06G, Armistice Station.

Posts : 172 Join date : 2014-01-08

USS Gridley (DDG-101)
United Systems Navy Armistice Detachment
Combat Information Center

<"If the Gridley's Commander does indeed respect the law he will allow us to continue with the inspection unmolested and with his consent.">

With an angered bash of his fist against the command table, the Commander turned to face the executive officer while his mind ran through all the scenarios. According to the NSA, the New Terrans were considered a 'potential threat' since the Zeleniyan and UCFP withdrawal from both the council and the galactic stage so they could focus on their mutual wars. They were, after all, the next most powerful human nation in the Council, at least according to the Coalition. If anything, the New Terrans were more likely to seize the opportunity to examine the alien technology themselves, gaining a significant advantage. "Colonel, I really hope you have a plan." he wishfully stated, gaining a quick shake of the head from his first officer. Shit.

He could try to find some obscure law that gave him enough leeway to destroy the Kal'bavakorian vessel: with the nuclear weapons armed, doing so would be easy, especially since the craft had no active weapons and had exposed the vulnerable engine nozzles to the Gridley. But even if the law could cover the commander's actions legally, destroying the alien craft after it had stated its intents to negotiate would only drive another nail into the Coalition's coffin. Lacking any spies on board the 'Peace Unto All', the only possible course of action was to let the New Terrans have their way with the ship and hope the CIA could get a piece of the pie using its vast intelligence network.

Except if...

"Helm, thirty degrees up bubble, take us to a hundred kilometers up on the z-axis and continue on horizontal plane course. XO, you have the conn, if they ask tell them we want to scan their hull for nuclear weapons first." he stated, waiting a few moments for his orders to be acknowledged before taking off towards the CO's ready room, the tiny room in CIC that could house the Commanding Officer in long, eventless shifts.

"XO has the conn, time has been noted in the ship's log."

Stepping into the small chamber, the Commander immediately rushed to get to his computer terminal, entering his personal password and undergoing a retinal scan before being allowed access. He waited, typed a few commands and then picked up the handset from the other end of the table.

"Is this a secure line?" he asked, receiving an ominous reply from the other end in the form of a distorted male voice. "Yes."

The Commander quickly moved on to his next question: "Do you have our telemetry?", and received the same emotionless reply. "Yes."

"Then you are aware of our situation. I... I don't know what to do." The situation was desperate enough to resort to extraordinary measures, and the Commander knew it.

"Unfortunately we can not guarantee the long-term viability of a military operation in violation of international law. The Coalition's position is a delicate one, Commander. But do not trust the New Terrans. According to the letter of the law, any potential conflict of interest is enough to disqualify a nation from partaking in the inspection: stall them while we work through the available intel. Armistice Regulation eight two seven niner one dash hotel lima, use it. Expect to hear from us soon with further instructions. Over and out."

When the Commander returned from his ready room, he seemed to carry a new air of confidence with him: his fingers instantly glided over the keyboard, typing several sets of commands while he shifted his attention to the executive officer. "XO, commence quarantine protocol. Give me system-wide." he instructed, and the executive officer made a hand signal for the communications officer to follow the order. The United Systems could not exactly deny the New Terran request without displaying outrageous hypocrisy, but the Gridley could stall them enough for other, smarter people back on Washington to figure it out.

"Quarantine protocol, aye. Chief of the Watch, launch fighters, commence combat air patrol around the alien vessel. No craft allowed within a thousand kilometers." stated the XO, earning a swift nod and 'aye' from the Chief of the Watch. Moments later, several fighter interceptors were catapulted out of the Gridley's few launch tubes, setting a patrol course around the Kal'bavakorian vessel.

In the meantime, the Commander picked up the handset, pressed it against his cheek and cleared his throat before speaking. If the New Terrans wanted a legal battle, he was going to give them one.

<"Lieutenant Colonel Koppe, this is Commander Shesko, Commanding Officer, USS Gridley. We have received your request and are considering it in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern Council space, but we must point out that as per Armistice Regulation 82791-HL regarding Health, Safety and Disease Prevention aboard the Armistice Station, a mandatory two hour decontamination period must precede any contact with a non-Council, non-human species, including inspection operations except for cases where there is an immediate threat to the well-being of the people aboard Armistice. Therefore, we ask that the alien craft remain at a safe distance from Armistice and commence decontamination procedures, broadcasting its progress on a channel accessible by the Health and Safety authorities aboard the station. We can cite the relevant laws if you wish.">

Subject: Re: 06G, Armistice Station. Tue Jul 08, 2014 9:39 pm

Armistice Station Outer Sector,
Alliance Frigate 'Peace Unto All'
Command Bridge

"Lady Captain; transmissions ongoing between Armistice and Coalition spacecraft. Directing to your console immediately."

"Very good, Comm Officer."

Captain Shall Van'Dal quickly tapped her fingers against the holographic display that hung centimeters above the true, physical console; initiating a direct link for the transmission straight to her helmets audio system. The "Peace Unto All" had easily linked into the conversation, since neither party had bothered to encrypt their communications..

Interesting. Apparently the negotiations on New Terra had gone quite well, for the humans were standing up for the "Peace Unto All". Her optimism was crushed quite quickly, however, upon hearing the tedious response of the Coalition Destroyer to the New Terran delegate. The tedious message also displayed a fact that she was very, very unhappy to hear... The Coalition was launching fighters to patrol their craft, and she did not like pests 'buzzing' outside her freshly painted star frigate.

This fact was further reinforced by the sudden declaration of incoming fighter signatures by the Tracking Officer. They were coming in quick, and attempting some sort of orbiting pattern. It was a good thing the "Peace Unto All" packed some quick-witted 'zoomers' of her own.

"Communications Officer," Captain Shalla Van'Dul would bellow,"Open up a direct link to our fighter wings commanding officer."

