Post by EmperorMyric on Mar 22, 2021 16:25:09 GMT
Most days, government contracts were easy. It was providing escort to convoys unlikely to come under attack, or routine patrols of distant privately funded outposts, maybe a diplomatic escort if you got lucky. It was boring, routine, and the easiest money he’d ever made.
But today was not most days. Today was a call from the VP of Operations wanting him to provide escort to a planned first contact event. No, it wasn’t optional, yes the government is aware. And a decidedly non-answer to the question ‘who ordered this’.
“I’m asking you to do it, Fowler. That’s all that matters,”
That could mean anything. It could have come from the board, the CEO, the VP himself, Commonwealth Central Command, or any number of the Black Rabbit Security Corporation’s other clients.
He didn’t like it. But he didn’t have much choice.
He was assigned a first contact specialist, and his cruiser joined by two destroyers, and then they were on their way to an area of space where it was expected they could run into the nation they were looking for.
The first contact specialist was, characteristically, disruptive of his command. Extracting from him promises and assurances that every instruction she gave was followed before making sure he understood that all weapons were to remain offline and retracted unless she gave specific instructions otherwise.
He grumbled incoherently into his Styrofoam coffee cup at the thought of the woman’s extensive micromanaging of him and his crew… but there was nothing for it. She was the specialist for a reason so he thought it best he do as she asked.
“Dropping from slip space in three, two, one…” There was a jerk as the ship emerged back into realspace and Fowler listened closely as his bridge crew called out reports, confirming that their two escorts had emerged nearby and that all weapons were still offline.
“Begin scans,” He said with another sip of his coffee.
At the same time, Admiral Cassi Netheridge was commanding a battle cruiser called the Rolanda. It was not a happy ship. For now, Cassi had to deal with sailing a ship that was half crewed and half armed. But this wasnt going to be a big deal. Not until they reached Veneshia. But plans change.
They spotted a few ships coming out of FTL. The admiral reacted according to instinct and training, instructing her men
"All hands, man battle stations. Establish communications and request reinforcements now."
A moment. Contact was established. The warship emitted a strongly sounded ping before it followed up with
"This is Admiral Cassi. I am in command of this sector. You are entering a warzone. The world Satembi is currently under martial law and assault. Identify yourselves and do not attempt to flee or else I will be forced to interdict your ship and shoot your engines. State your intentions also and the name of your highest commanding officer. Do it now."
"And there's our guests," Fowler said, turning in his chair to the first contact officer.
"Address her for now," She said. "Follow first contact protocols to the letter Mr. Fowler,"
He nodded and picked up his communicator, switching to the intercom.
"All hands, initiate first contact protocols. Notify med bay and get your hazmat suits on. This is not a drill," With that done he switched over to the frequency their guests had used and cleared his throat before answering.
"This is Chief Operational Commander Jace Fowler with the Black Rabbit Securities Corporation, commanding the cruiser Levitsky Strong. We've been contracted to explore this sector of space. Who am I talking to?"
The Admiral grunted and repeated "Admiral Cassi of the UWA. I am in command of this sector. I will not repeat myself. I request you cut engines, keep weapons down and prepare for boarding. You are in UWA space and terribly close to a warzone. I am afraid I have to check you out or else I will consider you hostile and shoot you."
She then paused and gave them one final instruction
"Prepare for boarding and do not be afraid to meet me. I will go there myself. This is standard procedure. Fear not."
"Ma'am, I'm afraid I'll have to insist on adherence to the Corporation's first contact protocols for health and safety reasons. I will power down engines and you may board. You'll be met in the hangar by a medical team who will need to run a variety of scans to determine if you and your crew pose any risk of foreign diseases and likewise if my crew poses any risk to you. Once the scan is completed you will be escorted to a board room to meet with the appropriate personnel. I'll have to limit your exposure to my crew until it can be conclusively determined if either of us pose a health risk to the other,"
"That is acceptable and very smart. However, I wish for this to be quick and without any dirty business. I advise you to meet us unarmed and with no hostile intention. You are in a zone controlled by the United Fleets. This is dangerous for both you and me. I will talk to you more when I get there."
The admiral kept her word as she went off and started to depart from the bridge, making her way towards a small shuttle along with a few officers and naval infantry. After that, the shuttle was readied and it left the ship, making it towards the foreign ship.
Fowler let the line go dead and once more turned toward the first contact specialist. She nodded to him.
"I'll meet with her of course," She said.
"Noted," Fowler deadpanned, watching the other woman as she turned on a heel and departed the bridge.
The shuttle was brought in to one of the less used hangars aboard the Levitsky Strong, set aside mainly for the transport of the company's drifters. At the moment two drifters were currently residing in the hangar, neither of which seemed particularly concerned about the foreign shuttle being waved in. One lay on the wing of his fighter, reading a book, while the other fiddled with a drone.
The shuttle was waved down on the opposite side of the hangar from the two bounty hunters, and upon landing was greeted by four medical personnel in bright orange haz-mat suits. Standing further back from the shuttle was a woman wearing a rebreather, but otherwise dressed casually in a green long coat, a grey collared shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
She watched the medical personnel unload their equipment and go through their scans with a look of intrigued indifference, occassionally noting something on a tablet as the medical team went through the motions. After several long minutes it was finally concluded that there was no immediate health risk and the medical personnel cleared out, leaving the Admiral alone with the woman... and the two bounty hunters who still seemed to care little about the goings on in their hangar.
Pyromaniac, 11:36 PM
"Lots of questions," She said with an easy smile. "Uh, alright let me see if I can remember them all..."
She cleared her throat and absent mindedly cracked the knuckles on her left hand, likely a nervous tick of some kind.
"An interview is standard first contact protocol," She said. "We're expected to try and determine some basic information about your nation to be passed on to the Foreign Relations committee. First contact is a... delicate business for a corporation. If things go poorly here we could be held liable by the Commonwealth for havin soured diplomatic relations. Fines could be imposed, assets seized, and executives indicted. All things the company is keen to avoid. As such there's protocol and procedures to try and limit our liability. Protocol recommends interviews be conducted with available persons from the new nation at the site of contact, as insistence on meeting with higher representatives or demanding a meeting at a different location could be seen as belligerent and aggressive."
She paused lowering her hands to the table.
"We were unaware both that this was your territory and also that you were currently in a state of war. We were simply instructed by our employers to explore the sector in the hopes of encountering a hitherto unknown interstellar civilization. As far as who is with me..."
She looked up and down at the empty table, very much alone in the room of foreigners before pointing to two opposite corners of the room.
"There are cameras in those two corners. Security is monitoring what happens in here, but they won't do anything unless things turn violent. Oh, those aren't recording by the way. We only record audio on these and uh... no, I'm not a spy,"
She lowered her hands to the table again.
"As I said, we were contracted to send an expedition here in the hopes of encountering spacefaring civilizations. We're from the Vestahl system, which is located in the Unmar Expanse near the border with Avarian Frontier. It serves as the capital and homeworld of the Vestahl Commonwealth, though the Commonwealth has several interstellar colonies and recently accepted a few pre-FTL worlds as protectorates. I was sent as the foreign relations office is currently spread quite thin. We're negotiating with several nations for embassies, affirming our neutrality in the Second Ancerious War with the major players, not to mention attempting to negotiate the surrender of the VRF as well as furthering trade and diplomatic relations with other members of the Askandar Pact. A foreign relations officer simply could not be spared for an expedition that might encounter a space faring civilization, and so the Commonwealth declined to loan one to the company... so I suppose I'll have to suffice."
She paused again, waiting for more questions.
More questions.
The Admiral asked her
"If what you say is true, then will you be willing to spend a few days with us? This is for the sake of our own protocol which is to study you and your companions, if they are willing to stay, until we deem you, of course, as trustworthy. If this is not possible for you then that is all right however, this will bring me to the next question...
Are you going to bring others back to our territory? You yourself mentioned embassies and while we would accept that, I hope you do not mean to bring a force to invade our territories. As you know, we are not in a position to wish aggression on you or aggression on others.
Another question I may ask is about military presence. I am concerned as I have to be. An admiral cannot let a threat, even if it may be possible or unlikely, slide. Until I am assured of it, I want to know if you have any military presence close to us?
