Clever...very clever Admiral

Erm 1 slight point-the grammar and syntax in this last post weren't up to your usual very high standards and so it felt quite jarring reading this one. Sorry to nit pick but you kinda set the bar quite high in that respect

Looking forward to the next one though 

The aftermath of the debacle at the United Planets Assembly sent shock waves throughout the entire galaxy. The Socialist Republic of Drengia protested loudly and exclaimed that the People of the Republic should not expect stability from the traditional galactic power of the Terran Federation. N-6 had caused substantial damage by crash landing in the middle of the assembly dome. There had been loss of life and the leaders of the Republic had not taken kindly to it. Helios was a Human calamity and it continued to plague the galaxy with terrorist attacks. Furthermore the Humans had taken N-6 away to one of their secret military labs to conduct what they called an interrogation. Interrogating a machine was a preposterous  concept, N-6 should have been delivered to a universal and open panel of leading scientists instead of being whisked away by the Humans.

The Korath clan claimed that the Federation had much to answer for when it came to Helios. The attack on the UP was a grave reminder that the weak humans did not control its rogue AI. When would the next strike take place, how many more lives would be lost, and what were the Humans doing about it. The population was reminded of how the Humans had undertaken a crusade against the Drengin in a war that tore the Drengin apart. In this new age of galactic stability imposed by Humans with rules invented by Humans, shouldn't the Humans be able to control certain threats?

The Humans declared that N-6, being Helios, was property of the Terran Federation. The machine contained an artificial mind created by DR. Juan Lebedev, a Terran scientist. Both Helios and N-6 as its physical self was property of the Federation and must be looked after by the Federation. Of this there would be no debate. The leaders of the Federation were open to talk about a plan to meet this potential threat, but they remained adamant that at this point in time Helios could not be considered an actual threat, and thus brushed aside claims that a military response was crucial.

Hidden far under the crust at the very center of the machine world's core, Helios recalculated it chances of success. It had just made a staggering jump in percentage

The Thalans stopped all communications with the rest of the galaxy following the appearance of N-6

Gray Rock Research facility

The Moon

Sol Sector

The data contained by N-6 took over half a day to download. At first there were fears that there might be a virus contained in the AI's memory banks. Something that would wreak havoc on the Federation's computer's at the infamous research station. If the robot's mind ever made direct contact with the servers it would have instant access to some of the most secret and advanced information data banks that the Terran Federation possessed.

The Moon research facility was; however, the best equipped facility to handle this situation. The software engineers of the science team finally got around to downloading after extensive scans were made by them. They got hold of an extensive wealth of information on the AI's war efforts against the Thalans. 

Weeks following the first contact between Thalans and Humans in the Bond System, the Federation had created a council of leading entomologists to study the hive structure of the Species. The Thalans had no culture to speak of, as far as the Terrans knew most strains of the Thalan species possessed no individuality of thought. 

The information gathered seemed to confirm this train of thought even more.

It was a paradox really. One was flesh, one was machine, but even in that greatest of differences they were extremely alike.

Klaus Muckler stood in the conference room with his back to the others at the table. He was deep in thought. As it always was in times like this, much was happening at once and some of it risked to spin out of control. N-6 had answered all questions put forth to it with sound reasoning and mathematical proofs. The Thalans had conquered a number of worlds from the machines, they were so numerous they simply overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Everyone watched in amazement and horror as swarms of warrior breed Thalans charged the Machine defenses. The amazing footage of large Thalan warriors fighting the Machine battle mechs. One such robot was on its back struggling to get back up as warrior after warrior jumped onto him and began to cut him apart. Thalan soldiers wielded razor sharp tusks and blades and fought the mechs hand to hand. The Machine battle mechs had evolved greatly from the original ones conceived by the Navy. Though weapons had not completely evolved the movements of the robots was as fluid as those of a Human athlete excelling at his sport. Lately the sport of the robots had been killing Thalans.

N-6 had come with a request. It was clear Helios needed help. The people around the table were debating how best to deliver it. They had spent long hours arguing first about whether or not to deliver it at all. The agreement to help Helios would have to be kept secret. If the civilian population knew that the Federation was actually aiding the AI construct there would be an uproar. The fact remained, however, that since the arrival of N-6 the Thalans were unreachable. They simply stopped communicating with everyone.

It was decided that since the Thalans had no clear intentions and seemed to be winning a war that would see them gain dominion over thirty percent of the galaxy. This would give them access to vast resources with which they could easily wage war and defeat the Terrans. Better the evil you knew than the evil you didn't know. By aiding Helios they would simply be balancing the scales a bit and at best win themselves time to better understand the situation and prepare for any eventuality.

In order to keep the secret a simple plan was thought up. The Navy would announce the disbandment of six old Helix squadrons and a further three squadron of Thunderhawks. These ships, instead of being broken up for scrap would secretly be shipped off to a machine world.

The deal was made and N-6 demanded for permission to contact Helios prime on the capital Machine world to relay the information. The Machine communications were far more advanced than the Navy's. Helios was evolving exponentially. The relay was made as N-6's mind reached Helios Prime, and with it the entire databanks of the Gray Rock research facility. Helios was also now just a stone's throw from Earth.

lol I like the constructive criticism mambaman I think i sort of threw it together as best I could to get back into the story. I also wrote it before actually playing the game which I hadn't actually done since July. Now I got a good hour's play in so it was much easier to write this next one. I hope it meets your standards!

cheers and sincere thanks it's the reader's responses that make an AAR wrote writing (that and the fun of writing it of course).

This is superb Admiral and a much better read than previous-loving the new story arc with the YOR-I mean the Helios AI hehehe

KUTGW 

Low Orbit above Calisto

Missile Frigate TFS Inflexible

Navy weapons test & research

Restricted Area

"Arriving at target destination, holding pattern locked in Captain"

"Bring her about 6 degrees to starboard, make sure the brass get a good look at her." replied the captain.