"Aye, Lady Captain," The Communications Officer would reply. A direct communications link was opened to the Flight Leader of 'Raknar Flight'; the fighter group that had ejected from the frigates tiny hanger bay just after entering international space. The Flight Leaders voice was respectful, and with a quick series of hoots, he would speak through Shalla's helmet audio system in words filled with something akin to joy, as if flying brought him ecstasy for every moment of flight.

++-"Lady Captain! How might Raknar Flight be of service?"-++

She smiled somewhat to herself, but her voice was serious,"Wing Commander Nuk Nut'Jin, are you picking up incoming fighter signatures?"

++-"Why, yes we are, M'Lady. Would you wish for us to intercept?"-++

"Annoy them somewhat, but do not open fire. Pull some Naval University tricks on them, and alert them to keep standard distance from the frigate."

++-"Yes, Lady Captain. We're on it."-++

She then disconnected the channel, and shifted her gaze to focus upon the ten shimmering dots on her three-dimensional display; watching as these 'dots', representing Raknar Wing, quickly turned onto an intercept course for the human fighters. The Captain, keeping close attention on their situation, would re-activate the channel to listen to the negotiations between her ship, and the two human forces beyond. The Ambassador was handling the direct negotiations.. The only time she'd get involved personally was if the situation went negative. She hoped it wouldn't.

As the USS Gridley launched several fighters to patrol around the Kal'Bavakorian vessel, they would be met by an escort of ten Alliance MRF-01A Interceptors. They would quickly 'pull up' alongside the human fighters in a manner reminiscent of a scene in Top Gun. In an interesting turn of events, the lead Alliance Fighter suddenly opens up a communication channel with the lead Coalition Fighter. The Flight Leader's English is a bit garbled and thick with alien accent, but his words are clearly heard in a devilishly playful tone.

++-"Attention Coalition Flight, this is Raknar Flight. We saw all your fine craft on their way here, and we decided you might like an escort for your trip! Please be advised, keep this distance from the Alliance Frigate at all times for your safety. Thank you very much, and have a pleasant trip through international space."-++

Even aliens had a sense of humor in a shitty situation.

Of course, humor had no place in direct inter-specie talks. The Alliance Ambassador on board the Alliance Frigate "Peace Unto All" replies to the Coalition Destroyer's message, with her speech simply calm yet calculated.

++-"This is Ambassador Ba'Dun. The "Peace Unto All" has already performed rigorous decontamination of crew suits, gear, and embassy construction parts. Upon docking, the Frigate would automatically decontaminate all leaving crew and supplies /again/. The Alliance sees these procedures as unnecessary, as we have already taken these, among many other, precautions as to not allow bacteria onto the station, nor allow foreign bacteria onto our craft. We are fully prepared to dock with Armistice, and see no viable reason that we cannot."-++

Posts : 35 Join date : 2014-01-06

The holographic representation of the Valkari Emperor looked to the new representatives, letting out a noise of disappointment, as if to silently say- 'Oh, great, more humans'. He slouched in his chair, narrowing his reptilian eyes towards the new group, before shifting his gaze to the table. His voice sounded a little distorted; the natural 'flanging' effect of Valkari vocal cords coupled with the synthesized edge of auto-translation.

"Entropy, primarily." He looked back up, pausing only briefly, cutting off any comments. "We are sprinting towards the Abyss, human. A new source of fuel must be discovered soon, or we shall fall. The Valkari have our own fuel reserves, but even they are not sufficient."

Posts : 159 Join date : 2014-01-12

Opalinski raised an eyebrow at her response and he happily indulged her curiosity,

"Well that would be quite easy, news of it is everywhere and in all languages. Conflict is widespread and primarily involves resources, two recent wars have erupted over the control of fuel sources in the Teufuell Zone although I'm sure you've already become well acquainted with the region either for intelligence or mining purposes, or perhaps all in one."

He folded his hands.

"Although if you ask me this is an era where old Superpowers are being hung out to dry, the only things keeping the Coalition, the OTHER Coalition that is, as well as the Zeleniy on top are their military might, more specifically their reserves of Interstellar Ballistic Missiles but now other nations have become interested in such endeavors... but I digress."

The Ambassador tapped his hands on the arm of his chair as he listened to the facts put forth by the Valkari Autocrat. He knew full well the issue of fuel was going to become a greater issue as the resources of Teufuell are slowly mined to extinction and he also knew the proper response,

"We are fully aware of the problems presented by the over-exploitation of fuel resources by the Alpha Quadrant Powers and we too sympathize with the potential hardships ahead if such practices continue without the discovery of another major source, but so long as these nations continue to pursue petty gains through aggression rather than cooperation for the greater good this is the inevitable conclusion, although we will of course will have no part in it."

There was a truth in his words, the enormous asteroid field encompassing Merchant's Folly was estimated to be the second largest source of helium-3 in the Galaxy yet historically New Terra refused to officially prospect the region instead only permitting limited military extraction projects leading many to believe the New Terran Government was sitting on the resource waiting for the inevitable depletion of the Teufuell Zone so that they could exploit the situation to their advantage.

He continued,

"Although if the Valkarian Emperor has a potential solution in mind we would be elated to hear it."

Matthias leaned back in his chair, thinking to himself, whilst the New Terrans were given the designation as 'potential threat' or even 'enemy' by their Coalition cousins other sources ascribed different denominations. Some articles and academics speaking on New Terra often used more specific terms such as 'emerging power' or 'potential superpower' either way the result was the same as the ladder of success was not one that could be scaled without making a few enemies along the way. The Government heralded the news as would be expected even creating it's own rhetoric by referring to the 'peaceful rise' of New Terra through economics and diplomacy rather than military conflict as a propaganda tactic.

