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Post by Sliprunner on Jul 9, 2014 8:27:42 GMT -6
The Crescent sun would slow once the radio frequencies were being tuned, Nalmerk trying to listen in to see if he could find a matching frequency to what they were projecting. Unfortunately though, for the moment all that was being matched was complete static. However, given the communication attempt, it did put him slightly at ease that they likely weren't going to open fire on him.
=Que= 5x Halmer Class Cruisers 7/38
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Jul 10, 2014 18:12:58 GMT -6
Well, we have some idea of the tech levels and tactics the locals use, as well as knowiing that they're distracted. Aaron mused. "All right, I think that's enough. We're going to need a base of operations, and soon. Fury can't collect fuel on its own. Find us a habitable planet with a good strong magnetic field..." He thought for a few moments, then a grin spread across his face. "... make sure it has pre-sapient inhabitants. We may need a workforce."
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Post by Commander Of Games on Jul 11, 2014 15:27:38 GMT -6
Shipyards: 25/40x5 Shipyards: 21/40x5 Orator-class Cruisers: 21/38x5
Ordinator Senil orders a patrol boat, the CWVO Jnath, to be sent back to Xochima to try and fix this. One of the Order's best diplomats is on board. It would arrive in a few hours, and hopefully wouldn't be shot at.
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Efelix
Theme Designer
not a cultist, may be a communist
Posts: 845
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Post by Efelix on Jul 11, 2014 15:49:14 GMT -6
Shipyards: 20/40x5 Shipyards: 16/40x5 Shipyards: 13/40x5 Reef-class Cruisers: 13/35x5
The Nixoch went through the radio frequencies it could communicate on once again, this time with the communications officer repeating "test" as they cycled through. Hopefully the unidentified ship would respond if they heard spoken word.
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Jul 14, 2014 19:57:20 GMT -6
The Fury cycled up its Swift Drive, and a wormhole formed ahead of it. After passing through, it arrived in a star system almost twenty light years distant. It was there that it would begin its search for a home system. Since the one it arrived in had a white dwarf for a star with surface temperatures of over 10,000K, there was little point looking for life there. Several rocks orbited it, some large, but none habitable.
Aaron contemplated it. We haven't searched many systems, and we've still got a lot of fuel. Nothing to worry about. Just need to reign in my impatience.
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Post by Sliprunner on Jul 15, 2014 9:15:00 GMT -6
After the second set of radio frequencies, Nalmerk finally found a frequency he could receive from them. hearing something being said over the channel, the sounds unfamiliar but not hard to take for something spoken. Nalmerk took a slight breath, then responded over the same frequency "Hello". His own voice sounding more like a variable pitch whistle rather then words, The Crescent Sun stopped movement completely at this point. A bit of panic overcoming him as he wasn't sure they'd be able to understand him, let alone how he was going to try and understand them.
=Que= 5x Halmer Class Cruisers 8/38
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Post by Wrangler Civil Corpsman on Jul 15, 2014 23:48:46 GMT -6
"Would you look at that, the legislature passed."
"Really, sir? What, did you expect it not to pass? You know how much it's needed."
"Yeah, but you know politics. Always, it's 'something something unnecessary', so I ain't about to get hopeful. Though, looks like we finally get to put the constructors back into use! Send the orders, it's going to be a long time before we finish them and we'll need all the time we can get."
Shipyards 1/44 Hope's Spring Shipdock 1/44 Vanhart Shipyards 1/44 Josephtown Driveyard
"So, we apparently have orders to start charting unknown space. Why, is beyond me... Navigator, plot a course out of the system into wherever, you'll find something."
"Captain, with all due respect, that'll get us killed."
"Do it anyway, Navigator."
"Alright, sir... Plotting course for unknown system, estimated distance 4.6 light years, preparing for jump..."
The PRV "Great Expectations", a Bandit-class vessel of dubious construction, begins its grand voyage into the depths of unknown space. Starting up its equally dubious warp drive and approaching the far asteroid belt, the vessel rocked and shook as it plunged forward, vanishing in a flash of light.
