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"It's not all fun and games, sadly. You know of the Ordo-Xol Fleet? They're isolationistic militants who greatly oppose any sort of reunification. They've agreed to keep their hostilities away from the Verma Cluster, Vermell, and New Sakoor, though that's as close to an agreement as we can get to them. There's also a coalition of minor fleets who oppose the unification. And we still have political feuds going on inside of the individual fleets. The Ambassador, Brayden, is trying his best, all the way to the point where he's considering this to be the start of a new Golden Age. I mean, I'll give him credit where it's due. He's gotten us this far, but we still have a long way to go before reunification is possible."
It Reaches Out?
Strange energy signals have been detected emanating from a star system not too far from the Varel. The signals which, burst out every 23 and a half minutes and are comprised of garbled radio transmission, seem to be emanating from the VAL-0-R-9.998873HD5 star system, also known as the Valorn system, where 3 planetary bodies have been detected using transit photometry. The Technocracy has already organized a research party to the star system in order to identify the source of the signals.
"My superiors are actually really scared of the other fleets. After the huge 'show of force' that the hive ship did over Vara and then the attack our fleets sustained over Vartel, the Star Navy has started a massive build-up. Most of the space colonies around Vermell have been repurposed as military installations and the moon of Bella has basically been turned into a fortress world. That's actually why I wanted to contact you."
"Oh? Well, I have some time before my next deployment, so I definitely have time if you wish to talk about it." He pulls up a chair.
"Some rumors have been circulating around the upper echelons of the Navy. They say the High Council and the Prime Princep are debating to ask your people to vacate Vernus. When they say 'ask' I assume they mean they are going to try and have you hand over Vernus back to the Technocracy. The central government was a little rattled after that rouge Shakoor fleet attacked our fleets over Vartel."
"Yeah, we identified those buggers. They're a splinter fleet of the now-extinct Yul-Eirsa fleet. They've been harrassing all four of the Greater Fleets for years now, but we thought they went extinct two decades ago. Their recent assault though has proved us wrong."
Clanaka looked down to Havyard’s extended hand. His face had a look of confusion, although no one could see it thanks to his mask. He turned his head back up to look Havyard in the eyes. He shakes Havyard’s hand firmly.
“I accept your offer of servitude, though I am greatly surprised you came all the way out here to become a loyal subject of His Glorious Majesty the Emperor,” he exclaimed with a smile beneath his mask.
Havyard, while embarrassed and unintentionally making a loyalty commitment to the man, casually releases his grip while explaining.
"I apologize, in my culture it has become a universal trade greeting to symbolize the start of a meeting, as well as the conclusion of one. I'm sure in time we shall discover more unique dissimilarities between one another's cultures. Please, have a seat so that we may begin." He motions to one of the seats at the oval table at the center of the room.
Lozaria
For several months the Ozarkannis Shipyards have been busy building a colony ship to take colonists to the next system which is 5.5 lightyears away from Ozarkanis Prime. High definition orbital telescopes and scouting probes outfitted with HD cameras did several passes of several planets that may be suitable for colonization as well as a ground team of Ozaraknni Marines being sent down in environmental suits to collect samples. With overpopulation being a concern on the Homeworld it was imperative that a colony be founded. The system which had been chosen was known to the Ozarkanni as the Lozara system and historically it was the first system found by Ozarkanni astronomers and scientists over 4,000 years ago.
There had been earlier plans for colonization however with the constant struggles for dominance by the Great Houses it remained a dream until now. The marines and scientists had landed on the fourth planet from the sun several months ago and established a station on the planet which they named Lozaria IV after the first Scientist to set foot on the planet.