"Do we have anything?" Koppe said with a sigh, looking over to his second.

"Nope, they've got us beat, temporarily at least. We should write this down, this is a story that could make even our own bureaucrats blush." he said letting out a chuckle and after a bit of resistance his Commander joined in.

Well, he thought,lets give the man what he wants.

"Gridley, this is Koppe, we concur with the regulation cited. You have two hours."

Posts : 172 Join date : 2014-01-08

Gridley FA-37 'Talon' 228
Pilot: Captain Amanda 'Jay Jay' Renshaw, 101st Destroyer Escort Air Wing

"Gridley, Jay Jay, we've got alien fighters inbound! Requesting permission to go weapons hot, over!"

Being stuck in a fully armed fighter without permission to actually open fire was every pilot's nightmare. Due to the simple fact that fighter craft were not exactly durable, requiring only a few direct hits to take down, a first strike was almost always the best course of action. That fact was doubly as important for most pilots of the 101st Destroyer Escort Air Wing, the Gridley's aerospace superiority unit. Instead of flying the more durable Supercobra or the beast of firepower known as the Raptor they were stuck with the Talon, a craft that had poor armor and half the firepower of the formidable Raptor. It did have one advantage though: stealth.

Lockheed had put in almost a trillion dollars into developing the technology, research that had paradoxically been upscaled for use on the Avenger. With a superior heatsink system with almost two days capacity and the same coldjet thrusters as the Avenger used, in combination with the RADAR absorbent coating, jamming array and disruptive camouflage, the Talon's pilots could simply flip a switch, become invisible to the enemy and then sneak behind them. But doing so drained the craft's reactor, reducing its maneuverability greatly.

"Jay Jay, Gridley, negative. Evade but do not fire unless fired upon, repeat, do not fire unless fired upon."

Angrily, the pilot begun activating the stealth systems: if they weren't allowed to fight back, at least they could confuse the bastards. "Copy that Gridley, going stealth, commencing radio silence."

Over the course of ten seconds, all twenty fighter craft disappeared from all sensors and visual contact was lost: the fighters had gone to stealth mode, shutting off even the lights of their cockpits in a bid to remain invisible in the darkness of space, and had instead begun tailing the Kal'bavakorian fighters to gather pictures.

USS Gridley (DDG-101)
United Systems Navy Armistice Detachment
Combat Information Center

[i]Finally, a victory, if the bureaucratic nightmare the USC had dragged both the Kal'bavakorians and the New Terrans in could be considered one. Two hours. Two hours was barely enough to do anything in the grand scale of things, but it was plenty for one thing. The Coalition couldn't exactly sneak its special forces onboard without causing an international incident, but it could do something else, something far more ingenious and sinister than an inspection. Even he did not know the precise details, but the Major in charge of the mission had assured him that everything would be taken care of by him and his men. With the Gridley positioning itself just above the Kal'bavakorian ship, only a few dozen kilometers away, it was time to proceed.

"We need to get their fighters off the air... Alright, give me a channel to the aliens." exclaimed the Commander, much to the surprise of his subordinates. Nevertheless, they obeyed.

<"Alien spacecraft, this is Commanding Officer of the USS Gridley. I have been made aware that our fighter wings have engaged in attack maneuvers, putting them in a dangerously tense situation. We propose a mutual withdrawal of all fighters to their hangar bays, and in return we will close our torpedo tube doors as a sign of good faith. Be aware that we also expect frequent status updates on your decontamination sequence.">

Posts : 27 Join date : 2014-06-28 Location : Los Angeles.

In the space surrounding, radars would pick up a small object new to the sector. It would appear Coalition in origin, but lacked any of the registrations the other Coalition craft present had. It would almost immediately hail all ships in the area, detecting based on engine heat.

Subject: Re: 06G, Armistice Station. Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:01 am

Armistice Station Outer Sector,
Raknar Interception and Interdiction Flight
Alliance MRF-01A Interceptor

++-"Flight Leader Nut'Jin, enemy fighters are going stealth. Sensors have nothing on them!"-++

Indeed, this was the truth. Raknar Flight Leader Nuk Nut'Jin snapped his gaze down to his sensor system to affirm this, and the enemy fighters were dropping off his scanning system one by one. He turned to gaze over his shoulder, looking out the rear of his cockpit, to see the lights on these fighters dim out before they blasted backwards.. Bash'tu.

++-'Copy, Oh-Five. Did you grab some good pictures of them with their suits around their ankles?'-++

++-'You know it, Flight Leader. Got a nice tape ready to be sent back to the 'Peace Unto All'.'-++

++-'Perfect! Let's pull back onto RCS, dim the lights, and activate heat shielding. If the Hum's want to play seeker, then lets make the playing field just as fair. Radio silence from this point on.'-++

The MRF-01 was the prime Alliance space superiority fighter; designed for being able to suit multiple roles based on the modules installed. Alliance pilots, after much trial and error in combating Hugresh Pirates and Insurrectionists, discovered that there was one module that was helpful in almost any situation: Stealth Sub-Systems. Just like their Coalition counterparts, the Turran Combat sect of the Science Collective, working in conjunction with weapon and starcraft manufacturers in Yu'Olva, spent millions upon millions of credits in developing stealth and seeker module technology in order to give Alliance pilots that extra edge in combat. While it was not as effective as an MRF-01S at stealth operations, an MRF-01A would at least stand a reasonable chance against these human fighters.

Just like the Talons, the MRF-01A's begin to slowly disappear from human sensors until all that remained were tiny heat signatures that couldn't be differentiated from the thermal radiation coming off larger starcraft nearby. The Alliance Raknar Wing would quickly disappear visually as well, as all lights on their ships would shut off; the black hulls of their craft melding in perfectly with the starry backdrop of space. Of course, while these Alliance spacecraft did not share their adversaries radar-absorbent hull, jamming array, or any other fancier gadgets reserved to high-class stealth craft, the stealth systems still made it more difficult than ever to discover their location, given they did not remain in stealth for over five hours..

