As the ship oriented itself from jump, it began to decelerate slowly, while it's crew began mapping the surrounding stars.

 

[Tiko]

as written by Ottoman

HIMIV Lanze Class Cruiser
Puissance
Konteradmiral Silke Brenner
Maintain watch against Collective Incursion

Just another pair of boots clicking away at the metallic floor of the bridge announced the arrival of the Konteradmiral, no special pomp or circumstance. This was a long-term assignment, and Silke had no use for rituals and tradition if it got in the way of efficiency - after all what was at stake here on the Northern Front was the survival of her species, not simply keeping another political force at bay. An idle glance across the bridge told her that everyone was performing their work adequately, at least no one was slacking off as some were want to do on the frontier assignments, and so she allowed herself another sip of her coffee, still not used to the absence of a clink against the mug from a ring she no longer wore.

It was for the best, she reminded herself.

"Maat Reinhardt." She spoke simply once she'd reached her station, a wide-scale holographic map of the sector stretching out before her on a table, the various star systems and spatial formations under their jurisdiction on display. "Any reports of note while I was asleep?" Obviously nothing grave enough to wake her, but there was no telling if there was a minor development that needed to be reported to Flotteoberkommando. The swarthy-haired petty officer soon stood at the rear-admiral's side, a folder of holosheets for her to look over. The navy was filled with nepotism at times, Brenner knew all too well, but young Reinhardt had busted his ass to get this position on the bridge, and she knew to trust him if there was anything that truly warranted attention. With a glance to her side, the Maat offered her the folder, snapping his heels together as he did.

"No breach of our picket sensors, Konteradmiral, though there have been force redeployments in your assigned echelon." The navy was rotating ships again, sending some crews back into the Empire proper and bringing more out to join Wachtgruppe Nord. Silke's bare hand moved to take the folder and set it down on the table, prying it open with a single finger before looking back to Reinhardt and nodded. "It's the third page, ma'am. It looks like we have two Interdiktors in our Gruppe now." It was fairly evident that the man was excited about the affair, though whether it was born out of fascination or fear of these psychic support vessels it had yet to be seen.

"That will be all, Reinhardt. Thank you." With another snap of his heels and a salute he was back to making the rounds and collecting any information that might have been pertinent to admiral Brenner's affairs. With a curious enough look she glanced over the various reports that the petty officer had given her, doing her best to memorize the names of the three new vessels assigned to her task force. She'd lost a Lanze and two Klammers but gained three Interdiktors. What was high command expecting here to give her this kind of hardware? She tried not to strain her still-foggy mind by worrying over a potential offensive, though she wasn't given much of a chance with her first officer interrupting her train of thought.

"Konteradmiral." He greeted, hands nestled behind his back as he approached. "I take it you slept well." Kapitän Dietrich had certainly made sure that the ship was running smoothly in her absence from the bridge. It might have been the flagship of her small group, but it was still his ship, and he wouldn't have it operating anything but smoothly with her presence here. Of course, it was a double-edged remark, considering that the admiral had quarters far superior than most on board the vessel, even outdoing the Kapitän's by a good deal.

"... well enough Dietrich. You're relieved." The man saluted her, the woman paying him a half-hearted one back. They had a rather love-hate relationship, finding that they worked well together, even if it was terribly inconvenient for both of them to put up with the other. Dietrich payed an odd look over to the display, to the various systems and the three blips that displayed their new arrivals.

"I hope that we won't be needing them." He muttered, speaking of the Interdiktors. They were vessels meant to lock another in a psychic hold, usually some of the larger vessels possessed by the Collective, that the Imperial ships might bring their guns to bear and concentrate fire. They were useful in dealing with smugglers and criminals, but their true purpose lay in capital ship engagement. Brenner simply sipped at her black coffee, steam still rising off of it, her azure gaze moving to the other Austran after he'd spoken.

"Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment, captain." She reminded him of Kampf's scripture with a playful smile, though in truth she hoped very much the same. To be at the front when the Collective launched an offensive was a death-sentence. Their role in such a case would be to die in place, to hold back the demonic monstrosities for as long as they could manage that the starfleet might rally and meet them with the more titanic battleships, larger than even the crystalline behemoths the Collective boasted. "I'd rather we have them and not need them, than need them and not have them." Her children were proud of their mother, but she'd rather not be a martyr for them.

Dietrich nodded, understanding that logic at least. "Well... I'll leave it in your care for the next twelve then." That he might go get something to eat that wasn't made from powder and sleep, it seemed a god-send of sorts. "Don't scratch my baby." He warned, a playful finger raised as if to warn her not to break some rule. Brenner knew all-too-well that captains were far too attached to their vessels.

"Nikolaus, I wouldn't dare hurt our daughter." She teased right back, waving him off, Dietrich shaking his head as he exited the bridge and left the admiral to her duties. Nikolaus was amusing, almost like an older version of Erich - and at least Nikolaus had the good sense to go after ships and not planes - but she knew in her heart that no one could hold a candle to her brother. She tried to remember what the name of the planet was that he was assigned to, the fool having even bothered to enlist in the Landwächter too, and she couldn't quite manage it. She'd read his letter last night over the Extranet, but it must have been somewhere else on the frontier. Konterhaus?

"Admiral Brenner!" Came Reinhardt's voice, reporting from over the shoulder of one of the technicians on the bridge, whose attention was heavily preoccupied with the display in front of her. "Picket reports sensor line breached, single contact on an FTL burst." Almost immediately Erich's deployment was forgotten, as well as her beverage, as she abandoned the map to approach the technician's station, visions of invasion recurring in her mind. It had been nearly eighty years since the last alien offensive, it was almost time for another war. The black-clad figures huddled together around the display, none of them pleased with this potential news.

"Did it drop out of warp, Fähnrich?" Brenner asked the technician.

"... it didn't just appear, admi-"

"Shut up, Reinhardt."

"... no ma'am, picket reads it as a solid mass, even before breaking the line." Brenner's momentary shortness of manners earlier was easily forgotten as all three let out something of a sigh of relief. So it wasn't Collective, at least not a vessel they'd encountered yet. "Pickets read it as a light craft, less than half a kilometer long." It certainly didn't seem like any warship they'd encountered yet. Did Collective civilian vessels operate with different drive systems? "Looks like it's assuming heading 232." Beyond that, it was coming from beyond their own borders, it was no vessel of theirs.

