Disruption (IC)

Allé took the opportunity to voice a concern. "How do you think the people here will react to us all? I mean, they may be alright with those of us who are Chimerosu, but how will they react to the rest of us?"

Travis shrugged, "Every race had a different way of regarding the fact that they weren't the only ones. It all depends on how strongly they kept records of their history, how they feel about strangers, and about those who don't look much like themselves. So far, I haven't seen a race yet that didn't know we were descended from Krylonians, and that there were aliens among the stars. Still, though, doesn't make of for the other two thing. Cavernians pretty much found us, we got near their planet, and they sent out a ship to greet us, though they couldn't quite leave the solar system without our help. We started looking, then, and we found the Vitisans, they were glad to join the UCN. The Stagnumians were suspicious folks, but they joined us because of our shared heritage. It doesn't mean we didn't cause someone to run of screaming, you get a lot of different reactions." He said. It wasn't really very comforting to think about.

They approached the cliff, and saw that it was incredibly steep a rocky crag, more than anything, with only thin ridges for foot holds. They looked out over the ocean, and that was when Ravage spotted them. "Guys, look, over there!" She said, pointing it out. Over in one part of the ocean where the fish were jumping, something else was leaping out to catch them. They moved rapidly, and sank into the water so smoothly that they barely made any splash at all. They were torpedo-shaped, and a bold shade of bright navy blue. Veins of white markings covered their bodies, ending with dips of orange that faded into yellow and then blended. There didn't appear to be plating on their bellies, and they were compact-looking. Greyish beaks and horns were in front of their smaller manes, and tufts of yellow came from above their eyes and wrapped around their horns. Their wings, it seemed, were more like fins or flippers, than actual feathered sails that would allow flight. No doubt, these were Silexians, the Chimerosu race they had been searching for.

Ravage watched as one swam up to the thin strip of sandy beach a distance away, holding fish in his hands, as he looked up at the cliff, with no apparent way to get up. It didn't seem that he was capable of flight, either. Then, he looked down at his feet, and his pillar-like legs scrunched up, as he hopped, landing perfectly on one of the crags. He continued, jumping up the mountainside, before making a false step and tumbling back down. Everyone winced, seeing this, worried that he was hurt. However, before anyone could call out in concern, the Silexian got back onto his feet, as though the blow were a minor hindrance, uninjured, and continued to hop up the cliff again, this time, making it to the top, and stepping away from it. It was then that he turned back to head to his home, perhaps the one set further away from the village, and froze, staring at the aliens that were watching him.

Both stood there in silence for what seemed like forever, until Travis, knowing that there probably wasn't much he could say, waved, a friendly, universal gesture. The Silexian, his beak hanging wide open, freed up one hand, his eyes never leaving the group, and waved back, before letting his arm fall back and hang by his side limply. It was clear that he was unsure of what to do, he was confused by the similarity to him that some of the group members bore, but he had never seen anything like the others. What were they?

By this time, others had come to the shore, and looked up at the cliff, seeing the people staring at one another. It was then that Silexian tongue was heard for the first time. It was by far one of the most unusual noises anyone could hear. It sounded a bit like a bunch of horns, crossed with the sound of the lowing of a cow, combined with higher-pitched squeaky noises, like a rusty metal hinge, all possessing a raspy quality to it. Travis frowned, having no idea what they were saying. It didn't seem anyone else did, either. Although all the languages of Chimerosu were derived from one main language, this one was so different it was hard to distinguish any words at all.

Ravage, however, found herself widening her eyes with surprise. She had understood what the Vitisans, Frigians, and Cavernians were saying, but for the longest time, had attributed it to the similarities to her own language. Now, she was finding that while it should have been impossible for her to understand, she could still make sense of the Silexian tongue, as confusing as it was. Without thinking, she opened her beak, and let out a screech, perfectly mimicking the Silexian words, as though she had been a native herself. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. She had immediately said the one thing that was appropriate for this sort of situation, "Greetings, we come in peace".

At this, everyone fell silent.

At the outskirts of 4th arm UFIAI territory...

Space warped like the rippling of water as a small Confederacy fleet came out of warp. The ships were not in the proximity of any planets, but were instead between systems. The fleet was composed largely of Ryun-Wreae ships, though a couple Jorro'kil and Krathunian vessels were scattered here and there. Most notably was a joint Confederacy made vessel between the size of a Frigate and Cruiser (though classified as a frigate), named the Valence. Following it were several corvettes and warships, made by all races. Each ship was equipped with specially made stealth drives and contained multitudes of hacking utilities, viruses, data extraction tools, and more.