The system had five planets each which also had the potential for a colony. The Ozarkanni had nearly settled all of the habitable worlds within the Ozarkannis system. Lozaria IV it was hoped would be able to support the initial 8,000 colonists who would be arriving on the planet within hours as the first wave of colonists and then from there more would be added until the population was 500,000. Samples were taken had revealed that the planet was indeed habitable and matched the atmosphere prior to development of the heavy industry which had not long ago polluted Ozarkannis so heavily but now was no longer a problem due to help from the people of 
Onorus to which everyone on Ozarkannis Prime was grateful too.
Lozaria IV had received a vanguard of materials and autonomous building robots which were called worker bees who took the delivered materials and built a simple colony for the colonists at a site near the science station. The planet's surface was covered in thick temperate forests, grasslands, plains, marshes, and jungles toward the southern hemisphere of the planet. The 45 OKM's who had been tasked with guarding the scientists and their facility had grown accustomed to the planet in their time there and had received orders two weeks prior to the set arrival date that they would be establishing a military outpost to guard the colony and be receiving reinforcements in the form of the rest of their Battalion arriving with the first wave of colonists where they would remain on station to act as both defense and security of the colony. Those who had received the news were relieved when they had heard that their families if they had any, had been given permission to come with the first wave by the Central Government and that thye wouldn't have to try and find leave time to return home to visit their families. The Lieutenant was less than thrilled at the prospect but trusted that his wife had gotten everything. Months of work would pay off soon and he would embrace his wife once again and his three six-year-old sons and his two daughters who had all turned six the previous month and were excited to see their father and be moving to a new planet.
In the living quarters of the station and the central command area, there was a clock counting down and the station AI would count sat the time every ten minutes. The clock was almost down to five minutes and the AI had switched to announcing the time every three minutes at three minutes the platoon went to the landing zone near the outskirts of the colony and secured them with light vehicles. Some months ago they had encountered a primitive bipedal humanoid species but had left them alone and they had since left the area according to the drones sent out to find settlements, however, they had left behind structures which the Marines hadn't want to disturb for fear of it being burial ground or a holy site however the scientists went to investigate the structures around it which were all made of stone indicating a primitive people who had advanced to building structures. A tool found at one of the sights was made of iron and so it was general consensus by the scientists at the station and the ones back home that they must be using iron tools and weapons like the ancient Ozarkanni during the Age of Awakening.
It was unclear if they had left because of them or if they were nomadic or migratory, however, the Ozarkanni and these people kept well clear of each other; some patrols did constantly report that they felt like they were being watched from the trees. And it was unclear if they were there or not as scans found nothing nor did their eyes.
Around the landing site were light vehicles whose automated turrets scanned the area while their engines idled. Above in the night sky as the clock reached zero there were five flashes in the sky, a few more moments more and two fireballs entered the atmosphere in a blazing across the sky toward the colony. Lights in the atmosphere came into orbit and streaked across the night sky. The Marines looked around uneasy wondering if the primitives would choose now to make an appearance their fingers near the triggers of their LR-12's and their thumbs near the power setting. Within a half-hour, two large shapes began to move over the trees as the massive ships made their way toward the clearing becoming bigger as they accelerated, the trees rustled as the maneuvering thrusters adjusted the two ships who had fallen into a single file formation as that was all the space afforded by the clearing which had been made by the worker bees.
Once over the landing zone landing struts extended out making hydraulic and hissing sounds as they did as they made their decent spotlights illuminated the landing zone as did the flashing running lights which illuminated the marines in their combat armor and their vehicles. Hatches on the port sides of the ships opened and two Kalkrie VTOL's shot out and made a rapid descent toward the surface landing nearby on a smaller landing pad. Once at the landing pad Ground crew rapidly came out as the doors opened making final preparations for the landing while form the second more marines wearing black armor poured out and fell in with the forest camo ones already on station around the landing site. Once the final prep was finished the Ground crews guided the ships to set down on the large landing pad the ships sank and then the hydraulics pushed them back up as they set down. The Ground crew then set to work locking the landing struts down to the pad a loud hissing sound echoed in the clearing and several doors opened which shot light out from within as the internal lights of the ships shown illuminating the ships. From the bottom of both a lift lowered from the bottom where the cargo hold was and on it were several squads of marines who set out taking up positions around the ships. From their fronts, the ships lowered a larger ramp which let the tank portion of the Marines come down once the military personnel had all made planetfall civilians were let off and ushered into the electric and barbed wire fence of the colony.
