Post by EmperorMyric on Dec 16, 2017 19:09:31 GMT
12:01:02 Galaxy Corps Convoy, Battle group Nine : Position Unknown
The vessels of battle group nine cruised through the as yet unclaimed and uncharted expanses of the ancerious galaxy. In a mirror to the state of war seen in other sectors the entirety of the unit, stood in stark contract to what was being seen in other quarters. Here the rounded economical lines of mining vessels, harvesters and science vessels outnumbered the angular lines, and aggressive styles of the warships that followed with. Even the hull colors were different for the science vessels seemed almost too clean their hulls a dull titanium white in contrast to the dark hulled warships and the mining vessels which seemed almost, dirty somehow. A patina of particulate doused whatever color the mining vessels were, leaving them to looks as if each had flown through a carbon nebula a few times while coated in cheap motor oil. In respect the warships flickered as the tiling of their hulls caught the nearby star’s light at differing angles giving them an iridescent grey-black-blue hue that changed at random. The destination was clear, up ahead lay the malevolent looking mass of a deep red nebula that menacingly seemed to change shape by the hour and emitted flashes. Random space objects that careened too closely often were lashed out at as the nebula sparked and spat bolts of ionic energy.
The fleet had paused some thirty thousand kilometers away from the unusual astronomical hazard as if considering what to do. In the short time they were there its sickly red light played across their hulls casting shadows that to an over imaginative mind might have resembled shadowy demons. The light show shifted as the nebula changed shape and colors throwing further effects of shadow and silhouette. Here and there dark spots spawned swirled and disappeared or grew split and took on the appearance of dark eyes straight from the ravening pits of Hades as the entire thing seemed to watch the vessels before it hungering, slavering for another victim. This was the nebula, classified as a Type H for Hades, known to have violent ionic, thermal, gravitational and psychotropic effects. It was the largest known one in the galactic quadrant and theories abounded to its strange properties. Probes were crushed as they tried to plumb its depths, and it spat out transmissions from species long dead ages after the transmissions were rendered moot. SSC’s galaxy corps would have ignored the oddity had it not been reverberating the recent signal that seemed to announce their arrival to the ancerious galaxy months after. Which seemed to sit in contrast to its normal activities, it belched older signals from eons prior, not things from the recent days so what had changed? One thing was clear however the SSC had to investigate and only one of its available units was set to the task. On the bridge of the SSCS Sutherland, the small bridge crew turned to look at the image of the nebula as it appeared on the main screen. It was a vicious sight indeed, everything the long range reconnaissance had indicated. As they watched, several Nephron long range star fighters emerged from the glare of the nebula heading towards a vessel in the fleet, a strike carrier included with the groups military compliment. As they passed out of view one of the Sutherland’s two helmsmen turned to look at the captain and said. “So that’s it?”
“Yes, that’s ‘The dictator’, a nebula fit for Dante’s inferno alright.”
Captain Firth, stood to inspect the image of the swirling mass on the main screen as it resembled a rapidly growing and undulating explosion of a malignant tumor against the darkness of space. In the seconds that pass it has changed shape several times already, and occasional dark pits were spat from it’s form matching all known descriptions of the bizarre astronomical object.
“Hmmm doesn’t look so bad.”
“That is only because you have no idea how important it is Ensign Yeager. That one may be the richest source of proto-matter in the galaxy all ripe for the boldest one to try and harvest it.”
The ensign turned from his helm station to look back at Commissar Hildebrand who stood in the door way at the rear of a bridge having said all that apparently without looking up at whom he was responding to.
“But, what’s the big deal?”
The commissar took a few steps still not making any eye contact as the members of the bridge were a bit surprised by the lack of response much less the seeming obliviousness to their existences. As this went on for several minutes the captain even started to feel just a tad insulted.
