STGOD 4 Game Thread

[HemlockGrey]

Somewhere in Asgard Space

They came beyond the rim of Known Space, heralds of an empire both strong and united. Humanity journeying to humanity's heartland, the ships a strange menagerie of humans and the alien Lyn.

Eight ships in total, one of a dozen squadrons like it send off recently to investigate what lay beyond their own domain. With domestic tranquility and economic self-sufficiency came a desire to explore, and so this squadron was off, racing through the very depths of the universe.

This was the strongest of the squadrons, spearheaded by one of the powerful Belisarius-class ships, the INW Alexius Comnenus. The four escort destroyers Robert Palmer, Roger Borsa, Stephen du Perche and the Charles Dawes made up the bulk of the force, rounded off by three diplomatic and science vessels.

Dropping into realspace with a sudden jolt, elation shot through the ranks of the tiny fleet as their sophisticated scanners registered what appeared to be a highly developed, spacefaring system.

The captain of the Alexius Comenus, Robert Elville, called for all hands to be ready for either flight, military action, or an honorable reception. As the transmission went out, in Lyn, in all the human tongues known to the Empire, and in all the forms the imperial electronic translators could devise, all the crew, human and Lyn alike, waited with baited trepidation.

Fellow friends in the stars, for whom we have searched for so long, the peace of God be unto you! Greetings from the bastion of humanity and Lynkind alike - Greetings, from the Empire!

[Alyrium Denryle]

A long ways away several hours later, a DR listening post in neutral space picked up a transmission.. or parts of one

Fellow friends... searched for so long...Greetings from the bastion ... Lynkind alike... from the Empire!

relayed it to central command, and a transmission was sent to the apparant newcommers

"Greetings from the Draconis Republic, peace of the void be with you"

[Stormbringer]

Fellow friends in the stars, for whom we have searched for so long, the peace of God be unto you! Greetings from the bastion of humanity and Lynkind alike - Greetings, from the Empire!

The message was sent back to the Lyn ships almost immediately.

"And greetings to you, our brothers among the stars. Welcome to you and we hope that you will deign to speak with us. We are always eager to speak with others."

A message had been sent to Trondheim immediately and preperations were already being made to welcome the new visitors.

"If you do not object, we would allow some of your light ships to travel to our capital so that you may speak with our leaders directly. We hope you will avail yourself of the oppurtunity."

[Thirdfain]

Known Space
Ark Sector - Ravenlock Controlled Region
Trade Fair

The ships that came were at first few in number- after all, this fair was in many ways directed at Known Space's larger powers. In time, though, the trickle became a flood. Minmatar vessels, hailing from as far out as Catalonia, began to arrive. Independent trading vessels, from such megacorporations as the Basque Industrial Conglomorate and Federated Telecommunications, also began to arrive, showcasing their latest equipment, ranging from terraforming gear to nuclear weapons. Not surprisingly, there were Floater nomads there as well; many had made lucrative deals with the Hajr in Ark Sector, and were prepared to put that money to work improving their clusters. Cluttered messes of Floater ships soon formed, a half-dozen cluster in miniature forming a ways away from the Station as various Floater clans met with others. The Trade Fair was one of the few recent opportunities for the smaller nomadic Clusters to send representitives and meet their fellows. There were even a number of larger Floater ships; freighters, prospectors, and cruisers, even an ageing demilitarized Zarathrustran Attack Carrier which some hypothesized predated the Genocide Wars.

A long vessel, bearing the garish red-and-gold paint of the Cluster of Inisha, arrived only a day into the proceedings, requesting a berth and spaces to set up trade goods. Shockingly, the items being demonstrated were largely Ouster in make- cutting torches, robotic machine tools, and construction equipment.

The Hajr had sent no overt representatives, but it had spies at the meet- Little would go on here without the Hajr's eventual knowledge.

[HemlockGrey]

Time: Before Asgard Contact

As Elville's squadron floated in their current position, awaiting contact with the system's inhabitants, they picked up a transmission aimed squarely at them. Running it through the translators, they quickly discerned that it was a greeting of some sort. Contacting another squadron nearby and informing them of the situation, Captain Elville directed it to make for the location of the transmission with all due haste.

Shortly thereafter, the four escort destroyers Franco, Enrico Dandolo, Adelaide of Sicily and Adrian IV arrived on the fringes of the space from which the transmission had originated, and awaited further contact...