Brenner leaned back up from where she'd been observing it on the scope, glancing back across the bridge. "Helmsman. Put us on an intercept course, full-ahead. I want to know who and what this thing is." The Konteradmiral moved to return to her command display, the three-dimensional map already including this new, unknown contact. "Leutnant Odal, get me one of our new Interdiktors, post-haste. Once that's been seen to, broadcast a... greeting to these newcomers, translate it into all known languages, message as follows..."

___

"Attention unidentified vessel. You are now within the jurisdiction of the Scatterran Hegemony. You will power down engines and weapons until we can ascertain your purpose in our territory, or you will be destroyed."​

 

[Tiko]

as written by barney_fife

"Bring our Heading two nine seven carom one three eight." Commander James ordered, while the Helmsman carried the orders out and the ship banked slightly starboard. Trepidation crept into her mind as she envisioned the gleaming skyscrapers of her home city. She knew Tal'dor lacked the prestige of the Imperial home world, but none the less it was an important asset in the Aschen Empire's expanding fold. Her attention was broken briefly from the happening in the Bridge as Colonel Kassa, the Marathon's Executive officer approached, another young aspiring officer from Tal'dor with a mug of hot Ironwort tea, which was a staple in the rugged mountains of Tal'dor.

The serenity was shattered in almost an instant when a crystalline chime echoed through the bridge, long range sensors couldn't possibly have missed the massive Lanze class cruiser, the wedge shaped vessel easily half as large as the mighty Reverence II. Everything seemed to culminate in an instant. Immediately following the alarm, Lieutenant Alanis turned at the chime.

"DRADIS Contact, CBDR, unidentified alien vessel.... by the lords this thing is massive! Maybe an assault carrier? Three One Nine Carom Two Two Six!" Alanis called out, as James turned to the Lieutenant.

"On screen."

Immediately following, long range visual sensors pulled up the hulking form of the Hegemony's Lanze class cruiser, as Commander James surveyed the ship, she swallowed, having never faced vessels that so wildly outclassed hers. The Intrepid class was a formidable ship, armed with an advanced suite of countermeasures, but she was an exploration vessel, not a warship."

"Commander, Incoming transmission, the AI's translating it now." Alanis called out, while James nodded. "Very well, patch it through." She replied, lowering herself back into the command chair.

Translating the language was fairly simple, the message itself being pushed up in text on the screen.

"Attention unidentified vessel. You are now within the jurisdiction of the Scatterran Hegemony. You will power down engines and weapons until we can ascertain your purpose in our territory, or you will be destroyed."

Kassa frowned, as he placed the tea on the table besides the XO's chair, before lowing himself into the chair as well, turning to face Commander james. "Well, Commander; how do you want to play this?"

James frowned, before she turned to her Colonel. "It's against protocol, but we don't exactly have the Imperial Fleet to back us up, nor do I want to start an incident. Bring us to a full stop and power down the engines. We never brought our weapons online, so let's not start. Keep weapons powered down unless we absolutely need them."

The Bridge crew all nodded in response, various 'Aye sir's following. And the Marathon first came to a complete stop, and then it's impulse engines powered down to standby, weapons remained un-powered, but it's shield remained active.

"Alright let's see if they can communicate, open a hail on all frequencies, have the AI Translate it into binary so it will be easily translated, piggyback the translation matrices onto the audio hail." Kassa nodded, and an image of the ship's AI Flickered on screen.

"All channels open." Lieutenant Marin reported.

"This is Commander Iyana James, of the Aschen Imperial Starship Marathon We are peaceful explorers and come bearing tidings of peace and friendship, we mean you no harm and seek out meaningful contact. If we are trespassing, we merely request we be allowed to leave, and will do so peacefully. If not, then we request further contact if possible, I await further instructions."

"Well said." Kassa said, while the AI Translated and broadcast the message on all frequencies, and in all known languages, including several computer and mathematical languages for ease of translation.

"Now we wait." James said, sinking slightly into her chair.

____

Brenner had already set about to redeploying the forces under her command on her display, pulling about the hologram with her hand, zooming in and out as needed. Already she'd given orders through her display here to other ships in her contingent to plug the gap left by the Puissance, two Klammer class cruisers moving to fill its place in the sentry-line. They couldn't match the firepower of the Puissance, but they could at least hold the line until she could get her cruiser back into position, in the case that this was some feint or deception by the Collective.

It wouldn't be out of place, luring the command vessel of the sentry line out to engage it en masse, and that was why Silke had ordered that the Interdiktor bring up the rear. If for nothing else, in the case that this rogue vessel tried to turn tail and run, they could see to locking it down and boarding it properly. "Konteradmiral, response incoming." Came the heralding words of Leutnant Odal, who set about to letting Hrethgir loose on the message, both to dissect it in its original form as well as translating the more basic forms of it that was broadcast. The AI began to work at translating and beginning a database of the Aschen's spoken language, but required more data to produce any reliable results. "Shall I have Hrethgir put it on speaker for us, ma'am?" With a nod the Konteradmiral confirmed the suggestion, Odal soon allowed a processed voice, neither distinctly male or female, to speak over the intercom on the bridge.

"This is Commander Iyana James, of the Aschen Imperial Starship Marathon We are peaceful explorers and come bearing tidings of peace and friendship, we mean you no harm and seek out meaningful contact. If we are trespassing, we merely request we be allowed to leave, and will do so peacefully. If not, then we request further contact if possible, I await further instructions."

For a few moments silence reigned on the bridge of the Puissance, aside from the natural white noise of keyboards and duty, as no spoken word broke the air. It took the admiral a few moments to even process what the other commanding officer even meant by what she'd said. Through Hrethgir's translation came a word that she was unfamiliar with, as were many others on the vessel. Friedensforscher - the AI's substitute for 'peaceful explorers'. It smacked of trickery. "... is that even a word?" Reinhardt asked, brow furrowed, glancing to the admiral as if she, in her greater age, might have heard such a thing. Brenner simply shook her head in response to the Maat, her hand moving towards the ship-wide intercom in response to the message.