"Targeting systems are online we're ready for the drones sir." replied the weapons officer.

The captain nodded an affirmation and keyed in the comm system on the arm of his chair "Calisto this is Inflexible, we are ready for targeting tests."

"Inflexible, Calisto, Be advised, first wave of drones are on route to your location. Good luck Captain."

Captain Darryl Renges, veteran of the Drengin War, stood on the bridge of the Navy's newest class of war ships. TFS Inflexible was the newest in frigate design. She was a missile frigate and her offensive capabilities were unmatched, even by the Halifax class.

"Incoming contacts sir...Positive Identification, two hundred fifty-four type six Navy test drones incoming at sixteen hundred kilometers an hour." called out the weapons officer.

"Visual, let's make sure we don't miss a single one."

"Targeting's got them all locked in sir we're ready to fire first salvo."

Renges showed an exemplary outer calm but on the inside he could hardly wait to see the fruit of all the hard labour that had gone into this ship.

Darryl Renges had taken advantage of the retirement program installed after the war, and as part of Carlos Da Souza's plans for the military reform, he had been well compensated for his service and given a small estate on Petroni IV. During the war he had commanded his Tripoli class gunship Tehran as part of the Fivel Action Group and had narrowly escaped death over Marshall IV when Helios had turned against the Terrans. He had watched as Helios destroyed the Harvard and the commanding officer, the excellent Rear-Admiral Latona Vavilov.

After retiring on Petroni IV he had written a number of books on weapons tactics in space combat. His theories on missiles and rockets gained the interests f high ranking officers in the Navy. Simply put, Renges argued that the missile was Mankind's most precious weapon. Unlike a mass driver, high powered anti-ship artillery, the rocket could be guided and armed with a more powerful warhead. As for beam weaponry, Renges argued that Mankind simply did not have enough expertise in that domain to make it their primary weapon platform on Navy ships. Renges argued that the turn toward mass driver weaponry like that seen in the SF-112 thunderhawk was dangerous in these incertain times. Mankind should focus all of its efforts on the weaponry and use the technology it knew best and that was Missile weaponry.

After publication of his book he was contacted by Admiral Scheer of the Terran Galactic Navy. He was asked invited to chair a committee overseeing the production of the next generation of frigates for the Navy. From conceptual design to the hundreds of pages of blueprints Renges worked with the Navy's best to design and build Inflexible. Following the last steps of her construction Admiral Scheer had decided to offer full reinstatement into the Navy to Renges giving him back his full rank and pay of ship captain. As a veteran of the Drengin war his experience would be invaluable to lead the Navy's top warship. Renges readily accepted and now he was about to test his baby.

"Fire!" ordered the captain with a calm assurance.

The missile bays, already opened, shot off a total of twenty large harpoon missiles. These missiles accelerated with surprising ease. They sped forward towards their targets leaving gray white plumes of smoke behind. Renges tracked them on the holo-projector on a lower base in front of his captain's chair. Their were only twenty missiles, and over two hundred fifty incoming enemy targets. At five thousand clicks the missiles went into action.

"Here we go." said Renges as it became increasingly difficult to contain his excitement.

The missiles broke apart symmetrically and revealed its real arsenal underneath as a dozen smaller missiles shot out of the outer casing of the harpoon. There were now a total of two hundred and forty missiles streaking towards the drone targets.

each smaller rocket had a targeting system which enabled it to vector in directly onto the oncoming drones. Renges watched on his flatviewer as two hundred forty perfect explosions eliminated the majority of the drones.

"Every single missile detonated successfully upon impact of its target sir!" exclaimed the weapons officer.Renges could hardly contain his joy. His ship was performing magnificently.

"Let's test point defenses. Allow the remaining sixteen drones to close in"ordered Captain Renges.

"Aye sir, initiating point blank defenses...online" replied the weapons officer.

The drones closed in at high speed and from all angles. To simulate real fire the drones shot target practice laseres which simply marked their target, in this case Inflexible, The resulting "damage" was calculated by computers on Calisto and allowed them to track the "battle" and the efficiency of the weapons on the tested ship.

Renge's orders were to simulate an attack during engine failure onboard Inflexible. This meant he was not allowed to move during the exercise. He didn't really need to.

The flatviewer lit up as Inflexible opened fire with its triple A batteries and restrictor rockets. The remaining drones exploded one after the other while never being able to maneuver into a favourable firing position. The drones fired off a couple of shots but they hit at certain angles whereby the magnetic armour of Inflexible would have deflected it in live fire. Within a very short minute it was all over. Every drone had been destroyed and the missile frigate had sustained minimal damage.

Inside the viewing bunker on Calisto there were a number of flatviewers on the wall where images caught by military satellites of the mock battle were displayed for everyone to see. Other than the lead engineers and scientists who had contributed to the Inflexible project there was also the Oberkommander of the Terran Galactic Navy and Admiral Scheer, the man who had brought Darryl Renges out of retirement. The two were grinning broadly as they turned to one another and shook hands.

Imperial World of Vir'eshk

Fiefdom of House Vire

Estate of Lord Vire

The sun was beginning to set. The red giant shone and set eerie shadows on this still alien planet, home to House Vire. Sebastien Nolan and Lord Vire, patriarch of the noble House, sat at a large wooden table in a grandiose room on the top floor of the estate mansion.

"My son is driven by passion and an unchallengeable will to please. There is no denying that his intentions are in the right place. They have simply been distorted by that megalomaniac Emperor who continues to extort the noble houses out of their holdings. Wealth which took generations to accumulate; taken from the houses piecemeal to satisfy the emperor's unquenchable thirst for power." The old Drengin shook his head sadly, as if pondering the impossibility of changing such a situation.

"Kir'Ith does not see it this way I take it" replied Nolan.