[Stormbringer]

A long ways away several hours later, a DR listening post in neutral space picked up a transmission.. or parts of one

Fellow friends... searched for so long...Greetings from the bastion ... Lynkind alike... from the Empire!

relayed it to central command, and a transmission was sent to the apparant newcommers

"Greetings from the Draconis Republic, peace of the void be with you"

TO: Draconis Republic
FROM: Asgard War Ministry
SUB: Espionage

We have been made aware, thanks to certain pirate transmissions of your, of your epsionage against our nation. Please cease and desist or we will be forced to take countering actions. It is our sincerest hope that you will see reason and abandon your espionage efforts.

[HemlockGrey]

"If you do not object, we would allow some of your light ships to travel to our capital so that you may speak with our leaders directly. We hope you will avail yourself of the oppurtunity."

Aboard the Nyllior ships both humans and Lyn quivered with excitement. Rapidly Elville fired off a communication to Nyll itself; then he dispatched another transmission to the new contacts.

"In the name of the Emperor Aurelian Lyrian II, I accept your offer, on behalf of the Empire of Nyll. I am attempting to establish contact with my homeworld and am empowered to negotiate and act as a representative of the Emperor. I will leave my ship, the Alexius Comenus, here and travel on with two of my escort destroyers to your homeworld."

[Stormbringer]

"If you do not object, we would allow some of your light ships to travel to our capital so that you may speak with our leaders directly. We hope you will avail yourself of the oppurtunity."

Aboard the Nyllior ships both humans and Lyn quivered with excitement. Rapidly Elville fired off a communication to Nyll itself; then he dispatched another transmission to the new contacts.

"In the name of the Emperor Aurelian Lyrian II, I accept your offer, on behalf of the Empire of Nyll. I am attempting to establish contact with my homeworld and am empowered to negotiate and act as a representative of the Emperor. I will leave my ship, the Alexius Comenus, here and travel on with two of my escort destroyers to your homeworld."

"Excellent, you and your people are most welcome. We have already sent ahead a message so you will be received well. The Emperor and several of the Foreign Ministers will be ready to meet you on your arrival,"

*transmitting coordinates of the Valhalla System*

"We hope you have a safe journey. In the mean time, we might be able to arrange liberty for your people here in the system."

[Alyrium Denryle]

A long ways away several hours later, a DR listening post in neutral space picked up a transmission.. or parts of one

Fellow friends... searched for so long...Greetings from the bastion ... Lynkind alike... from the Empire!

relayed it to central command, and a transmission was sent to the apparant newcommers

"Greetings from the Draconis Republic, peace of the void be with you"

TO: Draconis Republic
FROM: Asgard War Ministry
SUB: Espionage

We have been made aware, thanks to certain pirate transmissions of your, of your epsionage against our nation. Please cease and desist or we will be forced to take countering actions. It is our sincerest hope that you will see reason and abandon your espionage efforts.

We didnt think you would have issues with a listening post with passive sensors. We will shut down all listening drones within range of your space.

Though, any ship with a passive sensor array will pick up the same transmission...

[HemlockGrey]

Taking personal command of the Roger Borsa, Elville, his new ship, a diplomatic vessel and the Stephen du Perche followed the coordinates given, while the rest of the squadron was delievered into the hands of the Asgardi.

Back on Nyll, the Emperor had been awoken with the startling news and was even now furiously transmitting directives to the Roger Borsa. Embarking on the fastest diplomatic ship in the Empire, he was even now speeding towards this new, unknown empire...

Meanwhile, the other four-escort destroyer squadron hung on the fringes of what appeared to be some sort of listening post, transmitting a standard greeting and awaiting contact...

[Bugsby]

Although the Combine failed to send a full delegation, the promise of so many buyers in one place attracted the attention of Faran Tor and the marketing corps. Krell had left standing orders that the Combine would not be involved in any summits of this sort, obviously paranoid since the Monacoran Grand Ball. Faran, however, could not let himself leave so big a market upexplored. Thus, a small three-man delegation was sent, loaded with the standard material.

At the conference, the Combine was accorded their proper space to advertise. Although no equipment demonstrations were avialbable in-person, many holo-recordings of Combine products in action were being demonstrated by the small sales team. An hour into the conference, a sizable crowd had formed around the Combine booth. The recent news of the Krell destruction of the Overseer had given the Krell quite a reputation, and many nations came to examine the Combine wares closer. The smaller fiefdoms were most impressed, talking eagerly about creating new Combine contracts and expaning older ones. Some even mentioned applying for client world status, although everyone present knew their local governments would never accept it.