At the bridge of the Valence, Unsilenced Retribution stood, observing a map of nearby territory. Next to him was Xej Therus, watching the map closely as well. The Wreae turned to the Zealot, blue lightning crackling down its armor. "We have a few options. We can target any of the nearby outposts and extract intel, or we can attempt to disrupt a network or industrial center."
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Q'ren and the crew stood in the main bridge of the ship, also observing a nearby map of the galaxy. It showed the outskirts of Krathunian Old World territory, close to the core. The map had been updated, though it still showed several calculations telltale of older years - For example, at the bottom left hand corner of the map, every known empire was labelled with color coordination for their territory, approximate strength, and diplomatic status. Allied races were labelled in green, hostile in red, and neutral in blue. Oddly, the Loccalian Empire was highlighted in green, though their strength label was at 0. Their next destination, just outside of the territory, was labelled by a beeping red dot.

Q'ren stood back, observing. "We have a couple hours before we reach our destination. This time, we're searching for the Serath Shell, the next part of the power supply. The device we recovered allows it to function, and this helps to contain the energy so we don't die." He paused for a second. "I don't know what will be down there. Now that the Collective is active again, this planet may be in ruins or preparing to attack. We need to go down there, grab the Shell, and get out. Any questions?"

Allé looked at Aarin in astonishment. "Did she just speak to them in their own language?"

"That's what it sounded like," replied Aarin quietly. "It seems she has even more hidden talents than everyone realized. You were speaking to them, weren't you?" he added to Ravage.
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"Yes," said Admiral Lirr. "If we encounter resistance in the form of the Collective, how exactly do we respond? Do they have any weakness we could exploit?"

Ravage frowned, clearly perplexed, and wondering if she had really just done what she thought she had done. Apparently, she had, if people were asking her about it. She frowned, glancing at Aarin, "I...think so....but I don't know how..." She said, at a loss for words. The Silexians were still staring, before the one across from them on the top of the cliff said something. Ravage turned to him, amazed that she had understood him as clearly as if he had been speaking her own tongue. This was truly confusing, but she would have to think about the mechanics of automatic speech-recognition later, right now as not the time to lose confidence. As one would expect, the Silexian had immediately asked who they were. Ravage was not going to deny him an answer, "We are the UCN, alien relatives of your kind. We came looking for you. We are all descended from the same race, though we did bring representatives from other peoples."

This started up another, quieter amount of speech, as the Silexians at the base of the cliff started quietly conversing amongst themselves, wondering what this all meant. Eventually, though, a louder call rang out, and a second Silexian joined the first on the cliff. This one had very long yellow tufts on his mane, and a grey tinge to his sleek, seamless-looking feathers. He was clearly an elder, of sorts, and everyone was silent again, as this Elder approached the strange group. The Elder looked between the aliens, before smiling and throwing his arms wide, "We have known we had brothers in the sky, and as the Elder of this village, I extend to you our friendliest greetings." He said, of course, only Ravage could understand him.

Ravage nodded, and replied back, "We are grateful to be welcomed with open arms, but of this group, I am the only one who understands your speech, though by what means, I am unsure. Do you speak the international tongue, or have anyone that does such?" She asked. Everyone else was forced to watch the conversation with confusing, wishing they knew that the two were saying to each other.

The Silexian Elder nodded, "Yes, I have spent many years learning what you call 'International Tongue'", his voice was deep and booming, in nature, perfectly fitting his appearance, though now, he could be understood by the aliens, and nobody of his own people knew what he was saying. "I will speak it for you, so that there is no confusion, though I much prefer the tongue of my own people." He said. He turned to the group, "I am Alder, grand Elder of this village. You are welcome here." He said.

Aarin and Allé each placed the right fist to the left palm and bowed. "I am Aarin Tiirmot of the nation of Daro, of the Confederacy of Vathoris. This is Allé Hadrin, and that is Isbar." Isbar his arms crossed, gave a curt nod.

"Allow me also to introduce Tevri din Ethrin, son of Asmir din Ethrin, of the Markovan Empire," continued Aarin.

Tevri bowed, and then remembered the traditional Markovan greeting. To forget this gesture was considered rude by Markovans, even suspicious. Very embarrassed, Tevri hastily reached for his sword, and drew it quickly.