"Those who do not remember their history are condemned to relive it" said Lord Vire softly. Nolan froze. He had heard those words spoken to him already. Before the war with the Drengin, before even becoming a Guild pilot. They had been spoken to him by a certain Alan Bradshaw. Nolan waited to see what else the Baron was going to say.

"My son won great honours during the war becoming one of the most decorated pilots of the entire Drengin Fleet, but defeat brought disillusionment upon him. He became enraged that we were unable to win the war and cursed Emperor Kona as a foolish and incapable leader unworthy of the Drengin name. He became lost and embroiled in thoughts of revenge and his anger blinded him. As Lord Korath rose to power he was easily seduced by the new emperor and his promise of a swift return to power and glory for the Drengin race." 

"Why do you follow the emperor?" asked Nolan

"What would you have me do Human? give up all my possessions and give my people up to the corrupt socialist republic. That political entity preaches equality for all but how many of their citizens eat as well as Chairman Kona? How many of them are as lavishly dressed as he and his ruling conclave? I may follow the emperor as you say Human, but at least this way I can still have full control of my assets and insure that my people are well fed and well kept." 

At this a Drengin paige opened the door and entered the room. He walked swiftly over the floor and stood before his master waiting to be recognized. Lord Vire waived him on with a movement of his hand.

"Scouts from the fringe worlds report that our space has been trespassed by vessels of an unknown origin. So far they have not demonstrated any hostile behaviour. The Imperial Navy has dispatched ships which should intercept the unknown ships within the month. Emperor Korath has requested an additional three hundred warriors from House Vire to safeguard our borders."

Nolan's heart raced. He knew exactly what was happening.

"Tell the Emperor my warriors are at the disposal of the Imperial Army, and that they will be under orders of House Vire generals on worlds of House Vire. If the Emperor is incapable of safeguarding our borders then I will make sure my worlds are kept safe, and by doing so a large part of the empire."

Nolan was deaf to what was going on. He needed to get off this planet and back to Federation space as quickly as possible.

They were coming.

OOOOOhh love it Admiral especially the tech stuff about weapons types

Story is hotting up-love it!

Ten months ago

Uncharted Space

TFS Quebec

Captain Nolan commanding

The atmosphere on the bridge was lax. The state of decorum that existed on every Navy ship had somewhat ceased to exist. Sebastien had long ago allowed for minor "dress code violations" aboard his ship. He sat in his captain's chair his head tipped into his right hand half propping it up and his left hand drumming fingers on his armchair. His sensor officer had his earphones on and Nolan was sure he wasn't listening for the faintest of all possibilities, a ping echo, a slight proof that this mission was not all for nothing. Sebastien could hear the rock and roll music through the faint hum of the engines. It was amazing what a lack of dry docking and proper maintenance could do. The ship seemed to vibrate just a tad more and the soft and pleasant humming noises were just somewhat louder. almost indistinguishable, but not completely.

Dee, his trusted executive officer, was not even on the bridge. Nolan had the slightest idea where she might be. Lately she had taken to going down to the engineering levels and to light up cigarettes and simply shoot the shit with Horton, the Engineering Officer. What the heck we all got to live through this our own ways. Nolan breathed in and let out a heavy sigh. This mission was a total failure so far. It had been years now, years since they had seen a friendly face, or any face for that matter. It had pained Nolan to leave the Fivel Action Group above Marshall IV. He had, at first, hoped that the captain Bradshaw had chosen to replace him onboard Tripoli had taken good care of her. Now he wondered if the ship was in fact still intact, if the Drengin had ever surrendered and if he would see home sometime soon.

He checked the holo image projected in front of him and cursed this ship for not being installed with the Helios AI construct. If that had been the case he could have been in his bed reading and enjoying a hot cup of tea, one of the last pleasures still available to him, instead of being here and waiting for the ship to come out of jump. This was the 3472nd hyperspace jump they had made in an effort to find something, anything, that would prove the existence of Altaria. Forty three seconds. Nolan made a gesture towards the sensors officer to get his attention. He was about the only other officer on the bridge at this point.

"Heads up" he mouthed

The sensors officer acknowledged warily and keyed in something on his workstation. He pulled himself up on his chair and got back to proper position. He wondered what it would be this time, a small asteroid, planetoid, on the rare occasion that it was a star system Nolan liked to spend more time to gather scientific data, he had the give the crew something to do after all. More often than not though it was simply nothing. Nothing but the great void. Cold, Dark, and empty space. If he ever hated a place it was that one. That place where no place exists.

Ten seconds.

"To all crew this is the captain. Brace for jump."

The ship emerged from hyperspace as quickly as it had entered it. In a small blinding flash the ship had appeared. Nolan opened his eyes and stared at the large flatviewer on the opposite wall. He blinked. The sensors officer went to work analyzing the flood of data incoming. It wasn't as dark here, an eerie blueish light shone from the flatviewer.

"Sensors report a star sir, we are just on the outside of its gravity well. Sensors are distorted though sir. That star is giving off some massive Ion radiation and my sensors can't pierce through it."

"Augment power to full."

"Aye sir."

Nolan squinted as if to try and see through the fog. He could make out the small ball of light at the center of the fog, the star trying to pierce through. 

"Sir I think I have something on the other side that star, but it's impossible to tell with this interference, perhaps if we went around the star. I might be able to send out a direct ping and get a better read."

Nolan agreed "Alright I'll be bring us about into the gravity well and lock in an orbit around that star. We'll maneuver until you get proper vectors."

This was unlike any other star he had encountered of this mission. He had hear of the white and even green stars, but a blue...Nolan was intrigued, but it was more than that. He sensed a pull, something keeping him enthralled with this place. A trance. Nolan simply stared at the star on the flatviewer, his gaze fixated on the bright spot in the center of the blue nebula covering this entire system. He continued to stare at its center when it happened, a flash image in his mind. It consumed his vision for a snapshot. Nolan saw the face and it threw him back on his chair. He was short of breath all of a sudden. That face, he had seen it before but not quite like that. he tried to remember but it had happened too quickly. What was this place?

