Phoenix War III

[Ra]

"Meryetre," Adam addresses the Jaffa scientist, "if there is nothing else you want to take a look at here, we should be getting back to the ship. The real fascinating things will be beyond the sealed door and further down, and we can come back for it, if your Lord permits us, of course."

"Very well, m'lord," Meryetre nodded. "I agree that we should come back more properly equipped. Lead on."

[Destructionator XV]

The three walk back up to their initial beam in point on the top floor, and call the ship. First the probe was beamed back up, then the people.

On the ship, the transporter chamber was sealed when they beamed in. They and their equipment had to be decontaminated, then the chamber opened with a direct path to the back of the little room on the side where they could get out of the environmental suits.

Once the computer scanned them to be certain that they were indeed clean, the exit lock opened, so they could leave the isolation chamber and return to the rest of the ship.

Once reunited in the corridor, Adam turns to Meryetre and said "Inquire your lord Ra if we would be permitted to bring in a substantial number of further resources here. We will need not only more science ships to expedite the survey, but also regular passage back and forth from here to our base until the survey is complete. We might also want to bring in heavy terraforming equipment. Of course, we will be willing to share any knowledge we gain from this world with our Goa'uld friends."

[Ra]

Meryetre nodded, and activated her holo communicator on the spot. The blue-tinted replica of Ra's head appeared gazing off to the side. He then looked directly at the Jaffa geneticist.

"M'lord," Meryetre greeted. "Lord Adam and his people have discovered significant artefacts on this planet, and he wishes to bring in more science vessels and personnel to perform an actual study of the ruins here. He also requests right of passage from this system to their starbase."

Ra pondered a moment, thinking, "If they really have found something, it could or could not be to our advantage. Whatever, they'll need protection from any possible Free Jaffa or Lucean Alliance ships that get a little too... nosey. At least, that'd be the excuse. That'll give me an excuse to stage ships close to Tais II, in case the Imps make a move."

Ra then stated, "Granted. Lord Adam, you'll be authorized to traverse our space in between your base and the system unfettered. Bring in as much as you need."

"They might think it's a setup if I send in Ha'taks," Ra then pondered. "No, it would look too suspicious to post more than maybe one mothership and a few Al'keshes..."

Ra then continued in a neutral tone, "I'd like to post a small force - maybe some Al'kesh bombers - in orbit around the planet to provide security in case Baal or some local powers intrude, but I'd also appreciate it if you posted one of your own battlecruisers on station as well. As for why we need the security, call it a hunch."

[Destructionator XV]

"Lord Ra, before you hang up, if we are going to bring in one battlecruiser, we normally bring at least two to four destroyer escorts with it. I trust this will not be a problem?"

OOC: And when he learns of the loss of the Pathfinder, he is going to want to escalate that more. This system, Tais II and the Zerg planet aren't really that far apart; just a matter of hours between any of them at high warp or hyperspeed. Of course since he doesn't know the threat exists yet, he has no cause for concern at this time.

[Ra]

"More ships?" Ra pondered. "Good. They might not help me in the case of an attack on my evacuation in the Tais System, but with that many more ships guarding their own people, it'll help *me* if I have to abandon my charges and respond. They'd be less rightly offended if I left a small flotilla, rather than a lone supercapital ship."

"Very well," Ra nodded. "It'll be no problem at all. Are there any other concerns you have?"

[Destructionator XV]

"No sir, you've been quite accommodating. We thank you for your cooperation in this matter."

[Ra]

"Hopefully not so accomidating as to raise suspicion," Ra mentally sighed.

"Excellent," Ra nodded. "I hope you find what you've been looking for. Ra out."

The holograms of Meryetre, the Lord, and the Lady faded, and Ra glanced at his Dark Jedi driver.

"We're just pulling up now, sir," the man stated.

"Good," Ra said, stepping quickly out of his limo, and onto the polished-metal floor of one of DS III's countless launch bays. "I'm heading out to the Nyla System, which is only seventeen lightyears inward from Tais."