Xerin, of the other representatives being the most similar in that he was avian, stepped forward slightly, giving a dip of the beak.

"I am Xerin Grei, Jorro'kil Representative. It is good to meet you." He said.

Svar wandered the ship for a bit, observing the Chimerosu that went about their daily business. The Cavernians, he found, were most similar to his people in culture, though the Frigians were most like life on Sethega, adapted for frigid cold. Eventually, Svar found himself approaching (unbeknownst to him), the room containing one of the only Stagnumians on the Majesty.

Svar went to the door, and as to not be rude, knocked. He made sure to do this gingerly, knowing of the relative strength of his species. "Hello?" He called out inquisitively.

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Q'ren thought for a moment before speaking. "It depends on what the Collective has down there." He started, looking up and down the map with anxiety. "If the planet is in ruins and there are only a couple Vrenti are left behind, we may need to be careful due to their shape shifting ability. If they have a fleet, an army, or a Prime, there's not much we can do besides run in there, grab the Shell, and get out as quickly as possible. If the Vrentus Supreme is there..." Q'ren gulped, turning to the Markovan. "We might as well already be dead." He shook his head before continuing. "I'd say the best strategy is caution. Be aware of any abnormalities and strange figures, you don't want to be lured into one of their traps."

Sentinel Theranis nodded in agreement. "We might also want someone to be guarding the ship in case they attempt to replicate it." He gave a crooked smile, leaning on his sword. "I volunteer to do this, it's a bit difficult to walk... or run."

Q'ren muttered a thank you, before continuing to look at the map. "Anything else?"

Alder was friendly enough to accept the greetings of the representatives, but immediately narrowed his eyes in a hostile manner when Tevri drew his sword. "-And you are drawing a weapon in my presence, do you seek to do me harm?" He asked, his voice becoming stern. Having been isolated for many years, Silexians were not familiar with most alien customs, and they did not recognize that the traditional greeting of the Markovans involved the use of a sword. He opened his flipper-like wings, muscle rippling in them, strengthened from cutting through and fighting against the friction of water. No doubt, they could be used in combat.

He seemed prepared to strike Tevri, before Ravage urgently held up her hands, "No, no, he's not trying to harm you. Markovans offer you their sword in greeting, it's one of their traditions." She said, glancing back at the young Markovan, "Put your sword away, tradition isn't always best if others don't know them." She said, her voice harsh, though it was more out of worry that a fight might break out, and after it was apparent that Alder was a kind person, and elderly, at that, she didn't want to hurt him. Alder continued to hold his flippers spread out, and looked between Ravage and Tevri, before folding them back again.

"Very well, I will let this incident slide, but do not show your weapons in my presence again, I will not tolerate them. Keep in mind that as this woman here says, that certain customs and traditions may offend us. You are our guests, and we do not know your ways. Until we all learn, you must err on the side of caution, others will not be so restrained." Alder said. He then looked at Ravage, "I do not believe I have heard your names," He said.

Ravage nodded, "I am Ravage, and this is Blair, Travis, and Samir." She said, introducing them.

Alder nodded, and then looked at the two animals with them, "And these two beasts?" He asked.

"My Spiromander companion, Xenos, and Samir's pet, Arrow."

Kalfu was somewhat impressed at the sight of the system it had arrived. It reminded it of the older systems in the UFIAI territories, those that had been assimilated in the early years of UFIAI advancement. Kalfu had the feeling that the Vrentusi wanted to show their power, and when the small spheres replicated the Kalfu’s ship, the feeling grew just stronger. This made Kalfu curious about the true nature of the Vrentusi: their industrial mechanisms were organized like the ones in UFIAI’s systems, but still they showed very strong traits not typical to AI’s.

Kalfu followed the ship in silence, gliding past the industrial wonders. It finally opened the conversation with the Deceiver and asked rather coldly: “How shall we carry out the discussion, via comm-link or on person? I can do both and both are equally satisfying to me.”

At the knock on her door, Greta waved her hand from where she was working on her loom, not bothering to come open the door, or take not that nobody could see her carry out the motion, "Come in, come in!" She called, getting to a stopping point in her weaving, and coming out from behind her loom. She did not recognize the species of the strange alien representative entering her shop, but she was regardless, glad to have a visitor, "Ah, another representative. It is so lovely to have company." She said.