"Captain!" yelled his sensors officer. It was obvious by his tone that he had been trying to get Nolan's attention for some time now.

Nolan turned to him, dazed and confused.

"Sir we're within the star's gravity pull and should be coming up on its far side within minutes. Sir?" The officer looked at his captain who looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

Nolan re-seized himself. What had just happened? "Acknowledged" he replied taking care to avoid the inquisitive look on his subordinate's face. he unbled on his chair and pressed a button "Dee I need you on the bridge. Now."

In Engineering Dee was leaning up against the wall in the cargo bay destined to take on fuel rods and spare parts destined for the engines, life support and all other vital systems of the ship. she took a long last drag from her smoke and threw it on the ground before putting it out with her foot. She looked at Horton and exhaled.

"Another lifeless rock to explore." she said

"Probably, have fun" answered Horton sarcastically.

Suddenly the ship shook violently. Horton almost fell to the ground asDee grabbed a hold of a bulkhead to stabilize herself. She tapped the comm on her wrist. "Captain?"

"Dee I need you here now!" urged Sebastien back over the comm.

Back on the bridge Nolan saw that they had been caught by a powerful tractor beam. He ordered full power to the engines to offer himself a way out but it was to no avail. Nolan was looking over the flatviewer as Dee walked onto the bridge in a hurry. She stared at her captain with wide eyes as if demanding an explanation as she walked to her post next to him.

"Tractor beam" was all he said.

"From where?" she asked.

Nolan looked at his sensors officer "You got a lock on the origin yet?"

"Negative sir, my sensors just went haywire. It seems that it is not the star that is emanating interference... Hold on...contact! Bearing 136.4 of unknown origin. Opening new catalog for ship type."

"Put her onscreen" Ordered Nolan.

The image shifted and a close up view of a sleek vessel appeared. The lax atmosphere that was prevalent minutes ago disappeared in an instant.

"Hail that ship" said Nolan to his comm officer.

"Yes sir... I'm having trouble establishing a line. Interference seems to be blocking a connection between the two ships."

"I can confirm that sir, Sensors seem to be losing the ship."

Nolan looked at the flatviewer which had begun to lose the image. Static began to appear and the image was distorted.

"Clarify! Don't lose that ship!" yelled Nolan, showing his true emotions since entering this strange system. The image quality continued to disintegrate. "Dammit don't lose it" continued to yell Nolan. He was desperate. Years of wandering alone through space without the slightest hint of life around them or even a small chance of finding what they were looking for and Nolan was clearly on edge. He didn't know what was happening but he knew that he couldn't afford to let that ship slip away. The fact that Quebec was still stuck in a tractor beam hold seemed secondary.

The image was now complete static. Nolan was borderline furious. He demanded extra power to the sensors when suddenly the image clarified completely and a face appeared on the flatviewer.

"Captain Nolan". The words resounded throughout the bridge freezing every everyone. Nolan whirled around to look at the flatviewer. That face. The same image that had paralyzed him minutes ago was now staring down at him from the flatviewer.

"It's been a while hasn't it" continued the man. Nolan continued to stare incredulously. He couldn't quite make out exactly who it was. The image was somewhat dark.

A sinister laugh emanated from the image "Have you come to hunt me down. Has Bradshaw sent you for personal vengeance."

In an instant it came back to him. This was exactly what he was looking for. His mission was finally a success.

"Primero Xavier Corrin of the Guild."

The plot thickens.....

Ten months ago

Uncharted Space

TFS Quebec

Captain Nolan commanding

The image of Primero Xavier Corrin's face filled the flatviewer on the bridge. It was him but it wasn't him at the same time. His face had changed. It was somewhat paler than any regular shade of facial colour might be, and the eyes were a deep, blueish gray. With those eyes he pierced Sebastien's gaze. He let a low laugh rumble through the commline.

"The Guild... My boy its been quite some time since that entity ceased to exist. How long have you been searching for us. Not that that question merits any kind of attention. The fact is that now you are here and you are my most esteemed guests." He then took on a much more serious and menacing tone "...for I have much to show you. I have seen Altaria and have stood face to face with purity. Soon I shall be the one who spreads peace across the Galaxy, for none shall stand before the Light of Altaria. All those who are unworthy shall be blinded and struck down by the Light"

The connection went dead and Nolan sat in his chair completely breathless "Dee we need to get out of here." he said to his first officer. The lights dimmed and emergency power came online. The tractor beam had full control of the navy war ship.

"Without that tractor beam offline there's no way that's happening." she replied to him matter-of-factedly. Nolan knew that of course, his comment was more rhetorical than anything.

Nolan couldn't stop thinking about Xavier face. Something above his right eye had caught his attention. The skin was glowing a Blueish/Aquamarine colour. He was brought back to reality by Dee.

"Sir the ship just launched a shuttle. It's demanding to land in the hangar bay. Shall I acquiesce?"y

"Do we have much of a choice?" replied Nolan "I want the marines suited up, full security perimeter around the hangar bay. Let's show them we're not intimidated."

There was a sudden flurry of activity on the whole ship. The marines pulled on flak vests and helmets, and loaded their rifles. The shuttle approached the Terran ship whose hangar bay opened. The sleek shuttle, clearly not at all built of the same design that regular Human shuttles were built, touched down with a soft hiss. The hangar dorrs closed and the area was repressurized. Air and atmosphere vented into the large room. When it was safe again, the airlock doors opened and the ship's marines hustled through surrounding the sleek shuttle with guns trained on the hatch. Nolan walked through the doors into the hangar bay his pistol holstered at his side.