The only disturbance to the Krell crowds was the entrance of the Draconis delegation into the venue. The lizards had a full fifty salesmen present, clamoring about shields and weapons for sale. They quickly accumulated a small crowd, with a few people to watch their demonstrations, but the 3 Krells attracted more attention than the 50 lizards. When it came to arms sales, it was a tradition of reliability that counted. The Combine had it. The Draconis didn't, yet.

[Alyrium Denryle]

"we have been asked to shut down this post, however, we are interested in making contact with you. And we have already sent a destroyer who should be arriving.. soon"

And with that the small unmanned comm relay/passive sensor that was the listening post shutdown.

A while later(no more than 2 days, giving leeway for FTL travel times) A jumpoint opened and the missile destroyer "Missiledoken" arrived

"Salutations. This is AMbassador Lothe I am pleased to meet you"

[Stormbringer]

Taking personal command of the Roger Borsa, Elville, his new ship, a diplomatic vessel and the Stephen du Perche followed the coordinates given, while the rest of the squadron was delievered into the hands of the Asgardi.

Back on Nyll, the Emperor had been awoken with the startling news and was even now furiously transmitting directives to the Roger Borsa. Embarking on the fastest diplomatic ship in the Empire, he was even now speeding towards this new, unknown empire...

Meanwhile, the other four-escort destroyer squadron hung on the fringes of what appeared to be some sort of listening post, transmitting a standard greeting and awaiting contact...

After checking them with both Asgard and Nyll Medstaff the sailors were turned loose on one of the larger orbital stations. It was a medium sized trade station, with all the ammenties a shorebound sailor could wish for.

* * *

[Trondheim]

The Emperor and a whole host of advisors and officials had been rousted out of bed. First contacts were rare, and this one was in their backyard. It definitely bore a good deal of attention and there was to be no lack.


OOC: Not sure what sort of entrance you want to make into the system. Feel free to post something reasonable.

[HemlockGrey]

Robert Elville arrived in the system with all the fanfare he could muster; he had recieved word that the Emperor himself was arriving. In the meantime, he, a human contingent and a Lyn contingent touched down planetside, eager to meet with this new Emperor and discuss diplomatic options. The scientists and diplomats were turned loose on data recovery and cultural information, as Robert awaited an audience...

[Bugsby]

The Etern crew came aboard Gorgon Defender to make true first contact. It was something of an awkward situation. The Etern were scouts, not members of the diplomatic corps, and the Krell too were soldiers, not negotiators. Nonetheless, the Etern were given every possible accomodation. The Krell ship was a military one, built for purpose, not luxury, but the Etern were more than comfortable. Comm frequencies were exchanged so that further contact would be possible.

After a time, an ansilbe link to the Nexus was established, and the Etern were able to have a private conversation with Adar Krell himself. They left feeling well-served, with enough evidence of the Overseer's demise to convince their race. The Etern delegation would return as heroes to its people, and the Krell would continue their vigilance over their claimed salvage areas, fully aware that another complication had been added to Galactic politics.

[Alyrium Denryle]

At 1300 hours

the first of the demonstrations began.

The destroyers were waiting at their rally points and the tests on shield and hull had taken place. The freighters however had their defense grids powered up. One was in a relativly stationary positon, while the others began firing intert matter roughly the size of golfballs from some kind of accelerators at .2 c at a high rate of fire.

The defense grid got to work. Pulses of plasma streamed from the 5 emplacements that were in the correct arc(aiming away from the fair propper) and intercepted them with almost perfect accuracy. 50 shots per second were streaming from that defense grid, and those shots that missed, detonated in a flak burst destroying their target anyway. it was a rather impressive demonstration that left the audience rather stunned.

"Ladies and gentlebeings. The Mark Three Defense Grid, brought to you by Zenith Defense Systems. Providing for your security, hree steps at a time."

[Marcao]

Known Space
Ark Sector - Ravenlock Controlled Region
Trade Fair

The Veithan presence in the trade fair was far more subdued than most others. They had arranged for their arrival early, a single vessel containing all that they had come to display. The Veithan delegation had cleared all of this ahead of time with the Ravenlock, as politeness required. When the trade fair began, the Veithan area was fully prepared for it in a semi-secluded area. It was slightly away from the main foot traffic, but it offered a far more comfortable and private setting with an awe inspiring view of the stars.

It was not surprising to discover that the Krell were very popular during the fair, not when the word about their exploits against the machines were made public. They had taken all the risks in order for this, the increase in reputation was their reward. The Veithan representatives did not feel ill wil nor ire towards the Krell competition, well aware that the arms market and others were dominated by ups and downs. The Veithans concentrated on their local sphere, the nations there already respected Veithan goods and befiting a nation was known, their quality was established.