Nyla VI was home to a rather large primitive population, a typical Goa'uld system really, and the second of its two moons held a large naval installation. From there, Ra would be close - but not overly so - to Tais, and be able to keep an eye on things.

[Dark Silver]

Defense Minister Nexvian looked over the missive from Darth Kreshna, and his upper lip twitched.

A Gun of Command? Such weapons were restricted to Military use even in the Empire. Such a weapon in the hands of a Go'uld..unthinkable. But still...


A few keystrokes, and a channel was opened to the Death Star II in the Milky Way Galaxy. There would be a few moments delay before the stream came to real time, and he took the time to but a smile on his lips.

When the Sith Lord finally answered, Nexvian took the lead, "Ah, Darth Kreshna, such a pleasure to speak with you again. I have a missive from you concerning the acquisition of a Gun of Command for our Go'uld Allies......"

[Destructionator XV]

Starbase 242
Officer's housing

"I'll never make captain now, Rick..." the former captain of the Pathfinder says to her first officer.

"Gods, look at me," she stands up, "twenty-one people dead and here I am thinking about my rank!"

"You can't blame yourself, Jenny," the first officer says.

"I've been in the service twenty years. I've seen men die... but never on my watch... I just keep going through it in my head, over and over... What are those damnedable creatures anyway?!"

"I heard the Admiral is going to send the Quine to 8472 to answer that question."

"Quine... she's a stealth destroyer, right?"

"Yeah. Loso-class. Her captain is a veteran commander from the war."

"I-"

She is interrupted by a knock on the door, and goes to open it. "Yes?"

"Commander Fuller, I am Lieutenant Commander Hugh Ywe, and this is Lieutenant Wallace. We are with with the Judge Advocate General's office."

Rick gets up from the table and heads towards the door. "I guess I'd better get going. See you later, Jenny."

"Commander Lloyd," the JAG officer says to him as he leaves, "be aware we will want to speak with you shortly, as well."

"Yes, sir, I'll be here on the base." he says, and leaves.

"Gentlemen, please, come in and have a seat."

"I'm sure you know why we am here, Commander."

"Yes, I do."

They go in and ses up a voice recorder. "Let's start right from the beginning. What happened when you dropped out of warp?"

[Destructionator XV]

A'millian Embassy
Section 24, Level C-5
Death Star III

Ambassador John Kruger returns from the meeting, and passes off the datapad with the list of Zerg planets to a member of the IT staff, instructing him to make a copy so he can attach it to his report, then loosens his tie and heads for his office.

"How did it go, John?" A large, older man standing outside an adjacent office asks him.

"Those other leaders are frakking nuts, Bob! Babbling on and on about telepathic nonsense, taking random calls in the middle of the meeting. The bloody alien seemed to be far more reasonable."

"Welcome to the big leagues!" the large man laughs then goes back into his office.

"Yeah..." John shakes his head as he goes into his office and begins writing his report for headquarters.

[DesertFly]

Somewhere far to Galactic West, outside of Goa'uld space.

Kar'tan had been having a good day. The leader of this camp of rebel Jaffa had finished his session of Kelna'rim just before dawn then had gone on a refreshing six hak'tan run, and now was back in camp helping his wife prepare breakfast. Suddenly, he heard shouts from outside of camp. When he got to the edge of camp, a crowd had already gathered around two of the sentries and something he couldn't quite make out. He finally managed to push his way through to the center, and discovered a dog-sized, vicious looking creature lying dead on the ground between them. Several staff blast marks could be seen scorching its chitinous hide. Kar'tan finally managed to quiet the crowd enough to hear the story from the first sentry.

"We were out on patrol when one of these things suddenly uprooted from the ground right in front of us and leapt at Blan't," here he indicated his companion, who still had a slightly dazed look on his face, "but I managed to keep the presence of mind enough to shoot the vile beast."

Kar'tan scowled. Supposedly this planet was devoid of any large predators. Before a camp had been established here, a scouting party had done a survey over the course of several days from a cargo ship, specifically to look for things like this. Obviously they had missed something. Sighing, he gave orders for the body to be burned, and sentry groups to be doubled, then he and a group of others began building a fence around the village. Hopefully the fence would be enough to keep these new creatures out until a proper hunting party could be assembled to destroy these animals in their immediate area.