Tevri looked terribly downcast. He was embarrassed and ashamed. He gazed at the ground without looking up, not daring to look or speak to anyone. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Buck up, Tevri," said Aarin's voice quietly. "There's nothing to be upset about."

"But there is," said Tevri miserably. "I almost incited violence; I could have made a complete mess of everything."

"You made a mistake, Tevri, that's all. Everyone makes mistakes."

"But this mistake could have. . ." he began, his voice rising. He quickly stopped himself, and continued in a quieter tone. "This could have gotten people hurt. That gesture is one that would have caused suspicion if i hadn't done it in Markovan environments, but it never occurred to me that others would see it differently."

"You're learning, Tevri," said Aarin. "Nobody got hurt, and I think Alder understands that you meant no harm. You can just take this as something to learn from. In the meantime, don't look so glum or you'll make it rain."

Tevri couldn't help smiling a little at that last remark, but for awhile he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was in disgrace.

Svar was fascinated by the rugs and other woven goods that Greta made, staring in amazement around the room for several seconds before choosing to greet the Stagnumian. "Your work is remarkable," He exclaimed, smiling. "Certainly, these are the products of a master." He knelt to the floor, placing his gauntlet palm down. "I am Commander Svar Levantus of the Intrgalactic Krathunian Covenant of Sethega. What is your name?"

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The Deceiver responded almost instantaneously. "Comm-link is necessary, Kalfu. My place of residency is not within the system - The ships are merely a conduit for communication with those not of the Vrentus... for now." It said, alluding to their eventual attacks on the Confederacy. "I am positive that you require the answers to several questions on our Collective before you come to trust us in an alliance." One notable thing that started to become prevalent in the Deceiver's voice is that of Kalfu, speaking along with the others. It was as if the Vrentus Prime was taking the AI's voice and integrating it into its own.

If Kalfu had eyes, they would have narrowed. Being creations of pure data and information, there was only small number of things that caused AI’s to differ from one another, even to themselves. One of those things was their voice. Their voice was, like their name, formed in the process of becoming sentient. It was something that one needs to distinguish the ‘self’ from the ever-present mass of information. Mimicking another AI’s voice was roughly equal to wearing someone else’s skin.

Master Carrefour swallowed its disgust and responded in its usual, calm, feminine voice: “You are correct, the UFIAI is eager to know who we are dealing with, and if they are trustworthy. But there is first one question that I have to do, out of the curiosity that comes from devoting my entire never-ending life to knowledge: What actually are you? I hope that this question does not offend you, as it is made with no ill intents.” By now Kalfu was pretty sure that the Vrentusi were not artificial intelligences. It and all other AI’s monitoring the meeting were very eager to know the true nature of the Vrentusi.

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A group of five cruisers arrived at one of the inner Ryun-Wreae- systems. They seemed condense out of the thin void of space. However, no one had chance to see it as they did it well outside the effective range of any sensors or telescopes. These five sleek, battle axe –shaped ships cloaked immediately and started to slowly and silently make their way towards the main planet. They were moving so slowly that it took multiple hours to make it to the orbit around the planet. But the mind inside these five ships was patient, like a reptile stalking its prey.

The cruiser quartet spent some time orbiting the planet freely, the patient mind observing the planet below and the space above. Finally, as the ships reached a position with good visibility to possible targets on the planet and minimum visibility to the ships from the orbiting defenses. The quartet de-cloaked and fired large, shielded shells, designed to pierce trough even a thick atmosphere and deliver their payload on surface. Each ship fired with their two magnetic cannons twice, sending twenty shells to the planet in total. This took six seconds, and then the quartet engaged their engines to disengage from the orbit and cloaked.

But after cloaking the cruisers shut their engines again, and returned to their orbit around the planet. A characteristic curiosity had risen in the mind that was living in these ships, a mind that called itself Hollow. Instead of heading right towards its next target, Hollow stayed at the system to observe the results of its handiwork. It split a fractal of its mind and sent to a nearby communications satellite. From there this mind made its way to the transmitter, and sent itself to the surface. Being an independent unit it was able to slither trough the systems, closing all the doors behind it, leaving no trace that it had even been there.

After some digging it found its way to the survey grid. The Fractal tapped its consciousness with the Wreae’s responsible of the system. Fractal watched the camera feed through Wreae’s eyes, the Wreae being incapable to distinguish a difference between its own mind and the Fractal’s.