"All hands, yellow alert." Brenner sighed heavily once she closed the channel, biting her lip as she debated on how to proceed with these people. Of course she was to respond to them personally, but to risk her ship in such a manner unsettled her greatly. "Odal, prepare to broadcast a response." Protocol in dealing with the Collective was something she was all-too-familiar with, but with foreigners, assuming that these people weren't puppets of the demons that they so often fought, she was at something of a loss. "In the meantime, get Sturmbannführer Horten up here. I need a diplomatic specialist." Or someone who at least knew state policy better than she did. She was a warrior, a tactician, not an emissary.

"They've complied with our requests, Konteradmiral." Came the chiming voice of another Fähnrich, monitoring the vessel on the Puissance's sensors, keeping a careful eye on it regardless. A surprised look came across Brenner's face at such news, some part of her having honestly not expected such a response. Regardless, that meant that the situation proceeded as it stood, and with a brief glance to Odal, she soon saw to replying to the Aschen.

"Attention Aschen Imperial Starship Marathon, this is Rear-Admiral Silke Brenner of the Imperial Starfleet, you are in a restricted area, but you are presumably ignorant of such a fact. We are willing to entertain your... pursuit of peace. Please be patient while I confer with a diplomatic specialist on matter of your presence."

Brenner cocked her lips to one side once the transmission was sent, unsure whether the Landwächter officer was even awake. It could take some time for him to even get to the bridge, depending on the location of his quarters. Perhaps it'd give her time for another cup of coffee, it seemed like she would be needing it today.

____

The reply came swiftly upon the speakers, once again the AI translating a few things here and there that were out of context, and pushing the reply in text on the main screen. James bit her tongue slightly in anticipation, before quickly regaining her composure.

"So far so good, Commander." Kassa said, gesturing to the words on the screen.

"Attention Aschen Imperial Starship Marathon, this is Rear-Admiral Silke Brenner of the Imperial Starfleet, you are in a restricted area, but you are presumably ignorant of such a fact. We are willing to entertain your... pursuit of peace. Please be patient while I confer with a diplomatic specialist on matter of your presence."

"What did I tell you, Colonel? I'm not a McGregor, though we'll inevitably need to confer with the Emperor on this matter, speaking of McGregors." James replied, while Kassa nodded. "I have a feeling we'll be here for awhile, shall I establish a transmission with Central Authority before we proceed?"

"Not yet, I don't want to spook our new friends, given the situation and the disposition... and the fact we're in restricted space. I don't want to spook them too much." She said, making a face. "We'll call for Chairman Inviere once I've managed to establish a rapport with these people. You'll want to let them know ahead of time before the Reverences start showing up, otherwise things can go south very quickly." James said, before she leaned back in her chair.

In order to be assigned to an Intrepid class ship, one needed to not only be a skilled tactician, but also a capable diplomat. Fortunately James was able to demonstrate cunning on the battlefield as well as around the policy table. She listened to the reply carefully, before she turned to the AI.

"Send another reply." She ordered, and the AI's visage nodded.

Once the appropriate connections were made, James replied to the transmission.

"We receive your transmission, Admiral Brenner, It's a pleasure to make your contact." Commander James replied. "We will remain as instructed until you've instructed us otherwise, however in time we would need to inform our Government that we have made peaceful contact with your society, so they may dispatch someone who is more qualified to speak on behalf of the Aschen Empire, however I will not send any outgoing transmissions unless permitted." Iyana replied.

"AI, Broadcast our diplomatic data package to the alien ships." James ordered, and the AI promptly carried out the order.

What followed was a burst of data towards the Belkan ship, containing messages from across the Aschen Empire, from citizens to government officials, a codex on the Aschen Languages of Anquietas, Gemonese, and Tauron, in addition to written languages of the three major languages. Following the codex were names of major Imperial worlds, Langara, Tal'dor, Molecay, among others. There was an overview on the Aschen Empire, compiled from publicly available sources. The style of Government, currency systems, laws, customs, social constructs, demographics and religion. Concluding the data packages were statements from Commander James, her XO, and several key crewman.

It would be quite a bit of data, and likely verified safe and devoid of any malicious software. James hoped that the diplomatic package would put the aliens at ease, and give them a place in which to start with setting the tone of contact.

____

"... so you're telling me they're allowed to decide what to do, from here on?" Brenner asked, honestly surprised, one hand tucked behind the small of her back whilst the other held fast to her coffee. The massive Belkan cruiser had closed the distance with the small Aschen vessel, and was holding its position opposite the Aschen ship's bow. It was not a thing that the rear-admiral had expected from a government that liked to keep such a tight lid on anything they could. Regulation was the philosophy of the Emperor, after all. Horten leaned his head as he bit his lip, thinking that the admiral's words were simplifying the matter too much, but she wasn't entirely incorrect.

"Yyyyyes and no, admiral. It's not quite as simple as them deciding to do whatever they like. They only have two choices." Which were honest and free choices, they wouldn't force the foreigners' hands for risking an unnecessary international incident. "Either they are free to go back from whence they came, with starcharts conveniently outlining our borders - which are not to be disturbed without permission - or they can proceed with their... what did you call it?" The Sturmbannführer asked, concerning the Aschen's objectives in the sector. Silke paid the small conference room a glance over as she steeled herself for speaking such a preposterous thing.

"Meaningful contact." She spoke, shaking her head as she did. The rather quizzical look on the Landwächt's face elicited an explanation from the admiral, who drew up her hands as if to show that they were clean of any wrongdoing. "It's what Hrethgir translated it to, I know it makes no sense." That these people would simply search out others to meet them? It seemed far too innocent to be plausible. There had to be some ulterior motive to it, but Brenner wasn't sure if that was the Rear-Admiral or the ex-wife thinking.

"... and they can proceed with their 'meaningful contact' within our borders with an appropriate escort. Likely an Interdiktor and a handful of destroyers." Just to make sure that they didn't get any ideas, and to keep them where ever the fleet, and the Emperor, wanted them. "It's entirely up to them, though I must report the developments to my superiors as soon as this meeting is concluded, you understand." He wouldn't be free for some time, he suspected. Horten sighed, rather wishing this hadn't come up. Still, one could hardly predict these sorts of things.