And lastly, so that you may take your turn, I want to ask more about this war. Should I and my faction be concerned about it?"
"I suppose I could stay," Scelene said with a shrug. "The others will likely be less inclined to stick around. They'll be expected to report back to the company before long and my report and interview material will need to be submitted to the foreign office. Further contact with you nation will be handled by them. I couldn't say for certain what they may choose to do. Trade relations, non-aggression pacts, and the sort... as for an invasion..."
She leaned back in her chair.
"The Vestahl Commonwealth is a founding member of the Askandar Pact, a defensive military alliance meant to promote peace and stability in the Avarian Frontier and the surrounding sectors of the galaxy. Unless you give them cause, I doubt Vestahl or the Pact would take offensive military actions against you or your people. Military presence is difficult for me to say. I'm a civilian, I'm not really privy to fleet deployments," She finished with a chuckle.
She lapsed into silence, mulling over the last question and idly drumming her fingers on the table, another nervous tick. Seconds became minutes before she finally answered the woman's question.
"The Second Ancerious War is a galaxy spanning conflict between the Ancerious Galactic Alliance, headed by the Union of Worlds, and the Ancerious Pivotal Powers, headed by the Grand Empire of Capitol. The AGA wants to create and enforce a galactic peace. The APP on the other side wants freedom in the galaxy at all costs, even if that means allowing nations to destroy and enslave one another..."
She trailed off and leaned in to address the second part of the woman's question.
"As for if you are in danger..." She paused again and once more cracked her knuckles. "Have you had contact with the Dectrose Empire or the Three Domains Alliance?" She asked finally.
The admiral was not happy. Her eyes narrowed. She crossed her legs. The military woman also started to lean forward, glaring, hungry for more information. And also to defend her own.
She said
"If I said yes, then will this bring death upon me and my people? And if I said no, will you say I am but a liar? And if I ask you about invasion, can you kindly never again...say that so casually towards me, an admiral of a faction you came yourself to meet?"
"The Dectrose Empire and the Three Domains Alliance are both part of a larger alliance calling itself the Free Defense Council," Scelene answered, her tone growing serious. "Among other things the FDC obligates members to aid each other in a time of war... the Dectrose Empire recently agreed to shelter a class three weapon of mass destruction for the EPA, an APP member. Class three weapons are those that can destroy entire star systems just like that," She snapped her fingers to hammet the point home before continuing.
"They were subsequently caught by the AGA who are now threatening military action unless the Dectrose turn over the weapon. Should the Dectrose refuse its likely the AGA will invade. Should that happen, its also likely the Dectrose will attempt to pull the FDC into the war. This of course is ignoring the fact the Dectrose are frequently volatile, and unpredictable. They attacked the Artificia Unanimity without provocation, poorly attempted to cover up joint black operations with the RSC after nearly starting a war with them, and that is just what the public knows about. The TDA for their part are well to do enough, but they've shackled themselves to the Dectrose for good or ill."
She paused once more and rubbed a hand across her face.
"You asked me if you should be concerned. If you've made mutual defense arrangements with either the TDA or the Dectrose Empire, then the answer is yes, as you've put yourself in a position where there is a real possibility you'll be pulled into a war against the AGA. If not, then I'd say it's unlikely the war will spill over into your territories."
She concluded finally.
"That was the only reason why I asked, to give you the most accurate answer I could,"
The Admiral paused. She gestured to her officers to leave. She then told them "NOW!" And they did so. And when they were alone, the Admiral spoke to her
"Forgive me. But according to my knowledge, my superiors have promised non aggression to them. And the TDA is helping us fight our rebels. We need them and they needed us. For this war alone. We both lost our diplomats when the rebels destroyed our diplomatic ship carrying them when we tried to sue for peace with the rebels. I pray this is not cause for the enemy to go against us. Please, do not consider this as an excuse to drag us into the war."
"Drag you into a war?" Scelene looked perplexed for a moment before giving the admiral another of her easy smiles.
"Admiral, I think you've misunderstood. The Vestahl Commonwealth is not a member of the AGA or the APP. Our alliance, the Askandar Pact is purely defensive. The Commonwealth would never attack you unprovoked, nor would the AGA or APP for that matter. Non-aggression pacts are nothing to ne concerned about... only mutual defense pacts could prove problematic. You have nothing to worry about."
She removed her hand from her face.
"I didn't mean to imply otherwise. The Commonwealth has only just finished a civil war of its own, and we only won due to foreign intervention... Not that I'm trying to sell you things you don't need, but the Company offers a range of services that may help you end your war. I'd be happy to discuss them with you,"
The Admiral thought about it for a long long while. Then she stood up and told her
"I hear you. Allow me to contact my superiors and seek the advice of my President before we continue. May I ask for the audio recording to stop?"
Scelene nodded and reached out a hand, silencing the recording with a resounding click
She then smiled with clear relief and spoke "Thank you." She then reached for her own communicator and whispered something in her own tongue. The reply made the Admirals face turn pale. She looked at the woman. Then she continued to speak to her superiors. Then her face turned back to normal. She sighed and then said in a language that she can understand herself "I understand. I will."
She then put it away and then told Scelene
"We may accept your help but we also may have to start discussing with you about the Askandar Pact. Our leadership believes it is a need for me to start establishing friendly relations with your faction and Bloc."
"Of course," Scelene said, standing. "I can have a couple friends in Foreign Relations, I could try to get someone down here as quickly as possible or we could ferry a delegation back to the Commonwealth if you would prefer,"
"Then it is settled. Please send someone here. We need talks to be done quickly." She said before she paused to think. And then...
"On the other hand, I will have to return to my superiors as well as my ship in order to get more information. We may be facing an imminent threat.
A threat that concerns not you or your faction but our own."
"I'll make the necessary arrangements as quickly as I can," Scelene answered with a nod. "Before you leave Admiral, do you still wish for me to remain with you? You indicated as much earlier,"
"I wish for you to stay, yes. Please come with me unless you have other matters to attend to before coming with me." She said, standing.
"I'll need a few minutes to prepare," Scelene answered, standing up and packing away the recording device. "Grab some extra clothes and make sure that the appropriate parties are contacted. Give me... say... thrity minutes?" She said.
"Very well. I may assist you if you wish. I may---"
Her communications device suddenly rang and she took it and responded. Her face turned pale the very moment she heard them speak to her. She put it down and then said to Scelene.
"Ma'am, you may have to hurry. There has been an incident."
"An incident?" She said, opening the door and heading out into the ship with a motion for the Admiral to follow her.
"What kind of incident?" She asked, leading the Admiral through the utilitarian corridors of the ship.
"A violent kind. We are detecting rebel ships. We may have to leave very quickly or else engage them here." She said before she quietly put her comms device back and made her way back to the ship, telling the woman
"Hurry!"
Scelene picked up her communicator as she shouldered into her quarters, heading straight to the wardrobe and grabbing a duffel bag that was already packed.
"Fowler, you getting all that?"
"I am," The Captain answered. "Apologies Admiral, but the safety of my crew is my first priority. I have to order them to battle stations, I hope you understand,"
Moments later alarms began blaring across the vessel, sounding the general call to battle stations and a deep thrum rocked the ship as the engines came back online. All three of the vessels began deploying weapon systems and the two destroyers activated their stealth systems, rapidly disappearing from sensors as their emissions ceased, their hulls cooled to match the background radiation of the system and the gravitational inverters came online, masking them from gravitational sensors.
"How many ships are we talking?" Scelene asked, slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder and heading back through the ship toward the hangar.
All the UWA ships were also preparing for battle as they made ready to leave the system, turning their signal lights on so that their new allies, if they would, could follow them. Meanwhile, the Admiral just said as she made her way back to her ship
"That is fine. I am registering ten ships coming our way. 6 small, the rest large. We may be facing destroyers and light cruisers. We are outnumbered but not outclassed. Yet we must make haste."
She did not stop as she walked on, shouting into her communicator
"ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS!"
On the bridge Fowler listened impassively as his staff reported in, providing status updates on the readiness of the vessel. He turned to his communications officer with a sigh.
"Adivse ops that we're going to need additional vessels and supervisors as quickly as they can provide them," He said.