Veithan arms manufacturers had been reaping the benefits from the sudden influx of hostilities since their very beginning, and political maneuverings and an elegant and informative ad campaign kept a high demand for Veithan goods. It was not surprising that the Manasan and Myheri nations hung close to the Veithan booth, arranging deals for their nations. There was a new representative however, that of the Kalderi who seemed quite intent on arranging business deals with the Veithans. There were others of course, and not all were within the sphere of influence of the Veithan Empire. Quality, did not respect boundaries.

A catalog of the Veithan services and systems which were available was made available to those that were interested, the catalog possessing various demonstrations of the equipment and weaponry in question. The arrival of the Inashi and that which they offered did not go unnoticed by the handful of Veithans tasked with mingling with the crowds and taking notice of the flow of things. By the end of the fair, the Veithan empire would have a good idea of what had transpired. Who talked with whom, which nations seemed friendly with others, and which nations seemed to scorn or dislike. This was all in many ways all part of the usual game. A game that the Empire was quite good at.

[Stormbringer]

Robert Elville arrived in the system with all the fanfare he could muster; he had recieved word that the Emperor himself was arriving. In the meantime, he, a human contingent and a Lyn contingent touched down planetside, eager to meet with this new Emperor and discuss diplomatic options. The scientists and diplomats were turned loose on data recovery and cultural information, as Robert awaited an audience...

The Delegations wasn't kept waiting long at all. An escort of Imperial Guard soon had scooped up the delegation and were seeing them to the Hall of Worlds. The official government edifice, it was a massive building and reflected the splendor of the Empire of old. Everything was done bigger and more expansively, and of course the scans and security measures discreetly concealed. Satified they were harmless, they were escorted to the meeting.

"If you'll follow me this way, we'll take you to the meeting. The Emperor and the Prime Minister are both here to see you as well as some key Ministers. "

* * *

The delegates were brought to one of the suites, one overlooking the sea cliffes forty stories below.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. Rarely do we get the chance any more to meet new faces. I hope you are being made welcome here?" asked the Prime Minister. "And I hope we can make a good impression as well."

[InnocentBystander]

Ravenlock Consortium Trade Fair

Pnarreen Rhaevnn request to speak with a Consortium diplomat had not fallen on deaf ears. He was quickly shuttled to the Serial Peacemaker for a chat with one of Ravenlock's high ranking diplomats.

Rhaevnn, followed by an Order officer was lead into a fairly ornate conference room where his host was waiting for him.

After a brief greeting Rhaevnn got right to business.

"The soul catcher technology your people employ, my government is quite interested in making use of it, on a large scale," at the trade fair individuals with great wealth could apply for a copy of his or her mind to be made, but the Baeloarens had a different scale in mind.
"Cloning is essential to our way of life, you see. All labor is done by cloned workers. The process of cloning is fast and they can be manufactured in large numbers, but they still require considerable amount of education and training, at least five years, before they can be added to the labor force." he paused for a moment to take a sip of water, "We would like to utilize your soul catcher technology to streamline our worker education process and shave years off the production time of our workers. We are willing to provide more than adequate compensation."

[Hotfoot]

Ravenlock Space
Ravenlock Sector
Aequitas

The chatter on public and private comms was a crescendo. The appearance of the Veithans was hard to keep a secret at this point, and undoubtedly GCN ships were nearby, and reporters already in the diplomatic station, held at bay by station security. The Diplomatic station itself was nearly as large as a colony cylinder, and for the most part largely empty. The expected response to the Ravenlock First Contact had been less than stellar, though with the Trade Fair around the corner, that may well change. For the time being, however, the Veithans had the run of the station. The Security Specialists were greeted by a cadre of similar specialists and personnel, though noticeably missing Tsu Chan, as well as Major Vessal’s SENTINEL team. If the Veithans asked, they would be told that the team was unavoidably delayed, and would be available for their demonstrations on the second day of the summit. In the meantime, the specialists were shown to their quarters, rather luxurious by Ravenlock standards, though they still reeked of Spartan efficiency, as did most of Ravenlock structures. The schedule for the summit was confirmed, and the Veithans were given the opportunity to tour the Diplomatic station before the summit proper began.

The Veithan Escorts received a somewhat different welcome at the Aequitas military complex. They got the best of the guest beds, which were better than most warship accommodations, at least. Transportation to Entertainment stations and such were arranged, and an opportunity was extended from Captain Lucretia Johnston to engage in mock combat situations.