Last to leave the ship was a military officer dressed in a stiff black uniform; his collar and shoulder insignia are marked him as a Major. He descended the ramp with his hands clasped neatly behind his back, The Lieutenant met the officer outside the ramp with a light vehicle upon arrival the Lieutenant and the Major saluted each other and then both got into the vehicle.
Within the following week supplies and cargo were unloaded and the Marines had built themselves an FOB within the colony, complete with a landing pad, runway, repair bay, and machine shops as well as a munitions depot and manufacturing area where 3d printers would print off a bulk of munitions needed as well as replacement equipment, there were even hangers for military aircraft which had yet to arrive. The civilians were adjusting well however they did not being restricted to being inside the fence. Those military members who had families were allowed to live in the residential quarter of the colony. Farms were set up by the residents near the edge of the fence as well as a hydroponics area. There was still much to be done for the colony to be fully functional but that like all things would be accomplished with time.
Yoko crosses to the window and gives Flora a scratch. She pulls out a small rangefinder and zooms in on a patch of sky, then stops. "That's strange."
"What is?"
"They're gone. We saw them come in, I think. But they're off again."
"Off?"
"Not sure. Never actually saw them leave."
The Leader ran his hands through his black hair in a paroxysm of despair. First the robots, and now this? If they hadn't been detected, ruin was sure to follow. He crossed the room quickly and shouted into a communicator. "Run any and all broadcast systems we have. Old, new, everything in between, I don't care. Let them know we are here!"
Yoko yelled after the Leader as he strode from the room. "But the rebels, sir? They can't be allowed to know about this!"
"Deal with them as you see fit! I'll meet you soon!"
A smile lit up Yoko's face as she saluted, even though there was no one left to see her but Flora, and dashed from the room to rally her people.
His glass lay between his finger and thumb, with another tapping at it. Olrynion sat, slouched back, eyeing Vokkir down in an ever silent minute of judgement.
"Ok." He said, a relief to Vokkir no doubt as the aforementioned silence spread itself thin. "So, another hypothetical here: an enemy mistakes you for a run of the mill kauv'ok - glutteral roaring, sword waving - whatever, the image is painted. What is it you do?"
"The point is, they might ask you to leave Vernus. They think the colony poses to much of a threat, atracting fleets to the home system."
(This can be a later RP)
"well see. Anyway, How is the Forgemaster? I haven't seen that 3 legged fella since Vara."
The VI had accessed any sort of government communication lines it could locate as well as military communcations, attempting to give the Adamant some information on what the state of affairs was like for the nations on the world.
The single state's major military lines had not been used for a long time, and as such were devoid of information. This rebel threat was a rather recently born thing, germinating from seeds of doubt within the populace, and not likely to become anything major.
As for diplomatic channels, no major events had occurred recently. The goal of the nation seemed to be primarily scientific advancement without any goal in mind; they appeared to seek exploration simply because it could be done.
A line lit up, declaring the nation's Leader to be headed to the nearest scientific research and development building and calling for a guard detail to escort him.
"Send First Contact Package one." Boyer states, leaned forward, his hands clasped. He watches the viewscreen for signs of activity as comms sends out the first package. A basic binary communique masked to look as if it had come from an unknown source. The binary communication, if deciphered, would simply read: "Hello."
"Oh, god. Leader! Something is happening," one of the scientists announced. The Leader raced to his station. The words, blazing against a dark background, seemed to leap out at him.
Hello, the screen announced.
"I don't know where it came from. It just was broadcast to us from out of the blue."