"Aye sir," The officer answered. "Ops has been advised, forces are enroute to assist,"
"ETA?"
The communications officer didn't answer, making obvious that they couldn't expect reinforcements soon. Muttering a curse, Fowler grabbed hold of his communicator.
"Admiral if you're planning on leaving I suggest you do so now, we'll keep them busy until you're gone,"
He turned to the sensor operator next.
"Get me an incoming vector on those ships, I want the destroyers ready to guide in munitions the moment they drop out of FTL,"
"Aye sir,"
"Understood. However, we will not leave until we have requested reinforcements from our faction. We will also not leave until Miss Scelene is with us. If anything, I advise you evacuate all your non essential personnel to our ship so they can be safe from the coming battle!"
The Admiral said. She then cursed the situation silently before saying "While my ship is half armed and half manned, this has been through the rebellion!"
"No can do," Fowler said with a grim smile. "Think of the bad PR Admiral. Who would hire a security corporation that backs down at the first sign of trouble? Marketing would be very upset with me,"
Meanwhile, Scelene arrived in the hangar, where the previously bored and indifferent bounty hunters were scrambling into flight suits and going through pre-flight checks.
"After you Admiral," Scelene said with a smile and a motion toward the shuttle they'd taken over.
The Admiral nodded and entered the shuttle and told Scelene to get in. She then told Fowler "Then hope that your guns are hot, your cannons are furious and your missiles are ready. We will come back to help you. I promise. Wars may make promises into hopes but that won't be the case here!"
She then started the shuttle up and waited for Scelene to get in as her ship was also getting ready to make a fighting retreat.
Scelene boarded the shuttle right behind the Admiral and began digging through the pockets of her coat for her cigarettes.
"I much prefer being in the shit when the fighting is on the ground," She commented fishing out the pack. "You mind if I smoke?"
"No I don't. Go ahead. I like the smell anyway. On the other hand though, I prefer fighting in space." She then went quiet as she told those outside "We're leaving now! Get those doors open!"
The hangar bay doors opened shortly thereafter, allowing the shuttle out into space followed closely by the two bounty hunter's vessels. They provided a courtesy escort back to the UWA's ship before breaking off and heading for the system's edge, presumably to direct in any corporate forces that may arrive in the near future.
The shuttle then started to make its way into the UWA ship, the doors opening for them in advance. Then they closed behind it once they were inside. A crew of five people then started to help the Admiral get the shuttle down. Once that was done, the doors of the shuttle opened and the Admiral left it and told Scelene "All right. We are here. Can I ask you for your help by manning one of the weapon systems? I am short on men so I must make do and ask you as well."
"I mean, I had the top score on Void Invaders at the Hard Luck bar," Scelene commented lighting the cigarette. "Not sure that qualifies me as a gunner but..."
The Admiral just gave her a stern look and said "I don't care if your only training is from a video game in a bar which you probably played while drunk or sober, I need another man on the guns to fight them off until we are out of this place."
"Stoned most of the time actually," Scelene commented offhandedly with a long drag on her cigarette. "Show the way,"
"Damn." She just muttered as she started to show the way. The UWA ship was fairly arranged and the hallways had enough space. It took only a few moments for the Admiral to show Scelene into a room where there was a station for her to use to control what seemed, on the outside, like a four barreled turret.
She told her "Hope you can use quad cannons well."
"Guess we're going to find out," The raven haired woman asked with a crack of her knuckles and another long drag on her cigarette. She sat down at the controls, stabbing out the cigarette and letting out a long sigh.
"Oh Scelene, what have you gone and gotten yourself into this time?" She muttered.
With the rebel formation scattered, and the UWA ships free and clear Fowler quickly decided it best to clear out of the area as well. His vessel fired a parting volley at the rebels, but at such long ranges and with interdiction now up it was unlikely the rounds would make it to their intended targets.
"Power up our FTL drives and prepare to jump," Fowler ordered, the crew rushing to obey his command. "Have the destroyers draw some fire off us then pull out to!"
Aboard the destroyers the order was heard and quickly obeyed. Up until now they'd remained cold and silent but as Fowler's order came down the pair of vessels abruptly dropped stealth and launched a barrage of munitions. They aimed for outlying ships among the rebels scattered formations, firing off their anti-matter torpedo and tachyon accelerators before all three vessels turned and began a hard burn away from the rebel ships.
Fowler's cruisers took several hits, even at such extreme ranges he couldn't avoid all the fire coming his way. The shields crackled then fell and damage crews began to report decreasing hull integrity. All he could hope was the FTL drives charged before the rebels made a significant breach.
Some rebel ships were very late when it came to getting their shields and interdiction up and so failed to protect themselves from the incoming barrage, causing them to break apart from so much damage. On the other hand, the rest of the rebel fleet started to move towards Fowlers ships, shooting with everything they had and launching all their torpedoes and missiles, wasting them as the UWA ship sent out their missiles and struck the ships who were distracted by the Fowler.
Range was becoming shorter and shorter for the UWA ship as they went full speed towards the second largest rebel ship, her hammer head awaiting the time to strike at the offending capital ship.
Hope would also be restored as the ones fighting in the area could detect a moderately large distortion in space as friendly ships approached from another sector.
Who could they be?
"Why the hell are they going back!?" Fowler shouted incredulously as the UWA began closing and engaging with the rebel forces. Fowler had had their attention and it would have been a simple thing for everyone to have retreated and end the battle immediately. But now the UWA was rushing in.
Biting back a curse Fowler gave the order to halt the retreat and come about for another attack. The cruiser halted its retreat, turning abruptly and firing its engines back toward the rebels. It fired off its fusion slugs and point defense weaponry, aiming to disable or destroy some of the incoming munitions. The destroyers meanwhile circled the rebel fleet like vultures, firing off anti-matter torpedoes and tachyon accelerators at the ships on the outermost edges of the formation, moving to support the UWA while Fowler held their attention for now.
That distortion in space soon gave way to a small fleet of UWA cruisers and destroyers. Five ships all in all. They started to engage the rebel fleet as the UWA ship that originally went straight at the rebels started to sail to the left sharply, away from the battle as the rebels started to try to retreat, with their ships being torn into pieces by UWA weaponry.
The UWA ship then contacted Fowler "We're okay. We're pulling out of the system now. Come with us. The fleet sent to our location will handle it!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Fowler muttered, breaking off his attack run and jumping out of the system with his badly wounded ship. The stealth ships followed behind in short order, leaving the UWA alone in the system.
Scelene, for her part scanned over the reports coming in. Casualty lists wouldn't be posted for a while and while none of the Corporation's vessels had been destroyed there was still significant loss of life aboard Fowler's ship.
Still, thing had gone okay... all things considered.
Minutes after the battle, the Admiral returned to where Scelene was and asked her before she knocked on her door "If you are still alive, open the door please?"
Scelene roused herself from her seat and made her way toward the door. It took her a moment to find the switch to open the damn thing but once she had she let it open,
"Well that seemed to have gone well," She said finally.
The admiral smiled and then said "Well done then. We'll make our way now to one of the worlds of the UWA. The nearest one should be Veneshia or Satembi." She then gestured to the foreigner to follow her as she left the room.
"The rebels seemed to find you quite fast," Scelene commented following the Admiral. "And you said an envoy was targeted before? How do they keep finding out where you're meeting envoys?"
"The envoys gathered just outside of Satembis atmosphere. They were shot down when the rebels took control of the planetary defenses and also stole a fleet stationed at the planet itself. It took the United Fleets and an allied fleet to take care of them."
"I see," Scelene answered. "Once can't help but wonder how they learned of our encounter then. It was decidedly... unscheduled."
She paused momentarily and glanced down at her tablet.
"I'm being asked by the Foreign Relations Office where a representative should be sent... and if military assets should be included in their entourage,"
"Send them to Alondra. It's safer there and it is where our capital is. Our President awaits. On the other hand, you may need to bring a significant military guard. Most of our forces now are being diverted to Satembi if not around Alondra to secure it."
"Will do," She answered. "If you don't mind my asking, where exactly are we headed?"
"Veneshia. Our final destination for today. We will not risk anymore. While that detachment takes care of the sector here, we have to make best of the chances." She said. She paused to think and to look at her hands. She then looked back to her and said "Veneshia is where more of the non human population resides not counting Alondra. I hope that isn't bad for you."