The next day Kar'tan felt that the fence was near enough to completion that the village would be safe while he visited a few neighbouring worlds to gather a contingent of Jaffa to wipe these creatures out. As he stepped through the chappa'ai he heard a scream from the direction of his camp. He made a quick decision on the other side, and immediately dialed back home. As he neared his village, he noticed black clouds of smoke rising from the edge of the camp. The scene was chaos. Everywhere the creatures he had seen earlier were rushing around at unbelievable speeds, tearing people to shreds with their claws. Several of his warriors had managed to make a circle around some of the women and children and were holding off the beasts, but with every pass the creatures were getting closer. Kar'tan ran toward them, dodging or shooting the occasional leaping Zergling. As he neared them, he noticed that the ground was suddenly soft, and spongy. He looked down in disgust at the purple fleshly growth that was spreading from the west of the village.

With a roar, an enormous monster burst out of the trees and charged directly for the group of defenders. Their staff blasts bounced off its thick hide in vain, and Kar'tan watched in horror as it literally ran through the entire group. There were sickly sounds as body parts flew everywhere. Kar'tan was brave, but he knew when it was hopeless to stick around. Turning, he ran for his very life back to the Stargate. Behind him, the sounds of the remainder of the village being destroyed grew quieter, but several of the creatures broke off and followed him. He was able to destroy and avoid them all, and he felt a sudden sense of relief as the chappa'ai came into view. He hurriedly began dialing the address he had sent before. It was only half done when the portal activated; an incoming wormhole had come. He raised his weapon. Out of the shimmering portal came a new nightmare creature, a snake-like being topped with a grinning skull. Staring into its nightmare eyes, Kar'tan felt all will to fight drain from him. He sank to his knees, the staff slipping out of his fingers, right as the poisonous spines ripped through his chest. As his sight dimmed, he saw the horror slither past him, followed by nightmarish creations he was suddenly glad that he wouldn't have to see any longer...

[Destructionator XV]

System I-1071
High orbit around third planet
A few hours later

Five flashes of light mark the arrival of the battlecruiser ASV Fearless and her four escorts, Falcon-class destroyers.

With the other warships present to relieve him, Adam's ship prepares to leave orbit and go back to the base to meet with Admiral Wise and call for the appropriate support from home.

"Meryetre, what will you and your two counterparts be doing? If they want to return with us, we will take them all back to 242, or if you wish to remain here with the other ships, I will have you transported over."

[Ra]

"While my other advisors will stay aboard ship, I personally would like to join your expedition, m'lord," Meryetre stated.

Meanwhile, on Nyla VI

Ra arrived inside the main CIC of the Nyla VI base, to the bow of the station commander, a human male in his late fourties.

"Greeting, m'lord," he stated. "We were expecting your arrival, and have made preperations."

"Excellent," answered Ra. "What of the A'millian operations?"

"A small flotilla has just arrived in-system," stated a Jaffa controlman. "The Fearless, a Star Knight-class heavy cr- um, my bad, a Warror-class battlecruiser... and several destroyers."

Ra raised an eyebrow at the controller's slip, and stated, "Um... excellent. Have my Al'keshes arrived?"

"No, m'lord, they're still in hyperspace at the moment. ETA, two minutes," the controller answered.

"Scientific Advisor Meryetre is heading down to the surface with the A'millian science detachment," the commander added.

"Excellent," Ra nodded. "Now, what about my ships in the Tais System?"

"They, also, have not arrived," the controller replied in a worried tone. "ETA, nine hours."

"NINE HOURS?" Ra uttered.

"M'lord, the ships just departed this base when you arrived," the commander answered. "It takes nine hours on standard hyperdrive to reach that system."

Ra grimaced, and answered, "Very well. Keep me informed."

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

When the Sith Lord finally answered, Nexvian took the lead, "Ah, Darth Kreshna, such a pleasure to speak with you again. I have a missive from you concerning the acquisition of a Gun of Command for our Go'uld Allies......"