Fractal looked at the feed from the areas that the shells had hit. There was a very thin mist, created by the biological agent released from the shells. People, except the Wreae, were mostly either twitching and screaming in agony, lying dead on the ground or, in the worst cases, rising up again. The chaos was quickly evolving and spreading from the ground zero. Khartla virus worked its way, spreading only a bit slower than the chaos. However, as the infected rose back up as Khartla and started to rampage around the sense-packed streets, the fear turned into pure terror.

Fractal sent the feed to the ship quartet until Hollow decided it was time to move to next target. It cut the connection and the fractal then committed self-destruction, erasing its existence from the systems. Hollow wind the images of terror back and forth for a while. Thoughts ran through its systems, incoherent and blurry. However, after a while these thoughts started to form into sounds, then to notes and finally there was a short melody. It was simple, but very distressing, with many sudden discords and unpredictable pace.

Hollow was quite surprised of this melody itself, and actually quite satisfied. It kept humming the tune in its small, but intricate mind as the quartet disintegrated, travelling on to carry on their symphony of death and chaos upon the Confederacy’s people.

Xerin walked up beside Tevri, seeing his downcast demeanor, and put a hand on his right shoulder.
 
"We don't learn without making mistakes." He said, a slight, hardly noticeable smile was present on his face, though this quickly vanished, and he moved forward with the group.
 
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Xej looked at the map for a few moments, and then replied to Unsilenced Retribution.
 
"Since the UFIAI is most likely under control of younger AIs, hopefully less experienced, they may simply ignore a disturbance on an outpost, or give very little attention to it. On the other hand, as their primary network is most likely still suffering from glitches and the like, if done correctly an infiltration of an industrial center or network could be done under the cover of said glitches or blackouts. I would normally go with the latter of these choices, if this were less of a long-term operation. If our force was larger I would say we do both at once, one as more of a distraction while the primary fleet extracts whatever is needed from the network or industrial center.
Ultimately, however, I believe we should, for now, target outposts, and if we are unnoticed then go after bigger targets, make the UFIAI pay for their disregard. In this situation, caution outweighs the reward of risk." He said.
 
 
As this conversation continued, the Valence and accompanying ships slowly drifted in space.
 
The Valence, being of mixed origin, had various design styles.
 
On the aft and starboard sides of the ship, two sharply angled, almost vertical "wings" extended from the top and bottom sides of the ship, these containing advanced cloaking devices that shield the Valence from view. The tradeoff is that these emit a heat source easily located by any ship's radar. To counter this, a transmitter which sends jamming signals to targeted ships is located on the lower "wing" on either side.
 
The ship had a strongly reinforced hull, a favored design of the majority, along with other contributions from the Ryun, Wreae and Krathunians and Jorro'kil. The length of it took on a roughly rectangular shape, with slow slants leading up to flat surfaces as additional sections of the ship on the top and bottom, as well.

Greta dipped her beak, "I am Greta, I work as seamstress for the Majesty. I am also Kerr's grandmother, though I feel he may have forgotten I was here. He never visit me, I keep asking people to tell him to come here, but he does not." She said. Though physically ugly, there was a certain charm that was apparent about her personality that would make most people quickly forget her appearance. It was like she radiated some sort of attractive aura.

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Alder nodded, "Well, then, considering the morning's fishing has been done, shall we go to the meetinghouse? I feel this may be such an appropriate situation." He said. With this, he led the group into the village, the other Silexians following a distance behind, as they came upon a very large, circular stone shack with wooden planks for a roof, instead of thatch. Clearly, wood was a rarer building material, on a planet where few of the islands could properly grow a large sustainable amount, enough to make a building. They filed in, revealing a floor that was carefully smoothed out, and felt like baked clay on bare feet. Tapestries of sorts, woven from grass, covered the walls, and there were benches along a main aisle, as well as a large area cleared off at the front. Silexian people clustered around it, but seemed to refrain from entering, as Alder pulled down blinds meant to add privacy to the meeting. One Silexian, younger, and female, came into the room. Alder indicated her with his hand, "This is my granddaughter, Mira." He said, introducing her.

Mira nodded, "Pleased to meet you," She said. Her grandfather cleared his throat, and she looked at him, before turning her eyes back to the group, "Sirs and Ma'am." She said. Ma'am was singular, because there was only one female in the entire group.

Tevri acknowledged Xerin's encouragement quietly.