The Leader was lost in thought for a while.
"If we don't know where it came from, it is likely we will never find out," he finally said. "I will put down whatever rebellion is happening. In the meantime, scan the gaseous content of our planetary system. If you find an area with abnormal gaseous content and a high concentration of gases required for survival, that's our visitors' life support."
"What will we do with that information?"
"Mark it. Do nothing else."
The Leader swept out of the room as swiftly as he had arrived.
Clanaka took a seat not saying a word. He crossed his arms, confident that he held the upper hand. After all, the room was filled with his armed men. Surely the xeno would see this, if they held any real intelligence. Then he remembered that the Most Holy Scriptures stated that no xeno had true intelligence; that is, knowledge of natural Arcanstotskan superiority. There could never be a scenario in which the Most Holy Scriptures are wrong, being the sacred Most Holy Scriptures. He smiled.
"So Captain," he began, seemingly no shame in the "misunderstanding" from just a moment ago. "You're here on exploratory matters?"
"That's correct." He smiled, pouring himself a cup of Udairi Tea as well as Clanaka a cup.
"I am a member of an organization dedicate to seeking out new life and civilizations across the stars. Our government has keen interest in ensuring peaceful cooperation with those we come into contact with, in an attempts to further understands what it means to truly live. For instance, on my vessel alone, there are over twenty distinct species that make up my crew. All of whom dedicated to meeting this shared vision."
Ministry of Finance, Celtania, Marceljis, Celtanis
Amber Lotecurte was the secretary of the Financial Investigations Department under the Ministry. Though she herself ever took part in the investigations, she and her team of recorders took all information and sent it to the Investigations Server of the Ministry's database. Most information was pulled from the Economic Reference Index of Celtanis, however there were other files that the FID uncovered as part of their investigations. This time, their current report was compiled on former noble family financial assets and their changes in the past few years. The Ministry of Justice provided several files logged under the case Burchest V Celtanis, as well as the evidences that were thrown out. ERIC provided most of the public financial holdings of these families, and other searches in the Ministry database were useful as well.
The secretary had been asked to take part in this investigation herself, due to the potential dangers it held against the government. What dangers they were, she wasn't told. In fact only the Minister of Finance, the Queen, and several other ministers knew. They held all the information they could as tightly to their chest as possible in this matter. Amber had been told she was to be as efficient as possible with this, and her restrictions as to how far she was allowed to search. She didn't know why they were so concerned over these assets at first, they were quite low in the times immediately following Lyri's ascension to the throne. It was only after she noticed the massive growths and purchases that she started seeing reason for concern. Though why the Queen herself was concerned with it she didn't know. Amber was told not to concern herself with the reasons behind the Queen's desire for the results.
In the meantime, file after file would make their way into the report while a synopsis was constructed. Her time constraint was nearly up, and the report was growing massive. Lotecurte's team of recorders sifted through everything that was dumped on them by the investigators, copying and observing while making inferences about the data along the way. Though the reason for the Queen's concern was a rumor spreading like a wildfire. Some thought the nobles were attempting to buy their way back into the nobility, others that they were stealing and not being careful about it. The more wild theories included some about how the nobles were being funded by foreign entities to take over the Celtanisian government, as well as some who thought they had been doing black market verinul deals. None were confirmed as true or as false, the Minister of Finance simply told them their speculation would likely never get them the correct answer, as they themselves didn't even know the answer.
Still, it was back to work. Attempting to figure out what had happened and what was currently happening.
The size of the Adamant itself was microscopic compared to the size of the solar system, and the simple fact that any gases are surrounded by the Adamants metallic hull. This scans turns up next to no useful information.
The Adamant still awaited a reply from the world below, even an acknowledgement that they have the ability to comprehend it.
"So hes going home? Well, Let's he finds what he's looking for. So, Terros, would you like to take me on a tour?"
“I...pull out one of my guns and blast them to hell...”
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