For the time being, both wings were now utterly dark to one another.

Armistice Station Outer Sector,
Alliance Frigate 'Peace Unto All'
Command Bridge

'Do you trust them, Lady Captain?'

"Not in the slightest. These 'Coalition Humans' have only shown they have a capacity for distrust and violence. Nothing more."

The Lady Captain pursed her lips beneath her helmet as she scanned over the message sent back to the 'Peace Unto All'. She scanned over it in detail; pulling out every detail, and thinking of every possible situation that could derive from this situation. The Coalition could drop an EVA team to attempt to enter the ship, they could attempt scans or some more of the bureaucratic bullshit that seemed to seep out of Armistice Station. Or, they could be telling the truth; a possibility that, as much as she didn't believe it, could cause even greater diplomatic issues should the Alliance fight against it.

No matter how much she didn't believe them, she could find no suitable reason not to pull the fighter wings back. The only issue that stood before her, gnashing its teeth in her face, was how /close/ that human cruiser was. She had to force it to back away and, while it was only a tiny amount, they now had leverage. Gritting her sharp teeth together, she quickly barks; her voice filling the silent void of the bridge center.

"Communications Officer, alert the Ambassador I will be personally replying to this request from the Coalition. Flight Officer, prepare to recall Raknar Flight on my orders. And Tracking Officer.."

The Tracking Officer would snap his head around, gazing up at the Lady Captain; awaiting the final order. When she finally speaks, her voice is but a thick, threatening hiss..

"Full power to tracking systems.. And do Not. Take. Your eyes. Off. That. Screen."

A series of somewhat anxious acknowledgements filled the bridge as these officers set to work. In the mean time, the Lady Captain turned to her command console, and began to activate the communication systems. Sure, the Ambassador was going to be angry, but this situation was quickly turning into a military matter.

A return transmission is quickly directed to the USS Gridley. This time, the voice is different. It remains female, but it is more stern sounding; less diplomatic, and more serious. It is also much more heavily accented then the former.

++-"Human Spacecraft, this is the Lady Captain of the "Peace Unto All". We have also noticed the tense situation caused by your spacecraft. We will call back our fighters on two conditions: One, you deactivate your torpedo systems immediately. Two, you pull your cruiser away from our own, to a minimum two hundred kilometers. These are our terms. We will supply further information on decontamination upon de-escalation of the situation."-++

Posts : 27 Join date : 2014-06-28 Location : Los Angeles.

The ambassador nodded, she'd heard of Teufuell, though it was referred to as Riklig in Coalition intelligence reports. Though the Coalitions fuel supplies were holding steady, it was considered a long run objective to enter the field and establish mining operations, as aggressive as need be to secure the Coalitions place amongst the various nations present in the belt.

"Even after all these years, I see humanity hasn't changed much as a whole, has it?".

Posts : 172 Join date : 2014-01-08

USS Gridley (DDG-101)
United Systems Navy Armistice Detachment
Combat Information Center

"Two hundred kilometers? That's going to make our job that much harder..."

The Commander shrugged in response to his executive officer's comment, instead lowering the handset (and thus deactivating its transmission capacity) in order to consult with the officers. First they had bought time, then they had managed to get the aliens to agree to a mutual withdrawal of fighters, and at last they had to figure out what to do. Moving further out would make it harder to enact that very conservative plan of action, but at least as far as the Commander was concerned, that was STAW's business, not his. "So, what do you think we should do?" he asked the Colonel, the Tactical Systems Officer and the Chief of the Boat.

"I still think we should just pop them, our torpedoes are ready to launch. The 101st can cover their approach to the target, and it'd send a very strong message." retorted the TSO, a less experienced and arguably trigger-happy officer, but his suggestion was quickly dismissed by the aging Chief of the Boat: the Master Chief was the ranking non-commissioned officer aboard, and his advice was always taken seriously due to just how experienced he was.

"Yeah, and then be universally condemned for nothing. It's a frigate a fifth our size for Christ's sake, splashing it is just going to make us look like even bigger assholes without making any difference strategically. I say we move to half the requested distance, enough to show them we can compromise but won't bend over, and then let the creepy dudes from STAW do their work."

The idea had merit, and it was exactly what the Commander was going to do. Plus, he was still expecting a phonecall from the unnamed benefactor: that oughta clear things up a bit. He picked up the handset again, replying to the Kal'bavakorian transmission.

<"Alien spacecraft, we are willing to compromise on this. We will move to a distance of one hundred kilometers as soon as both fighter wings have left stealth and returned to their hangars. We will safe our nuclear warheads as soon as you agree to these conditions.">

With that done, he could focus on another matter that had turned up: a new contact that was hailing them, human in origin by all indications. Making friends was probably an important thing to consider, and as such, he changed his handset to channel two (the hail) before speaking. <"Unidentified craft, this is the Commanding Officer of the United Systems Destroyer 'Gridley', please identify.">

Armistice Station
Council Conference Room

Curiously, the Coalition's Council Representative, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Dwight Richards, had remained wholly absent from the ongoing council session. Normally, the man insisted on always being present, mostly because of the 'veto' power only he could exercise on behalf of the Coalition. And while the Zeleniyans, the UCFP and the Commonwealth had remained mostly conservative of their use of the Veto, Councilman Richards had become a space-age version of the Soviet Union's 'Mr. Nyet', having exercised that power on issues as absurd as environmental regulations and Armistice security procedures. It was only rarely that the Coalition did not abuse the veto privilege, mostly a remnant from an era where the only way to get the USC and the Zeleniyans on the same table was to make sure neither could diplomatically corner the other, lest they just say 'fuck it' and do their thing.