 The shuttle's hatch began to hiss and vent gas as the hatch opened and lowered down to the floor. The inside of the shuttle was dark and it was difficult to see through the haze. Nolan squinted and moved about to get a better view. He stopped when a figure began to walk slowly down the ramp flanked by two guards dressed in what seemed like some sort of fantastic medieval armour and holding lances. The ornate designs on the armour held Nolan's attention. Though it was completely alien to him it was beautiful.

"I am the Emissary of Altaria. The Light guides my path." said the man calmly, waving a hand in the general direction of Nolan and the soldiers. "I bring greetings from my people" he said, fixating Nolan's gaze. Nolan could only stare at the glowing skin above his right eye. Like Xavier Corrin this man had the same facial feature. Nolan stared the man in the face and recognized him at once. It was former Guild Captain, John Altair, the man who had allegedly discovered Altaria.

The Emissary, as he called himself now, stood as if waiting for an answer of greetings from the crew of the Quebec. "Is this how you treat every one of your guests captain Nolan? With loaded guns drawn. Rest assured Captain that I seek peace." He was smiling, fully confident of himself. "Is that not what the Terran Federation has always sought as well?"

Nolan was taken aback, but refused to play the man's game "Tell me, Emissary," scornfully saying the title "... Do you greet every one of your guests with tractor beams that limit their freedom of movement."

The Emissary continued to smile "Ahhh but you have no freedom here Captain. This is not Federation space. You now basque in the glow of Altaria." his smile then faded quickly "...and you should consider yourself lucky to be still alive."

Dee took up her pistol and aimed it at the man's head "I could say the same for you"

The Emissary's guards moved in front of him and switched on what seemed to be a personal shielding unit. A faint shimmer surrounded the guards who looked at the Terrans with violence in their aquamarine eyes as they stared through their helmets.

Nolan put a hand on Dee's gun and lowered it, slightly shaking his head at her. This was not the best way. The Emissary did the same with his guards. You could still cut the tension with a knife however.

"What do you want exactly" asked Nolan

"The Benefactor requests your presence onboard his ship."

"The benefactor?"

"The one you call Xavier Corrin. He is the guardian of the Light. Thanks to him Altaria grants us each life and purpose, and if you wish it it can do the same for you."

Just churning out posts now, are you?

Good stuff - will post more detailed review later.

Thanks! It's good to see some of my readers return to my aar and continue to comment. I know i let you guys down by disappearing for a while so I mean to make up for it. Hope you continue to like it. I'm at a crucial part of the game and story right now where things will start to unfold rather quickly.

cheers

Ahhhh the Altarians...my face race mmmmm

mambaman was there suppose to be a link there? it doesnt seem to work if thats the case.

I love this!

most excellent.keep it going.

Thanks guys!

it's good to have my loyal readers at my side. And that goes for all the lurkers too.

TEN MONTHS AGO

Uncharted Space

TFS Quebec

Captain Nolan commanding

"What you're saying is that I have to come with you. This whole talk of esteemed guests is really just the political rabble you and I think it is." Nolan stood closer to the Emissary. he could hear the faint buzzing of his personal guards' body shields. He was amazed at the technology. Would they be able to stop bullets? Is that why he had only come with two guards, and the whole time Nolan's gaze was still fixated on the glowing. These people were definitely human, but something had changed.

The Emissary smiled politely and stepped back to allow Nolan to pass, waving his arms up the ramp, "Come, the Benefactor does not like to be kept waiting."

***

PRESENT DAY

"If the foreign minister won't comment then find me the damn ambassador, maybe he'll talk."Bellowed the Prime Magistrate of the Terran Galactic Federated Republic. He turned back to the aide who was desperately trying to follow him while taking notes and avoiding other people at the same time. Everybody today was in a hurry.

"And where the hell is Klaus!? Get me the Oberkommander immediately dammit, I want to know exactly what his plans are for this!"

Derek Ohio barged into his office amidst aides and magistrates all talking over one another sitting down in the couches. Some were actually at it enough that they were standing and pointing angry fingers at others. Like Babies in a playground, and I have to bring them all to order all the time.

"Ladies and Gentlemen please. At this moment I'd ask for all except the following personel to leave this room. My magistrates, and if any of the chiefs of staff have arrived..." he looked briefly among the people, there were none, Dammit, "Please all of you vacate the room, I need to have a chance to hear what my magistrates have to say before anything can be done. In the meantime continue to gather as much information as possible."

Ohio walked to wards his desk and sat behind it on the presidential chair. He let out a soft sigh as he did There was no chair as comfortable as this one and it must have been made specifically for the Prime magistrate because every time he sat into it he immediately relaxed just a tiny bit.

"Alright" He looked around the room into the eyes of everyone of his Magistrates "What's the latest situation?" He stared at the Magistrate of foreign affairs.

"Communications have been hectic all day, but not just within Federation Space. Echelon has been picking up chatter from all across known space. From deep within Korath imperial space to Helios space two quadrants away. Firstly I must report that Helios has lost two more worlds to the Thalan invasion." He let his sink in. "...but the most important news to date still remains the mass mobilization of the Korath Imperial fleet. The Korath have surprisingly turned their ships away form their borders with the People's Socialist Republic of Drengia. Our sensors have only just recently reached and included the survey information from the edge of Korath space. It seems the Imperial fleet is making moves to cross that area. We've long suspected the Korath have another neighbor in space. This may be an offensive move towards that neighbour."

TEN MONTHS AGO

Nolan stepped out of the shuttle and onto the Benefactor's ship. The ride over had been a journey in its own. The guards had walked in after and gone into the cockpit. The console was unlike anything he had seen before. Instead of the multitude of buttons, levers, screens, and blinking lights, there were only two semi spheres glowing aquamarine. The guards had sat down each at their station and put their hands on the glowing semi-spheres. Lights in the cabin came on and the door of the shuttle began to close. The low rumble of the engines could be felt throughout the ship as they came to life. Nolan watched as the guards "piloted", their eyes were closed but they moved their hands over the half globes and taped their fingers at times. The ship lifted and, as the hangar door opened, slipped out silently into the void, veiled in the deep blue nebula.