The rear-admiral looked somewhat unsure of herself, obviously not a diplomat. "So I offer them the choices?"

"Well, there is the unspoken third option, if they refuse to comply, but that will remain unspoken." The man gestured in the air, something that an Austran was want to do occasionally, before he took a rather generous sip of coffee. The Sturmbannführer greatly preferred his doctored, unlike the good admiral, having something of a sweet-tooth. "But... that will remain unspoken, for propriety's sake." One was never short or improper, even if they were commoners - they were Imperials and, beyond that even, Imperial Officers.

Brenner wasn't such a stickler for tradition, but understood that this was the first encounter these alien people had with what all righteous Scatterrans considered the center of culture and learning in the galaxy. They had a reputation to maintain, and she wouldn't be the one who sullied it. Her brother, aspiring would-be knight that he was, would never let her live it down if she failed here. Her chest heaved as she sighed once more, draining what remained in her cup before she straightened her tunic beneath her belt. "You will be accompanying me, Sturmbannführer." She spoke, knowing it wasn't a question. Horten nodded absently, rather wishing he was back in bed with his wife.

"Konteradmiral!" Reinhardt greeted once Brenner emerged from the conference-room, Horten not far behind her, his beverage still in hand. The Maat offered Brenner a single holosheet, a rather heavily summarized briefing on the digital package that the Puissance and Hrethgir had received from the alien vessel and had analyzed. "Hrethgir informs us both that the other vessel is requesting permission to broadcast a long-range transmission and that it has a strong enough grasp on their language now that it is able to translate our communications in real time, if you would prefer such interaction with the xe-... foreigners." Both Brenner and Horten caught that the young man had almost called them xenos and looked to him with a curious glance, to which he responded a might nervously. The Rear-Admiral rolled her eyes in the other direction while Horten shook his head.

"It's what they are son, don't worry about it." It wasn't like they were dealing with Scatterrans of any caliber here. "A natural slip." It wasn't like Horten was part of the Verhör, but still, the uniform of House Kampf had a way of bringing intimidation even within imperial ranks. A gentle clap of the elder man's hand on the enlisted sailors shoulder dismissed him, as he soon moved to flank Brenner once more.

"Put us through, Odal." She spoke plainly, gesturing to the comms officer nearby. The display on her table shifted to what amounted to static, which could broadcast an image of sorts, were it that the others would do such a thing. Both the camera and the holographic scanners presented the image of Brenner flanked by her political officer, the admiral standing at parade rest while Horten simply sipped at his drink with his other hand's thumb tucked into his belt. "Attention Marathon, this is the Puissance. I apologize for the delay, I was being briefed on procedure by Sturmbannführer Horten here," Silke gestured over her shoulder to the man who soon nodded. "As to our situation. My men tell me that you wish to broadcast a transmission, of sorts?" Perhaps back to their superiors.

"We have no qualms with this, so long as you let us receive it first. Ah-... as a warning, there will be another vessel joining us here, momentarily, another ship from my command, a simple contingency plan, you understand."

____

Following a long bout of preparations on the Aschen ship, the aliens finally responded to their communications.

"Commander, we're receiving visual data." Lieutenant Andrews reported, and Commander James nodded promptly.

"On Screen." She ordered, and the transmission from the Puissance, which in it's close proximity vastly dwarfed the small Aschen vessel, many were still digesting the sheer size of the wedge shaped Cruiser, but others likened it to the infamous Reverence IIs.

The Transmission appeared on screen, and the Aschen's Shipboard AI Bridged the two connections, taking a one way video feed and turning it into a two way feed. Likewise Brenner and her Officer would be greeted by the dark skinned Commander James, clad in a dark grey Imperial duty uniform, with it's pipped high collar, and dark blue accents, crossed by a leather strap, and the patch of the AHSC Intrepid on the right shoulder. The bridge behind Commander James was large, brightly lit, and quite airy. Several Command personnel worked diligently at their stations, with a pair of Bridge security officers clad in a distorting fractal camouflage with shades of grey, blue, and white, strange weapons that were radically different from any Scatterran weapon slung at ease across their torsos.

While Admiral Brennan was at parade rest, Commander James was seated, a pair of chairs with James, and her Executive officer in view of the camera as well. The Aschen shipboard AI was still trying to decipher the languages, while James listened to Brenner's response.

"Per Imperial Protocol, we're to notify our superiors that we've made contact. While I'm trained to handle diplomacy, I can't exactly make decisions on behalf of the Empire. I'm just a Commander, I am far below the station required to interact meaningfully with your people. As for your ship, I understand, the tone of this exchange overall has me surmising that this was probably not the best of times." James admitted, while the Colonel took a sip of a liquid from a metal canister.

"And on that note, send a transmission to the fleet on an unsecure channel, that way our new friends don't have any suprises."

A Lieutenant nodded, before James turned back to Brenner. "One moment.."

At that point the unsecure transmission was being broadcast from the Intrepid class ship, on a powerful superluminal subspace frequency that was typical of Aschen Communications, with the same channel being broadcast on traditional frequencies.

James turned just slightly to the console where she would make her transmission to the Aschen Fleet, the outgoing transmission pointing in the direction of the Aurora, and Isiria

"Legatus Stygies Actual, this is Marathon Actual, priority one communication." James said calmly, while a few moments went by, the crackling response was heard, another female voice, this one slightly accented. "Marathon, this is Legatus Stygies actual, we read you, Commander." The Voice replied.

"Chairman Inviere, I've made contact with an alien civilization, so far they've shown us no hostility, and have been very hospitable in our arrival into their national boundaries. So far they seem willing to continue with diplomatic contact, I'd like to move forward with Protocol if you have a Diplomat available." James replied, a pause followed.

"Acknowledged, Commander, standby... I've verified your coordinates from your datalink jump logs, we'll be there in one Millicenton."

At that point the transmission was terminated by the party in Aschen space, while James turned to the viewscreen. "Speaking of ships, we'll probably have one more guest, She's the Chairman of our Military, someone who answers to the Minister of Defense, and has the political authority to better negotiate with you. I'm not sure what unit of time you use, but she will arrive very shortly. In the meantime, this is my Executive Officer, Colonel Aaron Kassa, and this is my crew. As you can see we mean no harm, and are willing to answer any inquiries you may have until my superiors arrive."