Being the drives are both poorly-built and pretty down there in terms of tech, the corvette takes a grand total of three days to reach the system, at which point the rear of the vessel is noticeably mangled.
"Engineering, respond. What's the situation down there? Systems over here have gone out."
"Uh... We're running okay, no deaths at least, but the drive's shot to all hell and the reactor's failing... Thrusters and propulsion are not responding, emergency reactor is booting up but we're going to be a sitting duck without repairs. Who's bright idea was it to stuff that giant thing in here anyway, this ship is designed for running packages between planets in a system..."
Without any other choice, the vessel transmits a general distress signal, standard issue for independent colonial ships. Wordless, but it does transmit a Morse segment reading "SOS" and coordinates of the vessel.
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Jul 16, 2014 15:13:17 GMT -6
After several visits to systems that were either useless or just not suitable, Aaron was delighted when Sam said "Confirmed, all basic requirements met." That means it's a main sequence star, with a good asteroid belt, one or more 'asteroid catcher' gas giants... and an Earth-like planet he thought to himself. "What size is the habitable world?" he asked. "Three Earth masses." Sam replied, frowning. "Surface gravity of about 30 metres per second per second projected, captain." Aaron brought the star system up on his display. It was a subdwarf star system. The super-Earth planet was orbiting much closer to its star than Earth did to the Sun, since the star had a much lower luminosity, bringing in its habitable zone. The asteroid belt was decent enough, especially considering that it wasn't like they'd have the capability to mine it dry any time soon. The system's single gas giant seemed to be hugging the asteroid belt, though clearly it had to be far enough away not to disrupt the belt gravitationally. An ice-giant wandered serenely around the outer edges of the star system in a highly elliptical orbit.
He sighed, looking back at the super-Earth again. That star will be pumping out X-rays like there's no tomorrow. Let's hope that planet has a lot of ozone. "Take us toward the planet in the habitable zone. We need to survey it for habitability, and beyond that, if it has any life forms."
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Post by Commander Of Games on Jul 17, 2014 16:25:50 GMT -6
Shipyards: 26/40x5 Shipyards: 22/40x5 Orator-class Cruisers: 22/38x5
The Jnath exits Ripspace 50,000 kilometers from Xochima. It broadcasts a message to the Midyans. "Please don't shoot, we wish to negotiate a cease fire."
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Jul 18, 2014 19:58:48 GMT -6
Leitenant Sheena felt the muck gathering around her ankles and sighed. The shuttle was some way away behind them now, sitting precariously on rocks that held it above the boggy terrain. Walking through muddy ground was bad under normal conditions. Under three gravities, it was damn near unbearable. She had her holographic wristband show a display for the small, handheld scanner unit she was waving around. The humidity of the place made her scales itch, and it took all of her professionalism to hold from trying to relieve that itch in front of the group she had been placed in charge of for the away team. As a backup astronavigator, Sheena wasn't immediately important to the Fury's operation. Simply put, she was the most experienced officer who could also be considered expendable. Clearly the Captain had faith in her ability to lead the team, but being considered expendable was not a nice feeling. Neither was this damned bog.
She hadn't seen the rock that tripped her up. It took all her balance, including some fine maneuvering of arms, wings and tail, during which the scanner flailed every which way. It bleeped. On getting herself back upright, the Lieutenant eagerly checked the display. "What is that..." she muttered, trying to figure out what the shape on the fuzzy heat image was. It looked sort of like a beefy crocodile, but with four eyes and raked-back 'ears'. They might have been horns for all she knew. It also had what looked like several raked fins running down its back. "Hey, guys?" she called out. "I think we've got something." She looked around, but didn't notice anything. The trees were rustling quietly in the wind, dark clouds passed by overhead. The sound of the sea in the distance, the bubbling, churning bog... Bubbling. Sheena's eyes went wide, as something nasty began to rise from the bog. Something... huge. She dropped the scanner, and grabbed for her service sidearm, quickly raising it. Two of the away team members were doing likewise, and together, they opened fire on the massive, reptilian creature, which seemed covered by a huge shell. Fragments went flying as the slugs impacted. One of them sliced open Sheena's cheek, but she ignored it and kept shooting. It healed fairly quickly, as her nanodrones swarmed to attend the injury. The creature roared in defiance...