There had been no talking on the way here. The Emissary had sat with his hands calmly on his knees with his back straight. Nolan stared at the glowing skin, what mysteries were behind that...anomaly. 

Now he stood out onto the hangar deck face to face with Xavier Corrin. He looked around at the people surrounding him. They all had the glowing and their fiery gaze was fixed upon him. He sensed a sort of serenity with it all. As if stricken by awe, or was it fear.

"Welcome aboard the Evenstar Mr. Nolan" greeted the benefactor coolly. "To tell you the truth I don't quite know why I am doing this. Allowing you on my ship so that you and I can have this little chat. I do not in fact know what it is I mean to say to you. Something stays my hand and prevents me from striking you down as any other infidel of the Light. Perhaps Altaria has chosen you too.?"

Nolan didn't know what to say. This seemed all so surreal. He continued to stare at the Benefactor, who stared hard at him.

"Perhaps it is the time in which you choose to appear." Xavier Corrin seemed deep in thought as he spoke "After our most breathtaking of discoveries to which we owe so much to the Light. We are Altaria's chosen people."

PRESENT DAY

"Mr. Ambassador so good of you to join us in these troubled times." Ohio was speaking to the holo-image of the Imperial Ambassador. In his House Korath gold trimmed regalia, he puffed out his 3-D rendered chest.

"Mr. Prime Magistrate. As you can no doubt appreciate, these time have been hectic for House Korath and the Drengin Empire. I've had much bigger issues to deal with then your constant annoying calls."

Ohio smiled. Always a pleasure.

"My government has approved the following dispatch to be read to the Prime Magistrate of the Humans. ' By order of His Imperial Highness, the Imperial Navy has been mobilized against an enemy force which deliberately attacked Imperial settlements on four different planets and have subsequently began an unprovoked full scale invasion of Imperial space. Obviously, the ships involved and the people in charge are secrets of security and cannot be divulged.."

"Mr. Ambassador, if what you say is true then we shall launch an investigation into the matter, you and your aggressors must stop the bloodshed."

"Pretentious Human, Did you not hear what I said. We have been the victim of a massive full scale surprise invasion. How can you possibly be thinking of a pathetic inquiry. Do you really think we need your help. Drengin warriors are bred for combat, you cannot imagine the rage that flows through them at this very moment as they embark their ships to defend the Empire and Drengin honour."

"I apologize, I understand that this has been a tough couple of hours for you. Understand that we only strive for peace. Tell us who it is that attacked your people. Perhaps we can share information with you to bring this ordeal to a peaceful close."

The Ambassador smiled. "In response to that question I only have this to say. The Terran Federation did not seek to share their knowledge of the robot probe that killed many at the UP council. You hid it away in one of your secret military labs for testing and have since refuse to disclose any information whatsoever. You have foolishly played the galactic bully and kept what could be a means of advancement for everyone, to yourselves. You have acted selfishly. The Empire sees no reason why it should now divulge any information whatsoever with what is essentially a domestic issue. The race that attacked us will be punished by our guns and swords. Their people will beg for forgiveness, and you shall never interfere nor gain anything from it."

TEN MONTHS AGO

"Perhaps it is the light speaking through me. It steadies my course of action on a different path than one I would normally take."Xavier Corrin was still opening himself up to Sebastien Nolan. "Perhaps the Light seeks to tell me something. Since the beginning It has illuminated my path, never allowing me to stray one bit. Since the start of it all I have always been crystal clear of what it is I had to do. The discovery of the artifact showed everyone that we were Altaria's children. She nurtures everyone of us and provides for us, and she only asks for one thing in return."

Nolan gupled hard, scared of what he was going to say next.

"...to spread her Light"

"Where is Altaria" asked Nolan

The benefactor smiled sarcastically, "You cannot possibly imagine that I will take you there, that I will show you from where the Light shines like a galactic beacon of justice and clarity."

Nolan didn't know where to start, his head swam with questions. "What artifact are you talking about?"

The Benefactor moved to the far side of the wall and motioned Nolan to follow him. "The Light speaks to me, she tells me that you are meant to see this. I see your purpose now, Altaria has already chosen you for a special task."

Nolan stared wide-eyed and shook his head quickly "What are you talking about?"

Xavier Corrin moved his hand close to the wall. As he did so a semi-sphere glowing aquamarine mechanically stuck out. He put his hand on it and closed his eyes.

"Altaria wishes to spread her message. See now the power she beholds." and with that a huge flash engulfed the room and Nolan was blinded. He was thrown onto his back on the floor as the flash illuminated the room. In an instant he had witnessed it all. He trembled in terror, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead and he did his best to stop from vomiting. He gazed up towards the Altarians standing above him."

"Go now, do as the Light commands and tell your people; salvation awaits." and with that the Benefactor turned heel and left the room leaving Nolan curled up in a ball on the floor.

Well well well.....

Admiral my last post was a misspelling and not sure why it put it up as a link-i didn't mean it to

Nice on the story-all very mysterious.

Question: why the split in time (10 months ago and present day)? Am a bit confused 

Great update, better watch out for those enhanced freaks called Altarians!

@mambaman: I believe it was done so that the storyline made a bit more sense.

mambaman: if you'll recall correctly, at the beggining of the AAR Nolan was desperately trying to escape an unknown power. What I wanted to do is take us moments before his flight to understand what it was exactly that had frightened him so. I took this moment to be the best because in the game the Korath did in fact declare war on the Altarians thus bringing them into the game and making it impossible for me to ignore them.