It was at that point another transmission came through, this one was bounced off the Marathon, much like a relay and directed to the Puissance

"Puissance Commander, this is Chairman Gina Inviere of the Aschen Imperial Navy, Flagship Legatus Stygies, we request permission to jump to your location, or alternatively we may meet in a neutral location. I've made contact with our government and they have given me the green light in furthering diplomatic relations."

____

It wasn't so much that it wasn't the best of times but that it wasn't the best of places, Brenner mentally noted. Part of her thought to explain such a thing to the foreigners but decided, after a moment or two, that the detail of their on-off wars with the Collective could wait until they'd established legitimate diplomatic relations. It was something that could prove a massive strategic faux pas, and the admiral didn't want that kind of failure on her conscience or on top of her desk, knowing that she likely wouldn't be reprimanded for such a thing but rather sacked from her station.

Still, with no small curiosity, Brenner and Horten both looked over what they could see of the other ship's interior as well as its crew. The use of camouflage on board a ship eluded Brenner, and the weapons seemed, well, appropriately alien to her and Horten both. They should have expected such from an unknown culture, she reminded herself, but she couldn't help but be bewildered and curious about a variety of topics. "Konteradmiral, they're broadcasting their transmission back to their superiors unencrypted." Odal offered to Brenner's flank, to which Brenner nodded. They had no reason for deception yet, but one could never be too sure. "... Hrethgir's finding nothing unsavory ma'am. No codes or double-meanings." Again the rear-admiral nodded, shifting slightly on her feet.

Of course, to hear that the second-in-command of these people's military was coming to meet her, a rear-admiral, made Brenner pay something of a worried glance to Horten. Either this nation wasn't terribly large, or she was very much so outclassed in terms of diplomatic capacity. The Landwächter man simply nodded, indicating that she was free to proceed. "I'll interrupt if I need to, Konteradmiral, don't fret." He was watchful if nothing else, and even despite his casual appearance and demeanor he was very much so paying attention. "You are clear to proceed in negotiations." Perhaps she could think of it as a field-test, to see if she was worthy of moving up in the political machine.

With a sigh the tawny-haired woman turned back to the holographic display, nodding at being introduced to the small portion of James' crew. "The pleasure is mine, commander James, colonel Kassa." She addressed the both of them, "I fear I don't quite know what I should ask, it's much more a matter for the Landwächter to deal with, I confes-" Brenner's words were cut short by a quick, but polite interruption from Odal. The Leutnant leaned over his display, waving to the admiral.

"Konteradmiral, a transmission, bounced from the Marathon, from their command." Silke blinked at this, unsure what to make of such. "To us. Shall I put it through?" The Austran had his finger over the key command to do so, figuring that his superior would want to hear such a thing immediately. Almost immediately she nodded, though she held up a hand for Odal to wait, that she might not appear overly rude.

"Pardon me, commander, a transmission from your..." A brief inquiry to Odal gave her the name she required, the Leutnat doing his best to pronounce it from the transcript that Hrethgir had provided of the transmission. "... chairman Inviere." With that she saw to Odal playing the message that she might hear it, Hrethgir doing its best to account for the accented speech of the chairman. "Permission is granted, chairman Inviere, though I fear we might not have much to offer in the way of diplomatic talks for now." All she was was an admiral, at that a lower one. Still, first contact was first contact, she supposed.

Mere moments later the Interdiktor arrived, as it had been ordered to do, dropping out of FTL and moving to flank the Lanze, the bulbous mounds along its otherwise sleek surface marking it as a vastly different class from the primary vessel present. She hailed the Puissance, Brenner accepting the transmission, momentary shifting the feed from James' bridge to another gothic command center, a rather pale man soon offering the Konteradmiral a quick salute. "Konteradmiral Brenner!" He nearly barked. "His Imperial Majesty's Interstellar Vessel Intolerance greets you. This is Kaptiän Richter, how may we serve?" One of the new Interdiktors assigned to her task force, an unknown face.

Silke returned the salute quickly, barely biting her lip for a moment as she pondered the thought. "Hold position for now, I do not believe we will need force of arms here, but it never hurts to be cautious." The admiral spoke, switching communications back to the Aschen for now. "... again, I apologize. I didn't plan on such interruptions. As said I don't quite know what questions to ask, though I offer the same to you, feel free to inquire, though I might not be free to answer all of your questions."

 

[Tiko]

as written by barney_fife

Somewhere in Isiria
Imperial Aschen Navy Flagship 'Legatus Stygies'
Iconoclast Class Battleship
Chairman Gina Inviere


"Everything's set and the coordinates are locked, Chairman, we're ready to depart." A Lieutenant reported from his station as the navigation officer confirmed the coordinates, locking them into the FTL computer. As Inviere checked over the final preparations, she turned up to the clock.

While the crew prepped the ship, the reply from the Puissance played on the speakers, Inviere nodding as she received the reply she expected.

"Permission is granted, chairman Inviere, though I fear we might not have much to offer in the way of diplomatic talks for now."

"Set countdown; Mark." She ordered, while the low hum culminated into an audible whine, the Legatus Stygies preparing for a jump. As the crew was hard at work preparing for jump, Inviere had lowered herself back into her seat, head resting on her palm as the countdown continued.

"Three; two; one; Mark!"

Belkan Border Space

The Chairman held her breath a moment, fighting the sudden and overwhelming disorientation and nausea that was associated with an FTL jump, swallowing hard the lapse came and went, and the Legatus Stygies appeared several hundred kilometers off the aft starboard side of the Marathon.

The Legatus Stygies, being a dedicated battleship was radically different than the smaller, sleeker Intrepid class cruiser. The Iconoclast was bristling with massive guns, and was much larger. Though the Iconoclast was not nearly as large as the Lanze class cruiser, she was at least roughly a third of the size of the cruiser, but with the Aschen, size didn't always matter.

Once the FTL Jump was completed, the Legatus Stygies settled into position, coming to a stop, Inviere staring at the viewscreen, making a face at the sheer size of the alien ship before her. "By the Lords, I've seen Assault carriers that were smaller than this thing." She said, standing up from her seat.