Meanwhile, on Aequitas itself, Major Vessal had a problem…

[Bugsby]

The Draconis delegation was starting to annoy the Krells. They had not built up markets over the last fifty plus years to have them taken away by a new upstart power. Not that the Draconis were having much success, but the rediculous posturing chafed. Didn't they know who controlled the arms market in known space? Anyone could liquidate space-golfballs, no matter how fast they were moving.

The Krell delegation kept their performances low-key, letting results speak for themselves. The recordings they projected were not prototypes attacking golf-balls, rather real-time recordings of Krell engagements. A mass of defensive drones positioned around a small moon picked apart a marauding pirate fleet. Lance cannons blew holes through dreadnaughts. Harleys danced circles around other standard ships, peppering them with laserfire. There was even a recording of a wall-class cruiser in action, its point defense blasting thousands of missiles out of the air, its shields holding up to a pounding that would have ripped through most vessels its size. The presentation concluded with a full replay of the battle between the Arcanists and Krell ships over Toril, the famous battle where the Arcanists had been defeated.

By the time the presentation was over, no one much cared for the Draconis defensive grids.

[Thirdfain]

Known Space
Ark Sector - Ravenlock Controlled Region
Trade Fair

A group of assorted Floaters had been torn between the two akimbo displays. Each one was interesting, and the Floaters intended on upgrading the defenses on their Cluster's defensive ships. Only the larger clusters could afford to build their own weapons, and times such as these called that most nomads went armed.

Watching as the impressive Krell fleet snapped the Arcanist wall of battle and tore on through, leacing burning hulks in it's wake, they flocked to the Krell booth, where money rapidly began changing hands. They were hardly alone- most buyers, with the exception of those poor few who were actually MORE strapped for cash than the vagabond spacers, went to the Krell.

[Alyrium Denryle]

"Hm... damn those Krells..."

Soon the interactive display was ready, featuring a holo booth that simulates operating the defense grid at oth the gunner level, and the bridge interface for one man ships.

The gunner interface was downright sexy It was a stand or sit holographic display of the weapons fire arc. Each possible target was displayed in real time with a marker and targeting information. The target info included spee, distance, time till impact, and estimated damage. As well as trajectories.

Miltiple seats wwere available and they controlled different fire arcs.

All the gunner had to do was touch the marker and the targeting computer did the rest. It required only a few minutes to use.

The bridge interface was even more simple, the ships targeting computer delt with most things. Though the number of weapons it could handle was reduced.

The holo booths were open to the public, and started to quickly draw people away from the Krell, and sales skyrocketed. Especially due to the fact that the prices were highly competitive with even the krell.

[HemlockGrey]

In Asgard Space

Captain Elville addressed the Prime Minister and the Emperor.

"I cannot fully articulate the appreciation I feel for the welcome I have recieved here. I, like many of my fellow imperials, have long toyed with notions of space-borne civilizations existing beyond our own. Now that we have actually made contact, I am understandably elated.

However, as a result of our isolation, we know little about the galaxy into which we now find ourselves plunged. We know nothing about its history, save some scraps of the history of Old Earth; we know none of the traps, none of the pitfalls, none of the dangers that it holds. Our very existance depends upon this knowledge. Anything you can tell us, about your politics, your people, your culture, will be treasured.

Further, as another natural extension of our situation, we find ourselves without allies. As I speak, the Emperor himself is racing here on the fastest ship in the fleet. He has given me three directives. The first is to prepare my men for his arrival. I has issued orders to this effect. The second is to acquire a camel for sacrificial purposes - if you have one on hand, I would be happy to compensate you for it. The third directive, and obviously the most important, is to, in his absence, negotiate a treaty with your empire. The treaty, of course, has several specific stipulations, which I would be glad to expound upon - if you would be interested in hearing them."

[SirNitram]

How the Etern had gotten to the Trade Fair on time was a mystery. But instead of sensibly going about First Contact, three of the Collective's most rowdy Warriors were now causing a stir at the Draconis' sales area.

The sales had hit a bit of a halt. No one was watching the interactive booth for their turn. The three huge cyborgs had taken up residence in the planetary defense grid's controls, and were having what appeared to be a good time. Bets were being placed on their level of expertise.

Of course, the three men were not so boring as to merely touch the holographic indicator. Each had hauled out an oversized melee weapon and were swinging at the illusionary foes, causing the cannons to roar.

The eldest, one with shocking red hair and both arms replaced, wiped sweat from his brow. "This is a creche infant's introduction to star combat! Good for the clan younglings, but where is a man's interface, with the trigger and the stick?" He called to the nearest representative.