The next post will go a bit deeper into the war currently being waged, it ma not seem like it at the moment because mankind is staying out fo troble but the galaxy is on fire. The Thalans are destroying Helios, and the Korath are engaged in full scale combat with the Altarians. That leaves only the federation and the Republic at peace... for now.

cheers

Hehehehe lovely Mon Admiral-I look forward to more from this most engaging of AARs 

Earth

Sol System

Capital world of the Federation

Capital city of New Johanesburgh


The Navy shuttle landed flawlessly on the landing pad reserved for it. On the side of the sleek craft was written in bold black letters TFS Menlaus. The sky was dark as heavy rain poured down all over the city. The clouds had gathered as if sensing the tense and stormy atmosphere that had been so prevalent this past week in the capital. The side door of the shuttle opened revealing the Oberkommander inside. Klaus Muckler stood up and did the button of his coat up before stepping out. The rain whipped around him and threatened to blow off his black military cap but he quickly put a hand on it to keep it in place.

A Navy ensign ran up to his side and opened an umbrella to shield his supreme commander from the rain. As the umbrella opened a particularly powerful gust of wind upturned the umbrella rendering it completely useless. So much was the force of the wind that water on the ground sprayed up into his face. He tucked his chin and ran forward towards the elevator door. 

Circumstances merited that this meeting be done in persona rather than by holo. It was thus that the Federation government held an emergency caucus meeting. The past month had been catastrophic for galactic peace, and in one week the United Planets Assembly was holding an emergency meeting to debate the best way to restore peace. It had all started with that damned N-6 crash landing in the middle of the last UP assembly, and the sudden communication cut off from the loathsome Thalans. The plea for help from Helios and the discovery that the Thalans were systematically eradicating the sentient AI made Mankind more than suspicious. We should have been happy, we should have jumped up and destroyed that mechanical abomination the second it touched down on Ares and killed the entire Thalan delegation. We should have gone to the Thalans and thanked them, heck even ask if they needed help, but we didn't. The Thalans had completely changed but it was also more than that. Perhaps it was hubris. Mankind couldn't stand the fact that one of its crowning achievements, and also one of its monumental failures, was being completely destroyed by nothing more than monstrous hive-structured bugs.

Klaus Muckler shook his head to clear it up. He got to the door and walked right in as two marines on either side saluted him smartly. He was always one to respect and honour his soldiers and usually always saluted back the men. He was dep in his thoughts however.

There had then been the mobilization of the Drengin Imperial Navy. No one expected that following the sour meeting with their Ambassador, they would be back within two weeks. Muckler was there with the Prime Magistrate already trying to deal with multiple crises when he hit them with a bombshell. "I thought you would like to know that we are no longer alone in fighting our enemy, though I do not declare that we have forged an alliance with anyone to combat this enemy, but rather than en unsuspecting visitor has dropped by and seems to be lending us a hand." Muckler had frowned and tightened the muscles in his face, what is he talking about? "The infestation of the Thalans has reached our theater of operations and begun attacking our enemy. In fact, our war ships have not engaged in an any action with the enemy for some time now. We believe they have marshaled their forces to meet this new threat. The front lines are deserted of their presence." Muckler didn't know what to say. Had the Thalan Queen decided that the species was under threat?

Muckler was walking down the white halls when he was joined by his chief of staff, Admiral Scheer. "Sir."

"Any new information?"

"None yet sir, the Prime Magistrate is ready for you." They walked pas another set of guards and went for the office of the Prime Magistrate. The large wooden doors to the office were closed, but the two secret service agents on either side opened it up for them and they walked right through.

"...they aren't just bugs that we can squash on the ground. maybe we should even stop thinking of them as merely bugs, That's the problem fundamentally. They aren't just bugs, and we need to appreciate and recognize that in order to understand it...and defeat it." Derek Ohio was lecturing the assembled magistrates. "Ahh Oberkommander, Admiral. It's good to have you here have a seat."

Muckler sat down at the large table "You speak of defeating another power as if we were already at war." he said.

Derek Ohio sighed "I know Klaus,  believe me when I say war is the last thing I want, besides preliminary reports suggests that war with the Thalans may bring great disaster on our frontiers. We would need a bold plan of action si that not right?" Ohio stared at the military men, he smiled "What do you have for me."

Scheer and Muckler looked at each other. "Six months"

The magistrates around the table drew in breaths. Most had not anticipated six months.

"We need six months to be in a position to strike decisively at the Thalans. Anything before that and victory is far from achieved. They already outnumber us quite a bit, and half the Navy is on the Republic's border." announced Muckler. "Though I suspect if we don't move those ships the Republic won't like it, and you..." he pointed at the Prime Magistrate "...will be under some serious heat"

"The nuances of politics do not escape you completely" remarked Ohio. "This damned UP assembly next week is gonna be a killer. I'll be under incredible pressure to help in the war. This declaration of war on both the Empire and the Republic by the Thalans means we are the only race in the galaxy currently not at war with the Thalans. It's clear she means to exterminate the species. The Thalans seen the Drengin as a species to eliminate, they do not pander to politics for that is the realm of civilization. That leaves us two possibilities; either we do not side with anyone, if we do this and the Thalans eradicate the rest of the galaxy, well that leaves us in a pretty uncertain spot. If they are defeated then we stand alone against an alliance of races that has just defeated a mutual enemy that threatened the entire peace of the galaxy, and we will have done nothing. Or we could join the rest of them and strike at the Thalans. If they really are as strong as they seem to be then our very own existence rests upon this decision. We need to strike them now. While we are at our strongest and they are besieged by the rest of the galaxy."

Muckler sat back and slowly nodded his head "Six months Mr. Prime Magistrate."

Strike at those bugs Mr President and strike them hard!!!! 