That absence changed with a loud hiss as the hydraulic doors slid open, allowing the aging African American to advance towards his reserved spot in the chamber, followed by his entourage. The few lesser diplomats that had been present on behalf of the Coalition were quick to turn over their notes to the Councilman's staff, but he seemed entirely uninterested in the ongoing procedures: instead, he hijacked the discussion to make a statement.

"I apologize for interrupting this conversation, but I just got off a very unpleasant call with the Vice President. I will try to make this quick, and while I would generally welcome any input from the rest of the council's members for such an important decision, my government is adamant that I proceed with the announcement regardless." he begun, allowing the chamber to settle down before continuing.

"As of this moment, following a supermajority Senate vote, the unanimous consent of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President, the United Systems Coalition officially withdraws from the following treaties:"

"One: from the Strategic Arms Reduction 5 Treaty, with the formal name 'Measures for the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms', regarding limitations on maximum concurrently active strategic nuclear assets."

"Two: from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces 3 Treaty, with the formal name 'The Treaty Between the United Systems Coalition, the Socialist Republics of Zeleniy, the Unified and Collective Federation of Prefectures and the Greater Commonwealth of Systems on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles' regarding the ban on the use of deep-space sleeper warheads with ranges of one to thirty light years."

"Three: from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty regarding the ban of nuclear warhead tests without specific Council approval."

"And finally four: from the Comprehensive Chemical, Biological and Radiological Weapon Limitation Treaty regarding the prohibition of maintaining chemical, biological and radiological weapons on active reserve, and the use of such weapons."

"Furthermore, the United Systems Coalition has now adopted a 'Launch on Warning' policy. I know that these changes may seem radical and driven by emotion, but the current political and geostrategic landscape is far too unstable to be carried away by otherwise noble notions such as 'No First Use' promises or disarmament treaties. At this time, the Coalition would like to remind everyone that withdrawing from the above treaties is well within its rights, as they were signed voluntarily."

"On a more personal note..." the Ambassador continued, eyeing the other representatives suspiciously, with a special, judgmental glare reserved for the New Terran delegation. "...we've all made a hell of a mess, and to be frank, for the first time in my career I feel true terror."

Admin Posts : 92 Join date : 2014-01-14

Armistice Station
Council Conference Room

The delegation from the Imperium stood around and had been keeping to themselves for the most part before the entrance of the USC ambassadors. Their group was a small sea of black uniforms, and grey uniforms each with red and gold accents. Each of the Imperium representatives hailed from different categories of the empire. Most came from Foreign Affairs, but a few came from the Office of Military Intelligence, and even fewer from the Imperial Navy. If the room was silent after the Coalition's representatives announcement, it wouldn't have been for long. The head ambassador Octavian would scoff loudly.

"As you should, ambassador. You've attacked an alien force, that this council is not prepared to deal with. This was first contact, you have no intel on their strength or their intentions, and you've jeopardized the safety of a much needed resource center. Now you're risking attacking them in another neutral, and peaceful sector. I'd like to hear a justification for such outright acts of aggression, and why we shouldn't expect the same towards us."

Posts : 159 Join date : 2014-01-12

Opalinski shook his head,

"Not Humanity, civilization itself hasn't changed. Let's not condemn our heritage so easily."

He was about to follow up on his comment when the Council was called to order, effectively ending their conversation prematurely. After listening to the hard words from the Coalition Ambassador it would look as if the New Terrans heads were on a swivel the rate they had been shaking. Aleksander was quick to respond as usual, whilst his previous speeches in Armistice were cause for officials to leave the chambers in protest he carried himself differently this time.

"Speaking on behalf of all civilized nations attending this meeting today, does the USC honestly think they can intimidate anybody other than the Nasari children they shoot and bomb on a daily basis or the New Warsaw workers who die fighting for their freedoms against a decadent government dead-set on holding the universe hostage with threats of nuclear weapons?

Be wary, Ambassador, you aren't hunting unarmed children here. Press any of us and you'll find our fire hot enough, that I assure you."

He pushed his microphone to the side amidst shouts and jeers to bring the Council back to order, he was certain he would finally be recalled and dismissed after the outburst.

Posts : 57 Join date : 2014-04-29

Even in this moment of heat, the Familiar ambassador remains silent, seemingly indifferent towards the ongoing chaotic ballad.

Subject: Re: 06G, Armistice Station. Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:07 pm

Armistice Station Outer Sector,
Alliance Frigate 'Peace Unto All'
Command Bridge

++-"One hundred and twenty five kilometers, and this will be acceptable. Upon deactivation of your nuclear warheads, we will disengage stealth parameters on our fighters and recall them, as we know you will. Be advised, do not allow any USC objects to move past the determined distancing."-++

The Lady Captain deactivated the transmission, and slowly settled back into her command chair. She thumbed the food-insertion slot on her helmet; pondering the situation deeply as she reviewed the command console reports coming through her systems. She wasn't going to send a transmission to Raknar Flight until the tracking officer gave her the 'good to go', but from the status reports she was still getting, the USC ship still had their nukes primed for immediate launch.

There was something fishy about all of this. Their ship being so close, the fact they had /stealth fighters/ attempting to pursue them; it didn't seem right at all. There had to be something she was missing; somethi-...

"Lady Captain, the Ambassador is calling from the lower decks. She doesn't sound very happy," Called an adviser from the communications sector of the bridge; interrupting the thoughts of the Lady Captain. The Captain was all military; her mind focusing on the safety of the crew and of her people, and not that of actually getting on Armistice. The Ambassador, on the other hand, had to balance the two; not an easy task in any respect. It also made her a woman of extreme seriousness, and her work ethic was honorable in many respects..