"Should be alright," Scelene said with a shrug. "Go new places, meet new people and all that."
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The ship landed at Veneshia Saber Military Spaceport for repairs and recrewing. The original crew was given a few hours leave while the Admiral went with Scelene. She told her guest that she would have to follow her to the VP. They were lucky she was here for a public meeting with Veneshian Representatives. It was only after the meeting did the VP entertain the guest and the officer.
In a hotel room which also had space for meeting, the Vice President smiled at her guest, a human, and said "Welcome to my home planet. What can I do for you?"
"I am Scelene Korse," Scelene answered extending her hand. "I'm a first contact specialist with the Black Rabbit Security Corporation and... well for the moment I'm acting as something of a liason between my government and yours. A proper diplomat is enroute with a military escort, though she has been directed toward Alondra on the advice of the Admiral,"
"I see." Said Jalaja. "In any case, I am Vice President Jalaja. I am sorry that my President cannot speak with you yet. I am happy that you will be sending a Diplomat to actually speak with me. I hope to entertain you and them without delay and interruption. On the one hand, would you like anything to drink or to eat? I am certain you are hungry or thirsty."
"I'm fine for the moment," Scelene answered with a shrug. "The Admiral here mentioned you were having some... issues with a rebellion? She suggested you might be interesting in retaining the services of the Corporation. We've already had one run in with your rebels that went... well it went well all things considered."
The VP nodded and smiled while she said it "I'm glad she mentioned it. Fortunately and unfortunately, I have to say that we have put down the rebellion. On one hand, I am afraid, I cannot ask your Corporation to help us. I have a stand against big businesses and I am sorry should that offend you."
"I just work here dude," Scelene said with a shrug. "Shame though, the lads are good at what they do. I hope you'll think of us should you ever find yourself in a position where our assistance would be... politically fortuitous,"
"Perhaps. In any case, I would personally appreciate it. Although, I remember you mentioned about the alliance your faction is a part of? Can there be a spot for the UWA?"
"The Askandar Pact," Scelene said with a nod. "I'd imagine so. You would have to recieve the consent of a majority of the members, and I'm positive Vestahl wouldn't start a vote on the issue without first introducing you to the other powers and getting a better feel for your current foreign relations and policy objectives. All stuff Ms. O'Flannigan will be happy to talk about I'm sure,"
"In any case then, I'd like you to give the first words that the UWA is interested in joining the Askandar Pact." Said the VP. She smiled and offered her "Would you like to accept my offer of walking outside with me?"
"I'll be sure O'Flannigan is aware," Scelene answered with a nod. "Yes, a walk outside sounds nice. I've been on space ships for far too long."
The vice president then offered her hand to Scelene and said "A custom of mine for my guests. As a sign of trust, I'd like to walk holding your hand."
"Uh..." Scelene raised an eyebrow at that. "Strange... er... well uh, strange to me anyway but... if you insist..."
She then smiled again and reached out to Scelene, saying "Don't worry. I do not hurt." She then said "Furthermore, it's also a good way for me to feel comfortable about you."
She then started to lead her out of the room and towards a long park lined with tall trees.
Scelene was obvious uncomfortable but followed silently, trying to hide that the situation was something she wasn't completely comfortable with.
As they started to walk into the park, Jalaja was followed by the Admiral as her escort while she spoke "So carrying on, I would like to open up a matter about other corporations that belong to your faction. Are there any particular aggressive ones that seek foreign matters?"
"External trade is regulated through the Commonwealth Trade Council, corporations generally can't take contracts abroad without having been approved for external operations by the Council first, and obviously the host nation would have to agree as well. Black Rabbit is an exception rather than a rule," She said, welcoming the opportunity to shift focus away from the hand holding. "And even then the terms of our contract with the Commonwealth impose limitations on our activities abroad,"
"I see. At least you aren't a faction that lets their businesses run amock. Moving on once more, tell me about the state of the economy in your faction? And your trading partners?"
The vice president then stopped her and said, pointing to a bench "Would you like to sit down with me?"
Scelene nodded, and took a seat on the bench.
"The economy is... recovering," She said after a brief pause. "There was a lot of rebuilding to be done after the end of our own civil war. But we've made some beneficial trade deals with the Grand Empire of Capitol. They're a large nation and between meeting export needs for Capitol and the rebuilding efforts we've managed to keep unemployment low and economic stimulation high. Things aren't back to pre-war levels quite yet, but we're getting there,"
"The Capitol? I hear that they are at war with the Union of Worlds. Is it wrong or was it a good guess assuming that the both of them are in opposing military alliances against each other."
She added "If that is so, how are you not under attack by them?"
"Yes, the APP and the AGA are currently in a war," Scelene confirmed. "And Capital and the Union of Worlds are on opposite sides of that war, but the Commonwealth has made abundantly clear to both sides that we have no interest in being involved in that war and we will continue to trade with both sides regardless of the war's current status. We've recieved promises of no aggression from both Capitol and the Annoliddan Inquisition, an AGA member. We seek more of these assurances as time goes on, even though the war seems to be drawing toward a conclusion,"
"It seems so as you say. But if I were to inform you that my faction is seeking interest in the Askandar Pact, would that be a problem to the interests of your faction? And what do you think about the FDC if I were to inquire even further to you?"
She let go of her hand and gestured to her as she spoke
"It also seems to me that the Capitol is...incredibly hostile. I'm impressed that you are able to deter them peacefully from having interests in you."
"We maintain neutrality... carefully," Scelene answered. "I don't see any reason why the UWA would be blocked from joining the Pact. But it would have to be brought before them. It requires majority support of the current membership to join. As for the FDC,"
Scelene sighed and ran a hand through her hair before digging through the pockets of her coat for her pack of cigarettes and lighter.
"If I'm being honest the FDC is a trainwreck waiting to happen," She answered putting a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it. "The whole thing was thought up and spearheaded by the Dectrose Empire who have made blunder after blunder since arriving in Ancerious. They attacked the Artificia Unanimity, a neutral nation, for no reason. They blundered into a no fly zone the RSC had gone to painstaking efforts to publicize and then cried foul when their crew was jailed and their ship impounded. They were recently caught red handed attempting to hide a class three super weapon for the APP. And as if all of that wasn't bad enough, three of their closest allies, the Accord, Three Domains Alliance, and ZYPHER all refused to join the FDC,"
She snorted and took a long drag on her cigarette.
"Not to mention the FDC also prominently features the Grand Araxian Empire, who actively advocated the excution of prisoners during their intervention into Vestahl's civil war."
She shook her head.
"They can call it whatever they want, but it's an alliance of warmongers and dictators. With the Dectrose at the helm it's only a matter of time before the whole damn thing goes up in flames. Commonwealth wants nothing to do with them. Corporation wants nothing to do with them, and I'd suggest that the UWA wants nothing to do with them either."
She listened to her very quietly and nodded to all she had to say. Once she was done, the vice president made a soft sigh and said "Very well. That's something good to come from you. I'll take that in mind." She then stood up and said as she looked away
"Another thing I'd like to see to before we conclude my discussion with you is the identity of the one I am to meet and their history. Are they any good?"
"D'Arcy O'Flannigan?" Scelene said. "Not sure. She used to do... something with the Vestahl Revolutionary Front. War ended and she got a job in the Foreign Relations Office. She's new to all this so she's not got much of a reputation yet... except a lot of people find her rather... melancholy,"
She took another drag and exhaled the smoke toward the sky.
"All fake smiles and false cheer from what I've heard,"
"I see. I suppose it's obviously due to the war then? You don't really know her that much now, do you?" She said with a curious tone to her voice, her ears twitching to hear more from her guest.
"Never met her no," Scelene said. "Just heard about her over drinks from some of the people who work for the Foreign Relations Office."
"Very well then. I guess our discussion now ends here. IS there anything else you'ld like to speak about before I let you go back to your home?"
"Not at the moment, no," Scelene answered. "Most of the usual stuff about opening corporate offices and such is way above my paygrade so I'll leave that to execs,"
She narrowed her eyes at her again and advised her "I'd suggest you'd never speak to me again about corporate offices and executives. I'm not the person who adores them. Speak about such things with the President and the Secretary."