... and then something much smaller leapt from the mud, wrapped itself around one of the creature's huge armoured legs, and bit down hard. Then a second one made for what could have been an arm or a flipper, Sheena staring at the sight, incongruously thinking It must be an evolutionary stage between fin and arm, or the other way around... Then, as the creature fell to what might have been its knees, a final small shape lept from the boggy rainforest floor and attacked the massive creature's head. It deftly managed to snap its neck in short order. After regarding the away team for a few seconds with some measure of curiosity, the three creatures turned back to their fallen target and began tearing lumps of meat from it. They're social, hunting in packs. They seem to be able to regard us as non-hostile. Simple survival, or a form of intelligence? she wondered. In any case... She gave the others a grin, and called the Fury. "We've got something good. A candidate for uplift."
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 23:42:24 GMT -6
"One more at six hundred klicks, ETA minus three minutes." "It'll be frags in thirty seconds." "We'll see, Aixel. That should be the last target Command sent." "I'm still waiting for the day they lie to us about that as some kind of vigilance test or something." "I'm still waiting for the day when we have a purpose. Well, other than sitting in orbit and looking fancy for all the commons. Wonder how many of them actually watch the drills. Amateur telescopy isn't exactly the most exciting thing." Aixel turned, peering back into the scope. Soon enough, a wild grin plastered his face. "That's a confirmed kill. Uetrech, time?" "Ah... say, thirty seconds." "So five hundred klicks. That a new record?" "Barely. Next time, I get the sights." "We can flip a coin." "Very funny." "What, you have something against flips in free-fall?"
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Aug 1, 2014 12:13:58 GMT -6
The Fury's sickbay was cramped with so many people in it. Laying on the table were six of the intelligent bog creatures, eyes staring at the gathered crowd of Dralens. It was impossible to tell what the creatures were thinking except perhaps cautiousness. Aaron stared back at one of the creatures intil it blinked. "Did you have much trouble getting them up here?" he asked. "No," Lieutenant Sheena replied, "We fired TASER shots at them, and they never saw it coming." The Fury's captain nodded approval, then pushed his way through the throng back to the door. On his way out, he said "Get to work uplifting them. I want to know if it can be done to them before we waste our stores of medical nanodrones on them." Sheena saluted. "Yes sir. Uh... what if it fails?"
The words "Throw 'em, out the airlock" came from beyond the door, as the person who spoke them walked away.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2014 15:45:54 GMT -6
"What's the problem?" Inera flicked the reception switch on the wireless, and a surprisingly regular crackling emanated from it. "This. We started hearing this several minutes ago, captain. It's not in this cycle's code, nor any of those prior. We believe its some kind of distress signal. As far as we're concerned, this is an extrasolar contact - and infrared photometry practically confirms it. It's outputting a lot more thermal than it would be if it were one of ours." "And you intend for me to go out there and-" "We want you to take a Thunderbird and investigate. That is all. We've signalled central of our decision and in, oh, twenty hours we should have a response. In the mean time, it's up to us what to do. Oh... and I'll be coming with you." Olce grimaced at this. "You know what that would do to the crew, supervisor." "I've read the studies." "Fine by me. Just don't make yourself too obvious. If a firefight breaks out, I want my crew to focus on shooting - not worrying about being written off to some iridium mine in the belt. Or worse." - Soon enough, a fire lit up the dark, icy, surface of Getrie. Turning about, it accelerated on a trajectory around the planet, slinging about the light side and emerging on course for the object.
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Post by Wrangler Civil Corpsman on Aug 2, 2014 7:55:27 GMT -6
"Sensor contact. Unable to acquire proper distance, but they're heading our way, Captain."
"Arm weapons."
"Sir, with all due respect, we're sitting out here with barely enough power to keep necessary systems online. I don't think antagonizing them would be a smart move."