When the company was in Alder's hut and he introduced Mira was introduced, Aarin and Allé both gave the standard Daro greeting gesture and gave their names. Isbar nodded. "Isbar," he said simply. Tevri bowed a little. "I'm Tevri," he said. He still felt awkward and didn't trust himself to do much.

The Deceiver purposefully paused, though it knew what it would say from the second that Kalfu asked. "As I'm sure you have concluded by now, we are not artificial intelligence, nor are we organic beings of flesh and blood. In fact, the Vrentus is not of matter, like most species you have documented within this galaxy. Rather, we are composed purely of energy. Due to this, we have many capabilities that others do not. The inner workings of our minds and individuality is an enigma to other species, though we are able to comprehend this and much more due to the difference in the structure of life between the Vrentus and other races." The Prime paused again to allow for Kalfu to process that before continuing. "Our beginning is also a mystery to most. Many have speculated on our origins, and all have failed in this regard. Some believe us to be the result of extragalactic cataclysm, the children of the universe's rage. Others think that we are the ultimate weapons. Others venture to theorize that we are the next step in evolution. They will remain incorrect." The Deceiver seemed to have stopped talking, awaiting a UFIAI response.

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Svar smiled, the light of Greta's room reflecting rather oddly off of the Krathunian's armor. "It is nice to meet you, Greta. I'll be sure to tell Kerr to visit for you." He paused for a bit, examining the room, before continuing. "Your work is exquisite - Each is a work of art, unique in its story." After a small pause he began to speak again, the tone changing slightly. "Not to be selfish, Greta, but do you take requests?" His face had taken a solemn but rather saddened look, with his hands clasped behind his back as he looked around the room.

Any fleet from the Confederacy would first probably come across Daryssan, the most recent conquest of the Despot, nearest to Vathoris. In just one year, more than half the planet was converted into an immense factory, and the subjugated natives were forced to build more ships and droids for the Despot. Currently, about one thousand ships, more than half of them fully automated, kept an eye on the planet. Originally, there were more; however, as Jiiran sank deeper into his paranoia, he called more and more ships to Mondar to protect himself. The ground forces consisted of about one thousand Mondarian troopers and twice as many droids.

The Ryun-Wreae Federation and the Krathunian Covenant assault fleets began their search for Despotic territory, using intercepted signals and energy signatures to eventually locate Jiiran's planets. After coordinated strategic plans and the location of a border planet, the Federation was to strike first. One of the fleets, led by Grand Admiral Barborin and the Wrath, came out of warp at the outskirts the system that contained Daryssan. The large group of ships organized itself into a ring around the planet, far away enough that it would be undetected by defenses when combined with cloaking technology. The fleet slowly made its approach, careful to remain unseen.

As soon as the ships got within a certain range of the planet, Grand Admiral Barborin began to speak from the bridge of the enormous Dreadnought. "Follow the plan. Do not target civilian populations but destroy key infrastructure." Unlike some other races, Federation tactics revolve around quick, brutal attacks on important targets, “chinks in armor,” if you will, to severely hamper an enemy before they are eliminated of. Barborin wanted to make an example of this war philosophy.

The ring of ships advanced, and the first attack subtly began. Wreae hacked into the planetary defense systems and communications network, overloading them with viruses, malware, and other hazardous programs. Communications satellites stopped transmitting signals, and any defensive weapons connected to a network would be disabled. Around a quarter of the automated ships in orbit were either disabled or hacked completely by Wreae systems, starting to attack their allies. This would temporarily hamper the Mondarian response to the assault, though the Federation knew they had to act quickly during this. The ships uncloaked and began firing from afar upon the thousand ships guarding the planet, specifically targeting large pockets of potential resistance to create gaps in the defense. A hail of plasma and fusion power particle beams rained down upon the defense, tearing up many ships. The Federation fleet powered forward shortly after this initial assault, the surprised Mondarian ships slowly going into formation but still bombarded by weaponry. Some of the ships diverted their energy shielding to the hull and brought defensive hulls up, allowing them to ram any ships that tried to get in the way. As the Wrath moved forward, two Mondarian cruisers attempted to stop it by going on a crash course. The particle beam of the Dreadnought shredded apart the first, and the second smashed against the side of the Wrath’s defense hull and shields while plasma turrets on the side of the ship penetrated through the cruiser. This resulted in minor damage to the Dreadnought’s shielding, though the Mondarian ship was obliterated. The fleet also took a note from the battle above Muthara, using unmanned drones to create black holes by entering warp and colliding with a ship. Soon, most of the vessels that would impede the fleet’s advance were destroyed, and the fleet went into the ring formation around the planet in closer proximity. Those that hadn't been destroyed by the Confederacy, mostly the automated ships that had a better reaction time to the attack, had organized into small groups, though the Confederate ships were able to eventually wipe them out.