Scelene shrugged, obviously unphased by the sudden facility.
"If you say so."
But today was not most days. Today was a call from the VP of Operations wanting him to provide escort to a planned first contact event. No, it wasn’t optional, yes the government is aware. And a decidedly non-answer to the question ‘who ordered this’.
“I’m asking you to do it, Fowler. That’s all that matters,”
That could mean anything. It could have come from the board, the CEO, the VP himself, Commonwealth Central Command, or any number of the Black Rabbit Security Corporation’s other clients.
He didn’t like it. But he didn’t have much choice.
He was assigned a first contact specialist, and his cruiser joined by two destroyers, and then they were on their way to an area of space where it was expected they could run into the nation they were looking for.
The first contact specialist was, characteristically, disruptive of his command. Extracting from him promises and assurances that every instruction she gave was followed before making sure he understood that all weapons were to remain offline and retracted unless she gave specific instructions otherwise.
He grumbled incoherently into his Styrofoam coffee cup at the thought of the woman’s extensive micromanaging of him and his crew… but there was nothing for it. She was the specialist for a reason so he thought it best he do as she asked.
“Dropping from slip space in three, two, one…” There was a jerk as the ship emerged back into realspace and Fowler listened closely as his bridge crew called out reports, confirming that their two escorts had emerged nearby and that all weapons were still offline.
“Begin scans,” He said with another sip of his coffee.
At the same time, Admiral Cassi Netheridge was commanding a battle cruiser called the Rolanda. It was not a happy ship. For now, Cassi had to deal with sailing a ship that was half crewed and half armed. But this wasnt going to be a big deal. Not until they reached Veneshia. But plans change.
They spotted a few ships coming out of FTL. The admiral reacted according to instinct and training, instructing her men
"All hands, man battle stations. Establish communications and request reinforcements now."
A moment. Contact was established. The warship emitted a strongly sounded ping before it followed up with
"This is Admiral Cassi. I am in command of this sector. You are entering a warzone. The world Satembi is currently under martial law and assault. Identify yourselves and do not attempt to flee or else I will be forced to interdict your ship and shoot your engines. State your intentions also and the name of your highest commanding officer. Do it now."
"And there's our guests," Fowler said, turning in his chair to the first contact officer.
"Address her for now," She said. "Follow first contact protocols to the letter Mr. Fowler,"
He nodded and picked up his communicator, switching to the intercom.
"All hands, initiate first contact protocols. Notify med bay and get your hazmat suits on. This is not a drill," With that done he switched over to the frequency their guests had used and cleared his throat before answering.
"This is Chief Operational Commander Jace Fowler with the Black Rabbit Securities Corporation, commanding the cruiser Levitsky Strong. We've been contracted to explore this sector of space. Who am I talking to?"
The Admiral grunted and repeated "Admiral Cassi of the UWA. I am in command of this sector. I will not repeat myself. I request you cut engines, keep weapons down and prepare for boarding. You are in UWA space and terribly close to a warzone. I am afraid I have to check you out or else I will consider you hostile and shoot you."
She then paused and gave them one final instruction
"Prepare for boarding and do not be afraid to meet me. I will go there myself. This is standard procedure. Fear not."
"Ma'am, I'm afraid I'll have to insist on adherence to the Corporation's first contact protocols for health and safety reasons. I will power down engines and you may board. You'll be met in the hangar by a medical team who will need to run a variety of scans to determine if you and your crew pose any risk of foreign diseases and likewise if my crew poses any risk to you. Once the scan is completed you will be escorted to a board room to meet with the appropriate personnel. I'll have to limit your exposure to my crew until it can be conclusively determined if either of us pose a health risk to the other,"
"That is acceptable and very smart. However, I wish for this to be quick and without any dirty business. I advise you to meet us unarmed and with no hostile intention. You are in a zone controlled by the United Fleets. This is dangerous for both you and me. I will talk to you more when I get there."
The admiral kept her word as she went off and started to depart from the bridge, making her way towards a small shuttle along with a few officers and naval infantry. After that, the shuttle was readied and it left the ship, making it towards the foreign ship.
Fowler let the line go dead and once more turned toward the first contact specialist. She nodded to him.
"I'll meet with her of course," She said.
"Noted," Fowler deadpanned, watching the other woman as she turned on a heel and departed the bridge.
The shuttle was brought in to one of the less used hangars aboard the Levitsky Strong, set aside mainly for the transport of the company's drifters. At the moment two drifters were currently residing in the hangar, neither of which seemed particularly concerned about the foreign shuttle being waved in. One lay on the wing of his fighter, reading a book, while the other fiddled with a drone.
The shuttle was waved down on the opposite side of the hangar from the two bounty hunters, and upon landing was greeted by four medical personnel in bright orange haz-mat suits. Standing further back from the shuttle was a woman wearing a rebreather, but otherwise dressed casually in a green long coat, a grey collared shirt, jeans, and sneakers.
She watched the medical personnel unload their equipment and go through their scans with a look of intrigued indifference, occassionally noting something on a tablet as the medical team went through the motions. After several long minutes it was finally concluded that there was no immediate health risk and the medical personnel cleared out, leaving the Admiral alone with the woman... and the two bounty hunters who still seemed to care little about the goings on in their hangar.
Pyromaniac, 11:36 PM
"Lots of questions," She said with an easy smile. "Uh, alright let me see if I can remember them all..."
She cleared her throat and absent mindedly cracked the knuckles on her left hand, likely a nervous tick of some kind.
"An interview is standard first contact protocol," She said. "We're expected to try and determine some basic information about your nation to be passed on to the Foreign Relations committee. First contact is a... delicate business for a corporation. If things go poorly here we could be held liable by the Commonwealth for havin soured diplomatic relations. Fines could be imposed, assets seized, and executives indicted. All things the company is keen to avoid. As such there's protocol and procedures to try and limit our liability. Protocol recommends interviews be conducted with available persons from the new nation at the site of contact, as insistence on meeting with higher representatives or demanding a meeting at a different location could be seen as belligerent and aggressive."
She paused lowering her hands to the table.
"We were unaware both that this was your territory and also that you were currently in a state of war. We were simply instructed by our employers to explore the sector in the hopes of encountering a hitherto unknown interstellar civilization. As far as who is with me..."
She looked up and down at the empty table, very much alone in the room of foreigners before pointing to two opposite corners of the room.
"There are cameras in those two corners. Security is monitoring what happens in here, but they won't do anything unless things turn violent. Oh, those aren't recording by the way. We only record audio on these and uh... no, I'm not a spy,"
She lowered her hands to the table again.
"As I said, we were contracted to send an expedition here in the hopes of encountering spacefaring civilizations. We're from the Vestahl system, which is located in the Unmar Expanse near the border with Avarian Frontier. It serves as the capital and homeworld of the Vestahl Commonwealth, though the Commonwealth has several interstellar colonies and recently accepted a few pre-FTL worlds as protectorates. I was sent as the foreign relations office is currently spread quite thin. We're negotiating with several nations for embassies, affirming our neutrality in the Second Ancerious War with the major players, not to mention attempting to negotiate the surrender of the VRF as well as furthering trade and diplomatic relations with other members of the Askandar Pact. A foreign relations officer simply could not be spared for an expedition that might encounter a space faring civilization, and so the Commonwealth declined to loan one to the company... so I suppose I'll have to suffice."
She paused again, waiting for more questions.
More questions.
The Admiral asked her
"If what you say is true, then will you be willing to spend a few days with us? This is for the sake of our own protocol which is to study you and your companions, if they are willing to stay, until we deem you, of course, as trustworthy. If this is not possible for you then that is all right however, this will bring me to the next question...
Are you going to bring others back to our territory? You yourself mentioned embassies and while we would accept that, I hope you do not mean to bring a force to invade our territories. As you know, we are not in a position to wish aggression on you or aggression on others.
Another question I may ask is about military presence. I am concerned as I have to be. An admiral cannot let a threat, even if it may be possible or unlikely, slide. Until I am assured of it, I want to know if you have any military presence close to us?
And lastly, so that you may take your turn, I want to ask more about this war. Should I and my faction be concerned about it?"