Which was exactly why her inability to communicate with the USC was pissing her off beyond belief. With a silent sigh, the Lady Captain would reply..

"Transfer her to my station. I'll speak with her."

"Of course, Lady Captain."

Within' a second, the Lady Captain was connected with Ambassador Ba'Dun, and she quickly received a horrid scolding that would make even a Ship Admiral wince...

A second transmission is sent to the USS Gridley; the former, ambassadorial voice taking reigns once more.

++-'Human Ship Gridley, this is Ambassador Ba'Dun of the "Peace Unto All'. We are requesting permission to deploy a shuttle to Armistice; one that has already been decontaminated multiple times in the same manner the Frigate has. The business we have with your government officials, and those of other species and governments upon the station, are simply too important for time to be wasted. We must be allowed aboard Armistice to speak with the Council, even if in only small numbers.'-++

Posts : 172 Join date : 2014-01-08

USS Gridley (DDG-101)
United Systems Navy Armistice Detachment
Combat Information Center

"Fuck... They are onto us."

The Kal'bavakorian message said it all: they were watching the skies, and were expecting the Coalition to try something in that regard. The mission was a bust. Sighing in defeat, the Commander brought the handset against his cheek, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Mission abort, repeat, mission abort." he stated, much to the disappointment of the Special Operations officer on the other end; still, there was nothing the latter could do other than yell angry words and profanities about the aliens before the phonecall was terminated from the other end. The plan had failed.

"Colonel, I need an idea, and I need it fast... Actually, hold that thought." With that, the Captain set the offline headset down to the holographic table and turned around to address the entire staff of the Combat Information Center. "Any ideas, anyone? We've got to get that locator onboard the frigate, and we already wasted enough time!" he yelled, his eyes drifting towards the timer. One hour and forty minutes; they had wasted over twenty of their precious minutes trying to negotiate with the aliens, and preparing for the spacewalk. That wasn't good. "ANYONE?" he asked again in despair, and much to his surprise, a young petty officer third class spoke up.

"Well, sir... We could agree to their request to send a shuttle. We have no legal obligation to let them do it, so we can set the terms: say we'll let them on Armistice sooner if our men are the one to inspect the shuttle." And much to the Commander's surprise, the idea had merit: obviously the aliens would watch the team like hawks, and they would scour the ship for any foreign equipment, but if there was one thing that SpecCom was good at it was clandestine operations. Perhaps they could-

"Get me the Major back on the phone, NOW!" he finally screamed out, rushing to pick up the handset. The rough voice on the other end was enough to give him confirmation that the call had started: "This is the Commander. How good is your programmer?"

<"Best one money can buy, why?">

"We just withdrew from the CBRN treaties, right? You will pretend to be a decontamination crew, you can reprogram some of the-"

<"...Dapozzo, Yarden! Damage Control Center, NOW! Reiman, connect to the DoD servers- Actually screw that, connect to the Nucleus Enterprises servers and download the source code for their ERNS package!"> the man on the other end screamed to his compatriots, before getting back to the call. <"We are on it, stall."> And then the connection was terminated again, allowing the Commander to address the tactical systems officer.

"TSO, safe all torpedoes, move to Condition 2SQ. Radio, patch me through to the aliens."

Several seconds later, a single message was transmitted to the 'Peace Unto All' on a private, secure channel, just as the Coalition vessel begun withdrawing its torpedoes back inside their tubes.

<"Under Armistice regulations, we have no legal obligation to allow the deployment of that shuttle. However, we recognize the importance of this meeting: in order to expedite diplomatic procedures, we are willing to allow a single shuttle aboard Armistice provided that it is first inspected and rapidly decontaminated by our own crews at a safe distance from the station. Relevant berthing procedures to dock with one of our cargo transports will be sent to you, should you accept. In addition, we must demand that your delegation wear hazmat containment suits of your choice at all times aboard Armistice. We eagerly await your reply.">

Armistice Station
Council Conference Room

"I would be very careful with those statements, Ambassadors. As the aliens did not follow proper first contact procedures, and begun exploiting the Tefeull asteroid belt without contacting the proper authorities first, our fleet's initial actions were lawful under international regulations. Of course, the escalation was unfortunate, but the aliens continued to refuse an inspection of their facility even before we engaged them in combat. Their refusal went as far as to destroy said installation so our forces could not inspect it; does that not sound oddly evasive to you? Have you considered the possibility that their intentions are not as peaceful as they claim?"

The Councilman took a brief pause, staring coldly at the New Terran representative. "And before you begin bringing unproven rumors to this Council, please check your facts, Ambassador. The Nasari are as sentient and capable of free thought as the cows and hens you slaughter for sustenance, and multiple studies from some of the biggest institutions in the free world confirm those initial observations by our military. Would you accuse ranch owners of murdering unarmed children? Or for using cows to sow their land? What is this, the PETA? Are we to stop eating meat as well?"

"And you bring up New Warsaw as if you have studied the history and laws of our nation, but you have not. All Coalition citizens are granted the right to free speech, and can demonstrate about any issue /peacefully/. Sadly, New Warsaw has become plagued with crime and terrorism, and like any good police force, NWPD is pacifying the situation using /non-lethal/ force. The sensationalist headlines you have read in tabloids like the 'Watchman' fail to mention that every single casualty in our war against terror has been armed and actively threatening the lives of civilians and officers."

"Now that I have responded to your little outburst, please explain how these steps to ensure our nation's continued survival in any way constitute a threat. These treaties were originally signed to prevent an extinction-level nuclear war between the USC, SRZ, GCS and UCFP, and of those nations two have withdrawn from international politics and the Greater Commonwealth of Systems is perhaps our closest ally. The purpose for the existence of this treaty is meaningless... Unless, of course, you fear that our withdrawal from these treaties threatens putting the spotlight on nuclear war as a whole. Please, Ambassador: we are not stupid. Concealing research on nuclear arms development is one thing, but trying to hide surface tests... Tell me, Ambassador, have you solved the problem of the plutonium core interfering with the plasma propulsion system?" he asked, making it obvious that someone was feeding him information through his headset.