The Sith replied, "It is a pleasure to speak with you too, Minister. I trust you have received my missive?"

[Destructionator XV]

Edge of system S-8472

In the darkness of space, nothing looks to be happening, but invisibly, the cloaked stealth destroyer ASV Quine has dropped out of warp and established stable orbit in the third Lagrangian point of the fourth planet and its moon, a mere light minute away from the Zerg planet, giving her an excellent view of Zerg activities through her telescopes.

With most her systems powered down, her stealthly designed hull, and no active sensor emissions, she would already be hard to detect, and with the addition of the cloaking device, detection becomes near impossible.

Of course, without active scanners, she is limited to just looking around passively, but her mission was to park here and do just that, periodically sending a directional burst transmission back to the base if anything interesting happened.

[DesertFly]

Kerrigan leaned back in her throne. Although she could access anything that any Zerg anywhere saw anytime in her mind, she still found a small measure of comfort in reminders of her old life on occasion, such as looking at an actual display. Of course, in emergencies or when many things were happening, she would take the speed and precise control that her direct link afforded, but in slow times, she liked to kick back and watch the news from the swarm.

Nothing much special happened today; three more systems had been successfully colonized, bringing the total to just over three dozen; scouts had discovered and explored another fifty, and were starting to reach the borders of what Namtaru had marked as relatively uncontested space. Some small village of Free Jaffa had been ruthlessly wiped from the face of their planet; Kerrigan especially enjoyed watching the slaughter of innocents. Also, the space-borne sensors in what the A'millians called S-8472 and the Zerg knew internally as Aleph17 had picked up a ship that matched the general configuration of the A'millian starships that had intruded there just days before. It was obviously trying to be stealthy, but after fighting the Protoss' Dark Templar, the Zerg were quite adept at spotting things that didn't want to be seen.

Kerrigan wasn't entirely sure what the A'millians hoped to see in this rather unremarkable system, but just to keep things on the safe side, she made a "mental note" (AKA sent a command to the brood there) that all the advanced combat strains there should be destroyed, and no more should be grown while there was a guest in the system. Kerrigan had considered destroying the offending vessel, but she felt that keeping some of her abilities unknown for the time being might prove to be advantageous in the future. However, she did alter the path of one of the patrols slightly. If the stealth ship was still there in a couple of days, one of the patrols would run right into it. That would provide a wonderful opportunity to make an issue in the next diplomatic meeting, if the captain was stupid.

Finally, there seemed to be some sort of psychic signal emanating from another system not too far beyond what had already been colonized. That would also have to be explored.

[Destructionator XV]

Meanwhile, at Starbase 242

Lord Adam's ship has returned, and he and his Lady are not meeting with Admiral Wise about the Zerg situation.

The Admiral fills them in on the situation, and they have no objections to her handling of the situation. Adm. Wise furthermore requests military reinforcements from home, fearing that with the loss of a ship and the presense of a small fleet from her base around I-1071, they are getting spread a little thin.

Lord Adam sends a message back to headquarters requesting the scientific equipment they need be sent, along with the Seventy-Fourth roaming fleet, to the Milky Way.

The requested ships will take four days to get prepared and arrive. In the mean time, the Lord and Lady will simply remain at the base.

[Dartzap]

DSIII

Jetsam is looking over the various fleet to fleet transmission that were warrneted to be important enough to be transmitted here. everything seemed to so damn normal, yet Detritus wanted him to do this? It was somewhat bizarre, He'd not seen such a large deployment order in many years, the fact it wasn't military vessals made it all the stranger. Detritus had orderd up the entire Trollish Exploratory and Triumvirate Scout Fleet to go and do a new galactic map, both geographically and political. Jetsam was damned if he knew what this was about, but he had his orders.

'Matsui and Historanic fleet commands, we have up loaded your orders, prepare for long distance transmat, you know what the situation is like out there. If you see so much as a hint of trouble, we have a dozen rapid responce fleets ready to go, do you understand?'