"I suppose I could stay," Scelene said with a shrug. "The others will likely be less inclined to stick around. They'll be expected to report back to the company before long and my report and interview material will need to be submitted to the foreign office. Further contact with you nation will be handled by them. I couldn't say for certain what they may choose to do. Trade relations, non-aggression pacts, and the sort... as for an invasion..."
She leaned back in her chair.
"The Vestahl Commonwealth is a founding member of the Askandar Pact, a defensive military alliance meant to promote peace and stability in the Avarian Frontier and the surrounding sectors of the galaxy. Unless you give them cause, I doubt Vestahl or the Pact would take offensive military actions against you or your people. Military presence is difficult for me to say. I'm a civilian, I'm not really privy to fleet deployments," She finished with a chuckle.
She lapsed into silence, mulling over the last question and idly drumming her fingers on the table, another nervous tick. Seconds became minutes before she finally answered the woman's question.
"The Second Ancerious War is a galaxy spanning conflict between the Ancerious Galactic Alliance, headed by the Union of Worlds, and the Ancerious Pivotal Powers, headed by the Grand Empire of Capitol. The AGA wants to create and enforce a galactic peace. The APP on the other side wants freedom in the galaxy at all costs, even if that means allowing nations to destroy and enslave one another..."
She trailed off and leaned in to address the second part of the woman's question.
"As for if you are in danger..." She paused again and once more cracked her knuckles. "Have you had contact with the Dectrose Empire or the Three Domains Alliance?" She asked finally.
The admiral was not happy. Her eyes narrowed. She crossed her legs. The military woman also started to lean forward, glaring, hungry for more information. And also to defend her own.
She said
"If I said yes, then will this bring death upon me and my people? And if I said no, will you say I am but a liar? And if I ask you about invasion, can you kindly never again...say that so casually towards me, an admiral of a faction you came yourself to meet?"
"The Dectrose Empire and the Three Domains Alliance are both part of a larger alliance calling itself the Free Defense Council," Scelene answered, her tone growing serious. "Among other things the FDC obligates members to aid each other in a time of war... the Dectrose Empire recently agreed to shelter a class three weapon of mass destruction for the EPA, an APP member. Class three weapons are those that can destroy entire star systems just like that," She snapped her fingers to hammet the point home before continuing.
"They were subsequently caught by the AGA who are now threatening military action unless the Dectrose turn over the weapon. Should the Dectrose refuse its likely the AGA will invade. Should that happen, its also likely the Dectrose will attempt to pull the FDC into the war. This of course is ignoring the fact the Dectrose are frequently volatile, and unpredictable. They attacked the Artificia Unanimity without provocation, poorly attempted to cover up joint black operations with the RSC after nearly starting a war with them, and that is just what the public knows about. The TDA for their part are well to do enough, but they've shackled themselves to the Dectrose for good or ill."
She paused once more and rubbed a hand across her face.
"You asked me if you should be concerned. If you've made mutual defense arrangements with either the TDA or the Dectrose Empire, then the answer is yes, as you've put yourself in a position where there is a real possibility you'll be pulled into a war against the AGA. If not, then I'd say it's unlikely the war will spill over into your territories."
She concluded finally.
"That was the only reason why I asked, to give you the most accurate answer I could,"
The Admiral paused. She gestured to her officers to leave. She then told them "NOW!" And they did so. And when they were alone, the Admiral spoke to her
"Forgive me. But according to my knowledge, my superiors have promised non aggression to them. And the TDA is helping us fight our rebels. We need them and they needed us. For this war alone. We both lost our diplomats when the rebels destroyed our diplomatic ship carrying them when we tried to sue for peace with the rebels. I pray this is not cause for the enemy to go against us. Please, do not consider this as an excuse to drag us into the war."
"Drag you into a war?" Scelene looked perplexed for a moment before giving the admiral another of her easy smiles.
"Admiral, I think you've misunderstood. The Vestahl Commonwealth is not a member of the AGA or the APP. Our alliance, the Askandar Pact is purely defensive. The Commonwealth would never attack you unprovoked, nor would the AGA or APP for that matter. Non-aggression pacts are nothing to ne concerned about... only mutual defense pacts could prove problematic. You have nothing to worry about."
She removed her hand from her face.
"I didn't mean to imply otherwise. The Commonwealth has only just finished a civil war of its own, and we only won due to foreign intervention... Not that I'm trying to sell you things you don't need, but the Company offers a range of services that may help you end your war. I'd be happy to discuss them with you,"
The Admiral thought about it for a long long while. Then she stood up and told her
"I hear you. Allow me to contact my superiors and seek the advice of my President before we continue. May I ask for the audio recording to stop?"
Scelene nodded and reached out a hand, silencing the recording with a resounding click
She then smiled with clear relief and spoke "Thank you." She then reached for her own communicator and whispered something in her own tongue. The reply made the Admirals face turn pale. She looked at the woman. Then she continued to speak to her superiors. Then her face turned back to normal. She sighed and then said in a language that she can understand herself "I understand. I will."
She then put it away and then told Scelene
"We may accept your help but we also may have to start discussing with you about the Askandar Pact. Our leadership believes it is a need for me to start establishing friendly relations with your faction and Bloc."
"Of course," Scelene said, standing. "I can have a couple friends in Foreign Relations, I could try to get someone down here as quickly as possible or we could ferry a delegation back to the Commonwealth if you would prefer,"
"Then it is settled. Please send someone here. We need talks to be done quickly." She said before she paused to think. And then...
"On the other hand, I will have to return to my superiors as well as my ship in order to get more information. We may be facing an imminent threat.
A threat that concerns not you or your faction but our own."
"I'll make the necessary arrangements as quickly as I can," Scelene answered with a nod. "Before you leave Admiral, do you still wish for me to remain with you? You indicated as much earlier,"
"I wish for you to stay, yes. Please come with me unless you have other matters to attend to before coming with me." She said, standing.
"I'll need a few minutes to prepare," Scelene answered, standing up and packing away the recording device. "Grab some extra clothes and make sure that the appropriate parties are contacted. Give me... say... thrity minutes?" She said.
"Very well. I may assist you if you wish. I may---"
Her communications device suddenly rang and she took it and responded. Her face turned pale the very moment she heard them speak to her. She put it down and then said to Scelene.
"Ma'am, you may have to hurry. There has been an incident."
"An incident?" She said, opening the door and heading out into the ship with a motion for the Admiral to follow her.
"What kind of incident?" She asked, leading the Admiral through the utilitarian corridors of the ship.
"A violent kind. We are detecting rebel ships. We may have to leave very quickly or else engage them here." She said before she quietly put her comms device back and made her way back to the ship, telling the woman
"Hurry!"
Scelene picked up her communicator as she shouldered into her quarters, heading straight to the wardrobe and grabbing a duffel bag that was already packed.
"Fowler, you getting all that?"
"I am," The Captain answered. "Apologies Admiral, but the safety of my crew is my first priority. I have to order them to battle stations, I hope you understand,"
Moments later alarms began blaring across the vessel, sounding the general call to battle stations and a deep thrum rocked the ship as the engines came back online. All three of the vessels began deploying weapon systems and the two destroyers activated their stealth systems, rapidly disappearing from sensors as their emissions ceased, their hulls cooled to match the background radiation of the system and the gravitational inverters came online, masking them from gravitational sensors.
"How many ships are we talking?" Scelene asked, slinging the duffel bag over her shoulder and heading back through the ship toward the hangar.
All the UWA ships were also preparing for battle as they made ready to leave the system, turning their signal lights on so that their new allies, if they would, could follow them. Meanwhile, the Admiral just said as she made her way back to her ship
"That is fine. I am registering ten ships coming our way. 6 small, the rest large. We may be facing destroyers and light cruisers. We are outnumbered but not outclassed. Yet we must make haste."
She did not stop as she walked on, shouting into her communicator
"ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS!"
On the bridge Fowler listened impassively as his staff reported in, providing status updates on the readiness of the vessel. He turned to his communications officer with a sigh.
"Adivse ops that we're going to need additional vessels and supervisors as quickly as they can provide them," He said.
"Aye sir," The officer answered. "Ops has been advised, forces are enroute to assist,"
"ETA?"
The communications officer didn't answer, making obvious that they couldn't expect reinforcements soon. Muttering a curse, Fowler grabbed hold of his communicator.