"Very well... Notify security, and have them assemble at the airlocks."
"Sir, this is a scout, not a cruiser. We don't have a security team."
The still-crippled scout vessel continued to float slowly through space, at the mercy of whoever had come to investigate.
Shipyards
2/44 Hope's Spring Shipdock
2/44 Vanhart Shipyards
2/44 Josephtown Driveyard
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 13:10:13 GMT -6
"Seems like a complete wreck. The signal must be some automated SOS." "Very well; bring us within ten kilometers, halted relative. I want to see you and the engineer ready for EVA in five minutes. We're going for a bit of a spacewalk." "Is that wise-" "No, it's protocol. Have to see what we can salvage from a dead ship." - Three suited figures emerged from the craft's airlock, pushing off the hull and burning mono-propellant to set a trajectory towards the alien vessel.
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Post by Wrangler Civil Corpsman on Aug 2, 2014 13:49:30 GMT -6
-"Sir, three objects have jettisoned from the vessel. They look like... uh, they're aliens, I think."
-"Aliens? You think? Well, that doesn't help in the slightest. Any indicator of what their intentions are?"
-"I don't know, sir. I don't think they even know we're alive. Permission to flash lights?"
-"Request denied. Open up communications."
-"Sir, we're still losing power, our comms are still out. Engineering, the Bridge requires extra power."
-"Nah, no can do! We're already doing our best holding this damn thing together. If you all don't do something fast, we'll be stuck on battery energy for life support, and nothing else. Jared, get those hoses, anything we can to stabilize the thing..."
-"Engineering reports negative on additional power. We have to do something else, sir."
-"Very well, then. Do what you can."
The crippled vessel halts the transmission of the distress signal, instead flashing its mounted port and starboard navigation lights.
Shipyards
3/44 Hope's Spring Shipdock
3/44 Vanhart Shipyards
3/44 Josephtown Driveyard
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2014 14:16:59 GMT -6
The OSA personnel hit the hull of the alien craft, and the crackling of Olce's wireless set filled his helmet. A message from Inera; 1 LIGHTS? Olce thumbed his transmission switch and tapped out a cursory response - 2 CREW? AIRLOCK?
The engineer stared down at her feet, before flipping her own transmission switch and sending 3 AIRLOCK. She flashed her helmet lights, and in short order the others were flying over to her.
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Aug 2, 2014 18:22:21 GMT -6
Aaron had retired to his quarters. There were no communications messages to cycle through, since there was no one left to send them. However, internal messages and paperwork still needed attention. With their position so tenuous, the crew needed to continue working as if they were still on that independent mission before they knew the Terraform had been murdered by those foul creatures the Haikovans. That meant paperwork was still a thing. Work needed to be authorised, status reports needed to be read and acknowledged... he sat down at his desk and set to work on it.
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Post by Wrangler Civil Corpsman on Aug 3, 2014 20:44:39 GMT -6
-"Sir, outboard cameras show that they're approaching the primary port airlock. Should... should we let them in?"
-"Go ahead. Let them in. Someone get securit- eh, someone get some of the crew armed and over to that airlock."
-"Yes sir, opening doors in 30 seconds, pressure equalizing..."
The lights around the airlock flashed yellow, signalling the lowering of air pressure. Once ready, the lights lit green, and the heavy door slowly opened into a small, nondescript airlock.
-"Thornley, gather some of the crew and get armed. We have visitors."
Shipyards 3/44 Hope's Spring Shipdock (Union Interference) 4/44 Vanhart Shipyards 4/44 Josephtown Driveyard
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2014 21:06:31 GMT -6
Inera gestured at Olce. Olce pressed his helmet against his superior's, hearing "I'll go in and meet the visitors. You can wait out here for the retrieval team to arrive." "You sure there are people in there?" he asked, but by then Inera had already pulled away and was ducking into the surprisingly small airlock. Weird.
Taking up station next to the lock, gloved hand hovering over the pocket containing his gun, he Flicked the transmission switch and ordered the engineer to start examining the alien craft in detail.