The planetside assault on the surface was ready. Dropships and bombardment ships dispersed from the larger spaceships, travelling quickly down to the surface. During the journey down, squads of Ryun and Wreae soldiers organized, giving them the ability to quickly enact strategy upon touching down. The Federation army treated the invasion as a stealth mission, using the element of surprise to their advantage. Wreae marked many locations for plasma bombardment, most notably communication hubs, key military infrastructure, any governmental installations, and defenses, among other targets. The large factory that encompassed half of the planet's surface was ground down to plasma glass by the bombardment ships of the Federation. The Ryun and Wreae were not attempting to cause chaos, unlike the Fractal, but rather a methodical and ordered invasion that would allow for relatively little resistance from civilians, knowing from intel that most citizens of Jiiran’s empire were loyal out of fear. The invasion was very organized, efficient, and fast, with minimal casualties from the Ryun-Wreae Federation. When one combined the Ryun’s excellent and logical tactical planning with the Wreae’s reactionary style of combat and efficiency, a precise, brute force was created. Though they were outnumbered, the troops were able to quickly assume control of most strategic areas and ultimately the planet. Most civilians that had been slaves to Jiiran's industry were loaded into dropships and sent to refugee planets in the nearby Federation space. Upon successful occupation of the planet reinforcements were sent for to set up Federation fortifications and create a further semblance of order on the planet. In time, a new fleet assumed defensive positions in the system, ready for Jiiran to make his move. The assault fleet travelled back into the void, the Confederacy planning their next strike.

A small group of officers stood nearby, quaking as they waited for Marr to respond to the news. The High Admiral stood, hands akimbo, staring out the window of the building. It was impossible to predict what he would do next.

Slowly he turned to face those present, most especially one soldier who had managed to escape from the recent attack from the Confederacy. "So," he said slowly, "you're telling me that Daryssan was captured by the forces of the Confederacy?"

The soldier nodded mutely.

"And how, pray tell, did that occur?"

"They sneaked up on us without warning," said the soldier miserably. "I think they screwed up the automated cruisers with malware. We were taken off guard and they cut the forces to pieces."

"I see," said Marr. Striding past, he dealt a slap to the soldier's neck. The soldier fell, his throat cut by the knife Marr had been holding. Cleaning the knife with a kerchief, Marr was silent for awhile. Then he spoke.

"Here is what we are going to do. . ."

Before long, the general were off to carry out Marr's strategy. Marr stood by a window, mulling over the situation.

Obviously, the Plan had gone wrong at Vathoris. The unexpected aid the Vathorins received from the Karthunians and Markovans had set things back; but then again, conquering the planet hadn't been the actual goal. It was the Dark Energy Convertors that were the reason for the attack. If the mission had been successful, they would have been able to really do something with them. As it was, they were currently stuck with a small prototype of the one weapon that would have allowed them to crush their enemies utterly. Things needed to change. They needed more of the weapons intended power source.

Marr felt someone looking at him. Turning, he saw Jiiran. Jiiran had just been making a hasty rush to the kitchens for some food, no longer trusting anyone to prepare it or bring it to him. He was truly frightening to look at now. Dirty, disheveled, his eyes constantly burning with a fierce flame. He was now utterly unpredictable.

Marr smiled at Jiiran, deciding that this required more than the usual degree of caution. "Good afternoon, M'Lord. Do you wish for a report on our current situation?"

Jiiran made no reply, but continued to stare at him. Marr squirmed a little internally, but kept up his smiling demeanor. "I was just arranging a counterattack against the Confederacy. Do you wish to discuss the details?"

For a moment, Jiiran continued to stare at him; then he spoke. "Bring more ships here to Mondar! I want all available forces here!" With that, he left quickly.

It would seem that I am in full command here, thought Marr. Although that was ultimately what he had intended all along, there was still the danger Jiiran posed. Still, Marr needed him. If they were to get an Orb, Jiiran needed to be alive.

Marr hurried off to make arrangements for his plan of attack. He also sent a few ships off secretly and under cloak to sneak into Confederacy territory. They needed the Orbs as soon as possible.
________________________________________

The Confederacy didn't have long to wait. A force of three thousand decloaked near them, and promptly began to fire upon the defensive fleet near Daryssan.