"Open a channel to the Puissance, video if they'll accept." She said, and the visage of the shipboard AI nodded, a video stream being broadcast to the Belkan Ship. Unlike the bridge of the Marathon; the CIC of the Stygies was dimly lit, and crowded with various CIC personnel. It was also arranged much differently from the Marathon's Bridge. Inviere, a slender blonde was standing directly center, hands clasped behind her back and clad in a dark grey Chairman's overcoat with two small geometric collar pips, in addition to a single ornate blue, gold, and silver epaulette resting neatly on her right shoulder, with a silver and blue aiguillette roped through the Epaulette. Directly behind her were a pair of Imperial Officers, one was her Executive officer, clad in the dark grey and blue trim of the Imperial Aschen Navy, similar to the uniform worn by Commander James.


"Puissance, this is Legatus Stygies actual, Gina Inviere, Chairman, of the Imperial Aschen Navy. I am pleased to make your acquaintance; I'd like permission to come aboard to meet with you and your staff personally, along with Commander James and my own staff. We can exchange inquiries, and establish a time and place that we can have a more formal diplomatic discourse with the appropriate officials. I will also need to ascertain if the Marathon is permitted to continue it's mission in this sector, or return to Isiria." Inviere said, relaxing slightly.

She knew that she had the political authority to make decisions, given the way the Aschen Military was structured; Inviere was the highest ranking individual within the Aschen's Naval framework, answering to the Emperor and the Minister of Defense; she outranked even the Admiral of the Fleet, Sheila Nagala. Inviere was also responsible for foreign policy in Isiria, a responsibility delegated to her by Minister Chaska herself. Inviere was also the highest ranking official of the Aschen Authority in Isiria

"On Behalf of the United Aschen Empire, I look forward to a long and prosperous relationship with your civilization."

 

[Tiko]

as written by Ottoman and barney_fife

The arrival of the much larger Iconoclast class caused Brenner to raise her eyebrows, not expecting something quite so large. Of course, she shouldn't have made any assumptions concerning these peoples' ships from having seen only one, after all, were it that someone based all of their naval assumptions concerning the Hegemony off of the Zaun class, well... they'd be in for quite a surprise. It seemed a much more capable craft than the smaller Intrepid, though she supposed that the Intrepid was capable enough in its assigned role. "Hrethgir must be having the time of its life with this." She mused, glancing to Horten and Odal, who both nodded to confirm. The rather voracious construct devoured any scrap of information it could get its figurative hands on, whether it pertained to ship classes, characteristics, capabilities or foreign languages and economical data.

The video communication was accepted, and with a curious eye did Brenner and Horten both look over this Inviere, the first individual of authority that they had yet seen from this Aschen Empire. From her uniform alone she seemed much more akin to their own officers, though her accent did throw off Hrethgir's translation still. Once the other had finished speaking, her musing of a long and prosperous relationship causing Brenner to reflexively glance to Horten with a curious look, the rear-admiral responded. "I would be delighted to host you, commander James and whoever else you deem necessary to bring along. I can launch a squadron of fighters to escort you to one of our hangar bays, if you would like." If only to show them the way, and to which bay to land in, considering the Puissance had dozens.

"The transit time will allow for my political officer and I to retire to a conference room and prepare for your arrival. We will continue discussions there, if you have no qualms, chairman Inviere." Brenner bowed her head slightly, listening for any final response before she glanced to Odal and gestured abstractly, giving the order to scramble one squadron for escort duty.

---

The flight of Valkyries cleared the hangar in no time, moving at half-throttle to a midway point between the Puissance and the foreign vessels. There was no need to alarm their visitors by moving at full-burn, after all. The four-winged vessels soon hovered in the void, awaiting whatever craft it was that would carry the Chairman and her retinue to meet with the Rear-Admiral.

Brenner and Horten, meanwhile, did just as they said, retiring to a conference room and preparing inquiries for the Aschen. There was much to discuss after all, even in this limited contact, before Brenner and Horten both had to bounce the issue further up their respective chains of command to ones far more qualified to speak on this matter than they. The foreign ministry would be excited to hear of a new state, or at least a newly discovered state, that wasn't particularly interested in outright war.

The two had a decent bit of time to prepare as they could, knowing that the Aschen would have something of a tram ride before they arrived to the bridge area of the Puissance and the conference room where they were to meet.

____

"That would be excellent." Inviere replied. "I'll make the necessary arrangements and will meet with you shortly." She added, before she nodded and the AI terminated the transmission. Once that was handled, Inviere brought her attention to Colonel Montrose, her Executive Officer for the Legatus Stygies

"Ready a flight of Apollos and my shuttle, we'll depart once Commander James bifrösts aboard."

"Very Good, Chairman." Colonel Montrose replied, before he offered a crisp salute, bringing his hand to his chest, and clicking his heels, his hand moving outwards at a 90 degree angle as he turned to leave.

Inviere silently pondered, before she stepped down from the Command station, her orders had already been relayed by the shipboard AI. A flight of Apollos and a single Raptor being prepared for departure from one of the Legatus Stygies' multiple hangar bays.

A few moments passed, and a brilliant beam of multicolored light shot from the Marathon, and into the Legatus Stygies. This beam of light culminated into a brief pulse of energy, and a highly localized einstein-rosen bridge before dissipating entirely. Several more moments passed, and a squadron of F-11X Apollo interceptors, and a single Raptor departed the larger Command ship, on course towards the Puissance. While they moved through the black void of space, Inviere sat with Commander James in silence, listening to the dull whir of the Raptor's engines

"Raptor 933 Inbound with escort contacting the Puissance, we request docking clearance and coordinates, we have the Chairman and Commander James, along with their security contingent onboard." The Raptor pilot hailed, as it continued to approach the much larger warship.

Meanwhile Inviere went through one last check on the Raptor, pulling out a small compact and touching up on facial makeup, James was attentive to an AI Hologram which was interfaced with the Marathon. It wouldn't be much longer now, and even though Inviere and James weren't very nervous, nerves seemed to be the climate among the security staff.