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Aug 4, 2014 10:33:21 GMT -6
Fury entered its night shift. For the first time in some 48 hours, its crew were getting proper rest, with the exception of the guards, medical techs and Lt. Sheena who were working on the uplift program. Aaron finished his paperwork and went to bed, though he spent several hours awake contemplating what had happened to his spacecraft and people. A fresh start, maybe?
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Post by Commander Of Games on Aug 6, 2014 9:54:33 GMT -6
Shipyards: 27/40x5
Shipyards: 23/40x5
Orator-class Cruisers: 23/38x5
The Celae have located a planet nearby their nebula with non-sapient carbon based life. They send an Orator-class cruiser and a freighter to gather samples for experiments. The cruiser deploys a buoy in orbit of the planet, broadcasting to all ships in the system on multiple frequencies: "This system has been claimed by the Celaen Order. Remove yourselves from the system or you will be destroyed." It does so in both radio and subspace.
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Post by RedDwarfIV on Aug 6, 2014 15:37:20 GMT -6
After having finally fallen asleep, Aaron was woken with a start by the Action Stations alarm, which wailed like a wounded banshee. he slapped the comm panel on the bedside table and said "Report!" as he got up and started getting dressed. The executive officer replied, saying "Sir, we just had an awful lot of alien activity, then they dropped a beacon of some kind. It's broadcasting, so we're going on the assumption it's a system claim." Aaron paused for a moment, then muttered the words "Damn it..."
A few minutes later he was on the command deck, hovering behind the communications sysop who was trying to run the beacon's transmission through a translator. "No luck sir. We're not getting anything from just this." Aaron sighed, and let his anger drain away. He needed to be calm and think this through, not rush in. He walked over to a panel on the wall and pulled out a transciever. "Lieutenant Sheena. Is there any way we could carry the aliens out-system?" he asked. There was a few moments of silence, then "Sorry sir, no. Assuming you meant enough aliens to form a society, no, we don't have enough space or life support capability." Aaron frowned. "Couldn't we make multiple trips?" There was a muted sigh, then "That's not the problem sir. We'd either need a lot more hospital beds or an artificial habitat for them. Besides, we want the aliens to be back amongst their kind before they reach sapience. If the AS alarm means what I think it did, our options are to abort our efforts here, or continue on but keep a low profile." Sheena's response was serious, Aaron noted, not mocking. Always good to see in a subordinate. He then considered what the lieutenant had said. If we abort, we'd need to go looking around again. I don't know if our antimatter reserves can hold out long enough to do that and bring an uplift species into space. Without the fuel constraints, I'd say f*** it. But as the situation is... We have to carry on. "Understood. There will be no changes to your orders, Lieutenant."
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Post by Commander Of Games on Aug 7, 2014 12:15:26 GMT -6
Shipyards: 28/40x5
Shipyards: 24/40x5
Orator-class Cruisers: 24/38x5
Cargo shuttles are sent down to the planet, which the Celae have no named "Lheiis". The name means "Impurity". The shuttles contain Celae soldiers instructed to capture any carbon based lifeforms they come across for transport to various laboratories across the Order. Hopefully through their brutal experiments, the Celae could figure out how carbon based life works... and how to kill it.
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Post by Wrangler Civil Corpsman on Aug 7, 2014 13:56:02 GMT -6
The airlock shut equally slowly, as air and the like was pumped back in to regulate pressure. Quite suddenly, the lights within the airlock shut off, plunging it into darkness, along with the rest of the ship as an explosion rocks the rear of the vessel.
-"Engineering, what the hell was that? What's going on back there?"
-"...Engineering, respond."
-"Something screwed up, shit's smoking like a hay fire... both the reactor and the backup are completely shot, punched a breach into the lower plate of the ship, but thankfully none of us were inside when it happened... I left my fucking coffee in there..."
-"Someone open the damn airlock. Get pry bars or something."
Shipyards 4/44 Hope's Spring Shipdock 5/44 Vanhart Shipyards 5/44 Josephtown Driveyard
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