'This Diamond Adventurer, we understand'

'This is Cropoliths Vanquisher, we understand, over'

And with that, the Constructor vessal Pride of Igenous opened up its forward bay, and fired it's mass transmat beam, sending the fleets on their way.

One down, 249 to go....

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

OOC: okay, Allen. Where are you?

=======================================================

When the Sith Lord finally answered, Nexvian took the lead, "Ah, Darth Kreshna, such a pleasure to speak with you again. I have a missive from you concerning the acquisition of a Gun of Command for our Go'uld Allies......"

The Sith replied, "It is a pleasure to speak with you too, Minister. I trust you have received my missive?"

"......like I said, Mr. Secretary, that Ba'al have decided to carry out his plan to build the naquada installation. Such attempt can potentially distrupt the balance and stability of the region and...."

Darth Kreshna explained the situation to the Secretary of Defense; he explained that arming Ra would make Ba'al think twice before committing any aggression. It was indeed true that the GOC-14 --which was the newest publicly known model-- had a rather restrictive export policy, and while the Empire allows exporting that particular model to allied nations, the process could take several months under normal circumstances. The Sith, however, believed that the current situation did not fall under 'normal circumstances'.

Besides, GOC-14 was only the newest publicly known model. Darth Kreshna had known well the Empire's policy to not exporting anything unless it had something that could beat the exported item hands down. GOC-14 was powerful indeed, but anyone trying to use it against the Empire will found it ineffective, since the latest version of infantry psychic shield was already implemented.

And while explaining the situation, the Sith also mentioned about the new race called the Zerg, as well as the arousing suspicion following the meeting.....

[Ra]

Coruscant

"I don't like this," Madar commented, running her fingers through her short hair.

"Neither do I," answered Buscan. "This has been taking too long, with-"

"No updates from Ra," Madar finished. "I know. He said there had been some progress at the meeting, the revelation that the Imperials are spying on our Tais II installation, and he had asked me to find him a black market Gun of Command."

Buscan twitched his mouth, watching the vast cityscape outside his window through a pair of binoculars. "And what do you tell him when he calls again?"

"Simply that I've not had any luck," Madar glared at him. "Outside of that one Rodian we met, we've had no leads. And I don't trust that bastard, not for one instant. My senses tell me he's trouble. Ra will understand, given what he's asking. It's like the proverbial 'needle in a haystack'. Only out here, it's more like a case of finding it amongst a million haystacks."

"And we're bodyguards, not merchants," Nica, her other operative, muttered, adjusting her suit coat.

Madar's eyes narrowed as she gazed out at the Imperial Senate building, and she answered, "Precisely. And damn all this sitting around waiting for orders. He's got to have blown that base by now."

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

"Motherfucker," Ra cursed in his mind. "Alright, whatever. So DK's gonna secure us the permits to get the thing earlier than we normally could. We both know how anally-retentive the Imperial government is."

"All too well," Madar nodded. "I might could look into getting one for you from more... unofficial sources."

Coruscant

........................................................................................................................


"No updates from Ra," Madar finished. "I know. He said there had been some progress at the meeting, the revelation that the Imperials are spying on our Tais II installation, and he had asked me to find him a black market Gun of Command."

Buscan twitched his mouth, watching the vast cityscape outside his window through a pair of binoculars. "And what do you tell him when he calls again?"

Little did Madar realized that her conversation had been monitored by an extreme long-distance telescopic microphone. The Imperial Bureau of Intelligence (IBI) had been keeping eyes on her for years due to her traces in various illegal activities. The fact that she was now the bodyguard of Ra --head of the state of the Goa'uld and Imperial ally-- could make things a little bit difficult than before, but the IBI agents kept relentless as usual.

Rumors gathered from various contacts and informants indicated that Madar had been looking for black market Gun of Command. Indeed the black market versions were all slightly outdated compared to 'official' items, but the IBI had been looking for a strong case to nail the female Sith for good, and Buscan too. Killing two birds with a single stone was not an opportunity they would miss.