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Armistice Station,
Red Sun Embassy

Intelligence Officer Fowler couldn't believe it. It was complete bullshit, and she knew it. One moment the USC is about to blow apart the squid ship violating any sort of intergalactic courtesy, then they are using Armistice law to keep the Kals from accessing the station, and now they are allowing them to expedite the whole law if the Coalition could get their hands on the shuttle. It was a political mess, and the imperial intel officer couldn't figure out what the USC wanted from this.She was also trying to figure out how the Imperium could act on this, and maybe benefit from this. She made her way to the conference room inside of the Imperium facility. Inside sat the Imperial lead ambassador, a delegate from the Army, a delegate from the Navy, and several dignitaries from the Imperium's government. They each exchanged pleasantries before Fowler took her seat at the table.

"Alright, I'd like to get this over with as quickly as we can."The intelligence officer spoke quickly, and pulled out a small disc-like device. As soon as she set it down, several OMI articles opened up and displayed the recent events taking place in the galaxy.

"You've obviously been briefed on how the sides are playing out here ambassador. While we can measure the military power of the Terrans, the Commonwealth, and the Coalition. The Alliance we have very little intel on. While they seem to be able to hold their own against the Coalition, we can't guarantee that will last very long. Our primary ally at this point is potentially the New Terrans. With the Republic of Zeleniy out of the picture we have to look at other potential allies in order to secure our strength diplomatically as well as supporting the Imperium in terms of military in power. Ambassador, with approval from the government, I think it may be best to establish a new ally here. Or at least case potential allies in the future.

"I've got the backing from the government and I agree. I've got ideas but we need to find some sort of leverage. A reason to draw these governments to join an alliance. Officer, I need you to contact your office and find out what these nations want. Then we can make a move, for now, we need to assist the allies we have now."

It wasn't long after this meeting that a message was delegated towards the New Terran embassy requesting a meeting with the head of security for the Commonwealth.

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A message would soon be sent to the Valkarian delegation requesting an immediate meeting.

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Armistice Station,
New Terran Embassy

Matthias Koppe was far from a humble man, his office resembled more a princely estate than a place of work and he carried himself with just as much pretentious splendor. He believed in all the idealized interpretations of the nobility and he was a firm supporter of 'blue blood' privileges as well as being a political reactionary to boot. Ironically enough his clan occupied one of the lowest rungs of the New Terran social structure and he could only just barely call himself a gentleman, the title itself was earned by his Grandfather who gained favor fighting for House Cantabria through his mercenary outfit and whilst the rest of his men died alone on the hot sands of Heraklia he was awarded lands and a title for his 'commendable service for the crown'. His father continued the tradition of service by enlisting in the military and naturally he followed in his fathers footsteps when his turn was up.

He lit an expensive cigar as he listened to the Captain in-front of him speak about his issues close to home.

"The way I see it is this, a wise man oughta put his money on Talbot. Sure he may have his enemies in the Diet and within the Imperial Guard but that doesn't mean a damn thing, the Emperor is alive which means the Diet can't elect a new one and the Imperial Guard naturally have no reason to not do their jobs." the man sipped from an exquisite glass filled with scotch.

"That may be, that may be." Matthias started, pausing for a quick puff of his cigar. "But his title, Marshal of the Empire, is quite meaningless if we are no longer an Empire, correct? This is what I hear a lot from our friends back on Terra, theoretically he has no legal authority."

"Legal or not, he holds the cards now." the Captain replied as he adjusted himself in the fine leather seat.

"More people within the Military support him than don't, that means he has a whole lot of troops at his back and nobody is standing to oppose him."

"So long as the Emperor lives."

"Indeed."

A quiet beep emanated from a device on the desk and Matthias swiftly moved his hand out by reflex to activate it.

"News for me already, my dear? It's quite early."

"Message for you from the Red Sun's, Colonel, they're requesting a meeting." a female voice replied.

"You're sure they've asked for me? Not one of the Ambassadors?"

"The message was specifically for the Head of Security, Sir."

He nodded to himself, it wasn't often he was personally requested for diplomatic interaction with other nations but it satisfied his ego to know he had been requested directly. He waved away the Captain, who returned a casual salute on his way out the door, before quickly turning his attentions back to the device.

"Very well, tell them my office is always open to our friends of the Red Sun." he leaned back in his chair taking a few deep puffs of his cigar thinking to himself: Just what exactly do they want?

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Armistice Station,
New Terran Embassy

It wasn't long after receiving the message from the New Terran embassy that a man escorted by two Imperial soldiers would find himself at the entrance to the New Terran Embassy. The man was sharply dressed in an Imperium Army dress uniform (Top uniform) and indicated by the ornaments on his uniform, seemed to be a Major. He made his way towards the entrance of the New Terran building and presented himself to the guards. His appearance seemed to be that of a middle-aged Asian man. The eyes were the signature artificial Imperium blue. He stood slightly lower than his Army escorts, at about six feet, one inch, and had broad shoulders with a sturdy build. His posture was rigid, and his face was stoic. The guards escorting him seemed slightly more relaxed. A corporal, and a private, they got one of the easier jobs within the Army. As the Major got closer to the door, they remained about 10 meters back cradling their XR-115 rifles.

"Major Yeung, head of Imperium security aboard this station. I'm here to see Colonel Koppe, he should be expecting me."

He would present all the necessary and proper identification and paperwork needed to enter the embassy.

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The Council Room.