“Hmm... let me put it like this, if my calculations are right. There is enough proto-matter in there to fill every cloud miner’s tanks in this group.The applications of having it mean we could make better sensors, stronger power systems, better weapons but, most of all, it means the enemy does not have it. And when we do, and we make mere anti-matter as obsolete as coal was in the face of petroleum; the war may conclude much faster…”
The vessels of battle group nine cruised through the as yet unclaimed and uncharted expanses of the ancerious galaxy. In a mirror to the state of war seen in other sectors the entirety of the unit, stood in stark contract to what was being seen in other quarters. Here the rounded economical lines of mining vessels, harvesters and science vessels outnumbered the angular lines, and aggressive styles of the warships that followed with. Even the hull colors were different for the science vessels seemed almost too clean their hulls a dull titanium white in contrast to the dark hulled warships and the mining vessels which seemed almost, dirty somehow. A patina of particulate doused whatever color the mining vessels were, leaving them to looks as if each had flown through a carbon nebula a few times while coated in cheap motor oil. In respect the warships flickered as the tiling of their hulls caught the nearby star’s light at differing angles giving them an iridescent grey-black-blue hue that changed at random. The destination was clear, up ahead lay the malevolent looking mass of a deep red nebula that menacingly seemed to change shape by the hour and emitted flashes. Random space objects that careened too closely often were lashed out at as the nebula sparked and spat bolts of ionic energy.
The fleet had paused some thirty thousand kilometers away from the unusual astronomical hazard as if considering what to do. In the short time they were there its sickly red light played across their hulls casting shadows that to an over imaginative mind might have resembled shadowy demons. The light show shifted as the nebula changed shape and colors throwing further effects of shadow and silhouette. Here and there dark spots spawned swirled and disappeared or grew split and took on the appearance of dark eyes straight from the ravening pits of Hades as the entire thing seemed to watch the vessels before it hungering, slavering for another victim. This was the nebula, classified as a Type H for Hades, known to have violent ionic, thermal, gravitational and psychotropic effects. It was the largest known one in the galactic quadrant and theories abounded to its strange properties. Probes were crushed as they tried to plumb its depths, and it spat out transmissions from species long dead ages after the transmissions were rendered moot. SSC’s galaxy corps would have ignored the oddity had it not been reverberating the recent signal that seemed to announce their arrival to the ancerious galaxy months after. Which seemed to sit in contrast to its normal activities, it belched older signals from eons prior, not things from the recent days so what had changed? One thing was clear however the SSC had to investigate and only one of its available units was set to the task. On the bridge of the SSCS Sutherland, the small bridge crew turned to look at the image of the nebula as it appeared on the main screen. It was a vicious sight indeed, everything the long range reconnaissance had indicated. As they watched, several Nephron long range star fighters emerged from the glare of the nebula heading towards a vessel in the fleet, a strike carrier included with the groups military compliment. As they passed out of view one of the Sutherland’s two helmsmen turned to look at the captain and said. “So that’s it?”
“Yes, that’s ‘The dictator’, a nebula fit for Dante’s inferno alright.”
Captain Firth, stood to inspect the image of the swirling mass on the main screen as it resembled a rapidly growing and undulating explosion of a malignant tumor against the darkness of space. In the seconds that pass it has changed shape several times already, and occasional dark pits were spat from it’s form matching all known descriptions of the bizarre astronomical object.
“Hmmm doesn’t look so bad.”
“That is only because you have no idea how important it is Ensign Yeager. That one may be the richest source of proto-matter in the galaxy all ripe for the boldest one to try and harvest it.”
The ensign turned from his helm station to look back at Commissar Hildebrand who stood in the door way at the rear of a bridge having said all that apparently without looking up at whom he was responding to.
“But, what’s the big deal?”
The commissar took a few steps still not making any eye contact as the members of the bridge were a bit surprised by the lack of response much less the seeming obliviousness to their existences. As this went on for several minutes the captain even started to feel just a tad insulted.
“Hmm... let me put it like this, if my calculations are right. There is enough proto-matter in there to fill every cloud miner’s tanks in this group.The applications of having it mean we could make better sensors, stronger power systems, better weapons but, most of all, it means the enemy does not have it. And when we do, and we make mere anti-matter as obsolete as coal was in the face of petroleum; the war may conclude much faster…”