____

The four-winged fighters stirred to align themselves with their Aschen counterparts and matched their speed, leading them slightly as they redressed their course back to the Puissance. Coordinates weren't necessary, though the fighters would directly escort the craft into the hangar. "Granted Raptor 933, proceed to follow our flight to the designated hangar bay." There were several after all, and it wouldn't do in any case that they wind up, whether by the Scatterran's mistake or their own, at the wrong one. There would be an hour's delay, at bare minimum, before negotiations could begin, were it that they misplaced their craft considering the size of the Lanze class and the logistics required to keep it running at optimal efficiency.

Only a few moments later and the Valkyries soon rested back on board the Puissance, wings folded into the landing position that they might take up less space. A marine contingent stood ready to meet the Chairman and Commander, the color company of the Leibstandarte, and escort them to the tram that waited not even two-hundred meters away. Despite the small fanfare and presentation of colors by the marines, a hastily prepared greeting at best, the Weltraum Korps was not known for dallying, and so the Oberleutnant soon approached the foreign dignitaries, or what passed for dignitaries at this most informal meeting, standing nearly a head and a half taller than them. A stiff salute came of the man before he beckoned to the doors at the nearby edge of the hangar.

"Chairman Inviere and Commander James, I presume?" He asked, face and voice both concealed by the armor he wore, the only human features on his visage being the two glowing eyepieces meant more for familiarity than function. "I am Oberleutnant Menckoff, the Admiral is most eager to meet you." These foreigners - Aschen they called themselves? - were so very small in comparison to him, despite how similar they seemed to appear in form and function. Perhaps they made up for it in some manner, in their technology or aptitude for mechanical designs.

The officer refused to consider the possibilities that some of his men and women no doubt already were.

"The tram awaits us." He offered, hands soon clasped behind his back as he moved to escort them to the internal transport service of the vessel. Once they'd boarded the tram it would only be a few minutes until the bridge. Electing to refrain from sitting, Menckoff stood at parade rest for most of the ride, venturing to offer what he could in terms of information to the newcomers. "If there are any questions or concerns you might have about the the vessel or its contingents, please let me know."

____

The Apollo fighters, and their charge flew without incident along with it's Hegemony escort towards the massive Hangar bay of the Hegemony cruiser. In near silence, Inviere was taking in the sights, before she commented to Commander James.

"These things almost remind me of the Reverences, they're not as bulky, though. Reverences have cleaner lines, too." Inviere mentioned, while James nodded. "We could learn a thing or two from these aliens though." James explained. "Large scale hull construction, that sort of thing." She added, while the Raptor jerked slightly as it touched down on the Hangar bay, the pair of Apollos shifting into VTOL mode, and touching down alongside the Raptor.

The main door to the Raptor hissed audibly, opening up to reveal Chairman Inviere, the tall and slender blonde contrasted sharply to Commander James, who was shorter, and stockier than Inviere.

They stepped down in almost unison down onto the Hangar bay floor, returning Oberleutnant Menckoff's salute with Imperial Aschen salutes, bringing their hands to their left shoulder in crisp salutes.

"You presume correctly." Inviere replied, craning her neck slightly to look up at the towering Scatterran before her.


"Excellent." She replied in concerns to the tram, following with James in tow.

"Your vessels are magnificent, and your soldiers appear well trained, and well disciplined. Military culture is highly valued in our society, as it's necessary for the preservation of the state, and our way of life." Inviere commented.

"The Aschen Empire will have much to learn from your people, and no doubt much to offer. I'd like to know a little bit about your way of life, your society before we meet with the Admiral. I don't want to enter this conference totally ignorant to your social customs either." Inviere explained, standing with her hands resting to her side, while James stood at parade rest by now.

"A little bit about us; though. The Aschen Empire is a fairly recent institution, but we as a civilization have existed for many millenia. They say our medical technology is fairly valuable, and I am certain it is one of many things we can offer."

____

Menckoff would certainly offer whatever he could in the way of information, so long as it didn't breach protocol on what it was that he could reveal to the others. Still, he doubted that they would be pressing him for questions concerning operational doctrine, strength of forces stationed here, and other various sensitive matters. With a bow of his head he accepted Inviere's rather gracious compliments concerning his men and the vessel upon which he was stationed. It was no small mark of pride, the Hegemony's militaristic society, as it was what carried them through some of the darkest moments of their history. "I believe that it's necessary for the preservation of any state, chairman, if I might venture to be so bold." The Oberleutnant had something of a classical education, having been given one by ascending the ranks of the Weltraum Korps from the enlisted masses, a convicted criminal by nature now realigned in society by his service and dedication, when he attended OCS, and considered politics a small hobby or fascination of his.

She wanted to know about his society, his people, what it was that they thought right and good and even perhaps wrong and evil. His mind turned over just what it was he could likely say without proving to get too bogged-down deep in cultural nuances. "There's no doubt that we have something of worth that might interest you as well, though I'm not overly knowledgeable in such situations." They were ones that he wasn't the best with, and so he decided to refrain from such. Besides, the last thing he wanted was to say something and get the Admiral into some sort of bargaining match that would likely end with him being demoted. "There's archaeological evidence that points to our own society being far more ancient than our written records but..." It was impossible to study or prove now, with Scatter in its devastated state. "... it's a non-issue."

It was a personal matter to all Imperial Scatterrans, anything pertaining to their lost homeworld. Some were hopeful, others sad, but everyone was marked by it in some sense. The idea of a lost home had become so pervasive in their culture that wasn't hardly a single person who didn't have an emotional reaction to the word Scatter. But, these people didn't need to know that, it wasn't a vital, essential part of diplomatic relations. "Our state, the Hegemony, has existed for the past..." He took a moment to consider it, whether to take into account the Confederacy of Independent States or to only consider the era of Imperial government for the qualifications of being labeled the Hegemony. "... six centuries, leaning towards seven now. Old in terms of mortal men, but in terms of a mountain, still very young." At most Scatterrans lived to two-hundred, and that was a very healthy life.