Furthermore, Madar was rumored to be an illegal Sith. According to the 345th Article, anyone blessed with the Dark Side should report and register to a local Sith Registration Office if they wished to advance their training. Darth Kreshna was the Imperial Grand Sith Inquisitor, and only his Sith were officially acknowledged by the government. The Sith himself was actually quite liberal regarding the regulation --a fact that was looked down upon by many top-brasses in law enforcement offices, since there were many illegal Sith using their Force to commit crime. Thus, nailing Madar could help them proving their point to the laissez-faire Darth Kreshna.

The IBI agents kept listening.....

[Destructionator XV]

Starbase 242
Clear fields outside the base
Later that night

The Lord and Lady of the A'millian Star Empire lie alone on a grassy field, looking up at a star filled sky.

"I can never quite get used to foregin stars," she said.

Adam remains silent, his eyes focused on a fast moving, oddly shaped light overhead, surrounded by several smaller lights moving with it. She notices this and also the fact that his chest trembled ever so slightly.

"The Pacifica is a beautiful ship," he finally whispered.

"...what's bothering you?" she finally asked.

"I can't hide anything from you, can I, old friend?"

"Nope."

"I'm thinking about all we have accomplished over the yahren," his eyes shifting from the ships to the orbital spacedock and the massive transwarp ring, both easily visible above, "and then, I think about how it is all at risk," he says, glancing toward a distant star in the sky.

"It's that Imperial probe we saw, isn't it?"

"More than that. These Imperial scum are without honour, yes, but there is something that separates them from other the honourless creatures we have been forced to deal with of late." his eyes still focused on the same star.

"Power."

"Power. Every one of their weapons is a WMD, and on top of that, that accursed battlestation." he says placing a strong emphasis on the word 'battle', "The dishonourable bastards try to cover that up, but their bullshit doesn't change the fact that that station is the most fearful WMD ever known to us, and we allow it to just sit there unmolested."

"There is not much we can do about it, not without getting very, very dirty."

"We might have to get dirty. Their Empire has a very bad track record, they used that fucking thing against one of their own core worlds, for crying out loud! It is just a matter of time until their evil shows again. As it stands, we would be their biggest obstacle in that evil, and you know what that means."

"You mustn't allow your emotions to cloud your judgment, old friend," she warns, "remember, fear is the mind-killer."

"...I should probably just focus on the current expedition, I guess, until I clear my mind."

"Not just..." she said, "I have an idea, let's just see how it plays out..."

*******
A'millian Embassy
Section 24, Level C-5
Death Star III
A few hours later

Ambassador John Kruger sends his finished report on the Zerg, and prepares to go to dinner, when another message comes in.

"Oh felgercarb" he says outloud while reading it "I get the feeling now was not the time to take this job..."

"How the hell am I going to word that? Hmm... I guess short and to the point works..."

He quickly types up a letter to Darth Kreshna and sends it before going to eat:

"Sith Lord Darth Kreshna

In the name of the of Emperor Lord Adam the First of the A'millian Star Empire, we hereby request the immediate and complete disarmament of the super laser on this Death Star III.

Signed,
John I Kruger
A'millian Ambassador"

[Ra]

Madar shook her head, taking a seat on a massive sofa within the hotel room.

Nica then stated, "If he hasn't called, what does that mean?"

"It means he doesn't have anything to say," Buscan said cynically.

"But what if something's wrong?" the Twi'lek operative insisted.

"And what if he's happily humping some Romulan hottie?" Madar added wryly. "Don't worry about it, Nica."

"I'm not exactly worried," Nica sighed, "just that I don't feel like having the Old Man get vaporized on us while we're twiddling our thumbs on 'Scantie."

"True, it's kinda hard to get paid when your employer is a pile of ashes on somebody's floor," Madar noted. "But I don't see any pressing need to go anywhere when I'm not ordered to. I expect he'll holo us again and tell us some ambassodorial lackey of his is going to pick up the legit Gun, and we'll head back to his hellhole of a galaxy and stand watch over his pretty boy ass."