"Admiral if you're planning on leaving I suggest you do so now, we'll keep them busy until you're gone,"
He turned to the sensor operator next.
"Get me an incoming vector on those ships, I want the destroyers ready to guide in munitions the moment they drop out of FTL,"
"Aye sir,"
"Understood. However, we will not leave until we have requested reinforcements from our faction. We will also not leave until Miss Scelene is with us. If anything, I advise you evacuate all your non essential personnel to our ship so they can be safe from the coming battle!"
The Admiral said. She then cursed the situation silently before saying "While my ship is half armed and half manned, this has been through the rebellion!"
"No can do," Fowler said with a grim smile. "Think of the bad PR Admiral. Who would hire a security corporation that backs down at the first sign of trouble? Marketing would be very upset with me,"
Meanwhile, Scelene arrived in the hangar, where the previously bored and indifferent bounty hunters were scrambling into flight suits and going through pre-flight checks.
"After you Admiral," Scelene said with a smile and a motion toward the shuttle they'd taken over.
The Admiral nodded and entered the shuttle and told Scelene to get in. She then told Fowler "Then hope that your guns are hot, your cannons are furious and your missiles are ready. We will come back to help you. I promise. Wars may make promises into hopes but that won't be the case here!"
She then started the shuttle up and waited for Scelene to get in as her ship was also getting ready to make a fighting retreat.
Scelene boarded the shuttle right behind the Admiral and began digging through the pockets of her coat for her cigarettes.
"I much prefer being in the shit when the fighting is on the ground," She commented fishing out the pack. "You mind if I smoke?"
"No I don't. Go ahead. I like the smell anyway. On the other hand though, I prefer fighting in space." She then went quiet as she told those outside "We're leaving now! Get those doors open!"
The hangar bay doors opened shortly thereafter, allowing the shuttle out into space followed closely by the two bounty hunter's vessels. They provided a courtesy escort back to the UWA's ship before breaking off and heading for the system's edge, presumably to direct in any corporate forces that may arrive in the near future.
The shuttle then started to make its way into the UWA ship, the doors opening for them in advance. Then they closed behind it once they were inside. A crew of five people then started to help the Admiral get the shuttle down. Once that was done, the doors of the shuttle opened and the Admiral left it and told Scelene "All right. We are here. Can I ask you for your help by manning one of the weapon systems? I am short on men so I must make do and ask you as well."
"I mean, I had the top score on Void Invaders at the Hard Luck bar," Scelene commented lighting the cigarette. "Not sure that qualifies me as a gunner but..."
The Admiral just gave her a stern look and said "I don't care if your only training is from a video game in a bar which you probably played while drunk or sober, I need another man on the guns to fight them off until we are out of this place."
"Stoned most of the time actually," Scelene commented offhandedly with a long drag on her cigarette. "Show the way,"
"Damn." She just muttered as she started to show the way. The UWA ship was fairly arranged and the hallways had enough space. It took only a few moments for the Admiral to show Scelene into a room where there was a station for her to use to control what seemed, on the outside, like a four barreled turret.
She told her "Hope you can use quad cannons well."
"Guess we're going to find out," The raven haired woman asked with a crack of her knuckles and another long drag on her cigarette. She sat down at the controls, stabbing out the cigarette and letting out a long sigh.
"Oh Scelene, what have you gone and gotten yourself into this time?" She muttered.
With the rebel formation scattered, and the UWA ships free and clear Fowler quickly decided it best to clear out of the area as well. His vessel fired a parting volley at the rebels, but at such long ranges and with interdiction now up it was unlikely the rounds would make it to their intended targets.
"Power up our FTL drives and prepare to jump," Fowler ordered, the crew rushing to obey his command. "Have the destroyers draw some fire off us then pull out to!"
Aboard the destroyers the order was heard and quickly obeyed. Up until now they'd remained cold and silent but as Fowler's order came down the pair of vessels abruptly dropped stealth and launched a barrage of munitions. They aimed for outlying ships among the rebels scattered formations, firing off their anti-matter torpedo and tachyon accelerators before all three vessels turned and began a hard burn away from the rebel ships.
Fowler's cruisers took several hits, even at such extreme ranges he couldn't avoid all the fire coming his way. The shields crackled then fell and damage crews began to report decreasing hull integrity. All he could hope was the FTL drives charged before the rebels made a significant breach.
Some rebel ships were very late when it came to getting their shields and interdiction up and so failed to protect themselves from the incoming barrage, causing them to break apart from so much damage. On the other hand, the rest of the rebel fleet started to move towards Fowlers ships, shooting with everything they had and launching all their torpedoes and missiles, wasting them as the UWA ship sent out their missiles and struck the ships who were distracted by the Fowler.
Range was becoming shorter and shorter for the UWA ship as they went full speed towards the second largest rebel ship, her hammer head awaiting the time to strike at the offending capital ship.
Hope would also be restored as the ones fighting in the area could detect a moderately large distortion in space as friendly ships approached from another sector.
Who could they be?
"Why the hell are they going back!?" Fowler shouted incredulously as the UWA began closing and engaging with the rebel forces. Fowler had had their attention and it would have been a simple thing for everyone to have retreated and end the battle immediately. But now the UWA was rushing in.
Biting back a curse Fowler gave the order to halt the retreat and come about for another attack. The cruiser halted its retreat, turning abruptly and firing its engines back toward the rebels. It fired off its fusion slugs and point defense weaponry, aiming to disable or destroy some of the incoming munitions. The destroyers meanwhile circled the rebel fleet like vultures, firing off anti-matter torpedoes and tachyon accelerators at the ships on the outermost edges of the formation, moving to support the UWA while Fowler held their attention for now.
That distortion in space soon gave way to a small fleet of UWA cruisers and destroyers. Five ships all in all. They started to engage the rebel fleet as the UWA ship that originally went straight at the rebels started to sail to the left sharply, away from the battle as the rebels started to try to retreat, with their ships being torn into pieces by UWA weaponry.
The UWA ship then contacted Fowler "We're okay. We're pulling out of the system now. Come with us. The fleet sent to our location will handle it!"
"Don't have to tell me twice," Fowler muttered, breaking off his attack run and jumping out of the system with his badly wounded ship. The stealth ships followed behind in short order, leaving the UWA alone in the system.
Scelene, for her part scanned over the reports coming in. Casualty lists wouldn't be posted for a while and while none of the Corporation's vessels had been destroyed there was still significant loss of life aboard Fowler's ship.
Still, thing had gone okay... all things considered.
Minutes after the battle, the Admiral returned to where Scelene was and asked her before she knocked on her door "If you are still alive, open the door please?"
Scelene roused herself from her seat and made her way toward the door. It took her a moment to find the switch to open the damn thing but once she had she let it open,
"Well that seemed to have gone well," She said finally.
The admiral smiled and then said "Well done then. We'll make our way now to one of the worlds of the UWA. The nearest one should be Veneshia or Satembi." She then gestured to the foreigner to follow her as she left the room.
"The rebels seemed to find you quite fast," Scelene commented following the Admiral. "And you said an envoy was targeted before? How do they keep finding out where you're meeting envoys?"
"The envoys gathered just outside of Satembis atmosphere. They were shot down when the rebels took control of the planetary defenses and also stole a fleet stationed at the planet itself. It took the United Fleets and an allied fleet to take care of them."
"I see," Scelene answered. "Once can't help but wonder how they learned of our encounter then. It was decidedly... unscheduled."
She paused momentarily and glanced down at her tablet.
"I'm being asked by the Foreign Relations Office where a representative should be sent... and if military assets should be included in their entourage,"
"Send them to Alondra. It's safer there and it is where our capital is. Our President awaits. On the other hand, you may need to bring a significant military guard. Most of our forces now are being diverted to Satembi if not around Alondra to secure it."
"Will do," She answered. "If you don't mind my asking, where exactly are we headed?"
"Veneshia. Our final destination for today. We will not risk anymore. While that detachment takes care of the sector here, we have to make best of the chances." She said. She paused to think and to look at her hands. She then looked back to her and said "Veneshia is where more of the non human population resides not counting Alondra. I hope that isn't bad for you."