Excerpt from the Sheik Hadji Encyclopaedia,

Volume II - Mankind's weapons, Annex Z

As pertaining to the Tir-Quan Brigade

The Tir-Quan is the Navy's highest order of special forces. Also referred to as the Brigade, they are considered by some a separate entity from the Navy though they get over 95% of their funding from it. The Tir-Quan are never commanded by any other force. A Tir-Quan trooper is never subordinate to a non Tir-Quan officer. The only exception being that the Tir-Quan Brigade commander was subordinate to the supreme commander of the Navy. The transition of that post to Oberkommader Klaus Muckler, from Commodore Alan Bradshaw, was made smoothly as Tir-Quan's supreme commander, General Rusnak Matco, collaborated in removing from power the Da Souza regime.

The History of the Tir-Quan Brigade can be traced to before the Cataclysm. Some states within the UEF were already experiencing with the enhancement of human beings with bionics and other means, namely the neural thought implantation's [See Neural implantations, Vol. III].

The Tir-Quan trooper is equipped with the latest in Mankind's technology. In fact it is often the engineers of the Brigade who come up with the next generation of weapons that the Navy will eventually adopt. The Thunderhawk [see SF-112 Thunderhawk - Vol. II] is a good example of this as it was completely designed and even in some cases manufactured by the Tir-Quan. A trooper is equipped with a TR-84 rifle [see TR-84, Vol. III], used exclusively by Tir-Quan. The rifle can link up with the trooper's personal TR-X5 combat armour [see TR-X5] to support more options on firing angles and response times. The combat armour itself is one of the most technologically advanced pieces of hardware possessed by Mankind. Many of its components are kept secret. The Tir-Quan trooper is also armed with a Tri-Strontium blade for hand-to-hand combat.

"The Tir-Quan do not submit" is their motto

***

Low orbit over Bond II

Bond System

Thalan/Federation disputed space

5th Tir-Quan "Alan Bradshaw's life's guard" division

The pilot of the thin drop ship shut off the boosters of the craft. Below them was the forest world of Bond II, and it was inhabited by Mankind's new enemy. The emergency meeting of the United Planets Assembly had taken place the week prior to the enactment of the "Thalan Security Measures Act". While not an outright declaration of war against the Thalans it gave the Navy special powers in dealing with all matters Thalan. All Thalan planets within Federation space were to be purged of the bugs and all Thalan warrior ships were to be destroyed. The Thalans had begun a galactic invasion of all of its neighbours and now the Federation was finally getting involved. No one could understand the madness that seemed to have taken a hold of the Thalan hive clusters, but it was clear that only the united strength of the galaxy could overcome such mindless killing machines.

Navy re-reinforcements had already arrived in machine space to aid Helios in repelling the Thalans. Helios' front line had collapsed and it had used the vast majority of its reserves. Nothing now stood between the Thalan fleets and the defenseless machine worlds. The Navy had dispatched a number of flotillas and fighter squadrons including the navy's heavy SF-135 Executor fighter. The Executor class fighter had been deemed to expensive following the reforms by Carlos Da Souza and production had been halted. Recently, however, with the construction program of the Inflexible class they had started up the production lines again. The heavy fighter could deliver quite a payload and was still the Navy's most efficient space superiority fighter. All Inflexible class missile frigates were also mobilized and sent to rally points. The missile frigates would serve as support platforms for the expected hot spots in the upcoming conflict.

In the Bond System Implacable and Intelligent were due to arrive within days. The 5th Tir-Quan "Alan Bradshaw's life's guard" division were the pathfinders. Their mission was to going in under stealth and find the hive of the planetary overlord. A type of super bug that relayed the psychic powers of the Thalan Queen over her warrior minions. It was believed that if the overlord could be destroyed the warrior breeds would be much easier to deal with as there would be no concerted effort on their part. Without the psychic pulsations guiding their moves they would revert to the primal stage of being a simple bug. At least that was the thought.

The pilot of the drop ships was none other than General Leclerc, commander of the proud 5th Tir-Quan. The history of the "Life's guard" was not without incident. Formed at the very beginning of the Tir-Quan it was affected to protect one thing and one thing only; the life of Alan Bradshaw. During the battle of Marshall IV when the Drengin were defeated and the Helios AI awakened, and Alan Bradshaw was never seen again, and presumed to be dead; The 5th division was not actually on Marshall IV. The division had been sent to the Drengi System to aid in the second invasion of the Drengin Homeworld of Kona at the time. Had he known what was to pass Bradshaw surely would have kept his personal guards close to him. The 5th division's motto was "My honour is loyalty". Many of the troopers within the elite division took the Alan Bradshaw debacle as a personal failure.

Leclerc gave a last look at his shipboard instruments. He downloaded all available planetary data to his X5 suit and linked the ship to it before getting up to follow his co-pilot. Exiting the cockpit he entered the drop room where his troopers were awaiting him. They all looked at him eagerly awaiting his orders.

"We go in cold. Too much ground activity near our target locations. Configure your suits, the ships stays in orbit where I'll command it from the ground as need dictates."

Everyone nodded complete understanding.

"DZ coordinates have been sent to every unit. Good luck gentlemen." With that Leclerc strapped his helmet on and then said in a mcrophone relayed voice "For Bradshaw."

Everyone locked in their helmets and their rifles on their backs. Going in cold meant whatever wasn't strapped on tight was sure to get ripped off. The cabin was ventilated and the door opened revealing the large forest world of Bond II in front of the troopers. Though no one could see it, Leclerc smiled. He loved going in cold, and with that he jumped off and boosted himself towards the enemy planet.

**************************************************************

My apologies for the way the picture comes up with all the useless writing around it. I've tried to fix it up but I cant seem to get it right so I will leave it as is. The picture is a fan art of the legendary sardaurkar in the universe of Herbert's Dune. I hope you guys liked my take on the Tir-Quan.

cheers!

EDIT: fixed it

Loved the take on the Tir-Quan Admiral and loved the new post too-excellent 

MORE!!!!