"Ha, pretty boy," Buscan quipped. "I bet you'd just love for that Snakehead to bow to you."

Madar tried to supress a naughty look, but failed. She then noted, "I'd rather not run the risk of that bastard deciding to leap out his host's mouth mid-course. As long as we've worked with them, I still don't like that whole thing the Snakeheads can do."

"Point," Buscan laughed.

"Makes me always wonder if that "advisor" of his from during the war was Snaked too," Nica laughed.

"Come again?" Buscan muttered.

"You never watched the damned news, Buscan?" Madar snorted. "Everywhere Ra went during the war, he had this tall blonde woman follow him around, and the tabloids constantly speculated if she was actually the one in charge of the Goa'uld war effort, with Ra merely as her pedantic puppet."

"Sounds familiar," Buscan nodded, "Kinda like how the last American president was before Earth became an Imperial protectorate, being the Brotherhood of Nod's yes-man because he was too fucking stupid to run the country on his own. But I was in the Unknown Regions during the war. If she was so damned important, where is she now?"

"Got through with Ra and returned wherever she came from, I suppose," Madar nodded.

"Probably wasn't Snaked then," Buscan agreed. "If she was the one in charge..."

But as the conversation went on, Madar had a nagging feeling - a subtle sensation within the Force - that she was being watched. She tuned her senses, and decided perhaps more bullshitting was better than talking about more official matters.

Buscan then waved his hand in Madar's face, breaking her concentration.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's just a feeling, but I'd keep an eye out," Madar stated telepathically.

Buscan nodded knowingly, and shot Nica a glance.

"Nothing," Madar said, smirking. "Just tired."

"How about we go down to the hotel lounge and get a few rounds?" Buscan stated.

"No, staying here is for the best. If someone tried to start something in the bar, it'd be very... messy. I don't want that," Madar telepathically warned.

"I'd rather just relax for awhile, watch a movie or something," Madar then stated, continuing her evasion.

[Dartzap]

Ah, commander. How goes the deployment?

'Very well sir, even though I still don't really know whats going on...'

Be thankful for that, Jetsam. Lets just say that I'm not too sure about this new faction, this Zerg. I'm deploying the mapping fleets because I want to find out exactly where they are, and whatever strengh they may have.I also want to know about some of the ...assets i'm sure our allies have been keeping quiet about. I'm almost tempted to summon further forces from the home-galaxy, depending on if we find we have too few eyes in this one.

'From the home galaxy?! We didnt even do that during the war!'

Indeed, I have been in contact with my fellow lords there, and they are in agreement, if the situation turns away from what we want, I can summon home fleet Colossus I hope to the Gods we wont need that kind of firepower though.

'I wasn't aware there was a situation! Why on Disc do you think we would need so many ships?!'

I can sense something big is about to happen, I am not sure how big though

'How?

By the pricking of my thumbs. I have very odd thumbs.

[Destructionator XV]

Starbase 242
A'millian Command Centre
Milky Way Galaxy
10:00 local time

Ambassador Kruger's report came in mere hours ago, and has been read by the Admiral, and the list of planets passed off to Stellar Cartography to translate Zerg system names to their equivilants in the A'millian catalog.

Lord Adam, having just woken up and finished eating, goes into the Admiral's office to discuss this new information.

He reads through the translated system list, and one stands out: the Zerg system called Aleph17, known to him as system S-8472.

"Have you recalled the Quine?" He looks up over his glasses at Admiral Wise.

"No, sir," she says.

"Do it," he says to a communication officer, then turns back to the admiral, "and no further ships will go near any of these systems."

"Sir, I don't think that is a good idea. They destroyed one of our peaceful vessels, we should try to learn more about them."

"We don't spy on diplomatic nations for defending themselves."

"They attacked a peaceful vessel, killing a score of our people."

"We invaded their space. Just let it go... for now."

"I don't like it."

"We shall not let them get away with it, however, this is not the time. You have your orders, Admiral."

"Yes, sir."



Moments later, in system S-8472, the ASV Quine quietly breaks orbit and goes to warp, leaving the Zerg unmolested.