"Should be alright," Scelene said with a shrug. "Go new places, meet new people and all that."
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The ship landed at Veneshia Saber Military Spaceport for repairs and recrewing. The original crew was given a few hours leave while the Admiral went with Scelene. She told her guest that she would have to follow her to the VP. They were lucky she was here for a public meeting with Veneshian Representatives. It was only after the meeting did the VP entertain the guest and the officer.
In a hotel room which also had space for meeting, the Vice President smiled at her guest, a human, and said "Welcome to my home planet. What can I do for you?"
"I am Scelene Korse," Scelene answered extending her hand. "I'm a first contact specialist with the Black Rabbit Security Corporation and... well for the moment I'm acting as something of a liason between my government and yours. A proper diplomat is enroute with a military escort, though she has been directed toward Alondra on the advice of the Admiral,"
"I see." Said Jalaja. "In any case, I am Vice President Jalaja. I am sorry that my President cannot speak with you yet. I am happy that you will be sending a Diplomat to actually speak with me. I hope to entertain you and them without delay and interruption. On the one hand, would you like anything to drink or to eat? I am certain you are hungry or thirsty."
"I'm fine for the moment," Scelene answered with a shrug. "The Admiral here mentioned you were having some... issues with a rebellion? She suggested you might be interesting in retaining the services of the Corporation. We've already had one run in with your rebels that went... well it went well all things considered."
The VP nodded and smiled while she said it "I'm glad she mentioned it. Fortunately and unfortunately, I have to say that we have put down the rebellion. On one hand, I am afraid, I cannot ask your Corporation to help us. I have a stand against big businesses and I am sorry should that offend you."
"I just work here dude," Scelene said with a shrug. "Shame though, the lads are good at what they do. I hope you'll think of us should you ever find yourself in a position where our assistance would be... politically fortuitous,"
"Perhaps. In any case, I would personally appreciate it. Although, I remember you mentioned about the alliance your faction is a part of? Can there be a spot for the UWA?"
"The Askandar Pact," Scelene said with a nod. "I'd imagine so. You would have to recieve the consent of a majority of the members, and I'm positive Vestahl wouldn't start a vote on the issue without first introducing you to the other powers and getting a better feel for your current foreign relations and policy objectives. All stuff Ms. O'Flannigan will be happy to talk about I'm sure,"
"In any case then, I'd like you to give the first words that the UWA is interested in joining the Askandar Pact." Said the VP. She smiled and offered her "Would you like to accept my offer of walking outside with me?"
"I'll be sure O'Flannigan is aware," Scelene answered with a nod. "Yes, a walk outside sounds nice. I've been on space ships for far too long."
The vice president then offered her hand to Scelene and said "A custom of mine for my guests. As a sign of trust, I'd like to walk holding your hand."
"Uh..." Scelene raised an eyebrow at that. "Strange... er... well uh, strange to me anyway but... if you insist..."
She then smiled again and reached out to Scelene, saying "Don't worry. I do not hurt." She then said "Furthermore, it's also a good way for me to feel comfortable about you."
She then started to lead her out of the room and towards a long park lined with tall trees.
Scelene was obvious uncomfortable but followed silently, trying to hide that the situation was something she wasn't completely comfortable with.
As they started to walk into the park, Jalaja was followed by the Admiral as her escort while she spoke "So carrying on, I would like to open up a matter about other corporations that belong to your faction. Are there any particular aggressive ones that seek foreign matters?"
"External trade is regulated through the Commonwealth Trade Council, corporations generally can't take contracts abroad without having been approved for external operations by the Council first, and obviously the host nation would have to agree as well. Black Rabbit is an exception rather than a rule," She said, welcoming the opportunity to shift focus away from the hand holding. "And even then the terms of our contract with the Commonwealth impose limitations on our activities abroad,"
"I see. At least you aren't a faction that lets their businesses run amock. Moving on once more, tell me about the state of the economy in your faction? And your trading partners?"
The vice president then stopped her and said, pointing to a bench "Would you like to sit down with me?"
Scelene nodded, and took a seat on the bench.
"The economy is... recovering," She said after a brief pause. "There was a lot of rebuilding to be done after the end of our own civil war. But we've made some beneficial trade deals with the Grand Empire of Capitol. They're a large nation and between meeting export needs for Capitol and the rebuilding efforts we've managed to keep unemployment low and economic stimulation high. Things aren't back to pre-war levels quite yet, but we're getting there,"
"The Capitol? I hear that they are at war with the Union of Worlds. Is it wrong or was it a good guess assuming that the both of them are in opposing military alliances against each other."
She added "If that is so, how are you not under attack by them?"
"Yes, the APP and the AGA are currently in a war," Scelene confirmed. "And Capital and the Union of Worlds are on opposite sides of that war, but the Commonwealth has made abundantly clear to both sides that we have no interest in being involved in that war and we will continue to trade with both sides regardless of the war's current status. We've recieved promises of no aggression from both Capitol and the Annoliddan Inquisition, an AGA member. We seek more of these assurances as time goes on, even though the war seems to be drawing toward a conclusion,"
"It seems so as you say. But if I were to inform you that my faction is seeking interest in the Askandar Pact, would that be a problem to the interests of your faction? And what do you think about the FDC if I were to inquire even further to you?"
She let go of her hand and gestured to her as she spoke
"It also seems to me that the Capitol is...incredibly hostile. I'm impressed that you are able to deter them peacefully from having interests in you."
"We maintain neutrality... carefully," Scelene answered. "I don't see any reason why the UWA would be blocked from joining the Pact. But it would have to be brought before them. It requires majority support of the current membership to join. As for the FDC,"
Scelene sighed and ran a hand through her hair before digging through the pockets of her coat for her pack of cigarettes and lighter.
"If I'm being honest the FDC is a trainwreck waiting to happen," She answered putting a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it. "The whole thing was thought up and spearheaded by the Dectrose Empire who have made blunder after blunder since arriving in Ancerious. They attacked the Artificia Unanimity, a neutral nation, for no reason. They blundered into a no fly zone the RSC had gone to painstaking efforts to publicize and then cried foul when their crew was jailed and their ship impounded. They were recently caught red handed attempting to hide a class three super weapon for the APP. And as if all of that wasn't bad enough, three of their closest allies, the Accord, Three Domains Alliance, and ZYPHER all refused to join the FDC,"
She snorted and took a long drag on her cigarette.
"Not to mention the FDC also prominently features the Grand Araxian Empire, who actively advocated the excution of prisoners during their intervention into Vestahl's civil war."
She shook her head.
"They can call it whatever they want, but it's an alliance of warmongers and dictators. With the Dectrose at the helm it's only a matter of time before the whole damn thing goes up in flames. Commonwealth wants nothing to do with them. Corporation wants nothing to do with them, and I'd suggest that the UWA wants nothing to do with them either."
She listened to her very quietly and nodded to all she had to say. Once she was done, the vice president made a soft sigh and said "Very well. That's something good to come from you. I'll take that in mind." She then stood up and said as she looked away
"Another thing I'd like to see to before we conclude my discussion with you is the identity of the one I am to meet and their history. Are they any good?"
"D'Arcy O'Flannigan?" Scelene said. "Not sure. She used to do... something with the Vestahl Revolutionary Front. War ended and she got a job in the Foreign Relations Office. She's new to all this so she's not got much of a reputation yet... except a lot of people find her rather... melancholy,"
She took another drag and exhaled the smoke toward the sky.
"All fake smiles and false cheer from what I've heard,"
"I see. I suppose it's obviously due to the war then? You don't really know her that much now, do you?" She said with a curious tone to her voice, her ears twitching to hear more from her guest.
"Never met her no," Scelene said. "Just heard about her over drinks from some of the people who work for the Foreign Relations Office."
"Very well then. I guess our discussion now ends here. IS there anything else you'ld like to speak about before I let you go back to your home?"
"Not at the moment, no," Scelene answered. "Most of the usual stuff about opening corporate offices and such is way above my paygrade so I'll leave that to execs,"
She narrowed her eyes at her again and advised her "I'd suggest you'd never speak to me again about corporate offices and executives. I'm not the person who adores them. Speak about such things with the President and the Secretary."
Scelene shrugged, obviously unphased by the sudden facility.
"If you say so."