But, as for their way of life? Their culture? "We are a neo-feudal autocracy, chairman." He stated, hoping that the very brief explanation made sense. "A true hegemony of states organized under our Emperor, the Kaiser. He rules absolutely over the collected Scatterran peoples who have pledged their fealty and souls to him, and he in turn provides territory for them to govern in the fashion that they see fit." There were hundreds - no, he mentally corrected himself - thousands of noble houses that governed swaths of territory across his homeland. Some owned little more than an acre, content to have a house and a family, but then some held entire sectors of space and all the planets therein. Some houses pledged themselves as vassals of other houses, all of which being the vassals of that most high seat, the Kaiser. "The various noble houses vary themselves, in their ethnic and social culture, political stances, and areas of focus. Take, House Redwing, for instance." Liberals, the lot of them. "Azriks, or Azricans in their tongue, both socially and politically liberal. They don't mind if Redwings marry commoners, so long as those that inherit are of pure noble birth, and are not afraid to see the common folk as eqals. Their armies are as equally competent as their merchants, neither is to be taken lightly."

"House Dollmann, on the other hand..." He trailed off, having a slight affinity for his folk. "I was born under their rule. They are a proud and proper people. Only noble marriages, and only the nobility can command their home-army, but I don't want to burden you with politics, chairman, especially ones that have no bearing here on the frontier. You are on a Flotte vessel, one that belongs neither to the various houses of the Reichsversammlung or to the Landwächter, although you will see Landwächter personnel on this ship, and in your coming meeting." The Emperor's eyes, ears and hands across all the Hegemony. "As for customs, we Imperials stress etiquette at all times. Fret not, no one you're going to meet with, to my knowledge, is nobility, so there will be no particular details you must know. Your ignorance on our social niceties and customs can be overlooked and forgiven, considering that you've only just met us. If I might offer my advice," The Belkan's voice paused for a moment as it came through the speakers of his helmet, the glowing eyes turned both to Inviere, then to James, "Simply be polite and courteous at all times, and we will remain the same."

The tram began to slow, but there was still some time before it stopped and they had to make their way to the conference room. "I fear there will be a momentary medical inspection here soon, nothing too rigorous or invasive, but we simply wish to check and make sure that there are no pathogens carried with you that might infect us. A simple precaution."

____

Inviere nodded slightly, while James continued to remain silent, and allow her superior to do the discussing. She continued to stand there at parade rest, while Menckoff was explaining the finer points of the Hegemony to the Aschen's Chairman.

"I see." Inviere said, replying to Menckoff's mention of Scatter, and the situation being a non issue. She likely picked up the subtle cue. Though the Aschen didn't have the same situation, actually having a place to call home. Langara was not the true Aschen home world, the true home world having been lost for a millenia.

"So the Imperial Hegemony has existed for six centuries, That's quite impressive for your society to, in a short time span amass an impressive ship design.


It was then Menckoff mentioned something about the Hegemony being a neo-feudal autocracy, with ruling houses and nobility. It was this response that elicited the strongest reaction from the Aschen Chairman.

"We were at war with a civilization similar in government to yours. They call themselves the Taiyou Empire of Greater Niihama, they're an Empire ruled by an Emperor, who in turn rules over Shogunates, military leaders who pledge their allegiance to him. The Taiyou have a staggering military capability, but fortunately their distance has kept them relatively pacified. We suffered heavy losses in our last conflict with them; but a tenuous peace was reached." Inviere explained.


"The Aschen Empire is closer to a constitutional Monarchy than a feudal state. The Emperor and his family have largely symbolic roles in the Empire, while the legal authority rests with them, they are subject to two chambers of Aschen Government; the twelve member Parliament, which consists of the leaders of the original twelve states of the Aschen Confederation. This Parliament oversees much of the minutia of Langaran politics. Some members are elected democratically, others are as regents, heirs to a throne in their Province. There is a second body called the Quorum, which consists of leaders from every Imperial province. These leaders assemble and make up representation across the Empire. They draft legislation, and reserve the power to remove the Emperor from office if there is a strong enough vote of no confidence. If that happens, a new Emperor is chosen by the Quorum, through an electoral college." Inviere explained, pausing in reflection.

"Perhaps more an Imperial Republic, than anything." Inviere explained.

"I don't intend to offend anyone, so I trust things will proceed relatively smoothly. But I will take your advice to heart... Oberleutnant Menckoff" The Name was pronounced with some difficulty, given that Inviere was speaking accented Anquietas, as her native language was Gemonese.


At the mention of a medical exam, this drew another visible reaction from the Aschen personnel.

"We eradicated all known diseases hundreds of years ago.." She said, expressing concern at the mention of medical examinations.

"For the sake of different cultural interpretations on the word invasive, you may wish to clarify to Commander James and myself the exact nature of what we'll be subject too. I can say with certainty we're both in good health, the Empire mandates a strict regimen of vaccines before we travel to Isiria."

____

The note of the Taiyou concerned Menckoff for a moment, wondering just what this might mean as a precedent for their two peoples. "I would hope that your relations with the Taiyou will not color your talks with my superiors." If anything, his people didn't take kindly to the insolent or impatient.

Menckoff glanced to both of them, one then the other, lit eyepieces not betraying the movement of his eyes within the helmet. He supposed that there likely was a cultural gap in their meanings of invasive. At the very least the Aschen seemed a degree less severe than his own people, and so without much more thought did his best to explain. "A basic biological scan, a sampling of your exhaled breath, and likely a small neutron shower." They had eradicated disease? To the marine that seemed like a double-edged sword, but he wasn't one to dwell on such thoughts. They were neither fitting of his station or his duties. "Your bodies may be pure but there is no guarantee that your clothing is. A simple precaution, alien diseases can wreak havoc, as I'm sure your people are aware of." If they had eliminated disease, they must have done so for a reason.

With the slightest lurch the tram ceased its motion, the doors soon parting as Oberleutnant Menckoff lead the Aschen out of the car and towards a small medical station that lay just outside the bridge. More of a first aid station than anything else, but it had the hardware to see to what needed to be done. "My apologies if it isn't the most... advanced station Chairman Inviere, Commander James. The good Sanitäter will see to you promptly, and if you will excuse me, I shall announce your arrival." He stopped by the aid station to turn and address the two one last time, "But if there are any final questions, as always I am here to help however I can." Expectantly, or as expectantly as an emotionless helmet could appear, Menckoff waited for but another few moments there, to either answer any remaining questions or continue further up to the bridge.