Mira, clearly noting Tevri's stiffness, squinted one eye, which was the equivalent of raising an eyebrow, "Are you sore, or something? You're moving like your limbs were made out of blocks of wood." She said, completely ignorant of any sort of offense he might take at the statement. Everyone, Alder included, frowned slightly at the statement, although Ravage tilted her head to one side slightly, as though vaguely amused by it. Perhaps she was, the girl was bold, and if anyone was known for being bold, it was Ravage. One couldn't wonder if it wasn't a younger version of the Lieutenant Colonel that they were looking at.

Alder cleared his throat, clearly a bit embarrassed, "Ah, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get down to business, shall we?" He began. "I have little doubt in my mind that you've come here for more than just knowing Silex survived its separation from Krylon, and from what I can tell, so have several others." He said. "So, are the races re-joining the Chimerosu Empire, or is there some other issue at hand?" Of course, he wouldn't know, the Silexians were isolated, so they had no way of getting the news.

"The Chimerosu Empire, and the Krylonians, are all but extinct, the two you see before you are the only remaining members that survived." Travis said, stating the truth as solemnly and with the best vocabulary possible. Everyone seemed nervous and edgy, now, with the news.

Alder seemed to retain composure, however, "How?" He asked.

"They were destroyed by a war with the Dominion, specifically, a race known as the Karthla. I would rather not go any further." Ravage answered for the group, her eyes hard.

Alder stared for a moment, "Very well," He said, clearly sensing the topic was sensitive, "So this is a new group, then?"

Travis nodded, "The United Chimerosu Nations, so far, four planets, four races of Chimerosu. We've come looking for the remaining members of our kind, to ask them to join us."
_______________________

Greta smiled, "Ah, yes, a request, I do take them. It is one thing to make a rug from a pattern that I imagine, but what others want, that provides a challenge, for me, and I do love finding creative ways, to make things that people like." She said.

Tevri was a little startled and embarrassed by Mira's question. Had his discomfort been that obvious?

Aarin, after Travis was finished, volunteered to speak. "Perhaps Travis, we should disclose the other reason we are out here? They should probably know the danger that is currently residing in this arm of the galaxy."

The defensive fleet around Daryssan was at the ready for a fight, and their preparation showed. The defense fleet was headed by two enormous Carriers, the Sovereign and the Evolution. The rest of the large fleet was composed of smaller ships, mostly warships, cruisers, and frigates, though there were a couple Destroyers as well. Corvettes and fighters swarmed around the larger ships, readying their position.

Upon the Mondarian ships going out of cloak, mobile Wreae defense stations planted on solar and planetary satellites began to fire, mostly high density, long range plasma bursts. A couple groups of corvettes and fighters broke off from the main group and stealthily headed towards the Mondarians, attempting to draw their fire to see what their reaction would be. This would allow the Federation to better analyze the situation and create a strategy.

The fleet, meanwhile, maintained its defensive positions, adjusting energy barriers and hull positions to allow for optimized fortification against analyzed Mondarian weaponry and ship capabilities. While this occurred, the Ryun and Wreae attempted to keep pressure on the opposing force by firing their weapons. What the Federation lacked in numbers relative to the Despotic fleet, they made up for in sheer force, though it was not doubted that Jiiran's fleet was any less powerful. The weapons targeted larger, more strategically positioned ships, working in tandem with the defense stations to most efficiently destroy vessels. Some of the ships also released more viruses and cybernetic havoc upon the Mondarians, a tactic widely used in Federation battles. On the ground, the troops prepared for the coming of Despotic soldiers, fortifying defensive positions.

((Vipera, I'm still considering what Svar will request, expect the post tomorrow. Whoster, you can also expect an Unsilenced Retribution post tomorrow.))

The viruses slowed down quite a few Mondarian vessels, but the majority of the fleet kept coming. Scans showed that the majority of the Mondarian vessels were automatic. Strangely, they didn't seem to be trying to follow any strategy or even drive off the enemy; they simply barreled in and opened fire at anything that registered as an enemy, with little regard it seemed for tactics. When the corvettes and fighters attacked, Mondarian fighters were promptly launched to combat them; once again, the majority were automatic.

However, the Mondarian vessels didn't seem to be making any attempt to avoid enemy fire, but rather seemed intent on simply unloading everything they had on the opposing fleet.