A Zeleniyan diplomat wearing a small Zeleniyan two-headed eagle pin on his left lapel, and a Farmer's Party pin on his right lapel takes the stand. He dabs his pale, bald head with a napkin and readjusts his transparent rebreather, gripping the podium and clearing his throat. His dull Slavnok voice drones on as the various translations speak over him,"The Socialist Republics, for the past 8 months, have been under attack by the vicious UCFP fleet and their uncoventional forces. They have incited mass panic and chaos in our colonies, have violated several rules of war, and released a biological weapon upon our homeworld, killing over 700,000 people. They have gone above and beyond in their atrocious warcrimes. Not to mention we were illegally outed from the Tefuell mine fields which accounted for 80 percent of the Socialist Republic's fuel."

He gives a cold glare to the UCFP, then motions with a gesture to the large windows in the ceiling above them,"Now we have the USC and the Kal'Bavakorian Alliance having a stand off in a de-militarized zone, the Armistice Station, the balance of Talarin has been broken, and Socialist Republic territories are being grabbed by opportunists! We can The Socialist Republics raises a vote to try the UCFP for warcrimes and illegal annexation of Socialist Republic Territory!"

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The Council Room.

The UCFP ambassador leant forward and spoke into the microphone attached to the desk, "Your points are moot, sir. The Zeleniyians have been committing crimes against "humanity" for the longest time. The Anarek of Zaa'nabar are a prime example; being forced into poverty, only to serve the Zeleniy war machine. This has changed with the conventional invasion of the aforementioned planet. Our forces have liberated these people and let them live their day to day lives as they please. As for the battle that had sparked this conflict, you are in the wrong. Your fleet had fired upon on our, the resulting battle being a consequence of actions. The UCFP too, wish to call a vote for war crimes. I would love to see this pan out, Ambassador." Afterwards, the envoy leans back into her chair, watching the pieces fall where they may.

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The Zeleniyan diplomat points an accusatory finger towards the UCFP ambassador,"There was no Zeleniyan 'war machine' before you started a war! We gave them a way of life, they lived amongst the beasts in the muck before we encountered them! We will--"

The lights flicker suddenly and the station's intercom blares over everyone:

"Dva."
"Nul."
"Sem."
"Sem."
"Shest."
"Chetyre."
"Nul."
"Odin."

Across the station, everyone drops what they're doing to listen intently. Stone faced honor guard quirk their brows and look up, unpaid interns stop shredding endless files, and diplomats cease bickering all to listen to the mysterious female voice.

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After the Slavnok numbers cease, the UCFP envoy pipes up,"Of course, the Zeleniyans are trying to monger fear by breaching the communications on the station under the guise of a third party terrorist group."

UCFP Listening Post, UCFP Embassy, Armistice Station.

Meanwhile, at the BND listening post; analysts are using their crypto equipment to trace the origins of the mysterious Slavnok transmission.

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The Council Room

The Imperium ambassador would silently listen to the ominous counting taking place all over the station and then pause. He would only speak up after the UCFP delegate would make his remark. The Imperium representative would scoff at the capitalist ambassador.

"Oh be realistic ambassador. What would the Socialist Republic of Zeleniy possibly have to gain from instilling fear among armistice station? Beside that, why would they make it so obvious as to try and do it in their own language?"

The Ambassador would pause for a moment eyeing the UCFP ambassador. If the ambassador would try to respond, the Imperium delegate would speak up over her.

"Don't you think it is about time to end the slaughter of innocent civilians and your troops ambassador? You've shown a blatant disregard for the sovereignty of the Socialists Republics by invading their world and turning the local populace with guises of freedom and democracy when really you've just created a bigger war machine than the Zeleniyans ever had. I would reccomend that you imminently stop this unneeded show of aggression towards the Socialist Republic and begin withdrawing your soldiers from a planet that you stole from the Zeleniy in order to force your own ideas and beliefs onto the populace."

The Imperial ambassador would then turn towards the USC's delegate in the room.

"I would also like to discuss the bullying of the Kal'Bavakorian Nations and to stop trying to assume control of this facility. Just because you stationed a large warship outside a peaceful, and might I add, neutral station does not mean you have control over its security. The Imperium could also deploy a fleet to this system to prevent you from preventing a peaceful diplomatic envoy from docking with the station. I push to allow a neutral state in your conflict, such as the SRoZ, the UCFP, the New Terrans, the Familiar, the CCT, or even us to deploy a shuttle with representatives from all nations to retrieve the ambassador from the Kal'Bavakorian Nations. This way, not only you, but all of the residents aboard this station are allowed to greet our guests, without waving weapons in their faces.

Posts : 27 Join date : 2014-06-28 Location : Los Angeles.

The Coalition ambassador would rise on the end of the Imperium ambassadors statement, clearing her throat and leaning into the microphone.

"The Coalition agrees fully with the Imperiums statement, the ridiculous hoops the USC has set for the Kals to jump through to access a neutral diplomatic station can not be allowed to continue on any longer, this is a station for diplomatic proceedings of whoever wishes to partake, not who the USC dictates.".

Once finished, she would sit again and glance over to the Imperium delegate, nodding as a sign of agreement.

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The Council Room

"Me? Realistic? Please, get your head out of the ground and take off the rose tints. Please cite any and all blue on green incidents. And as for the invasion, I am sure that you and the rest of the people in your..."intelligence" agencies, should they be called such, I am sure they remember the distress signal that the legitimate Government of Zaa'nabar, The Second Sultanate, had put out over two years ago; they had asked for help, and they got such. We also have documented photos of prisoner mistreatment, the mishandling of POWs, sectarian violence in regards to the Anarek. No will is imposed, the people of the nation had asked for help from those that could, we have been the only to respond in the last two years. Are there any more fruitless accusations that you would like to throw around, Amabassador?"

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